Ensemble of global climate simulations for temperature in historical, 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C scenarios from HadAM4.

Large ensembles of global temperature are provided for three climate scenarios: historical (2006-16), 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C above pre-industrial levels. Each scenario has 700 members (70 simulations per year for ten years) of 6-hourly mean temperatures at a resolution of 0.833° ´ 0.556° (longitude ´ latitude) over the land surface. The data was generated using the climateprediction.net (CPDN) climate simulation environment, to run HadAM4 Atmosphere-only General Circulation Model (AGCM) from the UK Met Office Hadley Centre. Biases in simulated temperature were identified and corrected using quantile mapping with reference temperature data from ERA5. The data is stored within the UK Natural and Environmental Research Council Centre for Environmental Data Analysis repository as NetCDF V4 files.

Meta-analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from anaerobic digestion processes in dairy farms.

This meta-analysis quantifies the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy farms, caused by anaerobically digesting (AD) cattle manure. As this is a novel quantifiable synthesis of the literature, a database of GHG emissions from dairy farms is created. Each case in the database consists of a baseline (reference with no AD system) and an AD scenario. To enable interstudy comparison, emissions are normalized by calculating relative changes (RCs). The distributions of RCs are reported by specific GHGs and operation units. Nonparametric tests are applied to the RCs in order to identify a statistical difference of AD with respect to baseline scenarios (Wilcoxon rank test), correlations (Spearman test), and best estimation for changes in emissions (Kernel density distribution estimator). From 749 studies identified, 30 papers yield 89 independent cases. The median reductions in emissions from the baseline scenarios, according to operation units, are -43.2% (n.s.) for storage, -6.3% for field application of slurries, -11.0% for offset of energy from fossil fuel, and +0.4% (n.s.) for offset of inorganic fertilizers. The leaks from digesters are found to significantly increase the emissions from baseline scenarios (median = +1.4%).

Pharmacokinetics of selected chiral flavonoids: hesperetin, naringenin and eriodictyol in rats and their content in fruit juices.

The majority of pharmacokinetic studies of individual flavonoids or after ingestion of foodstuffs have overlooked the chirality of some of these xenobiotics. In order to characterize for the first time the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of three flavonoids, hesperetin, naringenin and eriodictyol were intravenously administered (20 mg/kg) to male Sprague-Dawley rats, and their stereospecific content was assessed in various fruit juices. Concentrations in serum, urine and fruit juices were characterized via HPLC and verified by LC/MS. Short half-lives (3-7 h) in serum were observed, while a better estimation of half-life (12-48 h) and the other pharmacokinetic parameters was observed using urinary data. The three flavonoids are predominantly excreted via non-renal routes (fe values of 3-7%), and undergo rapid and extensive phase II metabolism. The (2S)-epimers of the flavonoid glycosides and the S(-)-enantiomers of the aglycones were predominant and in some instances the organic fruit juices had higher concentrations than the conventional fruit juices. This study reports for the first time the stereospecific pharmacokinetics of three chiral flavonoids and their stereospecific content in fruit juices. It also reports for the first time the stereospecific pharmacokinetics of flavonoids employing urine as a more reliable biological matrix.

Stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of eriodictyol in urine.

A stereospecific method of analysis of eriodictyol [5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavanone] in biological fluids is necessary to study the kinetics of in vitro and in vivo metabolism, and tissue distribution in fruits and humans. A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the stereospecific determination of eriodictyol in rat and human urine. Separation was achieved on a Chiralpak OJ-RH column with UV detection at 288 nm. The stereospecific calibration curves were linear ranging from 0.5 to 100 microg/ml. The mean extraction efficiency was >98.8%. Precision of the assay was <15% (CV), and was within 12% at the limit of quantitation (0.5 microg/ml). Bias of the assay was lower than 8%, and was within 6% at the limit of quantitation. The assay was applied successfully to the urinary excretion of eriodictyol in rats and humans, and to the stereospecific quantification of eriodictyol in raw lemon juice, conventional and organic lemonade.