ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 319〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Subish John, Samba Siva Vadla, Somnath C. Roy〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉CuO is a narrow band gap 〈em〉p〈/em〉-type semiconducting material having a wide range of applications. However, it is quite challenging to obtain phase pure CuO nanostructures grown directly on Cu substrate as most of the synthesis techniques like thermal oxidation results in the formation of additional Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O phase. In this work, we report the growth of CuO nanoflakes without the formation of Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O by a facile two-step synthesis process which consist of electrochemical anodization of Cu foil followed by low-temperature hydrothermal treatment at 100 °C. The phase purity of the sample is confirmed through XRD, XPS, and HRTEM. Further, photocurrent response of the sample is evaluated, and a rapid thermal treatment was used to improve the photo-response without altering the phase and morphology of the CuO nanoflakes. Such a process at 400 °C for 10 s resulted in a high photocurrent density of −4.6 mAcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 (at 0.05 V 〈em〉vs.〈/em〉 RHE under AM 1.5G conditions). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott Schottky analysis shows the direct role of rapid thermal treatment in increasing the charge carrier density of the sample.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468619313337-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 319〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cong Liu, Fenyun Yi, Dong Shu, Weixin Chen, Xiaoping Zhou, Zhenhua Zhu, Ronghua Zeng, Aimei Gao, Chun He, Xia Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Three-dimensional N/S co-doped succulent-like hierarchical carbon (3D NS-SHC) is synthesized by carbonization of a supramolecular cluster. In this supramolecular process, potassium citrate can act as a reliable carbon source, while the thiourea as a N/S source and then, two molecules gradually tend to generate a giant “all-in-one” precursor via hydrogen bonding verified by Independent Gradient Model (IGM) calculation. TEM and SEM images show the N/S co-doped carbon holds a novel 3D succulent-like hierarchical structure. For NS-SHC-8:8 sample, element mapping images display the uniform N/S atoms distribution. These distinct features can be related to the supramolecular polymerization which promotes in-situ N/S co-doping homogenously and conduces to build 3D structure. Typically, NS-SHC-8:8 electrode exhibits prominent specific capacitance (258.5 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 0.5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and excellent cycle stability (94.4% after 20000 cycles) in three-electrode system. Furthermore, an assembled quasi-solid state symmetric supercapacitor delivers good energy density (10.2 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 250 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and steady cycle endurance (85.1% after 10000 cycles). These eximious behaviors of NS-SHC-8:8 are mainly attributed to (1) the uniform N/S atoms distribution and their synergistic effect, which brings extra Faradaic reaction to higher specific capacitance, (2) the charming 3D succulent-like hierarchical structure, which serves as a multifunctional reservoir that can accommodate the ion/charge and facilitate their migration to further promote the electrochemical performance. Above mentions suggest that this uniformly heteroatom-modified carbon material produced by supramolecular technique is promising for high-performance energy storage devices.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468619313283-fx1.jpg" width="296" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 319〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Arunprabaharan Subramanian, Mahadeo A. Mahadik, Jin-Woo Park, In Kwon Jeong, Hee-Suk Chung, Hyun Hwi Lee, Sun Hee Choi, Weon-Sik Chae, Jum Suk Jang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Herein, we report the surface treatment on Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codoped α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 photoanode for high-performance photoelectrochemical water splitting. A high-temperature quenching exhibits the Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codoping in α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 photoanode without damaging morphology. The presence of Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codoping shows a cathodic shift in onset potential, but lack of increment in photocurrent reveals the major role of passivation and the minimum doping effect of aluminum. Additionally, CoO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 cocatalyst exhibits increment in photocurrent with the greater cathodic shift in onset potential than the pristine α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanorods. The CoO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 surface-reworked Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codoped α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 photoanode displays the highest photocurrent of 1.5 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 at 1.23 V vs. RHE (76% increment over the pristine α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉) and 0.7 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 at 1.0 V vs. RHE (102% increment over the pristine α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉). The systematic characterization carried out using x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy confirms that after Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codoping, and surface treatment, the crystalline structure, and morphology of the photoanodes remains unchanged. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the existence of Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codopants in the hematite nanostructure. The electrochemical properties of the photoanode suggest that Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 and Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉 codoping, as well as surface treatment with CoO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉, cocatalyst lowers charge transfer resistance across the FTO/hematite interface, and hematite/electrolyte interface. This designs not only lowers onset potential but also offers the blueprint for the development of an efficient catalyst for solar water oxidation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉CoO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 surface-reworked Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉/Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 codoped α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 photoanode displays the 102% increment in PEC performance than pristine α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 at 1.0 V vs. RHE.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468619312927-fx1.jpg" width="471" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Proteins and Proteomics, Volume 1867, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Deo R. Singh, Christopher King, Matt Salotto, Kalina Hristova〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉EGFR is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a critical role in cell proliferation, differentiation, survival and migration. Its activating ligand, EGF, has long been believed to stabilize the EGFR dimer. Two research studies aimed at quantitative measurements of EGFR dimerization, however, have led to contradicting conclusions and have questioned this view. Given the controversy, here we sought to measure the dimerization of EGFR in the absence and in the presence of saturating EGF concentrations, and to tease out the effect of ligand on dimer stability, using a FRET-based quantitative method. Our measurements show that the dissociation constant is decreased ~150 times due to ligand binding, indicative of significant dimer stabilization. In addition, our measurements demonstrate that EGF binding induces a conformational change in the EGFR dimer.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0005273619301476-ga1.jpg" width="265" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanjie Hou, Tian Gong, Jiangtao Zhang, Xi Yang, Yurong Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The thinned-young apple polysaccharides from three varieties were obtained by hot water extraction at 88 ̊C for 120 min. The compositional monosaccharides of the three polysaccharides were shown to be the same (xylose, mannose, galactose and glucose) and the molecular weights of the polysaccharides were in the range of 200–300 kDa. Compared with “Qinyang” and “Pinklady”, the polysaccharide from “Jinshiji” had the highest emulsifying capacity. Moreover, the variations in pH and cation ion concentrations had also a significant effect on the emulsifying properties of the extracted polysaccharides. At pH 2.0–4.0, the prepared emulsion had smaller droplet sizes than at higher pH values. Although the emulsion was stable at low concentrations of Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions, high concentrations of Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 led to significant destabilization of the emulsion. Conclusively, our results demonstrated the potential application of thinned-young apple polysaccharide as a natural polysaccharide emulsifying agent.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Proteins and Proteomics〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Martina Paumann-Page, Rupert Tscheliessnig, Benjamin Sevcnikar, Romy-Sophie Katz, Irene Schwartz, Stefan Hofbauer, Vera Pfanzagl, Paul G. Furtmüller, Christian Obinger〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Human peroxidasin 1 is a multidomain peroxidase situated in the basement membrane. The iron enzyme with covalently bound heme oxidizes bromide to hypobromous acid which facilitates the formation of distinct sulfilimine cross-links in the collagen IV network and therefore contributes to its mechanical stability. Additional to the catalytically active peroxidase domain peroxidasin comprises a leucine rich repeat domain, four Ig domains and a C-terminal von Willebrand factor type C module (VWC). Peroxidasin has been shown to form homotrimers involving two redox-sensitive cysteine residues and to undergo posttranslational C-terminal proteolytic cleavage. The present study on several recombinantly produced truncated peroxidasin variants showed that the VWC is not required for trimer formation whereas the alpha-helical linker region located between the peroxidase domain and the VWC is crucial for trimerization. Our data furthermore implies that peroxidasin oligomerization occurs intracellularly before C-terminal cleavage. For the first time we present overall solution structures of monomeric and trimeric truncated peroxidasin variants which were determined by rotary shadowing combined with transmission electron microscopy and by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). A triangular arrangement of the peroxidase domains to each other within the homotrimer was revealed and this structure was confirmed by a model of trimeric peroxidase domains. Our SAXS data showed that the Ig domains are highly flexible and interact with the peroxidase domain and that within the homotrimer each alpha-helical linker region interacts with the respective adjacent peroxidase domain. The implications of our findings on the structure-function relationship of peroxidasin are discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S1570963919301219-ga1.jpg" width="240" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 199〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peisheng Huang, Kerry Trayler, Benya Wang, Amina Saeed, Carolyn E. Oldham, Brendan Busch, Matthew R. Hipsey〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Effective short- and long-term estuarine water quality management decisions require a holistic view of estuarine response to multiple stressors that may be achieved through the integration of numerical modelling and observed data. Such an approach has been developed for the Swan-Canning Estuary system, a eutrophic urban estuary in Western Australia under threat from nutrient enrichment and a drying climate. Numerical modelling was integrated with long-term monitoring to develop the system Swan-Canning Estuary Virtual Observatory (SCEVO), which has been used to facilitate water quality management and streamline prediction workflows of hindcast, forecast, and environmental response functions. The system is based on a validated 3D water quality model, integrated within a data management system and related environmental models. A machine-learning method to improve the patchy and time-lagged catchment inputs is also highlighted. This work has identified that the key challenge associated with estuarine water quality prediction is the capability to (1) simulate internal physical and biogeochemical processes at suitable spatial resolution to resolve the gradients along the freshwater-ocean continuum; and (2) transition from using routine monitoring data as the basis for management decisions to using a diverse and integrated set of data streams as the basis for real-time operational decisions. Recommendations for high-frequency monitoring to support water quality modelling and dynamic integration between numerical and observed data for improved forecasting are discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Volume 135〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lamya H. Al-Wahaibi, Yusuf Sert, Fatih Ucun, Nora H. Al-Shaalan, Aisha Alsfouk, Ali A. El-Emam, Mustafa Karakaya〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This research relates to the molecular structure, electronic properties and IR, Raman and XPS analyses of the potential chemotherapeutic agent namely, 5-(adamantan-1-yl)-〈em〉N〈/em〉-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine. Another purpose is to explore the structural stabilities and consistencies and, to assess the stable interaction energy and intermolecular hydrogen bond geometry for its dimeric structure. The monomer and dimer optimizations of the molecule have been calculated by the DFT method using various functionals such as B3LYP, B3PW91, mPW1PW91 and M06-2X. Although the minimum energy optimization was calculated at the B3LYP functional, the BSSE-corrected and uncorrected interaction energies of the dimer structure were more effectively obtained with the M062X functional. This assured us a test of the efficiency of M06-Class functional calculations on intermolecular interactions of strongly bound systems. Additionally, the molecular docking study was done between our molecule (ligand) and the previously studied and known as cortisone reductase 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (receptor, 11-β-HSD1: PDB-2ILT).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0022369718334346-fx1.jpg" width="455" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Adrian Doicu, Michael I. Mishchenko〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The problem of backscattering of light by a discrete random medium illuminated by an obliquely incident plane electromagnetic wave is considered. The analysis is performed in a linear-polarization basis and includes (i) a complete derivation of the cross reflection matrix for a layer with densely and sparsely distributed particles, (ii) the design of an approximate method for computing the ladder and cross reflection matrices in the case of a semi-infinite medium with a sparse distribution of particles, (iii) the derivation of the relations between the elements of the ladder and cross reflection matrices in the exact backscattering direction for dense and sparse media, and (iv) the development of practical algorithms for solving the underlying integral equations by the method of Picard iterations and the discrete ordinate method. Simulation results for particles with large size parameters are also presented.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Volume 135〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hongfang Jiu, Na Ren, Lixin Zhang, Qing Zhang, Yuying Gao, Yajuan Meng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The flower-like ZnMn〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 hollow microtubules were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and calcination method. The composition and morphology were characterized. The results showed that flower-like hollow microtubules were obtained through calcination treatment. The as-prepared ZnMn〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 electrochemical properties of flower-like hollow microtubules anode material for lithium-ion batteries were investigated. The first charge and discharge capacity was measured at 2152/1263 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 when the current density at 400 mA g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. After 300 cycles, the capacity kept 515 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 corresponding to the coulombic efficiency of 99%, which exhibited preferable cycling performance. The stability of the structure has been shown by rate performance, which had been tested under different current density. The results suggest a promising application of the ZnMn〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 as anode material for lithium-ion batteries.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0022369718333468-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Volume 135〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Takahiro Iijima, Tadashi Shimizu, Atsushi Goto, Kenzo Deguchi, Toshihito Nakai, Ryutaro Ohashi, Masayoshi Saito〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In Ti-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts (ZNCs), disagreements exist concerning which lateral surface of the MgCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 support adsorbs Ti species so as to be an active site for the catalysis of polymerization. In the present paper, we investigated the local structure of TiCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 adsorbed onto the surface of MgCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 by 〈sup〉47,49〈/sup〉Ti solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra at 21.8 T along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The magic-angle-spinning NMR spectrum of the TiCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/MgCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adduct sample prepared by 20 h of milling, which exhibited broadened and shifted peaks compared to that of the sample without milling, was simulated by a Czjzek model considering the distribution of quadrupole interaction parameters. The electric field gradient and chemical shielding tensors of 〈sup〉49〈/sup〉Ti were obtained via DFT calculations for model molecules of TiCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, 2TiCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, and Ti〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Cl〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 adsorbed onto the (110), (104), and (104)-step defect surfaces of MgCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. By comparing the obtained NMR parameters, the 〈sup〉47,49〈/sup〉Ti NMR spectrum of the milled sample was assigned to TiCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 adsorbed onto the (104) surface of MgCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, which may not be a principal component of adsorption.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002236971930472X-fx1.jpg" width="380" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 199〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Arseny A. Kubryakov, Alexander S. Mikaelyan, Sergey V. Stanichny〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Bio-Argo measurements of the backscattering coefficient (〈em〉bbp〈/em〉) were used to investigate the time-depth evolution of coccolithophore blooms in the Black Sea. Five years of Bio-Argo data obtained in 2014–2018 revealed two distinct peaks of 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 corresponding to the winter and early summer coccolithophore blooms. The latter started in the upper mixed layer (UML) in April–May and was characterized by the highest coccolithophore concentrations. During the most extensive summer bloom in 2017, its estimates reach 10 × 10〈sup〉6〈/sup〉 cells l〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The summer blooms occupied the UML (0–10 m) and a seasonal thermocline (10–30 m). The lower boundary of the bloom was related to the position of isopycnal 1014 kg m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉, which deepens in May–July due to summer heating. Consequently, the coccolithophore bloom deepened to 20–30 m and terminated rapidly in July. Bloom termination was accompanied by a significant rise in light attenuation (〈em〉kd〈/em〉) in the sea basin. This peak was attributed to the release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which was possibly related to viral lysis and the exudation of lipids from coccolithophore cells. Data on the 〈em〉kd〈/em〉 was used to estimate the seasonal variability in DOC in the Black Sea. Maximal estimated values of DOC were observed at 15–35 m depth in June-August and coincided with the early summer coccolithophore bloom termination.〈/p〉 〈p〉The winter coccolithophore bloom started in October–November in the UML. The maximum 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 was observed in January. High values of 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 were observed down to a depth of 60 m during the maximal deepening of the mixed layer. The winter blooms were distinctly observed in MODIS satellite images, where they were characterized by high reflectance and relatively low chlorophyll concentrations. The estimated coccolithophore concentration in winter was lower than that in summer, but column-averaged 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 values were comparable. The winter coccolithophore bloom reached a peak within one month after the autumn peak of chlorophyll A, indicating the possible importance of the nutrients recycled after the diatom autumn bloom. In contrast to summer, the maximum DOC observed at the surface preceded the winter coccolithophore bloom, and the mass DOC production was probably attributed to the excretion and lysis of the non-calcified phytoplankton cells.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Computational Physics〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Maxim Rakhuba, Alexander Novikov, Ivan Oseledets〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Such problems as computation of spectra of spin chains and vibrational spectra of molecules can be written as 〈em〉high-dimensional eigenvalue problems〈/em〉, i.e., when the eigenvector can be naturally represented as a multidimensional tensor. Tensor methods have proven to be an efficient tool for the approximation of solutions of high-dimensional eigenvalue problems, however, their performance deteriorates quickly when the number of eigenstates to be computed increases. We address this issue by designing a new algorithm motivated by the ideas of 〈em〉Riemannian optimization〈/em〉 (optimization on smooth manifolds) for the approximation of multiple eigenstates in the 〈em〉tensor-train format〈/em〉, which is also known as matrix product state representation. The proposed algorithm is implemented in TensorFlow, which allows for both CPU and GPU parallelization.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Computational Physics〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chen Liu, Florian Frank, Faruk O. Alpak, Béatrice Rivière〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Permeability estimation of porous media from directly solving the Navier–Stokes equations has a wide spectrum of applications in petroleum industry. In this paper, we utilize a pressure-correction projection algorithm in conjunction with the interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin scheme for space discretization to build an incompressible Navier–Stokes simulator and to use this simulator to calculate permeability of real rock samples. The proposed method is accurate, numerically robust, and exhibits the potential for tackling realistic problems.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 199〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuanyi Li, Huan Feng, Haiwen Zhang, Jian Sun, Dekui Yuan, Lei Guo, Jing Nie, Jinglong Du〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The time required for water exchange characterizes the hydrodynamic condition of a water body, which is related to its self-purification ability. In this study, a numerical model based on a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model is established and implemented to calculate the age of water. Using the model, the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of the age of the water discharged into the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) Harbor from the Passaic River and the Hackensack River are calculated. The hydrodynamic conditions and the characteristics of water exchange in the harbor are analyzed from the perspective of age. The results indicate that the monthly-averaged age at the entrance of the NY/NJ Harbor is approximately 26 days and 40 days during the wet season and the dry season, respectively. River discharge has a significant impact on the spatial distribution of water age in the NY/NJ Harbor. Generally, high river discharge results in better water exchange and flushes contaminants out of the harbor quickly. However, discharges from several rivers flowing into the harbor interact and interfere with one another. Such interactions can improve or inhibit water and contaminant flushing from the harbor. The analysis of age variations and residual flows indicates that the Kill van Kull is one of the key channels controlling the contaminant transport and water quality in the Newark Bay. This study demonstrates the advantages of using water age to study the water exchange and physical self-purification ability of this complex harbor.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Computational Physics〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mustapha Malek, Nouh Izem, M. Shadi Mohamed, Mohammed Seaid, Omar Laghrouche〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉An efficient partition of unity finite element method for three-dimensional transient diffusion problems is presented. A class of multiple exponential functions independent of time variable is proposed to enrich the finite element approximations. As a consequence of this procedure, the associated matrix for the linear system is evaluated once at the first time step and the solution is obtained at subsequent time step by only updating the right-hand side of the linear system. This results in an efficient numerical solver for transient diffusion equations in three space dimensions. Compared to the conventional finite element methods with 〈em〉h〈/em〉-refinement, the proposed approach is simple, more efficient and more accurate. The performance of the proposed method is assessed using several test examples for transient diffusion in three space dimensions. We present numerical results for a transient diffusion equation with known analytical solution to quantify errors for the new method. We also solve time-dependent diffusion problems in complex geometries. We compare the results obtained using the partition of unity finite element method to those obtained using the standard finite element method. It is shown that the proposed method strongly reduces the necessary number of degrees of freedom to achieve a prescribed accuracy.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Computational Physics〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lahbib Bourhrara〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This document presents a new numerical scheme dealing with the Boltzmann transport equation. This scheme is based on the expansion of the angular flux in a truncated spherical harmonics function and the discontinuous finite element method for the spatial variable. The advantage of this scheme lies in the fact that we can deal with unstructured, non-conformal and curved meshes. Indeed, it is possible to deal with distorted regions whose boundary is constituted by edges that can be either line segments or circular arcs or circles. In this document, we detail the derivation of the method for 2D geometries. However, the generalization to 2D extruded geometries is trivial.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Icarus〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kandis-Lea Jessup, Emmanuel Marcq, Jean-Loup Bertaux, Franklin P. Mills, Sanjay Limaye, Anthony Roman〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) observations were obtained on 3 dates in December 2010 and January 2011 recording the cloud top properties over Aphrodite Terra and a low elevation region downwind of Aphrodite through LSTs extending from 7 to 11 a.m. From these data we trace the cloud top sulfur-oxide chemistry and UV albedo sensitivity to LST, latitude and topography. Above regions co-located in LST and latitude, albedo variations observed at 245 nm parallel those observed at 365 nm-following the pattern expected from Hadley cell circulation. However, darkening of the cloud top albedo at LSTs between 9.5 and 11 h beyond that expected from simple Hadley circulation was also observed. Above the plains the albedo darkening intensified rapidly with LST and was observed at latitudes extending as high as ~30 N; however, above the mountains the darkening was either entirely absent or evident only at 0 N at an intensity 2× lower than that observed over the plains. Because the observed 245 nm albedo LST variations were inconsistent with that expected from multiple scattering of the coincidently retrieved SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 gas abundance, we conclude that the 245 nm albedo is diagnostic of the vertical and spatial distribution, abundance (and potentially the identity) of Venus' unidentified UV absorber—rather than SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 gas. The LST albedo trends are best explained by the onset of subsolar convective activity that intensifies with LST expanding vertically from the boundary between the middle and upper clouds to the cloud tops and increasing the detectability of the unknown absorbing species at the cloud tops. The terrain dependence in the observed intensity implies the time at which the expansion reaches the cloud tops is later above the mountains than over the plains. Additionally, at the time of observation, the low-latitude large-scale vertical mixing rates that control the latitudinal gradients of the SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and unknown absorber abundances above and within the cloud top region were lower over Aphrodite Terra than the plains, to the extent that photochemical processing destroyed the spatial correlation between those absorbing species. These observations show the power of UV spectroscopy to diagnose the distinct influences of deep (Hadley-cell type) and shallow convective mixing processes on the vertical and horizontal distribution of Venus' unknown absorbing species, and the sensitivity of these processes to LST and topography, relative to the sulfur oxide chemistry. These results are essential for accurate climate modeling—and when compared to recent Venus missions motivate a need for additional follow-on observing campaigns that simultaneously trace key cloud top chemistry and dynamic processes including the LST dependent evolution of planetary scale gravity waves (GWs). With the inevitable aging of the Hubble Telescope, follow-on observations providing temporally coincident traces of the cloud top albedo, sulfur-oxide chemistry and GW features will require a new age of space-based telescopes and Venus orbiting mission with sensitivity to UV, visible and IR wavelengths.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solid State Ionics, Volume 340〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ananda Shastri, Deborah Watson, Qing-Ping Ding, Yuji Furukawa, Steve W. Martin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈sup〉23〈/sup〉Na NMR spin lattice relaxation times, T〈sub〉1〈/sub〉, and central linewidths were obtained for yNa〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S + (1 − y)[xSiS〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 + (1 − x)PS〈sub〉5/2〈/sub〉] glassy solid electrolytes for two series of glasses, y = 0.5 and 0.67, and x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9. No pronounced mixed glass former effect in the activation energy was observed within experimental uncertainty for either series of glasses. Energy barriers to sodium motion were calculated using the Anderson-Stuart model for the y = 0.67 sample, and the results suggested that the energy barriers as a function of composition are strongly influenced by the dielectric constant of these glasses. DC Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 ion conductivity values calculated using NMR-derived correlation times, an available Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 ion site coordination number in the range z = 3–4, and an energy cutoff determined from the critical percolation threshold, were in agreement with the increasing trend in the experimental values for the y = 0.67 glasses. Using the same model, the conductivity values were calculated for the y = 0.50 glasses, which have as yet to be measured, and these revealed a decreasing conductivity as x increased. Sodium NMR second moment studies showed that the cation spatial arrangement followed a homogeneous distribution for y = 0.50 and 0.67 samples over most of the composition range, but deviated significantly away from this above a sodium concentration of 1.85 × 10〈sup〉28〈/sup〉 m〈sup〉-3〈/sup〉, suggesting a tendency for sodium to cluster under these conditions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solid State Ionics, Volume 340〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shyamal K. Das, Thangavelu Palaniselvam, Philipp Adelhelm〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The renewal of research interest in rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries could be seen as a massive boost for the exploration of Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉-ion electroactive electrode materials in recent times. Titanium dioxide (TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) is less explored but could be a promising electrode material for aluminum-ion battery. Here, we demonstrate the rechargeability of an Al-ion cell with anatase TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 as cathode in chloroaluminate ionic liquid electrolyte. The Al-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 cell exhibited excellent long-term stability with maximum specific capacity of 25 mAh g〈sup〉−〈/sup〉〈sup〉1〈/sup〉 at current rate of 500 mA g〈sup〉−〈/sup〉〈sup〉1〈/sup〉 at room temperature. The electroactive nature of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 in the chloroaluminate electrolyte is clearly demonstrated both by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling studies. The synergistic effect of current collector in improving the long-term stability of Al-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 cell is also revealed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ocean Modelling, Volume 140〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Oleg Druzhinin, Yuliya Troitskaya, Wu-ting Tsai, Po-chen Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present study is concerned with direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent air flow over a waved water surface. Three-dimensional, turbulent Couette flow is considered in DNS as a model of a constant-flux layer in the marine atmospheric surface layer. Two-dimensional stationary waves at the water surface are prescribed and assumed to be unaffected by the air-flow. We consider capillary-gravity water surface waves and are interested in the influence of “parasitic” capillary ripples riding on the carrier, energy-containing waves, on the properties of the air-flow. The surface waves are prescribed and considered to be stationary, the capillaries being in phase with the carrier wave. The surface elevations spectra are also prescribed and mimicking stationary capillaries riding on Stokes waves observed in a 2D numerical simulation of water-surface capillary-gravity waves by Hung & Tsai (2009). The bulk air velocity and the carrier water surface waves lengths are considered in our DNS in the range of 3 to 5 m/s and 3 to 7 cm, respectively. Under these conditions, the capillaries are found to be submerged within the viscous sublayer of the atmospheric boundary layer. Our DNS results show that although the flow fields are characterized by instantaneous separations of the boundary layer, the ensemble (wave-phase) averaged flow fields are non-separating and well predicted by a quasilinear theoretical model. We find also that capillaries mitigate the development of coherent (horse-shoe) vortex structures as compared to the no-ripples flow-case. We further use DNS results and quasilinear model formulation to parameterize the water surface roughness height in terms of critical layer thickness and the amplitude of a dominant, energy-containing harmonic of the water surface elevation spectrum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: Abstract The Ultralong‐Wavelength (ULW) regime of longer than 10 m (corresponding to frequencies below 30 MHz) remains as the last virtually unexplored window in radio astronomy and is presently attracting considerable attention as an area of potentially rewarding studies. However, the opaqueness of the Earth's ionosphere makes the ULW celestial radio emission very difficult to detect with ground‐based instrumentation. The impact of the ionosphere on ULW radio emission depends on the solar cycle activities and varies with time. In addition, the ULW spectrum region is densely populated by intensive artificial radio frequency interference. An obvious solution of these problems is to place an ULW radio telescope in space. However, this solution is expensive and poses nonnegligible technological challenges. An alternative approach is triggered by recent studies showing that the period of post 2020 will be most suitable for exploratory ground‐based ULW radio observations due to the expected “calm” state of the ionosphere; the ionospheric cutoff frequency could be well below 10 MHz, even in the day time. In anticipation of this upcoming opportunity, we propose and present in this paper a concept of an experimental ULW radio array, with the intention of setting it up in Inner Mongolia, China. This ULW facility will use the infrastructure of the currently operational Mingantu spectral radio heliograph. The proposed ULW array covers the frequency range from 1 to 72 MHz. This experimental array will be used for exploratory studies of celestial radio emission in the ULW range of the spectrum.

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 5 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 804〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hiral D. Shah, J.A. Bhalodia〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this communication, we report the structural and electrical transport properties of (1-〈em〉x〈/em〉) La〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉Sr〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉Mn〈sub〉0.95〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉0.05〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (LSMCO) + (〈em〉x〈/em〉) ZnO (〈em〉x〈/em〉 = 0%, 6%, 9%, 12%, 15% & 18%) composites. For the preparation of (1-〈em〉x〈/em〉) LSMCO + (〈em〉x〈/em〉) ZnO (〈em〉x〈/em〉 = 6%, 9%, 12%, 15% & 18%) composites, sample of LSMCO was prepared by the auto combustion technique/inexpensive modified sol-gel technique. The results of Rietveld refined XRD data show that LSMCO sample possesses a rhombohedral structure with the 〈em〉R-3c〈/em〉 space group whereas ZnO compound remains with hexagonal structure with the 〈em〉P6〈/em〉〈sub〉〈em〉3〈/em〉〈/sub〉〈em〉mc〈/em〉 space group in all the composite samples. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that no any extra unwanted phase was observed in each composite excluding the LSMCO and ZnO phases. ZnO is mostly distributed at the grain boundaries and on the surface of the LSMCO grains. Elemental presence and ratio was confirmed through the EDX analysis. The electrical resistivity of LSMCO and each composite was measured in the temperature range of 2 K–320 K at 0 Oe, 10 kOe, 50 kOe & 90 kOe magnetic field. The results indicate that the ZnO addition increases the resistivity of all the composites compare to that of pure LSMCO. The electrical resistivity explored by the theoretical model below 〈em〉T〈/em〉〈sub〉MI〈/sub〉 and fitting enlightenment for the observed behavior is transmitted here in detail.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 5 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 804〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dezhi Yang, Weihua Liu, Dingfu Cheng, Jieshi Chen, Hao Lu, Chun Yu, Jijin Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉(Co, Cr)23C6 type carbide is a typical metallic compound in many cobalt bearing alloys, and it acts as the strengthening phase in the form of bulk eutectic carbides or precipitated carbides. In this work, first-principles calculations were carried out to investigate the electronic structure, phase stability, mechanical and magnetic properties of (Co, Cr)23C6 with different cobalt occupation. Some of the calculated values are compared with previous studies and, they are found to be in a good agreement. The method considering curvature radius is firstly used to describe the degree of anisotropy. The hardness calculated through elastic constants presents an approximate downtrend with the cobalt concentration. Analysis of the density of states (DOS), overlapped population and electron density maps, indicates that the bonds in (Co, Cr)23C6 are the mixture of covalent, ionic and metallic bonds, the interactions of 〈em〉d-d〈/em〉 orbits between metallic atoms contribute most to the hybridization mode. According to the population analysis, the reduction in hardness can attribute to the increase of metallicity and iconicity of the interacted metallic atoms. In addition, the formation of a large quantity of antibonding also plays a negative role in intrinsic hardness of (Co, Cr)23C6 when massive substitution of cobalt atom.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 5 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 804〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Morteza Alizadeh, Andisheh Shakery, Erfan Salahinejad〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this research, the structure and mechanical properties of 1050 aluminum strips reinforced with E-glass fibers, processed by the cross accumulative roll bonding (CARB) process, were investigated from microscopic, hardness, tensile and peeling viewpoints. The results indicated that the incorporation of the glass fibers in the Al matrix increases strength and micro-hardness but decreases elongation. In addition, it was realized that some of these fibers are broken and changed to short fibers during the CARB process. The presence of the glass fibers strongly also reduces the bond efficiency of the Al strips, typically from 50% to 5%. To compensate this deleterious effect, it was found that at least 25% should be increased to the normal thickness reduction used in CRAB.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: Abstract Dust devils are convective vortices with a vertical axis of rotation made visible by lifted soil particles. Currently, there is great uncertainty about the extent to which dust devils contribute to the atmospheric aerosol input and thereby influence Earth's radiation budget. Past efforts to quantify the aerosol transport and study their formation, maintenance, and statistics using large‐eddy simulation (LES) have been of limited success. Therefore, some important features of dust devil‐like vortices simulated with LES still do not compare well with those of observed ones. One major difference is the simulated value of the core pressure drop, which is almost 1 order of magnitude smaller compared to the observed range of 250 to 450 Pa. However, most of the existing numerical simulations are based on highly idealized setups and coarse grid spacings. In this study, we investigate the effects of various factors on the simulated vortex strength with high‐resolution LES. For the fist time, we are able to reproduce observed core pressures by using a high spatial resolution of 2 m, a model setup with moderate background wind and a spatially heterogeneous surface heat flux. It is found that vortices mainly appear at the lines of horizontal flow convergence above the centers of the strongly heated patches, which is in contrast to some older observations in which vortices seemed to be created along the patch edges.

Description: Abstract Location information from super‐pressure balloons flown by Project Loon provide an unprecedented opportunity to analyze wind fields in the mid‐latitude stratosphere. Horizontal velocity spectra from the balloons' quasi‐intrinsic frame of reference show clear evidence of a persistent peak in the intrinsic wind spectrum around the inertial frequency. In the Southern Hemisphere mid‐latitudes, peak‐to‐peak amplitudes of horizontal velocity perturbations (on the order of 20 ms‐1) are larger than those seen in previous super‐pressure balloon campaigns in polar regions and similar to those observed in vertical soundings in the mid‐latitudes. A rotary spectral analysis shows that near‐circular anti‐cyclonic rotation of horizontal wind perturbations around the inertial frequency dominate at most times and locations. The strongest anti‐cyclonic rotation is more common in balloon flight segments with weak zonal winds and during the austral summer. Flight segments with strong eastward zonal velocities during austral winter and spring are more likely to have mixed cyclonic and anti‐cyclonic power around the inertial frequency. These results confirm previous model and radiosonde observations of the peak in horizontal kinetic energy at the inertial frequency, and demonstrate they are associated with increased anti‐cyclonic wave power indicative of near‐inertial oscillations or inertia‐gravity waves. Flight segments with mixed cyclonic and anti‐cyclonic power around the inertial frequency display a continuum of wave power from planetary to gravity‐wave scales. These results help explain the divergence of actual and modelled balloon trajectories in previous studies and provide a baseline against which reanalysis or meteorological model realizations of the intrinsic velocity field can be assessed.

Description: Abstract From 17–22 August 2017 simultaneous enhancements of ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and ethane (C2H6) were detected from ground‐based solar absorption Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements at two high‐Arctic sites: Eureka (80.05°N, 86.42°W) Nunavut, Canada, and Thule (76.53°N, 68.74°W), Greenland. These enhancements were attributed to wildfires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories of Canada using FLEXPART back‐trajectories and fire locations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and found to be the greatest observed enhancements in more than a decade of measurements at Eureka (2006–2017) and Thule (1999–2017). Observations of gas‐phase NH3 from these wildfires illustrate that boreal wildfires may be a considerable episodic source of NH3 in the summertime high Arctic. Comparisons of GEOS‐Chem model simulations using the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFASv1.2) biomass burning emissions to FTIR measurements and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) measurements showed that the transport of wildfire emissions to the Arctic was underestimated in GEOS‐Chem. However, GEOS‐Chem simulations showed that these wildfires contributed to surface layer NH3 and NH enhancements of 0.01–0.11 ppbv and 0.05–1.07 ppbv, respectively, over the Canadian Archipelago from 15–23 August 2017.

Description: Abstract Accurate estimates of NOx and SO2 emissions are important for air quality modeling and management. To incorporate chemical interactions of the two species in emission estimates, we develop a joint hybrid inversion framework to estimate their emissions in China and India (2005–2012). Pseudo observation tests and posterior evaluation with surface measurements demonstrate that joint assimilation of SO2 and NO2 can provide more accurate constraints on emissions than single‐species inversions. This occurs through synergistic change of O3 and OH concentrations, particularly in conditions where satellite retrievals of the species being optimized have large uncertainties. The percentage changes of joint posterior emissions from the single‐species posterior emissions go up to 242% at grid scales, although the national average of monthly emissions, seasonality, and interannual variations are similar. In China and India, the annual budget of joint posterior SO2 emissions is lower, but joint NOx posterior emissions are higher, because NOx emissions increase to increase SO2 concentration and better match Ozone Monitoring Instrument SO2 observations in high‐NOx regions. Joint SO2 posterior emissions decrease by 16.5% from 2008 to 2012, while NOx posterior emissions increase by 24.9% from 2005 to 2011 in China—trends which are consistent with the MEIC inventory. Joint NOx and SO2 posterior emissions in India increase by 15.9% and 19.2% from 2005 to 2012, smaller than the 59.9% and 76.2% growth rate using anthropogenic emissions from EDGARv4.3.2. This work shows the benefit and limitation of joint assimilation in emission estimates and provides an efficient framework to perform the inversion.

Description: Abstract By using 90 radiosonde stations with high vertical resolution data during the period 1998–2011, the latitudinal variation of the tropopause inversion layer (TIL) in different seasons and the interactions with the inertial gravity wave (IGW) activities in the region covering the Northern Hemispheric latitudes from 5° to 75° are studied. For the midlatitudes, the TIL features show obviously seasonal variations. In the Arctic region, TIL is strong and thick. The averaged Arctic TIL intensity peaks in summer. The intense interaction between the TIL and IGW is found in the region of 5°N to 75°N. The TIL could inhibit the upward propagation of IGWs from ~2 km below the tropopause in a larger region (40–75°N). It is found that for the middle‐latitude regions, the enhanced wind shear layer just above the tropopause could lead to instability and finally result in IGW breaking and intensive turbulence, which then leads to strong wave energy dissipation and a downward heat flux. The IGW‐induced cooling around the tropopause, which resulted from the downward heat flux, then makes a colder and sharper tropopause and finally form the TIL. The IGW‐associated strong downward heat flux is also found around the Arctic tropopause. However, there is no corresponding wind shear enhancement above the tropopause. This indicates that this strong heat flux may result from some other processes and then form the strong TIL in the Arctic.

Description: Abstract Proxy system models (PSMs) are an important bridge between climate simulations and climate records prior to the period where instrumental observations are available. PSMs help to interpret what proxies show and how they record climate. Although previous studies have evaluated PSMs for individual sites, their systematic evaluation on a global scale has not yet been conducted. This study evaluated the performance of PSMs for stable water isotopes in ice cores, corals, and tree‐ring cellulose for the period 1950–2007. Spatial distributions of the mean state were well simulated for all proxy types, albeit with a bias for tree‐ring cellulose. Interannual variability was well simulated for corals and tree‐ring cellulose. These results indicate that the models represent key mechanisms for the proxies. In contrast, the reproducibility of interannual variability in ice cores was markedly lower than that for the other proxies. Although the reproducibility was limited by the atmospheric forcing used to drive the model, the results suggest that the PSM may be missing post‐depositional processes, such as sublimation for ice cores on the interannual timescale.

Description: Abstract Three years of nighttime Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation data was used in synergy with CloudSat measurements to quantify how strongly aerosol type and aerosol load affect the cloud phase in low‐level clouds over the Arctic. Supercooled liquid layers were present in the majority of observed low‐level clouds (0.75 ≤ z ≤ 3.5 km) between −10 and −25 °C. Furthermore, based on the subset (6%) of data with high quality assurance for aerosol typing, ice formation is more common in the presence of dust or continental aerosols as opposed to marine or elevated smoke aerosols. With the first aerosol group, glaciated clouds were found at cloud top temperatures of 2 to 4 °C warmer than with the latter aerosol types. Further association of the aerosol concentration with the cloud phase showed that the aerosol concentration outweighs the aerosol type effect. Depending on the aerosol load, the temperature at which a cloud completely glaciates can vary by up to 6–10 °C. However, this behavior was most pronounced in stable atmospheric conditions and absent over open ocean with lower tropospheric stability values and probably less stratified clouds. Finally, more mixed‐phase clouds were associated with high aerosol load, suggesting that mixed‐phase clouds have an extended lifetime in the Arctic under high cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. This implies that in a pristine environment, with few or no local aerosol sources, and under the investigated conditions the amount of aerosol particles affects the cloud phase more than the aerosol type does.

Description: Abstract A series of five realistic, nested, hydrostatic numerical ocean model simulations are used to study semidiurnal internal tide generation and propagation from the continental slope, through the shelf break and to the midshelf adjacent to Point Sal, CA. The statistics of modeled temperature and horizontal velocity fluctuations are compared to midshelf observations (30‐ to 50‐m water depth). Time‐ and frequency‐domain methods are used to decompose internal tides into components that are coherent and incoherent with the barotropic tide, and the incoherence fraction is 0.5–0.7 at the midshelf locations in both the realistic model and observations. In contrast, the incoherence fraction is at the most 0.45 for a simulation with idealized stratification, and neither atmospheric forcing nor mesoscale currents. Negligible conversion from barotropic to baroclinic energy occurs at the local shelf break. Instead, the dominant internal tide energy sources are regions of small‐scale near‐critical to supercritical bathymetry on the Santa Lucia escarpment (1,000–3,000 m), 70–80 km from the continental shelf. Near the generation region, semidiurnal baroclinic energy is primarily coherent and rapidly decays adjacent to the shelf break. In the realistically forced model, incoherent energy is less than 10% in the generation region, with a steady increase in incoherence fraction from the continental slope to the midshelf. Backward ray tracing from the midshelf to the Santa Lucia escarpment identifies multiple energy pathways potentially leading to spatial interference. As internal tides shoal on the predominantly subcritical slope/shelf system, temporally variable stratification and Doppler shifting from mesoscale and submesoscale features appear equally important in leading to the loss of coherence.

Description: Abstract Aerosol pH is a useful diagnostic of aerosol chemistry for formation of secondary aerosol and has been hypothesized to be a key factor in specific chemical reaction routes producing sulfate and nitrate (Yue et al., 2009; Zhang et al., 2012; Hu et al., 2014). In this study, we measured hourly concentrations of water soluble ions (WS‐ions) in PM2.5, along with gaseous pollutants in Tianjin, China, from 4th January to 31st January 2015. The following source contributions to WS ions were estimated by PMF (Positive Matrix Factorization): secondary sulfate (13%), secondary nitrate (44%), coal (14%), vehicle (16%), and dust (13%). ISORROPIA‐II was used to investigate the complex relationships among aerosol pH, ammonia, and secondary aerosol formation. The estimated hourly aerosol pH varied from ‐0.3 to 7.7, with an average of 4.9 (±0.78); the median value was 4.89, and the interquartile range (IQR) was 0.72. During less polluted conditions, aerosol pH ranged from less than 0 to about 7; during heavily polluted conditions, pH was close to 5 (3.9‐7.9) despite large amounts of sulfate. Sufficient ammonia/ammonium were present to balance high sulfate and nitrate formation. NH4+/NH3 (g) helped stabilize pH while nonvolatile cations contributed less to decreasing aerosol acidity. High acidy (pH〈3), light pollution (Total water soluble ions (TWI)〈30 μg m‐3), and low water content (less than 5μg m‐3) were more correlated with higher rates of sulfate formation than nitrate formation in the winter.

Description: Abstract Understanding the mechanisms by which earthquake cycles produce folding and accommodate shortening is essential to quantify the seismic potential of active faults and integrate aseismic slip within our understanding of the physical mechanisms of the long‐term deformation. However, measuring such small deformation signals in mountainous areas is challenging with current space‐geodesy techniques, due to the low rates of motion relative to the amplitude of the noise. Here we successfully carry out a multitemporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar analysis over the North Qaidam fold‐thrust system in NE Tibet, where eight Mw〉 5.2 earthquakes occurred between 2003 and 2009. We report various cases of aseismic slip uplifting the thickened crust at short wavelengths. We provide a rare example of a steep, shallow, 13‐km‐long and 6‐km‐wide afterslip signal that coincides spatially with an anticline and that continues into 2011 in response to a Mw 6.3 event in 2003. We suggest that a buried seismic slip during the 2003 earthquake has triggered both plastic an‐elastic folding and aseismic slip on the shallow thrusts. We produce a first‐order two‐dimensional model of the postseismic surface displacements due to the 2003 earthquake and highlight a segmented slip on three fault patches that steepen approaching the surface. This study emphasizes the fundamental role of shallow aseismic slip in the long‐term and permanent deformation of thrusts and folds and the potential of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar for detecting and characterizing the spatiotemporal behavior of aseismic slip over large mountainous regions.

Description: Abstract Structural details of the crust play an important role in controlling the distribution of volcanic activity in arc systems. In southwest Washington, several different regional structures associated with accretion and magmatism have been invoked to explain the broad distribution of Cascade volcanism in this region. In order to image these regional structures in the upper crust, Pg and Sg travel times from the imaging Magma Under St. Helens (iMUSH) active‐source seismic experiment are inverted for Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs models in the region surrounding Mount St. Helens. Several features of these models provide new insights into the regional structure of the upper crust. A large section of the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor is imaged as a low Vp/Vs anomaly that is inferred to represent a broad sedimentary/metasedimentary sequence that composes the upper crust in this region. The accreted terrane Siletzia is imaged west of Mount St. Helens as north/south trending high Vp and Vp/Vs bodies. The Vp/Vs model shows relatively high Vp/Vs regions near Mount St. Helens and the Indian Heaven Volcanic Field, which could be related to the presence of magmatic fluids. Separating these two volcanic regions below 6‐km depth is a northeast trending series of high Vp and Vs bodies. These bodies have the same orientation as several volcanic/magmatic features at the surface, including Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, and it is argued that these high‐velocity features are a regional‐scale group of intrusive bodies associated with a crustal weak zone that focuses magma ascent.

Description: Abstract SO2 column densities from OMI provide important information on emission trends and missing sources, but there are discrepancies between different retrieval products. We employ three OMI SO2 retrieval products (NASA standard (SP), NASA prototype, and BIRA) to study the magnitude and trend of SO2 emissions. SO2 column densities from these retrievals are most consistent when viewing angles and solar zenith angles are small, suggesting more robust emission estimates in summer and at low latitudes. We then apply a hybrid 4D‐Var/mass balance emission inversion to derive monthly SO2 emissions from the NASA SP and BIRA products. Compared to HTAPv2 emissions in 2010, both posterior emission estimates are lower in US, India and Southeast China, but show different changes of emissions in North China Plain. The discrepancies between monthly NASA and BIRA posterior emissions in 2010 are less than or equal to 17% in China and 34% in India. SO2 emissions increase from 2005 to 2016 by 35% (NASA) ‐ 48% (BIRA) in India, but decrease in China by 23% (NASA) ‐ 33% (BIRA) since 2008. Compared to in‐situ measurements, the posterior GEOS‐Chem surface SO2 concentrations have reduced NMB in China, the US, and India but not in South Korea in 2010. BIRA posteriors have better consistency with the annual growth rate of surface SO2 measurement in China and spatial variability of SO2 concentration in China, South Korea and India, whereas NASA SP posteriors have better seasonality. These evaluations demonstrate the capability to recover SO2 emissions using OMI observations.

Description: Abstract Seismicity of several intraplate seismic zones in the North American midcontinent is believed to be related to reactivation of ancient faults in Precambrian continental rifts by the contemporary stress field. Existence of such a rift system beneath the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) is not clear. Here we obtained a crustal structural image along a 300‐km‐long profile across WVSZ using a dense linear seismic array. We first calculated teleseismic receiver functions of stations and applied the Common‐Conversion‐Point stacking method to image crustal interfaces and the Moho. We then used ambient noise cross correlation to obtain phase and group velocities of Rayleigh and Love waves. Finally, we jointly inverted the receiver function and surface wave dispersion data to determine shear wave velocity structure along the profile. The results show a thick (50‐ to 60‐km) crust with a typical Proterozoic crustal layering: a 1‐ to 2‐km thick Phanerozoic sedimentary layer, an upper crust ∼15 km thick, and a 30‐ to 40‐km‐thick lower crust. The unprecedented high‐resolution image also reveals a 50‐km‐wide high‐velocity body above an uplifted Moho and several velocity anomalies in the upper and middle crust beneath the La Salle Deformation Belt. We interpreted them as features produced by magmatic intrusions in a failed, immature continental rift during the end of Precambrian. Current seismicity in WVSZ is likely due to reactivation of ancient faults of the rift system by a combination of stress fields from the far‐field plate motion and prominent crustal and upper mantle heterogeneities in the region.

Description: Abstract The Charlevoix Seismic Zone (CSZ) is located along the early Paleozoic St. Lawrence rift zone in southeastern Quebec at the location of a major Devonian impact structure. The impact structure superimposed major, steeply dipping basement faults trending approximately N35°E. Approximately 250 earthquakes are recorded each year and are concentrated within and beneath the impact structure. Most M4+ earthquakes associated with the rift faults occurred outside the impact structure. Apart from the unique distribution of earthquakes, stress inversion of focal mechanisms shows stress rotations within the CSZ, and in the CSZ relative to the stress orientation determined from borehole breakouts. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the combined effects of the preexisting structures and regional stresses on earthquake activity and stress rotations in the CSZ. We approach this using PyLith, a finite‐element code for simulations of crustal deformation. Adopting the results from recent hypocenter relocation and 3‐D tomography studies, we modify the locations and dips of the rift faults and assess the effect of the new fault geometries on stress distributions. We also discuss the effects of resolved velocity anomalies. We find that the observed stress rotation is due to the combined effect of the rift faults and the impact structure. One‐dimensional velocity models of the CSZ with an embedded impact structure and a combination of 65°‐40°‐40° and constant 70° fault dip models with a very low friction coefficient of 0.3 and cohesion of 0 MPa can explain the observed seismicity and more than 50% of the stress rotations.

Description: Abstract Seismic anisotropy provides important information on the structure and geodynamics of the Earth. The forearc mantle wedge in subduction zones mainly exhibits trench‐parallel azimuthal anisotropy globally, which is inconsistent with the model of olivine a axis aligning with the slab‐driven corner flow. Its formation mechanism is currently unclear. Here we present high‐resolution 3‐D P wave anisotropic tomography of the Tohoku subduction zone. We suggest that ductile deformation of the forearc lithospheric mantle of the overriding plate induces the trench‐parallel azimuthal anisotropy and positive radial anisotropy (i.e., horizontal velocity 〉 vertical velocity) in Tohoku. Our results provide the first seismic anisotropic evidence for the slab‐mantle decoupling at a common depth of ~70 km. On the basis of the high‐resolution seismic images, we propose a geodynamic model suggesting that the forearc mantle wedge anisotropy is produced via ductile deformation of dry olivine or hydrous antigorite lithospheric mantle, which accords well with the trench‐parallel shear wave splitting measurements dominant in subduction zones globally.

Description: Abstract We investigate 3‐D seismic structures (Vp, Vs, and Poisson's ratio) and Vp azimuthal anisotropy in the source area of the 2018 Eastern Iburi earthquake (M 6.7) in Hokkaido, Japan. Its mainshock occurred at the edge of a high‐Vp (2–4%) seismogenic zone. Significant low‐Vs (−1% to −3%) and high Poisson's ratio (2–7%) anomalies are imaged in and below the source zone and extend to the upper surface of the subducting Pacific slab, most likely reflecting ascending fluids released by the slab dehydration. A high consistency between the fault plane and the low‐Vs and high Poisson's ratio anomalies indicates that the fluids may have entered the fault and affected the rupture nucleation. A high‐V (1–3%) anomaly is revealed in the fore‐arc mantle wedge and connects with the high‐V seismogenic zone, probably reflecting a lithospheric fragment and contributing to cool down the mantle wedge. Complex seismic anisotropy is revealed in the crust in and around the source area, which may reflect complicated stress regime and strong structural heterogeneities there.

Description: Abstract Deep convective clouds similar to those arising in the TC eyewall are simulated using a parcel model and 2D slab symmetric cloud model with spectral bin microphysics (the Hebrew University Cloud Model, HUCM). The size distribution of sea spray particles (SSP) at cloud base is calculated using the Lagrangian‐Eulerian bin‐microphysics model (LEM). The model describes the SSP production, advection and formation of the size distribution of SSP in the hurricane atmospheric boundary layer at different strong wind speeds. The SSP distributions calculated by the LEM are used in the parcel model and the HUCM to investigate the microphysical and dynamical effects of SSP on clouds. The SSP ascending in cloud updrafts dramatically increase the number concentration of cloud drops within a wide range of drop sizes. As a result, sea spray creates clouds with unique property combinations of both maritime and continental types. These clouds have droplet size distributions characterized by a high drop concentration and a low effective radius, as in continental clouds. At the same time, the presence of SSP of a few hundred microns in radii triggers intense rain just above the cloud base, which is typical of extreme maritime clouds. In the presence of large sea spray drops, the smallest cloud condensational nuclei, including the smallest SSP, are activated, giving rise to the permanent in‐cloud nucleation of small droplets which produce a high concentration of small ice crystals above the level of homogeneous freezing. We showed that the SSP substantially increased the maximum vertical velocity, cloud water content and mass contents of ice particles. The results are compared with available observed data.

Description: Abstract Terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) are very short bursts of gamma radiation associated to thunderstorm activity and are the manifestation of the highest‐energy natural particle acceleration phenomena occurring on Earth. Photon energies up to several tens of megaelectronvolts are expected, but the actual upper limit and high‐energy spectral shape are still open questions. Results published in 2011 by the AGILE team proposed a high‐energy component in TGF spectra extended up to ≈100 MeV, which is difficult to reconcile with the predictions from the Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanche (RREA) mechanism at the basis of many TGF production models. Here we present a new set of TGFs detected by the AGILE satellite and associated to lightning measurements capable to solve this controversy. Detailed end‐to‐end Monte Carlo simulations and an improved understanding of the instrument performance under high‐flux conditions show that it is possible to explain the observed high‐energy counts by a standard RREA spectrum at the source, provided that the TGF is sufficiently bright and short. We investigate the possibility that single high‐energy counts may be the signature of a fine‐pulsed time structure of TGFs on time scales ≈4 μs, but we find no clear evidence for this. The presented data set and modeling results allow also for explaining the observed TGF distribution in the (Fluence × duration) parameter space and suggest that the AGILE TGF detection rate can almost be doubled.

Description: Abstract Deltaic deposits mapped along the martian crustal dichotomy boundary scarp have been suggested to delineate an ancient ocean in the northern lowlands of Mars. Using recently acquired orbital data, we have expanded the dichotomy delta inventory and performed an updated analysis of delta front elevations, a proxy for paleo‐water levels. Our analysis focused near Gale crater, home of the Curiosity rover. We found that delta front elevations vary by ca. 2400 meters, but these elevation variations do not correspond to modeled deformation from true polar wander or Tharsis. Locally, delta front elevations vary by ≤60 meters, and using present‐day topography, they correspond to distinct enclosed basins. We infer that these deltas formed in paleo‐lakes up to ca. 13,000 km2 and ca. 0.4 kilometers deep, perhaps coeval with paleo‐lakes in Gale. Our results suggest that a northern ocean is not needed to explain the deltaic deposits in the Gale crater region.

Description: Abstract On 3 January 1975, the largest shallow moonquake (MW 4.1) occurred at Laue impact crater on the Moon. The fault responsible for the moonquake and origins of coseismic boulder avalanches are unknown. Our study reveals a set of previously unreported, seismically active, young lobate scarps near the epicenter. In addition, hundreds of boulder falls are observed on the interior walls of two impact craters on either side of the lobate scarps. The varying preservation levels and crater size‐frequency distributions of impact craters superimposed on the boulder falls indicate their episodic origins at 1.6 Ma and during the 1975 shallow moonquake. Our ground motion simulations confirm that the MW 4.1 moonquake along the lobate scarp at 1‐ to 5‐km focal depths produced strong ground shaking that triggered the boulder avalanches. Also, the fault slip along the Lorentz basin wall beneath the Laue crater floor produced the lobate scarps and the shallow moonquakes.

Description: Abstract High‐speed video and electric field change data have been used to examine the initiation and propagation of 21 recoil leaders, 7 of which evolved into dart (or dart‐stepped) leaders (DLs) initiating return strokes and 14 were attempted leaders (ALs), in a Canton‐Tower upward flash. Three DLs and two ALs clearly exhibited bidirectional extension. Each DL was preceded by one or more ALs and initiated near the extremity of the positive end of the preceding AL. The positive end of each bidirectional DL generally appeared to be inactive (stationary) or intermittently propagated along the positive part of the preceding AL channel and extended into the virgin air. A sequence of two floating channel segments were formed ahead of the approaching positive end of one DL, causing its abrupt elongation.

Description: Abstract On 24 December 2018, a violent eruption started at Mount Etna from a fissure on the southeastern flank. The intrusive phenomenon, accompanied by intense Strombolian and lava fountain activity, an ash‐rich plume, and lava flows, was marked by significant ground deformation and seismicity. In this work, we show how an integrated investigation combining high‐rate GPS data, volcano‐tectonic earthquakes, volcanic tremor, infrasound tremor, and infrasound events allows tracking the magma intrusion phenomenon spatially and temporally with unprecedented resolution. Moreover, it enabled showing how the central magma column lowered as a response to the flank eruption and to constrain the zone of interaction between the dike and the central plumbing system at a depth of 2–4 km below sea level. This is important for understanding flank and summit interaction, suggesting that explosive summit activity may in some cases be driven by lateral dike intrusions.

Description: Abstract Arctic amplification (AA) is typically associated with Planck, lapse rate, and ice albedo feedbacks. However, the relative importance of poleward energy transport on AA remains uncertain. Here, we analyze integrations from a Chemistry Climate Model to investigate the impact of the Montreal Protocol on forcing, feedback, and transport contributions to AA. Two ensembles of future integrations are considered—one projecting decreasing ozone‐depleting substance concentrations and stratospheric ozone recovery and another assuming that ozone‐depleting substances are not regulated (the “World Avoided”). We find similar degrees of AA in both ensembles, despite a negative radiative forcing over the Arctic in the “World Avoided” from massive ozone loss. That negative radiative forcing is primarily balanced from positive atmospheric energy flux convergence and long‐wave cloud feedbacks. Our results highlight the impact of inhomogeneous radiative forcing on regional differences in forcing and feedback strength and the importance of radiative forcing meridional structure on poleward energy transport.

Description: Abstract We examine oceanic drivers of widespread droughts over the contiguous United States (herein pan‐CONUS droughts) during the Common Era in what is one of the first analyses of the new Paleo Hydrodynamics Data Assimilation (PHYDA) product. The canonical understanding of oceanic influences on North American hydroclimate suggests that pan‐CONUS droughts are forced by a contemporaneous cold tropical Pacific Ocean and a warm tropical Atlantic Ocean. We test this hypothesis using the paleoclimate record. Composite analyses find a robust association between pan‐CONUS drought events and cold tropical Pacific conditions, but not with warm Atlantic conditions. Similarly, a self‐organizing map analysis shows that pan‐CONUS drought years are most commonly associated with a global sea surface temperature pattern displaying strong La Niña and cold Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) conditions. Our results confirm previous model‐based findings for the instrumental period and show that cold tropical Pacific Ocean conditions are the principal driver of pan‐CONUS droughts on annual timescales.

Description: Abstract The cavi unit at the north pole of Mars is a deposit of aeolian sand and water ice underlying the Late Amazonian north polar layered deposits. Its strata of Middle to Late Amazonian age record wind patterns and past climate. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Shallow Radar (SHARAD) reveals extensive internal and basal layering within the cavi unit, allowing us to determine its general structure and relative permittivity. Assuming a basalt composition for the sand (ε′ = 8.8), results indicate that cavi contains an average ice fraction between 62% in Olympia Planum and 88% in its northern reaches beneath the north polar layered deposits and thus represents one of the largest water reservoirs on the planet. Internal reflectors indicate vertical variability in composition, likely in the form of alternating ice and sand layers. The ice layers may be remnants of former polar caps and thus represent a unique record of climate cycles predating the north polar layered deposits.

Description: Abstract In recent years, experimental results have consistently shown evidence of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave‐driven electron precipitation down to energies as low as hundreds of keV. However, this is at odds with the limits expected from quasi‐linear theory. Recent analysis using nonlinear theory has suggested energy limits as low as hundreds of keV, consistent with the experimental results, although to date this has not been experimentally verified. In this study, we present concurrent observations from Polar‐orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite, Radiation Belt Storm Probes, Global Positioning System, and ground‐based instruments, showing concurrent EMIC waves and sub–MeV electron precipitation, and a global dropout in electron flux. We show through test particle simulation that the observed waves are capable of scattering electrons as low as hundreds of keV into the loss cone through nonlinear trapping, consistent with the experimentally observed electron precipitation.

Description: Abstract Modelling and observations have shown that energy diffusion by chorus waves is an important source of acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies. By performing long‐term simulations using the three‐dimensional Versatile Electron Radiation Belt code, in this study, we test how the latitudinal dependence of chorus waves can affect the dynamics of the radiation belt electrons. Results show that the variability of chorus waves at high latitudes is critical for modelling of MeV electrons. We show that, depending on the latitudinal distribution of chorus waves under different geomagnetic conditions, they cannot only produce a net acceleration but also a net loss of MeV electrons. Decrease in high‐latitude chorus waves can tip the balance between acceleration and loss towards acceleration, or alternatively, the increase in high‐latitude waves can result in a net loss of MeV electrons. Variations in high‐latitude chorus may account for some of the variability of MeV electrons.

Description: Abstract Wet scavenging of black carbon (BC) has been subject to large uncertainty, which importantly determines its atmospheric lifetime and indirect forcing impact on cloud microphysics. This study reveals the complex BC‐hydrometeor interactions in mixed‐phase clouds via single particle measurements in the real‐world environment, by capturing precipitation processes throughout cloud formation, cold rain/graupel, and subsequent snow events at a mountain site influenced by anthropogenic sources in wintertime. We found highly efficient BC wet scavenging during cloud formation, with large and thickly coated BC preferentially incorporated into droplets. During snow processes, BC core sizes in the interstitial phase steadily increased. A mechanism was proposed whereby the BC mass within each droplet was accumulated through droplet collision, leading to larger BC cores, which were then released back to the interstitial air through the Wegener‐Bergeron‐Findeisen processes when ice dominated. These results provide fundamental basis for constraining BC wet scavenging.

Description: This paper explores temperature variability over southern South America. Four states of temperature variability are revealed in both winter and summer seasons. Synoptic‐scale meteorological patterns help diagnose the temperature variability states with low‐level temperature and moisture advection are closely related to patterns of temperature variability. Large‐scale modes of climate variability show some connection to temperature variability states, no single mode appears to be a primary driver. Abstract Key spatiotemporal patterns of monthly scale temperature variability are characterized over southern South America using k‐means clustering. The resulting clusters reveal patterns of temperature variability, referred to as temperature variability states. Analysis is performed over summer and winter months separately using data covering the period 1980–2015. Results for both seasons show four primary temperature variability states. In both seasons, one state is primarily characterized by warm temperature anomalies across the domain while another is characterized by cold anomalies. The other two patterns tend to be characterized by a warm north–cold south and cold north–warm south feature. This suggests two primary modes of temperature variability over the region. Composites of synoptic‐scale meteorological patterns (wind, geopotential height, and moisture fields) are computed for months assigned to each cluster to diagnose the driving meteorology associated with these variability states. Results suggest that low‐level temperature advection promoted by anomalies in atmospheric circulation patterns is a key process for driving these variability states. Moisture‐related processes also are shown to play a role, especially in summer. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode exhibit some relationship with temperature variability state frequency, with some states more common during amplified phases of these two modes than others. However, the climate modes are not a primary driver of the temperature variability states.

Description: Abstract Auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) can potentially produce serious damage to space‐borne systems by accelerating trapped radiation belt electrons to relativistic energies. Here we examine the global occurrences of AKR emissions in radiation belts based on Van Allen Probes observations from 1 October 2012 to 31 December 2016. The statistical results (1,848 events in total) show that AKR covers a broad region of L= 3–6.5 and 00–24 magnetic local time (MLT), with a higher occurrence on the nightside (20–24 MLT and 00–04 MLT) within L= 5–6.5. All the AKR events are observed to be accompanied with suprathermal (∼1 keV) electron flux enhancements. During active geomagnetic periods, both AKR occurrences and electron injections tend to be more distinct, and AKR emission extends to the dayside. The current study shows that AKR emissions from the remote sources are closely associated with electron injections.

Description: Abstract In a metal, as in Earth's core, the thermal and electrical conductivities are assumed to be correlated. In a planetary dynamo this implies a contradiction: that both electrical conductivity, which makes it easier to induce current and magnetic field, and conductive heat transport, which hinders thermal convection, should increase simultaneously. Here we show that this contradiction implies that the magnetic induction rate peaks at a particular value of electrical and thermal conductivity and derive the low‐ and high‐conductivity limits for thermal dynamo action. A dynamo regime diagram is derived as a function of electrical conductivity and temperature for Earth's core that identifies four distinct dynamo regimes: no dynamo, thermal dynamo, compositional dynamo, and thermocompositional dynamo. Estimates for the temperature‐dependent electrical conductivity of the core imply that the geodynamo may have come close to its high‐conductivity “no dynamo” limit prior to inner core nucleation, consistent with recent paleomagnetic observations.

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Volume 125〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ahmet Hilmi Deringöl, Esra Mete Güneyisi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigates the influence of the friction pendulum bearing (FPB) isolator characteristics on the nonlinear response of the buildings under various seismic excitations. To represent a wide range of assessment, 3, 6, and 9-storey steel framed buildings with twenty seven different isolation models of FPB were studied by identifying the local and global deformations. Three important parameters such as isolation period T (as 2, 2.5, and 3 s), effective damping ratio ß (as 0.05, 0.15, 0.25), and yield strength ratio Fy/W (as 0.025, 0.05, and 0.10) were used in the modelling of FPB. Two-dimensional model of the base-isolated steel frames were created and the nonlinear time history analysis was performed through a number of earthquake ground motions. The behaviour of the isolated frames was measured by the variation of isolator displacement, roof drift ratio, relative displacement, interstorey drift ratio, absolute acceleration, base shear, base moment, hysteretic curve, and dissipated energy. The benefits obtained through the adoption of the base isolation system were discussed. It was found that the seismic response of the base-isolated frames could be estimated accurately by adjusting the proper isolation period, yield strength ratio, and effective damping ratio for the case studied structures.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Volume 125〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jinbao Yao, Rutao Zhao, Nan Zhang, Dujuan Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉An in-filled trench barrier is usually used to reduce the damages from train-induced environmental vibrations. To find the vibration isolation effect of an in-filled trench barrier, this paper analyses the reflection coefficients and transmission coefficients of the Rayleigh wave at the interface between in-filled trenches and the soil. In our calculation formulas of ground vibrations, a single point and a single frequency excitation, as well as multi-point and multi-frequency excitation, are simultaneously derived in a soil-in-filled-trench system.〈/p〉 〈p〉Using these formulas and a numerical analysis, the effects of an in-filled trench barrier on the environmental vibrations induced by running trains are analyzed. The results show that the reflection coefficients increase, while the transmission coefficients decrease, with the density and elastic modulus of the in-filled material. The vibration isolation effect is clearly better than that without trenches. In a certain width range, the transmission coefficient and vertical acceleration levels decrease with the increase of trench width. The influences of the transmission coefficient and the vibration isolation effects are not clear with the trenches’ depth variation. The vertical vibrations of the ground pick-up point are all smaller than those without in-filled trenches.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Volume 124〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Volume 125〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Benshun Shao, Stephen A. Mahin, Victor Zayas〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉By interpreting the seismic responses of two seismically isolated low-rise case-study buildings probabilistically using FEMA P695 methodology, the study indicates for the design of seismically isolated structures, providing isolator capacities equal to risk-targeted maximum considered earthquake (MCE〈sub〉R〈/sub〉) demand does not achieve targeted levels of reliability specified in ASCE 7–16. To do so, isolation system capacities beyond average MCE〈sub〉R〈/sub〉 demand are required. The minimum required capacities for using three types of enhanced isolation system (isolator without displacement restraint, isolator combined with external hard-stopping mechanism, and isolator with internal stiffening behavior at large horizontal displacement) are calculated with nonlinear response history analysis following probabilistic framework for different design risk categories numerically. The results indicate that isolator displacement capacities ranging from 1.5 to 2.60 times the average MCE〈sub〉R〈/sub〉 demand and isolation system shear capacities ranging from 1.5 to 5 times the average MCE〈sub〉R〈/sub〉 demand are required, depending on seismic risk categories and isolation system types. The use of an isolator with internal stiffening behavior is an efficient option to provide the required capacities for achieving reliability goals, especially for high risk-category design.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 319〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jeonghoon Han, Changwoo Bae, Songhwa Chae, Dukhyun Choi, Sangmin Lee, Youngsuk Nam, Choongyeop Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Here we introduce the new approach to high-efficiency power generation from a salinity difference using conventional nanoporous Nafion membrane. When access areas on each side of nanoporous Nafion membrane are set to be asymmetric, the ratio of ionic current upon a voltage bias of the different polarity also becomes asymmetric, resulting in ionic diode phenomena. When this geometrical ionic diode effect is combined with a salinity gradient, it can help significantly improve the energy conversion efficiency from a salinity difference even under a hyper-saline environment with a large salinity difference, e.g. ∼41% conversion efficiency and ∼120 nW power generation with 1 M KCl and 1000-fold salinity difference, both of which are comparable with the best performances reported in the previous studies. We propose that the decrease in ion concentration polarization at a low salt concentration side is responsible for the enhanced power generation with the membrane having asymmetric access areas. Our approach is simple to implement and can be applicable to any nanoporous membrane to enhance the power generation from a salinity difference.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 319〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jialun Chen, Ping Tong, Lingting Huang, Zhonghua Yu, Dianping Tang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉An interdigitated capacitance immunosensing system based enzymatic biocatalytic precipitation on micro-comb electrode was designed for the sensitive detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) by coupling Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 MXenes with tyramine signal amplification strategy. The immunosensor was prepared by immobilizing anti-PSA capture antibody on MXenes-coated interdigitated electrode, whereas gold nanoparticles heavily functionalized with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and detection antibody were utilized as the signal-transducer tags. Introduction of interdigitated electrode was expected to enhance the sensitivity of capacitance immunosensor. This system mainly consisted of the sandwich-type immunoreaction, formation of tyramine-HRP repeats on gold nanoparticle and enzymatic biocatalytic precipitation. The concatenated HRP through the tyramine oxidized numerous 4-chloro-1-naphthol molecules into insoluble benzo-4-chlorohexadienone with the help of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, and coated the modified immunosensor to keep free ions away from the electrode, thus causing the local alteration in the capacitance. Under optimum conditions, the change of the immunosensor in the capacitance increased with the increasing target PSA concentrations from 0.1 ng mL〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 to 50 ng mL〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a detection limit of 0.031 ng mL〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Moreover, the interdigitated capacitance immunosensor showed good reproducibility, high specificity and acceptable accuracy for the analysis of human serum specimens in comparison with those obtained from commercial human PSA ELISA kit. Importantly, Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 MXenes-based interdigitated capacitance transducer open new opportunities for protein diagnostics and biosecurity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 319〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhixu Jian, Honglei Li, Rui Cao, Heliang Zhou, Huaizhe Xu, Guangjin Zhao, Yalan Xing, Shichao Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Confining the dissolution and diffusion of polysulfide is considered a key factor in the realization of high-performance lithium-sulfur battery. Here, we report a polydopamine (pDA) coated sulfur-carbon composite with a unique hierarchical tower-like structure (S-HTC@pDA) for lithium sulfur cathode. The internal layer by layer structure is capable of uniformly dispersing of sulfur, providing a continuous electronic conductive path and shortening the Li〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 transport distance, while the external pDA coating can inhibit the diffusion of polysulfide. Benefited from the smart design, the S-HTC@pDA electrode achieved an excellent cycling stability, realizing a high discharge capacity of 916 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at the first cycle and a capacity retention of 79.4% after 500 cycles at 1 C. Therefore, this work provides a new concept in structure design for high performance lithium sulfur cathodes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Here, we report a polydopamine (pDA) coated sulfur-carbon composite with a unique hierarchical tower-like structure (S-HTC@pDA) for lithium sulfur cathode. The internal layer by layer structure is capable of uniformly dispersing of sulfur, providing a continuous electronic conductive path and shortening the Li〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 transport distance, while the external pDA coating can inhibit the diffusion of polysulfide.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468619312885-fx1.jpg" width="326" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solar Energy, Volume 188〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Naser Abdi, Yaser Abdi, Zahra Alemipour〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Applied Geophysics, Volume 169〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhiqu Lu, Glenn V. Wilson, Mark W. Shankle〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉For soil exploration in the vadose zone, a high-frequency multi-channel analysis of surface waves (HF-MASW) method with three enhanced techniques has been developed. In this paper, we apply this enhanced HF-MASW method to re-process field testing data that were collected over the past several years on five different sites. These sites are selected for their different soil properties and data acquisition configurations. The derived overtone images, extracted dispersion curves, and inverted soil profiles of these soil sites are shown and discussed. Penetration tests were conducted and comparisons are made between the soil profiles taken from the HF-MASW tests and those from the penetration tests. One of the objectives of the paper is to determine the optimal data acquisition parameters, including the source parameters and sensor array geometric configuration through the discussions of these case studies. Practical concerns of the HF-MASW method and lessons learnt from these tests are addressed. Recommendations for data acquisition, signal processing, and inversion are provided.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solar Energy, Volume 188〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Smajil Halilovic, Jamie M. Bright, Wiebke Herzberg, Sven Killinger〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Knowledge of horizontal solar irradiance is crucial for the nowcasting and forecasting of generated photovoltaic (PV) power. High quality irradiance measurement devices, however, are typically not collocated with PV systems. The lack of measurements can be compensated by numerical weather models or satellite-derived products, but they provide only limited temporal and spatial resolutions. Another possibility is to directly use PV systems as irradiance sensors, since the measured PV power is a good indicator of incoming solar irradiance. The challenging part in this procedure is the computation of the global horizontal irradiance 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si233.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉h〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 from the global tilted irradiance 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si234.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, because a combination of decomposition and transposition models is not analytically invertible. Hence, the majority of existing solutions to this problem are numerical procedures. In this paper, an analytical approach to compute 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si235.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉h〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 from 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si236.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 is presented. The comparison of the proposed approach with one of the existing iterative (numerical) approaches shows promising results. When applied to 1-min data at four different locations, the new approach outperforms the iterative procedure by up to 9% in terms of the relative root mean square error (rRMSE) for east/west module’s orientations, and performs slightly better with the south orientation. Moreover, the new approach provides results in less than 1 s, whereas the iterative procedure requires more than 20 min for a one year of data. An open source R-script of the new approach is also publicly available and provided as supplementary material.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Crystal Growth, Volume 523〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuichiro Hayashi, Takeshi Mitani, Naoyoshi Komatsu, Tomohisa Kato, Hajime Okumura〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We investigated the surface roughening in 4H-SiC solution growth from the following two aspects: the roughening of the seed surface before seeding and the roughening caused by the adhesion of SiC particles during growth. First, we investigated the morphological changes of the seed surface before and after the melt-back process. The seed surface just before seeding was covered with macrosteps and 6H-SiC hillocks with a height of several micrometers. This surface roughening was caused by condensation of droplets of vaporized solvent on the seed surface. We found that the 6H-SiC hillocks were the origins of trench defects. The melt-back process completely removed the hillocks and produced a smooth surface adequate for successive bulk growth. Second, we investigated surface roughening caused by the formation of SiC particles. The adhesion of SiC particles on the growth surface introduced trench defects and polytype inclusions. The adhesion of SiC particles was suppressed by controlling the distribution of carbon supersaturation in the solvent.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Applied Geophysics, Volume 169〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rakoto Heritiana A., Rajaomahefasoa Riva, Razafiarisera Ralay, Razafindrakoto Boni〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Multiple electrical geophysical survey techniques were used to evaluate the flaky graphite reserves found along the east coast of Madagascar. Self-potential (SP) combined with induced polarization (IP) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods were applied and provide information about the graphite ore spatial distribution. Unlike conventional geophysical survey methods that use SP and electromagnetic (EM) methods for exploration of this type of metal, the addition of IP and ERT offers a geoelectrical map and section which indicate correlations with the graphite content.〈/p〉 〈p〉The obtained SP map enabled us to delineate the mineralized area whereas the geoelectrical sections obtained from ERT and IP provide additional information on the vertical extent of the mineral of interest, in this case flake-graphite. We overlaid the graphite content, as measured on samples, on the SP map in order to verify the effectiveness of the geophysical methodology. Good correlation between negative SP anomalies and positive indication of graphite content confirms that the methods used in this study (SP, ERT and IP) are sensitive for delineation of the mineralized zone and consequent evaluation of the ore reserve. Resistivity and chargeability obtained from the inversion of the ERT/IP data are low and high, respectively, within the saturated zone inside SP-anomalous zones.〈/p〉 〈p〉The principal ore body is located in the lateritic zone composed of clay-rich formations derived from the weathering of gneiss and migmatite rocks. Negative SP anomalies, along with low electrical resistivity and high chargeability values, are found mainly in areas where the graphitic content exceeds 5%.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, Volume 1861, Issue 8〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease, Volume 1865, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tomonaga Ichikawa, Shingo Nakahata, Masahiro Fujii, Hidekatsu Iha, Kazuya Shimoda, Kazuhiro Morishita〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a candidate tumor suppressor that is frequently downregulated in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and functions to negatively regulate several cellular signaling pathways as PP2A recruiter. To clarify the molecular mechanisms of suppression of NDRG2 expression, we initially determined the expression pattern of NDRG2 in various types of T-cells and ATLL cells. NDRG2 expression was significantly upregulated in HTLV-1/Tax-immortalized T-cells, which was mediated by NF-κB activation through Tax expression. On the other hand, NDRG2 expression was suppressed in HTLV-1-infected cell lines and various types of ATLL cells, which was dependent on the DNA methylation of the NDRG2 promoter. We found that the expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a member of the polycomb family, is increased in ATLL, and that EZH2 directly binds to the NDRG2 promoter and induces DNA methylation of the NDRG2 promoter. Since the expression of EZH2 were anti-parallelly regulated with the NDRG2 expression, EZH2 might be one of the most important regulators of the downregulation of NDRG2, contributing to enhanced activation of signaling pathways during ATLL development.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, Volume 1861, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mariafrancesca Scalise, Michele Galluccio, Lorena Pochini, Jessica Cosco, Miriam Trotta, Manuele Rebsamen, Giulio Superti-Furga, Cesare Indiveri〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The lysosomal amino acid transporter SLC38A9 is referred to as transceptor, i.e. a transporter with a receptor function. The protein is responsible for coupling amino acid transport across the lysosomal membrane according to the substrate availability to mTORC1 signal transduction. This process allows cells to sense amino acid level responding to growth stimuli in physiological and pathological conditions triggering mTOR regulation. The main substrates underlying this function are glutamine and arginine. The functional and kinetic characterization of glutamine and arginine transport was performed using human SLC38A9 produced in 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉, purified by affinity chromatography and reconstituted in liposomes. A cooperative behaviour for the wild type protein was revealed for both the substrates. A novel Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 binding site, namely T453, was described by combined approaches of bioinformatics, site-directed mutagenesis and transport assay. Stimulation by cholesterol of glutamine and arginine transport was observed. The biological function of SLC38A9 relies on the interaction between its N-terminus and components of the mTOR complex; a deletion mutant of the N-terminus tail was produced and transport of glutamine was assayed revealing that this portion does not play any role in the intrinsic transport function of the human SLC38A9. Different features for glutamine and arginine transport were revealed: human SLC38A9 is competent for glutamine efflux, while that of arginine is negligible. In line with these results, imposed ∆pH stimulated glutamine, not arginine transport. Arginine plays, on the contrary, a modulatory function and is able to stimulate glutamine efflux. Interestingly, reciprocal inhibition experiments also supported by bioinformatics, suggested that glutamine and arginine may bind to different sites in the human SLC38A9 transporter.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Proteoliposome reconstitution of hSLC38A9 WT and mutants.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0005273619301567-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, Volume 1863, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuangdong Chen, Yixiao Gu, Qinxue Dai, Yanshu He, Junlu Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), which is regulated by microRNA-34a (miR-34a), can modulate pathophysiology processes, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury. We previously reported that SIRT1, an NAD〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-dependent deacetylase, plays a vital role in the development of neuropathic pain. However, the role of miR-34a/SIRT1 in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain remains unclear. In the present study, we examined miR-34a and SIRT1 in CFA mice. MiR-34a levels increased, while SIRT1 decreased in the spinal cord. Inhibiting miR-34a by intrathecal injection of miR-34a antagomir attenuated CFA-induced pain behavior. Moreover, miR-34a antagomir inhibited the CFA-induced SIRT1 decrease in the spinal cord. Furthermore, the analgesic effect of miR-34a antagomir was abrogated by the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527. Our data provide support that the underlying mechanisms of miR-34a in promoting inflammatory pain may involve negative regulation of SIRT1.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, Volume 1861, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Oumaima Et-Thakafy, Fanny Guyomarc'h, Christelle Lopez〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The biological membrane surrounding milk fat globules (MFGM) exhibits lateral phase separation of lipids, interpreted as gel or liquid-ordered phase sphingomyelin-rich (milk SM) domains dispersed in a fluid continuous lipid phase. The objective of this study was to investigate whether changes in the phase state of milk SM-rich domains induced by temperature (T 〈 Tm or T 〉 Tm) or cholesterol affected the Young modulus of the lipid membrane. Supported lipid bilayers composed of MFGM polar lipids, milk SM or milk SM/cholesterol (50:50 mol) were investigated at 20 °C and 50 °C using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and force spectroscopy. At 20 °C, gel-phase SM-rich domains and the surrounding fluid phase of the MFGM polar lipids exhibited Young modulus values of 10–20 MPa and 4–6 MPa, respectively. Upon heating at 50 °C, the milk SM-rich domains in MFGM bilayers as well as pure milk SM bilayers melted, leading to the formation of a homogeneous membrane with similar Young modulus values to that of a fluid phase (0–5 MPa). Upon addition of cholesterol to the milk SM to reach 50:50 mol%, membranes in the liquid-ordered phase exhibited Young modulus values of a few MPa, at either 20 or 50 °C. This indicated that the presence of cholesterol fluidized milk SM membranes and that the Young modulus was weakly affected by the temperature. These results open perspectives for the development of milk polar lipid based vesicles with modulated mechanical properties.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0005273619301555-ga1.jpg" width="317" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solid State Communications, Volume 300〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jayeeta Chowdhury, Sachindra Nath Karmakar〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper we have introduced a new method based on real space renormalization group technique to find the density of states of three dimensional quasiperiodic lattices in the thermodynamic limit. The importance of this method lies in the fact that for three dimensional quasiperiodic lattices in this limit, no other technique is available in the literature for the density of states till now. Finding the density of states, we have also studied the electronic specific heat of such lattices and revealed the nature of temperature dependence of the specific heat.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ultramicroscopy, Volume 206〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): P. Kükelhan, T. Hepp, S. Firoozabadi, A. Beyer, K. Volz〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is a powerful tool for the characterization of nano-materials. Absolute composition determination for ternary III–V semiconductors by direct comparison of experiment and simulation is well established. Here, we show a method to determine the composition of quaternary III–V semiconductors with two elements on each sub lattice from the intensities of one STEM image. As an example, this is applied to (GaIn)(AsBi). The feasibility of the method is shown in a simulation study that also explores the influence of detector angles and specimen thickness. Additionally, the method is applied to an experimental STEM image of a (GaIn)(AsBi) quantum well grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy. The obtained concentrations are in good agreement with X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence results.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 5 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 804〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): J.Y. Oh, Tien M. Le, A.T. Pham, D.H. Tran, D.S. Yang, B. Kang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, we investigated a correlation between superconductivity and interlayer coupling of two different alkaline (Na and K)-substituted Bi〈sub〉1·6〈/sub〉Pb〈sub〉0·4〈/sub〉Sr〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Ca〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Cu〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉10+δ〈/sub〉 (BSCCO) polycrystalline samples. The excess conductivity analysis by the Aslamazov-Larkin (AL) and Lawrence-Doniach (LD) theories showed that Na substitution at the Ca site induced a gradual broadening of 3D fluctuation region with increasing interlayer coupling strength, which explains a systematic increase of 〈em〉T〈/em〉〈sub〉〈em〉c〈/em〉〈/sub〉 and a decrease of normal state resistivity. On the other hand, exactly the opposite results were observed in the K-substituted samples in place of Sr. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies revealed that substitution of Na and K generated completely different effects on the local structure around Cu atoms. It is noticeable that the Cu–O bond distance was found to decrease monotonically with the varying amounts of Na, which indicates that the CuO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 layer is stabilized. On the while, the opposite was observed to occur with the varying amounts of K. Unlike the Cu–Ca bond which was the least affected by the substitution, the Cu–Sr bond distance increased drastically with K substitution. All these findings indicate that Na substitution at the Ca site enhances superconductivity with no loss of interlayer interaction, while K substitution at the Sr site weakens superconductivity due to the diminished interlayer interaction.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 5 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 804〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Moara M. Castro, Shima Sabbaghianrad, Pedro Henrique R. Pereira, Eric M. Mazzer, Augusta Isaac, Terence G. Langdon, Roberto B. Figueiredo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A magnesium/aluminium composite was produced by room temperature consolidation through high-pressure torsion (HPT) processing. Half-discs of the pure metals were placed side-by-side and subjected to different numbers of turns. The initially reduced interface between the phases gradually increased with increasing rotation. The composite displayed a significant ductility even after 10 turns. The distribution of hardness in the HPT-processed discs was bi-modal in the early stages of processing. As the number of turns increased and the thickness of the phases decreased there was a noticeable increase in hardness. The hardness values of the composite further increased after thermal treatment due to the formation of intermetallics within the interface between the magnesium and aluminium-rich phases.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉