Climate Model-Simulated Diurnal Cycles in HIRS Clear-Sky Brightness Temperatures

Clear-sky brightness temperature measurements from the High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) are simulated with two climate models via a radiative transfer code. The models are sampled along the HIRS orbit paths to derive diurnal climatologies of simulated brightness temperature analogous to an existing climatology based on HIRS observations. Simulated and observed climatologies are compared to assess model performance and the robustness of the observed climatology.Over land, there is good agreement between simulations and observations, with particularly high consistency for the tropospheric temperature channels. Diurnal cycles in the middle-and upper-tropospheric water vapor channels are weak in both simulations and observations, but the simulated diurnal brightness temperature ranges are smaller than are observed with different phase and there are also intermodel differences. Over sea, the absence of diurnal variability in the models' sea surface temperatures causes an underestimate of the small diurnal cycles measured in the troposphere.The simulated and observed climatologies imply similar diurnal sampling biases in the HIRS record for the tropospheric temperature channels, but for the upper-tropospheric water vapor channel, differences in the contributions of the 24- and 12-hourly diurnal harmonics lead to differences in the implied bias. Comparison of diurnal cycles derived from HIRS-like and full model sampling suggests that the HIRS measurements are sufficient to fully constrain the diurnal behavior.Overall, the results suggest that recent climate models well represent the major processes driving the diurnal behavior of clear-sky brightness temperature in the HIRS channels. This encourages further studies of observed and simulated climate trends over the HIRS era.</p

Design of an electron microscope phase plate using a focused continuous-wave laser

We propose a Zernike phase contrast electron microscope that uses an intense laser focus to convert a phase image into a visible image. We present the relativistic quantum theory of the phase shift caused by the laser-electron-interaction, study resonant cavities for enhancing the laser intensity, and discuss applications in biology, soft materials science, and atomic and molecular physics.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

A significant hardening and rising shape detected in the MeV/GeV nuFnu spectrum from the recently-discovered very-high-energy blazar S4 0954+65 during the bright optical flare in 2015 February

We report on Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and multi-wavelength results on the recently-discovered very-high-energy (VHE, $E>$ 100 GeV) blazar S4 0954+65 ($z=0.368$) during an exceptionally bright optical flare in 2015 February. During the time period (2015 February, 13/14, or MJD 57067) when the MAGIC telescope detected VHE $\gamma$-ray emission from the source, the Fermi-LAT data indicated a significant spectral hardening at GeV energies, with a power-law photon index of $1.8 \pm 0.1$---compared with the 3FGL value (averaged over four years of observation) of $2.34 \pm 0.04$. In contrast, Swift/XRT data showed a softening of the X-ray spectrum, with a photon index of $1.72 \pm 0.08$ (compared with $1.38 \pm 0.03$ averaged during the flare from MJD 57066 to 57077), possibly indicating a modest contribution of synchrotron photons by the highest-energy electrons superposed on the inverse Compton component. Fitting of the quasi-simultaneous ($<1$ day) broadband spectrum with a one-zone synchrotron plus inverse-Compton model revealed that GeV/TeV emission could be produced by inverse-Compton scattering of external photons from the dust torus. We emphasize that a flaring blazar showing high flux of $\gtrsim 1.0 \times 10^{-6}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ ($E>$ 100 MeV) and a hard spectral index of $\Gamma_{\rm GeV} < 2.0$ detected by Fermi-LAT on daily time scales is a promising target for TeV follow-up by ground-based Cherenkov telescopes to discover high-redshift blazars, investigate their temporal variability and spectral features in the VHE band, and also constrain the intensity of the extragalactic background light.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted by PAS

Direct iminization of PEEK

Semi-crystalline poly(ether ketone)s are important high-temperature engineering thermoplastics, but are difficult to characterize at the molecular level because of their insolubility in conventional organic solvents. Here we report that polymers of this type, including PEEK, react cleanly at high temperatures with low-volatility aralkyl amines to afford stable, noncrystalline poly(ether-imine)s, which are readily soluble in solvents such as chloroform, THF and DMF and so characterizable by conventional size-exclusion chromatography

Diasporic Literary Archives Network and the Commonwealth: Namibia, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, and other examples

This article brings together three themes: primary sources for the study of literature; the diasporic nature of literary manuscripts; and the impact of the diaspora on the English-speaking world, in general, and the Commonwealth, in particular. The article begins by describing some general characteristics of literary manuscripts, focusing in particular on their diasporic nature. It then outlines the work of the project known as the Diasporic Literary Archives Network in the years 2012-15. It concludes with an assessment of the archival diaspora as it affects cultural and literary heritage work in Commonwealth countries

AGILE observation of a gamma-ray flare from the blazar 3C 279

Context. We report the detection by the AGILE satellite of an intense gamma-ray flare from the gamma-ray source 3EG J1255-0549, associated to the Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar 3C 279, during the AGILE pointings towards the Virgo Region on 2007 July 9-13. Aims. The simultaneous optical, X-ray and gamma-ray covering allows us to study the spectral energy distribution (SED) and the theoretical models relative to the flaring episode of mid-July. Methods. AGILE observed the source during its Science Performance Verification Phase with its two co-aligned imagers: the Gamma- Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) and the hard X-ray imager (Super-AGILE) sensitive in the 30 MeV - 50 GeV and 18 - 60 keV respectively. During the AGILE observation the source was monitored simultaneously in optical band by the REM telescope and in the X-ray band by the Swift satellite through 4 ToO observations. Results. During 2007 July 9-13 July 2007, AGILE-GRID detected gamma-ray emission from 3C 279, with the source at ~2 deg from the center of the Field of View, with an average flux of (210+-38) 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 for energy above 100 MeV. No emission was detected by Super-AGILE, with a 3-sigma upper limit of 10 mCrab. During the observation lasted about 4 days no significative gamma-ray flux variation was observed. Conclusions. The Spectral Energy Distribution is modelled with a homogeneous one-zone Synchrotron Self Compton emission plus the contributions by external Compton scattering of direct disk radiation and, to a lesser extent, by external Compton scattering of photons from the Broad Line Region.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/19440/thumbnail.jp

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/19440/thumbnail.jp

Viola pratincola Greene

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/20175/thumbnail.jp

Species identification in heat processed meat products

In this work, species-specific PCR techniques were developed and optimized to identify pork, poultry and cow species in Frankfurt sausages. For pork and poultry, which are the most frequently used meats in Frankfurters, reference binary samples (pork in poultry and poultry in pork) were prepared in the laboratory. In both cases, the established conditions allowed the detection of levels as low as 0.1% of added pork/poultry meat. Real-time PCR assays based on the measurement of fluorescence increments using SYBR Green I dye were used for quantitative purposes. Several samples were acquired in the retail market and tested for their label compliance. Results showed 3 mislabelled samples regarding cow species and 2 for poultry species. Although the qualitative results showed the undeclared presence of pork meat in 2 poultry sausages samples, quantitative results showed levels < 0.1%. These low levels are probably not related to fraudulent practices, but possibly due to cross-contaminations during industrial processing