scholarly journals Temperature and humidity monitoring to identify ideal periods for liquefaction on Earth and Mars – data from the High Andes

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akos KERESZTURI ◽  
Bernadett PAL ◽  
Akos GYENIS
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Pressure ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Slope Winds ◽  
The Future ◽  
Low Humidity ◽  
Time Fluctuation ◽  
Humidity Monitoring

During an almost two week-long field campaign in the Atacama Desert high altitude region of Ojos del Salado volcano, temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) values were monitored on the surface and <1–5 cm sized rocks, focusing on the night-time values. The aim was to identify and evaluate potential temporal characteristics of daily T and RH changes, searching for ideal periods for deliquescence that has recently been proposed for Mars. Although the atmospheric pressure on Mars is much lower than on Earth, and the atmosphere is drier in general, the huge daily temperature fluctuation there could produce elevated humidity values at night-time; this aspect has thus been analysed on Earth at a desert location, where because of the high elevation night-time cooling is very strong, just like on Mars. Different nearby surface locations showed the same temporal T/RH characteristics, but evident variations were observed between different days. Strong fluctuations could be observed on 10–20 minute long temporal scales, that might influence the deliquescence process, and should be accounted for in future missions aiming to analyse this process on Mars. Night-time periods were favourable for deliquescence. Among the modelled Mars-relevant salts [CaCl2, Ca(ClO4)2, Mg(ClO4)2, NaCl] the longest durations of possible deliquescence were for CaCl2, Ca(ClO4)2 and Mg(ClO4)2, ~7–12 hours for one day. The duration for deliquescence showed some increase along with the rising elevation, due to the decreasing night-time temperature. Thus despite the low humidity on Mars, the cold nights may cause elevated RH towards deliquescence. The Atacama Desert locations analysed are a useful analogue of the deliquescence process on Mars. Fluctuation in RH was observed in night-time, suggesting that similar variability might be present on Mars, and that should be considered in the future, including in evaluating how fast the microscopic liquid formation progresses. Night-time slope winds expected on Mars might have a strong impact on the local T/RH conditions. A more detailed analysis in the future should focus on identifying and separating regions with and without much of the expected night-time fluctuation

scholarly journals What you always wanted to know about the deterministic part of the International Planning Competition (IPC) 2014 (but were too afraid to ask)

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Vallati ◽  
Lukáš Chrpa ◽  
Thomas L. Mccluskey
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Planning Techniques ◽  
Artificial Intelligence Planning ◽  
The Future ◽  
International Planning ◽  
Planning Approaches

AbstractThe International Planning Competition (IPC) is a prominent event of the artificial intelligence planning community that has been organized since 1998; it aims at fostering the development and comparison of planning approaches, assessing the state-of-the-art in planning and identifying new challenging benchmarks. IPC has a strong impact also outside the planning community, by providing a large number of ready-to-use planning engines and testing pioneering applications of planning techniques.This paper focusses on the deterministic part of IPC 2014, and describes format, participants, benchmarks as well as a thorough analysis of the results. Generally, results of the competition indicates some significant progress, but they also highlight issues and challenges that the planning community will have to face in the future.

scholarly journals Tick, tock, lock: night-time confinement in high security – history, practice, ethics and practicalities

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Ed Silva ◽  
Andrew Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Royal College ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Advisory Body ◽  
High Security ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Uk

SummaryNight-time confinement, locking patients in their bedrooms overnight, is practiced within high-secure hospitals in the UK. This article provides context, sets out the history and reviews the ethical and pragmatic issues at stake. Thought is given to the future, where we appear to be moving toward a different approach.Declaration of interestE.S. is a consultant forensic psychiatrist at Ashworth Hospital. All his patients are confined at night. He represents the Royal College of Psychiatrists Forensic Faculty at the National Oversight Group, which is the strategic advisory body providing assurance to NHS England regarding the commissioning and provision of high-secure services.

scholarly journals A theory for surface-layer scaling of thermally-driven slope flows

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dino Zardi
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Surface Layer ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Viscous Sublayer ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Slope Winds ◽  
Thermally Driven ◽  
Momentum And Heat Fluxes

&lt;p&gt;Sloping terrains of any inclination favour the development, under the daily cycle of day time surface heating and night time cooling, of thermally-driven organised flows, displaying peculiar boundary layer structures, and eventually triggering the development of atmospheric convection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ubiquitous occurrence over the Earth of variously tilted surfaces - from gently sloping plains to steep cliffs, or valley and basin sidewalls &amp;#8211; makes the understanding of such flows of utmost importance in view of the appropriate forecasting of the associated boundary layer transport processes. Also, they display a highly conceptual relevance, as they represent a prototypal situations for many other thermally driven-flows over complex terrain. &amp;#160;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An appropriate surface-layer scaling for slope wind is derived extending the classical analysis for flat horizontal terrain situations to the cover inclines. In the former, momentum and heat fluxes at the surface are two independent quantities, and vertical profiles of velocity and temperature can only be connected to them by means &amp;#160;of similiarity relationships, as fluxes are nearly invariant with height.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead, equations governing slope winds show that the mean wind and temperature profiles are closely connected to the flux structure normal to the slope, as this is not constant. Also, surface values of momentum flux and sensible heat flux are shown to be proportional to each other.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on the above relationships, suitable expressions are derived for the slope-normal profiles of velocity and temperature, both in the viscous sublayer and in the fully turbulent surface layer, as well as for the appropriate scaling factors in the two regions.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Earlier Snowmelt Advances Breeding Phenology of the Common Frog (Rana temporaria) but Increases the Risk of Frost Exposure and Wetland Drying

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Bison ◽  
Nigel G. Yoccoz ◽  
Bradley Z. Carlson ◽  
Geoffrey Klein ◽  
Idaline Laigle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Breeding Phenology ◽  
Mountain Environments ◽  
The Future ◽  
Drying Up ◽  
The Common

The alarming decline of amphibians around the world calls for complementary studies to better understand their responses to climate change. In mountain environments, water resources linked to snowmelt play a major role in allowing amphibians to complete tadpole metamorphosis. As snow cover duration has significantly decreased since the 1970s, amphibian populations could be strongly impacted by climate warming, and even more in high elevation sites where air temperatures are increasing at a higher rate than at low elevation. In this context, we investigated common frog (Rana temporaria) breeding phenology at two different elevations and explored the threats that this species faces in a climate change context. Our objectives were to understand how environmental variables influence the timing of breeding phenology of the common frog, and explore the threats that amphibians face in the context of climate change in mountain areas. To address these questions, we collected 11 years (2009–2019) of data on egg-spawning date, tadpole development stages, snowmelt date, air temperature, rainfall and drying up of wetland pools at ∼1,300 and ∼1,900 m a.s.l. in the French Alps. We found an advancement of the egg-spawning date and snowmelt date at low elevation but a delay at high elevations for both variables. Our results demonstrated a strong positive relationship between egg-spawning date and snowmelt date at both elevations. We also observed that the risk of frost exposure increased faster at high elevation as egg-spawning date advanced than at low elevation, and that drying up of wetland pools led to tadpole mortality at the high elevation site. Within the context of climate change, egg-spawning date is expected to happen earlier in the future and eggs and tadpoles of common frogs may face higher risk of frost exposure, while wetland drying may lead to higher larval mortality. However, population dynamics studies are needed to test these hypotheses and to assess impacts at the population level. Our results highlight climate-related threats to common frog populations in mountain environments, but additional research should be conducted to forecast how climate change may benefit or harm amphibian populations, and inform conservation and land management plans in the future.

scholarly journals Educational Robotics and the Gender Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-254
Author(s):  
Daniela Bagattini ◽  
Beatrice Miotti ◽  
Fiorella Operto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Educational Robotics ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Educational Choices ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Gender Perspective ◽  
Family Expectations ◽  
The Future

AbstractIn this paper we explore the role of stereotypes in educational choices. Data on secondary school enrollments show that girls are abandoning STEM subjects. There are many reasons for this, including social and family expectations, but also the perception that jobs and careers in technical and scientific sectors will make it hard to take care of a family. This is an important theme for the future. The number of jobs in ICT will increase, and the low quantities of women in these sectors will have a strong impact on the availability of skilled workers, as well as increasing the gender gap. What is the role of school in this context? What activities can get more girls interested in science? We focus, in particular, on how innovative approaches such as educational robotics can help girls engage with STEM subjects, as happened with the “Roberta” project, whose results will be illustrated in this work.

Shooting noise annoyance in communities around German military training areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. 1929-1939
Author(s):  
Dirk Schreckenberg ◽  
Stephan Großarth
Keyword(s):  
Road Traffic ◽  
Military Training ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
German Studies ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Transportation Noise ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Military Training Areas

Shooting noise is characterized as impulsive, intermittent sound with high energy and low frequencies. Studies have shown that for given average sound levels shooting noise is regarded as more annoying than transportation noise, particularly road traffic noise. In comparison to transportation noise, responses to shooting noise are less frequently studied. The latest published German studies on community responses to shooting noise were conducted in the 1980ies and 1990ies. The study presented in this contribution aims to provide new data on shooting noise responses in communities around military training areas. Annoyance responses were collected using a survey with 1043 residents living around three military training sites in Germany. For the address of each resident, on the basis of shooting training in the year 2019 the average continuous sound levels and the sound exposure levels for day and night-time with the frequency weightings A, C, and Z was estimated for grid cells of 250 x 250 m. Results on the exposure-response relationship between these noise metrics and the percentage of highly annoyed persons (%HA) are presented. Among others, the results indicate, that non-acoustic factors, particularly attitudes related to the source have a strong impact on the annoyance.

Predictability as a Metric of Automation Complexity

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay S. Vakil ◽  
R. John Hansman
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Pilot Training ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Mode Structure ◽  
Transport Aircraft ◽  
The Future ◽  
End To End

Current advanced commercial transport aircraft rely on Flight Management Systems. The increasing complexity of these systems has caused an increase in errors in interaction with aircraft automation. Previous research has focussed on identification of the elements of automation (mode structure, consistency, command languages and other) which may lead to faulty human-automation interactions. These approaches require the complex system to have underlying structure in an available and communicable form. In contrast, this paper discusses a more easily testable “end-to-end” metric which can be used independent of knowledge of this structure. The concept of predictability is presented as a candidate metric of the complexity of automation and is defined as a measure of how well an operator can anticipate what the system will do at some point in the future. In essence, this is a measure of the complement of how often a system will “surprise” an operator by acting in an unanticipated manner. The goal of this work is to identify areas of Flight Management Systems which have a strong impact on predictability to provide guidance in future designs and in current pilot training.

Tragical Dreamer: Some Dreams in the Roman Historians

1997 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Pelling
Keyword(s):  
Current Psychology ◽  
Dream Interpretation ◽  
Night Time ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Everyday World ◽  
Ancient Literature ◽  
The Future ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Way

There are many ways of classifying dreams. This paper is concerned with only one, perhapsthe most fundamental: one which also – we are told – captures the most important difference between modern and ancient dream-interpretation. Ancient audiences were primed to expect dreams to be prophetic, to come from outside and give knowledge, however ambiguously, of the future, or at least of the otherwise unknowable present. This sort of dream is hard to distinguish from the ‘night-time vision’, and indeed it is sometimes hard with dreams in ancient literature to tell whether the recipient is asleep or not. For moderns, especially but not only Freudians, dreams come from within, and are interesting for what they tell us about the current psychology of the dreamer: for Freudians, the aspects of the repressed unconscious which fight to the surface; for most or all of us, the way in which dreams re-sort our daytime preoccupations, hopes, and fears. This distinction between ancient and modern was set out and elaborated a few years ago by Simon Price; it was also drawn by Freud himself. At the risk of oversimplification, we could say the first approach assimilates dreams to divination, the second to fantasy - with all the illumination that, as we increasingly realize, fantasy affords into the everyday world, as it juggles the normal patterns of waking reality at the same time as challenging them by their difference.

scholarly journals The role of dew as a night-time reservoir and morning source for atmospheric ammonia

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 7435-7449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory R. Wentworth ◽  
Jennifer G. Murphy ◽  
Katherine B. Benedict ◽  
Evelyn J. Bangs ◽  
Jeffrey L. Collett Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Surface Wetness ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Nh3 Emission ◽  
Ambient Nh3

Abstract. Several field studies have proposed that the volatilization of NH3 from evaporating dew is responsible for an early morning pulse of ammonia frequently observed in the atmospheric boundary layer. Laboratory studies conducted on synthetic dew showed that the fraction of ammonium (NH4+) released as gas-phase ammonia (NH3) during evaporation is dependent on the relative abundances of anions and cations in the dew. Hence, the fraction of NH3 released during dew evaporation (Frac(NH3)) can be predicted given dew composition and pH. Twelve separate ambient dew samples were collected at a remote high-elevation grassland site in Colorado from 28 May to 11 August 2015. Average [NH4+] and pH were 26 µM and 5.2 respectively and were on the lower end of dew [NH4+] and pH observations reported in the literature. Ambient dew mass (in g m−2) was monitored with a dewmeter, which continuously measured the mass of a tray containing artificial turf representative of the grass canopy to track the accumulation and evaporation of dew. Simultaneous measurements of ambient NH3 indicated that a morning increase in NH3 was coincident in time with dew evaporation and that either a plateau or decrease in NH3 occurred once the dew had completely evaporated. This morning increase in NH3 was never observed on mornings without surface wetness (neither dew nor rain, representing one-quarter of mornings during the study period). Dew composition was used to determine an average Frac(NH3) of 0.94, suggesting that nearly all NH4+ is released back to the boundary layer as NH3 during evaporation at this site. An average NH3 emission of 6.2 ng m−2 s−1 during dew evaporation was calculated using total dew volume (Vdew) and evaporation time (tevap) and represents a significant morning flux in a non-fertilized grassland. Assuming a boundary layer height of 150 m, the average mole ratio of NH4+ in dew to NH3 in the boundary layer at sunrise is roughly 1.6 ± 0.7. Furthermore, the observed loss of NH3 during nights with dew is approximately equal to the observed amount of NH4+ sequestered in dew at the onset of evaporation. Hence, there is strong evidence that dew is both a significant night-time reservoir and strong morning source of NH3. The possibility of rain evaporation as a source of NH3, as well as dew evaporation influencing species of similar water solubility (acetic acid, formic acid, and HONO), is also discussed. If release of NH3 from dew and rain evaporation is pervasive in many environments, then estimates of NH3 dry deposition and NHx ( ≡  NH3 + NH4+) wet deposition may be overestimated by models that assume that all NHx deposited in rain and dew remains at the surface.

scholarly journals Modelling the evolution of Vadret da Morteratsch, Switzerland, since the Little Ice Age and into the future

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (224) ◽  
pp. 1155-1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Zekollari ◽  
Johannes Jakob Fürst ◽  
Philippe Huybrechts
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
The Future

AbstractWe use a 3-D higher-order glacier flow model for Vadret da Morteratsch, Engadin, Switzerland, to simulate its strong retreat since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) and to project its future disintegration under a warming climate. The flow model, coupled to a 2-D energy-balance model, is initialized with the known maximum glacier extent during the LIA and subsequently forced with mean monthly precipitation and temperature records. To correctly reproduce the observed retreat of the glacier front for the period 1864–2010, additional mass-balance perturbations are required to account for uncertainties in the initial state, the mass-balance model and climate variations not captured by the ambient meteorological records. Changes in glacier volume and area are in good agreement with additional information from historical topographic maps. Under constant 2001–10 climate conditions, a strong retreat and mass loss continue and Vadret da Morteratsch disconnects from its main tributary, Vadret Pers, before 2020. The future glacier evolution is analysed in detail to understand the timing and rate of retreat, and to assess the role of ice dynamics. Assuming a linearly increasing warming of >3°C by 2100, only isolated and largely stagnant ice patches remain at high elevation.

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