Description: Carbonate dissolution in soil-groundwater systems depends dominantly on pH, temperature and the saturation state of the solution with respect to abundant minerals. The pH of the solution is, in general, controlled by partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) produced by ecosystem respiration, which is controlled by temperature and water availability. In order to better understand the control of land temperature on carbonate weathering, a database of published spring water hydrogeochemistry was built and analysed. Assuming that spring water is in equilibrium with the soil-water-rock-atmosphere, the soil pCO2 can be back-calculated. Based on a database of spring water chemistry, the average soil-rock CO2 was calculated by an inverse model framework and a strong relationship with temperature was observed. The identified relationship suggests a temperature control on carbonate weathering as a result of variations in soil-rock pCO2, which is itself controlled by ecosystem respiration processes. The findings are relevant for global scale analysis of carbonate weathering and carbon fluxes to the ocean, because concentration of weathering products from the soil-rock-system into the river system in humid, high temperature regions, are suggested to be larger than in low temperature regions. Furthermore, results suggest that, in specific spring samples, the hydrochemical evolution of rain water percolating through the soil-rock complex can best be described by an open system with pCO2 controlled by the ecosystem. Abundance of evaporites and pyrite sources influence significantly the chemistry of spring water and corrections must be taken into account in order to implement the inverse model framework presented in this study. Annual surface temperature and soil water content were identified as suitable variables to develop the parameterization of soil-rock pCO2, mechanistically consistent with soil respiration rate findings.

Description: Carbonate weathering and transfer of carbon towards the coastal zone is one of the relevant sinks for atmospheric CO2, controlled by hydrology, ecosystem respiration, river water degassing, and further factors. Specifically, the connection between the soil-rock system to the river systems and instream processes affecting the weathering product fluxes remain under-researched. Based on constraints for soil-rock PCO2, river PCO2, and an identified dependence of river alkalinity on temperature, this work tested which controls should be considered at the global scale to accomplish a more holistic carbonate rock weathering model. Compiled river data suggests that with increasing land temperature, above approximately 11 °C, the amount of instream alkalinity in carbonate catchments decreases due to the temperature effect on the carbonate system, while the converse holds true at lower temperatures. Latter is in accordance with calcite dissolution controlled by soil-rock PCO2 estimates based on ecosystem respiration. In addition, the type of the weathering system (open, semi-closed to closed system with respect to CO2) was identified to be highly relevant for global weathering estimations. Open systems seem to be the most dominant boundary condition of calcite weathering in the soil profile. Tropical areas with thick soil layers, however, cause the carbonate weathering system to shift from open to semi-closed or closed system conditions. The findings support that calcite weathering fluxes in the soil profile are higher than the fluxes to the ocean transported by rivers. Furthermore, an increase in mean land temperature does not necessarily translate into an increase of lateral weathering fluxes because it might have an influence on soil development, discharge, CO2 degassing, soil respiration and calcite dissolution. All these named factors need to be addressed to be able to quantify global carbonate weathering fluxes and to assess the sensitivity of carbonate weathering fluxes on climate variability. Future works should focus on collecting more temporal river chemistry data, mainly in tropical regions, to understand the main mechanism causing the observed decrease of alkalinity concentration with temperature.

Description: Groundwater, the largest available store of global freshwater1, is relied upon by more than two billion people2. It is therefore important to quantify the spatiotemporal interactions between groundwater and climate. However, current understanding of the global-scale sensitivity of groundwater systems to climate change3,4—as well as the resulting variation in feedbacks from groundwater to the climate system5,6—is limited. Here, using groundwater model results in combination with hydrologic data sets, we examine the dynamic timescales of groundwater system responses to climate change. We show that nearly half of global groundwater fluxes could equilibrate with recharge variations due to climate change on human (~100 year) timescales, and that areas where water tables are most sensitive to changes in recharge are also those that have the longest groundwater response times. In particular, groundwater fluxes in arid regions are shown to be less responsive to climate variability than in humid regions. Adaptation strategies must therefore account for the hydraulic memory of groundwater systems, which can buffer climate change impacts on water resources in many regions, but may also lead to a long, but initially hidden, legacy of anthropogenic and climatic impacts on river flows and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

Description: Mapped unconsolidated sediments cover half of the global land surface. They are of considerable importance for many Earth surface processes like weathering, hydrological fluxes or biogeochemical cycles. Ignoring their characteristics or spatial extent may lead to misinterpretations in Earth System studies. Therefore, a new Global Unconsolidated Sediments Map database (GUM) was compiled, using regional maps specifically representing unconsolidated and quaternary sediments. The new GUM database provides insights into the regional distribution of unconsolidated sediments and their properties. The GUM comprises 911,551 polygons and describes not only sediment types and subtypes, but also parameters like grain size, mineralogy, age and thickness where available. Previous global lithological maps or databases lacked detail for reported unconsolidated sediment areas or missed large areas, and reported a global coverage of 25 to 30%, considering the ice‐free land area. Here, alluvial sediments cover about 23% of the mapped total ice‐free area, followed by aeolian sediments (∼21%), glacial sediments (∼20%), and colluvial sediments (∼16%). A specific focus during the creation of the database was on the distribution of loess deposits, since loess is highly reactive and relevant to understand geochemical cycles related to dust deposition and weathering processes. An additional layer compiling pyroclastic sediment is added, which merges consolidated and unconsolidated pyroclastic sediments. The compilation shows latitudinal abundances of sediment types related to climate of the past. The GUM database is available at the PANGAEA database (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.884822).

Description: Expression analysis in a rat psychosis model identifies novel candidate genes validated in a large case–control sample of schizophrenia Translational Psychiatry 5, e656 (October 2015). doi:10.1038/tp.2015.151 Authors: A Ingason, I Giegling, A M Hartmann, J Genius, B Konte, M Friedl, Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), S Ripke, P F Sullivan, D St. Clair, D A Collier, M C O'Donovan, K Mirnics & D Rujescu

Description: In acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) treatment induces granulocytic maturation and complete remission of leukemia. microRNAs are known to be critical players in the formation of the leukemic phenotype. In this study, we report downregulation of the miR-181a/b gene cluster in APL blasts and NB4 leukemia cells upon ATRA treatment as a key event in the drug response. We found that miR-181a/b expression was activated by the PML/RARα oncogene in cells and transgenic knock-in mice, an observation confirmed and extended by evidence of enhanced expression of miR-181a/b in APL patient specimens. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated attenuation of miR-181a/b expression in NB4 cells was sufficient to reduce colony-forming capacity, proliferation, and survival. Mechanistic investigations revealed that miR-181a/b targets the ATRA-regulated tumor suppressor gene RASSF1A by direct binding to its 3′-untranslated region. Enforced expression of miR-181a/b or RNAi-mediated attenuation of RASSF1A inhibited ATRA-induced granulocytic differentiation via regulation of the cell-cycle regulator cyclin D1. Conversely, RASSF1A overexpression enhanced apoptosis. Finally, RASSF1A levels were reduced in PML/RARα knock-in mice and APL patient samples. Taken together, our results define miR-181a and miR-181b as oncomiRs in PML/RARα-associated APL, and they reveal RASSF1A as a pivotal element in the granulocytic differentiation program induced by ATRA in APL. Cancer Res; 75(16); 3411–24. ©2015 AACR.

Description: In this paper, we apply patching methods to give a positive answer to the inverse differential Galois problem over function fields over Laurent series fields of characteristic zero. More precisely, we show that any linear algebraic group (that is, affine group scheme of finite type) over such a Laurent series field does occur as the differential Galois group of a linear differential equation with coefficients in any such function field (of one or several variables).

Description: Attaching objects to bivalve shells is an increasing requirement for conservation projects, mark-recapture studies and behavioural analysis. We investigated the suitability of eight different glues to attach a metallic object to a mussel shell and confirmed the utility of the best glue in a filtration behaviour experiment using Anodonta anatina . We used removal forces up to 1.35 kg cm –2 7 d after submerging in water and found an epoxy resin and a cyanoacrylate adhesive to perform best. Not all epoxy resins or cyanoacrylate adhesives performed equally. The best performing cyanoacrylate adhesive was used to glue magnets and rubber-coated Hall sensors to 26 mussels for a filtration-behaviour experiment. Nine months after attachment, all magnets and rubber-coated Hall sensors remained attached and withstood 1.35 kg cm –2 . The epoxy resin was not chosen, because it contained Bisphenol A and required a more complex application procedure. Mussel filtration behaviours were monitored for 96 h in the presence of algae. The results showed that the presence of algae stimulated the filtration rate of A. anatina in the first 24 h. Over the experimental period, the mussels' mean filtration duration was 20 ± 12 h, while the resting duration was 16 ± 7 h. We identified a pronounced circadian rhythm, despite the long filtration duration and variation in behaviour patterns. However, at any one time some mussels were observed to be filtering. The mussels were more likely to open their shells and become active at around 20:00. Thus the majority of mussels were active at midnight and a minority at noon. We interpret the strong response to increased algal concentration and the pronounced circadian rhythm as evidence that neither the glue nor the attached sensors disturbed the mussels even in a short-term experiment. Hence, we recommend the selected cyanoacrylate adhesive for use in tagging projects and behavioural studies of freshwater mussels.

Description: Background : Demographic change influences not only the terms of health care, but also its financing. Hence, prevention is becoming a more important key to facing upcoming challenges. Aim of this study was to identify predictors for future high-cost patients and derive implications for potential starting points for prevention. Methods : Claims data from a German statutory health insurance agency were used. High-cost patients were defined as the 10% most expensive persons to insure in 2011. The predictors stemmed from the previous year. Logistic regression with stepwise forward selection for 10 sex- and age-specific subgroups was performed. Model fit was assessed by Nagelkerke’s R-squared value. Results : Model fit values indicated well-suited models that yielded better results among younger age-groups. Identified predictors can be summarized as different sets of variables that mostly pertain to diseases. Some are rather broad and include different disorders, like the set of mental/behavioural disorders including depression and schizophrenia; other sets of variables are more homogenous, such as metabolic diseases, with diabetes mellitus (DM) being the dominant member of every subgroup. Conclusion : Because diabetes was a significant predictor for future high-cost patients in all analysed subgroups, it should be considered as a potential starting point for prevention. The disease is specific enough to allow for the implementation of effective prevention strategies, and it is possible to intervene, even in patients already affected by DM. Furthermore, the monetary savings potential is probably high because the long-term complications of DM are expensive to treat and affect a large part of the population.

Description: Terrestrial carbon export via inland aquatic systems is a key process in the global carbon cycle. It includes loss of carbon to the atmosphere via outgassing from rivers, lakes or reservoirs and carbon fixation in the water column as well as in sediments. This review focuses on headwater streams that are important because their stream biogeochemistry directly reflects carbon input from soils and groundwaters that becomes superimposed by additional inputs further downstream. Major drivers of carbon dioxide partial pressures ( p CO 2 ) in streams and mechanisms of terrestrial dissolved inorganic, organic and particulate organic carbon (DIC, DOC, and POC) influxes are summarized in this work. Our analysis indicates that the global river average p CO 2 of 3,100 ppmV is more often exceeded by contributions from small streams when compared to rivers with larger catchments (〉500 km 2 ). Because of their large proportion in global river networks (〉96 % of the total number of streams), headwaters contribute large – but still poorly quantified – amounts of CO 2 to the atmosphere. Conservative estimates imply that globally 36 % (i.e. 0.93 Pg C yr -1 ) of total CO 2 outgassing from rivers and streams originate from headwaters. We also discuss challenges in determination of CO 2 sources, concentrations and fluxes. To overcome uncertainties of CO 2 sources and its outgassing from headwater streams on the global scale, new investigations are needed that should include groundwater data. Such studies would also benefit from applications of integral CO 2 outgassing isotope approaches and multi-scale geophysical imaging techniques.