Sea-surface salinity (SSS) observed by Aquarius was compared with global observations from Argo floats and offshore moored buoys to evaluate the quality of satellite SSS data and to assess error structures. Aquarius products retrieved by different algorithms (Aquarius Official Release version 3.0 [V3.0], Combined Active-Passive [CAP] algorithm version 3.0, and Remote Sensing Systems test bed algorithm version 3) were compared. The Aquarius SSS was in good agreement with in situ salinity measurements for all three products. Root-mean-square (rms) differences of the salinity residual, with respect to Argo salinity, ranged from 0.41 to 0.52 psu. These three Aquarius products exhibit high SSS deviation from Argo salinity under lower sea-surface temperature conditions (<10 C) due to lower sensitivity of microwave emissivity to SSS. The CAP product deviates under strong wind conditions (>10 m s 21 ), probably due to model bias and uncertainty associated with sea-surface roughness. Furthermore, significant SSS differences between ascending (south-to-north) and descending (north-to-south) paths were detected. The monthly averaged Aquarius SSS (1 3 1 grid) was also compared with outputs from the ocean data optimal interpolation (OI) system operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science Technology (JAMSTEC) and the ocean data assimilation system used by the Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency (MRI/JMA). Negative bias, attributed to near-surface salinity stratification by precipitation, was detected in tropical regions. For 40 S-40 N, rms difference, with respect to JAMSTEC OI, is 0.27 psu for the V3.0, while the CAP product rms difference is only 0.22 psu, which is close to the Aquarius mission goal.

Background Emicizumab is a humanized bispecific monoclonal antibody that bridges activated factor IX (FIXa) and factor X (FX) to mimic the function of factor VIII (FVIII). It suppresses the bleeding tendency in hemophilia A patients with or without FVIII inhibitors. A case of an adult FVIII inhibitor‐positive hemophilia A patient in whom treatment with emicizumab was discontinued owing to the repeated bleeding events and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time. Objective To analyze the mechanisms of decreased efficacy of emicizumab. Methods Residual plasma samples were used to measure the following: emicizumab concentration in plasma, measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay; titer of anti‐drug antibody (ADA) against emicizumab, measured by electrochemiluminescence; and neutralizing activity against emicizumab, measured by Bethesda method modified by using emicizumab‐spiked FVIII‐deficient plasma. Results At week 31, emicizumab concentration was 15.0 μg/ml, and ADAs were measured as positive. Emicizumab concentration continued to decrease until emicizumab discontinuation point at week 49, and after week 50, emicizumab concentrations were below the limitation of quantification. The ADA titer increased transiently from week 31, even past the emicizumab discontinuation point at week 49. The ADA titer then gradually decreased until the last sampling point at week 93. Neutralizing activity against emicizumab was detected after emicizumab discontinuation. Epitope analysis showed that the ADAs recognize the anti‐FIXa and anti‐FX Fab arms of emicizumab, but not the Fc region. Conclusion The appearance of ADAs with emicizumab‐neutralizing activity and potential to accelerate emicizumab clearance decreased the efficacy of emicizumab.

The impact of using sea surface salinity (SSS) data derived from the Aquarius satellite within a global ocean data assimilation system is investigated. In the central-eastern North Pacific, the more realistic SSS structures introduced by the Aquarius data also influence the salinity, temperature and potential vorticity fields obtained in the subsurface layer via enhanced modewater formation. Around the Indonesian maritime continent, the Aquarius data assimilation leads to salinity distributions which are closer to buoy observations, while in the region of the Amazon River plume, subsurface temperatures are improved following a better reproduction of the low-salinity plume in the surface layer. The SSS model biases are also reduced in the eastern equatorial Pacific and in the Arctic Ocean, although our data are limited in number and accuracy at high latitudes. These results indicate the importance of Aquarius data in deriving improved representations of the global ocean from dynamical models.

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This study investigated the eastern Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as an atmospheric forcing to the ocean by using various observed and reanalysis data sets over 29 years. Climatologically, a zonal band of positive wind stress curl (WSC) with a 10° meridional width was exhibited along the ITCZ.