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This study explores the abrupt split of the polar vortex in the upper stratosphere prior to a recent sudden stratospheric warming event on 5 January 2021 (SSW21) and the mechanisms of vortex preconditioning by using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA2) global reanalysis data. SSW21 is preceded by the highly distorted polar vortex that was initially displaced from the pole but eventually split at the onset date. Vortex splitting is most significant in the upper stratosphere (1 hPa altitude) accompanied by the anomalous growth of westward-propagating planetary waves (PWs) of zonal wavenumber (ZWN) 2 (WPW2). While previous studies have suggested the East Asian trough as a potential source for the abnormal WPW2 growth, the prominent westward-propagating nature cannot be explained satisfactorily by the upward propagation of the quasi-stationary ZWN2 fluxes in the troposphere. More importantly, WPW2 exhibits an obvious in situ excitation signature within the barotropically and baroclinically destabilized stratosphere, dominated by the easterlies descending from the stratopause containing the WPW2 critical levels. This suggests that the vortex split is attributed to the WPW2 generated in situ within the stratosphere via instability. Vortex destabilization is achieved as the double-jet structure consisting of a subtropical mesospheric core and a polar stratospheric core develops into SSW21 by encouraging the anomalous dissipation of the upward-propagating tropospheric ZWN1 PWs. This double-jet configuration is likely a favorable precursor for SSW onset, not only for the SSW21 but generally for most SSWs, through promoting the anomalous growth of unstable PWs as well as the enhancement of the tropospheric PW dissipation.

In January 2020, unexpected easterly winds developed in the downward-propagating westerly quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) phase. This event corresponds to the second QBO disruption in history, and it occurred 4 years after the first disruption of 2015/16. According to several previous studies, strong midlatitude Rossby waves propagating from the Southern Hemisphere (SH) during the SH winter likely initiated the disruption; nevertheless, the wave forcing that finally led to the disruption has not been investigated. In this study, we examine the role of equatorial waves and small-scale convective gravity waves (CGWs) in the 2019/20 QBO disruption using Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) global reanalysis data. In June–September 2019, unusually strong Rossby wave forcing originating from the SH decelerated the westerly QBO at 0–5∘ N at ∼50 hPa. In October–November 2019, vertically (horizontally) propagating Rossby waves and mixed Rossby–gravity (MRG) waves began to increase (decrease). From December 2019, the contribution of the MRG wave forcing to the zonal wind deceleration was the largest, followed by the Rossby wave forcing originating from the Northern Hemisphere and the equatorial troposphere. In January 2020, CGWs provided 11 % of the total negative wave forcing at ∼43 hPa. Inertia–gravity (IG) waves exhibited a moderate contribution to the negative forcing throughout. Although the zonal mean precipitation was not significantly larger than the climatology, convectively coupled equatorial wave activities were increased during the 2019/20 disruption. As in the 2015/16 QBO disruption, the increased barotropic instability at the QBO edges generated more MRG waves at 70–90 hPa, and westerly anomalies in the upper troposphere allowed more westward IG waves and CGWs to propagate to the stratosphere. Combining the 2015/16 and 2019/20 disruption cases, Rossby waves and MRG waves can be considered the key factors inducing QBO disruption.

In February 2016, the descent of the westerly phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) was unprecedentedly disrupted by the development of easterly winds. Previous studies have shown that extratropical Rossby waves propagating into the deep tropics were the major cause of the 2015/16 QBO disruption. However, a large portion of the negative momentum forcing associated with the disruption still stems from equatorial planetary and small-scale gravity waves, which calls for detailed analyses by separating each wave mode compared with climatological QBO cases. Here, the contributions of resolved equatorial planetary waves (Kelvin, Rossby, mixed Rossby–gravity (MRG), and inertia–gravity (IG) waves) and small-scale convective gravity waves (CGWs) obtained from an offline CGW parameterization to the 2015/16 QBO disruption are investigated using MERRA-2 global reanalysis data from October 2015 to February 2016. In October and November 2015, anomalously strong negative forcing by MRG and IG waves weakened the QBO jet at 0–5∘ S near 40 hPa, leading to Rossby wave breaking at the QBO jet core in the Southern Hemisphere. From December 2015 to January 2016, exceptionally strong Rossby waves propagating horizontally (vertically) continuously decelerated the southern (northern) flank of the jet. In February 2016, when the westward CGW momentum flux at the source level was much stronger than its climatology, CGWs began to exert considerable negative forcing at 40–50 hPa near the Equator, in addition to the Rossby waves. The enhancement of the negative wave forcing in the tropics stems mostly from strong wave activity in the troposphere associated with increased convective activity and the strong westerlies (or weaker easterlies) in the troposphere, except that the MRG wave forcing is more likely associated with increased barotropic instability in the lower stratosphere.

We demonstrated gallium nitride (GaN) based negative capacitance field-effect transistors (NCFETs) that achieve steep switching operation. Ferroelectric phase characteristics were successfully demonstrated using a 10 nm thick undoped-HfO2 ferroelectric thin film fabricated through atomic layer deposition. The HfO2 metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) capacitor was connected in series with the gate electrode of a recessed normally-off AlGaN/GaN MOS-HFET. The forward/reverse subthreshold slopes were dramatically reduced from 104/105 to 22/23 mV/dec.

Background: It has been suggested that AF-related ischemic stroke (IS) that is accompanied by atherosclerotic burden have poorer outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of pre-stroke glycemic control (PSGC) on the early neurologic deterioration (END) of patients with acute AF-related IS. Methods: We retrospectively recruited 121 patients with AF-related IS who also had Diabetes mellitus (DM). The HbA1C level was measured in all subjects. END was defined as an increase in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 4 NIHSS points within 7days of symptom onset compared to the initial NIHSS score. Results: In this study, 20.7% (25 patients) were classified as having a poor PSGC status with a HbA1C level above 8.0%. In the univariate analysis, a poor PSGC status (p

Convection as one dominant source of atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) has been the focus of investigation over recent years. However, its spatial and temporal forcing scales are not well known. In this work we address this open issue by a systematic verification of free parameters of the Yonsei convective GW source scheme based on observations from the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS). The instrument can only see a limited portion of the gravity wave spectrum due to visibility effects and observation geometry. To allow for a meaningful comparison of simulated GWs to observations, a comprehensive filter, which mimics the instrument limitations, is applied to the simulated waves. By this approach, only long horizontal-scale convective GWs are addressed. Results show that spectrum, distribution of momentum flux, and zonal mean forcing of long horizontal-scale convective GWs can be successfully simulated by the superposition of three or four combinations of parameter sets reproducing the observed GW spectrum. These selected parameter sets are different for northern and southern summer. Although long horizontal-scale waves are only part of the full spectrum of convective GWs, the momentum flux of these waves is found to be significant and relevant for the driving of the QBO (quasi-biennial oscillation). The zonal momentum balance is considered in vertical cross sections of GW momentum flux (GWMF) and GW drag (GWD). Global maps of the horizontal distribution of GWMF are considered and consistency between simulated results and HIRDLS observations is found. The latitude dependence of the zonal phase speed spectrum of GWMF and its change with altitude is discussed.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACS4) is an arachidonate-preferring enzyme abundant in steroidogenic tissues and postulated to modulate eicosanoid production. Arachidonate that is esterified predominantly in phospholipids is a precursor of eicosanoids. After its release by the action of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), arachidonate can be converted to prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrenes via the cyclo-oxygenase (COX1 and COX2) and lioxygenase pathways, respectively, depending on the cell type. It is reported that eicosanoids have influence on inflammation, vascularization, and parturition. Then again, free arachidonate released from the plasma membrane is reesterified into phospholipids to prevent constant synthesis of potent eicosanoids. In the rodent, vasoactive prostaglandins are implicated in the implantation process. To further clarify ACS4 gene expression during pregnancy, we examined developmental expression in the peri-implantation uterus of the normal mouse and regulation of ACS4 by steroid hormone in ovariectomized mice treated with estradiol-17? (E2) and/or progesterone (P4). Adult female mice (BDF1, 6 weeks old) were mated with fertile males of the same strain. The morning on which a vaginal plug was found was designated Day 0.5 of pregnancy. Mice were sacrificed between 09:00 and 10:00 h on Days 2.5 to 6.5 of pregnancy. To induce and maintain delayed implantation, mice were ovariectomized on the morning (09:00 to 10:00 h) of Day 3.5 of pregnancy and received a daily injection of P4 from Days 4.5 to 6.5. To terminate the delay and induce implantation, the P4-primed delayed mice were given an injection of E2 on Day 6.5. COX1, COX2, cPLA2, and ACS4 mRNA were analyzed by Northern blot analysis and real-time PCR. The expression of COX1 mRNA did not show much variation on the various days in the normal pregnancy and ovariectomized mice. The levels of COX2 mRNA were high on Day 4.5 of pregnancy and dramatically decreased on Day 5.5 of pregnancy. In the ovariectomized mouse uterus, COX2 mRNA levels declined rapidly at Day 4.5 of pregnancy. The expression of cPLA2 mRNA was not altered in the normal pregnancy. However, the expression was increased in the ovariectomized mouse as compared with that in the normal pregnancy mice. An ACS4 transcript was already present in the uterus at low level on Day 3.5 until the initiation of attachment reaction after which the expression was up-regulated. In the ovariectomized mouse uterus, ACS4 mRNA was increased at Day 4.5 of pregnancy as compared with the normal pregnancy mice. To determine whether ovarian steroids influenced the induction of ACS4 gene, ovariectomized mice were treated with (E2) and/or (P4). Treatment with P4 maintained the expression of ACS4 mRNA in the ovariectomized mouse uterus. In contrast, combined treatment with P4 and E2 modestly decreased the levels of ACS4 mRNA as compared with Day 7.5 of normal pregnancy. Overall, these results suggest that the ACS4 gene is regulated in the implantation process and influenced by ovarian steroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]