The Open Methods of Coordination as Amplifier for EU Soft Law

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Observations of atmospheric rivers with CloudSat CPR and Aqua AMSR-E

Includes bibliographical references."Atmospheric rivers" are filamentary water vapor structures, occurring primarily over oceans, thousands of kilometers long that form along the leading edge of cold fronts. These "rivers" are an important link between weather and climate by transporting large amounts of moisture (on the order of 108kgs-1) through the middle latitude regions and causing heavy precipitation events along coastal regions. The CloudSat satellite, launched 28 April 2006, is designed to measure vertical cloud structure and fill a long-existing gap in satellite observations. CloudSat and Aqua observed 22 river events (with multiple overpasses for each river) over a period from November 2006 to April 2007. In this project, CloudSat CPR observations of cloud location and cloud type are used along with moisture observations from Aqua AMSR-E to create a preliminary average profile of vertical cloud structure within atmospheric rivers. The CloudSat observations (using Aqua moisture and precipitation measurements as references) are first presented for case studies of four river events out of the total 22 events. The observations show deep convective (vertical extent more than 7km) and nimbostratus cloud (vertical extent more than 4km) bands more than 100km in horizontal width occurring in three of the four cases, and shallow convection (vertical extent less than 4km) occurring in the fourth case. Deep layer clouds occur most frequently during the river's early and middle stages, and these deep clouds usually erode into low and (sometimes) high cloud bands in the river's later life. The CloudSat measurements are then combined into composite frequency plots to show the typical cloud locations within and near the river with respect to the river's water vapor structure. Frequency plots are presented for all 92 overpasses along with categories of overpasses based on time of occurrence within the rivers' life spans to give a preliminary time evolution of cloud structure. Then, scatter plots comparing moisture structure properties with cloud structure properties are displayed to show any possible relationship between moisture and clouds. Finally, some statistics about the frequency of occurrence of different cloud types within the rivers are presented.This work was sponsored by the following: NOAA/NESDIS Grant NA17RJ1228, entitled "Applications of satellite altimetry data to statistical and simplified dynamical tropical cyclone intensity forecast models"; NOAA/NESDIS Grant NA17RJ1228, entitled "A satellite analysis of atmospheric rivers"; and NASA Grant NAS5-99237, entitled "CloudSat"

Spectroscopy on two coupled flux qubits

We have performed spectroscopy measurements on two coupled flux qubits. The qubits are coupled inductively, which results in a $\sigma_1^z\sigma_2^z$ interaction. By applying microwave radiation, we observe resonances due to transitions from the ground state to the first two excited states. From the position of these resonances as a function of the magnetic field applied we observe the coupling of the qubits. The coupling strength agrees well with calculations of the mutual inductance

Optimal trap shape for a Bose gas with attractive interactions

Dilute Bose gas with attractive interactions is considered at zero temperature, when practically all atoms are in Bose-Einstein condensate. The problem is addressed aiming at answering the question: What is the optimal trap shape allowing for the condensation of the maximal number of atoms with negative scattering lengths? Simple and accurate analytical formulas are derived allowing for an easy analysis of the optimal trap shapes. These analytical formulas are the main result of the paper.Comment: Latex file, 21 page

Relationship between brachycephalic airway syndrome and gastrointestinal signs in three breeds of dog

Objectives: To assess the breed-specific prevalence of, and effects of corrective airway surgery on, gastrointestinal signs in French bulldogs, English bulldogs and pugs presenting with brachycephalic airway syndrome to a referral teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, ptyalism, regurgitation and vomiting were graded at presentation using a previously established scoring system. Staphylectomy and nares resection were performed on all dogs. Gastrointestinal signs were re-assessed via telephone follow-up at least 6 weeks after surgery. Results: Ninety-eight dogs were included: French bulldogs (n=43), English bulldogs (n=12) and pugs (n=43). Overall population prevalence of all gastrointestinal signs was 56%. Breed-specific prevalence for French bulldogs was 93%, English bulldogs 58% and pugs 16%. There was post-surgical clinical improvement in gastrointestinal signs for the whole study population, especially in French bulldogs. Clinical Significance: The prevalence of gastrointestinal signs in dogs presenting with brachycephalic airway syndrome and improvement in these clinical signs following corrective surgery may vary between breeds

Executive (dys)function after stroke: special considerations for behavioral pharmacology

Stroke is a world-wide leading cause of death and long-term disability with concurrent secondary consequences that are largely comprised of mood dysfunction, as well as sensory, motor, and cognitive deficits. This review focuses on the cognitive deficits associated with stroke specific to executive dysfunction (including decision making, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in humans, non-human primates, and additional animal models. Further, we review some of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of the individual components of executive dysfunction and their neuroanatomical substrates after stroke, with an emphasis on the changes that occur during biogenic monoamine neurotransmission. We concentrate primarily on changes in the catecholaminergic (dopaminergic and noradrenergic) and serotonergic systems at the levels of neurotransmitter synthesis, distribution, re-uptake, and degradation. We also discuss potential secondary stroke-related behavioral deficits (specifically, post-stroke depression as well as drug-abuse potential and addiction) and their relationship with stroke-induced deficits in executive function, an especially important consideration given that the average age of the human stroke population is decreasing. In the final sections, we address pharmacological considerations for the treatment of ischemia and the subsequent functional impairment, as well as current limitations in the field of stroke and executive function research

Spin superfluidity and spin-orbit gauge symmetry fixing

The Hamiltonian describing 2D electron gas, in a spin-orbit active medium, can be cast into a consistent non-Abelian gauge field theory leading to a proper definition of the spin current. The generally advocated gauge symmetric version of the theory results in current densities that are gauge covariant, a fact that poses severe concerns on their physical nature. We show that in fact the problem demands gauge fixing, leaving no room to ambiguity in the definition of physical spin currents. Gauge fixing also allows for polarized edge excitations not present in the gauge symmetric case. The scenario here is analogous to that of superconductivity gauge theory. We develop a variational formulation that accounts for the constraints between U(1) physical fields and SU(2) gauge fields and show that gauge fixing renders a physical matter and radiation currents and derive the particular consequences for the Rashba SO interaction.Comment: to appear in EP