FIRE extended time/limited area observations at Palisades, New York

Downwelling shortwave and longwave irradiation are being continuously monitored at Palisades, New York as part of the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment (FIRE) Extended Time/Limited Area Initiative. In addition, fisheye (180 degree) sky photographs are taken at the times of NOAA 9 and LANDSAT satellite overpasses on select days, particularly when cirrus clouds are present. Measurements of incoming shortwave (0.28 to 2.80 microns) hemispheric and diffuse, hemispheric near infrared (0.7 to 2.80 microns), and downwelling hemispheric infrared (4.0 to 50.0 microns) irradiation have been made from a rooftop location on the grounds of the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory since December 1986. The three Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometers and the Eppley Pyrgeometer used to measure these variables were calibrated with Colorado State University instruments at Madison, Wisconsin as part of the FIRE Intensive Laboratory. Pyrgeometer output contains an adjustment for body temperature but not for dome temperature. Data are transmitted to a Campbell CR-21 Digital Recorder, where one minute averages of ten second samples are stored and subsequently dumped to a cassette recorder. Using a Campbell C-20 Cassette Interface, these data are transferred to an Apple Macintosh computer for analysis and for archiving on floppy disks. In addition to the raw irradiances collected, variables derived from these data are generated and stored. These include: the ratio of near infrared irradiation to visible irradiation and the fraction of the full shortwave irradiation which is diffuse; and will soon include: shortwave transmissivity and optical depth in the shortwave. Sky photographs are taken with an Olympus OM2-N 35 mm camera and are timed to be coincident with overpassing NOAA and LANDSAT satellites. Palisades is within the field of view of the NOAA 9 daily in the middle to late afternoon. The satellite viewing angle is within 45 degrees of nadir over Palisades on approximately half of the passes

Impact of cirrus on the surface radiative environment at the FIRE ETLA Palisades, NY site

FIRE Extended Time Limited Area (ETLA) observations provide year round information critical to gaining a better understanding of cloud/climate interactions. The Lamont/Rutgers team has participated in the ETLS program through the collection and analysis of shortwave and longwave downwelling irradiances at Palisades, NY. These data are providing useful information on surface radiative fluxes with respect to sky condition, solar zenith angle and season. Their utility extends to the calibration and validation of cloud/radiative models and satellite cloud and radiative retrievals. The impact cirrus clouds have on the surface radiative environment is examined using Palisades ETLA information on atmospheric transmissivities and downwelling longwave fluxes for winter and summer cirrus and clear sky episodes in 1987

Mixed methods study examining work reintegration experiences from perspectives of Veterans with mental health disorders

Recent findings have demonstrated that reintegration for Veterans is often challenging. One difficult aspect of reintegration—transitioning into the civilian workplace—has not been fully explored in the literature. To address this gap and examine work reintegration, this mixed methods study examined the perspectives of Veterans with mental health disorders receiving Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare. Forty Veterans rated factors that affect work success; participants also provided narratives on their most and least successful work experiences. We used t-tests and qualitative analysis to compare participants who did and did not serve in combat. Several themes relevant to work reintegration emerged in the narratives, particularly for Veterans who served in combat. An array of work difficulties were reported in the months following military discharge. In addition, Veterans who served in combat reported significantly more work barriers than Veterans who did not serve in combat, particularly health-related barriers. In conclusion, Veterans with mental health disorders who served in combat experienced more work reintegration difficulty than their counterparts who did not serve in combat. The role of being a Veteran affected how combat Veterans formed their self-concept, which also shaped their work success and community reintegration, especially during the early transition period

Factors impacting work success in Veterans with mental health disorders: A Veteran-focused mixed methods pilot study

BACKGROUND: Veterans with mental illness often have poor employment outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This mixed-methods study sought to understand and describe Veteran perspectives of factors that impact their work success. METHODS: A sample of 40 employed and unemployed Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other severe mental illness (SMI) completed a survey of factors that impact vocational functioning and provided narrative accounts of their most successful and challenging work experiences. RESULTS: Personal motivation, self-efficacy, work skills, interpersonal issues, health, and cognitive problems were rated as most impactful on work. There were no significant differences on ratings of work factors based on employment status. Veterans with PTSD reported significantly more barriers to work success compared with Veterans with SMI, notably, cognitive problems, physical health, and psychological stress. Veterans with SMI were more likely to receive VA vocational services and rated this assistance as beneficial to work success. Narrative findings corroborated the survey results, and yielded additional factors, including economic factors, person/job fit, and Veteran-specific issues. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors substantially impact work success in Veterans with mental illness. Veterans with PTSD and SMI experience a distinct set of barriers and facilitators, suggesting the need for tailoring clinical and rehabilitative services

An enhanced theory of learning including learning from the future

Previous studies showed that combining learning based on experiences in the past with learning from an envisioned future scenario results in more innovative and radical ideas as well as in a higher number of covered content domains. However, currently there is no holistic learning theory which integrates both sources of learning. The main purpose of our paper is to propose an enhanced theory of learning, linking the two most important sources of learning: learning from past experiences and learning from the future. Our suggested theory, which is based on the learning theory by Gregory Bateson, will be described in detail. Moreover, we will present some empirical experiences with the enhanced theory of learning. (author's abstract

Forms and methods of training system for electrical engineers in national higher technical education institutions

Розглянуто визначальні ознаки формування системи вищої електротехнічної освіти України в ХХ ст. Досліджено структурні зміни підготовки фахівців-електриків в провідних вищих технічних навчальних закладах України. На залученні нормативно-правових документів показано етапи формування технічної освіти, підкреслено позитивні та негативні ознаки кожного етапу. Висвітлено особливості організації навчального процесу, виробничої практики, науково-дослідної роботи, створення нових спеціальностей, кафедр, факультетів, філій.The article is shown main features of formation of higher electrotechnical education in Ukraine in the twentieth century. The structural changes in training electricians in the leading higher technical educational institutions of Ukraine are research. The analysis of the technical documents show stages in the formation of technical education, emphasized the positive and negative features of each stage. In the article noted features of the organization of educational process, production practice, research work, creating new disciplines, departments, faculties, branches

Correlates of Attendance in Psychiatric Services: A Critical Review

poster abstractAttendance and dropout are concerning problems in the mental health field. With dropout rates averaging around 50%, mental health agencies lose money and resources invested in missed appointments and under-attended groups, providers lose valuable time, and consumers do not receive recommended levels of services. While there is research on consumer, provider, and agency factors that affect attendance, it has not been integrated and reviewed in the context of community services for those with psychotic disorders. The authors conducted a critical review of literature examining correlates of attendance in community services provided to samples with psychotic disorders as the most prominent diagnostic category. Twenty-two studies were identified that met inclusion criteria. Over 100 unique correlates of attendance were tested; the authors categorized these into eight content areas: demographics, current functioning, history (psychiatric/functional), neurocognitive functioning, services/treatment, social functioning, self-stigma/insight, and symptoms/psychopathology. Correlates were also sorted according to how often they were examined and how many times they were found to be significantly related to consumer attendance. The category containing the most unique correlates was symptoms/psychopathology. Demographic correlates were researched the most, with three unique correlates examined in over ten studies (age, sex, and living situation). Of these demographic correlates, all but two were found significant 25% of the time or less, and none exceeded 40%. Alternatively, some correlates have been investigated few times, but with promising results and theoretical connections to attendance, such as baseline illness severity, which has been found significant in 75% of analyses. There is evidence that researchers are examining correlates for which there is little empirical evidence of a connection to attendance. This may lead to missed opportunities to maximize attendance, use of services, and resources. Implications for future research in the area are discussed

Genetically discrete populations of Trypanosoma congolense from livestock on the Kenyan coast

Twenty-seven stocks of Nannomonas trypanosomes isolated from livestock in 1982 on a ranch at Kilifi on the Kenyan coast were characterized by isoenzyme electrophoresis and by the abilities of the parasite's DNA to hybridize to two repetitive sequence DNA probes. Allthe Kilifi stocks which were examined had isoenzyme patterns which were markedly different from the 75 patterns previously described from 78 stocks of Trypanosoma congolense. On average only 15% of the enzyme bands present in the Kilifi stocks were present in those stocks of T. congolense which had previously been surveyed for isoenzymes. The DNA from all the Kilifi stocks which had been examined for isoenzymes hybridized with only the repetitive sequence probe isolated from a clone of a Kilifi stock. In contrast, the DNA from all 27 Kilifi stocks failed to hybridize with a repetitive sequence probe isolated from a clone from a different stock of T. congolense. Thus, the trypanosomes in all the Kilifi stocks examined were both phenotypically and genotypically discrete. These genetically discrete trypanosomes have also been detected in 2 stocks isolated from livestock from another location on the Kenyan coast. The results show that there is a wide range of genetic heterogeneity within the trypanosomes currently classified as T. congolense. We suggest that the limits of this genetic heterogeneity could represent incipient speciatio