Passive Ranging Using a Dispersive Spectrometer and Optical Filters

Monocular passive ranging using atmospheric oxygen absorption has been demonstrated in the past using an FTS. These instruments are very sensitive to vibration making them di cult to use on an airborne platform. This work focuses on whether passive ranging can be done with instruments that are easier to deploy. Two potential instruments are tested and compared: a diffraction grating spectrometer and optical filters. A grating spectrometer was able to estimate range to within 5% for a static solid rocket motor ring at a distance of 910 m using the NIR absorption band of oxygen. Testing at shorter ranges produced range estimates accurate to within 5% for the NIR band and 15% for the visible band. Using the sun as a source, optical filters were able to successfully measure the pathlength through the atmosphere to within 3% for both bands. Testing the filters using a quartz lamp as the source, however, proved unsuccessful. A system is discussed and modeled in ZEMAX to potentially measure multiple filters simultaneously. A model was also created to predict how both techniques will scale to longer ranges. Using filters is predicted to be more accurate at long ranges, but only if the grating spectrometer has to be fiber coupled to the collection optic

Passively Estimating Index of Refraction for Specular Reflectors Using Polarimetric Hyperspectral Imaging

As off-nadir viewing platforms becoming increasingly prevalent in remote sensing, material classification and ID techniques robust to changing viewing geometries must be developed. Traditionally, either reflectivity or emissivity are used for classification, but these quantities vary with viewing angle. Instead, estimating index of refraction may be advantageous as it is invariant with respect to viewing geometry. This work focuses on estimating index of refraction from LWIR (875-1250 wavenumbers) polarimetric hyperspectral radiance measurements

The Bravyi-Kitaev transformation for quantum computation of electronic structure

Quantum simulation is an important application of future quantum computers with applications in quantum chemistry, condensed matter, and beyond. Quantum simulation of fermionic systems presents a specific challenge. The Jordan-Wigner transformation allows for representation of a fermionic operator by O(n) qubit operations. Here we develop an alternative method of simulating fermions with qubits, first proposed by Bravyi and Kitaev [S. B. Bravyi, A.Yu. Kitaev, Annals of Physics 298, 210-226 (2002)], that reduces the simulation cost to O(log n) qubit operations for one fermionic operation. We apply this new Bravyi-Kitaev transformation to the task of simulating quantum chemical Hamiltonians, and give a detailed example for the simplest possible case of molecular hydrogen in a minimal basis. We show that the quantum circuit for simulating a single Trotter time-step of the Bravyi-Kitaev derived Hamiltonian for H2 requires fewer gate applications than the equivalent circuit derived from the Jordan-Wigner transformation. Since the scaling of the Bravyi-Kitaev method is asymptotically better than the Jordan-Wigner method, this result for molecular hydrogen in a minimal basis demonstrates the superior efficiency of the Bravyi-Kitaev method for all quantum computations of electronic structure

Estimating Index of Refraction from Polarimetric Hyperspectral Imaging Measurements

Current material identification techniques rely on estimating reflectivity or emissivity which vary with viewing angle. As off-nadir remote sensing platforms become increasingly prevalent, techniques robust to changing viewing geometries are desired. A technique leveraging polarimetric hyperspectral imaging (P-HSI), to estimate complex index of refraction, N̂(ν̃), an inherent material property, is presented. The imaginary component of N̂(ν̃) is modeled using a small number of “knot” points and interpolation at in-between frequencies ν̃. The real component is derived via the Kramers-Kronig relationship. P-HSI measurements of blackbody radiation scattered off of a smooth quartz window show that N̂(ν̃) can be retrieved to within 0.08 RMS error between 875 cm−1 ≤ ν̃ ≤ 1250 cm−1. P-HSI emission measurements of a heated smooth Pyrex beaker also enable successful N̂(ν̃) estimates, which are also invariant to object temperature

Wellness Review 2022, Part 1

Introduction: This article represents the first of a two-part assessment of 2022 literature addressing wellness in healthcare professionals published from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022. Methods: Three editors conducted a similar keyword search in Pubmed, also adding manually curated articles. Focusing chiefly on clinical trials and other prospective research, we settled on a final 25 significant papers focusing on wellness in medical professionals to include in this review. Literature Review: Recent literature into HCW wellness continues to describe burnout factors and COVID-19 impact, but includes more resilience-targeting interventions and systematic reviews of trials seeking bolstering of well-being. Subsections of this review include: Mindfulness, Well-being among surgeons, coaching, night shift, COVID-19, students, general burnout, and a few review articles. Conclusion: JWell editors continue to be excited about trends focusing on thriving and positive wellness aspects, rather than furthering the imbalance of heavily negative tone related to burnout and stress

Wellness Review 2020, Part 1

Introduction: Welcome to Part 1 of the bi-annual Journal of Wellness review of 2020 wellness literature (January – June). In this review, JWellness editors continue the goal of bringing a cohesive awareness of recent publications within the wellness domain, encompassing wellness leaders from all disciplines in healthcare. We provide insight into unique perspectives and new science published outside of JWellness, dealing with burnout prevention and wellness initiative implementation. Methods: PubMed was searched for empirical research studies, review articles, and editorials using keywords such as “wellness,” “well-being,” “burnout” and “healthcare professionals.” We have included 26 articles in this review. Literature in Review: Similar themes emerged in the recent literature, and wellness inquiry continues to receive heightened attention. We have divided this review into the following sections: studies measuring wellness in healthcare providers, pieces on burnout and leadership, studies focusing on interventions to improve wellness, key perspectives on improving wellness, and COVID-19 and provider wellness. Conclusions: Wellness research continues to evolve, with new studies specifically providing for increased awareness on relationships between wellness behaviors, burnout, leadership styles, and positive mindset. We learn more about effective interventions to alleviate both mental and physical wellness deficits: mindfulness, coaching, and training sessions. COVID-19 has and will continue to be a focus of wellness research, specifically on healthcare providers who are positioned at the center of the pandemic

Wellness Review 2021, Part 1

Introduction: This article presents a curated selection of the wellness literature from January to June of 2021. JWellness editors offer a summary of recent publications within the wellness domain to seek an understanding of both burnout prevention and, more importantly, thriving in the medical profession. Methods: For the interval of Jan 1 to June 30, 2021, a UofL librarian queried PubMed for empirical research studies, review articles, and editorials related to healthcare professional wellness. Excluding papers related to COVID-19 (due to extensive prior coverage) and editorials/commentaries, the editors narrowed to 43 articles (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, general reviews, and clinical trials) for this review. Literature in Review: Six chief themes emerged: general wellness / burnout, technology, training, nursing professional wellness, mindfulness and resilience, and physician specialty-specific considerations. We note the predominance of descriptive articles, though this round included more clinical trials and reviews of clinical trials. Overall quality of evidence remains low, however the conglomerate multinational dataset is expanding rapidly. Innovations in electronic documentation, early educational interventions, and diverse studies from various medical specialties converge to provide insight into a state of thriving among healthcare professionals. Conclusion: Current literature into healthcare professional wellness continues to describe burnout, but increasingly includes dedicated wellness interventions. Resilience and mindfulness training work, but system level interventions must accompany efforts. All medical specialties are affected, and the continuing conversation should include healthcare executives and other leadership

Wellness Review 2022, Part 2

Introduction: Similar to prior reviews, the Journal of Wellness editors searched the literature from the second half of 2022 for an interesting and impactful selection of publications on wellness in healthcare professionals. Methods: Editors conducted a standard keyword search in Pubmed, focusing chiefly on large journals, interventional trials, and other prospective research. We included papers published between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Literature in Review: Finding several hundred publications, we excluded editorials, reviews, and some smaller, less generalizable papers. A final 25 significant studies focusing on wellness in medical professionals were sorted into the following categories: logistics, creativity / arts, exercise and nutrition, curriculum / training, burnout, and miscellaneous. Conclusion: JWellness editors continue to appreciate and focus on research related to thriving and positive well-being, rather than descriptive burnout studies

Mapping isoprene emissions over North America using formaldehyde column observations from space

We present a methodology for deriving emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) using space-based column observations of formaldehyde (HCHO) and apply it to data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) satellite instrument over North America during July 1996. The HCHO column is related to local VOC emissions, with a spatial smearing that increases with the VOC lifetime. Isoprene is the dominant HCHO precursor over North America in summer, and its lifetime (≃1 hour) is sufficiently short that the smearing can be neglected. We use the Goddard Earth Observing System global 3-D model of tropospheric chemistry (GEOS-CHEM) to derive the relationship between isoprene emissions and HCHO columns over North America and use these relationships to convert the GOME HCHO columns to isoprene emissions. We also use the GEOS-CHEM model as an intermediary to validate the GOME HCHO column measurements by comparison with in situ observations. The GEOS-CHEM model including the Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA) isoprene emission inventory provides a good simulation of both the GOME data (r2 = 0.69, n = 756, bias = +11%) and the in situ summertime HCHO measurements over North America (r2 = 0.47, n = 10, bias = −3%). The GOME observations show high values over regions of known high isoprene emissions and a day-to-day variability that is consistent with the temperature dependence of isoprene emission. Isoprene emissions inferred from the GOME data are 20% less than GEIA on average over North America and twice those from the U.S. EPA Biogenic Emissions Inventory System (BEIS2) inventory. The GOME isoprene inventory when implemented in the GEOS-CHEM model provides a better simulation of the HCHO in situ measurements than either GEIA or BEIS2 (r2 = 0.71, n = 10, bias = −10%)