HEPPA-II model-measurement intercomparison project: EPP indirect effects during the dynamically perturbed NH winter 2008-2009

Funke, B. et. al..--This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.We compare simulations from three high-top (with upper lid above 120 km) and five medium-top (with upper lid around 80 km) atmospheric models with observations of odd nitrogen (NOx D NO+NO2), temperature, and carbon monoxide from seven satellite instruments (ACE-FTS on SciSat, GOMOS, MIPAS, and SCIAMACHY on Envisat, MLS on Aura, SABER on TIMED, and SMR on Odin) during the Northern Hemisphere (NH) polar winter 2008/2009. The models included in the comparison are the 3-D chemistry transport model 3dCTM, the ECHAM5/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) model, FinROSE, the Hamburg Model of the Neutral and Ionized Atmosphere (HAMMO-NIA), the Karlsruhe Simulation Model of the Middle Atmosphere (KASIMA), the modelling tools for SOlar Climate Ozone Links studies (SOCOL and CAO-SOCOL), and the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM4). The comparison focuses on the energetic particle precipitation (EPP) indirect effect, that is, the polar winter descent of NOx largely produced by EPP in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. A particular emphasis is given to the impact of the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in January 2009 and the subsequent elevated stratopause (ES) event associated with enhanced descent of mesospheric air. The chemistry climate model simulations have been nudged toward reanalysis data in the troposphere and stratosphere while being unconstrained above. An odd nitrogen upper boundary condition obtained from MIPAS observations has further been applied to medium-top models. Most models provide a good representation of the mesospheric tracer descent in general, and the EPP indirect effect in particular, during the unperturbed (pre-SSW) period of the NH winter 2008/2009. The observed NOx descent into the lower mesosphere and stratosphere is generally reproduced within 20 %. Larger discrepancies of a few model simulations could be traced back either to the impact of the models' gravity wave drag scheme on the polar wintertime meridional circulation or to a combination of prescribed NOx mixing ratio at the uppermost model layer and low vertical resolution. In March-April, after the ES event, however, modelled mesospheric and stratospheric NOx distributions deviate significantly from the observations. The too-fast and early downward propagation of the NO x tongue, encountered in most simulations, coincides with a temperature high bias in the lower mesosphere (0.2-0.05 hPa), likely caused by an overestimation of descent velocities. In contrast, upper-mesospheric temperatures (at 0.05-0.001 hPa) are generally underestimated by the high-top models after the onset of the ES event, being indicative for too-slow descent and hence too-low NOx fluxes. As a consequence, the magnitude of the simulated NOx tongue is generally underestimated by these models. Descending NOx amounts simulated with mediumtop models are on average closer to the observations but show a large spread of up to several hundred percent. This is primarily attributed to the different vertical model domains in which the NOx upper boundary condition is applied. In general, the intercomparison demonstrates the ability of state-of- the-art atmospheric models to reproduce the EPP indirect effect in dynamically and geomagnetically quiescent NH winter conditions. The encountered differences between observed and simulated NOx, CO, and temperature distributions during the perturbed phase of the 2009 NH winter, however, emphasize the need for model improvements in the dynamical representation of elevated stratopause events in order to allow for a better description of the EPP indirect effect under these particular conditions.This work has been conducted in the frame of the WCRP/ SPARC SOLARIS-HEPPA activity. The IAA team was supported by the Spanish MCINN under grant ESP2014-54362-P and EC FEDER funds. The MPI-MET team was supported by the Max Planck Gesellschaft (MPG), and computational resources were made available by Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ) through support from Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (BMBF). The FMI team was supported by the Academy of Finland through the projects 276926 (SECTIC: Sun-Earth Connection Through Ion Chemistry), 258165, and 265005 (CLASP: Climate and Solar Particle Forcing). CAO team was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under grant 15-17-10024. SOCOL team was funded by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grants 200021-149182 (SILA), 200020-163206 (SIMA), and CRSII2-147659 (FUPSOL-II). S. Bender, M. Sinnhuber, and H. Nieder (all KIT) gratefully acknowledge funding by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), grant VH-NG-624. NCAR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Computing resources for WACCM simulations were provided by the Climate Simulation Laboratory at NCAR's Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, sponsored by the NSF and other agencies. Work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, was carried out under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), also known as SciSat, is a Canadian-led mission mainly supported by the Canadian Space Agency. Odin is a Swedish-led satellite project funded jointly by Sweden (SNSB), Canada (CSA), Finland (TEKES), and France (CNES) and is part of European Space Agency's (ESA) third-party mission program. We thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions that led to improvements in the quality of the present work.Peer reviewe

Development and Validation of Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Panels for Detection of Germline Variants in Inherited Diseases.

Context.-The number of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels for genetic diseases offered by clinical laboratories is rapidly increasing. Before an NGS-based test is implemented in a clinical laboratory, appropriate validation studies are needed to determine the performance characteristics of the test. Objective.-To provide examples of assay design and validation of targeted NGS gene panels for the detection of germline variants associated with inherited disorders. Data Sources.-The approaches used by 2 clinical laboratories for the development and validation of targeted NGS gene panels are described. Important design and validation considerations are examined. Conclusions.-Clinical laboratories must validate performance specifications of each test prior to implementation. Test design specifications and validation data are provided, outlining important steps in validation of targeted NGS panels by clinical diagnostic laboratories

Nutritional composition of formulated complementary food produced from blends of malted and unmalted yellow maize (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max), and tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) flour

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient deficiencies among infants and children in developing countries have been a major concern of the World Health Organization. Formulation of complementary food from local sources of raw materials can be of great help in solving the problems of protein energy malnutrition. This study determined the nutritional composition of four formulated complementary foods from malted yellow maize, pre-gelatinized yellow maize, soybean, and tiger nut flour. The results showed an increase in protein content (17.6, 16.9, 20.4 & 19.7 %), crude fat (14.9, 12.9, 13.0 & 12.9 %) and energy (433.1, 419.4, 421.5 & 426.6 %) when compared with the control sample. The functional properties also competed favourably with the control sample, with the formulated samples having water absorption capacity (171.9, 169.0, 184.1 & 167.4 %), swelling power (27.9, 25.2, 29.8 and 28.1 %), and bulk density at the same level for all the formulated samples (0.5 g/ml). The formulated samples contained a higher amount of iron and magnesium, and the anti-nutritional factors fell below the hazard level. In conclusion, formulated complementary food made from locally sourced raw materials has enough nutritional composition to be able to combat PEM and micronutrient deficiencies among infants and children

Diversity of coryneforms found in infections following prosthetic joint insertion and open fractures

Summary: In a 5-year period, 73 coryneform isolates from prosthetic joint and open fracture infections in 60 patients treated in a hospital specialized in orthopedic surgery were speciated. The most frequent species wereCorynebacterium amycolatum, Corynebacterium striatum, Corynebacterium diphtheriae biotypemitis, andCorynebacterium jeikeium. At least 14 isolates were deemed clinically significant as sole agents of infectio

Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a Mobile Health Wallet for pregnancy-related health care: A qualitative study of stakeholders’ perceptions in Madagascar

Financial barriers are a major obstacle to accessing maternal health care services in low-resource settings. In Madagascar, less than half of live births are attended by skilled health staff. Although mobile money-based savings and payment systems are often used to pay for a variety of services, including health care, data on the implications of a dedicated mobile money wallet restricted to health-related spending during pregnancy–a mobile health wallet (MHW)–are not well understood. In cooperation with the Madagascan Ministry of Health, this study aims to elicit the perceptions, experiences, and recommendations of key stakeholders in relation to a MHW amid a pilot study in 31 state-funded health care facilities. We conducted a two-stage qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews with stakeholders (N = 21) representing the following groups: community representatives, health care providers, health officials and representatives from phone provider companies. Interviews were conducted in Atsimondrano and Renivohitra districts, between November and December of 2017. Data was coded thematically using inductive and deductive approaches, and found to align with a social ecological model. Key facilitators for successful implementation of the MHW, include (i) close collaboration with existing communal structures and (ii) creation of an incentive scheme to reward pregnant women to save. Key barriers to the application of the MHW in the study zone include (i) disruption of informal benefits for health care providers related to the current cash-based payment system, (ii) low mobile phone ownership, (iii) illiteracy among the target population, and (iv) failure of the MHW to overcome essential access barriers towards institutional health care services such as fear of unpredictable expenses. The MHW was perceived as a potential solution to reduce disparities in access to maternal health care. To ensure success of the MHW, direct demand-side and provider-side financial incentives merit consideration

The Plan-a-Day Approach to Measuring Planning Ability in Patients with Schizophrenia

Deficits in executive functioning are closely related to the level of everyday functioning in patients with schizophrenia. However, many existing neuropsychological measures are limited in their ability to predict functional outcome. To contribute towards closing this gap, we developed a computer-based test of planning ability ("Plan-a-Day”) that requires participants to create daily activity schedules in a simulated work setting. Eighty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were tested with Plan-a-Day and a battery of cognitive ability tests. Plan-a-Day showed satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of consistency, reliability, and construct validity. Compared to other neuropsychological tests used in this study, it also demonstrated incremental validity with regard to the Global Assessment of Functioning. The Plan-a-Day approach, therefore, seems to represent a valid alternative for measuring planning ability in patients with executive function deficits, occupying a middle ground between traditional neuropsychological tests and real-life assessments. (JINS, 2011, 17, 327-335

AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells as a sensitive tool for the MOVPE reactor environment

We present in this work a simple Quantum Well (QW) structure consisting of GaAs wells with AlGaAs barriers as a probe for measuring the performance of arsine purifiers within a MetalOrganic Vapour Phase Epitaxy system. Comparisons between two different commercially available purifiers are based on the analysis of low temperature photoluminescence emission spectra from thick QWs, grown on GaAs substrates misoriented slightly from (100). Neutral excitons emitted from these structures show extremely narrow linewidths, comparable to those which can be obtained by Molecular Beam Epitaxy in an ultra-high vacuum environment, suggesting that purifications well below the 1ppb level are needed to achieve high quality quantum well growth

Simulation of Energetic Particle Precipitation Effects During the 2003-2004 Arctic Winter

Energetic particle precipitation (EPP) during the 2003-2004 Arctic winter led to the production and subsequent transport of reactive odd nitrogen (NOx=NO+NO2) from the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) into the stratosphere. This caused NOx enhancements in the polar upper stratosphere in April 2004 that were unprecedented in the satellite record. Simulations of the 2003-2004 Arctic winter with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model using Specified Dynamics (SD-WACCM) are compared to satellite measurements to assess our understanding of the observed NOx enhancements. The comparisons show that SD-WACCM clearly displays the descent of NOx produced by EPP but underestimates the enhancements by at least a factor of four. Comparisons with NO measurements in January and February indicate that SD-WACCM most likely underestimates EPP-induced NO production locally in the mesosphere because it does not include precipitation of high energy electrons. Comparisons with temperature measurements suggest that SD-WACCM does not properly simulate recovery from a sudden stratospheric warming in early January, resulting in insufficient transport from the MLT into the stratosphere. Both of these factors probably contribute to the inability of SD-WACCM to simulate the stratospheric NOx enhancements, although their relative importance is unclear. The work highlights the importance of considering the full spectrum of precipitating electrons in order to fully understand the impact of EPP on the atmosphere. It also suggests a need for high-quality meteorological data and measurements of NOx throughout the polar winter MLT. ©2015. American Geophysical Union