Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is an important contributor to the radiative forcing of climate by organic aerosols. Because of the molecular diversity of BrC compounds and their dynamic transformations, it is challenging to predictively understand BrC optical properties. OH radical and O reactions, together with photolysis, lead to diminished light absorption and lower warming effects of biomass burning BrC. The effects of night-time aging on the optical properties of BrC aerosols are less known. To address this knowledge gap, night-time NO radical chemistry with tar aerosols from wood pyrolysis was investigated in a flow reactor. This study shows that the optical properties of BrC change because of transformations driven by reactions with the NO radical that form new absorbing species and lead to significant absorption enhancement over the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) range. The overnight aging increases the mass absorption coefficients of the BrC by a factor of 1.3-3.2 between 380 nm and 650 nm. Nitrated organic compounds, particularly nitroaromatics, were identified as the main products that contribute to the enhanced light absorption in the secondary BrC. Night-time aging of BrC aerosols represents an important source of secondary BrC and can have a pronounced effect on atmospheric chemistry and air pollution.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b05641 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
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Section on Perception, Cognition, Action, Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
To what extent does concept formation require language? Here, we exploit color to address this question and ask whether macaque monkeys have color concepts evident as categories. Macaques have similar cone photoreceptors and central visual circuits to humans, yet they lack language. Whether Old World monkeys such as macaques have consensus color categories is unresolved, but if they do, then language cannot be required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Cell
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Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Super-resolution methods provide far better spatial resolution than the optical diffraction limit of about half the wavelength of light (∼200-300 nm). Nevertheless, they have yet to attain widespread use in plants, largely due to plants' challenging optical properties. Expansion microscopy improves effective resolution by isotropically increasing the physical distances between sample structures while preserving relative spatial arrangements and clearing the sample.
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Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28644, Republic of Korea.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising agents for treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Although discovering novel AMPs is crucial for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilm-related infections, their clinical potential relies on precise, real-time evaluation of efficacy, toxicity, and mechanisms. Optical diffraction tomography (ODT), a label-free imaging technology, enables real-time visualization of bacterial morphological changes, membrane damage, and biofilm formation over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China.
Traditional window glazing, with inherently adverse energy-efficient optical properties, leads to colossal energy losses. Energy-saving glass requires a customized optical design for different climate zones. Compared with the widely researched radiative cooling technology which is preferable to be used in low-altitude hot regions; conversely in high-latitude cold regions, high solar transmittance (T) and low mid-infrared thermal emissivity (ε) are the key characteristics of high-performance radiative warming window glass, while the current low-emissivity (low-e) glass is far from ideal.
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