Ocean acidification along the 24.5°N section in the subtropical North Atlantic

9 páginas, 4 figuras.-- Proyecto CarbochangeOcean acidification is directly related to increasing atmospheric CO2 levels due to human activities and the active role of the global ocean in absorbing part of this anthropogenic CO2. Here we present an assessment of the pH changes that have occurred along 24.5°N in the subtropical North Atlantic through comparison of pH observations conducted in 1992 and 2011. It reveals an overall decline in pH values in the first 1000 dbar of the water column. The deconvolution of the temporal pH differences into anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic components reveals that natural variability, mostly owed to a decrease in oxygen levels in particular regions of the section, explains the vertical distribution of the larger pH decreases (up to −0.05 pH units), which are found within the permanent thermocline. The detection of long-term trends in dissolved oxygen in the studied region gains importance for future pH projections, as these changes modulate the anthropogenically derived acidification. The anthropogenic forcing explains significant acidification deeper than 1000 dbar in the western basin, within the Deep Western Boundary Current.We acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through grants CSD2008-00077 (Circumnavigation Expedition MALASPINA 2010 Project), CTM2009-08849 (ACDC Project), and CTM2012-32017 (MANIFEST Project) and from the Seventh Framework Programme FP7 CARBOCHANGE (grant agreement 264879). E.F. Guallart was funded by CSIC through a JAE-Pre grant.Peer reviewe

Archeologia diffusa e città in estensione

In the relationship between archaeological sites and the contemporary landscape we find accumulations of matter, shapes, uses and meanings, which affect wide physical and cultural layers of space and society. In thickly stratified contexts – owing to strongly effective natural and anthropic phenomena – which are characterized by a remarkable presence of ancient relics showing different degrees of unity or fragmentation in opposition to their extensive network, the archaeological fabric is thickly weaved with other formal structures, and the reflections about preservation, use and improvement, affect several issues, which are different according to their dimensions, and their scientific and administrative competence. Sprawled archaeology can be seen as a fundamental layer of the extensive city, which is the most representative conceptual structure of the contemporary landscape form as well as of the culture of dwelling. Nel rapporto tra siti archeologici e paesaggio contemporaneo si ritrovano accumulazioni di materia, forme, usi e significati che interessano ampi strati, fisici e culturali, dello spazio e della collettività. In contesti fortemente stratificati – a causa di fenomeni naturali e antropici di forte impatto – caratterizzati da una significativa presenza di resti antichi che assumono, a fronte di una estensione a rete, diversi gradi di unitarietà o frammentazione, la trama archeologica è fittamente intessuta con altre strutture formali e la riflessione sulla conservazione, fruizione e valorizzazione vede intrecciarsi numerose questioni, diverse per scala, competenze scientifico-disciplinari e amministrative. L’archeologia diffusa può essere riguardata come un fondamentale layer della città in estensione, che rappresenta la struttura concettuale più significativa della forma del paesaggio e della cultura dell’abitare della contemporaneità

Higher Number of Night Shifts Associates with Good Perception of Work Capacity and Optimal Lung Function but Correlates with Increased Oxidative Damage and Telomere Attrition

Sleep deprivation and the consequent circadian clock disruption has become an emergent health question being associated with premature aging and earlier chronic diseases onset. Night-shift work leads to circadian clock misalignment, which is linked to several age-related diseases. However, mechanisms of this association are not well understood. Aim of this study is to explore in night-shift workers early indicators of oxidative stress response and biological aging [oxidized/methylated DNA bases and leukocytes telomere length (LTL)] and late indicators of functional aging [lung function measurements (FEV1 and FVC)] in relation to personal evaluation of work capacity, measured by work ability index (WAI). One hundred fifty-five hospital workers were studied within the framework of a cross-sectional study. We collected physiological, pathological, and occupational history including pack-years, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and night shifts, together with blood and urine samples. Relationships were appraised by univariate and multivariate ordered-logistic regression models. We found that workers with good and excellent WAI present higher FEV1 (p< 0.01) and number of night-work shifts (p<0.05), but they reveal higher urinary levels of 8-oxoGua (p<0.01) and shorter LTL (p<0.05). We confirmed that higher work ability was prevalent among chronological younger workers (p<0.05), who have also a significant reduced number of diseases, particularly chronic (p<0.01) and musculoskeletal diseases (p<0.01). The new findings which stem from our work are that subjects with the highest work ability perception may have more demanding and burdensome tasks; they in fact present the highest number of night-shift work and produce unbalanced oxidative stress response that might induce premature aging