Bright Spots Research Articles

Introduction to this special section: Regional focus: Gulf of Mexico

Since the first offshore well was drilled there in 1938, the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has been one of the world's most exciting and prolific oil-producing basins. Evolving seismic and production technology has kept it an active and vibrant basin for almost a century. The original offshore seismic used short streamers and dynamite sources; these evolved to ever-longer streamers, greater numbers of channels, and much more environmentally sensitive air guns to acquire huge amounts of 2D data. The Miocene trends closer to shore were largely developed with this, and bright spot technology in the 1960s and 1970s guided and allowed the rapid development of the prolific Plio-Pleistocene gas fields near the edge of the shelf.

A shocking number of birds are in trouble

Rich data on the global state of our feathered friends presents plenty of bad news — but also some bright spots. Researchers know better than ever how to help endangered birds, and there are notable bird conservation successes.

Evidence of a Polar Cyclone on Uranus From VLA Observations

AbstractWe present observations of Uranus in northern spring with the Very Large Array from 0.7 to 5 cm. These observations reveal details in thermal emission from Uranus' north pole at 10s of bars, including a dark collar near 80°N and a bright spot at the polar center. The bright central spot resembles observations of polar emission on Saturn and Neptune at shallower pressures. We constrain the variations in temperature and NH3/H2S abundances which could explain these features. We find that the brightness temperature of the polar spot can be recreated through 5 K temperature gradients and/or 10× depletion of NH3 or H2S vapor between 10 and 20 bars, both consistent with the presence of a cyclonic polar vortex. The contrast of the polar spot may have increased since 2015, which would suggest seasonal evolution of Uranus' polar circulation at depth.

Designing Interactive Video in English Writing Materials for Seventh Graders

Problems in learning writing did not seem to find a bright spot in education. Teachers tried to find solutions by evaluating learning materials and learning media. Recently, the solution of the writing problem had become a major concern. Thus, this research aimed to design technology-based learning materials referred to interactive videos with target learner seventh graders. This methodology used design development research (DDR). Data were sourced from junior high schools in Jabodetabek. The main data for designing were the results of the analysis learning materials, learning objectives, and interview result with teacher. The design of interactive video paid attention to the main aspects including the characteristics of interactive video, learning objectives, and students' needs. In addition, time efficiency was also important to maintain students' motivation in learning. Through interactive video, students' engagement in interacting with the learning content was the key to successful learning. Therefore, the result of this design showed this media has high potential to be implemented in writing class.

Science after Brexit: bright spots on theHorizon?

Is scientific partnership between the UK and EU on the Horizon?

EQUITY IN HEALTH CARE – TOWARDS THE GOAL OF IMPROVING CHILD HEALTH BY 2030

Equity in health care is ensuring everybodyto have chance to reach the health care services. Equity also involves ethical principles at all levels within and outside of health care with the goal to optimal health for all, especially those in need, vulnerable and disadvantage subjects [1]. Children are vulnerable group and need to be prioritized attention in society. Therefore, child health care has always been put at the top priority in the strategies and policies on people’s health care in our country. The comprehensive health system, covering the whole country fromthe central to local levels, all health care services are free for children under 6 years old [2]. Results of the implementation of theMillennium Development Goals for the period1990 - 2015, Viet Nam was identifi ed by theinternational community as a bright spot in thegroup of low- and middle-income countries. The under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) decreased from 58‰ (in 1990) to 22.1‰ (in 2015), very close to the target of 19,3‰. Despite remarkable achievements in improving children’s health, Viet Nam still faces a number of challenges on the way towards toachieving of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end, by 2030, preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, aiming to reduce neonatal mortality. These challenges include human, fi nancial, health service quality, etc. of which the most important is to reduce the diff erence in children’s health status between regions as well as in economic and social conditions.

First-quarter chemical results fall

Major chemical makers are happy about their first-quarter results, even though sales and earnings were generally down from the prior year. Executives had thought the period would be rougher than it turned out to be and are taking solace in a few bright spots in the economy. The German chemical maker Covestro saw sales decline by 20% and earnings run at a modest loss for the quarter. In a video posted on the company’s website, CEO Markus Steilemann blamed “the general economic condition and the weak demand that we were facing.” However, Steilemann noted that earnings before taxes were $316 million, about twice as high as Covestro expected. In remarks to analysts, BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller said that chemical production had stagnated compared with the year-earlier quarter, and the weakness was most pronounced in Europe. Sales at the firm, the world’s largest chemical ma- ker, declined by 13%, and earnings

Additive manufacturing and performance tuning of functionally graded Al/AP with continuous change of content

As a typical energetic composite, aluminum (Al)/ammonium perchlorate (AP) has been widely applied in propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. To regulate its energy output, a functionally graded Al/AP composite with continuously changing component content was fabricated by 3D printing through a self-designed "partition". The printed functionally graded Al/AP composite was characterized by different techniques. The research showed that the overall structure of functionally graded Al/AP is complete, the internal particles are densely packed and the porosity is small, the phenolic resin binder had good compatibility with powders (Al, AP), and the content of Al and AP in the functional gradient Al/AP strip has achieved continuous gradient change (Al content from 50 wt% to 20 wt%, AP content from 50 wt% to 80 wt%) along a certain direction. Because of the continuous change of the content of different components, functionally graded Al/AP realizes the effective regulation of flame shape, combustion rate, pressure output, and energy release on the macro level. That is, with the increase of Al content, the combustion temperature and heat release gradually increase, and the combustion flame shows the morphological changes of horizontal uniform injection, downward tilt, bright spot injection, and attenuation in turn. With the increase of AP content, the pressure output gradually increases, and the combustion rate first increases and then decreases. These results indicate that functional gradient provides a new strategy for controlling the combustion reaction and energy output of energetic materials. In addition, 3D printing technology provides a feasible method for the preparation of functionally graded materials.

Geophysics Bright Spots

Welcome to the latest installment of Geophysics Bright Spots. There are a number of interesting research articles in the recent issue of Geophysics. Here is an article that piqued the editors’ interests.

Perlindungan Hukum Anak dalam Kandungan Hasil Zina Perspektif Hukum Positif dan Hukum Islam

This research deals with special problems in children resulting from adultery. This is shown in article 100 of the Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI) whose family relationship is only with the mother and the mother's family. The four schools of thought agree that children from adultery do not receive a lineage from their father. The formulation of the research problems are, 1) What is the role of state institutions in guaranteeing and protecting the rights of children born from adultery? 2) How is the legal protection of children's rights in the womb resulting from adultery from a positive legal perspective? 3) How is the legal protection of children's rights in the womb resulting from adultery from the perspective of Islamic law? This research is normative legal research research on secondary data from primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials through literature review based on the Al-Quran and hadith, books, laws and regulations and other related matters. The result of this research is that the state's efforts to guarantee protection have been carried out through laws that are general in nature. However, there are no specific rules to guarantee legal protection for children in the womb of adultery. MK Decision No. 46/PUU-VII/2010 is a bright spot in legal protection for children resulting from adultery, namely having the same rights and treatment as children in general by means of proof and recognition of child status by their biological father. Meanwhile, the perspective of Islamic law also issued MUI Fatwa NO. 11 of 2012 concerning Children resulting from adultery and their treatment that children resulting from adultery do not have a family relationship with their father, and are only related to their mother and family. However, the biological father is obliged to provide the fulfillment of the child's rights with responsibility for adultery children who have existed since the womb.

Sustainability and Equity in Urban Development (S&EUD): A Content Analysis of "Bright Spots" from the Accelerating City Equity (ACE) Project.

Sustainable and equitable urban development (S&EUD) is vital to promote healthy lives and well-being for all ages. Recognizing equity as core to urban development is essential to ensure that cities are inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The aim of this study was to identify and assess the elements of equity and sustainability in exemplary bright spots using the ACE Framework and the United Nations' 5 Ps of Sustainable Development. A content analysis process was performed to identify initial case studies, obtain bright spot information, and select final case studies. The exemplary bright spots selected were assessed for drivers of equity and the five pillars of sustainability. Results showed that equity and sustainability have become key considerations in urban development work. Numerous effective strategies and outcomes identified in the exemplary bright spots could be replicated in other contexts.

Asteroseismic Determination of Stellar Rotation: On Synchronization in the Close Eclipsing Binaries AB Cas and OO Dra

A star’s rotation rate is difficult to estimate without surface inhomogeneities such as dark or bright spots. This paper presents asteroseismic results to determine the rotation rates of δ Sct-type pulsating primary stars in two eclipsing binary systems, AB Cas and OO Dra. After removing the binarity-induced light variations from archival TESS data and carefully examining the combination frequencies, we identified 12 independent frequencies for AB Cas and 11 frequencies for OO Dra, with amplitudes higher than ∼0.3 mmag, as δ Sct-type pulsation frequencies excited in each primary star. The theoretical frequencies for seismic analysis were obtained by fully considering rotation effects. Grid fitting for various stellar properties, such as mass, radius, metallicity, and rotation rate, yielded the best solutions for which the theoretical frequencies and stellar parameters agreed well with the observations. The rotation rate of the AB Cas primary was tightly constrained to 0.81 ± 0.01 day−1 (f rot/f orb = ), which is slightly faster than the synchronized rotation. In contrast, the rotation rate of 0.63 ± 0.01 day−1 for the OO Dra primary is lower than the synchronous value of approximately 0.81 day−1. Subsynchronous rotation is uncommon in short-period binaries, and its physical mechanism is not yet well understood. Our results show that asteroseismology can be used to measure the rotation rate of fast-rotating δ Sct stars precisely and thus provide a valuable constraint on rotation–orbit synchronization in close binary systems.

Generation and measurement of irregular polygonal perfect vortex optical beam based on all-dielectric geometric metasurface.

The perfect optical vortex (POV) beam carrying orbital angular momentum with topological charge-independent radial intensity distribution possesses ubiquitous applications in optical communication, particle manipulation, and quantum optics. But the mode distribution of conventional POV beam is relatively single, limiting the modulation of the particles. Here, we originally introduce the high-order cross-phase (HOCP) and ellipticity γ into the POV beam and construct all-dielectric geometric metasurfaces to generate irregular polygonal perfect optical vortex (IPPOV) beams following the trend of miniaturization and integration of optical systems. By controlling the order of the HOCP, conversion rate u, and ellipticity factor γ, various shapes of IPPOV beams with different electric field intensity distributions can be realized. In addition, we analyze the propagation characteristics of IPPOV beams in free-space, and the number and rotation direction of bright spots at the focal plane give the magnitude and sign of the topological charge carried by the beam. The method does not require cumbersome devices or complex calculation process, and provides a simple and effective method for simultaneous polygon shaping and topological charge measurement. This work further improves the beam manipulation ability while maintaining the characteristics of the POV beam, enriches the mode distribution of the POV beam, and provides more possibilities for particle manipulation.

Label-Free Tracking of Nanoprodrug Cellular Uptake and Metabolism Using Raman and Autofluorescence Imaging.

Nano-DDS, a drug delivery system using nanoparticles, is a promising tool to reduce adverse drug reactions and maximize drug efficiency. Understanding the intracellular dynamics following the accumulation of nanoparticles in tissues, such as cellular uptake, distribution, metabolism, and pharmacological effects, is essential to maximize drug efficiency; however, it remains elusive. In this study, we tracked the intracellular behavior of nanoparticles of a prodrug, cholesterol-linked SN-38 (CLS), in a label-free manner using Raman and autofluorescence imaging. Bright autofluorescent spots were observed in cells treated with CLS nanoparticles, and the color tone of the bright spots changed with incubation time. The Raman spectra of the bright spots showed that the autofluorescence came from the nanoparticles taken into cells, and the change in color of bright spots indicated that CLS turned into SN-38 via hydrolysis inside a cell. It was found that most of the SN-38 were localized in small regions in the cytoplasm even after the conversion from CLS, and only a small amount of SN-38 was dissolved and migrated into other cytoplasm regions and the nucleus. The massive size growth of cells was observed within several tens of hours after the treatment with CLS nanoparticles. Moreover, Raman images of cells using the cytochrome c band and the fluorescence images of cells stained with JC-1 showed that cellular uptake of CLS nanoparticles efficiently caused mitochondrial damage. These results show that the combination of Raman and autofluorescence imaging can provide insight into the intracellular behavior of prodrug nanoparticles and the cell response and facilitate the development of nano-DDSs.

Measurement of the integer and fractional topological charge of optical vortex beams by using crossed blades.

Measurement of the topological charge (TC) of vortex beams, including integer and fractional orbital angular momentum, is of great importance in diverse fields. Here we first investigate the diffraction patterns of a vortex beam from crossed blades with different opening angles and positionings on the beam by a simulation and experiment. Then the positions and opening angles of the crossed blades that are sensitive to the variation of TC are selected and characterized. We show that for a specific position of the crossed blades on the vortex beam, the integer TC can be measured directly by counting the bright spots in the diffraction pattern. Moreover, we show experimentally that for other positions of the crossed blades, by calculating the first-order moment of the intensity of the diffraction pattern, the integer TC between -10 and 10 can be obtained. In addition, this method is used to measure the fractional TC and, as an example, the TC measurement is demonstrated for a range between 1 and 2 with 0.1 steps. The result of the simulation and experiment shows good agreement.

Fluorescent Labeling of Peroxisome and Nuclear in Colletotrichum aenigma.

Anthracnose is one of the most widespread and destructive diseases in grapes. Grape anthracnose can be caused by various Colletotrichum species, such as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Colletotrichum cuspidosporium. In recent years, Colletotrichum aenigma was reported as a causal agent of Grape anthracnose in China and South Korea. Peroxisome is an important organelle in eukaryotes, which plays a very important role in the growth, development, and pathogenicity of several plant-pathogenic fungal species i, but it has not been reported in C. aenigma. In this work, the peroxisome of C. aenigma was labeled with a fluorescent protein, using green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (DsRED and mCherry) as reporter genes. Via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (AtMT), two fluorescent fusion vectors to mark the peroxisomes, with GFP and DsRED, respectively, were introduced into a wild-type strain of C. aenigma. In the transformants, bright dots of green or red fluorescence in hyphae and spores could be seen in the strains labeled peroxisome. The nuclei labeled by the same method showed bright round fluorescent spots. In addition, we also combined fluorescent protein labeling with chemical staining to show the localization more clearly. The ideal peroxisome and nuclear fluorescence-labeled C. aenigma strain was obtained, which provided a reference for the study of its growth, development, and pathogenicity.

Psychiatrists Call for Action After CDC Data Reveal Worsening of Youth Mental Health Crisis

Psychiatrists Call for Action After CDC Data Reveal Worsening of Youth Mental Health Crisis

Effect of varying Nd2O3 contents on the structure and mechanical properties of the radioactive waste form: aluminosilicate glass-ceramics

Abstract The magmatic diagenetic environment was simulated by high-temperature melting and natural cooling. A series of glass-ceramics with different Nd2O3 contents were prepared by using complex component granite (aluminosilicate material). The phase evolution of the matrix at different temperatures was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structure of glass-ceramics was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties of glass-ceramics were also evaluated. The results showed that the glass transition of pure matrix begins at 1200 °C, and the sample with the highest degree of vitrification is obtained at 1500 °C. The addition of Nd2O3 promoted the melting of Fe3O4 crystal, resulting in the complete amorphous matrix when the Nd2O3 amount is in the range of 20–26 wt.%. With the further increase of Nd2O3 content, Nd-bearing feldspar first appeared. No raw material Nd2O3 was found, indicating that the formation of Nd-bearing feldspar may increase the carrying capacity of the material. The Gaussian fitting results showed that the glass-ceramic samples with Nd2O3 content of 29 wt.% are mainly composed of Q2 and Q3 structural units. In the EDS result, part of neodymium was clustered with small bright spots, while the spots were uniformly distributed on the sample surface as a whole. Meanwhile, the addition of Nd2O3 increased the mechanical properties of the samples (3.20 g/cm3, 8.33 GPa for the sample with 29 wt.% of Nd2O3). The results provide a strategy for the treatment of solid waste with radioactive residual actinides.

Poe in Richmond: Celebrating the Poe Museum’s Centennial

Poe in Richmond: Celebrating the Poe Museum’s Centennial

Universal understanding of self-healing and transformation of complex structured beams based on eigenmode superposition.

The self-healing property of laser beams with special spatial structures is of great interest. We take the Hermite-Gaussian (HG) eigenmode as an example, theoretically and experimentally investigating the self-healing and transformation characteristics of complex structured beams composed of incoherent or coherent superposition of multiple eigenmodes. It is found that a partially blocked single HG mode can recover the original structure or transfer to a lower order distribution in the far field. When the obstacle retains one pair of edged bright spots of the HG mode in each direction of two symmetry axes, the beam structure information (number of knot lines) along each axis can be restored. Otherwise, it will transfer to the corresponding low-order mode or multi-interference fringes in the far field, according to the interval of the two most-edged remaining spots. It is proved that the above effect is induced by the diffraction and interference results of the partially retained light field. This principle is also applicable to other scale-invariant structured beams such as Laguerre-Gauss (LG) beams. The self-healing and transformation characteristics of multi-eigenmode composed beams with specially customized structures can be intuitively investigated based on eigenmode superposition theory. It is found that the HG mode incoherently composed structured beams have a stronger ability to recover themselves in the far field after occlusion. These investigations can expand the applications of optical lattice structures of laser communication, atom optical capture, and optical imaging.