WorldWideScience

Sample records for chemical variations observed

  1. Amazing variational approach to chemical reactions

    OpenAIRE

    Fernández, Francisco M.

    2009-01-01

    In this letter we analyse an amazing variational approach to chemical reactions. Our results clearly show that the variational expressions are unsuitable for the analysis of empirical data obtained from chemical reactions.

  2. Observer variation in skeletal radiology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cockshott, W.P.; Park, W.M.

    1983-08-01

    The factors that affect observer variation in bone radiology are analysed from data in the literature and on the basis of studies carried out at McMaster University on the hands and sacroiliac joints. A plea is made for presenting results in terms of Kappa statistics so that agreement due purely to chance is eliminated. In the conclusions the main variables that affect concordance are listed so that strategies can be developed to reduce observer variation. This is important in serial studies to ensure that the observer variations are smaller than the effect one wishes to measure.

  3. A long-term variation of chemical composition in precipitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshioka, Ryuma; Okimura, Takashi; Okumura, Takenobu

    1991-01-01

    Precipitation samples are collected at the six localities in the southwestern Japan weekly or monthly over a long period of time (1978-1989) in order to estimate chemical weathering rates and amount of weathered materials through chemical composition in natural waters. Major chemical composition is determined for the precipitation samples. Together with the data available in the literature, the following characteristics are recognized : 1) Most pH values fall in the narrow range of 4.4 to 5.4, 2) Systematic variations in pH values are observed among the precipitation samples of different geologic environments, 3) pH values become almost constant from 1984 to 1989, 4) NO 3 - concentrations gradually decrease to an almost constant value with time, and 5) ΔSO 4 2- concentrations gradually have a tendency to decrease from 1978 to 1985. The mechanism of phenomena described above is also presented. (author)

  4. Seasonal variation of spherical aerosols distribution in East Asia based on ground and space Lidar observation and a Chemical transport model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Y.; Yumimoto, K.; Uno, I.; Shimizu, A.; Sugimoto, N.; Ohara, T.

    2009-12-01

    The anthropogenic aerosols largely impact on not only human health but also global climate system, therefore air pollution in East Asia due to a rapid economic growth has been recognized as a significant environmental problem. Several international field campaigns had been conducted to elucidate pollutant gases, aerosols characteristics and radiative forcing in East Asia. (e.g., ACE-Asia, TRACE-P, ADEC, EAREX 2005). However, these experiments were mainly conducted in springtime, therefore seasonal variation of aerosols distribution has not been clarified well yet. National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has been constructing a lidar networks by automated dual wavelength / polarization Mie-lidar systems to observe the atmospheric environment in Asian region since 2001. Furthermore, from June 2006, space-borne backscatter lidar, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), onboard NASA/CALIPSO satellite, measures continuous global aerosol and cloud vertical distribution with very high spatial resolution. In this paper, we will show the seasonal variation of aerosols distribution in East Asia based on the NIES lidar network observation, Community Multi-scale Air Quality Modeling System (CMAQ) chemical transport model simulation and CALIOP observation over the period from July 2006 to December 2008. We found that CMAQ result explains the typical seasonal aerosol characteristics by lidar observations. For example, CMAQ and ground lidar showed a summertime peak of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at Beijing, an autumn AOT peak at Guangzhou and summertime AOT trough at Hedo, Okinawa. These characteristics are mainly controlled by seasonal variations of Asian summer/winter monsoon system. We also examined the CMAQ seasonal average aerosol extinction profiles with ground lidar and CALIOP extinction data. These comparisons clarified that the CMAQ reproduced the observed aerosol layer depth well in the downwind region. Ground lidar and CALIOP seasonal

  5. Family matters: effect of host plant variation in chemical and mechanical defenses on a sequestering specialist herbivore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dimarco, Romina D; Nice, Chris C; Fordyce, James A

    2012-11-01

    Insect herbivores contend with various plant traits that are presumed to function as feeding deterrents. Paradoxically, some specialist insect herbivores might benefit from some of these plant traits, for example by sequestering plant chemical defenses that herbivores then use as their own defense against natural enemies. Larvae of the butterfly species Battus philenor (L.) (Papilionidae) sequester toxic alkaloids (aristolochic acids) from their Aristolochia host plants, rendering larvae and adults unpalatable to a broad range of predators. We studied the importance of two putative defensive traits in Aristolochia erecta: leaf toughness and aristolochic acid content, and we examined the effect of intra- and interplant chemical variation on the chemical phenotype of B. philenor larvae. It has been proposed that genetic variation for sequestration ability is "invisible to natural selection" because intra- and interindividual variation in host-plant chemistry will largely eliminate a role for herbivore genetic variation in determining an herbivore's chemical phenotype. We found substantial intra- and interplant variation in leaf toughness and in the aristolochic acid chemistry in A. erecta. Based on field observations and laboratory experiments, we showed that first-instar larvae preferentially fed on less tough, younger leaves and avoided tougher, older leaves, and we found no evidence that aristolochic acid content influenced first-instar larval foraging. We found that the majority of variation in the amount of aristolochic acid sequestered by larvae was explained by larval family, not by host-plant aristolochic acid content. Heritable variation for sequestration is the predominant determinant of larval, and likely adult, chemical phenotype. This study shows that for these highly specialized herbivores that sequester chemical defenses, traits that offer mechanical resistance, such as leaf toughness, might be more important determinants of early-instar larval

  6. Temporal Variation of Chemical Persistence in a Swedish Lake Assessed by Benchmarking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Hongyan; Radke, Michael; Kierkegaard, Amelie; McLachlan, Michael S

    2015-08-18

    Chemical benchmarking was used to investigate the temporal variation of the persistence of chemical contaminants in a Swedish lake. The chemicals studied included 12 pharmaceuticals, an artificial sweetener, and an X-ray contrast agent. Measurements were conducted in late spring, late autumn, and winter. The transformation half-life in the lake could be quantified for 7 of the chemicals. It ranged from several days to hundreds of days. For 5 of the chemicals (bezafibrate, climbazole, diclofenac, furosemide, and hydrochlorothiazide), the measured persistence was lower in late spring than in late autumn. This may have been caused by lower temperatures and/or less irradiation during late autumn. The seasonality in chemical persistence contributed to changes in chemical concentrations in the lake during the year. The impact of seasonality of persistence was compared with the impact of other important variables determining concentrations in the lake: chemical inputs and water flow/dilution. The strongest seasonal variability in chemical concentration in lake water was observed for hydrochlorothiazide (over a factor of 10), and this was attributable to the seasonality in its persistence.

  7. Thermal and chemical variations of the Nigerian Benue trough lead-zinc-barite-fluorite deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogundipe, Ibukun Emmanuel

    2017-08-01

    The Benue trough is an intra-continental rift initiated in the Cretaceous during the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Lead-zinc-barite-fluorite mineralization occurs along the 600 km axis of the trough in three discrete sub-basins which coincide with the lower, middle and upper mineral districts of the Benue Valley. Lithologically these sub-basins are dominated by black carbonaceous shale in the Lower Benue, platform carbonates in the Middle Benue and sandstones in the Upper Benue. Micro-thermometric analysis of fluid inclusions in sphalerite, fluorite, barite and quartz have shown that each mineral district has its own unique thermal and chemical imprint. For example, the temperature can be bracketed between 109 °C and 160 °C for lower Benue, 89 °C-144 °C for the Middle Benue and 176 °C-254 °C for the Upper Benue. Chemical differentiation also exists between each mineral district with the Lower Benue having 22 wt % equivalent NaCl while the Middle and Upper Benue have 18 and 16 wt % equivalent NaCl respectively. This study shows that inter-district thermal and chemical variations exist between the ore-stage sulfide and post-sulfide gangue minerals of the entire Benue Valley. Similarly, intra-district thermal and chemical variations have also been observed among all the paragenetic minerals of each district. The thermal variations may be as a result of variations in the geothermal gradient accompanying continental rifting from one district to the other. The variations in the chemistry between the Lower Benue and the Upper Benue paragenic minerals may be as a result of the distinct lithological differences across the Benue Trough.

  8. Variation of physico-chemical characteristics with tide in Visakhapatnam harbour waters, east coast of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    RamaRaju, V.S.; Rao, T.V.N.; Rathod, V.

    Variations in physico-chemical parameters (DO, BOD, NO2, SiO4, PO4 suspended solids, salinity and currents) observed in the waters of main channel of Visakhapatnam Harbour over a tidal cycle in different seasons from February 1982 to January 1983...

  9. The impact of nectar chemical features on phenotypic variation in two related nectar yeasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pozo, María I; Herrera, Carlos M; Van den Ende, Wim; Verstrepen, Kevin; Lievens, Bart; Jacquemyn, Hans

    2015-06-01

    Floral nectars become easily colonized by microbes, most often species of the ascomycetous yeast genus Metschnikowia. Although it is known that nectar composition can vary tremendously among plant species, most probably corresponding to the nutritional requirements of their main pollinators, far less is known about how variation in nectar chemistry affects intraspecific variation in nectarivorous yeasts. Because variation in nectar traits probably affects growth and abundance of nectar yeasts, nectar yeasts can be expected to display large phenotypic variation in order to cope with varying nectar conditions. To test this hypothesis, we related variation in the phenotypic landscape of a vast collection of nectar-living yeast isolates from two Metschnikowia species (M. reukaufii and M. gruessii) to nectar chemical traits using non-linear redundancy analyses. Nectar yeasts were collected from 19 plant species from different plant families to include as much variation in nectar chemical traits as possible. As expected, nectar yeasts displayed large variation in phenotypic traits, particularly in traits related to growth performance in carbon sources and inhibitors, which was significantly related to the host plant from which they were isolated. Total sugar concentration and relative fructose content significantly explained the observed variation in the phenotypic profile of the investigated yeast species, indicating that sugar concentration and composition are the key traits that affect phenotypic variation in nectarivorous yeasts. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Spatio-temporal variation in chemical characteristics of PM10 over Indo Gangetic Plain of India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, S K; Mandal, T K; Srivastava, M K; Chatterjee, A; Jain, Srishti; Saxena, M; Singh, B P; Saraswati; Sharma, A; Adak, A; K Ghosh, S

    2016-09-01

    The paper presents the spatio-temporal variation of chemical compositions (organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water-soluble inorganic ionic components (WSIC)) of particulate matter (PM10) over three locations (Delhi, Varanasi, and Kolkata) of Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP) of India for the year 2011. The observational sites are chosen to represent the characteristics of upper (Delhi), middle (Varanasi), and lower (Kolkata) IGP regions as converse to earlier single-station observation. Average mass concentration of PM10 was observed higher in the middle IGP (Varanasi 206.2 ± 77.4 μg m(-3)) as compared to upper IGP (Delhi 202.3 ± 74.3 μg m(-3)) and lower IGP (Kolkata 171.5 ± 38.5 μg m(-3)). Large variation in OC values from 23.57 μg m(-3) (Delhi) to 12.74 μg m(-3) (Kolkata) indicating role of formation of secondary aerosols, whereas EC have not shown much variation with maximum concentration over Delhi (10.07 μg m(-3)) and minimum over Varanasi (7.72 μg m(-3)). As expected, a strong seasonal variation was observed in the mass concentration of PM10 as well as in its chemical composition over the three locations. Principal component analysis (PCA) identifies the contribution of secondary aerosol, biomass burning, fossil fuel combustion, vehicular emission, and sea salt to PM10 mass concentration at the observational sites of IGP, India. Backward trajectory analysis indicated the influence of continental type aerosols being transported from the Bay of Bengal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and surrounding areas to IGP region.

  11. Seasonal variations of physico-chemical properties of the Great ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The present study was attempted on the physico-chemical variability of the Great Vedaranyam Swamp of the Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, South-east coast of India. Seasonal variation study was carried out to examine level of varying physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, ...

  12. Variation in the chemical composition, physical characteristics and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Variation in the chemical composition, physical characteristics and energy values of cereal grains produced in the Western Cape area of South Africa. TS Brand, CW Cruywagen, DA Brandt, M Viljoen, WW Burger ...

  13. Detection of Cell Wall Chemical Variation in Zea Mays Mutants Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buyck, N.; Thomas, S.

    2001-01-01

    Corn stover is regarded as the prime candidate feedstock material for commercial biomass conversion in the United States. Variations in chemical composition of Zea mays cell walls can affect biomass conversion process yields and economics. Mutant lines were constructed by activating a Mu transposon system. The cell wall chemical composition of 48 mutant families was characterized using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. NIR data were analyzed using a multivariate statistical analysis technique called Principal Component Analysis (PCA). PCA of the NIR data from 349 maize leaf samples reveals 57 individuals as outliers on one or more of six Principal Components (PCs) at the 95% confidence interval. Of these, 19 individuals from 16 families are outliers on either PC3 (9% of the variation) or PC6 (1% of the variation), the two PCs that contain information about cell wall polymers. Those individuals for which altered cell wall chemistry is confirmed with wet chemical analysis will then be subjected to fermentation analysis to determine whether or not biomass conversion process kinetics, yields and/or economics are significantly affected. Those mutants that provide indications for a decrease in process cost will be pursued further to identify the gene(s) responsible for the observed changes in cell wall composition and associated changes in process economics. These genes will eventually be incorporated into maize breeding programs directed at the development of a truly dual use crop.

  14. Variations of some parameters of enzyme induction in chemical workers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dolara, P. (Univ. of Florence, Italy); Lodovici, M.; Buffoni, F.; Buiatti, E.; Baccetti, S.; Ciofini, O.; Bavazzano, P.; Barchielli, S.; Vannucci, V.

    1982-01-01

    Several parameters related to mono-oxygenase activity were followed in a population of chemical workers and controls. Workers exposed to toluene and xylene had a significant increase of urinary glucaric acid, that was correlated with hippuric acid excretion. On the other hand, workers exposed to pigments showed a marked increase of antipyrine half-life. A dose-related decrease of liver N-demethylase was induced in rats by the administration of a mixture of three of the pigments in use in the plant. Serum gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase was decreased in the workers exposed to pigments, but this variation was not statistically significant. The exposure to different chemicals in the workplace seemed to induce a complicated variation of mono-oxygenase levels, some enzyme being inhibited and others induced in the same group of workers. The sensitivity of these workers to toxic effects of chemicals, carcinogenic compounds and drugs seems to differ markedly from the control population.

  15. No Evidence of Chemical Abundance Variations in the Intermediate-age Cluster NGC 1783

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hao; de Grijs, Richard; Li, Chengyuan; Wu, Xiaohan

    2018-02-01

    We have analyzed multi-passband photometric observations, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, of the massive (1.8 × 105 M ⊙), intermediate-age (1.8 Gyr-old) Large Magellanic Cloud star cluster NGC 1783. The morphology of the cluster’s red giant branch does not exhibit a clear broadening beyond its intrinsic width; the observed width is consistent with that owing to photometric uncertainties alone and independent of the photometric selection boundaries we applied to obtain our sample of red giant stars. The color dispersion of the cluster’s red giant stars around the best-fitting ridgeline is 0.062 ± 0.009 mag, which is equivalent to the width of 0.080 ± 0.001 mag derived from artificial simple stellar population tests, that is, tests based on single-age, single-metallicity stellar populations. NGC 1783 is comparably as massive as other star clusters that show clear evidence of multiple stellar populations. After incorporating mass-loss recipes from its current age of 1.8 Gyr to an age of 6 Gyr, NGC 1783 is expected to remain as massive as some other clusters that host clear multiple populations at these intermediate ages. If we were to assume that mass is an important driver of multiple population formation, then NGC 1783 should have exhibited clear evidence of chemical abundance variations. However, our results support the absence of any chemical abundance variations in NGC 1783.

  16. Chemical variation in hydrothermal minerals of the Los Humeros geothermal system, Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez-Serrano, R.G. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico). Insituto de Geofisica

    2002-10-01

    The Los Humeros geothermal system is composed of more than 2200 m of Quaternary altered volcanic rocks and an underlying Cretaceous sedimentary sequence. The low salinity of the fluids discharged at present (Na{sup +} and Cl{sup -} concentrations <500 ppm), and the excess steam, indicate that the reservoir contains a mixture of steam and dilute groundwater. Water-rock equilibrium is not attained. Hydrothermal minerals are present in veinlets, vugs, and replacing primary minerals. Three mineral zones are recognized: 1) a shallow argillic zone (<400 m depth), 2) a propylitic zone (ranging between 500 and 1800 m) and 3) a skarn zone (>1800 m). Petrographic examination of cuttings from five wells and temperature data indicate at least two stages of hydrothermal activity. Temperature is the main factor that affects the chemical composition of chlorite, epidote and biotite. Fe{sup 2+} and Al{sup IV} increase in chlorite with temperature [from 1.4 formula position unit (fpu) to 2.8, and from 0.7 to 2.4 fpu, respectively]. The pistacite content of epidote varies from 18 to 33 mol% in high-temperature regions (>270 {sup o}C) and from 13 to 26 mol% in low-temperature regions (<250 {sup 0}C). Biotite displays a slight increase in Al{sup IV} contents (1.55-2.8) and octahedral occupancy (5.93-6.0 fpu) with temperature. Whole rock composition and variations in oxygen fugacity condition are factors that also affect the concentrations of Fe, Al and Mg in the octahedral sites of chlorite, epidote, biotite and amphiboles. Chemical variations observed in alteration minerals at different depths in the Colapso Central-Xalapazco region could be used as indicator of relict physico-chemical conditions in the reservoir, before the present economic exploitation. (author)

  17. Copernicus observations of Iota Herculis velocity variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogerson, J. B., Jr.

    1984-01-01

    Observations of Iota Her at 109.61-109.67 nm obtained with the U1 channel of the Copernicus spectrophotometer at resolution 5 pm during 3.6 days in May, 1979, are reported. Radial-velocity variations are detected and analyzed as the sum of two sinusoids with frequencies 0.660 and 0.618 cycles/day and amplitudes 9.18 and 8.11 km/s, respectively. Weak evidence supporting the 13.9-h periodicity seen in line-profile variations by Smith (1978) is found.

  18. Variations in chemical sexual signals of Psammodromus algirus lizards along an elevation gradient may reflect altitudinal variation in microclimatic conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín, José; Javier Zamora-Camacho, Francisco; Reguera, Senda; López, Pilar; Moreno-Rueda, Gregorio

    2017-04-01

    Chemical signals used in intraspecific communication are expected to evolve or to show phenotipic plasticity to maximize efficacy in the climatic conditions of a given environment. Elevational environmental gradients in mountains provide a good opportunity to test this hypothesis by examining variation in characteristics of signals in species found across different elevations with different climatic conditions. We analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) the lipophilic fraction of the femoral gland secretions of male lizards Psammodromus algirus (Fam. Lacertidae) from six localities located along a 2200 m elevational gradient at Sierra Nevada Mountains (SE Spain). There was elevational clinal variation in climatic variables, number of femoral pores and in the relative proportions of some classes of compounds (i.e., ethyl esters of fatty acids, waxy esters, and aldehydes) but not others. We discuss how this variation would result in different physicochemical properties of the entire femoral secretion, which might help optimize the efficacy of chemical signals under the particular microclimatic conditions at each elevation.

  19. Cause of solar wind speed variations observed at 1 a.u

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hakamada, K.; Akasofu, S.

    1981-01-01

    An attempt is made to interpret solar wind variations observed at the earth's distance, namely the solar cycle variations, the semi-annual variations, and the 27-day variations, as well as the polarity changes of the interplanetary magnetic field, mainly in terms of two effects, a positive latitudinal gradient of the solar wind speed and a wobbling solar dipole, combined with the annual (heliospheric) latitudinal excursion of the earth. It is shown that a significant part of the solar wind variations observed at the earth's distance and the changes of polarity pattern of the interplanetary magnetic field can be reasonably well reproduced by the two effects

  20. Seasonal Variation, Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Brazilian Propolis Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Érica Weinstein Teixeira

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Total phenolic contents, antioxidant activity and chemical composition of propolis samples from three localities of Minas Gerais state (southeast Brazil were determined. Total phenolic contents were determined by the Folin–Ciocalteau method, antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH, using BHT as reference, and chemical composition was analyzed by GC/MS. Propolis from Itapecerica and Paula Cândido municipalities were found to have high phenolic contents and pronounced antioxidant activity. From these extracts, 40 substances were identified, among them were simple phenylpropanoids, prenylated phenylpropanoids, sesqui- and diterpenoids. Quantitatively, the main constituent of both samples was allyl-3-prenylcinnamic acid. A sample from Virginópolis municipality had no detectable phenolic substances and contained mainly triterpenoids, the main constituents being α- and β-amyrins. Methanolic extracts from Itapecerica and Paula Cândido exhibited pronounced scavenging activity towards DPPH, indistinguishable from BHT activity. However, extracts from Virginópolis sample exhibited no antioxidant activity. Total phenolic substances, GC/MS analyses and antioxidant activity of samples from Itapecerica collected monthly over a period of 1 year revealed considerable variation. No correlation was observed between antioxidant activity and either total phenolic contents or contents of artepillin C and other phenolic substances, as assayed by CG/MS analysis.

  1. Diagnostic quality and observer variation in radiographic diagnoses of approximal caries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Espelid, I.; Tveit, A.B.

    1986-01-01

    The aim of the study was to compare observer variations, observer strategy, and diagnostic quality with regard to radiographic caries diagnoses made at different depth levels. Qualitative assessment of approximal carious lesions on the basis of radiographs were made for sound (n=28) and carious (n=123) lesions by seven dentists. The inter- and intra-observer variations were lowest when lesions were diagnosed as being in the outermost parts of the teeth. The frequency of false positive scores was lower when dentin was examined as compared with enamel. The quality of radiographic diagnoses showed small variations (p>0.05) when different levels of pulpal depths were interpreted

  2. Large observer variation of clinical assessment of dyspnoeic wheezing children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekhof, Jolita; Reimink, Roelien; Bartels, Ine-Marije; Eggink, Hendriekje; Brand, Paul L P

    2015-07-01

    In children with acute dyspnoea, the assessment of severity of dyspnoea and response to treatment is often performed by different professionals, implying that knowledge of the interobserver variation of this clinical assessment is important. To determine intraobserver and interobserver variation in clinical assessment of children with dyspnoea. From September 2009 to September 2010, we recorded a convenience sample of 27 acutely wheezing children (aged 3 months-7 years) in the emergency department of a general teaching hospital in the Netherlands, on video before and after treatment with inhaled bronchodilators. These video recordings were independently assessed by nine observers scoring wheeze, prolonged expiratory phase, retractions, nasal flaring and a general assessment of dyspnoea on a Likert scale (0-10). Assessment was repeated after 2 weeks to evaluate intraobserver variation. We analysed 972 observations. Intraobserver reliability was the highest for supraclavicular retractions (κ 0.84) and moderate-to-substantial for other items (κ 0.49-0.65). Interobserver reliability was considerably worse, with κ3 points) was larger than the minimal important change (meaning that in 69% of observations a clinically important change after treatment cannot be distinguished from measurement error. Intraobserver variation is modest, and interobserver variation is large for most clinical findings in children with dyspnoea. The measurement error induced by this variation is too large to distinguish potentially clinically relevant changes in dyspnoea after treatment in two-thirds of observations. The poor interobserver reliability of clinical dyspnoea assessment in children limits its usefulness in clinical practice and research, and highlights the need to use more objective measurements in these patients. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  3. Seasonal variation of fine- and coarse-mode nitrates and related aerosols over East Asia: synergetic observations and chemical transport model analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uno, Itsushi; Osada, Kazuo; Yumimoto, Keiya; Wang, Zhe; Itahashi, Syuichi; Pan, Xiaole; Hara, Yukari; Kanaya, Yugo; Yamamoto, Shigekazu; Fairlie, Thomas Duncan

    2017-11-01

    We analyzed long-term fine- and coarse-mode synergetic observations of nitrate and related aerosols (SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, Na+, Ca2+) at Fukuoka (33.52° N, 130.47° E) from August 2014 to October 2015. A Goddard Earth Observing System chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) including dust and sea salt acid uptake processes was used to assess the observed seasonal variation and the impact of long-range transport (LRT) from the Asian continent. For fine aerosols (fSO42-, fNO3-, and fNH4+), numerical results explained the seasonal changes, and a sensitivity analysis excluding Japanese domestic emissions clarified the LRT fraction at Fukuoka (85 % for fSO42-, 47 % for fNO3-, 73 % for fNH4+). Observational data confirmed that coarse NO3- (cNO3-) made up the largest proportion (i.e., 40-55 %) of the total nitrate (defined as the sum of fNO3-, cNO3-, and HNO3) during the winter, while HNO3 gas constituted approximately 40 % of the total nitrate in summer and fNO3- peaked during the winter. Large-scale dust-nitrate (mainly cNO3-) outflow from China to Fukuoka was confirmed during all dust events that occurred between January and June. The modeled cNO3- was in good agreement with observations between July and November (mainly coming from sea salt NO3-). During the winter, however, the model underestimated cNO3- levels compared to the observed levels. The reason for this underestimation was examined statistically using multiple regression analysis (MRA). We used cNa+, nss-cCa2+, and cNH4+ as independent variables to describe the observed cNO3- levels; these variables were considered representative of sea salt cNO3-, dust cNO3-, and cNO3- accompanied by cNH4+), respectively. The MRA results explained the observed seasonal changes in dust cNO3- and indicated that the dust-acid uptake scheme reproduced the observed dust-nitrate levels even in winter. The annual average contributions of each component were 43 % (sea salt cNO3-), 19 % (dust cNO3-), and 38 % (cNH4+ term). The MRA dust

  4. Observing the variation of asteroid thermal inertia with heliocentric distance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozitis, B.; Green, S. F.; MacLennan, E.; Emery, J. P.

    2018-06-01

    Thermal inertia is a useful property to characterize a planetary surface, since it can be used as a qualitative measure of the regolith grain size. It is expected to vary with heliocentric distance because of its dependence on temperature. However, no previous investigation has conclusively observed a change in thermal inertia for any given planetary body. We have addressed this by using NEOWISE data and the Advanced Thermophysical Model to study the thermophysical properties of the near-Earth asteroids (1036) Ganymed, (1580) Betulia, and (276 049) 2002 CE26 as they moved around their highly eccentric orbits. We confirm that the thermal inertia values of Ganymed and 2002 CE26 do vary with heliocentric distance, although the degree of variation observed depends on the spectral emissivity assumed in the thermophysical modelling. We also confirm that the thermal inertia of Betulia did not change for three different observations obtained at the same heliocentric distance. Depending on the spectral emissivity, the variations for Ganymed and 2002 CE26 are potentially more extreme than that implied by theoretical models of heat transfer within asteroidal regoliths, which might be explained by asteroids having thermal properties that also vary with depth. Accounting for this variation reduces a previously observed trend of decreasing asteroid thermal inertia with increasing size, and suggests that the surfaces of small and large asteroids could be much more similar than previously thought. Furthermore, this variation can affect Yarkovsky orbital drift predictions by a few tens of per cent.

  5. Atmospheric diurnal variations observed with GPS radio occultation soundings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Xie

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The diurnal variation, driven by solar forcing, is a fundamental mode in the Earth's weather and climate system. Radio occultation (RO measurements from the six COSMIC satellites (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate provide nearly uniform global coverage with high vertical resolution, all-weather and diurnal sampling capability. This paper analyzes the diurnal variations of temperature and refractivity from three-year (2007–2009 COSMIC RO measurements in the troposphere and stratosphere between 30° S and 30° N. The RO observations reveal both propagating and trapped vertical structures of diurnal variations, including transition regions near the tropopause where data with high vertical resolution are critical. In the tropics the diurnal amplitude in refractivity shows the minimum around 14 km and increases to a local maximum around 32 km in the stratosphere. The upward propagating component of the migrating diurnal tides in the tropics is clearly captured by the GPS RO measurements, which show a downward progression in phase from stratopause to the upper troposphere with a vertical wavelength of about 25 km. At ~32 km the seasonal variation of the tidal amplitude maximizes at the opposite side of the equator relative to the solar forcing. The vertical structure of tidal amplitude shows strong seasonal variations and becomes asymmetric along the equator and tilted toward the summer hemisphere in the solstice months. Such asymmetry becomes less prominent in equinox months.

  6. Reliability of radiographic observations recorded on a proforma measured using inter- and intra-observer variation: a preliminary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, M B; Gulabivala, K; Holt, R; Kahan, R S

    2000-05-01

    The aim of this preliminary study was to test the reliability of radiographic evaluation of features of endodontic interest using a newly devised data collection system. Twelve endodontic MSc postgraduate students and one specialist endodontist examined sample radiographs derived from a random selection of 42 patients seen previously on an Endodontic New Patient Clinic (EDI). Each student examined a random selection of 8-9 roots on periapical radiographs of single- and multirooted teeth, with and without previous root canal therapy and 3-4 dental panoramic tomograms (DPTs). A total of 100 roots were examined. A proforma was used to record observations on 67 radiographic features using predefined criteria. Intra-observer agreement was tested by asking the students to re-examine the radiographs. The principle investigator and the specialist endodontist examined the same radiographs and devised a Gold Standard using the same criteria. This was compared with the student assessments to determine inter-observer variation. The postgraduates then attended a revision session on the use of the form. Each student subsequently examined 8-9 different roots from the pool of radiographs. A further assessment of inter-observer variation was made by comparing these observations with the Gold Standard. Of the 67 radiographic features, only 25 had sufficient response to allow statistical analysis. Kappa values for intra- and inter-observer variation were estimated. These varied depending on the particular radiographic feature being assessed. Fifteen out of 25 intra-observer recordings showed 'good' or 'very good' Kappa agreement, but only three out of 25 inter-observer observations achieved 'good' or 'very good' values. Inter-observer variation was improved following the revision session with 16 out of 25 observations achieving 'good' or 'very good' Kappa agreement. Modification to the proforma, the criteria used, and training for radiographic assessment were considered necessary to

  7. Observed variations of monopile foundation stiffness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kallehave, Dan; Thilsted, C.L.; Diaz, Alberto Troya

    2015-01-01

    full-scale measurements obtained from one offshore wind turbine structure located within Horns Reef II offshore wind farm. Data are presented for a 2.5 years period and covers normal operating conditions and one larger storm event. A reduction of the pile-soil stiffness was observed during the storm...... events, followed by a complete regain to a pre-storm level when the storm subsided. In additional, no long term variations of the pile-soil stiffness was observed. The wind turbine is located in dense to very dense sand deposits.......The soil-structure stiffness of monopile foundations for offshore wind turbines has a high impact on the fatigue loading during normal operating conditions. Thus, a robust design must consider the evolution of pile-soil stiffness over the lifetime of the wind farm. This paper present and discuss...

  8. Functional diversity of non-lethal effects, chemical camouflage, and variation in fish avoidance in colonizing beetles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Resetarits, William J; Pintar, Matthew R

    2016-12-01

    Predators play an extremely important role in natural communities. In freshwater systems, fish can dominate sorting both at the colonization and post-colonization stage. Specifically, for many colonizing species, fish can have non-lethal, direct effects that exceed the lethal direct effects of predation. Functionally diverse fish species with a range of predatory capabilities have previously been observed to elicit functionally equivalent responses on oviposition in tree frogs. We tested this hypothesis of functional equivalence of non-lethal effects for four predatory fish species, using naturally colonizing populations of aquatic beetles. Among taxa other than mosquitoes, and with the exception of the chemically camouflaged pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus, we provide the first evidence of variation in colonization or oviposition responses to different fish species. Focusing on total abundance, Fundulus chrysotus, a gape-limited, surface-feeding fish, elicited unique responses among colonizing Hydrophilidae, with the exception of the smallest and most abundant taxa, Paracymus, while Dytiscidae responded similarly to all avoided fish. Neither family responded to A. sayanus. Analysis of species richness and multivariate characterization of the beetle assemblages for the four fish species and controls revealed additional variation among the three avoided species and confirmed that chemical camouflage in A. sayanus results in assemblages essentially identical to fishless controls. The origin of this variation in beetle responses to different fish is unknown, but may involve variation in cue sensitivity, different behavioral algorithms, or differential responses to species-specific fish cues. The identity of fish species occupying aquatic habitats is crucial to understanding community structure, as varying strengths of lethal and non-lethal effects, as well as their interaction, create complex landscapes of predator effects and challenge the notion of functional

  9. THERMAL AND CHEMICAL STRUCTURE VARIATIONS IN TITAN'S STRATOSPHERE DURING THE CASSINI MISSION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bampasidis, Georgios; Coustenis, A.; Vinatier, S. [Laboratoire d' Etudes Spatiales et d' Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA), Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Paris-Diderot, 5, place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon Cedex (France); Achterberg, R. K. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Lavvas, P. [GSMA, Universite Reims Champagne-Ardenne, F-51687 Reims Cedex 2 (France); Nixon, C. A.; Jennings, D. E.; Flasar, F. M.; Carlson, R. C.; Romani, P. N.; Guandique, E. A. [Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Teanby, N. A. [School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ (United Kingdom); Moussas, X.; Preka-Papadema, P.; Stamogiorgos, S., E-mail: gbabasid@phys.uoa.gr [Faculty of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, GR 15783 Zographos, Athens (Greece)

    2012-12-01

    We have developed a line-by-line Atmospheric Radiative Transfer for Titan code that includes the most recent laboratory spectroscopic data and haze descriptions relative to Titan's stratosphere. We use this code to model Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer data taken during the numerous Titan flybys from 2006 to 2012 at surface-intercepting geometry in the 600-1500 cm{sup -1} range for latitudes from 50 Degree-Sign S to 50 Degree-Sign N. We report variations in temperature and chemical composition in the stratosphere during the Cassini mission, before and after the Northern Spring Equinox (NSE). We find indication for a weakening of the temperature gradient with warming of the stratosphere and cooling of the lower mesosphere. In addition, we infer precise concentrations for the trace gases and their main isotopologues and find that the chemical composition in Titan's stratosphere varies significantly with latitude during the 6 years investigated here, with increased mixing ratios toward the northern latitudes. In particular, we monitor and quantify the amplitude of a maximum enhancement of several gases observed at northern latitudes up to 50 Degree-Sign N around mid-2009, at the time of the NSE. We find that this rise is followed by a rapid decrease in chemical inventory in 2010 probably due to a weakening north polar vortex with reduced lateral mixing across the vortex boundary.

  10. Aerosol chemical composition at Cabauw, The Netherlands as observed in two intensive periods in May 2008 and March 2009

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mensah, A. A.; Holzinger, R.; Otjes, R.; Trimborn, A.; Mentel, Th. F.; ten Brink, H.; Henzing, B.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.

    2012-05-01

    Observations of aerosol chemical composition in Cabauw, the Netherlands, are presented for two intensive measurement periods in May 2008 and March 2009. Sub-micron aerosol chemical composition was measured by an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and is compared to observations from aerosol size distribution measurements as well as composition measurements with a Monitor for AeRosol and GAses (MARGA) based instrument and a Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS). An overview of the data is presented and the data quality is discussed. In May 2008 enhanced pollution was observed with organics contributing 40% to the PM1 mass. In contrast the observed average mass loading was lower in March 2009 and a dominance of ammonium nitrate (42%) was observed. The semi-volatile nature of ammonium nitrate is evident in the diurnal cycles with maximum concentrations observed in the morning hours in May 2008 and little diurnal variation observed in March 2009. Size dependent composition data from AMS measurements are presented and show a dominance of organics in the size range below 200 nm. A higher O:C ratio of the organics is observed for May 2008 than for March 2009. Together with the time series of individual tracer ions this shows the dominance of OOA over HOA in May 2008.

  11. Inter-observer variation of diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oshima, Motoo; Machida, Kikuo; Koizumi, Kiyoshi

    2001-01-01

    SPECT shows characteristic distribution in Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this study is to define inter-observer variations in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Fifty-seven patients, included 19 Alzheimer's disease were collected from four institutions. Five-graded score was used to interprete SPECT in 18 regions. Ten nuclear medicine physicians interpreted SPECT referred with MMSE and clinical information. Among 57 cases 19 Alzheimer's disease were selected in this study. Statistics were performed between SPECT score and MMSE score. In conclusion, inter-observer variation is present in SPECT interpretation. There was a good correlation SPECT and MMSE with proper brain SPECT physicians. They are superior to in the interpretation not only resident, but other specialists. Education in the interpretation of brain SPECT looks important. (author)

  12. Aerosol chemical composition at Cabauw, The Netherlands as observed in two intensive periods in May 2008 and March 2009

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Mensah

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Observations of aerosol chemical composition in Cabauw, the Netherlands, are presented for two intensive measurement periods in May 2008 and March 2009. Sub-micron aerosol chemical composition was measured by an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS and is compared to observations from aerosol size distribution measurements as well as composition measurements with a Monitor for AeRosol and GAses (MARGA based instrument and a Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS. An overview of the data is presented and the data quality is discussed. In May 2008 enhanced pollution was observed with organics contributing 40% to the PM1 mass. In contrast the observed average mass loading was lower in March 2009 and a dominance of ammonium nitrate (42% was observed. The semi-volatile nature of ammonium nitrate is evident in the diurnal cycles with maximum concentrations observed in the morning hours in May 2008 and little diurnal variation observed in March 2009. Size dependent composition data from AMS measurements are presented and show a dominance of organics in the size range below 200 nm. A higher O:C ratio of the organics is observed for May 2008 than for March 2009. Together with the time series of individual tracer ions this shows the dominance of OOA over HOA in May 2008.

  13. Ultrastructural observations of chemical peeling for skin rejuvenation (ultrastructural changes of the skin due to chemical peeling).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omi, Tokuya; Sato, Shigeru; Numano, Kayoko; Kawana, Seiji

    2010-02-01

    Chemical peeling of the skin is commonly used as a means to treat photoaging, but the mechanism underlying its efficacy has not yet been fully clarified. We recently conducted chemical peeling of the skin with glycolic acid and lactic acid and observed it at the ultrastructural level. No changes in the horny layer or the upper epidermal layer were observed but there was dissociation and vacuolation between the basal cells and increases in vimentin filaments within fibroblasts and endothelial cells were seen. These findings suggest that chemical peeling of the skin with this type of agent directly induces collagen formation within the dermis and thus directly stimulates remodeling of the dermis.

  14. THE EXTRAORDINARY FAR-INFRARED VARIATION OF A PROTOSTAR: HERSCHEL/PACS OBSERVATIONS OF LRLL54361

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balog, Zoltan; Detre, Örs H.; Bouwmann, Jeroen; Nielbock, Markus; Klaas, Ulrich; Krause, Oliver; Henning, Thomas [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Königstuhl 17, Heidelberg D-69117 (Germany); Muzerolle, James [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Flaherty, Kevin [Astronomy Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459 (United States); Furlan, Elise [Natinal Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Gutermuth, Rob [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Juhasz, Attila [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, NL-2333-CA Leiden (Netherlands); Bally, John [CASA, University of Colorado, CB 389, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Marton, Gabor, E-mail: balog@mpia.de [Konkoly Observatory, Research Center for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Konkoly Thege 15-17, 1121 Budapest (Hungary)

    2014-07-10

    We report Herschel/Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) photometric observations at 70 μm and 160 μm of LRLL54361—a suspected binary protostar that exhibits periodic (P = 25.34 days) flux variations at shorter wavelengths (3.6 μm and 4.5 μm) thought to be due to pulsed accretion caused by binary motion. The PACS observations show unprecedented flux variation at these far-infrared wavelengths that are well correlated with the variations at shorter wavelengths. At 70 μm the object increases its flux by a factor of six while at 160 μm the change is about a factor of two, consistent with the wavelength dependence seen in the far-infrared spectra. The source is marginally resolved at 70 μm with varying FWHM. Deconvolved images of the sources show elongations exactly matching the outflow cavities traced by the scattered light observations. The spatial variations are anti-correlated with the flux variation, indicating that a light echo is responsible for the changes in FWHM. The observed far-infrared flux variability indicates that the disk and envelope of this source is periodically heated by the accretion pulses of the central source, and suggests that such long wavelength variability in general may provide a reasonable proxy for accretion variations in protostars.

  15. Observed and modelled “chemical weather” during ESCOMPTE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufour, A.; Amodei, M.; Ancellet, G.; Peuch, V.-H.

    2005-03-01

    The new MOdèle de Chimie Atmosphérique à Grande Echelle (MOCAGE) three-dimensional multiscale chemistry and transport model (CTM) has been applied to study heavy pollution episodes observed during the ESCOMPTE experiment. The model considers the troposphere and lower stratosphere, and allows the possibility of zooming from the planetary scale down to the regional scale over limited area subdomains. Like this, it generates its own time-dependent chemical boundary conditions in the vertical and in the horizontal. This paper focuses on the evaluation and quantification of uncertainties related to chemical and transport modelling during two intensive observing periods, IOP2 and IOP4 (June 20-26 and July 10-14, 2001, respectively). Simulations are compared to the database of four-dimensional observations, which includes ground-based sites and aircraft measurements, radiosoundings, and quasi-continuous measurements of ozone by LIDARs. Thereby, the observed and modelled day-to-day variabilities in air composition both at the surface and in the vertical have been assessed. Then, three sensitivity studies are conducted concerning boundary conditions, accuracy of the emission dataset, and representation of chemistry. Firstly, to go further in the analysis of chemical boundary conditions, results from the standard grid nesting set-up and altered configurations, relying on climatologies, are compared. Along with other recent studies, this work advocates the systematic coupling of limited-area models with global CTMs, even for regional air quality studies or forecasts. Next, we evaluate the benefits of using the detailed high-resolution emissions inventory of ESCOMPTE: improvements are noticeable both on ozone reactivity and on the concentrations of various species of the ozone photochemical cycle especially primary ones. Finally, we provide some insights on the comparison of two simulations differing only by the parameterisation of chemistry and using two state

  16. Chemical composition and seasonal variation of the volatile oils from Trembleya phlogiformis leaves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah R. Fernandes

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Trembleya phlogiformis DC., Melastomataceae, is a shrub whose leaves are used as a dye for dyeing wool and cotton. The present article aimed to carry out the morphological description of the species, to study the chemical composition of volatile oils from the leaves and flowers and the seasonal variability from the leaves during a year. Macroscopic characterization was carried out with the naked eye and with a stereoscopic microscope. Volatile oils were isolated by hydrodistillation in Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The major components of the volatile oil of T. phlogiformis flowers were: n-heneicosane (33.5%, phytol (12.3%, n-tricosane (8.4% and linoleic acid (6.1%. It was verified the existence of a large chemical variability of the volatile oils from the leaves of T. phlogiformis over the months, with the majority compound (oleic alcohol, ranging from 5.7 to 26.8% present in all samples. A combination of Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis showed the existence of three main clusters, probably related to the seasons. The results suggested that the volatile oils of T. phlogiformis leaves possess high chemical variability, probably related to variation associated with rainfall and the variation in the behavior of specimens throughout the year. This research provides insights for future studies on the volatile oils obtained from the T. phlogiformis leaves and flowers, mainly related to biological markers of applications monitored in the leaves and flowers of this species.

  17. Inter-observer variation in masked and unmasked images for quality evaluation of clinical radiographs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tingberg, A.; Eriksson, F.; Medin, J.; Besjakov, J.; Baarth, M.; Haakansson, M.; Sandborg, M.; Almen, A.; Lanhede, B.; Alm-Carlsson, G.; Mattsson, S.; Maansson, L. G.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the influence of masking on the inter-observer variation in image quality evaluation of clinical radiographs of chest and lumbar spine. Background: Inter-observer variation is a big problem in image quality evaluation since this variation is often much bigger than the variation in image quality between, for example, two radiographic systems. In this study, we have evaluated the effect of masking on the inter-observer variation. The idea of the masking was to force every observer to view exactly the same part of the image and to avoid the effect of the overall 'first impression' of the image. A discussion with a group of European expert radiologists before the study indicated that masking might be a good way to reduce the inter-observer variation. Methods: Five chest and five lumbar spine radiographs were collected together with detailed information regarding exposure conditions. The radiographs were digitised with a high-performance scanner and five different manipulations were performed, simulating five different exposure conditions. The contrast, noise and spatial resolution were manipulated by this method. The images were printed onto the film and the individual masks were produced for each film, showing only the parts of the images that were necessary for the image quality evaluation. The quality of the images was evaluated on ordinary viewing boxes by a large group of experienced radiologists. The images were examined with and without the masks with a set of image criteria (if fulfilled, 1 point; and not fulfilled, 0 point), and the mean score was calculated for each simulated exposure condition. Results: The results of this study indicate that - contrary to what was supposed - the inter-observer variation increased when the images were masked. In some cases, especially for chest, this increase was statistically significant. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, image masking in studies of fulfilment of image criteria cannot

  18. Some observations of the variations in natural gamma radiation due to rainfall

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minato, S.

    1980-01-01

    Results of observations of variations in natural gamma-radiation flux densities due to rainfall are presented and discussed in relation to rate of rainfall. Variations of fluences with amounts of rainfall are also described. It is concluded that the frequency distribution of the ratio of the fluence to the amount of rainfall has a trend to be lognormal

  19. Chemical diversity in opisthobranch molluscs from scarcely investigated Indo-Pacific areas

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Wahidullah, S.; Guo, Y.-W.; Fakhr, I.M.I.; Mollo, E.

    on Nudibranchs Nudibranchs are exclusively carnivorous with a broad range of alimentary habits. They appear to have the ability to sequester, accumulate and modify dietary metabolites as well as to synthesize defensive compounds de novo (Cimino and Ghiselin... of the chemical data reviewed in this chapter, taking into account alimentary habits and geographical chemical variations, suggests some interesting generalizations. 8.6.1 Nudibranchs The intra-specific geographic variations observed in the chemical...

  20. Observer and biological variation of a rapid whole blood D-dimer test

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Turkstra, F.; van Beek, E. J.; Büller, H. R.

    1998-01-01

    In consecutive patients with suspected venous thromboembolism the interobserver variability of the SimpliRED D-dimer test was evaluated by two observers who independently scored one plate, the between assay variation was performed simultaneously by a third independent observer, who assessed a second

  1. The Increasing Prevalence in Intersex Variation from Toxicological Dysregulation in Fetal Reproductive Tissue Differentiation and Development by Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alisa L. Rich

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available An increasing number of children are born with intersex variation (IV; ambiguous genitalia/hermaphrodite, pseudohermaphroditism, etc.. Evidence shows that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs in the environment can cause reproductive variation through dysregulation of normal reproductive tissue differentiation, growth, and maturation if the fetus is exposed to EDCs during critical developmental times in utero. Animal studies support fish and reptile embryos exhibited IV and sex reversal when exposed to EDCs. Occupational studies verified higher prevalence of offspring with IV in chemically exposed workers (male and female. Chemicals associated with endocrine-disrupting ability in humans include organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, bisphenol A, phthalates, dioxins, and furans. Intersex individuals may have concurrent physical disorders requiring lifelong medical intervention and experience gender dysphoria. An urgent need exists to determine which chemicals possess the greatest risk for IV and the mechanisms by which these chemicals are capable of interfering with normal physiological development in children.

  2. Handheld mechanical nociceptive threshold testing in dairy cows - intra-individual variation, inter-observer agreement and variation over time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raundal, Peter M; Andersen, Pia H; Toft, Nils; Forkman, Björn; Munksgaard, Lene; Herskin, Mette S

    2014-11-01

    To examine the use of handheld methodology to assess mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) on cows kept loose-housed. Prospective randomized partial cross-over experimental study. A one-factor (test day) design was used to evaluate MNT over time. One hundred and fifteen healthy, loose-housed Danish Holstein cattle. We evaluated intra-individual variation, inter-observer agreement and variation over time of MNT using two handheld devices and two stimulation sites. Mechanical, ramped stimulations were performed with an algometer (6.5 mm diameter steel probe, 0-10.0 kgf) or an electronic von Frey device (plastic tip with diameter 0.8 mm, 0-1000 gf). Each cow received 5-6 consecutive stimulations within a 2 × 5 cm skin area on the dorsal or lateral aspect of the left third metatarsus until an avoidance reaction occurred. We investigated the difference in precision [expressed as coefficient of variation (CV)] between the combinations of devices and stimulation sites. The inter-observer agreement and the difference in MNT between test day 1, 3, 7, 10 and 24 were investigated for selected combinations. Data were analysed in mixed models and Bland-Altman as relevant. The CVs did not differ [range 0.34-0.52 (p = 0.1)]. Difference between observers (95% limits) was 0.2 kgf (2.8) and 4 gf (369) for the algometer and von Frey device, respectively. Mechanical nociceptive threshold increased from 361 on test day one to 495 gf on test day 24 (p < 0.01). All methods showed a high degree of intra-individual variation, and no combination of device and stimulation site showed superior precision. Mean difference between observers was low, and MNT was not consistent over time. Further development of the methods is required before they can be used in research to investigate possible relations between claw lesions and hyperalgesia. © 2014 The Authors Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and the

  3. Variation in size, morphology and chemical composition of polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean Basin

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Valsangkar, A.B.; Karisiddaiah, S.M.; Parthiban, G.

    Chemical composition of 613 polymetallic nodules from 150 stations in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) are determined and variations in Mn, Fe, Cu, Ni, Co, Zn and moisture content are studied with respect to their size and surface texture...

  4. Global variation in the long-term seasonal changes observed in ionospheric F region data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. J. Scott

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Long-term variability has previously been observed in the relative magnitude of annual and semi-annual variations in the critical frequency (related to the peak electron concentration of the ionospheric F2 layer (foF2. In this paper we investigate the global patterns in such variability by calculating the time varying power ratio of semi-annual to annual components seen in ionospheric foF2 data sequences from 77 ionospheric monitoring stations around the world. The temporal variation in power ratios observed at each station was then correlated with the same parameter calculated from similar epochs for the Slough/Chilton data set (for which there exists the longest continuous sequence of ionospheric data. This technique reveals strong regional variation in the data, which bears a striking similarity to the regional variation observed in long-term changes to the height of the ionospheric F2 layer. We argue that since both the height and peak density of the ionospheric F2 region are influenced by changes to thermospheric circulation and composition, the observed long-term and regional variability can be explained by such changes. In the absence of long-term measurements of thermospheric composition, detailed modelling work is required to investigate these processes.

  5. Ecological consequences, genetic and chemical variations in fragmented populations of a medicinal plant, justicia adhatoda and implications for its conservation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilani, S.A.; Watanabe, K.N.; Fujii, Y.; Shinwari, Z.K.

    2011-01-01

    Justicia adhatoda from Kohat Plateau was selected for genetic diversity studies, due to its fragmented habitat, importance in traditional and pharmaceutical medicine and a lack of population structure studies. We had two hypotheses: that habitat loss posed a greater threat to populations than loss of genetic diversity, and that chemical diversity would be higher among different populations than within populations. Genetic diversity within and among populations was evaluated using PBA (P450 based analogue) markers. AMOVA analysis revealed that there was higher genetic diversity within populations (90%) than among populations (10%). No genetic drift was observed, i.e., genetic diversity within populations was maintained despite fewer numbers of individuals in fragmented populations. Surveys of J. adhatoda populations revealed that they were growing in harsh conditions and were imperiled due to extensive harvesting for commercial and domestic purposes. Chemical diversity was evaluated by GC-MS (Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry) analysis of 90% methanol and 1:2 chloroform:methanol extracts. GC-MS analysis of both the extracts showed nine and 18 chemical compounds, respectively, with higher chemical variations among populations. It is therefore recommended that efforts for the conservation of severely fragmented populations of J. adhatoda must be carried out along with sustainable harvesting. (author)

  6. Chemically engineering ligand selectivity at the free fatty acid receptor 2 based on pharmacological variation between species orthologs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hudson, Brian D; Christiansen, Elisabeth; Tikhonova, Irina G

    2012-01-01

    When it is difficult to develop selective ligands within a family of related G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), chemically engineered receptors activated solely by synthetic ligands (RASSLs) are useful alternatives for probing receptor function. In the present work, we explored whether a RASSL...... on this receptor and demonstrates that exploitation of pharmacological variation between species orthologs is a powerful method to generate novel chemically engineered GPCRs.-Hudson, B. D., Christiansen, E., Tikhonova, I. G., Grundmann, M., Kostenis, E., Adams, D. R., Ulven, T., Milligan, G. Chemically engineering...

  7. Origin of the chemical elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tayler, R J [Sussex Univ., Brighton (UK). Astronomy Centre

    1984-11-08

    An account is first given of the observed chemical composition of objects in the Universe (Sun, Solar System, stars, gas clouds) and of important variations of composition from object to object. The initial composition is then discussed in terms of the Hot Big Bang cosmological theory, and the different types of nuclear reaction which are believed to have occurred in stars and to have modified this composition are considered. Finally, an account is given of the interpretation of the present observations in terms of the initial chemical composition and of galactic and stellar formation and evolution.

  8. Observed diurnal variations in Mars Science Laboratory Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons passive mode data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tate, C. G.; Moersch, J.; Jun, I.; Mitrofanov, I.; Litvak, M.; Boynton, W. V.; Drake, D.; Fedosov, F.; Golovin, D.; Hardgrove, C.; Harshman, K.; Kozyrev, A. S.; Kuzmin, R.; Lisov, D.; Maclennan, E.; Malakhov, A.; Mischna, M.; Mokrousov, M.; Nikiforov, S.; Sanin, A. B.; Starr, R.; Vostrukhin, A.

    2018-06-01

    The Mars Science Laboratory Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment measures the martian neutron leakage flux in order to estimate the amount of water equivalent hydrogen present in the shallow regolith. When DAN is operating in passive mode, it is sensitive to neutrons produced through the interactions of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) with the regolith and atmosphere and neutrons produced by the rover's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). During the mission, DAN passive mode data were collected over the full diurnal cycle at the locations known as Rocknest (sols 60-100) and John Klein (sols 166-272). A weak, but unexpected, diurnal variation was observed in the neutron count rates reported at these locations. We investigate different hypotheses that could be causing these observed variations. These hypotheses are variations in subsurface temperature, atmospheric pressure, the exchange of water vapor between the atmosphere and regolith, and instrumental effects on the neutron count rates. Our investigation suggests the most likely factors contributing to the observed diurnal variations in DAN passive data are instrumental effects and time-variable preferential shielding of alpha particles, with other environmental effects only having small contributions.

  9. Handheld mechanical nociceptive threshold testing in dairy cows – intra-individual variation, inter-observer agreement and variation over time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raundal, Peter M; Andersen, Pia H; Toft, Nils; Forkman, Björn; Munksgaard, Lene; Herskin, Mette S

    2014-01-01

    Objective To examine the use of handheld methodology to assess mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) on cows kept loose-housed. Study design Prospective randomized partial cross-over experimental study. A one-factor (test day) design was used to evaluate MNT over time. Animals One hundred and fifteen healthy, loose-housed Danish Holstein cattle. Methods We evaluated intra-individual variation, inter-observer agreement and variation over time of MNT using two handheld devices and two stimulation sites. Mechanical, ramped stimulations were performed with an algometer (6.5 mm diameter steel probe, 0–10.0 kgf) or an electronic von Frey device (plastic tip with diameter 0.8 mm, 0–1000 gf). Each cow received 5–6 consecutive stimulations within a 2 × 5 cm skin area on the dorsal or lateral aspect of the left third metatarsus until an avoidance reaction occurred. We investigated the difference in precision [expressed as coefficient of variation (CV)] between the combinations of devices and stimulation sites. The inter-observer agreement and the difference in MNT between test day 1, 3, 7, 10 and 24 were investigated for selected combinations. Data were analysed in mixed models and Bland-Altman as relevant. Results The CVs did not differ [range 0.34–0.52 (p = 0.1)]. Difference between observers (95% limits) was 0.2 kgf (2.8) and 4 gf (369) for the algometer and von Frey device, respectively. Mechanical nociceptive threshold increased from 361 on test day one to 495 gf on test day 24 (p < 0.01). Conclusion and clinical relevance All methods showed a high degree of intra-individual variation, and no combination of device and stimulation site showed superior precision. Mean difference between observers was low, and MNT was not consistent over time. Further development of the methods is required before they can be used in research to investigate possible relations between claw lesions and hyperalgesia. PMID:24734991

  10. Present day sea level changes: observation and causes; Les variations actuelles du niveau de la mer: observations et causes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lombard, A

    2005-11-15

    Whereas sea level has changed little over the last 2000 years, it has risen at a rate of about 2 mm/year during the 20. century. This unexpected sea level rise has been attributed to the anthropogenic global warming, recorded over several decades. Sea level variations have been measured globally and precisely for about 12 years due to satellite altimeter missions Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1. These observations indicate a global mean sea level rise of about 3 mm/year since 1993, a value significantly larger than observed during previous decades. Recent observations have allowed us to quantify the various climatic factors contributing to observed sea level change: thermal expansion of sea water due to ocean warming, melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets, and changes in the land water reservoirs. A water budget based on these new observations allows us to partly explain the observed sea level rise. In particular, we show that the thermal expansion explains only 25% of the secular sea level rise as recorded by tide-gauges over the last 50 years, while it contributes about 50% of sea level rise observed over the last decade. Meanwhile, recent studies show that glacier and ice sheet melting could contribute the equivalent of 1 mm/year in sea level rise over the last decade. In addition, the high regional variability of sea level trends revealed by satellite altimetry is mainly due to thermal expansion. There is also an important decadal spatio-temporal variability in the ocean thermal expansion over the last 50 years, which seems to be controlled by natural climate fluctuations. We question for the first time the link between the decadal fluctuations in the ocean thermal expansion and in the land reservoirs, and indeed their climatic contribution to sea level change. Finally a preliminary analysis of GRACE spatial gravimetric observations over the oceans allows us to estimate the seasonal variations in mean sea level due to ocean water mass balance variations

  11. A high-throughput FTIR spectroscopy approach to assess adaptive variation in the chemical composition of pollen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmermann, Boris; Bağcıoğlu, Murat; Tafinstseva, Valeria; Kohler, Achim; Ohlson, Mikael; Fjellheim, Siri

    2017-12-01

    The two factors defining male reproductive success in plants are pollen quantity and quality, but our knowledge about the importance of pollen quality is limited due to methodological constraints. Pollen quality in terms of chemical composition may be either genetically fixed for high performance independent of environmental conditions, or it may be plastic to maximize reproductive output under different environmental conditions. In this study, we validated a new approach for studying the role of chemical composition of pollen in adaptation to local climate. The approach is based on high-throughput Fourier infrared (FTIR) characterization and biochemical interpretation of pollen chemical composition in response to environmental conditions. The study covered three grass species, Poa alpina , Anthoxanthum odoratum , and Festuca ovina . For each species, plants were grown from seeds of three populations with wide geographic and climate variation. Each individual plant was divided into four genetically identical clones which were grown in different controlled environments (high and low levels of temperature and nutrients). In total, 389 samples were measured using a high-throughput FTIR spectrometer. The biochemical fingerprints of pollen were species and population specific, and plastic in response to different environmental conditions. The response was most pronounced for temperature, influencing the levels of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates in pollen of all species. Furthermore, there is considerable variation in plasticity of the chemical composition of pollen among species and populations. The use of high-throughput FTIR spectroscopy provides fast, cheap, and simple assessment of the chemical composition of pollen. In combination with controlled-condition growth experiments and multivariate analyses, FTIR spectroscopy opens up for studies of the adaptive role of pollen that until now has been difficult with available methodology. The approach can easily be

  12. Long-period and short-period variations of ionospheric parameters studied from complex observations performed on Cuba

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laso, B; Lobachevskii, L A; Potapova, N I; Freizon, I A; Shapiro, B S

    1980-09-01

    Cuban data from 1978 are used to study long-period (i.e., diurnal) variations of Doppler shift on a 3000 km path at frequencies of 10 and 15 MHz these variations are related to variations of parameters on the ionospheric path. Short-period variations were also studied on the basis of Doppler shift data and vertical sounding data in the 0.000111-0.00113 Hz frequency range. The relation between the observed variations and internal gravity waves are discussed.

  13. [Temporal-spatial Variation and Source Identification of Hydro-chemical Characteristics in Shima River Catchment, Dongguan City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Lei; Chen, Jian-yao; Wang, Jiang; Ke, Zhi-ting; Zhu, Ai-ping; Xu, Kai

    2015-05-01

    Shima River catchment is of strategic importance to urban water supply in Dongjiang portable water source area. To investigate the hydro-chemical characteristics of Shima River, 39 river water samples were collected in February, June and November, 2012 to analyze the major ions (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO4(2-) , HCO3-) and nutritive salts (PO4(3-), NO3- and NH4+) and to discuss the temporal-spatial variation and controlling factors of hydro-chemical composition, relative sources identification of varied ions was performed as well. The results showed that the hydro-chemical composition exhibited significant differences in different periods. The average concentration of total dissolved solid ( TDS) and nutritive salts in different investigated periods followed the decreasing order of November > February > June. The dominant anion of Shima River was HCO3-, and Na+ + K+ were the major cations in February and November which were changed to Ca2+ in June, the hydro-chemical types were determined as HCO(3-)-Na+ and HCO(3-)- Ca2+ in dry (February and November) and rainy (June) seasons, respectively. Spatial variations of concentration of nutritive salts were mainly affected by the discharges of N- and P-containing waste water resulted from human activities. The ratio between N and P of water sample (R7) was 18.4:1 which boosted the "crazy growth" of phytoplankton and led to severe eutrophication. According to Gibbs distribution of water samples, dissolution of hydatogenic rocks was the primary factor to control the major cations of river water in dry season, however, the hydro-chemical composition was significantly affected by the combination of hydatogenic and carbonate rocks in rainy season. The deposition of sea-salts contributed less to chemical substances in river. Correlation analysis revealed that K+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl- and SO4(2-) were partly derived from the application of fertilizer and the discharge of industrial effluent; Waste water of poultry feeding and

  14. Inter- and intra-observer variation in soft-tissue sarcoma target definition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberge, D; Skamene, T; Turcotte, R E; Powell, T; Saran, N; Freeman, C

    2011-08-01

    To evaluate inter- and intra-observer variability in gross tumor volume definition for adult limb/trunk soft tissue sarcomas. Imaging studies of 15 patients previously treated with preoperative radiation were used in this study. Five physicians (radiation oncologists, orthopedic surgeons and a musculoskeletal radiologist) were asked to contour each of the 15 tumors on T1-weighted, gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance images. These contours were drawn twice by each physician. The volume and center of mass coordinates for each gross tumor volume were extracted and a Boolean analysis was performed to measure the degree of volume overlap. The median standard deviation in gross tumor volumes across observers was 6.1% of the average volume (range: 1.8%-24.9%). There was remarkably little variation in the 3D position of the gross tumor volume center of mass. For the 15 patients, the standard deviation of the 3D distance between centers of mass ranged from 0.06 mm to 1.7 mm (median 0.1mm). Boolean analysis demonstrated that 53% to 90% of the gross tumor volume was common to all observers (median overlap: 79%). The standard deviation in gross tumor volumes on repeat contouring was 4.8% (range: 0.1-14.4%) with a standard deviation change in the position of the center of mass of 0.4mm (range: 0mm-2.6mm) and a median overlap of 93% (range: 73%-98%). Although significant inter-observer differences were seen in gross tumor volume definition of adult soft-tissue sarcoma, the center of mass of these volumes was remarkably consistent. Variations in volume definition did not correlate with tumor size. Radiation oncologists should not hesitate to review their contours with a colleague (surgeon, radiologist or fellow radiation oncologist) to ensure that they are not outliers in sarcoma gross tumor volume definition. Protocols should take into account variations in volume definition when considering tighter clinical target volumes. Copyright © 2011 Société française de radioth

  15. Heat flux variations over sea ice observed at the coastal area of the Sejong Station, Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sang-Jong; Choi, Tae-Jin; Kim, Seong-Joong

    2013-08-01

    This study presents variations of sensible heat flux and latent heat flux over sea ice observed in 2011 from the 10-m flux tower located at the coast of the Sejong Station on King George Island, Antarctica. A period from July to September was selected as a sea ice period based on daily record of sea state and hourly photos looking at the Marian Cove in front of the Sejong Station. For the sea ice period, mean sensible heat flux is about -11 Wm-2, latent heat flux is about +2 W m-2, net radiation is -12 W m-2, and residual energy is -3 W m-2 with clear diurnal variations. Estimated mean values of surface exchange coefficients for momentum, heat and moisture are 5.15 × 10-3, 1.19 × 10-3, and 1.87 × 10-3, respectively. The observed exchange coefficients of heat shows clear diurnal variations while those of momentum and moisture do not show diurnal variation. The parameterized exchange coefficients of heat and moisture produces heat fluxes which compare well with the observed diurnal variations of heat fluxes.

  16. The comparison of SRs' variation affected by solar events observed in America and in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, H.; Williams, E.

    2017-12-01

    Schumann Resonances(SRs) are the electromagnetic resonance wave propagating in the earth-ionosphere cavity. Its characteristic of propagation are modified by the variation of ionosphere. So SRs can be the tools of monitoring the ionosphere which is often perturbed by solar events, x-ray emission and some other space-weather events (Roldugin et.al., 2004, De et al., 2010; Satori et.al., 2015). In present work, the amplitude and intrinsic frequencies of SRs observed at RID station in America and YSH station in China are compared. The variation of SRs during the solar flare on Feb. 15, 2011 are analyzed. Two-Dimensional Telegraph Equation(TDTE) method is used to simulate the perturbation of ionosphere by solar proton events. From the simulation and observation, the asymmetric construction of ionoshphere which is perturbed by the solar event will affect the amplitudes and frequencies of SRs. Due to the interfere influence of forward and backward propagation of electromagnetic field, the SR amplitude on different station will present different variation. The distance among the lightning source, observer and perturbed area will produce the different variation of amplitude and frequency for different station' SR.

  17. Sensitivity analysis with respect to observations in variational data assimilation for parameter estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Shutyaev

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The problem of variational data assimilation for a nonlinear evolution model is formulated as an optimal control problem to find unknown parameters of the model. The observation data, and hence the optimal solution, may contain uncertainties. A response function is considered as a functional of the optimal solution after assimilation. Based on the second-order adjoint techniques, the sensitivity of the response function to the observation data is studied. The gradient of the response function is related to the solution of a nonstandard problem involving the coupled system of direct and adjoint equations. The nonstandard problem is studied, based on the Hessian of the original cost function. An algorithm to compute the gradient of the response function with respect to observations is presented. A numerical example is given for the variational data assimilation problem related to sea surface temperature for the Baltic Sea thermodynamics model.

  18. Variations in chemical fingerprints and major flavonoid contents from the leaves of thirty‐one accessions of Hibiscus sabdariffa L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jin; Cao, Xianshuang; Ferchaud, Vanessa; Jiang, Hao; Tang, Feng; Chin, Kit L.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract The leaves of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. have been used as traditional folk medicines for treating high blood pressure and fever. There are many accessions of H. sabdariffa L. throughout the world. To assess the chemical variations of 31 different accessions of H. sabdariffa L., fingerprinting analysis and quantitation of major flavonoids were performed by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC method was validated for linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability and accuracy. A quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (Q‐TOF‐MS) was applied for the characterization of major compounds. A total of 9 compounds were identified, including 6 flavonoids and 3 phenolic acids. In the fingerprint analysis, similarity analysis (SA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to differentiate the 31 accessions of H. sabdariffa L. Based on the results of PCA and SA, the samples No. 15 and 19 appeared much different from the main group. The total content of five flavonoids varied greatly among different accessions, ranging from 3.35 to 23.30 mg/g. Rutin was found to be the dominant compound and the content of rutin could contribute to chemical variations among different accessions. This study was helpful to understand the chemical variations between different accessions of H. sabdariffa L., which could be used for quality control. © 2015 The Authors Biomedical Chromatography Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:26394363

  19. Spatial and temporal variations of chemicals in the TSP aerosols simultaneously collected at three islands in Okinawa, Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arakaki, Takemitsu; Azechi, Sotaro; Somada, Yuka; Ijyu, Moriaki; Nakaema, Fumiya; Hitomi, Yuya; Handa, Daishi; Oshiro, Yoshito; Miyagi, Youichi; Tsuhako, Ai; Murayama, Hitomi; Higaonna, Yumi; Tanahara, Akira; Itoh, Akihide; Fukushima, Soko; Higashi, Kazuaki; Henza, Yui; Nishikawa, Rin; Shinjo, Hibiki; Wang, Hongyan

    2014-11-01

    East Asia's rapid economic growth has led to concerns about the emission of air pollutants. We collected total suspended particle (TSP) aerosol samples simultaneously at three islands in Okinawa, Japan, which are downwind of East Asia, during the Asian dust season, to examine the spatial and temporal variations and chemical transformations of major chemicals in the aerosols. Weekly samples were collected from July 2008 to June 2010, and the concentrations of water-soluble cations, anions, and organic carbon (WSOC) were determined (n = 303). Spatial distribution analysis showed that monthly mean concentrations of non-sea-salt (nss)-SO42- in the spring (Asian dust season) decreased with increasing distance from Asia, while the trend for NO3- was less evident, suggesting that chemical transformation affected the long-range transport of certain chemicals. Temporal variation analysis showed that concentrations of nss-SO42-, NO3-, and WSOC during the spring were about 2.0, 2.4, and 1.8 times those in the summer (cleaner air mass from the Pacific Ocean), respectively. This study demonstrated that air pollutants were transported from the Asian continent to the Okinawa islands and affected the air quality in the region. There may also be impacts on ecosystems, because increased concentrations of particulate NO3- could increase nutrient levels around the Okinawa islands.

  20. Photon energy dependent intensity variations observed in Auger spectra of free argon clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundwall, M; Lindblad, A; Bergersen, H; Rander, T; Oehrwall, G; Tchaplyguine, M; Peredkov, S; Svensson, S; Bjoerneholm, O

    2006-01-01

    Photon energy dependent intensity variations are experimentally observed in the L 2,3 M 2,3 M 2,3 Auger spectra of argon clusters. Two cluster sizes are examined in the present study. Extrinsic scattering effects, both elastic and inelastic, involving the photoelectron are discussed and suggested as the explanation of the variations in the Auger signal. The atoms in the first few coordination shells surrounding the core-ionized atom are proposed to be the main targets for the scattering processes

  1. Interannual Variation of the Surface Temperature of Tropical Forests from Satellite Observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huilin Gao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Land surface temperatures (LSTs within tropical forests contribute to climate variations. However, observational data are very limited in such regions. This study used passive microwave remote sensing data from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS, providing observations under all weather conditions, to investigate the LST over the Amazon and Congo rainforests. The SSM/I and SSMIS data were collected from 1996 to 2012. The morning and afternoon observations from passive microwave remote sensing facilitate the investigation of the interannual changes of LST anomalies on a diurnal basis. As a result of the variability of cloud cover and the corresponding reduction of solar radiation, the afternoon LST anomalies tend to vary more than the morning LST anomalies. The dominant spatial and temporal patterns for interseasonal variations of the LST anomalies over the tropical rainforest were analyzed. The impacts of droughts and El Niños on this LST were also investigated. Differences between early morning and late afternoon LST anomalies were identified by the remote sensing product, with the morning LST anomalies controlled by humidity (according to comparisons with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP reanalysis data.

  2. Period variations in pulsating X-ray sources. I. Accretion flow parameters and neutron star structure from timing observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamb, F.K.; Pines, D.; Shaham, J.

    1978-01-01

    We show that valuable information about both accretion flows and neutron star structure can be obtained from X-ray timing observations of period variations in pulsating sources. Such variations can result from variations in the accretion flow, or from internal torque variations, associated with oscillations of the fluid core or the unpinning of vortices in the inner crust. We develop a statistical description of torque variations in terms of noise processes, indicate how the applicability of such a description may be tested observationally, and show how it may be used to determine from observation both the properties of accretion flows and the internal structure of neutron stars, including the relative inertial moments of the crust and superfluid neutron core, the crust-core coupling time, and the frequencies of any low-frequency internal collective modes. Particular attention is paid to the physical origin of spin-down episodes; it is shown that usyc episodes may result either from external torque reversals or from internal torque variations.With the aid of the statistical description, the response of the star to torque fluctuations is calculated for three stellar models: (i) a completely rigid star; (ii) a two-component star; and (iii) a two-component star with a finite-frequency internal mode, such as the Tkachenko mode of a rotating neutron superfluid. Our calculations show that fluctuating torques could account for the period the period variations and spin-down episodes observed in Her X-1 and Cen X-3, including the large spin-down event observed in the latter source during 1972 September-October. The torque noise strengths inferred from current timing observations using the simple two-component models are shown to be consistent with those to be expected from fluctuations in accretion flows onto magnetic neutron stars

  3. Variations in chemical fingerprints and major flavonoid contents from the leaves of thirty-one accessions of Hibiscus sabdariffa L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jin; Cao, Xianshuang; Ferchaud, Vanessa; Qi, Yadong; Jiang, Hao; Tang, Feng; Yue, Yongde; Chin, Kit L

    2016-06-01

    The leaves of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. have been used as traditional folk medicines for treating high blood pressure and fever. There are many accessions of H. sabdariffa L. throughout the world. To assess the chemical variations of 31 different accessions of H. sabdariffa L., fingerprinting analysis and quantitation of major flavonoids were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC method was validated for linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability and accuracy. A quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) was applied for the characterization of major compounds. A total of 9 compounds were identified, including 6 flavonoids and 3 phenolic acids. In the fingerprint analysis, similarity analysis (SA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to differentiate the 31 accessions of H. sabdariffa L. Based on the results of PCA and SA, the samples No. 15 and 19 appeared much different from the main group. The total content of five flavonoids varied greatly among different accessions, ranging from 3.35 to 23.30 mg/g. Rutin was found to be the dominant compound and the content of rutin could contribute to chemical variations among different accessions. This study was helpful to understand the chemical variations between different accessions of H. sabdariffa L., which could be used for quality control. © 2015 The Authors Biomedical Chromatography Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2015 The Authors Biomedical Chromatography Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Observer variation in grading sacroiliac radiographs in HLA-B27 positive individuals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hollingsworth, P.N.; Cheah, P.S.; Dawkins, R.L.; Owen, E.T.; Calin, A.; Wood, P.H.N.

    1983-01-01

    This study attempts to reconcile the apparent differences in the reported frequency of ankylosing spondylitis and radiological sacroilitis in HLA-B27 positive individuals. Pelvic radiographs from 125 Busselton subjects were mixed with 81 other films selected to illustrate the possible range of sacroiliac changes and were graded by observers who were involved in 2 of the conflicting studies and by a 3rd independent observer. Concordance was high for advanced bilateral disease but not for unilateral and milder changes. Variation between observers and the interpretation of sacroiliac radiographs is sufficiently large to account for much of the disagreement between frequency estimates

  5. Low frequency temperature forcing of chemical oscillations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Jan; Thompson, Barnaby W; Wilson, Mark C T; Taylor, Annette F; Britton, Melanie M

    2011-07-14

    The low frequency forcing of chemical oscillations by temperature is investigated experimentally in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction and in simulations of the Oregonator model with Arrhenius temperature dependence of the rate constants. Forcing with temperature leads to modulation of the chemical frequency. The number of response cycles per forcing cycle is given by the ratio of the natural frequency to the forcing frequency and phase locking is only observed in simulations when this ratio is a whole number and the forcing amplitude is small. The global temperature forcing of flow-distributed oscillations in a tubular reactor is also investigated and synchronisation is observed in the variation of band position with the external signal, reflecting the periodic modulation of chemical oscillations by temperature.

  6. High frequency variations of Earth Rotation Parameters from GPS and GLONASS observations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Erhu; Jin, Shuanggen; Wan, Lihua; Liu, Wenjie; Yang, Yali; Hu, Zhenghong

    2015-01-28

    The Earth's rotation undergoes changes with the influence of geophysical factors, such as Earth's surface fluid mass redistribution of the atmosphere, ocean and hydrology. However, variations of Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP) are still not well understood, particularly the short-period variations (e.g., diurnal and semi-diurnal variations) and their causes. In this paper, the hourly time series of Earth Rotation Parameters are estimated using Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and combining GPS and GLONASS data collected from nearly 80 sites from 1 November 2012 to 10 April 2014. These new observations with combining different satellite systems can help to decorrelate orbit biases and ERP, which improve estimation of ERP. The high frequency variations of ERP are analyzed using a de-trending method. The maximum of total diurnal and semidiurnal variations are within one milli-arcseconds (mas) in Polar Motion (PM) and 0.5 milli-seconds (ms) in UT1-UTC. The semidiurnal and diurnal variations are mainly related to the ocean tides. Furthermore, the impacts of satellite orbit and time interval used to determinate ERP on the amplitudes of tidal terms are analyzed. We obtain some small terms that are not described in the ocean tide model of the IERS Conventions 2010, which may be caused by the strategies and models we used or the signal noises as well as artifacts. In addition, there are also small differences on the amplitudes between our results and IERS convention. This might be a result of other geophysical excitations, such as the high-frequency variations in atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) and hydrological angular momentum (HAM), which needs more detailed analysis with more geophysical data in the future.

  7. Fracture initiation associated with chemical degradation: observation and modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Byoungho Choi; Zhenwen Zhou; Chudnovsky, Alexander [Illinois Univ., Dept. of Civil and Materials Engineering (M/C 246), Chicago, IL (United States); Stivala, Salvatore S. [Stevens Inst. of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Hoboken, NJ (United States); Sehanobish, Kalyan; Bosnyak, Clive P. [Dow Chemical Co., Freeport, TX (United States)

    2005-01-01

    The fracture initiation in engineering thermoplastics resulting from chemical degradation is usually observed in the form of a microcrack network within a surface layer of degraded polymer exposed to a combined action of mechanical stresses and chemically aggressive environment. Degradation of polymers is usually manifested in a reduction of molecular weight, increase of crystallinity in semi crystalline polymers, increase of material density, a subtle increase in yield strength, and a dramatic reduction in toughness. An increase in material density, i.e., shrinkage of the degraded layer is constrained by adjacent unchanged material results in a buildup of tensile stress within the degraded layer and compressive stress in the adjacent unchanged material due to increasing incompatibility between the two. These stresses are an addition to preexisting manufacturing and service stresses. At a certain level of degradation, a combination of toughness reduction and increase of tensile stress result in fracture initiation. A quantitative model of the described above processes is presented in these work. For specificity, the internally pressurized plastic pipes that transport a fluid containing a chemically aggressive (oxidizing) agent is used as the model of fracture initiation. Experimental observations of material density and toughness dependence on degradation reported elsewhere are employed in the model. An equation for determination of a critical level of degradation corresponding to the offset of fracture is constructed. The critical level of degradation for fracture initiation depends on the rates of toughness deterioration and build-up of the degradation related stresses as well as on the manufacturing and service stresses. A method for evaluation of the time interval prior to fracture initiation is also formulated. (Author)

  8. Surface Freshwater Storage Variations in the Orinoco Floodplains Using Multi-Satellite Observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frédéric Frappart

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Variations in surface water extent and storage are poorly characterized from regional to global scales. In this study, a multi-satellite approach is proposed to estimate the water stored in the floodplains of the Orinoco Basin at a monthly time-scale using remotely-sensed observations of surface water from the Global Inundation Extent Multi-Satellite (GIEMS and stages from Envisat radar altimetry. Surface water storage variations over 2003–2007 exhibit large interannual variability and a strong seasonal signal, peaking during summer, and associated with the flood pulse. The volume of surface water storage in the Orinoco Basin was highly correlated with the river discharge at Ciudad Bolivar (R = 0.95, the closest station to the mouth where discharge was estimated, although discharge lagged one month behind storage. The correlation remained high (R = 0.73 after removing seasonal effects. Mean annual variations in surface water volume represented ~170 km3, contributing to ~45% of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE-derived total water storage variations and representing ~13% of the total volume of water that flowed out of the Orinoco Basin to the Atlantic Ocean.

  9. A coupled model between mechanical deformation and chemical diffusion: An explanation for the preservation of chemical zonation in plagioclase at high temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Xin; Vrijmoed, Johannes; Moulas, Evangelos; Tajcmanová, Lucie

    2016-04-01

    Compositional zoning in metamorphic minerals have been generally recognized as an important geological feature to decipher the metamorphic history of rocks. The observed chemical zoning of, e.g. garnet, is commonly interpreted as disequilibrium between the fractionated inner core and the surrounding matrix. However, chemically zoned minerals were also observed in high grade rocks (T>800 degree C) where the duration of metamorphic processes was independently dated to take several Ma. This implies that temperature may not be the only factor that controls diffusion timescales, and grain scale pressure variation was proposed to be a complementary factor that may significantly contribute to the formation and preservation of chemical zoning in high temperature metamorphic minerals [Tajcmanová 2013, 2015]. Here, a coupled model is developed to simulate viscous deformation and chemical diffusion. The numerical approach considers the conservation of mass, momentum, and a constitutive relation developed from equilibrium thermodynamics. A compressible viscoelastic rheology is applied, which associates the volumetric change triggered by deformation and diffusion to a change of pressure. The numerical model is applied to the chemically zoned plagioclase rim described by [Tajcmanová 2014]. The diffusion process operating during the plagioclase rim formation can lead to a development of a pressure gradient. Such a pressure gradient, if maintained during ongoing viscous relaxation, can lead to the preservation of the observed chemical zonation in minerals. An important dimensionless number, the Deborah number, is defined as the ratio between the Maxwell viscoelastic relaxation time and the characteristic diffusion time. It characterizes the relative influence between the maintenance of grain scale pressure variation and chemical diffusion. Two extreme regimes are shown: the mechanically-controlled regime (high Deborah number) and diffusion-controlled regime (low Deborah number

  10. Diurnal variations of Titan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, J.; Galand, M.; Yelle, R. V.; Vuitton, V.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Lavvas, P. P.; Mueller-Wodarg, I. C. F.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Waite, J. H.

    2009-04-01

    We present our analysis of the diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere (between 1,000 and 1,400 km) based on a sample of Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements in the Open Source Ion (OSI) mode obtained from 8 close encounters of the Cassini spacecraft with Titan. Though there is an overall ion depletion well beyond the terminator, the ion content on Titan's nightside is still appreciable, with a density plateau of ~700 cm-3 below ~1,300 km. Such a plateau is associated with the combination of distinct diurnal variations of light and heavy ions. Light ions (e.g. CH5+, HCNH+, C2H5+) show strong diurnal variation, with clear bite-outs in their nightside distributions. In contrast, heavy ions (e.g. c-C3H3+, C2H3CNH+, C6H7+) present modest diurnal variation, with significant densities observed on the nightside. We propose that the distinctions between light and heavy ions are associated with their different chemical loss pathways, with the former primarily through "fast" ion-neutral chemistry and the latter through "slow" electron dissociative recombination. The INMS data suggest day-to-night transport as an important source of ions on Titan's nightside, to be distinguished from the conventional scenario of auroral ionization by magnetospheric particles as the only ionizing source on the nightside. This is supported by the strong correlation between the observed night-to-day ion density ratios and the associated ion lifetimes. We construct a time-dependent ion chemistry model to investigate the effects of day-to-night transport on the ionospheric structures of Titan. The predicted diurnal variation has similar general characteristics to those observed, with some apparent discrepancies which could be reconciled by imposing fast horizontal thermal winds in Titan's upper atmosphere.

  11. Temporal variation and provenance of thorium deposition observed at Tsukuba, Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirose, Katsumi; Kikawada, Yoshikazu; Igarashi, Yasuhito

    2012-01-01

    Temporal variations of monthly thorium (Th) deposition observed at Tsukuba, Japan during the period 1990–2007, comparing with plutonium deposition, was studied. The monthly 232 Th deposition as did 239,240 Pu, varied according to season and inter-annually. In particular, 232 Th deposition increased significantly in spring coinciding with Asian dust (Kosa) events. The 230 Th/ 232 Th activity ratios vary according to sources and can therefore be used to differentiate between locally derived and remotely derived 232 Th. The 230 Th/ 232 Th activity ratios in deposition samples showed large variability with high ratios occurring in early spring. These high 230 Th/ 232 Th ratios in deposition can be attributed to local dust storms, especially in early spring, that cause resuspension of soils from cultivated fields which are characterized by high 230 Th/ 232 Th activity ratios. The results reveal that both locally and remotely derived 232 Th deposition showed seasonal variations with maxima in spring, although the remotely derived fraction is dominant rather than the locally derived one. The 232 Th deposition maxima later in spring is attributable to the remotely derived fraction, corresponding to the Kosa events. Annual 232 Th deposition exhibited an increasing trend, suggesting the presence of sources other than soil dust such as fly ash from increasing coal burning. - Highlights: ► We show monthly Th deposition observed at Tsukuba, Japan from 1990 to 2007. ► The Th deposition shows a seasonal variation and inter-annual variability. ► Th isotope ratios ( 230 Th/ 232 Th) are used to identify its sources. ► The long-term trend of Th deposition is related to increasing anthropogenic input.

  12. Estimating chemical emissions from home and personal care products in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodges, J.E.N.; Holmes, C.M.; Vamshi, R.; Mao, D.; Price, O.R.

    2012-01-01

    China's economy has grown significantly and concomitantly so has the demand for home and personal care (HPC) products. The detection of chemicals used in HPC products is increasing in profile as China strives to improve its environmental management. China is developing robust exposure models for use in regulatory risk-based assessments of chemicals, including those chemicals used in HPC products. Accurate estimates of chemical emissions play an important role within this. A methodology is presented to derive spatially refined emissions from demographic and economic indicators with large variations in emissions calculated, showing product usage being higher in East and South China. The less affordable a product, the greater the influence per capita Gross Domestic Product has on the product distribution. Lastly, more spatially resolved input data highlights greater variation of product use. Linking product sales data with population density increased the observed variability in absolute usage distribution of HPC products at the county > province > regional > country scale. - Highlights: ► We combined sales data with spatial datasets on demographic and economic indicators. ► Large variation in chemical emissions exists across China. ► More spatially resolved input data results in greater variation of product use. ► Results could be used to parameterise future exposure models in China. - A methodology to derive accurate estimates of chemical emissions for China using demographic and economic indicators.

  13. Effects of physical and chemical heterogeneity on water-quality samples obtained from wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reilly, Thomas E.; Gibs, Jacob

    1993-01-01

    Factors that affect the mass of chemical constituents entering a well include the distributions of flow rate and chemical concentrations along and near the screened or open section of the well. Assuming a layered porous medium (with each layer being characterized by a uniform hydraulic conductivity and chemical concentration), a knowledge of the flow from each layer along the screened zone and of the chemical concentrations in each layer enables the total mass entering the well to be determined. Analyses of hypothetical systems and a site at Galloway, NJ, provide insight into the temporal variation of water-quality data observed when withdrawing water from screened wells in heterogeneous ground-water systems.The analyses of hypothetical systems quantitatively indicate the cause-and-effect relations that cause temporal variability in water samples obtained from wells. Chemical constituents that have relatively uniform concentrations with depth may not show variations in concentrations in the water discharged from a well after the well is purged (evacuation of standing water in the well casing). However, chemical constituents that do not have uniform concentrations near the screened interval of the well may show variations in concentrations in the well discharge water after purging because of the physics of ground-water flow in the vicinity of the screen.Water-quality samples were obtained through time over a 30 minute period from a site at Galloway, NJ. The water samples were analyzed for aromatic hydrocarbons, and the data for benzene, toluene, and meta+para xylene were evaluated for temporal variations. Samples were taken from seven discrete zones, and the flow-weighted concentrations of benzene, toluene, and meta+para xylene all indicate an increase in concentration over time during pumping. These observed trends in time were reproduced numerically based on the estimated concentration distribution in the aquifer and the flow rates from each zone.The results of

  14. High Frequency Variations of Earth Rotation Parameters from GPS and GLONASS Observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erhu Wei

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The Earth’s rotation undergoes changes with the influence of geophysical factors, such as Earth’s surface fluid mass redistribution of the atmosphere, ocean and hydrology. However, variations of Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP are still not well understood, particularly the short-period variations (e.g., diurnal and semi-diurnal variations and their causes. In this paper, the hourly time series of Earth Rotation Parameters are estimated using Global Positioning System (GPS, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS, and combining GPS and GLONASS data collected from nearly 80 sites from 1 November 2012 to 10 April 2014. These new observations with combining different satellite systems can help to decorrelate orbit biases and ERP, which improve estimation of ERP. The high frequency variations of ERP are analyzed using a de-trending method. The maximum of total diurnal and semidiurnal variations are within one milli-arcseconds (mas in Polar Motion (PM and 0.5 milli-seconds (ms in UT1-UTC. The semidiurnal and diurnal variations are mainly related to the ocean tides. Furthermore, the impacts of satellite orbit and time interval used to determinate ERP on the amplitudes of tidal terms are analyzed. We obtain some small terms that are not described in the ocean tide model of the IERS Conventions 2010, which may be caused by the strategies and models we used or the signal noises as well as artifacts. In addition, there are also small differences on the amplitudes between our results and IERS convention. This might be a result of other geophysical excitations, such as the high-frequency variations in atmospheric angular momentum (AAM and hydrological angular momentum (HAM, which needs more detailed analysis with more geophysical data in the future.

  15. CLASP/SJ Observations of Rapid Time Variations in the Ly α Emission in a Solar Active Region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252–5210 (Japan); Kubo, Masahito; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kano, Ryouhei; Narukage, Noriyuki; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Bando, Takamasa [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Winebarger, Amy; Kobayashi, Ken [NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States); Trujillo Bueno, Javier [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Auchère, Frédéric, E-mail: s.ishikawa@solar.isas.jaxa.jp [Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS/Univ. Paris-Sud 11, Bätiment 121, F-91405 Orsay (France)

    2017-09-10

    The Chromospheric Ly α SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding rocket experiment launched on 2015 September 3 to investigate the solar chromosphere and transition region. The slit-jaw (SJ) optical system captured Ly α images with a high time cadence of 0.6 s. From the CLASP/SJ observations, many variations in the solar chromosphere and transition region emission with a timescale of <1 minute were discovered. In this paper, we focus on the active region within the SJ field of view and investigate the relationship between short (<30 s) temporal variations in the Ly α emission and the coronal structures observed by Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). We compare the Ly α temporal variations at the coronal loop footpoints observed in the AIA 211 Å (≈2 MK) and AIA 171 Å (≈0.6 MK) channels with those in the regions with bright Ly α features without a clear association with the coronal loop footpoints. We find more short (<30 s) temporal variations in the Ly α intensity in the footpoint regions. Those variations did not depend on the temperature of the coronal loops. Therefore, the temporal variations in the Ly α intensity at this timescale range could be related to the heating of the coronal structures up to temperatures around the sensitivity peak of 171 Å. No signature was found to support the scenario that these Ly α intensity variations were related to the nanoflares. Waves or jets from the lower layers (lower chromosphere or photosphere) are possible causes for this phenomenon.

  16. Which processes drive observed variations of HCHO columns over India?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surl, Luke; Palmer, Paul I.; González Abad, Gonzalo

    2018-04-01

    We interpret HCHO column variations observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), aboard the NASA Aura satellite, over India during 2014 using the GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry and transport model. We use a nested version of the model with a horizontal resolution of approximately 25 km. HCHO columns are related to local emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a spatial smearing that increases with the VOC lifetime. Over India, HCHO has biogenic, pyrogenic, and anthropogenic VOC sources. Using a 0-D photochemistry model, we find that isoprene has the largest molar yield of HCHO which is typically realized within a few hours. We also find that forested regions that neighbour major urban conurbations are exposed to high levels of nitrogen oxides. This results in depleted hydroxyl radical concentrations and a delay in the production of HCHO from isoprene oxidation. We find that propene is the only anthropogenic VOC emitted in major Indian cities that produces HCHO at a comparable (but slower) rate to isoprene. The GEOS-Chem model reproduces the broad-scale annual mean HCHO column distribution observed by OMI (r = 0.6), which is dominated by a distinctive meridional gradient in the northern half of the country, and by localized regions of high columns that coincide with forests. Major discrepancies are noted over the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and Delhi. We find that the model has more skill at reproducing observations during winter (JF) and pre-monsoon (MAM) months with Pearson correlations r > 0.5 but with a positive model bias of x≃1×1015 molec cm-2. During the monsoon season (JJAS) we reproduce only a diffuse version of the observed meridional gradient (r = 0.4). We find that on a continental scale most of the HCHO column seasonal cycle is explained by monthly variations in surface temperature (r = 0.9), suggesting a role for biogenic VOCs, in agreement with the 0-D and GEOS-Chem model calculations. We also find that the seasonal cycle during

  17. The role of ensemble-based statistics in variational assimilation of cloud-affected observations from infrared imagers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacker, Joshua; Vandenberghe, Francois; Jung, Byoung-Jo; Snyder, Chris

    2017-04-01

    Effective assimilation of cloud-affected radiance observations from space-borne imagers, with the aim of improving cloud analysis and forecasting, has proven to be difficult. Large observation biases, nonlinear observation operators, and non-Gaussian innovation statistics present many challenges. Ensemble-variational data assimilation (EnVar) systems offer the benefits of flow-dependent background error statistics from an ensemble, and the ability of variational minimization to handle nonlinearity. The specific benefits of ensemble statistics, relative to static background errors more commonly used in variational systems, have not been quantified for the problem of assimilating cloudy radiances. A simple experiment framework is constructed with a regional NWP model and operational variational data assimilation system, to provide the basis understanding the importance of ensemble statistics in cloudy radiance assimilation. Restricting the observations to those corresponding to clouds in the background forecast leads to innovations that are more Gaussian. The number of large innovations is reduced compared to the more general case of all observations, but not eliminated. The Huber norm is investigated to handle the fat tails of the distributions, and allow more observations to be assimilated without the need for strict background checks that eliminate them. Comparing assimilation using only ensemble background error statistics with assimilation using only static background error statistics elucidates the importance of the ensemble statistics. Although the cost functions in both experiments converge to similar values after sufficient outer-loop iterations, the resulting cloud water, ice, and snow content are greater in the ensemble-based analysis. The subsequent forecasts from the ensemble-based analysis also retain more condensed water species, indicating that the local environment is more supportive of clouds. In this presentation we provide details that explain the

  18. Seasonal variation of the underground cosmic muon flux observed at Daya Bay

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, F. P.; Balantekin, A. B.; Band, H. R.; Bishai, M.; Blyth, S.; Cao, D.; Cao, G. F.; Cao, J.; Chan, Y. L.; Chang, J. F.; Chang, Y.; Chen, H. S.; Chen, Q. Y.; Chen, S. M.; Chen, Y. X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, J.; Cheng, Z. K.; Cherwinka, J. J.; Chu, M. C.; Chukanov, A.; Cummings, J. P.; Ding, Y. Y.; Diwan, M. V.; Dolgareva, M.; Dove, J.; Dwyer, D. A.; Edwards, W. R.; Gill, R.; Gonchar, M.; Gong, G. H.; Gong, H.; Grassi, M.; Gu, W. Q.; Guo, L.; Guo, X. H.; Guo, Y. H.; Guo, Z.; Hackenburg, R. W.; Hans, S.; He, M.; Heeger, K. M.; Heng, Y. K.; Higuera, A.; Hsiung, Y. B.; Hu, B. Z.; Hu, T.; Huang, E. C.; Huang, H. X.; Huang, X. T.; Huber, P.; Huo, W.; Hussain, G.; Jaffe, D. E.; Jen, K. L.; Jetter, S.; Ji, X. P.; Ji, X. L.; Jiao, J. B.; Johnson, R. A.; Jones, D.; Kang, L.; Kettell, S. H.; Khan, A.; Kohn, S.; Kramer, M.; Kwan, K. K.; Kwok, M. W.; Kwok, T.; Langford, T. J.; Lau, K.; Lebanowski, L.; Lee, J.; Lee, J. H. C.; Lei, R. T.; Leitner, R.; Li, C.; Li, D. J.; Li, F.; Li, G. S.; Li, Q. J.; Li, S.; Li, S. C.; Li, W. D.; Li, X. N.; Li, X. Q.; Li, Y. F.; Li, Z. B.; Liang, H.; Lin, C. J.; Lin, G. L.; Lin, S.; Lin, S. K.; Lin, Y.-C.; Ling, J. J.; Link, J. M.; Littenberg, L.; Littlejohn, B. R.; Liu, J. L.; Liu, J. C.; Loh, C. W.; Lu, C.; Lu, H. Q.; Lu, J. S.; Luk, K. B.; Ma, X. Y.; Ma, X. B.; Ma, Y. Q.; Malyshkin, Y.; Martinez Caicedo, D. A.; McDonald, K. T.; McKeown, R. D.; Mitchell, I.; Nakajima, Y.; Napolitano, J.; Naumov, D.; Naumova, E.; Ngai, H. Y.; Ochoa-Ricoux, J. P.; Olshevskiy, A.; Pan, H.-R.; Park, J.; Patton, S.; Pec, V.; Peng, J. C.; Pinsky, L.; Pun, C. S. J.; Qi, F. Z.; Qi, M.; Qian, X.; Qiu, R. M.; Raper, N.; Ren, J.; Rosero, R.; Roskovec, B.; Ruan, X. C.; Sebastiani, C.; Steiner, H.; Sun, J. L.; Tang, W.; Taychenachev, D.; Treskov, K.; Tsang, K. V.; Tull, C. E.; Viaux, N.; Viren, B.; Vorobel, V.; Wang, C. H.; Wang, M.; Wang, N. Y.; Wang, R. G.; Wang, W.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y. F.; Wang, Z.; Wang, Z.; Wang, Z. M.; Wei, H. Y.; Wen, L. J.; Whisnant, K.; White, C. G.; Whitehead, L.; Wise, T.; Wong, H. L. H.; Wong, S. C. F.; Worcester, E.; Wu, C.-H.; Wu, Q.; Wu, W. J.; Xia, D. M.; Xia, J. K.; Xing, Z. Z.; Xu, J. L.; Xu, Y.; Xue, T.; Yang, C. G.; Yang, H.; Yang, L.; Yang, M. S.; Yang, M. T.; Yang, Y. Z.; Ye, M.; Ye, Z.; Yeh, M.; Young, B. L.; Yu, Z. Y.; Zeng, S.; Zhan, L.; Zhang, C.; Zhang, C. C.; Zhang, H. H.; Zhang, J. W.; Zhang, Q. M.; Zhang, X. T.; Zhang, Y. M.; Zhang, Y. X.; Zhang, Y. M.; Zhang, Z. J.; Zhang, Z. Y.; Zhang, Z. P.; Zhao, J.; Zhou, L.; Zhuang, H. L.; Zou, J. H.

    2018-01-01

    The Daya Bay Experiment consists of eight identically designed detectors located in three underground experimental halls named as EH1, EH2, EH3, with 250, 265 and 860 meters of water equivalent vertical overburden, respectively. Cosmic muon events have been recorded over a two-year period. The underground muon rate is observed to be positively correlated with the effective atmospheric temperature and to follow a seasonal modulation pattern. The correlation coefficient α, describing how a variation in the muon rate relates to a variation in the effective atmospheric temperature, is found to be αEH1 = 0.362±0.031, αEH2 = 0.433±0.038 and αEH3 = 0.641±0.057 for each experimental hall.

  19. Comparison of seasonal variation between anthropogenic and natural emission inventory and Satellite observation in Southeast Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurata, G.; Lalitaporn, P.

    2012-12-01

    Since the economic growth of the countries in Southeast Asia is significantly rapid, the emission of air pollutant from the anthropogenic activity, such as industry, power generation and transportation is rapidly increasing. Moreover, biomass burning due to unsuitable agricultural management, deforestation and expansion of farmland are discharging large amount of pollutants, such as Carbon monoxide, volatile organic compound and particulate matter. Especially, the particulate matter from biomass burning causes the serious haze pollution in surrounding area in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, the biomass fuel used for cooking at residential sector discharges harmful pollutants including a particulate matter, and causes the adverse health impact to people on indoor and outdoor. In this study, we evaluated the spatial distribution and the seasonal variation of emission inventory for Southeast Asia region by comparing with satellite observation data in order to improve the accuracy of the impact assessment of air pollution by regional atmospheric chemistry transport model (WRF and CMAQ). As an emission inventory data, we used our original regional emission inventory for Southeast Asia region developed from detail transportation and industry data sets as well as a several existing emission inventories. As satellite observation data, the vertical column density of NO2, Particulate matter and Carbon monoxide obtained by various satellite, such as GOME, GOME2, SCIAMACY, OMI and so on. As a result of comparisons between satellite observation and emission inventories from 1996 to 2011, in the case of anthropogenic emission, seasonal variation was comparatively well in agreement with the seasonal variation of satellite data. However, the uncertainty of the seasonal variation was large on several large cities. In the case of emission from biomass burning, the seasonal variation was clear, but inter-annual variation was also large due to large scale climate condition.

  20. Depth and temporal variations in water quality of the Snake River Plain aquifer in well USGS-59 near the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frederick, D.B.; Johnson, G.S.

    1997-03-01

    In-situ measurements of the specific conductance and temperature of ground water in the Snake River Plain aquifer were collected in observation well USGS-59 near the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. These parameters were monitored at various depths in the aquifer from October 1994 to August 1995. The specific conductance of ground water in well USGS-59, as measured in the borehole, ranged from about 450 to 900 microS/cm at standard temperature (25 C). The pumping cycle of the production wells at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant causes changes in borehole circulation patterns, and as a result the specific conductance of ground water at some depths in the well varies by up to 50% over a period of about 14 hours. However, these variations were not observed at all depths, or during each pumping cycle. The temperature of ground water in the well was typically between 12.8 and 13.8 C. The results of this study indicate that temporal variations in specific conductance of the ground water at this location are caused by an external stress on the aquifer--pumping of a production well approximately 4,000 feet away. These variations are believed to result from vertical stratification of water quality in the aquifer and a subsequent change in intrawell flow related to pumping. When sampling techniques that do not induce a stress on the aquifer (i.e., thief sampling) are used, knowledge of external stresses on the system at the time of sampling may aid in the interpretation of geochemical data

  1. Hydrographic and chemical observations in the Sierra Leone River estuary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koske, P.H.; Weiler, K.

    1979-01-01

    Hydrographic and chemical observations in the Sierra Leone River estuary are reported, a West-African river in the tropics. Because of the typical change between rainy season in the sommer months and dry season in winter time the research work has been adapted to these semi-annual changes. The collected data and results are given and discussed under this aspect of the seasonal fluctuations. (orig.) [de

  2. Observer Variation in Computed Tomography of the Sacroiliac Joints: A Retrospective Analysis of 1383 Cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geijer, M.; Gadeholt Goethlin, G.; Goethlin, J.H.

    2007-01-01

    Background: Computed tomography (CT) for evaluation of sacroiliitis has a higher diagnostic accuracy than radiography. There is a high degree of interobserver variation in evaluating sacroiliitis on radiographs. Purpose: To evaluate interobserver variation in CT of the sacroiliac joints for evaluation of sacroiliitis in a large number of patients. Material and Methods: 1383 CT examinations of the sacroiliac joints were reviewed by two observers. The outcomes as originally reported and the findings from the reviews were classified as no sacroiliitis, equivocal, unilateral sacroiliitis, or bilateral sacroiliitis. The unweighted kappa statistic was used for assessment of observer agreement. Results: The interobserver agreement between the two reviewers was good (0.6724), with excellent agreement on cases of bilateral sacroiliitis and moderate agreement on cases of unilateral sacroiliitis. Excellent agreement was also reached in normal cases. Compared to the original reports, there were moderate interobserver agreements between both reviewers' findings and the original reports 0.4651 and 0.4481, respectively). Conclusion: The interobserver variation for the diagnosis of sacroiliitis on CT between two reviewers in a study setting showed good agreement, with moderate agreement between each of the observers and the original clinical reports. CT is a reliable method for evaluating the sacroiliac joints for changes of sacroiliitis

  3. Observer Variation in Computed Tomography of the Sacroiliac Joints: A Retrospective Analysis of 1383 Cases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geijer, M.; Gadeholt Goethlin, G.; Goethlin, J.H. [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Sahlgrenska Univ. Hospital, Goeteborg (Sweden)

    2007-08-15

    Background: Computed tomography (CT) for evaluation of sacroiliitis has a higher diagnostic accuracy than radiography. There is a high degree of interobserver variation in evaluating sacroiliitis on radiographs. Purpose: To evaluate interobserver variation in CT of the sacroiliac joints for evaluation of sacroiliitis in a large number of patients. Material and Methods: 1383 CT examinations of the sacroiliac joints were reviewed by two observers. The outcomes as originally reported and the findings from the reviews were classified as no sacroiliitis, equivocal, unilateral sacroiliitis, or bilateral sacroiliitis. The unweighted kappa statistic was used for assessment of observer agreement. Results: The interobserver agreement between the two reviewers was good (0.6724), with excellent agreement on cases of bilateral sacroiliitis and moderate agreement on cases of unilateral sacroiliitis. Excellent agreement was also reached in normal cases. Compared to the original reports, there were moderate interobserver agreements between both reviewers' findings and the original reports 0.4651 and 0.4481, respectively). Conclusion: The interobserver variation for the diagnosis of sacroiliitis on CT between two reviewers in a study setting showed good agreement, with moderate agreement between each of the observers and the original clinical reports. CT is a reliable method for evaluating the sacroiliac joints for changes of sacroiliitis.

  4. Chemical Production using Fission Fragments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawson, J. K.; Moseley, F.

    1960-01-01

    Some reactor design considerations of the use of fission recoil fragment energy for the production of chemicals of industrial importance have been discussed previously in a paper given at the Second United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy [A/Conf. 15/P.76]. The present paper summarizes more recent progress made on this topic at AERE, Harwell. The range-energy relationship for fission fragments is discussed in the context of the choice of fuel system for a chemical production reactor, and the experimental observation of a variation of chemical effect along the length of a fission fragment track is described for the irradiation of nitrogen-oxygen mixtures. Recent results are given on the effect of fission fragments on carbon monoxide-hydrogen gas mixtures and on water vapour. No system investigated to date shows any outstanding promise for large-scale chemical production. (author) [fr

  5. Time variations in the mechanical characteristics of local crustal segments according to seismic observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocharyan, G. G.; Gamburtseva, N. G.; Sanina, I. A.; Danilova, T. V.; Nesterkina, M. A.; Gorbunova, E. M.; Ivanchenko, G. N.

    2011-04-01

    The results of the seismic observations made with two different experimental setups are presented. In the first case, the signals produced by underground nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site were measured on a linear profile, which allowed one to definitely outline the areas where the mechanical properties of rocks experienced considerable time variations. In the second case, the waves excited by the open-pit mine blasts recorded at a small-aperture seismic array at the Mikhnevo Geophysical Station (Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences) on the East European Platform favored the estimation of variations in the integral characteristics of the seismic path. Measurements in aseismic regions characterized by diverse geological structure and different tectonic conditions revealed similar effects of the strong dependency of seismic parameters on the time of explosions. Here, the variations experienced by the maximum amplitudes of oscillations and irrelevant to seasonal changes or local conditions reached a factor of two. The generic periods of these variations including the distinct annual rhythm are probably the fragments of a lower-frequency process. The obtained results suggest that these variations are due to changes in the stressstrain state of active fault zones, which, in turn, can be associated with the macroscale motion of large blocks triggered by tidal strains, tectonic forces and, possibly, variations in the rate of the Earth's rotation.

  6. Diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, J.; Galand, M.; Yelle, R. V.; Vuitton, V.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Lavvas, P. P.; Müller-Wodarg, I. C. F.; Cravens, T. E.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Waite, J. H.

    2009-06-01

    We present our analysis of the diurnal variations of Titan's ionosphere (between 1000 and 1300 km) based on a sample of Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements in the Open Source Ion (OSI) mode obtained from eight close encounters of the Cassini spacecraft with Titan. Although there is an overall ion depletion well beyond the terminator, the ion content on Titan's nightside is still appreciable, with a density plateau of ˜700 cm-3 below ˜1300 km. Such a plateau is a combined result of significant depletion of light ions and modest depletion of heavy ones on Titan's nightside. We propose that the distinctions between the diurnal variations of light and heavy ions are associated with their different chemical loss pathways, with the former primarily through “fast” ion-neutral chemistry and the latter through “slow” electron dissociative recombination. The strong correlation between the observed night-to-day ion density ratios and the associated ion lifetimes suggests a scenario in which the ions created on Titan's dayside may survive well to the nightside. The observed asymmetry between the dawn and dusk ion density profiles also supports such an interpretation. We construct a time-dependent ion chemistry model to investigate the effect of ion survival associated with solid body rotation alone as well as superrotating horizontal winds. For long-lived ions, the predicted diurnal variations have similar general characteristics to those observed. However, for short-lived ions, the model densities on the nightside are significantly lower than the observed values. This implies that electron precipitation from Saturn's magnetosphere may be an additional and important contributor to the densities of the short-lived ions observed on Titan's nightside.

  7. SABER (TIMED) and MLS (UARS) Temperature Observations of Mesospheric and Stratospheric QBO and Related Tidal Variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Frank T.; Mayr, Hans G.; Reber, Carl A.; Russell, James; Mlynczak, Marty; Mengel, John

    2006-01-01

    More than three years of temperature observations from the SABER (TIMED) and MLS WARS) instruments are analyzed to study the annual and inter-annual variations extending from the stratosphere into the upper mesosphere. The SABER measurements provide data from a wide altitude range (15 to 95 km) for the years 2002 to 2004, while the MLS data were taken in the 16 to 55 km altitude range a decade earlier. Because of the sampling properties of SABER and MLS, the variations with local solar time must be accounted for when estimating the zonal mean variations. An algorithm is thus applied that delineates with Fourier analysis the year-long variations of the migrating tides and zonal mean component. The amplitude of the diurnal tide near the equator shows a strong semiannual periodicity with maxima near equinox, which vary from year to year to indicate the influence from the Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the zonal circulation. The zonal mean QBO temperature variations are analyzed over a range of latitudes and altitudes, and the results are presented for latitudes from 48"s to 48"N. New results are obtained for the QBO, especially in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere, and at mid-latitudes. At Equatorial latitudes, the QBO amplitudes show local peaks, albeit small, that occur at different altitudes. From about 20 to 40 km, and within about 15" of the Equator, the amplitudes can approach 3S K for the stratospheric QBO or SQBO. For the mesospheric QBO or MQBO, we find peaks near 70 km, with temperature amplitudes reaching 3.5"K, and near 85 km, the amplitudes approach 2.5OK. Morphologically, the amplitude and phase variations derived from the SABER and MLS measurements are in qualitative agreement. The QBO amplitudes tend to peak at the Equator but then increase again pole-ward of about 15" to 20'. The phase progression with altitude varies more gradually at the Equator than at mid-latitudes. A comparison of the observations with results from the Numerical Spectral

  8. Observed solar near UV variability: A contribution to variations of the solar constant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    London, J.; Pap, J.; Rottman, G.J.

    1989-01-01

    Continuous Measurements of the Solar UV have been made by an instrument on the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) since October 1981. The results for the wavelength interval 200 to 300 nm show an irradiance decrease to a minimum in early 1987 and a subsequent increase to mid-April 1989. The observed UV changes during part of solar cycles 21 to 22 represent approx. 35 percent (during the decreasing phase) and 25 percent (during the increasing phase) of the observed variations of the solar constant for the same time period as the SME measurements

  9. Influence of reactions heats on variation of radius, temperature, pressure and chemical species amounts within a single acoustic cavitation bubble.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerboua, Kaouther; Hamdaoui, Oualid

    2018-03-01

    The scientific interest toward the study of acoustic bubble is mainly explained by its practical benefit in providing a reactional media favorable to the rapid evolution of chemical mechanism. The evolution of this mechanism is related to the simultaneous and dependent variation of the volume, temperature and pressure within the bubble, retrieved by the resolution of a differential equations system, including among others the thermal balance. This last one is subject to different assumptions, some authors deem simply that the temperature varies adiabatically during the collapsing phase, without considering the reactions heat of the studied mechanism. This paper aims to evaluate the pertinence of neglecting reactions heats in the thermal balance, by analyzing their effect on the variation of radius, temperature, pressure and chemical species amounts. The results show that the introduction of reactions heats conducts to a decrease of the temperature, an increase of the pressure and a reduction of the bubble volume. As a consequence, this leads to a drop of the quantities of free radicals produced by the chemical mechanism evolving within the bubble. This paper also proved that the impact of the consideration of reactions heats is dependent of the frequency and the acoustic amplitude of the ultrasonic wave. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Determination of variations of the solar radius from solar eclipse observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sofia, S.; Dunham, D. W.; Fiala, A. D.

    1980-01-01

    This paper describes the method to determine the solar radius and its variations from observations made during total solar eclipses. In particular, the procedure to correct the spherical moon predictions for the effects of lunar mountains and valleys on the width and location of the path of totality is addressed in detail. The errors affecting this technique are addressed, a summary of the results of its application to three solar eclipses are presented, and the implications of the results on the constancy of the solar constant are described.

  11. Anglo-Saxon animal husbandry techniques revealed though isotope and chemical variations in cattle teeth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, J.A.; Tatham, S.; Chenery, S.R.; Chenery, C.A.

    2007-01-01

    The Sr concentration and isotope composition of tooth enamel from domesticated animals from two neighbouring Anglo-Saxon settlements, at Empingham (6-7th century) and Ketton (10-12th century) in Rutland, central England, are compared both with each other, and with associated human populations. Data from the Empingham II site form discrete fields in Sr concentration and isotope composition space for cattle, pig and sheep with a partial overlap of the human and pig fields. By contrast there is significant overlap in all the animal and human data fields from the Ketton site. The differences in data distribution between the two sites are attributed to animal husbandry techniques, as the surface geology of the two areas is very similar, implying geological factors are an unlikely cause of the difference. It is suggested that the grazing and feeding patterns of animals at the Empingham II site were controlled and restricted, whereas at the Ketton site the animals grazed and foraged freely over a common area. Strontium isotope variation within cattle molars from the two settlements show marked differences that reflect the nature of their feeding and rearing. The enamel from a cattle molar from the Empingham II site has a well-defined, systematic variation of Sr isotope composition with Sr concentration, whereas no such patterns exist in a comparable cattle molar from Ketton. Chemical and O isotope variations in the cattle tooth from Empingham II show sympathetic variation of Sr and Ba concentrations with Sr isotope composition from cusp to cervix. The cusp has higher Sr and Ba concentrations log (Sr/Ca) ratio of -3.1 and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of 0.71151 where as the cervical region of the enamel has log (Sr/Ca) = -3.3 and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.71061

  12. Anglo-Saxon animal husbandry techniques revealed though isotope and chemical variations in cattle teeth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Evans, J.A. [NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, BGS, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom)], E-mail: je@nigl.nerc.ac.uk; Tatham, S. [School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Chenery, S.R. [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom); Chenery, C.A. [NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, BGS, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom)

    2007-09-15

    The Sr concentration and isotope composition of tooth enamel from domesticated animals from two neighbouring Anglo-Saxon settlements, at Empingham (6-7th century) and Ketton (10-12th century) in Rutland, central England, are compared both with each other, and with associated human populations. Data from the Empingham II site form discrete fields in Sr concentration and isotope composition space for cattle, pig and sheep with a partial overlap of the human and pig fields. By contrast there is significant overlap in all the animal and human data fields from the Ketton site. The differences in data distribution between the two sites are attributed to animal husbandry techniques, as the surface geology of the two areas is very similar, implying geological factors are an unlikely cause of the difference. It is suggested that the grazing and feeding patterns of animals at the Empingham II site were controlled and restricted, whereas at the Ketton site the animals grazed and foraged freely over a common area. Strontium isotope variation within cattle molars from the two settlements show marked differences that reflect the nature of their feeding and rearing. The enamel from a cattle molar from the Empingham II site has a well-defined, systematic variation of Sr isotope composition with Sr concentration, whereas no such patterns exist in a comparable cattle molar from Ketton. Chemical and O isotope variations in the cattle tooth from Empingham II show sympathetic variation of Sr and Ba concentrations with Sr isotope composition from cusp to cervix. The cusp has higher Sr and Ba concentrations log (Sr/Ca) ratio of -3.1 and {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratio of 0.71151 where as the cervical region of the enamel has log (Sr/Ca) = -3.3 and {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr = 0.71061.

  13. Time Variations of Observed H α Line Profiles and Precipitation Depths of Nonthermal Electrons in a Solar Flare

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falewicz, Robert; Radziszewski, Krzysztof; Rudawy, Paweł; Berlicki, Arkadiusz, E-mail: falewicz@astro.uni.wroc.pl, E-mail: radziszewski@astro.uni.wroc.pl, E-mail: rudawy@astro.uni.wroc.pl, E-mail: berlicki@astro.uni.wroc.pl [Astronomical Institute, University of Wrocław, 51-622 Wrocław, ul. Kopernika 11 (Poland)

    2017-10-01

    We compare time variations of the H α and X-ray emissions observed during the pre-impulsive and impulsive phases of the C1.1-class solar flare on 2013 June 21 with those of plasma parameters and synthesized X-ray emission from a 1D hydrodynamic numerical model of the flare. The numerical model was calculated assuming that the external energy is delivered to the flaring loop by nonthermal electrons (NTEs). The H α spectra and images were obtained using the Multi-channel Subtractive Double Pass spectrograph with a time resolution of 50 ms. The X-ray fluxes and spectra were recorded by RHESSI . Pre-flare geometric and thermodynamic parameters of the model and the delivered energy were estimated using RHESSI data. The time variations of the X-ray light curves in various energy bands and those of the H α intensities and line profiles were well correlated. The timescales of the observed variations agree with the calculated variations of the plasma parameters in the flaring loop footpoints, reflecting the time variations of the vertical extent of the energy deposition layer. Our result shows that the fast time variations of the H α emission of the flaring kernels can be explained by momentary changes of the deposited energy flux and the variations of the penetration depths of the NTEs.

  14. A Multi-Variate Fit to the Chemical Composition of the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisch, Jonathan

    Since the discovery of cosmic rays over a century ago, evidence of their origins has remained elusive. Deflected by galactic magnetic fields, the only direct evidence of their origin and propagation remain encoded in their energy distribution and chemical composition. Current models of galactic cosmic rays predict variations of the energy distribution of individual elements in an energy region around 3x1015 eV known as the knee. This work presents a method to measure the energy distribution of individual elemental groups in the knee region and its application to a year of data from the IceCube detector. The method uses cosmic rays detected by both IceTop, the surface-array component, and the deep-ice component of IceCube during the 2009-2010 operation of the IC-59 detector. IceTop is used to measure the energy and the relative likelihood of the mass composition using the signal from the cosmic-ray induced extensive air shower reaching the surface. IceCube, 1.5 km below the surface, measures the energy of the high-energy bundle of muons created in the very first interactions after the cosmic ray enters the atmosphere. These event distributions are fit by a constrained model derived from detailed simulations of cosmic rays representing five chemical elements. The results of this analysis are evaluated in terms of the theoretical uncertainties in cosmic-ray interactions and seasonal variations in the atmosphere. The improvements in high-energy cosmic ray hadronic-interaction models informed by this analysis, combined with increased data from subsequent operation of the IceCube detector, could provide crucial limits on the origin of cosmic rays and their propagation through the galaxy. In the course of developing this method, a number of analysis and statistical techniques were developed to deal with the difficulties inherent in this type of measurement. These include a composition-sensitive air shower reconstruction technique, a method to model simulated event

  15. Long-Term Seafloor Electromagnetic Observation in the Northwest Pacific May Detect the Vector Geomagnetic Secular Variation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Toh

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Sea Floor ElectroMagnetic Stations (SFEMSs are now operating at two deep seafloor sites called the 'WPB' and the 'NWP' in the West Philippine Basin and the Northwest Pacific Basin, respectively. One of the main objectives of the SFEMSs is to detect the geomagnetic secular variations on the deep seafloor where long-term geomagnetic observations have not so far been achieved. SFEMSs can measure the absolute geomagnetic total force as well as the geomagnetic vector field with precise attitude monitoring systems. The vector geomagnetic time-series that was observed for more than 5 years revealed that the westward drift of the equatorial dipole dominates in the geomagnetic secular variation at the NWP.

  16. Seasonal variations of Saanen goat milk composition and the impact of climatic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kljajevic, Nemanja V; Tomasevic, Igor B; Miloradovic, Zorana N; Nedeljkovic, Aleksandar; Miocinovic, Jelena B; Jovanovic, Snezana T

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of climatic conditions and their impact on seasonal variations of physico-chemical characteristics of Saanen goat milk produced over a period of 4 years. Lactation period (early, mid and late) and year were considered as factors that influence physico-chemical composition of milk. Pearson's coefficient of correlation was calculated between the physico-chemical characteristics of milk (fat, proteins, lactose, non-fat dry matter, density, freezing point, pH, titrable acidity) and climatic condition parameters (air temperature, temperature humidity index-THI, solar radiation duration, relative humidity). Results showed that all physico-chemical characteristics of Saanen goat milk varied significantly throughout the lactation period and years. The decrease of fat, protein, non-fat dry matter and lactose content in goat milk during the mid-lactation period was more pronounced than was previously reported in the literature. The highest values for these characteristics were recorded in the late lactation period. Observed variations were explained by negative correlation between THI and the physico-chemical characteristics of Saanen goat milk. This indicated that Saanen goats were very prone to heat stress, which implied the decrease of physico-chemical characteristics during hot summers.

  17. Clasp/SJ Observation of Time Variations of Lyman-Alpha Emissions in a Solar Active Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishikawa, S.; Kubo, M.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kano, R.; Narukage, N.; Ishikawa, R.; Bando, T.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The Chromospheric Lyman-alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding rocket experiment launched on September 3, 2015 to investigate the solar chromosphere, and the slit-jaw (SJ) optical system took Lya images with the high time cadence of 0.6 s. By the CLASP/SJ observation, many time variations in the solar chromosphere with the time scale of region and investigated the short (regions. As the result, we found the regions. On the other hand, the <30 s time variations had no dependency on the temperature of the loop.

  18. Chemical data and variation diagrams of igneous rocks from the Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley Caldera Complex, southern Nevada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinlivan, W.D.; Byers, F.M.

    1977-01-01

    Silica variation diagrams presented here are based on 162 chemical analyses of tuffs, lavas, and intrusives, representative of volcanic centers of the Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex and cogenetic rocks of the Silent Canyon ca1dera. Most of the volcanic units sampled are shown on the U.S. Geological Survey geologic map of the Timber Mountain caldera area (I-891) and are described in U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 919. Early effusives of the complex, although slightly altered, are probably chemically, and petrographically, more like the calc-alkalic Fraction Tuff (Miocene) of the northern Nellis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range to the north, whereas effusives of later Miocene age, such as the Paintbrush and Timber Mountain Tuffs, are alkali-calcic.

  19. Counterion influence on chemical shifts in strychnine salts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Metaxas, Athena E.; Cort, John R.

    2013-05-01

    The highly toxic plant alkaloid strychnine is often isolated in the form of the anion salt of its protonated tertiary amine. Here we characterize the relative influence of different counterions on 1H and 13C chemical shifts in several strychnine salts in D2O, methanol-d4 (CD3OD) and chloroform-d (CDCl3) solvents. In organic solvents, but not in water, substantial variation in chemical shifts of protons near the tertiary amine was observed among different salts. These secondary shifts reveal differences in the way each anion influences electronic structure within the protonated amine. The distributions of secondary shifts allow salts to be easily distinguished from each other as well as from the free base form. The observed effects are much greater in organic solvents than in water. Slight concentration-dependence in chemical shifts of some protons near the amine was observed for two salts in CDCl3, but this effect is small compared to the influence of the counterion. Distinct chemical shifts in different salt forms of the same compound may be useful as chemical forensic signatures for source attribution and sample matching of alkaloids such as strychnine and possibly other organic acid and base salts.

  20. Transit timing observations from Kepler. V. Transit timing variation candidates in the first sixteen months from polynomial models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ford, E.B.; Ragozzine, D.; Holman, M.J.

    2012-01-01

    Transit timing variations provide a powerful tool for confirming and characterizing transiting planets, as well as detecting non-transiting planets. We report the results of an updated transit timing variation (TTV) analysis for 1481 planet candidates based on transit times measured during...... that several of these planet candidates could be confirmed and perhaps characterized with more detailed TTV analyses using publicly available Kepler observations. For many others, Kepler has observed a long-term TTV trend, but an extended Kepler mission will be required to characterize the system via TTVs. We...

  1. Time Variations of the Spectral Indices of the Suprathermal Distribution as observed by WIND/STICS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruesbeck, J. R.; Christian, E. R.; Lepri, S. T.; Thomas, J.; Zurbuchen, T.; Gloeckler, G.

    2011-12-01

    Suprathermal particle spectra, measured in various regions of the heliosphere and heliosheath by Ulysses, ACE and Voyager, have recently been reported. In many cases long accumulation times had to be used to obtain sufficient statistical accuracy, and corrections were necessary, since only a fraction of phase space was measured. The SupraThermal Ion Composition Spectrometer (STICS), onboard Wind, enables observations of the suprathermal plasma in the solar wind at much higher time resolution. In addition, the STICS samples nearly full three-dimensional phase space, enabling measurements of anisotropies. We present a multi-year investigation of the spectral index of the suprathermal distribution, accumulated over 1 day and less, where we see significant time variation. An average lower bound value of the spectral index is at ~ -5, however, there are time periods during which the observed distributions steepen. We will also present an analysis of time and spatial variations of the suprathermal particle fluxes, observed by STICS and other instruments. In particular, we will compare the observed variability with predictions from a model by Bochsler and Moebius, based on data of the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), who postulated that energetic neutral atoms, from outside of the heliosheath, which then penetrate the inner heliosphere and are finally ionized, could be a source of the very suprathermal populations we observe.

  2. Seasonal variations in physicochemical profiles of Guduchi Satva (starchy substance from Tinospora cordifolia [Willd.] Miers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohit Sharma

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Guduchi Satva (GS, the starchy material extracted from the Guduchi stem is well-known Ayurvedic single drug formulation having a wide range of therapeutic utility. Species of the plant, stem size, collection time, season and maturity of the plant may affect the yield and physico-chemical profile of GS. However, published data on such variations is lacking. Considering this, present study is planned to screen seasonal variations in physico-chemical profile of GS. 18 batches of GS were prepared in six different seasons (3 batches in each season and findings were systematically recorded. The obtained Satva was further subjected to relevant physico-chemical parameters. Principal component analysis method was adopted to analyze variations. Maximum yield of Satva was obtained in Shishira Ritu(January-February while the minimum in Grishma (May-June. Variation in taste and color was found in Satva prepared in Varsha Ritu. All functional groups were found to be same in each season. Total alkaloidal contents found bit higher in Varsha and Vasanta. More residual x-variance in alcohol soluble extract and more leverage were observed in water soluble extract due to impact of seasonal spells.

  3. Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at Okinawa Island, Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handa, D.; Nakajima, H.; Nakaema, F.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

    2008-12-01

    The economic development and population growth in recent Asia spread air pollution. Emission rate of air pollutants from Asia, in particular oxides of nitrogen, surpassed those from North America and Europe and should continue to exceed them for decades. The study of the air pollution transported from Asian continent has gained a special attention in Japan. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location is ideal in observing East Asian atmospheric aerosols because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. In 2005, Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS) was established by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) at the northern tip of Okinawa Island, Japan to monitor the air quality of Asia. Bulk aerosol samples were collected on quartz filters by using a high volume air sampler. Sampling duration was one week for each sample. We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon in the bulk aerosols collected at the CHAAMS, using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components showed that the concentrations were relatively low in summer, higher in fall and winter, and the highest in spring. When air mass came from Asian Continent, the concentrations of water-soluble chemical components were much higher compared to the other directions.

  4. Possible causes of variation in acrylamide concentration in French fries prepared in food service establishments: an observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanny, M; Jinap, S; Bakker, E J; van Boekel, M A J S; Luning, P A

    2012-05-01

    Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen, and its presence in a range of fried and oven-cooked foods has raised considerable health concern world-wide. Dietary intake studies observed significant variations in acrylamide concentrations, which complicate risk assessment and the establishment of effective control measures. The objective of this study was to obtain an insight into the actual variation in acrylamide concentrations in French fries prepared under typical conditions in a food service establishment (FSE). Besides acrylamide, frying time, frying temperature, and reducing sugars were measured and the actual practices at receiving, thawing and frying during French fries preparation were observed and recorded. The variation in the actual frying temperature contributed most to the variation in acrylamide concentrations, followed by the variation in actual frying time; no obvious effect of reducing sugars was found. The lack of standardised control of frying temperature and frying time (due to inadequate frying equipment) and the variable practices of food handlers seem to contribute most to the large variation and high acrylamide concentrations in French fries prepared in a restaurant type of FSE as compared to chain fast-food services, and institutional caterers. The obtained insights in this study can be used to develop dedicated control measures in FSE, which may contribute to a sustainable reduction in the acrylamide intake. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. A four-dimensional variational chemistry data assimilation scheme for Eulerian chemistry transport modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eibern, Hendrik; Schmidt, Hauke

    1999-08-01

    The inverse problem of data assimilation of tropospheric trace gas observations into an Eulerian chemistry transport model has been solved by the four-dimensional variational technique including chemical reactions, transport, and diffusion. The University of Cologne European Air Pollution Dispersion Chemistry Transport Model 2 with the Regional Acid Deposition Model 2 gas phase mechanism is taken as the basis for developing a full four-dimensional variational data assimilation package, on the basis of the adjoint model version, which includes the adjoint operators of horizontal and vertical advection, implicit vertical diffusion, and the adjoint gas phase mechanism. To assess the potential and limitations of the technique without degrading the impact of nonperfect meteorological analyses and statistically not established error covariance estimates, artificial meteorological data and observations are used. The results are presented on the basis of a suite of experiments, where reduced records of artificial "observations" are provided to the assimilation procedure, while other "data" is retained for performance control of the analysis. The paper demonstrates that the four-dimensional variational technique is applicable for a comprehensive chemistry transport model in terms of computational and storage requirements on advanced parallel platforms. It is further shown that observed species can generally be analyzed, even if the "measurements" have unbiased random errors. More challenging experiments are presented, aiming to tax the skill of the method (1) by restricting available observations mostly to surface ozone observations for a limited assimilation interval of 6 hours and (2) by starting with poorly chosen first guess values. In this first such application to a three-dimensional chemistry transport model, success was also achieved in analyzing not only observed but also chemically closely related unobserved constituents.

  6. Estimating seasonal variations in cloud droplet number concentration over the boreal forest from satellite observations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, R.; Ganzeveld, L.N.; Kabat, P.; Kulmala, M.; Nieminen, T.; Roebeling, R.A.

    2011-01-01

    Seasonal variations in cloud droplet number concentration (NCD) in low-level stratiform clouds over the boreal forest are estimated from MODIS observations of cloud optical and microphysical properties, using a sub-adiabatic cloud model to interpret vertical profiles of cloud properties. An

  7. Seasonal Variations of Atmospheric CO2 over Fire Affected Regions Based on GOSAT Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Y.; Matsunaga, T.

    2016-12-01

    Abstract: The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions released from biomass burning significantly affect the temporal variations of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Based on a long-term (July 2009-June 2015) retrieved datasets by the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), the seasonal cycle and interannual variations of column-averaged volume mixing ratios of atmospheric carbon dioxide (XCO2) in four fire affected continental regions were investigated. The results showed Northern Africa had the largest seasonal variations after removing its regional long-term trend of XCO2 with peak-to-peak amplitude of 6.2 ppm within the year, higher than central South America (2.4 ppm), Southern Africa (3.8 ppm) and Australia (1.7 ppm). The detrended regional XCO2 was found to be positively correlated with the fire CO2 emissions during fire activity period and negatively correlated with vegetation photosynthesis activity with different seasonal variabilities. Northern Africa recorded the largest change of seasonal variations of detrended XCO2 with a total of 12.8 ppm during fire seasons, higher than central South America, Southern Africa and Australia with 5.4 ppm, 6.7 ppm and 2.2 ppm, respectively. During fire episode, the positive detrended XCO2 was noticed during June-November in central South America, December-June in Northern Africa, May-November in Southern Africa. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the variations of detrended XCO2 and fire CO2 emissions from GFED4 (Global Fire Emissions Database v4) achieved best correlations in Southern Africa (R=0.77, p<0.05). Meanwhile, Southern Africa also experienced a significant negative relationship between the variations of detrended XCO2 and vegetation activity (R=-0.84, p<0.05). This study revealed that fire CO2 emissions and vegetation activity contributed greatly to the seasonal variations of GOSAT XCO2 dataset.

  8. Spatio-temporal Variations of Nitrogen Dioxide over Western China from Satellite Observations during 2005-2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Y.; Lin, J.; Huang, B.; Song, C.

    2015-12-01

    Western China has experienced rapid urbanization and industrialization since the implementation of National Western Development Strategy by Chinese Government. Most resource-intensive industries and high-pollution factories had been moved from the east coast to Western China after 2000. In this research, the spatial and temporal variations of tropospheric NO2 concentration in 2005 - 2013 is analyzed based on the satellite observations by Ozone Measurement Instrument (OMI). The annual trends and seasonality of tropospheric NO2 over Western China are calculated. The results show that large increases are observed in urban areas and the polluted regions are expanding. Additionally, the seasonal patterns of some regions over Western China are changing significantly and more clean areas tend to changing from the characteristics of natural emissions to those of anthropogenic emissions. The spatial and temporal variations of NO2 concentrations are well responded to the rapid urbanization and industrialization over Western China.

  9. Aerosol chemical composition at Cabauw, the Netherlands as observed in two intensive periods in May 2008 and March 2009

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mensah, A.A.; Holzinger, R.; Otjes, R.; Trimborn, A.; Mentel, T.F.; Brink, H. ten; Henzing, B.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.

    2012-01-01

    Observations of aerosol chemical composition in Cabauw, the Netherlands, are presented for two intensive measurement periods in May 2008 and March 2009. Sub-micron aerosol chemical composition was measured by an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and is compared to observations from aerosol

  10. Mean diurnal variations of noctilucent clouds during 7 years of lidar observations at ALOMAR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Fiedler

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available From 1997 to 2003, noctilucent clouds (NLC were observed by lidar above the ALOMAR observatory in Northern Norway (69° N during a total of 1880 measurement hours. This data set contains NLC signatures for 640h, covering all local times, even during the highest solar background conditions. After data limitation imposing a threshold value of 4x10-10m-1sr-1 for the volume backscatter coefficient of the NLC particles, a measure for the cloud brightness, local time dependencies of the NLC occurrence frequency, altitude, and brightness were determined. On average, over the 7 years NLC occurred during the whole day and preferably in the early morning hours, with a maximum occurrence frequency of ~40% between 4 and 7 LT. Splitting the data into weak and strong clouds yields almost identical amplitudes of diurnal and semidiurnal variations for the occurrence of weak clouds, whereas the strong clouds are dominated by the diurnal variation. NLC occurrence, altitude, as well as brightness, show a remarkable persistence concerning diurnal and semidiurnal variations from 1997 to 2003, suggesting that NLC above ALOMAR are significantly controlled by atmospheric tides. The observed mean anti-phase behavior between cloud altitude and brightness is attributed to a phase shift between the semidiurnal components by ~6h. Investigation of data for each individual year regarding the prevailing oscillation periods of the NLC parameters showed different phase relationships, leading to a complex variability in the cloud parameters.

  11. Metallicity Variations in the Type II Globular Cluster NGC 6934

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marino, A. F.; Yong, D.; Milone, A. P.; Piotto, G.; Lundquist, M.; Bedin, L. R.; Chené, A.-N.; Da Costa, G.; Asplund, M.; Jerjen, H.

    2018-06-01

    The Hubble Space Telescope photometric survey of Galactic globular clusters (GCs) has revealed a peculiar “chromosome map” for NGC 6934. In addition to a typical sequence, similar to that observed in Type I GCs, NGC 6934 displays additional stars on the red side, analogous to the anomalous Type II GCs, as defined in our previous work. We present a chemical abundance analysis of four red giants in this GC. Two stars are located on the chromosome map sequence common to all GCs, and another two lie on the additional sequence. We find (i) star-to-star Fe variations, with the two anomalous stars being enriched by ∼0.2 dex. Because of our small-size sample, this difference is at the ∼2.5σ level. (ii) There is no evidence for variations in the slow neutron-capture abundances over Fe, at odds with what is often observed in anomalous Type II GCs, e.g., M 22 and ω Centauri (iii) no large variations in light elements C, O, and Na, compatible with locations of the targets on the lower part of the chromosome map where such variations are not expected. Since the analyzed stars are homogeneous in light elements, the only way to reproduce the photometric splits on the sub-giant (SGB) and the red giant (RGB) branches is to assume that red RGB/faint SGB stars are enhanced in [Fe/H] by ∼0.2. This fact corroborates the spectroscopic evidence of a metallicity variation in NGC 6934. The observed chemical pattern resembles only partially the other Type II GCs, suggesting that NGC 6934 might belong either to a third class of GCs, or be a link between normal Type I and anomalous Type II GCs. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, and Gemini Telescope at Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope.

  12. Singular vector-based targeted observations of chemical constituents: description and first application of the EURAD-IM-SVA v1.0

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goris, N.; Elbern, H.

    2015-12-01

    Measurements of the large-dimensional chemical state of the atmosphere provide only sparse snapshots of the state of the system due to their typically insufficient temporal and spatial density. In order to optimize the measurement configurations despite those limitations, the present work describes the identification of sensitive states of the chemical system as optimal target areas for adaptive observations. For this purpose, the technique of singular vector analysis (SVA), which has proven effective for targeted observations in numerical weather prediction, is implemented in the EURAD-IM (EURopean Air pollution and Dispersion - Inverse Model) chemical transport model, yielding the EURAD-IM-SVA v1.0. Besides initial values, emissions are investigated as critical simulation controlling targeting variables. For both variants, singular vectors are applied to determine the optimal placement for observations and moreover to quantify which chemical compounds have to be observed with preference. Based on measurements of the airship based ZEPTER-2 campaign, the EURAD-IM-SVA v1.0 has been evaluated by conducting a comprehensive set of model runs involving different initial states and simulation lengths. For the sake of brevity, we concentrate our attention on the following chemical compounds, O3, NO, NO2, HCHO, CO, HONO, and OH, and focus on their influence on selected O3 profiles. Our analysis shows that the optimal placement for observations of chemical species is not entirely determined by mere transport and mixing processes. Rather, a combination of initial chemical concentrations, chemical conversions, and meteorological processes determines the influence of chemical compounds and regions. We furthermore demonstrate that the optimal placement of observations of emission strengths is highly dependent on the location of emission sources and that the benefit of including emissions as target variables outperforms the value of initial value optimization with growing

  13. Observation of non-chemical equilibrium effect on Ar-CO2-H2 thermal plasma model by changing pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Mamun, Sharif Abdullah; Tanaka, Yasunori; Uesugi, Yoshihiko

    2009-01-01

    The authors developed a two-dimensional one-temperature chemical non-equilibrium (1T-NCE) model of Ar-CO 2 -H 2 inductively coupled thermal plasmas (ICTP) to investigate the effect of pressure variation. The basic concept of one-temperature model is the assumption and treatment of the same energy conservation equation for electrons and heavy particles. The energy conservation equations consider reaction heat effects and energy transfer among the species produced as well as enthalpy flow resulting from diffusion. Assuming twenty two (22) different particles in this model and by solving mass conservation equations for each particle, considering diffusion, convection and net production terms resulting from hundred and ninety eight (198) chemical reactions, chemical non-equilibrium effects were taken into account. Transport and thermodynamic properties of Ar-CO 2 -H 2 thermal plasmas were self-consistently calculated using the first-order approximation of the Chapman-Enskog method. Finally results obtained at atmospheric pressure (760 Torr) and at reduced pressure (500, 300 Torr) were compared with results from one-temperature chemical equilibrium (1T-CE) model. And of course, this comparison supported discussion of chemical non-equilibrium effects in the inductively coupled thermal plasmas (ICTP).

  14. Seasonal variation in the physico-chemical properties of Rushikulya estuary and its effect on the occurrence of Chanos fry

    OpenAIRE

    Patnaik, K.C.; Misra, P.M.

    1990-01-01

    Seasonal variation in some physico-chemical properties of Rushikulya estuary was studied. The surface water temperature varied from 20 to 34.5 degree C, the transparency of the water from 6.3 to 12 cm, the salinity from 28.3 to 32.8 % and the pH from 6.77 to 7.35. The transparency and salinity showed bimodal distribution. Occurrence of the Chanos fry were correlated to it.

  15. Chemical variation in a dominant tree species: population divergence, selection and genetic stability across environments.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julianne M O'Reilly-Wapstra

    Full Text Available Understanding among and within population genetic variation of ecologically important plant traits provides insight into the potential evolutionary processes affecting those traits. The strength and consistency of selection driving variability in traits would be affected by plasticity in differences among genotypes across environments (G×E. We investigated population divergence, selection and environmental plasticity of foliar plant secondary metabolites (PSMs in a dominant tree species, Eucalyptus globulus. Using two common garden trials we examined variation in PSMs at multiple genetic scales; among 12 populations covering the full geographic range of the species and among up to 60 families within populations. Significant genetic variation in the expression of many PSMs resides both among and within populations of E. globulus with moderate (e.g., sideroxylonal A h(2op = 0.24 to high (e.g., macrocarpal G h(2op = 0.48 narrow sense heritabilities and high coefficients of additive genetic variation estimated for some compounds. A comparison of Qst and Fst estimates suggest that variability in some of these traits may be due to selection. Importantly, there was no genetic by environment interaction in the expression of any of the quantitative chemical traits despite often significant site effects. These results provide evidence that natural selection has contributed to population divergence in PSMs in E. globulus, and identifies the formylated phloroglucinol compounds (particularly sideroxylonal and a dominant oil, 1,8-cineole, as candidates for traits whose genetic architecture has been shaped by divergent selection. Additionally, as the genetic differences in these PSMs that influence community phenotypes is stable across environments, the role of plant genotype in structuring communities is strengthened and these genotypic differences may be relatively stable under global environmental changes.

  16. Spatial Variations of Poloidal and Toroidal Mode Field Line Resonances Observed by MMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, G.; Chi, P. J.; Strangeway, R. J.; Russell, C. T.; Slavin, J. A.; Anderson, B. J.; Kepko, L.; Nakamura, R.; Plaschke, F.; Torbert, R. B.

    2017-12-01

    Field line resonances (FLRs) are magnetosphere's responses to solar wind forcing and internal instabilities generated by solar wind-magnetospheric interactions. They are standing waves along the Earth's magnetic field lines oscillating in either poloidal or toroidal modes. The two types of waves have their unique frequency characteristics. The eigenfrequency of FLRs is determined by the length of the field line and the plasma density, and thus gradually changes with L. For toroidal mode oscillations with magnetic field perturbations in the azimuthal direction, ideal MHD predicts that each field line oscillates independently with its own eigenfrequency. For poloidal mode waves with field lines oscillating radially, their frequency cannot change with L easily as L shells need to oscillate in sync to avoid efficient damping due to phase mixing. Observations, mainly during quiet times, indeed show that poloidal mode waves often exhibit nearly constant frequency across L shells. Our recent observations, on the other hand, reveal a clear L-dependent frequency trend for a long lasting storm-time poloidal wave event, indicating the wave can maintain its power with changing frequencies for an extended period [Le et al., 2017]. The spatial variation of the frequency shows discrete spatial structures. The frequency remains constant within each discrete structure that spans about 1 REalong L, and changes discretely. We present a follow-up study to investigate spatial variations of wave frequencies using the Wigner-Ville distribution. We examine both poloidal and toroidal waves under different geomagnetic conditions using multipoint observations from MMS, and compare their frequency and occurrence characteristics for insights into their generation mechanisms. Reference: Le, G., et al. (2017), Global observations of magnetospheric high-m poloidal waves during the 22 June 2015 magnetic storm, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 3456-3464, doi:10.1002/2017GL073048.

  17. NMR studies of chemical structural variation of insoluble organic matter from different carbonaceous chondrite groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cody, George D.; Alexander, Conel M. O.'D.

    2005-02-01

    Solid-state 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic experiments have been performed on isolated meteoritic Insoluble Organic Matter (IOM) spanning four different carbonaceous chondrite meteorite groups; a CR2 (EET92042), a CI1 (Orgueil), a CM2 (Murchison), and the unique C2 meteorite, Tagish Lake. These solid state NMR experiments reveal considerable variation in bulk organic composition across the different meteorite group's IOM. The fraction of aromatic carbon increases as CR2 meteorite groups. Single pulse (SP) 13C magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiments reveal the presence of nanodiamonds with an apparent concentration ranking in the IOM of CR2 IOM of all four meteoritic IOM fractions are highly substituted. Fast spinning SP 1H MAS NMR spectral data combined with other NMR experimental data reveal that the average hydrogen content of sp 3 bonded carbon functional groups is low, requiring a high degree of aliphatic chain branching in each IOM fraction. The variation in chemistry across the meteorite groups is consistent with alteration by low temperature chemical oxidation. It is concluded that such chemistry principally affected the aliphatic moieties whereas the aromatic moieties and nanodiamonds may have been largely unaffected.

  18. Chemical variations in Yellowknife Bay formation sedimentary rocks analyzed by ChemCam on board the Curiosity rover on Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangold, Nicolas; Forni, Olivier; Dromart, G.; Stack, K.M.; Wiens, Roger C.; Gasnault, Olivier; Sumner, Dawn Y.; Nachon, Marion; Meslin, Pierre-Yves; Anderson, Ryan B.; Barraclough, Bruce; Bell, J.F.; Berger, G.; Blaney, D.L.; Bridges, J.C.; Calef, F.; Clark, Brian R.; Clegg, Samuel M.; Cousin, Agnes; Edgar, L.; Edgett, Kenneth S.; Ehlmann, B.L.; Fabre, Cecile; Fisk, M.; Grotzinger, John P.; Gupta, S.C.; Herkenhoff, Kenneth E.; Hurowitz, J.A.; Johnson, J. R.; Kah, Linda C.; Lanza, Nina L.; Lasue, Jeremie; Le Mouélic, S.; Lewin, Eric; Malin, Michael; McLennan, Scott M.; Maurice, S.; Melikechi, Noureddine; Mezzacappa, Alissa; Milliken, Ralph E.; Newsome, H.L.; Ollila, A.; Rowland, Scott K.; Sautter, Violaine; Schmidt, M.E.; Schroder, S.; D'Uston, C.; Vaniman, Dave; Williams, R.A.

    2015-01-01

    The Yellowknife Bay formation represents a ~5 m thick stratigraphic section of lithified fluvial and lacustrine sediments analyzed by the Curiosity rover in Gale crater, Mars. Previous works have mainly focused on the mudstones that were drilled by the rover at two locations. The present study focuses on the sedimentary rocks stratigraphically above the mudstones by studying their chemical variations in parallel with rock textures. Results show that differences in composition correlate with textures and both manifest subtle but significant variations through the stratigraphic column. Though the chemistry of the sediments does not vary much in the lower part of the stratigraphy, the variations in alkali elements indicate variations in the source material and/or physical sorting, as shown by the identification of alkali feldspars. The sandstones contain similar relative proportions of hydrogen to the mudstones below, suggesting the presence of hydrous minerals that may have contributed to their cementation. Slight variations in magnesium correlate with changes in textures suggesting that diagenesis through cementation and dissolution modified the initial rock composition and texture simultaneously. The upper part of the stratigraphy (~1 m thick) displays rocks with different compositions suggesting a strong change in the depositional system. The presence of float rocks with similar compositions found along the rover traverse suggests that some of these outcrops extend further away in the nearby hummocky plains.

  19. Tidal variations of O2 Atmospheric and OH(6-2 airglow and temperature at mid-latitudes from SATI observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. J. López-González

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Airglow observations with a Spectral Airglow Temperature Imager (SATI, installed at the Sierra Nevada Observatory (37.06° N, 3.38° W at 2900-m height, have been used to investigate the presence of tidal variations at mid-latitudes in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere region. Diurnal variations of the column emission rate and vertically averaged temperature of the O2 Atmospheric (0-1 band and of the OH Meinel (6-2 band from 5 years (1998-2003 of observations have been analysed. From these observations a clear tidal variation of both emission rates and rotational temperatures is inferred. It is found that the amplitude of the daily variation for both emission rates and temperatures is greater from late autumn to spring than during summer. The amplitude decreases by more than a factor of two during summer and early autumn with respect to the amplitude in the winter-spring months. Although the tidal modulations are preferentially semidiurnal in both rotational temperatures and emission rates during the whole year, during early spring the tidal modulations seem to be more consistent with a diurnal modulation in both rotational temperatures and emission rates. Moreover, the OH emission rate from late autumn to early winter has a pattern suggesting both diurnal and semidiurnal tidal modulations.

  20. Variations in chemical and isotopic compositions of groundwaters from the Otobaru landslide in the area of hydrothermal alteration, Beppu City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshioka, Ryuma; Kitaoka, Koichi; Kamiyama, Kokichi [Kyoto Univ., Uji (Japan). Disaster Prevention Research Inst.

    1989-10-01

    The landslide at the Otobaru area, Beppu City, occurred twice in 1943 and 1969. A part of this area, even now, is affected considerably by thermal activities. Variations in chemical and isotopic compositions of waters from the Otobaru area and its vicinity were investigated from 1977 to 1983 and 1986 to 1987. The results are as follows: (1) electric conductivity data suggest that the two kinds of low-concentration water and high-concentration water exist in the landslide area, (2) the existence-of two groundwater aquifer in the landslide area and its vicinity is inferred from tritium data, (3) variations chemical composition of waters from the horizontal borehole are accompanied by the rise and decline of water table, (4) the waters from the landslide area and its vicinity are in equilibrium with montmorillonite, (5) the most waters under 10{sup -1} atm. of P{sub co2} are saturated or supersaturated with calcite, and (6) there is no detectable contribution of geothermal water to the waters from the landslide and its vicinity. And our hypothesis on the mechanism for the formation of calcium sulfate type water is also presented. (author).

  1. Variations in chemical and isotopic compositions of groundwaters from the Otobaru landslide in the area of hydrothermal alteration, Beppu City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshioka, Ryuma; Kitaoka, Koichi; Kamiyama, Kokichi

    1989-01-01

    The landslide at the Otobaru area, Beppu City, occurred twice in 1943 and 1969. A part of this area, even now, is affected considerably by thermal activities. Variations in chemical and isotopic compositions of waters from the Otobaru area and its vicinity were investigated from 1977 to 1983 and 1986 to 1987. The results are as follows: (1) electric conductivity data suggest that the two kinds of low-concentration water and high-concentration water exist in the landslide area, (2) the existence-of two groundwater aquifer in the landslide area and its vicinity is inferred from tritium data, (3) variations chemical composition of waters from the horizontal borehole are accompanied by the rise and decline of water table, (4) the waters from the landslide area and its vicinity are in equilibrium with montmorillonite, (5) the most waters under 10 -1 atm. of P co2 are saturated or supersaturated with calcite, and (6) there is no detectable contribution of geothermal water to the waters from the landslide and its vicinity. And our hypothesis on the mechanism for the formation of calcium sulfate type water is also presented. (author)

  2. Growth rate variation of the stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes (Crustacea: Cirripedia using calcein as a chemical marker

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Jacinto

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This study describes the use of calcein as a chemical tagging methodology to estimate growth rate variation of the stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes, an ecologically important intertidal species and economic resource, in SW Portugal. Calcein tagging had a high success rate (94% in marking both juvenile and adult barnacles for a period of 2.5 months, providing a valuable method for obtaining reliable data in growth studies of P. pollicipes. Growth rate decreased with barnacle size and was highly variable amongst individuals, particularly in smaller barnacles. No effect of shore level on barnacle growth was detected. Growth rates were higher in smaller juvenile barnacles, peaking at a 1.1-mm monthly increment in rostro-carinal length (RC for individuals with RC=5 mm, and decreased with barnacle size (monthly growth rates of 0.5 mm for adult barnacles with RC~12.5 mm. Growth rates observed in adults with commercial interest (RC ≥ 18 mm was < 0.25 mm per month. The advantages of tagging P. pollicipes with calcein were the possibility of mass marking individual barnacles of different size cohorts within a short period (less than 1 day of manipulation; and reduced time of fieldwork, which is very important because this species inhabits very exposed rocky shores.

  3. Investigation on the relation between pressure drops and fluid chemical treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brun, C.; Engler, N.; Berthollon, G.; Muller, T.; Sala, B.; Combrade, P.; Turluer, G.

    2002-01-01

    Variations of primary coolant flow rate were sometimes observed on some plants some years ago. These variations come from variations of pressure drops in the various zones of the primary system. After many investigations, these changes were attributed to variations of physical and chemical conditions. One specific difficulty was to explain the level of head loss variations with the low amount of oxide present in a primary circuit. Another one was to account for the formation of deposits under high water velocity conditions. Therefore, Framatome-ANP launched laboratory tests to reproduce the observed head loss variations, identify the conditions of their occurrence and try to identify the root mechanisms. A small loop - called EMILIE - was implemented in the laboratories of the Technical Centre of Framatome-ANP in Le Creusot. It allows us to study the effect of the water chemistry and velocity, as well as the nature of the circuit surfaces on the occurrence of head loss variations and their relation with the amount, nature and morphology of oxide deposits. This paper summarizes the first results obtained and briefly discusses a possible mechanism. (authors)

  4. Radiation and chemical mutagen induced somaclonal variations through in vitro organogenesis of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muthusamy, Annamalai; Jayabalan, Narayanasamy

    2014-12-01

    The purpose of the investigation was to induce somaclonal variations by gamma rays (GR), ethylmethane sulphonate (EMS) and sodium azide (SA) during in vitro organogenesis of cotton. The shoot tip explants were irradiated with 5-50 Gray (Gy) GR (Cobalt 60), 0.5-5.0 mM EMS and SA separately, and inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with plant growth regulator (PGR) for organogenesis. The plantlets with well-developed root systems were acclimatized and transferred into the experimental field to screen the somaclonal variations during growth and development. The number of somaclonal variations was observed in growth of irradiated/treated shoot tips, multiplication, plantlet regeneration and growth in vitro and ex vitro. The lower doses/concentrations of mutagenic treatments showed significant enhancement in selected agronomical characters and they showed decreased trends with increasing doses/concentrations of mutagenic agents. The results of the present study revealed the influence of lower doses/concentrations of mutagenic treatments on in vitro and ex vitro growth of cotton plantlets and their significant improvement in agronomical characters which needs further imperative stability analysis. The present observations showed the platform to use lower doses/concentrations of mutagenic agents to induce variability for enhanced agronomical characters, resistant and tolerant cotton varieties.

  5. Unconventional Constraints on Nitrogen Chemistry using DC3 Observations and Trajectory-based Chemical Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Q.; Henderson, B. H.

    2017-12-01

    Chemical transport models underestimate nitrogen dioxide observations in the upper troposphere (UT). Previous research in the UT succeeded in combining model predictions with field campaign measurements to demonstrate that the nitric acid formation rate (HO + NO2 → HNO3 (R1)) is overestimated by 22% (Henderson et al., 2012). A subsequent publication (Seltzer et al., 2015) demonstrated that single chemical constraint alters ozone and aerosol formation/composition. This work attempts to replicate previous chemical constraints with newer observations and a different modeling framework. We apply the previously successful constraint framework to Deep Convection Clouds and Chemistry (DC3). DC3 is a more recent field campaign where simulated nitrogen imbalances still exist. Freshly convected air parcels, identified in the DC3 dataset, as initial coordinates to initiate Lagrangian trajectories. Along each trajectory, we simulate the air parcel chemical state. Samples along the trajectories will form ensembles that represent possible realizations of UT air parcels. We then apply Bayesian inference to constrain nitrogen chemistry and compare results to the existing literature. Our anticipated results will confirm overestimation of HNO3 formation rate in previous work and provide further constraints on other nitrogen reaction rate coefficients that affect terminal products from NOx. We will particularly focus on organic nitrate chemistry that laboratory literature has yet to fully address. The results will provide useful insights into nitrogen chemistry that affects climate and human health.

  6. Using ACE Observations of Interplanetary Particles and Magnetic Fields as Possible Contributors to Variations Observed at Van Allen Probes during Major events in 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, T. P.; Manweiler, J. W.; Gerrard, A. J.; Gkioulidou, M.; Lanzerotti, L. J.; Patterson, J. D.

    2013-12-01

    Observations from ACE EPAM including energy spectra of protons, helium, and oxygen will be prepared for coordinated use in estimating the direct and indirect access of energetic particles to inner and outer geomagnetic trapping zones. Complete temporal coverage from ACE at 12 seconds, 5 minutes, 17 minutes, hourly and daily cadences will be used to catalog interplanetary events arriving at Earth including interplanetary magnetic field sector boundaries, interplanetary shocks, and interplanetary coronal mass ejections, ICMEs. The first 6 months of 2013 have included both highly disturbed times, March 17 and May 22, and extended quiet periods of little or no variations. Among the specific questions that ACE and Van Allen Probes coordinated observations may aid in resolving are: 1. How much, if any, direct capture of interplanetary energetic particles occurs and what conditions account for it? 2. How much influence do interplanetary field and particle variations have on energization and/or loss of geomagnetically trapped populations? The poster will also present important links and describe methods and important details of access to numerically expressed ACE EPAM and Van Allen Probes RBSPICE observations that can be flexibly and easily accessed via the internet for student and senior researcher use.

  7. THE EFFECT OF LINE-OF-SIGHT TEMPERATURE VARIATION AND NOISE ON DUST CONTINUUM OBSERVATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shetty, Rahul; Kauffmann, Jens; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Ercolano, Barbara; Schnee, Scott

    2009-01-01

    We investigate the effect of line-of-sight temperature variations and noise on two commonly used methods to determine dust properties from dust-continuum observations of dense cores. One method employs a direct fit to a modified blackbody spectral energy distribution (SED); the other involves a comparison of flux ratios to an analytical prediction. Fitting fluxes near the SED peak produces inaccurate temperature and dust spectral index estimates due to the line-of-sight temperature (and density) variations. Longer wavelength fluxes in the Rayleigh-Jeans part of the spectrum (∼> 600 μm for typical cores) may more accurately recover the spectral index, but both methods are very sensitive to noise. The temperature estimate approaches the density-weighted temperature, or 'column temperature', of the source as short wavelength fluxes are excluded. An inverse temperature-spectral index correlation naturally results from SED fitting, due to the inaccurate isothermal assumption, as well as noise uncertainties. We show that above some 'threshold' temperature, the temperatures estimated through the flux ratio method can be highly inaccurate. In general, observations with widely separated wavelengths, and including shorter wavelengths, result in higher threshold temperatures; such observations thus allow for more accurate temperature estimates of sources with temperatures less than the threshold temperature. When only three fluxes are available, a constrained fit, where the spectral index is fixed, produces less scatter in the temperature estimate when compared to the estimate from the flux ratio method.

  8. Static and dynamic variational principles for expectation values of observables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balian, R.; Veneroni, M.

    1988-01-01

    A general procedure is first reviewed for constructing variational principles (v.p.) suited to the optimization of a quantity of interest. Conditions under which the solution may be obtained as a maximum rather than as a saddle-point are examined. Applications are then worked out, providing v.p. adapted to the evaluation of expectation values, fluctuations or correlations of quantum observables, whether the system is at thermal equilibrium or whether it has evolved. Another class of v.p. concerns dynamical problems. The general method allows to recover a known time-dependent v.p. for a state and an observable [3,13] which answers the following question. Given the state of the system at the time t 0 , what is the expectation value at a later time t 1 . A more general v.p. applies to situations in which the initial state is too complicated to be handled exactly. Both the approximate initial conditions and the approximate evolution are then determined so as to optimize . Finally, analogous v.p. are constructed in classical statistical mechanics and hamiltonian dynamics. A recent formulation of classical mechanics in terms of covariant Poisson brackets [19] comes out naturally in this context from the v.p. for the evaluation of a classical expectation value

  9. Variational transition state theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Truhlar, D.G.

    1986-01-01

    This project is concerned with the development and applications of generalized transition state theory and multidimensional tunneling approximations to chemical reaction rates. They have developed and implemented several practical versions of variational transition state theory (VTST), namely canonical variational theory (CVT), improved canonical variational theory (ICVT), and microcanonical variational theory (μVT). They have also developed and implemented several accurate multidimensional semiclassical tunneling approximations, the most accurate of which are the small-curvature semiclassical adiabatic (SCSA), large-curvature version-3 (LC3), and least-action (LA) approximations. They have applied the methods to thermal rate constants, using transmission coefficients based on ground-state tunneling, and they have also presented and applied adiabatic and diabatic extensions to calculated rate constants for vibrationally excited reactants. Their general goal is to develop accurate methods for calculating chemical reaction rate constants that remain practical even for reasonably complicated molecules. The approximations mentioned above yield rate constants for systems whose potential energy surface is known or assumed. Thus a second, equally important aspect of their work is the determination or modeling, semi-empirically and/or from electronic structure calculations, of potential energy surfaces

  10. Repulsive baryonic interactions and lattice QCD observables at imaginary chemical potential

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Volodymyr Vovchenko

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The first principle lattice QCD methods allow to calculate the thermodynamic observables at finite temperature and imaginary chemical potential. These can be compared to the predictions of various phenomenological models. We argue that Fourier coefficients with respect to imaginary baryochemical potential are sensitive to modeling of baryonic interactions. As a first application of this sensitivity, we consider the hadron resonance gas (HRG model with repulsive baryonic interactions, which are modeled by means of the excluded volume correction. The Fourier coefficients of the imaginary part of the net-baryon density at imaginary baryochemical potential – corresponding to the fugacity or virial expansion at real chemical potential – are calculated within this model, and compared with the Nt=12 lattice data. The lattice QCD behavior of the first four Fourier coefficients up to T≃185 MeV is described fairly well by an interacting HRG with a single baryon–baryon eigenvolume interaction parameter b≃1 fm3, while the available lattice data on the difference χ2B−χ4B of baryon number susceptibilities is reproduced up to T≃175 MeV. Keywords: Hadron resonance gas, Excluded volume, Imaginary chemical potential

  11. Noctilucent clouds observed from the UK and Denmark – trends and variations over 43 years

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Kirkwood

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available The combined UK/Denmark record of noctilucent cloud (NLC observations over the period 1964–2006 is analysed. This data set is based on visual observations by professional and voluntary observers, with around 40 observers each year contributing reports. Evidence is found for a significantly longer NLC season, a greater frequency of bright NLC, and a decreased sensitivity to 5-day planetary waves, from 1973–1982, compared to the rest of the time interval. This coincides with a period when the length of the summer season in the stratosphere was also longer (defined by zonal winds at 60° N, 30 hPa. At NLC heights, lower mean temperatures, and/or higher water vapour and/or smaller planetary wave amplitudes could explain these results. The time series of number of NLC nights each year shows a quasi-decadal variation with good anti-correlation with the 10.7 cm solar flux, with a lag of 13–17 months. Using multi-parameter linear fitting, it is found that the solar-cycle and the length of summer in the stratosphere together can explain ~40% of the year-to-year variation in NLC numbers. However, no statistically confidant long-term trend in moderate or bright NLC is found. For NLC displays of moderate or greater intensity, the multi-parameter fit gives a trend of ~0.08 nights (0.35% per year with a statistical probability of 28% that it is zero, or as high as 0.16 nights (0.7% per year. There is a significant increasing trend in the number of reports of faint or very faint NLC which is inconsistent with other observations and may be due changes in observing practices.

  12. Longitudinal and Seasonal Variations of the Electron Temperature and Density in the Low-Latitude Topside Ionosphere Observed by KOMPSAT-1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heejun Kim

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available The electron density and temperature in the topside ionosphere are observed by the Ionosphere Measurement Sensor (IMS onboard the KOMPSAT-1, which has the sun-synchronous orbit of the altitude of 685 km and the orbital inclination of 98deg with a descending node at 22:50LT. Observations have been analyzed to determine the seasonal variations of the electron density and temperature in the low-latitude region. Only the night-time (22:50LT behavior on magnetically quiet days (Kp < 4 has been examined. Observations show a strong longitudinal and seasonal variation. Generally, in the dip equator the density increases and the temperature decreases. In equinox the latitudinal distributions of the electron density and temperature are quite symmetric about the dip equator. However, the local maximum of the density and the local minimum of the temperature shift toward the Northern hemisphere in summer solstice but the Southern hemisphere in winter solstice. Such variations are due to the influences of field-aligned plasma transport induced by F region neutral wind. Compared with the IRI95 model, the observed electron density and temperature show significant differences from those predicted by the IRI95 model.

  13. A Study of Chemical Composition of δ Scuti-Type Stars Based on the Observations with the BTA and RTT-150

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galeev, A. I.; Berdnikova, V. M.; Ivanova, D. V.; Kudryavtsev, D. O.; Shimanskaya, N. N.; Shimansky, V. V.; Balashova, M. O.

    2017-06-01

    The results of a study of a sample of δ Scuti-type stars obtained from the observations with the BTA and RTT-150 are presented. Based on photometric data, we measured and analyzed the fundamental parameters of all the studied stars. For eight stars (for two of them for the first time), the fundamental parameters of the atmospheres (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) and the chemical composition for 29 elements in the LTE-approximation are received using spectroscopic observations. The chemical composition analysis demonstrates both the solar abundances of chemical elements and the anomalies of chemical composition typical of Am stars in the studied sample of δ Scuti-type stars.

  14. Chemical Evolution of a Protoplanetary Disk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semenov, Dmitry A.

    2011-12-01

    In this paper we review recent progress in our understanding of the chemical evolution of protoplanetary disks. Current observational constraints and theoretical modeling on the chemical composition of gas and dust in these systems are presented. Strong variations of temperature, density, high-energy radiation intensities in these disks, both radially and vertically, result in a peculiar disk chemical structure, where a variety of processes are active. In hot, dilute and heavily irradiated atmosphere only the most photostable simple radicals and atoms and atomic ions exist, formed by gas-phase processes. Beneath the atmosphere a partly UV-shielded, warm molecular layer is located, where high-energy radiation drives rich ion-molecule and radical-radical chemistry, both in the gas phase and on dust surfaces. In a cold, dense, dark disk midplane many molecules are frozen out, forming thick icy mantles where surface chemistry is active and where complex polyatomic (organic) species are synthesized. Dynamical processes affect disk chemical composition by enriching it in abundances of complex species produced via slow surface processes, which will become detectable with ALMA.

  15. Correlations Between Variations in Solar EUV and Soft X-Ray Irradiance and Photoelectron Energy Spectra Observed on Mars and Earth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, W. K.; Brain, D. A.; Mitchell, D. L.; Bailey, S. M.; Chamberlin, P. C.

    2013-01-01

    Solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV; 10-120 nm) and soft X-ray (XUV; 0-10 nm) radiation are major heat sources for the Mars thermosphere as well as the primary source of ionization that creates the ionosphere. In investigations of Mars thermospheric chemistry and dynamics, solar irradiance models are used to account for variations in this radiation. Because of limited proxies, irradiance models do a poor job of tracking the significant variations in irradiance intensity in the EUV and XUV ranges over solar rotation time scales when the Mars-Sun-Earth angle is large. Recent results from Earth observations show that variations in photoelectron energy spectra are useful monitors of EUV and XUV irradiance variability. Here we investigate photoelectron energy spectra observed by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Electron Reflectometer (ER) and the FAST satellite during the interval in 2005 when Earth, Mars, and the Sun were aligned. The Earth photoelectron data in selected bands correlate well with calculations based on 1 nm resolution observations above 27 nm supplemented by broadband observations and a solar model in the 0-27 nm range. At Mars, we find that instrumental and orbital limitations to the identifications of photoelectron energy spectra in MGS/ER data preclude their use as a monitor of solar EUV and XUV variability. However, observations with higher temporal and energy resolution obtained at lower altitudes on Mars might allow the separation of the solar wind and ionospheric components of electron energy spectra so that they could be used as reliable monitors of variations in solar EUV and XUV irradiance than the time shifted, Earth-based, F(10.7) index currently used.

  16. Correlations between variations in solar EUV and soft X-ray irradiance and photoelectron energy spectra observed on Mars and Earth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, W. K.; Brain, D. A.; Mitchell, D. L.; Bailey, S. M.; Chamberlin, P. C.

    2013-11-01

    extreme ultraviolet (EUV; 10-120 nm) and soft X-ray (XUV; 0-10 nm) radiation are major heat sources for the Mars thermosphere as well as the primary source of ionization that creates the ionosphere. In investigations of Mars thermospheric chemistry and dynamics, solar irradiance models are used to account for variations in this radiation. Because of limited proxies, irradiance models do a poor job of tracking the significant variations in irradiance intensity in the EUV and XUV ranges over solar rotation time scales when the Mars-Sun-Earth angle is large. Recent results from Earth observations show that variations in photoelectron energy spectra are useful monitors of EUV and XUV irradiance variability. Here we investigate photoelectron energy spectra observed by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Electron Reflectometer (ER) and the FAST satellite during the interval in 2005 when Earth, Mars, and the Sun were aligned. The Earth photoelectron data in selected bands correlate well with calculations based on 1 nm resolution observations above 27 nm supplemented by broadband observations and a solar model in the 0-27 nm range. At Mars, we find that instrumental and orbital limitations to the identifications of photoelectron energy spectra in MGS/ER data preclude their use as a monitor of solar EUV and XUV variability. However, observations with higher temporal and energy resolution obtained at lower altitudes on Mars might allow the separation of the solar wind and ionospheric components of electron energy spectra so that they could be used as reliable monitors of variations in solar EUV and XUV irradiance than the time shifted, Earth-based, F10.7 index currently used.

  17. Ab Initio Calculations of 31P NMR Chemical Shielding Anisotropy Tensors in Phosphates: Variations Due to Ring Formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Todd M. Alam

    2002-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Ring formation in phosphate systems is expected to influence both the magnitude and orientation of the phosphorus (31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR chemical shielding anisotropy (CSA tensor. Ab initio calculations of the 31P CSA tensor in both cyclic and acyclic phosphate clusters were performed as a function of the number of phosphate tetrahedral in the system. The calculation of the 31P CSA tensors employed the GAUSSIAN 98 implementation of the gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO method at the Hartree-Fock (HF level. It is shown that both the 31P CSA tensor anisotropy, and the isotropic chemical shielding can be used for the identification of cyclic phosphates. The differences between the 31P CSA tensor in acyclic and cyclic phosphate systems become less pronounced with increasing number of phosphate groups within the ring. The orientation of the principal components for the 31P CSA tensor shows some variation due to cyclization, most notably with the smaller, highly strained ring systems.

  18. Long-Term Water Temperature Variations in Daya Bay, China Using Satellite and In Situ Observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Yu

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Daya Bay is a shallow, semi-en closed bay in the northern section of the South China Sea. The present study analyzed variations of water temperature in Daya Bay over the past 21 years (1985 - 2005 using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR satellite remote sensing data and in situ observations. Results showed that AVHRR readings of sea surface temperature (SST increased by 0.07°C y-1. Linear regression anal y sis for monthly SST anomalies (SSTA showed a shift from negative to positive from 1995 - 1996, when the Daya Bay nuclear power station commenced operations in 1994. The slope of linear regression analysis for SSTA nearly doubled from 0.05 (1985 - 1993 to 0.09 (1994 - 2005. Monthly AVHRR images showed a thermal plume from the power station and revealed the in crease of SST over 21 years. In situ observations in water temperature also showed an in creasing trend for the same period (1985 - 2005. Variations in water temperature in Daya Bay were connected with climatic perturbations and in creasing human activity including thermal discharge from nuclear power stations and the rapid economic development around the bay area.

  19. Spring Blooms Observed with Biochemical Profiling Floats from a Chemical and Biological Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plant, J. N.; Johnson, K. S.; Sakamoto, C.; Jannasch, H. W.; Coletti, L. J.; Elrod, V.

    2015-12-01

    Recently there has been renewed interest in the mechanisms which control the seasonal increases in plankton biomass (spring blooms). Changes in physical and chemical forcing (light, wind, heat and nutrients) may increase the specific growth rate of phytoplankton. These changes may also shift the predator - prey relationships within the food web structure, which can alter the balance between plankton growth and loss rates. Biogeochemical profiling floats provide a means to observe the seasonal evolution of spring blooms from a physical, chemical and biological perspective in near real time. Floats equipped with optical sensors to measure nitrate, oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, and optical backscatter now have a presence in many ocean regions including the North Pacific, Subarctic Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. Data from these regions are used to compare and contrast the evolution of spring blooms. The evolution of the bloom is examined using both chemical (oxygen, nitrate) and biooptical (phytoplankton from chlorophyll fluorescence and particulate organic carbon from optical backscatter) sensors under vastly different environmental conditions.

  20. Relevant Spatial Scales of Chemical Variation in Aplysina aerophoba

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    Oriol Sacristan-Soriano

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the scale at which natural products vary the most is critical because it sheds light on the type of factors that regulate their production. The sponge Aplysina aerophoba is a common Mediterranean sponge inhabiting shallow waters in the Mediterranean and its area of influence in Atlantic Ocean. This species contains large concentrations of brominated alkaloids (BAs that play a number of ecological roles in nature. Our research investigates the ecological variation in BAs of A. aerophoba from a scale of hundred of meters to thousand kilometers. We used a nested design to sample sponges from two geographically distinct regions (Canary Islands and Mediterranean, over 2500 km, with two zones within each region (less than 50 km, two locations within each zone (less than 5 km, and two sites within each location (less than 500 m. We used high-performance liquid chromatography to quantify multiple BAs and a spectrophotometer to quantify chlorophyll a (Chl a. Our results show a striking degree of variation in both natural products and Chl a content. Significant variation in Chl a content occurred at the largest and smallest geographic scales. The variation patterns of BAs also occurred at the largest and smallest scales, but varied depending on which BA was analyzed. Concentrations of Chl a and isofistularin-3 were negatively correlated, suggesting that symbionts may impact the concentration of some of these compounds. Our results underline the complex control of the production of secondary metabolites, with factors acting at both small and large geographic scales affecting the production of multiple secondary metabolites.

  1. Influence of ocean tides on the diurnal and semidiurnal earth rotation variations from VLBI observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gubanov, V. S.; Kurdubov, S. L.

    2015-05-01

    The International astrogeodetic standard IERS Conventions (2010) contains a model of the diurnal and semidiurnal variations in Earth rotation parameters (ERPs), the pole coordinates and the Universal Time, arising from lunisolar tides in the world ocean. This model was constructed in the mid-1990s through a global analysis of Topex/Poseidon altimetry. The goal of this study is to try to estimate the parameters of this model by processing all the available VLBI observations on a global network of stations over the last 35 years performed within the framework of IVS (International VLBI Service) geodetic programs. The complexity of the problemlies in the fact that the sought-for corrections to the parameters of this model lie within 1 mm and, thus, are at the limit of their detectability by all currently available methods of ground-based positional measurements. This requires applying universal software packages with a high accuracy of reduction calculations and a well-developed system of controlling the simultaneous adjustment of observational data to analyze long series of VLBI observations. This study has been performed with the QUASAR software package developed at the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Although the results obtained, on the whole, confirm a high accuracy of the basic model in the IERS Conventions (2010), statistically significant corrections that allow this model to be refined have been detected for some harmonics of the ERP variations.

  2. Observing the metal-poor solar neighbourhood: a comparison of galactic chemical evolution predictions*†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishenina, T.; Pignatari, M.; Côté, B.; Thielemann, F.-K.; Soubiran, C.; Basak, N.; Gorbaneva, T.; Korotin, S. A.; Kovtyukh, V. V.; Wehmeyer, B.; Bisterzo, S.; Travaglio, C.; Gibson, B. K.; Jordan, C.; Paul, A.; Ritter, C.; Herwig, F.; NuGrid Collaboration

    2017-08-01

    Atmospheric parameters and chemical compositions for 10 stars with metallicities in the region of -2.2 LTE) and non-LTE (NLTE) approaches. In particular, differences by assuming LTE or NLTE are about 0.10 dex; depending on [Fe/H], Teff, gravity and element lines used in the analysis. We find that the O abundance has the largest error, ranging from 0.10 and 0.2 dex. The best measured elements are Cr, Fe, and Mn; with errors between 0.03 and 0.11 dex. The stars in our sample were included in previous different observational work. We provide a consistent data analysis. The data dispersion introduced in the literature by different techniques and assumptions used by the different authors is within the observational errors, excepting for HD103095. We compare these results with stellar observations from different data sets and a number of theoretical galactic chemical evolution (GCE) simulations. We find a large scatter in the GCE results, used to study the origin of the elements. Within this scatter as found in previous GCE simulations, we cannot reproduce the evolution of the elemental ratios [Sc/Fe], [Ti/Fe], and [V/Fe] at different metallicities. The stellar yields from core-collapse supernovae are likely primarily responsible for this discrepancy. Possible solutions and open problems are discussed.

  3. Preferential flow and mixing process in the chemical recharge in subsurface catchments: observations and modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gascuel-Odoux, C.; Rouxel, M.; Molenat, J.; Ruiz, L.; Aquilina, L.; Faucheux, M.; Labasque, T.; Sebilo, M.

    2012-04-01

    Shallow groundwater that develops on hillslopes is the main compartment in headwater catchments for flow and solute transport to rivers. Although spatial and temporal variations in its chemical composition are reported in the literature, there is no coherent description of the way these variations are organized, nor is there an accepted conceptual model for the recharge mechanisms and flows in the groundwater involved. We instrumented an intensive farming and subsurface dominant catchment located in Oceanic Western Europe (Kerbernez, Brittany, France), a headwater catchment included in the Observatory for Research on Environment AgrHyS (Agro-Hydro-System) and a part of the French Network of catchments for environmental research (SOERE RBV focused on the Critical Zone). These systems are strongly constrained by anthropogenic pressures (agriculture) and are characterized by a clear non-equilibrium status. A network of 42 nested piezometers was installed along a 200 m hillslope allowing water sampling along two transects in the permanent water table as well as in what we call the "fluctuating zone", characterized by seasonal alternance of saturated and unsaturated conditions. Water composition was monitored at high frequency (weekly) over a 3-year period for major anion composition and over a one year period for detailed 15N, CFC, SF6 and other dissolved gases. The results demonstrated that (i) the anionic composition in water table fluctuation zone varied significantly compared to deeper portions of the aquifer on the hillslope, confirming that this layer constitutes a main compartment for the mixing of new recharge water and old groundwater, (ii) seasonally, the variations of 15N and CFC are much higher during the recharge period than during the recession period, confirming the preferential flow during early recharge events, iii) variations of nitrate 15N and O18 composition was suggesting any significant denitrification process in the fluctuating zone, confirming

  4. Radial Variations of Outward and Inward Alfvénic Fluctuations Based on Ulysses Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, L.; Lee, L. C.; Li, J. P.; Luo, Q. Y.; Kuo, C. L.; Shi, J. K.; Wu, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    Ulysses magnetic and plasma data are used to study hourly scale Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar polar wind. The calculated energy ratio {R}{vA}2(cal) of inward to outward Alfvén waves is obtained from the observed Walén slope through an analytical expression, and the observed {R}{vA}2(obs) is based on a direct decomposition of original Alfvénic fluctuations into outward- and inward-propagating Alfvén waves. The radial variation of {R}{vA}2(cal) shows a monotonically increasing trend with heliocentric distance r, implying the increasing local generation or contribution of inward Alfvén waves. The contribution is also shown by the radial increase in the occurrence of dominant inward fluctuations. We further pointed out a higher occurrence (˜ 83 % of a day in average) of dominant outward Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind than previously estimated. Since {R}{vA}2(cal) is more accurate than {R}{vA}2(obs) in the measurement of the energy ratio for dominant outward fluctuations, the values of {R}{vA}2(cal) in our results are likely more realistic in the solar wind than those previously estimated as well as {R}{vA}2(obs) in our results. The duration ratio R T of dominant inward to all Alfvénic fluctuations increases monotonically with r, and is about two or more times that from Voyager 2 observations at r≥slant 4 {au}. These results reveal new qualitative and quantitative features of Alfvénic fluctuations therein compared with previous studies and put constraints on modeling the variation of solar wind fluctuations.

  5. Chemical Source Inversion using Assimilated Constituent Observations in an Idealized Two-dimensional System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tangborn, Andrew; Cooper, Robert; Pawson, Steven; Sun, Zhibin

    2009-01-01

    We present a source inversion technique for chemical constituents that uses assimilated constituent observations rather than directly using the observations. The method is tested with a simple model problem, which is a two-dimensional Fourier-Galerkin transport model combined with a Kalman filter for data assimilation. Inversion is carried out using a Green's function method and observations are simulated from a true state with added Gaussian noise. The forecast state uses the same spectral spectral model, but differs by an unbiased Gaussian model error, and emissions models with constant errors. The numerical experiments employ both simulated in situ and satellite observation networks. Source inversion was carried out by either direct use of synthetically generated observations with added noise, or by first assimilating the observations and using the analyses to extract observations. We have conducted 20 identical twin experiments for each set of source and observation configurations, and find that in the limiting cases of a very few localized observations, or an extremely large observation network there is little advantage to carrying out assimilation first. However, in intermediate observation densities, there decreases in source inversion error standard deviation using the Kalman filter algorithm followed by Green's function inversion by 50% to 95%.

  6. Nictemeral Variation of Physical Chemical and Biological Parameters of Ribeirão das Cruzes, Araraquara-SP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vitor Rocha Santos

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Improper use of water, its degradation and irregular distribution can affect the quantity and quality needed for future generations, as well as create conflicts of interest between the industrial, urban and agricultural segments. In this context, it is of great importance the realization of studies on the quality of the hydric resources based on the analysis of temporal variation of limnological parameters. This study was conducted in the sub-basin of Ribeirão das Cruzes, which contributes to the water supply of the city of Araraquara (SP around 30% of all water captured and offered to the population. The objective of this research was to compare the water quality of river upstream and downstream of effluent discharge from a local treatment station in a 24 hour period (diurnal cycle variation. Data collection, comprising the period of one day, was done in order to observe the dynamics of operation and range of variation of the ecological processes in the studied system. The parameters analyzed showed significant variations in the sections of the upstream and downstream from the effluent discharge. With the nictemeral analysis it is evident the influence of effluents on the the waters of Ribeirão das Cruzes, especially during certain periods of the day.

  7. Coupling of physical erosion and chemical weathering after phases of intense human activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoonejans, Jerome; Vanacker, Veerle; Opfergelt, Sophie; Ameijeiras-Mariño, Yolanda; Kubik, Peter W.

    2014-05-01

    Anthropogenic disturbance of natural vegetation profoundly alters the lateral and vertical fluxes of soil nutrients and particles at the land surface. Human-induced acceleration of soil erosion can thereby result in an imbalance between physical erosion, soil production and chemical weathering. The (de-)coupling between physical erosion and chemical weathering in ecosystems with strong anthropogenic disturbances is not yet fully understood, as earlier studies mostly focused on natural ecosystems. In this study, we explore the chemical weathering intensity for four study sites located in the Internal Zone of the Spanish Betic Cordillera. Most of the sites belong to the Nevado-Filabres complex, but are characterized by different rates of long-term exhumation, 10Be catchment-wide denudation and hill slope morphology. Denudation rates are generally low, but show large variation between the three sites (from 23 to 246 mm kyr-1). The magnitude of denudation rates is consistent with longer-term uplift rates derived from marine deposits, fission-track measurements and vertical fault slip rates. Two to three soil profiles were sampled per study site at exposed ridge tops. All soils overly fractured mica schist, and are very thin (< 60cm). In each soil profile, we sampled 5 depth slices, rock fragments and the (weathered) bedrock. In total, 38 soil and 20 rock samples were analyzed for their chemical composition. The chemical weathering intensity is constrained by the Chemical Depletion Fraction that is based on a chemical mass balance approach using Zr as an immobile element. Chemical weathering accounts for 5 to 35% of the total mass lost due to denudation. We observe systematically higher chemical weathering intensities (CDFs) in sites with lower denudation rates (and vice versa), suggesting that weathering is supply-limited. Our measurements of soil elemental losses from 10 soil profiles suggest that the observed variation in chemical weathering is strongly associated

  8. Seasonal variation of chemical composition and biomethane production from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabassum, Muhammad Rizwan; Xia, Ao; Murphy, Jerry D

    2016-09-01

    Ascophyllum nodosum, an abundant Irish brown seaweed, shows significant seasonal variation in chemical composition and biogas production. The polyphenol content is shown to be a more important factor in biogas production than ash content. High polyphenol content in summer months adversely affected biogas production; suggesting two potential harvest dates, March and October. A. nodosum harvested in October showed a relatively low level of polyphenols (2% of TS) and ash (23% of volatile solids), and exhibited a specific methane yield of 215LCH4kgVS(-1), which was 44% of theoretical yield. The highest yield per wet weight of 47m(3)CH4t(-1) was achieved in October, which is 2.9 times higher than the lowest value (16m(3)CH4t(-1)), obtained in December. The gross energy yield of A. nodosum based on the optimal biogas production can achieve 116GJha(-1)yr(-1) in October. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Low-frequency variation of a zonally localized jet stream: Observation and theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai, M.

    1994-01-01

    The climatological mean circulation in the extratropics of the Northern Hemisphere is characterized by two zonally localized jet streams over the east coasts of the two major continents. The zonal inhomogeneity of the climatological mean circulation is believed to be a primary factor determining the geographical locations of the maximum activity centers of the atmospheric transients, such as storm tracks over the east coasts of the two major continents and frequent blocking episodes occurring over the central regions of the two oceans. The impact of the transients on the zonally localized jet streams is studied mostly in the linear dynamics framework in terms of so-called open-quotes feedbackclose quotes diagnosis. This study investigates nonlinear instability of a zonally localized jet stream. The emphasis is on the nonlinear adjustment of a zonally localized jet stream associated with the development of the transients via local instability. The adjustment of a zonally localized jet stream would naturally consists of two parts: One is the time-invariant part and the other is the transient part (temporal variation of the adjustment). In conjunction with the observation, the time-mean adjustment is part of the climatological mean flow and hence is open-quotes invisible.close quotes The transient part of the adjustment is evidenced by the changes of the jet streams in terms of both location and intensity. In this study, we tend to relate the transient part of the adjustment of the jet stream to the maximum activity centers of low-frequency variability. The underlying mechanisms that are responsible for the temporal variation of the adjustment will be investigated. The time-mean adjustment will be also studied to better understand the temporal variation of the adjustment

  10. Morphological Observation on Floral Variations of the Genus Cuscuta in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gwo-Ing Liao

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available The variations in floral structure of Cuscuta in Taiwan were studied with special reference to C. campestris. The variations of the floral structure were described and illustrated by using light and scanning electron microscopy. The variations including the following: (1 the absence of floral organs; (2 the abnormal fusion of floral organs; (3 petaloid stamens; (4 the lack of distinctive anther lobes; (5 the unusual protrusions on ovaries; and (6 the extrusion of ovule on ovary surfaces. The variations occur in early developmental stages when the primordia of floral organ were initiated. The findings that the abnormal position of the ovule and the lateral fusion of the scale with the filament or the petal in the species of Cuscuta are first time reported here.

  11. Promise and Capability of NASA's Earth Observing System to Monitor Human-Induced Climate Variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, M. D.

    2003-01-01

    The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a space-based observing system comprised of a series of satellite sensors by which scientists can monitor the Earth, a Data and Information System (EOSDIS) enabling researchers worldwide to access the satellite data, and an interdisciplinary science research program to interpret the satellite data. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), developed as part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) and launched on Terra in December 1999 and Aqua in May 2002, is designed to meet the scientific needs for satellite remote sensing of clouds, aerosols, water vapor, and land and ocean surface properties. This sensor and multi-platform observing system is especially well suited to observing detailed interdisciplinary components of the Earth s surface and atmosphere in and around urban environments, including aerosol optical properties, cloud optical and microphysical properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, land surface reflectance, fire occurrence, and many other properties that influence the urban environment and are influenced by them. In this presentation I will summarize the current capabilities of MODIS and other EOS sensors currently in orbit to study human-induced climate variations.

  12. NO TIMING VARIATIONS OBSERVED IN THIRD TRANSIT OF SNOW-LINE EXOPLANET KEPLER-421b

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalba, Paul A.; Muirhead, Philip S.

    2016-01-01

    We observed Kepler-421 during the anticipated third transit of the snow-line exoplanet Kepler-421b in order to constrain the existence and extent of transit timing variations (TTVs). Previously, the Kepler spacecraft only observed two transits of Kepler-421b, leaving the planet’s transit ephemeris unconstrained. Our visible light, time-series observations from the 4.3 m Discovery Channel Telescope were designed to capture pre-transit baseline and the partial transit of Kepler-421b, barring significant TTVs. We use the light curves to assess the probabilities of various transit models using both the posterior odds ratio and the Bayesian Information Criterion, and find that a transit model with no TTVs is favored to 3.6 σ confidence. These observations suggest that Kepler-421b is either alone in its system or is only experiencing minor dynamic interactions with an unseen companion. With the Kepler-421b ephemeris constrained, we calculate future transit times and discuss the opportunity to characterize the atmosphere of this cold, long-period exoplanet via transmission spectroscopy. Our investigation emphasizes the difficulties associated with observing long-period exoplanet transits and the consequences that arise from failing to refine transit ephemerides.

  13. The chemical and electrochemical anisotropic etching of silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, E.

    1997-06-01

    The success of silicon IC technology in producing a wide variety of microstructures relies heavily on the orientation dependant etching observed for silicon in alkaline media. Despite the rapid growth of this industry, the chemical and electrochemical mechanisms by which anisotropic etching occurs remain poorly understood. The most common etchant systems in use are ethylenediamine-pyrocatechol-water (EPW) and potassium hydroxide-isopropanol-water (KOH-IPA), and whilst these systems are highly plane selective they each have distinct disadvantages. The occurrence of inhomogeneities such as micropyramids and pits on the surface of etched substrates is a particularly disadvantageous characteristic of many alkaline etching systems. A complete understanding of the chemical and electrochemical anisotropic etching mechanisms is essential in order to obtain more reproducible etching, improved etch rate ratios and the development of more reliable etching baths. Wet chemical etching experiments to evaluate the etching rates for the different alkali metal cations have shown that similar etch rates are observed for LiOH, NaOH and KOH but those of RbOH and CsOH are significantly lower. The presence of impurities was shown to worsen the etched wafer's surface finish obtained in these etching baths. Additives have been shown to dramatically improve the surface finish with the presence of IPA in conjunction with etchant oxygenation virtually eliminating all surface defects. Electrochemical experiments were used to assess the electrochemical behaviour of Si p-(100) in of a wide variety of etchants and variations were seen according to the etchant used. A.C impedance spectroscopy showed a variation in the flat-band potential (V FB ) according to alkali metal hydroxide etchant used. These trends were similarly observed in the presence of isopropanol. Oxygenation was observed to reproducibly alter the flat-band potentials. A.c impedance spectroscopic studies additionally confirmed the

  14. Hydrological storage variations in a lake water balance, observed from multi-sensor satellite data and hydrological models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Alka; Seitz, Florian; Schwatke, Christian; Guentner, Andreas

    2013-04-01

    Freshwater lakes and reservoirs account for 74.5% of continental water storage in surface water bodies and only 1.8% resides in rivers. Lakes and reservoirs are a key component of the continental hydrological cycle but in-situ monitoring networks are very limited either because of sparse spatial distribution of gauges or national data policy. Monitoring and predicting extreme events is very challenging in that case. In this study we demonstrate the use of optical remote sensing, satellite altimetry and the GRACE gravity field mission to monitor the lake water storage variations in the Aral Sea. Aral Sea is one of the most unfortunate examples of a large anthropogenic catastrophe. The 4th largest lake of 1960s has been decertified for more than 75% of its area due to the diversion of its primary rivers for irrigation purposes. Our study is focused on the time frame of the GRACE mission; therefore we consider changes from 2002 onwards. Continuous monthly time series of water masks from Landsat satellite data and water level from altimetry missions were derived. Monthly volumetric variations of the lake water storage were computed by intersecting a digital elevation model of the lake with respective water mask and altimetry water level. With this approach we obtained volume from two independent remote sensing methods to reduce the error in the estimated volume through least square adjustment. The resultant variations were then compared with mass variability observed by GRACE. In addition, GARCE estimates of water storage variations were compared with simulation results of the Water Gap Hydrology Model (WGHM). The different observations from all missions agree that the lake reached an absolute minimum in autumn 2009. A marked reversal of the negative trend occured in 2010 but water storage in the lake decreased again afterwards. The results reveal that water storage variations in the Aral Sea are indeed the principal, but not the only contributor to the GRACE signal of

  15. Simultaneous observation of seasonal variations of beryllium-7 and typical POPs in near-surface atmospheric aerosols in Guangzhou, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Jing; Yang, Yong-Liang; Zhang, Gan; Shi, Jing-Lei; Zhu, Xiao-Hua; Li, Yong; Yu, Han-Qing

    2011-07-01

    Near-surface atmospheric aerosol samples were collected at the sampling frequency of 2-3 d per week for one year from August 2006 to August 2007 at a low latitude station in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of southern China. The samples were analyzed for cosmogenic nuclide 7Be and persistent organic pollutants, i.e. organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The annual average 7Be concentration was 2.59 mBq m -3, with the maximum occurred in May (8.45 mBq m -3) and minimum in late August and early September (0.07 mBq m -3). Winter and spring were the seasons in which the 7Be concentrations were high while summer and autumn were the lower 7Be seasons. Spring peaks in 7Be in the near-surface atmospheric aerosols may have associated with the "spring leak maximum" episode. The annual average ∑OCPs concentration was 345.6 pg m -3, ∑ 33PCBs 317.6 pg m -3, and ∑ 31PBDEs 609.0 pg m -3. The variation trends in the time-series of 7Be, OCPs, PCBs, and PBDEs in near-surface atmospheric aerosol showed both common features and differences. Significant correlations ( R2 = 0.957 and 0.811. respectively, p = 0.01) were observed between the monthly average 7Be concentrations and those of ∑PCBs and ∑PBDEs in summer, autumn, and early winter. The difference between the seasonal variation features of OCPs and PCBs (and PBDEs) could be attributed to the different source functions and physical-chemical properties which could control the behaviors of these compounds in air-aerosol partitions as well as atmospheric transport.

  16. Seasonal Variation, Chemical Composition, and Analgesic and Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oil from Leaves of Tetradenia riparia (Hochst. Codd in Southern Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilberto Alves Ferreira

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available The seasonal variation of the chemical composition of the essential oil from fresh leaves of Tetradenia riparia (Hochst. Codd grown in southern Brazil was analyzed by GC-MS, and the analgesic and antimicrobial activities of this oil were assayed. The yield of essential oil ranged from 0.17% to 0.26%, with the maximum amount in winter and the minimum in spring. The results obtained from principal components analysis (PCA revealed the existence of high chemical variability in the different seasons. The samples were clearly discriminated into three groups: winter, autumn, and spring-summer. Samples collected during winter contained the highest percentages of calyculone (24.70%, abietadiene (13.54%, and viridiflorol (4.20%. In autumn, the major constituents were ledol (8.74% and cis-muurolol-5-en-4-α-ol (13.78%. Samples collected in spring-summer contained the highest percentages of fenchone (12.67%, 14-hydroxy-9-epi-caryophyllene (24.36%, and α-cadinol (8.33%. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes were predominant in all the samples analyzed. The observed chemovariation might be environmentally determined by a seasonal influence. The essential oil, when given orally at a dose of 200 mg/kg, exhibited good analgesic activity on acetic acid-induced writhing in mice, inhibiting the constrictions by 38.94% to 46.13%, and this effect was not affected by seasonal variation. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil against the bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus mirabilis, Morganella morganii, and Enterobacter cloacae, and the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans was assessed by the disc diffusion method and determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration. The results obtained, followed by measurement of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, indicated that S. aureus, B. subtilis, and Candida albicans were the

  17. TRANSIT TIMING OBSERVATIONS FROM KEPLER. V. TRANSIT TIMING VARIATION CANDIDATES IN THE FIRST SIXTEEN MONTHS FROM POLYNOMIAL MODELS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ford, Eric B. [Astronomy Department, University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Sciences Center, Gainesville, FL 32111 (United States); Ragozzine, Darin; Holman, Matthew J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Rowe, Jason F.; Barclay, Thomas; Borucki, William J.; Bryson, Stephen T.; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Kinemuchi, Karen; Koch, David G.; Lissauer, Jack J.; Still, Martin; Tenenbaum, Peter [NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Steffen, Jason H. [Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, P.O. Box 500, MS 127, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Batalha, Natalie M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192 (United States); Fabrycky, Daniel C. [UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Gautier, Thomas N. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Ibrahim, Khadeejah A.; Uddin, Kamal [Orbital Sciences Corporation/NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Kjeldsen, Hans, E-mail: eford@astro.ufl.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); and others

    2012-09-10

    Transit timing variations provide a powerful tool for confirming and characterizing transiting planets, as well as detecting non-transiting planets. We report the results of an updated transit timing variation (TTV) analysis for 1481 planet candidates based on transit times measured during the first sixteen months of Kepler observations. We present 39 strong TTV candidates based on long-term trends (2.8% of suitable data sets). We present another 136 weaker TTV candidates (9.8% of suitable data sets) based on the excess scatter of TTV measurements about a linear ephemeris. We anticipate that several of these planet candidates could be confirmed and perhaps characterized with more detailed TTV analyses using publicly available Kepler observations. For many others, Kepler has observed a long-term TTV trend, but an extended Kepler mission will be required to characterize the system via TTVs. We find that the occurrence rate of planet candidates that show TTVs is significantly increased ({approx}68%) for planet candidates transiting stars with multiple transiting planet candidates when compared to planet candidates transiting stars with a single transiting planet candidate.

  18. Does observer bias contribute to variations in the rate of retinopathy of prematurity between centres?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darlow, Brian A; Elder, Mark J; Horwood, L John; Donoghue, Deborah A; Henderson-Smart, David J

    2008-01-01

    We aimed to indirectly assess the contribution from observer bias to between centre variability in the incidence of acute retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) collected data on the highest stage of acute ROP in either eye in 2286 infants born at less than 29 weeks in 1998-1999 and cared for in one of 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Chi-squared analysis was used to detect differences in the proportion of stages of ROP for each neonatal intensive care unit. These proportions were compared with those reported in two large studies of treatment for ROP. The incidence of acute ROP in the ANZNN cohort was 42% and the ratio of stage 1:2:3 ROP was 1.5:1.9:1. There was considerable variation in both the incidence of acute ROP and the proportions with stage 1:2:3 ROP between centres. A chi-squared test determined that the assignment of stages 1, 2 and 3/4 ROP was not independent of centre (chi(2)(48) = 165.2; P < 0.0001). Treatment of stage 3 ROP varied between 15% and 120%, indicating some eyes were treated at less than stage 3. The data are highly suggestive of observer bias contributing to the observed between centre variation in the incidence of acute ROP. In neonatal intervention studies where acute ROP is an outcome it would seem important to have an accreditation process for examining ophthalmologists, and there are similar arguments for neonatal networks which collect these data.

  19. Variations in amounts and potential sources of volatile organic chemicals in new cars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chien, Y.-C.

    2007-01-01

    This study examines inter-brand, intra-brand and intra-model variations in volatile organic chemical (VOC) levels inside new cars. The effect of temperature on interior VOC levels was examined using model automobiles with and without the air-conditioning running. Potential sources of VOC were assessed by comparing VOC levels with two interior trims (leather and fabric) and by analyzing VOC emissions from various interior components. Five brands of new car, both domestic and imported, were tested. Twelve targeted VOCs were collected on solid sorbents and analyzed using thermal desorption and GC/FID. VOCs from interior parts and adhesives were identified using solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with GC/MS. The VOC concentrations varied markedly among brands and within models, and individual VOC levels ranged from below the detection limit (a few μg per cubic meter) to thousands of μg per cubic meter. The intra-model variability (mean, 47%) in the VOC levels was approximately 50% that within each brand (mean, 95%). Although interior trim levels affected VOC levels, the effects differed among brands. Reduction of the cabin temperature reduced most VOC levels, but the impact was not statistically significant. Screening tests for VOCs from interior parts revealed that butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a common anti-oxidant, was the most common chemical. Long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons, particularly C14-C17, were identified in most grease (lubricant) samples, and toluene and xylenes were ubiquitously present in adhesive samples. Process-related compounds, such as plasticizer, were also identified in interior parts. In-cabin VOC levels varied significantly among makes/models and interior trims. Concerned consumers should purchase older new cars from manufacturers since VOC levels inside car cabins normally declines over time. Improved processes or materials with lower VOC emission potential should be used to minimize in-cabin VOC sources for new cars

  20. Variation in physico-chemical properties of seed of selected ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2008-10-20

    Oct 20, 2008 ... Full Length Research Paper. Variation in ... Key words: Industrial crop, seed physicochemical content, Vigna unduiculata. ..... Cowpea genetics a review of the world literasture. ... Development of improved cowpea varieties.

  1. Spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at the Okinawa archipelago, Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handa, D.; Somada, Y.; Ijyu, M.; Azechi, S.; Nakaema, F.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

    2009-12-01

    The economic development and population growth in recent Asia have been increasing air pollution. A computer simulation study showed that air pollutants emitted from Asian continent could spread quickly within northern hemisphere. We initiated a study to elucidate the special distribution and chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols around Okinawa archipelago, Japan. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location in Asia is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. We simultaneously collected bulk aerosol samples by using the same types of high volume air samplers at Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS, Okinawa Island), Kume Island (ca. 160 km south-west of CHAAMS) and Minami-daitou Island (ca. 320 km south-east of CHAAMS). We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. We report and discuss spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species concentrations in bulk atmospheric aerosols collected during July, 2008 to July, 2009. We determine “background” concentration of chemical components in Okinawa archipelago. We then compare each chemical component among CHAAMS, Kume Island and Minami-daito Island to elucidate the influence of the long-range transport of chemical species from Asian continent.

  2. Possible causes of variation in acrylamide concentration in French fries prepared in food service establishments: an observational study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sanny, M.A.I.; Jinap, S.; Bakker, E.J.; Boekel, van M.A.J.S.; Luning, P.A.

    2012-01-01

    Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen, and its presence in a range of fried and oven-cooked foods has raised considerable health concern world-wide. Dietary intake studies observed significant variations in acrylamide concentrations, which complicate risk assessment and the establishment of

  3. Assessment of MODIS sun-sensor geometry variations effect on observed NDVI using MSG SEVIRI geostationary data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fensholt, R.; Sandholt, I.; Proud, Simon Richard

    2010-01-01

    The quality of Earth observation (EO) based vegetation monitoring has improved during recent years, which can be attributed to the enhanced sensor design of new satellites such as MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on Terra and Aqua. It is however expected that sun-sensor geome......The quality of Earth observation (EO) based vegetation monitoring has improved during recent years, which can be attributed to the enhanced sensor design of new satellites such as MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on Terra and Aqua. It is however expected that sun......-sensor geometry variations will have a more visible impact on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from MODIS compared to earlier data sources, since noise related to atmosphere and sensor calibration is substantially reduced in the MODIS data stream. For this reason, the effect of varying MODIS......, including a red and NIR band, and the high temporal resolution (15 min) of data, enabling MSG data to be used as a reference for estimating MODIS surface reflectance and NDVI variations caused by varying sun-sensor geometry. The study was performed on data covering West Africa for periods of lowest possible...

  4. Dynamic Responses of the Earth's Outer Core to Assimilation of Observed Geomagnetic Secular Variation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuang, Weijia; Tangborn, Andrew

    2014-01-01

    Assimilation of surface geomagnetic observations and geodynamo models has advanced very quickly in recent years. However, compared to advanced data assimilation systems in meteorology, geomagnetic data assimilation (GDAS) is still in an early stage. Among many challenges ranging from data to models is the disparity between the short observation records and the long time scales of the core dynamics. To better utilize available observational information, we have made an effort in this study to directly assimilate the Gauss coefficients of both the core field and its secular variation (SV) obtained via global geomagnetic field modeling, aiming at understanding the dynamical responses of the core fluid to these additional observational constraints. Our studies show that the SV assimilation helps significantly to shorten the dynamo model spin-up process. The flow beneath the core-mantle boundary (CMB) responds significantly to the observed field and its SV. The strongest responses occur in the relatively small scale flow (of the degrees L is approx. 30 in spherical harmonic expansions). This part of the flow includes the axisymmetric toroidal flow (of order m = 0) and non-axisymmetric poloidal flow with m (is) greater than 5. These responses can be used to better understand the core flow and, in particular, to improve accuracies of predicting geomagnetic variability in future.

  5. Influences of the variation in inflow to East Asia on surface ozone over Japan during 1996–2005

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Chatani

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Air quality simulations in which the global chemical transport model CHASER and the regional chemical transport model WRF/chem are coupled have been developed to consider the dynamic transport of chemical species across the boundaries of the domain of the regional chemical transport model. The simulation captures the overall seasonal variations of surface ozone, but overestimates its concentration over Japanese populated areas by approximately 20 ppb from summer to early winter. It is deduced that ozone formation around Northeast China and Japan in summer is overestimated in the simulation. On the other hand, the simulation well reproduces the interannual variability and the long-term trend of observed surface ozone over Japan. Sensitivity experiments have been performed to investigate the influence of the variation in inflow to East Asia on the interannual variability and the long-term trend of surface ozone over Japan during 1996–2005. The inflow defined in this paper includes the recirculation of species with sources within the East Asian region as well as the transport of species with sources out of the East Asian region. Results of sensitivity experiments suggest that inflow to East Asia accounts for approximately 30 % of the increasing trend of surface ozone, whereas it has much less influence on the interannual variability of observed surface ozone compared to meteorological processes within East Asia.

  6. Seasonal variations of physico-chemical properties of the Great ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    use

    characteristics and nutrient dynamics in the network of. *Corresponding author. ... salt units that produce edible salt and industrial salt operate in this ... Monthly variations of water temperature in different stations during the study period. area.

  7. Interspecific variation in persistence of buried weed seeds follows trade-offs among physiological, chemical, and physical seed defenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Adam S; Fu, Xianhui; Schutte, Brian J; Berhow, Mark A; Dalling, James W

    2016-10-01

    Soil seedbanks drive infestations of annual weeds, yet weed management focuses largely on seedling mortality. As weed seedbanks increasingly become reservoirs of herbicide resistance, species-specific seedbank management approaches will be essential to weed control. However, the development of seedbank management strategies can only develop from an understanding of how seed traits affect persistence.We quantified interspecific trade-offs among physiological, chemical, and physical traits of weed seeds and their persistence in the soil seedbank in a common garden study. Seeds of 11 annual weed species were buried in Savoy, IL, from 2007 through 2012. Seedling recruitment was measured weekly and seed viability measured annually. Seed physiological (dormancy), chemical (phenolic compound diversity and concentration; invertebrate toxicity), and physical traits (seed coat mass, thickness, and rupture resistance) were measured.Seed half-life in the soil ( t 0.5 ) showed strong interspecific variation ( F 10,30  = 15, p  central role of seed dormancy in controlling seed persistence.A quantitative comparison between our results and other published work indicated that weed seed dormancy and seedbank persistence are linked across diverse environments and agroecosystems. Moreover, among seedbank-forming early successional plant species, relative investment in chemical and physical seed defense varies with seedbank persistence. Synthesis and applications . Strong covariance among weed seed traits and persistence in the soil seedbank indicates potential for seedbank management practices tailored to specific weed species. In particular, species with high t 0.5 values tend to invest less in chemical defenses. This makes them highly vulnerable to physical harvest weed seed control strategies, with small amounts of damage resulting in their full decay.

  8. Periodic variations of cosmic ray intensity with period of -37 minute observed on April 25th, 1984

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, Takasuke; Kato, Masahito; Takei, Ryoji; Tamai, Eiji

    1985-01-01

    Existence of cosmic ray variation with period ranging from a few hours to seconds during geomagnetically quiet and perturb period at different altitude with different detector, was reported previously. As short period variation is thought to be transient with small amplitude fluctuation, consequently high counting rate of cosmic ray and appropriate method for finding short periodicity, is required. Further, there is similar phenomenon in which short variation, followed by storm sudden commencement (SSC) and/or Forbush decrease (FD) occurs. In 1979, Kato et al. used 3 minutes data at Mt. Norikura and obtained -6 x 10 5 count/min, and tried to find out short periodicity of cosmic ray around SSC, but no clear conclusion was obtained. T. Sakai, et al., used plastic scintillation counter of Akeno observatory, following their preceding work. The counter has an area about 154 m 2 . High counting rate of -2 x 10 6 counts/min. was observed at Akeno which revealed the existence of -37 minute periodical oscillation with an amplitude of 0.1 % in p-p during the time period of 1300 - 1900 UT on April 25th 1984, one day before FD. Observed periodical oscillation of cosmic ray counting rate may be the result of the changes in magnetic field. But, it must be noted that there remains possibility of oscillation of cosmic ray intensity in the interplanetary space during the period, independent of geomagnetic field. (author)

  9. Seasonal Variations of Some Physico-Chemical Properties of River ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MICHAEL

    The sampling points represent the villages within Abraka clan along the river. The seasonal variations are ... untreated waste water or poorly treated effluents accrued from .... Fakayode, S.O. (2005): Impact Assessment of. Industrial Effluent on ...

  10. ESTIMATING THE DEEP SOLAR MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION USING MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS AND A DYNAMO MODEL: A VARIATIONAL APPROACH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hung, Ching Pui; Jouve, Laurène; Brun, Allan Sacha [Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/IRFU Université Paris-Diderot CNRS/INSU, F-91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette (France); Fournier, Alexandre [Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Diderot UMR 7154 CNRS, F-75005 Paris (France); Talagrand, Olivier [Laboratoire de météorologie dynamique, UMR 8539, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris Cedex 05 (France)

    2015-12-01

    We show how magnetic observations of the Sun can be used in conjunction with an axisymmetric flux-transport solar dynamo model in order to estimate the large-scale meridional circulation throughout the convection zone. Our innovative approach rests on variational data assimilation, whereby the distance between predictions and observations (measured by an objective function) is iteratively minimized by means of an optimization algorithm seeking the meridional flow that best accounts for the data. The minimization is performed using a quasi-Newton technique, which requires knowledge of the sensitivity of the objective function to the meridional flow. That sensitivity is efficiently computed via the integration of the adjoint flux-transport dynamo model. Closed-loop (also known as twin) experiments using synthetic data demonstrate the validity and accuracy of this technique for a variety of meridional flow configurations, ranging from unicellular and equatorially symmetric to multicellular and equatorially asymmetric. In this well-controlled synthetic context, we perform a systematic study of the behavior of our variational approach under different observational configurations by varying their spatial density, temporal density, and noise level, as well as the width of the assimilation window. We find that the method is remarkably robust, leading in most cases to a recovery of the true meridional flow to within better than 1%. These encouraging results are a first step toward using this technique to (i) better constrain the physical processes occurring inside the Sun and (ii) better predict solar activity on decadal timescales.

  11. ESTIMATING THE DEEP SOLAR MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION USING MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS AND A DYNAMO MODEL: A VARIATIONAL APPROACH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hung, Ching Pui; Jouve, Laurène; Brun, Allan Sacha; Fournier, Alexandre; Talagrand, Olivier

    2015-01-01

    We show how magnetic observations of the Sun can be used in conjunction with an axisymmetric flux-transport solar dynamo model in order to estimate the large-scale meridional circulation throughout the convection zone. Our innovative approach rests on variational data assimilation, whereby the distance between predictions and observations (measured by an objective function) is iteratively minimized by means of an optimization algorithm seeking the meridional flow that best accounts for the data. The minimization is performed using a quasi-Newton technique, which requires knowledge of the sensitivity of the objective function to the meridional flow. That sensitivity is efficiently computed via the integration of the adjoint flux-transport dynamo model. Closed-loop (also known as twin) experiments using synthetic data demonstrate the validity and accuracy of this technique for a variety of meridional flow configurations, ranging from unicellular and equatorially symmetric to multicellular and equatorially asymmetric. In this well-controlled synthetic context, we perform a systematic study of the behavior of our variational approach under different observational configurations by varying their spatial density, temporal density, and noise level, as well as the width of the assimilation window. We find that the method is remarkably robust, leading in most cases to a recovery of the true meridional flow to within better than 1%. These encouraging results are a first step toward using this technique to (i) better constrain the physical processes occurring inside the Sun and (ii) better predict solar activity on decadal timescales

  12. Electrostatic Swelling and Conformational Variation Observed in High-Generation Polyelectrolyte Dendrimers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butler, Paul D.; Chen, Wei-Ren; Herwig, Kenneth W.; Hong, Kunlun; Liu, Yun; Porcar, L.; Shew, Chwen-Yang; Smith, Gregory Scott; Chen, Hsin-Lung; Chen, Chun-Yu; Li, Xin; Liu, Emily

    2010-01-01

    A coordinated study combining small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements was conducted to investigate the structural characteristics of aqueous (D2O) generation 7 and 8 (G7 and G8) PAMAM dendrimer solutions as a function of molecular protonation at room temperature. The change in intra-molecular conformation was clearly exhibited in the data analysis by separating the variation in the inter-molecular correlation. Our results unambiguously demonstrate an increased molecular size and evolved intra-molecular density profile upon increasing the molecular protonation. This is contrary to the existing understanding that in higher generation polyelectrolyte dendrimers, steric crowding stiffens the local motion of dendrimer segments exploring additional available intra-dendrimer volume and therefore inhibits the electrostatic swelling. Our observation is relevant to elucidation of the general microscopic picture of polyelectrolyte dendrimer structure, as well as the development of dendrimer-based packages with based on the stimuli-responsive principle.

  13. Lidar observed seasonal variation of vertical canopy structure in the Amazon evergreen forests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, H.; Dubayah, R.

    2017-12-01

    Both light and water are important environmental factors governing tree growth. Responses of tropical forests to their changes are complicated and can vary substantially across different spatial and temporal scales. Of particular interest is the dry-season greening-up of Amazon forests, a phenomenon undergoing considerable debates whether it is real or a "light illusion" caused by artifacts of passive optical remote sensing techniques. Here we analyze seasonal dynamic patterns of vertical canopy structure in the Amazon forests using lidar observations from NASA's Ice, Cloud, and and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). We found that the net greening of canopy layer coincides with the wet-to-dry transition period, and its net browning occurs mostly at the late dry season. The understory also shows a seasonal cycle, but with an opposite variation to canopy and minimal correlation to seasonal variations in rainfall or radiation. Our results further suggest a potential interaction between canopy layers in the light regime that can optimize the growth of Amazon forests during the dry season. This light regime variability that exists in both spatial and temporal domains can better reveal the dry-season greening-up phenomenon, which appears less obvious when treating the Amazon forests as a whole.

  14. The Influence of Synoptic Meteorology on Convective Boundary Layer Characteristics and the Observed Chemical Response During PROPHET 2000 and 2001 Summer Intensives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lilly, M. A.; Moody, J. L.; Carroll, M.; Brown, W. O.; Cohn, S. A.

    2002-12-01

    from the south is advected toward the region when the UMBS sits on the back of surface anticyclones ahead of approaching frontal boundaries. This transport regime characteristically consists of air with high moisture content and an early morning low stratus deck giving way to hazy afternoon skies. Surface values of specific humidity throughout 2001 were nearly 4 g/kg higher under southerly flow. Solar radiation is partitioned into evaporating moisture and surface heating, which results in slower CBL growth. During PROPHET 2001 mean CBL heights were 200 meters lower under southerly flow when the site was located on the back of a surface anticyclone. This analysis quantifies the influence of variation in boundary layer characteristics on PROPHET chemical observations.

  15. A dedicated BI-RADS training programme: Effect on the inter-observer variation among screening radiologists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timmers, J.M.H.; Doorne-Nagtegaal, H.J. van; Verbeek, A.L.M.; Heeten, G.J. den; Broeders, M.J.M.

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: The Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) was introduced in the Dutch breast cancer screening programme to improve communication between medical specialists. Following introduction, a substantial variation in the use of the BI-RADS lexicon for final assessment categories was noted among screening radiologists. We set up a dedicated training programme to reduce this variation. This study evaluates whether this programme was effective. Materials and methods: Two comparable test sets were read before and after completion of the training programme. Each set contained 30 screening mammograms of referred women selected from screening practice. The sets were read by 25 experienced and 30 new screening radiologists. Cohen's kappa (κ) was used to calculate the inter-observer agreement. The BI-RADS 2003 version was implemented in the screening programme as the BI-RADS 2008 version requires the availability of diagnostic work-up, and this is unavailable. Results: The inter-observer agreement of all participating radiologists (n = 55) with the expert panel increased from a pre-training κ-value of 0.44 to a post-training κ-value of 0.48 (p = 0.14). The inter-observer agreement of the new screening radiologists (n = 30) with the expert panel increased from κ = 0.41 to κ = 0.50 (p = 0.01), whereas there was no difference in agreement among the 25 experienced radiologists (from κ = 0.48 to κ = 0.46, p = 0.60). Conclusion: Our training programme in the BI-RADS lexicon resulted in a significant improvement of agreement among new screening radiologists. Overall, the agreement among radiologists was moderate (guidelines Landis and Koch). This is in line with results found in the literature

  16. Observations of Fe XIV Line Intensity Variations in the Solar Corona During the 21 August 2017 Solar Eclipse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Payton; Ladd, Edwin

    2018-01-01

    We present time- and spatially-resolved observations of the inner solar corona in the 5303 Å line of Fe XIV, taken during the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse from a field observing site in Crossville, TN. These observations are used to characterize the intensity variations in this coronal emission line, and to compare with oscillation predictions from models for heating the corona by magnetic wave dissipation.The observations were taken with two Explore Scientific ED 102CF 102 mm aperture triplet apochromatic refractors. One system used a DayStar custom-built 5 Å FWHM filter centered on the Fe XIV coronal spectral line and an Atik Titan camera for image collection. The setup produced images with a pixel size of 2.15 arcseconds (~1.5 Mm at the distance to the Sun), and a field of view of 1420 x 1060 arcseconds, covering approximately 20% of the entire solar limb centered near the emerging sunspot complex AR 2672. We obtained images with an exposure time of 0.22 seconds and a frame rate of 2.36 Hz, for a total of 361 images during totality.An identical, co-aligned telescope/camera system observed the same portion of the solar corona, but with a 100 Å FWHM Baader Planetarium solar continuum filter centered on a wavelength of 5400 Å. Images with an exposure time of 0.01 seconds were obtained with a frame rate of 4.05 Hz. These simultaneous observations are used as a control to monitor brightness variations not related to coronal line oscillations.

  17. Exploring Conceptual Frameworks of Models of Atomic Structures and Periodic Variations, Chemical Bonding, and Molecular Shape and Polarity: A Comparison of Undergraduate General Chemistry Students with High and Low Levels of Content Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chia-Yu; Barrow, Lloyd H.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to explore students' conceptual frameworks of models of atomic structure and periodic variations, chemical bonding, and molecular shape and polarity, and how these conceptual frameworks influence their quality of explanations and ability to shift among chemical representations. This study employed a purposeful sampling…

  18. Seasonal variation and chemical characterization of PM2.5 in northwestern Philippines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagtasa, Gerry; Cayetano, Mylene G.; Yuan, Chung-Shin

    2018-04-01

    The seasonal and chemical characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were investigated in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, located at the northwestern edge of the Philippines. Each 24 h sample of fine aerosol was collected for four seasons. Fine particulate in the region shows strong seasonal variation in both concentration and composition. Highest mass concentration was seen during the boreal spring season with a mean mass concentration of 21.6 ± 6.6 µg m-3, and lowest was in fall with a mean concentration of 8.4 ± 2.3 µg m-3. Three-day wind back trajectory analysis of air mass reveals the influence of the northwestern Pacific monsoon regimes on PM2.5 concentration. During southwest monsoon, sea salt was the dominant component of fine aerosols carried by moist air from the South China Sea. During northeast monsoon, on the other hand, both wind and receptor model analysis showed that higher particulate concentration was due to the long-range transport (LRT) of anthropogenic emissions from northern East Asia. Overall, sea salt and soil comprise 33 % of total PM2.5 concentration, while local biomass burning makes up 33 %. LRT of industrial emission, solid waste burning and secondary sulfate from East Asia have a mean contribution of 34 % to the total fine particulate for the whole sampling period.

  19. Energy spectra variations of high energy electrons in magnetic storms observed by ARASE and HIMAWARI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takashima, T.; Higashio, N.; Mitani, T.; Nagatsuma, T.; Yoshizumi, M.

    2017-12-01

    The ARASE spacecraft was launched in December 20, 2016 to investigate mechanisms for acceleration and loss of relativistic electrons in the radiation belts during space storms. The six particle instruments with wide energy range (a few eV to 10MeV) are onboard the ARASE spacecraft. Especially, two particle instruments, HEP and XEP observe high energy electron with energy range from 70keV to over 10Mev. Those instruments observed several geomagnetic storms caused by coronal hole high speed streams or coronal mass ejections from March in 2017. The relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt were disappeared/increased and their energy spectra were changed dynamically in some storms observed by XEP/HEP onboard the ARASE spacecraft. In the same time, SEDA-e with energy range 200keV-4.5MeV for electron on board the HIMAWARI-8, Japanese weather satellite on GEO, observed increase of relativistic electron in different local time. We will report on energy spectra variations of high energy electrons including calibrations of differential flux between XEP and HEP and discuss comparisons with energy spectra between ARAE and HIMAWARI that observed each storm in different local time.

  20. The contribution of simple random sampling to observed variations in faecal egg counts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torgerson, Paul R; Paul, Michaela; Lewis, Fraser I

    2012-09-10

    It has been over 100 years since the classical paper published by Gosset in 1907, under the pseudonym "Student", demonstrated that yeast cells suspended in a fluid and measured by a haemocytometer conformed to a Poisson process. Similarly parasite eggs in a faecal suspension also conform to a Poisson process. Despite this there are common misconceptions how to analyse or interpret observations from the McMaster or similar quantitative parasitic diagnostic techniques, widely used for evaluating parasite eggs in faeces. The McMaster technique can easily be shown from a theoretical perspective to give variable results that inevitably arise from the random distribution of parasite eggs in a well mixed faecal sample. The Poisson processes that lead to this variability are described and illustrative examples of the potentially large confidence intervals that can arise from observed faecal eggs counts that are calculated from the observations on a McMaster slide. Attempts to modify the McMaster technique, or indeed other quantitative techniques, to ensure uniform egg counts are doomed to failure and belie ignorance of Poisson processes. A simple method to immediately identify excess variation/poor sampling from replicate counts is provided. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Characterizing the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) Using Satellite Observations, Balloon Measurements and a Chemical Transport Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairlie, T. D.; Vernier, J.-P.; Liu, H.; Deshler, T.; Natarajan, M.; Bedka, K.; Wegner, T.; Baker, N.; Gadhavi, H.; Ratnam, M. V.; hide

    2016-01-01

    Satellite observations and numerical modeling studies have demonstrated that the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) provide a conduit for gas-phase pollutants in south Asia to reach the lower stratosphere. Now, observations from the CALIPSO satellite have revealed the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL), a summertime accumulation of aerosols in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), associated with the ASM anticyclone. The ATAL has potential implications for regional cloud properties, climate, and chemical processes in the UTLS. Here, we show in situ measurements from balloon-borne instruments, aircraft, and satellite observations, together with trajectory and chemical transport model (CTM) simulations to explore the origin, composition, physical, and optical properties of aerosols in the ATAL. In particular, we show balloon-data from our BATAL-2015 field campaign to India and Saudi Arabia in summer 2015, which includes in situ backscatter measurements from COBALD instruments, and the first observations of size and volatility of aerosols in the ATAL layer using optical particle counters (OPCs). Back trajectory calculations initialized from CALIPSO observations point to deep convection over North India as a principal source of ATAL aerosols. Available aircraft observations suggest significant sulfur and carbonaceous components to the ATAL, which is supported by simulations using the GEOS-Chem CTM. Source elimination studies conducted with the GEOS-Chem indicate that ATAL aerosols originate primary from south Asian sources, in contrast with some earlier studies.

  2. On the Time Variation of Dust Extinction and Gas Absorption for Type Ia Supernovae Observed Through Non-uniform Interstellar Medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xiaosheng; Aldering, Gregory; Biederman, Moriah; Herger, Brendan

    2018-01-01

    For Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed through a non-uniform interstellar medium (ISM) in its host galaxy, we investigate whether the non-uniformity can cause observable time variations in dust extinction and in gas absorption due to the expansion of the SN photosphere with time. We show that, owing to the steep spectral index of the ISM density power spectrum, sizable density fluctuation amplitudes at the length scale of typical ISM structures (>~ 10 pc) will translate to much smaller fluctuations on the scales of a SN photosphere. Therefore the typical amplitude of time variation due to non-uniform ISM, of absorption equivalent widths and of extinction, would be small. As a result, we conclude that non-uniform ISM density should not impact cosmology measurements based on SNe Ia. We apply our predictions based on the ISM density power law power spectrum to the observations of two highly reddened SNe Ia, SN 2012cu and SN 2014J.

  3. On the Time Variation of Dust Extinction and Gas Absorption for Type Ia Supernovae Observed through a Nonuniform Interstellar Medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, X.; Aldering, G.; Biederman, M.; Herger, B.

    2017-11-01

    For Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed through a nonuniform interstellar medium (ISM) in its host galaxy, we investigate whether the nonuniformity can cause observable time variations in dust extinction and in gas absorption due to the expansion of the SN photosphere with time. We show that, owing to the steep spectral index of the ISM density power spectrum, sizable density fluctuation amplitudes at the length scale of typical ISM structures (≳ 10 {pc}) will translate to much smaller fluctuations on the scales of an SN photosphere. Therefore, the typical amplitude of time variation due to a nonuniform ISM, of absorption equivalent widths, and of extinction, would be small. As a result, we conclude that nonuniform ISM density should not impact cosmology measurements based on SNe Ia. We apply our predictions based on the ISM density power-law power spectrum to the observations of two highly reddened SNe Ia, SN 2012cu and SN 2014J.

  4. Origins of Tropospheric Ozone Interannual Variation (IAV) over Reunion: A Model Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Junhua; Rodriguez, Jose M.; Thompson, Anne M.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Olsen, Mark A.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Posny, Francoise

    2016-01-01

    Observations from long-term ozonesonde measurements show robust variations and trends in the evolution of ozone in the middle and upper troposphere over Reunion Island (21.1 degrees South Latitude, 55.5 degrees East Longitude) in June-August. Here we examine possible causes of the observed ozone variation at Reunion Island using hindcast simulations by the stratosphere-troposphere Global Modeling Initiative chemical transport model for 1992-2014, driven by assimilated Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields. Reunion Island is at the edge of the subtropical jet, a region of strong stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. Our analysis implies that the large interannual variation (IAV) of upper tropospheric ozone over Reunion is driven by the large IAV of the stratospheric influence. The IAV of the large-scale, quasi-horizontal wind patterns also contributes to the IAV of ozone in the upper troposphere. Comparison to a simulation with constant emissions indicates that increasing emissions do not lead to the maximum trend in the middle and upper troposphere over Reunion during austral winter implied by the sonde data. The effects of increasing emission over southern Africa are limited tothe lower troposphere near the surface in August-September.

  5. Variational multiscale models for charge transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guo-Wei; Zheng, Qiong; Chen, Zhan; Xia, Kelin

    2012-01-01

    This work presents a few variational multiscale models for charge transport in complex physical, chemical and biological systems and engineering devices, such as fuel cells, solar cells, battery cells, nanofluidics, transistors and ion channels. An essential ingredient of the present models, introduced in an earlier paper (Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 72, 1562-1622, 2010), is the use of differential geometry theory of surfaces as a natural means to geometrically separate the macroscopic domain from the microscopic domain, meanwhile, dynamically couple discrete and continuum descriptions. Our main strategy is to construct the total energy functional of a charge transport system to encompass the polar and nonpolar free energies of solvation, and chemical potential related energy. By using the Euler-Lagrange variation, coupled Laplace-Beltrami and Poisson-Nernst-Planck (LB-PNP) equations are derived. The solution of the LB-PNP equations leads to the minimization of the total free energy, and explicit profiles of electrostatic potential and densities of charge species. To further reduce the computational complexity, the Boltzmann distribution obtained from the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation is utilized to represent the densities of certain charge species so as to avoid the computationally expensive solution of some Nernst-Planck (NP) equations. Consequently, the coupled Laplace-Beltrami and Poisson-Boltzmann-Nernst-Planck (LB-PBNP) equations are proposed for charge transport in heterogeneous systems. A major emphasis of the present formulation is the consistency between equilibrium LB-PB theory and non-equilibrium LB-PNP theory at equilibrium. Another major emphasis is the capability of the reduced LB-PBNP model to fully recover the prediction of the LB-PNP model at non-equilibrium settings. To account for the fluid impact on the charge transport, we derive coupled Laplace-Beltrami, Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes equations from the variational principle

  6. Variational multiscale models for charge transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guo-Wei; Zheng, Qiong; Chen, Zhan; Xia, Kelin

    2012-01-01

    This work presents a few variational multiscale models for charge transport in complex physical, chemical and biological systems and engineering devices, such as fuel cells, solar cells, battery cells, nanofluidics, transistors and ion channels. An essential ingredient of the present models, introduced in an earlier paper (Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 72, 1562-1622, 2010), is the use of differential geometry theory of surfaces as a natural means to geometrically separate the macroscopic domain from the microscopic domain, meanwhile, dynamically couple discrete and continuum descriptions. Our main strategy is to construct the total energy functional of a charge transport system to encompass the polar and nonpolar free energies of solvation, and chemical potential related energy. By using the Euler-Lagrange variation, coupled Laplace-Beltrami and Poisson-Nernst-Planck (LB-PNP) equations are derived. The solution of the LB-PNP equations leads to the minimization of the total free energy, and explicit profiles of electrostatic potential and densities of charge species. To further reduce the computational complexity, the Boltzmann distribution obtained from the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation is utilized to represent the densities of certain charge species so as to avoid the computationally expensive solution of some Nernst-Planck (NP) equations. Consequently, the coupled Laplace-Beltrami and Poisson-Boltzmann-Nernst-Planck (LB-PBNP) equations are proposed for charge transport in heterogeneous systems. A major emphasis of the present formulation is the consistency between equilibrium LB-PB theory and non-equilibrium LB-PNP theory at equilibrium. Another major emphasis is the capability of the reduced LB-PBNP model to fully recover the prediction of the LB-PNP model at non-equilibrium settings. To account for the fluid impact on the charge transport, we derive coupled Laplace-Beltrami, Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes equations from the variational principle

  7. Target volume delineation in external beam partial breast irradiation: less inter-observer variation with preoperative- compared to postoperative delineation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leij, F. van der; Elkhuizen, P.H.M.; Janssen, T.M.; Poortmans, P.M.P.; Sangen, M. van der; Scholten, A.N.; Vliet-Vroegindeweij, C. van; Boersma, L.J.

    2014-01-01

    The challenge of adequate target volume definition in external beam partial breast irradiation (PBI) could be overcome with preoperative irradiation, due to less inter-observer variation. We compared the target volume delineation for external beam PBI on preoperative versus postoperative CT scans of

  8. Noninvasive pulse pressure variation and stroke volume variation to predict fluid responsiveness at multiple thresholds : a prospective observational study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vos, Jaap Jan; Poterman, Marieke; Papineau Salm, Pieternel; Van Amsterdam, Kai; Struys, Michel M. R. F.; Scheeren, Thomas W. L.; Kalmar, Alain F.

    2015-01-01

    Pulse pressure variation (PPV) and stroke volume variation (SVV) are dynamic preload variables that can be measured noninvasively to assess fluid responsiveness (FR) in anesthetized patients with mechanical ventilation. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of predicting FR according to the

  9. Multi-scale Drivers of Variations in Atmospheric Evaporative Demand Based on Observations and Physically-based Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, L.; Sheffield, J.; Li, D.

    2015-12-01

    Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key link between the availability of water resources and climate change and climate variability. Variability of ET has important environmental and socioeconomic implications for managing hydrological hazards, food and energy production. Although there have been many observational and modeling studies of ET, how ET has varied and the drivers of the variations at different temporal scales remain elusive. Much of the uncertainty comes from the atmospheric evaporative demand (AED), which is the combined effect of radiative and aerodynamic controls. The inconsistencies among modeled AED estimates and the limited observational data may originate from multiple sources including the limited time span and uncertainties in the data. To fully investigate and untangle the intertwined drivers of AED, we present a spectrum analysis to identify key controls of AED across multiple temporal scales. We use long-term records of observed pan evaporation for 1961-2006 from 317 weather stations across China and physically-based model estimates of potential evapotranspiration (PET). The model estimates are based on surface meteorology and radiation derived from reanalysis, satellite retrievals and station data. Our analyses show that temperature plays a dominant role in regulating variability of AED at the inter-annual scale. At the monthly and seasonal scales, the primary control of AED shifts from radiation in humid regions to humidity in dry regions. Unlike many studies focusing on the spatial pattern of ET drivers based on a traditional supply and demand framework, this study underlines the importance of temporal scales when discussing controls of ET variations.

  10. SewageLCI 1.0 - A first generation inventory model for quantification of chemical emissions via sewage systems. Application on chemicals of concern

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallice, Aurélie; Birkved, Morten; Kech, Sébastien

    obtained applying SewageLCI 1.0 model reveal that it’s possible to account for many of the variations in emission quantities of chemicals, caused by variations in the chemical fate properties and in the composition of national waste water treatment grids. The results indicate that the total emission...... treatment is emission to surface water recipients, other environmental compartments such as agricultural soil may receive considerable loads of chemicals emitted by the national specific waste water grids. The SewageLCI 1.0 presentation and case study reveal how broad inclusion of chemicals emitted......Lack of inventory data on chemical emissions often forces life cycle assessors to rely on crude emissions estimates (e.g. 100 % of the applied chemical mass is assumed emitted) or in the worst case to omit chemical emissions due to lack of emission data. The inventory model SewageLCI 1.0, provides...

  11. The Transiting System GJ1214: High-Precision Defocused Transit Observations and a Search for Evidence of Transit Timing Variation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harpsøe, Kennet Bomann West; Hardis, S.; Hinse, T. C.

    2012-01-01

    Aims: We present 11 high-precision photometric transit observations of the transiting super-Earth planet GJ1214b. Combining these data with observations from other authors, we investigate the ephemeris for possible signs of transit timing variations (TTVs) using a Bayesian approach. Methods......: The observations were obtained using telescope-defocusing techniques, and achieve a high precision with random errors in the photometry as low as 1mmag per point. To investigate the possibility of TTVs in the light curve, we calculate the overall probability of a TTV signal using Bayesian methods. Results...

  12. Intraspecific variation and influence of diet on the venom chemical profile of the Ectatomma brunneum Smith (Formicidae) ant evaluated by photoacoustic spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernardi, Rafaella Caroline; Firmino, Ellen Liciane Barbosa; Mendonça, Angelica; Sguarizi-Antonio, Denise; Pereira, Márlon César; da Cunha Andrade, Luis Humberto; Antonialli-Junior, William Fernando; Lima, Sandro Marcio

    2017-10-01

    Studies of venomous animals have shown that environmental and genetic factors contribute to determining the chemical composition of venom. It is well known that external effects cause differences in the toxicity, concentration, and prey specificity of venom. However, the influence of different factors on the chemical profile of Hymenoptera venom remains little explored. In view of this, the aim of this study was to evaluate intraspecific differences and the influence of diet on the chemical profile of Ectatomma brunneum venom using Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy. For the study of intraspecific variation of the venom, foragers were collected at locations with different environmental conditions, such as urban, intermediate, woodland and monoculture sites. To investigate the influence of diet on the venom, two colonies were sampled in the same area and were maintained in the laboratory under controlled diet conditions and at room temperature. The mid-infrared absorption spectra obtained were interpreted using discriminant function analysis. The results showed significant differences among the chemical profiles of the venoms of individuals from different environments and individuals exposed to a controlled diet in the laboratory, suggesting that venom composition was determined not only by genetic traits inherent to the species, but also by exogenous factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Tidal and seasonal variations in calving flux observed with passive seismology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartholomaus, T.C.; Larsen, Christopher F.; West, Michael E.; O'Neel, Shad; Pettit, Erin C.; Truffer, Martin

    2015-01-01

    The seismic signatures of calving events, i.e., calving icequakes, offer an opportunity to examine calving variability with greater precision than is available with other methods. Here using observations from Yahtse Glacier, Alaska, we describe methods to detect, locate, and characterize calving icequakes. We combine these icequake records with a coincident, manually generated record of observed calving events to develop and validate a statistical model through which we can infer iceberg sizes from the properties of calving icequakes. We find that the icequake duration is the single most significant predictor of an iceberg's size. We then apply this model to 18 months of seismic recordings and find elevated iceberg calving flux during the summer and fall and a pronounced lull in calving during midwinter. Calving flux is sensitive to semidiurnal tidal stage. Large calving events are tens of percent more likely during falling and low tides than during rising and high tides, consistent with a view that deeper water has a stabilizing influence on glacier termini. Multiple factors affect the occurrence of mechanical fractures that ultimately lead to iceberg calving. At Yahtse Glacier, seismology allows us to demonstrate that variations in the rate of submarine melt are a dominant control on iceberg calving rates at seasonal timescales. On hourly to daily timescales, tidal modulation of the normal stress against the glacier terminus reveals the nonlinear glacier response to changes in the near-terminus stress field.

  14. Spatio-temporal variation in density of microphytoplankton genera in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This seasonal shift may reflect how these species respond differently to environmental change, which could have implications for primary production at spatial and temporal scales. Keywords: chlorophyll a, cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, interannual variation, physico-chemical, seasonal variation. African Journal of ...

  15. Chemical composition of δ Scuti stars: 1. AO CVn, CP Boo, KW Aur

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galeev, A. I.; Ivanova, D. V.; Shimansky, V. V.; Bikmaev, I. F.

    2012-11-01

    We used high-resolution echelle spectra acquired with the 1.5-m Russian-Turkish Telescope to determine the fundamental atmospheric parameters and abundances of 30 chemical elements for three δ Scuti stars: AOCVn, CP Boo, and KWAur. The chemical compositions we find for these stars are similar to those for Am-star atmospheres, though some anomalies of up to 0.6-0.7 dex are observed for light and heavy elements. We consider the effect of the adopted stellar parameters (effective temperature, log g, microturbulent velocity) and the amplitude of pulsational variations on the derived elemental abundances.

  16. Effects of the Observed Meridional Flow Variations since 1996 on the Sun's Polar Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hathaway, David H.; Upton, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    The cause of the low and extended minimum in solar activity between Sunspot Cycles 23 and 24 was the small size of Sunspot Cycle 24 itself - small cycles start late and leave behind low minima. Cycle 24 is small because the polar fields produced during Cycle 23 were substantially weaker than those produced during the previous cycles and those (weak) polar fields are the seeds for the activity of the following cycle. The polar fields are produced by the latitudinal transport of magnetic flux that emerged in low-latitude active regions. The polar fields thus depend upon the details of both the flux emergence and the flux transport. We have measured the flux transport flows (differential rotation, meridional flow, and supergranules) since 1996 and find systematic and substantial variation in the meridional flow alone. Here we present experiments using a Surface Flux Transport Model in which magnetic field data from SOHO/MDI and SDO/HMI are assimilated into the model only at latitudes between 45-degrees north and south of the equator (this assures that the details of the active region flux emergence are well represented). This flux is then transported in both longitude and latitude by the observed flows. In one experiment the meridional flow is given by the time averaged (and north-south symmetric) meridional flow profile. In the second experiment the time-varying and north-south asymmetric meridional flow is used. Differences between the observed polar fields and those produced in these two experiments allow us to ascertain the effects of these meridional flow variations on the Sun s polar fields.

  17. Daily variations in pathogenic bacterial populations in a monsoon influenced tropical environment

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Khandeparker, L.; Anil, A.C.; Naik, S.D.; Gaonkar, C.C.

    and an assessment of the health of such an ecosystem benefits from high resolution observations. Virulent pathogenic Vibrio species are expected more frequently in tropical marine environments, since the virulence gene expression seems to increase at elevated... cells ml−1 (July 2009) to 5.9 x 107 cells ml−1 (February 2011) (Fig. 2b). Inter annual variations point out that the total bacterial abundance increased 5 from 2009 to 2011, while the viable bacterial numbers decreased. Complex physical, chemical...

  18. Alcohol vapor sensing by cadmium-doped zinc oxide thick films based chemical sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zargar, R. A.; Arora, M.; Chackrabarti, S.; Ahmad, S.; Kumar, J.; Hafiz, A. K.

    2016-04-01

    Cadmium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles were derived by simple chemical co-precipitation route using zinc acetate dihydrate and cadmium acetate dihydrate as precursor materials. The thick films were casted from chemical co-precipitation route prepared nanoparticles by economic facile screen printing method. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the film were characterized relevant to alcohol vapor sensing application by powder XRD, SEM, UV-VIS and DC conductivity techniques. The response and sensitivity of alcohol (ethanol) vapor sensor are obtained from the recovery curves at optimum working temperature range from 20∘C to 50∘C. The result shows that maximum sensitivity of the sensor is observed at 25∘C operating temperature. On varying alcohol vapor concentration, minor variation in resistance has been observed. The sensing mechanism of sensor has been described in terms of physical adsorption and chemical absorption of alcohol vapors on cadmium-doped zinc oxide film surface and inside film lattice network through weak hydrogen bonding, respectively.

  19. Evaluation of Predicted and Observed Data on Biotransformation of Twenty-Nine Trace Organic Chemicals

    KAUST Repository

    Bertolini, Maria

    2011-07-01

    Trace organic chemicals present in household products, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products may have adverse ecotoxicological effects once they are released to the environment. These chemicals are usually transported with the sewage to wastewater treatment facilities, where they might be attenuated depending on the degree of treatment applied prior to discharge to receiving streams. This study evaluates the removal performance of 29 trace organic compounds during two different activated sludge treatment systems. Predominant attenuation processes such as biotransformation and sorption for the target compounds were identified. Biotransformation rate constants determined in this study were used to assess removal of compounds from other treatment plants with similar operational conditions, using data gathered from the literature. The commercial software Catalogic was applied to predict environmental fate of chemicals. The software program consisted of four models able to simulate molecular transformations and to generate degradation trees. In order to assess the accuracy of this program in predicting biotransformation, one biodegradation model is used to contrast predicted degradation pathway with metabolic pathways reported in the literature. The predicted outcome was correct for more than 40 percent of the 29 targeted substances, while 38 percent of the chemicals exhibited some degree of lower agreement between predicted and observed pathways. Percent removal data determined for the two treatment facilities was compared with transformation probability output from Catalogic. About 80 percent of the 29 compounds exhibited a good correlation between probability of transformation of the parent compound and percent removal data from the two treatment plants (R2 = 0.82 and 0.9). Based upon findings for 29 trace organic chemicals regarding removal during activated sludge treatment, attacked fragments present in their structures, predicted data from

  20. Is there much variation in variation? Revisiting statistics of small area variation in health services research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ibáñez Berta

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The importance of Small Area Variation Analysis for policy-making contrasts with the scarcity of work on the validity of the statistics used in these studies. Our study aims at 1 determining whether variation in utilization rates between health areas is higher than would be expected by chance, 2 estimating the statistical power of the variation statistics; and 3 evaluating the ability of different statistics to compare the variability among different procedures regardless of their rates. Methods Parametric bootstrap techniques were used to derive the empirical distribution for each statistic under the hypothesis of homogeneity across areas. Non-parametric procedures were used to analyze the empirical distribution for the observed statistics and compare the results in six situations (low/medium/high utilization rates and low/high variability. A small scale simulation study was conducted to assess the capacity of each statistic to discriminate between different scenarios with different degrees of variation. Results Bootstrap techniques proved to be good at quantifying the difference between the null hypothesis and the variation observed in each situation, and to construct reliable tests and confidence intervals for each of the variation statistics analyzed. Although the good performance of Systematic Component of Variation (SCV, Empirical Bayes (EB statistic shows better behaviour under the null hypothesis, it is able to detect variability if present, it is not influenced by the procedure rate and it is best able to discriminate between different degrees of heterogeneity. Conclusion The EB statistics seems to be a good alternative to more conventional statistics used in small-area variation analysis in health service research because of its robustness.

  1. Comparison of interaction mechanisms of copper phthalocyanine and nickel phthalocyanine thin films with chemical vapours

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ridhi, R.; Singh, Sukhdeep; Saini, G. S. S.; Tripathi, S. K.

    2018-04-01

    The present study deals with comparing interaction mechanisms of copper phthalocyanine and nickel phthalocyanine with versatile chemical vapours: reducing, stable aromatic and oxidizing vapours namely; diethylamine, benzene and bromine. The variation in electrical current of phthalocyanines with exposure of chemical vapours is used as the detection parameter for studying interaction behaviour. Nickel phthalocyanine is found to exhibit anomalous behaviour after exposure of reducing vapour diethylamine due to alteration in its spectroscopic transitions and magnetic states. The observed sensitivities of copper phthalocyanine and nickel phthalcyanine films are different in spite of their similar bond numbers, indicating significant role of central metal atom in interaction mechanism. The variations in electronic transition levels after vapours exposure, studied using UV-Visible spectroscopy confirmed our electrical sensing results. Bromine exposure leads to significant changes in vibrational bands of metal phthalocyanines as compared to other vapours.

  2. Diurnal Variations of Titan's Surface Temperatures From Cassini -CIRS Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cottini, Valeria; Nixon, Conor; Jennings, Don; Anderson, Carrie; Samuelson, Robert; Irwin, Patrick; Flasar, F. Michael

    The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) observations of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, are providing us with the ability to detect the surface temperature of the planet by studying its outgoing radiance through a spectral window in the thermal infrared at 19 m (530 cm-1) characterized by low opacity. Since the first acquisitions of CIRS Titan data the in-strument has gathered a large amount of spectra covering a wide range of latitudes, longitudes and local times. We retrieve the surface temperature and the atmospheric temperature pro-file by modeling proper zonally averaged spectra of nadir observations with radiative transfer computations. Our forward model uses the correlated-k approximation for spectral opacity to calculate the emitted radiance, including contributions from collision induced pairs of CH4, N2 and H2, haze, and gaseous emission lines (Irwin et al. 2008). The retrieval method uses a non-linear least-squares optimal estimation technique to iteratively adjust the model parameters to achieve a spectral fit (Rodgers 2000). We show an accurate selection of the wide amount of data available in terms of footprint diameter on the planet and observational conditions, together with the retrieved results. Our results represent formal retrievals of surface brightness temperatures from the Cassini CIRS dataset using a full radiative transfer treatment, and we compare to the earlier findings of Jennings et al. (2009). The application of our methodology over wide areas has increased the planet coverage and accuracy of our knowledge of Titan's surface brightness temperature. In particular we had the chance to look for diurnal variations in surface temperature around the equator: a trend with slowly increasing temperature toward the late afternoon reveals that diurnal temperature changes are present on Titan surface. References: Irwin, P.G.J., et al.: "The NEMESIS planetary atmosphere radiative transfer and retrieval tool" (2008). JQSRT, Vol. 109, pp

  3. Mass-induced sea level variations in the Red Sea from steric-corrected altimetry, GRACE, in-situ bottom pressure records, and hydrographic observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Wei; Lemoine, Jean-Michel; Zhong, Min; Xu, Houze

    2014-05-01

    An annual amplitude of ~18 cm mass-induced sea level variations (SLV) in the Red Sea is detected from steric-corrected altimetry and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites from 2003 to 2011, which dominates the mean sea level in the region. Seawater mass variations here generally reach maximum in late January/early February. The steric component of SLV calculated from oceanographic temperature and salinity data is relatively small and peaks about seven months later than mass variations. The phase difference between the steric SLV and the mass-induced SLV indicates that when the Red Sea gains the mass from inflow water in winter, the steric SLV fall, and vice versa in summer. In-situ bottom pressure records in the eastern coast of the Red Sea validate the high mass variability observed by steric-corrected altimetry and GRACE. Furthermore, we compare the horizontal water mass flux in the Red Sea from steric-corrected altimetry and GRACE with that estimated from hydrographic observations.

  4. Observations of Co-variation in Cloud Properties and their Relationships with Atmospheric State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinclair, K.; van Diedenhoven, B.; Fridlind, A. M.; Arnold, T. G.; Yorks, J. E.; Heymsfield, G. M.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Um, J.

    2017-12-01

    Radiative properties of upper tropospheric ice clouds are generally not well represented in global and cloud models. Cloud top height, cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical thickness, cloud water path, particle size and ice crystal shape all serve as observational targets for models to constrain cloud properties. Trends or biases in these cloud properties could have profound effects on the climate since they affect cloud radiative properties. Better understanding of co-variation between these cloud properties and linkages with atmospheric state variables can lead to better representation of clouds in models by reducing biases in their micro- and macro-physical properties as well as their radiative properties. This will also enhance our general understanding of cloud processes. In this analysis we look at remote sensing, in situ and reanalysis data from the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS), Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL), Cloud Radar System (CRS), GEOS-5 reanalysis data and GOES imagery obtained during the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4) airborne campaign. The MAS, CPL and CRS were mounted on the ER-2 high-altitude aircraft during this campaign. In situ observations of ice size and shape were made aboard the DC8 and WB57 aircrafts. We explore how thermodynamic phase, ice effective radius, particle shape and radar reflectivity vary with altitude and also investigate how these observed cloud properties vary with cloud type, cloud top temperature, relative humidity and wind profiles. Observed systematic relationships are supported by physical interpretations of cloud processes and any unexpected differences are examined.

  5. Storm-time variation of radiative cooling by Nitric Oxide as observed by TIMED-SABER and GUVI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunil Krishna, M. V.; Bharti, G.; Bag, T.

    2017-12-01

    The variation of O/N2 and nitric oxide radiative emission flux exiting thermosphere have been studied over northern hemisphere during the super-storm event of November 7-12, 2004. The data have been obtained from GUVI and SABER onboard the NASA's TIMED satellite. The NO radiative flux is observed to show an anti-correlation with O/N2 on a global scale. Both NO radiative flux and O/N2 ratio show equatorward motion with maximum penetration in western longitude sectors. A local variation of O, O2 and N2 densities have been calculated by using NRLMSISE-00 model over a mid-latitude location (55oN,180oE). On a local scale, model calculated O/O2 and O/N2 ratios are found to follow the observations made by GUVI. The SABER retrieved NO cooling rate (CR) at a local site suggests an enhancement during the storm period with the peak emission rate closely correlated to the progression of the storm. The peak emission altitude of NO CR moves upward during the main phase of the storm. The NO abundance has been calculated by using cooling rate and NOEM model. Both these suggest huge increase in NO density during the storm which is required to account the changes in NO radiative flux.

  6. A study of variation characteristics of Gobi broadband emissivity based on field observational experiments in northwestern China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Zhi-yuan; Wei, Zhi-gang; Wen, Zhi-ping; Dong, Wen-jie; Li, Zhen-chao; Wen, Xiao-hang; Zhu, Xian; Chen, Chen; Hu, Shan-shan

    2018-02-01

    Land surface emissivity is a significant variable in energy budgets, land cover assessments, and environment and climate studies. However, the assumption of an emissivity constant is being used in Gobi broadband emissivity (GbBE) parameterization scheme in numerical models because of limited knowledge surrounding the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of GbBE. To address this issue, we analyzed the variation characteristics of GbBE and possible impact factor-surface soil moisture based on long-term continuous and high temporal resolution field observational experiments over a typical Gobi underlying surface in arid and semiarid areas in northwestern China. The results indicate that GbBE has obvious daily and diurnal variation features, especially diurnal cycle characteristics. The multi-year average of the daily average of GbBE is in the range of 0.932 to 0.970 with an average of 0.951 ± 0.008, and the average diurnal GbBE is in the range of 0.880 to 0.940 with an average of 0.906 ± 0.018. GbBE varies with surface soil moisture content. We observed a slight decrease in GbBE with an increase in soil moisture, although this change was not very obvious because of the low soil moisture in this area. Nevertheless, we think that soil moisture must be one of the most significant impact factors on GbBE in arid and semiarid areas. Soil moisture must be taken into account into the parameterization schemes of bare soil broadband emissivity in land surface models. Additional field experiments and studies should be carried out in order to clarify this issue.

  7. Evaluation of the impact of observations on blended sea surface winds in a two-dimensional variational scheme using degrees of freedom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ting; Xiang, Jie; Fei, Jianfang; Wang, Yi; Liu, Chunxia; Li, Yuanxiang

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents an evaluation of the observational impacts on blended sea surface winds from a two-dimensional variational data assimilation (2D-Var) scheme. We begin by briefly introducing the analysis sensitivity with respect to observations in variational data assimilation systems and its relationship with the degrees of freedom for signal (DFS), and then the DFS concept is applied to the 2D-Var sea surface wind blending scheme. Two methods, a priori and a posteriori, are used to estimate the DFS of the zonal ( u) and meridional ( v) components of winds in the 2D-Var blending scheme. The a posteriori method can obtain almost the same results as the a priori method. Because only by-products of the blending scheme are used for the a posteriori method, the computation time is reduced significantly. The magnitude of the DFS is critically related to the observational and background error statistics. Changing the observational and background error variances can affect the DFS value. Because the observation error variances are assumed to be uniform, the observational influence at each observational location is related to the background error variance, and the observations located at the place where there are larger background error variances have larger influences. The average observational influence of u and v with respect to the analysis is about 40%, implying that the background influence with respect to the analysis is about 60%.

  8. AGB mass-loss variations: What can we learn from (sub)millimetre observations?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dehaes, S.; Groenewegen, M.A.T.; Decin, L.; Hony, S.; Raskin, G.; Blommaert, J.A.D.L.

    2008-01-01

    It is generally acknowledged that the mass loss of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars undergoes variations on different time scales. We address here the question of the influence of these variations on the spectral energy distribution (SED) of these sources. We therefore constructed models for the

  9. Target volume delineation in external beam partial breast irradiation: Less inter-observer variation with preoperative- compared to postoperative delineation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leij, Femke van der; Elkhuizen, Paula H.M.; Janssen, Tomas M.; Poortmans, Philip; Sangen, Maurice van der; Scholten, Astrid N.; Vliet-Vroegindeweij, Corine van; Boersma, Liesbeth J.

    2014-01-01

    The challenge of adequate target volume definition in external beam partial breast irradiation (PBI) could be overcome with preoperative irradiation, due to less inter-observer variation. We compared the target volume delineation for external beam PBI on preoperative versus postoperative CT scans of twenty-four breast cancer patients

  10. Contributions of chemical and diffusive exchange to T1ρ dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobb, Jared Guthrie; Xie, Jingping; Gore, John C

    2013-05-01

    Variations in local magnetic susceptibility may induce magnetic field gradients that affect the signals acquired for MR imaging. Under appropriate diffusion conditions, such fields produce effects similar to slow chemical exchange. These effects may also be found in combination with other chemical exchange processes at multiple time scales. We investigate these effects with simulations and measurements to determine their contributions to rotating frame (R1ρ ) relaxation in model systems. Simulations of diffusive and chemical exchange effects on R1ρ dispersion were performed using the Bloch equations. Additionally, R1ρ dispersion was measured in suspensions of Sephadex and latex beads with varying spin locking fields at 9.4 T. A novel analysis method was used to iteratively fit for apparent chemical and diffusive exchange rates with a model by Chopra et al. Single- and double-inflection points in R1ρ dispersion profiles were observed, respectively, in simulations of slow diffusive exchange alone and when combined with rapid chemical exchange. These simulations were consistent with measurements of R1ρ in latex bead suspensions and small-diameter Sephadex beads that showed single- and double-inflection points, respectively. These observations, along with measurements following changes in temperature and pH, are consistent with the combined effects of slow diffusion and rapid -OH exchange processes. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Observation of high coercive fields in chemically synthesized coated Fe-Pt nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dalavi, Shankar B.; Panda, Rabi N., E-mail: rnp@goa.bits-pilani.ac.in

    2017-04-15

    Nanocrystalline Fe-Pt alloys have been synthesized via chemical reduction route using various capping agents; such as: oleic acid/oleylamine (route-1) and oleic acid/CTAB (route-2). We could able to synthesize Fe50Pt and Fe54Pt alloys via route 1 and 2, respectively. As-prepared Fe-Pt alloys crystallize in disordered fcc phase with crystallite sizes of 2.3 nm and 6 nm for route-1 and route-2, respectively. Disordered Fe-Pt alloys were transformed to ordered fct phase after annealing at 600 °C. SEM studies confirm the spherical shape morphologies of annealed Fe-Pt nanoparticles with SEM particle sizes of 24.4 nm and 21.2 nm for route-1 and route-2, respectively. TEM study confirms the presence of 4.6 nm particles for annealed Fe50Pt alloys with several agglomerating clusters of bigger size and appropriately agrees well with the XRD study. Room temperature magnetization studies of as-prepared Fe-Pt alloys (fcc) show ferromagnetism with negligible coercivities. Average magnetic moments per particle for as-prepared Fe-Pt alloys were estimated to be 753 μ{sub B} and 814 μ{sub B}, for route 1 and 2, respectively. Ordered fct Fe-Pt alloys show high values of coercivities of 10,000 Oe and 10,792 Oe for route-1 and route-2, respectively. Observed magnetic properties of the fct Fe-Pt alloys nps were interpreted with the basis of order parameters, size, surface, and composition effects. - Highlights: • Synthesis of capped nanocrystalline Fe-Pt alloys via chemical routes. • Ordered fct phase were obtained at 600 °C. • Microstructural studies were carried out using SEM and TEM. • Investigation on evolution of magnetic properties from fcc to fct state. • Maximum values of coercivities up to 10,792 Oe were observed.

  12. Long-term observation of water-soluble chemical components in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at Okinawa, Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handa, Daishi; Somada, Yuka; Ijyu, Moriaki; Azechi, Sotaro; Nakaema, Fumiya; Arakaki, Takemitsu; Tanahara, Akira

    2010-05-01

    The economic development and population growth in recent Asia spread air pollution. Emission rate of air pollutants from Asia, in particular oxides of nitrogen, surpassed those from North America and Europe and should continue to exceed them for decades. The study of the long-range transported air pollution from Asian continent has gained a special attention in Japan because of increase in photochemical oxidants in relatively remote islands. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location in Asia is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. Bulk aerosol samples were collected on quartz filters by using a high volume air sampler. Sampling duration was one week for each sample. We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the bulk aerosols collected at the Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS) using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. We will report water-soluble chemical components data of anions, cations and DOC in bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at CHAAMS during August, 2005 to April, 2010. Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components showed that the concentrations were relatively low in summer, higher in fall and winter, and the highest in spring. When air mass came from Asian Continent, the concentrations of water-soluble chemical components were much higher compared to the other directions. In addition, we calculated background concentration of water-soluble chemical components at Okinawa

  13. Redox Variations in Early Solar System Materials and Implications for Late Stage Planetary Accretion and Planet Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Righter, K.

    2017-01-01

    Oxygen fugacity plays an important role in determining the detailed physical and chemical aspects of planets and their building blocks. Basic chemical properties such as the amount of oxidized Fe in a mantle (as FeO), the nature of alloying elements in the core (S, C, H, O, Si), and the solubility of various volatile elements in the silicate and metallic portions of embryos and planets can influence physical properties such as the size of the core, the liquidus and solidus of the mantle and core, and the speciation of volatile compounds contributing to atmospheres. This paper will provide an overview of the range of fO2 variation observed in primitive and differentiated materials that may have participated in accretion (cosmic dust, Star-dust and meteorites), a comparison to observations of planetary fO2 (Mercury, Mars and Earth), and a discus-sion of timing of variation of fO2 within both early and later accreted materials. This overview is meant to promote discussion and interaction between students of these two stages of planet formation to identify areas where more work is needed.

  14. Variations in the microseismic noise level observed at the Bucovina Seismic Array (BURAR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghica, Daniela; Radulian, Mircea; Popa, Mihaela

    2005-01-01

    The microseismic noise level analysis for a seismic array is an essential step to accurately process the data recorded by the system. Basically, the observed background noise is a complex combination of natural and cultural sources as local geology, specific area activity (roads traffic, agricultural and industrial activities) or weather conditions.The understanding of the BURAR site noise characteristics is important for the array specific techniques (beamforming, f-k analysis), to apply the correct bandpass filtering, in order to obtain noise suppression and conservation of the 'true' seismic signal. The array monitoring potential of very small earthquakes and explosions will be enhanced, based on the best signal-to-noise ratio.The noise study at BURAR was carried out over one-year period, considering the noise power spectra in a 0.1 to 10 Hz frequency interval, for every 24 hours: 5 minutes during day and 5 minutes during night. Only short-period vertical sensors were considered. Systematic variations in the microseismic noise level at the BURAR site were observed:- diurnal: a decreasing of about 40% in night noise level at 1 Hz frequency; at 6 Hz frequency, the decreasing could reach 80-90% for 'non-winter' months (May to October); - seasonal: during the winter time, a lower noise level is observed, due to the restraining of the local specific activity (especially agriculture and farming) and of the road traffic. To summarize the level of microseismic noise observed at BURAR for one-year observations, a model curve for array noise level has been estimated, including upper and lower bounds of noise power density together with average spectrum. The BURAR noise model will be useful in the process of local site conditions estimation, by eliminating the noise contribution from the array recording. Also, the detection processing, phase identification and events location procedures will be significantly improved. (authors)

  15. A mechanism of midlatitude noontime foE long-term variations inferred from European observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikhailov, A. V.; Perrone, L.; Nusinov, A. A.

    2017-04-01

    Manually scaled June noontime monthly median foE values at three European stations Rome, Juliusruh, and Slough/Chilton were used to understand the mechanism of foE long-term variations. The 11 year running mean smoothed foE manifests long-term (for some solar cycles) variations with the rising phase at the end of 1960-1985 and the falling phase after 1985. A close relationship (even in details) between (foEave)11y and (R12)11y variations with the correlation coefficient of 0.996 (absolutely significant according to Fisher F criterion) suggests that the Sun is the source of these (foEave)11y long-term variations. After removing solar activity long-term variations the residual (foEave)11y trend is very small ( 0.029% per decade) being absolutely insignificant. This means that all (foEave)11y variations are removed with one solar activity index, (R12)11y, i.e., this means that long-term variations are fully controlled by solar activity. Theory of midlatitude daytime E region tells us that long-term variations of solar EUV in two lines λ = 977 Å (CIII) and λ = 1025.7 Å (HLyβ) and X-ray radiation with λ foE long-term variations have a natural (not anthropogenic) origin related to long-term variations of solar activity. No peculiarities in relation with the last deep solar minimum in 2008-2009 have been revealed.

  16. Chemical Speciation and Bond Lengths of Organic Solutes by Core-Level Spectroscopy: pH and Solvent Influence on p-Aminobenzoic Acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, Joanna S; Gainar, Adrian; Suljoti, Edlira; Xiao, Jie; Golnak, Ronny; Aziz, Emad F; Schroeder, Sven L M

    2015-05-04

    Through X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies, the chemical, electronic and structural properties of organic species in solution can be observed. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements at the nitrogen K-edge of para-aminobenzoic acid reveal both pH- and solvent-dependent variations in the ionisation potential (IP), 1s→π* resonances and HOMO-LUMO gap. These changes unequivocally identify the chemical species (neutral, cationic or anionic) present in solution. It is shown how this incisive chemical state sensitivity is further enhanced by the possibility of quantitative bond length determination, based on the analysis of chemical shifts in IPs and σ* shape resonances in the NEXAFS spectra. This provides experimental access to detecting even minor variations in the molecular structure of solutes in solution, thereby providing an avenue to examining computational predictions of solute properties and solute-solvent interactions. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Metal and physico-chemical variations at a hydroelectric reservoir analyzed by Multivariate Analyses and Artificial Neural Networks: environmental management and policy/decision-making tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalcante, Y L; Hauser-Davis, R A; Saraiva, A C F; Brandão, I L S; Oliveira, T F; Silveira, A M

    2013-01-01

    This paper compared and evaluated seasonal variations in physico-chemical parameters and metals at a hydroelectric power station reservoir by applying Multivariate Analyses and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) statistical techniques. A Factor Analysis was used to reduce the number of variables: the first factor was composed of elements Ca, K, Mg and Na, and the second by Chemical Oxygen Demand. The ANN showed 100% correct classifications in training and validation samples. Physico-chemical analyses showed that water pH values were not statistically different between the dry and rainy seasons, while temperature, conductivity, alkalinity, ammonia and DO were higher in the dry period. TSS, hardness and COD, on the other hand, were higher during the rainy season. The statistical analyses showed that Ca, K, Mg and Na are directly connected to the Chemical Oxygen Demand, which indicates a possibility of their input into the reservoir system by domestic sewage and agricultural run-offs. These statistical applications, thus, are also relevant in cases of environmental management and policy decision-making processes, to identify which factors should be further studied and/or modified to recover degraded or contaminated water bodies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Observation of Zn vacancies in ZnO grown by chemical vapor transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tuomisto, F.; Saarinen, K. [Laboratory of Physics, Helsinki University of Technology, P.O. Box 1100, 02015 TKK (Finland); Grasza, K.; Mycielski, A. [Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw (Poland)

    2006-03-15

    We have used positron annihilation spectroscopy to study the vacancy defects in ZnO crystals grown by both the conventional and contactless chemical vapor transport (CVT and CCVT). Our results show that Zn vacancies or Zn vacancy related defects are present in as-grown ZnO, irrespective of the growth method. Zn vacancies are observed in CVT-grown undoped ZnO and (Zn,Mn)O. The Zn vacancies present in undoped CCVT-ZnO are the dominant negatively charged point defect in the material. Doping the material with As introduces also Zn vacancy-related defect complexes with larger open volume. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  19. Mass-induced sea level variations in the Red Sea from GRACE, steric-corrected altimetry, in situ bottom pressure records, and hydrographic observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, W.; Lemoine, J.-M.; Zhong, M.; Hsu, H. T.

    2014-08-01

    An annual amplitude of ∼18 cm mass-induced sea level variations (SLV) in the Red Sea is detected from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites and steric-corrected altimetry from 2003 to 2011. The annual mass variations in the region dominate the mean SLV, and generally reach maximum in late January/early February. The annual steric component of the mean SLV is relatively small (mass-induced SLV. In situ bottom pressure records at the eastern coast of the Red Sea validate the high mass variability observed by steric-corrected altimetry and GRACE. In addition, the horizontal water mass flux of the Red Sea estimated from GRACE and steric-corrected altimetry is validated by hydrographic observations.

  20. Vascular Variations Associated with Intracranial Aneurysms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orakdogen, Metin; Emon, Selin Tural; Somay, Hakan; Engin, Taner; Is, Merih; Hakan, Tayfun

    2017-01-01

    To investigate the vascular variations in patients with intracranial aneurysm in circle of Willis. We used the data on 128 consecutive intracranial aneurysm cases. Cerebral angiography images were analyzed retrospectively. Arteries were grouped as anterior cerebral arterial system (ACS), posterior cerebral arterial system (PCS) and middle cerebral arterial system (MCS) for grouping vascular variations. Lateralization, being single/multiple, gender; and also any connection with accompanying aneurysms" number, localization, dimension, whether bleeding/incidental aneurysm has been inspected. Variations were demonstrated in 57.8% of the cases. The most common variation was A1 variation (34.4%). The rate of variations was 36.7%, 24.2% and 10.2% respectively in ACS, PCS and MCS. MCS variations were significantly higher in males. Anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysm observance rates were significantly higher and posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysm and middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm observance rates were significantly lower when compared to "no ACS variation detected" cases. In "PCS variation detected" cases, PCoA aneurysm observance rates and coexistence of multiple variations were significantly higher. The rate of vascular variations in patients with aneurysms was 57.8%. Arterial hypoplasia and aplasia were the most common variations. ACS was the most common region that variations were located in; they were mostly detected on the right side. Coexistence of ACoA aneurysm was higher than PCoA and MCA aneurysms. In the PCS variations group, PCoA aneurysms were the most common aneurysms that accompanying the variation and multiple variations were more common than in the other two groups. The variations in MCS were most common in males.

  1. Observed variations in U.S. frost timing linked to atmospheric circulation patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, Courtenay; McCabe, Gregory J

    2017-05-23

    Several studies document lengthening of the frost-free season within the conterminous United States (U.S.) over the past century, and report trends in spring and fall frost timing that could stem from hemispheric warming. In the absence of warming, theory and case studies link anomalous frost timing to atmospheric circulation anomalies. However, recent efforts to relate a century of observed changes in U.S. frost timing to various atmospheric circulations yielded only modest correlations, leaving the relative importance of circulation and warming unclear. Here, we objectively partition the U.S. into four regions and uncover atmospheric circulations that account for 25-48% of spring and fall-frost timing. These circulations appear responsive to historical warming, and they consistently account for more frost timing variability than hemispheric or regional temperature indices. Reliable projections of future variations in growing season length depend on the fidelity of these circulation patterns in global climate models.

  2. Identification and observability problems of the induction motor for sensor-less industrial speed variation; Problemes d'identification et d'observabilite du moteur a induction pour la variation de vitesse industrielle sans capteur

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malrait, F.

    2001-02-15

    In order to improve the efficiency of a speed variator or to make autonomous the control of induction motors without mechanical sensor, the speed variator must integrate with a good precision the parameters of the motor to which it is connected. In this work, an identification phase when the motor is off is proposed. This raises the problem of the modeling of the induction motor and of the power stage (saturation model, voltage drop in the power stage components) in an unusual operation zone for a speed variator. The knowledge of the off-line electrical parameters is thus not sufficient. During normal operation, the thermal drift of resistors leads to a parametric error which can create blocking problems in the low sped domain or which can significantly lower the efficiency. The low-speed zone has been analyzed. This zone contains some intrinsic properties of the induction motor: instability, non-observability (first order). The synthesis of an observer of the induction motor is proposed which is based on the linearization of the system around a trajectory. A construction method has been developed to generate a non-singular observer for a system changing with time and having observability singularities. This result comes from this study on systems having controllability singularities for linear systems with time-variable coefficients. An exogenous loop is explicitly proposed which allows to transform the original system into integrator chains without singularities. (J.S.)

  3. Interstellar matrices: the chemical composition and evolution of interstellar ices as observed by ISO.

    Science.gov (United States)

    d'Hendecourt, L; Dartois, E

    2001-03-15

    Matrix isolation techniques have been developed in the early sixties as a tool for studying the spectroscopic properties of out of equilibrium species (atoms, radicals, ions, reactive molecules), embedded in rare gas inert matrices at low temperatures. Cold interstellar grains surfaces are able to condense out gas phase molecules, routinely observed by radioastronomy. These grain 'mantles' can be considered as 'interstellar matrices'. However, these matrices are not clean and unreactive. They are made principally of dirty ices whose composition must be determined carefully to assess the importance of the solid state chemistry that takes place in the Interstellar Medium. Infrared spectroscopy, both in astronomy and in the laboratory, is the unique tool to determine the chemical composition of these ices. Astronomical spectra can directly be compared with laboratory ones obtained using classical matrix isolation techniques. Furthermore, dedicated experiments may be undertaken to further improve the understanding of the basic physico-chemical processes that take place in cosmic ices.

  4. A variational approach to moment-closure approximations for the kinetics of biomolecular reaction networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bronstein, Leo; Koeppl, Heinz

    2018-01-01

    Approximate solutions of the chemical master equation and the chemical Fokker-Planck equation are an important tool in the analysis of biomolecular reaction networks. Previous studies have highlighted a number of problems with the moment-closure approach used to obtain such approximations, calling it an ad hoc method. In this article, we give a new variational derivation of moment-closure equations which provides us with an intuitive understanding of their properties and failure modes and allows us to correct some of these problems. We use mixtures of product-Poisson distributions to obtain a flexible parametric family which solves the commonly observed problem of divergences at low system sizes. We also extend the recently introduced entropic matching approach to arbitrary ansatz distributions and Markov processes, demonstrating that it is a special case of variational moment closure. This provides us with a particularly principled approximation method. Finally, we extend the above approaches to cover the approximation of multi-time joint distributions, resulting in a viable alternative to process-level approximations which are often intractable.

  5. On transient electric fields observed in chemical release experiments by rockets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marklund, G.; Brenning, N.; Holmgren, G.; Haerendel, G.

    1986-06-01

    As a follow-up to the successful chemical release experiment Trigger in 1977, the TOR (Trigger Optimized Repetition) rocket was launched from Esrange on Oct. 24, 1984. Like in the Trigger experiment a large amplitude electric field pulse of 200 mV/m was detected shortly after the explosion. The central part of the pulse was found to be clearly correlated with an intense layer of swept up ambient particles behind a propagating shock-front. The field was directed towards the centre of the expanding ionized cloud, which is indicative of a polarisation electric field source. Expressions for this radial polarisation field and the much weaker azimuthal induced electric field are derived from a simple cylindrical model for the field and the expanding neutral cloud. Time profiles of the radial electric field are shown to be in good agreement with observations. (authors)

  6. Kinetics of methane fermentation yield in biogas reactors: Genetic variation and association with chemical composition in maize

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grieder, Christoph; Mittweg, Greta; Dhillon, Baldev S.; Montes, Juan M.; Orsini, Elena; Melchinger, Albrecht E.

    2012-01-01

    Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most competitive crop for methane production in Germany. Methane fermentation yield per unit of dry matter (MFY) is a determinant of methane yield, but little information is available on this trait. Our objectives were to investigate the kinetics of MFY during fermentation of maize, estimate quantitative-genetic parameters for different traits related to MFY and examine the relationship of MFY with chemical composition and silage quality. Whole-plant material of 16 inbreds and their 32 testcrosses was analyzed for MFY over 35 days of fermentation using a discontinuous laboratory assay. Data were also generated on chemical composition and in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM). Significant genotypic variances and high heritabilities were observed for MFY at early fermentation stages (up to 5 days) probably due to different concentrations of easily degradable chemical components. However, genotypic variances and heritability of MFY reduced as fermentation progressed, because of complete or partial degradation of all chemical components. Further, there were strong correlations of MFY with chemical components at early fermentation stages but not at later stages. Therefore, MFY at later stages, which is closer to potential MFY, does not seem to be amenable to selection. High heritability of IVDOM and its strong correlation with MFY in testcrosses indicated its possible use for preliminary or indirect selection. Keeping in view the magnitude of genetic variance that was low for MFY and high for dry matter yield (DMY), the other component of methane yield, more emphasis on breeding for DMY seems appropriate. -- Highlights: ► We investigated methane fermentation yield (MFY) of diverse germplasm of maize. ► The kinetics of MFY and its correlations with chemical composition were examined. ► Genetic variance and heritability for MFY decreased with fermentation time. ► Complete fermentation (35 d) reduced correlations of MFY with chemical

  7. Small Scale Chemical Segregation Within Keplerian Disk Candidate G35.20-0.74N

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Veronica; van der Tak, Floris; Sánchez-Monge, Álvaro; Cesaroni, Riccardo; Beltrán, Maria T.

    2016-06-01

    In the study of high-mass star formation, hot cores are empirically defined stages where chemically rich emission is detected toward a massive protostar. It is unknown whether the physical origin of this emission is a disk, inner envelope, or outflow cavity wall and whether the hot core stage is common to all massive stars. With the advent of the highly sensitive sub-millimeter interferometer, ALMA, the ability to chemically characterize high mass star forming regions other than Orion has become possible. In the up-and-coming field of observational astrochemistry, these sensitive high resolution observations have opened up opportunities to find small scale variations in young protostellar sources.We have done an in depth analysis of high spatial resolution (~1000 AU) Cycle 0 ALMA observations of the high mass star forming region G35.20-0.74N, where Sánchez-Monge et al (2013) found evidence for Keplerian rotation. After further chemical analysis, numerous complex organic species have been identified in this region and we notice an interesting asymmetry in the distribution of the Nitrogen-bearing species within this source. In my talk, I will briefly outline the case for the disk and the consequences for this hypothesis following the chemical segregation we have seen.

  8. Spatial and seasonal variations of the chemical, mineralogical and morphological features of quasi-ultrafine particles (PM{sub 0.49}) at urban sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Samara, Constantini, E-mail: csamara@chem.auth.gr [Department of Chemistry, Environmental Pollution Control Laboratory, Aristotle University, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece); Kantiranis, Nikolaos; Kollias, Panagiotis [Department of Geology, Division of Mineralogy-Petrology-Economic Geology, Aristotle University, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece); Planou, Styliani; Kouras, Athanasios; Besis, Athanasios; Manoli, Evangelia; Voutsa, Dimitra [Department of Chemistry, Environmental Pollution Control Laboratory, Aristotle University, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece)

    2016-05-15

    Combining chemical and physical-structural information of particles is a key issue in PM investigations. Chemical, mineralogical, and morphological characterization of quasi-ultrafine particles (PM{sub 0.49}) was carried out at two urban sites of varying traffic-influence (roadside and urban background) in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, during the cold and the warm period of 2013. Bulk analyses of chemical species included organic and elemental carbon (OC, EC), water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), ionic species (NO{sub 3}{sup −}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2−}, Cl{sup −}, Na{sup +}, NH{sub 4}{sup +}, K{sup +}, Mg{sup 2+}, Ca{sup 2+}) and trace elements (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, and Ir). X-ray diffractometry (XRD) was employed for the mineralogical analysis of PM{sub 0.49} in order to identify and quantify amorphous and crystalline phases. In addition, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) was employed for morphological characterization and elemental microanalysis of individual particles. Findings of this work could provide the basis for designing epidemiological and toxicity studies to mitigate population exposure to UFPs. - Highlights: • Chemical, mineralogical, and morphological features of PM{sub 0.49} were investigated. • PM{sub 0.49} levels were highest at the traffic site during wintertime. • PM{sub 0.49} mass was dominated by OM, minerals, EC and secondary ions. • Chemical mass closure showed significant seasonal and spatial variations. • Mineralogical composition was dominated by the organic amorphous phase.

  9. Chemical diversity and antileishmanial activity of crude extracts of Laurencia complex (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta from Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernanda L. da S. Machado

    Full Text Available Chemical profiles of extracts of four species from Laurencia complex (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta from different populations collected along Southeast Brazilian coast were assessed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with a Diode Array Detector in order to observe geographic chemical variability. Aiming to evaluate the impact of chemical diversity on potential pharmaceutical uses, the extracts were tested against the promastigote form of Leishmania amazonensis. The most active extracts were submitted to anti-amastigote and cytotoxicity assays. Principal Component Analysis of the chromatograms resulted in four major groups of chemical profiles according to the presence of leishmanicidal chamigranes (--elatol and obtusol. The existence of chemotypes, displaying variable pharmacological action, is proposed for the differences observed in L. dendroidea samples. Although all extracts were found active against promastigote form of L. amazonensis, their efficacy was remarkably different and not related to the variation of (--elatol and obtusol, which indicates the presence of additional compounds with antileishmanial activity. Moreover, the active extracts also displayed anti-amastigote activity and none of them were considered cytotoxic. The results highlight that the knowledge of chemical geographic variability can be valuable in the search of new antileishmanial compounds from marine sources.

  10. Storm Time Variation of Radiative Cooling by Nitric Oxide as Observed by TIMED-SABER and GUVI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharti, Gaurav; Sunil Krishna, M. V.; Bag, T.; Jain, Puneet

    2018-02-01

    The variation of O/N2 (reference to N2 column density 1017 cm-2) and nitric oxide radiative emission flux exiting the thermosphere have been studied over the Northern Hemisphere during the superstorm event of 7-12 November 2004. The data have been obtained from Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) and Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. The NO radiative flux is observed to show an anti-correlation with O/N2 on a global scale. Both NO radiative flux and O/N2 ratio show equatorward motion with maximum penetration in western longitude sectors. A local variation of O, O2, and N2 densities have been calculated using NRLMSISE-00 model over a midlatitude location (55°N,180°E). On a local scale, model calculated O/O2 and O/N2 ratios are found to follow the observations made by GUVI. The collisional excitation of NO with atomic oxygen is the most dominant process for the total cooling rate. The SABER-retrieved NO cooling rate (CR) at a local site suggests an enhancement during the storm period with the peak emission rate closely correlated to the progression of the storm. The peak emission altitude of NO CR moves upward during the main phase of the storm. The NO abundance has been calculated by using cooling rate and Nitric Oxide Empirical Model (NOEM) model. Both these suggest a vary large (3-15 times) increase in NO density during the storm, which is required to account the changes in NO radiative flux. A similar kind of enhancement in NO abundance is also noticed in Student Nitric Oxide Explorer observations during intense geomagnetic storms.

  11. Chemical variations in the Cerro de Mercado (Durango, Mexico) fluorapatite: Assessing the effect of heterogeneity on a geochronologic standard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyce, J. W.; Hodges, K. V.

    2001-12-01

    Despite the lack of an official pronouncement, the fluorapatite of Cerro de Mercado, Durango, Mexico has become the de facto standard for (U-Th)/He geochronology. In addition to being relatively inclusion-free and easily obtained, these crystals are commonly in excess of 5mm in diameter, permitting the removal of the outer skin of the crystal, theoretically eliminating the alpha-ejection correction. However, bulk analyses of the Durango fluorapatite indicate a substantial variation in U and Th concentrations from aliquot to aliquot (167-238 ppm Th; 9.7-12.3 ppm U, [1]). If similar variations were to occur on the sub-grain scale, small fragments of single crystals could contain helium excesses or deficiencies due to alpha-ejection exchange between zones with varying parent element content. We have performed a series of experiments to quantify the intra-grain variation in U and Th, in order to model the effect of this variation on ages determined on Durango fluorapatite. X-ray maps show concentric zonation in U and Th, with similar, but more apparently pronounced zonation in Si and Cl. Preliminary laser-ablation ICPMS data indicate, not surprisingly, that intra-grain variations in U and Th concentrations obtained by analysis of ~35 μ m spots are larger than that which had been previously obtained by bulk analytical techniques (with overall concentrations greater than for bulk analyses). Thus far, analyses yield U concentrations varying from 11 to 16 ppm, and Th concentrations ranging from 220 to 340 ppm. Modeling underway suggests that parent element variations on the order of 50%, such as those observed, and the resulting differential alpha-exchange could lead to several percent error in age, for ~100 μ m fragments. The effect scales inversely with fragment size, with 300 μ m fragments (roughly the size of a large, single grain analysis) having only ~1% error. This may offer an explanation for the previously observed inability to reproduce ages for the Durango

  12. Investigation of short and long term trends in chemical composition of Eastern Mediterranean aerosols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    A collaborative study was started with the Middle East Technical University, Environmental Engineering Department in 2004 in order to determine the transport of air pollutants and their deposition rates to Eastern Mediterranean with the ultimate aim of filling the gaps in knowledge on the current status of Eastern Mediterranean air quality profile. Collection sufficient amount of representative samples, analyzes of the collected samples with high accuracy and precision and interpretation of generated data are crucial efforts. To attain this goal, EDXRF spectrometer, which is a rapid, reliable and sensitive analytical instrument, located at our center was employed in analysis of the collected samples after calibration with 'NIST 2783 Air Particles on Filter'. The effectiveness of the control strategies taken on the emissions was discussed by investigating the short and long term variations in the chemical composition of samples collected between 1993 and 2001 at Antalya station. In this context, generated data set was studied for short (daily) term, seasonal and long term variations. It has been found that short term variations in the concentrations of pollutants in short time scale are highly episodic. The concentration of measured pollutants was changed 10-20 folds in the subsequent two days. The most important factors affecting the chemical composition of pollutants in short time interval are meteorological factors such as precipitation and variations observed at the emission strength of pollutants. The declined in Pb concentrations at the Antalya station was attributed to observed decrease in Pb emissions in Europe after the introduction of leaded gasoline. Highest summer averages were reported for anthropogenic pollutants in summer months. Aegean Sea (Izmir-Aliaga) studies of the project will be completed this year

  13. Summary of daily observational results of solar phenomena, cosmic ray, geomagnetic variation, ionosphere, radio wave propagation and airglow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1976-01-01

    The diagrams in this section of the publication illustrate the summary of daily observational results of solar phenomena, cosmic ray, geomagnetic variation, ionosphere, radio wave propagation and airglow observed in Japan. For convenience, the observational results are arranged by the solar rotation number. The aim of this illustration is to disseminate an outline of daily events observed in Japan for the benefit of active research workers who plan to make detailed study of the specific solar and terrestrial events. Therefore, the illustrations do not show all observational results in Japan but only representative ones at some key stations in Japan. They will suffice for the present purpose. The method of illustration shown in the instruction on the next page is still a preliminary one, and it is subject to change resulting from the kind advice of the users of this part of the publication. We welcome any advice for making the data arrangement and expression better and more convenient. (auth.)

  14. Thermal-Chemical Model Of Subduction: Results And Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorczyk, W.; Gerya, T. V.; Connolly, J. A.; Yuen, D. A.; Rudolph, M.

    2005-12-01

    Seismic structures with strong positive and negative velocity anomalies in the mantle wedge above subduction zones have been interpreted as thermally and/or chemically induced phenomena. We have developed a thermal-chemical model of subduction, which constrains the dynamics of seismic velocity structure beneath volcanic arcs. Our simulations have been calculated over a finite-difference grid with (201×101) to (201×401) regularly spaced Eulerian points, using 0.5 million to 10 billion markers. The model couples numerical thermo-mechanical solution with Gibbs energy minimization to investigate the dynamic behavior of partially molten upwellings from slabs (cold plumes) and structures associated with their development. The model demonstrates two chemically distinct types of plumes (mixed and unmixed), and various rigid body rotation phenomena in the wedge (subduction wheel, fore-arc spin, wedge pin-ball). These thermal-chemical features strongly perturb seismic structure. Their occurrence is dependent on the age of subducting slab and the rate of subduction.The model has been validated through a series of test cases and its results are consistent with a variety of geological and geophysical data. In contrast to models that attribute a purely thermal origin for mantle wedge seismic anomalies, the thermal-chemical model is able to simulate the strong variations of seismic velocity existing beneath volcanic arcs which are associated with development of cold plumes. In particular, molten regions that form beneath volcanic arcs as a consequence of vigorous cold wet plumes are manifest by > 20% variations in the local Poisson ratio, as compared to variations of ~ 2% expected as a consequence of temperature variation within the mantle wedge.

  15. SO2 columns over China: Temporal and spatial variations using OMI and GOME-2 observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huanhuan, Yan; Liangfu, Chen; Lin, Su; Jinhua, Tao; Chao, Yu

    2014-01-01

    Enhancements of SO 2 column amounts due to anthropogenic emission sources over China were shown in this paper by using OMI and GOME-2 observations. The temporal and spatial variations of SO 2 columns over China were analyzed for the time period 2005–2010. Beijing and Chongqing showed a high concentration in the SO 2 columns, attributable to the use of coal for power generation in China and the characteristic of terrain and meteorology. The reduction of SO 2 columns over Beijing and surrounding provinces in 2008 was observed by OMI, which confirms the effectiveness of strict controls on pollutant emissions and motor vehicle traffic before and during 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The SO 2 columns over China from GOME-2 (0.2–0.5 DU) were lower than those from OMI (0.6–1 DU), but both showed a decrease in SO 2 columns over northern China since 2008 (except an increase in OMI SO 2 in 2010)

  16. SO2 columns over China: Temporal and spatial variations using OMI and GOME-2 observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huanhuan, Yan; Liangfu, Chen; Lin, Su; Jinhua, Tao; Chao, Yu

    2014-03-01

    Enhancements of SO2 column amounts due to anthropogenic emission sources over China were shown in this paper by using OMI and GOME-2 observations. The temporal and spatial variations of SO2 columns over China were analyzed for the time period 2005-2010. Beijing and Chongqing showed a high concentration in the SO2 columns, attributable to the use of coal for power generation in China and the characteristic of terrain and meteorology. The reduction of SO2 columns over Beijing and surrounding provinces in 2008 was observed by OMI, which confirms the effectiveness of strict controls on pollutant emissions and motor vehicle traffic before and during 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The SO2 columns over China from GOME-2 (0.2-0.5 DU) were lower than those from OMI (0.6-1 DU), but both showed a decrease in SO2 columns over northern China since 2008 (except an increase in OMI SO2 in 2010).

  17. Synopsis of the temporal variation of particulate matter composition and size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demerjian, Kenneth L; Mohnen, Volker A

    2008-02-01

    A synopsis of the detailed temporal variation of the size and number distribution of particulate matter (PM) and its chemical composition on the basis of measurements performed by several regional research consortia funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PM Supersite Program is presented. This program deployed and evaluated a variety of research and emerging commercial measurement technologies to investigate the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric aerosols at a level of detail never before achieved. Most notably these studies demonstrated that systematic size-segregated measurements of mass, number, and associated chemical composition of the fine (PM2.5) and ultrafine (PM0.1) fraction of ambient aerosol with a time resolution down to minutes and less is achievable. A wealth of new information on the temporal variation of aerosol has been added to the existing knowledge pool that can be mined to resolve outstanding research and policy-related questions. This paper explores the nature of temporal variations (on time scales from several minutes to hours) in the chemical and physical properties of PM and its implications in the identification of PM formation processes, and source attribution (primary versus secondary), the contribution of local versus transported PM and the development of effective PM control strategies. The PM Supersite results summarized indicate that location, time of day, and season significantly influence not only the mass and chemical composition but also the size-resolved chemical/elemental composition of PM. Ambient measurements also show that ultrafine particles have different compositions and make up only a small portion of the PM mass concentration compared with inhalable coarse and fine particles, but their number concentration is significantly larger than their coarse or fine counterparts. PM size classes show differences in the relative amounts of nitrates, sulfates, crustal materials, and most especially

  18. SABER Observations of the OH Meinel Airglow Variability Near the Mesopause

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Daniel R.; Smith, Anne K.; Mlynczak, Martin G.

    2005-01-01

    The Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument, one of four on board the TIMED satellite, observes the OH Meinel emission at 2.0 m that peaks near the mesopause. The emission results from reactions between members of the oxygen and hydrogen chemical families that can be significantly affected by mesopause dynamics. In this study we compare SABER measurements of OH Meinel emission rates and temperatures with predictions from a 3-dimensional chemical dynamical model. In general, the model is capable of reproducing both the observed diurnal and seasonal OH Meinel emission variability. The results indicate that the diurnal tide has a large effect on the overall magnitude and temporal variation of the emission in low latitudes. This tidal variability is so dominant that the seasonal cycle in the nighttime emission depends very strongly on the local time of the analysis. At higher latitudes, the emission has an annual cycle that is due mainly to transport of oxygen by the seasonally reversing mean circulation.

  19. Diurnal variation in zooplankton in the Zuari Estuary, west coast of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Padmavati, G.; Goswami, S.C.; Vidya, P.S.

    Variations in zooplankton biomass and population density in relation to the prevailing hydrographical conditions were studied in Zuari Estuary, Goa. The physico-chemical parameters showed limited variations. Zooplankton biomass was relatively more...

  20. Variational methods for chemical and nuclear reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crawford, O.H.

    1977-01-01

    All the variational functionals are derived which satisfy certain criteria of suitability for molecular and nuclear scattering, below the threshold energy for three-body breakup. The existence and uniqueness of solutions are proven. The most general suitable functional is specialized, by particular values of its parameters, to Kohn's taneta, Kato's cot(eta-theta), the inverse Kohn coeta, Kohn's S matrix, our S matrix, Lane and Robson's functional, and several new functionals, an infinite number of which are contained in the general expression. Four general ways of deriving algebraic methods from a given functional are discussed, and illustrated with specific algebraic results. These include equations of Lane and Robson and of Kohn, the fundamental R matrix relation, and new equations. The relative configuration space is divided as in the Wigner R matrix theory, and trial wavefunctions are needed for only the region where all the particles are interacting. In addition, a version of the general functional is presented which does not require any division of space

  1. Interannual Variation in Offshore Advection of Amazon-Orinoco Plume Waters: Observations, Forcing Mechanisms, and Impacts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fournier, S.; Vandemark, D. C.; Gaultier, L.; Lee, T.; Jonsson, B. F.; Gierach, M. M.

    2017-12-01

    Sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the tropical Atlantic east of the Lesser Antilles, a region impacted by freshwater advection from the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers have potential implications to late-summer tropical cyclones (TCs). This study examines these variations during late summer and their forcing mechanisms using observations. During the period 2010-2014, the largest difference in plume-affected area, defined as the extent covered by SSS lower than 35.5 pss, is found between 2011 and 2014. Plume waters covered 92% (60%) of the study region in 2011 (2014) with the averaged SSS in the study region being 2-pss lower in 2011. Lagrangian particle tracking based on satellite-derived ocean currents is used to diagnose the impacts of the river plumes on SSS and SST during 2010-2014. Northward freshwater flux in the summer of 2014 is significantly weaker than those in 2010-2013. This is not due to interannual discharge variability, but significant changes in eddy-driven transport and cross-shore winds. In particular, the stronger cross-shore wind in May 2014 restricted offshore freshwater flow, leading to a smaller extent of the plume-affected area. Persistent SST gradients are often found near the plume edge, which may have implication to ocean-atmosphere coupling associated with TC-related convection. SST in the study region is 1°C higher in 2010 than in other years, and is related to basin-scale ocean-atmosphere processes. Interannual variation in Amazon advective pathways and the associated SSS changes are also influenced by changes in the ITCZ position between 2011 and 2014.

  2. Variation in global chemical composition of PM2.5: emerging results from SPARTAN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snider, Graydon; Weagle, Crystal L.; Murdymootoo, Kalaivani K.; Ring, Amanda; Ritchie, Yvonne; Stone, Emily; Walsh, Ainsley; Akoshile, Clement; Anh, Nguyen Xuan; Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar; Brook, Jeff; Qonitan, Fatimah D.; Dong, Jinlu; Griffith, Derek; He, Kebin; Holben, Brent N.; Kahn, Ralph; Lagrosas, Nofel; Lestari, Puji; Ma, Zongwei; Misra, Amit; Norford, Leslie K.; Quel, Eduardo J.; Salam, Abdus; Schichtel, Bret; Segev, Lior; Tripathi, Sachchida; Wang, Chien; Yu, Chao; Zhang, Qiang; Zhang, Yuxuan; Brauer, Michael; Cohen, Aaron; Gibson, Mark D.; Liu, Yang; Vanderlei Martins, J.; Rudich, Yinon; Martin, Randall V.

    2016-08-01

    , India). Comparison of SPARTAN vs. coincident measurements from the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network at Mammoth Cave yielded a high degree of consistency for daily PM2.5 (r2 = 0.76, slope = 1.12), daily sulfate (r2 = 0.86, slope = 1.03), and mean fractions of all major PM2.5 components (within 6 %). Major ions generally agree well with previous studies at the same urban locations (e.g. sulfate fractions agree within 4 % for 8 out of 11 collocation comparisons). Enhanced anthropogenic dust fractions in large urban areas (e.g. Singapore, Kanpur, Hanoi, and Dhaka) are apparent from high Zn : Al ratios.The expected water contribution to aerosols is calculated via the hygroscopicity parameter κv for each filter. Mean aggregate values ranged from 0.15 (Ilorin) to 0.28 (Rehovot). The all-site parameter mean is 0.20 ± 0.04. Chemical composition and water retention in each filter measurement allows inference of hourly PM2.5 at 35 % relative humidity by merging with nephelometer measurements. These hourly PM2.5 estimates compare favourably with a beta attenuation monitor (MetOne) at the nearby US embassy in Beijing, with a coefficient of variation r2 = 0.67 (n = 3167), compared to r2 = 0.62 when κv was not considered. SPARTAN continues to provide an open-access database of PM2.5 compositional filter information and hourly mass collected from a global federation of instruments.

  3. Strain Variation along Cimandiri Fault, West Java Based on Continuous and Campaign GPS Observation From 2006-2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safitri, A. A.; Meilano, I.; Gunawan, E.; Abidin, H. Z.; Efendi, J.; Kriswati, E.

    2018-03-01

    The Cimandiri fault which is running in the direction from Pelabuhan Ratu to Padalarang is the longest fault in West Java with several previous shallow earthquakes in the last 20 years. By using continues and campaign GPS observation from 2006-2016, we obtain the deformation pattern along the fault through the variation of strain tensor. We use the velocity vector of GPS station which is fixed in stable International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2008 to calculate horizontal strain tensor. Least Square Collocation is applied to produce widely dense distributed velocity vector and optimum scale factor for the Least Square Weighting matrix. We find that the strain tensor tend to change from dominantly contraction in the west to dominantly extension to the east of fault. Both the maximum shear strain and dilatation show positive value along the fault and increasing from the west to the east. The findings of strain tensor variation along Cimandiri Fault indicate the post seismic effect of the 2006 Java Earthquake.

  4. Variations of leaf N and P concentrations in shrubland biomes across northern China: phylogeny, climate, and soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xian; Chi, Xiulian; Ji, Chengjun; Liu, Hongyan; Ma, Wenhong; Mohhammat, Anwar; Shi, Zhaoyong; Wang, Xiangping; Yu, Shunli; Yue, Ming; Tang, Zhiyao

    2016-08-01

    Concentrations of leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are two key traits of plants for ecosystem functioning and dynamics. Foliar stoichiometry varies remarkably among life forms. However, previous studies have focused on the stoichiometric patterns of trees and grasses, leaving a significant knowledge gap for shrubs. In this study, we explored the intraspecific and interspecific variations of leaf N and P concentrations in response to the changes in climate, soil property, and evolutionary history. We analysed 1486 samples composed of 163 shrub species from 361 shrubland sites in northern China encompassing 46.1° (86.7-132.8° E) in longitude and 19.8° (32.6-52.4° N) in latitude. Leaf N concentrations decreased with precipitation, while leaf P concentrations decreased with temperature and increased with precipitation and soil total P concentrations. Both leaf N and P concentrations were phylogenetically conserved, but leaf P concentrations were less conserved than leaf N concentrations. At the community level, climate explained more interspecific variation of leaf nutrient concentrations, while soil nutrients explained most of the intraspecific variation. These results suggested that leaf N and P concentrations responded to climate, soil, and phylogeny in different ways. Climate influenced the community chemical traits through the shift in species composition, whereas soil directly influenced the community chemical traits. New patterns were discovered using our observations on specific regions and vegetation types, which improved our knowledge of broad biogeographic patterns of leaf chemical traits.

  5. Salinity variations and chemical compositions of waters in the Frio Formation, Texas Gulf Coast. Annual report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morton, R.A.; Garrett, C.M. Jr.; Posey, J.S.; Han, J.H.; Jirik, L.A.

    1981-11-01

    Waters produced from sandstone reservoirs of the deep Frio Formation exhibit spatial variations in chemical composition that roughly coincide with the major tectonic elements (Houston and Rio Grande Embayments, San Marcos Arch) and corresponding depositional systems (Houston and Norias deltas, Greta-Carancahua barrier/strandplain system) that were respectively active along the upper, lower, and middle Texas Coast during Frio deposition. Within an area, salinities are usually depth dependent, and primary trends closely correspond to pore pressure gradients and thermal gradients. Where data are available (mainly in Brazoria County) the increases in TDS and calcium with depth coincide with the zone of albitization, smectite-illite transition, and calcite decrease in shales. Waters have fairly uniform salinities when produced from the same sandstone reservoir within a fault block or adjacent fault blocks with minor displacement. In contrast, stratigraphically equivalent sandstones separated by faults with large displacement usually yield waters with substantially different salinities owing to the markedly different thermal and pressure gradients across the faults that act as barriers to fluid movement.

  6. Case studies on the physical-chemical parameters' variation during three different purification approaches destined to treat wastewaters from food industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghimpusan, Marieta; Nechifor, Gheorghe; Nechifor, Aurelia-Cristina; Dima, Stefan-Ovidiu; Passeri, Piero

    2017-12-01

    The paper presents a set of three interconnected case studies on the depuration of food processing wastewaters by using aeration & ozonation and two types of hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor (MBR) approaches. A secondary and more extensive objective derived from the first one is to draw a clearer, broader frame on the variation of physical-chemical parameters during the purification of wastewaters from food industry through different operating modes with the aim of improving the management of water purification process. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), total nitrogen, specific nitrogen (NH 4 + , NO 2 - , NO 3 - ) total phosphorous, and total surfactants were the measured parameters, and their influence was discussed in order to establish the best operating mode to achieve the purification performances. The integrated air-ozone aeration process applied in the second operating mode lead to a COD decrease by up to 90%, compared to only 75% obtained in a conventional biological activated sludge process. The combined purification process of MBR and ozonation produced an additional COD decrease of 10-15%, and made the Total Surfactants values to comply to the specific legislation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Phytoecdysteroids and flavonoid glycosides among Chilean and commercial sources of Chenopodium quinoa: variation and correlation to physico-chemical characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graf, Brittany L; Rojo, Leonel E; Delatorre-Herrera, Jose; Poulev, Alexander; Calfio, Camila; Raskin, Ilya

    2016-01-30

    Little is known about varietal differences in the content of bioactive phytoecdysteroids (PE) and flavonoid glycosides (FG) from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). The aim of this study was to determine the variation in PE and FG content among 17 distinct quinoa sources and identify correlations to genotypic (highland vs. lowland) and physico-chemical characteristics (seed color, 100-seed weight, protein content, oil content). PE and FG concentrations exhibited over four-fold differences across quinoa sources, ranging from 138 ± 11 µg g(-1) to 570 ± 124 µg g(-1) total PE content and 192 ± 24 µg g(-1) to 804 ± 91 µg g(-1) total FG content. Mean FG content was significantly higher in highland Chilean varieties (583.6 ± 148.9 µg g(-1)) versus lowland varieties (228.2 ± 63.1 µg g(-1)) grown under the same environmental conditions (P = 0.0046; t-test). Meanwhile, PE content was positively and significantly correlated with oil content across all quinoa sources (r = 0.707, P = 0.002; Pearson correlation). FG content may be genotypically regulated in quinoa. PE content may be increased via enhancement of oil content. These findings may open new avenues for the improvement and development of quinoa as a functional food. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. Long time-series of chemical and isotopic compositions of Vesuvius fumaroles: evidence for deep and shallow processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berardino Bocchino

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Long time-series of chemical and isotopic compositions of Vesuvius fumaroles were acquired in the framework of the volcanic surveillance in the 1998-2010 period. These allow the identification of processes that occur at shallow levels in the hydrothermal system, and variations that are induced by deep changes in volcanic activity. Partial condensation processes of fumarolic water under near-discharge conditions can explain the annual 18O and deuterium variabilities that are observed at Vesuvius fumaroles. Significant variations in the chemical compositions of fumaroles occurred over the 1999-2002 period, which accompanied the seismic crisis of autumn 1999, when Vesuvius was affected by the most energetic earthquakes of its last quiescence period. A continuous increase in the relative concentrations of CO2 and He and a general decrease in the CH4 concentrations are interpreted as the consequence of an increment in the relative amount of magmatic fluids in the hydrothermal system. Gas equilibria support this hypothesis, showing a PCO2 peak that culminated in 2002, increasing from values of ~40 bar in 1998 to ~55-60 bar in 2001-2002. We propose that the seismic crisis of 1999 marked the arrival of the magmatic fluids into the hydrothermal system, which caused the observed geochemical variations that started in 1999 and culminated in 2002.

  9. How to tackle chemical communication? Relative proportions versus semiquantitative determination of compounds in lizard chemical secretions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Roa, Roberto; Sáiz, Jorge; Gómara, Belén; López, Pilar; Martín, José

    2018-02-01

    Knowledge about chemical communication in some vertebrates is still relatively limited. Squamates are a glaring example of this, even when recent evidences indicate that scents are involved in social and sexual interactions. In lizards, where our understanding of chemical communication has considerably progressed in the last few years, many questions about chemical interactions remain unanswered. A potential reason for this is the inherent complexity and technical limitations that some methodologies embody when analyzing the compounds used to convey information. We provide here a straightforward procedure to analyze lizard chemical secretions based on gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry that uses an internal standard for the semiquantification of compounds. We compare the results of this method with those obtained by the traditional procedure of calculating relative proportions of compounds. For such purpose, we designed two experiments to investigate if these procedures allowed revealing changes in chemical secretions 1) when lizards received previously a vitamin dietary supplementation or 2) when the chemical secretions were exposed to high temperatures. Our results show that the procedure based on relative proportions is useful to describe the overall chemical profile, or changes in it, at population or species levels. On the other hand, the use of the procedure based on semiquantitative determination can be applied when the target of study is the variation in one or more particular compounds of the sample, as it has proved more accurate detecting quantitative variations in the secretions. This method would reveal new aspects produced by, for example, the effects of different physiological and climatic factors that the traditional method does not show.

  10. Factors impacting the electro conductivity variations of clayey soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouhadi, V. R.; Goodarzi, A. R.

    2007-01-01

    The variation of pore fluid properties in soil has a major effect on soil behaviour. This effect is a function of pore fluid properties and soil mineralogy. Such variation usually happens in the reservoirs of dams or in some geotechnical projects. The electro conductivity measurement is a simple method to monitor any variation in the pore fluid of soils. electro conductivity is the ability of a material to transmit (conduct) an electrical current. This paper focuses attention on the effect of soil-pore fluid interaction on the electro conductivity of clayey soils. A set of physico-chemical experiments are performed and the role of different factors including soil pH, soil mineralogy, soil: water ratio, cation and anion effects are investigated. The results of this study indicate that for soil that has a relatively low CEC, the anion type is an important factor, while the cation type does not noticeably affect the electro conductivity of the soil-solution. However, for such soil, an electrolyte property, i.e. its solubility, is much more effective than the CEC of the soil. In addition, it was observed that in the presence of neutral salts such as pore fluid, the pH of the soil-solution decreases causing an increase in the electro conductivity of the soil sample

  11. Tides and lake-level variations in the great Patagonian lakes: Observations, modelling and geophysical implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marderwald, Eric; Richter, Andreas; Horwath, Martin; Hormaechea, Jose Luis; Groh, Andreas

    2016-04-01

    In Patagonia, the glacial-isostatic adjustment (GIA) to past ice-mass changes (Ivins & James 2004; Klemann et al. 2007) is of particular interest in the context of the determination of the complex regional rheology related to plate subduction in a triple-junction constellation. To further complicate the situation, GIA is overlaid with load deformation not only due to present ice mass changes but also due to water-level changes in the lakes surrounding the icefields and the ocean surrounding Patagonia. These elastic deformations affect the determination of glacial-isostatic uplift rates from GPS observations (Dietrich et al. 2010; Lange et al. 2014). Observations of lake tides and their comparison with the theoretical tidal signal have been used previously to validate predictions of ocean tidal loading and have revealed regional deviations from conventional global elastic earth models (Richter et al. 2009). In this work we investigate the tides and lake-level variations in Lago Argentino, Lago Viedma, Lago San Martín/O'Higgins and Lago Buenos Aires/General Carrera. This allows us to test, among other things, the validity of tidal loading models. We present pressure tide-gauge records from two sites in Lago Argentino extending over 2.5 years (Richter et al. 2015). These observations are complemented by lake-level records provided by the Argentine National Hydrometeorological Network. Based on these lake-level time series the principal processes affecting the lake level are identified and quantified. Lake-level changes reflecting variations in lake volume are dominated by a seasonal cycle exceeding 1 m in amplitude. Lake-volume changes occur in addition with a daily period in response to melt water influx from surrounding glaciers. In Lago Argentino sporadic lake-volume jumps are caused by bursting of the ice dam of Perito Moreno glacier. Water movements in these lakes are dominated by surface seiches reaching 20 cm in amplitude. A harmonic tidal analysis of the lake

  12. Inter-observer variation in delineation of the heart and left anterior descending coronary artery in radiotherapy for breast cancer: a multi-centre study from Denmark and the UK

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lorenzen, Ebbe L; Taylor, Carolyn W; Maraldo, Maja

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To determine the extent of inter-observer variation in delineation of the heart and left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) and its impact on estimated doses. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Nine observers from five centres delineated the heart and LADCA on fifteen patient...... guidelines were used. In contrast, for the LADCA there was substantial variation in the estimated dose, which was not reduced with guidelines....

  13. GPS-tracking and colony observations reveal variation in offshore habitat use and foraging ecology of breeding Sandwich Terns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fijn, R. C.; de Jong, J.; Courtens, W.; Verstraete, H.; Stienen, E. W. M.; Poot, M. J. M.

    2017-09-01

    Breeding success of seabirds critically depends on their foraging success offshore. However, studies combining at-sea tracking and visual provisioning observations are scarce, especially for smaller species of seabirds. This study is the first in which breeding Sandwich Terns were tracked with GPS-loggers to collect detailed data on foraging habitat use in four breeding seasons. The maximum home range of individual Sandwich Terns comprised approximately 1900 km2 and the average foraging range was 27 km. Trip durations were on average 135 min with average trip lengths of 67 km. Actual foraging behaviour comprised 35% of the time budget of a foraging trip. Substantial year-to-year variation was found in habitat use and trip variables, yet with the exception of 2012, home range size remained similar between years. Food availability, chick age and environmental conditions are proposed as the main driving factors between inter- and intra-annual variations in trip variables. Our multi-method approach also provided geo-referenced information on prey presence and we conclude that future combining of colony observations and GPS-loggers deployments can potentially provide a near complete insight into the feeding ecology of breeding Sandwich Terns, including the behaviour of birds at sea.

  14. Inter-observer variation in the interpretation of chest radiographs for pneumonia in community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hopstaken, R.M. E-mail: rogier.hopstaken@hag.unimaas.nl; Witbraad, T.; Engelshoven, J.M.A. van; Dinant, G.J

    2004-08-01

    AIM: To assess inter-observer variation in the interpretation of chest radiographs of individuals with pneumonia versus those without pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest radiographs of out-patients with a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) were assessed for the presence of infiltrates by radiologists from three local hospitals and were reassessed by one university hospital radiologist. Various measures of inter-observer agreement were calculated. RESULTS: The observed proportional agreement was 218 in 243 patients (89.7%). Kappa was 0.53 (moderate agreement) with a 95% confidence interval of 0.37 to 0.69. The observed positive agreement (59%) was much lower than for negative agreement (94%). Kappa was considerably lower, if chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was present ({kappa}=0.20) or Streptococcus pneumoniae ({kappa}=-0.29) was the infective agent. CONCLUSION: The overall inter-observer agreement adjusted for chance was moderate. Inter-observer agreement in cases with pneumonia was much worse than the agreement in negative (i.e. non-pneumonia) cases. A general practitioner's selection of patients with a higher chance of having pneumonia for chest radiography would thus not improve the observer agreement.

  15. Inter-observer variation in the interpretation of chest radiographs for pneumonia in community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopstaken, R.M.; Witbraad, T.; Engelshoven, J.M.A. van; Dinant, G.J.

    2004-01-01

    AIM: To assess inter-observer variation in the interpretation of chest radiographs of individuals with pneumonia versus those without pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest radiographs of out-patients with a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) were assessed for the presence of infiltrates by radiologists from three local hospitals and were reassessed by one university hospital radiologist. Various measures of inter-observer agreement were calculated. RESULTS: The observed proportional agreement was 218 in 243 patients (89.7%). Kappa was 0.53 (moderate agreement) with a 95% confidence interval of 0.37 to 0.69. The observed positive agreement (59%) was much lower than for negative agreement (94%). Kappa was considerably lower, if chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was present (κ=0.20) or Streptococcus pneumoniae (κ=-0.29) was the infective agent. CONCLUSION: The overall inter-observer agreement adjusted for chance was moderate. Inter-observer agreement in cases with pneumonia was much worse than the agreement in negative (i.e. non-pneumonia) cases. A general practitioner's selection of patients with a higher chance of having pneumonia for chest radiography would thus not improve the observer agreement

  16. Significant Variation of Post-critical SsPmp Amplitude as a Result of Variation in Near-surface Velocity: Observations from the Yellowknife Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferragut, G.; Liu, T.; Klemperer, S. L.

    2017-12-01

    In recent years Virtual Deep Seismic Sounding (VDSS) emerged as a novel method to image the Moho, which uses the post-critical reflection P waves at the Moho generated by teleseismic S waves at the free surface near the receivers (SsPmp). However, observed SsPmp sometimes have significantly lower amplitude than predicted, raising doubts among the seismic community on the theoretical basis of the method. With over two decades of continuous digital broadband records and major subduction zones in the range of 30-50 degrees, the Yellowknife Array in northern Canada provides a rich opportunity for observation of post-critical SsPmp. We analyze S wave coda of events with epicenter distances of 30-50°, and pay special attention to earthquakes in a narrow azimuth range that ­­­encompasses the Kamchatka Peninsula. Among 21 events with strong direct S energy on the radial components, we observe significant variation of SsPmp energy. After associating the SsPmp energy with the virtual source location of each event, we observe a general trend of decreasing SsPmp energy from NE to SW. As the trend coincides with the transition from exposed basement of the Slave Craton to Paleozoic platform covered by Phanerozoic sediment, we interpret the decreasing SsPmp energy as a result of lower S velocity at the virtual sources, which reduces S-to-P reflection coefficients. We plan to include more events from the Aleutian Islands, the virtual sources of which are primarily located in the Paleozoic platform. This will allow us to further investigate the relationship between SsPmp amplitude and near-surface velocity.

  17. Links between Natural Variation in the Microbiome and Host Fitness in Wild Mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Taichi A

    2017-10-01

    Recent studies in model organisms have shown that compositional variation in the microbiome can affect a variety of host phenotypes including those related to digestion, development, immunity, and behavior. Natural variation in the microbiome within and between natural populations and species may also affect host phenotypes and thus fitness in the wild. Here, I review recent evidence that compositional variation in the microbiome may affect host phenotypes and fitness in wild mammals. Studies over the last decade indicate that natural variation in the mammalian microbiome may be important in the assistance of energy uptake from different diet types, detoxification of plant secondary compounds, protection from pathogens, chemical communication, and behavior. I discuss the importance of combining both field observations and manipulative experiments in a single system to fully characterize the functions and fitness effects of the microbiome. Finally, I discuss the evolutionary consequences of mammal-microbiome associations by proposing a framework to test how natural selection on hosts is mediated by the microbiome. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Excitation Location and Seasonal Variation of Transoceanic Infragravity Waves Observed at an Absolute Pressure Gauge Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tonegawa, T.; Fukao, Y.; Shiobara, H.; Sugioka, H.; Ito, A.; Yamashita, M.

    2018-01-01

    An array of 10 absolute pressure gauges (APGs) deployed in deep water 50 km east of Aogashima, an island in southern Japan, observed several isolated signals in the infragravity wave (IGW) frequency band (0.002-0.03 Hz) during boreal summer, whereas relatively high IGW energy persisted during boreal winter. The isolated IGW shows dispersion with a delay time of 4-5 days as a function of frequency. Here we estimate the excitation locations of IGWs for the two seasons with estimated incoming direction of IGW, calculation of transoceanic IGW trajectories and propagation times, and spatiotemporal variations of significant wave heights from WAVEWATCH III. In boreal summer, the isolated IGWs are primarily caused by IGW energies excited at the shoreline of South America, based on the following three observations: IGWs observed at the array originated from the east: the easterly ray path from the array reaches South America: and an event-like IGWs were observed at the array when a storm approaches eastward to the shoreline of South America, in which the observed delay time of 4-5 days was also supported by the frequency-dependent calculation of IGW propagation times. In boreal winter, the incessant IGWs consist of transoceanic IGW energies leaked from the shoreline, primarily from North America, and secondly from South America and the western Aleutian Islands.

  19. Long-time observation of annual variation of Taiwan Strait upwelling in summer season

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, D. L.; Kawamura, H.; Guan, L.

    The Taiwan Strait is between Taiwan Island and Mainland China, where several upwelling zones are well known for good fishing grounds. Earlier studies in the strait have been conducted on detecting upwelling by ship measurements with short-term cruises, but long-term variations of upwelling in this region are not understood. The present paper examines satellite images for a long-time observation of two major upwelling zones in the Taiwan Strait: Taiwan Bank Upwelling (TBU) and Dongshan Upwelling (DSU). Sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) images have been analyzed for summer months (June, July, and August) from 1980 to 2002. Results reveal annual variation of two upwelling zones. These two upwelling zones occur every year characterized with distinct low water temperature and high Chl-a concentrations. During the period from 1989 to 1998, SST is found to be 1.15 °C lower in TBU, and 1.42 °C lower in the DSU than the Taiwan Strait. The size of DSU has been found to be larger during summer of 1989, 1990, 1993 and 1995; TBU has been found to be weak during summer of 1994 and 1997. Ocean color images obtained from CZCS, OCI, and SeaWiFS also show high Chl-a concentrations (0.8-2.5 mg m-3) in two upwelling zones, which coincide with low SST in terms of location, shape, and time. These high Chl-a concentrations in TBU and DSU may be related to upwelling waters that bring nutrients from bottom to surface. The present results also show the potential of using satellite data for monitoring of ocean environment for long time period.

  20. Observer variation in chest radiography of acute lower respiratory infections in children: a systematic review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swingler, George H

    2001-01-01

    Knowledge of the accuracy of chest radiograph findings in acute lower respiratory infection in children is important when making clinical decisions. I conducted a systematic review of agreement between and within observers in the detection of radiographic features of acute lower respiratory infections in children, and described the quality of the design and reporting of studies, whether included or excluded from the review. Included studies were those of observer variation in the interpretation of radiographic features of lower respiratory infection in children (neonatal nurseries excluded) in which radiographs were read independently and a clinical population was studied. I searched MEDLINE, HealthSTAR and HSRPROJ databases (1966 to 1999), handsearched the reference lists of identified papers and contacted authors of identified studies. I performed the data extraction alone. Ten studies of observer interpretation of radiographic features of lower respiratory infection in children were identified. Seven of the studies satisfied four or more of the seven design and reporting criteria. Six studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Inter-observer agreement varied with the radiographic feature examined. Kappa statistics ranged from around 0.80 for individual radiographic features to 0.27–0.38 for bacterial vs viral etiology. Little information was identified on observer agreement on radiographic features of lower respiratory tract infections in children. Agreement varied with the features assessed from 'fair' to 'very good'. Aspects of the quality of the methods and reporting need attention in future studies, particularly the description of criteria for radiographic features

  1. In-situ observation of the chemical erosion of graphite in the scrape-off-layer of TEXTOR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Philipps, V.; Vietzke, E.; Erdweg, M.

    1989-01-01

    A sniffer probe system has been used to investigate the chemical erosion during interaction of the TEXTOR scrape-off plasma with a pyrolytic graphite plate at temperatures up to 1400 0 C. Floating potential conditions as well as 200 V bias has been applied at plasma ion fluxes of about 10 18 ions/cm 2 sec. Methane formation was found to be 8x10 -3 CH 4 /H and 1.5x10 -2 CD 4 /D + for room temperature graphite and floating potential increasing by a factor of two at temperature around 500 0 C. Biasing the graphite decreases the methane yield at room temperature and increase it in the maximum temperature range. CO formation due to chemical interaction of oxygen ions with the graphite reaches ratios between 3 and 6x10 -2 CO/D(H) near the limiter edge under normal TEXTOR scrape-off conditions and exceeds the chemical hydro-(deutero-)carbon formation significantly. The results are discussed in view of the present status of hydro-(deutero-)carbon formation on graphite and carbon impurity observations made in fusion experiments. (orig.)

  2. Direct-push geochemical profiling for assessment of inorganic chemical heterogeneity in aquifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulmeister, M.K.; Healey, J.M.; Butler, J.J.; McCall, G.W.

    2004-01-01

    Discrete-depth sampling of inorganic groundwater chemistry is essential for a variety of site characterization activities. Although the mobility and rapid sampling capabilities of direct-push techniques have led to their widespread use for evaluating the distribution of organic contaminants, complementary methods for the characterization of spatial variations in geochemical conditions have not been developed. In this study, a direct-push-based approach for high-resolution inorganic chemical profiling was developed at a site where sharp chemical contrasts and iron-reducing conditions had previously been observed. Existing multilevel samplers (MLSs) that span a fining-upward alluvial sequence were used for comparison with the direct-push profiling. Chemical profiles obtained with a conventional direct-push exposed-screen sampler differed from those obtained with an adjacent MLS because of sampler reactivity and mixing with water from previous sampling levels. The sampler was modified by replacing steel sampling components with stainless-steel and heat-treated parts, and adding an adapter that prevents mixing. Profiles obtained with the modified approach were in excellent agreement with those obtained from an adjacent MLS for all constituents and parameters monitored (Cl, NO3, Fe, Mn, DO, ORP, specific conductance and pH). Interpretations of site redox conditions based on field-measured parameters were supported by laboratory analysis of dissolved Fe. The discrete-depth capability of this approach allows inorganic chemical variations to be described at a level of detail that has rarely been possible. When combined with the mobility afforded by direct-push rigs and on-site methods of chemical analysis, the new approach is well suited for a variety of interactive site-characterization endeavors. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Decadal trends in the diurnal variation of galactic cosmic rays observed using neutron monitor data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, Simon [Reading Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Meteorology; Univ. College London, Dorking (United Kingdom). Mullard Space Science Lab.; Owens, Mathew; Lockwood, Mike [Reading Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Meteorology; Owen, Chris [Univ. College London, Dorking (United Kingdom). Mullard Space Science Lab.

    2017-10-01

    The diurnal variation (DV) in galactic cosmic ray (GCR) flux is a widely observed phenomenon in neutron monitor data. The background variation considered primarily in this study is due to the balance between the convection of energetic particles away from the Sun and the inward diffusion of energetic particles along magnetic field lines. However, there are also times of enhanced DV following geomagnetic disturbances caused by coronal mass ejections or corotating interaction regions. In this study we investigate changes in the DV over four solar cycles using ground-based neutron monitors at different magnetic latitudes and longitudes at Earth. We divide all of the hourly neutron monitor data into magnetic polarity cycles to investigate cycle-to-cycle variations in the phase and amplitude of the DV. The results show, in general, a similarity between each of the A<0 cycles and A>0 cycles, but with a phase change between the two. To investigate this further, we split the neutron monitor data by solar magnetic polarity between times when the dominant polarity was either directed outward (positive) or inward (negative) at the northern solar pole. We find that the maxima and minima of the DV changes by, typically, 1-2 h between the two polarity states for all non-polar neutron monitors. This difference between cycles becomes even larger in amplitude and phase with the removal of periods with enhanced DV caused by solar wind transients. The time difference between polarity cycles is found to vary in a 22-year cycle for both the maximum and minimum times of the DV. The times of the maximum and minimum in the DV do not always vary in the same manner between A>0 and A<0 polarity cycles, suggesting a slight change in the anisotropy vector of GCRs arriving at Earth between polarity cycles. Polar neutron monitors show differences in phase between polarity cycles which have asymptotic directions at mid-to-high latitudes. All neutron monitors show changes in the amplitude of the

  4. Lagrangian Characterization of the Sources and Chemical Transformation of Airmasses Observed by the NASA DC-8 During ICARTT/INTEX-A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Saadi, J.; Pierce, R. B.; Fairlie, T. D.; Kittaka, C.; Schaack, T. K.; Zapotocny, T.; Johnson, D. R.; Avery, M. A.; Thompson, A.; Cohen, R. C.; Dibb, J. E.; Crawford, J. H.; Rault, D. F.; Szykman, J. J.; Martin, R.

    2005-12-01

    The global component of the Regional Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS global) was used to provide atmospheric chemical composition forecasts for flight planning purposes during the 2004 ICARTT/INTEX-A measurement campaign. A unique aspect of these predictions is that satellite ozone observations, including high-vertical-resolution stratospheric profiles, are assimilated to improve the chemical forecasts. Post mission analysis has focused on using Lagrangian back trajectories, initialized from the NASA DC-8 flight track, to characterize the airmasses sampled by the DC-8. In this analysis the dynamical and chemical fields generated by the RAQMS-global prediction are sampled by 5-day back trajectories and then composited to identify the source regions and chemical and dynamical influences on the sampled airmasses. We briefly demonstrate the fidelity of the RAQMS global predictions through comparisons with ozonesonde and aircraft insitu measurements. We then show results of the Lagrangian source analysis to demonstrate the contributions of chemical and dynamical processes to the observed airmass composition, particularly focusing on budgets of ozone and nitrogen oxides. Our analysis shows that the middle and upper tropospheric air sampled over the continental US during July 2004 was strongly influenced by remote source regions including the central Pacific lower stratosphere, eastern Pacific mid troposphere, Canadian free troposphere, and maritime air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas. Convective vertical exchange during long range transport of these air masses results in a vertical coupling between the upper and lower troposphere, with Lagrangian averaged convective sinks of upper tropospheric ozone and convective sources of lower tropospheric and boundary layer ozone.

  5. Long-term observation of water-soluble chemical components and acid-digested metals in the total suspended particles collected at Okinawa, Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handa, D.; Okada, K.; Kuroki, Y.; Nakama, Y.; Nakajima, H.; Somada, Y.; Ijyu, M.; Azechi, S.; Oshiro, Y.; Nakaema, F.; Miyagi, Y.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

    2011-12-01

    The economic growth and population increase in recent Asia have been increasing air pollution. Emission rate of air pollutants from Asia, in particular oxides of nitrogen, surpassed those from North America and Europe and should continue to exceed them for decades. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location is ideal in observing East Asia's air quality because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background clean air and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. We collected total suspended particles (TSP) on quartz filters by using a high volume air sampler at the Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS), Okinawa, Japan during August 2005 and August 2010. Sampling duration was one week for each sample. We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and acid-digested metals in TSP samples using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, total organic carbon analyzer and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively. Seasonal variation of water-soluble chemical components and acid-digested metals showed that the concentrations were the lowest in summer, higher in fall and winter, and the highest in spring. When air mass came from Asian continent, the concentrations of water-soluble chemical components and acid-digested metals were much higher compared to the other directions, suggesting long-range transport of air pollutants from Asian continent. Also, when the air mass came from Asian continent (75-100% dominant), the mean concentrations of non-sea salt sulfate and nitrate increased ca. 1.8 times and ca. 3.7 times, respectively between 2005 and 2010, and the ratio of nitrate to

  6. Variations in the chemical speciation behaviour of radioiodines in the Tarapur Boiling Water Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venkateswaran, G.; Gokhale, A.S.; Moorthy, P.N.

    1998-01-01

    The chemical behaviour of radioiodines in the primary coolant of the Tarapur Boiling Water Reactor has been studied under different operating conditions. During normal operation, radioiodines speciated mainly as I - (≅60%) and IO 3 - (≅35%) with 2 . At 1-5 h into reactor shutdown conditions, radioiodines existed predominantly as IO 3 - species (>80%). Beyond 5 h after shutdown, quantitative conversion of IO 3 - to I - was observed to occur in about 20 h duration. Long time after reactor shutdown, radioiodines were present in the coolant as I - species only. A quantitative conversion of near carrier-free IO 3 - to I - was observed in laboratory low dose rate (0.95 kGy/h), low and high dose gamma irradiation experiments in near neutral solutions both in absence and presence of externally added H 2 O 2 . However, near carrier-free I - solutions irradiated under the same conditions yielded ≅15% IO 3 - species only which is in agreement with the literature data. The radioiodine speciation behaviour in reactor water has been explained by a qualitative model coupling iodine release from defective fuel elements and the associated gamma irradiation effects. (author)

  7. Seasonal Variation in the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Volatile Oils of Three Species of Leptospermum (Myrtaceae Grown in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Lelis Pinheiro

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the seasonal variation of three species of Leptospermum (Myrtaceae grown in Brazil. The chemical composition of the volatile oils of L. flavescens and L. petersonii did not show any significant seasonal variation in the major components, while for Leptospermum madidum subsp. sativum the levels of major constituents of the volatile oils varied with the harvest season. Major fluctuations in the composition of L. madidum subsp. sativum oil included α-pinene (0–15.2%, β-pinene (0.3–18.5%, α-humulene (0.8–30%, 1,8-cineole (0.4–7.1% and E-caryophyllene (0.4–11.9%. Levels of β-pinene (0.3–5.6%, terpinen-4-ol (4.7–7.2% and nerolidol (55.1–67.6% fluctuated seasonally in the L. flavescens oil. In L. petersonii, changes were noted for geranial (29.8–32.8%, citronellal (26.5–33.9% and neral (22.7–23.5%. The activity of the volatile oils against the tested bacteria differed, depending on season the oils were obtained. In general, the volatile oils were more active against Gram-positive bacteria.

  8. Latitudinal and longitudinal variation in aerosol characteristics from ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The physical and chemical properties of aerosols are strong ... Keywords. Aerosol optical characteristics; latitudinal and longitudinal variations; Bay of Bengal; Arabian Sea; pre- ...... of global sources of atmospheric soil dust identified with the ...

  9. Estimation of the variations of ventilation rate and indoor radon concentration using the observed wind velocity and indoor-outdoor temperature difference

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagano, Katsuhiro; Inose, Yuichi; Kojima, Hiroshi

    2006-01-01

    The indoor radon concentration in the building depends on the ventilation rate. Measurement results of indoor-outdoor pressure difference showed the ventilation rate correlated closely with the indoor-outdoor pressure difference. The observation results showed that one of factor of indoor-outdoor pressure difference was the wind velocity. When the wind velocity is small, the ventilation rate is affected by the indoor-outdoor temperature difference and the effect depends on the wind velocity. The temporal variation of indoor radon concentration was predicted by the time depending indoor radon balance model and the ventilation rate estimated from the wind velocity and the indoor-outdoor temperature difference. The temporal variations of predicted radon concentration gave good agreement with the experimental values. The measurement method, indoor radon concentration and ventilation rate, factors of temporal variation of ventilation rate, and prediction of indoor radon concentration are reported. (S.Y.)

  10. Implications for risk assessment of host factors causing large pharmacokinetic variations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vesell, E.S.

    1985-12-01

    Normal human subjects vary widely in their capacity to eliminate many drugs and environmental chemicals. These variations range in magnitude from fourfold to fortyfold depending on the drug and the population studied. Pharmacogenetics deals with only one of many host factors responsible for these large pharmacokinetic differences. Age, sex, diet and exposure to other drugs and chemicals, including oral contraceptives, ethanol and cigarette smoking, can alter the genetically determined rate at which a particular subject eliminates drugs and environmental chemicals. These elimination rates, therefore, are dynamic and change even in the same subject with time and condition. Regulatory legislation has only recently begun to recognize this very broad spectrum of human susceptibility and the existence of multiple special subgroups of particularly sensitive subjects. In setting standards for environmental chemicals, EPA and NIOSH have attempted to protect the most sensitive humans and should be encouraged to continue this policy. For some drugs and environmental chemicals, the commonly used safety factor of 100 may be too low; for these chemicals large, interindividual pharmacokinetic variations produced by pharmacogenetic and other host factors may make a safety factor of 400 or 500 more adequate.

  11. Simultaneous monitoring of singlet and triplet exciton variations in solid organic semiconductors driven by an external static magnetic field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Baofu, E-mail: b.ding@ecu.edu.au; Alameh, Kamal, E-mail: k.alameh@ecu.edu.au [Electron Science Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027 (Australia)

    2014-07-07

    The research field of organic spintronics has remarkably and rapidly become a promising research area for delivering a range of high-performance devices, such as magnetic-field sensors, spin valves, and magnetically modulated organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). Plenty of microscopic physical and chemical models based on exciton or charge interactions have been proposed to explain organic magneto-optoelectronic phenomena. However, the simultaneous observation of singlet- and triplet-exciton variations in an external magnetic field is still unfeasible, preventing a thorough theoretical description of the spin dynamics in organic semiconductors. Here, we show that we can simultaneously observe variations of singlet excitons and triplet excitons in an external magnetic field, by designing an OLED structure employing a singlet-exciton filtering and detection layer in conjunction with a separate triplet-exciton detection layer. This OLED structure enables the observation of a Lorentzian and a non-Lorentzian line-shape magnetoresponse for singlet excitons and triplet excitons, respectively.

  12. Simultaneous monitoring of singlet and triplet exciton variations in solid organic semiconductors driven by an external static magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, Baofu; Alameh, Kamal

    2014-01-01

    The research field of organic spintronics has remarkably and rapidly become a promising research area for delivering a range of high-performance devices, such as magnetic-field sensors, spin valves, and magnetically modulated organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). Plenty of microscopic physical and chemical models based on exciton or charge interactions have been proposed to explain organic magneto-optoelectronic phenomena. However, the simultaneous observation of singlet- and triplet-exciton variations in an external magnetic field is still unfeasible, preventing a thorough theoretical description of the spin dynamics in organic semiconductors. Here, we show that we can simultaneously observe variations of singlet excitons and triplet excitons in an external magnetic field, by designing an OLED structure employing a singlet-exciton filtering and detection layer in conjunction with a separate triplet-exciton detection layer. This OLED structure enables the observation of a Lorentzian and a non-Lorentzian line-shape magnetoresponse for singlet excitons and triplet excitons, respectively.

  13. Atmospheric pressure, density, temperature and wind variations between 50 and 200 km

    Science.gov (United States)

    Justus, C. G.; Woodrum, A.

    1972-01-01

    Data on atmospheric pressure, density, temperature and winds between 50 and 200 km were collected from sources including Meteorological Rocket Network data, ROBIN falling sphere data, grenade release and pitot tube data, meteor winds, chemical release winds, satellite data, and others. These data were analyzed by a daily difference method and results on the distribution statistics, magnitude, and spatial structure of the irregular atmospheric variations are presented. Time structures of the irregular variations were determined by the analysis of residuals from harmonic analysis of time series data. The observed height variations of irregular winds and densities are found to be in accord with a theoretical relation between these two quantities. The latitude variations (at 50 - 60 km height) show an increasing trend with latitude. A possible explanation of the unusually large irregular wind magnitudes of the White Sands MRN data is given in terms of mountain wave generation by the Sierra Nevada range about 1000 km west of White Sands. An analytical method is developed which, based on an analogy of the irregular motion field with axisymmetric turbulence, allows measured or model correlation or structure functions to be used to evaluate the effective frequency spectra of scalar and vector quantities of a spacecraft moving at any speed and at any trajectory elevation angle.

  14. Variations of tropospheric methane over Japan during 1988–2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taku Umezawa

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available We present observations of CH4 concentrations from the lower to upper troposphere (LT and UT over Japan during 1988–2010 based on aircraft measurements from the Tohoku University (TU. The analysis is aided by simulation results using an atmospheric chemistry transport model (i.e. ACTM. Tropospheric CH4 over Japan shows interannual and seasonal variations that are dependent on altitudes, primarily reflecting differences in air mass origins at different altitudes. The long-term trend and interannual variation of CH4 in the LT are consistent with previous reports of measurements at surface baseline stations in the northern hemisphere. However, those in the UT show slightly different features from those in the LT. In the UT, CH4 concentrations show a seasonal maximum in August due to efficient transport of air masses influenced by continental CH4 sources, while LT CH4 reaches its seasonal minimum during summer due to enhanced chemical loss. Vertical profiles of the CH4 concentrations also vary with season, reflecting the seasonal cycles at the respective altitudes. In summer, transport of CH4-rich air from Asian regions elevates UT CH4 levels, forming a uniform vertical profile above the mid-troposphere. On the other hand, CH4 decreases nearly monotonically with altitude in winter–spring. The ACTM simulations with different emission scenarios reproduce general features of the tropospheric CH4 variations over Japan. Tagged tracer simulations using the ACTM indicate substantial contributions of CH4 sources in South Asia and East Asia to the summertime high CH4 values observed in the UT. This suggests that our observations over Japan are highly sensitive to CH4 emission signals particularly from Asia.

  15. An investigation of the inter-clonal variation of the interactive effects of cadmium and Microcystis aeruginosa on the reproductive performance of Daphnia magna

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Coninck, Dieter I.M.; Janssen, Colin R.; De Schamphelaere, Karel A.C.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Interaction of a metal and cyanobacterium in 20 genetically distinct waterflea clones. •All observed effects were non-interactive. •This contrasted expectations based on shared modes of toxic action. -- Abstract: Interactive effects between chemical and natural stressors as well as genetically determined variation in stress tolerance among individuals may complicate risk assessment and management of chemical pollutants in natural ecosystems. Although genetic variation in tolerance to single stressors has been described extensively, genetic variation in interactive effects between two stressors has only rarely been investigated. Here, we examined the interactive effects between a chemical stressor (Cd) and a natural stressor (the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa) on the reproduction of Daphnia magna in 20 genetically different clones using a full-factorial experimental design and with the independent action model of joint stressor action as the reference theoretical framework. Across all clones, the reduction of 21-day reproduction compared to the control treatment (no Cd, no M. aeruginosa) ranged from −10% to 98% following Cd exposure alone, from 44% to 89% for Microcystis exposure alone, and from 61% to 98% after exposure to Cd + Microcystis combined. Three-way ANOVA on log-transformed reproduction data of all clones together did not detect a statistically significant Cd × Microcystis interaction term (F-test, p = 0.11), meaning that on average both stressors do not interact in inhibiting reproductive performance of D. magna. This finding contrasted expectations based on some known shared mechanisms of toxicity of Cd and Microcystis and therefore cautions against making predictions of interactive chemical + natural stressor effects from incomplete knowledge on affected biological processes and pathways. Further, still based on three-way ANOVA, we did not find statistically significant clone × Cd × Microcystis interaction when data for

  16. An investigation of the inter-clonal variation of the interactive effects of cadmium and Microcystis aeruginosa on the reproductive performance of Daphnia magna

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Coninck, Dieter I.M., E-mail: Dieter.DeConinck@UGent.be; Janssen, Colin R.; De Schamphelaere, Karel A.C.

    2013-09-15

    Highlights: •Interaction of a metal and cyanobacterium in 20 genetically distinct waterflea clones. •All observed effects were non-interactive. •This contrasted expectations based on shared modes of toxic action. -- Abstract: Interactive effects between chemical and natural stressors as well as genetically determined variation in stress tolerance among individuals may complicate risk assessment and management of chemical pollutants in natural ecosystems. Although genetic variation in tolerance to single stressors has been described extensively, genetic variation in interactive effects between two stressors has only rarely been investigated. Here, we examined the interactive effects between a chemical stressor (Cd) and a natural stressor (the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa) on the reproduction of Daphnia magna in 20 genetically different clones using a full-factorial experimental design and with the independent action model of joint stressor action as the reference theoretical framework. Across all clones, the reduction of 21-day reproduction compared to the control treatment (no Cd, no M. aeruginosa) ranged from −10% to 98% following Cd exposure alone, from 44% to 89% for Microcystis exposure alone, and from 61% to 98% after exposure to Cd + Microcystis combined. Three-way ANOVA on log-transformed reproduction data of all clones together did not detect a statistically significant Cd × Microcystis interaction term (F-test, p = 0.11), meaning that on average both stressors do not interact in inhibiting reproductive performance of D. magna. This finding contrasted expectations based on some known shared mechanisms of toxicity of Cd and Microcystis and therefore cautions against making predictions of interactive chemical + natural stressor effects from incomplete knowledge on affected biological processes and pathways. Further, still based on three-way ANOVA, we did not find statistically significant clone × Cd × Microcystis interaction when data for

  17. Annual variation in the composition of major nutrients of the common starfish (Asterias Rubens)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van der Heide, Marleen Elise; Møller, Lene Friis; Petersen, Jens Kjerulf

    2018-01-01

    To study the annual variation in the composition of nutrients relevant to pig and poultry feeding, monthly samples of starfish (Asterias Rubens) were taken in Denmark. The effect of different locations and starfish sizes was also assessed. Crude protein (CP) and phosphorus were high from February...... and calcium levels. The most profound differences between locations were observed in May. The seasonal pattern in chemical composition seemed related to spawning and gonadal developments. Large and medium sized starfish caught between February and May will be most suitable for pig and poultry feed....

  18. Areal variation and chemical modification of weathered shale infiltration characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luxmoore, R.J.; Spalding, B.P.; Munro, I.M.

    1981-01-01

    Spatial variability of infiltration into a weathered shale subsoil was evaluated at a site proximal to one used for shallow land burial of low-level radioactive waste at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Double-ring infiltometers were installed at 48 locations on a 2- by 2-m grid after the removal of 1 to 2 m of soil (Litz-Sequoia association, Typic Hapludults). Infiltration rates were measured before and during the 0- to 20- and 239- to 259-day periods following treatment with solutions of NaOH, KOH, NaF, NaAlO 2 , and Na 2 SiO 3 at rates of 151 equivalents/m 2 . None of these chemical treatments significantly altered infiltration rate, indicating that chemical modification of soil exchange properties may be achieved without inducing hydrologic disturbance in these subsoils. A semivariogram analysis of infiltration data showed that areal variability was random; any spatial patterning must therefore occur at a smaller scale than 2 m

  19. Electrical resistivity tomography as monitoring tool for unsaturated zone transport: an example of preferential transport of deicing chemicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehrer, Markus; Lissner, Heidi; Bloem, Esther; French, Helen; Totsche, Kai Uwe

    2014-01-01

    Non-invasive spatially resolved monitoring techniques may hold the key to observe heterogeneous flow and transport behavior of contaminants in soils. In this study, time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was employed during an infiltration experiment with deicing chemical in a small field lysimeter. Deicing chemicals like potassium formate, which frequently impact soils on airport sites, were infiltrated during snow melt. Chemical composition of seepage water and the electrical response was recorded over the spring period 2010. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomographs are able to show the infiltration of the melt water loaded with ionic constituents of deicing chemicals and their degradation product hydrogen carbonate. The tomographs indicate early breakthrough behavior in parts of the profile. Groundtruthing with pore fluid conductivity and water content variations shows disagreement between expected and observed bulk conductivity. This was attributed to the different sampling volume of traditional methods and ERT due to a considerable fraction of immobile water in the soil. The results show that ERT can be used as a soil monitoring tool on airport sites if assisted by common soil monitoring techniques.

  20. Physico-chemical characteristics and methanogen communities in swine and dairy manure storage tanks: spatio-temporal variations and impact on methanogenic activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barret, Maialen; Gagnon, Nathalie; Topp, Edward; Masse, Lucie; Massé, Daniel I; Talbot, Guylaine

    2013-02-01

    Greenhouse gas emissions represent a major environmental problem associated with the management of manure from the livestock industry. Methane is the primary GHG emitted during manure outdoor storage. In this paper, the variability of two swine and two dairy manure storage tanks was surveyed, in terms of physico-chemical and microbiological parameters. The impact of the inter-tank and spatio-temporal variations of these parameters on the methanogenic activity of manure was ascertained. A Partial Least Square regression was carried out, which demonstrated that physico-chemical as well as microbiological parameters had a major influence on the methanogenic activity. Among the 19 parameters included in the regression, the concentrations of VFAs had the strongest negative influence on the methane emission rate of manure, resulting from their well-known inhibitory effect. The relative abundance of two amplicons in archaeal fingerprints was found to positively influence the methanogenic activity, suggesting that Methanoculleus spp. and possibly Methanosarcina spp. are major contributors to methanogenesis in storage tanks. This work gave insights into the mechanisms, which drive methanogenesis in swine and dairy manure storage tanks. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Different effects of variation in Xanthium strumarium L. (Compositae) on two insect seed predators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hare, J Daniel; Futuyma, Douglas J

    1978-01-01

    To determine the relative importance of variation in several plant characters on susceptibility to herbivores, we examined patterns of seed predation by two monophagous insect species and patterns of variation in ten populations of the cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium. Multiple regression analysis disclosed that one seed predator was most influenced by plant chemical variation, the other was significantly influenced by both chemical and morphological variation, but variation in yet another character, general burr size, was most important in conferring resistance to both insects simultaneously. The plant populations differed most in this character. Although many of the plant characters were correlated with each other, those important in determining susceptibility to each insect species were uncorrelated and independent of those conferring resistance to both insects simultaneously.These results imply that ecological similar herbivores may be influenced by different aspects of plant variation, and that predictions of evolutionary responses of local plant populations to herbivory may require knowledge of the structure of local herbivore communities and the dynamics of their establishment.

  2. Effect of maturation on physico-chemical and sensory quality characteristics of custard apple wine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikas Kumar

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Recently, researchers have taken a shift to utilize the custard apple for wine preparation besides its major use in ice cream, confectionary and milk products. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the effect of maturation on physico-chemical and sensory quality characteristics of custard apple wine. Custard apple wine was prepared as per the earlier standardized method. The wine so prepared was matured for six months. The physico-chemical analysis was conducted at every three months interval for six months and sensory evaluation was performed after six months of storage. With the maturation, a decrease in total soluble solids, total sugars, titratable acidity, ethanol, total phenols and tannins was observed, whereas, an increase in reducing sugars and pH was observed. All the sensory quality characteristics of custard apple wine increased with advancement of the maturation period except astringency. Cluster analysis of the data obtained from physico-chemical analysis revealed that there was no difference between three months and six months of storage. Physico-chemical characteristics of custard apple wine were reduced to two principal components using principal component analysis which accounted for 100% variation. In general, maturation for six months improved the quality of custard apple wine considerably.

  3. Ship-based Observations of Atmospheric Black Carbon Particles over the Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, and North Western Pacific Ocean on 2016: Comparisons with Regional Chemical Transport Model simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taketani, F.; Miyakawa, T.; Takigawa, M.; Yamaguchi, M.; Kanaya, Y.; Komazaki, Y.; Takashima, H.; Mordovskoi, P.; Tohjima, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Black carbon (BC), formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass, is a major component of light-absorbing particulate matter in the atmosphere, causing positive radiative forcing. Also, BC deposition on the surface reduces the Earth's albedo and accelerates snow/ice melting by absorbing the sunlight. Therefore, the impact of BC on the Arctic climate needs to be assessed; however, observational information has been still insufficient. Over the Arctic Ocean, we have been conducting ship-based BC observations using a single particle soot photometer (SP2) on R/V Mirai every summer since 2014. To estimate the transport pathways of BC, we have also conducted model simulations during the period of cruise using a regional transport model (WRF-Chem 3.8.1). Here we focus on observations conducted on-board the R/V Mirai from 22 August to 5 October 2016 in a round trip to the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait from a port of Hachinohe (40.52N, 141.51E), Japan. We captured relatively high BC mass concentration events in this observation. The observed average BC mass concentration during 2016 was 0.8 ± 1.4 ng/m3 in >70N, similar to the levels ( 1.0ng/m3) recorded during our previous observations in the Arctic during 2014 and 2015. The variations in the observed concentrations in 2016 were qualitatively well reproduced by the regional chemical transport model. Quantitatively, however, the model tended to overestimate the BC levels, suggesting the possibilities that the emission rates were overestimated and/or the removal rates were underestimated. We will present further analysis on the size distribution, coating, and possible sources.

  4. Cultivar variation and selection potential relevant to the production of cellulosic ethanol from wheat straw

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindedam, Jane; Andersen, Sven Bode; DeMartini, J.

    2012-01-01

    Optimizing cellulosic ethanol yield depends strongly on understanding the biological variation of feedstocks. Our objective was to study variation in capacity for producing fermentable sugars from straw of winter wheat cultivars with a high-throughput pretreatment and hydrolysis well......-plate technique. This technique enabled us to estimate cultivar-related and environmental correlations between sugar yield, chemical composition, agronomic qualities, and distribution of botanical plant parts of wheat straw cultivars. Straws from 20 cultivars were collected in duplicates on two sites in Denmark....... Following hydrothermal pretreatment (180 °C for 17.6 min) and co-hydrolysis, sugar release and sugar conversion were measured. Up to 26% difference in sugar release between cultivars was observed. Sugar release showed negative cultivar correlation with lignin and ash content, whereas sugar release showed...

  5. Satellite-derived SIF and CO2 Observations Show Coherent Responses to Interannual Climate Variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butterfield, Z.; Hogikyan, A.; Kulawik, S. S.; Keppel-Aleks, G.

    2017-12-01

    Gross primary production (GPP) is the single largest carbon flux in the Earth system, but its sensitivity to changes in climate is subject to significant uncertainty. Satellite measurements of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) offer insight into spatial and temporal patterns in GPP at a global scale and, combined with other satellite-derived datasets, provide unprecedented opportunity to explore interactions between atmospheric CO2, GPP, and climate variability. To explore potential drivers of GPP in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), we compare monthly-averaged SIF data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2 (GOME-2) with observed anomalies in temperature (T; CRU-TS), liquid water equivalent (LWE) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; CERES SYN1deg). Using observations from 2007 through 2015 for several NH regions, we calculate month-specific sensitivities of SIF to variability in T, LWE, and PAR. These sensitivities provide insight into the seasonal progression of how productivity is affected by climate variability and can be used to effectively model the observed SIF signal. In general, we find that high temperatures are beneficial to productivity in the spring, but detrimental in the summer. The influences of PAR and LWE are more heterogeneous between regions; for example, higher LWE in North American temperate forest leads to decreased springtime productivity, while exhibiting a contrasting effect in water-limited regions. Lastly, we assess the influence of variations in terrestrial productivity on atmospheric carbon using a new lower tropospheric CO2 product derived from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT). Together, these data shed light on the drivers of interannual variability in the annual cycle of NH atmospheric CO2, and may provide improved constraints on projections of long-term carbon cycle responses to climate change.

  6. A case for variational geomagnetic data assimilation: insights from a one-dimensional, nonlinear, and sparsely observed MHD system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Fournier

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Secular variations of the geomagnetic field have been measured with a continuously improving accuracy during the last few hundred years, culminating nowadays with satellite data. It is however well known that the dynamics of the magnetic field is linked to that of the velocity field in the core and any attempt to model secular variations will involve a coupled dynamical system for magnetic field and core velocity. Unfortunately, there is no direct observation of the velocity. Independently of the exact nature of the above-mentioned coupled system – some version being currently under construction – the question is debated in this paper whether good knowledge of the magnetic field can be translated into good knowledge of core dynamics. Furthermore, what will be the impact of the most recent and precise geomagnetic data on our knowledge of the geomagnetic field of the past and future? These questions are cast into the language of variational data assimilation, while the dynamical system considered in this paper consists in a set of two oversimplified one-dimensional equations for magnetic and velocity fields. This toy model retains important features inherited from the induction and Navier-Stokes equations: non-linear magnetic and momentum terms are present and its linear response to small disturbances contains Alfvén waves. It is concluded that variational data assimilation is indeed appropriate in principle, even though the velocity field remains hidden at all times; it allows us to recover the entire evolution of both fields from partial and irregularly distributed information on the magnetic field. This work constitutes a first step on the way toward the reassimilation of historical geomagnetic data and geomagnetic forecast.

  7. Chemical Variations in a Granitic Pluton and Its Surrounding Rocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baird, A K; McIntyre, D B; Welday, E E; Madlem, K W

    1964-10-09

    New techniques of x-ray fluorescence spectrography have provided, for the first time, abundant data regarding chemical variability of granitic rocks on different scales. The results suggest that current designs of sampling plans for trend surface analysis should be modified; in particular several specimens, preferably drillcores, may be required at each locality.

  8. OH Airglow and Equatorial Variations Observed by ISUAL Instrument on Board the FORMOSAT 2 Satellite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan-Bai Nee

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available OH airglow observed by the ISUAL (Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning instrument on board the FORMOSAT 2 satellite is reported in this paper. The satellite is sun-synchronous and it returns to the same orbit at the same local time daily. By using this property, we can study the upper atmosphere in detail. With a CCD camera, ISUAL has measured the emission layers of OH Meinel band at 630 nm for several two-week periods in 2004 and 2007 in equatorial regions. ISUAL images are snapshots of the atmosphere 250 km (height ¡_ 1200 km (horizontal distance. These images of OH airglow are analyzed to derive its peak height and latitudinal variations. ISUAL observation is unique in its capability of continuous observation of the upper atmosphere as the satellite travels from south to north along a specific orbit. However, 630 nm filter also measured O(1D at 200 km, and there are interferences between O(1D and OH airglows as as observed from a distance in space. We have studied the overlap of two airglows by simulations, and our final analyses show that OH airglow can be correctly derived with its average peak height of 89 ¡_ 2.1 km usually lying within ¡_10¢X latitude about the equator. ISUAL data reveal detailed structures of equatorial OH airglow such as the existences of a few secondary maxima within the equatorial regions, and the oscillations of the peak latitudes. These results are discussed and compared with previous reports.

  9. Comparing Stable Water Isotope Variation in Atmospheric Moisture Observed over Coastal Water and Forests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, C. T.; Rambo, J. P.; Welp, L. R.; Bible, K.; Hollinger, D. Y.

    2014-12-01

    Stable oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) isotopologues of atmospheric moisture are strongly influenced by large-scale synoptic weather cycles, surface evapotranspiration and boundary layer mixing. Atmospheric water isotope variation has been shown to empirically relate to relative humidity (Rh) of near surface moisture, and to a less degree, air temperature. Continuous δ18O and δD measurements are becoming more available, providing new opportunities to investigate processes that control isotope variability. This study shows the comparison of δ18O and δD measured at a continental location and over coastal waters for 3 seasons (spring to fall, 2014). The surface moisture isotope measurements were made using two LGR spectroscopy water vapor isotope analyzers (Los Gatos Research Inc.), one operated in an old-growth coniferous forest at Wind River field station, WA (45.8205°N, 121.9519°W), and another sampling marine air over seawater at the Scripps Pier in San Diego, CA (32.8654°N, 117.2536°W), USA. Isotope variations were measured at 1Hz and data were reported as hourly averages with an overall accuracy of ±0.1‰ for δ18O, ±0.5‰ for δ2H. Day-to-day variations in δ18O and δD are shown strongly influenced by synoptic weather events at both locations. Boundary layer mixing between surface moisture and the dry air entrained from the free troposphere exerts a midday maximum and a consistent diel pattern in deuterium excess (dx). At the forest site, surface moisture also interacts with leaf water through transpiration during the day and re-equilibration at night. The latter occurs by retro-diffusion of atmospheric H2O molecules into leaf intercellular space, which becomes intensified as Rh increaes after nightfall, and continues until sunrise, to counter-balance the evaporative isotopic enrichment in leaf water on a daily basis. These vegetation effects lead to negative dx values consistently observed at nighttime in this continental location that were not

  10. Seasonal variation in the growth responses of some chlorophytic algal flora of the Red Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abid Ali Ansari

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Seasonal variation in growth responses and antioxidant activities of four chlorophytic algal species, namely Ulva lactuca, Enteromorpha flexuoca, Cladophora prolifera, Chaetomorpha linum was investigated. Seasonal variation in the physico-chemical characteristics of water at the study site of the Red Sea was also determined. A significant variation was observed in water quality parameters in different seasons. All the algal species show higher accumulation of photosynthetic and accessory pigments in July and October and a significant decrease in January. Higher NPK content in all the four algal species was recorded in July, however, the contents were low in other months. Total protein contents were higher in July and October. Total carbohydrates in U. lactuca and E. flexuoca were significantly higher in July but in the other two species, C. prolifera and C. linum, maximum accumulation was observed in October. Antioxidant activities in all the species were most significant in January as compared to the other months. All the chlorphytic algae show prominent growth responses and antioxidant activities and are better adapted to changing climatic conditions. Due to their prompt responses even to minor changes in aquatic environment, they can be used as ecological indicators in coastal marine ecosystems.

  11. Somaclonal variation in rice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucherenko, L.

    1990-01-01

    Full text: 32 varieties of Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica were used as donors for callus induction from somatic tissues. In some cases, the callus was treated before regeneration with the chemical mutagen MNU. Some of the regenerated plants demonstrated heritable alterations, among them chlorophyll deficiencies, variation in plant height, awness, glume colouring and fertility. Along with these, a number of lines with agronomically valuable alterations concerning maturity time, panicle structure, plant productivity and grain quality were found. The spectrum of variability was very wide. Vivipary was noticed. Superdwarfs with plant height of about 15 cm were found. Plants with no visible distinctions could be variants too, for example, with increased protein content or disease resistance. The rate and the spectrum of the somaclonal variation were not influenced by the culture media but depended on the donor's genotype. On the basis of somaclonal variation a variety 'Bioryza' was developed. It is an early maturing (about 95-100 days), long grain variety, with grain yield up to 8 t/ha. (author)

  12. Variation in soil physical, chemical and microbial parameters under different land uses in bagrot valley, gilgit, pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, S.

    2017-01-01

    Soil degradation due to unsustainable land use is a global problem and the biggest challenge for sustainability in mountain areas due to their ecological and socio-economic impacts. The study aims to evaluate the variation in the physical, chemical and microbial parameters of soil across various land uses in the Bagrot valley, Central Karakoram National Park (CKNP), Gilgit-Baltistan. Soil samples from 0-20 cm were collected from three land uses such as arable land, pasture, and adjacently located forest. The variables investigated were soil bulk density, total porosity, saturation percentage, sand, silt, clay, pH, electric conductivity, CaCO/sub 3/, organic matter, TN, available P, K, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn and microbial parameters (16SrRNA and ITS copies number and fungi-to-bacterial ratio). A sigificant varriation in all parameters were found accross the land uses (ANOVA, p < 0.01). Similarly, the highest bulk density, sand, pH, EC, CaCO/sub 3/ were found in arable land, with the lowest values in forest. In contrast, soil under forest showed a higher total porosity, percent saturation, clay, OM, macro and micronutrients, microbial abundance and fungi-to-bacterial ratio than for other land uses. The differences in soil parameters across the land uses indicated detrimental impacts of agricultural activities on soil health. Soil pH and organic matter are the main controlling factors for microbial indicators as well as physical and chemical parameters. The results suggest that restoration of natural vegetation in degraded land and decrease in intensity of land use could improve soil properties in the study area, as well as other similar mountainous regions. (author)

  13. Variation in global chemical composition of PM2.5: emerging results from SPARTAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Snider

    2016-08-01

    black carbon ranged from 0.7 µg m−3 (Mammoth Cave to over 8 µg m−3 (Dhaka, Bangladesh and Kanpur, India. Comparison of SPARTAN vs. coincident measurements from the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE network at Mammoth Cave yielded a high degree of consistency for daily PM2.5 (r2 = 0.76, slope  =  1.12, daily sulfate (r2 = 0.86, slope  =  1.03, and mean fractions of all major PM2.5 components (within 6 %. Major ions generally agree well with previous studies at the same urban locations (e.g. sulfate fractions agree within 4 % for 8 out of 11 collocation comparisons. Enhanced anthropogenic dust fractions in large urban areas (e.g. Singapore, Kanpur, Hanoi, and Dhaka are apparent from high Zn : Al ratios.The expected water contribution to aerosols is calculated via the hygroscopicity parameter κv for each filter. Mean aggregate values ranged from 0.15 (Ilorin to 0.28 (Rehovot. The all-site parameter mean is 0.20 ± 0.04. Chemical composition and water retention in each filter measurement allows inference of hourly PM2.5 at 35 % relative humidity by merging with nephelometer measurements. These hourly PM2.5 estimates compare favourably with a beta attenuation monitor (MetOne at the nearby US embassy in Beijing, with a coefficient of variation r2 =  0.67 (n =  3167, compared to r2 = 0.62 when κv was not considered. SPARTAN continues to provide an open-access database of PM2.5 compositional filter information and hourly mass collected from a global federation of instruments.

  14. Effect of Chemical and Physical Properties of River Water in Shatt Al-Hilla on Phytoplankton Communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fikrat M. Hassan

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to study the chemical and physical properties in the ecological system of Shatt Al-Hilla in Babylon Governorate in Iraq and its effect on phytoplankton population. In this context, several limnological parameters were evaluated during the period from December 2003 through November 2004 from four sampling stations sited along Shatt Al-Hilla. The physical parameters included: temperature, turbidity and electrical conductivity. The chemical parameters included: pH, alkalinity dissolved oxygen, total hardness and the concentrations of nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and sulphate. A total of 154 species were recorded. Ninety-seven species of the total belong to Bacillariophyceae, 37 species belong to Chlorophyceae, 13 species to Cyanophyceae, 5 species to Chrysophyceae, and 2 species to Euglenophyceae. Bimodal variation of phytoplankton was observed. Five genus of phytoplankton were the highest number of species ( Nitzschia, Navicula, Gomphonema, Cymbella and Scendesmus. Some species was occurred continuously during study period such as, Cyclotella ocellata, Cyclotella meneghiniana, Aulacoseria distans, and Gomphonema abbreviatum. The phytoplankton communities at all sampling sites showed a clear seasonal variation in phytoplankton cell number. However, no significant correlation between total cell number of phytoplankton and nutrient concentration was observed. The study was revealed the city sewage discharge, agriculture and urban run-off were affecting the water quality of Shatt Al-Hilla.

  15. Chemical evolution of galaxies

    CERN Document Server

    Matteucci, Francesca

    2012-01-01

    The term “chemical evolution of galaxies” refers to the evolution of abundances of chemical species in galaxies, which is due to nuclear processes occurring in stars and to gas flows into and out of galaxies. This book deals with the chemical evolution of galaxies of all morphological types (ellipticals, spirals and irregulars) and stresses the importance of the star formation histories in determining the properties of stellar populations in different galaxies. The topic is approached in a didactical and logical manner via galaxy evolution models which are compared with observational results obtained in the last two decades: The reader is given an introduction to the concept of chemical abundances and learns about the main stellar populations in our Galaxy as well as about the classification of galaxy types and their main observables. In the core of the book, the construction and solution of chemical evolution models are discussed in detail, followed by descriptions and interpretations of observations of ...

  16. Chemical variations observed in irradiated, treated with IPC and control potato tubers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazon Matanzo, M. P.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

    1976-01-01

    The content in soluble sugars, ascorbic acid and phenolic acids of potato tubers preserved by irradiation and IPC, during storage period of five months are studied. In the irradiated tubers, soluble sugars increased immediately after the irradiation, in relation to the control tubers reaching inferior values to those reached by the control tubers, at the end of the storage period. The content in ascorbic acid is generally kept higher in the irradiated and IPC treated tubers than in the control tubers and the content in phenolic acids increased in the irradiated and IPC treated tubers by immediate effect of this treatment. (Author) 39 refs

  17. Chemical variations observed in irradiated, treated with IPC and control potato tubers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazon Matanzo, M.P.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

    1976-01-01

    The content in soluble sugars, ascorbic acid and phenolic acids of potato tubers preserved by irradiation and IPC, during a storage period of five months are studied. In the irradiated tubers, soluble sugars increased immediately after the irradiation, in relation to the control tubers reaching inferior values to those reached by the control tubers, at the end of the storage period. The content in ascorbic acid is generally kept higher in the irradiated and IPC treated tubers than in the control tubers and the content in phenolic acids increased in the irradiated and IPC treated tubers by immediate effect of this treatment.(author) [es

  18. Analysis of microbial community variation during the mixed culture fermentation of agricultural peel wastes to produce lactic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Shaobo; Gliniewicz, Karol; Gerritsen, Alida T; McDonald, Armando G

    2016-05-01

    Mixed cultures fermentation can be used to convert organic wastes into various chemicals and fuels. This study examined the fermentation performance of four batch reactors fed with different agricultural (orange, banana, and potato (mechanical and steam)) peel wastes using mixed cultures, and monitored the interval variation of reactor microbial communities with 16S rRNA genes using Illumina sequencing. All four reactors produced similar chemical profile with lactic acid (LA) as dominant compound. Acetic acid and ethanol were also observed with small fractions. The Illumina sequencing results revealed the diversity of microbial community decreased during fermentation and a community of largely lactic acid producing bacteria dominated by species of Lactobacillus developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. INFLUENCE OF STELLAR FLARES ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF EXOPLANETS AND SPECTRA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venot, Olivia; Decin, Leen [Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Rocchetto, Marco [University College London, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Carl, Shaun; Hashim, Aysha Roshni, E-mail: olivia.venot@kuleuven.be [Department of Quantum Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)

    2016-10-20

    More than three thousand exoplanets have been detected so far, and more and more spectroscopic observations of exoplanets are performed. Future instruments ( James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ), E-ELT, PLATO, Ariel, etc.,) are eagerly awaited, as they will be able to provide spectroscopic data with greater accuracy and sensitivity than what is currently available. This will allow more accurate conclusions to be drawn regarding the chemistry and dynamics of exoplanetary atmospheres, provided that the observational data are carefully processed. One important aspect to consider is temporal stellar atmospheric disturbances that can influence the planetary composition, and hence spectra, and potentially can lead to incorrect assumptions about the steady-state atmospheric composition of the planet. In this paper, we focus on perturbations coming from the host star in the form of flare events that significantly increase photon flux impingement on the exoplanets atmosphere. In some cases, particularly for M stars, this sudden increase may last for several hours. We aim to discover to what extent a stellar flare is able to modify the chemical composition of the planetary atmosphere and, therefore, influence the resulting spectra. We use a one-dimensional thermo-photochemical model to study the neutral atmospheric composition of two hypothetical planets located around the star AD Leo. We place the two planets at different distances from the star, which results in effective atmospheric temperatures of 412 and 1303 K. AD Leo is an active star that has already been observed during a flare. Therefore, we use the spectroscopic data from this flare event to simulate the evolution of the chemical composition of the atmospheres of the two hypothetical planets. We compute synthetic spectra to evaluate the implications for observations. The increase in the incoming photon flux affects the chemical abundances of some important species (such as H and NH{sub 3}), down to altitudes

  20. IMOS National Reference Stations: A Continental-Wide Physical, Chemical and Biological Coastal Observing System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, Tim P.; Morello, Elisabetta B.; Evans, Karen; Richardson, Anthony J.; Rochester, Wayne; Steinberg, Craig R.; Roughan, Moninya; Thompson, Peter; Middleton, John F.; Feng, Ming; Sherrington, Robert; Brando, Vittorio; Tilbrook, Bronte; Ridgway, Ken; Allen, Simon; Doherty, Peter; Hill, Katherine; Moltmann, Tim C.

    2014-01-01

    Sustained observations allow for the tracking of change in oceanography and ecosystems, however, these are rare, particularly for the Southern Hemisphere. To address this in part, the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) implemented a network of nine National Reference Stations (NRS). The network builds on one long-term location, where monthly water sampling has been sustained since the 1940s and two others that commenced in the 1950s. In-situ continuously moored sensors and an enhanced monthly water sampling regime now collect more than 50 data streams. Building on sampling for temperature, salinity and nutrients, the network now observes dissolved oxygen, carbon, turbidity, currents, chlorophyll a and both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Additional parameters for studies of ocean acidification and bio-optics are collected at a sub-set of sites and all data is made freely and publically available. Our preliminary results demonstrate increased utility to observe extreme events, such as marine heat waves and coastal flooding; rare events, such as plankton blooms; and have, for the first time, allowed for consistent continental scale sampling and analysis of coastal zooplankton and phytoplankton communities. Independent water sampling allows for cross validation of the deployed sensors for quality control of data that now continuously tracks daily, seasonal and annual variation. The NRS will provide multi-decadal time series, against which more spatially replicated short-term studies can be referenced, models and remote sensing products validated, and improvements made to our understanding of how large-scale, long-term change and variability in the global ocean are affecting Australia's coastal seas and ecosystems. The NRS network provides an example of how a continental scaled observing systems can be developed to collect observations that integrate across physics, chemistry and biology. PMID:25517905

  1. IMOS National Reference Stations: a continental-wide physical, chemical and biological coastal observing system.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim P Lynch

    Full Text Available Sustained observations allow for the tracking of change in oceanography and ecosystems, however, these are rare, particularly for the Southern Hemisphere. To address this in part, the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS implemented a network of nine National Reference Stations (NRS. The network builds on one long-term location, where monthly water sampling has been sustained since the 1940s and two others that commenced in the 1950s. In-situ continuously moored sensors and an enhanced monthly water sampling regime now collect more than 50 data streams. Building on sampling for temperature, salinity and nutrients, the network now observes dissolved oxygen, carbon, turbidity, currents, chlorophyll a and both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Additional parameters for studies of ocean acidification and bio-optics are collected at a sub-set of sites and all data is made freely and publically available. Our preliminary results demonstrate increased utility to observe extreme events, such as marine heat waves and coastal flooding; rare events, such as plankton blooms; and have, for the first time, allowed for consistent continental scale sampling and analysis of coastal zooplankton and phytoplankton communities. Independent water sampling allows for cross validation of the deployed sensors for quality control of data that now continuously tracks daily, seasonal and annual variation. The NRS will provide multi-decadal time series, against which more spatially replicated short-term studies can be referenced, models and remote sensing products validated, and improvements made to our understanding of how large-scale, long-term change and variability in the global ocean are affecting Australia's coastal seas and ecosystems. The NRS network provides an example of how a continental scaled observing systems can be developed to collect observations that integrate across physics, chemistry and biology.

  2. Irradiation effect on chemical components of oil palm empty fruit bunch and palm press fibre

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zainon Othman; Mat Rasol Awang; Hassan Hamdani Mutaat; Tamikazu Kume; Hitoshi Ito; Shinpei Matsuhashi; Ishigaki, I.

    1998-01-01

    Physico-chemical properties of empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm press fibre (PPF), which are major by-products of the oil palm industries, were studied for upgrading their utilisation as animal feed by radiation-fermentation process. Comparative analyses of raw EFB and PPF from 3 different mills showed significant variations in some of their chemical components. Significant differences were also observed between the chemical components of EFB and PPF samples. The water holding capacities (WHC) of both EFB and PPF suggested their suitability for use as fermentation media. Gamma irradiation of up to 50 kGy have little effect on the components of both EFB and PPF. Irradiation dose of 25 kGy appeared to produce enhancement effect on cellulase hydrolysis of holocellulose and alpha-cellulose of EFB but a retarding effect on hydrolysis of PPF

  3. Use of cumulative mortality data in patients with acute myocardial infarction for early detection of variation in clinical practice: observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrance, R A; Dorsch, M F; Sapsford, R J; Mackintosh, A F; Greenwood, D C; Jackson, B M; Morrell, C; Robinson, M B; Hall, A S

    2001-08-11

    Use of cumulative mortality adjusted for case mix in patients with acute myocardial infarction for early detection of variation in clinical practice. Observational study. 20 hospitals across the former Yorkshire region. All 2153 consecutive patients with confirmed acute myocardial infarction identified during three months. Variable life-adjusted displays showing cumulative differences between observed and expected mortality of patients; expected mortality calculated from risk model based on admission characteristics of age, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure. The performance of two individual hospitals over three months was examined as an example. One, the smallest district hospital in the region, had a series of 30 consecutive patients but had five more deaths than predicted. The variable life-adjusted display showed minimal variation from that predicted for the first 15 patients followed by a run of unexpectedly high mortality. The second example was the main tertiary referral centre for the region, which admitted 188 consecutive patients. The display showed a period of apparently poor performance followed by substantial improvement, where the plot rose steadily from a cumulative net lives saved of -4 to 7. These variations in patient outcome are unlikely to have been revealed during conventional audit practice. Variable life-adjusted display has been integrated into surgical care as a graphical display of risk-adjusted survival for individual surgeons or centres. In combination with a simple risk model, it may have a role in monitoring performance and outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

  4. Inter-observer variation in estimates by nuclear angiography of left ventricular ejection fraction and ejection rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Young, K.C.; Railton, R.

    1980-01-01

    The recent decline in the cost of computing has led to the introduction of data processing of gamma-camera images in many medical centres, allowing the development and widespread use of radionuclide techniques for assessing left ventricular performance. Methods such as ECG-gated blood-pool imaging have the advantage of being less invasive than contrast ventriculography and do not rely on geometrical assumptions about the shape of the ventricle. A study has been made of the inter-observer variation in estimates of ejection fraction and average and maximum systolic contraction rates using a micro-computer (VIP-450 Video Image Processor, Ohio-Nuclear Limited, Rugby) to analyse gated blood-pool images of the left ventricle. (author)

  5. Kinetics of Hydrogen Radical Reactions with Toluene Including Chemical Activation Theory Employing System-Specific Quantum RRK Theory Calibrated by Variational Transition State Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Junwei Lucas; Zheng, Jingjing; Truhlar, Donald G

    2016-03-02

    Pressure-dependent reactions are ubiquitous in combustion and atmospheric chemistry. We employ a new calibration procedure for quantum Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (QRRK) unimolecular rate theory within a chemical activation mechanism to calculate the pressure-falloff effect of a radical association with an aromatic ring. The new theoretical framework is applied to the reaction of H with toluene, which is a prototypical reaction in the combustion chemistry of aromatic hydrocarbons present in most fuels. Both the hydrogen abstraction reactions and the hydrogen addition reactions are calculated. Our system-specific (SS) QRRK approach is adjusted with SS parameters to agree with multistructural canonical variational transition state theory with multidimensional tunneling (MS-CVT/SCT) at the high-pressure limit. The new method avoids the need for the usual empirical estimations of the QRRK parameters, and it eliminates the need for variational transition state theory calculations as a function of energy, although in this first application we do validate the falloff curves by comparing SS-QRRK results without tunneling to multistructural microcanonical variational transition state theory (MS-μVT) rate constants without tunneling. At low temperatures, the two approaches agree well with each other, but at high temperatures, SS-QRRK tends to overestimate falloff slightly. We also show that the variational effect is important in computing the energy-resolved rate constants. Multiple-structure anharmonicity, torsional-potential anharmonicity, and high-frequency-mode vibrational anharmonicity are all included in the rate computations, and torsional anharmonicity effects on the density of states are investigated. Branching fractions, which are both temperature- and pressure-dependent (and for which only limited data is available from experiment), are predicted as a function of pressure.

  6. Observations of neutral composition and related ionospheric variations during a magnetic storm in February 1974

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hedin, A.E.; Bauer, P.; Mayr, H.G.; Carignan, G.R.; Brace, L.H.; Brinton, H.C.; Parks, A.D.; Pelz, D.T.

    1977-01-01

    The neutral atmosphere composition experiment on Atmosphere Explorer C measured N 2 , O, Ar, and He densities during a magnetic storm in February 1974 at altitudes down to about 160 km. At latitudes above 45 0 N, N 2 , and Ar densities generally increase during the storm, while He and O densities decrease. Below 45 0 N all densities tend to increase during the storm. The density increases at perigee indicate that density or temperature profile changes are taking place below 160 km. The return to prestorm conditions is very slow, demonstrating the integrating effect of the atmospheric response. A recent theoretical model incorporating thermospheric circulation and diffusion effects reproduces the logitudinally averaged data including latitude trends and the asymmetry about the storm maximum. Comparison with the mass spectrometer and incoherent scatter empirical model shows qualitative agreement with latitude trends but not with storm asymmetry, while the earlier J71 model based on total mass density is not in agreement with observed latitudinal trends. No significant correlation is found with the short-term variations of the ap index. At any fixed altitude and for latitudes above 45 0 N (perigee) the density variations are closely correlated with invariant (or magnetic) latitude, although invariant latitude alone is not adequate to order the data completely. A close correlation is found between in situ O/N 2 measurements and in situ and ground-based ionosonde measurements of electron density

  7. Chemical evolution of galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matteucci, F.; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Frascati

    1989-01-01

    In principle, a good model of galactic chemical evolution should fulfil the majority of well established observational constraints. The goal of this paper is to review the observational data together with the existing chemical evolution models for the Milky Way (the disk), Blue Compact and Elliptical galaxies and to show how well the models can account for the observations. Some open problems and future prospects are also discussed. (author)

  8. Evolution of chemical composition of fogwater in winter in Chengdu, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Hongling; Ye, Zhixiang; Yang, Yingchun; Yuan, Wei; Qiu, Changyan; Yuan, Huawei; Wang, Min; Li, Shiping; Zou, Changwu

    2013-09-01

    Two sampling sites representing the urban and suburban area of Chengdu, China were sampled and analyzed for selected chemicals to characterize the evolution of the chemical composition of fogwater. A trend of total organic carbon (TOC) > total nitrogen (TN) > total inorganic carbon (TIC) was observed for both sites. Variation of inorganic ions indicated that inorganic pollutants were not accumulated in the fog. Concentrations of n-alkanes (C11-C37) at the urban site ranged from 7.58 to 27.75 ng/mL while at the suburban site concentrations were 2.57-21.55 ng/mL. The highest concentration of n-alkanes was observed in the mature period of fog (393.12 ng/mL) which was more than ten times that in the fog formation period (27.83 ng/mL) and the fog dissipation period (14.87 ng/mL). Concentrations of Sigma15PAHs were in the range of 7.27-38.52 ng/mL at the urban site and 2.59-22.69 ng/mL at the suburban site. Contents of PAHs in the mature period of fog (27.15 ng/mL) > fog dissipation period (11.59 ng/mL) > fog formation period (6.42 ng/mL). Concentrations of dicarboxylic acids (C5-C9) ranged from 10.92 to 40.78 ng/mL, with glutaric acid (C5) as the dominant dicarboxylic acid. These data provide strong indications of the accumulation of certain organic chemicals of environmental concern in fog and fog water, and provide additional insights about processes in urban and suburban air acting on organic chemicals with similar physical chemical properties.

  9. Seasonal Variations of Mesospheric Gravity Waves Observed with an Airglow All-sky Camera at Mt. Bohyun, Korea (36° N

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Ha Kim

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available We have carried out all-sky imaging of OH Meinel, O2 atmospheric and OI 557.7 nm airglow layers in the period from July of 2001 through September of 2005 at Mt. Bohyun, Korea (36.2° N, 128.9° E, Alt = 1,124 m. We analyzed the images observed during a total of 153 clear moonless nights and found 97 events of band-type waves. The characteristics of the observed waves (wavelengths, periods, and phase speeds are consistent with internal gravity waves. The wave occurrence shows an approximately semi-annual variation, with maxima near solstices and minima near equinoxes, which is consistent with other studies of airglow wave observations, but not with those of mesospheric radar/lidar observations. The observed waves tended to propagate westward during fall and winter, and eastward during spring and summer. Our ray tracing study of the observed waves shows that majority of the observed waves seemed to originate from mesospheric altitudes. The preferential directions and the apparent source altitudes can be explained if the observed waves are secondary waves generated from primary waves that have been selected by the filtering process and break up at the mesospheric altitudes.

  10. Chemical shift imaging: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brateman, L.

    1986-01-01

    Chemical shift is the phenomenon that is seen when an isotope possessing a nuclear magnetic dipole moment resonates at a spectrum of resonance frequencies in a given magnetic field. These resonance frequencies, or chemical shifts, depend on the chemical environments of particular nuclei. Mapping the spatial distribution of nuclei associated with a particular chemical shift (e.g., hydrogen nuclei associated with water molecules or with lipid groups) is called chemical shift imaging. Several techniques of proton chemical shift imaging that have been applied in vivo are presented, and their clinical findings are reported and summarized. Acquiring high-resolution spectra for large numbers of volume elements in two or three dimensions may be prohibitive because of time constraints, but other methods of imaging lipid of water distributions (i.e., selective excitation, selective saturation, or variations in conventional magnetic resonance imaging pulse sequences) can provide chemical shift information. These techniques require less time, but they lack spectral information. Since fat deposition seen by chemical shift imaging may not be demonstrated by conventional magnetic resonance imaging, certain applications of chemical shift imaging, such as in the determination of fatty liver disease, have greater diagnostic utility than conventional magnetic resonance imaging. Furthermore, edge artifacts caused by chemical shift effects can be eliminated by certain selective methods of data acquisition employed in chemical shift imaging

  11. The role of soil weathering and hydrology in regulating chemical fluxes from catchments (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maher, K.; Chamberlain, C. P.

    2010-12-01

    Catchment-scale chemical fluxes have been linked to a number of different parameters that describe the conditions at the Earth’s surface, including runoff, temperature, rock type, vegetation, and the rate of tectonic uplift. However, many of the relationships relating chemical denudation to surface processes and conditions, while based on established theoretical principles, are largely empirical and derived solely from modern observations. Thus, an enhanced mechanistic basis for linking global solute fluxes to both surface processes and climate may improve our confidence in extrapolating modern solute fluxes to past and future conditions. One approach is to link observations from detailed soil-based studies with catchment-scale properties. For example, a number of recent studies of chemical weathering at the soil-profile scale have reinforced the importance of hydrologic processes in controlling chemical weathering rates. An analysis of data from granitic soils shows that weathering rates decrease with increasing fluid residence times and decreasing flow rates—over moderate fluid residence times, from 5 days to 10 years, transport-controlled weathering explains the orders of magnitude variation in weathering rates to a better extent than soil age. However, the importance of transport-controlled weathering is difficult to discern at the catchment scale because of the range of flow rates and fluid residence times captured by a single discharge or solute flux measurement. To assess the importance of transport-controlled weathering on catchment scale chemical fluxes, we present a model that links the chemical flux to the extent of reaction between the soil waters and the solids, or the fluid residence time. Different approaches for describing the distribution of fluid residence times within a catchment are then compared with the observed Si fluxes for a limited number of catchments. This model predicts high solute fluxes in regions with high run-off, relief, and

  12. Evaluation of the interindividual human variation in bioactivation of methyleugenol using physiologically based kinetic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Subeihi, Ala' A.A.; Alhusainy, Wasma; Kiwamoto, Reiko; Spenkelink, Bert; Bladeren, Peter J. van; Rietjens, Ivonne M.C.M.; Punt, Ans

    2015-01-01

    The present study aims at predicting the level of formation of the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of methyleugenol, 1′-sulfooxymethyleugenol, in the human population by taking variability in key bioactivation and detoxification reactions into account using Monte Carlo simulations. Depending on the metabolic route, variation was simulated based on kinetic constants obtained from incubations with a range of individual human liver fractions or by combining kinetic constants obtained for specific isoenzymes with literature reported human variation in the activity of these enzymes. The results of the study indicate that formation of 1′-sulfooxymethyleugenol is predominantly affected by variation in i) P450 1A2-catalyzed bioactivation of methyleugenol to 1′-hydroxymethyleugenol, ii) P450 2B6-catalyzed epoxidation of methyleugenol, iii) the apparent kinetic constants for oxidation of 1′-hydroxymethyleugenol, and iv) the apparent kinetic constants for sulfation of 1′-hydroxymethyleugenol. Based on the Monte Carlo simulations a so-called chemical-specific adjustment factor (CSAF) for intraspecies variation could be derived by dividing different percentiles by the 50th percentile of the predicted population distribution for 1′-sulfooxymethyleugenol formation. The obtained CSAF value at the 90th percentile was 3.2, indicating that the default uncertainty factor of 3.16 for human variability in kinetics may adequately cover the variation within 90% of the population. Covering 99% of the population requires a larger uncertainty factor of 6.4. In conclusion, the results showed that adequate predictions on interindividual human variation can be made with Monte Carlo-based PBK modeling. For methyleugenol this variation was observed to be in line with the default variation generally assumed in risk assessment. - Highlights: • Interindividual human differences in methyleugenol bioactivation were simulated. • This was done using in vitro incubations, PBK modeling

  13. Evaluation of the interindividual human variation in bioactivation of methyleugenol using physiologically based kinetic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Al-Subeihi, Ala' A.A., E-mail: subeihi@yahoo.com [Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University, Tuinlaan 5, 6703 HE Wageningen (Netherlands); BEN-HAYYAN-Aqaba International Laboratories, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), P. O. Box 2565, Aqaba 77110 (Jordan); Alhusainy, Wasma; Kiwamoto, Reiko; Spenkelink, Bert [Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University, Tuinlaan 5, 6703 HE Wageningen (Netherlands); Bladeren, Peter J. van [Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University, Tuinlaan 5, 6703 HE Wageningen (Netherlands); Nestec S.A., Avenue Nestlé 55, 1800 Vevey (Switzerland); Rietjens, Ivonne M.C.M.; Punt, Ans [Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University, Tuinlaan 5, 6703 HE Wageningen (Netherlands)

    2015-03-01

    The present study aims at predicting the level of formation of the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of methyleugenol, 1′-sulfooxymethyleugenol, in the human population by taking variability in key bioactivation and detoxification reactions into account using Monte Carlo simulations. Depending on the metabolic route, variation was simulated based on kinetic constants obtained from incubations with a range of individual human liver fractions or by combining kinetic constants obtained for specific isoenzymes with literature reported human variation in the activity of these enzymes. The results of the study indicate that formation of 1′-sulfooxymethyleugenol is predominantly affected by variation in i) P450 1A2-catalyzed bioactivation of methyleugenol to 1′-hydroxymethyleugenol, ii) P450 2B6-catalyzed epoxidation of methyleugenol, iii) the apparent kinetic constants for oxidation of 1′-hydroxymethyleugenol, and iv) the apparent kinetic constants for sulfation of 1′-hydroxymethyleugenol. Based on the Monte Carlo simulations a so-called chemical-specific adjustment factor (CSAF) for intraspecies variation could be derived by dividing different percentiles by the 50th percentile of the predicted population distribution for 1′-sulfooxymethyleugenol formation. The obtained CSAF value at the 90th percentile was 3.2, indicating that the default uncertainty factor of 3.16 for human variability in kinetics may adequately cover the variation within 90% of the population. Covering 99% of the population requires a larger uncertainty factor of 6.4. In conclusion, the results showed that adequate predictions on interindividual human variation can be made with Monte Carlo-based PBK modeling. For methyleugenol this variation was observed to be in line with the default variation generally assumed in risk assessment. - Highlights: • Interindividual human differences in methyleugenol bioactivation were simulated. • This was done using in vitro incubations, PBK modeling

  14. Temporal variations in the food habits of some fish species in Lake ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Stomach contents of the 12 most abundant fish species in Lake Nokoué, Benin, collected between 2003 and 2005, were analysed for temporal variations in their diet. Several species showed seasonal shifts in their diets based on benthic prey abundance and biomass variation, which are influenced by physico-chemical ...

  15. IASI observations of seasonal and day-to-day variations of tropospheric ozone over three highly populated areas of China: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufour, G.; Eremenko, M.; Orphal, J.; Flaud, J.-M.

    2010-04-01

    IASI observations of tropospheric ozone over the Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong areas during one year (2008) have been analysed, demonstrating the capability of space-borne infrared nadir measurements to probe seasonal and even day-to-day variations of lower tropospheric ozone (0-6 km partial columns) on the regional scale of highly populated areas. The monthly variations of lower tropospheric ozone retrieved from IASI clearly show the influence of the Asian summer monsoon that brings clean air masses from the Pacific during summer. They exhibit indeed a sharp ozone maximum in late spring and early summer (May-June) followed by a summer minimum. The time periods and the intensities of the maxima and of the decreases are latitude-dependent: they are more pronounced in Hong Kong and Shanghai than in Beijing. Moreover, IASI provides the opportunity to follow the spatial variations of ozone over the surroundings of each megacity as well as its daily variability. We show here that the large lower tropospheric ozone amounts (0-6 km partial columns) observed with IASI are mainly downwind the highest populated areas in each region, thus possibly suggesting the anthropogenic origin of the large ozone amounts observed. Finally, an analysis of the mean ozone profiles over each region - for selected days with high ozone events - in association with the analysis of the meteorological situation shows that the high ozone amounts observed during winter are likely related to descents of ozone-rich air from the stratosphere, whereas in spring and summer the tropospheric ozone is likely enhanced by photochemical production in polluted areas and/or in air masses from fire plumes.

  16. Statistical compilation of NAPAP chemical erosion observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossotti, Victor G.; Eldeeb, A. Raouf; Reddy, Michael M.; Fries, Terry L.; Coombs, Mary Jane; Schmiermund, Ron L.; Sherwood, Susan I.

    2001-01-01

    In the mid 1980s, the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), initiated a Materials Research Program (MRP) that included a series of field and laboratory studies with the broad objective of providing scientific information on acid rain effects on calcareous building stone. Among the several effects investigated, the chemical dissolution of limestone and marble by rainfall was given particular attention because of the pervasive appearance of erosion effects on cultural materials situated outdoors. In order to track the chemical erosion of stone objects in the field and in the laboratory, the Ca 2+ ion concentration was monitored in the runoff solution from a variety of test objects located both outdoors and under more controlled conditions in the laboratory. This report provides a graphical and statistical overview of the Ca 2+ chemistry in the runoff solutions from (1) five urban and rural sites (DC, NY, NJ, NC, and OH) established by the MRP for materials studies over the period 1984 to 1989, (2) subevent study at the New York MRP site, (3) in situ study of limestone and marble monuments at Gettysburg, (4) laboratory experiments on calcite dissolution conducted by Baedecker, (5) laboratory simulations by Schmiermund, and (6) laboratory investigation of the surface reactivity of calcareous stone conducted by Fries and Mossotti. The graphical representations provided a means for identifying erroneous data that can randomly appear in a database when field operations are semi-automated; a purged database suitable for the evaluation of quantitative models of stone erosion is appended to this report. An analysis of the sources of statistical variability in the data revealed that the rate of stone erosion is weakly dependent on the type of calcareous stone, the ambient temperature, and the H + concentration delivered in the incident rain. The analysis also showed

  17. Skeletal and chlorine effects on 13C-NMR chemical shifts of chlorinated polycyclic systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Costa V.E.U.

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to establish a comparative analysis of chemical shifts caused by ring compression effects or by the presence of a chlorine atom on strained chlorinated carbons, a series of the chlorinated and dechlorinated polycyclic structures derived from "aldrin" (5 and "isodrin" (14 was studied. Compounds were classified in four different groups, according to their conformation and number of ring such as: endo-exo and endo-endo tetracyclics, pentacyclics and hexacyclics. The 13C chemical shift comparison between the chlorinated and dechlorinated compounds showed that when C-9 and C-10 are olefinic carbons, it occurs a shielding of 0.5-2.4 ppm for endo-endo tetracyclics and of 4.7-7.6 ppm for endo-exo tetracyclic. The chemical shift variation for C-11 reaches 49-53 ppm for endo-exo and endo-endo tetracyclics, 54 ppm for pentacyclic and 56-59 ppm for hexacyclic compounds. From these data, it was possible to observe the influence of ring compression on the chemical shifts.

  18. Airborne observations of formic acid using a chemical ionization mass spectrometer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Le Breton

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The first airborne measurements of formic acid mixing ratios over the United Kingdom were measured on the FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft on 16 March 2010 with a chemical ionization mass spectrometer using I reagent ions. The I ionization scheme was able to measure formic acid mixing ratios at 1 Hz in the boundary layer.

    In-flight standard addition calibrations from a formic acid source were used to determine the instrument sensitivity of 35 ± 6 ion counts pptv−1 s−1 and a limit of detection of 25 pptv. Routine measurements were made through a scrubbed inlet to determine the instrumental background. Three plumes of formic acid were observed over the UK, originating from London, Humberside and Tyneside. The London plume had the highest formic acid mixing ratio throughout the flight, peaking at 358 pptv. No significant correlations of formic acid with NOx and ozone were found, but a positive correlation was observed between CO and HCOOH within the two plumes where coincident data were recorded.

    A trajectory model was employed to determine the sources of the plumes and compare modelled mixing ratios with measured values. The model underestimated formic acid concentrations by up to a factor of 2. This is explained by missing sources in the model, which were considered to be both primary emissions of formic acid of mainly anthropogenic origin and a lack of precursor emissions, such as isoprene, from biogenic sources, whose oxidation in situ would lead to formic acid formation.

  19. Interpreting the variations in atmospheric methane fluxes observed above a restored wetland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Herbst, Mathias; Friborg, Thomas; Ringgaard, Rasmus

    2011-01-01

    The eddy flux of methane (CH4) was measured over 14 months above a restored wetland in western Denmark. The average annual daily CH4 flux was 30.2mgm-2 d-1, but the daily emission rates varied considerably over time. Several factors were identified that explained some of this variation. (1) Grazing...... that the variability in the CH4 fluxes strongly affects the greenhouse gas sink strength of the restored wetland.......4 flux to soil temperature at 20cm depth was found for most of the study period, but not for parts of the summer season that coincided with a low water level in the river flowing through the wetland. (4) Additional variations in the CH4 emission rates were related to the spatial heterogeneity...

  20. Variations of geothermometry and chemical-isotopic compositions of hot spring fluids in the Rehai geothermal field, southwestern China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Jianguo; Liu, Congqiang; Fu, Bihong; Ninomiya, Yoshiki; Zhang, Youlian; Wang, Chuanyuan; Wang, Hualiu; Sun, Zigang

    2005-04-01

    Geothermal variations, origins of carbon-bearing components and reservoir temperatures in the Rehai geothermal field (RGF) of Tengchong volcanic area, Yunnan Province, southwestern China, are discussed on the basis of carbon isotope compositions, combined with helium isotope ratios and geothermal data from 1973 to 2000. δ 13C values of CO 2, CH 4, HCO 3-, CO 3= and travertine in the hot springs range from -7.6‰ to -1.18‰, -56.9‰ to -19.48‰, -6.7‰ to -4.2‰, -6.4‰ to -4.2‰ and -27.1‰ to +0.6‰, respectively. The carbon dioxide probably has a mantle/magma origin, but CH 4 and He have multiple origins. HCO 3- and CO 3= in RGF thermal fluids are predominantly derived from igneous carbon dioxide, but other ions originate from rocks through which the fluids circulate. The 13C values of CO 2, HCO 3- (aq) and CO 3= (aq) illustrate that isotopic equilibriums between CO 2 and HCO 3- (aq), and CO 3= (aq) and between DIC and travertine were not achieved, and no carbon isotope fractionation between HCO 3- (aq) and CO 3= (aq) of the hot springs in RGF was found. Using various geothermometers, temperatures of the geothermal reservoirs are estimated in a wide range from 69 °C to 450 °C that fluctuated from time to time. The best estimate of subsurface reservoir temperature may be 250-300 °C. Contributions of mantle fluids and shallow crust fluids in Rehai geothermal field varied with time, which resulted in variations of chemical and isotopic compositions and reservoir temperatures.

  1. Observed Seasonal Variations of the Upper Ocean Structure and Air-Sea Interactions in the Andaman Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yanliang; Li, Kuiping; Ning, Chunlin; Yang, Yang; Wang, Haiyuan; Liu, Jianjun; Skhokiattiwong, Somkiat; Yu, Weidong

    2018-02-01

    The Andaman Sea (AS) is a poorly observed basin, where even the fundamental physical characteristics have not been fully documented. Here the seasonal variations of the upper ocean structure and the air-sea interactions in the central AS were studied using a moored surface buoy. The seasonal double-peak pattern of the sea surface temperature (SST) was identified with the corresponding mixed layer variations. Compared with the buoys in the Bay of Bengal (BOB), the thermal stratification in the central AS was much stronger in the winter to spring, when a shallower isothermal layer and a thinner barrier layer were sustained. The temperature inversion was strongest from June to July because of substantial surface heat loss and subsurface prewarming. The heat budget analysis of the mixed layer showed that the net surface heat fluxes dominated the seasonal SST cycle. Vertical entrainment was significant from April to July. It had a strong cooling effect from April to May and a striking warming effect from June to July. A sensitivity experiment highlighted the importance of salinity. The AS warmer surface water in the winter was associated with weak heat loss caused by weaker longwave radiation and latent heat losses. However, the AS latent heat loss was larger than the BOB in summer due to its lower relative humidity.

  2. Annual reconstruction of the solar cycle from atmospheric 14C variations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, J.O.

    1990-01-01

    Initially, the rise and fall components of the 11-year solar sunspot cycle are approximated by separate least-squares polynomials for four cycle classifications, which are determined by the magnitude of the average of the annual sunspot numbers per cycle. Following a method is formulated to generate detailed reconstruction of the annual variation of a solar cycle based on this cycle average, and the results obtained for cycles -4 through to 21 are compared with the annual Zurich values. This procedure is then employed to establish annual sunspot numbers using published average cycle values obtained from atmospheric carbon 14 variations, which have been derived from the chemical analysis of tree ring sections. The reconstructed sequences are correlated with the observed cycle values and with tree ring width index chronologies which exhibit a significant 11-year periodicity. It is anticipated that the long carbon 14 records and parallel dendrochronological data could be employed to obtain a more detailed portrayal of previous periods of strong solar activity than that given by current estimates based on historical records. 17 refs., 2 tabs., 9 figs

  3. Solar ultraviolet irradiance variations: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lean, J.

    1987-01-01

    Despite the geophysical importance of solar ultraviolet radiation, specific aspects of its temporal variations have not yet been adequately determined experimentally, nor are the mechanisms for the variability completely understood. Satellite observations have verified the reality of solar ultraviolet irradiance variations over time scales of days and months, and model calculations have confirmed the association of these short-term variations with the evolution and rotation of regions of enhanced magnetic activity on the solar disc. However, neither rocket nor satellite measurements have yet been made with sufficient accuracy and regularity to establish unequivocally the nature of the variability over the longer time of the 11-year solar cycle. The comparative importance for the long-term variations of local regions of enhanced magnetic activity and global scale activity perturbations is still being investigated. Solar ultraviolet irradiance variations over both short and long time scales are reviewed, with emphasis on their connection to solar magnetic activity. Correlations with ground-based measures of solar variability are examined because of the importance of the ground-based observations as historical proxies of ultraviolet irradiance variations. Current problems in understanding solar ultraviolet irradiance variations are discussed, and the measurements planned for solar cycle 22, which may resolve these problems, are briefly described. copyright American Geophysical Union 1987

  4. Seasonal variation of wave activities near the mesopause region observed at King Sejong Station (62.22°S, 58.78°W), Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Changsup; Kim, Yong Ha; Kim, Jeong-Han; Jee, Geonhwa; Won, Young-In; Wu, Dong L.

    2013-12-01

    We analyzed the neutral wind data at altitudes of 80-100 km obtained from a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station (KSS, 62.22°S, 58.78°W), a key location to study wave activities above the stratospheric vortex near the Antarctic Peninsula. The seasonal behavior of the semidiurnal tides is generally consistent with the prediction of Global Scale Wave Model (GSWM02) except in the altitude region above ~96 km. Gravity wave (GW) activities inferred from the neutral wind variances show a seasonal variation very similar to the semidiurnal tide amplitudes, suggesting a strong interaction between gravity waves and the tide. Despite the consistent seasonal variations of the GW wind variances observed at the adjacent Rothera station, the magnitudes of the wind variance obtained at KSS are much larger than those at Rothera, especially during May-September. The enhanced GW activity at KSS is also observed by Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) from space in its temperature variance. The observed large wind variances at KSS imply that the Antarctic vortex in the stratosphere may act as an effective filter and source for the GWs in the upper atmosphere.

  5. Observations of eclipses of UU Sge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimansky, V. V.; Borisov, N. V.; Bikmaev, I. F.; Shimanskaya, N. N.

    2012-06-01

    We have performed spectroscopy and photometry of eclipses of the pre-cataclysmic variable UUSge using the 6-m telescope of the Special AstrophysicalObservatory and the 1.5-mRussian-Turkish telescope. Our analysis of variations of the B- V and V- R color indices during the eclipses indicates that the temperature of the secondary is T eff,2 = 6000-6300 K. A similar value, T eff,2 = 6200 ± 200 K, follows from our comparison of the observed spectrum of UU Sge at the total eclipse phase and theoretical spectra of late-type stars. We identify 27 absorption lines of 11 chemical elements in the secondary's spectrum. Their abnormal intensities indicate possible high-velocity turbulent motions (up to ξ turb = 10.0 km/s) in the atmosphere of the star and the presence of hot gas above its surface.

  6. Driving Chemical Reactions in Plasmonic Nanogaps with Electrohydrodynamic Flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thrift, William J; Nguyen, Cuong Q; Darvishzadeh-Varcheie, Mahsa; Zare, Siavash; Sharac, Nicholas; Sanderson, Robert N; Dupper, Torin J; Hochbaum, Allon I; Capolino, Filippo; Abdolhosseini Qomi, Mohammad Javad; Ragan, Regina

    2017-11-28

    Nanoparticles from colloidal solution-with controlled composition, size, and shape-serve as excellent building blocks for plasmonic devices and metasurfaces. However, understanding hierarchical driving forces affecting the geometry of oligomers and interparticle gap spacings is still needed to fabricate high-density architectures over large areas. Here, electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow is used as a long-range driving force to enable carbodiimide cross-linking between nanospheres and produces oligomers exhibiting sub-nanometer gap spacing over mm 2 areas. Anhydride linkers between nanospheres are observed via surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The anhydride linkers are cleavable via nucleophilic substitution and enable placement of nucleophilic molecules in electromagnetic hotspots. Atomistic simulations elucidate that the transient attractive force provided by EHD flow is needed to provide a sufficient residence time for anhydride cross-linking to overcome slow reaction kinetics. This synergistic analysis shows assembly involves an interplay between long-range driving forces increasing nanoparticle-nanoparticle interactions and probability that ligands are in proximity to overcome activation energy barriers associated with short-range chemical reactions. Absorption spectroscopy and electromagnetic full-wave simulations show that variations in nanogap spacing have a greater influence on optical response than variations in close-packed oligomer geometry. The EHD flow-anhydride cross-linking assembly method enables close-packed oligomers with uniform gap spacings that produce uniform SERS enhancement factors. These results demonstrate the efficacy of colloidal driving forces to selectively enable chemical reactions leading to future assembly platforms for large-area nanodevices.

  7. Decomposition theory of chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabitz, S.; Rabitz, H.

    1977-01-01

    The coupled channel formulation is utilized to variationally derive approximate closed-form expressions for reactive transition matrices. In conjunction with this effort it is shown that the effect of differing choices of possible channel coupling arrays becomes important when incomplete channel basis sets are used. Generalized techniques are employed to derive the necessary variational principles. The inherent coupling of the Green's functions in the resulting expression for the transition matrix makes inclusion of continuum states in the basis sets less crucial. The practical viability of this formulation as a computational scheme for chemical systems is discussed

  8. Three-dimensional analytical model for the spatial variation of the foreshock electron distribution function: Systematics and comparisons with ISEE observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitzenreiter, R.J.; Scudder, J.D.; Klimas, A.J.

    1990-01-01

    A model of the gyrophase-averaged electron distribution in the Earth's foreshock consistent with boundary conditions at the bow shock and in the solar wind has been constructed according to the reversible guiding center characteristics and compared with ISEE electron and wave observations. This model demonstrates (1) that the basic features and morphology of beams in the observed and reduced distributions F(υ parallel ) are determined almost exclusively by the solar wind electrons mirrored at the shock's magnetic ramp and are relatively insensitive to the leakage fluxes from the magnetosheath, (2) that the wave particle modifications have been detected by contrasting the reversible model with the direct observations, (3) that the nonmonotonic reduced distributions F(υ parallel ) are rarely the result of a nonmonotonic energy spectra but are rather the result of the transverse velocity space integration necessary to produce F(υ parallel ) from the directly observed electron distribution function f(v), (4) that the time scale for beam resupply to F(υ parallel ) from the dc spatial gradients of the self-consistent reversible distribution function can have a factor of 100 variation across the foreshock, being shortest within a few degrees of the magnetic tangent surface, (5) that the beams predicted by the model have strongly varying and correlated variations of mean energy, thermal spread, and number density with angular departure from the magnetic tangent with the coldest, most tenuous, and lowest mean energy beams suggested to be present deep behind the magnetic tangent (≅5 degree-10 degree), and (6) that the lowest-energy beams have low contrast to the background solar wind distributing and although difficult to detect have beam density and temperature parameters compatible with ω pe growth of electrostatic waves

  9. Development of a global 1-D chemically radiatively coupled model and an introduction to the development of a chemically coupled General Circulation Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyoshi, H.

    1997-01-01

    A global one-dimensional, chemically and radiatively coupled model has been developed. The basic concept of the coupled model, definition of globally averaged zenith angles, the formulation of the model chemistry, radiation, the coupled processes, and profiles and diurnal variations of temperature and chemical species at a normal steady state are presented. Furthermore, a suddenly doubled CO 2 experiment and a Pinatubo aerosol increase experiment were performed with the model. The time scales of variations in ozone and temperature in the lower stratosphere of the coupled system in the doubled CO 2 experiment was long, due to a feedback process among ultra violet radiation, O(1D), NO y , NO x , and O 3 . From the Pinatubo aerosol experiment, a delay of maximum ozone decrease from the maximum aerosol loading is shown and discussed. Developments of 3-D chemical models with coupled processes are briefly described, and the ozone distribution from the first version of the 3-D model are presented. Chemical model development in National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) are briefly described. (author)

  10. Temperature effects on chemical structure and motion in coal. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maciel, G.E.

    1996-09-30

    The objective of this project was to apply recently developed, state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to examine in situ changes in the chemical structure and molecular/macromolecular motion in coal as the temperature is increased above room temperature. Although alterations in the chemical structure of coal have been studied previously by {sup 13}C NMR, using quenched samples, the goal of this project was to examine these chemical structural changes, and changes in molecular/macromolecular mobility that may precede or accompany the chemical changes, at elevated temperatures, using modern {sup 13}C and {sup 1}H NMR techniques, especially {sup 1}H dipolar-dephasing techniques and related experiments pioneered in the laboratory for examining pyridine-saturated coals. This project consisted of the following four primary segments and related efforts on matters relevant to the first four tasks. (1) {sup 1}H NMR characterization of coal structure and mobility as a function of temperature variation over a temperature range (30--240 C) for which substantial chemical transformations were not anticipated. (2) {sup 1}H NMR characterization of coal structure, mobility and conversion as a function of temperature variation over a temperature range (240--500 C) for which chemical transformations of coal are known to occur. (3) {sup 13}C NMR investigation of coal structure/mobility as a function of temperature over a temperature range (30--240 C) for which substantial chemical transformations were not anticipated. (4) {sup 13}C NMR investigation of coal structure, dynamics and conversion as a function of temperature variation over a range (240--500 C) for which chemical transformations of coal are known to occur. (5) Related matters relevant to the first four tasks: (a) {sup 1}H CRAMPS NMR characterization of oil shales and their kerogen concentrates; and (b) improved quantitation in {sup 13}C MAS characterization of coals.

  11. On the Limitations of Variational Bias Correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi, Isaac; Mccarty, Will; Gelaro, Ronald

    2018-01-01

    Satellite radiances are the largest dataset assimilated into Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models, however the data are subject to errors and uncertainties that need to be accounted for before assimilating into the NWP models. Variational bias correction uses the time series of observation minus background to estimate the observations bias. This technique does not distinguish between the background error, forward operator error, and observations error so that all these errors are summed up together and counted as observation error. We identify some sources of observations errors (e.g., antenna emissivity, non-linearity in the calibration, and antenna pattern) and show the limitations of variational bias corrections on estimating these errors.

  12. Chemical Evidence for Vertical Transport from Magma Chambers to the Surface During Mid-Ocean Ridge Volcanic Eruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinton, J. M.; Rubin, K. H.

    2009-12-01

    Many mid-ocean ridge eruptions show significant internal chemical heterogeneity; in general, the amount of chemical heterogeneity within eruptions scales with erupted volume. These variations reflect magmatic processes occurring in magma reservoirs prior to or possibly during eruption. For example, systematic variations in Mg# with along-axis distance in the early 90’s Aldo-Kihi (S. EPR near 17.5°S), 1996 N. Gorda, 1993 Co-Axial (Juan de Fuca Ridge), and 1991-2 and 2005-6 9°50’N EPR eruptions is unlikely to be related to fractionation during emplacement, and rather reflects variations in sub-axial magma reservoirs prior to eruption. Such variations are inconsistent with well-mixed sub-axial reservoirs and, in some cases, require relatively long-lived, systematic variations in reservoir temperatures along axis. Chemical heterogeneity within the Aldo-Kihi eruption preserves spatial variations in mantle-derived isotopic and trace element ratios with implications for the temporal and spatial scales of magma injections to the crust and along-axis mixing within shallow reservoirs. These spatial variations are difficult to reconcile with significant (> ~1 km) along-axis magma transport, as are striking correlations of chemical compositions with surface geological discontinuities or seismically imaged sub-axial magma chamber reflectors in the S. Hump (S. EPR), 9°50’N EPR, N. Gorda and 1975-1984 Krafla (N. Iceland) eruptive units. Rather, spatial correlations between surface lava compositions and sub-axial magma chamber properties or long-lived axial morphology suggest that most of the erupted magma was transported nearly vertically from the underlying reservoirs to the surface during these eruptions. In the case of the Krafla eruption, coincident deformation suggests a component of lateral melt migration at depth, despite chemical evidence for vertical transport of erupted lava from more than one chemical reservoir. In addition, along-ridge movement of earthquake

  13. Transfer of chemicals in PWR systems: secondary side

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jonas, O.

    1978-01-01

    Transfer of chemicals in the secondary side of pressurized water reactor systems with recirculating and once-through steam generators is considered. Chemical data on water, steam and deposit chemistry of twenty-six operating units are given and major physical-chemical processes and differences between the two systems and between fossil and PWR systems are discussed. It is concluded that the limited available data show the average water and steam chemistry to be within recommended limits, but large variations of impurity concentrations and corrosion problems encountered indicate that our knowledge of the system chemistry and chemical thermodynamics, system design, sampling, analysis and operation need improvement. (author)

  14. Chemical evolution of Miocene wood: Example from the Belchatow brown coal deposit, central Poland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drobniak, A.; Mastalerz, Maria

    2006-01-01

    Miocene conifer wood samples from the Belchatow brown coal deposit in Poland were studied in order to discuss a range of chemical variations that occur as a result of biochemical coalification. Petrographic analysis, ultimate analysis, electron microprobe technique, and FTIR spectroscopy were used in this study. Our data show several progressive trends in functional groups distribution that take place during the wood transformation from group 1 to group 4, such as an overall increase in aromaticity, an increase in lignin/cellulose ratio, and an increase in oxygen functionalities. Other observations include an increase in aliphatic stretching and bending functionalities from groups 1 to 3; followed by a decrease in the wood of group 4; appearance of aliphatic out-of-plane bands in group 3 and increase in group 4; an increase in CH2/CH3 in group 4 compared to the other groups; and decrease in O-H groups in group 4 compared to other groups. These observations, together with other chemical and petrological observations, indicate that the progressive elimination of cellulose and modification of lignin are dominant processes of the wood transformation. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Explanation of observable secular variations of gravity and alternative methods of determination of drift of the center of mass of the Earth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barkin, Yury

    2010-05-01

    The summary. On the basis of geodynamic model of the forced relative displacement of the centers of mass of the core and the mantle of the Earth the secular variations of a gravity and heights of some gravimetry stations on a surface of the Earth have ben studied. At the account of secular drift of the center of mass of the Earth which on our geodynamic model is caused by the unidirectional drift of the core of the Earth relatively to the mantle, the full explanation is given to observable secular variations of a gravity at stations Ny-Alesund (Norway), Churchill (Canada), Medicine (Italy), Sayowa (Antarctica), Strastburg (France), Membach (Belgium), Wuhan (China) and Metsahovi (Finland). Two new methods of determination of secular drift of the center of mass of the Earth, alternative to classical method of a space geodesy are offered: 1) on the basis of gravimetry data about secular trends of a gravity at the stations located on all basic regions of the Earth; 2) on the basis of the comparative analysis of altimetry and coastal data about secular changes of sea level also in basic regions of ocean. 1. Secular drift of the center of mass of the core and the center of mass of the Earth. A secular drift of the center of mass of the Earth to the North relatively to special center O on an axis of rotation of the Earth for which the coefficient of third zonal harmonic J3' = 0, has been predicted in the author work [1]. A drift in a direction to a geographical point (pole P) 70°0 N and 104°3 E has been established for the first time theoretically - as a result of the analysis of the global directed redistribution of masses of the Earth, explaining the observed secular drift of the pole of an axis of rotation of the Earth and not tidal acceleration of its axial rotation [2]. In [1] velocity of drift it has been estimated in 1-2 cm/yr. For specified center O the figure of a planet is as though deprived of pure-shaped form (J3' = 0). And in this sense the point O can be

  16. SMA OBSERVATIONS OF THE W3(OH) COMPLEX: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN W3(H{sub 2}O) AND W3(OH)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qin, Sheng-Li [Department of Astronomy, Yunnan University, and Key Laboratory of Astroparticle Physics of Yunnan Province, Kunming, 650091 (China); Schilke, Peter; Sánchez-Monge, Álvaro [Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, D-50937 Köln (Germany); Wu, Jingwen [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Wu, Yuefang [Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China); Liu, Tie [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute 776, Daedeokdaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Korea 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Liu, Ying, E-mail: slqin@bao.ac.cn [Department of Physics and Hebei Advanced Thin Film Laboratory, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China)

    2015-04-10

    We report on the Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of molecular lines at 270 GHz toward the W3(OH) and W3(H{sub 2}O) complex. Although previous observations already resolved the W3(H{sub 2}O) into two or three sub-components, the physical and chemical properties of the two sources are not well constrained. Our SMA observations clearly resolved the W3(OH) and W3(H{sub 2}O) continuum cores. Taking advantage of the line fitting tool XCLASS, we identified and modeled a rich molecular spectrum in this complex, including multiple CH{sub 3}CN and CH{sub 3}OH transitions in both cores. HDO, C{sub 2}H{sub 5}CN, O{sup 13}CS, and vibrationally excited lines of HCN, CH{sub 3}CN, and CH{sub 3}OCHO were only detected in W3(H{sub 2}O). We calculate gas temperatures and column densities for both cores. The results show that W3(H{sub 2}O) has higher gas temperatures and larger column densities than W3(OH) as previously observed, suggesting physical and chemical differences between the two cores. We compare the molecular abundances in W3(H{sub 2}O) to those in the Sgr B2(N) hot core, the Orion KL hot core, and the Orion Compact Ridge, and discuss the chemical origin of specific species. An east–west velocity gradient is seen in W3(H{sub 2}O), and the extension is consistent with the bipolar outflow orientation traced by water masers and radio jets. A north–south velocity gradient across W3(OH) is also observed. However, with current observations we cannot be assured whether the velocity gradients are caused by rotation, outflow, or radial velocity differences of the sub-components of W3(OH)

  17. Relationships between chemical structure, mechanical properties and materials processing in nanopatterned organosilicate fins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gheorghe Stan

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The exploitation of nanoscale size effects to create new nanostructured materials necessitates the development of an understanding of relationships between molecular structure, physical properties and material processing at the nanoscale. Numerous metrologies capable of thermal, mechanical, and electrical characterization at the nanoscale have been demonstrated over the past two decades. However, the ability to perform nanoscale molecular/chemical structure characterization has only been recently demonstrated with the advent of atomic-force-microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR and related techniques. Therefore, we have combined measurements of chemical structures with AFM-IR and of mechanical properties with contact resonance AFM (CR-AFM to investigate the fabrication of 20–500 nm wide fin structures in a nanoporous organosilicate material. We show that by combining these two techniques, one can clearly observe variations of chemical structure and mechanical properties that correlate with the fabrication process and the feature size of the organosilicate fins. Specifically, we have observed an inverse correlation between the concentration of terminal organic groups and the stiffness of nanopatterned organosilicate fins. The selective removal of the organic component during etching results in a stiffness increase and reinsertion via chemical silylation results in a stiffness decrease. Examination of this effect as a function of fin width indicates that the loss of terminal organic groups and stiffness increase occur primarily at the exposed surfaces of the fins over a length scale of 10–20 nm. While the observed structure–property relationships are specific to organosilicates, we believe the combined demonstration of AFM-IR with CR-AFM should pave the way for a similar nanoscale characterization of other materials where the understanding of such relationships is essential.

  18. Longitudinal variation in lateral trapping of fine sediment in tidal estuaries: observations and a 3D exploratory model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wei; de Swart, Huib E.

    2018-03-01

    This study investigates the longitudinal variation of lateral entrapment of suspended sediment, as is observed in some tidal estuaries. In particular, field data from the Yangtze Estuary are analysed, which reveal that in one cross-section, two maxima of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) occur close to the south and north sides, while in a cross-section 2 km down-estuary, only one SSC maximum on the south side is present. This pattern is found during both spring tide and neap tide, which are characterised by different intensities of turbulence. To understand longitudinal variation in lateral trapping of sediment, results of a new three-dimensional exploratory model are analysed. The hydrodynamic part contains residual flow due to fresh water input, density gradients and Coriolis force and due to channel curvature-induced leakage. Moreover, the model includes a spatially varying eddy viscosity that accounts for variation of intensity of turbulence over the spring-neap cycle. By imposing morphodynamic equilibrium, the two-dimensional distribution of sediment in the domain is obtained analytically by a novel procedure. Results reveal that the occurrence of the SSC maxima near the south side of both cross-sections is due to sediment entrapment by lateral density gradients, while the second SSC maximum near the north side of the first cross-section is by sediment transport due to curvature-induced leakage. Coriolis deflection of longitudinal flow also contributes the trapping of sediment near the north side. This mechanism is important in the upper estuary, where the flow due to lateral density gradients is weak.

  19. Seasonal to Decadal Variations of Water Vapor in the Tropical Lower Stratosphere Observed with Balloon-Borne Cryogenic Frost Point Hygrometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujiwara, M.; Voemel, H.; Hasebe, F.; Shiotani, M.; Ogino, S.-Y.; Iwasaki, S.; Nishi, N.; Shibata, T.; Shimizu, K.; Nishimoto, E.; hide

    2010-01-01

    We investigated water vapor variations in the tropical lower stratosphere on seasonal, quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), and decadal time scales using balloon-borne cryogenic frost point hygrometer data taken between 1993 and 2009 during various campaigns including the Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment (March 1993), campaigns once or twice annually during the Soundings of Ozone and Water in the Equatorial Region (SOWER) project in the eastern Pacific (1998-2003) and in the western Pacific and Southeast Asia (2001-2009), and the Ticosonde campaigns and regular sounding at Costa Rica (2005-2009). Quasi-regular sounding data taken at Costa Rica clearly show the tape recorder signal. The observed ascent rates agree well with the ones from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) satellite sensor. Average profiles from the recent five SOWER campaigns in the equatorial western, Pacific in northern winter and from the three Ticosonde campaigns at Costa Rica (10degN) in northern summer clearly show two effects of the QBO. One is the vertical displacement of water vapor profiles associated with the QBO meridional circulation anomalies, and the other is the concentration variations associated with the QBO tropopause temperature variations. Time series of cryogenic frost point hygrometer data averaged in a lower stratospheric layer together with HALOE and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder data show the existence of decadal variations: The mixing ratios were higher and increasing in the 1990s, lower in the early 2000s, and probably slightly higher again or recovering after 2004. Thus linear trend analysis is not appropriate to investigate the behavior of the tropical lower stratospheric water vapor.

  20. Interrelated chemical-microstructural-nanomechanical variations in the structural units of the cuttlebone of Sepia officinalis

    Science.gov (United States)

    North, L.; Labonte, D.; Oyen, M. L.; Coleman, M. P.; Caliskan, H. B.; Johnston, R. E.

    2017-11-01

    "Cuttlebone," the internalized shell found in all members of the cephalopod family Sepiidae, is a sophisticated buoyancy device combining high porosity with considerable strength. Using a complementary suite of characterization tools, we identified significant structural, chemical, and mechanical variations across the different structural units of the cuttlebone: the dorsal shield consists of two stiff and hard layers with prismatic mineral organization which encapsulate a more ductile and compliant layer with a lamellar structure, enriched with organic matter. A similar organization is found in the chambers, which are separated by septa, and supported by meandering plates ("pillars"). Like the dorsal shield, septa contain two layers with lamellar and prismatic organization, respectively, which differ significantly in their mechanical properties: layers with prismatic organization are a factor of three stiffer and up to a factor of ten harder than those with lamellar organization. The combination of stiff and hard, and compliant and ductile components may serve to reduce the risk of catastrophic failure, and reflect the role of organic matter for the growth process of the cuttlebone. Mechanically "weaker" units may function as sacrificial structures, ensuring a stepwise failure of the individual chambers in cases of overloading, allowing the animals to retain near-neutral buoyancy even with partially damaged cuttlebones. Our findings have implications for our understanding of the structure-property-function relationship of cuttlebone, and may help to identify novel bioinspired design strategies for light-weight yet high-strength foams.

  1. Variation of Optical Quenching of Photoconductivity with Resistivity in Unintentional Doped GaN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi-Feng, Hou; Xiao-Liang, Wang; Hong-Ling, Xiao; Cui-Mei, Wang; Cui-Bai, Yang; Jin-Min, Li

    2010-01-01

    The optical quenching of photoconductivity under dual illumination in GaN samples with different resistivity is investigated to reveal the variation of deep levels. The samples are grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition without intentional doping. Quenching bands centered at 1.35eV, 1.55eV, 1.98eV, and 2.60eV are observed. It is found that the 1.98eV quenching band is dominated in all the samples and the 2.60eV band is observed only in the high-resistivity samples. The possible defect levels responsible for the quenching bands and the origin of different quenching behaviour at 2.60eV are discussed. It is suggested that the defect level responsible for quenching at 2.60eV plays an important role for the enhancement of resistivity

  2. Seasonal variations in the rate of photosynthetic activity and chemical composition of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucr. Asch.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Zavodnik

    1998-12-01

    Full Text Available Temporal changes in biomass, rate of photosynthetic activity and chemical composition of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucr. Asch., under the influence of various environmental factors, were followed in the Faborsa Bay, Northern Adriatic. Throughout the year the estimated average biomass was about 130 g dry wt m-2 with annual production of 80 g C m-2. In general, leaf length, biomass and production showed clear seasonality, with maximum values during the summer period (July-September and clear minima in winter. Net oxygen production was closely related to biomass, leaf length, chlorophyll concentration, water temperature and incident light intensity. No clear seasonality was observed in the chemical composition (protein, fats, total phosphorus of C. nodosa. Over the annual cycle, the range of measured variables was 10-16% for protein, 1.7-3.1% for fat, 0.3-0.8% for phosphorus, 1.6-2.6 for nitrogen in leaves, and 5-17% for protein, 0.9-3.2% for fat, 0.1-0.6% for phosphorus and 0.9-2.8 for nitrogen in roots.

  3. Uncoated microcantilevers as chemical sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thundat, Thomas G.

    2001-01-01

    A method and device are provided for chemical sensing using cantilevers that do not use chemically deposited, chemically specific layers. This novel device utilizes the adsorption-induced variation in the surfaces states on a cantilever. The methodology involves exciting charge carriers into or out of the surface states with photons having increasing discrete levels of energy. The excitation energy is provided as discrete levels of photon energy by scanning the wavelength of an exciting source that is illuminating the cantilever surface. When the charge carriers are excited into or out of the surface states, the cantilever bending changes due to changes in surface stress. The amount of cantilever bending with respect to an identical cantilever as a function of excitation energy is used to determine the energy levels associated with adsorbates.

  4. Within-Individual Variation in Preferences Equity Effects of Congestion Charges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borjesson, Maria; Cherchi, Elisabetta; Bierlaire, Michel

    2013-01-01

    in VTT arising from income differences was found to be substantially smaller than the variation in VTT between trips. Moreover, the variability in VTT averaged over all trips within each individual was considerably smaller than the variability in VTT for all observed trips. Therefore, the assumption...... that variation in VTT between observed trips reflects the variation in the average VTT between individuals, which is usually made in equity analyses, will over-state the between-individual variation. The results suggest that if intraindividual variation in preferences is not taken into account, the negative...

  5. Observation of chemical separation of In{sub 3}Sb{sub 1}Te{sub 2} thin film during phase transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Y.M.; Baik, J.; Shin, H.-J. [Beamline Division, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Y.S. [Department of Physics and Energy Harvest-Storage Research Center (EHSRC), University of Ulsan, Ulsan 680-749 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, S.G., E-mail: sgyoon@cnu.ac.kr [Brain Korea 21 Project (BK21) and Department of Materials Engineering, Chungnam University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, M.-C., E-mail: mcjung@oist.jp [Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa 904-0495 (Japan); Qi, Y.B. [Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa 904-0495 (Japan)

    2014-02-15

    We investigated the chemical states of In{sub 3}Sb{sub 1}Te{sub 2} (IST) thin film using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) with the synchrotron radiation during in-situ annealing in ultra-high vacuum. To obtain the oxygen-free amorphous IST (a-IST), we performed the mild Ne{sup +} ion sputtering. And also we confirmed the relative a-IST stoichiometry to be 54%:17%:29% based on HRXPS data. At the first and second phase transition temperatures of 350 and 400 °C, we observed the dramatic changes of chemical states from a-IST to InSb and the mixture of crystalline-IST and InTe, respectively. There was a depletion of Sb atoms on the surface after annealing at 750 °C. We assume that Sb atom is a key for the phase transition in IST. However, chemical state of the Sb in IST is unstable during the phase transition and it will be caused with the non-reversible process by this structural instability.

  6. High-performance metabolic profiling of plasma from seven mammalian species for simultaneous environmental chemical surveillance and bioeffect monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Youngja H; Lee, Kichun; Soltow, Quinlyn A; Strobel, Frederick H; Brigham, Kenneth L; Parker, Richard E; Wilson, Mark E; Sutliff, Roy L; Mansfield, Keith G; Wachtman, Lynn M; Ziegler, Thomas R; Jones, Dean P

    2012-05-16

    High-performance metabolic profiling (HPMP) by Fourier-transform mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography gives relative quantification of thousands of chemicals in biologic samples but has had little development for use in toxicology research. In principle, the approach could be useful to detect complex metabolic response patterns to toxicologic exposures and to detect unusual abundances or patterns of potentially toxic chemicals. As an initial study to develop these possible uses, we applied HPMP and bioinformatics analysis to plasma of humans, rhesus macaques, marmosets, pigs, sheep, rats and mice to determine: (1) whether more chemicals are detected in humans living in a less controlled environment than captive species and (2) whether a subset of plasma chemicals with similar inter-species and intra-species variation could be identified for use in comparative toxicology. Results show that the number of chemicals detected was similar in humans (3221) and other species (range 2537-3373). Metabolite patterns were most similar within species and separated samples according to family and order. A total of 1485 chemicals were common to all species; 37% of these matched chemicals in human metabolomic databases and included chemicals in 137 out of 146 human metabolic pathways. Probability-based modularity clustering separated 644 chemicals, including many endogenous metabolites, with inter-species variation similar to intra-species variation. The remaining chemicals had greater inter-species variation and included environmental chemicals as well as GSH and methionine. Together, the data suggest that HPMP provides a platform that can be useful within human populations and controlled animal studies to simultaneously evaluate environmental exposures and biological responses to such exposures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Mg and 18O Variations in the Shell of the Chilean Gastropod Concholepas concholepas Reflect SST and Growth Rate variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzman, N.; Lazareth, C. E.; Poitrasson, F.; Cuif, J.; Ortlieb, L.

    2004-12-01

    To validate the use of fossil mollusc shells as recorders of environmental conditions, a primary calibration study was carried out on modern shells of the Chilean gastropod Concholepas concholepas, the so-called southern hemisphere abalone which is particularly abundant in Holocene archaeological sites. Organisms were maintained in culture tanks and feed with live mytilids. The sea water temperature in the tank was recorded every half-an-hour by an automatic device. The experiment lasted several months. Periodical marking with calcein provided a precise chronological control of the shell growth. Thus, well-dated high resolution chemical profiles could be directly compared with temperatures during shell formation. Geochemical analyses of the calcite layers include Mg, Sr and 16O/18O composition. Trace elements were analysed using Laser Ablation ICP-MS and Electron Microprobe while stable isotopes were measured on a Secondary Ion Mass spectrometry (SIMS). The shell growth rate during two months of formation varied between 30 and 140 µm/day which allows us to reach a temporal resolution for chemical profiles between a few hours and three days. The growth rate variations do not seem to be related to temperature fluctuations. Only Mg content was analytically reproducible and showed significant variations across the shells. The Mg high-resolution profiles display a grossly sinusoidal shape. Shells from different sites along the coasts of Chile showed mean Mg contents of 300 ppm and 500 ppm for mean temperatures of 17 and 20° C, respectively. This suggests a gross correlation between Mg and temperature. However, high resolution Mg results do not show an exact fitting neither with temperature nor with growth rates. Other parameters, like shell ageing as suggested by an amplitude increase observed near the edge of one of the shells, or other complex biological factors, may influence Mg incorporation into the shell. \\delta 18O values of the calcite vary between -1,5 and 2

  8. Seasonal variation in the chemical composition and carbohydrate signature compounds of biofilm

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    DeSouza, F.P.; Garg, A.; Bhosle, N.B.

    Biofilm developed on stainless steel was characterised using biological, chemical and biochemical parameters, as well as aldose molecular biomarkers. Biofilm biomass and carbohydrate concentration increased on stainless steel, whereas C...

  9. TOPoS. IV. Chemical abundances from high-resolution observations of seven extremely metal-poor stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonifacio, P.; Caffau, E.; Spite, M.; Spite, F.; Sbordone, L.; Monaco, L.; François, P.; Plez, B.; Molaro, P.; Gallagher, A. J.; Cayrel, R.; Christlieb, N.; Klessen, R. S.; Koch, A.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Steffen, M.; Zaggia, S.; Abate, C.

    2018-04-01

    Context. Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars provide us with indirect information on the first generations of massive stars. The TOPoS survey has been designed to increase the census of these stars and to provide a chemical inventory that is as detailed as possible. Aims: Seven of the most iron-poor stars have been observed with the UVES spectrograph at the ESO VLT Kueyen 8.2 m telescope to refine their chemical composition. Methods: We analysed the spectra based on 1D LTE model atmospheres, but also used 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar atmospheres. Results: We measured carbon in six of the seven stars: all are carbon-enhanced and belong to the low-carbon band, defined in the TOPoS II paper. We measured lithium (A(Li) = 1.9) in the most iron-poor star (SDSS J1035+0641, [Fe/H] measure Li in three stars at [Fe/H] -4.0, two of which lie on the Spite plateau. We confirm that SDSS J1349+1407 is extremely rich in Mg, but not in Ca. It is also very rich in Na. Several of our stars are characterised by low α-to-iron ratios. Conclusions: The lack of high-carbon band stars at low metallicity can be understood in terms of evolutionary timescales of binary systems. The detection of Li in SDSS J1035+0641 places a strong constraint on theories that aim at solving the cosmological lithium problem. The Li abundance of the two warmer stars at [Fe/H] -4.0 places them on the Spite plateau, while the third, cooler star, lies below. We argue that this suggests that the temperature at which Li depletion begins increases with decreasing [Fe/H]. SDSS J1349+1407 may belong to a class of Mg-rich EMP stars. We cannot assess if there is a scatter in α-to-iron ratios among the EMP stars or if there are several discrete populations. However, the existence of stars with low α-to-iron ratios is supported by our observations. Based on observations obtained at ESO Paranal Observatory, Programmes 189.D-0165,090.D-0306, 093.D-0136, and 096.D-0468.

  10. An Equation Governing Ultralow-Velocity Zones: Implications for Holes in the ULVZ, Lateral Chemical Reactions at the Core-Mantle Boundary, and Damping of Heat Flux Variations in the Core

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernlund, J. W.; Matsui, H.

    2017-12-01

    Ultralow-velocity zones (ULVZ) are increasingly illuminated by seismology, revealing surprising diversity in size, shape, and physical characteristics. The only viable hypotheses are that ULVZs are a compositionally distinct FeO-enriched dense material, which could have formed by fractional crystallization of a basal magma ocean, segregation of subducted banded iron formations, precipitation of solids from the outer core, partial melting and segregation of iron-rich melts from subducted basalts, or most likely a combination of many different processes. But many questions remain: Are ULVZ partially molten in some places, and not in others? Are ULVZ simply the thicker portions of an otherwise global thin layer, covering the entire CMB and thus blocking or moderating chemical interactions between the core and overlying mantle? Is such a layer inter-connected and able to conduct electrical currents that allow electro-magnetic coupling of core and mantle angular momentum? Are they being eroded and shrinking in size due to viscous entrainment, or is more material being added to ULVZ over time? Here we derive an advection-diffusion-like equation that governs the dynamical evolution of a chemically distinct ULVZ. Analysis of this equation shows that ULVZ should become readily swept aside by viscous mantle flows at the CMB, exposing "ordinary mantle" to the top of the core, thus inducing chemical heterogeneity that drives lateral CMB chemical reactions. These reactions are correlated with heat flux, thus maintaining large-scale pressure variations atop the core that induce cyclone-like flows centered around ULVZ and ponded subducted slabs. We suggest that turbulent diffusion across adjacent cyclone streams inside a stratified region atop the core readily accommodates lateral transport and re-distribution of components such as O and Si, in addition to heat. Our model implies that the deeper core is at least partly shielded from the influence of strong heat flux variations at

  11. Variations in Nutrients Composition of Most Commonly Consumed Cassava (Manihot esculenta Mixed Dishes in South-Eastern Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. I. Davidson

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Variations in nutrient composition of most commonly consumed cassava (Manihot esculenta mixed dishes in South-eastern Nigeria were determined. Four communities were randomly selected from each of the five states in the South-east. Focus group discussions (FGD were conducted in each of the communities to determine commonly consumed foods and variations in recipes. 24-Hour dietary recall was conducted using 50 randomly selected households in those communities. Recipes collected during the FGD were standardized, prepared, and chemically analysed using standard methods. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Cassava-based dishes were the most commonly consumed in South-eastern Nigeria. Ninety-two percent of the study population ate cassava either in form of “fufu” (fermented cassava meal/garri (fermented and roasted cassava meal with soup or as “abacha” (tapioca salad. Commonly consumed soups were melon (Citrullus vulgaris seeds, “ora” (Pterocarpus soyauxii, and vegetable soups. Seven melon seed, six “ora,” and four vegetable soups and five “abacha” variations were identified. Except for vegetable soup, coefficient of variation for moisture was <10%, while large variations (19–71% were observed for energy and nutrients. These variations in cassava-based dishes need to be reflected in the country-specific food composition database to enable nutrient intake assessment or provision of dietary guidance using such food composition database as a reference material to be more effective.

  12. Thyroid effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, Malene; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Main, Katharina M

    2012-05-22

    In recent years, many studies of thyroid-disrupting effects of environmental chemicals have been published. Of special concern is the exposure of pregnant women and infants, as thyroid disruption of the developing organism may have deleterious effects on neurological outcome. Chemicals may exert thyroid effects through a variety of mechanisms of action, and some animal experiments and in vitro studies have focused on elucidating the mode of action of specific chemical compounds. Long-term human studies on effects of environmental chemicals on thyroid related outcomes such as growth and development are still lacking. The human exposure scenario with life long exposure to a vast mixture of chemicals in low doses and the large physiological variation in thyroid hormone levels between individuals render human studies very difficult. However, there is now reasonably firm evidence that PCBs have thyroid-disrupting effects, and there is emerging evidence that also phthalates, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals may have thyroid disrupting properties. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Human-Induced Climate Variations Linked to Urbanization: From Observations to Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shepherd, J. Marshall; Jin, Menglin

    2004-01-01

    The goal of this session is to bring together scientists from interdisciplinary backgrounds to discuss the data, scientific approaches and recent results focusing on the impact of urbanization on the climate. The discussion will highlight current observational and modeling capabilities being employed for investigating the urban environment and its linkage to the change in the Earth's climate system. The goal of the session is to identify our current stand and the future direction on the topic. Urbanization is one of the extreme cases of land use change. Most of population of the world has moved to urban areas. By 1995, more than 70% of population of North America and Europe were living in cities. By 2025, the United Nations estimates that 60% of the worlds population will live in cities. Although currently only 1.2% of the land is urban, better understanding of how the atmosphere-ocean-land-biosphere components interact as a coupled system and the influence of human activities on this system is critical. Our understanding of urbanization effect is incomplete, partly because human activities induce new changes on climate in addition to the original natural variations, and partly because previously few data available for study urban effect globally. Urban construction changes surface roughness, albedo, heat capacity and vegetation coverage. Traffic and industry increase atmospheric aerosol. It is suggested that urbanization may modify rainfall processes through aerosol-cloud interactions or dynamic feedbacks. Because urbanization effect on climate is determined by many factors including land cover, the city's microscale features, population density, and human lifestyle patterns, it is necessary to study urban areas over globe.

  14. Variation Theory: A Theory of Learning and a Useful Theoretical Framework for Chemical Education Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bussey, Thomas J.; Orgill, MaryKay; Crippen, Kent J.

    2013-01-01

    Instructors are constantly baffled by the fact that two students who are sitting in the same class, who have access to the same materials, can come to understand a particular chemistry concept differently. Variation theory offers a theoretical framework from which to explore possible variations in experience and the resulting differences in…

  15. Period Variations for the Cepheid VZ Cyg

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirorattanakul, Krittanon; Engle, Scott; Pepper, Joshua; Wells, Mark; Laney, Clifton D.; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Stassun, Keivan G.

    2017-12-01

    The Cepheid Period-Luminosity law is a key rung on the extragalactic distance ladder. However, numerous Cepheids are known to undergo period variations. Monitoring, refining, and understanding these period variations allows us to better determine the parameters of the Cepheids themselves and of the instability strip in which they reside, and to test models of stellar evolution. VZ Cyg, a classical Cepheid pulsating at ˜4.864 days, has been observed for over 100 years. Combining data from literature observations, the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) transit survey, and new targeted observations with the Robotically Controlled Telescope (RCT) at Kitt Peak, we find a period change rate of dP/dt = -0.0642 ± 0.0018 s yr-1. However, when only the recent observations are examined, we find a much higher period change rate of dP/dt = -0.0923 ± 0.0110 s yr-1. This higher rate could be due to an apparent long-term (P ≈ 26.5 years) cyclic period variation. The possible interpretations of this single Cepheid’s complex period variations underscore both the need to regularly monitor pulsating variables and the important benefits that photometric surveys such as KELT can have on the field. Further monitoring of this interesting example of Cepheid variability is recommended to confirm and better understand the possible cyclic period variations. Further, Cepheid timing analyses are necessary to fully understand their current behaviors and parameters, as well as their evolutionary histories.

  16. ZnO nanostructure fabrication in different solvents transforms physio-chemical, biological and photodegradable properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, Attarad; Ambreen, Sidra; Javed, Rabia; Tabassum, Saira [Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan); Ul Haq, Ihsan [Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan); Zia, Muhammad, E-mail: ziachaudhary@gmail.com [Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan)

    2017-05-01

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are synthesized in various organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol and methanol) and water via coprecipitation process using zinc acetate as precursor. The resultant ZnO nanoparticles, nano rods and nano sheets are characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The variable size and geometry of nanoparticles depend upon medium used for synthesis. The synthesized ZnO nanostructures exhibit minor to moderate antioxidative (DPPH based free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidative potential and total reducing power) response. Mild to moderate antibacterial and antifungal activities, excellent antileishmanial potential (IC50 up to 3.76), and good cytotoxic perspective (LD50 up to 49.4) is also observed by the synthesized ZnO NPs. The nanoparticles also exhibit moderate α-amylase inhibition response. Furthermore the nanostructures are evaluated for methylene blue photodegradation response within 60 min time period. It is found that organic solvent alters shape, size and other physio-chemical properties of ZnO that ultimately modulate the biological, chemical, and environmental properties. - Highlights: • Zinc oxide nanoparticles are fabricated in different solvents using co-precipitation method • SEM, XRD and FTIR analysis confirms variation in physical and chemical characteristics of synthesized ZnO NPs • The synthesized ZnO demonstrates variation in biological, phytochemical and photodegradable properties.

  17. ZnO nanostructure fabrication in different solvents transforms physio-chemical, biological and photodegradable properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, Attarad; Ambreen, Sidra; Javed, Rabia; Tabassum, Saira; Ul Haq, Ihsan; Zia, Muhammad

    2017-01-01

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are synthesized in various organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol and methanol) and water via coprecipitation process using zinc acetate as precursor. The resultant ZnO nanoparticles, nano rods and nano sheets are characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The variable size and geometry of nanoparticles depend upon medium used for synthesis. The synthesized ZnO nanostructures exhibit minor to moderate antioxidative (DPPH based free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidative potential and total reducing power) response. Mild to moderate antibacterial and antifungal activities, excellent antileishmanial potential (IC50 up to 3.76), and good cytotoxic perspective (LD50 up to 49.4) is also observed by the synthesized ZnO NPs. The nanoparticles also exhibit moderate α-amylase inhibition response. Furthermore the nanostructures are evaluated for methylene blue photodegradation response within 60 min time period. It is found that organic solvent alters shape, size and other physio-chemical properties of ZnO that ultimately modulate the biological, chemical, and environmental properties. - Highlights: • Zinc oxide nanoparticles are fabricated in different solvents using co-precipitation method • SEM, XRD and FTIR analysis confirms variation in physical and chemical characteristics of synthesized ZnO NPs • The synthesized ZnO demonstrates variation in biological, phytochemical and photodegradable properties.

  18. Long-term Photometric Variations in the Candidate White-dwarf Pulsar AR Scorpii from K2 , CRTS, and ASAS-SN Observations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Littlefield, Colin; Garnavich, Peter; Kennedy, Mark [Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN (United States); Callanan, Paul [Department of Physics, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Shappee, Benjamin [Carnegie Observatories, Pasadena, CA (United States); Holoien, Thomas [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

    2017-08-10

    We analyze long-cadence Kepler K2 observations of AR Sco from 2014, along with survey photometry obtained between 2005 and 2016 by the Catalina Real-Time Sky Survey and the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. The K2 data show the orbital modulation to have been fairly stable during the 78 days of observations, but we detect aperiodic deviations from the average waveform with an amplitude of ∼2% on a timescale of a few days. A comparison of the K2 data with the survey photometry reveals that the orbital waveform gradually changed between 2005 and 2010, with the orbital maximum shifting to earlier phases. We compare these photometric variations with proposed models of this unusual system.

  19. Long-term Photometric Variations in the Candidate White-dwarf Pulsar AR Scorpii from K2 , CRTS, and ASAS-SN Observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Littlefield, Colin; Garnavich, Peter; Kennedy, Mark; Callanan, Paul; Shappee, Benjamin; Holoien, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    We analyze long-cadence Kepler K2 observations of AR Sco from 2014, along with survey photometry obtained between 2005 and 2016 by the Catalina Real-Time Sky Survey and the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. The K2 data show the orbital modulation to have been fairly stable during the 78 days of observations, but we detect aperiodic deviations from the average waveform with an amplitude of ∼2% on a timescale of a few days. A comparison of the K2 data with the survey photometry reveals that the orbital waveform gradually changed between 2005 and 2010, with the orbital maximum shifting to earlier phases. We compare these photometric variations with proposed models of this unusual system.

  20. Modeling of temporal variation of very low frequency radio waves over long paths as observed from Indian Antarctic stations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasmal, Sudipta; Basak, Tamal; Chakraborty, Suman; Palit, Sourav; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.

    2017-07-01

    Characteristics of very low frequency (VLF) signal depends on solar illumination across the propagation path. For a long path, solar zenith angle varies widely over the path and this has a significant influence on the propagation characteristics. To study the effect, Indian Centre for Space Physics participated in the 27th and 35th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. VLF signals transmitted from the transmitters, namely, VTX (18.2 kHz), Vijayanarayanam, India, and NWC (19.8 kHz), North West Cape, Australia, were recorded simultaneously at Indian permanent stations Maitri and Bharati having respective geographic coordinates 70.75°S, 11.67°E, and 69.4°S, 76.17°E. A very stable diurnal variation of the signal has been obtained from both the stations. We reproduced the signal variations of VLF signal using solar zenith angle model coupled with long wavelength propagation capability (LWPC) code. We divided the whole path into several segments and computed the solar zenith angle (χ) profile. We assumed a linear relationship between the Wait's exponential model parameters effective reflection height (h'), steepness parameter (β), and solar zenith angle. The h' and β values were later used in the LWPC code to obtain the VLF signal amplitude at a particular time. The same procedure was repeated to obtain the whole day signal. Nature of the whole day signal variation from the theoretical modeling is also found to match with our observation to some extent.

  1. Variational approach to direct and inverse problems of atmospheric pollution studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penenko, Vladimir; Tsvetova, Elena; Penenko, Alexey

    2016-04-01

    We present the development of a variational approach for solving interrelated problems of atmospheric hydrodynamics and chemistry concerning air pollution transport and transformations. The proposed approach allows us to carry out complex studies of different-scale physical and chemical processes using the methods of direct and inverse modeling [1-3]. We formulate the problems of risk/vulnerability and uncertainty assessment, sensitivity studies, variational data assimilation procedures [4], etc. A computational technology of constructing consistent mathematical models and methods of their numerical implementation is based on the variational principle in the weak constraint formulation specifically designed to account for uncertainties in models and observations. Algorithms for direct and inverse modeling are designed with the use of global and local adjoint problems. Implementing the idea of adjoint integrating factors provides unconditionally monotone and stable discrete-analytic approximations for convection-diffusion-reaction problems [5,6]. The general framework is applied to the direct and inverse problems for the models of transport and transformation of pollutants in Siberian and Arctic regions. The work has been partially supported by the RFBR grant 14-01-00125 and RAS Presidium Program I.33P. References: 1. V. Penenko, A.Baklanov, E. Tsvetova and A. Mahura . Direct and inverse problems in a variational concept of environmental modeling //Pure and Applied Geoph.(2012) v.169: 447-465. 2. V. V. Penenko, E. A. Tsvetova, and A. V. Penenko Development of variational approach for direct and inverse problems of atmospheric hydrodynamics and chemistry, Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 2015, Vol. 51, No. 3, p. 311-319, DOI: 10.1134/S0001433815030093. 3. V.V. Penenko, E.A. Tsvetova, A.V. Penenko. Methods based on the joint use of models and observational data in the framework of variational approach to forecasting weather and atmospheric composition

  2. Risk assessment of chemicals in foundries: The International Chemical Toolkit pilot-project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ribeiro, Marcela G.; Filho, Walter R.P.

    2006-01-01

    In Brazil, problems regarding protection from hazardous substances in small-sized enterprises are similar to those observed in many other countries. Looking for a simple tool to assess and control such exposures, FUNDACENTRO has started in 2005 a pilot-project to implement the International Chemical Control Toolkit. During the series of visits to foundries, it was observed that although many changes have occurred in foundry technology, occupational exposures to silica dust and metal fumes continue to occur, due to a lack of perception of occupational exposure in the work environment. After introducing the Chemical Toolkit concept to the foundry work group, it was possible to show that the activities undertaken to improve the management of chemicals, according to its concept, will support companies in fulfilling government legislations related to chemical management, occupational health and safety, and environmental impact. In the following meetings, the foundry work group and FUNDACENTRO research team will identify 'inadequate work situations'. Based on the Chemical Toolkit, improvement measures will be proposed. Afterwards, a survey will verify the efficency of those measures in the control of hazards and consequently on the management of chemicals. This step is now in course

  3. Variations observed in the respiratory activity of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) after a treatment with gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazon Matanzo, M. P.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

    1976-01-01

    The present work studies the variations in the respiratory activity of irradiated and IPC treated potato tubers during a storage period of five months. By immediate effect of gamma radiation we can observe an increase in the oxygen consumption of the parenchyma in relation with the control tubers, such increase persists even fours months after gamma radiation. The respiratory activity is reduced in the IPC treated tubers. In the tissues cultivated in vitro the respiratory activity increases at the end of the cultivation period, not only in the control tissues but also in the irradiated ones, though this increase is greater in the control tissues. (Author) 15 refs

  4. Variations observed in the respiratory activity of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) after a treatment with gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazon Matanzo, M.P.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

    1976-01-01

    The variations in the respiratory activity of irradiated and IPC treated potato tubers during a storage period of five months have been studied. By immediate effect of gamma radiation, an increase in the oxigen consumption of the parenchyma in relation with the control tubers has been observed. Such increase persits even four months after gamma radiation. The respiratory activity is reduced in the IPC treated tubers. In the tissues cultivated ''in vitro'' the respiratory activity increases at the end of the cultivation period, not only in the control tissues but also in the irradiated ones, though this increase is greater in the control tissues.(author) [es

  5. Towards consensus in chemical characterization modeling for LCA:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenbaum, Ralf; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Bachmann, Till

    2006-01-01

    representing a wide range of substance property combinations. All compared models showed correlation for human health endpoints for generic organics, with high variations on individual chemicals, typically with high Kow. For the other organics and inorganics, less agreement was observed. Influential processes...... and assumptions were identified and agreed upon to implement in all models for harmonization. These were, e.g., an urban box nested in a continental box with fixed surfaces and populations, consistent biotransfer and –concentration factors from experiments or one source/model, vegetation as an exposure pathway......A comprehensive LCIA characterization model comparison is being undertaken in the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, focusing on toxicity impacts and directly involving the developers of all models included. The main objective is to identify where differences come from, what indispensable model...

  6. OH-asterisk (7-5) Meinel band dayglow and nightglow measured by the SME limb scanning near infrared spectrometer - Comparison of the observed seasonal variability with two-dimensional model simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Texier, H.; Solomon, S.; Thomas, R. J.; Garcia, R. R.

    1989-01-01

    Seasonal variations of the OH-asterisk (7-5) mesospheric hydroxyl emission at 1.89 microns observed by the SME near-IR spectrometer are compared with the theoretical predictions of a two-dimensional dynamical/chemical model. The good agreement found at low latitudes for both dayglow and nightglow provides support for the model assumption that breaking gravity waves induce seasonal and latitudinal variations in diffusion. The seasonal behavior of atomic hydrogen in the upper mesosphere (related to vertical transport) and/or uncertainties in the OH Meinel band parameters are proposed as possible explanations for the discrepancy noted between model and observational data for the middle latitudes.

  7. Endocrine disrupting chemicals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mandrup, Karen

    chemical ethinyl estradiol, only. In studies on exposure to anti-androgens, other endpoints, such as nipple retention showed effects in male rats at dose levels where no effects were observed in male or female mammary glands orfemale external genitals. However, in studies on estrogenic chemicals, marked...... effects on prepubertal female rat mammary glands were observed at lower levels than those affecting other endpoints studied. CONCLUSION: The present findings in rats suggest that EDCs may affect mammary gland development in women and men, although risk assessment including comparison with exposure...

  8. Chemical abundances of globular clusters in NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Svea; Larsen, Søren; Trager, Scott; Kaper, Lex; Groot, Paul

    2018-06-01

    We perform a detailed abundance analysis on integrated-light spectra of 20 globular clusters (GCs) in the early-type galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A). The GCs were observed with X-Shooter on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The cluster sample spans a metallicity range of -1.92 poor GCs in NGC 5128 is genuine, it could hint at a chemical enrichment history different than that experienced by the MW. We also measure Na abundances in 9 out of 20 GCs. We find evidence for intracluster abundance variations in six of these clusters where we see enhanced [Na/Fe] > +0.25 dex. We obtain the first abundance measurements of Cr, Mn, and Ni for a sample of the GC population in NGC 5128 and find consistency with the overall trends observed in the MW, with a slight enhancement (<0.1 dex) in the Fe-peak abundances measured in the NGC 5128.

  9. Gas-phase chemical characteristics of Asian emission plumes observed during ITCT 2K2 over the eastern North Pacific Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowak, J. B.; Parrish, D. D.; Neuman, J. A.; Holloway, J. S.; Cooper, O. R.; Ryerson, T. B.; Nicks, D. K.; Flocke, F.; Roberts, J. M.; Atlas, E.; de Gouw, J. A.; Donnelly, S.; Dunlea, E.; Hübler, G.; Huey, L. G.; Schauffler, S.; Tanner, D. J.; Warneke, C.; Fehsenfeld, F. C.

    2004-12-01

    The gas-phase chemical characteristics of emission plumes transported from Asia across the Pacific Ocean observed during the Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation experiment in 2002 (ITCT 2K2) are described. Plumes measured in the troposphere from an aircraft were separated from the background air in data analysis using 1-s measurements of carbon monoxide (CO), total reactive nitrogen (NOy), and other gas-phase species along with back trajectory analysis. On the basis of these measurements, Asian transport plumes with CO mixing ratios greater than 150 ppbv were observed on seven flights. Correlations between 1-s observations of CO, ozone (O3), and NOy are used to characterize the plumes. The NOy/CO ratios were similar in each plume and significantly lower than those derived from estimated Asian emission ratios, indicating substantial removal of soluble NOy species during transport. Observations of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric acid (HNO3), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), peroxypropionyl nitrate (PPN), and alkyl nitrates are used with the NOy measurements to further distinguish the transport plumes by their NOy partitioning. NOy was primarily in the form of PAN in plumes that were transported in cold high-latitude and high-altitude regions, whereas in plumes transported in warmer, lower latitude and altitude regions, NOy was mainly HNO3. Additional gas-phase species enhanced in these plumes include sulfuric acid, methanol, acetone, propane, and ethane. The O3/CO ratio varied among the plumes and was affected by the mixing of anthropogenic and stratospheric influences. The complexity of this mixing prevents the determination of the relative contribution of anthropogenic and stratospheric influences to the observed O3 levels.

  10. Seasonal Variations in Surface Metabolite Composition of Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus serratus from the Baltic Sea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Rickert

    Full Text Available Perennial macroalgae within the genus Fucus are known to exude metabolites through their outer thallus surface. Some of these metabolites have pro- and/or antifouling properties. Seasonal fluctuations of natural fouling pressure and chemical fouling control strength against micro- and macrofoulers have previously been observed in Fucus, suggesting that control strength varies with threat. To date, a study on the seasonal composition of surface associated metabolites, responsible for much of the fouling control, has not been done. We sampled individuals of the two co-occurring species F. vesiculosus and F. serratus at monthly intervals (six per species and month during a one-year field study. We analysed the chemical composition of surface associated metabolites of both Fucus species by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS to describe temporal patterns in chemical surface composition. Additionally, we correlated abiotic and biotic parameters recorded monthly within the sampled habitat with the variation in the chemical surface landscape of Fucus. Our study revealed that the chemical surface composition of both Fucus species exhibits substantial seasonal differences between spring/summer and autumn/winter months. Light and temperature explained most of the seasonal variability in surface metabolite composition of both Fucus species. A strong summerly up-regulation of eighteen saccharides and two hydroxy acids in F. vesiculosus as well as of four fatty acids and two saccharides in F. serratus was observed. We discuss how these up-regulated molecules may have a complex effect on associated microfoulers, both promoting or decreasing fouling depending on metabolite and bacterial identity. These seasonal shifts in the surface metabolome seem to exert a compound control of density and composition of the Fucus associated biofilm.

  11. Behavioural and chemical studies of discrimination processes in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex laticeps nigrosetosus (Forel, 1908

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. J. Souza

    Full Text Available Leaf-cutting ants live in symbiosis with a basidiomycete fungus that is exploited as a source of nutrients for ant larvae. Tests of brood transport revealed that Acromyrmex laticeps nigrosetosus workers did not discriminate a concolonial brood from an alien brood. The same result was observed with tests of fungus transport. Adult workers showed no aggressive behaviour to workers from other alien colonies (non-nestmates. There was no qualitative variation in the chemical profiles of larvae, pupae and adult workers from the different colonies. However, quantitative differences were observed between the different colonies. Hypotheses about the lack of intraspecific aggression in this subspecies of ants are discussed.

  12. Upper atmospheric planetary-wave and gravity-wave observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Justus, C. G.; Woodrum, A.

    1973-01-01

    Previously collected data on atmospheric pressure, density, temperature and winds between 25 and 200 km from sources including Meteorological Rocket Network data, ROBIN falling sphere data, grenade release and pitot tube data, meteor winds, chemical release winds, satellite data, and others were analyzed by a daily-difference method, and results on the magnitude of atmospheric perturbations interpreted as gravity waves and planetary waves are presented. Traveling planetary-wave contributions in the 25-85 km range were found to have significant height and latitudinal variation. It was found that observed gravity-wave density perturbations and wind are related to one another in the manner predicted by gravity-wave theory. It was determined that, on the average, gravity-wave energy deposition or reflection occurs at all altitudes except the 55-75 km region of the mesosphere.

  13. Photoelectric observations of CH Cygni

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luud, L; Ruusalepp, M; Vennik, Ya

    1977-01-01

    UBV observations of the peculiar variable star CH Cygni from 1968 up to 1974 are presented. HD 182691 served as a comparison star. It turned out that the colours are in accordance with a model for a symbiotic star. The colour-magnitude diagrams of CH Cygni allow dividing the period of the observations into two parts in dependence on the activity of CH Cygni. Observed brightness variations are analyzed by using autocorrelation, crosscorrelation, and power spectral density functions. It has been found that brightness variations have some periods which are given.

  14. THE BIZARRE CHEMICAL INVENTORY OF NGC 2419, AN EXTREME OUTER HALO GLOBULAR CLUSTER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cohen, Judith G.; Kirby, Evan N., E-mail: jlc@astro.caltech.edu, E-mail: enk@astro.caltech.edu [Palomar Observatory, Mail Stop 249-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2012-11-20

    We present new Keck/HIRES observations of six red giants in the globular cluster (GC) NGC 2419. Although the cluster is among the most distant and most luminous in the Milky Way, it was considered chemically ordinary until very recently. Our previous work showed that the near-infrared Ca II triplet line strength varied more than expected for a chemically homogeneous cluster, and that at least one star had unusual abundances of Mg and K. Here, we confirm that NGC 2419 harbors a population of stars, comprising about one-third of its mass, that is depleted in Mg by a factor of eight and enhanced in K by a factor of six with respect to the Mg-normal population. Although the majority, Mg-normal population appears to have a chemical abundance pattern indistinguishable from ordinary, inner-halo GCs, the Mg-poor population exhibits dispersions of several elements. The abundances of K and Sc are strongly anti-correlated with Mg, and some other elements (Si and Ca among others) are weakly anti-correlated with Mg. These abundance patterns suggest that the different populations of NGC 2419 sample the ejecta of diverse supernovae in addition to asymptotic giant branch ejecta. However, the abundances of Fe-peak elements except Sc show no star-to-star variation. We find no nucleosynthetic source that satisfactorily explains all of the abundance variations in this cluster. Because NGC 2419 appears like no other GC, we reiterate our previous suggestion that it is not a GC at all, but rather the core of an accreted dwarf galaxy.

  15. Model study of the impacts of emissions, chemical and dynamical processes on the CO variability in the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunxiao Wang

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM is used to investigate the relative importance of CO emissions, chemical and dynamical processes on temporal variations of CO in the tropical upper troposphere (UT and the lower stratosphere (LS. The semi-annual oscillation (SAO in the tropical UT and the annual oscillation (AO in the tropical LS detected in the MLS CO observations can be well captured by the model. The model simulations reveal that the CO surface emissions explain most of the SAO signals in the tropical UT, with the remainder being attributed to dynamical and chemical processes. The CO AO in the LS primarily results from combined effects of dynamical and chemical processes while the dynamical and chemical processes make opposite contributions to the CO AO signals, consistent with the previous findings. Our analysis further reveals that CO surface emissions tend to weaken the amplitude of the CO annual cycle in the tropical LS, while the annual variations in the meridional component of the Brewer–Dobson (BD circulation can amplify the annual variations of CO above 30 hPa. The model simulations also indicate that the CO annual cycle in the LS has a mixed behaviour with the annual variations of tropical upwelling reflected in CO between ~70 and ~50 hPa and a standard tape-recorder signal above 50 hPa. Moreover, the AO signals of CO exist up to 10 hPa when the chemical processes are switched off. The temporal and spatial variations of CO in the UT and near the tropopause are mainly driven by the upward transport of CO by tropical deep convection and the Asian summer monsoon circulation. In the early stage of the South Asian summer monsoon over the Bay of Bengal and the South China in the late spring and early summer, the transport of the CO surface emissions over Southeast Asia by the South Asian summer monsoon leads to an increase in the tropical CO, but the horizontal transport from the extratropics into the tropics (termed in

  16. CORROSION AND CHEMICAL WASTE IN SAWBLADES STEEL USED IN WOOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Fernando Trugilho

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective this work was to evaluate the chemical waste provoked by the wood on the sheets of steel used in the making of the mountains and cut tools. It was certain the correlationbetween the chemical waste and the extractive soluble in cold water, hot water and in the sequencetoluene and ethanol content. Two types of steel and twenty-seven species different from wood wereused. The corrosive agent, constituted of 50 g of fresh sawdust (moist mixed to 50 ml of distilledwater, it was prepared and placed inside of the plastic box, hermetically closed, on the samples ofsteel, which were totally immersed. The box was placed in a water bath pre-heated to 75°C, that themedium temperature of reaction is considered, that affects the sheet of the sawblade in operation. Thisgroup was operated to 80 rotations per minute (rpm. The time of reaction was of four hours. Afterthat time the corrosive agent was discarded and the samples were washed, dried and weighed. At theend, each sample was processed by a total period of forty hours. The chemical waste was evaluated by the weight difference suffered from beginning at the end of the experiment. For theresults it was observed that the Eucalyptus tradryphloia and the Eucalyptus phaeotricha the speciesthat provoked were, respectively, the largest and smaller chemical waste for the two types of steelappraised. Great variation exists in the chemical waste due to the effect of the species. The corrosionand chemical waste are especially related with the quality of the material solved in ethanol. The 1070steel were more attached than the 6170 steel.

  17. Asian couples in negotiation: a mixed-method observational study of cultural variations across five Asian regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Wai-Yung; Nakamura, Shin-Ichi; Chung, Moon Ja; Chun, Young Ju; Fu, Meng; Liang, Shu-Chuan; Liu, Cui-Lian

    2013-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore variations in how contemporary couples from five different Asian regions negotiate disagreements. Video recordings of 50 couples (10 each from Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) discussing unresolved disagreements provided raw data for quantitative and qualitative analyses. First, teams of coders from each region used a common protocol to make quantitative ratings of content themes and interaction patterns for couples from their own region. An interregional panel of investigators then performed in-depth qualitative reviews for half of these cases, noting cultural differences not only in observed patterns of couple behavior but also in their own perceptions of these patterns. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed clear regional differences on dimensions such as overt negativity, demand-withdraw interaction, and collaboration. The qualitative results also provided a richer, more nuanced view of other (e.g., gender-linked) conflict management patterns that the quantitative analyses did not capture. Inconsistencies between qualitative and quantitative data and between the qualitative observations of investigators from different regions were most pronounced for couples from Korea and Japan, whose conflict styles were subtler and less direct than those of couples from the other regions. © FPI, Inc.

  18. Chemical and isotopic variations of precipitation in the Los Alamos Region, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, A.I.; Goff, F.; Counce, D.

    1995-02-01

    Precipitation collectors were installed at 14 locations on the Pajarito Plateau and surrounding areas to study variations in chemistry, stable isotopes and tritium for the years 1990 to 1993. The volume of precipitation was measured and samples were collected and analyzed every three to four months. All precipitation samples contain 18 O) results record seasonal variations in precipitation as the weather patterns shift from sources in the Pacific Ocean to sources in the Gulf of Mexico. The stable isotope results also show isotopic variations due to elevation differences among the collection points. The tritium contents ( 3 H) in rain samples vary from 6.54 T.U. to 141 T.U. Contouring of high tritium values (e.g. >20 T.U.) from each collection period clearly shows that Laboratory activities release some tritium to the atmosphere. The effect of these releases are well below the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water (about 6200 T.U.). The magnitude of the releases is apparently greatest during the summer months. However, anomalous tritium values are detected as far north as Espahola, New Mexico for many collection periods. Tritium releases by the Laboratory are not constant; thus, the actual amount of tritium in each release has been diluted in the composite samples of our three to four month collection periods

  19. Sampling for Air Chemical Emissions from the Life Sciences Laboratory II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ballinger, Marcel Y. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lindberg, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2017-03-30

    Sampling for air chemical emissions from the Life Science Laboratory II (LSL-II) ventilation stack was performed in an effort to determine potential exposure of maintenance staff to laboratory exhaust on the building roof. The concern about worker exposure was raised in December 2015 and several activities were performed to assist in estimating exposure concentrations. Data quality objectives were developed to determine the need for and scope and parameters of a sampling campaign to measure chemical emissions from research and development activities to the outside air. The activities provided data on temporal variation of air chemical concentrations and a basis for evaluating calculated emissions. Sampling for air chemical emissions was performed in the LSL-II ventilation stack over the 6-week period from July 26 to September 1, 2016. A total of 12 sampling events were carried out using 16 sample media. Resulting analysis provided concentration data on 49 analytes. All results were below occupational exposure limits and most results were below detection limits. When compared to calculated emissions, only 5 of the 49 chemicals had measured concentrations greater than predicted. This sampling effort will inform other study components to develop a more complete picture of a worker’s potential exposure from LSL-II rooftop activities. Mixing studies were conducted to inform spatial variation in concentrations at other rooftop locations and can be used in conjunction with these results to provide temporal variations in concentrations for estimating the potential exposure to workers working in and around the LSL-II stack.

  20. Chemical characteristics of N2O5 observed at a rural site in Beijing winter 2016: from clean to polluted air mass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, H.; Lu, K.; Tan, Z.; Chen, X.; Wu, Z.; Zhu, Q.; Li, X.; Liu, Y.; Shang, D.; Wu, Y.; Min, H.; Zeng, L.; Schmitt, S. H.; Rohrer, F.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.; Wahner, A.; Zhang, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) plays a vital role in the atmospheric oxidation, the NOX removal and the nitrate formation. A comprehensive campaign was conducted in the wintertime of 2016 in Beijing to focus on the atmospheric oxidation, new particle formation and aerosol light extinctions during the wintertime in Beijing. The site is located at a rural area in the northeast of Beijing and about 60 km away from the city center. A newly developed instrument based on the cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) was deployed to measure ambient N2O5. Simultaneous measurements of the properties of particles and the relevant trace gases are available. The daily peaks of N2O5 in the clean episodes was lower than that of polluted episodes, the campaign maximum of 1.4 ppbv were captured in the most serious pollution episode. The averaged N2O5 maximum was about 120 pptv near 20:00, which is higher than that observed in summer. The uptake coefficient of N2O5 was derived from an iterative box model approach based on the Regional Atmospheric Chemical Mechanism version 2 (RACM2), constrained to observed trace gas compounds as well as the aerosol surface concentrations. The mechanisms of the chemical compounds of aerosols (measured by AMS) affects the N2O5 uptake coefficient are explored in several chemical coordinate systems. The chemical behaviors of the ambient N2O5 concentrations for this campaign is further discussed in the context of other campaigns performed in the urban and suburban areas in Beijing.

  1. Heat flux variations over sea-ice observed at the coastal area of the Sejong Station, Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, S.; Choi, T.; Kim, S.

    2012-12-01

    This study presents variations of sensible heat flux and latent heat flux over sea-ice observed in 2011 from the 10-m flux tower located at the coast of the Sejong Station on King George Island, Antarctica. A period from June to November was divided into three parts: "Freezing", "Frozen", and "Melting" periods based on daily monitoring of sea state and hourly photos looking at the Marian Cove in front of the Sejong Station. The division of periods enabled us to look into the heat flux variations depending on the sea-ice conditions. Over freezing sea surface during the freezing period of late June, daily mean sensible heat flux was -11.9 Wm-2 and daily mean latent heat flux was +16.3 Wm-2. Over the frozen sea-ice, daily mean sensible heat flux was -10.4 Wm-2 while daily mean latent heat flux was +2.4 Wm-2. During the melting period of mid-October to early November, magnitudes of sensible heat flux increased to -14.2 Wm-2 and latent heat flux also increased to +13.5 Wm-2. In short, latent heat flux was usually upward over sea-ice most of the time while sensible heat flux was downward from atmosphere to sea-ice. Magnitudes of the fluxes were small but increased when freezing or melting of sea-ice was occurring. Especially, latent heat flux increased five to six times compared to that of "frozen" period implying that early melting of sea-ice may cause five to six times larger supply of moisture to the atmosphere.

  2. Inflow, Outflow, Yields, and Stellar Population Mixing in Chemical Evolution Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrews, Brett H. [PITT PACC, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States); Weinberg, David H.; Schönrich, Ralph; Johnson, Jennifer A., E-mail: andrewsb@pitt.edu [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)

    2017-02-01

    Chemical evolution models are powerful tools for interpreting stellar abundance surveys and understanding galaxy evolution. However, their predictions depend heavily on the treatment of inflow, outflow, star formation efficiency (SFE), the stellar initial mass function, the SN Ia delay time distribution, stellar yields, and stellar population mixing. Using flexCE, a flexible one-zone chemical evolution code, we investigate the effects of and trade-offs between parameters. Two critical parameters are SFE and the outflow mass-loading parameter, which shift the knee in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] and the equilibrium abundances that the simulations asymptotically approach, respectively. One-zone models with simple star formation histories follow narrow tracks in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] unlike the observed bimodality (separate high- α and low- α sequences) in this plane. A mix of one-zone models with inflow timescale and outflow mass-loading parameter variations, motivated by the inside-out galaxy formation scenario with radial mixing, reproduces the two sequences better than a one-zone model with two infall epochs. We present [X/Fe]–[Fe/H] tracks for 20 elements assuming three different supernova yield models and find some significant discrepancies with solar neighborhood observations, especially for elements with strongly metallicity-dependent yields. We apply principal component abundance analysis to the simulations and existing data to reveal the main correlations among abundances and quantify their contributions to variation in abundance space. For the stellar population mixing scenario, the abundances of α -elements and elements with metallicity-dependent yields dominate the first and second principal components, respectively, and collectively explain 99% of the variance in the model. flexCE is a python package available at https://github.com/bretthandrews/flexCE.

  3. Inflow, Outflow, Yields, and Stellar Population Mixing in Chemical Evolution Models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrews, Brett H.; Weinberg, David H.; Schönrich, Ralph; Johnson, Jennifer A.

    2017-01-01

    Chemical evolution models are powerful tools for interpreting stellar abundance surveys and understanding galaxy evolution. However, their predictions depend heavily on the treatment of inflow, outflow, star formation efficiency (SFE), the stellar initial mass function, the SN Ia delay time distribution, stellar yields, and stellar population mixing. Using flexCE, a flexible one-zone chemical evolution code, we investigate the effects of and trade-offs between parameters. Two critical parameters are SFE and the outflow mass-loading parameter, which shift the knee in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] and the equilibrium abundances that the simulations asymptotically approach, respectively. One-zone models with simple star formation histories follow narrow tracks in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] unlike the observed bimodality (separate high- α and low- α sequences) in this plane. A mix of one-zone models with inflow timescale and outflow mass-loading parameter variations, motivated by the inside-out galaxy formation scenario with radial mixing, reproduces the two sequences better than a one-zone model with two infall epochs. We present [X/Fe]–[Fe/H] tracks for 20 elements assuming three different supernova yield models and find some significant discrepancies with solar neighborhood observations, especially for elements with strongly metallicity-dependent yields. We apply principal component abundance analysis to the simulations and existing data to reveal the main correlations among abundances and quantify their contributions to variation in abundance space. For the stellar population mixing scenario, the abundances of α -elements and elements with metallicity-dependent yields dominate the first and second principal components, respectively, and collectively explain 99% of the variance in the model. flexCE is a python package available at https://github.com/bretthandrews/flexCE.

  4. The effects of 'cell age' upon the lethal effects of physical and chemical mutagens in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parry, J.M.

    1976-01-01

    Yeast cultures progressing from the exponential to the stationary phase of growth showed changes in cell sensitivity to physical agents such as UV light, heat shock at 52 0 C and the chemical mutagens ethyl methane sulphonate, nitrous acid and mitomycin C. Exponential phase cells showed maximum resistance to heat shock and the three chemicals. The increased resistance of exponential phase cells to UV light was shown to be dependent upon the functional integrity of the RAD 50 gene. Treatment of growing yeast cultures with radioactively labelled ethyl methane sulphonate indicated the preferential uptake of radioactivity during the sensitive exponential stage of growth. The results indicated that the differential uptake of the chemical mutagens was responsible for at least a fraction of the variations in cell sensitivity observed in yeast cultures at different phases of growth. (orig.) [de

  5. Torsional oscillations and observed rotational period variations in early-type stars

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krtička, J.; Mikulášek, Z.; Henry, G.W.; Kurfürst, P.; Karlický, Marian

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 464, č. 1 (2017), s. 933-939 ISSN 0035-8711 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-01116S; GA ČR GAP209/12/0103 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : MHD * chemically peculiar stars * early-type stars Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics OBOR OECD: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science) Impact factor: 4.961, year: 2016

  6. Spatial distribution and temporal variations of occurrence frequency of lightning whistlers observed by VLF/WBA onboard Akebono

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oike, Yuta; Kasahara, Yoshiya; Goto, Yoshitaka

    2014-09-01

    We statistically analyzed lightning whistlers detected from the analog waveform data below 15 kHz observed by the VLF instruments onboard Akebono. We examined the large amount of data obtained at Uchinoura Space Center in Japan for 22 years from 1989 to 2010. The lightning whistlers were mainly observed inside the L shell region below 2. Seasonal dependence of the occurrence frequency of lightning whistlers has two peaks around July to August and December to January. As lightning is most active in summer, in general, these two peaks correspond to summer in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively. Diurnal variation of the occurrence frequency showed that lightning whistlers begin to increase in the early evening and remain at a high-occurrence level through the night with a peak around 21 in magnetic local time (MLT). This peak shifts toward nightside compared with lightning activity, which begins to rise around noon and peaks in the late afternoon. This trend is supposed to be caused by attenuation of VLF wave in the ionosphere in the daytime. Comparison study with the ground-based observation revealed consistent results, except that the peak of the ground-based observation appeared after midnight while our measurements obtained by Akebono was around 21 in MLT. This difference is explained qualitatively in terms that lightning whistlers measured at the ground station passed through the ionosphere twice above both source region and the ground station. These facts provide an important clue to evaluate quantitatively the absorption effect of lightning whistler in the ionosphere.

  7. Chemical speciation of L-glutamine complexes with Co(II), Ni(II) and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The trend in the variation of stability constants of the complexes with mole fraction of the surfactant is attributed to the compartmentalization of complexation equilibria. Distribution of species and effect of influential parameters on chemical speciation have also been presented. KEY WORDS: Chemical speciation, complex ...

  8. Variation of Chemical Composition in Flowers and Leaves Essential Oils Among Natural Population of Tunisian Glebionis coronaria (L.) Tzvelev (Asteraceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haouas, Dalila; Cioni, Pier Luigi; Flamini, Guido; Ben Halima-Kamel, Monia; Ben Hamouda, Mohamed Habib

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the percentage and constituents variations in flowers and leaves essential oil of three Glebionis coronaria (L.) Tzvelev population, growing wildly in three different ecotypes (Utique, M'saken, and Sahara Lektar) in Tunisia. The chemical compositions of these essential oils were analyzed by the GC and GC/MS systems. Qualitative and quantitative differences were recorded between essential oils extracted from plants collected from the three geographical provinces and between organs of the same plant (leaves and flowers). In fact, 161 components representing 87.2 - 96.5% of the whole oils were identified. Myrcene (3.2 - 35.7%), (Z)-β-ocimene (0.6 - 23.0%), camphor (0.6 - 17.2%), cis-chrysanthenol (0 - 6.9%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (1.1 - 17.9%), isobornyl acetate (1.6 - 3.5%), (E)-β-farnesene (0 - 6.0%), germacrene D (0 - 8.7%), and (E,E)-α-farnesene (0.7 - 12.4%) were the predominant components in the oils. These major constituents occur in different amounts depending on the organs (leaves or flowers) and the geographical origin of the plant. The chemotaxonomic usefulness of these data was discussed according to results of principal component analysis (PCA). The scores, together with the loadings, revealed a different chemical pattern for each population. © 2016 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zürich.

  9. Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon 2014/15: Hydroxyl Radical (OH) Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS) Field Campaign Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Saewung [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

    2016-05-01

    The University of California, Irvine, science team (Dr. Saewung Kim, Dr. Roger Seco, Dr. Alex Guenther, and Dr. Jim Smith) deployed a chemical ionization mass spectrometer system for hydroxyl radical (OH) and sulfuric acid quantifications. As part of the GoAmazon 2014/15 field campaign. Hydroxyl radical determines tropospheric oxidation capacity and had been expected to be very low in the pristine rain forest region such as the Brazilian Amazon because of the presence of significant levels of highly reactive biogenic volatile organic compounds and very low levels of NO, which is an OH recycling agent. However, several recent in situ OH observations provided by a laser-induced fluorescence system reported unaccountably high OH concentrations. To address this discrepancy, a series of laboratory and theoretical studies has postulated chemical reaction mechanisms of isoprene that may regenerate OH in photo-oxidation processes. Along with these efforts, potential artifacts on the laser induced fluorescence system from isoprene and its oxidation products also have been explored. Therefore, the first chemical ionization mass spectrometer observations at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s T3 site in Manacapuru, Brazil, are expected to provide a critical experimental constraint to address uncertainty in constraining oxidation capacity over pristine rain forest environments. In addition, we deployed a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer to characterize atmospheric volatile organic compound levels, especially isoprene and its oxidation products, which are critical input parameters for box modeling to simulate OH with different isoprene photo-oxidation schemes. As there has been no report on noticeable new particle formation events, our first in situ sulfuric acid observations in the Amazon rain forest were expected to constrain the

  10. An Experimental Observation of Axial Variation of Average Size of Methane Clusters in a Gas Jet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji-Feng, Han; Chao-Wen, Yang; Jing-Wei, Miao; Jian-Feng, Lu; Meng, Liu; Xiao-Bing, Luo; Mian-Gong, Shi

    2010-01-01

    Axial variation of average size of methane clusters in a gas jet produced by supersonic expansion of methane through a cylindrical nozzle of 0.8 mm in diameter is observed using a Rayleigh scattering method. The scattered light intensity exhibits a power scaling on the backing pressure ranging from 16 to 50 bar, and the power is strongly Z dependent varying from 8.4 (Z = 3 mm) to 5.4 (Z = 11 mm), which is much larger than that of the argon cluster. The scattered light intensity versus axial position shows that the position of 5 mm has the maximum signal intensity. The estimation of the average cluster size on axial position Z indicates that the cluster growth process goes forward until the maximum average cluster size is reached at Z = 9 mm, and the average cluster size will decrease gradually for Z > 9 mm

  11. Characteristics of long-lasting haze episodes observed in Seoul, South Korea, for 2009-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hae-Jung; Kim, Jeong Eun; Cha, Joo Wan; Song, Seungjoo; Ryoo, Sang-Boom; Kim, Yong Pyo

    2018-03-01

    The meteorological, physical, chemical, and optical characteristics of long-lasting haze in Seoul were studied. Four episodes were observed between 2009 and 2014, all in winter. PM10 mass concentration (PM10), chemical species, and aerosol optical depth (AOD) were analyzed along with the synoptic meteorological conditions. During the episodes, the temporal variations of the PM10 generally proceeded from the west along the Yellow Sea. The ground-based AOD was also high in Seoul and other sites. High AOD (MODIS) distributions were observed to move from China to Korea. The high sulfate concentration, along with the high sulfur oxidation ratio value of the third and fourth episodes (Eps. 3 and 4), respectively, corroborated the possible long-range transport of air pollutants. Stagnant meteorological conditions were a reason for the occurrence of long-lasting hazes. An anticyclone system had a dominant influence on the Korean peninsula during all episodes. The air mass over China was able to rise, and that over Korea was more stagnant in terms of climatology except Ep. 2. In addition to transport from outside, locally emitted air pollutants contributed to the PM10 partly due to the stagnant conditions, during which diurnal variations in NO2 and nitrates showed similar peak times during Eps. 3 and 4. Analysis of the episodes consistently showed that the long-lasting haze episodes were influenced by both the long-range transport of air pollutants from outside Seoul, mostly from China, and the accumulation of air pollutants that were locally emitted and transformed.

  12. Annual and inter-annual variations of 6.5-day-planetary-waves in MLT observed by TIMED/SABER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yingying; Li, Huijun; Li, Chongyin; Zhang, Shaodong

    2017-04-01

    Annual and inter-annual variations of 6.5DWs in 20-110 km, 52°S-52°N, 2002-2016 are studied by using v2.0 TIMED/SABER kinetic temperature data. Firstly, global annual variations of 6.5DW's spectral power and amplitudes are obtained. Strong wave amplitudes emerge in 30°S/N-50°S/N, and peaks in altitude separate in stratosphere (40-50 km), mesosphere (80-90 km) and the lower thermosphere (100-110 km), respectively. Their annual variations are similar in both hemispheres, but different in altitude. In 40-50 km, the annual maximums emerge mostly in winters: Dec.-Jan. in the NH and Jul.-Aug. in the SH. In MLT, annual peaks arise twice in each half of year. In 80-90 km, they're mainly in equinoctial seasons and winters: May, Aug.-Sep. and Jan. in the NH and Feb., Nov. and May in the SH. In 100-110 km, they emerge mainly in equinoctial seasons: Apr.-May and Aug.-Sep. in the NH and Feb.-Mar. and Oct.-Nov. in the SH. Then, inter-annual variations of 6.5DW amplitudes during the 14-year period are studied. Frequency spectra of monthly-mean amplitudes show that, main dynamics in long-term variations of 6.5DWs are AO and SAO in both hemispheres. Besides, QBO are visible in both hemispheres and 4-month period signals are noticed in the NH in MLT. Amplitudes of SAO, AO and QBO are obtained by bandpass filter. Their amplitudes are comparable in stratosphere and mesosphere, and QBO signals are weaker than the others in the LT. Vertical variations both of SAO and AO amplitudes are very stable. AO structures have little inter-annual changes, while inter-annual variations of SAO are significant and are related with 6.5DW. It means that annual and inter-annual variations of 6.5DW are mainly controlled by AO and SAO, respectively. Although QBO signals are weaker and their variations are less regular than AO and SAO, their phases seems to relate with inter-annual variations of 6.5DW as well.

  13. The Nature of Variations in Anomalies of the Chemical Composition of the Solar Corona with the 11-Year Cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pipin, V. V.; Tomozov, V. M.

    2018-04-01

    Evidence that the distribution of the abundances of admixtures with low first-ionization potentials (FIP 10 eV) in active regions and closed magnetic configurations in the lower corona. Observations with the ULYSSES spacecraft and at the Stanford Solar Observatory have revealed strong correlations between the manifestation of the FIP effect in the solar wind, the strength of the open magnetic flux (without regard to sign), and the ratio of the large-scale toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields at the solar surface. Analyses of observations of the Sun as a star show that the enhancement of the abundances of admixtures with low FIPs in the corona compared to their abundances in the photosphere (the FIP effect) is closely related to the solar-activity cycle and also with variations in the topology of the large-scale magnetic field. A possible mechanism for the relationship between the FIP effect and the spectral type of a star is discussed in the framework of solar-stellar analogies.

  14. Microbes and associated soluble and volatile chemicals on periodically wet household surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Rachel I; Lymperopoulou, Despoina S; Misztal, Pawel K; De Cassia Pessotti, Rita; Behie, Scott W; Tian, Yilin; Goldstein, Allen H; Lindow, Steven E; Nazaroff, William W; Taylor, John W; Traxler, Matt F; Bruns, Thomas D

    2017-09-26

    Microorganisms influence the chemical milieu of their environment, and chemical metabolites can affect ecological processes. In built environments, where people spend the majority of their time, very little is known about how surface-borne microorganisms influence the chemistry of the indoor spaces. Here, we applied multidisciplinary approaches to investigate aspects of chemical microbiology in a house. We characterized the microbial and chemical composition of two common and frequently wet surfaces in a residential setting: kitchen sink and bathroom shower. Microbial communities were studied using culture-dependent and independent techniques, including targeting RNA for amplicon sequencing. Volatile and soluble chemicals from paired samples were analyzed using state-of-the-art techniques to explore the links between the observed microbiota and chemical exudates. Microbial analysis revealed a rich biological presence on the surfaces exposed in kitchen sinks and bathroom shower stalls. Microbial composition, matched for DNA and RNA targets, varied by surface type and sampling period. Bacteria were found to have an average of 25× more gene copies than fungi. Biomass estimates based on qPCR were well correlated with measured total volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Abundant VOCs included products associated with fatty acid production. Molecular networking revealed a diversity of surface-borne compounds that likely originate from microbes and from household products. Microbes played a role in structuring the chemical profiles on and emitted from kitchen sinks and shower stalls. Microbial VOCs (mVOCs) were predominately associated with the processing of fatty acids. The mVOC composition may be more stable than that of microbial communities, which can show temporal and spatial variation in their responses to changing environmental conditions. The mVOC output from microbial metabolism on kitchen sinks and bathroom showers should be apparent through careful

  15. Pluck or Luck: Does Trait Variation or Chance Drive Variation in Lifetime Reproductive Success?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Robin E; Ellner, Stephen P

    2018-04-01

    While there has been extensive interest in how intraspecific trait variation affects ecological processes, outcomes are highly variable even when individuals are identical: some are lucky, while others are not. Trait variation is therefore important only if it adds substantially to the variability produced by luck. We ask when trait variation has a substantial effect on variability in lifetime reproductive success (LRS), using two approaches: (1) we partition the variation in LRS into contributions from luck and trait variation and (2) we ask what can be inferred about an individual's traits and with what certainty, given their observed LRS. In theoretical stage- and size-structured models and two empirical case studies, we find that luck usually dominates the variance of LRS. Even when individuals differ substantially in ways that affect expected LRS, unless the effects of luck are substantially reduced (e.g., low variability in reproductive life span or annual fecundity), most variance in lifetime outcomes is due to luck, implying that departures from "null" models omitting trait variation will be hard to detect. Luck also obscures the relationship between realized LRS and individual traits. While trait variation may influence the fate of populations, luck often governs the lives of individuals.

  16. Chempy: A flexible chemical evolution model for abundance fitting. Do the Sun's abundances alone constrain chemical evolution models?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rybizki, Jan; Just, Andreas; Rix, Hans-Walter

    2017-09-01

    Elemental abundances of stars are the result of the complex enrichment history of their galaxy. Interpretation of observed abundances requires flexible modeling tools to explore and quantify the information about Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) stored in such data. Here we present Chempy, a newly developed code for GCE modeling, representing a parametrized open one-zone model within a Bayesian framework. A Chempy model is specified by a set of five to ten parameters that describe the effective galaxy evolution along with the stellar and star-formation physics: for example, the star-formation history (SFH), the feedback efficiency, the stellar initial mass function (IMF), and the incidence of supernova of type Ia (SN Ia). Unlike established approaches, Chempy can sample the posterior probability distribution in the full model parameter space and test data-model matches for different nucleosynthetic yield sets. It is essentially a chemical evolution fitting tool. We straightforwardly extend Chempy to a multi-zone scheme. As an illustrative application, we show that interesting parameter constraints result from only the ages and elemental abundances of the Sun, Arcturus, and the present-day interstellar medium (ISM). For the first time, we use such information to infer the IMF parameter via GCE modeling, where we properly marginalize over nuisance parameters and account for different yield sets. We find that 11.6+ 2.1-1.6% of the IMF explodes as core-collapse supernova (CC-SN), compatible with Salpeter (1955, ApJ, 121, 161). We also constrain the incidence of SN Ia per 103M⊙ to 0.5-1.4. At the same time, this Chempy application shows persistent discrepancies between predicted and observed abundances for some elements, irrespective of the chosen yield set. These cannot be remedied by any variations of Chempy's parameters and could be an indication of missing nucleosynthetic channels. Chempy could be a powerful tool to confront predictions from stellar

  17. Observations of Chemical Composition in Frost Flower Growth Process and Their Implication in Aerosol Production and Bromine Activation Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarez-Aviles, L.; Simpson, W. R.; Douglas, T. A.; Sturm, M.; Perovich, D. K.

    2006-12-01

    Frost flowers are believed to be responsible for most of the salt aerosol and possibly the bromine in the gas phase during springtime in Polar Regions. Frost flowers are vapor deposited ice crystals that form on new forming sea ice and wick brine from the sea-ice surface resulting in high salinities. We propose a conceptual model of frost flower growth and chemical fractionation using chemical analysis to support this model. We also consider how the chemical composition of frost flowers can tell us about the role of frost flowers in bromine activation and aerosol production. Our conceptual model is centered in two important events that occur when sea ice grows and the ice surface temperature gets colder. Brine on the sea-ice surface is drawn up the frost flower by capillary forces, therefore the high salinity values found. Secondarily salt hydrates begin to precipitate at certain temperatures. These precipitation reactions modify the chemical composition of the frost flowers and residual brine, and are the main topic of this research. We found variability and generally depletion of sulfate as compared to sea-water composition in most of the mature frost flowers. This result is in agreement with the literature, which proposes the depletion in sulfate occurs because mirabilite (Na2SO4 · 10H2O) precipitates before the brine is wicked. The observation of some slightly sulfate-enhanced samples in addition to depleted samples indicates that the brine/frost flower environment is the location where mirabilite precipitation and separation from residual brine occurs. Frost flowers bromide enhancement factors are all, within analytical limits, identical to sea water, although nearby snow is depleted in bromide. Because of the high salt concentrations in frost flowers, significant bromine activation could occur from frost flowers without being detected by this measurement. However, if all bromide activation occurred on frost flowers, and frost flowers are not depleted in

  18. Seabird eggs as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cifuentes, Jacqueline Munoz; Becker, Peter H.; Sommer, Ute; Pacheco, Patricia; Schlatter, Roberto

    2003-11-01

    Seabird eggs are proposed as biomonitors of chemical contamination in Chile. - Seabird eggs were used as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile. Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Trudeau's Tern (Sterna trudeaui), Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), and Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) eggs were sampled at different breeding sites during the 1990s. Mercury and organochlorines (PCBs, DDT, HCB, HCH, and PCP) were quantified to reveal the interspecific differences, spatial and temporal trends in contamination levels. Trudeau's Tern displayed the highest levels of mercury (486 ng g{sup -1} wet weight). The highest {sigma}DDT concentrations were measured in Brown-hooded Gulls (726 ng g{sup -1}). PCB levels were similar among the species (102-236 ng g{sup -1}), but the composition of the PCB mixture was different in Pink-footed Shearwaters. With the exception of the Brown-hooded Gull, all species studied presented similar and low levels of organochlorines ({sigma}OHa). Residues of PCB and related compounds were not detected in any of the seabird eggs analyzed in Chile. Geographical variation was low, although levels of industrial chemicals were slightly higher in eggs from Concepcion Bay, and agricultural chemicals in eggs from Valdivia. Also interannual variation was low, but some evidence was found of decreasing levels in gull eggs throughout the time of the study. The causes of the low levels and small variability in space and time of environmental chemicals in Chilean seabirds are discussed. We propose the use of seabirds in future monitoring of the development of chemical contamination in Chile.

  19. Seabird eggs as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cifuentes, Jacqueline Munoz; Becker, Peter H.; Sommer, Ute; Pacheco, Patricia; Schlatter, Roberto

    2003-01-01

    Seabird eggs are proposed as biomonitors of chemical contamination in Chile. - Seabird eggs were used as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile. Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Trudeau's Tern (Sterna trudeaui), Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), and Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) eggs were sampled at different breeding sites during the 1990s. Mercury and organochlorines (PCBs, DDT, HCB, HCH, and PCP) were quantified to reveal the interspecific differences, spatial and temporal trends in contamination levels. Trudeau's Tern displayed the highest levels of mercury (486 ng g -1 wet weight). The highest ΣDDT concentrations were measured in Brown-hooded Gulls (726 ng g -1 ). PCB levels were similar among the species (102-236 ng g -1 ), but the composition of the PCB mixture was different in Pink-footed Shearwaters. With the exception of the Brown-hooded Gull, all species studied presented similar and low levels of organochlorines (ΣOHa). Residues of PCB and related compounds were not detected in any of the seabird eggs analyzed in Chile. Geographical variation was low, although levels of industrial chemicals were slightly higher in eggs from Concepcion Bay, and agricultural chemicals in eggs from Valdivia. Also interannual variation was low, but some evidence was found of decreasing levels in gull eggs throughout the time of the study. The causes of the low levels and small variability in space and time of environmental chemicals in Chilean seabirds are discussed. We propose the use of seabirds in future monitoring of the development of chemical contamination in Chile

  20. Microstructure and chemical bonding of DLC films deposited on ACM rubber by PACVD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martinez-Martinez, D.; Schenkel, M.; Pei, Y.T.; Sánchez-López, J.C.; Hosson, J.Th.M. De

    2011-01-01

    The microstructure and chemical bonding of DLC films prepared by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition on acrylic rubber (ACM) are studied in this paper. The temperature variation produced by the ion impingement during plasma cleaning and subsequent film deposition was used to modify the film

  1. Analysis of Wetting and Contact Angle Hysteresis on Chemically Patterned Surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Xianmin; Wang, Xiaoping

    2011-01-01

    Wetting and contact angle hysteresis on chemically patterned surfaces in two dimensionsare analyzed from a stationary phase-field model for immiscible two phase fluids. We first study the sharp-interface limit of the model by the method of matched asymptotic expansions. We then justify the results rigorously by the γ-convergence theory for the related variational problem and study the properties of the limiting minimizers. The results also provide a clear geometric picture of the equilibrium configuration of the interface. This enables us to explicitly calculate the total surface energy for the two phase systems on chemically patterned surfaces with simple geometries, namely the two phase flow in a channel and the drop spreading. By considering the quasi-staticmotion of the interface described by the change of volume (or volume fraction), we can follow the change-of-energy landscape which also reveals the mechanism for the stick-slip motion of the interface and contact angle hysteresis on the chemically patterned surfaces. As the interface passes throughpatterned surfaces, we observe not only stick-slip of the interface and switching of the contact angles but also the hysteresis of contact point and contact angle. Furthermore, as the size of the patternde creases to zero, the stick-slip becomes weaker but the hysteresis becomes stronger in the sense that one observes either the advancing contact angle or the receding contact angle (when the interface ismoving in the opposite direction) without the switching in between. © 2011 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

  2. The global chemical systematics of arc front stratovolcanoes: Evaluating the role of crustal processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Stephen J.; Langmuir, Charles H.

    2015-07-01

    Petrogenetic models for convergent margins should be consistent with the global systematics of convergent margin volcanic compositions. A newly developed tool for compiling and screening data from the GEOROC database was used to generate a global dataset of whole rock chemical analyses from arc front stratovolcano samples. Data from 227 volcanoes within 31 volcanic arc segments were first averaged by volcano and then by arc to explore global systematics. Three different methods of data normalization produce consistent results that persist across a wide range of Mg# [Mg# =Mg / (Mg +Fe) ]. Remarkably coherent systematics are present among major and trace element concentrations and ratios, with the exception of three arcs influenced by mantle plumes and Peru/N. Chile, which is built on exceptionally thick crust. Chemical parameters also correlate with the thickness of the overlying arc crust. In addition to previously established correlations of Na6.0 with Ca6.0 and crustal thickness, correlations are observed among major elements, trace elements, and trace element ratios (e.g. La/Yb, Dy/Yb, Zr/Sm, Zr/Ti). Positive correlations include "fluid mobile," "high field strength," and "large ion lithophile" element groups, with concentrations that vary by a factor of five in all groups. Incompatible element enrichments also correlate well with crustal thickness, with the greatest enrichment found at arcs with the thickest crust. Intra-crustal processes, however, do not reproduce the global variations. High pressure fractionation produces intermediate magmas enriched in aluminum, but such magmas are rare. Furthermore, differences among magma compositions at various volcanic arcs persist from primitive to evolved compositions, which is inconsistent with the possibility that global variations are produced by crystal fractionation at any pressure. Linear relationships among elements appear to be consistent with mixing between depleted primary magma and an enriched contaminant

  3. Chemical milling solution produces smooth surface finish on aluminum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenzen, H. C.

    1966-01-01

    Elementary sulfur mixed into a solution of caustic soda and salts produces an etchant which will chemically mill end-grain surfaces on aluminum plate. This composition results in the least amount of thickness variation and pitting.

  4. Pulse-to-pulse variations in accreting X-ray pulsars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kretschmar Peter

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In most accreting X-ray pulsars, the periodic signal is very clear and easily shows up as soon as data covering sufficient pulse periods (a few ten are available. The mean pulse profile is often quite typical for a given source and with minor variations repeated and recognisable across observations done years or even decades apart. At the time scale of individual pulses, significant pulse-to-pulse variations are commonly observed. While at low energies some of these variations might be explained by absorption, in the hard X-rays they will reflect changes in the accretion and subsequent emission. The amount of these variations appears to be quite different between sources and contains information about the surrounding material as well ass possibly interactions at the magnetosphere. We investigate such variations for a sample of well-known sources.

  5. Seismic noise level variation in South Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheen, D.; Shin, J.

    2008-12-01

    The variations of seismic background noise in South Korea have been investigated by means of power spectral analysis. The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) and the Korea Meteorological Administation (KMA) have national wide seismic networks in South Korea, and, in the end of 2007, there are 30 broadband stations which have been operating for more than a year. In this study, we have estimated the power spectral density of seismic noise for 30 broadband stations from 2005 to 2007. Since we estimate PSDs from a large dataset of continuous waveform in this study, a robust PSD estimate of McNamara and Buland (2004) is used. In the frequency range 1-5 Hz, the diurnal variations of noise are observed at most of stations, which are especially larger at coastal stations and at insular than at inland. Some stations shows daily difference of diurnal variations, which represents that cultural activities contribute to the noise level of a station. The variation of number of triggered stations, however, shows that cultural noise has little influence on the detection capability of seismic network in South Korea. Seasonal variations are observed well in the range 0.1-0.5 Hz, while much less found in the frequency range 1-5 Hz. We observed that strong peaks in the range 0.1-0.5 Hz occur at the summer when Pacific typhoons are close to the Korean Peninsula.

  6. Monitoring and reactive-transport modeling of the spatial and temporal variations of the Strengbach spring hydrochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerer, J.; Chabaux, F.; Lucas, Y.; Clément, A.; Fritz, B.; Beaulieu, E.; Viville, D.; Pierret, M. C.; Gangloff, S.; Négrel, Ph.

    2018-03-01

    This study focuses on 20 years of hydrochemical monitoring of the small springs that emerge in the experimental granitic catchment of Strengbach (OHGE, France) and the simulation of these data using the KIRMAT code. The data indicate that the Strengbach springs display chemostatic behavior; that is, limited temporal variations were noted in the concentrations of dissolved silica (H4SiO4) and most of the basic cations during the studied period (1987-2010), resulting in relative stability of the global weathering fluxes exported by the springs. Only the Ca2+ concentrations reflect a significant decrease in all the Strengbach springs since 1987, and the variations differ from one spring to another. The modeling results show that the decrease in Ca2+ in the Strengbach springs is due to the response of the water-rock interactions within the bedrock to the variations in the chemical composition of the soil solutions, which were characterized by a significant increase in pH and a decrease in Ca2+ concentrations between 1987 and 2010. The decrease in Ca2+ concentrations seen in the Strengbach springs is controlled by changes in the apatite dissolution rate and the compositions of clay minerals induced by the soil solution changes. The differences observed between the Ca2+ trends of the springs are related to changes in the residence time of the water supplying the different springs. The weak impact of the soil solution modifications on the dissolution rates of other primary minerals and on the bulk precipitation rates of the clay minerals explains the relative stability over time of the concentrations of the other cations and dissolved silica in the water derived from the Strengbach springs. Further, the hydrochemical simulations suggest that the chemostatic behavior of the Strengbach springs cannot be explained by the mobilization of waters that are close to chemical equilibrium, but rather by a hydrological control of the spring water residence times. Finally, a

  7. Evaluation of the Chemical Composition of Brazilian Commercial Cymbopogon citratus (D.C. Stapf Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evandro de Castro Melo

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The concentration and the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from different samples of Cymbopogon citratus were evaluated. Among the 12 samples investigated (11 dried leaf samples and fresh plant leaves, seven presented essential oil concentrations within the threshold established by the Brazilian legislation. The moisture content was also determined and the majority of the samples presented humidity contents near 12%. The GC and GC/MS analyses of the essential oils led to identification of 22 compounds, with neral and geranial as the two major components. The total percentage of these two compounds varied within the investigated sample oils from 40.7% to 75.4%. In addition, a considerable variation in the chemical composition of the analyzed samples was observed. The process of grinding the leaves significantly decreased (by up to 68% the essential oil content, as well as the percentage of myrcene in the oils.

  8. Chemical-gene interaction networks and causal reasoning for ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evaluating the potential human health and ecological risks associated with exposures to complex chemical mixtures in the environment is one of the main challenges of chemical safety assessment and environmental protection. There is a need for approaches that can help to integrate chemical monitoring and biological effects data to evaluate risks associated with chemicals present in the environment. Here, we used prior knowledge about chemical-gene interactions to develop a knowledge assembly model for detected chemicals at five locations near the North Branch and Chisago wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the St. Croix River Basin, MN and WI. The assembly model was used to generate hypotheses about the biological impacts of the chemicals at each location. The hypotheses were tested using empirical hepatic gene expression data from fathead minnows exposed for 12 d at each location. Empirical gene expression data were also mapped to the assembly models to evaluate the likelihood of a chemical contributing to the observed biological responses using richness and concordance statistics. The prior knowledge approach was able predict the observed biological pathways impacted at one site but not the other. Atrazine was identified as a potential contributor to the observed gene expression responses at a location upstream of the North Branch WTTP. Four chemicals were identified as contributors to the observed biological responses at the effluent and downstream o

  9. Seasonal variations of physico-chemical characteristics in water ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The overall implication of this observation calls for an urgent water resources management strategy in the area in order to circumvent the fast deteriorating water resources quality, which may pose associated health risk and environmental hazards. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol.

  10. Development of in-situ observation system of dynamic contact interface between dies and materials during microforming operation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shimizu Tetsuhide

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Application of diamond like carbon (DLC films are reported in several microforming processes, in view of its great tribological performance owe to the low friction and the high chemical stability. However, due to its high internal residual stress, the film properties with the low adhesion strength and the high wear rate under severe tribological conditions are still remain as technical issues. However, since the dynamic variation of the contact state cannot be observed during the forming operation, it is difficult to recognize the origin and the influential tribological factors of tool life for DLC coated microforming die. Therefore, the appropriate DLC film properties for the contact state in microforming operation have not been clarified. To observe the dynamic variation of the contact state during the microforming operation, present study developed a novel microforming die assembly installed the in-situ observation system with silica glass die and high speed recording camera. By using this system, the dynamic delamination behaviour of DLC films during the progressive micro-bending process was successfully demonstrated. The influential factors for the durability of DLC coated microdies were discussed.

  11. Variational Calculation for the Equation of State of Hot Asymmetric Nuclear Matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Togashi, Hajime; Kanzawa, Hiroaki; Takano, Masatoshi

    2010-01-01

    We calculate the equation of state (EOS) of asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperatures with the cluster variational method based on the realistic nuclear Hamiltonian composed of the AV18 and UIX nuclear potentials. The free energy is calculated with an extension of the variational method proposed by Schmidt and Pandharipande. The obtained thermodynamic quantities such as entropy, internal energy, pressure and chemical potential derived from the free energy are reasonable. It is also found that the present variational calculation is self-consistent. These thermodynamic quantities are essential ingredients in our project for constructing a new nuclear EOS applicable to supernova simulations.

  12. Impact of development and urbanization on variation of water quality ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The spatial and temporal variations of the physico-chemical water quality parameters, microfauna and micro-flora composition of the Nima Creek in Accra vividly illustrate the environmental problems associated with water bodies in a community where development and urbanization are in progress. Monthly water and ...

  13. Hygroscopicity and chemical composition of Antarctic sub-micrometre aerosol particles and observations of new particle formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Asmi

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The Antarctic near-coastal sub-micrometre aerosol particle features in summer were characterised based on measured data on aerosol hygroscopicity, size distributions, volatility and chemical ion and organic carbon mass concentrations. Hysplit model was used to calculate the history of the air masses to predict the particle origin. Additional measurements of meteorological parameters were utilised. The hygroscopic properties of particles mostly resembled those of marine aerosols. The measurements took place at 130 km from the Southern Ocean, which was the most significant factor affecting the particle properties. This is explained by the lack of additional sources on the continent of Antarctica. The Southern Ocean was thus a likely source of the particles and nucleating and condensing vapours. The particles were very hygroscopic (HGF 1.75 at 90 nm and very volatile. Most of the sub-100 nm particle volume volatilised below 100 °C. Based on chemical data, particle hygroscopic and volatile properties were explained by a large fraction of non-neutralised sulphuric acid together with organic material. The hygroscopic growth factors assessed from chemical data were similar to measured. Hygroscopicity was higher in dry continental air masses compared with the moist marine air masses. This was explained by the aging of the marine organic species and lower methanesulphonic acid volume fraction together with the changes in the inorganic aerosol chemistry as the aerosol had travelled long time over the continental Antarctica. Special focus was directed in detailed examination of the observed new particle formation events. Indications of the preference of negative over positive ions in nucleation could be detected. However, in a detailed case study, the neutral particles dominated the particle formation process. Freshly nucleated particles had the smallest hygroscopic growth factors, which increased subsequent to particle aging.

  14. Diural TSH variations in hypothyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weeke, J; Laurberg, P

    1976-07-01

    There is a circadian variation in serum TSH in euthyroid subjects. A similar diurnal variation has been demonstrated in patients with hypothyroidism. In the present study the 24-hour pattern of serum TSH was investigated in eight patients with hypothyroidism of varying severity and in five hypothyroid patients treated with thyroxine (T4). There was a circadian variation in serum TSH in patients with hypothyroidism of moderate degree, and in patients treated for severe hypothyrodism with thyroxine. The pattern was similar to that found in normal subjects, i.e., low TSH levels in the daytime and higher levels at night. In severely hypothyroid patients, no diurnal variation in serum TSH was observed. A practical consequence is that blood samples for TSH measurements in patients with moderately elevated TSH levels are best taken after 1100 h, when the low day levels are reached.

  15. Monitoring soil wetness variations by means of satellite passive microwave observations: the HYDROPTIMET study cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Lacava

    2005-01-01

    . This analysis allows us to evaluate the reliability and the efficiency of the proposed technique in identifying different amounts of soil wetness variations in different observational conditions. In particular, the proposed indicator was able to document the actual effects of meteorological events, in terms of space-time evolution of soil wetness changes, for all the analysed HYDROPTIMET test cases. Moreover, in some circumstances, the SWVI was able to identify the presence of a sort of 'early' signal in terms of soil wetness variations, which may be regarded as a timely indication of an anomalous value of soil water content. This evidence suggests the opportunity to use such an index in the pre-operational phases of the modern flood warning systems, in order to improve their forecast capabilities and their reliability.

  16. Physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory stability of chemically preserved mango pulp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akhtar, S.; Riaz, M.; Nisar, A.

    2010-01-01

    The effect of sodium benzoate (SB) and potassium metabisulphite (PMS) at various concentrations on chemical, microbiological and sensory quality of mango pulp during storage was assessed. Inhibitory activity of the chemical preservatives and their effect on chemical and sensory attributes was tested periodically by simulating the industrial mango pulp storage in the lab (30-42 deg. C in the dark), for a period of 90 days. Protein, fats, decreased while ash content and total soluble solid (TSS) increased during the storage period. A slight progressive decline in pH was observed with a proportional increase (p<0.05) in the acidity of the stored pulp samples. Significant inhibition of the total bacterial count (TBC) was observed on applying the specified concentrations, however PMS was shown to be more inhibitory. Storage time significantly (p<0.05) increased the CFU/g of the pulp samples as the maximum growth was observed after 90 days of storage. Sensory characteristics of the juice prepared from treated mango pulp samples were affected negatively on addition of preservatives however, the samples were accepted by the judges even after three months of storage. (author)

  17. Preliminary physico-chemical results obtained on water using new data acquisition systems for deep wells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vinson, J.M.; Peyrus, J.C.

    1984-02-01

    Data acquisition systems recently developed in the context of research on deep storage facilities have provided with an initial set of interesting observations for the physico-chemical study of boreholes. It is possible to make correlations between the chemical compositions of water, pH and the nature of the substrate. The sampling done at Auriat with a Gerhardt-Owen probe shows the variability in the composition of water as a function of depth. The variation in calcium content, following that of pH, is particularly notable. Examination of pH measurements is of particular interest. A general gradient correlates exactly with the nature of the substrate. Whereas steel piping has a very alkaline pH, distinct pH values correspond to the two types of granite substrate. In this general gradient, series of disturbances can be seen which correspond perfectly to fracturation zones or large fractures. These most promising preliminary results lead to believe that in situ physico-chemical measurements should be continued and developed with a view to improved evaluation of the safety of deep storage facilities

  18. Diurnal, seasonal and long-term variations of global formaldehyde columns inferred from combined OMI and GOME-2 observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Smedt, I.; Stavrakou, T.; Hendrick, F.; Danckaert, T.; Vlemmix, T.; Pinardi, G.; Theys, N.; Lerot, C.; Gielen, C.; Vigouroux, C.; Hermans, C.; Fayt, C.; Veefkind, P.; Müller, J.-F.; Van Roozendael, M.

    2015-11-01

    We present the new version (v14) of the BIRA-IASB algorithm for the retrieval of formaldehyde (H2CO) columns from spaceborne UV-visible sensors. Applied to OMI measurements from Aura and to GOME-2 measurements from MetOp-A and MetOp-B, this algorithm is used to produce global distributions of H2CO representative of mid-morning and early afternoon conditions. Its main features include (1) a new iterative DOAS scheme involving three fitting intervals to better account for the O2-O2 absorption, (2) the use of earthshine radiances averaged in the equatorial Pacific as reference spectra, and (3) a destriping correction and background normalisation resolved in the across-swath position. For the air mass factor calculation, a priori vertical profiles calculated by the IMAGES chemistry transport model at 09:30 and 13:30 LT are used. Although the resulting GOME-2 and OMI H2CO vertical columns are found to be highly correlated, some systematic differences are observed. Afternoon columns are generally larger than morning ones, especially in mid-latitude regions. In contrast, over tropical rainforests, morning H2CO columns significantly exceed those observed in the afternoon. These differences are discussed in terms of the H2CO column variation between mid-morning and early afternoon, using ground-based MAX-DOAS measurements available from seven stations in Europe, China and Africa. Validation results confirm the capacity of the combined satellite measurements to resolve diurnal variations in H2CO columns. Furthermore, vertical profiles derived from MAX-DOAS measurements in the Beijing area and in Bujumbura are used for a more detailed validation exercise. In both regions, we find an agreement better than 15 % when MAX-DOAS profiles are used as a priori for the satellite retrievals. Finally, regional trends in H2CO columns are estimated for the 2004-2014 period using SCIAMACHY and GOME-2 data for morning conditions, and OMI for early afternoon conditions. Consistent features

  19. Peak position differences observed during XPS sputter depth profiling of the SEI on lithiated and delithiated carbon-based anode material for Li-ion batteries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oswald, S., E-mail: s.oswald@ifw-dresden.de; Hoffmann, M.; Zier, M.

    2017-04-15

    Highlights: • In XPS measurements at graphite anodes for Li-ion batteries specific binding energy variations are observed for the SEI species. • The binding energy variations depend on the charging state of the graphite and not on surface charging effects. • Obviously the presence of elemental Li leads to a potential surface gradient in contact with surface layers. • The energy position of implanted Ar can be used as characteristic feature during sputter depth profiling experiments. - Abstract: The ability of delivering chemical information from peak shift phenomena has ever since made X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) an ideal tool for material characterization in Li-ion batteries (LIB). Upon investigation, charging is inevitable as most of the chemical species involved are non-conducting. Thus, the binding energy (BE) scale must be corrected to allow an accurate interpretation of the results. This is usually done using the peak position of the ubiquitous surface carbon contamination detectable for all Li-ion battery relevant materials. We herein report on the occurrence of peak shift phenomena that can be observed when investigating surface layers on graphite anodes using sputter depth-profiling. These shifts, however, are not related to classical static electric charging, but are depending on the state of charge (lithiation) of the anode material. The observations presented are in agreement with previous findings on other Li-containing materials and are obviously caused by the presence of Li in its elemental state. As aging and failure mechanisms in LIBs are closely linked to electrolyte reaction products on electrode surfaces it is of high importance to draw the correct conclusions on their chemical origin from XP spectra. In order to avoid misinterpretation of the BE positions, implanted Ar can be used for identification of relevant peak positions and species involved in the phenomena observed.

  20. Atmospheric ions and nucleation: a review of observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Hirsikko

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This review is based on ca. 260 publications, 93 of which included data on the temporal and spatial variation of the concentration of small ions (<1.6 nm in diameter especially in the lower troposphere, chemical composition, or formation and growth rates of sub-3 nm ions. This information was collected on tables and figures. The small ions exist all the time in the atmosphere, and the average concentrations of positive and negative small ions are typically 200–2500 cm−3. However, concentrations up to 5000 cm−3 have been observed. The results are in agreement with observations of ion production rates in the atmosphere. We also summarised observations on the conversion of small ions to intermediate ions, which can act as embryos for new atmospheric aerosol particles. Those observations include the formation rates (J2[ion] of 2-nm intermediate ions, growth rates (GR[ion] of sub-3 nm ions, and information on the chemical composition of the ions. Unfortunately, there were only a few studies which presented J2[ion] and GR[ion]. Based on the publications, the formation rates of 2-nm ions were 0–1.1 cm−3 s−1, while the total 2-nm particle formation rates varied between 0.001 and 60 cm−3 s−1. Due to small changes in J2[ion], the relative importance of ions in 2-nm particle formation was determined by the large changes in J2[tot], and, accordingly the contribution of ions increased with decreasing J2[tot]. Furthermore, small ions were observed to activate for growth earlier than neutral nanometer-sized particles and at lower saturation ratio of condensing vapours.

  1. Sources of Variation in Creep Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loewenthal, William S.; Ellis, David L.

    2011-01-01

    Creep rupture is an important material characteristic for the design of rocket engines. It was observed during the characterization of GRCop-84 that the complete data set had nearly 4 orders of magnitude of scatter. This scatter likely confounded attempts to determine how creep performance was influenced by manufacturing. It was unclear if this variation was from the testing, the material, or both. Sources of variation were examined by conducting tests on identically processed specimens at the same specified stresses and temperatures. Significant differences existed between the five constant-load creep frames. The specimen temperature was higher than the desired temperature by as much as 43 C. It was also observed that the temperature gradient was up to 44 C. Improved specimen temperature control minimized temperature variations. The data from additional tests demonstrated that the results from all five frames were comparable. The variation decreased to 1/2 order of magnitude from 2 orders of magnitude for the baseline data set. Independent determination of creep rates in a reference load frame closely matched the creep rates determined after the modifications. Testing in helium tended to decrease the sample temperature gradient, but helium was not a significant improvement over vacuum.

  2. Interobserver Variation of the Renal Length Measurement on Ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Yoong Ki; Chung, Hye Weon; Kim, Tae Sung; Ryoo, Jae Wook; Kim, Tae Kyoung; Kim, Seung Hyup

    1995-01-01

    We assessed interobserver variation in the measurement of the renal length on ultrasonography. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed in randomly selected 50 patients. The maximallenhths of both kidneys were measured with calipers during the scanning from frozen images by three observers in a blinded fashion. There was a relatively constant tendency of an observer to measure a renal length either longer or shorter than the other observer(Kendall coefficient>0.05). Average interobserver variations were 0.51 cm (±0.42 cm) in right kidney and 0.53 cm (±0.41 cm) in left kidney and were within 1 cm in 91% right and 89% of left kidney. Interobserver variation about 1cm should be considered in the measurement of the renal length on ultrasonography

  3. Simultaneous Observations of Atmospheric Tides from Combined in Situ and Remote Observations at Mars from the MAVEN Spacecraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    England, Scott L.; Liu, Guiping; Withers, Paul; Yigit, Erdal; Lo, Daniel; Jain, Sonal; Schneider, Nicholas M. (Inventor); Deighan, Justin; McClintock, William E.; Mahaffy, Paul R.; hide

    2016-01-01

    We report the observations of longitudinal variations in the Martian thermosphere associated with nonmigrating tides. Using the Neutral Gas Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) and the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission (MAVEN) spacecraft, this study presents the first combined analysis of in situ and remote observations of atmospheric tides at Mars for overlapping volumes, local times, and overlapping date ranges. From the IUVS observations, we determine the altitude and latitudinal variation of the amplitude of the nonmigrating tidal signatures, which is combined with the NGIMS, providing information on the compositional impact of these waves. Both the observations of airglow from IUVS and the CO2 density observations from NGIMS reveal a strong wave number 2 signature in a fixed local time frame. The IUVS observations reveal a strong latitudinal dependence in the amplitude of the wave number 2 signature. Combining this with the accurate CO2 density observations from NGIMS, this would suggest that the CO2 density variation is as high as 27% at 0-10 deg latitude. The IUVS observations reveal little altitudinal dependence in the amplitude of the wave number 2 signature, varying by only 20% from 160 to 200 km. Observations of five different species with NGIMS show that the amplitude of the wave number 2 signature varies in proportion to the inverse of the species scale height, giving rise to variation in composition as a function of longitude. The analysis and discussion here provide a roadmap for further analysis as additional coincident data from these two instruments become available.

  4. Gamma irradiation-induced variation in carrots (Daucus carota L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Safadi, B.; Simon, P.W.

    1996-01-01

    Carrot tissue cultures, germinating seed, and dry seed were exposed to gamma radiation. Irradiation accelerated germination of carrot seed in the M1 generation at low doses (0.5 and 1 krad), whereas higher doses delayed germination. A high negative correlation was observed between dose and survival of plants after seed irradiation. Plant size and root weight were 20% to 35% greater than control plants after seeds, but not tissue cultures, were exposed to low doses of gamma irradiation. Higher doses reduced M1 plant size by 50% in germinating seed and tissue culture treatments but less for the dry seed treatment. Seed production decreased while phenotypic variation of M1 plants increased with increasing gamma ray dosage. Root weight and total dissolved solids were highly variable in M2 families. Less variation was observed in total carotene content and none was seen in sugar type (reducing vs. non reducing sugars). Induced variation in root color and root shape was also observed. Irradiation of germinating seed and tissue cultures yielded more M2 variation than irradiation of dry seed. Putative point mutations were not observed. Unirradiated carrot tissue cultures did not yield significant M2 somaclonal variation. Average root weight of M2 plants increased with increasing gamma ray dosage, especially for the dry seed treatment

  5. Gamma irradiation induced variation in carrots (Daucus Carota L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Safady, B.; Simon, P.W.

    1999-01-01

    Carrot tissue cultures, germinating seed, and dry seed were exposed to gamma radiation. Irradiation accelerated germination of carrot seed in the M 1 generation at low doses (0.5 and 1 krad), whereas higher doses delayed germination. A high negative correlation was observed between dose and survival of plants after seed irradiation. Plant size and root weight were 20% to 35% greater than control plants after seeds, but not tissue culture, were exposed to low doses of gamma irradiation. Higher doses reduced M 1 plant size by > 50% in germinating seed and tissue culture treatments but less for the dry seed treatment. Seed production decreased while phenotypic variation of M 1 plants increased with increasing gamma ray dosage. Root weight and total dissolved solids were highly variable in M 2 families. Less variation was observed in total carotene content and none was seen in sugar type [reducing vs. non reducing sugars]. Induced variation in root color and rot shape was also observed. Irradiation of germinating seed and tissue cultures yielded more M 2 variation than irradiation of dry seed. Putative point mutations were not observed. Unirradiated carrot tissue cultures did not yield significant M 2 somaclonal variation. Average root weight of M 2 plants increased with increasing gamma ray dosage, especially for the dry seed treatment (Author)

  6. Variation of atmospheric 210Pb concentration in the inland area of Chinese continent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doi, Taeko; Sato, Jun.

    1995-01-01

    Atmospheric concentrations of 210 Pb and their variations over Urumqi, Lanzhou and Baotou, cities located in inland area of Chinese continent, were observed for a period of 1 year in 1992. The monthly average concentrations ranged from 0.27 to 4.57 mBq/m 3 . The concentrations over these cities in winter were several times higher than that observed at Tsukuba Science City, Japan, and the range of variation was also larger. The variations in concentration over the 3 localities were similar to each other, showing the same seasonal variation pattern: low concentration appeared in summer and high in winter. This variation pattern was different from that observed at Tsukuba Science City. The variations in concentration over Chinese continent, where precipitation is much lower than that in Japan, correlated quite well with the variation in precipitation. (author)

  7. Space-Time Variations in Water Vapor as Observed by the UARS Microwave Limb Sounder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elson, Lee S.; Read, William G.; Waters, Joe W.; Mote, Philip W.; Kinnersley, Jonathan S.; Harwood, Robert S.

    1996-01-01

    Water vapor in the upper troposphere has a significant impact on the climate system. Difficulties in making accurate global measurements have led to uncertainty in understanding water vapor's coupling to the hydrologic cycle in the lower troposphere and its role in radiative energy balance. The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is able to retrieve water vapor concentration in the upper troposphere with good sensitivity and nearly global coverage. An analysis of these preliminary retrievals based on 3 years of observations shows the water vapor distribution to be similar to that measured by other techniques and to model results. The primary MLS water vapor measurements were made in the stratosphere, where this species acts as a conserved tracer under certain conditions. As is the case for the upper troposphere, most of the stratospheric discussion focuses on the time evolution of the zonal mean and zonally varying water vapor. Stratospheric results span a 19-month period and tropospheric results a 36-month period, both beginning in October of 1991. Comparisons with stratospheric model calculations show general agreement, with some differences in the amplitude and phase of long-term variations. At certain times and places, the evolution of water vapor distributions in the lower stratosphere suggests the presence of meridional transport.

  8. Observer variation in target volume delineation of lung cancer related to radiation oncologist-computer interaction: A 'Big Brother' evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steenbakkers, Roel J.H.M.; Duppen, Joop C.; Fitton, Isabelle; Deurloo, Kirsten E.I.; Zijp, Lambert; Uitterhoeve, Apollonia L.J.; Rodrigus, Patrick T.R.; Kramer, Gijsbert W.P.; Bussink, Johan; Jaeger, Katrien De; Belderbos, Jose S.A.; Hart, Augustinus A.M.; Nowak, Peter J.C.M.; Herk, Marcel van; Rasch, Coen R.N.

    2005-01-01

    Background and purpose: To evaluate the process of target volume delineation in lung cancer for optimization of imaging, delineation protocol and delineation software. Patients and methods: Eleven radiation oncologists (observers) from five different institutions delineated the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) including positive lymph nodes of 22 lung cancer patients (stages I-IIIB) on CT only. All radiation oncologist-computer interactions were recorded with a tool called 'Big Brother'. For each radiation oncologist and patient the following issues were analyzed: delineation time, number of delineated points and corrections, zoom levels, level and window (L/W) settings, CT slice changes, use of side windows (coronal and sagittal) and software button use. Results: The mean delineation time per GTV was 16 min (SD 10 min). The mean delineation time for lymph node positive patients was on average 3 min larger (P=0.02) than for lymph node negative patients. Many corrections (55%) were due to L/W change (e.g. delineating in mediastinum L/W and then correcting in lung L/W). For the lymph node region, a relatively large number of corrections was found (3.7 corr/cm 2 ), indicating that it was difficult to delineate lymph nodes. For the tumor-atelectasis region, a relative small number of corrections was found (1.0 corr/cm 2 ), indicating that including or excluding atelectasis into the GTV was a clinical decision. Inappropriate use of L/W settings was frequently found (e.g. 46% of all delineated points in the tumor-lung region were delineated in mediastinum L/W settings). Despite a large observer variation in cranial and caudal direction of 0.72 cm (1 SD), the coronal and sagittal side windows were not used in 45 and 60% of the cases, respectively. For the more difficult cases, observer variation was smaller when the coronal and sagittal side windows were used. Conclusions: With the 'Big Brother' tool a method was developed to trace the delineation process. The differences between

  9. Variational integrators for electric circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ober-Blöbaum, Sina; Tao, Molei; Cheng, Mulin; Owhadi, Houman; Marsden, Jerrold E.

    2013-01-01

    In this contribution, we develop a variational integrator for the simulation of (stochastic and multiscale) electric circuits. When considering the dynamics of an electric circuit, one is faced with three special situations: 1. The system involves external (control) forcing through external (controlled) voltage sources and resistors. 2. The system is constrained via the Kirchhoff current (KCL) and voltage laws (KVL). 3. The Lagrangian is degenerate. Based on a geometric setting, an appropriate variational formulation is presented to model the circuit from which the equations of motion are derived. A time-discrete variational formulation provides an iteration scheme for the simulation of the electric circuit. Dependent on the discretization, the intrinsic degeneracy of the system can be canceled for the discrete variational scheme. In this way, a variational integrator is constructed that gains several advantages compared to standard integration tools for circuits; in particular, a comparison to BDF methods (which are usually the method of choice for the simulation of electric circuits) shows that even for simple LCR circuits, a better energy behavior and frequency spectrum preservation can be observed using the developed variational integrator

  10. Observation of the thunderstorm-related ground cosmic ray flux variations by ARGO-YBJ

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartoli, B.; Bernardini, P.; Bi, X. J.; Cao, Z.; Catalanotti, S.; Chen, S. Z.; Chen, T. L.; Cui, S. W.; Dai, B. Z.; D'Amone, A.; Danzengluobu; De Mitri, I.; D'Ettorre Piazzoli, B.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Sciascio, G.; Feng, C. F.; Feng, Zhaoyang; Feng, Zhenyong; Gao, W.; Gou, Q. B.; Guo, Y. Q.; He, H. H.; Hu, Haibing; Hu, Hongbo; Iacovacci, M.; Iuppa, R.; Jia, H. Y.; Labaciren; Li, H. J.; Liu, C.; Liu, J.; Liu, M. Y.; Lu, H.; Ma, L. L.; Ma, X. H.; Mancarella, G.; Mari, S. M.; Marsella, G.; Mastroianni, S.; Montini, P.; Ning, C. C.; Perrone, L.; Pistilli, P.; Salvini, P.; Santonico, R.; Shen, P. R.; Sheng, X. D.; Shi, F.; Surdo, A.; Tan, Y. H.; Vallania, P.; Vernetto, S.; Vigorito, C.; Wang, H.; Wu, C. Y.; Wu, H. R.; Xue, L.; Yang, Q. Y.; Yang, X. C.; Yao, Z. G.; Yuan, A. F.; Zha, M.; Zhang, H. M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, X. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, J.; Zhaxiciren; Zhaxisangzhu; Zhou, X. X.; Zhu, F. R.; Zhu, Q. Q.; D'Alessandro, F.; ARGO-YBJ Collaboration

    2018-02-01

    A correlation between the secondary cosmic ray flux and the near-earth electric field intensity, measured during thunderstorms, has been found by analyzing the data of the ARGO-YBJ experiment, a full coverage air shower array located at the Yangbajing Cosmic Ray Laboratory (4300 m a. s. l., Tibet, China). The counting rates of showers with different particle multiplicities (m =1 , 2, 3, and ≥4 ) have been found to be strongly dependent upon the intensity and polarity of the electric field measured during the course of 15 thunderstorms. In negative electric fields (i.e., accelerating negative charges downwards), the counting rates increase with increasing electric field strength. In positive fields, the rates decrease with field intensity until a certain value of the field EFmin (whose value depends on the event multiplicity), above which the rates begin increasing. By using Monte Carlo simulations, we found that this peculiar behavior can be well described by the presence of an electric field in a layer of thickness of a few hundred meters in the atmosphere above the detector, which accelerates/decelerates the secondary shower particles of opposite charge, modifying the number of particles with energy exceeding the detector threshold. These results, for the first time to our knowledge, give a consistent explanation for the origin of the variation of the electron/positron flux observed for decades by high altitude cosmic ray detectors during thunderstorms.

  11. Tracking spatial variation in river load from Andean highlands to inter-Andean valleys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenorio, Gustavo E.; Vanacker, Veerle; Campforts, Benjamin; Álvarez, Lenín; Zhiminaicela, Santiago; Vercruysse, Kim; Molina, Armando; Govers, Gerard

    2018-05-01

    Mountains play an important role in the denudation of continents and transfer erosion and weathering products to lowlands and oceans. The rates at which erosion and weathering processes take place in mountain regions have a substantial impact on the morphology and biogeochemistry of downstream reaches and lowlands. The controlling factors of physical erosion and chemical weathering and the coupling between the two processes are not yet fully understood. In this study, we report physical erosion and chemical weathering rates for five Andean catchments located in the southern Ecuadorian Andes and investigate their mutual interaction. During a 4-year monitoring period, we sampled river water at biweekly intervals, and we analyzed water samples for major ions and suspended solids. We derived the total annual dissolved, suspended sediment, and ionic loads from the flow frequency curves and adjusted rating curves and used the dissolved and suspended sediment yields as proxies for chemical weathering and erosion rates. In the 4-year period of monitoring, chemical weathering exceeds physical erosion in the high Andean catchments. Whereas physical erosion rates do not exceed 30 t km-2 y-1 in the relict glaciated morphology, chemical weathering rates range between 22 and 59 t km-2 y-1. The variation in chemical weathering is primarily controlled by intrinsic differences in bedrock lithology. Land use has no discernible impact on the weathering rate but leads to a small increase in base cation concentrations because of fertilizer leaching in surface water. When extending our analysis with published data on dissolved and suspended sediment yields from the northern and central Andes, we observe that the river load composition strongly changes in the downstream direction, indicating large heterogeneity of weathering processes and rates within large Andean basins.

  12. Remarkable nanoconfinement effects on chemical equilibrium manifested in nucleotide dimerization and H-D exchange reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polak, Micha; Rubinovich, Leonid

    2011-10-06

    Nanoconfinement entropic effects on chemical equilibrium involving a small number of molecules, which we term NCECE, are revealed by two widely diverse types of reactions. Employing statistical-mechanical principles, we show how the NCECE effect stabilizes nucleotide dimerization observed within self-assembled molecular cages. Furthermore, the effect provides the basis for dimerization even under an aqueous environment inside the nanocage. Likewise, the NCECE effect is pertinent to a longstanding issue in astrochemistry, namely the extra deuteration commonly observed for molecules reacting on interstellar dust grain surfaces. The origin of the NCECE effect is elucidated by means of the probability distributions of the reaction extent and related variations in the reactant-product mixing entropy. Theoretical modelling beyond our previous preliminary work highlights the role of the nanospace size in addition to that of the nanosystem size, namely the limited amount of molecules in the reaction mixture. Furthermore, the NCECE effect can depend also on the reaction mechanism, and on deviations from stoichiometry. The NCECE effect, leading to enhanced, greatly variable equilibrium "constants", constitutes a unique physical-chemical phenomenon, distinguished from the usual thermodynamical properties of macroscopically large systems. Being significant particularly for weakly exothermic reactions, the effects should stabilize products in other closed nanoscale structures, and thus can have notable implications for the growing nanotechnological utilization of chemical syntheses conducted within confined nanoreactors.

  13. Summary of daily observational results of solar phenomena, cosmic ray, geomagnetic variation, ionosphere, radio wave propagation and airglow. During October 1973 through September 1975

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1976-12-01

    The diagrams in this section of the publication illustrate the summary of daily observational results of solar phenomena, cosmic ray, geomagnetic variation, ionosphere, radio wave propagation and airglow observed in Japan. For convenience, the observational results are arranged by the solar rotation number. The aim of this illustration is to disseminate an outline of daily events observed in Japan for the benefit of active research workers who plan to make detailed study of the specific solar and terrestrial events. Therefore, the illustrations do not show all observational results in Japan but only representative ones at some key stations in Japan. They will suffice for the present purpose. The method of illustration shown in the instruction on the next page is still a preliminary one, and it is subject to change resulting from the kind advice of the users of this part of the publication.

  14. From genomic variation to personalized medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wesolowska, Agata; Schmiegelow, Kjeld

    Genomic variation is the basis of interindividual differences in observable traits and disease susceptibility. Genetic studies are the driving force of personalized medicine, as many of the differences in treatment efficacy can be attributed to our genomic background. The rapid development...... a considerable amount of the phenotype variability, hence the major difficulty of interpretation lies in the complexity of molecular interactions. This PhD thesis describes the state-of-art of the functional human variation research (Chapter 1) and introduces childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL...... the thesis and includes some final remarks on the perspectives of genomic variation research and personalized medicine. In summary, this thesis demonstrates the feasibility of integrative analyses of genomic variations and introduces large-scale hypothesis-driven SNP exploration studies as an emerging...

  15. Photoluminescence of nc-Si:Er thin films obtained by physical and chemical vapour deposition techniques: The effects of microstructure and chemical composition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cerqueira, M.F., E-mail: fcerqueira@fisica.uminho.p [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Losurdo, M. [Institute of Inorganic Methodologies and of Plasmas, IMIP-CNR, Via Orabona n.4-70126 Bari (Italy); Stepikhova, M. [Institute for Physics of Microstructures RAS, 603600 Nizhnij Novgorod GSP-105 (Russian Federation); Alpuim, P.; Andres, G. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Kozanecki, A. [Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, PL-02668, Warsaw (Poland); Soares, M.J.; Peres, M. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3700 Aveiro (Portugal)

    2009-08-31

    Erbium doped nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:Er) thin films were produced by reactive magnetron rf sputtering and by Er ion implantation into chemical vapor deposited Si films. The structure and chemical composition of films obtained by the two approaches were studied by micro-Raman scattering, spectroscopic ellipsometry and Rutherford backscattering techniques. Variation of deposition parameters was used to deposit films with different crystalline fraction and crystallite size. Photoluminescence measurements revealed a correlation between film microstructure and the Er{sup 3+} photoluminescence efficiency.

  16. Variation in fish mercury concentrations in streams of the Adirondack region, New York: A simplified screening approach using chemical metrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Douglas A.; Riva-Murray, Karen

    2018-01-01

    Simple screening approaches for the neurotoxicant methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic ecosystems may be helpful in risk assessments of natural resources. We explored the development of such an approach in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, USA, a region with high levels of MeHg bioaccumulation. Thirty-six perennial streams broadly representative of 1st and 2nd order streams in the region were sampled during summer low flow and analyzed for several solutes and for Hg concentrations in fish. Several landscape and chemical metrics that are typically strongly related to MeHg concentrations in aquatic biota were explored for strength of association with fish Hg concentrations. Data analyses were based on site mean length-normalized and standardized Hg concentrations (assumed to be dominantly MeHg) in whole juvenile and adult Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis, Creek Chub Semotilus atromaculatus, Blacknose Dace Rhinichthys atratulus, and Central Mudminnow Umbra limi, as well as on multi-species z-scores. Surprisingly, none of the landscape metrics was related significantly to regional variation in fish Hg concentrations or to z-scores across the study streams. In contrast, several chemical metrics including dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, sulfate concentrations (SO42−), pH, ultra-violet absorbance (UV254), and specific ultra-violet absorbance were significantly related to regional variation in fish Hg concentrations. A cluster analysis based on DOC, SO42−, and pH identified three distinct groups of streams: (1) high DOC, acidic streams, (2) moderate DOC, slightly acidic streams, and (3) low DOC circum-neutral streams with relatively high SO42−. Preliminary analysis indicated no significant difference in fish Hg z-scores between the moderate and high DOC groups, so these were combined for further analysis. The resulting two groups showed strong differences (p 6.9 mg/L, SO42− 0.31 cm−1 were tested as thresholds to identify Adirondack

  17. Solar variations and their influence on trends in upper stratospheric ozone and temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wuebbles, D.J.; Kinnison, D.E.; Lean, J.L.

    1990-10-01

    Over the past decade, knowledge of the magnitude and temporal structure of the variations in the sun's ultraviolet irradiance has increased steadily. A number of theoretical modeling studies have shown that changes in the solar ultraviolet flux during the 11-year solar cycle can have a significant effect on stratospheric ozone concentrations. With the exception of Brasseur et al., who examined a very broad range of solar flux variations, all of these studies assumed much larger changes in the ultraviolet flux than measurements now indicate. These studies either calculated the steady-state effect at solar maximum and solar minimum or assumed sinusoidal variations in the solar flux changes with time. It is now possible to narrow the uncertainty range of the expected effects on upper stratospheric ozone and temperature resulting from the 11-year solar cycle. A more accurate representation of the solar flux changes with time is used in this analysis, as compared to previous published studies. This study also evaluates the relative roles of solar flux variations and increasing concentrations of long-lived trace gases in determining the observed trends in upper stratospheric ozone and temperature. The LLNL two-dimensional chemical-radiative-transport model of the global atmosphere is used to evaluate the combined effects on the stratosphere from changes in solar ultraviolet irradiances and trace gas concentrations over the last several decades. Derived trends in upper stratospheric ozone concentrations and temperature are then compared with available analyses of ground-based and satellite measurements over this time period

  18. Microbial, physical and chemical properties of irrigation water in rice fields of Southern Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MARIA HELENA L.R. RECHE

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of the statistical analysis of microbiological, physical and chemical parameters related to the quality of the water used in rice fields in Southern Brazil. Data were collected during three consecutive crop years, within structure of a comprehensive monitoring program. The indicators used were: potential hydrogen, electrical conductivity, turbidity, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, total and fecal coliforms. Principal Component and Discriminant Analysis showed consistent differences between the water irrigation and drainage, as the temporal variation demonstrated a clear reduction in the concentration of most of the variables analyzed. The pattern of this reduction is not the same in the two regions - that is, the importance of each of the different variables in the observed differentiation is modified in two locations. These results suggested that the variations in the water quality utilized for rice irrigation was influenced by certain specific aspects of each rice region in South Brazilian - such as anthropic action or soil/climate conditions in each hydrographic basin.

  19. Depth variations of the 410 and 520 km-discontinuities beneath Asia and the Pacific from PP precursors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schäfer, J.; Wölbern, I.; Rümpker, G.

    2009-06-01

    We investigate depth variations of the 410 and 520 km-discontinuities beneath Asia and the Pacific which serve as examples for a continental and an oceanic region, respectively. The depths are derived from travel-time differences between the PP-phase and its precursors that are reflected at the discontinuities. After accounting for differences in average crustal thickness, we find that the depth of the ‘410’ is rather uniform but larger than expected beneath both regions with a value of approximately 418 km. Signals from the ‘520’ are slightly less pronounced. However, while the average depth of the ‘520’ beneath Asia is about 519 km, we obtain a value of about 531.5 km for the Pacific. Here, the depression of the discontinuities can be explained in view of thermal anomalies in relation to mantle plumes. For Asia, however, the observations seem to require a more complex pattern of thermal anomalies possibly complemented by variations in chemical composition.

  20. Latitudinal variation of the polar cusp during a geomagnetic storm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng, C.

    1982-01-01

    Large amplitude latitudinal variation of the polar cusp position was observed during the intense geomagnetic storm of 15--16 February 1980. The observation of the polar cusp, identified as the region of intense but extremely soft electron precipitation, was made by two nearly noon-midnight orbit DMSP satellites over both northern and southern hemispheres. The latitudinal shift of the polar cusp is observed to be related to the intensity variation of the ring current indicated by the hourly Dst values. The polar cusp region moved from its normal location at approx.76 0 gm lat down to approx.62 0 gm lat at the peak of this storm. This movement took about 5 hours and was detected over both hemispheres. A drastic variation in the width of the cusp region was also observed; it is very narrow (approx.1 0 ) during the equatorial shift and expands to > or approx. =5 0 during the poleward recovery. Variation of the polar cusp latitude with that of the Dst index was also seen during the period before the intense storm

  1. Chemical alternatives assessment: the case of flame retardants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Gregory J

    2014-12-01

    Decisions on chemical substitution are made rapidly and by many stakeholders; these decisions may have a direct impact on consumer exposures, and, when a hazard exists, to consumer risks. Flame retardants (FRs) represent particular challenges, including very high production volumes, designed-in persistence, and often direct consumer exposure. Newer FR products, as with other industrial chemicals, typically lack data on hazard and exposure, and in many cases even basic information on structure and use in products is unknown. Chemical alternatives assessment (CAA) provides a hazard-focused approach to distinguishing between possible substitutions; variations on this process are used by several government and numerous corporate entities. By grouping chemicals according to functional use, some information on exposure potential can be inferred, allowing for decisions based on those hazard properties that are most distinguishing. This approach can help prevent the "regrettable substitution" of one chemical with another of equal, or even higher, risk. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Chemical kinetics in the coma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huebner, W.F.

    1980-01-01

    Physical and chemical conditions in the coma of a bright new comet are related to the composition of the nucleus. Chemical and photolytic processes are described and related to distance in the coma above the nucleus and to heliocentric distance of the comet. Comparison of the model with coma observations leads to some restrictions about the nucleus composition. It is expected that these restrictions become more stringent as coma models are developed further and as observations become more detailed

  3. Regional variations in baseline characteristics of cardiac rhythm device recipients: The PANORAMA observational cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Kandari, Fawziah; Erglis, Andrejs; Sweidan, Raed; Dannheimer, Ingrid; Sepsi, Milan; Bénézet, Juan; Padour, Michal; Naik, Ajay; Escudero, Jaime; West, Teena; Holbrook, Reece; Lorgat, Faizel

    2014-09-01

    The PANORAMA study was designed to collect concurrent data on subjects from different worldwide regions implanted with CRM devices. In this prospective, multi-center study, we analyzed baseline data on 8586 subjects implanted with CRM devices with no additional selection criteria (66% pacemaker (IPG), 16% implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD), 17% cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and CRM devices from a range of geographies that are not typically reported in literature. We found significant variations in clinical characteristics and implant practices. Long term follow-up data will help evaluate if these variations require adjustments to outcome expectations.

  4. Chemical and non-chemical stressors affecting childhood obesity: a systematic scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lichtveld, Kim; Thomas, Kent; Tulve, Nicolle S

    2018-01-01

    Childhood obesity in the United States has doubled over the last three decades and currently affects 17% of children and adolescents. While much research has focused on individual behaviors impacting obesity, little research has emphasized the complex interactions of numerous chemical and non-chemical stressors found in a child's environment and how these interactions affect a child's health and well-being. The objectives of this systematic scoping review were to (1) identify potential chemical stressors in the context of non-chemical stressors that impact childhood obesity; and, (2) summarize our observations for chemical and non-chemical stressors in regards to child-specific environments within a community setting. A review was conducted to identify chemical and non-chemical stressors related to childhood obesity for the childhood life stages ranging from prenatal to adolescence. Stressors were identified and grouped into domains: individual behaviors, family/household behaviors, community stressors, and chemical exposures. Stressors were related to the child and the child's everyday environments and used to characterize child health and well-being. This review suggests that the interactions of chemical and non-chemical stressors are important for understanding a child's overall health and well-being. By considering these relationships, the exposure science research community can better design and implement strategies to reduce childhood obesity.

  5. The definition of radiological signs in gastric ulcer and assessment of their validity by inter-observer variation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulman, A; Simpkins, K C

    1975-07-01

    The initial aim was to program a computer with information on the frequency of radiological signs in benign and malignant gastric ulcers in order to obtain a percentage probability of benignancy or malignancy in succeeding ulcers in clinical practice. However, only four of the many signs described in gastric ulcer were confirmed to be of validity (i.e. reliable existence) by an inter-observer variation study using two observers and the films from 69 barium meal examinations. These were projection or non-projection of the in-profile ulcer, presence or absence of adjacent mucosal folds, good or poor definition of the in-face ulcer's edge, and extension of radiating folds to the in-face ulcer's edge. A few more remained unassessed due to insufficient numbers of relevant cases. It is condluced that: as defined in the literature the majority of radiological signs in this field are of uncertain existence; and the four that were found to be valid do not fully describe the important appearances that may be seen in benign and malignant ulcers and would be inadequate to differentiate them to a sufficiently high degree of probability.

  6. Combining hydraulic model, hydrogeomorphological observations and chemical analyses of surface waters to improve knowledge on karst flash floods genesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Raynaud

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available During a flood event over a karst watershed, the connections between surface and ground waters appear to be complex ones. The karst may attenuate surface floods by absorbing water or contribute to the surface flood by direct contribution of karst waters in the rivers (perennial and overflowing springs and by diffuse resurgence along the hillslopes. If it is possible to monitor each known outlet of a karst system, the diffuse contribution is yet difficult to assess. Furthermore, all these connections vary over time according to several factors such as the water content of the soil and underground, the rainfall characteristics, the runoff pathways. Therefore, the contribution of each compartment is generally difficult to assess, and flood dynamics are not fully understood. To face these misunderstandings and difficulties, we analysed surface waters during six recent flood events in the Lirou watershed (a karst tributary of the Lez, in South of France. Because of the specific chemical signature of karst waters, chemical analyses can supply information about water pathways and flood dynamics. Then, we used the dilution law to combine chemical results, flow data and field observations to assess the dynamics of the karst component of the flood. To end, we discussed the surface or karst origin of the waters responsible for the apparent runoff coefficient rise during flash karst flood.

  7. The dimensionality of stellar chemical space using spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price-Jones, Natalie; Bovy, Jo

    2018-03-01

    Chemical tagging of stars based on their similar compositions can offer new insights about the star formation and dynamical history of the Milky Way. We investigate the feasibility of identifying groups of stars in chemical space by forgoing the use of model derived abundances in favour of direct analysis of spectra. This facilitates the propagation of measurement uncertainties and does not pre-suppose knowledge of which elements are important for distinguishing stars in chemical space. We use ˜16 000 red giant and red clump H-band spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and perform polynomial fits to remove trends not due to abundance-ratio variations. Using expectation maximized principal component analysis, we find principal components with high signal in the wavelength regions most important for distinguishing between stars. Different subsamples of red giant and red clump stars are all consistent with needing about 10 principal components to accurately model the spectra above the level of the measurement uncertainties. The dimensionality of stellar chemical space that can be investigated in the H band is therefore ≲10. For APOGEE observations with typical signal-to-noise ratios of 100, the number of chemical space cells within which stars cannot be distinguished is approximately 1010±2 × (5 ± 2)n - 10 with n the number of principal components. This high dimensionality and the fine-grained sampling of chemical space are a promising first step towards chemical tagging based on spectra alone.

  8. Non-storm irregular variation of the Dst index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Nakano

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The Dst index has a long-term variation that is not associated with magnetic storms. We estimated the long-term non-storm component of the Dst variation by removing the short-term variation related to magnetic storms. The results indicate that the variation of the non-storm component includes not only a seasonal variation but also an irregular variation. The irregular long-term variation is likely to be due to an anti-correlation with the long-term variation of solar-wind activity. In particular, a clear anti-correlation is observed between the non-storm component of Dst and the long-term variation of the solar-wind dynamic pressure. This means that in the long term, the Dst index tends to increase when the solar-wind dynamic pressure decreases. We interpret this anti-correlation as an indication that the long-term non-storm variation of Dst is influenced by the tail current variation. The long-term variation of the solar-wind dynamic pressure controls the plasma sheet thermal pressure, and the change of the plasma sheet thermal pressure would cause the non-storm tail current variation, resulting in the non-storm variation of Dst.

  9. Chemical Mechanisms and Their Applications in the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Earth System Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, J Eric; Pawson, Steven; Molod, Andrea; Auer, Benjamin; da Silva, Arlindo M; Douglass, Anne R; Duncan, Bryan; Liang, Qing; Manyin, Michael; Oman, Luke D; Putman, William; Strahan, Susan E; Wargan, Krzysztof

    2017-12-01

    NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Earth System Model (ESM) is a modular, general circulation model (GCM), and data assimilation system (DAS) that is used to simulate and study the coupled dynamics, physics, chemistry, and biology of our planet. GEOS is developed by the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. It generates near-real-time analyzed data products, reanalyses, and weather and seasonal forecasts to support research targeted to understanding interactions among Earth System processes. For chemistry, our efforts are focused on ozone and its influence on the state of the atmosphere and oceans, and on trace gas data assimilation and global forecasting at mesoscale discretization. Several chemistry and aerosol modules are coupled to the GCM, which enables GEOS to address topics pertinent to NASA's Earth Science Mission. This paper describes the atmospheric chemistry components of GEOS and provides an overview of its Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF)-based software infrastructure, which promotes a rich spectrum of feedbacks that influence circulation and climate, and impact human and ecosystem health. We detail how GEOS allows model users to select chemical mechanisms and emission scenarios at run time, establish the extent to which the aerosol and chemical components communicate, and decide whether either or both influence the radiative transfer calculations. A variety of resolutions facilitates research on spatial and temporal scales relevant to problems ranging from hourly changes in air quality to trace gas trends in a changing climate. Samples of recent GEOS chemistry applications are provided.

  10. A search for transit timing variation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kramm U.

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Photometric follow-ups of transiting exoplanets (TEPs may lead to discoveries of additional, less massive bodies in extrasolar systems. This is possible by detecting and then analysing variations in transit timing of transiting exoplanets. In 2009 we launched an international observing campaign, the aim of which is to detect and characterise signals of transit timing variation (TTV in selected TEPs. The programme is realised by collecting data from 0.6-2.2-m telescopes spread worldwide at different longitudes. We present our observing strategy and summarise first results for WASP-3b with evidence for a 15 Earth-mass perturber in an outer 2:1 orbital resonance.

  11. High pressure stability analysis and chemical bonding of Ti1-xZrxN alloy: A first principle study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chauhan, Mamta; Gupta, Dinesh C.

    2016-01-01

    First-principles pseudo-potential calculations have been performed to analyze the stability of Ti 1-x Zr x N alloy under high pressures. The first order phase transition from B1 to B2 phase has been observed in this alloy at high pressure. The variation of lattice parameter with the change in concentration of Zr atom in Ti 1-x Zr x N is also reported in both the phases. The calculations for density of states have been performed to understand the alloying effects on chemical bonding of Ti-Zr-N alloy.

  12. CAN GALACTIC CHEMICAL EVOLUTION EXPLAIN THE OXYGEN ISOTOPIC VARIATIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lugaro, Maria; Liffman, Kurt; Ireland, Trevor R.; Maddison, Sarah T.

    2012-01-01

    A number of objects in primitive meteorites have oxygen isotopic compositions that place them on a distinct, mass-independent fractionation line with a slope of one on a three-isotope plot. The most popular model for describing how this fractionation arose assumes that CO self-shielding produced 16 O-rich CO and 16 O-poor H 2 O, where the H 2 O subsequently combined with interstellar dust to form relatively 16 O-poor solids within the solar nebula. Another model for creating the different reservoirs of 16 O-rich gas and 16 O-poor solids suggests that these reservoirs were produced by Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) if the solar system dust component was somewhat younger than the gas component and both components were lying on the line of slope one in the O three-isotope plot. We argue that GCE is not the cause of mass-independent fractionation of the oxygen isotopes in the solar system. The GCE scenario is in contradiction with observations of the 18 O/ 17 O ratios in nearby molecular clouds and young stellar objects. It is very unlikely for GCE to produce a line of slope one when considering the effect of incomplete mixing of stellar ejecta in the interstellar medium. Furthermore, the assumption that the solar system dust was younger than the gas requires unusual timescales or the existence of an important stardust component that is not theoretically expected to occur nor has been identified to date.

  13. The Interaction Between Supercontinent Cycles and Compositional Variations in the Deep Mantle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowman, J. P.; Trim, S. J.

    2015-12-01

    Earth is the only planet known to currently feature active plate tectonics. Two features that may influence the Earth's ability to sustain plate-like surface motion are the presence of continents and the inferred chemical piles lying on the core mantle boundary. In our previous study that modelled thermochemical convection in the mantle with evolving plates, it was shown that upwellings that form on top of chemical piles are relatively weak and make a diminished contribution to lithospheric stress. Yet, surface yielding is required in order to maintain plate tectonics and form new plate boundaries. Consequently an intrinsically dense layer in the lower mantle can decrease the vigour of convection and the likelihood of surface failure. In contrast to the mantle upwellings that form above the chemically dense provinces in our models, particularly vigorous plumes form where the ambient mantle lies adjacent to the core mantle boundary and at the edges of the chemically dense piles. Continents also affect surface mobility, due to their inherent buoyancy and their distinct yield strength. In this study we employ numerical models of mantle convection featuring both tectonic plates and compositional variation in the mantle and lithosphere. Plate-like surface motion is dynamically modelled using a force-balance method that determines plate velocities based upon lithospheric stresses. Oceanic and continental margins evolve in response to the plate velocities and specified lithospheric yield stresses. Compositional variations in the deep mantle are tracked using the tracer ratio method. For a range of ratios of the ambient mantle density to the density of the compositionally enriched material, we examine the the impact of mantle compositional variation on plate evolution, the effect of continents on planetary surface mobility and the frequency of supercontinent assembly versus the mobility of compositional provinces.

  14. Formic and Acetic Acid Observations over Colorado by Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Organic Acids' Role in Air Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treadaway, V.; O'Sullivan, D. W.; Heikes, B.; Silwal, I.; McNeill, A.

    2015-12-01

    Formic acid (HFo) and acetic acid (HAc) have both natural and anthropogenic sources and a role in the atmospheric processing of carbon. These organic acids also have an increasing importance in setting the acidity of rain and snow as precipitation nitrate and sulfate concentrations have decreased. Primary emissions for both organic acids include biomass burning, agriculture, and motor vehicle emissions. Secondary production is also a substantial source for both acids especially from biogenic precursors, secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), and photochemical production from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs). Chemical transport models underestimate organic acid concentrations and recent research has sought to develop additional production mechanisms. Here we report HFo and HAc measurements during two campaigns over Colorado using the peroxide chemical ionization mass spectrometer (PCIMS). Iodide clusters of both HFo and HAc were recorded at mass-to-charge ratios of 173 and 187, respectively. The PCIMS was flown aboard the NCAR Gulfstream-V platform during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Experiment (DC3) and aboard the NCAR C-130 during the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPE). The DC3 observations were made in May and June 2012 extending from the surface to 13 km over the central and eastern United States. FRAPPE observations were made in July and August 2014 from the surface to 7 km over Colorado. DC3 measurements reported here are focused over the Colorado Front Range and complement the FRAPPE observations. DC3 HFo altitude profiles are characterized by a decrease up to 6 km followed by an increase either back to boundary layer mixing ratio values or higher (a "C" shape). Organic acid measurements from both campaigns are interpreted with an emphasis on emission sources (both natural and anthropogenic) over Colorado and in situ photochemical production especially ozone precursors.

  15. Storm time variation of radiative cooling of thermosphere by nitric oxide emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishna, M. V. Sunil; Bag, Tikemani; Bharti, Gaurav

    2016-07-01

    The fundamental vibration-rotation band emission (Δν=1, Δ j=0,± 1) by nitric oxide (NO) at 5.3 µm is one of the most important cooling mechanisms in thermosphere. The collisional vibrational excitation of NO(ν=0) by impact with atomic oxygen is the main source of vibrationally excited nitric oxide. The variation of NO density depends on latitude, longitude and season. The present study aims to understand how the radiative flux gets influenced by the severe geomagnetic storm conditions. The variation of Nitric Oxide (NO) radiative flux exiting thermosphere is studied during the superstorm event of 7-12 November, 2004. The observations of TIMED/SABER suggest a strong anti-correlation with the O/N_2 ratio observed by GUVI during the same period. On a global scale the NO radiative flux showed an enhancement during the main phase on 8 November, 2004, whereas maximum depletion in O/N_2 is observed on 10 November, 2004. Both O/N_2 and NO radiative flux were found to propagate equatorward due to the effect of meridional wind resulting from joule and particle heating in polar region. Larger penetrations is observed in western longitude sectors. These observed variations are effectively connected to the variations in neutral densities. In the equatorial sectors, O/N_2 shows enhancement but almost no variation in radiative flux is observed. The possible reasons for the observed variations in NO radiative emission and O/N_2 ratios are discussed in the light of equator ward increase in the densities and prompt penetration.

  16. Evolution of South Atlantic density and chemical stratification across the last deglaciation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Jenny; Gottschalk, Julia; Skinner, Luke C; Peck, Victoria L; Kender, Sev; Elderfield, Henry; Waelbroeck, Claire; Vázquez Riveiros, Natalia; Hodell, David A

    2016-01-19

    Explanations of the glacial-interglacial variations in atmospheric pCO2 invoke a significant role for the deep ocean in the storage of CO2. Deep-ocean density stratification has been proposed as a mechanism to promote the storage of CO2 in the deep ocean during glacial times. A wealth of proxy data supports the presence of a "chemical divide" between intermediate and deep water in the glacial Atlantic Ocean, which indirectly points to an increase in deep-ocean density stratification. However, direct observational evidence of changes in the primary controls of ocean density stratification, i.e., temperature and salinity, remain scarce. Here, we use Mg/Ca-derived seawater temperature and salinity estimates determined from temperature-corrected δ(18)O measurements on the benthic foraminifer Uvigerina spp. from deep and intermediate water-depth marine sediment cores to reconstruct the changes in density of sub-Antarctic South Atlantic water masses over the last deglaciation (i.e., 22-2 ka before present). We find that a major breakdown in the physical density stratification significantly lags the breakdown of the deep-intermediate chemical divide, as indicated by the chemical tracers of benthic foraminifer δ(13)C and foraminifer/coral (14)C. Our results indicate that chemical destratification likely resulted in the first rise in atmospheric pCO2, whereas the density destratification of the deep South Atlantic lags the second rise in atmospheric pCO2 during the late deglacial period. Our findings emphasize that the physical and chemical destratification of the ocean are not as tightly coupled as generally assumed.

  17. Seasonal variations of indoor radon concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majborn, B.

    1990-01-01

    Seasonal variations of indoor radon concentrations have been studied in a cluster of 10 single-family houses. Eight of the houses are of a similar construction with slab-on-grade foundations. The remaining two houses have different substructures, one of them having a crawl space, and the other having partly a basement and partly a crawl space. A 'normal' seasonal variation of the radon concentration with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer was observed in most of the houses. In these houses the variation showed a strong correlation with the indoor-outdoor temperature difference on a 2-month basis. However, deviating seasonal variations were observed in some of the houses, notably in the two houses having different substructures. This paper reports that a re-examination of the data obtained in a previous study indicates that winter/summer ratios of indoor radon concentrations in Danish houses depend on the house substructure. The mean winter/summer ratios were about 2.1 for houses with slab-on-grade foundations, 1.5 for houses having a basement, and 1.0 for houses with a crawl space (geometric mean values). However, a study with more houses in each substructure category will be needed to show whether or not the indicated differences are generally valid for Danish houses

  18. Consequences for established design practice from geographical variation of historical rainfall data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, P.S.; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, K.; Harremoës, P.

    1997-01-01

    variation and variation due to (correlated) sampling errors. Further analyses indicate that the observed variation can be explained only partially by correlation with regional climatological variables and that a significant residual variation remains, especially for large return periods. The new perceptions...

  19. COELIAC TRUNK BRANCHING PATTERN AND VARIATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jude Jose Thomson

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Anatomical variations involving the visceral arteries are common. However, variations in coeliac trunk are usually asymptomatic, they may become important in patients undergoing diagnostic angiography for gastrointestinal bleeding or prior to an operative procedure. This study was useful for knowing the possible morphological variations before an upper abdominal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a descriptive study done by cadaveric dissection, conducted on thirty cadavers. The coeliac trunk being examined for its origin, branching pattern, distribution, and variations. Results were statistically analysed and compared with the previous studies. RESULTS In our study, 60% of the coeliac trunk shows variations and 40% have normal branching pattern. A complete absence of coeliac trunk was observed in one case. In the present study the Right inferior phrenic artery arising from coeliac trunk in 2 cases (6.6% and left inferior phrenic artery arising from coeliac trunk in 3 cases (9.9%. Both inferior phrenic arteries are arising from coeliac trunk in 2 cases (6.6%. The common hepatomesenteric trunk and gastro splenic trunk was found in 1 case (3.3%. Hepatosplenic trunk was found in 2 cases (6.6%. In another 2 cases (6.6% gastric and hepatic artery originate from coeliac trunk but splenic artery has a separate origin from abdominal aorta. An absent trunk was also found in 1 case (3.3%. In 5 cases (16.7% showed trifurcation with variation in the branching pattern. CONCLUSION The branching pattern and extreme degree variability in coeliac trunk as brought out in the observations of the present study make it obvious that the present study almost falls in description with previous studies.

  20. Cosmological constants and variations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrow, John D

    2005-01-01

    We review properties of theories for the variation of the gravitation and fine structure 'constants'. We highlight some general features of the cosmological models that exist in these theories with reference to recent quasar data that is consistent with time-variation in the fine structure 'constant' since a redshift of 3.5. The behaviour of a simple class of varying alpha cosmologies is outlined in the light of all the observational constraints. We also discuss some of the consequences of varying 'constants' for oscillating universes and show by means of exact solutions that they appear to evolve monotonically in time even though the scale factor of the universe oscillates

  1. Relativistic effects of spacecraft with circumnavigating observer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanklin, Nathaniel; West, Joseph

    A variation of the recently introduced Trolley Paradox, itself is a variation of the Ehrenfest Paradox is presented. In the Trolley Paradox, a ``stationary'' set of observers tracking a wheel rolling with a constant velocity find that the wheel travels further than its rest length circumference during one revolution of the wheel, despite the fact that the Lorentz contracted circumference is less than its rest value. In the variation presented, a rectangular spacecraft with onboard observers moves with constant velocity and is circumnavigated by several small ``sloops'' forming teams of inertial observers. This whole precession moves relative to a set of ``stationary'' Earth observers. Two cases are presented, one in which the sloops are evenly spaced according to the spacecraft observers, and one in which the sloops are evenly spaced according to the Earth observes. These two cases, combined with the rectangular geometry and an emphasis on what is seen by, and what is measured by, each set of observers is very helpful in sorting out the apparent contradictions. To aid in the visualizations stationary representations in excel along with animation in Visual Python and Unity are presented. The analysis presented is suitable for undergraduate physics majors.

  2. Learning the mechanisms of chemical disequilibria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nicholson, Schuyler B.; Alaghemandi, Mohammad [Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (United States); Green, Jason R., E-mail: jason.green@umb.edu [Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (United States); Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (United States); Center for Quantum and Nonequilibrium Systems, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (United States)

    2016-08-28

    When at equilibrium, large-scale systems obey thermodynamics because they have microscopic configurations that are typical. “Typical” states are a fraction of those possible with the majority of the probability. A more precise definition of typical states underlies the transmission, coding, and compression of information. However, this definition does not apply to natural systems that are transiently away from equilibrium. Here, we introduce a variational measure of typicality and apply it to atomistic simulations of a model for hydrogen oxidation. While a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and oxygen combusts, reactant molecules transform through a variety of ephemeral species en route to the product, water. Out of the exponentially growing number of possible sequences of chemical species, we find that greater than 95% of the probability concentrates in less than 1% of the possible sequences. Overall, these results extend the notion of typicality across the nonequilibrium regime and suggest that typical sequences are a route to learning mechanisms from experimental measurements. They also open up the possibility of constructing ensembles for computing the macroscopic observables of systems out of equilibrium.

  3. Learning the mechanisms of chemical disequilibria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicholson, Schuyler B.; Alaghemandi, Mohammad; Green, Jason R.

    2016-01-01

    When at equilibrium, large-scale systems obey thermodynamics because they have microscopic configurations that are typical. “Typical” states are a fraction of those possible with the majority of the probability. A more precise definition of typical states underlies the transmission, coding, and compression of information. However, this definition does not apply to natural systems that are transiently away from equilibrium. Here, we introduce a variational measure of typicality and apply it to atomistic simulations of a model for hydrogen oxidation. While a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and oxygen combusts, reactant molecules transform through a variety of ephemeral species en route to the product, water. Out of the exponentially growing number of possible sequences of chemical species, we find that greater than 95% of the probability concentrates in less than 1% of the possible sequences. Overall, these results extend the notion of typicality across the nonequilibrium regime and suggest that typical sequences are a route to learning mechanisms from experimental measurements. They also open up the possibility of constructing ensembles for computing the macroscopic observables of systems out of equilibrium.

  4. Surface chemical composition of human maxillary first premolar as assessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Leo; Nelson, Alan E.; Heo, Giseon; Major, Paul W.

    2008-08-01

    The surface chemical composition of dental enamel has been postulated as a contributing factor in the variation of bond strength of brackets bonded to teeth, and hence, the probability of bracket failure during orthodontic treatment. This study systematically investigated the chemical composition of 98 bonding surfaces of human maxillary premolars using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to ascertain compositional differences between right and left first premolars. The major elements detected in all samples were calcium, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. Surface compositions were highly variable between samples and several elements were found to be highly correlated. No statistical significant difference in the chemical composition of the maxillary right and left first premolars was found ( p > 0.05). Knowledge of the chemical composition of enamel surfaces will facilitate future studies that relate this information to the variations in dental enamel bond strength.

  5. Surface chemical composition of human maxillary first premolar as assessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lou, Leo [Orthodontic Graduate Program, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta (Canada); Nelson, Alan E. [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta (Canada)], E-mail: aenelson@dow.com; Heo, Giseon [Department of Statistics, Department of Dentistry, University of Alberta (Canada); Major, Paul W. [Orthodontic Graduate Program, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta (Canada)

    2008-08-30

    The surface chemical composition of dental enamel has been postulated as a contributing factor in the variation of bond strength of brackets bonded to teeth, and hence, the probability of bracket failure during orthodontic treatment. This study systematically investigated the chemical composition of 98 bonding surfaces of human maxillary premolars using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to ascertain compositional differences between right and left first premolars. The major elements detected in all samples were calcium, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. Surface compositions were highly variable between samples and several elements were found to be highly correlated. No statistical significant difference in the chemical composition of the maxillary right and left first premolars was found (p > 0.05). Knowledge of the chemical composition of enamel surfaces will facilitate future studies that relate this information to the variations in dental enamel bond strength.

  6. Surface chemical composition of human maxillary first premolar as assessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lou, Leo; Nelson, Alan E.; Heo, Giseon; Major, Paul W.

    2008-01-01

    The surface chemical composition of dental enamel has been postulated as a contributing factor in the variation of bond strength of brackets bonded to teeth, and hence, the probability of bracket failure during orthodontic treatment. This study systematically investigated the chemical composition of 98 bonding surfaces of human maxillary premolars using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to ascertain compositional differences between right and left first premolars. The major elements detected in all samples were calcium, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. Surface compositions were highly variable between samples and several elements were found to be highly correlated. No statistical significant difference in the chemical composition of the maxillary right and left first premolars was found (p > 0.05). Knowledge of the chemical composition of enamel surfaces will facilitate future studies that relate this information to the variations in dental enamel bond strength

  7. Systematic Variations of Macrospicule Properties Observed by SDO/AIA over Half a Decade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiss, T. S.; Gyenge, N.; Erdélyi, R.

    2017-01-01

    Macrospicules (MSs) are localized small-scale jet-like phenomena in the solar atmosphere, which have the potential to transport a considerable amount of momentum and energy from the lower solar atmospheric regions to the transition region and the low corona. A detailed statistical analysis of their temporal behavior and spatial properties is carried out in this work. Using state-of-the-art spatial and temporal resolution observations, yielded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of Solar Dynamics Observatory, we constructed a database covering a 5.5 year long period, containing 301 macrospicules that occurred between 2010 June and 2015 December, detected at 30.4 nm wavelength. Here, we report the long-term variation of the height, length, average speed, and width of MS in coronal holes and Quiet Sun areas both in the northern and southern hemisphere of the Sun. This new database helps to refine our knowledge about the physical properties of MSs. Cross-correlation of these properties shows a relatively strong correlation, but not always a dominant one. However, a more detailed analysis indicates a wave-like signature in the behavior of MS properties in time. The periods of these long-term oscillatory behaviors are just under two years. Also, in terms of solar north/south hemispheres, a strong asymmetry was found in the spatial distribution of MS properties, which may be accounted for by the solar dynamo. This latter feature may then indicate a strong and rather intrinsic link between global internal and local atmospheric phenomena in the Sun.

  8. Monthly and diurnal variations of limnological conditions of two ponds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AKM Fazlur Rahaman

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available A study on monthly and diurnal changes of limnological conditions of two ponds was conducted in the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus, Mymensingh. The research work was performed by studying the limnological parameters such as transparency, temperature, dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, pH, total alkalinity, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphate-phosphorus and plankton. Diurnal variations of physico-chemical factors were studied fortnightly at 6 hrs intervals at 6 a.m., 12 noon, 6 p.m. and 12 midnight. The amounts of transparency, dissolved oxygen and pH were higher during winter months than in summer months in both the ponds. Transparency, water temperature, total alkalinity, NO3-N and PO4-P were higher during summer months than in winter months in both the ponds. But the amount of free carbon dioxide was higher during winter months than in summer months in pond 1 while in pond 2 the amount of free carbon dioxide was higher during summer months than in winter months. Qualitative and quantitative monthly variations of phytoplankton and zooplankton were observed in both the ponds during the study period. The highest amount of dissolved oxygen, pH and total alkalinity were recorded at 6 p.m. and the lowest amounts of those at 6 a.m. in both the ponds. The highest temperature was recorded at 12 noon and the lowest at 12 midnight. But the highest amount of free carbon dioxide was recorded at 6 a.m. and the lowest at 6 p.m. in both the ponds. All the factors showed appreciable diel variations throughout the study period, which indicate that the ponds are productive.

  9. Chemical Soups Around Cool Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    This artist's conception shows a young, hypothetical planet around a cool star. A soupy mix of potentially life-forming chemicals can be seen pooling around the base of the jagged rocks. Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope hint that planets around cool stars the so-called M-dwarfs and brown dwarfs that are widespread throughout our galaxy might possess a different mix of life-forming, or prebiotic, chemicals than our young Earth. Life on our planet is thought to have arisen out of a pond-scum-like mix of chemicals. Some of these chemicals are thought to have come from a planet-forming disk of gas and dust that swirled around our young sun. Meteorites carrying the chemicals might have crash-landed on Earth. Astronomers don't know if these same life-generating processes are taking place around stars that are cooler than our sun, but the Spitzer observations show their disk chemistry is different. Spitzer detected a prebiotic molecule, called hydrogen cyanide, in the disks around yellow stars like our sun, but found none around cooler, less massive, reddish stars. Hydrogen cyanide is a carbon-containing, or organic compound. Five hydrogen cyanide molecules can join up to make adenine a chemical element of the DNA molecule found in all living organisms on Earth.

  10. Generalized variational formulations for extended exponentially fractional integral

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuo-Jun Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the fractional variational principles as well as their applications yield a special attention. For a fractional variational problem based on different types of fractional integral and derivatives operators, corresponding fractional Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulation and relevant Euler–Lagrange type equations are already presented by scholars. The formulations of fractional variational principles still can be developed more. We make an attempt to generalize the formulations for fractional variational principles. As a result we obtain generalized and complementary fractional variational formulations for extended exponentially fractional integral for example and corresponding Euler–Lagrange equations. Two illustrative examples are presented. It is observed that the formulations are in exact agreement with the Euler–Lagrange equations.

  11. Temporal variation of soil moisture over the Wuding River basin assessed with an eco-hydrological model, in-situ observations and remote sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Shu

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available The change pattern and trend of soil moisture (SM in the Wuding River basin, Loess Plateau, China is explored based on the simulated long-term SM data from 1956 to 2004 using an eco-hydrological process-based model, Vegetation Interface Processes model, VIP. In-situ SM observations together with a remotely sensed SM dataset retrieved by the Vienna University of Technology are used to validate the model. In the VIP model, climate-eco-hydrological (CEH variables such as precipitation, air temperature and runoff observations and also simulated evapotranspiration (ET, leaf area index (LAI, and vegetation production are used to analyze the soil moisture evolution mechanism. The results show that the model is able to capture seasonal SM variations. The seasonal pattern, multi-year variation, standard deviation and coefficient of variation (CV of SM at the daily, monthly and annual scale are well explained by CEH variables. The annual and inter-annual variability of SM is the lowest compared with that of other CEH variables. The trend analysis shows that SM is in decreasing tendency at α=0.01 level of significance, confirming the Northern Drying phenomenon. This trend can be well explained by the decreasing tendency of precipitation (α=0.1 and increasing tendency of temperature (α=0.01. The decreasing tendency of runoff has higher significance level (α=0.001. Because of SM's decreasing tendency, soil evaporation (ES is also decreasing (α=0.05. The tendency of net radiation (Rn, evapotranspiration (ET, transpiration (EC, canopy intercept (EI is not obvious. Net primary productivity (NPP, of which the significance level is lower than α=0.1, and gross primary productivity (GPP at α=0.01 are in increasing tendency.

  12. Spatial patterns and controls of soil chemical weathering rates along a transient hillslope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, K.; Mudd, S.M.; Sanderman, J.; Amundson, Ronald; Blum, A.

    2009-01-01

    Hillslopes have been intensively studied by both geomorphologists and soil scientists. Whereas geomorphologists have focused on the physical soil production and transport on hillslopes, soil scientists have been concerned with the topographic variation of soil geochemical properties. We combined these differing approaches and quantified soil chemical weathering rates along a grass covered hillslope in Coastal California. The hillslope is comprised of both erosional and depositional sections. In the upper eroding section, soil production is balanced by physical erosion and chemical weathering. The hillslope then transitions to a depositional slope where soil accumulates due to a historical reduction of channel incision at the hillslope's base. Measurements of hillslope morphology and soil thickness were combined with the elemental composition of the soil and saprolite, and interpreted through a process-based model that accounts for both chemical weathering and sediment transport. Chemical weathering of the minerals as they moved downslope via sediment transport imparted spatial variation in the geochemical properties of the soil. Inverse modeling of the field and laboratory data revealed that the long-term soil chemical weathering rates peak at 5 g m- 2 yr- 1 at the downslope end of the eroding section and decrease to 1.5 g m- 2 yr- 1 within the depositional section. In the eroding section, soil chemical weathering rates appear to be primarily controlled by the rate of mineral supply via colluvial input from upslope. In the depositional slope, geochemical equilibrium between soil water and minerals appeared to limit the chemical weathering rate. Soil chemical weathering was responsible for removing 6% of the soil production in the eroding section and 5% of colluvial influx in the depositional slope. These were among the lowest weathering rates reported for actively eroding watersheds, which was attributed to the parent material with low amount of weatherable

  13. Longitudinal Variations in the Variability of Spread F Occurrence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, K. M.; Bridgwood, C.; Carrano, C. S.

    2017-12-01

    The complex dynamics of the equatorial ionosphere have attracted the interest and attention of researchers for many decades. The relatively local processes that give rise to large meridional gradients have been well documented and the associated terminology has entered the common lexicon of ionospheric research (e.g., fountain effect, equatorial anomaly, bubbles, Spread F). Zonal variations have also been noted, principally at the level of determining longitudinal differences in seasonal activity patterns. Due to a historical lack of high resolution ground-based observations at low latitudes, the primary source of data for such analyses has been space-based observations from satellites such as ROCSAT, DMSP, C/NOFS that measure in situ electron density variations. An important longitudinal variation in electron density structure associated with non-migrating diurnal tides was discovered by Immel et al. in 2006 using data from the FUV sensor aboard the NASA IMAGE satellite. These satellite observations have been very helpful in identifying the structural characteristics of the equatorial ionosphere and the occurrence of Spread F, but they provide little insight into variations in scintillation features and potential differences in bubble development characteristics. Moreover space-based studies tend towards the statistics of occurrence frequency over periods of weeks to months. A recent analysis of daily spread F occurrence as determined by low latitude VHF scintillation activity shows that statistical results that are consistent with previous space-based observations, but the level of variability in the occurrence data show marked variations with longitude. For example, the American sector shows very low in-season variability while the African and Asian sectors exhibit true day-to-day variability regardless of seasonal variations. The results have significant implications for space weather as they suggest that long-term forecasts of equatorial scintillation may be

  14. Variation in chemical components and biological activity of Pterocarya fraxinifolia Lam. stems at different developmental stages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Akhbari

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Background and objectives: Pterocarya fraxinifolia Lam. is a deciduous, fast-growing tree from walnut family. The stem barks and fruits of the plant have been used as diaphoretic in traditional medicine. Variation in the quantity and quality of the essential oil and extract of stems of the plant at different developmental stages was evaluated in addition to assessing the antimicrobial, cytotoxic and radical scavenging activities in the present study. Methods: Different developmental stages of the plant’s stem (i.e. vegetative, flowering, immature fruit and mature fruit were subjected to hydro-distillation for obtaining the essential oil. The methanol extract of the samples was obtained by Soxhlet apparatus. Chemical composition of the oils was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS. Antimicrobial activity of the oils and extracts were determined against three Gram-positive and five Gram-negative bacteria and two fungi by disc diffusion method. Antioxidant activity of the samples was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH and β-carotene assays. Total phenolics content of extracts was determined using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and cytotoxic effect was determined by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Results: Hexadecanoic acid was one of the major components in all essential oil samples. All samples showed good antimicrobial activity against tested strains. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was comparable to the synthetic standard (butylated hydroxytoluene. The highest total phenolic content and cytotoxic effect were detected for the mature fruit stage of the plant extract and essential oil, respectively. Conclusion: Showing considerable antioxidant and cytotoxic effects, suggested the plant as a good candidate for further investigations.

  15. Chemical shift homology in proteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Potts, Barbara C.M.; Chazin, Walter J.

    1998-01-01

    The degree of chemical shift similarity for homologous proteins has been determined from a chemical shift database of over 50 proteins representing a variety of families and folds, and spanning a wide range of sequence homologies. After sequence alignment, the similarity of the secondary chemical shifts of C α protons was examined as a function of amino acid sequence identity for 37 pairs of structurally homologous proteins. A correlation between sequence identity and secondary chemical shift rmsd was observed. Important insights are provided by examining the sequence identity of homologous proteins versus percentage of secondary chemical shifts that fall within 0.1 and 0.3 ppm thresholds. These results begin to establish practical guidelines for the extent of chemical shift similarity to expect among structurally homologous proteins

  16. Wet chemical synthesis of soluble gold nanogaps

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jain, Titoo; Tang, Qingxin; Bjørnholm, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    NRs) in aqueous solution. Through controlled end-to-end assembly of the AuNRs into dimers or chains, facilitated via target molecules, they can be used as electrical contacts. In this way, the preparation of AuNR-molecule-AuNR junctions by wet chemical methods may afford a large number of identical devices...... with little variation in the interface between molecule and electrode (AuNR). In this Account, we highlight recent progress in using chemically synthesized AuNRs as building blocks for molecular electronic applications. We outline the general synthesis and properties of AuNRs and describe the aqueous growth...... in the nanogaps lets us spectroscopically characterize the molecules via surface-enhanced Raman scattering. We discuss the incorporation of oligopeptides functionalized with acetylene units having uniquely identifiable vibrational modes. This acetylene moiety allows chemical reactions to be performed in the gaps...

  17. Unifying principles of irreversibility minimization for efficiency maximization in steady-flow chemically-reactive engines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramakrishnan, Sankaran; Edwards, Christopher F.

    2014-01-01

    Systems research has led to the conception and development of various steady-flow, chemically-reactive, engine cycles for stationary power generation and propulsion. However, the question that remains unanswered is: What is the maximum-efficiency steady-flow chemically-reactive engine architecture permitted by physics? On the one hand the search for higher-efficiency cycles continues, often involving newer processes and devices (fuel cells, carbon separation, etc.); on the other hand the design parameters for existing cycles are continually optimized in response to improvements in device engineering. In this paper we establish that any variation in engine architecture—parametric change or process-sequence change—contributes to an efficiency increase via one of only two possible ways to minimize total irreversibility. These two principles help us unify our understanding from a large number of parametric analyses and cycle-optimization studies for any steady-flow chemically-reactive engine, and set a framework to systematically identify maximum-efficiency engine architectures. - Highlights: • A unified thermodynamic model to study chemically-reactive engine architectures is developed. • All parametric analyses of efficiency are unified by two irreversibility-minimization principles. • Variations in internal energy transfers yield a net work increase that is greater than engine irreversibility reduced. • Variations in external energy transfers yield a net work increase that is lesser than engine irreversibility reduced

  18. Observing Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Caused by Tsunamis Using GPS TEC Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galvan, David A.; Komjathy, Attila; Hickey, Michael; Foster, James; Mannucci, Anthony J.

    2010-01-01

    Ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) show variations consistent with atmospheric internal gravity waves caused by ocean tsunamis following two recent seismic events: the American Samoa earthquake of September 29, 2009, and the Chile earthquake of February 27, 2010. Fluctuations in TEC correlated in time, space, and wave properties with these tsunamis were observed in TEC estimates processed using JPL's Global Ionospheric Mapping Software. These TEC estimates were band-pass filtered to remove ionospheric TEC variations with wavelengths and periods outside the typical range of internal gravity waves caused by tsunamis. Observable variations in TEC appear correlated with the tsunamis in certain locations, but not in others. Where variations are observed, the typical amplitude tends to be on the order of 1% of the background TEC value. Variations with amplitudes 0.1 - 0.2 TECU are observable with periods and timing affiliated with the tsunami. These observations are compared to estimates of expected tsunami-driven TEC variations produced by Embry Riddle Aeronautical University's Spectral Full Wave Model, an atmosphere-ionosphere coupling model, and found to be in good agreement in some locations, though there are cases when the model predicts an observable tsunami-driven signature and none is observed. These TEC variations are not always seen when a tsunami is present, but in these two events the regions where a strong ocean tsunami was observed did coincide with clear TEC observations, while a lack of clear TEC observations coincided with smaller tsunami amplitudes. There exists the potential to apply these detection techniques to real-time GPS TEC data, providing estimates of tsunami speed and amplitude that may be useful for early warning systems.

  19. Towards chemical profiling of ignitable liquids with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography: Exploring forensic application to neat white spirits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sampat, Andjoe A S; Lopatka, Martin; Vivó-Truyols, Gabriel; Schoenmakers, Peter J; van Asten, Arian C

    2016-10-01

    The application of GC×GC-FID and GC×GC-MS for the chemical analysis and profiling of neat white spirit is explored and the benefit of the enhanced peak capacity offered by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography is demonstrated. An extensive sampling exercise was conducted throughout The Netherlands and the production and logistics in terms of bottling and distribution of white spirits were studied. An exploratory approach based on target-peak tables and principal component analysis was employed to study the brand-to-brand differences and production variations over time. Despite the complex chemical composition of white spirit samples this study shows that chemical variation during productions is actually quite limited. Hence care has to be taken with the chemical comparison for forensic purposes. Although some clustering was noticed on brand level, the large scale production process leads to a very consistent composition across stores and brands. However, because of the broad specifications of this commodity product, substantial chemical variation was found over time. This temporal discrimination could be of forensic value when considering white spirits supplies in individual households. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Chemical diversity in Brassica oleracea affects biodiversity of insect herbivores

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Poelman, E.H.; Dam, van N.M.; Loon, van J.J.A.; Vet, L.E.M.; Dicke, M.

    2009-01-01

    Intraspecific variation in plants plays a major role in the composition and diversity of the associated insect community. Resistance traits of plants are likely candidates mediating community composition. However, it is debated whether total concentrations of chemical compounds or specific compounds

  1. Galactic chemical evolution in hierarchical formation models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrigoni, Matias

    2010-10-01

    The chemical properties and abundance ratios of galaxies provide important information about their formation histories. Galactic chemical evolution has been modelled in detail within the monolithic collapse scenario. These models have successfully described the abundance distributions in our Galaxy and other spiral discs, as well as the trends of metallicity and abundance ratios observed in early-type galaxies. In the last three decades, however, the paradigm of hierarchical assembly in a Cold Dark Matter (CDM) cosmology has revised the picture of how structure in the Universe forms and evolves. In this scenario, galaxies form when gas radiatively cools and condenses inside dark matter haloes, which themselves follow dissipationless gravitational collapse. The CDM picture has been successful at predicting many observed properties of galaxies (for example, the luminosity and stellar mass function of galaxies, color-magnitude or star formation rate vs. stellar mass distributions, relative numbers of early and late-type galaxies, gas fractions and size distributions of spiral galaxies, and the global star formation history), though many potential problems and open questions remain. It is therefore interesting to see whether chemical evolution models, when implemented within this modern cosmological context, are able to correctly predict the observed chemical properties of galaxies. With the advent of more powerfull telescopes and detectors, precise observations of chemical abundances and abundance ratios in various phases (stellar, ISM, ICM) offer the opportunity to obtain strong constraints on galaxy formation histories and the physics that shapes them. However, in order to take advantage of these observations, it is necessary to implement detailed modeling of chemical evolution into a modern cosmological model of hierarchical assembly.

  2. A comparative chemical network study of HWCVD deposited amorphous silicon and carbon based alloys thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swain, Bibhu P., E-mail: bibhuprasad.swain@gmail.com [Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, Majitar, Rangpo Sikkim (India); Swain, Bhabani S.; Hwang, Nong M. [Thin Films and Microstructure Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-03-05

    Highlights: • a-SiC:H, a-SiN:H, a-C:H and a-SiCN:H films were deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition. • Evolution of microstructure of a-SiCN:H films deposited at different NH{sub 3} flow rate were analyzed. • The chemical network of Si and C based alloys were studied by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. -- Abstract: Silicon and carbon based alloys were deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). The microstructure and chemical bonding of these films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electron microscopy revealed various microstructures were observed for a-C:H, a-SiC:H, a-SiN:H, a-CN:H and a-SiCN:H films. The microstructure of SiN:H films showed agglomerate spherical grains while a-C:H films showed more fractal surface with branched microstructure. However, a-SiC:H, a-CN:H and a-SiCN:H indicated uniform but intermediate surface fractal microstructure. A series of a-SiCN:H films were deposited with variation of NH{sub 3} flow rate. The nitrogen incorporation in a-SiCN:H films alter the carbon network from sp{sup 2} to sp{sup 3} bonding The detail chemical bonding of amorphous films was analyzed by curve fitting method.

  3. Genetic architecture of natural variation in cuticular hydrocarbon composition in Drosophila melanogaster.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dembeck, Lauren M; Böröczky, Katalin; Huang, Wen; Schal, Coby; Anholt, Robert R H; Mackay, Trudy F C

    2015-11-14

    Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) prevent desiccation and serve as chemical signals that mediate social interactions. Drosophila melanogaster CHCs have been studied extensively, but the genetic basis for individual variation in CHC composition is largely unknown. We quantified variation in CHC profiles in the D. melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and identified novel CHCs. We used principal component (PC) analysis to extract PCs that explain the majority of CHC variation and identified polymorphisms in or near 305 and 173 genes in females and males, respectively, associated with variation in these PCs. In addition, 17 DGRP lines contain the functional Desat2 allele characteristic of African and Caribbean D. melanogaster females (more 5,9-C27:2 and less 7,11-C27:2, female sex pheromone isomers). Disruption of expression of 24 candidate genes affected CHC composition in at least one sex. These genes are associated with fatty acid metabolism and represent mechanistic targets for individual variation in CHC composition.

  4. Essential oil variation among natural populations of Lavandula multifida L. (Lamiaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chograni, Hnia; Zaouali, Yosr; Rajeb, Chayma; Boussaid, Mohamed

    2010-04-01

    Volatiles from twelve wild Tunisian populations of Lavandula multifida L. growing in different bioclimatic zones were assessed by GC (RI) and GC/MS. Thirty-six constituents, representing 83.48% of the total oil were identified. The major components at the species level were carvacrol (31.81%), beta-bisabolene (14.89%), and acrylic acid dodecyl ester (11.43%). These volatiles, together with alpha-pinene, were also the main compounds discriminating the populations. According to these dominant compounds, one chemotype was revealed, a carvacrol/beta-bisabolene/acrylic acid dodecyl ester chemotype. However, a significant variation among the populations was observed for the majority of the constituents. A high chemical-population structure, estimated both by principal component analysis (PCA) and unweighted pair group method with averaging (UPGMA) cluster analysis based on Euclidean distances, was observed. Both methods allowed separation of the populations in three groups defined rather by minor than by major compounds. The population groups were not strictly concordant with their bioclimatic or geographic location. Conservation strategies should concern all populations, because of their low size and their high level of destruction. Populations exhibiting particular compounds other than the major ones should be protected first.

  5. Effect of electromagnetic radiation on the physico-chemical properties of minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez M, A.; Delgadillo G, J. A.; Vega C, H. R.

    2014-08-01

    The electromagnetic radiation effect represented by gamma rays was investigated through; chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (Sem) and magnetization when applied at a dose of 0.5704 Gy (0.5704 J/ kg) at a feed relation of 18.40 ± 1.13 mGy/ h., in different minerals; in order to characterize the impact of the same from 137 Cs in the physicochemical properties of these minerals. All the irradiated samples showed chemical stability at this stage undetectable other both in the XRD study and in the images analysis obtained by Sem; and at present almost the same chemical composition as the non-irradiated samples. So the same patterns of X-ray diffraction thereof, show a tendency to slightly lower the intensity of the most representative peaks of each mineral phase, which may be due to a decrease in crystallinity or preferential crystallographic orientation in crystals. In the micrographs analysis obtained by Sem on the irradiated samples, some holes (open pores) present in the particles were observed, mainly chalcopyrite and sphalerite lesser extent, seen this fact may be due to Compton Effect, in the radiation process. In relation to the magnetization property, a variation is obtained in the saturation magnetization (Ms) for the irradiated samples containing iron and more significantly in the chalcopyrite case. Therefore, with the radiation level used; slight changes occurring in the physical properties of minerals, whereas they remained stable chemically. These small changes may represent a signal that electromagnetic radiation applied at higher doses, is a viable option for improving the mineral processing. (author)

  6. Variations in the magnetopause current layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laakso, H. E.; Middleton, H. R.

    2017-12-01

    We use multi-point observations from the Cluster spacecraft to investigate the variations in the magnetopause current layer. With help of the curlometer technique one can determine the magnetopause current and its variability. Most of the time the magnetopause location is moving back and forth, so during any given pass the current layer is crossed several times. We use such crossings to investigate the characteristics of the current layer as the solar wind pressure varies (and the magnetopause moves accordingly). In addition we take an advantage of the ambient electron measurements from the EDI experiment which have been calibrated against the PEACE electron spectrometer data. These data can be used to detect fast variations of 1 keV electrons at resolution of 1-100 ms. Overall, Cluster observations are highly complimentary to the MMS observations due to the polar orbit of the Cluster spacecraft which provide fast vertical profiles of the magnetopause current layer.

  7. Mineralogical and chemical characterization of various bentonite and smectite-rich clay materials Part A: Comparison and development of mineralogical characterization methods Part B: Mineralogical and chemical characterization of clay materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumpulainen, S.; Kiviranta, L.

    2010-06-01

    Mineralogy is an essential issue in understanding thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) behavior of bentonite materials. Mineralogy affects, among others, chemical composition of pore water, susceptibility for erosion, and transport of radionuclides. Consequently, mineralogy affects the designs of the buffer and backfill components. The objective of this work was to implement and develop mineralogical and chemical methods for characterization of reference clays considered for use as buffer and backfill materials in nuclear waste disposal. In this work, different methods were tested, compared, developed, and best available techniques selected. An additional aim was to characterize reference materials that are used in various nuclear waste disposal supporting studies, e.g., the SKB's alternative buffer material (ABM) experiment. Materials studied included three Wyoming-bentonites, two bentonites from Milos, four bentonites from Kutch district, and two Friedland clays. Minerals were identified using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and polarizing microscopy. Mineralogical composition was estimated using Rietveld-analysis. Chemical methods were used to support and validate mineralogical interpretation. Total chemical composition was determined from decomposed samples using spectrometry (ICP-AES) and combustion (Leco-S, Leco-C). Ferric and ferrous iron species were distinguished titrimetrically and the amount of soluble sulphate was determined using ion chromatography. In addition, cation exchange capacity and original exchangeable cations were determined. Chemical composition of fine (<2 μ m) fractions and poorly crystalline Fe-, Al- and Si-phases determined by selective extractions were used in structural calculations of smectite. XRD is a basic method for all mineralogical characterization, but it is insensitive for detecting trace minerals and variations in the structural chemical composition of clay minerals. Polarizing

  8. A New Paradigm for Chemical Engineering?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gani, Rafiqul

    evidence of this change comes from the jobs taken by graduating chemical engineering professionals in North America, Europe, and some of the Asian countries. In terms of where the graduating chemical engineers are going to work, a clear shift from the commodity chemical industry to the product oriented...... businesses has been observed. There is an increasing trend within the chemical industry to focus on products and the sustainable processes that can make them. Do these changes point to a paradigm shift in chemical engineering as a discipline? Historically, two previous paradigm shifts in chemical engineering...... corresponded to major shifts in chemical engineering as a discipline, which affected not only the education of chemical engineers, but also the development of chemical engineering as a discipline. Has the time come for a new paradigm shift that will prepare the current and future chemical engineering graduates...

  9. First experimental observations on melting and chemical modification of volcanic ash during lightning interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, S P; Helo, C; Keller, F; Taddeucci, J; Castro, J M

    2018-01-23

    Electrification in volcanic ash plumes often leads to syn-eruptive lightning discharges. High temperatures in and around lightning plasma channels have the potential to chemically alter, re-melt, and possibly volatilize ash fragments in the eruption cloud. In this study, we experimentally simulate temperature conditions of volcanic lightning in the laboratory, and systematically investigate the effects of rapid melting on the morphology and chemical composition of ash. Samples of different size and composition are ejected towards an artificially generated electrical arc. Post-experiment ash morphologies include fully melted spheres, partially melted particles, agglomerates, and vesiculated particles. High-speed imaging reveals various processes occurring during the short lightning-ash interactions, such as particle melting and rounding, foaming, and explosive particle fragmentation. Chemical analyses of the flash-melted particles reveal considerable bulk loss of Cl, S, P and Na through thermal vaporization. Element distribution patterns suggest convection as a key process of element transport from the interior of the melt droplet to rim where volatiles are lost. Modeling the degree of sodium loss delivers maximum melt temperatures between 3290 and 3490 K. Our results imply that natural lighting strikes may be an important agent of syn-eruptive morphological and chemical processing of volcanic ash.

  10. Phylogenetic or environmental control on the organo-chemical composition of Sphagnum mosses?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limpens, Juul; Nilsson, Mats

    2014-05-01

    Decomposition of organic material is one of the key processes that determines the size of the soil-feedback to global warming, but it is also a process surrounded with one of the largest uncertainties, making understanding its mechanistic drivers of crucial importance. In organic soils decomposition is closely determined by the organo-chemical composition of the litter entering the soil. But what, in turn drives the organo-chemical composition? Is it an emergent feature of the environment the species producing the litter grow in, or is it an evolutionary trait that can be tracked through the species' phylogeny? We set out to answer this question for one of the most import peat-forming plants on earth: the genus Sphagnum. We sampled 18 Sphagnum species, about equally distributed over 6 sites spanning a wide range of environmental conditions: most species were collected at multiple sites. For all species we characterised the chemical composition, focussing on three functional chemistry groups: (i) mineral elements, (ii) carbohydrate polymers (iii) non-carbohydrate polymers (aromatic and aliphatic compounds) . For each group of compounds we used multivariate statistical techniques to derive the degree of variation explained by environment: (site, position within site) and phylogeny (sections within genus Sphagnum). We found that the variation in mineral element concentrations was mostly explained by environment, with the biggest differences in the concentrations of basic cat-ions calcium and magnesium. In contrast, the variation in carbohydrates was mostly explained by phylogeny, with clear associations between sections and monosaccharides. The monosaccharide rhamnose was associated with species from the Acutifolia section known for their poor degradability, whereas xylose and galactose were closely associated with degradable species from the Cuspidata section. The composition non-carbohydrate polymers took an intermediate position: both environment and phylogeny

  11. A New Statistical Approach to Characterize Chemical-Elicited Behavioral Effects in High-Throughput Studies Using Zebrafish.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guozhu Zhang

    Full Text Available Zebrafish have become an important alternative model for characterizing chemical bioactivity, partly due to the efficiency at which systematic, high-dimensional data can be generated. However, these new data present analytical challenges associated with scale and diversity. We developed a novel, robust statistical approach to characterize chemical-elicited effects in behavioral data from high-throughput screening (HTS of all 1,060 Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast™ chemicals across 5 concentrations at 120 hours post-fertilization (hpf. Taking advantage of the immense scale of data for a global view, we show that this new approach reduces bias introduced by extreme values yet allows for diverse response patterns that confound the application of traditional statistics. We have also shown that, as a summary measure of response for local tests of chemical-associated behavioral effects, it achieves a significant reduction in coefficient of variation compared to many traditional statistical modeling methods. This effective increase in signal-to-noise ratio augments statistical power and is observed across experimental periods (light/dark conditions that display varied distributional response patterns. Finally, we integrated results with data from concomitant developmental endpoint measurements to show that appropriate statistical handling of HTS behavioral data can add important biological context that informs mechanistic hypotheses.

  12. Spatial distribution and temporal variation of microcrustaceans assembly (Cladocera and Copepoda in different compartments of a reservoir in the brazilian semiarid region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josiane Souza Santos

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Aim: The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial and temporal variation of microcrustacean assemblages of a reservoir in the Brazilian semiarid region. Methods Physical and chemical water variables and samples of microcrustaceans were collected at eight sites of the reservoir between July 2013 and November 2014, in a total of seven campaigns. For this study, the reservoir was categorized in two compartments: lateral and central. Results Limnological variables showed significant temporal variation (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F = 19.51, p = 0.001. Higher turbidity values and suspended solids were observed in the rainiest months, while during the dry months, we measured higher values of transparency, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a. It was not found significant spatial variation of limnological variables (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F = 0.96; p = 0.394. During the study period, ten species were recorded: four Cladocera (Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Daphnia gessneri, Diaphanosoma birgei and Diaphanosoma spinulosum three Copepoda Calanoida (Argyrodiaptomus azevedoi, Notodiaptomus cearensis and Notodiaptomus iheringi and three Copepoda Cyclopoida (Macrocyclops albidus, Thermocyclops minutus and Thermocyclops decipiens. The microcrustacean assemblages showed significant temporal variation (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F = 4.34; p = 0.001 as well as significant spatial variation (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F = 9.46; p = 0.001. The highest values of abundance and richness were observed in the lateral compartment, this result is mainly related to the presence of aquatic macrophytes in this region, because the analysis of partial RDA indicated that limnological variables explained only 11% of this variation (Pseudo-F = 2.08, p = 0.001. Conclusions The results suggest that the seasonality of the semiarid is an important factor in the temporal dynamics of the limnological variables, while the aquatic macrophytes play an important role in the spatial distribution of the

  13. Geometrical Description of Chemical Equilibrium and Le Cha^telier's Principle: Two-Component Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Igor

    2018-01-01

    Chemical equilibrium is one of the most important concepts in chemistry. The changes in properties of the chemical system at equilibrium induced by variations in pressure, volume, temperature, and concentration are always included in classroom teaching and discussions. This work introduces a novel, geometrical approach to understanding the…

  14. Sensitivity of animals to chemical compounds links to metabolic rate.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baas, J.; Kooijman, S.A.L.M.

    2015-01-01

    Ecotoxicological studies have shown considerable variation in species sensitivity for chemical compounds, but general patterns in sensitivity are still not known. A better understanding of this sensitivity is important in the context of environmental risk assessment but also in a more general

  15. Celtiberian ceramic productions from the Central Iberian range (Spain): Chemical and petrographic characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Igea, J.; Perez-Arantegup, J.; Lapuente, P.; Saiz, M. E.; Burillo, F.

    2013-01-01

    As part of an extended program on archaeometric research of the Celtiberian production centres situated along the Central Iberian Range, ceramic fragments of different vessel types from two selected Celtiberian workshops were analyzed: La Rodriga (Guadalajara, Spain) and Allueva II (Teruel, Spain), dated from the 3nd to the 2st centuries BC. The characterization was focused on the chemical analysis by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, and subjected to commonlyused multivariate statistical methods to distinguish between ceramic materials and to discriminate among different compositional groups in each production centre. The analysis was completed by performing petrographic characterization, textural observations, colour measurement and mineralogical analysis of the pieces by means of XRD. The compositional variations from major, minor and trace elements allowed to establish two subgroups in La Rodriga and one ceramic group in Allueva II. The chemical composition differences were confirmed by the petrographic characteristics and the mineralogical composition of the ceramic fabrics. These results enabled us to complete the preliminary archaeometric study in order to improve the knowledge on cultural and commercial influences in this important Celtiberian territory. (Author) 22 refs.

  16. Modeling the photochemical attenuation of down-the-drain chemicals during river transport by stochastic methods and field measurements of pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanamoto, Seiya; Nakada, Norihide; Yamashita, Naoyuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

    2013-01-01

    Existing stochastic models for predicting concentrations of down-the-drain chemicals in aquatic environments do not account for the diurnal variation of direct photolysis by sunlight, despite its being an important factor in natural attenuation. To overcome this limitation, we developed a stochastic model incorporating temporal variations in direct photolysis. To verify the model, we measured 57 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in a 7.6-km stretch of an urban river, and determined their physical and biological properties in laboratory experiments. During transport along the river, 8 PPCPs, including ketoprofen and azithromycin, were attenuated by >20%, mainly owing to direct photolysis and adsorption to sediments. The photolabile PPCPs attenuated significantly in the daytime but persisted in the nighttime. The observations were similar to the values predicted by the photolysis model for the photolabile PPCPs (i.e., ketoprofen, diclofenac and furosemide) but not by the existing model. The stochastic model developed in this study was suggested to be a novel and useful stochastic model for evaluating direct photolysis of down-the-drain chemicals, which occurs during the river transport.

  17. Variational principles for locally variational forms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brajercik, J.; Krupka, D.

    2005-01-01

    We present the theory of higher order local variational principles in fibered manifolds, in which the fundamental global concept is a locally variational dynamical form. Any two Lepage forms, defining a local variational principle for this form, differ on intersection of their domains, by a variationally trivial form. In this sense, but in a different geometric setting, the local variational principles satisfy analogous properties as the variational functionals of the Chern-Simons type. The resulting theory of extremals and symmetries extends the first order theories of the Lagrange-Souriau form, presented by Grigore and Popp, and closed equivalents of the first order Euler-Lagrange forms of Hakova and Krupkova. Conceptually, our approach differs from Prieto, who uses the Poincare-Cartan forms, which do not have higher order global analogues

  18. Chemical and Dynamical Impacts of Stratospheric Sudden Warmings on Arctic Ozone Variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strahan, S. E.; Douglass, A. R.; Steenrod, S. D.

    2016-01-01

    We use the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemistry and transport model with Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological fields to quantify heterogeneous chemical ozone loss in Arctic winters 2005-2015. Comparisons to Aura Microwave Limb Sounder N2O and O3 observations show the GMI simulation credibly represents the transport processes and net heterogeneous chemical loss necessary to simulate Arctic ozone. We find that the maximum seasonal ozone depletion varies linearly with the number of cold days and with wave driving (eddy heat flux) calculated from MERRA fields. We use this relationship and MERRA temperatures to estimate seasonal ozone loss from 1993 to 2004 when inorganic chlorine levels were in the same range as during the Aura period. Using these loss estimates and the observed March mean 63-90N column O3, we quantify the sensitivity of the ozone dynamical resupply to wave driving, separating it from the sensitivity of ozone depletion to wave driving. The results show that about 2/3 of the deviation of the observed March Arctic O3 from an assumed climatological mean is due to variations in O3 resupply and 13 is due to depletion. Winters with a stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) before mid-February have about 1/3 the depletion of winters without one and export less depletion to the midlatitudes. However, a larger effect on the spring midlatitude ozone comes from dynamical differences between warm and cold Arctic winters, which can mask or add to the impact of exported depletion.

  19. Inter- and intra-industry variations of capital structure in the Czech manufacturing industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavlína Pinková

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to investigate the existence of inter-industry variations in the capital structure of enterprises of the Czech manufacturing industry and to identify the intra-industry causes of these differences. Three measures of capital structure are employed to determine the inter-industry variations. These are total debt ratio, long-term debt and short-term debt ratios. The set of explanatory variables is included to clarify the intra-industry variations. These explanatory variables are size, asset structure, asset utilization, profitability, non-debt tax shield and growth. The paper reports the analysis of capital structure of five distinctive industrial branches, namely the manufacture of beverages, the manufacture of textiles, the manufacture of paper and paper products, the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, and the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products. The data come from the financial statements of selected companies and cover a period from 2008 to 2012. The analysis of variance, correlation and regression analyses are used to develop the statistical framework. The paper aims to study the impact of industry and firm characteristics on capital structure choice.

  20. Structural and chemical variations in phlogopite from lamproitic rocks of the Central Mediterranean region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lepore, Giovanni O.; Bindi, Luca; Pedrazzi, Giuseppe; Conticelli, Sandro; Bonazzi, Paola

    2017-08-01

    Micas from mafic ultrapotassic rocks with lamproitic affinity from several localities of the Central Mediterranean region were studied through single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS); Mössbauer Spectroscopy (MöS), when feasible, was also applied to minimise the number of unknown variables and uncertainties. Analysed lamproitic samples cover the most important Central Mediterranean type localities, from Plan d'Albard (Western Alps) to Sisco (Corsica), Montecatini Val di Cecina and Orciatico (Tuscany, Italy) and Torre Alfina (Northern Latium, Italy). The studied crystals show distinctive chemical and structural features; all of them belong to the phlogopite-annite join and crystallise in the 1M polytype, except for micas from Torre Alfina, where both 1M and 2M1 polytypes were found. Studied micas have variable but generally high F and Ti contents, with Mg/(Mg + Fe) ranging from 0.5 to 0.9; 2M1 crystals from Torre Alfina radically differ in chemical composition, showing high contents of Ti and Fe as well as of Al in both tetrahedra and octahedra, leading to distinctive structural distortions, especially in tetrahedral sites. SIMS data indicate that studied micas are generally dehydrogenated with OH contents ranging from 0.2 apfu (atoms per formula unit) for Orciatico and Torre Alfina to 1.4 for Plan d'Albard crystals; this feature is also testified by the length of the c parameter, which decreases with the loss of hydrogen and/or the increase of the F → OH substitution. Chemical and structural data suggest that the entry of high charge octahedral cations is mainly balanced by an oxy mechanism and, to a lesser extent, by a M3 +,4 +-Tschermak substitution. Our data confirm that Ti preferentially partitions into the M2 site and that different Ti and F contents, as well as different K/Al values, are both dependant upon fH2O and the composition of magma rather than controlled by P and T