NASAs High-Resolution GEOS Forecasting and Reanalysis Products: Stratospheric Intrusions at GMAO

No abstract availabl

Audio-visual speech perception: a developmental ERP investigation

Being able to see a talking face confers a considerable advantage for speech perception in adulthood. However, behavioural data currently suggest that children fail to make full use of these available visual speech cues until age 8 or 9. This is particularly surprising given the potential utility of multiple informational cues during language learning. We therefore explored this at the neural level. The event-related potential (ERP) technique has been used to assess the mechanisms of audio-visual speech perception in adults, with visual cues reliably modulating auditory ERP responses to speech. Previous work has shown congruence-dependent shortening of auditory N1/P2 latency and congruence-independent attenuation of amplitude in the presence of auditory and visual speech signals, compared to auditory alone. The aim of this study was to chart the development of these well-established modulatory effects over mid-to-late childhood. Experiment 1 employed an adult sample to validate a child-friendly stimulus set and paradigm by replicating previously observed effects of N1/P2 amplitude and latency modulation by visual speech cues; it also revealed greater attenuation of component amplitude given incongruent audio-visual stimuli, pointing to a new interpretation of the amplitude modulation effect. Experiment 2 used the same paradigm to map cross-sectional developmental change in these ERP responses between 6 and 11 years of age. The effect of amplitude modulation by visual cues emerged over development, while the effect of latency modulation was stable over the child sample. These data suggest that auditory ERP modulation by visual speech represents separable underlying cognitive processes, some of which show earlier maturation than others over the course of development

What is typical language development?

In light of Musolino, Chunyo and Landau’s findings and conclusions regarding syntax comprehension in Williams syndrome (this issue), we review the criteria used to determine whether the development of language is typical or atypical and our current understanding of the causes of language delay. Given a certain set of theoretical assumptions (e.g., generative / modular), fairly poor performance can nevertheless be viewed as indicating typical development. Given other theoretical assumptions (e.g., a neuroconstructivist view of constrained development), the same data can be viewed as indicative of atypicality

The influence of mid-latitude cyclones on European background surface ozone

The relationship between springtime mid-latitude cyclones and background ozone (O3) is explored using a combination of observational and reanalysis data sets. First, the relationship between surface O3 observations at two rural monitoring sites on the west coast of Europe – Mace Head, Ireland and Monte Velho, Portugal – and cyclone track frequency in the surrounding regions is examined. Second, detailed case study examination of four individual mid-latitude cyclones and the influence of the associated frontal passage on surface O3 is performed. Cyclone tracks have a greater influence on the O3 measurements at the more northern coastal European station, Mace Head, located within the main North Atlantic (NA) storm track. In particular, when cyclones track north of 53° N, there is a significant relationship with high levels of surface O3 (> 75th percentile). The further away a cyclone is from the NA storm track, the more likely it will be associated with both high and low (< 25th percentile) levels of O3 at the observation site during the cyclone's life cycle. The results of the four case studies demonstrate a) the importance of the passage of a cyclone's cold front in relation to surface O3 measurements, b) the ability of mid-latitude cyclones to bring down high levels of O3 from the stratosphere and c) that accompanying surface high pressure systems and their associated transport pathways play an important role in the temporal variability of surface O3. The main source of high O3 to these two sites is from the stratosphere, either from direct injection into the cyclone or associated with aged airstreams from decaying downstream cyclones that can become entrained and descend toward the surface within new cyclones over the NA region

The effects of springtime mid-latitude storms on trace gas composition determined from the MACC reanalysis

The relationship between springtime air pollution transport of ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) and mid-latitude cyclones is explored for the first time using the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) reanalysis for the period 2003–2012. In this study, the most intense spring storms (95th percentile) are selected for two regions, the North Pacific (NP) and the North Atlantic (NA). These storms (∼60 storms over each region) often track over the major emission sources of East Asia and eastern North America. By compositing the storms, the distributions of O3 and CO within a "typical" intense storm are examined. We compare the storm-centered composite to background composites of "average conditions" created by sampling the reanalysis data of the previous year to the storm locations. Mid-latitude storms are found to redistribute concentrations of O3 and CO horizontally and vertically throughout the storm. This is clearly shown to occur through two main mechanisms: (1) vertical lifting of CO-rich and O3-poor air isentropically, from near the surface to the mid- to upper-troposphere in the region of the warm conveyor belt; and (2) descent of O3-rich and CO-poor air isentropically in the vicinity of the dry intrusion, from the stratosphere toward the mid-troposphere. This can be seen in the composite storm's life cycle as the storm intensifies, with area-averaged O3 (CO) increasing (decreasing) between 200 and 500 hPa. The influence of the storm dynamics compared to the background environment on the composition within an area around the storm center at the time of maximum intensity is as follows. Area-averaged O3 at 300 hPa is enhanced by 50 and 36% and by 11 and 7.6% at 500 hPa for the NP and NA regions, respectively. In contrast, area-averaged CO at 300 hPa decreases by 12% for NP and 5.5% for NA, and area-averaged CO at 500 hPa decreases by 2.4% for NP while there is little change over the NA region. From the mid-troposphere, O3-rich air is clearly seen to be transported toward the surface, but the downward transport of CO-poor air is not discernible due to the high levels of CO in the lower troposphere. Area-averaged O3 is slightly higher at 1000 hPa (3.5 and 1.8% for the NP and NA regions, respectively). There is an increase of CO at 1000 hPa for the NP region (3.3%) relative to the background composite and a~slight decrease in area-averaged CO for the NA region at 1000 hPa (-2.7%)

Neuromyths About Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Misconceptions by Educators and the General Public

Neuromyths are commonly held misconceptions about the brain believed by both the general public and educators. While much research has investigated the prevalence of myths about the typically developing brain, less attention has been devoted to the pervasiveness of neuromyths about neurodevelopmental disorders, which have the potential to exacerbate stigma. This preregistered study investigated to what extent neuromyths about neurodevelopmental disorders (namely dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and syndrome) are endorsed by two groups: the general public and those working in education. In an online survey, 366 members of the general public and 203 individuals working in education rated similar numbers of myths to be true, but more about neurodevelopmental disorders than general neuromyths. As the frequency of access to brain information emerged as a protective factor against endorsing myths in both populations, we argue that this problem may be addressed via provision of neuroeducational resources

OMI Measurements of Bromine Monoxide and Implications for Missing Sources of Polar Bromine in GEOS-Chem

The OMI satellite instrument provides total column measurements of bromine monoxide (BrO) with daily global coverage. Reactive bromine compounds (Br and BrO) catalytically destroy ozone in both the stratosphere and troposphere. The current emission scheme of brominated source gases in the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model well represents the stratospheric burden of bromine. However, halogen research in GEOS-Chem has largely focused on the influence of halogens on the tropospheric oxidative capacity. In the troposphere, the distribution of brominated compounds is more variable and significant uncertainties remain in the chemical processes governing the sources and sinks of reactive bromine compounds. In this study, we use GEOS-Chem simulated stratospheric columns of BrO to separate the tropospheric signal of BrO from the OMI total column measurements. The resulting tropospheric BrO columns are used to identify seasonal and regional anomalies in tropospheric BrO not currently represented in GEOS-Chem. In particular, periods of elevated tropospheric BrO during polar spring are observable by OMI, and past studies have connected these so-called "bromine explosion" events to near complete removal of surface ozone. Due to significant uncertainties in the springtime polar source of reactive bromine, many global models, including GEOS-Chem, do not simulate these tropospheric ozone depletion events. Consequently, OMI-based tropospheric columns of BrO are useful tool for investigating the impact of bromine explosion events on tropospheric ozone depletion episodes as well as background air quality

A public library and plaza for the town of Marblehead, Massachusetts

Thesis (B.Arch.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture, 1957.MIT copy bound with: A decorative art center for New York City / Peter Michael Bernholz. 1957. ACCOMPANYING drawings held by MIT Museum.Bibliography: leaf [23].by William K. Goodwin, Jr.B.Arch

A Study of the Meteorological Conditions Associated with Anomalously Early and Late Openings of a Northwest Territories Winter Road

In the Canadian Arctic, winter roads are engineered across the frozen land, rivers, and lakes. The strength and longevity of these roads depend on particular weather conditions. Our research focuses on the winter road between Tulita and Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, which has been maintained officially by the territorial government since 1982. Statistical analysis of the opening dates for the winter road showed five seasons with extremely early dates and five with extremely late dates. The extremely early-opening seasons are distinguished by anomalously high sea-level pressures, anomalously cold tropospheric air, and northwesterly surface winds during the November prior to the road opening. The extremely late-opening seasons are characterized by an anomalously strong Aleutian low in the preceding November. The extremely late-opening years are correlated with strong El Niño seasons, whereas the extremely early-opening years are not systematically associated with teleconnection patterns. Our analysis of meteorological conditions near Norman Wells, associated with the extreme opening dates for this winter road, may provide planners with more precise information germane to this road construction.Dans l’Arctique canadien, les routes hivernales sont construites sur le sol, les lacs et les rivières gelées. La solidité et la durabilité de ces routes dépendent de conditions météorologiques particulières. Nos recherches mettent l’emphase sur la route hivernale officiellement entretenue par le gouvernement territorial depuis 1982, entre Tulita et Norman Wells dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest. L’analyse des statistiques relativement aux dates d’ouverture de cette route ont permis de dénoter des dates d’ouverture très hâtives dans le cas de cinq saisons, et très tardives dans le cas de cinq autres saisons. Les années où l’ouverture est extrêmement hâtive sont distinguées par une pression au niveau de la mer irrégulièrement haute, de l’air troposphérique irrégulièrement froid, et des vents de surface du nord-ouest durant le mois de novembre précédant l’ouverture de la route. Les cinq années dont l’ouverture est extrêmement tardive sont précédées par un mois de novembre où la basse pression des Aléoutiennes y est irrégulièrement forte. Les résultats démontrent que les années où l’ouverture est extrêmement tardive sont des saisons influencées par El Niño tandis que les années dont l’ouverture est extrêmement hâtive ne sont pas systématiquement associées avec des signaux de téléconnexions. L’analyse des conditions météorologiques près de Norman Wells, associée avec les dates d’ouvertures extrêmes pour cette route, procure aux planificateurs de ces routes de l’information plus précise pour la construction de celles-ci

Bridging the Krill Divide: Understanding Cross-Sector Objectives for Krill Fishing and Conservation

In June 2014, the ICED programme, the British Antarctic Survey and WWF co-hosted a two day workshop entitled “Understanding the objectives for krill fishing and conservation in the Scotia Sea and Antarctic Peninsula region” which involved participants from the science, conservation, and fishing industry sectors. The workshop used structured dialogue, led by an independent facilitator, to explore each sector’s objectives and information requirements for the krill-based ecosystem and to identify constructive ways for the three sectors to work together. The issue of krill fishing has previously provoked passionate debate but participants in this workshop showed broad crosssector accord. This included shared commitment to maintaining a healthy ecosystem and support for management of the krill fishery that minimises the risk of negative impacts on ecosystem health. Participants generally agreed that current levels of fishing have a low risk of significant impacts but that there is no need to increase catch limits. Participants also agreed that the objectives of management must include a healthy krill stock and a healthy ecosystem. However, they were not able to define ecosystem states that are desirable or healthy. This reflects the gaps in the currently available information and the indirect nature of the links between the krill-based ecosystem and human well being. The workshop produced a range of recommendations including the need to articulate a clear research and development strategy to support progress in the management of the krill fishery, and to improve communication between the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and its stakeholders. The workshop also revealed a cooperative and productive relationship between the various sectors. Further cross-sector work could progress some key tasks such as identifying priority information requirements and assessing the potential future demand for krill catch