Saharan dust transport and deposition towards the tropical northern Atlantic

We present a study of Saharan dust export towards the tropical North Atlantic using the regional dust emission, transport and deposition model LM-MUSCAT. Horizontal and vertical distribution of dust optical thickness, concentration, and dry and wet deposition rates are used to describe seasonality of dust export and deposition towards the eastern Atlantic for three typical months in different seasons. Deposition rates strongly depend on the vertical dust distribution, which differs with seasons. Furthermore the contribution of dust originating from the Bodélé Depression to Saharan dust over the Atlantic is investigated. A maximum contribution of Bodélé dust transported towards the Cape Verde Islands is evident in winter when the Bodélé source area is most active and dominant with regard to activation frequency and dust emission. Limitations of using satellite retrievals to estimate dust deposition are highlighted

Mexico-UK Sub-millimeter Camera for AsTronomy

MUSCAT is a large format mm-wave camera scheduled for installation on the Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano (LMT) in 2018. The MUSCAT focal plane is based on an array of horn coupled lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors optimised for coupling to the 1.1mm atmospheric window. The detectors are fed with fully baffled reflective optics to minimize stray-light contamination. This combination will enable background-limited performance at 1.1 mm across the full 4 arcminute field-of-view of the LMT. The easily accessible focal plane will be cooled to 100 mK with a new closed cycle miniature dilution refrigerator that permits fully continuous operation. The MUSCAT instrument will demonstrate the science capabilities of the LMT through two relatively short science programmes to provide high resolution follow-up surveys of Galactic and extra-galactic sources previously observed with the Herschel space observatory, after the initial observing campaigns. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the overall instrument design as well as an update on progress and scheduled installation on the LMT.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of Low Temperature Detector

The K2-ESPRINT Project VI: K2-105 b, a Hot-Neptune around a Metal-rich G-dwarf

We report on the confirmation that the candidate transits observed for the star EPIC 211525389 are due to a short-period Neptune-sized planet. The host star, located in K2 campaign field 5, is a metal-rich ([Fe/H] = 0.26$\pm$0.05) G-dwarf (T_eff = 5430$\pm$70 K and log g = 4.48$\pm$0.09), based on observations with the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) on the Subaru 8.2m telescope. High-spatial resolution AO imaging with HiCIAO on the Subaru telescope excludes faint companions near the host star, and the false positive probability of this target is found to be <$10^{-6}$ using the open source vespa code. A joint analysis of transit light curves from K2 and additional ground-based multi-color transit photometry with MuSCAT on the Okayama 1.88m telescope gives the orbital period of P = 8.266902$\pm$0.000070 days and consistent transit depths of $R_p/R_\star \sim 0.035$ or $(R_p/R_\star)^2 \sim 0.0012$. The transit depth corresponds to a planetary radius of $R_p = 3.59_{-0.39}^{+0.44} R_{\oplus}$, indicating that EPIC 211525389 b is a short-period Neptune-sized planet. Radial velocities of the host star, obtained with the Subaru HDS, lead to a 3\sigma\ upper limit of 90 $M_{\oplus} (0.00027 M_{\odot})$ on the mass of EPIC 211525389 b, confirming its planetary nature. We expect this planet, newly named K2-105 b, to be the subject of future studies to characterize its mass, atmosphere, spin-orbit (mis)alignment, as well as investigate the possibility of additional planets in the system.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, PASJ accepte

Patterns of genomic and phenomic diversity in wine and table grapes.

Grapes are one of the most economically and culturally important crops worldwide, and they have been bred for both winemaking and fresh consumption. Here we evaluate patterns of diversity across 33 phenotypes collected over a 17-year period from 580 table and wine grape accessions that belong to one of the world's largest grape gene banks, the grape germplasm collection of the United States Department of Agriculture. We find that phenological events throughout the growing season are correlated, and quantify the marked difference in size between table and wine grapes. By pairing publicly available historical phenotype data with genome-wide polymorphism data, we identify large effect loci controlling traits that have been targeted during domestication and breeding, including hermaphroditism, lighter skin pigmentation and muscat aroma. Breeding for larger berries in table grapes was traditionally concentrated in geographic regions where Islam predominates and alcohol was prohibited, whereas wine grapes retained the ancestral smaller size that is more desirable for winemaking in predominantly Christian regions. We uncover a novel locus with a suggestive association with berry size that harbors a signature of positive selection for larger berries. Our results suggest that religious rules concerning alcohol consumption have had a marked impact on patterns of phenomic and genomic diversity in grapes

Assessing the identity of the variety "Pedro Giménez" grown in Argentina through the use of microsatellite markers.

'Pedro Giménez' es una variedad criolla blanca cultivada en Argentina, principalmente en las provincias de Mendoza y San Juan, siendo la variedad con la mayor superficie entre las uvas blancas de vinificación. Su origen es desconocido, como también su relación con la variedad española 'Pedro Ximénez', cultivada especialmente en la región de Jerez, España. En trabajos previos se ha probado que la mayoría de las variedades criollas existentes en América se habrían originado del cruzamiento de 'Moscatel de Alejandría' x 'Criolla Chica'. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivos comparar las variedades 'Pedro Giménez' y 'Pedro Ximénez', y establecer relaciones de parentesco con 'Moscatel de Alejandría' y 'Criolla Chica'. Se utilizaron 18 loci microsatélites nucleares y 3 loci microsatélites de cloroplasto. 'Pedro Giménez' compartió sólo el 38% de los alelos con 'Pedro Ximénez', por lo que se pudo inferir que se trata de variedades diferentes. En todos los loci polimórficos nucleares analizados 'Pedro Giménez' compartió uno de los alelos con 'Moscatel de Alejandría' y el otro con 'Criolla Chica'. Estos datos, junto con el resultado del análisis de SSR de cloroplastos, avalan la hipótesis que, como muchas de las variedades criollas, 'Pedro Giménez' sería fruto del cruzamiento entre estos dos progenitores, siendo 'Criolla Chica' probablemente el progenitor materno.´Pedro Giménez´ is a white criolla variety cropped in Argentina, mainly in Mendoza and San Juan, being the most planted white variety destined for wine making in the country. Its origin remains unknown, as well as its relationship with Spanish variety ´Pedro Ximénez´, mostly grown in Jerez, Spain. Previous works have probed that most of Criollas varieties existing in America at the moment, are the offspring of ´Muscat of Alexandria´ x ´Criolla Chica´. The aim of the present work was to compare ´Pedro Giménez´ with the Spanish variety ´Pedro Ximénez´, and to establish its degree of relatedness to ´Muscat of Alexandria´ and ´Criolla Chica´. Therefore we used a set of 18 nuclear SSR loci and 3 chloroplast SSR loci. ´Pedro Giménez´ shared only 38% of the alleles under analysis with ´Pedro Ximénez´, indicating that they are indeed two different varieties. In all 18 polymorphic nuclear SSR loci ´Pedro Giménez´ shared 50% of its alleles with ´Muscat of Alexandria´, while the other 50% of the alleles present in ´Pedro Giménez´ were also present in ´Criolla Chica´. This data, along with those from the chloroplast SSR analysis, strongly suggest that ´Pedro Giménez´ is the progeny of ´Muscat of Alexandria´ x ´Criolla Chica´, being the latest one the most likely female progenitor.Fil: Duran, Martin Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Agüero, Cecilia B.. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Martínez, Liliana Estela. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentin

ブドウ‘マスカット・オブ・アレキサンドリア’に対する潅水制限が樹体の水分，葉温，果実温，果実の全フェノール含量，果皮色に及ぼす影響

　Effects of different deficit irrigation strategies on vine water status, canopy and cluster temperatures, fruit total phenolics, and the color of white table grapes (Vitis vinifera L., cv. Muscat of Alexandria) were compared to a well-irrigated control in 2004 from veraison to harvest at the Okayama University Experimental Vineyard, Japan. The treatments included: (1) well-irrigated control: re-irrigation when the soil moisture tension reached 15 kPa; (2) regulated deficit irrigation (RDI): re-irrigation 4 to 7 days after reaching a soil moisture tension of 15 kPa; (3) fixed partial root-zone wetting (FPRW): one part of the root system was re-irrigated when the soil moisture tension reached 15 kPa; and (4) alternate partial root-zone wetting (APRW): one part of the root system was re-irrigated when the soil moisture tension reached 15 kPa, and every week the irrigated part was switched. As the stress developed in RDI vines, leaf water potential and transpiration rate decreased and canopy and cluster temperatures increased as compared with the control. In contrast, both FPRW and APRW vines had similar leaf water potential and canopy and cluster temperatures, but less leaf transpiration rate as compared with the control. At harvest, fruits from all treatments had higher skin total phenolics and CIELAB a＊ values than the control. RDI fruit had higher total soluble solids (TSS), a similar acidity, and smaller size compared with the control. FPRW and APRW fruits had slightly higher TSS, lower acidity, and a similar size compared with the control.ベレゾーン期から収穫期までの潅水制限処理が‘マスカット・オブ・アレキサンドリア’ブドウ（Vitis vinifera L｡）の水分条件，葉温，果実温，果実の全フェノール，果皮色に及ぼす影響を，十分に潅水した樹と比較した．実験は2004年に岡山大学農学部内の実験圃場で行った．処理区は，１) 土壌水分張力が15kPa に達したときに潅水する対照区，２) 土壌水分張力が15kPa に達してから４～７日後に潅水する制限潅水区，３) 土壌水分張力が15kPa に達したときに根域の半分に潅水する片側潅水区，４) 片側潅水する根域部分を１週間ごとに変更する交互潅水区とした．制限潅水区では水分ストレスが強まるにつれて葉の水ポテンシャルと蒸散速度が対照区よりも低下し，果実温が高くなった．しかし，片側潅水区と交互潅水区では，葉の水ポテンシャルと葉温，果実温は対照区と同程度で，蒸散速度が低下した．収穫期の果皮の全フェノールと CIELAB a＊ 値は，潅水を制限した各区では標準区より高かった．制限潅水区の果実は，標準区より糖度が高く，酸度は低く，果粒は小さかった．片側潅水区，交互潅水区では糖度がやや高く，酸度は低く，果粒の大きさは同程度であった

New developments in the representation of Saharan dust sources in the aerosol–climate model ECHAM6-HAM2

In the aerosol–climate model ECHAM6-HAM2, dust source activation (DSA) observations from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite are proposed to replace the original source area parameterization over the Sahara Desert. The new setup is tested in nudged simulations for the period 2007 to 2008. The evaluation is based on comparisons to dust emission events inferred from MSG dust index imagery, Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sun photometer observations, and satellite retrievals of aerosol optical thickness (AOT).<br><br>The model results agree well with AERONET measurements especially in terms of seasonal variability, and a good spatial correlation was found between model results and MSG-SEVIRI (Spinning-Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager) dust AOT as well as Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) AOT. ECHAM6-HAM2 computes a more realistic geographical distribution and up to 20 % higher annual Saharan dust emissions, using the MSG-based source map. The representation of dust AOT is partly improved in the southern Sahara and Sahel. In addition, the spatial variability is increased towards a better agreement with observations depending on the season. Thus, using the MSG DSA map can help to circumvent the issue of uncertain soil input parameters.<br><br>An important issue remains the need to improve the model representation of moist convection and stable nighttime conditions. Compared to sub-daily DSA information from MSG-SEVIRI and results from a regional model, ECHAM6-HAM2 notably underestimates the important fraction of morning dust events by the breakdown of the nocturnal low-level jet, while a major contribution is from afternoon-to-evening emissions

A study of general practice consultations at Mosta Health Centre, Malta

Primary care is the first contact for patients with health related problems. In Malta, primary health is provided by both private and state sectors. The state services are free-of-charge and provide a 24 hrs walk-in GP service at health centres as well as community care, immunisation and local clinics (bereg) for free prescriptions and blood pressure monitoring. The aim of this study was to obtain basic demographic data and reasons for encounter (RfEs) of patients attending Mosta Health Centre from 8am to 5pm between 16th July and 7th October 2012. The RfE data were collected with the International Classification of Primary Care Version 2 (ICPC-2) and compared with data from local and international studies. Patients attending the clinic during the first author’s allocated time at the GP clinic were anonymously recorded and data collected was organised according to gender, age, locality and RfE. The RfEs were classified according to ICPC-2 criteria. A total of 271 patients were reviewed, where 132 were male and 139 females. The age of patients ranged between 2 months and 86 years. The majority of patients were from Mosta and St. Paul’s Bay. The commonest RfE according to ICPC-2 was musculoskeletal complaints. Data collected showed that in general practice the reasons for consultations is vast with the most common RfEs being musculoskeletal problems, administrative work, health check-ups, respiratory problems and blood pressure monitoring. Improvement of the primary care services with an increase in resources would decrease the burden on secondary care.peer-reviewe