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South Asian precipitation amount and extreme variability are predicted to increase due to thermodynamic effects of increased 21st-century greenhouse gases, accompanied by an increased supply of moisture from the southern hemisphere Indian Ocean. We reconstructed South Asian summer monsoon precipitation and runoff into the Bay of Bengal to assess the extent to which these factors also operated in the Pleistocene, a time of large-scale natural changes in carbon dioxide and ice volume. South Asian precipitation and runoff are strongly coherent with, and lag, atmospheric carbon dioxide changes at Earth’s orbital eccentricity, obliquity, and precession bands and are closely tied to cross-equatorial wind strength at the precession band. We find that the projected monsoon response to ongoing, rapid high-latitude ice melt and rising carbon dioxide levels is fully consistent with dynamics of the past 0.9 million years. 

Abstract Well defined detection and analysis of nanoparticle‐sized samples such as extracellular vesicles or viruses may be important for potential disease diagnostics. However, using conventional flow‐cytometry optical methods to evaluate such small particles is quite challenging. The reason is that the particle is smaller than the diffraction limit, making detection difficult. An alternative approach is fluorescence detection via conjugated fluorochromes attached to the nanoparticles; the challenge in this case is the limitation imposed upon detection of a very small number of emitted photons buried in high background photon counts. Emitted fluorescence is described by the well‐known equation kf = σa I Q, which describes the emitted fluorescence rate (kf) (photons/s) as the multiplication of molecular absorption cross section(σa), excitation intensity (I), and quantum yield (Q). In addition, the excitation rate is equal to 1/t, which is the inverse of the lifetime of several ns representing the most typical conjugated fluorescent molecules used in flow cytometry. We recently developed a sub‐ns photon sensor that is faster than most fluorescence lifetimes, since sub‐ns speed is a critically important parameter for the separation of individual emitted photons. Based on our observation of fluorescence and background levels on typical commercial flow cytometers it is evident that a significant component of the background is induced by water‐molecular vibrations. Therefore, understanding what constitutes all the components that contribute to the signals we measure in flow cytometry would help in defining what we currently call “background signals.” We attempted to define a theoretical model to try to unravel these issues. This model was based on use of a reflective dry surface in the absence of water molecules. Our objective was to determine if it is possible to minimize background and enhance signal, and to provide valuable information on the contributing components of the signals collected. In order to test this model, we tested a single dried particle 50 nm in diameter on a reflective surface with minimum background. While this is clearly not a standard biological system, our results suggest that this quantum approach closely follows established photon base theory. Our goal was to define the parameters for practical nanoparticle‐fluorescence analysis while enhancing our knowledge of the contribution of background properties. 

Abstract Orbital‐scale Indian Summer Monsoon variability is often interpreted as a direct response to northern hemisphere summer insolation. Here we present a continuous (0–640 kyr) orbital scale precipitation isotope (δD_precip) record using leaf wax δD from the core monsoon zone of India. The δD_preciprecord is quantitatively coherent with, and δD_precipminima in phase with, greenhouses gas maxima, and ice volume minima across all orbital bands. The δD_preciprecord is also coherent and in phase with the two existing orbital‐scale Indian speleothem δ¹⁸O records, demonstrating a consistent regional response among independent proxies. These findings preclude interpretation of Indian precipitation isotope records as a direct response to northern hemisphere summer insolation. Rather, they dominantly reflect changes in moisture source and transport paths associated with changes in greenhouse gases and ice volume. The orbital‐scale precipitation isotope responses of the Indian and East Asian monsoon systems are uncoupled and are driven by different forcings.