Low-latitude boundary layer clouds as seen by CALIPSO

The distribution of low-level cloud in the tropical belt is investigated using 6 months of Level 2 retrievals from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) at 333 m and 1 km horizontal resolutions. Regional patterns of tropical clouds emerge from the data, matching expectations from existing observations. The advantage of the lidar is highlighted by the distribution of cloud-top height, revealing the preponderance of low-level clouds over the tropical oceans. Over land, cloud top is more uniformly distributed under the influence of diurnal variation. The integrated cloud-top distribution suggests tropical, marine low-cloud amount around 25-30%; a merged CALIPSO-CloudSat product has a similar cloud-top distribution and includes a complementary estimate of cloud fraction based on the lidar detections. The low-cloud distribution is similar to that found in fields of shallow cumulus observed during the Rain in Cumulus Over the Ocean (RICO) field study. The similarity is enhanced by sampling near the RICO site or sampling large-scale conditions similar to those during RICO. This finding shows how satellite observations can help to generalize findings from detailed field observations

Nonextensivity in the solar magnetic activity during the increasing phase of solar Cycle 23

In this paper we analyze the behavior of the daily Sunspot Number from the Sunspot Index Data Center (SIDC), the mean Magnetic Field strength from the National Solar Observatory/Kitt Peak (NSO/KP) and Total Solar Irradiance means from Virgo/SoHO, in the context of the $q$--Triplet which emerges within nonextensive statistical mechanics. Distributions for the mean solar Magnetic Field show two different behaviors, with a $q$--Gaussian for scales of 1 to 16 days and a Gaussian for scales longer than 32 days. The latter corresponds to an equilibrium state. Distributions for Total Solar Irradiance also show two different behaviors (approximately Gaussian) for scales of 128 days and longer, consistent with statistical equilibrium and $q$--Gaussian for scales $<$ 128 days. Distributions for the Sunspot Number show a $q$--Gaussian independent of timescales, consistent with a nonequilibrium state. The values obtained ("$q$--Triplet"$\equiv$$\{$$q$$_{stat}$,$q$$_{sen}$,$q$$_{rel}$$\}$) demonstrate that the Gaussian or $q$--Gaussian behavior of the aforementioned data depends significantly on timescales. These results point to strong multifractal behavior of the dataset analyzed, with the multifractal level decreasing from Sunspot Number to Total Solar Irradiance. In addition, we found a numerically satisfied dual relation between $q_{stat}$ and $q_{sen}$.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Medulloblastoma has a global impact on health related quality of life: Findings from an international cohort

BACKGROUND: Understanding the global impact of medulloblastoma on health related quality of life (HRQL) is critical to characterizing the broad impact of this disease and realizing the benefits of modern treatments. We evaluated HRQL in an international cohort of pediatric medulloblastoma patients. METHODS: Seventy-six patients were selected from 10 sites across North America, Europe, and Asia, who participated in the Medulloblastoma Advanced Genomics International Consortium (MAGIC). The Health Utilities Index (HUI) was administered to patients and/or parents at each site. Responses were used to determine overall HRQL and attributes (ie specific subdomains). The impact of various demographic and medical variables on HRQL was considered-including molecular subgroup. RESULTS: The majority of patients reported having moderate or severe overall burden of morbidity for both the HUI2 and HUI3 (HUI2 = 60%; HUI3 = 72.1%) when proxy-assessed. Self-care in the HUI2 was rated as higher (ie better outcome) for patients from Western versus Eastern sites, P = .02. Patients with nonmetastatic status had higher values (ie better outcomes) for the HUI3 hearing, HUI3 pain, and HUI2 pain, all P \u3c .05. Patients treated with a gross total resection also had better outcomes for the HUI3 hearing (P = .04). However, those who underwent a gross total resection reported having worse outcomes on the HUI3 vision (P = .02). No differences in HRQL were evident as a function of subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: By examining an international sample of survivors, we characterized the worldwide impact of medulloblastoma. This is a critical first step in developing global standards for evaluating long-term outcomes

Revealing differences in GCM representations of low clouds

Aquaplanet configurations of four atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs) are compared with standard, Earth-like configurations and observations. The focus here is on tropical, low-level clouds, which have been identified as important for estimates of climate sensitivity. Investigating the distribution of the monthly mean vertical velocity and lower-tropospheric stability, the aquaplanets are seen to capture the core of the distribution of the more Earth-like configurations, whose distributions are, in turn, similar to that of reanalysis data. By conditionally sampling over these distributions, low-cloud regimes are defined, separating shallow cumulus convection from stratocumulus. Within each regime, the GCMs produce similar large-scale environments, yet disparate depictions of the clouds. Aquaplanets lack stratocumulus because of their zonally symmetric boundary conditions, but produce extensive trade-wind regions populated by shallow cumulus clouds just like those in the Earth-like setting. The analysis shows that aquaplanets can be compared with observations, just as well as the Earth-like configuration, with the added ability to focus on particular regimes without complications from geographical or temporal biases

Carbonização da casca de arroz para utilização em substratos destinados a produção de mudas.

bitstream/item/86191/1/Digitalizar0002.pd

Produção de sementes pré-básicas de batata em sistema hidropônico de telhas de fibrocimento: densidade de plantas para multiplicação a partir de minitubérculos.

bitstream/item/31560/1/comunicado69.pd

On the link between rotation, chromospheric activity and Li abundance in subgiant stars

The connection rotation-CaII emission flux-lithium abundance is analyzed for a sample of bona fide subgiant stars, with evolutionary status determined from HIPPARCOS trigonometric parallax measurements and from the Toulouse-Geneva code.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Resgate de germoplasma vegetal de espécies-alvo na área de influência do Aproveitamento Hidrelétrico Barra Grande (RS, SC).

bitstream/CENARGEN/29675/1/doc223.pd