Compensation of atmospheric CO2 buildup through engineered chemical shrinkage

Retrieval of background carbon dioxide into regional chemical extractors would counter anthropogenic inputs in a manner friendly to established industries. We demonstrate via atmospheric transport/scaling calculations that for idealized flat removal units, global coverage could be less than two hundred thousand square kilometers. The disrupted area drops to a small fraction of this with engineering into the vertical to bypass laminarity. Fence structures and artificial roughness elements can both be conceived. Sink thermodynamics are analyzed by taking calcium hydroxide as a sample reactant. Energy costs could be minimized at near the endothermicity of binding reversal. In the calcium case the value is 25 kcal mole-1, as against a fuel carbon content of 150 in the same units. Aqueous kinetics are less than favorable for the hydroxide, but misting could counteract slow liquid phase transfer. Properties of superior scrubbers are outlined

Foliage insect diversity in dry eucalypt forests in eastern Tasmania

Species numbers and composition of the insect fauna occurring on trees and shrubs were studied in dry eucalypt forests in eastern Tasmania over nine years. In all, 1164 named and putative species representing 17 orders and 157 families were collected. The bulk of the species belonged to the orders Coleoptera (28%), Hymenoptera (25%), Hemiptera (18%), Lepidoptera (14%) and Diptera (10%). Of the species collected, 388 -- about one-third -- were identified at least to genus or species level. These included 21 named species not previously listed in the Tasmanian insect fauna and 90 undescribed species. A list of 22 host plants for 171 insect species was compiled from records of 132 insect species observed feeding during the study and from previous records ofinsect/host plant associations for 39 insect species found on the study plots. Most insects were feeding on eucalypts (127 insect species) and acacias (38 species). The most widely distributed and commonly collected species were several well-known pests of eucalypts: Gonipterus scutellatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Uraba lugens (Lepidoptera: N octuidae), Amorbus obscuricornis (Hemiptera: Coreidae), Chaetophyes compacta (Hemiptera: Machaerotidae) and Eriococcus coriaceous(Hemiptera: Eriococcidae). Host plants supporting the richest insect fauna were Eucalyptus amygdalina (74 species), E. obliqua (64), E. viminalis (46), Acacia dealbata (35), E. dalrympleana (33), E. sieberi (31), E. delegatensis (30), E. pulchella (24) and E. globulus (19). The broad-striped ghost moth, Fraus latistria Walker (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), was collected during the study. This species is classified as 'rare' on the list of Tasmania's threatened fauna and the collection established a new locality record

Chemical transport modeling of potential atmospheric CO2 sinks

The potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration via engineered chemical sinks is investigated using a three dimensional chemical transport model (CTM). Meteorological and chemical constraints for flat or vertical systems that would absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, as well as an example chemical system of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) proposed by Elliott et al. [Compensation of atmospheric CO2 buildup through engineered chemical sinkage, Geophys. Res. Lett. 28 (2001) 1235] are reviewed. The CTM examines land based deposition sinks, with 4° × 5° latitude/longitude resolution at various locations, and deposition velocities (v). A maximum uptake of ∼20 Gton (1015 g) Cyr-1 is attainable with v ≥ 5 cms-1 at a mid-latitude site. The atmospheric increase of CO2 (3 Gtonyr-1) can be balanced by an engineered sink with an area of no more than 75, 000 km2 at v of 1 cms-1. By building the sink upwards or splitting this area into narrow elements can reduce the active area by more than an order of magnitude as discussed in Dubey et al. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Genetic contributions to visuospatial cognition in Williams syndrome: insights from two contrasting partial deletion patients

Background Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder arising from a hemizygotic deletion of approximately 27 genes on chromosome 7, at locus 7q11.23. WS is characterised by an uneven cognitive profile, with serious deficits in visuospatial tasks in comparison to relatively proficient performance in some other cognitive domains such as language and face processing. Individuals with partial genetic deletions within the WS critical region (WSCR) have provided insights into the contribution of specific genes to this complex phenotype. However, the combinatorial effects of different genes remain elusive. Methods We report on visuospatial cognition in two individuals with contrasting partial deletions in the WSCR: one female (HR), aged 11 years 9 months, with haploinsufficiency for 24 of the WS genes (up to GTF2IRD1), and one male (JB), aged 14 years 2 months, with the three most telomeric genes within the WSCR deleted, or partially deleted. Results Our in-depth phenotyping of the visuospatial domain from table-top psychometric, and small- and large-scale experimental tasks reveal a profile in HR in line with typically developing controls, albeit with some atypical features. These data are contrasted with patient JB’s atypical profile of strengths and weaknesses across the visuospatial domain, as well as with more substantial visuospatial deficits in individuals with the full WS deletion. Conclusions Our findings point to the contribution of specific genes to spatial processing difficulties associated with WS, highlighting the multifaceted nature of spatial cognition and the divergent effects of genetic deletions within the WSCR on different components of visuospatial ability. The importance of general transcription factors at the telomeric end of the WSCR, and their combinatorial effects on the WS visuospatial phenotype are also discussed

Different genes interact with particulate matter and tobacco smoke exposure in affecting lung function decline in the general population

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress related genes modify the effects of ambient air pollution or tobacco smoking on lung function decline. The impact of interactions might be substantial, but previous studies mostly focused on main effects of single genes. OBJECTIVES: We studied the interaction of both exposures with a broad set of oxidative-stress related candidate genes and pathways on lung function decline and contrasted interactions between exposures. METHODS: For 12679 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), FEV(1) over forced vital capacity (FEV(1)/FVC), and mean forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of the FVC (FEF(25-75)) was regressed on interval exposure to particulate matter >10 microm in diameter (PM10) or packyears smoked (a), additive SNP effects (b), and interaction terms between (a) and (b) in 669 adults with GWAS data. Interaction p-values for 152 genes and 14 pathways were calculated by the adaptive rank truncation product (ARTP) method, and compared between exposures. Interaction effect sizes were contrasted for the strongest SNPs of nominally significant genes (p(interaction)>0.05). Replication was attempted for SNPs with MAF<10% in 3320 SAPALDIA participants without GWAS. RESULTS: On the SNP-level, rs2035268 in gene SNCA accelerated FEV(1)/FVC decline by 3.8% (p(interaction) = 2.5x10(-6)), and rs12190800 in PARK2 attenuated FEV1 decline by 95.1 ml p(interaction) = 9.7x10(-8)) over 11 years, while interacting with PM10. Genes and pathways nominally interacting with PM10 and packyears exposure differed substantially. Gene CRISP2 presented a significant interaction with PM10 (p(interaction) = 3.0x10(-4)) on FEV(1)/FVC decline. Pathway interactions were weak. Replications for the strongest SNPs in PARK2 and CRISP2 were not successful. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with a stratified response to increasing oxidative stress, different genes and pathways potentially mediate PM10 and tobac smoke effects on lung function decline. Ignoring environmental exposures would miss these patterns, but achieving sufficient sample size and comparability across study samples is challengin

MtDNA population variation in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome in two populations: a study of mildly deleterious variants

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating condition. There is growing interest in a possible etiologic or pathogenic role of mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in ME/CFS. Supporting such a link, fatigue is common and often severe in patients with mitochondrial disease. We investigate the role of mtDNA variation in ME/CFS. No proven pathogenic mtDNA mutations were found. We then investigated population variation. Two cohorts were analysed, one from the UK (n = 89 moderately affected; 29 severely affected) and the other from South Africa (n = 143 moderately affected). For both cohorts, ME/CFS patients had an excess of individuals without a mildly deleterious population variant. The differences in population variation might reflect a mechanism important to the pathophysiology of ME/CFS

Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity: Cardiac Monitoring by Continuous Wave-Doppler Ultrasound Cardiac Output Monitoring and Correlation to Echocardiography

Background: Anthracyclines are agents with a well-known cardiotoxicity. The study sought to evaluate the hemodynamic response to an anthracycline using real-time continuous-wave (CW)-Doppler ultrasound cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) and echocardiography in combination with serum biomarkers. Methods: 50 patients (26 male, 24 female, median age 59 years) suffering from various types of cancer received an anthracycline-based regimen. Patients' responses were measured at different time points (T0 prior to infusion, T1 6 h post infusion, T2 after 1 day, T3 after 7 days, and T4 after 3 months) with CW-Doppler ultrasound (T0-T4) and echocardiography (T1, T4) for hemodynamic parameters such as stroke volume (SV; SVUSCOM ml) and ejection fraction (EF; EFechocardiography%) and with NT-pro-BNP and hs-Troponin T (T0-T4). Results: During the 3-month observation period, the relative decrease in the EF determined by echocardiography was -2.1% (Delta T0-T4, T0 71 +/- 7.8%, T4 69.5 +/- 7%, p = 0.04), whereas the decrease in SV observed using CW-Doppler was -6.5% (Delta T0-T4, T0 54 +/- 19.2 ml, T4 50.5 +/- 20.6 ml, p = 0.14). The kinetics for serum biomarkers were inversely correlated. Conclusions: Combining real-time CW-Doppler USCOM and serum biomarkers is feasible for monitoring the immediate and chronic hemodynamic changes during an anthracycline-based regimen; the results obtained were comparable to those from echocardiography

Human helminth therapy to treat inflammatory disorders - where do we stand?

Parasitic helminths have evolved together with the mammalian immune system over many millennia and as such they have become remarkably efficient modulators in order to promote their own survival. Their ability to alter and/or suppress immune responses could be beneficial to the host by helping control excessive inflammatory responses and animal models and pre-clinical trials have all suggested a beneficial effect of helminth infections on inflammatory bowel conditions, MS, asthma and atopy. Thus, helminth therapy has been suggested as a possible treatment method for autoimmune and other inflammatory disorders in humans

Conformational changes during human P2X7 receptor activation examined by structural modelling and cysteine-based cross-linking studies

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is important in mediating a range of physiological functions and pathologies associated with tissue damage and inflammation and represents an attractive therapeutic target. However, in terms of their structure-function relationships, the mammalian P2X7Rs remain poorly characterised compared to some of their other P2XR counterparts. In this study, combining cysteine-based cross-linking and whole-cell patch-clamp recording, we examined six pairs of residues (A44/I331, D48/I331, I58/F311, S60/L320, I75/P177 and K81/V304) located in different parts of the extracellular and transmembrane domains of the human P2X7R. These residues are predicted to undergo substantial movement during the transition of the receptor ion channel from the closed to the open state, predictions which are made based on structural homology models generated from the crystal structures of the zebrafish P2X4R. Our results provide evidence that among the six pairs of cysteine mutants, D48C/I133C and K81C/V304C formed disulphide bonds that impaired the channel gating to support the notion that such conformational changes, particularly those in the outer ends of the transmembrane domains, are critical for human P2X7R activation

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns