CALIPSO Observations of Transatlantic Dust: Vertical Stratification and Effect of Clouds

CALIOP nighttime measurements of lidar backscatter, color and depolarization ratios during the summer of 2007 are used to study transatlantic dust properties downwind of Saharan sources, and to examine the interaction of clouds and dust. We discuss the following findings: (1) while lidar backscatter doesn't change much with altitude in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), depolarization and color ratios both increase with altitude in the SAL; (2) lidar backscatter and color ratio increase as dust is transported westward in the SAL; (3) the vertical lapse rate of dust depolarization ratio increases within SAL as plumes move westward; (4) nearby clouds barely affect the backscatter and color ratio of dust volumes within SAL but not so below SAL. Finally, (5) the odds of CALIOP finding dust below SAL next to clouds are about 2/3 of those far away from clouds. This feature, together with an apparent increase in depolarization ratio near clouds, indicates that particles in some dusty volumes lose asphericity in the humid air near clouds, and cannot be identified by CALIPSO as dust

The dynamics of the main epidemiological indicators among living in Moscow patients with diabetes mellitus (2013–2018)

BACKGROUND: State Register of Diabetes Mellitus (SRDM) plays an important role in the dynamic analysis of the epidemiological parameters that evaluate the disease itself and its complications, and also helps to analyze the quality of specialized medical care for patients. To solve modern scientific and practical problems, it is important to analyze data not only among the entire population of Russia, but also in large administrative-territorial subjects of the country. AIMS: To Study the dynamics of the main epidemiological indicators (values) among patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) living in Moscow for the period from 2013 to 2018 according to the State Register of Diabetes Mellitus (SRDM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analysis of Moscow region of the SRDM database was conducted. According to it there were registered 345.1 thousand patients with diabetes by 01.01.2019. RESULTS: During the period from 2013 to 2018 the total number of patients with DM increased up 9.8% (from 314.4 thousand to 345.1 thousand people). DM2 accounts for 94% of the total number of patients. According to SRDM the prevalence of DM1 on 100 thousand population has grown up 6.9% (from 152.2 in 2013 to 162.7 in 2018); DM2 – by 9.6% (from 2864.7 in 2013 to 3139.4 in 2018). The incidence of DM1 per 100 thousand people decreased down to 6.4% (from 4.7 in 2013 to 4.4% in 2018); DM2 – grew up 4.3% (from 198.1 in 2002, to 206.6 in 2018). Throughout the study period the incidence of DM2 was higher among women, while the opposite trend was observed among women with DM1. The mortality among people with DM1 in 2018 was 1.6 per 100 thousand among adult population (in 2017 it was 1.7); among patients with DM2 the mortality was 56.6 people per 100 thousand among adult population (in 2017 it was 65.6). The first place among the direct causes of death among patients with DM1 and DM2 in 2018 was occupied by cardiovascular diseases (57.5% and 67.9%, respectively), the second place – oncological diseases (9.9% and 12.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the epidemiological analysis showed that since 2013 in Moscow there has been an increase in the prevalence of diabetes, against the background of stable indicators of incidence (except for the organizational period of adapting to the new online data entry system of SRDM). The leading causes of death of patients with diabetes are cardiovascular and oncological diseases

Retrieving Aerosol Characteristics From the PACE Mission, Part 1: Ocean Color Instrument

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Clouds, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission is scheduled to launch in 2022, with the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) on board. For the first time reflected sunlight from the Earth across a broad spectrum from the ultraviolet (UV: 350 nm) to the short wave infrared (SWIR: 2260 nm) will be measured from a single instrument at 1 km spatial resolution. While seven discrete bands will represent the SWIR, the spectrum from 350 to 890 nm will be continuously covered with a spectral resolution of 5 nm. OCI will thus combine in a single instrument (and at an enhanced spatial resolution for the UV) the heritage capabilities of the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), while covering the oxygen A-band (O2A). Designed for ocean color and ocean biology retrievals, OCI also enables continuation of heritage satellite aerosol products and the development of new aerosol characterization from space. In particular the combination of MODIS and OMI characteristics allows deriving aerosol height, absorption and optical depth along with a measure of particle size distribution. This is achieved by using the traditional MODIS visible-to-SWIR wavelengths to constrain spectral aerosol optical depth and particle size. Extrapolating this information to the UV channels allows retrieval of aerosol absorption and layer height. A more direct method to derive aerosol layer height makes use of O2A absorption methods, despite the relative coarseness of the nominal 5 nm spectral resolution of OCI. Altogether the PACE mission with OCI will be an unprecedented opportunity for aerosol characterization that will continue climate data records from the past decades and propel aerosol science forward toward new opportunities

Thrombotic and bleeding complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and severe COVID-19: a study of ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to COVID-19 related poor outcomes, including thrombosis and death, due to the advanced age, the presence of comorbidities, and the disease and treatment-related immune deficiency. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of thrombosis and bleeding in patients with CLL affected by severe COVID-19. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, including patients from 79 centers across 22 countries. Data collection was conducted between April and May 2021. The COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for SARS-CoV-2 on nasal or pharyngeal swabs. Severe cases of COVID-19 were defined by hospitalization and the need of oxygen or admission into ICU. Development and type of thrombotic events, presence and severity of bleeding complications were reported during treatment for COVID-19. Bleeding events were classified using ISTH definition. STROBE recommendations were used in order to enhance reporting. RESULTS: A total of 793 patients from 79 centers were included in the study with 593 being hospitalized (74.8%). Among these, 511 were defined as having severe COVID: 162 were admitted to the ICU while 349 received oxygen supplementation outside the ICU. Most patients (90.5%) were receiving thromboprophylaxis. During COVID-19 treatment, 11.1% developed a thromboembolic event, while 5.0% experienced bleeding. Thrombosis developed in 21.6% of patients who were not receiving thromboprophylaxis, in contrast to 10.6% of patients who were on thromboprophylaxis. Bleeding episodes were more frequent in patients receiving intermediate/therapeutic versus prophylactic doses of low-molecular-weight heparin (LWMH) (8.1% vs. 3.8%, respectively) and in elderly. In multivariate analysis, peak D-dimer level and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio were poor prognostic factors for thrombosis occurrence (OR?=?1.022, 95%CI 1.007?1.038 and OR?=?1.025, 95%CI 1.001?1.051, respectively), while thromboprophylaxis use was protective (OR?=?0.199, 95%CI 0.061?0.645). Age and LMWH intermediate/therapeutic dose administration were prognostic factors in multivariate model for bleeding (OR?=?1.062, 95%CI 1.017-1.109 and OR?=?2.438, 95%CI 1.023-5.813, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CLL affected by severe COVID-19 are at a high risk of thrombosis if thromboprophylaxis is not used, but also at increased risk of bleeding under the LMWH intermediate/therapeutic dose administration

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Benchmarking Forward 1D Radiative Transfer and Inverse Problems Solutions at JPL

No abstract availabl

How Long should the MISR Record Be when Evaluating Aerosol Optical Depth Climatology in Climate Models?

This study used the nearly continuous 17-year observation record from the Multi- angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Terra Earth Observing System satellite to determine which temporal subsets are long enough to define statistically stable speciated aerosol optical depth (AOD) climatologies (i.e., AOD by particle types) for purposes of climate model evaluation. A random subsampling of seasonally averaged total and speciated AOD retrievals was performed to quantitatively assess the statistical stability in the climatology, represented by the minimum record length required for the standard deviation of the subsampled mean AODs to be less than a certain threshold. Our results indicate that the multi-year mean speciated AOD from MISR is stable on a global scale; however, there is substantial regional variability in the assessed stability. This implies that in some regions, even 17 years may not provide a long enough sample to define regional mean total and speciated AOD climatologies. We further investigated the agreement between the statistical stability of total AOD retrievals from MISR and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), also on the NASA Terra satellite. The difference in the minimum record lengths between MISR and MODIS climatologies of total AOD is less than three years for most of the globe, with the exception of certain regions. Finally, we compared the seasonal cycles in the MISR total and speciated AODs with those simulated by three global chemistry transport models in the regions of climatologically stable speciated AODs. We found that only one model reproduced the observed seasonal cycles of the total and non-absorbing AODs over East China, but the seasonal cycles in total and dust AODs in all models are similar to those from MISR in Western Africa. This work provides a new method for considering the statistical stability of satellite-derived climatologies and illustrates the value of MISR&rsquo;s speciated AOD data record for evaluating aerosols in global models

Joint Aerosol and Water-Leaving Radiance Retrieval from Observations by Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)

No abstract availabl