Die Hochmoore des Erzgebirges sind auf Grund ihrer jahrhunderte langen Nutzung und der ökosystemaren Wandelprozesse der vergangenen 10 - 15 Jahre unterschiedlich stark degradiert. Gleichzeitig sind sie durch den Austrag vergleichsweise hoher Austräge von DOC (Dissoloved Organic Carbon) gekennzeichnet. Um den Zusammenhang zwischen dem Zustand der Hochmoore, als Ergebnis in erster Linie der unterschiedlich nutzungsbedingten Degradation und den Stoffausträgen speziell den DOC-Austrägen zu erfassen, wurden mittels landschaftsökologischer Methoden Hochmoortestflächen verschiedener Zustände vergleichend untersucht. Die Ergebnisse lieferten erste Hinweise, dass in Flächen mit natürlicher Regeneration oder anthropogener Wiedervernässung vergleichsweise hohe DOC-Konzentrationen und – Austräge zu beobachten waren. Demgegenüber standen stärker degradierte Flächen mit zum Teil aktueller forstlicher Nutzung (geräumte Entwässerungsgräben), die durch geringere DOC-Konzentrationen und – Austräge charakterisiert waren. Da die gefundenen Zusammenhänge nicht endgültig belegt werden konnten, besteht insbesondere Forschungsbedarf hinsichtlich landschaftshaushaltlicher Untersuchungen unterschiedlich degradierter Hochmoore im Erzgebirge. / Natural peat bogs are known as a sinks especially for carbon because of theire special matter and water balance. The use of peat bogs requiers their drainage, but consequently the peat will decompose unreversible and peatlands turn to a source esspecially for carbon. The peat bogs in the “Erzgebirge Mountains” were used over several centuries. Thats why the peatlands existing nowadays have different states dependent on the duratian of their use. Beside the use peatlands were mostly negativly effected by processes of ecological change in the “Erzgebirge Maountains” in the last 10 to 15 years. As one result of ecological change the increased output of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) into surface waters can be seen. The main source for DOC are peatlands. By the way it seems to exist a connection between the output of DOC and other dissolved substances and the state of the peatlands especially of their ditches. To research this hypothesis four test areas of different state were chosen. Their state and the output of DOC and other dissolved substances were investigated with methods from landscape ecology from 2001-2003. It was the first time, that peatlands in the “Erzgebirge Mountains” were investigated in such a way. The badest state had the test area where the ditches were cleaned in 2000/ 2001 (“Weiße Mulde”, Western “Erzgebirge Mountains”). This test area showed the lowest but constant DOC-concentrations and DOC-output during the investigation period. The test areas “Carlsfeld” and “Löffelsbach” (Western “Erzgebirge Mountains”) had the best state. The state of “Carlsfeld” is related to the narueal closed ditches, which cause the processes of self regeneration. Due to such processes the DOCconcentrations were distinctly higher but very variable in dependence on weather and runoff. The same was supposed to DOC-output. The same valuation got the test area “Löffelsbach”, because of rewetting by technical closed ditches in 2001. During the investigation period the highest DOC-concentrations of all test areas were measured there. Similar to “Carlsfeld” DOC-concentrations and –output were highly variable in dependence on weather and runoff. The state of the test area “Salzflüßchen” (Eastern “Erzgebirge Mountains”) is also related to processes of self regeneration but was valuated bader than “Carlsfeld”, because the effect of former drainage was stronger in this area. In 2005 the rewetting of the test area is planed by “Naturpark Erzgebirge/ Vogtland”. In the consequence the DOC-concentrations and –output will increase similar to “Löffelsbach”. The results of the investigations indicate that a connection exists between state of peatlands and output of dissolved substances esspecially DOC. The results are supported by national and international literature. It will be clear, that more research is necessary especially on the field of comparative investigations of peatlands with different states in the “Erzgebirge Mountains”.

Forestry is an important industry in Sweden, with clear-cut as the most commonly used method for harvesting. Here the long-term impact of clear-cut on lake water quality (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen, phosphorus and pH) has been investigated, based on 23 lakes sampled during autumn. Data for additional 15 lakes sampled for the Swedish monitoring program were also used. Lakes were classified as 5, 25, 40 and 60 year based on data of the forest age in the catchment, gathered from the Swedish national forest inventory. Clear-cut lakes were classified as 5 years (>20% of the catchment clear-cut during the last 10 years). The results showed that DOC and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations decreased with increasing age of the forests. In clear-cut lakes (5 year) average DOC- (20.5 mg/L) and TN concentrations (477 µg/L) were higher than the average concentration in lakes with older forests (25, 40 and 60 year) (i.e. DOC 13.5 mg/L and TN 351 µg/L). Also the quality of DOC were changing (measured as changes in absorbance at 254) with forest age, with more bioavailable (low molecular weight) DOC in clear-cut lakes. A greater clear-cut area compared to the catchment area did not significantly result in higher concentrations of DOC and TN in clear-cut lakes. In conclusion, the concentration of TN, and the concentration and quality of DOC, in small boreal lakes are affected by clear-cutting and are changing with the age of the forest stand. Thus, highest concentrations and more bioavailable carbon compounds are found in clear-cut lakes where forests recently has been removed (<10 year).

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Fluvial systems have been estimated to transform, transport, or store 2.75 petagrams (Pg) of Organic Carbon (OC) per year. Although approximately 1Pg per year of terrestrial carbon is fluxed to the atmosphere through inland waters, little is known about the factors regulating its eventual ecological fate. 28 day lability incubations were conducted concurrent with the measurement of several environmental parameters including discharge, nutrient concentration, DO13C, and DOC:DON at several sites along Bigelow Brook and the East Branch of the Swift River, Massachusetts. Temporal and spatial variation of DOC, DOC:DON and DO13C were explored. Two distinct DOC consumption rates, short and long term, as well as overall consumption rate (k), were evaluated to determine the interactions with source, quality, and nutrients. Dissolved organic nutrient concentrations significantly increased long term consumption rates but had little effect on short term rates suggesting that short term rate may be tightly coupled to local, in stream, processes. The short term rate was significantly correlated to k. Interestingly, few significant relationships were found between various rate metrics and the source or quality of the DOC. A large recalcitrant DOC pool persisted after the 28 day period suggestive of downstream export of a large fraction of initial DOC pool.

Surface water reservoirs in rural areas of the Canadian prairies often have poor water quality due to contamination by dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOC can activate growth of microorganisms in water distribution systems and form disinfection by-products (DBPs) in water treatment. The presence of microbiological contaminants and DBPs are potentially harmful to human health. Therefore, rapid and simple methods for DOC characterization are needed to evaluate potential water sources and to assist in understanding how best to remove DOC. The first objective of this project was to develop a sample preparation and analysis procedure utilizing Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to characterize the DOC content of water samples. The second objective was to compare FTIR analysis results for fractionated and un-fractionated water samples to more convention DOC characterization methods (such as UV, SUVA and specific THMFP). The third objective was to demonstrate the application of the procedure to source water assessment and water treatment process evaluation by characterizing the DOC content of several typical treated and un-treated prairie water samples at several locations in Saskatchewan.<p> In the first phase of the study prepared samples of known DOC concentration were separated into six fractions (hydrophobic acid (HPOA), hydrophobic neutral (HPON) and hydrophobic base (HPOB); and hydrophilic acid (HPIA), hydrophilic neutral (HPIN) and hydrophilic base (HPIB)) using resin fractionation techniques. FTIR and conventional UV spectroscopic measurements, DOC concentration, and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) measurements were taken on the un-fractionated samples and their fractions. A water matrix interference problem in the FTIR measurements was overcome by depositing a residue of dry solids from the aqueous solution containing the DOC on a flat, organic compound free and non-infrared absorptive gold plated slide before analysis. This simple evaporation procedure developed for concentrating water samples successfully deposited a solid residue for FTIR scanning. Scanning of the solid residue of each sample at multiple locations successfully produced a spectrum of average results suitable for interpretation.<p> Each organic fraction separated from the prepared samples of known DOC was then assessed using FTIR analysis. Comparison of the spectra from the resin adsorption fractions gave an indication of the relationship between functional groups and the hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature of the DOC. The results suggest that the hydrophobic fractions contain more aromatic functional groups. This demonstrates that the FTIR spectra can provide information regarding the hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature of the DOC as an alternative to the resin separation procedure. The sample preparation and FTIR analysis procedure was then used to characterize the DOC content of source and treated waters at several locations within Saskatchewan. The results of these initial investigations indicate the method can effectively identify the major organic functional groups present in source waters and the changes in the major functional groups that occur as the water is subjected to water treatment unit operations and processes. Further, the presence of several key functional groups is related to an increase in THMFP.

Plankton metabolic balance (PMBm) of the surface mixed layer was calculated as the ratio of areal rates of gross photosynthesis (AGP) to community respiration (AR), and estimated for four Laurentian Great Lakes coastal sites of contrasting physical, optical and nutrient regime: western Lake Ontario, Hamilton Harbour, Georgian Bay and Woods Bay. The applied methods were the oxygen light-and-dark bottle and 14C bottle methods as well as the oxygen stable isotope method (18O method). PMBm was net autotrophic in most of the cases (73% of the observations). Within- and inter-system variations in PMBm were heavily dependent on both a ratio of light-saturated photosynthesis to community respiration (Pmax/R) and a ratio of euphotic to mixing depths (Zeu/Zm). While short-term within-system variations in PMBm were driven by the interplay of chlorophyll a (Chl a), total phosphorus (TP) and Zeu/Zm ratio, its inter-lake long-term variability had a different behaviour. Average ratios of AGP/AR were dependent only on DOC or single physical parameters such as Zeu or Zm, while PMBm determined as the ratio between average AGP and AR was controlled by the joint effect of DOC, TP and Chl a. DOC affected average AGP/AR ratios primarily via its control over fluctuations of the physical environment and had a depressing effect on AGP rates but did not control rates of AR. Independent measurements of volumetric rates of photosynthesis (P) and community respiration (R) were made by 18O method adjusted for wind-driven gas exchange and compared against estimates from bottle estimates. The 18O method in Lake Ontario gave internally inconsistent results (e.g. negative absolute rates of P and R) and poor agreement with independent estimates of P, R and P/R despite superficially plausible estimates for P/R. The low productivity of Lake Ontario and frequent disturbances of water column masked the biological signal in both DO abundance and its isotopic signature, and thus invalidated the assumptions of steady state conditions. However, in Hamilton Harbour and some other relatively sheltered sites that were sampled occasionally, 18O method predicted absolute rates of P that were well correlated well with bottle estimates. Isotope model estimates for R and P/R in the harbour were not well correlated with bottle estimates but were of comparable magnitude on average, and differences were explicable in terms of physical forces and the different time scales of response for the two methods. The Hamilton Harbour hypolimnion presented an anomalous behavior in oxygen stable isotopes (18O depletion) where seasonal development of DO depletion was not accompanied by the progressive isotope enrichment expected from respiratory fractionation. The Lake Ontario and harbour hypolimnion results both appear to show that simple steady state models that assume literature values for fractionation processes and ignore physical dynamics are of limited applicability to lakes.

Plankton metabolic balance (PMBm) of the surface mixed layer was calculated as the ratio of areal rates of gross photosynthesis (AGP) to community respiration (AR), and estimated for four Laurentian Great Lakes coastal sites of contrasting physical, optical and nutrient regime: western Lake Ontario, Hamilton Harbour, Georgian Bay and Woods Bay. The applied methods were the oxygen light-and-dark bottle and 14C bottle methods as well as the oxygen stable isotope method (18O method). PMBm was net autotrophic in most of the cases (73% of the observations). Within- and inter-system variations in PMBm were heavily dependent on both a ratio of light-saturated photosynthesis to community respiration (Pmax/R) and a ratio of euphotic to mixing depths (Zeu/Zm). While short-term within-system variations in PMBm were driven by the interplay of chlorophyll a (Chl a), total phosphorus (TP) and Zeu/Zm ratio, its inter-lake long-term variability had a different behaviour. Average ratios of AGP/AR were dependent only on DOC or single physical parameters such as Zeu or Zm, while PMBm determined as the ratio between average AGP and AR was controlled by the joint effect of DOC, TP and Chl a. DOC affected average AGP/AR ratios primarily via its control over fluctuations of the physical environment and had a depressing effect on AGP rates but did not control rates of AR. Independent measurements of volumetric rates of photosynthesis (P) and community respiration (R) were made by 18O method adjusted for wind-driven gas exchange and compared against estimates from bottle estimates. The 18O method in Lake Ontario gave internally inconsistent results (e.g. negative absolute rates of P and R) and poor agreement with independent estimates of P, R and P/R despite superficially plausible estimates for P/R. The low productivity of Lake Ontario and frequent disturbances of water column masked the biological signal in both DO abundance and its isotopic signature, and thus invalidated the assumptions of steady state conditions. However, in Hamilton Harbour and some other relatively sheltered sites that were sampled occasionally, 18O method predicted absolute rates of P that were well correlated well with bottle estimates. Isotope model estimates for R and P/R in the harbour were not well correlated with bottle estimates but were of comparable magnitude on average, and differences were explicable in terms of physical forces and the different time scales of response for the two methods. The Hamilton Harbour hypolimnion presented an anomalous behavior in oxygen stable isotopes (18O depletion) where seasonal development of DO depletion was not accompanied by the progressive isotope enrichment expected from respiratory fractionation. The Lake Ontario and harbour hypolimnion results both appear to show that simple steady state models that assume literature values for fractionation processes and ignore physical dynamics are of limited applicability to lakes.

Surface water reservoirs in rural areas of the Canadian prairies often have poor water quality due to contamination by dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOC can activate growth of microorganisms in water distribution systems and form disinfection by-products (DBPs) in water treatment. The presence of microbiological contaminants and DBPs are potentially harmful to human health. Therefore, rapid and simple methods for DOC characterization are needed to evaluate potential water sources and to assist in understanding how best to remove DOC. The first objective of this project was to develop a sample preparation and analysis procedure utilizing Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to characterize the DOC content of water samples. The second objective was to compare FTIR analysis results for fractionated and un-fractionated water samples to more convention DOC characterization methods (such as UV, SUVA and specific THMFP). The third objective was to demonstrate the application of the procedure to source water assessment and water treatment process evaluation by characterizing the DOC content of several typical treated and un-treated prairie water samples at several locations in Saskatchewan.<p> In the first phase of the study prepared samples of known DOC concentration were separated into six fractions (hydrophobic acid (HPOA), hydrophobic neutral (HPON) and hydrophobic base (HPOB); and hydrophilic acid (HPIA), hydrophilic neutral (HPIN) and hydrophilic base (HPIB)) using resin fractionation techniques. FTIR and conventional UV spectroscopic measurements, DOC concentration, and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) measurements were taken on the un-fractionated samples and their fractions. A water matrix interference problem in the FTIR measurements was overcome by depositing a residue of dry solids from the aqueous solution containing the DOC on a flat, organic compound free and non-infrared absorptive gold plated slide before analysis. This simple evaporation procedure developed for concentrating water samples successfully deposited a solid residue for FTIR scanning. Scanning of the solid residue of each sample at multiple locations successfully produced a spectrum of average results suitable for interpretation.<p> Each organic fraction separated from the prepared samples of known DOC was then assessed using FTIR analysis. Comparison of the spectra from the resin adsorption fractions gave an indication of the relationship between functional groups and the hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature of the DOC. The results suggest that the hydrophobic fractions contain more aromatic functional groups. This demonstrates that the FTIR spectra can provide information regarding the hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature of the DOC as an alternative to the resin separation procedure. The sample preparation and FTIR analysis procedure was then used to characterize the DOC content of source and treated waters at several locations within Saskatchewan. The results of these initial investigations indicate the method can effectively identify the major organic functional groups present in source waters and the changes in the major functional groups that occur as the water is subjected to water treatment unit operations and processes. Further, the presence of several key functional groups is related to an increase in THMFP.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is now the forth leading cause of male cancer mortality in Taiwan. The betel quid (BQ) chewing is the main cause OSCC in Taiwan. This study was aimed to clone the CDK2-associated protein 1 (CDK2AP1) complete CDs and characterization of its expression profiles as well as protein sublocalization in oral cancers. The human CDK2AP1 gene is 1.6 Kbp in length, mapped to 12q24.31 and encodes for a 12.4 kDa polypeptide. Human CDK2AP1 protein interacts with DNA polymerase alpha/primase resulting in negative regulation of the rate of initiation of DNA replication. It has been reported that differential CDK2AP1 expression, with decreased or absent expression in microsatellite-unstable (MSI+) colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines, suggesting that loss of CDK2AP1 protein expression is a characteristic of malignant transformation in MSI+CRC. The role of CDK2AP1 in the onset or progression of oral cancer is still unknown. In this study, we firstly extracted RNA from 45 patients¡¦ specimens. Then, we cloned CDK2AP1 CDs from stomach carcinoma cell line (Scm1) and subcloned into various protein expression vectors for further examining CDK2AP1 subcellular localization in HeLa cell. Polyclonal CDK2AP1 antibody was prepared. We have demonstrated that the CDK2AP1 protein locates in both cytoplasm and nucleus by immunofluorescence analysis. In addition, we examined the CDK2AP1 mRNA expression profiles in oral cancer specimens by quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that the expression of CDK2AP1 mRNA in oral cancer tissues were higher than those in normal oral tissues. Furthermore, we have determined and compared the CDK2AP1 protein in both oral cancer and normal tissues by immunoblotting analysis and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. The results from both immunoblotting and IHC were consistent with the results from quantitative RT-PCR. CDK2AP1 protein expression was higher in oral cancer tissues than in normal oral tissues.

Although there has been considerable work on the role of nutrient-derived (mostly nitrate) primary production in fueling hypoxia in northern Gulf of Mexico, very little is known about the relative importance of autochthonous versus allochthonous sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Moreover, even less is known about the importance of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), a critical component of DOM (along with DOC) in supporting hypoxia in this region. Most nitrogen in marine organisms exists in the form of amino acids. Changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of amino acids in the Mississippi River Plume have been shown to be important in the dynamic microbial cycling in the plume. In this study, concentrations of amino acids, DON and DOC were linked with hydrography data (e.g., DO, salinity, temperature, fluorescence) to determine how these sources of DOM are related to seasonal and diurnal changes in hypoxia on the inner Louisiana shelf. The general working hypothesis of this work was that allochthonous and autochthonous sources of DOM on the Louisiana shelf have been largely underestimated in their role in fueling hypoxia in northern Gulf of Mexico. A positive correlation between DOC, DON and fluorescence demonstrated that the main source of both DOC and DON was likely to be in situ phytoplankton production. Surface waters in the near-field showed this relationship more than at stations to the west where a sub-surface chlorophyll peak near the pycnocline may also provide a source of DOC and DON in bottom waters. DFAA always had relatively low concentrations at all water depths, which further supports prior work which has shown rapid cycling and high consumption rate of DFAA by heterotrophic bacteria. In addition to biotic controls, selective adsorption of DFAA likely contributed to the dominance of aspartic and glutamic acids at our stations. Hypoxia was generally observed in bottom waters in both spring and summer 2010. Dissolved oxygen generally revealed a negative correlation with nitrate+nitrite concentrations. Based on other work, one possible reason for such linkages may be from NH4+ released from dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Another possible reason may be the high degradation of labile DOM (such as DFAA) as shown by high respiration in bottom waters in prior work by Amon and Benner (1998).