Emissions of methane from northern peatlands: a review of management impacts and implications for future management options

Northern peatlands constitute a significant source of atmospheric methane (CH₄). However, management of undisturbed peatlands, as well as the restoration of disturbed peatlands, will alter the exchange of CH₄ with the atmosphere. The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to collate and analyze published studies to improve our understanding of the factors that control CH₄ emissions and the impacts of management on the gas flux from northern (latitude 40° to 70°N) peatlands. The analysis includes a total of 87 studies reporting measurements of CH₄ emissions taken at 186 sites covering different countries, peatland types, and management systems. Results show that CH₄ emissions from natural northern peatlands are highly variable with a 95% CI of 7.6–15.7 g C m^?2 year^?1 for the mean and 3.3–6.3 g C m^?2 year^?1 for the median. The overall annual average (mean ± SD) is 12 ± 21 g C m^?2 year^?1 with the highest emissions from fen ecosystems. Methane emissions from natural peatlands are mainly controlled by water table (WT) depth, plant community composition, and soil pH. Although mean annual air temperature is not a good predictor of CH₄ emissions by itself, the interaction between temperature, plant community cover, WT depth, and soil pH is important. According to short‐term forecasts of climate change, these complex interactions will be the main determinant of CH₄ emissions from northern peatlands. Drainage significantly (p < .05) reduces CH₄ emissions to the atmosphere, on average by 84%. Restoration of drained peatlands by rewetting or vegetation/rewetting increases CH₄ emissions on average by 46% compared to the original premanagement CH₄ fluxes. However, to fully evaluate the net effect of management practice on the greenhouse gas balance from high latitude peatlands, both net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and carbon exports need to be considered.     

The comparison of miRNAs that respond to anti-breast cancer drugs and usnic acid for the treatment of breast cancer

This study was designed to compare usnic acid with anti-breast cancer drug molecules (A-BCDM) routinely used in the treatment of breast cancer. The miRNA information of 17 anti-breast cancer drug used in breast cancer treatment was obtained from the Small Molecule-miRNA Network-Based Inferance (SMIR-NBI) tool. We had been determined common and different expressed miRNAs between 17 A-BCDM & usnic acid and were classified according to the common miRNAs to reveal molecular similarity. As a result of the bioinformatic analyzes, 20 common miRNAs were determined between 17 A-BCDM and usnic acid. The common miRNAs were analyzed with bioinformatic tolls for determining pathways and targets. The most common miRNAs for 6 of 17 A-BCDM and usnic acid were determined as miR-374a-5p and miR-26a-5p. We compared the anti-proliferative effect of usnic acid and one of the 17 A-BCDM that tamoxifen on MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cell with real-time cell analysis system. The real time PCR assay was carried out with miR-26a-5p for evaluate to expression level of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell and MCF-12A non-cancerous epithelial breast cell. As a result of study, usnic acid as novel candidate drug molecule showed high similarity ratio with 5-Fluorouracil, Sulindac Sulfide, Curcumin and Cisplatin A-BCDM used in treatment of breast cancer. miR-26a-5p as common response miRNA of usnic acid and tamoxifen was showed a decreased level of expression by validated qRT-PCR assay. The obtained from study, in addition to 17 A-BCDM, usnic acid has also the potential to be used as a candidate molecule in the treatment of breast cancer. Moreover, miR-26a-5p might be used as a biomarker in the treatment of breast cancer but further analysis is required.     

Cost of anaesthesia.

The major contributory factor to the cost of anesthesia today are the increases in medical salaries that have kept pace with inflation, commanding 68% of the total expenditure. The current position has been compared with that of 20 years ago. This outline could be used as a framework for departmental budgeting.     

SNARE-mediated lipid mixing depends on the physical state of the vesicles

Reconstitution experiments have suggested that N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins constitute a minimal membrane fusion machinery but have yielded contradictory results, and it is unclear whether the mechanism of membrane merger is related to the stalk mechanism that underlies physiological membrane fusion. Here we show that reconstitution of solubilized neuronal SNAREs into preformed 100 nm liposomes (direct method) yields proteoliposomes with more homogeneous sizes and protein densities than the standard reconstitution method involving detergent cosolubilization of proteins and lipids. Standard reconstitutions yield slow but efficient lipid mixing at high protein densities and variable amounts of lipid mixing at moderate protein densities. However, the larger, more homogenous proteoliposomes prepared by the direct method yield almost no lipid mixing at moderate protein densities. These results suggest that the lipid mixing observed for standard reconstitutions is dominated by the physical state of the membrane, perhaps due to populations of small vesicles (or micelles) with high protein densities and curvature stress created upon reconstitution. Accordingly, changing membrane spontaneous curvature by adding lysophospholipids inhibits the lipid mixing observed for standard reconstitutions. Our data indicate that the lipid mixing caused by high SNARE densities and/or curvature stress occurs by a stalk mechanism resembling the mechanism of fusion between biological membranes, but the neuronal SNAREs are largely unable to induce lipid mixing at physiological protein densities and limited curvature stress.     

Modeled spatial assessment of biomass productivity and technical potential of Miscanthus × giganteus,Panicum virgatum L., and Jatropha on marginal land in China

This article identifies marginal land technically available for the production of energy crops in China, compares three models of yield prediction for Miscanthus × giganteus, Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass), and Jatropha, and estimates their spatially specific yields and technical potential for 2017. Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of land use maps estimated that 185 Mha of marginal land was technically available for energy crops in China without using areas currently used for food production. Modeled yields were projected for Miscanthus × giganteus, a GIS‐based Environmental Policy Integrated Climate model for switchgrass and Global Agro‐Ecological Zone model for Jatropha. GIS analysis and MiscanFor estimated more than 120 Mha marginal land was technically available for Miscanthus with a total potential of 1,761 dry weight metric million tonne (DW Mt)/year. A total of 284 DW Mt/year of switchgrass could be obtained from 30 Mha marginal land, with an average yield of 9.5 DW t ha^?1 year^?1. More than 35 Mha marginal land was technically available for Jatropha, delivering 9.7 Mt/year of Jatropha seed. The total technical potential from available marginal land was calculated as 31.7 EJ/year for Miscanthus, 5.1 EJ/year for switchgrass, and 0.13 EJ/year for Jatropha. A total technical bioenergy potential of 34.4 EJ/year was calculated by identifying best suited crop for each 1 km² grid cell based on the highest energy value among the three crops. The results indicate that the technical potential per hectare of Jatropha is unable to compete with that of the other two crops in each grid cell. This modeling study provides planners with spatial overviews that demonstrate the potential of these crops and where biomass production could be potentially distributed in China which needs field trials to test model assumptions and build experience necessary to translate into practicality.     

Projections of global and UK bioenergy potential from Miscanthus × giganteus—Feedstock yield,carbon cycling and electricity generation in the 21st century

In this article, we modify bioenergy model MiscanFor investigating global and UK potentials for Miscanthus × giganteus as a bioenergy resource for carbon capture in the 21st century under the RCP 2.6 climate scenario using SSP2 land use projections. UK bioenergy land projections begin in the 2040s, 60 year average is 0.47 Mega ha rising to 1.9 Mega ha (2090s). Our projections estimate UK energy generation of 0.09 EJ/year (60 year average) and 0.37 EJ/year (2090s), under stable miscanthus yields of 12 t ha^?1 year^?1. We estimate aggregated UK soil carbon (C) increases of 0.09 Mt C/year (60 year average) and 0.14 Mt C/year (2090s) with C capture plus sequestration rate of 2.8 Mt C/year (60 year average) and 10.49 Mt C/year (2090s). Global bioenergy land use begins in 2010, 90 year average is 0.13 Gha rising to 0.19 Gha by the 2090s, miscanthus projections give a 90 year average energy generation of 16 EJ/year, rising to 26.7 EJ/year by the 2090s. The largest national capabilities for yield, energy and C increase are projected to be Brazil and China. Ninety year average global miscanthus yield of 1 Gt/year will be 1.7 Gt/year by the 2090s. Global soil C sequestration increases less with time, from a century average of 73.6 Mt C/year to 42.9 Mt C/year by the 2090s with C capture plus sequestration rate of 0.54 Gt C/year (60 year average) and 0.81 Gt C/year (2090s). M. giganteus could provide just over 5% of the bioenergy requirement by the 2090s to satisfy the RCP 2.6 SSP2 climate scenario. The choice of global land use data introduces a potential source of error. In reality, multiple bioenergy sources will be used, best suited to local conditions, but results highlight global requirements for development in bioenergy crops, infrastructure and support.     

Comprehensive genome analysis of a novel actinobacterium with high potential for biotechnological applications,Nonomuraea aridisoli sp. nov., isolated from desert soil

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - During a study to isolate such actinobacteria with unique metabolic potential, a novel actinobacterium, designated KC333T, was isolated from a soil sample collected from...     

How does bioenergy compare with other land‐based renewable energy sources globally?

The potential power generation from land‐based bioenergy is predicted globally using a computer model. Simultaneous consideration of land use, cost and carbon restrictions enables practical evaluation of net power output. Comparisons are made with wind and solar power, and a sensitivity analysis is used to explore the effects of different policy assumptions. Biomass is shown to offer only moderate power‐generating potential, and would satisfy less than half of current demand even if all suitable existing arable land were used to grow bioenergy crops. However, bioenergy can be cheap to generate given current economics, and is able to remove atmospheric carbon in some cases if coupled with carbon capture and storage. Wind turbines are able to provide more power globally, but photovoltaic solar panels are the only source considered with the potential to satisfy existing demand. Since land‐based bioenergy is also restricted by the need to grow food for an expanding population, and technological developments are likely to greatly increase the viability of other renewable sources, the role of land‐based bioenergy appears relatively limited and short‐term.     

Syntheses,characterization, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of pyridine-2,5-dicarboxylate complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline

In this study, four mononuclear M(II)-pyridine-2,5-dicarboxylate (M = Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with pyridine-2,5-dicarboxylic acid or isocinchomeronic acid, 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), [Co(Hpydc)₂(phen)]·H₂O (1), [Ni(pydc)(phen)₂]·6.5H₂O (2) [Cu(pydc)(phen)(H₂O)₂] (3) and [Zn(pydc)(phen)(H₂O)₂]·H₂O (4) have been synthesized. Elemental, thermal and mass analyses, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibilities, IR and UV/vis spectroscopic studies have been performed to characterize the complexes. Subsequently, these ligands and complexes were tested for antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion method on Gram positive, negative bacteria and yeast. In addition, cytotoxic activity tests were performed on rat glioma (C6) cells by MTT viability assay for 24 and 48 h. Antimicrobial activity results demonstrated that when compared to the standard antibiotics, phen displayed the most effective antimicrobial effect. The effect of synthesized complexes was close to phen or less. Cytotoxic activity results showed that IC₅₀ value of phen was determined as 31 μM for 48 h. (1) and (2) compared to the alone ligand had less toxic activity. IC₅₀ values of (3) for 24 and 48 h treatments were 2.5 and 0.6 μM, respectively. IC₅₀ value of (4) for 48 h was 15 μM. In conclusion, phen, (3) and (4) may be useful as antibacterial and antiproliferative agents in the future.