Quantifying the Size and Duration of a Microburst-Producing Chorus Region on 5 December 2017

Microbursts are impulsive (<1 s) injections of electrons into the atmosphere, thought to be caused by nonlinear scattering by chorus waves. Although attempts have been made to quantify their contribution to outer belt electron loss, the uncertainty in the overall size and duration of the microburst region is typically large, so that their contribution to outer belt loss is uncertain. We combine datasets that measure chorus waves (Van Allen Probes [RBSP], Arase, ground-based VLF stations) and microburst (>30 keV) precipitation (FIREBIRD II and AC6 CubeSats, POES) to determine the size of the microburst-producing chorus source region beginning on 5 December 2017. We estimate that the long-lasting (∼30 hr) microburst-producing chorus region extends from 4 to 8Δ MLT and 2-5Δ L. We conclude that microbursts likely represent a major loss source of outer radiation belt electrons for this event.

A three-year follow-up study of patients in a day treatment program

A 3-year follow-up study was conducted with 73 psychiatric patients in a Finnish day treatment program. The treatment outcome for these patients, who carried a wide range of diagnoses, was measured using psychiatric rehospitalization as a criterion. There were a large number of patients who were disabled and had been receiving social security benefits during the 3 years following discharge from the day treatment program. The rehospitalized cases involved mainly patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or personality disorder; use of neuroleptic medication was significantly associated with poor results. The numbers of psychiatric hospitalizations before treatment in the day treatment program in 1985 was found to be independent of hospitalizations during follow-up years. The results of the study support the claim that day treatment does not increase the likelihood of rehospitalization. Day treatment may reduce the length of stay during rehospitalization, but it is also clear that it cannot stop the rehospitalization of patients with severe diagnoses.