© 2023 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses). Corresponding author: Jerald A. Brotzge, jerald.brotzge@wku.edu

A parallax shift is a displacement in the apparent navigated position of a feature that arises because of its perspective from the viewing platform and is also a function of the feature height. For Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagery, this shift is especially apparent away from the satellite subpoint. Users should understand the degree of this shift when combining GOES Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) imagery with other data, such as radar and lightning. However, it can be challenging, especially at spatial resolutions around the cloud/storm scale. This article explores parallax displacement for both uniform and computed cloud-top heights. Parallax shift will be shown using two case studies. The first case is from 7 September 2021, in which northern Illinois hailstorms are examined using ground-based Level II NEXRAD radar data, GOES-16 ABI imagery, and Geostationary Lightning Mapper data. The second case, on 9 April 2021, examines an eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent from the differing perspectives of GOES16 and -17. The discussion of these cases will show how parallax is an apparent displacement that will vary depending on what satellites are used for observation, where the phenomenon is with respect to the satellite, and the height of the phenomenon being analyzed. Newer satellite instruments with finer spatial resolutions and improved georeferencing will maximize data usability at more extreme angles and require users to account for the accompanying enhanced parallax shift. Even at lesser angles, parallax displacement is an important consideration for many meteorological and other applications.

©2020 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy.Corresponding author: Margaret M. Hurwitz, margaret.hurwitz@noaa.gov

The past three years have seen a generational increase in satellite observing capabilities that provide new and innovative ways to observe and diagnose the atmosphere. Decision Support produced in the forecast office for partners can best happen if the National Weather Service forecasters are effectively trained on how the new data and products can be used. For forecast offices in the Pacific and Alaska Regions of the National Weather Service, effective training is challenged by meteorological events that are regionally unique and also by the remoteness of the training area.

The Satellite Information Familiarization Tool (SIFT) is an open-source, multi-platform graphical user interface designed to easily display spectral and temporal sequences of geostationary satellite imagery. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on the “new generation” of geostationary satellites collect imagery with a spatial resolution four times greater than previously available. Combined with the increased number of spectral bands and more frequent imaging, the new series imagers collect approximately 60 times more data. Given the resulting large file sizes, the development of SIFT is a multiyear effort to make those satellite imagery data files accessible to the broad community of students, scientists, and operational meteorologists. To achieve the objective of releasing software that provides an intuitive user experience to complement optimum performance on consumer-grade computers, SIFT was built to leverage modern graphics processing units (GPUs) through existing open-source Python packages, and runs on the three major operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux. The United States National Weather Service funded the development of SIFT to help enhance the satellite meteorology acumen of their operational meteorologists. SIFT has basic image visualization capabilities and enables the fluid animation and interrogation of satellite images, creation of Red-Green-Blue (RGB) composites and algebraic combinations of multiple spectral bands, and comparison of imagery with numerical weather prediction output. Open for community development, SIFT users and features continue to grow. SIFT is freely available with short tutorials and a user guide online. The mandate for the software, its development, realized applications, and envisioned role in science and training are explained.

The first in the next‐generation series of the US Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites system (GOES), GOES‐16, is providing improved quality satellite imagery of atmospheric phenomena and land features over the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, benefitting scientists and operational meteorologists. A frontal passage separating distinct air masses for a typical warm season case over the Upper Midwest on August 30, 2017, is examined in a discussion on the value of GOES‐16 infrared window band imagery. The “split window” difference between the 10.3 and 12.3 μm long wave infrared bands, a traditional approach to characterizing visually low‐level water vapour in cloud‐free scenes, is compared with the 3.9 μm short wave infrared window band for identifying two distinct air masses. Surface station temperatures and dew points confirm modest moisture pooling ahead of the southward‐moving front. These window bands are not new to the geostationary orbit, but with GOES‐16, they are available at higher bit depths and at better spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions. This makes identifying and analysing fronts and air masses more apparent compared with legacy imagery, particularly during the day if properly enhanced. While a hindrance to quantitative approaches, solar contamination in the 3.9 μm band can be beneficial to analysts performing this task visually.

The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R series has 16 spectral bands. Two bands are in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, four are in the near-infrared, and ten are in the infrared. The ABI is similar to advanced geostationary imagers on other international satellite missions, such as the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on Himawari-8 and -9. Operational meteorologists can investigate imagery from the ABI to better understand the state and evolution of the atmosphere. Various uses of the ABI spectral bands are described. GOES-R was launched on 19 November 2016 and became GOES-16 upon reaching geostationary orbit. GOES-16 is the first in a series of four spacecraft that will host ABI. GOES-16 became operational on 18 December 2017, in the GOES-East location. The ABI improvement is two orders of magnitude more than the legacy GOES imager due to more spectral bands and finer spatial and temporal resolutions.

Sky cover is a unique parameter because its quantification is subject to the perspective of the observer or characteristics of the observing instrumentation. Forecasting sky cover provided a professional challenge to operational meteorologists seeking to offer a refined forecast beyond numerical weather prediction guidance along the path of totality resulting from a solar eclipse traversing North America on August 21, 2017. A routine analysis with which to monitor subtle trends in sky cover and compare sky cover forecasts is also not widely available. This contribution reviews 1-h gridded forecasts of sky cover from the United States National Weather Service (NWS) on the eclipse day and compares them with hourly satellite and surface sky observations for an area of interest over the southeastern United States. An inconsistency between the real-time mesoscale analysis (RTMA) and the NWS National Digital Forecast Database is revealed during the eclipse totality. A satellite-to-satellite comparison of the adjusted average cloud top emissivity over this same area reveals how resolution and algorithm improvements to next-generation satellite imagers may alter the RTMA of total cloud cover in the latest era of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), starting with the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE

Background: An impaired renal function in light chain associated disorders may be caused by myeloma cast nephropathy (MCN) but also by AL-amyloidosis (AL-A) and monoclonal immundeposition disease (MIDD). Patients and Methods: In a monocentric, retrospective analysis, patients suffering from multiple myeloma (MM) (n = 392) requiring medical therapy, AL-A (n = 53) or MIDD (n = 12) diagnosed between 1996 and 2008 were evaluated for renal insufficiency. The different patient cohorts were compared in terms of their clinical course and outcome. Results: Renal insufficiency in MM-, AL-A- or MIDD-patients at the time of diagnosis was found in 45,5% of the patients. MCN, ALA and MIDD were found in 68, 25 and 6%, respectively. Dialysis dependency was seen in 17% of MCN, in 8% of AL-A and in 50% of MIDD patients. Signs of hypervolemia were the leading symptoms in MIDD/AL-A. The time between the occurence of first symptoms and diagnosis was as long as 52 weeks in patients with AL-A. Patients with renal involvement showed a reduced median survival of 17 compared with 77 months in patients with a normal renal function. Median survival was only 12 months in AL-A compared to 21 months in MCN. Stabilization of renal function after chemotherapy occurred only in MCN. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed impaired renal function as independent risk factor (Hazard-Ratio 2,88 [2,06-4,0]. In terms of survival and kidney function, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was beneficial for patients with renal involvement. Conclusion: Renal insufficiency is an independent risk factor in MM, AL-A and MIDD. Specific therapy, especially ASCT may improve prognosis in patients with renal insufficiency and could stabilize renal function in MCN-patients.

Hintergrund: Eine eingeschränkte Nierenfunktion bei Leichtketten-assoziierten Erkrankungen wird neben der klassischen Myelomniere (MCN) durch die AL-Amyloidose und die monoklonale Immundepositionserkrankung (MIDD) hervorgerufen. Patienten und Methoden: In einer monozentrischen retrospektiven Analyse wurden Patienten auf das Vorliegen einer renalen Beteiligung untersucht, bei denen von 1996 bis 2008 ein therapiepflichtiges Multiples Myelom (n = 392), eine AL-Amyloidose (n = 53) oder MIDD (n = 12) diagnostiziert wurde. Die einzelnen Formen wurden hinsichtlich ihres Einflusses auf den Eintritt, den Verlauf der Erkrankung und die Prognose miteinander verglichen. Ergebnisse: Eine Nierenbeteiligung zum Zeitpunkt der Erstdiagnose eines Multiplen Myeloms, einer AL-Amyloidose oder einer MIDD lag bei 45,5 % vor. Es handelte es sich in 68 % um eine MCN, in 25 um eine AL-Amyloidose und in 6% um eine MIDD; Eine Dialysepflicht bestand in 17 %, 8 % bzw. 50 %. Patienten mit einer MIDD/AL-Amyloidose wurden meist durch eine Hypervolämie symptomatisch. Der Zeitraum zwischen dem Auftreten von Symptomen und Diagnosestellung lag bei AL-Amyloidose bei 52 Wochen. Bei Nierenbeteiligung lag das mediane Überleben bei 17 vs. 77 Monaten bei normaler Nierenfunktion. Die mediane Überlebenszeit bei AL-Amyloidose betrug 12 vs. 21 Monate bei MCN. Eine Stabilisierung der Nierenfunktion durch Chemotherapie gelang nur bei MCN. In der multivariaten Analyse ließ sich u. a. die Niereninsuffizienz als unabhängiger Prognosefaktor (Hazard-Ratio 2,88 [2,06–4,0]) nachweisen. Eine autologe Stammzelltransplantation verbesserte bei Niereninsuffizienz Nierenfunktion und Überlebenszeit. Folgerung: Eine Niereninsuffizienz bei Multiplem Myelom, AL-Amyloidose bzw. MIDD ist ein unabhängiger Prognosefaktor. Die spezifische Therapie, speziell die autologe Stammzelltransplantation, verbessert die Prognose und kann die Nierenfunktion bei MCN stabilisieren.

BACKGROUND:An accurate histological diagnosis is of fundamental importance for the therapy and prognosis of many kidney diseases. However, it remains unclear whether a single biopsy is representative of changes in the whole kidney.METHODS:To compare the quantity and quality of renal biopsy material taken from two separate areas from one kidney, we prospectively biopsied the renal cortex at the central third and at one of the kidney poles of 103 consecutive 61 native and 42 transplanted kidneys. With two biopsy cores from each kidney we sampled 14.5 ± 8.5 glomeruli/procedure.RESULTS:The length of the biopsy core, the number of glomeruli/core and the markers of chronic renal damage (degree of interstitial fibrosis, proportion of global or segmental scared glomeruli) were not influenced by biopsy location (pole compared with central third locations). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the number of arteries in biopsies obtained from the two different biopsy areas. The percentage between renal cortex and medulla was not influenced by the biopsy area in all kidneys, but transplanted kidney biopsies contained more medulla than specimens from native kidneys. In patients with native kidneys and lower estimated creatinine clearances, there was a nonsignificant trend towards higher variations in the degree of interstitial fibrosis between the two cores, but a coincidence cannot be excluded. There was no significant difference in global sclerotic glomeruli in regard to the biopsy location.CONCLUSION:We conclude that a renal biopsy composed of two cores from different areas of the kidney provides enough material for histological diagnosis. However, despite the variety of different renal diseases, sampling errors are minimal and obtaining two biopsies from different areas of the kidney does not lead to clinically useful information which would alter the management of patients.

A 44-year-old female was diagnosed with proteinuria due to nodular glomerulosclerosis secondary to light chain deposition disease (LCDD). After 6 years, deterioration of kidney function occurred and autologous stem cell transplantation was considered, but the patient refused specific therapies. The disease progressed slowly, over a period of 8 years reaching now chronic renal insufficiency stage 4 with a creatinine clearance of 20 ml/min, in spite of no specific therapy. This case, documented by repeated biopsies, demonstrates the very slow loss of kidney function, suggesting the possibility of conservative treatment strategies without taking the risks of chemotherapy or autologous stem cell transplantation, since no long term follow up data of these therapies are available for LCDD.

Die physiologische Umstellung nahezu aller Organsysteme während der Schwangerschaft dient der Befriedigung der fetalen Ansprüche in Bezug auf Wachstum und Entwicklung. Die Schwangerschaft kann mit einem hypervolämischen, hyperdynamen, hypermetabolen und hyperkoagulatorischen Zustand beschrieben werden, wobei gleichzeitig eine Umstellung im Sinne eines erniedrigten peripheren Widerstandes und einer respiratorischen Alkalose vollzogen wird. Diese Adaptationsvorgänge beeinflussen auch die Nierenfunktion. Im Folgenden sollen die physiologischen Adaptationen während der normalen Gravidität, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die diagnostische Abgrenzung von teilweise diskreten Veränderungen bei Nierenerkrankungen in der Schwangerschaft, dargestellt werden.

Aromatische wie nichtaromatische Antikonvulsiva können Nierenschädigungen hervorrufen, zum einen durch eine allergische Spätreaktion, die sich durch eine mögliche Mitbeteiligung der Nieren auszeichnet („Antikonvulsiva-Hypersensitivitätsreaktion“), zum anderen durch direkte toxische Effekte und vaskulitische Veränderungen (z. B. „lupus like syndrome“). Diskutiert werden pathogenetische Mechanismen, und präsentiert wird der Fall einer Vaskulitis präglomerulärer Gefäße infolge der Einnahme von Valproinsäure.