New Era of Air Quality Monitoring from Space: Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS)

GEMS will monitor air quality over Asia at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution from GEO for the first time, providing column measurements of aerosol, ozone and their precursors (nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde). Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) is scheduled for launch in late 2019 - early 2020 to monitor Air Quality (AQ) at an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution from a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) for the first time. With the development of UV-visible spectrometers at sub-nm spectral resolution and sophisticated retrieval algorithms, estimates of the column amounts of atmospheric pollutants (O3, NO2, SO2, HCHO, CHOCHO and aerosols) can be obtained. To date, all the UV-visible satellite missions monitoring air quality have been in Low Earth orbit (LEO), allowing one to two observations per day. With UV-visible instruments on GEO platforms, the diurnal variations of these pollutants can now be determined. Details of the GEMS mission are presented, including instrumentation, scientific algorithms, predicted performance, and applications for air quality forecasts through data assimilation. GEMS will be onboard the GEO-KOMPSAT-2 satellite series, which also hosts the Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) and Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI)-2. These three instruments will provide synergistic science products to better understand air quality, meteorology, the long-range transport of air pollutants, emission source distributions, and chemical processes. Faster sampling rates at higher spatial resolution will increase the probability of finding cloud-free pixels, leading to more observations of aerosols and trace gases than is possible from LEO. GEMS will be joined by NASA's TEMPO and ESA's Sentinel-4 to form a GEO AQ satellite constellation in early 2020s, coordinated by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

A new calculation of the radiative cooling by carbon-dioxide in the middle atmosphere and the lower thermosphere.

A description of an improved non-LTE model together with earlier two-level and multi-level models is presented. Effects of collisional and radiative energy transfer paths among CO\sb2 vibrational levels on source functions are discussed. We take into account the 10 $\mu$m bands, i.e. (00\sp01) - (02\sp00/10\sp00) bands, which were previously neglected. A line-by-line calculation of transmission functions with Voigt line shape is tested and employed for evaluation of the mean specific intensity and flux divergence for a vibrational-rotational band. The cooling rate from the atmospheric carbon dioxide is evaluated for altitudes ranging from 40 km to 140 km. Above 105 km, departures of source functions for the 15 $\mu$m fundamental and hot bands from LTE are so significant that non-LTE effects on band strength and transmission function cannot be neglected. The non-LTE effects increase the cooling rate for the 15 $\mu$m fundamental band, but decrease the cooling rates for the hot bands. The mixing ratio of CO\sb2 above 100 km during the day is smaller than at night, due to photodissociation of CO\sb2. This reduces the cooling rate, in particular, for the fundamental band. Contributions to the total cooling rate from the hot bands for the 40 to 75 km range are comparable to the contribution from the fundamental band. Above 110 km, the hot and 4.3 $\mu$m bands make considerable contributions to the cooling, but cooling from the 10 $\mu$m band is negligible. However, the 10 $\mu$m band contribution would be significant if the non-LTE effects on the band strength and transmission function were neglected. Cooling rates of minor isotopic species are small, but are not negligible. We obtain a maximum total cooling rate of 7.4 K day\sp{-1} at the stratopause for the U.S. Standard Atmosphere (1976) and a minimum cooling of 1.7 K day\sp{-1} at about 70 km, in good agreement with previous results. Above about 105 km, however, our total cooling rate is, in general, larger than those of earlier workers. During the night, a second maximum at about 135 km is as large as 29.8 K day\sp{-1}. For day-time, this second maximum appears at about 125 km with the smaller cooling rate of 17.5 K day\sp{-1}. Solar radiation corresponding to the 4.3 $\mu$m band gives rise to heating in the stratosphere and mesosphere, and enhances the vibrational temperature of the (00\sp01) state particularly at the mesopause, where the vibrational temperature is about 105 K higher than the kinetic temperature. The N\sb2(v = 1) and CO\sb2(00\sp01) states are in LTE up to about 100 km, and above this altitude the vibrational temperature for N\sb2(v = 1) tends to follow the kinetic temperature. These vibrational temperatures also agree well with earlier results.Ph.D.Nuclear physics and radiationPhysics, Atmospheric SciencePure SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128329/2/8920574.pd

Utilization of O4 Slant Column Density to Derive Aerosol Layer Height from a Space-Borne UV-Visible Hyperspectral Sensor: Sensitivity and Case Study

The sensitivities of oxygen-dimer (O4) slant column densities (SCDs) to changes in aerosol layer height are investigated using the simulated radiances by a radiative transfer model, the linearized pseudo-spherical vector discrete ordinate radiative transfer (VLIDORT), and the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The sensitivities of the O4 index (O4I), which is defined as dividing O4 SCD by 10(sup 40) molecules (sup 2) per centimeters(sup -5), to aerosol types and optical properties are also evaluated and compared. Among the O4 absorption bands at 340, 360, 380, and 477 nanometers, the O4 absorption band at 477 nanometers is found to be the most suitable to retrieve the aerosol effective height. However, the O4I at 477 nanometers is significantly influenced not only by the aerosol layer effective height but also by aerosol vertical profiles, optical properties including single scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol optical depth (AOD), particle size, and surface albedo. Overall, the error of the retrieved aerosol effective height is estimated to be 1276, 846, and 739 meters for dust, non-absorbing, and absorbing aerosol, respectively, assuming knowledge on the aerosol vertical distribution shape. Using radiance data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a new algorithm is developed to derive the aerosol effective height over East Asia after the determination of the aerosol type and AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). About 80 percent of retrieved aerosol effective heights are within the error range of 1 kilometer compared to those obtained from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) measurements on thick aerosol layer cases

A Fast Retrieval of Cloud Parameters Using a Triplet of Wavelengths of Oxygen Dimer Band around 477 nm

Clouds act as a major reflector that changes the amount of sunlight reflected to space. Change in radiance intensity due to the presence of clouds interrupts the retrieval of trace gas or aerosol properties from satellite data. In this paper, we developed a fast and robust algorithm, named the fast cloud retrieval algorithm, using a triplet of wavelengths (469, 477, and 485 nm) of the O2–O2 absorption band around 477 nm (CLDTO4) to derive the cloud information such as cloud top pressure (CTP) and cloud fraction (CF) for the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS). The novel algorithm is based on the fact that the difference in the optical path through which light passes with regard to the altitude of clouds causes a change in radiance due to the absorption of O2–O2 at the three selected wavelengths. To reduce the time required for algorithm calculations, the look-up table (LUT) method was applied. The LUT was pre-constructed for various conditions of geometry using Vectorized Linearized Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (VLIDORT) to consider the polarization of the scattered light. The GEMS was launched in February 2020, but the observed data of GEMS have not yet been widely released. To evaluate the performance of the algorithm, the retrieved CTP and CF using observational data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2), which cover the spectral range of GEMS, were compared with the results of the Fast Retrieval Scheme for Clouds from the Oxygen A band (FRESCO) algorithm, which is based on the O2 A-band. There was good agreement between the results, despite small discrepancies for low clouds

In vitro antibacterial and synergistic effect of phlorotannins isolated from edible brown seaweed Eisenia bicyclis against acne-related bacteria

To develop effective and safe acne vulgaris therapies with a continuing demand for new solutions, we investigated unique efficacy of an antibacterial agent from marine brown alga Eisenia bicyclis in treating acne vulgaris. The methanolic extract of E. bicyclis exhibited potential antibacterial activity against acne-related bacteria. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the strongest antibacterial activity against the bacteria among solvent fractions. Six compounds (1-6), previously isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of E. bicyclis, were evaluated for antibacterial activity against acne-related bacteria. Among them, compound 2 (fucofuroeckol-A [FF]) exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against acne-related bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 32 to 128 μg mL -1 . Furthermore, FF clearly reversed the high-level erythromycin and lincomycin resistance of Propionibacterium acnes. The MIC values of erythromycin against P. acnes were dramatically reduced from 2,048 to 1.0 μg mL -1 in combination with MIC of FF (64 μg mL -1 ). The fractional inhibitory concentration indices of erythromycin and lincomycin were measured from 0.500 to 0.751 in combination with 32 or 64 μg mL -1 of FF against all tested P. acnes strains, suggesting that FF-erythromycin and FF-lincomycin combinations exert a weak synergistic effect against P. acnes. The results of this study suggest that the compounds derived from E. bicyclis can be a potential source of natural antibacterial agents and a pharmaceutical component against acnerelated bacteria. Key Words: acne-related bacteria; antimicrobial activity; Eisenia bicyclis; phlorotannins; synergistic effect INTRODUCTION Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease affecting children and adolescents. The pathogenesis of acne is multifactorial and complex. There are four important factors that cause acne in humans, such as an increase in sebum secretion, keratinization of the follicle, bacteria, and inflammation 48 MATERIALS AND METHODS Raw materials and extraction In late September 2010, E. bicyclis was purchased from Ulleung Trading Co. (Ulleung-gun, Korea). A voucher specimen has been deposited in the author's laboratory. Dried E. bicyclis was finely ground and powdered with a food mixer (HMF-1000A; Hanil Electronics, Seoul, Korea). The dried powder was vacuum-packed and kept at -20°C until use. The dried E. bicyclis powder (1.0 kg) was extracted with methanol (MeOH; 10 L × 3) at 70°C for 3 h (3 times) and the solvent was evaporated in vacuo with a rotary evaporator (N-1001S-W; Eyela, Tokyo, Japan). The crude MeOH extract of E. bicyclis was suspended in 10% MeOH (1.0 L) and then partitioned in turn with nhexane (Hexane), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and n-butanol (BuOH) in sequence. The concentration of each extract was adjusted to 200 mg mL -1 by dissolving in dimethyl sulfoxide under sterile conditions and stored at -70°C until used. Microorganism and culture The following bacterial strains obtained from the Korean Collection for Type Cultures (KCTC; Daejeon, Korea) were used as indicator microorganisms in the study: P. acnes (KCTC 3314), S. aureus (KCTC 1927), S. epidermidis (KCTC 1370), P. aeruginosa (KCTC 1637), which were used for evaluation of anti-acne-related bacterial effect. Two strains of P. acnes clinical isolates were provided by the Gyeongsang National University Hospital (Jinju, Korea), a member of the National Biobank of Korea. P. acnes strains were anaerobically cultivated in brain heart infusion broth (BHI; Difco Inc., Detroit, MI, USA) supplemented with 1.0% glucose, and incubated at 37°C for 24 h in a CO 2 incubator (NAPCO 5400; General Laboratory Supply, Pasadena, TX, USA), in a 10% CO 2 humidified atmosphere. As for determining the growth curves of bacterial cells under optimal growth conditions, cultures of P. acnes were diluted and plated on BHI-agar. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 h in a 10% CO 2 incubator and the number of colony-forming units (CFU) was determined. S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and P. aeruginosa were grown aerobically at 37°C in tryptic soy broth (TSB; Difco Inc.). The disk diffusion assay was prepared in Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA; Difco Inc.) and the broth dilution method was carried out in Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB; Difco Inc.) according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines (formerly been recognized as pus-forming organisms that trigger inflammation in acne. Especially, P. acnes, one of the commonly isolated skin organisms, induces an inflammation of the sebaceous glands in human face, neck, chest or back To overcome the problem of side effects, medicinal plants and marine organisms have been investigated for the treatment of acne. Therefore, we investigated the possibility that they may be effective acne treatments based on the previously known anti-methicillin-resistant S. aureus effects of phlorotannin isolated from brown alga Eisenia bicyclis. E. bicyclis is a common perennial phaeophyceae (brown alga) and generally inhabits the region of Ulleung Island in the East sea of Korea. This seaweed has been added to appetizers, casseroles, muffins, pilafs, and soups Lee et al. Antibacterial Activities of Eisenia bicyclis 49 http://e-algae.kr Synergistic effects of fucofuroeckol-A (FF) with tetracycline, erythromycin, and lincomycin against Propionibacterium acnes The interaction between FF and antibiotics including tetracycline, erythromycin, and lincomycin (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, USA) against P. acnes was tested by the checkerboard method Statistical analysis In all cases analyses were performed in triplicate and data were averaged over the three measurements. The standard deviation (SD) was also calculated. Significance of differences between average MICs for each individual microorganism were determined by Student's t test at the 95% significance level using SPSS version 12.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS Anti-acne related bacteria activity of Eisenia bicyclis extracts The antibacterial activity of methanol extract and its solvent fractions are presented in National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards [NCCLS]). Disk diffusion assay The antibacterial efficacy was evaluated by disk diffusion assay described by the CLSI (2009). In brief, bacterial strains were cultured in TSB at 37°C until cells reached at an OD 600 nm of 0.5. One hundred microliter of bacterial culture containing approximately 10 4 -10 5 CFU mL -1 was spread on MHA agar plates. A paper disc (6 mm in diameter) containing 1 mg and 5 mg of each extract was placed in the above MHA plate. After incubating for 24 h at 37°C, the diameter of the inhibition zone was measured on bacterial culture plates. The experiment was carried out three times and the mean values were presented. Determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) The concentration of MeOH extract and its solvent fractions of E. bicyclis was 200 mg mL -1 . Each extracts was diluted with MHB to obtain a stock solution of 2,048 μg mL -1 . To determine the MIC values of the MeOH extract and its solvent fractions of E. bicyclis, a stock solution of extracts was prepared in microbial culture medium for each microbial species. The MICs are the lowest concentration of MeOH extracts and its solvent fraction of E. bicyclis to inhibit the visible growth of microorganisms after overnight incubation using MHB, which was modified from the methods described for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the CLSI (2006). MIC was defined as the lowest concentration of crude extract that inhibited the visual growth after incubating the aerobic bacteria for 18 h and the anaerobic bacteria for 48 h. MICs of the solvent-soluble extracts were determined by the two-fold serial dilution method in 96-well flat-bottomed microtitration plates at final concentration of 7 × 10 5 CFU mL -1 . The microtitration plates were read visually and the MIC of the extracts that exhibited no turbidity was recorded as the MIC. For MBC testing, an aliquot of inoculum was taken with a MIC test well that did not show turbidity, and was poured onto nutrient agar (Difco Inc.) plates for each bacterial species. The agar plates were incubated for 2 days for aerobic bacteria and 5 days for anaerobic bacteria. The MBC value was read as the lowest concentration of the solvent-soluble extracts at which 99.99% or more of the initial inoculum was killed. The MIC and MBC experiments were repeated in triplicate. 50 food-pathogen bacteria. The MBC values of EtOAc-soluble fraction against P. acnes strains were determined from 128 to 512 μg mL -1 MIC value of isolated phlorotannins from Eisenia bicyclis According to above results, the EtOAc-soluble fraction of E. bicyclis showed the strongest antibacterial activity against acne-related bacteria. In order to identify an anti-acne substance from the EtOAc-soluble fractions of E. bicyclis, we screened the antibacterial activity of previously isolated phlorotannins against acne-related bacteria. It is reported that marine-derived polyphenols (phlorotannins) are believed as the active components of E. bicycli