Coupled abiotic-biotic cycling of nitrous oxide in tropical peatlands

Atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas thought to be mainly derived from microbial metabolism as part of the denitrification pathway. Here, we report that in unexplored peat soils of Central and South America, N2O production can be driven by abiotic reactions (> 98 %) highly competitive to their enzymatic counterparts. Extracted soil iron positively correlated with in-situ abiotic N2O production determined by isotopic tracers. Moreover, we found that microbial N2O reduction accompanied abiotic production, essentially closing a coupled abiotic-biotic N2O cycle. Anaerobic N2O consumption occurred ubiquitously (pH 6.4-3.7), with proportions of diverse clade II N2O-reducers increasing with consumption rates. Our findings show denitrification in tropical peat soils is not a purely biological process, but rather a 'mosaic' of abiotic and biotic reduction reactions. We predict hydrological and temperature fluctuations differentially affect abiotic and biotic drivers and further contribute to the high N2O flux variation in the region.

Mapping the Pressure-dependent Day–Night Temperature Contrast of a Strongly Irradiated Atmosphere with HST Spectroscopic Phase Curve

Many brown dwarfs are on ultrashort-period and tidally locked orbits around white dwarf hosts. Because of these small orbital separations, the brown dwarfs are irradiated at levels similar to hot Jupiters. Yet, they are easier to observe than hot Jupiters because white dwarfs are fainter than main-sequence stars at near-infrared wavelengths. Irradiated brown dwarfs are, therefore, ideal hot Jupiter analogs for studying the atmospheric response under strong irradiation and fast rotation. We present the 1.1–1.67 μm spectroscopic phase curve of the irradiated brown dwarf (SDSS1411-B) in the SDSS J141126.20 + 200911.1 brown dwarf–white dwarf binary with the near-infrared G141 grism of the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3. SDSS1411-B is a 50M Jup brown dwarf with an irradiation temperature of 1300 K and has an orbital period of 2.02864 hr. Our best-fit model suggests a phase-curve amplitude of 1.4% and places an upper limit of 11° for the phase offset from the secondary eclipse. After fitting the white dwarf spectrum, we extract the phase-resolved brown dwarf emission spectra. We report a highly wavelength-dependent day–night spectral variation, with a water-band flux variation of about 360% ± 70% and a comparatively small J-band flux variation of 37% ± 2%. By combining the atmospheric modeling results and the day–night brightness temperature variations, we derive a pressure-dependent temperature contrast. We discuss the difference in the spectral features of SDSS1411-B and hot Jupiter WASP-43b, as well as the lower-than-predicted day–night temperature contrast of J4111-BD. Our study provides the high-precision observational constraints on the atmospheric structures of an irradiated brown dwarf at different orbital phases.

Optical Variability of a Newly Discovered Blazar Sample from the BZCAT Catalog

In an optical monitoring program to characterize the variability properties of blazars, we observed 10 sources from the Roma-BZCAT catalog for 26 nights in V and R bands during 2014 October to 2015 June with two telescopes located in India. The sample includes mainly newly discovered BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) for which the redshift of some sources is not yet known. We present the results of flux and color variations of the sample on intraday and short timescales obtained by using the power-enhanced F-test and the nested-ANOVA tests, along with their spectral behavior. We find significant intraday variability in the single flat-spectrum radio quasar in our sample, having an amplitude of variation ∼12%. Although a few of the BL Lacs showed probable variation in some nights, none of them passed the variability tests at 99.9% significance level. We find that 78% of the sample showed significant negative color–magnitude correlations, i.e., a redder-when-brighter spectral evolution. Those that do not show strong or clear chromatism predominantly exhibit a redder-when-brighter trend. Unlike on hourly timescales, the high-synchrotron-peaked blazars in the sample (BZGJ0656+4237, BZGJ0152+0147, and BZBJ1728+5013) show strong flux variation on timescales of days to months, where again we detect a decreasing trend of the spectral slope with brightness. We observe a global steepening of the optical spectrum with increasing flux on the intranight timescale for the entire blazar sample. The nonvariability in the BL Lacs in our sample might be caused by the distinct contribution from the disk as well as from other components in the studied energy range.

Identifying Energy Extraction Optimisation Strategies of Actinobacillus succinogenes

A. succinogenes is well known for utilising various catabolic pathways. A multitude of batch fermentation studies confirm flux shifts in the catabolism as time proceeds. It has also been shown that continuous cultures exhibit flux variation as a function of dilution rate. This indicates a direct influence of the external environment on the proteome of the organism. In this work, ATP production efficiency was explored to evaluate the extent of bio-available energy on the production behaviour of A. succinogenes. It was found that the microbe successively utilised its most-to-least efficient energy extraction pathways, providing evidence of an energy optimisation survival strategy. Moreover, data from this study suggest a pyruvate overflow mechanism as a means to throttle acetic and formic acid production, indicating a scenario in which the external concentration of these acids play a role in the energy extraction capabilities of the organism. Data also indicates a fleeting regime where A. succinogenes utilises an oxidised environment to its advantage for ATP production. Here it is postulated that the energy gain and excretion cost of catabolites coupled to the changing environment is a likely mechanism responsible for the proteome alteration and its ensuing carbon flux variation. This offers valuable insights into the microbe’s metabolic logic gates, providing a foundation to understand how to exploit the system.

Voltage synchronisation for hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion systems

Increasing demand for commercial air travel is projected to have additional environmental impact through increased emissions from fuel burn. This has necessitated the improvement of aircraft propulsion technologies and proposal of new concepts to mitigate this impact. The hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system has been identified as a potential method to achieve this improvement. However, there are many challenges to overcome. One such challenges is the combination of electrical power sources and the best strategy to manage the power available in the propulsion system. Earlier methods reviewed did not quantify the mass and efficiency penalties incurred by each method, especially at system level. This work compares three power management approaches on the basis of feasibility, mass and efficiency. The focus is on voltage synchronisation and adaptation to the load rating. The three methods are the regulated rectification, the generator field flux variation and the buck-boost. This comparison was made using the propulsion system of the propulsive fuselage aircraft concept as the reference electrical configuration. Based on the findings, the generator field flux variation approach appeared to be the most promising, based on a balance of feasibility, mass and efficiency, for a 2.6MW system.

Seasonal dependence of the Earth's radiation belt – new insights

Long-term variations in the relativistic (∼MeV) electrons in the Earth's radiation belt are explored to study seasonal features of the electrons. An L-shell dependence of the seasonal variations in the electrons is reported for the first time. A clear ∼6 month periodicity, representing one/two peaks per year, is identified for 1.5–6.0 MeV electron fluxes in the L shells between ∼3.0 and ∼5.0. The relativistic electron flux variation is strongest during solar cycle descending to minimum phases, with weaker/no variations during solar maximum. If two peaks per year occur, they are largely asymmetric in amplitude. The peaks essentially do not have an equinoctial dependence. Sometimes the peaks are shifted to solstices, and sometimes only one annual peak is observed. No such seasonal features are prominent for L<3.0 and L>5.0. The results imply varying solar/interplanetary drivers of the radiation belt electrons at different L shells. This has a potential impact on the modeling of the space environment. Plausible solar drivers are discussed.