Plasma kinetics issues in an ESA study for a plasma laboratory in space

A study supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), in the context of its General Studies Programme, performed an investigation of the possible use of space for studies in pure and applied plasma physics, in areas not traditionally covered by ‘space plasma physics’. A set of experiments have been identified that can potentially provide access to new phenomena and to allow advances in several fields of plasma science. These experiments concern phenomena on a spatial scale (101–104 m) intermediate between what is achievable on the ground and the usual solar system plasma observations. Detailed feasibility studies have been performed for three experiments: active magnetic experiments, largescale discharges and long tether–plasma interactions. The perspectives opened by these experiments are discussed for magnetic reconnection, instabilities, MHD turbulence, atomic excited states kinetics, weakly ionized plasmas,plasma diagnostics, artificial auroras and atmospheric studies. The discussion is also supported by results of numerical simulations and estimates

Cooperative management and its effects on shade tree diversity, soil properties and ecosystem services of coffee plantations in western El Salvador

We compared how management approaches affected shade tree diversity, soil properties, and provisioning and carbon sequestration ecosystem services in three shade coffee cooperatives. Collectively managed cooperatives utilized less diverse shade, and pruned coffee and shade trees more intensively, than individual farms. Soil properties showed significant differences among the cooperatives, with the following properties contributing to differentiation: N, pH, P, K, and Ca. Higher tree richness was associated with higher soil pH, CEC, Ca, and Mg, and lower K. Higher tree densities were associated with lower N, K, and organic matter. Although we found differences in the incidence of provisioning services (e.g., fruit), all plantations generated products other than coffee. No differences were observed between C-stocks. The history and institutional arrangements of cooperatives can influence management approaches, which affect ecosystem properties and services. Our study corroborates that interdisciplinary investigations are essential to understand the socio-ecological context of tropical shade coffee landscapes

Summertime surface O3 behavior and deposition to tundra in the Alaskan Arctic

Atmospheric turbulence quantities, boundary layer ozone (O3) levels, and O3 deposition to the tundra surface were investigated at Toolik Lake, AK, during the 2011 summer season. Beginning immediately after snowmelt, a diurnal cycle of O3 in the atmospheric surface layer developed with daytime O3 maxima, and minima during low-light hours, resulting in a mean amplitude of 13 ppbv. This diurnal O3 cycle is far larger than observed at other high Arctic locations during the snow-free season. During the snow-free months of June, July, and August, O3 deposition velocities were ~3 to 5 times faster than during May, when snow covered the ground most of the month. The overall mean O3 deposition velocity between June and August was 0.10 cm s-1. The month of June had the highest diurnal variation, with a median O3 deposition velocity of 0.2 cm s-1 during the daytime and 0.08 cm s-1 during low-light conditions. These values are slightly lower than previously reported summertime deposition velocities in northern latitudes over tundra or fen. O3 loss during low-light periods was attributed to a combination of surface deposition to the tundra and stable boundary layer conditions. We also hypothesize that emissions of reactive biogenic volatile organic compounds into the shallow boundary layer may contribute to nighttime O3 loss

Oxygen ordering in the high-T-c superconductor HgBa2CaCu2O6+delta as revealed by perturbed angular correlation

International audienceLattice sites and collective ordering of oxygen atoms in HgBa2CaCu2O6+delta were studied using the perturbed angular correlation (PAC) technique at ISOLDE/CERN. The electric field gradients (EFG) at Hg-199m nuclei have been measured as functions of oxygen doping on the Hg planes, above and below T-c. In comparison with the results obtained for oxygen and fluorine doping in Hg-1201, the analysis shows a different oxygen ordering exhibited by Hg-1212. Moreover, for all studied cases, the experimental results show that at a local scale there is non uniform oxygen distribution. A series of ab initio EFG calculations allowed to infer that at low concentrations, regions without oxygen coexist with regions where O-2 delta dumbbell molecules are located at the center of the Hg mesh. On the other side, at high concentrations, O-2 delta dumbbell molecules coexist with single O-delta atoms occupying the center of the Hg mesh. The present results suggest that oxygen sits on the Hg planes in the form of a molecule and not as a single atom

T-cell stimulation with purified mycobacterial antigens in patients and healthy subjects infected with Mycobacterium leprae: secreted antigen 85 is another immunodominant antigen

Peripheral blood leucocytes from 9 paucibacillary and 12 multibacillary leprosy patients, from 18 healthy controls and from 34 healthy leprosy contacts were stimulated with three mycobacterial heat shock proteins with respective molecular weights of 70, 65 and 18 kDa and with the secreted 30-32 kDa protein, also called antigen 85. Antigen 85 was found to be the most powerful T-cell antigen (as measured by lymphoproliferation and IFN-gamma secretion), eliciting a positive response in all (100%) paucibacillary patients and in all lepromin-positive controls and contacts. The three heat shock proteins (hsp) were less active T-cell stimuli. Reactivity to the 70 kDa hsp was found in only 44% of the paucibacillary patients, in 80% of the lepromin-positive controls and in 60% of the lepromin-positive leprosy contacts. The 65 kDa hsp stimulated T cells in 89% of the paucibacillary patients and in 80% of the lepromin-positive controls and contacts. Responsiveness to the 18 kDa hsp, finally, was clearly more frequent in tuberculoid leprosy patients (78%) than in lepromin-positive controls (40%) or lepromin-positive leprosy contacts (4%). T-cell reactivity of 8 lepromin-negative controls, of 9 lepromin-negative contacts and of 12 multibacillary leprosy patients was low to all the antigens tested. Although proliferative and IFN-gamma responses were generally closely related, some subjects demonstrated a dissociation of these two immune parameters. Our data confirm previous findings on the powerful T-cell stimulatory properties of antigen 85 during M. leprae infection and suggest that this antigen is indeed a potentially protective T-cell immunogen.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jFLWNAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe