Description: Geostrophic surface velocities can be derived from the gradients of the mean dynamic topography-the difference between the mean sea surface and the geoid. Therefore, independently observed mean dynamic topography data are valuable input parameters and constraints for ocean circulation models. For a successful fit to observational dynamic topography data, not only the mean dynamic topography on the particular ocean model grid is required, but also information about its inverse covariance matrix. The calculation of the mean dynamic topography from satellite-based gravity field models and altimetric sea surface height measurements, however, is not straightforward. For this purpose, we previously developed an integrated approach to combining these two different observation groups in a consistent way without using the common filter approaches (Becker et al. in J Geodyn 59(60):99-110, 2012, doi:10.1016/j.jog.2011.07.006; Becker in Konsistente Kombination von Schwerefeld, Altimetrie und hydrographischen Daten zur Modellierung der dynamischen Ozeantopographie, 2012, http://nbn-resolving.de/nbn:de:hbz:5n-29199). Within this combination method, the full spectral range of the observations is considered. Further, it allows the direct determination of the normal equations (i.e., the inverse of the error covariance matrix) of the mean dynamic topography on arbitrary grids, which is one of the requirements for ocean data assimilation. In this paper, we report progress through selection and improved processing of altimetric data sets. We focus on the preprocessing steps of along-track altimetry data from Jason-1 and Envisat to obtain a mean sea surface profile. During this procedure, a rigorous variance propagation is accomplished, so that, for the first time, the full covariance matrix of the mean sea surface is available. The combination of the mean profile and a combined GRACE/GOCE gravity field model yields a mean dynamic topography model for the North Atlantic Ocean that is characterized by a defined set of assumptions. We show that including the geodetically derived mean dynamic topography with the full error structure in a 3D stationary inverse ocean model improves modeled oceanographic features over previous estimates.

Description: We explored risk of lymphoma and its most prevalent subtypes associated with occupational contact with livestock, and whether risk was modified by age at first contact, in 2,348 incident lymphoma cases and 2,462 controls who participated in the EPILYMPH case-control study. A detailed occupational history was collected in cases and controls, including working in a livestock farm, species of livestock, its approximate number, and circumstances of contact. For each disease outcome, and each type of livestock, Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, education and centre. Lymphoma risk (all subtypes combined) was not increased amongst those exposed to contact with any livestock (OR = 1.0, 95% CI 0.8 -1.2). Overall, we did not observe an association between occupational contact with livestock and risk of lymphoma (all types) and B-cell lymphoma. The risk of DLBCL, was significantly lower amongst subjects who started occupational contact with any species of livestock before or at age 12 (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2 -0.9), but not al older ages. A significant heterogeneity in risk of B cell lymphoma by age at first contact was detected for contact with cattle, poultry and swine. Early occupational contact with livestock might be associated with a decrease in risk of B cell lymphoma. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.