Deconfining transition of SU(3) gauge theory on Nt=4 and 6 lattices

We report the results of a Monte Carlo study of finite-temperature pure SU(3) gauge theory performed on the parallel computer QCDPAX. The deconfining transition is studied on 122×24×4, 242×36×4, 243×6, and 362×48×6 lattices with 480 000–1 112 000 iterations. A clear two-phase structure is observed on spatially large (242×36×4 and 362×48×6) lattices and the gaps of physical quantities at the transition are calculated on these lattices. The latent heat thus obtained on the Nt=6 (362×48×6) lattice is much smaller than the one previously obtained

Medium modifications of nucleon electromagnetic form factors

We use the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model as an effective quark theory to investigate the medium modifications of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors. By using the equation of state of nuclear matter derived in this model, we discuss the results based on the naive quark-scalar diquark picture, the effects of finite diquark size, and the meson cloud around the constituent quarks. We apply this description to the longitudinal response function for quasielastic electron scattering. RPA correlations, based on the nucleon-nucleon interaction derived in the same model, are also taken into account in the calculation of the response function.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figure

Study of detailed balance between excitons and free carriers in pristine diamond using terahertz spectroscopy

A fundamental understanding of the photoexcited carrier system in diamond is crucial to facilitate its application in photonic and electronic devices. Here, we studied the detailed balance between free carriers and excitons in pristine diamond by using a deep-ultraviolet (DUV) pump in combination with terahertz (THz) probe spectroscopy. We investigated the transformation of photoexcited carriers to excitons via an internal transition of excitons, which was newly found to occur at a frequency of approximately 15 THz. We determined the equilibrium constant in the Saha equation from the temperature dependence of the free-carrier density measured at chemical equilibrium. The derived exciton binding energy was larger than the conventional value, which indicated an energy shift due to the fine-structure splitting of the exciton states

2021 updated analysis of the sea ice concentration (SIC) in research blocks 4 (RB4), and 5 (RB5) of Subarea 48.6 with sea surface temperature (SST) and winds

Ice condition in the subarea 48.6, Southern OceanIn RB5, the SICs in Feb. 2021 were the highest and the SSTs were the lowest for the years 2016-2021. In March 2021, the highest SICs decreased to nearly the longterm average while the SST increased accordingly. In the same year, the SICs and SSTs had two peaks in Feb. and March respectively. In RB4, the SICs during Jan.- Feb (Austral summer) in 2021 were also the highest since 2016. The sharp spikes of SST (rapid increasing SST) had become smaller year by year from 2017 to 2021, which indicates that the SSTs had a cooling phase in 5-6 year periodical cycles corresponding to an increasing trend in SICs. Spatial dynamics of SICs with SSTs contour of -1.8°C and -0.8°C were analyzed. It was found that the ice edges are at approximately -1.8°C and partially broken ices exist between -1.8°C and -0.8°C when comparing imagery by GIBS and SICs distribution by AMSRs with SSTs by NOAA. Daily wind stick plots indicate that the eastward winds could encourage the off-shore Ekman transport at the end of Feb. and the beginning of Mar. which resulted in late (slow) ice retrieval in 2021

Proposed allocation of research catches in Divisions 58.4.1 and

At WG-SAM-15, it was noted that 5 members, Australia, France, Japan, Korea and Spain had notified to conduct research in the exploratory toothfish fisheries off East Antarctica, covered by CCAMLR Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2. This proposal seeks to establish an arrangement whereby all notified members have a catch allocation to undertake research, thereby avoiding Olympic fishing

Report from the Expert Panel on the evaluation of the VRZs during the 2018/19 fishing season

In July 2018 ARK (the Association of Responsible Krill harvesting companies) launched a set of voluntary measures, known as ARK’s Commitment, which were proposed to improve the long-term sustainability of the krill fishery. The Commitment was initiated with support from Greenpeace, WWF and The Pew Charitable Trusts as a precautionary action whilst CCAMLR developed spatial management of the krill fishery in Area 48. The Commitment, which took the form of Voluntary Restriction Zones (VRZs), was implemented for the 2018-19 fishing season. The krill fishing fleet associated with ARK agreed to avoid fishing in an area of up to 40 km from penguin colonies in Subarea 48.1 during the penguin breeding season

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) Tracks 2-3 Peta-Gram Increase in Carbon Release to the Atmosphere During the 2014-2016 El Nino

The powerful El Nio event of 2015-2016 - the third most intense since the 1950s - has exerted a large impact on the Earth's natural climate system. The column-averaged CO2 dry-air mole fraction (XCO2) observations from satellites and ground based networks are analyzed together with in situ observations for the period of September 2014 to October 2016. From the differences between satellite (OCO-2) observations and simulations using an atmospheric chemistry-transport model, we estimate that, relative to the mean annual fluxes for 2014, the most recent El Nio has contributed to an excess CO2 emission from the Earth's surface (land+ocean) to the atmosphere in the range of 2.4+/-0.2 PgC (1 Pg = 10(exp 15) g) over the period of July 2015 to June 2016. The excess CO2 flux is resulted primarily from reduction in vegetation uptake due to drought, and to a lesser degree from increased biomass burning. It is about the half of the CO2 flux anomaly (range: 4.4-6.7 PgC) estimated for the 1997/1998 El Nio. The annual total sink is estimated to be 3.9+/-0.2 PgC for the assumed fossil fuel emission of 10.1 PgC. The major uncertainty in attribution arise from error in anthropogenic emission trends, satellite data and atmospheric transport

Comment on Qian et al. 2008: La Niña and El Niño composites of atmospheric CO2 change

It is well known that interannual extremes in the rate of change of atmospheric CO2 are strongly influenced by the occurrence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Qian et al. presented ENSO composites of atmospheric CO2 changes. We show that their composites do not reflect the atmospheric changes that are most relevant to understanding the role of ENSO on atmospheric CO2 variability. We present here composites of atmospheric CO2 change that differ markedly from those of Qian et al., and reveal previously unreported asymmetries between the effects on the global carbon system of El Niño and La Niña events. The calendar-year timing differs; La Niña changes in atmospheric CO2 typically occur primarily over September–May, while El Niño changes occur primarily over December–August. And the net concentration change is quite different; La Niña changes are about half the size of El Niño changes. These results illustrate new aspects of the ENSO/global carbon budget interaction and provide useful global-scale benchmarks for the evaluation of Earth System Model studies of the carbon system

Quantitative analysis of cell composition and purity of human pancreatic islet preparations

Author Manuscript 2011 May 1.Despite improvements in outcomes for human islet transplantation, characterization of islet preparations remains poorly defined. This study used both light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM) to characterize 33 islet preparations used for clinical transplants. EM allowed an accurate identification and quantification of cell types with measured cell number fractions (mean±s.e.m.) of 35.6±2.1% β-cells, 12.6±1.0% non-β-islet cells (48.3±2.6% total islet cells), 22.7±1.5% duct cells, and 25.3±1.8% acinar cells. Of the islet cells, 73.6±1.7% were β-cells. For comparison with the literature, estimates of cell number fraction, cell volume, and extracellular volume were combined to convert number fraction data to volume fractions applicable to cells, islets, and the entire preparation. The mathematical framework for this conversion was developed. By volume, β-cells were 86.5±1.1% of the total islet cell volume and 61.2±0.8% of intact islets (including the extracellular volume), which is similar to that of islets in the pancreas. Our estimates produced 1560±20 cells in an islet equivalent (volume of 150-μm diameter sphere), of which 1140±15 were β-cells. To test whether LM analysis of the same tissue samples could provide reasonable estimates of purity of the islet preparations, volume fraction of the islet tissue was measured on thin sections available from 27 of the clinical preparations by point counting morphometrics. Islet purity (islet volume fraction) of individual preparations determined by LM and EM analyses correlated linearly with excellent agreement (R[superscript 2]=0.95). However, islet purity by conventional dithizone staining was substantially higher with a 20–30% overestimation. Thus, both EM and LM provide accurate methods to determine the cell composition of human islet preparations and can help us understand many of the discrepancies of islet composition in the literature.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant RO1-DK063108)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant NCRR ICR U4Z RR 16606)Joslin Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (Grant DK36836)Diabetes Research & Wellness FoundationJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (Islet Transplantation, Harvard Medical School