Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Gyms: Evaluation of Swabbing-Based Sampling Methodologies and the Levels of MSSA/MRSA on Environmental Surfaces within Recreational Exercise Facilities

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging infectious bacterial pathogen which is a leader in the causes of nosocomial infections. Overtime, this pathogen has transitioned from association primarily with healthcare settings to association with community-acquired infections (CA-MRSA) as well. As CA-MRSA prevalence has risen, its outbreaks have been linked to common environmental sources; prompting interest in the environment as a potential means of its dissemination. To investigate this risk in gyms, four types of sampling devices were evaluated. The findings were used to create an environmental sampling protocol, with the goal of estimating the prevalence of MRSA. Sampling was by swabbing a surface area with a moistened gauze wipe, enrichment culture of recovered wipe fluid, platting of enrichment cultures on differential/selective media and colony isolation and identification. Of 8 facilities sampled, 5 had MRSA (1.69-10% prevalence) and the overall MRSA prevalence for all samples was 4.5%.Master of Science in Public Healt

Improved Boundary Layer Depth Retrievals from MPLNET

Continuous lidar observations of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) depth have been made at the Micropulse Lidar Network (MPLNET) site in Greenbelt, MD since April 2001. However, because of issues with the operational PBL depth algorithm, the data is not reliable for determining seasonal and diurnal trends. Therefore, an improved PBL depth algorithm has been developed which uses a combination of the wavelet technique and image processing. The new algorithm is less susceptible to contamination by clouds and residual layers, and in general, produces lower PBL depths. A 2010 comparison shows the operational algorithm overestimates the daily mean PBL depth when compared to the improved algorithm (1.85 and 1.07 km, respectively). The improved MPLNET PBL depths are validated using radiosonde comparisons which suggests the algorithm performs well to determine the depth of a fully developed PBL. A comparison with the Goddard Earth Observing System-version 5 (GEOS-5) model suggests that the model may underestimate the maximum daytime PBL depth by 410 m during the spring and summer. The best agreement between MPLNET and GEOS-5 occurred during the fall and they diered the most in the winter

What Does It Take to Get into Graduate School? A Survey of Atmospheric Science Programs

© Copyright 2009 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act September 2010 Page 2 or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC §108, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a web site or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy, available on the AMS Web site located at (https://www.ametsoc.org/) or from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or [email protected] AMS's Board on Higher Education undertook a survey of atmospheric science graduate programs in the United States and Canada during the fall and winter of 2007–08. The survey involved admission data for the three previous years and was performed with assistance from AMS headquarters and in cooperation with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). Usable responses were received from 29 programs, including most major atmospheric science programs. The responding schools receive between 6 and 140 applications per year, and typical incoming class sizes range from 1 to 24. About 69% of applicants and 76% of enrollees are domestic students. At the majority of schools, all incoming students receive full financial support. The average graduate program looks for undergraduate grade point averages of at least 3.3 to 3.5, higher for nonscience majors. Grade point averages in math and science courses, typically 3.5 or better, are particularly important. The typical midclass GRE of entering graduate students was a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1,300. Larger schools tend to place particular emphasis on math/ science grades and letters of recommendation, while smaller schools typically value a broader range of application characteristics. Students considering graduate school should make a special effort to cultivate potential letter writers, working on research projects if possible. They should also become informed about the particular requirements and values of the programs to which they are applying by visiting them if possible or by contacting professors with active research programs in the student's area of interest

Evidence of Mineral Dust Altering Cloud Microphysics and Precipitation

Multi-platform and multi-sensor observations are employed to investigate the impact of mineral dust on cloud microphysical and precipitation processes in mesoscale convective systems. It is clearly evident that for a given convection strength,small hydrometeors were more prevalent in the stratiform rain regions with dust than in those regions that were dust free. Evidence of abundant cloud ice particles in the dust sector, particularly at altitudes where heterogeneous nucleation process of mineral dust prevails, further supports the observed changes of precipitation. The consequences of the microphysical effects of the dust aerosols were to shift the precipitation size spectrum from heavy precipitation to light precipitation and ultimately suppressing precipitation

Ozone Profiles in the Baltimore-Washington Region (2006-2011): Satellite Comparisons and DISCOVER-AQ Observations

Much progress has been made in creating satellite products for tracking the pollutants ozone and NO2 in the troposphere. Yet, in mid-latitude regions where meteorological interactions with pollutants are complex, accuracy can be difficult to achieve, largely due to persistent layering of some constituents. We characterize the layering of ozone soundings and related species measured from aircraft over two ground sites in suburban Washington, DC (Beltsville, MD, 39.05N; 76.9W) and Baltimore (Edgewood, MD, 39.4N; 76.3W) during the July 2011 DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) experiment. First, we compare column-ozone amounts from the Beltsville and Edgewood sondes with data from overpassing satellites. Second, processes influencing ozone profile structure are analyzed using Laminar Identification and tracers: sonde water vapor, aircraft CO and NOy. Third, Beltsville ozone profiles and meteorological influences in July 2011 are compared to those from the summers of 2006-2010. Sonde-satellite offsets in total ozone during July 2011 at Edgewood and Beltsville, compared to the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), were 3 percent mean absolute error, not statistically significant. The disagreement between an OMIMicrowave Limb Sounder-based tropospheric ozone column and the sonde averaged 10 percent at both sites, with the sonde usually greater than the satellite. Laminar Identification (LID), that distinguishes ozone segments influenced by convective and advective transport, reveals that on days when both stations launched ozonesondes, vertical mixing was stronger at Edgewood. Approximately half the lower free troposphere sonde profiles have very dry laminae, with coincident aircraft spirals displaying low CO (80-110 ppbv), suggesting stratospheric influence. Ozone budgets at Beltsville in July 2011, determined with LID, as well as standard meteorological indicators, resemble those of 4 of the previous 5 summers. The penetration of stratospheric air throughout the troposphere appears to be typical for summer conditions in the Baltimore-Washington region

Validation of Atmospheric Profile Retrievals from the SNPP NOAA-Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System. Part 2: Ozone

This paper continues an overview of the validation of operational profile retrievals from the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (SNPP), with focus here given to the infrared (IR) ozone profile environmental data record (EDR) product. The SNPP IR ozone profile EDR is retrieved using the cross-track IR sounder (CrIS), a Fourier transform spectrometer that measures high-resolution IR earth radiance spectra containing atmospheric state information, namely, vertical profiles of temperature, moisture, and trace gas constituents. The SNPP CrIS serves as the U.S. low earth orbit (LEO) satellite IR sounding system and will be featured on future Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) LEO satellites. The operational sounding algorithm is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS), a legacy sounder science team algorithm that retrieves atmospheric profile EDR products, including ozone and carbon trace gases, with optimal vertical resolution under nonprecipitating (clear to partly cloudy) conditions. The NUCAPS ozone profile product is assessed in this paper using extensive global $in\;situ$ truth data sets, namely, ozonesonde observations launched from ground-based networks and from ocean-based intensive field campaigns, along with numerical weather prediction model output. Based upon rigorous statistical analyses using these data sets, the NUCAPS ozone profile EDRs are determined to meet the JPSS Level 1 global performance requirements

Attributes of mesoscale convective systems at the land-ocean transition in Senegal during NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses

In this study we investigate the development of a mesoscale convective system (MCS) as it moved from West Africa to the Atlantic Ocean on 31 August 2006. We document surface and atmospheric conditions preceding and following the MCS, particularly near the coast. These analyses are used to evaluate how thermodynamic and microphysical gradients influence storms as they move from continental to maritime environments. To achieve these goals, we employ observations from NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) from the NASA S band polarimetric Doppler radar, a meteorological flux tower, upper-air soundings, and rain gauges. We show that the MCS maintained a convective leading edge and trailing stratiform region as it propagated from land to ocean. The initial strength and organization of the MCS were associated with favorable antecedent conditions in the continental lower atmosphere, including high specific humidity (18 g kg ), temperatures (300 K), and wind shear. While transitioning, the convective and stratiform regions became weaker and disorganized. Such storm changes were linked to less favorable thermodynamic, dynamic, and microphysical conditions over ocean. To address whether storms in different life-cycle phases exhibited similar features, a composite analysis of major NAMMA events was performed. This analysis revealed an even stronger shift to lower reflectivity values over ocean. These findings support the hypothesis that favorable thermodynamic conditions over the coast are a prerequisite to ensuring that MCSs do not dissipate at the continental-maritime transition, particularly due to strong gradients that can weaken West African storms moving from land to ocean

Development of the Regional Climate-Weather Research and Forecasting Model: Surface Boundary Conditions

Illinois State Water Surveypublished or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe