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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:52pm

Electric field signals reveal early warnings for extreme weather, study reveals

A new study  has made significant advances in understanding how atmospheric electric field measurements can help predict severe weather events.

The research paper, titled "Understanding heavy precipitation events in southern Israel through atmospheric electric field observations," is now published in Atmospheric Research.

By closely examining low-pressure winter weather systems, known as "Cyprus Lows," in the arid Negev Desert of southern Israel, this research reveals new insights into the role of the electric field in anticipating heavy precipitation.

Focusing on "wet" Cyprus Lows—situations where rain falls as a cold front moves through—researchers observed substantial increases in the potential gradient of the electric field. Minute-by-minute data showed potential gradient values rising sharply from typical fair-weather levels (about 100–200 volts per meter) to hundreds and even thousands of volts per meter during rainfall.

These surges occurred as convective clouds passed overhead, indicating that different cloud types produce unique electric field patterns. The study also highlighted that factors beyond rain intensity, such as cloud structure and the electrical charge of rain droplets, play roles in these electric fluctuations.

Through these findings, the researchers identified how electric field variations correlate with specific weather conditions. This enhanced understanding of electric field responses to weather events could significantly improve nowcasting systems for predicting extreme weather, particularly in regions prone to flash floods and sudden weather changes.

This research demonstrates how electric field variations can serve as indicators of shifting weather patterns, allowing us to anticipate severe weather events in real-time.

Roy Yaniv et al, Understanding heavy precipitation events in southern Israel through atmospheric electric field observations, Atmospheric Research (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2024.107757

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:48pm

But where is the salt coming from? The explanation: The groundwater from the surrounding aquifers penetrates into the saline lake sediments, leaching out extremely old and thick layers of rock consisting mainly of the mineral halite. It then flows into the lake as brine.

Because the density of this brine is somewhat lower than that of the water in the Dead Sea, it rises upwards like a jet. It looks like smoke, but it's a saline fluid.
Contact with the lake water causes the dissolved salts, especially the halite, to spontaneously crystallize after emerging from the lake bed, where it forms the vents observed for the first time in the world. These can grow by several centimeters within a single day. Many of the slender chimneys were one to two meters high, but they also include giants more than seven meters high, with a diameter of more than 2–3 meters.
These white smokers are especially important because they can serve as an early warning indicator for sinkholes. These are subsidence craters up to 100 meters wide and up to 20 meters deep, thousands of which have formed along the Dead Sea in recent decades.

C. Siebert et al, A new type of submarine chimneys built of halite, Science of The Total Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176752

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:47pm

Spectacular chimneys discovered in the Dead Sea

Researchers have discovered meter-high chimneys on the floor of the Dead Sea. These are formed by the spontaneous crystallization of minerals from groundwater with an extremely high salt content flowing up out of the lake floor, they report in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Discovered for the first time, these vents are an important early warning indicator for sinkholes. These subsidence craters form in the area surrounding the Dead Sea and pose a significant hazard to the population.

While black smokers along the mid-ocean ridge emit hot water containing sulfides at a depth of several thousand meters, the researchers in the Dead Sea discovered that highly saline groundwater flows out through the chimneys at the bottom of the lake.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:42pm

Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which particles become interconnected such that the state of one instantly influences the state of the other, regardless of the distance between them. Entanglement is an important phenomenon for many quantum technology applications because it can lead to secure quantum communications and high-dimensional quantum computing.

As photons, quanta of light, can propagate extremely fast while carrying quantum information, the entangling of pairs of photons via nonlinear optics is an established procedure.

Scientists at MPL have recently tackled the issue of establishing entanglement between very different entities, such as traveling sound waves, phonons, and optical photons. The proposed optoacoustic entanglement scheme is based on Brillouin scattering. It is particularly resilient, suitable for integration into quantum signal processing schemes and implementable at high environmental temperatures.
Entanglement has historically been fascinating at many different levels, as it strongly connects to our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.

Quantum correlations among particles can persist even when separated by large distances. At the practical level, quantum entanglement is at the heart of many emerging quantum technologies. In the optical domain, entanglement of photons is fundamental to secure quantum communication methods or quantum computing schemes.
Photons, however, are volatile. Therefore, feasible alternatives are being sought for certain applications, such as quantum memory or quantum repeater schemes. One such alternative is the acoustic domain, where quanta are stored in acoustic or sound waves.

Scientists at the MPL have now indicated a particularly efficient way in which photons can be entangled with acoustic phonons: While the two quanta travel along the same photonic structures, the phonons move at a much slower speed. The underlying effect is the optical nonlinear effect known as Brillouin-Mandelstam scattering. It is responsible for coupling quanta at fundamentally different energy scales.

In their study, the scientists showed that the proposed entangling scheme can operate at temperatures in the tens of Kelvin. This is much higher than those required by standard approaches, which often employ expensive equipment such as dilution fridges. The possibility of implementing this concept in optical fibers or photonic integrated chips makes this mechanism of particular interest for use in modern quantum technologies.
Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:40pm

Scientists find a new way of entangling light and sound

For a wide variety of emerging quantum technologies, such as secure quantum communications and quantum computing, quantum entanglement is a prerequisite. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have now demonstrated a particularly efficient way in which photons can be entangled with acoustic phonons.

The researchers were able to demonstrate that this entanglement is resilient to external noise, the usual pitfall of any quantum technology to date. They published their research in Physical Review Letters.

Changlong Zhu et al, Optoacoustic Entanglement in a Continuous Brillouin-Active Solid State System, Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.203602

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:37pm

Detecting cancer in urine: Nanowire-based capture of micro-ribonucleic acids

Cancer has a high death rate with delayed diagnosis of the disease being one of the main reasons for its fatality. Early diagnosis of cancer is vital to improving patient outcomes and in recent years, the development of diagnostic tools to detect early-stage cancer has gained a lot of attention.

Cancer cells utilize specific micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs)-small noncoding RNAs to regulate gene expression and promote tumor formation. While circulating miRNAs are viable biomarkers of early cancer disease, the identification of cancer-related miRNAs in blood and other body fluids remains a challenge.

In this light, a team of researchers have focused their efforts on nanowire-based miRNA extraction and machine learning (ML) analysis to detect cancer-associated miRNAs in urine. Their research findings were published online in the journal Analytical Chemistry on October 18, 2024.

Circulating miRNAs in the blood are mostly encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EVs) and carry critical regulatory information. These miRNAs differ between healthy individuals and those with cancer. By utilizing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires to capture and extract miRNAs in urine, the research group has attempted to develop a non-invasive cancer detection tool.

Initially, the scientists utilized ZnO nanowires to capture EVs in urine samples and incorporated microarray technology to identify specific gene sequences in EV-encapsulated miRNAs. The ultracentrifugation technique was further used to compare and validate the efficiency of miRNA capture by nanowires.

The results revealed that EVs containing miRNAs, including exosomes-unique subtypes of EVs with sizes ranging from 40 nm to 200 nm, were efficiently captured on nanowires. Moreover, the presence of 2,486 miRNA species was confirmed during the miRNA profiling analysis of 200 urine samples.

Driven by the discovery of more than 2,000 miRNA species in urine samples, Yasui and the team hypothesized that most of the miRNAs in blood could be transferred to urine during the filtration process in kidneys. Subsequently, they employed a logistic regression classifier constructed using ML to identify lung cancer-associated urinary miRNA ensembles. The findings revealed one particular urinary miRNA ensemble, composed of 53 miRNA species, that could differentiate cancer and noncancer subjects with very high specificity and sensitivity.

Takao Yasui et al, Early Cancer Detection via Multi-microRNA Profiling of Urinary Exosomes Captured by Nanowires, Analytical Chemistry (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02488

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:30pm

The 70% increase is significant, though even with high maternal stress, epilepsy remains an extremely rare condition, and other factors seemed more prominent in the study analyses. Low birth weight was associated with a 180% increased risk by age 1, introduction to artificial milk in the first month showed a 203% increased risk by age 2, and having any chromosome abnormalities increased the risk by 2100% at age 1, 1567% at age 2, and 1000% at age 3.

 Yuto Arai et al, The impact of maternal prenatal psychological distress on the development of epilepsy in offspring: The Japan Environment and Children's Study, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311666

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:27pm

Maternal stress linked to increased early onset epilepsy in children

 Researchers in Japan have linked maternal psychological distress during pregnancy to an increased risk of epilepsy in children.

Epilepsy affects 65 million people globally and is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders. Individuals with epilepsy often face discrimination and social stigma, enduring stress from living with a chronic, unpredictable disease.
Early onset of epilepsy before the age of three is associated with high rates of drug resistance and developmental delays. Previous studies have identified potential factors like placental abruption, eclampsia, infection during pregnancy, low birth weight, and artificial milk as risk factors for early childhood epilepsy.

In a research article, "The impact of maternal prenatal psychological distress on the development of epilepsy in offspring: The Japan Environment and Children's Study," published in PLOS ONE, researchers used a dataset obtained from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort involving nearly 100,000 participants, to evaluate the association between six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores of mothers and epilepsy among 1 to 3-year-olds.

Self-reported data on 97,484 children were retrospectively analyzed for connections between the stress scores of expecting mothers and epilepsy outcomes in their children.

Maternal psychological distress was assessed using the six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), administered twice during pregnancy: once in the first half (median 15.1 weeks) and again in the second half (median 27.4 weeks). Participants were categorized into six groups based on K6 scores, classified as either low (4 or less) or moderate (5 or 6) distress at each time point.
Children diagnosed with epilepsy at ages 1, 2, and 3 numbered 89 (0.1%), 129 (0.2%), and 149 (0.2%), respectively. Findings indicated that a maternal K6 score of 5 or higher at both time points was associated with 70% higher epilepsy diagnosis ratios among children aged 1 to 3 years. Multivariate analysis confirmed this association, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors like low birth weight and chromosomal abnormalities.

The study concludes that "...environmental adjustments to promote relaxation in pregnant women are needed," which makes a tremendous amount of good sense, though they continue "...to prevent the development of epilepsy in their offspring," which might be a little more than what the study is actually telling us.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:24pm

Altering two genes to produce sweeter tomatoes without sacrificing size, weight or yield

A team of horticulturists, bio-breeders and agriculture specialists affiliated with a host of institutions across China has produced sweeter tomatoes without sacrificing size, weight or yield by altering two of their genes. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the group modified the genes of a tomato variant that coded for proteins that lowered levels of enzymes related to sugar production.

Over the past several centuries, farmers around the world have crossbred tomato plants with the aim of improving yields and increasing fruit size. The result has been a massive growth in both. Unfortunately, making tomatoes bigger has also made them less sweet. Past efforts to make large modern tomatoes sweeter have resulted in smaller yields.
For this new study, the research team took a new approach. They began by looking into the reason for the loss of sweetness in tomatoes and partially corrected crossbreeding effects on the tomato genome.

The research team discovered two genes in multiple tomato variants that were more active in larger varieties. Called SlCDPK26 and SlCDPK27, the two genes were found to code for proteins that lowered the levels of enzymes that produce sugar. The researchers next genetically modified the genome of a variety of large tomato called Money Maker to disable the two genes they had identified.

Plants grown with the modification produced tomatoes with a 30% increase in fructose and glucose levels with no reduction in size or weight. The team further confirmed that the tomatoes were sweeter by tasting them. The gene alterations did not diminish yields—the only other difference they found was that the tomatoes produced fewer seeds, which were also smaller. They suggest consumers would probably like this added feature.

Jinzhe Zhang et al, Releasing a sugar brake generates sweeter tomato without yield penalty, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08186-2

Amy Lanctot et al, Tomato engineering hits the sweet spot to make big sugar-rich fruit, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-03302-8

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 17, 2024 at 12:10pm

Scientists discover laser light can cast a shadow

Can light itself cast a shadow? Researchers have found that under certain conditions, a laser beam can act like an opaque object and cast a shadow. The discovery challenges the traditional understanding of shadows and opens new possibilities for technologies that could use a laser beam to control another laser beam.

Laser light casting a shadow was previously thought impossible since light usually passes through other light without interacting. This new demonstration of a very counter-intuitive optical effect invites us to reconsider our notion of shadow.

In Optica, researchers describe how they used a ruby crystal and specific laser wavelengths to show that a laser beam could block light and create a visible shadow due to a nonlinear optical process. This effect occurs when light interacts with a material in an intensity-dependent way and can influence another optical field.

The new research is part of a larger exploration into how a light beam interacts with another light beam under special conditions and nonlinear optical processes.

 The researchers directed a high-power green laser through a cube made of standard ruby crystal and illuminated it with a blue laser from the side. When the green laser enters the ruby, it locally changes the material response to the blue wavelength. The green laser acts like an ordinary object while the blue laser acts like illumination.

The interaction between the two light sources created a shadow on a screen that was visible as a dark area where the green laser blocked the blue light. It met all the criteria for a shadow because it was visible to the naked eye, followed the contours of the surface it fell on and followed the position and shape of the laser beam, which acted as an object.

The laser shadow effect is a consequence of optical nonlinear absorption in the ruby. The effect occurs because the green laser increases the optical absorption of the blue illuminating laser beam, creating a matching region in the illuminating light with lower optical intensity. The result is a darker area that appears as a shadow of the green laser beam.

This discovery expands our understanding of light-matter interactions and opens up new possibilities for utilizing light in ways we hadn't considered before.

The researchers experimentally measured the dependence of the shadow's contrast on the laser beam's power, finding a maximum contrast of approximately 22%, similar to the contrast of a tree's shadow on a sunny day. They also developed a theoretical model and showed that it could accurately predict the shadow contrast.

 Raphael Abrahao et al, The shadow of a laser beam, Optica (2024). DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.534596

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