Elemental abundances of major elements in the solar wind as measured in Genesis targets and implications on solar wind fractionation.

We present elemental abundance data of C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Ca, and Cr in Genesis silicon targets. For Na, Mg, Al, and Ca, data from three different SW regimes are also presented. Data were obtained by backside depth profiling using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The accuracy of these measurements exceeds those obtained by in-situ observations; therefore the Genesis data provide new insights into elemental fractionation between Sun and solar wind, including differences between solar wind regimes. We integrate previously published noble gas and hydrogen elemental abundances from Genesis targets, as well as preliminary values for K and Fe. The abundances of the solar wind elements measured display the well-known fractionation pattern that correlates with each elements' First Ionization Potential (FIP). When normalized either to spectroscopic photospheric solar abundances or to those derived from CI-chondritic meteorites, the fractionation factors of low-FIP elements (K, Na, Al, Ca, Cr, Mg, Fe) are essentially identical within uncertainties, but the data are equally consistent with an increasing fractionation with decreasing FIP. The elements with higher FIPs between ~11 and ~16 eV (C, N, O, H, Ar, Kr, Xe) display a relatively well-defined trend of increasing fractionation with decreasing FIP, if normalized to modern 3D photospheric model abundances. Among the three Genesis regimes, the Fast SW displays the least elemental fractionation for almost all elements (including the noble gases) but differences are modest: for low-FIP elements the precisely measured Fast-Slow SW variations are less than 3%.

Hydrogen fluence in Genesis collectors: Implications for acceleration of solar wind and for solar metallicity.

NASA's Genesis mission was flown to capture samples of the solar wind and return them to the Earth for measurement. The purpose of the mission was to determine the chemical and isotopic composition of the Sun with significantly better precision than known before. Abundance data are now available for noble gases, magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, aluminum, chromium, iron, and other elements. Here, we report abundance data for hydrogen in four solar wind regimes collected by the Genesis mission (bulk solar wind, interstream low-energy wind, coronal hole high-energy wind, and coronal mass ejections). The mission was not designed to collect hydrogen, and in order to measure it, we had to overcome a variety of technical problems, as described herein. The relative hydrogen fluences among the four regimes should be accurate to better than ±5-6%, and the absolute fluences should be accurate to ±10%. We use the data to investigate elemental fractionations due to the first ionization potential during acceleration of the solar wind. We also use our data, combined with regime data for neon and argon, to estimate the solar neon and argon abundances, elements that cannot be measured spectroscopically in the solar photosphere.

Heavy noble gases in solar wind delivered by Genesis mission.

One of the major goals of the Genesis Mission was to refine our knowledge of the isotopic composition of the heavy noble gases in solar wind and, by inference, the Sun, which represents the initial composition of the solar system. This has now been achieved with permil precision: 36Ar/38Ar = 5.5005 ± 0.0040, 86Kr/84Kr = .3012 ± .0004, 83Kr/84Kr = .2034 ± .0002, 82Kr/84Kr = .2054 ± .0002, 80Kr/84Kr = .0412 ± .0002, 78Kr/84Kr = .00642 ± .00005, 136Xe/132Xe = .3001 ± .0006, 134Xe/132Xe = .3691 ± .0007, 131Xe/132Xe = .8256 ± .0012, 130Xe/132Xe = .1650 ± .0004, 129Xe/132Xe = 1.0405 ± .0010, 128Xe/132Xe = .0842 ± .0003, 126Xe/132Xe = .00416 ± .00009, and 124Xe/132Xe = .00491 ± .00007 (error-weighted averages of all published data). The Kr and Xe ratios measured in the Genesis solar wind collectors generally agree with the less precise values obtained from lunar soils and breccias, which have accumulated solar wind over hundreds of millions of years, suggesting little if any temporal variability of the isotopic composition of solar wind krypton and xenon. The higher precision for the initial composition of the heavy noble gases in the solar system allows (1) to confirm that, exept 136Xe and 134Xe, the mathematically derived U-Xe is equivalent to Solar Wind Xe and (2) to provide an opportunity for better understanding the relationship between the starting composition and Xe-Q (and Q-Kr), the dominant current "planetary" component, and its host, the mysterious phase-Q.

A 13-week dermal repeat-dose neurotoxicity study of hydrodesulfurized kerosene in rats.

A 13-week dermal repeat-dose toxicity study was conducted with hydrodesulfurized (HDS) kerosene, a test material that also met the commercial specifications for aviation turbine fuel (jet A). The objectives were to assess the potential for target organ toxicity and neurotoxicity. The HDS kerosene was applied to the shaved backs of Sprague-Dawley CD rats, 12/sex/group, 6 h/d, 5 d/wk in doses of 0 (vehicle control), 165 mg/kg (20% HDS kerosene), 330 mg/kg (40% HDS kerosene), or 495 mg/kg (60% HDS kerosene). Additional rats (12/sex) from the control and the high-dose groups were held without treatment for 4 weeks to assess recovery. Standard parameters of toxicity were investigated during the in-life phase. At necropsy, organs were weighed and selected tissues were processed for microscopic evaluation. Neurobehavioral evaluations included tests of motor activity and functional observations that were conducted pretest, at intervals during the exposure period and after recovery. No test substance-related effects on mortality, clinical observations (except dermal irritation), body weight, or clinical chemistry values were observed. A dose-related increase in skin irritation, confirmed histologically as minimal, was evident at the dosing site. The only statistically significant change considered potentially treatment related was an increase in the neutrophil count in females at 13 weeks. No test article-related effects were observed in the neurobehavioral assessments or gross or microscopic findings in the peripheral or central nervous system tissues in any of the dose groups. Excluding skin irritation, the no observed adverse effect level value for all effects was considered 495 mg/kg/d.

Asphalt fume dermal carcinogenicity potential: II. Initiation-promotion assay of Type III built-up roofing asphalt.

Clark et al. (accepted for publication) reported that a sample of field-matched fume condensate from a Type III built-up roofing asphalt (BURA) resulted in a carcinogenic response in a mouse skin bioassay, with relatively few tumor-bearing animals, long tumor latency and chronic skin irritation. This mouse skin initiation/promotion study was conducted to assess possible mechanisms, i.e., genotoxic initiation vs. tumor promotion subsequent to repeated skin injury and repair. The same Type III BURA fume condensate sample was evaluated in groups of 30 male Crl:CD1® mice by skin application twice per week (total dose of 50 mg/week) for 2 weeks during the initiation phase and for 26 weeks during the promotion phase. Positive control substances were 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA, 50 µg applied once) as an initiator and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate (TPA, 5 µg, applied twice weekly) during the promotion phase. During the 6 months of study with the asphalt fume condensate, eight skin masses were observed when tested for initiation, five of which were confirmed microscopically to be benign squamous cell papillomas. Only two papillomas were observed when tested for promotion. There was no apparent relationship between skin irritation and tumor development in this study. These results are more indicative of genotoxicity rather than a non-genotoxic mode of action.

Asphalt fume dermal carcinogenicity potential: I. dermal carcinogenicity evaluation of asphalt (bitumen) fume condensates.

Asphalt (bitumen) fume condensates collected from the headspace above paving and Type III built up roofing asphalt (BURA) tanks were evaluated in two-year dermal carcinogenicity assays in male C3H/HeNCrl mice. A third sample was generated from the BURA using a NIOSH laboratory generation method. Similar to earlier NIOSH studies, the BURA fume condensates were applied dermally in mineral oil twice per week; the paving sample was applied 7 days/week for a total weekly dose of 50 mg/wk in both studies. A single benign papilloma was observed in a group of 80 mice exposed to paving fume condensate at the end of the two-year study and only mild skin irritation was observed. The lab generated BURA fume condensate resulted in statistically significant (P<0.0001) increases in squamous cell carcinomas (35 animals or 55% of animals at risk). The field-matched BURA condensate showed a weaker but significant (P=0.0063) increase (8 carcinomas or 13% of animals) and a longer average latency (90 weeks vs. 76 for the lab fume). Significant irritation was observed in both BURA condensates. It is concluded that the paving fume condensate was not carcinogenic under the test conditions and that the field-matched BURA fume condensate produced a weak tumor response compared to the lab generated sample.

Constraints on neon and argon isotopic fractionation in solar wind.

To evaluate the isotopic composition of the solar nebula from which the planets formed, the relation between isotopes measured in the solar wind and on the Sun's surface needs to be known. The Genesis Discovery mission returned independent samples of three types of solar wind produced by different solar processes that provide a check on possible isotopic variations, or fractionation, between the solar-wind and solar-surface material. At a high level of precision, we observed no significant inter-regime differences in 20Ne/22Ne or 36Ar/38Ar values. For 20Ne/22Ne, the difference between low- and high-speed wind components is 0.24 +/- 0.37%; for 36Ar/38Ar, it is 0.11 +/- 0.26%. Our measured 36Ar/38Ar ratio in the solar wind of 5.501 +/- 0.005 is 3.42 +/- 0.09% higher than that of the terrestrial atmosphere, which may reflect atmospheric losses early in Earth's history.

Solar wind neon from Genesis: implications for the lunar noble gas record.

Lunar soils have been thought to contain two solar noble gas components with distinct isotopic composition. One has been identified as implanted solar wind, the other as higher-energy solar particles. The latter was puzzling because its relative amounts were much too large compared with present-day fluxes, suggesting periodic, very high solar activity in the past. Here we show that the depth-dependent isotopic composition of neon in a metallic glass exposed on NASA's Genesis mission agrees with the expected depth profile for solar wind neon with uniform isotopic composition. Our results strongly indicate that no extra high-energy component is required and that the solar neon isotope composition of lunar samples can be explained as implantation-fractionated solar wind.