ALBERT

Description: The seasonal variations of greenhouse gases at about 11 km altitude were analyzed from monthly air samples collected aboard a commercial airliner flying between Europe and Japan from April 2012 to March 2014. Compared to lower latitudes, the upper troposphere between 50 and 70°N showed higher CH 4 and SF 6 and an earlier seasonal phase of CO 2 . However, N 2 O values were similar to those in the subtropics. CH 4 , N 2 O and SF 6 in the lower stratosphere with potential temperature of up to 50 K above the tropopause showed seasonal variations with maxima in November/December and minima in April/May. At potential temperatures of 37.5-50 K above the tropopause, SF 6 age was estimated to be about 22 months in May and 9 months in November. This strong seasonal variation is explained by the subsidence of high-stratospheric air in spring and the effective flushing of the lowermost stratospheric air with tropospheric air in autumn.

Description: The Eu 2+ -doped NaBaPO 4 phosphor was prepared by high-temperature solid-state reaction. The photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra and the luminescence quantum efficiency of Eu 2+ ions were investigated. The dependence of luminescence intensity on temperatures and the temperature-dependent decay times of Eu 2+ ions doped in NaBaPO 4 were measured and discussed. The natures of the Eu 2+ emission in NaBaPO 4 , e.g., the Stokes shift, the luminescence quenching temperature ( T 0.5 ), the activation energy for thermal quenching (δ E ) were reported. In addition, the crystal structure and the site occupancy of Eu 2+ ions doped in NaBaPO 4 crystal lattice were discussed. Two different Eu 2+ centers were assigned according to the crystal structure and the luminescence characteristics of Eu 2+ ions. The phosphor shows an excellent thermal stability on temperature quenching effects. With the increasing of temperature, the emission bands show the abnormal blue-shift.

Description: We developed a Keyhole Markup Language (KML) generator for converting geochemical and isotopic data sets for rocks and sediments stored in database systems into KML. Our program allows users to visualize geochemical or isotopic data easily in Google Earth. The generator accepts data files produced by the database systems PetDB, SedDB, GEOROC, and GANSEKI. The data are plotted three-dimensionally as a bar graph on the surface of the virtual Earth at the sampling site. This type of visual presentation, including information on sample localities, directly shows the distribution of isotopic or compositional anomalies of specific samples on the Earth's surface. We provide a Web application for the generator, so anyone can set the parameters for visualization over the Internet. With other KML generators we developed earlier, geochemical data can be overlain on a seismic tomographic model. This overlay image can provide information on the origin of samples in the tomographic model.

Description: Sm 3+ -doped glass 13 SrO –2 Bi 2 O 3 –5 K 2 O –80 B 2 O 3 was fabricated by the conventional melt-quenching technique. The glass-ceramics were obtained by heating the as-prepared glasses in air atmosphere at selected temperatures 550°C, 600°C, 615°C, and 650°C, respectively. The luminescence spectra of both Sm 3+ and Sm 2+ were detected in the ceramic heated at 650°C where crystalline phase is formed. The as-prepared glass and the ceramics heated at 550°C, 600°C, and 615°C show only the emission due to Sm 3+ . In the sample heated at 650°C in air atmosphere, however, part of Sm 3+ ions was converted to Sm 2+ , giving rise to sharp emission lines which are characteristic of Sm 2+ in crystalline state. It is suggested that Sm 2+ ions are located at Sr 2+ site in the ceramic while Sm 3+ ions are located at Bi 3+ sites. The Sm 2+ -doped glass-ceramic has a high optical stability because the fluorescence intensity decreases by only about 8% of its initial value upon excitation at 488 nm Ar + laser.

Description: The brain is one of the most energetically expensive organs in the vertebrate body. Consequently, the high cost of brain development and maintenance is predicted to constrain adaptive brain size evolution (the expensive tissue hypothesis, ETH). Here, we test the ETH in a teleost fish with predominant female mating competition (reversed sex roles) and male pregnancy, the pacific seaweed pipefish Syngnathus schlegeli . The relative size of the brain and other energetically expensive organs (kidney, liver, heart, gut, visceral fat, and ovary/testis) was compared among three groups: pregnant males, nonpregnant males and egg producing females. Brood size in pregnant males was unrelated to brain size or the size of any other organ, whereas positive relationships were found between ovary size, kidney size, and liver size in females. Moreover, we found that the size of energetically expensive organs (brain, heart, gut, kidney, and liver) as well as the amount of visceral fat did not differ between pregnant and nonpregnant males. However, we found marked differences in relative size of the expensive organs between sexes. Females had larger liver and kidney than males, whereas males stored more visceral fat than females. Furthermore, in females we found a negative correlation between brain size and the amount of visceral fat, whereas in males, a positive trend between brain size and both liver and heart size was found. These results suggest that, while the majority of variation in the size of various expensive organs in this species likely reflects that individuals in good condition can afford to allocate resources to several organs, the cost of the expensive brain was visible in the visceral fat content of females, possibly due to the high costs associated with female egg production. We tested the expensive tissue hypothesis (ETH) in a sex-role-reversed pipefish Syngnathus schlegeli . We found a trade-off between brain size and the amount of visceral fat storage in females, supporting the ETH at the within species level.

Description: The non-doped and 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mol% Er 3+ -doped 0.75 Pb ( Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 ) O 3 -0.25 Pb TiO 3 (called PMN-PT) transparent ceramics have been fabricated. The optical absorption spectra, photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, and the up-conversion luminescence spectra under the excitation of 980 nm laser were investigated. The up-conversion luminescence of Er 3+ -doped PMN - PT transparent ceramics changes from yellowish green to reddish orange with increasing the Er 3+ doping concentration. The dependence of visible up-conversion luminescence on the laser power was measured. The up-conversion luminescence saturation is observed for Er 3+ 5.0 mol%-doped PMN - PT . A possible up-conversion luminescence mechanism is proposed, which depends on Er 3+ concentration. The up-conversion emission is mainly due to excited state absorption for lightly Er 3+ -doped PMN - PT transparent ceramics, while the energy-transfer processes are for highly doped ones.

Description: Some of the most dramatic effects of climate change have been observed in the Earth's polar regions. In Greenland, ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated in recent years [ Shepherd et al ., 2012]. Outlet glaciers are changing their behavior rapidly, with many thinning, retreating, and accelerating [ Joughin et al ., 2004]. The loss of ice weighing on the crust and mantle below has allowed both to rebound, resulting in high rock uplift rates [ Bevis et al ., 2012]. Changes in ice cover and meltwater production influence sea level and climate feedbacks; they are expected to contribute to increasing vulnerability to geohazards such as landslides, flooding, and extreme weather.

Description: Erythropoiesis is strongly influenced by the interactions between stromal cells and erythroid progenitors, as well as by a key regulatory factor, erythropoietin (EPO). We previously generated mice with a knock-down mutation of Hif-2α (referred to as kd/kd ) and found that these kd/kd mice exhibited normocytic anemia, even though the EPO expression was not severely affected. However, the VCAM-1 expression in spleen endothelial cells (EC), which is regulated by HIF-2α was impaired, resulting in defective erythroid maturation. A deficiency of HIF-2α clearly led to pancytopenia. However, the critical level of HIF-2α required for erythropoiesis has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we generated HIF-2α knockdown/knockout heterozygous mice ( kd/null ). Strikingly, anemia was observed in the kd/null mice, but the red blood cell indices were significantly improved compared to those of kd/kd mice. In the spleens of kd/null mice, higher HIF-1α activity and expansion of the red pulp area were observed compared to those of kd/kd mice. Importantly, EC isolated from kd/null spleens showed high expression of VEGF receptors, FLK-1 and FLT-1, which are regulated by HIF-1α instead of HIF-2α under hypoxic conditions. We also found higher expression of phosphorylated ERK and higher proliferative activity in the EC isolated from kd/null mice compared to those from kd/kd mice. While the HIF-2α expression was diminished, HIF-1α bound to the HRE region in the promoters of genes that are normally regulated by HIF-2α. These results suggest that there is a compensatory pathway involving HIF-1α that regulates the expression of some HIF-2α target genes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Description: Yb 3+ -doped Zn 2 V 2 O 7 particles were synthesized via the Pechini method. The crystal structure and morphology of the polycrystalline samples were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy measurements, respectively. The reflectance spectrum, photoluminescence excitation, emission spectra, and the absolute quantum efficiency of the IR emission (900–1100) were measured. The intense near-IR emission around 1000 nm attributed to the 2 F 5/2 2 F 7/2 transition of Yb 3+ was observed under the excitation of ultraviolet light in the Yb 3+ -doped pyrovanadate. The efficient energy transfer from VO 4 groups into Yb 3+ ions was confirmed by the optical spectra and fluorescent lifetime measurements. These results demonstrate that the Yb 3+ -doped pyrovanadate particles are promising materials for spectral conversion from visible sunlight to near-infrared emission and it may have potential application for spectral convertor to enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency of c-Si solar cells.

Description: Jadeite-bearing kyanite eclogite has been discovered in the Iratsu body of the Sanbagawa belt, SW Japan. The jadeite + kyanite assemblage is stable at higher pressure-temperature ( P – T ) conditions or lower H 2 O activity [ a (H 2 O)] than paragonite, although paragonite-bearing eclogite is common in the Sanbagawa belt. The newly discovered eclogite is a massive metagabbro with the peak- P assemblage garnet + omphacite + jadeite + kyanite + phengite + quartz + rutile. Impure jadeite is exclusively present as inclusions in garnet. The compositional gap between the coexisting omphacite (P2/n) and impure jadeite (C2/c) suggests relatively low metamorphic temperatures of 510–620 °C. Multi-equilibrium thermobarometry for the assemblage garnet + omphacite + kyanite + phengite + quartz gives peak- P conditions of ~2.5 GPa, 570 °C. Crystallization of jadeite in the metagabbro is attributed to Na- and Al-rich effective bulk composition due to the persistence of relict Ca-rich clinopyroxene at the peak- P stage. By subtracting relict clinopyroxene from the whole rock composition, pseudosection modelling satisfactorily reproduces the observed jadeite-bearing assemblage and mineral compositions at ~2.4–2.5 GPa, 570–610 °C and a (H 2 O) 〉0.6. The relatively high pressure conditions derived from the jadeite-bearing kyanite eclogite are further supported by high residual pressures of quartz inclusions in garnet. The maximum depth of exhumation in the Sanbagawa belt (~80 km) suggests decoupling of the slab-mantle wedge interface at this depth. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.