User manual and programmer reference manual for the ATS-6 navigation model AOIPS and McIDAS versions, part 2

Development of a navigation system for a given satellite is reported. An algorithm for converting a satellite picture element location to earth location and vice versa was defined as well as a procedure for measuring the set of constants needed by the algorithm. A user manual briefly describing the current version of the navigation model and how to use the computer programs developed for it is presented

Design and testing of the navigation model for three axis stabilized earth oriented satellites applied to the ATS-6 satellite image data base

An earth edge methodology has been developed to account for the relative attitude changes between successive ATS-6 images which allows reasonable high quality wind sets to be produced. The method consists of measuring the displacements of the right and left infrared earth edges between successive ATS-6 images as a function of scan line; from these measurements the attitude changes can be deduced and used to correct the apparent cloud displacement measurements. The wind data sets generated from ATS-6 using the earth-edge methodology were compared with those derived from the SMS-1 images (and model) covering the same time period. Quantitative comparisons for low level trade cumuli were made at interpolated uniformly spaced grid points and for selected individual comparison clouds. Selected individual comparison clouds, the root-mean-square differences for the U and V components were 1.0 and 1.2 meters per second with a maximum wind direction difference of 15 deg

Factors explaining limitations in activities and restrictions in participation in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease causing disability. Identifying factors that influence the impact of the disease is important for planning adequate therapy. Knowing the effect on activities and on participation according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in daily living determines the rehabilitation therapy management. Objectives Objectives were to evaluate, which factors contribute how much to the explanation of activity limitations measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire HAQ (model I) and which factors contribute how much to the explanation of participation restrictions measured by the Social Function Scale of SF-36 (model II) in RA according to the ICF. Design and Patients Cross-sectional data collection of variables concerning the health status of 239 consecutively included patients with RA at the outpatient departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, and of the University Hospital of Munich, Germany was conducted. Measures: Disease Activity Score (DAS-28), Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Short-form-36 (SF-36), Sociodemography Questionnaire, Comorbidity Questionnaire (SCQ), Muscle Strength Index (MSI), range of motion (EPM-ROM), grip strength, Sequentional Occupational and Dexterity Assessment (SODA), radiologic score (Ratingen Score). Analyses Multivariate regression analyses were conducted building models of explanation. Results In Model I Vitality, RADAI, DAS, SODA PAIN Score, MSI and EPM-ROM were found to be explaining variables with a globally explained variance of 53%. In Model II these were Vitality, Mental Health, the HAQ and Living alone with a globally explained variance of 42.4%. Conclusion Activity limitations in RA were mainly explained by Vitality and disease activity factors. Restrictions in participation in RA were mainly explained by Vitality and Mental Health

Data Analysis Using the FFT Method

Author Institution: National Security Technologies, LLCSlides presented at the Heterodyne Velocimeter Workshop held at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, July 20-21, 2006

A Model for Calculating Desert Aerosol Turbidity Over the Oceans from Geostationary Satellite Data

A technique has been developed to infer the optical thickness of Saharan dust from Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS) brightness measurements at visible wavelengths. The scattering model consists of an air layer, a dust layer and a lower boundary of variable albedo. Single-scatter properties of the dust computed from Mie theory were the basis for calculations by plane-parallel theory of radiative transfer in the dust layer. Radiative interactions between air and dust layers and the lower boundary were calculated with an adding version of the doubling scheme. Optical thickness was determined from satellite brightness measurements through a lookup table produced by the adding program. SMS visible sensors were calibrated from the prelaunch calibration measurements and measurements of sun and space. Error analysis and tests indicate a potential accuracy of ∼0.1 unit of optical thickness. The main limits on accuracy are digitizing resolution of the SMS visible signals, and mistaking clouds for dust in the satellite imagery. This technique of inferring Saharan dust turbidity has been verified and fine-tuned using surface turbidity measurements during GATE and corresponding SMS imagery

Impaired Insulin/IGF1 Signaling Extends Life Span by Promoting Mitochondrial L-Proline Catabolism to Induce a Transient ROS Signal

SummaryImpaired insulin and IGF-1 signaling (iIIS) in C. elegans daf-2 mutants extends life span more than 2-fold. Constitutively, iIIS increases mitochondrial activity and reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. By contrast, acute impairment of daf-2 in adult C. elegans reduces glucose uptake and transiently increases ROS. Consistent with the concept of mitohormesis, this ROS signal causes an adaptive response by inducing ROS defense enzymes (SOD, catalase), culminating in ultimately reduced ROS levels despite increased mitochondrial activity. Inhibition of this ROS signal by antioxidants reduces iIIS-mediated longevity by up to 60%. Induction of the ROS signal requires AAK-2 (AMPK), while PMK-1 (p38) and SKN-1 (NRF-2) are needed for the retrograde response. IIIS upregulates mitochondrial L-proline catabolism, and impairment of the latter impairs the life span-extending capacity of iIIS while L-proline supplementation extends C. elegans life span. Taken together, iIIS promotes L-proline metabolism to generate a ROS signal for the adaptive induction of endogenous stress defense to extend life span

A Novel System for High-Speed Velocimetry Using Heterodyne Techniques

We have built a high-speed velocimeter that has proven to be compact, simple to operate, and fairly inexpensive. We assembled our velocimeter using off-the-shelf components developed for the telecommunications industry. The main components are fiber lasers, high-bandwidth high-sample-rate digitizers, and fiber optic circulators. The laser is a 2-watt CW fiber laser operating at 1550 nm. The digitizers have 8-GHz bandwidth and can digitize four channels simultaneously at 20 GS/s. The maximum velocity of our system is approximately 5000 m/s and is limited by the bandwidth of the electrical components. For most of our applications, we analyze the recorded beat frequency using Fourier transform methods, which determines the time response of the final velocity time history. We generally analyze our data with approximately 50 ns Fourier transform windows. We have obtained high-quality data on many experiments such as explosively driven surfaces and gas gun assemblies

Variable Expression of Cre Recombinase Transgenes Precludes Reliable Prediction of Tissue-Specific Gene Disruption by Tail-Biopsy Genotyping

The Cre/loxP-system has become the system of choice for the generation of conditional so-called knockout mouse strains, i.e. the tissue-specific disruption of expression of a certain target gene. We here report the loss of expression of Cre recombinase in a transgenic mouse strain with increasing number of generations. This eventually led to the complete abrogation of gene expression of the inserted Cre cDNA while still being detectable at the genomic level. Conversely, loss of Cre expression caused an incomplete or even complete lack of disruption for the protein under investigation. As Cre expression in the tissue of interest in most cases cannot be addressed in vivo during the course of a study, our findings implicate the possibility that individual tail-biopsy genotypes may not necessarily indicate the presence or absence of gene disruption. This indicates that sustained post hoc analyses in regards to efficacy of disruption for every single study group member may be required