ALBERT

Description: Previous studies have shown that the ionospheric “strong range spread F” (SSF) closely correlates with the occurrence of scintillations caused by equatorial plasma bubbles. However, there is no report on concurrent observations of SSF and bubbles with in situ measurement. This paper discusses two cases of concurrent observations with a DPS4 Digisonde and a collocated scintillation monitor at the low-latitude station Hainan (19.5° N, 109.1° E), and with in situ ion density measurements made by the ROCSAT-1 satellite. Two case studies were made for 10 and 23 April 2004, respectively. In both cases the SSF occurred before midnight and lasted more than 3.5 hours. The scintillations were accompanied with strong range SF. Concurrently, the ROCSAT-1 satellite observed plasma bubbles over Hainan station. In the first case, two bubbles were observed by the satellite with east–west sizes of more than ~200 km over Hainan station. Two bubbles were also observed in the second case with east–west extensions of about 220 km and 35 km, respectively. For the first time direct observational evidence is provided for the causal relationship between equatorial plasma bubbles with in situ measurement and the concurrent occurrence of SSF and strong scintillations.

Description: Generation of fully functional hematopoietic multipotent progenitor (MPP) cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has a great therapeutic potential to provide an unlimited cell source for treatment of hematological disorders. We previously demonstrated that CD34 + CD31 + CD144 + population derived from hPSCs contain hemato-endothelial progenitors (HEPs) that give rise to hematopoietic and endothelial cells. Here, we report a differentiation system to generate definitive hematopoietic MPP cells from HEPs via endothelial monolayer. In the presence of angiogenic factors, HEPs formed an endothelial monolayer, from which hematopoietic clusters emerged through the process of endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT). EHT was significantly enhanced by hematopoietic growth factors. The definitive MPP cells generated from endothelial monolayer were capable of forming multilineage hematopoietic colonies, giving rise to T lymphoid cells, and differentiating into enucleated erythrocytes. Emergence of hematopoietic cells from endothelial monolayer occurred transiently. Hematopoietic potential was lost during prolonged culture of HEPs in endothelial growth conditions. Our study demonstrated that CD34 + CD31 + CD144 + HEPs gave rise to hematopoietic MPP cells via hemogenic endothelial cells that exist transiently. The established differentiation system provides a platform for future investigation of regulatory factors involved in de novo generation of hematopoietic MPP cells and their applications in transplantation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Description: Patient-specific human induced-pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represent important cell sources to treat patients with acquired blood disorders. To realize the therapeutic potential of hiPSCs, it is crucial to understand signals that direct hiPSC differentiation to a hematopoietic lineage fate. Our previous study demonstrated that CD34 + CD31 + cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) contain progenitors that give rise to hematopoietic cells and endothelial cells. Here, we established a serum-free and feeder-free system to induce the differentiation of hPSC-derived CD34 + CD31 + progenitor cells to erythroid cells. We show that extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins promote the differentiation of CD34 + CD31 + progenitor cells into CD235a + erythroid cells through CD41 + CD235a + megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEP). Erythropoietin (EPO) is a predominant factor for CD34 + CD31 + progenitor differentiation to erythroid cells, whereas transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) inhibits the development of CD34 + CD31 + progenitor cells. Apoptosis of progenitor cells is induced by TGF-β in early erythroid differentiation. Suppression of TGF-β signaling by SB431542 at early stage of CD34 + CD31 + progenitor differentiation induces the erythroid cell generation. Together, these findings suggest that TGF-β suppression and EPO stimulation promote erythropoiesis of CD34 + CD31 + progenitor cells derived from hPSCs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Description: Meteorology and microphysics affect cloud formation, cloud droplet distributions and shortwave reflectance. The Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment (E-PEACE) and the Stratocumulus Observations of Los-Angeles Emissions Derived Aerosol-Droplets (SOLEDAD) studies provided measurements in six case studies of cloud thermodynamic properties, initial particle number distribution and composition, and cloud drop distribution. In this study, we use simulations from a chemical and microphysical aerosol-cloud parcel (ACP) model with explicit kinetic drop activation to reproduce observed cloud droplet distributions of the case studies. Four cases had sub-adiabatic lapse rates, resulting in fewer activated droplets, lower liquid water content (LWC) and higher cloud base height than an adiabatic lapse rate. A weighted ensemble of simulations that reflect measured variation in updraft velocity and cloud base height was used to reproduce observed droplet distributions. Simulations show organic hygroscopicity in internally mixed cases causes small effects on cloud reflectivity (CR) (〈0.01), except for cargo ship and smoke plumes, which increased CR by 0.02 and 0.07, respectively, owing to their high organic mass fraction. Organic hygroscopicity had larger effects on droplet concentrations for cases with higher aerosol concentrations near the critical diameter (namely polluted cases with a modal peak near 0.1 µm). Differences in simulated droplet spectral widths (k) caused larger differences in CR than organic hygroscopicity in cases with organic mass fractions of 60% or less for the cases shown. Finally, simulations from a numerical parameterization of cloud droplet activation suitable for GCMs compared well with the ACP model, except under high organic mass fraction.

Description: Primary marine aerosol (PMA)-cloud interactions off the coast of California were investigated using observations of marine aerosol, CCN and stratocumulus clouds during the Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment (E-PEACE) and the Stratocumulus Observations of Los-Angeles Emissions Derived Aerosol-Droplets (SOLEDAD) studies. Based on recently reported measurements of PMA size distributions, a constrained lognormal mode fitting procedure was devised to isolate PMA number size distributions from total aerosol size distributions and applied to E-PEACE measurements. During the 12-day E-PEACE cruise on the R/V Point Sur , PMA typically contributed less than 15% of total particle concentrations. PMA number concentrations averaged 12 cm -3 during a relatively calmer period (average wind speed 12 m/s 1 ) lasting 8 days, and 71 cm -3 during a period of higher wind speeds (average 16 m/s 1 ) lasting 5 days. On average, PMA contributed less than 10% of total CCN at supersaturations up to 0.9% during the calmer period; however, during the higher wind speed period, PMA comprised 5 – 63% of CCN (average 16 – 28%) at supersaturations less than 0.3%. Sea salt was measured directly in the dried residuals of cloud droplets during the SOLEDAD study. The mass fractions of sea salt in the residuals averaged 12 to 24% during three cloud events. Comparing the marine stratocumulus clouds sampled in the two campaigns, measured peak supersaturations were 0.2 ± 0.04% during E-PEACE and 0.05 – 0.1% during SOLEDAD. The available measurements show that CDNC increased with 〉100 nm particles in E-PEACE but decreased in the three SOLEDAD cloud events.

Description: Soot oxidation with NO (in the absence of gas phase O 2 ) on potassium-supported Mg-Al hydrotalcite mixed oxides (K/MgAlO) was studied using a temperature-programmed reaction and in situ FTIR techniques. Nitrite and the ketene group were identified as the reaction intermediates and thus a nitrite-ketene mechanism was proposed in which surface active oxygen on K sites of K/MgAlO is transferred to soot by NO through nitrites. In the absence of gas phase O 2 , soot oxidation with NO at lower temperatures (below 450 °C) is limited by the amount of active oxygen on the K sites. This kind of active oxygen is not reusable but can be replenished in the presence of gas phase O 2 . Soot oxidation with NO on K/MgAIO was studied by temperature-programmed reaction and in situ FTIR. The nitrite and the ketene group were identified as the reaction intermediates and thus a nitrite–ketene mechanism was proposed, in which surface active oxygen on K sites is transferred to soot by NO through nitrites, forming the ketene group.

Description: The representation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the fifth Coupled Models Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) is generally improved over CMIP3. The range of modeled transports in the historical (1976–2006) scenario is reduced (90–264 Sv) compared with CMIP3 (33–337 Sv) with a mean of 155 ± 51 Sv. The large intermodel range is associated with significant differences in the ACC density structure. The ACC position is accurately represented at most longitudes, with a small (1.27°) standard deviation in mean latitude. The westerly wind jet driving the ACC is biased too strong and too far north on average. Unlike CMIP3 there is no correlation between modeled ACC latitude and the position of the westerly wind jet. Under future climate forcing scenarios (2070–2099 mean) the modeled ACC transport changes by between −26 to +17 Sv and the ACC shifts polewards (equatorwards) in models where the transport increases (decreases). There is no significant correlation between the ACC position change and that of the westerly wind jet, which shifts polewards and strengthens. The subtropical gyres strengthen and expand southwards, while the change in subpolar gyre area varies between models. An increase in subpolar gyre area corresponds with a decreases in ACC transport and an equatorward shift in the ACC position, and vice versa for a contraction of the gyre area. There is a general decrease in density in the upper 1000 m, particularly equatorwards of the ACC core.

Description: Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which can directly convert chemical energy in organic matters into electricity, have drawn a lot of attention in the past decades. Recently, MFCs have been integrated with waste-activated sludge (WAS) treatment for recovering energy from WAS. Since 2004, a number of publications regarding this topic have been published. The recent advances in MFCs powered by WAS are critically reviewed. MFC reactor designs, MFC performances, and sludge degradation efficiencies are addressed based on the recent related publications. The challenges and corresponding enhancement measures of MFCs using WAS as fuel are also discussed. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising technology for the production of electricity from waste-activated sludge (WAS). A critical review on recent progresses in MFCs powered by WAS summarizes related publications on MFC reactor designs, MFC performan-ces, and sludge degradation efficiencies. Challenges and corresponding enhancement measures of MFCs applying WAS as fuel are discussed as well.

Description: Enceladus is one of Saturn's most active moons. It ejects neutral gas and dust particles from its southern plumes with velocities of hundreds of meters per second. The interaction between the ejected material and the corotating plasma in Saturn's magnetosphere leads to flow deceleration in ways that remain to be understood. The most effective mechanism for the interaction between the corotating plasma and the neutral gas is charge exchange which replaces the hotter corotating ions with nearly stationary cold ions that are subsequently accelerated by the motional electric field. Dust particles in the plume can become electrically charged through electron absorption and couple to the plasma through the motional electric field. The objective of this study is to determine the level of flow deceleration associated with each of these processes using Cassini RPWS dust impact rates, Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) plasma data, and 3-D electromagnetic hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) simulations. Hybrid simulations show that the degree of flow deceleration by charged dust varies considerably with the spatial distribution of dust particles. Based on the RPWS observations of dust impacts during the E7 Cassini flyby of Enceladus, we have constructed a dust model consisting of multiple plumes. Using this model in the hybrid simulation shows that when the dust density is high enough for complete absorption of electrons at the point of maximum dust density, the corotating flow is decelerated by only a few km/s. This is not sufficient to account for the CAPS observation of flow stagnation in the interaction region. On the other hand, charge exchange with neutral gas plumes similar to the modeled dust plumes but with base (plume opening) densities of ∼109 cm−3 result in flow deceleration similar to that observed by CAPS. The results indicate that charge exchange with neutral gas is the dominant mechanism for flow deceleration at Enceladus.

Description: Abstract Seismic spectral ratios between the 3 September 2017 North Korean nuclear test (NKT2017) and four earlier Korean tests (25 May 2009, NKT2009; 12 February 2013, NKT2013; 6 January 20016, NKT2016J; and 9 September 2016, NKT2016S) are investigated. All the observed teleseismic P wave spectral ratios exhibit a unique notch at approximately 2.5 Hz, but it is not observed for spectral ratios of regional P and Lg waves. Meanwhile, for a given event pair, the network‐averaged Lg wave spectral ratio is similar to that of regional P wave, but with the explosions' source corner frequencies significantly reduced, supporting the conjecture by Fisk (2006, https://doi.org/10.1785/0120060023). We demonstrated that the observed notch of teleseismic P wave spectral ratios may be well modeled with interference between pP and P waves with an apparent pP‐P time delay ΔtpP of about 0.4 s for NKT2017, while regional P wave spectral ratios may be well fitted with source spectral ratios predicted by classical explosion source models including Mueller and Murphy (1971, https://doi.org/10.2172/4107998) (MM71), Denny and Johnson (1991, https://doi.org/10.1029/gm065p0001) (DJ91), and their two hybrids. Via the above modeling, yield sizes of the explosions and the depth of burials of NKT2009–2016S are determined as functions of NKT2017's buried depth h0. Our result indicate that, for h0 in the range of 600–1,100 m, the MM71‐related models give yield estimations about 100–300 kt for NKT2017, 3–7 kt for NKT2009, 6–15 kt for NKT2013 and NKT2016J, and 10–25 kt for NKT2016S, while yield sizes obtained by model DJ91 are much smaller. Nevertheless, for all the above source models, the obtained depths of burial estimations of NKT2009–2016S are always significantly smaller than NKT2017's depth of burial h0.