322 research outputs found
Surface warming and atmospheric circulation dominate rainfall changes over tropical rainforests under global warming
This is the final version. Avaiolable on open access from AGU via the DOI in this recordThis study investigates how the direct effects of CO2 quadrupling on plant physiology impact precipitation in three main rainforests. We show that differences between the regions lie in how landâsurface warming (driven by reduced transpiration) interacts with their climatological atmospheric circulations, regardless of their reliance on evapotranspiration. Various atmosphereâonly experiments from two General Circulation Models are used. We find that over New Guinea, landâsurface warming amplifies moisture convergence from the ocean and increases rainfall. In the Congo, no clear rainfall changes emerge as the landâsurface warming effect is offset by migrations of rainfall. In Amazonia, the interaction of landâsurface warming with the climatological circulation pattern leads to a precipitationâchange dipole, with reduced rainfall in central and eastern Amazonia and increased rainfall in the west.Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC
On the third critical field in Ginzburg-Landau theory
Using recent results by the authors on the spectral asymptotics of the
Neumann Laplacian with magnetic field, we give precise estimates on the
critical field, , describing the appearance of superconductivity in
superconductors of type II. Furthermore, we prove that the local and global
definitions of this field coincide. Near only a small part, near the
boundary points where the curvature is maximal, of the sample carries
superconductivity. We give precise estimates on the size of this zone and decay
estimates in both the normal (to the boundary) and parallel variables
Surface impedance of BaFe2-xNixAs2 in the radio frequency range
We report measurements of the temperature dependence of the surface impedance in superconducting BaFe1.93Ni0.07As2 crystals using the radiofrequency reflection technique in the 5<T<30K temperature range. An LC resonant circuit with a phase sensitive detection was used at 92MHz. A measurement assembly with point contacts was used at 30MHz. The recent discovery of iron based arsenide superconductors BaFe2-xNixAs2 has attracted much interest. For a Ni doping level of 7% the superconducting phase transition is found around 20K. The temperature dependence of the superconducting penetration depth was determined
Nuclear charge radius of He
The root-mean-square (rms) nuclear charge radius of ^8He, the most
neutron-rich of all particle-stable nuclei, has been determined for the first
time to be 1.93(3) fm. In addition, the rms charge radius of ^6He was measured
to be 2.068(11) fm, in excellent agreement with a previous result. The
significant reduction in charge radius from ^6He to ^8He is an indication of
the change in the correlations of the excess neutrons and is consistent with
the ^8He neutron halo structure. The experiment was based on laser spectroscopy
of individual helium atoms cooled and confined in a magneto-optical trap.
Charge radii were extracted from the measured isotope shifts with the help of
precision atomic theory calculations
Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares
We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with
particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic
reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed
studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations
(e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic
acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and
particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies
show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational
manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly
relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the
need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated
particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief
prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares,
inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in
Space Science Reviews (2011
Dysregulation in Retinal Para-Inflammation and Age-Related Retinal Degeneration in CCL2 or CCR2 Deficient Mice
We have shown previously that a para-inflammatory response exists at the retinal/choroidal interface in the aging eye; and this response plays an important role in maintaining retinal homeostasis under chronic stress conditions. We hypothesized that dysregulation of the para-inflammatory response may result in an overt pro-inflammatory response inducing retinal degeneration. In this study, we examined this hypothesis in mice deficient in chemokine CCL2 or its cognate receptor CCR2. CCL2- or CCR2-deficient mice developed retinal degenerative changes with age, characterized as retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell and photoreceptor cell death. Retinal cell death was associated with significantly more subretinal microglial accumulation and increased complement activation. In addition, monocytes from CCL2- or CCR2-deficient mice had reduced capacity for phagocytosis and chemotaxis, expressed less IL-10 but more iNOS, IL-12 and TNF-α when compared to monocytes from WT mice. Complement activation at the site of RPE cell death resulted in C3b/C3d but not C5b-9 deposition, indicating only partial activation of the complement pathway. Our results suggest that altered monocyte functions may convert the protective para-inflammatory response into an overtly harmful inflammation at the retina/choroidal interface in CCL2- or CCR2-deficient mice, leading to RPE and photoreceptor degeneration. These data support a concept whereby a protective para-inflammatory response relies upon a normally functioning innate immune system. If the innate immune system is deficient chronic stress may tip the balance towards an overt inflammatory response causing cell/tissue damage
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