Exploring the radiative effects of precipitation on arctic amplification and energy budget

The new study discusses the importance of incorporating the radiative effects of precipitation in climate modeling.

OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY

 

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A DEPICTION OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE RADIATIVE EFFECTS OF PRECIPITATION-INDUCED SURFACE CHANGES IN THE TEMPERATURE AT 2M ABOVE THE SURFACE.

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CREDIT: TAKURO MICHIBATA FROM OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY HTTPS://WWW.NATURE.COM/ARTICLES/S41612-024-00684-4

One of the key metrics for climate modelling is radiative forcing. Most climate models, including the general circulation models (GCMs), focus on the effects of different atmospheric factors on radiative forcing. However, there are still large uncertainties in satellite observations and multi-model simulations associated with some atmospheric factors. Among them, clouds are a known source of uncertainty in GCMs, leading to radiative biases. However, another possible source of radiative uncertainty is associated with precipitation.

In principle, precipitating particles affect radiative forcing by disrupting incoming shortwave and outgoing longwave radiations. But most conventional GCMs in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) treat precipitation diagnostically and exclude the radiative effects of precipitation (REP). Extracting the magnitude of REP in climate models is challenging because of complicated atmosphere-ocean feedback and multi-model variabilities. To this end, a new study, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science on 19 June 2024, led by Associate Professor Takuro Michibata from Okayama University investigated the influence of REP on radiative forcing at different geographical scales.

Dr. Michibata employed three sub-versions of the Japanese GCM, MIROC6, incorporating different precipitation and radiative calculation treatments. These sub-versions included diagnostic precipitation without REP (DIAG), prognostic precipitation without REP (PROG REP-OFF), and prognostic precipitation with REP (PROG REP-ON), to quantify the influence of precipitating particles on the radiation budgets and hydrological cycles at both global and regional scales. “In addition to modifying the MIROC6 model, we also used 34 climate models from the CMIP6 data archive to better understand the REP on the seasonal variations of the Arctic amplification. Thus, by using sets of simulations and multiple satellite observations, we systematically documented the significance of REP on the global and regional hydrological cycle and energy budget,” explains Dr. Michibata.

The study found that REP affects not only the local thermodynamic profile but also the remote precipitation rate and distribution by altering atmospheric circulation. Due to the precipitating particles in the atmosphere, there is a collective reduction in the net shortwave radiation ("parasol effect”). At the same time, the inverse is observed on the net longwave radiation ("warming effect”), especially in the Arctic zone. As per PROG REP-ON, this results in a weakening of the radiative cooling in the atmosphere and thus slowing down the hydrological cycle at a global level.

The surface warming is more pronounced in the polar regions, with a noticeable increase in surface temperature—by more than 1 K on an average—during winter, as compared to the simulation without REP. This temperature increase is more than twice as large as the summer warming. The study basically emphasizes on the magnitude of surface warming in PROG REP-ON, which is stronger in winter than in summer. This was further verified with the 34 CMIP6 models that also showed systematic variations in Arctic amplification upon factoring in REP.

In contrast, the temperature variations over tropical and subtropical regions were found to be relatively small. In fact, the three-dimensional radiation budget analysis showed that precipitation change was the main effect of REP in the tropics, as opposed to the significant temperature change in the polar regions.

These results indicate that REP has a significant influence on the radiation budget and hydrological cycle at both global and regional scales, which can provide valuable information on REP’s impact mechanism on temperature and precipitation changes. Furthermore, this implies that including REP in GCMs could improve precipitation and temperature biases in climate models and therefore improve the accuracy of these climate simulations against observational evidence.

“Current climate models still have large uncertainties, particularly in simulating the Arctic climate. Given that the Arctic climate is remotely linked to mid-latitude meteorology and weather, this study will contribute towards the improvement of climate models for more accurate prediction of future climate change and changes in the occurrence of extreme weather. Moreover, the process-level understanding in the REP will be useful for other modeling groups in future model development,” concludes Dr. Michibata.

 

About Okayama University, Japan

As one of the leading universities in Japan, Okayama University aims to create and establish a new paradigm for the sustainable development of the world. Okayama University offers a wide range of academic fields, which become the basis of the integrated graduate schools. This not only allows us to conduct the most advanced and up-to-date research, but also provides an enriching educational experience.

Website: https://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html

 

About Associate Professor Takuro Michibata from Okayama University, Japan

Takuro Michibata is an Associate Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences, School of Science at Okayama University, Japan. He leads the COMETS Laboratory (Cloud Observation and Modeling for Earth Technology and Science) at the university focusing on cloud physics and climate science. He has guided several graduate and undergraduate students who have received recognition for their work with him. Dr. Michibata’s research mainly entails working on climate research centered on numerical modeling of aerosol, cloud, and precipitation processes and satellite analysis. He is also engaged in the development of a "satellite simulator" software that connects numerical models with satellites. His research has been published in well-known journals, with many citations.

 

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JOURNAL

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

DOI

10.1038/s41612-024-00684-4 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Radiative effects of precipitation on the global energy budget and Arctic amplification

 

Gondwana’s ultimate hunter – New giant fossil tetrapod found in Namibia

UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND

 

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ARTIST/ILLUSTRATOR GABRIEL LIO’S RECONSTRUCTION OF GAIASIA JENNYAE, THE NEW STEM TETRAPOD FROM NAMIBIA, AND AN APEX PREDATOR OF THE WETLAND AREAS OF SOUTHERN GONDWANA APPROXIMATELY 280 MILLION YEARS AGO. 

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CREDIT: GABRIEL LIO

After three years of meticulous study, an international team of researchers has announced the discovery of a fossilised giant basal tetrapod in Namibia's arid heartland in Nature. A basal tetrapod is an early four-legged vertebrate with fingers and toes, which lived during the transition from water to land. These ancient carnivores are among the earliest ancestors of all modern animals. This nearly complete 3-meter-long skeleton of an adult, unearthed in the Ugab River valley in Damaraland, is the largest ever discovered. This discovery is significant because it challenges previous assumptions that these early four-legged vertebrates, which lived during the transition from water to land around 280 million years ago, were only found in the northern hemisphere. The new species, named Gaiasia jennyae, provides crucial insights into the early evolution of land-dwelling animals and shows how important southern continents are in future research on this topic.

Funded by PAST Africa and the National Geographic Society, the team, comprising palaeontologists from South Africa, Namibia, Argentina, and the US, was searching for evidence of the earliest four-legged animals to set foot on land in this part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. Gondwana, which existed from about 550 to 180 million years ago, included what are now South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India.

The team was conducting fieldwork in Namibia, meticulously surveying the rugged terrain, when they spotted something exciting. “The nearly complete skeleton was preserved in mudstone from an ancient freshwater lake. As the soft tissue decomposed, gases formed that caused calcium carbonate to crystallise around the bones, creating a hard crust that protected them from being crushed as they were buried deeper,” explains Prof. Roger Smith, Distinguished Professor at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits and Emeritus Research Associate at Iziko Museums, Cape Town.

Mr. Sibusiso Mtungata, a highly skilled fossil technician from the Iziko Museum, describes the discovery moment: “We had found isolated vertebrae of something big, so we were looking for a more complete skeleton. I came across two round cylinders of rock with bone in the middle which fitted together - and then a third. I called Roger over to help me find more, and as we walked upslope, he spotted a large flat rock which he recognised as the head. When we looked along the edge and saw rows of teeth, we knew we had finally found what we had been searching for - a nearly complete skull and skeleton!”

Prof. Claudia Marsicano from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, elaborates on the significance of the find. "As soon as I saw this enormous animal, I knew it was a different species. There is no record of giant basal tetrapods during the Carboniferous-Permian transition (approximately 299 million years ago) anywhere in the world, and certainly none from the southern continents that made up Gondwana. What caught my attention next was the structure of the front part of the skull, which was sticking out of the ground. It showed unusually interlocking large fangs." It was an ambush predator that ate the fish that lived in the same lake.

Collecting the fossil took some time. “The skeleton had already weathered out of the rock, so there was no need for excavation, but the whole team spent hours searching for fragments that had fallen off the skull block and moved downslope,” says Mr. Mtungata. The skeleton was then taken to the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town to be painstakingly prepared in the Karoo Fossil Laboratory, a process that took two years. “Mechanical preparation was a challenge because it was too large to CT scan, so I didn’t know what to expect – especially in the palate where teeth of all different sizes were everywhere. And there was up to 10cm of rock around the vertebrae that needed to be drilled away, creating so much red dust that we had to bring in a special extractor,” says Mr. Mtungata.

The fossil preparation revealed that the large, flattened skull was decorated with unusual patterns and had a unique palate structure. It had enormous, backward-curved fangs in both the upper and lower jaws, making its mouth unlike anything seen before. Initially thought to be a large amphibian, further study showed that the skull had features of much older, less evolved four-legged animals, previously found only in older rocks in the northern hemisphere.

"We named the new species Gaiasia jennyae. 'Gaiasia' is after Gaias, a nearby desert spring where the fossil was found. 'Jennyae' honours Professor Jennifer Clack, a world-renowned expert in early tetrapod evolution, who passed away in 2020," explains Prof. Roger Smith.

The new findings strongly suggest that early tetrapods were well-established in the cold-temperate regions of Gondwana as early as the Carboniferous-Permian transition. “This discovery challenges previous beliefs about early tetrapod distribution and evolution, which were mostly based on fossils from the northern hemisphere,” says Prof. Marsicano. “Our research shows a well-established early Permian fauna, with Gaiasia as an apex predator, in rocks from high-latitude Gondwana, now located in central Namibia. This challenges previous ideas and proves that the early history of tetrapods in Pangea during the Palaeozoic was much more complex than we thought."

The fully-prepared stem tetrapod Giasia jennyae with a close up of the intricate ornamentation of the skull roof bones. Image credit Roger Smith

Claudia Marsicano studying the prepared stem-tetrapod fossil in Cape Town before it was transported back to Namibia. Image credit Roger Smith.

CREDIT

Roger Smith

Roger Smith and Sibusisu Mtungata who together recovered the skull and most of the skeleton of what is now the type specimen of Gaiasia jennyae. Image credit Leandro Gaetano

CREDIT

Leandro Gaetano

The specimen has been returned to Windhoek, where it will soon be on display in the Geological Museum of Namibia.

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-024-07572-0 

Offshore windfarms – A threat for electro-sensitive sharks?

SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

 

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SMALL-SPOTTED CATSHARK EGG IN ELECTROMAGNETIC EXPOSURE EXPERIMENT.

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CREDIT: JULIE LUCAS

An ongoing research project into the impact of offshore windfarm electromagnetic fields on shark development reveals that the alternating electric currents produced by underwater windfarm cables seems not to disrupt the growth or survival of sharks.

Offshore windfarms are one of the most common marine renewable energy (MRE) producers, and are seen as a pivotal technology in the global transition towards renewable energy and away from fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.

However, their proliferation in marine environments raises new questions about their impacts on wildlife. Energy operators and researchers are working together to understand the effects of these increasingly prevalent technologies.

“Wind farms can induce noise, vibrations, interruptions to ecological continuity and generate electromagnetic fields at the level of submarine electric cable,” says Dr Julie Lucas, a research associate at France's National Museum of Natural History. “They can affect behaviour of electro-sensitive species which use natural electromagnetic fields to move and feed, such as sharks.”

These offshore windfarms rely on submarine electric cables (CES) that use either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) depending on their function, power output and cable length. “Currently, wind farms located less than 50km from the coast use AC current, whereas more powerful future wind farms are planned to be located more than 50 km away and will use DC current,” says Dr Lucas.

Both AC and DC currents produce strong magnetic fields into the water surrounding them. “These magnetic fields can affect the behaviour of electro- and magneto-sensitive species such as elasmobranchs, which use natural electromagnetic fields to move and feed,” says Dr Lucas. “The increasing number of offshore wind farms is likely to amplify these effects, while existing information on their impact on marine communities remains patchy.”

Dr Lucas’ study aims to identify the effects of the magnetic fields caused by AC and DC currents on the survival, development and behaviour of sharks and other electro-sensitive elasmobranchs. “The results will enable us to understand how elasmobranchs react to electromagnetic fields,” says Dr Lucas.

Dr Lucas and her team studied two key life stages of the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicular), embryo and juvenile, under either control or windfarm-impacted conditions using AC or DC currents. They recorded daily survival, weekly development and growth and metabolic rate through respirometry for both life stages.

“Thankfully, preliminary results suggest that the impact of alternating electromagnetic fields seem to be limited on the factors that we have measured,” says Dr Lucas. However, the full results are still being analysed and the effects of DC current will be investigated later this year.

“The results of this project will make it possible to understand more precisely how sharks react to electromagnetic fields depending on their intensity and the type of current,” says Dr Lucas. “They will also improve our knowledge of the impacts of MREs on marine species.”

Dr Lucas hopes that this research can help inform policy to protect marine species and determine what improvements can be made to CES to continue limiting their impact. “This project will provide essential information for managers and decision-makers to meet the challenges of developing MREs without harming marine biodiversity,” says Dr Lucas.

This research is being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague on the 2-5th July 2024.

 

Current strategies ineffective in controlling Salmonella Dublin in Danish cattle

COMPLEXITY SCIENCE HUB

 

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MAP OF (SCRAMBLED) CATTLE FARMS (NODES) ONLY WITH CATTLE MOVEMENT RECORDS IN JANUARY 2010. LINKS BETWEEN NODES REPRESENT THE TRADE MOVEMENTS AND THEIR THICKNESS REPRESENTS THE NUMBER OF CATTLE TRADED IN JANUARY 2010. COLOURS REPRESENT INFECTION CATEGORIES (RED=TEST POSITIVE) AND GREEN (TEST NEGATIVE) AND THE SIZE OF A POINT REPRESENTS THE HERD SIZE. (SOURCE: DOI: 10.3168/JDS.2023-24554)

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CREDIT: COMPLEXITY SCIENCE HUB, UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN, SEGES

Limited impact of current movement restrictions highlights need for enhanced strategies, says study. 

In a recent study published in the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), the University of Copenhagen, and SEGES have shown that despite stringent movement restrictions among Danish cattle farms Salmonella Dublin continues to propagate, indicating that current strategies are insufficient to curb the spread of the disease.

"We analyzed 11 years of data, including detailed information about infection outbreaks in farms and trading data between farms, and applied advanced social network and simulation modeling to study the movement patterns of cattle among farms," explain CSH Associate Faculty member Beate Conrady and CSH researcher Elma Dervic.

By mapping out these connections, the researchers aimed to assess how effectively movement restrictions were preventing the spread of Salmonella Dublin. "Surprisingly, we found that disease transmission between farms persists, with cattle movement activities in the previous month being the strongest predictor of farm infections," says Conrady, who is also an Associate Professor at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Similar network trends were observed for infected and non-infected farms, indicating that the perceived strict movement restrictions had insufficient effect, likely because multi-site farm businesses are still allowed to move animals between their own farm properties. Local transmission, i.e., different transmission pathways in a short distance to neighboring farms, played a relatively minor role.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Given the limitations of current measures, the study calls for a multifaceted approach to managing Salmonella Dublin:

• Pre- and Post-Movement Measures: Implementing stricter control measures before and after movement within a one-month period can reduce the spread of Salmonella Dublin.
• Focused Control Strategies: Enhanced surveillance and targeted interventions based on cattle movement data and farm characteristics can improve the effectiveness of disease control programs. Analyzing the impact of multi-site businesses seems to be important to better understand the spread of Salmonella Dublin infections.
• Policy Recommendations: Adapt control measures to emphasize within-herd biosecurity, and improve the diagnostics and testing before and after cattle movements.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SALMONELLA DUBLIN

Salmonella Dublin is a bacterial infection that poses a threat to cattle health, causing symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, and respiratory problems. The disease is also zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals or consumption of contaminated dairy products, potentially leading to severe health issues, especially in immunocompromised individuals.

IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIETY

This study has profound implications for both farmers and policymakers. For farmers, it means that despite adhering to movement restrictions, their herds remain at risk of infection, which can lead to economic losses due to decreased productivity and increased veterinary costs. For policymakers, the study highlights the urgent need to develop more effective disease management strategies. Relying solely on movement restrictions is clearly not enough to combat the spread of Salmonella Dublin.

“Our study underscores the urgent need to revise existing policies of more dynamic and targeted approaches to control the spread of Salmonella Dublin to protect animal health and safeguard public health,” concludes Conrady.

 

ABOUT THE STUDY

The study “Social network analysis reveals the failure of between-farm movement restrictions to reduce Salmonella transmission,” by B. Conrady, E.H. Dervic, P. Klimek, L. Pedersen, M. Merhi Reimert, P. Rasmussen, O.O. Apenteng and L.R. Nielsen, was published in the Journal of Dairy Science (doi: 10.3168/jds.2023-24554).

 

About CSH

The Complexity Science Hub (CSH) is Europe’s research center for the study of complex systems. We derive meaning from data from a range of disciplines – economics, medicine, ecology, and the social sciences – as a basis for actionable solutions for a better world. Established in 2016, we have grown to over 70 researchers, driven by the increasing demand to gain a genuine understanding of the networks that underlie society, from healthcare to supply chains. Through our complexity science approaches linking physics, mathematics, and computational modeling with data and network science, we develop the capacity to address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Dairy Science

DOI

10.3168/jds.2023-24554 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Social network analysis reveals the failure of between-farm movement restrictions to reduce Salmonella transmission

 

Texas Tech professor receives DOE grant to advance clean energy

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Texas Tech University’s Qingwang Yuan, an assistant professor in the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering, has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM).

Yuan and Texas Tech will take the lead on a project titled, “Incubating Next Generation Clean Energy Scientists and Engineers Through Minority-Scholar Exchange and In-Situ Hydrogen Production Research.”

The research will be funded as part of an investment of more than $17 million from the DOE into 19 early-stage research endeavors. Projects were selected under FECM’s University Training and Research program and are geared toward advancing decarbonization and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.  

“FECM is excited to partner with our universities in communities located throughout the country to develop a skilled and diverse workforce of professionals helping to achieve our goal of a clean energy and industrial economy,” said Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Brad Crabtree.

Working in collaboration with Texas A&M, Howard University and the University at Buffalo, the project brings together three minority-serving institutions (MSI) and one non-MSI with complementary expertise and research capabilities to form a new partnership and advance the study of clean energy solutions.

The collaborating institutions will make use of visiting scholars and shared expertise to better prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers, promote research capabilities of participating universities and fill critical workforce gaps in clean energy.

Specifically, technology invented by Yuan will be coupled with the expertise of his co-PIs in hopes of enabling true carbon-zero hydrogen production from shale gas reservoirs.

Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Howard will each send two visiting scholars to each of the other participating universities for a month each year over a three-year period, while the University at Buffalo will host visiting scholars to give students at the university a broad base of training and expertise in an emerging field.

“Subsurface hydrogen production has the significant potential to provide affordable, clean hydrogen to meet the increasing clean energy need,” Yuan said. “Students in petroleum have the unique advantage to repurpose their skillsets in the subsurface to enable this emerging, clean and transformative technology in the near future.”

Yuan’s research group, the HOPE Group, is primarily focused on carbon-zero, carbon-free, and carbon-negative hydrogen production from the earth’s subsurface.

More information about this project and others funded through the DOE can be found here.

 

Military service's hidden health toll: servicewomen and their families endure increased chronic pain

A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveals that military women and female family members face significantly higher risks of chronic pain

BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL

A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveals that military women and female family members face significantly higher risks of chronic pain 

Active-duty servicewomen who served during periods of heightened combat deployments (2006-2013) face a significantly heightened risk of chronic pain compared to those serving at other times, according to a new study from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. The study also found that female dependents of military personnel serving in 2006-2013 are more likely to experience chronic pain and those of lower socioeconomic status and mental illness face an even higher risk. Results are published in JAMA Network Open. 

“We aimed to investigate the impact of frequent exposure to intense combat deployments on women in the military and their civilian spouses,” said first author Andrew Schoenfeld, MD, MSc, an orthopaedic surgeon in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Center for Surgery and Public Health at BWH. “My previous military service provided insight into the stress of repeated deployments on service members and their families. However, I was surprised by the magnitude of the effect we observed here, particularly among female civilian spouses. This underscores an overlooked aspect of deployment schedules that the Military Health System must recognize.” 

Chronic pain—a distressing condition that persists for months to years—can significantly reduce one’s quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2021, 20.9 percent of U.S. adults experienced chronic pain. This condition is also costly, both to individuals and the healthcare system, due to ongoing treatment needs and immense productivity losses. 

Researchers conducted a cohort study using data from the Military Health System Data Repository, focusing on active-duty servicewomen and female dependents of active-duty servicemembers across all branches of the Department of Defense (Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps).  The study included health records of 3,473,401 individuals ages 18 to 64, spanning 2006 to 2020.  

Among these records, 324,499 individuals (9.3 percent) had a diagnosis of chronic pain. The study divided the cohort into two groups: one from 2006 to 2013, characterized by more intense combat exposure, and another from 2014 to 2020 with significantly less combat exposure. Individuals with pre-existing chronic pain diagnoses before military service were excluded. 

Comparing these cohorts revealed that those serving from 2006 to 2013 had significantly higher rates of chronic pain (14.8 percent among active duty and 11.3 percent among dependents) compared to those serving from 2014 to 2020 (7.1 percent among active duty and 3.7 percent among dependents). 

Specifically, servicewomen from 2006 to 2013 had a 53 percent higher likelihood of chronic pain than those from 2014 to 2020. 

The study also found associations between chronic pain, and factors like mental health and socioeconomic status, among those serving in the Army or Marine Corps. 

“Populations from disadvantaged economic backgrounds and those with preexisting mental health conditions often encounter more barriers to accessing medical and behavioral health services, which can worsen and prolong their suffering,” noted Schoenfeld.  

One limitation of these findings is that they are based on claims data, which prevented investigators from directly interviewing patients to fully understand the circumstances and symptoms that culminated in their chronic pain diagnoses. 

Looking ahead, Schoenfeld and colleagues aim to evaluate how sustained use of prescription opioids differs among active-duty service women and civilian dependents living with chronic pain. They further hope to conduct a prospective observational study to better understand the long-term ramifications of military deployments on health.  

Authorship: In addition to Andrew Schoenfeld, BWH authors include Jonathan Gong, and Joel Weissman. Additional authors include Madison N. Cirillo, Amanda Banaag, Matthew Bryan and Tracey P. Koehlmoos. 

Disclosures: Andrew Schoenfeld reported receiving grants from National Institutes of Health National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (paid to institution) and Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (paid to institution), personal fees from Wolters Kluwer and Springer, serving as a consultant for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, serving as editor in chief for Spine, serving on the editorial board for Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and serving on the board of directors for North American Spine Society outside the submitted work.  
 
Funding: This study was funded through a grant from the US Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency (award No. HU00012320021). 

Paper cited: Schoenfeld A. et al. “Development of Chronic Pain Conditions Among Women in the Military Health System.” JAMA Network Open DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.20393  

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JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.20393 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Development of Chronic Pain Conditions Among Women in the Military Health System

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Jul-2024

COI STATEMENT

Andrew Schoenfeld reported receiving grants from National Institutes of Health National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (paid to institution) and Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (paid to institution), personal fees from Wolters Kluwer and Springer, serving as a consultant for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, serving as editor in chief for Spine, serving on the editorial board for Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and serving on the board of directors for North American Spine Society outside the submitted work

U$A

Medicare eligibility and changes in coverage, access to care, and health by sexual orientation and gender identity

About The Study: The findings of this cross-sectional study indicate that Medicare eligibility was not associated with consistently greater improvements in health insurance coverage and access to care among LGBTQI+ individuals compared with heterosexual and/or cisgender individuals. However, among sexual minority individuals, Medicare may be associated with closing gaps in self-reported health status, and among states with the highest disparities, it may improve health insurance coverage, access to care, and self-reported health status. 

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kyle A. Gavulic, B.A., email kyle.gavulic@yale.edu.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.1756)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.1756?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=070524

About JAMA Health Forum: JAMA Health Forum is an international, peer-reviewed, online, open access journal that addresses health policy and strategies affecting medicine, health and health care. The journal publishes original research, evidence-based reports and opinion about national and global health policy; innovative approaches to health care delivery; and health care economics, access, quality, safety, equity and reform. Its distribution will be solely digital and all content will be freely available for anyone to read.

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JOURNAL

JAMA Health Forum

 

Self-driving technology: improving safety through sound

CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE

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CREDIT: CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY

Calyo, Benedex Robotics and Cranfield University have joined forces to improve safety in self-driving vehicles.

The new partnership, part of the DRIVEN BY SOUND project led by Calyo, will develop a functional safety sensing platform based on 3D ultrasound, capable of operating effectively in even the most challenging environmental conditions.

The new technology allows autonomous vehicles to detect their surroundings in 3D in real time. It complements existing sensing and safety detection systems, providing an additional layer of safety and reliability.

The platform will be available to Tier 1 companies, automotive manufacturers, and start-up mobility ventures as a reliable and functional safety module. It serves as a crucial redundancy mechanism, enabling vehicles to perform minimum risk manoeuvres (MRMs) and safely stop in the event of a fault or severe road conditions.

Mihai Caleap, CEO of Calyo, said: “Our partnership is delivering a robust, redundant sensing platform based on 3D ultrasound for automotive Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. The technology will be applicable across vehicle platforms, including off-road industrial applications.”

Snir Benedek, CEO of Benedex Robotics, added: "By integrating this additional layer of functional safety we are introducing innovation, which is transformative in the industry, while cost-effective and easy to implement, establishing the foundation for accessible safe and secure autonomous mobility."

The collaboration combines Calyo's 3D ultrasound sensor technology, Calyo PulseTM, Benedex’s safety platform expertise, and Cranfield University’s experience in integrating and testing autonomous road vehicles. The end product will provide a crucial redundancy mechanism for enhanced safety in autonomous vehicles.

Marco Cecotti, Lecturer in Driving Automation at Cranfield University, said: “Safety has to be top of the agenda for autonomous vehicle development, and this exciting project will inform a robust solution to deal with extreme environmental conditions, one of the biggest technical challenges to the widespread availability of self-driving vehicles.”

The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025, culminating in the demonstration of a vehicle prototype equipped with this technology at Cranfield University’s Multi User Environment for Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (MUEAVI) proving ground.

ENDS