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• SIB-VMAT allows significant LAD dose reduction in left-sided breast cancer patients. • 3D-CRT + EB can decrease the mean dose to the heart compared with SIB-VMAT. • CT-based MHD was developed to identify the patients at potential risk of RICAD. • Selection of RT techniques can influence the doses to the heart and cardiac segments. We aimed to compare dosimetric parameters between three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy followed by electron beam boost (3D-CRT + EB) and volumetric modulated arc therapy using simultaneous integrated boost (SIB-VMAT) in left-sided breast cancer patients. This study included 57 patients with left-sided breast cancer who underwent SIB-VMAT. All patients had a computed tomography-based maximum heart distance of ≥ 1 cm and were prescribed a dose of 42.56 Gy/16 fractions to the planning target volume and a concomitant-boosted target dose of 53.2 Gy or 51.2 Gy. The 3D-CRT + EB plan was retrospectively created for the purpose of comparison using tangential fields with field-in-field technique followed by electron beam irradiation. The doses to the clinical target volume significantly improved in the SIB-VMAT plans. All dosimetric parameters for the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and LAD middle position (LAD mid) in the SIB-VMAT plans were significantly lower than those for 3D-CRT + EB plans (P < 0.01), while the doses to the heart, lung, contralateral breast and non-target tissue were decreased in the 3D-CRT + EB plans compared with those in the SIB-VMAT plans (e.g., 1.9 Gy vs. 2.9 Gy; P < 0.001 for the mean dose of heart). SIB-VMAT significantly improved the dose to the target while reducing the doses to the LAD and LAD mid, whereas 3D-CRT + EB significantly decreased the doses to the heart and other organs at risk in patients with left-sided breast cancer at risk for radiation-induced coronary artery disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal depletions of Co(sub2), NO(sub3), PO(super3)(sub4) and SiO(super2)(sub3) were used to estimate primary C production and establish nutrient utilization ratios. A link between ocean circulation and the observed Co(sub2) and nutrient distributions in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean is shown. The upwelling of deep waters affect Co(sub2) and nutrient concentrations, and biological activity may be affected in and near oceanic fronts and eddies.

The field measurements of pH, fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2), total inorganic carbon dioxide (TCO2) and total alkalinity (TA) on surface and deep waters from the Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Pacific oceans to determine the pK1, pK2 and pK2-pK1 is examined.

To learn the effect of CO 2 leakage on shallow drinking water aquifers, laboratory experiments were conducted to measure the chemical changes of aquifer water, in which the fine fraction of sedimentary rock from the Triassic Newark Basin Series were immersed. Elevated CO 2 concentrations caused a decrease in pH, an increase in the concentrations of major ions including Ca, Mg, Si, K, and alkalinity, an enhanced dissolution of carbonate minerals, and an increase in the concentrations of trace elements including Mn, Fe, Be, Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Rb, Zr, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb, and U in water under both continuous CO 2 flow and one-time injection batch experiments. The magnitude of concentration increase was significantly lower in batch experiments with one-time CO 2 injection than in experiments with continuous CO 2 flow, although less rigorous agitation was maintained in the batch experiment. The logarithmic elemental release rates of Ca, Mg, Si, Mn, Fe and Zn normalized by reactive surface area, when plotted together with those from field injection experiments, decreased with the increase of pH (or the decrease of log ( p CO 2 )) following linear trends. The laboratory elemental release rates were 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than field injection experiment rates extrapolated to incubation pH conditions. Hydrogeochemical parameters including pH, major and trace elements, particularly Fe, Mn, Cd, Tl, and sulfate, can be used as early indicators for leakage detection and need to be monitored in compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CO2-enhanced aquifer water was injected into a fractured sedimentary rock aquifer. [•] Mineral dissolution and tracer element release were enhanced with increased acidity. [•] Elemental release rates were dependent on pCO2 (pH) and affected by redox condition. [•] Minor deterioration of groundwater quality was observed under CO2 leakage scenario. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study analyzes the impact of climate change on maize production through 2030 with production functions for two important maize-producing regions in China: the Northeast region and the Southwest region. Variations in geographic, climatic, and socioeconomic conditions within the large country imply, however, that the impacts on maize production will likely be the opposite for the two regions. This finding challenges the prevalent view that the climate change has a universally negative effect on Chinese agriculture and implies that a higher flexibility of maize producing timing and a better regional adaptation to climate change in Southwest region could offset or even to outweigh the potential reduction of maize production in the Northeast region. It suggests that advanced inter-regional contracts and cooperation and of policies to stabilize regional agricultural labour force could be a cost-efficient risk mitigation strategy to mitigate the potential reduction of overall national maize production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Designs an intra-agricultural water market model with farmland fragmentation. [•] Shows that fragmentation has an upward price-shifting effect. [•] Argues that water markets should be tailored to local farming situations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study analyzes the impacts of climate change on maize yields using an econometric model that incorporates climate, economic, and technology variables. The major finding is climate change will not universally cause negative impacts of maize yields in the United States and China. The results of a simulation of climate change on maize yields over the period 2008–2030 show that a combination of changes in temperature and precipitation can either bring positive or negative effects on maize yields. Furthermore, variation in regional climatic and economic conditions makes the impacts of climatic change on maize yields substantially different in different regions. In this research, the impacts of climate change on maize yields are not simply examined by climate factors. Economic and technology adaptation effects on maize yields are also incorporated. Thus, even with significant changes in climate conditions that alter the maize crop’s growing environment and affect crop yields, a decrease in maize supply due to a decrease in maize yields would lead to an increase in the maize price, which in turn would induce farmers to add more investments in production inputs to raise yields. Thus, the decrease in actual yields may not be as dramatic as predicted in only climate factor considered cases. In this research, findings gained from the study can be used for early-staged policymaking decisions and advanced problem prevention programs. To ensure the continuous increase in maize yields in the future, further studies and research, as well as efficient environmental policies and actions are required. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A climatological mean distribution for the surface water pCO2 over the global oceans in non-El Niño conditions has been constructed with spatial resolution of 4° (latitude) ×5° (longitude) for a reference year 2000 based upon about 3 million measurements of surface water pCO2 obtained from 1970 to 2007. The database used for this study is about 3 times larger than the 0.94 million used for our earlier paper [Takahashi et al., 2002. Global sea–air CO2 flux based on climatological surface ocean pCO2, and seasonal biological and temperature effects. Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 1601–1622]. A time-trend analysis using deseasonalized surface water pCO2 data in portions of the North Atlantic, North and South Pacific and Southern Oceans (which cover about 27% of the global ocean areas) indicates that the surface water pCO2 over these oceanic areas has increased on average at a mean rate of 1.5μatmy−1 with basin-specific rates varying between 1.2±0.5 and 2.1±0.4μatmy−1. A global ocean database for a single reference year 2000 is assembled using this mean rate for correcting observations made in different years to the reference year. The observations made during El Niño periods in the equatorial Pacific and those made in coastal zones are excluded from the database. Seasonal changes in the surface water pCO2 and the sea-air pCO2 difference over four climatic zones in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans are presented. Over the Southern Ocean seasonal ice zone, the seasonality is complex. Although it cannot be thoroughly documented due to the limited extent of observations, seasonal changes in pCO2 are approximated by using the data for under-ice waters during austral winter and those for the marginal ice and ice-free zones. The net air–sea CO2 flux is estimated using the sea–air pCO2 difference and the air–sea gas transfer rate that is parameterized as a function of (wind speed)2 with a scaling factor of 0.26. This is estimated by inverting the bomb 14C data using Ocean General Circulation models and the 1979–2005 NCEP-DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2) wind speed data. The equatorial Pacific (14°N–14°S) is the major source for atmospheric CO2, emitting about +0.48Pg-Cy−1, and the temperate oceans between 14° and 50° in the both hemispheres are the major sink zones with an uptake flux of −0.70Pg-Cy−1 for the northern and −1.05Pg-Cy−1 for the southern zone. The high-latitude North Atlantic, including the Nordic Seas and portion of the Arctic Sea, is the most intense CO2 sink area on the basis of per unit area, with a mean of −2.5tons-Cmonth−1 km−2. This is due to the combination of the low pCO2 in seawater and high gas exchange rates. In the ice-free zone of the Southern Ocean (50°–62°S), the mean annual flux is small (−0.06Pg-Cy−1) because of a cancellation of the summer uptake CO2 flux with the winter release of CO2 caused by deepwater upwelling. The annual mean for the contemporary net CO2 uptake flux over the global oceans is estimated to be −1.6±0.9Pg-Cy−1, which includes an undersampling correction to the direct estimate of −1.4±0.7Pg-Cy−1. Taking the pre-industrial steady-state ocean source of 0.4±0.2Pg-Cy−1 into account, the total ocean uptake flux including the anthropogenic CO2 is estimated to be −2.0±1.0Pg-Cy−1 in 2000. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soybean soluble polysaccharide (SSPS) is an ingredient extracted from the by-product of the isolation of soybean protein. The objective of this work was not only to study the emulsifying properties of SSPS, but also to determine if different extraction conditions would affect the behavior of the polysaccharide when adsorbed at oil/water interfaces. For this reason, three types of soy polysaccharide, SSPS-L, SSPS-H, and SSPS-M were investigated. Emulsions prepared at pH 3.5–5.0, containing 20% soybean oil and concentrations of SSPS above 4% were stable to creaming for 30 days, for all the SSPS tested. In spite of the presence of galacturonic acid in SSPS, the emulsions were not affected by changes in pH or by addition of CaCl2 (5–25 mM) or NaCl (5–25 mM).Among the three SSPS tested, SSPS-L extracted at 120 °C and pH 3 for 2 h showed the best emulsifying properties forming stable emulsions at a concentration of 4% and up to 50% oil. Differences in the thickness of the adsorbed layer were found depending on the type of SSPS. The thickness of SSPS calculated after hemicellulase or pectinase treatment was estimated to be about 17 nm (SSPS-L), 21–24 nm (SSPS-H), and 30–36 nm (SSPS-M), respectively. The enzymatic degradation of SSPS resulted in oil droplet aggregation, indicating that oil droplet stabilization occurred mainly via steric repulsion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a method for distinguishing the seasonal biological effect on surface-water ρ CO[sub2] from the effect of seasonal temperature changes, and discuss the relative significance of these effects in different regions of the global oceans. Explanation on the climatological distribution of surface-water ρ CO[sub2]; Description on the seasonal variation of ρ CO[sub2] in surface waters; Conclusions.

Abstract: Detection and attribution of hydrographic and biogeochemical changes in the deep ocean are challenging due to the small magnitude of their signals and to limitations in the accuracy of available data. However, there are indications that anthropogenic and climate change signals are starting to manifest at depth. The deep ocean below 2000m comprises about 50% of the total ocean volume, and changes in the deep ocean should be followed over time to accurately assess the partitioning of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) between the ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and atmosphere. Here we determine the changes in the interior deep-water inorganic carbon content by a novel means that uses the partial pressure of CO2 measured at 20°C, pCO2(20), along three meridional transects in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These changes are measured on decadal time scales using observations from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE)/World Hydrographic Program (WHP) of the 1980s and 1990s and the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program of the past decade. The pCO2(20) values show a consistent increase in deep water over the time period. Changes in total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) content in the deep interior are not significant or consistent, as most of the signal is below the level of analytical uncertainty. Using an approximate relationship between pCO2(20) and DIC change, we infer DIC changes that are at the margin of detectability. However, when integrated on the basin scale, the increases range from 8–40% of the total specific water column changes over the past several decades. Patterns in chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), along with output from an ocean model, suggest that the changes in pCO2(20) and DIC are of anthropogenic origin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is important to appropriately evaluate the driving performance of elderly persons. In the present study, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was employed to investigate differences of brain function between individuals with Alzheimer''s disease (n =12) and healthy elderly controls (n =14) while they were being tested using a driving simulator. Changes of the oxyhemoglobin level in the prefrontal areas of each subject were measured by NIRS during a driving task (collision avoidance). Compared with healthy controls, the Alzheimer''s disease group showed a less prominent increase of oxyhemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex during the collision avoidance task. The correlation between delay in braking and changes of oxyhemoglobin was positive in the healthy controls and negative in the Alzheimer''s disease group, suggesting that a task-related prefrontal increase of oxyhemoglobin has different implications under normal and pathological conditions. NIRS is a potentially useful tool for real-time monitoring of prefrontal activity during simulated or actual driving. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We developed a system to accurately, precisely, and rapidly measure total dissolved carbon dioxide (T CO2 ) in a continuously flowing seawater stream. The system is based on a gas-permeable membrane contactor, through which CO2 evolved from an acidified seawater stream is continuously and quantitatively stripped by a flowing gas stream. The CO2 content of this strip-gas stream, which is proportional to the TCO2 of the seawater stream via a simple mass balance, is then analyzed using a non-dispersive infra-red (NDIR) gas analyzer. Laboratory results have shown that the system has an e-folding response time of 6 s and is able to resolve changes in signal with better than ±0.1% precision. Independent coulometric analyses of check samples collected in the field, analyses of internal check samples, and analyses of certified reference materials have shown the accuracy of the system to be reliable to ±0.1%. Coupled with the Lamont Pumping SeaSoar system, the T CO2 system has yielded high spatial resolution distributions of T CO2 across the New England shelfbreak front. These T CO2 data, in conjunction with collocated P CO2 measurements of similar resolution, allowed us to calculate total alkalinity (T ALK) at the high spatial resolution of the T CO2 and P CO2 measurements. While we cannot rule out or fully constrain the effects of mixing or variations in fresh water input, distributions of T ALK relative to T CO2 , in the context of several independent lines of reasoning, indicated that biogenic calcium carbonate production may play an important role in shaping the T ALK and T CO2 distributions in waters across the New England shelfbreak front. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

OBJECTIVE: Total gastrectomy produces calcium malabsorption and osteopenia. We examined the effects of feeding water-soluble soybean fiber (WSSF), a highly fermentable dietary fiber with low viscosity, on calcium absorption and bone characteristics in totally gastrectomized rats.METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to two groups: sham operation and gastrectomy. After the postoperative recovery period, rats of each group were fed diets with or without WSSF (50 g/kg diet) for 4 wk.RESULTS: Net calcium absorption and femoral dry weight and calcium content and maximum breaking force were lower in the gastrectomy groups than in the sham groups. In the gastrectomy groups, calcium absorption and these femoral parameters were higher in rats fed the WSSF diet than in rats fed the WSSF-free diet. Feeding WSSF increased the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids and soluble calcium and decreased the pH in cecal contents. Net calcium absorption in gastrectomized rats correlated positively with the concentration of total short-chain fatty acids (the sum of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) in cecal contents (r = 0.545, P < 0.05) and negatively with cecal pH (r = −0.628, P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that ingestion of WSSF partly prevents the diminished calcium absorption after total gastrectomy in rats, resulting in the improvement of postgastrectomy osteopenia. The increase of calcium absorption may be associated with cecal fermentation of WSSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which observed a nutrient- and carbon-rich, oxygen-poor benthic layer in the lower 100 m of the central and western Bay of Bengal, at depths between 3400 and 4000 m. Regional stratification; Overview of the benthic layer chemical properties; Description of the Indian Ocean bottom water.

Highlights • Water dynamics of contour-levee irrigation were revealed in Colombian rice farms. • Conventional irrigation practices widely varied depending on the soil permeability. • Runoff water loss accounted for 40% of total water input on average. • Toposequnetial effects on water dynamics or grain yield were not significant. Abstract Contour-levee irrigation system is commonly used for rice cultivation in Latin American and Caribbean countries, but its water dynamics in commercial farm field settings are yet to be fully determined. This study aimed to investigate the water dynamics of the contour-levee irrigation system by analyzing conventional irrigation practices and by quantifying water balance and additionally to examine potential toposequential effects. Field experiments with different irrigation intervals were conducted on three commercial farms in Ibagué, Colombia for two seasons from 2017 to 2018. Irrigation and runoff water flows were constantly measured during the crop cycle using Parshall flumes with water level sensors. Percolation rate and field water table were measured using percolators and piezometers installed along the toposequence. The results showed that conventional irrigation management was highly flexible depending on soil permeability, rainfall, and agronomic factors, not particularly paying attention to ensure the flooded conditions during flowering period. The water balance resulted in the irrigation accounting for 76% of the total water input, whereas the runoff, ET, and percolation accounted for 40%, 21%, and 31% on overall average with considerable variation among the three farms. Percolation rates and duration with standing water did not show a clear and consistent tendency among the toposequential positions, but the percolation rate was significantly different among the farms corresponding to soil permeability. Consequently, clear toposequential effects on the water dynamics or on grain yield were not observed at the study site. To our knowledge, this study is the first to elucidate detailed water dynamics of contour-levee irrigation system in farm fields including toposequential difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In remote regions such as the open Southern Ocean, satellite observations often provide the only available tool with which to evaluate large-scale biogeochemical processes. However, these observations need to be carefully evaluated with in situ measurements. With an average of 20 crossings per year from 2002 to 2011, the Drake Passage Time-series (DPT) represents one of the most complete datasets of biogeochemical measurements in the open Southern Ocean. This dataset offers a unique opportunity to validate satellite-based productivity algorithms and to improve understanding of the role of this region in the global carbon cycle. Net community production (NCP) was estimated using discrete measurements of total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO 2 ) and phosphate ( PO 4 3 − ), and high-frequency underway measurements of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the surface ocean (pCO 2surf ) from the DPT, combined with estimates of gas exchange, Ekman transport, wind stress curl, and vertical entrainment. We estimate annual NCP using seasonal PO 4 3 − ( NCP PO 4 3 − ) and TCO 2 ( NCP TCO 2 ) budgets of 1.2±0.7 and 1.6±0.4 mol C m −2 yr −1 , respectively. Budget terms for gas exchange, entrainment, and advective supply indicate that a closed system seasonal-drawdown approach that does not consider additional terms may underestimate NCP in this region by nearly 35%. NCP estimates are compared to satellite algorithms commonly used to estimate both net primary production (NPP) and organic carbon export. Budget-based NCP approaches indicate high rates of NCP during austral spring with little additional NCP over austral summer. In contrast, satellite approaches suggest a more gradual increase and decline in NCP rates over the growing season with approximately 40% of NCP accumulating during austral summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies suggest that perinatal complications, particularly hypoxia-related ones, increase the risk of schizophrenia. Recent genetic studies of the disorder have identified several putative susceptibility genes, some of which are known to be regulated by hypoxia. It can be postulated therefore that birth complications that cause hypoxia in the fetal brain may be associated with a dysregulation in the expression of some of the schizophrenia candidate genes. To test this, we used an animal model of perinatal asphyxia, in which rat pups were exposed to 15 min of intrauterine anoxia during Caesarean section birth, and examined the expression of mRNA of five of the putative susceptibility genes (NRG1, ErbB4, AKT1, COMT and BDNF) by real-time quantitative PCR in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus at 6 and 12 weeks after birth. The expression of NRG1 mRNA was significantly decreased in the mPFC, but not in the hippocampus, at 6 and 12 weeks after birth. In addition, a significant increase in COMT mRNA expression was observed in the mPFC at 12 weeks. The alteration in mRNA levels of NRG1 and COMT was not associated with a change in their protein levels. These results suggest that perinatal asphyxia may lead to disturbances in the PFC, which in turn may exert a long-lasting influence on the expression of specific genes, such as NRG1 and COMT. Our results also suggest that translational interruption may occur in this model of perinatal asphyxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Continental margin carbon cycling is complex, highly variable over a range of space and time scales, and forced by multiple physical and biogeochemical drivers. Predictions of globally significant air–sea CO2 fluxes in these regions have been extrapolated based on very sparse data sets. We present here a method for predicting coastal surface-water pCO2 from remote-sensing data, based on self organizing maps (SOMs) and a nonlinear semi-empirical model of surface water carbonate chemistry. The model used simple empirical relationships between carbonate chemistry (total dissolved carbon dioxide () and alkalinity (T Alk)) and satellite data (sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll (Chl)). Surface-water CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) was calculated from the empirically-predicted and T Alk. This directly incorporated the inherent nonlinearities of the carbonate system, in a completely mechanistic manner. The model’s empirical coefficients were determined for a target study area of the central North American Pacific continental margin (22–50°N, within 370km of the coastline), by optimally reproducing a set of historical observations paired with satellite data. The model-predicted pCO2 agreed with the highly variable observations with a root mean squared (RMS) deviation of <20μatm, and with a correlation coefficient of >0.8 (r =0.81; r 2 =0.66). This level of accuracy is a significant improvement relative to that of simpler models that did not resolve the biogeochemical sub-regions or that relied on linear dependences on input parameters. Air–sea fluxes based on these pCO2 predictions and satellite-based wind speed measurements suggest that the region is a ∼14TgCyr−1 sink for atmospheric CO2 over the 1997–2005 period, with an approximately equivalent uncertainty, compared with a ∼0.5TgCyr−1 source predicted by a recent bin-averaging and interpolation-based estimate for the same area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We retrospectively studied 49 patients in a single institute to evaluate the long-term outcome of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) conditioning for allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) to treat aplastic anemia (AA). Most of the patients had received transfusions and had undergone previous treatment, with 33 receiving related transplants and 16 receiving unrelated transplants. Conditioning consisted of cyclophosphamide (Cy; 200 mg/kg) plus TLI (750 cGy) for related transplantation and Cy plus total body irradiation (TBI; 500 cGy) and TLI (500 cGy) for unrelated transplantation. Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) was added for 6 of the unrelated transplantations. Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted mainly of cyclosporine (CSA) and methotrexate (MTX). Graft failure developed in 2 patients (4.1%). With a median follow-up of 7 years, overall survival (OS) was 81% and was not statistically significantly different between the patients receiving related transplants and those receiving unrelated transplants. In multivariate analyses, a history of previous treatment with ATG was the sole factor associated with a worse survival rate, and the interval from diagnosis to treatment was not prognostic. The incidence of acute (grade II to IV) GVHD (aGVHD) was 23%, and that of chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 29%. Female-to-male transplantation was the sole factor associated with chronic GVHD. B cell lymphoproliferative disorder developed only after the ATG-containing conditioning. No other secondary malignancies developed after long-term follow-up. Our findings suggest that TLI conditioning is feasible and effective for patients with AA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on the measurements of carbon dioxide partial pressure in the atmosphere and in the surface waters of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific during the boreal spring and autumn of 1992, the spring of 1993 and the spring and autumn of 1994. Sampling and analytical methods; Results and interpretations; Conclusions.