367 research outputs found
User's guide for the Total-Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument first year ozone T data set
The TOMS experiment and algorithms are described. Detailed information on the data available on computer tape is provided
User's guide for the Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet (SBUV) instrument first year ozone-S data set
Total-ozone and ozone vertical profile results for Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet/Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (SBUV/TOMS) Nimbus 7 operation from November 1978 to November 1979 are available. The algorithm used have been thoroughly tested, the instrument performance has been examined in details, and the ozone results have been compared with Dobson, Umkehr, balloon, and rocket observations. The accuracy and precision of the satellite ozone data are good to at least within the ability of the ground truth to check and are self-consistent to within the specifications of the instrument. The 'SBUV User's Guide' describes the SBUV experiment and algorithms used. Detailed information on the data available on computer tape is provided including how to order tapes from the National Space Science Data Center
Stochastic semi-continuous simulation for extreme flood estimation in catchments with combined rainfallâsnowmelt flood regimes
Simulation methods for extreme flood estimation represent an important
complement to statistical flood frequency analysis because a spectrum of
catchment conditions potentially leading to extreme flows can be assessed. In
this paper, stochastic, semi-continuous simulation is used to estimate
extreme floods in three catchments located in Norway, all of which are
characterised by flood regimes in which snowmelt often has a significant
role. The simulations are based on SCHADEX, which couples a precipitation
probabilistic model with a hydrological simulation such that an exhaustive
set of catchment conditions and responses is simulated. The precipitation
probabilistic model is conditioned by regional weather patterns, and a
bottomâup classification procedure was used to define a set of weather
patterns producing extreme precipitation in Norway. SCHADEX estimates for the
1000-year (Q1000) discharge are compared with those of several standard
methods, including event-based and long-term simulations which use a single
extreme precipitation sequence as input to a hydrological model, statistical
flood frequency analysis based on the annual maximum series, and the GRADEX
method. The comparison suggests that the combination of a precipitation
probabilistic model with a long-term simulation of catchment conditions,
including snowmelt, produces estimates for given return periods which are
more in line with those based on statistical flood frequency analysis, as
compared with the standard simulation methods, in two of the catchments. In
the third case, the SCHADEX method gives higher estimates than statistical
flood frequency analysis and further suggests that the seasonality of the
most likely Q1000 events differs from that of the annual maximum flows. The
semi-continuous stochastic simulation method highlights the importance of
considering the joint probability of extreme precipitation, snowmelt rates
and catchment saturation states when assigning return periods to floods
estimated by precipitation-runoff methods. The SCHADEX methodology, as
applied here, is dependent on observed discharge data for calibration of a
hydrological model, and further study to extend its application to ungauged
catchments would significantly enhance its versatility
Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and reliability of the Understanding COPD questionnaire for use in Brazil
ABSTRACT Objective: To translate the Understanding COPD (UCOPD) questionnaire into Portuguese, adapt it for use in Brazil, and assess its reliability. Methods: The UCOPD questionnaire consists of two sections, designated section A and section B. Section A comprises 18 items divided into three domains: âAbout COPDâ, âManaging Symptoms of COPDâ, and âAccessing Help and Supportâ. Section B includes five questions regarding patient satisfaction with the educational component of pulmonary rehabilitation programs. The UCOPD questionnaire was applied twice on the same day by two different raters (with a 10-min interval between applications) and once again 15-20 days later. The Wilcoxon test was used in order to compare the scores among applications. Reliability was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots. Results: The study sample consisted of 50 COPD patients (35 men; mean age, 65.3 ± 7.91 years; mean FEV1, 36.4 ± 16.2% of the predicted value). Inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients for section A total scores and domain scores ranged from moderate to high. Section A scores and domain scores had no significant differences regarding test-retest reliability (p < 0.05). The test-retest and inter-rater Cronbachâs alpha coefficients for section A total scores were 0.93 and 0.86, respectively (p < 0.001). There were no floor or ceiling effects. Conclusions: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the UCOPD questionnaire is reliable
User's guide for the Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet (SBUV) and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) RUT-S and RUT-T data sets: October 31, 1978 to November 1, 1980
Raw data from the Solar Backscattered Ultrviolet/Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (SBUV/TOMS) Nimbus 7 operation are available on computer tape. These data are contained on two separate sets of RUTs (Raw Units Tapes) for SBUV and TOMS, labelled RUT-S and RUT-T respectively. The RUT-S and RUT-T tapes contain uncalibrated radiance and irradiance data, housekeeping data, wavelength and electronic calibration data, instrument field-of-view location and solar ephemeris information. These tapes also contain colocated cloud, terrain pressure and snow/ice thickness data, each derived from an independent source. The "RUT User's Guide" describes the SBUV and TOMS experiments, the instrument calibration and performance, operating schedules, and data coverage, and provides an assessment of RUT-S and -T data quality. It also provides detailed information on the data available on the computer tapes
A global evaluation of streamflow drought characteristics
How drought is characterised depends on the purpose and region of the study and the available data. In case of regional applications or global comparison a standardisation of the methodology to characterise drought is preferable. In this study the threshold level method in combination with three common pooling procedures is applied to daily streamflow series from a wide range of hydrological regimes. Drought deficit characteristics, such as drought duration and deficit volume, are derived, and the methods are evaluated for their applicability for regional studies. Three different pooling procedures are evaluated: the moving-average procedure (MA-procedure), the inter-event time method (IT-method), and the sequent peak algorithm (SPA). The MA-procedure proved to be a flexible approach for the different series, and its parameter, the averaging interval, can easily be optimised for each stream. However, it modifies the discharge series and might introduce dependency between drought events. For the IT-method it is more difficult to find an optimal value for its parameter, the length of the excess period, in particular for flashy streams. The SPA can only be recommended as pooling procedure for the selection of annual maximum series of deficit characteristics and for very low threshold levels to ensure that events occurring shortly after major events are recognized. Furthermore, a frequency analysis of deficit volume and duration is conducted based on partial duration series of drought events. According to extreme value theory, excesses over a certain limit are Generalized Pareto (GP) distributed. It was found that this model indeed performed better than or equally to other distribution models. In general, the GP-model could be used for streams of all regime types. However, for intermittent streams, zero-flow periods should be treated as censored data. For catchments with frost during the winter season, summer and winter droughts have to be analysed separately
Parent management of the school reintegration needs of children and youth following moderate or severe traumatic brain injury
School reintegration following childrenâs traumatic brain injury (TBI) is still poorly understood from familiesâ perspectives. We aimed to understand how both unique and common experiences during childrenâs school reintegration were explained by parents to influence the family
COST 733 - WG4: Applications of weather type classification
The main objective of the COST Action 733 is to achieve a general numerical method for
assessing, comparing and classifying typical weather situations in the European regions. To
accomplish this goal, different workgroups are established, each with their specific aims:
WG1: Existing methods and applications (finished); WG2: Implementation and development of
weather types classification methods; WG3: Comparison of selected weather types
classifications; WG4: Testing methods for various applications.
The main task of Workgroup 4 (WG4) in COST 733 implies the testing of the selected weather
type methods for various classifications. In more detail, WG4 focuses on the following topics:âą
Selection of dedicated applications (using results from WG1),
âą Performance of the selected applications using available weather types provided by WG2,
âą Intercomparison of the application results as a results of different methods
âą Final assessment of the results and uncertainties,
âą Presentation and release of results to the other WGs and external interested
âą Recommend specifications for a new (common) method WG2
Introduction
In order to address these specific aims, various applications are selected and WG4 is divided in
subgroups accordingly:
1.Air quality
2. Hydrology (& Climatological mapping)
3. Forest fires
4. Climate change and variability
5. Risks and hazards
Simultaneously, the special attention is paid to the several wide topics concerning some other
COST Actions such as: phenology (COST725), biometeorology (COST730), agriculture (COST 734)
and mesoscale modelling and air pollution (COST728).
Sub-groups are established to find advantages and disadvantages of different classification
methods for different applications. Focus is given to data requirements, spatial and temporal
scale, domain area, specifi
Vitality of lichens under different light climates in an Araucaria forest (PrĂł-Mata RS, South Brazil) as determined by chlorophyll fluorescence
Relativistic quantum chemistry on quantum computers
Last years witnessed a remarkable interest in application of quantum
computing for solving problems in quantum chemistry more efficiently than
classical computers allow. Very recently, even first proof-of-principle
experimental realizations have been reported. However, so far only the
non-relativistic regime (i.e. Schroedinger equation) has been explored, while
it is well known that relativistic effects can be very important in chemistry.
In this letter we present the first quantum algorithm for relativistic
computations of molecular energies. We show how to efficiently solve the
eigenproblem of the Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian on a quantum computer and
demonstrate the functionality of the proposed procedure by numerical
simulations of computations of the spin-orbit splitting in the SbH molecule.
Finally, we propose quantum circuits with 3 qubits and 9 or 10 CNOTs, which
implement a proof-of-principle relativistic quantum chemical calculation for
this molecule and might be suitable for an experimental realization
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