Improved isolation of good-quality total RNA from the optic stalk of Mud crab, Scylla paramamosain

Abstract An improved and efficient protocol was developed based on the TaKaRa RNAiso Plus Kit (Code: D9108A) for isolating good-quality total RNA from the optic stalk of mud crab, Scylla paramamosain . The protocol was based on the Trizol method with modifications. The carapace overlapping the optic stalk was retained with RNA in regular protocol. In order to remove the abundant deposition correlative with the carapace which makes the isolation of RNA particularly difficult, 5M potassium acetate solution (pH = 6.0) was added before the precipitation of RNA, and the temperature of RNA deposition was also decreased to -70\ubaC to ensure the stabilization of RNA. Good-quality total RNA from the optic stalk of S. paramamosain could be easily isolated with this modified protocol and three conventional methods were also employed to confirm the quality of RNA. This improved method would be helpful in facilitating molecular research of crabs involving RNA from the optic stalk

Integrated radiative and evaporative cooling beyond daytime passive cooling power limit

Radiative cooling technologies can passively gain lower temperature than that of ambient surroundings without consuming electricity, which has emerged as potential alternatives to traditional cooling methods. However, the limitations in daytime radiation intensity with a net cooling power of less than 150 W·m−2 have hindered progress toward commercial practicality. Here, we report an integrated radiative and evaporative chiller (IREC) based on polyacrylamide hydrogels combined with an upper layer of breathable poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) fibers, which achieves a record high practical average daytime cooling power of 710 W·m−2. The breathable fiber layer has an average emissivity of over 76% in the atmospheric window, while reflecting 90% of visible light. This IREC possesses effective daytime radiative cooling while simultaneously ensuring evaporative cooling capability, enhancing daytime passive cooling effectively. As a result, IREC presents the practicability for both personal cooling managements and industrial auxiliary cooling applications. An IREC-based patch can assist in cooling human body by 13 °C low for a long term and biocompatible use, and IREC can maintain the temperature of industrial storage facilities such as oil tanks at room temperature even under strong sunlight irradiation. This work delivers the highest performance daytime passive cooling by simultaneous infrared radiation and water evaporation, and provides a new perspective for developing highly efficient, scalable, and affordable passive cooling strategy

LC determination of propylene glycol in human plasma after pre-column derivatization with benzoyl chloride

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method, using photodiode array detection was developed for the determination of propylene glycol in human plasma and in the fluid retreived after continuous veno-venous hemofiltration. The method entailed alkaline derivatization with benzoyl chloride and ethylene glycol as internal standard. The separation of the compounds, after extraction with pentane, was carried out on a Pursuit C8 column with UV-detection at 230 nm. Validation samples were analyzed with an accuracy between 95 and 105%, and intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation of less than 8%. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 5-100 mg

Does convective aggregation need to be represented in cumulus parameterizations?

Tropical deep convection exhibits a variety of levels of aggregation over a wide range of scales. Based on a multisatellite analysis, the present study shows at mesoscale that different levels of aggregation are statistically associated with differing large-scale atmospheric states, despite similar convective intensity and large-scale forcings. The more aggregated the convection, the dryer and less cloudy the atmosphere, the stronger the outgoing longwave radiation, and the lower the planetary albedo. This suggests that mesoscale convective aggregation has the potential to affect couplings between moisture and convection and between convection, radiation, and large-scale ascent. In so doing, aggregation may play a role in phenomena such as “hot spots” or the Madden-Julian Oscillation. These findings support the need for the representation of mesoscale organization in cumulus parameterizations; most parameterizations used in current climate models lack any such representation. The ability of a cloud system-resolving model to reproduce observed relationships suggests that such models may be useful to guide attempts at parameterizations of convective aggregation

Vertical structure and physical processes of the Madden-Julian oscillation: exploring key model physics in climate simulations

Aimed at reducing deficiencies in representing the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) in general circulation models (GCMs), a global model evaluation project on vertical structure and physical processes of the MJO was coordinated. In this paper, results from the climate simulation component of this project are reported. It is shown that the MJO remains a great challenge in these latest generation GCMs. The systematic eastward propagation of the MJO is only well simulated in about one-fourth of the total participating models. The observed vertical westward tilt with altitude of the MJO is well simulated in good MJO models, but not in the poor ones. Damped Kelvin wave responses to the east of convection in the lower troposphere could be responsible for the missing MJO preconditioning process in these poor MJO models. Several process-oriented diagnostics were conducted to discriminate key processes for realistic MJO simulations. While large-scale rainfall partition and low-level mean zonal winds over the Indo-Pacific in a model are not found to be closely associated with its MJO skill, two metrics, including the low-level relative humidity difference between high and low rain events and seasonal mean gross moist stability, exhibit statistically significant correlations with the MJO performance. It is further indicated that increased cloud-radiative feedback tends to be associated with reduced amplitude of intraseasonal variability, which is incompatible with the radiative instability theory previously proposed for the MJO. Results in this study confirm that inclusion of air-sea interaction can lead to significant improvement in simulating the MJO

Oceanic and terrestrial sources of continental precipitation

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Reviews of Geophysics 50 (2012): RG4003, doi:10.1029/2012RG000389.The most important sources of atmospheric moisture at the global scale are herein identified, both oceanic and terrestrial, and a characterization is made of how continental regions are influenced by water from different moisture source regions. The methods used to establish source-sink relationships of atmospheric water vapor are reviewed, and the advantages and caveats associated with each technique are discussed. The methods described include analytical and box models, numerical water vapor tracers, and physical water vapor tracers (isotopes). In particular, consideration is given to the wide range of recently developed Lagrangian techniques suitable both for evaluating the origin of water that falls during extreme precipitation events and for establishing climatologies of moisture source-sink relationships. As far as oceanic sources are concerned, the important role of the subtropical northern Atlantic Ocean provides moisture for precipitation to the largest continental area, extending from Mexico to parts of Eurasia, and even to the South American continent during the Northern Hemisphere winter. In contrast, the influence of the southern Indian Ocean and North Pacific Ocean sources extends only over smaller continental areas. The South Pacific and the Indian Ocean represent the principal source of moisture for both Australia and Indonesia. Some landmasses only receive moisture from the evaporation that occurs in the same hemisphere (e.g., northern Europe and eastern North America), while others receive moisture from both hemispheres with large seasonal variations (e.g., northern South America). The monsoonal regimes in India, tropical Africa, and North America are provided with moisture from a large number of regions, highlighting the complexities of the global patterns of precipitation. Some very important contributions are also seen from relatively small areas of ocean, such as the Mediterranean Basin (important for Europe and North Africa) and the Red Sea, which provides water for a large area between the Gulf of Guinea and Indochina (summer) and between the African Great Lakes and Asia (winter). The geographical regions of Eurasia, North and South America, and Africa, and also the internationally important basins of the Mississippi, Amazon, Congo, and Yangtze Rivers, are also considered, as is the importance of terrestrial sources in monsoonal regimes. The role of atmospheric rivers, and particularly their relationship with extreme events, is discussed. Droughts can be caused by the reduced supply of water vapor from oceanic moisture source regions. Some of the implications of climate change for the hydrological cycle are also reviewed, including changes in water vapor concentrations, precipitation, soil moisture, and aridity. It is important to achieve a combined diagnosis of moisture sources using all available information, including stable water isotope measurements. A summary is given of the major research questions that remain unanswered, including (1) the lack of a full understanding of how moisture sources influence precipitation isotopes; (2) the stationarity of moisture sources over long periods; (3) the way in which possible changes in intensity (where evaporation exceeds precipitation to a greater of lesser degree), and the locations of the sources, (could) affect the distribution of continental precipitation in a changing climate; and (4) the role played by the main modes of climate variability, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation or the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, in the variability of the moisture source regions, as well as a full evaluation of the moisture transported by low-level jets and atmospheric rivers.Luis Gimeno would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and FEDER for their partial funding of this research through the project MSM. A. Stohl was supported by the Norwegian Research Council within the framework of the WATER‐SIP project. The work of Ricardo Trigo was partially supported by the FCT (Portugal) through the ENAC project (PTDC/AAC-CLI/103567/2008).2013-05-0