New Mineral Names,

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The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column.

Plastic waste has been documented in nearly all types of marine environments and has been found in species spanning all levels of marine food webs. Within these marine environments, deep pelagic waters encompass the largest ecosystems on Earth. We lack a comprehensive understanding of the concentrations, cycling, and fate of plastic waste in sub-surface waters, constraining our ability to implement effective, large-scale policy and conservation strategies. We used remotely operated vehicles and engineered purpose-built samplers to collect and examine the distribution of microplastics in the Monterey Bay pelagic ecosystem at water column depths ranging from 5 to 1000 m. Laser Raman spectroscopy was used to identify microplastic particles collected from throughout the deep pelagic water column, with the highest concentrations present at depths between 200 and 600 m. Examination of two abundant particle feeders in this ecosystem, pelagic red crabs (Pleuroncodes planipes) and giant larvaceans (Bathochordaeus stygius), showed that microplastic particles readily flow from the environment into coupled water column and seafloor food webs. Our findings suggest that one of the largest and currently underappreciated reservoirs of marine microplastics may be contained within the water column and animal communities of the deep sea

Low Temperature Gaseous Helium and very High Turbulence Experiments

Cryogenic gaseous helium gives access to extreme turbulent experimental conditions. The very high cooling helium flow rates available at CERN have been used to reach Reynolds numbers up to Re ~ 10**7 in a round jet experiment. First results are discussed

The Active Corona of HD 35850 (F8 V)

We present Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer spectroscopy and photometry of the nearby F8 V star HD 35850 (HR 1817). The EUVE spectra reveal 28 emission lines from Fe IX and Fe XV to Fe XXIV. The Fe XXI 102, 129 A ratio yields an upper limit for the coronal electron density, log n < 11.6 per cc. The EUVE SW spectrum shows a small but clearly detectable continuum. The line-to-continuum ratio indicates approximately solar Fe abundances, 0.8 < Z < 1.6. The resulting emission-measure distribution is characterized by two temperature components at log T of 6.8 and 7.4. The EUVE spectra have been compared with non-simultaneous ASCA SIS spectra of HD 35850. The SIS spectrum shows the same temperature distribution as the EUVE DEM analysis. However, the SIS spectral firs suggest sub-solar abundances, 0.34 < Z < 0.81. Although some of the discrepancy may be the result of incomplete X-ray line lists, we cannot explain the disagreement between the EUVE line-to-continuum ratio and the ASCA-derived Fe abundance. Given its youth (t ~ 100 Myr), its rapid rotation (v sin i ~ 50 km/s), and its high X-ray activity (Lx ~ 1.5E+30 ergs/s), HD 35850 may represent an activity extremum for single, main-sequence F-type stars. The variability and EM distribution can be reconstructed using the continuous flaring model of Guedel provided that the flare distribution has a power-law index of 1.8. Similar results obtained for other young solar analogs suggest that continuous flaring is a viable coronal heating mechanism on rapidly rotating, late-type, main-sequence stars.Comment: 32 pages incl. 14 figures and 3 tables. To appear in the 1999 April 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journa

First HARPSpol discoveries of magnetic fields in massive stars

In the framework of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) project, a HARPSpol Large Program at the 3.6m-ESO telescope has recently started to collect high-resolution spectropolarimetric data of a large number of Southern massive OB stars in the field of the Galaxy and in many young clusters and associations. In this Letter, we report on the first discoveries of magnetic fields in two massive stars with HARPSpol - HD 130807 and HD 122451, and confirm the presence of a magnetic field at the surface of HD 105382 that was previously observed with a low spectral resolution device. The longitudinal magnetic field measurements are strongly varying for HD 130807 from $\sim$-100 G to $\sim$700 G. Those of HD 122451 and HD 105382 are less variable with values ranging from $\sim$-40 to -80 G, and from $\sim$-300 to -600 G, respectively. The discovery and confirmation of three new magnetic massive stars, including at least two He-weak stars, is an important contribution to one of the MiMeS objectives: the understanding of origin of magnetic fields in massive stars and their impacts on stellar structure and evolution.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Lette

Author Correction: The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

A Cryogenic High-Reynolds Turbulence Experiment at CERN

The potential of cryogenic helium flows for studying high-Reynolds number turbulence in the laboratory has been recognised for a long time and implemented in several small-scale hydrodynamic experiments. With its large superconducting particle accelerators and detector magnets, CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, has become a major world center in helium cryogenics, with several large helium refrigerators having capacities up to 18 kW @ 4.5 K. Combining a small fraction of these resources with the expertise of three laboratories at the forefront of turbulence research, has led to the design, swift implementation, and successful operation of GReC (Grands Reynolds Cryogéniques) a large axisymmetric turbulent-jet experiment. With flow-rates up to 260 g/s of gaseous helium at ~ 5 K and atmospheric pressure, Reynolds numbers up to 107 have been achieved in a 4.6 m high, 1.4 m diameter cryostat. This paper presents the results of the first runs and describes the experimental set-up comprehensively equipped with "hot" wire micro-anemometers, acoustic scattering vorticity measurements and a large-bandwidth data acquisition system

The phylogenetically-related pattern recognition receptors EFR and XA21 recruit similar immune signaling components in monocots and dicots

During plant immunity, surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The transfer of PRRs between plant species is a promising strategy for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance. Thus, there is a great interest in understanding the mechanisms of PRR-mediated resistance across different plant species. Two well-characterized plant PRRs are the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) EFR and XA21 from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and rice, respectively. Interestingly, despite being evolutionary distant, EFR and XA21 are phylogenetically closely related and are both members of the sub-family XII of LRR-RKs that contains numerous potential PRRs. Here, we compared the ability of these related PRRs to engage immune signaling across the monocots-dicots taxonomic divide. Using chimera between Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21, we show that the kinase domain of the rice XA21 is functional in triggering elf18-induced signaling and quantitative immunity to the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the EFR:XA21 chimera associates dynamically in a ligand-dependent manner with known components of the EFR complex. Conversely, EFR associates with Arabidopsis orthologues of rice XA21-interacting proteins, which appear to be involved in EFR-mediated signaling and immunity in Arabidopsis. Our work indicates the overall functional conservation of immune components acting downstream of distinct LRR-RK-type PRRs between monocots and dicots

2012 Market Report on U.S. Wind Technologies in Distributed Applications

At the end of 2012, U.S. wind turbines in distributed applications reached a 10-year cumulative installed capacity of more than 812 MW from more than 69,000 units across all 50 states. In 2012 alone, nearly 3,800 wind turbines totaling 175 MW of distributed wind capacity were documented in 40 states and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with 138 MW using utility-scale turbines (i.e., greater than 1 MW in size), 19 MW using mid-size turbines (i.e., 101 kW to 1 MW in size), and 18.4 MW using small turbines (i.e., up to 100 kW in size). Distributed wind is defined in terms of technology application based on a wind project’s location relative to end-use and power-distribution infrastructure, rather than on technology size or project size. Distributed wind systems are either connected on the customer side of the meter (to meet the onsite load) or directly to distribution or micro grids (to support grid operations or offset large loads nearby). Estimated capacity-weighted average costs for 2012 U.S. distributed wind installations was $2,540/kW for utility-scale wind turbines,$2,810/kW for mid-sized wind turbines, and $6,960/kW for newly manufactured (domestic and imported) small wind turbines. An emerging trend observed in 2012 was an increased use of refurbished turbines. The estimated capacity-weighted average cost of refurbished small wind turbines installed in 2012 was$4,080/kW. As a result of multiple projects using utility-scale turbines, Iowa deployed the most new overall distributed wind capacity, 37 MW, in 2012. Nevada deployed the most small wind capacity in 2012, with nearly 8 MW of small wind turbines installed in distributed applications. In the case of mid-size turbines, Ohio led all states in 2012 with 4.9 MW installed in distributed applications. State and federal policies and incentives continued to play a substantial role in the development of distributed wind projects. In 2012, U.S. Treasury Section 1603 payments and grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program were the main sources of federal funding for distributed wind projects. State and local funding varied across the country, from rebates to loans, tax credits, and other incentives. Reducing utility bills and hedging against potentially rising electricity rates remain drivers of distributed wind installations. In 2012, other drivers included taking advantage of the expiring U.S. Treasury Section 1603 program and a prosperous year for farmers. While 2012 saw a large addition of distributed wind capacity, considerable barriers and challenges remain, such as a weak domestic economy, inconsistent state incentives, and very competitive solar photovoltaic and natural gas prices. The industry remains committed to improving the distributed wind marketplace by advancing the third-party certification process and introducing alternative financing models, such as third-party power purchase agreements and lease-to-own agreements more typical in the solar photovoltaic market. Continued growth is expected in 2013

The impact of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 depletion on poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity and responses to radiation

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) has been identified as a determinant of sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Here, the consequences of its depletion on cell survival, PARP activity, the recruitment of base excision repair (BER) proteins to DNA damage sites, and overall DNA single-strand break (SSB) repair were investigated using isogenic HeLa stably depleted (KD) and Control cell lines. Synthetic lethality achieved by disrupting PARP activity in Cdk5-deficient cells was confirmed, and the Cdk5KD cells were also found to be sensitive to the killing effects of ionizing radiation (IR) but not methyl methanesulfonate or neocarzinostatin. The recruitment profiles of GFP-PARP-1 and XRCC1-YFP to sites of micro-irradiated Cdk5KD cells were slower and reached lower maximum values, while the profile of GFP-PCNA recruitment was faster and attained higher maximum values compared to Control cells. Higher basal, IR, and hydrogen peroxide-induced polymer levels were observed in Cdk5KD compared to Control cells. Recruitment of GFP-PARP-1 in which serines 782, 785, and 786, potential Cdk5 phosphorylation targets, were mutated to alanines in micro-irradiated Control cells was also reduced. We hypothesize that Cdk5-dependent PARP-1 phosphorylation on one or more of these serines results in an attenuation of its ribosylating activity facilitating persistence at DNA damage sites. Despite these deficiencies, Cdk5KD cells are able to effectively repair SSBs probably via the long patch BER pathway, suggesting that the enhanced radiation sensitivity of Cdk5KD cells is due to a role of Cdk5 in other pathways or the altered polymer levels