Manure composting is a significant source of atmospheric methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) that are two potent greenhouse gases. The CH4 and N2O fluxes are mediated by methanogens and methanotrophs, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in composting manure, respectively, while these specific bacterial functional groups may interplay in CH4 and N2O emissions during manure composting. To test...

BACKGROUND: Nitrous oxide (N2O) provides sedation for procedures that result in constant low-intensity pain. How long do individuals remain sleepy after receiving N2O? We hypothesized that drug effects would be apparent for an hour or more. METHODS: This was a randomized, double blind controlled study. On three separate occasions, volunteers (N = 12) received 100% oxygen or 20% or 40% N2O for 3...

In the last decade, an increasing number of studies have reported that soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions can be reduced by adding biochar. However, the effect of biochar amendment on soil N2O emissions during freeze-thaw cycle (FTC) is still unknown. In this laboratory study, biochar (0%, 2% and 4%, w/w) was added into a cultivated sandy loam soil and then treated with 15 times of FTC (each FT...

Contemporary crop production faces dual challenges of increasing crop yield while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emission. An integrated evaluation of the mitigation potential of yield-scaled nitrous oxide (N2O) emission by adjusting cropping practices can benefit the innovation of climate smart cropping. This study conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of cropping systems and ...

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a powerful greenhouse gas and a major cause of stratospheric ozone depletion, yet its sources and sinks remain poorly quantified in the oceans. We used isotope tracers to directly measure N2O reduction rates in the eastern tropical North Pacific. Because of incomplete denitrification, N2O cycling rates are an order of magnitude higher than predicted by current models in s...

Few animal studies have explored the interaction of nitrous oxide (N2O) with a benzodiazepine (BNZ) administered by the oral route, as used in clinical procedures involving "conscious sedation". The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative "anxiolytic-like" and sedative effectiveness of N2O, oral triazolam (TRIAZ; Halcion) or oral diazepam (DIAZ; Valium), either alone or in various co...

Despite the importance of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the global radiative balance and atmospheric ozone chemistry, its sources and sinks within the Earth's system are still poorly understood. In the ocean, N2O is produced by microbiological processes such as nitrification and partial denitrification, which account for about a third of global emissions. Conversely, complete denitrification (the diss...

The reproductive and teratogenic effects of nitrous oxide (N2O), isoflurane, and their combination were studied in 130 timed-pregnant rats. Rats were exposed to either air, 0.35% isoflurane (1/4 MAC), 50% N2O (a known teratogenic concentration), or 50% N2O plus 0.35% isoflurane for 24 h on day 8 of pregnancy. On day 20 of pregnancy, cesarean sections were performed; a total of 1268 offspring we...

Eddy covariance and static chambers are different-scale methods for monitoring agricultural N2O that, when used together on heterogeneous agricultural landscapes, can help identify flux sources and sinks and evaluate the effect of management interventions on landscape-scale N2O emissions. This study compared the N2O flux data obtained by eddy covariance and static chambers during a short-term N...

Using static chambers and gas chromatography, nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from an apple orchard soil in the Bohai Bay region of China were measured from February 2010 to February 2011. In this study, two nitrogen (N) fertilizer treatments were designed--without (CK) or with (SN) synthetic N fertilizers (800 kg N ha(-1)). The annual cumulative N2O emissions from CK and SN were 34.6 ± 3.0 (mean ± ...