Near-tropopause structure and dynamics from comparisons of total column ozone and model analyses

This study makes comparisons between observed total column ozone (or simply total ozone) from the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP/TOMS) and mesoscale model analyses fields for midlatitude, baroclinic cyclone cases. We emphasize the consistency and agreement of total ozone fields with meteorological quantities at smaller scales than previously demonstrated. The results may aid in assimilation of total ozone into models to improve dynamics and forecasting ability. Significant to stratosphere-troposphere exchange studies, the use of total ozone data to identify potential regions of cross-tropopause transport is also illustrated;In case studies of large-scale, midlatitude cyclones over the United States, fine-scale consistency is shown for total ozone and the Mesoscale Analysis and Prediction System (MAPS) model analysis fields. The tropopause pressure field shows good agreement with total ozone outside of regions of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE). Geopotential height contours on isobaric surfaces near the tropopause are seen to compare well to total ozone. Complex vertical structure of potential vorticity (PV) in the lower stratosphere can be associated with small scale total ozone maxima and minima. In addition, EP/TOMS retrieval errors on the order of ∼10% are identified with high thunderstorm cloud anvils, particularly along frontal zones;Two types of STE are discussed in relation to the evidence and their signature within the model and total ozone fields. PV-holes of varying strengths are frequently found near the center or eastern part of cyclones. These appear as isolated regions of tropospheric PV values and enhanced total ozone. Back trajectories illustrate that the destruction of PV by precipitation-induced latent heating causes a raising of the PV-defined tropopause, leaving stratospheric air below. In the second type of STE, cross-jet exchange along the southern edge of the cyclone, total ozone is not observed to be significantly enhanced. This suggests mixing of ozone-rich stratospheric air with ozone-poor tropospheric air as the PV is destroyed

Something borrowed: sequence alignment and the identification of similar passages in large text collections

The following article describes a simple technique to identify lexically-similar passages in large collections of text using sequence alignment algorithms. Primarily used in the field of bioinformatics to identify similar segments of DNA in genome research, sequence alignment has also been employed in many other domains, from plagiarism detection to image processing. While we have applied this approach to a wide variety of diverse text collections, we will focus our discussion here on the identification of similar passages in the famous 18th-century Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean d'Alembert. Reference works, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are generally expected to "reuse" or "borrow" passages from many sources and Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie was no exception. Drawn from an immense variety of source material, both French and non-French, many, if not most, of the borrowings that occur in the Encyclopédie are not sufficiently identified (according to our standards of modern citation), or are only partially acknowledged in passing. The systematic identification of recycled passages can thus offer us a clear indication of the sources the philosophes were exploiting as well as the extent to which the intertextual relations that accompanied its composition and subsequent reception can be explored. In the end,we hope this approach to "Encyclopedic intertextuality" using sequence alignment can broaden the discussion concerning the relationship of Enlightenment thought to previous intellectual traditions as well as its reuse in the centuries that followed

Guide to Stakeholder Groups for Great Basin Sagebrush Steppe Restoration

This guide is intended to provide information on active stakeholder interest groups focused on restoration of sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin region. It is based on a comprehensive search of internet websites, recently filed litigation records, previous interviews, and discussions with land managers in the region. The information contained in the guide is representative of the general environment in which restoration activities are conducted in the six states comprising the SageSTEP project, and is not meant to be an all-inclusive listing of groups. All efforts were made to identify groups most active and thus most pertinent to land managers and researchers in the region. There undoubtedly exist additional groups active on a more local level, which are equally as significant to restoration activities as those identified here. The guide, as developed, is intended to be particularly useful for those working in fuels treatments and NEPA issues

Striking a balance between culture and fun: 'Quality' meets hitman genre in 'In Bruges'

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in New Review of Film and Television Studies, 9(2), 132 - 151, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17400309.2011.556934.This paper gives an analysis of In Bruges (2008) that situates the film as a hybrid product offering a mixture of signifiers of cinematic ‘quality’ and ‘lower’ genre ingredients. This paper also considers the extent to which In Bruges offers a combination of tonal registers in which irony and detachment, as markers of distinction, are blended with a more mainstream-oriented appeal to emotional engagement on the part of the viewer, and considers how this might be related to the broader social and industrial contexts in which it appeared