Multi-sectoral impact assessment of an extreme African dust episode in the Eastern Mediterranean in March 2018.

In late March 2018, a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean experienced an extraordinary episode of African dust, one of the most intense in recent years, here referred to as the "Minoan Red" event. The episode mainly affected the Greek island of Crete, where the highest aerosol concentrations over the past 15 yeas were recorded, although impacts were also felt well beyond this core area. Our study fills a gap in dust research by assessing the multi-sectoral impacts of sand and dust storms and their socioeconomic implications.

The Great Acceleration of fragrances and PAHs archived in an ice core from Elbrus, Caucasus.

The Great Acceleration of the anthropogenic impact on the Earth system is marked by the ubiquitous distribution of anthropogenic materials throughout the global environment, including technofossils, radionuclides and the exponential increases of methane and carbon dioxide concentrations. However, personal care products as direct tracers of human domestic habits are often overlooked. Here, we present the first research combining fragrances, as novel personal care products, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as combustion and industrial markers, across the onset of the Great Acceleration in the Elbrus, Caucasus, ice core.

Author Correction: Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016.

An Amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016.

Glaciers distinct from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets cover an area of approximately 706,000 square kilometres globally, with an estimated total volume of 170,000 cubic kilometres, or 0.4 metres of potential sea-level-rise equivalent. Retreating and thinning glaciers are icons of climate change and affect regional runoff as well as global sea level.

Accelerated glacier shrinkage in the Ak-Shyirak massif, Inner Tien Shan, during 2003-2013.

The observed increase in summer temperatures and the related glacier downwasting has led to a noticeable decrease of frozen water resources in Central Asia, with possible future impacts on the economy of all downstream countries in the region. Glaciers in the Ak-Shyirak massif, located in the Inner Tien Shan, are not only affected by climate change, but also impacted by the open pit gold mining of the Kumtor Gold Company. In this study, glacier inventories referring to the years 2003 and 2013 were created for the Ak-Shyirak massif based on satellite imagery.

On the kinetics of nanoparticle self-assembly at liquid/liquid interfaces.

We investigate the concentration and size dependent self-assembly of cadmium selenide nanoparticles at an oil/water interface. Using a pendant drop tensiometer, we monitor the assembly kinetics and evaluate the effective diffusion coefficients following changes in the interfacial tension for the early and late stages of nanoparticle adsorption. Comparison with the coefficients for free diffusion reveals the energy barrier for particle segregation to the interface.

[New single-photon emission computed tomograph].

The "OFEKT-1" emission tomograph, worked out on the basis of gamma camera, is described. The results of technical and medical testing of the tomograph are presented.

Effect of N-lauryl-N,N-dimethylamine N-oxide on dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine bilayer thickness: a small-angle neutron scattering study.

Small-angle neutron scattering on large extruded unilamellar dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) liposomes was used to determine the DMPC bilayer thickness dL and its change in the presence of N-lauryl-N,N-dimethylamine N-oxide (LDAO). At 36 degrees C, the values of dL are dL = 3.44 +/- 0.

[Production and study of therapeutic proton beams on the remodeled phasotron].

The first results of the formation and transportation of therapeutic proton beams at the JINR phasotron are presented. To ensure flat-top depth-dose distributions with a steep back slope, a method of forming a beam with a necessary energy spectrum from a non-monoenergic beam is employed. Extension of the flat hop of depth-dose distribution is 4.

[Measuring equipment for communication with a computer].

A brief consideration of the hardware and software of the automated control system for proton beam therapy in the clinicophysical complex at the JINR Laboratory of Nuclear Problems is presented.