Post-depositional modification of atmospheric dust on a granite building in central Rio de Janeiro: implications for surface induration and subsequent stone decay

Extensive contour scaling of a 200 year old granite church is associated with the breaching of an apparently iron-rich crust and the widespread deposition of atmospheric dust within the canyon-like streetscape of Rio de Janeiro. Contemporary dust, accumulated dust from within the a depression on the building surface, the surface crust and the underlying granite are examined by a combination of total element analysis and sequential extraction, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. Results indicate an increase in total organic carbon and a marked decrease in pH within the accumulated dust, and a rapid mobilization of anions and cations from the water-soluble and carbonate phases. It is considered that the latter is linked to salt accumulation within and eventual salt weathering of the granite. Post-depositional alteration of the dust is also linked with the de-silicification of clay minerals (Illite to kaolinite) and the loss of silica from the amorphous Fe/Mn phase of the accumulated dust under the initially saline and progressively more acidic conditions experienced at the stone - atmosphere interface. This mobilization of silica is associated with the formation of what is, in effect, a thin silica-rich surface crust or glaze. Within the glaze, assessory amounts of extractable iron are concentrated within the amorphous and crystalline Fe/Mn phases at levels that are significantly elevated with respect to the underlying granite, but much lower than the equivalent phases of the accumulated dust from which it is principally assumed to derive. The protection afforded to the stone work by the crust is not, however, permanent and within the last 15 years it has been possible to observe a rapid increase in the surface delamination of the church close to street level.

Ca(2+)-sparks constitute elementary building blocks for global Ca(2+)-signals in myocytes of retinal arterioles.

Spontaneous Ca2+-events were imaged in myocytes within intact retinal arterioles (diameter < 40 mu m) freshly isolated from rat eyes. Ca2+-sparks were often observed to spread across the width of these small cells, and could summate to produce prolonged Ca2+-oscillations and contraction. Application of cyclopiazonic acid (20 mu M) transiently increased spark frequency and oscillation amplitude, but inhibited both sparks and oscillations within 60 s. Both ryanodine (100 mu M) and tetracaine (100 mu M) reduced the frequency of sparks and oscillations, while tetracaine also reduced oscillation amplitude. None of these interventions affected spark amplitude. Nifedipine, which blocks store filling independently of any action on L-type Ca2+-channels in these cells, reduced the frequency and amplitude of both sparks and oscillations. Removal of external [Ca2+] (1 mM EGTA) also reduced the frequency of sparks and oscillations but these reductions were slower in onset than those in the presence of tetracaine or cyclopiazonic acid. Cyclopiazonic acid, nifedipine and low external [Ca2+] all reduced SR loading, as indicated by the amplitude of caffeine evoked Ca2+-transients. This study demonstrates for the first time that spontaneous Ca2+-events in small arterioles of the eye result from activation of ryanodine receptors in the SR and suggests that this activation is not tightly coupled to Ca2+-influx. The data also supports a model in which Ca2+-sparks act as building blocks for more prolonged, global Ca2+-signals. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The limits of legitimacy: Former loyalist combatants and peace-building in Northern Ireland

The British government has a fraught relationship with former combatants in Northern Ireland. It simultaneously benefits from former combatants’ peace-building efforts, whilst denying them statutory recognition and funding. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with politically motivated former loyalist combatants and statutory representatives in Belfast, this paper explores the complex and sometimes contradictory relationship between them. It argues that that a lack of legitimacy is the biggest obstacle to good working relationships, and that positive engagement may be crucial in order to promote the implementation of peace in the most difficult to reach and volatile constituencies in Northern Ireland.

Building on IUCN regional red lists to produce lists of species of conservation priority: a model with Irish bees

A World Conservation Union (IUCN) regional red list is an objective assessment of regional extinction risk and is not the same as a list of conservation priority species. Recent research reveals the widespread, but incorrect, assumption that IUCN Red List categories represent a hierarchical list of priorities for conservation action. We developed a simple eight-step priority-setting process and applied it to the conservation of bees in Ireland. Our model is based on the national red list but also considers the global significance of the national population; the conservation status at global, continental, and regional levels; key biological, economic, and societal factors; and is compatible with existing conservation agreements and legislation. Throughout Ireland, almost one-third of the bee fauna is threatened (30 of 100 species), but our methodology resulted in a reduced list of only 17 priority species. We did not use the priority species list to broadly categorize species to the conservation action required; instead, we indicated the individual action required for all threatened, near-threatened, and data-deficient species on the national red list based on the IUCN's conservation-actions template file. Priority species lists will strongly influence prioritization of conservation actions at national levels, but action should not be exclusive to listed species. In addition, all species on this list will not necessarily require immediate action. Our method is transparent, reproducible, and readily applicable to other taxa and regions.