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 rainfall–snowmelt 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 bottom–up 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: “About COPD”, “Managing Symptoms of COPD”, and “Accessing Help and Support”. 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 Cronbach’s 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 children’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) is still poorly understood from families’ perspectives. We aimed to understand how both unique and common experiences during children’s 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:• Selection of dedicated applications (using results from WG1), • Performance of the selected applications using available weather types provided by WG2, • Intercomparison of the application results as a results of different methods • Final assessment of the results and uncertainties, • Presentation and release of results to the other WGs and external interested • 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

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