The ice giants Uranus and Neptune are the least understood class of planets in our solar system but the most frequently observed type of exoplanets. Presumed to have a small rocky core, a deep ...interior comprising ∼70% heavy elements surrounded by a more dilute outer envelope of H2 and He, Uranus and Neptune are fundamentally different from the better-explored gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Because of the lack of dedicated exploration missions, our knowledge of the composition and atmospheric processes of these distant worlds is primarily derived from remote sensing from Earth-based observatories and space telescopes. As a result, Uranus's and Neptune's physical and atmospheric properties remain poorly constrained and their roles in the evolution of the Solar System not well understood. Exploration of an ice giant system is therefore a high-priority science objective as these systems (including the magnetosphere, satellites, rings, atmosphere, and interior) challenge our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. Here we describe the main scientific goals to be addressed by a future in situ exploration of an ice giant. An atmospheric entry probe targeting the 10-bar level, about 5 scale heights beneath the tropopause, would yield insight into two broad themes: i) the formation history of the ice giants and, in a broader extent, that of the Solar System, and ii) the processes at play in planetary atmospheres. The probe would descend under parachute to measure composition, structure, and dynamics, with data returned to Earth using a Carrier Relay Spacecraft as a relay station. In addition, possible mission concepts and partnerships are presented, and a strawman ice-giant probe payload is described. An ice-giant atmospheric probe could represent a significant ESA contribution to a future NASA ice-giant flagship mission.
The identification of gene fusions has become an integral part of soft tissue and bone tumour diagnosis. We investigated the added value of targeted RNA‐based sequencing (targeted RNA‐seq, Archer ...FusionPlex) to our current molecular diagnostic workflow of these tumours, which is based on fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) for the detection of gene fusions using 25 probes. In a series of 131 diagnostic samples targeted RNA‐seq identified a gene fusion, BCOR internal tandem duplication or ALK deletion in 47 cases (35.9%). For 74 cases, encompassing 137 FISH analyses, concordance between FISH and targeted RNA‐seq was evaluated. A positive or negative FISH result was confirmed by targeted RNA‐seq in 27 out of 49 (55.1%) and 81 out of 88 (92.0%) analyses, respectively. While negative concordance was high, targeted RNA‐seq identified a canonical gene fusion in seven cases despite a negative FISH result. The 22 discordant FISH‐positive analyses showed a lower percentage of rearrangement‐positive nuclei (range 15–41%) compared to the concordant FISH‐positive analyses (>41% of nuclei in 88.9% of cases). Six FISH analyses (in four cases) were finally considered false positive based on histological and targeted RNA‐seq findings. For the EWSR1 FISH probe, we observed a gene‐dependent disparity (p = 0.0020), with 8 out of 35 cases showing a discordance between FISH and targeted RNA‐seq (22.9%). This study demonstrates an added value of targeted RNA‐seq to our current diagnostic workflow of soft tissue and bone tumours in 19 out of 131 cases (14.5%), which we categorised as altered diagnosis (3 cases), added precision (6 cases), or augmented spectrum (10 cases). In the latter subgroup, four novel fusion transcripts were found for which the clinical relevance remains unclear: NAB2::NCOA2, YAP1::NUTM2B, HSPA8::BRAF, and PDE2A::PLAG1. Overall, targeted RNA‐seq has proven extremely valuable in the diagnostic workflow of soft tissue and bone tumours.
BATAL Vernier, J.-P.; Fairlie, T. D.; Deshler, T. ...
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society,
05/2018, Letnik:
99, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We describe and show results from a series of field campaigns that used balloonborne instruments launched from India and Saudi Arabia during the summers 2014–17 to study the nature, formation, and ...impacts of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL). The campaign goals were to i) characterize the optical, physical, and chemical properties of the ATAL; ii) assess its impacts on water vapor and ozone; and iii) understand the role of convection in its formation. To address these objectives, we launched 68 balloons from four locations, one in Saudi Arabia and three in India, with payload weights ranging from 1.5 to 50 kg. We measured meteorological parameters; ozone; water vapor; and aerosol backscatter, concentration, volatility, and composition in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. We found peaks in aerosol concentrations of up to 25 cm–3 for radii > 94 nm, associated with a scattering ratio at 940 nm of ∼1.9 near the cold-point tropopause. During medium-duration balloon flights near the tropopause, we collected aerosols and found, after offline ion chromatography analysis, the dominant presence of nitrate ions with a concentration of about 100 ng m–3. Deep convection was found to influence aerosol loadings 1 km above the cold-point tropopause. The Balloon Measurements of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (BATAL) project will continue for the next 3–4 years, and the results gathered will be used to formulate a future National Aeronautics and Space Administration–Indian Space Research Organisation (NASA–ISRO) airborne campaign with NASA high-altitude aircraft.
In June 2019 a stratospheric eruption occurred at Raikoke (48∘ N, 153∘ E). Satellite observations show the injection of ash and SO2 into the lower stratosphere and an early entrainment of the plume ...into a cyclone. Following the Raikoke eruption, stratospheric aerosol optical depth (sAOD) values increased in the whole Northern Hemisphere and tropics and remained enhanced for more than 1 year, with peak values at 0.040 (short-wavelength, high northern latitudes) to 0.025 (short-wavelength, Northern Hemisphere average). Discrepancies between observations and global model simulations indicate that ash may have influenced the extent and evolution of the sAOD. Top of the atmosphere radiative forcings are estimated at values between −0.3 and -0.4Wm-2 (clear-sky) and of −0.1 to -0.2Wm-2 (all-sky), comparable to what was estimated for the Sarychev eruption in 2009. Almost simultaneously two significantly smaller stratospheric eruptions occurred at Ulawun (5∘ S, 151∘ E) in June and August. Aerosol enhancements from the Ulawun eruptions mainly had an impact on the tropics and Southern Hemisphere. The Ulawun plume circled the Earth within 1 month in the tropics. Peak shorter-wavelength sAOD values at 0.01 are found in the tropics following the Ulawun eruptions and a radiative forcing not exceeding −0.15 (clear-sky) and −0.05 (all-sky). Compared to the Canadian fires (2017), Ambae eruption (2018), Ulawun (2019) and the Australian fires (2019/2020), the highest sAOD and radiative forcing values are found for the Raikoke eruption.
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