Retrievals of ethane from groundbased highresolution FTIR solar observations with updated line parameters: determination of the optimum strategy for the Jungfraujoch station.

Ethane (C2H6) is the most abundant Non-Methane HydroCarbon (NMHC) in the Earth’s atmosphere, with a lifetime of approximately 2 months. Its main sources are biomass burning, natural gas loss and biofuel consumption. Oxidation by the hydroxyl radical is the major C2H6 sink as it controls its strong modulation throug the year. C2H6 is involved in the formation of tropospheric O3 and in the destruction of atmospheric methane through changes in OH. C2H6 is an indirect greenhouse gas with a net-global warming potential of 5.5 (100-yr horizon). Updates of retrieval parameters such as the spectroscopic linelists have been recently published. We will therefore characterize three µ-windows encompassing the strongest C2H6 features after careful selection of these new parameters, accounting at best for all interfering species. The aim is to lessen the fitting residuals while maximizing the information content, the precision and the reliability of the retrieved product. We will present updated C2H6 total and tropospheric column time series, using the SFIT-2 algorithm (v3.91) and high-resolution Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectra recorded with a Bruker 120HR instrument, at the high altitude research station of the Jungfraujoch (46.5°N, 8.0°E, 3580 m asl), within the framework of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC, http://www.ndacc.org). Comparisons with synthetic data produced by chemical transport models will also be presented

Halogenated source gases measured by FTIR at the Jungfraujoch station: updated trends and new target species

In this contribution, we present decadal time series of halogenated source gases monitored at the high altitude station of the Jungfraujoch (46.5°N, 8°E, 3580 m asl) with Fourier Transform Infared (FTIR) spectrometers, within the framework of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change. Total column trends presented in previous studies for CFC-11, -12 and HCFC-22, CCl4, HCFC-142b, CF4 and SF6 will be updated using the latest available Jungfraujoch solar observations. Investigations dealing with the definition of approaches to retrieve additional halogenated source gases from FTIR spectra will also be evoked. Our trend results will be critically discussed and compared with measurements performed in the northern hemisphere by the in situ networks

Changes in atmospheric composition discerned from long-term NDACC measurements: trends in direct greenhouse gases derived from infrared solar absorption spectra recorded at the Jungfraujoch station

The University of Liège (ULg) is operating -under clear sky conditions- two state-of-the-art Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers at the high-altitude research station of the Jungfraujoch (Swiss Alps, 46.5ºN, 3580m asl), within the framework of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Changes (NDACC). Routine FTIR operation started in 1984. Since then, it has been continued without disruption, allowing collecting more than 45000 high-resolution broadband IR solar absorption spectra, between 2 and 16 µm, using either HgCdTe or InSb detectors as well as a suite of optical filters. Typically, the spectral resolutions achieved lie in the 0.003 to 0.009 cm-1 interval while signal-to-noise ratios of 1000 and more are reached. Numerous narrow-band IR spectra essentially recorded from 1976 to 1989 with grating instruments are also available. Their analyses with modern tools have recently started [Bader et al., 2011] and will be pursued to consistently extend our datasets back in the 1970s. Geophysical parameters are deduced from the ULg observational database either with the SFIT-1, SFIT-2 or PROFFIT-9 algorithm, allowing producing total column time series of the target gases. In addition, information on their vertical distributions with altitude can generally be derived when using SFIT-2 or PROFFIT-9 which both implement the Optimal Estimation Method of Rodgers [1990]. Presently, more than two dozen atmospheric species are systematically retrieved from the Jungfraujoch observations, allowing the monitoring of key constituents of the Earth's atmosphere which play important roles in stratospheric ozone depletion and/or in global warming. This communication will focus on the direct and major greenhouse gases available from our database, namely water vapor, CO2, CH4, N2O, tropospheric ozone, CFC-11, CFC-12, HCFC-22, CCl4, SF6, as well as CF4 which has recently been added to our targets list [Duchatelet et al., 2011]. Trends and associated uncertainties characterizing the available -and often multi-decadal- time series have been derived or updated with a statistical bootstrap resampling tool [Gardiner et al., 2008], they will be presented and critically compared with data available from the literature

Effect of Crystallographic Texture on Magnetic Characteristics of Cobalt Nanowires

Cobalt nanowires with controlled diameters have been synthesized using electrochemical deposition in etched ion-track polycarbonate membranes. Structural characterization of these nanowires with diameter 70, 90, 120 nm and length 30 μm was performed by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The as-prepared wires show uniform diameter along the whole length and X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that [002] texture of these wires become more pronounced as diameter is reduced. Magnetic characterization of the nanowires shows a clear difference of squareness and coercivity between parallel and perpendicular orientations of the wires with respect to the applied field direction. In case of parallel applied field, the coercivity has been found to be decreasing with increasing diameter of the wires while in perpendicular case; the coercivity observes lower values for larger diameter. The results are explained by taking into account the magnetocrystalline and shape anisotropies with respect to the applied field and domain transformation mechanism when single domain limit is surpassed

Flexible Usage and Interconnectivity of Diverse Cell Death Pathways Protect against Intracellular Infection.

Programmed cell death contributes to host defense against pathogens. To investigate the relative importance of pyroptosis, necroptosis, and apoptosis during Salmonella infection, we infected mice and macrophages deficient for diverse combinations of caspases-1, -11, -12, and -8 and receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 3 (RIPK3). Loss of pyroptosis, caspase-8-driven apoptosis, or necroptosis had minor impact on Salmonella control. However, combined deficiency of these cell death pathways caused loss of bacterial control in mice and their macrophages, demonstrating that host defense can employ varying components of several cell death pathways to limit intracellular infections. This flexible use of distinct cell death pathways involved extensive cross-talk between initiators and effectors of pyroptosis and apoptosis, where initiator caspases-1 and -8 also functioned as executioners when all known effectors of cell death were absent. These findings uncover a highly coordinated and flexible cell death system with in-built fail-safe processes that protect the host from intracellular infections.Wellcome Trus

Differentiation trapping screen in live culture for genes expressed in cardiovascular lineages

We have developed a gene trap vector that transduces an EGFP-neo fusion gene (Eno) to monitor the expression of trapped genes in living cells and embryos. Upon in vitro differentiation, most gene-trapped embryonic stem (ES) cell clones exhibited detectable green fluorescence in various specialized cell types, which can be followed in the live culture in real time. Populations of ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, vascular endothelial cells, and hematopoietic cells were readily recognized by their distinctive morphologies coupled with unique activities, allowing efficient screening for clones with trapped genes expressed in cardiovascular lineages. Applying G418 selection in parallel differentiation cultures further increased detection sensitivity and screening throughput by enriching reporter-expressing cells with intensified green fluorescent protein signals. Sequence analyses and chimera studies demonstrated that the expression of trapped genes in vivo closely correlated with the observed lineage specificity in vitro. This provides a strategy to identify and mutate genes expressed in lineages of interest for further functional studies. Developmental Dynamics 229:319–327, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/35176/1/10427_ftp.pd

Randomized pilot study to disseminate caries-control services in dentist offices

BACKGROUND: To determine whether education and financial incentives increased dentists' delivery of fluoride varnish and sealants to at risk children covered by capitation dental insurance in Washington state (U.S.). METHODS: In 1999, 53 dental offices in Washington Dental Service's capitation dental plan were invited to participate in the study, and consenting offices were randomized to intervention (n = 9) and control (n = 10) groups. Offices recruited 689 capitation children aged 6–14 and at risk for caries, who were followed for 2 years. Intervention offices received provider education and fee-for-service reimbursement for delivering fluoride varnish and sealants. Insurance records were used to calculate office service rates for fluoride, sealants, and restorations. Parents completed mail surveys after follow-up to measure their children's dental utilization, dental satisfaction, dental fear and oral health status. Regression models estimated differences in service rates between intervention and control offices, and compared survey measures between groups. RESULTS: Nineteen offices (34%) consented to participate in the study. Fluoride and sealant rates were greater in the intervention offices than the control offices, but the differences were not statistically significant. Restoration rates were lower in the intervention offices than the control offices. Parents in the intervention group reported their children had less dental fear than control group parents. CONCLUSION: Due to low dentist participation the study lacked power to detect an intervention effect on dentists' delivery of caries-control services. The intervention may have reduced children's dental fear

Heavy methane to explain the unexplained recent methane growth ?

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas emitted by human activities in the Earth’s atmosphere. Although it is roughly 200 times less abundant than carbon dioxide, it is a 28 times more potent greenhouse gas. Approximately one fifth of the changes in the Earth’s balance energy caused by human-linked greenhouse gases since the beginning of industrialization (~1750) is due to methane. Methane is emitted by both natural sources and human activities. Indeed, methane can be emitted to the atmosphere through coal mining, oil and gas exploitation, rice cultures, domestic ruminant animals, biomass burning, waste management, wetlands, termites, methane hydrates and ocean. In the atmosphere, methane is mainly destroyed by the radical hydroxyl, also called the detergent of the atmosphere, and therefore plays a major role on the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. Since the beginning of the industrialization, atmospheric methane concentrations have increased by 260% to reach 1824 pbb in 2013. From the 1980s until the beginning of the 1990s, atmospheric methane was significantly on the rise, then stabilized during 1999-2006 to rise again afterwards. To this day, the source or sink responsible of this latter increase remains unexplained. Through each emission process, heavy molecules of methane (with one additional neutron either on a carbon or on one hydrogen atom) are emitted along methane (12CH4). The main heavy molecules of methane, called isotopologues (13CH4 and CH3D), are respectively ~110 and ~60 000 times less abundant than methane. Despite their small abundances, they give crucial information on the concentration of methane in the atmosphere and its evolution. Indeed, both isotopologues are emitted with specific emission ratio depending on the emission sources. Determining isotopic ratio of atmospheric methane is therefore a unique tracer of its budget. While the non-monotonous trend of methane is subject of an extensive number of studies, to our knowledge, no study of the isotopic ratio of methane derived from ground-based solar observations has been published to date. Measurements of heavy methane from Fourier Transform InfraRed spectra recorded with state of the art spectrometers installed at Eureka [Arctic, Canada] and Toronto [Ontario, Canada] along with analysis of observations collected by a portable instrument [Portable Atmospheric Research Interferometric Spectrometer for the Infrared, PARIS-IR], installed at Eureka will help fill this gap. Indeed, the produced time series, compared with the corresponding satellite observations (ACE-FTS) products will ease data interpretation and contribute to a global view of the question of isotopologues