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The proposed COronal Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO) Large Coronagraph (LC) will provide unique observations to study coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with its ability to diagnose the magnetic field and plasma properties in the solar corona. Here we take a realistic magnetohydrodynamic CME model, and synthesize the signals of several coronal emission lines (CELs) to perform forward modeling of COSMO LC observation of a CME. We use the Stokes parameters of the Fe xiii 10747 ̊A line to diagnose the magnetic field and plasma properties of the CME flux rope. The results show that COSMO LC can provide magnetic field measurements of CME progenitors with a high spatial resolution (pixel size = 2′′). During the CME eruption, the COSMO LC observation may be used to qualitatively study the evolution of magnetic field by using a lower spatial resolution (pixel size = 6′′). We then use the synthetic signals of several other CELs to diagnose the physical conditions in the CME leading front, including the shock. The COSMO LC observations of the Fe xiii 10798/10747 ̊A and Ar xiii 8300/10143 ̊A line pair could provide density diagnostics of the front. By observing several CELs with different formation temperatures, the COSMO LC could be used to diagnose the temperature and ionization states in the front. We suggest that the Fe xiii 10747 ̊A line should be given the highest priority when observing CMEs, while observations of the Fe xiii 10798 ̊A, Fe xiv 5303 ̊A, Fe xv 7062 ̊A, and Ar xiii 10143 ̊A lines can also provide valuable information on CMEs.

Background Over-expression of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a key enzyme-regulator of neurotransmitter acetylcholine leads to neurodegenerative-disorder, Alzheimer’s-disease/muscular-dysfunction. Aims Therefore, inhibition of AChE may restrict these diseases. Objectives Presently, black-tea was tested in-vitro/in-vivo on AChE activities. Methods Inhibitory-effects on purified-AChE was screened from ten pure tea-phytochemicals viz. epicatechin(EC), epigallocatechin(EGC), catechin-gallate(CG), epicatechin-gallate(ECG), Epigallocatechin-gallate(EGCG), gallocatechin-gallate(GCG), theaflavin(TF), theaflavin-monogallate(TFMG), theaflavin-digallate(TFDG), and gallic-acid. Results Among those, TFDG and TFMG showed promising dose-dependent (mixed-type manner.) inhibition of AChE (IC50 = 1.6µM and 3.3µM, respectively). The TF showed moderate inhibitory-effect (IC50 = 29µM). Tea galloyl-ester catechins, ECG/CG/EGCG/GCG inhibited AChE (IC50 = 41, 49, 67and 54 µM, respectively). In-vivo, arsenic-intoxicated (0.6 ppm/4-weeks) rat increase of cerebellum AChE was completely restored by black-tea-extract (TF-rich). Molecular-docking by AutoDock-PatchDock server (binding/stability/kinetic) of AchE (PDBid:4M0E) and the experimental-flavonoids (PubChem-3Dstructures) suggest, TFDG (lowest Atomic-Contact-Energy − 369.87, TFMG, -347.06 kcal/mol) hampers the enzyme catalytic-hydrolytic-action and nucleophilic-attack by SER203 supporting the in-vitro results. Conclusively, the finding is therapeutically beneficial for cholinergic neurodegenerative/muscular disorders.

Chronic arsenic-exposure causes gastro-intestinal/nephrotoxic/neurodegenerative disorders with keratosis/melanosis and cancers. The reactive-oxygen-species (ROS) cause intrinsic-antioxidant (thiols/uric-acid) depletion eventuating cytoskeletal-extracellular-matrix and DNA damage. Therapeutic chelating-agents have multiple side-effects. The protective potential of tea-extract against arsenic neurotoxicity was studied. Influence of uric-acid in arsenic-toxicity was verified. Camellia sinensis (CS dry-leaves) 10mg/ml aqueous), uric-acid (UA) or allopurinol (Allo- urate-depletor) was supplemented to arsenic-intoxicated (0.6 ppm/100g bw/day/4-weeks) female albino-rats and cytotoxicity/biochemistry/histo-architecture/matrix-integrity and DNA-stability were evaluated in their cerebrum-cerebellum. In-vitro purified theaflavin-derivatives were tested on purified-AchE (acetyl-cholinesterase). Higher malondialdehyde, lactate-dehydrogenase and lower uric-acid levels were observed in the arsenic/Allo groups. Degenerations of cerebrum/cerebellum by higher matrix-metalloprotease (MMP2/9)/DNA-damages (comets) are observed. The CS-group restored the adverse-markers, protected tissues/DNA integrity which is supported in the UA-group and opposed in the Allo-group. Impairment of the neural-signaling, evident from the arsenic-exposed animal with unstable-movement/vertigo/tremor accompanied with higher AchE in the cerebellum is significantly restored/protected in the CS-group. This suggests that the neural integrity is maintained by the cellular intrinsic antioxidative-capacity, shown in catalase-SOD1 activities. In-vitro and in silico studies suggest that the theaflavin derivatives (pure, SIGMA) i.e theaflavin-digallate (TFDG) showed the strongest inhibition on purified (SIGMA) AchE (IC50 = 2.19 µg/ml) followed by TFMG (IC50 = 3.86 µg/ml). The4 CS is protective in arsenic-toxicity. Theaflavin-gallate is a strong AchE inhibitor which can be used in arsenic-induced neuro-muscular depletion. Beside antioxidant/anti-inflammatory/anti-carcinogenic role CS restores intrinsic-antioxidants.

Magnetoseismology, a technique of magnetic field diagnostics based on observations of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, has been widely used to estimate the field strengths of oscillating structures in the solar corona. However, previously magnetoseismology was mostly applied to occasionally occurring oscillation events, providing an estimate of only the average field strength or one-dimensional distribution of field strength along an oscillating structure. This restriction could be eliminated if we apply magnetoseismology to the pervasive propagating transverse MHD waves discovered with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP). Using several CoMP observations of the Fe XIII 1074.7 nm and 1079.8 nm spectral lines, we obtained maps of the plasma density and wave phase speed in the corona, which allow us to map both the strength and direction of the coronal magnetic field in the plane of sky. We also examined distributions of the electron density and magnetic field strength, and compared their variations with height in the quiet Sun and active regions. Such measurements could provide critical information to advance our understanding of the Sun's magnetism and the magnetic coupling of the whole solar atmosphere.

Gradual increase of multidrug resistant infections is a threat to the human race as MDR plasmids have acquired.10 mdr and drug efflux genes to inactivate antibiotics. Plants secret anti-metabolites to retard growth of soil and water bacteria and are ideal source of antibiotics.Purpose of the study is to discover an alternate phyto-drug from medicinal plants of India that selectively kills MDR bacteria.MDR bacteria isolated from Ganga river water, milk, chicken meat and human hair for testing phyto-extracts. Eighty medicinal plants were searched and six phyto-extracts were selected having good antibacterial activities as demonstrated by agar-hole assays giving 15 ​mm or greater lysis zone. Phyto-extracts were made in ethanol or methanol (1:5 w/v) for overnight and were concentrated. Preparative TLC and HPLC were performed to purify phytochemical. MASS, NMR, FTIR methods were used for chemical analysis of CU1. In vitro RNA polymerase and DNA polymerase assays were performed for target identification.CU1 belongs to a saponin bromo-polyphenol compound with a large structure that purified on HPLC CPhyto-chemicals from Cassia fistula bark are abundant, less toxic, target specific and may be a safer low cost drug against MDR bacterial diseases.

The identification of solar coronal holes (CHs) observed in Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) intensity images of the Sun is key in improving our understanding of their association with solar magnetic fields and heliophysics. In particular, CHs at the poles of the Sun are a notorious source of fast solar wind and thus warrant further study, most notably in the context of space-weather forecasting. This has consequently led to the development of various segmentation methods for their identification, including supervised machine learning. We introduce the SEARCH project to combine EUV data from the three vantage points (e.g., STEREO-A, STEREO-B, and SoHO) during the 2010-2014 epoch to produce synchronic maps and apply unsupervised learning methods including clustering and convolutional neural networks for the segmentation of CHs. SEARCH segmentation maps provide a venue to explore the relationship between CH pole areas, geomagnetic activity, and the magnetic activity cycle (dynamo process) of the Sun and Sun-like stars. Finally, in addition to CHs, the unsupervised learning methods we tested identified features consistent with active regions., Join us over Zoom to discuss the poster: Time: Mar 3, 2021 10:00-11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/94533917426 Meeting ID: 945 3391 7426 Time: Mar 4, 2021 11:00-12:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/97212897487 Meeting ID: 972 1289 7487, {"references":["SEARCH: SEgmentation of polaR Coronal Holes, NeurIPS 2020: Third Workshop on Machine Learning and the Physical Sciences"]}

Summary As one of the most spectacular energy release events in the solar system, solar flares are generally powered by magnetic reconnection in the solar corona. As a result of the re-arrangement of magnetic field topology after the reconnection process, a series of new loop-like magnetic structures are often formed and are known as flare loops. A hot diffuse region, consisting of around 5–10 MK plasma, is also observed above the loops and is called a supra-arcade fan. Often, dark, tadpole-like structures are seen to descend through the bright supra-arcade fans. It remains unclear what role these so-called supra-arcade downflows (SADs) play in heating the flaring coronal plasma. Here we show a unique flare observation, where many SADs collide with the flare loops and strongly heat the loops to a temperature of 10–20 MK. Several of these interactions generate clear signatures of quasi-periodic enhancement in the full-Sun-integrated soft X-ray emission, providing an alternative interpretation for quasi-periodic pulsations that are commonly observed during solar and stellar flares., Graphical Abstract, Public Summary • Tadpole-like flows known as supra-arcade downflows are observed in a solar flare • Many such flows are found to collide with the flare arcade • The collisions cause strong heating of the local plasma to a temperature of 10–20 MK • These heating events generate quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar radiation

Understanding many physical processes in the solar atmosphere requires determination of the magnetic field in each atmospheric layer. However, direct measurements of the magnetic field in the Sun's corona are difficult to obtain. Using observations with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter, we have determined the spatial distribution of the plasma density in the corona, and the phase speed of the prevailing transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves within the plasma. We combine these measurements to map the plane-of-sky component of the global coronal magnetic field. The derived field strengths in the corona from 1.05 to 1.35 solar radii are mostly 1-4 Gauss. These results demonstrate the capability of imaging spectroscopy in coronal magnetic field diagnostics., Comment: Published in Science, File includes the main text and supplementary materials. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science , (2020-08-07), doi: 10.1126/science.abb4462 (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6504/694)

Magnetoseismology, a technique of magnetic field diagnostics based on observations of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, has been widely used to estimate the field strengths of oscillating structures in the solar corona. However, previously magnetoseismology was mostly applied to occasionally occurring oscillation events, providing an estimate of only the average field strength or one-dimensional distribution of field strength along an oscillating structure. This restriction could be eliminated if we apply magnetoseismology to the pervasive propagating transverse MHD waves discovered with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP). Using several CoMP observations of the Fe xiii 1074.7 nm and 1079.8 nm spectral lines, we obtained maps of the plasma density and wave phase speed in the corona, which allow us to map both the strength and direction of the coronal magnetic field in the plane of sky. We also examined distributions of the electron density and magnetic field strength, and compared their variations with height in the quiet Sun and active regions. Such measurements could provide critical information to advance our understanding of the Sun's magnetism and the magnetic coupling of the whole solar atmosphere., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Sci China Tech Sci (2020)

Many solar coronal jets result from erupting miniature-filament (“minifilament”) magnetic flux ropes that reconnect with encountered surrounding far-reaching field. Many of those minifilament flux ropes are apparently built and triggered to erupt by magnetic flux cancelation. If that cancelation (or some other process) results in the flux rope’s field having twist, then the reconnection with the far-reaching field transfers much of that twist to that reconnected far-reaching field. In cases where that surrounding field is open, the twist can propagate to far distances from the Sun as a magnetic-twist Alfvénic pulse. We argue that such pulses from jets could be the kinked-magnetic-field structures known as “switchbacks,” detected in the solar wind during perihelion passages of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP). For typical coronal-jet-generated Alfvénic pulses, we expect that the switchbacks would flow pastPSPwith a duration of several tens of minutes; larger coronal jets might produce switchbacks with passage durations ∼1hr. Smaller-scale jet-like features on the Sun known as “jetlets” may be small-scale versions of coronal jets, produced in a similar manner as the coronal jets. We estimate that switchbacks from jetlets would flow pastPSPwith a duration of a few minutes. Chromospheric spicules are jet-like features that are even smaller than jetlets. If some portion of their population are indeed very-small-scale versions of coronal jets, then we speculate that the same processes could result in switchbacks that passPSPwith durations ranging from about ∼2 min down to tens of seconds.

Over decades, sunspots and their fine structures have been studied in detail at the photospheric level with different ground-based telescopes, as the surface of the Sun primarily emits light in the visible wavelengths. For a very long period, the upper atmosphere above the sunspot regions, especially the transition region (TR) above sunspots where the plasma emits light in the far ultraviolet (FUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV), has been poorly understood. In the past decades after the development of space instrumentations, FUV and EUV observations have uncovered many secrets of the TR above sunspots. In this paper, we present a brief review of research results about the TR structures and dynamics obtained through imaging and spectroscopic observations of sunspots in the past ~ 20 years. Though these observations have gathered remarkable and detailed information and greatly improved our understanding of the TR above the sunspots, paradoxically, they leave us with many new questions which should be answered in the future.

A protein showing endoglucanase-peptidase activity was prepared from a newly isolated bacterium (ST15c10). We identified ST15c10 as Brevibacillus agri based on electron-microscopic images and its 16S-rDNA sequence (GenBank accession No. HM446043), which exhibits 98.9% sequence identity to B. agri (KZ17)/B. formosus (DSM-9885T)/B. brevis. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity and gave a single peak during high-performance liquid chromatography on a Seralose 6B-150 gel-matrix/C-18 column. MALDI-TOF mass-spectrometry and bioinformatics studies revealed significant similarity to M42-aminopeptidases/endoglucanases of the CelM family. These enzymes are found in all Brevibacillus strains for which the genome sequence is known. ST15c10 grows optimally on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-gelatin (40°C/pH 8-9), and also shows strong growth/carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) activity in submerged bagasse fermentation. The purified enzyme also functions as endoglucanase with solid bagasse/rice straw. Its CMCase activity (optimal at pH 5.6 and 60°C/Km = 35.5 µM/Vmax = 1,024U) was visualized by zymography on a CMC-polyacrylamide gel, which provided a strong band of approximately 70 kDa. The purified enzyme also showed strong peptidase (gelatinase) activity (pH 7.2/40°C during zymography on 6-12% gelatin/1% gelatin-PAGE (at approx. 70 kDa). The CMCase activity is inhibited by the metal ions Mn/Cu/Fe/Co (50%), Hg/KMnO4 (100%), and by glucose or lactose (50-75%; all at 1 mM). The observed dose/time-dependent inhibition by Hg ions could be prevented with 2-mercaptoethanol. A comparison of the B. agri endoglucanase-aminopeptidase (ELK43520; 350 aa) with other members of the M42-family revealed the conservation of active-site residues Cys256/Cys260, which were previously identified as metal-binding sites. Regulation of the endoglucanase activity probably occurs via metal binding-triggered changes in the redox state of the enzyme. Studies on this type of enzyme are of high importance for basic scientific and industrial research.

Analysis of four different catechins, four theaflavins (TF), and thearubigin (TR) in oxidizing macerated CTC (crush–tear–curl) and rolled orthodox leaves of TV25 clone was done. Tea leaves were oxidized at different air temperatures (20, 25, 30, and 35°C) and thickness of oxidizing leaf bed (2 and 5 cm). Rate of depletion of catechins was modeled using Michaelis–Menten equation. Depletion of dihydroxylated catechins (EC, ECG) was found to be more affected by change in air temperature than trihydroxylated catechins (EGC, EGCG). Amount of maximum total TF at different temperatures was in the range of 1.19%–1.3% for CTC‐macerated leaves and 0.33%–0.43% for rolled orthodox leaves. Quadratic and linear regression equations, developed to model the change in TF and TR contents, respectively, were good fit. Bed thickness does not have any significant effect on TF content in both CTC and orthodox leaves as revealed from ANOVA. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Oxidation or fermentation of macerated leaves is a crucial step in black tea processing that needs to be carefully monitored. Tea processing facilities maintain only air humidity level during fermentation. Air temperature is also an important factor affecting the degradation of catechins and formation of different pigment compounds. Optimum amount of unoxidized catechins and oxidized compounds TF and TR affects the quality of final product. Modeling of catechin, TF, and TR contents in oxidizing leaves will help to manipulate processing conditions such as air temperature, duration, and bed thickness to produce good quality black tea.

Vortex shedding is an oscillating flow that is commonly observed in fluids due to the presence of a blunt body in a flowing medium. Numerical simulations have shown that the phenomenon of vortex shedding could also develop in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) domain. The dimensionless Strouhal number, the ratio of the blunt body diameter to the product of the period of vortex shedding and the speed of a flowing medium, is a robust indicator for vortex shedding, and, generally of the order of 0.2 for a wide range of Reynolds number. Using an observation from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we report a wavelike or oscillating plasma flow propagating upward against the Sun's gravitational force. A newly formed shrinking loop in the post-flare region possibly generates the oscillation of the upflow in the wake of the hot and dense loop through vortex shedding. The computed Strouhal number is consistent with the prediction from previous MHD simulations. Our observation suggests the possibility of vortex shedding in the solar corona., 6 pages, Published in PRL, Ref: T. Samanta, H. Tian, and V. M. Nakariakov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 035102 (2019)

Solar ultraviolet (UV) bursts are small-scale compact brightenings in transition region images. The spectral profiles of transition region lines in these bursts are significantly enhanced and broadened, often with chromospheric absorption lines such as Ni~{\sc{ii}} 1335.203 and 1393.330 {\AA} superimposed. We investigate the properties of several UV bursts using a coordinated observation of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and \textit{Hinode} on 2015 February 7. We have identified 12 UV bursts, and 11 of them reveal small blueshifts of the Ni~{\sc{ii}} absorption lines. However, the Ni~{\sc{ii}} lines in one UV burst exhibit obvious redshifts of $\sim$20 km s$^{-1}$, which appear to be related to the cold plasma downflows observed in the IRIS slit-jaw images. We also examine the three-dimensional magnetic field topology using a magnetohydrostatic model, and find that some UV bursts are associated with magnetic null points or bald patches. In addition, we find that these UV bursts reveal no obvious coronal signatures from the observations of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO and the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board \textit{Hinode}., Comment: will appear in the journal of Science China Technological Sciences

Recent imaging observations with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograp (IRIS) have revealed prevalent intermittent jets with apparent speeds of 80--250 km~s$^{-1}$ from the network lanes in the solar transition region (TR). On the other hand, spectroscopic observations of the TR lines have revealed the frequent presence of highly non-Gaussian line profiles with enhanced emission at the line wings, often referred as explosive events (EEs). Using simultaneous imaging and spectroscopic observations from IRIS, we investigate the relationship between EEs and network jets. We first identify EEs from the Si~{\sc{iv}}~1393.755 {\AA} line profiles in our observations, then examine related features in the 1330 {\AA} slit-jaw images. Our analysis suggests that EEs with double peaks or enhancements in both wings appear to be located at either the footpoints of network jets, or transient compact brightenings. These EEs are most likely produced by magnetic reconnection. We also find that EEs with enhancements only at the blue wing are mainly located on network jets, away from the footpoints. These EEs clearly result from the superposition of the high-speed network jets on the TR background. In addition, EEs showing enhancement only at the red wing of the line are often located around the jet footpoints, possibly caused by the superposition of reconnection downflows on the background emission. Moreover, we find some network jets that are not associated with any detectable EEs. Our analysis suggests that some EEs are related to the birth or propagation of network jets, and that others are not connected to network jets., Comment: 9 figures; to appear in ApJ

Using multiwavelength imaging observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) on 03 May 2012, we present a novel physical scenario for the formation of a temporary X-point in the solar corona, where plasma dynamics is forced externally by a moving prominence. Natural diffusion was not predominant, however, a prominence driven inflow occurred firstly, forming a thin current sheet and thereafter enabling a forced magnetic reconnection at a considerably high rate. Observations in relation to the numerical model reveal that forced reconnection may rapidly and efficiently occur at higher rates in the solar corona. This physical process may also heat the corona locally even without establishing a significant and self-consistent diffusion region. Using a parametric numerical study, we demonstrate that the implementation of the external driver increases the rate of the reconnection even when the resistivity required for creating normal diffusion region decreases at the X-point. We conjecture that the appropriate external forcing can bring the oppositely directed field lines into the temporarily created diffusion region firstly via the plasma inflows as seen in the observations. The reconnection and related plasma outflows may occur thereafter at considerably larger rates., Comment: 14 Pages; 07 Figures; The Astrophysical Journal (in press)

We examine Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) Goode Solar Telescope (GST) high-spatial resolution (0''.06), high-cadence (3.45 s), H-alpha-0.8 Angstrom images of central-disk solar spicules, using data of Samanta et al. (2019). We compare with coronal-jet chromospheric-component observations of Sterling et al. (2010a). Morphologically, bursts of spicules, referred to as "enhanced spicular activities" by Samanta et al. (2019), appear as scaled-down versions of the jet's chromospheric component. Both the jet and the enhanced spicular activities appear as chromospheric-material strands, undergoing twisting-type motions of ~20---50 km/s in the jet and ~20---30 km/s in the enhanced spicular activities. Presumably, the jet resulted from a minifilament-carrying magnetic eruption. For two enhanced spicular activities that we examine in detail, we find tentative candidates for corresponding erupting microfilaments, but not expected corresponding base brightenings. Nonetheless, the enhanced-spicular-activities' interacting mixed-polarity base fields, frequent-apparent-twisting motions, and morphological similarities to the coronal jet's chromospheric-temperature component, suggest that erupting microfilaments might drive the enhanced spicular activities but be hard to detect, perhaps due to H-alpha opacity. Degrading the BBSO/GST-image resolution with a 1''.0-FWHM smoothing function yields enhanced spicular activities resembling the "classical spicules" described by, e.g., Beckers (1968). Thus, a microfilament eruption might be the fundamental driver of many spicules, just as a minifilament eruption is the fundamental driver of many coronal jets. Similarly, a 0".5-FWHM smoothing renders some enhanced spicular activities to resemble previously-reported "twinned" spicules, while the full-resolution features might account for spicules sometimes appearing as 2D-sheet-like structures.

Spicules are rapidly evolving fine-scale jets of magnetized plasma in the solar chromosphere. It remains unclear how these prevalent jets originate from the solar surface and what role they play in heating the solar atmosphere. Using the Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, we observed spicules emerging within minutes of the appearance of opposite-polarity magnetic flux around dominant-polarity magnetic field concentrations. Data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory showed subsequent heating of the adjacent corona. The dynamic interaction of magnetic fields (likely due to magnetic reconnection) in the partially ionized lower solar atmosphere appears to generate these spicules and heat the upper solar atmosphere., Comment: Published in Science, File includes the main text and supplementary materials

We present an investigation of a coronal cavity observed above the western limb in the coronal red line Fe X 6374 {\AA} using a telescope of Peking University and in the green line Fe XIV 5303 {\AA} using a telescope of Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences during the total solar eclipse on 2017 August 21. A series of magnetic field models are constructed based on the magnetograms taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) one week before the eclipse. The model field lines are then compared with coronal structures seen in images taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board SDO and in our coronal red line images. The best-fit model consists of a flux rope with a twist angle of 3.1$\pi$, which is consistent with the most probable value of the total twist angle of interplanetary flux ropes observed at 1 AU. Linear polarization of the Fe XIII 10747 {\AA} line calculated from this model shows a "lagomorphic" signature that is also observed by the Coronal Multichannel Polarimeter of the High Altitude Observatory. We also find a ring-shaped structure in the line-of-sight velocity of Fe XIII 10747 {\AA}, which implies hot plasma flows along a helical magnetic field structure, in the cavity. These results suggest that the magnetic structure of the cavity is a highly twisted flux rope, which may erupt eventually. The temperature structure of the cavity has also been investigated using the intensity ratio of Fe XIII 10747 {\AA} and Fe X 6374 {\AA}., Comment: 7 figures, accepted by ApJ

Downflows at supersonic speeds have been observed in the transition region (TR) above sunspots for more than three decades. These downflows are often seen in different TR spectral lines above sunspots. We have performed a statistical investigation of these downflows using a large sample which was missing earlier. The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) has provided a wealth of observational data of sunspots at high spatial and spectral resolution in the past few years. We have identified sixty datasets obtained with IRIS raster scans. Using an automated code, we identified the locations of strong downflows within these sunspots. We found that around eighty percent of our sample show supersonic downflows in the Si IV 1403 {\AA} line. These downflows mostly appear in the penumbral regions, though some of them are found in the umbrae. We also found that almost half of these downflows show signatures in chromospheric lines. Furthermore, a detailed spectral analysis was performed by selecting a small spectral window containing the O IV 1400/1401 {\AA} and Si IV 1403 {\AA} lines. Six Gaussian functions were simultaneously fitted to these three spectral lines and their satellite lines associated with the supersonic downflows. We calculated the intensity, Doppler velocity and line width for these lines. Using the O IV 1400/1401 {\AA} line ratio, we find that the downflow components are around one order of magnitude less dense than the regular components. Results from our statistical analysis suggest that these downflows may originate from the corona and that they are independent of the background TR plasma., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication in the ApJ

On 2016 September 20, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observed an active region during its earliest emerging phase for almost 7 hours. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory observed continuous emergence of small-scale magnetic bipoles with a rate of $\sim$10$^{16}$ Mx~s$^{-1}$. The emergence of magnetic fluxes and interactions between different polarities lead to frequent occurrence of ultraviolet (UV) bursts, which exhibit as intense transient brightenings in the 1400 \AA{} images. In the meantime, discrete small patches with the same magnetic polarity tend to move together and merge, leading to enhancement of the magnetic fields and thus formation of pores (small sunspots) at some locations. The spectra of these UV bursts are characterized by the superposition of several chromospheric absorption lines on the greatly broadened profiles of some emission lines formed at typical transition region temperatures, suggesting heating of the local materials to a few tens of thousands of kelvin in the lower atmosphere by magnetic reconnection. Some bursts reveal blue and red shifts of $\sim$100~km~s$^{-1}$ at neighboring pixels, indicating the spatially resolved bidirectional reconnection outflows. Many such bursts appear to be associated with the cancellation of magnetic fluxes with a rate of the order of $\sim$10$^{15}$ Mx~s$^{-1}$. We also investigate the three-dimensional magnetic field topology through a magneto-hydrostatic model and find that a small fraction of the bursts are associated with bald patches (magnetic dips). Finally, we find that almost all bursts are located in regions of large squashing factor at the height of $\sim$1 Mm, reinforcing our conclusion that these bursts are produced through reconnection in the lower atmosphere., Comment: ApJ, 10 figures

Solid evidence of magnetic reconnection is rarely reported within sunspots, the darkest regions with the strongest magnetic fields and lowest temperatures in the solar atmosphere. Using the world's largest solar telescope, the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope, we detect prevalent reconnection through frequently occurring fine-scale jets in the H${\alpha}$ line wings at light bridges, the bright lanes that may divide the dark sunspot core into multiple parts. Many jets have an inverted Y-shape, shown by models to be typical of reconnection in a unipolar field environment. Simultaneous spectral imaging data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph show that the reconnection drives bidirectional flows up to 200~km~s$^{-1}$, and that the weakly ionized plasma is heated by at least an order of magnitude up to $\sim$80,000 K. Such highly dynamic reconnection jets and efficient heating should be properly accounted for in future modeling efforts of sunspots. Our observations also reveal that the surge-like activity previously reported above light bridges in some chromospheric passbands such as the H${\alpha}$ core has two components: the ever-present short surges likely to be related to the upward leakage of magnetoacoustic waves from the photosphere, and the occasionally occurring long and fast surges that are obviously caused by the intermittent reconnection jets., Comment: ApJ, 8 figures

The objective of the present study was to determine the inhibitory properties of the infusions and decoctions of four samples of Indian black tea (BT) and some of the tea flavonoids, gallic acid and caffeine, in vitro, against β - glucuronidase, lipase,α -amylase and α-glucosidase. These enzymes are related to liver disorders, obesity and diabetes. The phenolic constituents and caffeine content in the BT extracts were measured quantitatively by HPLC. It was noted that both infusion and decoction of BT had β -glucuronidase inhibitory property close to that of silymarin. Epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin, and gallocatechin showed higher β -glucuronidase inhibitory activity than that of BT extracts and silymarin. BT extracts also inhibited the enzyme lipase. Thearubigin, theaflavin, epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin and gallocatechin showed significant lipase inhibitory properties that were superior to the drug orlistat. The tea extracts, flavonoids and gallic acid inhibited the activity of α -amylase and α-glucosidase. Theaflavin and catechin had α -amylase inhibitory activity better than that of acarbose. This in vitro study reveals that BT extract and the phenolic components may have potential benefit for controlling liver disorders, obesity and diabetes.

This study was designed to examine the chemical compositions of scent volatiles and antioxidant activities of Polianthes tuberosa L. flower extract in six different solvents. The main constituents of the volatile components were benzyl benzoate, methyl 2-amino benzoate, methyl isoeugenol, isoeugenol, benzyl salicylate, methyl salicylate, geraniol and 1,8-cineole. Total phenolic content of floral extracts in water, methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, hexane and dichloromethane were found to be 0.094, 0.18, 0.14, 0.007, 0.004 and 0.110 mg gallic acid equivalent/mg fresh weight, respectively. The methanol soluble fraction showed highest values of antioxidant activity through DPPH and ABTS assays. Methanol extract effectively inhibits the non site-specific DNA strand breakage caused by Fenton’s reagents. Dichloromethane and aqueous fractions also exhibited high antioxidant capacities. Aqueous extract showed highest value in FRAP assay.

Standard plucking of fresh tea leaves is one of the major factors in determining tea quality, apart from processing conditions. Tea quality is a function of metabolite content and declines with leaf maturity. In this work, we studied the metabolic consequences of leaf maturity on tea leaf quality by metabolite profiling. Significant variation in metabolite levels was observed during tea leaf maturation. The concentration of catechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin gallate and total catechins decreased with leaf maturity while epicatechin and epigallocatechin showed reverse trend. A concentration dependent increase with leaf maturity was noted for cell wall-bound phenolics, which was predominated by gallic acid followed by trans p-coumaric acid. The relative abundance of monoterpenoids declined with leaf age while fatty acid derivative volatiles showed inverse trend. Activities of shikimate dehydrogenase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase also decreased with leaf age. The transcript levels of flavone-3-hydroxylase and anthocyanidin synthase showed a significant positive correlation with total catechins content. Interestingly, accumulation of total catechin showed significant negative correlation with total fatty acid derivative volatiles, total wall-bound phenolics, chlorophyll and volatile benzenoids during leaf development. This suggests a possible alteration of carbon pool in tea leaf during maturation. We hypothesize that the declination of flavan-3-ols biosynthesis in mature leaves might lead to a shifting of carbon flow in the direction of linked metabolic pathway related to chlorophyll, wall-bound phenolics, benzenoids and fatty acids biosynthesis.

We use Hα imaging spectroscopy taken via the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope to investigate the occurrence of fan-shaped jets at the solar limb. We show evidence for near-simultaneous photospheric reconnection at a sunspot edge leading to the jets appearance, with upward velocities of 30 km s−1, and extensions up to 8 Mm. The brightening at the base of the jets appears recurrent, with a periodicity matching that of the nearby sunspot penumbra, implying running penumbral waves could be the driver of the jets. The jets' constant extension velocity implies that a driver counteracting solar gravity exists, possibly as a result of the recurrent reconnection erupting material into the chromosphere. These jets also show signatures in higher temperature lines captured from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, indicating a very hot jet front, leaving behind optically thick cool plasma in its wake. © 2018 IOP Publishing

The barbs or legs of some prominences show an apparent motion of rotation, which are often termed solar tornadoes. It is under debate whether the apparent motion is a real rotating motion, or caused by oscillations or counter-streaming flows. We present analysis results from spectroscopic observations of two tornadoes by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. Each tornado was observed for more than 2.5 hours. Doppler velocities are derived through a single Gaussian fit to the Mg~{\sc{ii}}~k~2796\AA{}~and Si~{\sc{iv}}~1393\AA{}~line profiles. We find coherent and stable red and blue shifts adjacent to each other across the tornado axes, which appears to favor the interpretation of these tornadoes as rotating cool plasmas with temperatures of $10^4$ K-$10^5$ K. This interpretation is further supported by simultaneous observations of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, which reveal periodic motions of dark structures in the tornadoes. Our results demonstrate that spectroscopic observations can provide key information to disentangle different physical processes in solar prominences., Comment: 14 figures, accepted by ApJ

Propagating disturbances are often observed in active region fan-like coronal loops. They were thought to be due to slow mode MHD waves based on some of the observed properties. But the recent studies involving spectroscopy indicate that they could be due to high speed quasi-periodic upflows which are difficult to distinguish from upward propagating slow waves. In this context, we have studied a fan loop structure in the active region AR 11465 using simultaneous spectroscopic and imaging observations from Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO. Analysis of the data shows significant oscillations at different locations. We explore the variations in different line parameters to determine whether the waves or flows could cause these oscillations to improve the current understanding on the nature of these disturbances., 12 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in RAA

A metabolic shift in green hairy root cultures of carrot from phenylpropanoid/benzenoid biosynthesis toward volatile isoprenoids was observed when compared with the metabolite profile of normal hairy root cultures. Hairy roots cultures of Daucus carota turned green under continuous illumination, while the content of the major phenolic compound p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HBA) was reduced to half as compared to normal hairy roots cultured in darkness. p-Hydroxybenzaldehyde dehydrogenase (HBD) activity was suppressed in the green hairy roots. However, comparative volatile analysis of 14-day-old green hairy roots revealed higher monoterpene and sesquiterpene contents than found in normal hairy roots. Methyl salicylate content was higher in normal hairy roots than in green ones. Application of clomazone, an inhibitor of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS), reduced the amount of total monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in green hairy roots compared to normal hairy roots. However, methyl salicylate content was enhanced in both green and normal hairy roots treated with clomazone as compared to their respective controls. Because methyl-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) and phenylpropanoid pathways, respectively, contribute to the formation of monoterpenes and phenolic acids biosynthesis, the activities of enzymes regulating those pathways were measured in terms of their in vitro activities, in both green and normal hairy root cultures. These key enzymes were 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR), an early regulatory enzyme of the MEP pathway, pyruvate kinase (PK), an enzyme of primary metabolism related to the MEP pathway, shikimate dehydrogenase (SKDH) which is involved in biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) that catalyzes the first step of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Activities of DXR and PK were higher in green hairy roots as compared to normal ones, whereas the opposite trend was observed for SKDH and PAL activities. Gene expression analysis of DXR and PAL showed trends similar to those for the respective enzyme activities. Based on these observations, we suggest a possible redirection of metabolites from the primary metabolism toward isoprenoid biosynthesis, limiting the phenolic biosynthetic pathway in green hairy roots grown under continuous light.

Coronal bright points (BPs) are small-scale luminous features seen in the solar corona. Quasi-periodic brightenings are frequently observed in the BPs and are generally linked with underneath magnetic flux changes. We study the dynamics of a BP seen in the coronal hole using the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) images, the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) magnetogram on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and spectroscopic data from the newly launched Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). The detailed analysis shows that the BP evolves throughout our observing period along with changes in underlying photospheric magnetic flux and shows periodic brightenings in different EUV and FUV images. With highest possible spectral and spatial resolution of IRIS, we attempted to identify the sources of these oscillations. IRIS sit and stare observation provided a unique opportunity to study the time evolution of one foot point of the BP as the slit position crossed it. We noticed enhanced line profile asymmetry, enhanced line width, intensity enhancements and large deviation from the average Doppler shift in the line profiles at specific instances which indicate the presence of sudden flows along the line of sight direction. We propose that transition region explosive events (EEs) originating from small scale reconnections and the reconnection outflows are affecting the line profiles. The correlation between all these parameters is consistent with the repetitive reconnection scenario and could explain the quasi-periodic nature of the brightening., 5 Pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

Jasmines are commercially grown for their fragrant flowers and essential oil production. The flowers of jasmine emit sweet-smelling fragrance from evening till midnight. This study was designed to study the composition and inter-specific variation of the emitted scent volatiles from flowers of four commercially cultivated Jasminum species namely, Jasminum sambac, Jasminum auriculatum, Jasminum grandiflorum and Jasminum multiflorum. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the scent volatiles composition of these flowers was predominantly enriched with both terpenoid and benzenoid compounds. Linalool and (3E,6E)-α-farnesene were identified as the major monoterpene and sesquiterpene in all the four species, respectively. The most abundant benzenoid detected in all flowers was benzyl acetate. Comparison of volatile profiles indicated a variation in fragrance contents and types emitted from these four jasmine flowers. The outcome of this study shall help in elucidating the enzymes and genes of fragrance biosynthesis in jasmines and in aiming to create flowers with improved scent quality.

Spicules are small hairy like structures seen at the solar limb mainly at chromospheric and transition region lines. They generally live for 3-10 minutes. We observe these spicules in a south polar region of the Sun with a coordinated observations using the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instruments on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Propagating disturbances (PDs) are observed everywhere in the polar off-limb regions of the Sun at coronal heights. From this simultaneous observations we show that the spicules and the PDs may be originated by a common process. From space-time maps we find that the start of the trajectory of PDs is almost co-temporal with the time of the rise of the spicular envelope as seen by IRIS slit-jaw images at 2796 {\deg}A and 1400 A{\deg} . During the return of spicular material, brightenings are seen in AIA 171 {\deg}A and 193 {\deg}A images. The quasi-periodic nature of the spicular activity as revealed by the IRIS spectral image sequences and its relation to coronal PDs as recorded by the coronal AIA channels suggest that they have a common origin. We propose that reconnection like processes generate the spicules and waves simultaneously. The waves escape while the cool spicular material falls back, Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

During the total solar eclipse of 11 July 2010, multi-slit spectroscopic observations of the solar corona were performed from Easter Island, Chile. To search for high-frequency waves, observations were taken at a high cadence in the green line at 5303 A due to [Fe xiv] and the red line at 6374 A due to [Fe x]. The data are analyzed to study the periodic variations in the intensity, Doppler velocity and line width using wavelet analysis. The data with high spectral and temporal resolution enabled us to study the rapid dynamical changes within coronal structures. We find that at certain locations each parameter shows significant oscillation with periods ranging from 6 - 25 s. For the first time, we could detect damping of high-frequency oscillations with periods of the order of 10 s. If the observed damped oscillations are due to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves then they can contribute significantly in the heating of the corona. From a statistical study we try to characterize the nature of the observed oscillations while looking at the distribution of power in different line parameters., Comment: 23 pages (Solar Physics) in press

Recent high-resolution observations reveal that subarcsecond bright dots (BDs) with sub-minute lifetimes appears ubiquitously in the transition region (TR) above sunspot penumbra. The presence of penumbral micro-jets (PMJs) in the chromosphere have also been reported earlier. It was proposed that both the PMJs and BDs are formed due to magnetic reconnection process and may play an important role in heating of the penumbra. Using simultaneous observation of the chromosphere from the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) aboard Hinode and the TR from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), we study the dynamics of BDs and their relation with PMJs. We find two types of BDs, one which is related to PMJs and the others which do not show any visible dynamics in the SOT Ca II H images. From a statistical analysis we show that these two types have different properties. The BDs which are related to PMJs always appear at the top of the PMJs, the vast majority of which show inward motion and originate before the generation of the PMJs. These results may indicate that the reconnection occurs at the lower coronal/TR height and initiates PMJs at the chromosphere. This formation mechanism is in contrast with the currently believed formation of PMJs by reconnection in the (upper) photosphere between differently inclined fields., Comment: 6 pages, 5 Figures, 6 movies. The Astrophysical Journal Letters (accepted). Movies will be available online in the ApJL