Summary of results and conclusions based on analysis of volume imaging and high spectral resolution lidar data acquired during FIRE phase 1, part 1

The collection of long term global statistics on cloud cover may be most easily accomplished with satellite based observations; however, measurements derived from passive satellite retrieval methods must be calibrated and verified by in situ or ground based remote sensor observations. Verification is not straight forward, however, because the highly variable nature of cloud altitude, morphology, and optical characteristics complicates the scaling of point measurements to satellite footprint sized areas. This is particularly evident for cirrus clouds which may be organized on horizontal scales of 10's of meters to 8 km or more, and have optical depths ranging from less than .003 to greater than 3. Cirrus clouds can strongly influence earths' radiative balance, but, because they are often transmissive, cirrus clouds are difficult to detect and characterize from satellite measurements. Because of its precise ranging capabilities, spatial resolution and sensitivity, lidar observations have played an important role in the detection, depiction, and characterization of cirrus clouds. Some of the characteristics of cirrus clouds are summarized which observed the High Spectral Resolution and Volume Imaging Lidars during the phase 1 IFO and ETO periods

Summary of results and conclusions based on analysis of volume imaging and high spectral resolution lidar data acquired during FIRE phase 1, part 2

Since the fall of 1986, cirrus clouds were observed with backscatter cross sections ranging from less than 1 x 10(exp -7) to 4.2 x 10(exp -5)m/sr, optical thicknesses ranging from less than .003 to greater than 2.7, and bulk average backscatter phase functions from .02 to .065/sr. Cirrus cloud structures were recorded ranging in vertical extent from 0.1 to 8 km, having horizontal scales from 10's of meters to 266 km, and exhibiting aspect ratios of from 1:5 to 1:100. The altitude relationship between cloud top and bottom boundaries and the optical center of the cloud is influenced by the type of formation observed. Cirrus morphology and generation processes appear to be related to the wind field. The high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) was adapted to the task of cirrus cloud optical property measurement. The HSRL data reported were collected with the CuCl2 transmitter producing 50 mW of output power, achieving eye safe, direct optical depth and backscatter cross section measurements with 10 minute averaging times

Stepping away from the path: a transformational journey affirming emic food security practices on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project concerns improving the level of food security on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Despite attempts by etic, or mainstream society, food security for the indigenous Oglala Lakota people who live there remains an elusive goal. Life expectancy for both men and women continues to decrease due to skyrocketing rates of chronic diseases related to malnutrition. Although the project initially focused on how effectiveness of etic food security solutions might be improved, unforeseen events prompted and examination of Pine Ridge food security from an emic, or Lakota, perspective. This more personal outlook centered on relationship and triggered a transformational journey that illuminated the author’s unrecognized cultural bias. Turning towards the Lakota viewpoint resulted in an unexpected realization that mainstream efforts to alleviate hunger perpetuate colonialism by reinforcing the hegemony of the etic culture. The legacy of imperialism and its relationship to contemporary health challenges on the Pine Ridge Reservation are discussed. Differences between emic and etic conceptual frameworks surrounding food and nutrition are compared and contrasted. Lakota values and practices that promote food security are explored. A model envisions how nursing actions could facilitate bridging the cultural gap and result in greater food security for the Lakota people. Nursing implications are discussed

Food Security in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation: A Nursing Educational Module

Assurance of food security has been a continuing goal of world nations for more than 60 years. The educational module that is the focus of this project is designed to increase the awareness of baccalaureate and post-graduate nurses about the health disparity of low food security as a social justice issue. International policy to detail the development of the concept of food security as a human right is examined and then contrasted with current national policy. Additional topics discussed are connections between low food security on health as well as a deficit in nurse knowledge. The educational module focuses on food security as it is experienced by the Oglala Lakota people who live on the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. Information obtained from the literature review is used to study how structural conditions of society culminate to result in low food security on the reservation. The information uncovered in the literature review for this project has been incorporated into an educational module that encourages creativity by combining visual images, metaphor, poetry, and small group learning along with a PowerPoint presentation. Implications for advanced transcultural nursing practice are reviewed. M. Leininger\u27s Culture Care Theory and Sunrise Enabler provided the basis for interpreting information pertaining to the low level of food security for the Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation and organizing it into the educational module of this project

Interactions between cardiac activity and conscious somatosensory perception

Fluctuations in the heart's activity can modulate the access of external stimuli to consciousness. The link between perceptual awareness and cardiac signals has been investigated mainly in the visual and auditory domain. Here, we investigated whether the phase of the cardiac cycle and the prestimulus heart rate influence conscious somatosensory perception. We also tested how conscious detection of somatosensory stimuli affects the heart rate. Electrocardiograms (ECG) of 33 healthy volunteers were recorded while applying near‐threshold electrical pulses at a fixed intensity to the left index finger. Conscious detection was not uniformly distributed across the cardiac cycle but significantly higher in diastole than in systole. We found no evidence that the heart rate before a stimulus influenced its detection, but hits (correctly detected somatosensory stimuli) led to a more pronounced cardiac deceleration than misses. Our findings demonstrate interactions between cardiac activity and conscious somatosensory perception, which highlights the importance of internal bodily states for sensory processing beyond the auditory and visual domain

The 27-28 October 1986 FIRE IFO Cirrus Case Study: Cloud Optical Properties Determined by High Spectral Resolution Lidar

During the First ISCCP Region Experiment (FIRE) cirrus intensive field observation (IFO) the High Spectral Resolution Lidar was operated from a roof top site on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Because the HSRL technique separately measures the molecular and cloud particle backscatter components of the lidar return, the optical thickness is determined independent of particle backscatter. This is accomplished by comparing the known molecular density distribution to the observed decrease in molecular backscatter signal with altitude. The particle to molecular backscatter ratio yields calibrated measurements of backscatter cross sections that can be plotted ro reveal cloud morphology without distortion due to attenuation. Changes in cloud particle size, shape, and phase affect the backscatter to extinction ratio (backscatter-phase function). The HSRL independently measures cloud particle backscatter phase function. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the HSRL cirrus cloud data acquired over an approximate 33 hour period of continuous near zenith observations. Correlations between small scale wind structure and cirrus cloud morphology have been observed. These correlations can bias the range averaging inherent in wind profiling lidars of modest vertical resolution, leading to increased measurement errors at cirrus altitudes. Extended periods of low intensity backscatter were noted between more strongly organized cirrus cloud activity. Optical thicknesses ranging from 0.01-1.4, backscatter phase functions between 0.02-0.065 sr (exp -1) and backscatter cross sections spanning 4 orders of magnitude were observed. the altitude relationship between cloud top and bottom boundaries and the cloud optical center altitude was dependent on the type of formation observed Cirrus features were observed with characteristic wind drift estimated horizontal sizes of 5-400 km. The clouds frequently exhibited cellular structure with vertical to horizontal dimension ratios of 1:5-1:1

Home Manufacture of Drugs: An Online Investigation and a Toxicological Reality Check of Online Discussions on Drug Chemistry

Emerging trends in market dynamics and the use of new psychoactive substances are both a public health concern and a complex regulatory issue. One novel area of investigation is the availability of homemade opioids, amphetamines and dissociatives, and the potential fueling of interest in clandestine home manufacture of drugs via the Internet. We illustrate here how online communal folk pharmacology of homemade drugs on drug website forums may actually inform home manufacture practices or contribute to the reduction of harms associated with this practice. Discrepancies between online information around purification and making homemade drugs safer, and the synthesis of the same substances in a proper laboratory environment, exist. Moderation and shutdown of synthesis queries and discussions online are grounded in drug websites adhering to harm-reduction principles by facilitating discussions around purification of homemade drugs only. Drug discussion forums should consider reevaluating their policies on chemistry discussions in aiming to reach people who cannot or will not refrain from cooking their own drugs with credible information that may contribute to reductions in the harms associated with this practice. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LL

Определение параметров электрического взрыва проволок для получения однородных смесей микро и наночастиц сплавов 316L и TiAl

В качестве объектов исследования выступали порошки стали 316 L и сплава TiAl на основе смеси микро и наночастиц. Цель работы - определить условия формирования однородных смесей на основе микро - и наночастиц сплавов 316 L и ?-TiAl при электрическом взрыве проволоки сплава 316L и совместном электрическом взрыве проволок Ti и Al. Синтезированные образцы исследовались с помощью современных аналитических методов (рентгенофазовый, электронная микроскопия, распределение частиц по размерам и др.)The subjects of study are powders of 316L steel and TiAl alloy based on a mixture of micro and nanoparticles. The purpose of this study is to determine conditions for the formation of homogeneous mixtures based on micro- and nanoparticles of 316 L and ?-TiAl alloys in the electric explosion of a 316L alloy wire and the joint electric explosion of Ti and Al wires. Produced samples have been studied using modern analytical methods (X-ray diffraction method, electron microscopy, particle size distribution, etc.)