Characterizing Global Ozonesonde Profile Variability from Surface to the UT/LS with a Clustering Technique and MERRA-2 Reanalysis

Our previous studies employing the self-organizing map (SOM) clustering technique to ozonesonde data have found significant links among meteorological and chemical regimes, and the shape of the ozone (O3) profile from the troposphere to the lower stratosphere. These studies, which focused on specific northern hemisphere mid-latitude geographical regions, demonstrated the advantages of SOM clustering by quantifying O3 profile variability and the O3/meteorological correspondence. We expand SOM to a global set of ozonesonde profiles spanning 1980-present from 30 sites to summarize the connections among O3 profiles, meteorology, and chemistry, using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis and other ancillary data. Four clusters of O3 mixing ratio profiles from the surface to the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UT/LS) are generated for each site, which show dominant profile shapes and typical seasonality (or lack thereof) that generally correspond to latitude (i.e. Tropical, Subtropical, Mid-Latitude, Polar). Examination of MERRA-2 output reveals a clear relationship among SOM clusters and covarying meteorological fields (geopotential height, potential vorticity, and tropopause height) for Polar and Mid-latitude sites. However, these relationships break down within +/-30 deg latitude. Carbon monoxide satellite data, along with velocity potential, a proxy for convection, calculated from MERRA-2 wind fields assist characterization of the Tropical and Subtropical sites, where biomass burning and convective transport linked to the Madden- Julian Oscillation (MJO) dominate O3 variability. In addition to geophysical characterization of O3 profile variability, these results can be used to evaluate chemical transport model output and satellite measurements of O3

Comparison of Tropical Ozone from SHADOZ with Remote Sensing Retrievals from Suomi-npp Ozone Mapping Profile Suite (OMPS)

The Ozone Mapping Profile Suite (OMPS) was launched October 28, 2011 on-board the Suomi NPP satellite (http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov). OMPS is the next generation total column ozone mapping instrument for monitoring the global distribution of stratospheric ozone. OMPS includes a limb profiler to measure the vertical structure of stratosphere ozone down to the mid-troposphere. This study uses tropical ozonesonde profile measurements from the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ, http://croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/shadoz) archive to evaluate total column ozone retrievals from OMPS and concurrent measurements from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the predecessor of OMPS with a data record going back to 2004. We include ten SHADOZ stations that contain data overlapping the OMPS time period (2012-2013). This study capitalizes on the ozone profile measurements from SHADOZ to evaluate OMPS limb profile retrievals. Finally, we use SHADOZ sondes and OMPS retrievals to examine the agreement with the GEOS-5 Ozone Assimilation System (GOAS). The GOAS uses data from the OMI and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) to constrain the total column and stratospheric profiles of ozone. The most recent version of the assimilation system is well constrained to the total column compared with SHADOZ ozonesonde data

Therapy-refractory Panton Valentine Leukocidin-positive community-acquired methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus sepsis with progressive metastatic soft tissue infection: a case report

We report a case of fulminant multiple organ failure including the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), haemodynamic, and renal failure due to community-acquired methicillin-sensitive Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) positive spa-type 284 (ST121) Staphylococcus aureus septic shock. The patient's first clinical symptom was necrotizing pneumonia. Despite organism-sensitive triple antibiotic therapy with linezolid, imipenem and clindamycin from the first day of treatment, progressive abscess formation in multiple skeletal muscles was observed. As a result, repeated surgical interventions became necessary. Due to progressive soft tissue infection, the anti-microbial therapy was changed to a combination of clindamycin and daptomycin. Continued surgical and antimicrobial therapy finally led to a stabilisation of the patients' condition. The clinical course of our patient underlines the existence of a "PVL-syndrome" which is independent of in vitro Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility. The PVL-syndrome should not only be considered in patients with soft tissue or bone infection, but also in patients with pneumonia. Such a condition, which may easily be mistaken for uncomplicated pneumonia, should be treated early, aggressively and over a long period of time in order to avoid relapsing infection

Messages that increase women’s intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy: results from quantitative testing of advertising concepts

Background: Public awareness-raising campaigns targeting alcohol use during pregnancy are an important part of preventing prenatal alcohol exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Despite this, there is little evidence on what specific elements contribute to campaign message effectiveness. This research evaluated three different advertising concepts addressing alcohol and pregnancy: a threat appeal, a positive appeal promoting a self-efficacy message, and a concept that combined the two appeals. The primary aim was to determine the effectiveness of these concepts in increasing women’s intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy.Methods: Women of childbearing age and pregnant women residing in Perth, Western Australia participated in a computer-based questionnaire where they viewed either a control or one of the three experimental concepts. Following exposure, participants’ intentions to abstain from and reduce alcohol intake during pregnancy were measured. Other measures assessed included perceived main message, message diagnostics, and potential to promote defensive responses or unintended consequences.Results: The concepts containing a threat appeal were significantly more effective at increasing women’s intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy than the self-efficacy message and the control. The concept that combined threat and self-efficacy is recommended for development as part of a mass-media campaign as it has good persuasive potential, provides a balance of positive and negative emotional responses, and is unlikely to result in defensive or unintended consequences.Conclusions: This study provides important insights into the components that enhance the persuasiveness and effectiveness of messages aimed at preventing prenatal alcohol exposure. The recommended concept has good potential for use in a future campaign aimed at promoting women’s intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnanc

Ozonesonde Quality Assurance: JOSIE-SHADOZ (2017) and SHALLOTS (2018)

Ozonesonde data constitute a mainstay of satellite calibration and are used for climatologies and analysis of trends, especially in the lower stratosphere where satellites are most uncertain. The electrochemical-concentration cell (ECC) ozonesonde has been deployed at ~100 stations worldwide since the 1960s, with changes over time in manufacture and procedures, including details of the cell chemical solution and data processing. As a consequence, there are biases among different stations and discontinuities in profile timeseries from individual site records. Since 1996 the Jlich [Germany] Ozone Sonde Intercomparison Experiment (JOSIE) has periodically tested ozonesondes in a simulation chamber designated the World Calibration Centre for Ozonesondes by WMO. In October- November 2017 a JOSIE campaign evaluated the sondes and procedures used in SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes), a 14-station tropical and subtropical network. A distinctive feature of the 2017 JOSIE was that the tests were conducted by operators from eight SHADOZ stations; Nairobi, Natal, Irene, Costa Rica, Paramaribo, Reunion, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur. Experimental protocols and preliminary results for the SHADOZ sonde configurations, which represent most of those in use today, are described. SHADOZ stations that follow WMO-recommended protocols record total ozone within 3% of the JOSIE reference instrument. Instrument biases noted in prior JOSIE and field tests like BESOS (2004) were noted in JOSIE-2017, with maximum effect in the stratosphere. In June 2018 we organized a series of dual launches during the OWLETS II campaign in the Maryland and Chesapeake Bay area (SHALLOTS = SHADOZ-OWLETS ParaLLel Ozonesonde Test Study). Instrument and solution types were varied as in JOSIE-2017 and three radiosonde-ozonesonde variants were tested. An example of a parallel sampling in SHALLOTS, from a Greenbelt EnSCI-iMet sonde combination flown with the Wallops SPCLMS package, is illustrated in the Figure. The result was a range of biases but in general the instrument combination (EnSCI-iMet) deployed at 11 SHADOZ stations recorded ~5-10% less ozone in the stratosphere than the SPC ECC sonde flown with a Vaisala or LMS system. These 2017 and 2018 results and prior JOSIEs demonstrate that regular testing is essential to maintain best practices in ozonesonde operations and to ensure high-quality data for the ozone assessment communities

A pig model of acute Staphylococcus aureus induced pyemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sepsis caused by <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>constitutes an important cause of morbidity and mortality in humans, and the incidence of this disease-entity is increasing. In this paper we describe the initial microbial dynamics and lesions in pigs experimentally infected with <it>S. aureus</it>, with the aim of mimicking human sepsis and pyemia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted in anaesthetized and intravenously inoculated pigs, and was based on bacteriological examination of blood and testing of blood for IL-6 and C-reactive protein. Following killing of the animals and necropsy bacteriological and histological examinations of different organs were performed 4, 5 or 6 h after inoculation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Clearance of bacteria from the blood was completed within the first 2 h in some of the pigs and the highest bacterial load was recorded in the lungs as compared to the spleen, liver and bones. This probably was a consequence of both the intravenous route of inoculation and the presence of pulmonary intravascular macrophages. Inoculation of bacteria induced formation of acute microabscesses in the lungs, spleen and liver, but not in the kidneys or bones. No generalized inflammatory response was recorded, i.e. IL-6 was not detected in the blood and C-reactive protein did not increase, probably because of the short time course of the study.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrates the successful induction of acute pyemia (microabscesses), and forms a basis for future experiments that should include inoculation with strains of <it>S. aureus </it>isolated from man and an extension of the timeframe aiming at inducing sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock.</p