scholarly journals The14C Content of Modern Vegetation Samples from the Flanks of the Katla Volcano, Southern Iceland

Radiocarbon ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Shore ◽  
G. T. Cook ◽  
A. J. Dugmore
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Central Complex ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Volcanic Emissions ◽  
Tephra Fall ◽  
Vegetation Samples ◽  
Katla Volcano

Samples of living terrestrial plants comprising a moss (Calliergon sp.), Carex spp. and Alchemilla spp. were collected from the surface of the mire at Engimýri in Mýrdalur, southern Iceland, 10 km from the crater rim of the central complex of the Katla volcano. This area is 16 km from the fissures active in ad 1918 and was directly affected by the tephra fall. Although there is no hot-spring or fumerole activity in the area, sufficient volcanic activity during the weeks preceding sample collection produced a strong sulphurous odor in the streams. As part of a large-scale dating program, we analyzed the modern vegetation to determine whether anomalies caused by the uptake of “old” volcanic CO2 were apparent. The results showed 14C values for the Calliergon sp., Carex spp. and Alchemilla spp. of 113.2 ± 0.6 pMC, 113.03 ± 0.52 pMC and 113.10 ± 0.6 pMC, respectively. The δ13CPDB values were −28.7‰, −28.0‰ and −27.0‰, respectively. Similar vegetation, i.e., terrestrial plants from a marsh environment in southern Scotland, were also analyzed as a comparison and gave 14C values of 113.16 ± 0.55 and 112.98 ± 0.59 pMC. The implication is that Icelandic vegetation at Engimýri is not affected by “old” carbon from volcanic emissions and dates obtained for this Icelandic peat are acceptable and directly comparable with Scottish peat.

scholarly journals Factors Enhancing Serum Syndecan-1 Concentrations: A Large-Scale Comprehensive Medical Examination

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1320
Author(s):  
Kazumasa Oda ◽  
Hideshi Okada ◽  
Akio Suzuki ◽  
Hiroyuki Tomita ◽  
Ryo Kobayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Endothelial Glycocalyx ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Triglyceride Concentration ◽  
Medical Examinations

Endothelial disorders are related to various diseases. An initial endothelial injury is characterized by endothelial glycocalyx injury. We aimed to evaluate endothelial glycocalyx injury by measuring serum syndecan-1 concentrations in patients during comprehensive medical examinations. A single-center, prospective, observational study was conducted at Asahi University Hospital. The participants enrolled in this study were 1313 patients who underwent comprehensive medical examinations at Asahi University Hospital from January 2018 to June 2018. One patient undergoing hemodialysis was excluded from the study. At enrollment, blood samples were obtained, and study personnel collected demographic and clinical data. No treatments or exposures were conducted except for standard medical examinations and blood sample collection. Laboratory data were obtained by the collection of blood samples at the time of study enrolment. According to nonlinear regression, the concentrations of serum syndecan-1 were significantly related to age (p = 0.016), aspartic aminotransferase concentration (AST, p = 0.020), blood urea nitrogen concentration (BUN, p = 0.013), triglyceride concentration (p < 0.001), and hematocrit (p = 0.006). These relationships were independent associations. Endothelial glycocalyx injury, which is reflected by serum syndecan-1 concentrations, is related to age, hematocrit, AST concentration, BUN concentration, and triglyceride concentration.

scholarly journals Leucistic Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola L.) occurrences in Hungary from the second half of the 19th century to the present day

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-114
Author(s):  
Attila Bende ◽  
Angéla Király ◽  
Richárd lászló
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Hungarian Literature ◽  
Scolopax Rusticola ◽  
Large Scale Analysis ◽  
Genetic Abnormalities ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Colour Changes ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
White Colour

Abstract Publications about curiosities are known in the Hungarian and international ornithological literature since the 1800s. Although studies explaining the processes of pigmentation dysfunctions have been known since the mid-nineteenth century, these specimens still appear only as curiosities in the professional press and the terminology used to specify them is generally incorrect. The analysed genetic abnormalities causing white colour varieties in Woodcock (albinism, leucism, Ino) are due to mutations. By briefly describing the biological background of the defects, this work helps detect colour changes. In this article, we provide a broad overview of partially or completely white Woodcocks (n = 23 expl.) found in international (8 countries) and Hungarian literature. We have supplemented the literature background with our own studies. The large-scale analysis of the variability of colours and patterns was made possible by the countrywide wing sample collection within the biometric module of Woodcock Monitoring, which has been running under the coordination of the Hungarian Hunting Conservation Association since 2010. Within this framework, 12,078 samples were analysed between 2010–2018. We found that pigment deficiency occurred in the sample set only with a proportion of 0.01%. Based on the Hungarian literature and our own samples, we presented the known occurrences on maps of the state territory with boundaries before and after 1921, indicating the causes of patterns of occurrence by migration and frequencies of occurrence.

Broadscale evaluation of the sedimentary Hg proxy for volcanism – insights from data compilation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost Frieling ◽  
Isabel Fendley ◽  
Tamsin Mather
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Sediment Chemistry ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Gaseous Emissions ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
Volcanic Emissions ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
The Past ◽  
Data Compilation

&lt;p&gt;Over the past few years, mercury (Hg) concentrations in (predominantly) marine sediments have gained widespread attention as a far-field, high-temporal resolution proxy for deep-time enhanced volcanic activity. The primary focus of these Hg studies has been a range of events in the past 500 million years; mostly larger and smaller mass extinctions and periods of high-amplitude climate change. As a result, sedimentary Hg data reinforced the notion many of these events are indeed coeval with and hypothesized causally connected to large igneous provinces (LIPs).&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, relatively poor constraints on long-term dispersal of emissions through the marine and terrestrial biosphere, accumulation and preservation mechanisms of Hg pose difficulties for its use as a qualitative proxy for enhanced volcanic emissions. As a result, using sedimentary Hg for detailed modeling of Hg cycling or past gaseous emissions of magmatic volatiles, e.g. carbon and sulfur, and by extension environmental impact, remains speculative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The use of Hg normalization to common Hg-binding sedimentary components such as organic carbon (TOC), Fe or Al provides a basic means of comparing relative Hg loading within a sedimentary sequence. Yet, normalizing Hg to these major sedimentary components relies on simple linear relations and this approach often leaves substantial variance. While the high Hg concentrations have usually been ascribed to variability in volcanic activity, there are likely other factors that may invoke changes in the Hg concentrations in sediments, or mask Hg emitted by volcanism such as amount or type and flux of organic matter being deposited in basins and oxygenation of water and local sediments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To evaluate potential confounding factors, we compiled published Hg, TOC and bulk and trace element data, modern and deep-time events, periods with and without known anomalous volcanic activity and cover a range of depositional settings. We find that the depositional setting, as inferred from lithology and bulk sediment chemistry exerts a major control on the overall concentrations of Hg. Differences in Hg loading between time-correlative deposits persist after normalization to major sedimentary components, likely as a result of a complex interplay between various spatial and environmental factors. Our data compilation further allows us to explore the potential of establishing a range for background Hg values and variability through different periods of geological deep-time. Collectively, such constraints can aid the understanding of changes induced by environmental factors or volcanic emissions and inform Hg-cycling models.&lt;/p&gt;

Probabilistic assessment of tephra fall hazards in Japan using a tephra fall distribution database

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimpei Uesawa ◽  
Kiyoshi Toshida ◽  
Shingo Takeuchi ◽  
Daisuke Miura
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Interpolation Method ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Borehole Data ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Tephra Fall ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Hazard Curves

Abstract Tephra falls can disrupt critical infrastructure, including transportation and electricity networks. Probabilistic assessments of tephra fall hazards have been performed using computational techniques, but it is also important to integrate long-term, regional geological records. To assess tephra fall load hazards in Japan, we re-digitized an existing database of 551 tephra distribution maps. We used the re-digitized datasets to produce hazard curves for a range of tephra loads for various localities. We calculated annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) and constructed hazard curves from the most complete part of the geological record. We used records of tephra fall events with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 4–7 (based on survivor functions) that occurred over the last 150 ka, as the database contains a very high percentage (around 90%) of VEI 4–7 events for this period. We fitted the data for this period using a Poisson distribution function. Hazard curves were constructed for the tephra fall load at 47 prefectural offices throughout Japan, and four broad regions were defined (NE–W, NE–E, W, and SW Japan). AEPs were relatively high, exceeding 1 × 10 −4 for loads greater than 0 kg/m 2 on the eastern (down-wind) side of the volcanic front in the NE–E region. In much of the W and SW regions, maximum loads were heavier, but AEPs were lower (<10 −4 ). Tephras from large (VEI ≥ 6) events are the predominant hazard in every region. A parametric analysis was applied to investigate regional variability using AEP diagrams and slope shape parameters via curve fitting with exponential and double-exponential decay functions. Two major differences were recognized between the hazard curves from borehole data and those from the digitized tephra database. The first is a significant underestimation of AEP for frequent events using the tephra database, by one to two orders of magnitude. This is explained in terms of the lack of records for smaller tephra fall events in the database. The second is an overestimation of the heaviest tephra load events, which differ by a factor of two to three. This difference might be due to the tephra fall distribution contour interpolation methodology used to generate the original database. The hazard curve for Tokyo developed in this study differs from those that have been generated previously using computational techniques. For the Tokyo region, the probabilities and tephra loads produced by computational methods are at least one order of magnitude greater than those generated during the present study. These discrepancies are inferred to have been caused by initial parameter settings in the computational simulations, including their incorporation of large-scale eruptions of up to VEI = 7 for all large stratovolcanoes, regardless of their eruptive histories. To improve the precision of the digital database, we plan to incorporate recent (since 2003) tephra distributions, revise questionable isopach maps, and develop an improved interpolation method for digitizing tephra fall distributions.

scholarly journals Challenges in uncovering non-invasive biomarkers of endometriosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 245 (5) ◽  
pp. 437-447
Author(s):  
Quanah J Hudson ◽  
Alexandra Perricos ◽  
Rene Wenzl ◽  
Iveta Yotova
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biomarker Discovery ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Cohort Selection

Endometriosis affects up to 10% of women of childbearing age, causing symptoms that can include chronic pelvic pain and reduced fertility. The symptoms are not specific to the disease and can be confused with other gynecological conditions or normal menstruation. Currently, the disease can be only definitively diagnosed by laparoscopy, as no clinically accepted biomarker exists. Biomarker discovery can either follow a hypothesis-driven approach selecting targets to be tested based on current knowledge of the disease, or take an unbiased high-throughput screening “omics” approach, such as transcriptomics or proteomics, to identify markers that are unique or elevated in accessible bodily fluids of patients with the disease. Numerous studies have been conducted using these approaches to try and identify endometriosis biomarkers, but variabilities in study design, cohort selection, and analysis, together with the fact that most studies were small-scale, have made independent validation of biomarker candidates difficult. Therefore, efforts are underway to standardize cohort selection, patient data, and sample collection to allow better cross-study comparisons. Large scale multi-center studies using this standardized approach are necessary to validate existing endometriosis biomarker candidates and uncover potential new markers. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of the disease, it is likely that a panel of biomarkers will be necessary to diagnose and categorize endometriosis. Impact statement Endometriosis is a common disease affecting reproductive age women, which is associated with chronic pain and reduced fertility reducing the quality of life of many women. Definitive diagnosis requires invasive laparoscopic surgery creating a high barrier to diagnosis that can delay the onset of treatment significantly. Clinically approved biomarkers of endometriosis are currently lacking, making the discovery and validation of biomarkers that would lead to earlier diagnosis a priority for improving treatment of the disease.

scholarly journals Measurement of Glycated Hemoglobin A1c from Dried Blood by Turbidimetric Immunoassay

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1203-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramakrishnan Lakshmy ◽  
Ruby Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Whole Blood ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hemoglobin A1c ◽  
Glycated Hemoglobin ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Dried Blood Spots ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Blood Spots ◽  
Glycated Hemoglobin A1c ◽  
The Impact

Background: Glycated hemoglobin A1c (A1C) is an important marker in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Dried blood measurement of A1C is useful in large scale epidemiological evaluation of A1C, especially to assess the impact of intervention programs. The possibility of using dried blood for measurement of A1C by the immunoturbidimetric method was explored in the present study. Method: Blood was collected from 30 patients, and blood spots were prepared and dried. The dried blood spot samples were kept for different lengths of time at 4°C to assess stability. Glycated hemoglobin was measured in whole blood and dried blood on the day of collection as well as on days 10 and 15 by immunoturbidimetric method. Results: The A1C values of 30 samples analyzed for comparison between whole blood estimation and dried blood ranged from 4.6% to 9.9%. The mean A1C on the day of sample collection was 6.01% ± 1.58% in fresh whole blood samples and 5.94% ± 1.58 % in dried blood spots. A linear and highly correlated relationship was observed between dried blood A1C values and those in whole blood ( r = 0.986 and intraclass correlation value = 0.993). Glycated hemoglobin values on day 10 and day 15 were comparable with the values on day 1 with a shift in mean of just 1% on day 10 and 3.04% on day 15. Conclusion: In conclusion, dried blood can be used for measurement of A1C by immunoturbidimetric method, and further stability of A1C measurement from dried blood for up to 15 days at 4°C makes it an ideal matrix for transportation in developing countries like India.

scholarly journals Feasibility of High-Throughput Genome-Wide Genotyping using DNA from Stored Buccal Cell Samples

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. BMI.S5062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie J. Loomis ◽  
Lana M. Olson ◽  
Louis R. Pasquale ◽  
Janey Wiggs ◽  
Daniel Mirel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Buccal Cell ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Dna Concentration ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Cell Sample

It is unclear if buccal cell samples contain sufficient human DNA with adequately sized fragments for high throughput genetic bioassays. Yet buccal cell sample collection is an attractive alternative to gathering blood samples for genetic epidemiologists engaged in large-scale genetic biomarker studies. We assessed the genotyping efficiency (GE) and genotyping concordance (GC) of buccal cell DNA samples compared to corresponding blood DNA samples, from 32 Nurses' Health Study (NHS) participants using the Illumina Infinium 660W-Quad platform. We also assessed how GE and GC accuracy varied as a function of DNA concentration using serial dilutions of buccal DNA samples. Finally we determined the nature and genomic distribution of discordant genotypes in buccal DNA samples. The mean GE of undiluted buccal cell DNA samples was high (99.32%), as was the GC between the paired buccal and blood samples (99.29%). GC between the dilutions versus the undiluted buccal DNA was also very high (>97%), though both GE and GC notably declined at DNA concentrations less than 5 ng/μl. Most (>95%) genotype determinations in buccal cell samples were of the “missing call” variety (as opposed to the “alternative genotype call” variety) across the spectrum of buccal DNA concentrations studied. Finally, for buccal DNA concentration above 1.7 ng/ul, discordant genotyping calls did not cluster in any particular chromosome. Buccal cell-derived DNA represents a viable alternative to blood DNA for genotyping on a high-density platform.

Sample Quality Criteria

2015 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A Ramsey ◽  
Claas Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Representative Sampling ◽  
Sample Quality ◽  
Incorrect Decision

Abstract The concept of Sample Quality Criteria (SQC) is the initial step in the scientific approach to representative sampling. It includes the establishment of sampling objectives, Decision Unit (DU), and confidence. Once fully defined, these criteria serve as input, in addition to material properties, to the Theory of Sampling for developing a representative sampling protocol. The first component of the SQC establishes these questions: What is the analyte(s) of concern? What is the concentration level of interest of the analyte(s)? How will inference(s) be made from the analytical data to the DU? The second component ofthe SQC establishes the DU, i.e., the scale at whichdecisions are to be made. On a large scale, a DU could be a ship or rail car; examples for small-scale DUs are individual beans, seeds, or kernels. A well-defined DU is critical because it defines the spatialand temporal boundaries of sample collection. SQC are not limited to a single DU; they can also include multiple DUs. The third SQC component, the confidence, establishes the desired probability that a correct inference (decision) can be made. The confidence level should typically correlate to the potential consequences of an incorrect decision (e.g., health or economic). The magnitude of combined errors in the sampling, sample processing and analytical protocols determines the likelihood of an incorrect decision. Thus, controlling error to a greater extent increases the probability of a correct decision. The required confidence level directly affects the sampling effort and QC measures.

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