Evaluation of a Cloud Resolving Model Using TRMM Observations for Multiscale Modeling Applications

The climate change simulation community is moving toward use of global cloud resolving models (CRMs), however, current computational resources are not sufficient to run global CRMs over the hundreds of years necessary to produce climate change estimates. As an intermediate step between conventional general circulation models (GCMs) and global CRMs, many climate analysis centers are embedding a CRM in each grid cell of a conventional GCM. These Multiscale Modeling Frameworks (MMFs) represent a theoretical advance over the use of conventional GCM cloud and convection parameterizations, but have been shown to exhibit an overproduction of precipitation in the tropics during the northern hemisphere summer. In this study, simulations of clouds, precipitation, and radiation over the South China Sea using the CRM component of the NASA Goddard MMF are evaluated using retrievals derived from the instruments aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite platform for a 46-day time period that spans 5 May - 20 June 1998. The NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is forced with observed largescale forcing derived from soundings taken during the intensive observing period of the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment. It is found that the GCE configuration used in the NASA Goddard MMF responds too vigorously to the imposed large-scale forcing, accumulating too much moisture and producing too much cloud cover during convective phases, and overdrying the atmosphere and suppressing clouds during monsoon break periods. Sensitivity experiments reveal that changes to ice cloud microphysical parameters have a relatively large effect on simulated clouds, precipitation, and radiation, while changes to grid spacing and domain length have little effect on simulation results. The results motivate a more detailed and quantitative exploration of the sources and magnitude of the uncertainty associated with specified cloud microphysical parameters in the CRM components of MMFs

D03. OTC and SBDC: Services and Updates

Corresponding author (Office of Technology Commercialization): Gregory Sechrist, [email protected]://egrove.olemiss.edu/pharm_annual_posters/1025/thumbnail.jp

Competitive Intelligence Software Evaluation Taxonomy (SET) for SMEs in Malaysia - An Effectiveness Report

The increasing need for competitive advantage in fast moving industries such as Information, Communication Technologies (ICT), means some SMEs are looking at Competitive Intelligence (CI), a systematic process for gathering, analysing, and managing information that can affect a company's plans, decisions, and operation. Some software companies have developed online tools and software that promise to enhance the CI process and the value CI brings to organisations. The success of these CI software tools depends, however, on the sophistication of an organisation’s understanding of the CI process and scope. Different companies derive different values from different approaches to CI, and therefore require a online tool or software that is specific to their company’s needs, resources and management style. This research investigated the management structures and contexts of ICT SMEs in Malaysia to develop a more customised approach to the effective use of CI software for SMEs in the ICT sector, as well as in the selection of appropriate CI software. This paper describes the two-stage research approach. The first stage involved identifying the management style and context of a group of 680 SMEs, in the Malaysian Government’s Multimedia Super Corridor, a government supported area for local businesses. This stage used a cluster analysis approach, to create a taxonomy of ten SME clusters and their management style. These clusters were then used as the basis for the second stage to develop suitable criteria to evaluate available online tools and software for conducting competitive intelligence from an SME perspective. The evaluation criteria were applied to eight CI-ready software packages to identify the most suitable software for each cluster of SMEs. Finally, the research surveyed a small sample of managers to obtain the prospective users’ perceptions of the recommended software. The research findings provide evidence of a range of SME structures in a variety of contexts. Levels of importance placed on different levels in the CI process are identified, as well as aspects that need support, automation and/or augmentation. The software evaluation in the second part of the research provided ten recommendations of suitable software package(s) for each SME cluster. The perceived effectiveness study that concluded the research provided mixed responses. All in all, the research confirms that SMEs can be analyzed by clusters but further research would be necessary to confirm the effectiveness of using the recommended CI software over a longer period of time. The authors would like to note that some of the diagrams (Diagrams 3 and 4) and tables (Tables 1 and 2) featured in this article are only partially shown and had to be resized and cropped to fit the publication’s requirements and dimensions. (Abstract by authors

Emergency ambulance service involvement with residential care homes in the support of older people with dementia : an observational study

© 2014 Amador et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.BACKGROUND: Older people resident in care homes have a limited life expectancy and approximately two-thirds have limited mental capacity. Despite initiatives to reduce unplanned hospital admissions for this population, little is known about the involvement of emergency services in supporting residents in these settings.METHODS: This paper reports on a longitudinal study that tracked the involvement of emergency ambulance personnel in the support of older people with dementia, resident in care homes with no on-site nursing providing personal care only. 133 residents with dementia across 6 care homes in the East of England were tracked for a year. The paper examines the frequency and reasons for emergency ambulance call-outs, outcomes and factors associated with emergency ambulance service use. RESULTS: 56% of residents used ambulance services. Less than half (43%) of all call-outs resulted in an unscheduled admission to hospital. In addition to trauma following a following a fall in the home, results suggest that at least a reasonable proportion of ambulance contacts are for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. An emergency ambulance is not likely to be called for older rather than younger residents or for women more than men. Length of residence does not influence use of emergency ambulance services among older people with dementia. Contact with primary care services and admission route into the care home were both significantly associated with emergency ambulance service use. The odds of using emergency ambulance services for residents admitted from a relative's home were 90% lower than the odds of using emergency ambulance services for residents admitted from their own home. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency service involvement with this vulnerable population merits further examination. Future research on emergency ambulance service use by older people with dementia in care homes, should account for important contextual factors, namely, presence or absence of on-site nursing, GP involvement, and access to residents' family, alongside resident health characteristics.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

National library websites: how do they market the library?

National library websites: how do they market the library

Constructing a Test Bank for Information Science based upon Bloom's principles

This paper outlines an approach to creating questions for a subject-based question bank for use in UK library schools. The authors outline a concept map for information science and describe how Bloom’s taxonomy can be adapted to the creation of higher level questions than the commonly used and simple recall type. Sample questions were created using the International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (IEILS) and subjects defined by staff at the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University. A role is suggested for the Learning and Teaching Support Network for Information and Computer Science (LTSN-ICS)

Information Science student IT experience and attitude toward computers: results of a five-year longitudinal study

Information Science student IT experience and attitude toward computers: results of a five-year longitudinal stud

Small Business Development Center Launches Cyber Training Program

OXFORD, Miss. – Small businesses worldwide are among the most vulnerable when it comes to cybersecurity breaches. The Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network\u27s RISE Center at the University of Mississippi has partnered with CyberWyoming to help small businesses thwart such cyberattacks

Origins of competitive intelligence : a fundamental extension of CI education

Origins of competitive intelligence : a fundamental extension of CI educatio