scholarly journals An improved NO<sub>2</sub> retrieval for the GOME-2 satellite instrument

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1147-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Richter ◽  
M. Begoin ◽  
A. Hilboll ◽  
J. P. Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Spectral Signature ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Good Consistency ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Pass

Abstract. Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) provide valuable information on both stratospheric and tropospheric composition. Nadir measurements from GOME, SCIAMACHY, OMI, and GOME-2 have been used in many studies on tropospheric NO2 burdens, the importance of different NOx emissions sources and their change over time. The observations made by the three GOME-2 instruments will extend the existing data set by more than a decade, and a high quality of the data as well as their good consistency with existing time series is of particular importance. In this paper, an improved GOME-2 NO2 retrieval is described which reduces the scatter of the individual NO2 columns globally but in particular in the region of the Southern Atlantic Anomaly. This is achieved by using a larger fitting window including more spectral points, and by applying a two step spike removal algorithm in the fit. The new GOME-2 data set is shown to have good consistency with SCIAMACHY NO2 columns. Remaining small differences are shown to be linked to changes in the daily solar irradiance measurements used in both GOME-2 and SCIAMACHY retrievals. In the large retrieval window, a not previously identified spectral signature was found which is linked to deserts and other regions with bare soil. Inclusion of this empirically derived pseudo cross-section significantly improves the retrievals and potentially provides information on surface properties and desert aerosols. Using the new GOME-2 NO2 data set, a long-term average of tropospheric columns was computed and high-pass filtered. The resulting map shows evidence for pollution from several additional shipping lanes, not previously identified in satellite observations. This illustrates the excellent signal to noise ratio achievable with the improved GOME-2 retrievals.

scholarly journals An improved NO<sub>2</sub> retrieval for the GOME-2 satellite instrument

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Richter ◽  
M. Begoin ◽  
A. Hilboll ◽  
J. P. Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Spectral Signature ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Good Consistency ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Pass

Abstract. Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) provide valuable information on both stratospheric and tropospheric composition. Nadir measurements from GOME, SCIAMACHY, OMI, and GOME-2 have been used in many studies on tropospheric NO2 burdens, the importance of different NOx emissions sources and their change over time. The observations made by the three GOME-2 instruments will extend the existing data set by more than a decade, and a high quality of the data as well as their good consistency with existing time series is of high importance. In this paper, an improved GOME-2 NO2 retrieval is described which reduces the scatter of the individual NO2 columns globally but in particular in the region of the Southern Atlantic Anomaly. This is achieved by using a larger fitting window including more spectral points, and by applying a two step spike removal algorithm in the fit. The new GOME-2 data set is shown to have good consistency with SCIAMACHY NO2 columns. Remaining small differences are shown to be linked to changes in the daily solar irradiance measurements used in both GOME-2 and SCIAMACHY retrievals. In the large retrieval window, a not previously identified spectral signature was found which is linked to deserts and other regions with bare soil. Inclusion of this empirically derived pseudo cross-section significantly improves the retrievals and potentially provides information on surface properties and desert aerosols. Using the new GOME-2 NO2 data set, a long-term average of tropospheric columns was computed and high-pass filtered. The resulting map shows evidence for pollution from several additional shipping lanes, not previously identified in satellite observations. This illustrates the excellent signal to noise ratio achievable with the improved GOME-2 retrievals.

Quality of care reported by proxies – Does resident cognition count?

Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 2543-2555
Author(s):  
Anja Kahanpää ◽  
Anja Noro ◽  
Marja-Leena Perälä
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Proxy Reports ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Care Information

Resident self-reports are considered the primary source of quality of care information, but proxy reports by family or staff can also be used to supplement or substitute resident reports. This study analyses how the results of proxy reports vary according to residents’ cognition level. The data set used covers proxy reports of family ( n = 558) and staff ( n = 801), divided by the availability of resident self-reports (family yes n = 289, no n = 269; staff yes 393, no = 408). Family and staff proxies assessed residents’ quality of care as better when resident self-reports were also available, and quality of care tended to be assessed as poorer among those with higher cognitive decline. The results of this methodological study indicate the importance of using several proxy evaluations; however, these can only supplement resident self-reports, not replace them. The interpretation rules acknowledging dependency between residents’ cognition and proxy assessments could be used as a basis for future comparisons of quality improvement in long-term care and for painting a more comprehensive picture of service quality.

scholarly journals Long-term MAX-DOAS network observations of NO<sub>2</sub> in Russia and Asia (MADRAS) during the period 2007–2012: instrumentation, elucidation of climatology, and comparisons with OMI satellite observations and global model simulations

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 7909-7927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Kanaya ◽  
H. Irie ◽  
H. Takashima ◽  
H. Iwabuchi ◽  
H. Akimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Data ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Global Model ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Model Simulations

Abstract. We conducted long-term network observations using standardized Multi-Axis Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instruments in Russia and ASia (MADRAS) from 2007 onwards and made the first synthetic data analysis. At seven locations (Cape Hedo, Fukue and Yokosuka in Japan, Hefei in China, Gwangju in Korea, and Tomsk and Zvenigorod in Russia) with different levels of pollution, we obtained 80 927 retrievals of tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (TropoNO2VCD) and aerosol optical depth (AOD). In the technique, the optimal estimation of the TropoNO2VCD and its profile was performed using aerosol information derived from O4 absorbances simultaneously observed at 460–490 nm. This large data set was used to analyze NO2 climatology systematically, including temporal variations from the seasonal to the diurnal scale. The results were compared with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite observations and global model simulations. Two NO2 retrievals of OMI satellite data (NASA ver. 2.1 and Dutch OMI NO2 (DOMINO) ver. 2.0) generally showed close correlations with those derived from MAX-DOAS observations, but had low biases of up to ~50%. The bias was distinct when NO2 was abundantly present near the surface and when the AOD was high, suggesting a possibility of incomplete accounting of NO2 near the surface under relatively high aerosol conditions for the satellite observations. Except for constant biases, the satellite observations showed nearly perfect seasonal agreement with MAX-DOAS observations, suggesting that the analysis of seasonal features of the satellite data were robust. Weekend reduction in the TropoNO2VCD found at Yokosuka and Gwangju was absent at Hefei, implying that the major sources had different weekly variation patterns. While the TropoNO2VCD generally decreased during the midday hours, it increased exceptionally at urban/suburban locations (Yokosuka, Gwangju, and Hefei) during winter. A global chemical transport model, MIROC-ESM-CHEM (Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate–Earth System Model–Chemistry), was validated for the first time with respect to background NO2 column densities during summer at Cape Hedo and Fukue in the clean marine atmosphere.

scholarly journals BETTER LIVING THROUGH TECH: TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED RECREATION AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY RESIDENTS’ QUALITY OF LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S442-S442
Author(s):  
Ethan A McMahan ◽  
Marion Godoy ◽  
Abiola Awosanya ◽  
Robert Winningham ◽  
Charles De Vilmorin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Term Care Facility ◽  
Long Term Care Facility ◽  
Care Facilities

Abstract Empirical research on long-term care facility resident engagement has consistently indicated that increased engagement is associated with more positive clinical outcomes and increased quality of life. The current study adds to this existing literature by documenting the positive effects of technologically-mediated recreational programing on quality of life and medication usage in aged residents living in long-term care facilities. Technologically-mediated recreational programming was defined as recreational programming that was developed, implemented, and /or monitored using software platforms dedicated specifically for these types of activities. This study utilized a longitudinal design and was part of a larger project examining quality of life in older adults. A sample of 272 residents from three long-term care facilities in Toronto, Ontario participated in this project. Resident quality of life was assessed at multiple time points across a span of approximately 12 months, and resident engagement in recreational programming was monitored continuously during this twelve-month period. Quality of life was measured using the Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set Version 2.0. Number of pharmacological medication prescriptions received during the twelve-month study period was also assessed. Descriptive analyses indicated that, in general, resident functioning tended to decrease over time. However, when controlling for age, gender, and baseline measures of resident functioning, engagement in technologically-mediated recreational programming was positively associated with several indicators of quality of life. The current findings thus indicate that engagement in technology-mediated recreational programming is associated with increased quality of life of residents in long-term care facilities.

Effect of relative cumulative dose-intensity on survival of patients with urothelial cancer treated with M-VAC.

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 400-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
H I Scher ◽  
N L Geller ◽  
T Curley ◽  
Y Tao
Keyword(s):  
Cumulative Dose ◽  
Urothelial Cancer ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Dose Intensity ◽  
Complete Response ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Long Term Survivors

PURPOSE To evaluate the received dose-intensity in a mature data set of patients with advanced urothelial cancer who received at least one cycle of the methotrexate (M), vinblastine (V), Adriamycin ([A], doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH), and cisplatin (C) regimen (M-VAC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Received dose-intensity was evaluated over time by summing doses over cycles for each patient, cumulating treatment times, and assuming four cycles of chemotherapy were planned. Relative cumulative dose-intensity was then calculated for individual patients at the end of each cycle. To assess a relationship with survival, relative cumulative dose-intensity was then used as a time-dependent covariate in Cox regression. RESULTS The median follow-up was 6 years and median survival 13.3 months, with 20 patients alive at the time of analysis. Out of a maximum of 1.0, the median relative dose-intensity for the M-VAC combination decreased from .69 to .59 from cycle 1 to cycle 4. Similarly, a decrease from .68 to .62 and from .80 to .72 was observed for A and C, respectively. The median received dose-intensity for A was 6.0 mg/m2/wk, and for C 14 mg/m2/wk. Neither the four-cycle relative cumulative dose-intensity for the M-VAC combination, nor the relative cumulative dose-intensities for A or C were found to be significant prognostic factors. CONCLUSION The absence of an effect for received dose-intensity on survival may reflect the low dose-intensities of the components of the regimen actually delivered in this study. The results question whether the individual agents can be escalated sufficiently, with growth factor support, to improve significantly complete response proportions, a prerequisite for increasing the proportion of long-term survivors.

Optimising Epilepsy Therapy – Searching for the Evidence – Looking Beyond the Data

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Mar Carreño ◽  
Eugen Trinka ◽  
Martin Holtkamp ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Refractory Epilepsy ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Type D ◽  
Epilepsy Therapy ◽  
Suitable Treatment ◽  
Type C ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Devil

There is now an extensive range of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) available including older established treatments and a newer generation of medications. The choice of drugs and what constitutes optimal therapy, however, is unclear due to limitations in the data supporting their use, particularly among the newer treatments. In clinical trials of monotherapy, a treatment is required to show only non-inferiority to another benchmark treatment. In trials of polytherapy, comparisons are limited to placebo. It is therefore necessary to look beyond the study data and consider other parameters to ascertain the most suitable treatment for the individual patient. Available evidence suggests that efficacy is similar among most AEDs, but this does not mean they are all the same. Some show efficacy in early and refractory epilepsy and some improve depression and quality of life (QOL) in epilepsy. AEDs are associated with a range of adverse events (AEs) that can limit their usefulness. AE classifications include type A (augmented and dose related) including tiredness, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, ataxia, tremor and cognitive impairment; type B (bizarre and idiosyncratic) including various hypersensitivity reactions; type C (chronic long-term toxicity) including hirsutism, alopecia, weight gain and obesity; and type D (teratogenesis and carcinogenesis). The newer AEDs have been more thoroughly assessed for AEs than older drugs and risks are better understood. In AED safety, it is not better to follow a policy of ‘better the devil you know’ but rather to carefully monitor AE incidence and be prepared to switch drugs to improve tolerability and avoid non-compliance and treatment failure.

scholarly journals Personalization of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for musculoskeletal diseases. Resolution on the results of the Meeting of Experts of December 13, 2017

2018 ◽  
pp. 76-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Karateev ◽  
A. M. Lila ◽  
I. S. Dydykina ◽  
P. R. Kamchatnov ◽  
S. O. Mazurenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Diseases ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Analgesic Therapy ◽  
Acute Pain Therapy ◽  
Inflammatory Drugs ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Key Aspects

The personalization of therapy is one of the innovative approaches gaining an increasingly strong foothold in modern medicine, implying an individual approach to each patient, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient and the specific clinical case. This same standpoint of personified therapy should be used to plan rational analgesic therapy, the most important component of managing patients with the most common and socially significant diseases, with conditions that have a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life and worsen the course of concomitant diseases. The Meeting of Experts of different specialties such as rheumatologists, neurologists, cardiologists and clinical pharmacologists considered the key aspects of the prescription of NSAIDs, the most widely used class of painkillers, including those used for the relief of musculoskeletal pain. It was noted that when choosing NSAIDs, the practitioner should take into account the diagnosis, the planned duration of  analgesic therapy, the intensity of pain, medical history data, the presence of comorbid diseases and risk factors for drug complications. There are different types of NSAIDs, some of which are most useful for urgent acute pain therapy (eg, ketoprofen), while others are most suitable for long-term pain management in chronic diseases (eg, etoricoxib). In any case, the practitioner should take into account the priority of patient safety and pay the utmost attention to the prevention of NSAIDassociated complications, and also keep in mind the duration of the specific drug administration permitted by the patient information leaflet. It was also noted that the launch of a new generic etoricoxib (Kostarox®) expands the possibilities of analgesic therapy for the Russian practitioners.

scholarly journals Sunspot area catalog revisited: Daily cross-calibrated areas since 1874

2020 ◽  
Vol 640 ◽  
pp. A78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudip Mandal ◽  
Natalie A. Krivova ◽  
Sami K. Solanki ◽  
Nimesh Sinha ◽  
Dipankar Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Sunspot Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Royal Greenwich Observatory ◽  
Individual Group ◽  
Cross Calibration ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Temporal Coverage ◽  
Final Composite

Context. Long and consistent sunspot area records are important for understanding long-term solar activity and variability. Multiple observatories around the globe have regularly recorded sunspot areas, but such individual records only cover restricted periods of time. Furthermore, there are systematic differences between these records and require cross-calibration before they can reliably be used for further studies. Aims. We produce a cross-calibrated and homogeneous record of total daily sunspot areas, both projected and corrected, covering the period between 1874 and 2019. In addition, we generated a catalog of calibrated individual group areas for the same period. Methods. We compared the data from nine archives: Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO), Kislovodsk, Pulkovo, Debrecen, Kodaikanal, Solar Optical Observing Network (SOON), Rome, Catania, and Yunnan Observatories, covering the period between 1874 and 2019. Cross-comparisons of the individual records were done to produce homogeneous and inter-calibrated records of daily projected and corrected areas. As in earlier studies, the basis of the composite is formed by the data from RGO. After 1976, the only datasets used are those from Kislovodsk, Pulkovo, and Debrecen observatories. This choice was made based on the temporal coverage and the quality of the data. While there are still 776 days missing in the final composite, these remaining gaps could not be filled with data from the other archives as the missing days lie either before 1922 or after 2016 and none of the additional archives cover these periods. Results. In contrast to the SOON data used in previous area composites for the post-RGO period, the properties of the data from Kislovodsk and Pulkovo are very similar to those from the RGO series. They also directly overlap the RGO data in time, which makes their cross-calibration with RGO much more reliable. Indeed, comparing our area catalog with previous such composites, we find improvements both in data quality and coverage. We also computed the daily Photometric Sunspot Index, which is widely used, for example, in empirical reconstructions of solar irradiance.

Positive Technology

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Riva ◽  
Daniela Villani ◽  
Pietro Cipresso ◽  
Andrea Gaggioli
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Experience ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
The Other ◽  
Personal Goals ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Applied Approach ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Flow Experiences

This chapter describes and discusses the “Positive Technology” approach: the scientific and applied approach for the use of technology in improving the quality of our personal experience through its structuring, augmentation and/or replacement - as a way for improving and sustaining personal change. On one side, we suggest that our cognitive system is naturally shaped to identify and counter the experiential conflicts that are usually the main motives for change. Optimal experiences, also defined as “flow experiences”, instead allow the individual to consider long-term personal goals differently and start to experiment with changing them. In other words optimal experiences, when meaningful for the individual, widen the array of thoughts and actions, facilitating generativity and behavioral flexibility. On the other side we claim that it is possible to use technology to manipulate the quality of experience, with the goal of increasing wellness, and generating strengths and resilience in individuals, organizations and society.

scholarly journals “No evident disease activity”: The use of combined assessments in the management of patients with multiple sclerosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1179-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Giovannoni ◽  
Davorka Tomic ◽  
Jeremy R Bright ◽  
Eva Havrdová
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Individual Patient Level ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

Using combined endpoints to define no evident disease activity (NEDA) is becoming increasingly common when setting targets for treatment outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). Historically, NEDA has taken account of the occurrence of relapses, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions and disability worsening, but this approach places emphasis on inflammatory activity in the brain and mostly overlooks ongoing neurodegenerative damage. Combined assessments of NEDA which take account of changes in brain volume or neuropsychological outcomes such as cognitive function may begin to address this imbalance, and such assessments may also consider blood or spinal-fluid neurofilament levels or patient-reported outcomes and quality of life measures. If a combined NEDA assessment can be validated in prospective studies as indicative of long-term disease remission at the individual patient level, treating to achieve NEDA could become the goal of clinical practice and achieving NEDA may become the “new normal” state of disease control for patients with MS.

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