The Use of Satellite Cloud Photography to Infer Oceanographic Phenomena

Several years of satellite cloud photography were examined to determine to what extent oceanographic phenomena might be revealed through their influence on the local cloud structure. The region of the Peru Current was selected for the study. As anticipated, indications of known oceanographic features including the Peru Current itself and local upwelling centers were noted. Previously unknown features such as an apparent band of warmer water off the Peruvian coast and anomalous patches of calm water in mid-ocean were also found. A seasonal cloud climatology for the Peru Current area was developed. The importance of coordinated studies using satellites, ships and aircraft is emphasized

Observations of Arctic Sea Ice Dynamics Using the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1)

This study shows that ERTS-l, launched by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in July 1972, can be used to make synoptic observations of dynamic changes in arctic sea ice .... Each data swath of ERTS-l is 185 kilometres wide at the surface and is repeated once every 18 days. ... Because of a near-polar orbit, this sidelap increases to over 80 per cent at arctic latitudes. As a consequence of this large sidelap, the tracking of individual ice features for periods up to 5 or 6 days is permitted. The ERTS-1 Multispectral Scanner Subsystem (MSS) records data by simultaneously scanning across the satellite track in 4 spectral bands. The wavelength limits of the 4 bands are: green (0.5-0.6 µm), red (0.6-0.7 µm), and two near infrared bands (0.7-0.8 µm and 0.8-1.1 µm). The nominal spatial resolution for all 4 bands is 80 metres. A standard ERTS-1 photographic format has an image scale of nearly 1:1,000,000, which is convenient for direct comparison with available maps. Hendriksen Strait, the passage between Amund Ringnes Island and Cornwall Island at about 77°45' N and 95°00' W constituted the study area; it is in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of Arctic Canada, and is one of the most enticing and promising areas of recent oil and gas strikes. ... during a 6-day period from 23 to 28 August, ERTS-1 provided 5 days of coverage of Hendriksen Strait. Various types of sea ice can be identified in the ERTS-l imagery (0.6-0.7 µm band) .... In such a sequence of observations, a number of sea ice changes with time are detectable. Changes in position of individual ice floes can easily be translated to velocity. A number of ice floes were tracked over the 5-day period and their velocities calculated. The average velocity for ice floe movement was 8.5 kilometres/day .... ERTS-l can be used to study ice floe morphology and dynamics in the Beaufort Sea at time scales of several days to months. Repeated observations of individual ice floes such as those available here will also allow calculation of the ablation of the ice mass, in this case the decrease of surface area with time. ... The ice cover, i.e. the relative amount of sea ice present in a given area, is important for shipping purposes and air-sea interaction processes. The ice cover in Hendriksen Strait on 23 August was approximately 7/10, decreasing to 2/10 by 28 August. This type of sea ice change is easily observed from ERTS-1 .... In regard to the delineation of navigation routes through sea ice, the detection of active melting on the surface of the ice would indicate areas likely to be ice free in the near future. ERTS-1 has the ability to do this through observations of reflectance variability both temporally and spectrally. The second method of observing the sea ice reflectance change is provided by comparing two separate images made at the same time but in different spectral bands. ... Because the absorption of solar radiation by water is much greater in the near infrared than in the visible portion of the spectrum, the lower reflectance is again probably due to the presence of melt-water on the surface of the ice. Thus sea ice with water on it, even in very thin layers, will show a considerable difference in reflectance between these spectral bands of observation. ... Temporal and spectral observations of reflectance variations afforded by ERTS-l thus make it possible to locate areas of sea ice that are in varying stages of melting and breakup. The results presented here demonstrate that for high latitudes, ERTS-1 will provide overlapping coverage on sequential days that will allow observation of dynamic changes in the polar regions. In addition, route planning for shipping in the Arctic should benefit from frequent observations of sea ice movement and reflectance variations of the type obtainable from ERTS-l. Projected further, sea ice observations from ERTS-l over a period of years in the Arctic Islands should aid in the placement of offshore oil-drilling structures. Reflectance measurements over this period will also increase our understanding of the heat balance in the polar regions. Finally, ERTS-l observations of the amount of ice cover versus the amount of open water will be important in determining boundary conditions for future use in models of the global heat balance

An Unbiased Survey of 500 Nearby Stars for Debris Disks: A JCMT Legacy Program

We present the scientific motivation and observing plan for an upcoming detection survey for debris disks using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The SCUBA-2 Unbiased Nearby Stars (SUNS) Survey will observe 500 nearby main sequence and sub-giant stars (100 of each of the A, F, G, K and M spectral classes) to the 850 micron extragalactic confusion limit to search for evidence of submillimeter excess, an indication of circumstellar material. The survey distance boundaries are 8.6, 16.5, 22, 25 and 45 pc for M, K, G, F and A stars, respectively, and all targets lie between the declinations of -40 deg to 80 deg. In this survey, no star will be rejected based on its inherent properties: binarity, presence of planetary companions, spectral type or age. This will be the first unbiased survey for debris disks since IRAS. We expect to detect ~125 debris disks, including ~50 cold disks not detectable in current shorter wavelength surveys. A substantial amount of complementary data will be required to constrain the temperatures and masses of discovered disks. High resolution studies will likely be required to resolve many of the disks. Therefore, these systems will be the focus of future observational studies using a variety of observatories to characterize their physical properties. For non-detected systems, this survey will set constraints (upper limits) on the amount of circumstellar dust, of typically 200 times the Kuiper Belt mass, but as low as 10 times the Kuiper Belt mass for the nearest stars in the sample (approximately 2 pc).Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures (3 color), accepted by the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacifi

CARMA Millimeter-Wave Aperture Synthesis Imaging of the HD 32297 Debris Disk

We present the first detection and mapping of the HD 32297 debris disk at 1.3 mm with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA). With a sub-arcsecond beam, this detection represents the highest angular resolution (sub)mm debris disk observation made to date. Our model fits to the spectral energy distribution from the CARMA flux and new Spitzer MIPS photometry support the earlier suggestion that at least two, possibly three, distinct grain populations are traced by the current data. The observed millimeter map shows an asymmetry between the northeast and southwest disk lobes, suggesting large grains may be trapped in resonance with an unseen exoplanet. Alternatively, the observed morphology could result from the recent breakup of a massive planetesimal. A similar-scale asymmetry is also observed in scattered light but not in the mid-infrared. This contrast between asymmetry at short and long wavelengths and symmetry at intermediate wavelengths is in qualitative agreement with predictions of resonant debris disk models. With resolved observations in several bands spanning over three decades in wavelength, HD 32297 provides a unique testbed for theories of grain and planetary dynamics, and could potentially provide strong multi-wavelength evidence for an exoplanetary system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; Accepted to ApJL: 25 Aug 200

The Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: S3MC Imaging and Photometry in the Mid- and Far-Infrared Wavebands

We present the initial results from the Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (S3MC), which imaged the star-forming body of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) in all seven MIPS and IRAC wavebands. We find that the F_8/F_24 ratio (an estimate of PAH abundance) has large spatial variations and takes a wide range of values that are unrelated to metallicity but anticorrelated with 24 um brightness and F_24/F_70 ratio. This suggests that photodestruction is primarily responsible for the low abundance of PAHs observed in star-forming low-metallicity galaxies. We use the S3MC images to compile a photometric catalog of ~400,000 mid- and far-infrared point sources in the SMC. The sources detected at the longest wavelengths fall into four main categories: 1) bright 5.8 um sources with very faint optical counterparts and very red mid-infrared colors ([5.8]-[8.0]>1.2), which we identify as YSOs. 2) Bright mid-infrared sources with mildly red colors (0.16<[5.8]-[8.0]<0.6), identified as carbon stars. 3) Bright mid-infrared sources with neutral colors and bright optical counterparts, corresponding to oxygen-rich evolved stars. And, 4) unreddened early B stars (B3 to O9) with a large 24 um excess. This excess is reminiscent of debris disks, and is detected in only a small fraction of these stars (<5%). The majority of the brightest infrared point sources in the SMC fall into groups one to three. We use this photometric information to produce a catalog of 282 bright YSOs in the SMC with a very low level of contamination (~7%).Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Given the draconian figure file-size limits implemented in astro-ph, readers are encouraged to download the manuscript with full quality images from http://celestial.berkeley.edu/spitzer/publications/s3mcsurvey.pd

Childhood leukemia: electric and magnetic fields as possible risk factors.

Numerous epidemiologic studies have reported associations between measures of power-line electric or magnetic fields (EMFs) and childhood leukemia. The basis for such associations remains unexplained. In children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia represents approximately three-quarters of all U.S. leukemia types. Some risk factors for childhood leukemia have been established, and others are suspected. Pathogenesis, as investigated in animal models, is consistent with the multistep model of acute leukemia development. Studies of carcinogenicity in animals, however, are overwhelmingly negative and do not support the hypothesis that EMF exposure is a significant risk factor for hematopoietic neoplasia. We may fail to observe effects from EMFs because, from a mechanistic perspective, the effects of EMFs on biology are very weak. Cells and organs function despite many sources of chemical "noise" (e.g., stochastic, temperature, concentration, mechanical, and electrical noise), which exceed the induced EMF "signal" by a large factor. However, the inability to detect EMF effects in bioassay systems may be caused by the choice made for "EMF exposure." "Contact currents" or "contact voltages" have been proposed as a novel exposure metric, because their magnitude is related to measured power-line magnetic fields. A contact current occurs when a person touches two conductive surfaces at different voltages. Modeled analyses support contact currents as a plausible metric because of correlations with residential magnetic fields and opportunity for exposure. The possible role of contact currents as an explanatory variable in the reported associations between EMFs and childhood leukemia will need to be clarified by further measurements, biophysical analyses, bioassay studies, and epidemiology

Tissue-resident macrophages regulate lymphatic vessel growth and patterning in the developing heart.

Macrophages are components of the innate immune system with key roles in tissue inflammation and repair. It is now evident that macrophages also support organogenesis, but few studies have characterized their identity, ontogeny and function during heart development. Here, we show that the distribution and prevalence of resident macrophages in the subepicardial compartment of the developing heart coincides with the emergence of new lymphatics, and that macrophages interact closely with the nascent lymphatic capillaries. Consequently, global macrophage deficiency led to extensive vessel disruption, with mutant hearts exhibiting shortened and mis-patterned lymphatics. The origin of cardiac macrophages was linked to the yolk sac and foetal liver. Moreover, the Cx3cr1 + myeloid lineage was found to play essential functions in the remodelling of the lymphatic endothelium. Mechanistically, macrophage hyaluronan was required for lymphatic sprouting by mediating direct macrophage-lymphatic endothelial cell interactions. Together, these findings reveal insight into the role of macrophages as indispensable mediators of lymphatic growth during the development of the mammalian cardiac vasculature.This work was funded by the British Heart Foundation (chair award CH/11/1/28798 and programme grant RG/08/003/25264 to PRR) and supported by the BHF Oxbridge Centre of Regenerative Medicine (RM/13/3/30159); a Wellcome Trust Doctoral Training Fellowship 106334/Z/14/Z to TJC; a Wellcome Trust Four year PhD Studentship 215103/Z/18/Z to KK; a BHF Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship FS/19/31/34158 to JMV; a British Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) Grant 13BX14PRET; a Leducq Foundation Transatlantic Network of Excellence Program 14CVD04 and MRC Unit funding to DGJ.S

A community-based physical activity intervention to prevent mobility-related disability for retired older people (REtirement in ACTion (REACT)): Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

© 2018 The Author(s). Background: The REtirement in ACTion (REACT) study is a multi-centre, pragmatic, two-arm, parallel-group randomised controlled trial (RCT) with an internal pilot phase. It aims to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a community, group-based physical activity intervention for reducing, or reversing, the progression of functional limitations in older people who are at high risk of mobility-related disability. Methods/design: A sample of 768 sedentary, community-dwelling, older people aged 65 years and over with functional limitations, but who are still ambulatory (scores between 4 and 9 out of 12 in the Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB)) will be randomised to receive either the REACT intervention, delivered over a period of 12 months by trained facilitators, or a minimal control intervention. The REACT study incorporates comprehensive process and economic evaluation and a nested sub-study which will test the hypothesis that the REACT intervention will slow the rate of brain atrophy and of decline in cognitive function assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Outcome data will be collected at baseline, 6, 12 and 24 months for the main study, with MRI sub-study data collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome analysis (SPPB score at 24 months) will be undertaken blinded to group allocation. Primary comparative analyses will be on an intention-to-treat (ITT) basis with due emphasis placed on confidence intervals. Discussion: REACT represents the first large-scale, pragmatic, community-based trial in the UK to target the non-disabled but high-risk segment of the older population with an intervention to reduce mobility-related disability. A programme that can successfully engage this population in sufficient activity to improve strength, aerobic capacity, coordination and balance would have a major impact on sustaining health and independence. REACT is also the first study of its kind to conduct a full economic and comprehensive process evaluation alongside the RCT. If effective and cost-effective, the REACT intervention has strong potential to be implemented widely in the UK and elsewhere

The tribulations of trials: Lessons learnt recruiting 777 older adults into REtirement in ACTion (REACT), a trial of a community, group-based active ageing intervention targeting mobility disability

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. BACKGROUND: Challenges of recruitment to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and successful strategies to overcome them should be clearly reported to improve recruitment into future trials. REtirement in ACTion (REACT) is a United Kingdom-based multicenter RCT recruiting older adults at high risk of mobility disability to a 12-month group-based exercise and behavior maintenance program or to a minimal Healthy Aging control intervention. METHODS: The recruitment target was 768 adults, aged 65 years and older scoring 4-9 on the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Recruitment methods include the following: (a) invitations mailed by general practitioners (GPs); (b) invitations distributed via third-sector organizations; and (c) public relations (PR) campaign. Yields, efficiency, and costs were calculated. RESULTS: The study recruited 777 (33.9% men) community-dwelling, older adults (mean age 77.55 years (SD 6.79), mean SPPB score 7.37 (SD 1.56)), 95.11% white (n = 739) and broadly representative of UK quintiles of deprivation. Over a 20-month recruitment period, 25,559 invitations were issued. Eighty-eight percent of the participants were recruited via GP invitations, 5.4% via the PR campaign, 3% via word-of-mouth, and 2.5% via third-sector organizations. Mean recruitment cost per participant was £78.47, with an extra £26.54 per recruit paid to GPs to cover research costs. CONCLUSIONS: REACT successfully recruited to target. Response rates were lower than initially predicted and recruitment timescales required adjustment. Written invitations from GPs were the most efficient method for recruiting older adults at risk of mobility disability. Targeted efforts could achieve more ethnically diverse cohorts. All trials should be required to provide recruitment data to enable evidence-based planning of future trials

Biological Stoichiometry in Human Cancer

A growing tumor in the body can be considered a complex ecological and evolutionary system. A new eco-evolutionary hypothesis (the "Growth Rate Hypothesis", GRH) proposes that tumors have elevated phosphorus (P) demands due to increased allocation to P-rich nucleic acids, especially ribosomal RNA, to meet the protein synthesis demands of accelerated proliferation.We determined the elemental (C, N, P) and nucleic acid contents of paired malignant and normal tissues from colon, lung, liver, or kidney for 121 patients. Consistent with the GRH, lung and colon tumors were significantly higher (by approximately two-fold) in P content (fraction of dry weight) and RNA content and lower in nitrogen (N):P ratio than paired normal tissue, and P in RNA contributed a significantly larger fraction of total biomass P in malignant relative to normal tissues. Furthermore, patient-specific differences for %P between malignant and normal tissues were positively correlated with such differences for %RNA, both for the overall data and within three of the four organ sites. However, significant differences in %P and %RNA between malignant and normal tissues were not seen in liver and kidney and, overall, RNA contributed only approximately 11% of total tissue P content.Data for lung and colon tumors provide support for the GRH in human cancer. The two-fold amplification of P content in colon and lung tumors may set the stage for potential P-limitation of their proliferation, as such differences often do for rapidly growing biota in ecosystems. However, data for kidney and liver do not support the GRH. To account for these conflicting observations, we suggest that local environments in some organs select for neoplastic cells bearing mutations increasing cell division rate ("r-selected," as in colon and lung) while conditions elsewhere may select for reduced mortality rate ("K-selected," as in liver and kidney)