Design and implementation of projects with Xilinx Zynq FPGA: a practical case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Travaglini, R.; D'Antone, I.; Meneghini, S.; Rignanese, L.; Zuffa, M.

The main advantage when using FPGAs with embedded processors is the availability of additional several high-performance resources in the same physical device. Moreover, the FPGA programmability allows for connect custom peripherals. Xilinx have designed a programmable device named Zynq-7000 (simply called Zynq in the following), which integrates programmable logic (identical to the other Xilinx "serie 7" devices) with a System on Chip (SOC) based on two embedded ARM processors. Since both parts are deeply connected, the designers benefit from performance of hardware SOC and flexibility of programmability as well. In this paper a design developed by the Electronic Design Department at the Bologna Division of INFN will be presented as a practical case of project based on Zynq device. It is developed by using a commercial board called ZedBoard hosting a FMC mezzanine with a 12-bit 500 MS/s ADC. The Zynq FPGA on the ZedBoard receives digital outputs from the ADC and send them to the acquisition PC, after proper formatting, through a Gigabit Ethernet link. The major focus of the paper will be about the methodology to develop a Zynq-based design with the Xilinx Vivado software, enlightening how to configure the SOC and connect it with the programmable logic. Firmware design techniques will be presented: in particular both VHDL and IP core based strategies will be discussed. Further, the procedure to develop software for the embedded processor will be presented. Finally, some debugging tools, like the embedded Logic Analyzer, will be shown. Advantages and disadvantages with respect to adopting FPGA without embedded processors will be discussed.

Implementation of a wireless ECG acquisition SoC for IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) applications.

PubMed

Wang, Liang-Hung; Chen, Tsung-Yen; Lin, Kuang-Hao; Fang, Qiang; Lee, Shuenn-Yuh

2015-01-01

This paper presents a wireless biosignal acquisition system-on-a-chip (WBSA-SoC) specialized for electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring. The proposed system consists of three subsystems, namely, 1) the ECG acquisition node, 2) the protocol for standard IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee system, and 3) the RF transmitter circuits. The ZigBee protocol is adopted for wireless communication to achieve high integration, applicability, and portability. A fully integrated CMOS RF front end containing a quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator and a 2.4-GHz low-IF (i.e., zero-IF) transmitter is employed to transmit ECG signals through wireless communication. The low-power WBSA-SoC is implemented by the TSMC 0.18-μm standard CMOS process. An ARM-based displayer with FPGA demodulation and an RF receiver with analog-to-digital mixed-mode circuits are constructed as verification platform to demonstrate the wireless ECG acquisition system. Measurement results on the human body show that the proposed SoC can effectively acquire ECG signals.

Fecal microbiota transplant from a rational stool donor improves hepatic encephalopathy: A randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Bajaj, Jasmohan S; Kassam, Zain; Fagan, Andrew; Gavis, Edith A; Liu, Eric; Cox, I Jane; Kheradman, Raffi; Heuman, Douglas; Wang, Jessica; Gurry, Thomas; Williams, Roger; Sikaroodi, Masoumeh; Fuchs, Michael; Alm, Eric; John, Binu; Thacker, Leroy R; Riva, Antonio; Smith, Mark; Taylor-Robinson, Simon D; Gillevet, Patrick M

2017-12-01

Recurrent hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a leading cause of readmission despite standard of care (SOC) associated with microbial dysbiosis. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may improve dysbiosis; however, it has not been studied in HE. We aimed to define whether FMT using a rationally derived stool donor is safe in recurrent HE compared to SOC alone. An open-label, randomized clinical trial with a 5-month follow-up in outpatient men with cirrhosis with recurrent HE on SOC was conducted with 1:1 randomization. FMT-randomized patients received 5 days of broad-spectrum antibiotic pretreatment, then a single FMT enema from the same donor with the optimal microbiota deficient in HE. Follow-up occurred on days 5, 6, 12, 35, and 150 postrandomization. The primary outcome was safety of FMT compared to SOC using FMT-related serious adverse events (SAEs). Secondary outcomes were adverse events, cognition, microbiota, and metabolomic changes. Participants in both arms were similar on all baseline criteria and were followed until study end. FMT with antibiotic pretreatment was well tolerated. Eight (80%) SOC participants had a total of 11 SAEs compared to 2 (20%) FMT participants with SAEs (both FMT unrelated; P = 0.02). Five SOC and no FMT participants developed further HE (P = 0.03). Cognition improved in the FMT, but not the SOC, group. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score transiently worsened postantibiotics, but reverted to baseline post-FMT. Postantibiotics, beneficial taxa, and microbial diversity reduction occurred with Proteobacteria expansion. However, FMT increased diversity and beneficial taxa. SOC microbiota and MELD score remained similar throughout. FMT from a rationally selected donor reduced hospitalizations, improved cognition, and dysbiosis in cirrhosis with recurrent HE. (Hepatology 2017;66:1727-1738). © 2017 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Addressing standards of care in resource-limited settings.

PubMed

Dawson, Liza; Klingman, Karin L; Marrazzo, Jeanne

2014-01-01

: The choice between "best-known" standards of care (SOC) or "best available" standards as the control arm in a clinical trial is a fundamental dilemma in clinical research in resource-limited settings (RLS). When the health system is delivering less than an optimal level of care, using highest standard of care in a clinical trial may produce results that cannot be implemented or sustained locally. On the other hand, using interventions that are more feasible in the local setting may involve suboptimal care, and clinical outcomes may be affected. The need for improved standards in health systems in RLS, and the difficulty in securing them, has led many researchers advocate for policy changes at the national or international level to improve clinical care more systemically. SOC decisions in a clinical trial affect the level of benefit provided to study participants and the policy implications of the trial findings. SOC choices should provide high-quality care to help advance the health care system in host countries participating in the trial, but balancing the scientific and ethical objectives of SOC choices is difficult, and there is no single formula for selecting the appropriate SOC. Despite the challenges, well-designed and conducted clinical trials can and should make significant contributions to health systems in RLS.

Adding Celecoxib With or Without Zoledronic Acid for Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer: Long-Term Survival Results From an Adaptive, Multiarm, Multistage, Platform, Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Mason, Malcolm D.; Clarke, Noel W.; James, Nicholas D.; Dearnaley, David P.; Spears, Melissa R.; Ritchie, Alastair W.S.; Attard, Gerhardt; Cross, William; Jones, Rob J.; Parker, Christopher C.; Russell, J. Martin; Thalmann, George N.; Schiavone, Francesca; Cassoly, Estelle; Matheson, David; Millman, Robin; Rentsch, Cyrill A.; Barber, Jim; Gilson, Clare; Ibrahim, Azman; Logue, John; Lydon, Anna; Nikapota, Ashok D.; O’Sullivan, Joe M.; Porfiri, Emilio; Protheroe, Andrew; Srihari, Narayanan Nair; Tsang, David; Wagstaff, John; Wallace, Jan; Walmsley, Catherine; Parmar, Mahesh K.B.; Sydes, Matthew R.

2017-01-01

Purpose Systemic Therapy for Advanced or Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Evaluation of Drug Efficacy is a randomized controlled trial using a multiarm, multistage, platform design. It recruits men with high-risk, locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer who were initiating long-term hormone therapy. We report survival data for two celecoxib (Cel)-containing comparisons, which stopped accrual early at interim analysis on the basis of failure-free survival. Patients and Methods Standard of care (SOC) was hormone therapy continuously (metastatic) or for ≥ 2 years (nonmetastatic); prostate (± pelvic node) radiotherapy was encouraged for men without metastases. Cel 400 mg was administered twice a day for 1 year. Zoledronic acid (ZA) 4 mg was administered for six 3-weekly cycles, then 4-weekly for 2 years. Stratified random assignment allocated patients 2:1:1 to SOC (control), SOC + Cel, or SOC + ZA + Cel. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality. Results were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards and flexible parametric models adjusted for stratification factors. Results A total of 1,245 men were randomly assigned (Oct 2005 to April 2011). Groups were balanced: median age, 65 years; 61% metastatic, 14% N+/X M0, 25% N0M0; 94% newly diagnosed; median prostate-specific antigen, 66 ng/mL. Median follow-up was 69 months. Grade 3 to 5 adverse events were seen in 36% SOC-only, 33% SOC + Cel, and 32% SOC + ZA + Cel patients. There were 303 control arm deaths (83% prostate cancer), and median survival was 66 months. Compared with SOC, the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.80 to 1.20; P = .847; median survival, 70 months) for SOC + Cel and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.70 to 1.05; P =.130; median survival, 76 months) for SOC + ZA + Cel. Preplanned subgroup analyses in men with metastatic disease showed a hazard ratio of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.62 to 0.98; P = .033) for SOC + ZA + Cel. Conclusion These data show no overall evidence of improved survival with Cel. Preplanned subgroup analyses provide hypotheses for future studies. PMID:28300506

Adding Celecoxib With or Without Zoledronic Acid for Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer: Long-Term Survival Results From an Adaptive, Multiarm, Multistage, Platform, Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Mason, Malcolm D; Clarke, Noel W; James, Nicholas D; Dearnaley, David P; Spears, Melissa R; Ritchie, Alastair W S; Attard, Gerhardt; Cross, William; Jones, Rob J; Parker, Christopher C; Russell, J Martin; Thalmann, George N; Schiavone, Francesca; Cassoly, Estelle; Matheson, David; Millman, Robin; Rentsch, Cyrill A; Barber, Jim; Gilson, Clare; Ibrahim, Azman; Logue, John; Lydon, Anna; Nikapota, Ashok D; O'Sullivan, Joe M; Porfiri, Emilio; Protheroe, Andrew; Srihari, Narayanan Nair; Tsang, David; Wagstaff, John; Wallace, Jan; Walmsley, Catherine; Parmar, Mahesh K B; Sydes, Matthew R

2017-05-10

Purpose Systemic Therapy for Advanced or Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Evaluation of Drug Efficacy is a randomized controlled trial using a multiarm, multistage, platform design. It recruits men with high-risk, locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer who were initiating long-term hormone therapy. We report survival data for two celecoxib (Cel)-containing comparisons, which stopped accrual early at interim analysis on the basis of failure-free survival. Patients and Methods Standard of care (SOC) was hormone therapy continuously (metastatic) or for ≥ 2 years (nonmetastatic); prostate (± pelvic node) radiotherapy was encouraged for men without metastases. Cel 400 mg was administered twice a day for 1 year. Zoledronic acid (ZA) 4 mg was administered for six 3-weekly cycles, then 4-weekly for 2 years. Stratified random assignment allocated patients 2:1:1 to SOC (control), SOC + Cel, or SOC + ZA + Cel. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality. Results were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards and flexible parametric models adjusted for stratification factors. Results A total of 1,245 men were randomly assigned (Oct 2005 to April 2011). Groups were balanced: median age, 65 years; 61% metastatic, 14% N+/X M0, 25% N0M0; 94% newly diagnosed; median prostate-specific antigen, 66 ng/mL. Median follow-up was 69 months. Grade 3 to 5 adverse events were seen in 36% SOC-only, 33% SOC + Cel, and 32% SOC + ZA + Cel patients. There were 303 control arm deaths (83% prostate cancer), and median survival was 66 months. Compared with SOC, the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.80 to 1.20; P = .847; median survival, 70 months) for SOC + Cel and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.70 to 1.05; P =.130; median survival, 76 months) for SOC + ZA + Cel. Preplanned subgroup analyses in men with metastatic disease showed a hazard ratio of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.62 to 0.98; P = .033) for SOC + ZA + Cel. Conclusion These data show no overall evidence of improved survival with Cel. Preplanned subgroup analyses provide hypotheses for future studies.

Bone Mineral Content and Density Among Female NCAA Division I Athletes Across the Competitive Season and Over a Multi-Year Time Frame.

PubMed

Stanforth, Dixie; Lu, Tao; Stults-Kolehmainen, Matthew A; Crim, Brittany N; Stanforth, Philip R

2016-10-01

Stanforth, D, Lu, T, Stults-Kolehmainen, MA, Crim, BN, and Stanforth, PR. Bone mineral content and density among female NCAA Division I athletes across the competitive season and over a multi-year time frame. J Strength Cond Res 30(10): 2828-2838, 2016-Longitudinal and cross-sectional bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) comparisons were made among impact and nonimpact sports. Female collegiate athletes, 18-23 years of age, from basketball (BB; n = 38), soccer (SOC; n = 47), swimming (SW; n = 52), track sprinters and jumpers (TR; n = 49), and volleyball (VB; n = 26) had BMC/BMD measures preseason and postseason over 3 years. Control groups of 85 college females, 18-24 years of age, who completed 2 tests 1-3 years apart and of 170 college females, 18-20 years of age, were used for the longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses, respectively. A restricted maximum likelihood linear mixed model regression analysis with a compound symmetric heterogeneous variance-covariance matrix structure was used for all analyses (p ≤ 0.05). Increases from year-1 preseason to year-3 postseason included the following: total BMC (3.3%), total BMD (1.4%), and spine BMD (4.5%) for BB; total BMC (1.5%) and leg BMD (1.2%) for SOC; arm (1.8%), leg (1.9%), and total BMD (5.7%) for SW; total BMC (2.0%), arm (1.7%), leg (2.3%), pelvis (3.4%), spine (6.0%), and total BMD (2.3%) for TR; and arm (4.1%), leg (2.0%), pelvis (2.0%), spine (2.0%), and total BMD (2.7%) for VB. Comparisons among sports determined that BB had higher BMC and BMD values than all other sports for all variables except spine and total BMD; BB, SOC, TR, and VB had higher total BMC (11-29%), leg BMD (13-20%), and total BMD (9-15%) than SW and CON, and there were few differences among SOC, TR, and VB. In conclusion, small, significant increases in many BMC and BMD measures occur during female athlete's collegiate careers. The BMC and BMD differences between impact and nonimpact sports are large compared with smaller differences within impact sports.

Disrupting the biofilm matrix improves wound healing outcomes.

PubMed

Wolcott, R

2015-08-01

The most unyielding molecular component of biofilm communities is the matrix structure that it can create around the individual microbes that constitute the biofilm. The type of polymeric substances (polymeric sugars, bacterial proteins, bacterial DNA and even co-opted host substances) are dependent on the microbial species present within the biofilm. The extracellular polymeric substances that make up the matrix give the wound biofilm incredible colony defences against host immunity, host healing and wound care treatments. This polymeric slime layer, which is secreted by bacteria, encases the population of microbes, creating a physical barrier that limits the ingress of treatment agents to the bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine if degrading the wound biofilm matrix would improve wound healing outcomes and if so, if there was a synergy between treating agents that disrupted biofilm defenses with Next Science Wound Gel (wound gel) and cidal agents (topical antibiotics). A three-armed randomised controlled trial was designed to determine if standard of care (SOC) was superior to SOC plus wound gel (SOC + gel) and wound gel alone. The wound gel used in this study contains components that directly attack the biofilm extracellular polymeric substance. The gel was applied directly to the wound bed on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday interval, either alone or with SOC topical antibiotics. Using a surrogate endpoint of 50% reduction in wound volume, the results showed that SOC healed at 53%, wound gel healed at 80%, while SOC plus wound gel showed 93% of wounds being successfully treated. By directly targeting the wound biofilm matrix, wound healing outcomes are improved.

Computer-based coding of free-text job descriptions to efficiently identify occupations in epidemiological studies

PubMed Central

Russ, Daniel E.; Ho, Kwan-Yuet; Colt, Joanne S.; Armenti, Karla R.; Baris, Dalsu; Chow, Wong-Ho; Davis, Faith; Johnson, Alison; Purdue, Mark P.; Karagas, Margaret R.; Schwartz, Kendra; Schwenn, Molly; Silverman, Debra T.; Johnson, Calvin A.; Friesen, Melissa C.

2016-01-01

Background Mapping job titles to standardized occupation classification (SOC) codes is an important step in identifying occupational risk factors in epidemiologic studies. Because manual coding is time-consuming and has moderate reliability, we developed an algorithm called SOCcer (Standardized Occupation Coding for Computer-assisted Epidemiologic Research) to assign SOC-2010 codes based on free-text job description components. Methods Job title and task-based classifiers were developed by comparing job descriptions to multiple sources linking job and task descriptions to SOC codes. An industry-based classifier was developed based on the SOC prevalence within an industry. These classifiers were used in a logistic model trained using 14,983 jobs with expert-assigned SOC codes to obtain empirical weights for an algorithm that scored each SOC/job description. We assigned the highest scoring SOC code to each job. SOCcer was validated in two occupational data sources by comparing SOC codes obtained from SOCcer to expert assigned SOC codes and lead exposure estimates obtained by linking SOC codes to a job-exposure matrix. Results For 11,991 case-control study jobs, SOCcer-assigned codes agreed with 44.5% and 76.3% of manually assigned codes at the 6- and 2-digit level, respectively. Agreement increased with the score, providing a mechanism to identify assignments needing review. Good agreement was observed between lead estimates based on SOCcer and manual SOC assignments (kappa: 0.6–0.8). Poorer performance was observed for inspection job descriptions, which included abbreviations and worksite-specific terminology. Conclusions Although some manual coding will remain necessary, using SOCcer may improve the efficiency of incorporating occupation into large-scale epidemiologic studies. PMID:27102331

Environmental Assessment (EA): Proposed Missile Storage Improvements, Utah Test and Training Range

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-11

Implementation Plan SOC Species of Concern SOx Oxides of Sulfur SO2 Sulfur Dioxide START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty SWPPP Stormwater Pollution ...Discussions related to preventing soil erosion ( stormwater pollution prevention) are addressed under water quality effects (Section 4 of this...construction activities, this permit must be obtained and erosion and sediment controls must be installed according to a stormwater pollution

Energy Storage Requirements & Challenges for Ground Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-18

Titinate Evaluation Cell Evaluation Battery Aging Phenomenon Battery SOC/SOH Determination Modeling ARM 100 LiIon APU Lion Cell Evaluation Cell...Advanced Batteries Fuels Th er m al Ma na ge m en t Radiators Heat Recovery Thermal Interface Materials Phase Change Cooling Advanced Electronics...in all energy storage Energy Storage Team Mission Battery Technology Evaluation Lab Module Test & Eval Cell Test & Eval 6UNCLASSIFIED Pacing Vehicle

Estimating Soil Organic Carbon stocks and uncertainties at the regional scale following a legacy sampling strategy - a case study from southern Belgium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chartin, Caroline; Krüger, Inken; Goidts, Esther; Carnol, Monique; van Wesemael, Bas

2017-04-01

The quantification and the spatialisation of reliable SOC stocks (Mg C ha-1) and total stock (Tg C) baselines and associated uncertainties are fundamental to detect the gains or losses in SOC, and to locate sensitive areas with low SOC levels. Here, we aim to both quantify and spatialize SOC stocks at regional scale (southern Belgium) based on data from one non-design-based nor model-based sampling scheme. To this end, we developed a computation procedure based on Digital Soil Mapping techniques and stochastic simulations (Monte-Carlo) allowing the estimation of multiple (here, 10,000) independent spatialized datasets. The computation of the prediction uncertainty accounts for the errors associated to the both estimations of i) SOC stock at the pixel-related area scale and ii) parameters of the spatial model. Based on these 10,000 individuals, median SOC stocks and 90% prediction intervals were computed for each pixel, as well as total SOC stocks and their 90% prediction intervals for selected sub-areas and for the entire study area. Hence, a Generalised Additive Model (GAM) explaining 69.3 % of the SOC stock variance was calibrated and then validated (R2 = 0.64). The model overestimated low SOC stock (below 50 Mg C ha-1) and underestimated high SOC stock (especially those above 100 Mg C kg-1). A positive gradient of SOC stock occurred from the northwest to the center of Wallonia with a slight decrease on the southernmost part, correlating to the evolution of precipitation and temperature (along with elevation) and dominant land use. At the catchment scale higher SOC stocks were predicted on valley bottoms, especially for poorly drained soils under grassland. Mean predicted SOC stocks for cropland and grassland in Wallonia were of 26.58 Tg C (SD 1.52) and 43.30 Tg C (2.93), respectively. The procedure developed here allowed to predict realistic spatial patterns of SOC stocks all over agricultural lands of southern Belgium and to produce reliable statistics of total SOC stocks for each of the 20 combinations of land use / agricultural regions of Wallonia. This procedure appears useful to produce soil maps as policy tools in conducting sustainable management at regional and national scales, and to compute statistics which comply with specific requirements of reporting activities.

Computer-based coding of free-text job descriptions to efficiently identify occupations in epidemiological studies.

PubMed

Russ, Daniel E; Ho, Kwan-Yuet; Colt, Joanne S; Armenti, Karla R; Baris, Dalsu; Chow, Wong-Ho; Davis, Faith; Johnson, Alison; Purdue, Mark P; Karagas, Margaret R; Schwartz, Kendra; Schwenn, Molly; Silverman, Debra T; Johnson, Calvin A; Friesen, Melissa C

2016-06-01

Mapping job titles to standardised occupation classification (SOC) codes is an important step in identifying occupational risk factors in epidemiological studies. Because manual coding is time-consuming and has moderate reliability, we developed an algorithm called SOCcer (Standardized Occupation Coding for Computer-assisted Epidemiologic Research) to assign SOC-2010 codes based on free-text job description components. Job title and task-based classifiers were developed by comparing job descriptions to multiple sources linking job and task descriptions to SOC codes. An industry-based classifier was developed based on the SOC prevalence within an industry. These classifiers were used in a logistic model trained using 14 983 jobs with expert-assigned SOC codes to obtain empirical weights for an algorithm that scored each SOC/job description. We assigned the highest scoring SOC code to each job. SOCcer was validated in 2 occupational data sources by comparing SOC codes obtained from SOCcer to expert assigned SOC codes and lead exposure estimates obtained by linking SOC codes to a job-exposure matrix. For 11 991 case-control study jobs, SOCcer-assigned codes agreed with 44.5% and 76.3% of manually assigned codes at the 6-digit and 2-digit level, respectively. Agreement increased with the score, providing a mechanism to identify assignments needing review. Good agreement was observed between lead estimates based on SOCcer and manual SOC assignments (κ 0.6-0.8). Poorer performance was observed for inspection job descriptions, which included abbreviations and worksite-specific terminology. Although some manual coding will remain necessary, using SOCcer may improve the efficiency of incorporating occupation into large-scale epidemiological studies. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

SPAD array based TOF SoC design for unmanned vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, An; Xu, Yuan; Xie, Gang; Huang, Zhiyu; Zheng, Yanghao; Shi, Weiwei

2018-03-01

As for the requirement of unmanned-vehicle mobile Lidar system, this paper presents a SoC design based on pulsed TOF depth image sensor. This SoC has a detection range of 300m and detecting resolution of 1.5cm. Pixels are made of SPAD. Meanwhile, SoC adopts a structure of multi-pixel sharing TDC, which significantly reduces chip area and improve the fill factor of light-sensing surface area. SoC integrates a TCSPC module to achieve the functionality of receiving each photon, measuring photon flight time and processing depth information in one chip. The SOC is designed in the SMIC 0.13μm CIS CMOS technology

A Programmable and Configurable Mixed-Mode FPAA SoC

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-17

A Programmable and Configurable Mixed-Mode FPAA SoC Sahil Shah, Sihwan Kim, Farhan Adil, Jennifer Hasler, Suma George, Michelle Collins, Richard...Abstract: The authors present a Floating-Gate based, System-On-Chip large-scale Field- Programmable Analog Array IC that integrates divergent concepts...Floating-Gate, SoC, Command Word Classification This paper presents a Floating-Gate (FG) based, System- On-Chip (SoC) large-scale Field- Programmable

Estimation of power lithium-ion battery SOC based on fuzzy optimal decision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Dongmei; Hou, Enguang; Qiao, Xin; Liu, Guangmin

2018-06-01

In order to improve vehicle performance and safety, need to accurately estimate the power lithium battery state of charge (SOC), analyzing the common SOC estimation methods, according to the characteristics open circuit voltage and Kalman filter algorithm, using T - S fuzzy model, established a lithium battery SOC estimation method based on the fuzzy optimal decision. Simulation results show that the battery model accuracy can be improved.

Applying transport-distance specific SOC distribution to calibrate soil erosion model WaTEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yaxian; Heckrath, Goswin J.; Kuhn, Nikolaus J.

2016-04-01

Slope-scale soil erosion, transport and deposition fundamentally decide the spatial redistribution of eroded sediments in terrestrial and aquatic systems, which further affect the burial and decomposition of eroded SOC. However, comparisons of SOC contents between upper eroding slope and lower depositional site cannot fully reflect the movement of eroded SOC in-transit along hillslopes. The actual transport distance of eroded SOC is decided by its settling velocity. So far, the settling velocity distribution of eroded SOC is mostly calculated from mineral particle specific SOC distribution. Yet, soil is mostly eroded in form of aggregates, and the movement of aggregates differs significantly from individual mineral particles. This urges a SOC erodibility parameter based on actual transport distance distribution of eroded fractions to better calibrate soil erosion models. Previous field investigation on a freshly seeded cropland in Denmark has shown immediate deposition of fast settling soil fractions and the associated SOC at footslopes, followed by a fining trend at the slope tail. To further quantify the long-term effects of topography on erosional redistribution of eroded SOC, the actual transport-distance specific SOC distribution observed on the field was applied to a soil erosion model WaTEM (based on USLE). After integrating with local DEM, our calibrated model succeeded in locating the hotspots of enrichment/depletion of eroded SOC on different topographic positions, much better corresponding to the real-world field observation. By extrapolating into repeated erosion events, our projected results on the spatial distribution of eroded SOC are also adequately consistent with the SOC properties in the consecutive sample profiles along the slope.

Topographic Controls on Soil Carbon Distribution in Iowa Croplands, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarty, Greg; Li, Xia

2017-04-01

Topography is a key factor affecting soil organic carbon (SOC) redistribution (erosion or deposition) because it influences several hydrological indices including soil moisture dynamics, runoff velocity and acceleration, and flow divergence and convergence. In this study, we examined the relationship between 15 topographic metrics derived from Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) data and SOC redistribution in agricultural fields. We adopted the fallout 137Cesium (137Cs) technique to estimate SOC redistribution rates across 560 sampling plots in Iowa. Then, using stepwise ordinarily least square regression (SOLSR) and stepwise principle component analysis (SPCA), topography-based SOC models were developed to simulate spatial patterns of SOC content and redistribution. Results suggested that erosion and deposition of topsoil SOC were regulated by topography with SOC gain in lowland areas and SOC loss in sloping areas. Topographic wetness index (TWI) and slope were the most influential variables controlling SOC content and redistribution. The topography-based models exhibited good performances in simulating SOC content and redistribution across two crop sites with intensive samplings. SPCA models had slightly lower coefficients of determination and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values compared to SOLSR models at the field scale. However, significantly SPCA outperformed SOLAR in predicting SOC redistribution patterns at the watershed scale. Results of this study suggest that the topography-based SPCA model was more robust for scaling up models to the watershed scale because SPCA models may better represent the landscapes and are less subject to over fitting. This work suggests an improved method to sample and characterize landscapes for better prediction of soil property distribution.

Does Motivation Matter? Analysis of a Randomized Trial of Proactive Outreach to VA Smokers.

PubMed

Danan, Elisheva R; Joseph, Anne M; Sherman, Scott E; Burgess, Diana J; Noorbaloochi, Siamak; Clothier, Barbara; Japuntich, Sandra J; Taylor, Brent C; Fu, Steven S

2016-08-01

Current guidelines advise providers to assess smokers' readiness to quit, then offer cessation therapies to smokers planning to quit and motivational interventions to smokers not planning to quit. We examined the relationship between baseline stage of change (SOC), treatment utilization, and smoking cessation to determine whether the effect of a proactive smoking cessation intervention was dependent on smokers' level of motivation to quit. Secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized controlled trial. A total of 3006 current smokers, aged 18-80 years, at four Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. Proactive care included proactive outreach (mailed invitation followed by telephone outreach), offer of smoking cessation services (telephone or face-to-face), and access to pharmacotherapy. Usual care participants had access to VA smoking cessation services and state telephone quitlines. Baseline SOC measured with Readiness to Quit Ladder, and 6-month prolonged abstinence self-reported at 1 year. At baseline, 35.8 % of smokers were in preparation, 38.2 % in contemplation, and 26.0 % in precontemplation. The overall interaction between SOC and treatment arm was not statistically significant (p = 0.30). Among smokers in preparation, 21.1 % of proactive care participants achieved 6-month prolonged abstinence, compared to 13.1 % of usual care participants (OR, 1.8 [95 % CI, 1.2-2.6]). Similarly, proactive care increased abstinence among smokers in contemplation (11.0 % vs. 6.5 %; OR, 1.8 [95 % CI, 1.1-2.8]). Smokers in precontemplation quit smoking at similar rates (5.3 % vs. 5.6 %; OR, 0.9 [95 % CI, 0.5-1.9]). Within each stage, uptake of smoking cessation treatments increased with higher SOC and with proactive care as compared with usual care. Mostly male participants limits generalizability. Randomization was not stratified by SOC. Proactive care increased treatment uptake compared to usual care across all SOC. Proactive care increased smoking cessation among smokers in preparation and contemplation but not in precontemplation. Proactively offering cessation therapies to smokers at all SOC will increase treatment utilization and population-level smoking cessation.

Towards a Generic and Adaptive System-On-Chip Controller for Space Exploration Instrumentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iturbe, Xabier; Keymeulen, Didier; Yiu, Patrick; Berisford, Dan; Hand, Kevin; Carlson, Robert; Ozer, Emre

2015-01-01

This paper introduces one of the first efforts conducted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to develop a generic System-on-Chip (SoC) platform to control science instruments that are proposed for future NASA missions. The SoC platform is named APEX-SoC, where APEX stands for Advanced Processor for space Exploration, and is based on a hybrid Xilinx Zynq that combines an FPGA and an ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core processor on a single chip. The Zynq implements a generic and customizable on-chip infrastructure that can be reused with a variety of instruments, and it has been coupled with a set of off-chip components that are necessary to deal with the different instruments. We have taken JPL’s Compositional InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (CIRIS), which is proposed for NASA icy moons missions, as a use-case scenario to demonstrate that the entire data processing, control and interface of an instrument can be implemented on a single device using the on-chip infrastructure described in this paper. We show that the performance results achieved in this preliminary version of the instrumentation controller are sufficient to fulfill the science requirements demanded to the CIRIS instrument in future NASA missions, such as Europa.

Salutogenic factors for mental health promotion in work settings and organizations.

PubMed

Graeser, Silke

2011-12-01

Accompanied by an increasing awareness of companies and organizations for mental health conditions in work settings and organizations, the salutogenic perspective provides a promising approach to identify supportive factors and resources of organizations to promote mental health. Based on the sense of coherence (SOC) - usually treated as an individual and personality trait concept - an organization-based SOC scale was developed to identify potential salutogenic factors of a university as an organization and work place. Based on results of two samples of employees (n = 362, n = 204), factors associated with the organization-based SOC were evaluated. Statistical analysis yielded significant correlations between mental health and the setting-based SOC as well as the three factors of the SOC yielded by factor analysis yielded three factors comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Significant statistic results of bivariate and multivariate analyses emphasize the significance of aspects such as participation and comprehensibility referring to the organization, social cohesion and social climate on the social level, and recognition on the individual level for an organization-based SOC. Potential approaches for the further development of interventions for work-place health promotion based on salutogenic factors and resources on the individual, social and organization level are elaborated and the transcultural dimensions of these factors discussed.

Hydraulic-based empirical model for sediment and soil organic carbon loss on steep slopes for extreme rainstorms on the Chinese loess Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, L.; Li, Z. W.; Nie, X. D.; He, J. J.; Huang, B.; Chang, X. F.; Liu, C.; Xiao, H. B.; Wang, D. Y.

2017-11-01

Building a hydraulic-based empirical model for sediment and soil organic carbon (SOC) loss is significant because of the complex erosion process that includes gravitational erosion, ephemeral gully, and gully erosion for loess soils. To address this issue, a simulation of rainfall experiments was conducted in a 1 m × 5 m box on slope gradients of 15°, 20°, and 25° for four typical loess soils with different textures, namely, Ansai, Changwu, Suide, and Yangling. The simulated rainfall of 120 mm h-1 lasted for 45 min. Among the five hydraulic factors (i.e., flow velocity, runoff depth, shear stress, stream power, and unit stream power), flow velocity and stream power showed close relationships with SOC concentration, especially the average flow velocity at 2 m from the outlet where the runoff attained the maximum sediment load. Flow velocity controlled SOC enrichment by affecting the suspension-saltation transport associated with the clay and silt contents in sediments. In consideration of runoff rate, average flow velocity at 2 m location from the outlet, and slope steepness as input variables, a hydraulic-based sediment and SOC loss model was built on the basis of the relationships of hydraulic factors to sediment and SOC loss. Nonlinear regression models were built to calculate the parameters of the model. The difference between the effective and dispersed median diameter (δD50) or the SOC content of the original soil served as the independent variable. The hydraulic-based sediment and SOC loss model exhibited good performance for the Suide and Changwu soils, that is, these soils contained lower amounts of aggregates than those of Ansai and Yangling soils. The hydraulic-based empirical model for sediment and SOC loss can serve as an important reference for physical-based sediment models and can bring new insights into SOC loss prediction when serious erosion occurs on steep slopes.

Agricultural management explains historic changes in regional soil carbon stocks

PubMed Central

van Wesemael, Bas; Paustian, Keith; Meersmans, Jeroen; Goidts, Esther; Barancikova, Gabriela; Easter, Mark

2010-01-01

Agriculture is considered to be among the economic sectors having the greatest greenhouse gas mitigation potential, largely via soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, it remains a challenge to accurately quantify SOC stock changes at regional to national scales. SOC stock changes resulting from SOC inventory systems are only available for a few countries and the trends vary widely between studies. Process-based models can provide insight in the drivers of SOC changes, but accurate input data are currently not available at these spatial scales. Here we use measurements from a soil inventory dating from the 1960s and resampled in 2006 covering the major soil types and agricultural regions in Belgium together with region-specific land use and management data and a process-based model. The largest decreases in SOC stocks occurred in poorly drained grassland soils (clays and floodplain soils), consistent with drainage improvements since 1960. Large increases in SOC in well drained grassland soils appear to be a legacy effect of widespread conversion of cropland to grassland before 1960. SOC in cropland increased only in sandy lowland soils, driven by increasing manure additions. Modeled land use and management impacts accounted for more than 70% of the variation in observed SOC changes, and no bias could be demonstrated. There was no significant effect of climate trends since 1960 on observed SOC changes. SOC monitoring networks are being established in many countries. Our results demonstrate that detailed and long-term land management data are crucial to explain the observed SOC changes for such networks. PMID:20679194

13th Annual Conference on the Foundations of Nanoscience (FNANO 2016) Held in Snowbird Cliff Lodge, Snowbird, Utah, April 11-14, 2016

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-30

Friedrich C . Simmel Salt and Temperature Dependence of Shape and Interhelical Spacing of DNA Origami Nanostructures Studied by Small Angle X-Ray Scattering...Nuclear Pore Complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Patrick D. Ellis, Qi Shen, Thomas J . Melia, C . Patrick...and C . Mao, “Tensegrity: Construction of rigid DNA triangles with flexible four-arm junctions,” J . Am. Chem. Soc., 126, 2324 (2004). [3] J . Zheng et

Therapeutic Potential for Targeting the Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-1 pathway for the treatment of SLE

PubMed Central

Sukka-Ganesh, Bhagyalaxmi; Larkin, Joseph

2016-01-01

Although the specific events dictating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathology remain unclear, abundant evidence indicates a critical role for dysregulated cytokine signaling in disease progression. Notably, the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family of intracellular proteins, in particular the kinase inhibitory region (KIR) bearing SOCS1 and SOCS3, play a critical role in regulating cytokine signaling. To assess a relationship between SOCS1/SOCS3 expression and SLE, the goals of this study were to: 1) evaluate the time kinetics of SOCS1/SOCS3 message and protein expression based on SLE associated stimulations, 2) compare levels of SOCS1 and SOCS3 present in SLE patients and healthy controls by message and protein, 3) relate SOCS1/SOCS3 expression to inflammatory markers in SLE patients, and 4) correlate SOCS1/SOCS3 levels to current treatments. We found that SOCS1 and SOCS3 were most abundant in murine splenic samples at 48 hours subsequent to stimulation by anti-CD3, LPS, or interferon gamma. In addition, significant reductions in SOCS1 and SOCS3 were present within PMBC’s of SLE patients compared to controls by both mRNA and protein expression. We also found that decreased levels of SOCS1 in SLE patients were correlated to enhanced levels of inflammatory markers and up-regulated expression of MHC class II. Finally, we show that patients receiving steroid treatment possessed higher levels SOCS1 compared to SLE patient counterparts, and that steroid administration to human PBMCs up-regulated SOCS1 message in a dose and time dependent manner. Together, these results suggest that therapeutic strategies focused on SOCS1 signaling may have efficacy in the treatment of SLE. PMID:27781323

Topographic Metric Predictions of Soil redistribution and Organic Carbon Distribution in Croplands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mccarty, G.; Li, X.

2017-12-01

Landscape topography is a key factor controlling soil redistribution and soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution in Iowa croplands (USA). In this study, we adopted a combined approach based on carbon () and cesium (137Cs) isotope tracers, and digital terrain analysis to understand patterns of SOC redistribution and carbon sequestration dynamics as influenced by landscape topography in tilled cropland under long term corn/soybean management. The fallout radionuclide 137Cs was used to estimate soil redistribution rates and a Lidar-derived DEM was used to obtain a set of topographic metrics for digital terrain analysis. Soil redistribution rates and patterns of SOC distribution were examined across 560 sampling locations at two field sites as well as at larger scale within the watershed. We used δ13C content in SOC to partition C3 and C4 plant derived C density at 127 locations in one of the two field sites with corn being the primary source of C4 C. Topography-based models were developed to simulate SOC distribution and soil redistribution using stepwise ordinary least square regression (SOLSR) and stepwise principal component regression (SPCR). All topography-based models developed through SPCR and SOLSR demonstrated good simulation performance, explaining more than 62% variability in SOC density and soil redistribution rates across two field sites with intensive samplings. However, the SOLSR models showed lower reliability than the SPCR models in predicting SOC density at the watershed scale. Spatial patterns of C3-derived SOC density were highly related to those of SOC density. Topographic metrics exerted substantial influence on C3-derived SOC density with the SPCR model accounting for 76.5% of the spatial variance. In contrast C4 derived SOC density had poor spatial structure likely reflecting the substantial contribution of corn vegetation to recently sequestered SOC density. Results of this study highlighted the utility of topographic SPCR models for scaling field measurements of SOC density and soil redistribution rates to watershed scale which will allow watershed model to better predict fate of ecosystem C on agricultural landscapes.

Spin-orbit coupling enhanced superconductivity in Bi-rich compounds ABi3 (A = Sr and Ba)

PubMed Central

Shao, D. F.; Luo, X.; Lu, W. J.; Hu, L.; Zhu, X. D.; Song, W. H.; Zhu, X. B.; Sun, Y. P.

2016-01-01

Recently, Bi-based compounds have attracted attentions because of the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In this work, we figured out the role of SOC in ABi3 (A = Sr and Ba) by theoretical investigation of the band structures, phonon properties, and electron-phonon coupling. Without SOC, strong Fermi surface nesting leads to phonon instabilities in ABi3. SOC suppresses the nesting and stabilizes the structure. Moreover, without SOC the calculation largely underestimates the superconducting transition temperatures (Tc), while with SOC the calculated Tc are very close to those determined by measurements on single crystal samples. The SOC enhanced superconductivity in ABi3 is due to not only the SOC induced phonon softening, but also the SOC related increase of electron-phonon coupling matrix elements. ABi3 can be potential platforms to construct heterostructure of superconductor/topological insulator to realize topological superconductivity. PMID:26892681

Spin-orbit coupling enhanced superconductivity in Bi-rich compounds ABi₃ (A = Sr and Ba).

PubMed

Shao, D F; Luo, X; Lu, W J; Hu, L; Zhu, X D; Song, W H; Zhu, X B; Sun, Y P

2016-02-19

Recently, Bi-based compounds have attracted attentions because of the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In this work, we figured out the role of SOC in ABi3 (A = Sr and Ba) by theoretical investigation of the band structures, phonon properties, and electron-phonon coupling. Without SOC, strong Fermi surface nesting leads to phonon instabilities in ABi3. SOC suppresses the nesting and stabilizes the structure. Moreover, without SOC the calculation largely underestimates the superconducting transition temperatures (Tc), while with SOC the calculated Tc are very close to those determined by measurements on single crystal samples. The SOC enhanced superconductivity in ABi3 is due to not only the SOC induced phonon softening, but also the SOC related increase of electron-phonon coupling matrix elements. ABi3 can be potential platforms to construct heterostructure of superconductor/topological insulator to realize topological superconductivity.

Validity of Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Eriksson, M.; Lindstrom, B.

2005-01-01

Study objective: The aim of this paper is to systematically review and analyse the validity and reliability of Antonovsky's life orientation questionnaire/sense of coherence scale (SOC). Design: The study is descriptive and analytical with a systematic integration of the contemporary knowledge base on the salutogenic research published 1992–2003. The review includes 458 scientific publications and 13 doctoral theses. Setting: Worldwide, based on postgraduate scientific publications in eight authorised databases, doctoral theses, and available books. Main results: The SOC questionnaire has been used in at least 33 languages in 32 countries with at least 15 different versions of the questionnaire. In 124 studies using SOC-29 the Cronbach's α ranges from 0.70 to 0.95. The α values in 127 studies using SOC-13 range from 0.70 to 0.92, and in 60 studies using a modified SOC scale range from 0.35 to 0.91. Test-retest correlation show stability and range from 0.69 to 0.78 (1 year), 0.64 (3 years), 0.42 to 0.45 (4 years), 0.59 to 0.67 (5 years) to 0.54 (10 years). The means of SOC-29 range 100.50 (SD 28.50) to 164.50 (SD 17.10) points and SOC-13 from 35.39 (SD 0.10) to 77.60 (SD 13.80) points. After 10 years SOC seems to be comparatively stable, but not as stable as Antonovsky initially assumed. SOC tends to increase with age. The factorial structure of SOC seems rather to be multidimensional than unidimensional. SOC predicts a positive outcome in a long term perspective, although there are divergent findings reported. The SOC scale seems to be a reliable, valid, and cross culturally applicable instrument measuring how people manage stressful situations and stay well. PMID:15911640

The mechanics of erosion on soil organic redistribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papanicolaou, T.

2014-12-01

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is an important constituent of the earth's fabric derived from the breakdown of above ground plant litter, plant rhizomes and root exudates in the form of organic by-products. Stocks of SOC can be affected by a variety of natural and human-induced drivers, including climate and land management practices which collectively could affect intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to SOC, for example, soil texture, soil microclimate, and biomass accumulation rates . In intensely managed agricultural landscapes (IMLs), i.e., regions of significant land use change where significant degradation of SOC has been reported due to soil erosion, enhancing the sequestration or storage potential of SOC is of paramount importance to the ecosystem well-being of these landscapes. A literature review reveals that aspects of the SOC research have received considerable attention in the bioegeochemical, ecological, and agricultural disciplines because available SOC stocks within a soil column affect the evolution of key soil biogeochemical constituents. However, at the landscape scale the quantitative assessment of the SOC storage potential suffers in parts from lack of understanding of the collective effects that tillage and water-driven erosion have on the transport and burial of the eroded SOC. In this study an integrative process-based modeling framework that couples an established biogeochemical soil column model with a physically-based, landscape oriented watershed model capable of replicating the collective erosion effects on the mobilization and redistribution of SOC is developed. All simulations are conducted in an agricultural watershed in the U.S. Midwest Clear Creek, IA which has experienced intense agriculture since the beginning of the century to also assess the legacy effects that land use change and SOC initialization periods have on current SOC stock estimations.

Modeling global mangrove soil carbon stocks: filling the gaps in coastal environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovai, A.; Twilley, R.

2017-12-01

We provide an overview of contemporaneous global mangrove soil organic carbon (SOC) estimates, focusing on a framework to explain disproportionate differences among observed data as a way to improve global estimates. This framework is based on a former conceptual model, the coastal environmental setting, in contrast to the more popular latitude-based hypotheses largely believed to explain hemispheric variation in mangrove ecosystem properties. To demonstrate how local and regional estimates of SOC linked to coastal environmental settings can render more realistic global mangrove SOC extrapolations we combined published and unpublished data, yielding a total of 106 studies, reporting on 552 sites from 43 countries. These sites were classified into distinct coastal environmental setting types according to two concurrent worldwide typology of nearshore coastal systems classifications. Mangrove SOC density varied substantially across coastal environmental settings, ranging from 14.9 ± 0.8 in river dominated (deltaic) soils to 53.9 ± 1.6 mg cm-3 (mean ± SE) in karstic coastlines. Our findings reveal striking differences between published values and contemporary global mangrove SOC extrapolation based on country-level mean reference values, particularly for karstic-dominated coastlines where mangrove SOC stocks have been underestimated by up to 50%. Correspondingly, climate-based global estimates predicted lower mangrove SOC density values (32-41 mg C cm-3) for mangroves in karstic environments, differing from published (21-126 mg C cm-3) and unpublished (47-58 mg C cm-3) values. Moreover, climate-based projections yielded higher SOC density values (27-70 mg C cm-3) for river-dominated mangroves compared to lower ranges reported in the literature (11-24 mg C cm-3). We argue that this inconsistent reporting of SOC stock estimates between river-dominated and karstic coastal environmental settings is likely due to the omission of geomorphological and geophysical environmental drivers, which control C storage in coastal wetlands. We encourage the science community more close utilize coastal environmental settings and new inventories of geomorphological typologies to build more robust estimates of local and regional estimates of SOC that can be extrapolated to global C estimates.

Toward inventory-based estimates of soil organic carbon in forests of the United States

Treesearch

G.M. Domke; C.H. Perry; B.F. Walters; L.E. Nave; C.W. Woodall; C.W. Swanston

2017-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon (C) sink on Earth; this pool plays a critical role in ecosystem processes and climate change. Given the cost and time required to measure SOC, and particularly changes in SOC, many signatory nations to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change report estimates of SOC stocks and stock changes...

Health-Related Physical Fitness in Healthy Untrained Men: Effects on VO2max, Jump Performance and Flexibility of Soccer and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Running.

PubMed

Milanović, Zoran; Pantelić, Saša; Sporiš, Goran; Mohr, Magni; Krustrup, Peter

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of recreational soccer (SOC) compared to moderate-intensity continuous running (RUN) on all health-related physical fitness components in healthy untrained men. Sixty-nine participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three groups, of which sixty-four completed the study: a soccer training group (SOC; n = 20, 34±4 (means±SD) years, 78.1±8.3 kg, 179±4 cm); a running group (RUN; n = 21, 32±4 years, 78.0±5.5 kg, 179±7 cm); or a passive control group (CON; n = 23, 30±3 years, 76.6±12.0 kg, 178±8 cm). The training intervention lasted 12 weeks and consisted of three 60-min sessions per week. All participants were tested for each of the following physical fitness components: maximal aerobic power, minute ventilation, maximal heart rate, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJ), sit-and-reach flexibility, and body composition. Over the 12 weeks, VO2max relative to body weight increased more (p<0.05) in SOC (24.2%, ES = 1.20) and RUN (21.5%, ES = 1.17) than in CON (-5.0%, ES = -0.24), partly due to large changes in body mass (-5.9, -5.7 and +2.6 kg, p<0.05 for SOC, RUN and CON, respectively). Over the 12 weeks, SJ and CMJ performance increased more (p<0.05) in SOC (14.8 and 12.1%, ES = 1.08 and 0.81) than in RUN (3.3 and 3.0%, ES = 0.23 and 0.19) and CON (0.3 and 0.2%), while flexibility also increased more (p<0.05) in SOC (94%, ES = 0.97) than in RUN and CON (0-2%). In conclusion, untrained men displayed marked improvements in maximal aerobic power after 12 weeks of soccer training and moderate-intensity running, partly due to large decreases in body mass. Additionally soccer training induced pronounced positive effects on jump performance and flexibility, making soccer an effective broad-spectrum fitness training intervention.

Global distribution of soil organic carbon, based on the Harmonized World Soil Database - Part 1: Masses and frequency distribution of SOC stocks for the tropics, permafrost regions, wetlands, and the world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köchy, M.; Hiederer, R.; Freibauer, A.

2014-09-01

The global soil organic carbon (SOC) mass is relevant for the carbon cycle budget. We review current estimates of soil organic carbon stocks (mass/area) and mass (stock × area) in wetlands, permafrost and tropical regions and the world in the upper 1 m of soil. The Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) v.1.2 provides one of the most recent and coherent global data sets of SOC, giving a total mass of 2476 Pg. Correcting the HWSD's bulk density of organic soils, especially Histosols, results in a mass of 1062 Pg. The uncertainty of bulk density of Histosols alone introduces a range of -56 to +180 Pg for the estimate of global SOC in the top 1 m, larger than estimates of global soil respiration. We report the spatial distribution of SOC stocks per 0.5 arc minutes, the areal masses of SOC and the quantiles of SOC stocks by continents, wetland types, and permafrost types. Depending on the definition of "wetland", wetland soils contain between 82 and 158 Pg SOC. Incorporating more detailed estimates for permafrost from the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Data Base (496 Pg SOC) and tropical peatland carbon, global soils contain 1324 Pg SOC in the upper 1 m including 421 Pg in tropical soils, whereof 40 Pg occur in tropical wetlands. Global SOC amounts to just under 3000 Pg when estimates for deeper soil layers are included. Variability in estimates is due to variation in definitions of soil units, differences in soil property databases, scarcity of information about soil carbon at depths > 1 m in peatlands, and variation in definitions of "peatland".

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen based on GIS and geostatistics in a small watershed in a hilly area of northern China.

PubMed

Peng, Gao; Bing, Wang; Guangpo, Geng; Guangcan, Zhang

2013-01-01

The spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) levels is important in both global carbon-nitrogen cycle and climate change research. There has been little research on the spatial distribution of SOC and STN at the watershed scale based on geographic information systems (GIS) and geostatistics. Ninety-seven soil samples taken at depths of 0-20 cm were collected during October 2010 and 2011 from the Matiyu small watershed (4.2 km(2)) of a hilly area in Shandong Province, northern China. The impacts of different land use types, elevation, vegetation coverage and other factors on SOC and STN spatial distributions were examined using GIS and a geostatistical method, regression-kriging. The results show that the concentration variations of SOC and STN in the Matiyu small watershed were moderate variation based on the mean, median, minimum and maximum, and the coefficients of variation (CV). Residual values of SOC and STN had moderate spatial autocorrelations, and the Nugget/Sill were 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. Distribution maps of regression-kriging revealed that both SOC and STN concentrations in the Matiyu watershed decreased from southeast to northwest. This result was similar to the watershed DEM trend and significantly correlated with land use type, elevation and aspect. SOC and STN predictions with the regression-kriging method were more accurate than those obtained using ordinary kriging. This research indicates that geostatistical characteristics of SOC and STN concentrations in the watershed were closely related to both land-use type and spatial topographic structure and that regression-kriging is suitable for investigating the spatial distributions of SOC and STN in the complex topography of the watershed.

Spatial Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Based on GIS and Geostatistics in a Small Watershed in a Hilly Area of Northern China

PubMed Central

Peng, Gao; Bing, Wang; Guangpo, Geng; Guangcan, Zhang

2013-01-01

The spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) levels is important in both global carbon-nitrogen cycle and climate change research. There has been little research on the spatial distribution of SOC and STN at the watershed scale based on geographic information systems (GIS) and geostatistics. Ninety-seven soil samples taken at depths of 0–20 cm were collected during October 2010 and 2011 from the Matiyu small watershed (4.2 km2) of a hilly area in Shandong Province, northern China. The impacts of different land use types, elevation, vegetation coverage and other factors on SOC and STN spatial distributions were examined using GIS and a geostatistical method, regression-kriging. The results show that the concentration variations of SOC and STN in the Matiyu small watershed were moderate variation based on the mean, median, minimum and maximum, and the coefficients of variation (CV). Residual values of SOC and STN had moderate spatial autocorrelations, and the Nugget/Sill were 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. Distribution maps of regression-kriging revealed that both SOC and STN concentrations in the Matiyu watershed decreased from southeast to northwest. This result was similar to the watershed DEM trend and significantly correlated with land use type, elevation and aspect. SOC and STN predictions with the regression-kriging method were more accurate than those obtained using ordinary kriging. This research indicates that geostatistical characteristics of SOC and STN concentrations in the watershed were closely related to both land-use type and spatial topographic structure and that regression-kriging is suitable for investigating the spatial distributions of SOC and STN in the complex topography of the watershed. PMID:24391791

Meta-modeling soil organic carbon sequestration potential and its application at regional scale.

PubMed

Luo, Zhongkui; Wang, Enli; Bryan, Brett A; King, Darran; Zhao, Gang; Pan, Xubin; Bende-Michl, Ulrike

2013-03-01

Upscaling the results from process-based soil-plant models to assess regional soil organic carbon (SOC) change and sequestration potential is a great challenge due to the lack of detailed spatial information, particularly soil properties. Meta-modeling can be used to simplify and summarize process-based models and significantly reduce the demand for input data and thus could be easily applied on regional scales. We used the pre-validated Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) to simulate the impact of climate, soil, and management on SOC at 613 reference sites across Australia's cereal-growing regions under a continuous wheat system. We then developed a simple meta-model to link the APSIM-modeled SOC change to primary drivers, i.e., the amount of recalcitrant SOC, plant available water capacity of soil, soil pH, and solar radiation, temperature, and rainfall in the growing season. Based on high-resolution soil texture data and 8165 climate data points across the study area, we used the meta-model to assess SOC sequestration potential and the uncertainty associated with the variability of soil characteristics. The meta-model explained 74% of the variation of final SOC content as simulated by APSIM. Applying the meta-model to Australia's cereal-growing regions reveals regional patterns in SOC, with higher SOC stock in cool, wet regions. Overall, the potential SOC stock ranged from 21.14 to 152.71 Mg/ha with a mean of 52.18 Mg/ha. Variation of soil properties induced uncertainty ranging from 12% to 117% with higher uncertainty in warm, wet regions. In general, soils in Australia's cereal-growing regions under continuous wheat production were simulated as a sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide with a mean sequestration potential of 8.17 Mg/ha.

Sequence and expression variation in SUPPRESSOR of OVEREXPRESSION of CONSTANS 1 (SOC1): homeolog evolution in Indian Brassicas.

PubMed

Sri, Tanu; Mayee, Pratiksha; Singh, Anandita

2015-09-01

Whole genome sequence analyses allow unravelling such evolutionary consequences of meso-triplication event in Brassicaceae (∼14-20 million years ago (MYA)) as differential gene fractionation and diversification in homeologous sub-genomes. This study presents a simple gene-centric approach involving microsynteny and natural genetic variation analysis for understanding SUPPRESSOR of OVEREXPRESSION of CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) homeolog evolution in Brassica. Analysis of microsynteny in Brassica rapa homeologous regions containing SOC1 revealed differential gene fractionation correlating to reported fractionation status of sub-genomes of origin, viz. least fractionated (LF), moderately fractionated 1 (MF1) and most fractionated (MF2), respectively. Screening 18 cultivars of 6 Brassica species led to the identification of 8 genomic and 27 transcript variants of SOC1, including splice-forms. Co-occurrence of both interrupted and intronless SOC1 genes was detected in few Brassica species. In silico analysis characterised Brassica SOC1 as MADS intervening, K-box, C-terminal (MIKC(C)) transcription factor, with highly conserved MADS and I domains relative to K-box and C-terminal domain. Phylogenetic analyses and multiple sequence alignments depicting shared pattern of silent/non-silent mutations assigned Brassica SOC1 homologs into groups based on shared diploid base genome. In addition, a sub-genome structure in uncharacterised Brassica genomes was inferred. Expression analysis of putative MF2 and LF (Brassica diploid base genome A (AA)) sub-genome-specific SOC1 homeologs of Brassica juncea revealed near identical expression pattern. However, MF2-specific homeolog exhibited significantly higher expression implying regulatory diversification. In conclusion, evidence for polyploidy-induced sequence and regulatory evolution in Brassica SOC1 is being presented wherein differential homeolog expression is implied in functional diversification.

Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale and the relation with health: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Eriksson, Monica; Lindström, Bengt

2006-01-01

Study objective The aim of this paper is to synthesise empirical findings on the salutogenic concept sense of coherence (SOC) and examine its capacity to explain health and its dimensions. Design The study is descriptive and analytical with a systematic integration of the contemporary knowledge base on the salutogenic research published 1992–2003. The review includes 458 scientific publications and 13 doctoral theses. Setting Worldwide, based on postgraduate scientific publications in eight authorised databases, doctoral theses, and available books. Main results SOC is strongly related to perceived health, especially mental health. The stronger the SOC the better the perceived health in general, at least for those with an initial high SOC. This relation is manifested in study populations regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, nationality, and study design. SOC seems to have a main, moderating or mediating role in the explanation of health. Furthermore, the SOC seems to be able to predict health. SOC is an important contributor for the development and maintenance of people's health but does not alone explain the overall health. Conclusion SOC seems to be a health promoting resource, which strengthens resilience and develops a positive subjective state of health. Salutogenesis is a valuable approach for health promotion and would be worth to implement in practice much more than to date. PMID:16614325

Kalman filter for onboard state of charge estimation and peak power capability analysis of lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Guangzhong; Wei, Jingwen; Chen, Zonghai

2016-10-01

To evaluate the continuous and instantaneous load capability of a battery, this paper describes a joint estimator for state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-function (SOF) of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) based on Kalman filter (KF). The SOC is a widely used index for remain useful capacity left in a battery. The SOF represents the peak power capability of the battery. It can be determined by real-time SOC estimation and terminal voltage prediction, which can be derived from impedance parameters. However, the open-circuit-voltage (OCV) of LiFePO4 is highly nonlinear with SOC, which leads to the difficulties in SOC estimation. To solve these problems, this paper proposed an onboard SOC estimation method. Firstly, a simplified linearized equivalent-circuit-model is developed to simulate the dynamic characteristics of a battery, where the OCV is regarded as a linearized function of SOC. Then, the system states are estimated based on the KF. Besides, the factors that influence peak power capability are analyzed according to statistical data. Finally, the performance of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by experiments conducted on a LiFePO4 LIBs under different operating currents and temperatures. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach is suitable for battery onboard SOC and SOF estimation.

Improving well-being at work: A randomized controlled intervention based on selection, optimization, and compensation.

PubMed

Müller, Andreas; Heiden, Barbara; Herbig, Britta; Poppe, Franziska; Angerer, Peter

2016-04-01

This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate an occupational health intervention that is based on the theoretical model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC). We conducted a stratified randomized controlled intervention with 70 nurses of a community hospital in Germany (94% women; mean age 43.7 years). Altogether, the training consisted of 6 sessions (16.5 hours) over a period of 9 months. The training took place in groups of 6-8 employees. Participants were familiarized with the SOC model and developed and implemented a personal project based on SOC to cope effectively with 1 important job demand or to activate a job resource. Consistent with our hypotheses, we observed a meaningful trend that the proposed SOC training enhanced mental well-being, particularly in employees with a strong commitment to the intervention. While highly committed training participants reported higher levels of job control at follow-up, the effects were not statistical significant. Additional analyses of moderation effects showed that the training is particularly effective to enhance mental well-being when job control is low. Contrary to our assumptions, perceived work ability was not improved by the training. Our study provides first indications that SOC training might be a promising approach to occupational health and stress prevention. Moreover, it identifies critical success factors of occupational interventions based on SOC. However, additional studies are needed to corroborate the effectiveness of SOC trainings in the occupational contexts. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Addition of docetaxel and/or zoledronic acid to standard of care for hormone-naive prostate cancer: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Pengfei; Wen, Feng; Fu, Ping; Yang, Yu; Li, Qiu

2017-07-31

The effectiveness of the addition of docetaxel and/or zoledronic acid to the standard of care (SOC) for hormone-naive prostate cancer has been evaluated in the STAMPEDE trial. The object of the present analysis was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these treatment options in the treatment of advanced hormone-naive prostate cancer in China. A cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov model was carried out from the Chinese societal perspective. The efficacy data were obtained from the STAMPEDE trial and health utilities were derived from previous studies. Transition probabilities were calculated based on the survival in each group. The primary endpoint in the analysis was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and model uncertainties were explored by 1-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. SOC alone generated an effectiveness of 2.65 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) at a lifetime cost of $20,969.23. At a cost of $25,001.34, SOC plus zoledronic acid was associated with 2.69 QALYs, resulting in an ICER of $100,802.75/QALY compared with SOC alone. SOC plus docetaxel gained an effectiveness of 2.85 QALYs at a cost of $28,764.66, while the effectiveness and cost data in the SOC plus zoledronic acid/docetaxel group were 2.78 QALYs and $32,640.95. Based on the results of the analysis, SOC plus zoledronic acid, SOC plus docetaxel, and SOC plus zoledronic acid/docetaxel are unlikely to be cost-effective options in patients with advanced hormone-naive prostate cancer compared with SOC alone.

Comparison of SOC estimates and uncertainties from aerosol chemical composition and gas phase data in Atlanta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pachon, Jorge E.; Balachandran, Sivaraman; Hu, Yongtao; Weber, Rodney J.; Mulholland, James A.; Russell, Armistead G.

2010-10-01

In the Southeastern US, organic carbon (OC) comprises about 30% of the PM 2.5 mass. A large fraction of OC is estimated to be of secondary origin. Long-term estimates of SOC and uncertainties are necessary in the evaluation of air quality policy effectiveness and epidemiologic studies. Four methods to estimate secondary organic carbon (SOC) and respective uncertainties are compared utilizing PM 2.5 chemical composition and gas phase data available in Atlanta from 1999 to 2007. The elemental carbon (EC) tracer and the regression methods, which rely on the use of tracer species of primary and secondary OC formation, provided intermediate estimates of SOC as 30% of OC. The other two methods, chemical mass balance (CMB) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) solve mass balance equations to estimate primary and secondary fractions based on source profiles and statistically-derived common factors, respectively. CMB had the highest estimate of SOC (46% of OC) while PMF led to the lowest (26% of OC). The comparison of SOC uncertainties, estimated based on propagation of errors, led to the regression method having the lowest uncertainty among the four methods. We compared the estimates with the water soluble fraction of the OC, which has been suggested as a surrogate of SOC when biomass burning is negligible, and found a similar trend with SOC estimates from the regression method. The regression method also showed the strongest correlation with daily SOC estimates from CMB using molecular markers. The regression method shows advantages over the other methods in the calculation of a long-term series of SOC estimates.

Financial assessment of the Space Operations Center as a Private Business Venture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, M.

1982-01-01

The possibility of private financing and operation of the Space Operations Center (SOC) is considered as an alternative to SOC development by the government. A hypothetical revenue model for SOC services is constructed and is compared with NASA estimates of SOC development and operating costs. A present value analysis based on a 1985 to 2000 investment horizon shows a potential for substantial profit in a private SOC venture, although the possibility of large losses is not discounted. Present value estimates range from $8.6 billion down to a low minus $3.3 billion.

Sorption of chlorobenzenes to cape cod aquifer sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber, L.B.

1994-01-01

Sorption of tetra- and pentachlorobenzene by sediment from a glacial outwash aquifer on Cape Cod, MA, was evaluated. Particle size and mineralogical fractions (separated based on paramagnetic susceptibility) were characterized with respect to sediment organic carbon (SOC), mineralogy, surface area, metal oxide coatings, and spatial variability. SOC increases by a factor of 10 as particle size decreases from 500-1000 to ?? 25 % in the <63-??m fraction, and SOC is preferentially associated with the magnetic minerals. Sorption increases with decreasing particle size (increasing SOC, magnetic minerals, surface area, and metal oxyhydroxides), and the magnetic mineral fraction has greater sorption than the bulk or nonmagnetic fractions. Removal of SOC decreases sorption proportional to the decrease in SOC and results in a nonlinear isotherm.

Estimation of soil organic carbon in forests of the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domke, G. M.; Perry, C. H.; Walters, B. F.; Woodall, C. W.; Nave, L. E.; Swanston, C.

2015-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon (C) sink on earth and management of this pool is a critical component of global efforts to mitigate atmospheric C concentrations. Soil organic carbon is also a key indicator of soil quality as it affects essential biological, chemical, and physical soil functions such as nutrient cycling, water retention, and soil structure maintenance. Much of the SOC on earth is found in forest ecosystems and is thought to be relatively stable. That said, there is growing evidence that SOC may be sensitive to disturbance and global change drivers. In the United States (US), SOC in forests is monitored by the national forest inventory (NFI) conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program within the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The FIA program currently uses SOC predictions based on SSURGO/STATSGO data to populate the NFI. Most of estimates of SOC in forests from the SSURGO/STATSGO data are based primarily upon expert opinion and lack systematic field observations. The FIA program has been consistently measuring soil attributes as part of the NFI since 2001 and has amassed an extensive inventory of SOC in forests in the conterminous US and coastal Alaska. Here we present estimates of SOC obtained using data from the NFI and International Soil Carbon Network and describe the modeling framework used to compile estimates for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reporting.

MOF Crystal Chemistry Paving the Way to Gas Storage Needs: Aluminum-Based soc-MOF for CH4, O2, and CO2 Storage

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The molecular building block approach was employed effectively to construct a series of novel isoreticular, highly porous and stable, aluminum-based metal–organic frameworks with soc topology. From this platform, three compounds were experimentally isolated and fully characterized: namely, the parent Al-soc-MOF-1 and its naphthalene and anthracene analogues. Al-soc-MOF-1 exhibits outstanding gravimetric methane uptake (total and working capacity). It is shown experimentally, for the first time, that the Al-soc-MOF platform can address the challenging Department of Energy dual target of 0.5 g/g (gravimetric) and 264 cm3 (STP)/cm3 (volumetric) methane storage. Furthermore, Al-soc-MOF exhibited the highest total gravimetric and volumetric uptake for carbon dioxide and the utmost total and deliverable uptake for oxygen at relatively high pressures among all microporous MOFs. In order to correlate the MOF pore structure and functionality to the gas storage properties, to better understand the structure–property relationship, we performed a molecular simulation study and evaluated the methane storage performance of the Al-soc-MOF platform using diverse organic linkers. It was found that shortening the parent Al-soc-MOF-1 linker resulted in a noticeable enhancement in the working volumetric capacity at specific temperatures and pressures with amply conserved gravimetric uptake/working capacity. In contrast, further expansion of the organic linker (branches and/or core) led to isostructural Al-soc-MOFs with enhanced gravimetric uptake but noticeably lower volumetric capacity. The collective experimental and simulation studies indicated that the parent Al-soc-MOF-1 exhibits the best compromise between the volumetric and gravimetric total and working uptakes under a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions. PMID:26364990

MOF Crystal Chemistry Paving the Way to Gas Storage Needs: Aluminum-Based soc-MOF for CH4, O2, and CO2 Storage.

PubMed

Alezi, Dalal; Belmabkhout, Youssef; Suyetin, Mikhail; Bhatt, Prashant M; Weseliński, Łukasz J; Solovyeva, Vera; Adil, Karim; Spanopoulos, Ioannis; Trikalitis, Pantelis N; Emwas, Abdul-Hamid; Eddaoudi, Mohamed

2015-10-21

The molecular building block approach was employed effectively to construct a series of novel isoreticular, highly porous and stable, aluminum-based metal-organic frameworks with soc topology. From this platform, three compounds were experimentally isolated and fully characterized: namely, the parent Al-soc-MOF-1 and its naphthalene and anthracene analogues. Al-soc-MOF-1 exhibits outstanding gravimetric methane uptake (total and working capacity). It is shown experimentally, for the first time, that the Al-soc-MOF platform can address the challenging Department of Energy dual target of 0.5 g/g (gravimetric) and 264 cm(3) (STP)/cm(3) (volumetric) methane storage. Furthermore, Al-soc-MOF exhibited the highest total gravimetric and volumetric uptake for carbon dioxide and the utmost total and deliverable uptake for oxygen at relatively high pressures among all microporous MOFs. In order to correlate the MOF pore structure and functionality to the gas storage properties, to better understand the structure-property relationship, we performed a molecular simulation study and evaluated the methane storage performance of the Al-soc-MOF platform using diverse organic linkers. It was found that shortening the parent Al-soc-MOF-1 linker resulted in a noticeable enhancement in the working volumetric capacity at specific temperatures and pressures with amply conserved gravimetric uptake/working capacity. In contrast, further expansion of the organic linker (branches and/or core) led to isostructural Al-soc-MOFs with enhanced gravimetric uptake but noticeably lower volumetric capacity. The collective experimental and simulation studies indicated that the parent Al-soc-MOF-1 exhibits the best compromise between the volumetric and gravimetric total and working uptakes under a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions.

Comparison of spatial association approaches for landscape mapping of soil organic carbon stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, B. A.; Koszinski, S.; Wehrhan, M.; Sommer, M.

2015-03-01

The distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) can be variable at small analysis scales, but consideration of its role in regional and global issues demands the mapping of large extents. There are many different strategies for mapping SOC, among which is to model the variables needed to calculate the SOC stock indirectly or to model the SOC stock directly. The purpose of this research is to compare direct and indirect approaches to mapping SOC stocks from rule-based, multiple linear regression models applied at the landscape scale via spatial association. The final products for both strategies are high-resolution maps of SOC stocks (kg m-2), covering an area of 122 km2, with accompanying maps of estimated error. For the direct modelling approach, the estimated error map was based on the internal error estimations from the model rules. For the indirect approach, the estimated error map was produced by spatially combining the error estimates of component models via standard error propagation equations. We compared these two strategies for mapping SOC stocks on the basis of the qualities of the resulting maps as well as the magnitude and distribution of the estimated error. The direct approach produced a map with less spatial variation than the map produced by the indirect approach. The increased spatial variation represented by the indirect approach improved R2 values for the topsoil and subsoil stocks. Although the indirect approach had a lower mean estimated error for the topsoil stock, the mean estimated error for the total SOC stock (topsoil + subsoil) was lower for the direct approach. For these reasons, we recommend the direct approach to modelling SOC stocks be considered a more conservative estimate of the SOC stocks' spatial distribution.

Comparison of spatial association approaches for landscape mapping of soil organic carbon stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, B. A.; Koszinski, S.; Wehrhan, M.; Sommer, M.

2014-11-01

The distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) can be variable at small analysis scales, but consideration of its role in regional and global issues demands the mapping of large extents. There are many different strategies for mapping SOC, among which are to model the variables needed to calculate the SOC stock indirectly or to model the SOC stock directly. The purpose of this research is to compare direct and indirect approaches to mapping SOC stocks from rule-based, multiple linear regression models applied at the landscape scale via spatial association. The final products for both strategies are high-resolution maps of SOC stocks (kg m-2), covering an area of 122 km2, with accompanying maps of estimated error. For the direct modelling approach, the estimated error map was based on the internal error estimations from the model rules. For the indirect approach, the estimated error map was produced by spatially combining the error estimates of component models via standard error propagation equations. We compared these two strategies for mapping SOC stocks on the basis of the qualities of the resulting maps as well as the magnitude and distribution of the estimated error. The direct approach produced a map with less spatial variation than the map produced by the indirect approach. The increased spatial variation represented by the indirect approach improved R2 values for the topsoil and subsoil stocks. Although the indirect approach had a lower mean estimated error for the topsoil stock, the mean estimated error for the total SOC stock (topsoil + subsoil) was lower for the direct approach. For these reasons, we recommend the direct approach to modelling SOC stocks be considered a more conservative estimate of the SOC stocks' spatial distribution.

State of Charge estimation of lithium ion battery based on extended Kalman filtering algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Fan; Feng, Yiming; Pan, Binbiao; Wan, Renzhuo; Wang, Jun

2017-08-01

Accurate estimation of state-of-charge (SOC) for lithium ion battery is crucial for real-time diagnosis and prognosis in green energy vehicles. In this paper, a state space model of the battery based on Thevenin model is adopted. The strategy of estimating state of charge (SOC) based on extended Kalman fil-ter is presented, as well as to combine with ampere-hour counting (AH) and open circuit voltage (OCV) methods. The comparison between simulation and experiments indicates that the model’s performance matches well with that of lithium ion battery. The algorithm of extended Kalman filter keeps a good accura-cy precision and less dependent on its initial value in full range of SOC, which is proved to be suitable for online SOC estimation.

Geomorphic and climate influences on soil organic carbon concentration at large catchment scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hancock, G. R.; Martinez, C.; Wells, T.; Dever, C.; Willgoose, G. R.; Bissett, A.

2013-12-01

Soils represent the largest terrestrial sink of carbon on Earth. Managing the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool is becoming increasingly important in light of growing concerns over global food security and the climatic effects of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The development of accurate predictive SOC models are an important step for both land resource managers and policy makers alike. Presently, a number of SOC models are available which incorporate environmental data to produce SOC estimates. The accuracy of these models varies significantly over a range of landscapes due to the highly complex nature of SOC dynamics. Fundamental gaps exist in our understanding of SOC controls. To date, studies of SOC controls, and the subsequent models derived from their findings have focussed mainly on North American and European landscapes. Additionally, SOC studies often focus on the paddock to small catchment scale. Consequently, information about SOC in Australian landscapes and at the larger scale is limited. This study examines controls over SOC across a large catchment of approximately 600 km2 in the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. The aim was to develop a predictive model for use across a range of catchment sizes and climate. Here it was found that elevation (derived from DEMs) and vegetation (above ground biomass quantified by remote sensing were the primary controls of SOC. SOC was seen to increase with elevation and NDVI. This relationship is believed to be a reflection of rainfall patterns across the study area and plant growth potential. Further, a relationship was observed between SOC and the environmental tracer 137Cs which suggests that SOC and 137Cs move through catchment via similar sediment transport mechanisms. Therefore loss of SOC by erosion and gain by deposition may be necessary to be accounted for in any SOC budget. Model validation indicated that the use of simple linear relationships could predict SOC based on rainfall and vegetation (above ground biomass as quantified by remote sensing). The results suggest that simple landscape and climate models have the potential to predict the spatial distribution of SOC. The findings of this study emphasise the importance of tailoring SOC models to the appropriate scale.

A Novel Hybrid MADM Based Competence Set Expansions of a SOC Design Service Firm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chi-Yo; Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung; Lue, Yeou-Feng; Chuang, Hsiu-Tyan

As the IC (integrated circuit) industry migrates to the System-on-Chip (SOC) era, a novel business model, the SOC design service (DS), is emerging. However, how to expand a firm’s innovation competences while satisfying multiple objectives including highest quality, lowest cost, and fastest time to market as well as most revenues for economics of scale are always problems for a design service firm. Therefore, attempts to expand the innovation competences, and thus the competitiveness, of latecomers in the SOC DS industry have already become the most critical issue facing the top managers of SOC design service firms. In this paper, a novel multiple attribute decision making (MADM) analytic framework based on the concept of competence set expansion, as well as MADM methods consisting with DEMATEL, ANP and multiple objective decision making (MODM) will be proposed in order to define a path for expanding a late-coming SOC DS firm’s innovation capabilities. An empirical study on expanding innovation competence sets, of a late-coming Taiwanese DS firm then will be presented.

A System-on-Chip Solution for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Imaging Systems: Architecture and ASIC Implementation.

PubMed

Kang, Jeeun; Yoon, Changhan; Lee, Jaejin; Kye, Sang-Bum; Lee, Yongbae; Chang, Jin Ho; Kim, Gi-Duck; Yoo, Yangmo; Song, Tai-kyong

2016-04-01

In this paper, we present a novel system-on-chip (SOC) solution for a portable ultrasound imaging system (PUS) for point-of-care applications. The PUS-SOC includes all of the signal processing modules (i.e., the transmit and dynamic receive beamformer modules, mid- and back-end processors, and color Doppler processors) as well as an efficient architecture for hardware-based imaging methods (e.g., dynamic delay calculation, multi-beamforming, and coded excitation and compression). The PUS-SOC was fabricated using a UMC 130-nm NAND process and has 16.8 GFLOPS of computing power with a total equivalent gate count of 12.1 million, which is comparable to a Pentium-4 CPU. The size and power consumption of the PUS-SOC are 27×27 mm(2) and 1.2 W, respectively. Based on the PUS-SOC, a prototype hand-held US imaging system was implemented. Phantom experiments demonstrated that the PUS-SOC can provide appropriate image quality for point-of-care applications with a compact PDA size ( 200×120×45 mm(3)) and 3 hours of battery life.

Underestimation of boreal soil carbon stocks by mathematical soil carbon models linked to soil nutrient status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ťupek, Boris; Ortiz, Carina A.; Hashimoto, Shoji; Stendahl, Johan; Dahlgren, Jonas; Karltun, Erik; Lehtonen, Aleksi

2016-08-01

Inaccurate estimate of the largest terrestrial carbon pool, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, is the major source of uncertainty in simulating feedback of climate warming on ecosystem-atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange by process-based ecosystem and soil carbon models. Although the models need to simplify complex environmental processes of soil carbon sequestration, in a large mosaic of environments a missing key driver could lead to a modeling bias in predictions of SOC stock change.We aimed to evaluate SOC stock estimates of process-based models (Yasso07, Q, and CENTURY soil sub-model v4) against a massive Swedish forest soil inventory data set (3230 samples) organized by a recursive partitioning method into distinct soil groups with underlying SOC stock development linked to physicochemical conditions.For two-thirds of measurements all models predicted accurate SOC stock levels regardless of the detail of input data, e.g., whether they ignored or included soil properties. However, in fertile sites with high N deposition, high cation exchange capacity, or moderately increased soil water content, Yasso07 and Q models underestimated SOC stocks. In comparison to Yasso07 and Q, accounting for the site-specific soil characteristics (e. g. clay content and topsoil mineral N) by CENTURY improved SOC stock estimates for sites with high clay content, but not for sites with high N deposition.Our analysis suggested that the soils with poorly predicted SOC stocks, as characterized by the high nutrient status and well-sorted parent material, indeed have had other predominant drivers of SOC stabilization lacking in the models, presumably the mycorrhizal organic uptake and organo-mineral stabilization processes. Our results imply that the role of soil nutrient status as regulator of organic matter mineralization has to be re-evaluated, since correct SOC stocks are decisive for predicting future SOC change and soil CO2 efflux.

Comparison of Lichen, Conifer Needles, Passive Air Sampling Devices, and Snowpack as Passive Sampling Media to Measure Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds in Remote Atmospheres

PubMed Central

SCHRLAU, JILL E.; GEISER, LINDA; HAGEMAN, KIMBERLY J.; LANDERS, DIXON H.

2011-01-01

A wide range of semi-volatile organic compounds (SOCs), including pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were measured in lichen, conifer needles, snowpack and XAD-based passive air sampling devices (PASDs) collected from 19 different U.S. national parks in order to compare the magnitude and mechanism of SOC accumulation in the different passive sampling media. Lichen accumulated the highest SOC concentrations, in part because of its long (and unknown) exposure period, while PASDs accumulated the lowest concentrations. However, only the PASD SOC concentrations can be used to calculate an average atmospheric gas-phase SOC concentration because the sampling rates are known and the media is uniform. Only the lichen and snowpack SOC accumulation profiles were statistically significantly correlated (r = 0.552, p-value <0.0001) because they both accumulate SOCs present in the atmospheric particle-phase. This suggests that needles and PASDs represent a different composition of the atmosphere than lichen and snowpack and that the interpretation of atmospheric SOC composition is dependent on the type of passive sampling media used. All four passive sampling media preferentially accumulated SOCs with relatively low air-water partition coefficients, while snowpack accumulated SOCs with higher log KOA values compared to the other media. Lichen accumulated more SOCs with log KOA > 10 relative to needles and showed a greater accumulation of particle-phase PAHs. PMID:22087860

Drivers of soil organic matter vulnerability to climate change, Part II: RothC modelling of carbon dynamics including radiocarbon data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Studer, Mirjam S.; Abiven, Samuel; González Domínguez, Beatriz R.; Hagedorn, Frank; Reisser, Moritz; Walthert, Lorenz; Zimmermann, Stephan; Niklaus, Pascal A.

2016-04-01

It is still largely unknown what drives the vulnerability of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to climate change, i.e. the likelihood of a soil to loose its SOC along with the change in environmental conditions. Our objective is to assess the SOC vulnerability of Swiss forest soils and identify its potential drivers: climate (temperature, soil moisture), soil (clay content, pH) and landscape (slope, aspect) properties. Fifty-four sites were selected for balanced spatial and driver magnitudes distribution. We measured the SOC characteristics (content and radiocarbon) and studied the C decomposition by laboratory soil incubations (details in Part I, abstract by B. González Domínguez). In order to assess the current SOC pool distribution and its radiocarbon signatures, we extended the Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model with radiocarbon (14C) isotope modelling (RothCiso). The RothC model distinguishes four active SOC pools, decomposable and resistant plant material, microbial biomass and humified organic matter, and an inert SOC pool (Jenkinson 1990). The active pools are decomposed and mineralized to CO2 by first order kinetics. The RothCiso assigns all pools a 14C signature, based on the atmospheric 14C concentrations of the past century (plant C inputs) and their turnover. Currently we constrain the model with 14C signatures measured on the 54 fresh and their corresponding archived bulk soil samples, taken 12-24 years before. We were able to reproduce the measured radiocarbon concentrations of the SOC with the RothCiso and first results indicate, that the assumption of an inert SOC pool, that is radiocarbon dead, is not appropriate. In a second step we will compare the SOC mean residence time assessed by the two methodological approaches - incubation (C efflux based) and modelling (C stock based) - and relate it to the environmental drivers mentioned above. With the combination of the two methodological approaches and 14C analysis we hope to gain more insights into the source of the C lost along with climate change - is it "young" C from active pools with high turnover (e.g. plant material) or is it rather "old" C that was stabilized in pools with slow turnover (e.g. "humified" or stabilized organic matter)? This will enable us to judge if the C losses observed in the incubation experiments are relevant for longer time scales (decades) and could not be easily compensated for by increased C inputs. Thus, the SOC vulnerability to climate change will be rated based on the amount and source of C lost and compared with climate, soil and landscape properties to gain insights on the drivers of the SOC vulnerability on a regional scale. References Jenkinson, D. S. (1990). The turnover of organic carbon and nitrogen in soil. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 329, 361-368.

Soil carbon sequestration potential for "grain for green" project in Loess Plateau, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chang, R.; Fu, B.; Liu, Gaisheng; Liu, S.

2011-01-01

Conversion of cropland into perennial vegetation land can increase soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation, which might be an important mitigation measure to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The “Grain for Green” project, one of the most ambitious ecological programmes launched in modern China, aims at transforming the low-yield slope cropland into grassland and woodland. The Loess Plateau in China is the most important target of this project due to its serious soil erosion. The objectives of this study are to answer three questions: (1) what is the rate of the SOC accumulation for this “Grain for Green” project in Loess Plateau? (2) Is there a difference in SOC sequestration among different restoration types, including grassland, shrub and forest? (3) Is the effect of restoration types on SOC accumulation different among northern, middle and southern regions of the Loess Plateau? Based on analysis of the data collected from the literature conducted in the Loess Plateau, we found that SOC increased at a rate of 0.712 TgC/year in the top 20 cm soil layer for 60 years under this project across the entire Loess Plateau. This was a relatively reliable estimation based on current data, although there were some uncertainties. Compared to grassland, forest had a significantly greater effect on SOC accumulation in middle and southern Loess Plateau but had a weaker effect in the northern Loess Plateau. There were no differences found in SOC sequestration between shrub and grassland across the entire Loess Plateau. Grassland had a stronger effect on SOC sequestration in the northern Loess Plateau than in the middle and southern regions. In contrast, forest could increase more SOC in the middle and southern Loess Plateau than in the northern Loess Plateau, whereas shrub had a similar effect on SOC sequestration across the Loess Plateau. Our results suggest that the “Grain for Green” project can significantly increase the SOC storage in Loess Plateau, and it is recommended to expand grassland and shrub areas in the northern Loess Plateau and forest in the middle and southern Loess Plateau to enhance the SOC sequestration in this area.

Systems of care as asset-building communities: implementing strengths-based planning and positive youth development.

PubMed

McCammon, Susan L

2012-06-01

Using a strength-based approach is one of the hallmarks of the system of care (SOC) initiative, and is consistent with the foundations of community psychology. However, while strengths-based planning is recommended and child and family teams often list child and family strengths, the care plans often do not incorporate the strengths in strategies and interventions. The research base regarding strength implementation and effectiveness is summarized, and needed research is outlined. Steps are offered for promoting the use of strengths in SOCS. Implementing programs from the field of positive youth development is advocated as a way that the educational and criminal justice systems could be more actively engaged in implementing strength-based strategies in SOCs. Promoting SOCs to focus more attentively to asset-building (at the child, family, and community level) is compatible with a public health model that addresses mental health concerns in the context of a full range of supports and services so that all children might experience good mental health and realize their potential.

Estimated stocks of circumpolar permafrost carbon with quantified uncertainty ranges and identified data gaps

DOE PAGES

Hugelius, Gustaf; Strauss, J.; Zubrzycki, S.; ...

2014-12-01

Soils and other unconsolidated deposits in the northern circumpolar permafrost region store large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC). This SOC is potentially vulnerable to remobilization following soil warming and permafrost thaw, but SOC stock estimates were poorly constrained and quantitative error estimates were lacking. This study presents revised estimates of permafrost SOC stocks, including quantitative uncertainty estimates, in the 0–3 m depth range in soils as well as for sediments deeper than 3 m in deltaic deposits of major rivers and in the Yedoma region of Siberia and Alaska. Revised estimates are based on significantly larger databases compared tomore » previous studies. Despite this there is evidence of significant remaining regional data gaps. Estimates remain particularly poorly constrained for soils in the High Arctic region and physiographic regions with thin sedimentary overburden (mountains, highlands and plateaus) as well as for deposits below 3 m depth in deltas and the Yedoma region. While some components of the revised SOC stocks are similar in magnitude to those previously reported for this region, there are substantial differences in other components, including the fraction of perennially frozen SOC. Upscaled based on regional soil maps, estimated permafrost region SOC stocks are 217 ± 12 and 472 ± 27 Pg for the 0–0.3 and 0–1 m soil depths, respectively (±95% confidence intervals). Storage of SOC in 0–3 m of soils is estimated to 1035 ± 150 Pg. Of this, 34 ± 16 Pg C is stored in poorly developed soils of the High Arctic. Based on generalized calculations, storage of SOC below 3 m of surface soils in deltaic alluvium of major Arctic rivers is estimated as 91 ± 52 Pg. In the Yedoma region, estimated SOC stocks below 3 m depth are 181 ± 54 Pg, of which 74 ± 20 Pg is stored in intact Yedoma (late Pleistocene ice- and organic-rich silty sediments) with the remainder in refrozen thermokarst deposits. Total estimated SOC storage for the permafrost region is ∼1300 Pg with an uncertainty range of ∼1100 to 1500 Pg. Of this, ∼500 Pg is in non-permafrost soils, seasonally thawed in the active layer or in deeper taliks, while ∼800 Pg is perennially frozen. In conclusion, this represents a substantial ∼300 Pg lowering of the estimated perennially frozen SOC stock compared to previous estimates.« less

Health-Related Physical Fitness in Healthy Untrained Men: Effects on VO2max, Jump Performance and Flexibility of Soccer and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Running

PubMed Central

Milanović, Zoran; Pantelić, Saša; Sporiš, Goran; Mohr, Magni; Krustrup, Peter

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of recreational soccer (SOC) compared to moderate-intensity continuous running (RUN) on all health-related physical fitness components in healthy untrained men. Sixty-nine participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three groups, of which sixty-four completed the study: a soccer training group (SOC; n = 20, 34±4 (means±SD) years, 78.1±8.3 kg, 179±4 cm); a running group (RUN; n = 21, 32±4 years, 78.0±5.5 kg, 179±7 cm); or a passive control group (CON; n = 23, 30±3 years, 76.6±12.0 kg, 178±8 cm). The training intervention lasted 12 weeks and consisted of three 60-min sessions per week. All participants were tested for each of the following physical fitness components: maximal aerobic power, minute ventilation, maximal heart rate, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJ), sit-and-reach flexibility, and body composition. Over the 12 weeks, VO2max relative to body weight increased more (p<0.05) in SOC (24.2%, ES = 1.20) and RUN (21.5%, ES = 1.17) than in CON (-5.0%, ES = -0.24), partly due to large changes in body mass (-5.9, -5.7 and +2.6 kg, p<0.05 for SOC, RUN and CON, respectively). Over the 12 weeks, SJ and CMJ performance increased more (p<0.05) in SOC (14.8 and 12.1%, ES = 1.08 and 0.81) than in RUN (3.3 and 3.0%, ES = 0.23 and 0.19) and CON (0.3 and 0.2%), while flexibility also increased more (p<0.05) in SOC (94%, ES = 0.97) than in RUN and CON (0–2%). In conclusion, untrained men displayed marked improvements in maximal aerobic power after 12 weeks of soccer training and moderate-intensity running, partly due to large decreases in body mass. Additionally soccer training induced pronounced positive effects on jump performance and flexibility, making soccer an effective broad-spectrum fitness training intervention. PMID:26305880

Severe energy deficit upregulates leptin receptors, leptin signaling, and PTP1B in human skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Perez-Suarez, Ismael; Ponce-González, Jesús Gustavo; de La Calle-Herrero, Jaime; Losa-Reyna, Jose; Martin-Rincon, Marcos; Morales-Alamo, David; Santana, Alfredo; Holmberg, Hans-Christer; Calbet, Jose A L

2017-11-01

In obesity, leptin receptors (OBR) and leptin signaling in skeletal muscle are downregulated. To determine whether OBR and leptin signaling are upregulated with a severe energy deficit, 15 overweight men were assessed before the intervention (PRE), after 4 days of caloric restriction (3.2 kcal·kg body wt -1 ·day -1 ) in combination with prolonged exercise (CRE; 8 h walking + 45 min single-arm cranking/day) to induce an energy deficit of ~5,500 kcal/day, and following 3 days of control diet (isoenergetic) and reduced exercise (CD). During CRE, the diet consisted solely of whey protein ( n = 8) or sucrose ( n = 7; 0.8 g·kg body wt -1 ·day -1 ). Muscle biopsies were obtained from the exercised and the nonexercised deltoid muscles and from the vastus lateralis. From PRE to CRE, serum glucose, insulin, and leptin were reduced. OBR expression was augmented in all examined muscles associated with increased maximal fat oxidation. Compared with PRE, after CD, phospho-Tyr 1141 OBR, phospho-Tyr 985 OBR, JAK2, and phospho-Tyr 1007/1008 JAK2 protein expression were increased in all muscles, whereas STAT3 and phospho-Tyr 705 STAT3 were increased only in the arms. The expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) in skeletal muscle was increased by 18 and 45% after CRE and CD, respectively ( P < 0.05). Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) tended to increase in the legs and decrease in the arm muscles (ANOVA interaction: P < 0.05). Myosin heavy chain I isoform was associated with OBR protein expression ( r  = -0.75), phospho-Tyr 985 OBR ( r  = 0.88), and phospho-Tyr 705 STAT3/STAT3 ( r = 0.74). In summary, despite increased PTP1B expression, skeletal muscle OBR and signaling are upregulated by a severe energy deficit with greater response in the arm than in the legs likely due to SOCS3 upregulation in the leg muscles. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study shows that the skeletal muscle leptin receptors and their corresponding signaling cascade are upregulated in response to a severe energy deficit, contributing to increase maximal fat oxidation. The responses are more prominent in the arm muscles than in the legs but partly blunted by whey protein ingestion and high volume of exercise. This occurs despite an increase of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B protein expression, a known inhibitor of insulin and leptin signaling. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Combined deep sampling and mass-based approaches to assess soil carbon and nitrogen losses due to land-use changes in karst area of southwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yecui; Du, Zhangliu; Wang, Qibing; Li, Guichun

2016-07-01

The conversion of natural vegetation to human-managed ecosystems, especially the agricultural systems, may decrease soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks. The objective of present study was to assess SOC and TN stocks losses by combining deep sampling with mass-based calculations upon land-use changes in a typical karst area of southwestern China. We quantified the changes from native forest to grassland, secondary shrub, eucalyptus plantation, sugarcane and corn fields (both defined as croplands), on the SOC and TN stocks down to 100 cm depth using fixed-depth (FD) and equivalent soil mass (ESM) approaches. The results showed that converting forest to cropland and other types significantly led to SOC and TN losses, but the extent depended on both sampling depths and calculation methods selected (i.e., FD or ESM). On average, the shifting from native forest to cropland led to SOC losses by 19.1, 25.1, 30.6, 36.8 and 37.9 % for the soil depths of 0-10, 0-20, 0-40, 0-60 and 0-100 cm, respectively, which highlighted that shallow sampling underestimated SOC losses. Moreover, the FD method underestimated SOC and TN losses for the upper 40 cm layer, but overestimated the losses in the deeper layers. We suggest that the ESM together with deep sampling should be encouraged to detect the differences in SOC stocks. In conclusion, the conversion of forest to managed systems, in particular croplands significantly decreased in SOC and TN stocks, although the effect magnitude to some extent depended on sampling depth and calculation approach selected.

Salutogenesis: A New Approach toward Oral Health Promotion

PubMed Central

Kaur, Manpreet; Jindal, Ritu; Dua, Rohini; Gautam, Aanchal; Kaur, Ramandeep

2017-01-01

Introduction: Sense of coherence (SOC) is hypothesized to be an important psychological factor that enables people to cope with stressors and successfully maintain and improve health. Very few publications report on the relationship between “salutogenesis,” as measured by the concept of SOC and oral health status. However, little is known about the relationship between the mother's SOC and dental caries of their children. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of mother's SOC level on dental caries status of their children. Materials and Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted with the children aged 4–8 years attending public school (n = 200). Questionnaires were applied to mothers to obtain level of SOC. Dental caries status in children was assessed using decayed, missing, filled tooth surfaces (DMFS) and/or dmfs index. One-way analysis of variance F-test and post hoc Tukey test were used to assess the effect of mother's SOC level on their children's caries dmfs index. Results: Mean of dmfs and/or DMFS in children showed statistically significant relation with their mother's SOC level (P < 0.01). On intergroup comparison, significant (P < 0.01) difference was found when mean of dmfs and/or DMFS with mothers having low SOC and high SOC was compared. However, there was no significant relation when mean was compared to mothers with medium and low SOC. Conclusion: Dental caries of children gets influenced by mother's SOC level. There was an inverse relationship between mother's SOC level and their children dental caries status. PMID:29042722

Climate and soil properties limit the positive effects of land use reversion on carbon storage in Eastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabbi, S. M. F.; Tighe, Matthew; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Cowie, Annette; Robertson, Fiona; Dalal, Ram; Page, Kathryn; Crawford, Doug; Wilson, Brian R.; Schwenke, Graeme; McLeod, Malem; Badgery, Warwick; Dang, Yash P.; Bell, Mike; O'Leary, Garry; Liu, De Li; Baldock, Jeff

2015-12-01

Australia’s “Direct Action” climate change policy relies on purchasing greenhouse gas abatement from projects undertaking approved abatement activities. Management of soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural soils is an approved activity, based on the expectation that land use change can deliver significant changes in SOC. However, there are concerns that climate, topography and soil texture will limit changes in SOC stocks. This work analyses data from 1482 sites surveyed across the major agricultural regions of Eastern Australia to determine the relative importance of land use vs. other drivers of SOC. Variation in land use explained only 1.4% of the total variation in SOC, with aridity and soil texture the main regulators of SOC stock under different land uses. Results suggest the greatest potential for increasing SOC stocks in Eastern Australian agricultural regions lies in converting from cropping to pasture on heavy textured soils in the humid regions.

Climate and soil properties limit the positive effects of land use reversion on carbon storage in Eastern Australia

PubMed Central

Rabbi, S.M.F.; Tighe, Matthew; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Cowie, Annette; Robertson, Fiona; Dalal, Ram; Page, Kathryn; Crawford, Doug; Wilson, Brian R.; Schwenke, Graeme; Mcleod, Malem; Badgery, Warwick; Dang, Yash P.; Bell, Mike; O’Leary, Garry; Liu, De Li; Baldock, Jeff

2015-01-01

Australia’s “Direct Action” climate change policy relies on purchasing greenhouse gas abatement from projects undertaking approved abatement activities. Management of soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural soils is an approved activity, based on the expectation that land use change can deliver significant changes in SOC. However, there are concerns that climate, topography and soil texture will limit changes in SOC stocks. This work analyses data from 1482 sites surveyed across the major agricultural regions of Eastern Australia to determine the relative importance of land use vs. other drivers of SOC. Variation in land use explained only 1.4% of the total variation in SOC, with aridity and soil texture the main regulators of SOC stock under different land uses. Results suggest the greatest potential for increasing SOC stocks in Eastern Australian agricultural regions lies in converting from cropping to pasture on heavy textured soils in the humid regions. PMID:26639009

Effect of overcharge on Li(Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2)O2/Graphite lithium ion cells with poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. I - Microstructural changes in the anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietz Rago, Nancy; Bareño, Javier; Li, Jianlin; Du, Zhijia; Wood, David L.; Steele, Leigh Anna; Lamb, Joshua; Spangler, Scott; Grosso, Christopher; Fenton, Kyle; Bloom, Ira

2018-05-01

Cells based on NMC/graphite, containing poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) binders in the positive and negative electrodes, were systematically overcharged to 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 250% state-of-charge (SOC). At 250% SOC the cell vented. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the anodes showed several state-of-overcharge-dependent trends. Starting at 120% SOC, dendrites appeared and increased in concentration as the SOC increased. Dendrite morphology appeared to be dependent on whether the active material was on the "dull" or "shiny" side of the copper collector. Significantly more delamination of the active material from the collector was seen on the "shiny" side of the collector particularly at 180 and 250% SOC. Transition metals were detected at 120% SOC and increased in concentration as the SOC increased. There was considerable spatial heterogeneity in the microstructures across each laminate with several regions displaying complex layered structures.

Fuzzy logic modeling of high performance rechargeable batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, P.; Fennie, C. Jr.; Reisner, D.E.

1998-07-01

Accurate battery state-of-charge (SOC) measurements are critical in many portable electronic device applications. Yet conventional techniques for battery SOC estimation are limited in their accuracy, reliability, and flexibility. In this paper the authors present a powerful new approach to estimate battery SOC using a fuzzy logic-based methodology. This approach provides a universally applicable, accurate method for battery SOC estimation either integrated within, or as an external monitor to, an electronic device. The methodology is demonstrated in modeling impedance measurements on Ni-MH cells and discharge voltage curves of Li-ion cells.

Sense of coherence in mothers and children, family relationships and participation in decision-making at home: an analysis based on Japanese parent-child pair data.

PubMed

Togari, Taisuke; Sato, Miho; Otemori, Reika; Yonekura, Yuki; Yokoyama, Yukari; Kimura, Miyako; Tanaka, Wako; Yamazaki, Yoshihiko

2012-06-01

Children in early adolescence and their mothers were studied to clarify the association between a child's sense of coherence (SOC) and its mother's SOC, the quality of family relationships as gauged by the mother, and the child's positive life experiences at home. An anonymous self-administered group questionnaire was given to all 1540 students of a high school in Tokyo, and a similar questionnaire was sent by mail to their legal guardians. Responses were received from 1505 students (response rate: 97.7%) and 989 legal guardians (response rate: 64.2%); questionnaires completed by legal guardians who were the mothers of the students were paired with the corresponding child's questionnaire. The SOC scores of mothers and students were calculated, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed with the student's SOC as a dependent variable. Results for boys revealed that a mother's SOC was directly related to the child's SOC, regardless of family relationships and participation in decision-making at home. For girls, a mother's SOC was related to family relationships and was indirectly related to the child's SOC through the child's participation in decision-making at home. Results revealed that for both boys and girls, a mother's SOC had an effect on the child's SOC, and this corroborates the hypothesis of Antonovsky.

Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale and its relation with quality of life: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Eriksson, Monica; Lindström, Bengt

2007-01-01

The aim of this paper is to synthesise findings on the salutogenic concept, sense of coherence (SOC), and its correlation with quality of life (QoL). This study is descriptive and analytic, with a systematic integration of the contemporary knowledge base on the salutogenic research published in 1992–2003. This review includes 458 scientific publications and 13 doctoral theses on salutogenesis. In all, 32 papers had the main objective of investigating the relationship between SOC and QoL. This study is based on scientific publications in eight authorised databases, doctoral theses and available books. The SOC seems to have an impact on the QoL; the stronger the SOC, the better the QoL. Furthermore, longitudinal studies confirm the predictive validity of the SOC for a good QoL. The findings correspond to the core of the Ottawa Charter—that is, the process of enabling people to live a good life. Therefore, a certain possibility to modify and extend the health construct is becoming discernible, implicating a construct including salutogenesis and QoL. The SOC concept is a health resource, influencing QoL. PMID:17933950

Comparison of regression coefficient and GIS-based methodologies for regional estimates of forest soil carbon stocks.

PubMed

Campbell, J Elliott; Moen, Jeremie C; Ney, Richard A; Schnoor, Jerald L

2008-03-01

Estimates of forest soil organic carbon (SOC) have applications in carbon science, soil quality studies, carbon sequestration technologies, and carbon trading. Forest SOC has been modeled using a regression coefficient methodology that applies mean SOC densities (mass/area) to broad forest regions. A higher resolution model is based on an approach that employs a geographic information system (GIS) with soil databases and satellite-derived landcover images. Despite this advancement, the regression approach remains the basis of current state and federal level greenhouse gas inventories. Both approaches are analyzed in detail for Wisconsin forest soils from 1983 to 2001, applying rigorous error-fixing algorithms to soil databases. Resulting SOC stock estimates are 20% larger when determined using the GIS method rather than the regression approach. Average annual rates of increase in SOC stocks are 3.6 and 1.0 million metric tons of carbon per year for the GIS and regression approaches respectively.

A model based on Rock-Eval thermal analysis to quantify the size of the centennially persistent organic carbon pool in temperate soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cécillon, Lauric; Baudin, François; Chenu, Claire; Houot, Sabine; Jolivet, Romain; Kätterer, Thomas; Lutfalla, Suzanne; Macdonald, Andy; van Oort, Folkert; Plante, Alain F.; Savignac, Florence; Soucémarianadin, Laure N.; Barré, Pierre

2018-05-01

Changes in global soil carbon stocks have considerable potential to influence the course of future climate change. However, a portion of soil organic carbon (SOC) has a very long residence time ( > 100 years) and may not contribute significantly to terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions during the next century. The size of this persistent SOC reservoir is presumed to be large. Consequently, it is a key parameter required for the initialization of SOC dynamics in ecosystem and Earth system models, but there is considerable uncertainty in the methods used to quantify it. Thermal analysis methods provide cost-effective information on SOC thermal stability that has been shown to be qualitatively related to SOC biogeochemical stability. The objective of this work was to build the first quantitative model of the size of the centennially persistent SOC pool based on thermal analysis. We used a unique set of 118 archived soil samples from four agronomic experiments in northwestern Europe with long-term bare fallow and non-bare fallow treatments (e.g., manure amendment, cropland and grassland) as a sample set for which estimating the size of the centennially persistent SOC pool is relatively straightforward. At each experimental site, we estimated the average concentration of centennially persistent SOC and its uncertainty by applying a Bayesian curve-fitting method to the observed declining SOC concentration over the duration of the long-term bare fallow treatment. Overall, the estimated concentrations of centennially persistent SOC ranged from 5 to 11 g C kg-1 of soil (lowest and highest boundaries of four 95 % confidence intervals). Then, by dividing the site-specific concentrations of persistent SOC by the total SOC concentration, we could estimate the proportion of centennially persistent SOC in the 118 archived soil samples and the associated uncertainty. The proportion of centennially persistent SOC ranged from 0.14 (standard deviation of 0.01) to 1 (standard deviation of 0.15). Samples were subjected to thermal analysis by Rock-Eval 6 that generated a series of 30 parameters reflecting their SOC thermal stability and bulk chemistry. We trained a nonparametric machine-learning algorithm (random forests multivariate regression model) to predict the proportion of centennially persistent SOC in new soils using Rock-Eval 6 thermal parameters as predictors. We evaluated the model predictive performance with two different strategies. We first used a calibration set (n = 88) and a validation set (n = 30) with soils from all sites. Second, to test the sensitivity of the model to pedoclimate, we built a calibration set with soil samples from three out of the four sites (n = 84). The multivariate regression model accurately predicted the proportion of centennially persistent SOC in the validation set composed of soils from all sites (R2 = 0.92, RMSEP = 0.07, n = 30). The uncertainty of the model predictions was quantified by a Monte Carlo approach that produced conservative 95 % prediction intervals across the validation set. The predictive performance of the model decreased when predicting the proportion of centennially persistent SOC in soils from one fully independent site with a different pedoclimate, yet the mean error of prediction only slightly increased (R2 = 0.53, RMSEP = 0.10, n = 34). This model based on Rock-Eval 6 thermal analysis can thus be used to predict the proportion of centennially persistent SOC with known uncertainty in new soil samples from different pedoclimates, at least for sites that have similar Rock-Eval 6 thermal characteristics to those included in the calibration set. Our study reinforces the evidence that there is a link between the thermal and biogeochemical stability of soil organic matter and demonstrates that Rock-Eval 6 thermal analysis can be used to quantify the size of the centennially persistent organic carbon pool in temperate soils.

Correlation of sense of coherence with oral health behaviors, socioeconomic status, and periodontal status.

PubMed

Reddy, Kommuri Sahithi; Doshi, Dolar; Kulkarni, Suhas; Reddy, Bandari Srikanth; Reddy, Madupu Padma

2016-01-01

The sense of coherence (SOC) has been suggested to be highly applicable concept in the public health area because a strong SOC is stated to decrease the likelihood of perceiving the social environment as stressful. This reduces the susceptibility to the health-damaging effect of chronic stress by lowering the likelihood of repeated negative emotions to stress perception. The demographic data and general information of subjects' oral health behaviors such as frequency of cleaning teeth, aids used to clean teeth, and dental attendance were recorded in the self-administered questionnaire. The SOC-related data were obtained using the short version of Antonovsky's SOC scale. The periodontal status was recorded based on the modified World Health Organization 1997 pro forma. The total of 780 respondents comprising 269 (34.5%) males and 511 (65.5%) females participated in the study. A significant difference was noted among the subjects for socioeconomic status based on gender ( P = 0.000). The healthy periodontal status (community periodontal index [CPI] code 0) was observed for 67 (24.9%) males and 118 (23.1%) females. The overall SOC showed statistically negative correlation with socioeconomic status scale ( r = -0.287). The CPI and loss of attachment (periodontal status) were significantly and negatively correlated with SOC. The present study concluded that a high level of SOC was associated with good oral health behaviors, periodontal status, and socioeconomic status.

Analysis of ecosystem controls on soil carbon source-sink relationships in the northwest Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tan, Z.; Liu, S.; Johnston, C.A.; Liu, J.; Tieszen, L.L.

2006-01-01

Our ability to forecast the role of ecosystem processes in mitigating global greenhouse effects relies on understanding the driving forces on terrestrial C dynamics. This study evaluated the controls on soil organic C (SOC) changes from 1973 to 2000 in the northwest Great Plains. SOC source-sink relationships were quantified using the General Ensemble Biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS) based on 40 randomly located 10 × 10 km2 sample blocks. These sample blocks were aggregated into cropland, grassland, and forestland groups based on land cover composition within each sample block. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that SOC source-sink relationship from 1973 to 2000 was significantly related to the land cover type while the change rates mainly depended on the baseline SOC level and annual precipitation. Of all selected driving factors, the baseline SOC and nitrogen levels controlled the SOC change rates for the forestland and cropland groups, while annual precipitation determined the C source-sink relationship for the grassland group in which noticeable SOC sink strength was attributed to the conversion from cropped area to grass cover. Canonical correlation analysis also showed that grassland ecosystems are more complicated than others in the ecoregion, which may be difficult to identify on a field scale. Current model simulations need further adjustments to the model input variables for the grass cover-dominated ecosystems in the ecoregion.

Understanding the Spatial Distribution and Quantity of Soil Organic Carbon in Depressional Landscapes of Minnesota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, A.; Bell, J. C.; Nater, E. A.

2012-12-01

Human disturbance has dramatically affected organic carbon cycling in soils. The Des Moines Lobe region of Minnesota is a young glaciated region with closed depressions and a deranged drainage network. Native prairie and forests in this region were nearly all converted to cropland following European settlement circa 1840s. It has generally been assumed that intensive tillage intensifies soil erosion and increases the rate of oxidation of soil organic carbon (SOC) and the subsequent release of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. However, more recent studies suggest that tillage simply redistributes sediments and SOC to concave and low-lying areas, and that dynamic replacement of SOC at erosional sites and burial of SOC in poorly-aerated depressional wetlands may serve as a soil carbon sink in this region. The spatial distribution of SOC in these depressional landscapes following tillage and subsequent erosion/deposition is not well understood. We aim to understand the distribution of SOC in relation to topographic controls at the landscape scale and to quantify SOC contents at the regional extent. While spatial distribution of SOC can be modeled by terrain analysis, topographic characteristics used to predict soil properties including SOC have been mostly limited to local neighborhoods (i.e. attributes calculated using three by three cell-sized windows in gridded datasets). Relevant topographic characteristics in the upslope contributing area (UCA) were rarely applied in soil-landscape models, possibly due to technical complexity. Our objectives in this study were: 1. To develop variables that represent UCA terrain attributes for soil-landscape modeling, 2. to predict SOC distribution and mass contents from the best-fit spatial SOC models with model validation for use in this depressional landscape region, and 3. to interpret SOC processes under the impact of agriculture-induced erosion and deposition since the settlement in this region. We took soil samples by soil horizon to a depth of 1m in transects following hillslope positions at our study site at Lake Rebecca Park Reserve. A mass-preserving spline function was applied to provide the mean SOC values (%) in 25cm increments to 1m deep from horizon-based field data in order to model SOC in fixed depths. Local neighborhood terrain attributes, including elevation, slope steepness, slope length, specific catchment area, profile curvature, plan curvature, topographic wetness index and stream power index, were developed from a LiDAR-based 1-m digital elevation model. Gridded UCA datasets for each sampling site were carefully queried and investigated. Mean and standard deviation of the terrain attributes within the UCA were extracted as representative variables for the UCA terrain attributes. We applied both local and upslope terrain attributes as predictor variables for spatial SOC modeling using regression and principle component regression analyses. Performance and validation of the SOC models were investigated. Intending to apply the best-fit SOC model at the regional scale, we validated the models using SOC data from soil samples taken in thirteen counties with similar Des Moines Lobe till landscapes in south-central Minnesota. The spatial distribution of SOC was mapped and the overall SOC mass (kg/m3) was estimated for this region of Minnesota.

Estimating Soil Organic Carbon stocks and uncertainties for the National inventory Report - a study case in Southern Belgium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chartin, Caroline; Stevens, Antoine; Kruger, Inken; Esther, Goidts; Carnol, Monique; van Wesemael, Bas

2016-04-01

As many other countries, Belgium complies with Annex I of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Belgium thus reports its annual greenhouse gas emissions in its national inventory report (NIR), with a distinction between emissions/sequestration in cropland and grassland (EU decision 529/2013). The CO2 fluxes are then based on changes in SOC stocks computed for each of these two types of landuse. These stocks are specified for each of the agricultural regions which correspond to areas with similar agricultural practices (rotations and/or livestock) and yield potentials. For Southern Belgium (Wallonia) consisting of ten agricultural regions, the Soil Monitoring Network (SMN) 'CARBOSOL' has been developed this last decade to survey the state of agricultural soils by quantifying SOC stocks and their evolution in a reasonable number of locations complying with the time and funds allocated. Unfortunately, the 592 points of the CARBOSOL network do not allow a representative and a sound estimation of SOC stocks and its uncertainties for the 20 possible combinations of land use/agricultural regions. Moreover, the SMN CARBIOSOL is based on a legacy database following a convenience scheme sampling strategy rather than a statistical scheme defined by design-based or model-based strategies. Here, we aim to both quantify SOC budgets (i.e., How much?) and spatialize SOC stocks (i.e., Where?) at regional scale (Southern Belgium) based on data from the SMN described above. To this end, we developed a computation procedure based on Digital Soil Mapping techniques and stochastic simulations (Monte-Carlo) allowing the estimation of multiple (10,000) independent spatialized datasets. This procedure accounts for the uncertainties associated to estimations of both i) SOC stock at the pixelscale and ii) parameters of the models. Based on these 10,000 individual realizations of the spatial model, mean SOC stocks and confidence intervals can be then computed at the pixel scale, for selected sub-areas (i.e., the 20 landuse/agricultural region combinations) and for the entire study area.

Monitoring spatial variations in soil organic carbon using remote sensing and geographic information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaber, Salahuddin M.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is a component of larger strategies to control the accumulation of greenhouse gases that may be causing global warming. To implement this approach, it is necessary to improve the methods of measuring SOC content. Among these methods are indirect remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) techniques that are required to provide non-intrusive, low cost, and spatially continuous information that cover large areas on a repetitive basis. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of using Hyperion hyperspectral data on improving the existing remote sensing and GIS-based methodologies for rapidly, efficiently, and accurately measuring SOC content on farmland. The study area is Big Creek Watershed (BCW) in Southern Illinois. The methodology consists of compiling a GIS database (consisting of remote sensing and soil variables) for 303 composite soil samples collected from representative pixels along the Hyperion coverage area of the watershed. Stepwise procedures were used to calibrate and validate linear multiple regression models where SOC was regarded as the response and the other remote sensing and soil variables as the predictors. Two models were selected. The first was the best all variables model and the second was the best only raster variables model. Map algebra was implemented to extrapolate the best only raster variables model and produce a SOC map for the BGW. This study concluded that Hyperion data marginally improved the predictability of the existing SOC statistical models based on multispectral satellite remote sensing sensors with correlation coefficient of 0.37 and root mean square error of 3.19 metric tons/hectare to a 15-cm depth. The total SOC pool of the study area is about 225,232 metric tons to 15-cm depth. The nonforested wetlands contained the highest SOC density (34.3 metric tons/hectare/15cm) with total SOC content of about 2,003.5 metric tons to 15-cm depth, where croplands had the lowest SOC density (21.6 metric tons/hectare/15cm) with total SOC content of about 44,571.2 metric tons to 15-cm depth.

Spatial variability of soil carbon stock in the Urucu river basin, Central Amazon-Brazil.

PubMed

Ceddia, Marcos Bacis; Villela, André Luis Oliveira; Pinheiro, Érika Flávia Machado; Wendroth, Ole

2015-09-01

The Amazon Forest plays a major role in C sequestration and release. However, few regional estimates of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock in this ecoregion exist. One of the barriers to improve SOC estimates is the lack of recent soil data at high spatial resolution, which hampers the application of new methods for mapping SOC stock. The aims of this work were: (i) to quantify SOC stock under undisturbed vegetation for the 0-30 and the 0-100 cm under Amazon Forest; (ii) to correlate the SOC stock with soil mapping units and relief attributes and (iii) to evaluate three geostatistical techniques to generate maps of SOC stock (ordinary, isotopic and heterotopic cokriging). The study site is located in the Central region of Amazon State, Brazil. The soil survey covered the study site that has an area of 80 km(2) and resulted in a 1:10,000 soil map. It consisted of 315 field observations (96 complete soil profiles and 219 boreholes). SOC stock was calculated by summing C stocks by horizon, determined as a product of BD, SOC and the horizon thickness. For each one of the 315 soil observations, relief attributes were derived from a topographic map to understand SOC dynamics. The SOC stocks across 30 and 100 cm soil depth were 3.28 and 7.32 kg C m(-2), respectively, which is, 34 and 16%, lower than other studies. The SOC stock is higher in soils developed in relief forms exhibiting well-drained soils, which are covered by Upland Dense Tropical Rainforest. Only SOC stock in the upper 100 cm exhibited spatial dependence allowing the generation of spatial variability maps based on spatial (co)-regionalization. The CTI was inversely correlated with SOC stock and was the only auxiliary variable feasible to be used in cokriging interpolation. The heterotopic cokriging presented the best performance for mapping SOC stock. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Test Scheduling for Core-Based SOCs Using Genetic Algorithm Based Heuristic Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giri, Chandan; Sarkar, Soumojit; Chattopadhyay, Santanu

This paper presents a Genetic algorithm (GA) based solution to co-optimize test scheduling and wrapper design for core based SOCs. Core testing solutions are generated as a set of wrapper configurations, represented as rectangles with width equal to the number of TAM (Test Access Mechanism) channels and height equal to the corresponding testing time. A locally optimal best-fit heuristic based bin packing algorithm has been used to determine placement of rectangles minimizing the overall test times, whereas, GA has been utilized to generate the sequence of rectangles to be considered for placement. Experimental result on ITC'02 benchmark SOCs shows that the proposed method provides better solutions compared to the recent works reported in the literature.

Manned geosynchronous mission requirements and systems analysis study extension

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Turnaround requirements for the manned orbital transfer vehicle (MOTV) baseline and alternate concepts with and without a space operations center (SOC) are defined. Manned orbital transfer vehicle maintenance, refurbishment, resupply, and refueling are considered as well as the most effective combination of ground based and space based turnaround activities. Ground and flight operations requirements for abort are identified as well as low cost approaches to space and ground operations through maintenance and missions sensitivity studies. The recommended turnaround mix shows that space basing MOTV at SOC with periodic return to ground for overhaul results in minimum recurring costs. A pressurized hangar at SOC reduces labor costs by approximately 50%.

A conceptual model of the controlling factors of soil organic carbon and nitrogen densities in a permafrost-affected region on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiaodong; Fang, Hongbing; Zhao, Yonghua; Smoak, Joseph M.; Li, Wangping; Shi, Wei; Sheng, Yu; Zhao, Lin; Ding, Yongjian

2017-07-01

Many investigations of the preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in permafrost regions have examined roles of geomorphology, pedogenesis, vegetation cover, and permafrost within particular regions. However, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of multiple factors on the SOC in permafrost regions due to the heterogeneity in environmental conditions. Based on data from 73 soil study sites in permafrost regions of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we developed a simple conceptual model, which relates SOC to topography, vegetation, and pedogenesis. We summarized the dominant factors and their controls on SOC using 31 measured soil physiochemical variables. Soil texture explains approximately 60% of the variations in the SOC stocks for the upper 0-2 m soil. Soil particle size closely correlates to soil moisture, which is an important determinant of SOC. Soil salinity and cations are important factors as well and can explain about 10% of the variations in SOC. The SOC and total nitrogen (TN) stocks for the 1-2 m depths have larger uncertainties than those of upper 1 m soil layer. The vegetation, pH, and bulk density mainly affects SOC and TN stocks for the upper 1 m soil layers, while the active layer thickness and soil particle size have greater influence on SOC and TN stocks for the 1-2 m soils. Our results suggest that the soil particle size is the most important controller of SOC pools, and the stocks of SOC and TN are strongly effected by soil development processes in the permafrost regions of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Occupational self-coding and automatic recording (OSCAR): a novel web-based tool to collect and code lifetime job histories in large population-based studies.

PubMed

De Matteis, Sara; Jarvis, Deborah; Young, Heather; Young, Alan; Allen, Naomi; Potts, James; Darnton, Andrew; Rushton, Lesley; Cullinan, Paul

2017-03-01

Objectives The standard approach to the assessment of occupational exposures is through the manual collection and coding of job histories. This method is time-consuming and costly and makes it potentially unfeasible to perform high quality analyses on occupational exposures in large population-based studies. Our aim was to develop a novel, efficient web-based tool to collect and code lifetime job histories in the UK Biobank, a population-based cohort of over 500 000 participants. Methods We developed OSCAR (occupations self-coding automatic recording) based on the hierarchical structure of the UK Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2000, which allows individuals to collect and automatically code their lifetime job histories via a simple decision-tree model. Participants were asked to find each of their jobs by selecting appropriate job categories until they identified their job title, which was linked to a hidden 4-digit SOC code. For each occupation a job title in free text was also collected to estimate Cohen's kappa (κ) inter-rater agreement between SOC codes assigned by OSCAR and an expert manual coder. Results OSCAR was administered to 324 653 UK Biobank participants with an existing email address between June and September 2015. Complete 4-digit SOC-coded lifetime job histories were collected for 108 784 participants (response rate: 34%). Agreement between the 4-digit SOC codes assigned by OSCAR and the manual coder for a random sample of 400 job titles was moderately good [κ=0.45, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.42-0.49], and improved when broader job categories were considered (κ=0.64, 95% CI 0.61-0.69 at a 1-digit SOC-code level). Conclusions OSCAR is a novel, efficient, and reasonably reliable web-based tool for collecting and automatically coding lifetime job histories in large population-based studies. Further application in other research projects for external validation purposes is warranted.

Sonar Imaging of Elastic Fluid-Filled Cylindrical Shells.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodd, Stirling Scott

1995-01-01

Previously a method of describing spherical acoustic waves in cylindrical coordinates was applied to the problem of point source scattering by an elastic infinite fluid -filled cylindrical shell (S. Dodd and C. Loeffler, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 3284(A) (1995)). This method is applied to numerically model monostatic oblique incidence scattering from a truncated cylinder by a narrow-beam high-frequency imaging sonar. The narrow beam solution results from integrating the point source solution over the spatial extent of a line source and line receiver. The cylinder truncation is treated by the method of images, and assumes that the reflection coefficient at the truncation is unity. The scattering form functions, calculated using this method, are applied as filters to a narrow bandwidth, high ka pulse to find the time domain scattering response. The time domain pulses are further processed and displayed in the form of a sonar image. These images compare favorably to experimentally obtained images (G. Kaduchak and C. Loeffler, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 3289(A) (1995)). The impact of the s_{ rm o} and a_{rm o} Lamb waves is vividly apparent in the images.

Effect of overcharge on Li(Ni 0.5Mn 0.3Co 0.2)O 2/Graphite lithium ion cells with poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. I - Microstructural changes in the anode

DOE PAGES

Dietz Rago, Nancy; Bareno, Javier; Li, Jianlin; ...

2018-03-17

Cells based on NMC/graphite, containing poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) binders in the positive and negative electrodes, were systematically overcharged to 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 250% state-of-charge (SOC). At 250% SOC the cell vented. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the anodes showed several state-of-overcharge-dependent trends. Starting at 120% SOC, dendrites appeared and increased in concentration as the SOC increased. Dendrite morphology appeared to be dependent on whether the active material was on the “dull” or “shiny” side of the copper collector. Significantly more delamination of the active material from the collector was seen on themore » “shiny” side of the collector particularly at 180 and 250% SOC. Transition metals were detected at 120% SOC and increased in concentration as the SOC increased. Finally, there was considerable spatial heterogeneity in the microstructures across each laminate with several regions displaying complex layered structures.« less

Effect of overcharge on Li(Ni 0.5Mn 0.3Co 0.2)O 2/Graphite lithium ion cells with poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. I - Microstructural changes in the anode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dietz Rago, Nancy; Bareno, Javier; Li, Jianlin

Cells based on NMC/graphite, containing poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) binders in the positive and negative electrodes, were systematically overcharged to 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 250% state-of-charge (SOC). At 250% SOC the cell vented. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the anodes showed several state-of-overcharge-dependent trends. Starting at 120% SOC, dendrites appeared and increased in concentration as the SOC increased. Dendrite morphology appeared to be dependent on whether the active material was on the “dull” or “shiny” side of the copper collector. Significantly more delamination of the active material from the collector was seen on themore » “shiny” side of the collector particularly at 180 and 250% SOC. Transition metals were detected at 120% SOC and increased in concentration as the SOC increased. Finally, there was considerable spatial heterogeneity in the microstructures across each laminate with several regions displaying complex layered structures.« less

The trade-offs between milk production and soil organic carbon storage in dairy systems under different management and environmental factors.

PubMed

Kirschbaum, Miko U F; Schipper, Louis A; Mudge, Paul L; Rutledge, Susanna; Puche, Nicolas J B; Campbell, David I

2017-01-15

A possible agricultural climate change mitigation option is to increase the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC). Conversely, some factors might lead to inadvertent losses of SOC. Here, we explore the effect of various management options and environmental changes on SOC storage and milk production of dairy pastures in New Zealand. We used CenW 4.1, a process-based ecophysiological model, to run a range of scenarios to assess the effects of changes in management options, plant properties and environmental factors on SOC and milk production. We tested the model by using 2years of observations of the exchanges of water and CO 2 measured with an eddy covariance system on a dairy farm in New Zealand's Waikato region. We obtained excellent agreement between the model and observations, especially for evapotranspiration and net photosynthesis. For the scenario analysis, we found that SOC could be increased through supplying supplemental feed, increasing fertiliser application, or increasing water availability through irrigation on very dry sites, but SOC decreased again for larger increases in water availability. Soil warming strongly reduced SOC. For other changes in key properties, such as changes in soil water-holding capacity and plant root:shoot ratios, SOC changes were often negatively correlated with changes in milk production. The work showed that changes in SOC were determined by the complex interplay between (1) changes in net primary production; (2) the carbon fraction taken off-site through grazing; (3) carbon allocation within the system between labile and stabilised SOC; and (4) changes in SOC decomposition rates. There is a particularly important trade-off between carbon either being removed by grazing or remaining on site and available for SOC formation. Changes in SOC cannot be fully understood unless all four factors are considered together in an overall assessment. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial Patterns of Soil Organic Carbon Relative to Tree Size and Canopy Distribution in a Semi-Desert Grassland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Throop, H. L.; Archer, S.

2004-12-01

The abundance of woody species in grasslands and savannas has increased globally over the past century. Recent estimates suggest that this proliferation of woody plants may account for a significant fraction of the Northern Hemisphere C sink, although a large degree of uncertainty exists in the magnitude and spatial distribution of these plant and soil pools. While field-based inventories have made progress in assessing the role of aboveground woody growth in ecosystem C inventories, the effect of woody proliferation on soil organic carbon (SOC) remains controversial, despite the fact that the majority of ecosystem C in these systems is typically belowground. Elevated levels of SOC underneath woody plant canopies have been widely reported, but little is known about the spatial distribution of SOC relative to tree canopies. Understanding the spatial distribution of SOC is critical, however, to developing accurate landscape-scale assessments of woody proliferation impacts on ecosystem C pools. We quantified the influence of encroaching mesquite trees (Fabaceae: Prosopis velutina) on the concentration of SOC and total nitrogen (TN) in a semi-desert grassland in southern Arizona. SOC concentrations near the boles of large trees (basal diameter 85-102 cm) were approximately double that of SOC in intercanopy zones (0.9% vs. 0.4% SOC by weight). SOC declined moving out from the bole to the canopy edge, at which point it was equivalent to inter-canopy spaces. Small to medium-sized trees (basal diameters less than 85 cm) had minimal influence on SOC concentrations. Patterns of TN values mirrored those of SOC in all cases, although TN values were roughly an order of magnitude lower than SOC values. These data suggest that accurate accounting of landscape-level SOC stocks will require developing area-weighting algorithms that account for tree size and bole-to-canopy gradients.

Projected loss of soil organic carbon in temperate agricultural soils in the 21st century: effects of climate change and carbon input trends

PubMed Central

Wiesmeier, Martin; Poeplau, Christopher; Sierra, Carlos A.; Maier, Harald; Frühauf, Cathleen; Hübner, Rico; Kühnel, Anna; Spörlein, Peter; Geuß, Uwe; Hangen, Edzard; Schilling, Bernd; von Lützow, Margit; Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Climate change and stagnating crop yields may cause a decline of SOC stocks in agricultural soils leading to considerable CO2 emissions and reduced agricultural productivity. Regional model-based SOC projections are needed to evaluate these potential risks. In this study, we simulated the future SOC development in cropland and grassland soils of Bavaria in the 21st century. Soils from 51 study sites representing the most important soil classes of Central Europe were fractionated and derived SOC pools were used to initialize the RothC soil carbon model. For each site, long-term C inputs were determined using the C allocation method. Model runs were performed for three different C input scenarios as a realistic range of projected yield development. Our modelling approach revealed substantial SOC decreases of 11–16% under an expected mean temperature increase of 3.3 °C assuming unchanged C inputs. For the scenario of 20% reduced C inputs, agricultural SOC stocks are projected to decline by 19–24%. Remarkably, even the optimistic scenario of 20% increased C inputs led to SOC decreases of 3–8%. Projected SOC changes largely differed among investigated soil classes. Our results indicated that C inputs have to increase by 29% to maintain present SOC stocks in agricultural soils. PMID:27585648

A Self-Critique of Self-Organized Criticality in Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.

2015-08-01

The concept of ``self-organized criticality'' (SOC) was originally proposed as an explanation of 1/f-noise by Bak, Tang, and Wiesenfeld (1987), but turned out to have a far broader significance for scale-free nonlinear energy dissipation processes occurring in the entire universe. Over the last 30 years, an inspiring cross-fertilization from complexity theory to solar and astrophysics took place, where the SOC concept was initially applied to solar flares, stellar flares, and magnetospheric substorms, and later extended to the radiation belt, the heliosphere, lunar craters, the asteroid belt, the Saturn ring, pulsar glitches, soft X-ray repeaters, blazars, black-hole objects, cosmic rays, and boson clouds. The application of SOC concepts has been performed by numerical cellular automaton simulations, by analytical calculations of statistical (powerlaw-like) distributions based on physical scaling laws, and by observational tests of theoretically predicted size distributions and waiting time distributions. Attempts have been undertaken to import physical models into numerical SOC toy models. The novel applications stimulated also vigorous debates about the discrimination between SOC-related and non-SOC processes, such as phase transitions, turbulence, random-walk diffusion, percolation, branching processes, network theory, chaos theory, fractality, multi-scale, and other complexity phenomena. We review SOC models applied to astrophysical observations, attempt to describe what physics can be captured by SOC models, and offer a critique of weaknesses and strengths in existing SOC models.

A Self-Critique of Self-Organized Criticality in Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.

The concept of ``self-organized criticality'' (SOC) was originally proposed as an explanation of 1/f-noise by Bak, Tang, and Wiesenfeld (1987), but turned out to have a far broader significance for scale-free nonlinear energy dissipation processes occurring in the entire universe. Over the last 30 years, an inspiring cross-fertilization from complexity theory to solar and astrophysics took place, where the SOC concept was initially applied to solar flares, stellar flares, and magnetospheric substorms, and later extended to the radiation belt, the heliosphere, lunar craters, the asteroid belt, the Saturn ring, pulsar glitches, soft X-ray repeaters, blazars, black-hole objects, cosmic rays, and boson clouds. The application of SOC concepts has been performed by numerical cellular automaton simulations, by analytical calculations of statistical (powerlaw-like) distributions based on physical scaling laws, and by observational tests of theoretically predicted size distributions and waiting time distributions. Attempts have been undertaken to import physical models into numerical SOC toy models. The novel applications stimulated also vigorous debates about the discrimination between SOC-related and non-SOC processes, such as phase transitions, turbulence, random-walk diffusion, percolation, branching processes, network theory, chaos theory, fractality, multi-scale, and other complexity phenomena. We review SOC models applied to astrophysical observations, attempt to describe what physics can be captured by SOC models, and offer a critique of weaknesses and strengths in existing SOC models.

Estimating Soil Organic Carbon Stocks and Spatial Patterns with Statistical and GIS-Based Methods

PubMed Central

Zhi, Junjun; Jing, Changwei; Lin, Shengpan; Zhang, Cao; Liu, Qiankun; DeGloria, Stephen D.; Wu, Jiaping

2014-01-01

Accurately quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) is considered fundamental to studying soil quality, modeling the global carbon cycle, and assessing global climate change. This study evaluated the uncertainties caused by up-scaling of soil properties from the county scale to the provincial scale and from lower-level classification of Soil Species to Soil Group, using four methods: the mean, median, Soil Profile Statistics (SPS), and pedological professional knowledge based (PKB) methods. For the SPS method, SOC stock is calculated at the county scale by multiplying the mean SOC density value of each soil type in a county by its corresponding area. For the mean or median method, SOC density value of each soil type is calculated using provincial arithmetic mean or median. For the PKB method, SOC density value of each soil type is calculated at the county scale considering soil parent materials and spatial locations of all soil profiles. A newly constructed 1∶50,000 soil survey geographic database of Zhejiang Province, China, was used for evaluation. Results indicated that with soil classification levels up-scaling from Soil Species to Soil Group, the variation of estimated SOC stocks among different soil classification levels was obviously lower than that among different methods. The difference in the estimated SOC stocks among the four methods was lowest at the Soil Species level. The differences in SOC stocks among the mean, median, and PKB methods for different Soil Groups resulted from the differences in the procedure of aggregating soil profile properties to represent the attributes of one soil type. Compared with the other three estimation methods (i.e., the SPS, mean and median methods), the PKB method holds significant promise for characterizing spatial differences in SOC distribution because spatial locations of all soil profiles are considered during the aggregation procedure. PMID:24840890

Hydrologic Drivers of Soil Organic Carbon Erosion and Burial: Insights from a Spatially-explicit Model of a Degraded Landscape at the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dialynas, Y. G.; Bras, R. L.; Richter, D. D., Jr.

2017-12-01

Soil erosion and burial of organic material may constitute a substantial sink of atmospheric CO2. Attempts to quantify impacts of soil erosion on the soil-atmosphere C exchange are limited by difficulties in accounting for the fate of eroded soil organic carbon (SOC), a key factor in estimating of the net effect of erosion on the C cycle. Processes that transport SOC are still inadequately represented in terrestrial carbon (C) cycle models. This study investigates hydrologic controls on SOC redistribution across the landscape focusing on dynamic feedbacks between watershed hydrology, soil erosional processes, and SOC burial. We use tRIBS-ECO (Triangulated Irregular Network-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator-Erosion and Carbon Oxidation), a spatially-explicit model of SOC dynamics coupled with a physically-based hydro-geomorphic model. tRIBS-ECO systematically accounts for the fate of eroded SOC across the watershed: Rainsplash erosion and sheet erosion redistribute SOC from upland sites to depositional environments, altering depth-dependent soil biogeochemical properties in diverse soil profiles. Eroded organic material is transferred with sediment and can be partially oxidized upon transport, or preserved from decomposition by burial. The model was applied in the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory (CZO), a site that is recovering from some of the most serious agricultural erosion in North America. Soil biogeochemical characteristics at multiple soil horizons were used to initialize the model and test performance. Remotely sensed soil moisture data (NASA SMAP) were used for model calibration. Results show significant rates of hydrologically-induced burial of SOC at the Calhoun CZO. We find that organic material at upland eroding soil profiles is largely mobilized by rainsplash erosion. Sheet erosion mainly drives C transport in lower elevation clayey soils. While SOC erosion and deposition rates declined with recent reforestation at the study site, the erosional potential of the degraded landscape remains significant.

SOC Strategies and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors toward the Benefits of Co-workers: A Multi-Source Study.

PubMed

Müller, Andreas; Weigl, Matthias

2017-01-01

Background: Individuals' behavioral strategies like selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) contribute to efficient use of available resources. In the work context, previous studies revealed positive associations between employees' SOC use and favorable individual outcomes, like engagement and job performance. However, the social implications of self-directed behaviors like SOC that are favorable for the employee but may imply consequences for coworkers have not been investigated yet in an interpersonal work context. Objective: This study aimed to assess associations between employees' use of SOC behaviors at work and their organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) toward the benefits of co-workers rated by their peers at work. We further sought to identify age-specific associations between SOC use and OCB. Design and Method: A cross-sectional design combining multi-source data was applied in primary school teachers (age range: 23-58 years) who frequently teach in dyads. N = 114 dyads were finally included. Teachers reported on their SOC strategies at work. Their peer colleagues evaluated teachers' OCB. Control variables were gender, workload, working hours, and perceived proximity of relationship between the dyads. Results: We observed a positive effect of loss-based selection behaviors on peer-rated OCB. Moreover, there was a significant two-way interaction effect between the use of compensation strategies and age on OCB, such that there was a positive association for older employees and a negative association for younger employees. There were no significant main and age-related interaction effects of elective selection, optimization, and of overall SOC strategies on OCB. Conclusion: Our study suggests that high use of loss-based selection and high use of compensation strategies in older employees is positively related with OCB as perceived by their colleagues. However, high use of compensation strategies in younger employees is perceived negatively related with OCB. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the age-differentiated interpersonal effects of successful aging strategies in terms of SOC in organizations.

SOC Strategies and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors toward the Benefits of Co-workers: A Multi-Source Study

PubMed Central

Müller, Andreas; Weigl, Matthias

2017-01-01

Background: Individuals’ behavioral strategies like selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) contribute to efficient use of available resources. In the work context, previous studies revealed positive associations between employees’ SOC use and favorable individual outcomes, like engagement and job performance. However, the social implications of self-directed behaviors like SOC that are favorable for the employee but may imply consequences for coworkers have not been investigated yet in an interpersonal work context. Objective: This study aimed to assess associations between employees’ use of SOC behaviors at work and their organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) toward the benefits of co-workers rated by their peers at work. We further sought to identify age-specific associations between SOC use and OCB. Design and Method: A cross-sectional design combining multi-source data was applied in primary school teachers (age range: 23–58 years) who frequently teach in dyads. N = 114 dyads were finally included. Teachers reported on their SOC strategies at work. Their peer colleagues evaluated teachers’ OCB. Control variables were gender, workload, working hours, and perceived proximity of relationship between the dyads. Results: We observed a positive effect of loss-based selection behaviors on peer-rated OCB. Moreover, there was a significant two-way interaction effect between the use of compensation strategies and age on OCB, such that there was a positive association for older employees and a negative association for younger employees. There were no significant main and age-related interaction effects of elective selection, optimization, and of overall SOC strategies on OCB. Conclusion: Our study suggests that high use of loss-based selection and high use of compensation strategies in older employees is positively related with OCB as perceived by their colleagues. However, high use of compensation strategies in younger employees is perceived negatively related with OCB. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the age-differentiated interpersonal effects of successful aging strategies in terms of SOC in organizations. PMID:29085315

Effects of climate and soil properties on U.S. home lawn soil organic carbon concentration and pool.

PubMed

Selhorst, Adam; Lal, Rattan

2012-12-01

Following turfgrass establishment, soils sequester carbon (C) over time. However, the magnitude of this sequestration may be influenced by a range of climatic and soil factors. Analysis of home lawn turfgrass soils throughout the United States indicated that both climatic and soil properties significantly affected the soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration and pool to 15-cm depth. Soil sampling showed that the mean annual temperature (MAT) was negatively correlated with SOC concentration. Additionally, a nonlinear interaction was observed between mean annual precipitation (MAP) and SOC concentration with optimal sequestration occurring in soils receiving 60-70 cm of precipitation per year. Furthermore, soil properties also influenced SOC concentration. Soil nitrogen (N) had a high positive correlation with SOC concentration, as a 0.1 % increase in N concentration led to a 0.99 % increase in SOC concentration. Additionally, soil bulk density (ρ(b)) had a curvilinear interaction with SOC concentration, with an increase in ρ(b) indicating a positive effect on SOC concentration until a ρ(b) of ~1.4-1.5 Mg m(-3) was attained, after which, inhibition of SOC sequestration occurred. Finally, no correlation between SOC concentration or pool was observed with texture. Based upon these results, highest SOC pools within this study are observed in regions of low MAT, moderate MAP (60-70 cm year(-1)), high soil N concentration, and moderate ρ(b) (1.4-1.5 Mg m(-3)). In order to maximize the C storage capacity of home lawns, non C-intensive management practices should be used to maintain soils within these conditions.

Geochemical heterogeneity in a sand and gravel aquifer: Effect of sediment mineralogy and particle size on the sorption of chlorobenzenes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber, L.B.; Thurman, E.M.; Runnells, D.R.; ,

1992-01-01

The effect of particle size, mineralogy and sediment organic carbon (SOC) on solution of tetrachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene was evaluated using batch-isotherm experiments on sediment particle-size and mineralogical fractions from a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Concentration of SOC and sorption of chlorobenzenes increase with decreasing particle size. For a given particle size, the magnetic fraction has a higher SOC content and sorption capacity than the bulk or non-magnetic fractions. Sorption appears to be controlled by the magnetic minerals, which comprise only 5-25% of the bulk sediment. Although SOC content of the bulk sediment is < 0.1%, the observed sorption of chlorobenzenes is consistent with a partition mechanism and is adequately predicted by models relating sorption to the octanol/water partition coefficient of the solute and SOC content. A conceptual model based on preferential association of dissolved organic matter with positively-charged mineral surfaces is proposed to describe micro-scale, intergranular variability in sorption properties of the aquifer sediments.The effect of particle size, mineralogy and sediment organic carbon (SOC) on sorption of tetrachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene was evaluated using batch-isotherm experiments on sediment particle-size and mineralogical fractions from a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Concentration of SOC and sorption of chlorobenzenes increase with decreasing particle size. For a given particle size, the magnetic fraction has a higher SOC content and sorption capacity than the bulk or non-magnetic fractions. Sorption appears to be controlled by the magnetic minerals, which comprise only 5-25% of the bulk sediment. Although SOC content of the bulk sediment is <0.1%, the observed sorption of chlorobenzenes is consistent with a partition mechanism and is adequately predicted by models relating sorption to the octanol/water partition coefficient of the solute and SOC content. A conceptual model based on preferential association of dissolved organic matter with positively-charged mineral surfaces is proposed to describe micro-scale, intergranular variability in sorption properties of the aquifer sediments.

On state-of-charge determination for lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhe; Huang, Jun; Liaw, Bor Yann; Zhang, Jianbo

2017-04-01

Accurate estimation of state-of-charge (SOC) of a battery through its life remains challenging in battery research. Although improved precisions continue to be reported at times, almost all are based on regression methods empirically, while the accuracy is often not properly addressed. Here, a comprehensive review is set to address such issues, from fundamental principles that are supposed to define SOC to methodologies to estimate SOC for practical use. It covers topics from calibration, regression (including modeling methods) to validation in terms of precision and accuracy. At the end, we intend to answer the following questions: 1) can SOC estimation be self-adaptive without bias? 2) Why Ah-counting is a necessity in almost all battery-model-assisted regression methods? 3) How to establish a consistent framework of coupling in multi-physics battery models? 4) To assess the accuracy in SOC estimation, statistical methods should be employed to analyze factors that contribute to the uncertainty. We hope, through this proper discussion of the principles, accurate SOC estimation can be widely achieved.

An investigation of the psychometric properties of the Social Thoughts and Beliefs Scale (STABS) and structure of cognitive symptoms in participants with social anxiety disorder and healthy controls.

PubMed

Gros, Daniel F; Sarver, Nina Wong

2014-04-01

Despite the recent increase of measures developed to assess the cognitive symptoms of social anxiety disorder (SOC), their validation is still largely preliminary. Thus, the present studies sought to replicate and extend the psychometric evaluation of the Social Thoughts and Beliefs Scale (STABS). Study 1 involved both participants with SOC (n=206) and healthy controls (n=222) that completed the STABS and other related measures of anxiety. In Study 2, participants with SOC (n=66) completed exposure-based psychotherapy for SOC with the STABS used to track symptom changes. Together, the two studies provided additional support for the validity and reliability of the STABS as a measure of the cognitive symptoms of SOC. However, contrary to previous research with two subscales, a single total scale was suggested as the best interpretation of the STABS, as well as the possible general presentation of the cognitive symptoms of SOC. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Low-Power Differential SRAM design for SOC Based on the 25-um Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godugunuri, Sivaprasad; Dara, Naveen; Sambasiva Nayak, R.; Nayeemuddin, Md; Singh, Yadu, Dr.; Veda, R. N. S. Sunil

2017-08-01

In recent, the SOC styles area unit the vast complicated styles in VLSI these SOC styles having important low-power operations problems, to comprehend this we tend to enforced low-power SRAM. However these SRAM Architectures critically affects the entire power of SOC and competitive space. To beat the higher than disadvantages, during this paper, a low-power differential SRAM design is planned. The differential SRAM design stores multiple bits within the same cell, operates at minimum in operation low-tension and space per bit. The differential SRAM design designed supported the 25-um technology using Tanner-EDA Tool.

Structure-activity studies of peptidomimetics based on kinase-inhibitory region of suppressors of cytokine signaling 1.

PubMed

La Manna, Sara; Lopez-Sanz, Laura; Leone, Marilisa; Brandi, Paola; Scognamiglio, Pasqualina Liana; Morelli, Giancarlo; Novellino, Ettore; Gomez-Guerrero, Carmen; Marasco, Daniela

2017-11-20

Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative regulators of JAK proteins that are receptor-associated tyrosine kinases, which play key roles in the phosphorylation and subsequent activation of several transcription factors named STATs. Unlike the other SOCS proteins, SOCS1 and 3 show, in the N-terminal portion, a small kinase inhibitory region (KIR) involved in the inhibition of JAK kinases. Drug discovery processes of compounds based on KIR sequence demonstrated promising in functional in vitro and in inflammatory animal models and we recently developed a peptidomimetic called PS5, as lead compound. Here, we investigated the cellular ability of PS5 to mimic SOCS1 biological functions in vascular smooth muscle cells and simultaneously we set up a new binding assay for the screening and identification of JAK2 binders based on a SPR experiment that revealed more robust with respect to previous ELISAs. On this basis, we designed several peptidomimetics bearing new structural constraints that were analyzed in both affinities toward JAK2 and conformational features through Circular Dichroism and NMR spectroscopies. Introduced chemical modifications provided an enhancement of serum stabilities of new sequences that could aid the design of future mimetic molecules of SOCS1 as novel anti-inflammatory compounds. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Novel electrical energy storage system based on reversible solid oxide cells: System design and operating conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendel, C. H.; Kazempoor, P.; Braun, R. J.

2015-02-01

Electrical energy storage (EES) is an important component of the future electric grid. Given that no other widely available technology meets all the EES requirements, reversible (or regenerative) solid oxide cells (ReSOCs) working in both fuel cell (power producing) and electrolysis (fuel producing) modes are envisioned as a technology capable of providing highly efficient and cost-effective EES. However, there are still many challenges and questions from cell materials development to system level operation of ReSOCs that should be addressed before widespread application. This paper presents a novel system based on ReSOCs that employ a thermal management strategy of promoting exothermic methanation within the ReSOC cell-stack to provide thermal energy for the endothermic steam/CO2 electrolysis reactions during charging mode (fuel producing). This approach also serves to enhance the energy density of the stored gases. Modeling and parametric analysis of an energy storage concept is performed using a physically based ReSOC stack model coupled with thermodynamic system component models. Results indicate that roundtrip efficiencies greater than 70% can be achieved at intermediate stack temperature (680 °C) and elevated stack pressure (20 bar). The optimal operating condition arises from a tradeoff between stack efficiency and auxiliary power requirements from balance of plant hardware.

Effects of agricultural intensification in the tropics on soil carbon losses and soil fertility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillaume, Thomas; Buttler, Alexandre; Kuzyakov, Yakov

2016-04-01

Tropical forest conversion to agricultural land leads to strong decrease of soil organic carbon (SOC). Nonetheless, the impacts of SOC losses on soil fertility remain unclear. We quantified SOC losses in forest, oil palm plantations, extensive rubber plantations and rubber monocultures on Sumatra Island (Indonesia). Furthermore, we assessed the response of biological (basal respiration, microbial biomass, acid phosphatase) and chemical fertility indicators (light fraction of OM, DOC, total N, available P) to SOC losses. We used a new approach based on (non-)linear regressions between SOC losses and the indicators, normalized to natural ecosystem values, to assess the sensitivity or resistance of fertility indicators to SOC losses. Carbon contents in the Ah horizon under oil palm and intensive rubber plantations were strongly reduced: up to 70% and 62%, respectively. The decrease was lower under extensive rubber (41%). The negative impact of land-use changes on all measured indicators increased in the following sequence: extensive rubber < rubber < oil palm. Basal respiration, microbial biomass and nutrients were comparatively resistant to SOC losses, whereas the light fraction of OM was lost faster than the SOC. The resistance of the microbial activity to SOC losses is an indication that microbial-mediated soil functions sustain SOC losses. However, responses of basal respiration and microbial biomass to SOC losses were non-linear. Below 2.7% C content, the relationship was reversed. The basal respiration decreased faster than the SOC, resulting in a stronger drop of microbial activity under oil palm compared to rubber, despite small difference in C content. We conclude that the new approach allows a quantitative assessment of the sensitivity and threshold of various soil functions to land-use changes and consequently, can be used to assess their resistance to agricultural intensification. Therefore, this method is appropriate to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with various scenarios of agricultural intensification in tropical regions, but needs also to be tested in different tropical climate and soil (mineral vs organic) conditions.

Detecting small-scale spatial differences and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks: a comparison between automatic chamber-derived C budgets and repeated soil inventories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Mathias; Jurisch, Nicole; Garcia Alba, Juana; Albiac Borraz, Elisa; Schmidt, Marten; Huth, Vytas; Rogasik, Helmut; Rieckh, Helene; Verch, Gernot; Sommer, Michael; Augustin, Jürgen

2017-04-01

Carbon (C) sequestration in soils plays a key role in the global C cycle. It is therefore crucial to adequately monitor dynamics in soil organic carbon (ΔSOC) stocks when aiming to reveal underlying processes and potential drivers. However, small-scale spatial and temporal changes in SOC stocks, particularly pronounced on arable lands, are hard to assess. The main reasons for this are limitations of the well-established methods. On the one hand, repeated soil inventories, often used in long-term field trials, reveal spatial patterns and trends in ΔSOC but require a longer observation period and a sufficient number of repetitions. On the other hand, eddy covariance measurements of C fluxes towards a complete C budget of the soil-plant-atmosphere system may help to obtain temporal ΔSOC patterns but lack small-scale spatial resolution. To overcome these limitations, this study presents a reliable method to detect both short-term temporal as well as small-scale spatial dynamics of ΔSOC. Therefore, a combination of automatic chamber (AC) measurements of CO2 exchange and empirically modeled aboveground biomass development (NPPshoot) was used. To verify our method, results were compared with ΔSOC observed by soil resampling. AC measurements were performed from 2010 to 2014 under a silage maize/winter fodder rye/sorghum-Sudan grass hybrid/alfalfa crop rotation at a colluvial depression located in the hummocky ground moraine landscape of NE Germany. Widespread in large areas of the formerly glaciated Northern Hemisphere, this depression type is characterized by a variable groundwater level (GWL) and pronounced small-scale spatial heterogeneity in soil properties, such as SOC and nitrogen (Nt). After monitoring the initial stage during 2010, soil erosion was experimentally simulated by incorporating topsoil material from an eroded midslope soil into the plough layer of the colluvial depression. SOC stocks were quantified before and after soil manipulation and at the end of the study period. AC-based ΔSOC values corresponded well with the tendencies and magnitude of the results observed in the repeated soil inventory. The period of maximum plant growth was identified as being most important for the development of spatial differences in annual ΔSOC. Hence, we were able to confirm that AC-based C budgets are able to reveal small-scale spatial and short-term temporal dynamics of ΔSOC.

Global patterns and controls of soil organic carbon dynamics as simulated by multiple terrestrial biosphere models: Current status and future directions.

PubMed

Tian, Hanqin; Lu, Chaoqun; Yang, Jia; Banger, Kamaljit; Huntzinger, Deborah N; Schwalm, Christopher R; Michalak, Anna M; Cook, Robert; Ciais, Philippe; Hayes, Daniel; Huang, Maoyi; Ito, Akihiko; Jain, Atul K; Lei, Huimin; Mao, Jiafu; Pan, Shufen; Post, Wilfred M; Peng, Shushi; Poulter, Benjamin; Ren, Wei; Ricciuto, Daniel; Schaefer, Kevin; Shi, Xiaoying; Tao, Bo; Wang, Weile; Wei, Yaxing; Yang, Qichun; Zhang, Bowen; Zeng, Ning

2015-06-01

Soil is the largest organic carbon (C) pool of terrestrial ecosystems, and C loss from soil accounts for a large proportion of land-atmosphere C exchange. Therefore, a small change in soil organic C (SOC) can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration and climate change. In the past decades, a wide variety of studies have been conducted to quantify global SOC stocks and soil C exchange with the atmosphere through site measurements, inventories, and empirical/process-based modeling. However, these estimates are highly uncertain, and identifying major driving forces controlling soil C dynamics remains a key research challenge. This study has compiled century-long (1901-2010) estimates of SOC storage and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) from 10 terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) in the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project and two observation-based data sets. The 10 TBM ensemble shows that global SOC estimate ranges from 425 to 2111 Pg C (1 Pg = 10 15  g) with a median value of 1158 Pg C in 2010. The models estimate a broad range of Rh from 35 to 69 Pg C yr -1 with a median value of 51 Pg C yr -1 during 2001-2010. The largest uncertainty in SOC stocks exists in the 40-65°N latitude whereas the largest cross-model divergence in Rh are in the tropics. The modeled SOC change during 1901-2010 ranges from -70 Pg C to 86 Pg C, but in some models the SOC change has a different sign from the change of total C stock, implying very different contribution of vegetation and soil pools in determining the terrestrial C budget among models. The model ensemble-estimated mean residence time of SOC shows a reduction of 3.4 years over the past century, which accelerate C cycling through the land biosphere. All the models agreed that climate and land use changes decreased SOC stocks, while elevated atmospheric CO 2 and nitrogen deposition over intact ecosystems increased SOC stocks-even though the responses varied significantly among models. Model representations of temperature and moisture sensitivity, nutrient limitation, and land use partially explain the divergent estimates of global SOC stocks and soil C fluxes in this study. In addition, a major source of systematic error in model estimations relates to nonmodeled SOC storage in wetlands and peatlands, as well as to old C storage in deep soil layers.

Global patterns and controls of soil organic carbon dynamics as simulated by multiple terrestrial biosphere models: Current status and future directions

DOE PAGES

Tian, Hanqin; Lu, Chaoqun; Yang, Jia; ...

2015-06-05

Soil is the largest organic carbon (C) pool of terrestrial ecosystems, and C loss from soil accounts for a large proportion of land-atmosphere C exchange. Therefore, a small change in soil organic C (SOC) can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration and climate change. In the past decades, a wide variety of studies have been conducted to quantify global SOC stocks and soil C exchange with the atmosphere through site measurements, inventories, and empirical/process-based modeling. However, these estimates are highly uncertain, and identifying major driving forces controlling soil C dynamics remains a key research challenge. This study has compiled century-longmore » (1901–2010) estimates of SOC storage and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) from 10 terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) in the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project and two observation-based data sets. The 10 TBM ensemble shows that global SOC estimate ranges from 425 to 2111 Pg C (1 Pg = 10¹⁵ g) with a median value of 1158 Pg C in 2010. The models estimate a broad range of Rh from 35 to 69 Pg C yr⁻¹ with a median value of 51 Pg C yr⁻¹ during 2001–2010. The largest uncertainty in SOC stocks exists in the 40–65°N latitude whereas the largest cross-model divergence in Rh are in the tropics. The modeled SOC change during 1901–2010 ranges from –70 Pg C to 86 Pg C, but in some models the SOC change has a different sign from the change of total C stock, implying very different contribution of vegetation and soil pools in determining the terrestrial C budget among models. The model ensemble-estimated mean residence time of SOC shows a reduction of 3.4 years over the past century, which accelerate C cycling through the land biosphere. All the models agreed that climate and land use changes decreased SOC stocks, while elevated atmospheric CO₂ and nitrogen deposition over intact ecosystems increased SOC stocks—even though the responses varied significantly among models. Model representations of temperature and moisture sensitivity, nutrient limitation, and land use partially explain the divergent estimates of global SOC stocks and soil C fluxes in this study. In addition, a major source of systematic error in model estimations relates to nonmodeled SOC storage in wetlands and peatlands, as well as to old C storage in deep soil layers.« less

Study on SOC wavelet analysis for LiFePO4 battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xuepeng; Zhao, Dongmei

2017-08-01

Improving the prediction accuracy of SOC can reduce the complexity of the conservative and control strategy of the strategy such as the scheduling, optimization and planning of LiFePO4 battery system. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the SOC historical data and the external stress factors, the SOC Estimation-Correction Prediction Model based on wavelet analysis is established. Using wavelet neural network prediction model is of high precision to achieve forecast link, external stress measured data is used to update parameters estimation in the model, implement correction link, makes the forecast model can adapt to the LiFePO4 battery under rated condition of charge and discharge the operating point of the variable operation area. The test results show that the method can obtain higher precision prediction model when the input and output of LiFePO4 battery are changed frequently.

Smart electric vehicle (EV) charging and grid integration apparatus and methods

DOEpatents

Gadh, Rajit; Mal, Siddhartha; Prabhu, Shivanand; Chu, Chi-Cheng; Sheikh, Omar; Chung, Ching-Yen; He, Lei; Xiao, Bingjun; Shi, Yiyu

2015-05-05

An expert system manages a power grid wherein charging stations are connected to the power grid, with electric vehicles connected to the charging stations, whereby the expert system selectively backfills power from connected electric vehicles to the power grid through a grid tie inverter (if present) within the charging stations. In more traditional usage, the expert system allows for electric vehicle charging, coupled with user preferences as to charge time, charge cost, and charging station capabilities, without exceeding the power grid capacity at any point. A robust yet accurate state of charge (SOC) calculation method is also presented, whereby initially an open circuit voltage (OCV) based on sampled battery voltages and currents is calculated, and then the SOC is obtained based on a mapping between a previously measured reference OCV (ROCV) and SOC. The OCV-SOC calculation method accommodates likely any battery type with any current profile.

Soil carbon debt of 12,000 years of human land use.

PubMed

Sanderman, Jonathan; Hengl, Tomislav; Fiske, Gregory J

2017-09-05

Human appropriation of land for agriculture has greatly altered the terrestrial carbon balance, creating a large but uncertain carbon debt in soils. Estimating the size and spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss due to land use and land cover change has been difficult but is a critical step in understanding whether SOC sequestration can be an effective climate mitigation strategy. In this study, a machine learning-based model was fitted using a global compilation of SOC data and the History Database of the Global Environment (HYDE) land use data in combination with climatic, landform and lithology covariates. Model results compared favorably with a global compilation of paired plot studies. Projection of this model onto a world without agriculture indicated a global carbon debt due to agriculture of 133 Pg C for the top 2 m of soil, with the rate of loss increasing dramatically in the past 200 years. The HYDE classes "grazing" and "cropland" contributed nearly equally to the loss of SOC. There were higher percent SOC losses on cropland but since more than twice as much land is grazed, slightly higher total losses were found from grazing land. Important spatial patterns of SOC loss were found: Hotspots of SOC loss coincided with some major cropping regions as well as semiarid grazing regions, while other major agricultural zones showed small losses and even net gains in SOC. This analysis has demonstrated that there are identifiable regions which can be targeted for SOC restoration efforts.

Soil carbon debt of 12,000 years of human land use

PubMed Central

Sanderman, Jonathan; Hengl, Tomislav; Fiske, Gregory J.

2017-01-01

Human appropriation of land for agriculture has greatly altered the terrestrial carbon balance, creating a large but uncertain carbon debt in soils. Estimating the size and spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss due to land use and land cover change has been difficult but is a critical step in understanding whether SOC sequestration can be an effective climate mitigation strategy. In this study, a machine learning-based model was fitted using a global compilation of SOC data and the History Database of the Global Environment (HYDE) land use data in combination with climatic, landform and lithology covariates. Model results compared favorably with a global compilation of paired plot studies. Projection of this model onto a world without agriculture indicated a global carbon debt due to agriculture of 133 Pg C for the top 2 m of soil, with the rate of loss increasing dramatically in the past 200 years. The HYDE classes “grazing” and “cropland” contributed nearly equally to the loss of SOC. There were higher percent SOC losses on cropland but since more than twice as much land is grazed, slightly higher total losses were found from grazing land. Important spatial patterns of SOC loss were found: Hotspots of SOC loss coincided with some major cropping regions as well as semiarid grazing regions, while other major agricultural zones showed small losses and even net gains in SOC. This analysis has demonstrated that there are identifiable regions which can be targeted for SOC restoration efforts. PMID:28827323

Curvature-enhanced Spin-orbit Coupling and Spinterface Effect in Fullerene-based Spin Valves

PubMed Central

Liang, Shiheng; Geng, Rugang; Yang, Baishun; Zhao, Wenbo; Chandra Subedi, Ram; Li, Xiaoguang; Han, Xiufeng; Nguyen, Tho Duc

2016-01-01

We investigated curvature-enhanced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and spinterface effect in carbon-based organic spin valves (OSVs) using buckyball C60 and C70 molecules. Since the naturally abundant 12C has spinless nuclear, the materials have negligible hyperfine interaction (HFI) and the same intrinsic SOC, but different curvature SOC due to their distinct curvatures. We fitted the thickness dependence of magnetoresistance (MR) in OSVs at various temperatures using the modified Jullière equation. We found that the spin diffusion length in the C70 film is above 120 nm, clearly longer than that in C60 film at all temperatures. The effective SOC ratio of the C70 film to the C60 film was estimated to be about 0.8. This was confirmed by the magneto-electroluminescence (MEL) measurement in fullerene-based light emitting diodes (LED). Next, the effective spin polarization in C70-based OSVs is smaller than that in C60-based OSVs implying that they have different spinterface effect. First principle calculation study shows that the spin polarization of the dz2 orbital electrons of Co atoms contacted with C60 is larger causing better effective spin polarization at the interface. PMID:26786047

Curvature-enhanced Spin-orbit Coupling and Spinterface Effect in Fullerene-based Spin Valves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Shiheng; Geng, Rugang; Yang, Baishun; Zhao, Wenbo; Chandra Subedi, Ram; Li, Xiaoguang; Han, Xiufeng; Nguyen, Tho Duc

2016-01-01

We investigated curvature-enhanced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and spinterface effect in carbon-based organic spin valves (OSVs) using buckyball C60 and C70 molecules. Since the naturally abundant 12C has spinless nuclear, the materials have negligible hyperfine interaction (HFI) and the same intrinsic SOC, but different curvature SOC due to their distinct curvatures. We fitted the thickness dependence of magnetoresistance (MR) in OSVs at various temperatures using the modified Jullière equation. We found that the spin diffusion length in the C70 film is above 120 nm, clearly longer than that in C60 film at all temperatures. The effective SOC ratio of the C70 film to the C60 film was estimated to be about 0.8. This was confirmed by the magneto-electroluminescence (MEL) measurement in fullerene-based light emitting diodes (LED). Next, the effective spin polarization in C70-based OSVs is smaller than that in C60-based OSVs implying that they have different spinterface effect. First principle calculation study shows that the spin polarization of the dz2 orbital electrons of Co atoms contacted with C60 is larger causing better effective spin polarization at the interface.

Simulation of salinity effects on past, present, and future soil organic carbon stocks.

PubMed

Setia, Raj; Smith, Pete; Marschner, Petra; Gottschalk, Pia; Baldock, Jeff; Verma, Vipan; Setia, Deepika; Smith, Jo

2012-02-07

Soil organic carbon (SOC) models are used to predict changes in SOC stocks and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) emissions from soils, and have been successfully validated for non-saline soils. However, SOC models have not been developed to simulate SOC turnover in saline soils. Due to the large extent of salt-affected areas in the world, it is important to correctly predict SOC dynamics in salt-affected soils. To close this knowledge gap, we modified the Rothamsted Carbon Model (RothC) to simulate SOC turnover in salt-affected soils, using data from non-salt-affected and salt-affected soils in two agricultural regions in India (120 soils) and in Australia (160 soils). Recently we developed a decomposition rate modifier based on an incubation study of a subset of these soils. In the present study, we introduce a new method to estimate the past losses of SOC due to salinity and show how salinity affects future SOC stocks on a regional scale. Because salinity decreases decomposition rates, simulations using the decomposition rate modifier for salinity suggest an accumulation of SOC. However, if the plant inputs are also adjusted to reflect reduced plant growth under saline conditions, the simulations show a significant loss of soil carbon in the past due to salinization, with a higher average loss of SOC in Australian soils (55 t C ha(-1)) than in Indian soils (31 t C ha(-1)). There was a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between SOC loss and osmotic potential. Simulations of future SOC stocks with the decomposition rate modifier and the plant input modifier indicate a greater decrease in SOC in saline than in non-saline soils under future climate. The simulations of past losses of SOC due to salinity were repeated using either measured charcoal-C or the inert organic matter predicted by the Falloon et al. equation to determine how much deviation from the Falloon et al. equation affects the amount of plant inputs generated by the model for the soils used in this study. Both sets of results suggest that saline soils have lost carbon and will continue to lose carbon under future climate. This demonstrates the importance of both reduced decomposition and reduced plant input in simulations of future changes in SOC stocks in saline soils.

Changes in soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in croplands converted to walnut-based agroforestry systems and orchards in southeastern Loess Plateau of China.

PubMed

Lu, Sen; Meng, Ping; Zhang, Jinsong; Yin, Changjun; Sun, Shiyou

2015-11-01

Limited information is available on the effects of agroforestry system practices on soil properties in the Loess Plateau of China. Over the last decade, a vegetation restoration project has been conducted in this area by converting cropland into tree-based agroforestry systems and orchards to combat soil erosion and degradation. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of land use conversion on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in southeastern Loess Plateau. The experiment included three treatments: walnut intercropping system (AF), walnut orchard (WO), and traditional cropland (CR). After 7 years of continual management, soil samples were collected at 0-10, 10-30, and 30-50-cm depths for three treatments, and soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were measured. Results showed that compared with the CR and AF treatments, WO treatment decreased both SOC and TN concentrations in the 0-50-cm soil profile. However, similar patterns of SOC and TN concentrations were observed in the AF and CR treatments across the entire profile. The SOC stocks at 0-50-cm depth were 5.42, 5.52, and 4.67 kg m(-2) for CR, AF, and WO treatments, respectively. The calculated TN stocks at 0-50-cm depth were 0.63, 0.62, and 0.57 kg m(-2) for CR, AF, and WO treatments, respectively. This result demonstrated that the stocks of SOC and TN in WO were clearly lower than those of AF and CR and that the walnut-based agroforestry system was more beneficial than walnut monoculture in terms of SOC and TN sequestration. Owing to the short-term intercropping practice, the changes in SOC and TN stocks were slight in AF compared with those in CR. However, a significant decrease in SOC and TN stocks was observed during the conversion of cropland to walnut orchard after 7 years of management. We also found that land use types had no significant effect on soil C/N ratio. These findings demonstrated that intercropping between walnut rows can potentially maintain more SOC and TN stocks than walnut monoculture and that agroforestry is a sustainable management pattern for vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau area.

Landform partitioning and estimates of deep storage of soil organic matter in Zackenberg, Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmtag, Juri; Cable, Stefanie; Christiansen, Hanne H.; Hugelius, Gustaf; Kuhry, Peter

2018-05-01

Soils in the northern high latitudes are a key component in the global carbon cycle, with potential feedback on climate. This study aims to improve the previous soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) storage estimates for the Zackenberg area (NE Greenland) that were based on a land cover classification (LCC) approach, by using geomorphological upscaling. In addition, novel organic carbon (OC) estimates for deeper alluvial and deltaic deposits (down to 300 cm depth) are presented. We hypothesise that landforms will better represent the long-term slope and depositional processes that result in deep SOC burial in this type of mountain permafrost environments. The updated mean SOC storage for the 0-100 cm soil depth is 4.8 kg C m-2, which is 42 % lower than the previous estimate of 8.3 kg C m-2 based on land cover upscaling. Similarly, the mean soil TN storage in the 0-100 cm depth decreased with 44 % from 0.50 kg (± 0.1 CI) to 0.28 (±0.1 CI) kg TN m-2. We ascribe the differences to a previous areal overestimate of SOC- and TN-rich vegetated land cover classes. The landform-based approach more correctly constrains the depositional areas in alluvial fans and deltas with high SOC and TN storage. These are also areas of deep carbon storage with an additional 2.4 kg C m-2 in the 100-300 cm depth interval. This research emphasises the need to consider geomorphology when assessing SOC pools in mountain permafrost landscapes.

Association with pedogenic iron and aluminum: effects on soil organic carbon storage and stability in four temperate forest soils

DOE PAGES

Porras, Rachel C.; Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; McFarlane, Karis J.; ...

2017-05-13

Soil organic carbon (SOC) can be stabilized via association with iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) minerals. Fe and Al can be strong predictors of SOC storage and turnover in soils with relatively high extractable metals content and moderately acidic to circumneutral pH. Here we test whether pedogenic Fe and Al influence SOC content and turnover in soils with low Fe and Al content and acidic pH. In soils from four sites spanning three soil orders, we quantified the amount of Fe and Al in operationally-defined poorly crystalline and organically-complexed phases using selective chemical dissolution applied to the soil fraction containingmore » mineral-associated carbon. We evaluated the correlations of Fe and Al concentrations, mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), and pH with SOC content and 14C-based turnover times. We found that poorly crystalline Fe and Al content predicted SOC turnover times (p < 0.0001) consistent with findings of previous studies, while organically-complexed Fe and Al content was a better predictor of SOC concentration (p < 0.0001). Greater site-level MAP (p < 0.0001) and colder site-level MAT (p < 0.0001) were correlated with longer SOC turnover times but were not correlated with SOC content. Our results suggest that poorly crystalline Fe and Al effectively slow the turnover of SOC in these acidic soils, even when their combined content in the soil is less than 2% by mass. However, in the strongly acidic Spodosol, organo-metal complexes tended to be less stable resulting in a more actively cycling mineral-associated SOC pool.« less

A historical perspective on soil organic carbon in Mediterranean cropland (Spain, 1900-2008).

PubMed

Aguilera, Eduardo; Guzmán, Gloria I; Álvaro-Fuentes, Jorge; Infante-Amate, Juan; García-Ruiz, Roberto; Carranza-Gallego, Guiomar; Soto, David; González de Molina, Manuel

2018-04-15

Soil organic carbon (SOC) management is key for soil fertility and for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, particularly in desertification-prone areas such as Mediterranean croplands. Industrialization and global change processes affect SOC dynamics in multiple, often opposing, ways. Here we present a detailed SOC balance in Spanish cropland from 1900 to 2008, as a model of a Mediterranean, industrialized agriculture. Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and soil C inputs were estimated based on yield and management data. Changes in SOC stocks were modeled using HSOC, a simple model with one inert and two active C pools, which combines RothC model parameters with humification coefficients. Crop yields increased by 227% during the studied period, but total C exported from the agroecosystem only increased by 73%, total NPP by 30%, and soil C inputs by 20%. There was a continued decline in SOC during the 20th century, and cropland SOC levels in 2008 were 17% below their 1933 peak. SOC trends were driven by historical changes in land uses, management practices and climate. Cropland expansion was the main driver of SOC loss until mid-20th century, followed by the decline in soil C inputs during the fast agricultural industrialization starting in the 1950s, which reduced harvest indices and weed biomass production, particularly in woody cropping systems. C inputs started recovering in the 1980s, mainly through increasing crop residue return. The upward trend in SOC mineralization rates was an increasingly important driver of SOC losses, triggered by irrigation expansion, soil cover loss and climate change-driven temperature rise. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association with pedogenic iron and aluminum: effects on soil organic carbon storage and stability in four temperate forest soils

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Porras, Rachel C.; Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; McFarlane, Karis J.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) can be stabilized via association with iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) minerals. Fe and Al can be strong predictors of SOC storage and turnover in soils with relatively high extractable metals content and moderately acidic to circumneutral pH. Here we test whether pedogenic Fe and Al influence SOC content and turnover in soils with low Fe and Al content and acidic pH. In soils from four sites spanning three soil orders, we quantified the amount of Fe and Al in operationally-defined poorly crystalline and organically-complexed phases using selective chemical dissolution applied to the soil fraction containingmore » mineral-associated carbon. We evaluated the correlations of Fe and Al concentrations, mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), and pH with SOC content and 14C-based turnover times. We found that poorly crystalline Fe and Al content predicted SOC turnover times (p < 0.0001) consistent with findings of previous studies, while organically-complexed Fe and Al content was a better predictor of SOC concentration (p < 0.0001). Greater site-level MAP (p < 0.0001) and colder site-level MAT (p < 0.0001) were correlated with longer SOC turnover times but were not correlated with SOC content. Our results suggest that poorly crystalline Fe and Al effectively slow the turnover of SOC in these acidic soils, even when their combined content in the soil is less than 2% by mass. However, in the strongly acidic Spodosol, organo-metal complexes tended to be less stable resulting in a more actively cycling mineral-associated SOC pool.« less

Labile and Non-labile Soil Carbon Fractions Equally Contributed to Carbon Changes under Long-term Fertilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, F.; Li, J.; Xu, M.; Huang, S.

2017-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storages are altered under long-term fertilization in croplands, it however remains unclear how fast- to slow-cycling SOC fractions each respond to fertilization practices. Based on five two-decade Chinese long-term fertilization experiments (GZL: Gongzhuling; ZZ: Zhengzhou; CQ: Chongqing; JX: Jinxian; QY: Qiyang) under three fertilization treatments (CK: cropping with no fertilizer input; NPK: chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers; and NPKM: NPK with manure input), we quantified very labile, labile, non-labile and total SOC stocks at 0-20cm soil depth. Results showed that SOC stocks varied among sites (GZL, JX, CQ > ZZ, QY) and generally increased with fertilizations (CK-1 at ZZ, GZL, QY, CQ and JX, respectively. The corresponding changes of the sum of very labile and labile SOC fractions were 2.6, 2.0, 1.8, 0.8 and -0.5 Mg ha-1 at ZZ, QY, GZL, CQ and JX, respectively. Also, NPKM increased total SOC stock by 18.3, 16.2, 14.4, 10.5, and 6.5 Mg ha-1 at QY, GZL, ZZ, CQ and JX, respectively. The corresponding changes of the sum of very labile and labile SOC fractions were 8.6, 6.8, 6.6, 3.2 and -1.6 Mg ha-1 at QY, GZL, ZZ, CQ and JX, respectively. These results suggested that about half or more than half SOC stock accretions under fertilization were induced by increase in non-labile SOC fractions. It thus informs the importance of non-labile SOC fractions in contributing to soil C sequestration under long-term fertilizations in Chinese croplands. Future research should improve our mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical transformation of non-labile organic C in soils.

Are soils of Iowa USA currently a carbon sink or source? Simulated changes in SOC stock from 1972 to 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liu, Shuguang; Tan, Z.; Li, Z.; Zhao, S.; Yuan, W.

2011-01-01

Upscaling the spatial and temporal changes in carbon (C) stocks and fluxes from sites to regions is a critical and challenging step toward improving our understanding of the dynamics of C sources and sinks over large areas. This study simulated soil organic C (SOC) dynamics within 0–100 cm depth of soils across the state of Iowa in the USA from 1972 to 2007 using the General Ensemble biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS). The model outputs with variation coefficient were analyzed and assembled from simulation unit to the state scale based upon major land use types at annual step. Results from this study indicate that soils (within a depth of 0–100 cm) in Iowa had been a SOC source at a rate of 190 ± 380 kg C ha−1 yr−1. This was likely caused by the installation of a massive drainage system which led to the release of SOC from deep soil layers previously protected under poor drainage conditions. The annual crop rotation was another major force driving SOC variation and resulted in spatial variability of annual budgets in all croplands. Annual rate of change of SOC stocks in all land types depended significantly on the baseline SOC levels; soils with higher SOC levels tended to be C sources, and those with lower levels tended to be C sinks. Management practices (e.g., conservation tillage and residue management practices) slowed down the C emissions from Iowa soils, but could not reverse the general trend of net SOC loss in view of the entire state due mainly to a high level of baseline SOC stocks.

Two-photon activation of endogenous store-operated calcium channels without optogenetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Pan; Tang, Wanyi; He, Hao

2018-02-01

Store-operated calcium (SOC) channels, regulated by intracellular Ca2+ store, are the essential pathway of calcium signaling and participate in a wide variety of cellular activities such as gene expression, secretion and immune response1. However, our understanding and regulation of SOC channels are mainly based on pharmacological methods. Considering the unique advantages of optical control, optogenetic control of SOC channels has been developed2. However, the process of genetic engineering to express exogenous light-sensitive protein is complicated, which arouses concerns about ethic difficulties in some research of animal and applications in human. In this report, we demonstrate rapid, robust and reproducible two-photon activation of endogenous SOC channels by femtosecond laser without optogenetics. We present that the short-duration two-photon scanning on subcellular microregion induces slow Ca2+ influx from extracellular medium, which can be eliminated by removing extracellular Ca2+. Block of SOC channels using various pharmacological inhibitors or knockdown of SOC channels by RNA interference reduce the probability of two-photon activated Ca2+ influx. On the contrary, overexpression of SOC channels can increase the probability of Ca2+ influx by two-photon scanning. These results collectively indicate Ca2+ influx through two-photon activated SOC channels. Different from classical pathway of SOC entry activated by Ca2+ store depletion, STIM1, the sensor protein of Ca2+ level in endoplasmic reticulum, does not show any aggregation or migration in this two-photon activated Ca2+ influx, which rules out the possibility of intracellular Ca2+ store depletion. Thereby, we propose this all-optical method of two-photon activation of SOC channels is of great potential to be widely applied in the research of cell calcium signaling and related biological research.

Clay:organic-carbon and organic carbon as determinants of the soil physical properties: reassessment of the Complexed Organic Carbon concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matter, Adrien; Johannes, Alice; Boivin, Pascal

2016-04-01

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is well known to largely determine the soil physical properties and fertility. Total porosity, structural porosity, aeration, structural stability among others are reported to increase linearly with increasing SOC in most studies. Is there an optimal SOC content as target in soil management, or is there no limit in physical fertility improvement with SOC? Dexter et al. (2008) investigated the relation between clay:SOC ratio and the physical properties of soils from different databases. They observed that the R2 of the relation between SOC and the physical properties were maximized when considering the SOC fraction limited to a clay:SOC ratio of 10. They concluded that this fraction of the SOC was complexed, and that the additional SOC was not influencing the physical properties as strongly as the complexed one. In this study, we reassessed this approach, on a database of 180 undisturbed soil samples collected from cambiluvisols of the Swiss Plateau, on an area of 2400 km2, and from different soil uses. The physical properties were obtained with Shrinkage Analysis, which involved the parameters used in Dexter et al., 2008. We used the same method, but detected biases in the statistical approach, which was, therefore, adapted. We showed that the relation between the bulk density and SOC was changing with the score of visual evaluation of the structure (VESS) (Ball et al., 2007). Therefore, we also worked only on the "good" structures according to VESS. All shrinkage parameters were linearly correlated to SOC regardless of the clay:SOC ratio, with R2 ranging from 0.45 to 0.8. Contrarily to Dexter et al. (2008), we did not observed an optimum in the R2 of the relation when considering a SOC fraction based on the clay:SOC ratio. R2 was increasing until a Clay:SOC of about 7, where it reached, and kept, its maximum value. The land use factor was not significant. The major difference with the former study is that we worked on the same soil group, on a large range of texture, with less sandy soils and accounting for structural state. Our results show that, on this soil group, any SOC increase almost linearly increases the physical properties and, therefore, the physical fertility and the ecological functions of the soil, regardless of the clay:SOC ratio. When considering the whole SOC instead of a fraction, we show that the 10 clay:SOC ratio, however corresponds to a good structure according to VESS and optimal physical values. Therefore, we think reaching a clay:SOC ratio of 10 must be considered as an objective for farmers and advisers. Ball, B.C., T. Batey, and L.J. Munkholm. 2007. Field assessment of soil structural quality - a development of the Peerlkamp test. Soil Use Manag. 23(4): 329-337. Dexter, A.R., G. Richard, D. Arrouays, E.A. Czyz, C. Jolivet, and O. Duval. 2008. Complexed organic matter controls soil physical properties. Geoderma 144(3-4): 620-627.

Sense of community in Hong Kong: relations with community-level characteristics and residents' well-being.

PubMed

Mak, Winnie W S; Cheung, Rebecca Y M; Law, Lawrence S C

2009-09-01

Sense of community (SOC) has been one of the most studied topics in community psychology. However, no empirical study to date has investigated SOC in Hong Kong and its relations with community characteristics and residents' psychological well-being. A representative sample of 941 Hong Kong Chinese based on a randomized household survey was conducted in all 18 districts in Hong Kong. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that SOC was not associated with sociodemographic indicators on both the individual-level (i.e., gender, age, family income, education level, type of residence, and area-to-capita ratio of residence) and the community-level (i.e., proportion of individuals with tertiary education, median family income, ownership of residence, population density, and resident stability). SOC was negatively related to daily hassles and positively with social support and quality of life. Conceptualization of SOC in Hong Kong was discussed.

Size does matter - span of control in hospitals.

PubMed

Holm-Petersen, Christina; Østergaard, Sussanne; Andersen, Per Bo Noergaard

2017-04-10

Purpose Centralization, mergers and cost reductions have generally led to increasing levels of span of control (SOC), and thus potentially to lower leadership capacity. The purpose of this paper is to explore how a large SOC impacts hospital staff and their leaders. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a qualitative explorative case study of three large inpatient wards. Findings The study finds that the nursing staff and their frontline leaders experience challenges in regard to visibility and role of the leader, e.g., in creating overview, coordination, setting-up clear goals, following up and being in touch. However, large wards also provide flexibility and development possibilities. Practical implications The authors discuss the implications of these findings for decision makers in deciding future SOC and for future SOC research. Originality/value Only few studies have qualitatively explored the consequences of large SOC in hospitals.

Soils as sediment: does aggregation skew slope scale SOC balances?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yaxian; Fister, Wolfgang; Kuhn, Nikolaus

2014-05-01

The net effect of soil erosion as a source or sink of CO2 in global carbon cycling has been the subject of a heated debate. On one hand, erosion exposes the previously encapsulated soil organic carbon (SOC), which may accelerate the mineralization of eroded SOC. On the other hand, deposition limits the decomposition of SOC upon burial, while incorporation of biomass at eroding sites replaces the lost SOC. So far, effects of erosion on CO2 emissions have largely been assessed by comparing SOC stocks at eroding and depositional sites. The underlying assumption for this approach is a non-selective transport of eroded SOC across a landscape. However, several recent publications showed both an at least temporary on-site enrichment of SOC in sediment as well as a preferential deposition of sediment particles with SOC concentrations that differed from the soil SOC. As a consequence, balances between eroding and depositional sites may over- or underestimate mineralization of eroded SOC during transport. Two Luvisols, from the villages of Möhlin and Movelier in northwest Switzerland, were used in this study. They have different mineral grain size distribution, organic carbon concentration and aggregate stability. Based on the concept of Equivalent Quartz Size (EQS), the eroded sediments were fractionated by a settling tube apparatus into six different size classes, according to their settling velocities and likely transport distances. According to the model developed by Starr et al., 2000, the likely transport distances of six EQS classes were grouped into three likely fates: deposited across landscapes, possibly transferred into rivers, and likely transferred into rivers. Respiration rates of the fractionated sediments were measured by gas chromatograph for 50 days. Our results show that 1) due to aggregation, 60% of the Möhlin eroded fractions and 82% of the Movelier fractions would be re-deposited in the terrestrial system, which strongly contrasts with their grain size distribution; 2) 63% of eroded SOC for the Möhlin soil and 83% for the Movelier soil would be re-deposited in the terrestrial system rather than transferred into the aquatic system. This is much greater than the high concentration of SOC in grain size fraction <32 µm would suggest; 3) the SOC re-deposited in the terrestrial system is more likely to be mineralized than the SOC in fine particles which would be transferred into the aquatic system. Our observations indicate that 1) aggregation reduces the likely transport distances of eroded SOC, and thus decreases the likelihood of eroded SOC to be transferred from eroding hill-slopes to the aquatic system; 2) the re-deposited SOC in the terrestrial system is more likely to be mineralized than the SOC in fine particles that could be transferred into the aquatic system. These findings highlight a potentially higher contribution of erosion to atmospheric CO2 than anticipated by estimating source for sink transfer without considering the effects of aggregation.

An adaptive state of charge estimation approach for lithium-ion series-connected battery system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Simin; Zhu, Xuelai; Xing, Yinjiao; Shi, Hongbing; Cai, Xu; Pecht, Michael

2018-07-01

Due to the incorrect or unknown noise statistics of a battery system and its cell-to-cell variations, state of charge (SOC) estimation of a lithium-ion series-connected battery system is usually inaccurate or even divergent using model-based methods, such as extended Kalman filter (EKF) and unscented Kalman filter (UKF). To resolve this problem, an adaptive unscented Kalman filter (AUKF) based on a noise statistics estimator and a model parameter regulator is developed to accurately estimate the SOC of a series-connected battery system. An equivalent circuit model is first built based on the model parameter regulator that illustrates the influence of cell-to-cell variation on the battery system. A noise statistics estimator is then used to attain adaptively the estimated noise statistics for the AUKF when its prior noise statistics are not accurate or exactly Gaussian. The accuracy and effectiveness of the SOC estimation method is validated by comparing the developed AUKF and UKF when model and measurement statistics noises are inaccurate, respectively. Compared with the UKF and EKF, the developed method shows the highest SOC estimation accuracy.

Does Aggregation Affect the Redistribution and Quality of Eroded SOC?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yaxian; Kuhn, Nikolaus

2015-04-01

A substantial amount of literature has discussed the impacts of soil erosion on global carbon cycling. However, numerous gaps in our knowledge remain unaddressed, for instance, the biogeochemical fate of displaced SOC during transport being one of them. The transport distance and the quality of eroded SOC are the two major factors that determine its fate. Previous laboratory-based research had demonstrated that the effects of aggregation can potentially shorten the transport distance of eroded SOC. The mineralization potential of SOC also differs in sediment fractions of different likely transport distances. It is therefore essential to examine the transport distance and quality of eroded SOC under field conditions with natural rainfall as the agent of erosion. Soil samples from a silty clay soil from Switzerland and a sandy soil from Denmark, were collected in the field this summer after natural rainfall events. The soil from Switzerland was sampled from a field of maize in St. Ursanne (47°20' N 7°09' E) on August 6th, 2014 after a natural rainfall event. A depositional fan consisting of aggregated sediment was formed outside the lower edge of the field. The sandy soil from Denmark was sampled from a farm in Foulum (56°30' N, 9°35' W) on September 4, 2014, after a series of natural rainfall events. Soil samples were collected at different topographic positions along the two slopes. All the soil samples from the two farms were fractionated by a settling tube. Bulk soil from Switzerland and Denmark was also dispersed by ultrasound. The SOC contents of all bulk soils and associated fractions were determined using a carbon analyzer Leco 612 at 1000°C. The quality of SOC in different settling fractions collected from various topographic positions were also determined by stable isotopes of C and N (13C and 15N). Our results show that 1) the aggregate specific SOC distribution evidently differs from the mineral particle specific SOC distribution, indicating that re-distribution of eroded SOC is determined by actual aggregate size distribution rather than mineral particle size distribution. 2) The aggregate specific distributions of SOC content from different positions along hillslopes demonstrate that preferential deposition of SOC-enrich sediment along hillslopes is much more pronounced than the mineral particle specific SOC would suggest. 3) The quality of SOC differs significantly in various settling fractions. The fast settling fractions consist of more of labile SOC, and thus is very likely to be mineralized during transport across landscapes, thereby likely contributing as a source of atmospheric CO2. Overall, effects of aggregation can potentially change the transport distance of eroded SOC and thus skew its redistribution towards the terrestrial deposition.

Soil carbon sequestration due to post-Soviet cropland abandonment: estimates from a large-scale soil organic carbon field inventory.

PubMed

Wertebach, Tim-Martin; Hölzel, Norbert; Kämpf, Immo; Yurtaev, Andrey; Tupitsin, Sergey; Kiehl, Kathrin; Kamp, Johannes; Kleinebecker, Till

2017-09-01

The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 triggered cropland abandonment on a continental scale, which in turn led to carbon accumulation on abandoned land across Eurasia. Previous studies have estimated carbon accumulation rates across Russia based on large-scale modelling. Studies that assess carbon sequestration on abandoned land based on robust field sampling are rare. We investigated soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks using a randomized sampling design along a climatic gradient from forest steppe to Sub-Taiga in Western Siberia (Tyumen Province). In total, SOC contents were sampled on 470 plots across different soil and land-use types. The effect of land use on changes in SOC stock was evaluated, and carbon sequestration rates were calculated for different age stages of abandoned cropland. While land-use type had an effect on carbon accumulation in the topsoil (0-5 cm), no independent land-use effects were found for deeper SOC stocks. Topsoil carbon stocks of grasslands and forests were significantly higher than those of soils managed for crops and under abandoned cropland. SOC increased significantly with time since abandonment. The average carbon sequestration rate for soils of abandoned cropland was 0.66 Mg C ha -1  yr -1 (1-20 years old, 0-5 cm soil depth), which is at the lower end of published estimates for Russia and Siberia. There was a tendency towards SOC saturation on abandoned land as sequestration rates were much higher for recently abandoned (1-10 years old, 1.04 Mg C ha -1  yr -1 ) compared to earlier abandoned crop fields (11-20 years old, 0.26 Mg C ha -1  yr -1 ). Our study confirms the global significance of abandoned cropland in Russia for carbon sequestration. Our findings also suggest that robust regional surveys based on a large number of samples advance model-based continent-wide SOC prediction. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Factors impacting sense of community among adults with brain injury.

PubMed

Ditchman, Nicole; Chan, Fong; Haak, Christopher; Easton, Amanda B

2017-05-01

Despite increasing interest in examining community outcomes following disability, sense of community (SOC) has received relatively no attention in the rehabilitation literature. SOC refers to feelings of belonging and attachment one has for a community and is of particular relevance for people with brain injury who are at increased risk of social isolation. The aim of this study was to investigate factors contributing to SOC for individuals with brain injury. Members from 2 brain injury associations (n = 98) participated in this survey-based study. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore demographic, disability-related, community and social participation variables' impact on SOC with regard to one's town or city. Follow-up mediation analyses were conducted to explore relationships among social self-efficacy, support network, neighboring behavior, and SOC. Findings indicated that disability-related and community variables accounted for over 40% of the variance in SOC. Size of social support network was the only significant independent contributor to SOC variance. Follow-up analyses provided support for (a) the partial mediating effect of social support network size on the relationship between social self-efficacy and SOC, and (b) the mediating effect of neighboring behavior on the relationship between social self-efficacy and social support network size. Findings from this study highlight the particular importance of self-efficacy, social support, and neighboring behaviors in promoting SOC for people with brain injury. Recommendations are provided to advance research efforts and inform intervention approaches to improve the felt experience of community among people with brain injury. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Strengthening sense of coherence: opportunities for theory building in health promotion.

PubMed

Super, S; Wagemakers, M A E; Picavet, H S J; Verkooijen, K T; Koelen, M A

2016-12-01

Sense of coherence (SOC) reflects a coping capacity of people to deal with everyday life stressors and consists of three elements: comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. SOC is often considered to be a stable entity that is developed in young adulthood and stabilizes around the age of 30. Recent studies have questioned this stability of SOC and some studies report on interventions that have been successful in strengthening SOC in adult populations. Currently, however, there is no clear understanding of the mechanisms underlying SOC. As a consequence, it is a challenge to determine what is needed in health promotion activities to strengthen SOC. This article aims to explore the mechanisms underlying SOC as these insights may underpin future health promotion efforts. An exploration of the salutogenic model suggests two important mechanisms: the behavioural and the perceptual. The behavioural mechanism highlights the possibility to empower people to use their resources in stressful situations. The perceptual mechanism suggests that, in order for people to deal with life stressors, it is essential that they are able to reflect on their understanding of the stressful situation and the resources that are available. Based on these mechanisms, we suggest that both empowerment and reflection processes, which are interdependent, may be relevant for health promotion activities that aim to strengthen SOC. The successful application of resources to deal with stressors is not only likely to have a positive influence on health, but also creates consistent and meaningful life experiences that can positively reinforce SOC levels. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Molecular Cloning, Characterization, and Expression of MiSOC1: A Homolog of the Flowering Gene SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 from Mango (Mangifera indica L).

PubMed

Wei, Junya; Liu, Debing; Liu, Guoyin; Tang, Jie; Chen, Yeyuan

2016-01-01

MADS-box transcription factor plays a crucial role in plant development, especially controlling the formation and development of floral organs. Mango ( Mangifera indica L) is an economically important fruit crop, but its molecular control of flowering is largely unknown. To better understand the molecular basis of flowering regulation in mango, we isolated and characterized the MiSOC1, a putative mango orthologs for the Arabidopsis SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1/AGAMOUS-LIKE 20 (SOC1/AGL20) with homology-based cloning and RACE. The full-length cDNA (GenBank accession No.: KP404094) is 945 bp in length including a 74 bp long 5' UTR and a 189 bp long 3' UTR and the open reading frame was 733 bps, encoding 223 amino acids with molecular weight 25.6 kD. Both sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis all indicated that deduced protein contained a conservative MADS-box and semi-conservative K domain and belonged to the SOC1/TM3 subfamily of the MADS-box family. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to investigate the expression profiles of MiSOC1 gene in different tissues/organs including root, stem, leaves, flower bud, and flower. The result indicated MiSOC1 was widely expressed at different levels in both vegetative and reproductive tissues/organs with the highest expression level in the stems' leaves and inflorescences, low expression in roots and flowers. The expression of MiSOC1 in different flower developmental stages was different while same tissue -specific pattern among different varieties. In addition, MiSOC1 gene expression was affect by ethephon while high concentration ethephon inhibit the expression of MiSOC1. Overexpression of MiSOC1 resulted in early flowering in Arabidopsis . In conclusion, these results suggest that MiSOC1 may act as induce flower function in mango.

Molecular Cloning, Characterization, and Expression of MiSOC1: A Homolog of the Flowering Gene SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 from Mango (Mangifera indica L)

PubMed Central

Wei, Junya; Liu, Debing; Liu, Guoyin; Tang, Jie; Chen, Yeyuan

2016-01-01

MADS-box transcription factor plays a crucial role in plant development, especially controlling the formation and development of floral organs. Mango (Mangifera indica L) is an economically important fruit crop, but its molecular control of flowering is largely unknown. To better understand the molecular basis of flowering regulation in mango, we isolated and characterized the MiSOC1, a putative mango orthologs for the Arabidopsis SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1/AGAMOUS-LIKE 20 (SOC1/AGL20) with homology-based cloning and RACE. The full-length cDNA (GenBank accession No.: KP404094) is 945 bp in length including a 74 bp long 5′ UTR and a 189 bp long 3′ UTR and the open reading frame was 733 bps, encoding 223 amino acids with molecular weight 25.6 kD. Both sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis all indicated that deduced protein contained a conservative MADS-box and semi-conservative K domain and belonged to the SOC1/TM3 subfamily of the MADS-box family. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to investigate the expression profiles of MiSOC1 gene in different tissues/organs including root, stem, leaves, flower bud, and flower. The result indicated MiSOC1 was widely expressed at different levels in both vegetative and reproductive tissues/organs with the highest expression level in the stems’ leaves and inflorescences, low expression in roots and flowers. The expression of MiSOC1 in different flower developmental stages was different while same tissue –specific pattern among different varieties. In addition, MiSOC1 gene expression was affect by ethephon while high concentration ethephon inhibit the expression of MiSOC1. Overexpression of MiSOC1 resulted in early flowering in Arabidopsis. In conclusion, these results suggest that MiSOC1 may act as induce flower function in mango. PMID:27965680

[Modelling the changes of soil organic carbon under different management practices using Daycent model in North China].

PubMed

Zhang, Xuan; Xie, Li-yong; Guo, Li-ping; Fan, Jing-wei

2016-02-01

The Daycent model was calibrated and validated using measured crop yield and soil organic carbon (SOC) as double assessment standards based on the experimental data from three long-term experiments (i.e. Zhengzhou site in Henan Province, Yucheng site in Shandong Province and Quzhou site in Hebei Province) in North China. Results showed that the build-up parameters simulated the long-term dynamic changes of crop yields and SOC very well, indicating Daycent model could project the dynamic changes of crop yield and SOC soundly. After calibration and validation, Daycent model was used to simulate the changes of SOC under future climate scenarios (representative concentration pathway 4.5, RCP 4.5) with four different management practices (chemical fertilizer, NPK; chemical fertilizer + organic manure, MNPK; straw incorporation, SNPK; no-tillage +straw incorporation, NT) at the three sites. At Zhengzhou site, the change of SOC was highest for MNPK treatment during the period of 2001-2050 (1.7%) and followed by SNPK (1.3%) and NPK (0.8%) in terms of annual relative increase rate (ARIR), indicating long-term amendment of organic manure could effectively increase SOC for light loam soil with irrigation condition. At Yucheng site, the increase of SOC (ARIR) under MNPK treatment (0.4%) was higher than under NPK treatment (0.3%). In addition, the increase of SOC was very low under all treatments at this site, probably due to light soil salinization. At Quzhou site, the increase of SOC (ARIR) under NT treatment was 1.3%, higher than those under SNPK treatment (0.7%) and NPK treatment (0.4%), indicating NT was more effective for SOC increase in this area. We concluded that no-tillage with straw incorporation is the optimized management practice to increase SOC in North China Plain due to mild climate, sound irrigation and available mechanical equipment for straw processing and no-tillage operation.

Soil organic carbon dynamics as affected by topography in southern California hillslopes systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fissore, C.; Dalzell, B. J.; Berhe, A. A.; Evans, M.; Voegtle, M.; Wu, A. M.

2015-12-01

Active topography is a predominant feature of Southern California's landscapes where intense erosion and depositional processes can influence SOC translocation and accumulation and where changes in chemical, physical, and topographic conditions may affect long-term stability of SOC. Considering the large variability in SOC content across areas with active topography, it is necessary to develop landscape-scale stratifications of sampling that capture SOC variability due to erosion and deposition processes at different topographic locations. To achieve this goal, landscape SOC needs to be assessed based on more than just slope position by taking into account specific topographic indices, such as slope class, curvature, and catchment area. In this work, we used a series of analytical approaches, including total and water extractable C fractions, ultraviolet absorbance, infrared spectroscopy and a radio-isotope tracer (137Cs) in combination with GIS and digital terrain attributes analyses to investigate the quality and distribution of SOC along the sloping landscape of Puente Hills Preserve, in Whittier, CA. The complex interaction of terrain attributes on erosion and depositional processes was evident from 137Cs analysis, which allowed us to identify depositional and eroding areas. Our findings indicate that greater SOC accumulation is associated with concave profile and plane curvature, when combined with low slope class. Slope appears to be the terrain attribute that most affects SOC content and slope effects persist at depth. Ultraviolet absorbance of water extractable OC and infrared spectroscopy of SOC allowed the identification of different levels of aromaticity and distribution of SOC moieties that have been correlated to rates of mineralization. Southern California, like other Mediterranean regions around the world, is expected to experience increasingly severe droughts, more intense erosion and more frequent fire perturbation - which can exacerbate erosion - in the context of a changing climate. For these reasons, our findings are relevant to make better predictions on future SOC dynamics in areas with evolving and complex three-dimensional landscapes.

Improving AIDS Care After Trauma (ImpACT): Pilot Outcomes of a Coping intervention Among HIV-Infected Women with Sexual Trauma in South Africa.

PubMed

Sikkema, Kathleen J; Mulawa, Marta I; Robertson, Corne; Watt, Melissa H; Ciya, Nonceba; Stein, Dan J; Cherenack, Emily M; Choi, Karmel W; Kombora, Matapelo; Joska, John A

2018-03-01

Improving AIDS Care after Trauma (ImpACT), a coping intervention for HIV-infected women with sexual abuse histories, was evaluated for feasibility and potential efficacy in a public clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. Sixty-four participants were enrolled prior to starting antiretroviral therapy (ART). After completing baseline assessments, participants were randomly assigned to standard of care (SoC: three adherence counseling sessions) or ImpACT (SoC plus four individual and three group sessions). Participants completed assessments at 3 months (after individual sessions) and 6 months post-baseline. In exploratory analysis of primary outcomes, ImpACT participants, compared to SoC, reported greater reductions in avoidance and arousal symptoms of PTSD and greater increases in ART adherence motivation at 3 months. Clinically significant decreases in overall PTSD symptoms were also demonstrated at 3 months. These effects continued as trends at the 6-month assessment, in addition to increases in social/spiritual coping. In analysis of secondary outcomes, high levels of non-adherence to ART and poor care engagement were evident at 6 months, with no differences between study arms. A trauma-focused, culturally-adapted individual intervention delivered by a non-specialist in the HIV care setting is feasible and acceptable. Preliminary findings suggest ImpACT has potential to reduce PTSD symptoms and increase ART adherence motivation, but a more intensive intervention may be needed to improve and maintain care engagement among this population. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02223390.

Global patterns and controls of soil organic carbon dynamics as simulated by multiple terrestrial biosphere models. Current status and future directions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Hanqin; Lu, Chaoqun; Yang, Jia

2015-06-05

Soil is the largest organic carbon (C) pool of terrestrial ecosystems, and loss from soil accounts for a large pro portion of land-atmosphere C exchange. Due to large pool size and variable residence time from years to millennia, even small changes in soil organic C(SOC) have substantial effects on the terrestrial C budget, thereby affecting atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)concentration and climate change. In the past decades, a wide variety of studies have been conducted to quantify global SOC stocks and soil exchange with the atmosphere through site measurements, inventories, and empirical/process-based modeling. However, these estimates are highly uncertain and identifyingmore » major driving forces controlling soil C storage and fluxes remains a key research challenge his study has compiled century-long (1901-2010)estimates of SOC storage and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) from ten terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) in the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP) and two observation based datasets. The ten-TBM ensemble shows that global SOC estimate range from 4 to 2111 Pg C (1 Pg = 10 15g) with a median value of 1158 Pg C33 in 2010. Modeling approach estimates a broad range of Rh from 35 to 69 Pg C yr -1 with a median value of 51Pg C yr -1 during 200–2010. The largest uncertainty in SOC stocks exists in the 40–65°N latitude band while Rh differences are the largest in the tropics. All the models agreed that climate and land use changes have decreased SOC stocks while elevated CO 2 and atmospheric nitrogen deposition have increased SOC stocks though the response varied significantly among models. Model representations of temperature and moisture sensitivity,nutrient limitation and land use partially explain the divergent estimates of global SOC stocks and soil fluxes in this study. In addition, major sources of uncertainty from model estimation include exclusion of SOC storage in wetlands and peatlands as well as C storage in deep soil layers.« less

Do Burst-over-threshold Distributions and Structure Functions allow us to Infer the Coexistence of SOC and Intermittent Turbulence in Natural Systems ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, S.; Watkins, N. W.; Chapman, S.

2008-12-01

Space plasma physics provides an important arena for the study of natural hazards, because of the threat posed by space weather to space-based and ground based communications and other infrastructure. Extreme fluctuations are thus of interest, and there is by now abundant evidence for scaling in many quantities in the coupled solar-terrestrial system (solar wind, magnetosphere and ionosphere). Direct physical explanations for scaling have been sought through descriptions such as low dimensional chaos, intermittent turbulence (IT) and self-organised criticality (SOC). We have however advocated consideration of a complementary approach (Watkins [NPG, 2002]; Watkins et al. [Space Science Reviews, 2005]). This is the use of deliberately oversimplified mathematical "testbeds" to separate the proprties of the diagnostics used to infer IT or SOC from those of the models themselves. To demonstrate the need for this we consider a recent claim by Uritsky et al ([PRL, 2007]; U07) of direct observational evidence for the coexistence of SOC and IT in the magnetized plasma of the solar corona. By analyzing two dimensional (2D) EUV snapshots (typically 3-4000) of the solar corona, U07 found coexisting power law avalanche statistics and multiscaling of the structure functions. Avalanches were defined by "bursts" for which the signal exceeded a given threshold. These properties were asserted to be robust signatures of SOC and IT respectively. U07 took their coexistence to imply new physics with elements of both SOC and IT. We first point out that U07 assumed that their chosen signatures were unique to SOC and IT. We show however i) that a standard 1D multifractal model of IT, the p-model, straightforwardly generates U07's IT and SOC signatures simultaneously, and ii)that a stochastic process, linear fractional stable motion or LFSM can give the IT signatures and nonlinearity in the structure functions. We infer that not only may it not be necessary to invoke SOC to explain U07's observations, but also that our result has wider implications, which will be discussed.

Estimation method of state-of-charge for lithium-ion battery used in hybrid electric vehicles based on variable structure extended kalman filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yong; Ma, Zilin; Tang, Gongyou; Chen, Zheng; Zhang, Nong

2016-07-01

Since the main power source of hybrid electric vehicle(HEV) is supplied by the power battery, the predicted performance of power battery, especially the state-of-charge(SOC) estimation has attracted great attention in the area of HEV. However, the value of SOC estimation could not be greatly precise so that the running performance of HEV is greatly affected. A variable structure extended kalman filter(VSEKF)-based estimation method, which could be used to analyze the SOC of lithium-ion battery in the fixed driving condition, is presented. First, the general lower-order battery equivalent circuit model(GLM), which includes column accumulation model, open circuit voltage model and the SOC output model, is established, and the off-line and online model parameters are calculated with hybrid pulse power characteristics(HPPC) test data. Next, a VSEKF estimation method of SOC, which integrates the ampere-hour(Ah) integration method and the extended Kalman filter(EKF) method, is executed with different adaptive weighting coefficients, which are determined according to the different values of open-circuit voltage obtained in the corresponding charging or discharging processes. According to the experimental analysis, the faster convergence speed and more accurate simulating results could be obtained using the VSEKF method in the running performance of HEV. The error rate of SOC estimation with the VSEKF method is focused in the range of 5% to 10% comparing with the range of 20% to 30% using the EKF method and the Ah integration method. In Summary, the accuracy of the SOC estimation in the lithium-ion battery cell and the pack of lithium-ion battery system, which is obtained utilizing the VSEKF method has been significantly improved comparing with the Ah integration method and the EKF method. The VSEKF method utilizing in the SOC estimation in the lithium-ion pack of HEV can be widely used in practical driving conditions.

Estimating European soil organic carbon mitigation potential in a global integrated land use model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Stefan; Böttcher, Hannes; Schneider, Uwe; Schmid, Erwin; Havlík, Petr

2013-04-01

Several studies have shown the dynamic interaction between soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rates, soil management decisions and SOC levels. Management practices such as reduced and no-tillage, improved residue management and crop rotations as well as the conversion of marginal cropland to native vegetation or conversion of cultivated land to permanent grassland offer the potential to increase SOC content. Even though dynamic interactions are widely acknowledged in literature, they have not been implemented in most existing land use decision models. A major obstacle is the high data and computing requirements for an explicit representation of alternative land use sequences since a model has to be able to track all different management decision paths. To our knowledge no study accounted so far for SOC dynamics explicitly in a global integrated land use model. To overcome these conceptual difficulties described above we apply an approach capable of accounting for SOC dynamics in GLOBIOM (Global Biosphere Management Model), a global recursive dynamic partial equilibrium bottom-up model integrating the agricultural, bioenergy and forestry sectors. GLOBIOM represents all major land based sectors and therefore is able to account for direct and indirect effects of land use change as well as leakage effects (e.g. through trade) implicitly. Together with the detailed representation of technologies (e.g. tillage and fertilizer management systems), these characteristics make the model a highly valuable tool for assessing European SOC emissions and mitigation potential. Demand and international trade are represented in this version of the model at the level of 27 EU member states and 23 aggregated world regions outside Europe. Changes in the demand on the one side, and profitability of the different land based activities on the other side, are the major determinants of land use change in GLOBIOM. In this paper we estimate SOC emissions from cropland for the EU until 2050 explicitly considering SOC dynamics due to land use and land management in a global integrated land use model. Moreover, we calculate the EU SOC mitigation potential taking into account leakage effects outside Europe as well as related feed backs from other sectors. In sensitivity analysis, we disaggregate the SOC mitigation potential i.e. we quantify the impact of different management systems and crop rotations to identify most promising mitigation strategies.

Litter quality impacts short- but not long-term soil carbon dynamics in soil aggregate fractions.

PubMed

Gentile, Roberta; Vanlauwe, Bernard; Six, Johan

2011-04-01

Complex molecules are presumed to be preferentially stabilized as soil organic carbon (SOC) based on the generally accepted concept that the chemical composition of litter is a major factor in its rate of decomposition. Hence, a direct link between litter quality and SOC quantity has been assumed, accepted, and ultimately incorporated in SOC models. Here, however, we present data from an incubation and field experiment that refutes the influence of litter quality on the quantity of stabilized SOC. Three different qualities of litter (Tithonia diversifolia, Calliandra calothyrsus, and Zea mays stover; 4 Mg C x ha(-1) yr(-1)) with and without the addition of mineral N fertilizer (0 or 120 kg N x ha(-1)season(-1) were added to a red clay Humic Nitisol in a 3-yr field trial and a 1.5-yr incubation experiment. The litters differed in their concentrations of N, lignin, and polyphenols with the ratio of (lignin + polyphenols): N ranging from 3.5 to 9.8 for the field trial and from 2.3 to 4.0 for the incubation experiment in the order of T. diversifolia < C. calothyrsus < or = Z. mays. Litter quality did not affect the amount of SOC stabilized after three annual additions in the field trial. Even within the most sensitive soil aggregate fractions, SOC contents and C:N ratios did not differ with litter quality, indicating that litter quality did not influence the mechanisms by which SOC was stabilized. While increasing litter quality displayed faster decomposition and incorporation of C into soil aggregates after 0.25 yr in the incubation study, all litters resulted in equivalent amounts of C stabilized in the soil after 1.5 yr, further corroborating the results of the field trial. The addition of N fertilizer did not affect SOC stabilization in either the field or the incubation trial. Thus, we conclude that, while litter quality controls shorter-term dynamics of C decomposition and accumulation in the soil, longer-term SOC patterns cannot be predicted based on initial litter quality effects. Hence, the formation and stabilization of SOC is more controlled by the quantity of litter input and its interaction with the soil matrix than by litter quality.

Analyzing and modelling the effect of long-term fertilizer management on crop yield and soil organic carbon in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Balkovič, Juraj; Azevedo, Ligia B; Skalský, Rastislav; Bouwman, Alexander F; Xu, Guang; Wang, Jinzhou; Xu, Minggang; Yu, Chaoqing

2018-06-15

This study analyzes the influence of various fertilizer management practices on crop yield and soil organic carbon (SOC) based on the long-term field observations and modelling. Data covering 11 years from 8 long-term field trials were included, representing a range of typical soil, climate, and agro-ecosystems in China. The process-based model EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate model) was used to simulate the response of crop yield and SOC to various fertilization regimes. The results showed that the yield and SOC under additional manure application treatment were the highest while the yield under control treatment was the lowest (30%-50% of NPK yield) at all sites. The SOC in northern sites appeared more dynamic than that in southern sites. The variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed more variance of crop yield could be explained by the fertilization factor (42%), including synthetic nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) fertilizers, and fertilizer NPK combined with manure. The interactive influence of soil (total N, P, K, and available N, P, K) and climate factors (mean annual temperature and precipitation) determine the largest part of the SOC variance (32%). EPIC performs well in simulating both the dynamics of crop yield (NRMSE = 32% and 31% for yield calibration and validation) and SOC (NRMSE = 13% and 19% for SOC calibration and validation) under diverse fertilization practices in China. EPIC can assist in predicting the impacts of different fertilization regimes on crop growth and soil carbon dynamics, and contribute to the optimization of fertilizer management for different areas in China. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The influence of sense of coherence and mindfulness on PTSD symptoms and posttraumatic cognitions in a sample of elderly Austrian survivors of World War II.

PubMed

Glück, Tobias M; Tran, Ulrich S; Raninger, Simone; Lueger-Schuster, Brigitte

2016-03-01

Sense of Coherence (SOC) and mindfulness are known protective factors against psychopathology, also in older age. We set out to investigate the influence of SOC and mindfulness on posttraumatic symptoms and cognitions in the context of lifetime trauma in elderly persons with a history of childhood war-experiences. Elderly Austrians (N = 97) filled in questionnaires on traumatic lifetime experiences and posttraumatic symptoms (ETI), posttraumatic cognitions (PTCI), SOC (SOC-13) and mindfulness (FFMQ). We expected the influence of SOC scores on posttraumatic symptoms and cognitions to be on one hand influenced by mindfulness. On the other hand, we expected that both aspects would uniquely explain fewer posttraumatic symptoms and cognitions. Participants reported various lifetime traumas (M = 2.42), including experiences during World War II (WWII) as children and adolescents. Mindfulness partially mediated the association of SOC scores with posttraumatic cognitions, but not with posttraumatic symptoms. However, in a two-stage mediation model, mindfulness significantly predicted posttraumatic symptoms via its effects on posttraumatic cognitions. Although SOC was the strongest predictor of posttraumatic symptoms, mindfulness influenced the severity of posttraumatic symptoms via its effects on posttraumatic cognitions. We discuss implications for mindfulness-based interventions on trauma-related cognitions in the elderly.

Networking our science to characterize the state, vulnerabilities, and management opportunities of soil organic matter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harden, Jennifer W.; Hugelius, Gustaf; Ahlström, Anders; Blankinship, Joseph C.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Lawrence, Corey; Loisel, Julie; Malhotra, Avni; Jackson, Robert B.; Ogle, Stephen M.; Phillips, Claire; Ryals, Rebecca; Todd-Brown, Katherine; Vargas, Rodrigo; Vergara, Sintana E.; Cotrufo, M. Francesca; Keiluweit, Marco; Heckman, Katherine; Crow, Susan E.; Silver, Whendee L.; DeLonge, Marcia; Nave, Lucas E.

2018-01-01

Soil organic matter (SOM) supports the Earth's ability to sustain terrestrial ecosystems, provide food and fiber, and retains the largest pool of actively cycling carbon. Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use. Large land areas have lost SOC as a result of land use practices, yet there are compensatory opportunities to enhance productivity and SOC storage in degraded lands through improved management practices. Large areas with and without intentional management are also being subjected to rapid changes in climate, making many SOC stocks vulnerable to losses by decomposition or disturbance. In order to quantify potential SOC losses or sequestration at field, regional, and global scales, measurements for detecting changes in SOC are needed. Such measurements and soil-management best practices should be based on well established and emerging scientific understanding of processes of C stabilization and destabilization over various timescales, soil types, and spatial scales. As newly engaged members of the International Soil Carbon Network, we have identified gaps in data, modeling, and communication that underscore the need for an open, shared network to frame and guide the study of SOM and SOC and their management for sustained production and climate regulation.

Coronary computed tomography versus exercise testing in patients with stable chest pain: comparative effectiveness and costs.

PubMed

Genders, Tessa S S; Ferket, Bart S; Dedic, Admir; Galema, Tjebbe W; Mollet, Nico R A; de Feyter, Pim J; Fleischmann, Kirsten E; Nieman, Koen; Hunink, M G Myriam

2013-08-20

To determine the comparative effectiveness and costs of a CT-strategy and a stress-electrocardiography-based strategy (standard-of-care; SOC-strategy) for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD). A decision analysis was performed based on a well-documented prospective cohort of 471 outpatients with stable chest pain with follow-up combined with best-available evidence from the literature. Outcomes were correct classification of patients as CAD- (no obstructive CAD), CAD+ (obstructive CAD without revascularization) and indication for Revascularization (using a combination reference standard), diagnostic costs, lifetime health care costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALY). Parameter uncertainty was analyzed using probabilistic sensitivity analysis. For men (and women), diagnostic cost savings were €245 (€252) for the CT-strategy as compared to the SOC-strategy. The CT-strategy classified 82% (88%) of simulated men (women) in the appropriate disease category, whereas 83% (85%) were correctly classified by the SOC-strategy. The long-term cost-effectiveness analysis showed that the SOC-strategy was dominated by the CT-strategy, which was less expensive (-€229 in men, -€444 in women) and more effective (+0.002 QALY in men, +0.005 in women). The CT-strategy was cost-saving (-€231) but also less effective compared to SOC (-0.003 QALY) in men with a pre-test probability of ≥ 70%. The CT-strategy was cost-effective in 100% of simulations, except for men with a pre-test probability ≥ 70% in which case it was 59%. The results suggest that a CT-based strategy is less expensive and equally effective compared to SOC in all women and in men with a pre-test probability <70%. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil clay content controls the turnover of slow soil carbon across Chinese cropland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, W.; Jiang, J.; Li, J.

2017-12-01

Improving the prediction of changes in global soil organic carbon (SOC) lies in accurate estimate of C inputs to soils and SOC turnover time. Since C inputs to soils in cropland can be estimated due to well documented data of crop yields, SOC turnover rate becomes critical for accurate prediction of changes in SOC. The laboratory incubation is widely used but cannot well represent the turnover of slow soil C that accounts for the majority of total SOC, while the long-term observation of temporal changes in SOC stock offers an opportunity to estimate the turnover of slow soil C. Using time series data of SOC stock of twenty long-term agricultural trials that have initiated since 1990 in China, we estimated SOC turnover rates based on changes in soil C pool size and aimed to identify the dominant controls on SOC turnover rate across Chinese cropland. We used the two-pool first-order kinetic soil C model and the inverse modeling with Markov chain the Monte Carlo algorithm, and estimated humification coefficient (h) of C inputs to soils, turnover rates of fast and slow soil C pools, and the transfer coefficient between these two soil C pools. The preliminary results show that the turnover rate of slow soil C is positively correlated with climate (i.e. mean annual temperature and precipitation) but negatively correlated with the clay content, demonstrating that the clay content is important in regulating SOC turnover rates. The ratio of humification coefficient to C turnover rate (h/k) that indicates soil C sequestration efficiency, is negatively correlated with climate and positively correlated with the clay content. In addition, the quantity of C inputs is correlated with h/k and the turnover rate of slow soil C, suggesting that the quantity of C inputs plays an important role in mediating C sequestration efficiency. Further results will inform us the main controls on SOC turnover in Chinese cropland. Keywords: SOC; turnover; long-term trial; temporal change; clay content; inverse modeling

25 Years of Self-organized Criticality: Numerical Detection Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAteer, R. T. James; Aschwanden, Markus J.; Dimitropoulou, Michaila; Georgoulis, Manolis K.; Pruessner, Gunnar; Morales, Laura; Ireland, Jack; Abramenko, Valentyna

2016-01-01

The detection and characterization of self-organized criticality (SOC), in both real and simulated data, has undergone many significant revisions over the past 25 years. The explosive advances in the many numerical methods available for detecting, discriminating, and ultimately testing, SOC have played a critical role in developing our understanding of how systems experience and exhibit SOC. In this article, methods of detecting SOC are reviewed; from correlations to complexity to critical quantities. A description of the basic autocorrelation method leads into a detailed analysis of application-oriented methods developed in the last 25 years. In the second half of this manuscript space-based, time-based and spatial-temporal methods are reviewed and the prevalence of power laws in nature is described, with an emphasis on event detection and characterization. The search for numerical methods to clearly and unambiguously detect SOC in data often leads us outside the comfort zone of our own disciplines—the answers to these questions are often obtained by studying the advances made in other fields of study. In addition, numerical detection methods often provide the optimum link between simulations and experiments in scientific research. We seek to explore this boundary where the rubber meets the road, to review this expanding field of research of numerical detection of SOC systems over the past 25 years, and to iterate forwards so as to provide some foresight and guidance into developing breakthroughs in this subject over the next quarter of a century.

Occupation and keratinocyte cancer risk: a population-based case-control study.

PubMed

Marehbian, Josh; Colt, Joanne S; Baris, Dalsu; Stewart, Patricia; Stukel, Therese A; Spencer, Steven K; Karagas, Margaret R

2007-10-01

The aim of our study was to identify occupations associated with increased risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We conducted a population-based case-control study of BCC and SCC in New Hampshire. Cases (n = 599 BCC, n = 290 SCC) and controls (n = 524) completed a self-administered residence and work history questionnaire and personal interview regarding major risk factors for skin cancer. Reported jobs were coded using the Standardized Occupational Classification system (SOC). Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for BCC and SCC were calculated for men and women separately using unconditional logistic regression models taking into account age, education, skin reaction to sun, history of painful sunburns, time spent outdoors, and for SCC, smoking. Among men, we observed elevated risks of both BCC and SCC among groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm (SOC 5622). We also found that garage and service station-related occupations (SOCs 873) and to some extent food/beverage preparation/service occupations (SOC 521) were associated with BCC risk among men. Women in health services occupations (SOC 523) had elevated risks for both tumors, especially for BCC. Additionally, administrative support (SOC 46/47) occupations were related to BCC risk among women. Other occupations were associated with excess risks, but without consistent trends by duration of employment. We observed several occupations associated with elevated BCC and SCC risk. These results resemble reported findings for cutaneous melanoma and are generally consistent with the few available studies on keratinocyte cancers.

Data compilation, synthesis, and calculations used for organic-carbon storage and inventory estimates for mineral soils of the Mississippi River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buell, Gary R.; Markewich, Helaine W.

2004-01-01

U.S. Geological Survey investigations of environmental controls on carbon cycling in soils and sediments of the Mississippi River Basin (MRB), an area of 3.3 x 106 square kilometers (km2), have produced an assessment tool for estimating the storage and inventory of soil organic carbon (SOC) by using soil-characterization data from Federal, State, academic, and literature sources. The methodology is based on the linkage of site-specific SOC data (pedon data) to the soil-association map units of the U.S. Department of Agriculture State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) and Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) digital soil databases in a geographic information system. The collective pedon database assembled from individual sources presently contains 7,321 pedon records representing 2,581 soil series. SOC storage, in kilograms per square meter (kg/m2), is calculated for each pedon at standard depth intervals from 0 to 10, 10 to 20, 20 to 50, and 50 to 100 centimeters. The site-specific storage estimates are then regionalized to produce national-scale (STATSGO) and county-scale (SSURGO) maps of SOC to a specified depth. Based on this methodology, the mean SOC storage for the top meter of mineral soil in the MRB is approximately 10 kg/m2, and the total inventory is approximately 32.3 Pg (1 petagram = 109 metric tons). This inventory is from 2.5 to 3 percent of the estimated global mineral SOC pool.

Plant diversity enhances productivity and soil carbon storage

PubMed Central

Chen, Shiping; Wang, Wantong; Xu, Wenting; Wang, Yang; Wan, Hongwei; Tang, Xuli; Zhou, Guoyi; Xie, Zongqiang; Zhou, Daowei; Shangguan, Zhouping; Huang, Jianhui; Wang, Yanfen; Sheng, Jiandong; Tang, Lisong; Li, Xinrong; Dong, Ming; Wu, Yan; Wang, Qiufeng; Wu, Jianguo; Chapin, F. Stuart; Bai, Yongfei

2018-01-01

Despite evidence from experimental grasslands that plant diversity increases biomass production and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it remains unclear whether this is true in natural ecosystems, especially under climatic variations and human disturbances. Based on field observations from 6,098 forest, shrubland, and grassland sites across China and predictions from an integrative model combining multiple theories, we systematically examined the direct effects of climate, soils, and human impacts on SOC storage versus the indirect effects mediated by species richness (SR), aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), and belowground biomass (BB). We found that favorable climates (high temperature and precipitation) had a consistent negative effect on SOC storage in forests and shrublands, but not in grasslands. Climate favorability, particularly high precipitation, was associated with both higher SR and higher BB, which had consistent positive effects on SOC storage, thus offsetting the direct negative effect of favorable climate on SOC. The indirect effects of climate on SOC storage depended on the relationships of SR with ANPP and BB, which were consistently positive in all biome types. In addition, human disturbance and soil pH had both direct and indirect effects on SOC storage, with the indirect effects mediated by changes in SR, ANPP, and BB. High soil pH had a consistently negative effect on SOC storage. Our findings have important implications for improving global carbon cycling models and ecosystem management: Maintaining high levels of diversity can enhance soil carbon sequestration and help sustain the benefits of plant diversity and productivity. PMID:29666315

Plant diversity enhances productivity and soil carbon storage.

PubMed

Chen, Shiping; Wang, Wantong; Xu, Wenting; Wang, Yang; Wan, Hongwei; Chen, Dima; Tang, Zhiyao; Tang, Xuli; Zhou, Guoyi; Xie, Zongqiang; Zhou, Daowei; Shangguan, Zhouping; Huang, Jianhui; He, Jin-Sheng; Wang, Yanfen; Sheng, Jiandong; Tang, Lisong; Li, Xinrong; Dong, Ming; Wu, Yan; Wang, Qiufeng; Wang, Zhiheng; Wu, Jianguo; Chapin, F Stuart; Bai, Yongfei

2018-04-17

Despite evidence from experimental grasslands that plant diversity increases biomass production and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it remains unclear whether this is true in natural ecosystems, especially under climatic variations and human disturbances. Based on field observations from 6,098 forest, shrubland, and grassland sites across China and predictions from an integrative model combining multiple theories, we systematically examined the direct effects of climate, soils, and human impacts on SOC storage versus the indirect effects mediated by species richness (SR), aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), and belowground biomass (BB). We found that favorable climates (high temperature and precipitation) had a consistent negative effect on SOC storage in forests and shrublands, but not in grasslands. Climate favorability, particularly high precipitation, was associated with both higher SR and higher BB, which had consistent positive effects on SOC storage, thus offsetting the direct negative effect of favorable climate on SOC. The indirect effects of climate on SOC storage depended on the relationships of SR with ANPP and BB, which were consistently positive in all biome types. In addition, human disturbance and soil pH had both direct and indirect effects on SOC storage, with the indirect effects mediated by changes in SR, ANPP, and BB. High soil pH had a consistently negative effect on SOC storage. Our findings have important implications for improving global carbon cycling models and ecosystem management: Maintaining high levels of diversity can enhance soil carbon sequestration and help sustain the benefits of plant diversity and productivity.

Soil organic carbon dynamics jointly controlled by climate, carbon inputs, soil properties and soil carbon fractions.

PubMed

Luo, Zhongkui; Feng, Wenting; Luo, Yiqi; Baldock, Jeff; Wang, Enli

2017-10-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are regulated by the complex interplay of climatic, edaphic and biotic conditions. However, the interrelation of SOC and these drivers and their potential connection networks are rarely assessed quantitatively. Using observations of SOC dynamics with detailed soil properties from 90 field trials at 28 sites under different agroecosystems across the Australian cropping regions, we investigated the direct and indirect effects of climate, soil properties, carbon (C) inputs and soil C pools (a total of 17 variables) on SOC change rate (r C , Mg C ha -1  yr -1 ). Among these variables, we found that the most influential variables on r C were the average C input amount and annual precipitation, and the total SOC stock at the beginning of the trials. Overall, C inputs (including C input amount and pasture frequency in the crop rotation system) accounted for 27% of the relative influence on r C , followed by climate 25% (including precipitation and temperature), soil C pools 24% (including pool size and composition) and soil properties (such as cation exchange capacity, clay content, bulk density) 24%. Path analysis identified a network of intercorrelations of climate, soil properties, C inputs and soil C pools in determining r C . The direct correlation of r C with climate was significantly weakened if removing the effects of soil properties and C pools, and vice versa. These results reveal the relative importance of climate, soil properties, C inputs and C pools and their complex interconnections in regulating SOC dynamics. Ignorance of the impact of changes in soil properties, C pool composition and C input (quantity and quality) on SOC dynamics is likely one of the main sources of uncertainty in SOC predictions from the process-based SOC models. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Distribution and enrichment characteristics of organic carbon and total nitrogen in mollisols under long-term fertilization].

PubMed

Xu, Xiang-ru; Luo, Kun; Zhou, Bao-ku; Wang, Jing-kuan; Zhang, Wen-ju; Xu, Ming-gang

2015-07-01

The characteristics and changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in different size particles of soil under different agricultural practices are the basis for better understanding soil carbon sequestration of mollisols. Based on a 31-year long-term field experiment located at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Harbin) , soil samples under six treatments were separated by size-fractionation method to explore changes and distribution of SOC and TN in coarse sand, fine sand, silt and clay from the top layer (0-20 cm) and subsurface layer (20-40 cm). Results showed that long-term application of manure (M) increased the percentages of SOC and TN in coarse sand and clay size fractions. In the top layer, application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers combined with manure (NPKM) increased the percentages of SOC and TN in coarse sand by 191.3% and 179.3% compared with the control (CK), whereas M application increased the percentages of SOC and TN in clay by 45% and 47% respectively. For subsurface layers, the increase rates of SOC and TN in corresponding parts were lower than that in top layer. In the surface and subsurface layers, the percentages of SOC storage in silt size fraction accounted for 42%-63% and 48%-54%, TN storage accounted for 34%-59% and 41%-47%, respectively. The enrichment factors of SOC and TN in coarse sand and clay fractions of surface layers increased significantly under the treatments with manure. The SOC and TN enrichment factors were highest in the NPKM, being 2.30 and 1.88, respectively, while that in the clay fraction changed little in the subsurface layer.

Genetic dissection of seed oil and protein content and identification of networks associated with oil content in Brassica napus.

PubMed

Chao, Hongbo; Wang, Hao; Wang, Xiaodong; Guo, Liangxing; Gu, Jianwei; Zhao, Weiguo; Li, Baojun; Chen, Dengyan; Raboanatahiry, Nadia; Li, Maoteng

2017-04-10

High-density linkage maps can improve the precision of QTL localization. A high-density SNP-based linkage map containing 3207 markers covering 3072.7 cM of the Brassica napus genome was constructed in the KenC-8 × N53-2 (KNDH) population. A total of 67 and 38 QTLs for seed oil and protein content were identified with an average confidence interval of 5.26 and 4.38 cM, which could explain up to 22.24% and 27.48% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Thirty-eight associated genomic regions from BSA overlapped with and/or narrowed the SOC-QTLs, further confirming the QTL mapping results based on the high-density linkage map. Potential candidates related to acyl-lipid and seed storage underlying SOC and SPC, respectively, were identified and analyzed, among which six were checked and showed expression differences between the two parents during different embryonic developmental periods. A large primary carbohydrate pathway based on potential candidates underlying SOC- and SPC-QTLs, and interaction networks based on potential candidates underlying SOC-QTLs, was constructed to dissect the complex mechanism based on metabolic and gene regulatory features, respectively. Accurate QTL mapping and potential candidates identified based on high-density linkage map and BSA analyses provide new insights into the complex genetic mechanism of oil and protein accumulation in the seeds of rapeseed.

Experimental impedance investigation of an ultracapacitor at different conditions for electric vehicle applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lei; Hu, Xiaosong; Wang, Zhenpo; Sun, Fengchun; Dorrell, David G.

2015-08-01

Ultracapacitors (UCs) are being increasingly deployed as a short-term energy storage device in various energy systems including uninterruptable power supplies, electrified vehicles, renewable energy systems, and wireless communication. They exhibit excellent power density and energy efficiency. The dynamic behavior of a UC, however, strongly depends on its impedance characteristics. In this paper, the impedance characteristics of a commercial UC are experimentally investigated through the well-adopted Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The implications of the UC operating conditions (i.e., temperature and state of charge (SOC)) to the impedance are systematically examined. The results show that the impedance is highly sensitive to the temperature and SOC; and the temperature effect is more significant. In particular, the coupling effect between the temperature and SOC is illustrated, as well as the high-efficiency SOC window, which is highlighted. To further verify the reliability of the EIS-based investigation and to probe the sensitivity of UC parameters to the operating conditions, a dynamic model is characterized by fitting the collected impedance data. The interdependence of UC parameters (i.e., capacitance and resistance elements) on the temperature and SOC is quantitatively revealed. The impedance-based model is demonstrated to be accurate in two driving-cycle tests.

Why does carbon increase in highly weathered soil under no-till upon lime and gypsum use?

PubMed

Inagaki, Thiago Massao; de Moraes Sá, João Carlos; Caires, Eduardo Fávero; Gonçalves, Daniel Ruiz Potma

2017-12-01

Field experiments have been used to explain how soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics is affected by lime and gypsum applications, however, how SOC storage occurs is still debatable. We hypothesized that although many studies conclude that Ca-based soil amendments such as lime and gypsum may lead to SOC depletion due to the enhancement of microbial activity, the same does not occur under conservation agriculture conditions. Thus, the objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of lime and gypsum applications on soil microbial activity and SOC stocks in a no-till field and in a laboratory incubation study simulating no-till conditions. The field experiment was established in 1998 in a clayey Oxisol in southern Brazil following a completely randomized blocks design with a split-plot arrangement and three replications. Lime and gypsum were surface applied in 1998 and reapplied in 2013. Undisturbed soil samples were collected before the treatments reapplications, and one year after. The incubation experiment was carried out during 16months using these samples adding crop residues on the soil surface to simulate no-till field conditions. Lime and gypsum applications significantly increased the labile SOC stocks, microbial activity and soil fertility attributes in both field and laboratory experiments. Although the microbial activity was increased, no depletion of SOC stocks was observed in both experiments. Positive correlations were observed between microbial activity increase and SOC gains. Labile SOC and Ca 2+ content increase leads to forming complex with mineral soil fractions. Gypsum applications performed a higher influence on labile SOC pools in the field than in the laboratory experiment, which may be related to the presence of active root system in the soil profile. We conclude that incubation experiments using lime and gypsum in undisturbed samples confirm that soil microbial activity increase does not deplete SOC stocks under conservation agriculture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in Root Decomposition Rates Across Soil Depths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hicks Pries, C.; Porras, R. C.; Castanha, C.; Torn, M. S.

2016-12-01

Over half of global soil organic carbon (SOC) is stored in subsurface soils (>30 cm). Turnover times of soil organic carbon (SOC) increases with depth as evidenced by radiocarbon ages of 1,000 to more than 10,000 years in many deep soil horizons but the reasons for this increase are unclear. Many factors that potentially control SOC decomposition change with depth such as increased protection of SOC in aggregates or organo-mineral complexes and increased spatial heterogeneity of SOC "hotspots" like roots, which limit the accessibility of SOC to microbes. Lower concentrations of organic matter at depth may inhibit microbial activity due to energy limitation, and the microbial community itself changes with depth. To investigate how SOC decomposition differs with depth, we inserted a 13C-labeled fine root substrate into three depths (15, 50, and 90 cm) in a coniferous forest Alfisol and measured the root carbon remaining in particulate (>2 mm), bulk (< 2mm), free light, and mineral soil fractions over 2.5 years. We also characterized how the microbial community and SOC changed with depth. Initial rates of decomposition were unaffected by soil depth—50% of root carbon was lost from all depths within the first year. However, after 2.5 years, decomposition rates were affected by soil depth with only 15% of the root carbon remaining at 15 cm while 35% remained at 90 cm. Microbial communities, based on phospholipid fatty acid analysis, changed with depth—fungal biomarkers decreased whereas actinomycetes biomarkers increased. However, the preferences of different microbial groups for the 13C-labeled root carbon were consistent with depth. In contrast, the amount of mineral-associated SOC did not change with depth. Thus, decreased decomposition rates in this deep soil are not due to mineral associations limiting SOC availability, but may instead be due to changes in microbial communities, particularly in the microbes needed to carry out the later stages of root decomposition.

Modeling soil organic carbon stocks and changes in Spain using the GEFSOC system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Álvaro-Fuentes, Jorge; Easter, Mark; Cantero-Martínez, Carlos; Paustian, Keith

2010-05-01

Currently, there is little information about soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in Spain. To date the effects of land-use and soil management on SOC stocks in Spain have been evaluated in experimental fields under certain soil and climate conditions. However, these field experiments do not account for the spatial variability in management, cropping systems and soil and climate characteristics that exist in the whole territory. More realistic approaches like ecosystem-level dynamic simulation systems linked to geographic information systems (GIS) allow better assessments of SOC stocks at a regional or national level. The Global Environmental Facility Soil Organic Carbon (GEFSOC) system was recently built for this purpose (Milne et al., 2007) and it incorporates three widely used models for estimating SOC dynamics: (a) the Century ecosystem model; (b) the RothC soil C decomposition model; and (c) the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method for assessing soil C at regional scales. We modeled 9.5 Mha in northeast Spain using the GEFSOC system to predict SOC stocks and changes comprising: pasture, forest, cereal-fallow, cereal monoculture, orchards, rice, irrigated land and grapes and olives. The spatial distribution of the different land use categories and their change over time was obtained from the European Corine database and from Spanish census data on land use from 1926 to 2007. At the same time, current and historical management information was collected from different sources in order to have a fairly well picture of changes in land use and management for this area. Soil parameters needed by the system were obtained from the European soil map (1 km x 1 km) and climate data was produced by the Meteorology State Agency (Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Environs of Spain). The SOC stocks simulated were validated with SOC values from the European SOC map and from other national studies. Modeled SOC results suggested that spatial-based approaches are crucial for quantify SOC stocks and changes in Spain.

Large uncertainty in permafrost carbon stocks due to hillslope soil deposits

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shelef, Eitan; Rowland, Joel C.; Wilson, Cathy J.

Here, northern circumpolar permafrost soils contain more than a third of the global Soil Organic Carbon pool (SOC). The sensitivity of this carbon pool to a changing climate is a primary source of uncertainty in simulationbased climate projections. These projections, however, do not account for the accumulation of soil deposits at the base of hillslopes (hill-toes), and the influence of this accumulation on the distribution, sequestration, and decomposition of SOC in landscapes affected by permafrost. Here we combine topographic models with soil-profile data and topographic analysis to evaluate the quantity and uncertainty of SOC mass stored in perennially frozen hill-toemore » soil deposits. We show that in Alaska this SOC mass introduces an uncertainty that is > 200% than state-wide estimates of SOC stocks (77 PgC), and that a similarly large uncertainty may also pertain at a circumpolar scale. Soil sampling and geophysical-imaging efforts that target hill-toe deposits can help constrain this large uncertainty.« less

Large uncertainty in permafrost carbon stocks due to hillslope soil deposits

DOE PAGES

Shelef, Eitan; Rowland, Joel C.; Wilson, Cathy J.; ...

2017-05-31

Here, northern circumpolar permafrost soils contain more than a third of the global Soil Organic Carbon pool (SOC). The sensitivity of this carbon pool to a changing climate is a primary source of uncertainty in simulationbased climate projections. These projections, however, do not account for the accumulation of soil deposits at the base of hillslopes (hill-toes), and the influence of this accumulation on the distribution, sequestration, and decomposition of SOC in landscapes affected by permafrost. Here we combine topographic models with soil-profile data and topographic analysis to evaluate the quantity and uncertainty of SOC mass stored in perennially frozen hill-toemore » soil deposits. We show that in Alaska this SOC mass introduces an uncertainty that is > 200% than state-wide estimates of SOC stocks (77 PgC), and that a similarly large uncertainty may also pertain at a circumpolar scale. Soil sampling and geophysical-imaging efforts that target hill-toe deposits can help constrain this large uncertainty.« less

Physico-chemical protection, rather than biochemical composition, governs the responses of soil organic carbon decomposition to nitrogen addition in a temperate agroecosystem.

PubMed

Tan, Wenbing; Wang, Guoan; Huang, Caihong; Gao, Rutai; Xi, Beidou; Zhu, Biao

2017-11-15

The heterogeneous responses of soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition in different soil fractions to nitrogen (N) addition remain elusive. In this study, turnover rates of SOC in different aggregate fractions were quantified based on changes in δ 13 C following the conversion of C 3 to C 4 vegetation in a temperate agroecosystem. The turnover of both total organic matter and specific organic compound classes within each aggregate fraction was inhibited by N addition. Moreover, the intensity of inhibition increases with decreasing aggregate size and increasing N addition level, but does not vary among chemical compound classes within each aggregate fraction. Overall, the response of SOC decomposition to N addition is dependent on the physico-chemical protection of SOC by aggregates and minerals, rather than the biochemical composition of organic substrates. The results of this study could help to understand the fate of SOC in the context of increasing N deposition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cropland Field Monitoring: MMV Page 1 Montana Cropland Enrolled Farm Fields Carbon Sequestration Field Sampling, Measurement, Monitoring, and Verification: Application of Visible-Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (VNIR) and Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee Spangler; Ross Bricklemyer; David Brown

2012-03-15

There is growing need for rapid, accurate, and inexpensive methods to measure, and verify soil organic carbon (SOC) change for national greenhouse gas accounting and the development of a soil carbon trading market. Laboratory based soil characterization typically requires significant soil processing, which is time and resource intensive. This severely limits application for large-region soil characterization. Thus, development of rapid and accurate methods for characterizing soils are needed to map soil properties for precision agriculture applications, improve regional and global soil carbon (C) stock and flux estimates and efficiently map sub-surface metal contamination, among others. The greatest gains for efficientmore » soil characterization will come from collecting soil data in situ, thus minimizing soil sample transportation, processing, and lab-based measurement costs. Visible and near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (VisNIR) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) are two complementary, yet fundamentally different spectroscopic techniques that have the potential to meet this need. These sensors have the potential to be mounted on a soil penetrometer and deployed for rapid soil profile characterization at field and landscape scales. Details of sensor interaction, efficient data management, and appropriate statistical analysis techniques for model calibrations are first needed. In situ or on-the-go VisNIR spectroscopy has been proposed as a rapid and inexpensive tool for intensively mapping soil texture and organic carbon (SOC). While lab-based VisNIR has been established as a viable technique for estimating various soil properties, few experiments have compared the predictive accuracy of on-the-go and lab-based VisNIR. Eight north central Montana wheat fields were intensively interrogated using on-the-go and lab-based VisNIR. Lab-based spectral data consistently provided more accurate predictions than on-the-go data. However, neither in situ nor lab-based spectroscopy yielded even semi-quantitative SOC predictions. There was little SOC variability to explain across the eight fields, and on-the-go VisNIR was not able to capture the subtle SOC variability in these Montana soils. With more variation in soil clay content compared to SOC, both lab and on-the-go VisNIR showed better explanatory power. There are several potential explanations for poor on-the-go predictive accuracy: soil heterogeneity, field moisture, consistent sample presentation, and a difference between the spatial support of on-the-go measurements and soil samples collected for laboratory analyses. Though the current configuration of a commercially available on-the-go VisNIR system allows for rapid field scanning, on-the-go soil processing (i.e. drying, crushing, and sieving) could improve soil carbon predictions. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging elemental analysis technology with the potential to provide rapid, accurate and precise analysis of soil constituents, such as carbon, in situ across landscapes. The research team evaluated the accuracy of LIBS for measuring soil profile carbon in field-moist, intact soil cores simulating conditions that might be encountered by a probe-mounted LIBS instrument measuring soil profile carbon in situ. Over the course of three experiments, more than120 intact soil cores from eight north central Montana wheat fields and the Washington State University (WSU) Cook Agronomy Farm near Pullman, WA were interrogated with LIBS for rapid total carbon (TC), inorganic carbon (IC), and SOC determination. Partial least squares regression models were derived and independently validated at field- and regional scales. Researchers obtained the best LIBS validation predictions for IC followed by TC and SOC. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is fundamentally an elemental analysis technique, yet LIBS PLS2 models appeared to discriminate IC from TC. Regression coefficients from initial models suggested a reliance upon stoichiometric relationships between carbon (247.8 nm) and other elements related to total and inorganic carbon in the soil matrix [Ca (210.2 nm, 211.3 nm, and 220.9 nm), Mg (279.55-280.4 nm, 285.26 nm), and Si (251.6 nm, 288.1 nm)]. Expanding the LIBS spectral range to capture emissions from a broader range of elements related to soil organic matter was explored using two spectrometer systems to improve SOC predictions. Results for increasing the spectral range of LIBS to the full 200-800 nm found modest gains in prediction accuracy for IC, but no gains for predicting TC or SOC. Poor SOC predictions are likely a function of (1) the lack of a consistent/definable molecular composition of SOC, (2) relatively little variation in SOC across field sites, and (3) inorganic carbon constituting the primary form of soil carbon, particularly for Montana soils.« less

25 Years of Self-Organized Criticality: Solar and Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Crosby, Norma B.; Dimitropoulou, Michaila; Georgoulis, Manolis K.; Hergarten, Stefan; McAteer, James; Milovanov, Alexander V.; Mineshige, Shin; Morales, Laura; Nishizuka, Naoto; Pruessner, Gunnar; Sanchez, Raul; Sharma, A. Surja; Strugarek, Antoine; Uritsky, Vadim

2016-01-01

Shortly after the seminal paper "Self-Organized Criticality: An explanation of 1/ f noise" by Bak et al. (1987), the idea has been applied to solar physics, in "Avalanches and the Distribution of Solar Flares" by Lu and Hamilton (1991). In the following years, an inspiring cross-fertilization from complexity theory to solar and astrophysics took place, where the SOC concept was initially applied to solar flares, stellar flares, and magnetospheric substorms, and later extended to the radiation belt, the heliosphere, lunar craters, the asteroid belt, the Saturn ring, pulsar glitches, soft X-ray repeaters, blazars, black-hole objects, cosmic rays, and boson clouds. The application of SOC concepts has been performed by numerical cellular automaton simulations, by analytical calculations of statistical (powerlaw-like) distributions based on physical scaling laws, and by observational tests of theoretically predicted size distributions and waiting time distributions. Attempts have been undertaken to import physical models into the numerical SOC toy models, such as the discretization of magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) processes. The novel applications stimulated also vigorous debates about the discrimination between SOC models, SOC-like, and non-SOC processes, such as phase transitions, turbulence, random-walk diffusion, percolation, branching processes, network theory, chaos theory, fractality, multi-scale, and other complexity phenomena. We review SOC studies from the last 25 years and highlight new trends, open questions, and future challenges, as discussed during two recent ISSI workshops on this theme.

Networking our science to characterize the state, vulnerabilities, and management opportunities of soil organic matter.

PubMed

Harden, Jennifer W; Hugelius, Gustaf; Ahlström, Anders; Blankinship, Joseph C; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Lawrence, Corey R; Loisel, Julie; Malhotra, Avni; Jackson, Robert B; Ogle, Stephen; Phillips, Claire; Ryals, Rebecca; Todd-Brown, Katherine; Vargas, Rodrigo; Vergara, Sintana E; Cotrufo, M Francesca; Keiluweit, Marco; Heckman, Katherine A; Crow, Susan E; Silver, Whendee L; DeLonge, Marcia; Nave, Lucas E

2018-02-01

Soil organic matter (SOM) supports the Earth's ability to sustain terrestrial ecosystems, provide food and fiber, and retains the largest pool of actively cycling carbon. Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use. Large land areas have lost SOC as a result of land use practices, yet there are compensatory opportunities to enhance productivity and SOC storage in degraded lands through improved management practices. Large areas with and without intentional management are also being subjected to rapid changes in climate, making many SOC stocks vulnerable to losses by decomposition or disturbance. In order to quantify potential SOC losses or sequestration at field, regional, and global scales, measurements for detecting changes in SOC are needed. Such measurements and soil-management best practices should be based on well established and emerging scientific understanding of processes of C stabilization and destabilization over various timescales, soil types, and spatial scales. As newly engaged members of the International Soil Carbon Network, we have identified gaps in data, modeling, and communication that underscore the need for an open, shared network to frame and guide the study of SOM and SOC and their management for sustained production and climate regulation. © 2017 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Simulating soil organic carbon changes across toposequences under dryland agriculture using CQESTR

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its management under dryland cropping systems are very critical for both crop productivity and environment health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of CQESTR, a process-based C model, in simulating SOC changes across toposequences of selected ...

Measuring Sense of Community in the Military: Cross-Cultural Evidence for the Validity of the Brief Sense of Community Scale and Its Underlying Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wombacher, Jorg; Tagg, Stephen K.; Burgi, Thomas; MacBryde, Jillian

2010-01-01

In this article, the authors present a German Sense of Community (SOC) Scale for use in military settings. The scale is based on the translation and field-testing of an existing U.S.-based measure of neighborhood SOC (Peterson, Speer, & McMillan, 2008). The methodological intricacies underlying cross-cultural scale development are highlighted, as…

Rapid Inflammation in Mice Lacking Both SOCS1 and SOCS3 in Hematopoietic Cells

PubMed Central

Ushiki, Takashi; Huntington, Nicholas D.; Glaser, Stefan P.; Kiu, Hiu; Georgiou, Angela; Zhang, Jian-Guo; Nicola, Nicos A.; Roberts, Andrew W.; Alexander, Warren S.

2016-01-01

The Suppressors of Cytokine Signalling (SOCS) proteins are negative regulators of cytokine signalling required to prevent excess cellular responses. SOCS1 and SOCS3 are essential to prevent inflammatory disease, SOCS1 by attenuating responses to IFNγ and gamma-common (γc) cytokines, and SOCS3 via regulation of G-CSF and IL-6 signalling. SOCS1 and SOCS3 show significant sequence homology and are the only SOCS proteins to possess a KIR domain. The possibility of overlapping or redundant functions was investigated in inflammatory disease via generation of mice lacking both SOCS1 and SOCS3 in hematopoietic cells. Loss of SOCS3 significantly accelerated the pathology and inflammatory disease characteristic of SOCS1 deficiency. We propose a model in which SOCS1 and SOCS3 operate independently to control specific cytokine responses and together modulate the proliferation and activation of lymphoid and myeloid cells to prevent rapid inflammatory disease. PMID:27583437

Detecting small-scale spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks: a comparison between automatic chamber-derived C budgets and repeated soil inventories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Mathias; Jurisch, Nicole; Garcia Alba, Juana; Albiac Borraz, Elisa; Schmidt, Marten; Huth, Vytas; Rogasik, Helmut; Rieckh, Helene; Verch, Gernot; Sommer, Michael; Augustin, Jürgen

2017-03-01

Carbon (C) sequestration in soils plays a key role in the global C cycle. It is therefore crucial to adequately monitor dynamics in soil organic carbon (ΔSOC) stocks when aiming to reveal underlying processes and potential drivers. However, small-scale spatial (10-30 m) and temporal changes in SOC stocks, particularly pronounced in arable lands, are hard to assess. The main reasons for this are limitations of the well-established methods. On the one hand, repeated soil inventories, often used in long-term field trials, reveal spatial patterns and trends in ΔSOC but require a longer observation period and a sufficient number of repetitions. On the other hand, eddy covariance measurements of C fluxes towards a complete C budget of the soil-plant-atmosphere system may help to obtain temporal ΔSOC patterns but lack small-scale spatial resolution. To overcome these limitations, this study presents a reliable method to detect both short-term temporal dynamics as well as small-scale spatial differences of ΔSOC using measurements of the net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) as a proxy. To estimate the NECB, a combination of automatic chamber (AC) measurements of CO2 exchange and empirically modeled aboveground biomass development (NPPshoot) were used. To verify our method, results were compared with ΔSOC observed by soil resampling. Soil resampling and AC measurements were performed from 2010 to 2014 at a colluvial depression located in the hummocky ground moraine landscape of northeastern Germany. The measurement site is characterized by a variable groundwater level (GWL) and pronounced small-scale spatial heterogeneity regarding SOC and nitrogen (Nt) stocks. Tendencies and magnitude of ΔSOC values derived by AC measurements and repeated soil inventories corresponded well. The period of maximum plant growth was identified as being most important for the development of spatial differences in annual ΔSOC. Hence, we were able to confirm that AC-based C budgets are able to reveal small-scale spatial differences and short-term temporal dynamics of ΔSOC.

Settling Velocity Specific SOC Distribution along Hillslopes - A field investigation in Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, N. J.; Hu, Y.

2015-12-01

The net effects of soil erosion by water, as a sink or source of atmospheric CO2, are decisively affected by the spatial re-distribution and stability of eroded soil organic carbon (SOC). The deposition position of eroded SOC, into terrestrial or aquatic systems, is actually decided by the transport distances of soil fractions where the SOC is stored. In theory, the transport distances of aggregated soil fractions are related to their settling velocities under given layer conditions. Yet, little field investigation has been conducted to examine the actual movement of eroded soil fractions along hillslopes, let alone the re-distribution pattern of functional SOC fractions. Eroding sandy soils and sediment were sampled after a series of rainfall events from different topographic positions along a slope on a freshly seeded cropland in Jutland, Denmark. All the soil samples from difference topographic positions along the slope were fractionated into five settling classes using a settling tube apparatus. The SOC content, 13C signature, and C:N ratios of all settling fractions were measured. Our results show that: 1) the spatial distribution of soil settling classes along the slope clearly shows a coarsening effect at the deposition area immediately below the eroding slope, followed by a fining trend on the deposition area at the slope tail. This proves the validity of the conceptual model in Starr et al. 2000 to predict SOC redistribution patterns along eroding hillslopes. 2) The isotopically enriched 13C on the slope back suggests greater decomposition rates possibly experienced by eroded SOC during transport, while the pronounced respiration rates at the slope tail indicate a great potential of CO2 emissions after deposition. Overall, our results illustrate that immediate deposition of fast settling soil fractions, and the thus induced preferential deposition of SOC at foot slope and potential CO2 emissions during transport, must be appropriately accounted for in current soil carbon balances. To achieve this, a SOC erodibility parameter based on the actual settling velocity distribution of eroded fractions (aggregated or not aggregated) is urgently needed to better parameterize soil erosion models with respect to SOC spatial redistribution.

Multidecadal persistence of organic matter in soils: insights from spatially resolved investigations at the submicrometer scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutfalla, Suzanne; Barré, Pierre; Bernard, Sylvain; Le Guillou, Corentin; Alléon, Julien; Chenu, Claire

2016-04-01

Better understanding the mechanisms responsible for the pluri-decadal persistence of carbon in soils requires well constraining the dynamics, the distribution and the chemical nature of both the soil organic carbon (SOC) and the associated mineral phases. The question we address in this work is whether different mineral species lead to different organo-mineral interactions and stabilize different quantities of SOM and different types of SOC. Here, benefiting from the unique opportunity offered by an INRA long term bare fallow (LTBF) experiment having started in 1928 in Versailles (France), we report the in-situ characterization of SOC dynamics in four clay fractions of this silty loam soil (total clays [TC, <2μm], coarse clays [CC, 0.2-2μm], intermediate clays [IC, 0.05-0.2μm] and fine clays [FC, 0-0.05μm]). The IC and FC fractions only contain smectite and illite/smectite mixed-layered clay minerals while the CC fraction also contains illite and kaolinite. In the absence of any carbon input, the plant-free LTBF clay fractions from Versailles progressively lost SOC during the first 50 years of the experiment, until they reached a seemingly stable concentration. Of note, the investigated clay fractions did not lose the same amount of SOC and do not exhibit the same final carbon concentrations. The decrease of the organic C:N ratios with LTBF duration corresponds to a progressive enrichment in N-rich SOC for all fractions which can be attributed to microbial material. Even though the speciation of SOC appears to only slightly evolve with LTBF duration, an enrichment in carboxyl and carbonyl groups is revealed by bulk-scale C-NEXAFS data for SOC from all clay fractions. In addition, STXM-based NEXAFS investigations at the submicrometer scale reveal three types of SOC-clay assemblages in addition to clay-free SOC and organic-free clays. While SOC appears mostly adsorbed onto clay surfaces within the IC and FC fractions, other protection mechanisms occur within the CC fraction. Altogether, the present study suggests that smectite have more efficient protection capabilities than those of illite and kaolinite.

Deforestation impacts on soil organic carbon stocks in the Semiarid Chaco Region, Argentina.

PubMed

Villarino, Sebastián Horacio; Studdert, Guillermo Alberto; Baldassini, Pablo; Cendoya, María Gabriela; Ciuffoli, Lucía; Mastrángelo, Matias; Piñeiro, Gervasio

2017-01-01

Land use change affects soil organic carbon (SOC) and generates CO 2 emissions. Moreover, SOC depletion entails degradation of soil functions that support ecosystem services. Large areas covered by dry forests have been cleared in the Semiarid Chaco Region of Argentina for cropping expansion. However, deforestation impacts on the SOC stock and its distribution in the soil profile have been scarcely reported. We assessed these impacts based on the analysis of field data along a time-since-deforestation-for-cropping chronosequence, and remote sensing indices. Soil organic C was determined up to 100cm depth and physically fractionated into mineral associated organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic C (POC). Models describing vertical distribution of SOC were fitted. Total SOC, POC and MAOC stocks decreased markedly with increasing cropping age. Particulate organic C was the most sensitive fraction to cultivation. After 10yr of cropping SOC loss was around 30%, with greater POC loss (near 60%) and smaller MAOC loss (near 15%), at 0-30cm depth. Similar relative SOC losses were observed in deeper soil layers (30-60 and 60-100cm). Deforestation and subsequent cropping also modified SOC vertical distribution. Soil organic C loss was negatively associated with the proportion of maize in the rotation and total crop biomass inputs, but positively associated with the proportion of soybean in the rotation. Without effective land use polices, deforestation and agricultural expansion can lead to rapid soil degradation and reductions in the provision of important ecosystem services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economics- and policy-driven organic carbon input enhancement dominates soil organic carbon accumulation in Chinese croplands.

PubMed

Zhao, Yongcun; Wang, Meiyan; Hu, Shuijin; Zhang, Xudong; Ouyang, Zhu; Zhang, Ganlin; Huang, Biao; Zhao, Shiwei; Wu, Jinshui; Xie, Deti; Zhu, Bo; Yu, Dongsheng; Pan, Xianzhang; Xu, Shengxiang; Shi, Xuezheng

2018-04-17

China's croplands have experienced drastic changes in management practices, such as fertilization, tillage, and residue treatments, since the 1980s. There is an ongoing debate about the impact of these changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) and its implications. Here we report results from an extensive study that provided direct evidence of cropland SOC sequestration in China. Based on the soil sampling locations recorded by the Second National Soil Survey of China in 1980, we collected 4,060 soil samples in 2011 from 58 counties that represent the typical cropping systems across China. Our results showed that across the country, the average SOC stock in the topsoil (0-20 cm) increased from 28.6 Mg C ha -1 in 1980 to 32.9 Mg C ha -1 in 2011, representing a net increase of 140 kg C ha -1 year -1 However, the SOC change differed among the major agricultural regions: SOC increased in all major agronomic regions except in Northeast China. The SOC sequestration was largely attributed to increased organic inputs driven by economics and policy: while higher root biomass resulting from enhanced crop productivity by chemical fertilizers predominated before 2000, higher residue inputs following the large-scale implementation of crop straw/stover return policy took over thereafter. The SOC change was negatively related to N inputs in East China, suggesting that the excessive N inputs, plus the shallowness of plow layers, may constrain the future C sequestration in Chinese croplands. Our results indicate that cropland SOC sequestration can be achieved through effectively manipulating economic and policy incentives to farmers.

Macroaggregation and soil organic carbon restoration in a highly weathered Brazilian Oxisol after two decades under no-till.

PubMed

de Oliveira Ferreira, Ademir; de Moraes Sá, João Carlos; Lal, Rattan; Tivet, Florent; Briedis, Clever; Inagaki, Thiago Massao; Gonçalves, Daniel Ruiz Potma; Romaniw, Jucimare

2018-04-15

Conclusions based on studies of the impacts of soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and soil texture on macroaggregation and SOC stabilization in long-term (>20years) no-till (NT) fields remain debatable. This study was based on the hypothesis that the amount and frequency of biomass-C input associated with NT can be a pathway to formation of macroaggregates and to SOC buildup. The objectives were to: 1) assess the macroaggregate distribution (proportional mass, class mass) and the SOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) stocks of extra-large (8-19mm), large (2-8mm) and small (0.25-2mm) macroaggregate size classes managed for two decades by NT, and 2) assess the recovery of SOC stocks in extra-large macroaggregates compared to adjacent native vegetation (Andropogon sp., Aristida sp., Paspalum sp., and Panicum sp.). The crop rotation systems were: soybean (Glycine max L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in summer; and black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb), white oat (Avena sativa), vetch (Vicia sativa L.), black oat.+vetch (Avena strigosa Schreb+vetch) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in winter. The experimental was laid out as 2×2 randomized block factorial with 12 replicates of a NT experiment established in 1997 on two highly weathered Oxisols. The factors comprised of: (a) two soil textural types: clay loam and sandy clay, and (b) two sampling depths: 0-5 and 5-20cm. The three classes of macroaggregates were obtained by wet sieving, and the SOC content was determined by the dry combustion method. The extra-large macroaggregate classes in 0-20cm depth for sandy clay (SdC) and clay loam (CL) Oxisol represented 75.2 and 72.4% of proportional mass, respectively. The SOC and POC stocks among macroaggregate classes in 0-5 and 5-20cm depths decreased in the order: 8-19mm>2-8mm ≈ 0.25-2mm. The SdC plots under soybean/maize at 3:1 ratio recovered 58.3%, while those at 1:1 ratio (high maize frequency) in CL recovered 73.1% of SOC stock in the extra-large macroaggregates compared with the same under native vegetation for 0-20cm depth. Thus, partial restoration of the SOC stock in original extra-large macroaggregate confirms the hypothesis that NT through higher maize cultivation frequency can be a pathway to fomation of macroaggregates and SOC buildup. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Underestimation of soil carbon stocks by Yasso07, Q, and CENTURY models in boreal forest linked to overlooking site fertility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ťupek, Boris; Ortiz, Carina; Hashimoto, Shoji; Stendahl, Johan; Dahlgren, Jonas; Karltun, Erik; Lehtonen, Aleksi

2016-04-01

The soil organic carbon stock (SOC) changes estimated by the most process based soil carbon models (e.g. Yasso07, Q and CENTURY), needed for reporting of changes in soil carbon amounts for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and for mitigation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions by soil carbon management, can be biased if in a large mosaic of environments the models are missing a key factor driving SOC sequestration. To our knowledge soil nutrient status as a missing driver of these models was not tested in previous studies. Although, it's known that models fail to reconstruct the spatial variation and that soil nutrient status drives the ecosystem carbon use efficiency and soil carbon sequestration. We evaluated SOC stock estimates of Yasso07, Q and CENTURY process based models against the field data from Swedish Forest Soil National Inventories (3230 samples) organized by recursive partitioning method (RPART) into distinct soil groups with underlying SOC stock development linked to physicochemical conditions. These models worked for most soils with approximately average SOC stocks, but could not reproduce higher measured SOC stocks in our application. The Yasso07 and Q models that used only climate and litterfall input data and ignored soil properties generally agreed with two third of measurements. However, in comparison with measurements grouped according to the gradient of soil nutrient status we found that the models underestimated for the Swedish boreal forest soils with higher site fertility. Accounting for soil texture (clay, silt, and sand content) and structure (bulk density) in CENTURY model showed no improvement on carbon stock estimates, as CENTURY deviated in similar manner. We highlighted the mechanisms why models deviate from the measurements and the ways of considering soil nutrient status in further model development. Our analysis suggested that the models indeed lack other predominat drivers of SOC stabilization presumably the different role of microbes in carbon mineralization in relation to nitrogen availability and the organo - mineral carbon associations. Our results imply that the role of soil nutrient status as a regulator of carbon mineralization has to be re-evaluated, because we should have models that have their steady state SOC stocks at right level in order to predict future SOC change.

Molecular cloning and potential function prediction of homologous SOC1 genes in tree peony.

PubMed

Wang, Shunli; Beruto, Margherita; Xue, Jingqi; Zhu, Fuyong; Liu, Chuanjiao; Yan, Yueming; Zhang, Xiuxin

2015-08-01

The central flower integrator PsSOC1 was isolated and its expression profiles were analyzed; then the potential function of PsSOC1 in tree peony was postulated. The six flowering genes PrSOC1, PdSOC1, PsSOC1, PsSOC1-1, PsSOC1-2, and PsSOC1-3 were isolated from Paeonia rockii, Paeonia delavayi, and Paeonia suffruticosa, respectively. Sequence comparison analysis showed that the six genes were highly conserved and shared 99.41% nucleotide identity. Further investigation suggested PsSOC1 was highly homologous to the floral integrators, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1), from Arabidopsis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the SOC1 protein clustering has family specificity and PsSOC1 has a close relationship with homologous SOC1 from Asteraceae species. The studies of PsSOC1's expression patterns in different buds and flower buds, and vegetative organs indicated that PsSOC1 could express in both vegetative and reproductive organs. While the expression of PsSOC1 in different developmental stages of buds was different; high expression levels of PsSOC1 occurred in the bud at the bud sprouting stage and the type I aborted the flower bud. PsSOC1 expression was also shown to be affected by gibberellins (GA), low temperature, and photoperiod. One of the pathways that regulates tree peony flowering may be the GA-inductive pathway. Ectopic expression of PsSOC1 in tobacco demonstrated that greater PsSOC1 expression in the transgenic tobacco plants not only promoted plant growth, but also advanced the flowering time. Finally, the potential function of PsSOC1 in tree peony was postulated.

A King's College London Undergraduate Psychiatry Society event to challenge the stigma attached to psychological problems in healthcare professionals and students.

PubMed

Hankir, Ahmed; Zaman, Rashid; Lim, Mao Fong; Lever, Isabel; Brothwood, Phillipa; Carrick, Frederick R; Hughes, Jamie Hacker; Jones, Charlotte Wilson

2017-09-01

There are higher levels of psychological distress in healthcare professionals and students compared to the general population. Yet, despite the availability of effective treatment, many in this group continue to suffer in silence. Fear of exposure to stigmatization has been identified to be a major barrier to accessing and using mental health services. King's College London Undergraduate Psychiatry Society (KCL PsychSoc) organized an event entitled, 'What does bipolar disorder even mean? Psychological distress: How can we challenge the stigma?'. Healthcare professionals who themselves recovered from psychological problems and a mental health advocate with first-hand experience of psychological distress were invited to deliver talks followed by an interactive question and answer session. We conducted a single-arm pre-post comparison study. People who attended the KCL Psych Soc event were recruited to participate. Validated stigma scales on knowledge (Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), attitudes (Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill) and behavior (Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS)) were administered on participants before and immediately after exposure to the event. 44/44 of the participants recruited completed the study (100% response rate). There were statistically significant changes in the respondents' scores for all 3 stigma scales (p value MAKS<0.0001, p value CAMI<0.0001, p value RIBS=0.0011). As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study to date of an anti-stigma intervention comprised of healthcare professionals with first-hand experience of psychological distress. The KCL PsychSoc event was associated with statistically significant changes in the respondents' scores in all three of the stigma scales. More robust research in this area is needed before scaling up similar anti-stigma initiatives.

Implications of observed and simulated soil carbon sequestration for management options in corn-based rotations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Managing cropping systems to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) improves soil health and a system’s resiliency to impacts of changing climate. Our objectives were to 1) monitor SOC from a bio-energy cropping study in central Pennsylvania that included a corn-soybean-alfalfa rotation, switchgrass, a...

Implications of observed and simulated soil carbon sequestration for management options in corn-based rotations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Managing cropping systems to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) improves soil health and a system’s resiliency to impacts of changing climate. Our objectives were to 1) monitor SOC from a bio-energy cropping study in central Pennsylvania that included a corn-soybean-alfalfa rotation, switchgrass, ...

IGF-1 induces SOCS-2 but not SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 transcription in juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

PubMed

Liu, Cai-Zhi; Luo, Yuan; Limbu, Samwel Mchele; Chen, Li-Qiao; Du, Zhen-Yu

2018-05-20

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) plays a crucial role in regulating growth in vertebrates whereas suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) act as feedback inhibitors of the GH/IGF-1 axis. Although SOCS-2 binds the IGF-1 receptor and inhibits IGF-1-induced STAT3 activation, presently there is no clear evidence as to whether IGF-1 could induce SOCS gene expression. The current study aimed to determine whether IGF-1 could induce the transcription of SOCS in juvenile Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ). We show that there is a common positive relationship between the mRNA expression of IGF-I and SOCS-2 under different nutritional statuses and stimulants, but not the mRNA expression of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 Furthermore, rhIGF-1 treatment and transcriptional activity assay confirmed the hypothesis that IGF-1 could induce SOCS-2 expression, whereas it had no effect or even decreased the expression of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 Overall, we obtained evidence that the transcription of SOCS-2, but not SOCS-1 or SOCS-3, could be induced by IGF signaling, suggesting that SOCS-2 serves as a feedback suppressor of the IGF-1 axis in juvenile Nile tilapia. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Calculations of spin-polarized Goos-Hänchen displacement in magnetically confined GaAs/Al x Ga1-x As nanostructure modulated by spin-orbit couplings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Mao-Wang; Chen, Sai-Yan; Zhang, Gui-Lian; Huang, Xin-Hong

2018-04-01

We theoretically investigate Goos-Hänchen (GH) displacement by modelling the spin transport in an archetypal device structure—a magnetically confined GaAs/Al x Ga1-x As nanostructure modulated by spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Both Rashba and Dresselhaus SOCs are taken into account. The degree of spin-polarized GH displacement can be tuned by Rashba or Dresselhaus SOC, i.e. interfacial confining electric field or strain engineering. Based on such a semiconductor nanostructure, a controllable spatial spin splitter can be proposed for spintronics applications.

Calculations of spin-polarized Goos-Hänchen displacement in magnetically confined GaAs/Al x Ga1-x As nanostructure modulated by spin-orbit couplings.

PubMed

Lu, Mao-Wang; Chen, Sai-Yan; Zhang, Gui-Lian; Huang, Xin-Hong

2018-04-11

We theoretically investigate Goos-Hänchen (GH) displacement by modelling the spin transport in an archetypal device structure-a magnetically confined GaAs/Al x Ga 1-x As nanostructure modulated by spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Both Rashba and Dresselhaus SOCs are taken into account. The degree of spin-polarized GH displacement can be tuned by Rashba or Dresselhaus SOC, i.e. interfacial confining electric field or strain engineering. Based on such a semiconductor nanostructure, a controllable spatial spin splitter can be proposed for spintronics applications.

Experimental Evaluation of the Synthetic Solid Electrolyte Interface (SSEI) Concept for the Primary Ca-SOCl2 Battery System

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

coatings based on the Ca(Sr,Y)- Ge-S system can serve as an effective SSEI for Ca anodes in Ca-SOC12 primary cells using 1 M Ca(AlCl4 )2 as the electrolyte...I iy - LFI. CDY 4 EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE SYNTHETIC SOLID ELECTROLYTE INTERFACE ( SSEI ) CONCEPT FOR THE PRIMARY Ca-SOC1 2 BA LERY SYSTEM...apply the concept of a synthetic solid electrolyte interface ( SSEI ) to overcome the problem of Ca corro- sion in Ca-SOC 2 primary cells. / To this end

Modeling spatial patterns of soil respiration in maize fields from vegetation and soil property factors with the use of remote sensing and geographical information system.

PubMed

Huang, Ni; Wang, Li; Guo, Yiqiang; Hao, Pengyu; Niu, Zheng

2014-01-01

To examine the method for estimating the spatial patterns of soil respiration (Rs) in agricultural ecosystems using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS), Rs rates were measured at 53 sites during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China. Through Pearson's correlation analysis, leaf area index (LAI), canopy chlorophyll content, aboveground biomass, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and soil total nitrogen content were selected as the factors that affected spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize. The use of a structural equation modeling approach revealed that only LAI and SOC content directly affected Rs. Meanwhile, other factors indirectly affected Rs through LAI and SOC content. When three greenness vegetation indices were extracted from an optical image of an environmental and disaster mitigation satellite in China, enhanced vegetation index (EVI) showed the best correlation with LAI and was thus used as a proxy for LAI to estimate Rs at the regional scale. The spatial distribution of SOC content was obtained by extrapolating the SOC content at the plot scale based on the kriging interpolation method in GIS. When data were pooled for 38 plots, a first-order exponential analysis indicated that approximately 73% of the spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize can be explained by EVI and SOC content. Further test analysis based on independent data from 15 plots showed that the simple exponential model had acceptable accuracy in estimating the spatial patterns of Rs in maize fields on the basis of remotely sensed EVI and GIS-interpolated SOC content, with R2 of 0.69 and root-mean-square error of 0.51 µmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1). The conclusions from this study provide valuable information for estimates of Rs during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China.

Modeling Spatial Patterns of Soil Respiration in Maize Fields from Vegetation and Soil Property Factors with the Use of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System

PubMed Central

Huang, Ni; Wang, Li; Guo, Yiqiang; Hao, Pengyu; Niu, Zheng

2014-01-01

To examine the method for estimating the spatial patterns of soil respiration (Rs) in agricultural ecosystems using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS), Rs rates were measured at 53 sites during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China. Through Pearson's correlation analysis, leaf area index (LAI), canopy chlorophyll content, aboveground biomass, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and soil total nitrogen content were selected as the factors that affected spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize. The use of a structural equation modeling approach revealed that only LAI and SOC content directly affected Rs. Meanwhile, other factors indirectly affected Rs through LAI and SOC content. When three greenness vegetation indices were extracted from an optical image of an environmental and disaster mitigation satellite in China, enhanced vegetation index (EVI) showed the best correlation with LAI and was thus used as a proxy for LAI to estimate Rs at the regional scale. The spatial distribution of SOC content was obtained by extrapolating the SOC content at the plot scale based on the kriging interpolation method in GIS. When data were pooled for 38 plots, a first-order exponential analysis indicated that approximately 73% of the spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize can be explained by EVI and SOC content. Further test analysis based on independent data from 15 plots showed that the simple exponential model had acceptable accuracy in estimating the spatial patterns of Rs in maize fields on the basis of remotely sensed EVI and GIS-interpolated SOC content, with R2 of 0.69 and root-mean-square error of 0.51 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1. The conclusions from this study provide valuable information for estimates of Rs during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China. PMID:25157827

A novel software and conceptual design of the hardware platform for intensity modulated radiation therapy.

PubMed

Nguyen, Dan; Ruan, Dan; O'Connor, Daniel; Woods, Kaley; Low, Daniel A; Boucher, Salime; Sheng, Ke

2016-02-01

To deliver high quality intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using a novel generalized sparse orthogonal collimators (SOCs), the authors introduce a novel direct aperture optimization (DAO) approach based on discrete rectangular representation. A total of seven patients-two glioblastoma multiforme, three head & neck (including one with three prescription doses), and two lung-were included. 20 noncoplanar beams were selected using a column generation and pricing optimization method. The SOC is a generalized conventional orthogonal collimators with N leaves in each collimator bank, where N = 1, 2, or 4. SOC degenerates to conventional jaws when N = 1. For SOC-based IMRT, rectangular aperture optimization (RAO) was performed to optimize the fluence maps using rectangular representation, producing fluence maps that can be directly converted into a set of deliverable rectangular apertures. In order to optimize the dose distribution and minimize the number of apertures used, the overall objective was formulated to incorporate an L2 penalty reflecting the difference between the prescription and the projected doses, and an L1 sparsity regularization term to encourage a low number of nonzero rectangular basis coefficients. The optimization problem was solved using the Chambolle-Pock algorithm, a first-order primal-dual algorithm. Performance of RAO was compared to conventional two-step IMRT optimization including fluence map optimization and direct stratification for multileaf collimator (MLC) segmentation (DMS) using the same number of segments. For the RAO plans, segment travel time for SOC delivery was evaluated for the N = 1, N = 2, and N = 4 SOC designs to characterize the improvement in delivery efficiency as a function of N. Comparable PTV dose homogeneity and coverage were observed between the RAO and the DMS plans. The RAO plans were slightly superior to the DMS plans in sparing critical structures. On average, the maximum and mean critical organ doses were reduced by 1.94% and 1.44% of the prescription dose. The average number of delivery segments was 12.68 segments per beam for both the RAO and DMS plans. The N = 2 and N = 4 SOC designs were, on average, 1.56 and 1.80 times more efficient than the N = 1 SOC design to deliver. The mean aperture size produced by the RAO plans was 3.9 times larger than that of the DMS plans. The DAO and dose domain optimization approach enabled high quality IMRT plans using a low-complexity collimator setup. The dosimetric quality is comparable or slightly superior to conventional MLC-based IMRT plans using the same number of delivery segments. The SOC IMRT delivery efficiency can be significantly improved by increasing the leaf numbers, but the number is still significantly lower than the number of leaves in a typical MLC.

Genetic dissection of seed oil and protein content and identification of networks associated with oil content in Brassica napus

PubMed Central

Chao, Hongbo; Wang, Hao; Wang, Xiaodong; Guo, Liangxing; Gu, Jianwei; Zhao, Weiguo; Li, Baojun; Chen, Dengyan; Raboanatahiry, Nadia; Li, Maoteng

2017-01-01

High-density linkage maps can improve the precision of QTL localization. A high-density SNP-based linkage map containing 3207 markers covering 3072.7 cM of the Brassica napus genome was constructed in the KenC-8 × N53-2 (KNDH) population. A total of 67 and 38 QTLs for seed oil and protein content were identified with an average confidence interval of 5.26 and 4.38 cM, which could explain up to 22.24% and 27.48% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Thirty-eight associated genomic regions from BSA overlapped with and/or narrowed the SOC-QTLs, further confirming the QTL mapping results based on the high-density linkage map. Potential candidates related to acyl-lipid and seed storage underlying SOC and SPC, respectively, were identified and analyzed, among which six were checked and showed expression differences between the two parents during different embryonic developmental periods. A large primary carbohydrate pathway based on potential candidates underlying SOC- and SPC-QTLs, and interaction networks based on potential candidates underlying SOC-QTLs, was constructed to dissect the complex mechanism based on metabolic and gene regulatory features, respectively. Accurate QTL mapping and potential candidates identified based on high-density linkage map and BSA analyses provide new insights into the complex genetic mechanism of oil and protein accumulation in the seeds of rapeseed. PMID:28393910

Tuning Rashba spin-orbit coupling in homogeneous semiconductor nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wójcik, Paweł; Bertoni, Andrea; Goldoni, Guido

2018-04-01

We use k .p theory to estimate the Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in large semiconductor nanowires. We specifically investigate GaAs- and InSb-based devices with different gate configurations to control symmetry and localization of the electron charge density. We explore gate-controlled SOC for wires of different size and doping, and we show that in high carrier density SOC has a nonlinear electric field susceptibility, due to large reshaping of the quantum states. We analyze recent experiments with InSb nanowires in light of our calculations. Good agreement is found with the SOC coefficients reported in Phys. Rev. B 91, 201413(R) (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevB.91.201413, but not with the much larger values reported in Nat. Commun. 8, 478 (2017), 10.1038/s41467-017-00315-y. We discuss possible origins of this discrepancy.

Health-related quality of life and sense of coherence among the unemployed with autotelic, average, and non-autotelic personalities: a cross-sectional survey in Hiroshima, Japan.

PubMed

Hirao, Kazuki; Kobayashi, Ryuji

2013-01-01

Unemployment is known to have a negative effect on the quality of life (QOL) of individuals. However, the influence of an autotelic personality on QOL and SOC of unemployed individuals remains unclear. Our study compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sense of coherence (SOC) among 3 groups: (i) an autotelic personality group (AP), which tends to "go with the flow," (ii) an average group (AV), and (iii) a non-autotelic personality group (NAP). In October 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 140 job trainees not receiving unemployment benefits in Hiroshima, Japan. We collected 134 completed questionnaires. Autotelic personality was investigated using the Flow Experience Checklist, health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form (SF-8) Health Survey, and SOC was measured using the University of Tokyo Health Sociology version of the SOC3 scale (SOC3-UTHS). The average age of participants was 36.14±11.54 year. Participants were classified into 3 groups based on daily activity values: 4+ for AP (n = 22), 1-3 for AV (n = 82), and 0 for NAP (n = 30). Significant differences were observed in mental component summary (MCS) score and SOC3-UTHS total scores in the ranking order of AP (highest), AV, and NAP. Our findings indicate a need to develop programs for facilitating AP among unemployed people to enhance mental QOL and SOC.

Development of an embedded atmospheric turbulence mitigation engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paolini, Aaron; Bonnett, James; Kozacik, Stephen; Kelmelis, Eric

2017-05-01

Methods to reconstruct pictures from imagery degraded by atmospheric turbulence have been under development for decades. The techniques were initially developed for observing astronomical phenomena from the Earth's surface, but have more recently been modified for ground and air surveillance scenarios. Such applications can impose significant constraints on deployment options because they both increase the computational complexity of the algorithms themselves and often dictate a requirement for low size, weight, and power (SWaP) form factors. Consequently, embedded implementations must be developed that can perform the necessary computations on low-SWaP platforms. Fortunately, there is an emerging class of embedded processors driven by the mobile and ubiquitous computing industries. We have leveraged these processors to develop embedded versions of the core atmospheric correction engine found in our ATCOM software. In this paper, we will present our experience adapting our algorithms for embedded systems on a chip (SoCs), namely the NVIDIA Tegra that couples general-purpose ARM cores with their graphics processing unit (GPU) technology and the Xilinx Zynq which pairs similar ARM cores with their field-programmable gate array (FPGA) fabric.

Networking our science to characterize the state, vulnerabilities, and management opportunities of soil organic matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harden, Jennifer W.; Hugelius, Gustaf; Ahlstrom, Anders

Here, soil organic matter supports the Earth’s ability to sustain terrestrial ecosystems, provide food and fiber, and retain the largest pool of actively cycling carbon (C). Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use. Large land areas have lost SOC as a result of land use practices, yet there are compensatory opportunities to enhance land productivity and SOC storage in degraded lands through improved management practices. Large areas with and without intentional management are also being subjected to rapid changes in climate, making many SOC stocks vulnerablemore » to losses by decomposition or disturbance. In order to quantify potential SOC losses or sequestration at field, regional, and global scales, measurements for detecting changes in SOC are needed. Such measurements and soil-management best practices should be based on well-established and emerging scientific understanding of processes of C stabilization and destabilization over various timescales, soil types, and spatial scales. As newly engaged members of the International Soil Carbon Network, we have identified gaps in data, modeling, and communication that underscore the need for an open, shared network to frame and guide the study of soil organic matter and C and their management for sustained production and climate regulation.« less

Networking our science to characterize the state, vulnerabilities, and management opportunities of soil organic matter

DOE PAGES

Harden, Jennifer W.; Hugelius, Gustaf; Ahlstrom, Anders; ...

2017-10-05

Here, soil organic matter supports the Earth’s ability to sustain terrestrial ecosystems, provide food and fiber, and retain the largest pool of actively cycling carbon (C). Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use. Large land areas have lost SOC as a result of land use practices, yet there are compensatory opportunities to enhance land productivity and SOC storage in degraded lands through improved management practices. Large areas with and without intentional management are also being subjected to rapid changes in climate, making many SOC stocks vulnerablemore » to losses by decomposition or disturbance. In order to quantify potential SOC losses or sequestration at field, regional, and global scales, measurements for detecting changes in SOC are needed. Such measurements and soil-management best practices should be based on well-established and emerging scientific understanding of processes of C stabilization and destabilization over various timescales, soil types, and spatial scales. As newly engaged members of the International Soil Carbon Network, we have identified gaps in data, modeling, and communication that underscore the need for an open, shared network to frame and guide the study of soil organic matter and C and their management for sustained production and climate regulation.« less

Suppressors of cytokine-signaling proteins induce insulin resistance in the retina and promote survival of retinal cells.

PubMed

Liu, Xuebin; Mameza, Marie G; Lee, Yun Sang; Eseonu, Chikezie I; Yu, Cheng-Rong; Kang Derwent, Jennifer J; Egwuagu, Charles E

2008-06-01

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are implicated in the etiology of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Here, we show that some SOCS members are induced, while others are constitutively expressed, in retina and examine whether persistent elevation of SOCS levels in retina by chronic inflammation or cellular stress predisposes to developing insulin resistance in retina, a condition implicated in diabetic retinopathy. SOCS-mediated insulin resistance and neuroprotection in retina were investigated in 1) an experimental uveitis model, 2) SOCS1 transgenic rats, 3) insulin-deficient diabetic rats, 4) retinal cells depleted of SOCS6 or overexpressing SOCS1/SOCS3, and 5) oxidative stress and light-induced retinal degeneration models. We show that constitutive expression of SOCS6 protein in retinal neurons may improve glucose metabolism, while elevated SOCS1/SOCS3 expression during uveitis induces insulin resistance in neuroretina. SOCS-mediated insulin resistance, as indicated by its inhibition of basally active phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT signaling in retina, is validated in retina-specific SOCS1 transgenic rats and retinal cells overexpressing SOCS1/SOCS3. We further show that the SOCS3 level is elevated in retina by oxidative stress, metabolic stress of insulin-deficient diabetes, or light-induced retinal damage and protects ganglion cells from apoptosis, suggesting that upregulation of SOCS3 may be a common physiologic response of neuroretinal cells to cellular stress. Our data suggest two-sided roles of SOCS proteins in retina. Whereas SOCS proteins may improve glucose metabolism, mitigate deleterious effects of inflammation, and promote neuroprotection, persistent SOCS3 expression caused by chronic inflammation or cellular stress can induce insulin resistance and inhibit neurotrophic factors, such as ciliary neurotrophic factor, leukemia inhibitory factor, and insulin, that are essential for retinal cell survival.

Stress and medicine use for headache: does sense of coherence modify the association?

PubMed

Koushede, Vibeke; Holstein, Bjørn E; Andersen, Anette; Hansen, Ebba Holme

2011-10-01

Medicine use as a strategy for coping with daily stressors is an under-studied issue. Studies show that stress is associated with use of over-the-counter medicine, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether sense of coherence (SOC) modifies the association between perceived stress and medicine use for headache. National cross-sectional study in Denmark. men and women aged 25-44 years, n = 990. The survey was conducted by web-based questionnaires and telephone interviews. The outcome measure was medicine use for headache. The independent variable was perceived stress. SOC and gender were investigated as moderators. Social class, headache prevalence and severity, and response method were included as co-variates. Our study showed that SOC modified the association between stress and medicine use for headache (only statistically significant among women). The odds for medicine use among women who felt stressed were 2.30 (1.39-3.79) compared to women who did not feel stressed; among men who felt stressed the equivalent odds were 1.46 (0.80-2.66). In analysis stratified by SOC, the odds for medicine use when stressed were 2.09 (0.71-6.21) among women with high SOC, 2.21 (1.10-4.41) among women with medium SOC and 3.69 (1.09-12.47) among women with low SOC. The equivalent odds for men were 1.29 (0.33-5.04), 1.33 (0.59-3.04) and 2.47 (0.57-10.64), respectively. SOC modifies the association between stress and medicine use especially among women. Individuals with fewer coping resources may be more likely to use medicine beyond indication to treat stress.

Application of a modeling approach to designate soil and soil organic carbon loss to wind erosion on long-term monitoring sites (BDF) in Northern Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nerger, Rainer; Funk, Roger; Cordsen, Eckhard; Fohrer, Nicola

2017-04-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) loss is a serious problem in maize monoculture areas of Northern Germany. Sites of the soil monitoring network (SMN) "Boden-Dauerbeobachtung" show long-term soil and SOC losses, which cannot be explained by conventional SOC balances nor by other non-Aeolian causes. Using a process-based model, the main objective was to determine whether these losses can be explained by wind erosion. In the long-term context of 10 years, wind erosion was not measured directly but often observed. A suitable estimation approach linked high-quality soil/farming monitoring data with wind erosion modeling results. The model SWEEP, validated for German sandy soils, was selected using 10-minute wind speed data. Two similar local SMN study sites were compared, however, site A was characterized by high SOC loss and often affected by wind erosion, while the reference site B was not. At site A soil mass and SOC stock decreased by 49.4 and 2.44 kg m-2 from 1999 to 2009. Using SWEEP, a total soil loss of 48.9 kg m-2 resulted for 16 erosion events (max. single event 12.6 kg m-2). A share of 78% was transported by suspension with a SOC enrichment ratio (ER) of 2.96 (saltation ER 0.98), comparable to the literature. At the reference site measured and modeled topsoil losses were minimal. The good agreement between monitoring and modeling results suggested that wind erosion caused significant long-term soil and SOC losses. The approach uses results of prior studies and is applicable to similar well-studied sites without other noteworthy SOC losses.

Animal manure application and soil organic carbon stocks: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Maillard, Émilie; Angers, Denis A

2014-02-01

The impact of animal manure application on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes is of interest for both agronomic and environmental purposes. There is a specific need to quantify SOC change for use in national greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories. We quantified the response of SOC stocks to manure application from a large worldwide pool of individual studies and determined the impact of explanatory factors such as climate, soil properties, land use and manure characteristics. Our study is based on a meta-analysis of 42 research articles totaling 49 sites and 130 observations in the world. A dominant effect of cumulative manure-C input on SOC response was observed as this factor explained at least 53% of the variability in SOC stock differences compared to mineral fertilized or unfertilized reference treatments. However, the effects of other determining factors were not evident from our data set. From the linear regression relating cumulative C inputs and SOC stock difference, a global manure-C retention coefficient of 12% ± 4 (95% Confidence Interval, CI) could be estimated for an average study duration of 18 years. Following an approach comparable to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we estimated a relative SOC change factor of 1.26 ± 0.14 (95% CI) which was also related to cumulative manure-C input. Our results offer some scope for the refinement of manure retention coefficients used in crop management guidelines and for the improvement of SOC change factors for national GHG inventories by taking into account manure-C input. Finally, this study emphasizes the need to further document the long-term impact of manure characteristics such as animal species, especially pig and poultry, and manure management systems, in particular liquid vs. solid storage.

Impacts of agricultural management and climate change on future soil organic carbon dynamics in North China Plain.

PubMed

Wang, Guocheng; Li, Tingting; Zhang, Wen; Yu, Yongqiang

2014-01-01

Dynamics of cropland soil organic carbon (SOC) in response to different management practices and environmental conditions across North China Plain (NCP) were studied using a modeling approach. We identified the key variables driving SOC changes at a high spatial resolution (10 km × 10 km) and long time scale (90 years). The model used future climatic data from the FGOALS model based on four future greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration scenarios. Agricultural practices included different rates of nitrogen (N) fertilization, manure application, and stubble retention. We found that SOC change was significantly influenced by the management practices of stubble retention (linearly positive), manure application (linearly positive) and nitrogen fertilization (nonlinearly positive) - and the edaphic variable of initial SOC content (linearly negative). Temperature had weakly positive effects, while precipitation had negligible impacts on SOC dynamics under current irrigation management. The effects of increased N fertilization on SOC changes were most significant between the rates of 0 and 300 kg ha-1 yr-1. With a moderate rate of manure application (i.e., 2000 kg ha-1 yr-1), stubble retention (i.e., 50%), and an optimal rate of nitrogen fertilization (i.e., 300 kg ha-1 yr-1), more than 60% of the study area showed an increase in SOC, and the average SOC density across NCP was relatively steady during the study period. If the rates of manure application and stubble retention doubled (i.e., manure application rate of 4000 kg ha-1 yr-1 and stubble retention rate of 100%), soils across more than 90% of the study area would act as a net C sink, and the average SOC density kept increasing from 40 Mg ha-1 during 2010s to the current worldwide average of ∼ 55 Mg ha-1 during 2060s. The results can help target agricultural management practices for effectively mitigating climate change through soil C sequestration.

Phase II multicenter study of gene-mediated cytotoxic immunotherapy as adjuvant to surgical resection for newly diagnosed malignant glioma.

PubMed

Wheeler, Lee A; Manzanera, Andrea G; Bell, Susan D; Cavaliere, Robert; McGregor, John M; Grecula, John C; Newton, Herbert B; Lo, Simon S; Badie, Behnam; Portnow, Jana; Teh, Bin S; Trask, Todd W; Baskin, David S; New, Pamela Z; Aguilar, Laura K; Aguilar-Cordova, Estuardo; Chiocca, E Antonio

2016-08-01

Despite aggressive standard of care (SOC) treatment, survival of malignant gliomas remains very poor. This Phase II, prospective, matched controlled, multicenter trial was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of aglatimagene besadenovec (AdV-tk) plus valacyclovir (gene-mediated cytotoxic immunotherapy [GMCI]) in combination with SOC for newly diagnosed malignant glioma patients. Treatment cohort patients received SOC + GMCI and were enrolled at 4 institutions from 2006 to 2010. The preplanned, matched-control cohort included all concurrent patients meeting protocol criteria and SOC at a fifth institution. AdV-tk was administered at surgery followed by SOC radiation and temozolomide. Subset analyses were preplanned, based on prognostic factors: pathological diagnosis (glioblastoma vs others) and extent of resection. Forty-eight patients completed SOC + GMCI, and 134 met control cohort criteria. Median overall survival (OS) was 17.1 months for GMCI + SOC versus 13.5 months for SOC alone (P = .0417). Survival at 1, 2, and 3 years was 67%, 35%, and 19% versus 57%, 22%, and 8%, respectively. The greatest benefit was observed in gross total resection patients: median OS of 25 versus 16.9 months (P = .0492); 1, 2, and 3-year survival of 90%, 53%, and 32% versus 64%, 28% and 6%, respectively. There were no dose-limiting toxicities; fever, fatigue, and headache were the most common GMCI-related symptoms. GMCI can be safely combined with SOC in newly diagnosed malignant gliomas. Survival outcomes were most notably improved in patients with minimal residual disease after gross total resection. These data should help guide future immunotherapy studies and strongly support further evaluation of GMCI for malignant gliomas. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00589875. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impacts of Agricultural Management and Climate Change on Future Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in North China Plain

PubMed Central

Wang, Guocheng; Li, Tingting; Zhang, Wen; Yu, Yongqiang

2014-01-01

Dynamics of cropland soil organic carbon (SOC) in response to different management practices and environmental conditions across North China Plain (NCP) were studied using a modeling approach. We identified the key variables driving SOC changes at a high spatial resolution (10 km×10 km) and long time scale (90 years). The model used future climatic data from the FGOALS model based on four future greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration scenarios. Agricultural practices included different rates of nitrogen (N) fertilization, manure application, and stubble retention. We found that SOC change was significantly influenced by the management practices of stubble retention (linearly positive), manure application (linearly positive) and nitrogen fertilization (nonlinearly positive) – and the edaphic variable of initial SOC content (linearly negative). Temperature had weakly positive effects, while precipitation had negligible impacts on SOC dynamics under current irrigation management. The effects of increased N fertilization on SOC changes were most significant between the rates of 0 and 300 kg ha−1 yr−1. With a moderate rate of manure application (i.e., 2000 kg ha−1 yr−1), stubble retention (i.e., 50%), and an optimal rate of nitrogen fertilization (i.e., 300 kg ha−1 yr−1), more than 60% of the study area showed an increase in SOC, and the average SOC density across NCP was relatively steady during the study period. If the rates of manure application and stubble retention doubled (i.e., manure application rate of 4000 kg ha−1 yr−1 and stubble retention rate of 100%), soils across more than 90% of the study area would act as a net C sink, and the average SOC density kept increasing from 40 Mg ha−1 during 2010s to the current worldwide average of ∼55 Mg ha−1 during 2060s. The results can help target agricultural management practices for effectively mitigating climate change through soil C sequestration. PMID:24722689

Spatial Variability of the Topsoil Organic Carbon in the Moso Bamboo Forests of Southern China in Association with Soil Properties

PubMed Central

Zhang, Houxi; Zhuang, Shunyao; Qian, Haiyan; Wang, Feng; Ji, Haibao

2015-01-01

Understanding the spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) must be enhanced to improve sampling design and to develop soil management strategies in terrestrial ecosystems. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex Houz.) forests have a high SOC storage potential; however, they also vary significantly spatially. This study investigated the spatial variability of SOC (0-20 cm) in association with other soil properties and with spatial variables in the Moso bamboo forests of Jian’ou City, which is a typical bamboo hometown in China. 209 soil samples were collected from Moso bamboo stands and then analyzed for SOC, bulk density (BD), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and gravel content (GC) based on spatial distribution. The spatial variability of SOC was then examined using geostatistics. A Kriging map was produced through ordinary interpolation and required sample numbers were calculated by classical and Kriging methods. An aggregated boosted tree (ABT) analysis was also conducted. A semivariogram analysis indicated that ln(SOC) was best fitted with an exponential model and that it exhibited moderate spatial dependence, with a nugget/sill ratio of 0.462. SOC was significantly and linearly correlated with BD (r = −0.373**), pH (r = −0.429**), GC (r = −0.163*), CEC (r = 0.263**), and elevation (r = 0.192**). Moreover, the Kriging method requires fewer samples than the classical method given an expected standard error level as per a variance analysis. ABT analysis indicated that the physicochemical variables of soil affected SOC variation more significantly than spatial variables did, thus suggesting that the SOC in Moso bamboo forests can be strongly influenced by management practices. Thus, this study provides valuable information in relation to sampling strategy and insight into the potential of adjustments in agronomic measure, such as in fertilization for Moso bamboo production. PMID:25789615

The stage of change approach for implementing ergonomics advice - Translating research into practice.

PubMed

Rothmore, Paul; Aylward, Paul; Oakman, Jodi; Tappin, David; Gray, Jodi; Karnon, Jonathan

2017-03-01

The Stage of Change (SOC) approach has been proposed as a method to improve the implementation of ergonomics advice. However, despite evidence for its efficacy there is little evidence to suggest it has been adopted by ergonomics consultants. This paper investigates barriers and facilitators to the implementation, monitoring and effectiveness of ergonomics advice and the adoption of the SOC approach in a series of focus groups and a subsequent survey of members of the Human Factors Societies of Australia and New Zealand. A proposed SOC assessment tool developed for use by ergonomics practitioners is presented. Findings from this study suggest the limited application of a SOC based approach to work-related musculoskeletal injury prevention by ergonomics practitioners is due to the absence of a suitable tool in the ergonomists' repertoire, the need for training in this approach, and their limited access to relevant research findings. The final translation of the SOC assessment tool into professional ergonomics practice will require accessible demonstration of its real-world usability to practitioners and the training of ergonomics practitioners in its application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geochemical heterogeneity in a sand and gravel aquifer: Effect of sediment mineralogy and particle size on the sorption of chlorobenzenes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber, Larry B.; Thurman, E. Michael; Runnells, Donald D.

1992-01-01

The effect of particle size, mineralogy and sediment organic carbon (SOC) on sorption of tetrachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene was evaluated using batch-isotherm experiments on sediment particle-size and mineralogical fractions from a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Concentration of SOC and sorption of chlorobenzenes increase with decreasing particle size. For a given particle size, the magnetic fraction has a higher SOC content and sorption capacity than the bulk or non-magnetic fractions. Sorption appears to be controlled by the magnetic minerals, which comprise only 5–25% of the bulk sediment. Although SOC content of the bulk sediment is <0.1%, the observed sorption of chlorobenzenes is consistent with a partition mechanism and is adequately predicted by models relating sorption to the octanol/water partition coefficient of the solute and SOC content. A conceptual model based on preferential association of dissolved organic matter with positively-charged mineral surfaces is proposed to describe micro-scale, intergranular variability in sorption properties of the aquifer sediments.

Modelling soil carbon flows and stocks following a carbon balance approach at regional scale for the EU-27

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesschen, Jan Peter; Sikirica, Natasa; Bonten, Luc; Dibari, Camilla; Sanchez, Berta; Kuikman, Peter

2014-05-01

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is a key parameter to many soil functions and services. SOC is essential to support water retention and nutrient buffering and mineralization in the soil as well as to enhance soil biodiversity. Consequently, loss of SOC or low SOC levels might threaten soil productivity or even lead to a collapse of a farming system. Identification of areas in Europe with critically low SOC levels or with a negative carbon balance is a challenge in order to apply the appropriate strategies to restore these areas or prevent further SOC losses. The objective of this study is to assess current soil carbon flows and stocks at a regional scale; we follow a carbon balance approach which we developed within the MITERRA-Europe model. MITERRA-Europe is an environmental impact assessment model and calculates nitrogen and greenhouse emission on a deterministic and annual basis using emission and leaching factors at regional level (NUTS2, comparable to province level) in the EU27. The model already contained a soil carbon module based on the IPCC stock change approach. Within the EU FP7 SmartSoil project we developed a SOC balance approach, for which we quantified the input of carbon (manure, crop residues, other organic inputs) and the losses of carbon (decomposition, leaching and erosion). The calculations rules from the Roth-C model were used to estimate SOC decomposition. For the actual soil carbon stocks we used the data from the LUCAS soil sample survey. LUCAS collected soil samples in 2009 at about 22000 locations across the EU, which were analysed for a range of soil properties. Land management practices are accounted for, based on data from the EU wide Survey on Agricultural Production Methods in the 2010 Farm Structure Survey. The survey comprises data on the application of soil tillage, soil cover, crop rotation and irrigation. Based on the simulated soil carbon balance and the actual carbon stocks from LUCAS we now can identify regions within the EU that are at risk. We further present results of the potential soil carbon sequestration by land management practices, such as cover crops, zero and reduced tillage, crop residue management and additional input of organic carbon. These results will be relevant for defining region specific strategies to reach the policy target on preventing loss of soil organic matter as stipulated in the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe.

Synergy of SOCS-1 Inhibition and Microbial-Based Cancer Vaccines

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

response without causing additional risk to the patient. The goal of our proposal is to modify a live- attenuated vaccine vector based on the food -borne...response after vaccination with a live-­‐‑attenuated L. monocytogenes. Aim 3: Test the hypothesis that secretion of a SOCS-­‐‑1 small peptide ...efficient internalization of pathogens and dying cells, processing of this material into peptide antigens that are presented in the context of major

Assessing the effectiveness of knowledge-based interventions in increasing skin cancer awareness, knowledge, and protective behaviors in skin of color populations.

PubMed

Kailas, Ajay; Botwin, Ariel L; Pritchett, Ellen N; Jackson-Richards, Diane; Lewis, Suzanna; Sadhwani, Divya; Desai, Seemal R; Taylor, Susan C

2017-10-01

Skin of color (SOC) populations (ie, blacks, Hispanics, Asians) are at a notably higher risk for mortality from skin cancers such as melanoma than white individuals. In this article, we seek to answer the following question: Do knowledge-based interventions increase skin cancer awareness among SOC patients? Following an extensive literature search, a total of 4 articles were analyzed and discussed in this review.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in rice paddies under long-term agro-ecosystem experiments in southern China - VI. Changes in microbial community structure and respiratory activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Liu, X.; Liu, Y.; Li, L.; Pan, G.; Crowley, D.; Tippkötter, R.

2011-02-01

Biological stabilization within accumulated soil organic carbon (SOC) has not been well understood, while its role in physical and chemical protection as well as of chemical recalcitrance had been addressed in Chinese rice paddies. In this study, topsoil samples were collected and respiratory activity measured in situ following rice harvest under different fertilization treatments of three long-term experimental sites across southern China in 2009. The SOC contents, microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and nitrogen (SMBN) were analysed using chemical digestion and microbial community structure assessment via clony dilute plate counting methods. While SOC contents were consistently higher under compound chemical fertilization (Comp-Fert) or combined organic and inorganic fertilization (Comb-Fert) compared to N fertilization only (N-Fert), there was significantly higher fungal-bacterial ratio under Comb-Fert than under N-Fert and Comp-Fert. When subtracting the background effect under no fertilization treatment (Non-Fert), the increase both in SMBC and SMBN under fertilization treatment was found very significantly correlated to the increase in SOC over controls across the sites. Also, the ratio of culturable fungal to bacterial population numbers (F/B ratio) was well correlated with soil organic carbon contents in all samples across the sites studied. SOC accumulation favoured a build-up the microbial community with increasing fungal dominance in the rice paddies under fertilization treatments. While soil respiration rates were high under Comb-Fert as a result of enhanced microbial community build-up, the specific soil respiratory activity based on microbial biomass carbon was found in a significantly negatively correlation with the SOC contents for overall samples. Thus, a fungal-dominated microbial community seemed to slow SOC turnover, thereby favouring SOC accumulation under Comp-Fert or under Comb-Fert in the rice paddies. Therefore, the biological stabilization process is of importance in SOC sequestration in the rice paddies, operating with physical and chemical protection and chemical recalcitrance. However, sufficient understanding and prediction of SOM dynamics needs further quantitative characterization of the simultaneous operation of several mechanisms.

Total Storage and Landscape Partitioning of Soil Organic Carbon and Phytomass Carbon in Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siewert, M. B.; Hanisch, J.; Weiss, N.; Kuhry, P.; Hugelius, G.

2014-12-01

We present results of detailed partitioning of soil organic carbon (SOC) and phytomass carbon (PC) from two study sites in Siberia. The study sites in the Tundra (Kytalyk) and the Taiga (Spasskaya Pad) reflect two contrasting environments in the continuous permafrost zone. In total 57 individual field sites (24 and 33 per study site respectively) have have been sampled for SOC and PC along transects cutting across different land covers. In Kytalyk the sampling depth for the soil pedons was 1 m depth. In Spasskaya Pad where the active layer was significantly deeper, we aimed for 2 m depth or tried to include at least the top of the permafrost. Here the average depth of soil profiles was 152 cm. PC was sampled from 1x1 m ground coverage plots. In Spasskaya Pad tree phytomass was also estimated on a 5x5 m plot. The SOC storage was calculated separately for the intervals 0-30 cm, 30-100 cm and 100-200 cm (the latter only for Spasskaya Pad), as well as for organic layer vs. mineral soil, active layer vs. permafrost and for cryoturbated soil horizons. Landscape partitioning was performed by thematic up-scaling using a vegetation based land cover classification of very high resolution (2x2 m) satellite imagery. Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) was used to explore the relationship of SOC with PC and different soil and permafrost related variables. The results show that the different land cover classes can be considered distinct storages of SOC, but that PC is not significantly related to total SOC storage. At both study sites the 30-100 cm SOC storage is more important for the total SOC storage than the 0-30 cm interval, and large portions of the total SOC are stored in the permafrost. The largest contribution comes from wetland pedons, but highly cryoturbated individual non-wetland pedons can match these. In Kytalyk the landscape partitioning of SOC mostly follows large scale geomorphological features, while in Spasskaya pad forest type also has a large influence.

Sampling for Soil Carbon Stock Assessment in Rocky Agricultural Soils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beem-Miller, Jeffrey P.; Kong, Angela Y. Y.; Ogle, Stephen; Wolfe, David

2016-01-01

Coring methods commonly employed in soil organic C (SOC) stock assessment may not accurately capture soil rock fragment (RF) content or soil bulk density (rho (sub b)) in rocky agricultural soils, potentially biasing SOC stock estimates. Quantitative pits are considered less biased than coring methods but are invasive and often cost-prohibitive. We compared fixed-depth and mass-based estimates of SOC stocks (0.3-meters depth) for hammer, hydraulic push, and rotary coring methods relative to quantitative pits at four agricultural sites ranging in RF content from less than 0.01 to 0.24 cubic meters per cubic meter. Sampling costs were also compared. Coring methods significantly underestimated RF content at all rocky sites, but significant differences (p is less than 0.05) in SOC stocks between pits and corers were only found with the hammer method using the fixed-depth approach at the less than 0.01 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site (pit, 5.80 kilograms C per square meter; hammer, 4.74 kilograms C per square meter) and at the 0.14 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site (pit, 8.81 kilograms C per square meter; hammer, 6.71 kilograms C per square meter). The hammer corer also underestimated rho (sub b) at all sites as did the hydraulic push corer at the 0.21 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site. No significant differences in mass-based SOC stock estimates were observed between pits and corers. Our results indicate that (i) calculating SOC stocks on a mass basis can overcome biases in RF and rho (sub b) estimates introduced by sampling equipment and (ii) a quantitative pit is the optimal sampling method for establishing reference soil masses, followed by rotary and then hydraulic push corers.

Spectroscopic Characterization, Computational Investigation, and Comparisons of ECX – (E = As, P, and N; X = S and O) Anions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hou, Gao-Lei; Chen, Bo; Transue, Wesley J.

Three newly-synthesized [Na+(221-kryptofix)] salts containing AsCO–, PCO–, and PCS– anions were successfully electrosprayed into the vacuum, and the ECX– (E = As, P; X = O, S) anions were investigated by negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES) and high resolution photoelectron imaging spectroscopy. For each ECX– anion, a well-resolved NIPE spectrum was obtained, in which every major peak is split into a doublet. The splittings are attributed to spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in the ECX• radicals. Vibrational progressions in the NIPE spectra of ECX– were assigned to the symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes in ECX• radicals. The electron affinities (EAs) and SOCmore » splittings of ECX• are determined from the NIPE spectra to be: AsCO•: EA = 2.414 ± 0.002 eV, SOC splitting = 988 cm-1; PCO•: EA = 2.670 ± 0.005 eV, SOC splitting = 175 cm-1; PCS•: EA = 2.850 ± 0.005 eV, SOC splitting = 300 cm-1. Calculations using the B3LYP, CASPT2, and CCSD(T) methods all predict linear geometries for both the anions and neutral radicals. The calculated EAs and SOC splittings for ECX• are in excellent agreement with the experimentally-measured values. The simulated NIPE spectra, based on the calculated Franck-Condon factors, and SOC splittings nicely reproduce all of the observed spectral peaks, thus allowing unambiguous spectral assignments. The finding that PCS has the greatest EA of the three triatomic molecules considered here is counterintuitive based upon electronegativity considerations, but understandable in terms of the HOMO of PCS– having the greatest degree of delocalization onto both terminal atoms.« less

Equivalent circuit parameters of nickel/metal hydride batteries from sparse impedance measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelatury, Sudarshan Rao; Singh, Pritpal

In a recent communication, a method for extracting the equivalent circuit parameters of a lead acid battery from sparse (only three) impedance spectroscopy observations at three different frequencies was proposed. It was based on an equivalent circuit consisting of a bulk resistance, a reaction resistance and a constant phase element (CPE). Such a circuit is a very appropriate model of a lead-acid cell at high state of charge (SOC). This paper is a sequel to it and presents an application of it in case of nickel/metal hydride (Ni/MH) batteries, which also at high SOC are represented by the same circuit configuration. But when the SOC of a Ni/MH battery under interrogation goes low, The EIS curve has a positive slope at the low frequency end and our technique yields complex values for the otherwise real circuit parameters, suggesting the need for additional elements in the equivalent circuit and a definite relationship between parameter consistency and SOC. To improvise the previous algorithm, in order that it works reasonably well at both high and low SOCs, we propose three more measurements—two at very low frequencies to include the Warburg response and one at a high frequency to model the series inductance, in addition to the three in the mid frequency band—totally six measurements. In most of the today's instrumentation, it is the user who should choose the circuit configuration and the number of frequencies where impedance should be measured and the accompanying software performs data fitting by complex nonlinear least squares. The proposed method has built into it an SOC-based decision-making capability—both to choose the circuit configuration and to estimate the values of the circuit elements.

Cost-effectiveness of Bezlotoxumab Compared With Placebo for the Prevention of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

PubMed

Prabhu, Vimalanand S; Dubberke, Erik R; Dorr, Mary Beth; Elbasha, Elamin; Cossrow, Nicole; Jiang, Yiling; Marcella, Stephen

2018-01-18

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most commonly recognized cause of recurrent diarrhea. Bezlotoxumab, administered concurrently with antibiotics directed against C. difficile (standard of care [SoC]), has been shown to reduce the recurrence of CDI, compared with SoC alone. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of bezlotoxumab administered concurrently with SoC, compared with SoC alone, in subgroups of patients at risk of recurrence of CDI. A computer-based Markov health state transition model was designed to track the natural history of patients infected with CDI. A cohort of patients entered the model with either a mild/moderate or severe CDI episode, and were treated with SoC antibiotics together with either bezlotoxumab or placebo. The cohort was followed over a lifetime horizon, and costs and utilities for the various health states were used to estimate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Both deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were used to test the robustness of the results. The cost-effectiveness model showed that, compared with placebo, bezlotoxumab was associated with 0.12 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained and was cost-effective in preventing CDI recurrences in the entire trial population, with an ICER of $19824/QALY gained. Compared with placebo, bezlotoxumab was also cost-effective in the subgroups of patients aged ≥65 years (ICER of $15298/QALY), immunocompromised patients (ICER of $12597/QALY), and patients with severe CDI (ICER of $21430/QALY). Model-based results demonstrated that bezlotoxumab was cost-effective in the prevention of recurrent CDI compared with placebo, among patients receiving SoC antibiotics for treatment of CDI. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Pharmacokinetic Dashboard-Recommended Dosing Is Different than Standard of Care Dosing in Infliximab-Treated Pediatric IBD Patients.

PubMed

Dubinsky, Marla C; Phan, Becky L; Singh, Namita; Rabizadeh, Shervin; Mould, Diane R

2017-01-01

Standard of care (SOC; combination of 5-10 mg/kg and an interval every 6-8 weeks) dosing of infliximab (IFX) is associated with significant loss of response. Dashboards using covariates that influence IFX pharmacokinetics (PK) may be a more precise way of optimizing anti-TNF dosing. We tested a prototype dashboard to compare forecasted dosing regimens with actual administered regimens and SOC. Fifty IBD patients completing IFX induction were monitored during maintenance (weeks 14-54). Clinical and laboratory data were collected at each infusion; serum was analyzed for IFX concentrations and anti-drug antibodies (ADA) at weeks 14 and 54 (Prometheus Labs, San Diego). Dosing was blinded to PK data. Dashboard-based assessments were conducted on de-identified clinical, laboratory, and PK data. Bayesian algorithms were used to forecast individualized troughs and determine optimal dosing to maintain target trough concentrations (3 μg/mL). Dashboard forecasted dosing post-week 14 was compared to actual administered dose and frequency and SOC. Using week 14 clinical data only, the dashboard recommended either a dose or an interval change (<0.5 mg/kg or <1 week difference) in 43/50 patients; only 44% recommended to have SOC dosing. When IFX14 concentration and ADA status were added to clinical data, dose and/or interval changes based on actual dosing were recommended in 48/50 (96%) patients; SOC dosing was recommended in only 11/50 (22%). Dashboard recommended SOC IFX dosing in a minority of patients. Dashboards will be an important tool to individualize IFX dosing to improve treatment durability.

Gate control of quantum dot-based electron spin-orbit qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shudong; Cheng, Liwen; Yu, Huaguang; Wang, Qiang

2018-07-01

We investigate theoretically the coherent spin dynamics of gate control of quantum dot-based electron spin-orbit qubits subjected to a tilted magnetic field under electric-dipole spin resonance (EDSR). Our results reveal that Rabi oscillation of qubit states can be manipulated electrically based on rapid gate control of SOC strength. The Rabi frequency is strongly dependent on the gate-induced electric field, the strength and orientation of the applied magnetic field. There are two major EDSR mechanisms. One arises from electric field-induced spin-orbit hybridization, and the other arises from magnetic field-induced energy-level crossing. The SOC introduced by the gate-induced electric field allows AC electric fields to drive coherent Rabi oscillations between spin-up and -down states. After the crossing of the energy-levels with the magnetic field, the spin-transfer crossing results in Rabi oscillation irrespective of whether or not the external electric field is present. The spin-orbit qubit is transferred into the orbit qubit. Rabi oscillation is anisotropic and periodic with respect to the tilted and in-plane orientation of the magnetic field originating from the interplay of the SOC, orbital, and Zeeman effects. The strong electrically-controlled SOC strength suggests the possibility for scalable applications of gate-controllable spin-orbit qubits.

The sense of coherence (SOC) as an important determinant of life satisfaction, based on own research, and exemplified by the students of University of the Third Age (U3A).

PubMed

Zielińska-Więczkowska, Halina; Ciemnoczołowski, Waldemar; Kędziora-Kornatowska, Kornelia; Muszalik, Marta

2012-01-01

The SOC is an important determinant of life satisfaction of elderly people. It determines the level of coping with various difficult situations, which accompany an old age stage. The aim of the study was to determine the connection between the SOC levels and life satisfaction among the U3A students. Another analyzed relationship was the SOC level against the background of socio-demographic factors. The study comprised 257 students of the U3A in Poland, located in the city of Bydgoszcz. The study group consisted of 237 women and 20 men, at the average age of 64.54 ± 6.01 years. The vast majority of the study group included individuals at the secondary education level, as well as married individuals. Just over half of the group claimed to be in good health, and have no afflictions. All of the respondents were fully mobile. The study was conducted with the diagnostic poll method, using the standardized questionnaires: The Scale SOC-29, WHOQOL-Bref, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-bref version). The average value of global SOC was 128.77; the standard deviation 21.04; discrepancy 153 (minimum 50 and maximum 203). The SOC indicated significant relationship with quality of life (QoL) in the mental domain, social relationships, and environmental domain; no significant correlation in the physical domain was observed. The QOL reached about 70% of maximum result value, showing equal levels in its specific areas. A moderately decreasing (r=-0.375, p<0.01) relation η=0.376, between global SOC values and depression occurrence, as well as its non-existence was shown in the study. Individual SOC components were also negatively correlated with depression. Another observation was weak correlation between the sense of coherence and the individuals' level of education. No statistically significant effect of age, gender and marital status on the SOC levels of U3A students was found. Higher parameters of SOC and level of education shape significantly higher effects of life satisfaction, and result in better adaptation to old age stage as a phase of multiple challenges, and increasing life difficulties. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

SOC in Different Land Use Types: does Geomorphic Position Matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Y.; Sun, Q.; Wang, R.; Wang, Z.; Guo, S.

2016-12-01

Substantial research has been devoted to land use conversion induced changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN). However, most of the studies were based on local field plots, featuring single predominant landform (ex. rolling topography in Denmark, or Great Plain in the US). For regions integrated from complex landforms such as the Chinese Loess Plateau where tableland, sloping land and gullies are closely networked and each collectively covers a third of the area, the effects of land use changes to SOC and TN could spatially differ among geomorphic positions. So far, local farming management and policies on the Loess Plateau have often been guided by reports from single landform. To fully understand the potential effects of land use conversions to regional C and N cycling, a systematic investigation is highly in need to identify the relative contributions from different geomorphic positions. In this study on the Chinese Loess Plateau, soil profiles deep to 200 cm on three geomorphic positions (tableland, sloping land and gullies) were investigated, each having four types of land use (cropland, orchard, grassland, and woodland). The SOC and total N were measured and compared every layer of 20 cm. Our results show that: 1) the SOC stocks and TN in the surface soil (0-20 cm) was most enriched in downslope gullies and least stored in the summit tableland, demonstrating the erosional redistribution of SOC and TN along hillslopes. 2) After converting from cropland to grassland or woodland, the SOC stocks and TN in soil layer < 60 cm were significantly increased by 17-57% and 40-49%, demonstrating the benefits of land use conversion on SOC sequestration and N cycling. 3) More specifically, such positive increase of SOC stocks was more pronounced in the gullies than on the sloping land. 4) While the SOC stocks and TN in deep layers > 60 cm were more enriched on the tableland, the effects of land use conversions did not differ among the three geomorphic positions. Given the complexity of geomorphology on the Loess Plateau and its relevance of land use changes to regional ecosystem in China, the differentiated changes of SOC stocks and TN observed on tableland, sloping land and gullies highlight the necessity to properly account for the potential influence of geomorphic positions for each combination of land use and conversion.

Simulating soil organic carbon responses to cropping intensity, tillage, and climate change in Pacific Northwest dryland

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Managing dryland cropping systems to increase soil organic C (SOC) under changing climate is challenging after decades of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow and moldboard plow tillage (W-F/MP). The objective was to use CQESTR, a process-based C model, and SOC data collected in 2004, 2008, an...

CQESTR simulated response of soil organic carbon to management, yield, and climate change in northern Great Plains region

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traditional dryland crop management includes fallow and intensive tillage, which have reduced soil organic carbon (SOC) over the past century raising concerns regarding soil health and sustainability. The objectives of this study were to: 1) use CQESTR, a process-based C model, to simulate SOC dynam...

SOCS-1 localizes to the microtubule organizing complex-associated 20S proteasome.

PubMed

Vuong, Bao Q; Arenzana, Teresita L; Showalter, Brian M; Losman, Julie; Chen, X Peter; Mostecki, Justin; Banks, Alexander S; Limnander, Andre; Fernandez, Neil; Rothman, Paul B

2004-10-01

The regulation of cytokine signaling is critical for controlling cellular proliferation and activation during an immune response. SOCS-1 is a potent inhibitor of Jak kinase activity and of signaling initiated by several cytokines. SOCS-1 protein levels are tightly regulated, and recent data suggest that SOCS-1 may regulate the protein levels of some signaling proteins by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway; however, the cellular mechanism by which SOCS-1 directs proteins for degradation is unknown. In this report, SOCS-1 is found to colocalize and biochemically copurify with the microtubule organizing complex (MTOC) and its associated 20S proteasome. The SOCS-1 SH2 domain is required for the localization of SOCS-1 to the MTOC. Overexpression of SOCS-1 targets Jak1 in an SH2-dependent manner to a perinuclear distribution resembling the MTOC-associated 20S proteasome. Analysis of MTOCs fractionated from SOCS-1-deficient cells demonstrates that SOCS-1 may function redundantly to regulate the localization of Jak1 to the MTOC. Nocodazole inhibits the protein turnover of SOCS-1, demonstrating that the minus-end transport of SOCS-1 to the MTOC-associated 20S proteasome is required to regulate SOCS-1 protein levels. These data link SOCS-1 directly with the proteasome pathway and suggest another function for the SH2 domain of SOCS-1 in the regulation of Jak/STAT signaling.

Soil properties determine the elevational patterns of base cations and micronutrients in the plant-soil system up to the upper limits of trees and shrubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ruzhen; Wang, Xue; Jiang, Yong; Cerdà, Artemi; Yin, Jinfei; Liu, Heyong; Feng, Xue; Shi, Zhan; Dijkstra, Feike A.; Li, Mai-He

2018-03-01

To understand whether base cations and micronutrients in the plant-soil system change with elevation, we investigated the patterns of base cations and micronutrients in both soils and plant tissues along three elevational gradients in three climate zones in China. Base cations (Ca, Mg, and K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, and Zn) were determined in soils, trees, and shrubs growing at lower and middle elevations as well as at their upper limits on Balang (subtropical, SW China), Qilian (dry temperate, NW China), and Changbai (wet temperate, NE China) mountains. No consistent elevational patterns were found for base cation and micronutrient concentrations in both soils and plant tissues (leaves, roots, shoots, and stem sapwood). Soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total soil nitrogen (TN), the SOC to TN ratio (C : N), and soil extractable nitrogen (NO3- and NH4+) determined the elevational patterns of soil exchangeable Ca and Mg and available Fe, Mn, and Zn. However, the controlling role of soil pH and SOC was not universal as revealed by their weak correlations with soil base cations under tree canopies at the wet temperate mountain and with micronutrients under both tree and shrub canopies at the dry temperate mountain. In most cases, soil base cation and micronutrient availabilities played fundamental roles in determining the base cation and micronutrient concentrations in plant tissues. An exception existed for the decoupling of leaf K and Fe with their availabilities in the soil. Our results highlight the importance of soil physicochemical properties (mainly SOC, C : N, and pH) rather than elevation (i.e., canopy cover and environmental factors, especially temperature), in determining base cation and micronutrient availabilities in soils and subsequently their concentrations in plant tissues.

An efficient method for hybrid density functional calculation with spin-orbit coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Maoyuan; Liu, Gui-Bin; Guo, Hong; Yao, Yugui

2018-03-01

In first-principles calculations, hybrid functional is often used to improve accuracy from local exchange correlation functionals. A drawback is that evaluating the hybrid functional needs significantly more computing effort. When spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is taken into account, the non-collinear spin structure increases computing effort by at least eight times. As a result, hybrid functional calculations with SOC are intractable in most cases. In this paper, we present an approximate solution to this problem by developing an efficient method based on a mixed linear combination of atomic orbital (LCAO) scheme. We demonstrate the power of this method using several examples and we show that the results compare very well with those of direct hybrid functional calculations with SOC, yet the method only requires a computing effort similar to that without SOC. The presented technique provides a good balance between computing efficiency and accuracy, and it can be extended to magnetic materials.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) mitigates anterior uveitis and confers protection against ocular HSV-1 infection.

PubMed

Yu, Cheng-Rong; Hayashi, Kozaburo; Lee, Yun Sang; Mahdi, Rashid M; Shen, De Fen; Chan, Chi-Chao; Egwuagu, Charles E

2015-04-01

Immunological responses to pathogens are stringently regulated in the eye to prevent excessive inflammation that damage ocular tissues and compromise vision. Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) regulate intensity/duration of inflammatory responses. We have used SOCS1-deficient mice and retina-specific SOCS1 transgenic rats to investigate roles of SOCS1 in ocular herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infection and non-infectious uveitis. We also genetically engineered cell-penetrating SOCS proteins (membrane-translocating sequence (MTS)-SOCS1, MTS-SOCS3) and examined whether they can be used to inhibit inflammatory cytokines. Overexpression of SOCS1 in transgenic rat eyes attenuated ocular HSV-1 infection while SOCS1-deficient mice developed severe non-infectious anterior uveitis, suggesting that SOCS1 may contribute to mechanism of ocular immune privilege by regulating trafficking of inflammatory cells into ocular tissues. Furthermore, MTS-SOCS1 inhibited IFN-γ-induced signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1) activation by macrophages while MTS-SOCS3 suppressed expansion of pathogenic Th17 cells that mediate uveitis, indicating that MTS-SOCS proteins maybe used to treat ocular inflammatory diseases of infectious or autoimmune etiology.

Glider-based Passive Acoustic Monitoring Techniques in the Southern California Region & West Coast Naval Training Range Demonstration of Glider-based Passive Acoustic Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

generalized power-law detection algorithm for humpback whale vocalizations. J. Acous. Soc. Am. 131(4), 2682-2699. Roch, M. A., H. Klinck, S...Heaney (2012b). Site specific probability of passive acoustic detection of humpback whale calls from single fixed hydrophones. J. Acous. Soc. Am...monitoring: Correcting humpback call detections for site-specific and time-dependent environmental characteristics . JASA Express Letters, submitted October, 2012, 5 pgs plus 3 figs.

Perturbed thymopoiesis in vitro in the absence of Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling 1 and 3

PubMed Central

Croom, Hayley A.; Izon, David J.; Chong, Mark M.; Curtis, David J.; Roberts, Andrew W.; Kay, Thomas W.H.; Hilton, Douglas J.; Alexander, Warren S.; Starr, Robyn

2014-01-01

Cytokine signals are central to the differentiation of thymocytes and their stepwise progression through defined developmental stages. The intensity and duration of cytokine signals are regulated by the suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins. A clear role for SOCS1 during the later stages of thymopoiesis has been established, but little is known about its role during early thymopoiesis, nor the function of its closest relative, SOCS3. Here, we find that both SOCS1 and SOCS3 are expressed during early thymopoiesis, with expression coincident during the double negative (DN)2 and DN3 stages. We examined thymocyte differentiation in vitro by co-culture of SOCS-deficient bone marrow cells with OP9 cells expressing the Notch ligand Delta-like1 (OP9-DL1). Cells lacking SOCS1 were retarded at the DN3:DN4 transition and appeared unable to differentiate into double positive (DP) thymocytes. Cells lacking both SOCS1 and SOCS3 were more severely affected, and displayed an earlier block in T cell differentiation at DN2, the stage at which expression of SOCS1 and SOCS3 coincides. This indicates that, in addition to their specific roles, SOCS1 and SOCS3 share overlapping roles during thymopoiesis. This is the first demonstration of functional redundancy within the SOCS family, and has uncovered a vital role for SOCS1 and SOCS3 during two important checkpoints in early T cell development. PMID:18321577

Health-Related Quality of Life and Sense of Coherence among the Unemployed with Autotelic, Average, and Non-Autotelic Personalities: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Hiroshima, Japan

PubMed Central

Hirao, Kazuki; Kobayashi, Ryuji

2013-01-01

Background Unemployment is known to have a negative effect on the quality of life (QOL) of individuals. However, the influence of an autotelic personality on QOL and SOC of unemployed individuals remains unclear. Our study compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sense of coherence (SOC) among 3 groups: (i) an autotelic personality group (AP), which tends to “go with the flow,” (ii) an average group (AV), and (iii) a non-autotelic personality group (NAP). Methods In October 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 140 job trainees not receiving unemployment benefits in Hiroshima, Japan. We collected 134 completed questionnaires. Autotelic personality was investigated using the Flow Experience Checklist, health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form (SF-8) Health Survey, and SOC was measured using the University of Tokyo Health Sociology version of the SOC3 scale (SOC3–UTHS). Results The average age of participants was 36.14±11.54 year. Participants were classified into 3 groups based on daily activity values: 4+ for AP (n = 22), 1–3 for AV (n = 82), and 0 for NAP (n = 30). Significant differences were observed in mental component summary (MCS) score and SOC3–UTHS total scores in the ranking order of AP (highest), AV, and NAP. Conclusion Our findings indicate a need to develop programs for facilitating AP among unemployed people to enhance mental QOL and SOC. PMID:24069249

The effect of long-term changes in plant inputs on soil carbon stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgiou, K.; Li, Z.; Torn, M. S.

2017-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest actively-cycling terrestrial reservoir of C and an integral component of thriving natural and managed ecosystems. C input interventions (e.g., litter removal or organic amendments) are common in managed landscapes and present an important decision for maintaining healthy soils in sustainable agriculture and forestry. Furthermore, climate and land-cover change can also affect the amount of plant C inputs that enter the soil through changes in plant productivity, allocation, and rooting depth. Yet, the processes that dictate the response of SOC to such changes in C inputs are poorly understood and inadequately represented in predictive models. Long-term litter manipulations are an invaluable resource for exploring key controls of SOC storage and validating model representations. Here we explore the response of SOC to long-term changes in plant C inputs across a range of biomes and soil types. We synthesize and analyze data from long-term litter manipulation field experiments, and focus our meta-analysis on changes to total SOC stocks, microbial biomass carbon, and mineral-associated (`protected') carbon pools and explore the relative contribution of above- versus below-ground C inputs. Our cross-site data comparison reveals that divergent SOC responses are observed between forest sites, particularly for treatments that increase C inputs to the soil. We explore trends among key variables (e.g., microbial biomass to SOC ratios) that inform soil C model representations. The assembled dataset is an important benchmark for evaluating process-based hypotheses and validating divergent model formulations.

Sense of coherence and periodontal health outcomes.

PubMed

Cyrino, Renata Magalhães; Costa, Fernando Oliveira; Cortelli, José Roberto; Cortelli, Sheila Cavalca; Cota, Luís Otávio Miranda

2016-07-01

Sense of Coherence (SOC) has been associated with perceived oral health measures, but the contribution of SOC to clinical measures is still unclear. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to evaluate the potential association between periodontal health outcomes, such as periodontal clinical parameters and perceived periodontal health, and SOC. The study sample comprised 276 individuals, aged 18-60 years, from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Participants answered questionnaires covering sociodemographic variables, self-perceived periodontal health and SOC. Full-mouth periodontal examinations were performed. The sample was divided into three groups according to SOC score: (a) SOC1 = weak (24-46); (b) SOC2 = moderate (47-51); (c) SOC3 = strong (52-65). Multivariate analyses including appropriate logistic or linear regression models were performed to evaluate the association between periodontal health outcomes and biological, sociodemographic and behavioural variables. Perceived general oral health was associated with family income bracket (p = 0.010), smoking (p = 0.004), dental flossing (p = 0.017) and SOC (weak SOC: p = 0.005). Perceived gum disease and perceived periodontal disease were associated with SOC (weak SOC: p = 0.001 and p = 0.015, respectively). Overall, perceived periodontal health outcomes were associated with SOC. However, no association between clinical periodontal health outcomes and SOC were observed.

Predicting bi-decadal organic carbon mineralization in northwestern European soils with Rock-Eval pyrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soucemarianadin, Laure; Barré, Pierre; Baudin, François; Chenu, Claire; Houot, Sabine; Kätterer, Thomas; Macdonald, Andy; van Oort, Folkert; Plante, Alain F.; Cécillon, Lauric

2017-04-01

The organic carbon reservoir of soils is a key component of climate change, calling for an accurate knowledge of the residence time of soil organic carbon (SOC). Existing proxies of the size of SOC labile pool such as SOC fractionation or respiration tests are time consuming and unable to consistently predict SOC mineralization over years to decades. Similarly, models of SOC dynamics often yield unrealistic values of the size of SOC kinetic pools. Thermal analysis of bulk soil samples has recently been shown to provide useful and cost-effective information regarding the long-term in-situ decomposition of SOC. Barré et al. (2016) analyzed soil samples from long-term bare fallow sites in northwestern Europe using Rock-Eval 6 pyrolysis (RE6), and demonstrated that persistent SOC is thermally more stable and has less hydrogen-rich compounds (low RE6 HI parameter) than labile SOC. The objective of this study was to predict SOC loss over a 20-year period (i.e. the size of the SOC pool with a residence time lower than 20 years) using RE6 indicators. Thirty-six archive soil samples coming from 4 long-term bare fallow chronosequences (Grignon, France; Rothamsted, Great Britain; Ultuna, Sweden; Versailles, France) were used in this study. For each sample, the value of bi-decadal SOC mineralization was obtained from the observed SOC dynamics of its long-term bare fallow plot (approximated by a spline function). Those values ranged from 0.8 to 14.3 gC·kg-1 (concentration data), representing 8.6 to 50.6% of total SOC (proportion data). All samples were analyzed using RE6 and simple linear regression models were used to predict bi-decadal SOC loss (concentration and proportion data) from 4 RE6 parameters: HI, OI, PC/SOC and T50 CO2 oxidation. HI (the amount of hydrogen-rich effluents formed during the pyrolysis phase of RE6; mgCH.g-1SOC) and OI (the CO2 yield during the pyrolysis phase of RE6; mgCO2.g-1SOC) parameters describe SOC bulk chemistry. PC/SOC (the amount of organic C evolved during the pyrolysis phase of RE6; % of total SOC) and T50 CO2 oxidation (the temperature at which 50% of the residual organic C was oxidized to CO2 during the RE6 oxidation phase; °C) parameters represent SOC thermal stability. The RE6 HI parameter yielded the best predictions of bi-decadal SOC mineralization, for both concentration (R2 = 0.75) and proportion (R2 = 0.66) data. PC/SOC and T50 CO2 oxidation parameters also yielded significant regression models with R2 = 0.68 and 0.42 for concentration data and R2 = 0.59 and 0.26 for proportion data, respectively. The OI parameter was not a good predictor of bi-decadal SOC loss, with non-significant regression models. The RE6 thermal analysis method can predict in-situ SOC biogeochemical stability. SOC chemical composition, and to a lesser SOC thermal stability, are related to its bi-decadal dynamics. RE6 appears to be a more accurate and convenient proxy of the size of the bi-decadal labile SOC pool than other existing methodologies. Future developments include the validation of these RE6 models of bi-decadal SOC loss on soils from contrasted pedoclimatic conditions. Reference: Barré et al., 2016. Biogeochemistry 130, 1-12

A dynamic plug flow reactor model for a vanadium redox flow battery cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yifeng; Skyllas-Kazacos, Maria; Bao, Jie

2016-04-01

A dynamic plug flow reactor model for a single cell VRB system is developed based on material balance, and the Nernst equation is employed to calculate cell voltage with consideration of activation and concentration overpotentials. Simulation studies were conducted under various conditions to investigate the effects of several key operation variables including electrolyte flow rate, upper SOC limit and input current magnitude on the cell charging performance. The results show that all three variables have a great impact on performance, particularly on the possibility of gassing during charging at high SOCs or inadequate flow rates. Simulations were also carried out to study the effects of electrolyte imbalance during long term charging and discharging cycling. The results show the minimum electrolyte flow rate needed for operation within a particular SOC range in order to avoid gassing side reactions during charging. The model also allows scheduling of partial electrolyte remixing operations to restore capacity and also avoid possible gassing side reactions during charging. Simulation results also suggest the proper placement for cell voltage monitoring and highlight potential problems associated with setting the upper charging cut-off limit based on the inlet SOC calculated from the open-circuit cell voltage measurement.

What is the quality of information on social oocyte cryopreservation provided by websites of Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology member fertility clinics?

PubMed

Avraham, Sarit; Machtinger, Ronit; Cahan, Tal; Sokolov, Amit; Racowsky, Catherine; Seidman, Daniel S

2014-01-01

To evaluate adequacy and adherence to American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines of internet information provided by Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)-affiliated clinics regarding social oocyte cryopreservation (SOC). Systematic evaluation of websites of all SART member fertility clinics. The internet. None. All websites offering SOC services were scored using a 0-13 scale, based on 10 questions designed to assess website quality and adherence to the ASRM/SART guidelines. The websites were analyzed independently by two authors. Whenever disagreement occurred, a third investigator determined the score. Scores defined website quality as excellent, ≥9; moderate, 5-8; or poor, ≤4 points. Of the 387 clinics registered as SART members, 200 offered oocyte cryopreservation services for either medical or social reasons; 147 of these advertised SOC. The average website scores of those clinics offering SOC was 3.4 ± 2.1 (range, 2-11) points. There was no significant difference in scores between private versus academic clinics or clinics performing more or less than 500 cycles per year. The majority of the websites do not follow the SART/ASRM guidelines for SOC, indicating that there is a need to improve the type and quality of information provided on SOC by SART member websites. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Minimally invasive burn care: a review of seven clinical studies of rapid and selective debridement using a bromelain-based debriding enzyme (Nexobrid®)

PubMed Central

Rosenberg, L.; Shoham, Y.; Krieger, Y.; Rubin, G.; Sander, F.; Koller, J.; David, K.; Egosi, D.; Ahuja, R.; Singer, A.J.

2015-01-01

Summary Current surgical and non-surgical eschar removal-debridement techniques are invasive or ineffective. A bromelainbased rapid and selective enzymatic debriding agent was developed to overcome these disadvantages and compared with the standard of care (SOC). The safety and efficacy of a novel Debriding Gel Dressing (DGD) was determined in patients with deep partial and full thickness burns covering up to 67% total body surface area (TBSA). This review summarizes data from seven studies, four of which were randomized clinical trials that included a SOC or control vehicle. DGD eschar debridement efficacy was >90% in all studies, comparable to the SOC and significantly greater than the control vehicle. The total area excised was less in patients treated with DGD compared with the control vehicle (22.9% vs. 73.2%, P<0.001) or the surgical/non-surgical SOC (50.5%, P=0.006). The incidence of surgical debridement in patients treated with DGD was lower than the SOC (40/163 [24.5%] vs. 119/170 [70.0%], P0.001). Less autografting was used in all studies. Long-term scar quality and function were similar in DGD- and SOCtreated. DGD is a safe and effective method of burn debridement that offers an alternative to surgical and non-surgical SOC. PMID:27777547

Warming Rather Than Increased Precipitation Increases Soil Recalcitrant Organic Carbon in a Semiarid Grassland after 6 Years of Treatments

PubMed Central

Zhou, Xiaoqi; Chen, Chengrong; Wang, Yanfen; Smaill, Simeon; Clinton, Peter

2013-01-01

Improved understanding of changes in soil recalcitrant organic carbon (C) in response to global warming is critical for predicting changes in soil organic C (SOC) storage. Here, we took advantage of a long-term field experiment with increased temperature and precipitation to investigate the effects of warming, increased precipitation and their interactions on SOC fraction in a semiarid Inner Mongolian grassland of northern China since April 2005. We quantified labile SOC, recalcitrant SOC and stable SOC at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths. Results showed that neither warming nor increased precipitation affected total SOC and stable SOC at either depth. Increased precipitation significantly increased labile SOC at the 0–10 cm depth. Warming decreased labile SOC (P = 0.038) and marginally but significantly increased recalcitrant SOC at the 10–20 cm depth (P = 0.082). In addition, there were significant interactive effects of warming and increased precipitation on labile SOC and recalcitrant SOC at the 0–10 cm depth (both P<0.05), indicating that that results from single factor experiments should be treated with caution because of multi-factor interactions. Given that the absolute increase of SOC in the recalcitrant SOC pool was much greater than the decrease in labile SOC, and that the mean residence time of recalcitrant SOC is much greater, our results suggest that soil C storage at 10–20 cm depth may increase with increasing temperature in this semiarid grassland. PMID:23341995

Impact of concomitant medication use on belimumab efficacy and safety in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

PubMed Central

Dooley, M A; Roth, D A; Edwards, L; Thompson, A; Wilson, B

2016-01-01

Practicing physicians have requested efficacy and safety data for belimumab, when used with specific systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) medications. This was a post hoc analysis of pooled efficacy and safety data from patients who received belimumab 10 mg/kg plus standard of care (SoC) or placebo (SoC) in two Phase III, randomized trials, BLISS-52 and BLISS-76. Patients were categorized into four groups based on baseline concomitant medication usage: steroids only; antimalarials (AM) only; steroids + AM; or steroids + AM + immunosuppressants (IS). The primary endpoint was the SLE Responder Index (SRI) at Week 52. SRI over time and individual SRI components were secondary endpoints. Time to first flare and changes in concomitant medications were exploratory endpoints. Safety was assessed using adverse event (AE) reporting. Across 834 patients, steroids + AM was the largest group (n = 346, 41.5%) and AM only was the smallest (n = 77, 9.2%). Disease duration was shortest in the steroids + AM group (5.7 years vs 6.4–7.1 years); SELENA-SLEDAI scores were similar across groups. At Week 52, the percentage of SRI responders was greatest in the steroids + AM group for belimumab 10 mg/kg (59%) compared with placebo (44%); treatment response and SRI component improvements were also observed across other groups. The probability of experiencing an SLE flare was reduced in the steroids-only group for patients who received belimumab 10 mg/kg compared with placebo (64.3% vs 78.1%; hazard ratio 0.64; 95% confidence interval: 0.42–0.96). There was little or no change in daily AM or IS dose in any group. For all groups, there was a general decrease in steroid dose over time; a quarter to a third of patients experienced decreased steroid doses at Week 52. The overall safety profile was similar across treatment arms and concomitant medication groups, with the exception of serious AEs in the steroids + AM group (belimumab 10 mg/kg 16%, placebo 8%). The efficacy and safety of belimumab in combination with SoC was demonstrated for various groupings of steroids, AM and IS. These findings may improve the understanding of the safety and efficacy of adding belimumab to different treatments. PMID:27488472

Impact of concomitant medication use on belimumab efficacy and safety in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

PubMed

Schwarting, A; Dooley, M A; Roth, D A; Edwards, L; Thompson, A; Wilson, B

2016-12-01

Practicing physicians have requested efficacy and safety data for belimumab, when used with specific systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) medications. This was a post hoc analysis of pooled efficacy and safety data from patients who received belimumab 10 mg/kg plus standard of care (SoC) or placebo (SoC) in two Phase III, randomized trials, BLISS-52 and BLISS-76. Patients were categorized into four groups based on baseline concomitant medication usage: steroids only; antimalarials (AM) only; steroids + AM; or steroids + AM + immunosuppressants (IS). The primary endpoint was the SLE Responder Index (SRI) at Week 52. SRI over time and individual SRI components were secondary endpoints. Time to first flare and changes in concomitant medications were exploratory endpoints. Safety was assessed using adverse event (AE) reporting. Across 834 patients, steroids + AM was the largest group (n = 346, 41.5%) and AM only was the smallest (n = 77, 9.2%). Disease duration was shortest in the steroids + AM group (5.7 years vs 6.4-7.1 years); SELENA-SLEDAI scores were similar across groups. At Week 52, the percentage of SRI responders was greatest in the steroids + AM group for belimumab 10 mg/kg (59%) compared with placebo (44%); treatment response and SRI component improvements were also observed across other groups. The probability of experiencing an SLE flare was reduced in the steroids-only group for patients who received belimumab 10 mg/kg compared with placebo (64.3% vs 78.1%; hazard ratio 0.64; 95% confidence interval: 0.42-0.96). There was little or no change in daily AM or IS dose in any group. For all groups, there was a general decrease in steroid dose over time; a quarter to a third of patients experienced decreased steroid doses at Week 52. The overall safety profile was similar across treatment arms and concomitant medication groups, with the exception of serious AEs in the steroids + AM group (belimumab 10 mg/kg 16%, placebo 8%). The efficacy and safety of belimumab in combination with SoC was demonstrated for various groupings of steroids, AM and IS. These findings may improve the understanding of the safety and efficacy of adding belimumab to different treatments. © The Author(s) 2016.

SOCS2 Binds to and Regulates EphA2 through Multiple Mechanisms.

PubMed

Pilling, Carissa; Cooper, Jonathan A

2017-09-07

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins inhibit signaling by serving as substrate receptors for the Cullin5-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL5) and through a variety of CRL5-independent mechanisms. CRL5, SOCS2 and SOCS6 are implicated in suppressing transformation of epithelial cells. We identified cell proteins that interact with SOCS2 and SOCS6 using two parallel proteomics techniques: BioID and Flag affinity purification mass spectrometry. The receptor tyrosine kinase ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2) was identified as a SOCS2-interacting protein. SOCS2-EphA2 binding requires the SOCS2 SH2 domain and EphA2 activation loop autophosphorylation, which is stimulated by Ephrin A1 (EfnA1) or by phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibition. Surprisingly, EfnA1-stimulated EphA2-SOCS2 binding is delayed until EphA2 has been internalized into endosomes. This suggests that SOCS2 binds to EphA2 in the context of endosomal membranes. We also found that SOCS2 overexpression decreases steady state levels of EphA2, consistent with increased EphA2 degradation. This effect is indirect: SOCS2 induces EfnA1 expression, and EfnA1 induces EphA2 down-regulation. Other RTKs have been reported to bind, and be regulated by, over-expressed SOCS proteins. Our data suggest that SOCS protein over-expression may regulate receptor tyrosine kinases through indirect and direct mechanisms.

Soil carbon distribution in Alaska in relation to soil-forming factors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, K.D.; Harden, J.; McGuire, A.D.; Bliss, N.B.; Bockheim, James G.; Clark, M.R.; Nettleton-Hollingsworth, T.; Jorgenson, M.T.; Kane, E.S.; Mack, M.; O'Donnell, J.; Ping, C.-L.; Schuur, E.A.G.; Turetsky, M.R.; Valentine, D.W.

2011-01-01

The direction and magnitude of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes in response to climate change remain unclear and depend on the spatial distribution of SOC across landscapes. Uncertainties regarding the fate of SOC are greater in high-latitude systems where data are sparse and the soils are affected by sub-zero temperatures. To address these issues in Alaska, a first-order assessment of data gaps and spatial distributions of SOC was conducted from a recently compiled soil carbon database. Temperature and landform type were the dominant controls on SOC distribution for selected ecoregions. Mean SOC pools (to a depth of 1-m) varied by three, seven and ten-fold across ecoregion, landform, and ecosystem types, respectively. Climate interactions with landform type and SOC were greatest in the uplands. For upland SOC there was a six-fold non-linear increase in SOC with latitude (i.e., temperature) where SOC was lowest in the Intermontane Boreal compared to the Arctic Tundra and Coastal Rainforest. Additionally, in upland systems mineral SOC pools decreased as climate became more continental, suggesting that the lower productivity, higher decomposition rates and fire activity, common in continental climates, interacted to reduce mineral SOC. For lowland systems, in contrast, these interactions and their impacts on SOC were muted or absent making SOC in these environments more comparable across latitudes. Thus, the magnitudes of SOC change across temperature gradients were non-uniform and depended on landform type. Additional factors that appeared to be related to SOC distribution within ecoregions included stand age, aspect, and permafrost presence or absence in black spruce stands. Overall, these results indicate the influence of major interactions between temperature-controlled decomposition and topography on SOC in high-latitude systems. However, there remains a need for more SOC data from wetlands and boreal-region permafrost soils, especially at depths > 1 m in order to fully understand the effects of climate on soil carbon in Alaska.

Cloning and characterization of three suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) genes from the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas.

PubMed

Li, Jun; Zhang, Yang; Zhang, Yuehuan; Liu, Ying; Xiang, Zhiming; Qu, Fufa; Yu, Ziniu

2015-06-01

Members of the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family are crucial for the control of a variety of signal transduction pathways that are involved in the immunity, growth and development of organisms. However, in mollusks, the identity and function of SOCS proteins remain largely unclear. In the present study, three SOCS genes, CgSOCS2, CgSOCS5 and CgSOCS7, have been identified by searching and analyzing the Pacific oyster genome. Structural analysis indicated that the CgSOCS share conserved functional domains with their vertebrate counterparts. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the three SOCS genes clustered into two distinct groups, the type I and II subfamilies, indicating that these subfamilies had common ancestors. Tissue-specific expression results showed that the three genes were constitutively expressed in all examined tissues and were highly expressed in immune-related tissues, such as the hemocytes, gills and digestive gland. The expression of CgSOCS can also be induced to varying degrees in hemocytes after challenge with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that the over-expression of CgSOCS2 and CgSOCS7, but not CgSOC5, can activate an NF-κB reporter gene. Collectively, these results demonstrated that the CgSOCS might play an important role in the innate immune responses of the Pacific oyster. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil carbon fractions and biological activity based indices can be used to study the impact of land management and ecological successions

DOE PAGES

de Moraes Sa, Joao Carlos; Potma Goncalves, Daniel Ruiz; Ferreira, Lucimara Aparecida; ...

2017-08-31

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong indicator of soil health. Development of efficient soil quality indicators is crucial to better understand the impact of land management strategies on the recovery of degraded ecosystems. We hypothesized that SOC fractions and biological attributes can compose strong soil quality indicators to assess an ecosystem recovery following disturbance. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the use of soil biological activity and SOC fractions to study the impact of different land use systems and ecological successions in ecosystem recovery. We selected six land use systems: tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cultivation; pastureland; reforestedmore » land with Eucalyptus sp.; and natural ecological successions with 10, 20 and 35 years of vegetation regeneration, respectively. We collected disturbed and undisturbed soil samples in triplicate at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm depth intervals. Several fractionation approaches were used to determine SOC pools: hot water extractable organic carbon, permanganate oxidized organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, mineral associated organic carbon and total SOC. The activity of the enzyme arylsulfatase was used to represent soil biological attributes. We calculated three indices to represent the soil quality: carbon management index, soil resilience index and biological activity index. Our results suggest that the SOC fractions and the enzyme activity followed the increase of vegetation complexity of the ecological succession stages. The labile SOC pool, in addition to enzyme activity, was the most sensitive variable to assess land use changes. The biomass-C input was considered to be the main reason of SOC increase, and the gains of labile SOC fractions were directly related to the increase of SOC stocks. Both, biological and carbon management indices were efficient tools to characterize the impact of studied management systems. Also, we found that assessment of deeper soil layers (20–40 cm) was extremely important as incomplete inferences might be reached while evaluating only surface soil layers (0–20 cm). Here, we conclude that the carbon management and biological indices captured the stage of soil degradation and the influence of vegetation diversity in the soil resilience restoration, providing an advance in monitoring strategies that can be reproducible in any environment.« less

Soil carbon fractions and biological activity based indices can be used to study the impact of land management and ecological successions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

de Moraes Sa, Joao Carlos; Potma Goncalves, Daniel Ruiz; Ferreira, Lucimara Aparecida

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong indicator of soil health. Development of efficient soil quality indicators is crucial to better understand the impact of land management strategies on the recovery of degraded ecosystems. We hypothesized that SOC fractions and biological attributes can compose strong soil quality indicators to assess an ecosystem recovery following disturbance. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the use of soil biological activity and SOC fractions to study the impact of different land use systems and ecological successions in ecosystem recovery. We selected six land use systems: tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cultivation; pastureland; reforestedmore » land with Eucalyptus sp.; and natural ecological successions with 10, 20 and 35 years of vegetation regeneration, respectively. We collected disturbed and undisturbed soil samples in triplicate at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm depth intervals. Several fractionation approaches were used to determine SOC pools: hot water extractable organic carbon, permanganate oxidized organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, mineral associated organic carbon and total SOC. The activity of the enzyme arylsulfatase was used to represent soil biological attributes. We calculated three indices to represent the soil quality: carbon management index, soil resilience index and biological activity index. Our results suggest that the SOC fractions and the enzyme activity followed the increase of vegetation complexity of the ecological succession stages. The labile SOC pool, in addition to enzyme activity, was the most sensitive variable to assess land use changes. The biomass-C input was considered to be the main reason of SOC increase, and the gains of labile SOC fractions were directly related to the increase of SOC stocks. Both, biological and carbon management indices were efficient tools to characterize the impact of studied management systems. Also, we found that assessment of deeper soil layers (20–40 cm) was extremely important as incomplete inferences might be reached while evaluating only surface soil layers (0–20 cm). Here, we conclude that the carbon management and biological indices captured the stage of soil degradation and the influence of vegetation diversity in the soil resilience restoration, providing an advance in monitoring strategies that can be reproducible in any environment.« less

Knocking off the suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS): their roles in mammalian pregnancy.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Justine S; Toth, Bettina; Jeschke, Udo; Schleussner, Ekkehard; Markert, Udo R

2009-12-01

This review discusses the possible role of the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins in mammalian reproduction. SOCS are regulatory proteins that are rapidly transcribed in response to intracellular Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling, a cascade governing biological functions including cytokine-induced immunological responses and reproductive processes. For instance STAT3 appears to mediate trophoblast invasion induced by LIF. The SOCS family includes 8 members (cytokine-inducible SH2 protein [CIS] and SOCS1-7) that orchestrate distinct reactions by antagonizing STAT activation. Emerging evidence points to a role of some family members in synchronizing Th1/Th2 cell profiles, the balance in which is considered vital to pregnancy maintenance. The reproductive phenotypes of mutant mice harboring targeted disruption of SOCS gene isoforms offer insights for reproductive immunology, trophoblast function and human pregnancy. CIS transgenic mice display impaired responses to IL-2 and resemble STAT5 deficient mice, except they are fertile. SOCS1 deficiency leads to an overabundance of IFNgamma signaling, yet SOCS1 null mutant mice are able to reproduce. Lack of SOCS3 is embryonically lethal due to placental insufficiency, while SOCS3 over-expression leads to elevated Th2 responses. SOCS3 seems to be vital for reproduction by regulating LIF-driven trophoblast differentiation. SOCS5 inhibits IL-4 signaling, yet the SOCS5 transgenic mouse has no conspicuous reproductive phenotype. SOCS-6 and SOCS-7 null mutant mice display growth retardation. In summary, SOCS proteins are avidly involved in fine regulation of immunological and other vital cellular responses. Many of the above phenotypes present contradictions to accepted reproductive immunological paradigms.

IL-10 and socs3 Are Predictive Biomarkers of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever.

PubMed

Flores-Mendoza, Lilian Karem; Estrada-Jiménez, Tania; Sedeño-Monge, Virginia; Moreno, Margarita; Manjarrez, María Del Consuelo; González-Ochoa, Guadalupe; Millán-Pérez Peña, Lourdes; Reyes-Leyva, Julio

2017-01-01

Cytokines play important roles in the physiopathology of dengue infection; therefore, the suppressors of cytokine signaling ( socs ) that control the type and timing of cytokine functions could be involved in the origin of immune alterations in dengue. To explore the association of cytokine and socs levels with disease severity in dengue patients. Blood samples of 48 patients with confirmed dengue infection were analyzed. Amounts of interleukins IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10, interferon- (IFN-) γ , and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α were quantified by flow cytometry, and the relative expression of socs1 and socs3 mRNA was quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Increased levels of IL-10 and socs3 and lower expression of socs1 were found in patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) with respect to those with dengue fever (DF) ( p < 0.05). Negative correlations were found between socs1 and both IL-10 and socs3 ( p < 0.01). The cutoff values of socs3 (>199.8-fold), socs1 (<1.94-fold), and IL-10 (>134 pg/ml) have the highest sensitivity and specificity to discriminate between DF and DHF. Simultaneous changes in IL-10 and socs1/socs3 could be used as prognostic biomarkers of dengue severity.

IL-10 and socs3 Are Predictive Biomarkers of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

PubMed Central

Estrada-Jiménez, Tania; Sedeño-Monge, Virginia; Moreno, Margarita; Manjarrez, María del Consuelo; González-Ochoa, Guadalupe; Millán-Pérez Peña, Lourdes

2017-01-01

Background Cytokines play important roles in the physiopathology of dengue infection; therefore, the suppressors of cytokine signaling (socs) that control the type and timing of cytokine functions could be involved in the origin of immune alterations in dengue. Objective To explore the association of cytokine and socs levels with disease severity in dengue patients. Methods Blood samples of 48 patients with confirmed dengue infection were analyzed. Amounts of interleukins IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10, interferon- (IFN-) γ, and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α were quantified by flow cytometry, and the relative expression of socs1 and socs3 mRNA was quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Results Increased levels of IL-10 and socs3 and lower expression of socs1 were found in patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) with respect to those with dengue fever (DF) (p < 0.05). Negative correlations were found between socs1 and both IL-10 and socs3 (p < 0.01). The cutoff values of socs3 (>199.8-fold), socs1 (<1.94-fold), and IL-10 (>134 pg/ml) have the highest sensitivity and specificity to discriminate between DF and DHF. Conclusion Simultaneous changes in IL-10 and socs1/socs3 could be used as prognostic biomarkers of dengue severity. PMID:28827898

Matching soil grid unit resolutions with polygon unit scales for DNDC modelling of regional SOC pool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H. D.; Yu, D. S.; Ni, Y. L.; Zhang, L. M.; Shi, X. Z.

2015-03-01

Matching soil grid unit resolution with polygon unit map scale is important to minimize uncertainty of regional soil organic carbon (SOC) pool simulation as their strong influences on the uncertainty. A series of soil grid units at varying cell sizes were derived from soil polygon units at the six map scales of 1:50 000 (C5), 1:200 000 (D2), 1:500 000 (P5), 1:1 000 000 (N1), 1:4 000 000 (N4) and 1:14 000 000 (N14), respectively, in the Tai lake region of China. Both format soil units were used for regional SOC pool simulation with DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) process-based model, which runs span the time period 1982 to 2000 at the six map scales, respectively. Four indices, soil type number (STN) and area (AREA), average SOC density (ASOCD) and total SOC stocks (SOCS) of surface paddy soils simulated with the DNDC, were attributed from all these soil polygon and grid units, respectively. Subjecting to the four index values (IV) from the parent polygon units, the variation of an index value (VIV, %) from the grid units was used to assess its dataset accuracy and redundancy, which reflects uncertainty in the simulation of SOC. Optimal soil grid unit resolutions were generated and suggested for the DNDC simulation of regional SOC pool, matching with soil polygon units map scales, respectively. With the optimal raster resolution the soil grid units dataset can hold the same accuracy as its parent polygon units dataset without any redundancy, when VIV < 1% of all the four indices was assumed as criteria to the assessment. An quadratic curve regression model y = -8.0 × 10-6x2 + 0.228x + 0.211 (R2 = 0.9994, p < 0.05) was revealed, which describes the relationship between optimal soil grid unit resolution (y, km) and soil polygon unit map scale (1:x). The knowledge may serve for grid partitioning of regions focused on the investigation and simulation of SOC pool dynamics at certain map scale.

Structural equation modelling reveals factors regulating surface sediment organic carbon content and CO2 efflux in a subtropical mangrove.

PubMed

Ouyang, Xiaoguang; Lee, Shing Yip; Connolly, Rod M

2017-02-01

Mangroves are blue carbon ecosystems that sequester significant carbon but release CO 2 , and to a lesser extent CH 4, from the sediment through oxidation of organic carbon or from overlying water when flooded. Previous studies, e.g. Leopold et al. (2015), have investigated sediment organic carbon (SOC) content and CO 2 flux separately, but could not provide a holistic perspective for both components of blue carbon. Based on field data from a mangrove in southeast Queensland, Australia, we used a structural equation model to elucidate (1) the biotic and abiotic drivers of surface SOC (10cm) and sediment CO 2 flux; (2) the effect of SOC on sediment CO 2 flux; and (3) the covariation among the environmental drivers assessed. Sediment water content, the percentage of fine-grained sediment (<63μm), surface sediment chlorophyll and light condition collectively drive sediment CO 2 flux, explaining 41% of their variation. Sediment water content, the percentage of fine sediment, season, landform setting, mangrove species, sediment salinity and chlorophyll collectively drive surface SOC, explaining 93% of its variance. Sediment water content and the percentage of fine sediment have a negative impact on sediment CO 2 flux but a positive effect on surface SOC content, while sediment chlorophyll is a positive driver of both. Surface SOC was significantly higher in Avicennia marina (2994±186gm -2 , mean±SD) than in Rhizophora stylosa (2383±209gm -2 ). SOC was significantly higher in winter (2771±192gm -2 ) than in summer (2599±211gm -2 ). SOC significantly increased from creek-side (865±89gm -2 ) through mid (3298±137gm -2 ) to landward (3933±138gm -2 ) locations. Sediment salinity was a positive driver of SOC. Sediment CO 2 flux without the influence of biogenic structures (crab burrows, aerial roots) averaged 15.4mmolm -2 d -1 in A. marina stands under dark conditions, lower than the global average dark flux (61mmolm -2 d -1 ) for mangroves. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-term controls of soil organic carbon with depth and time: a case study from the Cowlitz River Chronosequence, WA USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lawrence, Corey R.; Harden, Jennifer W.; Xu, Xiaomei; Schulz, Marjorie S.; Trumbore, Susan E.

2015-01-01

Over timescales of soil development (millennia), the capacity of soils to stabilize soil organic carbon (SOC) is linked to soil development through changes in soil mineralogy and other soil properties. In this study, an extensive dataset of soil profile chemistry and mineralogy is compiled from the Cowlitz River Chronosequence (CRC), WA USA. The CRC soils range in age from 0.25 to 1200 kyr, spanning a developmental gradient encompassing clear changes in soil mineralogy, chemistry, and surface area. Comparison of these and other metrics of soil development with SOC properties reveal several relationships that may be diagnostic of the long-term coupling of soil development and C cycling. Specifically, SOC content was significantly correlated with sodium pyrophosphate extractable metals emphasizing the relevance of organo-metal complexes in volcanic soils. The depth distributions of organo-metals and other secondary weathering products, including the kaolin and short-range order (SRO) minerals, support the so-called “binary composition” of volcanic soils. The formation of organo-metal complexes limits the accumulation of secondary minerals in shallow soils, whereas in deep soils with lower SOC content, secondary minerals accumulate. In the CRC soils, secondary minerals formed in deep soils (below 50 cm) including smectite, allophane, Fe-oxides and dominated by the kaolin mineral halloysite. The abundance of halloysite was significantly correlated with bulk soil surface area and 14C content (a proxy for the mean age of SOC), implying enhanced stability of C in deep soils. Allophane, an SRO mineral commonly associated with SOC storage, was not correlated with SOC content or 14C values in CRC soils. We propose conceptual framework to describe these observations based on a general understanding of pedogenesis in volcanic soils, where SOC cycling is coupled with soil development through the formation of and fate of organo-metal or other mobile weathering products. This framework highlights interactions between SOC and soil development, which may be applicable to other soils where organic inputs interact with the products of chemical weathering.

Rock-Eval analysis of French forest soils: the influence of depth, soil and vegetation types on SOC thermal stability and bulk chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soucemarianadin, Laure; Cécillon, Lauric; Baudin, François; Cecchini, Sébastien; Chenu, Claire; Mériguet, Jacques; Nicolas, Manuel; Savignac, Florence; Barré, Pierre

2017-04-01

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the largest terrestrial carbon pool and SOM degradation has multiple consequences on key ecosystem properties like nutrients cycling, soil emissions of greenhouse gases or carbon sequestration potential. With the strong feedbacks between SOM and climate change, it becomes particularly urgent to develop reliable routine methodologies capable of indicating the turnover time of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Thermal analyses have been used to characterize SOM and among them, Rock-Eval 6 (RE6) analysis of soil has shown promising results in the determination of in-situ SOC biogeochemical stability. This technique combines a phase of pyrolysis followed by a phase of oxidation to provide information on both the SOC bulk chemistry and thermal stability. We analyzed with RE6 a set of 495 soils samples from 102 permanent forest sites of the French national network for the long-term monitoring of forest ecosystems (''RENECOFOR'' network). Along with covering pedoclimatic variability at a national level, these samples include a range of 5 depths up to 1 meter (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-40 cm, 40-80 cm and 80-100 cm). Using RE6 parameters that were previously shown to be correlated to short-term (hydrogen index, HI; T50 CH pyrolysis) or long-term (T50 CO2 oxidation and HI) SOC persistence, and that characterize SOM bulk chemical composition (oxygen index, OI and HI), we tested the influence of depth (n = 5), soil class (n = 6) and vegetation type (n = 3; deciduous, coniferous-fir, coniferous-pine) on SOM thermal stability and bulk chemistry. Results showed that depth was the dominant discriminating factor, affecting significantly all RE6 parameters. With depth, we observed a decrease of the thermally labile SOC pool and an increase of the thermally stable SOC pool, along with an oxidation and a depletion of hydrogen-rich moieties of the SOC. Soil class and vegetation type had contrasted effects on the RE6 parameters but both affected significantly T50 CO2 oxidation with, for instance, entic Podzols and dystric Cambisols containing relatively more thermally stable SOC in the deepest layer than hypereutric/calcaric Cambisols. Moreover, soils in deciduous plots contained a higher proportion of thermally stable SOC than soils in coniferous plots. This study shows that RE6 analysis constitutes a fast and cost effective way to qualitatively estimate SOM turnover and to discuss its ecosystem drivers. It offers promising prospects towards a quantitative estimation of SOC turnover and the development of RE6-based indicators related to the size of the different SOC kinetic pools.

Space Operations Center system analysis study extension. Volume 4, book 2: SOC system analysis report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The Space Operations Center (SOC) orbital space station research missions integration, crew requirements, SOC operations, and configurations are analyzed. Potential research and applications missions and their requirements are described. The capabilities of SOC are compared with user requirements. The SOC/space shuttle and shuttle-derived vehicle flight support operations and SOC orbital operations are described. Module configurations and systems options, SOC/external tank configurations, and configurations for geostationary orbits are described. Crew and systems safety configurations are summarized.

Spatial variability of total carbon and soil organic carbon in agricultural soils in Baranja region, Croatia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogunović, Igor; Trevisani, Sebastiano; Pereira, Paulo; Šeput, Miranda

2017-04-01

Climate change is expected to have an important influence on the crop production in agricultural regions. Soil carbon represents an important soil property that contributes to mitigate the negative influence of climate change on intensive cropped areas. Based on 5063 soil samples sampled from soil top layer (0-30 cm) we studied the spatial distribution of total carbon (TC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) content in various soil types (Anthrosols, Cambisols, Chernozems, Fluvisols, Gleysols, Luvisols) in Baranja region, Croatia. TC concentrations ranged from 2.10 to 66.15 mg/kg (with a mean of 16.31 mg/kg). SOC concentrations ranged from 1.86 to 58.00 mg/kg (with a mean of 13.35 mg/kg). TC and SOC showed moderate heterogeneity with coefficient of variation (CV) of 51.3% and 33.8%, respectively. Average concentrations of soil TC vary in function of soil types in the following decreasing order: Anthrosols (20.9 mg/kg) > Gleysols (19.3 mg/kg) > Fluvisols (15.6 mg/kg) > Chernozems (14.2 mg/kg) > Luvisols (12.6 mg/kg) > Cambisols (11.1 mg/kg), while SOC concentrations follow next order: Gleysols (15.4 mg/kg) > Fluvisols (13.2 mg/kg) = Anthrosols (13.2 mg/kg) > Chernozems (12.6 mg/kg) > Luvisols (11.4 mg/kg) > Cambisols (10.5 mg/kg). Performed geostatistical analysis of TC and SOC; both the experimental variograms as well as the interpolated maps reveal quite different spatial patterns of the two studied soil properties. The analysis of the spatial variability and of the spatial patterns of the produced maps show that SOC is likely influenced by antrophic processes. Spatial variability of SOC indicates soil health deterioration on an important significant portion of the studied area; this suggests the need for future adoption of environmentally friendly soil management in the Baranja region. Regional maps of TC and SOC provide quantitative information for regional planning and environmental monitoring and protection purposes.

Carbon sequestration efficiency of organic amendments in a long-term experiment on a vertisol in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China.

PubMed

Hua, Keke; Wang, Daozhong; Guo, Xisheng; Guo, Zibin

2014-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is important for improving soil fertility of cropland and for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The efficiency of SOC sequestration depends on the quantity and quality of the organic matter, soil type, and climate. Little is known about the SOC sequestration efficiency of organic amendments in Vertisols. Thus, we conducted the research based on 29 years (1982-2011) of long-term fertilization experiment with a no fertilizer control and five fertilization regimes: CK (control, no fertilizer), NPK (mineral NPK fertilizers alone), NPK+1/2W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with half the amount of wheat straw), NPK+W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with full the amount of wheat straw), NPK+PM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with pig manure) and NPK+CM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined cattle manure). Total mean annual C inputs were 0.45, 1.55, 2.66, 3.71, 4.68 and 6.56 ton/ha/yr for CK, NPK, NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM and NPKCM, respectively. Mean SOC sequestration rate was 0.20 ton/ha/yr in the NPK treatment, and 0.39, 0.50, 0.51 and 0.97 ton/ha/yr in the NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM, and NPKCM treatments, respectively. A linear relationship was observed between annual C input and SOC sequestration rate (SOCsequestration rate  = 0.16 Cinput -0.10, R = 0.95, P<0.01), suggesting a C sequestration efficiency of 16%. The Vertisol required an annual C input of 0.63 ton/ha/yr to maintain the initial SOC level. Moreover, the C sequestration efficiencies of wheat straw, pig manure and cattle manure were 17%, 11% and 17%, respectively. The results indicate that the Vertisol has a large potential to sequester SOC with a high efficiency, and applying cattle manure or wheat straw is a recommendable SOC sequestration practice in Vertisols.

Carbon Sequestration Efficiency of Organic Amendments in a Long-Term Experiment on a Vertisol in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

PubMed Central

Hua, Keke; Wang, Daozhong; Guo, Xisheng; Guo, Zibin

2014-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is important for improving soil fertility of cropland and for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The efficiency of SOC sequestration depends on the quantity and quality of the organic matter, soil type, and climate. Little is known about the SOC sequestration efficiency of organic amendments in Vertisols. Thus, we conducted the research based on 29 years (1982–2011) of long-term fertilization experiment with a no fertilizer control and five fertilization regimes: CK (control, no fertilizer), NPK (mineral NPK fertilizers alone), NPK+1/2W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with half the amount of wheat straw), NPK+W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with full the amount of wheat straw), NPK+PM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with pig manure) and NPK+CM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined cattle manure). Total mean annual C inputs were 0.45, 1.55, 2.66, 3.71, 4.68 and 6.56 ton/ha/yr for CK, NPK, NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM and NPKCM, respectively. Mean SOC sequestration rate was 0.20 ton/ha/yr in the NPK treatment, and 0.39, 0.50, 0.51 and 0.97 ton/ha/yr in the NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM, and NPKCM treatments, respectively. A linear relationship was observed between annual C input and SOC sequestration rate (SOCsequestration rate  = 0.16 Cinput –0.10, R = 0.95, P<0.01), suggesting a C sequestration efficiency of 16%. The Vertisol required an annual C input of 0.63 ton/ha/yr to maintain the initial SOC level. Moreover, the C sequestration efficiencies of wheat straw, pig manure and cattle manure were 17%, 11% and 17%, respectively. The results indicate that the Vertisol has a large potential to sequester SOC with a high efficiency, and applying cattle manure or wheat straw is a recommendable SOC sequestration practice in Vertisols. PMID:25265095

No Significant Changes in Topsoil Carbon in the Grasslands of Northern China Between the 1980s and 2000s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, S.; Yang, Y.; Shen, H.; Hu, H.; Zhao, X.; Li, H.; Liu, T.; Fang, J.

2017-12-01

The grasslands of northern China store a large amount of soil organic carbon (SOC), and the small changes in SOC stock could significantly affect the regional C cycle. However, recent estimates of SOC changes in this region are highly controversial. In this study, we examined and mapped the changes in the SOC density (SOCD) in the upper 30 cm of the grasslands of northern China between the 1980s and 2000s, using an improved approach that integrates field-based measurements into machine learning algorithms (artificial neural network and random forest). The random forest-generated SOCD averaged 5.55 kg C m-2 in the 1980s and 5.53 kg C m-2 in the 2000s. The change ranged between -0.17 and 0.22 kg C m-2 at the 95% confidence level, suggesting that the overall SOCD did not change significantly during the study period. However, the change in SOCD exhibited large regional variability. The topsoil of the Inner Mongolian grasslands experienced a significant C loss (4.86 vs. 4.33 kg C m-2), whereas that of the Xinjiang grasslands exhibited an accumulation of C (5.55 vs. 6.46 kg C m-2). In addition, the topsoil C in the Tibetan alpine grasslands remained relatively stable (6.12 vs. 6.06 kg C m-2). A comparison of different grassland types indicated that SOCD exhibited significant decreases in typical steppe, whereas showed increases in mountain meadow, and were stable in the remaining grasslands (alpine meadow, alpine steppe, mountain steppe and desert steppe). Climate variables were shown to be the main determines of the change of SOCD. Increases in precipitation could lead to SOC increase in temperate grasslands and SOC loss in alpine grasslands, while climate warming is likely to cause SOC loss in temperate grasslands. Overall, our study shows that northern grasslands in China remained a neutral SOC sink between the 1980s and 2000s.

The impact of soil erosion on soil fertility and vine vigor. A multidisciplinary approach based on field, laboratory and remote sensing approaches.

PubMed

Novara, Agata; Pisciotta, Antonino; Minacapilli, Mario; Maltese, Antonino; Capodici, Fulvio; Cerdà, Artemi; Gristina, Luciano

2018-05-01

Soil erosion processes in vineyards, beyond surface runoff and sediment transport, have a strong effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) loss and redistribution along the slope. Variation in SOC across the landscape can determine differences in soil fertility and vine vigor. The goal of this research was to analyze the interactions among vines vigor, sediment delivery and SOC in a sloping vineyard located in Sicily. Six pedons were studied along the slope by digging 6 pits up to 60cm depth. Soil was sampled every 10cm and SOC, water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) were analyzed. Erosion rates, detachment and deposition areas were measured by the pole height method which allowed mapping of the soil redistribution. The vigor of vegetation, expressed as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from high-resolution satellite multispectral data, was compared with measured pruning weight. Results confirmed that soil erosion, sediment redistribution and SOC across the slope was strongly affected by topographic features, slope and curvature. The erosion rate was 16Mgha -1 y -1 since the time of planting (6years). SOC redistribution was strongly correlated with the detachment or deposition areas as highlighted by pole height measurements. The off-farm SOC loss over six years amounted to 1.2MgCha -1 . SUVA 254 values, which indicate hydrophobic material rich in aromatic constituents of WEOC, decreased significantly along the slope, demonstrating that WEOC in the detachment site is more stable in comparison to deposition sites. The plant vigor was strongly correlated with WEOC constituents. Results demonstrated that high resolution passive remote sensing data combined with soil and plant analyses can survey areas with contrasting SOC, soil fertility, soil erosion and plant vigor. This will allow monitoring of soil erosion and degradation risk areas and support decision-makers in developing measures for friendly environmental management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental Controls of Soil Organic Carbon in Soils Across Amazonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quesada, Carlos Alberto; Paz, Claudia; Phillips, Oliver; Nonato Araujo Filho, Raimundo; Lloyd, Jon

2015-04-01

Amazonian forests store and cycle a significant amount of carbon on its soils and vegetation. Yet, Amazonian forests are now subject to strong environmental pressure from both land use and climate change. Some of the more dramatic model projections for the future of the Amazon predict a major change in precipitation followed by savanization of most currently forested areas, resulting in major carbon losses to the atmosphere. However, how soil carbon stocks will respond to climatic and land use changes depend largely on how soil carbon is stabilized. Amazonian soils are highly diverse, being very variable in their weathering levels and chemical and physical properties, and thus it is important to consider how the different soils of the Basin stabilize and store soil organic carbon (SOC). The wide variation in soil weathering levels present in Amazonia, suggests that soil groups with contrasting pedogenetic development should differ in their predominant mechanism of SOC stabilization. In this study we investigated the edaphic, mineralogical and climatic controls of SOC concentration in 147 pristine forest soils across nine different countries in Amazonia, encompassing 14 different WRB soil groups. Soil samples were collected in 1 ha permanent plots used for forest dynamics studies as part of the RAINFOR project. Only 0-30 cm deep averages are reported here. Soil samples were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen and for their chemical (exchangeable bases, phosphorus, pH) and physical properties, (particle size, bulk density) and mineralogy through standard selective dissolution techniques (Fe and Al oxides) and by semi-quantitative X-Ray diffraction. In Addition, selected soils from each soil group had SOC fractionated by physical and chemical techniques. Our results indicate that different stabilization mechanisms are responsible for SOC stabilization in Amazonian soils with contrasting pedogenetic level. Ferralsols and Acrisols were found to have uniform mineralogy (kaolinitic) and thus the clay plus silt fraction was the best correlate for SOC but with crystalline iron oxides (dithionite-citrate minus ammonium oxalate - oxalic acid extractable iron) being also correlated to SOC in these soils (R2 = 0.74). Most of SOC in these soils was found on the clay+silt fraction and in stable, clay rich aggregates. However, SOC of high activity clays and other less weathered soils such as Alisols, Cambisols and Plinthosols showed no correlation with particle size or iron oxides, being mostly stabilized by aluminium complexes. We found SOC of these soils to be better explained by a three way interaction among soil pH, carbon quality and dithionite-citrate extractable Al (R2 = 0.85). Consistent with this observation, SOC in the less weathered soils was mostly found in the colloidal fraction (75%). SOC of Podzols and Arenosols on the other hand had only a small but significant influence from their clay plus silt fraction (R2 = 0.31), with particulate organic matter accounting for most of its SOC.

Sense of coherence and the motivational process of the job-demands-resources model.

PubMed

Vogt, Katharina; Hakanen, Jari J; Jenny, Gregor J; Bauer, Georg F

2016-04-01

This longitudinal study systematically examines the various roles played by the personal resource "sense of coherence" (SoC) in the motivational process described by the job-demands-resources model. SoC captures the extent to which people perceive their life as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful, and there is evidence of its influence in many health-related outcomes. The first aim here was to establish whether a resourceful working environment builds up SoC and whether SoC leads to work engagement. A second aim was to test reverse relationships: how work engagement leads to SoC and how SoC in turn relates to job resources. A third aim was to assess whether SoC boosts the relationship between job resources and work engagement. The study utilized a 3-wave, 3-month panel design, involving 940 employees working in a broad range of occupations and economic sectors. The results of longitudinal structural equation modeling show that job resources predict SoC and SoC predicts work engagement, suggesting a mediating role of SoC. In addition, SoC predicts job resources, suggesting reciprocal relationships between job resources and SoC. No boosting effect of SoC was found. Overall, the present findings support the view that providing employees with a resourceful working environment will help to build their SoC. The effects of SoC on perceptual, appraisal, and behavioral processes may in turn lead to enhanced job resources and positive outcomes such as greater work engagement. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

SOCS3

PubMed Central

Yasukawa, Hideo; Nagata, Takanobu; Oba, Toyoharu; Imaizumi, Tsutomu

2012-01-01

The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family of proteins are cytokine-inducible inhibitors of Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of the transcription (STAT) signaling pathways. Among the family, SOCS1 and SOCS3 potently suppress cytokine actions by inhibiting JAK kinase activities. The generation of mice lacking individual SOCS genes has been instrumental in defining the role of individual SOCS proteins in specific cytokine pathways in vivo; SOCS1 is an essential negative regulator of interferon-γ (IFNγ) and SOCS3 is an essential negative regulator of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). JAK-STAT3 activating cytokines have exhibited cardioprotective roles in the heart. The cardiac-specific deletion of SOCS3 enhances the activation of cardioprotective signaling pathways, inhibits myocardial apoptosis and fibrosis and results in the inhibition of left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We propose that myocardial SOCS3 is a key determinant of left ventricular remodeling after MI, and SOCS3 may serve as a novel therapeutic target to prevent left ventricular remodeling after MI. In this review, we discuss the signaling pathways mediated by JAK-STAT and SOCS proteins and their roles in the development of myocardial injury under stress (e.g., pressure overload, viral infection and ischemia). PMID:24058778

Hot regions of labile and stable soil organic carbon in Germany - Spatial variability and driving factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vos, Cora; Jaconi, Angélica; Jacobs, Anna; Don, Axel

2018-06-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels can be mitigated by sequestering carbon in the soil. Sequestration can be facilitated by agricultural management, but its influence is not the same on all soil carbon pools, as labile pools with a high turnover may be accumulated much faster but are also more vulnerable to losses. The aims of this study were to (1) assess how soil organic carbon (SOC) is distributed among SOC fractions on a national scale in Germany, (2) identify factors influencing this distribution and (3) identify regions with high vulnerability to SOC losses. The SOC content and proportion of two different SOC fractions were estimated for more than 2500 mineral topsoils (< 87 g kg-1 SOC) covering Germany, using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Drivers of the spatial variability in SOC fractions were determined using the machine learning algorithm cforest. The SOC content and proportions of fractions were predicted with good accuracy (SOC content: R2 = 0.87-0.90; SOC proportions: R2 = 0.83; ratio of performance to deviation (RPD): 2.4-3.2). The main explanatory variables for the distribution of SOC among the fractions were soil texture, bulk soil C / N ratio, total SOC content and pH. For some regions, the drivers were linked to the land-use history of the sites. Arable topsoils in central and southern Germany were found to contain the highest proportions and contents of stable SOC fractions, and therefore have the lowest vulnerability to SOC losses. North-western Germany contains an area of sandy soils with unusually high SOC contents and high proportions of light SOC fractions, which are commonly regarded as representing a labile carbon pool. This is true for the former peat soils in this area, which have already lost and are at high risk of losing high proportions of their SOC stocks. Those black sands can, however, also contain high amounts of stable SOC due to former heathland vegetation and need to be treated and discussed separately from non-black sand agricultural soils. Overall, it was estimated that, in large areas all over Germany, over 30 % of SOC is stored in easily mineralisable forms. Thus, SOC-conserving management of arable soils in these regions is of great importance.

Soil organic matter composition from correlated thermal analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance data in Australian national inventory of agricultural soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, T. S.; Sanderman, J.; Baldock, J.; Plante, A. F.

2016-12-01

National-scale inventories typically include soil organic carbon (SOC) content, but not chemical composition or biogeochemical stability. Australia's Soil Carbon Research Programme (SCaRP) represents a national inventory of SOC content and composition in agricultural systems. The program used physical fractionation followed by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. While these techniques are highly effective, they are typically too expensive and time consuming for use in large-scale SOC monitoring. We seek to understand if analytical thermal analysis is a viable alternative. Coupled differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and evolved gas analysis (CO2- and H2O-EGA) yields valuable data on SOC composition and stability via ramped combustion. The technique requires little training to use, and does not require fractionation or other sample pre-treatment. We analyzed 300 agricultural samples collected by SCaRP, divided into four fractions: whole soil, coarse particulates (POM), untreated mineral associated (HUM), and hydrofluoric acid (HF)-treated HUM. All samples were analyzed by DSC-EGA, but only the POM and HF-HUM fractions were analyzed by NMR. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to explore natural clustering in SOC composition and stability based on DSC-EGA data. A partial least-squares regression (PLSR) model was used to explore correlations among the NMR and DSC-EGA data. Correlations demonstrated regions of combustion attributable to specific functional groups, which may relate to SOC stability. We are increasingly challenged with developing an efficient technique to assess SOC composition and stability at large spatial and temporal scales. Correlations between NMR and DSC-EGA may demonstrate the viability of using thermal analysis in lieu of more demanding methods in future large-scale surveys, and may provide data that goes beyond chemical composition to better approach quantification of biogeochemical stability.

Increase in soil stable carbon isotope ratio relates to loss of organic carbon: results from five long-term bare fallow experiments.

PubMed

Menichetti, Lorenzo; Houot, Sabine; van Oort, Folkert; Kätterer, Thomas; Christensen, Bent T; Chenu, Claire; Barré, Pierre; Vasilyeva, Nadezda A; Ekblad, Alf

2015-03-01

Changes in the (12)C/(13)C ratio (expressed as δ(13)C) of soil organic C (SOC) has been observed over long time scales and with depth in soil profiles. The changes are ascribed to the different reaction kinetics of (12)C and (13)C isotopes and the different isotopic composition of various SOC pool components. However, experimental verification of the subtle isotopic shifts associated with SOC turnover under field conditions is scarce. We determined δ(13)C and SOC in soil sampled during 1929-2009 in the Ap-horizon of five European long-term bare fallow experiments kept without C inputs for 27-80 years and covering a latitudinal range of 11°. The bare fallow soils lost 33-65% of their initial SOC content and showed a mean annual δ(13)C increase of 0.008-0.024‰. The (13)C enrichment could be related empirically to SOC losses by a Rayleigh distillation equation. A more complex mechanistic relationship was also examined. The overall estimate of the fractionation coefficient (ε) was -1.2 ± 0.3‰. This coefficient represents an important input to studies of long-term SOC dynamics in agricultural soils that are based on variations in (13)C natural abundance. The variance of ε may be ascribed to site characteristics not disclosed in our study, but the very similar kinetics measured across our five experimental sites suggest that overall site-specific factors (including climate) had a marginal influence and that it may be possible to isolate a general mechanism causing the enrichment, although pre-fallow land use may have some impact on isotope abundance and fractionation.

Contrasting effects of deep ploughing of croplands and forests on SOC stocks and SOC bioavailability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcántara, Viridiana; Don, Axel; Vesterdal, Lars; Well, Reinhard; Nieder, Rolf

2016-04-01

Subsoils are essential within the global C cycle since they have a high soil organic carbon (SOC) storage capacity due to a high SOC saturation deficit. However, measures for enhancing SOC stocks commonly focus on topsoils. We assessed the long-term stability of topsoil SOC buried in cropland and forest subsoils by deep ploughing. Deep ploughing was promoted until the 1970s for breaking up hardpan and improving soil structure to optimize crop growth conditions. In forests deep ploughing is performed as a site preparation measure for afforestation of sandy soil aiming at increasing water availability in deeper layers and decreasing weed competition by burial of seeds. An effect of deep ploughing was the translocation of topsoil SOC into subsoils, with a concomitant mixing of SOC-poor subsoil material into the "new" topsoil horizon. Deep ploughed croplands and forests represent unique long-term "in-situ incubations" of SOC-rich material in subsoils in order to assess the effect of soil depth on SOC turnover. In this study, we sampled soil from five loamy and five sandy cropland sites as well as from five sandy forest sites, which were ploughed to 55-127 cm depth 25 to 53 years ago. Adjacent, equally managed but conventionally ploughed or not ploughed (forests) subplots were sampled as reference. On average 45 years after the deep ploughing operation, at the cropland sites, the deep ploughed soils contained 42±13 Mg ha-1 more SOC than the reference subplots down to 100 cm depth. On the contrary, at the forest sites, the SOC stocks of the deep ploughed soils contained 18±9 Mg ha-1 less SOC compared to the reference soils on average 38 years deep ploughing. These contrasting results can be explained, on the one hand, by the slower SOC accumulation in the newly formed topsoils of the deep ploughed forest soil (on average 48% lower SOC stocks in topsoil) compared to the croplands (on average 15% lower SOC stocks in topsoil). On the other hand, the buried topsoils at the forest sites exhibited similar bioavailability of SOC (measured as net C mineralization rates from short-term in-vitro incubations) as compared to the reference topsoils. In contrast, at the sandy cropland sites, net C mineralization rates were significantly lower (67%) in the buried topsoil material compared to the reference topsoil. Buried SOC in the sandy soils is thus highly stable. Together with these results, we will present data on SOC fractions and discuss their implications for our view on stability of buried SOC in croplands and forests. Our results show that deep ploughing contributes to SOC sequestration by enlarging the storage space for SOC-rich material but only under the preconditions that i) burial is accompanied by decrease in SOC bioavailability and ii) SOC accumulates considerably in the newly formed topsoil.

Soil organic carbon quality in forested mineral wetlands at different mean annual temperature.

Treesearch

Cinzia Fissore; Christian P. Giardina; Randall K. Kolka; Carl C. Trettin

2009-01-01

Forested mineral soil wetlands (FMSW) store large stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC), but little is known on: (i) whether the quality of SOC stored in these soils (proportion of active versus more resistant SOC compounds) differs from SOC in upland soils; (ii) how the quality of SOC in FMSW varies with mean annual temperature (MAT); and (iii) whether SOC decomposition...

A novel software and conceptual design of the hardware platform for intensity modulated radiation therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nguyen, Dan; Ruan, Dan; O’Connor, Daniel

Purpose: To deliver high quality intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using a novel generalized sparse orthogonal collimators (SOCs), the authors introduce a novel direct aperture optimization (DAO) approach based on discrete rectangular representation. Methods: A total of seven patients—two glioblastoma multiforme, three head & neck (including one with three prescription doses), and two lung—were included. 20 noncoplanar beams were selected using a column generation and pricing optimization method. The SOC is a generalized conventional orthogonal collimators with N leaves in each collimator bank, where N = 1, 2, or 4. SOC degenerates to conventional jaws when N = 1. For SOC-basedmore » IMRT, rectangular aperture optimization (RAO) was performed to optimize the fluence maps using rectangular representation, producing fluence maps that can be directly converted into a set of deliverable rectangular apertures. In order to optimize the dose distribution and minimize the number of apertures used, the overall objective was formulated to incorporate an L2 penalty reflecting the difference between the prescription and the projected doses, and an L1 sparsity regularization term to encourage a low number of nonzero rectangular basis coefficients. The optimization problem was solved using the Chambolle–Pock algorithm, a first-order primal–dual algorithm. Performance of RAO was compared to conventional two-step IMRT optimization including fluence map optimization and direct stratification for multileaf collimator (MLC) segmentation (DMS) using the same number of segments. For the RAO plans, segment travel time for SOC delivery was evaluated for the N = 1, N = 2, and N = 4 SOC designs to characterize the improvement in delivery efficiency as a function of N. Results: Comparable PTV dose homogeneity and coverage were observed between the RAO and the DMS plans. The RAO plans were slightly superior to the DMS plans in sparing critical structures. On average, the maximum and mean critical organ doses were reduced by 1.94% and 1.44% of the prescription dose. The average number of delivery segments was 12.68 segments per beam for both the RAO and DMS plans. The N = 2 and N = 4 SOC designs were, on average, 1.56 and 1.80 times more efficient than the N = 1 SOC design to deliver. The mean aperture size produced by the RAO plans was 3.9 times larger than that of the DMS plans. Conclusions: The DAO and dose domain optimization approach enabled high quality IMRT plans using a low-complexity collimator setup. The dosimetric quality is comparable or slightly superior to conventional MLC-based IMRT plans using the same number of delivery segments. The SOC IMRT delivery efficiency can be significantly improved by increasing the leaf numbers, but the number is still significantly lower than the number of leaves in a typical MLC.« less

Structure and reactivity of ferrihydrite-soil organic carbon-calcium ternary complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Adhikari, D.; Sowers, T.; Stuckey, J.; Poulson, S.; Sparks, D. L.

2017-12-01

Complete understanding about the interactions between soil organic carbon (SOC) and minerals is important for predicting the stability of SOC and its response to climate change. Recent studies have shown the importance of calcium (Ca)-bearing minerals and iron (Fe) oxide in associating with and stabilizing SOC. In this study, we have investigated the formation and reactivity of ferrihydrite-SOC-Ca ternary complexes. During the co-precipitation of ferrihydrite with SOC in the presence of Ca2+, 60% of SOC can be co-precipitated with ferrihydrite at a C/Fe (molar ratio) of up to 10, whereas the Ca/Fe ratio was saturated at 0.2. Increasing amount of Ca2+ did not affect the co-precipitation of SOC with ferrihydrite or the lability of ferrihydrite-bound SOC. In addition, microbial reduction of ferrihydrite and reductive release of ferrihydrite-bound SOC were not influenced by the presence of Ca, but the pathway for Fe mineral transformation during the reduction was affected by Ca. In the meantime, Fe reduction selectively released carboxylic-enriched SOC. As a comparison, the presence of SOC increased the incorporation of Ca into the structure of ferrihydrite. Our results indicate the formation of ferrihydrite-SOC-Ca complexes, with organic carbon bridging the ferrihydrite and Ca. Such ternary complexes potentially play an important role in regulating the interactions between SOC and mineral phases in soil.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) limits NFkappaB signaling by decreasing p65 stability within the cell nucleus.

PubMed

Strebovsky, Julia; Walker, Patrick; Lang, Roland; Dalpke, Alexander H

2011-03-01

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are inhibitors of cytoplasmic Janus kinases (Jak) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathways. Previously the authors surprisingly observed that SOCS1 translocated into the nucleus, which was because of the presence of a nuclear localization sequence. This report now hypothesizes that SOCS1 mediates specific functions within the nuclear compartment because it is instantly transported into the nucleus, as shown by photoactivation and live cell imaging in human HEK293 cells. The NFκB component p65 is identified as an interaction partner for SOCS1 but not for other members of the SOCS family. SOCS1 bound to p65 only within the nucleus. By means of its SOCS box domain, SOCS1 operated as a ubiquitin ligase, leading to polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of nuclear p65. Thus, SOCS1 limited prolonged p65 signaling and terminated expression of NFκB inducible genes. Using mutants that lack either nuclear translocation or a functional SOCS box, this report identifies genes that are regulated in a manner dependent on the nuclear availability of SOCS1. Data show that beyond its receptor-proximal function in Jak/STAT signaling, SOCS1 also regulates the duration of NFκB signaling within the cell nucleus, thus exerting a heretofore unrecognized function.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 interacts with oncogenic lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase.

PubMed

Venkitachalam, Srividya; Chueh, Fu-Yu; Leong, King-Fu; Pabich, Samantha; Yu, Chao-Lan

2011-03-01

Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) plays a key role in T cell signal transduction and is tightly regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Lck can function as an oncoprotein when overexpressed or constantly activated by mutations. Our previous studies showed that Lck-induced cellular transformation could be suppressed by enforced expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), a SOCS family member involved in the negative feedback control of cytokine signaling. We observed attenuated Lck kinase activity in SOCS1-expressing cells, suggesting an important role of SOCS in regulating Lck functions. It remains largely unknown whether and how SOCS proteins interact with the oncogenic Lck kinase. Here, we report that among four SOCS family proteins, SOCS1, SOCS2, SOCS3 and CIS (cytokine-inducible SH2 domain containing protein), SOCS1 has the highest affinity in binding to the oncogenic Lck kinase. We identified the positive regulatory phosphotyrosine 394 residue in the kinase domain as the key interacting determinant in Lck. Additionally, the Lck kinase domain alone is sufficient to bind SOCS1. While the SH2 domain in SOCS1 is important in its association with the oncogenic Lck kinase, other functional domains may also contribute to overall binding affinity. These findings provide important mechanistic insights into the role of SOCS proteins as tumor suppressors in cells transformed by oncogenic protein tyrosine kinases.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 interacts with oncogenic lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase

PubMed Central

VENKITACHALAM, SRIVIDYA; CHUEH, FU-YU; LEONG, KING-FU; PABICH, SAMANTHA; YU, CHAO-LAN

2011-01-01

Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) plays a key role in T cell signal transduction and is tightly regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Lck can function as an oncoprotein when overexpressed or constantly activated by mutations. Our previous studies showed that Lck-induced cellular transformation could be suppressed by enforced expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), a SOCS family member involved in the negative feedback control of cytokine signaling. We observed attenuated Lck kinase activity in SOCS1-expressing cells, suggesting an important role of SOCS in regulating Lck functions. It remains largely unknown whether and how SOCS proteins interact with the oncogenic Lck kinase. Here we report that, among four SOCS family proteins, SOCS1, SOCS2, SOCS3 and CIS (cytokine–inducible SH2 domain containing protein), SOCS1 has the highest affinity in binding to the oncogenic Lck kinase. We identify the positive regulatory phospho-tyrosine 394 residue in the kinase domain as the key interacting determinant in Lck. Additionally, the Lck kinase domain alone is sufficient to bind SOCS1. While the SH2 domain in SOCS1 is important in its association with the oncogenic Lck kinase, other functional domains may also contribute to overall binding affinity. These findings provide important mechanistic insights into the role of SOCS proteins as tumor suppressors in cells transformed by oncogenic protein tyrosine kinases. PMID:21234523

Conversion of lowland tropical forests to tree cash crop plantations loses up to one-half of stored soil organic carbon

PubMed Central

van Straaten, Oliver; Corre, Marife D.; Wolf, Katrin; Tchienkoua, Martin; Cuellar, Eloy; Matthews, Robin B.; Veldkamp, Edzo

2015-01-01

Tropical deforestation for the establishment of tree cash crop plantations causes significant alterations to soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Despite this recognition, the current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tier 1 method has a SOC change factor of 1 (no SOC loss) for conversion of forests to perennial tree crops, because of scarcity of SOC data. In this pantropic study, conducted in active deforestation regions of Indonesia, Cameroon, and Peru, we quantified the impact of forest conversion to oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), and cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry plantations on SOC stocks within 3-m depth in deeply weathered mineral soils. We also investigated the underlying biophysical controls regulating SOC stock changes. Using a space-for-time substitution approach, we compared SOC stocks from paired forests (n = 32) and adjacent plantations (n = 54). Our study showed that deforestation for tree plantations decreased SOC stocks by up to 50%. The key variable that predicted SOC changes across plantations was the amount of SOC present in the forest before conversion—the higher the initial SOC, the higher the loss. Decreases in SOC stocks were most pronounced in the topsoil, although older plantations showed considerable SOC losses below 1-m depth. Our results suggest that (i) the IPCC tier 1 method should be revised from its current SOC change factor of 1 to 0.6 ± 0.1 for oil palm and cacao agroforestry plantations and 0.8 ± 0.3 for rubber plantations in the humid tropics; and (ii) land use management policies should protect natural forests on carbon-rich mineral soils to minimize SOC losses. PMID:26217000

Enhancement of antiproliferative activity of interferons by RNA interference-mediated silencing of SOCS gene expression in tumor cells.

PubMed

Takahashi, Yuki; Kaneda, Haruka; Takasuka, Nana; Hattori, Kayoko; Nishikawa, Makiya; Watanabe, Yoshihiko; Takakura, Yoshinobu

2008-08-01

The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins, negative regulators of interferon (IFN)-induced signaling pathways, is involved in IFN resistance of tumor cells. To improve the growth inhibitory effect of IFN-beta and IFN-gamma on a murine melanoma cell line, B16-BL6, and a murine colon carcinoma cell line, Colon26 cells, SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 gene expression in tumor cells was downregulated by transfection of plasmid DNA expressing short hairpin RNA targeting one of these genes (pshSOCS-1 and pshSOCS-3, respectively). Transfection of pshSOCS-1 significantly increased the antiproliferative effect of IFN-gamma on B16-BL6 cells. However, any other combinations of plasmids and IFN had little effect on the growth of B16-BL6 cells. In addition, transfection of pshSOCS-1 and pshSOCS-3 produced little improvement in the effect of IFN on Colon26 cells. To understand the mechanism underlining these findings, the level of SOCS gene expression was measured by real time polymerase chain reaction. Addition of IFN-gamma greatly increased the SOCS-1 mRNA expression in B16-BL6 cells. Taking into account the synergistic effect of pshSOCS-1 and IFN-gamma on the growth of B16-BL6 cells, these findings suggest that IFN-gamma-induced high SOCS-1 gene expression in B16-BL6 cells significantly interferes with the antiproliferative effect of IFN-gamma. These results indicate that silencing SOCS gene expression can be an effective strategy to enhance the antitumor effect of IFN under conditions in which the SOCS gene expression is upregulated by IFN.

Conversion of lowland tropical forests to tree cash crop plantations loses up to one-half of stored soil organic carbon.

PubMed

van Straaten, Oliver; Corre, Marife D; Wolf, Katrin; Tchienkoua, Martin; Cuellar, Eloy; Matthews, Robin B; Veldkamp, Edzo

2015-08-11

Tropical deforestation for the establishment of tree cash crop plantations causes significant alterations to soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Despite this recognition, the current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tier 1 method has a SOC change factor of 1 (no SOC loss) for conversion of forests to perennial tree crops, because of scarcity of SOC data. In this pantropic study, conducted in active deforestation regions of Indonesia, Cameroon, and Peru, we quantified the impact of forest conversion to oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), and cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry plantations on SOC stocks within 3-m depth in deeply weathered mineral soils. We also investigated the underlying biophysical controls regulating SOC stock changes. Using a space-for-time substitution approach, we compared SOC stocks from paired forests (n = 32) and adjacent plantations (n = 54). Our study showed that deforestation for tree plantations decreased SOC stocks by up to 50%. The key variable that predicted SOC changes across plantations was the amount of SOC present in the forest before conversion--the higher the initial SOC, the higher the loss. Decreases in SOC stocks were most pronounced in the topsoil, although older plantations showed considerable SOC losses below 1-m depth. Our results suggest that (i) the IPCC tier 1 method should be revised from its current SOC change factor of 1 to 0.6 ± 0.1 for oil palm and cacao agroforestry plantations and 0.8 ± 0.3 for rubber plantations in the humid tropics; and (ii) land use management policies should protect natural forests on carbon-rich mineral soils to minimize SOC losses.

Soil organic carbon across scales.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Sharon M; Angers, Denis A; Holden, Nicholas M; McBratney, Alex B

2015-10-01

Mechanistic understanding of scale effects is important for interpreting the processes that control the global carbon cycle. Greater attention should be given to scale in soil organic carbon (SOC) science so that we can devise better policy to protect/enhance existing SOC stocks and ensure sustainable use of soils. Global issues such as climate change require consideration of SOC stock changes at the global and biosphere scale, but human interaction occurs at the landscape scale, with consequences at the pedon, aggregate and particle scales. This review evaluates our understanding of SOC across all these scales in the context of the processes involved in SOC cycling at each scale and with emphasis on stabilizing SOC. Current synergy between science and policy is explored at each scale to determine how well each is represented in the management of SOC. An outline of how SOC might be integrated into a framework of soil security is examined. We conclude that SOC processes at the biosphere to biome scales are not well understood. Instead, SOC has come to be viewed as a large-scale pool subjects to carbon flux. Better understanding exists for SOC processes operating at the scales of the pedon, aggregate and particle. At the landscape scale, the influence of large- and small-scale processes has the greatest interaction and is exposed to the greatest modification through agricultural management. Policy implemented at regional or national scale tends to focus at the landscape scale without due consideration of the larger scale factors controlling SOC or the impacts of policy for SOC at the smaller SOC scales. What is required is a framework that can be integrated across a continuum of scales to optimize SOC management. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Critical and Independent Role for SOCS3 in Either Myeloid or T Cells in Resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Carow, Berit; Reuschl, Ann-Kathrin; Gavier-Widén, Dolores; Jenkins, Brendan J.; Ernst, Matthias; Yoshimura, Akihiko; Chambers, Benedict J.; Rottenberg, Martin E.

2013-01-01

Suppressor of cytokine signalling 3 (SOCS3) negatively regulates STAT3 activation in response to several cytokines such as those in the gp130-containing IL-6 receptor family. Thus, SOCS3 may play a major role in immune responses to pathogens. In the present study, the role of SOCS3 in M. tuberculosis infection was examined. All Socs3fl/fl LysM cre, Socs3fl/fl lck cre (with SOCS3-deficient myeloid and lymphoid cells, respectively) and gp130F/F mice, with a mutation in gp130 that impedes binding to SOCS3, showed increased susceptibility to infection with M. tuberculosis. SOCS3 binding to gp130 in myeloid cells conveyed resistance to M. tuberculosis infection via the regulation of IL-6/STAT3 signalling. SOCS3 was redundant for mycobacterial control by macrophages in vitro. Instead, SOCS3 expression in infected macrophages and DCs prevented the IL-6-mediated inhibition of TNF and IL-12 secretion and contributed to a timely CD4+ cell-dependent IFN-γ expression in vivo. In T cells, SOCS3 expression was essential for a gp130-independent control of infection with M. tuberculosis, but was neither required for the control of infection with attenuated M. bovis BCG nor for M. tuberculosis in BCG-vaccinated mice. Socs3fl/fl lck cre mice showed an increased frequency of γδ+ T cells in different organs and an enhanced secretion of IL-17 by γδ+ T cells in response to infection. Socs3fl/fl lck cre γδ+ T cells impaired the control of infection with M. tuberculosis. Thus, SOCS3 expression in either lymphoid or myeloid cells is essential for resistance against M. tuberculosis via discrete mechanisms. PMID:23853585

Polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenylethers in soils from planted forests and adjacent natural forests on a tropical island.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Wang, Shuai; Jiang, Yishan; Sun, Yingtao; Li, Jun; Zhang, Gan

2017-08-01

Transformation from natural forests to planted forests in tropical regions is an expanding global phenomenon causing major modifications of land cover and soil properties, e.g. soil organic carbon (SOC). This study investigated accumulations of POPs in soils under eucalyptus and rubber forests as compared with adjacent natural forests on Hainan Island, China. Results showed that due to the greater forest filter effect and the higher SOC, the natural forest have accumulated larger amounts of POPs in the top 20 cm soil. Based on correlation and air-soil equilibrium analysis, we highlighted the importance of SOC in the distribution of POPs. It is assumed that the elevated mobility of POPs in the planted forests was caused by greater loss of SOC and extensive leaching in the soil profile. This suggests that a better understanding of global POPs fate should take into consideration the role of planted forests. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Cryptographic SoC for Robust Protection of Secret Keys in IPTV DRM Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sanghan; Yang, Hae-Yong; Yeom, Yongjin; Park, Jongsik

The security level of an internet protocol television (IPTV) digital right management (DRM) system ultimately relies on protection of secret keys. Well known devices for the key protection include smartcards and battery backup SRAMs (BB-SRAMs); however, these devices could be vulnerable to various physical attacks. In this paper, we propose a secure and cost-effective design of a cryptographic system on chip (SoC) that integrates the BB-SRAM with a cell-based design technique. The proposed SoC provides robust safeguard against the physical attacks, and satisfies high-speed and low-price requirements of IPTV set-top boxes. Our implementation results show that the maximum encryption rate of the SoC is 633Mb/s. In order to verify the data retention capabilities, we made a prototype chip using 0.18µm standard cell technology. The experimental results show that the integrated BB-SRAM can reliably retain data with a 1.4µA leakage current.

Implementation of QoSS (Quality-of-Security Service) for NoC-Based SoC Protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sepúlveda, Johanna; Pires, Ricardo; Strum, Marius; Chau, Wang Jiang

Many of the current electronic systems embedded in a SoC (System-on-Chip) are used to capture, store, manipulate and access critical data, as well as to perform other key functions. In such a scenario, security is considered as an important issue. The Network-on-chip (NoC), as the foreseen communication structure of next-generation SoC devices, can be used to efficiently incorporate security. Our work proposes the implementation of QoSS (Quality of Security Service) to overcome present SoC vulnerabilities. QoSS is a novel concept for data protection that introduces security as a dimension of QoS. In this paper, we present the implementation of two security services (access control and authentication), that may be configured to assume one from several possible levels, the implementation of a technique to avoid denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, evaluate their effectiveness and estimate their impact on NoC performance.

Real-time immune-inspired optimum state-of-charge trajectory estimation using upcoming route information preview and neural networks for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles fuel economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mozaffari, Ahmad; Vajedi, Mahyar; Azad, Nasser L.

2015-06-01

The main proposition of the current investigation is to develop a computational intelligence-based framework which can be used for the real-time estimation of optimum battery state-of-charge (SOC) trajectory in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The estimated SOC trajectory can be then employed for an intelligent power management to significantly improve the fuel economy of the vehicle. The devised intelligent SOC trajectory builder takes advantage of the upcoming route information preview to achieve the lowest possible total cost of electricity and fossil fuel. To reduce the complexity of real-time optimization, the authors propose an immune system-based clustering approach which allows categorizing the route information into a predefined number of segments. The intelligent real-time optimizer is also inspired on the basis of interactions in biological immune systems, and is called artificial immune algorithm (AIA). The objective function of the optimizer is derived from a computationally efficient artificial neural network (ANN) which is trained by a database obtained from a high-fidelity model of the vehicle built in the Autonomie software. The simulation results demonstrate that the integration of immune inspired clustering tool, AIA and ANN, will result in a powerful framework which can generate a near global optimum SOC trajectory for the baseline vehicle, that is, the Toyota Prius PHEV. The outcomes of the current investigation prove that by taking advantage of intelligent approaches, it is possible to design a computationally efficient and powerful SOC trajectory builder for the intelligent power management of PHEVs.

Emergent Self-Organized Criticality in Gene Expression Dynamics: Temporal Development of Global Phase Transition Revealed in a Cancer Cell Line

PubMed Central

Tsuchiya, Masa; Giuliani, Alessandro; Hashimoto, Midori; Erenpreisa, Jekaterina; Yoshikawa, Kenichi

2015-01-01

Background The underlying mechanism of dynamic control of the genome-wide expression is a fundamental issue in bioscience. We addressed it in terms of phase transition by a systemic approach based on both density analysis and characteristics of temporal fluctuation for the time-course mRNA expression in differentiating MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Methodology In a recent work, we suggested criticality as an essential aspect of dynamic control of genome-wide gene expression. Criticality was evident by a unimodal-bimodal transition through flattened unimodal expression profile. The flatness on the transition suggests the existence of a critical transition at which up- and down-regulated expression is balanced. Mean field (averaging) behavior of mRNAs based on the temporal expression changes reveals a sandpile type of transition in the flattened profile. Furthermore, around the transition, a self-similar unimodal-bimodal transition of the whole expression occurs in the density profile of an ensemble of mRNA expression. These singular and scaling behaviors identify the transition as the expression phase transition driven by self-organized criticality (SOC). Principal Findings Emergent properties of SOC through a mean field approach are revealed: i) SOC, as a form of genomic phase transition, consolidates distinct critical states of expression, ii) Coupling of coherent stochastic oscillations between critical states on different time-scales gives rise to SOC, and iii) Specific gene clusters (barcode genes) ranging in size from kbp to Mbp reveal similar SOC to genome-wide mRNA expression and ON-OFF synchronization to critical states. This suggests that the cooperative gene regulation of topological genome sub-units is mediated by the coherent phase transitions of megadomain-scaled conformations between compact and swollen chromatin states. Conclusion and Significance In summary, our study provides not only a systemic method to demonstrate SOC in whole-genome expression, but also introduces novel, physically grounded concepts for a breakthrough in the study of biological regulation. PMID:26067993

SOCS3: an essential regulator of LIF receptor signaling in trophoblast giant cell differentiation

PubMed Central

Takahashi, Yutaka; Carpino, Nick; Cross, James C.; Torres, Miguel; Parganas, Evan; Ihle, James N.

2003-01-01

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) binds cytokine receptors and thereby suppresses cytokine signaling. Deletion of SOCS3 causes an embryonic lethality that is rescued by a tetraploid rescue approach, demonstrating an essential role in placental development and a non-essential role in embryo development. Rescued SOCS3-deficient mice show a perinatal lethality with cardiac hypertrophy. SOCS3-deficient placentas have reduced spongiotrophoblasts and increased trophoblast secondary giant cells. Enforced expression of SOCS3 in a trophoblast stem cell line (Rcho-1) suppresses giant cell differentiation. Conversely, SOCS3-deficient trophoblast stem cells differentiate more readily to giant cells in culture, demonstrating that SOCS3 negatively regulates trophoblast giant cell differentiation. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) promotes giant cell differentiation in vitro, and LIF receptor (LIFR) deficiency results in loss of giant cell differentiation in vivo. Finally, LIFR deficiency rescues the SOCS3-deficient placental defect and embryonic lethality. The results establish SOCS3 as an essential regulator of LIFR signaling in trophoblast differentiation. PMID:12554639

Mapping the variation of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock in time and space in Sicily, an extremely variable semi-arid Mediterranean region, highlighted that C was lost in area rich in organic C and gained in poor-C areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schillaci, Calogero; Acutis, Marco; Lombardo, Luigi; Lipani, Aldo; Fantappiè, Maria; Märker, Michael; Saia, Sergio

2017-04-01

The stock of organic carbon in the soil (SOC) is an indicator of soil ability to support agro-ecosystems productivity and resilience to environmental changes (Schillaci et al. 2016; 2017). In addition, SOC stock change through space and especially time is a valuable indicator of the soil ability to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and thus its potential to reduce the greenhouse gas effect. In the present work, we mapped (1-km resolution) the space-time variation of the SOC stock after 15 years (1993 to 2008) in a semi-arid Mediterranean area (25,286 km2) after modelling SOC concentration (0-0.4 m depth) with boosted regression trees (BRT) and computing the SOC stock after the application of the bulk density maps of ISRIC (soilgrid.com, Hengl et al., 2014). The area under study (Sicily, south of Italy) has a plenty of contrasting environments, with changing ecosystems, soils, and microclimatic regions. The BRT procedure was run with a set of 25 predictors per year, including land use, soil traits, morphometric indicators and remote sensing covariates (derived from Landsat5 data). The BRT output consisted of a high pseudo-R2(=0.71 for 1993 and 0.63 for 2008) of the SOC concentration, low uncertainty (standard deviation < 0.76 g C kg-1) and root mean square error (4.33 g SOC kg-1 in 1993 and 8.39 g SOC kg-1 in 2008). The maps of the SOC stock variation in time were produced as absolute change (t SOC ha-1 15 years-1) or percentage variation compared to the initial stock (1993). In the whole area, positive mean and median stock percentage variations were found (+10.9%±28.2% [mean±s.d.] and +8.55%, respectively). Strong SOC stock losses (-62.0% to -17.3%, corresponding to the data lower than the mean-s.d.) were found in 15.5% of the area and these pixel were mostly found in mountainous environments with high initial SOC stock and extensively used for forestry. This decrease was likely due to both high erosion rates and a short-term change in the climate, especially temperature. A high and positive percentage variation of the SOC stock (+39.1 % to +180.0%, corresponding to the data higher than the mean+s.d.) was found in 14.3% of the area under study. These environments are dominated by non-irrigated arable lands and characterized by low SOC, low rainfall and high temperature. In these conditions, the increase of the SOC stock found in 15 years likely occurred to the compulsory application of some Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions, some of which were compulsory during the study period. Despite the mean SOC stock absolute change (and thus its percent variation) in time was positive, and the area under study corresponds to an administrative Italian region, the present results call policy to take into account of the variation of carbon at least at district level. This would allow establishing measures to protect the most vulnerable and higher SOC-stocking areas and increase the soil ability to sequester C in a view of the creation of a CO2 accounting system, with C credits and debits, at the national and European level. The increase of SOC concentration found irrespective of the land use also suggests that the agronomical measures to be favored to increase SOC should focus on agricultural aspects different from the crop and likely address to the soil and residue management. Referece: Hengl T, de Jesus JM, MacMillan RA, Batjes NH, Heuvelink GBM, et al. (2014) SoilGrids1km — Global Soil Information Based on Automated Mapping. PLoS ONE 9(8): e105992. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0105992 Schillaci C., Saia S., Santesso M., Perego A., Brenna S., Acutis M., 2016. The importance of bioclimatic, pedology and land cover on mapping SOC stock with geostatistical approaches: the case study of the flat terrains in Po valley plain (Lombardy) agroecosystems. Proceedings of "Nuove avversità e nuovi servizi per gli Agroecosistemi" XIX Convegno Nazionale di Agrometeorologia - AIAM 2016 (Ventura F, Pieri L, eds.), pp 68-72 Bologna (BO), Italy, 14-16 June 2016 10.6092/unibo/amsacta/5164 Schillaci, C., Lombardo, L., Saia, S., Fantappiè, M., Märker, M., Acutis, M., 2017. Modelling the topsoil carbon stock of agricultural lands with the Stochastic Gradient Treeboost in a semi-arid Mediterranean region. Geoderma 286, 35-45. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.10.

Variation of Soil Organic Carbon and Its Major Constraints in East Central Asia

PubMed Central

Lee, Xinqing; Huang, Yimin; Huang, Daikuan; Hu, Lu; Feng, Zhaodong; Cheng, Jianzhong; Wang, Bing; Ni, Jian; Shurkhuu, Tserenpil

2016-01-01

Variation of soil organic carbon (SOC) and its major constraints in large spatial scale are critical for estimating global SOC inventory and projecting its future at environmental changes. By analyzing SOC and its environment at 210 sites in uncultivated land along a 3020km latitudinal transect in East Central Asia, we examined the effect of environmental factors on the dynamics of SOC. We found that SOC changes dramatically with the difference as high as 5 times in north China and 17 times in Mongolia. Regardless, C:N remains consistent about 12. Path analysis indicated that temperature is the dominant factor in the variation of SOC with a direct effect much higher than the indirect one, the former breaks SOC down the year round while the latter results in its growth mainly via precipitation in the winter half year. Precipitation helps accumulate SOC, a large part of the effect, however, is taken via temperature. NH4+-N and topography also affect SOC, their roles are played primarily via climatic factors. pH correlates significantly with SOC, the effect, however, is taken only in the winter months, contributing to the decay of SOC primarily via temperature. These factors explained as much as 79% of SOC variations, especially in the summer months, representing the major constraints on the SOC stock. Soil texture gets increasingly fine southward, it does not, however, constitute an apparent factor. Our results suggested that recent global warming should have been adversely affecting SOC stock in the mid-latitude as temperature dominates other factors as the constraint. PMID:26934707

Self-Regulatory Strategies in Daily Life: Selection, Optimization, and Compensation and Everyday Memory Problems

PubMed Central

Stephanie, Robinson; Margie, Lachman; Elizabeth, Rickenbach

2015-01-01

The effective use of self-regulatory strategies, such as selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) requires resources. However, it is theorized that SOC use is most advantageous for those experiencing losses and diminishing resources. The present study explored this seeming paradox within the context of limitations or constraints due to aging, low cognitive resources, and daily stress in relation to everyday memory problems. We examined whether SOC usage varied by age and level of constraints, and if the relationship between resources and memory problems was mitigated by SOC usage. A daily diary paradigm was used to explore day-to-day fluctuations in these relationships. Participants (n=145, ages 22 to 94) completed a baseline interview and a daily diary for seven consecutive days. Multilevel models examined between- and within-person relationships between daily SOC use, daily stressors, cognitive resources, and everyday memory problems. Middle-aged adults had the highest SOC usage, although older adults also showed high SOC use if they had high cognitive resources. More SOC strategies were used on high stress compared to low stress days. Moreover, the relationship between daily stress and memory problems was buffered by daily SOC use, such that on high-stress days, those who used more SOC strategies reported fewer memory problems than participants who used fewer SOC strategies. The paradox of resources and SOC use can be qualified by the type of resource-limitation. Deficits in global resources were not tied to SOC usage or benefits. Conversely, under daily constraints tied to stress, the use of SOC increased and led to fewer memory problems. PMID:26997686

SOCS3 Deletion in T-Lymphocytes Suppresses Development of Chronic Ocular Inflammation Via Up-regulation of CTLA-4 and Expansion of Regulatory T cells

PubMed Central

Yu, Cheng-Rong; Kim, Sung-Hye; Mahdi, Rashid M.; Egwuagu, Charles E.

2013-01-01

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative-feedback regulators of JAK/STAT pathway and SOCS3 contributes to host immunity by regulating the intensity/duration of cytokine signals and inflammatory responses. Mice with Socs3 deletion in myeloid cells exhibit enhanced STAT3-signaling, expansion of Th1 and Th17 cells and developed severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Interestingly, development of the unique IL-17/IFN-γ-double producing (Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ) subsets that exhibit strong cytotoxic activities and associated with pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases, has recently been shown to depend on epigenetic suppression of SOCS3 expression, further suggesting involvement of SOCS3 in autoimmunity and tumor immunity. In this study, we generated mice with Socs3 deletion in CD4 T cell compartment (CD4-SOCS3KO) to determine in vivo effects of the loss of Socs3 in the T cell-mediated autoimmune disease, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). In contrast to the exacerbation of EAE in myeloid-specific SOCS3-deleted mice, CD4-SOCS3KO mice were protected from acute and chronic uveitis. Protection from EAU correlated with enhanced expression of CTLA4 and expansion of IL-10 producing Tregs with augmented suppressive activities. We further show that SOCS3 interacts with CTLA4 and negatively regulates CTLA4 levels in T cells, providing mechanistic explanation for the expansion of Tregs in CD4-SOCS3 during EAU. Contrary to in vitro epigenetic studies, Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ populations were markedly reduced in CD4-SOCS3KO, suggesting that SOCS3 promotes expansion of Th17/IFN-γ subset associated with development of severe uveitis. Thus, SOCS3 is a potential therapeutic target in uveitis and other auto-inflammatory diseases. PMID:24101549

SOCS3 deletion in T lymphocytes suppresses development of chronic ocular inflammation via upregulation of CTLA-4 and expansion of regulatory T cells.

PubMed

Yu, Cheng-Rong; Kim, Sung-Hye; Mahdi, Rashid M; Egwuagu, Charles E

2013-11-15

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative-feedback regulators of the JAK/STAT pathway, and SOCS3 contributes to host immunity by regulating the intensity and duration of cytokine signals and inflammatory responses. Mice with Socs3 deletion in myeloid cells exhibit enhanced STAT3 signaling, expansion of Th1 and Th17 cells, and develop severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Interestingly, development of the unique IL-17/IFN-γ double-producing (Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ) subsets that exhibit strong cytotoxic activities and are associated with pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases has recently been shown to depend on epigenetic suppression of SOCS3 expression, further suggesting involvement of SOCS3 in autoimmunity and tumor immunity. In this study, we generated mice with Socs3 deletion in the CD4 T cell compartment (CD4-SOCS3 knockout [KO]) to determine in vivo effects of the loss of Socs3 in the T cell-mediated autoimmune disease, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). In contrast to the exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in myeloid-specific SOCS3-deleted mice, CD4-SOCS3KO mice were protected from acute and chronic uveitis. Protection from EAU correlated with enhanced expression of CTLA-4 and expansion of IL-10-producing regulatory T cells with augmented suppressive activities. We further show that SOCS3 interacts with CTLA-4 and negatively regulates CTLA-4 levels in T cells, providing a mechanistic explanation for the expansion of regulatory T cells in CD4-SOCS3 during EAU. Contrary to in vitro epigenetic studies, Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ populations were markedly reduced in CD4-SOCS3KO, suggesting that SOCS3 promotes expansion of the Th17/IFN-γ subset associated with development of severe uveitis. Thus, SOCS3 is a potential therapeutic target in uveitis and other autoinflammatory diseases.

Microbe-driven turnover offsets mineral-mediated storage of soil carbon under elevated CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulman, Benjamin N.; Phillips, Richard P.; Oishi, A. Christopher; Shevliakova, Elena; Pacala, Stephen W.

2014-12-01

The sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) to changing environmental conditions represents a critical uncertainty in coupled carbon cycle-climate models. Much of this uncertainty arises from our limited understanding of the extent to which root-microbe interactions induce SOC losses (through accelerated decomposition or `priming') or indirectly promote SOC gains (via `protection' through interactions with mineral particles). We developed a new SOC model to examine priming and protection responses to rising atmospheric CO2. The model captured disparate SOC responses at two temperate free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments. We show that stabilization of `new' carbon in protected SOC pools may equal or exceed microbial priming of `old' SOC in ecosystems with readily decomposable litter and high clay content (for example, Oak Ridge). In contrast, carbon losses induced through priming dominate the net SOC response in ecosystems with more resistant litters and lower clay content (for example, Duke). The SOC model was fully integrated into a global terrestrial carbon cycle model to run global simulations of elevated CO2 effects. Although protected carbon provides an important constraint on priming effects, priming nonetheless reduced SOC storage in the majority of terrestrial areas, partially counterbalancing SOC gains from enhanced ecosystem productivity.

Integrating depth functions and hyper-scale terrain analysis for 3D soil organic carbon modeling in agricultural fields at regional scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez-Lopez, L.; van Wesemael, B.; Stevens, A.; Doetterl, S.; Van Oost, K.; Behrens, T.; Schmidt, K.

2012-04-01

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) represents a key component in the global C cycle and has an important influence on the global CO2 fluxes between terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere. In the context of agricultural landscapes, SOC inventories are important since soil management practices have a strong influence on CO2 fluxes and SOC stocks. However, there is lack of accurate and cost-effective methods for producing high spatial resolution of SOC information. In this respect, our work is focused on the development of a three dimensional modeling approach for SOC monitoring in agricultural fields. The study area comprises ~420 km2 and includes 4 of the 5 agro-geological regions of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The soil dataset consist of 172 profiles (1033 samples) which were not sampled specifically for this study. This dataset is a combination of profile samples collected in previous soil surveys and soil profiles sampled for other research purposes. The proposed strategy comprises two main steps. In the first step the SOC distribution within each profile (vertical distribution) is modeled. Depth functions for are fitted in order to summarize the information content in the profile. By using these functions the SOC can be interpolated at any depth within the profiles. The second step involves the use of contextual terrain (ConMap) features (Behrens et al., 2010). These features are based on the differences in elevation between a given point location in the landscape and its circular neighbourhoods at a given set of different radius. One of the main advantages of this approach is that it allows the integration of several spatial scales (eg. local and regional) for soil spatial analysis. In this work the ConMap features are derived from a digital elevation model of the area and are used as predictors for spatial modeling of the parameters of the depth functions fitted in the previous step. In this poster we present some preliminary results in which we analyze: i. The use of different depth functions, ii. The use of different machine learning approaches for modeling the parameters of the fitted depth functions using the ConMap features and iii. The influence of different spatial scales on the SOC profile distribution variability. Keywords: 3D modeling, Digital soil mapping, Depth functions, Terrain analysis. Reference Behrens, T., K. Schmidt, K., Zhu, A.X. Scholten, T. 2010. The ConMap approach for terrain-based digital soil mapping. European Journal of Soil Science, v. 61, p.133-143.

Three-Dimensional Mapping of Soil Organic Carbon by Combining Kriging Method with Profile Depth Function.

PubMed

Chen, Chong; Hu, Kelin; Li, Hong; Yun, Anping; Li, Baoguo

2015-01-01

Understanding spatial variation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in three-dimensional direction is helpful for land use management. Due to the effect of profile depths and soil texture on vertical distribution of SOC, the stationary assumption for SOC cannot be met in the vertical direction. Therefore the three-dimensional (3D) ordinary kriging technique cannot be directly used to map the distribution of SOC at a regional scale. The objectives of this study were to map the 3D distribution of SOC at a regional scale by combining kriging method with the profile depth function of SOC (KPDF), and to explore the effects of soil texture and land use type on vertical distribution of SOC in a fluvial plain. A total of 605 samples were collected from 121 soil profiles (0.0 to 1.0 m, 0.20 m increment) in Quzhou County, China and SOC contents were determined for each soil sample. The KPDF method was used to obtain the 3D map of SOC at the county scale. The results showed that the exponential equation well described the vertical distribution of mean values of the SOC contents. The coefficients of determination, root mean squared error and mean prediction error between the measured and the predicted SOC contents were 0.52, 1.82 and -0.24 g kg(-1) respectively, suggesting that the KPDF method could be used to produce a 3D map of SOC content. The surface SOC contents were high in the mid-west and south regions, and low values lay in the southeast corner. The SOC contents showed significant positive correlations between the five different depths and the correlations of SOC contents were larger in adjacent layers than in non-adjacent layers. Soil texture and land use type had significant effects on the spatial distribution of SOC. The influence of land use type was more important than that of soil texture in the surface soil, and soil texture played a more important role in influencing the SOC levels for 0.2-0.4 m layer.

Three-Dimensional Mapping of Soil Organic Carbon by Combining Kriging Method with Profile Depth Function

PubMed Central

Chen, Chong; Hu, Kelin; Li, Hong; Yun, Anping; Li, Baoguo

2015-01-01

Understanding spatial variation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in three-dimensional direction is helpful for land use management. Due to the effect of profile depths and soil texture on vertical distribution of SOC, the stationary assumption for SOC cannot be met in the vertical direction. Therefore the three-dimensional (3D) ordinary kriging technique cannot be directly used to map the distribution of SOC at a regional scale. The objectives of this study were to map the 3D distribution of SOC at a regional scale by combining kriging method with the profile depth function of SOC (KPDF), and to explore the effects of soil texture and land use type on vertical distribution of SOC in a fluvial plain. A total of 605 samples were collected from 121 soil profiles (0.0 to 1.0 m, 0.20 m increment) in Quzhou County, China and SOC contents were determined for each soil sample. The KPDF method was used to obtain the 3D map of SOC at the county scale. The results showed that the exponential equation well described the vertical distribution of mean values of the SOC contents. The coefficients of determination, root mean squared error and mean prediction error between the measured and the predicted SOC contents were 0.52, 1.82 and -0.24 g kg-1 respectively, suggesting that the KPDF method could be used to produce a 3D map of SOC content. The surface SOC contents were high in the mid-west and south regions, and low values lay in the southeast corner. The SOC contents showed significant positive correlations between the five different depths and the correlations of SOC contents were larger in adjacent layers than in non-adjacent layers. Soil texture and land use type had significant effects on the spatial distribution of SOC. The influence of land use type was more important than that of soil texture in the surface soil, and soil texture played a more important role in influencing the SOC levels for 0.2-0.4 m layer. PMID:26047012

Tunable spin-orbit coupling for ultracold atoms in two-dimensional optical lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grusdt, Fabian; Li, Tracy; Bloch, Immanuel; Demler, Eugene

2017-06-01

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is at the heart of many exotic band structures and can give rise to many-body states with topological order. Here we present a general scheme based on a combination of microwave driving and lattice shaking for the realization of two-dimensional SOC with ultracold atoms in systems with inversion symmetry. We show that the strengths of Rashba and Dresselhaus SOC can be independently tuned in a spin-dependent square lattice. More generally, our method can be used to open gaps between different spin states without breaking time-reversal symmetry. We demonstrate that this allows for the realization of topological insulators with nontrivial spin textures closely related to the Kane-Mele model.

Long-term fertilization alters chemically-separated soil organic carbon pools: Based on stable C isotope analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Xiaolin; He, Ping; Cheng, Xiaoli; Zhou, Wei

2016-01-01

Quantification of dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools under the influence of long-term fertilization is essential for predicting carbon (C) sequestration. We combined soil chemical fractionation with stable C isotope analyses to investigate the C dynamics of the various SOC pools after 25 years of fertilization. Five types of soil samples (0-20, 20-40 cm) including the initial level (CK) and four fertilization treatments (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer, IN; balanced inorganic fertilizer, NPK; inorganic fertilizer plus farmyard manure, MNPK; inorganic fertilizer plus corn straw residue, SNPK) were separated into recalcitrant and labile fractions, and the fractions were analysed for C content, C:N ratios, δ13C values, soil C and N recalcitrance indexes (RIC and RIN). Chemical fractionation showed long-term MNPK fertilization strongly increased the SOC storage in both soil layers (0-20 cm = 1492.4 gC m2 and 20-40 cm = 1770.6 gC m2) because of enhanced recalcitrant C (RC) and labile C (LC). The 25 years of inorganic fertilizer treatment did not increase the SOC storage mainly because of the offsetting effects of enhanced RC and decreased LC, whereas no clear SOC increases under the SNPK fertilization resulted from the fast decay rates of soil C.

Long-term fertilization alters chemically-separated soil organic carbon pools: Based on stable C isotope analyses.

PubMed

Dou, Xiaolin; He, Ping; Cheng, Xiaoli; Zhou, Wei

2016-01-11

Quantification of dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools under the influence of long-term fertilization is essential for predicting carbon (C) sequestration. We combined soil chemical fractionation with stable C isotope analyses to investigate the C dynamics of the various SOC pools after 25 years of fertilization. Five types of soil samples (0-20, 20-40 cm) including the initial level (CK) and four fertilization treatments (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer, IN; balanced inorganic fertilizer, NPK; inorganic fertilizer plus farmyard manure, MNPK; inorganic fertilizer plus corn straw residue, SNPK) were separated into recalcitrant and labile fractions, and the fractions were analysed for C content, C:N ratios, δ(13)C values, soil C and N recalcitrance indexes (RIC and RIN). Chemical fractionation showed long-term MNPK fertilization strongly increased the SOC storage in both soil layers (0-20 cm = 1492.4 gC m(2) and 20-40 cm = 1770.6 gC m(2)) because of enhanced recalcitrant C (RC) and labile C (LC). The 25 years of inorganic fertilizer treatment did not increase the SOC storage mainly because of the offsetting effects of enhanced RC and decreased LC, whereas no clear SOC increases under the SNPK fertilization resulted from the fast decay rates of soil C.

A novel method for state of charge estimation of lithium-ion batteries using a nonlinear observer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Bizhong; Chen, Chaoren; Tian, Yong; Sun, Wei; Xu, Zhihui; Zheng, Weiwei

2014-12-01

The state of charge (SOC) is important for the safety and reliability of battery operation since it indicates the remaining capacity of a battery. However, as the internal state of each cell cannot be directly measured, the value of the SOC has to be estimated. In this paper, a novel method for SOC estimation in electric vehicles (EVs) using a nonlinear observer (NLO) is presented. One advantage of this method is that it does not need complicated matrix operations, so the computation cost can be reduced. As a key step in design of the nonlinear observer, the state-space equations based on the equivalent circuit model are derived. The Lyapunov stability theory is employed to prove the convergence of the nonlinear observer. Four experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the presented method. The results show that the SOC estimation error converges to 3% within 130 s while the initial SOC error reaches 20%, and does not exceed 4.5% while the measurement suffers both 2.5% voltage noise and 5% current noise. Besides, the presented method has advantages over the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and sliding mode observer (SMO) algorithms in terms of computation cost, estimation accuracy and convergence rate.

Mental health and positive change among Japanese mothers of children with intellectual disabilities: Roles of sense of coherence and social capital.

PubMed

Kimura, Miyako; Yamazaki, Yoshihiko

2016-12-01

We investigated predictors of mental health and positive change among mothers of children with intellectual disabilities in Japan based on the concept of the Double ABCX model. We used variables of having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and dissatisfaction with systems as stressors, availability of social support and social capital (SC) as existing resources, sense of coherence (SOC) as appraisal of the stressor, and mental health and positive change as adaptation. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 10 intellectual disability-oriented special needs schools in Tokyo, and obtained 613 responses from mothers of children under age 20 attending these schools. The results showed that our Double ABCX model explained 46.0% of the variance in mothers' mental health and 38.9% of the variance in positive change. The most powerful predictor of this model was SOC, and SC may be directly and indirectly related to maternal mental health and positive change through mothers' SOC. Increasing opportunity for interaction between neighbors and family of children with disabilities may be one effective way to enhance SOC through SC. Since maternal SOC, SC, mental health, and positive change were significantly correlated with each other, synergy among these elements could be expected. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil organic carbon - a large scale paired catchment assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunkel, V.; Hancock, G. R.; Wells, T.

2016-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration can vary both spatially and temporally driven by differences in soil properties, topography and climate. However most studies have focused on point scale data sets with a paucity of studies examining larger scale catchments. Here we examine the spatial and temporal distribution of SOC for two large catchments. The Krui (575 km2) and Merriwa River (675km2) catchments (New South Wales, Australia). Both have similar shape, soils, topography and orientation. We show that SOC distribution is very similar for both catchments and that elevation (and associated increase in soil moisture) is a major influence on SOC. We also show that there is little change in SOC from the initial assessment in 2006 to 2015 despite a major drought from 2003 to 2010 and extreme rainfall events in 2007 and 2010 -therefore SOC concentration appears robust. However, we found significant relationships between erosion and deposition patterns (as quantified using 137Cs) and SOC for both catchments again demonstrating a strong geomorphic relationship. Vegetation across the catchments was assessed using remote sensing (Landsat and MODIS). Vegetation patterns were temporally consistent with above ground biomass increasing with elevation. SOC could be predicted using both these low and high resolution remote sensing platforms. Results indicate that, although moderate resolution (250 m) allows for reasonable prediction of the spatial distribution of SOC, the higher resolution (30 m) improved the strength of the SOC-NDVI relationship. The relationship between SOC and 137Cs, as a surrogate for the erosion and deposition of SOC, suggested that sediment transport and deposition influences the distribution of SOC within the catchment. The findings demonstrate that over the large catchment scale and at the decadal time scale that SOC is relatively constant and can largely be predicted by topography.

A molecular investigation of soil organic carbon composition across a subalpine catchment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hsu, Hsiao-Tieh; Lawrence, Corey R.; Winnick, Matthew J.; Bargar, John R.; Maher, Katharine

2018-01-01

The dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover are a critical component of the global carbon cycle. Mechanistic models seeking to represent these complex dynamics require detailed SOC compositions, which are currently difficult to characterize quantitatively. Here, we address this challenge by using a novel approach that combines Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and bulk carbon X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to determine the abundance of SOC functional groups, using elemental analysis (EA) to constrain the total amount of SOC. We used this SOC functional group abundance (SOC-fga) method to compare variability in SOC compositions as a function of depth across a subalpine watershed (East River, Colorado, USA) and found a large degree of variability in SOC functional group abundances between sites at different elevations. Soils at a lower elevation are predominantly composed of polysaccharides, while soils at a higher elevation have more substantial portions of carbonyl, phenolic, or aromatic carbon. We discuss the potential drivers of differences in SOC composition between these sites, including vegetation inputs, internal processing and losses, and elevation-driven environmental factors. Although numerical models would facilitate the understanding and evaluation of the observed SOC distributions, quantitative and meaningful measurements of SOC molecular compositions are required to guide such models. Comparison among commonly used characterization techniques on shared reference materials is a critical next step for advancing our understanding of the complex processes controlling SOC compositions.

Nuclear Localization of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-1 Regulates Local Immunity in the Lung

PubMed Central

Zimmer, Jana; Weitnauer, Michael; Boutin, Sébastien; Küblbeck, Günter; Thiele, Sabrina; Walker, Patrick; Lasitschka, Felix; Lunding, Lars; Orinska, Zane; Vock, Christina; Arnold, Bernd; Wegmann, Michael; Dalpke, Alexander

2016-01-01

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is a negative feedback inhibitor of cytoplasmic Janus kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling. SOCS1 also contains a nuclear localization sequence (NLS), yet, the in vivo importance of nuclear translocation is unknown. We generated transgenic mice containing mutated Socs1ΔNLS that fails to translocate in the cell nucleus (MGLtg mice). Whereas mice fully deficient for SOCS1 die within the first 3 weeks due to excessive interferon signaling and multiorgan inflammation, mice expressing only non-nuclear Socs1ΔNLS (Socs1−/−MGLtg mice) were rescued from early lethality. Canonical interferon gamma signaling was still functional in Socs1−/−MGLtg mice as shown by unaltered tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT1 and whole genome expression analysis. However, a subset of NFκB inducible genes was dysregulated. Socs1−/−MGLtg mice spontaneously developed low-grade inflammation in the lung and had elevated Th2-type cytokines. Upon ovalbumin sensitization and challenge, airway eosinophilia was increased in Socs1−/−MGLtg mice. Decreased transepithelial electrical resistance in trachea epithelial cells from Socs1−/−MGLtg mice suggests disrupted epithelial cell barrier. The results indicate that nuclear SOCS1 is a regulator of local immunity in the lung and unravel a so far unrecognized function for SOCS1 in the cell nucleus. PMID:27917175

Controls on SOC across space and time: Models with different acclimation schemes make similar spatial predictions but divergent warming predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramoff, R. Z.; Torn, M. S.; Georgiou, K.; Tang, J.; Riley, W. J.

2017-12-01

Researchers use spatial gradients to estimate long-term ecosystem responses to perturbations. This approach is commonly applied to soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks which change slowly but store the majority of terrestrial carbon. Climate warming may reduce SOC stocks if higher temperatures increase decomposition rates. Yet, it is uncertain how vulnerable SOC is to warming, and whether the same factors - such as organo-mineral associations, climate, or plant inputs - determine SOC stocks across space and time. In order to test the "space for time" concept, we developed two versions of the Substrate-Mineral-Microbe Soil (SuMMS) model - one with microbial temperature acclimation and one without - to analyze observed SOC stocks at 24 sites spanning a wide range of soil types and climate. Both model predictions of SOC were strongly correlated with observations (R2 > 0.9), because mineral sorption capacity was the dominant control over steady-state SOC stock as determined by a Random Forest model. However, the two model versions made fundamentally different predictions of the change in SOC following 5°C soil warming from 2016 to 2100 because the initial mean annual temperature (MAT) was the dominant control over the SOC response. The model with microbial acclimation predicted that SOC would decline 10% at all sites along the transect, while the model with no acclimation predicted large surface SOC losses at high latitude sites and SOC gains at low latitude sites where microbial exoenzymes were already at or near their temperature optimum. These simulations suggest that gradient studies cannot be used to infer site-level responses to warming, because the dominant controls on SOC at steady state (i.e., mineral sorption capacity) are different than the dominant controls on the SOC response to a warming perturbation (i.e., initial MAT, capacity for acclimation).

Associations between maternal sense of coherence and controlling feeding practices: The importance of resilience and support in families of preschoolers.

PubMed

Eli, Karin; Sorjonen, Kimmo; Mokoena, Lincoln; Pietrobelli, Angelo; Flodmark, Carl-Erik; Faith, Myles S; Nowicka, Paulina

2016-10-01

Sense of Coherence (SOC) measures an individual's positive, or salutogenic, orientation toward her/his capacities, environment, future, and life. SOC comprises three factors: comprehensibility (the sense of one's own life as ordered and understandable); manageability (the perception of available resources and skills to manage stressors); and meaningfulness (the overall sense that life is filled with meaning and purpose). In numerous studies, SOC has been associated with resilience to stress. However, associations between parental SOC and controlling feeding practices have yet to be studied. This study examines the validity of the SOC 13-item, 3-factor questionnaire, associations between SOC and maternal and child characteristics, and associations between SOC and use of pressuring or restrictive feeding, among mothers of 4-year-olds. 565 mothers (23.5% of foreign origin, 30.3% with overweight/obesity) recruited via the Swedish population registry (response rate: 65%), completed the SOC-13, the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), and a background questionnaire. The validity of SOC-13 was examined using confirmatory factor analysis; associations with background characteristics and feeding practices were tested with structural equation modeling. SOC-13 validity testing showed acceptable fit (TLI = 0.93, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.04) after allowing one pair of error terms to correlate. The Cronbach's alpha for meaningfulness was 0.73, comprehensibility 0.76, and manageability 0.75. SOC increased with mothers' Swedish background and education, and decreased with higher BMI. Child gender, age, and BMI, were not associated with SOC. Lower SOC was associated with controlling practices and with concern about child weight and eating. The associations between SOC and feeding suggest that SOC-related parameters could inform childhood obesity research, and that prevention should address the socioeconomic barriers that parents face in building resilience to stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors promoting sense of coherence among university students in urban areas of Japan: individual-level social capital, self-efficacy, and mental health.

PubMed

Mato, Mie; Tsukasaki, Keiko

2017-04-01

Sense of coherence (SOC) is a concept that helps to explain the relation between personal intentionality as psychosocial factors and health-related behaviors. Thus, it is essential to enhance SOC when encouraging a healthy lifestyle. However, the factors that promote SOC have not been fully investigated among university students. The objective of this study was to clarify the general resistance resources (GRRs) that may promote the development of the SOC among university students. Therefore, we examined the relationship between SOC and social capital (SC), self-efficacy, and mental health. Participants included 443 students from nine academic departments at eight universities in the Kanto or Kinki metropolitan areas of Japan. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire. Individual-level cognitive and structural SC, generalized self-efficacy, mental health inventory (from SF-36v2), and SOC were measured. Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling was conducted to verify the factor structure of the SOC-13 scale. Stepwise multiple regression analysis and two-way layout analysis of variance were performed with SOC as the dependent variable. The factor structure of SOC indicated the optimal model fit in the second-order three-factor model of the 12 items. SOC was predicted by five variables: age, cognitive SC, structural SC, mental health, and self-efficacy. For students from urban areas, SOC was predicted by the interaction between cognitive and structural SC. SOC was significantly related to cognitive SC, structural SC, and self-efficacy as well as mental health in university students from urban areas. Furthermore, the combination of higher-level cognitive SC and higher-level structural SC exerted an inhibitory influence on SOC among students who previously and currently live in urban areas. Therefore, the findings indicated that both cognitive and structural SC as well as self-efficacy may act as GRRs that promote the development of SOC, and similarly, good mental health may promote a strong SOC.

Absence of SOCS3 in the cardiomyocyte increases mortality in a gp130 dependent manner accompanied by contractile dysfunction and ventricular arrhythmias

PubMed Central

Yajima, Toshitaka; Murofushi, Yoshiteru; Zhou, Hanbing; Park, Stanley; Housman, Jonathan; Zhong, Zhao-Hua; Nakamura, Michinari; Machida, Mitsuyo; Hwang, Kyung-Kuk; Gu, Yusu; Dalton, Nancy D.; Yajima, Tomoko; Yasukawa, Hideo; Peterson, Kirk L; Knowlton, Kirk U.

2011-01-01

Background Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) is a key negative-feedback regulator of gp130 receptor that provides crucial signaling for cardiac hypertrophy and survival; however, an in vivo role of SOCS3 regulation on cardiac gp130 signaling remains obscure. Methods and Results We generated cardiac-specific SOCS3 knockout (SOCS3 cKO) mice. These mice showed increased activation of gp130 downstream signaling targets (STAT3, ERK1/2, AKT and p38) from 15 weeks of age and developed cardiac dysfunction from around 25 weeks of age with signs of heart failure. Surprisingly, SOCS3 cKO failing hearts had minimal histological abnormalities with intact myofibril ultrastructure. In addition, Ca2+ transients were significantly increased in SOCS3 cKO failing hearts compared to wild-type (WT) hearts. We also found that Ser23/24 residues of troponin I were hypophosphorylated in SOCS3 cKO hearts before the manifestation of cardiac dysfunction. These data suggested the presence of abnormalities in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in SOCS3 cKO mice. In addition to the contractile dysfunction, we found various ventricular arrhythmias in SOCS3 cKO non-failing hearts accompanied by a sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ overload. To determine the contribution of gp130 signaling to the cardiac phenotype that occurs with SOCS3 deficiency, we generated cardiac-specific gp130 and SOCS3 double knockout mice. Double KO mice lived significantly longer and had different histological abnormalities when compared to SOCS3 cKO mice; thus, demonstrating the importance of gp130 signaling in the SOCS3 cKO cardiac phenotype. Conclusions Our results demonstrate an important role of SOCS3 regulation on cardiac gp130 signaling in the pathogenesis of contractile dysfunction and ventricular arrhythmias. PMID:22082679

Landscape-scale modelling of soil carbon dynamics under land use and climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacoste, Marine; Viaud, Valérie; Michot, Didier; Christian, Walter

2013-04-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is highly linked to soil use and farming practices, but also to soil redistributions, soil properties, and climate. In a global change context, landscape, farming practice and climate changes are expected; and they will most probably impact SOC dynamics. To assess their respective impacts, we modelled the SOC contents and stocks evolution at the scale of an agricultural landscape, by taking into account the soil redistribution by tillage and water processes. The simulations were conducted from 2010 to 2100 under different scenarios of landscape and climate. These scenarios combined different land uses associated to specific farming practices (mixed dairy with rotations of crops and grasslands, intensive cropping with only crops rotations or permanent grasslands), landscape managements (hedges planting or removal), and climates (business-as-usual climate and climate change, with temperature and precipitations increase). We used a spatially SOC dynamic model (adapted from RothC), coupled to a soil redistribution model (LandSoil). SOC dynamics were spatially modelled with a lateral resolution of 2-m and for soil organic layers up to 105 cm. Initial SOC stocks were described with a 2-m resolution map based on field data and produced with digital soil mapping methods. The major factor of change in SOC stocks was land use change, the second factor of importance was climate change, and finally landscape management: for the total SOC stocks (0-to-105 cm soil layer) the change of land use, climate and landscape management induced a respective mean absolute variation of 10 to 20 tC ha-1, 9 tC ha-1 and 0.4 tC ha-1. When considering the 0-to-105 cm soil layer, the different modelled landscapes showed the same sensitivity to climate change, with induced a mean decrease of 10 tC ha-1. However, the impact of climate change was found different according to the different modelled landscape when considering the 0-to-7.5 and 0-to-30 cm soil layers: the more sensitive landscapes were those of intensive cropping. This shows the importance of considering not only the plough layer, but also the vertical distribution of SOC stocks to assess the variation in SOC dynamics under land use, landscape management or climate change. Finally, rural hedgerow landscapes were proved to be quite well adapted for soil protection in a context of climate change, focusing on both carbon storage and soil erosion.

Exploring the Relationship Between Perceptions of Neighbourhoodresources, Sense of Coherence and Health for Different Groups in a Norwegian Neighbourhood

PubMed Central

Maass, Ruca; Lindstrøm, Bengt; Lillefjell, Monica

2014-01-01

Background Health and conditions for health are unevenly distributed across neighbourhoods. Within a salutogenic perspective, neighbourhood-resources can be internalised, and become generalised resistance resources. This paper aims to examine whether the neighbourhood could be a supportive arena for health-promotion, and for whom. Design and Methods A cross-sectional study, based on register data from the population-survey in Malvik, Norway, (N=865) was conducted. Using multiple regression analysis, total sample and sub-group analyses (men/women, low/high earners, employed/unemployed) of 5 independent neighbourhood-measures (overall satisfaction, neighbourhood Social Capital, satisfaction with availability and quality of neighbourhood-resources, and neighbourhood participation) on Sense of Coherence (SOC) and health respectively were obtained. Results Overall satisfaction (β=0.153) and neighbourhood social capital (β=0.134) emerged as the most consistent partial correlates of SOC across groups. In turn, SOC was the strongest coefficient for health-outcomes (β=0.238). Neighbourhood participation had more consistent correlations with health than SOC across groups. Group-differences became visible in proportions of explained variance in SOC (varying from 7 to 23.7%) and health (varying from 6.7 to 20.6%), and in the relative importance of neighbourhood-variables. Satisfaction with quality of neighbourhood-resources was significantly related to SOC in non-workers (β=0.451) and low-earners (β=0.261), and health-outcomes in women (β=0.143). Conclusions Health might be promoted in the neighbourhood mainly through strengthening SOC, and deprived groups, especially non-workers, may benefit most from health-promotion in the neighbourhood. Findings suggest that high satisfaction with quality can contribute to better health-outcomes for groups with weaker average SOC. The proposed theoretical framework is only partly supported. Significance for public health The creation of health-promoting settings has been outlined as one of the main strategies ahead by the Ottawa-charter. Findings from this study suggest that health can be promoted through the neighbourhood, both through strengthening Sense of coherence (SOC), and providing resources for health-promotion. It is suggested that the neighbourhood might be of benefit for promoting health in groups which might be otherwise hard to reach, such as people outside the work-force. Moreover, investigating the relationships between various perceptions of neighbourhood-resources and SOC/health across groups allows for developing strategies for positive change, including improving quality of neighbourhood-resources, and facilitating neighbourhood participation. PMID:25170510

Drivers of soil organic matter vulnerability to climate change. Part I: Laboratory incubations of Swiss forest soils and radiocarbon analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González Domínguez, Beatriz; Studer, Mirjam S.; Niklaus, Pascal A.; Haghipour, Negar; McIntyre, Cameron; Wacker, Lukas; Zimmermann, Stephan; Walthert, Lorenz; Hagedorn, Frank; Abiven, Samuel

2016-04-01

Given the key role of soil organic carbon (SOC) on climate and greenhouse gas regulation, there is an increasing need to incorporate the carbon (C) feedback between SOC and the atmosphere into earth system models. The evaluation of these models points towards uncertainties on the response of CO2-C fluxes, derived from the decomposition of SOC, to the influence of controls/drivers. SOC vulnerability refers to the likelihood of losing previously stabilized soil organic matter, by the effect of environmental factors. The objective of this study is to produce a SOC vulnerability ranking of soils and to provide new insights into the influence of environmental and soil properties controls. Research on SOC vulnerability tends to focus on climatic controls and neglect the effect of other factors, such as soil geochemistry and mineralogy, on C stabilization/de-stabilization processes. In this work, we hypothesized that climate (mean annual temperature and soil moisture status proxy at the research sites in the period 1981-2010), soil (pH and % clay) and terrain (slope gradient and orientation) characteristics are the main controls of the CO2-C fluxes from SOC. Following a statistics-based approach, we selected 54 forest sites across Switzerland, which cover a broad spectrum of values for the hypothesized controls. Then, we selected the study sites so that the controls are orthogonal to each other; thus, their effect was not confounded. At each site, we collected three non-overlapping topsoil (i.e. 20 cm) composites within 40 x 40 m2 plots. In the laboratory, we sieved fresh soils at 2 mm and run a 2-weeks pre-incubation, before beginning a 6-months aerobic soil incubation under controlled conditions of moisture and temperature. Periodically, we collected NaOH (1M) traps containing the CO2-C derived from microbial heterotrophic respiration. We calculated the cumulative CO2-C respired and the one-pool SOC decomposition rates from the 54 forest sites, and linked these data to the controls. The main result is that soil moisture and pH drive the CO2-C losses, and that temperature, % clay and terrain characteristics do not play a role. We will also present results on the relationship between the bulk soil radiocarbon signature of the 54 forest soils and their CO2-C losses, as a preliminary insight into SOC vulnerability and SOC stabilization processes.

Dynamics of soil organic carbon in density fractions during post-agricultural succession over two lithology types, southwest China.

PubMed

Wen, Li; Li, Dejun; Chen, Hao; Wang, Kelin

2017-10-01

Agricultural abandonment has been proposed as an effective way to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Nevertheless, SOC sequestration in the long term is largely determined by whether the stable SOC fractions will increase. Here the dynamics of SOC fractions during post-agricultural succession were investigated in a karst region, southwest China using a space-for-time substitution approach. Cropland, grassland, shrubland and secondary forest were selected from areas underlain by dolomite and limestone, respectively. Density fractionation was used to separate bulk SOC into free light fraction (FLFC) and heavy fraction (HFC). FLFC contents were similar over dolomite and limestone, but bulk SOC and HFC contents were greater over limestone than over dolomite. FLFC content in the forest was greater than in the other vegetation types, but bulk SOC and HFC contents increased from the cropland through to the forest for areas underlain by dolomite. The contents of bulk SOC and its fractions were similar among the four vegetation types over limestone. The proportion of FLFC in bulk SOC was higher over dolomite than over limestone, but the case was inverse for the proportion of HFC, indicating SOC over limestone was more stable. However, the proportions of both FLFC and HFC were similar among the four vegetation types, implying that SOC stability was not changed by cropland conversion. Exchangeable calcium explained most of the variance of HFC content. Our study suggests that lithology not only affects SOC content and its stability, but modulates the dynamics of SOC fractions during post-agricultural succession. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parametrization consequences of constraining soil organic matter models by total carbon and radiocarbon using long-term field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menichetti, Lorenzo; Kätterer, Thomas; Leifeld, Jens

2016-05-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics result from different interacting processes and controls on spatial scales from sub-aggregate to pedon to the whole ecosystem. These complex dynamics are translated into models as abundant degrees of freedom. This high number of not directly measurable variables and, on the other hand, very limited data at disposal result in equifinality and parameter uncertainty. Carbon radioisotope measurements are a proxy for SOC age both at annual to decadal (bomb peak based) and centennial to millennial timescales (radio decay based), and thus can be used in addition to total organic C for constraining SOC models. By considering this additional information, uncertainties in model structure and parameters may be reduced. To test this hypothesis we studied SOC dynamics and their defining kinetic parameters in the Zürich Organic Fertilization Experiment (ZOFE) experiment, a > 60-year-old controlled cropland experiment in Switzerland, by utilizing SOC and SO14C time series. To represent different processes we applied five model structures, all stemming from a simple mother model (Introductory Carbon Balance Model - ICBM): (I) two decomposing pools, (II) an inert pool added, (III) three decomposing pools, (IV) two decomposing pools with a substrate control feedback on decomposition, (V) as IV but with also an inert pool. These structures were extended to explicitly represent total SOC and 14C pools. The use of different model structures allowed us to explore model structural uncertainty and the impact of 14C on kinetic parameters. We considered parameter uncertainty by calibrating in a formal Bayesian framework. By varying the relative importance of total SOC and SO14C data in the calibration, we could quantify the effect of the information from these two data streams on estimated model parameters. The weighing of the two data streams was crucial for determining model outcomes, and we suggest including it in future modeling efforts whenever SO14C data are available. The measurements and all model structures indicated a dramatic decline in SOC in the ZOFE experiment after an initial land use change in 1949 from grass- to cropland, followed by a constant but smaller decline. According to all structures, the three treatments (control, mineral fertilizer, farmyard manure) we considered were still far from equilibrium. The estimates of mean residence time (MRT) of the C pools defined by our models were sensitive to the consideration of the SO14C data stream. Model structure had a smaller effect on estimated MRT, which ranged between 5.9 ± 0.1 and 4.2 ± 0.1 years and 78.9 ± 0.1 and 98.9 ± 0.1 years for young and old pools, respectively, for structures without substrate interactions. The simplest model structure performed the best according to information criteria, validating the idea that we still lack data for mechanistic SOC models. Although we could not exclude any of the considered processes possibly involved in SOC decomposition, it was not possible to discriminate their relative importance.

Clarifying uncertainty in biogeochemical response to land management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonitto, C.; Gurwick, N. P.; Woodbury, P. B.

2013-12-01

We examined the ability of contemporary simulation and empirical modeling tools to describe net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a result of agricultural and forest ecosystem land management, and we looked at how key policy institutions use these tools. We focused on quantification of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural systems, as agriculture is the dominant source of anthropogenic N2O emissions. Agricultural management impact on N2O emissions is especially challenging because controls on N2O emissions (soil aerobic status, inorganic N availability, and C substrate availability) vary as a function of site soil type, climate, and cropping system; available measurements do not cover all relevant combinations of these controlling system features. Furthermore, N2O emissions are highly non-linear, and threshold values of controlling soil environmental conditions are not defined across most agricultural site properties. We also examined the multi-faceted challenges regarding the quantification of increased soil organic carbon (SOC) storage as a result of land management in both agricultural and forest systems. Quantifying changes in SOC resulting from land management is difficult because mechanisms of SOC stabilization are not fully understood, SOC measurements have been concentrated in the upper 30cm of soil, erosion is often ignored when estimating SOC, and few long-term studies exist to track system response to diverse management practices. Furthermore, the permanence of SOC accumulating management practices is not easily established. For instance, under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), forest land managed for SOC accumulation must remain under permanent conservation easement to ensure that SOC accumulation is not reversed due to changes in land cover. For agricultural protocols, given that many farmers rent land and that agriculture is driven by an annual management time scale, the ability to ensure SOC-accumulating land management would be maintained indefinitely has delayed the implementation of SOC accumulating practices for compliance with the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). GHG accounting tools are increasingly applied to implement GHG reduction policies. In this policy context, data limitation has impacted the implementation of GHG accounting strategies. For example, protocol design in support of AB 32 initially sought to apply simulation models to determine N2O emissions across all major U.S. agricultural landscapes. After discussion with ecosystem scientists, the lack of observations and model validation in most U.S. arable landscapes led to protocol definition based on simple empirical models and limited to corn management in 12 states. The distribution of protocol participants is also a potential source of inaccuracy in GHG accounting. Land management protocols are often structured assuming that in the aggregate policy achieves an average improvement by promoting specific management. However it is unclear that current policy incentives promote participation from a truly random distribution of landscapes. Participation in policy development to support improved land management challenges ecosystem scientists with making recommendations based on best-available information while acknowledging that uncertainty limits accurate quantification of impacts via analysis using either observations or simulation modeling.

Effect of nutrient enrichment on the source and composition of sediment organic carbon in tropical seagrass beds in the South China Sea.

PubMed

Liu, Songlin; Jiang, Zhijian; Zhang, Jingping; Wu, Yunchao; Lian, Zhonglian; Huang, Xiaoping

2016-09-15

To assess the effect of nutrient enrichment on the source and composition of sediment organic carbon (SOC) beneath Thalassia hemprichii and Enhalus acoroides in tropical seagrass beds, Xincun Bay, South China Sea, intertidal sediment, primary producers, and seawater samples were collected. No significant differences on sediment δ(13)C, SOC, and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were observed between T. hemprichii and E. acoroides. SOC was mainly of autochthonous origin, while the contribution of seagrass to SOC was less than that of suspended particulate organic matter, macroalgae and epiphytes. High nutrient concentrations contributed substantially to SOC of seagrass, macroalgae, and epiphytes. The SOC, MBC, and MBC/SOC ratio in the nearest transect to fish farming were the highest. This suggested a more labile composition of SOC and shorter turnover times in higher nutrient regions. Therefore, the research indicates that nutrient enrichment could enhance plant-derived contributions to SOC and microbial use efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SOCS3 deficiency in leptin receptor-expressing cells mitigates the development of pregnancy-induced metabolic changes.

PubMed

Zampieri, Thais T; Ramos-Lobo, Angela M; Furigo, Isadora C; Pedroso, João A B; Buonfiglio, Daniella C; Donato, Jose

2015-03-01

During pregnancy, women normally increase their food intake and body fat mass, and exhibit insulin resistance. However, an increasing number of women are developing metabolic imbalances during pregnancy, including excessive gestational weight gain and gestational diabetes mellitus. Despite the negative health impacts of pregnancy-induced metabolic imbalances, their molecular causes remain unclear. Therefore, the present study investigated the molecular mechanisms responsible for orchestrating the metabolic changes observed during pregnancy. Initially, we investigated the hypothalamic expression of key genes that could influence the energy balance and glucose homeostasis during pregnancy. Based on these results, we generated a conditional knockout mouse that lacks the suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) only in leptin receptor-expressing cells and studied these animals during pregnancy. Among several genes involved in leptin resistance, only SOCS3 was increased in the hypothalamus of pregnant mice. Remarkably, SOCS3 deletion from leptin receptor-expressing cells prevented pregnancy-induced hyperphagia, body fat accumulation as well as leptin and insulin resistance without affecting the ability of the females to carry their gestation to term. Additionally, we found that SOCS3 conditional deletion protected females against long-term postpartum fat retention and streptozotocin-induced gestational diabetes. Our study identified the increased hypothalamic expression of SOCS3 as a key mechanism responsible for triggering pregnancy-induced leptin resistance and metabolic adaptations. These findings not only help to explain a common phenomenon of the mammalian physiology, but it may also aid in the development of approaches to prevent and treat gestational metabolic imbalances.

Persistent organic contaminants in Saharan dust air masses in West Africa, Cape Verde and the eastern Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garrison, Virginia H.; Majewski, Michael S.; Foreman, William T.; Genualdi, Susan A.; Mohammed, Azad; Massey Simonich, Stacy L.

2014-01-01

Anthropogenic semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate, are toxic at low concentrations, and undergo long-range atmospheric transport (LRT) were identified and quantified in the atmosphere of a Saharan dust source region (Mali) and during Saharan dust incursions at downwind sites in the eastern Caribbean (U.S. Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago) and Cape Verde. More organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides (OCPPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected in the Saharan dust region than at downwind sites. Seven of the 13 OCPPs detected occurred at all sites: chlordanes, chlorpyrifos, dacthal, dieldrin, endosulfans, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and trifluralin. Total SOCs ranged from 1.9–126 ng/m3 (mean = 25 ± 34) at source and 0.05–0.71 ng/m3 (mean = 0.24 ± 0.18) at downwind sites during dust conditions. Most SOC concentrations were 1–3 orders of magnitude higher in source than downwind sites. A Saharan source was confirmed for sampled air masses at downwind sites based on dust particle elemental composition and rare earth ratios, atmospheric back trajectory models, and field observations. SOC concentrations were considerably below existing occupational and/or regulatory limits; however, few regulatory limits exist for these persistent organic compounds. Long-term effects of chronic exposure to low concentrations of SOCs are unknown, as are possible additive or synergistic effects of mixtures of SOCs, biologically active trace metals, and mineral dust particles transported together in Saharan dust air masses.

A Multiprocessor SoC Architecture with Efficient Communication Infrastructure and Advanced Compiler Support for Easy Application Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urfianto, Mohammad Zalfany; Isshiki, Tsuyoshi; Khan, Arif Ullah; Li, Dongju; Kunieda, Hiroaki

This paper presentss a Multiprocessor System-on-Chips (MPSoC) architecture used as an execution platform for the new C-language based MPSoC design framework we are currently developing. The MPSoC architecture is based on an existing SoC platform with a commercial RISC core acting as the host CPU. We extend the existing SoC with a multiprocessor-array block that is used as the main engine to run parallel applications modeled in our design framework. Utilizing several optimizations provided by our compiler, an efficient inter-communication between processing elements with minimum overhead is implemented. A host-interface is designed to integrate the existing RISC core to the multiprocessor-array. The experimental results show that an efficacious integration is achieved, proving that the designed communication module can be used to efficiently incorporate off-the-shelf processors as a processing element for MPSoC architectures designed using our framework.

Sources of errors and uncertainties in the assessment of forest soil carbon stocks at different scales-review and recommendations.

PubMed

Vanguelova, E I; Bonifacio, E; De Vos, B; Hoosbeek, M R; Berger, T W; Vesterdal, L; Armolaitis, K; Celi, L; Dinca, L; Kjønaas, O J; Pavlenda, P; Pumpanen, J; Püttsepp, Ü; Reidy, B; Simončič, P; Tobin, B; Zhiyanski, M

2016-11-01

Spatially explicit knowledge of recent and past soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in forests will improve our understanding of the effect of human- and non-human-induced changes on forest C fluxes. For SOC accounting, a minimum detectable difference must be defined in order to adequately determine temporal changes and spatial differences in SOC. This requires sufficiently detailed data to predict SOC stocks at appropriate scales within the required accuracy so that only significant changes are accounted for. When designing sampling campaigns, taking into account factors influencing SOC spatial and temporal distribution (such as soil type, topography, climate and vegetation) are needed to optimise sampling depths and numbers of samples, thereby ensuring that samples accurately reflect the distribution of SOC at a site. Furthermore, the appropriate scales related to the research question need to be defined: profile, plot, forests, catchment, national or wider. Scaling up SOC stocks from point sample to landscape unit is challenging, and thus requires reliable baseline data. Knowledge of the associated uncertainties related to SOC measures at each particular scale and how to reduce them is crucial for assessing SOC stocks with the highest possible accuracy at each scale. This review identifies where potential sources of errors and uncertainties related to forest SOC stock estimation occur at five different scales-sample, profile, plot, landscape/regional and European. Recommendations are also provided on how to reduce forest SOC uncertainties and increase efficiency of SOC assessment at each scale.

A Study on Spectral Signature Analysis of Wetland Vegetation Based on Ground Imaging Spectrum Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Chengxing; Liu, Hua; Ju, Hongbo; Zhang, Huaiqing; You, Jia; Li, Weina

2017-10-01

The objective of this study was to verify the application of imaging spectrometer in wetland vegetation remote sensing monitoring, based on analysis of wetland vegetation spectral features. Spectral information of Carex vegetation spectral data under different water environment was collected bySOC710VP and ASD FieldSpec 3; Meanwhile, the chlorophyll contents of wheat leaves were tested in the lab. A total 9 typical vegetation indices were calculated by using two instruments’ data which were spectral values from 400nm to 1000 nm. Then features between the same vegetation indices and soil water contents for two applications were analyzed and compared. The results showed that there were same spectrum curve trends of Carex vegetation (soil moisture content of 51%, 32%, 14% and three regional comparative analysis)reflectance between SOC710VP and ASD FieldSpec 3, including the two reflectance peak of 550nm and 730 nm, two reflectance valley of 690 nm and 970nm, and continuous near infrared reflectance platform. However, The two also have a very clear distinction: (1) The reflection spectra of SOC710VP leaves of Carex Carex leaf spectra in the three soil moisture environment values are greater than ASD FieldSpec 3 collected value; (2) The SOC710VP reflectivity curve does not have the smooth curve of the original spectrum measured by the ASD FieldSpec 3, the amplitude of fluctuation is bigger, and it is more obvious in the near infrared band. It is concluded that SOC710VP spectral data are reliable, with the image features, spectral curve features reliable. It has great potential in the research of hyperspectral remote sensing technology in the development of wetland near earth, remote sensing monitoring of wetland resources.

Specific Features of Executive Dysfunction in Alzheimer-Type Mild Dementia Based on Computerized Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) Test Results.

PubMed

Kuzmickienė, Jurgita; Kaubrys, Gintaras

2016-10-08

BACKGROUND The primary manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is decline in memory. Dysexecutive symptoms have tremendous impact on functional activities and quality of life. Data regarding frontal-executive dysfunction in mild AD are controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the presence and specific features of executive dysfunction in mild AD based on Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) results. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve, mild, late-onset AD patients (MMSE ≥20, AD group) and 25 control subjects (CG group) were recruited in this prospective, cross-sectional study. The CANTAB tests CRT, SOC, PAL, SWM were used for in-depth cognitive assessment. Comparisons were performed using the t test or Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate. Correlations were evaluated by Pearson r or Spearman R. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS AD and CG groups did not differ according to age, education, gender, or depression. Few differences were found between groups in the SOC test for performance measures: Mean moves (minimum 3 moves): AD (Rank Sum=2227), CG (Rank Sum=623), p<0.001. However, all SOC test time measures differed significantly between groups: SOC Mean subsequent thinking time (4 moves): AD (Rank Sum=2406), CG (Rank Sum=444), p<0.001. Correlations were weak between executive function (SOC) and episodic/working memory (PAL, SWM) (R=0.01-0.38) or attention/psychomotor speed (CRT) (R=0.02-0.37). CONCLUSIONS Frontal-executive functions are impaired in mild AD patients. Executive dysfunction is highly prominent in time measures, but minimal in performance measures. Executive disorders do not correlate with a decline in episodic and working memory or psychomotor speed in mild AD.

Combining Soil Databases for Topsoil Organic Carbon Mapping in Europe.

PubMed

Aksoy, Ece; Yigini, Yusuf; Montanarella, Luca

2016-01-01

Accuracy in assessing the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important issue because of playing key roles in the functions of both natural ecosystems and agricultural systems. There are several studies in the literature with the aim of finding the best method to assess and map the distribution of SOC content for Europe. Therefore this study aims searching for another aspect of this issue by looking to the performances of using aggregated soil samples coming from different studies and land-uses. The total number of the soil samples in this study was 23,835 and they're collected from the "Land Use/Cover Area frame Statistical Survey" (LUCAS) Project (samples from agricultural soil), BioSoil Project (samples from forest soil), and "Soil Transformations in European Catchments" (SoilTrEC) Project (samples from local soil data coming from six different critical zone observatories (CZOs) in Europe). Moreover, 15 spatial indicators (slope, aspect, elevation, compound topographic index (CTI), CORINE land-cover classification, parent material, texture, world reference base (WRB) soil classification, geological formations, annual average temperature, min-max temperature, total precipitation and average precipitation (for years 1960-1990 and 2000-2010)) were used as auxiliary variables in this prediction. One of the most popular geostatistical techniques, Regression-Kriging (RK), was applied to build the model and assess the distribution of SOC. This study showed that, even though RK method was appropriate for successful SOC mapping, using combined databases was not helpful to increase the statistical significance of the method results for assessing the SOC distribution. According to our results; SOC variation was mainly affected by elevation, slope, CTI, average temperature, average and total precipitation, texture, WRB and CORINE variables for Europe scale in our model. Moreover, the highest average SOC contents were found in the wetland areas; agricultural areas have much lower soil organic carbon content than forest and semi natural areas; Ireland, Sweden and Finland has the highest SOC, on the contrary, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Italy have the lowest values with the average 3%.

Combining Soil Databases for Topsoil Organic Carbon Mapping in Europe

PubMed Central

Aksoy, Ece

2016-01-01

Accuracy in assessing the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important issue because of playing key roles in the functions of both natural ecosystems and agricultural systems. There are several studies in the literature with the aim of finding the best method to assess and map the distribution of SOC content for Europe. Therefore this study aims searching for another aspect of this issue by looking to the performances of using aggregated soil samples coming from different studies and land-uses. The total number of the soil samples in this study was 23,835 and they’re collected from the “Land Use/Cover Area frame Statistical Survey” (LUCAS) Project (samples from agricultural soil), BioSoil Project (samples from forest soil), and “Soil Transformations in European Catchments” (SoilTrEC) Project (samples from local soil data coming from six different critical zone observatories (CZOs) in Europe). Moreover, 15 spatial indicators (slope, aspect, elevation, compound topographic index (CTI), CORINE land-cover classification, parent material, texture, world reference base (WRB) soil classification, geological formations, annual average temperature, min-max temperature, total precipitation and average precipitation (for years 1960–1990 and 2000–2010)) were used as auxiliary variables in this prediction. One of the most popular geostatistical techniques, Regression-Kriging (RK), was applied to build the model and assess the distribution of SOC. This study showed that, even though RK method was appropriate for successful SOC mapping, using combined databases was not helpful to increase the statistical significance of the method results for assessing the SOC distribution. According to our results; SOC variation was mainly affected by elevation, slope, CTI, average temperature, average and total precipitation, texture, WRB and CORINE variables for Europe scale in our model. Moreover, the highest average SOC contents were found in the wetland areas; agricultural areas have much lower soil organic carbon content than forest and semi natural areas; Ireland, Sweden and Finland has the highest SOC, on the contrary, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Italy have the lowest values with the average 3%. PMID:27011357

High resolution mapping of soil organic carbon stocks using remote sensing variables in the semi-arid rangelands of eastern Australia.

PubMed

Wang, Bin; Waters, Cathy; Orgill, Susan; Gray, Jonathan; Cowie, Annette; Clark, Anthony; Liu, De Li

2018-07-15

Efficient and effective modelling methods to assess soil organic carbon (SOC) stock are central in understanding the global carbon cycle and informing related land management decisions. However, mapping SOC stocks in semi-arid rangelands is challenging due to the lack of data and poor spatial coverage. The use of remote sensing data to provide an indirect measurement of SOC to inform digital soil mapping has the potential to provide more reliable and cost-effective estimates of SOC compared with field-based, direct measurement. Despite this potential, the role of remote sensing data in improving the knowledge of soil information in semi-arid rangelands has not been fully explored. This study firstly investigated the use of high spatial resolution satellite data (seasonal fractional cover data; SFC) together with elevation, lithology, climatic data and observed soil data to map the spatial distribution of SOC at two soil depths (0-5cm and 0-30cm) in semi-arid rangelands of eastern Australia. Overall, model performance statistics showed that random forest (RF) and boosted regression trees (BRT) models performed better than support vector machine (SVM). The models obtained moderate results with R 2 of 0.32 for SOC stock at 0-5cm and 0.44 at 0-30cm, RMSE of 3.51MgCha -1 at 0-5cm and 9.16MgCha -1 at 0-30cm without considering SFC covariates. In contrast, by including SFC, the model accuracy for predicting SOC stock improved by 7.4-12.7% at 0-5cm, and by 2.8-5.9% at 0-30cm, highlighting the importance of including SFC to enhance the performance of the three modelling techniques. Furthermore, our models produced a more accurate and higher resolution digital SOC stock map compared with other available mapping products for the region. The data and high-resolution maps from this study can be used for future soil carbon assessment and monitoring. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil organic carbon distribution in an agricultural catchment in Southern Brazil: from hillslope to catchment scale.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trigalet, Sylvain; Chartin, Caroline; Van Oost, Kristof; van Wesemael, Bas

2017-04-01

Understanding the soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution a few decades after conversion to cropland and plantations in a hilly catchment in southern Brazil is challenging due to scale-dependent controlling factors. Firstly, SOC, bulk density (BD) and texture were measured by depth intervals along 18 soil profiles located in three topographical positions (sloping plateau, central back slope and concave foot slope) in cropland and forest with contrasting slopes. SOC stocks in concave footslope position were not significantly different between fields on steep (11.1 kg C m-2) and gentle slopes (12.8 kg C m-2). However, in eroding profiles, SOC stocks are twice as high in fields on gentle slopes (17.6/12.6 kg C m-2) compared to steep slopes (8.3/7.1 kg C m-2). SOC stocks on steep slope on cropland (8.8 kg C m-2) are three times lower than SOC stocks on steep slope under undisturbed forest (23.7 kg C m-2). On gentle slopes, the effect of deforestation on SOC stocks was not so drastic (14.3 and 14.4 kg C m-2). Therefore, contrasting topography generates different patterns of SOC redistribution in the catchment. The effect of conversion to cropland is probably due to soil redistribution by water and tillage erosion aggravated by the steep terrain. Secondly, in order to assess the heterogeneity of SOC distribution at catchment scale, samples were collected at 10-20; 40-50 and 75-85 cm in 167 soil profiles sampled with an auger. SOC concentrations (gC kg-1 ) in numerous bulk soil samples (n = 378) were predicted by VIS-NIR spectroscopy and partial least-square regression models. SOC stocks were assessed by a mass preserving spline tool by interpolating SOC mass at the three non-contiguous depth intervals. Samples of calibration-validation dataset (n = 95) were used for physical SOC fractionation allowing the measurement of carbon associated with < 20 μm fraction. Multivariate linear regression models and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess the influence of several covariates on SOC stocks, SOC in bulk soil and fractions. This integrated approach highlights how SOC distribution is influenced by different proximal or distal controlling factors that are scale-dependent. Spectroscopy increases the density of samples available at catchment scale while SOC fractionation provides information on SOC quality on a representative subset of samples.

miR-122-SOCS1-JAK2 axis regulates allergic inflammation and allergic inflammation-promoted cellular interactions

PubMed Central

Kim, Hanearl; Kim, Hyuna; Byun, Jaehwan; Park, Yeongseo; Lee, Hansoo; Lee, Yun Sil; Choe, Jongseon; Kim, Young Myeong; Jeoung, Dooil

2017-01-01

The regulatory role of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) in inflammation has been reported. However, its role in allergic inflammation has not been previously reported. SOCS1 mediated in vitro and in vivo allergic inflammation. Histone deacetylase-3 (HDAC3), a mediator of allergic inflammation, interacted with SOCS1, and miR-384 inhibitor, a positive regulator of HDAC3, induced features of allergic inflammation in an SOCS1-dependent manner. miRNA array analysis showed that the expression of miR-122 was decreased by antigen-stimulation. TargetScan analysis predicted the binding of miR-122 to the 3′-UTR of SOCS1. miR-122 inhibitor induced in vitro and in vivo allergic features in SOCS1-dependent manner. SOCS1 was necessary for allergic inflammation-promoted enhanced tumorigenic and metastatic potential of cancer cells. SOCS1 and miR-122 regulated cellular interactions involving cancer cells, mast cells and macrophages during allergic inflammation. SOCS1 mimetic peptide, D-T-H-F-R-T-F-R-S-H-S-D-Y-R-R-I, inhibited in vitro and in vivo allergic inflammation, allergic inflammation-promoted enhanced tumorigenic and metastatic potential of cancer cells, and cellular interactions during allergic inflammation. Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) exhibited binding to SOCS1 mimetic peptide and mediated allergic inflammation. Transforming growth factor- Δ1 (TGF-Δ1) was decreased during allergic inflammation and showed an anti-allergic effect. SOCS1 and JAK2 regulated the production of anti-allergic TGF-Δ1. Taken together, our results show that miR-122-SOCS1 feedback loop can be employed as a target for the development of anti-allergic and anti-cancer drugs. PMID:28968979

Predictive mapping of soil organic carbon in wet cultivated lands using classification-tree based models: the case study of Denmark.

PubMed

Bou Kheir, Rania; Greve, Mogens H; Bøcher, Peder K; Greve, Mette B; Larsen, René; McCloy, Keith

2010-05-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the most important carbon stocks globally and has large potential to affect global climate. Distribution patterns of SOC in Denmark constitute a nation-wide baseline for studies on soil carbon changes (with respect to Kyoto protocol). This paper predicts and maps the geographic distribution of SOC across Denmark using remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GISs) and decision-tree modeling (un-pruned and pruned classification trees). Seventeen parameters, i.e. parent material, soil type, landscape type, elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, mean curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, flow accumulation, specific catchment area, tangent slope, tangent curvature, steady-state wetness index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Wetness Index (NDWI) and Soil Color Index (SCI) were generated to statistically explain SOC field measurements in the area of interest (Denmark). A large number of tree-based classification models (588) were developed using (i) all of the parameters, (ii) all Digital Elevation Model (DEM) parameters only, (iii) the primary DEM parameters only, (iv), the remote sensing (RS) indices only, (v) selected pairs of parameters, (vi) soil type, parent material and landscape type only, and (vii) the parameters having a high impact on SOC distribution in built pruned trees. The best constructed classification tree models (in the number of three) with the lowest misclassification error (ME) and the lowest number of nodes (N) as well are: (i) the tree (T1) combining all of the parameters (ME=29.5%; N=54); (ii) the tree (T2) based on the parent material, soil type and landscape type (ME=31.5%; N=14); and (iii) the tree (T3) constructed using parent material, soil type, landscape type, elevation, tangent slope and SCI (ME=30%; N=39). The produced SOC maps at 1:50,000 cartographic scale using these trees are highly matching with coincidence values equal to 90.5% (Map T1/Map T2), 95% (Map T1/Map T3) and 91% (Map T2/Map T3). The overall accuracies of these maps once compared with field observations were estimated to be 69.54% (Map T1), 68.87% (Map T2) and 69.41% (Map T3). The proposed tree models are relatively simple, and may be also applied to other areas. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Significance of expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling proteins: Suppressor of cytokine signaling-1, suppressor of cytokine signaling-2, and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 in papillary thyroid cancer.

PubMed

Kobawala, Toral Pundrik; Trivedi, Trupti I; Gajjar, Kinjal Kevin; Patel, Girish H; Ghosh, Nandita R

2017-01-01

Uncontrolled cytokine signal transduction largely associated with oncogene activation, can have disastrous biological consequences. The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins represent one of the mechanisms by which this rampant signaling can be dissipated. Thus, we aimed to study the expression of SOCS-1, SOCS-2, and SOCS-3 in patients having benign thyroid disease and papillary thyroid cancer. SOCS protein expression was studied in 45 patients with benign thyroid disease and in 83 papillary thyroid cancer patients by immunohistochemistry and their association with clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival in cancer patients were analyzed using SPSS software. Expressions of SOCS proteins were significantly higher in papillary thyroid cancer than in patients having benign disease. SOCS-1 expression was predominantly higher in males (P = 0.004), unilateral tumors (P = 0.030), and noninflammatory conditions (P = 0.028). SOCS-1 expression was also able to predict poor overall survival in subgroup of papillary thyroid cancer patients having larger tumor size (P = 0.013) and advanced stage disease (P = 0.033). Expression of SOCS-2 significantly correlated with tumor size (P = 0.017), extrathyroidal extension (P = 0.000), residual disease (P = 0.043), and treatment (P = 0.007), while preponderance of SOCS-3 expression was observed in males (P = 0.030) and in patients having extrathyroidal extension (P = 0.011) and absence of metastasis (P = 0.032). Expression of the studied SOCS proteins may be a consequence of activation of Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription and other pathways supporting growth and survival of cancer cells that are sustained by several cytokines. Thus, SOCS-1, SOCS-2, and SOCS-3 proteins may directly or indirectly, have important roles in development and pathogenesis of papillary thyroid cancer.

Soil carbon sequestration and land use change associated with biofuel production: Empirical evidence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qin, Zhangcai; Dunn, Jennifer B.; Kwon, Hoyoung

Soil organic carbon (SOC) change can be a major impact of land use change (LUC) associated with biofuel feedstock production. By collecting and analyzing data from worldwide field observations with major LUCs from cropland, grassland and forest to lands producing biofuel crops (i.e., corn, switchgrass, Miscanthus, poplar and willow), we were able to estimate SOC response ratios and sequestration rates and evaluate the effects of soil depth and time scale on SOC change. Both the amount and rate of SOC change were highly dependent on the specific land transition. Irrespective of soil depth or time horizon, cropland conversions resulted inmore » an overall SOC gain of 6-14% relative to initial SOC level, while conversion from grassland or forest to corn (without residue removal) or poplar caused significant carbon loss (9-35%). No significant SOC changes were observed in land converted from grasslands or forests to switchgrass, Miscanthus or willow. The SOC response ratios were similar in both 0-30 and 0-100 cm soil depths in most cases, suggesting SOC changes in deep soil and that use of top soil only for SOC accounting in biofuel life cycle analysis (LCA) might underestimate total SOC changes. Soil carbon sequestration rates varied greatly among studies and land transition types. Generally, the rates of SOC change tended to be the greatest during the 10 years following land conversion, and had declined to approach 0 within about 20 years for most LUCs. Observed trends in SOC change were generally consistent with previous reports. Soil depth and duration of study significantly influence SOC change rates and so should be considered in carbon emission accounting in biofuel LCA. High uncertainty remains for many perennial systems, field trials and modeling efforts are needed to determine the site- and system-specific rates and direction of change associated with their production.« less

Impact of STAT/SOCS mRNA Expression Levels after Major Injury

PubMed Central

Brumann, M.; Matz, M.; Kusmenkov, T.; Stegmaier, J.; Biberthaler, P.; Kanz, K.-G.; Mutschler, W.; Bogner, V.

2014-01-01

Background. Fulminant changes in cytokine receptor signalling might provoke severe pathological alterations after multiple trauma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the posttraumatic imbalance of the innate immune system with a special focus on the STAT/SOCS family. Methods. 20 polytraumatized patients were included. Blood samples were drawn 0 h–72 h after trauma; mRNA expression profiles of IL-10, STAT 3, SOCS 1, and SOCS 3 were quantified by qPCR. Results. IL-10 mRNA expression increased significantly in the early posttraumatic period. STAT 3 mRNA expressions showed a significant maximum at 6 h after trauma. SOCS 1 levels significantly decreased 6 h–72 h after trauma. SOCS 3 levels were significantly higher in nonsurvivors 6 h after trauma. Conclusion. We present a serial, sequential investigation in human neutrophil granulocytes of major trauma patients evaluating mRNA expression profiles of IL-10, STAT 3, SOCS 1, and SOCS 3. Posttraumatically, immune disorder was accompanied by a significant increase of IL-10 and STAT 3 mRNA expression, whereas SOCS 1 mRNA levels decreased after injury. We could demonstrate that death after trauma was associated with higher SOCS 3 mRNA levels already at 6 h after trauma. To support our results, further investigations have to evaluate protein levels of STAT/SOCS family in terms of posttraumatic immune imbalance. PMID:24648661

Sense of Coherence (SOC) Among Psychotherapists in Austria, Differentiated According to Number of Individually Completed Training Therapy Sessions

PubMed Central

Binder, Heinz P.; Mesenholl-Strehler, Elke; Paß, Paul; Endler, P. Christian

2006-01-01

The sense of coherence (according Aaron Antonovsky, 1923—1994, when a persons sense that his/her own life and the world are sufficiently comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) of Austrian psychotherapists was assessed and compared with a standard sample, as well as with the sense of coherence (SOC) of members of other professions. In addition, the question as to whether psychotherapists who had completed more extensive individual training therapy/self-awareness sessions had a higher SOC than do those with fewer, was addressed. Forty psychotherapists who worked in private practices and various psychosocial health care institutions in Styria, Austria took part in the study. The investigation was conducted in the form of a questionnaire assessment. The evaluation showed that the overall SOC value of the professional group in question was significantly higher than that of the standard sample (162.3 vs. 145.7), as well as other samples (physicians: SOC = 153.8; teachers: SOC = 156.1; physiotherapists SOC = 158.1). Concerning whether psychotherapists who had completed more individual training therapy/self-awareness sessions had higher SOC values than did those with fewer, we found no difference in regard to the overall SOC score or SOC scores for individual components. The SOC of psychotherapists did not seem to depend on the number of additional training therapy/self-awareness sessions. PMID:17370015

State of charge monitoring of vanadium redox flow batteries using half cell potentials and electrolyte density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ressel, Simon; Bill, Florian; Holtz, Lucas; Janshen, Niklas; Chica, Antonio; Flower, Thomas; Weidlich, Claudia; Struckmann, Thorsten

2018-02-01

The operation of vanadium redox flow batteries requires reliable in situ state of charge (SOC) monitoring. In this study, two SOC estimation approaches for the negative half cell are investigated. First, in situ open circuit potential measurements are combined with Coulomb counting in a one-step calibration of SOC and Nernst potential which doesn't need additional reference SOCs. In-sample and out-of-sample SOCs are estimated and analyzed, estimation errors ≤ 0.04 are obtained. In the second approach, temperature corrected in situ electrolyte density measurements are used for the first time in vanadium redox flow batteries for SOC estimation. In-sample and out-of-sample SOC estimation errors ≤ 0.04 demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. Both methods allow recalibration during battery operation. The actual capacity obtained from SOC calibration can be used in a state of health model.

Generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder in youth: are they distinguishable?

PubMed

Whitmore, Maria J; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen; Ollendick, Thomas H

2014-08-01

The current study was designed to examine diagnostic validity of social anxiety disorder (SOC) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in youth, and implications of comorbidity of the disorders for nosology. Children (n = 130) with SOC, GAD, or both disorders (COMORBID) and their parents were administered diagnostic interviews and self-report measures. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) and ANOVAs were performed for the three groups (SOC, GAD, COMORBID). Second-order CFAs for both parent and child informants suggested that SOC and GAD are two specific facets of a general anxiety factor. ANOVA analyses revealed the two pure groups differed only on parent-reported SOC symptoms and GAD worry symptoms, as hypothesized. COMORBID children had higher scores than SOC group on parent-reported GAD symptoms, worry, and behavioral inhibition, and COMORBID children had higher scores than GAD group on parent-reported SOC symptoms and social anxiety. Results may have implications for assessment of GAD and SOC.

Toward a reduced-wire readout system for ultrasound imaging.

PubMed

Lim, Jaemyung; Arkan, Evren F; Degertekin, F Levent; Ghovanloo, Maysam

2014-01-01

We present a system-on-a-chip (SoC) for use in high-frequency capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) imaging systems. This SoC consists of trans-impedance amplifiers (TIA), delay locked loop (DLL) based clock multiplier, quadrature sampler, and pulse width modulator (PWM). The SoC down converts RF echo signal to baseband by quadrature sampling which facilitates modulation. To send data through a 1.6 m wire in the catheter which has limited bandwidth and is vulnerable to noise, the SoC creates a pseudo-digital PWM signal which can be used for back telemetry or wireless readout of the RF data. In this implementation, using a 0.35-μm std. CMOS process, the TIA and single-to-differential (STD) converter had 45 MHz bandwidth, the quadrature sampler had 10.1 dB conversion gain, and the PWM had 5-bit ENoB. Preliminary results verified front-end functionality, and the power consumption of a TIA, STD, quadrature sampler, PWM, and clock multiplier was 26 mW from a 3 V supply.

Toward a Reduced-Wire Readout System for Ultrasound Imaging

PubMed Central

Lim, Jaemyung; Arkan, Evren F.; Degertekin, F. Levent; Ghovanloo, Maysam

2015-01-01

We present a system-on-a-chip (SoC) for use in high-frequency capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) imaging systems. This SoC consists of trans-impedance amplifiers (TIA), delay locked loop (DLL) based clock multiplier, quadrature sampler, and pulse width modulator (PWM). The SoC down converts RF echo signal to baseband by quadrature sampling which facilitates modulation. To send data through a 1.6 m wire in the catheter which has limited bandwidth and is vulnerable to noise, the SoC creates a pseudo-digital PWM signal which can be used for back telemetry or wireless readout of the RF data. In this implementation, using a 0.35-μm std. CMOS process, the TIA and single-to-differential (STD) converter had 45 MHz bandwidth, the quadrature sampler had 10.1 dB conversion gain, and the PWM had 5-bit ENoB. Preliminary results verified front-end functionality, and the power consumption of a TIA, STD, quadrature sampler, PWM, and clock multiplier was 26 mW from a 3 V supply. PMID:25571135

Low Cost SoC Design of H.264/AVC Decoder for Handheld Video Player

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisayataksin, Sumek; Li, Dongju; Isshiki, Tsuyoshi; Kunieda, Hiroaki

We propose a low cost and stand-alone platform-based SoC for H.264/AVC decoder, whose target is practical mobile applications such as a handheld video player. Both low cost and stand-alone solutions are particularly emphasized. The SoC, consisting of RISC core and decoder core, has advantages in terms of flexibility, testability and various I/O interfaces. For decoder core design, the proposed H.264/AVC coprocessor in the SoC employs a new block pipelining scheme instead of a conventional macroblock or a hybrid one, which greatly contribute to reducing drastically the size of the core and its pipelining buffer. In addition, the decoder schedule is optimized to block level which is easy to be programmed. Actually, the core size is reduced to 138 KGate with 3.5 kbyte memory. In our practical development, a single external SDRAM is sufficient for both reference frame buffer and display buffer. Various peripheral interfaces such as a compact flash, a digital broadcast receiver and a LCD driver are also provided on a chip.

Changing the system by changing the workforce: employing consumers to increase access, cultural diversity, and engagement.

PubMed

Wenz-Gross, Melodie; Irsfeld, Toni DuBrino; Twomey, Tammy; Perez, Ana; Thompson, Judith; Wally, Martha; Colleton, Barbara; Kroell, Christine; McKeown, Steven K; Metz, Peter

2012-06-01

Services to families have traditionally been delivered in a medical model. This presents challenges including workforce shortages, lack of cultural diversity, lack of training in strength-based work, and difficulty in successfully engaging and retaining families in the therapy process. The system of care (SOC) effort has worked to establish formal roles for caregivers in SOC to improve services. This paper provides an example of one community's efforts to change the SOC by expanding the roles available to caregivers in creating systems change. It describes the model developed by Communities of Care (CoC), a SOC in Central Massachusetts, and its evolution over a 10 year period. First person accounts by system partners, caregivers hired into professional roles as well as a family receiving services, demonstrate how hiring caregivers at all levels can change systems and change lives, not only for those being served but for the caregiver/professionals doing the work. It also demonstrates, however, that change at the system level is incremental, takes time, and can be fleeting unless an ongoing effort is made to support and sustain those changes.

Biochar built soil carbon over a decade by stabilizing rhizodeposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

(Han) Weng, Zhe; van Zwieten, Lukas; Singh, Bhupinder Pal; Tavakkoli, Ehsan; Joseph, Stephen; MacDonald, Lynne M.; Rose, Terry J.; Rose, Michael T.; Kimber, Stephen W. L.; Morris, Stephen; Cozzolino, Daniel; Araujo, Joyce R.; Archanjo, Braulio S.; Cowie, Annette

2017-04-01

Biochar can increase the stable C content of soil. However, studies on the longer-term role of plant-soil-biochar interactions and the consequent changes to native soil organic carbon (SOC) are lacking. Periodic 13CO2 pulse labelling of ryegrass was used to monitor belowground C allocation, SOC priming, and stabilization of root-derived C for a 15-month period--commencing 8.2 years after biochar (Eucalyptus saligna, 550 °C) was amended into a subtropical ferralsol. We found that field-aged biochar enhanced the belowground recovery of new root-derived C (13C) by 20%, and facilitated negative rhizosphere priming (it slowed SOC mineralization by 5.5%, that is, 46 g CO2-C m-2 yr-1). Retention of root-derived 13C in the stable organo-mineral fraction (<53 μm) was also increased (6%, P < 0.05). Through synchrotron-based spectroscopic analysis of bulk soil, field-aged biochar and microaggregates (<250 μm), we demonstrate that biochar accelerates the formation of microaggregates via organo-mineral interactions, resulting in the stabilization and accumulation of SOC in a rhodic ferralsol.

[Soil quality assessment under different cropping system and straw management in farmland of arid oasis region].

PubMed

Zhang, Peng Peng; Pu, Xiao Zhen; Zhang, Wang Feng

2018-03-01

To reveal the regulatory mechanism of agricultural management practices on soil quality, an experiment was carried out to study the different cropping system and straw management on soil organic carbon and fractions and soil enzyme activity in farmland of arid oasis region, which would provide a scientific basic for enhancing agricultural resources utilization and sustainable development. In crop planting planning area, we took the mainly crop (cotton, wheat, maize) as research objects and designed long-term continues cropping and crop rotation experiments. The results showed that the soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial biomass C, labile C, water-soluble organic C, and hot-water-soluble organic C content were increased by 3.6%-9.9%, 41.8%-98.9%, 3.3%-17.0%, 11.1%-32.4%, 4.6%-27.5% by crop rotation compared to continues cropping, and 12%-35.9%, 22.4%-49.7%, 30.7%-51.0%, 10.6%-31.9%, 41.0%-96.4% by straw incorporated compared to straw removed, respectively. The soil catalase, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, invertase glucose, cellulase glucose activity were increased by 6.4%-10.9%, 6.6%-18.8%, 5.9%-15.3%, 10.0%-27.4%, 28.1%-37.5% by crop rotation compared to continues cropping, and 31.4%-47.5%, 19.9%-46.6%, 13.8%-20.7%, 19.8%-55.6%, 54.1%-70.9% by straw incorporated compared to straw removed, respectively. There were significant positive linear correlations among SOC, labile SOC fractions and soil enzyme. Therefore, we concluded that labile SOC fractions and soil enzyme were effective index for evaluating the change of SOC and soil quality. Based on factor analysis, in arid region, developing agricultural production using cropland management measures, such as straw-incorporated and combined short-term continues cotton and crop rotation, could enhance SOC and labile SOC fractions contents and soil enzyme activity, which could improve soil quality and be conducive to agricultural sustainable development.

High-resolution digital mapping of soil organic carbon in permafrost terrain using machine learning: a case study in a sub-Arctic peatland environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siewert, Matthias B.

2018-03-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in northern peatlands and permafrost-affected soils are key components in the global carbon cycle. This article quantifies SOC stocks in a sub-Arctic mountainous peatland environment in the discontinuous permafrost zone in Abisko, northern Sweden. Four machine-learning techniques are evaluated for SOC quantification: multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks, support vector machine and random forest. The random forest model performed best and was used to predict SOC for several depth increments at a spatial resolution of 1 m (1×1 m). A high-resolution (1 m) land cover classification generated for this study is the most relevant predictive variable. The landscape mean SOC storage (0-150 cm) is estimated to be 8.3 ± 8.0 kg C m-2 and the SOC stored in the top meter (0-100 cm) to be 7.7 ± 6.2 kg C m-2. The predictive modeling highlights the relative importance of wetland areas and in particular peat plateaus for the landscape's SOC storage. The total SOC was also predicted at reduced spatial resolutions of 2, 10, 30, 100, 250 and 1000 m and shows a significant drop in land cover class detail and a tendency to underestimate the SOC at resolutions > 30 m. This is associated with the occurrence of many small-scale wetlands forming local hot-spots of SOC storage that are omitted at coarse resolutions. Sharp transitions in SOC storage associated with land cover and permafrost distribution are the most challenging methodological aspect. However, in this study, at local, regional and circum-Arctic scales, the main factor limiting robust SOC mapping efforts is the scarcity of soil pedon data from across the entire environmental space. For the Abisko region, past SOC and permafrost dynamics indicate that most of the SOC is barely 2000 years old and very dynamic. Future research needs to investigate the geomorphic response of permafrost degradation and the fate of SOC across all landscape compartments in post-permafrost landscapes.

Carbon deposition behaviour in metal-infiltrated gadolinia doped ceria electrodes for simulated biogas upgrading in solid oxide electrolysis cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duboviks, V.; Lomberg, M.; Maher, R. C.; Cohen, L. F.; Brandon, N. P.; Offer, G. J.

2015-10-01

One of the attractive applications for reversible Solid Oxide Cells (SOCs) is to convert CO2 into CO via high temperature electrolysis, which is particularly important for biogas upgrading. To improve biogas utility, the CO2 component can be converted into fuel via electrolysis. A significant issue for SOC operation on biogas is carbon-induced catalyst deactivation. Nickel is widely used in SOC electrodes for reasons of cost and performance, but it has a low tolerance to carbon deposition. Two different modes of carbon formation on Ni-based electrodes are proposed in the present work based on ex-situ Raman measurements which are in agreement with previous studies. While copper is known to be resistant towards carbon formation, two significant issues have prevented its application in SOC electrodes - namely its relatively low melting temperature, inhibiting high temperature sintering, and low catalytic activity for hydrogen oxidation. In this study, the electrodes were prepared through a low temperature metal infiltration technique. Since the metal infiltration technique avoids high sintering temperatures, Cu-Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-δ (Cu-CGO) electrodes were fabricated and tested as an alternative to Ni-CGO electrodes. We demonstrate that the performance of Cu-CGO electrodes is equivalent to Ni-CGO electrodes, whilst carbon formation is fully suppressed when operated on biogas mixture.

Self-Organized Criticality Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschwanden, M. J.

2013-07-01

Contents: (1) Introduction - Norma B. Crosby --- (2) Theoretical Models of SOC Systems - Markus J. Aschwanden --- (3) SOC and Fractal Geometry - R. T. James McAteer --- (4) Percolation Models of Self-Organized Critical Phenomena - Alexander V. Milovanov --- (5) Criticality and Self-Organization in Branching Processes: Application to Natural Hazards - Álvaro Corral, Francesc Font-Clos --- (6) Power Laws of Recurrence Networks - Yong Zou, Jobst Heitzig, Jürgen Kurths --- (7) SOC computer simolations - Gunnar Pruessner --- (8) SOC Laboratory Experiments - Gunnar Pruessner --- (9) Self-Organizing Complex Earthquakes: Scaling in Data, Models, and Forecasting - Michael K. Sachs et al. --- (10) Wildfires and the Forest-Fire Model - Stefan Hergarten --- (11) SOC in Landslides - Stefan Hergarten --- (12) SOC and Solar Flares - Paul Charbonneau --- (13) SOC Systems in Astrophysics - Markus J. Aschwanden ---

Organic-Carbon Sequestration in Soil/Sediment of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain - Data; Landscape Distribution, Storage, and Inventory; Accumulation Rates; and Recent Loss, Including a Post-Katrina Preliminary Analysis (Chapter B)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markewich, Helaine W.; Buell, Gary R.; Britsch, Louis D.; McGeehin, John P.; Robbins, John A.; Wrenn, John H.; Dillon, Douglas L.; Fries, Terry L.; Morehead, Nancy R.

2007-01-01

Soil/sediment of the Mississippi River deltaic plain (MRDP) in southeastern Louisiana is rich in organic carbon (OC). The MRDP contains about 2 percent of all OC in the surface meter of soil/sediment in the Mississippi River Basin (MRB). Environments within the MRDP differ in soil/sediment organic carbon (SOC) accumulation rate, storage, and inventory. The focus of this study was twofold: (1) develop a database for OC and bulk density for MRDP soil/sediment; and (2) estimate SOC storage, inventory, and accumulation rates for the dominant environments (brackish, intermediate, and fresh marsh; natural levee; distributary; backswamp; and swamp) in the MRDP. Comparative studies were conducted to determine which field and laboratory methods result in the most accurate and reproducible bulk-density values for each marsh environment. Sampling methods included push-core, vibracore, peat borer, and Hargis1 sampler. Bulk-density data for cores taken by the 'short push-core method' proved to be more internally consistent than data for samples collected by other methods. Laboratory methods to estimate OC concentration and inorganic-constituent concentration included mass spectrometry, coulometry, and loss-on-ignition. For the sampled MRDP environments, these methods were comparable. SOC storage was calculated for each core with adequate OC and bulk-density data. SOC inventory was calculated using core-specific data from this study and available published and unpublished pedon data linked to SSURGO2 map units. Sample age was estimated using isotopic cesium (137Cs), lead (210Pb), and carbon (14C), elemental Pb, palynomorphs, other stratigraphic markers, and written history. SOC accumulation rates were estimated for each core with adequate age data. Cesium-137 profiles for marsh soil/sediment are the least ambiguous. Levee and distributary 137Cs profiles show the effects of intermittent allochthonous input and/or sediment resuspension. Cesium-137 and 210Pb data gave the most consistent and interpretable information for age estimations of soil/sediment deposited during the 1900s. For several cores, isotopic 14C and 137Cs data allowed the 1963-64 nuclear weapons testing (NWT) peak-activity datum to be placed within a few-centimeter depth interval. In some cores, a too old 14C age (when compared to 137Cs and microstratigraphic-marker data) is the probable result of old carbon bound to clay minerals incorporated into the organic soil/sediment. Elemental Pb coupled with Pb source-function data allowed age estimation for soil/sediment that accumulated during the late 1920s through the 1980s. Exotic pollen (for example, Vigna unguiculata and Alternanthera philoxeroides) and other microstratigraphic indicators (for example, carbon spherules) allowed age estimations for marsh soil/sediment deposited during the settlement of New Orleans (1717-20) through the early 1900s. For this study, MRDP distributary and swamp environments were each represented by only one core, backswamp environment by two cores, all other environments by three or more cores. MRDP core data for the surface meter soil/sediment indicate that (1) coastal marshes, abandoned distributaries, and swamps have regional SOC-storage values >16 kg m-2; (2) swamps and abandoned distributaries have the highest SOC storage values (swamp, 44.8 kg m-2; abandoned distributary, 50.9 kg m-2); (3) fresh-to-brackish marsh environments have the second highest site-specific SOC-storage values; and (4) site-specific marsh SOC storage values decrease as the salinity of the environment increases (fresh-marsh, 36.2 kg m-2; intermediate marsh, 26.2 kg m-2; brackish marsh, 21.5 kg m-2). This inverse relation between salinity and SOC storage is opposite the regional systematic increase in SOC storage with increasing salinity that is evident when SOC storage is mapped by linking pedon data to SSURGO map units (fresh marsh, 47 kg m-2; intermediate marsh, 67 kg m-2; brackish marsh, 75 kg m-2; and salt marsh, 80 kg m-2). MRDP core data for this study also indicate that levees and backswamp have regional SOC-storage values <16 kg m-2. Group-mean SOC storage for cores from these environments are natural levee (17.0 kg m-2) and backswamp (14.1 kg m-2). An estimate for the SOC inventory in the surface meter of soil/sediment in the MRDP can be made using the SSURGO mapped portion of the coastal-marsh vegetative-type map (13,236 km2, land-only area) published by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and U.S. Geological Survey (1997). This area has a SOC inventory (surface meter) of 677 Tg (slightly more than 2 percent of the 30,289 Tg SOC inventory for the MRB). The MRDP (6,180 km2, land-only area) has an estimated SOC inventory of 397 Tg. Most of the MRDP is located within the SSURGO mapped coastal marshlands. The entire MRDP, including water, has an area of about 10,800 km2. Using the ratio of total MRDP area to SSURGO mapped MRDP area as an adjustment, the MRDP SOC inventory is estimated at 694 Tg. This larger estimate of 694 Tg for the SOC inventory is probably more realistic, because it is reasonable to assume that the marsh sediments overlain by shallow water have comparable SOC storage to that of the adjacent land areas. MRDP core data for this study indicate that there is some variability in long-term SOC mass-accumulation rates for centuries and millennia and that this variability may indicate important geologic changes or changes in land use. However, the consistency of the range in rates of SOC accumulation through time suggests a remarkable degree of marsh sustainability throughout the Holocene, including the recent period of significant marsh modification/channelization for human use. One example of marsh sustainability is its present ability to function as a SOC sink even with Louisiana's large-scale coastal land loss during the last several decades. With coastal-marsh restoration efforts, this sink potential will increase. Looking to the future, a total of 1,101 g m-2 yr-1 SOC is projected to be lost from all of coastal Louisiana (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) subprovinces 1-4; not just the MRDP) through coastal erosion from year 2000 to 2050. This translates to a projected SOC-loss rate of about 0.20 percent per year. The recent Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated the Louisiana coast during late August and late September 2005, transformed about 259 km2 (100 mi2) of marsh to open water (U.S. Geological Survey, 2005). To the extent that some or all of this land loss is permanent, this result equates to a SOC loss of about 15 Tg. This estimate is based on the year-2000 15,153-km2 land area for the LCA study area that includes LCA subprovince 4. Using the year-2000 land area, the LCA study area had an estimated SOC inventory of 858 Tg. The estimated 15 Tg SOC loss attributable to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is 1.7 percent of the year-2000 LCA inventory and 2.3 percent of the year-2000 MRDP inventory. If this SOC loss is included in the projection for the year 2050, then the MRDP would either remain a source with a net SOC loss of 3 Tg or become a weak sink with a net SOC gain of 4 Tg. These estimates are lower bounds for potential SOC flux because they are only for the surface meter of landmass.

Sensitivity of soil carbon fractions and their specific stabilization mechanisms to extreme soil warming in a subarctic grassland.

PubMed

Poeplau, Christopher; Kätterer, Thomas; Leblans, Niki I W; Sigurdsson, Bjarni D

2017-03-01

Terrestrial carbon cycle feedbacks to global warming are major uncertainties in climate models. For in-depth understanding of changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) after soil warming, long-term responses of SOC stabilization mechanisms such as aggregation, organo-mineral interactions and chemical recalcitrance need to be addressed. This study investigated the effect of 6 years of geothermal soil warming on different SOC fractions in an unmanaged grassland in Iceland. Along an extreme warming gradient of +0 to ~+40 °C, we isolated five fractions of SOC that varied conceptually in turnover rate from active to passive in the following order: particulate organic matter (POM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), SOC in sand and stable aggregates (SA), SOC in silt and clay (SC-rSOC) and resistant SOC (rSOC). Soil warming of 0.6 °C increased bulk SOC by 22 ± 43% (0-10 cm soil layer) and 27 ± 54% (20-30 cm), while further warming led to exponential SOC depletion of up to 79 ± 14% (0-10 cm) and 74 ± 8% (20-30) in the most warmed plots (~+40 °C). Only the SA fraction was more sensitive than the bulk soil, with 93 ± 6% (0-10 cm) and 86 ± 13% (20-30 cm) SOC losses and the highest relative enrichment in 13 C as an indicator for the degree of decomposition (+1.6 ± 1.5‰ in 0-10 cm and +1.3 ± 0.8‰ in 20-30 cm). The SA fraction mass also declined along the warming gradient, while the SC fraction mass increased. This was explained by deactivation of aggregate-binding mechanisms. There was no difference between the responses of SC-rSOC (slow-cycling) and rSOC (passive) to warming, and 13 C enrichment in rSOC was equal to that in bulk soil. We concluded that the sensitivity of SOC to warming was not a function of age or chemical recalcitrance, but triggered by changes in biophysical stabilization mechanisms, such as aggregation. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Potential fate of eroded SOC after erosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Liangang; Fister, Wolfgang; Greenwood, Philip; Hu, Yaxian; Kuhn, Nikolaus J.

2015-04-01

Globally, soils contain more than three times as much carbon as either atmosphere or terrestrial vegetation. Soil erosion moves soil organic carbon (SOC) from the site of soil and SOC formation and to depositional environments. There some SOC might be sequestered. Combined with dynamic replacement at the site of erosion, the effect can significantly influence the carbon cycle. However, the fate of SOC moved by erosion has been subject to an intense controversy. Two opposing views prevail: erosion may contribute to SOC mineralization during transport and thus act as a source for atmospheric CO2; the burial of SOC, on the other hand, can be seen as a sink while dynamic replacement maintains SOC at the eroding site and thus increase the C-stocks in soils and sediments. The debate suffers from a lack of information on the distribution, movement and fate of SOC in terrestrial ecosystems. This study aims to improve our understanding of the transport and subsequent fate of the eroded soil and the associated SOC. The research presented here focused on the SOC content and potential transport distance of erode soil. During a series of simulated rainfall soil eroded on crusted loess soils near Basel, Switzerland, was collected. The sediment was fractionated according to its settling velocity, with classes set to correspond to either a transfer into rivers or a deposition on slopes. The soil mass, SOC concentration and cumulative CO2 emission of each fraction were measured. Our results show that about 50% of the eroded sediment and 60% of the eroded SOC are likely to be deposited on the slopes, even during a high rainfall intensity event. This is 3 times greater than the association of SOC with mineral particles suggests. The CO2 emission of the eroded soil is increased by 40% compared to disturbed bulk soil. This confirms that aggregate breakdown reduces the protection of SOC in aggregates. Both results of this study show that taking (i) the effect of aggregation on SOC redistribution and (ii) the subsequent CO2 emission during the transport have to be considered to achieve a reliable assessment of the effect of soil erosion on the global C-cycle. They also indicate that our current balances may underestimate the CO2 emission caused by soil erosion.

Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 2 Negatively Regulates NK Cell Differentiation by Inhibiting JAK2 Activity

PubMed Central

Kim, Won Sam; Kim, Mi Jeong; Kim, Dong Oh; Byun, Jae-Eun; Huy, Hangsak; Song, Hae Young; Park, Young-Jun; Kim, Tae-Don; Yoon, Suk Ran; Choi, Eun-Ji; Jung, Haiyoung; Choi, Inpyo

2017-01-01

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative regulators of cytokine responses. Although recent reports have shown regulatory roles for SOCS proteins in innate and adaptive immunity, their roles in natural killer (NK) cell development are largely unknown. Here, we show that SOCS2 is involved in NK cell development. SOCS2−/− mice showed a high frequency of NK cells in the bone marrow and spleen. Knockdown of SOCS2 was associated with enhanced differentiation of NK cells in vitro, and the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into congenic mice resulted in enhanced differentiation in SOCS2−/− HSCs. We found that SOCS2 could inhibit Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) activity and JAK2-STAT5 signaling pathways via direct interaction with JAK2. Furthermore, SOCS2−/− mice showed a reduction in lung metastases and an increase in survival following melanoma challenge. Overall, our findings suggest that SOCS2 negatively regulates the development of NK cells by inhibiting JAK2 activity via direct interaction. PMID:28383049

Investigating the error sources of the online state of charge estimation methods for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yuejiu; Ouyang, Minggao; Han, Xuebing; Lu, Languang; Li, Jianqiu

2018-02-01

Sate of charge (SOC) estimation is generally acknowledged as one of the most important functions in battery management system for lithium-ion batteries in new energy vehicles. Though every effort is made for various online SOC estimation methods to reliably increase the estimation accuracy as much as possible within the limited on-chip resources, little literature discusses the error sources for those SOC estimation methods. This paper firstly reviews the commonly studied SOC estimation methods from a conventional classification. A novel perspective focusing on the error analysis of the SOC estimation methods is proposed. SOC estimation methods are analyzed from the views of the measured values, models, algorithms and state parameters. Subsequently, the error flow charts are proposed to analyze the error sources from the signal measurement to the models and algorithms for the widely used online SOC estimation methods in new energy vehicles. Finally, with the consideration of the working conditions, choosing more reliable and applicable SOC estimation methods is discussed, and the future development of the promising online SOC estimation methods is suggested.

'A Labour of Love': A King's College London Psychiatry Society Event to challenge the stigma attached to mental health problems in post-natal women.

PubMed

Hankir, Ahmed; Brothwood, Phillipa; Crocker, Bethany; Lim, Mao Fong; Lever, Isabel; Carrick, Frederick; Zaman, Rashid; Jones, Charlotte Wilson

2017-09-01

On the 9 th October 2000, Dr Daksha Emson, a London based psychiatrist with bipolar affective disorder, tragically killed herself and her three-month-old baby daughter during a psychotic episode. An independent inquiry into Dr Emson's death concluded that mental health stigma in the National Health Service was a factor that contributed to her death. Despite the morbidity and mortality attributed to the stigma attached to post-natal mental health problems there are very few programmes that have been developed to challenge it. King's College London Undergraduate Psychiatry Society organized an event entitled, 'A Labour of Love': Perinatal Mental Health to address this issue. The event included a talk from an expert by experience, a mother who developed post-partum mental health problems. We conducted a single-arm, pre-post comparison study on participants who attended the KCL Psych Soc event. Validated stigma scales on knowledge (Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS)), attitudes (Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI)) and behaviour (Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS)) were administered before and immediately after exposure to the event. 27/27 (100%) of participants recruited responded. There was a statistically significant difference in the pre-MAKS score compared to the post-MAKS score (p=0.0003), the pre-RIBS score compared to the post-RIBS score (p=0.0068) and in the pre-CAMI score compared to the post-CAMI score (p=0.0042). There were statistically significant reductions in stigma in the domains of knowledge, attitude and behavior following exposure to the KCL Psych Soc event and no adverse effects were reported. Our study revealed that a brief intervention made a highly significant impact and maybe useful in challenging the stigma around post-natal mental illness. However, more research in this area is required to determine if the changes are sustained before we can consider rolling out and scaling up such an initiative nationally and internationally.

The Millennial model: in search of measurable pools and transformations for modeling soil carbon in the new century

DOE PAGES

Abramoff, Rose; Xu, Xiaofeng; Hartman, Melannie; ...

2017-12-20

Soil organic carbon (SOC) can be defined by measurable chemical and physical pools, such as mineral-associated carbon, carbon physically entrapped in aggregates, dissolved carbon, and fragments of plant detritus. Yet, most soil models use conceptual rather than measurable SOC pools. What would the traditional pool-based soil model look like if it were built today, reflecting the latest understanding of biological, chemical, and physical transformations in soils? We propose a conceptual model—the Millennial model—that defines pools as measurable entities. First, we discuss relevant pool definitions conceptually and in terms of the measurements that can be used to quantify pool size, formation,more » and destabilization. Then, we develop a numerical model following the Millennial model conceptual framework to evaluate against the Century model, a widely-used standard for estimating SOC stocks across space and through time. The Millennial model predicts qualitatively similar changes in total SOC in response to single factor perturbations when compared to Century, but different responses to multiple factor perturbations. Finally, we review important conceptual and behavioral differences between the Millennial and Century modeling approaches, and the field and lab measurements needed to constrain parameter values. Here, we propose the Millennial model as a simple but comprehensive framework to model SOC pools and guide measurements for further model development.« less

The Millennial model: in search of measurable pools and transformations for modeling soil carbon in the new century

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abramoff, Rose; Xu, Xiaofeng; Hartman, Melannie

Soil organic carbon (SOC) can be defined by measurable chemical and physical pools, such as mineral-associated carbon, carbon physically entrapped in aggregates, dissolved carbon, and fragments of plant detritus. Yet, most soil models use conceptual rather than measurable SOC pools. What would the traditional pool-based soil model look like if it were built today, reflecting the latest understanding of biological, chemical, and physical transformations in soils? We propose a conceptual model—the Millennial model—that defines pools as measurable entities. First, we discuss relevant pool definitions conceptually and in terms of the measurements that can be used to quantify pool size, formation,more » and destabilization. Then, we develop a numerical model following the Millennial model conceptual framework to evaluate against the Century model, a widely-used standard for estimating SOC stocks across space and through time. The Millennial model predicts qualitatively similar changes in total SOC in response to single factor perturbations when compared to Century, but different responses to multiple factor perturbations. Finally, we review important conceptual and behavioral differences between the Millennial and Century modeling approaches, and the field and lab measurements needed to constrain parameter values. Here, we propose the Millennial model as a simple but comprehensive framework to model SOC pools and guide measurements for further model development.« less

Projection of corn production and stover-harvesting impacts on soil organic carbon dynamics in the U.S. Temperate Prairies.

PubMed

Wu, Yiping; Liu, Shuguang; Young, Claudia J; Dahal, Devendra; Sohl, Terry L; Davis, Brian

2015-06-01

Terrestrial carbon sequestration potential is widely considered as a realistic option for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, this potential may be threatened by global changes including climate, land use, and management changes such as increased corn stover harvesting for rising production of cellulosic biofuel. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) at regional or global scale. This study simulated the corn production and spatiotemporal changes of SOC in the U.S. Temperate Prairies, which covers over one-third of the U.S. corn acreage, using a biogeochemical model with multiple climate and land-use change projections. The corn production (either grain yield or stover biomass) could reach 88.7-104.7 TgC as of 2050, 70-101% increase when compared to the base year of 2010. A removal of 50% stover at the regional scale could be a reasonable cap in view of maintaining SOC content and soil fertility especially in the beginning years. The projected SOC dynamics indicated that the average carbon sequestration potential across the entire region may vary from 12.7 to 19.6 g C/m(2)/yr (i.e., 6.6-10.2 g TgC/yr). This study not only helps understand SOC dynamics but also provides decision support for sustainable biofuel development.

Projection of corn production and stover-harvesting impacts on soil organic carbon dynamics in the U.S. Temperate Prairies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, Yiping; Liu, Shuguang; Young, Claudia J.; Dahal, Devendra; Sohl, Terry L.; Davis, Brian

2015-01-01

Terrestrial carbon sequestration potential is widely considered as a realistic option for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, this potential may be threatened by global changes including climate, land use, and management changes such as increased corn stover harvesting for rising production of cellulosic biofuel. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) at regional or global scale. This study simulated the corn production and spatiotemporal changes of SOC in the U.S. Temperate Prairies, which covers over one-third of the U.S. corn acreage, using a biogeochemical model with multiple climate and land-use change projections. The corn production (either grain yield or stover biomass) could reach 88.7–104.7 TgC as of 2050, 70–101% increase when compared to the base year of 2010. A removal of 50% stover at the regional scale could be a reasonable cap in view of maintaining SOC content and soil fertility especially in the beginning years. The projected SOC dynamics indicated that the average carbon sequestration potential across the entire region may vary from 12.7 to 19.6 g C/m2/yr (i.e., 6.6–10.2 g TgC/yr). This study not only helps understand SOC dynamics but also provides decision support for sustainable biofuel development.

Projection of corn production and stover-harvesting impacts on soil organic carbon dynamics in the U.S. Temperate Prairies

PubMed Central

Wu, Yiping; Liu, Shuguang; Young, Claudia J.; Dahal, Devendra; Sohl, Terry L.; Davis, Brian

2015-01-01

Terrestrial carbon sequestration potential is widely considered as a realistic option for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, this potential may be threatened by global changes including climate, land use, and management changes such as increased corn stover harvesting for rising production of cellulosic biofuel. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) at regional or global scale. This study simulated the corn production and spatiotemporal changes of SOC in the U.S. Temperate Prairies, which covers over one-third of the U.S. corn acreage, using a biogeochemical model with multiple climate and land-use change projections. The corn production (either grain yield or stover biomass) could reach 88.7–104.7 TgC as of 2050, 70–101% increase when compared to the base year of 2010. A removal of 50% stover at the regional scale could be a reasonable cap in view of maintaining SOC content and soil fertility especially in the beginning years. The projected SOC dynamics indicated that the average carbon sequestration potential across the entire region may vary from 12.7 to 19.6 g C/m2/yr (i.e., 6.6–10.2 g TgC/yr). This study not only helps understand SOC dynamics but also provides decision support for sustainable biofuel development. PMID:26027873

Physical activity stages of change surveillance data shows that the majority of Hawai'i's Keiki (Children) meet the guidelines.

PubMed

Rotter, Markus; Amato, Kaitlyn; Nigg, Claudio R

2018-05-01

Targeting Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) children based on their physical activity (PA) stages of change (SOC) may improve intervention effectiveness. No known SOC surveillance system exists for NHOPI jurisdictions. The purpose was to determine the PA SOC prevalence over 5 years in children living in Hawai'i. Self-reported PA SOC from 5 cohorts (3-6 grade students) in Hawai'i were compared between cohorts and sex. The combined PA SOC distribution (n = 1726, 50.7% female) was: Precontemplation, 7.5%; Contemplation, 7.6%; Preparation, 9.9%; Action, 33.4%; Maintenance, 41.5%. There were no significant difference between cohorts 1 and 2 (n = 258), χ 2 (16) = 21.75, p = 0.15; 2 and 3 (n = 129), χ 2 (16) = 17.51, p = 0.35; 3 and 4 (n = 171), χ 2 (16) = 17.28, p = 0.77; 4 and 5 (n = 129), χ 2 (16) = 17.51, p = 0.35; and for all cohorts between males and females (p > 0.05). Most participants were in Action and Maintenance. Prevention efforts should emphasize maintaining PA levels. Extending PA behavior surveillance systems to include intention in NHOPI jurisdictions is warranted.

KCNN4 and S100A14 act as predictors of recurrence in optimally debulked patients with serous ovarian cancer

PubMed Central

Hu, Ting; Sun, Qian; Wu, Jianli; Lin, Xingguang; Luo, Danfeng; Sun, Chaoyang; Wang, Changyu; Zhou, Bo; Li, Na; Xia, Meng; Lu, Hao; Meng, Li; Xu, Xiaoyan; Hu, Junbo; Ma, Ding; Chen, Gang; Zhu, Tao

2016-01-01

Approximately 50-75% of patients with serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC) experience recurrence within 18 months after first-line treatment. Current clinical indicators are inadequate for predicting the risk of recurrence. In this study, we used 7 publicly available microarray datasets to identify gene signatures related to recurrence in optimally debulked SOC patients, and validated their expressions in an independent clinic cohort of 127 patients using immunohistochemistry (IHC). We identified a two-gene signature including KCNN4 and S100A14 which was related to recurrence in optimally debulked SOC patients. Their mRNA expression levels were positively correlated and regulated by DNA copy number alterations (CNA) (KCNN4: p=1.918e-05) and DNA promotermethylation (KCNN4: p=0.0179; S100A14: p=2.787e-13). Recurrence prediction models built in the TCGA dataset based on KCNN4 and S100A14 individually and in combination showed good prediction performance in the other 6 datasets (AUC:0.5442-0.9524). The independent cohort supported the expression difference between SOC recurrences. Also, a KCNN4 and S100A14-centered protein interaction subnetwork was built from the STRING database, and the shortest regulation path between them, called the KCNN4-UBA52-KLF4-S100A14 axis, was identified. This discovery might facilitate individualized treatment of SOC. PMID:27270322

Long-term fertilization alters chemically-separated soil organic carbon pools: Based on stable C isotope analyses

PubMed Central

Dou, Xiaolin; He, Ping; Cheng, Xiaoli; Zhou, Wei

2016-01-01

Quantification of dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools under the influence of long-term fertilization is essential for predicting carbon (C) sequestration. We combined soil chemical fractionation with stable C isotope analyses to investigate the C dynamics of the various SOC pools after 25 years of fertilization. Five types of soil samples (0–20, 20–40 cm) including the initial level (CK) and four fertilization treatments (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer, IN; balanced inorganic fertilizer, NPK; inorganic fertilizer plus farmyard manure, MNPK; inorganic fertilizer plus corn straw residue, SNPK) were separated into recalcitrant and labile fractions, and the fractions were analysed for C content, C:N ratios, δ13C values, soil C and N recalcitrance indexes (RIC and RIN). Chemical fractionation showed long-term MNPK fertilization strongly increased the SOC storage in both soil layers (0–20 cm = 1492.4 gC m2 and 20–40 cm = 1770.6 gC m2) because of enhanced recalcitrant C (RC) and labile C (LC). The 25 years of inorganic fertilizer treatment did not increase the SOC storage mainly because of the offsetting effects of enhanced RC and decreased LC, whereas no clear SOC increases under the SNPK fertilization resulted from the fast decay rates of soil C. PMID:26750143

Space Operations Center, shuttle interaction study, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The implication of using the Shuttle with the SOC, including constraints that the Shuttle places upon the SOC design is studied. The considerations involved in the use of the Shuttle as a part of the SOC concept, and the constraints to the SOC imposed by the Shuttle in its interactions with the SOC, and on the design or technical solutions which allow satisfactory accomplishment of the interactions are identified.

Expression of the SOCS family in human chronic wound tissues: Potential implications for SOCS in chronic wound healing

PubMed Central

Feng, Yi; Sanders, Andrew J.; Ruge, Fiona; Morris, Ceri-Ann; Harding, Keith G.; Jiang, Wen G.

2016-01-01

Cytokines play important roles in the wound healing process through various signalling pathways. The JAK-STAT pathway is utilised by most cytokines for signal transduction and is regulated by a variety of molecules, including suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins. SOCS are associated with inflammatory diseases and have an impact on cytokines, growth factors and key cell types involved in the wound-healing process. SOCS, a negative regulator of cytokine signalling, may hold the potential to regulate cytokine-induced signalling in the chronic wound-healing process. Wound edge tissues were collected from chronic venous leg ulcer patients and classified as non-healing and healing wounds. The expression pattern of seven SOCSs members, at the transcript and protein level, were examined in these tissues using qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Significantly higher levels of SOCS3 (P=0.0284) and SOCS4 (P=0.0376) in non-healing chronic wounds compared to the healing/healed chronic wounds were observed at the transcript level. Relocalisation of SOCS3 protein in the non-healing wound environment was evident in the investigated chronic biopsies. Thus, the results show that the expression of SOCS transcript indicated that SOCS members may act as a prognostic biomarker of chronic wounds. PMID:27635428

Expression of the SOCS family in human chronic wound tissues: Potential implications for SOCS in chronic wound healing.

PubMed

Feng, Yi; Sanders, Andrew J; Ruge, Fiona; Morris, Ceri-Ann; Harding, Keith G; Jiang, Wen G

2016-11-01

Cytokines play important roles in the wound healing process through various signalling pathways. The JAK-STAT pathway is utilised by most cytokines for signal transduction and is regulated by a variety of molecules, including suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins. SOCS are associated with inflammatory diseases and have an impact on cytokines, growth factors and key cell types involved in the wound‑healing process. SOCS, a negative regulator of cytokine signalling, may hold the potential to regulate cytokine‑induced signalling in the chronic wound‑healing process. Wound edge tissues were collected from chronic venous leg ulcer patients and classified as non-healing and healing wounds. The expression pattern of seven SOCSs members, at the transcript and protein level, were examined in these tissues using qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Significantly higher levels of SOCS3 (P=0.0284) and SOCS4 (P=0.0376) in non-healing chronic wounds compared to the healing/healed chronic wounds were observed at the transcript level. Relocalisation of SOCS3 protein in the non-healing wound environment was evident in the investigated chronic biopsies. Thus, the results show that the expression of SOCS transcript indicated that SOCS members may act as a prognostic biomarker of chronic wounds.

Losses of soil organic carbon by converting tropical forest to plantations: Assessment of erosion and decomposition by new δ13C approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillaume, Thomas; Muhammad, Damris; Kuzyakov, Yakov

2015-04-01

Indonesia lost more tropical forest than all of Brazil in 2012, mainly driven by the rubber, oil palm and timber industries. Nonetheless, the effects of converting forest to oil palm and rubber plantations on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks remain unclear. We analyzed SOC losses after lowland rainforest conversion to oil palm, intensive rubber and extensive rubber plantations in Jambi province on Sumatra Island. We developed and applied a new δ13C based approach to assess and separate two processes: 1) erosion and 2) decomposition. Carbon contents in the Ah horizon under oil palm and rubber plantations were strongly reduced: up to 70% and 62%, respectively. The decrease was lower under extensive rubber plantations (41%). The C content in the subsoil was similar in the forest and the plantations. We therefore assumed that a shift to higher δ13C values in the subsoil of the plantations corresponds to the losses of the upper soil layer by erosion. Erosion was estimated by comparing the δ13C profiles in the undisturbed soils under forest with the disturbed soils under plantations. The estimated erosion was the strongest in oil palm (35±8 cm) and rubber (33±10 cm) plantations. The 13C enrichment of SOC used as a proxy of its turnover indicates a decrease of SOC decomposition rate in the Ah horizon under oil palm plantations after forest conversion. SOC availability, measured by microbial respiration rate and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy, was lower under oil palm plantations. Despite similar trends in C losses and erosion in intensive plantations, our results indicate that microorganisms in oil palm plantations mineralized mainly the old C stabilized prior to conversion, whereas microorganisms under rubber plantations mineralized the fresh C from the litter, leaving the old C pool mainly untouched. Based on the lack of C input from litter, we expect further losses of SOC under oil palm plantations, which therefore are a less sustainable land-use compared to rubber plantations. Finally, we discussed the advantages and limitations of the new δ13C based approach to assess erosion and decomposition as well as possibilities for its development and broader application. The reestablishment of new oil palm plantations has just started in the studied region. We therefore advise 1) to reduce the period without soil protection by planting cover crops at the early stage of the establishment to reduce soil erosion and 2) to leave a maximum of the biomass from the old palm trees on site and/or to keep the land lying fallow for a few years to enable the reconstruction of the SOC pool for the next oil palm generation.

Spatial prediction of Soil Organic Carbon contents in croplands, grasslands and forests using environmental covariates and Generalized Additive Models (Southern Belgium)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chartin, Caroline; Stevens, Antoine; van Wesemael, Bas

2015-04-01

Providing spatially continuous Soil Organic Carbon data (SOC) is needed to support decisions regarding soil management, and inform the political debate with quantified estimates of the status and change of the soil resource. Digital Soil Mapping techniques are based on relations existing between a soil parameter (measured at different locations in space at a defined period) and relevant covariates (spatially continuous data) that are factors controlling soil formation and explaining the spatial variability of the target variable. This study aimed at apply DSM techniques to recent SOC content measurements (2005-2013) in three different landuses, i.e. cropland, grassland, and forest, in the Walloon region (Southern Belgium). For this purpose, SOC databases of two regional Soil Monitoring Networks (CARBOSOL for croplands and grasslands, and IPRFW for forests) were first harmonized, totalising about 1,220 observations. Median values of SOC content for croplands, grasslands, and forests, are respectively of 12.8, 29.0, and 43.1 g C kg-1. Then, a set of spatial layers were prepared with a resolution of 40 meters and with the same grid topology, containing environmental covariates such as, landuses, Digital Elevation Model and its derivatives, soil texture, C factor, carbon inputs by manure, and climate. Here, in addition to the three classical texture classes (clays, silt, and sand), we tested the use of clays + fine silt content (particles < 20 µm and related to stable carbon fraction) as soil covariate explaining SOC variations. For each of the three land uses (cropland, grassland and forest), a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was calibrated on two thirds of respective dataset. The remaining samples were assigned to a test set to assess model performance. A backward stepwise procedure was followed to select the relevant environmental covariates using their approximate p-values (the level of significance was set at p < 0.05). Standard errors were estimated for each of the three models. The backward stepwise procedure selected coordinates, elevation and clays + fine silt content as environment covariates to model SOC variation in cropland soils; latitude, precipitation, and clays + fine silt content (< 20 µm) for grassland soils; and latitude, elevation, topographic position index and clays + fine silt content (< 20 µm) for forest soils. The validation of the models gave a R² of 0.62 for croplands, 0.38 for grasslands, and 0.35 for forests. These results will be developed and discussed based on implications of natural against anthropogenic drivers on SOC distribution for these three landuses. To finish, a map combining detailed information of SOC content for agricultural soils and forests was for the first time computed for the Walloon region.

Dynamics of soil carbon stocks due to large-scale land use changes across the former Soviet Union during the 20th century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurganova, Irina; Prishchepov, Alexander V.; Schierhorn, Florian; Lopes de Gerenyu, Valentin; Müller, Daniel; Kuzyakov, Yakov

2016-04-01

Land use change is a major driver of land-atmosphere carbon (C) fluxes. The largest net C fluxes caused by LUC are attributed to the conversion of native unmanaged ecosystems to croplands and vice versa. Here, we present the changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in response to large-scale land use changes in the former Soviet Union from 1953-2012. Widespread and rapid conversion of native ecosystems to croplands occurred in the course of the Virgin Lands Campaign (VLC) between 1954 to 1963 in the Soviet Union, when more than 45 million hectares (Mha) were ploughed in south-eastern Russia and northern Kazakhstan in order to expand domestic food production. After 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union triggered the abandonment of around 75 Mha across the post-Soviet states. To assess SOC dynamics, we generated a static cropland mask for 2009 based on three global cropland maps. We used the cropland mask to spatially disaggregate annual sown area statistics at province level based on the suitability of each plot for crop production, which yielded land use maps for each year from 1954 to 2012 for all post-Soviet states. To estimate the SOC-dynamics due to the VLC and post-Soviet croplands abandonment, we used available experimental data, own field measurements, and soil maps. A bookkeeping approach was applied to assess the total changes in SOC-stocks in response to large-scale land use changes in the former Soviet Union. The massive croplands expansion during VLC resulted in a substantial loss of SOC - 611±47 Mt C and 241±11 Mt C for the upper 0-50 cm soil layer during the first 20 years of cultivation for Russia and Kazakhstan, respectively. These magnitudes are similar to C losses due to the plowing up of the prairies in USA in the mid-1930s. The total SOC sequestration due to post-Soviet croplands abandonment was estimated at 72.2±6.0 Mt C per year from 1991 to 2010. This amount of carbon equals about 40% of the current fossil fuel emission for this territory or about 7% of global C loss due to land-use change. However, recent recultivation of abandoned croplands in Russia and Kazakhstan can lead to release more labile forms of SOC stored on abandoned lands during last two decades. Since 2001, about 80 Mt of new sequestered SOC has been lost due to current programs on agricultural development in Russia and Kazakhstan. Our results demonstrate the large effects of land-use policies and institutional changes for the national and global C budgets during the last century.

Methods and pitfalls in searching drug safety databases utilising the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA).

PubMed

Brown, Elliot G

2003-01-01

The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) is a unified standard terminology for recording and reporting adverse drug event data. Its introduction is widely seen as a significant improvement on the previous situation, where a multitude of terminologies of widely varying scope and quality were in use. However, there are some complexities that may cause difficulties, and these will form the focus for this paper. Two methods of searching MedDRA-coded databases are described: searching based on term selection from all of MedDRA and searching based on terms in the safety database. There are several potential traps for the unwary in safety searches. There may be multiple locations of relevant terms within a system organ class (SOC) and lack of recognition of appropriate group terms; the user may think that group terms are more inclusive than is the case. MedDRA may distribute terms relevant to one medical condition across several primary SOCs. If the database supports the MedDRA model, it is possible to perform multiaxial searching: while this may help find terms that might have been missed, it is still necessary to consider the entire contents of the SOCs to find all relevant terms and there are many instances of incomplete secondary linkages. It is important to adjust for multiaxiality if data are presented using primary and secondary locations. Other sources for errors in searching are non-intuitive placement and the selection of terms as preferred terms (PTs) that may not be widely recognised. Some MedDRA rules could also result in errors in data retrieval if the individual is unaware of these: in particular, the lack of multiaxial linkages for the Investigations SOC, Social circumstances SOC and Surgical and medical procedures SOC and the requirement that a PT may only be present under one High Level Term (HLT) and one High Level Group Term (HLGT) within any single SOC. Special Search Categories (collections of PTs assembled from various SOCs by searching all of MedDRA) are limited by the small number available and by lack of clarity about criteria applied in their construction. Difficulties in database searching may be addressed by suitable user training and experience, and by central reporting of detected deficiencies in MedDRA. Other remedies may include regulatory guidance on implementation and use of MedDRA. Further systematic review of MedDRA is needed and generation of standardised searches that may be used 'off the shelf' will help, particularly where the same search is performed repeatedly on multiple data sets. Until these enhancements are widely available, MedDRA users should take great care when searching a safety database to ensure that cases are not inadvertently missed.

Prediction of SOC content by Vis-NIR spectroscopy at European scale using a modified local PLS algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nocita, M.; Stevens, A.; Toth, G.; van Wesemael, B.; Montanarella, L.

2012-12-01

In the context of global environmental change, the estimation of carbon fluxes between soils and the atmosphere has been the object of a growing number of studies. This has been motivated notably by the possibility to sequester CO2 into soils by increasing the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and by the role of SOC in maintaining soil quality. Spatial variability of SOC masks its slow accumulation or depletion, and the sampling density required to detect a change in SOC content is often very high and thus very expensive and labour intensive. Visible near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (Vis-NIR DRS) has been shown to be a fast, cheap and efficient tool for the prediction of SOC at fine scales. However, when applied to regional or country scales, Vis-NIR DRS did not provide sufficient accuracy as an alternative to standard laboratory soil analysis for SOC monitoring. Under the framework of Land Use/Cover Area Frame Statistical Survey (LUCAS) project of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), about 20,000 samples were collected all over European Union. Soil samples were analyzed for several physical and chemical parameters, and scanned with a Vis-NIR spectrometer in the same laboratory. The scope of our research was to predict SOC content at European scale using LUCAS spectral library. We implemented a modified local partial least square regression (l-PLS) including, in addition to spectral distance, other potentially useful covariates (geography, texture, etc.) to select for each unknown sample a group of predicting neighbours. The dataset was split in mineral soils under cropland, mineral soils under grassland, mineral soils under woodland, and organic soils due to the extremely diverse spectral response of the four classes. Four every class training (70%) and test (30%) sets were created to calibrate and validate the SOC prediction models. The results showed very good prediction ability for mineral soils under cropland and mineral soils under grassland, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.6 and 7.2 g C kg-1 respectively, while mineral soils under woodland and organic soils predictions were less accurate (RMSE of 11.9 and 51.1 g C kg-1). The RMSE was lower (except for organic soils) when sand content was used as covariate in the selection of the l-PLS predicting neighbours. The obtained results proved that: (i) Although the enormous spatial variability of European soils, the developed modified l-PLS algorithm was able to produce stable calibrations and accurate predictions. (ii) It is essential to invest in spectral libraries built according to sampling strategies, based on soil types, and a standardized laboratory protocol. (iii) Vis-NIR DRS spectroscopy is a powerful and cost effective tool to predict SOC content at regional/continental scales, and should be converted from a pure research discipline into a reference operational method decreasing the uncertainties of SOC monitoring and terrestrial ecosystems carbon fluxes at all scales.

Prediction of soil organic carbon with different parent materials development using visible-near infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Liu, Jinbao; Han, Jichang; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Huanyuan; Kong, Hui; Shi, Lei

2018-06-05

The storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) should improve soil fertility. Conventional determination of SOC is expensive and tedious. Visible-near infrared reflectance spectroscopy is a practical and cost-effective approach that has been successfully used SOC concentration. Soil spectral inversion model could quickly and efficiently determine SOC content. This paper presents a study dealing with SOC estimation through the combination of soil spectroscopy and stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), principal component regression (PCR). Spectral measurements for 106 soil samples were acquired using an ASD FieldSpec 4 standard-res spectroradiometer (350-2500 nm). Six types of transformations and three regression methods were applied to build for the quantification of different parent materials development soil. The results show that (1)the basaltic volcanic clastics development of SOC spectral response bands located in 500 nm, 800 nm; Trachyte spectral response of the soil quality, and the volcanic clastics development at 405 nm, 465 nm, 575 nm, 1105 nm. (2) Basaltic volcanic debris soil development, first deviation of maximum correlation coefficient is 0.8898; thick surface soil of the development of rocky volcanic debris from bottom reflectivity logarithm of first deviation of maximum correlation coefficient is 0.9029. (3) Soil organic matter content of basaltic volcanic clastics development optimal prediction model based on spectral reflectance inverse logarithms of first deviation of SMLR. Independent variable number is 7, Rv 2  = 0.9720, RMSEP = 2.0590, sig = 0.003. Trachyte qualitative volcanic clastics developed soil organic matter content of the optimal prediction model based on spectral reflectance inverse logarithms of first deviation of PLSR. Model number of the independent variables Pc = 5, Rc = 0.9872, Rc 2  = 0.9745, RMSEC = 0.4821, SEC = 0.4906, forecasts determine coefficient Rv 2  = 0.9702, RMSEP = 0.9563, SEP = 0.9711, Bias = 0.0637. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suberin-derived aliphatic monomers as biomarkers for SOM affected by root litter contribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogel-Knabner, I.; Spielvogel, S.-; Prietzel, J.-

2012-12-01

The patchy distribution of trees and ground vegetation may have major impact on SOC variability and stability at the small scale. Knowledge about correlations between the pattern of tree and ground vegetation, SOC stocks in different soil depths and the contribution of root- vs. shoot-derived carbon to different SOC fractions is scarce. We have tested analysis of hydrolysable aliphatic monomers derived from the biopolyesters cutin- and suberin to investigate whether their composition can be traced back after decay and transformation into soil organic matter (SOM) to study SOM source, degradation, and stand history. The main objective of this study was to elucidate the relative abundance of cutin and suberin in different particle size and density fractions of a Norway spruce and a European beech site with increasing distance to stems. Soil samples, root, bark and needle/leave samples were analyzed for their cutin and/or suberin signature. Previous to isolation of bound lipids, sequential solvent extraction was used to remove free lipids and other solvent extractable compounds. Cutin- and suberin-derived monomers were extracted from the samples using base hydrolysis. Before analysis by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), extracts were derivatized to convert compounds to trimethylsilyl derivatives. Statistical analysis identified four variables which as combined factors discriminated significantly between cutin and suberin based on their structural units. We found a relative enrichment of cutin and suberin contents in the occluded fraction at both sites that decreased with increasing distance to the trees. We conclude from our results that (i) patchy above- and belowground carbon input caused by heterogeneous distribution of trees and ground vegetation has major impact on SOC variability and stability at the small scale, (ii) tree species is an important factor influencing SOC heterogeneity at the stand scale due to pronounced differences in above- and belowground carbon input among the tree species and that (iii) forest conversion may substantially alter SOC stocks and spatial distribution. Suberin biomarkers can thus be used as indicators for the presence of root influence on SOM composition and for identifying root-affected soil compartments.

SOCS3 promotes apoptosis of mammary differentiated cells.

PubMed

Le Provost, Fabienne; Miyoshi, Keiko; Vilotte, Jean-Luc; Bierie, Brian; Robinson, Gertraud W; Hennighausen, Lothar

2005-12-30

Growth and function of the mammary gland is regulated by cytokines and modulated by suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins. In vitro experiments demonstrated that SOCS3 can inhibit PRL induction of milk protein gene expression and STAT5 activation. We explored the SOCS3 expression pattern during mouse mammary development and its regulation by PRL and GH in wild-type and STAT5a-null mammary tissue. Our results suggest that, in vivo, PRL stimulates SOCS3 expression in stromal adipocytes, independently of STAT5a stimulation. In mammary epithelial cells, SOCS3 expression appears to be related to STAT3 activation. Together, our results are consistent with a role of SOCS3 in the mammary gland by promoting apoptosis of differentiated cells (adipocytes during gestation and epithelial cells during involution).

Soil organic carbon and land use in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Northern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francaviglia, Rosa; Renzi, Gianluca; Benedetti, Anna

2014-05-01

The Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF) has set up a statistical survey aimed to provide the national forecast of yields and areas related to the main Italian agricultural crops (AGRIT). The methodology is based on field surveys and remote-sensed data, covers yearly the whole national territory, and is based on 100,000 observations which are statistically selected from a predefined grid made up of about 1,200,000 georeferenced points. In 2011-2012 we determined the soil organic carbon content (SOC) of 1,160 sampling points situated in Northern Italy in the plains and hills of Veneto (VEN) and Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), for which the land use in the period 2008-2010 was known. Samples have been subdivided in three main classes: arable crops, orchards and fodder crops. SOC was higher in FVG samples (2.48%, n=266) than in VEN samples (1.90%, n=894). The average value (2.03%) is clearly affected by the higher number of VEN samples. FVG data have been aggregated in continuous crops (maize, soybean, wheat), 2-yr rotations (maize-wheat, soybean wheat, maize-soybean), 3-yr rotations, vineyards (totally, partially and no-grassed), alfalfa, and permanent fodder crops. No significant differences were detected among the land uses due to the low number of samples in some classes, but some important findings do exist from the agronomic point of view. Fodder crops (5.65%), alfalfa (3.41%) and vineyards (2.72%) showed the higher SOC content. SOC was 2.94% and 1.39 % in the grassed and no-grassed vineyards respectively. In the arable crops the average SOC was 2.18%, ranging from 2.32% (soybean-wheat rotation) to 2.03% (continuous soybean). SOC was 2.19% in the continuous maize, with 2.23% in corn and 1.87% in silage maize. The lower values were in the maize-wheat rotation (1.53%) and the continuous wheat (1.47%). VEN data have been aggregated in continuous crops (maize, soybean and wheat), 2-yr rotations (maize-wheat, soybean-wheat, maize-soybean, soybean-alfalfa, wheat-alfalfa, maize-alfalfa), 3-yr rotations, orchards (mulched, totally, partially and no-grassed), alfalfa, permanent fodder crops, and land use change (from arable to fodder crops and vice versa). The mean value was 1.57% in arable crops, 2.46% in orchards (including vineyards, olive groves, and fruit crops), 3.13% in fodder crops. SOC in orchards was 1.82% (no grassed), 2.46% (grassed), 2.69% (mulched); 2.10 and 2.08% in the 2-yr rotations soybean-wheat and soybean-alfalfa respectively. SOC in the other arable crops was between 1.79% (land use change) and 1.37% (continuous soybean). A higher SOC was shown in VEN samples also when comparing continuous corn (1.69%) and continuous silage maize (1.43%). Data, even limited to two Regions, have clearly shown the positive contribution to SOC storage of orchards (mainly in grassed and mulched systems) and fodder crops, which are more conservative systems due to the lower soil disturbance from tillage operations; and to a lower extent of cropping systems with alfalfa or other legume crops.

Effect of land-use change on soil organic carbon stocks in the Eastern Usambara Mountain (Tanzania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirsten, Maximilian; Kaaya, Abel; Klinger, Thomas; Feger, Karl-Heinz

2014-05-01

A soil organic carbon (SOC) inventory, covering 10 sites with 5 different land-use systems (primary forest, secondary forest, tea plantation, home garden, and cropland) was conducted in the tropical monsoonal Eastern Usambara Mountains (EUM), NE Tanzania. At all sites the environmental factors such as climate and parent material, for soil formation (gneiss), as well as elevation and slope position are highly comparable. The evergreen submontane primary rain forest, which still exists in vast areas in the EUM and the well-known land-use history there provide nearly optimal conditions for the assessment of land-use change effects on soil properties, notably the SOC stocks. We collected horizon-wise samples from soil pit profiles. In addition, samples from fixed depth-intervals were taken from 8 augering points located systematically around each soil pit. The sampling scheme yielded a unique set of soil information (pedological, chemical, and physical) that favours a reliable assessment of SOC stocks and future analytical work on SOM quality and binding mechanisms. The investigated soils are characterized by high clay contents, which increase with depth. Soil pH varies between 3.5 and 5.4 over all land-use systems and horizons, higher pH values could be detected for the agricultural systems in the topsoil, the differences between agricultural and forest systems decrease in the subsoil. The potential cation exchange capacity is in most cases < 24 cmolc kg-1, furthermore the base saturation is always < 50 % in the subsoil. Thus, based on that analytical data all soils can be classified as Acrisols revealing the high comparability of the investigated sites. This is an excellent prerequisite for the 'false chronosequence' approach applied. Organic carbon (C) stocks in the soils from the investigated land-use systems cover a wide range between 17.1 and 24.2 kg m-2 (0-100 cm). Variability is even high in the subset of the 3 primary forests. Statistically significant differences between the forest and cropland systems occur in the uppermost depth interval 0-10 cm. Furthermore, the primary forests have higher, but not significantly different SOC stocks in the topsoil (0-40 cm) compared with the cropland systems. In all investigated soils the SOC stocks for the entire soil profiles (0-100 cm) are in a narrow range. This may give a hint on SOC relocation from the topsoil to the subsoil when forests were converted to cropland systems. Our results reveal that this land-use change has led to a shift in above- and belowground litter distribution and amount. Also slash and burn practises as well as burning of plant residues in arable farming are common in the EUM. Both phenomena may control SOC relocation as they are associated with a changed C input and/or the formation of C compounds that can be relocated in the profile. In all investigated soils high concentrations of dithionite- and oxalate- extractable iron and aluminum were analyzed. Hence, interaction of SOC with oxides formed by the two metals is here probably one of the main stabilization mechanisms of SOC. The relocation and stabilization processes of SOC are the key functions for the implementation of sustainable agriculture in the EUM, and the conducted study provide a suitable basis for our ongoing research in this region of the wet tropics of Africa.

Land use effects on soil organic carbon sequestration in calcareous leptosols in former pastureland - a case study from the Tatra Mountains (Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasak, K.; Drewnik, M.

2015-05-01

The purpose of the paper is to show SOC sequestration rates in calcareous shallow soils in reforested areas in Tatra Mts. with a particular focus on the different forms of organic matter (OM) storage. Three plant communities creating a mosaic on the slopes of the valley were taken into account. After 50 years since the conversion of pastureland to grassland, dwarf pine shrub, and larch forest on soils, the development of genetic soil horizons as well as SOC sequestration in soil occur despite the steepness of slopes. SOC stock is the highest in soils under larch forest (63.5 mg ha-1, SD 16.3), while in soil under grassland and under dwarf pine shrub, this value is smaller (47.5 mg ha-1, SD 13.3 and 42.9 mg ha-1, SD 22.0 respectively). The highest amount of mineral-associated OM inside stable microaggregates (MOM FF3) is found in grassland soil (21.9-27.1% of SOC), less under dwarf pine shrub (16.3-19.3% of SOC) and larch forest (15.3-17.7% of SOC). The pool of mineral-associated OM inside transitional macroaggregates (MOM FF2) is found in soil under dwarf pine shrub (39.2-59.2% of SOC), with less under larch forest (43.8-44.7% of SOC) and the least in grassland soil (37.9-41.6% of SOC). The highest amount of the free light particulate fraction (POM LF1) is found in soil under dwarf pine shrub (6.6-10.3% of SOC), with less under larch forest (2.6-6.2% of SOC) and the least in grassland soil (1.7-4.8% of SOC).

Land use effects on soil organic carbon sequestration in calcareous Leptosols in former pastureland - a case study from the Tatra Mountains (Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasak, K.; Drewnik, M.

2015-10-01

The purpose of the paper is to describe soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rates in calcareous shallow soils in reforested areas in the Tatra Mountains with a particular focus on different forms of organic matter (OM) storage. Three plant communities creating a mosaic on the slopes of the studied valley were taken into account. Fifty years since the conversion of pastureland to unused grassland, dwarf pine shrub and larch forest have emerged in the study area, along with the development of genetic soil horizons as well as SOC sequestration in the soil despite the steepness of slopes. SOC stock was measured to be the highest in soils under larch forest (63.5 Mg ha-1), while in soil under grassland and under dwarf pine shrub, this value was found to be smaller (47.5 and 42.9 Mg ha-1, respectively). The highest amount of mineral-associated OM inside stable microaggregates (MOM FF3) was found in grassland soil (21.9-27.1 % of SOC) and less under dwarf pine shrub (16.3-19.3 % of SOC) and larch forest (15.3-17.7 % of SOC). A pool of mineral-associated OM inside transitional macroaggregates (MOM FF2) was found in soil under dwarf pine shrub (39.2-59.2 % of SOC), with less under larch forest (43.8-44.7 % of SOC) and the least in grassland soil (37.9-41.6 % of SOC). The highest amount of the free light particulate fraction (POM LF1) was found in soil under dwarf pine shrub (6.6-10.3 % of SOC), with less under larch forest (2.6-6.2 % of SOC) and the least in grassland soil (1.7-4.8 % of SOC).

The Immunohistochemical Analysis of SOCS3 Protein Identifies a Subgroup of Prostatic Cancer Biopsies With Aggressive Behavior.

PubMed

Pierconti, Francesco; Martini, Maurizio; Cenci, Tonia; Larocca, Luigi M

Recently, we demonstrated that hypermethylation of SOCS3 determines a significant reduction of its mRNA and protein expression and identifies a subgroup of prostate cancer with aggressive behavior. In this paper, our objective was to investigate whether the immunohistochemical expression of the SOCS3 protein could represent an alternative method to molecular analysis for the individualization of aggressive prostate carcinoma. We analyzed the SOCS3 immunohistochemical expression in 65 patients undergoing biopsies at the Institute of Urology of our hospital between September 2011 and October 2011 (median age, 66.4 y; range, 50 to 73 y), and in 35 cases, a subset of 65 cases originally used for the immunohistochemical study, we studied the methylation status of the SOCS3 promoter. We found that the percentage of cases with SOCS3 negativity (-) or with SOCS3 weak staining in <50% of the neoplastic glands (+/-) correlated to the worst prognosis in terms of the Gleason score (P=0.0001; Fisher's exact test), the pT stage (P=0.012; Fisher's exact test), and progression-free survival (P=0.0334; hazard ratio, 0.34; and 95% confidence interval, from 0.1261 to 0.9188). Moreover, some cases with an SOCS3 unmethylated pattern showed SOCS3-negative immunostaining (-) or SOCS3-negative glands with weak cytoplasmatic staining in <50% of the neoplastic glands (+/-). Our data suggest that in prostatic cancer biopsies, the immunohistochemical analysis of SOCS3 protein expression may provide a method that is less expensive and easier to apply than SOCS3 methylation analysis for the distinction of a subgroup of prostate cancer with a more aggressive behavior.

Trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, suppresses JAK2/STAT3 signaling via inducing the promoter-associated histone acetylation of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in human colorectal cancer cells.

PubMed

Xiong, Hua; Du, Wan; Zhang, Yan-Jie; Hong, Jie; Su, Wen-Yu; Tang, Jie-Ting; Wang, Ying-Chao; Lu, Rong; Fang, Jing-Yuan

2012-02-01

Aberrant janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling is involved in the oncogenesis of several cancers. Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) genes and SH2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP1) proteins, which are negative regulators of JAK/STAT signaling, have been reported to have tumor suppressor functions. However, in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, the mechanisms that regulate SOCS and SHP1 genes, and the cause of abnormalities in the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, remain largely unknown. The present study shows that trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, leads to the hyperacetylation of histones associated with the SOCS1 and SOCS3 promoters, but not the SHP1 promoter in CRC cells. This indicates that histone modifications are involved in the regulation of SOCS1 and SOCS3. Moreover, upregulation of SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression was achieved using TSA, which also significantly downregulated JAK2/STAT3 signaling in CRC cells. We also demonstrate that TSA suppresses the growth of CRC cells, and induces G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through the regulation of downstream targets of JAK2/STAT3 signaling, including Bcl-2, survivin and p16(ink4a) . Therefore, our data demonstrate that TSA may induce SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression by inducing histone modifications and consequently inhibits JAK2/STAT3 signaling in CRC cells. These results also establish a mechanistic link between the inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 signaling and the anticancer action of TSA in CRC cells. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of SOCS1 overexpression on RPE cell activation by proinflammatory cytokines.

PubMed

Bazewicz, Magdalena; Draganova, Dafina; Makhoul, Maya; Chtarto, Abdel; Elmaleh, Valerie; Tenenbaum, Liliane; Caspers, Laure; Bruyns, Catherine; Willermain, François

2016-09-06

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling 1 (SOCS1) overexpression in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells on their activation by pro-inflammatory cytokines IFNγ, TNFα and IL-17. Retinal pigment epithelium cells (ARPE-19) were stably transfected with the control plasmid pIRES2-AcGFP1 or the plasmid pSOCS1-IRES2-AcGFP1. They were stimulated by IFNγ (150ng/ml), TNFα (30ng/ml) or IL-17 (100ng/ml). The levels of SOCS1 mRNA were measured by real-time PCR. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1) phosphorylation and IκBα expression were analysed by western Blot (WB). IL-8 secretion was analysed by ELISA and expression of MHCII molecules and ICAM-1/CD54 by flow cytometry. Our data show that SOCS1 mRNA overexpression in RPE cells prevents IFNγ-induced SOCS1 mRNA increase and IFNγ-mediated STAT1 phosphorylation. Moreover, SOCS1 overexpression in RPE cells inhibits IFNγ-induced decrease of IL-8 secretion and prevents IFNγ-induced MHC II and ICAM1/CD54 upregulation. However, SOCS1 overexpression does not affect TNFα-induced IκBα degradation nor block TNFα-induced or IL-17-induced IL-8 secretion. On the contrary, IL-17-induced secretion is increased by SOCS1 overexpression. In conclusion, SOCS1 overexpression in RPE cells inhibits some IFNγ-mediated responses that lead to uveitis development. This notion raises the possibility that SOCS1 overexpression could be a novel target for treating non-infectious uveitis. However, some proinflammatory effects of TNFα and IL-17 stimulation on RPE are not blocked by SOCS1 overexpression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil organic carbon dust emission: an omitted global source of atmospheric CO2.

PubMed

Chappell, Adrian; Webb, Nicholas P; Butler, Harry J; Strong, Craig L; McTainsh, Grant H; Leys, John F; Viscarra Rossel, Raphael A

2013-10-01

Soil erosion redistributes soil organic carbon (SOC) within terrestrial ecosystems, to the atmosphere and oceans. Dust export is an essential component of the carbon (C) and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) budget because wind erosion contributes to the C cycle by removing selectively SOC from vast areas and transporting C dust quickly offshore; augmenting the net loss of C from terrestrial systems. However, the contribution of wind erosion to rates of C release and sequestration is poorly understood. Here, we describe how SOC dust emission is omitted from national C accounting, is an underestimated source of CO(2) and may accelerate SOC decomposition. Similarly, long dust residence times in the unshielded atmospheric environment may considerably increase CO(2) emission. We developed a first approximation to SOC enrichment for a well-established dust emission model and quantified SOC dust emission for Australia (5.83 Tg CO(2)-e yr(-1)) and Australian agricultural soils (0.4 Tg CO(2)-e yr(-1)). These amount to underestimates for CO(2) emissions of ≈10% from combined C pools in Australia (year = 2000), ≈5% from Australian Rangelands and ≈3% of Australian Agricultural Soils by Kyoto Accounting. Northern hemisphere countries with greater dust emission than Australia are also likely to have much larger SOC dust emission. Therefore, omission of SOC dust emission likely represents a considerable underestimate from those nations' C accounts. We suggest that the omission of SOC dust emission from C cycling and C accounting is a significant global source of uncertainty. Tracing the fate of wind-eroded SOC in the dust cycle is therefore essential to quantify the release of CO(2) from SOC dust to the atmosphere and the contribution of SOC deposition to downwind C sinks. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

MURASOC, a parametric model to test climate change effects on soil organic carbon. Application to Southern Spain (Mediterranean áreas)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Lozano-García, Beatriz; Brevik, Eric C.; Olaya-Abril, Alfonso; Obregón-Romero, Rafael; Gil Torres, Juan; Recio-Espejo, Jose Manuel

2016-04-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is formed through the decomposition processes of plant, animal and microbial residues, root exudates, living and dead microorganism and soil biota; and is the main energy source for soil microorganism. Consequently, a strong feedback is stablished among a large number of components in the complex biota-abiota network. Likewise, SOC influences in physical, chemical and biological soil properties such as temperature, cationic exchange capacity and plant growth (Parras-Alcántara et al., 2015). Therefore, to improve our knowledge about what soil variables are more responsible of SOC content would be extremely useful in soils characterization. In many studies, independent variables were related to SOC, however, the possible combined effects of different independent variables and their ability to model SOC have not been considered. On the other hand, over the last few decades interest in soil organic carbon (SOC) has increased due to its role in C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems, which could contribute to decreasing atmospheric CO2 levels (Lozano-García et al., 2016; Fernández-Romero et al., 2016; Parras-Alcántara and Lozano-García 2014). Then, attempts to model SOC content have multiplied over this time. In this study, 612 soil profiles obtained from the Natura 2000 network of protected areas in the Sierra Morena mountains, (Spain) were used with the following objectives: i) To quantify SOC content according to different variables (analytical, morphological, genetic and climatic) in order to define the variables that are most closely related to SOC content; ii) To model the Current SOC content for a geographic area (Sierra Morena - Spain); iii) To model SOC suitability-habitat under a climate change scenario; iv) To extrapolate the SOC content and distribution model to the wider Andalusia region, showing the areas that have a high probability to experience an increase in their SOC content in coming years; and v) To propose effective management in Andalusia's soils according to land use and land cover in protected areas of Sierra Morena and the entire Andalusia region. To this aim, 24 independent variables were obtained and, using a correlation and a multiple linear regression analysis (MURASOC), the effects of these variables on the correlation with SOC content were considered. Indeed, predictor analysis was carried out with the best parameters determined with the regression analysis to be used in a climatic change scenario as predictor variables. The main conclusions of this work could be summarize as: i) Direct relationships between environmental variables and SOC content are similar to described by other authors; ii) In a multiple regression analysis, a poor relationship was observed between the analyzed variables and the SOC content; iii) When SOC content is under study, soil organic fraction (and activity) must be taken into consideration; iv) Similar to described by other authors in living entities under a climatic change scenario, a tend to migration of SOC >2% could be observed in latitude and altitude (it tend to disappear in lower altitudes and southern-oriented slopes; and v) The SOC content will decrease in Sierra Morena under a climatic change scenario, but it would increase in Andalusia under ideal conditions. The information generated in this study might support new strategies in decision-making to complete analyses started long ago, and extend it with new biological and biochemical strategies, as for example, identification of microorganism and relationships among them, with the terrestrial ecosystem and with the SOC synthesis and content. Once that is done, it will provide important information for soil management and climate adaptation strategies. REFERENCES Fernández-Romero, M.L., Parras-Alcántara, L., Lozano-García, B., Clark, J.M., Collins, C.D., 2016. Soil quality assessment based on carbon stratification index in different olive grove management practices in Mediterranean areas. Catena 137; 449-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2015.10.019. Lozano-García, B., Parras-Alcántara, L., Brevik, E.C., 2016. Impact of topographic aspect and vegetation (native and reforested areas) on soil organic carbon and nitrogen budgets in Mediterranean natural areas. Science of the Total Environment 544; 963-970. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.12.022. Parras-Alcántara, L., Lozano-García, B., 2014. Conventional tillage versus organic farming in relation to soil organic carbon stock in olive groves in Mediterranean rangelands (southern Spain). Solid Earth, 5; 299-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/se-5-299-2014. Parras-Alcántara, L., Lozano-García, B., Brevik, E.C., Cerdá, A., 2015. Soil organic carbon stocks assessment in Mediterranean natural areas: A comparison of entire soil profiles and soil control sections. Journal of Environmental Management 155; 219-228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.03.039

The response of soil organic carbon of a rich fen peatland in interior Alaska to projected climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fan, Zhaosheng; McGuire, Anthony David; Turetsky, Merritt R.; Harden, Jennifer W.; Waddington, James Michael; Kane, Evan S.

2013-01-01

It is important to understand the fate of carbon in boreal peatland soils in response to climate change because a substantial change in release of this carbon as CO2 and CH4 could influence the climate system. The goal of this research was to synthesize the results of a field water table manipulation experiment conducted in a boreal rich fen into a process-based model to understand how soil organic carbon (SOC) of the rich fen might respond to projected climate change. This model, the peatland version of the dynamic organic soil Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (peatland DOS-TEM), was calibrated with data collected during 2005–2011 from the control treatment of a boreal rich fen in the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX). The performance of the model was validated with the experimental data measured from the raised and lowered water-table treatments of APEX during the same period. The model was then applied to simulate future SOC dynamics of the rich fen control site under various CO2 emission scenarios. The results across these emissions scenarios suggest that the rate of SOC sequestration in the rich fen will increase between year 2012 and 2061 because the effects of warming increase heterotrophic respiration less than they increase carbon inputs via production. However, after 2061, the rate of SOC sequestration will be weakened and, as a result, the rich fen will likely become a carbon source to the atmosphere between 2062 and 2099. During this period, the effects of projected warming increase respiration so that it is greater than carbon inputs via production. Although changes in precipitation alone had relatively little effect on the dynamics of SOC, changes in precipitation did interact with warming to influence SOC dynamics for some climate scenarios.

Evolvement rules of basin flood risk under low-carbon mode. Part I: response of soil organic carbon to land use change and its influence on land use planning in the Haihe basin.

PubMed

Li, Fawen; Wang, Liping; Zhao, Yong

2017-08-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of SOC to land use change and its influence on land use planning in the Haihe basin, and provide planning land use pattern for basin flood risk assessment. Firstly, the areas of different land use types in 1980, 2008, and the planning year (2020) were counted by area statistics function of ArcGIS. Then, the transfer matrixes of land use were produced by spatial overlay analysis function. Lastly, based on the land use maps, soil type map and soil profile database, SOC storage of different land use types in three different periods were calculated. The results showed the patterns of land use have changed a lot from 1980 to 2008, among the 19,835 km 2 of grassland was transformed into forestland, which was the largest conversion landscape. And land use conversion brought the SOC storage changes. Total carbon source was 88.83 Tg, and total carbon sink was 85.49 Tg. So, the Haihe basin presented as a carbon source from 1980 to 2008. From 2008 to 2020, the changes of forestland and grassland are the biggest in Haihe basin, which cause the SOC pool change from a carbon source to a carbon sink. SOC storage will increase from 2420.5 Tg in 2008 to 2495.5 Tg in 2020. The changing trend is conducive to reducing atmospheric concentrations. Therefore, land use planning in Haihe basin is reasonable and can provide the underlying surface condition for flood risk assessment.

Predictive Mapping of Topsoil Organic Carbon in an Alpine Environment Aided by Landsat TM

PubMed Central

Yang, Renmin; Rossiter, David G.; Liu, Feng; Lu, Yuanyuan; Yang, Fan; Yang, Fei; Zhao, Yuguo; Li, Decheng; Zhang, Ganlin

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the reflectance of Landsat TM imagery for mapping soil organic Carbon (SOC) content in an Alpine environment. The studied area (ca. 3*104 km2) is the upper reaches of the Heihe River at the northeast edge of the Tibetan plateau, China. A set (105) of topsoil samples were analyzed for SOC. Boosted regression tree (BRT) models using Landsat TM imagery were built to predict SOC content, alone or with topography and climate covariates (temperature and precipitation). The best model, combining all covariates, was only marginally better than using only imagery. Imagery alone was sufficient to build a reasonable model; this was a bit better than only using topography and climate covariates. The Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient values of the imagery only model and the full model are very close, larger than the topography and climate variables based model. In the full model, SOC was mainly explained by Landsat TM imagery (65% relative importance), followed by climate variables (20%) and topography (15% of relative importance). The good results from imagery are likely due to (1) the strong dependence of SOC on native vegetation intensity in this Alpine environment; (2) the strong correlation in this environment between imagery and environmental covariables, especially elevation (corresponding to temperature), precipitation, and slope aspect. We conclude that multispectral satellite data from Landsat TM images may be used to predict topsoil SOC with reasonable accuracy in Alpine regions, and perhaps other regions covered with natural vegetation, and that adding topography and climate covariables to the satellite data can improve the predictive accuracy. PMID:26473739

Effect of water content and organic carbon on remote sensing of crop residue cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serbin, G.; Hunt, E. R., Jr.; Daughtry, C. S. T.; McCarty, G. W.; Brown, D. J.; Doraiswamy, P. C.

2009-04-01

Crop residue cover is an important indicator of tillage method. Remote sensing of crop residue cover is an attractive and efficient method when compared with traditional ground-based methods, e.g., the line-point transect or windshield survey. A number of spectral indices have been devised for residue cover estimation. Of these, the most effective are those in the shortwave infrared portion of the spectrum, situated between 1950 and 2500 nm. These indices include the hyperspectral Cellulose Absorption Index (CAI), and advanced multispectral indices, i.e., the Lignin-Cellulose Absorption (LCA) index and the Shortwave Infrared Normalized Difference Residue Index (SINDRI), which were devised for the NASA Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor. Spectra of numerous soils from U.S. Corn Belt (Indiana and Iowa) were acquired under wetness conditions varying from saturation to oven-dry conditions. The behavior of soil reflectance with water content was also dependent on the soil organic carbon content (SOC) of the soils, and the location of the spectral bands relative to significant water absorptions. High-SOC soils showed the least change in spectral index values with increase in soil water content. Low-SOC soils, on the other hand, showed measurable difference. For CAI, low-SOC soils show an initial decrease in index value followed by an increase, due to the way that water content affects CAI spectral bands. Crop residue CAI values decrease with water content. For LCA, water content increases decrease crop residue index values and increase them for soils, resulting in decreased contrast. SINDRI is also affected by SOC and water content. As such, spatial information on the distribution of surface soil water content and SOC, when used in a geographic information system (GIS), will improve the accuracy of remotely-sensed crop residue cover estimates.

Towards integrated modelling of soil organic carbon cycling at landscape scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viaud, V.

2009-04-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is recognized as a key factor of the chemical, biological and physical quality of soil. Numerous models of soil organic matter turnover have been developed since the 1930ies, most of them dedicated to plot scale applications. More recently, they have been applied to national scales to establish the inventories of carbon stocks directed by the Kyoto protocol. However, only few studies consider the intermediate landscape scale, where the spatio-temporal pattern of land management practices, its interactions with the physical environment and its impacts on SOC dynamics can be investigated to provide guidelines for sustainable management of soils in agricultural areas. Modelling SOC cycling at this scale requires accessing accurate spatially explicit input data on soils (SOC content, bulk density, depth, texture) and land use (land cover, farm practices), and combining both data in a relevant integrated landscape representation. The purpose of this paper is to present a first approach to modelling SOC evolution in a small catchment. The impact of the way landscape is represented on SOC stocks in the catchment was more specifically addressed. This study was based on the field map, the soil survey, the crop rotations and land management practices of an actual 10-km² agricultural catchment located in Brittany (France). RothC model was used to drive soil organic matter dynamics. Landscape representation in the form of a systematic regular grid, where driving properties vary continuously in space, was compared to a representation where landscape is subdivided into a set of homogeneous geographical units. This preliminary work enabled to identify future needs to improve integrated soil-landscape modelling in agricultural areas.

Sense of coherence, self-esteem, and health locus of control in subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus with/without satisfactory metabolic control.

PubMed

Nuccitelli, C; Valentini, A; Caletti, M T; Caselli, C; Mazzella, N; Forlani, G; Marchesini, G

2018-03-01

Despite intensive training, a few individuals with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) fail to reach the desired metabolic targets. To evaluate the association between disease-related emotional and cognitive aspects and metabolic control in subjects with T1DM. Health locus of control (HLOC), sense of coherence (SOC), and self-esteem were assessed in T1DM subjects using validated questionnaires. Sixty-seven consecutive subjects who did not attain the desired HbA1c target (mean HbA1c, 8.3% [67 mmol/mol]) were compared with 30 cases in satisfactory metabolic control (HbA1c levels <7%-53 mmol/mol). In the overall population, SOC was negatively associated with BMI and average HbA1c, as was the association of self-esteem with HbA1c. Subjects attaining the desired metabolic target were characterized by higher SOC scores, higher Internal HLOC and prevalent Internal vs. Powerful-others HLOC. Compared to subjects in good metabolic control, subjects with unsatisfactory control had lower scores of SOC, Internal HLOC and Self-esteem, with no difference in Powerful others, or Chance HLOC. In the same group, SOC in the upper tertile was significantly associated with self-esteem (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.08-1.69) and PHLOC (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.03-1.49), after adjustment for age, sex, educational level, and comorbidities. Patients who fail to reach a satisfactory metabolic control tend to rely on significant others, trusting in the physicians' skills or on the efficiency of the health-care system. Strategies aimed at increasing self-efficacy and SOC, based on personal ability, are eagerly awaited to help patients improve diabetes care.

Carbon sequestration potential estimates with changes in land use and tillage practice in Ohio, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tan, Z.; Lal, R.

2005-01-01

Soil C sequestration through changes in land use and management is one of the important strategies to mitigate the global greenhouse effect. This study was conducted to estimate C sequestration potential of the top 20 cm depth of soil for two scenarios in Ohio, USA: (1) with reforestation of both current cropland and grassland where SOC pools are less than the baseline SOC pool under current forest; (2) with the adoption of NT on all current cropland. Based on Ohio Soil Survey Characterization Database and long-term experimental data of paired conservation tillage (CT) versus no-till (NT), we specified spatial variations of current SOC pools and C sequestration potentials associated with soil taxa within each major land resource area (MLRA). For scenario I, there would be 4.56 Mha of cropland having an average SOC sequestration capacity of 1.55 kg C m−2 and 0.80 Mha of grassland with that of 1.35 kg C m−2. Of all potential area, 73% are associated with Alfisols and 15% with Mollisols, but the achievable potential could vary significantly with individual MLRAs. Alternately, an average SOC sequestration rate of 62 g C m−2 year−1 was estimated with conversion from CT to NT for cultivated Alfisols, by which a cumulative increase of 71 Tg C resulted from reforestation of cropland could be realized in 25 years. Soils with lower antecedent C contents have higher C sequestration rates. In comparison with the results obtained at the state scale, the estimates of SOC sequestration potentials taxonomically associated with each specific MLRA may be more useful to the formulation of C credit trading programs.

Positive trends in organic carbon storage in Swedish agricultural soils due to unexpected socio-economic drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poeplau, C.; Bolinder, M. A.; Eriksson, J.; Lundblad, M.; Kätterer, T.

2015-03-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past two decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988-1997 (Inventory I), 2001-2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0-20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7%, or 0.38% yr-1) over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R2 = 0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions.

Positive trends in organic carbon storage in Swedish agricultural soils due to unexpected socio-economic drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poeplau, C.; Bolinder, M. A.; Eriksson, J.; Lundblad, M.; Kätterer, T.

2015-06-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past 2 decades in Swedish agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988-1997 (Inventory I), 2001-2007 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. Mean topsoil (0-20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48 to 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7%, or 0.38% yr-1) over the whole period. We attributed this to a substantial increase in ley as a proportion of total agricultural area in all counties. The horse population in Sweden has more than doubled since 1981 and was identified as the main driver for this management change (R2 = 0.72). Due to subsidies introduced in the early 1990s, the area of long-term set-aside (mostly old leys) also contributed to the increase in area of ley. The carbon sink function of Swedish agricultural soils demonstrated in this study differs from trends found in neighbouring countries. This indicates that country-specific or local socio-economic drivers for land management must be accounted for in larger-scale predictions.

Spatial interpolation of soil organic carbon using apparent electrical conductivity as secondary information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, G.; Vanderlinden, K.; Ordóñez, R.; Muriel, J. L.

2009-04-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) spatial characterization is necessary to evaluate under what circumstances soil acts as a source or sink of carbon dioxide. However, at the field or catchment scale it is hard to accurately characterize its spatial distribution since large numbers of soil samples are necessary. As an alternative, near-surface geophysical sensor-based information can improve the spatial estimation of soil properties at these scales. Electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors provide non-invasive and non-destructive measurements of the soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), which depends under non-saline conditions on clay content, water content or SOC, among other properties that determine the electromagnetic behavior of the soil. This study deals with the possible use of ECa-derived maps to improve SOC spatial estimation by Simple Kriging with varying local means (SKlm). Field work was carried out in a vertisol in SW Spain. The field is part of a long-term tillage experiment set up in 1982 with three replicates of conventional tillage (CT) and Direct Drilling (DD) plots with unitary dimensions of 15x65m. Shallow and deep (up to 0.8m depth) apparent electrical conductivity (ECas and ECad, respectively) was measured using the EM38-DD EMI sensor. Soil samples were taken from the upper horizont and analyzed for their SOC content. Correlation coefficients of ECas and ECad with SOC were low (0.331 and 0.175) due to the small range of SOC values and possibly also to the different support of the ECa and SOC data. Especially the ECas values were higher in the DD plots. The normalized ECa difference (ΔECa), calculated as the difference between the normalized ECas and ECad values, distinguished clearly the CT and DD plots, with the DD plots showing positive ΔECa values and CT plots ΔECa negative values. The field was stratified using fuzzy k-means (FKM) classification of ΔECa (FKM1), and ECas and ECad (FKM2). The FKM1 map mainly showed the difference between CT and DD plots, while the FKM2 map showed both differences between CT and DD and topography-associated features. Using the FKM1 and FKM2 maps as secondary information accounted for 30% of the total SOC variability, whereas plot and management average SOC explained 44 and 41%, respectively. Cross validation of SKlm using FKM2 reduced the RMSE by 8% and increased the efficiency index almost 70% as compared to Ordinary Kriging. This work shows how ECa can improve the spatial characterization of SOC, despite its low correlation and the small size of the plots used in this study.

Enhanced decomposition of stable soil organic carbon and microbial catabolic potentials by long-term field warming

DOE PAGES

Feng, Wenting; Liang, Junyi; Hale, Lauren E.; ...

2017-06-09

Quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition under warming is critical to predict carbon–climate feedbacks. According to the substrate regulating principle, SOC decomposition would decrease as labile SOC declines under field warming, but observations of SOC decomposition under warming do not always support this prediction. This discrepancy could result from varying changes in SOC components and soil microbial communities under warming. This study aimed to determine the decomposition of SOC components with different turnover times after subjected to long-term field warming and/or root exclusion to limit C input, and to test whether SOC decomposition is driven by substrate lability under warming.more » Taking advantage of a 12-year field warming experiment in a prairie, we assessed the decomposition of SOC components by incubating soils from control and warmed plots, with and without root exclusion for 3 years. We assayed SOC decomposition from these incubations by combining inverse modeling and microbial functional genes during decomposition with a metagenomic technique (GeoChip). The decomposition of SOC components with turnover times of years and decades, which contributed to 95% of total cumulative CO 2 respiration, was greater in soils from warmed plots. But the decomposition of labile SOC was similar in warmed plots compared to the control. The diversity of C-degradation microbial genes generally declined with time during the incubation in all treatments, suggesting shifts of microbial functional groups as substrate composition was changing. Compared to the control, soils from warmed plots showed significant increase in the signal intensities of microbial genes involved in degrading complex organic compounds, implying enhanced potential abilities of microbial catabolism. These are likely responsible for accelerated decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates. Overall, the shifted microbial community induced by long-term warming accelerates the decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates and thus amplify the positive feedback to climate change.« less

Understanding the Impacts of Soil, Climate, and Farming Practices on Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration: A Simulation Study in Australia.

PubMed

Godde, Cécile M; Thorburn, Peter J; Biggs, Jody S; Meier, Elizabeth A

2016-01-01

Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils has the capacity to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to improve soil biological, physical, and chemical properties. The review of literature pertaining to soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics within Australian grain farming systems does not enable us to conclude on the best farming practices to increase or maintain SOC for a specific combination of soil and climate. This study aimed to further explore the complex interactions of soil, climate, and farming practices on SOC. We undertook a modeling study with the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator modeling framework, by combining contrasting Australian soils, climates, and farming practices (crop rotations, and management within rotations, such as fertilization, tillage, and residue management) in a factorial design. This design resulted in the transposition of contrasting soils and climates in our simulations, giving soil-climate combinations that do not occur in the study area to help provide insights into the importance of the climate constraints on SOC. We statistically analyzed the model's outputs to determinate the relative contributions of soil parameters, climate, and farming practices on SOC. The initial SOC content had the largest impact on the value of SOC, followed by the climate and the fertilization practices. These factors explained 66, 18, and 15% of SOC variations, respectively, after 80 years of constant farming practices in the simulation. Tillage and stubble management had the lowest impacts on SOC. This study highlighted the possible negative impact on SOC of a chickpea phase in a wheat-chickpea rotation and the potential positive impact of a cover crop in a sub-tropical climate (QLD, Australia) on SOC. It also showed the complexities in managing to achieve increased SOC, while simultaneously aiming to minimize nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and nitrate leaching in farming systems. The transposition of contrasting soils and climates in our simulations revealed the importance of the climate constraints on SOC.

Impact of land use changes on the storage of soil organic carbon in active and recalcitrant pools in a humid tropical region of India.

PubMed

Nath, Arun Jyoti; Brahma, Biplab; Sileshi, Gudeta W; Das, Ashesh Kumar

2018-05-15

Quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics is important in understanding changes in soil properties and carbon (C) fluxes. However, SOC measures all C fractions and it is not adequate to distinguish between the active C (AC) and recalcitrant or passive C (PC) fractions. It has been suggested that PC pools are the main drivers of long term soil C sink management. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with the objective of determining whether or not SOC fractions vary with land use changes under a humid tropical climate in the North East India. A chronosequence study was established consisting of natural forest, Imperata cylindrica grassland and 6, 15, 27 and 34yr old rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations to determine changes in the different fractions of SOC and total SOC stock. SOC stocks significantly varied with soil depth in each land use practice. SOC stocks increased from 106Mgha -1 under 6yr to 130Mgha -1 under 34yr old rubber plantations. The SOC stocks under 34yr old plantations were 20% higher than that under I. cylindrica grassland, but 34% lower than SOC stocks recorded under natural forest soil. The proportion of AC pools decreased with increase in plantation age, AC pools being 59% of SOC stock in 6yr old stands and 33% of SOC stocks in 34yr old plantations. In contrast, the proportion of PC pools increased from 41% of SOC stock in 6yr old plantation to 67% of SOC in 34yr old plantation. In the 50-100cm soil depth, the PC pool under 27-34yr old plantations was comparable with that under natural forest but much higher than in I. cylindrica grassland. Therefore, it is concluded that old rubber plantations can play a significant role in long term soil C sink management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced decomposition of stable soil organic carbon and microbial catabolic potentials by long-term field warming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feng, Wenting; Liang, Junyi; Hale, Lauren E.

Quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition under warming is critical to predict carbon–climate feedbacks. According to the substrate regulating principle, SOC decomposition would decrease as labile SOC declines under field warming, but observations of SOC decomposition under warming do not always support this prediction. This discrepancy could result from varying changes in SOC components and soil microbial communities under warming. This study aimed to determine the decomposition of SOC components with different turnover times after subjected to long-term field warming and/or root exclusion to limit C input, and to test whether SOC decomposition is driven by substrate lability under warming.more » Taking advantage of a 12-year field warming experiment in a prairie, we assessed the decomposition of SOC components by incubating soils from control and warmed plots, with and without root exclusion for 3 years. We assayed SOC decomposition from these incubations by combining inverse modeling and microbial functional genes during decomposition with a metagenomic technique (GeoChip). The decomposition of SOC components with turnover times of years and decades, which contributed to 95% of total cumulative CO 2 respiration, was greater in soils from warmed plots. But the decomposition of labile SOC was similar in warmed plots compared to the control. The diversity of C-degradation microbial genes generally declined with time during the incubation in all treatments, suggesting shifts of microbial functional groups as substrate composition was changing. Compared to the control, soils from warmed plots showed significant increase in the signal intensities of microbial genes involved in degrading complex organic compounds, implying enhanced potential abilities of microbial catabolism. These are likely responsible for accelerated decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates. Overall, the shifted microbial community induced by long-term warming accelerates the decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates and thus amplify the positive feedback to climate change.« less

Understanding the Impacts of Soil, Climate, and Farming Practices on Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration: A Simulation Study in Australia

PubMed Central

Godde, Cécile M.; Thorburn, Peter J.; Biggs, Jody S.; Meier, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils has the capacity to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to improve soil biological, physical, and chemical properties. The review of literature pertaining to soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics within Australian grain farming systems does not enable us to conclude on the best farming practices to increase or maintain SOC for a specific combination of soil and climate. This study aimed to further explore the complex interactions of soil, climate, and farming practices on SOC. We undertook a modeling study with the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator modeling framework, by combining contrasting Australian soils, climates, and farming practices (crop rotations, and management within rotations, such as fertilization, tillage, and residue management) in a factorial design. This design resulted in the transposition of contrasting soils and climates in our simulations, giving soil–climate combinations that do not occur in the study area to help provide insights into the importance of the climate constraints on SOC. We statistically analyzed the model’s outputs to determinate the relative contributions of soil parameters, climate, and farming practices on SOC. The initial SOC content had the largest impact on the value of SOC, followed by the climate and the fertilization practices. These factors explained 66, 18, and 15% of SOC variations, respectively, after 80 years of constant farming practices in the simulation. Tillage and stubble management had the lowest impacts on SOC. This study highlighted the possible negative impact on SOC of a chickpea phase in a wheat–chickpea rotation and the potential positive impact of a cover crop in a sub-tropical climate (QLD, Australia) on SOC. It also showed the complexities in managing to achieve increased SOC, while simultaneously aiming to minimize nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and nitrate leaching in farming systems. The transposition of contrasting soils and climates in our simulations revealed the importance of the climate constraints on SOC. PMID:27242862

[Distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon under different forest restoration modes on opencast coal mine dump].

PubMed

Wen, Yue-rong; Dang, Ting-hui; Tang, Jun; Li, Jun-chao

2016-01-01

The content and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) were compared in six wood restoration modes and adjacent abandoned land on opencast coal mine dump, and the mechanisms behind the differences and their influencing factors were analyzed. Results showed that the contents of SOC in six wood lands were significantly higher (23.8%-53.2%) than that of abandoned land (1.92 g · kg⁻¹) at 0-10 cm soil depth, the index were significantly higher (5.8%-70.4%) at 10-20 cm soil depth than the abandoned land (1.39 g · kg⁻¹), and then the difference of the contents of SOC in the deep soil (20-100 cm) were not significant. The contents of SOC decreased with increase of soil depth, but the decreasing magnitude of the topsoil (0-20 cm) was higher than that of the deep soil (20-100 cm). Compared with the deep soil, the topsoil significant higer storage of SOC in different woods, the SOC storage decreased with the soil depth. Along the 0-100 cm soil layer, the storage of SOC in six wood lands higher (18.1%-42.4%) than that of the abandoned land (17.52 t · hm⁻²). The SOC storage of Amorpha fruticosa land (24.95 t · hm⁻²) was obviously higher than that in the other wood lands. The SOC storage in the shrub lands was 12.4% higher than that of the arbor woods. There were significantly positive correlations among forest litter, fine root biomass, soil water content and SOC on the dump. Consequently, different plantation restorations significantly improved the SOC level on the dump in 0-100 cm soil, especially the topsoil. But there was still a big gap about SOC level between the wood restoration lands and the original landform. To improve the SOC on opencast coal mine dump, A. fruticosa could be selected as the main wood vegetation.

Enhanced decomposition of stable soil organic carbon and microbial catabolic potentials by long-term field warming.

PubMed

Feng, Wenting; Liang, Junyi; Hale, Lauren E; Jung, Chang Gyo; Chen, Ji; Zhou, Jizhong; Xu, Minggang; Yuan, Mengting; Wu, Liyou; Bracho, Rosvel; Pegoraro, Elaine; Schuur, Edward A G; Luo, Yiqi

2017-11-01

Quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition under warming is critical to predict carbon-climate feedbacks. According to the substrate regulating principle, SOC decomposition would decrease as labile SOC declines under field warming, but observations of SOC decomposition under warming do not always support this prediction. This discrepancy could result from varying changes in SOC components and soil microbial communities under warming. This study aimed to determine the decomposition of SOC components with different turnover times after subjected to long-term field warming and/or root exclusion to limit C input, and to test whether SOC decomposition is driven by substrate lability under warming. Taking advantage of a 12-year field warming experiment in a prairie, we assessed the decomposition of SOC components by incubating soils from control and warmed plots, with and without root exclusion for 3 years. We assayed SOC decomposition from these incubations by combining inverse modeling and microbial functional genes during decomposition with a metagenomic technique (GeoChip). The decomposition of SOC components with turnover times of years and decades, which contributed to 95% of total cumulative CO 2 respiration, was greater in soils from warmed plots. But the decomposition of labile SOC was similar in warmed plots compared to the control. The diversity of C-degradation microbial genes generally declined with time during the incubation in all treatments, suggesting shifts of microbial functional groups as substrate composition was changing. Compared to the control, soils from warmed plots showed significant increase in the signal intensities of microbial genes involved in degrading complex organic compounds, implying enhanced potential abilities of microbial catabolism. These are likely responsible for accelerated decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates. Overall, the shifted microbial community induced by long-term warming accelerates the decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates and thus amplify the positive feedback to climate change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nitrogen Cycling from Increased Soil Organic Carbon Contributes Both Positively and Negatively to Ecosystem Services in Wheat Agro-Ecosystems

PubMed Central

Palmer, Jeda; Thorburn, Peter J.; Biggs, Jody S.; Dominati, Estelle J.; Probert, Merv E.; Meier, Elizabeth A.; Huth, Neil I.; Dodd, Mike; Snow, Val; Larsen, Joshua R.; Parton, William J.

2017-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important and manageable property of soils that impacts on multiple ecosystem services through its effect on soil processes such as nitrogen (N) cycling and soil physical properties. There is considerable interest in increasing SOC concentration in agro-ecosystems worldwide. In some agro-ecosystems, increased SOC has been found to enhance the provision of ecosystem services such as the provision of food. However, increased SOC may increase the environmental footprint of some agro-ecosystems, for example by increasing nitrous oxide emissions. Given this uncertainty, progress is needed in quantifying the impact of increased SOC concentration on agro-ecosystems. Increased SOC concentration affects both N cycling and soil physical properties (i.e., water holding capacity). Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify the contribution, both positive and negative, of increased SOC concentration on ecosystem services provided by wheat agro-ecosystems. We used the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) to represent the effect of increased SOC concentration on N cycling and soil physical properties, and used model outputs as proxies for multiple ecosystem services from wheat production agro-ecosystems at seven locations around the world. Under increased SOC, we found that N cycling had a larger effect on a range of ecosystem services (food provision, filtering of N, and nitrous oxide regulation) than soil physical properties. We predicted that food provision in these agro-ecosystems could be significantly increased by increased SOC concentration when N supply is limiting. Conversely, we predicted no significant benefit to food production from increasing SOC when soil N supply (from fertiliser and soil N stocks) is not limiting. The effect of increasing SOC on N cycling also led to significantly higher nitrous oxide emissions, although the relative increase was small. We also found that N losses via deep drainage were minimally affected by increased SOC in the dryland agro-ecosystems studied, but increased in the irrigated agro-ecosystem. Therefore, we show that under increased SOC concentration, N cycling contributes both positively and negatively to ecosystem services depending on supply, while the effects on soil physical properties are negligible. PMID:28539929

Nitrogen Cycling from Increased Soil Organic Carbon Contributes Both Positively and Negatively to Ecosystem Services in Wheat Agro-Ecosystems.

PubMed

Palmer, Jeda; Thorburn, Peter J; Biggs, Jody S; Dominati, Estelle J; Probert, Merv E; Meier, Elizabeth A; Huth, Neil I; Dodd, Mike; Snow, Val; Larsen, Joshua R; Parton, William J

2017-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important and manageable property of soils that impacts on multiple ecosystem services through its effect on soil processes such as nitrogen (N) cycling and soil physical properties. There is considerable interest in increasing SOC concentration in agro-ecosystems worldwide. In some agro-ecosystems, increased SOC has been found to enhance the provision of ecosystem services such as the provision of food. However, increased SOC may increase the environmental footprint of some agro-ecosystems, for example by increasing nitrous oxide emissions. Given this uncertainty, progress is needed in quantifying the impact of increased SOC concentration on agro-ecosystems. Increased SOC concentration affects both N cycling and soil physical properties (i.e., water holding capacity). Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify the contribution, both positive and negative, of increased SOC concentration on ecosystem services provided by wheat agro-ecosystems. We used the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) to represent the effect of increased SOC concentration on N cycling and soil physical properties, and used model outputs as proxies for multiple ecosystem services from wheat production agro-ecosystems at seven locations around the world. Under increased SOC, we found that N cycling had a larger effect on a range of ecosystem services (food provision, filtering of N, and nitrous oxide regulation) than soil physical properties. We predicted that food provision in these agro-ecosystems could be significantly increased by increased SOC concentration when N supply is limiting. Conversely, we predicted no significant benefit to food production from increasing SOC when soil N supply (from fertiliser and soil N stocks) is not limiting. The effect of increasing SOC on N cycling also led to significantly higher nitrous oxide emissions, although the relative increase was small. We also found that N losses via deep drainage were minimally affected by increased SOC in the dryland agro-ecosystems studied, but increased in the irrigated agro-ecosystem. Therefore, we show that under increased SOC concentration, N cycling contributes both positively and negatively to ecosystem services depending on supply, while the effects on soil physical properties are negligible.

Gulf War Air Power Survey. Volume 4. Weapons, Tactics, and Training and Space Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-01

situation within their sectors. The socs were the critical element of the integrated battle management system.’" [ DE - LETED]. The Soc personnel...sys- tem. Figure 4 illustrates SAM and radar coverage. Priority was given to the areas critical to the survival of the regime. Figure 5 shows the de ...runways of over 3,659 meters. Figure 7 shows the location of the major Iraqi air bases and de - ployment/dispersal fields as of December 1991. Iraqi air

Developing and Exploiting a Unique Seismic Data Set from South African Gold Mines for Source Characterization and Wave Propagation

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

The data are recorded at depth (1–5 km) by arrays of three-component geophones operated by AngloGold Ashanti, Ltd. and Integrated Seismic Systems...case-based event identification using regional arrays , Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 80: 1874–1892. Bennett, T. J. and J. R. Murphy, Analysis of seismic ... seismic event classification at the NORESS array : seismological measurements and the use of trained neural networks, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 80: 1910

Questioning the stability of sense of coherence--the impact of socio-economic status and working conditions in the Canadian population.

PubMed

Smith, Peter M; Breslin, F Curtis; Beaton, Dorcas E

2003-09-01

Much debate exists about the stability of the sense of coherence measure. This study examined changes in sense of coherence (SOC), and the variables associated with these changes, over a 4-year period, in a representative sample of the Canadian labour force (n=6,790). Two methods were used to assess change in SOC: (1) Change outside of that which could be considered as indistinguishable from measurement error, and (2) Change of more than 10%, which was originally proposed by Antonovksy, the scales designer. Over the study period, 35.4% of the population reported changes in SOC outside the range we consider possible due to measurement error, with 58% reporting change greater than 10%. Unskilled occupations were associated with declines in SOC, with household income demonstrating a curvilinear relationship with decline in SOC in the female population only. None of the variables used predicted increases in SOC. Given the degree of change in SOC, and the representativeness of the study sample, we suggest that SOC has a large state component. Given this lack of stability, we recommend caution if using the SOC to represent a stable global orientation within a causal context.

Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Tax Inhibits Innate Antiviral Signaling via NF-κB-Dependent Induction of SOCS1▿

PubMed Central

Charoenthongtrakul, Soratree; Zhou, Qinjie; Shembade, Noula; Harhaj, Nicole S.; Harhaj, Edward W.

2011-01-01

Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) inhibits host antiviral signaling pathways although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we found that the HTLV-1 Tax oncoprotein induced the expression of SOCS1, an inhibitor of interferon signaling. Tax required NF-κB, but not CREB, to induce the expression of SOCS1 in T cells. Furthermore, Tax interacted with SOCS1 in both transfected cells and in HTLV-1-transformed cell lines. Although SOCS1 is normally a short-lived protein, in the presence of Tax, the stability of SOCS1 was greatly increased. Accordingly, Tax enhanced the replication of a heterologous virus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), in a SOCS1-dependent manner. Surprisingly, Tax required SOCS1 to inhibit RIG-I-dependent antiviral signaling, but not the interferon-induced JAK/STAT pathway. Inhibition of SOCS1 by RNA-mediated interference in the HTLV-1-transformed cell line MT-2 resulted in increased IFN-β expression accompanied by reduced HTLV-1 replication and p19Gag levels. Taken together, our results reveal that Tax inhibits antiviral signaling, in part, by hijacking an interferon regulatory protein. PMID:21593151

Quantitative and qualitative responses of soil organic carbon to six years of extreme soil warming in a subarctic grassland in Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poeplau, Christopher; Leblans, Niki I. W.; Sigurdsson, Bjarni D.; Kätterer, Thomas

2016-04-01

Terrestrial carbon cycle feedbacks to global warming are expected, but constitute a major uncertainty in climate models. Soils in northern latitudes store a large proportion of the total global biosphere carbon stock and might thus become a strong source of CO2 when warmed. Long-term in situ observations of warming effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are indispensable for an in depth understanding of the involved processes. We investigated the effect of six years of soil warming on SOC quantity and quality in a geothermally heated grassland soil in Iceland. We isolated five fractions of SOC along an extreme soil warming gradient of +0 to +40°C. Those fractions vary conceptually in turnover time from active to passive in the following order: particulate organic matter (POM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), SOC in sand and stable aggregates (SA), SOC in silt and clay (SC-rSOC) and resistant SOC (rSOC). Soil warming of 1°C increased bulk SOC by 22% (0-10 cm) and 27% (20-30 cm), while further warming led to exponential SOC depletion of up to 79% (0-10 cm) and 74% (20-30) in the most heated plots (~ +40°C). Only the SA fraction was more sensitive than the bulk soil, with 93% (0-10 cm) and 86% (20-30 cm) losses and with the highest relative enrichment in 13C (+1.6‰ in 0-10 cm and +1.3‰ in 20-30 cm). In addition, the mass of the SA fraction did significantly decline along the warming gradient, which we explained by devitalization of aggregate binding mechanisms. As a consequence, the fine SC fraction mass increased with warming which explained the relative enrichment of presumably more slow-cycling SOC (R2=0.61 in 0-10 cm and R2=0.92 in 20-30 cm). Unexpectedly, no difference was observed between the responses of SC-rSOC (slow-cycling) and rSOC (passive) to warming. Furthermore, the 13C enrichment by trophic fractionation in the passive rSOC fraction was equal to this in the bulk soil. We therefore conclude that the sensitivity of SOC to warming was not a function of age or chemical recalcitrance, but rather triggered by changes in bio-physical stabilization mechanisms, such as aggregation.

Mineralogical control of soil organic carbon persistence at the multidecadal time scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutfalla, Suzanne; Barré, Pierre; Bernard, Sylvain; Le Guillou, Corentin; Chenu, Claire

2015-04-01

One of the current challenges in understanding the long term persistence of organic carbon in soils is to assess how mineral surfaces, especially at small scale, can stabilize soil organic carbon (SOC). The question we address in this work is whether different mineral species stabilize different types of SOC. Here we used the unique opportunity offered by long term bare fallows to study in situ C dynamics in several fine fractions of a silty loam soil. Indeed, with no vegetation i.e. no external input of fresh C, the plant-free soil of the Versailles 42 Plots (INRA, France) has been progressively enriched in persistent SOC during the 80 years of bare fallow. To separate mineral phases of the clay size fraction we performed a size fractionation on samples taken from 4 different plots at 5 different dates (0, 10, 22, 52, and 79 years after the beginning of the BF) and analyzed the SOC in the different fractions thus obtained. First, the clay fraction (< 2 µm) was isolated by wet sieving and centrifugation in water. Then, the clay fraction was further separated into 3 size fractions by centrifugation: fine clay (< 0.05 µm), intermediate clay (0.05 - 0.2 µm), and coarse clay (0.2 - 2 µm). X-ray diffraction was used to determine the mineralogy of the phases and we found that the coarse clay fraction on the one hand and fine and intermediate clay fractions on the other hand exhibited contrasted mineralogies. Fine and intermediate clay fractions contained almost exclusively smectite and mixed-layered illite/smectite minerals whereas coarse clays contained also discrete illite and kaolinite on top of smectite and illite/smectite. We carried out CHN elemental analysis to study the C and nitrogen dynamics with time in the different fractions. And synchrotron based spectroscopy and microscopy (NEXAFS bulk and STXM at the carbon K edge of 280 eV, CLS Saskatoon, Canada) was used to get information on the distribution and the chemical speciation of the SOC in fractions with contrasted mineralogies. Data analysis is still ongoing and full results will be presented at EGU. First results show that the dynamics and quality of the SOC differ in the different clay fractions. SOC decay was greater in coarse clays compared to intermediate clays, SOC in the coarse clay fraction displaying more diversity than in the other fractions. SOC persistence at the multidecadal timescale also seems to be mineral dependent: smectite being more efficient at protecting carbon compared to illite.

Reduced frequency of murine cytomegalovirus retinitis in C57BL/6 mice correlates with low levels of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 expression within the eye during corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression.

PubMed

Alston, Christine I; Dix, Richard D

2017-09-01

AIDS-related human cytomegalovirus retinitis remains a leading cause of blindness worldwide. We compared two C57BL/6 mouse models of experimental murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) retinitis for intraocular expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3, host proteins that are inducible negative feedback regulators of cytokine signaling. These mouse models differed in method of immune suppression, one by retrovirus-induced immune suppression (MAIDS) and the other by corticosteroid-induced immune suppression. Following subretinal injection of MCMV to induce retinitis, intraocular SOCS1 and SOCS3 were only mildly stimulated, and often without significance, within MCMV-infected eyes during the progression of MCMV retinitis in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice, contrary to MCMV-infected eyes of mice with MAIDS that showed significant high stimulation of SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression in agreement with previous findings. Frequency and severity of retinitis as well as amounts of intraocular infectious MCMV in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice were also unexpectedly lower than values previously reported for MAIDS animals during MCMV retinitis. These data reveal a major difference between two mouse models of experimental MCMV retinitis and suggest a possible link between the amplitude of SOCS1 and SOCS3 stimulation and severity of disease in these models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aberrant IL-4 production by SOCS3-over-expressing T cells during infection with Leishmania major exacerbates disease manifestations.

PubMed

Nakaya, Mako; Hamano, Shinjiro; Kawasumi, Miyuri; Yoshida, Hiroki; Yoshimura, Akihiko; Kobayashi, Takashi

2011-03-01

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 3 is a major negative feedback regulator of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3-activating cytokines. Studies using T-cell-specific SOCS3-deficient mice indicate that the absence of SOCS3 in T cells results in exacerbation of disease progression after infection by Leishmania major due to skewing of the T(h)3 cell phenotype accompanied by hyper-production of IL-10 and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). Here we show that transgenic mice over-expressing the SOCS3 gene in T cells (Lck-SOCS3 Tg mice) are also susceptible to infection by L. major. Forced expression of SOCS3 in T cells did not affect the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β or that of the protective T(h)1 type cytokine IFN-γ, which is required for parasite clearance. CD4(+) T cells isolated from infected-Lck-SOCS3 Tg mice produced much higher levels of IL-4 when they were re-stimulated with L. major antigen in vitro. Exacerbation of disease progression in Lck-SOCS3 Tg mice was completely reversed by administration of a neutralizing antibody against IL-4. These data suggest that tight regulation of SOCS3 expression in T(h) cells is crucial for disease control during infection by L. major.

Functional characterization of GhSOC1 and GhMADS42 homologs from upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaohong; Wei, Jianghui; Fan, Shuli; Song, Meizhen; Pang, Chaoyou; Wei, Hengling; Wang, Chengshe; Yu, Shuxun

2016-01-01

In Arabidopsis flowering pathway, MADS-box genes encode transcription factors, with their structures and functions highly conserved in many species. In our study, two MADS-box genes GhSOC1 and GhMADS42 (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were cloned from upland cotton CCRI36 and transformed into Arabidopsis. GhSOC1 was additionally transformed into upland cotton. Comparative analysis demonstrated sequence conservation between GhSOC1 and GhMADS42 and genes of other plant species. Tissue-specific expression analysis of GhSOC1 and GhMADS42 revealed spatiotemporal expression patterns involving high transcript levels in leaves, shoot apical buds, and flowers. In addition, overexpression of both GhSOC1 and GhMADS42 in Arabidopsis accelerated flowering, with GhMADS42 transgenic plants showing abnormal floral organ phenotypes. Overexpression of GhSOC1 in upland cotton also produced variations in floral organs. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that GhSOC1 could regulate GhMADS41 and GhMADS42, but not FLOWERING LOCUS T, by directly binding to the genes promoter. Finally, yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation approaches were undertaken to better understand the interaction of GhSOC1 and other MADS-box factors. These experiments showed that GhSOC1 can interact with APETALA1/FRUITFULL-like proteins in cotton. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deletion of Skeletal Muscle SOCS3 Prevents Insulin Resistance in Obesity

PubMed Central

Jorgensen, Sebastian Beck; O’Neill, Hayley M.; Sylow, Lykke; Honeyman, Jane; Hewitt, Kimberly A.; Palanivel, Rengasamy; Fullerton, Morgan D.; Öberg, Lisa; Balendran, Anudharan; Galic, Sandra; van der Poel, Chris; Trounce, Ian A.; Lynch, Gordon S.; Schertzer, Jonathan D.; Steinberg, Gregory R.

2013-01-01

Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation that contributes to defects in energy metabolism and insulin resistance. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-3 expression is increased in skeletal muscle of obese humans. SOCS3 inhibits leptin signaling in the hypothalamus and insulin signal transduction in adipose tissue and the liver. Skeletal muscle is an important tissue for controlling energy expenditure and whole-body insulin sensitivity; however, the physiological importance of SOCS3 in this tissue has not been examined. Therefore, we generated mice that had SOCS3 specifically deleted in skeletal muscle (SOCS MKO). The SOCS3 MKO mice had normal muscle development, body mass, adiposity, appetite, and energy expenditure compared with wild-type (WT) littermates. Despite similar degrees of obesity when fed a high-fat diet, SOCS3 MKO mice were protected against the development of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance because of enhanced skeletal muscle insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and Akt phosphorylation that resulted in increased skeletal muscle glucose uptake. These data indicate that skeletal muscle SOCS3 does not play a critical role in regulating muscle development or energy expenditure, but it is an important contributing factor for inhibiting insulin sensitivity in obesity. Therapies aimed at inhibiting SOCS3 in skeletal muscle may be effective in reversing obesity-related glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. PMID:22961088

Soil carbon inventories under a bioenergy crop (switchgrass): Measurement limitations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garten, C.T. Jr.; Wullschleger, S.D.

Approximately 5 yr after planting, coarse root carbon (C) and soil organic C (SOC) inventories were compared under different types of plant cover at four switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) production field trials in the southeastern USA. There was significantly more coarse root C under switchgrass (Alamo variety) and forest cover than tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), corn (Zea mays L.), or native pastures of mixed grasses. Inventories of SOC under switchgrass were not significantly greater than SOC inventories under other plant covers. At some locations the statistical power associated with ANOVA of SOC inventories was low, which raised questions aboutmore » whether differences in SOC could be detected statistically. A minimum detectable difference (MDD) for SOC inventories was calculated. The MDD is the smallest detectable difference between treatment means once the variation, significance level, statistical power, and sample size are specified. The analysis indicated that a difference of {approx}50 mg SOC/cm{sup 2} or 5 Mg SOC/ha, which is {approx}10 to 15% of existing SOC, could be detected with reasonable sample sizes and good statistical power. The smallest difference in SOC inventories that can be detected, and only with exceedingly large sample sizes, is {approx}2 to 3%. These measurement limitations have implications for monitoring and verification of proposals to ameliorate increasing global atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentrations by sequestering C in soils.« less

SOCS3

PubMed Central

White, Christine A; Nicola, Nicos A

2013-01-01

SOCS3 is an inducible negative feedback inhibitor of cytokine signaling. Conditional deletion of SOCS3 in mice using the Cre-lox system has now been applied to a range of cell types in the steady-state and under inflammatory, pathogenic, or tumorigenic stress, with the resulting phenotypes demonstrating the effects of SOCS3 in physiological and disease contexts. Together with recent structural and biochemical studies on the mechanisms of SOCS3 binding to cytokine receptors and associated kinases, we now have a better understanding of the non-redundant roles of SOCS3 in the inhibition of cytokine signaling via the receptors gp130, G-CSFR, leptinR, and IL-12Rβ. This review discusses the known functional activities of SOCS3 in fertility and development, inflammation, innate and adaptive immunity, and malignancy as determined by genetic studies in mice. PMID:24416642

Paediatric occupational therapy: addressing parental stress with the sense of coherence.

PubMed

Stokes, Rochelle H; Holsti, Liisa

2010-02-01

Families of children who have disabilities experience multiple stressors. "Sense of coherence" (SOC) reflects a person's view of life and his or her capacity to respond to stressful situations. The purposes of this paper are to (I) introduce the concept of SOC; (2) review the literature on the stresses experienced by parents of children with disabilities; and (3) discuss how SOC can be used to evaluate systematically and to address effectively parents' resiliency against stressors. The literature shows a strong correlation between parental stress, avoidantcoping, depression, and low SOC. Preliminary evidence suggests that an early intervention program can help increase parents' SOC. Occupational therapists can use the SOC as a framework from which to identify the strength of a parents' SOC, and, when deemed to be low, help create a process for enhancing resilience.

Effects of land use, climate, topography and soil properties on regional soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir, North China.

PubMed

Wang, Shufang; Wang, Xiaoke; Ouyang, Zhiyun

2012-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents as well as their relationships with site characteristics are of profound importance in assessing current regional, continental and global soil C and N stocks and potentials for C sequestration and N conservation to offset anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. This study investigated contents and distribution of SOC and TN under different land uses, and the quantitative relationships between SOC or TN and site characteristics in the Upstream Watershed of Miyun Reservoir, North China. Overall, both SOC and TN contents in natural secondary forests and grasslands were much higher than in plantations and croplands. Land use alone explained 37.2% and 38.4% of variations in SOC and TN contents, respectively. The optimal models for SOC and TN, achieved by multiple regression analysis combined with principal component analysis (PCA) to remove the multicollinearity among site variables, showed that elevation, slope, soil clay and water contents were the most significant factors controlling SOC and TN contents, jointly explaining 70.3% of SOC and 67.1% of TN contents variability. Only does additional 1.9% and 3% increase in the interpretations of SOC and TN contents variability respectively when land use was added to regressions, probably due to environment factors determine land use. Therefore, environmental variables were more important for SOC and TN variability than land use in the study area, and should be taken into consideration in properly evaluating effects of future land use changes on SOC and TN on a regional scale.

Single-operator cholangioscopy in patients requiring evaluation of bile duct disease or therapy of biliary stones (with videos).

PubMed

Chen, Yang K; Parsi, Mansour A; Binmoeller, Kenneth F; Hawes, Robert H; Pleskow, Douglas K; Slivka, Adam; Haluszka, Oleh; Petersen, Bret T; Sherman, Stuart; Devière, Jacques; Meisner, Søren; Stevens, Peter D; Costamagna, Guido; Ponchon, Thierry; Peetermans, Joyce A; Neuhaus, Horst

2011-10-01

The feasibility of single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC) for biliary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures was previously reported. To confirm the utility of SOC in more widespread clinical use. Prospective clinical cohort study. Fifteen endoscopy referral centers in the United States and Europe. Two hundred ninety-seven patients requiring evaluation of bile duct disease or biliary stone therapy. SOC examination and, as indicated, SOC-directed stone therapy or forceps biopsy. Procedural success defined as ability to (1) visualize target lesions and, if indicated, collect biopsy specimens adequate for histological evaluation or (2) visualize biliary stones and initiate fragmentation and removal. The overall procedure success rate was 89% (95% CI, 84%-92%). Adequate tissue for histological examination was secured in 88% of 140 patients who underwent biopsy. Overall sensitivity in diagnosing malignancy was 78% for SOC visual impression and 49% for SOC-directed biopsy. Sensitivity was higher (84% and 66%, respectively) for intrinsic bile duct malignancies. Diagnostic SOC procedures altered clinical management in 64% of patients. Procedure success was achieved in 92% of 66 patients with stones and complete stone clearance during the study SOC session in 71%. The incidence of serious procedure-related adverse events was 7.5% for diagnostic SOC and 6.1% for SOC-directed stone therapy. The study was observational in design with no control group. Evaluation of bile duct disease and biliary stone therapy can be safely performed with a high success rate by using the SOC system. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional congruence with children and sexual offending against children: a meta-analytic review.

PubMed

McPhail, Ian V; Hermann, Chantal A; Nunes, Kevin L

2013-08-01

Emotional congruence with children is an exaggerated affective and cognitive affiliation with children that is posited to be involved in the initiation and maintenance of sexual offending against children. The current meta-analysis examined the relationship between emotional congruence with children and sexual offending against children, sexual recidivism, and change following sexual offender treatment. A systematic literature review of online academic databases, conference proceedings, governmental agency websites, and article, book chapter, and book reference lists was performed. Thirty studies on emotional congruence with children in sexual offenders against children (SOC) were included in a random-effects meta-analysis. Extrafamilial SOC-especially those with male victims--evidenced higher emotional congruence with children than most non--SOC comparison groups and intrafamilial SOC. In contrast, intrafamilial SOC evidenced less emotional congruence with children than many of the non-SOC comparison groups. Higher levels of emotional congruence with children were associated with moderately higher rates of sexual recidivism. The association between emotional congruence with children and sexual recidivism was significantly stronger in extrafamilial SOC samples (d = 0.58, 95% CI [0.31, 0.85]) compared with intrafamilial SOC samples (d = -0.15, 95% CI [-0.58, 0.27]). Similarly, emotional congruence with children showed a significant reduction from pre- to posttreatment for extrafamilial SOC (d = 0.41, 95% CI [0.33, 0.85]), but not for intrafamilial SOC (d = 0.06, 95% CI [-0.10, 0.22]). Emotional congruence with children is a characteristic of extrafamilial SOC, is moderately predictive of sexual recidivism, and is potentially amenable through treatment efforts. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Surface alloy engineering in 2D trigonal lattice: giant Rashba spin splitting and two large topological gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhao; Jin, Yingdi; Yang, Yuchen; Wang, Z. F.; Yang, Jinlong

2018-02-01

We demonstrate that sp 2 based trigonal lattice can exhibit giant Rashba splitting and two large topological gaps simultaneously. First, an effective tight binding model is developed to describe the Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on a real surface and give a topological phase diagram based on two independent SOC parameters. Second, based on density functional theory calculations, it is proposed that Au/Si(111)-\\sqrt{3}× \\sqrt{3} surface with 1/3 monolayer Bi coverage is a good material candidate to realize both giant Rashba splitting and two large topological gaps. These results would inspire great research interests for searching two-dimensional topological insulator and manipulating Rashba spin splitting through surface alloy engineering.

Soil organic carbon dynamics across a nitrogen deposition gradient: application of the PnET-SOM model to northeastern forest ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonitto, C.; Goodale, C. L.; Ollinger, S. V.; Jenkins, J.

2009-12-01

Anthropogenic forcing of the C and N cycles has caused rapid change in atmospheric CO2 and N deposition, with complex and uncertain effects on forest C and N balance. We developed the PnET-SOM model to enhance the model description of carbon and nitrogen coupling. Here we applied PnET-SOM to study changes to ecosystem carbon storage across a nitrogen deposition gradient. We designed the PnET-SOM model to: 1) represent SOM structured around measurable SOM pools, 2) expand simulated soil horizon complexity beyond the 1-box approach to hydrology and SOM structure used in PnET-CN, 3) model humified and mineral associated SOM using parameters derived from C14 field studies, and 4) couple C and N cycles to allow N-limitation of decomposition and plant growth. We explicitly modeled labile, biochemically recalcitrant (humified SOM), and physically-chemically protected (mineral associated SOM) C pools. These SOM pools are modeled in distinct soil horizons including: a forest floor, a mixed organic horizon, an A horizon, and a B horizon. Slow turnover pools of the A and B horizon constitute a significant proportion of SOC; explicitly modeling a deeper soil profile is important for estimating ecosystem SOC storage. In the latest version of PnET-SOM, we described N mineralization-immobilization in the forest floor based on equations derived in the LIDET synthesis study. Validation of the PnET-SOM model was conducted using 1) long-term water flux and nitrate leaching data from the Hubbard Brook LTER, 2) CO2 respiration observations from the Harvard Forest LTER, and 3) C and N stock and flux observations from the Harvard Forest LTER. In this work, we applied the PnET-SOM model to study the effects of an N deposition gradient on SOC dynamics over a 300 year simulation. We represented the effects of N deposition on litter decomposition by varying the exponential decay parameters of the litter layer based on observations from the Harvard Forest N addition experiment. We derived the change in limit value across the N deposition gradient simulated by applying a polynomial fit to limit values observed in the Harvard Forest N addition experimental plots. In PnET-SOM, changes in SOC dynamics under varying N deposition rates are derived from 1) change in litter decomposition rate, which directly affects OM inputs into soil pools, and 2) altered N availability which limits decomposition of OM throughout the soil profile. In our model application, the coarse woody debris pool decreased with increasing N deposition, while the forest floor pools increased. Relative to SOC pools under current N deposition rates at the Harvard Forest (8 gN/m2), deposition at a rate of 20 gN/m2 over a 300 year simulation resulted in a 3.4% increase in the O horizon humified SOC pool, a 2.3% increase in the A horizon humified SOC pool, a 1.3% increase in the A horizon mineral associated SOC pool, and a 0.14% increase in the B horizon mineral associated SOC pool.

Inacessible Andean sites reveal land-use induced stabilisation of soil organic carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heitkamp, Felix; Maqsood, Shafique; Sylvester, Steven; Kessler, Michael; Jungkunst, Hermann

2015-04-01

Human activity affects properties and development of ecosystems across the globe to such a degree that it is challenging to get baseline values for undisturbed ecosystems. This is especially true for soils, which are affected by land-use history and hold a legacy of past human interventions. Therefore, it is still largely unknown how soil would have developed "naturally" and if processes of organic matter stabilisation would be different in comparison to managed soils. Here, we show undisturbed soil development, i.e., the processes of weathering and accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), by comparing pristine with grazed sites in the high Andes (4500 m) of southern Peru. We located study plots on a large ledge (0.2 km²) that is only accessible with mountaineering equipment. Plots with pristine vegetation were compared to rangeland plots that were constantly under grazing management for at least four millennia. All "state factors"; climate, potential biota, topography, parent material and time; besides "land-use" were, therefore, identical. Vegetation change, induced by grazing management, led to lower vegetation cover of the soil, thereby increasing soil surface temperatures and soil acidification. Both factors increased weathering in rangeland soils, as indicated by the presence of pedogenic oxides, especially amorphous Al-(oxy)hydroxides (oxalate-extractable Al). Higher losses of base cations (K, Na, Ca) and lower pH-values were related to a low base saturation of exchange sites in rangelands. Therefore, rangeland soils were classified as Umbrisol, whereas soils under pristine vegetation were classified as Phaeozeme. All profiles were rich in SOC (100 to 126 g kg-1) with no significant differences in concentrations or stocks. SOC of rangeland soils was, however, less available for microorganisms (proportion of microbial C on SOC: 1.8 vs. 0.6% in pristine and rangeland soils, respectively) and showed higher stability against thermal degradation. Reasons for these findings were a high proportion of complexed SOC in rangeland soils (25 to 36 vs. 59% of SOC were extractable with Na-pyrophosphate in pristine and rangeland soils, respectively). Moreover, less C was associated with the light fraction (< 1.6 g cm-3), but more with the silt fraction (< 1.6 g cm-3 and size between 63 and 2µm). Differences of the δ13C signatures of vegetation and soil (Δδ13C plant-soil) were lower in all density-size fractions and even negative in the light fraction of rangeland soils, meaning that these were more depleted or less enriched with 13C relative to vegetation. This could indicate stabilisation of old C derived from former pristine vegetation (having a lower 13C signature), presence of pyrogenic carbon or specific stabilisation of depleted compounds. Overall, our the approach of using large, inaccessible sites as reference for continuously used sites revealed that grazing management had tremendous effects on the partitioning of SOC among different fractions, but not on the total stocks. Since SOC in rangeland soils was more effectively stabilised, reactions to environmental changes should be slower and SOC in pristine soils is likely to react more sensitive.

Depressive symptoms and hazardous/harmful alcohol use are prevalent and correlate with stigma among TB-HIV patients in Lesotho.

PubMed

Hayes-Larson, E; Hirsch-Moverman, Y; Saito, S; Frederix, K; Pitt, B; Maama-Maime, L; Howard, A A

2017-11-01

Limited data exist on the prevalence and correlates, including stigma, of mental health conditions, including depressive symptoms and alcohol use, among patients co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in sub-Saharan Africa, despite their negative impact on health outcomes. To assess the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms and hazardous/harmful alcohol use among TB-HIV patients in the Start TB patients on ART and Retain on Treatment (START) study. START, a mixed-methods cluster-randomized trial, evaluated a combination intervention package vs. standard of care (SOC) to improve treatment outcomes in TB-HIV co-infected patients in Lesotho. Moderate/severe depressive symptoms and hazardous/harmful alcohol use were measured using baseline questionnaire data collected from April 2013 to March 2015. Demographic, psychosocial, and TB- and HIV-related knowledge and attitudes, including stigma, were assessed for association with both conditions using generalized linear mixed models. Among 371 participants, 29.8% reported moderate/severe depressive symptoms, and 24.7% reported hazardous/harmful alcohol use; 7% reported both. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with less education, more difficulty understanding written medical information, non-disclosure of TB, greater TB stigma, and the SOC study arm. Hazardous/harmful alcohol use was significantly associated with male sex, as well as greater TB and external HIV stigma. Prevalence of depressive symptoms and hazardous/harmful alcohol use were high, suggesting a need for routine screening for, and treatment of, mental health disorders in TB-HIV patients.

Battery state-of-charge estimation using approximate least squares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unterrieder, C.; Zhang, C.; Lunglmayr, M.; Priewasser, R.; Marsili, S.; Huemer, M.

2015-03-01

In recent years, much effort has been spent to extend the runtime of battery-powered electronic applications. In order to improve the utilization of the available cell capacity, high precision estimation approaches for battery-specific parameters are needed. In this work, an approximate least squares estimation scheme is proposed for the estimation of the battery state-of-charge (SoC). The SoC is determined based on the prediction of the battery's electromotive force. The proposed approach allows for an improved re-initialization of the Coulomb counting (CC) based SoC estimation method. Experimental results for an implementation of the estimation scheme on a fuel gauge system on chip are illustrated. Implementation details and design guidelines are presented. The performance of the presented concept is evaluated for realistic operating conditions (temperature effects, aging, standby current, etc.). For the considered test case of a GSM/UMTS load current pattern of a mobile phone, the proposed method is able to re-initialize the CC-method with a high accuracy, while state-of-the-art methods fail to perform a re-initialization.

Remaining dischargeable time prediction for lithium-ion batteries using unscented Kalman filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Guangzhong; Wei, Jingwen; Chen, Zonghai; Sun, Han; Yu, Xiaowei

2017-10-01

To overcome the range anxiety, one of the important strategies is to accurately predict the range or dischargeable time of the battery system. To accurately predict the remaining dischargeable time (RDT) of a battery, a RDT prediction framework based on accurate battery modeling and state estimation is presented in this paper. Firstly, a simplified linearized equivalent-circuit-model is developed to simulate the dynamic characteristics of a battery. Then, an online recursive least-square-algorithm method and unscented-Kalman-filter are employed to estimate the system matrices and SOC at every prediction point. Besides, a discrete wavelet transform technique is employed to capture the statistical information of past dynamics of input currents, which are utilized to predict the future battery currents. Finally, the RDT can be predicted based on the battery model, SOC estimation results and predicted future battery currents. The performance of the proposed methodology has been verified by a lithium-ion battery cell. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can provide an accurate SOC and parameter estimation and the predicted RDT can solve the range anxiety issues.

Design and implementation of a reconfigurable mixed-signal SoC based on field programmable analog arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lintao; Gao, Yuhan; Deng, Jun

2017-11-01

This work presents a reconfigurable mixed-signal system-on-chip (SoC), which integrates switched-capacitor-based field programmable analog arrays (FPAA), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter, digital down converter , digital up converter, 32-bit reduced instruction-set computer central processing unit (CPU) and other digital IPs on a single chip with 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The FPAA intellectual property could be reconfigured as different function circuits, such as gain amplifier, divider, sine generator, and so on. This single-chip integrated mixed-signal system is a complete modern signal processing system, occupying a die area of 7 × 8 mm 2 and consuming 719 mW with a clock frequency of 150 MHz for CPU and 200 MHz for ADC/DAC. This SoC chip can help customers to shorten design cycles, save board area, reduce the system power consumption and depress the system integration risk, which would afford a big prospect of application for wireless communication. Project supported by the National High Technology and Development Program of China (No. 2012AA012303).

Stress Factors Associated With Burnout Among Attending Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Kawamura, Yurika; Takayashiki, Ayumi; Ito, Makoto; Maeno, Takami; Seo, Emiko; Maeno, Tetsuhiro

2018-03-01

Burnout in attending physicians is a crucial issue that may negatively impact patient outcomes, as well as affect the quality of training provided to residents. To investigate the association between burnout and stress-coping ability, we conducted a cross-sectional study of attending physicians. From April 2013 to March 2014, we distributed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire to 1,897 attending physicians who attended teaching-related training sessions and workshops. The questionnaire included the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS, Japanese version) to evaluate burnout; the sense of coherence scale (SOC, Japanese version) to measure stress-coping ability, with higher scores indicating higher stress-coping ability; the Brief Scales for Job Stress (BSJS) to assess stress and buffering factors; demographic factors; mean weekly working hours; and factors related to instructing residents. The MBI-GS was used to determine the presence of physician burnout. Subjects were divided into tertiles based on SOC scores. We conducted logistic regression analysis of burnout using the following independent variables: physician experience, sex, mean weekly working hours, SOC group, mental workload, and reward from work. Of the 1,543 (81.3%) attending physicians who responded, 376 did not meet the inclusion criteria and 106 had missing data, thus 1,061 (55.9%) were analyzed. The prevalence of burnout was 17.2%. Physicians with burnout had significantly fewer years of experience as a doctor (P < 0.01), were more likely to be female (P < 0.01), worked more hours per week (P < 0.01), and had a lower SOC score (P < 0.01) than physicians without burnout. On the BSJS, the mean score of all stress factors was higher and that of buffering factors was lower in physicians with burnout (P < 0.01). The percentages of physicians with burnout were 35.7%, 12.8%, and 3.2% in the low, middle, and high SOC groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Using the high SOC group as a reference, the adjusted odds ratio for burnout in the low SOC group was 4.7 (95% confidence interval: 2.31 - 9.63) (P < 0.01). In this study, burnout among attending physicians was significantly associated with SOC scores after adjustment for stress factors and buffering factors.

Micrometeorological Measurement of Fetch- and Atmospheric Stability-Dependent Air- Water Exchange of Legacy Semivolatile Organic Contaminants in Lake Superior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perlinger, J. A.; Tobias, D. E.; Rowe, M. D.

2008-12-01

Coastal waters including the Laurentian Great Lakes are particularly susceptible to local, regional, and long- range transport and deposition of semivolatile organic contaminants (SOCs) as gases and/or associated with particles. Recently-marketed SOCs can be expected to undergo net deposition in surface waters, whereas legacy SOCs such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are likely to be at equilibrium with respect to air-water exchange, or, if atmospheric concentrations decrease through, e.g., policy implementation, to undergo net gas emission. SOC air-water exchange flux is usually estimated using the two-film model. This model describes molecular diffusion through the air and water films adjacent to the air-water interface. Air-water exchange flux is estimated as the product of SOC fugacity, typically based on on-shore gaseous concentration measurements, and a transfer coefficient, the latter which is estimated from SOC properties and environmental conditions. The transfer coefficient formulation commonly applied neglects resistance to exchange in the internal boundary layer under atmospherically stable conditions, and the use of on-shore gaseous concentration neglects fetch-dependent equilibration, both of which will tend to cause overestimation of flux magnitude. Thus, for legacy chemicals or in any highly contaminated surface water, the rate at which the water is cleansed through gas emission tends to be over-predicted using this approach. Micrometeorological measurement of air-water exchange rates of legacy SOCs was carried out on ships during four transect experiments during off-shore flow in Lake Superior using novel multicapillary collection devices and thermal extraction technology to measure parts-per-quadrillion SOC levels. Employing sensible heat in the modified Bowen ratio, fluxes at three over-water stations along the transects were measured, along with up-wind, onshore gaseous concentration and aqueous concentration. The atmosphere was unstable for one of the four trajectories and stable for the other three trajectories. Two of three transects carried out under stable conditions are complicated because, as revealed by back-trajectory analysis, different air masses were sampled at each station, and, for one of these transects, the air masses spent significant portions of time over land. Analyses of legacy pesticide concentrations carried out to date suggest that under stable and unstable conditions, fluxes were out of the lake. We present and compare micrometeorological measurements and two-film estimates of fluxes of legacy pesticides and PCBs.

A new data set for estimating organic carbon storage to 3 m depth in soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hugelius, G.; Bockheim, James G.; Camill, P.; Elberling, B.; Grosse, G.; Harden, J.W.; Johnson, Kevin; Jorgenson, T.; Koven, C.D.; Kuhry, P.; Michaelson, G.; Mishra, U.; Palmtag, J.; Ping, C.-L.; O'Donnell, J.; Schirrmeister, L.; Schuur, E.A.G.; Sheng, Y.; Smith, L.C.; Strauss, J.; Yu, Z.

2013-01-01

High-latitude terrestrial ecosystems are key components in the global carbon cycle. The Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD) was developed to quantify stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the northern circumpolar permafrost region (a total area of 18.7 × 106 km2). The NCSCD is a geographical information system (GIS) data set that has been constructed using harmonized regional soil classification maps together with pedon data from the northern permafrost region. Previously, the NCSCD has been used to calculate SOC storage to the reference depths 0–30 cm and 0–100 cm (based on 1778 pedons). It has been shown that soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region also contain significant quantities of SOC in the 100–300 cm depth range, but there has been no circumpolar compilation of pedon data to quantify this deeper SOC pool and there are no spatially distributed estimates of SOC storage below 100 cm depth in this region. Here we describe the synthesis of an updated pedon data set for SOC storage (kg C m-2) in deep soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost regions, with separate data sets for the 100–200 cm (524 pedons) and 200–300 cm (356 pedons) depth ranges. These pedons have been grouped into the North American and Eurasian sectors and the mean SOC storage for different soil taxa (subdivided into Gelisols including the sub-orders Histels, Turbels, Orthels, permafrost-free Histosols, and permafrost-free mineral soil orders) has been added to the updated NCSCDv2. The updated version of the data set is freely available online in different file formats and spatial resolutions that enable spatially explicit applications in GIS mapping and terrestrial ecosystem models. While this newly compiled data set adds to our knowledge of SOC in the 100–300 cm depth range, it also reveals that large uncertainties remain. Identified data gaps include spatial coverage of deep (> 100 cm) pedons in many regions as well as the spatial extent of areas with thin soils overlying bedrock and the quantity and distribution of massive ground ice. An open access data-portal for the pedon data set and the GIS-data sets is available online at http://bolin.su.se/data/ncscd/.

Evaluation of a model framework to estimate soil and soil organic carbon redistribution by water and tillage using 137Cs in two U.S. Midwest agricultural fields

USGS Publications Warehouse

Young, Claudia J.; Liu, Shuguang; Schumacher, Joseph A.; Schumacher, Thomas E.; Kaspar, Thomas C.; McCarty, Gregory W.; Napton, Darrell; Jaynes, Dan B.

2014-01-01

Cultivated lands in the U.S. Midwest have been affected by soil erosion, causing soil organic carbon (SOC) redistribution in the landscape and other environmental and agricultural problems. The importance of SOC redistribution on soil productivity and crop yield, however, is still uncertain. In this study, we used a model framework, which includes the Unit Stream Power-based Erosion Deposition (USPED) and the Tillage Erosion Prediction (TEP) models, to understand the soil and SOC redistribution caused by water and tillage erosion in two agricultural fields in the U.S. Midwest. This model framework was evaluated for different digital elevation model (DEM) spatial resolutions (10-m, 24-m, 30-m, and 56-m) and topographic exponents (m = 1.0–1.6 and n = 1.0–1.3) using soil redistribution rates from 137Cs measurements. The results showed that the aggregated 24-m DEM, m = 1.4 and n = 1.0 for rill erosion, and m = 1.0 and n = 1.0 for sheet erosion, provided the best fit with the observation data at both sites. Moreover, estimated average SOC redistributions were 1.3 ± 9.8 g C m− 2 yr− 1 in field site 1 and 3.6 ± 14.3 g C m− 2 yr− 1 in field site 2. Spatial distribution patterns showed SOC loss (negative values) in the eroded areas and SOC gain (positive value) in the deposition areas. This study demonstrated the importance of the spatial resolution and the topographic exponents to estimate and map soil redistribution and the SOC dynamics throughout the landscape, helping to identify places where erosion and deposition from water and tillage are occurring at high rates. Additional research is needed to improve the application of the model framework for use in local and regional studies where rainfall erosivity and cover management factors vary. Therefore, using this model framework can help to improve the information about the spatial distribution of soil erosion across agricultural landscapes and to gain a better understanding of SOC dynamics within eroding and previously eroded fields.

A new data set for estimating organic carbon storage to 3 m depth in soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region

DOE PAGES

Hugelius, Gustaf; Bockheim, J. G.; Camill, P.; ...

2013-12-23

High-latitude terrestrial ecosystems are key components in the global carbon cycle. The Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD) was developed to quantify stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the northern circumpolar permafrost region (a total area of 18.7 × 10 6 km 2). The NCSCD is a geographical information system (GIS) data set that has been constructed using harmonized regional soil classification maps together with pedon data from the northern permafrost region. Previously, the NCSCD has been used to calculate SOC storage to the reference depths 0–30 cm and 0–100 cm (based on 1778 pedons). It has been shownmore » that soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region also contain significant quantities of SOC in the 100–300 cm depth range, but there has been no circumpolar compilation of pedon data to quantify this deeper SOC pool and there are no spatially distributed estimates of SOC storage below 100 cm depth in this region. Here we describe the synthesis of an updated pedon data set for SOC storage (kg C m -2) in deep soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost regions, with separate data sets for the 100–200 cm (524 pedons) and 200–300 cm (356 pedons) depth ranges. These pedons have been grouped into the North American and Eurasian sectors and the mean SOC storage for different soil taxa (subdivided into Gelisols including the sub-orders Histels, Turbels, Orthels, permafrost-free Histosols, and permafrost-free mineral soil orders) has been added to the updated NCSCDv2. The updated version of the data set is freely available online in different file formats and spatial resolutions that enable spatially explicit applications in GIS mapping and terrestrial ecosystem models. While this newly compiled data set adds to our knowledge of SOC in the 100–300 cm depth range, it also reveals that large uncertainties remain. In conclusion, identified data gaps include spatial coverage of deep (> 100 cm) pedons in many regions as well as the spatial extent of areas with thin soils overlying bedrock and the quantity and distribution of massive ground ice.« less

Research on SOC Calibration of Large Capacity Lead Acid Battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, W. Q.; Guo, Y. X.

2018-05-01

Large capacity lead-acid battery is used in track electric locomotive, and State of Charge (SOC) is an important quantitative parameter of locomotive power output and operating mileage of power emergency recovery vehicle. But State of Charge estimation has been a difficult part in the battery management system. In order to reduce the SOC estimation error better, this paper uses the linear relationship of Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) and State of Charge to fit the SOC-OCV curve equation by MATLAB. The method proposed in this paper is small, easy to implement and can be used in the battery non-working state SOC estimation correction, improve the estimation accuracy of SOC.

Conservation tillage versus conventional tillage on carbon stock in a Mediterranean dehesa (southern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Lozano-García, Beatriz

2014-05-01

Understanding soil dynamics is essential for making appropriate land management decisions, as soils can affect the carbon content from the atmosphere, emitting large quantities of CO2 or storing carbon. This property is essential for climate change mitigation strategies as agriculture and forestry soil management can affect the carbon cycle. The dehesa is a Mediterranean silvopastoral system formed by grasslands with scattered oaks (Quercus ilex or Q. suber). The dehesa is a pasture where the herbaceous layer is comprised of either cultivated cereals such as oat, barley and wheat or native vegetation dominated by annual species, which are used as grazing resources. In addition, the dehesa is a practice dedicated to the combined production of Iberian swine, sheep, fuel wood, coal and cork, as well as hunting. The dehesa is characterized by the preservation of forest oaks. In this work, we compared two management practices such as organic farming (OF) and conventional tillage (CT) on soil organic carbon stocks (SOC-S) in Cambisols (CM) and Leptosols (LP), and we analyzed the quality of these soils based on stratification ratio (SR) in a Mediterranean dehesa. MATERIAL AND METHODS An analysis of 85 soil profiles was performed in 2009 in Los Pedroches Valley (Cordoba, southern Spain). Two soil management practices were selected: OF (isolated trees of variable densities —15-25— trees ha-1, mostly holm and cork oaks, and patches of shrubs — cistaceae, fabaceae and lamiaceae— with a herbaceous pasture layer mostly composed of therophytic species and livestock are introduced to provide organic fertilizer to the soil, without ploughing and animal manure from the farms may be incorporated) for 20 years and CT (similar to OF, with ploughing —annual passes with a disc harrow and/or cultivator— is aimed at growing grain for livestock or at clearing the encroaching shrubs) in CM and LP. The dehesas studied were silvopastoral systems without cropping. Soil properties determined were: soil particle size, bulk density, SOC, TN, C:N ratio, stocks and SR. The statistical significance of the differences in the variables between management practices was tested using the Anderson-Darling test at each horizon or a combination of horizons for each soil type. RESULTS The SOC-S was greater in CM (75.64 Mg ha-1) than in LP (44.01 Mg ha-1). SOC-S was very similar in OF and CT (CM [74.90 Mg ha-1-CT; 76.39 Mg ha-1-OF] and LP [44.77 Mg ha-1-CT; 43.25 Mg ha-1-OF]). Data analysis showed that management practices had little effect on SOC storage. Significant differences between soil types and management practices were found in SOC content for different horizons. The SR index was >2 in both soils types (CM and LP) and management systems (OF and CT). These results indicate that the soil is of high quality and that management practices have little influence on SOC-S (Parras-Alcántara et al., 2014) and do not affect SOC storage. REFERENCES Parras-Alcántara, L., Díaz-Jaimes, L., Lozano-García, B., Fernández Rebollo, P., Moreno Elcure, F., Carbonero Muñoz, M.D. 2014. Organic farming has little effect on carbon stock in a Mediterranean dehesa (southern Spain). Catena, 113: 9-17.

Tuning the thermoelectric properties of YNiBi half-Heusler alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Sonu; Kumar, Pradeep

2018-04-01

A detail comparison between the results obtained for the electronic and transport properties of YNiBi half-Heusler alloy by local density approximation (LDA) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functionals with and without spin–orbit coupling (SOC) is presented. In the presence of SOC both functionals provide ∼30% smaller band gap. The transport coefficients computed without SOC confirm that YNiBi is a promising p-type thermoelectric material. However, with SOC at higher temperature, Seebeck coefficient was found to be negative because of the bipolar effects. Without SOC the computed power factor (PF) is found to be closer to the experimental value, while in the presence of SOC we have obtained comparatively smaller PF. No importance of SOC has been observed in the calculations of transport properties of the compound. The appropriate Ti doping in place of Y is predicted to significantly enhance the thermoelectric properties of YNiBi compound.

The biology and mechanism of action of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 (SOCS3)

PubMed Central

Babon, Jeffrey; Nicola, Nicos A

2013-01-01

SOCS3 has been shown to be an important and non-redundant feedback inhibitor of several cytokines including LIF, IL-6, IL-11, CNTF, leptin and G-CSF. Loss of SOCS3 in vivo has profound effects on placental development, inflammation, fat-induced weight gain and insulin sensitivity. SOCS3 expression is induced by JAK/STAT signaling and it then binds to specific cytokine receptors (including gp130, G-CSF and leptin receptors). SOCS3 then inhibits JAK/STAT signaling in two distinct ways. First, SOCS3 is able to directly inhibit the catalytic activity of JAK1, JAK2 or TYK2 whilst remaining bound to the cytokine receptor. Second, SOCS3 recruits elongins B/C and cullin 5 to generate an E3 ligase that ubiquitinates both JAK and cytokine receptor targeting them for proteasomal degradation. Detailed in vivo studies have revealed that SOCS3 action not only limits the duration of cytokine signaling to prevent over-activity but it is also important in maintaining the specificity of cytokine signaling. PMID:22574771

c-myc as a mediator of accelerated apoptosis and involution in mammary glands lacking Socs3

PubMed Central

Sutherland, Kate D; Vaillant, François; Alexander, Warren S; Wintermantel, Tim M; Forrest, Natasha C; Holroyd, Sheridan L; McManus, Edward J; Schutz, Gunther; Watson, Christine J; Chodosh, Lewis A; Lindeman, Geoffrey J; Visvader, Jane E

2006-01-01

Suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins are critical attenuators of cytokine-mediated signalling in diverse tissues. To determine the importance of Socs3 in mammary development, we generated mice in which Socs3 was deleted in mammary epithelial cells. No overt phenotype was evident during pregnancy and lactation, indicating that Socs3 is not a key physiological regulator of prolactin signalling. However, Socs3-deficient mammary glands exhibited a profound increase in epithelial apoptosis and tissue remodelling, resulting in precocious involution. This phenotype was accompanied by augmented Stat3 activation and a marked increase in the level of c-myc. Moreover, induction of c-myc before weaning using an inducible transgenic model recapitulated the Socs3 phenotype, and elevated expression of likely c-myc target genes, E2F-1, Bax and p53, was observed. Our data establish Socs3 as a critical attenuator of pro-apoptotic pathways that act in the developing mammary gland and provide evidence that c-myc regulates apoptosis during involution. PMID:17139252

SOCS3, a Major Regulator of Infection and Inflammation

PubMed Central

Carow, Berit; Rottenberg, Martin E.

2014-01-01

In this review, we describe the role of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) in modulating the outcome of infections and autoimmune diseases as well as the underlying mechanisms. SOCS3 regulates cytokine or hormone signaling usually preventing, but in some cases aggravating, a variety of diseases. A main role of SOCS3 results from its binding to both the JAK kinase and the cytokine receptor, which results in the inhibition of STAT3 activation. Available data also indicate that SOCS3 can regulate signaling via other STATs than STAT3 and also controls cellular pathways unrelated to STAT activation. SOCS3 might either act directly by hampering JAK activation or by mediating the ubiquitination and subsequent proteasome degradation of the cytokine/growth factor/hormone receptor. Inflammation and infection stimulate SOCS3 expression in different myeloid and lymphoid cell populations as well as in diverse non-hematopoietic cells. The accumulated data suggest a relevant program coordinated by SOCS3 in different cell populations, devoted to the control of immune homeostasis in physiological and pathological conditions such as infection and autoimmunity. PMID:24600449

Soil Carbon Cycling - More than Changes in Soil Organic Carbon Stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, K.

2015-12-01

Discussions about soil carbon (C) sequestration generally focus on changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Global SOC mass in the top 1 m was estimated at about 1325 Pg C, and at about 3000 Pg C when deeper soil layers were included. However, both inorganically and organically bound carbon forms are found in soil but estimates on global soil inorganic carbon (SIC) mass are even more uncertain than those for SOC. Globally, about 947 Pg SIC may be stored in the top 1 m, and especially in arid and semi-arid regions SIC stocks can be many times great than SOC stocks. Both SIC and SOC stocks are vulnerable to management practices, and stocks may be enhanced, for example, by optimizing net primary production (NPP) by fertilization and irrigation (especially optimizing belowground NPP for enhancing SOC stocks), adding organic matter (including black C for enhancing SOC stocks), and reducing soil disturbance. Thus, studies on soil C stocks, fluxes, and vulnerability must look at both SIC and SOC stocks in soil profiles to address large scale soil C cycling.

Sofosbuvir and ABT-450: terminator of hepatitis C virus?

PubMed

Zeng, Qing-Lei; Zhang, Ji-Yuan; Zhang, Zheng; Wang, Li-Feng; Wang, Fu-Sheng

2013-06-07

Combination therapy with peginterferon (pegIFN)-α and ribavirin (RBV) has been the standard of care (SOC) for chronic hepatitis C. Unfortunately, not all patients can achieve a sustained virologic response (SVR) with this regimen. SVR rates are approximately 80% in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2, 3, 5 and 6 and 40%-50% in patients with genotype 1 and 4. Therefore, strategies to improve SVR rates have been an important issue for clinical physicians. Several direct acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have significantly higher SVR rates when combined with pegIFN-α and RBV than pegIFN-α and RBV alone. Treatments containing DAAs have several advantages over the previous SOC, including higher specificity and efficacy, shorter treatment durations, fewer side effects, and oral administration. Based on these advantages, treatment with pegIFN-α and RBV plus telaprevir or boceprevir has become the current SOC for patients with genotype 1 HCV infection. However, many patients are either not eligible for therapy or decline treatment due to coexisting relative or absolute contraindications as well as an inability to tolerate the hematological side effects and adverse events caused by the new SOC. These factors have contributed to the advent of pegIFN-α-free regimens. The newest therapeutic regimens containing sofosbuvir and ABT-450 have shown promising results. In this review, we summarize the development of anti-HCV agents and the clinical efficacy of sofosbuvir and ABT-450-based therapies as well as the potential for future HCV studies.

Structural phase transition and 5f-electrons localization of PuSe explored by ab initio calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui Shouxin, E-mail: shouxincui@yahoo.co; Feng Wenxia; Hu Haiquan

2010-04-15

An investigation into the structural phase transformation, electronic and optical properties of PuSe under high pressure was conducted by using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbitals (FP-LAPW+lo) method, in the presence and in the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Our results demonstrate that there exists a structural phase transition from rocksalt (B 1) structure to CsCl-type (B 2) structure at the transition pressure of 36.3 GPa (without SOC) and 51.3 GPa (with SOC). The electronic density of states (DOS) for PuSe show that the f-electrons of Pu are more localized and concentrated in a narrow peakmore » near the Fermi level, which is consistent with the experimental studies. The band structure shows that B 1-PuSe is metallic. A pseudogap appears around the Fermi level of the total density of states of B 1 phase PuSe, which may contribute to its stability. The calculated reflectivity R(omega) shows agreement with the available experimental results. Furthermore, the absorption spectrum, refractive index, extinction coefficient, energy-loss spectrum and dielectric function were calculated. The origin of the spectral peaks was interpreted based on the electronic structures. - Abstract: Graphical Abstract Legend (TOC Figure): 5f-electrons are more localized by the analysis of the density of states (SOC). The origin spectra peaks was interpreted based on electronic structures.« less

The impact of system of care support in adherence to wraparound principles in Child and Family Teams in child welfare in North Carolina.

PubMed

Snyder, Elizabeth H; Lawrence, C Nicole; Dodge, Kenneth A

2012-04-01

North Carolina is one of a growing number of states to implement family meeting models in child welfare as a way to engage families, while simultaneously addressing complex familial needs and child safety issues. However, much is still unknown regarding how family meetings actually operate in child welfare, underscoring a clear need for further evaluation of this process. Utilizing direct observational data of Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings, collected as part of two separate evaluations of the North Carolina Division of Social Service's Multiple Response System (MRS) and System of Care (SOC) initiatives, the purpose of the current study was to examine whether the support provided by SOC improved fidelity to the CFT model in child welfare. The observations were conducted using the Team Observation Measure consisting of 78 indicators that measure adherence to ten domains associated with high quality family team meetings (e.g., collaborative, individualized, natural supports, outcomes based, strengths-based). Findings indicate that receiving SOC support in child welfare leads to a more collaborative and individualized decision-making process with families. Meeting facilitators in SOC counties were better prepared for CFTs, and had greater ability to lead a more robust and creative brainstorming process to develop a family-driven case plan. The current study also provides a much needed description of the CFT meeting process within child welfare using a direct observational measure.

Examining the relationships between span of control and manager job and unit performance outcomes.

PubMed

Wong, Carol A; Elliott-Miller, Pat; Laschinger, Heather; Cuddihy, Michael; Meyer, Raquel M; Keatings, Margaret; Burnett, Camille; Szudy, Natalie

2015-03-01

Our aim was to examine the combination of frontline manager (FLM) personal characteristics and span of control (SOC) on their job and unit performance outcomes. Healthcare downsizing and reform have contributed to larger spans for FLMs in Canadian hospitals and increased concerns about manager workload. Despite a heightened awareness of SOC issues among decision makers, there is limited empirical evidence related to the effects of SOC on outcomes. A non-experimental predictive survey design was used to examine FLM SOC in 14 Canadian academic hospitals. Managers (n = 121) completed an online survey of work characteristics and The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) SOC tool. Unit turnover data were collected from organisational databases. The combination of SOC and core self-evaluation significantly predicted role overload, work control and job satisfaction, but only SOC predicted unit adverse outcomes and neither significantly predicted unit turnover. The findings contribute to an understanding of connections between the combination of SOC and core self-evaluation and manager job and unit performance outcomes. Organisational strategies to create manageable FLM SOC are essential to ensure exemplary job and unit outcomes. Core self-evaluation is a personality characteristic that may enhance manager performance in the face of high spans of control. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

SOCS3 promotes TLR4 response in macrophages by feedback inhibiting TGF-beta1/Smad3 signaling.

PubMed

Liu, Xia; Zhang, Yongliang; Yu, Yizhi; Yang, Xiao; Cao, Xuetao

2008-03-01

Endogenous transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) plays an important role in the negative regulation of toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in a feedback manner. Suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) has been shown to be induced by TGF-beta1 in osteoclast/macrophage, while the reports on the role of SOCS3 in regulating TLR4 signaling were controversial. The functional relationship between SOCS3 and TGF-beta1/Smad3 pathway in TLR4 response also remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that LPS-induced endogenous TGF-beta1 contributes to the inducible SOCS3 expression in macrophages. SOCS3 silencing could markedly decrease the LPS-induced production of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in macrophages. Interestingly, less decrease of LPS-induced TNF-alpha, IL-6 by SOCS3 silencing was observed in Smad3 null macrophages. Furthermore, we found SOCS3 could interact with Smad3, and inhibit Smad3 nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. Therefore, our data demonstrate that SOCS3 is a positive regulator of TLR4 response by feedback inhibiting endogenous TGF-beta1/Smad3 signaling, thus outlining a new feedback regulatory manner for TLR4 response in macrophages.

Soil Bulk Density by Soil Type, Land Use and Data Source: Putting the Error in SOC Estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wills, S. A.; Rossi, A.; Loecke, T.; Ramcharan, A. M.; Roecker, S.; Mishra, U.; Waltman, S.; Nave, L. E.; Williams, C. O.; Beaudette, D.; Libohova, Z.; Vasilas, L.

2017-12-01

An important part of SOC stock and pool assessment is the assessment, estimation, and application of bulk density estimates. The concept of bulk density is relatively simple (the mass of soil in a given volume), the specifics Bulk density can be difficult to measure in soils due to logistical and methodological constraints. While many estimates of SOC pools use legacy data in their estimates, few concerted efforts have been made to assess the process used to convert laboratory carbon concentration measurements and bulk density collection into volumetrically based SOC estimates. The methodologies used are particularly sensitive in wetlands and organic soils with high amounts of carbon and very low bulk densities. We will present an analysis across four database measurements: NCSS - the National Cooperative Soil Survey Characterization dataset, RaCA - the Rapid Carbon Assessment sample dataset, NWCA - the National Wetland Condition Assessment, and ISCN - the International soil Carbon Network. The relationship between bulk density and soil organic carbon will be evaluated by dataset and land use/land cover information. Prediction methods (both regression and machine learning) will be compared and contrasted across datasets and available input information. The assessment and application of bulk density, including modeling, aggregation and error propagation will be evaluated. Finally, recommendations will be made about both the use of new data in soil survey products (such as SSURGO) and the use of that information as legacy data in SOC pool estimates.

Sense of coherence as a protective factor in chronic urticaria

PubMed Central

Miniszewska, Joanna; Pietrzak, Anna; Zalewska-Janowska, Anna

2017-01-01

Introduction Chronic urticaria (CU) seems to be perceived as a psychodermatological disorder. Different psychological factors play an important role in CU triggering and course. One of them is a sense of coherence (SOC), which is believed to be a protective factor against anxiety and depression. Aim To investigate quality of life (QoL) in CU patients and to compare selected psychological parameters (anxiety, depression and sense of coherence) between CU individuals and the control group. Material and methods The study comprised 46 female patients with chronic urticaria and 33 healthy females as a control group. The following methods were employed: Urticaria Activity Score (UAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-29) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results The CU patients presented a significantly higher anxiety level in comparison to the control group (z = 4.488; p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences regarding depression intensity and SOC. In both groups anxiety and depression negatively correlated with global SOC and all its components. Disease severity positively correlated with QoL (ρ = 0.46, p < 0.01) and negatively with global SOC (ρ = –0.33, p < 0.05). Conclusions Bearing in mind higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in our CU group, it would be useful to perform screening of these aspects in all CU patients and subsequently develop respective psychological interventions, based on enhancement of personal resources. PMID:28507497

Bringing Antonovsky's salutogenic theory to life: A qualitative inquiry into the experiences of young people with congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Apers, Silke; Rassart, Jessica; Luyckx, Koen; Oris, Leen; Goossens, Eva; Budts, Werner; Moons, Philip

2016-01-01

Antonovsky coined sense of coherence (SOC) as the central concept of his salutogenic theory focusing on the origins of well-being. SOC captures the degree to which one perceives the world as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. Life events and resources are considered to be the building blocks of a person's SOC. However, mainly quantitative studies have looked into the role of life events and resources. Therefore, the present study aims to gain a deeper insight into the experiences of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) regarding resources and life events. For this qualitative study, patients were selected from the sample of a preceding study on development of SOC (n = 429). In total, 12 young individuals with CHD who had either a weak (n = 6) or strong SOC (n = 6) over time were interviewed (8 women, median age of 20 years). Data analysis was based on the constant comparative method as detailed in the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven. Commonalities and differences between patients from both groups were explored. The following themes emerged: (1) self-concept; (2) social environment; (3) daytime activities; (4) life events and disease-related turning points; (5) stress and coping; and (6) illness integration. Additionally, the degree of personal control was identified as an overarching topic that transcended the other themes when comparing both groups of patients. These results may have implications for the structure and content of interventions improving well-being in young people with CHD.

Is low frequency ocean sound increasing globally?

PubMed

Miksis-Olds, Jennifer L; Nichols, Stephen M

2016-01-01

Low frequency sound has increased in the Northeast Pacific Ocean over the past 60 yr [Ross (1993) Acoust. Bull. 18, 5-8; (2005) IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 30, 257-261; Andrew, Howe, Mercer, and Dzieciuch (2002) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 642-651; McDonald, Hildebrand, and Wiggins (2006) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 711-717; Chapman and Price (2011) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, EL161-EL165] and in the Indian Ocean over the past decade, [Miksis-Olds, Bradley, and Niu (2013) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 3464-3475]. More recently, Andrew, Howe, and Mercer's [(2011) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 642-651] observations in the Northeast Pacific show a level or slightly decreasing trend in low frequency noise. It remains unclear what the low frequency trends are in other regions of the world. In this work, data from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization International Monitoring System was used to examine the rate and magnitude of change in low frequency sound (5-115 Hz) over the past decade in the South Atlantic and Equatorial Pacific Oceans. The dominant source observed in the South Atlantic was seismic air gun signals, while shipping and biologic sources contributed more to the acoustic environment at the Equatorial Pacific location. Sound levels over the past 5-6 yr in the Equatorial Pacific have decreased. Decreases were also observed in the ambient sound floor in the South Atlantic Ocean. Based on these observations, it does not appear that low frequency sound levels are increasing globally.

Memories of Holocaust-related traumatic experiences, sense of coherence, and survivors' subjective well-being in late life: some puzzling findings.

PubMed

Zeidner, Moshe; Aharoni-David, Eynat

2015-01-01

This study explores the nexus of relationships between memories of Holocaust-related early traumatic events, survivors' sense of coherence (SOC), and subjective well-being (SWB) in late life. The basic design of this study, based 106 survivors (54% female), was cross-sectional. Participants underwent an extensive in-depth clinical interview relating to their Holocaust experiences and responded to measures of SOC and SWB. These data provided no evidence for the moderating or "buffering" effect of SOC but showed support for indirect effects of SOC in the relationship between memory traces of specific traumatic experiences and adaptive outcomes. The results of the present study provide support for Antonovsky's salutogenic perspective. It is highly plausible that survivors who underwent severe experiences during the Holocaust period were forced to call upon all their inner strengths and coping resources,and that their success in doing so and also surviving this horrendous period, might have contributed to the development of a stronger sense of meaning and coherence, which, in turn lead to a better sense of mental health as they approach the final season of their lives.

Impact of network topology on self-organized criticality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Heiko

2018-02-01

The general mechanisms behind self-organized criticality (SOC) are still unknown. Several microscopic and mean-field theory approaches have been suggested, but they do not explain the dependence of the exponents on the underlying network topology of the SOC system. Here, we first report the phenomena that in the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld (BTW) model, sites inside an avalanche area largely return to their original state after the passing of an avalanche, forming, effectively, critically arranged clusters of sites. Then, we hypothesize that SOC relies on the formation process of these clusters, and present a model of such formation. For low-dimensional networks, we show theoretically and in simulation that the exponent of the cluster-size distribution is proportional to the ratio of the fractal dimension of the cluster boundary and the dimensionality of the network. For the BTW model, in our simulations, the exponent of the avalanche-area distribution matched approximately our prediction based on this ratio for two-dimensional networks, but deviated for higher dimensions. We hypothesize a transition from cluster formation to the mean-field theory process with increasing dimensionality. This work sheds light onto the mechanisms behind SOC, particularly, the impact of the network topology.

Spin-Orbit Coupling Controlled J = 3 / 2 Electronic Ground State in 5 d 3 Oxides

DOE PAGES

Taylor, A. E.; Calder, S.; Morrow, R.; ...

2017-05-16

Spin-orbit entanglement in 5d-based transition metal oxides (TMOs) has been identified as a route to a host of unconventional physical states including quantum spin liquids, Weyl semimetals, and axion insulators. Yet despite intense interest, no clear rules have emerged for the treatment of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in 5d TMOs outside of idealised LS or jj coupling paradigms. This is exemplified in 5d 3 oxides in which an orbitally-quenched singlet ground state is anticipated, yet SOC is manifest in the observed magnetic properties. Here we solve this long-outstanding puzzle by revealing that the electronic ground state of Os5+ 5d 3 ionsmore » is an unquenched J = 3/2 state. Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) in Ca3LiOsO6 and Ba 2YOsO 6 exposes a SOC-controlled splitting of the t 2g manifold. The results are successfully described using an intermediate-coupling framework in which oxygen hybridisation promotes the breakdown of the orbital singlet. This framework opens the door to realistic treatment of SOC across a range of 5d TMOs beyond the 5d 3 case.« less

Spin-Orbit Coupling Controlled J = 3 / 2 Electronic Ground State in 5 d 3 Oxides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, A. E.; Calder, S.; Morrow, R.

Spin-orbit entanglement in 5d-based transition metal oxides (TMOs) has been identified as a route to a host of unconventional physical states including quantum spin liquids, Weyl semimetals, and axion insulators. Yet despite intense interest, no clear rules have emerged for the treatment of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in 5d TMOs outside of idealised LS or jj coupling paradigms. This is exemplified in 5d 3 oxides in which an orbitally-quenched singlet ground state is anticipated, yet SOC is manifest in the observed magnetic properties. Here we solve this long-outstanding puzzle by revealing that the electronic ground state of Os5+ 5d 3 ionsmore » is an unquenched J = 3/2 state. Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) in Ca3LiOsO6 and Ba 2YOsO 6 exposes a SOC-controlled splitting of the t 2g manifold. The results are successfully described using an intermediate-coupling framework in which oxygen hybridisation promotes the breakdown of the orbital singlet. This framework opens the door to realistic treatment of SOC across a range of 5d TMOs beyond the 5d 3 case.« less

Propensity score matching analysis to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of daratumumab versus real-world standard of care therapies for patients with heavily pretreated and refractory multiple myeloma.

PubMed

Kumar, Shaji; Durie, Brian; Nahi, Hareth; Vij, Ravi; Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Kastritis, Efstathios; Terpos, Evangelos; Leleu, Xavier; Beksac, Meral; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Hillengass, Jens; Su, Zhuo; Hutton, Brian; Cameron, Chris; Khan, Imran; Lam, Annette

2018-05-09

Daratumumab is a CD38-directed monoclonal antibody approved for treating multiple myeloma (MM). Propensity score matching (PSM) based on individual patient data (IPD) was conducted to compare overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for daratumumab versus real-world standard of care (SOC). IPD for patients with relapsed and refractory (RR) MM treated with daratumumab monotherapy were from the GEN501 and SIRIUS studies; IPD for patients treated with SOC were from an International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) chart review of patients with RRMM. Prior to PSM, patients treated with daratumumab had significantly longer OS (median 20.1 vs. 10.1 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.51 [0.39-0.67]) and PFS (median 4.0 vs. 2.8 months, HR = 0.73 [0.58-0.92]) than patients treated with SOC therapies. After PSM, daratumumab maintained a significantly prolonged OS (19.9 vs. 9.2 months, HR = 0.44 [0.31-0.63]) and PFS (3.9 vs. 1.6 months, HR = 0.56 [0.42-0.74]) compared with SOC.

Reduced Socs3 expression in adipose tissue protects female mice against obesity-induced insulin resistance.

PubMed

Palanivel, R; Fullerton, M D; Galic, S; Honeyman, J; Hewitt, K A; Jorgensen, S B; Steinberg, G R

2012-11-01

Inflammation in obesity increases the levels of the suppressor of cytokine signalling-3 (SOCS3) protein in adipose tissue, but the physiological importance of this protein in regulating whole-body insulin sensitivity in obesity is not known. We generated Socs3 floxed (wild-type, WT) and Socs3 aP2 (also known as Fabp4)-Cre null (Socs3 AKO) mice. Mice were maintained on either a regular chow or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks during which time body mass, adiposity, glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity were assessed. The HFD increased SOCS3 levels in adipose tissue of WT but not Socs3 AKO mice. WT and Socs3 AKO mice had similar body mass and adiposity, assessed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, irrespective of diet or sex. On a control chow diet there were no differences in insulin sensitivity or glucose tolerance. When fed a HFD, female but not male Socs3 AKO mice had improved glucose tolerance as well as lower fasting glucose and insulin levels compared with WT littermates. Hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging demonstrated that improved insulin sensitivity was due to elevated adipose tissue glucose uptake. Increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipose tissue was associated with enhanced levels and activating phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1). These data demonstrate that inhibiting SOCS3 production in adipose tissue of female mice is effective for improving whole-body insulin sensitivity in obesity.

soc-2 encodes a leucine-rich repeat protein implicated in fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling

PubMed Central

Selfors, Laura M.; Schutzman, Jennifer L.; Borland, Christina Z.; Stern, Michael J.

1998-01-01

Activation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors elicits diverse cellular responses including growth, mitogenesis, migration, and differentiation. The intracellular signaling pathways that mediate these important processes are not well understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, suppressors of clr-1 identify genes, termed soc genes, that potentially mediate or activate signaling through the EGL-15 FGF receptor. We demonstrate that three soc genes, soc-1, soc-2, and sem-5, suppress the activity of an activated form of the EGL-15 FGF receptor, consistent with the soc genes functioning downstream of EGL-15. We show that soc-2 encodes a protein composed almost entirely of leucine-rich repeats, a domain implicated in protein–protein interactions. We identified a putative human homolog, SHOC-2, which is 54% identical to SOC-2. We find that shoc-2 maps to 10q25, shoc-2 mRNA is expressed in all tissues assayed, and SHOC-2 protein is cytoplasmically localized. Within the leucine-rich repeats of both SOC-2 and SHOC-2 are two YXNX motifs that are potential tyrosine-phosphorylated docking sites for the SEM-5/GRB2 Src homology 2 domain. However, phosphorylation of these residues is not required for SOC-2 function in vivo, and SHOC-2 is not observed to be tyrosine phosphorylated in response to FGF stimulation. We conclude that this genetic system has allowed for the identification of a conserved gene implicated in mediating FGF receptor signaling in C. elegans. PMID:9618511

Susceptibility of Permafrost Soil Organic Carbon under Warming Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Z.; Wullschleger, S. D.; Liang, L.; Graham, D. E.; Gu, B.

2015-12-01

Degradation of soil organic carbon (SOC) that has been stored in permafrost is a key concern under warming climate because it could provide a positive feedback. Studies and conceptual models suggest that SOC degradation is largely controlled by the decomposability of SOC, but it is unclear exactly what portions of SOC are susceptible to rapid breakdown and what mechanisms may be involved in SOC degradation. Using a suite of analytical techniques, we examined the dynamic consumption and production of labile SOC compounds, including sugars, alcohols, and small molecular weight organic acids in incubation experiments (up to 240 days at either -2 or 8 °C) with a tundra soil under anoxic conditions, where SOC respiration and iron(III) reduction were monitored. We observe that sugars and alcohols are main components in SOC accounting for initial rapid release of CO2 and CH4 through anaerobic fermentation, whereas the fermentation products such as acetate and formate are subsequently utilized as primary substrates for methanogenesis. Iron(III) reduction is correlated to acetate production and methanogenesis, suggesting its important roles as an electron acceptor in tundra SOC respiration. These observations corroborate strongly with the glucose addition during incubation, in which rapid CO2 and CH4 production is observed concurrently with rapid production and consumption of organics such as acetate. Thus, the biogeochemical processes we document here are pertinent to understanding the accelerated SOC decomposition with temperature and could provide basis for model predicting feedbacks to climate warming in the Arctic.

High-resolution mapping of ecosystem carbon storage and potential effects of permafrost thaw in periglacial terrain, European Russian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugelius, Gustaf; Virtanen, Tarmo; Kaverin, Dmitry; Pastukhov, Alexander; Rivkin, Felix; Marchenko, Sergey; Romanovsky, Vladimir; Kuhry, Peter

2011-09-01

This study describes detailed partitioning of phytomass carbon (C) and soil organic carbon (SOC) for four study areas in discontinuous permafrost terrain, Northeast European Russia. The mean aboveground phytomass C storage is 0.7 kg C m-2. Estimated landscape SOC storage in the four areas varies between 34.5 and 47.0 kg C m-2 with LCC (land cover classification) upscaling and 32.5-49.0 kg C m-2 with soil map upscaling. A nested upscaling approach using a Landsat thematic mapper land cover classification for the surrounding region provides estimates within 5 ± 5% of the local high-resolution estimates. Permafrost peat plateaus hold the majority of total and frozen SOC, especially in the more southern study areas. Burying of SOC through cryoturbation of O- or A-horizons contributes between 1% and 16% (mean 5%) of total landscape SOC. The effect of active layer deepening and thermokarst expansion on SOC remobilization is modeled for one of the four areas. The active layer thickness dynamics from 1980 to 2099 is modeled using a transient spatially distributed permafrost model and lateral expansion of peat plateau thermokarst lakes is simulated using geographic information system analyses. Active layer deepening is expected to increase the proportion of SOC affected by seasonal thawing from 29% to 58%. A lateral expansion of 30 m would increase the amount of SOC stored in thermokarst lakes/fens from 2% to 22% of all SOC. By the end of this century, active layer deepening will likely affect more SOC than thermokarst expansion, but the SOC stores vulnerable to thermokarst are less decomposed.

Mapping SOC (Soil Organic Carbon) using LiDAR-derived vegetation indices in a random forest regression model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Will, R. M.; Glenn, N. F.; Benner, S. G.; Pierce, J. L.; Spaete, L.; Li, A.

2015-12-01

Quantifying SOC (Soil Organic Carbon) storage in complex terrain is challenging due to high spatial variability. Generally, the challenge is met by transforming point data to the entire landscape using surrogate, spatially-distributed, variables like elevation or precipitation. In many ecosystems, remotely sensed information on above-ground vegetation (e.g. NDVI) is a good predictor of below-ground carbon stocks. In this project, we are attempting to improve this predictive method by incorporating LiDAR-derived vegetation indices. LiDAR provides a mechanism for improved characterization of aboveground vegetation by providing structural parameters such as vegetation height and biomass. In this study, a random forest model is used to predict SOC using a suite of LiDAR-derived vegetation indices as predictor variables. The Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) is an ideal location for a study of this type since it encompasses a strong elevation/precipitation gradient that supports lower biomass sagebrush ecosystems at low elevations and forests with more biomass at higher elevations. Sagebrush ecosystems composed of Wyoming, Low and Mountain Sagebrush have SOC values ranging from .4 to 1% (top 30 cm), while higher biomass ecosystems composed of aspen, juniper and fir have SOC values approaching 4% (top 30 cm). Large differences in SOC have been observed between canopy and interspace locations and high resolution vegetation information is likely to explain plot scale variability in SOC. Mapping of the SOC reservoir will help identify underlying controls on SOC distribution and provide insight into which processes are most important in determining SOC in semi-arid mountainous regions. In addition, airborne LiDAR has the potential to characterize vegetation communities at a high resolution and could be a tool for improving estimates of SOC at larger scales.

Upregulation of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 in microglia by cinnamic acid.

PubMed

Chakrabarti, Sudipta; Jana, Malabendu; Roy, Avik; Pahan, Kalipada

2018-05-06

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is an anti-inflammatory molecule that suppresses cytokine signaling and inflammatory gene expression in different cells including microglia. However, pathways through which SOCS3 could be upregulated are poorly described. Cinnamic acid is a metabolite of cinnamon, a natural compound that is being widely used all over the world as a spice or flavoring agent. This study delineates the importance of cinnamic acid for the upregulation of SOCS3 in microglia. Cinnamic acid upregulated the expression of SOCS3 mRNA and protein in mouse BV-2 microglial cells in dose- and time-dependent manner. Accordingly, cinnamic acid also increased the level of SOCS3 and suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6) in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. Similar to BV-2 microglial cells, cinnamic acid also increased the expression of SOCS3 in primary mouse microglia and astrocytes. Presence of cAMP response element in the promoter of socs3 gene, activation of cAMP response element binding (CREB) by cinnamic acid, abrogation of cinnamic acid-mediated upregulation of SOCS3 by siRNA knockdown of CREB, and the recruitment of CREB to the socs3 gene promoter by cinnamic acid suggest that cinnamic acid increases the expression of SOCS3 by CREB. These studies suggest that cinnamic acid upregulates SOCS3 via CREB pathway, which may be of importance in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Defective interleukin-4/Stat6 activity correlates with increased constitutive expression of negative regulators SOCS-3, SOCS-7, and CISH in colon cancer cells.

PubMed

Liu, Xiao Hong; Xu, Shuang Bing; Yuan, Jia; Li, Ben Hui; Zhang, Yan; Yuan, Qin; Li, Pin Dong; Li, Feng; Zhang, Wen Jie

2009-12-01

Interleukin-4 (IL-4)-induced Stat6 activities (phenotypes) vary among human cancer cells, of which the HT-29 cell line carries an active Stat6(high) phenotype, while Caco-2 carries a defective Stat6(null) phenotype, respectively. Cancer cells with Stat6(high) show resistance to apoptosis and exaggerated metastasis, suggesting the clinical significance of Stat6 phenotypes. We previously showed that Stat6(high) HT-29 cells exhibited low constitutive expression of Stat6-negative regulators SOCS-1 and SHP-1 because of gene hypermethylation. This study further examined the constitutive expression of other closely related SOCS family numbers including SOCS-3, SOCS-5, SOCS-7, and CISH using RT-PCR. Similar to SOCS-1 and SHP-1, Stat6(high) HT-29 cells expressed low constitutive mRNA of SOCS-3, SOCS-7, and CISH than Stat6(null) Caco-2 cells. Interestingly, DNA demethylation using 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine in HT-29 cells up-regulated mRNA expression of the above genes, indicating a hypermethylation status, which was confirmed by methylation-specific sequencing in selected SOCS-3 gene. Furthermore, defective Stat6(null) Caco-2 exhibited impaired phosphorylation of Stat6 after IL-4 stimulation by flow cytometry, in keeping with the notion of an over-performed negative regulation. The findings that IL-4/Stat6 phenotypes show differential expression of multiple negative regulators suggest a model that a collective force of powerful negative regulators, directly and indirectly, acts on Stat6 activation, which may result in differential Stat6 phenotypes.

Modeling Root Exudation, Priming and Protection in Soil Carbon Responses to Elevated CO2 from Ecosystem to Global Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulman, B. N.; Phillips, R.; Shevliakova, E.; Oishi, A. C.; Pacala, S. W.

2014-12-01

The sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) to changing environmental conditions represents a critical uncertainty in coupled carbon cycle-climate models. Much of this uncertainty arises from our limited understanding of the extent to which plants induce SOC losses (through accelerated decomposition or "priming") or promote SOC gains (via stabilization through physico-chemical protection). We developed a new SOC model, "Carbon, Organisms, Rhizosphere and Protection in the Soil Environment" (CORPSE), to examine the net effect of priming and protection in response to rising atmospheric CO2, and conducted simulations of rhizosphere priming effects at both ecosystem and global scales. At the ecosystem scale, the model successfully captured and explained disparate SOC responses at the Duke and Oak Ridge free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments. We show that stabilization of "new" carbon in protected SOC pools may equal or exceed microbial priming of "old" SOC in ecosystems with readily decomposable litter (e.g. Oak Ridge). In contrast, carbon losses owing to priming dominate the net SOC response in ecosystems with more resistant litters (e.g. Duke). For global simulations, the model was fully integrated into the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) land model LM3. Globally, priming effects driven by enhanced root exudation and expansion of the rhizosphere reduced SOC storage in the majority of terrestrial areas, partially counterbalancing SOC gains from the enhanced ecosystem productivity driven by CO2 fertilization. Collectively, our results suggest that SOC stocks globally depend not only on temperature and moisture, but also on vegetation responses to environmental changes, and that protected C may provide an important constraint on priming effects.

Changes in Leptin Signaling by SOCS3 Modulate Fasting-Induced Hyperphagia and Weight Regain in Mice.

PubMed

Pedroso, João A B; Silveira, Marina A; Lima, Leandro B; Furigo, Isadora C; Zampieri, Thais T; Ramos-Lobo, Angela M; Buonfiglio, Daniella C; Teixeira, Pryscila D S; Frazão, Renata; Donato, Jose

2016-10-01

Weight regain frequently follows interventions that reduce body weight, leading to a failure in long-term obesity treatment. Inhibitory proteins of the leptin signaling pathway, such as the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), have been studied in conditions that predispose animals to obesity. However, whether SOCS3 modulates postrestriction hyperphagia and weight regain remains unknown. Mice lacking SOCS3 protein specifically in leptin receptor (LepR)-expressing cells (LepR SOCS3 knockout [KO]) were generated and studied in fasting and refeeding conditions. LepR SOCS3 KO mice exhibited increased leptin sensitivity in the hypothalamus. Notably, LepR SOCS3 KO males and females showed attenuated food intake and weight regain after 48 hours of fasting. Postrestriction hyperleptinemia was also prevented in LepR SOCS3 KO mice. Next, we studied possible mechanisms and neural circuits involved in the SOCS3 effects. SOCS3 deletion did not prevent fasting- or refeeding-induced c-Fos expression in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) nor fasting-induced increased excitability of ARH LepR-expressing cells. On the other hand, SOCS3 ablation reduced the mRNA levels of hypothalamic orexigenic neuropeptides during fasting (neuropeptide Y, agouti-related protein, orexin, and melanin-concentrating hormone). In summary, our findings suggest that increased leptin sensitivity contributes to the maintenance of a reduced body weight after food deprivation. In addition, the attenuated postrestriction food intake observed in mutant mice was not explained by fasting-induced changes in the activity of ARH neurons but exclusively by a lower transcription of orexigenic neuropeptides during fasting. These results indicate a partial dissociation between the regulation of neuronal activity and gene expression in ARH LepR-expressing cells.

Multi-decadal time series of remotely sensed vegetation improves prediction of soil carbon in a subtropical grassland.

PubMed

Wilson, Chris H; Caughlin, T Trevor; Rifai, Sami W; Boughton, Elizabeth H; Mack, Michelle C; Flory, S Luke

2017-07-01

Soil carbon sequestration in agroecosystems could play a key role in climate change mitigation but will require accurate predictions of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks over spatial scales relevant to land management. Spatial variation in underlying drivers of SOC, such as plant productivity and soil mineralogy, complicates these predictions. Recent advances in the availability of remotely sensed data make it practical to generate multidecadal time series of vegetation indices with high spatial resolution and coverage. However, the utility of such data largely is unknown, only having been tested with shorter (e.g., 1-2 yr) data summaries. Across a 2,000 ha subtropical grassland, we found that a long time series (28 yr) of a vegetation index (Enhanced Vegetation Index; EVI) derived from the Landsat 5 satellite significantly enhanced prediction of spatially varying SOC pools, while a short summary (2 yr) was an ineffective predictor. EVI was the best predictor for surface SOC (0-5 cm depth) and total measured SOC stocks (0-15 cm). The optimum models for SOC in the upper soil layer combined EVI records with elevation and calcium concentration, while deeper SOC was more strongly associated with calcium availability. We demonstrate how data from the open access Landsat archive can predict SOC stocks, a key ecosystem metric, and illustrate the rich variety of analytical approaches that can be applied to long time series of remotely sensed greenness. Overall, our results showed that SOC pools were closely coupled to EVI in this ecosystem, demonstrating that maintenance of higher average green leaf area is correlated with higher SOC. The strong associations of vegetation greenness and calcium concentration with SOC suggest that the ability to sequester additional SOC likely will rely on strategic management of pasture vegetation and soil fertility. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Relationship between children's oral health-related behaviors and their caregiver's sense of coherence.

PubMed

Qiu, Rong Min; Wong, May C M; Lo, Edward C M; Lin, Huan Cai

2013-03-19

Sense of coherence (SOC) is hypothesized to be an important psychological factor that enables people to cope with stressors and successfully maintain and improve health. Mother's SOC has been shown to be an important psychological factor associated with oral health and oral health-related behaviors of adolescents and 11- to 12-year-old children. However, little is known about the relationship between the caregiver's SOC and oral health-related behaviors of the preschool children. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral health-related behaviors of 5-year-old children in Southern China and SOC of their caregiver. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a randomized sample of 1332 children aged 5 years and their caregivers in Guangzhou, Southern China. Data were collected through questionnaires completed by the caregivers. The Chinese short version of Antonovsky's SOC scale (13 items) was employed to assess the caregiver's SOC. The outcome variables were the child's oral health-related behaviors, including frequency of sugary snack intake, toothbrushing frequency, utilization of dental service, and pattern of dental visits. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the variables. No association was found between the children's sugary snack intake and the mother's or the father's SOC. After adjustment for other significant factors related to the child's oral health-related behaviors, 8.9% of the children whose grandparents (as caregivers) had higher SOC scores had a lower frequency of sugary snack intake, compared with the children whose grandparents had lower SOC scores (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.50-0.73, p = 0.008). The other measures of oral health-related behaviors of the child were not significantly associated with the caregiver's SOC. Sugary snack intake behavior of the 5-year-old children was not associated with the mother's or the father's SOC. It was associated with the SOC of their grandparents, who are a small group of the caregivers in China.

Global distribution of soil organic carbon - Part 1: Masses and frequency distributions of SOC stocks for the tropics, permafrost regions, wetlands, and the world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köchy, M.; Hiederer, R.; Freibauer, A.

2015-04-01

The global soil organic carbon (SOC) mass is relevant for the carbon cycle budget and thus atmospheric carbon concentrations. We review current estimates of SOC stocks and mass (stock × area) in wetlands, permafrost and tropical regions and the world in the upper 1 m of soil. The Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) v.1.2 provides one of the most recent and coherent global data sets of SOC, giving a total mass of 2476 Pg when using the original values for bulk density. Adjusting the HWSD's bulk density (BD) of soil high in organic carbon results in a mass of 1230 Pg, and additionally setting the BD of Histosols to 0.1 g cm-3 (typical of peat soils), results in a mass of 1062 Pg. The uncertainty in BD of Histosols alone introduces a range of -56 to +180 Pg C into the estimate of global SOC mass in the top 1 m, larger than estimates of global soil respiration. We report the spatial distribution of SOC stocks per 0.5 arcminutes; the areal masses of SOC; and the quantiles of SOC stocks by continents, wetland types, and permafrost types. Depending on the definition of "wetland", wetland soils contain between 82 and 158 Pg SOC. With more detailed estimates for permafrost from the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (496 Pg SOC) and tropical peatland carbon incorporated, global soils contain 1325 Pg SOC in the upper 1 m, including 421 Pg in tropical soils, whereof 40 Pg occurs in tropical wetlands. Global SOC amounts to just under 3000 Pg when estimates for deeper soil layers are included. Variability in estimates is due to variation in definitions of soil units, differences in soil property databases, scarcity of information about soil carbon at depths > 1 m in peatlands, and variation in definitions of "peatland".

Spatial Variability and Stocks of Soil Organic Carbon in the Gobi Desert of Northwestern China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Pingping; Shao, Ming'an

2014-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in improving soil properties and the C global cycle. Limited attention, though, has been given to assessing the spatial patterns and stocks of SOC in desert ecosystems. In this study, we quantitatively evaluated the spatial variability of SOC and its influencing factors and estimated SOC storage in a region (40 km2) of the Gobi desert. SOC exhibited a log-normal depth distribution with means of 1.6, 1.5, 1.4, and 1.4 g kg−1 for the 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm layers, respectively, and was moderately variable according to the coefficients of variation (37–42%). Variability of SOC increased as the sampling area expanded and could be well parameterized as a power function of the sampling area. Significant correlations were detected between SOC and soil physical properties, i.e. stone, sand, silt, and clay contents and soil bulk density. The relatively coarse fractions, i.e. sand, silt, and stone contents, had the largest effects on SOC variability. Experimental semivariograms of SOC were best fitted by exponential models. Nugget-to-sill ratios indicated a strong spatial dependence for SOC concentrations at all depths in the study area. The surface layer (0–10 cm) had the largest spatial dependency compared with the other layers. The mapping revealed a decreasing trend of SOC concentrations from south to north across this region of the Gobi desert, with higher levels close to an oasis and lower levels surrounded by mountains and near the desert. SOC density to depths of 20 and 40 cm for this 40 km2 area was estimated at 0.42 and 0.68 kg C m−2, respectively. This study provides an important contribution to understanding the role of the Gobi desert in the global carbon cycle. PMID:24733073

Convergent evolution of Amadori opine catabolic systems in plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

PubMed

Baek, Chang-Ho; Farrand, Stephen K; Lee, Ko-Eun; Park, Dae-Kyun; Lee, Jeong Kug; Kim, Kun-Soo

2003-01-01

Deoxyfructosyl glutamine (DFG, referred to elsewhere as dfg) is a naturally occurring Amadori compound found in rotting fruits and vegetables. DFG also is an opine and is found in tumors induced by chrysopine-type strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Such strains catabolize this opine via a pathway coded for by their plasmids. NT1, a derivative of the nopaline-type A. tumefaciens strain C58 lacking pTiC58, can utilize DFG as the sole carbon source. Genes for utilization of DFG were mapped to the 543-kb accessory plasmid pAtC58. Two cosmid clones of pAtC58 allowed UIA5, a plasmid-free derivative of C58, harboring pSa-C that expresses MocC (mannopine [MOP] oxidoreductase that oxidizes MOP to DFG), to grow by using MOP as the sole carbon source. Genetic analysis of subclones indicated that the genes for utilization of DFG are located in a 6.2-kb BglII (Bg2) region adjacent to repABC-type genes probably responsible for the replication of pAtC58. This region contains five open reading frames organized into at least two transcriptional soc (santhopine catabolism) groups: socR and socABCD. Nucleotide sequence analysis and analyses of transposon-insertion mutations in the region showed that SocR negatively regulates the expression of socR itself and socABCD. SocA and SocB are responsible for transport of DFG and MOP. SocA is a homolog of known periplasmic amino acid binding proteins. The N-terminal half of SocB is a homolog of the transmembrane transporter proteins for several amino acids, and the C-terminal half is a homolog of the transporter-associated ATP-binding proteins. SocC and SocD could be responsible for the enzymatic degradation of DFG, being homologs of sugar oxidoreductases and an amadoriase from Corynebacterium sp., respectively. The protein products of socABCD are not related at the amino acid sequence level to those of the moc and mot genes of Ti plasmids responsible for utilization of DFG and MOP, indicating that these two sets of genes and their catabolic pathways have evolved convergently from independent origins.

Linking the climatic and geochemical controls on global soil carbon cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doetterl, Sebastian; Stevens, Antoine; Six, Johan; Merckx, Roel; Van Oost, Kristof; Casanova Pinto, Manuel; Casanova-Katny, Angélica; Muñoz, Cristina; Boudin, Mathieu; Zagal Venegas, Erick; Boeckx, Pascal

2015-04-01

Climatic and geochemical parameters are regarded as the primary controls for soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover. However, due to the difference in scale between climate and geochemical-related soil research, the interaction of these key factors for SOC dynamics have rarely been assessed. Across a large geochemical and climatic transect in similar biomes in Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula we show how abiotic geochemical soil features describing soil mineralogy and weathering pose a direct control on SOC stocks, concentration and turnover and are central to explaining soil C dynamics at larger scales. Precipitation and temperature had an only indirect control by regulating geochemistry. Soils with high SOC content have low specific potential CO2 respiration rates, but a large fraction of SOC that is stabilized via organo-mineral interactions. The opposite was observed for soils with low SOC content. The observed differences for topsoil SOC stocks along this transect of similar biomes but differing geo-climatic site conditions are of the same magnitude as differences observed for topsoil SOC stocks across all major global biomes. Using precipitation and a set of abiotic geochemical parameters describing soil mineralogy and weathering status led to predictions of high accuracy (R2 0.53-0.94) for different C response variables. Partial correlation analyses revealed that the strength of the correlation between climatic predictors and SOC response variables decreased by 51 - 83% when controlling for geochemical predictors. In contrast, controlling for climatic variables did not result in a strong decrease in the strength of the correlations of between most geochemical variables and SOC response variables. In summary, geochemical parameters describing soil mineralogy and weathering were found to be essential for accurate predictions of SOC stocks and potential CO2 respiration, while climatic factors were of minor importance as a direct control, but are important through governing soil weathering and geochemistry. In conclusion, we pledge for a stronger implementation of geochemical soil properties to predict SOC stocks on a global scale. Understanding the effects of climate (temperature and precipitation) change on SOC dynamics also requires good understanding of the relationship between climate and soil geochemistry.

Spatial assessment of soil organic carbon and physicochemical properties in a horticultural orchard at arid zone of India using geostatistical approaches.

PubMed

Singh, Akath; Santra, Priyabrata; Kumar, Mahesh; Panwar, Navraten; Meghwal, P R

2016-09-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a major indicator of long-term sustenance of agricultural production system. Apart from sustaining productivity, SOC plays a crucial role in context of climate change. Keeping in mind these potentials, spatial variation of SOC contents of a fruit orchard comprising several arid fruit plantations located at arid region of India is assessed in this study through geostatistical approaches. For this purpose, surface and subsurface soil samples from 175 locations from a fruit orchard spreading over 14.33 ha area were collected along with geographical coordinates. SOC content and soil physicochemical properties of collected soil samples were determined followed by geostatistical analysis for mapping purposes. Average SOC stock density of the orchard was 14.48 Mg ha(-1) for 0- to 30-cm soil layer ranging from 9.01 Mg ha(-1) in Carissa carandas to 19.52 Mg ha(-1) in Prosopis cineraria block. Range of spatial variation of SOC content was found about 100 m, while two other soil physicochemical properties, e.g., pH and electrical conductivity (EC) also showed similar spatial trend. This indicated that minimum sampling distance for future SOC mapping programme may be kept lower than 100 m for better accuracy. Ordinary kriging technique satisfactorily predicted SOC contents (in percent) at unsampled locations with root-mean-squared residual (RMSR) of 0.35-0.37. Co-kriging approach was found slightly superior (RMSR = 0.26-0.28) than ordinary kriging for spatial prediction of SOC contents because of significant correlations of SOC contents with pH and EC. Uncertainty of SOC estimation was also presented in terms of 90 % confidence interval. Spatial estimates of SOC stock through ordinary kriging or co-kriging approach were also found with low uncertainty of estimation than non-spatial estimates, e.g., arithmetic averaging approach. Among different fruit block plantations of the orchard, the block with Prosopis cineraria ('khejri') has higher SOC stock density than others.

[Sense of coherence (SOC), occupational stress reactions, and the relationship of SOC with occupational stress reactions among male nurses working in a hospital].

PubMed

Yoshida, Eri; Yamada, Kazuko; Morioka, Ikuharu

2014-01-01

There is limited information about the sense of coherence (SOC), stress reactions and the relationship between SOC and stress reactions in male nurses. The aim of this survey was to clarify SOC, stress reactions, and the relationship of SOC with stress reactions in male nurses working in a hospital. Fifty-one male and 51 female nurses took part in a questionnaire survey. Each female subject was matched with a male of the same age (within 1 year), qualifications (nurse only or both nurse and public health nurse), and work place (internal medicine ward, surgery ward or others). The question items were basic attributes, SOC, Brief Job Stress Questionnaire and Brief Scales for Coping Profile (BSCP). To examine the relationship between the SOC and stress reactions, a multiple regression analysis was performed with psychological or somatic symptoms, as the dependent variable. The median age of male nurses was 27 (interquartile range: 24-30) years. The median length of their working career was 4 (2-7) years. There were no gender differences in the total scores of SOC. Among the stressors, the conditions of mental demand were better in male nurses, but the conditions of stress by workplace environment were worse than in female nurses. Depressive mood, one of the stress reactions, was worse in male nurses. Support from supervisors and coworkers that had an effect on stress reactions were weaker in male nurses than in female nurses. In the subscales of BSCP, "emotional expression to others" and "avoidance and suppression" were more often used by male nurses, but "seeking help for a solution to problems" was less frequently used by them than by female nurses. There were significant relationships between the total score of SOC and psychological and somatic symptoms in both sexes, even when adjusted for 9 stressor factors, 4 factors that had an effect on stress reactions, and 6 subscales of the BSCP and age. The sense of manageability, one of the subscales of SOC, showed significant relationships with psychological and somatic symptoms only in male nurses. The SOC showed no sex difference. The depressive reaction was stronger in male nurses. The relationship of the subscale of SOC to psychological and somatic symptoms showed a gender difference, although the total scores of SOC showed similar tendencies in both sexes.

Dynamics of organic carbon stock of Estonian arable and grassland peat soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauer, Karin; Tammik, Kerttu; Penu, Priit

2016-04-01

Peat soils represent globally a major reserve of soil organic carbon (SOC). Estimation of changes in SOC stocks is important for understanding soil carbon sequestration and dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this study was to estimate the SOC stock of Estonian agricultural peat soils and SOC stock change depending on land use type (arable land and long-term grasslands (over 5 years)). The soils were classified as Histosols according to WRB classification. Generally the arable land was used for growing cereals, oilseed rape, legumes and used as ley in crop rotation. The main technique of soil cultivation was ploughing. During 2002-2015 the soil samples of 0-20 cm soil layer (one average soil sample per 1-5 ha) were collected. The SOC content was measured by NIRS method. The SOC stock was calculated by assuming that soil mean bulk density is 0.3 g cm-3. The SOC stock change in arable land was estimated during 3-13 years (N=91) and in grassland 4-13 year (N=163). The average SOC content of peat soils varied from 150.6 to 549.0 mg g-1. The initial SOC stock of arable land was 271.3 t ha-1 and of grassland 269.3 t ha-1. The SOC stock declined in arable peat soils faster (-2.57 t ha-1 y-1) compared to the changes in grassland peat soils (-0.67 t ha-1 y-1). According to the length of the study period the SOC stock change per year varied from -5.14 to 6.64 t ha-1 y-1 in grasslands and from -14.78 to 0.83 t ha-1 y-1 in arable land, although there was no clear relationship between the SOC stock change and the length of the study period. More detailed information about the properties of agricultural land and land use history is needed to analyse the causes of the SOC stock changes in agricultural peat soils. However, from the current research we can conclude that the SOC stock of arable and grassland peat soils is declining during the cultivation. These decreases are important to specify when considering the role of peat soils in atmospheric greenhouse gas balances considering peat soils spatial variability related to regional and local differences in ecology, hydrology and climate.

Dynamics and fate of SOC in tidal marshes along a salinity gradient (Scheldt estuary, Belgium)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van de Broek, Marijn; Temmermann, Stijn; Merckx, Roel; Wang, Zhengang; Govers, Gerard

2016-04-01

Coastal ecosystems have been attributed the potential to store large amounts of organic carbon (OC), often referred to as blue carbon, of which a considerable amount is stored in tidal marsh soils. Large uncertainties still exist with respect to the amount and controlling factors of soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in these ecosystems. Moreover, most research has focused on SOC dynamics of saltmarshes, while brackish and freshwater marshes are often even more productive and thus receive even larger organic carbon inputs. Therefore, in this study the OC dynamics of tidal marsh soils along an estuarine gradient are studied in order to contribute to our knowledge of 1) the stocks, 2) the controlling factors and 3) the fate of SOC in tidal marshes with different environmental characteristics. This research thus contributes to a better understanding of the potential of coastal environments to store organic carbon under future climatic changes. Soil and vegetation samples are collected in tidal salt-, brackish- and freshwater marshes in the Scheldt estuary (Belgium - The Netherlands). At each tidal marsh, three replicate soil cores up to 1.5m depth in 0.03m increments are collected at locations with both a low and a high elevation. These cores are analyzed for OC, stable C and N isotopes, bulk density and texture. Incubation experiments of topsoil samples were conducted and both aboveground and belowground biomass were collected. The results show that SOC stocks (range: 13,5 - 35,4 kg OC m-2), standing biomass (range: 2000 - 7930 g DW m-2) and potential soil respiration of CO2 (range: 0,03 - 0,12 % per unit OC per day) decrease with increasing salinity. This shows that both the amount of OC from local macrophytes and the quality of the organic matter are important factors controlling the SOC stocks. In addition, based on the analysis of stable C and N isotopes, it appears that when a significant fraction of SOC is derived from local macrophytes, higher SOC stocks are found, while a change in aboveground vegetation type can have large effects on SOC accumulation. Moreover, as these marsh soils have been dated before, the observed depth patterns in SOC can be linked to historical changes (e.g. changes in vegetation). A calibrated model simulating sediment deposition in these marshes is coupled to a two-pool OC model to study the effect of sediment deposition rate on the fate of SOC, with most input information being collected at the field sites. This allows us to calculate the residence time of OC in these tidal marsh soils, a measure that is very uncertain, also for other ecosystems. The part concerning modelling is however still under progress at the moment of writing. This study shows to which extent OC stocks and dynamics of tidal marsh soils along a temperate estuary are controlled by 1) the amount and quality of OC input and 2) the contribution from different sources of OC, and uses these finding to construct a 1D model to simulate these dynamics through time.

Muscle-specific deletion of SOCS3 increases the early inflammatory response but does not affect regeneration after myotoxic injury.

PubMed

Swiderski, Kristy; Thakur, Savant S; Naim, Timur; Trieu, Jennifer; Chee, Annabel; Stapleton, David I; Koopman, René; Lynch, Gordon S

2016-01-01

Muscles of old animals are injured more easily and regenerate poorly, attributed in part to increased levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling cascade is a key mediator of inflammatory cytokine action, and signaling via this pathway is increased in muscles with aging. As a negative regulator of JAK/STAT signaling, a key mediator of myogenic proliferation and differentiation, altered expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS3) is likely to have important consequences for muscle regeneration. To model this scenario, we investigated the effect of SOCS3 deletion within mature muscle fibers on injury and repair. We tested the hypothesis that reduced SOCS3 function would alter the inflammatory response and impair muscle regeneration after myotoxic injury. Mice with a specific deletion of SOCS3 within mature skeletal muscle fibers were used to assess the effect of SOCS3 deletion on muscle injury and repair. Twelve-week-old or 24-month-old SOCS3 muscle-specific knockout (SOCS3 MKO) mice and littermate controls were either left uninjured or injured with a single injection of notexin (10 μg/ml) into the right tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. At 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 14 days post-injury, the right TA muscle was excised and subjected to histological, western immunoblotting, and gene expression analyses. Force production and fatigue were assessed in uninjured muscles and at 7 days post-notexin injury. In uninjured muscles, SOCS3 deletion decreased force production during fatigue but had no effect on the gross or histological appearance of the TA muscles. After notexin injury, deletion of SOCS3 increased STAT3 phosphorylation at day 1 and increased the mRNA expression of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α , and the inflammatory cell markers F4/80 and CD68 at day 2. Gene expression analysis of the regeneration markers Pax7 , MyoD , and Myogenin indicated SOCS3 deletion had no effect on the progression of muscle repair after notexin injury. Inflammation and regeneration were also unchanged in the muscles of 24-month-old SOCS3 MKO mice compared with control. Loss of SOCS3 expression in mature muscle fibers increased the inflammatory response to myotoxic injury but did not impair muscle regeneration in either adult or old mice. Therefore, reduced SOCS3 expression in muscle fibers is unlikely to underlie impaired muscle regeneration. Further investigation into the role of SOCS3 in other cell types involved in muscle repair is warranted.

Using fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy to distinguish soil organic matter composition dynamics in aggregate fractions of two agroecosystems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The relationship between soil organic carbon (SOC) content and quality of SOC as impacted by land management is not well understood and may influence long-term storage of SOC. To better understand the potential for SOC storage in specific aggregate pools (i.e. physically protected intra-aggregate C)...

Variations in Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks of Deep Profile Following Re-vegetation along Precipitation Gradient in the Loess Plateau of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuo, D.; Gao, G.; Fu, B.

2017-12-01

Precipitation is one of the most important limit factor affect soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) following re-vegetation; however, the effect of precipitation on the C and N cycling in deep soils is poorly understood. This study was designed to measure SOC and TN stocks and C/N ratio to a depth of 300 cm following re-vegetation along a precipitation gradient (280 to 540 mm yr-1) on the Loess Plateau of China. The results showed that the relationship of soil C-N coupling after cropland abandoned was related to mean annual precipitation (MAP) and soil depth. SOC and TN stocks in the shallow layers of 0-100 cm were 3.8 and 0.41 kg m-2, respectively, and that in the deep layers of 100-300 cm can represent about 62.7-72.5% and 60.2-88.7% to a depth of 0-300 cm, respectively. Positive linearly relationships were obtained between MAP and SOC and TN stocks at most soil layers of 0-300 cm (p < 0.05). The relationships between the MAP and changes of SOC and TN stocks following short-term restoration were highly dependent on soil depth. Changes of SOC and TN stocks after re-vegetation in shallow soils (0-100 cm) were gaining at regional scale, but in deep soils (100-300 cm), which were losing at wetter sites (MAP > 400 mm). The initial soil C loss may be attributed to greater C decomposition and lower belowground C input. The change of C/N ratio had significantly negatively correlation with MAP in each soil depth, except for 0-20 cm, indicating the effect of soil N on C accumulation is higher at drier areas rather than wetter sites. Based on the investigated factors, precipitation, soil water and clay had a dominant control over the spatial distribution of SOC, TN and C/N ratio to a 300 cm soil depth. This information is helpful our understanding of the dynamics of soil C and N of deep soils following re-vegetation in the semiarid regions.

The Efficacy and Safety of Topical Dapsone Gel, 5% for the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris in Adult Females With Skin of Color.

PubMed

Alexis, Andrew F; Burgess, Cheryl; Callender, Valerie D; Herzog, Jo L; Roberts, Wendy E; Schweiger, Eric S; Stockton, Toni C; Gallagher, Conor J

2016-02-01

Topical dapsone gel, 5% is approved for treatment of acne vulgaris but has not been studied specifically in women with skin of color (SOC; Fitzpatrick skin types IV, V, or VI). Evaluate safety and efficacy of dapsone gel, 5% applied topically twice daily for 12 weeks in women with SOC. Females with SOC aged 18 years and older with facial acne participated in a multicenter, open-label, single-group, 12-week pilot study of twice-daily monotherapy with dapsone gel, 5%. The investigator-rated 5-point Global Acne Assessment Score (GAAS) was used to assess efficacy. The impact of acne on subjects was assessed using the validated Acne Symptom and Impact Scale (ASIS). The study enrolled and treated 68 women with SOC and facial acne. GAAS decreased significantly from baseline to week 12 (mean, -1.2 [95% CI, -1.4, -1.0]; P<.001), a 39.0% improvement. Overall, 42.9% of subjects were responders based on a GAAS of 0 or 1 at week 12. Subjects also experienced significant reductions in mean total lesions (52% decrease), inflammatory lesions (65%), and comedo counts (41%; all P<.001). Dapsone gel, 5% monotherapy was associated with significant improvement in subject-assessed acne signs (P<.001) and impact on quality of life (QOL; P<.001), based on ASIS. Dapsone gel, 5% used twice daily was well tolerated, with no treatment-related adverse events. The local dermal tolerability scores tended to remain stable or decrease from baseline to week 12. Monotherapy with dapsone gel, 5% administered twice daily was safe and effective for treatment of facial acne in women with SOC. Significant improvement in overall acne severity and both inflammatory lesions and comedones was observed. Further, study subjects reported considerable improvement in both acne signs and impact on QOL.

Effect of overcharge on Li(Ni 0.5Mn 0.3Co 0.2)O 2/graphite lithium ion cells with poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. III — Chemical changes in the cathode

DOE PAGES

Bareno, Javier; Dietz Rago, Nancy; Dogan, Fulya; ...

2018-01-17

Here, 1.5 Ah pouch cells based on Li(Ni 0.5Mn 0.3Co 0.2)O 2 cathodes and graphite anodes, both containing poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binders, were systematically overcharged to 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 250% state of charge (SOC), at which point they vented. The cells were subsequently discharged to 0% SOC and disassembled under an inert atmosphere for characterization. A combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning-electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), 6Li SSNMR, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the NMC532 cathodes indicates the formation of a thin C- and O-rich cathode electrolyte interphase layer, progressive Li lossmore » above 140% SOC, and retention of the bulk crystal structure at all states of charge.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jian, Siyang; Li, Jianwei; Chen, Ji

Nitrogen (N) fertilization affects the rate of soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition by regulating extracellular enzyme activities (EEA). Extracellular enzymes have not been represented in global biogeochemical models. Understanding the relationships among EEA and SOC, soil N (TN), and soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) under N fertilization would enable modeling of the influence of EEA on SOC decomposition. Based on 65 published studies, we synthesized the activities of α-1,4-glucosidase (AG), β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), β-d-cellobiosidase (CBH), β-1,4-xylosidase (BX), β-1,4-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG), leucine amino peptidase (LAP), urease (UREA), acid phosphatase (AP), phenol oxidase (PHO), and peroxidase (PEO) in response to N fertilization. Here, themore » proxy variables for hydrolytic C acquisition enzymes (C-acq), N acquisition (N-acq), and oxidative decomposition (OX) were calculated as the sum of AG, BG, CBH and BX; AG and LAP; PHO and PEO, respectively.« less

Effect of overcharge on Li(Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2)O2/graphite lithium ion cells with poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. III - Chemical changes in the cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bareño, Javier; Dietz Rago, Nancy; Dogan, Fulya; Graczyk, Donald G.; Tsai, Yifen; Naik, Seema R.; Han, Sang-Don; Lee, Eungje; Du, Zhijia; Sheng, Yangping; Li, Jianlin; Wood, David L.; Steele, Leigh Anna; Lamb, Joshua; Spangler, Scott; Grosso, Christopher; Fenton, Kyle; Bloom, Ira

2018-05-01

1.5 Ah pouch cells based on Li(Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2)O2 cathodes and graphite anodes, both containing poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binders, were systematically overcharged to 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 250% state of charge (SOC), at which point they vented. The cells were subsequently discharged to 0% SOC and disassembled under an inert atmosphere for characterization. A combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning-electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), 6Li SSNMR, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the NMC532 cathodes indicates the formation of a thin C- and O-rich cathode electrolyte interphase layer, progressive Li loss above 140% SOC, and retention of the bulk crystal structure at all states of charge.

Effect of overcharge on Li(Ni 0.5Mn 0.3Co 0.2)O 2/graphite lithium ion cells with poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. III — Chemical changes in the cathode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bareno, Javier; Dietz Rago, Nancy; Dogan, Fulya

Here, 1.5 Ah pouch cells based on Li(Ni 0.5Mn 0.3Co 0.2)O 2 cathodes and graphite anodes, both containing poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binders, were systematically overcharged to 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 250% state of charge (SOC), at which point they vented. The cells were subsequently discharged to 0% SOC and disassembled under an inert atmosphere for characterization. A combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning-electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), 6Li SSNMR, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the NMC532 cathodes indicates the formation of a thin C- and O-rich cathode electrolyte interphase layer, progressive Li lossmore » above 140% SOC, and retention of the bulk crystal structure at all states of charge.« less

Quantum spin Hall phase in 2D trigonal lattice

PubMed Central

Wang, Z. F.; Jin, Kyung-Hwan; Liu, Feng

2016-01-01

The quantum spin Hall (QSH) phase is an exotic phenomena in condensed-matter physics. Here we show that a minimal basis of three orbitals (s, px, py) is required to produce a QSH phase via nearest-neighbour hopping in a two-dimensional trigonal lattice. Tight-binding model analyses and calculations show that the QSH phase arises from a spin–orbit coupling (SOC)-induced s–p band inversion or p–p bandgap opening at Brillouin zone centre (Γ point), whose topological phase diagram is mapped out in the parameter space of orbital energy and SOC. Remarkably, based on first-principles calculations, this exact model of QSH phase is shown to be realizable in an experimental system of Au/GaAs(111) surface with an SOC gap of ∼73 meV, facilitating the possible room-temperature measurement. Our results will extend the search for substrate supported QSH materials to new lattice and orbital types. PMID:27599580

Interplay between the spin transfer and spin orbit torques on domain walls at the 5d/3d-alloy interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalitsov, Alan; Okatov, Sergey; Zarzhitsky, Pavel; Chshiev, Mairbek; Velev, Julian; Butler, William; Mryasov, Oleg

2014-03-01

The manipulations of domain wall (DW) in thin ferromagnetic layers by current and the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) have attracted significant interest. We report two band model calculations of the spin torque (ST) and the spin current (SC) at 5d/3d interfaces with head-to-head, Bloch and Neel DWs. These calculations are based on the non-equilibrium Green Function formalism and the tight binding Hamiltonian including the s-d exchange interactions and the Rashba SOC parameterized on the basis of ab-initio calculations for Fe/W, FeCo/Ta and Co/Pt interfaces. We find that SOC significantly modifies the ST and violates relations between the spin transfer torque and the divergence of the spin current. This work was supported in part by a Semiconductor Research Corporation program, sponsored by MARCO and DARPA.

Assessment on the rates and potentials of soil organic carbon sequestration in agricultural lands in Japan using a process-based model and spatially explicit land-use change inventories - Part 2: Future potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagasaki, Y.; Shirato, Y.

2014-08-01

Future potentials of the sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural lands in Japan were estimated using a simulation system we recently developed to simulate SOC stock change at country-scale under varying land-use change, climate, soil, and agricultural practices, in a spatially explicit manner. Simulation was run from 1970 to 2006 with historical inventories, and subsequently to 2020 with future scenarios of agricultural activity comprised of various agricultural policy targets advocated by the Japanese government. Furthermore, the simulation was run subsequently until 2100 while forcing no temporal changes in land-use and agricultural activity to investigate duration and course of SOC stock change at country scale. A scenario with an increased rate of organic carbon input to agricultural fields by intensified crop rotation in combination with the suppression of conversion of agricultural lands to other land-use types was found to have a greater reduction of CO2 emission by enhanced soil carbon sequestration, but only under a circumstance in which the converted agricultural lands will become settlements that were considered to have a relatively lower rate of organic carbon input. The size of relative reduction of CO2 emission in this scenario was comparable to that in another contrasting scenario (business-as-usual scenario of agricultural activity) in which a relatively lower rate of organic matter input to agricultural fields was assumed in combination with an increased rate of conversion of the agricultural fields to unmanaged grasslands through abandonment. Our simulation experiment clearly demonstrated that net-net-based accounting on SOC stock change, defined as the differences between the emissions and removals during the commitment period and the emissions and removals during a previous period (base year or base period of Kyoto Protocol), can be largely influenced by variations in future climate. Whereas baseline-based accounting, defined as differences between the net emissions in the accounting period and the ex ante estimation of net business-as-usual emissions for the same period, has robustness over variations in future climate and effectiveness to factor out some of the direct human-induced effects such as changing land-use and agricultural activity. Factors affecting uncertainties in the estimation of the country-scale potential of SOC sequestration were discussed, especially those related to estimation of the rate of organic carbon input to soils under different land-use types. Our study suggested that, in order to assist decision making of policy on agriculture, land management, and mitigation of global climate change, it is also important to take account of duration and time course of SOC sequestration, supposition on land-use change pattern in future, as well as feasibility of agricultural policy planning.

Soil carbon sequestration by three perennial legume pastures is greater in deeper soil layers than in the surface soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, X.-K.; Turner, N. C.; Song, L.; Gu, Y.-J.; Wang, T.-C.; Li, F.-M.

2015-07-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a vital role as both a sink for and source of atmospheric carbon. Revegetation of degraded arable land in China is expected to increase soil carbon sequestration, but the role of perennial legumes on soil carbon stocks in semiarid areas has not been quantified. In this study, we assessed the effect of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and two locally adapted forage legumes, bush clover (Lespedeza davurica S.) and milk vetch (Astragalus adsurgens Pall.) on the SOC concentration and SOC stock accumulated annually over a 2 m soil profile, and to estimate the long-term potential for SOC sequestration in the soil under the three forage legumes. The results showed that the concentration of SOC of the bare soil decreased slightly over the 7 years, while 7 years of legume growth substantially increased the concentration of SOC over the 0-2.0 m soil depth measured. Over the 7 year growth period the SOC stocks increased by 24.1, 19.9 and 14.6 Mg C ha-1 under the alfalfa, bush clover and milk vetch stands, respectively, and decreased by 4.2 Mg C ha-1 under bare soil. The sequestration of SOC in the 1-2 m depth of soil accounted for 79, 68 and 74 % of SOC sequestered through the upper 2 m of soil under alfalfa, bush clover and milk vetch, respectively. Conversion of arable land to perennial legume pasture resulted in a significant increase in SOC, particularly at soil depths below 1 m.

SOCS3 promoter hypermethylation is a favorable prognosticator and a novel indicator for G-CIMP-positive GBM patients.

PubMed

Feng, Ying; Wang, Zheng; Bao, Zhaoshi; Yan, Wei; You, Gan; Wang, Yinyan; Hu, Huimin; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Quangeng; Jiang, Tao

2014-01-01

Hypermethylation of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3(SOCS3) promoter has been reported to predict a poor prognosis in several cancers including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We explored the function of SOCS3 promoter hypermethylation in GBM cohorts, including analysis of the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), when a large number of gene loci are simultaneously hypermethylated. A whole genome promoter methylation profile was performed in a cohort of 33 GBM samples, with 13 long-term survivors (LTS; overall survival ≥ 18 months) and 20 short-term survivors (STS; overall survival ≤ 9 months). The SOCS3 promoter methylation status was compared between the two groups. In addition, we investigated the relationship of SOCS3 promoter methylation and G-CIMP status. Interestingly, in our present study, we found that SOCS3 promoter methylation was statistically significantly higher in the 13 LTS than that in the 20 STS. Furthermore, high SOCS3 promoter methylation detected via pyro-sequencing predicted a better prognosis in an independent cohort containing 62 GBM patients. This correlation was validated by the dataset from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA) and the Chinese Cancer Genome Atlas(CGGA). In addition, we found that hypermethylation of the SOCS3 promoter was tightly associated with the G-CIMP-positive GBM patients. Using a total of 359 clinical samples, we demonstrate that SOCS3 promoter hypermethylation status has a favorable prognostic value in GBM patients because of whole genome methylation status. Particularly, the hypermethylation of the SOCS3 promoter indicates positive G-CIMP status.

Stability of soil organic carbon changes in successive rotations of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) plantations.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Wang, Silong; Feng, Zongwei; Wang, Qingkui

2009-01-01

The importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) under forests in the global carbon cycle depends on the stability of the soil carbon and its availability to soil microbial biomass. We investigated the effects of successive rotations of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) plantations on the stability of SOC and its availability to microbes by adopting the two-step hydrolysis with H2SO4 and density fractionation. The results showed that successive rotations of Chinese fir decreased the quantity of total SOC, recalcitrant fraction, and carbohydrates in Labile Pool I (LP I), and microbial properties evidently, especially at 0-10 cm horizon. However, cellulose included in Labile Pool II (LP II) and the cellulose/total carbohydrates ratio increased in successive rotations of Chinese fir. The non-cellulose of carbohydrates included in LP I maybe highly available to soil microbial biomass. Hence the availability of SOC to microbial biomass declined over the successive rotations. Although there was no significant change in recalcitrance of SOC over the successive rotations of Chinese fir, the percentage of heavy fraction to total SOC increased, suggesting that the degree of physical protection for SOC increased and SOC became more stable over the successive rotations. The degradation of SOC quality in successive rotation soils may be attributed to worse environmental conditions resulted from disturbance that related to "slash and burn" site preparation. Being highly correlated with soil microbial properties, the cellulose/total carbohydrates ratio as an effective indicator of changes in availability of SOC to microbial biomass brought by management practices in forest soils.

Environmental controls on soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks in the high-altitude arid western Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiaodong; Zhao, Lin; Fang, Hongbing; Zhao, Yuguo; Smoak, Joseph M.; Pang, Qiangqiang; Ding, Yongjian

2016-01-01

While permafrost in the circum-Artic has great influence on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, this might not be the case in low-latitude arid permafrost regions. We test this hypothesis in the western Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) permafrost region. Fifty-nine soil profiles were analyzed to examine the SOC and TN distribution and the controlling factors in western QTP, which is a desert steppe ecoregion. Mean stocks of SOC (5.29 kg m-2) and TN (0.56 kg m-2) for the top 200 cm in this area were lower than those of the east QTP and circum-Arctic regions. The SOC and TN stocks under vegetative cover with permafrost conditions were significantly higher than those of desert conditions. The SOC and TN stocks for the layers of different depths were related to the content of clay, silt, and moisture. Although the active layer thickness (ALT) had a significant negative correlation to soil moisture, the ALT explained little or no variance in the SOC and TN stocks. The results showed that in the vast permafrost regions of the western QTP, the SOC and TN stocks are very low, and the main controlling factors for the SOC and TN are soil texture, moisture, and vegetation type. The SOC pool in this area may not be as vulnerable to degradation associated with climate warming and thus not emit greenhouse gases at the same rate as other permafrost regions. The different response of the SOC in this region should be considered in carbon cycling models.

Reduced Socs3 expression in adipose tissue protects female mice against obesity-induced insulin resistance

PubMed Central

Palanivel, R.; Fullerton, M. D.; Galic, S.; Honeyman, J.; Hewitt, K. A.; Jorgensen, S. B.; Steinberg, G. R.

2017-01-01

Aims/hypothesis Inflammation in obesity increases the levels of the suppressor of cytokine signalling-3 (SOCS3) protein in adipose tissue, but the physiological importance of this protein in regulating whole-body insulin sensitivity in obesity is not known. Methods We generated Socs3 floxed (wild-type, WT) and Socs3 aP2 (also known as Fabp4)-Cre null (Socs3 AKO) mice. Mice were maintained on either a regular chow or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks during which time body mass, adiposity, glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity were assessed. Results The HFD increased SOCS3 levels in adipose tissue of WT but not Socs3 AKO mice. WT and Socs3 AKO mice had similar body mass and adiposity, assessed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, irrespective of diet or sex. On a control chow diet there were no differences in insulin sensitivity or glucose tolerance. When fed a HFD, female but not male Socs3 AKO mice had improved glucose tolerance as well as lower fasting glucose and insulin levels compared with WT littermates. Hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic clamps and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging demonstrated that improved insulin sensitivity was due to elevated adipose tissue glucose uptake. Increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipose tissue was associated with enhanced levels and activating phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1). Conclusions/interpretation These data demonstrate that inhibiting SOCS3 production in adipose tissue of female mice is effective for improving whole-body insulin sensitivity in obesity. PMID:22872213

Constitutive expression of the K-domain of a Vaccinium corymbosum SOC1-like (VcSOC1-K) MADS-box gene is sufficient to promote flowering in tobacco.

PubMed

Song, Guo-qing; Walworth, Aaron; Zhao, Dongyan; Hildebrandt, Britton; Leasia, Michael

2013-11-01

The K-domain of a blueberry-derived SOC1 -like gene promotes flowering in tobacco without negatively impacting yield, demonstrating potential for manipulation of flowering time in horticultural crops. The SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) and SOC1-likes, belonging to the MIKC(c) (type II) MADS-box gene subfamily, are major floral activators and integrators of plant flowering. Both MADS-domains and K (Keratin)-domains are highly conserved in MIKC(c)-type MADS proteins. While there are many reports on overexpression of intact MIKC(c)-type MADS-box genes, few studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of the K-domains. In this report, a 474-bp K-domain of Vaccinium SOC1-like (VcSOC1-K) was cloned from the cDNA library of the northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). Functional analysis of the VcSOC1-K was conducted by ectopically expressing of 35S:VcSOC1-K in tobacco. Reverse transcription PCR confirmed expression of the VcSOC1-K in T0 plants. Phenotypically, T1 transgenic plants (10 T1 plants/event) flowered sooner after seeding, and were shorter with fewer leaves at the time of flowering, than nontransgenic plants; but seed pod production of transgenic plants was not significantly affected. These results demonstrate that overexpression of the K-domain of a MIKC(c)-type MADS-box gene alone is sufficient to promote early flowering and more importantly without affecting seed production.

Disentangling Sense of Coherence and Resilience in case of multiple traumas.

PubMed

Fossion, Pierre; Leys, Christophe; Kempenaers, Chantal; Braun, Stéphanie; Verbanck, Paul; Linkowski, Paul

2014-05-01

Depressive and anxiety disorders (DAD) are a major public health problem. Trauma endured during childhood is known to increase the risk of DAD in adulthood. We investigate the hypothesis that Sense of Coherence (SOC) is a mediator between childhood trauma and depressive and anxious symptoms (DAD) in adulthood. We also explore the nature (personality trait or aptitude) of SOC and attempt to disentangle the concepts of resilience and SOC. Former hidden children (FHC), the Jewish youths who spent World War II in various hideaway shelters across Nazi-occupied Europe, were compared with a control group. In each group we measured the presence of multiple traumas, the resilience with the Resilience Scale for Adults, the DAD with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist and the SOC with the SOC-13 self-report questionnaire. We tested a mediated moderation model with childhood Trauma as the predictor; Adulthood trauma as the moderator; SOC as the mediator; and DAD as the outcome variable. Results were consistent with a sensitization model of DAD partially mediated by SOC. A first component of SOC was similar to an aptitude and another part of SOC was more similar to a personality trait. We are unable to differentiate if the sensitization process is a consequence of the nature of the trauma endured by FHC (long-standing exposure to extreme external events) or a consequence of the fact that this first trauma occurred during childhood. Our results could account for the controversial debate regarding the life time stability of SOC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanoporous Polymeric Grating-Based Optical Biosensors (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

Tombelli, S.; Mascini, M.; Bilia, A; Bergonzi, M. C.; Vincieri, F. F. Talanta 2005, 65, 578-585. Haughey, S. A; Baxter, G. A J of AOAC Inter. 2006 , 89, 862...C.; Bowers, M. T. JAm. Chem. Soc 2006 , 128,8484-8492. (6) Wang, l et. al. Anal. Chim. Acta 1997, 347, 1-8. Jena, B. K.; Raj, C. R. Anal. Chem. 2006 ...78, 6332-6339. Hansen, J. A; Wang, l; Kawde, A; Xiang, Y.; Gothelf, K. V.; Collins, G JAm. Chem. Soc 2006 , 128,2228-2229. Huang, T; 14 Liu, M.; Knight

Evaluation of the revised Sense of Coherence scale in a sample of older adults: A means to assess resilience aspects.

PubMed

Mc Gee, Shauna L; Höltge, Jan; Maercker, Andreas; Thoma, Myriam V

2017-08-11

The present study evaluated the revised Sense of Coherence (SOC-R) scale in a sample of older adults, using an extended range of psychological concepts. It further examined the psychometric properties of the revised scale and tested the theoretical assumptions underpinning the SOC-R concept. The SOC-R scale was evaluated in 268 Swiss older adults (mean age = 66.9 years), including n = 15 heavily traumatized former indentured child labourers. Standardised questionnaires collected information on positive and negative life experiences, resources, current health, and well-being.  Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated good model fit for a second-order three-factor model of SOC-R with the factors manageability, balance, and reflection. Satisfactory convergent and discriminant correlations were shown with related psychological concepts, including neuroticism (r = -.32, p < .01), optimism (r = .31, p < .01), and general self-efficacy (r = .49, p < .01). SOC-R was not observed to differ by age group. Moderation analyses indicated that SOC-R moderated the relationship between certain early-life adversities and mental health. The study provides support for the psychometric properties and theoretical assumptions of SOC-R and suggests that SOC-R is a valid and reliable measure suitable for use with older adults. Future studies should employ longitudinal designs to examine the stability of SOC-R.

Anatomy of a Security Operations Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, John

2010-01-01

Many agencies and corporations are either contemplating or in the process of building a cyber Security Operations Center (SOC). Those Agencies that have established SOCs are most likely working on major revisions or enhancements to existing capabilities. As principle developers of the NASA SOC; this Presenters' goals are to provide the GFIRST community with examples of some of the key building blocks of an Agency scale cyber Security Operations Center. This presentation viII include the inputs and outputs, the facilities or shell, as well as the internal components and the processes necessary to maintain the SOC's subsistence - in other words, the anatomy of a SOC. Details to be presented include the SOC architecture and its key components: Tier 1 Call Center, data entry, and incident triage; Tier 2 monitoring, incident handling and tracking; Tier 3 computer forensics, malware analysis, and reverse engineering; Incident Management System; Threat Management System; SOC Portal; Log Aggregation and Security Incident Management (SIM) systems; flow monitoring; IDS; etc. Specific processes and methodologies discussed include Incident States and associated Work Elements; the Incident Management Workflow Process; Cyber Threat Risk Assessment methodology; and Incident Taxonomy. The Evolution of the Cyber Security Operations Center viII be discussed; starting from reactive, to proactive, and finally to proactive. Finally, the resources necessary to establish an Agency scale SOC as well as the lessons learned in the process of standing up a SOC viII be presented.

Genetic reduction of embryonic leukemia-inhibitory factor production rescues placentation in SOCS3-null embryos but does not prevent inflammatory disease.

PubMed

Robb, Lorraine; Boyle, Kristy; Rakar, Steven; Hartley, Lynne; Lochland, Janelle; Roberts, Andrew W; Alexander, Warren S; Metcalf, Donald

2005-11-08

The suppressor of cytokine-signaling (SOCS) proteins act as negative-feedback inhibitors of cytokine and growth-factor-induced signal transduction. In vivo studies have implicated SOCS3 as a negative regulator of signaling downstream of gp130, the receptor subunit shared by IL-6-like cytokines. Mice lacking SOCS3 die at midgestation because of placental failure, and SOCS3 ablation in a cell-type-specific manner results in changes in the functional outcome of gp130 signaling in response to IL-6. In this study, we show that genetic reduction of leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) production by embryo-derived tissues is sufficient to prevent the placental defect. This establishes LIF signaling as a major physiological regulator of trophoblast differentiation in vivo. Mice deficient in both SOCS3 and LIF are born in predicted numbers and appear normal at birth but exhibit failure to thrive and high neonatal mortality. Adult SOCS3-null mice on a LIF-null background succumb to a spontaneous fatal inflammatory disease characterized by neutrophilia and inflammatory-cell tissue infiltrates. The disease spectrum mimics that seen in mice with a conditional deletion of SOCS3 in hematopoietic and endothelial cells, extending the evidence for a major role for SOCS3 in the homeostatic regulation of the inflammatory response and indicates that LIF is not required for this process.

Genetic reduction of embryonic leukemia-inhibitory factor production rescues placentation in SOCS3-null embryos but does not prevent inflammatory disease

PubMed Central

Robb, Lorraine; Boyle, Kristy; Rakar, Steven; Hartley, Lynne; Lochland, Janelle; Roberts, Andrew W.; Alexander, Warren S.; Metcalf, Donald

2005-01-01

The suppressor of cytokine-signaling (SOCS) proteins act as negative-feedback inhibitors of cytokine and growth-factor-induced signal transduction. In vivo studies have implicated SOCS3 as a negative regulator of signaling downstream of gp130, the receptor subunit shared by IL-6-like cytokines. Mice lacking SOCS3 die at midgestation because of placental failure, and SOCS3 ablation in a cell-type-specific manner results in changes in the functional outcome of gp130 signaling in response to IL-6. In this study, we show that genetic reduction of leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) production by embryo-derived tissues is sufficient to prevent the placental defect. This establishes LIF signaling as a major physiological regulator of trophoblast differentiation in vivo. Mice deficient in both SOCS3 and LIF are born in predicted numbers and appear normal at birth but exhibit failure to thrive and high neonatal mortality. Adult SOCS3-null mice on a LIF-null background succumb to a spontaneous fatal inflammatory disease characterized by neutrophilia and inflammatory-cell tissue infiltrates. The disease spectrum mimics that seen in mice with a conditional deletion of SOCS3 in hematopoietic and endothelial cells, extending the evidence for a major role for SOCS3 in the homeostatic regulation of the inflammatory response and indicates that LIF is not required for this process. PMID:16258063

Sources and distribution of organic compounds using passive samplers in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona, and their implications for potential effects on aquatic biota.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosen, Michael R.; Alvarez, David A.; Goodbred, Steven L.; Leiker, Thomas J.; Patino, Reynaldo

2009-01-01

compounds (SOCs) at pg L-1 concentrations. Semi-permeable membrane devices and POCIS were deployed in Lake Mead, at two sites in Las Vegas Wash, at four sites across Lake Mead, and in the Colorado River downstream from Hoover Dam. Concentrations of hydrophobic SOCs were highest in Las Vegas Wash downstream from waste water and urban inputs and at 8 m depth in Las Vegas Bay (LVB) where Las Vegas Wash enters Lake Mead. Th e distribution of hydrophobic SOCs showed a lateral distribution across 10 km of Lake Mead from LVB to Boulder Basin. To assess possible vertical gradients of SOCs, SPMDs were deployed at 4-m intervals in 18 m of water in LVB. Fragrances and legacy SOCs were found at the greatest concentrations at the deepest depth. Th e vertical gradient of SOCs indicated that contaminants were generally confi ned to within 6 m of the lake bottom during the deployment interval. The high SOC concentrations, warmer water temperatures, and higher total dissolved solids concentrations at depth are indicative of a plume of Las Vegas Wash water moving along the lake bottom. Th e lateral and vertical distribution of SOCs is discussed in the context of other studies that have shown impaired health of fi sh exposed to SOCs.

Motivational stage of change in young patients undergoing day treatment for eating disorders.

PubMed

Bustin, Lisa A; Lane-Loney, Susan E; Hollenbeak, Christopher S; Ornstein, Rollyn M

2013-01-01

The objective was to determine whether motivation to change is significantly altered over the course of partial hospitalization in children and adolescents with eating disorders (EDs). This study was a retrospective chart review of 30 sets of adolescents and their parents who completed the Motivational Stage of Change for Adolescents Recovering from an Eating Disorder (MSCARED) at both intake and discharge from partial hospitalization. The main outcome variables included change in stage of change (SOC) for patients and their parents. Secondary outcomes included correlations between SOC and other baseline variables, as well as changes in SOC and psychological test scores. The SOC was significantly higher at discharge than at intake in both the patients and parents, but the two groups were not in agreement at discharge. The change in the SOC was correlated with change in Children's Eating Attitudes Test scores. Assessment of decisional balance showed correlations with SOC. Age, change in weight, and psychiatric diagnoses did not correlate with initial SOC. The MSCARED may be a useful tool for monitoring young ED patients' psychological improvements with day treatment. Initial SOC is not predictive of treatment outcomes.

Decadally cycling soil carbon is more sensitive to warming than faster-cycling soil carbon.

PubMed

Lin, Junjie; Zhu, Biao; Cheng, Weixin

2015-12-01

The response of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools to globally rising surface temperature crucially determines the feedback between climate change and the global carbon cycle. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the temperature sensitivity of decomposition for decadally cycling SOC which is the main component of total soil carbon stock and the most relevant to global change. We tackled this issue using two decadally (13) C-labeled soils and a much improved measuring system in a long-term incubation experiment. Results indicated that the temperature sensitivity of decomposition for decadally cycling SOC (>23 years in one soil and >55 years in the other soil) was significantly greater than that for faster-cycling SOC (<23 or 55 years) or for the entire SOC stock. Moreover, decadally cycling SOC contributed substantially (35-59%) to the total CO2 loss during the 360-day incubation. Overall, these results indicate that the decomposition of decadally cycling SOC is highly sensitive to temperature change, which will likely make this large SOC stock vulnerable to loss by global warming in the 21st century and beyond. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Exploring managers' views on span of control: more than a headcount.

PubMed

Wong, Carol A; Elliott-Miller, Pat; Laschinger, Heather; Cuddihy, Michael; Meyer, Raquel M; Keatings, Margaret; Burnett, Camille; Szudy, Natalie

2014-03-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore front-line managers' (FLMs') perceptions of their span of control (SOC) and how they manage it. As part of a larger quantitative study examining relationships between FLMs' SOC and performance outcomes, 10 manager focus groups were conducted by teleconference, involving 48 managers from 14 academic healthcare organizations. Themes and subthemes were identified according to (a) perceptions of the size and scope of SOC; (b) factors influencing the complexity of SOC; (c) supports needed to manage SOC; (d) changing leadership style; and (e) ways of coping with role overload. Participants described system demands as a significant contributor to their work responsibilities and a sense of role overload. About half of managers stated their SOC was unreasonable and that they lacked the necessary supports to manage it. Many managers who described their SOC as reasonable still expressed concerns about internal and external workload pressures that contributed to changing leadership style and role overload. Findings reinforce the importance of organizational strategies to create regular dialogue with FLMs regarding the size, complexity and appropriateness of current spans and to provide the resource supports necessary to ensure they can manage their SOC effectively.

Sense of community responsibility in community collaboratives: advancing a theory of community as resource and responsibility.

PubMed

Nowell, Branda; Boyd, Neil M

2014-12-01

This paper contributes to the growing body of scholarship aimed at advancing our understanding of the experience of community by empirically investigating sense of community responsibility (SOC-R) in relation to traditional measures of sense of community (SOC) and indices of satisfaction, engagement, and leadership in interorganizational collaborative settings. Findings support the proposition that, although both are related to the experience of community, SOC and SOC-R emphasize different aspects of that experience and operate under different theoretical mechanisms of influence. SOC emphasizes community as a resource which was found to be a more salient aspect in differentiating those who will be more or less satisfied with their experience. In addition, SOC was found to predict general participation in a community collaborative. SOC-R emphasizes the experience of community as a responsibility which appears to be a stronger predictor in explaining higher order engagement requiring greater investment of time and resources. Even more importantly, this study indicates that SOC-R is uniquely equipped to help us advance models of community leadership. As such, it represents an important contribution to expanding our understanding of the factors that drive members' willingness to give of themselves toward collective aims.

Influence of Agricultural Management on Soil Organic Carbon: A Compendium and Assessment of Canadian Studies

DOE Data Explorer

VandenBygaart, A. J. [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottowa, Canada; Gregorich, E. G. [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottowa, Canada; Angers, D. A. [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottowa, Canada

2004-01-01

To fulfill commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada is required to provide verifiable estimates and uncertainties for soil oganic carbon (SOC) stocks, and for changes in those stocks over time. Estimates and uncertainties for agricultural soils can be derived from long-term studies that have measured differences in SOC between different management practices. We compiled published data from long-term studies in Canada to assess the effect of agricultural management on SOC. A total of 62 studies were compiled, in which the difference in SOC was determined for conversion from native land to cropland, and for different tillage, crop rotation and fertilizer management practices. There was a loss of 24 ± 6% of the SOC after native land was converted to agricultural land. No-till (NT) increased the storage of SOC in western Canada by 2.9 ± 1.3 Mg ha–1; however, in eastern Canada conversion to NT did not increase SOC.

Knock your SOCS off!

PubMed Central

LeRoith, Derek; Nissley, Peter

2005-01-01

The growth hormone/IGF-1–signaling (GH/IGF-1–signaling) system is involved in numerous physiological processes during normal growth and development and also in the aging process. Understanding the regulation of this system is therefore of importance to the biologist. Studies conducted over the past decade have shown that the JAK/STAT pathways are involved in GH signaling to the nucleus. More recently, evidence has been presented that a member of the SOCS family, SOCS2, is a negative regulator of GH signaling. This story began several years ago with the dramatic demonstration of gigantism in the SOCS2-knockout mouse. A more specific definition of the role of SOCS2 in GH signaling is provided in this issue of the JCI by the demonstration that the overgrowth phenotype of the SOCS2–/– mouse is dependent upon the presence of endogenous GH and that administration of GH to mice lacking both endogenous GH and SOCS2 produced excessive growth. PMID:15690080

Evaluation of SOC for the presumptive identification of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans.

PubMed

Fleming, W H; Knezek, K L; Dorn, G L

1987-01-01

SOC, a fungal growth medium composed of Solryth, oxgall, and caffeic acid, was evaluated as a medium to provide rapid, differential identification of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Using a variety of common isolation media to produce the yeast inocula, the germ tube methods tested ranked in the following order of decreasing sensitivity: SOC (97% +/- 1), serum (92% +/- 5), rabbit coagulase plasma with EDTA in combination with tryptic soy broth (89% +/- 5), TOC (89% +/- 6), and rabbit coagulase plasma with EDTA (83% +/- 4). In chlamydospore production, SOC also proved to be the most sensitive after 24 h incubation: SOC (96% +/- 2), TOC (80% +/- 2), and cornmeal-Tween 80 agar (14% +/- 3). Other medically important yeasts showed normal patterns of growth within 24 h on SOC, thus assisting in their identification. Eighty strains of Cryptococcus neoformans showed characteristic brown pigmentation on SOC and TOC within 18 h, while all other species of the genus Cryptococcus and 229 Candida isolates did not show a change in pigmentation.

Interactions between soil and tree roots accelerate long-term soil carbon decomposition.

PubMed

Dijkstra, Feike A; Cheng, Weixin

2007-11-01

Decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) is the main process governing the release of CO(2) into the atmosphere from terrestrial systems. Although the importance of soil-root interactions for SOC decomposition has increasingly been recognized, their long-term effect on SOC decomposition remains poorly understood. Here we provide experimental evidence for a rhizosphere priming effect, in which interactions between soil and tree roots substantially accelerate SOC decomposition. In a 395-day greenhouse study with Ponderosa pine and Fremont cottonwood trees grown in three different soils, SOC decomposition in the planted treatments was significantly greater (up to 225%) than in soil incubations alone. This rhizosphere priming effect persisted throughout the experiment, until well after initial soil disturbance, and increased with a greater amount of root-derived SOC formed during the experiment. Loss of old SOC was greater than the formation of new C, suggesting that increased C inputs from roots could result in net soil C loss.