We report infrared spectroscopic observations of the incorporation of CO2 into pyrophyllite that has been heated between 200°C and 1250°C for periods of 15 min, 1 h and 5 days. The presence of CO2 is characterized by the ν3 band of CO2 near 2347 cm−1, detectable in samples in which dehydroxylation has commenced after heating above 450°C. With increasing temperature, the CO2 signal becomes more intense. The signal reaches its maximum intensity near 800°C with an annealing time of 15 min. Further heating leads to a decrease in the CO2 signal and the occurrence of an extra signal near 2156 cm−1 that implies the presence of CO. The process is characterized by significant time-dependence, indicating its kinetic nature. The peak positions of CO2 signals show systematic variations with temperature. Our results suggest that the CO2 molecule is associated with the local structure rather than being present as free gaseous CO2, and that the local structure of pyrophyllite is gradually modified during high-temperature treatments. However, no signals related to carbonate molecules ($({\text{CO}}_3^{2-})$) were detected. The results suggest that CO2 or other carbon-based molecules may diffuse into some clay minerals during dehydroxylation and may become altered due to structural modifications at high temperatures. This may have significance for possible CO2 sequestration in shales and clay formations.

Plasmodium coatneyi has been proposed as an animal model for human Plasmodium falciparum malaria as it appears to replicate many aspects of pathogenesis and clinical symptomology. As part of the ongoing evaluation of the rhesus macaque model of severe malaria, a detailed ultrastructural analysis of the interaction between the parasite and both the host erythrocytes and the microvasculature was undertaken. Tissue (brain, heart and kidney) from splenectomized rhesus macaques and blood from spleen-intact animals infected with P. coatneyi were examined by electron microscopy. In all three tissues, similar interactions (sequestration) between infected red blood cells (iRBC) and blood vessels were observed with evidence of rosette and auto-agglutinate formation. The iRBCs possessed caveolae similar to P. vivax and knob-like structures similar to P. falciparum. However, the knobs often appeared incompletely formed in the splenectomized animals in contrast to the intact knobs exhibited by spleen intact animals. Plasmodium coatneyi infection in the monkey replicates many of the ultrastructural features particularly associated with P. falciparum in humans and as such supports its use as a suitable animal model. However, the possible effect on host–parasite interactions and the pathogenesis of disease due to the use of splenectomized animals needs to be taken into consideration.

Soils are the dominant terrestrial sink for carbon, containing three times as much C as above-ground plant biomass, and acting as a host for both organic and inorganic C, as soil organic matter and pedogenic carbonates, respectively. This article reviews evidence for the generation within the soil solution of dissolved C derived from plants and recognition of its precipitation as carbonates. It then considers the potential value of this process for artificially-mediated CO2 sequestration within soils. The ability of crops such as wheat to produce organic acid anions as root exudates is substantial, generating 70 mol/(y kg) of exuded C, equivalent to the plant's own ‘body weight’. This is still an order of magnitude less than measured C production from Icelandic woodlands (Moulton et al., 2000), which have no other possible source of C. Thus, there is apparently no shortage of available dissolved C, as bicarbonate in solution, and so the formation of pedogenic carbonates will be controlled by the availability of Ca. This is derived from mineral weathering, primarily of silicate minerals (natural plagioclase feldspars and pyroxenes; artificial cement and slag minerals). Within the UK, existing industrial arisings of calcium silicate minerals from quarrying, demolition and steel manufacture that are fine-grained and suitable for incorporation into soils are sufficient to account for 3 MT CO2 per year, compensating for half of the emissions from UK cement manufacture. Pursuing these arguments, it is shown that soils have a role to play as passive agents in the removal of atmospheric CO2, analogous to the use of reed beds to clean contaminated waters.

Evidence in the literature has generally supported either of two paraquat resistance mechanisms: an increase in activity of oxygen radical-scavenging enzymes in resistant plants which affords protection from active oxygen species formed by paraquat; and sequestration of paraquat away from its site of action in the chloroplast. Evidence for the first model relies primarily on measurement of increased enzyme activity and cross-resistance to other oxygen radical-generating stresses in resistant plants. The sequestration model is supported by data showing decreased translocation of paraquat and absence of paraquat injury in plant systems that do not have increased levels of protective enzymes. An alteration in paraquat transport at one of several plant cell membranes could confer resistance by modifying movement of paraquat into the compartment bounded by that membrane. Properties of the plasmalemma, chloroplast envelope, and tonoplast that may be important to paraquat transport are discussed and data supporting or discounting specific membrane alterations in resistant plants are presented. Finally, the possibility that both mechanisms may work in concert is addressed.

Synthetic rubbers, synthetic plastic polymers (polyvinyl chlorides [PVC]), polyurethane blends, and polyethylene blends make up modern-day agricultural spray hoses. The objective of this study was to determine whether agricultural hose types would differ with respect to 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba) sequestration. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the sequestration potential of dicamba within five agricultural hose types when cleaned with different cleanout procedures. Rinsate solutions were applied to soybean, which was used as a bio-indicator to test for cleanout efficiency. Differences among hose types and cleanout procedures exist with observations including soybean injury, height reduction, dry matter, yield, and part per million by volume (ppmv) analyte retained. The makeup of PVC polyurethane-blend and synthetic rubber–blend hoses increased retention of dicamba analyte when compared with the polyethylene blend hose. No differences were observed after the addition of ammonia to the cleanout solution when compared with water alone. Differences in a hose type’s ability to sequester the dicamba analyte may have more to do with the hose’s internal chemical composition, manufacturing process, and composition breakdown. Scanning electron microscopy revealed imperfections in new PVC polyurethane and synthetic rubber hoses that eventually lead to inner wall depletion of these hose types. This is in contrast to what was found in the polyethylene-blend hose type, in which the inner wall is smooth and free of imperfections.

We review chemical ecology literature as it relates to biological control of weeds and discuss how this means of controlling invasive plants could be enhanced by the consideration of several well-established research approaches. The interface between chemical ecology and biological control of weeds presents a rich opportunity to exploit potentially coevolved relationships between agents and plants where chemical factors mediating interactions are important. Five topics seem relevant, which if implemented could improve the predictability of host range determination, agent establishment, and impact on the target weed. (1) The host secondary plant chemistry and a potential biological control agent's response to that chemistry can be exploited to improve predictability of potential agent host range. (2) Evolutionary changes may occur in secondary plant chemistry of invasive weeds that have been introduced to novel environments and exposed to a new set of biotic and abiotic stressors. Further, such a scenario facilitates rapid evolutionary changes in phenotypic traits, which in turn may help explain one mechanism of invasiveness and affect the outcome of biological control and other management options. (3) Herbivores can induce production of secondary plant compounds. (4) Variability of weed secondary chemistry which, either constitutive or inducible, can be an important factor that potentially influences the performance of some biological control agents and their impact on the target weed. (5) Finally, sequestration of secondary plant chemistry may protect herbivores against generalist predators, which might improve establishment of a biological control agent introduced to a new range and eventually impact on the target weed. Recognition of these patterns and processes can help identify the factors that impart success to a biological control program.

Using life cycle assessment methodology, this analysis evaluates how two carbon reduction strategies affect cotton plantings regionally and methods used to produce cotton. Because cotton production emits large amounts of carbon, the design of a reduction policy as either excluding soil sequestration through cap-and-trade or including it through carbon offset is likely to affect the success of the policy. A cap-and-trade program that ignores the amount of carbon cotton would sequester in the soil during its life cycle could increase net emissions by rewarding producers whose crops emit limited carbon directly but also sequester little carbon in the ground.

Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital anomaly that can be asymptomatic or present with recurrent infections, respiratory symptoms, or rarely heart failure. Sequestration is classified as intralobar or extralobar on the basis of whether there is separation from normal lung tissue by its own visceral pleura. Classically, patients are treated with surgical resection. We present a case of multivessel, combined intralobar and extralobar pulmonary sequestration treated with transcatheter embolisation.

Cell surface molecules have received intense attention in recent years because of the central roles they play at the interface between the external environment and the cellular interior. Their functions include adhesion to other cells or extracellular matrices, protection against hostile physical, chemical and biological agents and the transport of metabolites into and out of the cell. In addition, cell surface molecules transduce signals across the cell membrane, relaying information inwards and presenting altered characteristics to the exterior as the environment changes.

We report an unusual case in which the peripheral part of the otherwise normal left lung was supplied by major systemic arteries arising from the left subclavian, internal mammary and coeliac arteries. Unlike most cases with systemic arterial supply to a normal or sequestered lung, where the systemic arterial branches get access to the lung through the pulmonary hilum or inferior pulmonary ligament, in our patient the systemic arterial branches entered the lung through the transpleural routes.

Malaria kills approximately 1–2 million people every year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. These deaths are at the most severe end of a scale of pathologies affecting approximately 500 million people per year. Much of the pathogenesis of malaria is caused by inappropriate or excessive immune responses mounted by the body to eliminate malaria parasites. In this review, we examine the evidence that immunopathology is responsible for malaria disease in the context of what we have learnt from animal models of malaria. In particular, we look in detail at the processes involved in endothelial cell damage leading to syndromes such as cerebral malaria, as well as generalised systemic manifestations such as anaemia, cachexia and problems with thermoregulation of the body. We also consider malaria in light of the variation of the severity of disease observed among people, and discuss the contribution from animal models to our understanding of this variation. Finally, we discuss some of the implications of immunopathology, and of host and parasite genetic variation, for the design and implementation of anti-malarial vaccines.