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Environmental radioactive intercomparison program and radioactive standards program
Dilbeck, G.
The Environmental Radioactivity Intercomparison Program described herein provides quality assurance support for laboratories involved in analyzing public drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Regulations, and to the environmental radiation monitoring activities of various agencies. More than 300 federal and state nuclear facilities and private laboratories participate in some phase of the program. This presentation describes the Intercomparison Program studies and matrices involved, summarizes the precision and accuracy requirements of various radioactive analytes, and describes the traceability determinations involved with radioactive calibration standards distributed to the participants. A summary of program participants, sample and report distributions, and additional responsibilities of this program are discussed.
International NMR-based Environmental Metabolomics Intercomparison Exercise
Several fundamental requirements must be met so that NMR-based metabolomics and the related technique of metabonomics can be formally adopted into environmental monitoring and chemical risk assessment. Here we report an intercomparison exercise which has evaluated the effectivene...
PNNL Results from 2009 Silene Criticality Accident Dosimeter Intercomparison Exercise
Hill, Robin L.; Conrady, Matthew M.
This document reports the results of testing of the Hanford Personnel Nuclear Accident Dosimeter (PNAD) during a criticality accident dosimeter intercomparison exercise at the CEA Valduc Center on October 13, 14, and 15, 2009.
PNNL Results from 2010 CALIBAN Criticality Accident Dosimeter Intercomparison Exercise
Hill, Robin L.; Conrady, Matthew M.
This document reports the results of the Hanford personnel nuclear accident dosimeter (PNAD) and fixed nuclear accident dosimeter (FNAD) during a criticality accident dosimeter intercomparison exercise at the CEA Valduc Center on September 20-23, 2010. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) participated in a criticality accident dosimeter intercomparison exercise at the Commissariat a Energie Atomique (CEA) Valduc Center near Dijon, France on September 20-23, 2010. The intercomparison exercise was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program, with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as the lead Laboratory. PNNL was one of six invited DOE Laboratory participants. The other participating Laboratories were: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Savannah River Site (SRS), the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, and Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). The goals of PNNL's participation in the intercomparison exercise were to test and validate the procedures and algorithm currently used for the Hanford personnel nuclear accident dosimeters (PNADs) on the metallic reactor, CALIBAN, to test exposures to PNADs from the side and from behind a phantom, and to test PNADs that were taken from a historical batch of Hanford PNADs that had varying degrees of degradation of the bare indium foil. Similar testing of the PNADs was done on the Valduc SILENE test reactor in 2009 (Hill and Conrady, 2010). The CALIBAN results are reported here.
An intercomparison exercise on technetium-99 in seaweed
Bates, T.H. )
This paper reports the results of an intercomparison exercise carried out on the determination of {sup 99}Tc in Fucus vesiculosus taken from the coastline adjacent to Sellafield. This species of seaweed has a very high affinity for the radionuclide (e.g., two orders of magnitude higher than has the edible prophyra species); it presents, therefore, a potential source for a biological reference material with the highest possible specific activity. Details of the preparation and homogeneity testing before distribution of samples for analysis are described and summaries of analytical procedures used by each participant are provided. The exercise was arranged by the UK Analysts' Informal Working Group and participants comprised laboratories considered to be expert in the analysis and others who were using the opportunity to demonstrate their capability to perform this type of determination. 17 refs., 4 tabs.
In situ gamma-spectrometry intercomparison exercise in Salzburg, Austria
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lettner, H.; Andrasi, A.; Hubmer, A. K.; Lovranich, E.; Steger, F.; Zombori, P.
In situ gamma-spectrometry has become a useful method of assessing the nuclide concentrations of man-made and natural gamma-emitters in the soil. For the quality assurance of the measurements, periodically conducted intercomparison exercises are essential. Therefore exercises were organized in different European countries since 1990, the last one was conducted in Salzburg, Austria in September 1994. The participation of 27 measurement teams from all over Europe emphasizes the importance of the intercomparison. Salzburg was selected because the Province of Salzburg, Austria was among the most heavily contaminated regions outside the former USSR by the Chernobyl fallout. Two different typical sites were selected for the measurements: Site 1 was inside the urban area of Salzburg on intensively used grassland which had not been tilled since the deposition of the fallout. This site is representative for intensively used agricultural regions in the Province of Salzburg. Site 2 was in the mountainous regions of the Hohe Tauern at an elevated altitude of 1600 m, representing the agricultural soil- and contamination conditions of the Alpine regions in the Tauern. The two sites differ significantly in terms of soil characteristics, a crucial parameter for the evaluation of in situ gamma-spectra. The participants used different approaches for the evaluation of the gamma-spectra in terms of considering the depth distribution. In the paper the results from the 24 European teams are presented.
Intercomparison exercise within a distributed-dosimetry network.
Romanyukha, A; Voss, S P; Benevides, L A
The results of an intercomparison exercise within the US Navy dosimetric network (USN-DN) are presented and discussed. The USN-DN uses a commercially available LiF:Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescent dosemeter (TLD) model Harshaw 8840/8841 and TLD reader model Harshaw 8800 manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The USN-DN consists of a single calibration facility and 16 satellite dosimetry reading facilities throughout the world with ∼ 40 model 8800 TLD readers and in excess of 350 000 TLD cards in circulation. The Naval Dosimetry Center (NDC) is the primary calibration site responsible for the distribution and calibration of all TLD cards and their associated holders. In turn, each satellite facility is assigned a subpopulation of cards, which are utilised for servicing their local customers. Consistency of the NDC calibration of 150 dosemeters (calibrated at NDC) and 27 locally calibrated remote readers was evaluated in the framework of this intercomparison. Accuracy of TLDs' calibration, performed at the NDC, was found to be <3 % throughout the entire network. Accuracy of the readers' calibration, performed with the NDC issued calibration dosemeters at remote sites, was found to be better than 4 % for most readers. The worst performance was found for reader Channel 3, which is calibrated using the thinnest chip of the Harshaw 8840/8841 dosemeter. The loss of sensitivity of this chip may be caused by time-temperature profile that has been designed for all four chips without consideration of chip thickness. PMID:21088021
An overview of results obtained in intercomparison exercises for determination of actinides.
Benedik, L
In recent years the Jožef Stefan Institute participated in numerous intercomparison exercises for determination of natural and man-made radionuclides. The reported values were mostly in good agreement with the resulting reference values. This paper describes an analysis of the measurement results obtained in intercomparison exercises for determination of actinides in the period from 2009 to 2011, organised by the National Physical Laboratory and the Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz. The review covers neptunium, plutonium and americium radioisotopes over this period. PMID:23566808
The Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shepherd, A.; Ivins, E. R.
Fluctuations in the mass of ice stored in Antarctica and Greenland are of considerable societal importance. The Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-Comparison Exercise (IMBIE) is a joint-initiative of ESA and NASA aimed at producing a single estimate of the global sea level contribution to polar ice sheet losses. Within IMBIE, estimates of ice sheet mass balance are developed from a variety of satellite geodetic techniques using a common spatial and temporal reference frame and a common appreciation of the contributions due to external signals. The project brings together the laboratories and space agencies that have been instrumental in developing independent estimates of ice sheet mass balance to date. In its first phase, IMBIE involved 27 science teams, and delivered a first community assessment of ice sheet mass imbalance to replace 40 individual estimates. The project established that (i) there is good agreement between the three main satellite-based techniques for estimating ice sheet mass balance, (ii) combining satellite data sets leads to significant improvement in certainty, (iii) the polar ice sheets contributed 11 ± 4 mm to global sea levels between 1992 and 2012, and (iv) that combined ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland have increased over time, rising from 10% of the global trend in the early 1990's to 30% in the late 2000's. Demand for an updated assessment has grown, and there are now new satellite missions, new geophysical corrections, new techniques, and new teams producing data. The period of overlap between independent satellite techniques has increased from 5 to 12 years, and the full period of satellite data over which an assessment can be performed has increased from 19 to 40 years. It is also clear that multiple satellite techniques are required to confidently separate mass changes associated with snowfall and ice dynamical imbalance - information that is of critical importance for climate modelling. This presentation outlines the approach
Experience from Intercomparison Exercises of Radon Gas Detectors in the Years 1996-2006
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Butterweck, Gernot; Schuler, Christoph
Radon gas measuring services in Switzerland must be approved by the Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH). The maintenance of approval includes the obligation to participate in annual intercomparison exercises performed at the radon gas reference laboratory of the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI). In eleven intercomparison exercises since 1996 a total of 1,515 radon gas detectors was subjected to radon gas exposures between 300 kBq h m-3 and 2100 kBq h m-3. Preparation and read-out of electret detectors is performed by the measuring services. About one percent of these detectors were observed with false positive results. The quality of results of etched-track detectors is determined by the quality assurance system and calibration of the supplier. In one case, a measuring service lost approval due to quality problems of the detector manufacturer. Double blind tests yielded less good results compared to the detectors of the same measuring service participating officially.
Peroxy radical partitioning during the AMMA radical intercomparison exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Andrés-Hernández, M. D.; Stone, D.; Brookes, D. M.; Commane, R.; Reeves, C. E.; Huntrieser, H.; Heard, D. E.; Monks, P. S.; Burrows, J. P.; Schlager, H.; Kartal, D.; Evans, M. J.; Floquet, C. F. A.; Ingham, T.; Methven, J.; Parker, A. E.
Peroxy radicals were measured onboard two scientific aircrafts during the AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis) campaign in summer 2006. This paper reports results from the flight on 16 August 2006 during which measurements of HO2 by laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy at low pressure (LIF-FAGE) and total peroxy radicals (RO2* = HO2+ΣRO2, R = organic chain) by two similar instruments based on the peroxy radical chemical amplification (PeRCA) technique were subject of a blind intercomparison. The German DLR-Falcon and the British FAAM-BAe-146 flew wing tip to wing tip for about 30 min making concurrent measurements on 2 horizontal level runs at 697 and 485 hPa over the same geographical area in Burkina Faso. A full set of supporting measurements comprising photolysis frequencies, and relevant trace gases like CO, NO, NO2, NOy, O3 and a wider range of VOCs were collected simultaneously. Results are discussed on the basis of the characteristics and limitations of the different instruments used. Generally, no data bias are identified and the RO2* data available agree quite reasonably within the instrumental errors. The [RO2*]/[HO2] ratios, which vary between 1:1 and 3:1, as well as the peroxy radical variability, concur with variations in photolysis rates and in other potential radical precursors. Model results provide additional information about dominant radical formation and loss processes.
Peroxy radical partitioning during the AMMA radical intercomparison exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Andrés-Hernández, M. D.; Stone, D.; Brookes, D. M.; Commane, R.; Reeves, C. E.; Huntrieser, H.; Heard, D. E.; Monks, P. S.; Burrows, J. P.; Schlager, H.; Kartal, D.; Evans, M. J.; Floquet, C. F. A.; Ingham, T.; Methven, J.; Parker, A. E.
Peroxy radicals were measured onboard two scientific aircrafts during the AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis) campaign in summer 2006. This paper reports results from the flight on 16 August 2006 during which measurements of HO2 by laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy at low pressure (LIF-FAGE) and total peroxy radicals (RO2*=HO2+ΣRO2, R= organic chain) by two similar instruments based on the peroxy radical chemical amplification (PerCA) technique were subject of a blind intercomparison. The German DLR-Falcon and the British FAAM-BAe-146 flew wing tip to wing tip for about 30 min making concurrent measurements on 2 horizontal level runs at 697 and 485 hPa over the same geographical area in Burkina Faso. A full set of supporting measurements comprising photolysis frequencies, and relevant trace gases like CO, NO, NO2, NOy, O3 and a wider range of VOCs were collected simultaneously. Results are discussed on the basis of the characteristics and limitations of the different instruments used. Generally, no data bias are identified and the RO2* data available agree quite reasonably within the instrumental errors. The [RO2*]/[HO2] ratios, which vary between 1:1 and 3:1, as well as the peroxy radical variability, concur with variations in photolysis rates and in other potential radical precursors. Model results provide additional information about dominant radical formation and loss processes.
Emergency radiobioassay preparedness exercises through the NIST radiochemistry intercomparison program.
Nour, Svetlana; LaRosa, Jerry; Inn, Kenneth G W
The present challenge for the international emergency radiobioassay community is to analyze contaminated samples rapidly while maintaining high quality results. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) runs a radiobioassay measurement traceability testing program to evaluate the radioanalytical capabilities of participating laboratories. The NIST Radiochemistry Intercomparison Program (NRIP) started more than 10 years ago, and emergency performance testing was added to the program seven years ago. Radiobioassay turnaround times under the NRIP program for routine production and under emergency response scenarios are 60 d and 8 h, respectively. Because measurement accuracy and sample turnaround time are very critical in a radiological emergency, response laboratories' analytical systems are best evaluated and improved through traceable Performance Testing (PT) programs. The NRIP provides participant laboratories with metrology tools to evaluate their performance and to improve it. The program motivates the laboratories to optimize their methodologies and minimize the turnaround time of their results. Likewise, NIST has to make adjustments and periodical changes in the bioassay test samples in order to challenge the participating laboratories continually. With practice, radioanalytical measurements turnaround time can be reduced to 3-4 h. PMID:21709505
Dantas, B M; Dantas, A L A; Cruz-Suarez, R
(131)I is widely used in Latin America and Caribbean Region in the field of nuclear medicine and has been recognised as one of the main sources of potential intake of radionuclides by the staff. The In Vivo Monitoring laboratory of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (IRD-CNEN-Brazil) organised three intercomparison exercises (2005, 2009 and 2013) in the scope of IAEA technical cooperation projects RLA9049 and RLA9066 aimed to disseminate and harmonise the technique for measuring (131)I in the human thyroid. The number of participants in Latin America increased from 9 to 20 institutions from 7 and 13 countries, respectively, over the last 10 y. The participants have improved significantly their ability on the in vivo measurement technique. In the 2013 round all laboratories which reported results presented performances in an acceptable range according to the ISO criteria indicating the benefit of such exercises in the region. PMID:26546253
Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Results from the second phase
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pinty, B.; Widlowski, J.-L.; Taberner, M.; Gobron, N.; Verstraete, M. M.; Disney, M.; Gascon, F.; Gastellu, J.-P.; Jiang, L.; Kuusk, A.; Lewis, P.; Li, X.; Ni-Meister, W.; Nilson, T.; North, P.; Qin, W.; Su, L.; Tang, S.; Thompson, R.; Verhoef, W.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Yan, G.; Zang, H.
The Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) initiative is a community-driven exercise to benchmark the models of radiation transfer (RT) used to represent the reflectance of terrestrial surfaces. Systematic model intercomparisons started in 1999 as a self-organized, open-access, voluntary activity of the RT modeling community. The results of the first phase were published by [2001]. The present paper describes the benchmarking protocol and the results achieved during the second phase, which took place during 2002. This second phase included two major components: The first one included a rerun of all direct-mode tests proposed during the first phase, to accommodate the evaluation of models that have been upgraded since, and the participation of new models into the entire exercise. The second component was designed to probe the performance of three-dimensional models in complex heterogeneous environments, which closely mimic the observations of actual space instruments operating at various spatial resolutions over forest canopy systems. Phases 1 and 2 of RAMI both confirm not only that a majority of the radiation transfer models participating in RAMI are in good agreement between themselves for relatively simple radiation transfer problems but also that these models exhibit significant discrepancies when considering more complex but nevertheless realistic geophysical scenarios. Specific recommendations are provided to guide the future of this benchmarking program (Phase 3 and beyond).
Results of an internal dose assessment intercomparison exercise after a EURADOS/IAEA training course.
Castellani, C-M; Lopez, M A; Luciani, A; Marsh, J W; Vrba, T; Cruz-Suarez, R
A training course named 'European Radiation Dosimetry Group/International Atomic Energy Agency Advanced Training Course on Internal Dose Assessment' was held in Czech Technical University in Prague from 2 to 6 February 2009. The course, jointly organised by the two organisations, had the aim of providing guidance on the application of IDEAS guidelines and of disseminating the results of EC CONRAD Project in relation to internal dosimetry (Work Package 5). At the end of the course a dose assessment exercise was proposed to participants. Four artificial cases, named exercises left to participants, were used to check the capabilities of application of the IDEAS guidelines, gained by participants during the event. The participants had to use both hand calculations and dedicated software, in limited time (7 h). Forty per cent of participants had solved all four cases in the allotted time. The results of the dose assessment were analysed to gain experience in types of errors assessors may make during the evaluations. The result of this intercomparison exercise was promising: half of the results in each case were equal to the 'reference evaluation estimate', which was obtained by applying the guidelines correctly. PMID:21051435
EURADOS intercomparison exercise on MC modeling for the in-vivo monitoring of Am-241 in skull phantoms (Part I)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vrba, Tomas; Nogueira, Pedro; Broggio, David; Caldeira, Margarida; Capello, Kevin; Fantínová, Karin; Figueira, Catarina; Hunt, John; Leone, Debora; Murugan, Manohari; Marzocchi, Olaf; Moraleda, Montse; Shutt, Arron; Suh, Soheigh; Takahashi, Masa; Tymińska, Katarzyna; Antonia Lopez, Maria; Tanner, Rick
An intercomparison on in-vivo monitoring for determination of 241Am in three skull phantoms was launched by EURADOS in 2011. The project focused on the measurement and estimation of 241Am activity in the human skull. Three human skull phantoms of different complexity were used. A Monte Carlo (MC) exercise with the voxel representations of the real phantoms was also launched in September 2012. The main goals of the project were to investigate the use of MC techniques for efficiency calibrations for body monitoring systems for a special calibration exercise and compare the approaches of participating laboratories. The full MC exercise consisted of three tasks with increasing difficulty, to test the extent of the skills of each participating laboratory. The first task in this intercomparison was to simulate a specified detector and a well defined semi-skull phantom. All parameters of the simulation, including photon yield, material property and geometry were fixed. This paper provides an overview of the participants' results and analyses of the issues presented by this first task. The majority of the responses did not need any correction and the number of incorrect results was less than in a previous exercise of a similar kind. Overall knowledge in this research area utilising MC techniques appears to have improved and the repetition of the intercomparison exercise has positively affected the skills of the participating laboratories.
Proposed Design of the Third Marine Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cornford, S. L.; Gudmundsson, G. H.; Pattyn, F.; Durand, G.; Martin, D. F.; Payne, A. J.
The MISMIP and MISMIP3D marine ice sheet model intercomparison exercises have become popular benchmarks, and several modeling groups have used them to show how their models compare to both analytical results and other models. Both sets of experiments studied grounding line migration in response to changes to (in effect) properties of the grounded ice, either perturbations to the basal traction coefficient (C), or to ice softness (A). In particular, both exercises concluded that careful treatment of the grounding line was required in numerical models, either through fine resolution (typically better than 1 km), or higher order methods, or modifications to the discretization scheme. Given the success of these experiments, we propose a sequel. Like MISMIP3D, the experiments take place in a idealized, three-dimensional setting and compare full 3D (Stokes) and reduced, hydrostatic flow models. Unlike the earlier exercises, the primary focus will be the response of models to changes in ice shelf conditions, especially sub-shelf melting. The chosen configuration features an ice shelf that experiences substantial lateral shear and buttresses the upstream ice, and so is well suited to melting experiments. We also aim to design an experiment in which differences between the steady states of each model are minor compared to the response to melt-rate perturbations, a choice that reflects typical real-world applications where parameters are chosen so that the initial states of all models tend to match observations (and hence each other). We will present the MISMIP+ experiments, and show how results computed with the BISICLES ice sheet model are affected by mesh resolution, choice of flow model, and choice of melt-rate.
A new methodology to assess the performance and uncertainty of source apportionment models in intercomparison exercises
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Belis, C. A.; Pernigotti, D.; Karagulian, F.; Pirovano, G.; Larsen, B. R.; Gerboles, M.; Hopke, P. K.
A new methodology to assess source apportionment model performance in intercomparison exercises, encompassing the preparation of real-world and synthetic datasets and the evaluation of the source apportionment results reported by participants, is described. The evaluation consists of three types of tests: complementary tests, preliminary tests, and performance tests. The complementary tests provide summary information about the source apportionment results as a whole. The preliminary tests check whether source/factors belong to a given source category. Three types of indicators: Pearson correlation (Pearson), standardized identity distance (SID), and weighted difference (WD) are used to test factor/source chemical profiles, while factor/source time series and contribution-to-species values are tested only using the Pearson. The performance tests, based on international standards for proficiency testing, are targeted at evaluating whether the reported biases in the quantification of the factor/source contribution estimates (SCEs) and uncertainties are consistent with previously established quality standards in a fitness-for-purpose approach. Moreover, the consistency of the SCE time series is evaluated using a variant of the RMSE normalised by the reference standard uncertainty. The described methodology facilitates a thorough evaluation of the source apportionment output. The new indicator to compare source or factor profiles presented in this study (SID) is more robust and provides additional information compared to the existing ones.
Third Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Documenting progress in canopy reflectance models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Widlowski, J.-L.; Taberner, M.; Pinty, B.; Bruniquel-Pinel, V.; Disney, M.; Fernandes, R.; Gastellu-Etchegorry, J.-P.; Gobron, N.; Kuusk, A.; Lavergne, T.; Leblanc, S.; Lewis, P. E.; Martin, E.; Mõttus, M.; North, P. R. J.; Qin, W.; Robustelli, M.; Rochdi, N.; Ruiloba, R.; Soler, C.; Thompson, R.; Verhoef, W.; Verstraete, M. M.; Xie, D.
The Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) initiative benchmarks canopy reflectance models under well-controlled experimental conditions. Launched for the first time in 1999, this triennial community exercise encourages the systematic evaluation of canopy reflectance models on a voluntary basis. The first phase of RAMI focused on documenting the spread among radiative transfer (RT) simulations over a small set of primarily 1-D canopies. The second phase expanded the scope to include structurally complex 3-D plant architectures with and without background topography. Here sometimes significant discrepancies were noted which effectively prevented the definition of a reliable "surrogate truth," over heterogeneous vegetation canopies, against which other RT models could then be compared. The present paper documents the outcome of the third phase of RAMI, highlighting both the significant progress that has been made in terms of model agreement since RAMI-2 and the capability of/need for RT models to accurately reproduce local estimates of radiative quantities under conditions that are reminiscent of in situ measurements. Our assessment of the self-consistency and the relative and absolute performance of 3-D Monte Carlo models in RAMI-3 supports their usage in the generation of a "surrogate truth" for all RAMI test cases. This development then leads (1) to the presentation of the "RAMI Online Model Checker" (ROMC), an open-access web-based interface to evaluate RT models automatically, and (2) to a reassessment of the role, scope, and opportunities of the RAMI project in the future.
Clairand, I; Ginjaume, M; Vanhavere, F; Carinou, E; Daures, J; Denoziere, M; Silva, E H; Roig, M; Principi, S; Van Rycheghem, L
In the context of the decrease in the eye lens dose limit for occupational exposure to 20 mSv per year stated by the recent revision of the European Basic Safety Standards Directive 2013/59/EURATOM, the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) has organised in 2014, for the first time, an intercomparison exercise for eye lens dosemeters. The main objective was to assess the capabilities of the passive eye lens dosemeters currently in use in Europe for occupational monitoring in medical fields. A total of 20 European individual monitoring services from 15 different countries have participated. The dosemeters provided by the participants were all composed of thermoluminescent detectors, of various types and designs. The irradiations were carried out with several photon fields chosen to cover the energy and angle ranges encountered in medical workplace. Participants were asked to report the doses in terms of Hp(3) using their routine protocol. The results provided by each participant were compared with the reference delivered doses. All the results were anonymously analysed. Results are globally satisfactory since, among the 20 participants, 17 were able to provide 90 % of their response in accordance with the ISO 14146 standard requirements. PMID:26163384
The development of radioactive sample surrogates for training and exercises
Martha Finck; Bevin Brush; Dick Jansen; David Chamberlain; Don Dry; George Brooks; Margaret Goldberg
The development of radioactive sample surrogates for training and exercises Source term information is required for to reconstruct a device used in a dispersed radiological dispersal device. Simulating a radioactive environment to train and exercise sampling and sample characterization methods with suitable sample materials is a continued challenge. The Idaho National Laboratory has developed and permitted a Radioactive Response Training Range (RRTR), an 800 acre test range that is approved for open air dispersal of activated KBr, for training first responders in the entry and exit from radioactively contaminated areas, and testing protocols for environmental sampling and field characterization. Members from the Department of Defense, Law Enforcement, and the Department of Energy participated in the first contamination exercise that was conducted at the RRTR in the July 2011. The range was contaminated using a short lived radioactive Br-82 isotope (activated KBr). Soil samples contaminated with KBr (dispersed as a solution) and glass particles containing activated potassium bromide that emulated dispersed radioactive materials (such as ceramic-based sealed source materials) were collected to assess environmental sampling and characterization techniques. This presentation summarizes the performance of a radioactive materials surrogate for use as a training aide for nuclear forensics.
Biological dosimetry intercomparison exercise: an evaluation of triage and routine mode results by robust methods.
Di Giorgio, M; Barquinero, J F; Vallerga, M B; Radl, A; Taja, M R; Seoane, A; De Luca, J; Oliveira, M Stuck; Valdivia, P; Lima, O García; Lamadrid, A; Mesa, J González; Aguilera, I Romero; Cardoso, T Mandina; Carvajal, Y C Guerrero; Maldonado, C Arceo; Espinoza, M E; Martínez-López, W; Méndez-Acuña, L; Di Tomaso, M V; Roy, L; Lindholm, C; Romm, H; Güçlü, I; Lloyd, D C
Well-defined protocols and quality management standards are indispensable for biological dosimetry laboratories. Participation in periodic proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparisons is also required. This harmonization is essential if a cooperative network is used to respond to a mass casualty event. Here we present an international intercomparison based on dicentric chromosome analysis for dose assessment performed in the framework of the IAEA Regional Latin American RLA/9/054 Project. The exercise involved 14 laboratories, 8 from Latin America and 6 from Europe. The performance of each laboratory and the reproducibility of the exercise were evaluated using robust methods described in ISO standards. The study was based on the analysis of slides from samples irradiated with 0.75 (DI) and 2.5 Gy (DII). Laboratories were required to score the frequency of dicentrics and convert them to estimated doses, using their own dose-effect curves, after the analysis of 50 or 100 cells (triage mode) and after conventional scoring of 500 cells or 100 dicentrics. In the conntional scoring, at both doses, all reported frequencies were considered as satisfactory, and two reported doses were considered as questionable. The analysis of the data dispersion among the dicentric frequencies and among doses indicated a better reproducibility for estimated doses (15.6% for DI and 8.8% for DII) than for frequencies (24.4% for DI and 11.4% for DII), expressed by the coefficient of variation. In the two triage modes, although robust analysis classified some reported frequencies or doses as unsatisfactory or questionable, all estimated doses were in agreement with the accepted error of ±0.5 Gy. However, at the DI dose and for 50 scored cells, 5 out of the 14 reported confidence intervals that included zero dose and could be interpreted as false negatives. This improved with 100 cells, where only one confidence interval included zero dose. At the DII dose, all estimations fell within �
Metal measurement in aquatic environments by passive sampling methods: Lessons learning from an in situ intercomparison exercise.
Dabrin, A; Ghestem, J-P; Uher, E; Gonzalez, J-L; Allan, I J; Schintu, M; Montero, N; Balaam, J; Peinerud, E; Miège, C; Coquery, M
Passive sampling devices (PS) are widely used for pollutant monitoring in water, but estimation of measurement uncertainties by PS has seldom been undertaken. The aim of this work was to identify key parameters governing PS measurements of metals and their dispersion. We report the results of an in situ intercomparison exercise on diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) in surface waters. Interlaboratory uncertainties of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations were satisfactory (from 28% to 112%) given the number of participating laboratories (10) and ultra-trace metal concentrations involved. Data dispersion of TWA concentrations was mainly explained by uncertainties generated during DGT handling and analytical procedure steps. We highlight that DGT handling is critical for metals such as Cd, Cr and Zn, implying that DGT assembly/dismantling should be performed in very clean conditions. Using a unique dataset, we demonstrated that DGT markedly lowered the LOQ in comparison to spot sampling and stressed the need for accurate data calculation. PMID:26589099
Results of an IAEA inter-comparison exercise to assess 137Cs and total 210Pb analytical performance in soil.
Shakhashiro, A; Mabit, L
Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) such as (210)Pb and (137)Cs have been widely used to assess soil erosion and sedimentation processes. It is of major importance to obtain accurate analytical results of FRNs by gamma analysis before any data treatment through conversion model and to allow subsequent comparison of erosion and sedimentation rates from different case studies. Therefore, IAEA organized an inter-comparison exercise to assess the validity and reliability of the analytical results of (137)Cs and total (210)Pb using gamma-spectrometry in the various laboratories participating in the IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project on "Assess the effectiveness of soil conservation measures for sustainable watershed management using fallout radionuclides". Reference materials were distributed to 14 participating laboratories and, using a rating system, their analytical results were compared to the reference values assigned. In the case of (137)Cs, the analytical results were satisfactory with 66% of the laboratories producing acceptable results. Only the sample with low (137)Cs activity (2.6+/-0.2Bqkg(-1)) gave less accurate results with more than 25% not acceptable results. The total (210)Pb analysis indicated a clear need for corrective actions in the analysis process as only 36% of the laboratories involved in the proficiency test was able to access total (210)Pb with occurrence (bias 10%). This inter-laboratory test underlines that further inter-comparison exercises should be organized by IAEA or regional laboratories to ensure the quality of the analytical data produced in Member States. As a result of the above-mentioned proficiency test, some recommendations have been provided to improve accurate gamma measurement of both (137)Cs and total (210)Pb. PMID:18760612
Innovative methodology for intercomparison of radionuclide calibrators using short half-life in situ prepared radioactive sources
Oliveira, P. A.; Santos, J. A. M.
Purpose: An original radionuclide calibrator method for activity determination is presented. The method could be used for intercomparison surveys for short half-life radioactive sources used in Nuclear Medicine, such as{sup 99m}Tc or most positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals. Methods: By evaluation of the resulting net optical density (netOD) using a standardized scanning method of irradiated Gafchromic XRQA2 film, a comparison of the netOD measurement with a previously determined calibration curve can be made and the difference between the tested radionuclide calibrator and a radionuclide calibrator used as reference device can be calculated. To estimate the total expected measurement uncertainties, a careful analysis of the methodology, for the case of{sup 99m}Tc, was performed: reproducibility determination, scanning conditions, and possible fadeout effects. Since every factor of the activity measurement procedure can influence the final result, the method also evaluates correct syringe positioning inside the radionuclide calibrator. Results: As an alternative to using a calibrated source sent to the surveyed site, which requires a relatively long half-life of the nuclide, or sending a portable calibrated radionuclide calibrator, the proposed method uses a source preparedin situ. An indirect activity determination is achieved by the irradiation of a radiochromic film using {sup 99m}Tc under strictly controlled conditions, and cumulated activity calculation from the initial activity and total irradiation time. The irradiated Gafchromic film and the irradiator, without the source, can then be sent to a National Metrology Institute for evaluation of the results. Conclusions: The methodology described in this paper showed to have a good potential for accurate (3%) radionuclide calibrators intercomparison studies for{sup 99m}Tc between Nuclear Medicine centers without source transfer and can easily be adapted to other short half-life radionuclides.
The patient as a radioactive source: an intercomparison of survey meters for measurements in nuclear medicine.
Uhrhan, K; Drzezga, A; Sudbrock, F
In this work, the radiation exposure in nuclear medicine is evaluated by measuring dose rates in the proximity of patients and those in close contact to sources like capsules and syringes. A huge number of different survey meters (SMs) are offered commercially. This topic has recently gained interest since dosemeters and active personal dosemeters (APD) for the new dose quantities (ambient and directional dose equivalent) have become available. One main concern is the practical use of SMs and APD in daily clinical routines. Therefore, the radiation field of four common radiopharmaceuticals containing (18)F, (90)Y, (99m)Tc and (131)I in radioactive sources or after application to the patient was determined. Measurements were carried out with different SMs and for several distances. Dose rates decline significantly with the distance to the patient, and with some restrictions, APD can be used as SMs. PMID:25071244
EURADOS intercomparison exercise on MC modelling for the in-vivo monitoring of AM-241 in skull phantoms (Part II and III).
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vrba, Tomas; Broggio, David; Caldeira, Margarida; Capello, Kevin; Fantínová, Karin; Franck, Didier; Gómez-Ros, Jose Maria; Hunt, John; Kinase, Sakae; Leone, Debora; Lombardo, Pasquale Alessandro; Manohari, Murugan; Marzocchi, Olaf; Moraleda, Montserrat; Nogueira, Pedro; Ośko, Jakub; Arron, Shutt; Suhl, Soheigh; Takahashi, Masa; Teles, Pedro; Tremblay, Marilyn; Tymińska, Katarzyna; Lopez, Maria Antonia; Tanner, Rick
An intercomparison on in-vivo monitoring for determination of Am-241 in three skull phantoms was launched by EURADOS in 2011. The project focused on measurement and estimation of the activity of Am-241 in the human skull. Three human skull phantoms of different complexity were used. A Monte Carlo (MC) intercomparison exercise with the voxel representations of the physical phantom was launched additionally in September of 2012. The main goals of the action were (1) to investigate the different methodologies for developing MC calibrations that might arise from a complex radiological assessment and (2) to compare individual approaches of the participating laboratories in order to determine international guidance for best practice. The MC exercise consisted of three tasks with increasing difficulty, in order to test the extent of skills needed by the participating laboratory. The first task was to simulate a given detector and a well-defined semi-skull phantom. The second and third tasks presented in this paper-introduced more complex simulations with individual geometry and real detector modelling. The paper provides an overview of the participant's results, analyses of the observed issues concerning tasks two and three, and a general evaluation of the whole project.
In 1977 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency distributed calibrated solutions of plutonium-239 to laboratories interested in participating in an intercomparison study of plutonium analysis. Participants were asked to perform a quantitative radioactivity analysis of the soluti...
Dielectric measurements at 30-40 GHz and 140 GHz performed on the specimen set of the NPL intercomparison exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Heidinger, R.; Koeniger, F.
Ceramic samples (BeO, Macor and quartz) and polymeric samples (Rexolite, polyethylene) are measured for a near millimeter wavelength specimen intercomparison task. The data is used to relate the results of recently established dielectric measuring facilities to results from different techniques. The Ka band (30 to 40 GHz) and D band (140 GHz) are covered by two different Fabry-Perot resonator setups. Data evaluation is discussed in detail and various correction procedures to sample thickness are tested. The results of both frequency bands coincide for most specimens. The lowest dielectric loss is found in single crystal quartz. The dielectric loss increases strongly with frequency in Rexolite only and slightly in Macor.
Slovenian-Romanian bilateral intercomparison on tritium samples.
Glavič-Cindro, D; Varlam, C; Faurescu, D; Vagner, I; Logar, J Kožar
A Slovenian laboratory from the Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) and a Romanian laboratory from the National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies (ICIT) performed bilateral intercomparisons of tritium determination in environmental samples. On the basis of the results, the measurement and analysis methods were compared. Comparability and traceability were confirmed with the results from international radioactivity proficiency test exercises organized by IAEA and NPL where both laboratories participated. New knowledge gained leads to harmonized, precise and traceable results of low level tritium environmental samples measurements. PMID:24332881
An inter-comparison of sediment classification methods based on multi-beam echo-sounder backscatter and sediment natural radioactivity data.
Snellen, Mirjam; Eleftherakis, Dimitrios; Amiri-Simkooei, Alireza; Koomans, Ronald L; Simons, Dick G
This contribution presents sediment classification results derived from different sources of data collected at the Dordtse Kil river, the Netherlands. The first source is a multi-beam echo-sounder (MBES). The second source is measurements taken with a gamma-ray scintillation detector, i.e., the Multi-Element Detection System for Underwater Sediment Activity (Medusa), towed over the sediments and measuring sediment natural radioactivity. Two analysis methods are employed for sediment classification based on the MBES data. The first is a Bayesian estimation method that uses the average backscatter data per beam and, therefore, is independent of the quality of the MBES calibration. The second is a model-based method that matches the measured backscatter curves to theoretical curves, predicted by a physics-based model. Medusa provides estimates for the concentrations of potassium, uranium, thorium, and cesium, known to be indicative for sediment properties, viz. mean grain size, silt content, and the presence of organic matter. In addition, a hydrophone attached to the Medusa system provides information regarding the sediment roughness. This paper presents an inter-comparison between the sediment classification results using the above-mentioned methods. It is shown that although originating from completely different sources, the MBES and Medusa provide similar information, revealing the same sediment distribution. PMID:23927095
In 1975 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency distributed calibrated solutions of polonium-210 to laboratories interested in participating in an intercomparison study of polonium-210 analysis. Participants were asked to perform a quantitative radioactivity analysis of the solu...
WE-D-17A-05: Measurement of Stray Radiation Within An Active Scanning Proton Therapy Facility: EURADOS WG9 Intercomparison Exercise of Active Dosimetry Systems
Farah, J; Trompier, F; Stolarczyk, L; Klodowska, M; Liszka, M; Olko, P; Algranati, C; Fellin, F; Schwarz, M; Domingo, C; Romero-Exposito, M; Dufek, V; Frojdh, E; George, S; Harrison, R; Kubancak, J; Ploc, O; Knezevic, Z; Majer, M; Miljanic, S; and others
Purpose: Intercomparison of active dosemeters in the measurement of stray radiation at the Trento active-scanning proton therapy facility. Methods: EURADOS WG9 carried out a large intercomparison exercise to test different dosemeters while measuring secondary neutrons within a 230 MeV scanned proton therapy facility. Detectors included two Bonner Sphere Spectrometers (BSS), three tissue equivalent proportional counters (TEPCHawk) and six rem-counters (Wendi II, Berthold, RadEye, a regular and an extended-range Anderson and Braun NM2B counters). Measurements of neutron ambient dose equivalents, H*(10), were done at several positions inside (8 positions) and outside (3 positions) the treatment room while irradiating a water tank phantom with a 10 × 10 × 10 cc field. Results: A generally good agreement on H*(10) values was observed for the tested detectors. At distance of 2.25 m and angles 45°, 90° and 180° with respect to the beam axis, BSS and proportional counters agreed within 30%. Higher differences (up to 60%) were observed at the closest and farthest distances, i.e. at positions where detectors sensitivity, energy, fluence and angular response are highly dependent on neutron spectra (flux and energy). The highest neutron H*(10) value, ∼60 microSv/Gy, was measured at 1.15 m along the beam axis. H*(10) decreased significantly with the distance from the isocenter dropping to 1.1 microSv/Gy at 4.25 m and 90° from beam axis, ∼2 nanoSv/Gy at the entrance of the maze, 0.2 nanoSv/Gy at the door outside the room and below detection limit in the gantry control room and at an adjacent room. These values remain considerately lower than those of passively scattered proton beams. BSS and Hawk unfolded spectra provide valuable inputs when studying the response of each detector. Conclusion: TEPCs and BSS enable accurate measurements of stray neutrons while other rem-meters also give satisfactory results but require further improvements to reduce uncertainties.
Comparison exercise on activity determination of radioactive waste drums in Taiwan.
Chu, Wei-Han; Yeh, Chin-Hsien; Yuan, Ming-Chen
The National Radiation Standard Laboratory of Taiwan organized in 2014 a comparison exercise by distributing 210 L drum-typed samples to seven radioactive waste analysis laboratories in Taiwan. Four drums were filled with uniformly distributed active carbon, water, resin and concrete, respectively and five drums were filled with cracked metals and heterogeneously distributed radioactive sources. Measurement uncertainties of participants results are in the range 3–40% (k=2) and about 96% of the reported results produced En values (ISO, 1997) smaller than one for drums with activity uniformly distributed. The minimum discrepancies, expressed as Bi values (ISO, 1997), of drums with heterogeneously distributed 137Cs and 60Co were 0.34 and 0.17, respectively. PMID:27358943
Inter-comparison exercises on dissolved gases for groundwater dating (GDAT 2012) : analytical uncertainties, apparent ages and other derived parameters.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Labasque, Thierry; Aquilina, Luc; Visser, Ate; Vergnaud, Virginie
An inter-laboratory comparison exercise dedicated to environmental tracers used for groundwater dating was organized in 2012 in France. The goal was to compare sampling and analytical protocols through results obtained by the community of groundwater dating laboratories. Sampling and analytical protocols were compared through three different exercises on various supports : (1) on groundwater from a homogeneous aquifer, (2) on groundwater from a fractured heterogeneous aquifer and (3) on an air standard. The two tests allowed 31 Laboratories from 14 countries to compare their protocols for both sampling and analyses. It allows discussing the uncertainties related to sampling protocols issuing from each laboratory methods. The results show a good agreement between laboratories on the aquifers and the air standard. The dispersion of SF6 results in air standard is low (rsd 2%) compared to CFCs (rsd 3 to 7%), even if its concentration is two orders of magnitude lower. Results obtained in recent groundwater (recharge after 1980) show that the uncertainty on groundwater dating with SF6 is between 3 and 4 years. This large uncertainty is mainly due to sampling and/or analytical problems. For CFCs, uncertainties obtained over all the laboratories are less than 2 years for groundwater with recharge between 1965 and 1996. The goal of the inter-laboratory comparison exercise was also to quantify the analytical uncertainty of the 3H and noble gas measurements and to assess whether they meet the requirements for 3H/3He dating and noble gas paleotemperature reconstruction. The reproducibility of the tritium measurements was 13.5%. The reproducibility of the 3He/4He ratio and 4He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe concentrations was 1.4%, 1.8%, 1.5%, 2.2%, 2.9%, and 2.4%. The propagated uncertainty of the tritium and noble gas measurements meets the desired precision for typical 3H/3He dating applications. However, the measurement uncertainties for the noble gas concentrations are insufficient to
Romero, Ana M; Grimbergen, Tom; McWhan, Andrew; Stadtmann, Hannes; Fantuzzi, Elena; Clairand, Isabelle; Neumaier, Stefan; Figel, Markus; Dombrowski, Harald
The European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) has been organising dosimetry intercomparisons for many years in response to an identified requirement from individual monitoring services (IMS) for independent performance tests for dosimetry systems. The participation in intercomparisons gives IMS the opportunity to show compliance with their own quality management system, compare results with other participants and develop plans for improving their dosimetry systems. In response to growing demand, EURADOS has increased the number of intercomparisons for external radiation dosimetry. Most of these fit into the programme of self-financing intercomparisons for dosemeters routinely used by IMS. This programme is being coordinated by EURADOS working group 2 (WG2). Up to now, this programme has included four intercomparisons for whole-body dosemeters in photon fields, one for extremity dosemeters in photon and beta fields, and one for whole-body dosemeters in neutron fields. Other EURADOS working groups have organised additional intercomparisons including events in 2014 for eye-lens dosemeters and passive area dosemeters for environmental monitoring. In this paper, the organisation and achievements of these intercomparisons are compared in detail focusing on the similarities and differences in their execution. PMID:26759475
A new methodology to assess the performance and uncertainty of source apportionment models II: The results of two European intercomparison exercises
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Belis, C. A.; Karagulian, F.; Amato, F.; Almeida, M.; Artaxo, P.; Beddows, D. C. S.; Bernardoni, V.; Bove, M. C.; Carbone, S.; Cesari, D.; Contini, D.; Cuccia, E.; Diapouli, E.; Eleftheriadis, K.; Favez, O.; El Haddad, I.; Harrison, R. M.; Hellebust, S.; Hovorka, J.; Jang, E.; Jorquera, H.; Kammermeier, T.; Karl, M.; Lucarelli, F.; Mooibroek, D.; Nava, S.; Nøjgaard, J. K.; Paatero, P.; Pandolfi, M.; Perrone, M. G.; Petit, J. E.; Pietrodangelo, A.; Pokorná, P.; Prati, P.; Prevot, A. S. H.; Quass, U.; Querol, X.; Saraga, D.; Sciare, J.; Sfetsos, A.; Valli, G.; Vecchi, R.; Vestenius, M.; Yubero, E.; Hopke, P. K.
The performance and the uncertainty of receptor models (RMs) were assessed in intercomparison exercises employing real-world and synthetic input datasets. To that end, the results obtained by different practitioners using ten different RMs were compared with a reference. In order to explain the differences in the performances and uncertainties of the different approaches, the apportioned mass, the number of sources, the chemical profiles, the contribution-to-species and the time trends of the sources were all evaluated using the methodology described in Belis et al. (2015). In this study, 87% of the 344 source contribution estimates (SCEs) reported by participants in 47 different source apportionment model results met the 50% standard uncertainty quality objective established for the performance test. In addition, 68% of the SCE uncertainties reported in the results were coherent with the analytical uncertainties in the input data. The most used models, EPA-PMF v.3, PMF2 and EPA-CMB 8.2, presented quite satisfactory performances in the estimation of SCEs while unconstrained models, that do not account for the uncertainty in the input data (e.g. APCS and FA-MLRA), showed below average performance. Sources with well-defined chemical profiles and seasonal time trends, that make appreciable contributions (>10%), were those better quantified by the models while those with contributions to the PM mass close to 1% represented a challenge. The results of the assessment indicate that RMs are capable of estimating the contribution of the major pollution source categories over a given time window with a level of accuracy that is in line with the needs of air quality management.
The first gamma-H2AX biodosimetry intercomparison exercise of the developing European biodosimetry network RENEB.
Barnard, S; Ainsbury, E A; Al-hafidh, J; Hadjidekova, V; Hristova, R; Lindholm, C; Monteiro Gil, O; Moquet, J; Moreno, M; Rößler, U; Thierens, H; Vandevoorde, C; Vral, A; Wojewódzka, M; Rothkamm, K
In the event of a mass casualty radiation incident, the gamma-H2AX foci assay could be a useful tool to estimate radiation doses received by individuals. The rapid processing time of blood samples of just a few hours and the potential for batch processing, enabling high throughput, make the assay ideal for early triage categorisation to separate the 'worried well' from the low and critically exposed by quantifying radiation-induced foci in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Within the RENEB framework, 8 European laboratories have taken part in the first European gamma-H2AX biodosimetry exercise, which consisted of a telescoring comparison of 200 circulated foci images taken from 8 samples, and a comparison of 10 fresh blood lymphocyte samples that were shipped overnight to participating labs 4 or 24 h post-exposure. Despite large variations between laboratories in the dose-response relationship for foci induction, the obtained results indicate that the network should be able to use the gamma-H2AX assay for rapidly identifying the most severely exposed individuals within a cohort who could then be prioritised for accurate chromosome dosimetry. PMID:25118318
... Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) COPD: Lifestyle Management Exercises Exercises Make an Appointment Refer a Patient Ask a ... riding a stationary bike. Medication to Help You Exercise People with COPD often use a metered-dose ...
Radioxenon standards used in laboratory inter-comparisons.
Gohla, H; Auer, M; Cassette, Ph; Hague, R K; Lechermann, M; Nadalut, B
Preparation methods for (133)Xe standards of activity concentration and the results of the 2014 (133)Xe laboratory inter-comparison exercise are described. One element of the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program for laboratories of the International Monitoring System (IMS) will be regular inter-comparison exercises. However, until recently, no activity concentration standards for benchmarking were available. Therefore, two (133)Xe activity concentration reference standards were produced independently by Idaho National Laboratory and Seibersdorf Laboratories and used for the 2014 laboratory inter-comparison exercise. The preparation of a complementary (127)Xe activity concentration standard as well as a (127)Xe laboratory inter-comparison exercise suggests (127)Xe as a suitable isotope for QA/QC of remote IMS noble gas stations. PMID:26682890
NOAA National Status and Trends Program Twelfth Round Intercomparison Exercise Results for Trace Metals in Marine Sediments and Biological Tissues. National Status and Trends Program for marine environmental quality: Technical memo
Willie, S.
The report summarizes the results of the Twelfth Round Intercomparison for Trace Metals in Marine Sediments and Biological Tissues under the directive of the NOAA National Status and Trends Program. A total of forty-four participants were included in the exercise, including NOAA, USEPA, state, Austrailian, Canadian, Mexican and Argentinean laboratories. Two samples were sent by NRC to each participant, a marine sediment collected on the east coast of Canada and a freeze-dried mussel tissue. Laboratories were also asked to analyze two certified reference materials (CRMs) MESS-2 and CRM 2976. The elements to be determined were Al, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ag, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb for both matrices, plus Be, Si, Mn, Sb, and Tl for the sediments. An accepted mean and confidence interval was calculated for each analyte in the two unknown samples, laboratory biases were identified and an overall rating of superior, good, fair or others were assigned to each laboratory.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lem, J. D.
The Mark I exerciser which was added for the second and third Skylab missions, was used for a number of arm and leg exercises. This unit is a modified version of a commercial device. This is an iso-kinetic, or constant velocity, exerciser which retards the speed at which the user is allowed to move. The user applies a maximum effort and the device automatically varies the opposing resistance to maintain speed of translation at a constant preselected value.
... article Exercise / physical activity with MS Judy Boone, physical therapist Lynn Williams, Dan Melfi and Dave Altman discuss ... adjusted as changes occur in MS symptoms. A physical therapist experienced with MS can be helpful in designing, ...
Ozone intercomparisons from the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Robbins, D.; Evans, W.; Louisnard, N.; Pollitt, S.; Traub, W.; Waters, J.
Intercomparisons of remote and in-situ techniques used to measure stratospheric ozone are made using results obtained on the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign of 1982 and 1983. Two in-situ and four remote instruments participated. These included ECC ozonesondes, a UV absorption photometer, and microwave emission, IR emission, and absorption spectrometers. Differences are generally less than 15 percent, and are within the quoted error bars. Flights which involved different sets of instruments were made on four separate days, and results are intercompared in plots of ozone density versus altitude. A careful assessment of errors was made for each instrument, and a plot of absolute errors versus altitude is given.
The decommissioning of accelerators: an exercise in the recycling of radioactive material
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Höfert, M.; Tuyn, J. W. N.; Forkel-Wirth, D.
Compared with the number of nuclear power plants that will be decommissioned over the next few years accelerators are only a "small" source of radioactivity although at CERN the total amount of mostly metallic material activated in the operation of the accelerators is estimated to be of the order of 15 Mtons. Various existing approaches to classify and administer radioactive material will be presented with all of them clearly earmarked by the requirements of the nuclear cycle. There are however important differences between activation in reactors and accelerators that will be worked out. It will be shown that an attitude based on reuse or recycling of activated accelerator material should be preferred to the elimination as radioactive waste.
Models and Measurements Intercomparison 2
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Park, Jae H. (Editor); Ko, Malcolm K. W. (Editor); Jackman, Charles H. (Editor); Plumb, R. Alan (Editor); Kaye, Jack A. (Editor); Sage, Karen H. (Editor)
Models and Measurement Intercomparison II (MM II) summarizes the intercomparison of results from model simulations and observations of stratospheric species. Representatives from twenty-three modeling groups using twenty-nine models participated in these MM II exercises between 1996 and 1999. Twelve of the models were two- dimensional zonal-mean models while seventeen were three-dimensional models. This was an international effort as seven were from outside the United States. Six transport experiments and five chemistry experiments were designed for various models. Models participating in the transport experiments performed simulations of chemically inert tracers providing diagnostics for transport. The chemistry experiments involved simulating the distributions of chemically active trace cases including ozone. The model run conditions for dynamics and chemistry were prescribed in order to minimize the factors that caused differences in the models. The report includes a critical review of the results by the participants and a discussion of the causes of differences between modeled and measured results as well as between results from different models, A sizable effort went into preparation of the database of the observations. This included a new climatology for ozone. The report should help in evaluating the results from various predictive models for assessing humankind perturbations of the stratosphere.
Instrument intercomparisons and assessments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Albritton, D. L.; Zander, R. J.; Farmer, C. B.; Hilsenrath, E.; Mankin, W. G.; Murcray, D. G.; Pollitt, S.; Robbins, D. E.; Roscoe, H.
Over the past few years, several field campaigns were devoted to the goal of assessing instrument reliability, as opposed to solely obtaining data to answer a geophysical question. Some examples of the formal instrument intercomparisons that have occurred in the past decade and those that are planned for the very near future are listed chronologically. Balloon-borne techniques and instruments that address the height profiles of the trace species in the lower stratosphere are emphasized. Beginning with the most extensively studied trace constituent, the approach taken and the results obtained, are described. The current status of the measurement capabilities are summarized, and the needs for future intercomparisons and assessments are listed.
The April 1994 and October 1994 radon intercomparisons at EML
Fisenne, I.M.; George, A.C.; Perry, P.M.; Keller, H.W.
Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) are the backbone of many commercial and research processes and programs. QA/QC research tests the state of a functioning system, be it the production of manufactured goods or the ability to make accurate and precise measurements. The quality of the radon measurements in the US have been tested under controlled conditions in semi-annual radon gas intercomparison exercises sponsored by the Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) since 1981. The two Calendar Year 1994 radon gas intercomparison exercises were conducted in the EML exposure chamber. Thirty-two groups including US Federal facilities, USDOE contractors, national and state laboratories, universities and foreign institutions participated in these exercises. The majority of the participant`s results were within {+-}10% of the EML value at radon concentrations of 570 and 945 Bq m{sup {minus}3}.
Titan atmospheric models intercomparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pernot, P.
Several groups over the world have developed independently models of the photochemistry of Titan. The Cassini mission reveals daily that the chemical complexity is beyond our expectations e. g. observation of heavy positive and negative ions..., and the models are updated accordingly. At this stage, there is no consensus on the various input parameters, and it becomes increasingly difficult to compare outputs form different models. An ISSI team of experts of those models will be gathered shortly to proceed to an intercomparison, i.e. to assess how the models behave, given identical sets of inputs (collectively defined). Expected discrepancies will have to be elucidated and reduced. This intercomparison will also be an occasion to estimate explicitly the importance of various physicalchemical processes on model predictions versus observations. More robust and validated models are expected from this study for the interpretation of Titanrelated data.
EURADOS intercomparison on emergency radiobioassay.
Li, Chunsheng; Battisti, Paolo; Berard, Philippe; Cazoulat, Alain; Cuellar, Antonio; Cruz-Suarez, Rodolfo; Dai, Xiongxin; Giardina, Isabella; Hammond, Derek; Hernandez, Carolina; Kiser, Stephen; Ko, Raymond; Kramer-Tremblay, Sheila; Lecompte, Yannick; Navarro, Eva; Navas, Cristina; Sadi, Baki; Sierra, Inmaculada; Verrezen, Freddy; Lopez, Maria A
Nine laboratories participated in an intercomparison exercise organised by the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) for emergency radiobioassay involving four high-risk radionuclides ((239)Pu, (241)Am, (90)Sr and (226)Ra). Diverse methods of analysis were used by the participating laboratories for the in vitro determination of each of the four radionuclides in urine samples. Almost all the methods used are sensitive enough to meet the requirements for emergency radiobioassay derived for this project in reference to the Clinical Decision Guide introduced by the NCRP. Results from most of the methods meet the requirements of ISO 28218 on accuracy in terms of relative bias and relative precision. However, some technical gaps have been identified. For example, some laboratories do not have the ability to assay samples containing (226)Ra, and sample turnaround time would be expected to be much shorter than that reported by many laboratories, as timely results for internal contamination and early decisions on medical intervention are highly desired. Participating laboratories are expected to learn from each other on the methods used to improve the interoperability among these laboratories. PMID:25543132
Rojo, A; Puerta, N; Gossio, S; Gómez Parada, I; Cruz Suarez, R; López, E; Medina, C; Lastra Boylan, J; Pinheiro Ramos, M; Mora Ramírez, E; Alves Dos Reis, A; Yánez, H; Rubio, J; Vironneau Janicek, L; Somarriba Vanegas, F; Puerta Ortiz, J; Salas Ramírez, M; López Bejerano, G; da Silva, T; Miri Oliveira, C; Terán, M; Alfaro, M; García, T; Angeles, A; Duré Romero, E; Farias de Lima, F
Internal dosimetry intercomparisons are essential for the verification of applied models and the consistency of results'. To that aim, the First Regional Intercomparison was organised in 2005, and that results led to the Second Regional Intercomparison Exercise in 2013, which was organised in the frame of the RLA 9/066 and coordinated by Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear of Argentina. Four simulated cases covering intakes of (131)I, (137)Cs and Tritium were proposed. Ninteen centres from thirteen different countries participated in this exercise. This paper analyses the participants' results in this second exercise in order to test their skills and acquired knowledge, particularly in the application of the IDEAS Guidelines. It is important to highlight the increased number of countries that participated in this exercise compared with the first one and, furthermore, the improvement in the overall performance. The impact of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Projects since 2003 has led to a significant enhancement of internal dosimetry capabilities that strengthen the radiation protection of workers. PMID:26503854
Reference materials and intercomparison samples available from the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las Vegas
Kantor, E.J.; Laska, P.R.
Reference materials and intercomparison samples may be obtained by laboratories involved in the analysis of environmental samples containing radioactivity, pesticides, toxic inorganic species, or toxic organic species. These reference materials and intercomparison samples are available from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Quality Assurance Division located at the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las Vegas (EMSL-LV). These materials are useful for incorporation into a laboratory's quality control program for the evaluation of the precision and accuracy of analytical work. Media used for radiation reference materials are pitchblende, Monazite ore, uranium mill tailings, Mancos shale, fly ash, and water spiked with radionuclides. Radioactivity intercomparison samples consist of water, milk, air, urine, and a simulated diet slurry spiked with radionuclides. Media available for toxic organic reference materials are sludge, shale oil, and rag oil, and for intercomparison samples are soil and water. Characterized fly ash, foundry sludge, and river sediment serve as reference materials for toxic inorganics, while spiked soil and water serve as intercomparison samples. Finally, spiked adipose tissue, blood plasma, urine, and water comprise the pesticide intercomparison samples, and, after the disclosure of the true pesticide compositions and concentrations of these samples, the laboratory can use the samples as reference materials. The reference materials are generally available continuously, but the intercomparison samples are distributed on a scheduled basis and in some cases only to certain laboratories. 9 tables.
Intercomparison of personal dosimetry for service providers in Pakistan.
Jabeen, Akhter; Salman, Syed Ahmad
An intercomparison exercise for personal dosimetry service providers within Pakistan was conducted by the Health Physics Division of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology. Participation in the exercise was on voluntary basis. The exercise was carried out to harmonize individual dose monitoring techniques for high energy photons in terms of a new operational quantity, namely personal dose equivalent Hp(10), for personal dosimetry in accordance with the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements. Each laboratory submitted 25 dosimeters for participation in the intercomparison exercise. Protection level Co and Cs sources were used for irradiation of dosimeters on a water phantom according to International Atomic Energy Agency protocol at the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory. Hp(10) doses for five different dose levels were measured by the participating laboratories. The ratios of measured dose/true dose (Hm/Ht) remained in the range of 0.66 to 1.11 for the Co source and 0.84 to 1.17 for the Cs source. Performance of service providers' laboratories to measure Hp(10) doses was analyzed and evaluated in terms of trumpet curves plotted for photons at a 95% confidence level. PMID:19125056
Results of the EURADOS extremity dosemeter intercomparison 2009.
Stadtmann, H; Grimbergen, T W M; Figel, M; Romero, A M; McWhan, A F
This paper presents the results of an intercomparison for extremity dosemeters organised by the European radiation dosimetry group in 2009. In total, 59 systems were tested during this exercise including ring, stall and wrist dosemeters. A total of 1652 dosemeters were irradiated in the selected fields of photons and beta radiation qualities on appropriate phantoms (ISO finger and pillar phantom) in the dose quantity H(p)(0.07). All irradiations were carried out in selected accredited reference dosemetry laboratories (Seibersdorf Laboratories, Austria and IRSN, France). The results show that, especially at low-energy beta radiations ((85)Kr) and for beta irradiations with large angles of incidence (60°), many tested systems show pronounced under responses. On the other hand, for photon irradiations down to energies of 16 keV most systems showed good results. A participants meeting was held at IM2010 with discussion on both general aspects of this intercomparison and specific problems. PMID:21196458
SOIL moisture data intercomparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kerr, Yann; Rodriguez-Frenandez, Nemesio; Al-Yaari, Amen; Parens, Marie; Molero, Beatriz; Mahmoodi, Ali; Mialon, Arnaud; Richaume, Philippe; Bindlish, Rajat; Mecklenburg, Susanne; Wigneron, Jean-Pierre
The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite (SMOS) was launched in November 2009 and started delivering data in January 2010. Subsequently, the satellite has been in operation for over 6 years while the retrieval algorithms from Level 1 to Level 2 underwent significant evolutions as knowledge improved. Other approaches for retrieval at Level 2 over land were also investigated while Level 3 and 4 were initiated. In this présentation these improvements are assessed by inter-comparisons of the current Level 2 (V620) against the previous version (V551) and new products either using neural networks or Level 3. In addition a global evaluation of different SMOS soil moisture (SM) products is performed comparing products with those of model simulations and other satellites (AMSR E/ AMSR2 and ASCAT). Finally, all products were evaluated against in situ measurements of soil moisture (SM). The study demonstrated that the V620 shows a significant improvement (including those at level1 improving level2)) with respect to the earlier version V551. Results also show that neural network based approaches can yield excellent results over areas where other products are poor. Finally, global comparison indicates that SMOS behaves very well when compared to other sensors/approaches and gives consistent results over all surfaces from very dry (African Sahel, Arizona), to wet (tropical rain forests). RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) is still an issue even though detection has been greatly improved while RFI sources in several areas of the world are significantly reduced. When compared to other satellite products, the analysis shows that SMOS achieves its expected goals and is globally consistent over different eco climate regions from low to high latitudes and throughout the seasons.
Invited Article: Radon and thoron intercomparison experiments for integrated monitors at NIRS, Japan
Janik, M. Ishikawa, T.; Omori, Y.; Kavasi, N.
Inhalation of radon ({sup 222}Rn) and its short-lived decay products and of products of the thoron ({sup 220}Rn) series accounts for more than half of the effective dose from natural radiation sources. At this time, many countries have begun large-scale radon and thoron surveys and many different measurement methods and instruments are used in these studies. Consequently, it is necessary to improve and standardize technical methods of measurements and to verify quality assurance by intercomparisons between laboratories. Four international intercomparisons for passive integrating radon and thoron monitors were conducted at the NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Japan). Radon exercises were carried out in the 24.4 m{sup 3} inner volume walk-in radon chamber that has systems to control radon concentration, temperature, and humidity. Moreover, the NIRS thoron chamber with a 150 dm{sup 3} inner volume was utilized to provide three thoron intercomparisons. At present, the NIRS is the only laboratory world-wide that has carried out periodic thoron intercomparison of passive monitors. Fifty laboratories from 26 countries participated in the radon intercomparison, using six types of detectors (charcoal, CR-39, LR 115, polycarbonate film, electret plate, and silicon photodiode). Eighteen laboratories from 12 countries participated in the thoron intercomparisons, using two etch-track types (CR-39 and polycarbonate) detectors. The tests were made under one to three different exposures to radon and thoron. The data presented in this paper indicated that the performance quality of laboratories for radon measurement has been gradually increasing. Results of thoron exercises showed that the quality for thoron measurements still needs further development and additional studies are needed to improve its measuring methods. The present paper provides a summary of all radon and thoron international intercomparisons done at NIRS from 2007 to date and it describes the
Urine Radiobioassay Intercomparison Results From The Intercomparison Studies Program At Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Bores, Norman; Schultz, Michael K
The Intercomparison Studies Program (ISP) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN USA) provides natural-matrix human urine quality-assurance/quality-control (QA/QC) samples to radiobioassay analysis laboratories. Samples are provided to these laboratories as 'single-blind' or 'double-blind' unknowns, spiked with radioactive-solution standards at 'low' levels (e.g., 0-250 mBq {center_dot} kg{sup -1} for alpha-emitters). Participants use the results as a tool for self-evaluation and a measure of performance. In this paper, sample preparation and the results of testing during the years 2000-2004 for the radionuclides natural uranium (U-nat), {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239}Pu, and {sup 241}Am are presented and discussed.
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Radionuclide analyses of urine samples: results of an intercomparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dalheimer, A. R.; Beyer, D.; Günther, E. W.; Henrichs, K.
The measurement of radioactivity concentrations in urine samples is an important tool for monitoring possible radionuclide intakes by occupationally exposed workers, especially for radionuclides emitting alpha or beta radiation. Quality assurance requires systematic intercomparisons involving all laboratories responsible for these measurements. Such analyses were performed by the German—Swiss Radiation Protection Association. The main purpose of these measurements was the specification of criteria for the acceptance of laboratories by radiation protection authorities. This contribution presents some measurement results of Th-nat, 90Sr, and 241Am in urine and discusses the implications for internal dosimetry.
Fourth Personnel Dosimetry Intercomparison Study
Dickson, H.W.
The fourth Personnel Dosimetry Intercomparison Study was held at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Dosimetry Applications Research Facility during March 15-23, 1978. The Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR) used unshielded, with a 12-cm-thick Lucite shield, a 20-cm-thick concrete shield, or a 5-cm-thick steel and 15-cm-thick concrete shield, and provided four neutron and gamma-ray spectra. Then the dose was calculated based on the HPRR neutron spectra and dose conversion factors which had been determined previously for the four spectra. The results of these personnel dosimetry intercomparison studies reveal that estimates of dose equivalent vary over a wide range. The standard deviation of the mean of participants data for gamma measurements was in the range of 29 to 43%; for neutrons it was 57 to 188%. (PCS)
NOAA national status and trends program eleventh round intercomparison exercise results for trace metals in marine sediments and biological tissues. National status and trends program for marine environmental quality: Technical memo
Willie, S.
A total of thirty-nine participants were included in the exercise, including OAA, USEPA, state, Australian, Canadian, Mexican and Argentinean laboratories. Two samples were sent by NRC to each participant, and contaminated marine sediment from Esquimalt harbor in British Columbia and a freeze-dried oyster tissue. Laboratories were also asked to analyze two certified reference materials (CRMs) MESS-2 and CRM 2976. The elements to be determined were Al, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ag, Cd, Sn, Hg and Pb for both matrices, plus Be, Si, Mn, Sb and Tl for the sediments. An accepted mean and confidence interval was calculated for each analyte in the two unknown samples, laboratory biases were identified and an overall rating of superior, good, fair or others were assigned to each laboratory.
Intercomparison of Retrospective Radon Detectors
Field, R W.; Steck, D J.; Parkhurst, Maryann ); Mahaffey, Judith A. ); Alavanja, M C.
We performed both a laboratory and field intercomparison of two novel glass-based retrospective radon detectors previously used in major radon case-control studies performed in Missouri and Iowa. The new detectors estimate retrospective residential radon exposure from the accumulation of a long-lived radon decay product, Pb-210, in glass. The detectors use track registration material in direct contact with glass surfaces to measure the alpha emission of a Pb-210 decay product, Po-210. The detector's track density generation rate (tracks cm{sup -2} hr{sup -1}) is proportional to the surface alpha activity. In the absence of other strong sources of alpha emission in the glass, the implanted surface alpha activity should be proportional to the accumulated Po-210 and hence, the cumulative radon gas exposure. The goals of the intercomparison were to: (1) perform collocated measurements using two different glass-based retrospective radon detectors in a controlled laboratory environment to compare their relative response to implanted polonium in the absence of environmental variation, (2) perform collocated measurements using two different retrospective radon progeny detectors in a variety of residential settings to compare their detection of glass implanted polonium activities, and (3) examine the correlation between track density rates and contemporary radon gas concentrations. The laboratory results suggested that the materials and methods used by the studies produced similar track densities in detectors exposed to the same implanted Po-210 activity. The field phase of the intercomparison found excellent agreement between the track density rates for the two types of retrospective detectors. The correlation between the track density rates and direct contemporary radon concentration measurements was relatively high, considering that no adjustments were performed to account for either the residential depositional environment or glass surface type.
Nuclear accident dosimetry intercomparison studies.
Sims, C S
Twenty-two nuclear accident dosimetry intercomparison studies utilizing the fast-pulse Health Physics Research Reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been conducted since 1965. These studies have provided a total of 62 different organizations a forum for discussion of criticality accident dosimetry, an opportunity to test their neutron and gamma-ray dosimetry systems under a variety of simulated criticality accident conditions, and the experience of comparing results with reference dose values as well as with the measured results obtained by others making measurements under identical conditions. Sixty-nine nuclear accidents (27 with unmoderated neutron energy spectra and 42 with eight different shielded spectra) have been simulated in the studies. Neutron doses were in the 0.2-8.5 Gy range and gamma doses in the 0.1-2.0 Gy range. A total of 2,289 dose measurements (1,311 neutron, 978 gamma) were made during the intercomparisons. The primary methods of neutron dosimetry were activation foils, thermoluminescent dosimeters, and blood sodium activation. The main methods of gamma dose measurement were thermoluminescent dosimeters, radiophotoluminescent glass, and film. About 68% of the neutron measurements met the accuracy guidelines (+/- 25%) and about 52% of the gamma measurements met the accuracy criterion (+/- 20%) for accident dosimetry. PMID:2777549
Ozone Differential Absorption Lidar Algorithm Intercomparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Godin, Sophie; Carswell, Allen I.; Donovan, David P.; Claude, Hans; Steinbrecht, Wolfgang; McDermid, I. Stuart; McGee, Thomas J.; Gross, Michael R.; Nakane, Hideaki; Swart, Daan P. J.; Bergwerff, Hans B.; Uchino, Osamu; von der Gathen, Peter; Neuber, Roland
An intercomparison of ozone differential absorption lidar algorithms was performed in 1996 within the framework of the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Changes (NDSC) lidar working group. The objective of this research was mainly to test the differentiating techniques used by the various lidar teams involved in the NDSC for the calculation of the ozone number density from the lidar signals. The exercise consisted of processing synthetic lidar signals computed from simple Rayleigh scattering and three initial ozone profiles. Two of these profiles contained perturbations in the low and the high stratosphere to test the vertical resolution of the various algorithms. For the unperturbed profiles the results of the simulations show the correct behavior of the lidar processing methods in the low and the middle stratosphere with biases of less than 1% with respect to the initial profile to as high as 30 km in most cases. In the upper stratosphere, significant biases reaching 10% at 45 km for most of the algorithms are obtained. This bias is due to the decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio with altitude, which makes it necessary to increase the number of points of the derivative low-pass filter used for data processing. As a consequence the response of the various retrieval algorithms to perturbations in the ozone profile is much better in the lower stratosphere than in the higher range. These results show the necessity of limiting the vertical smoothing in the ozone lidar retrieval algorithm and questions the ability of current lidar systems to detect long-term ozone trends above 40 km. Otherwise the simulations show in general a correct estimation of the ozone profile random error and, as shown by the tests involving the perturbed ozone profiles, some inconsistency in the estimation of the vertical resolution among the lidar teams involved in this experiment.
Intercomparison of retrospective radon detectors.
Field, R W; Steck, D J; Parkhurst, M A; Mahaffey, J A; Alavanja, M C
We performed both a laboratory and a field intercomparison of two novel glass-based retrospective radon detectors previously used in major radon case-control studies performed in Missouri and Iowa. The new detectors estimate retrospective residential radon exposure from the accumulation of a long-lived radon decay product, (210)Pb, in glass. The detectors use track registration material in direct contact with glass surfaces to measure the alpha-emission of a (210)Pb-decay product, (210)Po. The detector's track density generation rate (tracks per square centimeter per hour) is proportional to the surface alpha-activity. In the absence of other strong sources of alpha-emission in the glass, the implanted surface alpha-activity should be proportional to the accumulated (210)Po, and hence to the cumulative radon gas exposure. The goals of the intercomparison were to a) perform collocated measurements using two different glass-based retrospective radon detectors in a controlled laboratory environment to compare their relative response to implanted polonium in the absence of environmental variation, b) perform collocated measurements using two different retrospective radon progeny detectors in a variety of residential settings to compare their detection of glass-implanted polonium activities, and c) examine the correlation between track density rates and contemporary radon gas concentrations. The laboratory results suggested that the materials and methods used by the studies produced similar track densities in detectors exposed to the same implanted (210)Po activity. The field phase of the intercomparison found excellent agreement between the track density rates for the two types of retrospective detectors. The correlation between the track density rates and direct contemporary radon concentration measurements was relatively high, considering that no adjustments were performed to account for either the residential depositional environment or glass surface type
WOCE 1991 chlorofluorocarbon standard intercomparison report. Data report
Bullister, J.L.; Menzia, F.; Wisegarver, D.P.
A chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) standard intercomparison study was done among ten laboratories involved in measurements of dissolved and atmospheric CFCs as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and other programs. The goal of the study was to compare CFC calibration scales and to allow CFC data sets collected by the participating groups to be merged together more easily. One cyclinder was distributed to each participating laboratory for analysis and return to PMEL. Within the precision of the analytical techniques used at PMEL, the CFC-11 and CFC-12 concentrations in the cylinders remained uniform throughout the intercomparison exercise. The CFC-113 and carbon tetrachloride content of the cylinders remained relatively uniform in all but one of the cylinders analyzed. The CFC-11 concentrations reported by participating laboratories ranged from 258.8 to 275.6 parts-per-trillion (PPT). The reported CFC-12 concentrations ranged from 487.4 to 503.5 PPT. Two laboratories reported values for CFC-113, and only one laboratory reported a value for carbon tetrachloride. Details of the calibration techniques used by the ten participating laboratories are given in the Appendices of the report.
Results of the Marine Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project, MISMIP
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pattyn, F.; Schoof, C.; Perichon, L.; Hindmarsh, R. C. A.; Bueler, E.; de Fleurian, B.; Durand, G.; Gagliardini, O.; Gladstone, R.; Goldberg, D.; Gudmundsson, G. H.; Huybrechts, P.; Lee, V.; Nick, F. M.; Payne, A. J.; Pollard, D.; Rybak, O.; Saito, F.; Vieli, A.
Predictions of marine ice-sheet behaviour require models that are able to robustly simulate grounding line migration. We present results of an intercomparison exercise for marine ice-sheet models. Verification is effected by comparison with approximate analytical solutions for flux across the grounding line using simplified geometrical configurations (no lateral variations, no effects of lateral buttressing). Unique steady state grounding line positions exist for ice sheets on a downward sloping bed, while hysteresis occurs across an overdeepened bed, and stable steady state grounding line positions only occur on the downward-sloping sections. Models based on the shallow ice approximation, which does not resolve extensional stresses, do not reproduce the approximate analytical results unless appropriate parameterizations for ice flux are imposed at the grounding line. For extensional-stress resolving "shelfy stream" models, differences between model results were mainly due to the choice of spatial discretization. Moving grid methods were found to be the most accurate at capturing grounding line evolution, since they track the grounding line explicitly. Adaptive mesh refinement can further improve accuracy, including fixed grid models that generally perform poorly at coarse resolution. Fixed grid models, with nested grid representations of the grounding line, are able to generate accurate steady state positions, but can be inaccurate over transients. Only one full-Stokes model was included in the intercomparison, and consequently the accuracy of shelfy stream models as approximations of full-Stokes models remains to be determined in detail, especially during transients.
Results of the Marine Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project, MISMIP
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pattyn, F.; Schoof, C.; Perichon, L.; Hindmarsh, R. C. A.; Bueler, E.; de Fleurian, B.; Durand, G.; Gagliardini, O.; Gladstone, R.; Goldberg, D.; Gudmundsson, G. H.; Lee, V.; Nick, F. M.; Payne, A. J.; Pollard, D.; Rybak, O.; Saito, F.; Vieli, A.
Predictions of marine ice-sheet behaviour require models that are able to robustly simulate grounding line migration. We present results of an intercomparison exercise for marine ice-sheet models. Verification is effected by comparison with approximate analytical solutions for flux across the grounding line using simplified geometrical configurations (no lateral variations, no effects of lateral buttressing). Unique steady-state grounding line positions exist for ice sheets on a downward sloping bed, while hysteresis occurs across an overdeepened bed, and stable steady state grounding line positions only occur on the downward-sloping sections. Models based on the shallow ice approximation, which does not resolve extensional stresses, do not reproduce the approximate analytical results unless appropriate parameterizations for ice flux are imposed at the grounding line. For extensional-stress resolving "shelfy stream" models, differences between model results were mainly due to the choice of spatial discretization. Moving grid methods were found to be the most accurate at capturing grounding line evolution, since they track the grounding line explicitly. Adaptive mesh refinement can further improve accuracy, including in fixed-grid models that generally perform poorly at coarse resolution. Fixed grid models with nested grid representations of the grounding line are able to generate accurate steady-state positions, but can be inaccurate over transients. Only one full Stokes model was included in the intercomparison, and consequently the accuracy of shelfy stream models as approximations of full Stokes models remains to be determined in detail, especially during transients.
Fifth personnel dosimetry intercomparison study
Sims, C.S.
The fifth Personnel Dosimetry Intercomparison Study (PDIS) was conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) Dosimetry Applications Research (DOSAR) facility on March 20-22, 1979. This study is the latest PDIS in the continuing series started at the DOSAR facility in 1974. The PDIS is a three day study, typically in March, where personnel dosimeters are mailed to the DOSAR facility, exposed to a range of low-level neutron radiation doses (1 to 15 mSv or equivalently, 100 to 1500 mrem) and neutron-to-gamma ratios (1:1-10:1) using the Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR) as the radiation source, and returned to the participants for evaluation. This report is a summary and analysis of the results reported by the various participants. The participants are able to intercompare their results with those of others who made dose measurements under identical experimental conditions.
Results from the Second International Module Intercomparison
Rummel, S.; Anderberg, A.; Emery, K.
The peak-watt rating is a primary indicator of PV performance. The peak power rating is the maximum electrical power that is produced when the PV device is continuously illuminated at 1000 Wm/sup-2/ total irradiance under International Electrotechnical Commission Standard 60904-2 reference spectrum, and 25 deg C cell temperature. Most manufacturers trace their peak-watt rating through calibrations performed at recognized terrestrial calibration facilities. Manufacturers typically perform intercomparisons among a set of their modules internally with other plants and among. Sometimes they have the same module measured at different calibration facilities to determine the differences in calibration. This intercomparison was to mimic this procedure and supply new thin film samples along with samples that could pose other problems. These intercomparisons sample the laboratories' everyday procedures better than a formal intercomparison where the laboratories' best procedures and data scrutiny are used.
Blue irradiance intercomparison in the medical field
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ferreira, Antonio F. G.
This work presents the results of a blue irradiance intercomparison among industrial laboratories of medical devices companies. This intercomparison aims to support the metrological issues of medical equipment manufactures regarding the blue irradiance infant phototherapy equipment requirements on the international standard IEC 60601-2-50:2000. The results showed a low agreement of participants' measurements according to normalized error criterion. The major explanation for this result is associated to an incorrect equipment choice and long recalibration period.
Lidar Inter-Comparison Exercise Final Campaign Report
Protat, A; Young, S
The objective of this field campaign was to evaluate the performance of the new Leosphere R-MAN 510 lidar, procured by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, by testing it against the MicroPulse Lidar (MPL) and Raman lidars, at the Darwin Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site. This lidar is an eye-safe (355 nm), turn-key mini Raman lidar, which allows for the detection of aerosols and cloud properties, and the retrieval of particulate extinction profiles. To accomplish this evaluation, the R-MAN 510 lidar has been operated at the Darwin ARM site, next to the MPL, Raman lidar, and Vaisala ceilometer (VCEIL) for three months (from 20 January 2013 to 20 April 2013) in order to collect a sufficient sample size for statistical comparisons.
Lidar Inter-Comparison Exercise Final Campaign Report
Protat, Alain; Young, S.
The objective of this IOP was to evaluate the performances of the new Leosphere R-MAN 510 lidar procured by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, by testing it against the MPL and Raman lidars at the Darwin ARM site. This lidar is an eye-safe (355 nm), turn-key mini Raman lidar, which allows for the detection of aerosols and cloud properties, and the retrieval of particulate extinction profiles. To do so, the R-MAN 510 lidar has been operated at the Darwin ARM site, next to the MPL, Raman lidar, and Vaisala ceilometer for three months (from 20 January 2013 to 20 April 2013) in order to collect a good sample for statistical comparisons. The comparisons with the Raman lidar were not performed, since the Raman lidar attenuated backscatter and depolarization ratio product was not available. A new product has just been delivered to the ARM archive as a value-added product, hence this study will continue. Nevertheless we have developed software to match the different space and time resolutions of the other lidars and project the data onto a common grid to permit detailed comparison of the instruments' performance and an enhanced analysis of clouds and aerosols through the use of composite data products, like the ratios of attenuated backscatters, attenuated scattering ratios and depolarization ratios. Comparisons between the MPL and R-MAN510 lidar data exhibit large differences in total attenuated backscatter at 355 and 532 nm, attenuated scattering ratios, and aerosol volume depolarization ratios. Differences in attenuated backscatter result mainly from the different relative contributions of scattering from molecules and particles at the different wavelengths, but there are some intriguing differences that will require further investigations. The differences in volume depolarization ratios are due to the much larger contribution of molecular returns to the volume depolarization ratio (5 times larger at 355 nm than at 532 nm). The R-MAN510 lidar is also found to be much less sensitive to daylight solar background illumination, which is greater at the visible wavelength than in the UV.
Intercomparison of MAX-DOAS NO2 retrieval algorithms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Peters, Enno; Pinardi, Gaia; Bösch, Tim; Wittrock, Folkard; Richter, Andreas; Burrows, John P.; Van Roozendael, Michel; Piters, Ankie; Wagner, Thomas; Drosoglou, Theano; Bais, Alkis; Wang, Shanshan; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso
Ground-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements are a powerful method for monitoring of atmospheric composition in an automated way. The number of instruments and sites operated has been rapidly increasing over the last years. However, integrating the measurements from all these instruments into a consistent data set necessitates careful homogenization of measurements and data retrieval procedures. For this reason, several MAX-DOAS intercomparison campaigns have been carried out in the last years. Mostly, slant columns measured by different instruments and retrieved by different software were intercompared, i.e. observed differences were potentially caused by both, the instrument and/or the retrieval. In contrast, the approach presented here is a pure intercomparison of MAX-DOAS retrievals. In total, 16 international groups and institutes working in the field of MAX-DOAS participated. The work was performed as part of the EU-funded QA4ECV project. The intercomparison exercise is based on data recorded by the IUP-Bremen MAX-DOAS instrument during the MAD-CAT campaign (Multi-Axis DOAS comparison campaign for Aerosols and Trace gases), which was carried out at the Max-Planck-Institute of Chemistry in Mainz, Germany, in summer 2013. Each group participating in the exercise presented here performed MAX-DOAS fits using their own retrieval software but common input (IUP-Bremen spectra, same cross-sections, and same fit settings). The resulting slant columns show in general an excellent agreement (correlation coefficient > 99.9%). Surprisingly, the correlation is substantially smaller when using sequential Fraunhofer reference spectra instead of a noon reference indicating that groups calculate the sequential reference differently. Further differences were found to arise from treatment of the slit function and subsequent convolution of cross-sections as well as from wavelength calibration. The results indicate overall a high
The presentation describes results of an intercomparison of three optical remote sensing systems for measurements of nitric oxide emitted from passenger cars and light-duty trucks. The intercomparison included a standards comparison to establish comparability of standards, follo...
An intercomparison of nitric oxide measurement techniques
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hoell, J. M., Jr.; Gregory, G. L.; Mcdougal, D. S.; Carroll, M. A.; Mcfarland, M.; Ridley, B. A.; Davis, D. D.; Bradshaw, J.; Rodgers, M. O.; Torres, A. L.
Results from an intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of nitric oxide (NO) are discussed. The intercomparison was part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment and was conducted at Wallops Island, VA, in July 1983. Instruments intercompared included a laser-induced fluorescence system and two chemiluminescence instruments. The intercomparisons were performed with ambient air at NO mixing ratios ranging from 10 to 60 pptv and NO-enriched ambient air at mixing ratios from 20 to 170 pptv. All instruments sampled from a common manifold. The techniques exhibited a high degree of correlation among themselves and with changes in the NO mixing ratio. Agreement among the three techniques was placed at approximately + or - 30 percent. Within this level of agreement, no artifacts or species interferences were identified.
Intercomparison of atmospheric dispersion models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Caputo, Marcelo; Giménez, Marcelo; Schlamp, Miguel
An intercomparison between Gaussian, Gaussian segmented plumes and Lagrangian codes is presented. The codes chosen for the simulation of a gaseous emission under real meteorological conditions were AERMOD, HPDM, PCCOSYMA and HYSPLIT. The emission source was located at 37.35°N and 78.24°W in a flat terrain. The meteorological data were obtained from RAMS code output. The AERMOD and HPDM meteorological preprocessors results were analyzed. The main differences found are originated in the sensible heat flux (SHTF) and u* (friction velocity) computation, whose values impact directly on the Monin-Obukov length and mixing height calculation. These differences and the strong dependence of the results on them indicate that more development should still be done in order to improve the algorithms for the meteorological variables calculations, mainly during stable conditions. A more realistic description is performed by the segmented Gaussian plume model (PCCOSYMA) respect to the Gaussian ones (AERMOD, HPDM) because it limits the plume length along the wind direction. It also predicts reasonably well the contaminant cloud rotation respect to the Lagrangian code (HYSPLIT) as no major difference between the wind field and the wind at the source location is present in the analyzed case. During the stable hours, HPDM calculates the most stable situation and the lowest mixing heights. Because of this there is a considerable discrepancy in the maximum ground level concentration respect to the other codes. While during the unstable hours HPDM calculates the most unstable situation, nevertheless the maximum ground level concentrations predicted by all the Gaussian and Lagrangian codes are comparable.
Desert Dust Satellite Retrieval Intercomparison
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Carboni, E.; Thomas, G. E.; Sayer, A. M.; Siddans, R.; Poulsen, C. A.; Grainger, R. G.; Ahn, C.; Antoine, D.; Bevan, S.; Braak, R.; Brindley, H.; DeSouza-Mchado, S.; Deuze, J. L.; Diner, D.; Ducos, F.; Grey, W.; Hsu, C.; Kalashnikova, O. V.; Kahn, R.; North, P. R. J.; Salustro, C.; Smith, A.; Tanre, D.; Torres, O.; Veihelmann, B.
This work provides a comparison of satellite retrievals of Saharan desert dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) during a strong dust event through March 2006. In this event, a large dust plume was transported over desert, vegetated, and ocean surfaces. The aim is to identify and understand the differences between current algorithms, and hence improve future retrieval algorithms. The satellite instruments considered are AATSR, AIRS, MERIS, MISR, MODIS, OMI, POLDER, and SEVIRI. An interesting aspect is that the different algorithms make use of different instrument characteristics to obtain retrievals over bright surfaces. These include multi-angle approaches (MISR, AATSR), polarisation measurements (POLDER), single-view approaches using solar wavelengths (OMI, MODIS), and the thermal infrared spectral region (SEVIRI, AIRS). Differences between instruments, together with the comparison of different retrieval algorithms applied to measurements from the same instrument, provide a unique insight into the performance and characteristics of the various techniques employed. As well as the intercomparison between different satellite products, the AODs have also been compared to co-located AERONET data. Despite the fact that the agreement between satellite and AERONET AODs is reasonably good for all of the datasets, there are significant differences between them when compared to each other, especially over land. These differences are partially due to differences in the algorithms, such as as20 sumptions about aerosol model and surface properties. However, in this comparison of spatially and temporally averaged data, at least as significant as these differences are sampling issues related to the actual footprint of each instrument on the heterogeneous aerosol field, cloud identification and the quality control flags of each dataset.
An intercomparison of airborne nitric acid measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gregory, G. L.; Hoell, J. M.; Huebert, B. J.; van Bramer, S. E.; Lebel, P. J.; Vay, S. A.; Marinaro, R. M.; Schiff, H. I.; Hastie, D. R.; Mackay, G. I.; Karecki, D. R.
Results from an airborne intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of nitric acid are discussed. The intercomparison was part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment and was conducted during the summer of 1986. Instruments intercompared included a denuder tube collection system (DENUDER) with chemiluminescent detection, a niylon filter collection system (FILTER) with ion chromatography detection, and a tunable diode laser (TDLAS) multipath absorption system. Intercomparison of investigators' calibration standards were also performed as part of the test protocol. While results were somewhat "soft" and data sparse, these tests suggested that the TDLAS measurements might be high compared to the other techniques. Airborne intercomparisons were conducted predominately in the free troposphere and included encounters with marine and continental air masses. While the intercomparisons included mixing ratios to 1000 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), the majority of the results were for mixing ratios of <300 pptv. The TDLAS participated in an intercomparison of NO2 instruments (major focus) that was also conducted during the same flights. As a result the TDLAS data set is limited. Further, a significant fraction of the nitric acid measurements were below the TDLAS detection limit (75 pptv as configured for these tests). While the lack of simultaneous measurements from the three instruments limits the conclusions that can be drawn, it is clear that there can be substantial disagreement among the three techniques, even at mixing ratios above their respective detection limits. Equally clear is that at mixing ratios below 150 pptv there is very little correlation between their results. Based on these observations, an overall conclusion from the intercomparison is that none of the HNO3 techniques can be identified to unambiguously (e.g., 20% accuracy) provide measurements of HNO3 at levels often encountered in the
Intercomparison and intercalibration of passive/active radon and active radon progeny instruments and methods in North America
George, A.C.; Tu, Keng W.
An intercomparison and intercalibration exercise for radon and radon progeny measurements made with active and passive instruments was held at EML from October 22--30,1992. Twenty-five participants submitted 96 passive integrating devices, eight active devices for radon, and seven integrating devices for potential alpha energy concentration (PAEC). In addition, 40 grab samples for radon progeny analysis were taken by five groups that participated in person during the intercomparison. The results reported to EML indicate that the majority of the participants (70%) obtained mean results within 10% of the EML reference value. Although the instruments used in this exercise are based on different principles of collection and detection, they all appear reliable. However, in some instances there seemed to be some minor problems with quality control and calibration bias. Also, the large counting errors for the PAEC experienced by some of the participants can be minimized by using higher sampling air flow rates without sacrificing instrument portability.
Indoor and Outdoor Spectroradiometer Intercomparison for Spectral Irradiance Measurement
Habte, A.; Andreas, A.; Ottoson, L.; Gueymard, C.; Fedor, G.; Fowler, S.; Peterson, J.; Naranen, R.; Kobashi, T.; Akiyama, A.; Takagi, S.
This report details the global spectral irradiance intercomparison using spectroradiometers that was organized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Solar Radiation Research Laboratory. The intercomparison was performed both indoors and outdoors on September 17, 2013. Five laboratories participated in the intercomparison using 10 spectroradiometers, and a coordinated measurement setup and a common platform were employed to compare spectral irradiances under both indoor and outdoor conditions. The intercomparison aimed to understand the performance of the different spectroradiometers and to share knowledge in making spectral irradiance measurements. This intercomparison was the first of its kind in the United States.
SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fujiwara, M.; Long, C. S.
The middle atmosphere and climate community use reanalyses widely to understand atmospheric processes and variability in the middle atmosphere, to validate climate models, and, potentially, for trend analysis. Yet different reanalyses give different results for the same diagnostic. There is thus a need for a coordinated reanalysis intercomparison project that shall start a comprehensive activity to compare all appropriate reanalysis data sets for key diagnostics to help understand the causes of differences and to use the results to provide guidance on appropriate usage of various reanalysis products in scientific studies. In addition, the reanalysis community will benefit from coordinated user feedback, which can lead to improvements in the next generation of reanalysis products. The Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) is a SPARC activity that was proposed in 2012 and approved in 2014. The goals of S-RIP are: (1) to create a communication platform between the SPARC community and the reanalysis centers; (2) to understand current reanalysis products and to contribute to future reanalysis improvements in the middle atmosphere region; and (3) to write up the results of the reanalysis intercomparison in peer reviewed papers and a SPARC report. The project duration is from 2013 to 2018. In the presentation, an overview of the project is made and some early intercomparison results are discussed.
GDAT intercomparison exercice on CFCs and SF6 tracers for groundwater dating
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Labasque, Thierry; vergnaud, virginie
GDAT intercomparison exercice on CFCs and SF6 tracers for groundwater dating Labasque T. Géosciences Rennes, Université Rennes1-CNRS, Rennes, France GDAT-participants for CFCs and SF6 comparisons: Aquilina L., Vergnaud V., Geosciences Rennes, France; Goody D., BGS Wallingford, UK; Leaney F., Suckow A., CSIRO, Australia; Oster H, Spurentofflabor, Germany; Han L., Hillegonds D, Matsumoto T., IAEA, Austria; Aeschbach-Hertig W., Freund F., Schneider T., Heidelberg, Germany; Yoon Y., Kigam, Corea; Busenberg E., Casile J., USGS Reston Lab, USA; Rosanski K., Bartysel J., AGH, Poland; Sliwka I., Bielewski J., INP, Poland; Rigby A., Solomon K;, University of Utah, USA; Barbecot F., IDES, France. Two intercomparison exercises have been carried out in 2012 by the hydrogeochemist community : Fontainebleau sandy aquifer (January 2012) and Betton fractured shists aquifer (October 2012). Environmental tracers devoted to groundwater dating were compared during these experiments. These methods are very sensitive and need a great analytical practice to obtain accurate results. The GDAT exercise was designed in order to compare methods and analytical protocols. All the participants sampled groundwater from the same boreholes at the same time using similar sampling methods, and analysed similar environmental tracers using for each laboratory its own analytical protocol. We here present CFCs and SF6 results obtained on the Fontainebleau aquifer and on the Betton aquifer. The first one shows quite "old" CFC waters and the second one "younger" CFCs waters. The intercomparison exercise brought together 31 laboratories from 14 countries including 12 laboratories for CFCs analysis and 11 for SF6 analysis. Results show good agreement for most of the laboratories with apparent uncertainties less than 3 years on the quite "old" CFCs waters. The major uncertainty source results from sampling and storage methods.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Liemohn, Wendell; Haydu, Traci; Phillips, Dawn
This publication presents general guidelines for exercise prescription that have an anatomical basis but also consider the exerciser's ability to do the exercise correctly. It reviews various common questionable exercises, explaining how some exercises, especially those designed for flexibility and muscle fitness, can cause harm. Safer…
Intercomparison of aerosol extinction profiles retrieved from MAX-DOAS measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Frieß, U.; Klein Baltink, H.; Beirle, S.; Clémer, K.; Hendrick, F.; Henzing, B.; Irie, H.; de Leeuw, G.; Li, A.; Moerman, M. M.; van Roozendael, M.; Shaiganfar, R.; Wagner, T.; Wang, Y.; Xie, P.; Yilmaz, S.; Zieger, P.
A first direct intercomparison of aerosol vertical profiles from Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) observations, performed during the Cabauw Intercomparison Campaign of Nitrogen Dioxide measuring Instruments (CINDI) in summer 2009, is presented. Five out of 14 participants of the CINDI campaign reported aerosol extinction profiles and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) as deduced from observations of differential slant column densities of the oxygen collision complex (O4) at different elevation angles. Aerosol extinction vertical profiles and AOT are compared to backscatter profiles from a ceilometer instrument and to sun photometer measurements, respectively. Furthermore, the near-surface aerosol extinction coefficient is compared to in situ measurements of a humidity-controlled nephelometer and dry aerosol absorption measurements. The participants of this intercomparison exercise use different approaches for the retrieval of aerosol information, including the retrieval of the full vertical profile using optimal estimation and a parametrised approach with a prescribed profile shape. Despite these large conceptual differences, and also differences in the wavelength of the observed O4 absorption band, good agreement in terms of the vertical structure of aerosols within the boundary layer is achieved between the aerosol extinction profiles retrieved by the different groups and the backscatter profiles observed by the ceilometer instrument. AOTs from MAX-DOAS and sun photometer show a good correlation (R>0.8), but all participants systematically underestimate the AOT. Substantial differences between the near-surface aerosol extinction from MAX-DOAS and from the humidified nephelometer remain largely unresolved.
Satellite Derived Volcanic Ash Product Inter-Comparison in Support to SCOPE-Nowcasting
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Siddans, Richard; Thomas, Gareth; Pavolonis, Mike; Bojinski, Stephan
In support of aeronautical meteorological services, WMO organized a satellite-based volcanic ash retrieval algorithm inter-comparison activity, to improve the consistency of quantitative volcanic ash products from satellites, under the Sustained, Coordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Nowcasting (SCOPEe Nowcasting) initiative (http:/ jwww.wmo.int/pagesjprogjsatjscopee nowcasting_en.php). The aims of the intercomparison were as follows: 1. Select cases (Sarychev Peak 2009, Eyjafyallajökull 2010, Grimsvötn 2011, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle 2011, Kirishimayama 2011, Kelut 2014), and quantify the differences between satellite-derived volcanic ash cloud properties derived from different techniques and sensors; 2. Establish a basic validation protocol for satellite-derived volcanic ash cloud properties; 3. Document the strengths and weaknesses of different remote sensing approaches as a function of satellite sensor; 4. Standardize the units and quality flags associated with volcanic cloud geophysical parameters; 5. Provide recommendations to Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs) and other users on how to best to utilize quantitative satellite products in operations; 6. Create a "road map" for future volcanic ash related scientific developments and inter-comparison/validation activities that can also be applied to SO2 clouds and emergent volcanic clouds. Volcanic ash satellite remote sensing experts from operational and research organizations were encouraged to participate in the inter-comparison activity, to establish the plans for the inter-comparison and to submit data sets. RAL was contracted by EUMETSAT to perform a systematic inter-comparison of all submitted datasets and results were reported at the WMO International Volcanic Ash Inter-comparison Meeting to held on 29 June - 2 July 2015 in Madison, WI, USA (http:/ /cimss.ssec.wisc.edujmeetings/vol_ash14). 26 different data sets were submitted, from a range of passive imagers and spectrometers and
Intercomparison of Operational Ocean Forecasting Systems in the framework of GODAE
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hernandez, F.
One of the main benefits of the GODAE 10-year activity is the implementation of ocean forecasting systems in several countries. In 2008, several systems are operated routinely, at global or basin scale. Among them, the BLUElink (Australia), HYCOM (USA), MOVE/MRI.COM (Japan), Mercator (France), FOAM (United Kingdom), TOPAZ (Norway) and C-NOOFS (Canada) systems offered to demonstrate their operational feasibility by performing an intercomparison exercise during a three months period (February to April 2008). The objectives were: a) to show that operational ocean forecasting systems are operated routinely in different countries, and that they can interact; b) to perform in a similar way a scientific validation aimed to assess the quality of the ocean estimates, the performance, and forecasting capabilities of each system; and c) to learn from this intercomparison exercise to increase inter-operability and collaboration in real time. The intercomparison relies on the assessment strategy developed for the EU MERSEA project, where diagnostics over the global ocean have been revisited by the GODAE contributors. This approach, based on metrics, allow for each system: a) to verify if ocean estimates are consistent with the current general knowledge of the dynamics; and b) to evaluate the accuracy of delivered products, compared to space and in-situ observations. Using the same diagnostics also allows one to intercompare the results from each system consistently. Water masses and general circulation description by the different systems are consistent with WOA05 Levitus climatology. The large scale dynamics (tropical, subtropical and subpolar gyres ) are also correctly reproduced. At short scales, benefit of high resolution systems can be evidenced on the turbulent eddy field, in particular when compared to eddy kinetic energy deduced from satellite altimetry of drifter observations. Comparisons to high resolution SST products show some discrepancies on ocean surface
Results from 2010 Caliban Criticality Dosimetry Intercomparison
Veinot, K. G.
The external dosimetry program participated in a criticality dosimetry intercomparison conducted at the Caliban facility in Valduc, France in 2010. Representatives from the dosimetry and instrumentation groups were present during testing which included irradiations of whole-body beta/gamma (HBGT) and neutron thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), a fixed nuclear accident dosimeter (FNAD), electronic alarming dosimeters, and a humanoid phantom filled with reference man concentrations of sodium. This report reviews the testing procedures, preparations, irradiations, and presents results of the tests.
An intercomparison of airborne nitric acid measurements
Gregory, G.L.; Hoell, J.M. Jr.; LeBel, P.J.; Vay, S.A. ); Huebert, B.J. ); Van Bramer, S.E. ); Marinaro, R.M. ); Schiff, H.I.; Hastie, D.R. ); Mackay, G.I.; Karecki, D.R. )
Instruments intercompared included a denuder tube collection system (DENUDER) with chemiluminescent detection, a nylon filter collection system (FILTER) with ion chromatography detection, and a tunable diode laser (TDLAS) multipath absorption system. While results were somewhat soft and data sparse, these tests suggested that the TDLAS measurements might be high compared to the other techniques. Airborne intercomparisons were conducted predominantly in the free troposphere and included encounters with marine and continental air masses. While the intercomparisons included mixing ratios to 1,000 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), the majority of the results were for mixing ratios of <300 pptv. While the lack of simultaneous measurements from the three instruments limits the conclusions that can be drawn, it is clear that there can be substantial disagreement among the three techniques, even at mixing ratios above their respective detection limits. Equally clear is that at mixing ratios below 150 pptv there is very little correlation between their results. Based on these observations, an overall conclusion from the intercomparison is that none of the HNO{sub 3} techniques can be identified to unambiguously (e.g., 20% accuracy) provide measurements of HNO{sub 3} at levels often encountered in the free troposphere (e.g., 100 pptv). However, at the more elevated levels of HNO{sub 3} (e.g., >150 pptv), both the FILTER and DENUDER techniques reported the same levels of nitric acid, while as suggested by the results from the standards intercomparison, the TDLAS reported higher nitric acid values than the other two techniques.
Inter-comparison of subglacial hydrological models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de Fleurian, Basile; Werder, Mauro
The recent emergence of a number of subglacial hydrological models allows us to obtain theoretical insights on basal processes; for instance on the coupling between water pressure and the sliding of glaciers. In ice-flow models, it is relatively clear what the simulated physics ought to be. Conversely, the physical processes incorporated into subglacial hydrology models are diverse as it is yet unclear which ones are of relevance for a particular setting. An inter-comparison of hydrology models will therefore need a somewhat different approach to the one used in the many ice-flow model inter-comparisons (EISMINT, ISMIP, etc.). Here, we present a set of experiments that will allow the comparison of the behavior of different hydrology models. The design of the benchmark aims at allowing the participation of a wide range of models based on different physical approaches. We aim at evaluating the models with a focus on the effective pressure which has the most impact on the dynamics of glaciers. The aim of this inter-comparison is to provide modellers with the necessary data to make an informed decision on which subglacial hydrology model to use for a particular study.
The 1991 WMO ozone sonde intercomparison
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kerr, James B.; Mcelroy, C. Thomas; Fast, Hans; Oltmans, Sam J.; Lathrop, Jeff A.; Kyro, Esko; Paukkunen, Ari; Claude, Hans J.; Kohler, Ulf; Sreedharan, C. R.
The WMO ozone sonde intercomparison was held at Vanscoy, Saskatchewan from May 13 to May 24, 1991. The purpose of the intercomparison is to evaluate the performance of various ozone sonde types used operationally in the Global Ozone Observing System and to ensure that the accuracy and precision of the measurements are sufficient to detect long-term trends in stratospheric ozone. The intercomparison was sponsored by WMO and hosted by the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) of Canada. It was attended by scientists from six countries: Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Japan and USA. A total of 10 balloon payloads were launched each carrying 7 or 8 sondes for a total of 67 successful ozone sonde flights. The payloads were carried to altitudes between 35 and 40 km where the flights terminated by balloon burst. Results of the profile measurements made during the series of the profile measurements made during the series of flight are used to determine statistically meaningful evaluations of the different sonde types. A description of the payload and the different ozone sondes is given. Preliminary results of the profile measurements and an evaluation of the performance of the sonde types are presented.
Intercomparison of radiation protection instrumentation in a pulsed neutron field
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Caresana, M.; Denker, A.; Esposito, A.; Ferrarini, M.; Golnik, N.; Hohmann, E.; Leuschner, A.; Luszik-Bhadra, M.; Manessi, G.; Mayer, S.; Ott, K.; Röhrich, J.; Silari, M.; Trompier, F.; Volnhals, M.; Wielunski, M.
In the framework of the EURADOS working group 11, an intercomparison of active neutron survey meters was performed in a pulsed neutron field (PNF). The aim of the exercise was to evaluate the performances of various neutron instruments, including commercially available rem-counters, personal dosemeters and instrument prototypes. The measurements took place at the cyclotron of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH. The cyclotron is routinely used for proton therapy of ocular tumours, but an experimental area is also available. For the therapy the machine accelerates protons to 68 MeV. The interaction of the proton beam with a thick tungsten target produces a neutron field with energy up to about 60 MeV. One interesting feature of the cyclotron is that the beam can be delivered in bursts, with the possibility to modify in a simple and flexible way the burst length and the ion current. Through this possibility one can obtain radiation bursts of variable duration and intensity. All instruments were placed in a reference position and irradiated with neutrons delivered in bursts of different intensity. The analysis of the instrument response as a function of the burst charge (the total electric charge of the protons in the burst shot onto the tungsten target) permitted to assess for each device the dose underestimation due to the time structure of the radiation field. The personal neutron dosemeters were exposed on a standard PMMA slab phantom and the response linearity was evaluated.
The role of inter-comparisons in radiocarbon quality assurance
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Scott, Marian; Cook, Gordon; Naysmith, Philip
Radiocarbon dating is used widely in many geochronology projects as a basis for the creation and testing of chronological constructs. Radiocarbon measurements are by their nature complex and the degree of sample pre-treatment varies considerably depending on the material. Within the UK and Europe, there are a number of well-established laboratories and increasingly, scientists are not just commissioning new dates, but also using statistical modelling of assemblages of dates, perhaps measured in different laboratories, to provide formal date estimates for their investigations. The issue of comparability of measurements (and thus bias, accuracy and precision of measurement) from the diverse laboratories is one which has been the focus of some attention both within the 14C community and the wider user communities for some time. As a result of this but also as part of laboratory benchmarking and quality assurance, the 14C community has undertaken a wide-scale, far-reaching and evolving programme of inter-comparisons, to the benefit of laboratories and users alike. This paper presents the results from the most recent exercise SIRI. The objectives of SIRI included, through choice of material, to contribute to the discussion concerning laboratory offsets and error multipliers in the context of IntCal (the International Calibration Programme) and to gain a better understanding of differences in background derived from a range of infinite age material types.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ribisl, Paul M.
If exercise programs are to become effective in producing the desired results, then the correct exercise prescription must be applied. Four variables should be controlled in the prescription of exercise: (a) type of activity, (b) intensity, (c) duration, and (d) frequency. The long-term prescription of exercise involves the use of a (a) starter…
Design of the MISMIP+, ISOMIP+, and MISOMIP ice-sheet, ocean, and coupled ice sheet-ocean intercomparison projects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Asay-Davis, Xylar; Cornford, Stephen; Martin, Daniel; Gudmundsson, Hilmar; Holland, David; Holland, Denise
The MISMIP and MISMIP3D marine ice sheet model intercomparison exercises have become popular benchmarks, and several modeling groups have used them to show how their models compare to both analytical results and other models. Similarly, the ISOMIP (Ice Shelf-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project) experiments have acted as a proving ground for ocean models with sub-ice-shelf cavities.As coupled ice sheet-ocean models become available, an updated set of benchmark experiments is needed. To this end, we propose sequel experiments, MISMIP+ and ISOMIP+, with an end goal of coupling the two in a third intercomparison exercise, MISOMIP (the Marine Ice Sheet-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project). Like MISMIP3D, the MISMIP+ experiments take place in an idealized, three-dimensional setting and compare full 3D (Stokes) and reduced, hydrostatic models. Unlike the earlier exercises, the primary focus will be the response of models to sub-shelf melting. The chosen configuration features an ice shelf that experiences substantial lateral shear and buttresses the upstream ice, and so is well suited to melting experiments. Differences between the steady states of each model are minor compared to the response to melt-rate perturbations, reflecting typical real-world applications where parameters are chosen so that the initial states of all models tend to match observations. The three ISOMIP+ experiments have been designed to to make use of the same bedrock topography as MISMIP+ and using ice-shelf geometries from MISMIP+ results produced by the BISICLES ice-sheet model. The first two experiments use static ice-shelf geometries to simulate the evolution of ocean dynamics and resulting melt rates to a quasi-steady state when far-field forcing changes in either from cold to warm or from warm to cold states. The third experiment prescribes 200 years of dynamic ice-shelf geometry (with both retreating and advancing ice) based on a BISICLES simulation along with similar flips between warm and
The ENEA criticality accident dosimetry system: a contribution to the 2002 international intercomparison at the SILENE reactor.
Gualdrini, G; Bedogni, R; Fantuzzi, E; Mariotti, F
The present paper summarises the activity carried out at the ENEA Radiation Protection Institute for updating the methodologies employed for the evaluation of the neutron and photon dose to the exposed workers in case of a criticality accident, in the framework of the 'International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems' (Silène reactor, IRSN-CEA-Valduc June 2002). The evaluation of the neutron spectra and the neutron dosimetric quantities relies on activation detectors and on unfolding algorithms. Thermoluminescent detectors are employed for the gamma dose measurement. The work is aimed at accurately characterising the measurement system and, at the same time, testing the algorithms. Useful spectral information were included, based on Monte Carlo simulations, to take into account the potential accident scenarios of practical interest. All along this exercise intercomparison a particular attention was devoted to the 'traceability' of all the experimental and computational parameters and therefore, aimed at an easy treatment by the user. PMID:15353692
A US intercomparison of Josephson array voltage standards
Rodriguez, K.M.; Huntley, L.
Qualification of intrinsic standards is a problem for laboratory accreditation systems. Accredited laboratories must demonstrate that their intrinsic standards actually provide the accuracy claimed. Ten standards laboratories have participated in an intercomparison of their 10 Volt Josephson Array Standards. The intercomparison program is described and results are presented.
DOE Radiological Calibrations Intercomparison Program: Results of fiscal year 1987
Cummings, F.M.; McDonald, J.C.
This report presents the FY 1987 results of the radiological calibrations intercomparison program. The intercomparison operation is discussed, and the equipment is described, particularly the instrument set, the beta source set, and relevant calculations. Solutions to problems and improvements in the program are suggested, and conclusions are then introduced. 9 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.
VLBI Digital-Backend Intercomparison Test Report
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Whitney, Alan; Beaudoin, Christopher; Cappallo, Roger; Niell, Arthur; Petrachenko, Bill; Ruszczyk, Chester A.; Titus, Mike
Issues related to digital-backend (DBE) systems can be difficult to evaluate in either local tests or actual VLBI experiments. The 2nd DBE intercomparison workshop at Haystack Observatory on 25-26 October 2012 provided a forum to explicitly address validation and interoperability issues among independent global developers of DBE equipment. This special report discusses the workshop. It identifies DBE systems that were tested at the workshop, describes the test objectives and procedures, and reports and discusses the results of the testing.
Stratospheric Ozone Intercomparison Campaign (STOIC) 1989: Overview
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Margitan, J. J.; Barnes, R. A.; Brothers, G. B.; Butler, J.; Burris, J.; Connor, B. J.; Ferrare, R. A.; Kerr, J. B.; Komhyr, W. D.; McCormick, M. P.; McDermid, I. S.; McElroy, C. T.; McGee, T. J.; Miller, A. J.; Owens, M.; Parrish, A. D.; Parsons, C. L.; Torres, A. L.; Tsou, J. J.; Walsh, T. D.
The NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Program organized a Stratospheric Ozone Intercomparison Campaign (STOIC) held in July-August 1989 at the Table Mountain Facility (TMF) of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The primary instruments participating in this campaign were several that had been developed by NASA for the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change: the JPL ozone lidar at TMF, the Goddard Space Flight Center trailer-mounted ozone lidar which was moved to TMF for this comparison, and the Millitech/LaRC microwave radiometer. To assess the performance of these new instruments, a validation/intercomparison campaign was undertaken using established techniques: balloon ozonesondes launched by personnel from the Wallops Flight Facility and from NOAA Geophysical Monitoring for Climate Change (GMCC) (now Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory), a NOAA GMCC Dobson spectrophotometer, and a Brewer spectrometer from the Atmospheric Environment Service of Canada, both being used for column as well as Umkehr profile retrievals. All of these instruments were located at TMF and measurements were made as close together in time as possible to minimize atmospheric variability as a factor in the comparisons. Daytime rocket measurements of ozone were made by Wallops Flight Facility personnel using ROCOZ-A instruments launched from San Nicholas Island. The entire campaign was conducted as a blind intercomparison, with the investigators not seeing each others data until all data had been submitted to a referee and archived at the end of the 2-week period (July 20 to August 2, 1989). Satellite data were also obtained from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE 2) aboard the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) aboard Nimbus 7. An examination of the data has found excellent agreement among the techniques, especially in the 20- to 40-km range. As expected, there was little atmospheric variability during the
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3H And 90Sr In Urine Radiobioassay Intercomparison Results From The Intercomparison Studies Program At Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Statistical Analysis Of Laboratory Performance
Bores, Norman; Schultz, Michael K
The Intercomparison Studies Program (ISP) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN USA) provides natural-matrix human urine quality-assurance/quality-control (QA/QC) samples to radiobioassay analysis laboratories. Samples are provided to these laboratories as 'single-blind' or 'double-blind' unknowns, spiked with radioactive-solution standards at 'low' levels (e.g., 0.7-7 Bq g{sup -1} for {sup 3}H and 0.7-7 Bq kg{sup -1} for {sup 90}Sr). Participants use the results as a tool for self-evaluation and a measure of performance. In this paper, sample preparation and the results of testing during the years 2001-2005 for {sup 3}H and {sup 90}Sr are presented and discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schmitt, Natalie Crohn
In this article, Natalie Schmitt recalls her teaching experiences with morning exercise programs, beginning with her first teaching job as assistant Morning Exercise teacher at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. In the Morning Exercises, students were encouraged to employ all means of expression: speaking, drawing, dancing, singing, acting.…
Airborne intercomparison of nitric oxide measurement techniques
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hoell, James M., Jr.; Gregory, Gerald L.; Mcdougal, David S.; Torres, Arnold L.; Davis, Douglas D.
Results from an airborne intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of nitric oxide (NO) are discussed. The intercomparison was part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment and was conducted during missions flown in the fall of 1983 and spring of 1984. Instruments intercompared included a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) system and two chemiluminescence instruments (CL). NO mixing ratios from below 5 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) to greater than 100 pptv were reported, with the majority less than 20 pptv. Good correlation was observed between the measurements reported by the CL and LIF techniques. The general level of agreement observed for the ensemble of measurements obtained during the two missions provides the basis from which one can conclude that equally 'valid' measurements of background levels of NO can be expected from either CL or LIF instruments. At the same time the periods of disagreement that were observed between the CL and LIF instruments as well as between the two CL instruments highlight the difficulty of obtaining reliable measurements with NO mixing ratios in the 5-20 pptv range and emphasize the vigilance that should be maintained in future NO measurements.
Intercomparison of ozone measurements over Antarctica
Margitan, J.J.; Farmer, C.B.; Toon, G.C. ); Brothers, G.A. ); Browell, E.V.; Gregory, G.L.; Hypes, W.; Larsen, J.C.; McCormick, M.P. ); Cariolle, D. ); Coffey, M.T.; Mankin, W. ); Farman, J.C. ); Harder, J.W.; Mount, G.H.; Ravishankara, A.R.; Schemeltekopf, A.L.; Tuck, A.F. ); Hofmann, D.J. ); Ismail, S.; Kooi, S. ); Jakoubek, R.O.; Proffitt, M.H.; Wahner, A.; Watterson, I. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder ); Komhyr, W. (NOAA Air Resources La
Measurements of the abundances of ozone over Antarctic in August and September 1987 obtained during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment are intercompared. These measurements of ozone concentrations and total column abundance were obtained by three satellite instruments, two IR and one UV column-measuring instruments aboard the DC-8, one in situ DC-8, and two in situ ER-2 instruments, an upward looking lidar aboard the DC-8, and ozonesondes from four sites in Antarctica. Given the natural variability of ozone in the Antarctic and the fact that the data were not truly coincident spatially and temporally, this intercomparison is suitable only for identifying gross disparities among the techniques, rather than confirming the accuracies as rigorously as is normally done in an intercomparison. This paper presents a summary of the ozone data, using the data and accuracies given by the individual investigators in the individual papers in this issue, without any attempt to critically review or evaluate the data. In general, very good agreement (within about 10-20%, limited by natural variability) among the various techniques was found, with no systematic biases detected. These observations confirm the low ozone amounts reported in the Antarctic stratosphere.
The CEOS/WGCV LPV strategy for defining FAPAR inter-comparison and validation protocols
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gobron, N.; Sanchez-Azofeifa, A.; Widlowski, J.; Pickett Heaps, C.; Meroni, M.; Plummer, S.
The Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) has been recognized as one of the fundamental terrestrial state variables in the context of global change science [Steering Committee for GCOS, 2003]. It is a key quantity in models assessing vegetation primary productivity and, more generally, in carbon cycle models implementing up-to-date land surface processes schemes. For over a decade, several FAPAR products have been derived from various space-borne optical sensors using different algorithms. Even though the quality requirements of satellite derived FAPAR products are well defined and some inter-comparisons and validation exercises have been made by individual teams, none have involved the entire community. At the same time, there is no comprehensive database of ground-based measurements of FAPAR. Such a database would address problems such as assembling the needed vertical and horizontal fluxes separately for the direct and diffuse radiation, measured with the appropriate sampling step and at a spatial resolution compatible with the remote sensing products, for the same ambient conditions as those prevailing during the acquisition of the remote sensing data. The CEOS Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV) Land Product Validation (LPV) FAPAR sub-group hereby presents a strategy for defining and implementing a global inter-comparison and validation protocol for the FAPAR variable. This paper will consider various ways to perform the inter-comparisons, as well as to propose protocols for the verification of algorithms using synthetic data sets and for the validation of the products against ground-based measurements (Fluxnet, Belmanip2, NEON, TROPI-DRY and TERN).
Four absolute cavity radiometer (pyrheliometer) intercomparisons at New River, Arizona: radiometer standards
Estey, R.S.; Seaman, C.H.
Four detailed intercomparisons were made for a number of models of cavity-type self-calibrating radiometers (pyrheliometers). Each intercomparison consisted of simultaneous readings of pyrheliometers at 30-second intervals in runs of 10 minutes, with at least 15 runs per intercomparison. Twenty-seven instruments were in at least one intercomparison, and five were in all four. Summarized results and all raw data are provided from the intercomparisons.
Intercomparison of hydrologic processes in global climate models
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lau, W. K.-M.; Sud, Y. C.; Kim, J.-H.
In this report, we address the intercomparison of precipitation (P), evaporation (E), and surface hydrologic forcing (P-E) for 23 Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) general circulation models (GCM's) including relevant observations, over a variety of spatial and temporal scales. The intercomparison includes global and hemispheric means, latitudinal profiles, selected area means for the tropics and extratropics, ocean and land, respectively. In addition, we have computed anomaly pattern correlations among models and observations for different seasons, harmonic analysis for annual and semiannual cycles, and rain-rate frequency distribution. We also compare the joint influence of temperature and precipitation on local climate using the Koeppen climate classification scheme.
Czech results at criticality dosimetry intercomparison 2002.
Frantisek, Spurný; Jaroslav, Trousil
Two criticality dosimetry systems were tested by Czech participants during the intercomparison held in Valduc, France, June 2002. The first consisted of the thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) (Al-P glasses) and Si-diodes as passive neutron dosemeters. Second, it was studied to what extent the individual dosemeters used in the Czech routine personal dosimetry service can give a reliable estimation of criticality accident exposure. It was found that the first system furnishes quite reliable estimation of accidental doses. For routine individual dosimetry system, no important problems were encountered in the case of photon dosemeters (TLDs, film badge). For etched track detectors in contact with the 232Th or 235U-Al alloy, the track density saturation for the spark counting method limits the upper dose at approximately 1 Gy for neutrons with the energy >1 MeV. PMID:15353690
Intercomparison of measurements of stratospheric hydrogen fluoride
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mankin, William G.; Coffey, M. T.; Chance, K. V.; Traub, W. A.; Carli, B.; Mencaraglia, F.; Piccioli, S.; Farmer, C. B.; Seals, R. K.
Observations of the vertical profile of hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapor in the stratosphere and of the vertical column amounts of HF above certain altitudes were made using a variety of spectroscopic instruments in the 1982 and 1983 Balloon Intercomparison Campaigns. Both emission instruments working in the far-infrared spectral region and absorption instruments using solar occultation in the 2.5-micron region were employed. No systematic differences were seen in results from the two spectral regions. A mean profile from 20 - 45 km is presented, with uncertainties ranging from 20 to 50 percent. Total columns measured from ground and from 12 km are consistent with the profile if the mixing ratio for HF is small in the troposphere and low stratosphere.
Ozone measurements from the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Robbins, D.; Waters, J.; Zimmermann, P.; Jarnot, R.; Hardy, J.; Pickett, H.; Pollitt, S.; Traub, W.; Chance, K.; Louisnard, N.; Evans, W.; Kerr, J.
Measurements of the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign (BIC), conducted during fall, 1982 (BIC-1) and summer, 1983 (BIC-2), are reported. Results of five remote and two in situ techniques agree (with a few exceptions) within 95-percent confidence level uncertainties and generally within 15 percent above 20 km. Weighted mean profiles, which best represent conditions during the campaign, are used as a comparison standard. Accuracies of experiments indicated by BIC generally confirm estimated uncertainties for ECC sondes, UV photometry, and microwave emission experiments, are somewhat better for far-IR emission and IR absorption experiments, and are somewhat worse for IR emission and solar UV absorption experiments. The large collection of BIC measurements confirms a problem reported earlier with current theoretical modeling of ozone near 40 km.
The SPARC Intercomparison of Middle Atmosphere Climatologies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Randel, William; Fleming, Eric; Geller, Marvin; Gelman, Mel; Hamilton, Kevin; Karoly, David; Ortland, Dave; Pawson, Steve; Swinbank, Richard; Udelhofen, Petra
Our current confidence in 'observed' climatological winds and temperatures in the middle atmosphere (over altitudes approx. 10-80 km) is assessed by detailed intercomparisons of contemporary and historic data sets. These data sets include global meteorological analyses and assimilations, climatologies derived from research satellite measurements, and historical reference atmosphere circulation statistics. We also include comparisons with historical rocketsonde wind and temperature data, and with more recent lidar temperature measurements. The comparisons focus on a few basic circulation statistics, such as temperature, zonal wind, and eddy flux statistics. Special attention is focused on tropical winds and temperatures, where large differences exist among separate analyses. Assimilated data sets provide the most realistic tropical variability, but substantial differences exist among current schemes.
Inter-comparison of automatic rain gauges
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Nystuen, Jeffrey A.
The Ocean Acoustics Division (OAD) of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), in cooperation with NOAA/NESDIS and NASA, has deployed six rain gauges for calibration and intercomparison purposes. These instruments include: (1) a weighing rain gauge, (2) a RM Young Model 50202 capacitance rain gauge, (3) a ScTI ORG-705 (long path) optical rain gauge, (4) a ScTI ORG-105 (mini-ORG) optical rain gauge, (5) a Belfort Model 382 tipping bucket rain gauge, and (6) a Distromet RD-69 disdrometer. The system has been running continuously since July 1993. During this time period, roughly 150 events with maximum rainfall rate over 10 mm/hr and 25 events with maximum rainfall rates over 100 mm/hr have been recorded. All rain gauge types have performed well, with intercorrelations 0.9 or higher. However, limitations for each type of rain gauge have been observed.
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project - Phase 2
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haywood, Alan; Dowsett, Harry; Dolan, Aisling; Rowley, David; Abe-Ouchi, Ayako; Otto-Bliesner, Bette; Chandler, Mark; Hunter, Stephen; Lunt, Daniel; Pound, Matthew; Salzmann, Ulrich
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) is a co-ordinated international climate modelling initiative to study and understand climate and environments of the Late Pliocene, and their potential relevance in the context of future climate change. PlioMIP examines the consistency of model predictions in simulating Pliocene climate, and their ability to reproduce climate signals preserved by geological climate archives. Here we provide a description of the aim and objectives of the next phase of the model intercomparison project (PlioMIP Phase 2), and we present the experimental design and boundary conditions that will be utilised for climate model experiments in Phase 2. Following on from PlioMIP Phase 1, Phase 2 will continue to be a mechanism for sampling structural uncertainty within climate models. However, Phase 1 demonstrated the requirement to better understand boundary condition uncertainties as well as uncertainty in the methodologies used for data-model comparison. Therefore, our strategy for Phase 2 is to utilise state-of-the-art boundary conditions that have emerged over the last 5 years. These include a new palaeogeographic reconstruction, detailing ocean bathymetry and land/ice surface topography. The ice surface topography is built upon the lessons learned from offline ice sheet modelling studies. Land surface cover has been enhanced by recent additions of Pliocene soils and lakes. Atmospheric reconstructions of palaeo-CO2 are emerging on orbital timescales and these are also incorporated into PlioMIP Phase 2. New records of surface and sea surface temperature change are being produced that will be more temporally consistent with the boundary conditions and forcings used within models. Finally we have designed a suite of prioritized experiments that tackle issues surrounding the basic understanding of the Pliocene and its relevance in the context of future climate change in a discrete way.
PROCORAD's international intercomparisons highlight the evolution of techniques used to determine uranium in urine.
Berard, P; Montegue, A; Briot, F; Harduin, J C
Inter-laboratory tests are a means of assessing the analytical coherence of medical laboratories. In radiotoxicology, this kind of exercise makes it possible to keep up with laboratory know-how and with the evolution and relative performances of analytical techniques. The intercomparison exercises organised by PROCORAD (Association for the Promotion of Quality Controls in Radiotoxicological Bioassays) provide an opportunity to compare and contrast radiochemistry and metrology for the in vitro analysis of urine and faeces. For uranium compounds, the development of new techniques such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), alpha spectrometry, and laser spectrofluorimetry makes it possible to compare the effectiveness of these protocols with respect to radiation protection monitoring, both in routine and special situations. Detection limits, flexibility, repeatability, reproducibility and isotopic quantification are the criteria considered in this study. The authors present the evolution of performances for the analysis of uranium in urine over the years. However, the goal of the laboratories taking part in these annual exercises is not only to check the accuracy of their results but also to have analytical discussions and the opportunity to exchange experiences that will enrich the group's general competence. PMID:14527006
Intercomparison of UV/visible spectrometers for measurements of stratospheric NO2 for the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hofmann, David; Bonasoni, Paolo; de Maziere, Martine; Evangelisti, Franco; Giovanelli, Giorgio; Goldman, Aaron; Goutail, Florence; Harder, Jerald; Jakoubek, Roger; Johnston, Paul; Kerr, Jim; Matthews, W. Andrew; McElroy, Tom; McKenzie, Richard; Mount, George; Platt, Ulrich; Pommereau, Jean-Pierre; Sarkissian, Alain; Simon, Paul; Solomon, Susan; Stutz, Jochen; Thomas, Alan; van Roozendael, Michel; Wu, Edmund
During the period May 12-23, 1992, seven groups from seven countries met in Lauder, New Zealand, to intercompare their remote sensing instruments for the measurement of atmospheric column NO2 from the surface. The purpose of the intercomparison was to determine the degree of intercomparability and to qualify instruments for use in the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC). Three of the instruments which took part in the intercomparison are slated for deployment at primary NDSC sites. All instruments were successful in obtaining slant column NO2 amounts at sunrise and sunset on most of the 12 days of the intercomparison. The group as a whole was able to make measurements of the 90° solar zenith angle slant path NO2 column amount that agreed to about ±10% most of the time; however, the sensitivity of the individual measurements varied considerably. Part of the sensitivity problem for these measurements is the result of instrumentation, and part is related to the data analysis algorithms used. All groups learned a great deal from the intercomparison and improved their results considerably as a result of this exercise.
U.S. bioassay Intercomparison Studies Program at Oak Ridge National Lab
Payne, G.F.; Bores, N.; Melton, K.K.; Rankin, J.M.
The Intercomparison Studies Program (ISP) for in-vitro bioassay at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been in place since May 1991. The ISP was originally created to fill a need in the Radiobioassay area at ORNL, specifically in the areas of Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Performance Testing. In the beginning, this consisted of two or three laboratories working in a pilot intercomparison program. Once it was determined that this could work effectively, the program began to seek additional members to broaden the scope of the effort. The program became formalized with a quarterly report in January 1992. The ISP currently provides cross-check blind/double-blind samples spiked with known amounts of radioactivity to various Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, universities, and private industry organizations throughout the US. These samples can be packaged according to ORNL procedures (ORNL sample bottles, ORNL chain-of-custody forms, tamper seals etc.), for a single blind sample or according to the needs of a particular facility if the double-blind sample mode is to be maintained. In 1998, the customer base was broadened to include European facilities. In January 1993, the whole-body count program was added. This involves each participating facility receiving a block phantom from the ISP and determining a geometry factor using a known standard. At quarterly intervals, each participant receives an unknown sample for analysis. The sample is counted and the data is collected for publication in an annual report. In October 1994, the fecal program was added. This involves spiking an artificial matrix with known amounts of radioactivity. Laboratories receive unknown samples on a quarterly basis. The sample is counted and the data is collected and published in a quarterly report. The ISP maintains archive samples which can be analyzed in the QC laboratory at the request of any participants if a conflict or discrepancy in a sample analysis/result occurs.
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project - Phase 2
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haywood, Alan; Dowsett, Harry; Dolan, Aisling; Rowley, David; Abe-Ouchi, Ayako; Otto-Bliesner, Bette; Chandler, Mark; Lunt, Daniel; Salzmann, Ulrich
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) is a coordinated international climate modelling initiative designed to understand climate and environments of the Late Pliocene, and their potential relevance in the context of future climate change. PlioMIP operates under the umbrella of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP), which examines multiple intervals in Earth history, the consistency of model predictions in simulating these intervals and their ability to reproduce climate signals preserved in geological climate archives. PlioMIP was initiated in 2008 and is closely aligned with the U.S. Geological Survey project known as PRISM (Pliocene Research Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping). PRISM has spent more than 25 years reconstructing and understanding mid-Pliocene climate (~3.3 to 3 million years ago), as well producing boundary condition data sets suitable for use with numerical climate models. The first phase of the PlioMIP (PlioMIP1: 2008-2014) resulted in the most complete analysis to date of the Pliocene climate. This included examination of large-scale features of global climate, detailed analyses of Pliocene ocean circulation and monsoon behaviour, and the ability of models to reproduce regional climate patterns reconstructed from both marine and terrestrial archives. The lessons learned from PlioMIP1 facilitated a revision of data and modelling approaches towards the understanding of the mid Pliocene. PlioMIP2 has now been launched, and includes significant improvements to many of the Pliocene palaeogeograhic boundary conditions used for driving climate models (new land/sea mask, topography, bathymetry and ice sheet reconstructions). Within Phase 2 modelling groups have the option of using dynamic global vegetation models to predict (rather than prescribe) land cover, and a broader portfolio of model experiments has been proposed to support efforts to better understand the Pliocene, as well as to use the Pliocene as a means
Choudri, B S; Baawain, Mahad
Papers reviewed herein present a general overview of radioactive waste activities around the world in 2015. These include safety assessments, decommission and decontamination of nuclear facilities, fusion facilities, transportation and management solutions for the final disposal of low and high level radioactive wastes (LLW and HLW), interim storage and final disposal options for spent fuel (SF), and tritiated wastes, with a focus on environmental impacts due to the mobility of radionuclides in water, soil and ecosystem alongwith other progress made in the management of radioactive wastes. PMID:27620100
Choudri, B S; Baawain, Mahad
Papers reviewed herein present a general overview of radioactive waste activities around the world in 2014. These include safety assessments, decommission and decontamination of nuclear facilities, fusion facilities, transportation and management solutions for the final disposal of low and high level radioactive wastes (LLW and HLW), interim storage and final disposal options for spent fuel (SF), and tritiated wastes, with a focus on environmental impacts due to the mobility of radionuclides in water, soil and ecosystem alongwith other progress made in the management of radioactive wastes. PMID:26420096
Intercomparison of aerosol instruments: number concentration
Knutson, E O; Sinclair, D; Tu, K W; Hinchliffe, L; Franklin, H
An intercomparison of aerosol instruments conducted February 23-27, 1981, at the Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) focused on five instruments: the Pollak and TSI condensation nucleus counters; the Active Scattering Aerosol Spectrometer (ASAS-X); and two aerosol electrometers. Test aerosols of sodium chloride and ammonium fluorescein generated by nebulization/electrostatic classification were used to obtain 195 lines of comparison data. Concentrations measured by the ASAS-X and the TSI aerosol electrometer averaged respectively 1.388 and 1.581 times that measured by the Pollak. These ratios were very stable during the week and there was little effect of particle size or material. Most other comparisons were equally stable. However, a review of past work at EML and elsewhere led to the disturbing conclusion that these ratios may change from year to year, or from season to season. A filter sample was taken from microscopy, concurrent with readings from the ASAS-X and the TSI condensation nucleus counters. In this sample, the two instruments differed by 20%. Within its 20% uncertainty, the filter result matched both the TSI and ASAS-X readings.
Atmospheric model intercomparison project: Monsoon simulations
Sperber, K.R.; Palmer, T.N.
The simulation of monsoons, in particular the Indian summer monsoon, has proven to be a critical test of a general circulation model`s ability to simulate tropical climate and variability. The Monsoon Numerical Experimentation Group has begun to address questions regarding the predictability of monsoon extremes, in particular conditions associated with El Nino and La Nina conditions that tend to be associated with drought and flood conditions over the Indian subcontinent, through a series of seasonal integrations using analyzed initial conditions from successive days in 1987 and 1988. In this paper the authors present an analysis of simulations associated with the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP), a coordinated effort to simulate the 1979--1988 decade using standardized boundary conditions with approximately 30 atmospheric general circulation models. The 13 models analyzed to date are listed. Using monthly mean data from these simulations they have calculated indices of precipitation and wind shear in an effort to access the performance of the models over the course of the AMIP decade.
International Atomic Energy Agency intercomparison of ion beam analysis software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barradas, N. P.; Arstila, K.; Battistig, G.; Bianconi, M.; Dytlewski, N.; Jeynes, C.; Kótai, E.; Lulli, G.; Mayer, M.; Rauhala, E.; Szilágyi, E.; Thompson, M.
Ion beam analysis (IBA) includes a group of techniques for the determination of elemental concentration depth profiles of thin film materials. Often the final results rely on simulations, fits and calculations, made by dedicated codes written for specific techniques. Here we evaluate numerical codes dedicated to the analysis of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, non-Rutherford elastic backscattering spectrometry, elastic recoil detection analysis and non-resonant nuclear reaction analysis data. Several software packages have been presented and made available to the community. New codes regularly appear, and old codes continue to be used and occasionally updated and expanded. However, those codes have to date not been validated, or even compared to each other. Consequently, IBA practitioners use codes whose validity, correctness and accuracy have never been validated beyond the authors' efforts. In this work, we present the results of an IBA software intercomparison exercise, where seven different packages participated. These were DEPTH, GISA, DataFurnace (NDF), RBX, RUMP, SIMNRA (all analytical codes) and MCERD (a Monte Carlo code). In a first step, a series of simulations were defined, testing different capabilities of the codes, for fixed conditions. In a second step, a set of real experimental data were analysed. The main conclusion is that the codes perform well within the limits of their design, and that the largest differences in the results obtained are due to differences in the fundamental databases used (stopping power and scattering cross section). In particular, spectra can be calculated including Rutherford cross sections with screening, energy resolution convolutions including energy straggling, and pileup effects, with agreement between the codes available at the 0.1% level. This same agreement is also available for the non-RBS techniques. This agreement is not limited to calculation of spectra from particular structures with predetermined
A North American Mercury Model Intercomparison Study (NAMMIS) has been conducted to build upon the findings from previous mercury model intercomparison in Europe. In the absence of mercury measurement networks sufficient for model evaluation, model developers continue to rely on...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Onega, Ronald J.
Three problems in radioactive buildup and decay are presented and solved. Matrix algebra is used to solve the second problem. The third problem deals with flux depression and is solved by the use of differential equations. (LC)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Boettler, James L.
Describes the errors in the sugar-cube experiment related to radioactivity as described in Project Physics course. The discussion considers some of the steps overlooked in the experiment and generalizes the theory beyond the sugar-cube stage. (PS)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Herrmann, Richard A.
By concentrating radioactivity contained on luminous dials, a teacher can make a high reading source for classroom experiments on radiation. The preparation of the source and its uses are described. (DT)
Oberman, Albert
Persons at any age can substantially improve their fitness for work and play through appropriate exercise training. Considerable evidence indicates that physical activity is valuable for weight control, modifying lipids and improving carbohydrate tolerance. Less rigorous scientific data are available for associated long-term blood pressure and psychological changes with habitual exercise. Strenuous physical activity most likely reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease and the detrimental impact of certain chronic diseases on health. Adverse effects may result from a training program, but the major concern is the susceptibility to cardiovascular events during and immediately after exertion. To achieve optimal benefits with minimal risk, exercise must be carefully prescribed within the context of overall health and training objectives. Taken altogether, a distinct rationale exists for regular vigorous exercise as an integral part of a personal health maintenance program. PMID:6395501
... lungs. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, hiking, running, aerobic dance, biking, rowing, swimming, and cross-country ... Brisk walking can burn as many calories as running, but it is less likely to cause injuries ...
... diseases. Many teens who play sports have higher self-esteem than their less active pals, and exercise can ... may have a distorted body image and low self-esteem. They may see themselves as overweight or out ...
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rummel, J. A.; Sawin, C. F.; Michel, E. L.
The bicycle ergometer and a graded stress protocol were used to conduct exercise stress tests for the Apollo project. The graded exercise tests permitted a progressive evaluation of physiological control system response and provided a better understanding of safe stress limits; heart rate was used for determining stress levels. During each test, workload, heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory gas exchange (oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and minute volume) measurements were made. The results are presented and discussed.
Intercomparison of Hydrologic Processes in AMIP GCMs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lau, K.-M.; Sud, Y.; Kim, J. H.
Results of an intercomparison study under the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) to assess the abilities of 29 global climate models (GCMS) in simulating various aspects of regional and hydrologic processes in response to observed sea surface temperature and sea ice boundary forcings are presented. The authors find that the models generally portray an earthlike climate to approximately 10%-20% of the global land surface temperature (=14.8°C) and global precipitation (=2.3 mm day1). While a majority of the models have a reasonable global water budget, about a quarter of the models show significant errors in the total global water balance.While the model frequency distributions of heavy precipitation associated with deep convection are in reasonable agreement with observations, a systematic underestimate of the frequency of occurrence of light precipitation events (< 1 mm day1) is present in almost all the AMIP models, especially over continental desert regions and over tropical and subtropical oceanic regions contiguous to the west coasts of continents where low-level stratocumulus clouds tend to occur. This discrepancy is presumably related to the crude treatment of moist processes, especially those related to low clouds and nonconvective precipitation in the models. Another common problem in the global rainfall distribution is the presence of spectral rain or spurious gridpoint-scale heavy rain. The artificial anchoring of rainfall to topographic features in the Maritime Continent appears to be a generic problem in many GCMs. Models differ substantially in the magnitude of the rainfall amount over the eastern Pacific ITCZ for all seasons. The simulated boreal summer rainfall distributions have large variability over the Indian subcontinent and the Bay of Bengal. The northward migration of the monsoon convective zones are not well simulated. In particular, the Fast Asian monsoon rainband over the subtropical western Pacific is ill-defined or absent
Tenth ORNL Personnel Dosimetry Intercomparison Study
Swaja, R.E.; Chou, T.L.; Sims, C.S.; Greene, R.T.
The Tenth Personnel Dosimetry Intercomparison Study was conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory during April 9-11, 1984. Dosemeter badges from 31 participating organizations were mounted on 40cm Lucite phantoms and exposed to a range of dose equivalents which could be encountered during routine personnel monitoring in mixed radiation fields. The Health Physics Research Reactor served as the only source of radiation for eight of the ten irradiations which included a low (approx. 0.50 mSv) and high (approx. 10.00 mSv) neutron dose equivalent run for each of four shield conditions. Two irradiations were also conducted for which concrete- and Lucite-shield reactor irradiations were gamma-enhanced using a /sup 137/Cs source. Results indicated that some participants had difficulty obtaining measurable indication of neutron and gamma exposures at dose equivalents less than about 0.50 mSv and 0.20 mSv, respectively. Albedo dosemeters provided the best overall accuracy and precision for the neutron measurements. Direct interaction TLD systems showed significant variation in accuracy with incident spectrum, and threshold neutron dosemeters (film and recoil track) underestimated reference values by more than 50%. Gamma dose equivalents estimated in the mixed fields were higher than reference values with TL gamma dosemeters generally yielding more accurate results than film. Under the conditions of this study in which participants had information concerning exposure conditions and radiation field characteristics prior to dosemeter evaluation, only slightly more than half of all reported results met regulatory standards for neutron and gamma accuracy. 19 refs., 2 figs., 29 tabs.
Intercomparison Between Microwave Radiometer and Radiosonding Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Toanca, Florica; Stefan, Sabina
The aim of this study is to compare relative humidity and temperature vertical profiles measured by ground based Microwave Radiometer (MWR) RPG HATPRO installed at the Romanian Atmospheric Observatory (Magurele, 44.35 N, 26.03 E) and by radio-sounding (RS) (Baneasa, 44.30 N, 26.04 E) provided by National Meteorological Administration. MWR uses passive microwave detection in the 22.335 to 31.4 GHz and 51to 58 GHz bands to obtain the vertical profiles of temperature and relative humidity up to 10km with a temporal resolution of several minutes. The reliability of atmospheric temperature and relative humidity profiles retrieved continuously by the MWR for the winter and summer of year 2013 was studied. The study was conducted, comparing the temperature and humidity profiles from the MWR with the ones from the radio soundings at 0:00 a.m. Two datasets of the humidity show a fairly good agreement for the interval between ground and 1.5 km in the January month for winter and up to 2 km in the July month for summer. Above 2 km, for the both seasons, the humidity profiles present in most of the selected cases the same trend evolution. The temperature vertical profiles agreed in 95% of the cases during summer and 85% during winter. It is very important for intercomparison that for both seasons almost all temperature vertical profiles highlight temperature inversions. Two cases have been analyzed in order to find possible explanations for the discrepancies between vertical profiles, focusing on advantages and disadvantages of MWR measurements.
Intercomparison of statistical and dynamical downscaling models under the EURO- and MED-CORDEX initiative framework: present climate evaluations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vaittinada Ayar, Pradeebane; Vrac, Mathieu; Bastin, Sophie; Carreau, Julie; Déqué, Michel; Gallardo, Clemente
Given the coarse spatial resolution of General Circulation Models, finer scale projections of variables affected by local-scale processes such as precipitation are often needed to drive impacts models, for example in hydrology or ecology among other fields. This need for high-resolution data leads to apply projection techniques called downscaling. Downscaling can be performed according to two approaches: dynamical and statistical models. The latter approach is constituted by various statistical families conceptually different. If several studies have made some intercomparisons of existing downscaling models, none of them included all those families and approaches in a manner that all the models are equally considered. To this end, the present study conducts an intercomparison exercise under the EURO- and MED-CORDEX initiative hindcast framework. Six Statistical Downscaling Models (SDMs) and five Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are compared in terms of precipitation outputs. The downscaled simulations are driven by the ERAinterim reanalyses over the 1989-2008 period over a common area at 0.44° of resolution. The 11 models are evaluated according to four aspects of the precipitation: occurrence, intensity, as well as spatial and temporal properties. For each aspect, one or several indicators are computed to discriminate the models. The results indicate that marginal properties of rain occurrence and intensity are better modelled by stochastic and resampling-based SDMs, while spatial and temporal variability are better modelled by RCMs and resampling-based SDM. These general conclusions have to be considered with caution because they rely on the chosen indicators and could change when considering other specific criteria. The indicators suit specific purpose and therefore the model evaluation results depend on the end-users point of view and how they intend to use with model outputs. Nevertheless, building on previous intercomparison exercises, this study provides a
ARM/GCSS/SPARC TWP-ICE CRM Intercomparison Study
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Fridlind, Ann; Ackerman, Andrew; Petch, Jon; Field, Paul; Hill, Adrian; McFarquhar, Greg; Xie, Shaocheng; Zhang, Minghua
Specifications are provided for running a cloud-resolving model (CRM) and submitting results in a standardized format for inclusion in a n intercomparison study and archiving for public access. The simulated case study is based on measurements obtained during the 2006 Tropical Warm Pool - International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) led by the U. S. department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The modeling intercomparison study is based on objectives developed in concert with the Stratospheric Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) program and the GEWEX cloud system study (GCSS) program. The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) is a core project of the World Climate Research PRogramme (WCRP).
QUADOS intercomparison: a summary of photon and charged particle problems.
Gualdrini, G; Agosteo, S; Ménard, S; Price, R A; Chartier, J-L; Grosswendt, B; Kodeli, I; Leuthold, G P; Siebert, B R L; Tagziria, H; Tanner, R J; Terrissol, M; Zankl, M
QUADOS, a Concerted Action of the European Commission, has promoted an intercomparison aimed at evaluating the use of computational codes for dosimetry in radiation protection and medical physics. This intercomparison was open to all users of radiation transport codes. Eight problems were selected for their relevance to the radiation dosimetry community, five of which involved photon and proton transport. This paper focuses on the analysis of the photon and charged particle problems. The neutron problems were presented in a paper at the NEUDOS9 conference. PMID:16381790
Contribution towards statistical intercomparison of general circulation models
Sengupta, S.; Boyle, J.
The Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) of the World Climate Research Programme`s Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) is an ambitious attempt to comprehensively intercompare atmospheric General Circulation Models (GCMs). The participants in AMIP simulate the global atmosphere for the decade 1979 to 1988 using, a common solar constant and Carbon Dioxide(CO{sub 2}) concentration and a common monthly averaged sea surface temperature (SST) and sea ice data set. In this work we attempt to present a statistical framework to address the difficult task of model intercomparison and verification.
Intercomparison of Global Precipitation Products: The Third Precipitation Intercomparison Project (PIP-3)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Adler, Robert F.; Kidd, Christopher; Petty, Grant; Morrissey, Mark; Goodman, H. Michael; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)
A set of global, monthly rainfall products has been intercompared to understand the quality and utility of the estimates. The products include 25 observational (satellite-based), four model and two climatological products. The results of the intercomparison indicate a very large range (factor of two or three) of values when all products are considered. The range of values is reduced considerably when the set of observational products is limited to those considered quasi-standard. The model products do significantly poorer in the tropics, but are competitive with satellite-based fields in mid-latitudes over land. Over ocean, products are compared to frequency of precipitation from ship observations. The evaluation of the observational products point to merged data products (including rain gauge information) as providing the overall best results.
The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP): Progress and Preliminary Results
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenzweig, C.
The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is a distributed climate-scenario simulation exercise for historical model intercomparison and future climate change conditions with participation of multiple crop and agricultural trade modeling groups around the world. The goals of AgMIP are to improve substantially the characterization of risk of hunger and world food security due to climate change and to enhance adaptation capacity in both developing and developed countries. Recent progress and the current status of AgMIP will be presented, highlighting three areas of activity: preliminary results from crop pilot studies, outcomes from regional workshops, and emerging scientific challenges. AgMIP crop modeling efforts are being led by pilot studies, which have been established for wheat, maize, rice, and sugarcane. These crop-specific initiatives have proven instrumental in testing and contributing to AgMIP protocols, as well as creating preliminary results for aggregation and input to agricultural trade models. Regional workshops are being held to encourage collaborations and set research activities in motion for key agricultural areas. The first of these workshops was hosted by Embrapa and UNICAMP and held in Campinas, Brazil. Outcomes from this meeting have informed crop modeling research activities within South America, AgMIP protocols, and future regional workshops. Several scientific challenges have emerged and are currently being addressed by AgMIP researchers. Areas of particular interest include geospatial weather generation, ensemble methods for climate scenarios and crop models, spatial aggregation of field-scale yields to regional and global production, and characterization of future changes in climate variability.
The Agriculture Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) (Invited)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenzweig, C.
The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is a distributed climate-scenario simulation exercise for historical model intercomparison and future climate change conditions with participation of multiple crop and world agricultural trade modeling groups around the world. The goals of AgMIP are to improve substantially the characterization of risk of hunger and world food security due to climate change and to enhance adaptation capacity in both developing and developed countries. Historical period results will spur model improvement and interaction among major modeling groups, while future period results will lead directly to tests of adaptation and mitigation strategies across a range of scales. AgMIP will consist of a multi-scale impact assessment utilizing the latest methods for climate and agricultural scenario generation. Scenarios and modeling protocols will be distributed on the web, and multi-model results will be collated and analyzed to ensure the widest possible coverage of agricultural crops and regions. AgMIP will place regional changes in agricultural production in a global context that reflects new trading opportunities, imbalances, and shortages in world markets resulting from climate change and other driving forces for food supply. Such projections are essential inputs from the Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation (VIA) research community to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment (AR5), now underway, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. They will set the context for local-scale vulnerability and adaptation studies, supply test scenarios for national-scale development of trade policy instruments, provide critical information on changing supply and demand for water resources, and elucidate interactive effects of climate change and land use change. AgMIP will not only provide crucially-needed new global estimates of how climate change will affect food supply and hunger in the
Assessment of Remotely Sensed Land Surface Phenology Data for North America: Inter-comparison and Forecasting
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, G.; Ganguly, S.; White, M. A.; Nemani, R. R.; Hiatt, S. H.; Hashimoto, H.; Milesi, C.; Wang, W.; Michaelis, A.; Votava, P.; Melton, F. S.; Dungan, J. L.
Land surface phenology is widely used as a diagnostic of ecosystem response to global change and influences seasonal scale fluxes of water, energy, and carbon between the land surface and atmosphere. While many data sets related to plant phenology have been collected at specific sites or in networks focused on individual plants or plant species, a robust framework in classifying the ground phenological events to compare with remotely sensed phenology is lacking. In this research, we develop a methodology to compare the latest Collection 5 500m MODIS phenology data (cardinal dates corresponding to greenup, maturity, senescence and dormancy) with all available ground observed data for North America for the period 2001-2006. Inter-comparison results show that the MODIS phenology product performs well in capturing the "earliest events" corresponding to each of the phenological phases (e.g. budburst, first leaf, first leaf color change) of plant growth in a community. Of all the ground phenological stages, the leaf greenup events are best correlated to the MODIS greenup onset. Establishing confidence in the MODIS greenup onset data through our inter-comparison exercise and exploiting the long-term nature of the data set (2001-present) led us to build a seasonal phenology forecast model within the Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS) framework. The available MODIS greenup data serves as a training data to our climate based phenology forecast model. We parameterize the empirical model for each 500m pixel based on the relationship between local climate provided by TOPS and MODIS greenup. As a test case, we have predicted the greenup for 2010 spring by using the seasonal climate forecast data from NECP Climate Forecast System (CFS) to our forecast model. The phenology forecast portal is now available online, which provides a unique platform for community participation in monitoring local phenology forecast events and uploading observed phenological
Birden, J.H.; Jordan, K.C.
A radioactive battery which includes a capsule containing the active material and a thermopile associated therewith is presented. The capsule is both a shield to stop the radiations and thereby make the battery safe to use, and an energy conventer. The intense radioactive decay taking place inside is converted to useful heat at the capsule surface. The heat is conducted to the hot thermojunctions of a thermopile. The cold junctions of the thermopile are thermally insulated from the heat source, so that a temperature difference occurs between the hot and cold junctions, causing an electrical current of a constant magnitude to flow.
The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP).
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Meehl, Gerald A.; Boer, George J.; Covey, Curt; Latif, Mojib; Stouffer, Ronald J.
The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) was established to study and intercompare climate simulations made with coupled ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere-land GCMs. There are two main phases (CMIP1 and CMIP2), which study, respectively, 1) the ability of models to simulate current climate, and 2) model simulations of climate change due to an idealized change in forcing (a 1% per year CO2 increase). Results from a number of CMIP projects were reported at the first CMIP Workshop held in Melbourne, Australia, in October 1998. Some recent advances in global coupled modeling related to CMIP were also reported. Presentations were based on preliminary unpublished results. Key outcomes from the workshop were that 1) many observed aspects of climate variability are simulated in global coupled models including the North Atlantic oscillation and its linkages to North Atlantic SSTs, El Niño-like events, and monsoon interannual variability; 2) the amplitude of both high- and low-frequency global mean surface temperature variability in many global coupled models is less than that observed, with the former due in part to simulated ENSO in the models being generally weaker than observed, and the latter likely to be at least partially due to the uncertainty in the estimates of past radiative forcing; 3) an El Niño-like pattern in the mean SST response with greater surface warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific than the western equatorial Pacific is found by a number of models in global warming climate change experiments, but other models have a more spatially uniform or even a La Niña-like, response; 4) flux adjustment, by definition, improves the simulation of mean present-day climate over oceans, does not guarantee a drift-free climate, but can produce a stable base state in some models to enable very long term (1000 yr and longer) integrations-in these models it does not appear to have a major effect on model processes or model responses to increasing CO2; and 5) recent
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Anderson, Patrick L.; Amoroso, Michael T.
Viewgraphs on daily exercise routines are presented. Topics covered include: daily exercise and periodic stress testings; exercise equipment; physiological monitors; exercise protocols; physiological levels; equipment control; control systems; and fuzzy logic control.
Age and exercise ... It is never too late to start exercising. Exercise has benefits at any age. Don't worry ... as you age. The right kind of regular exercise can also reduce your risk of heart disease, ...
... Info For Teens Message Boards & Forums Donate Shop Exercise & Posture About Spondylitis / Exercise & Posture Overview For The ... Diet Blood Work and Spondylitis Spondylitis Awareness Month Exercise Exercise is an integral part of any spondylitis ...
Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction
... Conditions & Treatments ▸ Conditions Dictionary ▸ Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction Share | Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB) « Back to A to Z Listing Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction, (EIB), often known as exercise-induced ...
... medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000083.htm Diabetes and exercise To use the sharing features on this page, ... not exercising at all. Your Blood Sugar and Exercise Check your blood sugar before you exercise. Also, ...
... Divisions Home Health Insights Exercise Exercise at Home Exercise at Home Make an Appointment Ask a Question ... with the movement and contact your provider. Posture Exercises Better posture means better breathing and movement. Axial ...
Wheezing - exercise-induced; Reactive airway disease - exercise ... Having asthma symptoms when you exercise does not mean you cannot or should not exercise. But be aware of your EIA triggers. Cold or dry air may ...
Devarakonda, M.S.; Hickox, J.A.
This paper provides a review of literature published in 1995 on the subject of radioactive wastes. Topics covered include: national programs; waste repositories; mixed wastes; decontamination and decommissioning; remedial actions and treatment; and environmental occurrence and transport of radionuclides. 155 refs.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blaylock, B. G.
Presents a literature review of radioactive waste disposal, covering publications of 1976-77. Some of the studies included are: (1) high-level and long-lived wastes, and (2) release and burial of low-level wastes. A list of 42 references is also presented. (HM)
This paper describes the North American Mercury Model Inter-comparison Study (NAMMIS). The NAMMIS is an effort to apply atmospheric Hg models in a tightly constrained testing environment with a focus on North America. With each model using the same input data sets for initial co...
Evaluation of the annual Canadian biodosimetry network intercomparisons
Wilkins, Ruth C.; Beaton-Green, Lindsay A.; Lachapelle, Sylvie; Kutzner, Barbara C.; Ferrarotto, Catherine; Chauhan, Vinita; Marro, Leonora; Livingston, Gordon K.; Boulay Greene, Hillary; Flegal, Farrah N.
Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the importance of annual intercomparisons for maintaining the capacity and capabilities of a well-established biodosimetry network in conjunction with assessing efficient and effective analysis methods for emergency response. Materials and methods: Annual intercomparisons were conducted between laboratories in the Canadian National Biological Dosimetry Response Plan. Intercomparisons were performed over a six-year period and comprised of the shipment of 10–12 irradiated, blinded blood samples for analysis by each of the participating laboratories. Dose estimates were determined by each laboratory using the dicentric chromosome assay (conventional and QuickScan scoring) and where possible the cytokinesis block micronucleus (CBMN) assay. Dose estimates were returned to the lead laboratory for evaluation and comparison. Results: Individual laboratories performed comparably from year to year with only slight fluctuations in performance. Dose estimates using the dicentric chromosome assay were accurate about 80% of the time and the QuickScan method for scoring the dicentric chromosome assay was proven to reduce the time of analysis without having a significant effect on the dose estimates. Although analysis with the CBMN assay was comparable to QuickScan scoring with respect to speed, the accuracy of the dose estimates was greatly reduced. Conclusions: Annual intercomparisons are necessary to maintain a network of laboratories for emergency response biodosimetry as they evoke confidence in their capabilities. PMID:25670072
This abstract describes a poster on results to a laboratory intercomparison of organic aerosol speciation analysis to be presented at the 2006 International Aerosol Conference sponsored by the American Association for Aerosol Research in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 10-15. T...
Low-cost solar array project: Four absolute cavity radiometer (pyrheliometer) intercomparisons at New River, Arizona: Radiometer standards
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Estey, R. S.; Seaman, C. H.
Four detailed intercomparisons were made for a number of models of cavity-type self-calibrating radiometers (pyrheliometers). Each intercomparison consisted of simultaneous readings of pyrheliometers at 30-second intervals in runs of 10 minutes, with at least 15 runs per intercomparison. Twenty-seven instruments were in at least one intercomparison, and five were in all four. Summarized results and all raw data are provided from the intercomparisons.
Intercomparison of two comparative reactivity method instruments inf the Mediterranean basin during summer 2013
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zannoni, N.; Dusanter, S.; Gros, V.; Sarda Esteve, R.; Michoud, V.; Sinha, V.; Locoge, N.; Bonsang, B.
The hydroxyl radical (OH) plays a key role in the atmosphere, as it initiates most of the oxidation processes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and can ultimately lead to the formation of ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). There are still uncertainties associated with the OH budget assessed using current models of atmospheric chemistry and direct measurements of OH sources and sinks have proved to be valuable tools to improve our understanding of the OH chemistry. The total first order loss rate of OH, or total OH reactivity, can be directly measured using three different methods, such as the following: total OH loss rate measurement, laser-induced pump and probe technique and comparative reactivity method. Observations of total OH reactivity are usually coupled to individual measurements of reactive compounds in the gas phase, which are used to calculate the OH reactivity. Studies using the three methods have highlighted that a significant fraction of OH reactivity is often not explained by individually measured reactive compounds and could be associated to unmeasured or unknown chemical species. Therefore accurate and reproducible measurements of OH reactivity are required. The comparative reactivity method (CRM) has demonstrated to be an advantageous technique with an extensive range of applications, and for this reason it has been adopted by several research groups since its development. However, this method also requires careful corrections to derive ambient OH reactivity. Herein we present an intercomparison exercise of two CRM instruments, CRM-LSCE (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement) and CRM-MD (Mines Douai), conducted during July 2013 at the Mediterranean site of Ersa, Cape Corsica, France. The intercomparison exercise included tests to assess the corrections needed by the two instruments to process the raw data sets as well as OH reactivity observations. The observation was divided in three parts: 2 days of plant
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schaffner, Grant (Inventor); Bentley, Jason R. (Inventor); Loehr, James A. (Inventor); Gundo, Daniel P. (Inventor)
An apparatus and method for exercising whereby the user is supported by various mechanisms in such as way that the user's shoulder area is free to translate and rotate; the user's pelvic area is free to translate and rotate; or in any combination.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clowes, Darrel A.
Following a discussion of the factors to be considered in constructing feasible college budgets, an exercise in budget development is presented involving a hypothetical community college with 2,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, 500 in developmental education, 750 each in transfer and technical programs, and 500 undecided. Exercise…
Results of the NY-Alesund ozone measurements intercomparison NAOMI
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Steinbrecht, W.; Gross, M.; McGee, T.; Neuber, R.; Gathen, P. V. D.; Wahl, P.; Klein, U.; Langer, J.
Worldwide, about ten Differential Absorption Lidars are used for long-term monitoring of stratospheric ozone. These systems are an important component of the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change. Although DIALs are self-calibrating in principle, regular intercomparisons with other ozone-lidars, microwave radiometers or ozone-sondes are highly desirable to ensure high data quality at a well known level. The Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) validation policy suggests that such intercomparisons be "blind", meaning all participants submit their data to an impartial referee, without seeing results from the other participants. Here we report on the "blind" intercomparison taking place from January 20th to February 10th 1998 at Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen (78.92 deg N, 11.95 deg E). Participating groups were from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Potsdam, operating the NDSC DIAL system at Ny-Alesund, from the University of Bremen operating the NDSC microwave radiometer for ozone profiling at Ny-Alesund, and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center group with the "NDSC travelling standard" STROZ-LITE. The first author acted as the impartial referee. Also used for the intercomparison were data from ECC-6A/Vaisala RS80 ozone sondes routinely launched at Ny-Alesund by the AWI group. A 1% KI solution (3 ml) and the 1986 ECC pump correction (1.092 at 5 hPa) are used. The ECC-data were available to all participants during the campaign and thus were not "blind". Table 1 summarizes the expected performance of the instruments participating in the ozone intercomparison reported in this paper.
Intercomparison of Reanalyses Dynamic Variables in the Stratosphere: Results from the SPARC-Reanalysis Intercomparison Project
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fujiwara, M.; Long, C. S.; Zhang, L.
The Stratospheric-Tropospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC)-Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) is in the process of generating a multi-chapter report describing the thermal, dynamic, and chemical characteristics of the recent and past reanalyses. This presentation will focus on the basic characteristics of the thermal and dynamic variables (temperatures, heights, winds). In order to not favor any one particular reanalysis, an ensemble mean of the four most recent reanalyses [CFSR, MERRA, ERA-Interim, and the JRA55] has been created. Differences from this ensemble mean indicate how these four reanalyses and previous reanalyses differ in their long term climatology and time evolution of their dynamic variables at both poles and in the tropics. Differences from the ensemble mean indicate issues with how the analysis systems managed data poor time periods, consequences of bias correction, the transition from the SSU to AMSU observing systems, and differences in the annual amplitudes. The RMS of their differences over time indicates that there is an increase in their agreement from 1979 to present with greater agreement occurring in the AMSU time period.
Orthostasis: exercise and exercise training
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Geelen, G.; Greenleaf, J. E.
There are two major problems here that are not independent. One is the more practically oriented problem of determining the effect of various modes of exercise training on gravitational tolerances, i.e., the point of syncope (unconsciousness) usually estimated from the time of appearance of presyncopal signs and symptoms. The other is more theoretical and concerns the mechanism of blood pressure failure that results in syncope. In many experimental designs these two problems or purposes have been intermingled, with equivocal results.
Spectroradiometer Intercomparison and Impact on Characterizing Photovoltaic Device Performance: Preprint
Habte, A.; Andreas, A.; Ottoson, L.; Gueymard, C.; Fedor, G.; Fowler, S.; Peterson, J.; Naranen, E.; Kobashi, T.; Akiyama, A.; Takagi, S.
Indoor and outdoor testing of photovoltaic (PV) device performance requires the use of solar simulators and natural solar radiation, respectively. This performance characterization requires accurate knowledge of spectral irradiance distribution that is incident on the devices. Spectroradiometers are used to measure the spectral distribution of solar simulators and solar radiation. On September 17, 2013, a global spectral irradiance intercomparison using spectroradiometers was organized by the Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This paper presents highlights of the results of this first intercomparison, which will help to decrease systematic inter-laboratory differences in the measurements of the outputs or efficiencies of PV devices and harmonize laboratory experimental procedures.
The EWGRD Round Robin Measurement Exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thornton, D. A.; Wagemans, J.; Fernandes, A. C.; Girard, J. M.; Kis, D. P.; Klupák, V.; Mutnuru, R.; Philibert, H.; Rousseau, G.; Santos, J. P.; Serén, T.; Zsolnay, E. M.
This paper presents the results of a round robin exercise carried out to compare specific activity measurements performed by eight European organisations on a set of ten neutron activation detectors containing the radio-nuclides 110mAg, 60Co, 54Mn, 46Sc and 94Nb. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate the level of consistency between the participating organisations in blind tests of measurements relevant to reactor metrology. The samples used were selected from a stock of pre-existing irradiated material held at SCK•CEN. Taking turns over a period of approximately 9 months, the participating organisations received the samples, measured them and provided their results to an independent referee who collated and compared the data. The inter-comparison has demonstrated good agreement between the participants with standard deviations for each dosimeter varying between 1.6% and 3.1%. The paper provides results of the EWGRD Round Robin in an anonymised form together with discussion and conclusions which may be drawn from the exercise.
The WMO Field Intercomparison of Rain Intensity Gauges
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lanza, Luca G.; Vuerich, E.
The first Field Intercomparison of Rainfall Intensity (RI) gauges was organised by WMO (the World Meteorological Organisation) from October 2007 to April 2009 in Vigna di Valle, Rome (Italy). The campaign is held at the Centre of Meteorological Experimentations (ReSMA) of the Italian Meteorological Service. A group of 30 previously selected rain gauges based on different measuring principles are involved in the Intercomparison. Installation of the instruments in the field was preceded by the laboratory calibration of all submitted catching-type rain gauges at the University of Genoa. Additional meteorological sensors (ancillary information) and the observations and measurements performed by the Global Climate Observing System/Global Atmosphere Watch (GCOS/GAW) meteorological station of Vigna di Valle were analyzed as metadata. All catching-type gauges were tested after installation using a portable calibration device specifically developed at the University of Genoa, simulating an ordinary calibration inspection in the field. This paper is dedicated to the summary of preliminary results of the Intercomparison measurements. It offers a view on the main achievements expected from the Intercomparison in evaluating the performance of the instruments in field conditions. Comparison of several rain gauges demonstrated the possibility to evaluate the performance of RI gauges at one-minute resolution in time, as recommended by the WMO Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observations (WMO-CIMO). Results indicate that synchronised tipping-bucket rain gauges (TBR), using internal correction algorithms, and weighing gauges (WG) with improved dynamic stability and short step response are the most accurate gauges for one-minute RI measurements, since providing the lowest measurement uncertainty with respect to the assumed working reference.
Intercomparison of TCCON and MUSICA Water Vapour Products
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Weaver, D.; Strong, K.; Deutscher, N. M.; Schneider, M.; Blumenstock, T.; Robinson, J.; Notholt, J.; Sherlock, V.; Griffith, D. W. T.; Barthlott, S.; García, O. E.; Smale, D.; Palm, M.; Jones, N. B.; Hase, F.; Kivi, R.; Ramos, Y. G.; Yoshimura, K.; Sepúlveda, E.; Gómez-Peláez, Á. J.; Gisi, M.; Kohlhepp, R.; Warneke, T.; Dohe, S.; Wiegele, A.; Christner, E.; Lejeune, B.; Demoulin, P.
We present an intercomparison between the water vapour products from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and the MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water (MUSICA), two datasets from ground-based Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometers with good global representation. Where possible, comparisons to radiosondes are also included. The near-infrared TCCON measurements are optimized to provide precise monitoring of greenhouse gases for carbon cycle studies; however, TCCON's retrievals also produce water vapour products. The mid-infrared MUSICA products result from retrievals optimized to give precise and accurate information about H2O, HDO, and δD. The MUSICA water vapour products have been validated by extensive intercomparisons with H2O and δD in-situ measurements made from ground, radiosonde, and aircraft (Schneider et al. 2012, 2014), as well as by intercomparisons with satellite-based H2O and δD remote sensing measurements (Wiegele et al., 2014). This dataset provides a valuable reference point for other measurements of water vapour. This study is motivated by the limited intercomparisons performed for TCCON water vapour products and limited characterisation of their uncertainties. We compare MUSICA and TCCON products to assess the potential for TCCON measurements to contribute to studies of the water cycle, water vapour's role in climate and use as a tracer for atmospheric dynamics, and to evaluate the performance of climate models. The TCCON and MUSICA products result from measurements taken using the same FTIR instruments, enabling a comparison with constant instrumentation. The retrieval techniques differ, however, in their method and a priori information. We assess the impact of these differences and characterize the comparability of the TCCON and MUSICA datasets.
An Intercomparison of Airborne VOC and PAN Measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hansel, A.; Wisthaler, A.; Flocke, F.; Weinheimer, A.; Fall, R.; Goldan, P.; Hübler, G.; Fehsenfeld, F. C.
As part of the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS 2000) an informal airborne intercomparison has been conducted to evaluate the state-of-the-art of fast-response, in-situ methods for analyzing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). Instrumentation included a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS), the Tropospheric Airborne Chromatograph for Oxy-hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbons (TACOH) and a gas chromatograph for PAN detection using electron capture (GC/ECD). The measurements were made in the Greater Houston area and East Texas in August/September 2000 during 13 flights with the NSF/NCAR ELECTRA aircraft. The intercomparison was conducted mainly in the boundary layer but included some encounters with air masses from the free troposphere. Final results from the intercomparison show that measurements of acetaldehyde, isoprene, the sum\\textsuperscript{*} of acetone and propanal, the sum\\textsuperscript{*} methyl vinyl ketone and methacrolein (\\textsuperscript{*} PTR-MS does not distinguish between isobaric species) and toluene agree very well. Poor agreement was achieved in the case of methanol and the underlying sensitivity problem in the PTR-MS or TACOH system is under investigation. The results of the PAN intercomparison indicate that the PTR-MS technique suffered from an interference most likely associated with the presence of peracetic acid in photochemically aged air. If this interfering signal was traced by periodically inserting a selective PAN scrubber (thermal decomposition) into the sample air stream and subtracted from the original signal, the corrected PTR-MS PAN data are in very good agreement with the GC/ECD results.
Bootstrap-based intercomparison of regional flood estimation procedures
Ouarda, T.B.M.J.; Ashkar, F.
The present paper describes a methodology, based on the regional bootstrap procedure, for the intercomparison of some of the most frequently used regional flood frequency estimation models. The results of the application of this methodology, with Canadian flood data, for comparing the different regional estimation models are also presented. A regional model C{sub ij} = [DRH]{sub i} x [MER]{sub j} (i=1,...,L ; j=1,...,M) is obtained by combining a methodology for the delineation of homogeneous regions [DRH]{sub i} and a regional estimation method [MER]{sub j}. These regional models are compared with respect to their ability to provide reliable estimates of certain flood quantiles (floods with return periods of 10 and 100 years). Two types of bootstrapping have been applied within the framework of this project: the classical scalar bootstrap used in at-site estimation, and the vector (or regional) bootstrap procedure applied in the intercomparison between the different regional models. This last technique is illustrated with an example, and all the details of the procedure are presented. The performance indices that were employed for the purpose of the intercomparison are also detailed. One important feature of regional bootstrapping is that it preserves the regional dependence structure between annual flood values at the different sites of an {open_quote}homogeneous{close_quote} region. Three versions of the regional bootstrap algorithm are presented and applied to the three cases of estimation-regional estimation for ungauged sites, regional estimation for gauged sites with a short record, and at-site estimation. It will be shown how at-site estimates can be used as basis for the intercomparison between the regional models. Results of the application of the bootstrap procedure, with flood data from the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario, are presented in the final section of the paper.
Exercise and Compulsive Behavior.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Polivy, Janet; Clendenen, Vanessa
Although reports on the positive effects of fitness and exercise predominate in the exercise literature, some researchers describe frequent exercise as compulsive or addictive behavior. This paper addresses these "negative addictions" of exercise. As early as 1970, researchers recognized the addictive qualities of exercise. Short-term studies on…
EARLINET instrument intercomparison campaigns: overview on strategy and results
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wandinger, Ulla; Freudenthaler, Volker; Baars, Holger; Amodeo, Aldo; Engelmann, Ronny; Mattis, Ina; Groß, Silke; Pappalardo, Gelsomina; Giunta, Aldo; D'Amico, Giuseppe; Chaikovsky, Anatoli; Osipenko, Fiodor; Slesar, Alexander; Nicolae, Doina; Belegante, Livio; Talianu, Camelia; Serikov, Ilya; Linné, Holger; Jansen, Friedhelm; Apituley, Arnoud; Wilson, Keith M.; de Graaf, Martin; Trickl, Thomas; Giehl, Helmut; Adam, Mariana; Comerón, Adolfo; Muñoz-Porcar, Constantino; Rocadenbosch, Francesc; Sicard, Michaël; Tomás, Sergio; Lange, Diego; Kumar, Dhiraj; Pujadas, Manuel; Molero, Francisco; Fernández, Alfonso J.; Alados-Arboledas, Lucas; Bravo-Aranda, Juan Antonio; Navas-Guzmán, Francisco; Guerrero-Rascado, Juan Luis; José Granados-Muñoz, María; Preißler, Jana; Wagner, Frank; Gausa, Michael; Grigorov, Ivan; Stoyanov, Dimitar; Iarlori, Marco; Rizi, Vincenco; Spinelli, Nicola; Boselli, Antonella; Wang, Xuan; Lo Feudo, Teresa; Perrone, Maria Rita; De Tomasi, Ferdinando; Burlizzi, Pasquale
This paper introduces the recent European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) quality-assurance efforts at instrument level. Within two dedicated campaigns and five single-site intercomparison activities, 21 EARLINET systems from 18 EARLINET stations were intercompared between 2009 and 2013. A comprehensive strategy for campaign setup and data evaluation has been established. Eleven systems from nine EARLINET stations participated in the EARLINET Lidar Intercomparison 2009 (EARLI09). In this campaign, three reference systems were qualified which served as traveling standards thereafter. EARLINET systems from nine other stations have been compared against these reference systems since 2009. We present and discuss comparisons at signal and at product level from all campaigns for more than 100 individual measurement channels at the wavelengths of 355, 387, 532, and 607 nm. It is shown that in most cases, a very good agreement of the compared systems with the respective reference is obtained. Mean signal deviations in predefined height ranges are typically below ±2 %. Particle backscatter and extinction coefficients agree within ±2 × 10-4 km-1 sr-1 and ± 0.01 km-1, respectively, in most cases. For systems or channels that showed larger discrepancies, an in-depth analysis of deficiencies was performed and technical solutions and upgrades were proposed and realized. The intercomparisons have reinforced confidence in the EARLINET data quality and allowed us to draw conclusions on necessary system improvements for some instruments and to identify major challenges that need to be tackled in the future.
EARLINET instrument intercomparison campaigns: overview on strategy and results
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wandinger, U.; Freudenthaler, V.; Baars, H.; Amodeo, A.; Engelmann, R.; Mattis, I.; Groß, S.; Pappalardo, G.; Giunta, A.; D'Amico, G.; Chaikovsky, A.; Osipenko, F.; Slesar, A.; Nicolae, D.; Belegante, L.; Talianu, C.; Serikov, I.; Linné, H.; Jansen, F.; Apituley, A.; Wilson, K. M.; de Graaf, M.; Trickl, T.; Giehl, H.; Adam, M.; Comerón, A.; Muñoz, C.; Rocadenbosch, F.; Sicard, M.; Tomás, S.; Lange, D.; Kumar, D.; Pujadas, M.; Molero, F.; Fernández, A. J.; Alados-Arboledas, L.; Bravo-Aranda, J. A.; Navas-Guzmán, F.; Guerrero-Rascado, J. L.; Granados-Muñoz, M. J.; Preißler, J.; Wagner, F.; Gausa, M.; Grigorov, I.; Stoyanov, D.; Iarlori, M.; Rizi, V.; Spinelli, N.; Boselli, A.; Wang, X.; Lo Feudo, T.; Perrone, M. R.; De Tomasi, F.; Burlizzi, P.
This paper introduces the recent EARLINET quality-assurance efforts at instrument level. Within two dedicated campaigns and five single-site intercomparison activities 21 EARLINET systems from 18 EARLINET stations were intercompared between 2009 and 2013. A comprehensive strategy for campaign setup and data evaluation has been established. Eleven systems from nine EARLINET stations participated in the EARLINET Lidar Intercomparison 2009 (EARLI09). In this campaign, three reference systems were qualified which served as traveling standards thereafter. EARLINET systems from nine other stations have been compared against these reference systems since 2009. We present and discuss comparisons at signal and at product level from all campaigns for more than 100 individual measurement channels at the wavelengths of 355, 387, 532 and 607 nm. It is shown that in most cases a very good agreement of the compared systems with the respective reference is obtained. Mean signal deviations in pre-defined height ranges are typically below ±2 %. Particle backscatter and extinction coefficients agree within ±2 × 10-4 km-1 sr-1 and ± 0.01 km-1, respectively, in most cases. For systems or channels that showed larger discrepancies, an in-depth analysis of deficiences was performed and technical solutions and upgrades were proposed and realized. The intercomparisons have reinforced the confidence in the EARLINET data quality and allowed us to draw conclusions on necessary system improvements for some instruments and to identify major challenges that need to be tackled in the future.
Inter-comparison between AIRS and IASI through Retrieved Parameters
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Zhou, Daniel K.; Larar, Allen M.; Smith, William L.; Taylor, Jonathan P.; Schluessel, Peter; Strow, L. Larrabee; Mango, Steve
A State-of-the-art retrieval algorithm dealing with all-weather conditions has been applied to satellite/aircraft instruments retrieving cloud/surface and atmospheric conditions. High quality retrievals have been achieved from IASI data. Surface, cloud, and atmospheric structure and variation are well captured by IASI measurements and/or retrievals. The same retrieval algorithm is also applied to AIRS for retrieval inter-comparison. Both AIRS and IASI have a similar FOV size but AIRS has a higher horizontal resolution. AIRS data can be interpolated to IASI horizontal resolution for inter-comparison at the same geophysical locations, however a temporal variation between AIRS and IASI observations need to be considered. JAIVEx has employed aircraft to obtain the atmospheric variation filling the temporal gap between two satellites. First results show that both AIRS and IASI have a very similar vertical resolving power, atmospheric conditions are well captured by both instruments, and radiances are well calibrated. AIRS data shown in retrievals (e.g., surface emissivity and moisture) have a relatively higher noise level. Since the this type of retrieval is very sensitive to its radiance quality, retrieval products inter-comparison is an effective way to identify/compare their radiance quality, in terms of a combination of spectral resolution and noise level, and to assess instrument performance. Additional validation analyses are needed to provide more-definitive conclusions.
GABLS4: a model intercomparison study in extremely stable conditions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bazile, Eric; Le Moigne, Patrick; Couvreux, Fleur
In polar regions and under stable stratifications, models presents large biases that are dependent upon the parametrizations used for the surface and boundary layers (Holtslag et al., 2013). The GABLS4 inter-comparison, launched in summer 2014, aims to study the diurnal cycles over the Antarctic Plateau, focussing on the boundary layer characteristics and the coupling with the surface in strong stability. For this, the observation site of Dome C on the Antarctic Plateau was chosen mainly for two reasons: the availability of the on-site measurements from a 45-m tower and a homogeneous surface with a low conductivity such as snow on a flat topography. The inter-comparison will consist of 3 inter-comparisons : Single Column Model (SCM), Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and land-snow model (LSM). It is organized in two steps. The first one is dedicated to the LSM and the SCM with an interactive surface (snow) scheme. Then, in the second one, the observed surface temperature will be prescribed in the SCM and in the LES models. A large variability in surface fluxes was highlighted in all types of simulations with variations about 30W/m2 during daytime and night-time which is about 100% of the ensemble mean value. After a rapid overview of the setup, we will focus on the SCM results and how the results are sensitive to the surface characteristics and the vertical resolution.
Aflatoxin B1 in peanut meal reference materials: intercomparisons of methods.
Van Egmond, H P; Wagstaffe, P J
The Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) is preparing a series of animal feed reference materials to provide a basis for analytical quality assurance for aflatoxin B1 analysis, a problem of particular importance in view of Community legislation. Before reference values can be assigned to the reference materials the major errors in the underlying measurements must be identified and reduced. This paper presents the results of two intercomparison exercises involving some 20 European laboratories who applied a wide variety of analytical methods. It is shown that the major source of error and discrepancy is connected with incomplete extraction and/or losses during clean-up and that, provided correction for recovery/background interference is made, many methods can achieve acceptable accuracy. Sources of error and their control are discussed, and essential details of the methods used are presented. It is concluded that analytical QA is more important than the use of standardized methods when a high degree of accuracy and comparability are required. PMID:2498137
The NDSC ozone and temperature lidar alogorithm intercomparison ubutuatuve (A2I): project overview
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
LeBlanc, Thierry; McDermid, Iain S.; Von der Gathen, P.; Neuber, R.; Muller, M.; Immler, F.; Schrems, O.; Stebel, K.; Hansen, G.; Steinbrecht, W.; Claude, H.; Pazmino, A.; Godin-Beekmann, S.; Ancellet, G.; Baray, P. L.; Bencherif, H.; Meijer, Y.; Swart, D.; Twigg, L.; Thayer, J.; Livingston, J.; Kekchut, P.; Hauchecorne, A.; Barnes, J. E.
In September 2003, the Lidar Working Group (LWG) of the Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) initiated an extensive project to compare the ozone and temperature algorithms used within NDSC. This initiative, referred to later as Algorithm Intercomparison Initiative (A2I), uses simulated lidar signals to test and compare various parts of the ozone and temperature lidar algorithms. In addition to the fact that it meets the requirement of the NDSC protocols, this exercise allows the detailed assessment, by all the participants, of some of the sources and magnitudes of various uncertainties associated with the algorithms, and/or with the theoretical assumptions made in these algorithms. The outcome of the A21 is to try to find common grounds in the way ozone and temperature can be retrieved in order to reduce and possibly eradicate discrepancies due to algorithm issues alone. Specific issues such as homogenizing the choice of Rayleigh extinction cross-sections, ozone absorption cross-sections, a priori information, and the definition of the vertical resolutions are among the primary targets of the A21 outcome.
Intercomparison of active and passive instruments for radon and radon progeny in North America
George, A.C.; Tu, Keng-Wu; Knutson, E.O.
An intercomparison exercise for radon and radon progeny instruments and methods was held at the Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) from April 22--May 2, 1994. The exercise was conducted in the new EML radon test and calibration facility in which conditions of exposure are very well controlled. The detection systems of the intercompared instruments consisted of. (1) pulse ionization chambers, (2) electret ionization chambers, (3) scintillation detectors, (4) alpha particle spectrometers with silicon diodes, surface barrier or diffused junction detectors, (5) registration of nuclear tracks in solid-state materials, and (6) activated carbon collectors counted by gamma-ray spectrometry or by alpha- and beta-liquid scintillation counting. 23 private firms, government laboratories and universities participated with a 165 passive integrating devices consisting of: Activated carbon collectors, nuclear alpha track detectors and electret ionization chambers, and 11 active and passive continuous radon monitors. Five portable integrating and continuous instruments were intercompared for radon progeny. Forty grab samples for radon progeny were taken by five groups that participated in person to test and evaluate their primary instruments and methods that measure individual radon progeny and the potential alpha energy concentration (PAEC) in indoor air. Results indicate that more than 80% of the measurements for radon performed with a variety of instruments, are within {plus_minus}10% of actual value. The majority of the instruments that measure individual radon progeny and the PAEC gave results that are in good agreement with the EML reference value. Radon progeny measurements made with continuous and integrating instruments are satisfactory with room for improvement.
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Analysis of UK and European NOx and VOC emission scenarios in the Defra model intercomparison exercise
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Derwent, Richard; Beevers, Sean; Chemel, Charles; Cooke, Sally; Francis, Xavier; Fraser, Andrea; Heal, Mathew R.; Kitwiroon, Nutthida; Lingard, Justin; Redington, Alison; Sokhi, Ranjeet; Vieno, Massimo
Simple emission scenarios have been implemented in eight United Kingdom air quality models with the aim of assessing how these models compared when addressing whether photochemical ozone formation in southern England was NOx- or VOC-sensitive and whether ozone precursor sources in the UK or in the Rest of Europe (RoE) were the most important during July 2006. The suite of models included three Eulerian-grid models (three implementations of one of these models), a Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model and two moving box air parcel models. The assignments as to NOx- or VOC-sensitive and to UK- versus RoE-dominant, turned out to be highly variable and often contradictory between the individual models. However, when the assignments were filtered by model performance on each day, many of the contradictions could be eliminated. Nevertheless, no one model was found to be the 'best' model on all days, indicating that no single air quality model could currently be relied upon to inform policymakers robustly in terms of NOx- versus VOC-sensitivity and UK- versus RoE-dominance on each day. It is important to maintain a diversity in model approaches.
Anisn-Dort Neutron-Gamma Flux Intercomparison Exercise for a Simple Testing Model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boehmer, B.; Konheiser, J.; Borodkin, G.; Brodkin, E.; Egorov, A.; Kozhevnikov, A.; Zaritsky, S.; Manturov, G.; Voloschenko, A.
The ability of transport codes ANISN, DORT, ROZ-6, MCNP and TRAMO, as well as nuclear data libraries BUGLE-96, ABBN-93, VITAMIN-B6 and ENDF/B-6 to deliver consistent gamma and neutron flux results was tested in the calculation of a one-dimensional cylindrical model consisting of a homogeneous core and an outer zone with a single material. Model variants with H2O, Fe, Cr and Ni in the outer zones were investigated. The results are compared with MCNP-ENDF/B-6 results. Discrepancies are discussed. The specified test model is proposed as a computational benchmark for testing calculation codes and data libraries.
Exercise countermeasures for spaceflight.
Convertino, V A; Sandler, H
The authors present a physiological basis for the use of exercise as a weightlessness countermeasure, outline special considerations for the development of exercise countermeasures, review and evaluate exercise used during space flight, and provide new approaches and concepts for the implementation of novel exercise countermeasures for future space flight. The discussion of the physiological basis for countermeasures examines maximal oxygen uptake, blood volume, metabolic responses to work, muscle function, bone loss, and orthostatic instability. The discussion of considerations for exercise prescriptions during space flight includes operational considerations, type of exercise, fitness considerations, age and gender, and psychological considerations. The discussion of exercise currently used in space flight examines cycle ergometry, the treadmill, strength training devices, electrical stimulation, and the Penguin suit worn by Russian crews. New approaches to exercise countermeasures include twin bicycles, dynamic resistance exercisers, maximal exercise effects, grasim (gravity simulators), and the relationship between exercise and LBNP. PMID:11541470
The Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison (GGCMI) (Invited)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Elliott, J. W.
In 2012 AgMIP led a Global Gridded Crop Model (GGCM) Intercomparison fast-track project in coordination with the PIK-led Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP). This fast-track included 7 GGCMs and updated the state of knowledge on climate change vulnerabilities and impacts using modern global high-resolution models driven by climate model output from CMIP5. This fast-track culminated with the January 31st submission of 6 papers to a PNAS special issue. Initial results indicate the potential of global gridded crop model simulations and the need to further improve understanding of mechanisms, assumptions, and uncertainties of model design and execution; these are best addressed in a coordinated model intercomparison project at continental and global scale. In Spring 2013, we developed a new set of protocols for the next phase of the GGCMI, which will run for 3 years and include 3 overlapping stages of increasing duration: 1) Historical simulation and model evaluation 2) Analysis of model sensitivity to CTWN (carbon, temperature, water, and nitrogen) 3) Coordinated regional and global climate assessment In this talk we will summarize some key finding from the 2012 fast-track assessment and present preliminary results from Phase 2.1: Historical simulation and model evaluation. In this stage, models are being run using various observation and reanalysis-based historical weather products so that they can be evaluated over the historical period globally and in various key interest regions, so that inter-model differences can be compared against the variation induced by the choice of historical data product, and so that historical extreme events can be evaluated in a multi-model framework. The project currently includes 17 modeling groups from 11 countries, along with several other major data partners, and simulations are being performed over the Summer and Fall of 2013.
Global Intercomparison of 12 Land Surface Heat Flux Estimates
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jimenez, C.; Prigent, C.; Mueller, B.; Seneviratne, S. I.; McCabe, M. F.; Wood, E. F.; Rossow, W. B.; Balsamo, G.; Betts, A. K.; Dirmeyer, P. A.; Fisher, J. B.; Jung, M.; Kanamitsu, M.; Reichle, R. H.; Reichstein, M.; Rodell, M.; Sheffield, J.; Tu, K.; Wang, K.
A global intercomparison of 12 monthly mean land surface heat flux products for the period 1993-1995 is presented. The intercomparison includes some of the first emerging global satellite-based products (developed at Paris Observatory, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, University of California Berkeley, University of Maryland, and Princeton University) and examples of fluxes produced by reanalyses (ERA-Interim, MERRA, NCEP-DOE) and off-line land surface models (GSWP-2, GLDAS CLM/ Mosaic/Noah). An intercomparison of the global latent heat flux (Q(sub le)) annual means shows a spread of approx 20 W/sq m (all-product global average of approx 45 W/sq m). A similar spread is observed for the sensible (Q(sub h)) and net radiative (R(sub n)) fluxes. In general, the products correlate well with each other, helped by the large seasonal variability and common forcing data for some of the products. Expected spatial distributions related to the major climatic regimes and geographical features are reproduced by all products. Nevertheless, large Q(sub le)and Q(sub h) absolute differences are also observed. The fluxes were spatially averaged for 10 vegetation classes. The larger Q(sub le) differences were observed for the rain forest but, when normalized by mean fluxes, the differences were comparable to other classes. In general, the correlations between Q(sub le) and R(sub n) were higher for the satellite-based products compared with the reanalyses and off-line models. The fluxes were also averaged for 10 selected basins. The seasonality was generally well captured by all products, but large differences in the flux partitioning were observed for some products and basins.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Elrick, Harold
Suggests that exercise should be the first-line therapy for preventing and treating many common diseases; however, physicians need more training in how best to use exercise therapy. The paper explains the power of exercise and discusses how to motivate individuals to start safe, enjoyable, and life-saving exercise routines. (SM)
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An intercomparison of hydrological network-design technologies
Moss, M.E.; Tasker, Gary D.
Two network-design technologies are compared by random sub-sampling of actual streamflow data. The technologies Network Analysis for Regional Information (NARI) and Network Analysis Using Generalized Least Squares (NAUGLS), have a common objective, viz. to maximize regional information within a limited budget and time horizon. The data used for intercomparison are from a network of 146 streamgauges in the central part of the USA. In general, the results for the illustrative example indicate that the NAUGLS method conveys more information than the NARI method to the network designer interested in maximizing regional information about mean annual flows with a limited budget. -Authors
Atmospheric measurements of total OH reactivity: Intercomparison of the pump-probe technique and the comparative reactivity method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dusanter, Sebastien; Hansen, Robert; Leonardis, Thierry; Schoemaecker, Coralie; Blocquet, Marion; Fittschen, Christa; Hanoune, Benjamin; Sinha, Vinayak; Stevens, Philip; Locoge, Nadine
The hydroxyl radical (OH) drives the oxidation of organic trace gases that can lead to the production of ozone and secondary organic aerosols in the atmosphere. A complete understanding of the sources and sinks of OH is therefore important to address issues related to both air quality and climate change. However, recent measurements of total OH reactivity [1-2], which is the inverse of the OH lifetime, have pointed out that our understanding of OH sinks is still incomplete and important reactive trace gases have not yet been identified. These measurements of total OH reactivity are of particular interest since they provide a critical test of our understanding of the OH budget. Three techniques are available to measure the total OH reactivity, including the total OH loss rate method [3], the pump-probe method [4], and the comparative reactivity method (CRM) [5]. While the first two methods are based on direct measurements of OH decays using laser-induced fluorescence instruments, the CRM is based on a different approach in which a tracer molecule is detected instead of OH to determine the ambient OH loss rate. As these instruments were deployed in different field campaigns, intercomparison exercises would be useful to ensure the accuracy of the measurements. However, such intercomparisons have not yet been published. An informal intercomparison involving a CRM instrument from the Ecole des Mines de Douai (EMD) and a pump-probe instrument from the laboratory Physicochimie des Processus de Combustion et de l'Atmosphere (PC2A) took place in an urban environment at the university of Lille (France). The two OH reactivity instruments measured continuously side by side for a duration of two weeks. Collocated measurements of trace gases were also performed using O3, NOx and SO2 monitors, as well as two automated chromatographic instruments capable of measuring more than 50 volatile organic compounds (VOC). We will present cross calibrations of the two OH reactivity
The T-REX valley wind intercomparison project
Schmidli, J; Billings, B J; Burton, R; Chow, F K; De Wekker, S; Doyle, J D; Grubisic, V; Holt, T R; Jiang, Q; Lundquist, K A; Ross, A N; Sheridan, P; Vosper, S; Whiteman, C D; Wyszogrodzki, A A; Zaengl, G; Zhong, S
An accurate simulation of the evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer is very important, as the evolution of the boundary layer sets the stage for many weather phenomena, such as deep convection. Over mountain areas the evolution of the boundary layer is particularly complex, due to the nonlinear interaction between boundary layer turbulence and thermally-induced mesoscale wind systems, such as the slope and valley winds. As the horizontal resolution of operational forecasts progresses to finer and finer resolution, more and more of the thermally-induced mesoscale wind systems can be explicitly resolved, and it is very timely to document the current state-of-the-art of mesoscale models at simulating the coupled evolution of the mountain boundary layer and the valley wind system. In this paper we present an intercomparison of valley wind simulations for an idealized valley-plain configuration using eight state-of-the-art mesoscale models with a grid spacing of 1 km. Different sets of three-dimensional simulations are used to explore the effects of varying model dynamical cores and physical parameterizations. This intercomparison project was conducted as part of the Terrain-induced Rotor Experiment (T-REX; Grubisic et al., 2008).
An overview of sensor calibration inter-comparison and applications
Xiong, Xiaoxiong; Cao, Changyong; Chander, Gyanesh
Long-term climate data records (CDR) are often constructed using observations made by multiple Earth observing sensors over a broad range of spectra and a large scale in both time and space. These sensors can be of the same or different types operated on the same or different platforms. They can be developed and built with different technologies and are likely operated over different time spans. It has been known that the uncertainty of climate models and data records depends not only on the calibration quality (accuracy and stability) of individual sensors, but also on their calibration consistency across instruments and platforms. Therefore, sensor calibration inter-comparison and validation have become increasingly demanding and will continue to play an important role for a better understanding of the science product quality. This paper provides an overview of different methodologies, which have been successfully applied for sensor calibration inter-comparison. Specific examples using different sensors, including MODIS, AVHRR, and ETM+, are presented to illustrate the implementation of these methodologies.
IPRT polarized radiative transfer model intercomparison project - Phase A
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Emde, Claudia; Barlakas, Vasileios; Cornet, Céline; Evans, Frank; Korkin, Sergey; Ota, Yoshifumi; Labonnote, Laurent C.; Lyapustin, Alexei; Macke, Andreas; Mayer, Bernhard; Wendisch, Manfred
The polarization state of electromagnetic radiation scattered by atmospheric particles such as aerosols, cloud droplets, or ice crystals contains much more information about the optical and microphysical properties than the total intensity alone. For this reason an increasing number of polarimetric observations are performed from space, from the ground and from aircraft. Polarized radiative transfer models are required to interpret and analyse these measurements and to develop retrieval algorithms exploiting polarimetric observations. In the last years a large number of new codes have been developed, mostly for specific applications. Benchmark results are available for specific cases, but not for more sophisticated scenarios including polarized surface reflection and multi-layer atmospheres. The International Polarized Radiative Transfer (IPRT) working group of the International Radiation Commission (IRC) has initiated a model intercomparison project in order to fill this gap. This paper presents the results of the first phase A of the IPRT project which includes ten test cases, from simple setups with only one layer and Rayleigh scattering to rather sophisticated setups with a cloud embedded in a standard atmosphere above an ocean surface. All scenarios in the first phase A of the intercomparison project are for a one-dimensional plane-parallel model geometry. The commonly established benchmark results are available at the IPRT website.
Proxy benchmarks for intercomparison of 8.2 ka simulations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Morrill, C.; Anderson, D. M.; Bauer, B. A.; Buckner, R.; Gille, E. P.; Gross, W. S.; Hartman, M.; Shah, A.
The Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP3) now includes the 8.2 ka event as a test of model sensitivity to North Atlantic freshwater forcing. To provide benchmarks for intercomparison, we compiled and analyzed high-resolution records spanning this event. Two previously-described anomaly patterns that emerge are cooling around the North Atlantic and drier conditions in the Northern Hemisphere tropics. Newer to this compilation are more robustly-defined wetter conditions in the Southern Hemisphere tropics and regionally-limited warming in the Southern Hemisphere. Most anomalies around the globe lasted on the order of 100 to 150 yr. More quantitative reconstructions are now available and indicate cooling of 1.0 to 1.2 °C and a ~20% decrease in precipitation in parts of Europe, as well as spatial gradients in δ18O from the high to low latitudes. Unresolved questions remain about the seasonality of the climate response to freshwater forcing and the extent to which the bipolar seesaw operated in the early Holocene.
Proxy benchmarks for intercomparison of 8.2 ka simulations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Morrill, C.; Anderson, D. M.; Bauer, B. A.; Buckner, R.; Gille, E. P.; Gross, W. S.; Hartman, M.; Shah, A.
The Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP3) now includes the 8.2 ka event as a test of model sensitivity to North Atlantic freshwater forcing. To provide benchmarks for intercomparison, we compiled and analyzed high-resolution records spanning this event. Two previously-described anomaly patterns that emerge are cooling around the North Atlantic and drier conditions in the Northern Hemisphere tropics. Newer to this compilation are more robustly-defined wetter conditions in the Southern Hemisphere tropics and regionally-limited warming in the Southern Hemisphere. Most anomalies around the globe lasted on the order of 100 to 150 yr. More quantitative reconstructions are now available and indicate cooling of ~ 1 °C and a ~ 20% decrease in precipitation in parts of Europe as well as spatial gradients in δ18O from the high to low latitudes. Unresolved questions remain about the seasonality of the climate response to freshwater forcing and the extent to which the bipolar seesaw operated in the early Holocene.
The Continual Intercomparison of Radiation Codes: Results from Phase I
Oreopoulos, L.; Mlawer, Eli J.; Delamere, Jennifer; Shippert, Timothy R.; Cole, Jason; Fomin, Boris; Iacono, Michael J.; Jin, Zhonghai; Li, Jiangning; Manners, James; Raisanen, Petri; Rose, Fred; Zhang, Yuanchong; Wilson, Michael J.; Rossow, William B.
We present results from Phase I of the Continual Intercomparison of Radiation Codes (CIRC), intended as an evolving and regularly updated reference source for evaluation of radiative transfer (RT) codes used in Global Climate Models. CIRC differs from previous intercomparisons in that it relies on an observationally validated catalogue of cases. The seven CIRC Phase I baseline cases, five cloud-free, and two with overcast liquid clouds, are built around observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program that satisfy the goals of Phase I, namely to examine radiative transfer (RT) model performance in realistic, yet not overly complex, atmospheric conditions. In addition to the seven baseline cases, additional idealized "subcases" are also examined to facilitate intrepretation of the causes of model errors. In addition to summarizing individual model performance with respect to reference line-by-line calculations and inter-model differences, we also highlight RT model behavior for conditions of doubled CO2, aspects of utilizing a spectral specification of surface albedo, and the impact of the inclusion of scattering in the thermal infrared. Our analysis suggests that RT models should work towards improving their calculation of diffuse shortwave flux, shortwave absorption, treatment of spectral surface albedo, and shortwave CO2 forcing. On the other hand, LW calculations appear to be significantly closer to the reference results. By enhancing the range of conditions under which participating codes are tested, future CIRC phases will hopefully allow even more rigorous examination of RT code performance.
The Continuous Intercomparison of Radiation Codes (CIRC): Phase I Cases
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Mlawer, Eli; Delamere, Jennifer; Shippert, Timothy; Turner, David D.; Miller, Mark A.; Minnis, Patrick; Clough, Shepard; Barker, Howard; Ellingson, Robert
CIRC aspires to be the successor to ICRCCM (Intercomparison of Radiation Codes in Climate Models). It is envisioned as an evolving and regularly updated reference source for GCM-type radiative transfer (RT) code evaluation with the principle goal to contribute in the improvement of RT parameterizations. CIRC is jointly endorsed by DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program and the GEWEX Radiation Panel (GRP). CIRC's goal is to provide test cases for which GCM RT algorithms should be performing at their best, i.e, well characterized clear-sky and homogeneous, overcast cloudy cases. What distinguishes CIRC from previous intercomparisons is that its pool of cases is based on observed datasets. The bulk of atmospheric and surface input as well as radiative fluxes come from ARM observations as documented in the Broadband Heating Rate Profile (BBHRP) product. BBHRP also provides reference calculations from AER's RRTM RT algorithms that can be used to select the most optimal set of cases and to provide a first-order estimate of our ability to achieve radiative flux closure given the limitations in our knowledge of the atmospheric state.
Bundgaard, A
Physical exercise is not hazardous to asthmatics. Some asthmatics may benefit from physical training, and almost all asthmatics can perform any kind of physical exercise. Free running was earlier thought to induce more asthma than swimming, for example; however, when ventilation is identical during running and swimming, the exercise-induced asthma will also be the same. Hyperventilation alone is as good as physical exercise to induce exercise-induced asthma. If the physical exercise provokes an asthmatic attack, this is most often easily reversed by inhaled beta 2-agonists. Pretreatment of exercise-induced asthma is most efficient by inhaled beta 2-agonist; orally dosed beta 2-agonist is not as efficient as inhaled beta 2-agonist in the pretreatment of exercise-induced asthma. Inhaled sodium cromoglycate diminishes exercise-induced asthma, and the effect seems to be better in children than in adults. Inhaled steroids have no immediate effect on exercise-induced asthma, but long term treatment with steroids diminishes exercise-induced asthma. The pathogenesis of exercise-induced asthma remains obscure. If the water content is low in the inhaled air, e.g. in cold air, the changes in ventilatory capacity following exercise. will be greater than when the exercise is performed while inhaling hot air with high humidity. Almost all asthmatics present changes in the ventilatory capacity following exercise. Seasonal changes in exercise-induced asthma are only present in asthmatics with seasonal allergies, e.g. pollen allergy. No diurnal variation is found in exercise-induced asthma. Asthmatics can do any form of physical exercise. Almost all asthmatics can prevent major changes in ventilatory capacity by pretreatment of exercise-induced asthma or be treated for exercise-induced asthma during the physical activity so that they will not suffer from asthma while performing physical exercise. Asthmatics who have been successfully treated for exercise-induced asthma can do
Satta, A
Asthma is a chronic disease that is often limiting the exercise capacity. Rehabilitation programs are recommended and widely applied in asthmatic patients, and exercise prescription is a keystone of these programs. The impairment of exercise performance in asthmatics, the role of exercise training in such patients, the mechanisms of its beneficial effects and the suggested programs are discussed in a review, accordingly to the current evidence and available data in scientific literature. Exercise performance is impaired in most asthmatics. There is no conclusive evidence that asthma may involve a ventilatory limitation to exercise. The lesser fitness in asthmatics seems mainly due to inactivity and sedentary lifestyle. Exercise induced asthma (EIA) is a significant problem, and the best approach to minimise its effects on exercise capacity is prevention. Exercise training has been proved to have health-related benefits and to improve the quality of life. There is substantial evidence that exercise training increases exercise performance and fitness in asthmatics. It is still unclear whether physical training improves pulmonary function and bronchial responsiveness. Since asthma ranges widely, exercise prescription varies for each patient. The proper selection of the patients and the choice of exercise programs are the steps required. Accordingly with the severity of the disease, exercise strategies may range from sports activities to, when the disease is severe, inpatient hospital programs that overlap with COPD rehabilitation. Further research to clarify some aspects (effects on pulmonary function and EIA, outcomes, cost-benefit relationship) is necessary. PMID:11296996
Towards a consistent eddy-covariance processing: an intercomparison of EddyPro and TK3
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fratini, G.; Mauder, M.
A comparison of two popular eddy-covariance (EC) software packages is presented, namely EddyPro and TK3. Two about one-month long test datasets were processed, representing typical instrumental setups, i.e. CSAT3/LI-7500 above grassland and Solent R3/LI-6262 above a forest. The resulting fluxes and quality flags were compared. Achieving a satisfying agreement and understanding residual discrepancies required several iterations and interventions of different nature, spanning from simple software reconfiguration to actual code manipulations. In this paper, we document our comparison exercise and show that the two software packages can provide utterly satisfying agreement when properly configured. Our main aim, however, is to stress the complexity of performing a rigorous comparison of EC software. We show that discriminating actual discrepancies in the results from inconsistencies in the software configuration requires deep knowledge of both software packages and of the eddy-covariance method itself. In some instances, it may be even beyond the possibility of the investigator who does not control the source code. Being the developers of EddyPro and TK3, we could discuss the comparison at all levels of details and this proved necessary to achieve a full understanding. As a further consequence, we also suggest that, to the aim of assuring consistency and comparability of centralized flux databases, and for a confident use of eddy fluxes in synthesis studies on the regional, continental and global scale, researchers rely on established software, notably those that have been extensively validated in documented intercomparisons.
Towards a consistent eddy-covariance processing: an intercomparison of EddyPro and TK3
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fratini, G.; Mauder, M.
A comparison of two popular eddy-covariance software packages is presented, namely, EddyPro and TK3. Two approximately 1-month long test data sets were processed, representing typical instrumental setups (i.e., CSAT3/LI-7500 above grassland and Solent R3/LI-6262 above a forest). The resulting fluxes and quality flags were compared. Achieving a satisfying agreement and understanding residual discrepancies required several iterations and interventions of different nature, spanning from simple software reconfiguration to actual code manipulations. In this paper, we document our comparison exercise and show that the two software packages can provide utterly satisfying agreement when properly configured. Our main aim, however, is to stress the complexity of performing a rigorous comparison of eddy-covariance software. We show that discriminating actual discrepancies in the results from inconsistencies in the software configuration requires deep knowledge of both software packages and of the eddy-covariance method. In some instances, it may be even beyond the possibility of the investigator who does not have access to and full knowledge of the source code. Being the developers of EddyPro and TK3, we could discuss the comparison at all levels of details and this proved necessary to achieve a full understanding. As a result, we suggest that researchers are more likely to get comparable results when using EddyPro (v5.1.1) and TK3 (v3.11) - at least with the setting presented in this paper - than they are when using any other pair of EC software which did not undergo a similar cross-validation. As a further consequence, we also suggest that, to the aim of assuring consistency and comparability of centralized flux databases, and for a confident use of eddy fluxes in synthesis studies on the regional, continental and global scale, researchers only rely on software that have been extensively validated in documented intercomparisons.
Wanetick, S.
ABS>ure the change in velocity of a moving object. The transducer includes a radioactive source having a collimated beam of radioactive particles, a shield which can block the passage of the radioactive beam, and a scintillation detector to measure the number of radioactive particles in the beam which are not blocked by the shield. The shield is operatively placed across the radioactive beam so that any motion normal to the beam will cause the shield to move in the opposite direction thereby allowing more radioactive particles to reach the detector. The number of particles detected indicates the acceleration. (AEC)
Writing Exercises from "Exercise Exchange." Volume II.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Duke, Charles R., Ed.
Reflecting current practices in the teaching of writing, the exercises in this compilation were drawn from the journal "Exercise Exchange." The articles are arranged into six sections: sources for writing; prewriting; modes for writing; writing and reading; language, mechanics, and style; and revising, responding, and evaluating. Among the topics…
... can join. Choose your sweet spot. Do you love being outdoors? Choose activities that get you outside, ... Council on Exercise. 5 Tips for Learning to Love Exercise (or at Least Develop a Crush on ...
Clinical Applications for Exercise.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldstein, David
Patients with chronic conditions such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity might benefit from prescribed exercise. Although exercise does not reverse pathologic changes, it may play a role in disease management. (JD)
... Increase your chances of living longer Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at ... fine. The key is to find the right exercise for you. It should be fun and should ...
... My Go4Life Get Free Stuff Be a Partner Exercise and Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens ... calcium and vitamin D. Include regular weight-bearing exercise in your lifestyle. Stop smoking. Limit how much ...
... mix it up. For example, you might play golf on a Saturdays, take tango classes on Mondays, ... American Council on Exercise. 5 Tips for Learning to Love Exercise (or at Least Develop a Crush on It). ... ...
... Kids For Parents MORE ON THIS TOPIC Cold-Weather Sports and Your Family How Can Families Be ... a Fit Kid Why Exercise Is Cool Cold-Weather Sports Strength Training Weight Management: Strength Training Exercises ( ...
... use proper form, go to the online exercise library at the American Council on Exercise. They also have sample workout routines you can try. Look for low-cost fitness options Many sports and activities are free ...
... Issues Listen Español Text Size Email Print Share Exercise and Asthma Page Content Article Body Almost every ... children more likely to develop asthma. How does exercise cause asthma symptoms? The symptoms of asthma are ...
Exercise and physical activity are good for just about everyone, including older adults. There are four main ... jogging, dancing, swimming, and biking are examples. Strength exercises make your muscles stronger. Lifting weights or using ...
... for Parents for Kids for Teens Teens Home Body Mind Sexual Health Food & Fitness Diseases & Conditions Infections Q& ... the reasons: Exercise benefits every part of the body, including the mind. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals ...
... and heart rate. Brisk walking or jogging, dancing, swimming, and biking are examples. Strength exercises make your muscles stronger. Lifting weights or using a resistance band can build strength. Balance exercises help prevent ...
... Pregnancy Patient Education FAQs Exercise During Pregnancy Patient Education Pamphlets - Spanish Exercise During Pregnancy FAQ119, May 2016 PDF Format ... Your Practice Patient Safety & Quality Payment Reform (MACRA) Education & Events Annual ... Pamphlets Teen Health About ACOG About Us Leadership & ...
... Pregnancy Patient Education FAQs Exercise After Pregnancy Patient Education Pamphlets - Spanish Exercise After Pregnancy FAQ131, June 2015 PDF Format ... Your Practice Patient Safety & Quality Payment Reform (MACRA) Education & Events Annual ... Pamphlets Teen Health About ACOG About Us Leadership & ...
... Types Risk Factors Prevention & Early Detection Diet And Exercise Transplant recipients need to be aware of the ... help arrange for counseling and other support services. Exercise After a Transplant Most people are weak after ...
Effect of background and transport dose on the results of the personal dose equivalent Hp(10) measurements in photon fields obtained during the intercomparison 2013 of the African region.
Arib, M; Herrati, A; Dari, F; Lounis-Mokrani, Z
As part of the intercomparison on the measurement of personal dose equivalent Hp(10), jointly organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Algerian Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory, for the African region, up to 12 dosemeters were added to the packages of the 28 participants to evaluate the background and transport dose (BGTD), received by the dosemeters before and after their irradiation at the SSDL (environmental irradiations, scanning process at the airports, etc.). Out of the 28 participants, only 17 reported the corresponding BGTD measured values, which lied between 0.03 and 0.8 mSv. The mean measured value of BG was (0.25±0.14) mSv, which is significantly high compared with the lowest dose value used in the intercomparison exercise. The BGTD correction shifted the overall results of the intercomparison from an overestimation of dose (∼8 % before applying BGT dose correction) to an underestimation of dose (-9 % after correction). The measurement protocol and the detailed analysis of the results and applied corrections are discussed in this paper. PMID:25433048
The 1987 Federal field exercise: The DOE experience
Adler, M.V.; Gant, K.S.
The second full-scale field exercise of the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP) was held at the Zion Nuclear Power Station, Zion, Illinois, in June 1987. The exercise incorporated the annual compliance exercise for the Zion plant and involved the operating utility, Commonwealth Edison Company, the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, local governments, volunteer groups, and representatives from 12 federal agencies. The 3-day exercise was played from many locations in the Zion area; Springfield, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; and Washington, DC. Approximately 1000 people participated in the exercise, which used a scenario in which an accident at the plant resulted in the release of radioactive material outside the plant boundary. The US Department of Energy (DOE) had major responsibilities during the planning, playing, and critiquing of the exercise; these functions are outlined in the report. This document describes the DOE participation in the planning and response during the exercise. During a radiological emergency, the FRERP gives DOE the responsibility for coordinating the federal radiological monitoring and assessment activities in support of the states and the cognizant federal agency. At Zion, a self-sufficient Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center was established by DOE at a nearby fairground in which over 200 people from DOE, the two states, and other federal agencies participated. Before the field exercise, a tabletop exercise and a dry run were held for training purposes. 5 refs., 6 figs.
The InterFrost benchmark of Thermo-Hydraulic codes for cold regions hydrology - first inter-comparison phase results
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Grenier, Christophe; Rühaak, Wolfram
Climate change impacts in permafrost regions have received considerable attention recently due to the pronounced warming trends experienced in recent decades and which have been projected into the future. Large portions of these permafrost regions are characterized by surface water bodies (lakes, rivers) that interact with the surrounding permafrost often generating taliks (unfrozen zones) within the permafrost that allow for hydrologic interactions between the surface water bodies and underlying aquifers and thus influence the hydrologic response of a landscape to climate change. Recent field studies and modeling exercises indicate that a fully coupled 2D or 3D Thermo-Hydraulic (TH) approach is required to understand and model past and future evolution such units (Kurylyk et al. 2014). However, there is presently a paucity of 3D numerical studies of permafrost thaw and associated hydrological changes, which can be partly attributed to the difficulty in verifying multi-dimensional results produced by numerical models. A benchmark exercise was initialized at the end of 2014. Participants convened from USA, Canada, Europe, representing 13 simulation codes. The benchmark exercises consist of several test cases inspired by existing literature (e.g. McKenzie et al., 2007) as well as new ones (Kurylyk et al. 2014; Grenier et al. in prep.; Rühaak et al. 2015). They range from simpler, purely thermal 1D cases to more complex, coupled 2D TH cases (benchmarks TH1, TH2, and TH3). Some experimental cases conducted in a cold room complement the validation approach. A web site hosted by LSCE (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement) is an interaction platform for the participants and hosts the test case databases at the following address: https://wiki.lsce.ipsl.fr/interfrost. The results of the first stage of the benchmark exercise will be presented. We will mainly focus on the inter-comparison of participant results for the coupled cases TH2 & TH3. Both cases
Intercomparison of cryogenic radiometers using silicon trap detectors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lassila, A.; Hofer, H.; Ikonen, E.; Liedquist, L.; Stock, K. D.; Varpula, T.
An intercomparison of cryogenic radiometers of HUT/VTT (Finland), PTB (Germany) and SP (Sweden) using silicon trap detectors was performed. Also results of monitoring of the responsivities of trap detectors over a 6 year period are presented. It was noticed that several non-idealities can undermine the agreement between results of calibrations. The non-uniformity of the responsivity of trap detectors made the results sensitive to alignment and beam size. The nonlinearity of some trap detectors was found to be large. The average relative differences in the results of the laboratories, when all known corrections are applied, are 0957-0233/8/2/003/img9 for HUT-PTB, 0957-0233/8/2/003/img10 for SP-PTB and 0957-0233/8/2/003/img11 for SP-HUT, with standard uncertainties of 0957-0233/8/2/003/img12 and 0957-0233/8/2/003/img13, respectively.
Precision intercomparison of beam current monitors at CEBAF
Kazimi, R.; Dunham, B.; Krafft, G.A.; Legg, r.; Liang, C.; Sinclair, C.; Mamosser, J.
The CEBAF accelerator delivers a CW electron beam at fundamental 1497 MHz, with average beam current up to 200 {mu}A. Accurate, stable nonintercepting beam current monitors are required for: setup/control, monitoring of beam current and beam losses for machine protection and personnel safety, and providing beam current information to experimental users. Fundamental frequency stainless steel RF cavities have been chosen for these beam current monitors. This paper reports on precision intercomparison between two such RF cavities, an Unser monitor, and two Faraday cups, all located in the injector area. At the low beam energy in the injector, it is straightforward to verify the high efficiency of the Faraday cups, and the Unser monitor included a wire through it to permit an absolute calibration. The cavity intensity monitors have proven capable of stable, high precision monitoring of the beam current.
International intercomparison for criticality dosimetry: the case of biological dosimetry.
Roy, L; Buard, V; Delbos, M; Durand, V; Paillole, N; Grégoire, E; Voisin, P
The Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) organized a biological dosimetry international intercomparison with the purpose of comparing (i) dicentrics yield produced in human lymphocytes; (ii) the gamma and neutron dose estimate according to the corresponding laboratory calibration curve. The experimental reactor SILENE was used with different configurations: bare source 4 Gy, lead shield 1 and 2 Gy and a 60Co source 2 Gy. An increasing variation of dicentric yield per cell was observed between participants when there were more damages in the samples. Doses were derived from the observed dicentric rates according to the dose-effect relationship provided by each laboratory. Differences in dicentric rate values are more important than those in the corresponding dose values. The doses obtained by the participants were found to be in agreement with the given physical dose within 20%. The evaluation of the respective gamma and neutron dose was achieved only by four laboratories, with some small variations among them. PMID:15353693
Intercomparison of remote measurements of stratospheric NO and NO2
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Roscoe, H. K.; Kerridge, B. J.; Pollitt, S.; Louisnard, N.; Flaud, J. M.
During the 1982 and 1983 Balloon Intercomparison Campaigns, the vertical profile of stratospheric NO2 was measured remotely by nine instruments and that of NO by two. Total overhead columns were measured by two more instruments. Between 30 and 35 km, where measurements overlapped, agreement between NO profiles was within + or - 30 percent, which is better than the accuracies claimed by the experimenters. Between 35 and 40 km, there was similarly good agreement between NO2 profiles, but below 30 km, differences of greater than a factor of 3 were found. In the second campaign, NO2 values from most instruments agreed within their quoted errors, except that the Oxford radiometer gave much lower values; the first campaign and the column measurements show a more uniform spread of results.
Radioactive abscess scan; Abscess scan; Indium Scan; Indium-labelled white blood cell scan ... the white blood cells are tagged with a radioactive substance called indium. The cells are then injected ...
... the testing center so that the amount of radioactivity in the thyroid gland can be measured. This ... The amount of radioactivity is very small, and there have been no documented side effects. The amount of iodine used is less than ...
Shigematsu, A.; Aihara, M.; Matsuda, M.; Suzuki, A.; Tsuya, A.
A radioactive diagnostic agent for renal cortex, adrenal cortex, myocardium, brain stem, spinal nerve, etc., which comprises as an essential component monoiodoacetic acid wherein the iodine atom is radioactive.
Intercomparison Calibration Study of Terra ASTER and MODIS
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yuan, K.; Thome, K. J.; McCorkel, J.
Calibration and validation play an essential role during the acquisition and processing of satellite data for the Earth Observing System satellites in addition to being an integral part of maintaining scientific values of archived satellite data. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection and Radiometer (ASTER) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are two of five sensors onboard the Terra platform - the Earth Observing System flagship. ASTER has a swath width of 60km with 8 bands in the visible and near infrared (VNIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectral range with a spatial resolution of 15m (bands 1-3) and 90m (bands 10-14), respectively while MODIS has a swath width of 2300km with 36 spectral bands from visible to infrared spectral range with a spatial resolution of 250m (bands 1-2), 500m (bands 3-7), and 1km (bands 8-36). ASTER is the 'zoom' lens and MODIS is the 'keystone' instrument for Terra; they provide quantitative measurements of various earth system variables to the scientific and to the broader community. The simultaneous view of the sensors simplifies the intercomparison between them and relies on the use of the Railroad Valley Playa test site to reduce uncertainties caused by spatial heterogeneity and spectral differences in the sensors. The fact that Railroad Valley Playa is a calibration test site for ASTER ensures that ASTER was tasked at a higher rate over this area providing more scenes for the intercomparison. The study compares ASTER L1B data for the three VNIR bands reprocessed with recent calibration updates and MODIS 02 Collection 6 data products for the similar bands. No correction for geometry angle is needed and coincident 3-km by 3-km regions are used to reduce the impact of spatial heterogeneity. A correction for spectral differences between the sensors is applied based on averages of ground measurements of the test site.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skirka, Nicholas; Hume, Donald
This article discusses how to use stretch bands for improving total body fitness and quality of life. A stretch band exercise program offers a versatile and inexpensive option to motivate participants to exercise. The authors suggest practical exercises that can be used in physical education to improve or maintain muscular strength and endurance,…
Advanced resistive exercise device
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Raboin, Jasen L. (Inventor); Niebuhr, Jason (Inventor); Cruz, Santana F. (Inventor); Lamoreaux, Christopher D. (Inventor)
The present invention relates to an exercise device, which includes a vacuum cylinder and a flywheel. The flywheel provides an inertial component to the load, which is particularly well suited for use in space as it simulates exercising under normal gravity conditions. Also, the present invention relates to an exercise device, which has a vacuum cylinder and a load adjusting armbase assembly.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
National Heart and Lung Inst. (DHHS/NIH), Bethesda, MD.
This pamphlet presents information on the effects of physical activity on the heart and practical guidelines for starting and staying on an exercise program. The following topics are discussed: (1) the benefits of getting sufficient exercise; (2) possible risks in exercising compared to benefits; (3) when to seek doctor's advice and prevention of…
... www.nia.nih.gov/Go4Life Exercising in Cold Weather Exercise has benefits all year, even during winter. ... activities when it's cold outside: l Check the weather forecast. If it's very windy or cold, exercise ...
Sleep, Exercise, and Nutrition.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harrelson, Orvis A.; And Others
The first part of this booklet concerns why sleep and exercise are necessary. It includes a discussion of what occurs during sleep and what dreams are. It also deals with the benefits of exercise, fatigue, posture, and the correlation between exercise and personality. The second part concerns nutrition and the importance of food. This part covers…
Exercise, Aging and Longevity.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Stanley P.; Cundiff, David E.
The question of whether or not a lifelong program of exercise actually has a bearing on longevity is discussed. The effects of exercise on the aging process, and the longevity-exercise relationship are reviewed. The conflicting evidence on the subject is presented. (JL)
Japanese Radio Exercises. Revised.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Young, Jocelyn
This unit focuses on Japanese radio exercises which became popular in Japan just after World War II and are still used among students and workers in companies to help raise morale and form group unity. The exercises reflect the general role of exercise in Japanese culture--to serve as a symbol of unity and cooperation among the Japanese, as well…
Field, Tiffany
In this review of recent research on prenatal exercise, studies from several different countries suggest that only approximately 40% of pregnant women exercise, even though about 92% are encouraged by their physicians to exercise, albeit with some 69% of the women being advised to limit their exercise. A moderate exercise regime reputedly increases infant birthweight to within the normal range, but only if exercise is decreased in late pregnancy. Lower intensity exercise such as water aerobics has decreased low back pain more than land-based physical exercise. Heart rate and blood pressure have been lower following yoga than walking, and complications like pregnancy-induced hypertension with associated intrauterine growth retardation and prematurity have been less frequent following yoga. No studies could be found on tai chi with pregnant women even though balance and the risk of falling are great concerns during pregnancy, and tai chi is one of the most effective forms of exercise for balance. Potential underlying mechanisms for exercise effects are that stimulating pressure receptors during exercise increases vagal activity which, in turn, decreases cortisol, increases serotonin and decreases substance P, leading to decreased pain. Decreased cortisol is particularly important inasmuch as cortisol negatively affects immune function and is a significant predictor of prematurity. Larger, more controlled trials are needed before recommendations can be made about the type and amount of pregnancy exercise. PMID:22721740
Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) FTIR Intercomparison at Table Mountain Facility, November 1996
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Toon, G.; Goldman, A.; Walsh, C.; Bell, W.; Blavier, J. -F.; Sen, B.; Coffey, M.; Hannigan, J.; Mankin, W.
An intercomparison of four Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers, operated side by side by JPL, NCAR, and NPL groups, using two different spectral fitting algorithms, was conducted at JPL's Table Mountain Facility (TMF) during November 1996.
Five regional scale models with a horizontal domain covering the European continent and its surrounding seas, one hemispheric and one global scale model participated in an atmospheric mercury modelling intercomparison study. Model-predicted concentrations in ambient air were comp...
Statistical intercomparison of global climate models: A common principal component approach with application to GCM data
Sengupta, S.K.; Boyle, J.S.
Variables describing atmospheric circulation and other climate parameters derived from various GCMs and obtained from observations can be represented on a spatio-temporal grid (lattice) structure. The primary objective of this paper is to explore existing as well as some new statistical methods to analyze such data structures for the purpose of model diagnostics and intercomparison from a statistical perspective. Among the several statistical methods considered here, a new method based on common principal components appears most promising for the purpose of intercomparison of spatio-temporal data structures arising in the task of model/model and model/data intercomparison. A complete strategy for such an intercomparison is outlined. The strategy includes two steps. First, the commonality of spatial structures in two (or more) fields is captured in the common principal vectors. Second, the corresponding principal components obtained as time series are then compared on the basis of similarities in their temporal evolution.
Assessing radiation impact at a protected coastal sand dune site: an intercomparison of models for estimating the radiological exposure of non-human biota.
Wood, Michael D; Beresford, Nicholas A; Barnett, Catherine L; Copplestone, David; Leah, Richard T
This paper presents the application of three publicly available biota dose assessment models (the ERICA Tool, R&D128/SP1a and RESRAD-BIOTA) to an assessment of the Drigg coastal sand dunes. Using measured (90)Sr, (99)Tc, (137)Cs, (238)Pu, (239+240)Pu and (241)Am activity concentrations in sand dune soil, activity concentration and dose rate predictions are made for a range of organisms including amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, plants and fungi. Predicted biota activity concentrations are compared to measured data where available. The main source of variability in the model predictions is the transfer parameters used and it is concluded that developing the available transfer databases should be a focus of future research effort. The value of taking an informed user approach to investigate the way in which models may be expected to be applied in practice is highlighted and a strategy for the future development of intercomparison exercises is presented. PMID:19447531
Intercomparison of three microwave/infrared high resolution line-by-line radiative transfer codes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schreier, F.; Garcia, S. Gimeno; Milz, M.; Kottayil, A.; Höpfner, M.; von Clarmann, T.; Stiller, G.
An intercomparison of three line-by-line (lbl) codes developed independently for atmospheric sounding - ARTS, GARLIC, and KOPRA - has been performed for a thermal infrared nadir sounding application assuming a HIRS-like (High resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder) setup. Radiances for the HIRS infrared channels and a set of 42 atmospheric profiles from the "Garand dataset" have been computed. Results of this intercomparison and a discussion of reasons of the observed differences are presented.
Airborne sulfur trace species intercomparison campaign: Sulfur dioxide, dimethylsulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gregory, Gerald L.; Hoell, James M., Jr.; Davis, Douglas D.
Results from an airborne intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of sulfur trace gases are presented. The intercomparison was part of the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) and was conducted during the summer of 1989. The intercomparisons were conducted on the Wallops Electra aircraft during flights from Wallops Island, Virginia, and Natal, Brazil. Sulfur measurements intercompared included sulfur dioxide (SO2), dimethylsulfide (DMS), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon disulfide (CS2), and carbonyl sulfide (OCS). Measurement techniques ranged from filter collection systems with post-flight analyses to mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph systems employing various methods for measuring and identifying the sulfur gases during flight. Sampling schedules for the techniques ranged from integrated collections over periods as long as 50 minutes to one- to three-minute samples every ten or fifteen minutes. Several of the techniques provided measurements of more than one sulfur gas. Instruments employing different detection principles were involved in each of the sulfur intercomparisons. Also included in the intercomparison measurement scenario were a host of supporting measurements (i.e., ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, total sulfur, aerosols, etc.) for purposes of: (1) interpreting results (i.e., correlation of any noted instrument disagreement with the chemical composition of the measurement environment); and (2) providing supporting chemical data to meet CITE-3 science objectives of studying ozone/sulfur photochemistry, diurnal cycles, etc. The results of the intercomparison study are briefly discussed.
Intercomparison of HONO Measurements Made Using Wet-Chemical (NITROMAC) and Spectroscopic (IBBCEAS & LP/FAGE) Techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dusanter, S.; Lew, M.; Bottorff, B.; Bechara, J.; Mielke, L. H.; Berke, A.; Raff, J. D.; Stevens, P. S.; Afif, C.
A good understanding of the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere is important to tackle fundamental issues related to climate change and air quality. The hydroxyl radical (OH) is the dominant oxidant in the daytime troposphere and an accurate description of its sources in atmospheric models is of utmost importance. Recent field studies indicate higher-than-expected concentrations of HONO during the daytime, suggesting that the photolysis of HONO may be an important underestimated source of OH. Understanding the tropospheric HONO budget requires confidence in analytical instrumentation capable of selectively measuring HONO. In this presentation, we discuss an intercomparison study of HONO measurements performed during summer 2013 at the edge of a hardwood forest in Southern Indiana. This exercise involved a wet chemical technique (NITROMAC), an Incoherent Broad-Band Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy instrument (IBBCEAS), and a Laser-Photofragmentation/Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion instrument (LP/FAGE). The agreement observed between the three techniques will be discussed for both ambient measurements and cross calibration experiments.
Intercomparison of stratospheric gravity wave observations with AIRS and IASI
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoffmann, Lars; Alexander, M. Joan; Clerbaux, Cathy; Grimsdell, Alison W.; Meyer, Catrin I.; Rößler, Thomas; Tournier, Bernard
Gravity waves are an important driver for the atmospheric circulation and have substantial impact on weather and climate. Satellite instruments offer excellent opportunities to study gravity waves on a global scale. This study focuses on observations from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aqua satellite and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) onboard the European MetOp satellites. The main aim of this study is an intercomparison of stratospheric gravity wave observations of both instruments. In particular, we analyzed AIRS and IASI 4.3 μm brightness temperature measurements, which directly relate to stratospheric temperature. Three case studies showed that AIRS and IASI provide a clear and consistent picture of the temporal development of individual gravity wave events. Statistical comparisons based on a five-year period of measurements (2008 - 2012) showed similar spatial and temporal patterns of gravity wave activity. However, the statistical comparisons also revealed systematic differences of variances between AIRS and IASI that we attribute to the different spatial measurement characteristics of both instruments. We also found differences between day- and nighttime data that are partly due to the local time variations of the gravity wave sources. While AIRS has been used successfully in many previous gravity wave studies, IASI data are applied here for the first time for that purpose. Our study shows that gravity wave observations from different hyperspectral infrared sounders such as AIRS and IASI can be directly related to each other, if instrument-specific characteristics such as different noise levels and spatial resolution and sampling are carefully considered. The ability to combine observations from different satellites provides an opportunity to create a long-term record, which is an exciting prospect for future climatological studies of stratospheric gravity wave
Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP)
Meehl, G A; Covey, C; McAvaney, B; Latif, M; Stouffer, R J
The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) is designed to allow study and intercomparison of multi-model simulations of present-day and future climate. The latter are represented by idealized forcing of compounded 1% per year CO2 increase to the time of CO2 doubling near year 70 in simulations with global coupled models that contain, typically, components representing atmosphere, ocean, sea ice and land surface. Results from CMIP diagnostic subprojects were presented at the Second CMIP Workshop held at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, in September, 2003. Significant progress in diagnosing and understanding results from global coupled models has been made since the First CMIP Workshop in Melbourne, Australia in 1998. For example, the issue of flux adjustment is slowly fading as more and more models obtain stable multi-century surface climates without them. El Nino variability, usually about half the observed amplitude in the previous generation of coupled models, is now more accurately simulated in the present generation of global coupled models, though there are still biases in simulating the patterns of maximum variability. Typical resolutions of atmospheric component models contained in coupled models is now usually around 2.5 degrees latitude-longitude, with the ocean components often having about twice the atmospheric model resolution, with even higher resolution in the equatorial tropics. Some new-generation coupled models have atmospheric model resolutions of around 1.5 degrees latitude-longitude. Modeling groups now routinely run the CMIP control and 1% CO2 simulations in addition to 20th and 21st century climate simulations with a variety of forcings (e.g. volcanoes, solar variability, anthropogenic sulfate aerosols, ozone, and greenhouse gases (GHGs), with the anthropogenic forcings for future climate as well). However, persistent systematic errors noted in previous generations of global coupled models still are present
Intercomparison of mid latitude storm diagnostics (IMILAST) - project update
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neu, Urs
The analysis of the occurrence of mid-latitude storms is of great socio-economical interest due to their vast and destructive impacts. However, a unique definition of cyclones is missing, and therefore the definition of what a cyclone is as well as quantifying its strength contains subjective choices. Existing automatic cyclone identification and tracking algorithms are based on different definitions and use diverse characteristics. These methods generally differ in the following aspects: data transformation (e.g., grid transformation, smoothing, etc.), metrics used for cyclone identification (e.g. sea level pressure or vorticity), cyclone identification procedures, different tracking methods (e.g. near neighborhood search), and elimination criteria (e.g., requiring a certain pressure minimum or minimum life time). The different choices made in these algorithms can lead to substantial differences in cyclone climatologies, temporal trends of the frequency, strength, or other characteristics of cyclones. The project IMILAST systematically compares different cyclone detection and tracking methods (currently 15 different algorithms), with the aim to comprehensively assess systematic uncertainties in mid-latitudinal storm identification and tracking. IMILAST uses the ERA-interim reanalysis data set as a common data basis in all studies. The first two intercomparison experiments focused on differences between the methods with respect to number, track density, life cycle characteristics, and trend patterns on the one hand and potential differences of the long-term climate change signal of cyclonic activity between the methods on the other hand. For current analysis activities, the intercomparison period is extended to a 30 year period from 1979 to 2009 and focuses on more specific aspects, such as parameter sensitivities, the comparison of automated to manual tracking sets, regional analysis (regional trends, Arctic and Antarctic cyclones, cyclones in the Mediterranean
Aging, exercise, and attention.
Hawkins, H L; Kramer, A F; Capaldi, D
The authors investigated the relationship among aging, attentional processes, and exercise in 2 experiments. First they examined age differences on 2 attentional tasks, a time-sharing task and an attentional flexibility task. Young adults alternated attention between 2 sequenced tasks more rapidly and time-shared the processing of 2 tasks more efficiently than older adults. They then investigated the effects of aerobic exercise on the same 2 attentional tasks in older adults. Following the 10-week exercise program, older exercisers showed substantially more improvement in alternation speed and time-sharing efficiency than older controls. Interestingly, this exercise effect was specific to dual-task processing. Both groups of subjects showed equivalent effects on single-task performance. These results indicate that aerobic exercise can exert a beneficial influence on the efficiency of at least 2 different attentional processes in older adults. PMID:1466833
Olszyna-Marzys, A.E. )
Two topics relating to radioactivity and food are discussed: food irradiation for preservation purposes, and food contamination from radioactive substances. Food irradiation involves the use of electromagnetic energy (x and gamma rays) emitted by radioactive substances or produced by machine in order to destroy the insects and microorganisms present and prevent germination. The sanitary and economic advantages of treating food in this way are discussed. Numerous studies have confirmed that under strictly controlled conditions no undesirable changes take place in food that has been irradiated nor is radioactivity induced. Reference is made to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, which aroused public concern about irradiated food. The events surrounding the accident are reviewed, and its consequences with regard to contamination of different foods with radioactive substances, particularly iodine-131 and cesium-137, are described. Also discussed are the steps that have been taken by different international organizations to set limits on acceptable radioactivity in food.15 references.
The Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison Diagnostic System: Implementing a New Strategy Beyond the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP)
Potter, G.L.
The Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) was established in 1989 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) with the principal mission to develop improved methods and tools for the diagnosis, validation and intercomparison of global climate models. The goal of the process is to eventually improve simulation of the regional climate effects of increasing greenhouse gases. In addition to comparing models, PCMDI continues to develop a modeling infrastructure by creating diagnostics that will be shared throughout the research community. PCMDI's early model intercomparison strategy was to solicit a few models that could be run for a specified period with prescribed sea-surface temperatures after being imported and adapted to the LLNL unclassified computer systems. Because of the enormous time required to prepare each model, the experiment was reversed and the modeling groups were asked to perform the controlled simulations themselves. In order to reach out to the entire atmospheric modeling community, the Working Group for Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) became the parent organization and the project was named the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP). Eventually, more than thirty atmospheric modeling groups joined the effort to compare their model output (Gates et al. 1999). The general results showed that the models vary widely for some variables and are tightly clustered for other variables. Fig. 1 characterizes the wide array of results obtained in AMIP and underscores the need to better understand differences among models and between models and observations. As a result of AMIP, model development and improvement strategy has incurred a permanent change. Modeling groups routinely perform AMIP-like simulations as they improve their models and create new versions containing substantial modifications to parameterizations. Other model intercomparison projects (MIPs) have since sprung up, most notably, the Coupled Model
Candidate Exercise Technologies and Prescriptions
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Loerch, Linda H.
This slide presentation reviews potential exercise technologies to counter the effects of space flight. It includes a overview of the exercise countermeasures project, a review of some of the candidate exercise technologies being considered and a few of the analog exercise hardware devices, and a review of new studies that are designed to optimize the current and future exercise protocols.
Exercise for the Overweight Patient.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Work, Janis A.
Exercise can help patients maintain lean body mass during weight loss. Although exercise is not extremely useful in shedding excess pounds, it helps keep off weight lost through calorie restriction. This article discusses the specifics of exercise prescription, types of exercise, motivation to exercise, and special problems such as diabetes. (SM)
Rajarajeswaran, P.; Vishnupriya, R.
Physical exercise has attracted increased interest in rehabilitation of oncological patients. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature and summarize the evidence of physical exercise in preventing cancer, its ability in attenuating the effect of cancer and its treatments and to provide guidelines for exercise prescription Review of recent literature by electronic search of MEDline (Pub Med), Cancer lit, Cochrane libraries, CINAHL were done using Keywords and the variables were identified and systematically evaluated. There is strong evidence for reduced risk of colorectal and breast cancer with possible association for prostate, endometrial and lung cancer with increasing physical activity. Exercise helps cancer survivors cope with and recover from treatment; exercise may improve the health of long term cancer survivors and extend survival. Physical exercise will benefit throughout the spectrum of cancer. However, an understanding of the amount, type and intensity of exercise needed has not been fully elucidated. There is sufficient evidence to promote exercise in cancer survivors following careful assessment and tailoring on exercise prescription. PMID:20596305
An Intercomparison of 2-D Models Within a Common Framework
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Weisenstein, Debra K.; Ko, Malcolm K. W.; Scott, Courtney J.; Jackman, Charles H.; Fleming, Eric L.; Considine, David B.; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Connell, Peter S.; Rotman, Douglas A.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)
A model intercomparison among the Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) 2-D model, the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 2-D model, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 2-D model allows us to separate differences due to model transport from those due to the model's chemical formulation. This is accomplished by constructing two hybrid models incorporating the transport parameters of the GSFC and LLNL models within the AER model framework. By comparing the results from the native models (AER and e.g. GSFC) with those from the hybrid model (e.g. AER chemistry with GSFC transport), differences due to chemistry and transport can be identified. For the analysis, we examined an inert tracer whose emission pattern is based on emission from a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) fleet; distributions of trace species in the 2015 atmosphere; and the response of stratospheric ozone to an HSCT fleet. Differences in NO(y) in the upper stratosphere are found between models with identical transport, implying different model representations of atmospheric chemical processes. The response of O3 concentration to HSCT aircraft emissions differs in the models from both transport-dominated differences in the HSCT-induced perturbations of H2O and NO(y) as well as from differences in the model represent at ions of O3 chemical processes. The model formulations of cold polar processes are found to be the most significant factor in creating large differences in the calculated ozone perturbations
Intercomparison of selected fixed-area areal reduction factor methods
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pavlovic, Sandra; Perica, Sanja; St Laurent, Michael; Mejía, Alfonso
The areal reduction factor (ARF) is a concept used in many hydrologic designs to transform a point precipitation frequency estimate of a given duration and frequency to a corresponding areal estimate. Various methods have been proposed in the literature to calculate ARFs. Proposed ARFs could vary significantly, and it is unclear if discrepancies are primarily due to differences in methodologies, the dissimilar datasets used to calculate ARFs, or if they originate from regional uniqueness. Our goal in this study is to analyze differences among ARFs derived from different types of fixed-area ARF methods, which are suitable for use with precipitation frequency estimates. For this intercomparison, all the ARFs were computed using the same, high-quality rainfall-radar merged dataset for a common geographic region. The selected ARFs methods represent four commonly used approaches: empirical methods, methods that are based on the spatial correlation structure of rainfall, methods that rely on the scaling properties of rainfall in space and time, and methods that utilize extreme value theory. The state of Oklahoma was selected as the study area, as it has a good quality radar data and a dense network of rain gauges. Results indicate significant uncertainties in the ARF estimates, regardless of the method used. Even when calculated from the same dataset and for the same geographic area, the ARF estimates from the selected methods differ. The differences are more pronounced for the shorter durations and larger areas. Results also indicate some ARF dependence on the average recurrence intervals.
Three models intercomparison for Quantitative Precipitation Forecast over Calabria
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Federico, S.; Avolio, E.; Bellecci, C.; Colacino, M.; Lavagnini, A.; Accadia, C.; Mariani, S.; Casaioli, M.
In the framework of the National Project "Sviluppo di distretti industriali per le Osservazioni della Terra" (Development of Industrial Districts for Earth Observations) funded by MIUR (Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica --Italian Ministry of the University and Scientific Research) two operational mesoscale models were set-up for Calabria, the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula. Models are RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System) and MM5 (Mesoscale Modeling 5) that are run every day at Crati scrl to produce weather forecast over Calabria (http://www.crati.it). This paper reports model intercomparison for Quantitative Precipitation Forecast evaluated for a 20 month period from 1th October 2000 to 31th May 2002. In addition to RAMS and MM5 outputs, QBOLAM rainfall fields are available for the period selected and included in the comparison. This model runs operationally at "Agenzia per la Protezione dell'Ambiente e per i Servizi Tecnici". Forecasts are verified comparing models outputs with raingauge data recorded by the regional meteorological network, which has 75 raingauges. Large-scale forcing is the same for all models considered and differences are due to physical/numerical parameterizations and horizontal resolutions. QPFs show differences between models. Largest differences are for BIA compared to the other considered scores. Performances decrease with increasing forecast time for RAMS and MM5, whilst QBOLAM scores better for second day forecast.
This study is part of an overall program to understand the uncertainty in best-estimate calculations of the local fuel enthalpy during the rod ejection accident. Local fuel enthalpy is used as the acceptance criterion for this design-basis event and can also be used to estimate fuel damage for the purpose of determining radiological consequences. The study used results from neutron kinetics models in PARCS, BARS, and CRONOS2, codes developed in the US, the Russian Federation, and France, respectively. Since BARS uses a heterogeneous representation of the fuel assembly as opposed to the homogeneous representations in PARCS and CRONOS, the effect of the intercomparison was primarily to compare different intra-assembly models. Quantitative comparisons for core power, reactivity, assembly fuel enthalpy and pin power were carried out. In general the agreement between methods was very good providing additional confidence in the codes and providing a starting point for a quantitative assessment of the uncertainty in calculated fuel enthalpy using best-estimate methods.
Interannual climate variability seen in the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brierley, C. M.
Following proxy observations of weakened temperature gradients along the Equator in the early Pliocene, there has been much speculation about Pliocene climate variability. A major advance for our knowledge about the later Pliocene has been the coordination of modelling efforts through the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). Here the changes in interannual modes of sea surface temperature variability will be presented across PlioMIP. Previously model ensembles have shown little consensus in the response of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to imposed forcings - either for the past or future. The PlioMIP ensemble, however, shows surprising agreement with eight models simulating reduced variability and only one model indicating no change. The Pliocene's robustly weaker ENSO also saw a shift to lower frequencies. Model ensembles focussed at a wide variety of forcing scenarios have not yet shown this level of coherency. Nonetheless the PlioMIP ensemble does not show a robust response of either ENSO flavour or sea surface temperature variability in the Tropical Indian and North Pacific Oceans. Existing suggestions of ENSO properties linked to changes in zonal temperature gradient, seasonal cycle and the elevation of the Andes Mountains are investigated, yet prove insufficient to explain the coherent response. The reason for this surprisingly coherent signal warrants further investigation.
Interannual climate variability seen in the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brierley, C. M.
Following reconstructions suggesting weakened temperature gradients along the Equator in the early Pliocene, there has been much speculation about Pliocene climate variability. A major advance for our knowledge about the later Pliocene has been the coordination of modelling efforts through the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). Here the changes in interannual modes of sea surface temperature variability will be presented across PlioMIP. Previously, model ensembles have shown little consensus in the response of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to imposed forcings - either for the past or future. The PlioMIP ensemble, however, shows surprising agreement, with eight models simulating reduced variability and only one model indicating no change. The Pliocene's robustly weaker ENSO also saw a shift to lower frequencies. Model ensembles focussed on a wide variety of forcing scenarios have not yet shown this level of coherency. Nonetheless, the PlioMIP ensemble does not show a robust response of either ENSO flavour or sea surface temperature variability in the tropical Indian and North Pacific oceans. Existing suggestions linking ENSO properties to to changes in zonal temperature gradient, seasonal cycle and the elevation of the Andes Mountains are investigated, yet prove insufficient to explain the consistent response. The reason for this surprisingly coherent signal warrants further investigation.
Climate Model Intercomparison at the Dynamics Level (Invited)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tsonis, A.; Steinhaeuser, K.
Until now, climate model intercomparison has focused primarily on annual and global averages of various quantities or on specific components, not on how well the general dynamics in the models compare to each other. In order to address how well models agree when it comes to dynamics they generate, we have adopted a new approach based on climate networks. We have considered 28 pre-industrial control runs as well as 70 20th-century forced runs from 23 climate models and have constructed networks for the 500 hPa, surface air temperature (SAT), sea level pressure (SLP), and precipitation fields for each run. Then we employed a widely used algorithm to derive the community structure in these networks. Communities separate 'nodes' in the network sharing similar dynamics. It has been shown that these communities, or sub-systems, in the climate system are associated with major climate modes and physics of the atmosphere. Once the community structure for all runs is derived, we use a pattern matching statistic to obtain a measure of how well any two models agree with each other. We find that, with possibly the exception of the 500 hPa field, the consistency for the SAT, SLP, and precipitation fields is questionable. More importantly, none of the models comes close to the community structure of the actual observations (reality). This is a significant finding especially for the temperature and precipitation fields, as these are the fields widely used to produce future projections in time and in space.
A climate model intercomparison at the dynamics level
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tsonis, A.; Steinhaeuser, K.
Up to now climate model intercomparison has focused on annual and global averages of various quantities or on specific components, not on how well the general dynamics in the models compare to each other. In order to address how well the models agree when it comes to dynamics they generate, we have adopted a new approach based on climate networks. We have considered 57 20th-century control runs from 17 climate models and have constructed networks for the 500 hPa, surface air temperature (SAT), and sea level pressure (SLP) fields for each run. Then we used two different algorithms to derive the community structure in these networks. Communities separate "nodes' in the network sharing similar dynamics. It has been shown that these communities, or sub-systems, in the climate system are associated with major climate modes and physics of the atmosphere 1-3. Once the community structure for all runs is derived we use a pattern matching statistic to obtain a measure of how well any two models agree with each other. We find that with possibly the exception of the 500 hPa filed, the consistency for the SLP and especially SAT fields is questionable. More importantly none of the models comes close to the community structure of the actual observations (reality). This is a significant finding especially for the temperature field, as this is the field predicted to produce temperature projections in time and in space.
A climate model intercomparison at the dynamics level
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tsonis, Anastasios; Steinhaeuser, Karsten
Until now, climate model intercomparison has focused primarily on annual and global averages of various quantities or on specific components, not on how well the general dynamics in the models compare to each other. In order to address how well models agree when it comes to dynamics they generate, we have adopted a new approach based on climate networks. We have considered 28 pre-industrial control runs as well as 70 20th-century forced runs from 23 climate models and have constructed networks for the 500 hPa, surface air temperature (SAT), sea level pressure (SLP), and precipitation fields for each run. Then we employed a widely used algorithm to derive the community structure in these networks. Communities separate "nodes" in the network sharing similar dynamics. It has been shown that these communities, or sub-systems, in the climate system are associated with major climate modes and physics of the atmosphere. Once the community structure for all runs is derived, we use a pattern matching statistic to obtain a measure of how well any two models agree with each other. We find that, with possibly the exception of the 500 hPa field, the consistency for the SAT, SLP, and precipitation fields is questionable. More importantly, none of the models comes close to the community structure of the actual observations (reality). This is a significant finding especially for the temperature and precipitation fields, as these are the fields widely used to produce future projections in time and in space.
Field intercomparison of a novel optical sensor for formaldehyde quantification
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Friedfeld, S.; Fraser, M.; Lancaster, D.; Leleux, D.; Rehle, D.; Tittel, F.
A one-week in situ intercomparison campaign was completed on the Rice University campus for measuring HCHO using three different techniques, including a novel optical sensor based on difference frequency generation (DFG) operating at room temperature. Two chemical derivatization methods, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and o-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl) hydroxylamine (PFBHA), were deployed during the daylight hours for three- to four-hour time-integrated samples. A real-time optical sensor based on laser absorption spectroscopy was operated simultaneously, including nighttime hours. This tunable spectroscopic source based on difference frequency mixing of two fiber-amplified diode lasers in periodically poled LiNb03 (PPLN) was operated at 3.5315 micrometers (2831.64 cm 1) to access a strong HCHO ro-vibrational transition free of interferences from other species. The results showed a bias of -1.7 and -1.2 ppbv and a gross error of 2.6 and 1.5 ppbv for DNPH and PFBHA measurements, respectively, compared with DFG measurements. These results validate the DFG sensor for time-resolved measurements of HCHO in urban areas.
Global 2-D intercomparison of sectional and modal aerosol modules
Weisenstein, D K; Penner, J E; Herzog, M; Liu, Xiaohong
We present an intercomparison of two aerosol modules, one sectional, one modal, in a global 2-D model in order to differentiate their behavior for tropospheric and stratospheric applications. We model only binary sulfuric acid-water aerosols in this study. Two versions of the sec-tional model and three versions of the modal model are used to test the sensitivity of background aerosol mass and size distribution to the number of bins or modes and to the pre-scribed width of the largest mode. We find modest sensitivity to the number of bins (40 vs 150) used in the sectional model. Aerosol mass is found to be reduced in a modal model if care is not taken in selecting the width of the largest lognormal mode, reflecting differences in sedimentation in the middle stratosphere. The size distributions calculated by the sec-tional model can be better matched by a modal model with four modes rather than three modes in most but not all sit-uations. A simulation of aerosol decay following the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo shows that the representation of the size distribution can have a signflcant impact on model-calculated aerosol decay rates in the stratosphere. Between 1991 and 1995, aerosol mass and surface area density calcu-lated by two versions of the modal model adequately match results from the sectional model. Calculated effective radius for the same time period shows more intermodel variability.
SMOS and Aquarius Inter-Comparison Over Oceans
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lagerloef, Gary S. E.; Kerr, Yann; Cabot, Francois; Jackson, Tom; Bindlish, Rajat; Kao, Hsun-Ying; Reul, Nicolas; Font, Jordi
We present the most recent results from on-going collaborative sensor inter-calibration and salinity inter-comparison analyses between SMOS and Aquarius/SAC-D satellite ocean brightness temperature and salinity retrievals. An important goal of both programs is to inter-calibrate and combine the respective satellite data sets and in situ ocean measurements to provide an accurate and well resolved ocean surface salinity observing capability for ocean and climate studies. At the time of this symposium, SMOS will have completed more that three years of observations and Aquarius more than 19 months. This study will apply the Aquarius data V2.0 to be released at the end of January 2013 (after the submission of this abstract), which includes updated calibration, pointing and geophysical model corrections. The comparison analyses will consist of these elements: (1) Polarized brightness temperatures (TH and TV) interpolated or synthesized at the Aquarius viewing angles, (2) Level 2 salinity retrievals, (3) Level 3 gridded data, and (4) in situ salinity data. The focus will be on quantifying the inter-calibration biases between the sensors, relative uncertainties of the salinity retrievals and the large-scale spatial and temporal systematic biases between the two satellites and in situ data.
An intercomparison of the thermal offset for different pyranometers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sanchez, G.; Cancillo, M. L.; Serrano, A.
An unprecedented intensive intercomparison campaign focused on the experimental measurement of the thermal offset of pyranometers has been conducted at Badajoz (Spain) with the participation of three main manufacturers. The purpose of this study is to compare the thermal offset of six commercially available pyranometers, being some of them widely used and others recently commercialized. In this campaign, the capping methodology has been used to experimentally measure the daytime thermal offset of the pyranometers. Thus, a short but intense campaign has been conducted in two selected summer days under clear-sky conditions, covering a large range of solar zenith angle, irradiance, and temperature. Along the campaign, a total of 305 capping events have been performed, 61 for each pyranometer. The daytime thermal offset obtained for different pyranometers ranges between 0 and -16.8 W/m2 depending on the environmental conditions, being sometimes notably higher than values estimated indoors by manufacturers. The thermal offset absolute value of all instruments shows a diurnal cycle, increasing from sunrise to central hours of the day and decreasing from midafternoon to sunset. The analysis demonstrates that thermal offset is notably higher and more variable during daytime than during nighttime, requiring specific daytime measurements. Main results emphasize the key role played by wind speed in modulating the thermal offset.
Arctic Pacific water dynamics from model intercomparison and observations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aksenov, Yevgeny; Karcher, Michael; Proshutinsky, Andrey; Gerdes, Ruediger; Bacon, Sheldon; Nurser, George; Coward, Andrew; Golubeva, Elena; Kauker, Frank; Nguyen, An; Platov, Gennady; Wadley, Martin; Watanabe, Eiji
Pacific Water imports heat and fresh water from the northern Pacific in the Arctic Ocean, impacting upper ocean mixing and dynamics, as well as Arctic sea ice. Pathways and the circulation of PW in the central Arctic Ocean are not well known due to the lack of observations. This study uses an ensemble of the sea ice-ocean models integrated with passive tracer released in the Bering Strait to simulate Pacific water spread. We investigate different branches and modes of Pacific water and analyse changes in the water mass distribution through the Arctic Ocean due to changes in the wind and ocean potential vorticity. We focus on seasonal cycle and inter-decadal variations. The first results have been published recently (Aksenov et al., 2015) as a part of Forum for Arctic Ocean Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) project. In the present study we extend the examination further and discuss the role of the Pacific water variability in the recent changes in the Arctic heat and fresh water storage. We present insights in the projected future changes to Pacific water dynamics. Reference Aksenov, Y., et al. (2015), Arctic pathways of Pacific Water: Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison experiments, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 120, doi:10.1002/2015JC011299.
Radioactive Waste Management Basis
Perkins, B K
The purpose of this Radioactive Waste Management Basis is to describe the systematic approach for planning, executing, and evaluating the management of radioactive waste at LLNL. The implementation of this document will ensure that waste management activities at LLNL are conducted in compliance with the requirements of DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, and the Implementation Guide for DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual. Technical justification is provided where methods for meeting the requirements of DOE Order 435.1 deviate from the DOE Manual 435.1-1 and Implementation Guide.
Applications Where Snap is BPM for Radioactive Waste Assay
Miller, T.J.
Historically, the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston in the United Kingdom (UK), has used a variety of assay techniques to measure the radioactive content of a diverse range of waste packages from decommissioning, operational and legacy sources. The regulator, the Environment Agency in the UK, places conditions and limits on AWE through an authorisation within the Radioactive Substances Act (RSA93). The conditions and limits require Best Practical Means (BPM) measurements to be used to demonstrate compliance with the authorisation. Hence, the assay technique employed needs to achieve a balance between risk of exposure, environmental considerations, technological considerations, health and safety considerations and cost effectiveness, without being grossly disproportionate in terms of money, time or trouble. Recently published work has concluded that the Spectral Non-destructive Assay Platform (SNAP) assay system is BPM for Depleted Uranium (DU) waste assay at AWE (1) and low level plutonium in soft drummed waste, HEPA filters and soils (2-4). The purpose of this paper is to highlight other applications where SNAP represents BPM for radioactive waste assay. This has been done by intercomparison studies of SNAP with other assay techniques, such as Segmented Gamma Scanner (SGS) and Passive Neutron Coincidence Counter (PNCC). It has been concluded that, for a large range of waste packages encountered at AWE, SNAP is BPM. (author)
Zisser, H; Gong, P; Kelley, C M; Seidman, J S; Riddell, M C
Diet and exercise form the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. These are especially important for people living with diabetes mellitus, as they are the most practical non-pharmacological means by which patients may significantly improve their blood glucose levels. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity (both short and long term), lowers blood sugar levels, reduces body fat and improves cardiovascular (CV) function. Because of this, exercise offers enormous benefit to patients with diabetes. Blood glucose levels can significantly drop during and after physical activities, due to the increased utilisation of glucose as a fuel during exercise and the up-regulation of glucose transport into working muscles. Therefore, patients (especially those with type 1 diabetes) must account for the effects of exercise and adjust their medications and nutrition accordingly. Improvements in real-time continuous glucose monitoring and optimisation of basal insulin dosing may offer significant benefit to preventing hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes who regularly exercise. Diverse exercise programmes and devices can also assist patients in monitoring their activities as well as motivating them to achieve their exercise goals. For patients with type 1 diabetes, questions such as how much, how long, how strenuous and what kind of exercise must be addressed in order for healthcare professionals to offer maximum benefit to their patients. Additionally, since patients with type 2 diabetes often have other significant co-morbidities such as obesity and CV disease, care providers must evaluate each patient's risk factors before designing an exercise programme. Several publications in the last year have addressed these issues and may serve as a valuable resource to provide safe and effective recommendations to patients and their healthcare providers. To be included in the Exercise and Diabetes chapter for the 2010 YEARBOOK, we reviewed leading peer-reviewed manuscripts that were
Exercises to help prevent falls
... can be active You can do the following exercises anytime and almost anywhere. As you get stronger, ... your ankles. This will increase how effective the exercise is. Try to exercise 2 or more days ...
Exercises to help prevent falls
... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000493.htm Exercises to help prevent falls To use the sharing ... and easily. Do not hold your breath. Balance exercises You can do some balance exercises during everyday ...
Stay active and exercise - arthritis
... your overall health and sense of well-being. Exercise keeps your muscles strong and increases your range ... Water exercises may be the best exercise for your arthritis. Swimming laps, water aerobics, or even just walking in ...
Exercises to Improve Gait Abnormalities
... Home About iChip Articles Directories Videos Resources Contact Exercises to Improve Gait Abnormalities Home » Article Categories » Exercise and Fitness Font Size: A A A A Exercises to Improve Gait Abnormalities Next Page The manner ...
Pelvic floor muscle training exercises
Pelvic floor muscle training exercises are a series of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. ... Pelvic floor muscle training exercises are recommended for: Women ... Men with urinary stress incontinence after prostate surgery ...
Lab Exercises for Kinesiology.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mills, Brett D.; And Others
This monograph presents descriptions of various exercises and athletic activities with a kinesiological and biomechanical analysis of the muscle systems involved. It is intended as examples of laboratory activities and projects in a college course in kinesiology. A listing of the required laboratory exercises precedes the examples. Specific…
... you finish doing all 4 exercises, put an ice pack on your shoulder for 20 minutes. It's best to use a plastic bag with ice cubes in it or a bag of frozen peas, not gel packs. If you do all 4 exercises 3 to ...
Exercise and Children's Health.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rowland, Thomas W.
This book paints a broad picture of the role of exercise in children's health and provides information for the physician and other health care providers on healthful forms of physical activity for children. The book is divided into three parts: (1) "Developmental Exercise Physiology: The Physiological Basis of Physical Fitness in Children"; (2)…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stuhr, Robyn M.
Menopause is associated with many different health effects and symptoms. This paper explains that regular exercise can play a critical role in protecting health and battling the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, pelvic floor atrophy, and joint stiffness associated with menopause. Exercise programs for menopausal women should…
Literature: Released Exercises.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. National Assessment of Educational Progress.
This volume contains 1970-71 Literature assessment exercises (all in the public domain) which have been selected for release at this time by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Information furnished for each exercise includes: the literature objective it was designed to measure, the theme (section) in which it appears, relevant…
Water Exercise Causes Ripples.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koszuta, Laurie Einstein
Water exercise provides benefits independently of participants' skill levels, and reduces the likelihood of injury from overuse syndromes and heat-related problems. The advantages of water resistance exercises for athletes and for elderly, overweight, or physically disabled people are discussed. (MT)
Inter-comparison of Computer Codes for TRISO-based Fuel Micro-Modeling and Performance Assessment
Brian Boer; Chang Keun Jo; Wen Wu; Abderrafi M. Ougouag; Donald McEachren; Francesco Venneri
The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), the Deep Burn Pebble Bed Reactor (DB-PBR) and the Deep Burn Prismatic Block Reactor (DB-PMR) are all based on fuels that use TRISO particles as their fundamental constituent. The TRISO particle properties include very high durability in radiation environments, hence the designs reliance on the TRISO to form the principal barrier to radioactive materials release. This durability forms the basis for the selection of this fuel type for applications such as Deep Bun (DB), which require exposures up to four times those expected for light water reactors. It follows that the study and prediction of the durability of TRISO particles must be carried as part of the safety and overall performance characterization of all the designs mentioned above. Such evaluations have been carried out independently by the performers of the DB project using independently developed codes. These codes, PASTA, PISA and COPA, incorporate models for stress analysis on the various layers of the TRISO particle (and of the intervening matrix material for some of them), model for fission products release and migration then accumulation within the SiC layer of the TRISO particle, just next to the layer, models for free oxygen and CO formation and migration to the same location, models for temperature field modeling within the various layers of the TRISO particle and models for the prediction of failure rates. All these models may be either internal to the code or external. This large number of models and the possibility of different constitutive data and model formulations and the possibility of a variety of solution techniques makes it highly unlikely that the model would give identical results in the modeling of identical situations. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an inter-comparison between the codes and to identify areas of agreement and areas that need reconciliation. The inter-comparison has been carried out by the cooperating
Radioactive waste disposal package
Lampe, Robert F.
A radioactive waste disposal package comprising a canister for containing vitrified radioactive waste material and a sealed outer shell encapsulating the canister. A solid block of filler material is supported in said shell and convertible into a liquid state for flow into the space between the canister and outer shell and subsequently hardened to form a solid, impervious layer occupying such space.
Radioactive waste disposal package
Lampe, Robert F.
A radioactive waste disposal package comprising a canister for containing vitrified radioactive waste material and a sealed outer shell encapsulating the canister. A solid block of filler material is supported in said shell and convertible into a liquid state for flow into the space between the canister and outer shell and subsequently hardened to form a solid, impervious layer occupying such space.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fox, Charles H.
This publication is one of a series of information booklets for the general public published by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. This booklet deals with the handling, processing and disposal of radioactive wastes. Among the topics discussed are: The Nature of Radioactive Wastes; Waste Management; and Research and Development. There are…
Temporary Personal Radioactivity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Myers, Fred
As part of a bone scan procedure to look for the spread of prostate cancer, I was injected with radioactive technetium. In an effort to occupy/distract my mind, I used a Geiger counter to determine if the radioactive count obeyed the inverse-square law as a sensor was moved away from my bladder by incremental distances.
A Remote Radioactivity Experiment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jona, Kemi; Vondracek, Mark
Imagine a high school with very few experimental resources and limited budgets that prevent the purchase of even basic laboratory equipment. For example, many high schools do not have the means of experimentally studying radioactivity because they lack Geiger counters and/or good radioactive sources. This was the case at the first high school one…
Exercise and functional foods.
Aoi, Wataru; Naito, Yuji; Yoshikawa, Toshikazu
Appropriate nutrition is an essential prerequisite for effective improvement of athletic performance, conditioning, recovery from fatigue after exercise, and avoidance of injury. Nutritional supplements containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals have been widely used in various sporting fields to provide a boost to the recommended daily allowance. In addition, several natural food components have been found to show physiological effects, and some of them are considered to be useful for promoting exercise performance or for prevention of injury. However, these foods should only be used when there is clear scientific evidence and with understanding of the physiological changes caused by exercise. This article describes various "functional foods" that have been reported to be effective for improving exercise performance or health promotion, along with the relevant physiological changes that occur during exercise. PMID:16749944
Visovsky, Constance; Dvorak, Colleen
Disease and cancer treatment-related side effects such as decreased energy level, muscle weakness, and declines in functional status and body mass have been well documented. There is evidence that exercise, such as low intensity aerobics walking, Tai Chi, or cycling, results in an overall decrease in fatigue levels over the course of cancer treatment. Additionally, there is evidence that regular physical activity or exercise can decrease emotional stress, blood pressure, the duration of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and pain. Exercise also has been shown to increase quality of life and improve the maximal oxygen uptake during exertion, sleep patterns, and cognition. However, the majority of studies of exercise and cancer have been conducted with women with early stage breast cancer, limiting the generalizability of these studies to other cancer populations. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a synthesis of the extant research evidence about th e benefits of exercise related to cancer recovery. PMID:15977980
Aoi, Wataru; Naito, Yuji; Yoshikawa, Toshikazu
Appropriate nutrition is an essential prerequisite for effective improvement of athletic performance, conditioning, recovery from fatigue after exercise, and avoidance of injury. Nutritional supplements containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals have been widely used in various sporting fields to provide a boost to the recommended daily allowance. In addition, several natural food components have been found to show physiological effects, and some of them are considered to be useful for promoting exercise performance or for prevention of injury. However, these foods should only be used when there is clear scientific evidence and with understanding of the physiological changes caused by exercise. This article describes various "functional foods" that have been reported to be effective for improving exercise performance or health promotion, along with the relevant physiological changes that occur during exercise. PMID:16749944
Intercomparison of six ambient [CH2O] measurement techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gilpin, Tim; Apel, Eric; Fried, Alan; Wert, Bryan; Calvert, Jack; Genfa, Zhang; Dasgupta, Purnendu; Harder, Jerry W.; Heikes, Brian; Hopkins, Brian; Westberg, Hal; Kleindienst, Tad; Lee, Yin-Nan; Zhou, Xianliang; Lonneman, William; Sewell, Scott
From May 29 to June 3, 1995 a blind intercomparison of six ambient formaldehyde measurement techniques took place at a field site near the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The continuous measurement methods intercompared were tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, (TDLAS); coil/2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, (CDNPH); 1,3-cyclohexanedione-diffusion scrubber (CHDDS); and the coil enzyme method (CENZ). In addition, two different cartridge methods were compared: silica gel-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DPNH) systems and a C-18-DNPH system. The intercomparison was conducted with spiked zero air (part 1) and ambient air (part 2). The CH2O standards for part 1 were calibrated by several independent methods and delivered to participants via a common glass manifold with potential trace gas interférants common to ambient air (O3, SO2, NO2, isoprene, H2O). The TDLAS system was used to confirm the absolute accuracy of the standards and served as a mission reference for part 1. The ambient phase lasted 44 hours with all participants sampling from a common glass tower. Differences between the ambient [CH2O] observed by the TDLAS and the other continuous methods were significant in some cases. For matched ambient measurement times the average ratios (±1σ) [CH2O]measured/[CH2O]TDLAS were: 0.89±0.12 (CDNPH); 1.30±0.02 (CHDDS); 0.63±0.03 (CENZ). The methods showed similar variations but different absolute values and the divergences appeared to result largely from calibration differences (no gas phase standards were used by groups other than NCAR). When the regressions of the participant [CH2O] values versus the TDLAS values, (measured in part 1), were used to normalize all of the results to the common gas phase standards of the NCAR group, the average ratios (±1σ), [CH2O]corrected/[CH2O]TDLAS for the first measurement period were much closer to unity: 1.04±0.14 (CDNPH), 1.00±0.11 (CHDDS), and 0.82±0.08 (CENZ). With the continuous methods
Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 2)
Haywood, A.M.; Dowsett, H.J.; Robinson, M.M.; Stoll, D.K.; Dolan, A.M.; Lunt, D.J.; Otto-Bliesner, B.; Chandler, M.A.
The Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project has expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29 to 2.97 million yr ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and together compose the initial phase of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) is being performed with atmosphere-only climate models. The second (Experiment 2) utilises fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. Following on from the publication of the experimental design and boundary conditions for Experiment 1 in Geoscientific Model Development, this paper provides the necessary description of differences and/or additions to the experimental design for Experiment 2.
Intercomparison of Terahertz Dielectric Measurements Using Vector Network Analyzer and Time-Domain Spectrometer
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naftaly, Mira; Shoaib, Nosherwan; Stokes, Daniel; Ridler, Nick M.
We describe a method for direct intercomparison of terahertz permittivities at 200 GHz obtained by a Vector Network Analyzer and a Time-Domain Spectrometer, whereby both instruments operate in their customary configurations, i.e., the VNA in waveguide and TDS in free-space. The method employs material that can be inserted into a waveguide for VNA measurements or contained in a cell for TDS measurements. The intercomparison experiments were performed using two materials: petroleum jelly and a mixture of petroleum jelly with carbon powder. The obtained values of complex permittivities were similar within the measurement uncertainty. An intercomparison between VNA and TDS measurements is of importance because the two modalities are customarily employed separately and require different approaches. Since material permittivities can and have been measured using either platform, it is necessary to ascertain that the obtained data is similar in both cases.
Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): Experimental Design and Boundary Conditions (Experiment 2)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Haywood, A. M.; Dowsett, H. J.; Robinson, M. M.; Stoll, D. K.; Dolan, A. M.; Lunt, D. J.; Otto-Bliesner, B.; Chandler, M. A.
The Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project has expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29 to 2.97 million yr ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and together compose the initial phase of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) is being performed with atmosphere only climate models. The second (Experiment 2) utilizes fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. Following on from the publication of the experimental design and boundary conditions for Experiment 1 in Geoscientific Model Development, this paper provides the necessary description of differences and/or additions to the experimental design for Experiment 2.
Intercomparison of Terahertz Dielectric Measurements Using Vector Network Analyzer and Time-Domain Spectrometer
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naftaly, Mira; Shoaib, Nosherwan; Stokes, Daniel; Ridler, Nick M.
We describe a method for direct intercomparison of terahertz permittivities at 200 GHz obtained by a Vector Network Analyzer and a Time-Domain Spectrometer, whereby both instruments operate in their customary configurations, i.e., the VNA in waveguide and TDS in free-space. The method employs material that can be inserted into a waveguide for VNA measurements or contained in a cell for TDS measurements. The intercomparison experiments were performed using two materials: petroleum jelly and a mixture of petroleum jelly with carbon powder. The obtained values of complex permittivities were similar within the measurement uncertainty. An intercomparison between VNA and TDS measurements is of importance because the two modalities are customarily employed separately and require different approaches. Since material permittivities can and have been measured using either platform, it is necessary to ascertain that the obtained data is similar in both cases.
1983 ORNL intercomparison of personnel neutron and gamma dosemeters
Swaja, R.E.; Sims, C.S.; Greene, R.T.
The Ninth Personnel Dosimetry Intercomparison Study was conducted during April 19-21, 1983, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dosemeters from 33 participating agencies were mounted on water-filled polyethylene elliptical phantoms and exposed to a range of low-level dose equivalents (0.02-0.45 mSv gamma and 0.49-11.14 mSv neutron) which could be encountered during routine personnel monitoring in mixed radiation fields. The Health Physics Research Reactor served as the radiation source for six separate exposures which used four different shield conditions: unshielded and shielded with steel, steel/concrete, and concrete. Results of the neutron measurements indicate that it is not unusual for dose equivalent estimates made under the same conditions by different agencies to differ by more than a factor of 2. Albedo systems, which were the most popular neutron monitors in this study, provided the most accurate results with CR-39 recoil track being least accurate. Track and film neutron systems exhibited problems providing measurable indication of neutron exposure at dose equivalents of about 0.50 mSv. Gamma measurements showed that TLD and film systems generally overestimated dose equivalents in the mixed radiation fields with film exhibiting significant problems providing measurable indication of gamma exposure at dose equivalents lower than about 0.15 mSv. Under the conditions of this study in which exposures were carefully controlled and participants had information concerning exposure conditions and incident spectra prior to dosemeter analysis, only slightly more than half of all neutron and gamma dose equivalent estimates met regulatory accuracy standards relative to reference values. These results indicate that continued improvement of mixed-field personnel dosimetry is required by many participating organizations. 15 references, 30 tables.
A sediment trap intercomparison experiment in the Panama Basin, 1979
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Honjo, Susumu; Spencer, Derek W.; Gardner, Wilford D.
In order to compare the collection efficiency of settling particles among sediment traps in a variety of design concepts, 28 sediment traps of 11 different designs were deployed at six depths ranging from 665 to 3769 m along five rigid mooring anchored in a sill-protected marginal basin about 3865 m deep for about 4 months from August to November 1979. The traps represented three basic designs: (1) cylinders with an aspect ratio between 2 and 3; (2) funnels with a large opening covered by a baffle with a small grid and (3) open boxes whose openings were covered by a baffle. All but two of these types of participating traps had a mechanism to isolate the collected sample. Monitoring instruments indicate that all moorings provided a stable platform throughout the duration of Sediment Trap Intercomparison Experiment (STIE) with relatively low current velocity at the middle layers and very low velocity at the deep layers. Total mass flux, fluxes of three size fractions after water sieving, carbonate, combustible and noncombustible fractions, organic carbon, nitrogen and other sedimentary constituents in the individual samples were determined and evaluated with regard to the relative consistency in terms of depth and statistical tests on the similarity of the constituents. Under the conditions tested, the trapping efficiency of settling particles between a large funnel trap with baffle and an intermediate-sized cylinder trap was nearly identical considering the laboratory analytical errors. This conclusion might be extended to cylinder traps with diameters as small as 7 cm and a large aspect ratio when deployed rigidly in a low energy ocean environment. A funnel-type trap with a more effective baffle had a higher collecting efficiency than the other traps. Because of mechanical problems, comparison of the box-type traps to the other types was inconclusive.
Soot Particle Studies - Instrument Inter-Comparison – Project Overview
Cross, E.; Sedlacek, A.; Onasch, T. B.; Ahern, A.; Wrobel, W.; Slowik, J. G.; Olfert, J.; Lack, D. A.; Massoli, P.; Cappa, C. D.; Schwarz, J.; Spackman, J. R.; Fahey, D. W.; Trimborn, A.; Jayne, J. T.; Freedman, A.; Williams, L. R.; Ng, N. L.; Mazzoleni, C.; Dubey, M.; Brem, B.; Kok, G.; Subramanian, R.; Freitag, S.; Clarke, A.; Thornhill, D.; Marr, L.; Kolb, C. E.; Worsnop, D. R.; Davidovits, P.
An inter-comparison study of instruments designed to measure the microphysical and optical properties of soot particles was completed. The following mass-based instruments were tested: Couette Centrifugal Particle Mass Analyzer (CPMA), Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer - Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (AMS-SMPS), Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2), Soot Particle-Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SP-AMS) and Photoelectric Aerosol Sensor (PAS2000CE). Optical instruments measured absorption (photoacoustic, interferometric, and filter-based), scattering (in situ), and extinction (light attenuation within an optical cavity). The study covered an experimental matrix consisting of 318 runs that systematically tested the performance of instruments across a range of parameters including: fuel equivalence ratio (1.8 {le} {phi} {le} 5), particle shape (mass-mobility exponent (D{sub f m}), 2.0 {le} D{sub f m} {le} 3.0), particle mobility size (30 {le} d{sub m} {le} 300 nm), black carbon mass (0.07 {le} m{sub BC} {le} 4.2 fg) and particle chemical composition. In selected runs, particles were coated with sulfuric acid or dioctyl sebacate (DOS) (0.5 {le} {Delta}r{sub ve} {le} 201 nm) where {Delta}r{sub ve} is the change in the volume equivalent radius due to the coating material. The effect of non-absorbing coatings on instrument response was determined. Changes in the morphology of fractal soot particles were monitored during coating and denuding processes and the effect of particle shape on instrument response was determined. The combination of optical and mass based measurements was used to determine the mass specific absorption coefficient for denuded soot particles. The single scattering albedo of the particles was also measured. An overview of the experiments and sample results are presented.
Infrared Spectral Radiance Intercomparisons With Satellite and Aircraft Sensors
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Larar, Allen M.; Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Smith, William L.
Measurement system validation is critical for advanced satellite sounders to reach their full potential of improving observations of the Earth's atmosphere, clouds, and surface for enabling enhancements in weather prediction, climate monitoring capability, and environmental change detection. Experimental field campaigns, focusing on satellite under-flights with well-calibrated FTS sensors aboard high-altitude aircraft, are an essential part of the validation task. Airborne FTS systems can enable an independent, SI-traceable measurement system validation by directly measuring the same level-1 parameters spatially and temporally coincident with the satellite sensor of interest. Continuation of aircraft under-flights for multiple satellites during multiple field campaigns enables long-term monitoring of system performance and inter-satellite cross-validation. The NASA / NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I) has been a significant contributor in this area by providing coincident high spectral/spatial resolution observations of infrared spectral radiances along with independently-retrieved geophysical products for comparison with like products from satellite sensors being validated. This presentation gives an overview of benefits achieved using airborne sensors such as NAST-I utilizing examples from recent field campaigns. The methodology implemented is not only beneficial to new sensors such as the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) flying aboard the Suomi NPP and future JPSS satellites but also of significant benefit to sensors of longer flight heritage such as the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the AQUA and METOP-A platforms, respectively, to ensure data quality continuity important for climate and other applications. Infrared spectral radiance inter-comparisons are discussed with a particular focus on usage of NAST-I data for enabling inter-platform cross-validation.
A model intercomparison for stochastic simulation of temporal precipitation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Paschalis, Athanasios; Molnar, Peter; Fatichi, Simone; Burlando, Paolo
Stochastic models, based on diverse stochastic processes, have been applied in the last decades for the simulation of precipitation time series. Different models target a good reproduction of statistical properties of precipitation across a specific range of temporal scales. The choice of the statistical properties and the respective range of scales are frequently dictated by the purpose for which each model is built. Despite the large variety of stochastic precipitation modeling tools, an intercomparison has been rarely attempted. Moreover, a common practice is to validate a stochastic model only for the statistical properties for which it has been developed to perform well. It is our opinion that this practice may have negative implications, especially when stochastic models are used in hydrology as a black box. In this study we present an extensive comparison among some of the most widely applied stochastic precipitation models. Models based on point processes (e.g. Neyman-Scott rectangular pulses model, Bartlett-Lewis rectangular pulses model), Mutiplicative Random Cascades (e.g. canonical and microcanonical MRC), Markov chains, scaling processes and their combinations (e.g. Paschalis et al., 2013, Advances in Water resources) are used in order to assess their efficiency for a number of stations belonging to different climates, spanning from semiarid to wet oceanic. A complete model validation is performed, taking into account all the essential statistical properties of precipitation (e.g. probability distribution, extremes, autocorrelation, intermittency, etc.) for a wide range of temporal scales relevant for hydrological and ecological applications. The overall goal is to identify the general patterns of the strengths and weaknesses of the various modeling tools, and to provide insights for generally applicable guidelines in the model selection dependent on the specific hydrological/ecological application.
Intercomparison of stratospheric gravity wave observations with AIRS and IASI
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoffmann, L.; Alexander, M. J.; Clerbaux, C.; Grimsdell, A. W.; Meyer, C. I.; Rößler, T.; Tournier, B.
Gravity waves are an important driver for the atmospheric circulation and have substantial impact on weather and climate. Satellite instruments offer excellent opportunities to study gravity waves on a global scale. This study focuses on observations from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aqua satellite and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) onboard the European MetOp satellites. The main aim of this study is an intercomparison of stratospheric gravity wave observations of both instruments. In particular, we analyzed AIRS and IASI 4.3 μm brightness temperature measurements, which directly relate to stratospheric temperature. Three case studies showed that AIRS and IASI provide a clear and consistent picture of the temporal development of individual gravity wave events. Statistical comparisons based on a 5-year period of measurements (2008-2012) showed similar spatial and temporal patterns of gravity wave activity. However, the statistical comparisons also revealed systematic differences of variances between AIRS and IASI that we attribute to the different spatial measurement characteristics of both instruments. We also found differences between day- and nighttime data that are partly due to the local time variations of the gravity wave sources. While AIRS has been used successfully in many previous gravity wave studies, IASI data are applied here for the first time for that purpose. Our study shows that gravity wave observations from different hyperspectral infrared sounders such as AIRS and IASI can be directly related to each other, if instrument-specific characteristics such as different noise levels and spatial resolution and sampling are carefully considered. The ability to combine observations from different satellites provides an opportunity to create a long-term record, which is an exciting prospect for future climatological studies of stratospheric gravity wave activity.
Sensor intercomparison of distributed surface radiation measurement system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dou, Baocheng; Wen, Jianguang; Li, Xiuhong; Liu, Qiang; Xiao, Qing; Bai, Junhua; Peng, Jingjing; Lin, Xingwen; Zhang, Zhigang; Wu, Xiaodan; Cai, Erli; Zhang, Jialin; Chang, Chongyan
The Wireless Sensor Networks of Coarse-resolution Pixel Parameters (CPP-WSN) was established to monitor the heterogeneity of coarse spatial resolution pixel, with consideration of different categories of land surface parameters in Huailai, Hebei province, China (40.349°N, 115.785°E). The observation network of radiation parameters (RadNet) in CPP-WSN was developed for multi-band radiation measurement and consisted of 6 nodes covering 2km*2km area to capture its heterogeneity. Each node employed four sensors to observe the five radiation parameters. The number and location of nodes in RadNet were determined through the representativeness-based sampling method. Thus, the RadNet is a distributed observation system with nodes work synchronously and measurements used together. The intercomparison experiment for RadNet is necessary and was conducted in Huailai Remote Sensing Station from 5th Aug to 10th Aug in 2012. Time series observations from various sensors were collected and analyzed. The maximum relative differences among sensors of UVR, SWR, LWR, PAR, and LST are 4.83%, 5.3%, 3.71%, 11%, and 0.54%, respectively. Sensor/parameter differences indeed exist and are considerable large for PAR, SWR, UVR, and LWR, which cannot be ignored. The linear normalization and quadratic polynomial normalization perform similar for CUV5/UVR, PQS1/PAR, CNR4/SWR, and SI-111/LST. As for CNR4/LWR, quadratic polynomial normalization show higher accuracy than linear normalization, especially in node2, node4, and node5. Thus, the LWR measured by CNR4 is proved to be nonlinear, and should be normalized with quadratic polynomial coefficients for higher precision.
Intercomparison of Shortwave Radiative Transfer Codes and Measurements
Halthore, Rangasayi N.; Crisp, David; Schwartz, Stephen E.; Anderson, Gail; Berk, A.; Bonnel, B.; Boucher, Olivier; Chang, Fu-Lung; Chou, Ming-Dah; Clothiaux, Eugene E.; Dubuisson, P.; Fomin, Boris; Fouquart, Y.; Freidenreich, S.; Gautier, Catherine; Kato, Seiji; Laszlo, Istvan; Li, Zhanqing; Mather, Jim H.; Plana-Fattori, Artemio; Ramaswamy, V.; Ricchiazzi, P.; Shiren, Y.; Trishchenko, A.; Wiscombe, Warren J.
Computation of components of shortwave (SW) or solar irradiance in the surface-atmospheric system forms the basis of intercomparison between 16 radiative transfer models of varying spectral resolution ranging from line-by-line models to broadband and general circulation models. In order of increasing complexity the components are: direct solar irradiance at the surface, diffuse irradiance at the surface, diffuse upward flux at the surface, and diffuse upward flux at the top of the atmosphere. These components allow computation of the atmospheric absorptance. Four cases are considered from pure molecular atmospheres to atmospheres with aerosols and atmosphere with a simple uniform cloud. The molecular and aerosol cases allow comparison of aerosol forcing calculation among models. A cloud-free case with measured atmospheric and aerosol properties and measured shortwave radiation components provides an absolute basis for evaluating the models. For the aerosol-free and cloud-free dry atmospheres, models agree to within 1% (root mean square deviation as a percentage of mean) in broadband direct solar irradiance at surface; the agreement is relatively poor at 5% for a humid atmosphere. A comparison of atmospheric absorptance, computed from components of SW radiation, shows that agreement among models is understandably much worse at 3% and 10% for dry and humid atmospheres, respectively. Inclusion of aerosols generally makes the agreement among models worse than when no aerosols are present, with some exceptions. Modeled diffuse surface irradiance is higher than measurements for all models for the same model inputs. Inclusion of an optically thick low-cloud in a tropical atmosphere, a stringent test for multiple scattering calculations, produces, in general, better agreement among models for a low solar zenith angle (SZA = 30?) than for a high SZA (75?). All models show about a 30% increase in broadband absorptance for 30? SZA relative to the clear-sky case and almost no
Comparing apples and oranges: the Community Intercomparison Suite
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schutgens, Nick; Stier, Philip; Pascoe, Stephen
Visual representation and comparison of geoscientific datasets presents a huge challenge due to the large variety of file formats and spatio-temporal sampling of data (be they observations or simulations). The Community Intercomparison Suite attempts to greatly simplify these tasks for users by offering an intelligent but simple command line tool for visualisation and colocation of diverse datasets. In addition, CIS can subset and aggregate large datasets into smaller more manageable datasets. Our philosophy is to remove as much as possible the need for specialist knowledge by the user of the structure of a dataset. The colocation of observations with model data is as simple as: "cis col
Intercomparison of Desert Dust Optical Depth from Satellite Measurements
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Carboni, E.; Thomas, G. E.; Sayer, A. M.; Siddans, R.; Poulsen, C. A.; Grainger, R. G.; Ahn, C.; Antoine, D.; Bevan, S.; Braak, R.; Brindley, H.; DeSouza-Machado, S.; Deuze, J. L.; Diner, D.; Ducos, F.; Grey, W.; Hsu, C.; Kalashnikova, O. V.; Kahn, R.; North, P. R. J.; Salustro, C.; Smith, A.; Tanre, D.; Torres, O.; Veihelmann, B,
This work provides a comparison of satellite retrievals of Saharan desert dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) during a strong dust event through March 2006. In this event, a large dust plume was transported over desert, vegetated, and ocean surfaces. The aim is to identify the differences between current datasets. The satellite instruments considered are AATSR, AIRS, MERIS, MISR, MODIS, OMI, POLDER, and SEVIRI. An interesting aspect is that the different algorithms make use of different instrument characteristics to obtain retrievals over bright surfaces. These include multi-angle approaches (MISR, AATSR), polarisation measurements (POLDER), single-view approaches using solar wavelengths (OMI, MODIS), and the thermal infrared spectral region (SEVIRI, AIRS). Differences between instruments, together with the comparison of different retrieval algorithms applied to measurements from the same instrument, provide a unique insight into the performance and characteristics of the various techniques employed. As well as the intercomparison between different satellite products, the AODs have also been compared to co-located AERONET data. Despite the fact that the agreement between satellite and AERONET AODs is reasonably good for all of the datasets, there are significant differences between them when compared to each other, especially over land. These differences are partially due to differences in the algorithms, such as assumptions about aerosol model and surface properties. However, in this comparison of spatially and temporally averaged data, it is important to note that differences in sampling, related to the actual footprint of each instrument on the heterogeneous aerosol field, cloud identification and the quality control flags of each dataset can be an important issue.
A climate model intercomparison at the dynamics level
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Steinhaeuser, Karsten; Tsonis, Anastasios A.
Until now, climate model intercomparison has focused primarily on annual and global averages of various quantities or on specific components, not on how well the general dynamics in the models compare to each other. In order to address how well models agree when it comes to the dynamics they generate, we have adopted a new approach based on climate networks. We have considered 28 pre-industrial control runs as well as 70 20th-century forced runs from 23 climate models and have constructed networks for the 500 hPa, surface air temperature (SAT), sea level pressure (SLP), and precipitation fields for each run. We then employed a widely used algorithm to derive the community structure in these networks. Communities separate "nodes" in the network sharing similar dynamics. It has been shown that these communities, or sub-systems, in the climate system are associated with major climate modes and physics of the atmosphere (Tsonis AA, Swanson KL, Wang G, J Clim 21: 2990-3001 in 2008; Tsonis AA, Wang G, Swanson KL, Rodrigues F, da Fontura Costa L, Clim Dyn, 37: 933-940 in 2011; Steinhaeuser K, Ganguly AR, Chawla NV, Clim Dyn 39: 889-895 in 2012). Once the community structure for all runs is derived, we use a pattern matching statistic to obtain a measure of how well any two models agree with each other. We find that, with the possible exception of the 500 hPa field, consistency for the SAT, SLP, and precipitation fields is questionable. More importantly, none of the models comes close to the community structure of the actual observations (reality). This is a significant finding especially for the temperature and precipitation fields, as these are the fields widely used to produce future projections in time and in space.
The Continual Intercomparison of Radiation Codes: Results from Phase I
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Mlawer, Eli; Delamere, Jennifer; Shippert, Timothy; Cole, Jason; Iacono, Michael; Jin, Zhonghai; Li, Jiangnan; Manners, James; Raisanen, Petri; Rose, Fred; Zhang, Yuanchong; Wilson Michael J.; Rossow, William
The computer codes that calculate the energy budget of solar and thermal radiation in Global Climate Models (GCMs), our most advanced tools for predicting climate change, have to be computationally efficient in order to not impose undue computational burden to climate simulations. By using approximations to gain execution speed, these codes sacrifice accuracy compared to more accurate, but also much slower, alternatives. International efforts to evaluate the approximate schemes have taken place in the past, but they have suffered from the drawback that the accurate standards were not validated themselves for performance. The manuscript summarizes the main results of the first phase of an effort called "Continual Intercomparison of Radiation Codes" (CIRC) where the cases chosen to evaluate the approximate models are based on observations and where we have ensured that the accurate models perform well when compared to solar and thermal radiation measurements. The effort is endorsed by international organizations such as the GEWEX Radiation Panel and the International Radiation Commission and has a dedicated website (i.e., http://circ.gsfc.nasa.gov) where interested scientists can freely download data and obtain more information about the effort's modus operandi and objectives. In a paper published in the March 2010 issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society only a brief overview of CIRC was provided with some sample results. In this paper the analysis of submissions of 11 solar and 13 thermal infrared codes relative to accurate reference calculations obtained by so-called "line-by-line" radiation codes is much more detailed. We demonstrate that, while performance of the approximate codes continues to improve, significant issues still remain to be addressed for satisfactory performance within GCMs. We hope that by identifying and quantifying shortcomings, the paper will help establish performance standards to objectively assess radiation code quality
Validation and Intercomparison of Satellite Rainfall Products over Guiana Shield
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ringard, J.; Becker, M.; Audois, P.; Seyler, F.; Linguet, L.
Four satellite-based rainfall estimate algorithms TRMM-TMPA 3B42 (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Multi Satellite Precipitation analysis) V7 (Version 7) and RT (Real Time), PERSIANN (Precipitation Estimation from Remote Sensing Information using Artificial Neural Network) and CMORPH (Climate Prediction Center MORPHing technique) are evaluated at daily and monthly time scales, and a spatial resolution of 0.25° longitude/latitude. The reference data come from to rain gauges network over French Guiana and North Brazil. The comparison between the products is obtained with quantitative and qualitative statistical analysis. Results are discussed in terms of the accuracy of the products, the effect of climate variability, and differences between products. The validation and intercomparison of these products is done for the whole as well as different parts of the area. Validation results are reasonably satisfactory for daily and monthly rainfall with a correct match in spatial distribution in rainfall between regions. There is a better correlation for monthly precipitation. On average the bias vary from -0.55 mm to -2.05 mm for daily and from -16.44 mm to -62.04 mm for monthly, the root mean square error vary from 15.15 mm to 16.06 mm for daily and from 159.62 mm to 172.65 mm for monthly. All products underestimate the strong rainfall regimes and overestimate low rainfall regimes. Structures in the occurrence of rainfall are better represented than structures in rainfall amounts. TRMM-V7 and PERSIANN show better performance, CMORPH and TRMM-RT lower, although the differences between products are very low.
Fennec dust forecast intercomparison over the Sahara in June 2011
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chaboureau, Jean-Pierre; Flamant, Cyrille; Dauhut, Thibaut; Kocha, Cécile; Lafore, Jean-Philippe; Lavaysse, Chistophe; Marnas, Fabien; Mokhtari, Mohamed; Pelon, Jacques; Reinares Martínez, Irene; Schepanski, Kerstin; Tulet, Pierre
In the framework of the Fennec international programme, a field campaign was conducted in June 2011 over the western Sahara. It led to the first observational data set ever obtained that documents the dynamics, thermodynamics and composition of the Saharan atmospheric boundary layer (SABL) under the influence of the heat low. In support to the aircraft operation, four dust forecasts were run daily at low and high resolutions with convection-parameterizing and convection-permitting models, respectively. The unique airborne and ground-based data sets allowed the first ever intercomparison of dust forecasts over the western Sahara. At monthly scale, large aerosol optical depths (AODs) were forecast over the Sahara, a feature observed by satellite retrievals but with different magnitudes. The AOD intensity was correctly predicted by the high-resolution models, while it was underestimated by the low-resolution models. This was partly because of the generation of strong near-surface wind associated with thunderstorm-related density currents that could only be reproduced by models representing convection explicitly. Such models yield emissions mainly in the afternoon that dominate the total emission over the western fringes of the Adrar des Iforas and the Aïr Mountains in the high-resolution forecasts. Over the western Sahara, where the harmattan contributes up to 80 % of dust emission, all the models were successful in forecasting the deep well-mixed SABL. Some of them, however, missed the large near-surface dust concentration generated by density currents and low-level winds. This feature, observed repeatedly by the airborne lidar, was partly forecast by one high-resolution model only.
Global High-Accuracy Intercomparison of Slope Measuring Instruments
Siewert, Frank; Lammert, Heiner; Zeschke, Thomas; Assoufid, Lahsen; Cocco, Daniele; Sostero, Giovani; Hignette, Olivier; Rommeveaux, Amparo; Irick, Steve; McKinney, Wayne; Yashchuk, Valeriy; Ohashi, Haruhiko; Qian, Shinan; Takacs, Peter; Rah, Seungyu; Yamauchi, Kazuto
The upcoming generation of high accuracy synchrotron radiation (SR) optics will be characterized by a slope deviation from ideal shape in the range of some 0.05{mu}rad rms at a sampling interval of about 1mm. To certify and improve the measurement capabilities of metrology tools to inspect these stringent specifications, an essential step is a worldwide intercomparison of these measurements based on a set of transfer standards. It is the aim of these cross measurements to verify the ''absolute'' correctness and comparability of the measurement results obtained by the cooperating partners when measuring the topography of specific reference optics (ROs) using their latest metrology tools and methods. Organized by members of the SR-optics community, new national and international cross measurement comparisons of typical synchrotron radiation mirrors have been realized during the last few years: A round robin test by the European COST-program (BESSY, Elettra, ESRF, Soleil) during the years 2004-2005 and a similar cooperation realized by the APS, ESRF and Spring-8 have proceeded. The first results of both projects were presented at the ''Optics and Photonics'' conference in San Diego in August 2005. This work build upon earlier work. The participants of both groups and representatives of other SR-laboratories agreed to start a global cooperation bringing together the two round-robin projects and open these activities to other partners from the SR-community, optical manufacturers and other interested parties. This initiative is intended to start an extensive comparison of various measurement principles and tools and will help to push the frontiers in metrology, and hence production, to a precision well below the current state-of-the-art limit of 0.5{mu}rad rms for slope errors.
Comparing apples and oranges: the Community Intercomparison Suite
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schutgens, Nick; Stier, Philip; Kershaw, Philip; Pascoe, Stephen
Visual representation and comparison of geoscientific datasets presents a huge challenge due to the large variety of file formats and spatio-temporal sampling of data (be they observations or simulations). The Community Intercomparison Suite attempts to greatly simplify these tasks for users by offering an intelligent but simple command line tool for visualisation and colocation of diverse datasets. In addition, CIS can subset and aggregate large datasets into smaller more manageable datasets. Our philosophy is to remove as much as possible the need for specialist knowledge by the user of the structure of a dataset. The colocation of observations with model data is as simple as: "cis col
The first international intercomparison of EPR-dosimetry with teeth: first results.
Chumak, V; Bailiff, I; Baran, N; Bugai, A; Dubovsky, S; Fedosov, I; Finin, V; Haskell, E; Hayes, R; Ivannikov, A; Kenner, G; Kirillov, V; Khamidova, L; Kolesnik, S; Liidja, G; Likhtarev, I; Lippmaa, E; Maksimenko, V; Meijer, A; Minenko, V; Pasalskaya, L; Past, J; Puskar, J; Radchuk, V; Wieser, A
Intercomparison of EPR-dosimetric techniques using tooth enamel had been performed in order to check whether the results produced by different laboratories are consistent and accurate. Participants were supposed to evaluate doses applied to pulverized enamel samples, using routine techniques from their laboratories. The intercomparison has demonstrated a great variety of methods used for dose reconstruction. Peculiarities of experimental approaches are discussed systematically in terms of procedure for recording the EPR-spectra, determination of the amplitude of the radiation induced signal, determination of the dose, and error propagation. PMID:9022185
The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP): project framework.
Warszawski, Lila; Frieler, Katja; Huber, Veronika; Piontek, Franziska; Serdeczny, Olivia; Schewe, Jacob
The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project offers a framework to compare climate impact projections in different sectors and at different scales. Consistent climate and socio-economic input data provide the basis for a cross-sectoral integration of impact projections. The project is designed to enable quantitative synthesis of climate change impacts at different levels of global warming. This report briefly outlines the objectives and framework of the first, fast-tracked phase of Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project, based on global impact models, and provides an overview of the participating models, input data, and scenario set-up. PMID:24344316
The Ny-Alesund aerosol and ozone measurements intercomparison campaign 1997/1998 (NAOMI-1998)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neuber, R.; Beyerle, G.; Beninga, I.; VonderGathen, P.; Rairoux, P.; Schrems, O.; Wahl, P.; Gross, M.; McGee, Th.; Iwasaka, Y.; Fujiwara, M.; Shibata, T.; Klein, U.; Steinbrecht, W.
An intercomparison campaign for Lidar measurements of stratospheric ozone and aerosol has been conducted at the Primary Station of the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) in Ny-Alesund/Spitsbergen during January-February 1998. In addition to local instrumentation, the NDSC mobile ozone lidar from NASA/GSFC and the mobile aerosol lidar from Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) participated. The aim is the validation of stratospheric ozone and aerosol profile measurements according to NDSC guidelines. This paper briefly presents the employed instruments and outlines the campaign. Results of the blind intercomparison of ozone profiles are given in a companion paper and temperature measurements are described in this issue.
The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI–MIP): Project framework
Warszawski, Lila; Frieler, Katja; Huber, Veronika; Piontek, Franziska; Serdeczny, Olivia; Schewe, Jacob
The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project offers a framework to compare climate impact projections in different sectors and at different scales. Consistent climate and socio-economic input data provide the basis for a cross-sectoral integration of impact projections. The project is designed to enable quantitative synthesis of climate change impacts at different levels of global warming. This report briefly outlines the objectives and framework of the first, fast-tracked phase of Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project, based on global impact models, and provides an overview of the participating models, input data, and scenario set-up. PMID:24344316
Exercise and Inherited Arrhythmias.
Cheung, Christopher C; Laksman, Zachary W M; Mellor, Gregory; Sanatani, Shubhayan; Krahn, Andrew D
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in an apparently healthy individual is a tragedy that prompts a series of investigations to identify the cause of death and to prevent SCD in potentially at-risk family members. Several inherited channelopathies and cardiomyopathies, including long QT syndrome (LQTS), catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular cardiomyopathy (CPVT), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) are associated with exercise-related SCD. Exercise restriction has been a historical mainstay of therapy for these conditions. Syncope and cardiac arrest occur during exercise in LQTS and CPVT because of ventricular arrhythmias, which are managed with β-blockade and exercise restriction. Exercise may provoke hemodynamic or ischemic changes in HCM, leading to ventricular arrhythmias. ARVC is a disease of the desmosome, whose underlying disease process is accelerated by exercise. On this basis, expert consensus has erred on the side of caution, recommending rigorous exercise restriction for all inherited arrhythmias. With time, as familiarity with inherited arrhythmia conditions has increased and patients with milder forms of disease are diagnosed, practitioners have questioned the historical rigorous restrictions advocated for all. This change has been driven by the fact that these are often children and young adults who wish to lead active lives. Recent evidence suggests a lower risk of exercise-related arrhythmias in treated patients than was previously assumed, including those with previous symptoms managed with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. In this review, we emphasize shared decision making, monitored medical therapy, individual and team awareness of precautions and emergency response measures, and a more permissive approach to recreational and competitive exercise. PMID:26927864
Diabetes, Nutrition, and Exercise.
Abdelhafiz, Ahmed H; Sinclair, Alan J
Aging is associated with body composition changes that lead to glucose intolerance and increased risk of diabetes. The incidence of diabetes increases with aging, and the prevalence has increased because of the increased life expectancy of the population. Lifestyle modifications through nutrition and exercise in combination with medications are the main components of diabetes management. The potential benefits of nutrition and exercise intervention in older people with diabetes are enormous. Nutrition and exercise training are feasible even in frail older people living in care homes and should take into consideration individual circumstances, cultural factors, and ethnic preferences. PMID:26195102
2014 ICHLNRRA intercomparison of radon/thoron gas and radon short-lived decay products measuring instruments in the NRPI Prague.
Jílek, K; Timková, J
During the Eighth International Conference on High Levels of Natural Radiation and Radon Areas held in autumn 2014 at Prague, the third intercomparison of radon/thoron gas and radon short-lived decay products measurement instruments was organised by and held at the Natural Radiation Division of the National Radiation Protection Institute (NRPI; SÚRO v.v.i.) in Prague. The intercomparison was newly focussed also on continuous monitors with active sampling adapters capable to distinguish radon/thoron gas in their mix field.The results of radon gas measurements carried out in the big NRPI radon chamber indicated very well an average deviation of up to 5 % from the reference NRPI value for 80 % of all the exposed instruments. The results of equilibrium equivalent concentration continuous monitors indicated an average deviation of up to 5 % from the reference NRPI value for 40 % of all the exposed instruments and their ~8-10 % shift compared with the NRPI. The results of investigated ambient conditions upon response of exposed continuous monitors indicated influence of aerosol changes upon response of radon monitors with an active air sampling adapters through the filter, only. The exposures of both radon/thoron gas discriminative continuous monitors and passive detectors have been indicated inconsistent results: on one hand, their excellent agreement up to several per cent for both the gases, and on the other hand, systematic unsatisfactory differences up to 40 %. Additional radon/thoron exercises are recommended to improve both the instruments themselves and quality of their operators. PMID:25990114
Intercomparison between gas-chromatography and long-path UV DOAS techniques for the measurement of benzene and toluene in urban atmospheres
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Allegrini, Ivo; Febo, Antonio
An intercomparison between DOAS and gas-chromatographic techniques for the measurement of the concentration of benzene and toluene in the air has been carried out in Milan, Italy during the winter of 1994. Measurements of the natural radioactivity due to Radon have been carried out for a direct description of the mixing properties of the atmosphere. The temporal trend of primary pollutants, including hydrocarbons, follow, as expected, that of radioactivity. The results show that large discrepancies between the two methods have to be associated with the stratification of the atmosphere caused by ground based inversions. Scatter plots of GC against DOAS data show acceptable agreements, while the nature of observed offsets in DOAS system need further investigation. The results also show that the measurements are self consistent as they fit the physio-chemical evolution of atmospheric pollution at the site of sampling. In addition, data obtained from DOAS may be used to describe the evaluation of vertical mixing through the ratio toluene/benzene. Data on this new and important aspect are also presented.
Aquatic Exercise for the Aged.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Daniel, Michael; And Others
The development and implementation of aquatic exercise programs for the aged are discussed in this paper. Program development includes a discussion of training principles, exercise leadership and the setting up of safe water exercise programs for the participants. The advantages of developing water exercise programs and not swimming programs are…
Provenance in Data Interoperability for Multi-Sensor Intercomparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lynnes, C.; Leptoukh, G.; Berrick, S.; Shen, S.; Prados, A.; Fox, P.; Yang, W.; Min, M.; Holloway, D.; Enloe, Y.
. Provenance information may be either embedded within the data payload, or transmitted from server to client in an out of band mechanism, through a dedicated provenance protocol, or as an addition to existing protocol standards. The out of band mechanism is more flexible in the richness of provenance information that can be accommodated, but it relies on a persistent framework. Also, if the user saves it locally for preservation purposes, a data management problem arises in keeping provenance information with the data. Therefore, we are prototyping the embedded model, incorporating the provenance within metadata objects in the data payload. Thus, it always remains with the data, no matter where the user moves them. The downside is a limit to the size of provenance metadata that we can include, an issue that will eventually need resolution to encompass the richness of provenance information required for data intercomparison and merging.
Intercomparison of mid latitude storm diagnostics (IMILAST) - project update
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neu, Urs
The analysis of the occurrence of mid-latitude storms is of great socio-economical interest due to their vast and destructive impacts. However, a unique definition of cyclones is missing as they are complex systems which may have very diverse characteristics. Thus, the definition of what a cyclone is as well as quantifying its strength contains subjective choices. Existing automatic cyclone identification and tracking algorithms are based on different definitions and use diverse characteristics. These methods generally differ in the following aspects: data transformation (e.g., grid transformation, smoothing, etc.), metrics used for cyclone identification (e.g. sea level pressure or vorticity), cyclone identification procedures, different tracking methods (e.g. near neighborhood search), and elimination criteria (e.g., requiring a certain pressure minimum or minimum life time). The different choices made in these algorithms can lead to substantial differences in cyclone climatologies, temporal trends of the frequency, strength, or other characteristics of cyclones. These differences render the interpretation and comparison of cyclone studies rather difficult. The project IMILAST systematically compares different cyclone detection and tracking methods (currently 15 different algorithms), with the aim to comprehensively assess systematic uncertainties in mid-latitudinal storm identification and tracking. As a common data basis the ERA-interim reanalysis data set is used in all IMILAST studies. A first study presented a general overview of differences between the methods with respect to number, track density, life cycle characteristics, and trend patterns for a 20 year period of ERA-Interim. In a second study, potential differences of the long-term climate change signal of cyclonic activity between the methods were assessed. Currently, the intercomparison is extended to a 30 year period from 1979 to 2009 and focuses on more specific aspects, such as parameter
Intercomparison of mid latitude storm diagnostics (IMILAST) - project update
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neu, Urs
The detection of the occurrence of mid-latitude storms, which are of high societal interest due to their impacts, is less straightforward than it might seem. Since cyclones are complex systems with very diverse characteristics, the definition of what a cyclone is and what should be considered as describing the strength of a cyclone contains subjective choices. Thus, existing analysis methods, especially automatic algorithms, are based on different definitions and use diverse identification and tracking (i.e. detecting the path of an individual cyclone over time) methodologies. The different choices made in different cyclone identification and tracking algorithms can lead to critical differences in temporal trends of the frequency, strength or life cycle of cyclones. These differences render the interpretation and comparison of cyclone trend studies difficult. The project IMILAST performs a systematic intercomparison of different existing cyclone detection and tracking methods (currently 15 different algorithms), with the aim of a comprehensive assessment of methodological uncertainties in mid-latitudinal storm tracking and an overview of advantages and restrictions of different schemes. As input data all calculations used the same ERA-interim reanalysis data set. The methods generally differ in the following aspects: data transformation (e.g. grid transformation, smoothing), metrics used for cyclone identification (e.g. sea level pressure or vorticity), cyclone identification procedures, different tracking methods (how to combine the cyclone centers at different times to a track), and elimination criteria (e.g. requiring a certain pressure minimum or minimum life time). After a first experiment comparing cyclone tracks for a 20 year test period for both the northern and southern hemispheres, now the detection of a set of 22 individual extreme storms by the different methods has been analysed. In addition, more specific analysis, as for example the influence of
Intercomparison of mid latitude storm diagnostics (IMILAST) - project update
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neu, U.
The detection of the occurrence of mid-latitude storms, which are of high societal interest due to their impacts, is less straightforward than it might seem. Since cyclones are complex systems with very diverse characteristics, the definition of what a cyclone is and what should be considered as describing the strength of a cyclone contains subjective choices. Thus, existing analysis methods, especially automatic algorithms, are based on different definitions and use diverse identification and tracking (i.e. detecting the path of an individual cyclone over time) methodologies. The different choices made in different cyclone identification and tracking algorithms can lead to critical differences in temporal trends of the frequency, strength or life cycle of cyclones. These differences render the interpretation and comparison of cyclone trend studies difficult. The project IMILAST performs a systematic intercomparison of different existing cyclone detection and tracking methods, with the aim of a comprehensive assessment of methodological uncertainties in mid-latitudinal storm tracking and an overview of advantages and restrictions of different schemes. The intensive discussions of first results have already pointed out a number of important issues that have to be carefully considered, and where some harmonization might make sense, like e.g. the arbitrary choice of thresholds like minimum life time or the elimination of cyclone tracks over high terrain. Currently, cyclone tracks for a 20 year test period for both the northern and southern hemispheres have been calculated with 15 different methodologies. As input data all calculations used the same ERA-interim reanalysis data set. The methods generally differ in the following aspects: data transformation (e.g. grid transformation, smoothing), metrics used for cyclone identification (e.g. sea level pressure or vorticity), cyclone identification procedures, different tracking methods (how to combine the cyclone centers
The Rhone-Aggregation Land Surface Scheme Intercomparison Project
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boone, A. A.; Habets, F.; Noilhan and Working Group, J.
The Rhone-AGGregation (Rhone-AGG) Land Surface Scheme intercomparison project is an initiative within the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Global Land-Atmosphere System Study (GLASS)/Global Soil Wetness Project (GSWP) panel of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). This project makes use of the Rhone modeling system, which was developed in recent years by the French research community in order to study the continental water cycle on a regional scale. Three distinct components comprise this system: an analysis system to determine the near-surface atmospheric forcing, a Land Surface Scheme (LSS) interface and a distributed hydrological model. The coupling between the three components of the system is 1-way. It was created in an attempt to ensure a consistent dialogue between the atmosphere (precipitation, radiative fluxes, state variables) and the hydrological variables (evaporation, soil moisture, runoff, ground water and river flow). The atmospheric data, which have been mapped to an 8 km grid, consist of standard screen level observations at approximately 60 Météo-France weather network sites within the domain, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis, climatological data and total daily precipitation data from over 1500 gauges. The system utilizes high spatial resolution European soil and vegetation databases, but it has been designed such that it is transferable to other regions. The size of the entire Rhone basin (86,996 km 2) is comparable to the area of a typical coarse-resolution Global atmospheric Climate Model (GCM) grid element, so that it is of interest to examine how the simulations from a wide range of LSSs, which are used in GCMs, numerical weather prediction models, mesoscale atmospheric models or hydrological models, are impacted by changing the spatial resolution over the domain from 8 km to approximately 69 km (1 degree). The main issues addressed by the Rhone-AGG project are how various state of
Global dust model intercomparison in AeroCom phase I
Huneeus, N.; Schulz, M.; Balkanski, Y.; Griesfeller, J.; Prospero, J.; Kinne, S.; Bauer, S.; Boucher, O.; Chin, M.; Dentener, F.; Diehl, T.; Easter, R.; Fillmore, D.; Ghan, S.; Ginoux, P.; Grini, A.; Horowitz, L.; Koch, D.; Krol, M. C.; Landing, W.; Liu, X.; Mahowald, N.; Miller, R.; Morcrette, J. -J.; Myhre, G.; Penner, J.; Perlwitz, J.; Stier, P.; Takemura, T.; Zender, C. S.
This study presents the results of a broad intercomparison of a total of 15 global aerosol models within the AeroCom project. Each model is compared to observations related to desert dust aerosols, their direct radiative effect, and their impact on the biogeochemical cycle, i.e., aerosol optical depth (AOD) and dust deposition. Additional comparisons to Angström exponent (AE), coarse mode AOD and dust surface concentrations are included to extend the assessment of model performance and to identify common biases present in models. These data comprise a benchmark dataset that is proposed for model inspection and future dust model development. There are large differences among the global models that simulate the dust cycle and its impact on climate. In general, models simulate the climatology of vertically integrated parameters (AOD and AE) within a factor of two whereas the total deposition and surface concentration are reproduced within a factor of 10. In addition, smaller mean normalized bias and root mean square errors are obtained for the climatology of AOD and AE than for total deposition and surface concentration. Characteristics of the datasets used and their uncertainties may influence these differences. Large uncertainties still exist with respect to the deposition fluxes in the southern oceans. Further measurements and model studies are necessary to assess the general model performance to reproduce dust deposition in ocean regions sensible to iron contributions. Models overestimate the wet deposition in regions dominated by dry deposition. They generally simulate more realistic surface concentration at stations downwind of the main sources than at remote ones. Most models simulate the gradient in AOD and AE between the different dusty regions. However the seasonality and magnitude of both variables is better simulated at African stations than Middle East ones. The models simulate the offshore transport of West Africa throughout the year but they
Provenance in Data Interoperability for Multi-Sensor Intercomparison
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lynnes, Chris; Leptoukh, Greg; Berrick, Steve; Shen, Suhung; Prados, Ana; Fox, Peter; Yang, Wenli; Min, Min; Holloway, Dan; Enloe, Yonsook
from server to client in an out-of-band mechanism. The out of band mechanism is more flexible in the richness of provenance information that can be accomodated, but it relies on a persistent framework and can be difficult for legacy clients to use. We are prototyping the embedded model, incorporating provenance within metadata objects in the data payload. Thus, it always remains with the data. The downside is a limit to the size of provenance metadata that we can include, an issue that will eventually need resolution to encompass the richness of provenance information required for daata intercomparison and merging.
Understanding radioactive waste
Murray, R.L.
This document contains information on all aspects of radioactive wastes. Facts are presented about radioactive wastes simply, clearly and in an unbiased manner which makes the information readily accessible to the interested public. The contents are as follows: questions and concerns about wastes; atoms and chemistry; radioactivity; kinds of radiation; biological effects of radiation; radiation standards and protection; fission and fission products; the Manhattan Project; defense and development; uses of isotopes and radiation; classification of wastes; spent fuels from nuclear reactors; storage of spent fuel; reprocessing, recycling, and resources; uranium mill tailings; low-level wastes; transportation; methods of handling high-level nuclear wastes; project salt vault; multiple barrier approach; research on waste isolation; legal requiremnts; the national waste management program; societal aspects of radioactive wastes; perspectives; glossary; appendix A (scientific American articles); appendix B (reference material on wastes). (ATT)
... activities, including your shoulder joint and your shoulder blade Observe your spine and posture as you stand ... band Isometric shoulder exercises Wall push-ups Shoulder blade (scapular) retraction - no tubing Shoulder blade (scapular) retraction - ...
... Going to the gym every other day Playing golf regularly Exercise can help you feel better about ... important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy , ...
... for Parents for Kids for Teens Teens Home Body Mind Sexual Health Food & Fitness Diseases & Conditions Infections Q& ... hours of studying burn mental energy, both your body and mind need physical exercise to function at their peak. ...
Hand and Finger Exercises Place your palm flat on a table. Raise and lower your fingers one ... times for ____ seconds. Pick up objects with your hand. Start out with larger objects. Repeat ____ times for ____ ...
... on a treadmill or pedal on an exercise bicycle. Slowly (about every 3 minutes), you will be ... walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bicycle. The pace and incline of the treadmill (or ...
Exercises in Applied Geochemistry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shackleton, W. G.
Reviews exercises in the analysis of samples and interpretations of results from the geochemical survey portion of a three year teacher education program in geology presented at Salisbury College of Advanced Education. (SL)
... supporting your weight against gravity. This promotes bone density and protects against osteoporosis. What does cardiovascular exercise ... doing different activities, such as tennis and swimming. Water-based activities, such as swimming or water aerobics, ...
... cancers Strengthen your bones and muscles Improve your mental health and mood Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you're an older adult Increase your chances of living longer Fitting regular exercise ...
Prescribing exercise for women.
Senter, Carlin; Appelle, Nicole; Behera, Sarina K
One- half of women in the United States do not meet the weekly dose of physical activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Many women could benefit tremendously if they were to adopt a more active lifestyle. Health benefits from exercise include lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease, slowing the rate of bone loss in osteoporosis, and improving mood during pregnancy. In this article, we review the health benefits that women may gain from physical activity and the recommendations for physical activity for adults in the United States. We offer evidence supporting use of the exercise prescription, discuss how to write an exercise prescription, and how to tailor the exercise prescription for women with particular medical problems. PMID:23553380
... symptoms of EIB. Avoid exercising in extremely cold temperatures or when you have a respiratory infection, such ... by T Sinha, MD; AK David, MD (American Family Physician February 15, 2003, http://www.aafp.org/ ...
The InterFrost benchmark of Thermo-Hydraulic codes for cold regions hydrology - first inter-comparison results
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Grenier, Christophe; Roux, Nicolas; Anbergen, Hauke; Collier, Nathaniel; Costard, Francois; Ferrry, Michel; Frampton, Andrew; Frederick, Jennifer; Holmen, Johan; Jost, Anne; Kokh, Samuel; Kurylyk, Barret; McKenzie, Jeffrey; Molson, John; Orgogozo, Laurent; Rivière, Agnès; Rühaak, Wolfram; Selroos, Jan-Olof; Therrien, René; Vidstrand, Patrik
range from simpler, purely thermal cases (benchmark T1) to more complex, coupled 2D TH cases (benchmarks TH1, TH2, and TH3). Some experimental cases conducted in cold room complement the validation approach. A web site hosted by LSCE (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement) is an interaction platform for the participants and hosts the test cases database at the following address: https://wiki.lsce.ipsl.fr/interfrost. The results of the first stage of the benchmark exercise will be presented. We will mainly focus on the inter-comparison of participant results for the coupled cases (TH1, TH2 & TH3). Further perspectives of the exercise will also be presented. Extensions to more complex physical conditions (e.g. unsaturated conditions and geometrical deformations) are contemplated. In addition, 1D vertical cases of interest to the Climate Modeling community will be proposed. Keywords: Permafrost; Numerical modeling; River-soil interaction; Arctic systems; soil freeze-thaw
Container for radioactive materials
Fields, Stanley R.
A container for housing a plurality of canister assemblies containing radioactive material and disposed in a longitudinally spaced relation within a carrier to form a payload package concentrically mounted within the container. The payload package includes a spacer for each canister assembly, said spacer comprising a base member longitudinally spacing adjacent canister assemblies from each other and a sleeve surrounding the associated canister assembly for centering the same and conducting heat from the radioactive material in a desired flow path.
Dynamic radioactive particle source
Moore, Murray E.; Gauss, Adam Benjamin; Justus, Alan Lawrence
A method and apparatus for providing a timed, synchronized dynamic alpha or beta particle source for testing the response of continuous air monitors (CAMs) for airborne alpha or beta emitters is provided. The method includes providing a radioactive source; placing the radioactive source inside the detection volume of a CAM; and introducing an alpha or beta-emitting isotope while the CAM is in a normal functioning mode.
Temporary Personal Radioactivity
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Myers, Fred
As part of a bone scan procedure to look for the spread of prostate cancer, I was injected with radioactive technetium. In an effort to occupy/distract my mind, I used a Geiger counter to determine if the radioactive count obeyed the inverse-square law as a sensor was moved away from my bladder by incremental distances. (Contains 1 table and 2…
Radioactive gold ring dermatitis
Miller, R.A.; Aldrich, J.E. )
A superficial squamous cell carcinoma developed in a woman who wore a radioactive gold ring for more than 30 years. Only part of the ring was radioactive. Radiation dose measurements indicated that the dose to basal skin layer was 2.4 Gy (240 rad) per week. If it is assumed that the woman continually wore her wedding ring for 37 years since purchase, she would have received a maximum dose of approximately 4600 Gy.
The pulmonary circulation is a high flow and low pressure circuit, with an average resistance of 1 mmHg.min.L−1 in young adults, increasing to 2.5 mmHg.min.L−1 over 4–6 decades of life. Pulmonary vascular mechanics at exercise are best described by distensible models. Exercise does not appear to affect the time constant of the pulmonary circulation or the longitudinal distribution of resistances. Very high flows are associated with high capillary pressures, up to a 20–25 mmHg threshold associated with interstitial lung edema and altered ventilation/perfusion relationships. Pulmonary artery pressures of 40–50 mmHg, which can be achieved at maximal exercise, may correspond to the extreme of tolerable right ventricular afterload. Distension of capillaries that decrease resistance may be of adaptative value during exercise, but this is limited by hypoxemia from altered diffusion/perfusion relationships. Exercise in hypoxia is associated with higher pulmonary vascular pressures and lower maximal cardiac output, with increased likelihood of right ventricular function limitation and altered gas exchange by interstitial lung edema. Pharmacological interventions aimed at the reduction of pulmonary vascular tone have little effect on pulmonary vascular pressure-flow relationships in normoxia, but may decrease resistance in hypoxia, unloading the right ventricle and thereby improving exercise capacity. Exercise in patients with pulmonary hypertension is associated with sharp increases in pulmonary artery pressure and a right ventricular limitation of aerobic capacity. Exercise stress testing to determine multipoint pulmonary vascular pressures-flow relationships may uncover early stage pulmonary vascular disease. PMID:23105961
Gresslien, T; Agewall, S
Cardiac troponins are the preferred biomarkers in diagnostic of myocardial infarction, but these markers also can rise in response to exercise. Multiple studies have assessed troponins post-exercise, but the results have varied and there have been disagreements about the mechanism of troponin release. The aim of this paper was to review the literature, and to consider factors and mechanisms regarding exercise-induced increase of troponin. 145 studies were found after a search in pubmed and inclusion of additional articles found in the reference list of the first articles. Results showed that troponin rises in 0-100% of subjects after prolonged heavy exercise like marathon, but also after short-term and intermittent exercise like 30min of running and basketball. The variation can be due to factors like intensity, age, training experience, variation in sample size, blood sample timing and troponin assay. The pattern of troponin level post-exercise corresponds to release from the cytosolic compartment of cardiomyocytes. Increased membrane permeability might be caused by production of reactive oxygen species or alterations in calcium, pH, glucose/fat metabolism or in communication between integrins. Other suggested mechanisms are increased cardiovascular stress, inflammation, vasculitis, release of troponin degradation products in "blebs", dehydration, impaired renal clearance and expression of cardiac troponin in skeletal muscle. It can be concluded that both heavy and light exercise may cause elevated troponin, which have to be considered when patient are suspected to have a myocardial infarction. Several factors probably influence post-exercise levels of troponin, but the mechanism of release is most likely physiologic. PMID:27420587
Parkinson disease and exercise.
Earhart, Gammon M; Falvo, Michael J
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative movement disorder. PD was originally attributed to neuronal loss within the substantia nigra pars compacta, and a concomitant loss of dopamine. PD is now thought to be a multisystem disorder that involves not only the dopaminergic system, but other neurotransmitter systems whose role may become more prominent as the disease progresses (189). PD is characterized by four cardinal symptoms, resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability, all of which are motor. However, PD also may include any combination of a myriad of nonmotor symptoms (195). Both motor and nonmotor symptoms may impact the ability of those with PD to participate in exercise and/or impact the effects of that exercise on those with PD. This article provides a comprehensive overview of PD, its symptoms and progression, and current treatments for PD. Among these treatments, exercise is currently at the forefront. People with PD retain the ability to participate in many forms of exercise and generally respond to exercise interventions similarly to age-matched subjects without PD. As such, exercise is currently an area receiving substantial research attention as investigators seek interventions that may modify the progression of the disease, perhaps through neuroprotective mechanisms. PMID:23720332
[Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction].
Hildebrand, Katarzyna
Terms exercise-induced asthma (EIA) or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) are used to describe transient bronchoconstriction occurring during or immediately after vigorous exercise in some subjects. For the diagnosis of EIB it is necessary to show at least 10% decrease in FEV1 from baseline following physical exercise. The prevalence of EIB has been reported to be 12-15% in general population, 10-20% in summer olympic athletes, affecting up to 50-70% of winter athletes (particularly ski runners and skaters). There are two key theories explaining EIB: thermal and osmotic. Differential diagnosis of EIB should include chronic cardio-pulmonary diseases, vocal cord dysfunction, hyperventilation syndrome and poor physical fitness or overtraining. According to the ATS guidelines from 1999 for the diagnosis of EIB a standardized exercise on a treadmill or cycle ergometer test with stable environmental conditions regarding temperature and humidity of inhaled air, should be employed. Other laboratory tests assessing bronchial hyperresponsiveness to indirect stimuli including eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea (EVH), mannitol, hypertonic saline, AMP or measurement of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) are also successfully used. In the prevention of EIB include both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment. In patients with poorly controlled asthma intensification of anti-inflammatory treatment can decrease the frequency and severity of EIB. Short and long acting beta2-agonists, antileukotriene drugs can be used prior to exercise to prevent EIB. PMID:21190152
An Analysis of Simulated Wet Deposition of Mercury from the North American Mercury Model Intercomparison Study
A previous intercomparison of atmospheric mercury models in North America has been extended to compare simulated and observed wet deposition of mercury. Three regional-scale atmospheric mercury models were tested; CMAQ, REMSAD and TEAM. These models were each employed using thr...
The North American Mercury Model Intercomparison Study (NAMMIS). Study Description and Model-to-Model Comparison
This manuscript provides a description of the North American Mercury Model Intercomparison Study (NAMMIS) and results obtained from that study. The NAMMIS was conducted by EPA/NERL and involved a number of public and private research organizations developing numerical models of ...
The objective of this sampler intercomparison field study is to determine the performance characteristics for the collection of the chemical components of PM2.5 by the chemical speciation monitors developed for the national PM2.5 network relative to each other, to the Federal R...
International Intercomparison of Solar UVR Spectral Measurement Systems in Melbourne in 2013.
Gies, Peter; Hooke, Rebecca; McKenzie, Richard; O'Hagan, John; Henderson, Stuart; Pearson, Andy; Khazova, Marina; Javorniczky, John; King, Kerryn; Tully, Matt; Kotkamp, Michael; Forgan, Bruce; Rhodes, Stephen
Monitoring ambient solar UVR levels provides information on how much there is in both real time and historically. Quality assurance of ambient measurements of solar UVR is critical to ensuring accuracy and stability and this can be achieved by regular intercomparisons of spectral measurement systems with those of other organizations. In October and November of 2013 a solar UVR spectroradiometer from Public Health England (PHE) was brought to Melbourne for a campaign of intercomparisons with a new Bentham spectrometer of Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and one at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), supported by New Zealand's National Institute for Water and Atmosphere (NIWA). Given all three spectroradiometers have calibrations that are traceable to various national standards, the intercomparison provides a chance to determine measurement uncertainties and traceability that support UV measurement networks in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. UV Index measurements from all three systems were compared and ratios determined for clear sky conditions when the scans from each instrument were within 2 min of each other. While wavelengths below 305 nm showed substantial differences between the PHE unit and the two other systems, overall the intercomparison results were encouraging, with mean differences in measured UV Index between the BOM/NIWA and those of PHE and ARPANSA of <0.1% and 7.5%, respectively. PMID:26147793
Soil moisture sensor intercomparisons at the SMAP marena in situ testbed
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
In May 2010, a soil moisture sensor intercomparison study was begun in Marena, Oklahoma. This effort is designed to serve as a foundation for incorporating diverse soil moisture networks into the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Calibration and Validation program. Various soil moisture sensors, w...
Estimating near-road pollutant dispersion: a model inter-comparison
A model inter-comparison study to assess the abilities of steady-state Gaussian dispersion models to capture near-road pollutant dispersion has been carried out with four models (AERMOD, run with both the area-source and volume-source options to represent roadways, CALINE, versio...
Stadtmann, H; Grimbergen, T W M; Figel, M; Romero, A M; McWhan, A F; Gärtner, C
The European Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) first started performing international intercomparisons for whole-body dosemeters for individual monitoring services in 1998. Since 2008, these whole-body intercomparisons have been performed on a regular basis. In this latest intercomparison (IC2014), 96 monitoring services from 35 countries (mostly European) participated with 112 dosimetry systems. Unlike in the previous intercomparisons, the whole registration, communication and data exchange process was handled by a new on-line platform. All dosemeter irradiations were carried out in the Seibersdorf accredited dosimetry laboratory. The irradiation plan consisted of nine irradiation setups with five different photon radiation qualities (S-Cs, S-Co, RQR7, W-80 and W-150) and two different angles of radiation incidence (0° and 60°). The paper describes and analyses the individual results for the personal dose equivalent quantities Hp(10) and if requested, Hp(0.07), for all participating systems and compares these results with the ISO 14146 'trumpet curve' performance criteria. The results show that 100 systems (89 % of all systems) do fulfil the general ISO 14146 performance criteria. This paper gives an overview on the performance of the participating individual monitoring services and the influence of the dosemeter type on the observed response values. PMID:26763903
ACTRIS ACSM intercomparison - Part 1: Reproducibility of concentration and fragment results from 13 individual Quadrupole Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitors (Q-ACSM) and consistency with co-located instruments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Crenn, V.; Sciare, J.; Croteau, P. L.; Verlhac, S.; Fröhlich, R.; Belis, C. A.; Aas, W.; Äijälä, M.; Alastuey, A.; Artiñano, B.; Baisnée, D.; Bonnaire, N.; Bressi, M.; Canagaratna, M.; Canonaco, F.; Carbone, C.; Cavalli, F.; Coz, E.; Cubison, M. J.; Esser-Gietl, J. K.; Green, D. C.; Gros, V.; Heikkinen, L.; Herrmann, H.; Lunder, C.; Minguillón, M. C.; Močnik, G.; O'Dowd, C. D.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Petit, J.-E.; Petralia, E.; Poulain, L.; Priestman, M.; Riffault, V.; Ripoll, A.; Sarda-Estève, R.; Slowik, J. G.; Setyan, A.; Wiedensohler, A.; Baltensperger, U.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Jayne, J. T.; Favez, O.
As part of the European ACTRIS project, the first large Quadrupole Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (Q-ACSM) intercomparison study was conducted in the region of Paris for 3 weeks during the late-fall - early-winter period (November-December 2013). The first week was dedicated to the tuning and calibration of each instrument, whereas the second and third were dedicated to side-by-side comparison in ambient conditions with co-located instruments providing independent information on submicron aerosol optical, physical, and chemical properties. Near real-time measurements of the major chemical species (organic matter, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride) in the non-refractory submicron aerosols (NR-PM1) were obtained here from 13 Q-ACSM. The results show that these instruments can produce highly comparable and robust measurements of the NR-PM1 total mass and its major components. Taking the median of the 13 Q-ACSM as a reference for this study, strong correlations (r2 > 0.9) were observed systematically for each individual Q-ACSM across all chemical families except for chloride for which three Q-ACSMs showing weak correlations partly due to the very low concentrations during the study. Reproducibility expanded uncertainties of Q-ACSM concentration measurements were determined using appropriate methodologies defined by the International Standard Organization (ISO 17025, 1999) and were found to be 9, 15, 19, 28, and 36 % for NR-PM1, nitrate, organic matter, sulfate, and ammonium, respectively. However, discrepancies were observed in the relative concentrations of the constituent mass fragments for each chemical component. In particular, significant differences were observed for the organic fragment at mass-to-charge ratio 44, which is a key parameter describing the oxidation state of organic aerosol. Following this first major intercomparison exercise of a large number of Q-ACSMs, detailed intercomparison results are presented, along with a discussion of some
Measurement of stray radiation within a scanning proton therapy facility: EURADOS WG9 intercomparison exercise of active dosimetry systems
Farah, J. Trompier, F.; Mares, V.; Schinner, K.; Wielunski, M.; Romero-Expósito, M.; Domingo, C.; Trinkl, S.; Dufek, V.; Klodowska, M.; Liszka, M.; Stolarczyk, L.; Olko, P.; Kubancak, J.; and others
Purpose: To characterize stray radiation around the target volume in scanning proton therapy and study the performance of active neutron monitors. Methods: Working Group 9 of the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS WG9—Radiation protection in medicine) carried out a large measurement campaign at the Trento Centro di Protonterapia (Trento, Italy) in order to determine the neutron spectra near the patient using two extended-range Bonner sphere spectrometry (BSS) systems. In addition, the work focused on acknowledging the performance of different commercial active dosimetry systems when measuring neutron ambient dose equivalents, H{sup ∗}(10), at several positions inside (8 positions) and outside (3 positions) the treatment room. Detectors included three TEPCs—tissue equivalent proportional counters (Hawk type from Far West Technology, Inc.) and six rem-counters (WENDI-II, LB 6411, RadEye™ NL, a regular and an extended-range NM2B). Meanwhile, the photon component of stray radiation was deduced from the low-lineal energy transfer part of TEPC spectra or measured using a Thermo Scientific™ FH-40G survey meter. Experiments involved a water tank phantom (60 × 30 × 30 cm{sup 3}) representing the patient that was uniformly irradiated using a 3 mm spot diameter proton pencil beam with 10 cm modulation width, 19.95 cm distal beam range, and 10 × 10 cm{sup 2} field size. Results: Neutron spectrometry around the target volume showed two main components at the thermal and fast energy ranges. The study also revealed the large dependence of the energy distribution of neutrons, and consequently of out-of-field doses, on the primary beam direction (directional emission of intranuclear cascade neutrons) and energy (spectral composition of secondary neutrons). In addition, neutron mapping within the facility was conducted and showed the highest H{sup ∗}(10) value of ∼51 μSv Gy{sup −1}; this was measured at 1.15 m along the beam axis. H{sup ∗}(10) values significantly decreased with distance and angular position with respect to beam axis falling below 2 nSv Gy{sup −1} at the entrance of the maze, at the door outside the room and below detection limit in the gantry control room, and at an adjacent room (<0.1 nSv Gy{sup −1}). Finally, the agreement on H{sup ∗}(10) values between all detectors showed a direct dependence on neutron spectra at the measurement position. While conventional rem-counters (LB 6411, RadEye™ NL, NM2-458) underestimated the H{sup ∗}(10) by up to a factor of 4, Hawk TEPCs and the WENDI-II range-extended detector were found to have good performance (within 20%) even at the highest neutron fluence and energy range. Meanwhile, secondary photon dose equivalents were found to be up to five times lower than neutrons; remaining nonetheless of concern to the patient. Conclusions: Extended-range BSS, TEPCs, and the WENDI-II enable accurate measurements of stray neutrons while other rem-counters are not appropriate considering the high-energy range of neutrons involved in proton therapy.
Results of the Distributed Model Intercomparison Project (DMIP)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Smith, M.; Seo, D. J.; Koren, V.; Reed, S.; Zhang, Z.; Moreda, F.; Kuzmin, V.
The Hydrology Lab (HL) of the US National Weather Service (NWS) has recently completed the first phase of the Distributed Model Intercomparison Project (DMIP). DMIP was formulated to address several key scientific and NWS operational issues. First, the NWS is actively researching new rainfall/runoff modeling approaches to exploit the unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution of the NEXRAD radar data for improved river and flash flood forecasting. However, it is not clear from the scientific literature which of the existing distributed models or process algorithms is appropriate for NWS forecasting needs. Thus, DMIP was designed as a venue for objective model comparison. Also, while the spatial variability of precipitation and physiographic features has often been cited as reasons to implement a distributed model over a lumped model, there was a lack of evidence that a distributed model would consistently provide better simulations than a lumped model using the same input forcing. To address this lack of a rigorous comparison, distributed models were also compared to the standard NWS lumped operational model. DMIP was also formulated to help the NWS understand the issues surrounding the operational implementation of distributed models. These included the use of operational forcing data (as apposed to research quality data), parameter derivation, run-time restrictions, and the level of effort and benefits related to parameter calibration. Moreover, DMIP was designed to give academic and other research institutions an opportunity to test their models against the standard NWS forecasting model in a pseudo operational setting. In DMIP, HL supplied all data sets needed for participants to set-up and run their models. These included radar precipitation data, two resolutions of DEM data, soils information, vegetation indicies, meteorological measurements, and observed streamflow data for calibration. Participants were required to run their models continuously in
Laboratory Experiments and Instrument Intercomparison Studies of Carbonaceous Aerosol Particles
Davidovits, Paul
Aerosols containing black carbon (and some specific types of organic particulate matter) directly absorb incoming light, heating the atmosphere. In addition, all aerosol particles backscatter solar light, leading to a net-cooling effect. Indirect effects involve hydrophilic aerosols, which serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) that affect cloud cover and cloud stability, impacting both atmospheric radiation balance and precipitation patterns. At night, all clouds produce local warming, but overall clouds exert a net-cooling effect on the Earth. The effect of aerosol radiative forcing on climate may be as large as that of the greenhouse gases, but predominantly opposite in sign and much more uncertain. The uncertainties in the representation of aerosol interactions in climate models makes it problematic to use model projections to guide energy policy. The objective of our program is to reduce the uncertainties in the aerosol radiative forcing in the two areas highlighted in the ASR Science and Program Plan. That is, (1) addressing the direct effect by correlating particle chemistry and morphology with particle optical properties (i.e. absorption, scattering, extinction), and (2) addressing the indirect effect by correlating particle hygroscopicity and CCN activity with particle size, chemistry, and morphology. In this connection we are systematically studying particle formation, oxidation, and the effects of particle coating. The work is specifically focused on carbonaceous particles where the uncertainties in the climate relevant properties are the highest. The ongoing work consists of laboratory experiments and related instrument inter-comparison studies both coordinated with field and modeling studies, with the aim of providing reliable data to represent aerosol processes in climate models. The work is performed in the aerosol laboratory at Boston College. At the center of our laboratory setup are two main sources for the production of aerosol particles: (a
Biodegradation of radioactive animals
Party, N.; Party, E.; Wilkerson, A.
The two most common disposal alternatives for animals contaminated with radioactive materials are incineration and burial. For most of the country burial has entailed shipping the carcasses to a commercial disposal facility at Barnwell, South Carolina, where it was landfilled along with other solid radioactive waste. Unfortunately, since 30 June 1994, this facility accepts waste generated by the states of the Southeast Compact only. Therefore, burial is no longer an option for most of the country`s generators and incineration is an option only for those institutions which have, or have access to, an incinerator that is permitted to burn radioactive materials and that accepts animal carcasses with de minimis levels of radioactive contaminants. Many institutions, especially those in congested urban areas where the public does not support incineration, do not have viable outlets for radioactive animal carcasses. Interim, on-site storage poses problems of its own. Biodegradation of animal carcasses with dermestid beetles is an inexpensive approach to this waste management problem. 7 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.
Drury, J.S.; Baldauf, M.F.; Daniel, E.W.; Fore, C.S.; Uziel, M.S.
Published levels of radioactivity in food crops from 21 countries and 4 island chains of Oceania are listed. The tabulation includes more than 3000 examples of 100 different crops. Data are arranged alphabetically by food crop and geographical origin. The sampling date, nuclide measured, mean radioactivity, range of radioactivities, sample basis, number of samples analyzed, and bibliographic citation are given for each entry, when available. Analyses were reported most frequently for /sup 137/Cs, /sup 40/K, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 226/Ra, /sup 228/Ra, plutonium, uranium, total alpha, and total beta, but a few authors also reported data for /sup 241/Am, /sup 7/Be, /sup 60/Co, /sup 55/Fe, /sup 3/H, /sup 131/I, /sup 54/Mn, /sup 95/Nb, /sup 210/Pb, /sup 210/Po, /sup 106/Ru, /sup 125/Sb, /sup 228/Th, /sup 232/Th, and /sup 95/Zr. Based on the reported data it appears that radioactivity from alpha emitters in food crops is usually low, on the order of 0.1 Bq.g/sup -1/ (wet weight) or less. Reported values of beta radiation in a given crop generally appear to be several orders of magnitude greater than those of alpha emitters. The most striking aspect of the data is the great range of radioactivity reported for a given nuclide in similar food crops with different geographical origins.
Palstra, Arjan P; Planas, Josep V
Improved knowledge on the swimming physiology of fish and its application to fisheries science and aquaculture (i.e., farming a fitter fish) is currently needed in the face of global environmental changes, high fishing pressures, increased aquaculture production as well as increased concern on fish well-being. Here, we review existing data on teleost fish that indicate that sustained exercise at optimal speeds enhances muscle growth and has consequences for flesh quality. Potential added benefits of sustained exercise may be delay of ovarian development and stimulation of immune status. Exercise could represent a natural, noninvasive, and economical approach to improve growth, flesh quality as well as welfare of aquacultured fish: a FitFish for a healthy consumer. All these issues are important for setting directions for policy decisions and future studies in this area. For this purpose, the FitFish workshop on the Swimming Physiology of Fish ( http://www.ub.edu/fitfish2010 ) was organized to bring together a multidisciplinary group of scientists using exercise models, industrial partners, and policy makers. Sixteen international experts from Europe, North America, and Japan were invited to present their work and view on migration of fishes in their natural environment, beneficial effects of exercise, and applications for sustainable aquaculture. Eighty-eight participants from 19 different countries contributed through a poster session and round table discussion. Eight papers from invited speakers at the workshop have been contributed to this special issue on The Swimming Physiology of Fish. PMID:21611721
Mitohormesis in exercise training.
Merry, Troy L; Ristow, Michael
Hormesis is a process whereby exposure to a low dose of a potentially harmful stressor promotes adaptive changes to the cell that enables it to better tolerate subsequent stress. In recent years this concept has been applied specifically to the mitochondria (mitohormesis), suggesting that in response to a perturbation the mitochondria can initiate and transduce a signal to the nucleus that coordinates a transcriptional response resulting in both mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial adaptations that return and maintain cellular homeostasis. In this review we summarize the evidence that mitohormesis is a significant adaptive-response signaling pathway, and suggest that it plays a role in mediating exercise-induced adaptations. We discuss potential mitochondrial emitters of retrograde signals that may activate known exercise-sensitive transcription factors to modulate transcription responses to exercise, and draw on evidence from mitochondrial dysfunction animal models to support a role for mitohormesis in mitochondrial biogenesis. Studies directly linking mitohormesis to the exercise training response are lacking, however mounting evidence suggests numerous signals are emitted from the mitochondria during exercise and have the potential to induce a nuclear transcription response, with reactive oxygen species (ROS) being the primary candidate. PMID:26654757
Phu, Steven; Boersma, Derek; Duque, Gustavo
Sarcopenia is a major component of the frailty syndrome and is also a strong predictor of disability, morbidity, and mortality in older persons. Without any available pharmacological intervention to sarcopenia, non-pharmacological interventions are the only option to prevent these poor outcomes in sarcopenic patients. Among those interventions, physical activity with or without protein supplementation has demonstrated to be effective in improving muscle mass and function and in preventing disability and frailty in older persons. Additionally, to the beneficial effect of physical activity on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, a regular exercise program (3 times/wk) that includes resistance and endurance exercise training would have a major positive effect on sarcopenic muscle through improving muscle mass, strength, and function. In this review, we looked at the effect of exercise on sarcopenic frail older persons from the biological aspects of the response of the muscle to exercise to some practical aspects of exercise prescription in this high-risk population. We conclude that, although challenging, older persons should be encouraged to participate in this type of programs, which would improve not only their function and independence but also their quality of life. PMID:26071171
Gremeaux, Vincent; Gayda, Mathieu; Lepers, Romuald; Sosner, Philippe; Juneau, Martin; Nigam, Anil
Aging is a natural and complex physiological process influenced by many factors, some of which are modifiable. As the number of older individuals continues to increase, it is important to develop interventions that can be easily implemented and contribute to "successful aging". In addition to a healthy diet and psychosocial well-being, the benefits of regular exercise on mortality, and the prevention and control of chronic disease affecting both life expectancy and quality of life are well established. We summarize the benefits of regular exercise on longevity, present the current knowledge regarding potential mechanisms, and outline the main recommendations. Exercise can partially reverse the effects of the aging process on physiological functions and preserve functional reserve in the elderly. Numerous studies have shown that maintaining a minimum quantity and quality of exercise decreases the risk of death, prevents the development of certain cancers, lowers the risk of osteoporosis and increases longevity. Training programs should include exercises aimed at improving cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle function, as well as flexibility and balance. Though the benefits of physical activity appear to be directly linked to the notion of training volume and intensity, further research is required in the elderly, in order to develop more precise recommendations, bearing in mind that the main aim is to foster long-term adherence to physical activity in this growing population. PMID:23063021
Epilepsy and physical exercise.
Pimentel, José; Tojal, Raquel; Morgado, Joana
Epilepsy is one of the commonest neurologic diseases and has always been associated with stigma. In the interest of safety, the activities of persons with epilepsy (PWE) are often restricted. In keeping with this, physical exercise has often been discouraged. The precise nature of a person's seizures (or whether seizures were provoked or unprovoked) may not have been considered. Although there has been a change in attitude over the last few decades, the exact role of exercise in inducing seizures or aggravating epilepsy still remains a matter of discussion among experts in the field. Based mainly on retrospective, but also on prospective, population and animal-based research, the hypothesis that physical exercise is prejudicial has been slowly replaced by the realization that physical exercise might actually be beneficial for PWE. The benefits are related to improvement of physical and mental health parameters and social integration and reduction in markers of stress, epileptiform activity and the number of seizures. Nowadays, the general consensus is that there should be no restrictions to the practice of physical exercise in people with controlled epilepsy, except for scuba diving, skydiving and other sports at heights. Whilst broader restrictions apply for patients with uncontrolled epilepsy, individual risk assessments taking into account the seizure types, frequency, patterns or triggers may allow PWE to enjoy a wide range of physical activities. PMID:25458104
Radioactive mixed waste disposal
Jasen, W.G.; Erpenbeck, E.G.
Various types of waste have been generated during the 50-year history of the Hanford Site. Regulatory changes in the last 20 years have provided the emphasis for better management of these wastes. Interpretations of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA), and the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) have led to the definition of radioactive mixed wastes (RMW). The radioactive and hazardous properties of these wastes have resulted in the initiation of special projects for the management of these wastes. Other solid wastes at the Hanford Site include low-level wastes, transuranic (TRU), and nonradioactive hazardous wastes. This paper describes a system for the treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) of solid radioactive waste.
Radioactivity of Consumer Products
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Peterson, David; Jokisch, Derek; Fulmer, Philip
A variety of consumer products and household items contain varying amounts of radioactivity. Examples of these items include: FiestaWare and similar glazed china, salt substitute, bananas, brazil nuts, lantern mantles, smoke detectors and depression glass. Many of these items contain natural sources of radioactivity such as Uranium, Thorium, Radium and Potassium. A few contain man-made sources like Americium. This presentation will detail the sources and relative radioactivity of these items (including demonstrations). Further, measurements of the isotopic ratios of Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 in several pieces of china will be compared to historical uses of natural and depleted Uranium. Finally, the presenters will discuss radiation safety as it pertains to the use of these items.
Ramelet, Albert-Adrien
Exercise-induced purpura (EIP) occurs on the lower legs after unusual or major muscular activity, as in marathon runners or as after long walks, especially in the mountains in hot weather. In leisure walkers, patients are otherwise healthy females. There is no relation with chronic venous disorder. Erythematous, urticarial or purpuric plaques arise on the lower leg, usually sparing the skin compressed by socks. Symptoms include itch, pain and a burning sensation. Histopathology demonstrates leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The lesions fade after some days, with frequent relapses at further muscular exercises and may be prevented in some cases by compression, intake of venoactive drugs and local application of steroids. EIP is not uncommon, even if very few descriptions have yet been published. It appears to be consecutive to venous stasis induced by an acute failure of the muscle pump of the calf and thermoregulation decompensation, after a prolonged and unusual exercise, such as running or walking in hot weather. PMID:15178910
Exercise in Pregnancy: Guidelines.
Artal, Raul
In recent years it has been recognized that in all phases of life, including pregnancy, physical activity promotes health benefits and precludes comorbidities, the scientific evidence is indisputable. Several organizations around the world have updated in recent years the guidelines and recommendations for exercise in pregnancy. The December 2015, updated guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists emphasize that physical activity in pregnancy has minimal risk. Although recommending exercise in pregnancy, the anatomic/physiological changes, absolute and relative contraindications should be considered. Women who exercised regularly before pregnancy, in the absence of contraindications, can continue and engage in moderate to strenuous activities, although information on strenuous activities in pregnancy is still limited. This review summarizes the most recent published and recommended guidelines. PMID:27398880
Locomotor exercise in weightlessness
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thornton, W.; Whitmore, H.
The requirements for exercise in space by means of locomotion are established and addressed with prototype treadmills for use during long-duration spaceflight. The adaptation of the human body to microgravity is described in terms of 1-G locomotor biomechanics, the effects of reduced activity, and effective activity-replacement techniques. The treadmill is introduced as a complement to other techniques of force replacement with reference given to the angle required for exercise. A motor-driven unit is proposed that can operate at a variety of controlled speeds and equivalent grades. The treadmills permit locomotor exercise as required for long-duration space travel to sustain locomotor and cardiorespiratory capacity at a level consistent with postflight needs.
Exercise and autonomic function.
Goldsmith, R L; Bloomfield, D M; Rosenwinkel, E T
The complex interplay between the dichotomous subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system establishes and maintains a delicately tuned homeostasis in spite of an ever-changing environment. Aerobic exercise training can increase activity of the parasympathetic nervous system and decrease sympathetic activity. Conversely, it is well-documented that cardiac disease is often characterized by attenuated parasympathetic activity and heightened sympathetic tone. A correlation between autonomic disequilibrium and disease has led to the hypothesis that exercise training, as a therapy that restores the autonomic nervous system towards normal function, may be associated with, and possibly responsible for, outcome improvements in various populations. This is merely one of the many benefits that is conferred by chronic exercise training and reviewed in this issue. PMID:10758814
[Metabolic intolerance to exercise].
Arenas, J; Martín, M A
Exercise intolerance (EI) is a frequent cause of medical attention, although it is sometimes difficult to come to a final diagnosis. However, there is a group of patients in whom EI is due to a metabolic dysfunction. McArdle's disease (type V glucogenosis) is due to myophosphorylase (MPL) deficiency. The ischemic exercise test shows a flat lactate curve. The most frequent mutations in the PYGM gene (MPL gene) in Spanish patients with MPL deficiency are R49X and W797R. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) II deficiency is invariably associated to repetitive episodes of myoglobinuria triggered by exercise, cold, fever or fasting. The diagnosis depends on the demonstration of CPT II deficiency in muscle. The most frequent mutation in the CPT2 gene is the S113L. Patients with muscle adenylate deaminase deficiency usually show either a mild myopathy or no symptom. The diagnosis is based on the absence of enzyme activity in muscle and the lack of rise of ammonia in the forearm ischemic exercise test. The mutation Q12X in the AMPD1 gene is strongly associated with the disease. Exercise intolerance is a common complaint in patients with mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) deficiencies, although it is often overshadowed by other symptoms and signs. Only recently we have come to appreciate that exercise intolerance can be the sole presentation of defects in the mtDNA, particularly in complex I, complex III, complex IV, or in some tRNAs. In addition, myoglobinuria can be observed in patients under statin treatment, particularly if associated with fibrates, due to an alteration in the assembly of the complex IV of the MRC. PMID:12838448
Container for radioactive materials
Fields, S.R.
A container is claimed for housing a plurality of canister assemblies containing radioactive material. The several canister assemblies are stacked in a longitudinally spaced relation within a carrier to form a payload concentrically mounted within the container. The payload package includes a spacer for each canister assembly, said spacer comprising a base member longitudinally spacing adjacent canister assemblies from each other and sleeve surrounding the associated canister assembly for centering the same and conducting heat from the radioactive material in a desired flow path. 7 figures.
Venjatraman, J T; Fernandes, G
In general population, many protective immune responses are impaired in old age, leading to an increased risk of infection. However, recent studies in SENIEUR subjects (healthy centenarians who are examples of successful aging) suggest that complex remodeling and reshaping of the immune system occurs with aging. An appropriate regular regimen of endurance exercise might help elderly to lead a quality of life by preserving immune function. However, very little is known regarding the interaction between exercise, aging and the immune system. Given that a number of age-related changes occur in many physiological systems which are known to alter the immune function both at rest and during exercise, it would be of value to learn the extent to which both acute and chronic exercise influence immune function in the elderly. The immune system response to exercise is multifaceted, depending on the nature of exercise. Significant interaction between the neuroendocrine and immune systems, and the role of lifestyle factors in immune function are known to occur. In theory, moderate exercise should help to reverse the adverse effects of aging upon the immune system by increasing the production of endocrine hormones which may contribute to less accumulation of autoreactive immune cells by enhancing the programmed cell death. Active elderly subjects demonstrated a significantly greater proliferative response to phytohemagglutinins (PHA) and to pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and higher rates of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) production. A moderate training program can enhance the resting natural killer (NK) cell function of healthy elderly people, potentially increasing resistance to both viral infections and preventing the formation of malignant cells. Recent studies have suggested that endurance training in later life is associated with a lesser age-related decline in certain aspects of circulating T cell function and related cytokine
Airborne intercomparison of vacuum ultraviolet fluorescence and tunable diode laser absorption measurements of tropospheric carbon monoxide
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Holloway, John S.; Jakoubek, Roger O.; Parrish, David D.; Gerbig, Christoph; Volz-Thomas, Andreas; Schmitgen, Sandra; Fried, Alan; Wert, Brian; Henry, Bruce; Drummond, James R.
During the fall 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE 97), two separate intercomparisons of aircraft-based carbon monoxide measurement instrumentation were conducted. On September 2, CO measurements were simultaneously made aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3 by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) fluorescence and by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). On September 18, an intercomparison flight was conducted between two separate instruments, both employing the VUV fluorescence method, on the NOAA WP-3 and the U.K. Meteorological Office C-130 Hercules. The results indicate that both of the VUV fluorescence instruments and the TDLAS system are capable of measuring ambient CO accurately and precisely with no apparent interferences in 5 s. The accuracy of the measurements, based upon three independent calibration systems, is indicated by the agreement to within 11% with systematic offsets of less than 1 ppbv. In addition, one of the groups participated in the Measurement of Air Pollution From Satellite (MAPS) intercomparison [Novelli et al., 1998] with a different measurement technique but very similar calibration system, and agreed with the accepted analysis to within 5%. The precision of the measurements is indicated by the variability of the ratio of simultaneous measurements from the separate instruments. This variability is consistent with the estimated precisions of 1.5 ppbv and 2.2 ppbv for the 5 s average results of the C-130 and the WP-3 instruments, respectively, and indicates a precision of approximately 3.6% for the TDLAS instrument. The excellent agreement of the instruments in both intercomparisons demonstrates that significant interferences in the measurements are absent in air masses that ranged from 7 km in the midtroposphere to boundary layer conditions including subtropical marine air and continental outflow with embedded urban plumes. The intercomparison of the two VUV instruments that differed widely
The Program for climate Model diagnosis and Intercomparison: 20-th anniversary Symposium
Potter, Gerald L; Bader, David C; Riches, Michael; Bamzai, Anjuli; Joseph, Renu
Twenty years ago, W. Lawrence (Larry) Gates approached the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Research (now the Office of Science) with a plan to coordinate the comparison and documentation of climate model differences. This effort would help improve our understanding of climate change through a systematic approach to model intercomparison. Early attempts at comparing results showed a surprisingly large range in control climate from such parameters as cloud cover, precipitation, and even atmospheric temperature. The DOE agreed to fund the effort at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in part because of the existing computing environment and because of a preexisting atmospheric science group that contained a wide variety of expertise. The project was named the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI), and it has changed the international landscape of climate modeling over the past 20 years. In spring 2009 the DOE hosted a 1-day symposium to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of PCMDI and to honor its founder, Larry Gates. Through their personal experiences, the morning presenters painted an image of climate science in the 1970s and 1980s, that generated early support from the international community for model intercomparison, thereby bringing PCMDI into existence. Four talks covered Gates's early contributions to climate research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the RAND Corporation, and Oregon State University through the founding of PCMDI to coordinate the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP). The speakers were, in order of presentation, Warren Washington [National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)], Kelly Redmond (Western Regional Climate Center), George Boer (Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis), and Lennart Bengtsson [University of Reading, former director of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)]. The afternoon session emphasized
The AquaVIT-1 intercomparison of atmospheric water vapor measurement techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fahey, D. W.; Gao, R.-S.; Möhler, O.; Saathoff, H.; Schiller, C.; Ebert, V.; Krämer, M.; Peter, T.; Amarouche, N.; Avallone, L. M.; Bauer, R.; Bozóki, Z.; Christensen, L. E.; Davis, S. M.; Durry, G.; Dyroff, C.; Herman, R. L.; Hunsmann, S.; Khaykin, S. M.; Mackrodt, P.; Meyer, J.; Smith, J. B.; Spelten, N.; Troy, R. F.; Vömel, H.; Wagner, S.; Wienhold, F. G.
The AquaVIT-1 intercomparison of atmospheric water vapor measurement techniques was conducted at the aerosol and cloud simulation chamber AIDA (Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, in October 2007. The overall objective was to intercompare state-of-the-art and prototype atmospheric hygrometers with each other and with independent humidity standards under controlled conditions. This activity was conducted as a blind intercomparison with coordination by selected referees. The effort was motivated by persistent discrepancies found in atmospheric measurements involving multiple instruments operating on research aircraft and balloon platforms, particularly in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, where water vapor reaches its lowest atmospheric values (less than 10 ppm). With the AIDA chamber volume of 84 m3, multiple instruments analyzed air with a common water vapor mixing ratio, by extracting air into instrument flow systems, by locating instruments inside the chamber, or by sampling the chamber volume optically. The intercomparison was successfully conducted over 10 days during which pressure, temperature, and mixing ratio were systematically varied (50 to 500 hPa, 185 to 243 K, and 0.3 to 152 ppm). In the absence of an accepted reference instrument, the absolute accuracy of the instruments was not established. To evaluate the intercomparison, the reference value was taken to be the ensemble mean of a core subset of the measurements. For these core instruments, the agreement between 10 and 150 ppm of water vapor is considered good with variation about the reference value of about ±10% (±1σ). In the region of most interest between 1 and 10 ppm, the core subset agreement is fair with variation about the reference value of ±20% (±1σ). The upper limit of precision was also derived for each instrument from the reported data. The implication for atmospheric measurements is that the
Exercise acts as a drug; the pharmacological benefits of exercise
Vina, J; Sanchis-Gomar, F; Martinez-Bello, V; Gomez-Cabrera, MC
The beneficial effects of regular exercise for the promotion of health and cure of diseases have been clearly shown. In this review, we would like to postulate the idea that exercise can be considered as a drug. Exercise causes a myriad of beneficial effects for health, including the promotion of health and lifespan, and these are reviewed in the first section of this paper. Then we deal with the dosing of exercise. As with many drugs, dosing is extremely important to get the beneficial effects of exercise. To this end, the organism adapts to exercise. We review the molecular signalling pathways involved in these adaptations because understanding them is of great importance to be able to prescribe exercise in an appropriate manner. Special attention must be paid to the psychological effects of exercise. These are so powerful that we would like to propose that exercise may be considered as a psychoactive drug. In moderate doses, it causes very pronounced relaxing effects on the majority of the population, but some persons may even become addicted to exercise. Finally, there may be some contraindications to exercise that arise when people are severely ill, and these are described in the final section of the review. Our general conclusion is that exercise is so effective that it should be considered as a drug, but that more attention should be paid to the dosing and to individual variations between patients. PMID:22486393
Exercise, Lymphokines, Calories, and Cancer.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Eichner, Edward R.
A review of epidemiological studies suggesting that exercise reduces the risk of cancer concludes that exercise may help defend against cancer by preventing obesity, stimulating lymphokines, and/or facilitating other healthful changes in behavior. (Author/CB)
Exercise Helps Ease Psychosis Symptoms
... has shown that exercise can benefit people with schizophrenia. The study was published recently in the journal ... Health Topics Exercise and Physical Fitness Psychotic Disorders Schizophrenia About MedlinePlus Site Map FAQs Contact Us Get ...
Eye Exercises and Reading Efficiency
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Heath, Earl J.; And Others
Evaluated with a total of 60 primary-grade children was the effectiveness in improving ocular motor control of three training programs: the Bender proprioceptive facilitative feedback exercises, the Marsden ball program, and perceptual exercises. (DB)
ISS Update: SPRINT Exercise Program
NASA Public Affairs Officer Amiko Kauderer interviews Lori Ploutz-Snyder, Ph.D., NASA Lead Exercise Physiology Scientist, about the SPRINT exercise program used by the crew members aboard the Inter...
Exercising with a Muscle Disease
... are: • cramping in muscles (probably related to insufficient energy supply for muscles) • pain in muscles • weakness of exercised muscles • dark urine that looks like cola, following exercise (seek ...
... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000141.htm Kegel exercises - self-care To use the sharing features on ... move up and down. How to do Kegel Exercises Once you know what the movement feels like, ...
... supported by your browser. Home Bone Basics Lifestyle Exercise for Your Bone Health Publication available in: PDF ( ... A Complete Osteoporosis Program For Your Information Why Exercise? Like muscle, bone is living tissue that responds ...
Exercise to Improve Your Balance
... nia.nih.gov/Go4Life Exercise to Improve Your Balance Having good balance is important for many everyday activities, such as ... fracture of the arm, hand, ankle, or hip. Balance exercises can help you prevent falls and avoid ...
Exercise, lifestyle, and your bones
Osteoporosis - exercise; Low bone density - exercise ... Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become brittle and more likely to fracture (break). With osteoporosis, the bones lose density. Bone density is the amount of bone ...
Taipower`s radioactive waste management program
Lee, B.C.C.
Nuclear safety and radioactive waste management are the two major concerns of nuclear power in Taiwan. Recognizing that it is an issue imbued with political and social-economic concerns, Taipower has established an integrated nuclear backend management system and its associated financial and mechanism. For LLW, the Orchid Island storage facility will play an important role in bridging the gap between on-site storage and final disposal of LLW. Also, on-site interim storage of spent fuel for 40 years or longer will provide Taipower with ample time and flexibility to adopt the suitable alternative of direct disposal or reprocessing. In other words, by so exercising interim storage option, Taipower will be in a comfortable position to safely and permanently dispose of radwaste without unduly forgoing the opportunities of adopting better technologies or alternatives. Furthermore, Taipower will spare no efforts to communicate with the general public and make her nuclear backend management activities accountable to them.
COPD: benefits of exercise training.
In patients with stable, moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), general exercise training, including limb exercises, provides sustained improvement in various quality of life domains, compared with care without pulmonary rehabilitation. After a COPD exacerbation, exercise training appears to reduce the risk of hospitalisation in the following months by at least half. Few studies have evaluated the adverse effects of exercise training in COPD, but based on the data available in 2015, its harm-benefit balance appears favourable. PMID:27152405
Radioactivity: A Natural Phenomenon.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ronneau, C.
Discussed is misinformation people have on the subject of radiation. The importance of comparing artificial source levels of radiation to natural levels is emphasized. Measurements of radioactivity, its consequences, and comparisons between the risks induced by radiation in the environment and from artificial sources are included. (KR)
Radioactive Decay - An Analog.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McGeachy, Frank
Presents an analog of radioactive decay that allows the student to grasp the concept of half life and the exponential nature of the decay process. The analog is devised to use small, colored, plastic poker chips or counters. Provides the typical data and a graph which supports the analog. (YP)
Detecting Illicit Radioactive Sources
McDonald, Joseph C.; Coursey, Bert; Carter, Michael
Specialized instruments have been developed to detect the presence of illicit radioactive sources that may be used by terrorists in radiation dispersal devices, so-called ''dirty bombs'' or improvised nuclear devices. This article discusses developments in devices to detect and measure radiation.
For those chemical elements which have no stable nuclides with a terrestrial isotopic composition, the data on radioactive half-lives and relative atomic masses for the nuclides of interest and importance have been evaluated and the recommended values and uncertainties are listed.
Viewer Makes Radioactivity "Visible"
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Yin, L. I.
Battery operated viewer demonstrates feasibility of generating threedimensional visible light simulations of objects that emit X-ray or gamma rays. Ray paths are traced for two pinhold positions to show location of reconstructed image. Images formed by pinholes are converted to intensified visible-light images. Applications range from radioactivity contamination surveys to monitoring radioisotope absorption in tumors.
Bradshaw, R.L.; Thomas, J.W.
The monitor is designed to minimize undesirable background buildup. It consists of an elongated column containing peripheral electrodes in a central portion of the column, and conduits directing an axial flow of radioactively contaminated air through the center of the column and pure air through the annular portion of the column about the electrodes. (AEC)
Exercise and Fluid Balance Update
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schlicht, Jeff
One common piece of advice that exercise professionals give their clients is to drink water before, during, and after exercise. During exercise people can lose as much as three liters of water per hour (about 100 ounces) through sweat. Dehydration alters normal sweat patterns, which can lead to an increased core body temperature. Since most of the…
Closing the Loop with Exercises
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Altizer, Andy
Conducting exercises provides a critical bridge between the theory of an Emergency Action Plan and its effective implementation. When conducted properly, exercises can fill the gap between training and after-action review to close the preparedness loop--before an actual emergency occurs. Often exercises are planned and conducted on campus based on…
Cognitive Aging and Physical Exercise.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Woo, Ellen; Sharps, Matthew J.
Younger (n=58) and older (n=49) adults completed the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and recall tests of verbal and visual stimuli with maximum and minimum semantic support. Category support did not help young adults who exercised less. Older adults' exercise had no effect on use of category support; less-frequent exercisers had poorer results…
Environmental Radioactivity, Temperature, and Precipitation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Riland, Carson A.
Reports that environmental radioactivity levels vary with temperature and precipitation and these effects are due to radon. Discusses the measurement of this environmental radioactivity and the theory behind it. (JRH)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clarke, H. Harrison, Ed.
This document analyzes the problems encountered by the obese individual and the effects of regular exercise on weight loss and fat reduction. Part one compares the psychological traits of obese children with age groups of normal weight and discusses the organic disorders and social attitudes which plague the overweight individual. Part two states…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miller, Margaret A.
Describes a life chances exercise that helps students identify the life chances that they and society value. Explains that students learn that the attainment of important life chances is related to the family into which one is born. Discusses John Rawls' social theory. Suggests that participants may need to consider alternative systems of economic…
... do when I don't have access to physical therapy? While VEDA does not recommend doing vestibular exercises ... already existing ringing Fluid discharge from your ears Pain and ... try a general low-impact and balance-strengthening fitness program. The more ...
Computer Exercises in Meteorology.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Trapasso, L. Michael; Conner, Glen; Stallins, Keith
Beginning with Western Kentucky University's (Bowling Green) fall 1999 semester, exercises required for the geography and meteorology course used computers for learning. This course enrolls about 250 students per year, most of whom choose it to fulfill a general education requirement. Of the 185 geography majors, it is required for those who…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Katch, Victor L.
This paper describes a number of factors which go into determining weight. The paper describes what calories are, how caloric expenditure is measured, and why caloric expenditure is different for different people. The paper then outlines the way the body tends to adjust food intake and exercise to maintain a constant body weight. It is speculated…
Maughan, R J
The rate of metabolic heat production during prolonged exercise may be increased to 15-20 times that at rest. Evaporation of sweat secreted onto the skin can effectively limit the rise in body temperature which would otherwise occur, but results in the loss of water and electrolytes from the body. Dehydration and an increased thermal load can accelerate the onset of fatigue during exercise. The available evidence supports the idea that ingestion of fluids during prolonged exercise can improve performance. Heart rate and rectal temperature will generally be lower, and plasma volume will be better maintained when fluids are given. There is, however, no general agreement on the optimum formulation nor on the frequency or volume of drinking that is most appropriate. In practice, the ideal solution will depend on a number of factors, including the duration and intensity of the exercise, the environmental conditions and the characteristics of the individual. The variation between individuals is, however, large and the optimum strategy can only be established by subjective experience. PMID:1483752
... Old nylons or tights make great substitutes for resistance bands. Use chairs and stools. Chairs can work as props for doing certain exercises, such as leg lifts. A low, sturdy stool can be used for step training. Hit the stairs. Who needs a stair machine ...
Interdisciplinary Exercises in Biology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gastonguay, Paul R.
Lists a series of thought questions to stimulate a student to undertake his own interdisciplinary exercises to correlate his learnings in his own way. The statements are designed to challenge the mind, in order to develop a personal framework on topics such as life, the meaning of man, and the evolution and bondage of social structure. (BR)
... Improve the way the body uses and controls blood sugar (glucose) which reduced the risk of Type II diabetes WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF EXERCISE? You can get dehydrated (lose too much water) if you do not drink enough liquids to keep up your fluid levels. Injuries may take more time to heal. You ...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clarke, H. Harrison, Ed.
In this presentation on exercise and aging, the following explanations are made: the nature of physical fitness, physical fitness values, the importance of recognizing individual differences, physiological changes occurring with age through the adult years, physical fitness studies pertaining to middle-aged persons, the trainability of older…
Cardiovascular benefits of exercise.
Agarwal, Shashi K
Regular physical activity during leisure time has been shown to be associated with better health outcomes. The American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine all recommend regular physical activity of moderate intensity for the prevention and complementary treatment of several diseases. The therapeutic role of exercise in maintaining good health and treating diseases is not new. The benefits of physical activity date back to Susruta, a 600 BC physician in India, who prescribed exercise to patients. Hippocrates (460-377 BC) wrote "in order to remain healthy, the entire day should be devoted exclusively to ways and means of increasing one's strength and staying healthy, and the best way to do so is through physical exercise." Plato (427-347 BC) referred to medicine as a sister art to physical exercise while the noted ancient Greek physician Galen (129-217 AD) penned several essays on aerobic fitness and strengthening muscles. This article briefly reviews the beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular diseases. PMID:22807642
Exercise Prescription for Health.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blair, Steven N.
Data on the dose-response gradient for the relation of physical activity or physical fitness to health and function are reviewed, refuting the idea that physical activity programs are either exercise for health or for fitness and suggesting that the key factor is the total energy expenditure of the activity. (SM)
Airborne radioactive contamination monitoring
Whitley, C.R.; Adams, J.R.; Bounds, J.A.; MacArthur, D.W.
Current technologies for the detection of airborne radioactive contamination do not provide real-time capability. Most of these techniques are based on the capture of particulate matter in air onto filters which are then processed in the laboratory; thus, the turnaround time for detection of contamination can be many days. To address this shortcoming, an effort is underway to adapt LRAD (Long-Range-Alpha-Detection) technology for real-time monitoring of airborne releases of alpa-emitting radionuclides. Alpha decays in air create ionization that can be subsequently collected on electrodes, producing a current that is proportional to the amount of radioactive material present. Using external fans on a pipe containing LRAD detectors, controlled samples of ambient air can be continuously tested for the presence of radioactive contamination. Current prototypes include a two-chamber model. Sampled air is drawn through a particulate filter and then through the first chamber, which uses an electrostatic filter at its entrance to remove ambient ionization. At its exit, ionization that occurred due to the presence of radon is collected and recorded. The air then passes through a length of pipe to allow some decay of short-lived radon species. A second chamber identical to the first monitors the remaining activity. Further development is necessary on air samples without the use of particulate filtering, both to distinguish ionization that can pass through the initial electrostatic filter on otherwise inert particulate matter from that produced through the decay of radioactive material and to separate both of these from the radon contribution. The end product could provide a sensitive, cost-effective, real-time method of determining the presence of airborne radioactive contamination.
Intercomparison of tunable diode laser and gas filter correlation measurements of ambient carbon monoxide
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fried, Alan; Henry, Bruce; Parrish, David D.; Carpenter, James R.; Buhr, Martin P.
An intercomparison that involved a standards intercomparison, interferant spiking tests and simultaneous ambient measurements was carried out between two CO measurement systems: a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) and a gas filter correlation, non-dispersive infrared absorption instrument (GFC). Both the TDLAS and the GFC techniques responded to CO. No major interferences were found for the TDLAS system; tested species included H 2O, O 3 and OCS. The GFC instrument exhibited no interference from H 2O or O 3, but only a relatively high upper limit could be placed on the O 3 interference. For CO measurements in ambient air at levels from 100 to 1500 ppbv, the results from the two instruments agreed within their combined uncertainties. On average the GFC technique was 6% higher than the TDLAS system, and there was no systematic, constant offset. The precision of the GFC instrument was about 10%, and the precision of the TDLAS system was better than 4%.
Results of the PEP`93 intercomparison of reference cell calibrations and newer technology performance measurements
Osterwald, C.R.; Emery, K.; Anevsky, S.
This paper presents the results of an international intercomparison of photovoltaic (PV) performance measurements and calibrations. The intercomparison, which was organized and operated by a group of experts representing national laboratories from across the globe (i.e., the authors of this paper), was accomplished by circulating two sample sets. One set consisted of twenty silicon reference cells that would, hopefully, form the basis of an international PV reference scale. A qualification procedure applied to the calibration results gave average calibration numbers with an overall standard deviation of less than 2% for the entire set. The second set was assembled from a wide range of newer technologies that present unique problems for PV measurements. As might be expected, these results showed much larger differences among laboratories. Methods were then identified that should be used to measure such devices, along with problems to avoid.
Summary and analysis of neutron measurements conducted during the Oak Ridge personnel dosimetry intercomparison studies
Swaja, R.E.
Since 1974, neutron personnel dosimetry intercomparison studies (PDIS) have been conducted annually at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) Dosimetry Applications Research Facility. During these studies, neutron dosimeters are mailed to ORNL, exposed to low-level (less than 15 mSv) dose equivalents in a variety of mixed-radiation fields produced using the Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR), and then returned to the participants for evaluation. Beginning with the Seventh PDIS in 1981, interest and participation in the Oak Ridge intercomparisons increased significantly and consistent and documented techniques for determining reference neutron dose equivalents for the HPRR were introduced. This document presents a summary and analysis of approximately 3400 neutron dose equivalent measurements made using a variety of personnel dosimeters and reported for PDIS 7-12. 16 refs., 3 tabs.
Operational overview of Wallops Island instrument intercomparison - Carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl instrumentation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gregory, G. L.; Hoell, J. M., Jr.; Beck, S. M.; Mcdougal, D. S.; Meyers, J. A.; Bruton, D. B., Jr.
NASA has initiated the Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) for the study of the chemistry of the global troposphere. One phase of GTE, Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (CITE), is concerned with the development and validation of measurement techniques for trace species which play important roles in the tropospheric chemical cycles. In connection with CITE 1 an intercomparison of instruments is conducted for the measurement of CO, NO, and OH. These species have been identified as critical for an understanding of homogeneous gas-phase chemistry in the troposphere. The present paper provides an operational overview of the first of three instrument intercomparison field missions conducted as part of GTE/CITE 1. The missions include one ground-based and two airborne missions, and were designed to characterize current capability of measuring ambient levels of CO, NO, and OH.
Does Motivation for Exercise Influence Post-Exercise Snacking Behavior?
Dimmock, James A.; Guelfi, Kym J.; West, Jessica S.; Masih, Tasmiah; Jackson, Ben
It is well established that regular exercise plays an important role in achieving a number of health and wellbeing outcomes. However, certain post-exercise behaviors, including the consumption of unhealthy high-calorie foods, can counteract some of the benefits of physical activity. There are at least three overlapping pathways through which exercise may increase the likelihood of consuming pleasurable but unhealthy foods: through impulsive cognitive processes, reflective cognitive processes, and/or physiological responses. It is argued in this paper that motivation toward exercise can influence each of these pathways. Drawing from literature from various domains, we postulate that controlled exercise motivation, as opposed to autonomous exercise motivation, is more likely to influence each of these pathways in a manner that leaves individuals susceptible to the post-exercise consumption of pleasurable but unhealthy foods. PMID:26083114
Does Motivation for Exercise Influence Post-Exercise Snacking Behavior?
Dimmock, James A; Guelfi, Kym J; West, Jessica S; Masih, Tasmiah; Jackson, Ben
It is well established that regular exercise plays an important role in achieving a number of health and wellbeing outcomes. However, certain post-exercise behaviors, including the consumption of unhealthy high-calorie foods, can counteract some of the benefits of physical activity. There are at least three overlapping pathways through which exercise may increase the likelihood of consuming pleasurable but unhealthy foods: through impulsive cognitive processes, reflective cognitive processes, and/or physiological responses. It is argued in this paper that motivation toward exercise can influence each of these pathways. Drawing from literature from various domains, we postulate that controlled exercise motivation, as opposed to autonomous exercise motivation, is more likely to influence each of these pathways in a manner that leaves individuals susceptible to the post-exercise consumption of pleasurable but unhealthy foods. PMID:26083114
Results from the CCSM Carbon-Land Model Intercomparison Project (C-LAMP)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoffman, F. M.; Randerson, J. T.; Fung, I.; Thornton, P.; Lee, Y. J.; Covey, C. C.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate System Model (CCSM) Biogeochemistry Working Group has initiated an intercomparison of terrestrial biosphere models running within the CCSM framework. Called the CCSM Carbon-Land Model Intercomparison Project (C-LAMP), its purpose is to allow the U.S. scientific community to evaluate the performance of biogeochemical cycling models within CCSM and to identify the most important processes for inclusion in future versions of CCSM. Two terrestrial biogeochemistry modules coupled to CCSM---CLM3-CASA' and CLM3-CN---have been evaluated following a set of carefully crafted experiments that build upon the C4MIP Phase 1 protocol. In Experiment 1, the models were forced with an improved NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data set, while in Experiment 2, the models were coupled to the Community Atmosphere Model Version 3 (CAM3) with carbon, water, and energy exchanges over the 20th century. Unlike with most model intercomparisons, for C-LAMP a model performance methodology based on comparison against best-available observational data sets has been developed. Scalar metrics for each model are derived from comparisons against measurements of net primary production, leaf area index, the seasonal cycle of CO2, carbon stocks, and energy. Results from both experiments for CLM3- CASA' and CLM3-CN will be presented, along with recommendations for future evaluations of terrestrial models. C-LAMP model output will be made available by the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) via the Earth System Grid (ESG). C-LAMP is a sub-project of the Computational Climate Science End Station headed by Dr. Warren Washington, using computing resources at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS).
Preliminary Results from the CCSM Carbon-Land Model Intercomparison Project (C- LAMP)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoffman, F. M.; Fung, I.; Randerson, J.; Thornton, P.; Stöckli, R.; Heinsch, F.; Running, S.; Hibbard, K.; John, J.; Covey, C.; Foley, J.; Post, W. M.; Hargrove, W. W.; Erickson, D. J.; Mahowald, N.
The Biogeochemistry Working Group for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate System Model (CCSM) has initiated an intercomparison of terrestrial biosphere models running within the CCSM framework. Called the CCSM Carbon-Land Model Intercomparison Project (C-LAMP), its purpose is to allow the U.S. scientific community to evaluate the performance of biogeochemical cycling models within CCSM and to identify the most important processes for inclusion in a biosphere model participating in simulations supporting the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Three terrestrial biogeochemistry modules coupled to CCSM---CLM3-CASA', CLM3-CN, and LSX-IBIS---will be evaluated following a set of carefully crafted experiments that build upon the C4MIP Phase 1 protocol. In Experiment 1, the models will be forced with an improved NCAR/NCAR reanalysis data set, while in Experiment 2, the models will be coupled to the Community Atmosphere Model Version 3 (CAM3) with carbon, water, and energy exchanges over the 20th century. In order to quickly verify and validate the performance of these biogeochemistry models against high quality observations, a set of offline runs for Fluxnet tower sites have been performed using observed meteorology. Certain biogeochemical, hydrological, physiological, and radiation fields have been saved hourly for intercomparison across models and with high frequency tower measurements. An analysis of the offline flux tower runs will be presented along with preliminary results from the global experiments run within the CCSM framework. Model results will be made available by the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) via the Earth System Grid (ESG), and this presentation will include an invitation for community participation in the analysis and evaluation of the model results. C-LAMP is a subproject of the Computational Climate Science End Station headed by Dr. Warren Washington, using computing resources at the
Report on intercomparisons of condensation nucleus counter measurements during the ACE-1 intensive study
Weber, R.J.
This report summarizes findings from intercomparisons of aerosol particle concentrations measured by condensation nucleus counters (CNC`s) on various platforms and ground-based stations during the Southern Hemisphere Marine Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-1). Five CNC`s on the NCAR C-130 are intercompared. The C-130 CNC`s are then intercompared to ship ground-based measurements during periods of C-130 overflights.
NDSC Lidar Intercomparisons and Validation: OPAL and MLO3 Campaigns in 1995
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
McDermid, Stuart; McGee, Thomas J.; Stuart, Daan P. J.
The Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) has developed and adopted a Validation Policy in order to ensure that the results submitted and stored in its archives are of a known, high quality. As a part of this validation policy, blind instrument intercomparisons are considered an essential element in the certification of NDSC instruments and a specific format for these campaigns has been recommended by the NDSC-Steering Committee.
RBE variation between fast neutron beams as a function of energy. Intercomparison involving 7 neutrontherapy facilities.
Gueulette, J; Beauduin, M; Grégoire, V; Vynckier, S; De Coster, B M; Octave-Prignot, M; Wambersie, A; Strijkmans, K; De Schrijver, A; El-Akkad, S; Böhm, L; Slabbert, J P; Jones, D T; Maughan, R; Onoda, J; Yudelev, M; Porter, A T; Powers, W E; Sabattier, R; Breteau, N; Courdi, A; Brassart, N; Chauvel, P
In fast neutron therapy, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of a given beam varies to a large extent with the neutron energy spectrum. This spectrum depends primarily on the energy of the incident particles and on the nuclear reaction used for neutron production. However, it also depends on other factors which are specific to the local facility, eg, target, collimation system, etc. Therefore direct radiobiological intercomparisons are justified. The present paper reports the results of an intercomparison performed at seven neutrontherapy centres: Orléans, France (p(34)+Be), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (p(26)+Be), Ghent, Belgium (d(14.5)+Be), Faure, South Africa (p(66)+Be), Detroit, USA (d(48)+Be), Nice, France (p(65)+Be) and Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (p(65)+Be). The selected radiobiological system was intestinal crypt regeneration in mice after single fraction irradiation. The observed RBE values (ref cobalt-60 gamma-rays) were 1.79 +/- 0.10, 1.84 +/- 0.07, 2.24 +/- 0.11, 1.55 +/- 0.04, 1.51 +/- 0.03, 1.50 +/- 0.04 and 1.52 +/- 0.04, respectively. When machine availability permitted, additional factors were studied: two vs one fraction (Ghent, Louvain-la-Neuve), dose rate (Detroit), influence of depth in phantom (Faure, Detroit, Nice, Louvain-la-Neuve). In addition, at Orléans and Ghent, RBEs were also determined for LD50 at 6 days after selective abdominal irradiation and were found to be equal to the RBEs for crypt regeneration. The radiobiological intercomparisons were always combined with direct dosimetric intercomparisons and, when possible in some centres, with microdosimetric investigations. PMID:8949753
Water vapour intercomparison effort in the frame of HyMeX-SOP1
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Summa, Donato; Di Girolamo, Paolo; Stelitano, Dario; Cacciani, Marco; Flamant, Cyrille; Chazette, Patrick; Ducrocq, Véronique; Nuret, Mathieu; Fourié, Nadia; Richard, Evelyne
A water vapour intercomparison effort, involving airborne and ground-based water vapour lidar systems and mesoscale models, was carried out in the framework of the international HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment) dedicated to the hydrological cycle and related high-impact events. Within HyMeX, a major field campaign was dedicated to heavy precipitation and flash flood events from 5 September to 6 November 2012. The 2 month field campaign took place over the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea and its surrounding coastal regions in France, Italy, and Spain. The main objective of this work is to provide accurate error estimates for the lidar systems i.e. the ground-based Raman lidar BASIL and the CNRS DIAL Leandre 2 on board the ATR42, as well as use BASIL data to validate mesoscale model results from the MESO NH and Arome WMED. The effort will benefit from the few dedicated ATR42 flights in the frame of the EUFAR Project "WaLiTemp". In the present work our attention was focused on two specific case studies: 13 September and 2 October in the altitude region 0.5 - 5.5 km. Comparisons between the ground-based Raman lidar BASIL and the airborne CNRS DIAL indicate a mean relative bias between the two sensors of 6.5%, while comparisons between BASIL and CNRS DIAL vs. the radiosondes indicate a bias of 2.6 and -3.5 %, respectively. The bias of BASIL vs. the ATR insitu sensor indicate a bias of -20.4 %. Specific attention will also be dedicated to the WALI/BASIL intercomparison effort which took place in Candillargues on 30 October 2012. Specific results from this intercomparison effort and from the intercomparison between BASIL and Meso-NH/AROME-WMed will be illustrated and discussed at the Conference.
LMD - SwRI Martian Mesoscale Models Intercomparison for ExoMars Landing Site Characterization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bertrand, T.; Spiga, A.; Rafkin, S.; Colaitis, A.; Forget, F.; Millour, E.
Martian mesoscale models realisticaly simulate Martian meteorology at finer scales (~10km) than Global Climate Models (GCM). This modelling is becoming a central source of insights and diagnostics for future exploration of Mars and is useful to provide best-guesses of atmospheric variations of temperature and wind at mesoscale level. In such context, Model intercomparisons are a fruitful way to evaluate and assess the obtained predictions.
The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP): Overview and Progress
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenzweig, C.; Hatfield, J.; Jones, J. W.; Ruane, A. C.
The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is an international effort to assess the state of global agricultural modeling and to understand climate impacts on the agricultural sector. AgMIP connects the climate science, crop modeling, and agricultural economic modeling communities to generate probabilistic projections of current and future climate impacts. The goals of AgMIP are to improve substantially the characterization of risk of hunger and world food security due to climate change and to enhance adaptation capacity in both developing and developed countries. This presentation will describe the general approach of AgMIP and highlight its findings and activities. AgMIP crop model intercomparisons have been established for wheat (27 models participating), maize (25 models), and rice (15+ models), and are being established for sugarcane, soybean, sorghum/millet, and peanut. In coordination with these pilots, methodologies to utilize weather generators and downscaled climate simulations for agricultural applications are under development. An AgMIP global agricultural economics model intercomparison with participation of 11 international groups is ongoing, and a number of global biophysical models are currently being evaluated for future climate impacts on agricultural lands both as part of the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) and for contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). AgMIP is also organizing regional research efforts, and has already held workshops in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Europe, and North America. Outcomes from these meetings have informed AgMIP activities, and 10 research teams from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have been selected for project funding. Additional activities are planned for Australia and East Asia. As the AgMIP research community continues to work towards its goals, three key cross-cutting scientific challenges have emerged and are being
Method for calcining radioactive wastes
Bjorklund, William J.; McElroy, Jack L.; Mendel, John E.
This invention relates to a method for the preparation of radioactive wastes in a low leachability form by calcining the radioactive waste on a fluidized bed of glass frit, removing the calcined waste to melter to form a homogeneous melt of the glass and the calcined waste, and then solidifying the melt to encapsulate the radioactive calcine in a glass matrix.
The On Line Validation Exercise (OLIVE) Tool: a CEOS/LPV initiative for validation of global land products
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Weiss, M.; Baret, F.; Block, T.; Koetz, B.; Burini, A.; Fernandes, R. A.; Nightingale, J. M.
The OLIVE (On Line Interactive Validation Exercise) system enables transparent and traceable validation and inter-comparison of EO land products (LAI, FAPAR, FCOVER). The ultimate objective of OLIVE is to provide consistent and reliable information on the accuracy and associated uncertainty of EO products. The validation exercise follows the guidelines proposed by CEOS/LPV and allows for regular updates when new versions or products are available. OLIVE is accessible to the whole EO community which can run validation exercises, including existing or new products. The validation process involves several criterions listed hereafter: (i) continuity of products, i.e. evaluation of the spatial and temporal distribution of missing values,(ii) accuracy assessment achieved by comparing the product value derived from satellite observations to ground measurements of the corresponding biophysical variable (i.e. direct validation) (iii) precision assessment, mainly regarding the temporal and spatial consistency, including the long term temporal stability mandatory for several applications, and (iv) intercomparison between currently existing products. OLIVE is a web platform and provides three main functionalities: 1. Easy and transparent access to validation exercise results, including product definition, description of the validation process and associated data. 2. Evaluate new EO products/versions developed by any producer. Formats required for the candidate input product are described in details. The validation can be run in two modes: (i) the 'private' mode for which the validation results are only visible to this user. This mode is dedicated to perform tests when the product may not be mature enough for public scrutiny; (ii) the 'public' mode, for more mature products, where the results are published on the system and accessible to the community. In the latter case, the data used for the validation are stored on the system and available to the community for inter-comparison
Evaluation of Intercomparisons of Four Different Types of Model Simulating TWP-ICE
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Petch, Jon; Hill, Adrian; Davies, Laura; Fridlind, Ann; Jakob, Christian; Lin, Yanluan; Xie, Shaoecheng; Zhu, Ping
Four model intercomparisons were run and evaluated using the TWP-ICE field campaign, each involving different types of atmospheric model. Here we highlight what can be learnt from having single-column model (SCM), cloud-resolving model (CRM), global atmosphere model (GAM) and limited-area model (LAM) intercomparisons all based around the same field campaign. We also make recommendations for anyone planning further large multi-model intercomparisons to ensure they are of maximum value to the model development community. CRMs tended to match observations better than other model types, although there were exceptions such as outgoing long-wave radiation. All SCMs grew large temperature and moisture biases and performed worse than other model types for many diagnostics. The GAMs produced a delayed and significantly reduced peak in domain-average rain rate when compared to the observations. While it was shown that this was in part due to the analysis used to drive these models, the LAMs were also driven by this analysis and did not have the problem to the same extent. Based on differences between the models with parametrized convection (SCMs and GAMs) and those without (CRMs and LAMs), we speculate that that having explicit convection helps to constrain liquid water whereas the ice contents are controlled more by the representation of the microphysics.
An intercomparison of carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl measurement techniques - Overview of results
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hoell, J. M.; Gregory, G. L.; Carroll, M. A.; Mcfarland, M.; Ridley, B. A.; Davis, D. D.; Bradshaw, J.; Rodgers, M. O.; Torres, A. L.; Condon, E. P.
Results from an intercomparison of methods to measure carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), and the hydroxyl radical (OH) are discussed. The intercomparison was conducted at Wallops Island, Virginia, in July 1983 and included a laser differential absorption and three grab sample/gas chromatograph methods for CO, a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and two chemiluminescence methods for NO, and two LIF methods and a radiocarbon tracer method for OH. The intercomparison was conducted as a field measurement program involving ambient measurements of CO (150-300 ppbv) and NO (10-180 pptv) from a common manifold with controlled injection of CO in incremental steps from 20 to 500 ppbv and NO in steps from 10 to 220 pptv. Only ambient measurements of OH were made. The agreement between the techniques was on the order of 14 percent for CO and 17 percent for NO. Hardware difficulties during the OH tests resulted in a data base with insufficient data and uncertanties too large to permit a meaningful intercomposition.
The 1997 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Spectroradiometers Including Narrowband Filter Radiometers.
Lantz, Kathleen; Disterhoft, Patrick; Early, Edward; Thompson, Ambler; DeLuisi, John; Berndt, Jerry; Harrison, Lee; Kiedron, Peter; Ehramjian, James; Bernhard, Germar; Cabasug, Lauriana; Robertson, James; Mou, Wanfeng; Taylor, Thomas; Slusser, James; Bigelow, David; Durham, Bill; Janson, George; Hayes, Douglass; Beaubien, Mark; Beaubien, Arthur
The fourth North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held September 15 to 25, 1997 at Table Mountain outside of Boulder, Colorado, USA. Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. The main purpose of the Intercomparison was to assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks. This Intercomparison was coordinated by NIST and NOAA, and included participants from the ASRC, EPA, NIST, NSF, SERC, USDA, and YES. The UV measuring instruments included scanning spectroradiometers, spectrographs, narrow band multi-filter radiometers, and broadband radiometers. Instruments were characterized for wavelength accuracy, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity. The spectral irradiance responsivity was determined two to three times outdoors to assess temporal stability. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST traceable standard lamp, and a simple convolution technique with a Gaussian slit-scattering function to account for the different bandwidths of the instruments, the measured solar irradiance from the spectroradiometers excluding the filter radiometers at 16.5 h UTC had a relative standard deviation of ±4 % for wavelengths greater than 305 nm. The relative standard deviation for the solar irradiance at 16.5 h UTC including the filter radiometer was ±4 % for filter functions above 300 nm. PMID:27446717
The ARM-GCSS Intercomparison Study of Single-Column Models and Cloud System Models
Cederwall, R.T.; Rodriques, D.J.; Krueger, S.K.; Randall, D.A.
The Single-Column Model (SCM) Working Group (WC) and the Cloud Working Group (CWG) in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program have begun a collaboration with the GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) WGs. The forcing data sets derived from the special ARM radiosonde measurements made during the SCM Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs), the wealth of cloud and related data sets collected by the ARM Program, and the ARM infrastructure support of the SCM WG are of great value to GCSS. In return, GCSS brings the efforts of an international group of cloud system modelers to bear on ARM data sets and ARM-related scientific questions. The first major activity of the ARM-GCSS collaboration is a model intercomparison study involving SCMs and cloud system models (CSMs), also known as cloud-resolving or cloud-ensemble models. The SCM methodologies developed in the ARM Program have matured to the point where an intercomparison will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. CSM simulations will bring much additional information about clouds to evaluate cloud parameterizations used in the SCMs. CSMs and SCMs have been compared successfully in previous GCSS intercomparison studies for tropical conditions. The ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site offers an opportunity for GCSS to test their models in continental, mid-latitude conditions. The Summer 1997 SCM IOP has been chosen since it provides a wide range of summertime weather events that will be a challenging test of these models.
1983 international intercomparison of nuclear accident dosimetry systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Swaja, R.E.; Greene, R.T.; Sims, C.S.
An international intercomparison of nuclear accident dosimetry systems was conducted during September 12-16, 1983, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) using the Health Physics Research Reactor operated in the pulse mode to simulate criticality accidents. This study marked the twentieth in a series of annual accident dosimetry intercomparisons conducted at ORNL. Participants from ten organizations attended this intercomparison and measured neutron and gamma doses at area monitoring stations and on phantoms for three different shield conditions. Results of this study indicate that foil activation techniques are the most popular and accurate method of determining accident-level neutron doses at area monitoring stations. For personnel monitoring, foil activation, blood sodium activation, and thermoluminescent (TL) methods are all capable of providing accurate dose estimates in a variety of radiation fields. All participants in this study used TLD's to determine gamma doses with very good results on the average. Chemical dosemeters were also shown to be capable of yielding accurate estimates of total neutron plus gamma doses in a variety of radiation fields. While 83% of all neutron measurements satisfied regulatory standards relative to reference values, only 39% of all gamma results satisfied corresponding guidelines for gamma measurements. These results indicate that continued improvement in accident dosimetry evaluation and measurement techniques is needed.
The 1997 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Spectroradiometers Including Narrowband Filter Radiometers
Lantz, Kathleen; Disterhoft, Patrick; Early, Edward; Thompson, Ambler; DeLuisi, John; Berndt, Jerry; Harrison, Lee; Kiedron, Peter; Ehramjian, James; Bernhard, Germar; Cabasug, Lauriana; Robertson, James; Mou, Wanfeng; Taylor, Thomas; Slusser, James; Bigelow, David; Durham, Bill; Janson, George; Hayes, Douglass; Beaubien, Mark; Beaubien, Arthur
The fourth North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held September 15 to 25, 1997 at Table Mountain outside of Boulder, Colorado, USA. Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. The main purpose of the Intercomparison was to assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks. This Intercomparison was coordinated by NIST and NOAA, and included participants from the ASRC, EPA, NIST, NSF, SERC, USDA, and YES. The UV measuring instruments included scanning spectroradiometers, spectrographs, narrow band multi-filter radiometers, and broadband radiometers. Instruments were characterized for wavelength accuracy, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity. The spectral irradiance responsivity was determined two to three times outdoors to assess temporal stability. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST traceable standard lamp, and a simple convolution technique with a Gaussian slit-scattering function to account for the different bandwidths of the instruments, the measured solar irradiance from the spectroradiometers excluding the filter radiometers at 16.5 h UTC had a relative standard deviation of ±4 % for wavelengths greater than 305 nm. The relative standard deviation for the solar irradiance at 16.5 h UTC including the filter radiometer was ±4 % for filter functions above 300 nm.
An intercomparison of aircraft instrumentation for tropospheric measurements of sulfur dioxide
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gregory, Gerald L.; Davis, Douglas D.; Beltz, Nobert; Bandy, Alan R.; Ferek, Ronald J.; Thornton, Donald C.
As part of the NASA Tropospheric Chemistry Program, a series of field intercomparisons have been conducted to evaluate the state-of-the art for measuring key tropospheric species. One of the objectives of the third intercomparison campaign in this series, Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation 3 (CITE 3), was to evaluate instrumentation for making reliable tropospheric aircraft measurements of sulfur dioxide, dimethyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide. This paper reports the results of the intercomparisons of five sulfur dioxide measurement methods ranging from filter techniques, in which samples collected in flight are returned to the laboratory for analyses (chemiluminescent or ion chromatographic), to near real-time, in-flight measurements via gas chromatographic, mass spectrometric, and chemiluminescent techniques. All techniques showed some tendency to track sizeable changes in ambient SO2 such as those associated with altitude changes. For SO2 mixing ratios in the range of 200 pptv to a few ppbv, agreement among the techniques varies from about 30% to several orders of magnitude, depending upon the pair of measurements intercompared. For SO2 mixing ratios less than 200 pptv, measurements from the techniques are uncorrelated. In general, observed differences in the measurement of standards do not account for the flight results. The CITE 3 results do not unambiguously identify one or more of the measurement techniques as providing valid or invalid SO2 measurements, but identify the range of 'potential' uncertainty in SO2 measurements reported by currently available instrumentation and as measured under realistic aircraft environments.
The Southern Ocean in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5
Meijers, A. J. S.
The Southern Ocean is an important part of the global climate system, but its complex coupled nature makes both its present state and its response to projected future climate forcing difficult to model. Clear trends in wind, sea-ice extent and ocean properties emerged from multi-model intercomparison in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3). Here, we review recent analyses of the historical and projected wind, sea ice, circulation and bulk properties of the Southern Ocean in the updated Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble. Improvements to the models include higher resolutions, more complex and better-tuned parametrizations of ocean mixing, and improved biogeochemical cycles and atmospheric chemistry. CMIP5 largely reproduces the findings of CMIP3, but with smaller inter-model spreads and biases. By the end of the twenty-first century, mid-latitude wind stresses increase and shift polewards. All water masses warm, and intermediate waters freshen, while bottom waters increase in salinity. Surface mixed layers shallow, warm and freshen, whereas sea ice decreases. The upper overturning circulation intensifies, whereas bottom water formation is reduced. Significant disagreement exists between models for the response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current strength, for reasons that are as yet unclear. PMID:24891395
The Southern Ocean in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5.
Meijers, A J S
The Southern Ocean is an important part of the global climate system, but its complex coupled nature makes both its present state and its response to projected future climate forcing difficult to model. Clear trends in wind, sea-ice extent and ocean properties emerged from multi-model intercomparison in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3). Here, we review recent analyses of the historical and projected wind, sea ice, circulation and bulk properties of the Southern Ocean in the updated Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble. Improvements to the models include higher resolutions, more complex and better-tuned parametrizations of ocean mixing, and improved biogeochemical cycles and atmospheric chemistry. CMIP5 largely reproduces the findings of CMIP3, but with smaller inter-model spreads and biases. By the end of the twenty-first century, mid-latitude wind stresses increase and shift polewards. All water masses warm, and intermediate waters freshen, while bottom waters increase in salinity. Surface mixed layers shallow, warm and freshen, whereas sea ice decreases. The upper overturning circulation intensifies, whereas bottom water formation is reduced. Significant disagreement exists between models for the response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current strength, for reasons that are as yet unclear. PMID:24891395
Upright exercise or supine lower body negative pressure exercise maintains exercise responses after bed rest
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, S. M.; Bennett, B. S.; Hargens, A. R.; Watenpaugh, D. E.; Ballard, R. E.; Murthy, G.; Ford, S. R.; Fortney, S. M.
Adaptation to bed rest or space flight is accompanied by an impaired ability to exercise in an upright position. We hypothesized that a daily, 30-min bout of intense, interval exercise in upright posture or supine against lower body negative pressure (LBNP) would maintain upright exercise heart rate and respiratory responses after bed rest. Twenty-four men (31 +/- 3 yr) underwent 5 d of 6 degree head-down tilt: eight performed no exercise (CON), eight performed upright treadmill exercise (UPex), and eight performed supine treadmill exercise against LBNP at -51.3 +/- 0.4 mm Hg (LBNPex). Submaximal treadmill exercise responses (56, 74, and 85% of VO2peak) were measured pre- and post-bed rest. In CON, submaximal heart rate, respiratory exchange ratio, and ventilation were significantly greater (P < or = 0.05) after bed rest. In UPex and LBNPex, submaximal exercise responses were similar pre- and post-bed rest. Our results indicate that a daily 30-min bout of intense, interval upright exercise training or supine exercise training against LBNP is sufficient to maintain upright exercise responses after 5 d of bed rest. These results may have important implications for the development of exercise countermeasures during space flight.
Exercise therapy for chronic pain.
Kroll, Heather R
The benefit of exercise for pain control likely comes from the impact of exercise on the endogenous opioid system and on central pain modulatory systems. Patients with some chronic pain conditions seem to have a dysfunctional endogenous pain modulatory system, which should be considered when prescribing exercise. The prescription of exercise for chronic pain must address the biomechanical issues and the psychosocial factors that contribute to the patient's pain and disability. Patient education, coordination of care within the health care team, and selecting an exercise regimen that is meaningful to and achievable by the patient are all important components to promote a successful rehabilitation program. PMID:25952064
Intercomparison of real-time tailpipe ammonia measurements from vehicles tested over the new world-harmonized light-duty vehicle test cycle (WLTC).
Suarez-Bertoa, Ricardo; Zardini, Alessandro A; Lilova, Velizara; Meyer, Daniel; Nakatani, Shigeru; Hibel, Frank; Ewers, Jens; Clairotte, Michael; Hill, Leslie; Astorga, Covadonga
Four light-duty vehicles (two diesel, one flex-fuel, and one gasoline vehicle) were tested as part of an intercomparison exercise of the world-harmonized light-duty vehicle test procedure (WLTP) aiming at measuring real-time ammonia emissions from the vehicles' raw exhaust at the tailpipe. The tests were conducted in the Vehicle Emission Laboratory (VELA) at the European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC), Ispra, Italy. HORIBA, CGS, and the Sustainable Transport Unit of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) took part in the measurement and analysis of the four vehicles' exhaust emissions over the world-harmonized light-duty vehicle test cycle class 3, version 5.3 using a HORIBA MEXA 1400 QL-NX, a CGS BLAQ-Sys, and the JRC Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, respectively. The measured ammonia concentrations and the emission profiles revealed that these three instruments are suitable to measure ammonia from the vehicles' raw exhaust, presenting no significant differences. Furthermore, results showed that measurement of ammonia from the vehicle exhaust using online systems can be performed guaranteeing the reproducibility and repeatability of the results. While no ammonia was detected for any of the two diesel vehicles (even though, one was equipped with a selective catalytic reduction system), we report average ammonia emission factors 8-10 mg/km (average concentrations 20-23 ppm) and 10-12 mg/km (average concentrations 22-24 ppm) for the flex-fuel and gasoline vehicles, respectively. PMID:25779108
Operational overview of NASA GTE/CITE 1 airborne instrument intercomparisons - Carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl instrumentation. [Global Tropospheric Experiment/Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Beck, Sherwin M.; Bendura, Richard J.; Mcdougal, David S.; Hoell, James M., Jr.; Gregory, Gerald L.; Sachse, Glen W.; Hill, Gerald F.; Curfman, Howard J., Jr.; Torres, Arnold L.; Condon, Estelle P.
An overview of the airborne intercomparisons of CO, NO, and OH instrumentation is presented in this first paper of the series on the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment/Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (GTE/CITE 1). This paper provides the reader with background information about several important characteristics of the project. These include the overall objectives and approach, the measurements taken, the intercomparison protocol, aircraft platform, profiles of each aircraft flight, and the participants. A synopsis of the overall results of the CO, NO, and OH instrument intercomparisons is also included. Companion papers discuss the detailed results of the CO and NO intercomparison tests as well as pertinent scientific findings.
Can exercise prevent cognitive decline?
Behrman, Sophie; Ebmeier, Klaus P
As the tolerability of pharmacological agents decreases with age, exercise may be particularly helpful as a possible treatment or stabiliser of mood and cognitive function in older age. Exercise has been most commonly evaluated for the treatment of depression. Exercise interventions designed primarily for treatment of physical conditions in the elderly do appear to confer psychological benefits as well, with reduction in depressive symptoms over the course of treatment. The effects of exercise on reducing depressive symptoms are not dissimilar to the effects of antidepressant drugs and cognitive behaviour therapy. Exercise may be a useful low-tech intervention for people with mild to moderate depression. In particular, exercise may be helpful in the elderly and in patients who have had insufficient response to, or are intolerant of, pharmacotherapy. Mastery of a new skill and positive feedback from others may increase feelings of self-esteem and improve mood. Exercise may distract participants from persistent negative thoughts. Exercise has been shown to improve executive function acutely in adults of all ages. It is possible that dance routines or other exercise regimens requiring some cognitive input may confer additional benefit to cognitive function. Exercise has a moderate effect on the ability of people with dementia to perform activities of daily living and may improve cognitive function. Midlife exercise may also have an impact on later cognitive function. PMID:24617099
International radioactive material recycling challenges
Greeves, John T.; Lieberman, James
The paper explores current examples of successful International radioactive recycling programs and also explores operational regulatory and political challenges that need to be considered for expanding international recycling world-wide. Most countries regulations are fully consistent with the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) Code of Practice on the International Transboundary Movement of Radioactive Material and the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources. IAEA member States reported on the status of their efforts to control transboundary movement of radioactive material recently during the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management meeting in May 2006. (authors)
Bower, Kenneth E.; Weeks, Donald R.
Apparatus for detecting the presence, in aqueous media, of substances which emit alpha and/or beta radiation and determining the oxidation state of these radioactive substances, that is, whether they are in cationic or anionic form. In one embodiment, a sensor assembly has two elements, one comprised of an ion-exchange material which binds cations and the other comprised of an ion-exchange material which binds anions. Each ion-exchange element is further comprised of a scintillation plastic and a photocurrent generator. When a radioactive substance to which the sensor is exposed binds to either element and emits alpha or beta particles, photons produced in the scintillation plastic illuminate the photocurrent generator of that element. Sensing apparatus senses generator output and thereby indicates whether cationic species or anionic species or both are present and also provides an indication of species quantity.
Bower, K.E.; Weeks, D.R.
Apparatus for detecting the presence, in aqueous media, of substances which emit alpha and/or beta radiation and determining the oxidation state of these radioactive substances, that is, whether they are in cationic or anionic form. In one embodiment, a sensor assembly has two elements, one comprised of an ion-exchange material which binds cations and the other comprised of an ion-exchange material which binds anions. Each ion-exchange element is further comprised of a scintillation plastic and a photocurrent generator. When a radioactive substance to which the sensor is exposed binds to either element and emits alpha or beta particles, photons produced in the scintillation plastic illuminate the photocurrent generator of that element. Sensing apparatus senses generator output and thereby indicates whether cationic species or anionic species or both are present and also provides an indication of species quantity. 2 figs.
Automatic evaluations and exercise setting preference in frequent exercisers.
Antoniewicz, Franziska; Brand, Ralf
The goals of this study were to test whether exercise-related stimuli can elicit automatic evaluative responses and whether automatic evaluations reflect exercise setting preference in highly active exercisers. An adapted version of the Affect Misattribution Procedure was employed. Seventy-two highly active exercisers (26 years ± 9.03; 43% female) were subliminally primed (7 ms) with pictures depicting typical fitness center scenarios or gray rectangles (control primes). After each prime, participants consciously evaluated the "pleasantness" of a Chinese symbol. Controlled evaluations were measured with a questionnaire and were more positive in participants who regularly visited fitness centers than in those who reported avoiding this exercise setting. Only center exercisers gave automatic positive evaluations of the fitness center setting (partial eta squared = .08). It is proposed that a subliminal Affect Misattribution Procedure paradigm can elicit automatic evaluations to exercising and that, in highly active exercisers, these evaluations play a role in decisions about the exercise setting rather than the amounts of physical exercise. Findings are interpreted in terms of a dual systems theory of social information processing and behavior. PMID:25602145
The AquaVIT-1 intercomparison of atmospheric water vapor measurement techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fahey, D. W.; Gao, R.-S.; Möhler, O.; Saathoff, H.; Schiller, C.; Ebert, V.; Krämer, M.; Peter, T.; Amarouche, N.; Avallone, L. M.; Bauer, R.; Bozóki, Z.; Christensen, L. E.; Davis, S. M.; Durry, G.; Dyroff, C.; Herman, R. L.; Hunsmann, S.; Khaykin, S. M.; Mackrodt, P.; Meyer, J.; Smith, J. B.; Spelten, N.; Troy, R. F.; Vömel, H.; Wagner, S.; Wienhold, F. G.
The AquaVIT-1 Intercomparison of Atmospheric Water Vapor Measurement Techniques was conducted at the aerosol and cloud simulation chamber AIDA at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, in October 2007. The overall objective was to intercompare state-of-the-art and prototype atmospheric hygrometers with each other and with independent humidity standards under controlled conditions. This activity was conducted as a blind intercomparison with coordination by selected referees. The effort was motivated by persistent discrepancies found in atmospheric measurements involving multiple instruments operating on research aircraft and balloon platforms, particularly in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere where water vapor reaches its lowest atmospheric values (less than 10 ppm). With the AIDA chamber volume of 84 m3, multiple instruments analyzed air with a common water vapor mixing ratio, either by extracting air into instrument flow systems, locating instruments inside the chamber, or sampling the chamber volume optically. The intercomparison was successfully conducted over 10 days during which pressure, temperature, and mixing ratio were systematically varied (50 to 500 hPa, 185 to 243 K, and 0.3 to 152 ppm). In the absence of an accepted reference instrument, the reference value was taken to be the ensemble mean of a core subset of the measurements. For these core instruments, the agreement between 10 and 150 ppm of water vapor is considered good with variation about the reference value of about ±10% (±1σ). In the region of most interest between 1 and 10 ppm, the core subset agreement is fair with variation about the reference value of ±20% (±1σ). The upper limit of precision was also derived for each instrument from the reported data. These results indicate that the core instruments, in general, have intrinsic skill to determine unknown water vapor mixing ratios with an accuracy of at least ±20%. The implication for atmospheric measurements is
Johnson, B.M. Jr.; Barton, G.B.
A process for treating radioactive waste solutions prior to disposal is described. A water-soluble phosphate, borate, and/or silicate is added. The solution is sprayed with steam into a space heated from 325 to 400 deg C whereby a powder is formed. The powder is melted and calcined at from 800 to 1000 deg C. Water vapor and gaseous products are separated from the glass formed. (AEC)
Holden, N.E.
As has been the custom in the past, the Commission publishes a table of relative atomic masses and halflives of selected radionuclides. The information contained in this table will enable the user to calculate the atomic weight for radioactive materials with a variety of isotopic compositions. The atomic masses have been taken from the 1984 Atomic Mass Table. Some of the halflives have already been documented.
MARE: Mars Radioactivity Experiment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
di Lellis, A. M.; Capria, M. T.; Espinasse, S.; Magni, G.; Orosei, R.; Piccioni, G.; Federico, C.; Minelli, G.; Pauselli, C.; Scarpa, G.
MARE is an experiment for the measurement of the beta and gamma radioactivity in space and in the Martian soil, both at the surface and in the subsurface. This will be accomplished by means of a dosimeter and a spectrometer. The radiation dose rate to which crews will be exposed is one of the hazards that has to be quantified before the human exploration of Mars may begin. Data for evaluating radioactivity levels at Martian surface are of great interest for environmental studies related to life in general. The dosimeter will be able to measure the beta and gamma radiation dose received, with a responsivity which is very close to that of a living organism. The dosimeter is based on thermo-luminescence pills which emit an optical signal proportional to the absorbed dose when heated. Radioactive elements ((40) K, (235) U, (238) U and (232) Th) can be used as a mean of tracing the evolution of a terrestrial planet. These radioactive elements are the source of the internal heat, which drives convection in the mantle. They have been redistributed in this process and they are now concentrated in the crust where they are accessible for study. Their different behavior during the fractionation process can be used as a mean to investigate the geochemical characteristic of Mars. The spectrometer, a scintillation radiation absorber system for single event counting, is capable of detecting gamma photons with energies between 200 KeV and 10 MeV. The detected events will be processed in such a way to allow the recognition of the spectral signature of different decay processes, and thus the identification and the measurement of the concentrations of different radionuclides in the Martian soil.
Radioactive deposits of Nevada
Lovering, T.G.
Thirty-five occurrences of radioactive rocks had been reported from Nevada prior to 1952. Twenty-five of these had been investigated by the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission. Of those investigated, uranium minerals were identified in 13; two contained a thorium mineral (monazite); the source of radioactivity on 7 properties was not ascertained; and one showed no abnormal radioactivity. Of the other reported occurrences, one is said to contain uraniferous hydrocarbons and 9 are placers containing thorian monazite. Pitchblende occurs at two localities; the East Walker River area, and the Stalin's Present prospect, where it is sparsely disseminated in tabular bodies cutting granitic rocks. Other uranium minerals found in the state include: carnotite, tyuyamunite, autunite, torbernite, gummite, uranophane, kasolite, and an unidentified mineral which may be dumontit. Monazite is the only thorium mineral of possible economic importance that has been reported. From an economic standpoint 9 only 4 of the properties examined showed reserves of uranium ore in 1952; these are: the Green Monster mine, which shipped 5 tons of ore to Marysvale, Utah, during 1951, the Majuba Hill mine, the Stalin's Present prospect, and the West Willys claim in the Washington district. Reserves of ore grade are small on all of these properties and probably cannot be developed commercially unless an ore-buying station is set up nearby. No estimate has been made of thorium reserves and no commercial deposits of thorium are known.
Dimitrios, Stasinopoulos
Tendinopathies are one of the most common sports/musculoskeletal injury in modern western societies. Many physiotherapy approaches have been recommended in the literature for the management of tendinopathy. The most effective treatment in the management of tendinopathy is the eccentric training. Load, speed and frequency of contractions are the three principles of eccentric exercises, discussed in this report. However, eccentric training is not effective for all patients with tendinopathy and the effectiveness of this approach when applied as monotherapy is lower than it is applied as part of the rehabilitation process. For this reason, clinicians combine eccentric training with other physiotherapy techniques such as stretching, isometric and lumbar stability exercises, electrotherapy, manual therapy, soft tissue manipulation techniques, taping and acupuncture in the management of tendinopathies. Further research is needed to find out which treatment strategy combined with eccentric training will provide the best results in the rehabilitation of tendinopathy. PMID:26140271
Paluska, Scott A
Caffeine is the most commonly consumed drug in the world, and athletes frequently use it as an ergogenic aid. It improves performance and endurance during prolonged, exhaustive exercise. To a lesser degree it also enhances short-term, high-intensity athletic performance. Caffeine improves concentration, reduces fatigue, and enhances alertness. Habitual intake does not diminish caffeine's ergogenic properties. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the physiologic effects of caffeine, but adenosine receptor antagonism most likely accounts for the primary mode of action. It is relatively safe and has no known negative performance effects, nor does it cause significant dehydration or electrolyte imbalance during exercise. Routine caffeine consumption may cause tolerance or dependence, and abrupt discontinuation produces irritability, mood shifts, headache, drowsiness, or fatigue. Major sport governing bodies ban excessive use of caffeine, but current monitoring techniques are inadequate, and ethical dilemmas persist regarding caffeine intake by athletes. PMID:12834577
Taunton, J.; Rhodes, E.; Donnelly, M.; Warren, J.; O'Brien, S.
By the year 2025, more than 25% of Canadians will be older than 65; and nearly half the population older than 65 has some degree of disability. With physiologic aging comes a gradual loss of functional capacity and independence that becomes a major health burden. Researchers have shown that lifelong, moderate levels of exercise are associated with increased longevity, enhanced physical function, and longer-lasting independent living. PMID:21221294
Airborne hygrometer calibration inter-comparison against a metrological water vapour standard
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Smorgon, Denis; Boese, Norbert; Ebert, Volker
Water vapour is the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas, which causes a major feedback to warming and other changes in the climate system. Knowledge of the distribution of water vapour and its climate induced changes is especially important in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) where vapour plays a critical role in atmospheric radiative balance, cirrus cloud formation, and photochemistry. But, our understanding of water in the UT/LS is limited by significant uncertainties in current UT/LS water measurements. One of the most comprehensive inter-comparison campaigns for airborne hygrometers, termed AQUAVIT (AV1) [1], took place in 2007 at the AIDA chamber at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. AV1 was a well-defined, referred, blind inter-comparison of 22 airborne field instruments from 17 international research groups. One major metrological deficit of AV1, however, was, that no traceable reference instrument participated in the inter-comparison experiments and that the calibration procedures of the participating instruments were not monitored or interrogated. Consequently a follow-up inter-comparison was organized in April 2013, which for the first time also provides a traceable link to the international humidity scale. This AQUAVIT2 (AV2) campaign (details see: http://www.imk-aaf.kit.edu/aquavit/index.php/Main_Page) was again located at KIT/AIDA and organised by an international organizing committee including KIT, PTB, FZJ and others. Generally AV2 is divided in two parallel comparisons: 1) AV2-A uses the AIDA chamber for a simultaneous comparison of all instruments (incl. sampling and in-situ instruments) over a broad range of conditions characteristic for the UT/LS; 2) AV2-B, about which this paper is reporting, is a sequential comparison of selected hygrometers and (when possible) their reference calibration infrastructures by means of a chilled mirror hygrometer traced back to the primary National humidity standard
Exercise Responses after Inactivity
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Convertino, Victor A.
The exercise response after bed rest inactivity is a reduction in the physical work capacity and is manifested by significant decreases in oxygen uptake. The magnitude of decrease in maximal oxygen intake V(dot)O2max is related to the duration of confinement and the pre-bed-rest level of aerobic fitness; these relationships are relatively independent of age and gender. The reduced exercise performance and V(dot)O2max following bed rest are associated with various physiological adaptations including reductions in blood volume, submaximal and maximal stroke volume, maximal cardiac output, sceletal muscle tone and strength, and aerobic enzyme capacities, as well as increases in venous compliance and submaximal and maximal heart rate. This reduction in physiological capacity can be partially restored by specific countermeasures that provide regular muscular activity or orhtostatic stress or both during the bed rest exposure. The understanding of these physiological and physical responses to exercise following bed rest inactivity has important implications for the solution to safety and health problems that arise in clinical medicine, aerospace medicine, sedentary living, and aging.
Exercise preconditioning of the myocardium.
Kavazis, Andreas N
Diseases of the heart (e.g. myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury) remain the major cause of death in the industrialized world. Therefore, developing a pragmatic countermeasure to reduce myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury is vital. In this regard, a plethora of evidence indicates that regular exercise can protect the heart during an ischaemia reperfusion insult (i.e. cardioprotection). This review summarizes studies indicating that both short-term (i.e. 1-5 days) and long-term (i.e. weeks to months) endurance exercise provides cardioprotection. Data are presented showing that exercise duration and exercise intensity are both important factors in achieving a cardioprotective phenotype. Importantly, it appears that the exercise duration of a single exercise session should last for 60 minutes and should be performed at about 75% maximum oxygen consumption in order to achieve exercise-induced cardioprotection. Furthermore, data are presented showing that exercise-induced cardioprotection against myocardial stunning can persist for at least 9 days after the cessation of exercise training, but is lost 18 days after exercise. This review also summarizes the exercise-induced adaptations that occur to the myocardium. In particular, extrinsic changes observed in human and animal models include neural, hormonal, humoral, vascular and reduced body fat. Other anatomical and biochemical/molecular changes that have been studied as putative mechanisms in exercise-induced cardioprotection include alterations in anatomic coronary arteries, induction of myocardial heat shock proteins, increased myocardial cyclooxygenase-2 activity, elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins, nitric oxide production, improved function of sarcolemmal and/or mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channels and increased myocardial antioxidant capacity. However, the most compelling evidence for exercise-induced cardioprotection is the fact that exercise training
R.H. Little, P.R. Maul, J.S.S. Penfoldag
This paper describes and presents the findings from two studies undertaken for the European Commission to assess the long-term impact upon the environment and human health of non-radioactive contaminants found in various low level radioactive waste streams. The initial study investigated the application of safety assessment approaches developed for radioactive contaminants to the assessment of nonradioactive contaminants in low level radioactive waste. It demonstrated how disposal limits could be derived for a range of non-radioactive contaminants and generic disposal facilities. The follow-up study used the same approach but undertook more detailed, disposal system specific calculations, assessing the impacts of both the non-radioactive and radioactive contaminants. The calculations undertaken indicated that it is prudent to consider non-radioactive, as well as radioactive contaminants, when assessing the impacts of low level radioactive waste disposal. For some waste streams with relatively low concentrations of radionuclides, the potential post-closure disposal impacts from non-radioactive contaminants can be comparable with the potential radiological impacts. For such waste streams there is therefore an added incentive to explore options for recycling the materials involved wherever possible.
Aerobic exercise augments muscle transcriptome profile of resistance exercise.
Lundberg, Tommy R; Fernandez-Gonzalo, Rodrigo; Tesch, Per A; Rullman, Eric; Gustafsson, Thomas
Recent reports suggest that aerobic exercise may boost the hypertrophic response to short-term resistance training. This study explored the effects of an acute aerobic exercise bout on the transcriptional response to subsequent resistance exercise. Ten moderately trained men performed ∼45 min cycling on one leg followed by 4 × 7 maximal knee extensions for each leg, 15 min later. Thus, one limb performed aerobic and resistance exercise (AE + RE) while the opposing leg did resistance exercise only (RE). Biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle of each leg 3 h after the resistance exercise bout. Using DNA microarray, we analyzed differences [≥1.5-fold, false discovery rate (FDR) ≤10%] in gene expression profiles for the two modes of exercise. There were 176 genes up (127)- or downregulated (49) by AE + RE compared with RE. Among the most significant differentially expressed genes were established markers for muscle growth and oxidative capacity, novel cytokines, transcription factors, and micro-RNAs (miRNAs). The most enriched functional categories were those linked to carbohydrate metabolism and transcriptional regulation. Upstream analysis revealed that vascular endothelial growth factor, cAMP-response element-binding protein, Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase, and mammalian target of rapamycin were regulators highly activated by AE + RE, whereas JnK, NF-κβ, MAPK, and several miRNAs were inhibited. Thus, aerobic exercise alters the skeletal muscle transcriptional signature of resistance exercise to initiate important gene programs promoting both myofiber growth and improved oxidative capacity. These results provide novel insight into human muscle adaptations to diverse exercise modes and offer the very first genomic basis explaining how aerobic exercise may augment, rather than compromise, muscle growth induced by resistance exercise. PMID:27101291
Exercise Training in Cancer Survivors.
Chyu, Christopher; Halnon, Nancy
Numerous observational reports suggesting the positive benefits of physical activity in patients diagnosed with cancer have prompted multiple investigative studies involving exercise training for patients throughout the continuum of a cancer diagnosis. Physicians and primary caregivers struggle to find clearly defined guidelines or recommendations for exercise prescriptions that are specific to their widely variable cancer patient populations. Although there continues to be emerging evidence supporting physical activity in cancer survivors, further research is required to investigate new and existing outcomes, methods to sustain positive effects of exercise over time, and to better define guidelines for exercise interventions that include exercise type, frequency, intensity, duration, and timing. Studies of exercise interventions on patients with a range of cancer diagnoses and differing cancer treatments, and involving the pediatric population should be further investigated to document benefit and develop more refined recommendations for physical activity in all cancer survivors. PMID:27155861
PERSPECTIVE: Fireworks and radioactivity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Breitenecker, Katharina
both reaction products and unburnt constituents of a pyrotechnic mixture. One major environmental concern in pyrotechnics focuses on the emission of heavy metals. This is the topic discussed in the article by Georg Steinhauser and Andreas Musilek in this issue [4]. A possible interrelationship between respiratory effects and fireworks emissions of barium-rich aerosols was also raised last year [5]. In recent years the potential hazard of naturally occurring radioactive material has become of importance to the scientific community. Naturally occurring radionuclides can be of terrestrial or cosmological origin. Terrestrial radionuclides were present in the presolar cloud that later contracted in order to build our solar system. These radionuclides—mainly heavy metals—and their non-radioactive isotopes are nowadays fixed in the matrix of the Earth's structure. Usually, their percentage is quite small compared to their respective stable isotopes—though there are exceptions like in the case of radium. The problem with environmental pollution due to naturally occurring radioactive material begins when this material is concentrated due to mining and milling, and later further processed [6]. Environmental pollution due to radioactive material goes back as far as the Copper and Iron Ages, when the first mines were erected in order to mine ores (gold, silver, copper, iron, etc), resulting in naturally occurring radioactive material being set free with other dusts into the atmosphere. So where is the link between pyrotechnics and radioactivity? In this article presented by Georg Steinhauser and Andreas Musilek [4], the pyrotechnic ingredients barium nitrate and strontium nitrate are explored with respect to their chemical similarities to radium. The fundamental question, therefore, was whether radium can be processed together with barium and strontium. If so, the production and ignition of these pyrotechnic ingredients could cause atmospheric pollution with radium aerosols
Exercise and pregnancy: a review.
Bell, R; O'Neill, M
The effects of pregnancy on the maternal cardiorespiratory system include increases in oxygen consumption, cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume, and plasma volume. The increase in oxygen reserve seen in early pregnancy is reduced later, suggesting that maternal exercise may present a greater physiologic stress in the third trimester. Evidence suggests that weight-bearing exercise produces a greater decrease in oxygen reserve than nonweight-bearing exercise. Furthermore, to maintain a heart rate below 140 beats per minute during pregnancy, the intensity of weight-bearing exercise must be reduced. Nonweight-bearing, water-based exercise results in smaller fetal heart rate changes and a lower maternal heart rate than the same exercise performed on land. Exercising in the supine position in late pregnancy has raised concerns because cardiac output in the supine position is lower than in the lateral position at rest, presumably because the gravid uterus partially obstructs the inferior vena cava. Sustained exercise produces a training effect on the mother, although reported associations between this effect and the experience of labor are not consistent. Short-term changes in fetal heart rate provide circumstantial evidence that physical activity can influence the fetus. Acute effects of exercise that can potentially affect the fetus include hyperthermia, changes in uteroplacental flow, reduced levels of maternal glucose, and increased uterine contractions. Moderate to high levels of sustained maternal exercise have been associated with reduced birthweight. Much research remains to be done on the effects of specific exercise regimens during pregnancy, the effects on previously sedentary women, and the long-term health consequences to the offspring of women who perform vigorous exercise during pregnancy. PMID:7857452
Study of proton radioactivities
Davids, C.N.; Back, B.B.; Henderson, D.J.
About a dozen nuclei are currently known to accomplish their radioactive decay by emitting a proton. These nuclei are situated far from the valley of stability, and mark the very limits of existence for proton-rich nuclei: the proton drip line. A new 39-ms proton radioactivity was observed following the bombardment of a {sup 96}Ru target by a beam of 420-MeV {sup 78}Kr. Using the double-sided Si strip detector implantation system at the FMA, a proton group having an energy of 1.05 MeV was observed, correlated with the implantation of ions having mass 167. The subsequent daughter decay was identified as {sup 166}Os by its characteristic alpha decay, and therefore the proton emitter is assigned to the {sup 167}Ir nucleus. Further analysis showed that a second weak proton group from the same nucleus is present, indicating an isomeric state. Two other proton emitters were discovered recently at the FMA: {sup 171}Au and {sup 185}Bi, which is the heaviest known proton radioactivity. The measured decay energies and half-lives will enable the angular momentum of the emitted protons to be determined, thus providing spectroscopic information on nuclei that are beyond the proton drip line. In addition, the decay energy yields the mass of the nucleus, providing a sensitive test of mass models in this extremely proton-rich region of the chart of the nuclides. Additional searches for proton emitters will be conducted in the future, in order to extend our knowledge of the location of the proton drip line.
Radioactive and magnetic investigations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Heye, D.; Beiersdorf, H.
Age and growth pattern determination of manganese nodules were explored. Two methods are discussed: (1) measurement of the presence of radioactive iodine isotopes; which is effective only up to 3.105 years, and (2) measurements of magnetism. The growth rates of three nodules were determined. The surface of the nodule was recent, and the overall age of the nodule could be determined with accuracy of better than 30%. Measurement of paleomagnetic effect was attempted to determine wider age ranges, however, the measured sign changes could not be interpreted as paleomagnetic reversals.
Radioactive waste material disposal
Forsberg, Charles W.; Beahm, Edward C.; Parker, George W.
The invention is a process for direct conversion of solid radioactive waste, particularly spent nuclear fuel and its cladding, if any, into a solidified waste glass. A sacrificial metal oxide, dissolved in a glass bath, is used to oxidize elemental metal and any carbon values present in the waste as they are fed to the bath. Two different modes of operation are possible, depending on the sacrificial metal oxide employed. In the first mode, a regenerable sacrificial oxide, e.g., PbO, is employed, while the second mode features use of disposable oxides such as ferric oxide.
Material for radioactive protection
Taylor, R.S.; Boyer, N.W.
A boron containing burn resistant, low-level radiation protection material useful, for example, as a liner for radioactive waste disposal and storage, a component for neutron absorber, and a shield for a neutron source is described. The material is basically composed of borax in the range of 25 to 50%, coal tar in the range of 25 to 37.5%, with the remainder being an epoxy resin mix. A preferred composition is 50% borax, 25% coal tar and 25% epoxy resin. The material is not susceptible to burning and is about 1/5 the cost of existing radiation protection material utilized in similar applications.
Mayo, Robert M.; Stephens, Daniel L.
Providing technical means to detect, prevent, and reverse the threat of potential illicit use of radiological or nuclear materials is among the greatest challenges facing contemporary science and technology. In this short article, we provide brief description and overview of the state-of-the-art in sensor development for the detection of radioactive materials, as well as an identification of the technical needs and challenges faced by the detection community. We begin with a discussion of gamma-ray and neutron detectors and spectrometers, followed by a description of imaging sensors, active interrogation, and materials development, before closing with a brief discussion of the unique challenges posed in fielding sensor systems.
Radioactive waste material disposal
Forsberg, C.W.; Beahm, E.C.; Parker, G.W.
The invention is a process for direct conversion of solid radioactive waste, particularly spent nuclear fuel and its cladding, if any, into a solidified waste glass. A sacrificial metal oxide, dissolved in a glass bath, is used to oxidize elemental metal and any carbon values present in the waste as they are fed to the bath. Two different modes of operation are possible, depending on the sacrificial metal oxide employed. In the first mode, a regenerable sacrificial oxide, e.g., PbO, is employed, while the second mode features use of disposable oxides such as ferric oxide. 3 figs.
Simpler radioactive wastewater processing.
Rodríguez, José Canga; Luh, Volker
José Canga Rodríguez, key account manager, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences, EnviroChemie, and Volker Luh, CEO of EnviroDTS, describe the development, and recent successful application, of a new technology for dealing safely and effectively with the radioactive "wastewater" generated by patients who have undergone radiotherapy in nuclear medicine facilities. The BioChroma process provides what is reportedly not only a more flexible means than traditional "delay and decay" systems of dealing with this "by-product" of medical treatment, but also one that requires less plant space, affords less risk of leakage or cross-contamination, and is easier to install. PMID:22368885
Individualizing Exercise: Some Biomechanical and Physiological Reminders.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Browder, Kathy D.; Darby, Lynn A.
It is important to individualize exercise programs to safely achieve exercise goals. The article reviews several key points to help exercise leaders individualize new exercise programs or rejuvenate routine workouts, focusing on cardiorespiratory and muscular training. The article emphasizes that individualizing exercise programs reduces injury,…
Automatic Activation of Exercise and Sedentary Stereotypes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Berry, Tanya; Spence, John C.
We examined the automatic activation of "sedentary" and "exerciser" stereotypes using a social prime Stroop task. Results showed significantly slower response times between the exercise words and the exercise control words and between the sedentary words and the exercise control words when preceded by an attractive exerciser prime. Words preceded…
Exercise, Eating, Estrogen, and Osteoporosis.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Jim
Osteoporosis affects millions of people, especially women. Three methods for preventing or managing osteoporosis are recommended: (1) exercise; (2) increased calcium intake; and (3) estrogen replacement therapy. (CB)
[Muscle enzyme activity and exercise].
Gojanovic, B; Feihl, F; Gremion, G; Waeber, B
Exercise is classically associated with muscular soreness, presenting one to two days later, delayed onset muscular soreness. Blood muscle enzymes and protein elevations are characteristic, and may cause renal failure. Creatin phosphokinase peak appears on the fourth day and depends on exercise type and individual parameters. This effect is attenuated with repeated bouts, by habituation. Metabolic complications are rare. The knowledge of this reaction, even with common exercises, allows to postpone investigations for a complex metabolic disorder, or to avoid stopping a medication for fear of a side effect, as with statins. Indeed, it is necessary to wait for seven days without any exercise before interpreting an elevated CK result. PMID:19180440
Exercise regulation of adipose tissue.
Stanford, Kristin I; Goodyear, Laurie J
Exercise training results in adaptations to numerous organ systems and offers protection against metabolic disorders including obesity and type 2 diabetes, and recent reports suggest that adipose tissue may play a role in these beneficial effects of exercise on overall health. Multiple studies have investigated the effects of exercise training on both white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), as well as the induction of beige adipocytes. Studies from both rodents and humans show that there are exercise training-induced changes in WAT including decreased cell size and lipid content, and increased mitochondrial activity. In rodents, exercise training causes an increased beiging of WAT. Whether exercise training causes a beiging of human scWAT, as well as which factors contribute to the exercise-induced beiging of WAT are areas of current investigation. Studies investigating the effects of exercise training on BAT mass and function have yielded conflicting data, and hence, is another area of intensive investigation. This review will focus on studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms regulating exercise training induced-adaptations to adipose tissue. PMID:27386159
Levels of radioactivity in Qatar
Al-Thani, A.A.; Abdul-Majid, S.; Mohammed, K.
The levels of natural and man-made radioactivity in soil and seabed were measured in Qatar to assess radiation exposure levels and to evaluate any radioactive contamination that may have reached the country from fallout or due to the Chernobyl accident radioactivity release. Qatar peninsula is located on the Arabian Gulf, 4500 km from Chernobyl, and has an area of {approximately}11,600 km{sup 2} and a population of {approximately}600,000.
Exercise limitation following transplantation.
Williams, Trevor J; McKenna, Michael J
Organ transplantation is one of the medical miracles or the 20th century. It has the capacity to substantially improve exercise performance and quality of life in patients who are severely limited with chronic organ failure. We focus on the most commonly performed solid-organ transplants and describe peak exercise performance following recovery from transplantation. Across all of the common transplants, evaluated significant reduction in VO2peak is seen (typically renal and liver 65%-80% with heart and/or lung 50%-60% of predicted). Those with the lowest VO2peak pretransplant have the lowest VO2peak posttransplant. Overall very few patients have a VO2peak in the normal range. Investigation of the cause of the reduction of VO2peak has identified many factors pre- and posttransplant that may contribute. These include organ-specific factors in the otherwise well-functioning allograft (e.g., chronotropic incompetence in heart transplantation) as well as allograft dysfunction itself (e.g., chronic lung allograft dysfunction). However, looking across all transplants, a pattern emerges. A low muscle mass with qualitative change in large exercising skeletal muscle groups is seen pretransplant. Many factor posttransplant aggravate these changes or prevent them recovering, especially calcineurin antagonist drugs which are key immunosuppressing agents. This results in the reduction of VO2peak despite restoration of near normal function of the initially failing organ system. As such organ transplantation has provided an experiment of nature that has focused our attention on an important confounder of chronic organ failure-skeletal muscle dysfunction. PMID:23723030
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Smith, Damon C. (Inventor)
An exercise device 10 is particularly well suited for use in low gravity environments, and includes a frame 12 with plurality of resistance elements 30,82 supported in parallel on the frame. A load transfer member 20 is moveable relative to the frame for transferring the applied force to the free end of each captured resistance element. Load selection template 14 is removably secured both to the load transfer member, and a plurality of capture mechanisms engage the free end of corresponding resistance elements. The force applying mechanism 53 may be a handle, harness or other user interface for applying a force to move the load transfer member.
Microgravity strategic planning exercise
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Halpern, Richard; Downey, Jim; Harvey, Harold
The Center for Space and Advanced Technology supported a planning exercise for the Microgravity Program management at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The effort focused on the status of microgravity work at MSFC and elsewhere with the objective of preparing a goal-oriented strategic planning document which could be used for informational/brochure purposes. The effort entailed numerous interactions and presentations with Field Center programmatic components and Headquarters personnel. Appropriate material was consolidated in a draft format for a MSFC Strategic Plan.
Assessing agricultural risks of climate change in the 21st century in a global gridded crop model intercomparison.
Rosenzweig, Cynthia; Elliott, Joshua; Deryng, Delphine; Ruane, Alex C; Müller, Christoph; Arneth, Almut; Boote, Kenneth J; Folberth, Christian; Glotter, Michael; Khabarov, Nikolay; Neumann, Kathleen; Piontek, Franziska; Pugh, Thomas A M; Schmid, Erwin; Stehfest, Elke; Yang, Hong; Jones, James W
Here we present the results from an intercomparison of multiple global gridded crop models (GGCMs) within the framework of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project and the Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project. Results indicate strong negative effects of climate change, especially at higher levels of warming and at low latitudes; models that include explicit nitrogen stress project more severe impacts. Across seven GGCMs, five global climate models, and four representative concentration pathways, model agreement on direction of yield changes is found in many major agricultural regions at both low and high latitudes; however, reducing uncertainty in sign of response in mid-latitude regions remains a challenge. Uncertainties related to the representation of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and high temperature effects demonstrated here show that further research is urgently needed to better understand effects of climate change on agricultural production and to devise targeted adaptation strategies. PMID:24344314
Reference dosimetry measurements for the international intercomparison of criticality accident dosimetry SILENE 9-21 June 2002.
Asselineau, B; Trompier, F; Texier, C; Itié, C; Médioni, R; Tikunov, D; Muller, H; Pelcot, G
An international intercomparison of criticality accident dosimetry systems took place in the SILENE reactor, in June 2002. Participants from 60 laboratories irradiated their dosemeters (physical and biological) using two different configurations of the reactor. In preparation for this intercomparison, the leakage radiation fields were characterised by spectrometry and dosimetry measurements using the ROSPEC spectrometer associated with a NE-213 scintillator, ionisation chambers, GM counters, diodes and thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLDs). For this intercomparison, a large area was required to irradiate the dosemeters both in free air and on phantoms. Therefore, measurements of the uniformity of the field were performed with activation detectors and TLDs for neutron and gammas, respectively. This paper describes the procedures used and the results obtained. PMID:15353691
Assessing agricultural risks of climate change in the 21st century in a global gridded crop model intercomparison
Rosenzweig, Cynthia; Elliott, Joshua; Deryng, Delphine; Ruane, Alex C.; Müller, Christoph; Arneth, Almut; Boote, Kenneth J.; Folberth, Christian; Glotter, Michael; Khabarov, Nikolay; Neumann, Kathleen; Piontek, Franziska; Pugh, Thomas A. M.; Schmid, Erwin; Stehfest, Elke; Yang, Hong; Jones, James W.
Here we present the results from an intercomparison of multiple global gridded crop models (GGCMs) within the framework of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project and the Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project. Results indicate strong negative effects of climate change, especially at higher levels of warming and at low latitudes; models that include explicit nitrogen stress project more severe impacts. Across seven GGCMs, five global climate models, and four representative concentration pathways, model agreement on direction of yield changes is found in many major agricultural regions at both low and high latitudes; however, reducing uncertainty in sign of response in mid-latitude regions remains a challenge. Uncertainties related to the representation of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and high temperature effects demonstrated here show that further research is urgently needed to better understand effects of climate change on agricultural production and to devise targeted adaptation strategies. PMID:24344314
The results of the PEP`93 intercomparison of reference cell calibrations and newer technology performance measurements: Final report
Osterwald, C.R.; Anevsky, S.; Barua, A.K.
This report presents the results of an international intercomparison of photovoltaic (PV) performance measurements and calibrations that took place from 1993 to 1997. The intercomparison, which was organized and operated by a group of representatives from national PV measurements laboratories, was accomplished by circulating two sample sets. One set, consisting of 20 silicon reference cells, was intended to form the basis of an international PV reference scale. A qualification procedure applied to the calibration results gave average calibration numbers with an overall standard deviation of less than 2% for the entire set. The second sample set was assembled from a wide range of newer technologies that present unique problems for PV measurements. As might be expected, these results showed much greater differences among the laboratories. Methods were then identified that should be used to measure such devices, along with problems to avoid. The report concludes with recommendations for future intercomparisons.
Assessing Agricultural Risks of Climate Change in the 21st Century in a Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rosenzweig, Cynthia E.; Elliott, Joshua; Deryng, Delphine; Ruane, Alex C.; Mueller, Christoph; Arneth, Almut; Boote, Kenneth J.; Folberth, Christian; Glotter, Michael; Khabarov, Nikolay
Here we present the results from an intercomparison of multiple global gridded crop models (GGCMs) within the framework of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project and the Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project. Results indicate strong negative effects of climate change, especially at higher levels of warming and at low latitudes; models that include explicit nitrogen stress project more severe impacts. Across seven GGCMs, five global climate models, and four representative concentration pathways, model agreement on direction of yield changes is found in many major agricultural regions at both low and high latitudes; however, reducing uncertainty in sign of response in mid-latitude regions remains a challenge. Uncertainties related to the representation of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and high temperature effects demonstrated here show that further research is urgently needed to better understand effects of climate change on agricultural production and to devise targeted adaptation strategies.
Methods for evaluating the reference value in laboratory intercomparisons of dimensional measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stone, Jack A.
A number of methods have been proposed to evaluate the reference value for intercomparisons of laboratory measurements. Methods for establishing the reference value include the arithmetic mean, weighted mean (with weights proportional to the reciprocals of the squared uncertainties), median, and total median. In addition, it has been suggested that it might be possible to modify the weighted mean, using iterative approaches to automatically eliminate outliers or to modify the weights in light of the results of the intercomparison. No single one of the analysis methods is best for all circumstances, nor can the efficiency of any method be determined without making assumptions about the underlying nature of the intercomparison. (How well do the participants evaluate their uncertainties? What is the underlying distribution of errors, including outliers? Are the errors correlated between one laboratory and the next?) Although there is considerable divergence of opinion as to what constitutes realistic assumptions, completed international comparisons can begin to provide at least rough guidance for constructing models. In this paper, I will try to construct models that are consistent with what we have learned thus far from CCL (Consultative Committee for Length) key comparisons in the field of dimensional metrology. Based on such models, I have explored various methods for establishing a reference value, to determine which methods are likely to produce a reference value with a low uncertainty. As would be expected, there is no single method that is always superior; results depend on both the underlying assumptions and on the spread and distribution of claimed uncertainties of the participating laboratories.
Preliminary intercomparison and validation of ECMWF 40-year reanalysis (ERA-40) sea-surface fluxes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ramos Buarque, S.; Giordani, H.; Caniaux, G.; Planton, S.
The ECMWF Re-Analysis 40-year (ERA-40) sea-surface heat fluxes has been evaluated in comparison with three major reanalysis: the ERA-15 (1979-93), the NCEP1 (from 1948) and the GEOS-1 (1980-95). The ERA-40 Project identifies four streams, which cover different periods. All streams are currently running and some discontinuities at the end of streams occur. Two discontinuities zones have being over the period overlapping the three reanalysis and consequently the intercomparison period covers only three years (1980-82). This intercomparison takes into account different forecast lengths and ranges from the forecast base time, which can biases intercomparisons. The short-range forecast of sea-surface heat fluxes from ERA-40 and ERA-15 are used to quantify its changes as a function of the range from the forecast base time. Results show that latent heat flux increases as a function of the range from the forecast base time, leveling off after 24 hours. Sensible and radiative fluxes exhibit stability after 6 hours. Accordingly, sea-surface heat fluxes from ERA-40 are compared with NCEP/NCAR following the same forecast length and range from the forecast base time for the periods 1957-67 (with no satellite observations) and 1996-2000 (with continuous satellite observations). ERA-40 assimilated data take into account a wide selection of sources, which reduces strongly the possibility of validation with independent estimates. However three experiments are used to validate ERA-40 sea-surface turbulent and momentum fluxes with in-situ flux measurements: POMME (September 2000 to October 2001, NE Atlantic), Equalant99 (July to August 1999, Tropical Atlantic) and FETCH (March to April 1998, Mediterranean sea).
Radiance and Jacobian Intercomparison of Radiative Transfer Models Applied to HIRS and AMSU Channels
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Garand, L.; Turner, D. S.; Larocque, M.; Bates, J.; Boukabara, S.; Brunel, P.; Chevallier, F.; Deblonde, G.; Engelen, R.; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)
The goals of this study are the evaluation of current fast radiative transfer models (RTMs) and line-by-line (LBL) models. The intercomparison focuses on the modeling of 11 representative sounding channels routinely used at numerical weather prediction centers: seven HIRS (High-resolution Infrared Sounder) and four AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit) channels. Interest in this topic was evidenced by the participation of 24 scientists from 16 institutions. An ensemble of 42 diverse atmospheres was used and results compiled for 19 infrared models and 10 microwave models, including several LBL RTMs. For the first time, not only radiances, but also Jacobians (of temperature, water vapor, and ozone) were compared to various LBL models for many channels. In the infrared, LBL models typically agree to within 0.05-0.15 K (standard deviation) in terms of top-of-the-atmosphere brightness temperature (BT). Individual differences up to 0.5 K still exist, systematic in some channels, and linked to the type of atmosphere in others. The best fast models emulate LBL BTs to within 0.25 K, but no model achieves this desirable level of success for all channels. The ozone modeling is particularly challenging. In the microwave, fast models generally do quite well against the LBL model to which they were tuned. However significant differences were noted among LBL models. Extending the intercomparison to the Jacobians proved very useful in detecting subtle and more obvious modeling errors. In addition, total and single gas optical depths were calculated, which provided additional insight on the nature of differences. Recommendations for future intercomparisons are suggested.
Side-by-side Intercomparison for OVOC at Hohenpeissenberg Meteorological Observatory (DWD)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Englert, Jennifer; Claude, Anja; Plass-Duelmer, Christian; Kubistin, Dagmar
Oxygenated volatile organic compounds are difficult to measure in atmospheric samples due to their low mixing ratios in the low ppt to ppb range, their polarity and associated stickiness to surfaces, and their partly high water solubility. Thus, it is not surprising that occasionally co-located instruments with "similar" measurement techniques obtain considerably different results. With focus on high-quality measurements, the need of a better characterisation of measurement techniques has been identified in GAW VOC Expert meetings. This has been addressed in the tasks of the EU infrastructure project ACTRIS and ACTRIS-2. Seven groups with ten different state-of-the-art OVOC instruments (PTR-MS, GC/MS/FID, adsorbent tube sampler and DNPH cartridges) took part in a joint field and laboratory intercomparison campaign at the Hohenpeissenberg Meteorological Observatory in October 2013. All instruments were connected to a single manifold which was fed with synthetic air mixtures, zero air, pure and spiked ambient air at controlled ozone and humidity levels. Compared to a previous intercomparison at the SAPHIR chamber in Juelich (Apel et al., 2008), the Hohenpeissenberg OVOC intercomparison expanded the range of tested mixing ratios down to the low ppt range and included synthetic and ambient air at OVOC mixing ratios of mostly below 1 ppb, for many compounds even below 100 ppt. Thus, the instruments were tested under typical clean air conditions encountered at the stations of the monitoring networks of GAW and EMEP enabling a full characterization of the detection limits, linear ranges, and potential artefacts. Our results show both consistent results between different instruments albeit using different techniques, and partly clear deviations of individual or groups of instruments. These deviations were further analysed with respect to reference concentrations, characteristics of the respective techniques, blank and calibration issues and uncertainties.
An Intercomparison of Microphysical Retrieval Algorithms for Upper-Tropospheric Ice Clouds
Comstock, Jennifer M.; d'Entremont, Robert; DeSlover, Daniel; Mace, Gerald G.; Matrosov, S. Y.; McFarlane, Sally A.; Minnis, Patrick; Mitchell, David; Sassen, Kenneth; Shupe, Matthew D.; Turner, David D.; Wang, Zhien
The large horizontal extent, location in the cold upper troposphere, and ice composition make cirrus clouds important modulators of the earth's radiation budget and climate. Cirrus cloud microphysical properties are difficult to measure and model because they are inhomogeneous in nature and their ice crystal size distribution and habit are not well characterized. Accurate retrievals of cloud properties are crucial for improving the representation of cloud scale processes in large-scale models and for accurately predicting the earth's future climate. A number of passive and active remote sensing retrievals exist for estimating the microphysical properties of upper tropospheric clouds. We believe significant progress has been made in the evolution of these retrieval algorithms in the last decade; however, there is room for improvement. Members of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program (ARM) Cloud Properties Working Group are involved in an intercomparison of optical depth (tau), ice water path, and characteristic particle size in ice clouds retrieved using ground-based instruments. The goals of this intercomparison are to evaluate the accuracy of state-of-the-art algorithms, quantify the uncertainties, and make recommendations for improvement. Currently, there is significant scatter in the algorithms for difficult clouds with very small optical depths (tau<0.3) and thick ice clouds (tau>1). The good news is that for thin cirrus (0.3
Radioactive waste processing apparatus
Nelson, Robert E.; Ziegler, Anton A.; Serino, David F.; Basnar, Paul J.
Apparatus for use in processing radioactive waste materials for shipment and storage in solid form in a container is disclosed. The container includes a top, and an opening in the top which is smaller than the outer circumference of the container. The apparatus includes an enclosure into which the container is placed, solution feed apparatus for adding a solution containing radioactive waste materials into the container through the container opening, and at least one rotatable blade for blending the solution with a fixing agent such as cement or the like as the solution is added into the container. The blade is constructed so that it can pass through the opening in the top of the container. The rotational axis of the blade is displaced from the center of the blade so that after the blade passes through the opening, the blade and container can be adjusted so that one edge of the blade is adjacent the cylindrical wall of the container, to insure thorough mixing. When the blade is inside the container, a substantially sealed chamber is formed to contain vapors created by the chemical action of the waste solution and fixant, and vapors emanating through the opening in the container.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Interest in the problems due to the radioactive contamination of the environment has been frequently stimulated by rumors of an occurrence of severe contamination of lakes and rivers in areas of the Ural Mountains. Occasional evidence appearing in publications and provided by Soviet emigrants has been pieced together and seems to suggest that there is an ideal opportunity for groundwater geochemists and others to evaluate such major radioactivity in the environment. The reasons that such a study probably will not take place is that the contamination may have been caused for the most part by a nuclear explosion in a Soviet weapons plant.F. Parker, an environmental scientist at Vanderbilt University, in a study for the Department of Energy, deduced that a large explosion occurred in 1958 at a nuclear fuels reprocessing plant at Kyshtym in the Ural Mountains, according to a recent report (Science, July 8, 1983). The report refers to the original interpretations of Z. Medvedev, a Soviet geneticist, who concluded that nuclear fallout has contaminated a very extensive area around Kyshtym.
The effects of intervening interference on working memory for sound location as a function of inter-comparison interval.
Ries, Dennis T; Hamilton, Traci R; Grossmann, Aurora J
This study examined the effects of inter-comparison interval duration and intervening interference on auditory working memory (AWM) for auditory location. Interaural phase differences were used to produce localization cues for tonal stimuli and the difference limen for interaural phase difference (DL-IPD) specified as the equivalent angle of incidence between two sound sources was measured in five different conditions. These conditions consisted of three different inter-comparison intervals [300 ms (short), 5000 ms (medium), and 15,000 ms (long)], the medium and long of which were presented both in the presence and absence of intervening tones. The presence of intervening stimuli within the medium and long inter-comparison intervals produced a significant increase in the DL-IPD compared to the medium and long inter-comparison intervals condition without intervening tones. The result obtained in the condition with a short inter-comparison interval was roughly equivalent to that obtained for the medium inter-comparison interval without intervening tones. These results suggest that the ability to retain information about the location of a sound within AWM decays slowly; however, the presence of intervening sounds readily disrupts the retention process. Overall, the results suggest that the temporal decay of information within AWM regarding the location of a sound from a listener's environment is so gradual that it can be maintained in trace memory for tens of seconds in the absence of intervening acoustic signals. Conversely, the presence of intervening sounds within the retention interval may facilitate the use of context memory, even for shorter retention intervals, resulting in a less detailed, but relevant representation of the location that is resistant to further degradation. PMID:20547219
Catchment Prediction In Changing Environments (CAPICHE): A Model Inter-Comparison Experiment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hutton, Christopher; Nijzink, Remko; Pechlivanidis, Ilias; Capell, René; Wagener, Thorsten; Freer, Jim; Han, Dawei; Hrachowitz, Markus; Arheimer, Berit
In order to improve societal resilience to the impacts of changes in climate and land-use, improved understanding of how catchments respond to changing forcing conditions is required. Such understanding may help better identify the range of effective interventions to improve overall integrated catchment management. For example, re-foresting catchment headwaters may reduce high flows, but also reduce low flows through increased evapotranspiration, creating a potential trade-off that needs to be reliably understood when considering benefits for both water supply and flood mitigation. Catchment modelling may be useful to inform such management decisions by simulating future forcing changes, so that we can assess the relative benefits of different catchment management scenarios. However, numerical models are known to be uncertain, and their ability to simulate future change is compromised by the fact that model parameters can show non-stationary and compensatory effects for different forcing conditions, notwithstanding errors and uncertainties in the future forcings themselves. In order to first identify, and second develop the most appropriate models to simulate catchments under environmental change, we argue that model inter-comparisons are required that move beyond a simple comparison of predictive performance alone, towards a controlled comparison of how different models simulate change. We present the development of a methodology for model inter-comparison under changing forcings to analyse, in this case, how models simulate landscape change, built upon time-varying sensitivity analysis of model parameters. First, for a given catchment, hydrologic signatures are calculated over consecutive windows covering the period of forcing change to analyse how the catchment responds hydrologically to change. Then, each model is calibrated to each window, and within each window, to each signature, which allows us to analyse the time-varying relationship between catchment
Visible light nitrogen dioxide spectrophotometer intercomparison: Mount Kobau, British Columbia, July 28 to August 10, 1991
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mcelroy, C. T.; Elokhov, A. S.; Elansky, N.; Frank, H.; Johnston, P.; Kerr, J. B.
Under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization, Environment Canada hosted an international comparison of visible light spectrophotometers at Mt. Kobau, British Columbia in August of 1991. Instruments from four countries were involved. The intercomparison results have indicated that some significant differences exist in the responses of the various instruments, and have provided a basis for the comparison of the historical data sets which currently exist as a result of the independent researches carried out in the past in the former Soviet Union, New Zealand, and Canada.
International "Intercomparison of 3-Dimensional (3D) Radiation Codes" (13RC)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Cahalan, Robert F.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)
An international "Intercomparison of 3-dimensional (3D) Radiation Codes" 13RC) has been initiated. It is endorsed by the GEWEX Radiation Panel, and funded jointly by the United States Department of Energy ARM program, and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Radiation Sciences program. It is a 3-phase effort that has as its goals to: (1) understand the errors and limits of 3D methods; (2) provide 'baseline' cases for future 3D code development; (3) promote sharing of 3D tools; (4) derive guidelines for 3D tool selection; and (5) improve atmospheric science education in 3D radiation.
MISR BRF measurements for various surface types: Intercomparison with coincident airborne and ground measurements.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Abdou, W. A.; Helmlinger, M.; Jovanovic, V. M.; Martonchik, J. V.; Diner, D. J.; Gatebe, C. K.; King, M. D.
The BRF retrieved by the multiangle Imaging spectroRadimeter (MISR) are compared with those coincidently measured from aircraft, by the Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) and MISR airborne simulator (AirMISR), and on the ground, by the Portable Apparatus for Rabid Acquisition of Bidirectional Observations of Land and Atmosphere (PARABOLA III). The intercomparisons are made for five types of surfaces: bright desert, salt pans, dark grassland, forests and dismal swamps. The results show that MISR BRF values are within +/- 10% in agreement with the corresponding airborne and ground measurements, independent of the surface type. This study is part of an effort to validate MISR surface products.
NASA Giovanni Portals for NLDAS/GLDAS Online Visualization, Analysis, and Intercomparison
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rui, Hualan; Teng, William L.; Vollmer, Bruce; Mocko, David M.; Beaudoing, Hiroko Kato; Rodell, Matthew
The North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) are generating a series of land surface forcing (e.g., precipitation, surface meteorology, and radiation), state (e.g., soil moisture and temperature, and snow), and flux (e.g., evaporation and sensible heat flux) products, simulated by several land surface models. To date, NLDAS and GLDAS have generated more than 30 (1979 - present) and 60 (1948 - present) years of data, respectively. To further facilitate data accessibility and utilization, three new portals in the NASA Giovanni system have been made available for NLDAS and GLDAS online visualization, analysis, and intercomparison.
Intercomparison of techniques for the non-invasive measurement of bone mass
Cohn, S.H.
A variety of methods are presently available for the non-invasive measurement of bone mass of both normal individuals and patients with metabolic disorders. Chief among these methods are radiographic techniques such as radiogrammetry, photon absorptiometry, computer tomography, Compton scattering and neutron activation analysis. In this review, the salient features of the bone measurement techniques are discussed along with their accuracy and precision. The advantages and disadvantages of the various techniques for measuring bone mass are summarized. Where possible, intercomparisons are made of the various techniques.
Collaborative experiment on intercomparison of regional-scale hydrological models for climate impact assessment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krysanova, Valentina; Hattermann, Fred
The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) is a community-driven modelling effort bringing together impact modellers across sectors and scales to create more consistent and comprehensive projections of the impacts of climate change. This project is aimed in establishing a long-term, systematic, cross-sectoral impact model intercomparison process, including comparison of climate change impacts for multiple sectors using ensemble of climate scenarios and applying global and regional impact models. The project is coordinated by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. An overview of this project and collaborative experiment related to the regional-scale water sector model intercomparison in ISI-MIP will be presented. The regional-scale water sector modelling includes eleven models applied to eleven large-scale river basins worldwide (not every model is applied to every of eleven basins). In total, 60-65 model applications will be done by several collaborating groups from different Institutions. The modelling tools include: ECOMAG, HBV, HBV-light, HYPE, LASCAM, LISFLOOD, mHM, SWAT, SWIM, VIC and WaterGAP. Eleven river basins chosen for the model application and intercomparison are: the Rhine and Tagus in Europe, the Niger and Blue Nile in Africa, the Ganges, Lena, Upper Yellow and Upper Yangtze in Asia, the Upper Mississippi and Upper Amazon in America, and the Murray-Darling in Australia. Their drainage areas range between 67,490 km2 (Tagus) to 2,460,000 km2 (Lena). Data from global and regional datasets are used for the model setup and calibration. The model calibration and validation was done using the WATCH climate data for all cases, also checking the representation of high and low percentiles of river discharge. For most of the basins, also intermediate gauge stations were included in the calibration. The calibration and validation results, evaluated with the Nash and Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and percent bias (PBIAS), are mostly