The Magnetospheric Multiscale mission has demonstrated the frequent presence of reconnection exhausts at thin current sheets within Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) waves at the flank magnetopause. Motivated by ...these recent observations, we performed a statistical analysis of the boundary layers on the magnetosheath side of all KH current sheets on 8 September 2015. We show 86% consistency between the exhaust flows and particle leakage in the magnetosheath boundary layers but further highlight the very frequent presence of additional boundary layer signatures that do not come from the locally observed reconnection exhausts. These additional electron and ion boundary layers, of various durations and at various positions with respect to the leading and trailing boundaries of the KH waves, signal connections to reconnection sites at other locations. Based on the directionality and extent of these layers, we provide an interpretation whereby complex magnetic topologies can arise within KH waves from the combination of reconnection in the equatorial plane and at midlatitudes in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, where additional reconnection sites are expected to be triggered by the three‐dimensional field lines interweaving induced by the KH waves at the flanks (owing to differential flow and magnetic field shear with latitude). The present event demonstrates that the three‐dimensional development of KH waves can induce plasma entry (through reconnection at both midlatitude and equatorial regions) already sunward of the terminator where the instability remains in its linear stage.
Key Points
Statistical study of magnetosheath boundary layers at Kelvin‐Helmholtz wave boundaries
Particle leakage statistics consistent with local reconnection exhausts within KH waves
Additional signatures suggest complex topologies with reconnection sites at higher latitudes
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in plasmas whereby stored magnetic energy is converted into heat and kinetic energy of charged particles. Reconnection occurs in many ...astrophysical plasma environments and in laboratory plasmas. Using measurements with very high time resolution, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission has found direct evidence for electron demagnetization and acceleration at sites along the sunward boundary of Earth's magnetosphere where the interplanetary magnetic field reconnects with the terrestrial magnetic field. We have (i) observed the conversion of magnetic energy to particle energy; (ii) measured the electric field and current, which together cause the dissipation of magnetic energy; and (iii) identified the electron population that carries the current as a result of demagnetization and acceleration within the reconnection diffusion/dissipation region.
Two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled feasibility trials of minocycline in ALS were conducted. In Trial 1, 19 subjects received 200 mg/day or placebo for 6 months; there were no ...significant differences in adverse events (AE). In Trial 2, 23 subjects received up to 400 mg/day in an 8-month crossover trial. The mean tolerated dose was 387 mg/day, there was a trend toward more gastrointestinal AE (p = 0.057), and blood urea nitrogen and liver enzymes became elevated (p < 0.05). Using these data, the authors have designed and launched a phase III trial.
Magnetic reconnection is an energy conversion process that occurs in many astrophysical contexts including Earth's magnetosphere, where the process can be investigated in situ by spacecraft. On 11 ...July 2017, the four Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft encountered a reconnection site in Earth's magnetotail, where reconnection involves symmetric inflow conditions. The electron-scale plasma measurements revealed (i) super-Alfvénic electron jets reaching 15,000 kilometers per second; (ii) electron meandering motion and acceleration by the electric field, producing multiple crescent-shaped structures in the velocity distributions; and (iii) the spatial dimensions of the electron diffusion region with an aspect ratio of 0.1 to 0.2, consistent with fast reconnection. The well-structured multiple layers of electron populations indicate that the dominant electron dynamics are mostly laminar, despite the presence of turbulence near the reconnection site.
Drainage ditches are integral components of agricultural production landscape, yet their contaminant mitigation capacity has been scarcely examined. If ditches are indeed capable of contaminant ...mitigation, then their use may serve as an alternative agricultural best management practice (BMP). A 50
m portion of an agricultural drainage ditch, located in the Mississippi Delta Management Systems Evaluation Area (MDMSEA), USA, was amended with a mixture of water, atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-
s-triazine) (herbicide) and lambda-cyhalothrin (λ-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl-3-(2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl)-2,2-dimethyl cyclopropanecarboxylate) (insecticide), simulating a storm runoff event. Pesticide amendment was achieved using a diffuser to disperse the mixture at an inflow point along the ditch (designated as “0
m”). Pesticide concentrations in water, sediment, and plants were monitored for 28 days. One hour following initiation of simulated runoff, mean percentages of atrazine concentrations measured in water and sediment were 37 and 2%, respectively, while mean percentages of lambda-cyhalothrin concentrations in water and sediment were 12 and 1%, respectively. Atrazine and lambda-cyhalothrin mean percentage concentrations in plants (
Polygonum (water smartweed),
Leersia (cutgrass), and
Sporobolus (smutgrass)) were 61 and 87%, respectively. Therefore, plants serve as an important site for pesticide sorption during runoff events. Aqueous concentrations of both pesticides decreased to levels which would not elicit non-target toxicological effects by the end of the 50
m portion of the drainage ditch. This research provides fundamental answers concerning the capability of vegetated agricultural drainage ditches to mitigate pesticide-associated storm water runoff.
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6 ) is a potent greenhouse gas and useful atmospheric tracer. Measurements of SF6 on global and regional scales are necessary to estimate emissions and to verify or examine the ...performance of atmospheric transport models. Typical precision for common gas chromatographic methods with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) is 1-2%. We have modified a common GC-ECD method to achieve measurement precision of 0.5% or better. Global mean SF6 measurements were used to examine changes in the growth rate of SF6 and corresponding SF6 emissions. Global emissions and mixing ratios from 2000-2008 are consistent with recently published work. More recent observations show a 10% decline in SF6 emissions in 2008-2009, which seems to coincide with a decrease in world economic output. This decline was short-lived, as the global SF6 growth rate has recently increased to near its 2007-2008 maximum value of 0.30±0.03 pmol mol-1 (ppt) yr-1 (95% C.L.).
Mouth cancer (143–145 ICD‐9) is a major health problem in many parts of the world. While its incidence is relatively low in most western countries there are some important exceptions to this trend: ...on the Indian subcontinent and in other parts of Asia it remains one of the most common forms of cancer. This review article summarises the global incidence of mouth cancer using cancer mapS. Data have been compiled from the latest edition of Cancer Incidence in Five Continents and recent studies from various locations around the world. Significant geographic variation is noted in the incidence of mouth cancer, with high rates reported for the Indian subcontinent and parts of Asia (male incidence rates in excess of 10 per 100 000 per annum). It is also noted that as with other forms of oral cancer, the majority of population‐based data for mouth cancer comes from the Western world with a paucity of reliable data from the so‐called developing countrieS. Mouth cancer remains a serious health problem in many parts of the world with many regions reporting increasing incidence rates particularly in maleS. Ongoing research into the aetiologic risk factors associated with this disease must remain a very high priority if the causes of mouth cancer are to be established and disease control protocols introduced widely.
In July 1999, California's ocean recreational bacterial water quality standards were changed from a total coliform (TC) test to a standard requiring testing for all three bacterial indicators: TC, ...fecal coliforms (FC), and enterococci (EC). To compare the relationship between the bacterial indicators, and the effect that changing the standards would have on recreational water regulatory actions, three regional studies were conducted along the southern California shoreline from Santa Barbara to San Diego, California. Two studies were conducted during dry weather and one following a large storm event. In each study, samples were collected at over 200 sites which were selected using a stratified random design, with strata consisting of open beach areas and rocky shoreline, and areas near freshwater outlets that drain land-based runoff. During the dry weather studies, samples were collected once per week for 5 weeks. For the storm event study, sampling occurred on a single day about 24
h following the storm. The three indicator bacteria were measured at each site and the results were compared to the single sample standards (TC>10,000; FC>400 and EC>104
MPN or cfu/100
ml). EC was the indicator that failed the single sample standards most often. During the wet weather study, 99% of all standard failures were detected using EC, compared with only 56% for FC, and 40% for TC. During the Summer Study, EC was again the indicator that failed the single sample standards most often, with 60% of the failures for EC alone. The increased failure of the EC standard occurred consistently regardless of whether the sample was collected at a beach or rocky shoreline site, or at a site near a freshwater outlet. Agreement among indicators was better during wet weather than during dry weather. During dry weather, agreement among indicators was better near freshwater outlets than along open shoreline. Cumulatively, our results suggest that replacement of a TC standard with an EC standard will lead to a five-fold increase in failures during dry weather and a doubling of failures during wet weather. Replacing a TC standard with one based on all three indicators will lead to an eight-fold increase in failures. Changes in the requirements for water quality testing have strong implications for increases in beach closures and restrictions.
Observations of SF6 are used to quantify the mean time since air was in (“mean age” from) the Northern Hemisphere (NH) midlatitude surface layer. The mean age is a fundamental property of ...tropospheric transport that can be used in theoretical studies and used to evaluate transport in comprehensive models. Comparisons of simulated SF6 and an idealized clock tracer confirm that the time lag between the SF6 mixing ratio at a given location and the NH midlatitude surface provides an accurate estimate of the mean age. The ages calculated from surface SF6 measurements show large meridional gradients in the tropics but weak gradients in the extratropics, with near‐zero ages at the surface north of 30°N and ages around 1.4 years south of 30°S. Aircraft measurements show weak vertical age gradients in the lower and middle troposphere, with only slight increases of age with height in the NH and slight decreases with height in the Southern Hemisphere. There are large seasonal variations in the age at tropical stations (annual amplitudes around 0.5–1.0 year), with younger ages during northern winter, but only weak seasonal variations at higher latitudes. The seasonality and interannual variations in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere are related to changes in locations of tropical convection. There is qualitative agreement, in both spatial and temporal variations, between the simulated ages and observations. The model ages tend to be older than observed, with differences of ~0.2 year in the Northern Hemisphere upper troposphere and throughout the Southern Hemisphere troposphere.
Key Points
SF6 quantifies mean time since air was in NH mid‐latitude surface layer
Surface SF6 age varies from near zero north of 30°N to 1.4 years south of 30°S
SF6 age is useful for evaluating tropospheric transport in models
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