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This study examines the interannual and seasonal variations in the distribution of radioactive materials released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in the surface layer of the Kuroshio Extension (KE). Focusing on the contrasting flow conditions in 2015 (southward) and 2021 (northward) – significant oscillatory phases of the KE’s mean flow axis – the research analyzes the impact of seasonal variations on particle transport pathways. The findings reveal distinct seasonal patterns: summer releases primarily follow the eastward KE movement, while winter releases exhibit a southward trajectory. The study further quantifies the transport timescales, demonstrating that particles can reach the Luzon Strait within 10 months, subsequently diverging northward along the Kuroshio and northwestward along the Kuroshio Branch Current, potentially entering the South China Sea within 13 months. This research contributes valuable insights into the seasonal dynamics governing the dispersion and transport of Fukushima-derived radioisotopes in the surface ocean, highlighting the crucial role of the KE in influencing their trajectories.

This study utilized a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model to investigate the intensity, thickness, and width of the three-dimensional deep western boundary current (DWBC) in the South China Sea (SCS). The numerical results show that the DWBC begins near the inlet of the Luzon overflow, flows westward along the northern boundary, proceeds southward along the western boundary, and ultimately terminates at the southern boundary. The mean DWBC’s velocity, thickness, and width is 4.78 cm/s, 1645 m, and 140 km, respectively. Combined with the dynamic results, it is evident that the three-dimensional structure of the DWBC appears to have been visibly weakened after the closure of the deep Luzon overflow. Strong deep mixing has a significantly stronger, thicker, and wider effect on the intensity, thickness, and width of the DWBC. Both the bottom and lateral friction coefficients negatively impact the DWBC in the SCS.

The oceanic bottom mixed layer (BML) plays an important role in transporting mass, heat, and momentum between the ocean interior and the bottom boundary. However, the spatial-temporal characteristics of the BML in the South China Sea (SCS) is not well understood. Using 514 full-depth temperature and salinity profiles collected during the time period from 2004 to 2018 and two particularly deployed hydrographic moorings, the temporal and spatial variations of the BML have been analyzed. The results show that the BML in the SCS exhibits significant inhomogeneity, with thickness and stability varying across different regions. Specifically, the BML is relatively thin and stable over the continental shelf and deep-sea regions, while it is thicker and less stable over the northern continental slope. The mean, median, and one standard deviation values of BML thickness over the entire SCS were found to be 73 m, 56 m, and 55 m, respectively. Further analysis reveals that energetic high-frequency dynamic processes, coupled with steep bottom topography, contribute to strong tidal dissipation and vertical mixing near the bottom over the continental slope, resulting in thicker BMLs. Conversely, dynamic processes in the deep ocean are less energetic and low-frequency, the topography is relatively smooth, and tidal dissipation and bottom vertical mixing are weaker, leading to a thinner BML. These findings enhance our understanding of the BML dynamics in the SCS and other marginal seas and provide insights to improve parameterizations of physical processes in ocean models.

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) are strongly related to abnormal growth and development in newborns and can even result in death. In total, 94,648 newborns were enrolled for expanded newborn screening using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) from 2016 to 2020 at the Neonatal Disease Screening Center of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Shaoyang City, China. A total of 23 confirmed cases were detected in our study with an incidence rate of 1:4,115. A total of 10 types of IEM were identified, and the most common IEMs were phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency (PAHD; 1:15,775) and primary carnitine deficiency (PCD; 1:18,930). Mutations in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) and SLC22A5 were the leading causes of IEMs. To evaluate the application effect of artificial intelligence (AI) in newborn screening, we used AI to retrospectively analyze the screening results and found that the false-positive rate could be decreased by more than 24.9% after using AI. Meanwhile, a missed case with neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis citrin deficiency (NICCD) was found, the infant had a normal citrulline level (31 μmol/L; cutoff value of 6–32 μmol/L), indicating that citrulline may not be the best biomarker of intrahepatic cholestasis citrin deficiency. Our results indicated that the use of AI in newborn screening could improve efficiency significantly. Hence, we propose a novel strategy that combines expanded neonatal IEM screening with AI to reduce the occurrence of false positives and false negatives.

The oceanic bottom mixed layer (BML) has an important role in transporting mass, heat, and momentum between the ocean interior and the bottom boundary. However, the spatial-temporal variability of the BML in the South China Sea (SCS) is not well understood. Using historical hydrological data from 2004 to 2018 and observations from two hydrographic moorings in the SCS, it has been found that the BML in the SCS has significant inhomogeneity. In particular, while the BML is relatively thin and stable over the continental shelf and in deep-sea regions, it is thick and unstable over the northern continental slope. The typical thicknesses of the BML on the continental shelf, continental slope, and deep-sea regions are around 30-60 m, 80-120 m, and 10-50 m, respectively. Statistically, the mean, median, and one standard deviation values of BML thickness over the entire SCS are 73 m, 56 m, and 55 m, respectively. Further analysis reveals that energetic high-frequency dynamic processes, together with steep bottom topography (large slope and roughness), cause strong tidal dissipation and vertical mixing near the bottom over the continental slope, resulting in thicker BMLs there. In contrast, the dynamic processes in the deep ocean are less energetic and low-frequency and the topography is relatively smooth (smaller slope and roughness). Therefore, the tidal dissipation and bottom vertical mixing in the deep-sea regions are weaker, and the BML is relatively thin. These findings may enhance our understanding of the BML dynamics in the SCS and other marginal seas and provide insights that help to improve parameterizations of physical processes in ocean models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of a deep western boundary current (DWBC) in the South China Sea (SCS) was verified by direct observations from three current moorings deployed from September 2015 to September 2018. The average current speeds observed in the DWBC were around 1 cm s-1 along the northern boundary and 3 cms-1 along the western boundary. The DWBC demonstrates significant intraseasonal variability in the 30-120-day-period band, which may come from the variability in the Luzon overflow or the eddies in the deep SCS forced by a stable Luzon overflow. In addition, observations found that this DWBC along the northern boundary can reverse its direction meridionally in the spring. Model results suggest that if the Luzon overflow decreases one-third of its typical transport, this current reversal can occur. This behavior can be explained through ''relaxation'' theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]