Planetary waves in a coupled chemistry-climate model: analysis techniques and comparison with reanalysis data

International audienceThis paper presents several analysis techniques relating to large-scale atmospheric waves. Such analysis tools allow the extraction of planetary waves from reanalysis or model datasets, and can contribute to a detailed insight into the forcing, propagation, and vertical structure of planetary waves, and their dynamic impact on the atmosphere. The different tools presented here use time series of space Fourier coefficients in order to extract transient and stationary wave parts by zonal wavenumbers, and to quantify their dynamic effect in the form of sensible heat and momentum fluxes. In this work, they have been applied to model results from the coupled chemistry-climate model ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM (E39/C) (Hein et al., 2001) and to the ERA-15 reanalysis dataset from ECMWF. We show that E39/C qualitatively matches the variance distribution and vertical structure of transient waves from reanalysis data; quantitative differences can be traced back to the horizontal model resolution and the modelled zonal winds. The modelled polar vortex during Northern Hemisphere winter has previously been shown to be colder and more stable than observed (Hein et al., 2001; Schnadt et al., 2002; a possible explanation is that in the model experiment, a reduced heat flux by long transient waves at high latitudes disturbs and warms the polar vortex less than ERA-15 suggests, thereby leading to an overestimated stationary wavenumber 1 in E39/C. The results show that the tools used are well suited to investigate and estimate the impact of various dynamic processes related to large-scale waves

Measurement of single event upsets in the ALICE-TPC front-end electronics

The Time Projection Chamber of the ALICE experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider features highly integrated on-detector read-out electronics. It is following the general trend of high energy physics experiments by placing the front-end electronics as close to the detector as possible -- only some 10 cm away from its active volume. Being located close to the beams and the interaction region, the electronics is subject to a moderate radiation load, which allowed us to use commercial off-the-shelf components. However, they needed to be selected and qualified carefully for radiation hardness and means had to be taken to protect their functionality against soft errors, i.e. single event upsets. Here we report on the first measurements of LHC induced radiation effects on ALICE front-end electronics and on how they attest to expectations

Variable DNA methylation of transposable elements: The case study of mouse Early Transposons

Phenotypic variation stems from both genetic and epigenetic differences between individuals. In order to elucidate how phenotypes are determined, it is necessary to understand the forces that generate variation in genome sequence as well as its epigenetic state. In both contexts, transposable elements (TEs) may play an important role. It is well established that TE activity is a major generator of genetic variation, but recent research also suggests that TEs contribute to epigenetic variation. Stochastic epigenetic silencing of some TE insertions in mice has been shown to cause phenotypic variability between individuals. However, the prevalence of this phenomenon has never been evaluated. Here, we use 18 insertions of a mouse Endogenous Retrovirus (ERV) family, the Early Transposons (ETns), to detect insertion-dependent determinants of DNA methylation levels and variability between both cells and individuals. We show that the structure and age of insertions influence methylation levels and variability, resulting in a subgroup of loci that displays unexpectedly high variability in methylation and suggesting stochastic events during methylation establishment. Despite variation in methylation according to the age and structure of each locus, homologous CpG sites show similar tendencies in methylation levels across loci, emphasizing the role of the insertion's sequence in methylation determination. Our results show that differences in methylation of ETns between individuals is not a sporadic phenomenon and support the hypothesis that ERVs contribute to phenotypic variability through their stochastic silencing

Schwere Lithiumintoxikationen bei normalen Serumspiegeln

Anliegen Unser Ziel ist es, Faktoren zu identifizieren, die das Risiko einer Lithiumintoxikation trotz normaler Serumspiegel erhöhen. Methode Wir beschreiben zwei eigene Fälle und bewerten diese im Kontext der Literatur. Ergebnisse Alter, Begleiterkrankungen und psychopharmakologische Komedikation erhöhen das Risiko einer Lithiumintoxikation bei normalen Serumspiegeln. Diskussion Bei älteren, multimorbiden Patienten sollte eine engmaschige klinische Kontrolle inklusive Spiegelbestimmung und EEG erfolgen, bei klinischen Anzeichen der Intoxikation sollte auch bei unauffälligen Spiegeln ein Absetzen erwogen werden

Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) life development: morphological, physiological, behavioral and molecular phenotypes.

BackgroundMahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is a commercially and ecologically important fish species that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters. Biological attributes and reproductive capacities of mahi-mahi make it a tractable model for experimental studies. In this study, life development of cultured mahi-mahi from the zygote stage to adult has been described.ResultsA comprehensive developmental table has been created reporting development as primarily detailed observations of morphology. Additionally, physiological, behavioral, and molecular landmarks have been described to significantly contribute in the understanding of mahi life development.ConclusionRemarkably, despite the vast difference in adult size, many developmental landmarks of mahi map quite closely onto the development and growth of Zebrafish and other warm-water, active Teleost fishes

Star Clusters in the Nearby Late-Type Galaxy NGC 1311

Ultraviolet, optical and near infrared images of the nearby (D ~ 5.5 Mpc) SBm galaxy NGC 1311, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, reveal a small population of 13 candidate star clusters. We identify candidate star clusters based on a combination of their luminosity, extent and spectral energy distribution. The masses of the cluster candidates range from ~1000 up to ~100000 Solar masses, and show a strong positive trend of larger mass with increasing with cluster age. Such a trend follows from the fading and dissolution of old, low-mass clusters, and the lack of any young super star clusters of the sort often formed in strong starbursts. The cluster age distribution is consistent with a bursting mode of cluster formation, with active episodes of age ~10 Myr, ~100 Myr and ~1 Gyr. The ranges of age and mass we probe are consistent with those of the star clusters found in quiescent Local Group dwarf galaxies.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, accepted by A

How was it for you? Experiences of participatory design in the UK health service

Improving co-design methods implies that we need to understand those methods, paying attention to not only the effect of method choices on design outcomes, but also how methods affect the people involved in co-design. In this article, we explore participants' experiences from a year-long participatory health service design project to develop ‘Better Outpatient Services for Older People’. The project followed a defined method called experience-based design (EBD), which represented the state of the art in participatory service design within the UK National Health Service. A sample of participants in the project took part in semi-structured interviews reflecting on their involvement in and their feelings about the project. Our findings suggest that the EBD method that we employed was successful in establishing positive working relationships among the different groups of stakeholders (staff, patients, carers, advocates and design researchers), although conflicts remained throughout the project. Participants' experiences highlighted issues of wider relevance in such participatory design: cost versus benefit, sense of project momentum, locus of control, and assumptions about how change takes place in a complex environment. We propose tactics for dealing with these issues that inform the future development of techniques in user-centred healthcare design