Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in the Western Chukchi and East Siberian Seas

During joint Soviet-American shipboard surveys in autumn 1979 and 1980, numerous sightings of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) were made in the western Chukchi and East Siberian seas. Gray whales were observed well offshore in ice-free water in 1979, but near the Chukotka coast in 1980. During the 1980 survey, gray whales were observed further west than previously recorded, with three animals seen at 174 08 E longitude, well into the East Siberian Sea. Based on indirect evidence of gray whale behavior and typical prey organisms identified in bottom samples, we assume gray whales are feeding in the western Chukchi Sea during summer and fall. Movement of these animals further west into the East Siberian Sea may occur regularly when ice conditions permit, but it may also be a response to increasing population size over the past several decades, and gray whales may be reoccupying habitat unused during periods of low population caused by commercial whaling.Key words: gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, cetacean, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian SeaMots clés: baleine grise de Californie, Eschrichtius robustus, cétacé, mer Tchouktche, mer de Sibérie Oriental

A dimensionally continued Poisson summation formula

We generalize the standard Poisson summation formula for lattices so that it operates on the level of theta series, allowing us to introduce noninteger dimension parameters (using the dimensionally continued Fourier transform). When combined with one of the proofs of the Jacobi imaginary transformation of theta functions that does not use the Poisson summation formula, our proof of this generalized Poisson summation formula also provides a new proof of the standard Poisson summation formula for dimensions greater than 2 (with appropriate hypotheses on the function being summed). In general, our methods work to establish the (Voronoi) summation formulae associated with functions satisfying (modular) transformations of the Jacobi imaginary type by means of a density argument (as opposed to the usual Mellin transform approach). In particular, we construct a family of generalized theta series from Jacobi theta functions from which these summation formulae can be obtained. This family contains several families of modular forms, but is significantly more general than any of them. Our result also relaxes several of the hypotheses in the standard statements of these summation formulae. The density result we prove for Gaussians in the Schwartz space may be of independent interest.Comment: 12 pages, version accepted by JFAA, with various additions and improvement

What can we learn about GW Physics with an elastic spherical antenna?

A general formalism is set up to analyse the response of an arbitrary solid elastic body to an arbitrary metric Gravitational Wave perturbation, which fully displays the details of the interaction antenna-wave. The formalism is applied to the spherical detector, whose sensitivity parameters are thereby scrutinised. A multimode transfer function is defined to study the amplitude sensitivity, and absorption cross sections are calculated for a general metric theory of GW physics. Their scaling properties are shown to be independent of the underlying theory, with interesting consequences for future detector design. The GW incidence direction deconvolution problem is also discussed, always within the context of a general metric theory of the gravitational field.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, REVTeX, enhanced Appendix B with numerical values and mathematical detail. See also gr-qc/000605

Self-similar solutions of viscous and resistive ADAFs with thermal conduction

We have studied the effects of thermal conduction on the structure of viscous and resistive advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs). The importance of thermal conduction on hot accretion flow is confirmed by observations of hot gas that surrounds Sgr A$^*$ and a few other nearby galactic nuclei. In this research, thermal conduction is studied by a saturated form of it, as is appropriated for weakly-collisional systems. It is assumed the viscosity and the magnetic diffusivity are due to turbulence and dissipation in the flow. The viscosity also is due to angular momentum transport. Here, the magnetic diffusivity and the kinematic viscosity are not constant and vary by position and $\alpha$-prescription is used for them. The govern equations on system have been solved by the steady self-similar method. The solutions show the radial velocity is highly subsonic and the rotational velocity behaves sub-Keplerian. The rotational velocity for a specific value of the thermal conduction coefficient becomes zero. This amount of conductivity strongly depends on magnetic pressure fraction, magnetic Prandtl number, and viscosity parameter. Comparison of energy transport by thermal conduction with the other energy mechanisms implies that thermal conduction can be a significant energy mechanism in resistive and magnetized ADAFs. This property is confirmed by non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Ap&S

Infrared absorption cross-sections in HITRAN2016 and beyond: expansion for climate, environment, and atmospheric applications

Spectroscopic analysis of hydrocarbons, halocarbons and related species is required in atmospheric applications such as climate-change research, tracking of pollution and biomass burning, and remote sensing. Critically evaluated line-by-line spectroscopic data are needed for such analyses. To address this need we report the large addition of spectra to the HITRAN2016 database. This extension increases the number of molecules in the database by almost a factor of 6 from that in HITRAN2012. Spectra from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory database (Appl. Spectrosc. 2004;58:1452–61) and the Hodnebrog et al. compilation (Rev Geophys 2013;51:300–78) have been integrated into HITRAN2016. Spectra from high-resolution laboratory observations, predominantly from Fourier transform spectrometers, are now provided for 328 compounds in the IR spectral range. Spectra for atmospherically-important compounds organized by chemical category are presented. The HITRAN infrastructure (www.hitran.org), HITRAN Application Programming Interface (HAPI), and best practices for searching and downloading data are discussed

European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) Consensus Statement on the Role of Pancreas Machine Perfusion to Increase the Donor Pool for Beta Cell Replacement Therapy

The advent of Machine Perfusion (MP) as a superior form of preservation and assessment for cold storage of both high-risk kidney’s and the liver presents opportunities in the field of beta-cell replacement. It is yet unknown whether such techniques, when applied to the pancreas, can increase the pool of suitable donor organs as well as ameliorating the effects of ischemia incurred during the retrieval process. Recent experimental models of pancreatic MP appear promising. Applications of MP to the pancreas, needs refinement regarding perfusion protocols and organ viability assessment criteria. To address the “Role of pancreas machine perfusion to increase the donor pool for beta cell replacement,” the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) assembled a dedicated working group comprising of experts to review literature pertaining to the role of MP as a method of improving donor pancreas quality as well as quantity available for transplant, and to develop guidelines founded on evidence-based reviews in experimental and clinical settings. These were subsequently refined during the Consensus Conference when this took place in Prague.</p

Reduced partition function ratios of iron and oxygen in goethite

First-principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) with or without the addition of a Hubbard U correction, are performed on goethite in order to determine the iron and oxygen reduced partition function ratios (β-factors). The calculated iron phonon density of states (pDOS), force constant and β-factor are compared with reevaluated experimental β-factors obtained from Nuclear Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (NRIXS) measurements. The reappraisal of old experimental data is motivated by the erroneous previous interpretation of the low- and high-energy ends of the NRIXS spectrum of goethite and jarosite samples (Dauphas et al., 2012). Here the NRIXS data are analyzed using the SciPhon software that corrects for non-constant baseline. New NRIXS measurements also demonstrate the reproducibility of the results. Unlike for hematite and pyrite, a significant discrepancy remains between DFT, NRIXS and the existing Mössbauer-derived data. Calculations suggest a slight overestimation of the NRIXS signal possibly related to the baseline definition. The intrinsic features of the samples studied by NRIXS and Mössbauer spectroscopy may also contribute to the discrepancy (e.g., internal structural and/or chemical defects, microstructure, surface contribution). As for oxygen, DFT results indicate that goethite and hematite have similar β-factors, which suggests almost no fractionation between the two minerals at equilibrium

The P446L variant in GCKR associated with fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride levels exerts its effect through increased glucokinase activity in liver

Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of signals for both Type 2 Diabetes and related quantitative traits. For the majority of loci, the transition from association signal to mutational mechanism has been difficult to establish. Glucokinase (GCK) regulates glucose storage and disposal in the liver where its activity is regulated by glucokinase regulatory protein (GKRP; gene name GCKR). Fructose-6 and fructose-1 phosphate (F6P and F1P) enhance or reduce GKRP-mediated inhibition, respectively. A common GCKR variant (P446L) is reproducibly associated with triglyceride and fasting plasma glucose levels in the general population. The aim of this study was to determine the mutational mechanism responsible for this genetic association. Recombinant human GCK and both human wild-type (WT) and P446L-GKRP proteins were generated. GCK kinetic activity was observed spectrophotometrically using an NADP+-coupled assay. WT and P446L-GKRP-mediated inhibition of GCK activity and subsequent regulation by phosphate esters were determined. Assays matched for GKRP activity demonstrated no difference in dose-dependent inhibition of GCK activity or F1P-mediated regulation. However, the response to physiologically relevant F6P levels was significantly attenuated with P446L-GKRP (n = 18; P ≤ 0.03). Experiments using equimolar concentrations of both regulatory proteins confirmed these findings (n = 9; P < 0.001). In conclusion, P446L-GKRP has reduced regulation by physiological concentrations of F6P, resulting indirectly in increased GCK activity. Altered GCK regulation in liver is predicted to enhance glycolytic flux, promoting hepatic glucose metabolism and elevating concentrations of malonyl-CoA, a substrate for de novo lipogenesis, providing a mutational mechanism for the reported association of this variant with raised triglycerides and lower glucose levels