Massive amounts of 13 C-depleted carbon rapidly entered the ocean more than once during the early Paleogene, providing a geological framework for understanding future perturbations in carbon cycling, including ocean acidification. To assess the number of events and their impact on deep-sea carbonate accumulation, I have studied carbonate ooze units of the upper Paleocene-lower Eocene, which were deposited on a subsiding flank of the East Pacific Rise (ODP Site 1215). From this record several proxies were used to ascertain changes in carbonate dissolution: carbonate content, foraminiferal test fragmentation, and planktic/benthic foraminiferal ratio. Based on these analyses, 1 observe that carbonate preservation generally increased from the late Paleocene (56 Ma) through the early Eocene (51.5 Ma), after which it became poor to negligible. This trend was punctuated by four short-term intervals characterized by carbonate dissolution and pronounced negative d 18 O and d 13 C excursions. It is inferred that these were anomalously warm periods (hyperthermals) caused by massive and relative fast 13 C-depleted carbon injections. These correspond to the PETM (∼55.5 Ma), H1/ETM-2 (∼53.7 Ma), I1 (∼53.2 Ma), and K/X (∼52.5 Ma) events. I also calculated carbonate, planktic, and benthic foraminiferal mass accumulation rates for the Site 1215. These were used to comprehensively examine the history of carbonate accumulation in the equatorial Pacific Ocean throughout the early Paleogene. I deduce that in the long-term (>10 5 yr) the lysocline and calcite compensation depth (CCD) generally deepened between 55.4 and 51.5 Ma; but rapidly (≤10 5 yr) shoaled and subsequently overcompensated during and after the four intervals of massive carbon injection. Planktic foraminiferal assemblages found in the record of Site 1215 follow a predicted pattern for selective dissolution. Species of Acarinina are preferentially preserved over Morozovella, which are preferentially preserved over Subbotina, Igorina and Globanomalina. A tiny and previously overlooked species, Praetenuitella antica n.sp, is formally described in this manuscript. This species is also resistant to dissolution. The findings of this study provide firm constraints to model the short and long-term carbon cycle dynamics during the early Paleogene

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Sciences de la vie et de la santé : Lille 1 : 2006. / N° d'ordre (Lille 1) : 3910. Articles en anglais reproduits dans le texte et en annexe. Résumés en français et en anglais. Titre provenant de la page de titre du document numérisé. Bibliogr. p. 242-290.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Chimie. Structure et dynamique des systèmes réactifs : Lille 1 : 2006. / N° d'ordre (Lille 1) : 3846. Titre provenant de la page de titre du document numérisé. Bibliogr. p. 309-329. Liste des publications et des communications.

The carbon dioxide (CO2) system is the primary buffer in seawater which controls oceanic pH. Changes in the marine CO2 system affect a number of processes such as metal speciation, mineral saturation states, auditory responses in fish, and primary productivity rates. Increased atmospheric concentrations of CO2 from human activities (e.g. burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and cement production) has led to a global decrease in surface ocean pH termed anthropogenic ocean acidification. One particular concern in response to increased oceanic CO2 is a substantial decrease in the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) saturation states, ΩCaCO3. The long-term physiological effects of ocean acidification and decreased ΩCaCO3 on marine biota are currently subjects of intensive global investigation. Consequently improved methods are needed to facilitate evaluations of the evolving CO2 system chemistry and the responses of marine organisms to those changes. Currently two of four measureable chemical parameters (pH, dissolved inorganic carbon, fugacity of CO2, and total alkalinity) are required for full characterization of the inorganic CO2 system; carbonate ion concentrations ([CO3 2-]) can, for example, be calculated from paired measurements of pH-DIC and pH-TA. The primary objective of this dissertation is to refine a method for directly determining [CO3 2-] using a single measurement, the distinctive ultraviolet absorbance spectra of Pb(II) species in seawater. The technique is fast, methodologically simple, and suitable for routine use in laboratory and shipboard studies. It is, as well, suitable for analyses using autonomous instrumentation. My studies began with an investigation of lead carbonate (PbCO3 0) complexation in synthetic media (at 25 °C between 0.001 to 5.0 molal ionic strength) to evaluate factors that control Pb(II) speciation, and thereby Pb(II) spectra, in seawater. Since laboratory investigations of Pb(II) speciation in seawater require potentiometric measurements of seawater pH, my dissertation includes development of a novel spectrophotometric method for calibrating pH electrodes directly in seawater. This spectrophotometric electrode calibration enables improved assessment of the extent to which electrode behavior is Nernstian and the influence of salinity on electrode calibrations. In addition, for the first time at sea, [CO3 2-] was directly determined in the Arctic and the Eastern Pacific Oceans using the Pb(II) method. These field studies allowed assessment of the consistency between direct [CO3 2-] determinations and carbonate determined using conventional CO2 system measurements. Finally, using techniques from my evaluation of lead speciation, as well as my electrode calibration development and field studies, additional laboratory studies were used to increase carbonate measurement sensitivity and applicability over a wider range of salinity.

Fossil fuel combustion produces fly-ash particles that are released into the atmosphere and deposited in the environment. A particularly characteristic kind of fly-ash is spheroidal carbonaceous particles. They are composed of an amorphous carbon matrix in which other elements are dispersed. The elemental carbon content makes them very resistant to chemical degradation and these particles can be relatively easily extracted from sediment and soil samples using a method described in this thesis. The distribution of spheroidal carbonaceous particles in lake sediment profiles, surface sediments and forest soils has been studied. Cores from several Swedish lakes have been analysed and, although the lakes are from different parts of the country, consistent trends in the deposition of the carbonaceous particles have been found. The analyses of dated cores show that the carbonaceous particle deposition in the sediments follows the same general pattern as statistics for Swedish coal and oil combustion over the last two centuries. This indicates that the sediment records reflect the history of the atmospheric deposition of particulate pollutants from fossil fuel combustion. Analysis of surface sediment samples provides an integrated picture of the deposition over the preceding few years and can be used to indicate the contemporary geographical pattern of deposition from the atmosphere. Two sets of surface sediment samples (0-1 cm) were analysed. One comprised samples from 66 lakes around Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, and showed very high carbonaceous particle concentrations within a distance of 50 to 100 km from the city. The second set comprised surface sediment samples from 114 lakes distributed all over Sweden. This survey of Sweden demonstrated a geographical north-south gradient with more than a hundred times higher particle concentrations in the south than in the north. This distribution is similar to the distribution of other air pollutants (data obtained from a moss survey and an air monitoring program) and suggests that carbonaceous particles in palaeolimnological investigations of air pollution, can be used as tracers for pollutants that are otherwise difficult to determine in lake sediments. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles also accumulate in soils, and forest soil samples can be used for geographical surveys of particle deposition. In Swedish podzol soils the particles mainly accumulate in the thin organic horizon and concentrations in this layer reflect the total deposition since industrialisation, although most will have been deposited during the last few decades. Since the spheroidal carbonaceous particle record in Swedish lake sediments has a characteristic temporal pattern, carbonaceous particle profiles can be used for indirect dating of recent sediment cores. Analyses of multiple sediment cores from three lakes demonstrate that carbonaceous particles can also be used for studies of sediment distribution in lake basins. Results from Gårdsjön indicate that the acidification of the lake changed sediment distribution processes from a normal sediment focusing regime to a more even distribution of sediments over the lake bottom. Liming of the lake seems to have restored normal sedimentation processes. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1992, Härtill 8 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

I explored the importance of decaying wood to survival and growth of trees in south coastal British Columbia, and the effect of decaying wood on the intensity of podzolization on mesic sites. A field pot study was carried out in both high light and low light conditions using woody and non-woody forest floor materials. After two growing seasons, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, and Abies amabilis seedlings growing in clearcuts had greater survival and growth in the non-woody substrate; however, in the understory, the effect was much less. The proliferation of western hemlock roots was used as an indicator of the value of decaying wood to trees. In both greenhouse trials (using seed sown on a series of planting pots with each half filled with either a woody substrate or a non-woody substrate), and in field sampling of woody and non-woody substrates in mature stands, the non-woody substrate had a larger density of fine and very fine roots compared to the woody substrates or mineral soil. Ten litres of concentrated solutions of non-woody humus substrate and woody substrates were leached through soil columns. Both the non-woody and woody solutions had similar mean pH but significantly different chemical properties. The non-woody solution leachate had greater net average output of dissolved organic C, Fe, and Mn. The mineral soil treated with the nonwoody solution had significantly greater concentrations of total N and pyrophosphate-extractable Fe. In the field, forest floor and soil samples were compared between pedons having large accumulation of decaying wood and pedons with non-woody humus forms. Despite large and significant differences in chemical properties between the two substrates, there were generally no significant differences between the chemical properties of the soils directly under these substrates. In most cases, the results of (3-analyses showed that the means were not pedologically different. Additionally, 18 pairs of zero tension plate lysimeters were installed under the two substrates. The lysimeter solutions showed no significant differences. I concluded that coarse woody debris appears not to have either a positive effect of increased productivity of trees or a negative effect of increased intensity of podzolization.

Les douleurs chroniques, d'origine inflammatoire, neuropathique ou incisionnelle, affectent environ 20 % de la population adulte et jusqu'à 50 % de la population âgée. Elles représentent ainsi un véritable enjeu de santé publique. Malgré l'existence de grandes familles d'analgésiques, les traitements restent souvent inefficaces. Cela est dû en grande partie à un manque de connaissances des mécanismes physiopathologiques de la douleur. Durant ma thèse, je me suis intéressée aux rôles et aux régulations de senseurs moléculaires de la douleur récemment mis en évidence: les canaux ioniques ASIC (" Acid Sensing Ion Channels "). Les ASIC forment une famille de canaux cationiques, excitateurs. Les canaux ASIC3, en particulier, sont présents dans les neurones sensoriels qui innervent la peau, les muscles, les viscères et les articulations. Ils sont activés par de faibles acidifications extracellulaires qui se produisent au cours de nombreux mécanismes physiopathologiques comme l'inflammation, l'ischémie, le développement tumoral, ou encore les lésions tissulaires consécutives, par exemple, à une chirurgie. Dans une première étude, nous avons montré que les canaux ASIC3 jouent un rôle primordial dans le développement des douleurs post-opératoires, notamment dans les douleurs posturales, proches des cas cliniques. A partir d'un modèle d'incision plantaire chez le rat, nous avons mis en évidence une surexpression des canaux ASIC3 dans les neurones sensoriels qui innervent la patte opérée. L'inhibition pharmacologique (toxine) et génique (siARN) d'ASIC3 in vivo réduit le comportement douloureux. Notre seconde étude a porté sur le canal ASIC3 humain, peu étudié jusqu'ici. J'ai démontré que ce canal possède une propriété originale et inductible qui lui confère une sensibilité, non seulement à l'acidification, mais également à l'alcalinisation extracellulaire. Cette sensibilité alcaline est une caractéristique intrinsèque du canal. Elle implique deux résidus arginine spécifiques à la protéine humaine et présents sur sa boucle extracellulaire. Le canal ASIC3 humain, en adaptant son activité à différents environnements de pH, pourrait ainsi participer à la régulation fine du potentiel de membrane et à la sensibilisation neuronale. Plus récemment, j'ai étudié la régulation du canal ASIC3 par des lipides inflammatoires et ses conséquences sur la douleur. De manière très intéressante, je démontre que la lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), un lipide issu de la dégradation membranaire lors de processus inflammatoires, est un nouvel activateur du canal ASIC3 en conditions normales de pH. De plus, en synergie avec une acidose modérée (pH 7,0), la LPC et son analogue non métabolisable produisent une douleur spontanée chez les rats, qui est réduite en présence de toxine inhibitrice d'ASIC3.

No description available.

Master of Science in Veterinary Science / A investigation into soil nutrient and the change soil physical properties was carried out for three pasture systems for dairy cows; the complementary forage rotation (CFR) which comprised of brassica (Brassica napus )/clover (Trifolium resupinatum ) and maize (Zea mays) capable of achieving more than 40 t/ha, the typical intensive pasture (PI) with kikuyu grass (Penisetum clandestinum) over-sown with ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) and the extensive system (PE); on two soil types (brown chromosol and black vertisol) . The study demonstrated that the CFR system was capable of doubling its yield by using similar fertilizers (N, P and K) and water inputs compared to these of the PI system resulting of greater nutrients (N and K) and water use efficiencies. Overall, the nutrient lost through runoff water was very limited for two intensive systems and nearly nil for PE system. Also similar trends were observed for soil physical properties in the intensive systems except for the topsoil (0-10 cm) where light acidification (P= 0.04) was recorded in the CFR probably due to the soil works before the maize sowing.

Master of Science in Veterinary Science / A investigation into soil nutrient and the change soil physical properties was carried out for three pasture systems for dairy cows; the complementary forage rotation (CFR) which comprised of brassica (Brassica napus )/clover (Trifolium resupinatum ) and maize (Zea mays) capable of achieving more than 40 t/ha, the typical intensive pasture (PI) with kikuyu grass (Penisetum clandestinum) over-sown with ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) and the extensive system (PE); on two soil types (brown chromosol and black vertisol) . The study demonstrated that the CFR system was capable of doubling its yield by using similar fertilizers (N, P and K) and water inputs compared to these of the PI system resulting of greater nutrients (N and K) and water use efficiencies. Overall, the nutrient lost through runoff water was very limited for two intensive systems and nearly nil for PE system. Also similar trends were observed for soil physical properties in the intensive systems except for the topsoil (0-10 cm) where light acidification (P= 0.04) was recorded in the CFR probably due to the soil works before the maize sowing.