Is the silicate emission feature only influenced by grain size?

The flattening of the 10mu silicate emission feature observed in the spectra of T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars is usually interpreted as an indicator of grain growth. We show in this paper that a similar behaviour of the feature shape occurs when the porosity of composite grains varies. The fluffy aggregates, having inclusions of different sizes, were modeled by multi-layered spheres consisting of amorphous carbon, amorphous silicate and vacuum. It is also found that the inclusion of crystalline silicates in composite porous particles can lead to a shift of the known resonances and production of new ones.Comment: accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters; small revision after referee repor

The 10 micron amorphous silicate feature of fractal aggregates and compact particles with complex shapes

We model the 10 micron absorption spectra of nonspherical particles composed of amorphous silicate. We consider two classes of particles, compact ones and fractal aggregates composed of homogeneous spheres. For the compact particles we consider Gaussian random spheres with various degrees of non-sphericity. For the fractal aggregates we compute the absorption spectra for various fractal dimensions. The 10 micron spectra are computed for ensembles of these particles in random orientation using the well-known Discrete Dipole Approximation. We compare our results to spectra obtained when using volume equivalent homogeneous spheres and to those computed using a porous sphere approximation. We conclude that, in general, nonspherical particles show a spectral signature that is similar to that of homogeneous spheres with a smaller material volume. This effect is overestimated when approximating the particles by porous spheres with the same volume filling fraction. For aggregates with fractal dimensions typically predicted for cosmic dust, we show that the spectral signature characteristic of very small homogeneous spheres (with a volume equivalent radius r_V<0.5 micron) can be detected even in very large particles. We conclude that particle sizes are underestimated when using homogeneous spheres to model the emission spectra of astronomical sources. In contrast, the particle sizes are severely overestimated when using equivalent porous spheres to fit observations of 10 micron silicate emission.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Sensitivity of human pluripotent stem cells to insulin precipitation induced by peristaltic pump-based medium circulation: Considerations on process development

Controlled large-scale production of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is indispensable for their envisioned clinical translation. Aiming at advanced process development in suspension culture, the sensitivity of hPSC media to continuous peristaltic pump-based circulation, a well-established technology extensively used in hydraulically-driven bioreactors, was investigated. Unexpectedly, conditioning of low protein media (i.e. E8 and TeSR-E8) in a peristaltic pump circuit induced severe viability loss of hPSCs cultured as aggregates in suspension. Optical, biochemical, and cytological analyses of the media revealed that the applied circulation mode resulted in the reduction of the growth hormone insulin by precipitation of micro-sized particles. Notably, in contrast to insulin depletion, individual withdrawal of other medium protein components (i.e. bFGF, TGFβ1 or transferrin) provoked minor reduction of hPSC viability, if any. Supplementation of the surfactant glycerol or the use of the insulin analogue Aspart did not overcome the issue of insulin precipitation. In contrast, the presence of bovine or human serum albumin (BSA or HSA, respectively) stabilized insulin rescuing its content, possibly by acting as molecular chaperone-like protein, ultimately supporting hPSC maintenance. This study highlights the potential and the requirement of media optimization for automated hPSC processing and has broad implications on media development and bioreactor-based technologies. © 2017 The Author(s).Horizon 2020/Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship POSEIDONDFG/EXC/REBIRTHDFG/EXC62/3DFG/ZW64/4-1BMBF/13N12606BMBF/13N14086StemBANCCH2020/TECHNOBEATHannover Medical School internal program (HiLF)Joachim Herz Stiftun

Survival of the mm-cm size grain population observed in protoplanetary disks

Millimeter interferometry provides evidence for the presence of mm to cm size "pebbles" in the outer parts of disks around pre-main-sequence stars. The observations suggest that large grains are produced relatively early in disk evolution (< 1 Myr) and remain at large radii for longer periods of time (5 to 10 Myr). Simple theoretical estimates of the radial drift time of solid particles, however, imply that they would drift inward over a time scale of less than 0.1 Myr. In this paper, we address this conflict between theory and observation, using more detailed theoretical models, including the effects of sedimentation, collective drag forces and turbulent viscosity. We find that, although these effects slow down the radial drift of the dust particles, this reduction is not sufficient to explain the observationally determined long survival time of mm/cm-sized grains in protoplanetary disks. However, if for some reason the gas to dust ratio in the disk is reduced by at least a factor of 20 from the canonical value of 100 (for instance through photoevaporation of the gas), then the radial drift time scales become sufficiently large to be in agreement with observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Bulk cell density and Wnt/TGFbeta signalling regulate mesendodermal patterning of human pluripotent stem cells

In vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) recapitulates early aspects of human embryogenesis, but the underlying processes are poorly understood and controlled. Here we show that modulating the bulk cell density (BCD: cell number per culture volume) deterministically alters anteroposterior patterning of primitive streak (PS)-like priming. The BCD in conjunction with the chemical WNT pathway activator CHIR99021 results in distinct paracrine microenvironments codifying hPSCs towards definitive endoderm, precardiac or presomitic mesoderm within the first 24 h of differentiation, respectively. Global gene expression and secretome analysis reveals that TGFß superfamily members, antagonist of Nodal signalling LEFTY1 and CER1, are paracrine determinants restricting PS progression. These data result in a tangible model disclosing how hPSC-released factors deflect CHIR99021-induced lineage commitment over time. By demonstrating a decisive, functional role of the BCD, we show its utility as a method to control lineage-specific differentiation. Furthermore, these findings have profound consequences for inter-experimental comparability, reproducibility, bioprocess optimization and scale-up.DFG/REBIRTHDFG/EXC62/1DFG/ZW 64/4-1DFG/MA 2331/16-1BMBF/13N12606BMBF/StemBANCCEU H2020/66872

Rosseland and Planck Mean Opacities for Protoplanetary Discs

In this paper, we present mean gas and dust opacities relevant to the physical conditions typical of protoplanetary discs. As the principal absorber for temperatures below ~1,500 K, we consider spherical and aggregate dust particles of various sizes, chemical structure, and porosity, consisting of ice, organics, troilite, silicates, and iron. For higher temperatures, ions, atoms, molecules, and electrons are included as the main opacity sources. Rosseland and Planck mean opacities are calculated for temperatures between 5 K and 10,000 K and gas densities ranging from 10^{-18} g/ccm to 10^{-7} g/ccm. The dependence on the adopted model of dust grains is investigated. We compare our results with recent opacity tables and show how different opacity models affect the calculated hydrodynamical structure of accretion discs.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, to be published in A&A, 200

Characteristics and sources of fluorescent aerosols in the central Arctic Ocean

The Arctic is sensitive to cloud radiative forcing. Due to the limited number of aerosols present throughout much of the year, cloud formation is susceptible to the presence of cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles (INPs). Primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) contribute to INPs and can impact cloud phase, lifetime, and radiative properties. We present yearlong observations of hyperfluorescent aerosols (HFA), tracers for PBAP, conducted with a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor, New Electronics Option during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition (October 2019–September 2020) in the central Arctic. We investigate the influence of potential anthropogenic and natural sources on the characteristics of the HFA and relate our measurements to INP observations during MOSAiC. Anthropogenic sources influenced HFA during the Arctic haze period. But surprisingly, we also found sporadic “bursts” of HFA with the characteristics of PBAP during this time, albeit with unclear origin. The characteristics of HFA between May and August 2020 and in October 2019 indicate a strong contribution of PBAP to HFA. Notably from May to August, PBAP coincided with the presence of INPs nucleating at elevated temperatures, that is, &amp;gt;−9°C, suggesting that HFA contributed to the “warm INP” concentration. The air mass residence time and area between May and August and in October were dominated by the open ocean and sea ice, pointing toward PBAP sources from within the Arctic Ocean. As the central Arctic changes drastically due to climate warming with expected implications on aerosol–cloud interactions, we recommend targeted observations of PBAP that reveal their nature (e.g., bacteria, diatoms, fungal spores) in the atmosphere and in relevant surface sources, such as the sea ice, snow on sea ice, melt ponds, leads, and open water, to gain further insights into the relevant source processes and how they might change in the future.</jats:p