Antarctic Ice Sheet Elevation Impacts on Water Isotope Records During the Last Interglacial

Changes of the topography of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) can complicate the interpretation of ice core water stable isotope measurements in terms of temperature. Here, we use a set of idealised AIS elevation change scenarios to investigate this for the warm Last Interglacial (LIG). We show that LIG δ 18 O against elevation relationships are not uniform across Antarctica, and that the LIG response to elevation is lower than the preindustrial response. The effect of LIG elevation‐induced sea ice changes on δ 18 O is small, allowing us to isolate the effect of elevation change alone. Our results help to define the effect of AIS changes on the LIG δ 18 O signals, and should be invaluable to those seeking to use AIS ice core measurements for these purposes. Especially, our simulations strengthen the conclusion that ice core measurements from the Talos Dome core exclude the loss of the Wilkes Basin at around 128 ky

Model Order Reduction applied to a linear Finite Element model of a squirrel cage induction machine based on POD approach

The Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) approach is applied to a linear Finite Element (FE) model of a squirrel cage induction machine. In order to obtain a reduced model valid on the whole operating range, snapshots are extracted from the simulation of typical tests such as at locked rotor and at the synchronous speed. Then, the reduced model of the induction machine is used to simulate different operating points with variable rotation speed and the results are compared to the full FE model to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Peripherally administered non-peptide oxytocin antagonist, L368,899®, accumulates in limbic brain areas: A new pharmacological tool for the study of social motivation in non-human primates

Central administration of oxytocin (OT) antagonists inhibits maternal and sexual behavior in non-primates, providing the strongest experimental evidence that endogenous OT facilitates these behaviors. While there have been a few reports that ICV administration of OT increases social behaviors in monkeys, no studies to date have assessed the effects of OT antagonists. Therefore, we studied in rhesus monkeys whether L368,899®, a non-peptide antagonist produced by Merck that selectively blocks the human uterine OT receptor, penetrates the CNS after peripheral administration and alters female maternal and sexual behavior. In two studies in four male monkeys, L368,899 was injected iv (1 mg/kg) after which (1) CSF samples were collected at intervals over 4 h and (2) brains were collected at 60 min. Assay of samples confirmed that iv-administered L368,899 entered CSF and accumulated in the hypothalamus, septum, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus, but not other areas. An adult female monkey was tested for interest in either an infant or sexual behavior, receiving a different iv treatment prior to each test (1 or 3 mg/kg of L368,899 or saline) OT antagonist treatment reduced or eliminated interest in the infant and sexual behavior. These results, although preliminary, are the first to directly implicate endogenous OT in activation of primate maternal interest and sexual behavior. While it remains to be empirically demonstrated that peripherally administered L368,899 blocks central OT receptors, our behavioral findings suggest that this non-peptide antagonist may facilitate testing OT involvement in a variety of social and other behaviors in primates

Atmospheric Sciences Perspectives on Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) Science

Abstract: This collaborative article discusses the opportunities and challenges of adopting integrated, coordinated, open, and networked (ICON) principles in atmospheric sciences. From the global nature of the atmosphere, there has always been a need for atmospheric science to be an ICON science. With the help of evolving technology, it is possible to go further in implementing and spreading the ICON principles for productive global collaboration. In particular, technology transfer and applications could be approached with reproducibility in mind, and data‐sharing infrastructure could enable easier and better international collaboration. There are, however, various challenges in following the ICON principles in the acquisition, quality control, and maintenance of data, and the publication of results in a systematic way. Moreover, the extent of such issues varies geographically and hence poses different challenges to implementing ICON principles. In this commentary article, we briefly state our perspectives on the state of ICON, challenges we have met, and future opportunities. Furthermore, we describe how atmospheric science researchers have benefited from these collaborative multi‐dimensional approaches that fulfill the core goal of ICON

Antarctic climate variability on regional and continental scales over the last 2000 years

Climate trends in the Antarctic region remain poorly characterized, owing to the brevity and scarcity of direct climate observations and the large magnitude of interannual to decadal-scale climate variability. Here, within the framework of the PAGES Antarctica2k working group, we build an enlarged database of ice core water stable isotope records from Antarctica, consisting of 112 records. We produce both unweighted and weighted isotopic (delta O-18) composites and temperature reconstructions since 0 CE, binned at 5- and 10-year resolution, for seven climatically distinct regions covering the Antarctic continent. Following earlier work of the Antarctica2k working group, we also produce composites and reconstructions for the broader regions of East Antarctica, West Antarctica and the whole continent. We use three methods for our temperature reconstructions: (i) a temperature scaling based on the delta O-18-temperature relationship output from an ECHAM5-wiso model simulation nudged to ERA-Interim atmospheric reanalyses from 1979 to 2013, and adjusted for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet region to borehole temperature data, (ii) a temperature scaling of the isotopic normalized anomalies to the variance of the regional reanalysis temperature and (iii) a composite-plus-scaling approach used in a previous continent-scale reconstruction of Antarctic temperature since 1 CE but applied to the new Antarctic ice core database. Our new reconstructions confirm a significant cooling trend from 0 to 1900 CE across all Antarctic regions where records extend back into the 1st millennium, with the exception of the Wilkes Land coast and Weddell Sea coast regions. Within this long-term cooling trend from 0 to 1900 CE, we find that the warmest period occurs between 300 and 1000 CE, and the coldest interval occurs from 1200 to 1900 CE. Since 1900 CE, significant warming trends are identified for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Dronning Maud Land coast and the Antarctic Peninsula regions, and these trends are robust across the distribution of records that contribute to the unweighted isotopic composites and also significant in the weighted temperature reconstructions. Only for the Antarctic Peninsula is this most recent century-scale trend unusual in the context of natural variability over the last 2000 years. However, projected warming of the Antarctic continent during the 21st century may soon see significant and unusual warming develop across other parts of the Antarctic continent. The extended Antarctica2k ice core isotope database developed by this working group opens up many avenues for developing a deeper understanding of the response of Antarctic climate to natural and anthropogenic climate forcings. The first long-term quantification of regional climate in Antarctica presented herein is a basis for data-model comparison and assessments of past, present and future driving factors of Antarctic climate

Neonatal Handling Affects Durably Bonding and Social Development

The neonatal period in humans and in most mammals is characterized by intense mother-young interactions favoring pair bonding and the adaptation of neonates to their new environment. However, in many post-delivery procedures, human babies commonly experience combined maternal separation and intense handling for about one hour post-birth. Currently, the effects of such disturbances on later attachment and on the development of newborns are still debated: clearly, further investigations are required. As animals present good models for controlled experimentation, we chose domestic horses to investigate this issue. Horses, like humans, are characterized by single births, long lactating periods and selective mother-infant bonds. Routine postnatal procedures for foals, as for human babies, also involve intense handling and maternal separation. In the present study, we monitored the behavior of foals from early stages of development to “adolescence”, in a normal ecological context (social groups with adults and peers). Experimental foals, separated from their mothers and handled for only 1 hour post-birth, were compared to control foals, left undisturbed after birth. Our results revealed short- and long-term effects of this unique neonatal experience on attachment and subsequent social competences. Thus, experimental foals presented patterns of insecure attachment to their mothers (strong dependence on their mothers, little play) and impaired social competences (social withdrawal, aggressiveness) at all ages. We discuss these results in terms of mother-young interactions, timing of interactions and relationships between bonding and subsequent social competences. Our results indicate that this ungulate species could become an interesting animal model. To our knowledge, this is the first clear demonstration that intervention just after birth affects bonding and subsequent social competences (at least until “adolescence”). It opens new research directions for studies on both humans and other animals

Decoupling of <i>δ</i>¹⁸O from surface temperature in Antarctica in an ensemble of historical simulations

Stable water isotopes recorded in Antarctic ice cores have traditionally been used to infer past surface air temperatures (SATs). During the historical period (1850 onward), observational data and good-quality ice core records overlap, yielding an opportunity to investigate key relationships between ice core stable water isotope (δ18O) measurements and the Antarctic climate. We present a new ensemble of climate model simulations covering 1851–2004 using the UK Met Office HadCM3 general circulation model equipped with stable water isotopes. Our ensemble captures observed historical SAT and precipitation trends and weak δ18O trends. The weak δ18O trends mean there is no significant relationship between SAT and δ18O over one-third of Antarctica, and also half of our considered ice core sites, though relationships are stronger when using regional averages. The strongest regional relationships occur in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) region. This decoupling between SAT and δ18O occurs primarily because of the impact of autumnal sea ice loss during the simulated warming. The warming and sea ice loss are associated with (i) changes in near-coastal air mass intrusions (synoptic effects) induced by changes in the large-scale circulation and/or sea ice; (ii) direct sea-ice-driven changes in moisture pathways (especially lengths) to Antarctica; and (iii) precipitation seasonality changes, again mostly driven by sea ice changes. Consequently, when reconstructing temperatures over these timescales, changes in sea ice need to be considered, both to determine the most appropriate SAT and δ18O relationship and to understand how uncertainties affect the inference of past temperature from ice core δ18O measurements.</p