The Kuroshio Extension northern recirculation gyre : profiling float measurements and forcing mechanism

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 38 (2008): 1764-1779, doi:10.1175/2008JPO3921.1.Middepth, time-mean circulation in the western North Pacific Ocean (28°–45°N, 140°–165°E) is investigated using drift information from the profiling floats deployed in the Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) and the International Argo programs. A well-defined, cyclonic recirculation gyre (RG) is found to exist north of the Kuroshio Extension jet, confined zonally between the Japan Trench (145°E) and the Shatsky Rise (156°E), and bordered to the north by the subarctic boundary along 40°N. This northern RG, which is simulated favorably in the eddy-resolving OGCM for the Earth Simulator (OFES) hindcast run model, has a maximum volume transport at 26.4 Sv across 159°E and its presence persists on the interannual and longer time scales. An examination of the time-mean x-momentum balance from the OFES hindcast run output reveals that horizontal convergence of Reynolds stresses works to accelerate both the eastward-flowing Kuroshio Extension jet and a westward mean flow north of the meandering jet. The fact that the northern RG is eddy driven is further confirmed by examining the turbulent Sverdrup balance, in which convergent eddy potential vorticity fluxes are found to induce the cyclonic RG across the background potential vorticity gradient field. For the strength of the simulated northern RG, the authors find the eddy dissipation effect to be important as well.This study was supported by NSF through Grant OCE-0220680 (UH) and OCE-0220161 (WHOI)

The effects of comorbid Tourette symptoms on distress caused by compulsive-like behavior in very young children: A cross-sectional study

Background Many children 4 to 6 years old exhibit compulsive-like behavior, often with comorbid Tourette symptoms, making this age group critical for investigating the effects of having comorbid Tourette symptoms with compulsive-like behavior. However, these effects have not yet been elucidated: it is unclear whether having comorbid tics with compulsive-like behavior leads to lower quality of life. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the effect of comorbid Tourette symptoms on distress caused by compulsive-like behavior in very young children. Methods Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to guardians of children aged 4 to 6 attending any of the 59 public preschools in a certain ward in Tokyo, Japan. The questionnaire contained questions on the presence of Tourette symptoms, the presence of specific motor and vocal tics, frequency/intensity of compulsive-like behavior, and the distress caused by compulsive-like behavior, which was rated on a scale of 1 to 5. Additionally, questions on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits, internalizing behavior traits, and externalizing behavior traits were included in the questionnaire as possible confounders of distress caused by compulsive-like behavior. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were conducted to compare the distress caused by compulsive-like behavior and frequency/intensity of compulsive-like behavior between children in the Tourette symptoms group and the non-Tourette symptoms group. Furthermore, a stepwise regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of the independent variables on distress caused by compulsive-like behavior. Another stepwise regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between distress caused by compulsive-like behavior and the presence of five specific motor and vocal tics. Results Of the 675 eligible participants, distress due to compulsive-like behavior was significantly higher in children in the Tourette symptoms group compared to the non-Tourette symptoms group (2.00 vs 1.00, P < 0.001). Stepwise regression analysis showed that frequency/intensity of compulsive-like behavior, being in the Tourette symptoms group, ASD traits, and internalizing behavior traits were predictors of distress due to compulsive-like behavior. Two specific tics, repetitive noises and sounds and repetitive neck, shoulder, or trunk movements, were significant predictors of distress due to compulsive-like behavior. Conclusions Comorbid Tourette symptoms may worsen distress caused by compulsive-like behavior in children 4 to 6 years old, and specific motor and vocal tics may lead to greater distress