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The Eastern Boundary Current is an essential part of the water mass exchange between the subtropical and subpolar North Atlantic. Here, we study the offshore branch of the European Shelf Current (ESC) over the Goban Spur slope area off Ireland. Our analysis is based on current measurements obtained from a multiyear mooring effort, complemented by ship‐board observations along a hydrographic section, satellite‐derived estimates of absolute dynamic topography with geostrophic currents, and float trajectories. These data serve to quantify the offshore branch of the ESC on intraannual to interannual timescales. From the moored observations, we derive a mean poleward along‐slope volume flux of 3.7 ± 0.7 Sv for the period 2017–2019. Using a multilinear regression model and geostrophic surface velocities, we extend the time series to the period 1993–2019 and obtain a long‐term mean transport of 3.2 ± 0.4 Sv. Both time series show strong variability ranging from −7.5 to 15.7 Sv. The variability is linked to a dynamic eddy field, especially a stationary cyclonic circulation pattern near the mooring array, and meandering of current branches originating from the North Atlantic Current. We find no evidence of a consistent deep boundary current extending from the shelf break to the position of the offshore mooring (4,500 m depth), but confirm a persistent along‐slope flow at the shallower slope (1,500 m depth). Geostrophic surface velocities and float trajectories reveal that the offshore branch of the ESC does not follow a clear northward path from the eastern subtropical regions but rather indicate the intermittent character of the flow., Plain Language Summary: In this study, we describe the European Shelf Current (ESC) in the eastern North Atlantic. The study area is the deeper part of the Goban Spur area off Ireland. We use current measurements of instruments deployed in the water column from 2016 to 2019 combined with satellite observations of surface circulation and drifting float paths. We aim to quantify the contribution of the offshore branch to the ESC system. We calculate a poleward volume transport following the slope that is on average 3.7 ± 0.7 Sverdrup (Sv; 1 Sv = 1 million cubic meter per second) for the period 2017–2019. We use a mathematical relation between mooring data and satellite observations to extend the time series to the period 1993–2019 and obtain an average transport of 3.2 ± 0.4 Sv. There occur strong changes over time ranging from −5 to 15 Sv. These changes are caused by rotating vortices (eddies), especially a counter‐clockwise rotating circulation pattern near the moorings, and changing positions of currents branching from the North Atlantic Current. We find that the offshore branch of the ESC does not follow a clear northward path from the eastern subtropical regions of the North Atlantic. Instead, the flow is of rather unsteady character., Key Points: The analysis of multiplatform observational efforts is used to study the circulation at the North Atlantic Eastern Boundary. The volume transport of the offshore branch of the European Shelf Current is on average 3.2 ± 0.4 Sv for the period 1993–2019. Transport variability is in the range of −7.5–15.7 Sv and induced by eddies and meandering North Atlantic Current branches., Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

The Denmark Strait overflow is the major export route of dense water from the Arctic Mediterranean into the North Atlantic. At the Strait's shallow sill, the overflow is a bottom-intensified cold and dense plume, bound to the east by a thermal front formed with the warmer, northward flowing North Icelandic Irminger Current. More than two decades of observations at the sill show strong fluctuations of volume flux on daily time scales. To better understand the source of this variability, a five-mooring array was installed at the sill, capturing nearly 1 year of velocity and bottom temperature measurements at a high temporal and spatial resolution. Bottom temperature fluctuations that exceed 4 °C indicate a meandering of the front between the plume and the North Icelandic Irminger Current. Current vector rotation shows trains of alternating cyclones and anticyclones at the sill. An eddy crosses the sill every 3 to 6 days with a mean velocity of 0.4 m/s and a typical diameter of 30 to 40 km. The results suggest that anticyclones, with centers passing through the deepest part of the sill, may be responsible for periods of increased volume flux—also referred to as boluses and pulses in previous studies. Although the relationship between eddies, pulses, and boluses is still unclear, the results show that eddies are directly linked to fluctuations in the strength, thickness, and position of the overflow plume.

Reliable data are the basis for successful research and scientific publishing. Open data policies assure the availability of publicly financed field measurements to the public, thus to all interested scientists. However, the variety of data sources and the availability or lack of detailed metadata cause a huge effort for each scientist to decide if the data are usable for their own research topic or not. Data end-user communities have different requirements in metadata details and data handling during data processing. For data providing institutes or agencies, these needs are essential to know, if they want to reach a wide range of end-user communities.The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH, Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, Hamburg, Germany) is collecting a large variety of field data in physical and chemical oceanography, regionally focused on the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and North Atlantic. Data types vary from vertical profiles, time-series, underway measurements as well as real-time or delayed-mode from moored or ship-based instruments. Along other oceanographic data, the BSH provides all physical data via the German Oceanographic Data Center (DOD). It is crucial to aim for a maximum in reliability of the published data to enhance the usage especially in the scientific community.Here, we present our newly established data processing and quality control procedures using agile project management and workflow techniques, and outline their implementation into metadata and accompanied documentation. To enhance the transparency of data quality control, we will apply a detailed quality flag along with the common data quality flag. This detailed quality flag, established by Mayumi Wilms within the research project RAVE Offshore service (research at alpha ventus) enables data end-users to review the result of several individual quality control checks done during processing and thus to identify easily if the data are usable for their research.

Since 2016 a moored observatory is operated at the eastern extension of the “North Atlantic Changes (NOAC)” array at 47°/48°N. This observatory is installed across the shelf break at Goban Spur and consists of two deep-sea moorings that are separated by about 60 km. The aim of this ongoing monitoring program is to quantify the variability and trends in the properties and transport rates of water masses that are advected northwards along the North Atlantic Eastern Boundary and modify the adjacent regions, i.e. the Northwest European Shelf, North Sea, Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean. Furthermore, the continuous long term time series are essential for a thorough understanding of the circulation system in the eastern North Atlantic and the underlying physical mechanisms that govern its variability.Here, we present results of the analysis of temperature, salinity and current velocity time series from 2016 to 2019. These provide a descriptive view of the complex current structure and variability of water masses on daily to intra- and inter-annual time scales.The most pronounced signal in the variability of temperature and salinity is caused by the presence of Mediterranean Outflow Water located at about 1000 m depth. During the observation period we find significant positive trends in temperature and salinity in the depth range of 500 to 1500 m. The velocity measurements of the onshore mooring show a northeastward directed mean flow following the topography with along-slope variations, while the flow at the offshore mooring position is more unstable with predominantly cross-slope variations. The combination of our observations with float and altimeter data indicates that the presence of eddies and the interaction with the topography seems to play a crucial role for setting the variability of the flow in this region.Finally, we present an approach to evaluate the volume fluxes at the eastern boundary that will add toward an integrated estimate of the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 47°/48°N.

In severe airway hemorrhage, simultaneous suction and laryngoscopy may render intubation difficult. We built a suction laryngoscope that consists of an adjustable stainless steel-guide tube fixed at the lingual surface of a standard Macintosh laryngoscope blade. Via this steel-guide tube, a large suction catheter can be inserted and positioned exactly to suction pharyngeal blood or vomitus, rendering simultaneous suctioning and laryngoscopy possible. In contrast to previous suction laryngoscopes, our suction catheter has a large lumen, which enables fast suctioning and exact placement by adjusting the steel-guide tube. To assess whether our suction laryngoscope could provide better intubation conditions in comparison to a standard Macintosh laryngoscope in a bleeding airway scenario, 44 medical students intubated a manikin with severe simulated airway hemorrhage using our suction laryngoscope and a standard Macintosh laryngoscope in random order. There was no significant difference in time needed for intubation when using the suction versus the Macintosh laryngoscope (mean +/- SD: 43 +/- 13 vs 52 +/- 31 s; P = 0.07), but the number of esophageal intubations was significantly lower when using the suction laryngoscope [6 of 44 (13.6%) vs 19 of 44 (43.2%); P = 0.004]. In conclusion, when compared with a standard Macintosh laryngoscope, using a suction laryngoscope did not result in more rapid intubation, but significantly decreased the likelihood of esophageal intubations.

Pain resulting from injections has a potential influence on the acceptance and thus on the success of insulin treatment. Systematic investigation in humans has suggested that individuals perceive more pain during SC injection of acidic solutions than neutral solutions. Insulin glargine is a long-acting (up to 24-hour duration of effect), parenteral blood glucose-lowering agent. Unlike other insulins, it is injected as an acidic solution (pH 4).The aim of this study was to assess whether the SC injection of insulin glargine is more painful than neutral insulin in a clinical setting.This single-center, prospective, controlled, noninterventional study was performed in consecutively enrolled male and female pediatric patients (7-21 years) with type 1 diabetes mellitus who self-injected insulinor=3 times per day and who had diabetes duration ofor=6 months. The study was conducted from September 1, 2005, to December 30, 2005, at the Diabetes Clinic, University Children's Hospital, Ulm, Germany. No changes to the patients' current insulin regimen were made. Based on their existing insulin treatment, patients were assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups: (1) the acidic insulin group, which injected insulin glargine, and (2) the neutral insulin group, which injected neutral protamine Hagedorn or Semilente insulin. All patients also injected shortacting regular insulin or insulin analogs. Pain during SC insulin injection and during self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) (the internal control) was assessed using a standardized, noninterventional protocol and optimized combined 10-cm visual analog scale and 5-point verbal rating scale (minimum = I cannot feel it at all; maximum = it hurts me). Patients were instructed to document pain immediately after insulin injection and SMBG at home 3 times a day on 3 different days.A total of 112 patients (mean [SD] age, 14.6 [3.0] years; sex, 60 [53.6%] male; mean [SD] glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA(1c)], 8.0% [1.4%]; mean [SD] diabetes duration, 6.1 [3.9] years) completed the study. Pain scores reported by the acidic group (n = 76) were not significantly different when compared with those of the neutral group (n = 36) (4.0 [2.0] vs 4.2 [1.9]). Pain scores were also similar for the injection of short-acting insulin in those from the acidic group when compared with those from the neutral group (3.7 [1.7] vs 4.1 [2.1]). Insulin injections were generally perceived as more painful than SMBG (3.9 [1.7] vs 2.9 [1.8]; P0.001). Using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, pain perception was determined to be independent of age, gender, HbA(1c) level, and duration of diabetes.Despite its acidic formulation (pH 4), insulin glargine was not perceived as more painful during SC injection than neutral long-acting or shortacting insulin in these pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Semantic number magnitude is represented in an analogue visual-spacial system in the shape of a left-to-right oriented, logarithmically compressed mental number line; the most important evidence is the SNARC (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes)-effect (Dehaene, Bossini & Giraux, 1993). In the actual study the spacial characteristics of number processing and of the mental number line were examined by use of behavioral data and functional imaging. It was of special interest, if the orientation in external space and on the mental number line relies on different or common neural circuits. Apart from effects concerning number processing like the SNARC- and the distance effect (Moyer & Landauer, 1967) we also examined effects of stimulus-response-compatibility like the Simon effect (Simon & Rudell, 1967). A magnitude comparison task with a fixed standard of 5 was performed in a combined reaction-time- and fMRI-study. Stimuli were presented on four positions on the monitor (above, below, right and left). Responses were given with the right and left hand. Both established and previously unknown interactions and effects were found, that point towards a shared network of spacial orientation both in external space and on the mental number line. A previously unknown facilitation effect of stimulus location and mental number processing was found in the sense that congruency of stimulus position in external space and semantic position on the mental number line enhanced the distance effect. Furthermore right sided presentation resulted to a stronger distance effect. Correspondingly the SNARC effect was strengthened but only with marginal significance. In both cases the spacial position of the stimulus influenced number processing. In the opposite direction, implicit spacial information evoked by number processing influenced the representation of external space. A modulation of the Simon effect (up to its reversal) was shown depending on congruency of stimulus position and position on the mental number line. Besides that an interaction of Simon- and SNARC effect was shown, in the sense of a stronger SNARC effect in Simon-compatible conditions. This finding supports the assumption, that both effects rely on overlapping networks of spacial representation as described by Notebaert and co-workers (2006). The functional imaging part of the study examined the neural correlates of the SNARC effect using fMRI, showing activation around the intraparietal sulcus (only right-sided). Apart from that no other SNARC-specific neuronal networks were found. The pattern of activations of the Simon effect corresponded with the pattern described in literature. Concerning the SNARC-Simon-interaction shown in the behavioral data, overlapping regions around the right intraparietal sulcus were found that are involved in both effects. These activations are potential correlates of the interaction found in the behavioral data. These results further support the assumption of partially overlapping parietal circuits for number processing, arithmetic and processing of spacial dimensions like size, position or eye movement.