Determination and impact of surface radiative processes for TOGA COARE

Experiments using atmospheric general circulation models have shown that the atmospheric circulation is very sensitive to small changes in sea surface temperature in the tropical western Pacific Ocean warm pool region. The mutual sensitivity of the ocean and the atmosphere in the warm pool region places stringent requirements on models of the coupled ocean atmosphere system. At present, the situation is such that diagnostic studies using available data sets have been unable to balance the surface energy budget in the warm pool region to better than 50 to 80 W/sq m. The Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) is an observation and modelling program that aims specifically at the elucidation of the physical process which determine the mean and transient state of the warm pool region and the manner in which the warm pool interacts with the global ocean and atmosphere. This project focuses on one very important aspect of the ocean atmosphere interface component of TOGA COARE, namely the temporal and spatial variability of surface radiative fluxes in the warm pool region

Environmental prediction, risk assessment and extreme events: adaptation strategies for the developing world

The uncertainty associated with predicting extreme weather events has serious implications for the developing world, owing to the greater societal vulnerability to such events. Continual exposure to unanticipated extreme events is a contributing factor for the descent into perpetual and structural rural poverty. We provide two examples of how probabilistic environmental prediction of extreme weather events can support dynamic adaptation. In the current climate era, we describe how short-term flood forecasts have been developed and implemented in Bangladesh. Forecasts of impending floods with horizons of 10 days are used to change agricultural practices and planning, store food and household items and evacuate those in peril. For the first time in Bangladesh, floods were anticipated in 2007 and 2008, with broad actions taking place in advance of the floods, grossing agricultural and household savings measured in units of annual income. We argue that probabilistic environmental forecasts disseminated to an informed user community can reduce poverty caused by exposure to unanticipated extreme events. Second, it is also realized that not all decisions in the future can be made at the village level and that grand plans for water resource management require extensive planning and funding. Based on imperfect models and scenarios of economic and population growth, we further suggest that flood frequency and intensity will increase in the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yangtze catchments as greenhouse-gas concentrations increase. However, irrespective of the climate-change scenario chosen, the availability of fresh water in the latter half of the twenty-first century seems to be dominated by population increases that far outweigh climate-change effects. Paradoxically, fresh water availability may become more critical if there is no climate change

The response of the tropical atmosphere to steady forcing,

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Meteorology, 1971.Vita.Bibliography: leaves 178-181.by Peter John Webster.Ph.D

Patients\u27 satisfaction with mental health nursing interventions in the management of anxiety: Results of a questionnaire study

Objective: Patients’ satisfaction is a significant indicator of the quality of care provided in a health setting. The purpose ofthis study was to identify aspects of mental health nursing care that are most likely to influence satisfaction with patientswho are experiencing anxiety in two private mental health care setting.Method: Study design: A survey of a sample of patients in two private mental health hospitals in Sydney, Australia wherepatients were asked to evaluate their overall experience of this episode of care and to complete the Patients’ SatisfactionQuestionnaire on specific aspects of their care for anxiety. Two hundred (200) Questionnaires were left with theparticipants to be completed at discharge, and there were 189 (94%) questionnaires returned.Results: One hundred and eighty nine patients (189) completed the survey. Representing 94% of respondents theyindicated that they were satisfied with the mental health nurses intervention for their anxiety. There were no significantdifferences found between genders, age groups, marital status, number of admissions and duration of hospitalisations. Amultiple linear regression indicated that the major determinants of patient satisfaction were emotional support and respectfor patient preferences. The results of satisfaction scores demonstrated evidence of construct validity of total scale withtotal mean rating of all domain 3.70 (SD=0.67) and Reliability coefficients for the total scale were .93, however, meanrating for the 5 domains was 3.69 (SD = 0.66).Conclusions: The finding of this preliminary patients’ satisfaction study suggests that mental health nurses withappropriate education and supervision can provide an effective therapeutic approach to patients who are experiencinganxiety in these two private mental health settings

Role of social environment and social clustering in spread of opinions in co-evolving networks

Taking a pragmatic approach to the processes involved in the phenomena of collective opinion formation, we investigate two specific modifications to the co-evolving network voter model of opinion formation, studied by Holme and Newman [1]. First, we replace the rewiring probability parameter by a distribution of probability of accepting or rejecting opinions between individuals, accounting for the asymmetric influences in relationships among individuals in a social group. Second, we modify the rewiring step by a path-length-based preference for rewiring that reinforces local clustering. We have investigated the influences of these modifications on the outcomes of the simulations of this model. We found that varying the shape of the distribution of probability of accepting or rejecting opinions can lead to the emergence of two qualitatively distinct final states, one having several isolated connected components each in internal consensus leading to the existence of diverse set of opinions and the other having one single dominant connected component with each node within it having the same opinion. Furthermore, and more importantly, we found that the initial clustering in network can also induce similar transitions. Our investigation also brings forward that these transitions are governed by a weak and complex dependence on system size. We found that the networks in the final states of the model have rich structural properties including the small world property for some parameter regimes. [1] P. Holme and M. Newman, Phys. Rev. E 74, 056108 (2006)

Reassortment and Interspecies Transmission of North American H6N2 Influenza Viruses

AbstractH6N2 influenza viruses were isolated from California chickens in 2000 and 2001. Here we report the characterization of these H6N2 viruses, one of the few descriptions of non-H5, non-H7 subtype influenza viruses in this host. The H6N2 viruses were nonpathogenic in experimentally infected chickens and could be divided into three genotypes. All three genotypes of virus had similar surface glycoproteins and all contained an 18 amino acid deletion in the neuraminidase, a characteristic of other chicken influenza viruses. Differences were apparent, however, in the complement of replicative protein genes between the genotypes. The presence of multiple H6N2 genotypes suggests that independent transmission and/or reassortment events may have taken place between aquatic bird and chicken influenza viruses

Access and use of interventions to prevent and treat malaria among pregnant women in Kenya and Mali: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Coverage of malaria in pregnancy interventions in sub-Saharan Africa is suboptimal. We undertook a systematic examination of the operational, socio-economic and cultural constraints to pregnant women's access to intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp), long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) and case management in Kenya and Mali to provide empirical evidence for strategies to improve coverage. METHODS: Focus group discussions (FGDs) were held as part of a programme of research to explore the delivery, access and use of interventions to control malaria in pregnancy. FGDs were held with four sub-groups: non-pregnant women of child bearing age (aged 15-49 years), pregnant women or mothers of children aged <1 year, adolescent women, and men. Content analysis was used to develop themes and sub-themes from the data. RESULTS: Women and men's perceptions of the benefits of antenatal care were generally positive; motivation among women consisted of maintaining a healthy pregnancy, disease prevention in mother and foetus, checking the position of the baby in preparation for delivery, and ensuring admission to a facility in case of complications. Barriers to accessing care related to the quality of the health provider-client interaction, perceived health provider skills and malpractice, drug availability, and cost of services. Pregnant women perceived themselves and their babies at particular risk from malaria, and valued diagnosis and treatment from a health professional, but cost of treatment at health facilities drove women to use herbal remedies or drugs bought from shops. Women lacked information on the safety, efficacy and side effects of antimalarial use in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Women in these settings appreciated the benefits of antenatal care and yet health services in both countries are losing women to follow-up due to factors that can be improved with greater political will. Antenatal services need to be patient-centred, free-of-charge or highly affordable and accountable to the women they serve

A new tram network for Bristol:a possible scenario?

Some UK cities have seen the successful reintroduction of trams to complement and improve public transport services. This paper investigates the impact a hypothetical tramline would have in Bristol. This study was conducted in light of proposals for a bus rapid transit (BRT) network in Bristol. The literature review undertaken concludes that while BRT systems tend to have lower capital costs, a tram system could also be considered. At near-capacity operation, trams may be more effective in encouraging a modal shift away from travelling by car. Evidence from a preliminary simulation model, which was built to evaluate the demand a hypothetical tramline from the airport to the city centre would attract, suggests that a tram would encourage users to switch to public transport. Suggestions for further work for model refinement coupled with better understanding system impacts of the proposed tram system are included. </jats:p

Effectiveness of the delivery of interventions to prevent malaria in pregnancy in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Coverage with malaria in pregnancy interventions remains unacceptably low. Implementation research is needed to identify and quantify the bottlenecks for the delivery and use of these life-saving interventions through antenatal clinics (ANC). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in ANC across nine health facilities in western Kenya. Data were collected for an individual ANC visit through structured observations and exit interviews with the same ANC clients. The cumulative and intermediate systems effectiveness for the delivery of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to eligible pregnant women on this one specific visit to ANC were estimated. RESULTS: Overall the ANC systems effectiveness for delivering malaria in pregnancy interventions was suboptimal. Only 40 and 53 % of eligible women received IPTp by directly observed therapy as per policy in hospitals and health centres/dispensaries respectively. The overall systems effectiveness for the receipt of IPTp disregarding directly observed therapy was 62 and 72 % for hospitals and lower level health facilities, respectively. The overall systems effectiveness for ITNs for first ANC visit was 63 and 67 % for hospitals and lower level facilities, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study found that delivery of IPTp and ITNs through ANC was ineffective and more so for higher-level facilities. This illustrates missed opportunities and provider level bottlenecks to the scale up and use of interventions to control malaria in pregnancy delivered through ANC. The high level of clustering within health facilities suggest that future studies should assess the feasibility of implementing interventions to improve systems effectiveness tailored to the health facility level