Application of airborne photogrammetry for the visualisation and assessment of contamination migration arising from a Fukushima waste storage facility

Airborne systems such as lightweight and highly portable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming increasingly widespread in both academia and industry - with an ever-increasing range of applications, including (but not limited to), air quality sampling, wildlife monitoring and land-use mapping.In this work, high-resolution airborne photogrammetry obtained using a multi-rotor system operating at low survey altitudes, is combined with ground-based radiation mapping data acquired at an interim storage facility for wastes removed as part of the large-scale Fukushima clean-up program. The investigation aimed to assess the extent to which the remediation program at a specific site has contained the stored contaminants, as well as present a new methodology for rapidly surveying radiological sites globally. From the three-dimensional rendering of the site of interest, it was possible to not only generate a powerful graphic confirming the elevated radiological intensity existing at the location of the waste bags, but also to also illustrate the downslope movement of contamination due to species leakage from the large 1m3 storage bags. The entire survey took less than 1 h to perform, and was subsequently post-processed using graphical information software to obtain the renderings. The conclusions within this study not only highlight the usefulness of incorporating three-dimensional renderings within radiation mapping protocols, but also conclude that current methods of monitoring these storage facilities in the long term could be improved through the integration of UAVs within the standard protocol

Impact of Space Weather on Climate and Habitability of Terrestrial Type Exoplanets

The current progress in the detection of terrestrial type exoplanets has opened a new avenue in the characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres and in the search for biosignatures of life with the upcoming ground-based and space missions. To specify the conditions favorable for the origin, development and sustainment of life as we know it in other worlds, we need to understand the nature of astrospheric, atmospheric and surface environments of exoplanets in habitable zones around G-K-M dwarfs including our young Sun. Global environment is formed by propagated disturbances from the planet-hosting stars in the form of stellar flares, coronal mass ejections, energetic particles, and winds collectively known as astrospheric space weather. Its characterization will help in understanding how an exoplanetary ecosystem interacts with its host star, as well as in the specification of the physical, chemical and biochemical conditions that can create favorable and/or detrimental conditions for planetary climate and habitability along with evolution of planetary internal dynamics over geological timescales. A key linkage of (astro) physical, chemical, and geological processes can only be understood in the framework of interdisciplinary studies with the incorporation of progress in heliophysics, astrophysics, planetary and Earth sciences. The assessment of the impacts of host stars on the climate and habitability of terrestrial (exo)planets will significantly expand the current definition of the habitable zone to the biogenic zone and provide new observational strategies for searching for signatures of life. The major goal of this paper is to describe and discuss the current status and recent progress in this interdisciplinary field and to provide a new roadmap for the future development of the emerging field of exoplanetary science and astrobiology.Comment: 206 pages, 24 figures, 1 table; Review paper. International Journal of Astrobiology (2019

Identification of α(1,6)fucosylated proteins differentially expressed in human colorectal cancer

<p>Summary</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A universal hallmark of cancer cells is the change in their glycosylation phenotype. One of the most frequent alterations in the normal glycosylation pattern observed during carcinogenesis is the enhancement of α(1,6)linked fucose residues of glycoproteins, due to the up-regulation of the α(1,6)fucosyltransferase activity. Our previous results demonstrated the specific alteration of this enzyme activity and expression in colorectal cancer, suggesting its implication in tumour development and progression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the current work we combined a LCA-affinity chromatography with SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry in order to identify α(1,6)fucosylated proteins differentially expressed in colorectal cancer. This strategy allowed the identification of a group of α(1,6)fucosylated proteins candidates to be involved in CRC malignancy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of the identified proteins take part in cell signaling and interaction processes as well as in modulation of the immunological response. Likewise, we confirmed the increased expression of GRP94 in colorectal cancer tissue and the significant down-regulation of the IgGFcBP expression in tumour cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>All these results validate the importance of <it>core-</it>fucosylated proteins profile analysis to understand the mechanisms which promote cancer onset and progression and to discover new tumour markers or therapeutic targets.</p

The diagnostic accuracy of US, CT, MRI and 1H-MRS for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis compared with liver biopsy: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To meta-analyse the diagnostic accuracy of US, CT, MRI and (1)H-MRS for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis. METHODS: From a comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane (up to November 2009), articles were selected that investigated the diagnostic performance imaging techniques for evaluating hepatic steatosis with histopathology as the reference standard. Cut-off values for the presence of steatosis on liver biopsy were subdivided into four groups: (1) >0, >2 and >5% steatosis; (2) >10, >15 and >20%; (3) >25, >30 and >33%; (4) >50, >60 and >66%. Per group, summary estimates for sensitivity and specificity were calculated. The natural-logarithm of the diagnostic odds ratio (lnDOR) was used as a single indicator of test performance. RESULTS: 46 articles were included. Mean sensitivity estimates for subgroups were 73.3-90.5% (US), 46.1-72.0% (CT), 82.0-97.4% (MRI) and 72.7-88.5% ((1)H-MRS). Mean specificity ranges were 69.6-85.2% (US), 88.1-94.6% (CT), 76.1-95.3% (MRI) and 92.0-95.7% ((1)H-MRS). Overall performance (lnDOR) of MRI and (1)H-MRS was better than that for US and CT for all subgroups, with significant differences in groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: MRI and (1)H-MRS can be considered techniques of choice for accurate evaluation of hepatic steatosi

ABCB4 missense mutations D243A, K435T, G535D, I490T, R545C, and S978P significantly impair the lipid floppase and likely predispose to secondary pathologies in the human population

EJA was funded by Barts and the London Charity (award 458/1495). MN was funded by a Medical Research Council Centenary Award

Cobalamin in inflammation III — glutathionylcobalamin and methylcobalamin/adenosylcobalamin coenzymes: the sword in the stone? How cobalamin may directly regulate the nitric oxide synthases

Several mysteries surround the structure and function of the nitric oxide synthases (NOS). The NOS oxygenase domain structure is unusually open with a large area of solvent that could accommodate an unidentified ligand. The exact mechanism of the two-step five-electron monoxygenation of arginine to NG-hydroxy-L-arginine, thence to citrulline and nitric oxide (NO), is not clear, particularly as arginine/NG-hydroxy-L-arginine is bound at a great distance to the supposed catalytic heme Fe [III], as the anti-stereoisomer. The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel Paper proposed that cobalamin is a primary indirect regulator of the NOS. An additional direct regulatory effect of the ‘base-off’ dimethylbenzimidazole of glutathionylcobalamin (GSCbl), which may act as a sixth ligand to the heme iron, promote Co-oriented, BH4/BH3 radical catalysed oxidation of L-arginine to NO, and possibly regulate the rate of inducible NOS/NO production by the NOS dimers, is further advanced. The absence of homology between the NOS and methionine synthase/methylmalonyl CoA mutase may enable GSCbl to regulate both sets of enzymes simultaneously by completely separate mechanisms. Thus, cobalamin may exert central control over both pro-and anti-inflammatory systems

The challenges and opportunities of addressing particle size effects in sediment source fingerprinting: A review

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: The challenges and opportunities of addressing particle size effects in sediment source fingerprinting: A review journaltitle: Earth-Science Reviews articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.04.009 content_type: article copyright: © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Spatiotemporal trend analysis of recent river water quality conditions in Japan.

In order to promote pollutant monitoring and preservation of water resources, we evaluate the spatiotemporal trends in recent water quality conditions in Japanese rivers. Trend analysis is conducted on the 92 major rivers in Japan using the available water quality data recorded from 1992 to 2005 and the characteristics of major pollutants in these rivers are analyzed. Spatial and temporal analysis of trends for six water quality indicators is conducted using the Mann Kendall test, a non-parametric statistical method. The indicators analyzed are biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and pH. The majority of sampling locations monitoring BOD, COD, TN and TP show trends toward decreasing concentrations over time. Many sampling locations show increasing DO concentrations. Our results show that water quality in Japanese rivers has improved dramatically over the past decade, although there are still problems in some places, most notably in the Hokkaido, Kanto, Kinki and Kyushu regions. The improvements seen in water quality appear to be the result of improved wastewater treatment and other water quality improvement efforts achieved through government initiative