389 research outputs found
Identification of secondary fatty alcohols in atmospheric aerosols in temperate forests
Fatty alcohols (FAs) are major components of surface
lipids (waxes) and can act as surface-active organic aerosols in the
atmosphere, influencing chemical reactions, particle lifetimes, and the
formation of cloud droplets and ice nuclei. However, studies on the
composition and source of the FAs in atmospheric aerosols are very limited.
In this study, we identified five secondary FAs (SFAs) with C27 and
C29 from aerosol samples collected throughout 1 year at two different deciduous forest sites in Japan. Fatty diols, such as
n-heptacosan-5,10-diol, were identified in atmospheric aerosols for the first
time. Among the identified SFAs, n-nonacosan-10-ol was the most abundant
compound, followed by n-nonacosan-5-10-diol at both of the forest sites.
Concentrations of the SFAs exhibited distinct seasonal variation, with
pronounced peaks during the growing season at each forest site. The SFAs
showed significant correlation with sucrose, which is used as a molecular
tracer of pollen. A significant fraction of the SFAs was attributed to the
submicrometer particles in the growing season. The results indicate that
they originated mostly from plant waxes and could be used as useful tracers
for primary biological aerosol particles.</p
Carbon cycling and budget in a forested basin of southwestern Hokkaido, northern Japan
Quantification of annual carbon sequestration is very important in order to assess the function of forest ecosystems in combatting global climate change and the ecosystem responses to those changes. Annual cycling and budget of carbon in a forested basin was investigated to quantify the carbon sequestration of a cool-temperate deciduous forest ecosystem in the Horonai stream basin, Tomakomai Experimental Forest, northern Japan. Net ecosystem exchange, soil respiration, biomass increment, litterfall, soil-solution chemistry, and stream export were observed in the basin from 1999–2001 as a part of IGBP-TEMA project. We found that 258 g C m–2 year–1 was sequestered annually as net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in the forested basin. Discharge of carbon to the stream was 4 g C m–2 year–1 (about 2% of NEE) and consisted mainly of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). About 43% of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was retained in the vegetation, while about 57% of NEP was sequestered in soil, suggesting that the movement of sequestered carbon from aboveground to belowground vegetation was an important process for net carbon accumulation in soil. The derived organic carbon from aboveground vegetation that moved to the soil mainly accumulated in the solid phase of the soil, with the result that the export of dissolved organic carbon to the stream was smaller than that of dissolved inorganic carbon. Our results indicated that the aboveground and belowground interaction of carbon fluxes was an important process for determining the rate and retention time of the carbon sequestration in a cool-temperate deciduous forest ecosystem in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, northern Japan
Indirect and direct energy gaps in the Kondo semiconductor YbB12
Optical conductivity [] of the Kondo semiconductor YbB
has been measured over wide ranges of temperature (=8690 K) and photon
energy ( 1.3 meV). The data reveal the
entire crossover of YbB from a metallic electronic structure at high
into a semiconducting one at low . Associated with the gap development in
, a clear onset is newly found at =15 meV for 20 K. The onset energy is identified as the gap width of YbB
appearing in . This gap in \sigma(\omega)\sigma(\omega)$ is interpreted as arising from the direct gap. The
absorption coefficient around the onset and the mIR peak indeed show
characteristic energy dependences expected for indirect and direct optical
transitions in conventional semiconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp
-particle condensate states in O
The existence of a rotational band with the +C()
cluster structure, in which three particles in C() are
locally condensed, is demonstrated near the four- threshold of O
in agreement with experiment. This is achieved by studying structure and
scattering for the +C() system in a unified way. A
drastic reduction (quenching) of the moment of the inertia of the state
at 15.1 MeV just above the four- threshold in O suggests that it
could be a candidate for the superfluid state in -particle
condensation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
4He decay of excited states in 14C
A study of the 7Li(9Be,4He 10Be)2H reaction at E{beam}=70 MeV has been
performed using resonant particle spectroscopy techniques and provides the
first measurements of alpha-decaying states in 14C. Excited states are observed
at 14.7, 15.5, 16.4, 18.5, 19.8, 20.6, 21.4, 22.4 and 24.0 MeV. The
experimental technique was able to resolve decays to the various particle bound
states in 10Be, and provides evidence for the preferential decay of the high
energy excited states into states in 10Be at ~6 MeV. The decay processes are
used to indicate the possible cluster structure of the 14C excited states.Comment: accepted for publication in PR
Pleural aspergillosis complicated by recurrent pneumothorax: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Pneumothorax as the first symptom of pleural aspergillosis is rare.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 31-year-old asthmatic Chinese man presented with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax and underwent lobectomy due to persistent air leakage. Aspergillus was detected histopathologically in the visceral pleural cavity. He was treated with itraconazole at 200 mg a day, and nine months later he had no recurrent pneumothorax or aspergillus infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Recurrent pneumothorax may be a rare manifestation of aspergillus infection. Aspergillus species infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of recurrent pneumothorax patients, particularly those with chronic lung disease.</p
Nuclear Alpha-Particle Condensates
The -particle condensate in nuclei is a novel state described by a
product state of 's, all with their c.o.m. in the lowest 0S orbit. We
demonstrate that a typical -particle condensate is the Hoyle state
( MeV, state in C), which plays a crucial role for
the synthesis of C in the universe. The influence of antisymmentrization
in the Hoyle state on the bosonic character of the particle is
discussed in detail. It is shown to be weak. The bosonic aspects in the Hoyle
state, therefore, are predominant. It is conjectured that -particle
condensate states also exist in heavier nuclei, like O,
Ne, etc. For instance the state of O at MeV
is identified from a theoretical analysis as being a strong candidate of a
condensate. The calculated small width (34 keV) of ,
consistent with data, lends credit to the existence of heavier Hoyle-analogue
states. In non-self-conjugated nuclei such as B and C, we discuss
candidates for the product states of clusters, composed of 's,
triton's, and neutrons etc. The relationship of -particle condensation
in finite nuclei to quartetting in symmetric nuclear matter is investigated
with the help of an in-medium modified four-nucleon equation. A nonlinear order
parameter equation for quartet condensation is derived and solved for
particle condensation in infinite nuclear matter. The strong qualitative
difference with the pairing case is pointed out.Comment: 71 pages, 41 figures, review article, to be published in "Cluster in
Nuclei (Lecture Notes in Physics) - Vol.2 -", ed. by C. Beck,
(Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2011
Helium Clustering in Neutron-Rich Be Isotopes
Measurements of the helium-cluster breakup and neutron removal cross sections
for neutron-rich Be isotopes A=10-12,14 are presented. These have been studied
in the 30 to 42 MeV/u energy range where reaction measurements are proposed to
be sensitive to the cluster content of the ground-state wave-function. These
measurements provide a comprehensive survey of the decay processes of the Be
isotopes by which the valence neutrons are removed revealing the underlying
alpha-alpha core-cluster structure. The measurements indicate that clustering
in the Be isotopes remains important up to the drip-line nucleus 14^Be and that
the dominant helium-cluster structure in the neutron-rich Be isotopes
corresponds to alpha-Xn-alpha.Comment: 5 pages, 2 tables and 3 figure
- …