Microwave observations reveal the deep extent and structure of Jupiter's atmospheric vortices.

Jupiter's atmosphere has a system of zones and belts punctuated by small and large vortices, the largest being the Great Red Spot. How these features change with depth is unknown, with theories of their structure ranging from shallow meteorological features to surface expressions of deep-seated convection. We present observations of atmospheric vortices using the Juno spacecraft's Microwave Radiometer. We found vortex roots that extend deeper than the altitude at which water is expected to condense, and we identified density inversion layers. Our results constrain the three-dimensional structure of Jupiter's vortices and their extension below the clouds.

Jupiter's interior and deep atmosphere: The initial pole-to-pole passes with the Juno spacecraft.

On 27 August 2016, the Juno spacecraft acquired science observations of Jupiter, passing less than 5000 kilometers above the equatorial cloud tops. Images of Jupiter's poles show a chaotic scene, unlike Saturn's poles. Microwave sounding reveals weather features at pressures deeper than 100 bars, dominated by an ammonia-rich, narrow low-latitude plume resembling a deeper, wider version of Earth's Hadley cell. Near-infrared mapping reveals the relative humidity within prominent downwelling regions. Juno's measured gravity field differs substantially from the last available estimate and is one order of magnitude more precise. This has implications for the distribution of heavy elements in the interior, including the existence and mass of Jupiter's core. The observed magnetic field exhibits smaller spatial variations than expected, indicative of a rich harmonic content.

Laser-based measurement of glucose in the ocular aqueous humor: an efficacious portal for determination of serum glucose levels.

The potential for the noninvasive measurement of blood glucose concentration to improve the level of blood sugar control and the quality of life of diabetic patients has been recognized for nearly 3 decades. Because of the many challenges involved in directly sensing glucose in the bloodstream noninvasively, the approach of noninvasive measurement of glucose concentration in the ocular aqueous humor, which reflects blood glucose concentration, has been likewise pursued over those 3 decades. Moreover, studies of the dynamic relationship between blood glucose concentration and ocular glucose concentration in both animals and humans suggest minimal latency between variations in blood glucose and those in ocular glucose. In a review of technological approaches to such measurements, the most promising techniques appear to be laser-based, and include laser polarimetry and Raman spectroscopy. Results for techniques such as multiwavelength polarimetry and Raman spectroscopy have been quite good, and it is likely that one or both of these techniques, possibly combined with refractive index measurement, will yield a useful instrument for both clinical use and patient self-monitoring.

Observations of the microwave emission of Venus from 1.3 to 3.6 cm.

Laboratory measurements of Steffes (1986) have suggested that the intensity and shape of the microwave spectrum of Venus might be especially sensitive to the subcloud abundance of constituents such as SO2 and gaseous H2SO4. It was likewise suggested that some variations of the shape of the emission spectrum might occur between 1.5 and 3 cm (10 to 20 GHz), a wavelength range which had previously only been sparsely observed. As a result, coordinated observations of Venus emission were conducted at four wavelengths between 1.35 cm (22.2 GHz) and 3.6 cm (8.42 GHz) using the 43-m NRAO antenna at Green Bank, West Virginia, and the 64-m antenna at NASA's Deep Space Communication Complex, Goldstone, California. In this paper, we report the methodology and results of these observations, and compare the results with other observations and with calculated emission spectra. We conclude that the observed emission spectrum is consistent with an average subcloud abundance of gaseous H2SO4 in equatorial and midlatitude regions which is approximately 5 ppm. It is suggested that additional measurements of atmospheric microwave opacity be made with the Pioneer-Venus Orbiter Radio Occultation experiment to search for temporal and spatial variations in gaseous H2SO4 abundance in the Venus atmosphere. An upper limit for the subcloud abundance of SO2 is also determined.