The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Hydration of the Stratosphere.

Following the 15 January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption, several trace gases measured by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) displayed anomalous stratospheric values. Trajectories and radiance simulations confirm that the H2O, SO2, and HCl enhancements were injected by the eruption. In comparison with those from previous eruptions, the SO2 and HCl mass injections were unexceptional, although they reached higher altitudes. In contrast, the H2O injection was unprecedented in both magnitude (far exceeding any previous values in the 17-year MLS record) and altitude (penetrating into the mesosphere). We estimate the mass of H2O injected into the stratosphere to be 146 ± 5 Tg, or ∼10% of the stratospheric burden. It may take several years for the H2O plume to dissipate. This eruption could impact climate not through surface cooling due to sulfate aerosols, but rather through surface warming due to the radiative forcing from the excess stratospheric H2O.

Extreme Outliers in Lower Stratospheric Water Vapor Over North America Observed by MLS: Relation to Overshooting Convection Diagnosed From Colocated Aqua-MODIS Data.

Convectively injected water vapor (H2O) in the North American (NA) summer lowermost stratosphere results in significant outliers in the 100-hPa H2O measurements from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). MLS statistics from 15 years confirm that the NA region contains over 60% of global 100-hPa H2O > 12 ppmv, despite having only ∼1.8% of all MLS observations. A profile sampled in August 2019 stands out, with H 2 O = 26 . 3 ppmv, far exceeding the prior record and the median ∼4.5-ppmv abundance in NA. This particular outlier is associated with a large overshooting convective event (OCE) that spanned multiple U.S. states and persisted for several hours. Colocation of the MLS data over NA with cloud observations from Aqua's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reveals the unique character of this case, as only 2.3% of MLS profiles are as close to an OCE and only 0.024% of OCEs cover as large an area within a 500-km perimeter of a profile.

UTLS water vapour from SCIAMACHY limb measurementsV3.01 (2002-2012).

The SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) aboard the Envisat satellite provided measurements from August 2002 until April 2012. SCIAMACHY measured the scattered or direct sunlight using different observation geometries. The limb viewing geometry allows the retrieval of water vapour at about 10-25 km height from the near-infrared spectral range (1353-1410 nm). These data cover the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), a region in the atmosphere which is of special interest for a variety of dynamical and chemical processes as well as for the radiative forcing. Here, the latest data version of water vapour (V3.01) from SCIAMACHY limb measurements is presented and validated by comparisons with data sets from other satellite and in situ measurements. Considering retrieval tests and the results of these comparisons, the V3.01 data are reliable from about 11 to 23 km and the best results are found in the middle of the profiles between about 14 and 20 km. Above 20 km in the extra tropics V3.01 is drier than all other data sets. Additionally, for altitudes above about 19 km, the vertical resolution of the retrieved profile is not sufficient to resolve signals with a short vertical structure like the tape recorder. Below 14 km, SCIAMACHY water vapour V3.01 is wetter than most collocated data sets, but the high variability of water vapour in the troposphere complicates the comparison. For 14-20 km height, the expected errors from the retrieval and simulations and the mean differences to collocated data sets are usually smaller than 10 % when the resolution of the SCIAMACHY data is taken into account. In general, the temporal changes agree well with collocated data sets except for the Northern Hemisphere extratropical stratosphere, where larger differences are observed. This indicates a possible drift in V3.01 most probably caused by the incomplete treatment of volcanic aerosols in the retrieval. In all other regions a good temporal stability is shown. In the tropical stratosphere an increase in water vapour is found between 2002 and 2012, which is in agreement with other satellite data sets for overlapping time periods.

Selected reaction monitoring method to determine the species origin of blood-based binding agents in meats: a collaborative study.

Binding products or food 'glues' are used throughout the food industry to increase the meat use rate or to augment economic efficiency. Some of these binders contain thrombin from bovine and porcine blood. The European parliament has recently banned thrombin-based additives and labelling legislation governs their use in the US. A mass spectrometry screening method is available to detect the addition of thrombin agents to foods as there is a need to protect consumers and to avoid misleading trade practices. We report the details of an inter-laboratory trial to determine the transferability of this method to operators in various food testing laboratories, each using a different triple quadrupole mass spectrometer design. The trial was successful with the species origin of the binding agent contained in each of the 43 test materials being correctly reported by the participants. This is consistent with a false positive and false negative rate of 0%. This is the first collaborative study, as far as we are aware, which involves a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) application to approach a food authenticity issue.

Use of overall migration methodology to test for food-contact substances with specific migration limits.

This work investigated if overall migration test procedures could also be used to test for the migration of specific substances from plastics. The overall migration test procedure used was the evaporative gravimetric method used with volatile food simulants. Thirty food-contact substances (additives and monomers) were tested for their chemical stability and volatile loss during the heated evaporation stage of the overall migration procedure. Eighteen of the 30 were determined in an acceptable yield. It is concluded that in the list of approximately 620 European Union substances that have specific migration limits of 5 mg kg(-1) or higher, and based on considerations of stability and volatility, more than half could be amenable to control using overall migration methodology. This is particularly the case for inert plastics with low intrinsic overall migration values of oligomers. This means that based on the overall migration test result found, testing laboratories could decide on a case-by-case basis if known additives and starting substances are covered by the overall migration result and no separate testing would be required for specific migration, with time and resource cost savings.

Investigation into the migration potential of coating materials from cookware products.

Twenty-six non-stick-coated cookware samples were purchased, covering a variety of products, coating/metal types and food contact applications. The polymer coatings were identified to be polyethersulphone, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), bisphenol A/epichlorohydrin and one coating for which no good match was obtained with infra-red library spectra. All of the products intended for stove-top use had a polymer coating containing PTFE. The coatings were analysed as purchased and after heating at 250 degrees C for 30 min to simulate actual conditions of use. Total solvent extractables were measured and the overall migration was determined into simulants. None of the products exceeded an overall migration limit of 10 mg dm(-2). Coating materials were analysed by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), by liquid extraction followed by GC-MS and by liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy with a particle-beam interface. Benzene was detected in two samples, at 1.4 and 2.4 microg dm(-2). These levels in the coatings are too low to give any detectable migration into foods. There was no detectable release of perfluorochemicals. Several other substances were identified and the worst-case migration was calculated. The origin of many of the substances detected was considered to be by pick-up from the printed packaging materials in which the cookware was sold. Potential consumer exposure was calculated. None of the substances identified had the potential to exceed their tolerable daily intake (TDI) value. To confirm these worst-case calculations, the migration of certain phthalates and of bisphenol A was measured into food simulants. Migration levels were very low.

Measurement uncertainty associated with overall migration testing.

The results from a single laboratory that took part in a series of check-sample exercises for overall migration were used to calculate the measurement uncertainty for the overall migration methodology. The results span 10 years of proficiency testing and cover a range of plastic materials tested using a variety of time and temperature test conditions. Twelve sets of results for overall migration into olive oil and 10 sets of results for overall migration into volatile simulants were used. The measurement uncertainty associated with the determination of overall migration from plastics into olive oil was estimated as +/- 2.6 mg dm-2 for results between 1.2 and 15.4 mg dm-2. The measurement uncertainty associated with the determination of overall migration into volatile simulants was estimated as +/- 1.4 mg dm-2 for results between 2.1 and 13 mg dm-2. These estimates are within the analytical tolerances set in European Union regulations, of 3 and 2 mg dm-2, respectively. The performance of all laboratories participating in these 22 check sample exercises was also evaluated. A very large majority (93%) of the participants used official test methods, sometimes with minor modifications as stated. For the simulant olive oil, an average of 81% of laboratories (13 rounds with an average of 21 participants in each) using official methods was within the tolerance specified in regulations. For the volatile food simulants, an average of 87% of laboratories (11 rounds with an average of 38 participants in each) using official methods was within the tolerance specified. It is concluded from this evaluation of within- and between-laboratory data that the official European Standard methods for overall migration testing are suitable for the analysis of routine samples.

Method of test and survey of caprolactam migration into foods packaged in nylon-6.

An analytical method for the determination of the nylon-6 monomer caprolactam in foods is described. The foodstuff was extracted with ethanol: water (1:2) containing capryllactam as internal standard and the extract was defatted using hexane. The extract was analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The test method was calibrated down to 0.7 mg kg(-1). The repeatability of the method was good, with a relative standard deviation of 9% at the 15 mg kg(-1) level. The method was demonstrated to be accurate in an independent external check sample exercise. The new method was applied to the analysis of 50 retail foodstuffs packaged in nylon-6. Caprolactam was detected and confirmed in nine of the 50 food samples, in the range 2.8-13 mg kg(-1). The presence of caprolactam was indicated in a further 15 samples, in the range 0.8-11 mg kg(-1), but these samples did not meet all of the five confirmation criteria applied. All migration levels (both confirmed and unconfirmed) were below the European specific migration limit for caprolactam, which is 15 mg kg(-1). The average migration for all 50 samples, setting non-detectables at half the limit of detection, was 2.6 mg kg(-1) with a standard deviation of 3.1 mg kg(-1) (n = 50). All samples found to contain detectable levels of caprolactam migration were for applications involving heating the food in the packaging. They were packs of, for example, sausage meat for which the food would have been heat processed in the nylon casing, or they were nylon pouches for heating foods by boiling, microwaving or roasting.

Development and application of an LC-MS method to determine possible migration of mercaptobenzothiazole, benzothiazole and related vulcanization residues from rubber used in contact with food and drink.

A method was developed for the analysis of food and drink for residues of specific vulcanization accelerators used to cross-link rubber. The method was applied to the analysis of 236 samples of selected retail foodstuffs that may have been in contact with rubber during their manufacture, transport and storage. The method of analysis involved extraction of the food using acidified solvent and analysis by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-APcI-MS). The detection limit depended on the sample type and was in the range 0.005-0.043 mg kg(-1) for 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) and benzothiazole (BT). The average analytical recovery rate was 82% for MBT and 87% for BT. The analytical method was validated using a blind check sample exercise. For MBT and BT at seven different concentrations in the range 0.1-0.2 mg kg(-1), the laboratory found a mean of 91 and 90% of the expected concentrations, respectively. No trace of MBT or BT was found in any of the retail samples. It is also concluded that no sample contained significant 2-mercaptobenzothiazyl disulphide (MBTS) or N- cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazole sulphenamide (CBS). Both MBTS and CBS are important accelerators used to vulcanize rubber and they break down in foodstuffs to form MBT and BT. The absence of MBT and BT in the foodstuffs therefore also provides proof of the absence of MBTS and CBS.

Renal hypoplasia and dysplasia in an American miniature foal.

Diagnostic imaging, including computed tomography, of a two-month-old foal with renal failure indicated that its right kidney was probably absent and that its left kidney was abnormal in shape. The foal was stabilised and released, but three days later its clinical signs recurred. Postmortem examination revealed renal hypoplasia and dysplasia, the first reported case of this condition in an American miniature horse.

Endogenous lipid (cholesterol) pneumonia associated with bronchogenic carcinoma in a cat.

An 11-year-old, female domestic longhair was presented for dyspnea, vomiting, and left forelimb lameness. A mass in the left caudal lung lobe was seen on thoracic radiographs. The mass was resected during thoracotomy, and histopathology confirmed a diagnosis of endogenous lipid pneumonia. The cat recovered slowly from surgery and was euthanized 11 days following discharge because of persistent respiratory difficulties. Necropsy findings included lipid pneumonia and bronchogenic carcinoma, with probable tumor metastasis to the small intestine, spleen, kidney, and left triceps muscle.

Macroscopic and microscopic characterization of a uriniferous perirenal pseudocyst in a Domestic Short Hair cat.

The macroscopic and microscopic features of a uriniferous perirenal pseudocyst in a castrated male 12-year-old American Domestic Short Hair cat are characterized. The development in humans and animals of a perirenal pseudocyst due to the accumulation of urine, lymph, or blood is discussed. In the presented case, microscopic evidence suggests that the pseudocyst developed following formation of a split in the kidney capsule. Emphasis is placed on the development of uriniferous pseudocysts and three proposed criteria for their development: trauma, abnormal openings that allow extravasation of urine, or urethral obstruction.

The early experience of a voluntary small group insurance program utilizing managed care plans.

HealthCare Group of Arizona (HCGA), a state-sponsored, voluntary health insurance purchasing program offering prepaid health plans to small businesses, became operational in 1988. This article summarizes the results from a wide-ranging evaluation of that program and discusses their implications. In general, enrollees were satisfied with their experience in their plans. HCGA did not appear to attract an adverse mix of health risks, and service utilization rates were consistent with HMO industry averages. However, these findings varied across health plans and the marketing approaches they adopted. Enrollment growth in HCGA has been steady, but premium subsidies may be necessary if HCGA is to substantially increase its enrollment of low-wage, uninsured workers.

Interhemispheric Differences in Polar Stratospheric HNO3, H2O, CIO, and O3.

Simultaneous global measurements of nitric acid (HNO(3)), water (H(2)O), chlorine monoxide (CIO), and ozone (O(3)) in the stratosphere have been obtained over complete annual cycles in both hemispheres by the Microwave Limb Sounder on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. A sizeable decrease in gas-phase HNO(3) was evident in the lower stratospheric vortex over Antarctica by early June 1992, followed by a significant reduction in gas-phase H(2)O after mid-July. By mid-August, near the time of peak CIO, abundances of gas-phase HNO(3) and H(2)O were extremely low. The concentrations of HNO(3) and H(2)O over Antarctica remained depressed into November, well after temperatures in the lower stratosphere had risen above the evaporation threshold for polar stratospheric clouds, implying that denitrification and dehydration had occurred. No large decreases in either gas-phase HNO(3) or H(2)O were observed in the 1992-1993 Arctic winter vortex. Although CIO was enhanced over the Arctic as it was over the Antarctic, Arctic O(3) depletion was substantially smaller than that over Antarctica. A major factor currently limiting the formation of an Arctic ozone "hole" is the lack of denitrification in the northern polar vortex, but future cooling of the lower stratosphere could lead to more intense denitrification and consequently larger losses of Arctic ozone.

Computer applications in the intensive care unit.

Incorporating computers into all aspects of daily ICU operations is a formidable task both technically and logistically. To coordinate a project as complex as this, it is imperative to achieve close cooperation between physicians, nurses, basic scientists, computer specialists, hospital administrators, and equipment manufacturers. In this article, we have provided a blueprint and have discussed the implementation of a COmputational Model of PATient Health Status (COMPATHS) designed to carry out such integration.

Levels of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and total phthalate esters in milk, cream, butter and cheese.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and total phthalate ester plasticizer levels were determined in milk, cream, butter and cheese samples from a variety of sources from three European countries (UK, Norway and Spain). Samples of milk (from Norway) obtained at various stages during collection, transportation and packaging operations showed no apparent trends in phthalate contamination with total phthalate levels (expressed as DEHP equivalents) in the raw milk of between 0.12 and 0.28 mg/kg. On processing the DEHP was concentrated in the cream at levels up to 1.93 mg/kg, whereas low fat milk contained from < 0.01 to 0.07 mg/kg. Retail dairy products (from Spain) were contaminated with < 0.01-0.55 mg/kg DEHP with a maximum total phthalate level of 3.0 mg/kg in cream samples. UK pooled milk samples from doorstep delivery (obtained from different regions of the country) contained low levels of DEHP (< 0.01-0.09 mg/kg) and total phthalate (0.06-0.32 mg/kg). Retail UK samples of cheese, butter and other fatty products varied considerably in their levels of contamination, the highest being cheese samples containing 17 mg/kg of DEHP and 114 mg/kg total phthalate. However, the majority of samples contained 0.6-3.0 mg/kg DEHP and 4-20 mg/kg total phthalate. UK cream samples contained levels of 0.2-2.7 mg/kg DEHP and 1.8-19.0 mg/kg total phthalate. The level found in these products was too high to have resulted solely from milk by concentration in the fat phase and must therefore have arisen in other ways.

Role of inhibition in memory retrieval by hippocampal area CA3.

A network model with some general properties of hippocampal area CA3, and the results of its simulation on a massively parallel processor, are described. This network performs the tasks of recent declarative memory including recovery of complete traces from partial cues and recognition of familiarity. Immediate recurrent inhibition is essential for providing sensitivity to small cues while preventing spurious recall. Tonic inhibition seems to set the retrieval speed/accuracy trade-off. Delayed inhibition resets hippocampal activity. The behavior under excessive or deficient inhibition resembles that of amnesics with lesions in brainstem areas known to modulate hippocampal inhibition. The rate of recall and dynamics of inhibition by the model are similar to those inferred to occur in the human hippocampus from unit and evoked potential recordings. The model suggests a mechanism whereby the hippocampus can control its own plasticity. These simulations demonstrate that the retrieval mechanism in several hippocampal models is feasible and that the theta rhythm and the cognitive evoked potentials may be generated by synaptic events modulating network parameters.

Amebic meningoencephalitis in a sheep.

A 1.5-year-old Suffolk ewe with acute onset of incoordination and blindness unresponsive to antibiotic treatment was examined at necropsy. The meninges were congested, opaque, and thick. Microscopically, focal areas of hypercellularity in the left cortical gray matter and the meninges were observed. The inflammatory response consisted of gliosis and perivascular cuffing (lymphocytes, plasma cells, and variable numbers of eosinophils). An amebic organism in 2 life stages was found in the cerebral parenchyma. Numerous large (15 to 35 microns in diameter) organisms, interpreted as trophozoites, were characterized by vacuolated cytoplasm and small nuclei with a prominent eosinophilic nucleolus (karyosome). The smaller (10 to 17 microns in diameter) encysted stage was surrounded by a capsule-like membrane, and contained a large central body sometimes surrounded by a clear halo. Immunofluorescence studies for amebic antigens were strongly positive for an ameba recently isolated in human beings and baboons (Leptomyxid sp).