ALBERT

Description: ABSTRACT Bone metabolism is affected by mechanical, genetic, and environmental factors and plays a major role in osteoporosis. Nevertheless, the influence of environmental pollution on the occurrence of osteoporosis is still unclear and controversial. In this context, heavy metals are the most important pollutants capable to affect bone mass. The aim of this study was to investigate whether heavy metals accumulation in bone tissues could be related to the altered bone metabolism and architecture of osteoporotic patients. To this end, we analyzed 25 bone head biopsies osteoporotic patients and 25 bone head biopsies of osteoarthritic patients. Moreover we enrolled 15 patients underwent hip arthroplasty for high-energy hip fracture or osteonecrosis of the femoral head as a control group. Bone head biopsies were studied by BioQuant-osteo software, scanning electron microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray microanalysis. We found a prevalence of lead, cadmium and chromium accumulation in osteoporotic patients. Noteworthy, high levels of sclerostin, detected by immunohistochemistry, correlate with the accumulation of heavy metal found in the bone of osteoporotic patients, suggesting a molecular link between heavy metal accumulation and bone metabolism impairment. In conclusion, the presence of heavy metals into bone shed new light on the comprehension of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis since these elements could play a non redundant role in the development of osteoporosis at cellular/molecular and epigenetic level. Nevertheless, in vivo and in vitro studies need to better elucidate the molecular mechanism in which heavy metals can participate to osteoporosis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2016.

Description: Perchlorate (ClO 4 − ) has been detected on Mars, but its production and distribution are unclear. Mechanisms requiring atmospheric chlorine are insufficient for measured concentrations. We conducted studies under Mars conditions using halite (NaCl) alone, soil simulants consisting of silica (SiO 2 ), Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , and TiO 2 . After 170 hours irradiation, samples analyzed by ion chromatography (IC) showed ClO 4 − and ClO 3 − present in all samples. When SiO 2 was added, yield increased from 2–42 nmol and 0.4-2.6 nmol, respectively. We attribute this to SiO 2 and metal-oxides acting as photocatalysts, generating O 2 − radicals from O 2 which react with chloride. Results show ClO 4 − and ClO 3 − can be produced photochemically on Cl-minerals without atmospheric chlorine or aqueous conditions, and explain high concentration of ClO 4 − and ClO 4 − /Cl − ratios detected by Phoenix. They provide evidence its distribution on Mars is dictated by distribution of chlorine and provide insight into the oxidizing nature of the soil and its potential effects on organics.

Description: Fishing vessels were recently found to be the largest source of black carbon ship emissions in the Arctic, suggesting that the fishing sector should be a focus for future studies. Here we developed a global and Arctic emissions inventory for fishing vessel emissions of short-lived and long-lived climate forcers based on data from a wide range of vessel sizes, fuel sulfur contents, engine types, and operational characteristics. We found that previous work generally underestimated emissions of short-lived climate forcers due to a failure to account for small fishing vessels as well as variability in emission factors. In particular, global black carbon emissions were underestimated by an order of magnitude. Furthermore, our order-of-magnitude estimate of the net climate effect from these fishing vessel emissions suggests that short-lived climate forcing may be particularly important in regions where fuel has a low sulfur content. These results have implications for proposed maritime policies and provide a foundation for future climate simulations to forecast climate change impacts in the Arctic.

Description: Field studies were conducted over a three-year period (2011, 2012, and 2013) in Louisiana to evaluate the effect of glufosinate rate and timing on glyphosate-resistant (GR) rhizomatous johnsongrass control in glufosinate-resistant soybean. Treatments included glufosinate (0.5, 0.6, or 0.7 kg ai ha−1) applied alone POST1 (46 cm tall johnsongrass) and sequentially 3 (POST2) or 4 (POST3) wk after POST1 at 0.5 or 0.6 kg ha−1. Glufosinate (0.7 kg ha−1) applied POST1 controlled johnsongrass 77% at soybean harvest. Averaged across sequential application rate, delaying the sequential application from POST2 to POST3 increased control from 65 to 78% at harvest. Increasing sequential application rate from 0.5 to 0.6 kg ha−1 reduced johnsongrass heights 15% at harvest. Furthermore, delaying the sequential application from POST2 to POST3 reduced GR rhizomatous johnsongrass heights to 63% of the nontreated at harvest. Soybean yields were maximized following the POST1 application of glufosinate at 0.7 kg ha−1 (2670 kg ha−1) and by applying 0.6 kg ha−1 of glufosinate sequentially (2620 kg ha−1), regardless of sequential application timing. Maximum control and soybean yield were observed following glufosinate POST1 at 0.7 kg ha−1 followed by 0.6 kg ha−1 at POST3. This data indicates that glufosinate is an option for management of GR rhizomatous johnsongrass.

Description: Atmospheric humidity, clouds, precipitation and evapotranspiration are essential components of the Arctic climate system. During recent decades, specific humidity and precipitation have generally increased in the Arctic, but changes in evapotranspiration are poorly known. Trends in clouds vary depending on the region and season. Climate model experiments suggest that increases in precipitation are related to global warming. In turn, feedbacks associated with the increase in atmospheric moisture and decrease in sea ice and snow cover have contributed to the Arctic amplification of global warming. Climate models have captured the overall wetting trend, but have limited success in reproducing regional details. For the rest of the 21 st century, climate models project strong warming and increasing precipitation, but different models yield different results for changes in cloud cover. The model differences are largest in months of minimum sea ice cover. Evapotranspiration is projected to increase in winter, but in summer to decrease over the oceans and increase over land. Increasing net precipitation increases river discharge to the Arctic Ocean. Over sea ice in summer, projected increase in rain and decrease in snow fall decrease the surface albedo and, hence, further amplify snow/ice surface melt. With reducing sea ice, wind forcing on the Arctic Ocean increases with impacts on ocean currents and freshwater transport out of the Arctic. Improvements in observations, process understanding and modelling capabilities are needed to better quantify the atmospheric role in the Arctic water cycle and its changes.

Description: Classification of daily winter (DJFM) 500 hPa geopotential heights from 1949 to 2012, using self‐organizing maps, reveals dominant mid‐tropospheric circulation patterns affecting hydroclimatic variables conducive to snowmelt in western Canada. A ridge of high pressure over western Canada is associated with a greater probability of above‐freezing temperatures and rainfall, compared with zonal flow or a trough of low pressure over the same region. Abstract Winter thaw episodes, especially when accompanied by rain, can significantly deplete the winter snowpack, which is a critical water storage component in the mountainous headwater regions of the major river basins of western Canada. Here we identify the characteristic synoptic‐scale mid‐tropospheric atmospheric circulation regimes that tend to foster such extreme hydrologic events using self‐organizing map analysis of meteorological reanalysis data from 1949 to 2012. Daily winter 500 hPa geopotential height fields over the Pacific Ocean and western Canada are classified into 12 dominant synoptic types, for which conditional probabilities of above‐freezing temperatures and rainfall are then calculated and mapped using daily high‐resolution gridded data. Results show that above‐freezing surface air temperatures and rain events in winter are commonly associated with the occurrence of a ridge of high pressure over western Canada, which induces southwesterly advection of relatively warm, moist maritime air masses into the continental interior, and that the intensity and spatial footprint of the surface climate response is related to the strength and position of the ridge. Conversely, the development of a ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Ocean and adjacent trough of low pressure over western Canada, which favours northwesterly to westerly mid‐tropospheric flow over the continental interior in winter, tends to suppress the occurrence of above‐freezing temperatures and rain. The synoptic type most strongly associated with winter thaw and rain events underwent a statistically significant step‐change increase in mean frequency in 1977, accompanied by a corresponding step‐change decrease in the frequency of the dominant synoptic type depicting westerly (zonal) circulation, coinciding with a well‐documented shift to a positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Description: Minor changes to seasonal air temperature and precipitation can have a substantial impact on the availability of water resources within large watersheds. Two such watersheds, the north-flowing Mackenzie and east-flowing Saskatchewan Basins have been identified as highly vulnerable to such changes, and, therefore, selected for study as part of the Climatic Redistribution of western Canadian Water Resources (CROCWR) project. CROCWR aims to evaluate spatial and temporal changes to water resource distribution through the analysis of a suite of hydroclimatic and streamflow variables. As part of this analysis, dominant summer (May-Oct) circulation patterns at 500-hPa for 1950-2011 are identified using the method of Self-Organizing Maps (SOM). Surface climate variables associated with these patterns are then identified, including both daily air temperature and precipitation, and seasonal Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values. Statistical methods are applied to assess the relationships between dominant circulation patterns and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Results indicate that mid-summer (Jul-Aug) is dominated by a split-flow blocking pattern, resulting in cool (warm), wet (dry) conditions in the southern (northern) portion of the study area. By contrast, the shoulder season (May and Oct) is dominated by a trough of low-pressure over the North Pacific Ocean. The frequency of weak split-flow blocking is higher during positive SOI and negative PDO, while ridging over the western continent is more frequent during negative SOI and positive PDO. Results from this analysis increase our knowledge of processes controlling the distribution of summer water resources in western Canada. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Dispersal is a driving factor in the creation and maintenance of biodiversity, yet little is known about the effects of habitat variation and geography on dispersal and population connectivity in most mammalian groups. Bats of the family Molossidae are fast-flying mammals thought to have potentially high dispersal ability, and recent studies have indicated gene flow across hundreds of kilometers in continental North American populations of the Brazilian free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis . We examined the population genetics, phylogeography, and morphology of this species in Florida and across islands of The Bahamas, which are part of an island archipelago in the West Indies. Previous studies indicate that bats in the family Phyllostomidae, which are possibly less mobile than members of the family Molossidae, exhibit population structuring across The Bahamas. We hypothesized that T. brasiliensis would show high population connectivity throughout the islands and that T. brasiliensis would show higher connectivity than two species of phyllostomid bats that have been previously examined in The Bahamas. Contrary to our predictions, T. brasiliensis shows high population structure between two groups of islands in The Bahamas, similar to the structure exhibited by one species of phyllostomid bat. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses suggest that this structure may be the result of ancient divergence between two populations of T. brasiliensis that subsequently came into contact in The Bahamas. Our findings additionally suggest that there may be cryptic species within T. brasiliensis in The Bahamas and the West Indies more broadly. We examined the population genetics, phylogeography, and morphology of a highly mobile bat in Florida and across islands of The Bahamas. This bat exhibited strong differentiation in The Bahamas across all data types, similar to the differentiation exhibited by less-mobile species of bat. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses suggest that two populations diverged in the past and subsequently came into contact in The Bahamas and that one of these populations may represent a cryptic species.

Description: The presence of oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and perchlorate (ClO 4 - ), which have been detected on Mars, has significant implications for chemistry and astrobiology. These oxidants can increase the reactivity of the martian soil, accelerate the decomposition of organic molecules, and depress the freezing point of water. The study by Crandall et al “Can Perchlorates be Transformed to Hydrogen Peroxide Products by Cosmic Rays on the Martian Surface” reveals a new formation mechanism by which hydrogen peroxide and other potential oxidants can be generated via irradiation of perchlorate by cosmic rays. This study represents an important next step in developing a full understanding of martian surface and subsurface chemistry, particularly with respect to degradation of organic molecules and potential biosignatures.

Description: The southern Alaskan offshore margin is prone to submarine landslides and tsunami hazards due to seismically active plate boundaries and extreme sedimentation rates from glacially enhanced mountain erosion. We examine the submarine landslide potential with new shear strength measurements acquired by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 341 on the continental slope and Surveyor Fan. These data reveal lower-than-expected sediment strength. Contrary to other active margins where seismic strengthening enhances slope stability, the high-sedimentation margin offshore southern Alaska behaves like a passive margin from a shear strength perspective. We interpret that seismic strengthening is occurs but is offset by high sedimentation rates and overpressure. This conclusion is supported by shear strength outside of the fan, where background sedimentation rates occur, follows an expected seismically strengthened trend. More broadly, seismically active margins with wet-based glaciers are susceptible to submarine landslide hazards because of the combination of high sedimentation rates and earthquake shaking.