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In this study, we discuss the predominant factors that determine the ground temperature regime of an active layer in a block slope. The distribution of the bottom temperature of snow measurements, warm funnels at the top of the slope, and ground temperature changes on the block slope indicate continuous air circulation during the winter. In the spring, snowmelt water flows to the valley bottom, and refreezes adding superimposed ice onto the perennial ice that fills the voids between coarse blocks. At the study site, the ground temperatures showed a simultaneous, abrupt increase at all depths in the active layer. These results strongly suggest that air circulation in winter, as well as the ice formation processes in the spring control the thermal regime of the active layer of the block slope with mean annual air temperature (MAAT) above 0°C.

Pregnancy is a stress factor culminating into mild endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is necessary for placental development. However, excessive or chronic ER stress in pre-eclamptic placentas leads to placental dysfunction. The precise mechanisms through which excessive ER stress impacts trophoblasts are not well understood. Here, we showed that ER stress reduces the number of lysosomes, resulting in inhibition of autophagic flux in trophoblast cells. ER stress also disrupted the translocation of lysosomes to the surface of trophoblast cells, and inhibited lysosomal exocytosis, whereby the secretion of lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) into culture media was significantly attenuated. In addition, we found that serum LAMP1 and beta-galactosidase levels were significantly decreased in pre-eclampsia patients compared to normal pregnant women, potentially indicating lysosomal dysfunction through ER stress in pre-eclamptic placentas. Thus, we demonstrated that excessive ER stress essentially disrupts homeostasis in trophoblasts in conjunction with autophagy inhibition by lysosomal impairment.