The influence of human activity in the Arctic on climate and climate impacts

Human activities in the Arctic are often mentioned as recipients of climate-change impacts. In this paper we consider the more complicated but more likely possibility that human activities themselves can interact with climate or environmental change in ways that either mitigate or exacerbate the human impacts. Although human activities in the Arctic are generally assumed to be modest, our analysis suggests that those activities may have larger influences on the arctic system than previously thought. Moreover, human influences could increase substantially in the near future. First, we illustrate how past human activities in the Arctic have combined with climatic variations to alter biophysical systems upon which fisheries and livestock depend. Second, we describe how current and future human activities could precipitate or affect the timing of major transitions in the arctic system. Past and future analyses both point to ways in which human activities in the Arctic can substantially influence the trajectory of arctic system change

Analysis of Long-Chain Unsaturated Fatty Acids by Ionic Liquid Gas Chromatography

Four ionic liquid (IL) columns, SLB-IL59, SLB-IL60, SLB-IL65, and SLB-IL111, were evaluated for more rapid analysis or improved resolution of long-chain methyl and ethyl esters of omega-3, omega-6, and additional positional isomeric and stereoisomeric blends of fatty acids found in fish oil, flaxseed oil, and potentially more complicated compositions. The three structurally distinct IL columns provided shorter retention times and more symmetric peak shapes for the fatty acid methyl or ethyl esters than a conventional polyethylene glycol column (PEG), resolving <i>cis</i>- and <i>trans</i>-fatty acid isomers that coeluted on the PEG column. The potential for improved resolution of fatty acid esters is important for complex food and supplement applications, where different forms of fatty acid can be incorporated. Vacuum ultraviolet detection contributed to further resolution for intricate mixtures containing <i>cis</i>- and <i>trans</i>-isomers, as exemplified in a fatty acid blend of shorter chain C18:1 esters with longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) esters

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease