Continuous temperature soundings at the stratosphere and lower mesosphere with a ground-based radiometer considering the Zeeman effect

Continuous temperature observations at the stratosphere and lower mesosphere are rare. Radiometry opens the possibility by observing microwave emissions from two oxygen lines to retrieve temperature profiles at all altitudes. In this study, we present observations performed with a temperature radiometer (TEMPERA) at the Meteoswiss station at Payerne for the period from 2014 to 2017. We reanalyzed these observations with a recently developed and improved retrieval algorithm accounting for the Zeeman line splitting in the line center of both oxygen emission lines at 52.5424 and 53.0669 GHz. The new temperature retrievals were validated against MERRA2 reanalysis and the meteorological analysis NAVGEM-HA. The comparison confirmed that the new algorithm yields an increased measurement response up to an altitude of 53–55 km, which extends the altitude coverage by 8–10 km compared to previous retrievals without considering the Zeeman effect. Furthermore, we found correlation coefficients comparing the TEMPERA temperatures with MERRA2 and NAVGEM-HA for monthly mean profiles to be in the range of 0.8–0.96. In addition, mean temperature biases of 1 K and −2 K were found between TEMPERA and both models (MERRA2 and NAVGEM-HA), respectively. We also identified systematic altitude-dependent cold and warm biases compared to both model data sets.

Utilization of Paragonix SherpaPak for human donor heart preservation

A heart transplant is the gold standard treatment for end stage heart failure. Preservation of the donor heart during its transfer from the hospital of the donor to that of the recipient has a significant impact on the outcome of the transplant procedure. Icebox storage is a conventional method utilized for this purpose that may not provide uniform cooling of the donor heart and does not allow monitoring of the temperature of the donor heart during preservation. The Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System offers uniform cooling by suspending the donor heart in a preservation solution and provides continuous temperature monitoring.

Prototype of a System for Quail Farming with Arduino Nano Platform, DHT11 and LM35 Sensors, in Arequipa, Peru

— Quail farming ranks 3rd at the national level for poultry production and has growth projections of 3.9% in the coming years. In Peru, due to the decreases in temperature and cold in the southern part of the country, it presents a significant problem to the development of quail farms, of which its primary derivative is the egg that provides food contributions to the population and only with the 18.1% cholesterol compared to the eggs of other birds. This study aims to develop an automatic farm system to increase the production in the laying stage of quails in the homes of Arequipa. The control system was developed with the Arduino Nano platform, DHT11, LM35 sensors, actuators such as a 25W bulb, a fan, and a humidifier, which allow continuous temperature and humidity control. In addition, all the variables can be visualized through an LCD screen. A simple 3D model was developed with a capacity of between 10 and 25 quails. In charge of the control processes, the Arduino module reached an error rate of 0.9% in the temperature variable, and the humidity variable does not present an error rate. The total power of the prototype was measured and converted into a monetary value. Average power of 0.02667 kW / hour was obtained, which is reflected in a saving of 82.22% compared to using a 100W bulb. Keywords— Poultry production, farm quail, quail egg, automation, Arduino.

Feasibility of Continuous Distal Body Temperature for Passive, Early Pregnancy Detection

The majority of American women become aware of pregnancy ~3-7 weeks after conception, and all must seek testing to confirm their pregnant status. The delay between conception and awareness is often a time in which contraindicated behaviors take place. However, there is long standing evidence that passive, early pregnancy detection may be possible using body temperature. To address this possibility, we analyzed 30 individuals continuous distal body temperature (DBT) in the 180 days surrounding self-reported conception in comparison to self-reported pregnancy confirmation. Features of DBT nightly maxima changed rapidly following self-reported conception, reaching uniquely elevated values after a median of 5.5 +/- 3.5 days, whereas individuals reported a positive pregnancy test result at a median of 14.5 +/- 4.2 days. Together, we were able to generate a retrospective, hypothetical alert a median of 9 +/- 3.9 days prior to the date at which individuals received a positive pregnancy test. Continuous temperature-derived features can provide early, passive indication of pregnancy onset. We propose these features for testing and refinement in clinical settings, and for exploration in large, diverse cohorts. The development of pregnancy detection using DBT may reduce the delay from conception to awareness and increase the agency of pregnant individuals.

Historic temperature observations on Nordaustlandet, north-east Svalbard

Long-term meteorological data for the Arctic are sparse. One of the longest quasi-continuous temperature time series in the High Arctic is the extended Svalbard Airport series, providing daily temperature data from 1898 until the present. Here, I derive an adjustment to historic temperature observations on the island of Nordaustlandet, north-east Svalbard, in order to link these to the extended Svalbard Airport series. This includes the Haudegen observations at Rijpfjorden during 1944/45 and a previously unrecognized data set obtained by the Norwegian hunters and trappers Gunnar Knoph and Henry Rudi during their wintering at Rijpfjorden in 1934/35. The adjustment is based on data from an automatic weather station at Rijpfjorden during 2014–16 and verified with other independent historic temperature observations on Nordaustlandet. An analysis of the Haudegen radiosonde data indicates that the surface temperature observations at Rijpfjorden are generally well correlated with the free tropospheric temperatures at 850 hPa, but occasionally show the occurrence of boundary-layer inversions during winter, where local temperatures fall substantially below what is expected from the regression. The adjusted historic observations from Nordaustlandet can, therefore, be used to fill remaining gaps in the extended Svalbard Airport series.

Retrofiting Existing Optical Fiber Infrastructure to Mitigate Geohazard Risk: The TGP Case

Optical fiber cables (OFC) are well known for their use in communications. They offer long distance and fast transmission rate capabilities. OFC are the perfect companion of hydrocarbon and water transport system as part of the physical layer of the communication services and SCADA of the operating companies. As an example, the TGP system has more than 1400 km of cables laid in its Right-of-Way (ROW) which are in use since the beginning of its operation in 2004. More recently OFC started to be used as sensors. In such applications, a communication cable (CC) can be turned into a continuous temperature sensor allowing for leak and erosion detection. A strain monitoring cable (SMC) can also be spliced to the CC for landslide and subsidence detection in selected areas. In the case of very large soil displacement, it is common to observe the strain induced on the CC. From what precedes, existing OFC infrastructures can be taken advantage of to retrofit pipelines with monitoring instrumentation. The current work describes how an existing CC is retrofitted to provide information about the TGP transport system’s integrity. When accurate monitoring of a landslide is required, a dedicated sensing cable is installed locally and connected to the CC. Elsewhere the CC is being measured to detect and locate events as erosion or landslide in position where the geohazard risk present lower probability. Such approach not only improves geohazard risk management, but it also indicates early sign of stress on the cable that can lead to its rupture, mitigating service interruption probability.