Search

Management of insulin administration for intake of carbohydrates and physical activity can be burdensome for people with type 1 diabetes on hybrid closed-loop systems. Bihormonal fully closed-loop (FCL) systems could help reduce this burden. In this trial, we assessed the long-term performance and safety of a bihormonal FCL system.

During six nights between January and March 2018 we observed the mesospheric Ni layer by lidar from Kühlungsborn, Germany (54°N, 12°E). For most of the soundings we utilized for the first time a transition from the low‐lying excited Ni(3D) state at 341 nm. For additional soundings we used the ground‐state Ni(3F) transition at 337 nm, giving similar results but a worse signal‐to‐noise ratio. We observed nightly mean Ni peak densities between ∼280 and 450 cm−3and column abundances between 3.1·108and 4.9·108cm−2. Comparing with iron densities we get a Fe/Ni ratio of 38, which is a factor of 2 larger than the ratio in CI chondrites and factor of 32 larger than the Fe/Ni ratio observed by the only previous measurement of mesospheric Ni (Collins et al., 2015, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062716). The underabundance of Ni compared to CI chondrites suggests that Ni is more efficiently sequestered as Ni+or neutral reservoir species than Fe. In the upper mesosphere between 80‐ and 100‐km altitude, layers of gaseous metals occur whose source is the evaporation of cosmic dust particles, which undergo severe heating when entering the atmosphere. Metals like sodium or iron have been observed for many years by ground‐based laser radar instruments (lidars). Here we report the second‐ever set of observations of nickel (Ni) in the mesosphere. For the first time we used an absorption line in the UV from a slightly excited state of Ni, which provides a much stronger signal‐to‐noise ratio compared to earlier soundings. We observed Ni peak densities between 280 and 450/ccm, which is a factor of 2 lower than expected from Fe measurements and the relative abundances of these elements in cosmic dust. This suggests small differences in chemical reaction rates, converting Ni into Ni‐containing molecules, which are invisible to the lidar, compared to Fe. Observed densities are a factor of 32 lower with respect to Fe than reported in the earlier study in Alaska, and this needs to be further examined. First observation of the mesospheric Ni layer from metastable Ni(3D) state revealed peak densities of 280–450 cm−3Compared to Fe and their respective abundance in CI chondrites, Ni is depleted by a factor of about 2Observations hint at faster‐than‐expected conversion of Ni into ions and neutral reservoir molecules

The daylight‐capable Rayleigh‐Mie‐Raman (RMR) lidar at the midlatitude station in Kühlungsborn (54°N, 12°E) is in operation since 2010. The RMR lidar system is used to investigate different fractions of atmospheric waves, like gravity waves (GW) and thermal tides (with diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal components) at day and night. About 6150 h of data have been acquired until 2015. The general challenge for GW observations is the separation of different wave contributions from the observed superposition of GW, tides, or even longer periodic waves. Unfiltered lidar data always include such a superposition. We applied a Butterworth filter to separate GW and tides by vertical wavelength with a cutoff wavelength of 15 km and by observed periods with a cutoff period of 8 h. GW activity and characteristics are derived in an altitude range between 30 and 70 km. The retrieved vertically filtered temperature deviations contain GW with small vertical wavelengths over a broad range of periods, while only a small range of periods is included in the temporally filtered temperature deviations. We observe an annual variation of the wave activity for unfiltered and vertically filtered data, which is caused from tides and inertia gravity waves. In contrast to that, filtering in time leads to a weak semiannual variation for gravity waves with periods of 4–8 h, especially in higher altitudes. During summer, these waves have the half of the total amount of the potential energy budget compared to the unfiltered data. This shows the importance of waves with periods smaller than 8 h. Daylight‐capable lidar measurements make it possible to separate gravity waves and tidesLong measurements allow additional filtering in timeSeasonal variations of wave activity and vertical wavelengths of atmospheric gravity waves are examined

Abstract—We report on studies of the Fe, Ca, and K atom densities in the trails of meteors. The measurements of the densities were taken simultaneously and in a common volume by three ground‐based lidars. We report and analyze the data obtained during two nights of Leonid showers (1996 and 1998 November 16/17) and of one night five days after the 1998 Leonids. The lidar‐observed trails of Leonids differ from those of other meteor showers in both their mean altitude and in mean metal composition. The Leonid trails show a highly depressed Ca/Fe abundance ratio in comparison to CI meteoritic composition.

There is a need for more reliable and validated methods to assess the eye changes in Graves’ disease. Such measurements are now available for the assessment of proptosis, eye muscle dysfunction, and optic nerve involvement. However, no validated objective measurement exists for NO SPECS class II signs. The present study compares the use of colour slides with clinical grading for assessing soft-tissue involvement. Forty-three patients were treated with retrobulbar irradiation. Pre-treatment, and 6 months post-treatment the severity of class II signs was graded from 0 to grade c in two ways; 1) Clinically, by two independent, experienced observers, who recorded their scores on the same day; 2) From colour slides, taken at the same visits, which were graded afterwards in one session independently by the same observers. Inter-observer agreement about clinical grading was low (Kappa 0.32), and was not improved by using the slides (Kappa 0.35). However, by using the clinical scores, the observers disagreed on treatment outcome in 21/43 patients (49%), whereas using the slides disagreement occurred in only 6/43 (14%, p<0.01). It is concluded that the grading of soft-tissue involvement is highly subjective. However, the use of colour slides does provide a more reliable way to assess a treatment effect and should be used in clinical trials.

The dissociative recombination of CaO+ions with electrons has been studied in a flowing afterglow reactor. CaO+was generated by the pulsed laser ablation of a Ca target, followed by entrainment in an Ar+ion/electron plasma. A kinetic model describing the gas‐phase chemistry and diffusion to the reactor walls was fitted to the experimental data, yielding a rate coefficient of (3.0 ± 1.0) × 10−7cm3molecule−1s−1at 295 K. This result has two atmospheric implications. First, the surprising observation that the Ca+/Fe+ratio is ~8 times larger than Ca/Fe between 90 and 100 km in the atmosphere can now be explained quantitatively by the known ion‐molecule chemistry of these two metals. Second, the rate of neutralization of Ca+ions in a descending sporadic Elayer is fast enough to explain the often explosive growth of sporadic neutral Ca layers. Cosmic dust particles enter the atmosphere at speeds of up to 155,000 mph, which causes many of them to flash heat and evaporate. The resulting metallic elements such as calcium and iron then exist as global layers of atoms at an altitude of around 90 km in the atmosphere, with a layer of metal ions about 10 km higher. In this study, the fast reaction between the calcium oxide ion and an electron was measured in the laboratory for the first time. This reaction is a crucial step in the ion‐neutral chemistry of calcium. The results are used to explain why the ratio of Ca to Fe ions in the upper atmosphere is so much larger than the ratio of the neutral atoms. The laboratory result is also used to demonstrate how thin layers of Ca atoms ‐ known as sporadic layers ‐ form explosively around 95 km. The rate constant for the recombination of CaO+ions with electrons, which is important in the lower thermosphere, has been measuredThe eightfold larger ratio of Ca+/Fe+ions compared with Ca/Fe atoms between 90 and 100 km can now be explainedCa+ions in a descending sporadic Elayer neutralize sufficiently rapidly to explain the sudden growth of sporadic neutral Ca layers