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Coal mining accounts for ∼12 % of the total anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions worldwide. The Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), Poland, where large quantities of CH4 are emitted to the atmosphere via ventilation shafts of underground hard coal (anthracite) mines, is one of the hot spots of methane emissions in Europe. However, coal bed CH4 emissions into the atmosphere are poorly characterized. As part of the carbon dioxide and CH4 mission 1.0 (CoMet 1.0) that took place in May–June 2018, we flew a recently developed active AirCore system aboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to obtain CH4 and CO2 mole fractions 150–300 m downwind of five individual ventilation shafts in the USCB. In addition, we also measured δ13C-CH4, δ2H-CH4, ambient temperature, pressure, relative humidity, surface wind speed, and surface wind direction. We used 34 UAV flights and two different approaches (inverse Gaussian approach and mass balance approach) to quantify the emissions from individual shafts. The quantified emissions were compared to both annual and hourly inventory data and were used to derive the estimates of CH4 emissions in the USCB. We found a high correlation (R2=0.7–0.9) between the quantified and hourly inventory data-based shaft-averaged CH4 emissions, which in principle would allow regional estimates of CH4 emissions to be derived by upscaling individual hourly inventory data of all shafts. Currently, such inventory data is available only for the five shafts we quantified. As an alternative, we have developed three upscaling approaches, i.e., by scaling the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) annual inventory, the quantified shaft-averaged emission rate, and the shaft-averaged emission rate, which are derived from the hourly emission inventory. These estimates are in the range of 256–383 kt CH4 yr−1 for the inverse Gaussian (IG) approach and 228–339 kt CH4 yr−1 for the mass balance (MB) approach. We have also estimated the total CO2 emissions from coal mining ventilation shafts based on the observed ratio of CH4/CO2 and found that the estimated regional CO2 emissions are not a major source of CO2 in the USCB. This study shows that the UAV-based active AirCore system can be a useful tool to quantify local to regional point source methane emissions.

Ambitious methane (CH4) emissions mitigation represents one of the most effective opportunities to slow the rate of global warming over the next decades. The oil and gas (O&G) sector is a significant source of methane emissions, with technically feasible and cost-effective emission mitigation options. Romania, a key O&G producer within the EU, with one of the highest reported annual CH4 emissions from the energy sector (Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data - Comparison by Category, 2022), can play an important role towards the EU’s emission reduction targets. In this study, we quantify CH4 emissions from onshore oil production sites in Romania at source and facility level using a combination of ground-based measurement techniques. Measured emissions were characterised by heavily skewed distributions, with 10 % of the sites accounting for more than 70 % of total emissions. Integrating the results from all site-level quantifications with different approaches, we derive a central estimate of 5.4 kg h–1 site-1 of CH4 (3.6–8.4, 95 % confidence interval) for oil production sites. This estimate represents one of the highest when compared to measurement-based estimates of similar facilities from other production regions. Based on our results, we estimate a total of 120 ktons CH4 yr–1 (range: 79–180 ktons yr–1) from oil wells in our studied areas in Romania. This is approximately 2.5 times higher than the total reported emissions from the Romanian oil production sector for 2020. Based on the source level characterization, up to three quarters of the detected emissions from oil production sites are related to operational venting. Our results suggest that O&G production infrastructure in Romania holds a massive mitigation potential, specifically by implementing measures to capture the gas and minimize operational venting and leaks.

Introduction Increased risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in minimally invasive (MIS) total hip arthroplasty (THA) is still debated. This study aimed to identify differences in surgical and patient-related risk factors for PJI between an MIS anterolateral approach and transgluteal-modified Hardinge approach. Methods A retrospective cohort of 5315 THAs performed between 2006 and 2019 at a single institution was screened. Short stem THAs performed via an MIS anterolateral approach in the supine position and standard straight stem THAs performed via a transgluteal modified Hardinge approach were included. Propensity score matching was performed to control for selection bias. After matching, 1405 (34.3%) short stem THAs implanted via MIS anterolateral approach and 2687 (65.7%) straight stem THAs implanted via a transgluteal modified Hardinge approach were included. The risk of PJI due to patient-specific and surgical factors was retrospectively analyzed using chi-square test and multivariate regression analysis. Results PJI occurred in 1.1% in both MIS anterolateral and transgluteal approach (p = 0.823). Multivariate regression showed an increased infection risk for patients with a BMI between 35 and 39.99 kg/m2 (OR 6.696; CI 1.799–24.923; p = 0.005), which could not be demonstrated for transgluteal approach (OR 0.900; CI 0.900–4.144; p = 0.93). A BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 (OR 14.150; CI 2.416–82.879; p = 0.003) was detected as a risk factor for PJI only in anterolateral approach. Increased operation time ≥ 121 min showed a significantly increased risk for PJI in the general cohort (OR 6.989; CI1.286–37.972; p = 0.024). Conclusion Minimally invasive anterolateral and transgluteal THA show a comparable rate of early PJI within the first year of index surgery. A BMI of ≥ 35 kg/m2 was detected as a clear risk factor for infection in the anterolateral approach. Prolonged operation time ≥ 121 min increases the risk of PJI regardless of approach.

Enteric fermentation and manure methane emissions from livestock are major anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In general, direct measurements of farm-scale methane emissions are scarce due to the source complexity and the limitations of existing atmospheric sampling methods. Using an innovative UAV-based active AirCore system, we have performed accurate atmospheric measurements of CH4 mole fractions downwind of a dairy cow farm in the Netherlands on four individual days during the period from March 2017 to March 2019. The total CH4 emission rates from the farm were determined using the UAV-based mass balance approach to be 1.1-2.4 g/s. After subtracting estimated emission factors of manure onsite, we derived the enteric emission factors to be 0.20-0.51 kgCH4/AU/d (1 AU = 500 kg animal weight) of dairy cows. We show that the uncertainties of the estimates were dominated by the variabilities in the wind speed and the angle between the wind and the flight transect. Furthermore, nonsimultaneous sampling in the vertical direction of the plume is one of the main limiting factors to achieving accurate estimate of the CH4 emissions from the farm. In addition, a N2O tracer release experiment at the farm was performed when both a UAV and a mobile van were present to simultaneously sample the N2O tracer and the CH4 plumes from the farm, improving the source quantification with a correction factor of 1.04 and 1.22 for the inverse Gaussian approach and for the mass balance approach, respectively. The UAV-based active AirCore system is capable of providing useful estimates of CH4 emissions from dairy cow farms. The uncertainties of the estimates can be improved when combined with accurate measurements of local wind speed and direction or when combined with a tracer approach.

Coal mining accounts for ~ 12 % of the total anthropogenic methane emissions worldwide. The Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland, where large quantities of CH4 are emitted to the atmosphere via ventilation shafts of underground hard coal (anthracite) mines, is one of the hot spots of methane emissions in Europe. However, coalbed CH4 emissions into the atmosphere are poorly characterized. As part of the Carbon Dioxide and CH4 mission 1.0 (CoMet 1.0) that took place in May – June 2018, we flew a recently developed active AirCore system aboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to obtain CH4 and CO2 mole fractions 150–300 m downwind of five individual ventilation shafts in the USCB. In addition, we also measured δ13C-CH4, δ2H-CH4, ambient temperature, pressure, relative humidity, surface wind speeds and directions. We have used 34 UAV flights and two different approaches (inverse Gaussian approach and mass balance approach) to quantify the emissions from individual shafts. The quantified emissions were compared to both annual and hourly inventory data, and were used to derive the estimates of CH4 emissions in the USCB. We found a high correlation (R2 = 0.7 – 0.9) between the quantified and hourly inventory data-based shaft-averaged CH4 emissions, which in principle would allow regional estimates of CH4 emissions to be derived by upscaling individual hourly inventory data of all shafts. Currently, such inventory data is available only for the five shafts we quantified though. As an alternative, we have developed three upscaling approaches, i.e., by scaling the E-PRTR annual inventory, the quantified shaft-averaged emission rate, and the shaft-averaged emission rate that are derived from the hourly emission inventory. These estimates are in the range of 325 – 447 kt CH4/year for the inverse Gaussian approach and 268 – 347 kt CH4/year for the mass balance approach, respectively. This study shows that the UAV-based active AirCore system can be a useful tool to quantify local to regional point source methane emissions.

A large quantity of CH4 is emitted to the atmosphere via ventilation shafts of underground coal mines. According to the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), hard coal mines in the Upper Silesia Coal Basin (USCB) are a strong contributor (447 kt CH4 in 2017) to the annual European CH4 emissions. However, atmospheric emissions of CH4 from coal mines are poorly characterized, as they are dispersed over large areas. As part of the Carbon Dioxide and CH4 Mission (CoMet) pre-campaign, a study of the USCB's regional CH4 emissions took place in August 2017. We flew a recently developed active AirCore system aboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to obtain CH4 mole fractions downwind of a single coal mining ventilation shaft. Besides CH4, we also measured CO2, CO, atmospheric temperature, pressure, and relative humidity. Wind-speed and wind-direction measurements were made using a lightweight balloon-borne radiosonde. Fifteen UAV flights were performed flying perpendicular to the wind direction at several altitude levels, to effectively build a ‘curtain’ of CH4 mole fractions in a two-dimensional plane at a distance between 150 and 350 m downwind of a single ventilation shaft. Furthermore, we have developed an inverse Gaussian approach for quantifying CH4 emissions from a point source using the UAV-based observations, and have applied it as well as the mass balance approach to both simulated data and actual flight data to quantify CH4 emissions. The simulated data experiments revealed the importance of having multiple transects at different altitudes, appropriate vertical spacing between the individual transects, and proper distance between the center height of the plume and the center flight transect. They also showed that the inverse Gaussian approach performed better than the mass balance approach. Our estimate of the CH4 emission rates from the sampled shaft ranges from 0.5 to 14.5 kt/year using a mass balance approach, and between 1.1 and 9.0 kt/year using an inverse Gaussian method. The average difference between the mass balance and the inverse Gaussian approach was 2.3 kt/year. Based on the observed correlation between CO2 and CH4 (R-squared > 0.69), the CO2 emissions from the shaft were estimated to be between 0.3 and 9.8 kt/year. This study demonstrates that the UAV-based active AirCore system provides an effective way of quantifying coal mining shaft emissions of CH4 and CO2.

The goals of the 2019 dab exchange were (1) an estimation of ageing uncertainty for the dab.27.3a4 stock, (2) compare different preparation methods, and (3) examine seasonality in deposition of opaque/translucent material on the edge of the otolith across a latitudinal gradient. The second and third goals were follow-up actions proposed by the Workshop on Age Reading of Dab in 2015 (WKARDAB2). Sixteen age readers from seven countries (Belgium, France, Iceland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, England) participated in the exchange. Two sets of otoliths were examined. The first set (SmartDots event 244) consisted of 64 otoliths from ICES Subarea 4 (North Sea) and Division 3a (Skagerrak and Kattegat). These were prepared in three different manners (whole, sectioned, and sectioned-and-stained), resulting in 192 images. The second set (SmartDots event 245) consisted of 68 otoliths from ICES Subarea 4 (North Sea) and Division 5a ( Icelandic waters). These were prepared in two different manners (whole and sectioned-and-stained), resulting in 136 images. Age readers were also asked to determine the edge type for each otolith in the second set. First, the data were analysed for each event and method separately, including all age readers. Then, the combined set of otoliths from Subarea 4 and Division 3a were analysed for each method separately, including only the advanced age readers who supply age data for the assessment of the dab.27.3a4 stock. Additional analyses were carried out to compare the different preparation methods, and to examine seasonality by area in the deposition of opaque/translucent material. Age reading uncertainty was high in dab compared to most other North Sea flatfish species. The percentage agreement was 69-73% and the coefficient of variation was 13-14% for dab.27.3a4, based on the age determinations of readers who supply age data for the assessment. As observed previously, uncertainty was highest in the third quarter. Comparison of methods showed better calibration results for sectioned-and-stained otoliths than for whole otoliths or sectioned otoliths. However, the ages of young fish (1-6) were on average estimated to be higher based on sectioned-and-stained otoliths than based on whole otoliths. Age reading certainty may improve if sectioned-and-stained otoliths are used by all readers, preferably after validation that this is the best method to estimate true age. The edge analysis was hampered by low number of otoliths per month and area, and inconsistency between readers. Nevertheless, the analysis did show high variability in the timing of deposition of opaque/translucent material. Consequently, a fixed rule on how to interpret the edge of the otolith in the third quarter is not applicable for dab.

Binnen dit project wordt gedurende drie jaar (2019-2021) geëxperimenteerd met jaarronde monitoring van vis en epibenthos in de Waddenzee, aanvullend op de jaarlijks uitgevoerde DFS. Verzamelde gegevens over soortsamenstelling, dichtheid en lengteverdeling kunnen gebruikt worden om conclusies te trekken over het gebruik van het gebied (bijvoorbeeld als kinderkamer) in verschillende seizoenen en door verschillende jaarklassen van verschillende soorten. De eerste resultaten (jaar 1) suggereren variatie in dichtheid door de maanden heen, waarbij verschillende soorten verschillende pieken in aantallen vertonen. Zo wordt bijvoorbeeld bot veel aan het begin van het jaar gevangen, terwijl bij schol de intrek van de nieuwe jaarklasse met name in mei goed te zien is. Dergelijke patronen blijken ook uit de lengtefrequentieverdelingen, waarin te zien is het dat het gebied voor verschillende soorten op een ander moment belangrijk is voor de nieuwe jaarklasse. Ook de groei van verschillende soorten is goed te volgen. Praktisch is de survey goed uitvoerbaar en zeer kosteneffectief in verband met de scheepstijd op het controlevaartuig. Omdat het onderzoek nog slechts één jaar en een beperkt aantal datapunten beslaat, is in deze rapportage volstaan met een eerste beschrijving van de resultaten. Aanbevolen wordt daarom om deze studie in ieder geval nog 2 jaar voort te zetten gaan, om meer meetpunten te verzamelen en conclusies te kunnen trekken over veranderingen in seizoenspatronen die relevant kunnen zijn voor commerciële vissoorten. De resultaten zullen in het derde jaar ook met historische gegevens vergeleken worden. Tot slot kan overwogen worden of en hoe maandelijkse monitoring als onderdeel opgenomen kan worden in de basismonitoring Waddenzee.

A 61-year-old woman with a history of pernicious anemia presented with progressive muscle weakness and dysarthria. Hypokalemic paralysis (serum potassium, 1.4 mEq/L) due to distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) was diagnosed. After excluding several possible causes, dRTA was considered autoimmune. However, the patient did not meet criteria for any of the autoimmune disorders classically associated with dRTA. She had very high antibody titers against parietal cells, intrinsic factor, and thyroid peroxidase (despite normal thyroid function). The patient consented to a kidney biopsy, and acid-base transporters, anion exchanger type 1 (AE1), and pendrin were undetectable by immunofluorescence. Indirect immunofluorescence detected diminished abundance of AE1- and pendrin-expressing intercalated cells in the kidney, as well as staining by the patient's serum of normal human intercalated cells and parietal cells expressing the adenosine triphosphatase hydrogen/potassium pump (H+/K+-ATPase) in normal human gastric mucosa. The dRTA likely is caused by circulating autoantibodies against intercalated cells, with possible cross-reactivity against structures containing gastric H+/K+-ATPase. This case demonstrates that in patients with dRTA without a classic autoimmune disorder, autoimmunity may still be the underlying cause. The mechanisms involved in autoantibody development and how dRTA can be caused by highly specific autoantibodies against intercalated cells have yet to be determined. (C) 2015 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.

Summary A 43-year-old female developed an Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)-positive posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in the central nervous system (CNS), 14 years after renal transplantation. One year prior to presentation, the patients’ treatment regimen was altered from cyclosporine, azathioprine, and prednisone to mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed lesions suspect for malignant lymphoma. The EBV real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on peripheral blood was negative, but highly positive on cerebrospinal fluid. EBV-positive PTLD was confirmed using histological analysis of cerebral biopsies. Despite tapering of immune suppressive medication and treatment with rituximab and chemotherapy, the patient deceased 50 days after presentation. This case illustrates that vigilance is required when presented with a negative EBV PCR result on peripheral blood when PTLD of the CNS is suspected. This late presentation suggests a relation to the switch in immunosuppressive regimen 1 year earlier.

A 72-year old woman on chronic hemodialysis developed cholesterol embolization syndrome after the discontinuation of statin therapy. Four months after starting hemodialysis, statin therapy had been discontinued because she developed aspecific abdominal complaints and wanted to reduce the daily amount of pills. Five months later she developed blue toe syndrome. After restarting lipid-lowering therapy (simvastatin/ezetimibe), the pain and skin lesions diminished and eventually disappeared. Many patients starting hemodialysis use a statin. However, the benefit of statins in patients on chronic hemodialysis is not completely clear. Discontinuation of statin treatment may confer so far unrecognized risks in hemodialysis patients with severe atherosclerosis. In this case, the blue toe syndrome disappeared after restarting cholesterol-lowering treatment.

A method for accurate measurement of GFR in conscious, spontaneously voiding rats. Renal function measurement by clearance methods relies on accurately timed urine collection. In small experimental animals, renal function measurement is usually performed under anesthesia and/or with the application of bladder catheters to ensure accurate urine collection. To avoid both anesthesia and the need for bladder catheters we developed a method to measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in spontaneously voiding conscious rats. GFR was measured as the urinary clearance of constantly infused 125I-iothalamate. To correct for incomplete bladder emptying, urinary clearance of 125I-iothalamate was multiplied by the ratio of plasma and urinary clearance of simultaneously infused 131I-hippuran, a correction method that has been previously validated in humans. Reproducibility of the technique was evaluated by analysis of the results of four consecutive clearance periods during the day (intra-assay variation) in a group of 17 rats and of two consecutive clearance periods on two or three separate days in a group of 20 rats (inter-assay variation), all with normal renal function. Application of the correction method reduced the intra-assay coefficient of variation (mean ± SD) from 37.4 ± 14.3 to 5.4 ± 2.3% (P < 0.05). The mean inter-assay coefficient of variation fell slightly from 23.4 ± 10.3 to 11.0 ± 7.2% (P < 0.10). In rats with moderately impaired renal function (N = 8) the intra-assay variation fell from 27.9 ± 20.7 to 2.7 ± 1.6% (P < 0.05). Our data show that this correction method is a useful technique to assess renal function in conscious, spontaneously voiding rats.

Background: We previously showed that the renal vasodilator response to a D 1 -like receptor agonist is blunted in conscious SHR compared with WKY rats. The mechanism of this impaired dopaminergic responsiveness in SHR is unclear. An altered balance between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and the dopaminergic system may be involved. To determine the interaction between the RAAS and the dopaminergic system in the blunted D 1 -like responsiveness in SHR, we studied the renal vasodilator response to the D 1 -like receptor agonist fenoldopam before and after 7 days of pretreatment with the AT 1 -receptor antagonist (AT 1 -A) L158,809 in conscious SHR and WKY rats. Methods: Effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) was measured by the clearance of 1 3 1 I-hippuran. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured via an intraarterial catheter. Results: Without pretreatment, MAP was reduced to comparable degrees by fenoldopam in WKY (-7 ′ 4%, ns) and SHR (-6 ′ 1%, P < 0.05). However, ERPF was significantly more increased (P < 0.006) by fenoldopam in WKY (+26 ′ 2%, P < 0.0001) than in SHR (+2 ′ 2%, ns). AT 1 -A treatment reduced MAP and increased ERPF and glomerular filtration rate significantly in both strains. Pretreatment with AT 1 -A significantly potentiated the fenoldopam-induced rise in ERPF in SHR, but not in WKY, without affecting the blood pressure responses in either strain. As a result, during pretreatment with an AT 1 -A, the rise in ERPF by fenoldopam was similar in both strains (SHR +25 ′ 2%, P < 0.0001; WKY +33 ′ 2%, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results suggest that the RAAS accounts for the blunted renal vasodilator response to a D 1 -like receptor agonist in SHR. A dysbalance between the dopaminergic system and the RAAS may be involved in the abnormal renal hemodynamic regulation in SHR.

We previously described a method to measure GFR in conscious spontaneously voiding rats. This method circumvents the need for anesthesia and for bladder instrumentation. If's main principle is the correction of renal I-125-iothalamate clearance for incomplete urine collection by the ratio of plasma and venal clearance of co-infused I-131-Hippuran. A disadvantage of this technique is the requirement of an infra-arterial catheter for infusion of the renal function tracers. We therefore tested whether intraperitoneal infusion of I-125-iothalamate and I-131-Hippuran can be used far such a GFR measurement in conscious spontaneously voiding rats. We found that during intraperitoneal administration, stable plasma levels of I-131-Hippuran could be obtained. However, urinary recovery of I-131-Hippuran was incomplete (66 +/- 32%), leading to a significant overestimation of GFR by 140 +/- 13% in comparison with the GFR measured by the intra-arterial technique. Thus intraperitoneal infusion of renal function tracers cannot replace intra-arterial infusion.

Despite the importance of methane for climate change mitigation, uncertainties regarding the temporal and spatial variability of the emissions remain. Measurements of CH4 isotopic composition are used to partition the relative contributions of different emission sources. We report continuous isotopic measurements during 5 months at the Lutjewad tower (north of the Netherlands). Time-series of χ(CH4), δ13C-CH4, and δD-CH4 in ambient air were analysed using the Keeling plot method. Resulting source signatures ranged from −67.4 to −52.4‰ vs V-PDB and from −372 to −211‰ vs V-SMOW, for δ13C and δD respectively, indicating a prevalence of biogenic sources. Analysis of isotope and wind data indicated that (i) emissions from off-shore oil and gas platforms in the North Sea were not detected during this period, (ii) CH4 from fossil fuel related sources was usually advected from the east, pointing towards the Groningen gas field or regions further east in Germany. The results from two atmospheric transport models, CHIMERE and FLEXPART-COSMO, using the EDGAR v4.3.2 and TNO-MACC III emission inventories, reproduce χ(CH4) variations relatively well, but the isotope signatures were over-estimated by the model compared to the observations. Accounting for geographical variations of the δ13C signatures from fossil fuel emissions improved the model results significantly. The difference between model and measured isotopic signatures was larger when using TNO-MACC III compared to EDGAR v4.3.2 inventory. Uncertainties in the isotope signatures of the sources could explain a significant fraction of the discrepancy, thus a better source characterisation could further strengthen the use of isotopes in constraining emissions.