A STUBBORNLY LARGE MASS OF COLD DUST IN THE EJECTA OF SUPERNOVA 1987A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuura, M.; Barlow, M. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Dwek, E. [Observational Cosmology Laboratory Code 665, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Babler, B. [Department of Astronomy, 475 North Charter Street, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Baes, M.; Fritz, Jacopo [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Meixner, M. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Cernicharo, José [Departamento de Astrofísica, Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Ctra. de Torrejón a Ajalvir km 4, E-28850 Madrid (Spain); Clayton, Geoff C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States); Dunne, L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140 (New Zealand); Fransson, C.; Lundqvist, P. [The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Albanova, SE-10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Gear, Walter; Gomez, H. L. [School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom); Groenewegen, M. A. T. [Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van België, Ringlaan 3, 1180 Brussel (Belgium); Indebetouw, R. [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Ivison, R. J. [SUPA, Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Jerkstrand, A. [Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Lebouteiller, V. [AIM, CEA/Saclay, L' Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Lim, T. L., E-mail: mikako@star.ucl.ac.uk [RAL Space, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); and others

2015-02-10

We present new Herschel photometric and spectroscopic observations of Supernova 1987A, carried out in 2012. Our dedicated photometric measurements provide new 70 μm data and improved imaging quality at 100 and 160 μm compared to previous observations in 2010. Our Herschel spectra show only weak CO line emission, and provide an upper limit for the 63 μm [O I] line flux, eliminating the possibility that line contaminations distort the previously estimated dust mass. The far-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) is well fitted by thermal emission from cold dust. The newly measured 70 μm flux constrains the dust temperature, limiting it to nearly a single temperature. The far-infrared emission can be fitted by 0.5 ± 0.1 M {sub ☉} of amorphous carbon, about a factor of two larger than the current nucleosynthetic mass prediction for carbon. The observation of SiO molecules at early and late phases suggests that silicates may also have formed and we could fit the SED with a combination of 0.3 M {sub ☉} of amorphous carbon and 0.5 M {sub ☉} of silicates, totalling 0.8 M {sub ☉} of dust. Our analysis thus supports the presence of a large dust reservoir in the ejecta of SN 1987A. The inferred dust mass suggests that supernovae can be an important source of dust in the interstellar medium, from local to high-redshift galaxies.

Highly sensitive determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after molecularly imprinted polymer extraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krupadam, Reddithota J.; Bhagat, Bhagyashree; Khan, Muntazir S. [National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur (India)

2010-08-15

A method based on solid-phase extraction with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) has been developed to determine five probable human carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Molecularly imprinted poly(vinylpyridine-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) was chosen as solid-phase extraction (SPE) material for PAHs. The conditions affecting extraction efficiency, for example surface properties, concentration of PAHs, and equilibration times were evaluated and optimized. Under optimum conditions, pre-concentration factors for MIP-SPE ranged between 80 and 93 for 10 mL ambient air dust leachate. PAHs recoveries from MIP-SPE after extraction from air dust were between 85% and 97% and calibration graphs of the PAHs showed a good linearity between 10 and 1000 ng L{sup -1} (r=0.99). The extraction efficiency of MIP for PAHs was compared with that of commercially available SPE materials - powdered activated carbon (PAC) and polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin (XAD) - and it was shown that the extraction capacity of the MIP was better than that of the other two SPE materials. Organic matter in air dust had no effect on MIP extraction, which produced a clean extract for GC-MS analysis. The detection limit of the method proposed in this article is 0.15 ng L{sup -1} for benzo[a]pyrene, which is a marker molecule of air pollution. The method has been applied to the determination of probable carcinogenic PAHs in air dust of industrial zones and satisfactory results were obtained. (orig.)

Highly sensitive determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after molecularly imprinted polymer extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Krupadam, Reddithota J; Bhagat, Bhagyashree; Khan, Muntazir S

2010-08-01

A method based on solid--phase extraction with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) has been developed to determine five probable human carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Molecularly imprinted poly(vinylpyridine-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) was chosen as solid-phase extraction (SPE) material for PAHs. The conditions affecting extraction efficiency, for example surface properties, concentration of PAHs, and equilibration times were evaluated and optimized. Under optimum conditions, pre-concentration factors for MIP-SPE ranged between 80 and 93 for 10 mL ambient air dust leachate. PAHs recoveries from MIP-SPE after extraction from air dust were between 85% and 97% and calibration graphs of the PAHs showed a good linearity between 10 and 1000 ng L(-1) (r = 0.99). The extraction efficiency of MIP for PAHs was compared with that of commercially available SPE materials--powdered activated carbon (PAC) and polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin (XAD)--and it was shown that the extraction capacity of the MIP was better than that of the other two SPE materials. Organic matter in air dust had no effect on MIP extraction, which produced a clean extract for GC-MS analysis. The detection limit of the method proposed in this article is 0.15 ng L(-1) for benzo[a]pyrene, which is a marker molecule of air pollution. The method has been applied to the determination of probable carcinogenic PAHs in air dust of industrial zones and satisfactory results were obtained.

Accurate quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in dust samples using microwave-assisted solvent extraction combined with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, Nobuyasu; Fushimi, Akihiro; Yarita, Takashi; Aoyagi, Yoshie; Numata, Masahiko

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We applied MAE-IDMS for accurate quantification of PAHs in dust samples. → Both partitioning and isotopic equilibria can be achieved using this technique. → MAE-IDMS can provide accurate concentrations even if extraction efficiencies were low. → Characteristics of samples strongly affected for low extraction efficiencies of PAHs. - Abstract: For accurate quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dust samples, we investigated the use of microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MAE) combined with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) using deuterium-labelled PAHs (D-PAHs). Although MAE with a methanol/toluene mixture (1:3 by volume) at 160 deg. C for 40 min was best for extracting PAHs from tunnel dust among examined, the recovery yields of D-PAHs decreased with increasing molecular weight (<40% for MW ≥ 264; that of deuterium-labelled indeno[123-cd]pyrene (D-IcdP) was only 7.1%). Although the residues were extracted a second time, the observed concentrations did not change dramatically (<5%), and the recovery yields of heavier D-PAHs (i.e., MW ≥ 264) were approximately half of those of the first extract, including D-IcdP (3.4%). These results suggest that both partitioning and isotopic equilibria of PAHs and D-PAHs between sample and solvent were achieved for extractable heavier PAHs under the condition. Thus, the observed concentrations of PAHs obtained by MAE-IDMS were reasonable, even though recovery yields of D-PAHs were <50%. From the results of carbon analyses and extractable contents, lower recovery yields of D-PAHs from the tunnel dust were due to a large content of char with low extractable contents.

Reduction disintegration mechanism of cold briquettes from blast furnace dust and sludge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro Rocha Lemos

2015-07-01

Full Text Available It is important to understand the reduction disintegration mechanism in ferriferous burden that is used in blast furnaces. The behavior of this burden in the granular zone of this metallurgical reactor is important for smooth operation. The objective of this work was to prepare cold self-reducing briquettes using blast furnace dust and sludge and binders and compare the reduction disintegration index (RDI of these agglomerates with conventional ferriferous burdens such as pellets, sinter and iron ore. In the present work, 25 different mixtures were prepared to produce briquettes in two geometries: pillow and cylindrical. The RDI value was determined for the briquettes that passed the tumbling test.

A Comprehensive Study of the Cold Dust and Gas in Galactic Winds

Science.gov (United States)

Veilleux, Sylvain

Galaxies do not evolve statically or in isolation, but instead are being structurally rearranged by stellar and gas motions and are interacting dynamically with their halos and environments. Galactic winds (GWs), or large-scale outflows of material from disks and spheroids, are a primary means by which this structural evolution and ongoing interplay occur. Major outstanding questions remain, however, about the precise impact that GWs make. Both from the ground and from space, our recent effort has focused on the all-important cold gas and dust components of GWs. They are the key to understanding GWs for at least three reasons: i. Outflows have to affect the cold gas and dust out of which stars form if they are to inhibit star formation in the host galaxy. ii. We have found in recent years that the cold gas phase is the energetically dominant phase of many GWs. iii. The kinematics and dynamics of the cold gas phase show trends with AGN luminosity that suggest that we are finally seeing the long-sought ``smoking gun'' of quasar feedback. However, these conclusions rest on very limited samples and are thus tentative. Remarkably, the Herschel and Spitzer Science Archives are treasure troves of high-quality images and spectra on GWs that could drastically improve this sad state of affairs, once these data are analyzed. Here we propose to carry out for the first time a single, self-consistent analysis of all of these data, and combine the results with our extensive ancillary ground-based data (Gemini, VLT, JVLA, ALMA, IRAM, and Keck) to capture all of the gas phases involved in GWs. This multiwavelength approach is unique and goes much beyond individual targeted programs in this area. We are interested in studying all GWs, regardless of redshifts: For the nearest (systems, we will examine deep Herschel and Spitzer images to derive the dust content of GWs and the circumgalactic environment in general. Our sample size (~50 GWs and control galaxies) will allow us to

H2, CO, and dust absorption through cold molecular clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Lacy, John H.; Sneden, Chris; Kim, Hwihyun; Jaffe, Daniel Thomas

2017-06-01

We have made observations with IGRINS on the Harlan J. Smith telescope at McDonald Observatory of near-infrared absorption by H2, CO, and dust toward stars behind molecular clouds, primarily the TMC. Prior to these observations, the abundance of H2 in molecular clouds, relative to the commonly used tracer CO, had only been measured toward a few embedded stars, which may be surrounded by atypical gas. The new observations provide a representative sample of these molecules in cold molecular gas. We find N(H2)/Av ~ 0.9e+21, N(CO)/Av ~ 1.6e+17, and H2/CO ~ 6000. The measured H2/CO ratio is consistent with that measured toward embedded stars in various molecular clouds, but half that derived from mm-wave observations of CO emission and star counts or other determinations of Av.

QUANTIFYING THE HEATING SOURCES FOR MID-INFRARED DUST EMISSIONS IN GALAXIES: THE CASE OF M 81

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, N.; Zhao, Y. [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, MS 100-22, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bendo, G. J. [Jordrell Bank Center for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Boselli, A. [Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille-LAM, Université d' Aix-Marseille and CNRS, UMR7326, 38 rue F. Joliot-Curie, F-13388 Marseille Cedex 13 (France); Baes, M.; De Looze, I. [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Wu, H.; Lam, M. I. [Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, A20 Datun Road, Beijing 100012 (China); Madden, S. C.; Rémy-Ruyer, A. [Laboratoire AIM, CEA, Université Paris VII, IRFU/Service d' Ástrophysique, Bat. 709, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Boquien, M. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Wilson, C. D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada); Galametz, M. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching-bei-Mnchen (Germany); Cooray, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Spinoglio, L., E-mail: lu@ipac.caltech.edu [Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy)

2014-12-20

With the newly available photometric images at 250 and 500 μm from the Herschel Space Observatory, we study quantitative correlations over a sub-kiloparsec scale among three distinct emission components in the interstellar medium of the nearby spiral galaxy M 81 (NGC 3031): (1) I {sub 8} or I {sub 24}, the surface brightness of the mid-infrared emission observed in the Spitzer Space Telescope 8 or 24 μm band, with I {sub 8} and I {sub 24} being dominated by the emissions from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and very small grains (VSGs) of dust, respectively; (2) I {sub 500}, that of the cold dust continuum emission in the Herschel Space Observatory 500 μm band, dominated by the emission from large dust grains heated by evolved stars; and (3) I {sub Hα}, a nominal surface brightness of the Hα line emission, from gas ionized by newly formed massive stars. The results from our correlation study, free from any assumption on or modeling of dust emissivity law or dust temperatures, present solid evidence for significant heating of PAHs and VSGs by evolved stars. In the case of M 81, about 67% (48%) of the 8 μm (24 μm ) emission derives its heating from evolved stars, with the remainder attributed to radiation heating associated with ionizing stars.

Carpet-dust chemicals as measures of exposure: Implications of variability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Whitehead Todd P

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is increasing interest in using chemicals measured in carpet dust as indicators of chemical exposures. However, investigators have rarely sampled dust repeatedly from the same households and therefore little is known about the variability of chemical levels that exist within and between households in dust samples. Results We analyzed 9 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 6 polychlorinated biphenyls, and nicotine in 68 carpet-dust samples from 21 households in agricultural communities of Fresno County, California collected from 2003-2005. Chemical concentrations (ng per g dust ranged from Conclusions Our findings suggest that attenuation bias should be relatively modest when using these semi-volatile carpet-dust chemicals as exposure surrogates in epidemiologic studies.

Investigating Superhydrogenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons as catalysts for Interstellar H2 formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Frederik Doktor Skødt

, are observed. Because of relatively high H2 destruction rates in these regions, the presently accepted formation routes on dust grains cannot exclusively account for the observed abundances [1]. Therefore, new formation routes are needed and lately attention has been drawn towards molecules called polycyclic...

Chemistry and photophysics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the interstellar medium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boschman, Leon

2017-01-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium, and it is thought that they are a key factor in the formation of molecular hydrogen at high gas and dust grain temperatures. We have explored how PAHs can contribute to the formation of H2 by taking a small PAH

Infrared astronomy and the galactic dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pecker, J.C.

1977-01-01

The existence, in the Galaxy, of small absorbing dust grains has been known for a long time, as they redden the light of stars located behind them, and obscure by amounts which can often even be several magnitudes... In the infrared, where absorption is smaller, one can see through the dust, while at the same time, one can observe the emission of cold dust clouds. After a brief review of technical developments, the reasons for studying the infrared, and the principles of diagnostics, are given. The analysis of the spectral features leads to identification of ice, graphite, and various silicates, as main constituents of the dust. In the fifth section, examples are given of the various sources that one meets when travelling in the Galaxy: protostars, cold and dilute, dense envelopes of young stars (cold or hot), dilute envelopes of not so young stars, and ejected clouds surrounding evolved objects... The simultaneous observation of dust, molecules and atoms, in the same regions, shows that the knowledge of the circumstellar dense regions might be of a great interest, in the study of the origin of life, and of the evolution of the Universe. (Auth.)

Variations between Dust and Gas in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium. III. Changes in Dust Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Reach, William T.; Bernard, Jean-Philippe; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Heiles, Carl

2017-12-01

We study infrared emission of 17 isolated, diffuse clouds with masses of order {10}2 {M}ȯ to test the hypothesis that grain property variations cause the apparently low gas-to-dust ratios that have been measured in those clouds. Maps of the clouds were constructed from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data and directly compared with the maps of dust optical depth from Planck. The mid-infrared emission per unit dust optical depth has a significant trend toward lower values at higher optical depths. The trend can be quantitatively explained by the extinction of starlight within the clouds. The relative amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and very small grains traced by WISE, compared with large grains tracked by Planck, are consistent with being constant. The temperature of the large grains significantly decreases for clouds with larger dust optical depth; this trend is partially due to dust property variations, but is primarily due to extinction of starlight. We updated the prediction for molecular hydrogen column density, taking into account variations in dust properties, and find it can explain the observed dust optical depth per unit gas column density. Thus, the low gas-to-dust ratios in the clouds are most likely due to “dark gas” that is molecular hydrogen.

Study on coal dust wettability measurement using cold briquetting technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, M.; Xu, H.; Shu, X. [North China Institute of Science and Technology, Beijing (China). Department of Resource and Environmental Engineering

2008-12-15

Quantitative measuring of coal dust wettability is essential for the research and development of chemical coal dust suppressants in the field of dust control with wetting-agent-added water. The causes of low repeat rate and poor consistency in present lab testing of coal dust wettability are discussed. The influence of different briquetting pressure (from 0 to 6.5108 Pa) on the wet behavior of coal dust is investigated as a new way to quantitatively evaluate coal dust wettability. The study shows that there is a fairly high coincidence between the coal dust wettability data measured by the briquetting technique and the results gained from the lab dust suppression tests using an MCYZ apparatus designed by the authors. 9 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Herschel and SCUBA-2 observations of dust emission in a sample of Planck cold clumps

Science.gov (United States)

Juvela, Mika; He, Jinhua; Pattle, Katherine; Liu, Tie; Bendo, George; Eden, David J.; Fehér, Orsolya; Michel, Fich; Fuller, Gary; Hirano, Naomi; Kim, Kee-Tae; Li, Di; Liu, Sheng-Yuan; Malinen, Johanna; Marshall, Douglas J.; Paradis, Deborah; Parsons, Harriet; Pelkonen, Veli-Matti; Rawlings, Mark G.; Ristorcelli, Isabelle; Samal, Manash R.; Tatematsu, Ken'ichi; Thompson, Mark; Traficante, Alessio; Wang, Ke; Ward-Thompson, Derek; Wu, Yuefang; Yi, Hee-Weon; Yoo, Hyunju

2018-04-01

Context. Analysis of all-sky Planck submillimetre observations and the IRAS 100 μm data has led to the detection of a population of Galactic cold clumps. The clumps can be used to study star formation and dust properties in a wide range of Galactic environments. Aims: Our aim is to measure dust spectral energy distribution (SED) variations as a function of the spatial scale and the wavelength. Methods: We examined the SEDs at large scales using IRAS, Planck, and Herschel data. At smaller scales, we compared JCMT/SCUBA-2 850 μm maps with Herschel data that were filtered using the SCUBA-2 pipeline. Clumps were extracted using the Fellwalker method, and their spectra were modelled as modified blackbody functions. Results: According to IRAS and Planck data, most fields have dust colour temperatures TC 14-18 K and opacity spectral index values of β = 1.5-1.9. The clumps and cores identified in SCUBA-2 maps have T 13 K and similar β values. There are some indications of the dust emission spectrum becoming flatter at wavelengths longer than 500 μm. In fits involving Planck data, the significance is limited by the uncertainty of the corrections for CO line contamination. The fits to the SPIRE data give a median β value that is slightly above 1.8. In the joint SPIRE and SCUBA-2 850 μm fits, the value decreases to β 1.6. Most of the observed T-β anticorrelation can be explained by noise. Conclusions: The typical submillimetre opacity spectral index β of cold clumps is found to be 1.7. This is above the values of diffuse clouds, but lower than in some previous studies of dense clumps. There is only tentative evidence of a T-β anticorrelation and β decreasing at millimetre wavelengths. Planck (http://www.esa.int/Planck) is a project of the European Space Agency - ESA - with instruments provided by two scientific consortia funded by ESA member states (in particular the lead countries: France and Italy) with contributions from NASA (USA), and telescope reflectors

Cancer risk to First Nations’ people from exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons near in-situ bitumen extraction in Cold Lake, Alberta

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The Alberta oil sands are an important economic resource in Canada, but there is growing concern over the environmental and health effects as a result of contaminant releases and exposures. Recent studies have shown a temporal and spatial trend of increased polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in sediments and snowpack near the Athabasca oil sands operations (i.e., open pit mines), but thus far similar studies have not been done for the Cold Lake region where steam assisted gravity drainage (in situ) extraction is performed. Methods Many PAHs are known mutagenic carcinogens, and this study measured soil and atmospheric concentrations of PAHs in the Cold Lake region to assess the excess lifetime cancer risk posed to the First Nations’ inhabitants of the region. Using both deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment methods, excess lifetime cancer risks were calculated for exposures from inhalation or inadvertent soil ingestion. Results The mean excess cancer risk for First Nations’ people through ingestion who engage in traditional wilderness activities in the Cold Lake region was 0.02 new cases per 100,000 with an upper 95% risk level of 0.07 cases per 100,000. Exposure to PAHs via inhalation revealed a maximum excess lifetime cancer risk of less than 0.1 cases per 100,000. Conclusions Excess lifetime risk values below 1 case per 100,000 is generally considered negligible, thus our analyses did not demonstrate any significant increases in cancer risks associated with PAH exposures for First Nations people inhabiting the Cold Lake region. PMID:24520827

A SPITZER c2d LEGACY SURVEY TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE DISKS WITH INNER DUST HOLES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merin, Bruno; Brown, Joanna M.; Herczeg, Gregory J.; Van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Oliveira, Isa; Lahuis, Fred; Bottinelli, Sandrine; Augereau, Jean-Charles; Olofsson, Johan; Evans, Neal J.; Harvey, Paul M.; Cieza, Lucas; Spezzi, Loredana; Prusti, Timo; Alcala, Juan M.; Blake, Geoffrey A.; Bayo, Amelia; Geers, Vincent G.; Walter, Frederick M.; Chiu, Kuenley

2010-01-01

Understanding how disks dissipate is essential to studies of planet formation. However, identifying exactly how dust and gas dissipate is complicated due to the difficulty of finding objects that are clearly in the transition phase of losing their surrounding material. We use Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra to examine 35 photometrically selected candidate cold disks (disks with large inner dust holes). The infrared spectra are supplemented with optical spectra to determine stellar and accretion properties and 1.3 mm photometry to measure disk masses. Based on detailed spectral energy distribution modeling, we identify 15 new cold disks. The remaining 20 objects have IRS spectra that are consistent with disks without holes, disks that are observed close to edge-on, or stars with background emission. Based on these results, we determine reliable criteria to identify disks with inner holes from Spitzer photometry, and examine criteria already in the literature. Applying these criteria to the c2d surveyed star-forming regions gives a frequency of such objects of at least 4% and most likely of order 12% of the young stellar object population identified by Spitzer. We also examine the properties of these new cold disks in combination with cold disks from the literature. Hole sizes in this sample are generally smaller than in previously discovered disks and reflect a distribution in better agreement with exoplanet orbit radii. We find correlations between hole size and both disk and stellar masses. Silicate features, including crystalline features, are present in the overwhelming majority of the sample, although the 10 μm feature strength above the continuum declines for holes with radii larger than ∼7 AU. In contrast, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are only detected in 2 out of 15 sources. Only a quarter of the cold disk sample shows no signs of accretion, making it unlikely that photoevaporation is the dominant hole-forming process in most cases.

Generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH during woodworking operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evin Danisman Bruschweiler

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Occupational exposures to wood dust have been associated with an elevated risk of sinonasal cancer (SNC. Wood dust is recognized as a human carcinogen but the specific cancer causative agent remains unknown. One possible explanation is a co-exposure to; wood dust and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs. PAHs could be generated during incomplete combustion of wood due to heat created by use of power tools.To determine if PAHs are generated from wood during common woodworking operations, PAHs concentrations in wood dust samples collected in an experimental chamber operated under controlled conditions were analyzed. In addition, personal air samples from workers exposed to wood dust (n=30 were collected.Wood dust was generated using tree different power tools: vibrating sander, belt sander, and saw; and six wood materials: fir, Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF, beech, mahogany, oak and wood melamine. Monitoring of wood workers was carried out by means of personnel sampler device during wood working operations. We measured 21 PAHs concentrations in wood dust samples by capillary gas chromatographic-ion trap mass spectrometric analysis (GC-MS.Total PAH concentrations in wood dust varied greatly (0.24 – 7.95 ppm with the lowest being in MDF dust and the highest in wood melamine dust. Personal exposures to PAHs observed were between 37.5-119.8 ng m-3 among workers during wood working operations.Our results suggest that PAH exposures during woodworking operation are present and hence could play a role in the mechanism of cancer induction related to wood dust exposure.

POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION LEVELS IN COLLECTED SAMPLES FROM VICINITY OF A HIGHWAY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. V. Samimi ، R. Akbari Rad ، F. Ghanizadeh

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Tehran as the biggest city of Iran with a population of more than 10 millions has potentially high pollutant exposures of gas oil and gasoline combustion from vehicles that are commuting in the highways every day. The vehicle exhausts contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are produced by incomplete combustion and can be directly deposited in the environment. In the present study, the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination in the collected samples of a western highway in Tehran was investigated. The studied location was a busy highway in Tehran. High performance liquid chromatography equipped with florescence detector was used for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in the studied samples. Total concentration of the ten studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds ranged from 11107 to 24342 ng/g dry weight in the dust samples and increased from 164 to 2886 ng/g dry weight in the soil samples taken from 300 m and middle of the highway, respectively. Also the average of Σ PAHs was 1759 ng/L in the water samples of pools in parks near the highway. The obtained results indicated that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination levels were very high in the vicinity of the highway.

Dust and molecules in extra-galactic planetary nebulae

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Hernandez, Domingo Aníbal

2015-08-01

Extra-galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) permit the study of dust and molecules in metallicity environments other than the Galaxy. Their known distances lower the number of free parameters in the observations vs. models comparison, providing strong constraints on the gas-phase and solid-state astrochemistry models. Observations of PNe in the Galaxy and other Local Group galaxies such as the Magellanic Clouds (MC) provide evidence that metallicity affects the production of dust as well as the formation of complex organic molecules and inorganic solid-state compounds in their circumstellar envelopes. In particular, the lower metallicity MC environments seem to be less favorable to dust production and the frequency of carbonaceous dust features and complex fullerene molecules is generally higher with decreasing metallicity. Here, I present an observational review of the dust and molecular content in extra-galactic PNe as compared to their higher metallicity Galactic counterparts. A special attention is given to the level of dust processing and the formation of complex organic molecules (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, and graphene precursors) depending on metallicity.

Acoustic solitary waves in dusty and/or multi-ion plasmas with cold, adiabatic, and hot constituents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verheest, Frank; Hellberg, Manfred A.; Kourakis, Ioannis

2008-01-01

Large nonlinear acoustic waves are discussed in a four-component plasma, made up of two superhot isothermal species, and two species with lower thermal velocities, being, respectively, adiabatic and cold. First a model is considered in which the isothermal species are electrons and ions, while the cooler species are positive and/or negative dust. Using a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism, large dust-acoustic structures have been studied in a systematic way, to delimit the compositional parameter space in which they can be found, without restrictions on the charges and masses of the dust species and their charge signs. Solitary waves can only occur for nonlinear structure velocities smaller than the adiabatic dust thermal velocity, leading to a novel dust-acoustic-like mode based on the interplay between the two dust species. If the cold and adiabatic dust are oppositely charged, only solitary waves exist, having the polarity of the cold dust, their parameter range being limited by infinite compression of the cold dust. However, when the charges of the cold and adiabatic species have the same sign, solitary structures are limited for increasing Mach numbers successively by infinite cold dust compression, by encountering the adiabatic dust sonic point, and by the occurrence of double layers. The latter have, for smaller Mach numbers, the same polarity as the charged dust, but switch at the high Mach number end to the opposite polarity. Typical Sagdeev pseudopotentials and solitary wave profiles have been presented. Finally, the analysis has nowhere used the assumption that the dust would be much more massive than the ions and hence, one or both dust species can easily be replaced by positive and/or negative ions and the conclusions will apply to that plasma model equally well. This would cover a number of different scenarios, such as, for example, very hot electrons and ions, together with a mix of adiabatic ions and dust (of either polarity) or a very hot electron

VARIATIONS BETWEEN DUST AND GAS IN THE DIFFUSE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM. II. SEARCH FOR COLD GAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reach, William T. [Universities Space Research Association, MS 232-11, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Heiles, Carl [Astronomy Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Bernard, Jean-Philippe, E-mail: wreach@sofia.usra.edu [Université de Toulouse, Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, F-31028 Toulouse cedex 4 (France)

2017-01-01

The content of interstellar clouds, in particular the inventory of diffuse molecular gas, remains uncertain. We identified a sample of isolated clouds, approximately 100 M {sub ⊙} in size, and used the dust content to estimate the total amount of gas. In Paper I, the total inferred gas content was found significantly larger than that seen in 21 cm emission measurements of H i. In this paper we test the hypothesis that the apparent excess “dark” gas is cold H i, which would be evident in absorption but not in emission due to line saturation. The results show that there is not enough 21 cm absorption toward the clouds to explain the total amount of “dark” gas.

DUST PROPERTIES OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Andrews, Sean M.; Geller, Margaret J.

2013-01-01

We report Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 μm dust continuum emission for four dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the local universe. Two DOGs are clearly detected with S ν (880 μm) =10-13 mJy and S/N > 5, but the other two are not detected with 3σ upper limits of S ν (880 μm) =5-9 mJy. Including an additional two local DOGs with submillimeter data from the literature, we determine the dust masses and temperatures for six local DOGs. The infrared luminosities and dust masses for these DOGs are in the ranges of 1.2-4.9 × 10 11 (L ☉ ) and 4-14 × 10 7 (M ☉ ), respectively. The dust temperatures derived from a two-component modified blackbody function are 23-26 K and 60-124 K for the cold and warm dust components, respectively. Comparison of local DOGs with other infrared luminous galaxies with submillimeter detections shows that the dust temperatures and masses do not differ significantly among these objects. Thus, as argued previously, local DOGs are not a distinctive population among dusty galaxies, but simply represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution

INFRARED LUMINOSITIES AND DUST PROPERTIES OF z ∼ 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, B. T.; Borys, C.; Desai, V.; Sheth, K.; Soifer, B. T.; Le Floc'h, E.; Melbourne, J.

2009-01-01

We present SHARC-II 350 μm imaging of twelve 24 μm bright (F 24μm > 0.8 mJy) Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) and Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) 1 mm imaging of a subset of two DOGs. These objects are selected from the Booetes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Detections of four DOGs at 350 μm imply infrared (IR) luminosities which are consistent to within a factor of 2 of expectations based on a warm-dust spectral energy distribution (SED) scaled to the observed 24 μm flux density. The 350 μm upper limits for the 8 non-detected DOGs are consistent with both Mrk 231 and M82 (warm-dust SEDs), but exclude cold dust (Arp 220) SEDs. The two DOGs targeted at 1 mm were not detected in our CARMA observations, placing strong constraints on the dust temperature: T dust > 35-60 K. Assuming these dust properties apply to the entire sample, we find dust masses of ∼3 x 10 8 M sun . In comparison to other dusty z ∼ 2 galaxy populations such as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and other Spitzer-selected high-redshift sources, this sample of DOGs has higher IR luminosities (2 x 10 13 L sun versus 6 x 10 12 L sun for the other galaxy populations) that are driven by warmer dust temperatures (>35-60 K versus ∼30 K) and lower inferred dust masses (3 x 10 8 M sun versus 3 x 10 9 M sun ). Wide-field Herschel and Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 surveys should be able to detect hundreds of these power-law-dominated DOGs. We use the existing Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera data to estimate stellar masses of these sources and find that the stellar to gas mass ratio may be higher in our 24 μm bright sample of DOGs than in SMGs and other Spitzer-selected sources. Although much larger sample sizes are needed to provide a definitive conclusion, the data are consistent with an evolutionary trend in which the formation of massive galaxies at z ∼ 2 involves a submillimeter bright, cold-dust, and star

High-latitude dust in the Earth system

Science.gov (United States)

Bullard, Joanna E; Baddock, Matthew; Bradwell, Tom; Crusius, John; Darlington, Eleanor; Gaiero, Diego; Gasso, Santiago; Gisladottir, Gudrun; Hodgkins, Richard; McCulloch, Robert; NcKenna Neuman, Cheryl; Mockford, Tom; Stewart, Helena; Thorsteinsson, Throstur

2016-01-01

Natural dust is often associated with hot, subtropical deserts, but significant dust events have been reported from cold, high latitudes. This review synthesizes current understanding of high-latitude (≥50°N and ≥40°S) dust source geography and dynamics and provides a prospectus for future research on the topic. Although the fundamental processes controlling aeolian dust emissions in high latitudes are essentially the same as in temperate regions, there are additional processes specific to or enhanced in cold regions. These include low temperatures, humidity, strong winds, permafrost and niveo-aeolian processes all of which can affect the efficiency of dust emission and distribution of sediments. Dust deposition at high latitudes can provide nutrients to the marine system, specifically by contributing iron to high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll oceans; it also affects ice albedo and melt rates. There have been no attempts to quantify systematically the expanse, characteristics, or dynamics of high-latitude dust sources. To address this, we identify and compare the main sources and drivers of dust emissions in the Northern (Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland) and Southern (Antarctica, New Zealand, and Patagonia) Hemispheres. The scarcity of year-round observations and limitations of satellite remote sensing data at high latitudes are discussed. It is estimated that under contemporary conditions high-latitude sources cover >500,000 km2 and contribute at least 80–100 Tg yr−1 of dust to the Earth system (~5% of the global dust budget); both are projected to increase under future climate change scenarios.

High Latitude Dust in the Earth System

Science.gov (United States)

Bullard, Joanna E.; Baddock, Matthew; Bradwell, Tom; Crusius, John; Darlington, Eleanor; Gaiero, Diego; Gasso, Santiago; Gisladottir, Gudrun; Hodgkins, Richard; McCulloch, Robert;

Exposure of iron foundry workers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Omland, Øyvind; Sherson, D; Hansen, Å M

1994-01-01

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in foundry workers has been evaluated by determination of benzo(a)pyrene-serum albumin adducts and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene binding to albumin and 1-hydroxypyrene were quantitatively measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay...... (ELISA) and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. 70 male foundry workers and 68 matched controls were investigated. High and low exposure groups were defined from breathing zone hygienic samples, consisting of 16 PAH compounds in particulate and gaseous phase. Mean...... total PAH was 10.40 micrograms/m3 in the breathing zone, and mean dust adsorbed PAH was 0.15 microgram/m. All carcinogenic PAH was adsorbed to dust. Median benzo(a)pyrene-albumin adduct concentrations (10-90% percentiles) were similar in foundry workers (smokers 0.55 (0.27-1.00) and non-smokers 0.58 (0...

DUST PROPERTIES OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Andrews, Sean M.; Geller, Margaret J., E-mail: hhwang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: sandrews@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2013-11-01

We report Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 μm dust continuum emission for four dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the local universe. Two DOGs are clearly detected with S{sub ν}(880 μm) =10-13 mJy and S/N > 5, but the other two are not detected with 3σ upper limits of S{sub ν}(880 μm) =5-9 mJy. Including an additional two local DOGs with submillimeter data from the literature, we determine the dust masses and temperatures for six local DOGs. The infrared luminosities and dust masses for these DOGs are in the ranges of 1.2-4.9 × 10{sup 11}(L{sub ☉}) and 4-14 × 10{sup 7}(M{sub ☉}), respectively. The dust temperatures derived from a two-component modified blackbody function are 23-26 K and 60-124 K for the cold and warm dust components, respectively. Comparison of local DOGs with other infrared luminous galaxies with submillimeter detections shows that the dust temperatures and masses do not differ significantly among these objects. Thus, as argued previously, local DOGs are not a distinctive population among dusty galaxies, but simply represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution.

The HOSTS Survey—Exozodiacal Dust Measurements for 30 Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Ertel, S.; Defrère, D.; Hinz, P.; Mennesson, B.; Kennedy, G. M.; Danchi, W. C.; Gelino, C.; Hill, J. M.; Hoffmann, W. F.; Rieke, G.; Shannon, A.; Spalding, E.; Stone, J. M.; Vaz, A.; Weinberger, A. J.; Willems, P.; Absil, O.; Arbo, P.; Bailey, V. P.; Beichman, C.; Bryden, G.; Downey, E. C.; Durney, O.; Esposito, S.; Gaspar, A.; Grenz, P.; Haniff, C. A.; Leisenring, J. M.; Marion, L.; McMahon, T. J.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Montoya, M.; Morzinski, K. M.; Pinna, E.; Power, J.; Puglisi, A.; Roberge, A.; Serabyn, E.; Skemer, A. J.; Stapelfeldt, K.; Su, K. Y. L.; Vaitheeswaran, V.; Wyatt, M. C.

2018-05-01

The Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems survey searches for dust near the habitable zones (HZs) around nearby, bright main-sequence stars. We use nulling interferometry in the N band to suppress the bright stellar light and to probe for low levels of HZ dust around the 30 stars observed so far. Our overall detection rate is 18%, including four new detections, among which are the first three around Sun-like stars and the first two around stars without any previously known circumstellar dust. The inferred occurrence rates are comparable for early-type and Sun-like stars, but decrease from {60}-21+16% for stars with previously detected cold dust to {8}-3+10% for stars without such excess, confirming earlier results at higher sensitivity. For completed observations on individual stars, our sensitivity is five to ten times better than previous results. Assuming a lognormal excess luminosity function, we put upper limits on the median HZ dust level of 13 zodis (95% confidence) for a sample of stars without cold dust and of 26 zodis when focusing on Sun-like stars without cold dust. However, our data suggest that a more complex luminosity function may be more appropriate. For stars without detectable Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) excess, our upper limits are almost reduced by a factor of two, demonstrating the strength of LBTI target vetting for future exo-Earth imaging missions. Our statistics are limited so far, and extending the survey is critical to informing the design of future exo-Earth imaging surveys.

Apoptosis and Bax expression are increased by coal dust in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-exposed lung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghanem, M.M.; Battelli, L.A.; Mercer, R.R.; Scabilloni, J.F.; Kashon, M.L.; Ma, J.Y.C.; Nath, J.; Hubbs, A.F.

2006-09-15

Miners inhaling respirable coal dust (CD) frequently develop coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Many coal miners are also exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) components of diesel engine exhaust and cigarette smoke, which may contribute to lung disease in these workers. Recently, apoptosis was reported to play a critical role in the development of another pneumoconiosis of miners, silicosis. In addition, CID was reported to suppress cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) induction by PAHs. We exposed rats intratracheally to 0.0, 2.5, 10.0, 20.0, or 40.0 mg/rat CD and, 11 days later, to intraperitoneal P-naphthoflavone (BNF), a PAH. In another group of rats exposed to CD and BNF, caspase activity was inhibited by injection of the pan-caspase inhibitor Q-VD-OPH (quinoline-Val-Asp (OMe)-CH{sub 2}-OPH). In rats exposed to BNF, CD exposure increased alveolar expression of the proapoptotic mediator Bax but decreased CYP1A1 induction relative to BNF exposure alone. Pan-caspase inhibition decreased CD-associated Bax expression and apoptosis but did not restore CYP1A1 activity. Further, CD-induced lung inflammation and alveolar epithelial cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia were not suppressed by caspase inhibition. It is concluded that combined BNF and CD exposure increased Bax expression and apoptosis in the lung, but Bax and apoptosis were not the major determinants of early lung injury in this model.

Singlet Oxygen Production by Illuminated Road Dust and Winter Street Sweepings

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, S.; Gan, L.; Gao, S.; Hoy, K. S.; Kwasny, J. R.; Styler, S. A.

2017-12-01

Road dust is an important urban source of primary particulate matter, especially in cities where sand and other traction materials are applied to roadways in winter. Although the composition and detrimental health effects of road dust are reasonably well characterized, little is currently known regarding its chemical behaviour. Motivated by our previous work, in which we showed that road dust is a photochemical source of singlet oxygen (1O2), we investigated 1O2 production by bulk winter street sweepings and by road dust collected in a variety of urban, industrial, and suburban locations in both autumn and spring. In all cases, the production of 1O2 by road dust was greater than that by Arizona test dust and desert-sourced dust, which highlights the unique photochemical environment afforded by this substrate. Mechanistically, we observed correlations between 1O2 production and the UV absorbance properties of dust extracts, which suggests the involvement of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the observed photochemistry. Taken together, this work provides evidence that road dust-mediated photochemistry may influence the environmental lifetime of pollutants that react via 1O2-mediated pathways, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Planck early results. XXIII. The first all-sky survey of Galactic cold clumps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poutanen, T.; Natoli, P.; Polenta, G.

2011-01-01

We present the statistical properties of the Cold Clump Catalogue of Planck Objects (C3PO), the first all-sky catalogue of cold objects, in terms of their spatial distribution, dust temperature, distance, mass, and morphology. We have combined Planck and IRAS data to extract 10342 cold sources...... dark clouds where the latter have been catalogued. These cold clumps are not isolated but clustered in groups. Dust temperature and emissivity spectral index values are derived from their spectral energy distributions using both Planck and IRAS data. The temperatures range from 7K to 19K...

Nonlinear periodic waves in dusty plasma with variable dust charge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Lakhan Lal; Bharuthram, R.

2002-01-01

Using the reductive perturbation method, we present a theory of nonlinear periodic waves, viz. the cnoidal waves, in a dusty plasma consisting of electrons, ions, and cold dust grains with charge fluctuations, which in the limiting case reduce to dust acoustic solitons. It is found that the frequency of the dust acoustic cnoidal wave increases with its amplitude. The dust charge fluctuations are found to affect the characteristics of the cnoidal waves

Use of Cement Kiln Dust, Blast Furnace Slag and Marble Sludge in the Manufacture of Sustainable Artificial Aggregates by Means of Cold Bonding Pelletization.

Science.gov (United States)

Colangelo, Francesco; Cioffi, Raffaele

2013-07-25

In this work, three different samples of solid industrial wastes cement kiln dust (CKD), granulated blast furnace slag and marble sludge were employed in a cold bonding pelletization process for the sustainable production of artificial aggregates. The activating action of CKD components on the hydraulic behavior of the slag was explored by evaluating the neo-formed phases present in several hydrated pastes. Particularly, the influence of free CaO and sulfates amount in the two CKD samples on slag reactivity was evaluated. Cold bonded artificial aggregates were characterized by determining physical and mechanical properties of two selected size fractions of the granules for each studied mixture. Eighteen types of granules were employed in C28/35 concrete manufacture where coarser natural aggregate were substituted with the artificial ones. Finally, lightweight concretes were obtained, proving the suitability of the cold bonding pelletization process in artificial aggregate sustainable production.

Use of Cement Kiln Dust, Blast Furnace Slag and Marble Sludge in the Manufacture of Sustainable Artificial Aggregates by Means of Cold Bonding Pelletization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raffaele Cioffi

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In this work, three different samples of solid industrial wastes cement kiln dust (CKD, granulated blast furnace slag and marble sludge were employed in a cold bonding pelletization process for the sustainable production of artificial aggregates. The activating action of CKD components on the hydraulic behavior of the slag was explored by evaluating the neo-formed phases present in several hydrated pastes. Particularly, the influence of free CaO and sulfates amount in the two CKD samples on slag reactivity was evaluated. Cold bonded artificial aggregates were characterized by determining physical and mechanical properties of two selected size fractions of the granules for each studied mixture. Eighteen types of granules were employed in C28/35 concrete manufacture where coarser natural aggregate were substituted with the artificial ones. Finally, lightweight concretes were obtained, proving the suitability of the cold bonding pelletization process in artificial aggregate sustainable production.

Decreased Mitochondrial DNA Content in Association with Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in House Dust during Wintertime: From a Population Enquiry to Cell Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Pieters, Nicky; Koppen, Gudrun; Smeets, Karen; Napierska, Dorota; Plusquin, Michelle; De Prins, Sofie; Van De Weghe, Hendrik; Nelen, Vera; Cox, Bianca; Cuypers, Ann; Hoet, Peter; Schoeters, Greet; Nawrot, Tim S.

2013-01-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental pollutants that are formed in combustion processes. At the cellular level, exposure to PAHs causes oxidative stress and/or some of it congeners bind to DNA, which may interact with mitochondrial function. However, the influence of these pollutants on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content remains largely unknown. We determined whether indoor exposure to PAHs is associated with mitochondrial damage as represented by blood mtDNA content. Blood mtDNA content (ratio mitochondrial/nuclear DNA copy number) was determined by real-time qPCR in 46 persons, both in winter and summer. Indoor PAH exposure was estimated by measuring PAHs in sedimented house dust, including 6 volatile PAHs and 8 non-volatile PAHs. Biomarkers of oxidative stress at the level of DNA and lipid peroxidation were measured. In addition to the epidemiologic enquiry, we exposed human TK6 cells during 24 h at various concentrations (range: 0 to 500 µM) of benzo(a)pyrene and determined mtDNA content. Mean blood mtDNA content averaged (±SD) 0.95±0.185. The median PAH content amounted 554.1 ng/g dust (25th–75th percentile: 390.7–767.3) and 1385ng/g dust (25th–75th percentile: 1000–1980) in winter for volatile and non-volatile PAHs respectively. Independent for gender, age, BMI and the consumption of grilled meat or fish, blood mtDNA content decreased by 9.85% (95% CI: −15.16 to −4.2; p = 0.002) for each doubling of non-volatile PAH content in the house dust in winter. The corresponding estimate for volatile PAHs was −7.3% (95% CI: −13.71 to −0.42; p = 0.04). Measurements of oxidative stress were not correlated with PAH exposure. During summer months no association was found between mtDNA content and PAH concentration. The ability of benzo(a)pyrene (range 0 µM to 500 µM) to lower mtDNA content was confirmed in vitro in human TK6 cells. Based on these findings, mtDNA content can be a target of PAH toxicity in humans

Decreased mitochondrial DNA content in association with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in house dust during wintertime: from a population enquiry to cell culture.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicky Pieters

Full Text Available Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs are widespread environmental pollutants that are formed in combustion processes. At the cellular level, exposure to PAHs causes oxidative stress and/or some of it congeners bind to DNA, which may interact with mitochondrial function. However, the influence of these pollutants on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA content remains largely unknown. We determined whether indoor exposure to PAHs is associated with mitochondrial damage as represented by blood mtDNA content. Blood mtDNA content (ratio mitochondrial/nuclear DNA copy number was determined by real-time qPCR in 46 persons, both in winter and summer. Indoor PAH exposure was estimated by measuring PAHs in sedimented house dust, including 6 volatile PAHs and 8 non-volatile PAHs. Biomarkers of oxidative stress at the level of DNA and lipid peroxidation were measured. In addition to the epidemiologic enquiry, we exposed human TK6 cells during 24 h at various concentrations (range: 0 to 500 µM of benzo(apyrene and determined mtDNA content. Mean blood mtDNA content averaged (± SD 0.95 ± 0.185. The median PAH content amounted 554.1 ng/g dust (25(th-75(th percentile: 390.7-767.3 and 1385 ng/g dust (25(th-75(th percentile: 1000-1980 in winter for volatile and non-volatile PAHs respectively. Independent for gender, age, BMI and the consumption of grilled meat or fish, blood mtDNA content decreased by 9.85% (95% CI: -15.16 to -4.2; p = 0.002 for each doubling of non-volatile PAH content in the house dust in winter. The corresponding estimate for volatile PAHs was -7.3% (95% CI: -13.71 to -0.42; p = 0.04. Measurements of oxidative stress were not correlated with PAH exposure. During summer months no association was found between mtDNA content and PAH concentration. The ability of benzo(apyrene (range 0 µM to 500 µM to lower mtDNA content was confirmed in vitro in human TK6 cells. Based on these findings, mtDNA content can be a target of PAH toxicity in humans.

Dust-acoustic solitons in quantum plasma with kappa-distributed ions

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Arbitrary amplitude dust-acoustic (DA) solitary waves in an unmagnetized and col- lisionless quantum dusty plasma comprising cold dust particles, kappa (κ)-distributed ions and degenerate electrons are investigated. The influence of suprathermality and quantum effects on the linear dispersion relation of DA ...

Localized enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil, spruce needles, and lake sediments linked to in-situ bitumen extraction near Cold Lake, Alberta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korosi, J.B.; Irvine, G.; Skierszkan, E.K.; Doyle, J.R.; Kimpe, L.E.; Janvier, J.; Blais, J.M.

2013-01-01

The extraction of bitumen from the Alberta oil sands using in-situ technologies is expanding at a rapid rate; however, investigations into the environmental impacts of oil sands development have focused on surface mining in the Athabasca region. We measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soils, spruce needles, and lake sediment cores in the Cold Lake oil sands region to provide a historical and spatial perspective on PAH contamination related to in-situ extraction activities. A pronounced increase in PAH concentrations was recorded in one of two study lakes (Hilda Lake) corresponding to the onset of commercial bitumen production in ∼1985. Distance from extraction rigs was not an important predictor of PAH concentrations in soils, although two samples located near installations were elevated in alkyl PAHs. Evidence of localized PAH contamination in Hilda Lake and two soil samples suggests that continued environmental monitoring is justified to assess PAH contamination as development intensifies. -- Highlights: •In-situ bitumen extraction linked to rise in alkyl PAHs in one of two study lakes. •Alkyl PAHs elevated in two soil samples. •PAH contamination likely related to effluent sources, not atmospheric deposition. -- PAHs in sediments and soils were generally low in areas adjacent to in-situ bitumen extraction rigs in the Cold Lake Alberta oil sands, but evidence of localized contamination at some sites was evident

Influence of Non-Maxwellian Particles on Dust Acoustic Waves in a Dusty Magnetized Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nouri Kadijani, M.; Zareamoghaddam, H.

2013-01-01

In this paper an investigation into dust acoustic solitary waves (DASWs) in the presence of superthermal electrons and ions in a magnetized plasma with cold dust grains and trapped electrons is discussed. The dynamic of both electrons and ions is simulated by the generalized Lorentzian (κ) distribution function (DF). The dust grains are cold and their dynamics are studied by hydrodynamic equations. The basic set of fluid equations is reduced to modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation using Reductive Perturbation Theory (RPT). Two types of solitary waves, fast and slow dust acoustic soliton (DAS) exist in this plasma. Calculations reveal that compressive solitary structures are possibly propagated in the plasma where dust grains are negatively (or positively) charged. The properties of DASs are also investigated numerically. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

Road dust and its effect on human health: a literature review

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of road dust on human health. A PubMed search was used to extract references that included the words “road dust” and “health” or “fugitive dust” and “health” in the title or abstract. A total of 46 references were extracted and selected for review after the primary screening of 949 articles. The respiratory system was found to be the most affected system in the human body. Lead, platinum-group elements (platinum, rhodium, and bohrium), aluminum, zinc, vanadium, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were the components of road dust that were most frequently referenced in the articles reviewed. Road dust was found to have harmful effects on the human body, especially on the respiratory system. To determine the complex mechanism of action of various components of road dust on the human body and the results thereof, the authors recommend a further meta-analysis and extensive risk-assessment research into the health impacts of dust exposure. PMID:29642653

A SPITZER SURVEY OF PROTOPLANETARY DISK DUST IN THE YOUNG SERPENS CLOUD: HOW DO DUST CHARACTERISTICS EVOLVE WITH TIME?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Isa; Van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Lahuis, Fred; Pontoppidan, Klaus M.; MerIn, Bruno; Geers, Vincent C.; Joergensen, Jes K.; Olofsson, Johan; Augereau, Jean-Charles; Brown, Joanna M.

2010-01-01

We present Spitzer InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) mid-infrared (5-35 μm) spectra of a complete flux-limited sample (≥3 mJy at 8 μm) of young stellar object (YSO) candidates selected on the basis of their infrared colors in the Serpens Molecular Cloud. Spectra of 147 sources are presented and classified. Background stars (with slope consistent with a reddened stellar spectrum and silicate features in absorption), galaxies (with redshifted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features), and a planetary nebula (with high ionization lines) amount to 22% of contamination in this sample, leaving 115 true YSOs. Sources with rising spectra and ice absorption features, classified as embedded Stage I protostars, amount to 18% of the sample. The remaining 82% (94) of the disk sources are analyzed in terms of spectral energy distribution shapes, PAHs, and silicate features. The presence, strength, and shape of these silicate features are used to infer disk properties for these systems. About 8% of the disks have 30/13 μm flux ratios consistent with cold disks with inner holes or gaps, and 3% of the disks show PAH emission. Comparison with models indicates that dust grains in the surface of these disks have sizes of at least a few μm. The 20 μm silicate feature is sometimes seen in the absence of the 10 μm feature, which may be indicative of very small holes in these disks. No significant difference is found in the distribution of silicate feature shapes and strengths between sources in clusters and in the field. Moreover, the results in Serpens are compared with other well-studied samples: the c2d IRS sample distributed over five clouds and a large sample of disks in the Taurus star-forming region. The remarkably similar distributions of silicate feature characteristics in samples with different environment and median ages-if significant-imply that the dust population in the disk surface results from an equilibrium between dust growth and destructive collision processes

Comet Dust: The Story of Planet Formation as Told by the Tiniest of Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Wooden, D. H.

2005-01-01

Our planetary system formed out of a gas-rich disk-shaped nebula with the early Sun at its center. Many small icy bodies were consumed by the formation of the giant planets. However, many km-size icy bodies were tossed out of the giant-planet region to the cold, distant reaches of our solar system. Comets remained in their places of cold storage until perturbed into orbits that carry them into the inner solar system where they pass relatively close to the Sun. Comets are warmed by the Sun and shed material from their outer layers. The ices and gases shed by comets reveal simple and complex organic molecules were present at the time and in the region of the formation of the giant planets. Where the Earth was forming was too hot and had too intense sunlight for many of these ices and molecules to survive. The dust shed by comets tells us that some stardust survived unaltered but much of the dust was heated and crystallized before becoming part of the comet. Therefore, comet dust grains tell of large radial migrations from the cold outer reaches near Neptune into the hot regions near the forming Sun, and then back out to the cold regions where icy comets were accreting and forming. On 2005 July 4, the NASA Deep Impact Mission hit a comet and ejected primitive materials fiom its interior. These materials were not released into the comet s coma during normal activity. Despite the many passages of this comet close to the Sun, these primitive volatile gases and dust grains survived in its interior. Comet dust grains show that cold and hot materials were mixed into the same tiny particle very early in the formation of the solar system, and these aggregate dust grains never saw high temperatures again. The survival of primitive materials in comet nuclei suggests comets could have delivered organic molecules and primitive dust grains to early Earth.

Astronomer's new guide to the galaxy: largest map of cold dust revealed

Science.gov (United States)

2009-07-01

Astronomers have unveiled an unprecedented new atlas of the inner regions of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, peppered with thousands of previously undiscovered dense knots of cold cosmic dust -- the potential birthplaces of new stars. Made using observations from the APEX telescope in Chile, this survey is the largest map of cold dust so far, and will prove an invaluable map for observations made with the forthcoming ALMA telescope, as well as the recently launched ESA Herschel space telescope. ESO PR Photo 24a/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey (annotated and in five sections) ESO PR Photo 24b/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey (annotated) ESO PR Photo 24c/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey (in five sections) ESO PR Photo 24d/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey ESO PR Photo 24e/09 The Galactic Centre and Sagittarius B2 ESO PR Photo 24f/09 The NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 nebulae ESO PR Photo 24g/09 The RCW120 nebula ESO PR Video 24a/09 Annotated pan as seen by the ATLASGAL survey This new guide for astronomers, known as the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL) shows the Milky Way in submillimetre-wavelength light (between infrared light and radio waves [1]). Images of the cosmos at these wavelengths are vital for studying the birthplaces of new stars and the structure of the crowded galactic core. "ATLASGAL gives us a new look at the Milky Way. Not only will it help us investigate how massive stars form, but it will also give us an overview of the larger-scale structure of our galaxy", said Frederic Schuller from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, leader of the ATLASGAL team. The area of the new submillimetre map is approximately 95 square degrees, covering a very long and narrow strip along the galactic plane two degrees wide (four times the width of the full Moon) and over 40 degrees long. The 16 000 pixel-long map was made with the LABOCA submillimetre

The dust-acoustic mode in two-temperature electron plasmas with ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... charging fluctuations, the dispersion peculiarities of dust-acoustic waves are studied based on dust fluid dynamics. The present results show that the effect will introduce a dissipation on the mode, and the dispersion and the dissipation depend on the temperature ratio and number density ratio of hot and cold electrons.

Mid-Infrared Silicate Dust Features in Seyfert 1 Spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Grant D.; Levenson, N. A.; Sirocky, M. M.; Uddin, S.

2007-12-01

Silicate dust emission dominates the mid-infrared spectra of galaxies, and the dust produces two spectral features, at 10 and 18 μm. These features' strengths (in emission or absorption) and peak wavelengths reveal the geometry of the dust distribution, and they are sensitive to the dust composition. We examine mid-infrared spectra of 32 Seyfert 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN), observed with the Infrared Spectrograph aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. In the spectra, we typically find the shorter-wavelength feature in emission, at an average peak wavelength of 10.0 μm, although it is known historically as the "9.7 μm" feature. In addition, peak wavelength increases with feature strength. The 10 and 18 μm feature strengths together are sensitive to the dust geometry surrounding the central heating engine. Numerical calculations of radiative transfer distinguish between clumpy and smooth distributions, and we find that the surroundings of these AGN (the obscuring "tori" of unified AGN schemes) are clumpy. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features are associated with star formation, and we find strong PAH emission (luminosity ≥ 1042 erg/s) in only four sources, three of which show independent evidence for starbursts. We will explore the effects of luminosity on dust geometry and chemistry in a comparison sample of quasars. We acknowledge work supported by the NSF under grant number 0237291.

THE MULTI-PHASE COLD FOUNTAIN IN M82 REVEALED BY A WIDE, SENSITIVE MAP OF THE MOLECULAR INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leroy, Adam K.; Martini, Paul; Walter, Fabian; Roussel, Hélène; Sandstrom, Karin; Ott, Jürgen; Weiss, Axel; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Schuster, Karl; Dessauges-Zavadsky, Miroslava

2015-01-01

We present a wide area (≈8 × 8 kpc), sensitive map of CO (2–1) emission around the nearby starburst galaxy M82. Molecular gas extends far beyond the stellar disk, including emission associated with the well-known outflow as far as 3 kpc from M82's midplane. Kinematic signatures of the outflow are visible in both the CO and H i emission: both tracers show a minor axis velocity gradient and together they show double peaked profiles, consistent with a hot outflow bounded by a cone made of a mix of atomic and molecular gas. Combining our CO and H i data with observations of the dust continuum, we study the changing properties of the cold outflow as it leaves the disk. While H 2 dominates the ISM near the disk, the dominant phase of the cool medium changes as it leaves the galaxy and becomes mostly atomic after about a kpc. Several arguments suggest that regardless of phase, the mass in the cold outflow does not make it far from the disk; the mass flux through surfaces above the disk appears to decline with a projected scale length of ≈1–2 kpc. The cool material must also end up distributed over a much wider angle than the hot outflow based on the nearly circular isophotes of dust and CO at low intensity and the declining rotation velocities as a function of height from the plane. The minor axis of M82 appears so striking at many wavelengths because the interface between the hot wind cavity and the cool gas produces Hα, hot dust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission, and scattered UV light. We also show the level at which a face-on version of M82 would be detectable as an outflow based on unresolved spectroscopy. Finally, we consider multiple constraints on the CO-to-H 2 conversion factor, which must change across the galaxy but appears to be only a factor of ≈2 lower than the Galactic value in the outflow

THE MULTI-PHASE COLD FOUNTAIN IN M82 REVEALED BY A WIDE, SENSITIVE MAP OF THE MOLECULAR INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leroy, Adam K.; Martini, Paul [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Walter, Fabian [Max Planck Institute für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg (Germany); Roussel, Hélène [Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC (Univ. Paris 06), CNRS (UMR 7095), F-75014 Paris (France); Sandstrom, Karin [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Ott, Jürgen [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Weiss, Axel [Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hgel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Bolatto, Alberto D. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Schuster, Karl [IRAM, 300 rue de la Piscine, F-38406 St. Martin d’Hères (France); Dessauges-Zavadsky, Miroslava [Observatoire de Geneve, 1290 Sauverny (Switzerland)

2015-12-01

We present a wide area (≈8 × 8 kpc), sensitive map of CO (2–1) emission around the nearby starburst galaxy M82. Molecular gas extends far beyond the stellar disk, including emission associated with the well-known outflow as far as 3 kpc from M82's midplane. Kinematic signatures of the outflow are visible in both the CO and H i emission: both tracers show a minor axis velocity gradient and together they show double peaked profiles, consistent with a hot outflow bounded by a cone made of a mix of atomic and molecular gas. Combining our CO and H i data with observations of the dust continuum, we study the changing properties of the cold outflow as it leaves the disk. While H{sub 2} dominates the ISM near the disk, the dominant phase of the cool medium changes as it leaves the galaxy and becomes mostly atomic after about a kpc. Several arguments suggest that regardless of phase, the mass in the cold outflow does not make it far from the disk; the mass flux through surfaces above the disk appears to decline with a projected scale length of ≈1–2 kpc. The cool material must also end up distributed over a much wider angle than the hot outflow based on the nearly circular isophotes of dust and CO at low intensity and the declining rotation velocities as a function of height from the plane. The minor axis of M82 appears so striking at many wavelengths because the interface between the hot wind cavity and the cool gas produces Hα, hot dust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission, and scattered UV light. We also show the level at which a face-on version of M82 would be detectable as an outflow based on unresolved spectroscopy. Finally, we consider multiple constraints on the CO-to-H{sub 2} conversion factor, which must change across the galaxy but appears to be only a factor of ≈2 lower than the Galactic value in the outflow.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Dust properties of major-merger galaxy pairs (Domingue+, 2016)

Science.gov (United States)

Domingue, D. L.; Cao, C.; Xu, C. K.; Jarrett, T. H.; Ronca, J.; Hill, E.; Jacques, A.

2018-04-01

We present an analysis of dust properties of a sample of close major-merger galaxy pairs selected by Ks magnitude and redshift. The pairs represent the two populations of spiral-spiral (S+S) and mixed morphology spiral-elliptical (S+E). The Code Investigating GALaxy Emission (CIGALE) software is used to fit dust models to the Two Micron All Sky Survey, Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, and Herschel flux density measurements, and to derive the parameters describing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contribution, interstellar radiation field, and photodissociation regions. Model fits verify our previous Spitzer Space Telescope analysis that S+S and S+E pairs do not have the same level of enhancement of star formation and differ in dust composition. (1 data file).

YOUNG, ULTRAVIOLET-BRIGHT STARS DOMINATE DUST HEATING IN STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Law, Ka-Hei; Gordon, Karl D.; Misselt, K. A.

2011-01-01

In star-forming galaxies, dust plays a significant role in shaping the ultraviolet (UV) through infrared (IR) spectrum. Dust attenuates the radiation from stars, and re-radiates the energy through equilibrium and non-equilibrium emission. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), graphite, and silicates contribute to different features in the spectral energy distribution; however, they are all highly opaque in the same spectral region-the UV. Compared to old stellar populations, young populations release a higher fraction of their total luminosity in the UV, making them a good source of the energetic UV photons that can power dust emission. However, given their relative abundance, the question of whether young or old stellar populations provide most of these photons that power the IR emission is an interesting question. Using three samples of galaxies observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope and our dusty radiative transfer model, we find that young stellar populations (on the order of 100 million years old) dominate the dust heating in star-forming galaxies, and old stellar populations (13 billion years old) generally contribute less than 20% of the far-IR luminosity.

Solitons in dusty plasmas with positive dust grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baluku, T. K.; Hellberg, M. A.; Mace, R. L.

2008-01-01

Although ''typical'' micrometer-sized dust grains in a space or laboratory plasma are often negatively charged because of collisions with the mobile electrons, there are environments in which grains may take on a positive charge. We consider a dusty plasma composed of electrons, positive ions and positive dust grains, and use the fluid dynamic paradigm to identify existence domains in parameter space for both dust-acoustic (DA) and dust-modified ion-acoustic (DIA) solitons. Only positive potential DA solitons are found. This represents an expected antisymmetry with the case of negative dust, where previously only negative solitons were reported. However, whereas for negative dust DIA solitons of either sign of potential may exist, we find that for the case of positive dust, DIA solitons are restricted to positive potentials only. The results for both positive and negative dust are consistent with an hypothesis that, in the absence of flows, the sign(s) of the soliton potential coincide(s) with the sign(s) of the species whose inertia is included in the calculation; i.e., the cold, supersonic species present in the plasma

Climatology of atmospheric circulation patterns of Arabian dust in western Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Najafi, Mohammad Saeed; Sarraf, B S; Zarrin, A; Rasouli, A A

2017-08-28

Being in vicinity of vast deserts, the west and southwest of Iran are characterized by high levels of dust events, which have adverse consequences on human health, ecosystems, and environment. Using ground based dataset of dust events in western Iran and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the atmospheric circulation patterns of dust events in the Arabian region and west of Iran are identified. The atmospheric circulation patterns which lead to dust events in the Arabian region and western Iran were classified into two main categories: the Shamal dust events that occurs in warm period of year and the frontal dust events as cold period pattern. In frontal dust events, the western trough or blocking pattern at mid-level leads to frontogenesis, instability, and air uplift at lower levels of troposphere in the southwest of Asia. Non-frontal is other pattern of dust event in the cold period and dust generation are due to the regional circulation systems at the lower level of troposphere. In Shamal wind pattern, the Saudi Arabian anticyclone, Turkmenistan anticyclone, and Zagros thermal low play the key roles in formation of this pattern. Summer and transitional patterns are two sub-categories of summer Shamal wind pattern. In summer trough pattern, the mid-tropospheric trough leads to intensify the surface thermal systems in the Middle East and causes instability and rising of wind speed in the region. In synthetic pattern of Shamal wind and summer trough, dust is created by the impact of a trough in mid-levels of troposphere as well as existing the mentioned regional systems which are contributed in formation of summer Shamal wind pattern.

Gathering dust: A galaxy-wide study of dust emission from cloud complexes in NGC 300

Science.gov (United States)

Riener, M.; Faesi, C. M.; Forbrich, J.; Lada, C. J.

2018-05-01

Aims: We use multi-band observations by the Herschel Space Observatory to study the dust emission properties of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300. We compile a first catalogue of the population of giant dust clouds (GDCs) in NGC 300, including temperature and mass estimates, and give an estimate of the total dust mass of the galaxy. Methods: We carried out source detection with the multiwavelength source extraction algorithm getsources. We calculated physical properties, including mass and temperature, of the GDCs from five-band Herschel PACS and SPIRE observations from 100 to 500 μm; the final size and mass estimates are based on the observations at 250 μm that have an effective spatial resolution of 170 pc. We correlated our final catalogue of GDCs to pre-existing catalogues of HII regions to infer the number of GDCs associated with high-mass star formation and determined the Hα emission of the GDCs. Results: Our final catalogue of GDCs includes 146 sources, 90 of which are associated with known HII regions. We find that the dust masses of the GDCs are completely dominated by the cold dust component and range from 1.1 × 103 to 1.4 × 104 M⊙. The GDCs have effective temperatures of 13-23 K and show a distinct cold dust effective temperature gradient from the centre towards the outer parts of the stellar disk. We find that the population of GDCs in our catalogue constitutes 16% of the total dust mass of NGC 300, which we estimate to be about 5.4 × 106 M⊙. At least about 87% of our GDCs have a high enough average dust mass surface density to provide sufficient shielding to harbour molecular clouds. We compare our results to previous pointed molecular gas observations in NGC 300 and results from other nearby galaxies and also conclude that it is very likely that most of our GDCs are associated with complexes of giant molecular clouds. The catalogue is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http

Glitters of warm H2 in cold diffuse molecular gas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Falgarone, Edith; Beichman, Chaz; Boulanger, Francois; Combes, Francoise; Gry, Cecile; Helou, Georges; Laureijs, Rene; Pineau Des Forets, Guillaume; Valentijn, Edwin; Verstraete, Laurent

2004-01-01

Cold molecular hydrogen, a possibly dominant gas fraction in galaxies, does not radiate due to the symmetry and small moment of inertia of the molecule. The only tracers of cold H2, the rotational lines of CO and dust thermal emission operate only in metal-rich environments. By detecting the lowest

Existence domains of dust-acoustic solitons and supersolitons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maharaj, S. K.; Bharuthram, R.; Singh, S. V.; Lakhina, G. S.

2013-01-01

Using the Sagdeev potential method, the existence of large amplitude dust-acoustic solitons and supersolitons is investigated in a plasma comprising cold negative dust, adiabatic positive dust, Boltzmann electrons, and non-thermal ions. This model supports the existence of positive potential supersolitons in a certain region in parameter space in addition to regular solitons having negative and positive potentials. The lower Mach number limit for supersolitons coincides with the occurrence of double layers whereas the upper limit is imposed by the constraint that the adiabatic positive dust number density must remain real valued. The upper Mach number limits for negative potential (positive potential) solitons coincide with limiting values of the negative (positive) potential for which the negative (positive) dust number density is real valued. Alternatively, the existence of positive potential solitons can terminate when positive potential double layers occur

Dust in planetary nebulae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwok, S.

1980-01-01

A two-component dust model is suggested to explain the infrared emission from planetary nebulae. A cold dust component located in the extensive remnant of the red-giant envelope exterior to the visible nebula is responsible for the far-infrared emission. A ward dust component, which is condensed after the formation of the planetary nebula and confined within the ionized gas shell, emits most of the near- and mid-infrared radiation. The observations of NGC 7027 are shown to be consisten with such a model. The correlation of silicate emission in several planetary nebulae with an approximately +1 spectral index at low radio frequencies suggests that both the silicate and radio emissions originate from the remnant of the circumstellar envelope of th precursor star and are observable only while the planetary nebula is young. It is argued that oxygen-rich stars as well as carbon-rich stars can be progenitors of planetary nebulae

MAJOR-MERGER GALAXY PAIRS AT Z = 0: DUST PROPERTIES AND COMPANION MORPHOLOGY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domingue, Donovan L.; Ronca, Joseph; Hill, Emily; Jacques, Allison [Georgia College and State University, CBX 82, Milledgeville, GA 31061 (United States); Cao, Chen [School of Space Science and Physics, Shandong University, Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209 (China); Xu, C. Kevin [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology 100-22, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Jarrett, Thomas H. [University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Republic of South Africa (South Africa)

2016-10-01

We present an analysis of dust properties of a sample of close major-merger galaxy pairs selected by K {sub s} magnitude and redshift. The pairs represent the two populations of spiral–spiral (S+S) and mixed morphology spiral–elliptical (S+E). The Code Investigating GALaxy Emission software is used to fit dust models to the Two Micron All Sky Survey, Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer , and Herschel flux density measurements, and to derive the parameters describing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contribution, interstellar radiation field, and photodissociation regions. Model fits verify our previous Spitzer Space Telescope analysis that S+S and S+E pairs do not have the same level of enhancement of star formation and differ in dust composition. The spirals of mixed-morphology galaxy pairs do not exhibit the enhancements in interstellar radiation field and therefore dust temperature for spirals in S+S pairs in contrast to what would be expected according to standard models of gas redistribution due to encounter torques. This suggests the importance of the companion environment/morphology in determining the dust properties of a spiral galaxy in a close major-merger pair.

MAJOR-MERGER GALAXY PAIRS AT Z = 0: DUST PROPERTIES AND COMPANION MORPHOLOGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domingue, Donovan L.; Ronca, Joseph; Hill, Emily; Jacques, Allison; Cao, Chen; Xu, C. Kevin; Jarrett, Thomas H.

2016-01-01

We present an analysis of dust properties of a sample of close major-merger galaxy pairs selected by K s magnitude and redshift. The pairs represent the two populations of spiral–spiral (S+S) and mixed morphology spiral–elliptical (S+E). The Code Investigating GALaxy Emission software is used to fit dust models to the Two Micron All Sky Survey, Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer , and Herschel flux density measurements, and to derive the parameters describing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contribution, interstellar radiation field, and photodissociation regions. Model fits verify our previous Spitzer Space Telescope analysis that S+S and S+E pairs do not have the same level of enhancement of star formation and differ in dust composition. The spirals of mixed-morphology galaxy pairs do not exhibit the enhancements in interstellar radiation field and therefore dust temperature for spirals in S+S pairs in contrast to what would be expected according to standard models of gas redistribution due to encounter torques. This suggests the importance of the companion environment/morphology in determining the dust properties of a spiral galaxy in a close major-merger pair.

Extended dust in dwarf galaxies - solving an energy-budget paradox?

Science.gov (United States)

Keel, William C.; Holwerda, Benne; Lintott, Chris; Schawinski, Kevin

2012-02-01

The role of dust in shaping the emerging spectral energy distributions of galaxies remains poorly understood; recent Herschel results suggest large amounts of cold dust coupled with only modest optical extinction for much of the galaxy population. Previous work has used the discovery of a silhouetted-galaxy pair of a backlit dwarf galaxy with dust features extending beyond the de Vaucouleurs radius to investigate this question. We propose to examine a larger set of galaxies of this type drawn from the Galaxy Zoo catalog of silhouetted-galaxy pairs, to see whether a significant fraction of dwarfs have such extensive dust distributions. The catalog contains ~ 150 candidate backlit dwarfs; if such dust distributions are common enough to account for the Herschel results, we would see many additional cases of silhouetted dust beyond their stellar disks.

Dynamics of dust in astrophysical plasma and implications

Science.gov (United States)

Hoang, Thiem

2012-06-01

Dust is a ubiquitous constituent of the interstellar medium, molecular clouds, and circumstellar and protoplanetary disks. Dust emission interferes with observations of cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy and its polarized emission dominates the CMB B-mode polarization that prevents us from getting insight into the inflation epoch of the early universe. In my PhD thesis, I have studied fundamental physical processes of dust dynamics in astrophysical plasma and explored their implications for observations of the CMB, studies of magnetic fields, and formation of planets. I have investigated the spinning dust emission from very small grains (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) of non-spherical shapes (including spheroid and triaxial ellipsoid shapes) that have grain axes fluctuating around grain angular momentum due to internal thermal fluctuations within the grain. I have proposed an approach based on Fourier transform to find power spectrum of spinning dust emission from grains of arbitrary grain shape. In particular, I have devised a method to find exact grain angular momentum distribution using the Langevin equation. I have explored the effects of transient spin-up by single-ion collisions, transient heating by single UV photons, and compressible turbulence on spinning dust emission. This improved model of spinning dust emission well reproduces observation data by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and allows a reliable separation of Galactic contamination from the CMB. I have identified grain helicity as the major driver for grain alignment via radiative torques (RATs) and suggested an analytical model of RATs based on this concept. Dust polarization predicted by the model has been confirmed by numerous observations, and can be used as a frequency template for the CMB B-mode searches. I have proposed a new type of dust acceleration due to magnetohydrodynamic turbulence through transit time damping for large grains, and quantified a

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission Toward the Galactic Bulge

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, M. J.; Peeters, E.; Cami, J.; Blommaert, J. A. D. L.

2018-03-01

We examine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), dust, and atomic/molecular emission toward the Galactic bulge using Spitzer Space Telescope observations of four fields: C32, C35, OGLE, and NGC 6522. These fields are approximately centered on (l, b) = (0.°0, 1.°0), (0.°0, ‑1.°0), (0.°4, ‑2.°4), and (1.°0, ‑3.°8), respectively. Far-infrared photometric observations complement the Spitzer/IRS spectroscopic data and are used to construct spectral energy distributions. We find that the dust and PAH emission are exceptionally similar between C32 and C35 overall, in part explained due to their locations—they reside on or near boundaries of a 7 Myr old Galactic outflow event and are partly shock-heated. Within the C32 and C35 fields, we identify a region of elevated Hα emission that is coincident with elevated fine-structure and [O IV] line emission and weak PAH feature strengths. We are likely tracing a transition zone of the outflow into the nascent environment. PAH abundances in these fields are slightly depressed relative to typical ISM values. In the OGLE and NGC 6522 fields, we observe weak features on a continuum dominated by zodiacal dust. SED fitting indicates that thermal dust grains in C32 and C35 have temperatures comparable to those of diffuse, high-latitude cirrus clouds. Little variability is detected in the PAH properties between C32 and C35, indicating that a stable population of PAHs dominates the overall spectral appearance. In fact, their PAH features are exceptionally similar to that of the M82 superwind, emphasizing that we are probing a local Galactic wind environment.

A fluid dynamic approach to the dust-acoustic soliton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie, J.F.; Doyle, T.B.

2002-01-01

The properties of dust-acoustic solitons are derived from a fluid dynamic viewpoint in which conservation of total momentum, combined with the Bernoulli-like energy equations for each species, yields the structure equation for the heavy (or dust) speed in the stationary wave. This fully nonlinear approach reveals the crucial role played by the heavy sonic point in limiting the collective dust-acoustic Mach number, above which solitons cannot exist. An exact solution illustrates that the cold heavy species is compressed and this implies concomitant contraints on the potential and on the flow speed of the electrons and protons in the wave

A Fluid Dynamic Approach to the Dust-Acoustic Soliton

Science.gov (United States)

McKenzie, J. F.; Doyle, T. B.

2002-12-01

The properties of dust-acoustic solitons are derived from a fluid dynamic viewpoint in which conservation of total momentum, combined with the Bernoulli-like energy equations for each species, yields the structure equation for the heavy (or dust) speed in the stationary wave. This fully nonlinear approach reveals the crucial role played by the heavy sonic point in limiting the collective dust-acoustic Mach number, above which solitons cannot exist. An exact solution illustrates that the cold heavy species is compressed and this implies concomitant contraints on the potential and on the flow speed of the electrons and protons in the wave.

MODELING DUST IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zonca, Alberto; Casu, Silvia; Mulas, Giacomo; Aresu, Giambattista [INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Via della Scienza 5, I-09047 Selargius (Italy); Cecchi-Pestellini, Cesare, E-mail: azonca@oa-cagliari.inaf.it, E-mail: silvia@oa-cagliari.inaf.it, E-mail: gmulas@oa-cagliari.inaf.it, E-mail: garesu@oa-cagliari.inaf.it, E-mail: cecchi-pestellini@astropa.inaf.it [INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, P.za Parlamento 1, I-90134 Palermo (Italy)

2015-09-01

We model the extinction profiles observed in the Small and Large Magellanic clouds with a synthetic population of dust grains consisting of core-mantle particles and a collection of free-flying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). All different flavors of the extinction curves observed in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) can be described by the present model, which has been previously (successfully) applied to a large sample of diffuse and translucent lines of sight in the Milky Way. We find that in the MCs the extinction produced by classical grains is generally larger than absorption by PAHs. Within this model, the nonlinear far-UV rise is accounted for by PAHs, whose presence in turn is always associated with a gap in the size distribution of classical particles. This hints either at a physical connection between (e.g., a common cause for) PAHs and the absence of middle-sized dust particles or the need for an additional component in the model that can account for the nonlinear far-UV rise without contributing to the UV bump at ∼217 nm such as, e.g., nanodiamonds.

MODELING DUST IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zonca, Alberto; Casu, Silvia; Mulas, Giacomo; Aresu, Giambattista; Cecchi-Pestellini, Cesare

2015-01-01

We model the extinction profiles observed in the Small and Large Magellanic clouds with a synthetic population of dust grains consisting of core-mantle particles and a collection of free-flying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). All different flavors of the extinction curves observed in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) can be described by the present model, which has been previously (successfully) applied to a large sample of diffuse and translucent lines of sight in the Milky Way. We find that in the MCs the extinction produced by classical grains is generally larger than absorption by PAHs. Within this model, the nonlinear far-UV rise is accounted for by PAHs, whose presence in turn is always associated with a gap in the size distribution of classical particles. This hints either at a physical connection between (e.g., a common cause for) PAHs and the absence of middle-sized dust particles or the need for an additional component in the model that can account for the nonlinear far-UV rise without contributing to the UV bump at ∼217 nm such as, e.g., nanodiamonds

Analysis of synoptic situation for dust storms in Iraq

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Jumaily, Kais J.; Ibrahim, Morwa K. [Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Science, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad (Iraq)

2013-07-01

Dust storms are considered major natural disasters that cause many damages to society and environment in Iraq and surrounded deserted regions. The aim of this research is to analyze and study the synoptic patterns leading to the formation of dust storms in Iraq. Analysis are based on satellite images, aerosols index and synoptic weather maps. Two severe dust storms occurred over Iraq on February 22, 2010, and on December 10, 2011 were analyzed. The results showed that dust storms form when a low-pressure system forms over Iran causing Shamal winds blow; they carry cool air from that region towards warmer regions like eastern Syria and Iraq. In some cases, this low-pressure system is followed by a high-pressure system brining more cold air to the region and pushing dust toward south. Dust storms are initiated from source regions near Iraq-Syria borders by the existence of negative vertical velocity, which causes dust particles to be lifted upwards, and the strong westerly wind drives dust to travel eastward.

Dust Evolution in Galaxy Cluster Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Gjergo, Eda; Granato, Gian Luigi; Murante, Giuseppe; Ragone-Figueroa, Cinthia; Tornatore, Luca; Borgani, Stefano

2018-06-01

We implement a state-of-the-art treatment of the processes affecting the production and Interstellar Medium (ISM) evolution of carbonaceous and silicate dust grains within SPH simulations. We trace the dust grain size distribution by means of a two-size approximation. We test our method on zoom-in simulations of four massive (M200 ≥ 3 × 1014M⊙) galaxy clusters. We predict that during the early stages of assembly of the cluster at z ≳ 3, where the star formation activity is at its maximum in our simulations, the proto-cluster regions are rich in dusty gas. Compared to the case in which only dust production in stellar ejecta is active, if we include processes occurring in the cold ISM,the dust content is enhanced by a factor 2 - 3. However, the dust properties in this stage turn out to be significantly different from those observationally derived for the average Milky Way dust, and commonly adopted in calculations of dust reprocessing. We show that these differences may have a strong impact on the predicted spectral energy distributions. At low redshift in star forming regions our model reproduces reasonably well the trend of dust abundances over metallicity as observed in local galaxies. However we under-produce by a factor of 2 to 3 the total dust content of clusters estimated observationally at low redshift, z ≲ 0.5 using IRAS, Planck and Herschel satellites data. This discrepancy does not subsist by assuming a lower sputtering efficiency, which erodes dust grains in the hot Intracluster Medium (ICM).

Compacting of fly dusts from cupola and electric arc furnace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Baricová

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Recycling and utilization of dust waste is important not only from the point of view of its usage as an alternative source of raw materials, but regarding the environmental problems also. Dust emissions arise from thermal and chemical or physical processes and mechanical actions. Two kinds of fl y dusts from cupola furnaces (hot and cold blast cupola furnace and fl y dust from electric arc furnace were used by experiments. They were pelletized only with addition of water and briquetted with diff erent addition of water glass, bentonite and cement. Quality of briquettes was tested by compression – strength test and by break down test in green state, after drying and afterstoring (1 month.

THE ORIGIN OF DUST IN EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ACCRETION ONTO SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martini, Paul [Department of Astronomy and Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Dicken, Daniel [Institut de Astrophysique Spatiale, Paris (France); Storchi-Bergmann, Thaisa [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Goncalves 9500, Caixa Postal 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2013-04-01

We have conducted an archival Spitzer study of 38 early-type galaxies in order to determine the origin of the dust in approximately half of this population. Our sample galaxies generally have good wavelength coverage from 3.6 {mu}m to 160 {mu}m, as well as visible-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. We use the Spitzer data to estimate dust masses, or establish upper limits, and find that all of the early-type galaxies with dust lanes in the HST data are detected in all of the Spitzer bands and have dust masses of {approx}10{sup 5}-10{sup 6.5} M{sub Sun }, while galaxies without dust lanes are not detected at 70 {mu}m and 160 {mu}m and typically have <10{sup 5} M{sub Sun} of dust. The apparently dust-free galaxies do have 24 {mu}m emission that scales with the shorter-wavelength flux, yet substantially exceeds the expectations of photospheric emission by approximately a factor of three. We conclude this emission is dominated by hot, circumstellar dust around evolved stars that does not survive to form a substantial interstellar component. The order-of-magnitude variations in dust masses between galaxies with similar stellar populations rule out a substantial contribution from continual, internal production in spite of the clear evidence for circumstellar dust. We demonstrate that the interstellar dust is not due to purely external accretion, unless the product of the merger rate of dusty satellites and the dust lifetime is at least an order of magnitude higher than expected. We propose that dust in early-type galaxies is seeded by external accretion, yet the accreted dust is maintained by continued growth in externally accreted cold gas beyond the nominal lifetime of individual grains. The several Gyr depletion time of the cold gas is long enough to reconcile the fraction of dusty early-type galaxies with the merger rate of gas-rich satellites. As the majority of dusty early-type galaxies are also low-luminosity active galactic nuclei and likely fueled

Electrical time resolved metrology of dust particles growing in low pressure cold plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wattieaux, Gaeetan [PRISME, Orleans University, 12 rue de Blois BP 6744, 45067 Orleans cedex 2 (France); Mezeghrane, Abdelaziz [LPCQ, Mouloud Mammeri University, Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria); Boufendi, Laiefa [GREMI, Orleans University, 14 rue d' Issoudun BP 6744, 45067 Orleans cedex 2 (France)

2011-09-15

The electrical parameters of a capacitively coupled radiofrequency (CCRF) discharge change significantly when dust arises in the discharge. This work demonstrates the ability to follow in real time the evolution of the size and of the concentration of dust particles forming in a CCRF discharge from the variation of the electron density and of the self-bias voltage of the active electrode. According to experimental findings, it appears that the variation of this self-bias voltage depends on the surface of the dust particles. This trend is confirmed by an analytical modelling considering the low frequency behaviour of the phenomenon.

Dust emission mechanisms in the central Sahara: new insights from remote field observations

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, C.; Washington, R.; Engelstaedter, S.

2013-12-01

North Africa is the world's largest source of mineral aerosol (dust). The Fennec Project, an international consortium led by the University of Oxford, is the first project to systematically instrument the remote central Sahara Desert. These observations have, among others, provided new insights into the atmospheric mechanisms of dust emission. Bordj Badji Mokhtar, in south-west Algeria, is within kilometres of the centre of the global mean summer dust maximum. The site, operated by Fennec partners ONM Algerie, has been heavily instrumented since summer 2011. During the Intensive Observation Period (IOP) in June 2011, four main emission mechanisms were observed and documented: cold pool outflows, low level jets (LLJs), monsoon surges and dry convective plumes. Establishing the relative importance of dust emission mechanisms has been a long-standing research goal. A detailed partitioning exercise of dust events during the IOP shows that 45% of the dust over BBM was generated by local emission in cold pool outflows, 14% by LLJs and only 2% by dry convective plumes. 27% of the dust was advected to the site rather than locally emitted and 12% of the dust was residual or ';background' dust. The work shows the primacy of cold pool outflows for dust emission in the region and also the important contribution of dust advection. In accordance with long-held ideas, the cube of wind speed is strongly correlated with dust emission. Surprisingly however, particles in long-range advection (>500km) were found to be larger than locally emitted dust. Although a clear LLJ wind structure is evident in the mean diurnal cycle during the IOP (12m/s peak winds at 935hPa between 04-05h), LLJs are only responsible for a relatively small amount of dust emission. There is significant daily variability in LLJ strength; the strongest winds are produced by a relatively small number of events. The position and strength of the Saharan Heat Low is strongly associated with the development (or

Revealing the meteorological drivers of the September 2015 severe dust event in the Eastern Mediterranean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Gasch

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In September 2015 one of the severest and most unusual dust events on record occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean. Surprisingly, operational dust transport models were unable to forecast the event. This study details the reasons for this failure and presents simulations of the event at convection-permitting resolution using the modelling system ICON-ART. The results allow for an in-depth analysis of the influence of the synoptic situation, the complex interaction of multiple driving atmospheric systems and the mineral dust radiative effect on the dust event. A comparison of the results with observations reveals the quality of the simulation results with respect to structure and timing of the dust transport. The forecast of the dust event is improved decisively. The event is triggered by the unusually early occurrence of an active Red Sea trough situation with an easterly axis over Mesopotamia. The connected sustained organized mesoscale convection produces multiple cold-pool outflows responsible for intense dust emissions. Complexity is added by the interaction with an intense heat low, the inland-penetrating Eastern Mediterranean sea breeze and the widespread occurrence of supercritical flow conditions and subsequent hydraulic jumps in the vicinity of the Dead Sea Rift Valley. The newly implemented mineral dust radiation interaction leads to systematically more intense and faster propagating cold-pool outflows.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and molecular hydrogen in oxygen-rich planetary nebulae: the case of NGC 6720.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, N L J; Pilleri, P; Berné, O; Cernicharo, J; Joblin, C

2016-02-11

Evolved stars are primary sources for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dust grains. Their circumstellar chemistry is usually designated as either oxygen-rich or carbon-rich, although dual-dust chemistry objects, whose infrared spectra reveal both silicate- and carbon-dust features, are also known. The exact origin and nature of this dual-dust chemistry is not yet understood. Spitzer -IRS mid-infrared spectroscopic imaging of the nearby, oxygen-rich planetary nebula NGC 6720 reveals the presence of the 11.3 μ m aromatic (PAH) emission band. It is attributed to emission from neutral PAHs, since no band is observed in the 7-8 μ m range. The spatial distribution of PAHs is found to closely follow that of the warm clumpy molecular hydrogen emission. Emission from both neutral PAHs and warm H 2 is likely to arise from photo-dissociation regions associated with dense knots that are located within the main ring. The presence of PAHs together with the previously derived high abundance of free carbon (relative to CO) suggest that the local conditions in an oxygen-rich environment can also become conducive to in-situ formation of large carbonaceous molecules, such as PAHs, via a bottom-up chemical pathway. In this scenario, the same stellar source can enrich the interstellar medium with both oxygen-rich dust and large carbonaceous molecules.

Exploring the Dust Content of Galactic Winds with Herschel. II. Nearby Dwarf Galaxies*

Science.gov (United States)

McCormick, Alexander; Veilleux, Sylvain; Meléndez, Marcio; Martin, Crystal L.; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Cecil, Gerald; Heitsch, Fabian; Müller, Thomas; Rupke, David S. N.; Engelbracht, Chad

2018-03-01

We present results from analysis of deep Herschel Space Observatory observations of six nearby dwarf galaxies known to host galactic-scale winds. The superior far-infrared sensitivity and angular resolution of Herschel have allowed detection of cold circumgalactic dust features beyond the stellar components of the host galaxies traced by Spitzer 4.5 μm images. Comparisons of these cold dust features with ancillary data reveal an imperfect spatial correlation with the ionized gas and warm dust wind components. We find that typically ˜10-20% of the total dust mass in these galaxies resides outside of their stellar disks, but this fraction reaches ˜60% in the case of NGC 1569. This galaxy also has the largest metallicity (O/H) deficit in our sample for its stellar mass. Overall, the small number of objects in our sample precludes drawing strong conclusions on the origin of the circumgalactic dust. We detect no statistically significant trends with star formation properties of the host galaxies, as might be expected if the dust were lifted above the disk by energy inputs from on-going star formation activity. Although a case for dust entrained in a galactic wind is seen in NGC 1569, in all cases, we cannot rule out the possibility that some of the circumgalactic dust might be associated instead with gas accreted or removed from the disk by recent galaxy interaction events, or that it is part of the outer gas-rich portion of the disk that lies below the sensitivity limit of the Spitzer 4.5 μm data.

A SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM SURVEY OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong Chul; Hwang, Ho Seong; Lee, Gwang-Ho

2016-01-01

We conduct a 350 μ m dust continuum emission survey of 17 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) at z = 0.05–0.08 with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We detect 14 DOGs with S 350μm = 114–650 mJy and signal-to-noise > 3. By including two additional DOGs with submillimeter data in the literature, we are able to study dust content for a sample of 16 local DOGs, which consist of 12 bump and four power-law types. We determine their physical parameters with a two-component modified blackbody function model. The derived dust temperatures are in the range 57–122 K and 22–35 K for the warm and cold dust components, respectively. The total dust mass and the mass fraction of the warm dust component are 3–34 × 10 7 M ⊙ and 0.03%–2.52%, respectively. We compare these results with those of other submillimeter-detected infrared luminous galaxies. The bump DOGs, the majority of the DOG sample, show similar distributions of dust temperatures and total dust mass to the comparison sample. The power-law DOGs show a hint of smaller dust masses than other samples, but need to be tested with a larger sample. These findings support that the reason DOGs show heavy dust obscuration is not an overall amount of dust content, but probably the spatial distribution of dust therein.

A SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM SURVEY OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Chul [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Ho Seong [School of Physics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, 85 Hoegiro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02455 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Gwang-Ho, E-mail: jclee@kasi.re.kr [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-20

We conduct a 350 μ m dust continuum emission survey of 17 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) at z = 0.05–0.08 with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We detect 14 DOGs with S{sub 350μm} = 114–650 mJy and signal-to-noise > 3. By including two additional DOGs with submillimeter data in the literature, we are able to study dust content for a sample of 16 local DOGs, which consist of 12 bump and four power-law types. We determine their physical parameters with a two-component modified blackbody function model. The derived dust temperatures are in the range 57–122 K and 22–35 K for the warm and cold dust components, respectively. The total dust mass and the mass fraction of the warm dust component are 3–34 × 10{sup 7} M {sub ⊙} and 0.03%–2.52%, respectively. We compare these results with those of other submillimeter-detected infrared luminous galaxies. The bump DOGs, the majority of the DOG sample, show similar distributions of dust temperatures and total dust mass to the comparison sample. The power-law DOGs show a hint of smaller dust masses than other samples, but need to be tested with a larger sample. These findings support that the reason DOGs show heavy dust obscuration is not an overall amount of dust content, but probably the spatial distribution of dust therein.

Long-term variability of dust events in Iceland (1949-2011)

Science.gov (United States)

Dagsson-Waldhauserova, P.; Arnalds, O.; Olafsson, H.

2014-12-01

The long-term frequency of atmospheric dust observations was investigated for the southern part of Iceland and interpreted together with earlier results obtained from northeastern (NE) Iceland (Dagsson-Waldhauserova et al., 2013). In total, over 34 dust days per year on average occurred in Iceland based on conventionally used synoptic codes for dust observations. However, frequent volcanic eruptions, with the re-suspension of volcanic materials and dust haze, increased the number of dust events fourfold (135 dust days annually). The position of the Icelandic Low determined whether dust events occurred in the NE (16.4 dust days annually) or in the southern (S) part of Iceland (about 18 dust days annually). The decade with the most frequent dust days in S Iceland was the 1960s, but the 2000s in NE Iceland. A total of 32 severe dust storms (visibility typically warm, occurring during summer/autumn (May-September) and during mild southwesterly winds, while the subarctic dust events (S Iceland) were mainly cold, occurring during winter/spring (March-May) and during strong northeasterly winds. About half of the dust events in S Iceland occurred in winter or at sub-zero temperatures. A good correlation was found between particulate matter (PM10) concentrations and visibility during dust observations at the stations Vík and Stórhöfði. This study shows that Iceland is among the dustiest areas of the world and that dust is emitted year-round.

Assessment of harmfulness of green sand with additions of dust from dry dedusting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Holtzer

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Recently, in the literature about the problems cause to the environment by foundry industry, attention has been paid to the presence and harmful effect of aromatic hydrocarbons: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and isomers of xylenes (BTEX and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs. The growing interest in these pollutants of the environment is a result of their biological activity; some of them are characterized by mutagenic and carcinogenic action. In foundries these hydrocarbons are emitted during the contact between mould or core sands and liquid metal.This article discusses the results of the studies made on the elution rate of some harmful compounds include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs (Table 3 and 4 from waste mould sand with bentonite and coal dust M1 (mixture Kormix 75 and this one with addition of dust from dry dedusting of sand M2 preparing station (partial replacement of bentonite and emission of BTEX gases from this moulds poured with molten cast iron. From the results given in these tables it follows that both mould sands are characterized by low values of the concentration of investigation substances and haven’t negative influence for environment during casting or management in other means. Tests were done according to the methodology developed at Faculty of Foundry Engineering University of Science and Technology in Cracow.

Polytetrafluoroethylene-jacketed stirrer modified with graphene oxide and polydopamine for the efficient extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zinxin; Mwadini, Mwadini Ahmada; Chen, Zilin

2016-10-01

Steel stirrers jacketed with polytetrafluoroethylene can be regarded as an ideal substrate for stirrer bar sorptive extraction. However, it is still a great challenge to immobilize graphene onto a polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer due to the high chemical resistance of the surface of a polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer. We describe here a method to modify the surface of polytetrafluoroethylene stirrers with graphene. In this work, graphene was used as the sorbent due to its excellent adsorption capability for aromatic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic compounds. Graphene was successfully immobilized onto polytetrafluoroethylene-stirrer by a bio-inspired polydopamine functionalization method. The graphene-modified polytetrafluoroethylene-stirrer shows good stability and tolerance to stirring, ultrasonication, strong acidic and basic solutions, and to organic solvents. The multilayer coating was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. After the optimization of some experimental conditions, the graphene-modified polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer was used for the stirrer bar sorptive extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in which the binding between the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the graphene layer was mainly based on π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. The graphene-modified polytetrafluoroethylene-stirrer-based stirrer bar sorptive extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with great extraction efficiency, with enrichment factors from 18 to 62. The method has low limits of detection of 1-5 pg/mL, wide linear range (5-100 and 10-200 pg/mL), good linearity (R ≥ 0.9957) and good reproducibility (RSD ≤ 6.45%). The proposed method has been applied to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in real dust samples. Good recoveries were obtained, ranging from 88.53 to 109.43%. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag

Nonlinear propagation of dust-acoustic solitary waves in a dusty ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

component unmag- netized dusty plasma consisting of trapped electrons, Maxwellian ions, and arbitrarily charged cold mobile dust was done. It has been found that, owing to the departure from the Maxwellian elec- tron distribution to a vortex-like ...

Exploring the dust content of galactic winds with Herschel - II. Nearby dwarf galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

McCormick, Alexander; Veilleux, Sylvain; Meléndez, Marcio; Martin, Crystal L.; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Cecil, Gerald; Heitsch, Fabian; Müller, Thomas; Rupke, David S. N.; Engelbracht, Chad

2018-06-01

We present the results from an analysis of deep Herschel Space Observatory observations of six nearby dwarf galaxies known to host galactic-scale winds. The superior far-infrared sensitivity and angular resolution of Herschel have allowed detection of cold circumgalactic dust features beyond the stellar components of the host galaxies traced by Spitzer 4.5 μm images. Comparisons of these cold dust features with ancillary data reveal an imperfect spatial correlation with the ionized gas and warm dust wind components. We find that typically ˜10-20 per cent of the total dust mass in these galaxies resides outside of their stellar discs, but this fraction reaches ˜60 per cent in the case of NGC 1569. This galaxy also has the largest metallicity (O/H) deficit in our sample for its stellar mass. Overall, the small number of objects in our sample precludes drawing strong conclusions on the origin of the circumgalactic dust. We detect no statistically significant trends with star formation properties of the host galaxies, as might be expected if the dust were lifted above the disc by energy inputs from ongoing star formation activity. Although a case for dust entrained in a galactic wind is seen in NGC 1569, in all cases, we cannot rule out the possibility that some of the circumgalactic dust might be associated instead with gas accreted or removed from the disc by recent galaxy interaction events, or that it is part of the outer gas-rich portion of the disc that lies below the sensitivity limit of the Spitzer 4.5 μm data.

Planck early results. XXII. The submillimetre properties of a sample of Galactic cold clumps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poutanen, T.; Natoli, P.; Polenta, G.

2011-01-01

We perform a detailed investigation of sources from the Cold Cores Catalogue of Planck Objects (C3PO). Our goal is to probe the reliability of the detections, validate the separation between warm and cold dust emission components, provide the first glimpse at the nature, internal morphology and p...

The dust-acoustic mode in two-temperature electron plasmas with ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

and the Poisson equation. ∇2ϕ1 = −. [. 4π e (ni1 − nec1 − neh1) + 4πqd0nd1 + 4πqd1nd0. ] ,. (3) where nd1, nec1, neh1 and ni1 are the perturbed dust, cold electron, hot electron and ion number density, vd1, ϕ1 are the perturbed dust fluid velocity and the electrostatic poten- tial, nd0 and qd0 are the equilibrium number ...

SOFIA/FORCAST OBSERVATIONS OF WARM DUST IN S106: A FRAGMENTED ENVIRONMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, J. D. [Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, Universities Space Research Association, NASA/Armstrong Flight Research Center, 2825 East Avenue P, Palmdale, CA 93550 (United States); Herter, T. L.; Lau, R. M.; Hankins, M. [Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Hora, J. L.; Fazio, G. G.; Fernandez, A. Guzman; Keto, E. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Schneider, N.; Simon, R. [KOSMA, I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Strasse 77, D-50937 Köln (Germany); Staguhn, J. G. [NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Smith, N. [Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States); Gehrz, R. D. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Allen, L. E. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Bontemps, S. [Université Bordeaux, LAB, UMR 5804, CNRS, F-33270, Floirac (France); Carey, S. J. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Gutermuth, R. A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, LGRT-B 619E, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003-9305 (United States); Hill, T. [Joint ALMA Observatory, 3107 Alonso de Cordova, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile); Koenig, X. P. [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Kraemer, K. E. [Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (United States); and others

2015-11-20

We present mid-IR (19–37 μm) imaging observations of S106 from SOFIA/FORCAST, complemented with IR observations from Spitzer/IRAC (3.6–8.0 μm), IRTF/MIRLIN (11.3 and 12.5 μm), and Herschel/PACS (70 and 160 μm). We use these observations, observations in the literature, and radiation transfer modeling to study the heating and composition of the warm (∼100 K) dust in the region. The dust is heated radiatively by the source S106 IR, with little contributions from grain–electron collisions and Lyα radiation. The dust luminosity is ≳(9.02 ± 1.01) × 10{sup 4} L{sub ⊙}, consistent with heating by a mid- to late-type O star. We find a temperature gradient (∼75–107 K) in the lobes, which is consistent with a dusty equatorial geometry around S106 IR. Furthermore, the SOFIA observations resolve several cool (∼65–70 K) lanes and pockets of warmer (∼75–90 K) dust in the ionization shadow, indicating that the environment is fragmented. We model the dust mass as a composition of amorphous silicates, amorphous carbon, big grains, very small grains, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We present the relative abundances of each grain component for several locations in S106.

Ventilation in homes infested by house-dust mites.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundell, J; Wickman, M; Pershagen, G; Nordvall, S L

1995-02-01

Thirty single-family homes with either high (> or = 2000 ng/g) or low (< or = 1000 ng/g) house-dust mite (HDM) allergen levels in mattress dust were examined for ventilation, thermal climate, and air quality (formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC). Elevated concentrations of HDM allergen in mattress and floor dust were associated with the difference in absolute humidity between indoor and outdoor air, as well as with low air-change rates of the home, particularly the bedroom. No correlation was found between concentration of TVOC or formaldehyde in bedroom air and HDM allergen concentration. In regions with a cold winter climate, the air-change rate of the home and the infiltration of outdoor air into the bedroom appear to be important for the infestation of HDM.

Formation and Evolution of Interstellar Dust - Bridging Astronomy and Laboratory Astrophysics.

Science.gov (United States)

Contreras, Cesar; Ricketts, C. L.; Salama, F.

2010-05-01

The study of the formation and the destruction processes of cosmic dust are essential to understand and to quantify the budget of extraterrestrial organic molecules. PAHs are important chemical building blocks of interstellar (IS) dust. They are detected in Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and in meteoritic samples. Additionally, observational, laboratory, and theoretical studies have shown that PAHs, in their neutral and ionized forms, are an important, ubiquitous component of the interstellar medium. Carbonaceous materials extracts from mixtures of hydrocarbons (C2H2, C2H4, and benzene) contain a high variety of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). (From Jager et al. Carbon 45 (2007) 2981-2994). Studies of large molecular and nano-sized interstellar dust analogs formed from PAH precursors have been performed in our laboratory under conditions that simulate interstellar and circumstellar environments. The species (molecules, molecular fragments, ions, nanoparticles, etc...) formed in the pulsed discharge nozzle (PDN) plasma source are detected and characterized with a high-sensitivity cavity ringdown spectrometer (CRDS) coupled to a Reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ReTOF-MS), thus providing both spectroscopic and ion mass information in-situ. We will present new experimental results that indicate that nanoparticles are generated in the plasma. From these unique measurements, we derive information on the nature, the size and the structure of interstellar dust particles, the growth and the destruction processes of IS dust and the resulting budget of extraterrestrial organic molecules. Acknowledgments: This research is supported by NASA APRA (Laboratory Astrophysics Program). C. S. C. & C. L. R. acknowledge the support of the NASA Postdoctoral Program.

Emission from small dust particles in diffuse and molecular cloud medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, J.P.; Desert, X.

1990-01-01

Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) observations of the whole galaxy has shown that long wavelength emission (100 and 60 micron bands) can be explained by thermal emission from big grains (approx 0.1 micron) radiating at their equilibrium temperature when heated by the InterStellar Radiation Field (ISRF). This conclusion has been confirmed by continuum sub-millimeter observations of the galactic plane made by the EMILIE experiment at 870 microns (Pajot et al. 1986). Nevertheless, shorter wavelength observations like 12 and 25 micron IRAS bands, show an emission from the galactic plane in excess with the long wavelength measurements which can only be explained by a much hotter particles population. Because dust at equilibrium cannot easily reach high temperatures required to explain this excess, this component is thought to be composed of very small dust grains or big molecules encompassing thermal fluctuations. Researchers present here a numerical model that computes emission, from Near Infrared Radiation (NIR) to Sub-mm wavelengths, from a non-homogeneous spherical cloud heated by the ISRF. This model fully takes into account the heating of dust by multi-photon processes and back-heating of dust in the Visual/Infrared Radiation (VIS-IR) so that it is likely to describe correctly emission from molecular clouds up to large A sub v and emission from dust experiencing temperature fluctuations. The dust is a three component mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, very small grains, and classical big grains with independent size distributions (cut-off and power law index) and abundances

Spitzer observations of dust emission from H II regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephens, Ian W. [Now at Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. (United States); Evans, Jessica Marie; Xue, Rui; Chu, You-Hua; Gruendl, Robert A.; Segura-Cox, Dominique M., E-mail: ianws@bu.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2014-04-01

Massive stars can alter physical conditions and properties of their ambient interstellar dust grains via radiative heating and shocks. The H II regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) offer ideal sites to study the stellar energy feedback effects on dust because stars can be resolved, and the galaxy's nearly face-on orientation allows us to unambiguously associate H II regions with their ionizing massive stars. The Spitzer Space Telescope survey of the LMC provides multi-wavelength (3.6-160 μm) photometric data of all H II regions. To investigate the evolution of dust properties around massive stars, we have analyzed spatially resolved IR dust emission from two classical H II regions (N63 and N180) and two simple superbubbles (N70 and N144) in the LMC. We produce photometric spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of numerous small subregions for each region based on its stellar distributions and nebular morphologies. We use DustEM dust emission model fits to characterize the dust properties. Color-color diagrams and model fits are compared with the radiation field (estimated from photometric and spectroscopic surveys). Strong radial variations of SEDs can be seen throughout the regions, reflecting the available radiative heating. Emission from very small grains drastically increases at locations where the radiation field is the highest, while polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) appear to be destroyed. PAH emission is the strongest in the presence of molecular clouds, provided that the radiation field is low.

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted from air particulate matter using a temperature programmable injector coupled to GC-C-IRMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikolajczuk, Agnieszka; Przyk, Elzbieta Perez; Geypens, Benny; Berglund, Michael; Taylor, Philip

2010-03-01

Compound specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) can provide information about the origin of analysed compounds - in this case, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the study, PAHs were extracted from three dust samples: winter and summer filter dust and tunnel dust. The measurement was performed using the method validated in our laboratory using pure, solid compounds and EPA 610 reference assortment. CSIA required an appropriate clean-up method to avoid an unresolved complex in the gas chromatographic analysis usually found in the chromatography of PAHs. Extensive sample clean-up for this particular matrix was found to be necessary to obtain good gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry analysis results. The sample purification method included two steps in which the sample is cleaned up and the aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons are separated. The concentration of PAHs in the measured samples was low; so a large volume injection technique (100 microl) was applied. The delta(VPDB)(13)C was measured with a final uncertainty smaller than 1 per thousand. Comparison of the delta(VPDB)(13)C signatures of PAHs extracted from different dust samples was feasible with this method and, doing so, significant differences were observed.

The physical and compositional properties of dust: what do we really know?

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A.

Many things in current interstellar dust studies are taken as well understood givens by much of the community. For example, it is widely held that interstellar dust is made up of only three components, i.e., “astronomical silicates”, graphite and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and that our understanding of these is now complete and sufficient enough to interpret astronomical observations of dust in galaxies. To zeroth order this is a reasonable approximation. However, while these “three pillars” of dust modelling have been useful in advancing our understanding over the last few decades, it is now apparent that they are insufficient to explain the observed evolution of the dust properties from one region to another. Thus, it is time to abandon the “three pillars” approach and to seek more physically-realistic interstellar dust analogues. The analysis of the pre-solar grains extracted from meteorites, interplanetary dust particles and from the Stardust mission, and the interpretation of x-ray scattering and absorption observations, supports the view that our current view of the interstellar dust composition(s) is indeed too naïve. The aim of this review is to point out where our current views are rather secure and, perhaps more importantly, where they are far from secure and we must re-think our ideas. To this aim ten aspects of interstellar dust will be scrutinised and re-evaluated in terms of their validity within the current observational, experimental, modelling and theoretical constraints. It is concluded from this analysis that we really do need to re-assess many of the fundamental assumptions relating to what we think we really do ‘know’ about interstellar dust. In particular, it is clear that unravelling the nature dust evolution in the interstellar medium is perhaps the key to significantly advancing our current understanding of interstellar dust. For example, the dust in the diffuse interstellar medium, molecular clouds, photo

Constraints on interstellar dust models from extinction and spectro-polarimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Siebenmorgen, R.; Voshchinnikov, N. V.; Bagnulo, S.; Cox, N. L. J.

2017-12-01

We present polarisation spectra of seven stars in the lines-of-sight towards the Sco OB1 association. Our spectra were obtained within the framework of the Large Interstellar Polarization Survey carried out with the FORS instrument of the ESO VLT. We have modelled the wavelength-dependence of extinction and linear polarisation with a dust model for the diffuse interstellar medium which consists of a mixture of particles with size ranging from the molecular domain of 0.5 nm up to 350 nm. We have included stochastically heated small dust grains with radii between 0.5 and 6 nm made of graphite and silicate, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (PAHs), and we have assumed that larger particles are prolate spheroids made of amorphous carbon and silicate. Overall, a dust model with eight free parameters best reproduces the observations, and is in agreement with cosmic abundance constraints. Reducing the number of free parameters leads to results that are inconsistent with the cosmic abundances of silicate and carbon. We found that aligned silicates are the dominant contributor to the observed polarisation, and that the polarisation spectra are best-fit by a lower limit of the equivolume sphere radius of aligned grains of 70-200 nm.

Biological response to millennial variability of dust and nutrient supply in the Subantarctic South Atlantic Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Robert F; Barker, Stephen; Fleisher, Martin; Gersonde, Rainer; Goldstein, Steven L; Kuhn, Gerhard; Mortyn, P Graham; Pahnke, Katharina; Sachs, Julian P

2014-07-13

Fluxes of lithogenic material and fluxes of three palaeo-productivity proxies (organic carbon, biogenic opal and alkenones) over the past 100,000 years were determined using the (230)Th-normalization method in three sediment cores from the Subantarctic South Atlantic Ocean. Features in the lithogenic flux record of each core correspond to similar features in the record of dust deposition in the EPICA Dome C ice core. Biogenic fluxes correlate with lithogenic fluxes in each sediment core. Our preferred interpretation is that South American dust, most probably from Patagonia, constitutes a major source of lithogenic material in Subantarctic South Atlantic sediments, and that past biological productivity in this region responded to variability in the supply of dust, probably due to biologically available iron carried by the dust. Greater nutrient supply as well as greater nutrient utilization (stimulated by dust) contributed to Subantarctic productivity during cold periods, in contrast to the region south of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), where reduced nutrient supply during cold periods was the principal factor limiting productivity. The anti-phased patterns of productivity on opposite sides of the APF point to shifts in the physical supply of nutrients and to dust as cofactors regulating productivity in the Southern Ocean. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Saharan dust - a carrier of persistent organic pollutants, metals and microbes to the Caribbean?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.H Garrison

2006-12-01

Full Text Available An international team of scientists from government agencies and universities in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI, Trinidad & Tobago, the Republic of Cape Verde, and the Republic of Mali (West Africa is working together to elucidate the role Saharan dust may play in the degradation of Caribbean ecosystems. The first step has been to identify and quantify the persistent organic pollutants (POPs, trace metals, and viable microorganisms in the atmosphere in dust source areas of West Africa, and in dust episodes at downwind sites in the eastern Atlantic (Cape Verde and the Caribbean (USVI and Trinidad & Tobago. Preliminary findings show that air samples from Mali contain a greater number of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs and in higher concentrations than the Caribbean sites. Overall, POP concentrations were similar in USVI and Trinidad samples. Trace metal concentrations were found to be similar to crustal composition with slight enrichment of lead in Mali. To date, hundreds of cultureable micro-organisms have been identified from Mali, Cape Verde, USVI, and Trinidad air samples. The sea fan pathogen, Aspergillus sydowii, has been identified in soil from Mali and in air samples from dust events in the Caribbean. We have shown that air samples from a dust-source region contain orders of magnitude more cultureable micro-organisms per volume than air samples from dust events in the Caribbean, which in turn contain 3-to 4-fold more cultureable microbes than during non-dust conditions. Rev. Biol. Trop. 54 (Suppl. 3: 9-21. Epub 2007 Jan. 15.

Dust Processing in Supernova Remnants: Spitzer MIPS SED and IRS Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, John W.; Petre, Robert; Katsuda Satoru; Andersen, M.; Rho, J.; Reach, W. T.; Bernard, J. P.

2011-01-01

We present Spitzer MIPS SED and IRS observations of 14 Galactic Supernova Remnants previously identified in the GLIMPSE survey. We find evidence for SNR/molecular cloud interaction through detection of [OI] emission, ionic lines, and emission from molecular hydrogen. Through black-body fitting of the MIPS SEDs we find the large grains to be warm, 29-66 K. The dust emission is modeled using the DUSTEM code and a three component dust model composed of populations of big grains, very small grains, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We find the dust to be moderately heated, typically by 30-100 times the interstellar radiation field. The source of the radiation is likely hydrogen recombination, where the excitation of hydrogen occurred in the shock front. The ratio of very small grains to big grains is found for most of the molecular interacting SNRs to be higher than that found in the plane of the Milky Way, typically by a factor of 2--3. We suggest that dust shattering is responsible for the relative over-abundance of small grains, in agreement with prediction from dust destruction models. However, two of the SNRs are best fit with a very low abundance of carbon grains to silicate grains and with a very high radiation field. A likely reason for the low abundance of small carbon grains is sputtering. We find evidence for silicate emission at 20 $\\mu$m in their SEDs, indicating that they are young SNRs based on the strong radiation field necessary to reproduce the observed SEDs.

Dust Emission at 8 and 24 μ m as Diagnostics of H ii Region Radiative Transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oey, M. S.; López-Hernández, J.; Kellar, J. A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 311 West Hall, 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1107 (United States); Pellegrini, E. W. [Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Überle-Str. 2, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Gordon, K. D.; Meixner, M.; Roman-Duval, J. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Jameson, K. E. [Astronomy Department and Laboratory for Millimeter-wave Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Li, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); Madden, S. C. [Laboratoire AIM, CEA, Université Paris VII, IRFU/Service d’Astrophysique, Bat. 709, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Bot, C. [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 Rue de l’Université, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Rubio, M. [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago (Chile); Tielens, A. G. G. M. [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300RA Leiden (Netherlands)

2017-07-20

We use the Spitzer Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution (SAGE) survey of the Magellanic Clouds to evaluate the relationship between the 8 μ m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, 24 μ m hot dust emission, and H ii region radiative transfer. We confirm that in the higher-metallicity Large Magellanic Cloud, PAH destruction is sensitive to optically thin conditions in the nebular Lyman continuum: objects identified as optically thin candidates based on nebular ionization structure show six times lower median 8 μ m surface brightness (0.18 mJy arcsec{sup −2}) than their optically thick counterparts (1.2 mJy arcsec{sup −2}). The 24 μ m surface brightness also shows a factor of three offset between the two classes of objects (0.13 versus 0.44 mJy arcsec{sup −2}, respectively), which is driven by the association between the very small dust grains and higher density gas found at higher nebular optical depths. In contrast, PAH and dust formation in the low-metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud is strongly inhibited such that we find no variation in either 8 μ m or 24 μ m emission between our optically thick and thin samples. This is attributable to extremely low PAH and dust production together with high, corrosive UV photon fluxes in this low-metallicity environment. The dust mass surface densities and gas-to-dust ratios determined from dust maps using Herschel HERITAGE survey data support this interpretation.

LOW TEMPERATURE FORMATION OF NITROGEN-SUBSTITUTED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PANHs)—BARRIERLESS ROUTES TO DIHYDRO(iso)QUINOLINES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parker, Dorian S. N.; Yang, Tao; Dangi, Beni B.; Kaiser, Ralf I. [Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Bera, Partha P.; Lee, Timothy J., E-mail: ralfk@hawaii.edu, E-mail: Timothy.J.Lee@nasa.gov [Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA 94035 (United States)

2015-12-20

Meteorites contain bio-relevant molecules such as vitamins and nucleobases, which consist of aromatic structures with embedded nitrogen atoms. Questions remain over the chemical mechanisms responsible for the formation of nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PANHs) in extraterrestrial environments. By exploiting single collision conditions, we show that a radical mediated bimolecular collision between pyridyl radicals and 1,3-butadiene in the gas phase forms nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PANHs) 1,4-dihydroquinoline and to a minor amount 1,4-dihydroisoquinoline. The reaction proceeds through the formation of a van der Waals complex, which circumnavigates the entrance barrier implying it can operate at very low kinetic energy and therefore at low temperatures of 10 K as present in cold molecular clouds such as TMC-1. The discovery of facile de facto barrierless exoergic reaction mechanisms leading to PANH formation could play an important role in providing a population of aromatic structures upon which further photo-processing of ice condensates could occur to form nucleobases.

Interstellar and ejecta dust in the cas a supernova remnant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arendt, Richard G. [CRESST, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Dwek, Eli; Kober, Gladys [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Rho, Jeonghee [SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043 (United States); Hwang, Una, E-mail: Richard.G.Arendt@nasa.gov [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2014-05-01

Infrared continuum observations provide a means of investigating the physical composition of the dust in the ejecta and swept up medium of the Cas A supernova remnant (SNR). Using low-resolution Spitzer IRS spectra (5-35 μm), and broad-band Herschel PACS imaging (70, 100, and 160 μm), we identify characteristic dust spectra, associated with ejecta layers that underwent distinct nuclear burning histories. The most luminous spectrum exhibits strong emission features at ∼9 and 21 μm and is closely associated with ejecta knots with strong Ar emission lines. The dust features can be reproduced by magnesium silicate grains with relatively low Mg to Si ratios. Another dust spectrum is associated with ejecta having strong Ne emission lines. It has no indication of any silicate features and is best fit by Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} dust. A third characteristic dust spectrum shows features that are best matched by magnesium silicates with a relatively high Mg to Si ratio. This dust is primarily associated with the X-ray-emitting shocked ejecta, but it is also evident in regions where shocked interstellar or circumstellar material is expected. However, the identification of dust composition is not unique, and each spectrum includes an additional featureless dust component of unknown composition. Colder dust of indeterminate composition is associated with emission from the interior of the SNR, where the reverse shock has not yet swept up and heated the ejecta. Most of the dust mass in Cas A is associated with this unidentified cold component, which is ≲ 0.1 M {sub ☉}. The mass of warmer dust is only ∼0.04 M {sub ☉}.

Nonlinear acoustic waves in nonthermal plasmas with negative and positive dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verheest, Frank

2009-01-01

Using a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism where nonlinear structures are stationary in a co-moving frame, large dust-acoustic solitary waves and double layers have been studied in plasmas with negative and positive cold dust, in the presence of nonthermal electrons and ions. This has been done in a systematic way, to delimit the compositional parameter space in which such modes can be found. The existence domain of negative/positive solitary waves is limited by infinite compression of the negative/positive dust or by the occurrence of negative/positive double layers. These double layers require a sufficient nonthermality of the electrons/ions and the presence of enough positive/negative dust. There are parameter ranges where both negative and positive solitary structures coexist, sometimes both of the solitary wave type, sometimes one a solitary wave and the other a double layer. Typical Sagdeev pseudopotentials and solitary wave profiles have been presented.

DUST PRODUCTION AND PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN SUPERNOVA 1987A REVEALED WITH ALMA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Indebetouw, R.; Chevalier, R. [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, PO Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Matsuura, M.; Barlow, M. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Dwek, E. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Zanardo, G. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Baes, M. [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Bouchet, P. [CEA-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Burrows, D. N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Clayton, G. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States); Fransson, C.; Lundqvist, P. [Department of Astronomy and the Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Gaensler, B. [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (Australia); Kirshner, R. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Lakićević, M. [Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, ST5 5BG (United Kingdom); Long, K. S.; Meixner, M. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Martí-Vidal, I. [Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, SE-43992 Onsala (Sweden); Marcaide, J. [Universidad de Valencia, C/Dr. Moliner 50, E-46100 Burjassot (Spain); McCray, R., E-mail: remy@virginia.edu [Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, UCB 391, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); and others

2014-02-10

Supernova (SN) explosions are crucial engines driving the evolution of galaxies by shock heating gas, increasing the metallicity, creating dust, and accelerating energetic particles. In 2012 we used the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array to observe SN 1987A, one of the best-observed supernovae since the invention of the telescope. We present spatially resolved images at 450 μm, 870 μm, 1.4 mm, and 2.8 mm, an important transition wavelength range. Longer wavelength emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation from shock-accelerated particles, shorter wavelengths by emission from the largest mass of dust measured in a supernova remnant (>0.2 M {sub ☉}). For the first time we show unambiguously that this dust has formed in the inner ejecta (the cold remnants of the exploded star's core). The dust emission is concentrated at the center of the remnant, so the dust has not yet been affected by the shocks. If a significant fraction survives, and if SN 1987A is typical, supernovae are important cosmological dust producers.

Constraint on the polarization of electric dipole emission from spinning dust

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoang, Thiem; Martin, P. G. [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada); Lazarian, A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705 (United States)

2013-12-20

Planck results have revealed that the electric dipole emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is the most reliable explanation for the anomalous microwave emission that interferes with cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation experiments. The emerging question is to what extent this emission component contaminates the polarized CMB radiation. We present constraints on polarized dust emission for the model of grain-size distribution and grain alignment that best fits the observed extinction and polarization curves. Two stars with a prominent polarization feature at λ = 2175 Å—HD 197770 and HD 147933-4—are chosen for our study. For HD 197770, we find that the model with aligned silicate grains plus weakly aligned PAHs can successfully reproduce the 2175 Å polarization feature; in contrast, for HD 147933-4, we find that the alignment of only silicate grains can account for that feature. The alignment function of PAHs for the best-fit model to the HD 197770 data is used to constrain polarized spinning dust emission. We find that the degree of polarization of spinning dust emission is about 1.6% at frequency ν ≈ 3 GHz and declines to below 0.9% for ν > 20 GHz. We also predict the degree of polarization of thermal dust emission at 353 GHz to be P {sub em} ≈ 11% and 14% for the lines of sight to the HD 197770 and HD 147933-4 stars, respectively.

THE 1.1 mm CONTINUUM SURVEY OF THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD: PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND EVOLUTION OF THE DUST-SELECTED CLOUDS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takekoshi, Tatsuya; Minamidani, Tetsuhiro; Sorai, Kazuo [Department of Cosmosciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810 (Japan); Komugi, Shinya; Muller, Erik; Mizuno, Norikazu; Kawamura, Akiko; Ezawa, Hajime [Chile Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), 2-21-1, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Kohno, Kotaro [Institute of Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, 2-21-1, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0015 (Japan); Tosaki, Tomoka [Joetsu University of Education, Joetsu, Niigata 943-8512 (Japan); Onishi, Toshikazu [Department of Physical Science, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen 1-1, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Fukui, Yasuo [Department of Astrophysics, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan); Oshima, Tai; Kawabe, Ryohei [Nobeyama Radio Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), 462-2, Nobeyama, Minamimaki, Minamisaku, Nagano 384-1305 (Japan); Scott, Kimberly S.; Austermann, Jason E.; Wilson, Grant W. [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Matsuo, Hiroshi [Department of Astronomical Science, School of Physical Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 2-21-1, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Aretxaga, Itziar; Hughes, David H. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE), 72000 Puebla (Mexico); and others

2017-01-20

The first 1.1 mm continuum survey toward the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) was performed using the AzTEC instrument installed on the ASTE 10 m telescope. This survey covered 4.5 deg{sup 2} of the SMC with 1 σ noise levels of 5–12 mJy beam{sup −1}, and 44 extended objects were identified. The 1.1 mm extended emission has good spatial correlation with Herschel 160 μ m, indicating that the origin of the 1.1 mm extended emission is thermal emission from a cold dust component. We estimated physical properties using the 1.1 mm and filtered Herschel data (100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μ m). The 1.1 mm objects show dust temperatures of 17–45 K and gas masses of 4 × 10{sup 3}–3 × 10{sup 5} M {sub ⊙}, assuming single-temperature thermal emission from the cold dust with an emissivity index, β , of 1.2 and a gas-to-dust ratio of 1000. These physical properties are very similar to those of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in our galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud. The 1.1 mm objects also displayed good spatial correlation with the Spitzer 24 μ m and CO emission, suggesting that the 1.1 mm objects trace the dense gas regions as sites of massive star formation. The dust temperature of the 1.1 mm objects also demonstrated good correlation with the 24 μ m flux connected to massive star formation. This supports the hypothesis that the heating source of the cold dust is mainly local star-formation activity in the 1.1 mm objects. The classification of the 1.1 mm objects based on the existence of star-formation activity reveals the differences in the dust temperature, gas mass, and radius, which reflects the evolution sequence of GMCs.

Simulating southwestern U.S. desert dust influences on supercell thunderstorms

Science.gov (United States)

Lerach, David G.; Cotton, William R.

2018-05-01

Three-dimensional numerical simulations were performed to evaluate potential southwestern U.S. dust indirect microphysical and direct radiative impacts on a real severe storms outbreak. Increased solar absorption within the dust plume led to modest increases in pre-storm atmospheric stability at low levels, resulting in weaker convective updrafts and less widespread precipitation. Dust microphysical impacts on convection were minor in comparison, due in part to the lofted dust concentrations being relatively few in number when compared to the background (non-dust) aerosol population. While dust preferentially serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) versus giant CCN had opposing effects on warm rain production, both scenarios resulted in ample supercooled water and subsequent glaciation aloft, yielding larger graupel and hail. Associated latent heating from condensation and freezing contributed little to overall updraft invigoration. With reduced rain production overall, the simulations that included dust effects experienced slightly reduced grid-cumulative precipitation and notably warmer and spatially smaller cold pools. Dust serving as ice nucleating particles did not appear to play a significant role. The presence of dust ultimately reduced the number of supercells produced but allowed for supercell evolution characterized by consistently higher values of relative vertical vorticity within simulated mesocyclones. Dust radiative and microphysical effects were relatively small in magnitude when compared to those from altering the background convective available potential energy and vertical wind shear. It is difficult to generalize such findings from a single event, however, due to a number of case-specific environmental factors. These include the nature of the low-level moisture advection and characteristics of the background aerosol distribution.

PAHs underfoot: Contaminated dust from coal-tar sealcoated pavement is widespread in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Van Metre, P.C.; Mahler, B.J.; Wilson, J.T.

2009-01-01

We reported in 2005 that runoff from parking lots treated with coal-tar-based sealcoat was a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to streams in Austin, Texas. Here we present new data from nine U. S. cities that show nationwide patterns in concentrations of PAHs associated with sealcoat Dust was swept from parking lots in six cities in the central and eastern U. S., where coal-tar-based sealcoat dominates use, and three cities in the western U. S., where asphalt-based sealcoat dominates use. For six central and eastern cities, median ?? PAH concentrations in dust from sealcoated and unsealcoated pavement are 2200 and 27 mg/kg, respectively. For three western cities, median ?? PAH concentrations in dust from sealcoated and unsealcoated pavement are similar and very low (2. 1 and 0. 8 mg/kg, respectively). Lakes in the central and eastern cities where pavement was sampled have bottom sediments with higher PAH concentrations than do those in the western cities relative to degree of urbanization. Bottom-sediment PAH assemblages are similar to those of sealcoated pavement dust regionally, implicating coal-tar-based sealcoat as a PAH source to the central and eastern lakes. Concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene in dust from coal-tar sealcoated pavement and adjacent soils greatly exceed generic soil screening levels, suggesting that research on human-health risk is warranted.

Persistent organic contaminants in Saharan dust air masses in West Africa, Cape Verde and the eastern Caribbean

Science.gov (United States)

Garrison, Virginia H.; Majewski, Michael S.; Foreman, William T.; Genualdi, Susan A.; Mohammed, Azad; Massey Simonich, Stacy L.

2014-01-01

Anthropogenic semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate, are toxic at low concentrations, and undergo long-range atmospheric transport (LRT) were identified and quantified in the atmosphere of a Saharan dust source region (Mali) and during Saharan dust incursions at downwind sites in the eastern Caribbean (U.S. Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago) and Cape Verde. More organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides (OCPPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected in the Saharan dust region than at downwind sites. Seven of the 13 OCPPs detected occurred at all sites: chlordanes, chlorpyrifos, dacthal, dieldrin, endosulfans, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and trifluralin. Total SOCs ranged from 1.9–126 ng/m3 (mean = 25 ± 34) at source and 0.05–0.71 ng/m3 (mean = 0.24 ± 0.18) at downwind sites during dust conditions. Most SOC concentrations were 1–3 orders of magnitude higher in source than downwind sites. A Saharan source was confirmed for sampled air masses at downwind sites based on dust particle elemental composition and rare earth ratios, atmospheric back trajectory models, and field observations. SOC concentrations were considerably below existing occupational and/or regulatory limits; however, few regulatory limits exist for these persistent organic compounds. Long-term effects of chronic exposure to low concentrations of SOCs are unknown, as are possible additive or synergistic effects of mixtures of SOCs, biologically active trace metals, and mineral dust particles transported together in Saharan dust air masses.

Bioassay of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Kirk, E.A.

1980-08-01

A positive relationship was found between the photodynamic activity of 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons versus published results on the mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and initiation of unscheduled DNA synthesis. Metabolic activation of benzo(a)pyrene resulted in detection of increased mutagenesis in Paramecium tetraurelia as found also in the Ames Salmonella assay. The utility of P. tetraurelia as a biological detector of hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is discussed.

RECONSTRUCTING THE STELLAR MASS DISTRIBUTIONS OF GALAXIES USING S4G IRAC 3.6 AND 4.5 μm IMAGES. I. CORRECTING FOR CONTAMINATION BY POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, HOT DUST, AND INTERMEDIATE-AGE STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meidt, Sharon E.; Schinnerer, Eva; Knapen, Johan H.; Bosma, Albert; Athanassoula, E.; Sheth, Kartik; Muñoz-Mateos, Juan-Carlos; Buta, Ronald J.; Zaritsky, Dennis; Hinz, Joannah L.; Skibba, Ramin A.; Laurikainen, Eija; Salo, Heikki; Elmegreen, Debra; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Gadotti, Dimitri A.; Regan, Michael; Ho, Luis C.; Madore, Barry F.; Gil de Paz, Armando

2012-01-01

With the aim of constructing accurate two-dimensional maps of the stellar mass distribution in nearby galaxies from Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies 3.6 and 4.5 μm images, we report on the separation of the light from old stars from the emission contributed by contaminants. Results for a small sample of six disk galaxies (NGC 1566, NGC 2976, NGC 3031, NGC 3184, NGC 4321, and NGC 5194) with a range of morphological properties, dust content, and star formation histories are presented to demonstrate our approach. To isolate the old stellar light from contaminant emission (e.g., hot dust and the 3.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature) in the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm bands we use an independent component analysis (ICA) technique designed to separate statistically independent source distributions, maximizing the distinction in the [3.6]-[4.5] colors of the sources. The technique also removes emission from evolved red objects with a low mass-to-light ratio, such as asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and red supergiant (RSG) stars, revealing maps of the underlying old distribution of light with [3.6]-[4.5] colors consistent with the colors of K and M giants. The contaminants are studied by comparison with the non-stellar emission imaged at 8 μm, which is dominated by the broad PAH feature. Using the measured 3.6 μm/8 μm ratio to select individual contaminants, we find that hot dust and PAHs together contribute between ∼5% and 15% to the integrated light at 3.6 μm, while light from regions dominated by intermediate-age (AGB and RSG) stars accounts for only 1%-5%. Locally, however, the contribution from either contaminant can reach much higher levels; dust contributes on average 22% to the emission in star-forming regions throughout the sample, while intermediate-age stars contribute upward of 50% in localized knots. The removal of these contaminants with ICA leaves maps of the old stellar disk that retain a high degree of structural information

COLLISIONAL GROOMING MODELS OF THE KUIPER BELT DUST CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Stark, Christopher C.

2010-01-01

We modeled the three-dimensional structure of the Kuiper Belt (KB) dust cloud at four different dust production rates, incorporating both planet-dust interactions and grain-grain collisions using the collisional grooming algorithm. Simulated images of a model with a face-on optical depth of ∼10 -4 primarily show an azimuthally symmetric ring at 40-47 AU in submillimeter and infrared wavelengths; this ring is associated with the cold classical KB. For models with lower optical depths (10 -6 and 10 -7 ), synthetic infrared images show that the ring widens and a gap opens in the ring at the location of Neptune; this feature is caused by trapping of dust grains in Neptune's mean motion resonances. At low optical depths, a secondary ring also appears associated with the hole cleared in the center of the disk by Saturn. Our simulations, which incorporate 25 different grain sizes, illustrate that grain-grain collisions are important in sculpting today's KB dust, and probably other aspects of the solar system dust complex; collisions erase all signs of azimuthal asymmetry from the submillimeter image of the disk at every dust level we considered. The model images switch from being dominated by resonantly trapped small grains ('transport dominated') to being dominated by the birth ring ('collision dominated') when the optical depth reaches a critical value of τ ∼ v/c, where v is the local Keplerian speed.

Collisional Grooming Models of the Kuiper Belt Dust Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Stark, Christopher C.

2010-01-01

We modeled the three-dimensional structure of the Kuiper Belt (KB) dust cloud at four different dust production rates, incorporating both planet-dust interactions and grain-grain collisions using the collisional grooming algorithm. Simulated images of a model with a face-on optical depth of approximately 10 (exp -4) primarily show an azimuthally- symmetric ring at 40-47 AU in submillimeter and infrared wavelengths; this ring is associated with the cold classical KB. For models with lower optical depths (10 (exp -6) and 10 (exp-7)), synthetic infrared images show that the ring widens and a gap opens in the ring at the location of Neptune; this feature is caused by trapping of dust grains in Neptune's mean motion resonances. At low optical depths, a secondary ring also appears associated with the hole cleared in the center of the disk by Saturn. Our simulations, which incorporate 25 different grain sizes, illustrate that grain-grain collisions are important in sculpting today's KB dust, and probably other aspects of the solar system dust complex; collisions erase all signs of azimuthal asymmetry from the submillimeter image of the disk at every dust level we considered. The model images switch from being dominated by resonantly trapped small grains ("transport dominated") to being dominated by the birth ring ("collision dominated") when the optical depth reaches a critical value of r approximately v/c, where v is the local Keplerian speed.

Charging of dust grains in a plasma with negative ions

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Su-Hyun; Merlino, Robert L.

2006-05-01

The effect of negative ions on the charging of dust particles in a plasma is investigated experimentally. A plasma containing a very low percentage of electrons is formed in a single-ended SF6 is admitted into the vacuum system. The relatively cold (Te≈0.2eV ) readily attach to SF6 molecules to form SF6- negative ions. Calculations of the dust charge indicate that for electrons, negative ions, and positive ions of comparable temperatures, the charge (or surface potential) of the dust can be positive if the positive ion mass is smaller than the negative ion mass and if ɛ, the ratio of the electron to positive ion density, is sufficiently small. The K+ positive ions (mass 39amu) and SF6- negative ions (mass 146amu), and also utilizes a rotating cylinder to dispense dust into the plasma column. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the dusty plasma shows evidence for the reduction in the (magnitude) of the negative dust charge and the transition to positively charged dust as the relative concentration of the residual electrons is reduced. Some remarks are offered concerning experiments that could become possible in a dusty plasma with positive grains.

Coal-tar-based parking lot sealcoat: An unrecognized source of PAH to settled house dust

Science.gov (United States)

Mahler, B.J.; Van Metre, P.C.; Wilson, J.T.; Musgrove, M.; Burbank, T.L.; Ennis, T.E.; Bashara, T.J.

2010-01-01

Despite much speculation, the principal factors controlling concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in settled house dust (SHD) have not yet been identified. In response to recent reports that dust from pavement with coaltar-based sealcoat contains extremely high concentrations of PAH, we measured PAH in SHD from 23 apartments and in dust from their associated parking lots, one-half of which had coal-tar-based sealcoat (CT). The median concentration of total PAH (T-PAH) in dust from CT parking lots (4760 ??g/g, n = 11) was 530 times higher than that from parking lots with other pavement surface types (asphalt-based sealcoat, unsealed asphalt, concrete [median 9.0 ??g/g, n = 12]). T-PAH in SHD from apartments with CT parking lots (median 129 ??g/g) was 25 times higher than that in SHD from apartments with parking lots with other pavement surface types (median 5.1 ??g/g). Presence or absence of CT on a parking lot explained 48% of the variance in log-transformed T-PAH in SHD. Urban land-use intensity near the residence also had a significant but weaker relation to T-PAH. No other variables tested, including carpeting, frequency of vacuuming, and indoor burning, were significant. ?? 2010 American Chemical Society.

Oral bioaccessibility of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in settled dust: A review of measurement methods, data and influencing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Raffy, Gaëlle; Mercier, Fabien; Glorennec, Philippe; Mandin, Corinne; Le Bot, Barbara

2018-06-15

Many semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), suspected of reprotoxic, neurotoxic or carcinogenic effects, were measured in indoor settled dust. Dust ingestion is a non-negligible pathway of exposure to some of these SVOCs, and an accurate knowledge of the real exposure is necessary for a better evaluation of health risks. To this end, the bioaccessibility of SVOCs in dust needs to be considered. In the present work, bioaccessibility measurement methods, SVOCs' oral bioaccessibility data and influencing factors were reviewed. SVOC bioaccessibilities (%) ranged from 11 to 94, 8 to 100, 3 to 92, 1 to 81, 6 to 52, and 2 to 17, for brominated flame retardants, organophosphorus flame retardants, polychlorobiphenyls, phthalates, pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, respectively. Measurements method produced varying results depending on the inclusion of food and/or sink in the model. Characteristics of dust, e.g., organic matter content and particle size, also influenced bioaccessibility data. Last, results were influenced by SVOC properties, such as octanol/water partition coefficient and migration pathway into dust. Factors related to dust and SVOCs could be used in prediction models. To this end, more bioaccessibility studies covering more substances should be performed, using methods that are harmonized and validated by comparison to in-vivo studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Size and density distribution of very small dust grains in the Barnard 5 cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun Ming

1991-01-01

The effects of the temperature fluctuations in small graphite grains on the energy spectrum and the IR surface brightness of an isolated dust cloud heated externally by the interstellar radiation field were investigated using a series of models based on a radiation transport computer code. This code treats self-consistently the thermal coupling between the transient heating of very small dust grains and the equilibrium heating of conventional large grains. The model results were compared with the IRAS observations of the Barnard 5 (B5) cloud, showing that the 25-micron emission of the cloud must be produced by small grains with a 6-10 A radius, which also contribute about 50 percent to the observed 12-micron emission. The remaining 12 micron flux may be produced by the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The 60-and 100-micron radiation is dominated by emission from large grains heated under equilibrium conditions.

Cold welding of organic light emitting diode: Interfacial and contact models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Asare

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an analytical and computational study of the contacts and interfacial fracture associated with the cold welding of Organic Light Emitting diodes (OLEDs. The effects of impurities (within the possible interfaces are explored for contacts and interfacial fracture between layers that are relevant to model OLEDs. The models are used to study the effects of adhesion, pressure, thin film layer thickness and dust particle modulus (between the contacting surfaces on contact profiles around impurities between cold-welded thin films. The lift-off stage of thin films (during cold welding is then modeled as an interfacial fracture process. A combination of adhesion and interfacial fracture theories is used to provide new insights for the design of improved contact and interfacial separation during cold welding. The implications of the results are discussed for the design and fabrication of cold welded OLED structures.

UNUSUAL CARBONACEOUS DUST DISTRIBUTION IN PN G095.2+00.7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohsawa, Ryou; Onaka, Takashi; Sakon, Itsuki; Mori, Tamami I.; Miyata, Takashi; Asano, Kentaro; Matsuura, Mikako; Kaneda, Hidehiro

2012-01-01

We investigate the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features in the young Galactic planetary nebula PN G095.2+00.7 based on mid-infrared observations. The near- to mid-infrared spectra obtained with the AKARI/IRC and the Spitzer/IRS show the PAH features as well as the broad emission feature at 12 μm usually seen in proto-planetary nebulae (pPNe). The spatially resolved spectra obtained with Subaru/COMICS suggest that the broad emission around 12 μm is distributed in a shell-like structure, but the unidentified infrared band at 11.3 μm is selectively enhanced at the southern part of the nebula. The variation can be explained by a difference in the amount of the UV radiation to excite PAHs, and does not necessarily require the chemical processing of dust grains and PAHs. It suggests that the UV self-extinction is important to understand the mid-infrared spectral features. We propose a mechanism which accounts for the evolutionary sequence of the mid-infrared dust features seen in a transition from pPNe to PNe.

Gone with the heat: a fundamental constraint on the imaging of dust and molecular gas in the early Universe.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-Yu; Papadopoulos, Padelis P; Ivison, R J; Galametz, Maud; Smith, M W L; Xilouris, Emmanuel M

2016-06-01

Images of dust continuum and carbon monoxide (CO) line emission are powerful tools for deducing structural characteristics of galaxies, such as disc sizes, H2 gas velocity fields and enclosed H2 and dynamical masses. We report on a fundamental constraint set by the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on the observed structural and dynamical characteristics of galaxies, as deduced from dust continuum and CO-line imaging at high redshifts. As the CMB temperature rises in the distant Universe, the ensuing thermal equilibrium between the CMB and the cold dust and H2 gas progressively erases all spatial and spectral contrasts between their brightness distributions and the CMB. For high-redshift galaxies, this strongly biases the recoverable H2 gas and dust mass distributions, scale lengths, gas velocity fields and dynamical mass estimates. This limitation is unique to millimetre/submillimetre wavelengths and unlike its known effect on the global dust continuum and molecular line emission of galaxies, it cannot be addressed simply. We nevertheless identify a unique signature of CMB-affected continuum brightness distributions, namely an increasing rather than diminishing contrast between such brightness distributions and the CMB when the cold dust in distant galaxies is imaged at frequencies beyond the Raleigh-Jeans limit. For the molecular gas tracers, the same effect makes the atomic carbon lines maintain a larger contrast than the CO lines against the CMB.

Modeling the Transport and Radiative Forcing of Taklimakan Dust over the Tibetan Plateau: A case study in the summer of 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Siyu; Huang, J.; Zhao, Chun; Qian, Yun; Leung, Lai-Yung R.; Yang, Ben

2013-01-30

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used to investigate an intense dust storm event during 26 to 30 July 2006 that originated over the Taklimakan Desert (TD) and transported to the northern slope of Tibetan Plateau (TP). The dust storm is initiated by the approach of a strong cold frontal system over the TD. In summer, the meridional transport of TD dust to the TP is favored by the thermal effect of the TP and the weakening of the East Asian westerly winds. During this dust storm, the transport of TD dust over the TP is further enhanced by the passage of the cold front. As a result, TD dust breaks through the planetary boundary layer and extends to the upper troposphere over the northern TP. TD dust flux arrived at the TP with a value of 6.6 Gg/day in this 5 day event but decays quickly during the southward migration over the TP due to dry deposition. The simulations show that TD dust cools the atmosphere near the surface and heats the atmosphere above with a maximum heating rate of 0.11 K day-1 at ~7 km over the TP. The event-averaged net radiative forcings of TD dust over the TP are -3.97, 1.61, and -5.58 Wm-2 at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), in the atmosphere, and at the surface, respectively. The promising performance of WRF-Chem in simulating dust and its radiative forcing provides confidence for use in further investigation of climatic impact of TD dust over the TP.

DUST LOADING OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND GLACIERS IN THE KUMTOR MINING AREA (AKSHYYRAK, TIEN SHAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Kuzmichenok

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Industrial development of the Kumtor Gold Mine in the nival-glacial zone of Tien Shan (altitude ranging from 4000 to 4500 m a.s.l. is inevitably accompanied by the release of some additional amounts of dust in atmosphere. Sampling in 7 points and an analysis of the quantity (weight of dust in the seasonal snow (September–April on glaciers show that the dust pollution does not substantially exceed the natural level of dust in Tien Shan. An analysis of almost 3 000 daily measurements of dust in the surface layer of air at 4 points around the gold mine has also shown that the economic activity has no significant impact on dust production. It is likely that the manmade component of overall dust in the immediate vicinity of the deposit and the gob pile does not exceed 20%. No increase in the content of dust and in its anthropogenic component with time has been found. Thus, we suggest that the principal amount of dust in the area is brought during the cold season from snow-free areas of Central Asia.

Finite Cosmology and a CMB Cold Spot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adler, R.J.; /Stanford U., HEPL; Bjorken, J.D.; /SLAC; Overduin, J.M.; /Stanford U., HEPL

2006-03-20

The standard cosmological model posits a spatially flat universe of infinite extent. However, no observation, even in principle, could verify that the matter extends to infinity. In this work we model the universe as a finite spherical ball of dust and dark energy, and obtain a lower limit estimate of its mass and present size: the mass is at least 5 x 10{sup 23}M{sub {circle_dot}} and the present radius is at least 50 Gly. If we are not too far from the dust-ball edge we might expect to see a cold spot in the cosmic microwave background, and there might be suppression of the low multipoles in the angular power spectrum. Thus the model may be testable, at least in principle. We also obtain and discuss the geometry exterior to the dust ball; it is Schwarzschild-de Sitter with a naked singularity, and provides an interesting picture of cosmogenesis. Finally we briefly sketch how radiation and inflation eras may be incorporated into the model.

Exposure to dust-bound PAHs and associated carcinogenic risk in primitive and traditional cooking practices in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamal, Atif; Malik, Riffat Naseem; Martellini, Tania; Cincinelli, Alessandra

2015-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine the abundance and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dust samples collected from the selected professional cooking workplaces (WCs) and residential household cooking areas (WRs), where traditional and primitive cooking practices are still prevelent. Another aim of this study was to investigate the carcinogenic risk for Pakistani human exposure to dust-bound PAHs via the routes of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. Generally, the concentration of individual congeners of PAHs in surface dust samples of WC sites was higher than those measured in WR sites (p < 0.05). The benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), a very high carcinogenic compound, was present in the dust samples from WC sites in the highest mean concentration (630 ng g(-1) dry weight (d.w.)). The BaP mean concentration in WC workplaces was almost eight times higher than the mean value found in WR exposure sites. Moreover, the average concentration of ∑PAHs, combustion origin PAHs (∑COMB) and sum total of 7-carcinogenic PAHs (∑7-carcinogens) were also significantly higher in WC dusts samples than that in WR workplaces. Principal component analysis (PCA) and diagnostic ratios suggested coal/wood combustion as major PAH emission sources in both exposure sites. The average incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) suggested a moderate to potential high cancer risk for adults and children exposed to dust-bound PAHs in both exposure sites, in particular via both dermal and ingestion contact pathways.

PAHs underfoot: contaminated dust from coal-tar sealcoated pavement is widespread in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peter C. Van Metre; Barbara J. Mahler; Jennifer T. Wilson [U.S. Geological Survey, Austin, TX (USA)

2009-01-15

We reported in 2005 that runoff from parking lots treated with coal-tar-based sealcoat was a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to streams in Austin, Texas. Here we present new data from nine U.S. cities that show nationwide patterns in concentrations of {Sigma}PAHs associated with sealcoat. Dust was swept from parking lots in six cities in the central and eastern U.S., where coal-tar-based sealcoat dominates use, and three cities in the western U.S., where asphalt-based sealcoat dominates use. For six central and eastern cities, median SPAH concentrations in dust from sealcoated and unsealcoated pavement are 2200 and 27 mg/kg, respectively. For three western cities, median SPAH concentrations in dust from sealcoated and unsealcoated pavement are similar and very low (2.1 and 0.8 mg/kg, respectively). Lakes in the central and eastern cities where pavement was sampled have bottom sediments with higher PAH concentrations than do those in the western cities relative to degree of urbanization. Bottom-sediment PAH assemblages are similar to those of sealcoated pavement dust regionally, implicating coal-tar-based sealcoat as a PAH source to the central and eastern lakes. Concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene in dust from coal-tar sealcoated pavement and adjacent soils greatly exceed generic soil screening levels, suggesting that research on human-health risk is warranted. 30 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Charging of dust grains in a plasma with negative ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Su-Hyun; Merlino, Robert L.

2006-01-01

The effect of negative ions on the charging of dust particles in a plasma is investigated experimentally. A plasma containing a very low percentage of electrons is formed in a single-ended Q machine when SF 6 is admitted into the vacuum system. The relatively cold Q machine electrons (T e ≅0.2 eV) readily attach to SF 6 molecules to form SF 6 - negative ions. Calculations of the dust charge indicate that for electrons, negative ions, and positive ions of comparable temperatures, the charge (or surface potential) of the dust can be positive if the positive ion mass is smaller than the negative ion mass and if ε, the ratio of the electron to positive ion density, is sufficiently small. The Q machine plasma is operated with K + positive ions (mass 39 amu) and SF 6 - negative ions (mass 146 amu), and also utilizes a rotating cylinder to dispense dust into the plasma column. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the dusty plasma shows evidence for the reduction in the (magnitude) of the negative dust charge and the transition to positively charged dust as the relative concentration of the residual electrons is reduced. Some remarks are offered concerning experiments that could become possible in a dusty plasma with positive grains

Dust grains from the heart of supernovae

Science.gov (United States)

Bocchio, M.; Marassi, S.; Schneider, R.; Bianchi, S.; Limongi, M.; Chieffi, A.

2016-03-01

Dust grains are classically thought to form in the winds of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, there is increasing evidence today for dust formation in supernovae (SNe). To establish the relative importance of these two classes of stellar sources of dust, it is important to know the fraction of freshly formed dust in SN ejecta that is able to survive the passage of the reverse shock and be injected in the interstellar medium. With this aim, we have developed a new code, GRASH_Rev, that allows following the dynamics of dust grains in the shocked SN ejecta and computing the time evolution of the mass, composition, and size distribution of the grains. We considered four well-studied SNe in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud: SN 1987A, CasA, the Crab nebula, and N49. These sources have been observed with both Spitzer and Herschel, and the multiwavelength data allow a better assessment the mass of warm and cold dust associated with the ejecta. For each SN, we first identified the best explosion model, using the mass and metallicity of the progenitor star, the mass of 56Ni, the explosion energy, and the circumstellar medium density inferred from the data. We then ran a recently developed dust formation model to compute the properties of freshly formed dust. Starting from these input models, GRASH_Rev self-consistently follows the dynamics of the grains, considering the effects of the forward and reverse shock, and allows predicting the time evolution of the dust mass, composition, and size distribution in the shocked and unshocked regions of the ejecta. All the simulated models aagree well with observations. Our study suggests that SN 1987A is too young for the reverse shock to have affected the dust mass. Hence the observed dust mass of 0.7-0.9 M⊙ in this source can be safely considered as indicative of the mass of freshly formed dust in SN ejecta. Conversely, in the other three SNe, the reverse shock has already destroyed between 10-40% of the

Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons trigger human skin cells aging through aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Yuan; Li, Qiang; Du, Hong-Yang; Wang, Qiao-Wei; Huang, Ye; Liu, Wei

2017-07-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) which adsorbed on the surface of ambient air particulate matters (PM), are the major toxic compound to cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, even cancer. However, its detrimental effects on human skin cell remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that SRM1649b, a reference urban dust material of PAH, triggers human skin cells aging through cell cycle arrest, cell growth inhibition and apoptosis. Principally, SRM1649b facilitated Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) translocated into nucleus, subsequently activated ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, and upregulated aging-related genes expression. Most important, we found that AhR antagonist efficiently revert the aging of skin cells. Thus our novel findings firstly revealed the mechanism of skin aging under PAH contamination and provided potential strategy for clinical application. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Science.gov (United States)

Salama, Farid

2010-01-01

Carbonaceous materials play an important role in space. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a ubiquitous component of the carbonaceous materials. PAHs are the best-known candidates to account for the IR emission bands. They are also thought to be among the carriers of the diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIBs). PAH ionization states reflect the ionization balance of the medium while PAH size, composition, and structure reflect the energetic and chemical history of the medium. A major challenge is to reproduce in the laboratory the physical conditions that exist in the emission and absorption interstellar zones. The harsh physical conditions of the ISM -low temperature, collisionless, strong UV radiation fields- are simulated in the laboratory by associating a molecular beam with an ionizing discharge to generate a cold plasma expansion. PAH ions and radicals are formed from the neutral precursors in an isolated environment at low temperature and probed with high-sensitivity cavity ringdown spectroscopy in the NUV-NIR range. Carbon nanoparticles are also formed during the short residence time of the precursors in the plasma and are characterized with time-offlight mass spectrometry. These experiments provide unique information on the spectra of large carbonaceous molecules and ions in the gas phase that can now be directly compared to interstellar and circumstellar observations (IR emission bands, DIBs, extinction curve). These findings also hold great potential for understanding the formation process of interstellar carbonaceous grains. We will review recent progress in the experimental and theoretical studies of PAHs, compare the laboratory data with astronomical observations and discuss the global implications.

Determination of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Determination of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air samples in Irbid, north Jordan. A Al-Gawadreh Sat, M.B. Gasim, A.R. Hassan, A Azid. Abstract. Air samples were collected at an urban site and a rural (BERQESH) site during February (2017) until March (2017) to determine concentrations of polycyclic ...

A TALE OF THREE GALAXIES: ANOMALOUS DUST PROPERTIES IN IRAS F10398+1455, IRAS F21013–0739, AND SDSS J0808+3948

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Yanxia; Hao, Lei [Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030 (China); Li, Aigen, E-mail: haol@shao.ac.cn [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States)

2014-10-20

On a galactic scale, the 9.7 μm silicate emission is usually only seen in type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). They usually also display a flat emission continuum at ∼5-8 μm and the absence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission bands. In contrast, starburst galaxies, luminous infrared (IR) galaxies, and ultraluminous IR galaxies exhibit a red 5-8 μm emission continuum, strong 9.7 μm and 18 μm silicate absorption features, and strong PAH emission bands. Here, we report the detection of anomalous dust properties by the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph in three galaxies (IRAS F10398+1455, IRAS F21013-0739, and SDSS J0808+3948) which are characterized by the simultaneous detection of a red 5-8 μm emission continuum, the 9.7 and 18 μm silicate emission features, as well as strong PAH emission bands. These apparently contradictory dust IR emission properties are discussed in terms of iron-poor silicate composition, carbon dust deficit, small grain size, and low dust temperature in the young AGN phase of these three galaxies.

Childhood to adolescence: dust and gas clearing in protoplanetary disks

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Joanna Margaret

Disks are ubiquitous around young stars. Over time, disks dissipate, revealing planets that formed hidden by their natal dust. Since direct detection of young planets at small orbital radii is currently impossible, other tracers of planet formation must be found. One sign of disk evolution, potentially linked to planet formation, is the opening of a gap or inner hole in the disk. In this thesis, I have identified and characterized several cold disks with large inner gaps but retaining massive primordial outer disks. While cold disks are not common, with ~5% of disks showing signs of inner gaps, they provide proof that at least some disks evolve from the inside-out. These large gaps are equivalent to dust clearing from inside the Earth's orbit to Neptune's orbit or even the inner Kuiper belt. Unlike more evolved systems like our own, the central star is often still accreting and a large outer disk remains. I identified four cold disks in Spitzer 5-40 μm spectra and modeled these disks using a 2-D radiative transfer code to determine the gap properties. Outer gap radii of 20-45 AU were derived. However, spectrophotometric identification is indirect and model-dependent. To validate this interpretation, I observed three disks with a submillimeter interferometer and obtained the first direct images of the central holes. The images agree well with the gap sizes derived from the spectrophotometry. One system, LkH&alpha 330, has a very steep outer gap edge which seems more consistent with gravitational perturbation rather than gradual processes, such as grain growth and settling. Roughly 70% of cold disks show CO v=1&rarr 0 gas emission from the inner 1 AU and therefore are unlikely to have evolved due to photoevaporation. The derived rotation temperatures are significantly lower for the cold disks than disks without gaps. Unresolved (sub)millimeter photometry shows that cold disks have steeper colors, indicating that they are optically thin at these wavelengths, unlike

Critical point measurement of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikitin, Eugene D.; Popov, Alexander P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Critical properties of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were measured. • These hydrocarbons decompose at near-critical temperatures. • Pulse-heating method with short residence times was used. - Abstract: The critical temperatures and the critical pressures of five polycyclic aromatic compounds, namely, acenaphthene, fluorene, anthracene, phenanthrene, and pyrene have been measured. All the compounds studied decompose at near-critical temperatures. A pulse-heating technique applicable to measuring the critical properties of thermally unstable compounds has been used. The times from the beginning of a heating pulse to the moment of reaching the critical temperature were from (0.06 to 0.85) ms. The short residence times provide little degradation of the substances in the course of the experiments. The experimental critical parameters of the polycyclic aromatic compounds have been compared with those estimated by five predictive methods. The acentric factors of polycyclic aromatic compounds studied have been calculated

Paleo-dust insights onto dust-climate interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Albani, S.; Mahowald, N. M.

2017-12-01

Mineral dust emissions are affected by changing climate conditions, and in turn dust impacts the atmospheric radiation budget, clouds and biogeochemical cycles. Climate and public health dust-related issues call for attention on the fate of the dust cycle in the future, and the representation of the dust cycle is now part of the strategy of the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project phase 4 and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (PMIP4-CMIP6). Since mineral aerosols are one of the most important natural aerosols, understanding past dust responses to climate in the paleoclimate will allow us to better understand mineral aerosol feedbacks with climate and biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene. Modern observations and paleoclimate records offer the possibility of multiple, complementary views on the global dust cycle, and allow to validate and/or constrain the numerical representation of dust in climate and Earth system models. We present our results from a set of simulations with the Community Earth System Model for different climate states, including present and past climates such as the pre-industrial, the mid-Holocene and the Last Glacial Maximum. A set of simulations including a prognostic dust cycle was thoroughly compared with a wide set of present day observations from different platforms and regions, in order to realistically constrain the magnitude of dust load, surface concentration, deposition, optical properties, and particle size distributions. The magnitude of emissions for past climate regimes was constrained based on compilations of paleodust mass accumulation rates and size distributions, as well as based on information on dust provenance. The comparison with a parallel set of simulations without dust allows estimating the impacts of dust on surface climate. We analyze impacts of dust on the mean and variability of surface temperature and precipitation in each climate state, as well as the impacts that changing dust emissions had

Phytotoxicity assessment of a methanolic coal dust extract in Lemna minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Coronado-Posada, Nadia; Cabarcas-Montalvo, Maria; Olivero-Verbel, Jesus

2013-09-01

Coal mining generates negative effects on environment, human health, hydrodynamics of mining areas and biodiversity. However, the impacts of this activity are less known in plants. Lemna minor is one of the most commonly used plants in aquatic toxicity tests due to its ubiquitous distribution in ponds and lakes, culture conditions and the free-floating habitat that exposes it to hydrophobic as well as dissolved compounds. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of a methanolic coal dust extract on L. minor. Macrophytes were exposed to six different concentrations of coal extract (from 7.81 to 250 mg/L) for 5 days, following the OECD test guideline 221. The coal extract had a half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 99.66 (184.95-54.59) mg/L for the number of fronds. Several signs of toxicity such as chlorosis, reduction in the size of the fronds, abscission of fronds and roots, and the presence of necrotic tissues were observed at concentrations lower than the IC50. Preliminary Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of the coal dust extract revealed the presence of several compounds, including, among others, alkanes, carboxylic acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), these lasts, may be responsible for some of the observed effects. These results demonstrated that coal dust has phytotoxic effects and should not be considered as an inert material. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DUSTY WINDS: EXTRAPLANAR POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON FEATURES OF NEARBY GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCormick, Alexander; Veilleux, Sylvain [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Rupke, David S. N., E-mail: alexm@astro.umd.edu, E-mail: veilleux@astro.umd.edu, E-mail: rupked@rhodes.edu [Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 (United States)

2013-09-10

Recent observations have shown the presence of dust and molecular material in galactic winds, but relatively little is known about the distribution of these outflow components. To shed some light on this issue, we have used IRAC images from the Spitzer Space Telescope archive to investigate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission from a sample of 16 local galaxies with known winds. Our focus on nearby sources (median distance 8.6 Mpc) has revealed detailed PAH structure in the winds and allowed us to measure extraplanar PAH emission. We have identified extraplanar PAH features on scales of {approx}0.8-6.0 kpc. We find a nearly linear correlation between the amount of extraplanar PAH emission and the total infrared flux, a proxy for star formation activity in the disk. Our results also indicate a correlation between the height of extraplanar PAH emission and star formation rate surface density, which supports the idea of a surface density threshold on the energy or momentum injection rate for producing detectable extraplanar wind material.

The impact of dust storms on the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Jish Prakash, P.

2015-01-12

Located in the dust belt, the Arabian Peninsula is a major source of atmospheric dust. Frequent dust outbreaks and some 15 to 20 dust storms per year have profound effects on all aspects of human activity and natural processes in this region. To quantify the effect of severe dust events on radiation fluxes and regional climate characteristics, we simulated the storm that occurred from 18 to 20 March 2012 using a regional weather research forecast model fully coupled with the chemistry/aerosol module (WRF–Chem). This storm swept over a remarkably large area affecting the entire Middle East, northeastern Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It was caused by a southward propagating cold front, and the associated winds activated the dust production in river valleys of the lower Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq; the coastal areas in Kuwait, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates; the Rub al Khali, An Nafud, and Ad Dahna deserts; and along the Red Sea coast on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula. Our simulation results compare well with available ground-based and satellite observations. We estimate the total amount of dust generated by the storm to have reached 94 Mt. Approximately 78% of this dust was deposited within the calculation domain. The Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf received 5.3 Mt and the Red Sea 1.2 Mt of dust. Dust particles bring nutrients to marine ecosystems, which is especially important for the oligotrophic Northern Red Sea. However, their contribution to the nutrient balance in the Red Sea remains largely unknown. By scaling the effect of one storm to the number of dust storms observed annually over the Red Sea, we estimate the annual dust deposition to the Red Sea, associated with major dust storms, to be 6 Mt.

The impact of dust storms on the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Jish Prakash, P.; Stenchikov, Georgiy L.; Kalenderski, Stoitchko; Osipov, Sergey; Bangalath, Hamza Kunhu

2015-01-01

Located in the dust belt, the Arabian Peninsula is a major source of atmospheric dust. Frequent dust outbreaks and some 15 to 20 dust storms per year have profound effects on all aspects of human activity and natural processes in this region. To quantify the effect of severe dust events on radiation fluxes and regional climate characteristics, we simulated the storm that occurred from 18 to 20 March 2012 using a regional weather research forecast model fully coupled with the chemistry/aerosol module (WRF–Chem). This storm swept over a remarkably large area affecting the entire Middle East, northeastern Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It was caused by a southward propagating cold front, and the associated winds activated the dust production in river valleys of the lower Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq; the coastal areas in Kuwait, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates; the Rub al Khali, An Nafud, and Ad Dahna deserts; and along the Red Sea coast on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula. Our simulation results compare well with available ground-based and satellite observations. We estimate the total amount of dust generated by the storm to have reached 94 Mt. Approximately 78% of this dust was deposited within the calculation domain. The Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf received 5.3 Mt and the Red Sea 1.2 Mt of dust. Dust particles bring nutrients to marine ecosystems, which is especially important for the oligotrophic Northern Red Sea. However, their contribution to the nutrient balance in the Red Sea remains largely unknown. By scaling the effect of one storm to the number of dust storms observed annually over the Red Sea, we estimate the annual dust deposition to the Red Sea, associated with major dust storms, to be 6 Mt.

Respirable dust measured downwind during rock dust application.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, M L; Organiscak, J; Klima, S; Perera, I E

2017-05-01

The Pittsburgh Mining Research Division of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted underground evaluations in an attempt to quantify respirable rock dust generation when using untreated rock dust and rock dust treated with an anticaking additive. Using personal dust monitors, these evaluations measured respirable rock dust levels arising from a flinger-type application of rock dust on rib and roof surfaces. Rock dust with a majority of the respirable component removed was also applied in NIOSH's Bruceton Experimental Mine using a bantam duster. The respirable dust measurements obtained downwind from both of these tests are presented and discussed. This testing did not measure miners' exposure to respirable coal mine dust under acceptable mining practices, but indicates the need for effective continuous administrative controls to be exercised when rock dusting to minimize the measured amount of rock dust in the sampling device.

Emission, transport, and radiative effects of mineral dust from the Taklimakan and Gobi deserts: comparison of measurements and model results

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Siyu; Huang, Jianping; Kang, Litai; Wang, Hao; Ma, Xiaojun; He, Yongli; Yuan, Tiangang; Yang, Ben; Huang, Zhongwei; Zhang, Guolong

2017-02-01

The Weather Research and Forecasting Model with chemistry (WRF-Chem model) was used to investigate a typical dust storm event that occurred from 18 to 23 March 2010 and swept across almost all of China, Japan, and Korea. The spatial and temporal variations in dust aerosols and the meteorological conditions over East Asia were well reproduced by the WRF-Chem model. The simulation results were used to further investigate the details of processes related to dust emission, long-range transport, and radiative effects of dust aerosols over the Taklimakan Desert (TD) and Gobi Desert (GD). The results indicated that weather conditions, topography, and surface types in dust source regions may influence dust emission, uplift height, and transport at the regional scale. The GD was located in the warm zone in advance of the cold front in this case. Rapidly warming surface temperatures and cold air advection at high levels caused strong instability in the atmosphere, which strengthened the downward momentum transported from the middle and low troposphere and caused strong surface winds. Moreover, the GD is located in a relatively flat, high-altitude region influenced by the confluence of the northern and southern westerly jets. Therefore, the GD dust particles were easily lofted to 4 km and were the primary contributor to the dust concentration over East Asia. In the dust budget analysis, the dust emission flux over the TD was 27.2 ± 4.1 µg m-2 s-1, which was similar to that over the GD (29 ± 3.6 µg m-2 s-1). However, the transport contribution of the TD dust (up to 0.8 ton d-1) to the dust sink was much smaller than that of the GD dust (up to 3.7 ton d-1) because of the complex terrain and the prevailing wind in the TD. Notably, a small amount of the TD dust (PM2.5 dust concentration of approximately 8.7 µg m-3) was lofted to above 5 km and transported over greater distances under the influence of the westerly jets. Moreover, the direct radiative forcing induced by dust

After the Fall: The Dust and Gas in E+A Post-starburst Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Smercina, A.; Smith, J. D. T.; Dale, D. A.; French, K. D.; Croxall, K. V.; Zhukovska, S.; Togi, A.; Bell, E. F.; Crocker, A. F.; Draine, B. T.; Jarrett, T. H.; Tremonti, C.; Yang, Yujin; Zabludoff, A. I.

2018-03-01

The traditional picture of post-starburst galaxies as dust- and gas-poor merger remnants, rapidly transitioning to quiescence, has been recently challenged. Unexpected detections of a significant interstellar medium (ISM) in many post-starburst galaxies raise important questions. Are they truly quiescent, and if so, what mechanisms inhibit further star formation? What processes dominate their ISM energetics? We present an infrared spectroscopic and photometric survey of 33 E+A post-starbursts selected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, aimed at resolving these questions. We find compact, warm dust reservoirs with high PAH abundances and total gas and dust masses significantly higher than expected from stellar recycling alone. Both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)/total infrared (TIR) and dust-to-burst stellar mass ratios are seen to decrease with post-burst age, indicative of the accumulating effects of dust destruction and an incipient transition to hot, early-type ISM properties. Their infrared spectral properties are unique, with dominant PAH emission, very weak nebular lines, unusually strong H2 rotational emission, and deep [C II] deficits. There is substantial scatter among star formation rate (SFR) indicators, and both PAH and TIR luminosities provide overestimates. Even as potential upper limits, all tracers show that the SFR has typically experienced a decline of more than two orders of magnitude since the starburst and that the SFR is considerably lower than expected given both their stellar masses and molecular gas densities. These results paint a coherent picture of systems in which star formation was, indeed, rapidly truncated, but in which the ISM was not completely expelled, and is instead supported against collapse by latent or continued injection of turbulent or mechanical heating. The resulting aging burst populations provide a “high-soft” radiation field that seemingly dominates the E+A galaxies’ unusual ISM energetics.

Development of a Severe Sand-dust Storm Model and its Application to Northwest China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xiaoling; Cheng, Linsheng; Chung, Yong-Seung

2003-01-01

A very strong sand-dust storm occurred on 5 May, 1993 in Northwest China. In order to give a detailed description of the evolution of a mesoscale system along with the heavy sand-dust storm, a complex model including improved physical processes and a radiation parameterization scheme was developed based on a simulation model. The improved model introduced a sand-dust transport equation as well as a lifting transport model, sand-dust aerosols and radiation parameterization scheme.Using this model, the super sand-dust storm case on 5 May was simulated. Results indicated that the coupled mesoscale model successfully simulated the mesoscale vortex, its strong upward movement and the warm core structure of PBL. The generation and development of these structures were consistent with that of the sand-dust storm and dry squall-line (which was different with normal squall-line). Simulated sand-dust concentration and its radiative effect corresponded with observation data. The radiative effect of sand-dust aerosols caused the air to heat on the top of aerosol layer with a heating rate amounting to 2 K hr -1 . As a result, solar radiation flux that reached the surface, net radiation flux and surface temperature all suddenly went down. The temperature gradient across the cold front became obviously larger. Therefore, enhancing the development of the mesoscale system. The simulation generally reflected features during the squall-line passage of this strong sand-dust storm

On a complete topological inverse polycyclic monoid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. O. Bardyla

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We give sufficient conditions when a topological inverse $\\lambda$-polycyclic monoid $P_{\\lambda}$ is absolutely $H$-closed in the class of topological inverse semigroups. For every infinite cardinal $\\lambda$ we construct the coarsest semigroup inverse topology $\\tau_{mi}$ on $P_\\lambda$ and give an example of a topological inverse monoid $S$ which contains the polycyclic monoid $P_2$ as a dense discrete subsemigroup.

Formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Nitrogen Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Titan's Atmosphere, the Interstellar Medium and Combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Landera, Alexander

2013-12-01

Several different mechanisms leading to the formation of (substituted) naphthalene and azanaphthalenes were examined using theoretical quantum chemical calculations. As a result, a series of novel synthetic routes to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitrogen Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (N-PACs) have been proposed. On Earth, these aromatic compounds originate from incomplete combustion and are released into our environment, where they are known to be major pollutants, often with carcinogenic properties. In the atmosphere of a Saturn's moon Titan, these PAH and N-PACs are believed to play a critical role in organic haze formation, as well as acting as chemical precursors to biologically relevant molecules. The theoretical calculations were performed by employing the ab initio G3(MP2,CC)/B3LYP/6-311G** method to effectively probe the Potential Energy Surfaces (PES) relevant to the PAH and N-PAC formation. Following the construction of the PES, Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Markus (RRKM) theory was used to evaluate all unimolecular rate constants as a function of collision energy under single-collision conditions. Branching ratios were then evaluated by solving phenomenological rate expressions for the various product concentrations. The most viable pathways to PAH and N-PAC formation were found to be those where the initial attack by the ethynyl (C2H) or cyano (CN) radical toward a unsaturated hydrocarbon molecule led to the formation of an intermediate which could not effectively lose a hydrogen atom. It is not until ring cyclization has occurred, that hydrogen elimination leads to a closed shell product. By quenching the possibility of the initial hydrogen atom elimination, one of the most competitive processes preventing the PAH or N-PAC formation was avoided, and the PAH or N-PAC formation was allowed to proceed. It is concluded that these considerations should be taken into account when attempting to explore any other potential routes towards

Analysis of Dust and Fission Products in PBMR Turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stempniewicz, M.M.; Wessels, D.

2014-01-01

A 400 MWth direct cycle Pebble Bed Modular reactor was under development in South Africa. The work performed included design and safety analyses. In HTR/PBMR, graphite dust is generated during normal reactor operation due to pebble-to-pebble scratching. This dust will be deposited throughout the primary system. Furthermore, the dust will become radioactive due to sorption of fission products released, although in very small quantities, during normal operation. This paper presents a model and analyses of the PBMR turbine with the SPECTRA code. The purpose of the present work was to estimate the amount and distribution of deposited dust and the fission products, namely cesium, iodine, and silver, during plant life-time, which was assumed to be 40 full-power years. The performed work showed that after 40 years of plant life-time deposited layers are very small. The largest deposition is of course observed on the dust filters. Apart from the dust filters, the largest dust deposition is observed on the: • Outer Casing (inner walls) • Turbine Rotor Cooling Cavity (inner walls) • HPC Cold Cooling Gas Header (inner walls) This is caused by relatively low gas velocities in these volumes. The low velocities allow a continuous build-up of the dust layer. About 90% of cesium, 40% of iodine, and 99.9% of silver is adsorbed on the metallic structures of the turbine. The sorption rate increases along the turbine due to decreasing temperatures. In case of cesium and iodine the highest concentrations are observed in the last stage (stage 12) of the turbine. In the case of silver the sorption is so large that the silver vapor is significantly depleted in the last stages of the turbine. This is a reason for having a maximum in silver concentration in the stage 10. In the following stages the concentration decreases due to very small silver vapor fraction in the gas. (author)

Star Formation in High Pressure, High Energy Density Environments: Laboratory Experiments of ISM Dust Analogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breugel, W. van; Bajt, S.; Bradley, J.; Bringa, E.; Dai, Z.; Felter, T.; Graham, G.; Kucheyev, S.; Torres, D.; Tielens, A.; Baragiola, R.; Dukes, C.; Loeffler, M.

2005-01-01

Dust grains control the chemistry and cooling, and thus the gravitational collapse of interstellar clouds. Energetic particles, shocks and ionizing radiation can have a profound influence on the structure, lifetime and chemical reactivity of the dust, and therefore on the star formation efficiency. This would be especially important in forming galaxies, which exhibit powerful starburst (supernovae) and AGN (active galactic nucleus) activity. How dust properties are affected in such environments may be crucial for a proper understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. The authors present the results of experiments at LLNL which show that irradiation of the interstellar medium (ISM) dust analog forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ) with swift heavy ions (10 MeV Xe) and a large electronic energy deposition amorphizes its crystalline structure, without changing its chemical composition. From the data they predict that silicate grains in the ISM, even in dense and cold giant molecular clouds, can be amorphized by heavy cosmic rays (CR's). This might provide an explanation for the observed absence of crystalline dust in the ISM clouds of the Milky Way galaxy. This processing of dust by CR's would be even more important in forming galaxies and galaxies with active black holes

Astrochemical Properties of Planck Cold Clumps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tatematsu, Ken’ichi; Sanhueza, Patricio; Nguyễn Lu’o’ng, Quang; Hirota, Tomoya [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Liu, Tie; Choi, Minho; Kang, Miju; Kim, Kee-Tae [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daedeokdaero 776, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Ohashi, Satoshi [Department of Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Liu, Sheng-Yuan; Hirano, Naomi [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building, AS/NTU. No.1, Section 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Thompson, Mark A. [Centre for Astrophysics Research, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Fuller, Gary [Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Wu, Yuefang [Department of Astronomy, Peking University, 100871, Beijing (China); Li, Di [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012 (China); Francesco, James Di [NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Wang, Ke [European Southern Observatory (Germany); Ristorcelli, Isabelle [IRAP, CNRS (UMR5277), Universite Paul Sabatier, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, BP 44346, F-31028, Toulouse Cedex 4 (France); Juvela, Mika [Department of physics, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki (Finland); Shinnaga, Hiroko, E-mail: k.tatematsu@nao.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Kagoshima University, 1-21-35, Korimoto, Kagoshima, 890-0065 (Japan); Collaboration: JCMT Large Program “SCOPE” collaboration; TRAO Key Science Program “TOP” collaboration; and others

2017-02-01

We observed 13 Planck cold clumps with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope/SCUBA-2 and with the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope. The N{sub 2}H{sup +} distribution obtained with the Nobeyama telescope is quite similar to SCUBA-2 dust distribution. The 82 GHz HC{sub 3}N, 82 GHz CCS, and 94 GHz CCS emission are often distributed differently with respect to the N{sub 2}H{sup +} emission. The CCS emission, which is known to be abundant in starless molecular cloud cores, is often very clumpy in the observed targets. We made deep single-pointing observations in DNC, HN{sup 13}C, N{sub 2}D{sup +}, and cyclic-C{sub 3}H{sub 2} toward nine clumps. The detection rate of N{sub 2}D{sup +} is 50%. Furthermore, we observed the NH{sub 3} emission toward 15 Planck cold clumps to estimate the kinetic temperature, and confirmed that most targets are cold (≲20 K). In two of the starless clumps we observed, the CCS emission is distributed as it surrounds the N{sub 2}H{sup +} core (chemically evolved gas), which resembles the case of L1544, a prestellar core showing collapse. In addition, we detected both DNC and N{sub 2}D{sup +}. These two clumps are most likely on the verge of star formation. We introduce the chemical evolution factor (CEF) for starless cores to describe the chemical evolutionary stage, and analyze the observed Planck cold clumps.

Dust effect on the collisional pumping of the H2O cosmic maser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolgova, G.T.; Strel'nitskij, V.S.; Shmeld, I.K.

1977-01-01

The rate equations for the pupulations of 48 ortho-H 2 O rotational levels are solved simultaneously with the equations of the radiative transfer in the rotational lines, accounting for the continuous absorption and emission of resonance photon by dust grains. The radiative transport was treated in a model of a homogeneous isothermal plane-parallel slab, approximating the region of collisional pumping behind a shock front. It is found, that continuous absorption and emission may strongly influence the character of the distribution of the rotational level populations. Depending on the relation between the kinetic temperature Tsub(k) and the dust temperature Tsub(d) the ''turning on'' of the dust may either greatly increase the inversion of the 6 16 -5 23 transition (when Tsub(d) < Tsub(k)) or, on the contrary, greatly decrease and even liquidate the inversion (when Tsub(d)=Tsub(k)). The sink of the rotational photons on the cold dust reduces the thermalizing effect of the radiation trapping, reestablishing the inversion of many transitions provided by the collisional pumping

Influence of surface modified nanoilmenite/amorphous silica composite particles on the thermal stability of cold galvanizing coating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.M. Al-Sabagh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The present approach investigates the use of novel nanoilmenite/amorphous silica composite (NI/AS particles fabricated from ilmenite nanoparticles (FeTiO3 NPs and synthesized amorphous silica grains to improve thermal stability of the cold galvanizing coating. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM images demonstrated that both nanoilmenite and nanocomposite particles were of flaky-like nature and the average diameter of the particles is 20 nm. The lamellar shape of the nanocomposite and spherical nature of Zn-dust particles were illustrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM micrographs. Different alkyd-based cold galvanizing coating formulations were modified using uniformly dispersing various amounts of the processed nanocomposite particles as a modifier to form some engineering nanocomposite coatings. Thermal stability of the nanocomposite and Zn-dust particles was determined by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA. From the obtained results it could be observed that the weight loss (% as a feature of the thermal stability in case of the nanocomposite particles was 2.9 compared to 85.9 for Zn-dust powder grains. Derivative thermo-gravimetric (DTG measurements were done under nitrogen atmosphere for the cured cold galvanizing coating samples heated from room temperature to 1000 °C. The obtained results revealed that the maximum decomposition temperature point in the third degradation step for 6% nanocomposite surface modified cured sample (CG-F was detected at 693 °C and was less value for unmodified conventional cold galvanizing coating (CG-A at 612 °C. The increase in thermal stability with increasing the concentration of nanocomposite particles could be mainly attributed to the interface surface interaction between the nanocomposite particles and alkyd resin matrix in which enhancing the inorganic-organic network stiffness by causing a reduction in the total free spaces and enhancement in the cross-linking density of the cured film

One century sedimentary records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mercury and trace elements in the Qinghai Lake, Tibetan Plateau

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, X.P.; Yang, H.D.; Gong, P.; Zhao, X.; Wu, G.J.; Turner, S.; Yao, T.D. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

2010-10-15

Sediments from a remote lake of northeastern Tibetan Plateau were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace metals. USEPA priority PAHs, ranged from 11 in 1860 to 279 ng g{sup -1} in 2002, while, the deposition fluxes were in the range of 0.2-11.4 ng cm{sup -2} yr{sup -1}. Similarly, from 1860 to 2002, an increased trend of Hg flux was observed (0.5-3.2 ng cm{sup -2} yr{sup -1}). Remarkable increase of PAHs and Hg concentration began from 1970, nearly the same period of the 'Reform and Open' Policy had been embarked (1978) in China. Good correlations were found between concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Hg, and PAHs, which suggested the sources of these chemicals in the sediment is analogous, likely from anthroprogenic sources. Based on isomer ratios, PAHs in core were dominantly from the incomplete combustion of coal. Owing to the proximity to dust source area (Qaidam Basin) and the close association between PAHs, Hg, Pb, and particle matters, atmospheric dust-transport and deposition might be the main pathways that pollutants enter into Qinghai Lake.

A Review of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A Review of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metal Contamination of Fish from Fish Farms. ... Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management ... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals contribute to pollutants in aquaculture facilities and thus need to be further investigated.

Iron: A Key Element for Understanding the Origin and Evolution of Interstellar Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Dwek, Eli

2016-01-01

The origin and depletion of iron differ from all other abundant refractory elements that make up the composition of the interstellar dust. Iron is primarily synthesized in Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and in core collapse supernovae (CCSN), and is present in the outflows from AGB (Asymptotic Giant Branch) stars. Only the latter two are observed to be sources of interstellar dust, since searches for dust in SN Ia have provided strong evidence for the absence of any significant mass of dust in their ejecta. Consequently, more than 65 percent of the iron is injected into the ISM (Inter-Stellar Matter) in gaseous form. Yet, ultraviolet and X-ray observations along many lines of sight in the ISM show that iron is severely depleted in the gas phase compared to expected solar abundances. The missing iron, comprising about 90 percent of the total, is believed to be locked up in interstellar dust. This suggests that most of the missing iron must have precipitated from the ISM gas by cold accretion onto preexisting silicate, carbon, or composite grains. Iron is thus the only element that requires most of its growth to occur outside the traditional stellar condensation sources. This is a robust statement that does not depend on our evolving understanding of the dust destruction efficiency in the ISM. Reconciling the physical, optical, and chemical properties of such composite grains with their many observational manifestations is a major challenge for understanding the nature and origin of interstellar dust.

Distributions, Sources, and Backward Trajectories of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons at Lake Small Baiyangdian, Northern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Qin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Air samples were collected seasonally at Lake Small Baiyangdian, a shallow lake in northern China, between October 2007 and September 2008. Gas phase, particulate phase and dust fall concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs were measured using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS. The distribution and partitioning of atmospheric PAHs were studied, and the major sources were identified; the backward trajectories of air masses starting from the center of Lake Small Baiyangdian were calculated for the entire year. The following results were obtained: (1 The total concentration of 16 priority controlled PAHs (PAH16 in the gas phase was 417.2±299.8 ng·m−3, in the particulate phase was 150.9±99.2 ng·m−3, and in dust fall was 6930.2±3206.5 ng·g−1. (2 Vehicle emission, coal combustion, and biomass combustion were the major sources in the Small Baiyangdian atmosphere and accounted for 28.9%, 45.1% and 26.0% of the total PAHs, respectively. (3 Winter was dominated by relatively greater PAHs polluted northwesterly air mass pathways. Summer showed a dominant relatively clean southern pathway, whereas the trajectories in autumn and spring might be associated with high pollution from Shanxi or Henan province.

The turbulent life of dust grains in the supernova-driven, multiphase interstellar medium

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Thomas; Zhukovska, Svitlana; Naab, Thorsten; Girichidis, Philipp; Walch, Stefanie; Glover, Simon C. O.; Klessen, Ralf S.; Clark, Paul C.; Seifried, Daniel

2017-06-01

Dust grains are an important component of the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies. We present the first direct measurement of the residence times of interstellar dust in the different ISM phases, and of the transition rates between these phases, in realistic hydrodynamical simulations of the multiphase ISM. Our simulations include a time-dependent chemical network that follows the abundances of H+, H, H2, C+ and CO and take into account self-shielding by gas and dust using a tree-based radiation transfer method. Supernova explosions are injected either at random locations, at density peaks, or as a mixture of the two. For each simulation, we investigate how matter circulates between the ISM phases and find more sizeable transitions than considered in simple mass exchange schemes in the literature. The derived residence times in the ISM phases are characterized by broad distributions, in particular for the molecular, warm and hot medium. The most realistic simulations with random and mixed driving have median residence times in the molecular, cold, warm and hot phase around 17, 7, 44 and 1 Myr, respectively. The transition rates measured in the random driving run are in good agreement with observations of Ti gas-phase depletion in the warm and cold phases in a simple depletion model. ISM phase definitions based on chemical abundance rather than temperature cuts are physically more meaningful, but lead to significantly different transition rates and residence times because there is no direct correspondence between the two definitions.

IRAS constraints on a cold cloud around the solar system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aumann, H.H.; Good, J.C.

1990-01-01

IRAS 60- and 100-micron observations of G-stars in the solar neighborhood indicate that the typical G star is surrounded by a cold cloud. The assumption that the sun is archetypical requires that a cloud of typical G star extent and temperature surrounds our solar system. IRAS ecliptic plane scans, which are dominated by a 40-deg wide band of zodiacal dust, asteroid debris trails, and the Galactic plane, are consistent with a larger than typical G star cold cloud. Consistency with the typical G star and the direct observations constrain the width of the cold cloud perpendicular to the ecliptic plane to be larger than 5 deg. The 100-150 AU radius of this cloud is larger, but not inconsistent with the inner boundary of a cloud of comets, postulated previously at a radius of 50 AU based on Neptune orbital perturbations and models of short period comets. 17 refs

Investigation of dust storms entering Western Iran using remotely sensed data and synoptic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Boloorani, Ali D; Nabavi, Seyed O; Bahrami, Hosain A; Mirzapour, Fardin; Kavosi, Musa; Abasi, Esmail; Azizi, Rasoul

2014-01-01

One of the natural phenomena which have had considerable impacts on various regions of the world, including Iran, is "dust storm". In recent years, this phenomenon has taken on new dimensions in Iran and has changed from a local problem to a national issue. This study is an attempt to investigate the formation of the dust storms crossing the Western Iran. To find the sources of the dust storms entering Iran, first we examine three determined dust paths in the region and their temporal activities, using MODIS satellite images. Then, four regions were identified as dust sources through soil, land cover and wind data. Finally, atmospheric analyses are implemented to find synoptic patterns inducing dust storms. Source 1 has covered the region between the eastern banks of Euphrates and western banks of Tigris. Source 2 is in desert area of western and south-western Iraq. Finally source 3 is bounded in eastern and south-eastern deserts of Saudi Arabia called Rub-Al-Khali desert, or Empty Quarter. Moreover, south-eastern part of Iraq (source 4) was also determined as a secondary source which thickens the dust masses originating from the above mentioned sources. The study of synoptic circulations suggests that the dust storms originating from source 1 are formed due to the intense pressure gradient between the low-pressure system of Zagros and a high-pressure cell formed on Mediterranean Sea. The dust events in sources 2 and 3 are outcomes of the atmospheric circulations dominant in the cold period of the year in mid-latitudes.

Comet Dust: The Diversity of "Primitive" Particles and Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Wooden, Diane H.; Ishii, Hope A.; Bradley, John P.; Zolensky, Michael E.

2016-01-01

Comet dust is primitive and shows significant diversity. Our knowledge of the properties of primitive particles has expanded significantly through microscale investigations of cosmic dust samples ( IDP's(Interplanetary Dust Particles) and AMM's (Antarctic Micrometeorites)) and of comet dust samples (Stardust and Rosetta's COSIMA), as well as through remote sensing (spectroscopy and imaging) via Spitzer and via spacecraft encounters with 103P/Hartley 2 and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Microscale investigations show that comet dust and cosmic dust are particles of unequilibrated materials, including aggregates of materials unequilibrated at submicron scales. We call unequilibrated materials "primitive" and we deduce they were incorporated into ice-rich (H2O-, CO2-, and CO-ice) parent bodies that remained cold, i.e., into comets, because of the lack of aqueous or thermal alteration since particle aggregation; yet some Stardust olivines suggest mild thermal metamorphism. Primitive particles exhibit a diverse range of: structure and typology; size and size distribution of constituents; concentration and form of carbonaceous and organic matter; D-, N-, and O- isotopic enhancements over solar; Mg-, Fe-contents of the silicate minerals; the compositions and concentrations of sulfides, and of less abundant mineral species such as chondrules, CAIs and carbonates. The uniformity within a group of samples points to: aerodynamic sorting of particles and/or particle constituents; the inclusion of a limited range of oxygen fugacities; the inclusion or exclusion of chondrules; a selection of organics. The properties of primitive particles imply there were disk processes that resulted in different comets having particular selections of primitive materials. The diversity of primitive particles has implications for the diversity of materials in the protoplanetary disk present at the time and in the region where the comets formed.

Evolution of interstellar dust in light of Herschel Space Observatory data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arab, Heddy

2012-01-01

along the PDR at each wavelength and spatially compared. We highlight a shift between the position of the emission peak: the longest the wavelength, the furthest the peak from the exciting star. This is a consequence of the radiative transfer in the PDR as shown from a plane parallel transfer code coupled with a dust model. The comparison between the observed and the modelled profiles computed with typical diffuse dust abundances and properties shows differences linked to dust evolution in each studied PDR. These discrepancies between the data and the model indicate a lower Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH, the smallest dust component) abundance in the PDR than in the diffuse medium suggesting photo-destruction and/or PAH sticking on larger grains. This could be accompanied by an increase of big grain emissivity linked to coagulation. Herschel's observations of PDR also offer the chance to probe the variations of the grains at thermal equilibrium with the radiation through PDRs. A modified blackbody fit allows to compute an optical depth, a temperature and a dust spectral emissivity index. Those two last parameters are clearly anticorrelated, which confirms previous works. However, comparing the temperature and emissivity index dependence in different regions shows various behaviours which excludes a universal law between these parameters. This result opens new perspectives in the study of the dust evolution in the interstellar medium. (author) [fr

Asthma, Airway Symptoms and Rhinitis in Office Workers in Malaysia: Associations with House Dust Mite (HDM Allergy, Cat Allergy and Levels of House Dust Mite Allergens in Office Dust.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Lee Lim

Full Text Available A prevalence study was conducted among office workers in Malaysia (N= 695. The aim of this study was to examine associations between asthma, airway symptoms, rhinitis and house dust mites (HDM and cat allergy and HDM levels in office dust. Medical data was collected by a questionnaire. Skin prick tests were performed for HDM allergens (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae and cat allergen Felis domesticus. Indoor temperature and relative air humidity (RH were measured in the offices and vacuumed dust samples were analyzed for HDM allergens. The prevalence of D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae and cat allergy were 50.3%, 49.0% and 25.5% respectively. Totally 9.6% had doctor-diagnosed asthma, 15.5% had current wheeze and 53.0% had current rhinitis. The Der p 1 (from D. pteronyssinus and Der f 1 (from D. farinae allergens levels in dust were 556 ng/g and 658 ng/g respectively. Statistical analysis was conducted by multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, current smoking, HDM or cat allergy, home dampness and recent indoor painting at home. Office workers with HDM allergy had more wheeze (p= 0.035, any airway symptoms (p= 0.032, doctor-diagnosed asthma (p= 0.005, current asthma (p= 0.007, current rhinitis (p= 0.021 and rhinoconjuctivitis (p< 0.001. Cat allergy was associated with wheeze (p= 0.021, wheeze when not having a cold (p= 0.033, any airway symptoms (p= 0.034, doctor-diagnosed asthma (p= 0.010, current asthma (p= 0.020 and nasal allergy medication (p= 0.042. Der f 1 level in dust was associated with daytime breathlessness (p= 0.033 especially among those with HDM allergy. Der f 1 levels were correlated with indoor temperature (p< 0.001 and inversely correlated with RH (p< 0.001. In conclusion, HDM and cat allergies were common and independently associated with asthma, airway symptoms and rhinitis. Der f 1 allergen can be a risk factor for daytime breathlessness.

Absorption by Spinning Dust: A Contaminant for High-redshift 21 cm Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Draine, B. T.; Miralda-Escudé, Jordi

2018-05-01

Spinning dust grains in front of the bright Galactic synchrotron background can produce a weak absorption signal that could affect measurements of high-redshift 21 cm absorption. At frequencies near 80 MHz where the Experiment to Detect the Global EoR Signature (EDGES) has reported 21 cm absorption at z≈ 17, absorption could be produced by interstellar nanoparticles with radii a≈ 50 \\mathringA in the cold interstellar medium (ISM), with rotational temperature T ≈ 50 K. Atmospheric aerosols could contribute additional absorption. The strength of the absorption depends on the abundance of such grains and on their dipole moments, which are uncertain. The breadth of the absorption spectrum of spinning dust limits its possible impact on measurement of a relatively narrow 21 cm absorption feature.

DustEM: Dust extinction and emission modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Compiègne, M.; Verstraete, L.; Jones, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Boulanger, F.; Flagey, N.; Le Bourlot, J.; Paradis, D.; Ysard, N.

2013-07-01

DustEM computes the extinction and the emission of interstellar dust grains heated by photons. It is written in Fortran 95 and is jointly developed by IAS and CESR. The dust emission is calculated in the optically thin limit (no radiative transfer) and the default spectral range is 40 to 108 nm. The code is designed so dust properties can easily be changed and mixed and to allow for the inclusion of new grain physics.

Comet Dust: The Diversity of Primitive Particles and Implications

Science.gov (United States)

John Bradley; Zolensky, Michael E.

2016-01-01

Comet dust is primitive and shows significant diversity. Our knowledge of the properties of primitive particles has expanded significantly through microscale investigations of cosmic dust samples (IDPs and AMMs) and of comet dust samples (Stardust and Rosetta's COSIMA), as well as through remote sensing (spectroscopy and imaging) via Spitzer and via spacecraft encounters with 103P/Hartley 2 and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Microscale investigations show that comet dust and cosmic dust are particles of unequilibrated materials, including aggregates of materials unequilibrated at submicron scales. We call unequilibrated materials "primitive" and we deduce they were incorporated into ice-­-rich (H2O-, CO2-, and CO-ice) parent bodies that remained cold, i.e., into comets, because of the lack of aqueous or thermal alteration since particle aggregation; yet some Stardust olivines suggest mild thermal metamorphism. Primitive particles exhibit a diverse range of: structure and typology; size and size distribution of constituents; concentration and form of carbonaceous and organic matter; D-, N-, and O- isotopic enhancements over solar; Mg-, Fe-contentsof thesilicate minerals; the compositions and concentrations of sulfides, and of less abundant mineral species such as chondrules, CAIs and carbonates. The unifomity within a group of samples points to: aerodynamic sorting of particles and/or particle constituents; the inclusion of a limited range of oxygen fugacities; the inclusion or exclusion of chondrules; a selection of organics. The properites of primitive particles imply there were disk processes that resulted in different comets having particular selections of primitive materials. The diversity of primitive particles has implications for the diversity of materials in the protoplanetary disk present at the time and in the region where the comets formed.

Reconstructing the Mineralogy and Bioavailability of Dust-Borne Iron Deposited to the Southern Ocean through the Last Glacial Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Shoenfelt, E. M.; Winckler, G.; Lamy, F.; Bostick, B. C.

2017-12-01

The iron (Fe) in dust deposited to the Fe-limited Southern Ocean plays an important role in ocean biogeochemistry and global climate. For instance, increases in dust-borne Fe deposition in the subantarctic Southern Ocean have been linked to increases in productivity and part of the CO2 drawdown of the last glacial cycle [1]. Notably, bioavailable Fe impacts productivity rather than total Fe. While it has long been understood that Fe mineralogy impacts Fe bioavailability in general, our understanding of the mineralogy of Fe in dust in specific is limited to that in modern dust sources. Reduced mineral Fe in dust has been shown to be more bioavailable than oxidized mineral iron, as it is more readily dissolved [2], and it is more easily utilized directly by a model diatom [3]. Our previous work focusing on South American dust sources shows that glacial activity is associated with higher Fe(II) fractions in dust-borne minerals, due to the physical weathering of Fe(II)-rich silicates in bedrock [3]. Thus, we hypothesize that there were higher Fe(II) fractions in dust deposited during cold glacial periods where ice sheets were more widespread. Using synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we have reconstructed the mineralogy of Fe deposited to Southern Ocean sediment cores from the subantarctic South Atlantic (TN057-6/ODP Site 1090) and South Pacific (PS7/56-1) through the last glacial cycle, creating the first paleorecord of Fe mineralogy and its associated bioavailability. During cold glacial periods there is a higher fraction of reduced Fe - in the form of Fe(II) silicates - deposited to the sediments compared to warm interglacial periods. Thus, Fe(II) content is directly correlated with dust input. The presence of Fe(II) silicates rather than products of diagenesis such as pyrite suggests that these Fe(II) minerals are physically weathered from bedrock and preserved rather than produced in the sediment. This result suggests that not only was there more dust

Paracas dust storms: Sources, trajectories and associated meteorological conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Briceño-Zuluaga, F.; Castagna, A.; Rutllant, J. A.; Flores-Aqueveque, V.; Caquineau, S.; Sifeddine, A.; Velazco, F.; Gutierrez, D.; Cardich, J.

2017-09-01

Dust storms that develop along the Pisco-Ica desert in Southern Peru, locally known as ;Paracas; winds have ecological, health and economic repercussions. Here we identify dust sources through MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) imagery and analyze HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particles Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model trajectories and dispersion patterns, along with concomitant synoptic-scale meteorological conditions from National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis (NCEP/NCAR). Additionally, surface pressure data from the hourly METeorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) at Arica (18.5°S, 70.3°W) and Pisco (13.7°S, 76.2°W) were used to calculate Alongshore (sea-level) Pressure Gradient (APG) anomalies during Paracas dust storms, their duration and associated wind-speeds and wind directions. This study provides a review on the occurrence and strength of the Paracas dust storms as reported in the Pisco airfield for five-year period and their correspondence with MODIS true-color imagery in terms of dust-emission source areas. Our results show that most of the particle fluxes moving into the Ica-Pisco desert area during Paracas wind events originate over the coastal zone, where strong winds forced by steep APGs develop as the axis of a deep mid-troposphere trough sets in along north-central Chile. Direct relationships between Paracas wind intensity, number of active dust-emission sources and APGs are also documented, although the scarcity of simultaneous METAR/MODIS data for clearly observed MODIS dust plumes prevents any significant statistical inference. Synoptic-scale meteorological composites from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data show that Paracas wind events (steep APGs) are mostly associated with the strengthening of anticyclonic conditions in northern Chile, that can be attributed to cold air advection associated with the incoming trough. Compared to the MODIS images, HYSPLIT outputs were able

Dust modeling over East Asia during the summer of 2010 using the WRF-Chem model

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, B.; Huang, J.; Chen, S.

2017-12-01

An intense summer dust storm over East Asia during June 24-27, 2010, was systematically analyzed using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) and a variety of in situ measurements and satellite retrievals. The results showed that the WRF-Chem model captured the spatial and temporal distributions of meteorological factors and dust aerosols over East Asia. This summer dust storm was initiated by the approach of a transverse trough in the northwestern Xinjiang. Because of the passage of the cutoff-low, a large amount of cold air was transported southward and further enhanced in the narrow valleys of the Altai and Tianshan Mountains, which resulted in higher wind speeds and huge dust emissions over the Taklimakan Desert (TD). Dust emission fluxes over the TD were as high as 54 μg m-2 s-1 on June 25th. The dust aerosols from the TD then swept across Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Mongolia, and some were also transported eastward to Beijing, Tianjin, the Hebei region, and even South Korea and Japan. The simulations further showed that summer dust over East Asia exerts an important influence on the radiation budget in the Earth-atmosphere system. Dust heat the atmosphere at a maximum heating rate of 0.14 k day-1, effectively changing the vertical stability of the atmosphere and affecting climate change at regional and even global scales. The dust event-averaged direct radiative forcing induced by dust particles over the TD at all-sky was -6.0, -16.8 and 10.8 W m-2 at the top of the atmosphere, the surface, and in the atmosphere, respectively.

The parametric decay of dust ion acoustic waves in non-uniform quantum dusty magnetoplasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamil, M.; Ali, Waris; Shah, H. A.; Shahid, M.; Murtaza, G.; Salimullah, M.

2011-01-01

The parametric decay instability of a dust ion acoustic wave into low-frequency electrostatic dust-lower-hybrid and electromagnetic shear Alfven waves has been investigated in detail in an inhomogeneous cold quantum dusty plasma in the presence of external/ambient uniform magnetic field. The quantum magnetohydrodynamic model of plasmas with quantum effect arising through the Bohm potential and Fermi degenerate pressure has been employed in order to find the linear and nonlinear responses of the plasma particles for three-wave nonlinear coupling in a dusty magnetoplasma. A relatively high frequency electrostatic dust ion acoustic wave has been taken as the pump wave. It couples with two other low-frequency internal possible modes of the dusty magnetoplasma, viz., the dust-lower-hybrid and shear Alfven waves. The nonlinear dispersion relation of the dust-lower-hybrid wave has been solved to obtain the growth rate of the parametric decay instability. The growth rate is at a maximum for a small value of the external magnetic field B 0 . It is noted that the growth rate is proportional to the unperturbed electron number density n oe and is independent of inhomogeneity beyond L e =2 cm. An extraordinary growth rate is observed with the quantum effect.

GLOBAL STAR FORMATION RATES AND DUST EMISSION OVER THE GALAXY INTERACTION SEQUENCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lanz, Lauranne; Zezas, Andreas; Smith, Howard A.; Ashby, Matthew L. N.; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Hernquist, Lars [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Brassington, Nicola [School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Da Cunha, Elisabete [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg (Germany); Hayward, Christopher C. [Heidelberger Institut fuer Theoretische Studien, Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35, D-69118, Heidelberg (Germany); Jonsson, Patrik, E-mail: llanz@head.cfa.harvard.edu [Space Exploration Technologies, 1 Rocket Road, Hawthorne, CA 90250 (United States)

2013-05-01

We measured and modeled spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in 28 bands from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared (FIR) for 31 interacting galaxies in 14 systems. The sample is drawn from the Spitzer Interacting Galaxy Survey, which probes a range of galaxy interaction parameters at multiple wavelengths with an emphasis on the infrared bands. The subset presented in this paper consists of all galaxies for which FIR Herschel SPIRE observations are publicly available. Our SEDs combine the Herschel photometry with multi-wavelength data from Spitzer, GALEX, Swift UVOT, and 2MASS. While the shapes of the SEDs are broadly similar across our sample, strongly interacting galaxies typically have more mid-infrared emission relative to their near-infrared and FIR emission than weakly or moderately interacting galaxies. We modeled the full SEDs to derive host galaxy star formation rates (SFRs), specific star formation rates (sSFRs), stellar masses, dust temperatures, dust luminosities, and dust masses. We find increases in the dust luminosity and mass, SFR, and cold (15-25 K) dust temperature as the interaction progresses from moderately to strongly interacting and between non-interacting and strongly interacting galaxies. We also find increases in the SFR between weakly and strongly interacting galaxies. In contrast, the sSFR remains unchanged across all the interaction stages. The ultraviolet photometry is crucial for constraining the age of the stellar population and the SFR, while dust mass is primarily determined by SPIRE photometry. The SFR derived from the SED modeling agrees well with rates estimated by proportionality relations that depend on infrared emission.

Dust acoustic shock wave at high dust density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Samiran; Sarkar, Susmita; Khan, Manoranjan; Avinash, K.; Gupta, M. R.

2003-01-01

Dust acoustic (DA) shock wave at high dust density, i.e., the dust electroacoustic (DEA) or dust Coulomb (DC) shock wave has been investigated incorporating the nonadiabatic dust charge variation. The nonlinear DEA (DC) shock wave is seen to be governed by the Korteweg-de Vries Burger equation, in which the Burger term is proportional to the nonadiabaticity generated dissipation. It is seen that the shock strength decreases but after reaching minimum, it increases as the dust space charge density |q d n d | increases and the shock strength of DA wave is greater than that of DEA (DC) wave. Moreover the DEA (DC) shock width increases appreciably with increase mass m i of the ion component of the dusty plasma but for DA shock wave the effect is weak

Raman lidar measurement of water vapor and ice clouds associated with Asian dust layer over Tsukuba, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Tetsu; Nagai, Tomohiro; Nakazato, Masahisa; Matsumura, Takatsugu

2004-03-01

The vertical distributions of particle extinction, backscattering, depolarization, and water vapor mixing ratio were measured using a Raman lidar over Tsukuba (36.1°N, 140.1°E), Japan, on 23-24 April 2001. Ice clouds associated with the Asian dust layer were observed at an altitude of ~6-9 km. The relative humidities in the cloud layer were close to the ice saturation values and the temperature at the top of the cloud layer was ~-35°C, suggesting that the Asian dust acted as ice nuclei at the high temperatures. The meteorological analysis suggested that the ice-saturated region was formed near the top of the dust layer where the moist air ascended in slantwise fashion above the cold-frontal zone associated with extratropical cyclone.

One century sedimentary records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mercury and trace elements in the Qinghai Lake, Tibetan Plateau

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Xiaoping, E-mail: wangxp@itpcas.ac.c [Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Yang Handong [Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, Pearson Building, Gower Street, London WC1E6BT (United Kingdom); Gong Ping; Zhao Xin; Wu Guangjian [Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Turner, Simon [Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, Pearson Building, Gower Street, London WC1E6BT (United Kingdom); Yao Tandong [Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China)

2010-10-15

Sediments from a remote lake of northeastern Tibetan Plateau were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace metals. USEPA priority PAHs, ranged from 11 in 1860 to 279 ng g{sup -1} in 2002, while, the deposition fluxes were in the range of 0.2-11.4 ng cm{sup -2} yr{sup -1}. Similarly, from 1860 to 2002, an increased trend of Hg flux was observed (0.5-3.2 ng cm{sup -2} yr{sup -1}). Remarkable increase of PAHs and Hg concentration began from 1970, nearly the same period of the 'Reform and Open' Policy had been embarked (1978) in China. Good correlations were found between concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Hg, and PAHs, which suggested the sources of these chemicals in the sediment is analogous, likely from anthroprogenic sources. Based on isomer ratios, PAHs in core were dominantly from the incomplete combustion of coal. Owing to the proximity to dust source area (Qaidam Basin) and the close association between PAHs, Hg, Pb, and particle matters, atmospheric dust-transport and deposition might be the main pathways that pollutants enter into Qinghai Lake. - The historical deposition records of PAHs and Hg followed the economical development stages of China and sources of PAHs and Hg are dominantly pyrogenic.

One century sedimentary records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mercury and trace elements in the Qinghai Lake, Tibetan Plateau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaoping; Yang Handong; Gong Ping; Zhao Xin; Wu Guangjian; Turner, Simon; Yao Tandong

2010-01-01

Sediments from a remote lake of northeastern Tibetan Plateau were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace metals. USEPA priority PAHs, ranged from 11 in 1860 to 279 ng g -1 in 2002, while, the deposition fluxes were in the range of 0.2-11.4 ng cm -2 yr -1 . Similarly, from 1860 to 2002, an increased trend of Hg flux was observed (0.5-3.2 ng cm -2 yr -1 ). Remarkable increase of PAHs and Hg concentration began from 1970, nearly the same period of the 'Reform and Open' Policy had been embarked (1978) in China. Good correlations were found between concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Hg, and PAHs, which suggested the sources of these chemicals in the sediment is analogous, likely from anthroprogenic sources. Based on isomer ratios, PAHs in core were dominantly from the incomplete combustion of coal. Owing to the proximity to dust source area (Qaidam Basin) and the close association between PAHs, Hg, Pb, and particle matters, atmospheric dust-transport and deposition might be the main pathways that pollutants enter into Qinghai Lake. - The historical deposition records of PAHs and Hg followed the economical development stages of China and sources of PAHs and Hg are dominantly pyrogenic.

Cometary Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Levasseur-Regourd, Anny-Chantal; Agarwal, Jessica; Cottin, Hervé; Engrand, Cécile; Flynn, George; Fulle, Marco; Gombosi, Tamas; Langevin, Yves; Lasue, Jérémie; Mannel, Thurid; Merouane, Sihane; Poch, Olivier; Thomas, Nicolas; Westphal, Andrew

2018-04-01

This review presents our understanding of cometary dust at the end of 2017. For decades, insight about the dust ejected by nuclei of comets had stemmed from remote observations from Earth or Earth's orbit, and from flybys, including the samples of dust returned to Earth for laboratory studies by the Stardust return capsule. The long-duration Rosetta mission has recently provided a huge and unique amount of data, obtained using numerous instruments, including innovative dust instruments, over a wide range of distances from the Sun and from the nucleus. The diverse approaches available to study dust in comets, together with the related theoretical and experimental studies, provide evidence of the composition and physical properties of dust particles, e.g., the presence of a large fraction of carbon in macromolecules, and of aggregates on a wide range of scales. The results have opened vivid discussions on the variety of dust-release processes and on the diversity of dust properties in comets, as well as on the formation of cometary dust, and on its presence in the near-Earth interplanetary medium. These discussions stress the significance of future explorations as a way to decipher the formation and evolution of our Solar System.

The Diversity of Carbon in Cometary Refractory Dust Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Wooden, D. H.

2018-01-01

When comparing the dark icy surfaces of outer solar system small bodies and the composition of carbonaceous chondrites derived from dark asteroids we find a significant discrepancy in the assessed amounts of elemental carbon: up to 80% amorphous carbon is used to model the dark surfaces of Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs whereas at most 5% of elemental carbon is found in carbonaceous chondrites. If we presume that regimes of comet nuclei formation are analogous to disk regimes where other outer solar system ice-rich bodies formed then we can turn to comet dust to gain insights into the diversity in the concentration and forms of carbon available in the outer disk. Comet dust offers important insights into the diversity in the amounts and forms of carbon that were incorporated into aggregate dust particles in the colder parts of the protoplanetary disk out of which comet nuclei accreted. Comet nuclei are amongst the most primitive bodies because they have remained cold and unequilibrated. Comet dust particles reveal the presence of forms of elemental carbon and of soluble and insoluble organic matter, and in a great diversity of concentrations from very little, e.g., Stardust samples of comet 81P/Wild 2, to 80% by volume for Ultra Carbonaceous Antarctic Micro Meteorites (UCAMMs). Cometary outbursts and/or jet activity also demonstrate variations in the concentration of carbon in the grains at different grain sizes within a single comet. We review the diversity of carbon-bearing dust grains in cometary samples, flyby measurements and deduced from remote-sensing to enrich the discussion about the diversity of carbonaceous matter available in the outer ice-rich disk at the time of comet nuclei formation.

The cosmic transparency measured with Type Ia supernovae: implications for intergalactic dust

Science.gov (United States)

Goobar, Ariel; Dhawan, Suhail; Scolnic, Daniel

2018-06-01

Observations of high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are used to study the cosmic transparency at optical wavelengths. Assuming a flat Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological model based on baryon acoustic oscillations and cosmic microwave background measurements, redshift dependent deviations of SN Ia distances are used to constrain mechanisms that would dim light. The analysis is based on the most recent Pantheon SN compilation, for which there is a 0.03 ± 0.01 {({stat})} mag discrepancy in the distant supernova distance moduli relative to the ΛCDM model anchored by supernovae at z < 0.05. While there are known systematic uncertainties that combined could explain the observed offset, here we entertain the possibility that the discrepancy may instead be explained by scattering of supernova light in the intergalactic medium (IGM). We focus on two effects: Compton scattering by free electrons and extinction by dust in the IGM. We find that if the discrepancy is entirely due to dimming by dust, the measurements can be modelled with a cosmic dust density Ω _IGM^dust = 8 × 10^{-5} (1+z)^{-1}, corresponding to an average attenuation of 2 × 10-5 mag Mpc-1 in V band. Forthcoming SN Ia studies may provide a definitive measurement of the IGM dust properties, while still providing an unbiased estimate of cosmological parameters by introducing additional parameters in the global fits to the observations.

Particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a selected athletic hall: ambient concentrations, origin and effects on human health

Science.gov (United States)

Kuskowska, Karolina; Rogula-Kozłowska, Wioletta; Rogula-Kopiec, Patrycja

2018-01-01

The paper presents the results of research on the concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with total suspended particles (TSP) and their respirable fraction (PM4) in one of the Warsaw sports halls. Samples of dust were collected for 15 days simultaneously inside and outside (atmospheric air) of the sports hall. The obtained data allowed calculating diagnostic ratios indicating the origin of the PAHs and selected indicators of cumulative exposure to the PAH mixture. Both PM and PAH in the surveyed area were derived from the combustion of solid fuels; this involved pollution both in the atmospheric air and in the air inside the sports hall. It has been shown that the exposure of sports hall users to PAHs is significantly higher than the exposure resulting from concentrations recorded in the atmospheric air.

Spatial Characterization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in 2008 TC3 Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Sabbah, Hassan; Morrow, A.; Zare, R. N.; Jenniskens, P.

2009-09-01

Hassan Sabbah1, Amy L. Morrow1, Richard N. Zare1 and Petrus Jenniskens2 1Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, 2 SETI Institute, Carl Sagan Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, California 94043, USA. In October 2006 a small asteroid (2-3 meters) was observed in outer space. On October 7, 2008, it entered the Earth's atmosphere creating a fireball over Northern Sudan. Some 280 meteorites were collected by the University of Khartoum. In order to explore the existence of organic materials, specifically polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), we applied two-step laser desorption laser ionization mass spectrometry (L2MS) to some selected fragments. This technique consists of desorbing with a pulsed infrared laser beam the solid materials into a gaseous phase with no fragmentation followed by resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization to analyze the PAH content. L2MS was already applied to an array of extraterrestrial objects including interplanetary dust particles IDPs, carbonaceous chondrites and comet coma particles. Moreover, spatial resolution of PAHs in 2008 TC3 samples was achieved to explore the heterogeneity within individual fragments. The results of these studies and their contribution to understanding the formation of this asteroid will be discussed.

Stochastic histories of dust grains in the interstellar medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liffman, K.; Clayton, D.D.

1989-01-01

The purpose is to study an evolving system of refractory dust grains within the Interstellar Medium (ISM). This is done via a combination of Monte Carlo processes and a system of partial differential equations, where refractory dust grains formed within supernova remnants and ejecta from high mass loss stars are subjected to the processes of sputtering and collisional fragmentation in the diffuse media and accretion within the cold molecular clouds. In order to record chemical detail, the authors take each new particle to consist of a superrefractory core plus a more massive refractory mantle. The particles are allowed to transfer to and fro between the different phases of the interstellar medium (ISM) - on a time scale of 10(exp 8) years - until either the particles are destroyed or the program finishes at a Galaxy time of 6x10(exp 9) years. The resulting chemical and size spectrum(s) are then applied to various astrophysical problems with the following results. For an ISM which has no collisional fragmentation of the dust grains, roughly 10 percent by mass of the most refractory material survives the rigors of the ISM intact, which leaves open the possibility that fossilized isotopically anomalous material may have been present within the primordial solar nebula. Stuctured or layered refractory dust grains within the model cannot explain the observed interstellar depletions of refractory material. Fragmentation due to grain-grain collisions in the diffuse phase plus the accretion of material in the molecular cloud phase can under certain circumstances cause a bimodal distribution in grain size

Impacts of interactive dust and its direct radiative forcing on interannual variations of temperature and precipitation in winter over East Asia: Impacts of Dust on IAVs of Temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lou, Sijia [Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California USA; Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA; Russell, Lynn M. [Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California USA; Yang, Yang [Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla California USA; Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA; Liu, Ying [Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA; Singh, Balwinder [Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA; Ghan, Steven J. [Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA

2017-08-24

We used 150-year pre-industrial simulations of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) to quantify the impacts of interactively-modeled dust emissions on the interannual variations of temperature and precipitation over East Asia during the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) season. The simulated December-January-February dust column burden and dust optical depth are lower over northern China in the strongest EAWM years than those of the weakest years, with regional mean values lower by 38.3% and 37.2%, respectively. The decrease in dust over the dust source regions (the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts) and the downwind region (such as the North China Plain) leads to an increase in direct radiative forcing (RF) both at the surface and top of atmosphere by up to 1.5 and 0.75 W m-2, respectively. The effects of EAWM-related variations in surface winds, precipitation and their effects on dust emissions and wet removal contribute about 67% to the total dust-induced variations of direct RF at the surface and partly offset the cooling that occurs with the EAWM strengthening by heating the surface. The variations of surface air temperature induced by the changes in wind and dust emissions increase by 0.4-0.6 K over eastern coastal China, northeastern China, and Japan, which weakens the impact of EAWM on surface air temperature by 3–18% in these regions. The warming results from the combined effects of changes in direct RF and easterly wind anomalies that bring warm air from the ocean to these regions. Moreover, the feedback of the changes in wind on dust emissions weakens the variations of the sea level pressure gradient on the Siberian High while enhancing the Maritime Continent Low. Therefore, cold air is prevented from being transported from Siberia, Kazakhstan, western and central China to the western Pacific Ocean and decreases surface air temperature by 0.6 K and 2 K over central China and the Tibetan Plateau, respectively. Over eastern coastal China, the variations of

The effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the immune system of fish: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reynaud, S.; Deschaux, P.

2006-01-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an important class of environmental pollutants that are known to be carcinogenic and immunotoxic. This review summarizes the diverse literature on the effects of these pollutants on innate and acquired immunity in fish and the mechanism of PAH-induced immunotoxicity. Among innate immune parameters, many authors have focused on macrophage activities in fish exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Macrophage respiratory burst appears especially sensitive to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Among acquired immune parameters, lymphocyte proliferation appears highly sensitive to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. However, the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on both specific and non-specific immunity are contradictory and depend on the mode of exposure, the dose used or the species studied. In contrast to mammals, fewer studies have been done in fish to determine the mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced toxicity. This phenomenon seems to implicate different intracellular mechanisms such as metabolism by cytochrome P4501A, binding to the Ah-receptor, or increased intracellular calcium. Advances in basic knowledge of fish immunity should lead to improvements in monitoring fish health and predicting the impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on fish populations, which is a fundamental ecotoxicological goal

The effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the immune system of fish: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reynaud, S. [Laboratoire d' Ecologie Alpine. UMR CNRS 5553. Universite Joseph Fourier. BP 53. 38041 Grenoble cedex 9 (France) and Laboratory of General and Comparative Immunophysiology, Science Teaching and Research Unit, 123, av. Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges (France)]. E-mail: stephane.reynaud@ujf-grenoble.fr; Deschaux, P. [Laboratory of General and Comparative Immunophysiology, Science Teaching and Research Unit, 123, av. Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges (France)

2006-05-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an important class of environmental pollutants that are known to be carcinogenic and immunotoxic. This review summarizes the diverse literature on the effects of these pollutants on innate and acquired immunity in fish and the mechanism of PAH-induced immunotoxicity. Among innate immune parameters, many authors have focused on macrophage activities in fish exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Macrophage respiratory burst appears especially sensitive to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Among acquired immune parameters, lymphocyte proliferation appears highly sensitive to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. However, the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on both specific and non-specific immunity are contradictory and depend on the mode of exposure, the dose used or the species studied. In contrast to mammals, fewer studies have been done in fish to determine the mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced toxicity. This phenomenon seems to implicate different intracellular mechanisms such as metabolism by cytochrome P4501A, binding to the Ah-receptor, or increased intracellular calcium. Advances in basic knowledge of fish immunity should lead to improvements in monitoring fish health and predicting the impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on fish populations, which is a fundamental ecotoxicological goal.

Direct radiative effects during intense Mediterranean desert dust outbreaks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Gkikas

2018-06-01

temperature at 2 m by up to 4 K during day-time, whereas a reverse tendency of similar magnitude is found during night-time. Depending on the vertical distribution of dust loads and time, mineral particles heat (cool the atmosphere by up to 0.9 K (0.8 K during day-time (night-time within atmospheric dust layers. Beneath and above the dust clouds, mineral particles cool (warm the atmosphere by up to 1.3 K (1.2 K at noon (night-time. On a regional mean basis, negative feedbacks on the total emitted dust (reduced by 19.5 % and dust AOD (reduced by 6.9 % are found when dust interacts with the radiation. Through the consideration of dust radiative effects in numerical simulations, the model positive and negative biases for the downward surface SW or LW radiation, respectively, with respect to Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN measurements, are reduced. In addition, they also reduce the model near-surface (at 2 m nocturnal cold biases by up to 0.5 K (regional averages, as well as the model warm biases at 950 and 700 hPa, where the dust concentration is maximized, by up to 0.4 K. However, improvements are relatively small and do not happen in all episodes because other model first-order errors may dominate over the expected improvements, and the misrepresentation of the dust plumes' spatiotemporal features and optical properties may even produce a double penalty effect. The enhancement of dust forecasts via data assimilation techniques may significantly improve the results.

Prediction of environmental parameters of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with COSMO-RS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schröder, B.; Santos, L.M.N.B.F.; Alves da Rocha, M.A.; Oliveira, M.B.; Marrucho, I.M.; Coutinho, J.A.P.

2010-01-01

The methodology for the prediction of properties of environmental relevance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS/COSMOtherm) is presented and evaluated, with a special focus on the aqueous solubility of polycyclic aromatic

Glacial cold-water coral growth in the Gulf of Cádiz: Implications of increased palaeo-productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Wienberg, Claudia; Frank, Norbert; Mertens, Kenneth N.; Stuut, Jan-Berend; Marchant, Margarita; Fietzke, Jan; Mienis, Furu; Hebbeln, Dierk

2010-10-01

A set of 40 Uranium-series datings obtained on the reef-forming scleractinian cold-water corals Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata revealed that during the past 400 kyr their occurrence in the Gulf of Cádiz (GoC) was almost exclusively restricted to glacial periods. This result strengthens the outcomes of former studies that coral growth in the temperate NE Atlantic encompassing the French, Iberian and Moroccan margins dominated during glacial periods, whereas in the higher latitudes (Irish and Norwegian margins) extended coral growth prevailed during interglacial periods. Thus it appears that the biogeographical limits for sustained cold-water coral growth along the NE Atlantic margin are strongly related to climate change. By focussing on the last glacial-interglacial cycle, this study shows that palaeo-productivity was increased during the last glacial. This was likely driven by the fertilisation effect of an increased input of aeolian dust and locally intensified upwelling. After the Younger Dryas cold event, the input of aeolian dust and productivity significantly decreased concurrent with an increase in water temperatures in the GoC. This primarily resulted in reduced food availability and caused a widespread demise of the formerly thriving coral ecosystems. Moreover, these climate induced changes most likely caused a latitudinal shift of areas with optimum coral growth conditions towards the northern NE Atlantic where more suitable environmental conditions established with the onset of the Holocene.

Infrared Spectroscopy of Matrix-Isolated Polycyclic Aromatic Nitrogen Heterocycles (PANHs)

Science.gov (United States)

Mattioda, A. L.; Hudgins, D. M.; Bauschlicher, C. W.; Allamandola, L. J.; Biemesderfer, C. D.; Rosi, M.

2002-01-01

The mid-infrared spectra of the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic compounds 1-azabenz[a]-anthracene; 2-azabenz[a]anthracene; 1-azachrysene; 2-azachrysene; 4-azachrysene; 2-azapyrene, and 7,8 benzoquinoline in their neutral and cation forms were investigated. The spectra of these species isolated in an argon matrix have been measured. Band frequencies and intensities were tabulated and these data compared with spectra computed using density functional theory at the B3LYP level. The overall agreement between experiment and theory is quite good, in keeping with earlier results on homonuclear polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The differences between the spectral properties of nitrogen bearing aromatics and non-substituted, neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will be discussed.

Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in soil of suburban areas in Tianjin, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Jungang; Shi, Rongguang; Cai, Yanming; Liu, Yong

2010-07-01

Soil contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is an increasing problem and has aroused more and more concern in many countries, including China. In this study, representative soil samples (n = 87) of suburban areas in Tianjin (Xiqing, Dongli, Jinnan, Beichen) were evaluated for 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Surface soil samples were air-dried and sieved. Microwave assisted extraction was used for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons preparation prior to analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of tested polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Xiqing, Dongli, Jinnan, Beichen ranged in 58.5-2,748.3, 36.1-6,734.7, 58.5-4,502.5, 29.7-852.5 ng/g and the averages of total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 600.5, 933.6, 640.8, 257.3 ng/g, respectively. Spatial variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil was illustrated; Pollution status and comparison to other cities were also investigated. Serious polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons soil pollution was found in Dongli district, on the contrary, Bap in most sites in Beichen did not exceed relative standards and most sites in Beichen should be classified as non-contaminated soil. Principal component analysis was used to identify the possible sources of different districts. It turned out that coal combustion still was the most important sources in three districts except Beichen. Coking, traffic, cooking, biomass combustion also accounted for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution to certain extent in different districts. These data can be further used to assess the health risk associated with soils polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and help local government find proper way to reduce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution in soils.

Extinction Mapping and Dust-to-Gas Ratios of Nearby Galaxies using LEGUS

Science.gov (United States)

Kahre, Lauren; Walterbos, Rene; Kim, Hwihyun; Thilker, David; Lee, Janice; LEGUS Team

2018-01-01

Dust is commonly used as a tracer for cold dense gas, either through IR and NIR emission maps or through extinction mapping, and dust abundance and gas metallicity are critical constraints for chemical and galaxy evolution models. Extinction mapping has been used to trace dust column densities in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and M31. The maps for M31 use IR and NIR photometry of red giant branch stars, which is more difficult to obtain for more distant galaxies. Work by Kahre et al. (in prep) uses the extinctions derived for individual massive stars using the isochrone-matching method described by Kim et al. (2012) to generate extinction maps for these more distant galaxies.Isochrones of massive stars lie in the same location on a color-color diagram with little dependence on metallicity and luminosity class, so the extinction can be directly derived from the observed photometry. We generate extinction maps using photometry of massive stars from the Hubble Space Telescope for several of the nearly 50 galaxies observed by the Legacy Extragalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). The derived extinction maps will allow us to correct ground-based and HST Halpha maps for extinction, and will be used to constrain changes in the dust-to-gas ratio across the galaxy sample and in different star formation, metallicity and morphological environments. Previous studies have found links between galaxy metallicity and the dust-to-gas mass ratio. We present a study of LEGUS galaxies spanning a range of distances, metallicities, and galaxy morphologies, expanding on our previous study of metal-poor dwarfs Holmberg I and II and giant spirals NGC 6503 and NGC 628. We see clear evidence for changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with changing metallicity. We also examine changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with galactocentric radius. Ultimately, we will provide constraints on the dust-to-gas mass ratio across a wide range of galaxy environments.

Epoxide-Opening Cascades in the Synthesis of Polycyclic Polyether Natural Products

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

The group of polycyclic polyether natural products is of special interest due to the fascinating structure and biological effects displayed by its members. The latter includes potentially therapeutic antibiotic, antifungal, and anticancer properties, as well as extreme lethality. The polycyclic structural features of this family can, in some cases, be traced to their biosynthetic origin, but in others that are less well understood, only to proposed biosynthetic pathways that feature dramatic, yet speculative, epoxide–opening cascades. In this review we summarize how such epoxide–opening cascade reactions have been used in the synthesis of polycyclic polyethers and related natural products. PMID:19572302

Global Scale Attribution of Anthropogenic and Natural Dust Sources and their Emission Rates Based on MODIS Deep Blue Aerosol Products

Science.gov (United States)

Ginoux, Paul; Prospero, Joseph M.; Gill, Thomas E.; Hsu, N. Christina; Zhao, Ming

2012-01-01

Our understanding of the global dust cycle is limited by a dearth of information about dust sources, especially small-scale features which could account for a large fraction of global emissions. Here we present a global-scale high-resolution (0.1 deg) mapping of sources based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue estimates of dust optical depth in conjunction with other data sets including land use. We ascribe dust sources to natural and anthropogenic (primarily agricultural) origins, calculate their respective contributions to emissions, and extensively compare these products against literature. Natural dust sources globally account for 75% of emissions; anthropogenic sources account for 25%. North Africa accounts for 55% of global dust emissions with only 8% being anthropogenic, mostly from the Sahel. Elsewhere, anthropogenic dust emissions can be much higher (75% in Australia). Hydrologic dust sources (e.g., ephemeral water bodies) account for 31% worldwide; 15% of them are natural while 85% are anthropogenic. Globally, 20% of emissions are from vegetated surfaces, primarily desert shrublands and agricultural lands. Since anthropogenic dust sources are associated with land use and ephemeral water bodies, both in turn linked to the hydrological cycle, their emissions are affected by climate variability. Such changes in dust emissions can impact climate, air quality, and human health. Improved dust emission estimates will require a better mapping of threshold wind velocities, vegetation dynamics, and surface conditions (soil moisture and land use) especially in the sensitive regions identified here, as well as improved ability to address small-scale convective processes producing dust via cold pool (haboob) events frequent in monsoon regimes.

Global-scale attribution of anthropogenic and natural dust sources and their emission rates based on MODIS Deep Blue aerosol products

Science.gov (United States)

Ginoux, Paul; Prospero, Joseph M.; Gill, Thomas E.; Hsu, N. Christina; Zhao, Ming

2012-09-01

Our understanding of the global dust cycle is limited by a dearth of information about dust sources, especially small-scale features which could account for a large fraction of global emissions. Here we present a global-scale high-resolution (0.1°) mapping of sources based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue estimates of dust optical depth in conjunction with other data sets including land use. We ascribe dust sources to natural and anthropogenic (primarily agricultural) origins, calculate their respective contributions to emissions, and extensively compare these products against literature. Natural dust sources globally account for 75% of emissions; anthropogenic sources account for 25%. North Africa accounts for 55% of global dust emissions with only 8% being anthropogenic, mostly from the Sahel. Elsewhere, anthropogenic dust emissions can be much higher (75% in Australia). Hydrologic dust sources (e.g., ephemeral water bodies) account for 31% worldwide; 15% of them are natural while 85% are anthropogenic. Globally, 20% of emissions are from vegetated surfaces, primarily desert shrublands and agricultural lands. Since anthropogenic dust sources are associated with land use and ephemeral water bodies, both in turn linked to the hydrological cycle, their emissions are affected by climate variability. Such changes in dust emissions can impact climate, air quality, and human health. Improved dust emission estimates will require a better mapping of threshold wind velocities, vegetation dynamics, and surface conditions (soil moisture and land use) especially in the sensitive regions identified here, as well as improved ability to address small-scale convective processes producing dust via cold pool (haboob) events frequent in monsoon regimes.

Dust Measurements in Tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudakov, D; Yu, J; Boedo, J; Hollmann, E; Krasheninnikov, S; Moyer, R; Muller, S; Yu, A; Rosenberg, M; Smirnov, R; West, W; Boivin, R; Bray, B; Brooks, N; Hyatt, A; Wong, C; Fenstermacher, M; Groth, M; Lasnier, C; McLean, A; Stangeby, P; Ratynskaia, S; Roquemore, A; Skinner, C; Solomon, W M

2008-01-01

Dust production and accumulation impose safety and operational concerns for ITER. Diagnostics to monitor dust levels in the plasma as well as in-vessel dust inventory are currently being tested in a few tokamaks. Dust accumulation in ITER is likely to occur in hidden areas, e.g. between tiles and under divertor baffles. A novel electrostatic dust detector for monitoring dust in these regions has been developed and tested at PPPL. In DIII-D tokamak dust diagnostics include Mie scattering from Nd:YAG lasers, visible imaging, and spectroscopy. Laser scattering resolves size of particles between 0.16-1.6 (micro)m in diameter; the total dust content in the edge plasmas and trends in the dust production rates within this size range have been established. Individual dust particles are observed by visible imaging using fast-framing cameras, detecting dust particles of a few microns in diameter and larger. Dust velocities and trajectories can be determined in 2D with a single camera or 3D using multiple cameras, but determination of particle size is problematic. In order to calibrate diagnostics and benchmark dust dynamics modeling, pre-characterized carbon dust has been injected into the lower divertor of DIII-D. Injected dust is seen by cameras, and spectroscopic diagnostics observe an increase of carbon atomic, C2 dimer, and thermal continuum emissions from the injected dust. The latter observation can be used in the design of novel dust survey diagnostics

A spectroscopic study of absorption and emission features of interstellar dust components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwet, G.P. van der.

1986-01-01

The spectroscopic properties of silicate interstellar dust grains are the subject of this thesis. The process of accretion and photolysis is simulated in the laboratory by condensing mixtures of gases onto a cold substrate (T ∼ 12 K) in a vacuum chamber and photolyzing these mixtures with a vacuum ultraviolet source. Alternatively, the gas mixtures may be passed through a microwave discharge first, before deposition. The spectroscopic properties of the ices are investigated using ultraviolet, visible and infrared spectroscopy. (Auth.)

6 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.cdr

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

mutations and birth defects (Zedec, 1980;. White, 1986). ... include the use of creosote-treated wood in. Polycyclic ... concentrations of PAHs ranged from below detection limit of 0.01 µg/kg wet wt to 34.04 ± 0.56 µg/kg wet wt in S. maderensis ...

Cold Milky Way HI Gas in Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Kalberla, P. M. W.; Kerp, J.; Haud, U.; Winkel, B.; Ben Bekhti, N.; Flöer, L.; Lenz, D.

2016-04-01

We investigate data from the Galactic Effelsberg-Bonn H I Survey, supplemented with data from the third release of the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS III) observed at Parkes. We explore the all-sky distribution of the local Galactic H I gas with | {v}{{LSR}}| \\lt 25 km s-1 on angular scales of 11‧-16‧. Unsharp masking is applied to extract small-scale features. We find cold filaments that are aligned with polarized dust emission and conclude that the cold neutral medium (CNM) is mostly organized in sheets that are, because of projection effects, observed as filaments. These filaments are associated with dust ridges, aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures by Planck at 353 GHz. The CNM above latitudes | b| \\gt 20^\\circ is described by a log-normal distribution, with a median Doppler temperature TD = 223 K, derived from observed line widths that include turbulent contributions. The median neutral hydrogen (H I) column density is NH I ≃ 1019.1 cm-2. These CNM structures are embedded within a warm neutral medium with NH I ≃ 1020 cm-2. Assuming an average distance of 100 pc, we derive for the CNM sheets a thickness of ≲0.3 pc. Adopting a magnetic field strength of Btot = (6.0 ± 1.8) μG, proposed by Heiles & Troland, and assuming that the CNM filaments are confined by magnetic pressure, we estimate a thickness of 0.09 pc. Correspondingly, the median volume density is in the range 14 ≲ n ≲ 47 cm-3. The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for support under grant numbers KE757/11-1, KE757/7-3, KE757/7-2, KE757/7-1, and BE4823/1-1.

Particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a selected athletic hall: ambient concentrations, origin and effects on human health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuskowska Karolina

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of research on the concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs associated with total suspended particles (TSP and their respirable fraction (PM4 in one of the Warsaw sports halls. Samples of dust were collected for 15 days simultaneously inside and outside (atmospheric air of the sports hall. The obtained data allowed calculating diagnostic ratios indicating the origin of the PAHs and selected indicators of cumulative exposure to the PAH mixture. Both PM and PAH in the surveyed area were derived from the combustion of solid fuels; this involved pollution both in the atmospheric air and in the air inside the sports hall. It has been shown that the exposure of sports hall users to PAHs is significantly higher than the exposure resulting from concentrations recorded in the atmospheric air.

Chemical profiling of PM10 from urban road dust.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, C A; Evtyugina, M; Vicente, A M P; Vicente, E D; Nunes, T V; Silva, P M A; Duarte, M A C; Pio, C A; Amato, F; Querol, X

2018-09-01

Road dust resuspension is one of the main sources of particulate matter with impacts on air quality, health and climate. With the aim of characterising the thoracic fraction, a portable resuspension chamber was used to collect road dust from five main roads in Oporto and an urban tunnel in Braga, north of Portugal. The PM 10 samples were analysed for: i) carbonates by acidification and quantification of the evolved CO 2 , ii) carbonaceous content (OC and EC) by a thermo-optical technique, iii) elemental composition by ICP-MS and ICP-AES after acid digestion, and iv) organic speciation by GC-MS. Dust loadings of 0.48±0.39mgPM 10 m -2 were obtained for asphalt paved roads. A much higher mean value was achieved in a cobbled pavement (50mgPM 10 m -2 ). In general, carbonates were not detected in PM 10 . OC and EC accounted for PM 10 mass fractions up to 11% and 5%, respectively. Metal oxides accounted for 29±7.5% of the PM 10 mass from the asphalt paved roads and 73% in samples from the cobbled street. Crustal and anthropogenic elements, associated with tyre and brake wear, dominated the inorganic fraction. PM 10 comprised hundreds of organic constituents, including hopanoids, n-alkanes and other aliphatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), alcohols, sterols, various types of acids, glycerol derivatives, lactones, sugars and derivatives, phenolic compounds and plasticizers. In samples from the cobbled street, these organic classes represented only 439μgg -1 PM 10 , while for other pavements mass fractions up to 65mgg -1 PM 10 were obtained. Except for the cobbled street, on average, about 40% of the analysed organic fraction was composed of plasticizers. Although the risk via inhalation of PAH was found to be insignificant, the PM 10 from some roads can contribute to an estimated excess of 332 to 2183 per million new cancer cases in adults exposed via ingestion and dermal contact. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Critical Review of Environmental Occurrence and Bioremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Alegbeleye, Oluwadara Oluwaseun; Opeolu, Beatrice Oluwatoyin; Jackson, Vanessa Angela

2017-10-01

The degree of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination of environmental matrices has increased over the last several years due to increase in industrial activities. Interest has surrounded the occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for many decades because they pose a serious threat to the health of humans and ecosystems. The importance of the need for sustainable abatement strategies to alleviate contamination therefore cannot be overemphasised, as daily human activities continue to create pollution from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and impact the natural environment. Globally, attempts have been made to design treatment schemes for the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites. Several techniques and technologies have been proposed and tested over time, the majority of which have significant limitations. This has necessitated research into environmentally friendly and cost-effective clean-up techniques. Bioremediation is an appealing option that has been extensively researched and adopted as it has been proven to be relatively cost-effective, environmentally friendly and is publicly accepted. In this review, the physicochemical properties of some priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the pathways and mechanisms through which they enter the soil, river systems, drinking water, groundwater and food are succinctly examined. Their effects on human health, other living organisms, the aquatic ecosystem, as well as soil microbiota are also elucidated. The persistence and bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are discussed as well, as they are important factors that influence the rate, efficiency and overall success of remediation. Bioremediation (aerobic and anaerobic), use of biosurfactants and bioreactors, as well as the roles of biofilms in the biological treatment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also explored.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Critical Review of Environmental Occurrence and Bioremediation

Science.gov (United States)

Alegbeleye, Oluwadara Oluwaseun; Opeolu, Beatrice Oluwatoyin; Jackson, Vanessa Angela

2017-10-01

The degree of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination of environmental matrices has increased over the last several years due to increase in industrial activities. Interest has surrounded the occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for many decades because they pose a serious threat to the health of humans and ecosystems. The importance of the need for sustainable abatement strategies to alleviate contamination therefore cannot be overemphasised, as daily human activities continue to create pollution from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and impact the natural environment. Globally, attempts have been made to design treatment schemes for the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites. Several techniques and technologies have been proposed and tested over time, the majority of which have significant limitations. This has necessitated research into environmentally friendly and cost-effective clean-up techniques. Bioremediation is an appealing option that has been extensively researched and adopted as it has been proven to be relatively cost-effective, environmentally friendly and is publicly accepted. In this review, the physicochemical properties of some priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the pathways and mechanisms through which they enter the soil, river systems, drinking water, groundwater and food are succinctly examined. Their effects on human health, other living organisms, the aquatic ecosystem, as well as soil microbiota are also elucidated. The persistence and bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are discussed as well, as they are important factors that influence the rate, efficiency and overall success of remediation. Bioremediation (aerobic and anaerobic), use of biosurfactants and bioreactors, as well as the roles of biofilms in the biological treatment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also explored.

Dust confinement and dust acoustic waves in a magnetized plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Piel, A.

2005-10-01

Systematic laboratory experiments on dust acoustic waves require the confinement of dust particles. Here we report on new experiments in a magnetized plasma region in front of an additional positively biased disk electrode in a background plasma which is generated in argon at 27MHz between a disk and grid electrode. The plasma diffuses through the grid along the magnetic field. The three-dimensional dust distribution is measured with a horizontal sheet of laser light and a CCD camera, which are mounted on a vertical translation stage. Depending on magnetic field and discharge current, cigar or donut-shaped dust clouds are generated, which tend to rotate about the magnetic field direction. Measurements with emissive probes show that the axial confinement of dust particles with diameters between 0.7-2 μm is achieved by a balance of ion-drag force and electric field force. Dust levitation and radial confinement is due to a strong radial electric field. Dust acoustic waves are destabilized by the ion flow or can be stimulated by a periodic bias on the disk electrode. The observed wave dispersion is compared with fluid and kinetic models of the dust acoustic wave.

Oxidation kinetics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by permanganate.

Science.gov (United States)

Forsey, Steven P; Thomson, Neil R; Barker, James F

2010-04-01

The reactivity of permanganate towards polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons (PAHs) is well known but little kinetic information is available. This study investigated the oxidation kinetics of a selected group of coal tar creosote compounds and alkylbenzenes in water using permanganate, and the correlation between compound reactivity and physical/chemical properties. The oxidation of naphthalene, phenanthrene, chrysene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, carbazole isopropylbenzene, ethylbenzene and methylbenzene closely followed pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. The oxidation of pyrene was initially very rapid and did not follow pseudo first-order kinetics at early times. Fluoranthene was only partially oxidized and the oxidation of anthracene was too fast to be captured. Biphenyl, dibenzofuran, benzene and tert-butylbenzene were non-reactive under the study conditions. The oxidation rate was shown to increase with increasing number of polycyclic rings because less energy is required to overcome the aromatic character of a polycyclic ring than is required for benzene. Thus the rate of oxidation increased in the series naphthalenepermanganate. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Allergies, asthma, and dust

Science.gov (United States)

Reactive airway disease - dust; Bronchial asthma - dust; Triggers - dust ... Things that make allergies or asthma worse are called triggers. Dust is a common trigger. When your asthma or allergies become worse due to dust, you are ...

Optimization and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar-based fertilizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ping; Zhou, Hui; Gan, Jay; Sun, Mingxing; Shang, Guofeng; Liu, Liang; Shen, Guoqing

2015-03-01

The agronomic benefit of biochar has attracted widespread attention to biochar-based fertilizers. However, the inevitable presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar is a matter of concern because of the health and ecological risks of these compounds. The strong adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to biochar complicates their analysis and extraction from biochar-based fertilizers. In this study, we optimized and validated a method for determining the 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar-based fertilizers. Results showed that accelerated solvent extraction exhibited high extraction efficiency. Based on a Box-Behnken design with a triplicate central point, accelerated solvent extraction was used under the following optimal operational conditions: extraction temperature of 78°C, extraction time of 17 min, and two static cycles. The optimized method was validated by assessing the linearity of analysis, limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery, and application to real samples. The results showed that the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibited good linearity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The limits of detection varied between 0.001 (phenanthrene) and 0.021 mg/g (benzo[ghi]perylene), and the limits of quantification varied between 0.004 (phenanthrene) and 0.069 mg/g (benzo[ghi]perylene). The relative recoveries of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 70.26-102.99%. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Particle numbers in classified sizes of roadside dust caused by studded tires in the air at different heights from the pavement surface].

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, T; Niioka, T; Kurasaki, M; Kojima, Y

1996-07-01

Increased use of motor vehicles has produced various risks to human health due to air pollution by noxious gases, heavy metals and roadside dust. Since the late 1970s, the wide spread use of studded tires for cars has caused pavement wear, resulting in not only economic losses, but also roadside air pollution in cold and snowy regions in Japan. The most serious environmental problem in Sapporo, a city with heavy snowfall, in the 1980s, was roadside dust derived from studded tires. The inhabitants suffered from this dust in the early winter and in the early spring when the streets were not covered with snow. To investigate the influence of such roadside dust upon human health, particle numbers in classified sizes of roadside dust were counted after the roadside dust in the air was collected with a device we constructed at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 cm above the pavement surface. The results indicated that the concentration of roadside dust in the air did not greatly vary according to the height from the pavement surface. The results also suggested that xenogranuloma, reported in lungs of stray dogs, under roadside dust-pollution conditions such as those examined here, may occur in humans in the future.

Dust-acoustic solitary modes in plasmas with isothermal and nonthermal ions: Polarity switches and coexistence domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verheest, Frank

2011-01-01

Large dust-acoustic waves are investigated in a multispecies plasma model consisting of cold negative dust in the presence of cooler Boltzmann and hotter nonthermal Cairns positive ions, in a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism. Use of the pseudopotential at the acoustic speed itself yields in a systematic way compositional parameter values where negative/positive solitons interchange polarities and also where both polarities coexist. The latter requires that solitons at the acoustic speed exist, with finite amplitudes, compared to superacoustic solitons of the opposite polarity. The coexistence region starts when the pseudopotential at the acoustic speed has a negative root at the limit of infinite dust compression and ends when a positive double root is encountered. Outside the coexistence domain, only negative or positive superacoustic solitons can exist. Thus, the discussion and numerical evaluations are guided by precise physical and analytic arguments rather than mere numerical experimentation. Graphs of relevant Sagdeev pseudopotentials illustrate the link with the analytical constraints.

Dust-acoustic solitary modes in plasmas with isothermal and nonthermal ions: Polarity switches and coexistence domains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verheest, Frank [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Gent, Belgium and School of Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000 (South Africa)

2011-08-15

Large dust-acoustic waves are investigated in a multispecies plasma model consisting of cold negative dust in the presence of cooler Boltzmann and hotter nonthermal Cairns positive ions, in a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism. Use of the pseudopotential at the acoustic speed itself yields in a systematic way compositional parameter values where negative/positive solitons interchange polarities and also where both polarities coexist. The latter requires that solitons at the acoustic speed exist, with finite amplitudes, compared to superacoustic solitons of the opposite polarity. The coexistence region starts when the pseudopotential at the acoustic speed has a negative root at the limit of infinite dust compression and ends when a positive double root is encountered. Outside the coexistence domain, only negative or positive superacoustic solitons can exist. Thus, the discussion and numerical evaluations are guided by precise physical and analytic arguments rather than mere numerical experimentation. Graphs of relevant Sagdeev pseudopotentials illustrate the link with the analytical constraints.

Carbohydrate and protein contents of grain dusts in relation to dust morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dashek, W V; Olenchock, S A; Mayfield, J E; Wirtz, G H; Wolz, D E; Young, C A

1986-01-01

Grain dusts contain a variety of materials which are potentially hazardous to the health of workers in the grain industry. Because the characterization of grain dusts is incomplete, we are defining the botanical, chemical, and microbial contents of several grain dusts collected from grain elevators in the Duluth-Superior regions of the U.S. Here, we report certain of the carbohydrate and protein contents of dusts in relation to dust morphology. Examination of the gross morphologies of the dusts revealed that, except for corn, each dust contained either husk or pericarp (seed coat in the case of flax) fragments in addition to respirable particles. When viewed with the light microscope, the fragments appeared as elongated, pointed structures. The possibility that certain of the fragments within corn, settled, and spring wheat were derived from cell walls was suggested by the detection of pentoses following colorimetric assay of neutralized 2 N trifluoroacetic acid hydrolyzates of these dusts. The presence of pentoses together with the occurrence of proteins within water washings of grain dusts suggests that glycoproteins may be present within the dusts. With scanning electron microscopy, each dust was found to consist of a distinct assortment of particles in addition to respirable particles. Small husk fragments and "trichome-like" objects were common to all but corn dust. Images FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. PMID:3709476

Dust Devil Tracks

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

(Released 8 May 2002) The Science This image, centered near 50.0 S and 17.7 W displays dust devil tracks on the surface. Most of the lighter portions of the image likely have a thin veneer of dust settled on the surface. As a dust devil passes over the surface, it acts as a vacuum and picks up the dust, leaving the darker substrate exposed. In this image there is a general trend of many of the tracks running from east to west or west to east, indicating the general wind direction. There is often no general trend present in dust devil tracks seen in other images. The track patterns are quite ephemeral and can completely change or even disappear over the course of a few months. Dust devils are one of the mechanisms that Mars uses to constantly pump dust into the ubiquitously dusty atmosphere. This atmospheric dust is one of the main driving forces of the present Martian climate. The Story Vrrrrooooooooom. Think of a tornado, the cartoon Tasmanian devil, or any number of vacuum commercials that powerfully suck up swirls of dust and dirt. That's pretty much what it's like on the surface of Mars a lot of the time. Whirlpools of wind called

Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) present in sampled cooked food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palm Naa-Dedei, L.M.

2010-07-01

The study was conducted to determine the levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the following traditionally prepared food: smoked and grilled Scomba japonicus, grilled meat (khebab) and bread sampled from some Ghanaian markets. By way of preparation of traditional food, some food comes into direct contact with smoke or extremely high temperature which are potential sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon generation. Levels of 20 individual Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons including acenaphthene, acenaphtyelene, anthanthrene, anthracene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(e)pyrene, benzo(ghi)perylene, benzo(j)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, cyclopenta(cd)pyrene, dibenzo(ah)anthracene, fluoranthene, fluorene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene were determined in 11 smoked and 5 grilled fish, 4 grilled pieces of meat and 3 loaves of baked bread using gas chromatographic techniques with flame ionization detector. Benzo(a)pyrene, which is one of the few PAH for which a legal limit exists in different types of food matrices and other high molecular weight PAHs suspected to be carcinogenic have been detected in high concentrations in most samples. Bread samples gave mean polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations of up to 20.39 μg/kg while khebab samples gave mean polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbon concentrations of up to 67.61 μg/kg. There was positive correlation of 0.987 between levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in khebab samples from locations Osu and Atomic down. There was a positive correlation in the concentrations of the high molecular weight PAHs in all smoked fishes from four locations with values between 0.954 and 0.999 for the correlation between any two groups. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration determined in smoked fish samples deceased in terms of location according to the order Winneba > Madina > Chorkor > Ada.

Comparison of direct, headspace and headspace cold fiber modes in solid phase microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a new coating based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/graphene oxide composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Banitaba, Mohammad Hossein; Hosseiny Davarani, Saied Saeed; Kazemi Movahed, Siyavash

2014-01-17

A novel nanocomposite coating made of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and graphene oxide was electrochemically prepared on gold wire. The prepared fiber was applied to the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatographic analysis of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Three modes of extraction i.e. direct immersion (DI), headspace (HS) and headspace cold fiber (HS-CF) in SPME were investigated. The results were compared under optimized conditions of each mode, considering the effects of the three most important parameters which are extraction temperature, extraction time and ionic strength. The comparison showed that HS-CF-SPME results in the best outcome for the extraction of PAHs from water samples. Under the optimized conditions of this mode, the calibration curves were linear within the range of 0.4-600μgL(-1) and the detection limits were between 0.05 and 0.13μgL(-1). The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations obtained at 10μgL(-1) (n=5), using a single fiber, were 4.1-6.8% and 4.8-8.4%, respectively. The fiber-to-fiber repeatabilities (n=4), expressed as the relative standard deviations (RSD%), were between 6.5% and 10.7% at a 10μgL(-1) concentration level. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of PAHs in seawater samples showing recoveries from 85% to 107%. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observed trend in Asian dust days in South Korea and its geo-physiographical implications

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Soohyun; Paik, Kyungrock

2015-04-01

South Korea has experienced significant socio-economic damages by Asian dust (also called Yellow sand or Yellow dust). Asian dust is a wind-driven natural phenomenon that carries fine sand particles along with surface pollutants from semi-arid areas in northern China, Inner Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, and the Taklimakan Desert to the East Asia. Its occurrence requires three necessary conditions: dry soil in source areas, strong ascending air current to lift sand particles up, and intense wind speed to transport the particles. Accordingly, the drier source areas are, the larger amount of source materials for Asian dust becomes. Further, regional wind speed and direction are key elements that determine the influencing boundary and level of damage. In this study, we investigate number of Asian dust days over South Korea. We utilize monthly data over 50 years (from 1961 to 2013) recorded at 12 stations, operated by the Korean Meteorological Administration, which are evenly distributed over the country. We find that annual number of Asian dust days in South Korea tends to increase until early 2000s and the increasing trend is ceased since then. Interestingly, this transition time (early 2000s) matches the time when the surface wind speed trend has reversed (Kim and Paik, 2015). Hence, we hypothesize that occurrence of Asian dust in South Korea can be largely captured by surface wind, instead of air circulation at high altitude. We also hypothesize that the transition in the trend around early 2000s is associated with expansion of cold air system during winter over the East Asia. Detailed analysis to support these findings will be presented. Reference Kim, JC., & Paik, K. (2015). Recent recovery of surface wind speed after decadal decrease: A focus on South Korea. Climate Dynamics, (Under review).

THE AKARI 2.5-5.0 μm SPECTRAL ATLAS OF TYPE-1 ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATOR, LINE RATIO, AND HOT DUST TEMPERATURE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dohyeong; Im, Myungshin; Kim, Ji Hoon; Jun, Hyunsung David; Lee, Seong-Kook [Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU), Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Shillim-Dong, Kwanak-Gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Woo, Jong-Hak; Lee, Hyung Mok; Lee, Myung Gyoon [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Shillim-Dong, Kwanak-Gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Nakagawa, Takao; Matsuhara, Hideo; Wada, Takehiko; Takagi, Toshinobu [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Oyabu, Shinki [Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602 (Japan); Ohyama, Youichi, E-mail: dohyeong@astro.snu.ac.kr, E-mail: mim@astro.snu.ac.kr [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China)

2015-01-01

We present 2.5-5.0 μm spectra of 83 nearby (0.002 < z < 0.48) and bright (K < 14 mag) type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) taken with the Infrared Camera on board AKARI. The 2.5-5.0 μm spectral region contains emission lines such as Brβ (2.63 μm), Brα (4.05 μm), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (3.3 μm), which can be used for studying the black hole (BH) masses and star formation activity in the host galaxies of AGNs. The spectral region also suffers less dust extinction than in the ultra violet (UV) or optical wavelengths, which may provide an unobscured view of dusty AGNs. Our sample is selected from bright quasar surveys of Palomar-Green and SNUQSO, and AGNs with reverberation-mapped BH masses from Peterson et al. Using 11 AGNs with reliable detection of Brackett lines, we derive the Brackett-line-based BH mass estimators. We also find that the observed Brackett line ratios can be explained with the commonly adopted physical conditions of the broad line region. Moreover, we fit the hot and warm dust components of the dust torus by adding photometric data of SDSS, 2MASS, WISE, and ISO to the AKARI spectra, finding hot and warm dust temperatures of ∼1100 K and ∼220 K, respectively, rather than the commonly cited hot dust temperature of 1500 K.

Kuiper Belt Dust Grains as a Source of Interplanetary Dust Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Liou, Jer-Chyi; Zook, Herbert A.; Dermott, Stanley F.

1996-01-01

The recent discovery of the so-called Kuiper belt objects has prompted the idea that these objects produce dust grains that may contribute significantly to the interplanetary dust population. In this paper, the orbital evolution of dust grains, of diameters 1 to 9 microns, that originate in the region of the Kuiper belt is studied by means of direct numerical integration. Gravitational forces of the Sun and planets, solar radiation pressure, as well as Poynting-Robertson drag and solar wind drag are included. The interactions between charged dust grains and solar magnetic field are not considered in the model. Because of the effects of drag forces, small dust grains will spiral toward the Sun once they are released from their large parent bodies. This motion leads dust grains to pass by planets as well as encounter numerous mean motion resonances associated with planets. Our results show that about 80% of the Kuiper belt grains are ejected from the Solar System by the giant planets, while the remaining 20% of the grains evolve all the way to the Sun. Surprisingly, the latter dust grains have small orbital eccentricities and inclinations when they cross the orbit of the Earth. This makes them behave more like asteroidal than cometary-type dust particles. This also enhances their chances of being captured by the Earth and makes them a possible source of the collected interplanetary dust particles; in particular, they represent a possible source that brings primitive/organic materials from the outer Solar System to the Earth. When collisions with interstellar dust grains are considered, however, Kuiper belt dust grains around 9 microns appear likely to be collisionally shattered before they can evolve toward the inner part of the Solar System. The collision destruction can be applied to Kuiper belt grains up to about 50 microns. Therefore, Kuiper belt dust grains within this range may not be a significant part of the interplanetary dust complex in the inner Solar

Interferometric follow-up of WISE hyper-luminous hot, dust-obscured galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Jingwen; Wright, Edward L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Bussmann, R. Shane [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., MS78, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Tsai, Chao-Wei; Eisenhardt, Peter R. M.; Stern, Daniel; Moustakas, Leonidas [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Petric, Andreea [Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822-1839 (United States); Blain, Andrew [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Bridge, Carrie R. [Division of Physics, Math, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Benford, Dominic J. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Assef, Roberto J. [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av., Santiago, Ejército Libertador 441 (Chile); Gelino, Christopher R., E-mail: jingwen@astro.ucla.edu [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2014-09-20

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has discovered an extraordinary population of hyper-luminous dusty galaxies that are faint in the two bluer passbands (3.4 μm and 4.6 μm) but are bright in the two redder passbands of WISE (12 μm and 22 μm). We report on initial follow-up observations of three of these hot, dust-obscured galaxies, or Hot DOGs, using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy and the Submillimeter Array interferometer arrays at submillimeter/millimeter wavelengths. We report continuum detections at ∼1.3 mm of two sources (WISE J014946.17+235014.5 and WISE J223810.20+265319.7, hereafter W0149+2350 and W2238+2653, respectively), and upper limits to CO line emission at 3 mm in the observed frame for two sources (W0149+2350 and WISE J181417.29+341224.8, hereafter W1814+3412). The 1.3 mm continuum images have a resolution of 1''-2'' and are consistent with single point sources. We estimate the masses of cold dust are 2.0 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉} for W0149+2350 and 3.9 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉} for W2238+2653, comparable to cold dust masses of luminous quasars. We obtain 2σ upper limits to the molecular gas masses traced by CO, which are 3.3 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} and 2.3 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} for W0149+2350 and W1814+3412, respectively. We also present high-resolution, near-IR imaging with the WFC3 on the Hubble Space Telescope for W0149+2653 and with NIRC2 on Keck for W2238+2653. The near-IR images show morphological structure dominated by a single, centrally condensed source with effective radius less than 4 kpc. No signs of gravitational lensing are evident.

Low-temperature MIR to submillimeter mass absorption coefficient of interstellar dust analogues. II. Mg and Fe-rich amorphous silicates

Science.gov (United States)

Demyk, K.; Meny, C.; Leroux, H.; Depecker, C.; Brubach, J.-B.; Roy, P.; Nayral, C.; Ojo, W.-S.; Delpech, F.

2017-10-01

Context. To model the cold dust emission observed in the diffuse interstellar medium, in dense molecular clouds or in cold clumps that could eventually form new stars, it is mandatory to know the physical and spectroscopic properties of this dust and to understand its emission. Aims: This work is a continuation of previous studies aiming at providing astronomers with spectroscopic data of realistic cosmic dust analogues for the interpretation of observations. The aim of the present work is to extend the range of studied analogues to iron-rich silicate dust analogues. Methods: Ferromagnesium amorphous silicate dust analogues were produced by a sol-gel method with a mean composition close to Mg1-xFexSiO3 with x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4. Part of each sample was annealed at 500 °C for two hours in a reducing atmosphere to modify the oxidation state of iron. We have measured the mass absorption coefficient (MAC) of these eight ferromagnesium amorphous silicate dust analogues in the spectral domain 30-1000 μm for grain temperature in the range 10-300 K and at room temperature in the 5-40 μm range. Results: The MAC of ferromagnesium samples behaves in the same way as the MAC of pure Mg-rich amorphous silicate samples. In the 30-300 K range, the MAC increases with increasing grain temperature whereas in the range 10-30 K, we do not see any change of the MAC. The MAC cannot be described by a single power law in λ- β. The MAC of the samples does not show any clear trend with the iron content. However the annealing process has, on average, an effect on the MAC that we explain by the evolution of the structure of the samples induced by the processing. The MAC of all the samples is much higher than the MAC calculated by dust models. Conclusions: The complex behavior of the MAC of amorphous silicates with wavelength and temperature is observed whatever the exact silicate composition (Mg vs. Fe amount). It is a universal characteristic of amorphous materials, and therefore of

Inactivation of dust mites, dust mite allergen, and mold from carpet.

Science.gov (United States)

Ong, Kee-Hean; Lewis, Roger D; Dixit, Anupma; MacDonald, Maureen; Yang, Mingan; Qian, Zhengmin

2014-01-01

Carpet is known to be a reservoir for biological contaminants, such as dust mites, dust mite allergen, and mold, if it is not kept clean. The accumulation of these contaminants in carpet might trigger allergies or asthma symptoms in both children and adults. The purpose of this study is to compare methods for removal of dust mites, dust mite allergens, and mold from carpet. Carpets were artificially worn to simulate 1 to 2 years of wear in a four-person household. The worn carpets were inoculated together with a common indoor mold (Cladosporium species) and house dust mites and incubated for 6 weeks to allow time for dust mite growth on the carpet. The carpets were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups. Available treatment regimens for controlling carpet contaminants were evaluated through a literature review and experimentation. Four moderately low-hazard, nondestructive methods were selected as treatments: vacuuming, steam-vapor, Neem oil (a natural tree extract), and benzalkonium chloride (a quaternary ammonium compound). Steam vapor treatment demonstrated the greatest dust mite population reduction (p 0.05) for both physical and chemical methods. The steam-vapor treatment effectively killed dust mites and denatured dust mite allergen in the laboratory environment.

Detection of cold pain, cold allodynia and cold hyperalgesia in freely behaving rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woolf Clifford J

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pain is elicited by cold, and a major feature of many neuropathic pain states is that normally innocuous cool stimuli begin to produce pain (cold allodynia. To expand our understanding of cold induced pain states we have studied cold pain behaviors over a range of temperatures in several animal models of chronic pain. Results We demonstrate that a Peltier-cooled cold plate with ± 1°C sensitivity enables quantitative measurement of a detection withdrawal response to cold stimuli in unrestrained rats. In naïve rats the threshold for eliciting cold pain behavior is 5°C. The withdrawal threshold for cold allodynia is 15°C in both the spared nerve injury and spinal nerve ligation models of neuropathic pain. Cold hyperalgesia is present in the spared nerve injury model animals, manifesting as a reduced latency of withdrawal response threshold at temperatures that elicit cold pain in naïve rats. We also show that following the peripheral inflammation produced by intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant, a hypersensitivity to cold occurs. Conclusion The peltier-cooled provides an effective means of assaying cold sensitivity in unrestrained rats. Behavioral testing of cold allodynia, hyperalgesia and pain will greatly facilitate the study of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in cold/cool sensations and enable measurement of the efficacy of pharmacological treatments to reduce these symptoms.

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor is the major toxic mode of action of an organic extract of a reference urban dust particulate matter mixture: The role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrysik, Zdenek; Vondracek, Jan; Marvanova, Sona; Ciganek, Miroslav; Neca, Jiri; Pencikova, Katerina; Mahadevan, Brinda; Topinka, Jan; Baird, William M.; Kozubik, Alois; Machala, Miroslav

2011-01-01

Highlights: → SRM1649a extract and its fractions are potent activators of AhR in a model of epithelial cells. → AhR-dependent effects include both induction of CYP1 enzymes and disruption of cell proliferation control. → Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in the neutral SRM1649a fraction are major contributors to the AhR-mediated toxic effects. → Activation of AhR and related nongenotoxic effects occur at significantly lower doses than the formation of DNA adducts and activation of DNA damage response. → More attention should be paid to the AhR-dependent nongenotoxic events elicited by urban particulate matter constituents. - Abstract: Many of the toxic and carcinogenic effects of urban air pollution have been linked to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed to airborne particulate matter (PM). The carcinogenic properties of PAHs in complex organic mixtures derived from PM have been chiefly attributed to their mutagenicity. Nevertheless, PAHs are also potent activators of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which may contribute to their nongenotoxic effects, including tumor promotion. As the genotoxicity of carcinogenic PAHs in complex mixtures derived from urban PM is often inhibited by other mixture constituents, the AhR-mediated activity of urban PM extracts might significantly contribute to the carcinogenic activity of such mixtures. In the present study, we used an organic extract of the urban dust standard reference material, SRM1649a, as a model mixture to study a range of toxic effects related to DNA damage and AhR activation. Both the organic extract and its neutral aromatic fraction formed a low number of DNA adducts per nucleotide in the liver epithelial WB-F344 cells model, without inducing DNA damage response, such as tumor suppressor p53 activation and apoptosis. In contrast, we found that this extract, as well as its neutral and polar fractions, were potent inducers of a range of AhR-mediated responses, including induction

Whither Cometary Dust?

Science.gov (United States)

Lisse, Carey M.

2010-10-01

In this paper I will discuss recent findings that have important implications for our understanding of the formation and evolution of primitive solar system dust, including: - Nesvorny et al. (2010), following up on their dynamical analyses of the zodiacal dust bands as sourced by the breakup of the Karin (5Mya) and Veritas (8Mya) asteroid families, argue that over 90% of the interplanetary dust cloud at 1 AU comes from JFC comets with near-circularized, low inclination orbits. This implies that the noted IPD collections of anhydrous and hydrous dust particles are likely to be from Oort cloud and JFC comets, respectively, not from asteroids and comets as thought in the past. Hydrous dust particles from comets like 85P/Wild2 and 9P/Tempel 1 would be consistent with results from the STARDUST and Deep Impact experiments. - Estimates of the dust particle size distributions (PSDs) in the comae of 85P/Wild2 (Green et al. 2004, 2007) and 73P/SW-3 (Sitko et al. 2010, Vaubaillon & Reach 2010) and in the trails of comets (Reach et al. 2007) have broken power law structure, with a plateau enhancement of particles of 1 mm - 1 cm in size. This size is also the size of most chondritic inclusions, and the predicted size range of the "aggregational barrier", where collisions between dust particles become destructive. - Studies of the albedo and polarization properties of cometary dust (Kolokolova et al. 2007) suggest there are 2 major groupings, one with low scattering capability and one with high. While these families could possibly have been explained by systematics in the PSDs of the emitted dust, independent work by Lisse et al. (2008) on the mineralogy of a number of highly dusty comets has shown evidence for one family of comets with highly crystalline dust and another with highly amorphous dust.

Integrative Analysis of Desert Dust Size and Abundance Suggests Less Dust Climate Cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Jasper F.; Ridley, David A.; Zhou, Qing; Miller, Ron L.; Zhao, Chun; Heald, Colette L.; Ward, Daniel S.; Albani, Samuel; Haustein, Karsten

2017-01-01

Desert dust aerosols affect Earths global energy balance through interactions with radiation, clouds, and ecosystems. But the magnitudes of these effects are so uncertain that it remains unclear whether atmospheric dust has a net warming or cooling effect on global climate. Consequently, it is still uncertain whether large changes in atmospheric dust loading over the past century have slowed or accelerated anthropogenic climate change, and the climate impact of possible future alterations in dust loading is similarly disputed. Here we use an integrative analysis of dust aerosol sizes and abundance to constrain the climatic impact of dust through direct interactions with radiation. Using a combination of observational, experimental, and model data, we find that atmospheric dust is substantially coarser than represented in current climate models. Since coarse dust warms global climate, the dust direct radiative effect (DRE) is likely less cooling than the 0.4 W m superscript 2 estimated by models in a current ensemble. We constrain the dust DRE to -0.20 (-0.48 to +0.20) W m superscript 2, which suggests that the dust DRE produces only about half the cooling that current models estimate, and raises the possibility that dust DRE is actually net warming the planet.

Probing the impact of metallicity on the dust properties in galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remy-Ruyer, Aurelie

2013-01-01

As galaxies evolve, their Interstellar Medium (ISM) becomes continually enriched with metals, and this metal enrichment influences the subsequent star formation. Low metallicity dwarf galaxies of the local Universe are ideal candidates to study the influence of metal enrichment on the ISM properties of galaxies and gives us insight into the enrichment process and star formation under ISM conditions that may provide clues to conditions in early universe metal-poor systems. Previous studies have shown that the ISM of dwarf galaxies poses a number of interesting puzzles in terms of the abundance of dust grains, the dust composition and even the FIR emission processes. However these studies were limited to the warmer dust emitting at wavelengths shorter than 200 microns and were done only on a small number of dwarf galaxies. Thanks to its increased sensitivity and resolution in FIR and submillimeter (sub-mm) wavelengths, Herschel gives us a new view on the cold dust properties in galaxies and enables us to study the lowest metallicity galaxies in a systematic way. In this work, I carry out a study of the dust properties in dwarf galaxies and compare with more metal rich environments, in order to address the question of the impact of metallicity on the dust properties. The novelty of this work lays in the fact that dwarf galaxies are studied here in a systematic way, enabling us to derive and quantify the general properties that are representative of these systems. This study is conducted over the full IR-to-sub-mm range, using new FIR/sub-mm Herschel observations, Spitzer, WISE, IRAS and 2MASS data. We complete this set of data with longer sub-mm measurements from ground-based facilities such as APEX and JCMT to study the presence and characteristics of the sub-mm excess in my sample of galaxies. I also collect Hi and CO data to access the gas properties of the galaxies and study the evolution of the G/D with metallicity. Our study reveal different dust properties in

Dust Destruction in the ISM: A Re-Evaluation of Dust Lifetimes

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A. P.; Nuth, J. A., III

2011-01-01

There is a long-standing conundrum in interstellar dust studies relating to the discrepancy between the time-scales for dust formation from evolved stars and the apparently more rapid destruction in supernova-generated shock waves. Aims. We re-examine some of the key issues relating to dust evolution and processing in the interstellar medium. Methods. We use recent and new constraints from observations, experiments, modelling and theory to re-evaluate dust formation in the interstellar medium (ISM). Results. We find that the discrepancy between the dust formation and destruction time-scales may not be as significant as has previously been assumed because of the very large uncertainties involved. Conclusions. The derived silicate dust lifetime could be compatible with its injection time-scale, given the inherent uncertainties in the dust lifetime calculation. The apparent need to re-form significant quantities of silicate dust in the tenuous interstellar medium may therefore not be a strong requirement. Carbonaceous matter, on the other hand, appears to be rapidly recycled in the ISM and, in contrast to silicates, there are viable mechanisms for its re-formation in the ISM.

HERSCHEL OBSERVATIONS OF GAS AND DUST IN THE UNUSUAL 49 Ceti DEBRIS DISK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberge, A. [Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Kamp, I. [Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Montesinos, B. [Departamento de Astrofisica, Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC), ESAC Campus, PO Box 78, E-28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid (Spain); Dent, W. R. F. [ALMA, Avda Apoquindo 3846, Piso 19, Edificio Alsacia, Las Condes, Santiago (Chile); Meeus, G.; Eiroa, C. [Departmento Fisica Teorica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Donaldson, J. K. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Olofsson, J. [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg (Germany); Moor, A. [Konkoly Observatory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 67, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary); Augereau, J.-C.; Thi, W.-F. [UJF-Grenoble 1/CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planetologie et d' Astrophysique de Grenoble, UMR 5274, F-38041, Grenoble (France); Howard, C.; Sandell, G. [SOFIA-USRA, NASA Ames Research Center, Building N232, PO Box 1, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Ardila, D. R. [NASA Herschel Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Mail Stop 220-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Woitke, P., E-mail: Aki.Roberge@nasa.gov [University of Vienna, Department of Astronomy, Tuerkenschanzstr. 17, A-1180, Vienna (Austria)

2013-07-01

We present far-IR/sub-mm imaging and spectroscopy of 49 Ceti, an unusual circumstellar disk around a nearby young A1V star. The system is famous for showing the dust properties of a debris disk, but the gas properties of a low-mass protoplanetary disk. The data were acquired with the Herschel Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE instruments, largely as part of the ''Gas in Protoplanetary Systems'' (GASPS) Open Time Key Programme. Disk dust emission is detected in images at 70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 {mu}m; 49 Cet is significantly extended in the 70 {mu}m image, spatially resolving the outer dust disk for the first time. Spectra covering small wavelength ranges centered on eight atomic and molecular emission lines were obtained, including [O I] 63 {mu}m and [C II] 158 {mu}m. The C II line was detected at the 5{sigma} level-the first detection of atomic emission from the disk. No other emission lines were seen, despite the fact that the O I line is the brightest one observed in Herschel protoplanetary disk spectra. We present an estimate of the amount of circumstellar atomic gas implied by the C II emission. The new far-IR/sub-mm data fills in a large gap in the previous spectral energy distribution (SED) of 49 Cet. A simple model of the new SED confirms the two-component structure of the disk: warm inner dust and cold outer dust that produces most of the observed excess. Finally, we discuss preliminary thermochemical modeling of the 49 Cet gas/dust disk and our attempts to match several observational results simultaneously. Although we are not yet successful in doing so, our investigations shed light on the evolutionary status of the 49 Cet gas, which might not be primordial gas but rather secondary gas coming from comets.

Fusing porphyrins with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocycles for optoelectronic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Mark E.; Diev, Viacheslav; Hanson, Kenneth; Forrest, Stephen R.

2015-08-18

A compound that can be used as a donor material in organic photovoltaic devices comprising a non-activated porphyrin fused with one or more non-activated polycyclic aromatic rings or one or more non-activated heterocyclic rings can be obtained by a thermal fusion process. The compounds can include structures of Formula I: ##STR00001## By heating the reaction mixture of non-activated porphyrins with non-activated polycyclic aromatic rings or heterocyclic rings to a fusion temperature and holding for a predetermined time, fusion of one or more polycyclic rings or heterocyclic rings to the non-activated porphyrin core in meso,.beta. fashion is achieved resulting in hybrid structures containing a distorted porphyrin ring with annulated aromatic rings. The porphyrin core can be olygoporphyrins.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air samples of meat smokehouses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Åse Marie; Olsen, I L; Poulsen, O M

1992-01-01

In a screening programme nine Danish meat smokehouses were randomly selected for measurements on concentration of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). A total of 23 stationary air samples were collected during the entire working period of the kiln either above the kiln doors or approx......In a screening programme nine Danish meat smokehouses were randomly selected for measurements on concentration of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). A total of 23 stationary air samples were collected during the entire working period of the kiln either above the kiln doors...

[Influence of industrial pollution of ambient air on health of workers engaged into open air activities in cold conditions].

Science.gov (United States)

Chashchin, V P; Siurin, S A; Gudkov, A B; Popova, O N; Voronin, A Iu

2014-01-01

The article presents the results of a study on assessment of occupational exposure to air pollutants and related health effects in3792 outdoor workers engaged in operations performed in the vicinity of non-ferrous metallurgical facilities in Far North. Findings are that during cold season repeated climate and weather conditions are associated with higher level of chemical hazards and dust in surface air. At the air temperature below -17 degrees C, maximal single concentrations of major pollutants can exceed MAC up to 10 times. With that, transitory disablement morbidity parameters and occupational accidents frequency increase significantly. The workers with long exposure to cooling meteorological factors and air pollution demonstrate significantly increased prevalence of respiratory and circulatory diseases, despite relatively low levels of sculpture dioxide and dust in the air, not exceeding the occupational exposure limits. It has been concluded that severe cold is to be considered asa factor increasing occupational risk at air polluted outdoor worksites dueto more intense air pollution, higher traumatism risk and lower efficiency of filter antidust masks respiratory PPE and due to modification of the toxic effects.

The comparison of physical properties derived from gas and dust in a massive star-forming region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Battersby, Cara; Bally, John; Ginsburg, Adam; Darling, Jeremy [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, UCB 389, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Dunham, Miranda [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Longmore, Steve [Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Twelve Quays House, Egerton Wharf, Birkenhead CH41 1LD (United Kingdom)

2014-05-10

We explore the relationship between gas and dust in a massive star-forming region by comparing the physical properties derived from each. We compare the temperatures and column densities in a massive star-forming Infrared Dark Cloud (G32.02+0.05), which shows a range of evolutionary states, from quiescent to active. The gas properties were derived using radiative transfer modeling of the (1,1), (2,2), and (4,4) transitions of NH{sub 3} on the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, while the dust temperatures and column densities were calculated using cirrus-subtracted, modified blackbody fits to Herschel data. We compare the derived column densities to calculate an NH{sub 3} abundance, χ{sub NH{sub 3}} = 4.6 × 10{sup –8}. In the coldest star-forming region, we find that the measured dust temperatures are lower than the measured gas temperatures (mean and standard deviations T {sub dust,} {sub avg} ∼ 11.6 ± 0.2 K versus T {sub gas,} {sub avg} ∼ 15.2 ± 1.5 K), which may indicate that the gas and dust are not well-coupled in the youngest regions (∼0.5 Myr) or that these observations probe a regime where the dust and/or gas temperature measurements are unreliable. Finally, we calculate millimeter fluxes based on the temperatures and column densities derived from NH{sub 3}, which suggest that millimeter dust continuum observations of massive star-forming regions, such as the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey or ATLASGAL, can probe hot cores, cold cores, and the dense gas lanes from which they form, and are generally not dominated by the hottest core.

The comparison of physical properties derived from gas and dust in a massive star-forming region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battersby, Cara; Bally, John; Ginsburg, Adam; Darling, Jeremy; Dunham, Miranda; Longmore, Steve

2014-01-01

We explore the relationship between gas and dust in a massive star-forming region by comparing the physical properties derived from each. We compare the temperatures and column densities in a massive star-forming Infrared Dark Cloud (G32.02+0.05), which shows a range of evolutionary states, from quiescent to active. The gas properties were derived using radiative transfer modeling of the (1,1), (2,2), and (4,4) transitions of NH 3 on the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, while the dust temperatures and column densities were calculated using cirrus-subtracted, modified blackbody fits to Herschel data. We compare the derived column densities to calculate an NH 3 abundance, χ NH 3 = 4.6 × 10 –8 . In the coldest star-forming region, we find that the measured dust temperatures are lower than the measured gas temperatures (mean and standard deviations T dust, avg ∼ 11.6 ± 0.2 K versus T gas, avg ∼ 15.2 ± 1.5 K), which may indicate that the gas and dust are not well-coupled in the youngest regions (∼0.5 Myr) or that these observations probe a regime where the dust and/or gas temperature measurements are unreliable. Finally, we calculate millimeter fluxes based on the temperatures and column densities derived from NH 3 , which suggest that millimeter dust continuum observations of massive star-forming regions, such as the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey or ATLASGAL, can probe hot cores, cold cores, and the dense gas lanes from which they form, and are generally not dominated by the hottest core.

THE STABILITY OF LOW SURFACE BRIGHTNESS DISKS BASED ON MULTI-WAVELENGTH MODELING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacLachlan, J. M.; Wood, K.; Matthews, L. D.; Gallagher, J. S.

2011-01-01

To investigate the structure and composition of the dusty interstellar medium (ISM) of low surface brightness (LSB) disk galaxies, we have used multi-wavelength photometry to construct spectral energy distributions for three low-mass, edge-on LSB galaxies (V rot = 88-105 km s -1 ). We use Monte Carlo radiation transfer codes that include the effects of transiently heated small grains and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules to model and interpret the data. We find that, unlike the high surface brightness galaxies previously modeled, the dust disks appear to have scale heights equal to or exceeding their stellar scale heights. This result supports the findings of previous studies that low-mass disk galaxies have dust scale heights comparable to their stellar scale heights and suggests that the cold ISM of low-mass, LSB disk galaxies may be stable against fragmentation and gravitational collapse. This may help to explain the lack of observed dust lanes in edge-on LSB galaxies and their low current star formation rates. Dust masses are found in the range (1.16-2.38) x 10 6 M sun , corresponding to face-on (edge-on), V-band, optical depths 0.034 ∼ face ∼ eq ∼< 1.99).

Collisionless damping of nonlinear dust ion acoustic wave due to dust charge fluctuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Samiran; Chaudhuri, Tushar K.; Sarkar, Susmita; Khan, Manoranjan; Gupta, M.R.

2002-01-01

A dissipation mechanism for the damping of the nonlinear dust ion acoustic wave in a collisionless dusty plasma consisting of nonthermal electrons, ions, and variable charge dust grains has been investigated. It is shown that the collisionless damping due to dust charge fluctuation causes the nonlinear dust ion acoustic wave propagation to be described by the damped Korteweg-de Vries equation. Due to the presence of nonthermal electrons, the dust ion acoustic wave admits both positive and negative potential and it suffers less damping than the dust acoustic wave, which admits only negative potential

Iron and Silicate Dust Growth in the Galactic Interstellar Medium: Clues from Element Depletions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhukovska, Svitlana; Henning, Thomas; Dobbs, Clare

2018-04-01

The interstellar abundances of refractory elements indicate a substantial depletion from the gas phase, which increases with gas density. Our recent model of dust evolution, based on hydrodynamic simulations of the life cycle of giant molecular clouds (GMCs), proves that the observed trend for [Sigas/H] is driven by a combination of dust growth by accretion in the cold diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) and efficient destruction by supernova (SN) shocks. With an analytic model of dust evolution, we demonstrate that even with optimistic assumptions for the dust input from stars and without destruction of grains by SNe it is impossible to match the observed [Sigas/H]–n H relation without growth in the ISM. We extend the framework developed in our previous work for silicates to include the evolution of iron grains and address a long-standing conundrum: “Where is the interstellar iron?” Much higher depletion of Fe in the warm neutral medium compared to Si is reproduced by the models, in which a large fraction of interstellar iron (70%) is locked as inclusions in silicate grains, where it is protected from efficient sputtering by SN shocks. The slope of the observed [Fegas/H]–n H relation is reproduced if the remaining depleted iron resides in a population of metallic iron nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 1–10 nm. Enhanced collision rates due to the Coulomb focusing are important for both silicate and iron dust models to match the slopes of the observed depletion–density relations and the magnitudes of depletion at high gas density.

Bounded dust-acoustic waves in a cylindrically bounded collisional dusty plasma with dust charge variation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Nanxia; Xue Jukui

2006-01-01

Taking into account the boundary, particle collisions, and dust charging effects, dust-acoustic waves in a uniform cylindrically bounded dusty plasma is investigated analytically, and the dispersion relation for the dust-acoustic wave is obtained. The effects of boundary, dust charge variation, particle collision, and dust size on the dust-acoustic wave are discussed in detail. Due to the bounded cylindrical boundary effects, the radial wave number is discrete, i.e., the spectrum is discrete. It is shown that the discrete spectrum, the adiabatic dust charge variation, dust grain size, and the particle collision have significant effects on the dust-acoustic wave

High-resolution regional modeling of summertime transport and impact of African dust over the Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula

KAUST Repository

Kalenderski, Stoitchko Dimitrov

2016-05-23

Severe dust outbreaks and high dust loading over Eastern Africa and the Red Sea are frequently detected in the summer season. Observations suggest that small-scale dynamic and orographic effects, from both the Arabian and African sides, strongly contribute to dust plume formation. To better understand these processes, we present here the first high resolution modeling study of a dust outbreak in June 2012 developed over East Africa, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Peninsula. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry component (WRF-Chem), we identified several dust generating dynamical processes that range from convective to synoptic scales, including synoptic cyclones, nocturnal low-level jets, and cold pools of mesoscale convective systems. The simulations reveal an eastward transport of African dust across the Red Sea. Over the northern part of the Red Sea, most of the dust transport occurs above 2 km height, whereas across the central and southern parts of the sea, dust is mostly transported below 2 km height. Dust is the dominant contributor (87%) to the aerosol optical depth, producing a domain average cooling effect of -12.1 W m-2 at the surface, a warming of 7.1 W m-2 in the atmosphere, and a residual cooling of -4.9 W m-2 at the top of the atmosphere. Both dry and wet deposition processes contribute significantly to dust removal from the atmosphere. Model results compare well with available ground-based and satellite observations, but generally underestimate the observed maximum values of aerosol optical depth. The satellite-retrieved mean optical depth at some locations are underestimated by a factor of two. A sensitive experiment suggests that these large local differences may result from poor characterization of dust emissions in some areas of the modeled domain. In this case study we successfully simulate the major fine-scale dust generating dynamical processes, explicitly resolving convection and haboob

The Lunar Dust Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Szalay, Jamey Robert

Planetary bodies throughout the solar system are continually bombarded by dust particles, largely originating from cometary activities and asteroidal collisions. Surfaces of bodies with thick atmospheres, such as Venus, Earth, Mars and Titan are mostly protected from incoming dust impacts as these particles ablate in their atmospheres as 'shooting stars'. However, the majority of bodies in the solar system have no appreciable atmosphere and their surfaces are directly exposed to the flux of high speed dust grains. Impacts onto solid surfaces in space generate charged and neutral gas clouds, as well as solid secondary ejecta dust particles. Gravitationally bound ejecta clouds forming dust exospheres were recognized by in situ dust instruments around the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and had not yet been observed near bodies with refractory regolith surfaces before NASA's Lunar Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. In this thesis, we first present the measurements taken by the Lunar Dust Explorer (LDEX), aboard LADEE, which discovered a permanently present, asymmetric dust cloud surrounding the Moon. The global characteristics of the lunar dust cloud are discussed as a function of a variety of variables such as altitude, solar longitude, local time, and lunar phase. These results are compared with models for lunar dust cloud generation. Second, we present an analysis of the groupings of impacts measured by LDEX, which represent detections of dense ejecta plumes above the lunar surface. These measurements are put in the context of understanding the response of the lunar surface to meteoroid bombardment and how to use other airless bodies in the solar system as detectors for their local meteoroid environment. Third, we present the first in-situ dust measurements taken over the lunar sunrise terminator. Having found no excess of small grains in this region, we discuss its implications for the putative population of electrostatically lofted dust.

The co-existence of hot and cold gas in debris discs

Science.gov (United States)

Rebollido, I.; Eiroa, C.; Montesinos, B.; Maldonado, J.; Villaver, E.; Absil, O.; Bayo, A.; Canovas, H.; Carmona, A.; Chen, Ch.; Ertel, S.; Garufi, A.; Henning, Th.; Iglesias, D. P.; Launhardt, R.; Liseau, R.; Meeus, G.; Moór, A.; Mora, A.; Olofsson, J.; Rauw, G.; Riviere-Marichalar, P.

2018-06-01

Context. Debris discs have often been described as gas-poor discs as the gas-to-dust ratio is expected to be considerably lower than in primordial, protoplanetary discs. However, recent observations have confirmed the presence of a non-negligible amount of cold gas in the circumstellar (CS) debris discs around young main-sequence stars. This cold gas has been suggested to be related to the outgassing of planetesimals and cometary-like objects. Aims: The goal of this paper is to investigate the presence of hot gas in the immediate surroundings of the cold-gas-bearing debris-disc central stars. Methods: High-resolution optical spectra of all currently known cold-gas-bearing debris-disc systems, with the exception of β Pic and Fomalhaut, have been obtained from La Palma (Spain), La Silla (Chile), and La Luz (Mexico) observatories. To verify the presence of hot gas around the sample of stars, we have analysed the Ca II H&K and the Na I D lines searching for non-photospheric absorptions of CS origin, usually attributed to cometary-like activity. Results: Narrow, stable Ca II and/or Na I absorption features have been detected superimposed to the photospheric lines in 10 out of the 15 observed cold-gas-bearing debris-disc stars. Features are found at the radial velocity of the stars, or slightly blue- or red-shifted, and/or at the velocity of the local interstellar medium (ISM). Some stars also present transient variable events or absorptions extended towards red wavelengths (red wings). These are the first detections of such Ca II features in 7 out of the 15 observed stars. Although an ISM origin cannot categorically be excluded, the results suggest that the stable and variable absorptions arise from relatively hot gas located in the CS close-in environment of the stars. This hot gas is detected in at least 80%, of edge-on cold-gas-bearing debris discs, while in only 10% of the discs seen close to face-on. We interpret this result as a geometrical effect, and suggest

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation by laccase ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PRECIOUS

2009-11-02

Nov 2, 2009 ... Full Length Research Paper. Polycyclic aromatic ... production of paper, feeds, chemicals and fuels there is ... microbes with the production of lignin-modifying enzymes ... enable white rot fungi to degrade a variety of toxic.

Mechanisms and Effects of Summertime Transport of African Dust Through the Tokar Mountain Gap to the Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula

Science.gov (United States)

Kalenderski, S.; Stenchikov, G. L.

2015-12-01

Very high dust loading over the Red Sea region in summer strongly affects the nutrition balance and thermal and dynamic regimes of the sea. The observations suggest that small-scale local dynamic and orographic effects, from both the Arabian and African sides, strongly contribute to dust plume formation. To better understand and quantify these processes we present here the first high resolution modeling study of the dust outbreak phenomena in June 2012 over East Africa, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Peninsula using the WRF-Chem model. We identified several dust generating dynamical processes that range from convective to synoptic scales, including: synoptic cyclones, nocturnal low-level jets, and cold pools of mesoscale convective systems. The simulations reveal an eastward transport of African dust across the Red Sea. Over the northern part of the Red Sea most of the dust transport occurs beyond 2 km above ground level and is strengthened by a pressure gradient formed by low pressure over the eastern Mediterranean and high pressure over the Arabian Peninsula. Across the central and southern parts of the Red Sea dust is mostly transported below 2 km height. During the study period dust is a dominant contributor (87%) to aerosol optical depth (AOD), producing a domain average cooling effect of -12.1 W m-2 at surface, a warming of 7.1 W m-2 in the atmosphere, and a residual cooling of -4.9 W m-2 at the top of the atmosphere. WRF-Chem simulations demonstrate that both dry and wet deposition processes contribute significantly to dust removal from the atmosphere. During the dust outbreak 49.2 Tg of dust deposits within the calculation domain, which is approximately 90% of the total dust emission of 54.5 Tg. Model results compare well with available ground-based and satellite observations but generally underestimate the observed AOD maximum values.

[On the content of polycyclic aromatics in middle distillates].

Science.gov (United States)

Herlan, A

1982-05-01

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatics determined up to now in Diesel fuel and light fuel oil are between five percent by weight for all and 0.02 percent by weight for nearly a dozen individuals. These results are contrasted and commented. It is not adequate to the problem to consider only a few polycycles in the analysis and to neglect practical completely alkylated derivates. Already for this reason the results with the small concentrations are not regarded to be characteristics for middle distillates. Probably insufficient analytics are also responsible for the determination of the low contents.

TOTAL INFRARED LUMINOSITY ESTIMATION OF RESOLVED AND UNRESOLVED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boquien, M.; Calzetti, D.; Bendo, G.; Dale, D.; Engelbracht, C.; Kennicutt, R.; Lee, J. C.; Van Zee, L.; Moustakas, J.

2010-01-01

The total infrared (TIR) luminosity from galaxies can be used to examine both star formation and dust physics. We provide here new relations to estimate the TIR luminosity from various Spitzer bands, in particular from the 8 μm and 24 μm bands. To do so, we use data for 45'' subregions within a subsample of nearby face-on spiral galaxies from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) that have known oxygen abundances as well as integrated galaxy data from the SINGS, the Local Volume Legacy survey (LVL), and Engelbracht et al. samples. Taking into account the oxygen abundances of the subregions, the star formation rate intensity, and the relative emission of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at 8 μm, the warm dust at 24 μm, and the cold dust at 70 μm and 160 μm, we derive new relations to estimate the TIR luminosity from just one or two of the Spitzer bands. We also show that the metallicity and the star formation intensity must be taken into account when estimating the TIR luminosity from two wave bands, especially when data longward of 24 μm are not available.

Coupling Mars' Dust and Water Cycles: Effects on Dust Lifting Vigor, Spatial Extent and Seasonality

Science.gov (United States)

Kahre, M. A.; Hollingsworth, J. L.; Haberle, R. M.; Montmessin, F.

2012-01-01

The dust cycle is an important component of Mars' current climate system. Airborne dust affects the radiative balance of the atmosphere, thus greatly influencing the thermal and dynamical state of the atmosphere. Dust raising events on Mars occur at spatial scales ranging from meters to planet-wide. Although the occurrence and season of large regional and global dust storms are highly variable from one year to the next, there are many features of the dust cycle that occur year after year. Generally, a low-level dust haze is maintained during northern spring and summer, while elevated levels of atmospheric dust occur during northern autumn and winter. During years without global-scale dust storms, two peaks in total dust loading were observed by MGS/TES: one peak occurred before northern winter solstice at Ls 200-240, and one peak occurred after northern winter solstice at L(sub s) 305-340. These maxima in dust loading are thought to be associated with transient eddy activity in the northern hemisphere, which has been observed to maximize pre- and post-solstice. Interactive dust cycle studies with Mars General Circulation Models (MGCMs) have included the lifting, transport, and sedimentation of radiatively active dust. Although the predicted global dust loadings from these simulations capture some aspects of the observed dust cycle, there are marked differences between the simulated and observed dust cycles. Most notably, the maximum dust loading is robustly predicted by models to occur near northern winter solstice and is due to dust lifting associated with down slope flows on the flanks of the Hellas basin. Thus far, models have had difficulty simulating the observed pre- and post- solstice peaks in dust loading. Interactive dust cycle studies typically have not included the formation of water ice clouds or their radiative effects. Water ice clouds can influence the dust cycle by scavenging dust from atmosphere and by interacting with solar and infrared radiation

Fractal dust grains in plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, F.; Peng, R. D.; Liu, Y. H.; Chen, Z. Y.; Ye, M. F.; Wang, L.

2012-01-01

Fractal dust grains of different shapes are observed in a radially confined magnetized radio frequency plasma. The fractal dimensions of the dust structures in two-dimensional (2D) horizontal dust layers are calculated, and their evolution in the dust growth process is investigated. It is found that as the dust grains grow the fractal dimension of the dust structure decreases. In addition, the fractal dimension of the center region is larger than that of the entire region in the 2D dust layer. In the initial growth stage, the small dust particulates at a high number density in a 2D layer tend to fill space as a normal surface with fractal dimension D = 2. The mechanism of the formation of fractal dust grains is discussed.

The formation of molecular hydrogen on silicate dust analogs: The rotational distribution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavilan, L.; Lemaire, J. L. [LERMA, UMR 8112 du CNRS, de l' Observatoire de Paris et de l' Université de Cergy Pontoise, 5 mail Gay Lussac, F-95000 Cergy Pontoise Cedex (France); Vidali, G. [Visiting Professor. Permanent address: Syracuse University, Physics Department, Syracuse, NY 13244-1320, USA. (United States); Sabri, T.; Jæger, C., E-mail: lisseth.gavilan@obspm.fr [Laboratory Astrophysics and Cluster Physics Group of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany)

2014-02-01

Our laboratory experiments continue to explore how the formation of molecular hydrogen is influenced by dust and how dust thereby affects hydrogen molecules adsorbed on its surface. In Sabri et al., we present the preparation of nanometer-sized silicate grain analogs via laser ablation. These analogs illustrate extremes in structure (fully crystalline or fully amorphous grains), and stoichiometry (the forsterite and fayalite end-members of the olivine family). These were inserted in FORMOLISM, an ultra-high vacuum setup where they can be cooled down to ∼5 K. Atomic beams are directed at these surfaces and the formation of new molecules is studied via REMPI(2+1) spectroscopy. We explored the rotational distribution (0 ≤ J'' ≤ 5) of v'' = 0 of the ground electronic state of H{sub 2}. The results of these measurements are reported here. Surprisingly, molecules formed and ejected from crystalline silicates have a cold (T {sub rot} ∼ 120 K) rotational energy distribution, while for molecules formed on and ejected from amorphous silicate films, the rotational temperature is ∼310 K. These results are compared to previous experiments on metallic surfaces and theoretical simulations. Solid-state surface analysis suggests that flatter grains could hinder the 'cartwheel' rotation mode. A search for hot hydrogen, predicted as a result of H{sub 2} formation, hints at its production. For the first time, the rotational distribution of hydrogen molecules formed on silicate dust is reported. These results are essential to understanding the chemistry of astrophysical media containing bare dust grains.

RADIAL DISTRIBUTION OF STARS, GAS AND DUST IN SINGS GALAXIES. I. SURFACE PHOTOMETRY AND MORPHOLOGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munoz-Mateos, J. C.; Gil de Paz, A.; Zamorano, J.

2009-01-01

We present ultraviolet through far-infrared (FIR) surface brightness profiles for the 75 galaxies in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS). The imagery used to measure the profiles includes Galaxy Evolution Explorer UV data, optical images from Kitt Peak National Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and Sloan Digital Sky Survey, near-IR data from Two Micron All Sky Survey, and mid- and FIR images from Spitzer. Along with the radial profiles, we also provide multi-wavelength asymptotic magnitudes and several nonparametric indicators of galaxy morphology: the concentration index (C 42 ), the asymmetry (A), the Gini coefficient (G), and the normalized second-order moment of the brightest 20% of the galaxy's flux (M-bar 20 ). In this paper, the first of a series, we describe the technical aspects regarding the surface photometry, and present a basic analysis of the global and structural properties of the SINGS galaxies at different wavelengths. The homogeneity in the acquisition, reduction, and analysis of the results presented here makes these data ideal for multiple unanticipated studies on the radial distribution of the properties of stars, dust, and gas in galaxies. Our radial profiles show a wide range of morphologies and multiple components (bulges, exponential disks, inner and outer disk truncations, etc.) that vary not only from galaxy to galaxy but also with wavelength for a given object. In the optical and near-IR, the SINGS galaxies occupy the same regions in the C 42 -A-G-M-bar 20 parameter space as other normal galaxies in previous studies. However, they appear much less centrally concentrated, more asymmetric, and with larger values of G when viewed in the UV (due to star-forming clumps scattered across the disk) and in the mid-IR (due to the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at 8.0 μm and very hot dust at 24 μm). In an accompanying paper by Munoz-Mateos et al., we focus on the radial distribution of dust

A Free-Radical Pathway to Hydrogenated Phenanthrene in Molecular Clouds-Low Temperature Growth of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Aaron M; Lucas, Michael; Yang, Tao; Kaiser, Ralf I; Fuentes, Luis; Belisario-Lara, Daniel; Mebel, Alexander M

2017-08-05

The hydrogen-abstraction/acetylene-addition mechanism has been fundamental to unravelling the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) detected in combustion flames and carbonaceous meteorites like Orgueil and Murchison. However, the fundamental reaction pathways accounting for the synthesis of complex PAHs, such as the tricyclic anthracene and phenanthrene along with their dihydrogenated counterparts, remain elusive to date. By investigating the hitherto unknown chemistry of the 1-naphthyl radical with 1,3-butadiene, we reveal a facile barrierless synthesis of dihydrophenanthrene adaptable to low temperatures. These aryl-type radical additions to conjugated hydrocarbons via resonantly stabilized free-radical intermediates defy conventional wisdom that PAH growth is predominantly a high-temperature phenomenon and thus may represent an overlooked path to PAHs as complex as coronene and corannulene in cold regions of the interstellar medium like in the Taurus Molecular Cloud. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design and development of a dust dispersion chamber to quantify the dispersibility of rock dust.

Science.gov (United States)

Perera, Inoka E; Sapko, Michael J; Harris, Marcia L; Zlochower, Isaac A; Weiss, Eric S

2016-01-01

Dispersible rock dust must be applied to the surfaces of entries in underground coal mines in order to inert the coal dust entrained or made airborne during an explosion and prevent propagating explosions. 30 CFR. 75.2 states that "… [rock dust particles] when wetted and dried will not cohere to form a cake which will not be dispersed into separate particles by a light blast of air …" However, a proper definition or quantification of "light blast of air" is not provided. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has, consequently, designed a dust dispersion chamber to conduct quantitative laboratory-scale dispersibility experiments as a screening tool for candidate rock dusts. A reproducible pulse of air is injected into the chamber and across a shallow tray of rock dust. The dust dispersed and carried downwind is monitored. The mass loss of the dust tray and the airborne dust measurements determine the relative dispersibility of the dust with respect to a Reference rock dust. This report describes the design and the methodology to evaluate the relative dispersibility of rock dusts with and without anti-caking agents. Further, the results of this study indicate that the dispersibility of rock dusts varies with particle size, type of anti-caking agent used, and with the untapped bulk density. Untreated rock dusts, when wetted and dried forming a cake that was much less dispersible than the reference rock dust used in supporting the 80% total incombustible content rule.

Wood Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Learn about wood dust, which can raise the risk of cancers of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. High amounts of wood dust are produced in sawmills, and in the furniture-making, cabinet-making, and carpentry industries.

Determination of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... collected from the most polluted part of Bangsai river at Saver industrial zone was analyzed for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, anthracene, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A ... EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Thirteen years of Aeolian dust dynamics in a desert region (Negev desert, Israel): analysis of horizontal and vertical dust flux, vertical dust distribution and dust grain size

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Offer, Z.Y.; Goossens, D.

2004-01-01

At Sede Boqer (northern Negev desert, Israel), aeolian dust dynamics have been measured during the period 1988–2000. This study focuses on temporal records of the vertical and horizontal dust flux, the vertical distribution of the dust particles in the atmosphere, and the grain size of the

A Climatology of dust emission in northern Africa using surface observations from 1984-2012

Science.gov (United States)

Cowie, Sophie; Knippertz, Peter; Marsham, John

2014-05-01

The huge quantity of mineral dust emitted annually from northern Africa makes this area crucial to the global dust cycle. Once in the atmosphere, dust aerosols have a significant impact on the global radiation budget, clouds, the carbon cycle and can even act as a fertilizer to rain forests in South America. Current model estimates of dust production from northern Africa are uncertain. At the heart of this problem is insufficient understanding of key dust emitting processes such as haboobs (cold pools generated through evaporation of convective precipitation), low-level jets (LLJs) and dry convection (dust devils and dust plumes). Scarce observations in this region, in particular in the Sahara, make model evaluation difficult. This work uses long-term surface observations from 70 stations situated in the Sahara and Sahel to explore the diurnal, seasonal and geographical variations in dust emission events and thresholds. Quality flags are applied to each station to indicate a day-time bias or gaps in the time period 1984-2012. The frequency of dust emission (FDE) is calculated using the present weather codes (WW) of SYNOP reports, where WW = 07,08,09,30-35 and 98. Thresholds are investigated by estimating the wind speeds for which there is a 25%, 50% and 75% probability of dust emission. The 50% threshold is used to calculate strong wind frequency (SWF) and the diagnostic parameter dust uplift potential (DUP); a thresholded cubic function of wind-speed which quantifies the dust generating power of winds. Stations are grouped into 6 areas (North Algeria, Central Sahara, Egypt, West Sahel, Central Sahel and Sudan) for more in-depth analysis of these parameters. Spatially, thresholds are highest in northern Algeria and lowest in the Sahel around the latitude band 16N-21N. Annual mean FDE is anti-correlated with the threshold, showing the importance of spatial variations in thresholds for mean dust emission. The annual cycles of FDE and SWF for the 6 grouped areas are

How cold is cold dark matter?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armendariz-Picon, Cristian; Neelakanta, Jayanth T.

2014-01-01

If cold dark matter consists of particles, these must be non-interacting and non-relativistic by definition. In most cold dark matter models however, dark matter particles inherit a non-vanishing velocity dispersion from interactions in the early universe, a velocity that redshifts with cosmic expansion but certainly remains non-zero. In this article, we place model-independent constraints on the dark matter temperature to mass ratio, whose square root determines the dark matter velocity dispersion. We only assume that dark matter particles decoupled kinetically while non-relativistic, when galactic scales had not entered the horizon yet, and that their momentum distribution has been Maxwellian since that time. Under these assumptions, using cosmic microwave background and matter power spectrum observations, we place upper limits on the temperature to mass ratio of cold dark matter today (away from collapsed structures). These limits imply that the present cold dark matter velocity dispersion has to be smaller than 54 m/s. Cold dark matter has to be quite cold, indeed

The Coldest Place in the Universe: Probing the Ultra-cold Outflow and Dusty Disk in the Boomerang Nebula

Science.gov (United States)

Sahai, R.; Vlemmings, W. H. T.; Nyman, L.-Å.

2017-06-01

Our Cycle 0 ALMA observations confirmed that the Boomerang Nebula is the coldest known object in the universe, with a massive high-speed outflow that has cooled significantly below the cosmic background temperature. Our new CO 1-0 data reveal heretofore unseen distant regions of this ultra-cold outflow, out to ≳120,000 au. We find that in the ultra-cold outflow, the mass-loss rate (\\dot{M}) increases with radius, similar to its expansion velocity (V)—taking V\\propto r, we find \\dot{M}\\propto {r}0.9{--2.2}. The mass in the ultra-cold outflow is ≳ 3.3 M ⊙, and the Boomerang’s main-sequence progenitor mass is ≳ 4 M ⊙. Our high angular resolution (˜ 0\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 3) CO J = 3-2 map shows the inner bipolar nebula’s precise, highly collimated shape, and a dense central waist of size (FWHM) ˜1740 au × 275 au. The molecular gas and the dust as seen in scattered light via optical Hubble Space Telescope imaging show a detailed correspondence. The waist shows a compact core in thermal dust emission at 0.87-3.3 mm, which harbors (4{--}7)× {10}-4 M ⊙ of very large (˜millimeter-to-centimeter sized), cold (˜ 20{--}30 K) grains. The central waist (assuming its outer regions to be expanding) and fast bipolar outflow have expansion ages of ≲ 1925 {years} and ≤slant 1050 {years}: the “jet-lag” (I.e., torus age minus the fast-outflow age) in the Boomerang supports models in which the primary star interacts directly with a binary companion. We argue that this interaction resulted in a common-envelope configuration, while the Boomerang’s primary was an RGB or early-AGB star, with the companion finally merging into the primary’s core, and ejecting the primary’s envelope that now forms the ultra-cold outflow.

Quantifying Anthropogenic Dust Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Nicholas P.; Pierre, Caroline

2018-02-01

Anthropogenic land use and land cover change, including local environmental disturbances, moderate rates of wind-driven soil erosion and dust emission. These human-dust cycle interactions impact ecosystems and agricultural production, air quality, human health, biogeochemical cycles, and climate. While the impacts of land use activities and land management on aeolian processes can be profound, the interactions are often complex and assessments of anthropogenic dust loads at all scales remain highly uncertain. Here, we critically review the drivers of anthropogenic dust emission and current evaluation approaches. We then identify and describe opportunities to: (1) develop new conceptual frameworks and interdisciplinary approaches that draw on ecological state-and-transition models to improve the accuracy and relevance of assessments of anthropogenic dust emissions; (2) improve model fidelity and capacity for change detection to quantify anthropogenic impacts on aeolian processes; and (3) enhance field research and monitoring networks to support dust model applications to evaluate the impacts of disturbance processes on local to global-scale wind erosion and dust emissions.

Cold Antimatter Plasmas, and Aspirations for Cold Antihydrogen

Science.gov (United States)

2002-06-24

UNCLASSIFIED Defense Technical Information Center Compilation Part Notice ADP012494 TITLE: Cold Antimatter Plasmas, and Aspirations for Cold...part numbers comprise the compilation report: ADP012489 thru ADP012577 UNCLASSIFIED Cold Antimatter Plasmas, and Aspirations for Cold Antihydrogen G...and positrons. The antiprotons come initially from the new Antiproton Decel- erator facility at CERN. Good control of such cold antimatter plasmas is

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Levels in Two ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were measured by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC/FID) in two fish species, Sardinella maderensis (Flat sardinella) and Galeoides decadactylus (Lesser African threadfin or Shine-nose or Common threadfin) from Ghanaian coastal waters and ...

Dust storm events over Delhi: verification of dust AOD forecasts with satellite and surface observations

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Aditi; Iyengar, Gopal R.; George, John P.

2016-05-01

Thar desert located in northwest part of India is considered as one of the major dust source. Dust storms originate in Thar desert during pre-monsoon season, affects large part of Indo-Gangetic plains. High dust loading causes the deterioration of the ambient air quality and degradation in visibility. Present study focuses on the identification of dust events and verification of the forecast of dust events over Delhi and western part of IG Plains, during the pre-monsoon season of 2015. Three dust events have been identified over Delhi during the study period. For all the selected days, Terra-MODIS AOD at 550 nm are found close to 1.0, while AURA-OMI AI shows high values. Dust AOD forecasts from NCMRWF Unified Model (NCUM) for the three selected dust events are verified against satellite (MODIS) and ground based observations (AERONET). Comparison of observed AODs at 550 nm from MODIS with NCUM predicted AODs reveals that NCUM is able to predict the spatial and temporal distribution of dust AOD, in these cases. Good correlation (~0.67) is obtained between the NCUM predicted dust AODs and location specific observations available from AERONET. Model under-predicted the AODs as compared to the AERONET observations. This may be mainly because the model account for only dust and no anthropogenic activities are considered. The results of the present study emphasize the requirement of more realistic representation of local dust emission in the model both of natural and anthropogenic origin, to improve the forecast of dust from NCUM during the dust events.

Ice formation via deposition nucleation on mineral dust and organics: dependence of onset relative humidity on total particulate surface area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanji, Zamin A; Florea, Octavian; Abbatt, Jonathan P D

2008-01-01

We present ice nucleation results for Arizona test dust, kaolinite, montmorillonite, silica, silica coated with a hydrophobic octyl chain, oxalic acid dihydrate, Gascoyne leonardite (a humic material), and Aldrich humic acid (sodium salt). The focus was on deposition mode nucleation below water saturation at 233 K. Particles were deposited onto a hydrophobic cold stage by atomization of a slurry/solution and exposed to a constant partial pressure of water vapor. By lowering the temperature of the stage, the relative humidity with respect to ice (RH i ) was gradually increased until ice nucleation was observed using digital photography. Different numbers of particles were deposited onto the cold stage by varying the atomization solution concentration and deposition time. For the same total particulate surface area, mineral dust particles nucleated ice at lower supersaturations than all other materials. The most hydrophobic materials, i.e. Gascoyne leonardite and octyl silica, were the least active. For our limit of detection of one ice crystal, the ice onset RH i values were dependent on the total surface area of the particulates, indicating that no unique threshold RH i for ice nucleation prevails

Ice formation via deposition nucleation on mineral dust and organics: dependence of onset relative humidity on total particulate surface area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanji, Zamin A; Florea, Octavian; Abbatt, Jonathan P D [Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6 (Canada)], E-mail: zkanji@chem.utoronto.ca

2008-04-15

We present ice nucleation results for Arizona test dust, kaolinite, montmorillonite, silica, silica coated with a hydrophobic octyl chain, oxalic acid dihydrate, Gascoyne leonardite (a humic material), and Aldrich humic acid (sodium salt). The focus was on deposition mode nucleation below water saturation at 233 K. Particles were deposited onto a hydrophobic cold stage by atomization of a slurry/solution and exposed to a constant partial pressure of water vapor. By lowering the temperature of the stage, the relative humidity with respect to ice (RH{sub i}) was gradually increased until ice nucleation was observed using digital photography. Different numbers of particles were deposited onto the cold stage by varying the atomization solution concentration and deposition time. For the same total particulate surface area, mineral dust particles nucleated ice at lower supersaturations than all other materials. The most hydrophobic materials, i.e. Gascoyne leonardite and octyl silica, were the least active. For our limit of detection of one ice crystal, the ice onset RH{sub i} values were dependent on the total surface area of the particulates, indicating that no unique threshold RH{sub i} for ice nucleation prevails.

Parameterizing the interstellar dust temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Hocuk, S.; Szűcs, L.; Caselli, P.; Cazaux, S.; Spaans, M.; Esplugues, G. B.

2017-08-01

The temperature of interstellar dust particles is of great importance to astronomers. It plays a crucial role in the thermodynamics of interstellar clouds, because of the gas-dust collisional coupling. It is also a key parameter in astrochemical studies that governs the rate at which molecules form on dust. In 3D (magneto)hydrodynamic simulations often a simple expression for the dust temperature is adopted, because of computational constraints, while astrochemical modelers tend to keep the dust temperature constant over a large range of parameter space. Our aim is to provide an easy-to-use parametric expression for the dust temperature as a function of visual extinction (AV) and to shed light on the critical dependencies of the dust temperature on the grain composition. We obtain an expression for the dust temperature by semi-analytically solving the dust thermal balance for different types of grains and compare to a collection of recent observational measurements. We also explore the effect of ices on the dust temperature. Our results show that a mixed carbonaceous-silicate type dust with a high carbon volume fraction matches the observations best. We find that ice formation allows the dust to be warmer by up to 15% at high optical depths (AV> 20 mag) in the interstellar medium. Our parametric expression for the dust temperature is presented as Td = [ 11 + 5.7 × tanh(0.61 - log 10(AV) ]χuv1/5.9, where χuv is in units of the Draine (1978, ApJS, 36, 595) UV field.

Physics of interstellar dust

CERN Document Server

Krugel, Endrik

2002-01-01

The dielectric permeability; How to evaluate grain cross sections; Very small and very big particles; Case studies of Mie calculus; Particle statistics; The radiative transition probability; Structure and composition of dust; Dust radiation; Dust and its environment; Polarization; Grain alignment; PAHs and spectral features of dust; Radiative transport; Diffuse matter in the Milky Way; Stars and their formation; Emission from young stars. Appendices Mathematical formulae; List of symbols.

Hypothermic general cold adaptation induced by local cold acclimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Savourey, G; Barnavol, B; Caravel, J P; Feuerstein, C; Bittel, J H

1996-01-01

To study relationships between local cold adaptation of the lower limbs and general cold adaptation, eight subjects were submitted both to a cold foot test (CFT, 5 degrees C water immersion, 5 min) and to a whole-body standard cold air test (SCAT, 1 degree C, 2 h, nude at rest) before and after a local cold acclimation (LCA) of the lower limbs effected by repeated cold water immersions. The LCA induced a local cold adaptation confirmed by higher skin temperatures of the lower limbs during CFT and a hypothermic insulative general cold adaptation (decreased rectal temperature and mean skin temperature P adaptation was related to the habituation process confirmed by decreased plasma concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) during LCA (P general cold adaptation was unrelated either to local cold adaptation or to the habituation process, because an increased NA during SCAT after LCA (P syndrome" occurring during LCA.

Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon contaminated ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigates the effect of lead and chromium on the rate of bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated clay soil. Naphthalene was used as a target PAH. The soil was sterilized by heating at 120oC for one hour. 100g of the soil was contaminated with lead, chromium, nickel and mercury ...

In Situ Observations of Snow Metamorphosis Acceleration Induced by Dust and Black Carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, A. M.; Flanner, M.

2017-12-01

Previous studies demonstrate the dependence of shortwave infrared (SWIR) reflectance on snow specific surface area (SSA) and others examine the direct darkening effect dust and black carbon (BC) deposition has on snow and ice-covered surfaces. The extent to which these light absorbing aerosols (LAAs) accelerate snow metamorphosis, however, is challenging to assess in situ as measurement techniques easily disturb snowpack. Here, we use two Near-Infrared Emitting Reflectance Domes (NERDs) to measure 1300 and 1550nm bidirectional reflectance factors (BRFs) of natural snow and experimental plots with added dust and BC. We obtain NERD measurements and subsequently collect and transport snow samples to the nearby U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab for micro computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis. Snow 1300 (1550) nm BRFs evolve from 0.6 (0.15) in fresh snow to 0.2 (0.03) after metamorphosis. Hourly-scale time evolving snow surface BRFs and SSA estimates from micro-CT reveal more rapid SWIR darkening and snow metamorphosis in contaminated versus natural plots. Cloudiness and high wind speeds can completely obscure these results if LAAs mobilize before absorbing enough radiant energy. These findings verify experimentally that dust and BC deposition can accelerate snow metamorphosis and enhance snow albedo feedback in sunny, calm weather conditions. Although quantifying the enhancement of snow albedo feedback induced by LAAs requires further surface temperature, solar irradiance, and impurity concentration measurements, this study provides experimental verification of positive feedback occurring where dust and BC accelerate snow metamorphosis.

The Continuous Monitoring of Desert Dust using an Infrared-based Dust Detection and Retrieval Method

Science.gov (United States)

Duda, David P.; Minnis, Patrick; Trepte, Qing; Sun-Mack, Sunny

2006-01-01

Airborne dust and sand are significant aerosol sources that can impact the atmospheric and surface radiation budgets. Because airborne dust affects visibility and air quality, it is desirable to monitor the location and concentrations of this aerosol for transportation and public health. Although aerosol retrievals have been derived for many years using visible and near-infrared reflectance measurements from satellites, the detection and quantification of dust from these channels is problematic over bright surfaces, or when dust concentrations are large. In addition, aerosol retrievals from polar orbiting satellites lack the ability to monitor the progression and sources of dust storms. As a complement to current aerosol dust retrieval algorithms, multi-spectral thermal infrared (8-12 micron) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Meteosat-8 Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) are used in the development of a prototype dust detection method and dust property retrieval that can monitor the progress of Saharan dust fields continuously, both night and day. The dust detection method is incorporated into the processing of CERES (Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System) aerosol retrievals to produce dust property retrievals. Both MODIS (from Terra and Aqua) and SEVERI data are used to develop the method.

Dust as a surfactant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatov, A M; Schram, P P J M; Trigger, S A

2003-01-01

We argue that dust immersed in a plasma sheath acts as a surfactant. By considering the momentum balance in a plasma sheath, we evaluate the dependence of the plasma surface pressure on the dust density. It is shown that the dust may reduce the surface pressure, giving rise to a sufficiently strong tangential force. The latter is capable of confining the dust layer inside the sheath in the direction perpendicular to the ion flow

Lunar Dust Mitigation Screens

Science.gov (United States)

Knutson, Shawn; Holloway, Nancy

With plans for the United States to return to the moon, and establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface many issues must be successfully overcome. Lunar dust is one of a number of issues with the potential to create a myriad of problems if not adequately addressed. Samples of dust brought back from Apollo missions show it to be soft, yet sharp and abrasive. The dust consists of a variety of morphologies including spherical, angular blocks, shards, and a number of irregular shapes. One of the main issues with lunar dust is its attraction to stick to anything it comes in contact with (i.e. astronauts, equipment, habitats, etc.). Ionized radiation from the sun strikes the moon's surface and creates an electrostatic charge on the dust. Further, the dust harbors van der Waals forces making it especially difficult to separate once it sticks to a surface. During the Apollo missions, it was discovered that trying to brush the lunar dust from spacesuits was not effective, and rubbing it caused degradation of the suit material. Further, when entering the lunar module after moonwalks, the astronauts noted that the dust was so prolific inside the cabin that they inhaled and ingested it, causing at least one of them, Harrison "Jack" Schmidt, to report irritation of the throat and lungs. It is speculated that the dust could also harm an astronaut's nervous and cardiovascular systems, especially during an extended stay. In addition to health issues, the dust can also cause problems by scouring reflective coatings off of thermal blankets, and roughening surfaces of windows and optics. Further, panels on solar cells and photovoltaics can also be compromised due to dust sticking on the surfaces. Lunar dust has the capacity to penetrate seals, interfere with connectors, as well as mechanisms on digging machines, all of which can lead to problems and failure. To address lunar dust issues, development of electrostatic screens to mitigate dust on sur-faces is currently

Extracting lunar dust parameters from image charge signals produced by the Lunar Dust Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, J.; Kempf, S.; Horanyi, M.; Szalay, J.

2015-12-01

The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is an impact ionization dust detector used to characterize the lunar dust exosphere generated by the impacts of large interplanetary particles and meteor streams (Horanyi et al., 2015). In addition to the mass and speed of these lofted particles, LDEX is sensitive to their charge. The resulting signatures of impact events therefore provide valuable information about not only the ambient plasma environment, but also the speed vectors of these dust grains. Here, impact events produced from LDEX's calibration at the Dust Accelerator Laboratory are analyzed using an image charge model derived from the electrostatic simulation program, Coulomb. We show that parameters such as dust grain speed, size, charge, and position of entry into LDEX can be recovered and applied to data collected during LADEE's seven-month mission.

Formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by ionizing radiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez, G.; Lilia, E.; Cristalli, A.

1986-01-01

Gaseous 0-terphenyl, 1-phenylnaphthalene, and 9-phenylanthracene were submitted to gamma rays. The yields of cyclization products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, show that at least one twentieth of the intermediates formed undergo intramolecular reaction. (author)

Cold Stress

Science.gov (United States)

... Publications and Products Programs Contact NIOSH NIOSH COLD STRESS Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Workers who ... cold environments may be at risk of cold stress. Extreme cold weather is a dangerous situation that ...

Cosmic rays, gas and dust in nearby anticentre clouds. I. CO-to-H2 conversion factors and dust opacities

Science.gov (United States)

Remy, Q.; Grenier, I. A.; Marshall, D. J.; Casandjian, J. M.

2017-05-01

four to six in the cold molecular regions that are well shielded from stellar radiation. Consequently, the XCO factor derived from dust is systematically larger by 30% to 130% than the γ-ray estimate. We also evaluate the average γ-ray XCO factor for each cloud, and find that XCO tends to decrease from diffuse to more compact molecular clouds, as expected from theory. We find XCO factors in the anti-centre clouds close to or below 1020 cm-2 K-1 km-1 s, in agreement with other estimates in the solar neighbourhood. Together, they confirm the long-standing unexplained discrepancy, by a factor of two, between the mean XCO values measured at parsec scales in nearby clouds and those obtained at kiloparsec scale in the Galaxy. Our results also highlight large quantitative discrepancies in 12CO intensities between simulations and observations at low molecular gas densities.

Numerical Prediction of Dust. Chapter 10

Science.gov (United States)

Benedetti, Angela; Baldasano, J. M.; Basart, S.; Benincasa, F.; Boucher, O.; Brooks, M.; Chen, J. P.; Colarco, P. R.; Gong, S.; Huneeus, N.;

Toxic Potential of Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Toxic Potential of Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (cPAHs) and Heavy Metal in Crude Oil from Gokana Area, Rivers State, Nigeria. ... Considerable caution should be applied in exploration, exposure and distribution of the crude oil through protected and well maintained pipelines to avoid the possible ...

Sahara Dust Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Dust Particles Click on the image for Quicktime movie from 7/15-7/24 A continent-sized cloud of hot air and dust originating from the Sahara Desert crossed the Atlantic Ocean and headed towards Florida and the Caribbean. A Saharan Air Layer, or SAL, forms when dry air and dust rise from Africa's west coast and ride the trade winds above the Atlantic Ocean. These dust clouds are not uncommon, especially during the months of July and August. They start when weather patterns called tropical waves pick up dust from the desert in North Africa, carry it a couple of miles into the atmosphere and drift westward. In a sequence of images created by data acquired by the Earth-orbiting Atmospheric Infrared Sounder ranging from July 15 through July 24, we see the distribution of the cloud in the atmosphere as it swirls off of Africa and heads across the ocean to the west. Using the unique silicate spectral signatures of dust in the thermal infrared, AIRS can detect the presence of dust in the atmosphere day or night. This detection works best if there are no clouds present on top of the dust; when clouds are present, they can interfere with the signal, making it much harder to detect dust as in the case of July 24, 2005. In the Quicktime movie, the scale at the bottom of the images shows +1 for dust definitely detected, and ranges down to -1 for no dust detected. The plots are averaged over a number of AIRS observations falling within grid boxes, and so it is possible to obtain fractional numbers. [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Total Water Vapor in the Atmosphere Around the Dust Cloud Click on the image for Quicktime movie The dust cloud is contained within a dry adiabatic layer which originates over the Sahara Desert. This Saharan Air Layer (SAL) advances Westward over the Atlantic Ocean, overriding the cool, moist air nearer the surface. This burst of very dry air is visible in the AIRS retrieved total water

Aerosol impacts on California winter clouds and precipitation during CalWater 2011: local pollution vs. long-range transported dust

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, J.; Leung, L. R.; DeMott, P. J.; Comstock, J. M.; Singh, B.; Rosenfeld, D.; Tomlinson, J. M.; White, A.; Prather, K. A.; Minnis, P.; Ayers, J. K.; Min, Q.

2013-07-01

Mineral dust aerosols often observed over California in winter/spring, associated with long-range transport from Asia and Sahara, have been linked to enhanced precipitation based on observations. Local anthropogenic pollution, on the other hand, was shown in previous observational and modeling studies to reduce precipitation. Here we incorporate recent developments in ice nucleation parameterizations to link aerosols with ice crystal formation in a spectral-bin cloud microphysical model coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, to examine the relative and combined impacts of dust and local pollution particles on cloud properties and precipitation type and intensity. Simulations are carried out for two cloud cases with contrasting meteorology and cloud dynamics that occurred on 16 February (FEB16) and 2 March (MAR02) from the CalWater 2011 field campaign. In both cases, observations show the presence of dust or dust/biological particles in a relative pristine environment. The simulated cloud microphysical properties and precipitation show reasonable agreement with aircraft and surface measurements. Model sensitivity experiments indicate that in the pristine environment, the dust/biological aerosol layers increase the accumulated precipitation by 10-20% from the Central Valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for both FEB16 and MAR02 due to a 40% increase in snow formation, validating the observational hypothesis. Model results show that local pollution increases precipitation over the windward slope of the mountains by few percent due to increased snow formation when dust is present but reduces precipitation by 5-8% if dust is removed on FEB16. The effects of local pollution on cloud microphysics and precipitation strongly depend on meteorology including the strength of the Sierra Barrier Jet, and cloud dynamics. This study further underscores the importance of the interactions between local pollution, dust, and environmental conditions for

Experimental investigation on an entrained flow type biomass gasification system using coconut coir dust as powdery biomass feedstock.

Science.gov (United States)

Senapati, P K; Behera, S

2012-08-01

Based on an entrained flow concept, a prototype atmospheric gasification system has been designed and developed in the laboratory for gasification of powdery biomass feedstock such as rice husks, coconut coir dust, saw dust etc. The reactor was developed by adopting L/D (height to diameter) ratio of 10, residence time of about 2s and a turn down ratio (TDR) of 1.5. The experimental investigation was carried out using coconut coir dust as biomass feedstock with a mean operating feed rate of 40 kg/h The effects of equivalence ratio in the range of 0.21-0.3, steam feed at a fixed flow rate of 12 kg/h, preheat on reactor temperature, product gas yield and tar content were investigated. The gasifier could able to attain high temperatures in the range of 976-1100 °C with gas lower heating value (LHV) and peak cold gas efficiency (CGE) of 7.86 MJ/Nm3 and 87.6% respectively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HIGH-RESOLUTION IR ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: THE REALM OF ANHARMONICITY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maltseva, Elena; Buma, Wybren Jan [University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam (Netherlands); Petrignani, Annemieke; Candian, Alessandra; Mackie, Cameron J.; Tielens, Alexander G. G. M. [Leiden Observatory, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333 CA Leiden (Netherlands); Huang, Xinchuan; Lee, Timothy J. [SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Avenue, Suite 100, Mountain View, CA 94043 (United States); Oomens, Jos, E-mail: w.j.buma@uva.nl, E-mail: petrignani@strw.leidenuniv.nl [Radboud University, Toernooiveld 7, 6525 ED Nijmegen (Netherlands)

2015-11-20

We report on an experimental and theoretical investigation of the importance of anharmonicity in the 3-μm CH stretching region of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. We present mass-resolved, high-resolution spectra of the gas-phase cold (∼4 K) linear PAH molecules naphthalene, anthracene, and tetracene. The measured IR spectra show a surprisingly high number of strong vibrational bands. For naphthalene, the observed bands are well separated and limited by the rotational contour, revealing the band symmetries. Comparisons are made to the harmonic and anharmonic approaches of the widely used Gaussian software. We also present calculated spectra of these acenes using the computational program SPECTRO, providing anharmonic predictions with a Fermi-resonance treatment that utilizes intensity redistribution. We demonstrate that the anharmonicity of the investigated acenes is strong, dominated by Fermi resonances between the fundamental and double combination modes, with triple combination bands as possible candidates to resolve remaining discrepancies. The anharmonic spectra as calculated with SPECTRO lead to predictions of the main bands that fall within 0.5% of the experimental frequencies. The implications for the aromatic infrared bands, specifically the 3-μm band, are discussed.

High-Resolution IR Absorption Spectroscopy of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: The Realm of Anharmonicity

Science.gov (United States)

Maltseva, Elena; Petrignani, Annemieke; Candian, Alessandra; Mackie, Cameron J.; Huang, Xinchuan; Lee, Timothy J.; Tielens, Alexander G. G. M.; Oomens, Jos; Buma, Wybren Jan

2016-01-01

We report on an experimental and theoretical investigation of the importance of anharmonicity in the 3 micrometers CH stretching region of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. We present mass-resolved, high-resolution spectra of the gas-phase cold ((is) approximately 4K) linear PAH molecules naphthalene, anthracene, and tetracene. The measured IR spectra show a surprisingly high number of strong vibrational bands. For naphthalene, the observed bands are well separated and limited by the rotational contour, revealing the band symmetries. Comparisons are made to the harmonic and anharmonic approaches of the widely used Gaussian software. We also present calculated spectra of these acenes using the computational program SPECTRO, providing anharmonic predictions enhanced with a Fermi-resonance treatment that utilizes intensity redistribution. We demonstrate that the anharmonicity of the investigated acenes is strong, dominated by Fermi resonances between the fundamental and double combination modes, with triple combination bands as possible candidates to resolve remaining discrepancies. The anharmonic spectra as calculated with SPECTRO lead to predictions of the main modes that fall within 0.5% of the experimental frequencies. The implications for the Aromatic Infrared Bands, specifically the 3-m band are discussed.

IRAC Reflectances of Cold Classical KBOs and Centaurs

Science.gov (United States)

Emery, Joshua; Brown, Michael; Cruikshank, Dale; Dalle Ore, Cristina; Fernandez, Yanga; Fraser, Wes; Stansberry, John; Trilling, David

2009-04-01

We propose to measure reflected fluxes of 22 Centaurs and 27 cold classical Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) with IRAC in order to determine surface compositions. The small bodies of the outer solar system provide probes of the statistical conditions, history, and interactions in the solar system. We focus in this proposal on two groups that isolate two key aspects of the complicated larger puzzle: starting compositions and physical effects of thermal evolution. The cold classical KBOs are the only dynamical group among the Kuiper belt that remain in (or very near) the region in which they formed (~40 AU), offering insight into the conditions in a known region of the early nebula. The prevailing hypothesis that their surfaces are dominated by complex organic molecules derived from irradiation of originally CH4-rich bodies will be directly tested by searching for strong absorption within the 3.6 micron channel. A subset will also be observed at 4.5 microns as a measure of other volatiles (e.g., residual CH4, CO2, N2) informative of original compositions. The Centaurs have been scattered inward into their unstable orbits among the giant planets. While closer to the Sun, accelerated thermal evolution is hypothesized to replace thin organic mantles with dust coatings through vigorous sublimation, creating the two distinct color groups (less red/gray and ultra-red). We will test this hypothesis by searching for and characterizing absorptions at 3.6 micron due to the hypothesized organics. The IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 micron reflectances will distinguish among multiple surface compositions that could explain the less red/gray group, only one of which (silicate dust) is consistent with the prevailing hypothesis. No other existing or near-term ground or space-based facility can measure reflectances at these critical wavelengths for these faint bodies. Our cycle-2 and cycle-4 programs to observe an initial set of outer solar system objects have been tremendously successful, and this

Universal instability of dust ion-sound waves and dust-acoustic waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsytovich, V.N.; Watanabe, K.

2002-01-01

It is shown that the dust ion-sound waves (DISW) and the dust-acoustic waves (DAW) are universally unstable for wave numbers less than some critical wave number. The basic dusty plasma state is assumed to be quasi-neutral with balance of the plasma particle absorption on the dust particles and the ionization with the rate proportional to the electron density. An analytical expression for the critical wave numbers, for the frequencies and for the growth rates of DISW and DAW are found using the hydrodynamic description of dusty plasma components with self-consistent treatment of the dust charge variations and by taking into account the change of the ion and electron distributions in the dust charging process. Most of the previous treatment do not take into account the latter process and do not treat the basic state self-consistently. The critical lengths corresponding to these critical wave numbers can be easily achieved in the existing experiments. It is shown that at the wave numbers larger than the critical ones DISW and DAW have a large damping which was not treated previously and which can be also measured. The instabilities found in the present work on their non linear stage can lead to formation of different types of dust self-organized structures. (author)

Magnetic graphene oxide as adsorbent for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in human urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Linli; Xu, Hui

2014-09-01

Detection of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites in urine is an advisable and valid method to assess human environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this work, novel Fe3O4/graphene oxide composites were prepared and their application in the magnetic solid-phase extraction of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine was investigated by coupling with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. In the hybrid material, superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles provide fast separation to simplify the analytical process and graphene oxide provides a large functional surface for the adsorption. The prepared magnetic nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The experimental conditions were optimized systematically. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of these compounds were in the range of 98.3-125.2%, the relative standard deviations ranged between 6.8 and 15.5%, and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.01-0.15 ng/mL. The simple, quick, and affordable method was successfully used in the analysis of human urinary monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two different cities. The results indicated that the monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons level in human urine can provide useful information for environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Remediation of soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

2011-02-14

Feb 14, 2011 ... The aim of this study was to determine ways of remediating soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with crude oil. The study involves the use of planted cowpeas, mushrooms, algae, dead vegetable and live earthworm, and fire-heating of the contaminated garden soil ...

Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rural agricultural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AJB SERVER

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 5 (15), pp. 1415-1421, 3 August 2006 ... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of chemicals that are formed during ... site for refinery process wastes, which has been operated since 1958 ...

Degradation and utilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by indigenous soil bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stetzenbach, L.D.A.

1986-01-01

The persistence of industrially derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the subsurface may be significantly affected by the metabolism of soil bacteria. This study was conducted to determine the ability of indigenous soil bacteria to decrease the concentration of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene, fluorene, anthracene, and pyrene) and to utilize the compounds as a substrate for growth. Soil cores from petroleum contaminated and noncontaminated sites contained 10 5 -10 7 viable microorganisms per gram dryweight of soil. Gram negative rod-shaped bacteria predominated. Decreases in the concentration of the four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were observed during incubation with bacterial isolates in aqueous suspension by the use of high performance liquid chromatography. Corresponding increases in bacterial numbers indicated utilization of the compounds as a carbon source. Soil samples from the contaminated sites contained greater numbers of bacteria utilizing anthracene and pyrene than soil samples from uncontaminated sites. Degradation rates of the four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were related to the compound, its concentration, and the bacterium. Biodegradation of pyrene was positively correlated with the presence of oxygen. Pyrene was biodegraded by an Acinetobacter sp. under aerobic conditions but not under anaerobic or microaerophilic conditions. Studies with radiolabeled 14 C-anthracene demonstrated utilization of the labeled carbon as a source of carbon by viable bacterial cells in aqueous suspension. Incorporation of 14 C into cellular biomass however was not observed during incubation of 14 C-anthracene in soil

Dust, Climate, and Human Health

Science.gov (United States)

Maynard, Nancy G.

2003-01-01

Air pollution from both natural and anthropogenic causes is considered to be one of the most serious world-wide environment-related health problems, and is expected to become worse with changes in the global climate. Dust storms from the atmospheric transport of desert soil dust that has been lifted and carried by the winds - often over significant distances - have become an increasingly important emerging air quality issue for many populations. Recent studies have shown that the dust storms can cause significant health impacts from the dust itself as well as the accompanying pollutants, pesticides, metals, salt, plant debris, and other inorganic and organic materials, including viable microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi). For example, thousands of tons of Asian desert sediments, some containing pesticides and herbicides from farming regions, are commonly transported into the Arctic during dust storm events. These chemicals have been identified in animal and human tissues among Arctic indigenous populations. Millions of tons of airborne desert dust are being tracked by satellite imagery, which clearly shows the magnitude as well as the temporal and spatial variability of dust storms across the "dust belt" regions of North Africa, the Middle East, and China. This paper summarizes the most recent findings on the effects of airborne desert dust on human health as well as potential climate influences on dust and health.

Engineering-scale dust control experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winberg, M.R.; Pawelko, R.J.; Jacobs, N.C.; Thompson, D.N.

1990-12-01

This report presents the results of engineering scale dust-control experiments relating to contamination control during handling of transuranic waste. These experiments focused on controlling dust during retrieval operations of buried waste where waste and soil are intimately mixed. Sources of dust generation during retrieval operations include digging, dumping, and vehicle traffic. Because contaminants are expected to attach to soil particles and move with the generated dust, control of the dust spread may be the key to contamination control. Dust control techniques examined in these experiments include the use of misting systems, soil fixatives, and dust suppression agents. The Dryfog Ultrasonic Misting Head, manufactured by Sonics, Incorporated, and ENTAC, an organic resin derived from tree sap manufactured by ENTAC Corporation, were tested. The results of the experiments include product performance and recommended application methods. 19 figs., 7 refs., 6 tabs

Gravimetric dust sampling for control purposes and occupational dust sampling.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Unsted, AD

1997-02-01

Full Text Available Prior to the introduction of gravimetric dust sampling, konimeters had been used for dust sampling, which was largely for control purposes. Whether or not absolute results were achievable was not an issue since relative results were used to evaluate...

The hot and cold interstellar matter of early type galaxies and their radio emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dongwoo; Fabbiano, G.

1990-01-01

Over the last few years, the knowledge of the interstellar matter (ISM) of early type galaxies has increased dramatically. Many early type galaxies are now known to have ISM in three different phases: cold (neutral hydrogen (HI), dust and molecular material), warm (ionized) and hot (S-ray emitting) gas. Early type galaxies have smaller masses of cold ISM (10 to the 7th power - 10 to the 8th power solar mass; Jura et al. 1987) than later type spiral galaxies, while they have far more hot gas (10 to the 9th power - 10 to the tenth power solar mass; Forman et al. 1985, Canizares et al. 1987). In order to understand the relationship between the different phases of the ISM and the role of the ISM in fueling radio continuum sources and star formation, researchers compared observational data from a wide range of wavelengths

DUST AND GAS IN THE DISK OF HL TAURI: SURFACE DENSITY, DUST SETTLING, AND DUST-TO-GAS RATIO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinte, C.; Ménard, F. [UMI-FCA, CNRS/INSU, France (UMI 3386), and Dept. de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Dent, W. R. F.; Hales, A.; Hill, T.; Cortes, P.; Gregorio-Monsalvo, I. de, E-mail: christophe.pinte@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr [Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array, Joint ALMA Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura 763-0355, Santiago (Chile)

2016-01-01

The recent ALMA observations of the disk surrounding HL Tau reveal a very complex dust spatial distribution. We present a radiative transfer model accounting for the observed gaps and bright rings as well as radial changes of the emissivity index. We find that the dust density is depleted by at least a factor of 10 in the main gaps compared to the surrounding rings. Ring masses range from 10–100 M{sub ⊕} in dust, and we find that each of the deepest gaps is consistent with the removal of up to 40 M{sub ⊕} of dust. If this material has accumulated into rocky bodies, these would be close to the point of runaway gas accretion. Our model indicates that the outermost ring is depleted in millimeter grains compared to the central rings. This suggests faster grain growth in the central regions and/or radial migration of the larger grains. The morphology of the gaps observed by ALMA—well separated and showing a high degree of contrast with the bright rings over all azimuths—indicates that the millimeter dust disk is geometrically thin (scale height ≈1 AU at 100 AU) and that a large amount of settling of large grains has already occurred. Assuming a standard dust settling model, we find that the observations are consistent with a turbulent viscosity coefficient of a few 10{sup −4}. We estimate the gas/dust ratio in this thin layer to be of the order of 5 if the initial ratio is 100. The HCO{sup +} and CO emission is consistent with gas in Keplerian motion around a 1.7 M{sub ⊙} star at radii from ≤10–120 AU.

Neutron activation analysis on sediments from Victoria Land, Antarctica. Multi-elemental characterization of potential atmospheric dust sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baccolo, G.; Maggi, V.; Baroni, C.; Clemenza, M.; Motta, A.; Nastasi, M.; Previtali, E.; University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan; Delmonte, B.; Salvatore, M.C.

2014-01-01

The elemental composition of 40 samples of mineral sediments collected in Victoria Land, Antarctica, in correspondence of ice-free sites, is presented. Concentration of 36 elements was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis, INAA. The selection of 6 standard reference materials and the development of a specific analytical procedure allowed to reduce measurements uncertainties and to verify the reproducibility of the results. The decision to analyze sediment samples from Victoria Land ice-free areas is related to recent investigations regarding mineral dust content in the TALos Dome ICE core (159deg11'E; 72deg49'S, East Antarctica, Victoria Land), in which a coarse local fraction of dust was recognized. The characterization of Antarctic potential source areas of atmospheric mineral dust is the first step to identify the active sources of dust for the Talos Dome area and to reconstruct the atmospheric pathways followed by air masses in this region during different climatic periods. Principal components analysis was used to identify elements and samples correlations; attention was paid specially to rare earth elements (REE) and incompatible/compatible elements (ICE) in respect to iron, which proved to be the most discriminating elemental groups. The analysis of REE and ICE concentration profiles supported evidences of chemical weathering in ice-free areas of Victoria Land, whereas cold and dry climate conditions of the Talos Dome area and in general of East Antarctica. (author)

SPATIAL VARIATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF POLYCYCLIC ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

house dust [5], urban street dust [6] and plants [7]. Therefore, PAH .... length: 30 mL; phase ratio: 320 column ID: 0.32 mm; carrier gas: helium; inlet mode: splitless; ... where Cf = final sample concentration (µg/L), Area (p) = measured area of peak (peaks), Wi = ... in pine needles from Korea, Mexico, and United States [16].

Respiratory Toxicity of Lunar Highland Dust

Science.gov (United States)

James, John T.; Lam, Chiu-wing; Wallace, William T.

2009-01-01

Lunar dust exposures occurred during the Apollo missions while the crew was on the lunar surface and especially when microgravity conditions were attained during rendezvous in lunar orbit. Crews reported that the dust was irritating to the eyes and in some cases respiratory symptoms were elicited. NASA s vision for lunar exploration includes stays of 6 months on the lunar surface hence the health effects of periodic exposure to lunar dust need to be assessed. NASA has performed this assessment with a series of in vitro and in vivo tests on authentic lunar dust. Our approach is to "calibrate" the intrinsic toxicity of lunar dust by comparison to a nontoxic dust (TiO2) and a highly toxic dust (quartz) using intratrachael instillation of the dusts in mice. A battery of indices of toxicity is assessed at various time points after the instillations. Cultures of selected cells are exposed to test dusts to assess the adverse effects on the cells. Finally, chemical systems are used to assess the nature of the reactivity of various dusts and to determine the persistence of reactivity under various environmental conditions that are relevant to a space habitat. Similar systems are used to assess the dissolution of the dust. From these studies we will be able to set a defensible inhalation exposure standard for aged dust and predict whether we need a separate standard for reactive dust. Presently-available data suggest that aged lunar highland dust is slightly toxic, that it can adversely affect cultured cells, and that the surface reactivity induced by grinding the dust persists for a few hours after activation.

AGRONOMIC OPTIMIZATION FOR PHYTOREMEDIATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

Science.gov (United States)

Phytoremediation is a low-cost method of using plants to degrade, volatilize or sequester organic and metal pollutants that has been used in efforts to remediate sites contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) refinery wastes. Non-native plant species aggressivel...

Seasonal variations and source apportionment of atmospheric PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a mixed multi-function area of Hangzhou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Hao; Wang, Shengsheng; Li, Yun; Gong, Hui; Han, Jingyi; Wu, Zuliang; Yao, Shuiliang; Zhang, Xuming; Tang, Xiujuan; Jiang, Boqiong

2017-07-01

To reveal the seasonal variations and sources of PM 2.5 -bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during haze and non-haze episodes, daily PM 2.5 samples were collected from March 2015 to February 2016 in a mixed multi-function area in Hangzhou, China. Ambient concentrations of 16 priority-controlled PAHs were determined. The sums of PM 2.5 -bound PAH concentrations during the haze episodes were 4.52 ± 3.32 and 13.6 ± 6.29 ng m -3 in warm and cold seasons, respectively, which were 1.99 and 1.49 times those during the non-haze episodes. Four PAH sources were identified using the positive matrix factorization model and conditional probability function, which were vehicular emissions (45%), heavy oil combustion (23%), coal and natural gas combustion (22%), and biomass combustion (10%). The four source concentrations of PAHs consistently showed higher levels in the cold season, compared with those in the warm season. Vehicular emissions were the most considerable sources that result in the increase of PM 2.5 -bound PAH levels during the haze episodes, and heavy oil combustion played an important role in the aggravation of haze pollution. The analysis of air mass back trajectories indicated that air mass transport had an influence on the PM 2.5 -bound PAH pollution, especially on the increased contributions from coal combustion and vehicular emissions in the cold season.

A Climatology of Dust-Emission Events over North Africa Based on 27 Years of Surface Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Cowie, S.; Knippertz, P.; Schepanski, K.

2012-04-01

The huge quantity of mineral dust emitted annually from North Africa makes this area crucial to the global dust cycle. Once in the atmosphere, dust aerosols have a significant impact on the global radiation budget, clouds, the carbon cycle and can even act as a fertilizer to rain forests in South America. Current model estimates of dust production from North Africa are uncertain. At the heart of this problem is insufficient understanding of key dust emitting processes such as haboobs (cold pools generated through evaporation of convective precipitation), low-level jets (LLJs), and dry convection (dust devils and dust plumes). Scarce observations in this region, in particular in the Sahara, make model evaluation difficult. This work uses long-term surface observations from the MIDAS data set (~120 stations in the arid part of North Africa) to explore the diurnal, seasonal, decadal and geographical variations in dust emission events and their associated wind thresholds. The threshold values are determined from probability density functions of observed 10-minute anemomenter wind speeds. Emission events are defined using the present weather codes (WW) of SYNOP reports. These codes represent events of smaller intensity such as "Dust or sand raised by wind" to severe dust storms. During the 27-year study period (1984-2011) stations are required to have a minimum of 1000 dust observations to be included in the analysis. Dust emission frequency (DEF) is calculated for different time intervals (e.g. monthly, 3-hourly) taking into account the different number of measurements available at each station. North of 25°N a maximum during March-May is evident and relatively consistent over the whole North African region. Wind-speed thresholds for dust emission north of 25°N are higher than south of 25°N in the Sahel, where station-to-station variability is larger, and enhanced DEF activity during February-March is observed. The variability in this region is closely linked to the

Dust-cyclotron and dust-lower-hybrid modes in self-gravitating ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

cantly modifies the dispersion properties of these two electrostatic modes. The implications of these results to some space and astrophysical dusty plasma systems, especially to planetary ring-systems and cometary tails, are briefly mentioned. Keywords. Dusty plasmas; dust-cyclotron waves; dust-lower-hybrid waves.

Identifying specific interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulas, Giacomo; Malloci, Giuliano; Porceddu, Ignazio

2005-01-01

Interstellar Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been thought to be ubiquitous for more than twenty years, yet no single species in this class has been identified in the Interstellar Medium (ISM) to date. The unprecedented sensitivity and resolution of present Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and forthcoming Herschel observations in the far infrared spectral range will offer a unique way out of this embarrassing impasse

Modelling dust transport in tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.D.; Martin, J.D.; Bacharis, M.; Coppins, M.; Counsell, G.F.; Allen, J.E.; Counsell, G.F.

2008-01-01

The DTOKS code, which models dust transport through tokamak plasmas, is described. The floating potential and charge of a dust grain in a plasma and the fluxes of energy to and from it are calculated. From this model, the temperature of the dust grain can be estimated. A plasma background is supplied by a standard tokamak edge modelling code (B2SOLPS5.0), and dust transport through MAST (the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak) and ITER plasmas is presented. We conclude that micron-radius tungsten dust can reach the separatrix in ITER. (authors)

Control of harmful dust in coal mines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goddard, B; Bower, K; Mitchell, D

1973-01-01

This handbook consists of a series of short chapters devoted to: sources of airborne dust; dust standards and methods of sampling; dust prevention on mechanized faces; ventilation and dust extraction; distribution and use of water; dust control on mechanized faces; dust control in drivages and headings; drilling and shotfiring; dust control in transport; some outbye dust control techniques (hygroscopic salts, impingement curtains); water infusion; personal protective equipment. (CIS Abstr.)

Effect of non-Maxwellian particle trapping and dust grain charging on dust acoustic solitary waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubab, N.; Murtaza, G.; Mushtaq, A.

2006-01-01

The role of adiabatic trapped ions on a small but finite amplitude dust acoustic wave, including the effect of adiabatic dust charge variation, is investigated in an unmagnetized three-component dusty plasma consisting of electrons, ions and massive micron sized negatively charged dust particulates. We have assumed that electrons and ions obey (r,q) velocity distribution while the dust species is treated fluid dynamically. It is found that the dynamics of dust acoustic waves is governed by a modified r dependent Korteweg-de Vries equation. Further, the spectral indices (r,q) affect the charge fluctuation as well as the trapping of electrons and ions and consequently modify the dust acoustic solitary wave

The global distribution of mineral dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegen, I; Schepanski, K

2009-01-01

Dust aerosol particles produced by wind erosion in arid and semi arid regions affect climate and air quality, but the magnitude of these effects is largely unquantified. The major dust source regions include the Sahara, the Arabian and Asian deserts; global annual dust emissions are currently estimated to range between 1000 and 3000 Mt/yr. Dust aerosol can be transported over long distances of thousands of kilometers, e.g. from source regions in the Saharan desert over the North Atlantic, or from the Asian deserts towards the Pacific Ocean. The atmospheric dust load varies considerably on different timescales. While dust aerosol distribution and dust effects are important on global scales, they strongly depend on dust emissions that are controlled on small spatial and temporal scales.

GPU-BASED MONTE CARLO DUST RADIATIVE TRANSFER SCHEME APPLIED TO ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heymann, Frank; Siebenmorgen, Ralf

2012-01-01

A three-dimensional parallel Monte Carlo (MC) dust radiative transfer code is presented. To overcome the huge computing-time requirements of MC treatments, the computational power of vectorized hardware is used, utilizing either multi-core computer power or graphics processing units. The approach is a self-consistent way to solve the radiative transfer equation in arbitrary dust configurations. The code calculates the equilibrium temperatures of two populations of large grains and stochastic heated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Anisotropic scattering is treated applying the Heney-Greenstein phase function. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of the object is derived at low spatial resolution by a photon counting procedure and at high spatial resolution by a vectorized ray tracer. The latter allows computation of high signal-to-noise images of the objects at any frequencies and arbitrary viewing angles. We test the robustness of our approach against other radiative transfer codes. The SED and dust temperatures of one- and two-dimensional benchmarks are reproduced at high precision. The parallelization capability of various MC algorithms is analyzed and included in our treatment. We utilize the Lucy algorithm for the optical thin case where the Poisson noise is high, the iteration-free Bjorkman and Wood method to reduce the calculation time, and the Fleck and Canfield diffusion approximation for extreme optical thick cells. The code is applied to model the appearance of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at optical and infrared wavelengths. The AGN torus is clumpy and includes fluffy composite grains of various sizes made up of silicates and carbon. The dependence of the SED on the number of clumps in the torus and the viewing angle is studied. The appearance of the 10 μm silicate features in absorption or emission is discussed. The SED of the radio-loud quasar 3C 249.1 is fit by the AGN model and a cirrus component to account for the far-infrared emission.

Large Aperture Electrostatic Dust Detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, C.H.; Hensley, R.; Roquemore, A.L.

2007-01-01

Diagnosis and management of dust inventories generated in next-step magnetic fusion devices is necessary for their safe operation. A novel electrostatic dust detector, based on a fine grid of interlocking circuit traces biased to 30 or 50 v has been developed for the detection of dust particles on remote surfaces in air and vacuum environments. Impinging dust particles create a temporary short circuit and the resulting current pulse is recorded by counting electronics. Up to 90% of the particles are ejected from the grid or vaporized suggesting the device may be useful for controlling dust inventories. We report measurements of the sensitivity of a large area (5x5 cm) detector to microgram quantities of dust particles and review its applications to contemporary tokamaks and ITER.

Dust in H II regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isobe, S.

1977-01-01

Several pieces of evidence indicate that H II regions may contain dust: 1) the continuum light scattered by dust grains (O'Dell and Hubbard, 1965), 2) thermal radiation from dust grains at infrared wavelengths (Ney and Allen, 1969), 3) the abnormal helium abundance in some H II regions (Peimbert and Costero, 1969), etc. Although observations of the scattered continuum suggest that the H II region cores may be dust-free, dust grains and gas must be well mixed in view of the infrared observations. This difficulty may be solved by introducing globules with sizes approximately 0.001 pc. These globules and the molecular clouds adjacent to H II regions are the main sources supplying dust to H II regions. (Auth.)

Cold injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, R J

1995-01-01

There are two categories of cold injury. The first is hypothermia, which is a systemic injury to cold, and the second is frostbite, which is a local injury. Throughout history, entire armies, from George Washington to the Germans on the Russian Front in World War II, have fallen prey to prolonged cold exposure. Cold injury is common and can occur in all seasons if ambient temperature is lower than the core body temperature. In the 1985 Boston Marathon, even though it was 76 degrees and sunny, there were 75 runners treated for hypothermia. In general, humans adapt poorly to cold exposure. Children are at particular risk because of their relatively greater surface area/body mass ratio, causing them to cool even more rapidly than adults. Because of this, the human's best defense against cold injury is to limit his/her exposure to cold and to dress appropriately. If cold injury has occurred and is mild, often simple passive rewarming such as dry blankets and a warm room are sufficient treatment.

The Spatial Variation of Dust Particulate Matter Concentrations during Two Icelandic Dust Storms in 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Particulate matter mass concentrations and size fractions of PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, and PM15 measured in transversal horizontal profile of two dust storms in southwestern Iceland are presented. Images from a camera network were used to estimate the visibility and spatial extent of measured dust events. Numerical simulations were used to calculate the total dust flux from the sources as 180,000 and 280,000 tons for each storm. The mean PM15 concentrations inside of the dust plumes varied from 10 to 1600 µg·m−3 (PM10 = 7 to 583 µg·m−3. The mean PM1 concentrations were 97–241 µg·m−3 with a maximum of 261 µg·m−3 for the first storm. The PM1/PM2.5 ratios of >0.9 and PM1/PM10 ratios of 0.34–0.63 show that suspension of volcanic materials in Iceland causes air pollution with extremely high PM1 concentrations, similar to polluted urban areas in Europe or Asia. Icelandic volcanic dust consists of a higher proportion of submicron particles compared to crustal dust. Both dust storms occurred in relatively densely inhabited areas of Iceland. First results on size partitioning of Icelandic dust presented here should challenge health authorities to enhance research in relation to dust and shows the need for public dust warning systems.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Danish barbecued meat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duedahl-Olesen, Lene; Aaslyng, Margit Dall; Meinert, Lene

2015-01-01

Barbecuing is known to result in the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A validated method that employed pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) followed by solid phase extraction (SPE) on Silica and analytical determination by GC-MS was applied...

Photolytic and radiolytic destruction of natural polycyclic mycotoxins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mammadov, Kh. F

2011-01-01

Full text: The kinetics of degradation of natural polycyclic toxins in grains and dried fruits under the influence of UV-light and ionizing radiation 60 C and the probability of radiolytic detoxication of these products has been studied for the first time

Dust in Snow in the Colorado River Basin: Spatial Variability in Dust Concentrations, Radiative Forcing, and Snowmelt Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Skiles, M.; Painter, T.; Deems, J. S.; Landry, C.; Bryant, A.

2012-12-01

Since the disturbance of the western US that began with the Anglo settlement in the mid 19th century, the mountain snow cover of the Colorado River Basin (CRB) has been subject to five-fold greater dust loading. This dust deposition accelerates snowmelt through its direct reduction of albedo and its further reduction of albedo by accelerating the growth of snow effective grain size. We have previously quantified the impacts of dust in snow using a 6-year record of dust concentration and energy balance fluxes at the alpine and subalpine towers in the Senator Beck Basin Study Area (SBBSA), San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, USA. Dust loading exhibited interannual variability, and end of year dust concentrations were not necessarily related to the number of dust deposition events. Radiative forcing enhanced springtime melt by 21 to 51 days with the magnitude of advanced loss being linearly related to total dust concentration at the end of snow cover. To expand our understanding of dust on snow deposition patterns we utilize collections of dust concentration at the Colorado Dust on Snow (CODOS) study sites, established in 2009 along the western side of the CRB, to assess spatial variability in dust loading. In situ sampling of dust stratigraphy and concentration occurs twice each season, once over peak snow water equivalent (15 April), and again during melt (15 May). Dust loading occurs at all sites; dust concentrations are always higher in May, vary between sites, and the highest and lowest dust years were 2009 and 2012, respectively. In the absence of regular sampling and energy balance instrumentation these sites do not allow us to quantify the advanced melt due to dust. To facilitate this a new energy balance site, Grand Mesa Study plot (GMSP), was established for water year 2010 in west central Colorado, 150 km north of SBBSA. Back trajectories indicate similar Colorado Plateau dust sources at both SBBSA and GMSP, yet GMSP exhibits slightly lower dust

Surface properties of activated carbon treated by cold plasma heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Norikazu, Kurano [Shigematsu works Co. Ltd., 267 Yashita, Iwatsuki 3390046 (Japan); Yamada, Hiroshi [Shigematsu works Co. Ltd., 267 Yashita, Iwatsuki 3390046 (Japan); Yajima, Tatsuhiko [Faculty of Engineering, Saitama Institute of Technology, 1690 Fusoiji, Okabe 3690293 (Japan); Sugiyama, Kazuo [Faculty of Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-okubo, Sakura-Ku, Saitama 3388570 (Japan)]. E-mail: sugi@apc.saitama-u.ac.jp

2007-03-12

To modify the surface properties of activated carbon powders, we have applied the cold plasma treatment method. The cold plasma was used to be generated in the evacuated reactor vessel by 2.45 GHz microwave irradiation. In this paper, changes of surface properties such as distribution of acidic functional groups and roughness morphology were examined. By the cold plasma treatment, activated carbons with large specific surface area of ca. 2000 m{sup 2}/g or more could be prepared in a minute. The amount of every gaseous organic compound adsorbed on the unit gram of treated activated carbons was more increased that on the unit gram of untreated carbons. Especially, the adsorbed amount of carbon disulfide was remarkably increased even if it was compared by the amount per unit surface area. These results suggest that the surface property of the sample was modified by the plasma treatment. It became apparent by observing SEM photographs that dust and impure particles in macropores of activated carbons were far more reduced by the plasma treatment than by the conventional heating in an electric furnace under vacuum. In addition, a bubble-like surface morphology of the sample was observed by AEM measurement. The amount of acidic functional groups at the surface was determined by using the Boehm's titration method. Consequently, the increase of lactone groups and the decrease of carboxyl groups were also observed.

Dust control at Yucca Mountain project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kissell, F.; Jurani, R.; Dresel, R.; Reaux, C.

1999-01-01

This report describes actions taken to control silica dust at the Yucca Mountain Exploratory Studies Facility, a tunnel located in Southern Nevada that is part of a scientific program to determine site suitability for a potential nuclear waste repository. The rock is a volcanic tuff containing significant percentages of both quartz and cristobalite. Water use for dust control was limited because of scientific test requirements, and this limitation made dust control a difficult task. Results are reported for two drifts, called the Main Loop Drift and the Cross Drift. In the Main Loop Drift, dust surveys and tracer gas tests indicated that air leakage from the TBM head, the primary ventilation duct, and movement of the conveyor belt were all significant sources of dust. Conventional dust control approaches yielded no significant reductions in dust levels. A novel alternative was to install an air cleaning station on a rear deck of the TBM trailing gear. It filtered dust from the contaminated intake air and discharged clean air towards the front of the TBM. The practical effect was to produce dust levels below the exposure limit for all TBM locations except close to the head. In the Cross Drift, better ventilation and an extra set of dust seals on the TBM served to cut down the leakage of dust from the TBM cutter head. However, the conveyor belt was much dustier than the belt in the main loop drift. The problem originated with dirt on the bottom of the belt return side and much spillage from the belt top side. Achieving lower dust levels in hard rock tunneling operations will require new approaches as well as a more meticulous application of existing technology. Planning for dust control will require specific means to deal with dust that leaks from the TBM head, dust that originates with leaky ventilation systems, and dust that comes from conveyor belts. Also, the application of water could be more efficient if automatic controls were used to adjust the water flow

Accumulation of polycyclic arenes in Baltic Sea algae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veldre, I.A.; Itra, A.R.; Paal' me, L.P.; Kukk, Kh.A.

1985-01-01

The paper presents data on the level of benzo(a)pyrene (BP) and some other polycyclic arenes in alga and phanerogam specimens from different gulfs of the Baltic Sea. Algae were shown to absorb BP from sea water. The mean concentration of BP in sea water was under 0.004 microgram/1, while in algae it ranged 0.1-21.2 micrograms/kg dry weight. Algae accumulate BP to a higher degree than phanerogams. The highest concentrations of BP were found in algae Enteromorpha while the lowest ones in Furcellaria. In annual green algae, BP level was higher in autumn, i. e. at the end of vegetation period, than in spring. Brown algae Fucus vesiculosus is recommended for monitoring polycyclic arene pollution in the area from Vormsi Island to Kaesmu and green algae Cladophora or Enteromorpha in the eastern part of the Finnish Gulf.

MAPPING STUDY OF 71 PLANCK COLD CLUMPS IN THE TAURUS, PERSEUS, AND CALIFORNIA COMPLEXES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Fanyi; Wu, Yuefang; Liu, Tie

2013-01-01

A mapping study of 71 Planck cold clumps was made with 12 CO(1-0), 13 CO(1-0), and C 18 O(1-0) lines at the 13.7 m telescope of Purple Mountain Observatory. For all the clumps, 12 CO(1-0) and 13 CO(1-0) emissions were detected, while for 55 of them, C 18 O(1-0) emissions were detected. Of the 71 Clumps, 34 are in the Taurus Complex, 24 in the California Complex, and 13 are in the Perseus Complex. In the 76 velocity components, 38 cores are found in 27 clumps; 19 of these cores are in the Taurus Complex, 16 in the California Complex, and 3 in the Perseus Complex. We acquired V lsr , T A and FWHM of lines. Physical parameters including T ex , N H 2 , σ Therm , σ NT , and σ 3D were calculated. Generally, the cores are of T ex = 2-16 K, N H 2 =10 21 --10 22 cm –2 , and σ 3D = 0.2-1.0 km s –1 . In the Taurus Complex, the cores are less dense on average and have smaller σ Therm than the cores in the Perseus and California Complexes. Two of the three cores in the Perseus Complex are revealed to have larger T ex , N H 2 , and σ 3D than the mean values in the other two regions. Most of the cores have σ NT larger than σ Therm , suggesting a dominance of turbulence in our cores. The majority of the cores have M vir /M LTE >> 1, which indicates these cores are not bound and will disperse. By comparing our results with the dust properties revealed by the Planck Early Release Cold Cores Catalog, we investigated the coupling of gas and dust components. We found that most of the cores have dust temperatures higher than their gas temperatures. The stellar objects associated with our sources were checked and 90% of the cores were found to be starless

Electrostatic Dust Detector with Improved Sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyle, D.P.; Skinner, C.H.; Roquemore, A.L.

2008-01-01

Methods to measure the inventory of dust particles and to remove dust if it approaches safety limits will be required in next-step tokamaks such as ITER. An electrostatic dust detector, based on a fine grid of interlocking circuit traces, biased to 30 or 50 V, has been developed for the detection of dust on remote surfaces in air and vacuum environments. Gaining operational experience of dust detection on surfaces in tokamaks is important, however the level of dust generated in contemporary short-pulse tokamaks is comparatively low and high sensitivity is necessary to measure dust on a shot-by-shot basis. We report on modifications in the detection electronics that have increased the sensitivity of the electrostatic dust detector by a factor of up to 120, - a level suitable for measurements on contemporary tokamaks.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a coal tar standard reference material - SRM 1597a updated

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wise, Stephen A.; Poster, Dianne L.; Rimmer, Catherine A.; Schubert, Patricia; Sander, Lane C.; Schantz, Michele M. [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Analytical Chemistry Division, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Leigh, Stefan D. [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Statistical Engineering Division, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Moessner, Stephanie [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Analytical Chemistry Division, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); GMP/Comparator Labs, Werthenstein Chemie AG, Industrie Nord, Schachen (Switzerland)

2010-09-15

SRM 1597 Complex Mixture of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Coal Tar, originally issued in 1987, was recently reanalyzed and reissued as SRM 1597a with 34 certified, 46 reference, and 12 information concentrations (as mass fractions) for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) including methyl-substituted PAHs and PASHs. The certified and reference concentrations (as mass fractions) were based on results of analyses of the coal tar material using multiple analytical techniques including gas chromatography/mass spectrometry on four different stationary phases and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. SRM 1597a is currently the most extensively characterized SRM for PAHs and PASHs. (orig.)

Oxidation kinetics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by permanganate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsey, S.P.; Thomson, N.R.; Barker, J.F. [University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON (Canada). Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering

2010-04-15

The reactivity of permanganate towards polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons (PAHs) is well known but little kinetic information is available. This study investigated the oxidation kinetics of a selected group of coal tar creosote compounds and alkylbenzenes in water using permanganate, and the correlation between compound reactivity and physical/chemical properties. The oxidation of naphthalene, phenanthrene, chrysene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, carbazole isopropylbenzene, ethylbenzene and methylbenzene closely followed pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. The oxidation of pyrene was initially very rapid and did not follow pseudo first-order kinetics at early times. Fluoranthene was only partially oxidized and the oxidation of anthracene was too fast to be captured. Biphenyl, dibenzofuran, benzene and tert-butylbenzene were non-reactive under the study conditions. The oxidation rate was shown to increase with increasing number of polycyclic rings because less energy is required to overcome the aromatic character of a polycyclic ring than is required for benzene. Thus the rate of oxidation increased in the series naphthalene < phenanthrene < pyrene. The rate of side chain reactivity is controlled by the C-H bond strength. For the alkyl substituted benzenes an excellent correlation was observed between the reaction rate coefficients and bond dissociation energies, but for the substituted PAHs the relationship was poor. A trend was found between the reaction rate coefficients and the calculated heats of complexation indicating that significant ring oxidation occurred in addition to side chain oxidation. Clar's aromatic sextet theory was used to predict the relative stability of arenes towards ring oxidation by permanganate.

Characterization of atmospheric bioaerosols along the transport pathway of Asian dust during the Dust-Bioaerosol 2016 Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Kai; Huang, Zhongwei; Huang, Jianping; Maki, Teruya; Zhang, Shuang; Shimizu, Atsushi; Ma, Xiaojun; Shi, Jinsen; Bi, Jianrong; Zhou, Tian; Wang, Guoyin; Zhang, Lei

2018-05-01

Previous studies have shown that bioaerosols are injected into the atmosphere during dust events. These bioaerosols may affect leeward ecosystems, human health, and agricultural productivity and may even induce climate change. However, bioaerosol dynamics have rarely been investigated along the transport pathway of Asian dust, especially in China where dust events affect huge areas and massive numbers of people. Given this situation, the Dust-Bioaerosol (DuBi) Campaign was carried out over northern China, and the effects of dust events on the amount and diversity of bioaerosols were investigated. The results indicate that the number of bacteria showed remarkable increases during the dust events, and the diversity of the bacterial communities also increased significantly, as determined by means of microscopic observations with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and MiSeq sequencing analysis. These results indicate that dust clouds can carry many bacteria of various types into downwind regions and may have potentially important impacts on ecological environments and climate change. The abundances of DAPI-stained bacteria in the dust samples were 1 to 2 orders of magnitude greater than those in the non-dust samples and reached 105-106 particles m-3. Moreover, the concentration ratios of DAPI-stained bacteria to yellow fluorescent particles increased from 5.1 % ± 6.3 % (non-dust samples) to 9.8 % ± 6.3 % (dust samples). A beta diversity analysis of the bacterial communities demonstrated the distinct clustering of separate prokaryotic communities in the dust and non-dust samples. Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria remained the dominant phyla in all samples. As for Erenhot, the relative abundances of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi had a remarkable rise in dust events. In contrast, the relative abundances of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi in non-dust samples of R-DzToUb were greater than those in dust samples. Alphaproteobacteria made the major

Aerosol impacts on California winter clouds and precipitation during CalWater 2011: local pollution versus long-range transported dust

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, J.; Leung, L. R.; DeMott, P. J.; Comstock, J. M.; Singh, B.; Rosenfeld, D.; Tomlinson, J. M.; White, A.; Prather, K. A.; Minnis, P.; Ayers, J. K.; Min, Q.

2014-01-01

Mineral dust aerosols often observed over California in winter and spring, associated with long-range transport from Asia and the Sahara, have been linked to enhanced precipitation based on observations. Local anthropogenic pollution, on the other hand, was shown in previous observational and modeling studies to reduce precipitation. Here we incorporate recent developments in ice nucleation parameterizations to link aerosols with ice crystal formation in a spectral-bin cloud microphysical model coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in order to examine the relative and combined impacts of dust and local pollution particles on cloud properties and precipitation type and intensity. Simulations are carried out for two cloud cases (from the CalWater 2011 field campaign) with contrasting meteorology and cloud dynamics that occurred on 16 February (FEB16) and 2 March (MAR02). In both cases, observations show the presence of dust and biological particles in a relative pristine environment. The simulated cloud microphysical properties and precipitation show reasonable agreement with aircraft and surface measurements. Model sensitivity experiments indicate that in the pristine environment, the dust and biological aerosol layers increase the accumulated precipitation by 10-20% from the Central Valley to the Sierra Nevada for both FEB16 and MAR02 due to a ~40% increase in snow formation, validating the observational hypothesis. Model results show that local pollution increases precipitation over the windward slope of the mountains by a few percent due to increased snow formation when dust is present, but reduces precipitation by 5-8% if dust is removed on FEB16. The effects of local pollution on cloud microphysics and precipitation strongly depend on meteorology, including cloud dynamics and the strength of the Sierra Barrier Jet. This study further underscores the importance of the interactions between local pollution, dust, and environmental

Mineralogy of Interplanetary Dust Particles from the Comet Giacobini-Zinner Dust Stream Collections

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura-Messenger, K.; Messenger, S.; Westphal, A. J.; Palma, R. L.

2015-01-01

The Draconoid meteor shower, originating from comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, is a low-velocity Earth-crossing dust stream that had a peak anticipated flux on Oct. 8, 2012. In response to this prediction, NASA performed dedicated stratospheric dust collections to target interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) from this comet stream on Oct 15-17, 2012 [3]. Twelve dust particles from this targeted collection were allocated to our coordinated analysis team for studies of noble gas (Univ. Minnesota, Minnesota State Univ.), SXRF and Fe-XANES (SSL Berkeley) and mineralogy/isotopes (JSC). Here we report a mineralogical study of 3 IDPs from the Draconoid collection..

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DUST GENERATED IN THE RECYCLING PROCESS OF THE ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE DUST

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio Gonçalves Rizz

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Electric Arc Furnace Dust (EAFD is a solid waste generated by the production of steel through the Electric Arc Furnace. This waste is labeled dangerous, which motivates studies aiming its recycling. Experiments were made to study a pyrometallurgical process for the recycling of the dust, using the insertion of dust briquettes in molten pig iron in three temperatures. In the briquettes, there were made additions of calcium fluoride in four different concentrations. This paper has the objective to characterize the dust that results from this process, verifying the influence of the temperature and the concentration of calcium fluoride in the briquette in the morphology and chemical composition of the new dust, determining the optimal conditions for the recovery of the zinc content of the dust. This newly generated dust was analyzed in an Scanning Electronic Microscope, used to capture micrographs and chemical composition by EDS. The micrographs show that the temperature and the calcium fluoride concentration interfere in the way the dust particles agglomerate. Chemical analysis points that the higher zinc recuperation occurrs in the experiments at 1500°C with 7% addition of calcium fluoride.

Effects of dust grain charge fluctuation on obliquely propagating dust-acoustic potential in magnetized dusty plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamun, A.A.; Hassan, M.H.A.

1999-05-01

Effects of dust grain charge fluctuation, obliqueness and external magnetic field on finite amplitude dust-acoustic solitary potential in a magnetized dusty plasma, consisting of electrons, ions and charge fluctuating dust grains, have been investigated by the reductive perturbation method. It has been shown that such a magnetized dusty plasma system may support dust-acoustic solitary potential on a very slow time scale involving the motion of dust grains, whose charge is self-consistently determined by local electron and ion currents. The effects of dust grain charge fluctuation, external magnetic field and obliqueness are found to modify the properties of this dust-acoustic solitary potential significantly. The implications of these results to some space and astrophysical dusty plasma systems, especially to planetary ring-systems and cometary tails, are briefly mentioned. (author)

Stochastic histories of dust grains in the interstellar medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liffman, K.

1988-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to study an evolving system of SU-perNOva CONdensateS (SUNOCONS) within the Interstellar Medium (ISM). This is done via a Monte Carlo process where refractory dust grains formed within supernova remnants are subjected to the processes of sputtering and collisional fragmentation in the diffuse phase and accretion within the cold molecular cloud phase. In order to record chemical detail, we take each new particle to consist of a superrefractory core plus a more massive refractory mantle. The particles are allowed to transfer to and from between the different phases of the ISM until either the particles are destroyed or the program finishes. The resulting chemical and size spectrum(s) are then applied to various astrophysical problems with the following results: (1) after six thousand million years roughly 10 to 20% by mass of the most refractory material (Al 2 O 3 ) survives the rigors of the ISM intact, which leaves open the possibility that fossilized isotopically anomalous material may have been present within the primordial solar nebula. (2) structured or layered refractory dust grains within our model cannot explain the observed interstellar depletions of refractory material. (3) fragmentation due to grain-grain collisions in the diffuse phase plus the accretion of material in the molecular cloud phase can under certain circumstances cause a biomodal distribution in grain size

Short-term variability of mineral dust, metals and carbon emission from road dust resuspension

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Fulvio; Schaap, Martijn; Denier van der Gon, Hugo A. C.; Pandolfi, Marco; Alastuey, Andrés; Keuken, Menno; Querol, Xavier

2013-08-01

Particulate matter (PM) pollution in cities has severe impact on morbidity and mortality of their population. In these cities, road dust resuspension contributes largely to PM and airborne heavy metals concentrations. However, the short-term variation of emission through resuspension is not well described in the air quality models, hampering a reliable description of air pollution and related health effects. In this study we experimentally show that the emission strength of resuspension varies widely among road dust components/sources. Our results offer the first experimental evidence of different emission rates for mineral dust, heavy metals and carbon fractions due to traffic-induced resuspension. Also, the same component (or source) recovers differently in a road in Barcelona (Spain) and a road in Utrecht (The Netherlands). This finding has important implications on atmospheric pollution modelling, mostly for mineral dust, heavy metals and carbon species. After rain events, recoveries were generally faster in Barcelona rather than in Utrecht. The largest difference was found for the mineral dust (Al, Si, Ca). Tyre wear particles (organic carbon and zinc) recovered faster than other road dust particles in both cities. The source apportionment of road dust mass provides useful information for air quality management.

Effect of smoking on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effects of smoking on proximate composition, energy values and concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied in raw and smoked samples of catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Crude protein was higher in the tilapia sample for both raw and smoked samples.

Study on the alternative mitigation of cement dust spread by capturing the dust with fogging method

Science.gov (United States)

Purwanta, Jaka; Marnoto, Tjukup; Setyono, Prabang; Handono Ramelan, Ari

2017-12-01

The existence of a cement plant impact the lives of people around the factory site. For example the air quality, which is polluted by dust. Cement plant has made various efforts to mitigate the generated dust, but there are still alot of dust fly inground either from the cement factory chimneys or transportation. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of alternative mitigation of the spread of dust around the cement plant. This study uses research methods such as collecting secondary data which includes data of rain density, the average rains duration, wind speed and direction as well as data of dust intensity quality around PT. Semen Gresik (Persero) Tbk.Tuban plant. A soft Wind rose file is used To determine the wind direction propensity models. The impact on the spread of dust into the environment is determined using secondary data monitoring air quality. Results of the study is that the mitigation of dust around the cement plant is influenced by natural factors, such as the tendency of wind direction, rain fall and rainy days, and the rate of dust emission from the chimney. The alternative means proposed is an environmental friendly fogging dust catcher.

Dust spectral energy distributions of nearby galaxies: an insight from the Herschel Reference Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Ciesla, L.; Boquien, M.; Boselli, A.; Buat, V.; Cortese, L.; Bendo, G. J.; Heinis, S.; Galametz, M.; Eales, S.; Smith, M. W. L.; Baes, M.; Bianchi, S.; De Looze, I.; di Serego Alighieri, S.; Galliano, F.; Hughes, T. M.; Madden, S. C.; Pierini, D.; Rémy-Ruyer, A.; Spinoglio, L.; Vaccari, M.; Viaene, S.; Vlahakis, C.

2014-05-01

Although it accounts only for a small fraction of the baryonic mass, dust has a profound impact on the physical processes at play in galaxies. Thus, to understand the evolution of galaxies, it is essential not only to characterize dust properties per se, but also in relation to global galaxy properties. To do so, we derive the dust properties of galaxies in a volume limited, K-band selected sample, the Herschel Reference Survey (HRS). We gather infrared photometric data from 8 μm to 500 μm from Spitzer, WISE, IRAS, and Herschel for all of the HRS galaxies. Draine & Li (2007, ApJ, 663, 866) models are fit to the data from which the stellar contribution has been carefully removed. We find that our photometric coverage is sufficient to constrain all of the parameters of the Draine & Li models and that a strong constraint on the 20-60 μm range is mandatory to estimate the relative contribution of the photo-dissociation regions to the infrared spectral energy distribution (SED). The SED models tend to systematically underestimate the observed 500 μm flux densities, especially for low-mass systems. We provide the output parameters for all of the galaxies, i.e., the minimum intensity of the interstellar radiation field, the fraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), the relative contribution of PDR and evolved stellar population to the dust heating, the dust mass, and the infrared luminosity. For a subsample of gas-rich galaxies, we analyze the relations between these parameters and the main integrated properties of galaxies, such as stellar mass, star formation rate, infraredluminosity, metallicity, Hα and H-band surface brightness, and the far-ultraviolet attenuation. A good correlation between the fraction of PAH and the metallicity is found, implying a weakening of the PAH emission in galaxies with low metallicities and, thus, low stellar masses. The intensity of the diffuse interstellar radiation field and the H-band and Hα surface brightnesses are

Health hazards of cement dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meo, Sultan A.

2004-01-01

ven in the 21st century, millions of people are working daily in a dusty environment. They are exposed to different types of health hazards such as fume, gases and dust, which are risk factors in developing occupational disease. Cement industry is involved in the development of structure of this advanced and modern world but generates dust during its production. Cement dust causes lung function impairment, chronic obstructive lung disease, restrictive lung disease, pneumoconiosis and carcinoma of the lungs, stomach and colon. Other studies have shown that cement dust may enter into the systemic circulation and thereby reach the essentially all the organs of body and affects the different tissues including heart, liver, spleen, bone, muscles and hairs and ultimately affecting their micro-structure and physiological performance. Most of the studies have been previously attempted to evaluate the effects of cement dust exposure on the basis of spirometry or radiology, or both. However, collective effort describing the general effects of cement dust on different organ and systems in humans or animals, or both has not been published. Therefore, the aim of this review is to gather the potential toxic effects of cement dust and to minimize the health risks in cement mill workers by providing them with information regarding the hazards of cement dust. (author)

Respirable versus inhalable dust sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hondros, J.

1987-01-01

The ICRP uses a total inhalable dust figure as the basis of calculations on employee lung dose. This paper was written to look at one aspect of the Olympic Dam dust situation, namely, the inhalable versus respirable fraction of the dust cloud. The results of this study will determine whether it is possible to use respirable dust figures, as obtained during routine monitoring to help in the calculations of employee exposure to internal radioactive contaminants

COLD MOLECULAR GAS IN THE INNER TWO KILOPARSECS OF NGC 4151

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumas, G.; Schinnerer, E.; Mundell, C. G.

2010-01-01

We present the first spatially resolved spectroscopic imaging observations of the 12 CO (1-0) line emission in the central 2.5 kpc of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151, obtained with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). Most of the cold molecular gas is distributed along two curved gas lanes about 1 kpc north and south of the active nucleus, coincident with the circumnuclear dust ring noted by previous authors. These CO arcs lie within the Inner Lindblad Resonance of the large scale oval bar and have kinematics consistent with those derived from neutral hydrogen observations of the disk and the bar. Two additional gas clumps are detected that show non-circular motion-one associated with the southern gas lane and the other lying ∼600 pc north of the nucleus. Closer to the nucleus, no cold molecular gas is detected in the central 300 pc where abundant near-IR H 2 line emission arises. This suggests that the H 2 line emission is not a good indicator of a cold gas reservoir in NGC 4151 and that the H 2 is likely photo-excited by the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The upper limit of the CO mass in the central 300 pc is sufficient to support the AGN activity at its current level for 10 7 yr. The total cold molecular mass detected by PdBI is 4.3 x 10 7 M sun . Finally, 3 mm continuum emission arising from the location of the AGN is detected with a flux of S 3 m m ∼ 14 mJy and appears to be unresolved at an angular resolution of 2.''8 (∼180 pc).

Communication plan for windblown dust.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-01

Windblown dust events occur in Arizona, and blowing dust has been considered a contributing factor to serious crashes on the : segment of Interstate 10 (I10) between Phoenix and Tucson, as well as on other Arizona roadways. Arizonas dust events...

House dust in seven Danish offices

Science.gov (United States)

Mølhave, L.; Schneider, T.; Kjærgaard, S. K.; Larsen, L.; Norn, S.; Jørgensen, O.

Floor dust from Danish offices was collected and analyzed. The dust was to be used in an exposure experiment. The dust was analyzed to show the composition of the dust which can be a source of airborne dust indoors. About 11 kg of dust from vacuum cleaner bags from seven Danish office buildings with about 1047 occupants (12 751 m 2) was processed according to a standardized procedure yielding 5.5 kg of processed bulk dust. The bulk dust contained 130.000-160.000 CFU g -1 microorganisms and 71.000-90.000 CFU g -1 microfungi. The content of culturable microfungi was 65-123 CFU 30 g -1 dust. The content of endotoxins ranged from 5.06-7.24 EU g -1 (1.45 ng g -1 to 1.01 ng g -1). Allergens (ng g -1) were from 147-159 (Mite), 395-746 (dog) and 103-330 (cat). The macro molecular organic compounds (the MOD-content) varied from 7.8-9.8 mg g -1. The threshold of release of histamine from basophil leukocytes provoked by the bulk dust was between 0.3 and 1.0 mg ml -1. The water content was 2% (WGT) and the organic fraction 33%. 6.5-5.9% (dry) was water soluble. The fiber content was less than 0.2-1.5% (WGT) and the desorbable VOCs was 176-319 μg g -1. Most of the VOC were aldehydes. However, softeners for plastic (DBP and DEHP) were present. The chemical composition includes human and animal skin fragments, paper fibers, glass wool, wood and textilefibers and inorganic and metal particles. The sizes ranged from 0.001-1 mm and the average specific density was 1.0 g m -3. The bulk dust was resuspended and injected into an exposure chamber. The airborne dust was sampled and analyzed to illustrate the exposures that can result from sedimented dirt and dust. The airborne dust resulting from the bulk dust reached concentrations ranging from 0.26-0.75 mg m -3 in average contained 300-170 CFU m -3. The organic fraction was from 55-70% and the water content about 2.5% (WGT). The content of the dust was compared to the similar results reported in the literature and its toxic potency is

Effects of dust size distribution on dust acoustic waves in magnetized two-ion-temperature dusty plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Zongming; Duan Wenshan; He Guangjun

2008-01-01

A Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equation, a modified ZK (mZK) equation, and a coupled ZK (cZK) equation for small but finite amplitude dust acoustic waves in a magnetized two-ion-temperature dusty plasma with dust size distribution have been investigated in this paper. The variations of the linear dispersion relation and group velocity, nonlinear solitary wave amplitude, and width with an arbitrary dust size distribution function are studied numerically. We conclude that they all increase as the total number density of dust grains increases, and they are greater for unusual dusty plasma (the number density of larger dust grains is greater than that of smaller dust grains) than that of usual dusty plasma (the number density of smaller dust grains is greater than that of larger dust grains). It is noted that the frequency of the linear wave increases as the wave number along the magnetic direction increases. Furthermore, the width of the nonlinear waves increases but its amplitude decreases as the wave number along the magnetic direction increases

The flow of interstellar dust through the solar system: the role of dust charging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterken, V. J.; Altobelli, N.; Schwehm, G.; Kempf, S.; Srama, R.; Strub, P.; Gruen, E.

2011-01-01

Interstellar dust can enter the solar system through the relative motion of the Sun with respect to the Local Interstellar Cloud. The trajectories of the dust through the solar system are not only influenced by gravitation and solar radiation pressure forces, but also by the Lorentz forces due to the interaction of the interplanetary magnetic field with the charged dust particles. The interplanetary magnetic field changes on two major time scales: 25 days (solar rotation frequency) and 22 years (solar cycle). The short-term variability averages out for regions that are not too close (>∼2 AU) to the Sun. This interplanetary magnetic field variability causes a time-variability in the interstellar dust densities, that is correlated to the solar cycle.In this work we characterize the flow of interstellar dust through the solar system using simulations of the dust trajectories. We start from the simple case without Lorentz forces, and expand to the full simulation. We pay attention to the different ways of modeling the interplanetary magnetic field, and discuss the influence of the dust parameters on the resulting flow patterns. We also discuss the possibilities of using this modeling for prediction of dust fluxes for different space missions or planets, and we pay attention to where simplified models are justified, and where or when a full simulation, including all forces is necessary. One of the aims of this work is to understand measurements of spacecraft like Ulysses, Cassini and Stardust.

Atmospheric transport and outflow of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang Lang; Shu Tao; Wenxin Liu; Yanxu Zhang; Staci Simonich [Peking University, Beijing (China). Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Environmental Sciences

2008-07-15

A potential receptor influence function (PRIF) model, based on air mass forward trajectory calculations, was applied to simulate the atmospheric transport and outflow of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted from China. With a 10 day atmospheric transport time, most neighboring countries and regions, as well as remote regions, were influenced by PAH emissions from China. Of the total annual PAH emission of 114 Gg, 92.7% remained within the boundary of mainland China. The geographic distribution of PRIFs within China was similar to the geographic distribution of the source regions, with high values in the North China Plain, Sichuan Basin, Shanxi, and Guizhou province. The Tarim basin and Sichuan basin had unfavorable meteorological conditions for PAH outflow. Of the PAH outflow from China (8092 tons or 7.1% of the total annual PAH emission), approximately 69.9% (5655 tons) reached no further than the offshore environment of mainland China and the South China Sea. Approximate 227, 71, 746, and 131 tons PAHs reached North Korea, South Korea, Russia-Mongolia region, and Japan, respectively, 2-4 days after the emission. Only 1.4 tons PAHs reached North America after more than 9 days. Interannual variation in the eastward PAH outflow was positively correlated to cold episodes of El Nino/Southern Oscillation. However, trans-Pacific atmospheric transport of PAHs from China was correlated to Pacific North America index (PNA) which is associated with the strength and position of westerly winds. 38 refs., 4 figs.

Excitation of collective plasma modes during collisions between dust grains and the formation of dust plasma crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goree, J.A.; Morfill, G.; Tsytovich, V.N.

1998-01-01

Dust plasma crystals have recently been produced in experiments in a number of laboratories. For dust crystallization to occur, there should exist an efficient mechanism for the cooling of the dust plasma component. It is shown that the excitation of collective plasma modes during collisions between the grains may serve as the required cooling mechanism. The excitation of dust sound waves is found to be most efficient. It is shown that the cooling of dust grains via the excitation of collective plasma modes can be even more efficient than that due to collisions with neutral particles, which was previously considered to be the only mechanism for cooling of the dust plasma component. At present, the first experiments are being carried out to study collisions between individual dust grains. High efficiency of the excitation of plasma modes caused by collisions between dust grains is attributed to the coherent displacement of the plasma particles that shield the grains. it is shown that the excitation efficiency is proportional to the fourth power of the charge of the dust grains and to a large power of their relative velocity, and is independent of their mass. The results obtained can be checked in experiments studying how the binary collisions between dust grains and the pressure of the neutral component influence the dust crystallization

Dust characterisation for hot gas filters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dockter, B.; Erickson, T.; Henderson, A.; Hurley, J.; Kuehnel, V.; Katrinak, K.; Nowok, J.; O`Keefe, C.; O`Leary, E.; Swanson, M.; Watne, T. [University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States). Energy and Environmental Research Center (UNDEERC)

1998-03-01

Hot gas filtration to remove particulates from the gas flow upstream of the gas turbine is critical to the development of many of the advanced coal-fired power generation technologies such as the Air Blown Gasification Cycle (ABGC), a hybrid gasification combined cycle being developed in the UK. Ceramic candle filters are considered the most promising technology for this purpose. Problems of mechanical failure and of `difficult-to-clean` dusts causing high pressure losses across the filter elements need to be solved. The project investigated the behaviour of high-temperature filter dusts, and the factors determining the ease with which they can be removed from filters. The high-temperature behaviour of dusts from both combustion and gasification systems was investigated. Dust samples were obtained from full-scale demonstration and pilot-scale plant operating around the world. Dust samples were also produced from a variety of coals, and under several different operating conditions, on UNDEERC`s pilot-scale reactor. Key factors affecting dust behaviour were examined, including: the rates of tensile strength developing in dust cakes; the thermochemical equilibria pertaining under filtration conditions; dust adhesivity on representative filter materials; and the build-up and cleaning behaviour of dusts on representative filter candles. The results obtained confirmed the importance of dust temperature, dust cake porosity, cake liquid content, and particle size distribution in determining the strength of a dust cake. An algorithm was developed to indicate the likely sticking propensity of dusts as a function of coal and sorbent composition and combustion conditions. This algorithm was incorporated into a computer package which can be used to judge the degree of difficulty in filter cleaning that can be expected to arise in a real plant based on operating parameters and coal analyzes. 6 figs.

Thymus-directed immunotoxicity of airborne dust particles from Upper Silesia (Poland) under acute extrapulmonary studies in mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kozlowska, E. [Warsaw Univ. (Poland); Krzystniak, K. [Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Drela, N. [Warsaw Univ. (Poland)] [and others

1996-12-27

Industrial air pollutants from Upper Silesia, Poland, contain over 250 polycyclic and heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals, including mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals that have been shown to from DNA adducts. Over 4 million habitants of Silesia are permanently exposed to the industrial pollution by pulmonary and dermal routes and by contaminated food and water. These chemicals, when examined separately in animals models, were proven immunotoxic. We studied the extrapulmonary immunotoxic potential of a typical mixture of Silesian filter-suspended matter from a selected area, over a specific season and time period. Early changes in the immune system were analyzed in BALB/c mice exposed ip to acute doses of 20-330 mg dust mixture/kg body weight (0.06-1.0 LD50). No major changes were noted for weight and the cellularity of spleen, liver and kidneys. However, dramatic decrease in thymus weight index and thymocyte cell count were noted as early as 24-72 h postexposure, which correlated with almost complete depletion of immature, double-positive CD4{sup +}CD8{sup +} thymocytes. Changes in spleen were less profound; however, increased depletion of B cells over T cells was noted at high doses of the suspended matter. Exposure to the airborne dust also decreased cytokine production by spleen cells, such as interferon-{gamma} (IFN-{gamma}) and tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}). Overall, a single exposure to Silesian dust, even at the relatively low 0.06 LD50 dose, affected lymphokine production, suppressed B-cell proliferative response, and depleted thymuses of immature, double-positive CD4{sup +}CD8{sup +} cells. A chemical synergism is suspected. To our knowledge, none of the known components of Silesian suspended matter, when examined as a single chemical, was shown to exert such a profound biological effect. 32 refs., 5 figs.

Dust in protoplanetary disks: observations*

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waters L.B.F.M.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Solid particles, usually referred to as dust, are a crucial component of interstellar matter and of planet forming disks surrounding young stars. Despite the relatively small mass fraction of ≈1% (in the solar neighborhood of our galaxy; this number may differ substantially in other galaxies that interstellar grains represent of the total mass budget of interstellar matter, dust grains play an important role in the physics and chemistry of interstellar matter. This is because of the opacity dust grains at short (optical, UV wavelengths, and the surface they provide for chemical reactions. In addition, dust grains play a pivotal role in the planet formation process: in the core accretion model of planet formation, the growth of dust grains from the microscopic size range to large, cm-sized or larger grains is the first step in planet formation. Not only the grain size distribution is affected by planet formation. Chemical and physical processes alter the structure and chemical composition of dust grains as they enter the protoplanetary disk and move closer to the forming star. Therefore, a lot can be learned about the way stars and planets are formed by observations of dust in protoplanetary disks. Ideally, one would like to measure the dust mass, the grain size distribution, grain structure (porosity, fluffiness, the chemical composition, and all of these as a function of position in the disk. Fortunately, several observational diagnostics are available to derive constrains on these quantities. In combination with rapidly increasing quality of the data (spatial and spectral resolution, a lot of progress has been made in our understanding of dust evolution in protoplanetary disks. An excellent review of dust evolution in protoplanetary disks can be found in Testi et al. (2014.

Creation of Wood Dust during Wood Processing: Size Analysis, Dust Separation, and Occupational Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Mračková

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Mechanical separators and fabric filters are being used to remove airborne fine particles generated during the processing and handling of wood. Such particles might have a harmful effect on employee health, not only in small- but also in large-scale wood processing facilities. The amount of wood dust and its dispersion conditions vary according to geometric boundary conditions. Thus, the dispersion conditions could be changed by changing the linear size of the particles. Moreover, the smaller the particles are, the more harmful they can be. It is necessary to become familiar with properties, from a health point of view, of wood dust generated from processing. Wood dust has to be sucked away from the processing area. The fractional separation efficiency of wood dust can be improved using exhaust and filtering devices. Filtration efficiency depends on moisture content, particle size, and device performance. Because of the carcinogenicity of wood dust, the concentration of wood dust in air has to be monitored regularly. Based on the results hereof, a conclusion can be made that both mechanical separators of types SEA and SEB as well as the fabric filters with FINET PES 1 textile are suitable for the separation of wet saw dust from all types of wooden waste produced within the process.

Galactic dust and extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyngaa, G.

1979-01-01

The ratio R between visual extinction and colour excess, is slightly larger than 3 and does not vary much throughout our part of the Galaxy. The distribution of dust in the galactic plane shows, on the large scale, a gradient with higher colour excesses towards l=50 0 than towards l=230 0 . On the smaller scale, much of the dust responsible for extinction is situated in clouds which tend to group together. The correlation between positions of interstellar dust clouds and positions of spiral tracers seems rather poor in our Galaxy. However, concentrated dark clouds as well as extended regions of dust show an inclined distribution similar to the Gould belt of bright stars. (Auth.)

An Evaluation of Uncertainty Associated to Analytical Measurements of Selected Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Ambient Air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrado, A. I.; Garcia, S.; Perez, R. M.

2013-01-01

This paper presents an evaluation of uncertainty associated to analytical measurement of eighteen polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in ambient air by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC/FD). The study was focused on analyses of PM 1 0, PM 2 .5 and gas phase fractions. Main analytical uncertainty was estimated for eleven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), four nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) and two hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) based on the analytical determination, reference material analysis and extraction step. Main contributions reached 15-30% and came from extraction process of real ambient samples, being those for nitro- PAHs the highest (20-30%). Range and mean concentration of PAC mass concentrations measured in gas phase and PM 1 0/PM 2 .5 particle fractions during a full year are also presented. Concentrations of OH-PAHs were about 2-4 orders of magnitude lower than their parent PAHs and comparable to those sparsely reported in literature. (Author)

Effects of grain dust on lungs prior to and following dust remediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pahwa, Punam; Dosman, James A; McDuffie, Helen H

2008-12-01

To determine longitudinal estimates of pulmonary function decline in Canadian grain elevator workers before and after dust control by analyzing data collected from five regions of Canada over 15 years. Declines in forced expired volume in one second and forced vital capacity before and after dust control were estimated by using a generalized estimating equations approach. For grain workers who were in the grain industry for 20 or more years both before and after dust control: the mean annual loss of forced expired volume in one second was greatest among current smoking grain workers followed by ex-smokers and nonsmokers, respectively. Similar results were obtained for forced vital capacity. Grain dust control was effective in reducing decline in the lung function measurements among grain workers in all smoking and exposure categories.

Simulation study of spheroidal dust gains charging: Applicable to dust grain alignment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahed, H.; Sobhanian, S.; Mahmoodi, J.; Khorram, S.

2006-01-01

The charging process of nonspherical dust grains in an unmagnetized plasma as well as in the presence of a magnetic field is studied. It is shown that unlike the spherical dust grain, due to nonhomogeneity of charge distribution on the spheroidal dust surface, the resultant electric forces on electrons and ions are different. This process produces some surface charge density gradient on the nonspherical grain surface. Effects of a magnetic field and other plasma parameters on the properties of the dust particulate are studied. It has been shown that the alignment direction could be changed or even reversed with the magnetic field and plasma parameters. Finally, the charge distribution on the spheroidal grain surface is studied for different ambient parameters including plasma temperature, neutral collision frequency, and the magnitude of the magnetic field

Dust Studies in DIII-D and TEXTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudakov, D.; Litnovsky, A.; West, W.; Yu, J.; Boedo, J.; Bray, B.; Brezinsek, S.; Brooks, N.; Fenstermacher, M.; Groth, M.; Hollmann, E.; Huber, A.; Hyatt, A.; Krasheninnikov, S.; Lasnier, C.; Moyer, R.; Pigarov, A.; Philipps, V.; Pospieszezyk, A.; Smirnov, R.; Sharpe, J.; Solomon, W.; Watkins, J.; Wong, C.

2008-01-01

Studies of naturally occurring and artificially introduced carbon dust are conducted in DIII-D and TEXTOR. In DIII-D, dust does not present operational concerns except immediately after entry vents. Energetic plasma disruptions produce significant amounts of dust. However, dust production by disruptions alone is insufficient to account for the estimated in-vessel dust inventory in DIII-D. Submicron sized dust is routinely observed using Mie scattering from a Nd:Yag laser. The source is strongly correlated with the presence of Type I edge localized modes (ELMs). Larger size (0.005-1 mm diameter) dust is observed by optical imaging, showing elevated dust levels after entry vents. Inverse dependence of the dust velocity on the inferred dust size is found from the imaging data. Migration of pre-characterized carbon dust is studied in DIII-D and TEXTOR by injecting micron-size dust in plasma discharges. In DIII-D, a sample holder filled with ∼30 mg of dust is introduced in the lower divertor and exposed to high-power ELMing H-mode discharges with strike points swept across the divertor floor. After a brief exposure (∼0.1 s) at the outer strike point, part of the dust is injected into the plasma, raising the core carbon density by a factor of 2-3 and resulting in a twofold increase of the radiated power. Individual dust particles are observed moving at velocities of 10-100 m/s, predominantly in the toroidal direction, consistent with the drag force from the deuteron flow and in agreement with modeling by the 3D DustT code. In TEXTOR, instrumented dust holders with 1-45 mg of dust are exposed in the scrape-off layer 0-2 cm radially outside of the last closed flux surface in discharges heated with neutral beam injection (NBI) power of 1.4 MW. Dust is launched either in the beginning of a discharge or at the initiation of NBI, preferentially in a direction perpendicular to the toroidal magnetic field. At the given configuration of the launch, the dust did not penetrate

Determination of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water by solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xianli; Kang, Haiyan; Wu, Junfeng

2016-05-01

Given the potential risks of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the analysis of their presence in water is very urgent. We have developed a novel procedure for determining chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water based on solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The extraction parameters of solid-phase extraction were optimized in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method showed wide linear ranges (1.0-1000 ng/L) with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9952 to 0.9998. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification were in the range of 0.015-0.591 and 0.045-1.502 ng/L, respectively. Recoveries ranged from 82.5 to 102.6% with relative standard deviations below 9.2%. The obtained method was applied successfully to the determination of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in real water samples. Most of the chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected and 1-monochloropyrene was predominant in the studied water samples. This is the first report of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples in China. The toxic equivalency quotients of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the studied tap water were 9.95 ng the toxic equivalency quotient m(-3) . 9,10-Dichloroanthracene and 1-monochloropyrene accounted for the majority of the total toxic equivalency quotients of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Dust: Small-scale processes with global consequences

Science.gov (United States)

Okin, G.S.; Bullard, J.E.; Reynolds, R.L.; Ballantine, J.-A.C.; Schepanski, K.; Todd, M.C.; Belnap, J.; Baddock, M.C.; Gill, T.E.; Miller, M.E.

2011-01-01

Desert dust, both modern and ancient, is a critical component of the Earth system. Atmospheric dust has important effects on climate by changing the atmospheric radiation budget, while deposited dust influences biogeochemical cycles in the oceans and on land. Dust deposited on snow and ice decreases its albedo, allowing more light to be trapped at the surface, thus increasing the rate of melt and influencing energy budgets and river discharge. In the human realm, dust contributes to the transport of allergens and pathogens and when inhaled can cause or aggravate respiratory diseases. Dust storms also represent a significant hazard to road and air travel. Because it affects so many Earth processes, dust is studied from a variety of perspectives and at multiple scales, with various disciplines examining emissions for different purposes using disparate strategies. Thus, the range of objectives in studying dust, as well as experimental approaches and results, has not yet been systematically integrated. Key research questions surrounding the production and sources of dust could benefit from improved collaboration among different research communities. These questions involve the origins of dust, factors that influence dust production and emission, and methods through which dust can be monitored. ?? Author(s) 2011.

Optimization and validation of a method using UHPLC-fluorescence for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cold-pressed vegetable oils.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Simone Alves da; Sampaio, Geni Rodrigues; Torres, Elizabeth Aparecida Ferraz da Silva

2017-04-15

Among the different food categories, the oils and fats are important sources of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of organic chemical contaminants. The use of a validated method is essential to obtain reliable analytical results since the legislation establishes maximum limits in different foods. The objective of this study was to optimize and validate a method for the quantification of four PAHs [benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene] in vegetable oils. The samples were submitted to liquid-liquid extraction, followed by solid-phase extraction, and analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimized conditions, the validation parameters were evaluated according to the INMETRO Guidelines: linearity (r2 >0.99), selectivity (no matrix interference), limits of detection (0.08-0.30μgkg -1 ) and quantification (0.25-1.00μgkg -1 ), recovery (80.13-100.04%), repeatability and intermediate precision (analysis of PAHs in the vegetable oils evaluated. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cosmological simulation with dust formation and destruction

Science.gov (United States)

Aoyama, Shohei; Hou, Kuan-Chou; Hirashita, Hiroyuki; Nagamine, Kentaro; Shimizu, Ikkoh

2018-06-01

To investigate the evolution of dust in a cosmological volume, we perform hydrodynamic simulations, in which the enrichment of metals and dust is treated self-consistently with star formation and stellar feedback. We consider dust evolution driven by dust production in stellar ejecta, dust destruction by sputtering, grain growth by accretion and coagulation, and grain disruption by shattering, and treat small and large grains separately to trace the grain size distribution. After confirming that our model nicely reproduces the observed relation between dust-to-gas ratio and metallicity for nearby galaxies, we concentrate on the dust abundance over the cosmological volume in this paper. The comoving dust mass density has a peak at redshift z ˜ 1-2, coincident with the observationally suggested dustiest epoch in the Universe. In the local Universe, roughly 10 per cent of the dust is contained in the intergalactic medium (IGM), where only 1/3-1/4 of the dust survives against dust destruction by sputtering. We also show that the dust mass function is roughly reproduced at ≲ 108 M⊙, while the massive end still has a discrepancy, which indicates the necessity of stronger feedback in massive galaxies. In addition, our model broadly reproduces the observed radial profile of dust surface density in the circum-galactic medium (CGM). While our model satisfies the observational constraints for the dust extinction on cosmological scales, it predicts that the dust in the CGM and IGM is dominated by large (>0.03 μm) grains, which is in tension with the steep reddening curves observed in the CGM.

Experiments on Dust Grain Charging

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. N.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.

2004-01-01

Dust particles in various astrophysical environments are charged by a variety of mechanisms generally involving collisional processes with other charged particles and photoelectric emission with UV radiation from nearby sources. The sign and the magnitude of the particle charge are determined by the competition between the charging processes by UV radiation and collisions with charged particles. Knowledge of the particle charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding of a number of physical processes. The charge of a dust grain is thus a fundamental parameter that influences the physics of dusty plasmas, processes in the interplanetary medium and interstellar medium, interstellar dust clouds, planetary rings, cometary and outer atmospheres of planets etc. In this paper we present some results of experiments on charging of dust grains carried out on a laboratory facility capable levitating micron size dust grains in an electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. The charging/discharging experiments were carried out by exposing the dust grains to energetic electron beams and UV radiation. Photoelectric efficiencies and yields of micron size dust grains of SiO2, and lunar simulates obtained from NASA-JSC will be presented.

Ulysses dust measurements near Jupiter.

Science.gov (United States)

Grün, E; Zook, H A; Baguhl, M; Fechtig, H; Hanner, M S; Kissel, J; Lindblad, B A; Linkert, D; Linkert, G; Mann, I B

1992-09-11

Submicrometer- to micrometer-sized particles were recorded by the Ulysses dust detector within 40 days of the Jupiter flyby. Nine impacts were recorded within 50 Jupiter radii with most of them recorded after closest approach. Three of these impacts are consistent with particles on prograde orbits around Jupiter and the rest are believed to have resulted from gravitationally focused interplanetary dust. From the ratio of the impact rate before the Jupiter flyby to the impact rate after the Jupiter flyby it is concluded that interplanetary dust particles at the distance of Jupiter move on mostly retrograde orbits. On 10 March 1992, Ulysses passed through an intense dust stream. The dust detector recorded 126 impacts within 26 hours. The stream particles were moving on highly inclined and apparently hyperbolic orbits with perihelion distances of >5 astronomical units. Interplanetary dust is lost rather quickly from the solar system through collisions and other mechanisms and must be almost continuously replenished to maintain observed abundances. Dust flux measurements, therefore, give evidence of the recent rates of production from sources such as comets, asteroids, and moons, as well as the possible presence of interstellar grains.

Dust evolution in protoplanetary disks

OpenAIRE

Gonzalez , Jean-François; Fouchet , Laure; T. Maddison , Sarah; Laibe , Guillaume

2007-01-01

6 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of IAU Symp. 249: Exoplanets: Detection, Formation and Dynamics (Suzhou, China); International audience; We investigate the behaviour of dust in protoplanetary disks under the action of gas drag using our 3D, two-fluid (gas+dust) SPH code. We present the evolution of the dust spatial distribution in global simulations of planetless disks as well as of disks containing an already formed planet. The resulting dust structures vary strongly with pa...

Control of dust production in ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez-Rodrigo, L.; Ciattaglia, S.; Elbez-Uzan, J.

2006-01-01

In the last years dust has been observed in a number of fusion devices and is being studied more in detail for understanding in particular the physical phenomena related to its formation, its composition, physical and chemical characteristics, and the amount of produced dust. The extrapolation of dust formation to ITER predicts (with large error bars), a large mass of dust production with a scattered size distribution. To evaluate the impact of dust on safety, assumptions have also been made on radionuclide inventory, and mobility in off-normal events, as well as any postulated contributions the dust may make to effluents or accidental releases. Solid activation products in structures are generally not readily mobilisable in incidental and accidental situations, so that activated dust, tritium and activated corrosions products are the important in-vessel source terms in postulated scenarios that assume a mobilisation and release of some fraction of this inventory. Such a release would require the simultaneous leak or bypass of several robust confinement barriers. Further concerns for dust may be the potential for chemical reactions between dust and coolant in the event of an in-vessel leak, and the theoretical possibility of a dust explosion, either of which could in principle cause a pressure rise that challenges one or more of the confinement barriers. Although these hazards can - and will - be controlled by other measures in the ITER design, application of the principle of Defence in Depth dictates that the dust inventory should also be minimised and controlled to prevent the potential hazard. A well-coordinated R-and-D programme is required to support this dust production control. This document provides from the safety point of view, an overview of existing data given in '' Dossier d'Options de Surete '', the first safety report presented in 2001 to the French Safety Authorities, and ITER documents; it also gathers information on status of studies on activated

Investigating the size, shape and surface roughness dependence of polarization lidars with light-scattering computations on real mineral dust particles: Application to dust particles' external mixtures and dust mass concentration retrievals

Science.gov (United States)

Mehri, Tahar; Kemppinen, Osku; David, Grégory; Lindqvist, Hannakaisa; Tyynelä, Jani; Nousiainen, Timo; Rairoux, Patrick; Miffre, Alain

2018-05-01

Our understanding of the contribution of mineral dust to the Earth's radiative budget is limited by the complexity of these particles, which present a wide range of sizes, are highly-irregularly shaped, and are present in the atmosphere in the form of particle mixtures. To address the spatial distribution of mineral dust and atmospheric dust mass concentrations, polarization lidars are nowadays frequently used, with partitioning algorithms allowing to discern the contribution of mineral dust in two or three-component particle external mixtures. In this paper, we investigate the dependence of the retrieved dust backscattering (βd) vertical profiles with the dust particle size and shape. For that, new light-scattering numerical simulations are performed on real atmospheric mineral dust particles, having determined mineralogy (CAL, DOL, AGG, SIL), derived from stereogrammetry (stereo-particles), with potential surface roughness, which are compared to the widely-used spheroidal mathematical shape model. For each dust shape model (smooth stereo-particles, rough stereo-particles, spheroids), the dust depolarization, backscattering Ångström exponent, lidar ratio are computed for two size distributions representative of mineral dust after long-range transport. As an output, two Saharan dust outbreaks involving mineral dust in two, then three-component particle mixtures are studied with Lyon (France) UV-VIS polarization lidar. If the dust size matters most, under certain circumstances, βd can vary by approximately 67% when real dust stereo-particles are used instead of spheroids, corresponding to variations in the dust backscattering coefficient as large as 2 Mm- 1·sr- 1. Moreover, the influence of surface roughness in polarization lidar retrievals is for the first time discussed. Finally, dust mass-extinction conversion factors (ηd) are evaluated for each assigned shape model and dust mass concentrations are retrieved from polarization lidar measurements. From

Dust Dynamics Near Planetary Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, Joshua; Hughes, Anna; Grund, Chris

Observations of a lunar "horizon glow" by several Surveyor spacecraft in the 1960s opened the study of the dynamics of charged dust particles near planetary surfaces. The surfaces of the Moon and other airless planetary bodies in the solar system (asteroids, and other moons) are directly exposed to the solar wind and ionizing solar ultraviolet radiation, resulting in a time-dependent electric surface potential. Because these same objects are also exposed to bombardment by micrometeoroids, the surfaces are usually characterized by a power-law size distribution of dust that extends to sub-micron-sized particles. Individual particles can acquire a charge different from their surroundings leading to electrostatic levitation. Once levitated, particles may simply return to the surface on nearly ballistic trajectories, escape entirely from the moon or asteroid if the initial velocity is large, or in some cases be stably levitated for extended periods of time. All three outcomes have observable consequences. Furthermore, the behavior of charged dust near the surface has practical implications for planned future manned and unmanned activities on the lunar surface. Charged dust particles also act as sensitive probes of the near-surface plasma environment. Recent numerical modeling of dust levitation and transport show that charged micron-sized dust is likely to accumulate in topographic lows such as craters, providing a mechanism for the creation of dust "ponds" observed on the asteroid 433 Eros. Such deposition can occur when particles are supported by the photoelectron sheath above the dayside and drift over shadowed regions of craters where the surface potential is much smaller. Earlier studies of the lunar horizon glow are consistent with those particles being on simple ballistic trajectories following electrostatic launching from the surface. Smaller particles may be accelerated from the lunar surface to high altitudes consistent with observations of high altitude

Cold plate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marroquin, Christopher M.; O' Connell, Kevin M.; Schultz, Mark D.; Tian, Shurong

2018-02-13

A cold plate, an electronic assembly including a cold plate, and a method for forming a cold plate are provided. The cold plate includes an interface plate and an opposing plate that form a plenum. The cold plate includes a plurality of active areas arranged for alignment over respective heat generating portions of an electronic assembly, and non-active areas between the active areas. A cooling fluid flows through the plenum. The plenum, at the non-active areas, has a reduced width and/or reduced height relative to the plenum at the active areas. The reduced width and/or height of the plenum, and exterior dimensions of cold plate, at the non-active areas allow the non-active areas to flex to accommodate surface variations of the electronics assembly. The reduced width and/or height non-active areas can be specifically shaped to fit between physical features of the electronics assembly.

Grain dust and the lungs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan-Yeung, M.; Ashley, M. J.; Grzybowski, S.

1978-01-01

Grain dust is composed of a large number of materials, including various types of grain and their disintegration products, silica, fungi, insects and mites. The clinical syndromes described in relation to exposure to grain dust are chronic bronchitis, grain dust asthma, extrinsic allergic alveolitis, grain fever and silo-filler's lung. Rhinitis and conjunctivitis are also common in grain workers. While the concentration and the quality of dust influence the frequency and the type of clinical syndrome in grain workers, host factors are also important. Of the latter, smoking is the most important factor influencing the frequency of chronic bronchitis. The role of atopy and of bronchial hyperreactivity in grain dust asthma has yet to be assessed. Several well designed studies are currently being carried out in North America not only to delineate the frequency of the respiratory abnormalities, the pathogenetic mechanisms and the host factors, but also to establish a meaningful threshold limit concentration for grain dust. Images p1272-a PMID:348288

LADEE LUNAR DUST EXPERIMENT

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This archive bundle includes data taken by the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) instrument aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft....

Combustible dust tests

Science.gov (United States)

The sugar dust explosion in Georgia on February 7, 2008 killed 14 workers and injured many others (OSHA, 2009). As a consequence of this explosion, OSHA revised its Combustible Dust National Emphasis (NEP) program. The NEP targets 64 industries with more than 1,000 inspections and has found more tha...

The distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in shallow groundwater from an alluvial-diluvial fan of the Hutuo River in North China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jincui; Zhao, Yongsheng; Sun, Jichao; Zhang, Ying; Liu, Chunyan

2018-06-01

This paper has investigated the concentration and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in shallow groundwater from an alluvial-diluvial fan of the Hutuo River in North China. Results show that the concentration levels of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons range from 0 to 92.06 ng/L, do not conform to drinking water quality standards in China (GB 5749- 2006). However, the concentration figures of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are much lower than that of other studies conducted elsewhere in China. In addition, highly-concentrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (50-92 ng/L) are fragmentarily distributed. The composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from this study indicates that low molecular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are predominant in groundwater samples, medium molecular compounds occur at low concentrations, and high molecular hydrocarbons are not detected. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon composition in groundwater samples is basically the same as that of gaseous samples in the atmosphere in this study. Therefore, the atmospheric input is assumed to be an important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, no less than wastewater discharge, adhesion on suspended solids, and surface water leakage. Ratios of specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrate that they mainly originate from wood or coal combustion as well as natural gas and partially from petroleum according to the result of principal component analysis. On the whole, conclusions are drawn that the contamination sources of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are likely petrogenic and pyrolytic inputs. Future investigations by sampling topsoil, vadose soil, and the atmosphere can further verify aforementioned conclusions.

Dust particle formation in silane plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorokin, M.

2005-01-01

Dust can be found anywhere: in the kitchen, in the car, in space… Not surprisingly we also see dust in commercial and laboratory plasmas. Dust can be introduced in the plasma, but it can also grow there by itself. In the microelectronics industry, contamination of the processing plasma by dust is an

Optical and microphysical properties of natural mineral dust and anthropogenic soil dust near dust source regions over northwestern China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xin; Wen, Hui; Shi, Jinsen; Bi, Jianrong; Huang, Zhongwei; Zhang, Beidou; Zhou, Tian; Fu, Kaiqi; Chen, Quanliang; Xin, Jinyuan

2018-02-01

Mineral dust aerosols (MDs) not only influence the climate by scattering and absorbing solar radiation but also modify cloud properties and change the ecosystem. From 3 April to 16 May 2014, a ground-based mobile laboratory was deployed to measure the optical and microphysical properties of MDs near dust source regions in Wuwei, Zhangye, and Dunhuang (in chronological order) along the Hexi Corridor over northwestern China. Throughout this dust campaign, the hourly averaged (±standard deviation) aerosol scattering coefficients (σsp, 550 nm) of the particulates with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) at these three sites were sequentially 101.5 ± 36.8, 182.2 ± 433.1, and 54.0 ± 32.0 Mm-1. Correspondingly, the absorption coefficients (σap, 637 nm) were 9.7 ± 6.1, 6.0 ± 4.6, and 2.3 ± 0.9 Mm-1; single-scattering albedos (ω, 637 nm) were 0.902 ± 0.025, 0.931 ± 0.037, and 0.949 ± 0.020; and scattering Ångström exponents (Åsp, 450-700 nm) of PM2.5 were 1.28 ± 0.27, 0.77 ± 0.51, and 0.52 ± 0.31. During a severe dust storm in Zhangye (i.e., from 23 to 25 April), the highest values of σsp2.5 ( ˜ 5074 Mm-1), backscattering coefficient (σbsp2.5, ˜ 522 Mm-1), and ω637 ( ˜ 0.993) and the lowest values of backscattering fraction (b2.5, ˜ 0.101) at 550 nm and Åsp2.5 ( ˜ -0.046) at 450-700 nm, with peak values of aerosol number size distribution (appearing at the particle diameter range of 1-3 µm), exhibited that the atmospheric aerosols were dominated by coarse-mode dust aerosols. It is hypothesized that the relatively higher values of mass scattering efficiency during floating dust episodes in Wuwei and Zhangye are attributed to the anthropogenic soil dust produced by agricultural cultivations.

Comet C/2013 US10 (CATALINA) - Dust in the Infrared with SOFIA

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Charles E.; Kelley, Michael S. P.; Harker, David E.; Russell, Ray W.; Kim, Daryl L.; Sitko, Michael L.; Wooden, Diane H.

2018-01-01

One of the major goals of modern astronomy is the "search for origins'' from the big bang to the development of intelligence. A key process in developing our understanding of these origins is how planetary systems are created from dusty disks around stars and evolve into planets with water and other molecules. Traces of primordial materials, and their least-processed products, are found in the outermost regions of the solar system -- the realm of comets -- in the form of ices of volatile materials (H2O, NH3, CO, CH4, and other more rare species), and more refractory dust grains. There is considerable evidence that in the cold regions where cometary material formed, existing comet bodies were mixed with refractory material processed at much higher temperatures. Remote sensing observation of comets provides a means to study the properties of this dust material to characterize the nature of refactory comet grains. These include observations of both the re-radiated thermal (spectrophotometric) and scattered light (spectrophotometric and polarimetric). The former technique provides our most direct link to the composition (mineral content) of the grains.Here we report our post-perihelion (TP = 2015 Nov 15.721 UT) infrared 2 to 31 micron spectrophotometric observations and dust thermal model analyses of comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina), a dynamically new Oort Cloud comet -- 1/aorg [reciprocal original semimajor axis ] = 0.00005339 -- conducted at two contemporaneous observational epochs near close Earth approach (Δ ≈ 0.93 AU) with NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) complemented by observations from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF).

Effect of trapped electron on the dust ion acoustic waves in dusty plasma using time fractional modified Korteweg-de Vries equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazari-Golshan, A.; Nourazar, S. S.

2013-01-01

The time fractional modified Korteweg-de Vries (TFMKdV) equation is solved to study the nonlinear propagation of small but finite amplitude dust ion-acoustic (DIA) solitary waves in un-magnetized dusty plasma with trapped electrons. The plasma is composed of a cold ion fluid, stationary dust grains, and hot electrons obeying a trapped electron distribution. The TFMKdV equation is derived by using the semi-inverse and Agrawal's methods and then solved by the Laplace Adomian decomposition method. Our results show that the amplitude of the DIA solitary waves increases with the increase of time fractional order β, the wave velocity v 0 , and the population of the background free electrons λ. However, it is vice-versa for the deviation from isothermality parameter b, which is in agreement with the result obtained previously

Four Interstellar Dust Candidates from the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector

Science.gov (United States)

Westphal, A. J.; Allen, C.; Bajt, S.; Bechtel, H. A.; Borg, J.; Brenker, F.; Bridges, J.; Brownlee, D. E.; Burchell, M.; Burghammer, M.;

Inertia-Centric Stability Analysis of a Planar Uniform Dust Molecular Cloud with Weak Neutral-Charged Dust Frictional Coupling

Science.gov (United States)

K. Karmakar, P.; Borah, B.

2014-05-01

This paper adopts an inertia-centric evolutionary model to study the excitation mechanism of new gravito-electrostatic eigenmode structures in a one-dimensional (1-D) planar self-gravitating dust molecular cloud (DMC) on the Jeans scale. A quasi-neutral multi-fluid consisting of warm electrons, warm ions, neutral gas and identical inertial cold dust grains with partial ionization is considered. The grain-charge is assumed not to vary at the fluctuation evolution time scale. The neutral gas particles form the background, which is weakly coupled with the collapsing grainy plasma mass. The gravitational decoupling of the background neutral particles is justifiable for a higher inertial mass of the grains with higher neutral population density so that the Jeans mode frequency becomes reasonably large. Its physical basis is the Jeans assumption of a self-gravitating uniform medium adopted for fiducially analytical simplification by neglecting the zero-order field. So, the equilibrium is justifiably treated initially as “homogeneous”. The efficacious inertial role of the thermal species amidst weak collisions of the neutral-charged grains is taken into account. A standard multiscale technique over the gravito-electrostatic equilibrium yields a unique pair of Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equations. It is integrated numerically by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method with multi-parameter variation for exact shape analyses. Interestingly, the model is conducive for the propagation of new conservative solitary spectral patterns. Their basic physics, parametric features and unique characteristics are discussed. The results go qualitatively in good correspondence with the earlier observations made by others. Tentative applications relevant to space and astrophysical environments are concisely highlighted.

Maintaining the Background Dust Opacity During Northern Hemisphere Summer Mars Using Wind Stress Based Dust Lifting

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, V.; Kahre, M. A.

2017-12-01

The Mars atmosphere has low levels of dust during Northern Hemisphere (NH) spring and summer (the non-dusty season) and increased levels during NH autumn and winter (the dusty season). In the absence of regional or global storms, dust devils and local storms maintain a background minimum dust loading during the non-dusty season. While observational surveys and Global Climate Model (GCM) studies suggest that dust devils are likely to be major contributors to the background haze during NH spring and summer, a complete understanding of the relative contribution of dust devils and local dust storms has not yet been achieved. We present preliminary results from an investigation that focuses on the effects of radiatively active water ice clouds on dust lifting processes during these seasons. Water ice clouds are known to affect atmospheric temperatures directly by absorption and emission of thermal infrared radiation and indirectly through dynamical feedbacks. Our goal is to understand how clouds affect the contribution by local (wind stress) dust storms to the background dust haze during NH spring and summer. The primary tool for this work is the NASA Ames Mars GCM, which contains physical parameterizations for a fully interactive dust cycle. Three simulations that included wind stress dust lifting were executed for a period of 5 Martian years: a case that included no cloud formation, a case that included radiatively inert cloud formation and a case that included radiatively active cloud (RAC) formation. Results show that when radiatively active clouds are included, the clouds in the aphelion cloud belt radiatively heat the atmosphere aloft in the tropics (Figure 1). This heating produces a stronger overturning circulation, which in turn produces an enhanced low-level flow in the Hadley cell return branch. The stronger low-level flow drives higher surface stresses and increased dust lifting in those locations. We examine how realistic these simulated results are by

Properties of interstellar dust in reflection nebulae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sellgren, K.

1988-01-01

Observations of interstellar dust in reflection nebulae are the closest analog in the interstellar medium to studies of cometary dust in our solar system. The presence of a bright star near the reflection nebula dust provides the opportunity to study both the reflection and emission characteristics of interstellar dust. At 0.1 to 1 micrometer, the reflection nebula emission is due to starlight scattered by dust. The albedo and scattering phase function of the dust is determined from observations of the scattered light. At 50 to 200 micrometers, thermal emission from the dust in equilibrium with the stellar radiation field is observed. The derived dust temperature determines the relative values of the absorption coefficient of the dust at wavelengths where the stellar energy is absorbed and at far infrared wavelengths where the absorbed energy is reradiated. These emission mechanisms directly relate to those seen in the near and mid infrared spectra of comets. In a reflection nebula the dust is observed at much larger distances from the star than in our solar system, so that the equilibrium dust temperature is 50 K rather than 300 K. Thus, in reflection nebulae, thermal emission from dust is emitted at 50 to 200 micrometer

The dust acoustic wave in a bounded dusty plasma with strong electrostatic interactions between dust grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla, Nitin; Shukla, P.K.

2011-01-01

The dispersion relation for the dust acoustic wave (DAW) in an unmagnetized dusty plasma cylindrical waveguide is derived, accounting for strong electrostatic interactions between charged dust grains. It is found that the boundary effect limits the radial extent of the DAW. The present result should be helpful for understanding the frequency spectrum of the DAW in a dusty plasma waveguide with strongly coupled charged dust grains. - Highlights: → We study the dust acoustic wave (DAW) in a bounded plasma. → We account for interactions between dust grains. → The boundary effect limits the radial extent of the DAW.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in occupational vs. urban environmental air

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Branisteanu, R.; Aiking, H.

1998-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the balance between occupational and environmental exposure to suspended particulate matter (SPM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), comparison measurements were performed in a coal-fired power plant and the urban atmosphere from the town nearby. Methods: The

Dust Studies in DIII-D and TEXTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudakov, D.L.; Litnovsky, A.; West, W.P.; Yu, J.H.; Boedo, J.A.; Bray, B.D.; Brezinsek, S.; Brooks, N.H.; Fenstermacher, M.E.; Groth, M.; Hollmann, E.M.; Huber, A.; Hyatt, A.W.; Krasheninnikov, S.I.; Lasnier, C.J.; Moyer, R.A.; Pigarov, A.Y.; Philipps, V.; Pospieszczyk, A.; Smirnov, R.D.; Sharpe, J.P.; Solomon, W.M.; Watkins, J.G.; Wong, C.C.

2009-01-01

Studies of naturally occurring and artificially introduced carbon dust are conducted in DIII-D and TEXTOR. In DIII-D, dust does not present operational concerns except immediately after entry vents. Submicron sized dust is routinely observed using Mie scattering from a Nd:Yag laser. The source is strongly correlated with the presence of Type I edge localized modes (ELMs). Larger size (0.005-1 mm diameter) dust is observed by optical imaging, showing elevated dust levels after entry vents. Inverse dependence of the dust velocity on the inferred dust size is found from the imaging data. Direct heating of the dust particles by the neutral beam injection (NBI) and acceleration of dust particles by the plasma flows are observed. Energetic plasma disruptions produce significant amounts of dust. Large flakes or debris falling into the plasma may result in a disruption. Migration of pre-characterized carbon dust is studied in DIII-D and TEXTOR by introducing micron-size dust in plasma discharges. In DIII-D, a sample holder filled with ∼30 mg of dust is introduced in the lower divertor and exposed to high-power ELMing H-mode discharges with strike points swept across the divertor floor. After a brief exposure (∼0.1 s) at the outer strike point, part of the dust is injected into the plasma, raising the core carbon density by a factor of 2-3 and resulting in a twofold increase of the radiated power. In TEXTOR, instrumented dust holders with 1-45 mg of dust are exposed in the scrape-off layer 0-2 cm radially outside of the last closed flux surface in discharges heated with neutral beam injection (NBI) power of 1.4 MW. At the given configuration of the launch, the dust did not penetrate the core plasma and only moderately perturbed the edge plasma, as evidenced by an increase of the edge carbon content.

PERSPECTIVE: Dust, fertilization and sources

Science.gov (United States)

Remer, Lorraine A.

2006-11-01

Aerosols, tiny suspended particles in the atmosphere, play an important role in modifying the Earth's energy balance and are essential for the formation of cloud droplets. Suspended dust particles lifted from the world's arid regions by strong winds contain essential minerals that can be transported great distances and deposited into the ocean or on other continents where productivity is limited by lack of usable minerals [1]. Dust can transport pathogens as well as minerals great distance, contributing to the spread of human and agricultural diseases, and a portion of dust can be attributed to human activity suggesting that dust radiative effects should be included in estimates of anthropogenic climate forcing. The greenish and brownish tints in figure 1 show the wide extent of monthly mean mineral dust transport, as viewed by the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite sensor. The monthly mean global aerosol system for February 2006 from the MODIS aboard the Terra satellite Figure 1. The monthly mean global aerosol system for February 2006 from the MODIS aboard the Terra satellite. The brighter the color, the greater the aerosol loading. Red and reddish tints indicate aerosol dominated by small particles created primarily from combustion processes. Green and brownish tints indicate larger particles created from wind-driven processes, usually transported desert dust. Note the bright green band at the southern edge of the Saharan desert, the reddish band it must cross if transported to the southwest and the long brownish transport path as it crosses the Atlantic to South America. Image courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov). Even though qualitatively we recognize the extent and importance of dust transport and the role that it plays in fertilizing nutrient-limited regions, there is much that is still unknown. We are just now beginning to quantify the amount of dust that exits one continental region and the

Activation analysis of deposited dust brought to Israel by dust storms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganor, E.; Tal, A.; Donagi, A.

1975-01-01

The determination of dust particles deposited in Jerusalem during regional dust storms was carried out by polarized microscopy, X-ray analysis and atomic absorption measurements. These analyses showed the presence of particles of quartz, calcite, dolomite, feldspar, halite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, epidote, tourmaline, glauconite, illite and other heavy minerals. The aims of the present study were to apply activation analysis for the determination of element composition in dust samples; to compare the results obtained by activation analysis with those obtained by other methods, i.e. chemical analysis, polarized microscopy and X-ray analysis. The results obtained by the various methods were in good agreement. (B.G.)

Determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic products by solid-phase extraction and GC-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qiying; Guo, Yuanming; Sun, Xiumei; Hao, Qing; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Lu

2018-02-22

We propose a method for the simultaneous determination of 15 kinds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine samples (muscle) employing gas chromatography with mass spectrometry after saponification with ultrasound-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction. The experimental conditions were optimized by the response surface method. In addition, the effects of different lyes and extractants on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction were discussed, and saturated sodium carbonate was first used as the primary saponification reaction and extracted with 10 mL of ethyl acetate and secondly 1 mol/L of sodium hydroxide and 10 mL of n-hexane were used to achieve better results. The average recovery was 67-112%. Satisfactory data showed that the method has good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of <13%. The detection limits of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 0.02-0.13 ng/g. Compared with other methods, this method has the advantages of simple pretreatment, low solvent consumption, maximum polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction, the fast separation speed, and the high extraction efficiency. It is concluded that this method meets the batch processing requirements of the sample and can also be used to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in other high-fat (fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish) biological samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

ORIGIN OF DUST AROUND V1309 SCO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Chunhua; Lü, Guoliang; Wang, Zhaojun

2013-01-01

The origin of dust grains in the interstellar medium is still an unanswered problem. Nicholls et al. found the presence of a significant amount of dust around V1309 Sco, which may originate from the merger of a contact binary. We investigate the origin of dust around V1309 Sco and suggest that these dust grains are produced in the binary-merger ejecta. By means of the AGBDUST code, we estimate that ∼5.2 × 10 –4 M ☉ dust grains are produced with a radii of ∼10 –5 cm. These dust grains are mainly composed of silicate and iron grains. Because the mass of the binary merger ejecta is very small, the contribution of dust produced by binary merger ejecta to the overall dust production in the interstellar medium is negligible. However, it is important to note that the discovery of a significant amount of dust around V1309 Sco offers a direct support for the idea that common-envelope ejecta provides an ideal environment for dust formation and growth. Therefore, we confirm that common envelope ejecta can be important source of cosmic dust

Conceptualizing Cold Disasters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauta, Kristian Cedervall; Dahlberg, Rasmus; Vendelø, Morten Thanning

2017-01-01

In the present article, we explore in more depth the particular circumstances and characteristics of governing what we call ‘cold disasters’, and thereby, the paper sets out to investigate how disasters in cold contexts distinguish themselves from other disasters, and what the implications hereof...... are for the conceptualization and governance of cold disasters. Hence, the paper can also be viewed as a response to Alexander’s (2012a) recent call for new theory in the field of disaster risk reduction. The article is structured in four overall parts. The first part, Cold Context, provides an overview of the specific...... conditions in a cold context, exemplified by the Arctic, and zooms in on Greenland to provide more specific background for the paper. The second part, Disasters in Cold Contexts, discusses “cold disasters” in relation to disaster theory, in order to, elucidate how cold disasters challenge existing...

Dust-Tolerant Intelligent Electrical Connection System

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Mark; Dokos, Adam; Perotti, Jose; Calle, Carlos; Mueller, Robert; Bastin, Gary; Carlson, Jeffrey; Townsend, Ivan, III; Immer, Chirstopher; Medelius, Pedro

2012-01-01

Faults in wiring systems are a serious concern for the aerospace and aeronautic (commercial, military, and civilian) industries. Circuit failures and vehicle accidents have occurred and have been attributed to faulty wiring created by open and/or short circuits. Often, such circuit failures occur due to vibration during vehicle launch or operation. Therefore, developing non-intrusive fault-tolerant techniques is necessary to detect circuit faults and automatically route signals through alternate recovery paths while the vehicle or lunar surface systems equipment is in operation. Electrical connector concepts combining dust mitigation strategies and cable diagnostic technologies have significant application for lunar and Martian surface systems, as well as for dusty terrestrial applications. The dust-tolerant intelligent electrical connection system has several novel concepts and unique features. It combines intelligent cable diagnostics (health monitoring) and automatic circuit routing capabilities into a dust-tolerant electrical umbilical. It retrofits a clamshell protective dust cover to an existing connector for reduced gravity operation, and features a universal connector housing with three styles of dust protection: inverted cap, rotating cap, and clamshell. It uses a self-healing membrane as a dust barrier for electrical connectors where required, while also combining lotus leaf technology for applications where a dust-resistant coating providing low surface tension is needed to mitigate Van der Waals forces, thereby disallowing dust particle adhesion to connector surfaces. It also permits using a ruggedized iris mechanism with an embedded electrodynamic dust shield as a dust barrier for electrical connectors where required.

Ocular toxicity of authentic lunar dust.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyers, Valerie E; Garcìa, Hector D; Monds, Kathryn; Cooper, Bonnie L; James, John T

2012-07-20

Dust exposure is a well-known occupational hazard for terrestrial workers and astronauts alike and will continue to be a concern as humankind pursues exploration and habitation of objects beyond Earth. Humankind's limited exploration experience with the Apollo Program indicates that exposure to dust will be unavoidable. Therefore, NASA must assess potential toxicity and recommend appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that explorers are adequately protected. Visual acuity is critical during exploration activities and operations aboard spacecraft. Therefore, the present research was performed to ascertain the ocular toxicity of authentic lunar dust. Small (mean particle diameter = 2.9 ± 1.0 μm), reactive lunar dust particles were produced by grinding bulk dust under ultrapure nitrogen conditions. Chemical reactivity and cytotoxicity testing were performed using the commercially available EpiOcularTM assay. Subsequent in vivo Draize testing utilized a larger size fraction of unground lunar dust that is more relevant to ocular exposures (particles lunar dust was minimally irritating. Minor irritation of the upper eyelids was noted at the 1-hour observation point, but these effects resolved within 24 hours. In addition, no corneal scratching was observed using fluorescein stain. Low-titanium mare lunar dust is minimally irritating to the eyes and is considered a nuisance dust for ocular exposure. No special precautions are recommended to protect against ocular exposures, but fully shielded goggles may be used if dust becomes a nuisance.

The relationship between the Asian dust and Arctic Oscillation: An observational investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Y.; Kim, J.; Cho, H.

2009-12-01

The Arctic Oscillation (AO) represents the leading empirical orthogonal function of winter sea level pressure (SLP) fields, which resembles North Atlantic Oscillation, but has a more zonally symmetric structure (Thompson and Wallace, 1998; Wallace, 2000; Wu and Wang, 2002). This primary mode of the internal dynamics in the atmosphere predominates the Extratropical Northern Hemisphere circulation from surface to the lower stratosphere showing an equivalent barotropic structure during cold season(November-April) (Thompson and Wallace, 2000). Also, the Asian dust storms show strong interannual variation (Sun et al., 2001; Yoshino, 2002; Zhao et al., 2006; Hara et al., 2006), which are suggested to be associated with climate indices. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the possible connection for the AO and the Asian dust emission during periods from late winter to spring, based on the observational investigations. In order to examine these complex associations closely, the Aerosol Index (AI) from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) are used starting from November 1978 to December 1999, except for data pause from May 1993 to August 1996. SLP and geopotential height at 500hPa (Z500) monthly fields are derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalyses (1958-2001). Also, source regions of Asian dust are mainly focused on three source areas, including the Taklimakan Desert (R1), Badain Jaran Desert (R2), and Mongolia (R3) in this study. In composite study during different phases of AO, the AO exhibits a “negative phase” with relatively high pressure over the polar region and low pressure at mid-latitudes (about 45 degrees North). In strong “negative phase” of AO, decrease of AO is found to be associated with decreases of local tropospheric temperature, U-wind, and geopotential height and strong north-south gradients over the source regions of Asian dust. Therefore, we also notice that a negative index phase

Dust bands in the asteroid belt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sykes, M.V.; Greenberg, R.; Dermott, S.F.; Nicholson, P.D.; Burns, J.A.

1989-01-01

This paper describes the original IRAS observations leading to the discovery of the three dust bands in the asteroid belt and the analysis of data. Special attention is given to an analytical model of the dust band torus and to theories concerning the origin of the dust bands, with special attention given to the collisional equilibrium (asteroid family), the nonequilibrium (random collision), and the comet hypotheses of dust-band origin. It is noted that neither the equilibrium nor nonequilibrium models, as currently formulated, present a complete picture of the IRAS dust-band observations. 32 refs

Early-Holocene greening of the Afro-Asian dust belt changed sources of mineral dust in West Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Sharifi, Arash; Murphy, Lisa N.; Pourmand, Ali; Clement, Amy C.; Canuel, Elizabeth A.; Naderi Beni, Abdolmajid; Lahijani, Hamid A. K.; Delanghe, Doriane; Ahmady-Birgani, Hesam

2018-01-01

Production, transport and deposition of mineral dust have significant impacts on different components of the Earth systems through time and space. In modern times, dust plumes are associated with their source region(s) using satellite and land-based measurements and trajectory analysis of air masses through time. Reconstruction of past changes in the sources of mineral dust as related to changes in climate, however, must rely on the knowledge of the geochemical and mineralogical composition of modern and paleo-dust, and that of their potential source origins. In this contribution, we present a 13,000-yr record of variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes and Rare Earth Element (REE) anomalies as well as dust grain size from an ombrotrophic (rain fed) peat core in NW Iran as proxies of past changes in the sources of dust over the interior of West Asia. Our data shows that although the grain size of dust varies in a narrow range through the entire record, the geochemical fingerprint of dust particles deposited during the low-flux, early Holocene period (11,700-6,000 yr BP) is distinctly different from aerosols deposited during high dust flux periods of the Younger Dryas and the mid-late Holocene (6,000-present). Our findings indicate that the composition of mineral dust deposited at the study site changed as a function of prevailing atmospheric circulation regimes and land exposure throughout the last deglacial period and the Holocene. Simulations of atmospheric circulation over the region show the Northern Hemisphere Summer Westerly Jet was displaced poleward across the study area during the early Holocene when Northern Hemisphere insolation was higher due to the Earth's orbital configuration. This shift, coupled with lower dust emissions simulated based on greening of the Afro-Asian Dust Belt during the early Holocene likely led to potential sources in Central Asia dominating dust export to West Asia during this period. In contrast, the dominant western and

Dust storms and their impact on ocean and human health: dust in Earth's atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Dale W.; Kellog, Christina A.

2004-01-01

Satellite imagery has greatly influenced our understanding of dust activity on a global scale. A number of different satellites such as NASA's Earth-Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Se-viewing Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) acquire daily global-scale data used to produce imagery for monitoring dust storm formation and movement. This global-scale imagery has documented the frequent transmission of dust storm-derived soils through Earth's atmosphere and the magnitude of many of these events. While various research projects have been undertaken to understand this normal planetary process, little has been done to address its impact on ocean and human health. This review will address the ability of dust storms to influence marine microbial population densities and transport of soil-associated toxins and pathogenic microorganisms to marine environments. The implications of dust on ocean and human health in this emerging scientific field will be discussed.

Household vacuum cleaners vs. the high-volume surface sampler for collection of carpet dust samples in epidemiologic studies of children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buffler Patricia A

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Levels of pesticides and other compounds in carpet dust can be useful indicators of exposure in epidemiologic studies, particularly for young children who are in frequent contact with carpets. The high-volume surface sampler (HVS3 is often used to collect dust samples in the room in which the child had spent the most time. This method can be expensive and cumbersome, and it has been suggested that an easier method would be to remove dust that had already been collected with the household vacuum cleaner. However, the household vacuum integrates exposures over multiple rooms, some of which are not relevant to the child's exposure, and differences in vacuuming equipment and practices could affect the chemical concentration data. Here, we compare levels of pesticides and other compounds in dust from household vacuums to that collected using the HVS3. Methods Both methods were used in 45 homes in California. HVS3 samples were collected in one room, while the household vacuum had typically been used throughout the home. The samples were analyzed for 64 organic compounds, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, using GC/MS in multiple ion monitoring mode; and for nine metals using conventional microwave-assisted acid digestion combined with ICP/MS. Results The methods agreed in detecting the presence of the compounds 77% to 100% of the time (median 95%. For compounds with less than 100% agreement, neither method was consistently more sensitive than the other. Median concentrations were similar for most analytes, and Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.60 or higher except for allethrin (0.15 and malathion (0.24, which were detected infrequently, and benzo(kfluoranthene (0.55, benzo(apyrene (0.55, PCB 105 (0.54, PCB 118 (0.54, and PCB 138 (0.58. Assuming that the HVS3 method is the "gold standard," the extent to which the household vacuum cleaner method yields relative risk

Determination of levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Soil samples contaminated with spent motor engine oil collected from Abakaliki auto-mechanic site were analyzed to determine the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) components which are often targets in environmental check. Identification and quantification of the PAH components was accomplished ...

TNFα and IL-6 Responses to Particulate Matter in Vitro: Variation According to PM Size, Season, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Soil Content

Science.gov (United States)

Manzano-León, Natalia; Serrano-Lomelin, Jesús; Sánchez, Brisa N.; Quintana-Belmares, Raúl; Vega, Elizabeth; Vázquez-López, Inés; Rojas-Bracho, Leonora; López-Villegas, Maria Tania; Vadillo-Ortega, Felipe; De Vizcaya-Ruiz, Andrea; Perez, Irma Rosas; O’Neill, Marie S.; Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro R.

2015-01-01

Background: Observed seasonal differences in particulate matter (PM) associations with human health may be due to their composition and to toxicity-related seasonal interactions. Objectives: We assessed seasonality in PM composition and in vitro PM pro-inflammatory potential using multiple PM samples. Methods: We collected 90 weekly PM10 and PM2.5 samples during the rainy-warm and dry-cold seasons in five urban areas with different pollution sources. The elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and endotoxins identified in the samples were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). We tested the potential of the PM to induce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) secretion in cultured human monocytes (THP-1), and we modeled pro-inflammatory responses using the component scores. Results: PM composition varied by size and by season. PCA identified two main components that varied by season. Combustion-related constituents (e.g., vanadium, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene) mainly comprised component 1 (C1). Soil-related constituents (e.g., endotoxins, silicon, aluminum) mainly comprised component 2 (C2). PM from the rainy-warm season was high in C2. PM (particularly PM2.5) from the dry-cold season was rich in C1. Elevated levels of cytokine production were associated with PM10 and C2 (rainy-warm season), whereas reduced levels of cytokine production were associated with PM2.5 and C1 (dry-cold season). TNFα secretion was increased following exposure to PM with high (vs. low) C2 content, but TNFα secretion in response to PM was decreased following exposure to samples containing ≥ 0.1% of C1-related PAHs, regardless of C2 content. The results of the IL-6 assays suggested more complex interactions between PM components and particle size. Conclusions: Variations in PM soil and PAH content underlie seasonal and PM size–related patterns in TNFα secretion. These results suggest that the mixture of components in PM explains some

Limited production of sulfate and nitrate on front-associated dust storm particles moving from desert to distant populated areas in northwestern China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Feng; Zhang, Daizhou; Cao, Junji; Guo, Xiao; Xia, Yao; Zhang, Ting; Lu, Hui; Cheng, Yan

2017-12-01

particles following cold fronts is likely limited when the particles move from the desert to populated areas within the continent. For an accurate quantification of sulfate and nitrate formed on long-distance-transported desert dust particles at downwind populated areas in eastern China, dust collection efforts are indispensable to minimize any possible influence by locally emitted particles or at least to ensure that the samples are collected after dust arrival.

Limited production of sulfate and nitrate on front-associated dust storm particles moving from desert to distant populated areas in northwestern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Wu

2017-12-01

production of nitrate and sulfate on dust particles following cold fronts is likely limited when the particles move from the desert to populated areas within the continent. For an accurate quantification of sulfate and nitrate formed on long-distance-transported desert dust particles at downwind populated areas in eastern China, dust collection efforts are indispensable to minimize any possible influence by locally emitted particles or at least to ensure that the samples are collected after dust arrival.

Biotransformation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pyrene by the marine polychaete Nereis virens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Anne; Giessing, Anders M. B.; Rasmussen, Lene Juel

2005-01-01

In vivo and in vitro biotransformation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pyrene was investigated in the marine polychaete Nereis virens. Assays were designed to characterize phase I and II enzymes isolated from gut tissue. High-pressure liquid chromatography measurement of 1-hydroxypyr......In vivo and in vitro biotransformation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pyrene was investigated in the marine polychaete Nereis virens. Assays were designed to characterize phase I and II enzymes isolated from gut tissue. High-pressure liquid chromatography measurement of 1...

Electromagnetic dust-lower-hybrid and dust-magnetosonic waves and their instabilities in a dusty magnetoplasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salimullah, M.; Rahman, M. M.; Zeba, I.; Shah, H. A.; Murtaza, G.; Shukla, P. K.

2006-01-01

The electromagnetic waves below the ion-cyclotron frequency have been examined in a collisionless and homogeneous dusty plasma in the presence of a dust beam parallel to the direction of the external magnetic field. The low-frequency mixed electromagnetic dust-lower-hybrid and purely transverse magnetosonic waves become unstable for the sheared flow of dust grains and grow in amplitude when the drift velocity of the dust grains exceeds the parallel phase velocity of the waves. The growth rate depends dominantly upon the thermal velocity and density of the electrons

COSMIC DUST AGGREGATION WITH STOCHASTIC CHARGING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, Lorin S.; Hyde, Truell W.; Shotorban, Babak

2013-01-01

The coagulation of cosmic dust grains is a fundamental process which takes place in astrophysical environments, such as presolar nebulae and circumstellar and protoplanetary disks. Cosmic dust grains can become charged through interaction with their plasma environment or other processes, and the resultant electrostatic force between dust grains can strongly affect their coagulation rate. Since ions and electrons are collected on the surface of the dust grain at random time intervals, the electrical charge of a dust grain experiences stochastic fluctuations. In this study, a set of stochastic differential equations is developed to model these fluctuations over the surface of an irregularly shaped aggregate. Then, employing the data produced, the influence of the charge fluctuations on the coagulation process and the physical characteristics of the aggregates formed is examined. It is shown that dust with small charges (due to the small size of the dust grains or a tenuous plasma environment) is affected most strongly

Construction dust amelioration techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-01

Dust produced on seasonal road construction sites in Alaska is both a traffic safety and environmental concern. Dust emanating from : unpaved road surfaces during construction severely reduces visibility and impacts stopping sight distance, and contr...

Dust exposure and pneumoconiosis in a South African pottery. 1. Study objectives and dust exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Rees, D; Cronje, R; du Toit, R S

1992-07-01

Dust exposure and pneumoconiosis were investigated in a South African pottery that manufactured wall tiles and bathroom fittings. This paper describes the objectives of the investigation and presents dust measurement data. x Ray diffraction showed that the clays used by the pottery had a high quartz content (range 58%-23%, mean 38%). Exposure to respirable dust was measured for 43 workers and was highest (6.6 mg/m3) in a bathroom fitting fettler. Quartz concentrations in excess of 0.1 mg/m3 were found in all sections of the manufacturing process from slip production to biscuit firing and sorting. The proportion of quartz in the respirable dust of these sections was 24% to 33%. This is higher than is usually reported in English potteries. Four hundred and six (80%) of the 509 workers employed at the pottery were potentially at risk of occupational lung disease. The finding of large numbers of pottery workers exposed to unacceptable dust concentrations is not surprising as poor dust control was found in all six wall tile and sanitary ware factories surveyed by the National Centre for Occupational Health between 1973 and 1989. Dust related occupational disease can be expected in potters for many years to come.

Study on treatment of dust by dismantling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torikai, K.; Suzuki, K.

1987-01-01

In dismantling of nuclear reactors, various kinds of treatment of dust generated by cutting or dismantling concrete structures of components of reactors are evaluated for safety, cost, and performance comparing the work in air with water. A method of dust treatment for work in air is discussed. The dry method has an easy operation in practice and a good performance in the equipment, but has problem on the prevention from radioactive contamination by diffusion of dust in air. For the purpose of advancing the strong points and eliminating the weak points in dry method, an improved venturi scrubber system is proposed for dismantling work as a dust collecting system. The system consists of dust absorbing pipe, dust collector, separator of dust and water and dust transfer equipment to a storage of waste. This system would be expected to have better performance and lower operating cost in decommissioning nuclear reactors, especially, the number of dust filters, for example, HEPA filters, will be considerably saved

POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON FAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boersma, C.; Mattioda, A. L.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Allamandola, L. J.; Bauschlicher, C. W. Jr; Ricca, A.; Peeters, E.

2011-01-01

The far-IR characteristics of astrophysically relevant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) averaging in size around 100 carbon atoms have been studied using the theoretical spectra in the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database. These spectra were calculated using density functional theory. Selections of PAH species are made, grouped together by common characteristics or trends, such as size, shape, charge, and composition, and their far-IR spectra compared. The out-of-plane modes involving the entire molecule are explored in detail, astronomical relevance is assessed, and an observing strategy is discussed. It is shown that PAHs produce richer far-IR spectra with increasing size. PAHs also produce richer far-IR spectra with increasing number of irregularities. However, series of irregular-shaped PAHs with the same compact core have common 'Jumping-Jack' modes that 'pile up' at specific frequencies in their average spectrum. For the PAHs studied here, around 100 carbon atoms in size, this band falls near 50 μm. PAH charge and nitrogen inclusion affect band intensities but have little effect on far-IR band positions. Detailed analysis of the two-dimensional, out-of-plane bending 'drumhead' modes in the coronene and pyrene 'families' and the one-dimensional, out-of-plane bending 'bar' modes in the acene 'family' show that these molecular vibrations can be treated as classical vibrating sheets and bars of graphene, respectively. The analysis also shows that the peak position of these modes is very sensitive to the area of the emitting PAH and does not depend on the particular geometry. Thus, these longest wavelength PAH bands could provide a unique handle on the size of the largest species in the interstellar PAH family. However, these bands are weak. Observing highly excited regions showing the mid-IR bands in which the emission from classical dust peaks at short wavelengths offers the best chance of detecting PAH emission in the far-IR. For these regions

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Far-infrared Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Boersma, C.; Bauschlicher, C. W., Jr.; Ricca, A.; Mattioda, A. L.; Peeters, E.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Allamandola, L. J.

2011-03-01

The far-IR characteristics of astrophysically relevant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) averaging in size around 100 carbon atoms have been studied using the theoretical spectra in the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database. These spectra were calculated using density functional theory. Selections of PAH species are made, grouped together by common characteristics or trends, such as size, shape, charge, and composition, and their far-IR spectra compared. The out-of-plane modes involving the entire molecule are explored in detail, astronomical relevance is assessed, and an observing strategy is discussed. It is shown that PAHs produce richer far-IR spectra with increasing size. PAHs also produce richer far-IR spectra with increasing number of irregularities. However, series of irregular-shaped PAHs with the same compact core have common "Jumping-Jack" modes that "pile up" at specific frequencies in their average spectrum. For the PAHs studied here, around 100 carbon atoms in size, this band falls near 50 μm. PAH charge and nitrogen inclusion affect band intensities but have little effect on far-IR band positions. Detailed analysis of the two-dimensional, out-of-plane bending "drumhead" modes in the coronene and pyrene "families" and the one-dimensional, out-of-plane bending "bar" modes in the acene "family" show that these molecular vibrations can be treated as classical vibrating sheets and bars of graphene, respectively. The analysis also shows that the peak position of these modes is very sensitive to the area of the emitting PAH and does not depend on the particular geometry. Thus, these longest wavelength PAH bands could provide a unique handle on the size of the largest species in the interstellar PAH family. However, these bands are weak. Observing highly excited regions showing the mid-IR bands in which the emission from classical dust peaks at short wavelengths offers the best chance of detecting PAH emission in the far-IR. For these regions

Systematic characterization of structural, dynamical and electrical properties of dust devils and implications for dust lifting processes

Science.gov (United States)

Franzese, Gabriele; Esposito, Francesca; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Popa, Ciprian; Silvestro, Simone; Deniskina, Natalia; Cozzolino, Fabio

2017-04-01

Dust devils are convective vortices able to lift sand and dust grains from the soil surface, even in conditions of low wind speed environment. They have been observed not only on Earth but also on other planets of the solar system; in particular, they are largely studied on Mars. Indeed, the contribution of the dust devils to the Martian climate is a highly debated question. In order to investigate this topic, it is important to understand the nature of the dust lifting mechanism by the vortex and characterize the induced electric field. As part of the development process of DREAMS, the meteorological station on board the Schiapparelli lander of the ExoMars 2016 mission, and of the Dust complex package of the ExoMars 2020 mission, we performed various field campaigns in the Sahara desert (Tafilalt region, Morocco). We deployed a fully equipped meteorological station and, during the 2014 summer, we observed three months of dust devils activity, collecting almost six hundreds events. For each dust devil, we monitored the horizontal wind speed and direction, the vertical wind speed, the pressure drop due to the vortex core, the temperature, the induced electric field and the concentration of dust lifted. This data set is unique in literature and represents up to now the most comprehensive one available for the dusty convective vortices. Here we will present the analysis of the Moroccan data with particular emphasis on the study of the atmospheric electric field variations due to the passage of the vortices. The distribution of the vortex parameters (wind speed and direction, pressure, E-field and dust lifted) are showed and compared, when possible, to the ones observed by the Martian surveys. The connection between the E-field and the other parameters will be presented. In the terrestrial environment, the development of the convective vortices is restricted by the presence of the vegetation and of the urban areas, hence dust devils can impact the climate only on local

Physical properties of five grain dust types.

Science.gov (United States)

Parnell, C B; Jones, D D; Rutherford, R D; Goforth, K J

1986-01-01

Physical properties of grain dust derived from five grain types (soybean, rice, corn, wheat, and sorghum) were measured and reported. The grain dusts were obtained from dust collection systems of terminal grain handling facilities and were assumed to be representative of grain dust generated during the handling process. The physical properties reported were as follows: particle size distributions and surface area measurements using a Coulter Counter Model TAII; percent dust fractions less than 100 micron of whole dust; bulk density; particle density; and ash content. PMID:3709482

A dust-free dock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merrion, D. [E & F Services Ltd. (United Kingdom)

2002-10-01

This paper describes the process of unloading coal, petcoke and other dusty products in environmentally-sensitive areas. It presents a case study of the deepwater Port of Foynes on the west coast of Ireland which imports animal feed, fertiliser, coal and cement clinker, where dockside mobile loaders (DMLs) have eliminated spillage and controlled dust, and a record case study of the Humber International Terminal in the UK, where air curtinas, dust suppression grids and EFFEX{reg_sign} filters overcome the dust problems. 2 photos.

Environmentally dependent dust chemistry of a super Asian dust storm in March 2010: observation and simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. Wang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Near-surface and vertical in situ measurements of atmospheric particles were conducted in Shanghai during 19–23 March 2010 to explore the transport and chemical evolution of dust particles in a super dust storm. An air quality model with optimized physical dust emission scheme and newly implemented dust chemistry was utilized to study the impact of dust chemistry on regional air quality. Two discontinuous dust periods were observed with one traveling over northern China (DS1 and the other passing over the coastal regions of eastern China (DS2. Stronger mixing extents between dust and anthropogenic emissions were found in DS2, reflected by the higher SO2 ∕ PM10 and NO2 ∕ PM10 ratios as well as typical pollution elemental species such as As, Cd, Pb, and Zn. As a result, the concentrations of SO42− and NO3− and the ratio of Ca2+ ∕ Ca were more elevated in DS2 than in DS1 but opposite for the [NH4+] ∕ [SO42−+NO3−] ratio, suggesting the heterogeneous reactions between calcites and acid gases were significantly promoted in DS2 due to the higher level of relative humidity and gaseous pollution precursors. Lidar observation showed a columnar effect on the vertical structure of particle optical properties in DS1 that dust dominantly accounted for ∼ 80–90 % of the total particle extinction from near the ground to ∼ 700 m. In contrast, the dust plumes in DS2 were restrained within lower altitudes while the extinction from spherical particles exhibited a maximum at a high altitude of ∼ 800 m. The model simulation reproduced relatively consistent results with observations that strong impacts of dust heterogeneous reactions on secondary aerosol formation occurred in areas where the anthropogenic emissions were intensive. Compared to the sulfate simulation, the nitrate formation on dust is suggested to be improved in the future modeling efforts.

Environmentally dependent dust chemistry of a super Asian dust storm in March 2010: observation and simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiongzhen; Dong, Xinyi; Fu, Joshua S.; Xu, Jian; Deng, Congrui; Jiang, Yilun; Fu, Qingyan; Lin, Yanfen; Huang, Kan; Zhuang, Guoshun

2018-03-01

Near-surface and vertical in situ measurements of atmospheric particles were conducted in Shanghai during 19-23 March 2010 to explore the transport and chemical evolution of dust particles in a super dust storm. An air quality model with optimized physical dust emission scheme and newly implemented dust chemistry was utilized to study the impact of dust chemistry on regional air quality. Two discontinuous dust periods were observed with one traveling over northern China (DS1) and the other passing over the coastal regions of eastern China (DS2). Stronger mixing extents between dust and anthropogenic emissions were found in DS2, reflected by the higher SO2 / PM10 and NO2 / PM10 ratios as well as typical pollution elemental species such as As, Cd, Pb, and Zn. As a result, the concentrations of SO42- and NO3- and the ratio of Ca2+ / Ca were more elevated in DS2 than in DS1 but opposite for the [NH4+] / [SO42-+NO3-] ratio, suggesting the heterogeneous reactions between calcites and acid gases were significantly promoted in DS2 due to the higher level of relative humidity and gaseous pollution precursors. Lidar observation showed a columnar effect on the vertical structure of particle optical properties in DS1 that dust dominantly accounted for ˜ 80-90 % of the total particle extinction from near the ground to ˜ 700 m. In contrast, the dust plumes in DS2 were restrained within lower altitudes while the extinction from spherical particles exhibited a maximum at a high altitude of ˜ 800 m. The model simulation reproduced relatively consistent results with observations that strong impacts of dust heterogeneous reactions on secondary aerosol formation occurred in areas where the anthropogenic emissions were intensive. Compared to the sulfate simulation, the nitrate formation on dust is suggested to be improved in the future modeling efforts.

Effect of dust size distribution on ion-acoustic solitons in dusty plasmas with different dust grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Dong-Ning; Yang, Yang; Yan, Qiang [Northwest Normal University, College of Physics and Electronic Engineering (China); Wang, Xiao-Yun [Lanzhou Jiao Tong University, Department of Mathematics and Physics (China); Duan, Wen-Shan, E-mail: duanws@126.com [Northwest Normal University, College of Physics and Electronic Engineering (China)

2017-02-15

Theoretical studies are carried out for ion acoustic solitons in multicomponent nonuniform plasma considering the dust size distribution. The Korteweg−de Vries equation for ion acoustic solitons is given by using the reductive perturbation technique. Two special dust size distributions are considered. The dependences of the width and amplitude of solitons on dust size parameters are shown. It is found that the properties of a solitary wave depend on the shape of the size distribution function of dust grains.

Asian dust events of April 1998

Science.gov (United States)

Husar, R.B.; Tratt, D.M.; Schichtel, B.A.; Falke, S.R.; Li, F.; Jaffe, D.; Gasso, S.; Gill, T.; Laulainen, N.S.; Lu, F.; Reheis, M.C.; Chun, Y.; Westphal, D.; Holben, B.N.; Gueymard, C.; McKendry, I.; Kuring, N.; Feldman, G.C.; McClain, C.; Frouin, R.J.; Merrill, J.; DuBois, D.; Vignola, F.; Murayama, T.; Nickovic, S.; Wilson, W.E.; Sassen, K.; Sugimoto, N.; Malm, W.C.

2001-01-01

On April 15 and 19, 1998, two intense dust storms were generated over the Gobi desert by springtime low-pressure systems descending from the northwest. The windblown dust was detected and its evolution followed by its yellow color on SeaWiFS satellite images, routine surface-based monitoring, and through serendipitous observations. The April 15 dust cloud was recirculating, and it was removed by a precipitating weather system over east Asia. The April 19 dust cloud crossed the Pacific Ocean in 5 days, subsided to the surface along the mountain ranges between British Columbia and California, and impacted severely the optical and the concentration environments of the region. In east Asia the dust clouds increased the albedo over the cloudless ocean and land by up to 10-20%, but it reduced the near-UV cloud reflectance, causing a yellow coloration of all surfaces. The yellow colored backscattering by the dust eludes a plausible explanation using simple Mie theory with constant refractive index. Over the West Coast the dust layer has increased the spectrally uniform optical depth to about 0.4, reduced the direct solar radiation by 30-40%, doubled the diffuse radiation, and caused a whitish discoloration of the blue sky. On April 29 the average excess surface-level dust aerosol concentration over the valleys of the West Coast was about 20-50 ??g/m3 with local peaks >100 ??g/m3. The dust mass mean diameter was 2-3 ??m, and the dust chemical fingerprints were evident throughout the West Coast and extended to Minnesota. The April 1998 dust event has impacted the surface aerosol concentration 2-4 times more than any other dust event since 1988. The dust events were observed and interpreted by an ad hoc international web-based virtual community. It would be useful to set up a community-supported web-based infrastructure to monitor the global aerosol pattern for such extreme aerosol events, to alert and to inform the interested communities, and to facilitate collaborative

Step by step in dust control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Archer, N. [Arch Environmental Equipment, Inc. (United States)

2003-05-01

The paper examines the different stages in identifying delegating and controlling dust before it becomes a serious problem for a facility. Material handling, processing, storage and traffic are the major dust producing sources. All industries that convey dry, light material need to install a dust control system. The confine-seal-suppress method of dust control has provided excellent results in numerous applications, only with the combination of all three will maximum dust control. When a system is properly engineered and correctly installed, meeting the EPA Government standards becomes very easy, and is necessary in to the operation of a quality facility. 5 photos.

Dust coma of Halley comet: measurements with the dust counter and mass analyzer (DUSMA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, J.A.; Sagdeev, R.Z.; Tuzzolino, A.J.; AN SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Kosmicheskikh Issledovanij)

1986-01-01

The paper represents a preliminary report on measurements of spatial and temporal distribution of mass and flows of dust particles coming from comet nucleus performed by means of devices constructed on the new principle of detecting comet dust specks. The device has a high time resolution (∼ 4 μs) in the wide range of mass and dust flows. On the base of a preliminary analysis the following conclusions are drawn: dust coma in quiet state (''Vega-2'') as well as at the presence of considerable emissions (''Vega-1'') manifests the presence of important short-term out-bursts having by time a quasi-periodic structure. Integral mass spectra show flows intensity growth with the decrease of measured mass (which contradicts some theoretical models). Flow levels lie approximately in the region previously determined by ground observations. The coma is extremely dynamic both in space and in time which proves the complex structure of regions of dust emission from the nucleus

Adaptation of the DP 50 dust meter for measuring dust content under isokinetic conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vitek, J.; Novak, L.

1985-03-01

The DP 50 dust meter, developed by the Scientific Coal Research Institute Ostrava-Radvanice, is used for measuring dust content in the air in underground coal mines. Two versions of the system are used: a type developed in 1970 which is placed in a vertical position and used to measure the content of respirable coal particles in the air; and a type developed in 1983 for isokinetic measurement of dust content in the air. The latter is equipped with 8 cone-shaped adapters (with differing size and dimensions of the cone inlet adjusted to air flow rates from 0.25 to 8.00 m/s). Specifications of the 8 adapters are given in a table. The 1983 version of the DP 50 is placed in a horizontal position with the dust meter axis parallel to the direction of air flow ventilating a mine working. Recommendations for installation of dust meters in underground workings and effects of installation on measurement accuracy are discussed. 16 references.

Cold urticaria. Dissociation of cold-evoked histamine release and urticara following cold challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Keahey, T M; Greaves, M W

1980-02-01

Nine patients with acquired cold urticaria were studied to assess the effects of beta-adrenergic agents, xanthines, and corticosteroids on cold-evoked histamine release from skin in vivo. The patients, in all of whom an immediate urticarial response developed after cooling of the forearm, demonstrated release of histamine into the venous blood draining that forearm. Following treatment with aminophylline and albuterol in combination or prednisone alone, suppression of histamine release occurred in all but one patient. In some patients, this was accompanied by a subjective diminution in pruritus or buring, but there was no significant improvement in the ensuing edema or erythema. In one patient, total suppression of histamine release was achieved without any effect on whealing and erythema in response to cold challenge. Our results suggest that histamine is not central to the pathogenesis of vascular changes in acquired cold urticaria.

Response of the Eastern Mediterranean microbial ecosystem to dust and dust affected by acid processing in the atmosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael David Krom

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Acid processes in the atmosphere, particularly those caused by anthropogenic acid gases, increase the amount of bioavailable P in dust and hence are predicted to increase microbial biomass and primary productivity when supplied to oceanic surface waters. This is likely to be particularly important in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS, which is P limited during the winter bloom and N&P co-limited for phytoplankton in summer. However, it is not clear how the acid processes acting on Saharan dust will affect the microbial biomass and primary productivity in the EMS. Here, we carried out bioassay manipulations on EMS surface water on which Saharan dust was added as dust (Z, acid treated dust (ZA, dust plus excess N (ZN and acid treated dust with excess N (ZNA during springtime (May 2012 and measured bacterioplankton biomass, metabolic and other relevant chemical and biological parameters. We show that acid treatment of Saharan dust increased the amount of bioavailable P supplied by a factor of ~40 compared to non-acidified dust (18.4 nmoles P mg-1 dust vs. 0.45 nmoles P mg-1 dust, respectively. The increase in chlorophyll, primary and bacterial productivity for treatments Z and ZA were controlled by the amount of N added with the dust while those for treatments ZN and ZNA (in which excessive N was added were controlled by the amount of P added. These results confirm that the surface waters were N&P co-limited for phytoplankton during springtime. However, total chlorophyll and primary productivity in the acid treated dust additions (ZA and ZNA were less than predicted from that calculated from the amount of the potentially limiting nutrient added. This biological inhibition was interpreted as being due to labile trace metals being added with the acidified dust. A probable cause for this biological inhibition was the addition of dissolved Al, which forms potentially toxic Al nanoparticles when added to seawater. Thus, the effect of anthropogenic acid

On Dust Charging Equation

OpenAIRE

Tsintsadze, Nodar L.; Tsintsadze, Levan N.

2008-01-01

A general derivation of the charging equation of a dust grain is presented, and indicated where and when it can be used. A problem of linear fluctuations of charges on the surface of the dust grain is discussed.

Studies of dust shells around stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedijn, P.J.

1977-01-01

This thesis deals with some aspects of circumstellar dust shells. This dust shell, emitting infrared radiation, is described by way of its absorptive and emissive properties as well as by the transfer of radiation through the dust shell itself. Model calculations are compared to experimental results and agree reasonably well. The author also discusses the dynamics of the extended shells of gas and dust around newly formed stars

SPITZER AND HERSCHEL MULTIWAVELENGTH CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DUST CONTENT OF EVOLVED H II REGIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paladini, R. [NASA Herschel Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200, East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Umana, G. [INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, I-95123 Catania (Italy); Veneziani, M.; Noriega-Crespo, A. [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200, East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Anderson, L. D. [Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 (United States); Piacentini, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Roma La Sapienza, I-00185 Roma (Italy); Pinheiro Goncalves, D. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto 50 George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada); Paradis, D.; Bernard, J.-P. [Centre d' Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France); Tibbs, C. T. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200, East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Natoli, P., E-mail: paladini@ipac.caltech.edu [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione Ferrara, I-44100 Ferrara (Italy)

2012-12-01

We have analyzed a uniform sample of 16 evolved H II regions located in a 2 Degree-Sign Multiplication-Sign 2 Degree-Sign Galactic field centered at (l,b) = (30 Degree-Sign , 0 Degree-Sign ) and observed as part of the Herschel Hi-GAL survey. The evolutionary stage of these H II regions was established using ancillary radio-continuum data. By combining Hi-GAL PACS (70 {mu}m, 160 {mu}m) and SPIRE (250 {mu}m, 350 {mu}m, and 500 {mu}m) measurements with MIPSGAL 24 {mu}m data, we built spectral energy distributions of the sources and showed that a two-component gray-body model is a good representation of the data. In particular, wavelengths >70 {mu}m appear to trace a cold dust component, for which we estimated an equilibrium temperature of the big grains (BGs) in the range 20-30 K, while for {lambda} < 70 {mu}m, the data indicate the presence of a warm dust component at temperatures of the order of 50-90 K. This analysis also revealed that dust is present in the interior of H II regions, although likely not in a large amount. In addition, the data seem to corroborate the hypothesis that the main mechanism responsible for the (partial) depletion of dust in H II regions is radiation-pressure-driven drift. In this framework, we speculated that the 24 {mu}m emission that spatially correlates with ionized gas might be associated with either very small grain or BG replenishment, as recently proposed for the case of wind-blown bubbles. Finally, we found that evolved H II regions are characterized by distinctive far-IR and submillimeter colors, which can be used as diagnostics for their identification in unresolved Galactic and extragalactic regions.

FTIR analysis and evaluation of carcinogenic and mutagenic risks of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in PM1.0.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Ismael Luís; Teixeira, Elba Calesso; Agudelo-Castañeda, Dayana Milena; Silva E Silva, Gabriel; Balzaretti, Naira; Braga, Marcel Ferreira; Oliveira, Luís Felipe Silva

2016-01-15

Nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) represent a group of organic compounds of significant interest due to their presence in airborne particulates of urban centers, wide distribution in the environment, and mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. These compounds, associated with atmospheric particles of size PM1.0) using infrared spectrometry. Carcinogenic and mutagenic risks of the studied NPAHs associated with PM1.0 samples were also determined for two sampling sites: Canoas and Sapucaia do Sul. The results showed that NPAH standard spectra can effectively identify NPAHs in PM1.0 samples. The transmittance and emissivity sample spectra showed broader bands and lower relative intensity than the standard NPAH spectra. The carcinogenic risk and the total mutagenic risk were calculated using the toxic equivalent factors and mutagenic potency factors, respectively. Canoas showed the highest total carcinogenic risk, while Sapucaia do Sul had the highest mutagenic risk. The seasonal analysis suggested that in the study area the ambient air is more toxic during the cold periods. These findings might of significant importance for the decision and policy making authorities.

[Simultaneous determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette filter by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaotao; Zhang, Li; Ruan, Yibin; Wang, Weiwei; Ji, Houwei; Wan, Qiang; Lin, Fucheng; Liu, Jian

2017-10-08

A method for the simultaneous determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette filter was developed by isotope internal standard combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The cigarette filters were extracted with dichloromethane, and the extract was filtered with 0.22 μm organic phase membrane. The samples were isolated by DB-5MS column (30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm) and detected using multiple reaction monitoring mode of electron impact source under positive ion mode. The linearities of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (acenapthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, ben[ a ]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[ b ]fluoranthene, benzo[ k ]fluoranthene, benzo[ a ]pyrene, dibenzo[ a,h ]anthracene, benzo[ g,h,i ]perylene and indeno[1,2,3- c,d ]pyrene) were good, and the correlation coefficients ( R 2 ) ranged from 0.9914 to 0.9999. The average recoveries of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 81.6%-109.6% at low, middle and high spiked levels, and the relative standard deviations were less than 16%, except that the relative standard deviation of fluorene at the low spiked level was 19.2%. The limits of detection of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 0.02 to 0.24 ng/filter, and the limits of quantification were 0.04 to 0.80 ng/filter. The method is simple, rapid, accurate, sensitive and reproducible. It is suitable for the quantitative analysis of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette filters.