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Air quality forecasting system is an essential tool widely used by environmental managers to mitigate adverse health effects of air pollutants. This work presents the latest development of the next generation regional air quality model (AQM) forecast system within the Unified Forecast System (UFS) framework in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The UFS air quality model incorporates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model as its main chemistry component. In this system, CMAQ is integrated as a column model to solve gas and aerosol chemistry while the transport of chemical species is processed by UFS. The current AQM version 7 (AQMv7) is coupled with an earlier version of CMAQ (version 5.2.1). Here we describe the development of the updated AQMv7 by coupling to a 'state-of-the-science' CMAQ version 5.4. The updates include improvements in gas and aerosol chemistry, dry deposition processes, and structural changes to the Input/Output (IO) interface, enhancing both computational efficiency and the representation of air-surface exchange processes. A simulation was conducted for the period of August 2023 to assess the effects of these updates on the forecast performance of ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), two major air pollutants over the continental United States (CONUS). The results show that the updated model demonstrates a significantly enhanced capability in simulating O3 over the CONUS by reducing the positive bias during both day and night, leading to a reduction of the mean bias by 50 % and 72 % for hourly and the maximum daily 8-hour average O3, respectively. Spatially, the updated model lowers the positive bias of hourly O3 in all of the ten EPA regions, particularly within the Great Plains. Similarly, the updates induce uniformly lower fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations across the CONUS domain, reducing the positive bias in the northeast and central Great Plain and exacerbating the negative bias in the west and south. The updated model does not improve model performance for PM2.5 in the vicinity of fire emission sources as compared to AQMv7, thus indicating a focal point of model uncertainty and needed improvement. Despite these challenges, the study highlights the importance of the ongoing refinements for reliable air quality predictions from the UFS-AQM model, which is the future replacement of NOAA's current operational air quality forecast system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current climate models systematically underestimate the strength of oceanic fronts associated with strong western boundary currents, such as the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream Extensions, and have difficulty simulating their positions at the mid-latitude ocean's western boundaries (1). Even with an enhanced grid resolution to resolve ocean mesoscale eddies--energetic circulations with horizontal scales of about a hundred kilometres that strongly interact with the fronts and currents--the bias problem can still persist (2); to improve climate models we need a better understanding of the dynamics governing these oceanic frontal regimes. Yet prevailing theories about the western boundary fronts are based on ocean internal dynamics without taking into consideration the intense air-sea feedbacks in these oceanic frontal regions. Here, by focusing on the Kuroshio Extension Jet east of Japan as the direct continuation of the Kuroshio, we show that feedback between ocean mesoscale eddies and the atmosphere (OME-A) is fundamental to the dynamics and control of these energetic currents. Suppressing OME-A feedback in eddy-resolving coupled climate model simulations results in a 20-40 per cent weakening in the Kuroshio Extension Jet. This is because OME-A feedback dominates eddy potential energy destruction, which dissipates more than 70 per cent of the eddy potential energy extracted from the Kuroshio Extension Jet. The absence of OME-A feedback inevitably leads to a reduction in eddy potential energy production in order to balance the energy budget, which results in a weakened mean current. The finding has important implications for improving climate models' representation of major oceanic fronts, which are essential components in the simulation and prediction of extratropical storms and other extreme events (3-6), as well as in the projection of the effect on these events of climate change., With the availability of high-resolution satellite observations and climate model simulations, it has become increasingly evident that ocean mesoscale eddies and fronts can have a profound influence on the atmospheric [...]

In September 2020, a global aerosol forecasting model was implemented as an ensemble member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS) v12.0.1 (hereafter referred to as "GEFS-Aerosols"). In this study, GEFS-Aerosols simulation results from September 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 were evaluated using an aerosol budget analysis. These results were compared with results from other global models as well as reanalysis data. From this analysis, the global average lifetimes of black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), dust, sea salt, and sulfate are 4.06, 4.29, 4.59, 0.34 and 3.3 days, respectively, with the annual average loads of 0.135, 1.29, 4.52, 6.80 and 0.50 TG. Compared to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Goddard Earth Observing System-Goddard Chemistry Aerosol and Radiation Transport Model (GEOS4-GOCART), the aerosols in GEFS-Aerosols have a relatively short lifetime because of the faster removal processes in GEFS-Aerosols. Meanwhile, in GEFS-Aerosols, aerosol emissions are the determining factor for the mass and composition of aerosols in the atmosphere. The size (bin) distribution of aerosol emissions is as important as its total emissions, especially in simulations of dust and sea salt. Also most importantly, the strong monthly and interannual variations in natural sources of aerosols in GEFS-Aerosols suggests that improving the accuracy of prognostic concentrations of aerosols is important for applying aerosol feedback to weather and climate predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) is on its way to deploy various operational prediction applications using the Unified Forecast System (https://ufscommunity.org/), a community-based coupled, comprehensive Earth modeling system. An aerosol model component developed in a collaboration between the Global Systems Laboratory, Chemical Science Laboratory, the Air Resources Laboratory, and Environmental Modeling Center (GSL, CSL, ARL, EMC) was coupled online with the FV3 Global Forecast System (FV3GFS) using the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC)-based NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) software framework. This aerosol prediction system replaced the NEMS GFS Aerosol Component (NGAC) system in the National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP) production suite in September 2020 as one of the ensemble members of the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS), dubbed GEFS-Aerosols v1. The aerosol component of atmospheric composition in GEFS is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF-Chem) that was previously included into FIM-Chem (Zhang et al, 2021). GEFS- Aerosols includes bulk modules from the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). Additionally, the biomass burning plume rise module from High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR)-Smoke was implemented; the GOCART dust scheme was replaced by the FENGSHA dust scheme (developed by ARL); the Blended Global Biomass Burning Emissions Product (GBBEPx V3) provides biomass burning emission and Fire Radiative Power (FRP) data; and the global anthropogenic emission inventories are derived from the Community Emissions Data System (CEDS). All sub-grid scale transport and deposition is handled inside the atmospheric physics routines, which required consistent implementation of positive definite tracer transport and wet scavenging in the physics parameterizations used by NCEP's operational Global Forecast System based on FV3 (FV3GFS). This paper describes the details of GEFS-Aerosols model development and evaluation of real -time and retrospective runs using different observations from in situ measurement, satellite and aircraft data. GEFS-Aerosols predictions demonstrate substantial improvements for both composition and variability of aerosol distributions over those from the former operational NGAC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions are a central component of atmospheric chemistry models. The Harmonized Emissions Component (HEMCO) is a software component for computing emissions from a user-selected ensemble of emission inventories and algorithms. While available in standalone mode, HEMCO also provides a general on-line facility for models to compute emissions at runtime. It allows users to re-grid, combine, overwrite, subset, and scale emissions from different inventories through a configuration file and with no change to the model source code. The configuration file also maps emissions to model species with appropriate units. HEMCO complies with the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) for portability across models. We present here a new version HEMCO 3.0 that features an improved three-layer architecture to facilitate implementation into any atmospheric model, and improved capability for calculating emissions at any model resolution including multiscale and unstructured grids. The three-layer architecture of HEMCO 3.0 includes (1) a Data Input Layer that reads the configuration file and accesses the HEMCO library of emission inventories and other environmental data; (2) the HEMCO Core that computes emissions on the user-selected HEMCO grid; and (3) the Model Interface Layer that re-grids (if needed) and serves the data to the atmospheric model, and also serves model data to the HEMCO Core for computing emissions dependent on model state (such as from dust, vegetation, etc.). The HEMCO Core is common to the implementation in all models, while the Data Input Layer and the Model Interface Layer are adaptable to the model environment. Default versions of the Data Input Layer and Model Interface Layer enable straightforward implementation of HEMCO in any simple model architecture, and options are available to disable features such as re-gridding that may be done by independent couplers in more complex architectures. The HEMCO library of emission inventories and algorithms is continuously enriched through user contributions, so that new inventories can be immediately shared across models. HEMCO can also serve as a general data broker for models to process input data not only for emissions but for any gridded environmental datasets.We describe existing implementations of HEMCO 3.0 in (1) the GEOS-Chem 'Classic' chemical transport model with shared-memory infrastructure, (2) the high-performance GEOS-Chem (GCHP) model with distributed-memory architecture, (3) the NASA GEOS Earth System Model (GEOS ESM), (4) the Weather Research and Forecasting model with GEOS-Chem (WRF-GC), (5) the Community Earth System Model Version 2 (CESM2), and (6) the NOAA Global Ensemble Forecast System – Aerosols (GEFS-Aerosols), and the planned implementation in the NOAA Unified Forecast System (UFS). Implementation of HEMCO in the CESM2 model contributes to the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols (MUSICA) by providing a common emissions infrastructure to support different simulations of atmospheric chemistry across scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report a fully vibrationally resolved photoelectron spectroscopy investigation of a nonplanar molecule studied over a range of excitation energies. Experimental results for all four fundamental vibrational modes are presented. In each case significant non-Franck-Condon effects are seen. The vibrational branching ratio for the totally symmetric mode ν1+ is found to be strongly affected by resonant excitation in the SiF4+ (D 2A1) photoionization channel. This is shown to be the result of two distinct shape resonances, which for the first time have been both confirmed by theoretical calculations. Vibrationally resolved Schwinger photoionization calculations are used to understand the vibronic coupling for the photoelectrons, both using ab initio and harmonic vibrational wave functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The four-dimensional intermolecular energy surface of HI-C[O.sub.2] complex was generated by microwave spectra to determine its morphed potential. The results obtained from morphed potential could be used to study the dynamics of photoinitiated reactions of such complex.

We present the results of an experimental and theoretical investigation of vibrationally resolved valence shell photoionization of BF3 leading to the [image omitted] state of [image omitted], where vibronic coupling and shape resonances are known to be important. The experimental vibrational branching ratios for multiple quantum excitations of the symmetric stretching mode of the ion [image omitted] as well as for the single vibrational excitation of the asymmetric stretching mode [image omitted] are compared with the predictions of single-channel Schwinger variational calculations performed within the Chase adiabatic approximation to obtain vibrational-state specific cross sections. The presence of a shape resonance in the continuum of [image omitted] symmetry is seen to lead to significant non-Franck-Condon intrachannel vibronic coupling effects. The breakdown in the Franck-Condon approximation is due to the sensitivity to the asymmetric stretching mode of the energy of the resonance and the magnitude of the transition moment for exciting the resonance. However, there are indications that interchannel vibronic coupling effects may also be significant in this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new mixed L2 basis set, built from multicenter STOs and single-center radial B-Splines, is proposed to evaluate the differential photoionization cross section of molecules. As a first comparison we report the results for nitrogen and acetylene molecules, whose photoionization cross sections, since they have been the object of very numerous studies both experimentally and theoretically, represent a reliable test. The theoretical approach utilized to evaluate the continuum is based upon the K-Matrix (KM) determination in the interacting channels random phase approximation framework (IC-RPA) and the results obtained with the new basis set are in good agreement with the experiment and with the best calculations available. Thus the mixed basis employed appears very adequate to describe the electronic continuum and the present calculations are helpful in the assignment of some fine details in the low energy portion of the spectrum. In the high energy region, although the rough behaviour agrees with the experiment, the limitations of the KM-RPA method are such as to not account for a more detailed description of the spectrum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The convenience afforded by the use of L2 functions in the calculation of the photoionization cross-section and of others properties depending upon the electronic continuum has prompted the examination of particular basis sets that, among those derived, could be able to mimic the continuum states in an extended region of space. Here results are reported for the differential photoionization cross-section of the Li2 molecule, where a mixed L2 basis set comprising multi-center STOs plus single-center radial B-Splines times spherical harmonics was employed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and Purpose Experimental Approach Key Results Conclusion and Implications Cisplatin‐induced sensorineural hearing loss is a significant clinical challenge. Although the potential effects of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have previously been investigated in some ototoxicity models, its efficacy in cisplatin‐induced hearing loss remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of recombinant human BDNF (rhBDNF) in protecting cells against cisplatin‐induced ototoxicity.Using an in vivo model of cisplatin‐induced hearing loss, we investigated the beneficial effects of transtympanic administration of rhBDNF in a thermogel solution on hearing function and cochlear injury, using electrophysiological, morphological, immunofluorescence and molecular analyses.Our data showed that local rhBDNF treatment counteracted hearing loss in rats receiving cisplatin by preserving synaptic connections in the cochlear epithelium and protecting hair cells (HCs) and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) against cisplatin‐induced cell death. Specifically, rhBDNF maintains the balance of its receptor levels (pTrkB and p75), boosting TrkB‐CREB pro‐survival signalling and reducing caspase 3‐dependent apoptosis in the cochlea. Additionally, it activates antioxidant mechanisms while inhibiting inflammation and promoting vascular repair.Collectively, we demonstrated that early transtympanic treatment with rhBDNF plays a multifaceted protective role against cisplatin‐induced ototoxicity, thus holding promise as a novel potential approach to preserve hearing in adult and paediatric patients undergoing cisplatin‐based chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translation initiation of most mammalian mRNAs is mediated by a 5' cap structure that binds eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). Notably, most mRNAs are still capped when eIF4E is inhibited, suggesting alternative mechanisms likely mediate cap-dependent mRNA translation without functional eIF4F. Here we found that, when eIF4E is inhibited, the ribosomal scaffold RACK1 recruits eIF3d on the 43S pre-initiation complex. Moreover, we found that it is just PKCBII in its active form that promotes the binding of RACK1 to eIF3d. These studies disclose a previously unknown role of ribosomal RACK1 for eIF3d specialized translation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)