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International audience; Satellite ammonia (NH3) observations provide unprecedented insights into NH3 emissions, spatiotemporal variabilities and trends, but validation with in‐situ measurements remains lacking. Here, total columns from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) were intercompared to boundary layer NH3 profiles derived from aircraft‐ and surface‐based measurements primarily in Colorado, USA, in the summer of 2014. IASI‐NH3 version 3 near real‐time dataset compared well to in‐situ derived columns (windows ±15 km around centroid, ±1 hour around overpass time) with a correlation of 0.58, a slope of 0.78±0.14, and an intercept of 2.1×1015±1.5×1015 molecules cm‐2. Agreement degrades at larger spatiotemporal windows, consistent with the short atmospheric lifetime of NH3. We also examined IASI version 3R data, which relies on temperature retrievals from the ERA Reanalysis, and a third product generated using aircraft‐measured temperature profiles. The overall agreement improves slightly for both cases, and neither is biased within their combined measurement errors. Thus, spatiotemporal averaging of IASI over large windows can be used to reduce retrieval noise. Nonetheless, sampling artifacts of airborne NH3 instruments result in significant uncertainties of the in‐situ‐derived columns. For example, large validation differences exist between ascent and descent profiles, and the assumptions of the free tropospheric NH3 profiles used above the aircraft ceiling significantly impact the validation. Because short‐lived species like NH3 largely reside within the boundary layer with complex vertical structures, more comprehensive validation is needed across a wide range of environments. More accurate and widespread in‐situ NH3 datasets are therefore required for improved validations of satellite products.

BackgroundWhile surgery is the first-line treatment for patients with endogenous hypercortisolism (Cushing syndrome [CS]), mifepristone has been shown to be a beneficial medical treatment option, as demonstrated in the SEISMIC (Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Mifepristone in the Treatment of Endogenous Cushing Syndrome) trial. Mifepristone is a competitive glucocorticoid receptor antagonist and progesterone receptor antagonist that is associated with several treatment effects and adverse events that clinicians need to be aware of when considering its use. The objective of this review was to provide updated clinical management recommendations for patients with CS treated with mifepristone.MethodsA panel of endocrinologists from the US with extensive experience in treating patients with CS, including with mifepristone, convened as part of a clinical advisory board to develop a consensus on the practical, real-world clinical management of patients on mifepristone.ResultsComprehensive considerations and recommendations are provided for managing mifepristone-associated effects, including symptoms of cortisol withdrawal, hypokalemia, and change in thyroid function; effects related to its antiprogesterone activity; and rash. Additional management strategies to address concomitant medications and special clinical situations, such as surgery and use in specific populations, are also provided.ConclusionSafe and effective use of mifepristone requires clinical judgment and close patient monitoring to ensure optimal clinical outcomes. These consensus recommendations provide useful, practical guidance to clinicians using mifepristone.

Atmospheric emissions from animal husbandry are important to both air quality and climate, but are hard to characterize and quantify as they differ significantly due to management practices and livestock type, and they can vary substantially throughout diurnal and seasonal cycles. Using a new mobile laboratory, ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and other trace gas emissions were measured from four concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in northeastern Colorado. Two dairies, a beef cattle feedlot, and a sheep feedlot were chosen for repeated diurnal and seasonal measurements. A consistent diurnal pattern in the NH3 to CH4 enhancement ratio is clearly observed, with midday enhancement ratios approximately four times greater than nighttime values. This diurnal pattern is similar, with slight variations in magnitude, at the four CAFOs and across seasons. The average NH3 to CH4 enhancement ratio from all seasons and CAFOs studied is 0.17 (+0.13/–0.08) mol/mol, in agreement with statewi...

This overview of results from the MST reversed field pinch program summarizes physics im- portant for the advancement of the RFP as well as for improved understanding of toroidal magnetic confinement in general. Topics include energetic particle effects, 3D helical equilibria, and density limit studies, microturbulence, ion heating, and magnetic self-organization physics. With neutral beam injection, several bursty energetic particle (EP) modes are observed. The profiles of the magnetic and density fluctuations associated with these EP-modes are measured using an FIR interferometer- polarimeter. Equilibrium reconstructions of the quasi-single-helicity 3D helical state are provided by the V3FIT code that now incorporates several of MST's advanced diagnostics. A predator-prey theoretical model based on sheared flow and/or magnetic field has been developed that captures key QSH dynamics. Upgraded pellet injection permits study of density and limits over MST's full range of operation, and an MST-record line-average density of 0 : 9 10 20 { m 3 ( n { n G 1 : 4 ) has been obtained. Plasma exhibits saturation at tot § 20% for a wide range of density, 0 : 2 + n { n G + 1 : 6 . Gyrokinetic simulations (GENE) based on experimental toroidal equilibrium reconstructions predict unstable trapped electron modes. Nonlinear simulations show that the "Dimits shift" is large and persists at finite . Experimentally, small-scale density fluctuations are detected in improved confine- ment plasmas. Impurity ion temperature measurements reveal a charge-to-mass-ratio dependence in the rapid heating that occurs during a sawtooth crash. Also, a toroidal asymmetry in the ion temper- ature is measured, correlated with 3D magnetic structure associated with tearing modes. Magnetic self-organization studies include measurements and modeling of the dynamo emf in standard RFP operation as well as with an applied ac inductive electric field to investigate the dynamics of oscillating field current drive (OFCD). Extended MHD computation for standard RFP conditions using NIMROD predicts dynamical coupling of current and plasma flow relaxation. The dynamo emf has also been measured when OFCD is applied, strengthening the understanding of and possibility for steady-state current sustainment using inductive current drive.

An overview of recent results from the MST programme on physics important for the advancement of the reversed field pinch (RFP) as well as for improved understanding of toroidal magnetic confinement more generally is reported. Evidence for the classical confinement of ions in the RFP is provided by analysis of impurity ions and energetic ions created by 1 MW neutral beam injection (NBI). The first appearance of energetic-particle-driven modes by NBI in a RFP plasma is described. MST plasmas robustly access the quasi-single-helicity state that has commonalities to the stellarator and 'snake' formation in tokamaks. In MST the dominant mode grows to 8% of the axisymmetric field strength, while the remaining modes are reduced. Predictive capability for tearing mode behaviour has been improved through nonlinear, 3D, resistive magnetohydrodynamic computation using the measured resistivity profile and Lundquist number, which reproduces the sawtooth cycle dynamics. Experimental evidence and computational analysis indicates two-fluid effects, e.g., Hall physics and gyro-viscosity, are needed to understand the coupling of parallel momentum transport and current profile relaxation. Large Reynolds and Maxwell stresses, plus separately measured kinetic stress, indicate an intricate momentum balance and a possible origin for MST's intrinsic plasma rotation. Gyrokinetic analysis indicates that micro-tearing modes can be unstable at high beta, with a critical gradient for the electron temperature that is larger than for tokamak plasmas by roughly the aspect ratio.

Plasmas in the MST reversed field pinch bifurcate to a helical equilibrium, forming a Single Helical Axis (SHAx) at high plasma current (Ip?500 kA) and low density (ne?0.5 x 1019 m-3). Modeling of these plasmas requires an equilibrium solver that does not assume axisymmetry. The V3FIT 3D equilibrium reconstruction code is applied to helical equilibria with diagnostic measurements as constraints. The 11-chord interferometer-polarimeter, 22-point Thomson scattering system, and 4-camera soft X-ray probes have been included in addition to external magnetics. Inputs have been adapted for MST's close-fitting conducting shell. Investigations into the role of shell eddy currents have been made, including comparison to eigenfunctions generated from the Newcomb equation. At the plasma boundary, ?60{\%} of the static n=5 toroidal field BT seen by magnetic probes is generated by currents in the shell. The generated VMEC equilibrium serves as the input for applications relevant to the 1 MW, 25 keV neutral beam injector. During beam injection, fast ion confinement is reduced in periods with a SHAx compared to axisymmetric plasmas. A single particle orbit code has been applied to calculate particle trajectories in the 3D case, confirming a strong influence of SHAx equilibria on fast ion orbits. EPM magnetic bursts terminate at the transition to SHAx. Alfv\'{e}n continua have been generated to study this phenomenon with the reduced-MHD code STELLGAP. Work Supported by USDoE and NSF.

While reconnection-driven ion heating is common in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, the underlying mechanisms for converting magnetic to kinetic energy remain not fully understood. Reversed field pinch discharges are often characterized by rapid ion heating during impulsive reconnection, generating an ion distribution with an enhanced bulk temperature, mainly perpendicular to magnetic field. In the Madison Symmetric Torus, a subset of discharges with the strongest reconnection events develop a very anisotropic, high energy tail parallel to magnetic field in addition to bulk perpendicular heating, which produces a fusion neutron flux orders of magnitude higher than that expected from a Maxwellian distribution. Here, we demonstrate that two factors in addition to a perpendicular bulk heating mechanism must be considered to explain this distribution. First, ion runaway can occur in the strong parallel-to-B electric field induced by a rapid equilibrium change triggered by reconnection-based relaxation; t...

An overview of recent results from the MST reversed field pinch programme is presented. With neutral beam injection, bursty energetic particle (EP) modes are observed. The profiles of the magnetic and density fluctuations associated with these EP modes are measured using a far infrared interferometer-polarimeter. Equilibrium reconstructions of the quasi-single-helicity 3D helical state are provided by the V3FIT code that now incorporates several of MST's advanced diagnostics. The orientation of the helical structure is controlled using a new resonant magnetic perturbation technique. Gyrokinetic simulations based on experimental equilibria predict unstable trapped-electron modes (TEMs), and small-scale density fluctuations are detected in improved-confinement plasmas with TEM-like features. Upgraded pellet injection permits study of density and beta limits over MST's full range of operation, and an MST-record line-average density of 0.9 ×1020 m3 (n/nG = 1.4) has been obtained. Impurity ion temperature measurements reveal a charge-to-mass-ratio dependence in the rapid heating that occurs during a sawtooth crash. Runaway of NBI-born fast ions during the impulsive sawtooth event agrees with test-particle theory. Magnetic self-organization studies include measurements of the dynamo emf with an applied ac inductive electric field using oscillating field current drive.

Ion runaway in the presence of a large-scale, reconnection-driven electric field has been conclusively measured in the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed-field pinch (RFP). Measurements of the acceleration of a beam of fast ions agree well with test particle and Fokker-Planck modeling of the runaway process. However, the runaway mechanism does not explain all measured ion heating in the RFP, particularly previous measurements of strong perpendicular heating. It is likely that multiple energization mechanisms occur simultaneously and with differing significance for magnetically coupled thermal ions and magnetically decoupled tail and beam ions.

Fast ions are well confined in the stochastic magnetic field of the multiple-helicity (MH) reversed-field pinch (RFP), with fast ion confinement times routinely a factor of 5 to 10 higher than thermal confinement time. Recent experiments have examined the behavior and confinement of beam-born fast ions in the three-dimensional (3D) helical RFP state. In lower current discharges, where the onset of the helical state is uncertain, high power neutral beam injection (NBI) tends to suppress the transition to the single helicity mode. In high current discharges (Ip ~ 0.5 MA), where the onset of n = 5 single helicity is quite robust, a short blip of NBI is used to probe the confinement of fast ions with minimal perturbation to the 3D equilibrium. The fast ion confinement time is measured to be substantially lower than fast ions in comparable MH RFP states, and there is a strong dependence on the strength of the helical perturbation. The established helical equilibrium is stationary in the laboratory frame but the locking occurs over the entire range of possible phase with respect to the Madison Symmetric Torus vessel. This effectively scans both the location of the NBI with respect to the helical structure and the pitch of the NBI-born fast ions. Fast ion confinement is observed to be insensitive to this angle, and in fact counter-NB injection into quasi-single helicity discharges shows fast ion confinement times similar to co-injection cases, in contrast to the MH RFP, where counter-injected fast ion confinement time is substantially lower.

Multiple bursty energetic-particle (EP) driven modes with fishbone-like structure are observed during 1 MW tangential neutral-beam injection in a reversed field pinch (RFP) device. The distinguishing features of the RFP, including large magnetic shear (tending to add stability) and weak toroidal magnetic field (leading to stronger drive), provide a complementary environment to tokamak and stellarator configurations for exploring basic understanding of EP instabilities. Detailed measurements of the EP mode characteristics and temporal-spatial dynamics reveal their influence on fast ion transport. Density fluctuations exhibit a dynamically evolving, inboard-outboard asymmetric spatial structure that peaks in the core where fast ions reside. The measured mode frequencies are close to the computed shear Alfven frequency, a feature consistent with continuum modes destabilized by strong drive. The frequency pattern of the dominant mode depends on the fast-ion species. Multiple frequencies occur with deuterium f...

The behavior of energetic ions is fundamentally important in the study of fusion plasmas. While well-studied in tokamak, spherical torus, and stellarator plasmas, relatively little is known in reversed field pinch plasmas about the dynamics of fast ions and the effects they cause as a large population. These studies are now underway in the Madison Symmetric Torus with an intense 25 keV, 1 MW hydrogen neutral beam injector (NBI). Measurements of the time-resolved fast ion distribution via a high energy neutral particle analyzer, as well as beam-target neutron flux (when NBI fuel is doped with 3–5% D2) both demonstrate that at low concentration the fast ion population is consistent with classical slowing of the fast ions, negligible cross-field transport, and charge exchange as the dominant ion loss mechanism. A significant population of fast ions develops; simulations predict a super-Alfvenic ion density of up to 25% of the electron density with both a significant velocity space gradient and a sharp radial...

Internal fluctuations arising from energetic-particle-driven instabilities, including both density and radial magnetic field, are measured in a reversed-field-pinch plasma. The fluctuations peak near the core where fast ions reside and shift outward along the major radius as the instability transits from the n = 5 to n = 4 mode. During this transition, strong nonlinear three-wave interaction among multiple modes accompanied by enhanced fast-ion transport is observed.

An advanced neutral particle analyzer (ANPA) capable of simultaneously measuring hydrogen and deuterium ions of energies up to 45 keV has recently been developed for use on the Madison Symmetric Torus. The charge-to-mass separation allows for separate analysis of bulk deuterium ions and hydrogen ions injected with a 1 MW, 25 keV neutral beam. Orientation of the ANPA allows sampling of different regions of ion velocity space; a radial viewport favors collection of ions with high v(perpendicular)∕|v| while a recently installed tangential viewport favors ions with high v(||)∕|v|, such as those from the core-localized fast ion population created by the neutral beam. Signals are observed in the ANPA's highest energy channels during periodic magnetic reconnection events, which are drivers of anisotropic, non-Maxwellian ion energization in the reversed-field pinch. ANPA signal strength is dependent on the background neutral density, which also increases during magnetic reconnection events, so careful analysis must be performed to identify the true change in the ion distribution. A Monte Carlo neutral particle tracing code (NENE) is used to reconstruct neutral density profiles based on D(α) line emission, which is measured using a 16-chord filtered photodiode array.

Impurity ion dynamics measured with simultaneously high spatial and temporal resolution reveal classical ion transport in the reversed-field pinch. The boron, carbon, oxygen, and aluminum impurity ion density profiles are obtained in the Madison Symmetric Torus [R. N. Dexter et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] using a fast, active charge-exchange-recombination-spectroscopy diagnostic. Measurements are made during improved-confinement plasmas obtained using inductive control of tearing instability to mitigate stochastic transport. At the onset of the transition to improved confinement, the impurity ion density profile becomes hollow, with a slow decay in the core region concurrent with an increase in the outer region, implying an outward convection of impurities. Impurity transport from Coulomb collisions in the reversed-field pinch is classical for all collisionality regimes, and analysis shows that the observed hollow profile and outward convection can be explained by the classical temperature screening mechanism. The profile agrees well with classical expectations. Experiments performed with impurity pellet injection provide further evidence for classical impurity ion confinement.

Charge-exchange recombination spectroscopy, which is generally used to measure low-Z impurities in fusion devices, has been used for measuring Al+11 and Al+13 impurities in the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed field pinch. To obtain the impurity ion temperature, the experimental emission spectrum is fitted with a model which includes fine structure in the atomic transition. Densities of these two ionization states, calculated from charge-exchange emission brightness, are used in combination with a collisional radiative model to estimate the abundance of all other charge states of aluminum in the plasma and the contribution of aluminum to the effective ionic charge of the plasma.