Mirror image molecules reveal drought stress in forests

Ecosystem changes can be predicted more accurately via emissions of chiral compounds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR CHEMISTRY

 

IMAGE: THE BIOSPHERE 2 COMPLEX ALLOWED A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS FROM THE MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR CHEMISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA TO PRECISELY CONTROL THE CHEMICAL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF THE FOREST AND MEASURE ITS RESPONSES. FOR THREE MONTHS, THE SCIENCE TEAM PUT THE FOREST UNDER MODERATE AND THEN SEVERE DROUGHT STRESS. view more 

CREDIT: JOSEPH BYRON, MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR CHEMISTRY

As with pinene, many monoterpenes occur in two mirror-image forms: (+) alpha-pinene and (-) alpha-pinene. Plants can release both forms of these volatile molecules directly after biosynthesis or from storage pools in leaves. Because the two chiral or enantiomeric forms have identical physical and chemical properties, they are often not considered separately in atmospheric modeling. However, in a new study published this week in Nature, researchers from the Max Planck Institute have shown that the two mirror-image molecules are released via different processes in the plant and that they respond differently to stress, particularly drought.

Three months of drought stress in an artificial rainforest

The results come from experiments conducted at an enclosed artificial tropical rainforest within the Biosphere 2 complex, in Arizona which was originally built to create a self-sustaining ecosystems. This facility allowed a team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, University of Freiburg and the University of Arizona to precisely control the chemical and climatic conditions of the forest and measure its responses. For three months, the science team put the forest under moderate and then severe drought stress.

Using gas chromatographs, Joseph Byron a PhD student on the project from the Max Planck Graduate School, determined hourly emissions of alpha-pinene, camphene, limonene, terpinene and isoprene. To determine when the plants emitted which chiral form, the researchers used isotopically labelled CO2 to track photosynthentic carbonand introduced “heavy” carbon dioxide (13CO2) to the air of the biosphere at certain times. Using a mass spectrometer coupled to the chromatograph, the team could then track which monoterpenes contained heavy carbon atoms and which did not. This revealed which labelled compounds were being made and released instantaneously by the ecosystem and which unlabeled species were coming from storage pools.

Heavy carbon dioxide provides insight into plant metabolism

"To our surprise, many mirror molecules behaved differently under drought stress," comments the papers first author Joseph Byron "Thus, (-) alpha-pinene was labeled, whereas (+) alpha-pinene, which we measured simultaneously, was not." This means that the tropical rainforest ecosystem released (-) alpha-pinene directly after synthesis, while the mirror molecule comes from storage pools in the plant.

More drought leads to diurnal shift in monoterpene emissions

In addition, the researchers found that as the drought progressed, not only were more monoterpenes released, but also the maximum in emissions shifted to later in the afternoon, and the plants released more monoterpenes from storage pools. And there may be a reason for this, suspects project leader and atmospheric scientist Jonathan Williams: "We suspect that the later release of monoterpenes increases the likelihood that clouds will form over the forest. The warmer it gets during the day, the more the vertical mixing of the air increases, allowing the reactive volatiles to reach higher layers of air where they have a greater chance to become aerosol particles and eventually cloud condensation nuclei."

Max Planck researcher Williams concludes from the Biosphere 2 studies, "To predict ecosystem responses to stress accurately, we should measure and model emissions from chiral molecules separately in the future. This is especially important for the Amazon rainforest, for which climate models predict more droughts in the future." The group leader from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz adds, "I am fascinated by the fact that we can decipher internal, enzyme-driven physiological processes of the forest by measuring air composition. This will certainly help us elucidate effects we've observed in the real rainforest as well." Williams' team has also been conducting research in the Brazilian rainforest at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory ATTO.

The work was conducted in collaboration with scientists from, and the University of Freiburg, Germany, led by Prof. Christiane Werner and the University of Arizona, USA, led by Dr. Laura Meredith. A large interdisciplinary team of around 80 researchers were involved in the whole drought experiment. The work of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry was funded in part by the EU project ULTRACHIRAL, and the University of Freiburg team through an ERC Consolidator Grant.

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-022-05020-5 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Chiral monoterpenes reveal forest emission mechanisms and drought responses

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2022

Aggression de-escalation gene identified in fruit flies

The gene, called nervy, prepares the nervous system to respond to socio-environmental signals to stop fighting

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SALK INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: SALK SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED A GENE AND GROUP OF CELLS THAT PREVENT ESCALATED AGGRESSION IN THE BRAINS OF FRUIT FLIES. view more 

CREDIT: SALK INSTITUTE

LA JOLLA—(September 7, 2022) The brain mechanisms that cause aggressive behavior have been well studied. Far less understood are the processes that tell the body when it’s time to stop fighting. Now, a new study by Salk scientists identifies a gene and a group of cells in the brain that play a critical role in suppressing aggression in fruit flies.

 

The findings, published in Science Advances on September 7, 2022, have implications for disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, which can sometimes cause behavioral changes like increased aggression and combativeness.

 

“We’ve found an important mechanism in the brain that normally prevents us from expressing high levels of aggression,” says senior author Kenta Asahina, assistant professor in Salk’s Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory. “Although our findings are in fruit flies, the same mechanism may be at play in humans, at least at the molecular level, which could help better explain a host of psychiatric diseases.”

 

De-escalation, or the ability to decide when it’s time to stop fighting, is a vital behavior for survival because it allows animals to adjust their aggressiveness according to the costs and benefits of an encounter with a rival—at a certain point, continuing to fight is no longer worth it. Sensing when it’s time to de-escalate is complex because there isn’t an obvious trigger, such as the way fullness triggers an animal to stop eating.

 

For the study, scientists compared the behavior of normal fruit flies (Drosophilia) and fruit flies lacking various genes of interest. Specifically, they examined how frequently male flies lunged at other males, a typical aggressive behavior in this species. They found that flies missing a gene called nervy were significantly more aggressive than their normal counterparts.

 

The nervy gene isn’t actually involved in the animal’s moment-to-moment decision to stop fighting. Rather, it helps give the fly the ability to respond to environmental cues (likely the fly’s past experience with other individuals), the researchers say.

 

“The function of nervy is to set up the nervous system in such a way that animals are ready to stop fighting when the right signal comes in,” says first author Kenichi Ishii, a former postdoctoral fellow in Asahina’s lab.

 

The flies that lacked nervy weren’t initiating more aggressive interactions by chasing other flies. They were simply more likely to choose to fight over the course of a normal encounter.

 

Researchers then used single-cell sequencing to look at how other genes were activated differently in flies that were missing the nervy gene, compared to normal flies. This allowed the team to identify other genes downstream from nervy that were involved in developing the de-escalation mechanism.

 

"Although flies are very different animals than humans, some of these mechanisms may be similar in both species. Uncovering the molecular basis of aggression may lead to a better understanding of how aggression is involved in certain types of psychiatric disorders," says Asahina.

 

Although the authors also identified a small group of cells in the brain (neurons) that de-escalate fighting by using the nervy gene, more work is necessary to understand the brain circuit that stops fighting. For the next step, the researchers hope to precisely identify the group of neurons responsible for suppressing aggressive behavior. They also want to figure out at what stage of development the nervy gene is important for shaping the nervous system.

 

Other authors include Matteo Cortese and Maxim N. Shokhirev of Salk; and Xubo Leng of Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Major funders include the National Institutes of Health (R35GM119844), the Naito Foundation Grant for Studying Overseas, and the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad.

 

About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:

Every cure has a starting point. The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk’s mission to dare to make dreams into reality. Its internationally renowned and award-winning scientists explore the very foundations of life, seeking new understandings in neuroscience, genetics, immunology, plant biology and more. The Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature and fearless in the face of any challenge. Be it cancer or Alzheimer’s, aging or diabetes, Salk is where cures begin. Learn more at: salk.edu.

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JOURNAL

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.abg3203 

ARTICLE TITLE

A neurogenetic mechanism of experience-dependent suppression of aggression

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2022

Climate data can help model the spread of COVID-19

Data from 196 countries finds high UV radiation levels are strongly associated with reduced COVID-19 transmission rates

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: THE ENSUING RESULTS SHOW THAT METEOROLOGICAL FACTORS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN REGRESSION MODELS OF COVID-19 RISK, WITH ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION (UV) AS THE MAIN DRIVER. THESE RESULTS ARE CORROBORATED BY STATISTICAL CORRELATION ANALYSES AND FIXED-EFFECT REGRESSION MODELING WHERE UV RADIATION COEFFICIENTS ARE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH COVID-19 TRANSMISSION RATES. view more 

CREDIT: GIOVANNI SCABBIA, CC-BY 4.0 (HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/)

COVID-19 transmission can be more accurately modeled by incorporating meteorological factors, with ultraviolet (UV) radiation as the main driver, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by a team of scientists from the Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI), at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Transvalor S.A., France.

A growing number of studies suggest that climate may impact the spread of COVID-19 but the extent to which it modifies COVID-19 risk and transmission is not well understood. Studies on the impact of climate have been piecemeal or poorly controlled — limited to single countries, only taking into account a few climatic parameters, or ignoring socioeconomics, for instance.

In the new paper, the researchers studied data on reported COVID-19 cases in 196 countries over a 14-month period, using socioeconomic, environmental, and global health factors as control variables. They developed three different analytic approaches — statistical, machine learning and econometric — which modeled the potential contributions of climate to confirmed case numbers.

The results suggest that while disease susceptibility, lockdown compliance, and increased testing are the most effective strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19, UV radiation is the climate factor most strongly correlated with the spread of COVID-19, with greater UV radiation associated with reduced transmission. For other meteorological and air quality factors, including temperature, absolute humidity and solar radiation, discrepancies between results in the three analysis methods emphasized the difficulty in understanding the correlations. For instance, humidity was positively correlated with COVID-19 spread in the machine learning analysis and negatively correlated in the econometric analysis. Temperature was moderately negatively associated with COVID-19 in the statistical analysis but positively correlated with COVID-19 transmission in both the machine learning and econometric analyses.

The authors conclude that UV radiation emerges as the most impactful meteorological factor in COVID-19 transmission across all methods. This could help refine transmission predictions based on seasonality or weather forecasts, and help inform future pandemic response measures that limit the economic impact of complete lockdowns. They point out that this is supported by overwhelming evidence that UV light can effectively kill SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses.

The authors add: “The impact of climate on COVID-19 transmission rates has been the subject of many studies, but it is still poorly understood. In our study we demonstrated that meteorological factors play a key role in statistical, machine learning and econometric analyses of COVID-19 risk, with ultraviolet radiation (UV) as the main driver.”

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273078

Citation: Scabbia G, Sanfilippo A, Mazzoni A, Bachour D, Perez-Astudillo D, Bermudez V, et al. (2022) Does climate help modeling COVID-19 risk and to what extent? PLoS ONE 17(9): e0273078. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273078

Author Countries: Qatar, France

Funding: This study reported in this paper was funded by grant RCC-2-044 from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF, https://www.qnrf.org), awarded to Dr. Antonio Sanfilippo. QNRF RCC-2 call was specifically focused on COVID research, and QNRF encouraged wide dissemination of the study’s results. The study’s results and findings are solely the responsibility of the authors.

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0273078 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Does climate help modeling COVID-19 risk and to what extent?

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2022

Morality plays a role in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and prevention behaviors

Analysis across 67 countries highlights how among those who believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, a strong sense of morality increases support for COVID-19 prevention behaviors

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: CARDBOARD COMPOSITION OF THE EARTH SURROUNDED BY BACTERIA. view more 

CREDIT: MONSTERA, PEXELS, CC0 (HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/PUBLICDOMAIN/ZERO/1.0/)

A new, international analysis links belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories to a lower tendency to support and participate in public health efforts to mitigate spread; however, people’s sense of morality appears to weaken this link. Theofilos Gkinopoulos of the University of Crete, Greece, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on September 7, 2022.

People who believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories—for instance, the idea that the ongoing pandemic is fake and was designed to control people—may avoid using masks or getting vaccinated, posing a significant threat to public health. In addition, recent research suggests that people’s sense of morality plays a significant role in conspiracy theory belief.

To help clarify the role of morality in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and prevention, Gkinopoulos and colleagues conducted a study of 49,965 adults across 67 countries. The data were collected as part of the International Collaboration on the Social & Moral Psychology (ICSMP) of COVID-19. Participants completed questionnaires evaluating several measures, including belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, support for public health policies, adherence to public health behaviors, individual sense of morality, and morality in the context of cooperation within groups.

Statistical analysis of the results suggests that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is associated with reduced support of public health policies and less adherence to public health behaviors. However, both individual and cooperative morality appear to weaken the impact of belief in conspiracy theories on support for and participation in public health measures.

These findings highlight the role of morality in conspiracy theory beliefs, which could help inform efforts to reduce such beliefs and encourage behaviors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The authors suggest that such efforts could involve appeals to people’s moral foundations.

The researchers also outline several possible directions for future research, including experimental investigation of links between moral traits, belief in different forms of conspiracy theories, and support for public health policies. 

The authors add: “Believing in conspiracy theories reduces adoption of public health behaviors, but moral identity and morality-as-cooperation significantly mediate this relationship. Beliefs in conspiracy theories do not simply constitute antecedents of cognitive biases or personality-based maladaptive behaviors, but are morally infused and should be dealt as such.”

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273172

Citation: Gkinopoulos T, Truelsen Elbæk C, Mitkidis P (2022) Morality in the echo chamber: The relationship between belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and public health support and the mediating role of moral identity and morality-as-cooperation across 67 countries. PLoS ONE 17(9): e0273172. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273172

Author Countries: Greece, Denmark

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0273172 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Morality in the echo chamber: The relationship between belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and public health support and the mediating role of moral identity and morality-as-cooperation across 67 countries

Researchers develop data-based app to link daily schedule with health

Data revealed associations between how children spend their time and their health and academic performance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: SHINY APP INTERFACE; TIME-USE REALLOCATION TAB. view more 

CREDIT: DUMUID ET AL., 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0 (HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/)

Researchers studying how children’s daily activities are associated with their health have developed a web app that shows users how reallocating time in their day from one activity to another could impact their health and academic performance. The new app and the data used to develop it are described in a paper published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dorothea Dumuid of University of South Australia and colleagues. 

How we use our time may affect our health, wellbeing and productivity, but the relationships between time use and outcomes can be challenging for both health professionals and the general public to interpret. 

In the new study, the researchers used data on 1,685 eleven-to-twelve year-old children enrolled in the Australian Child Health CheckPoint study. Time spent in daily activities was derived from a self-reported 24-hour recall tool in which children recalled the activities they did on the previous day with a granularity of 5 minutes. Data on body fat percentage, psychosocial health and academic performance were also available for each participant. They discovered that, following adjustments for age, socioeconomics and puberty status, how people used their time was significantly associated with body fat percentage (F=2.66, p<0.001), psychosocial health (F=4.02, p<0.001) and academic performance (F=2.76, p<0.001). 

To convey the strength of these associations in an easy-to-understand and interactive way, the authors developed a web app, dubbed Healthy-Day-App in which users input their initial time allocations and then view how changes to their time use would be associated with outcomes. For instance, reallocating 60 minutes from screen time to physical activity is associated, on average, with 4.2% lower body fat (-0.8 [95% CI -1.0 to -0.5] percentage units), 2.5% better psychosocial health (+1.9 [1.4 to 2.5] PedsQL psychosocial health score) and 0.9% higher academic performance (+4.5 [1.8 to 7.2] NAPLAN writing score). However, the benefits may be lessened if the time for physical activity is reallocated from other activities. 

The authors say that the Healthy-Day-App is the first to allow customized estimation of the impact of time allocations and that it may enable better engagements with and understanding of the data not only by researchers but also public health promoters, medical practitioners, fitness professionals, policymakers and members of the general public.

The authors add: “Sleep, exercise, screen time, homework – there are many competing demands on our children’s time because a day only ever has 24 hours. We present an online time reallocation tool that lets us compare how various time-use trade-offs are estimated to influence children’s health and wellbeing.”

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0272343

Citation: Dumuid D, Olds T, Wake M, Lund Rasmussen C, Pedišić Ž, Hughes JH, et al. (2022) Your best day: An interactive app to translate how time reallocations within a 24-hour day are associated with health measures. PLoS ONE 17(9): e0272343. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272343

Author Countries: Australia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, UK, Italy, Norway

Funding: DD is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship APP1162166 and by the Centre of Research Excellence in Driving Global Investment in Adolescent Health funded by NHMRC APP1171981. MW is supported by NHMRC Principal Research Fellowship APP1160906. AD is supported by the Wellcome Trust [223100/Z/21/Z] and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). RW is supported by a Medical Research Council Industrial trategy Studentship (grant number MR/S502509/1). This study was supported by NHMRC Ideas APP1186123. The CheckPoint study was supported by the NHMRC [APP1041352; APP1109355]; the National Heart Foundation of Australia [100660; The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation [2014-241]; the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) [No award number available]; The University of Melbourne [No award number available]; the Financial Markets Foundation for Children [2014-055, 2016-310]; and the Australian Department of Social Services (DSS) [No award number available]. Research at the MCRI is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program [No award number available]. The funders played no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0272343 

ARTICLE TITLE

Your best day: An interactive app to translate how time reallocations within a 24-hour day are associated with health measures

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2022

55% of ICU survivors are not fully recovered a year after admission, with significant health-related quality of life impairment, in Dutch study

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN R- AND NR-GROUP AT BASELINE, THREE, SIX, AND TWELVE MONTHS AFTER ADMISSION, WITH VISUAL INDICATION OF HEALTHY REFERENCE VALUE PER DOMAIN OF THE RAND-36 QUESTIONNAIRE (ABBREVIATIONS: PF, PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING; SF, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING; RP, ROLE PHYSICAL; RE, ROLE EMOTIONAL; MH, MENTAL HEALTH; VT, VITALITY; BP, BODILY PAIN; GH, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION; HC, HEALTH CHANGE). view more 

CREDIT: BEUMELER ET AL., 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0 (HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/)

55% of ICU survivors are not fully recovered a year after admission, with significant health-related quality of life impairment, in Dutch study

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Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273348

Article Title: Long-term health-related quality of life, healthcare utilisation and back-to-work activities in intensive care unit survivors: Prospective confirmatory study from the Frisian aftercare cohort

Author Countries: The Netherlands

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0273348 

ARTICLE TITLE

Long-term health-related quality of life, healthcare utilisation and back-to-work activities in intensive care unit survivors: Prospective confirmatory study from the Frisian aftercare cohort

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2022

Understanding the effect of wildfires on air quality: a NASA initiative

Researchers from NASA monitor, using airborne observations, the levels of carbon monoxide and ozone in wildfire plumes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SPIE--INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS

 

IMAGE: (A) THE DISTRIBUTION OF ΔO3/ΔCO RATIO ALONG THE LONGITUDE WITHIN THE WILDFIRE PLUME AND (B) THE ESTIMATED LONGITUDINAL CO PLUME AGE DISTRIBUTION BASED ON THE NAST-I MEASUREMENTS. view more 

CREDIT: THE AUTHORS, DOI 10.1117/1.JRS.16.034522.

Wildfires, characterized by unplanned, uncontrolled, and unpredictable fires erupting in areas such as forests, grasslands, and prairies, have recently grown in frequency and intensity. Likely resulting from climate change effects, wildfires are increasingly impacting ecosystems and human lives. While wildfires are considered ecologically beneficial, there have been rising concerns over the negative effects, namely degradation of air quality from the smoke and pollutants released.

In particular, carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) are major contributors to wildfire-induced air pollution. However, unlike CO, O3 is not directly generated during wildfires. Instead, it is produced from O3 precursors emitted during wildfires and depends on several factors for its production. This, in turn, complicates the O3 production process. Moreover, its presence within wildfire plumes determines the wildfire plume age. Assessing its concentrations is, therefore, necessary to better understand how wildfires affect the air quality, weather, and climate.

In a recent study published in SPIE’s Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, scientists at NASA Langley Research Center, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported their findings on this front in the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) field campaigns in 2019. The measurements of atmospheric CO and O3 levels were performed across the continental USA using a remote sensor called “National Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer” (NAST-I), which provided both high spatial and spectral resolution.

“The NAST-I, onboard NASA ER-2 aircraft, covers a space large enough to monitor the wildfire plume from its origination, evolution and transport, and provides 3D distributions of the O3 and CO concentrations at a higher spatial resolution compared to that of satellite infrared-ultraspectral sensors,” said Dr. Daniel K. Zhou, the principal investigator of NAST-I and the lead author of the study.

Based on these measurements, the team estimated the plume age by observing the differential concentration ratios of O3 and CO, i.e., ΔO3/ΔCO and performing a linear fit with previous observations of wildfire ΔO3/ΔCO ratios. “Our results showed enhanced levels of CO in the evolving plume as it was transported away from the site of the fire. The plume age was associated with the plume distance in both vertical and horizontal directions,” Zhou said.

Overall, this study provides important insights that could prove crucial to a deeper understanding of the effects of wildfires on the atmosphere and the steps needed to mitigate them.

Read the Gold Open Access article by Daniel K. Zhou et al., “Estimation of fire-induced CO plume age from NAST–I during the FIREX-AQ field campaign", J. of Applied Remote Sensing 16(3), 034522 (2022) doi 10.1117/1.JRS.16.034522.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing

DOI

10.1117/1.JRS.16.034522 

ARTICLE TITLE

Estimation of fire-induced CO plume age from NAST–I during the FIREX-AQ field campaign

Lensless camera creates 3D images from single exposure

Real-time 3D imaging method could improve robot navigation and content for 3D displays

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OPTICA

 

IMAGE: WEIJIAN YANG, PHD, AND FENG TIAN DEVELOPED A CAMERA THAT USES A THIN MICROLENS ARRAY AND NEW IMAGE PROCESSING ALGORITHMS TO CAPTURE 3D INFORMATION ABOUT MULTIPLE OBJECTS IN SINGLE EXPOSURE. THE RAW SUB-IMAGES FROM THE MICROARRAY ARE DISPLAYED ON THE MONITOR. view more 

CREDIT: SAVANNAH LUY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - DAVIS

WASHINGTON—Researchers have developed a camera that uses a thin microlens array and new image processing algorithms to capture 3D information about objects in a scene with a single exposure. The camera could be useful for a variety of applications such as industrial part inspection, gesture recognition and collecting data for 3D display systems.

“We consider our camera lensless because it replaces the bulk lenses used in conventional cameras with a thin, lightweight microlens array made of flexible polymer,” said research team leader Weijian Yang from the University of California, Davis. “Because each microlens can observe objects from different viewing angles, it can accomplish complex imaging tasks such as acquiring 3D information from objects partially obscured by objects closer to the camera.”

In the Optica Publishing Group journal Optics Express, Yang and first author Feng Tian, a doctoral student in Yang’s lab, describe the new 3D camera. Because the camera learns from existing data how to digitally reconstruct a 3D scene, it can produce 3D images in real time.

“This 3D camera could be used to give robots 3D vision, which could help them navigate 3D space or enable complex tasks such as manipulation of fine objects,” said Yang. “It could also be used to acquire rich 3D information that could provide content for 3D displays used in gaming, entertainment or many other applications.”

A camera that learns
The new camera grew out of previous work in which the researchers developed a compact microscope that can image 3D microscopic structures for biomedical applications. “We built the microscope using a microlens array and thought that a similar concept could be applied for imaging macroscopic objects,” said Yang.

The individual lenses in the new camera allow it to see objects from different angles or perspectives, which provides depth information. Although other research groups have developed cameras based on single layer microlens arrays, it has been difficult to make them practical because of extensive calibration processes and slow reconstruction speeds.

To make a more practical 3D camera for macroscopic objects, the researchers considered the microlens array and the reconstruction algorithm together rather than approaching each separately. They custom designed and fabricated the microlens array, which contains 37 small lenses distributed in a circular layer of polymer that is just 12 millimeters in diameter. The reconstruction algorithm they developed is based on a highly efficient artificial neural network that learns how to map information from the image back to the objects in a scene.

“Many existing neural networks can perform designated tasks, but the underlying mechanism is difficult to explain and understand,” said Yang. “Our neural network is based on a physical model of image reconstruction. This makes the learning process much easier and results in high quality reconstructions.”

Once the learning process is complete, it can reconstruct images containing objects that are at different distances away from the camera at a very high speed. The new camera doesn’t need calibration and can be used to map the 3D locations and spatial profiles—or outlines—of objects.

Seeing through objects
After performing numerical simulations to verify the camera’s performance, the researchers performed 2D imaging that showed perceptually pleasing results. They then tested the camera’s ability to perform 3D imaging of objects at different depths. The resulting 3D reconstruction could be refocused to different depths or distances. The camera also created a depth map that agreed with the actual object arrangement.

“In a final demonstration we showed that our camera could image objects behind the opaque obstacles,” said Yang. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of imaging objects behind opaque obstacles using a lensless camera.”

The researchers are currently working to reduce artifacts, or errors, that appear in the 3D reconstructions and to improve the algorithms to gain even higher quality and speed. They also want to miniaturize the overall device footprint so it could fit into a cellphone, which would make it more portable and enable more applications.

“Our lensless 3D camera uses computational imaging, an emerging approach that jointly optimizes imaging hardware and object reconstruction algorithms to achieve desired imaging tasks and quality,” said Yang. “With the recent development of low-cost, advanced micro-optics manufacturing techniques as well as advancements in machine learning and computational resources, computational imaging will enable many new imaging systems with advanced functionality.” 

Paper: F. Tian, W. Yang, “Learned lensless 3D camera,” Opt. Express, 30, 18 (2022). DOI: 10.1364/OE.465933.

About Optics Express
Optics Express reports on scientific and technology innovations in all aspects of optics and photonics. The bi-weekly journal provides rapid publication of original, peer-reviewed papers. It is published by Optica Publishing Group and led by Editor-in-Chief James Leger of the University of Minnesota, USA. Optics Express is an open-access journal and is available at no cost to readers online.  For more information, visit Optics Express.

About Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA)
Optica Publishing Group is a division of Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide. It publishes the largest collection of peer-reviewed content in optics and photonics, including 18 prestigious journals, the society’s flagship member magazine, and papers from more than 835 conferences, including 6,500+ associated videos. With over 400,000 journal articles, conference papers and videos to search, discover and access, Optica Publishing Group represents the full range of research in the field from around the globe.

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JOURNAL

Optics Express

DOI

10.1364/OE.465933 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Imaging analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Learned Lensless 3D Camera

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2022

Researchers suggest more detailed alcohol warning labels could reduce health harms

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HIL

You know drinking alcohol isn’t the best thing for your health, but just how bad is it? After all, in the United States, two thirds of adults report some degree of alcohol use.

When we do picture health harms from drinking, we’re more likely to think of car crashes than cancer. This is largely because the alcohol industry has suppressed efforts to educate consumers about drinking-related health risks while championing the idea that alcohol can be beneficial to health, say two researchers with ties to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In a New England Journal of Medicine perspective piece, co-authors Anna H. Grummon, PhD, and Marissa G. Hall, PhD, propose updating alcohol container warning labels as a strategy to help consumers make more informed decisions about how much they imbibe.

In April 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published statistics showing that alcohol consumption is responsible for more than 140,000 deaths per year — that’s over 380 deaths every day. COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation, with alcohol-related deaths increasing by 25% during just the first year of the pandemic.

Still, a recent national survey found that almost 70% of U.S. adults have no idea that even light or moderate alcohol consumption can increase their risk of cancer.

“Many people are unaware of the full range of risks from alcohol consumption,” said Grummon, the study’s lead author and a Gillings alum — now a research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “For example, there is now scientific consensus that alcohol increases the risk of several types of cancer, including head and neck cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. But two-thirds of Americans are not aware of these risks.”

One strategy for addressing these knowledge gaps could be to update the required warning labels on alcohol containers. Such warnings are a low-cost, sustainable public health strategy for informing consumers and encouraging healthier behaviors.

For example, more than 150 countries require warning labels on cigarette packages, and the policy has contributed to remarkable decreases in smoking rates over the past several decades.

Based on previous research findings, the most effective warnings labels are shown prominently on the front of product packaging, include visual elements like photos or illustrations, and come in a variety of rotating designs so they avoid becoming “stale” to consumers.

The alcohol warning currently used in the U.S. has none of these elements and was written when there was far less evidence about the harms associated with alcohol consumption.

“The current U.S. warning label hasn’t been updated in more than 30 years and largely goes unnoticed,” said Hall, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor in the Gillings School’s Department of Health Behavior. (She is also a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and a faculty fellow at the Carolina Population Center.) “Also, the warning says that alcohol ‘may cause health problems,’ a phrase so vague that it borders on being misleading. Given the mounting evidence about the harms caused by alcohol, the government has a duty to inform its citizens about these risks.”

The warning label strategy has strong precedent: Remember those two thirds of American adults — most of us! — who were unaware alcohol has ties with cancer? Research also has found that two thirds of Americans also support requiring new, more specific health-related warning labels for alcohol products.

 

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JOURNAL

New England Journal of Medicine

DOI

10.1056/NEJMp2206494 

ARTICLE TITLE

Updated Health Warnings for Alcohol — Informing Consumers and Reducing Harm