Barents-Kara sea-ice decline attributed to surface warming in the Gulf Stream.

Decline in winter sea-ice concentration (SIC) in the Barents-Kara Sea significantly impacts climate through increased heat release to the atmosphere. However, the past Barents-Kara SIC decrease rate is underestimated in the majority of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate models. Here we show that climate model simulations can reproduce the Barents-Kara SIC trend for 1970-2017 when sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the Gulf Stream region is constrained by observations.

1.8 µm band broadband hybrid light source employing a combination of a super luminescent diode and thulium-doped fiber amplifier.

We have proposed a broadband hybrid light source that combines a super luminescent diode (SLD) and thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) and operates in the 1.8 µm band. This light source can improve the characteristics of the output spectrum by amplifying the output light of the SLD with TDFA.

CuI-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions of 4-Iodopyrazoles and Alcohols: Application toward Withasomnine and Homologs.

The direct 4-alkoxylation of 4-iodo-1-pyrazoles with alcohols was achieved by a CuI-catalyzed coupling protocol. The optimal reaction conditions employed excess alcohol and potassium -butoxide (2 equiv) in the presence of CuI (20 mol%) and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (20 mol%) at 130 °C for 1 h under microwave irradiation. The present method was efficiently applied to the synthesis of withasomnine and its six- and seven-membered cyclic homologs.

Additional Arctic observations improve weather and sea-ice forecasts for the Northern Sea Route.

During ice-free periods, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) could be an attractive shipping route. The decline in Arctic sea-ice extent, however, could be associated with an increase in the frequency of the causes of severe weather phenomena, and high wind-driven waves and the advection of sea ice could make ship navigation along the NSR difficult. Accurate forecasts of weather and sea ice are desirable for safe navigation, but large uncertainties exist in current forecasts, partly owing to the sparse observational network over the Arctic Ocean.

A numerical study on the seasonal variability of polychlorinated biphenyls from the atmosphere in the East China Sea.

A three-dimensional/high-resolution transport model for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been developed for the East China Sea (ECS). The POPs model has four compartments (gaseous, dissolved, phytoplankton-bound, and detritus-bound phases) and includes processes for diffusive air-water exchange, phytoplankton uptake/depuration to POPs, decomposition of dissolved phase, vertical sinking of phytoplankton, detritus production by phytoplankton mortality, and vertical sinking and decomposition of detritus. The POPs model is coupled with an ocean circulation model that can reproduce the seasonal variation in physical variables to represent the advection and diffusion of POPs.

Molecular and immunohistochemical studies in expression of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in dorsal root ganglia from streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

We have recently demonstrated that intrathecal injection of a selective P/Q-type blocker of the voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (VDCCs) significantly inhibited the mechanical hyperalgesia in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, its antinociceptive effect being greater than in controls. In this study, to further clarify the underlying mechanism of the STZ-induced hyperalgesia, we investigated the expression level of the VDCC alpha1A and alpha1B subunits in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and the dorsal spinal cord under this hyperalgesia. Real-time PCR analysis showed mRNA expression of alpha1A (P/Q-type), but not alpha1B (N-type), was significantly increased in the DRGs from the STZ-induced diabetic mice.

A new class of type I protein geranylgeranyltransferase (GGTase I) inhibitor.

Replacement of the thiol groups in 1, a potent and highly selective Candida albicans GGTase I inhibitor discovered through screening, with an imidazole ring was achieved by using solid phase synthesis. A non-thiol compound, 7, was found as a representative of a new class of potent C. albicans GGTase I inhibitor with high selectivity against human GGTase I.