Interannual variability in water storage over 2003-2008 in the Amazon Basin from GRACE space gravimetry, in situ river level and precipitation data

OpenAIRE

Xavier , L.; Becker , M.; Cazenave , A.; Longuevergne , L.; Llovel , W.; Rotunno Filho , Otto Correa

2012-01-01

International audience; We investigate the interannual variability over 2003-2008 of different hydrological parameters in the Amazon river basin: (1) vertically-integrated water storage from the GRACE space gravimetry mission, (2) surface water level of the Amazon River and its tributaries from in situ gauge stations, and (3) precipitation. We analyze the spatio-temporal evolution of total water storage from GRACE and in situ river level along the Amazon River and its main tributaries and not...

Study of Extreme Weather Hazards Using GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y.; Shum, C. K.; Shang, K.; Guo, J.; Schwartz, F. W.; Akyılmaz, O.; Feng, W.; Forootan, E.; LIU, G.; Zhong, M.

2017-12-01

Extreme weather events significantly affect humans and economics in the region. Synoptic and timely observations of these abrupt meteoro-hydrological hazards would benefit disaster management and improve storm forecasting. Contemporary processing of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) twin-satellite data at monthly sampling would miss or under-sample abrupt events such as large ice storms with durations much shorter than a month. Here, we employ the energy balance approach processing GRACE Level 1 data, which is flexible to allow sub-monthly solutions at daily sampling covering the genesis and evolution of large winter storms. We studied the 2008 Southeast China snow and ice storm, which lasted from mid-January to mid-February, and affected 21 out of China's 34 provinces with heavy snows, ice and freezing rains, caused extensive damage and transportation disruption, displaced nearly 1.7 million people, and claimed 129 lives. We also investigated the devastating North America blizzard which occurred during late January through mid-February 2010. The massive accumulations of snow and ice in both storms slightly changed the gravity field of the Earth, and were sensitive to the GRACE satellite measurements, manifested as transient terrestrial water storage (TWS) change. We compared our solutions with other available high temporal frequency GRACE solutions. The GRACE observed total storage change for both storms are in good agreement with in situ precipitation measurements, and with GRACE observations clearly show the complex genesis, decline, strengthening and melting phases depicting the detailed evolution of these example large snow storms.

Regional GRACE-based estimates of water mass variations over Australia: validation and interpretation

Science.gov (United States)

Seoane, L.; Ramillien, G.; Frappart, F.; Leblanc, M.

2013-04-01

Time series of regional 2°-by-2° GRACE solutions have been computed from 2003 to 2011 with a 10 day resolution by using an energy integral method over Australia [112° E 156° E; 44° S 10° S]. This approach uses the dynamical orbit analysis of GRACE Level 1 measurements, and specially accurate along-track K Band Range Rate (KBRR) residuals (1 μm s-1 level of error) to estimate the total water mass over continental regions. The advantages of regional solutions are a significant reduction of GRACE aliasing errors (i.e. north-south stripes) providing a more accurate estimation of water mass balance for hydrological applications. In this paper, the validation of these regional solutions over Australia is presented as well as their ability to describe water mass change as a reponse of climate forcings such as El Niño. Principal component analysis of GRACE-derived total water storage maps show spatial and temporal patterns that are consistent with independent datasets (e.g. rainfall, climate index and in-situ observations). Regional TWS show higher spatial correlations with in-situ water table measurements over Murray-Darling drainage basin (80-90%), and they offer a better localization of hydrological structures than classical GRACE global solutions (i.e. Level 2 GRGS products and 400 km ICA solutions as a linear combination of GFZ, CSR and JPL GRACE solutions).

Antarctic contribution to sea level rise observed by GRACE with improved GIA correction

Science.gov (United States)

Ivins, Erik R.; James, Thomas S.; Wahr, John; Schrama, Ernst J. O.; Landerer, Felix W.; Simon, Karen M.

2013-06-01

Antarctic volume changes during the past 21 thousand years are smaller than previously thought, and here we construct an ice sheet history that drives a forward model prediction of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) gravity signal. The new model, in turn, should give predictions that are constrained with recent uplift data. The impact of the GIA signal on a Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Antarctic mass balance estimate depends on the specific GRACE analysis method used. For the method described in this paper, the GIA contribution to the apparent surface mass change is re-evaluated to be +55±13 Gt/yr by considering a revised ice history model and a parameter search for vertical motion predictions that best fit the GPS observations at 18 high-quality stations. Although the GIA model spans a range of possible Earth rheological structure values, the data are not yet sufficient for solving for a preferred value of upper and lower mantle viscosity nor for a preferred lithospheric thickness. GRACE monthly solutions from the Center for Space Research Release 04 (CSR-RL04) release time series from January 2003 to the beginning of January 2012, uncorrected for GIA, yield an ice mass rate of +2.9± 29 Gt/yr. The new GIA correction increases the solved-for ice mass imbalance of Antarctica to -57±34 Gt/yr. The revised GIA correction is smaller than past GRACE estimates by about 50 to 90 Gt/yr. The new upper bound to the sea level rise from the Antarctic ice sheet, averaged over the time span 2003.0-2012.0, is about 0.16±0.09 mm/yr.

Comparison of precision orbit derived density estimates for CHAMP and GRACE satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Fattig, Eric Dale

nine combinations of density and ballistic coefficient correlated half-lives. These half-lives are varied among values of 1.8, 18, and 180 minutes. A total of forty-five sets of results emerge from the orbit determination process for all combinations of baseline density model and half-lives. Each time period is examined for both CHAMP and GRACE-A, and the results are analyzed. Results are averaged from all solutions periods for 2004--2007. In addition, results are averaged after binning according to solar and geomagnetic activity levels. For any given day in this period, a ballistic coefficient correlated half-life of 1.8 minutes yields the best correlation and root mean square values for both CHAMP and GRACE. For CHAMP, a density correlated half-life of 18 minutes is best for higher levels of solar and geomagnetic activity, while for lower levels 180 minutes is usually superior. For GRACE, 180 minutes is nearly always best. The three Jacchia-based atmospheric models yield very similar results. The CIRA 1972 or Jacchia 1971 models as baseline consistently produce the best results for both satellites, though results obtained for Jacchia-Roberts are very similar to the other Jacchia-based models. Data are examined in a similar manner for the extended solar minimum period during 2008 and 2009, albeit with a much smaller sampling of data. With the exception of some atypical results, similar combinations of half-lives and baseline atmospheric model produce the best results. A greater sampling of data will aid in characterizing density in a period of especially low solar activity. In general, cross correlation values for CHAMP and GRACE revealed that the POE method matched trends observed by the accelerometers very well. However, one period of time deviated from this trend for the GRACE-A satellite. Between late October 2005 and January 2006, correlations for GRACE-A were very low. Special examination of the surrounding months revealed the extent of time this period covered

Improved estimates of global sea level change from Ice Sheets, glaciers and land water storage using GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Velicogna, I.; Hsu, C. W.; Ciraci, E.; Sutterley, T. C.

2015-12-01

We use observations of time variable gravity from GRACE to estimate mass changes for the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets, the Glaciers and Ice Caps (GIC) and land water storage for the time period 2002-2015 and evaluate their total contribution to sea level. We calculate regional sea level changes from these present day mass fluxes using an improved scaling factor for the GRACE data that accounts for the spatial and temporal variability of the observed signal. We calculate a separate scaling factor for the annual and the long-term components of the GRACE signal. To estimate the contribution of the GIC, we use a least square mascon approach and we re-analyze recent inventories to optimize the distribution of mascons and recover the GRACE signal more accurately. We find that overall, Greenland controls 43% of the global trend in eustatic sea level rise, 16% for Antarctica and 29% for the GIC. The contribution from the GIC is dominated by the mass loss of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, followed by Alaska, Patagonia and the High Mountains of Asia. We report a marked increase in mass loss for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In Greenland, following the 2012 high summer melt, years 2013 and 2014 have slowed down the increase in mass loss, but our results will be updated with summer 2015 observations at the meeting. In Antarctica, the mass loss is still on the rise with increased contributions from the Amundsen Sea sector and surprisingly from the Wilkes Land sector of East Antarctica, including Victoria Land. Conversely, the Queen Maud Land sector experienced a large snowfall in 2009-2013 and has now resumed to a zero mass gain since 2013. We compare sea level changes from these GRACE derived mass fluxes after including the atmospheric and ocean loading signal with sea level change from satellite radar altimetry (AVISO) corrected for steric signal of the ocean using Argo measurements and find an excellent agreement in amplitude, phase and trend in these estimates

Contributions of GRACE to Understanding of Spatial Distribution of Spring Flooding in Snow-dominated Afghan Watersheds

Science.gov (United States)

Roningen, J. M.; Daly, S. F.; Vuyovich, C.

2012-12-01

In Afghanistan, where both historical and current in situ hydrologic records are extremely limited, the development and stability operations communities require guidance as to how to best utilize capabilities in remote sensing of the water cycle to understand and predict seasonal flooding. In this study, three versions of Level 3 GRACE datasets (CSR, CSR 4.1 and GRGS) are compared to TRMM 3B42 products, SSM/I-derived snow water equivalent products (SWE), and MODIS-derived flooding extents to assess their potential for contributing to an understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of spring flooding in Afghanistan from the period 2002-2012. GRACE, which allows for assessment of correlations between small-scale temporal changes in the gravitational field of the earth with changes in the total water storage in the hydrosphere, opens the possibility for incorporation of subsurface components of the hydrologic cycle into remote monitoring and modeling of water resources. GRACE data exhibit clear seasonal fluctuations in many areas of Afghanistan, but an assessment is required of the extent to which this data can be disaggregated spatially and related to geographic patterns of precipitation, snowmelt and flooding. In this study, TRMM 3B42 and SSM/I-derived SWE datasets were used as proxies for measured precipitation. These datasets were convolved with a Gaussian filter with a 300 km half-radius at each reported GRACE data point in order to compensate for spatial correlation ('leakage' effects) in the GRACE data. In mountainous and snowmelt-dominated basins such as the majority of those in this study, GRACE analyses that make use of land surface model (LSM) derived estimates may not provide adequate characterization of snow water equivalent and soil moisture in this region. Therefore, soil and subsurface moisture were evaluated as a single storage component using the GRACE data, and flooding occurrence was evaluated as a qualitative surface expression of this

49 CFR Figure 2a to Subpart B of... - Example of an Intermediate Level Seating Area of a Multi-Level Car Complying With Window Location...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Example of an Intermediate Level Seating Area of a Multi-Level Car Complying With Window Location Requirements-§§ 238.113 and 238.114 2A Figure 2A to... Intermediate Level Seating Area of a Multi-Level Car Complying With Window Location Requirements—§§ 238.113 and...

The Impact of Atmospheric Modeling Errors on GRACE Estimates of Mass Loss in Greenland and Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, Ryan A.; Nerem, R. Steven; Wiese, David N.

2017-12-01

Systematic errors in Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) monthly mass estimates over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets can originate from low-frequency biases in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Operational Analysis model, the atmospheric component of the Atmospheric and Ocean Dealising Level-1B (AOD1B) product used to forward model atmospheric and ocean gravity signals in GRACE processing. These biases are revealed in differences in surface pressure between the ECMWF Operational Analysis model, state-of-the-art reanalyses, and in situ surface pressure measurements. While some of these errors are attributable to well-understood discrete model changes and have published corrections, we examine errors these corrections do not address. We compare multiple models and in situ data in Antarctica and Greenland to determine which models have the most skill relative to monthly averages of the dealiasing model. We also evaluate linear combinations of these models and synthetic pressure fields generated from direct interpolation of pressure observations. These models consistently reveal drifts in the dealiasing model that cause the acceleration of Antarctica's mass loss between April 2002 and August 2016 to be underestimated by approximately 4 Gt yr-2. We find similar results after attempting to solve the inverse problem, recovering pressure biases directly from the GRACE Jet Propulsion Laboratory RL05.1 M mascon solutions. Over Greenland, we find a 2 Gt yr-1 bias in mass trend. While our analysis focuses on errors in Release 05 of AOD1B, we also evaluate the new AOD1B RL06 product. We find that this new product mitigates some of the aforementioned biases.

Processing TES Level-1B Data

Science.gov (United States)

DeBaca, Richard C.; Sarkissian, Edwin; Madatyan, Mariyetta; Shepard, Douglas; Gluck, Scott; Apolinski, Mark; McDuffie, James; Tremblay, Dennis

2006-01-01

TES L1B Subsystem is a computer program that performs several functions for the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). The term "L1B" (an abbreviation of "level 1B"), refers to data, specific to the TES, on radiometric calibrated spectral radiances and their corresponding noise equivalent spectral radiances (NESRs), plus ancillary geolocation, quality, and engineering data. The functions performed by TES L1B Subsystem include shear analysis, monitoring of signal levels, detection of ice build-up, and phase correction and radiometric and spectral calibration of TES target data. Also, the program computes NESRs for target spectra, writes scientific TES level-1B data to hierarchical- data-format (HDF) files for public distribution, computes brightness temperatures, and quantifies interpixel signal variability for the purpose of first-order cloud and heterogeneous land screening by the level-2 software summarized in the immediately following article. This program uses an in-house-developed algorithm, called "NUSRT," to correct instrument line-shape factors.

Earthquake Signal Visible in GRACE Data

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure1 This figure shows the effect of the December 2004 great Sumatra earthquake on the Earth's gravity field as observed by GRACE. The signal is expressed in terms of the relative acceleration of the two GRACE satellites, in this case a few nanometers per second squared, or about 1 billionth of the acceleration we experience everyday at the Earth's surface.GRACE observations show comparable signals in the region of the earthquake. Other natural variations are also apparent in the expected places, whereas no other significant change would be expected in the region of the earthquake GRACE, twin satellites launched in March 2002, are making detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field which will lead to discoveries about gravity and Earth's natural systems. These discoveries could have far-reaching benefits to society and the world's population.

The PSACOIN level 1B exercise: A probabilistic code intercomparison involving a four compartment biosphere model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klos, R.A.; Sinclair, J.E.; Torres, C.; Mobbs, S.F.; Galson, D.A.

1991-01-01

The probabilistic Systems Assessment Code (PSAC) User Group of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency has organised a series of code intercomparison studies of relevance to the performance assessment of underground repositories for radioactive wastes - known collectively by the name PSACOIN. The latest of these to be undertaken is designated PSACOIN Level 1b, and the case specification provides a complete assessment model of the behaviour of radionuclides following release into the biosphere. PSACOIN Level 1b differs from other biosphere oriented intercomparison exercises in that individual dose is the end point of the calculations as opposed to any other intermediate quantity. The PSACOIN Level 1b case specification describes a simple source term which is used to simulate the release of activity to the biosphere from certain types of near surface waste repository, the transport of radionuclides through the biosphere and their eventual uptake by humankind. The biosphere sub model comprises 4 compartments representing top and deep soil layers, river water and river sediment. The transport of radionuclides between the physical compartments is described by ten transfer coefficients and doses to humankind arise from the simultaneous consumption of water, fish, meat, milk, and grain as well as from dust inhalation and external γ-irradiation. The parameters of the exposure pathway sub model are chosen to be representative of an individual living in a small agrarian community. (13 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.)

Reducing errors in the GRACE gravity solutions using regularization

Science.gov (United States)

Save, Himanshu; Bettadpur, Srinivas; Tapley, Byron D.

2012-09-01

solutions (RL04) from the Center for Space Research (CSR). Post-fit residual analysis shows that the regularized solutions fit the data to within the noise level of GRACE. A time series of filtered hydrological model is used to confirm that signal attenuation for basins in the Total Runoff Integrating Pathways (TRIP) database over 320 km radii is less than 1 cm equivalent water height RMS, which is within the noise level of GRACE.

Contributions of GRACE to Climate Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Rodell, Matthew; Famiglietti, James; Chambers, Don P.; Wahr, John

2011-01-01

western Antarctica. For 2002 to present, the rate of ice mass loss has been 200 to 300 GT/yr in Greenland and 70 to 210 GT/yr in Antarctica, and some scientists are suggesting that the rates are accelerating. Similarly, GRACE has been used to monitor mass changes in alpine glaciers. Tamisiea et al. first characterized glacier melt along the southern coast of Alaska, more recently estimated to be occurring at a rate of 84 GT/yr. Chen et al. estimated that Patagonian glaciers are melting at a rate of 28 GT/yr, and estimated that the high mountains of central Asia lose ice at a rate of 47 GT/yr. Tapley et al. and Wahr et al. presented the first GRACE based estimates of changes in column-integrated terrestrial water storage (TWS; the sum of ground-water, soil moisture, surface waters, snow, ice, and water stored in vegetation) at continental scales. Since then, dozens of studies have shown that GRACE based estimates of regional to continental scale TWS variations agree with independent information, and some innovative uses of GRACE data have been developed. Rodell et al. (2004) and Swenson and Wahr (2006) demonstrated that by combining GRACE derived terrestrial water storage changes with observations of precipitation and runoff in a river basin scale water budget, it was possible to produce new estimates of evapotranspiration and atmospheric moisture convergence, essential climate variables that are difficult to estimate accurately. Similarly, GRACE has been used to constrain estimates of global river discharge and the contribution of changes in TWS to sea level rise. Crowley et al. observed a negative correlation between interannual TWS anomalies in the Amazon and the Congo River basin. Yeh et al. and Rodell et al. estimated regionally averaged groundwater storage variations based on GRACE and auxiliary observations. Rodell et al. and Tiwari et al. applied that method to quantify massive groundwater depletion in northern India caused by over reliance on aquifers for irration

Grace buys aquatic quimica to boost water treatment stake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, D.

1993-01-01

How W.R. Grace (Boca Raton, FL) president and newly appointed CEO J.P. Bolduc plans to expand Grace's core businesses following his drastic portfolio pruning during the past 18 months is a key question for Grace watchers. Grace's acquisition of $70-million/year water treatment firm Aquatec Quimica (Sao Paulo) is one indicator. Grace's $300-million/year Dearborn water treatment business is currently a weak number three [in the world market], and we want to be number one or number two, nothing less, Bolduc insists. The Aquatc buy meets his criterion of a synergistic and strategic acquisition with which he plans to expand the business, backed by more focused R ampersand D. Disposal last month of Homco oil field services operation, for $98.5 million, takes Bolduc toward his $500-million target for the year for asset sales. These totaled $1.1 billion at the end of 1992. The final tally will be more than the $1.5-billion target previously stated, Bolduc says, due to higher realizations on certain sales and additions to the list, including Grace Culinary and Colowyo Coal

PVM-GRACE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuasa, F.; Perret-Gallix, D.; Kawabata, S.; Ishikawa, T.

1997-01-01

We have implemented PVM in GRACE: an automatic Feynman diagram computation package, to benefit from the available CPU power distributed over a cluster of workstations as well as from a massive parallel machine. It is clearly shown that PVM-GRACE gives excellent performance in terms of reduction of elapsed time when the network overhead is kept small as compared to the processing time. (orig.)

Economy and Grace

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Else Marie Wiberg

2015-01-01

Luther develops his idea the grace of God in tandem with his idea of economy, and a society characterized by ethical and social values such as love of neighbour and caring for the poor. Hence, the reformer's search for a gracious God is developed along with his criticism of the current indulgence...... doctrine and the emerging 'oeconomia moderna'. Thus, building on a simul gratia et oeconomia, grace and economy simultaneously, Luther's reformation theology can be perceived as te intersection of an economy of grace and a horizontal social economy (works of love) in quotidian life that together constitute...

Hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults aged ≥18 years traveling to a country of high or intermediate endemicity, United States, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Peng-Jun; O'Halloran, Alissa C; Williams, Walter W; Nelson, Noele P

2018-04-28

Persons from the United States who travel to developing countries are at substantial risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Hepatitis B vaccine has been recommended for adults at increased risk for infection, including travelers to high or intermediate hepatitis B endemic countries. To assess hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults ≥18 years traveling to a country of high or intermediate endemicity from the United States. Data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were analyzed to determine hepatitis B vaccination coverage (≥1 dose) and series completion (≥3 doses) among persons aged ≥18 years who reported traveling to a country of high or intermediate hepatitis B endemicity. Multivariable logistic regression and predictive marginal analyses were conducted to identify factors independently associated with hepatitis B vaccination. In 2015, hepatitis B vaccination coverage (≥1 dose) among adults aged ≥18 years who reported traveling to high or intermediate hepatitis B endemic countries was 38.6%, significantly higher compared with 25.9% among non-travelers. Series completion (≥3 doses) was 31.7% and 21.2%, respectively (P travel status was significantly associated with hepatitis B vaccination coverage and series completion. Other characteristics independently associated with vaccination (≥1 dose, and ≥3 doses) among travelers included age, race/ethnicity, educational level, duration of US residence, number of physician contacts in the past year, status of ever being tested for HIV, and healthcare personnel status. Although travel to a country of high or intermediate hepatitis B endemicity was associated with higher likelihood of hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis B vaccination coverage was low among adult travelers to these areas. Healthcare providers should ask their patients about travel plans and recommend and offer travel related vaccinations to their patients or refer them to alternate sites for vaccination

CONDITIONING OF INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL WASTE AT FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JUELICH GMBH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krumbach, H.

2003-01-01

This contribution to the group of low-level, intermediate, mixed and hazardous waste describes the conditioning of intermediate-level mixed waste (dose rate above 10 mSv/h at the surface) from Research Centre Juelich (FZJ). Conditioning of the waste by supercompaction is performed at Research Centre Karlsruhe (FZK). The waste described is radioactive waste arising from research at Juelich. This waste includes specimens and objects from irradiation experiments in the research reactors Merlin (FRJ-1) and Dido (FRJ-2) at FZJ. In principle, radioactive waste at Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH is differentiated by the surface dose rate at the waste package. Up to a surface dose rate of 10 mSv/h, the waste is regarded as low-level. The radioactive waste described here has a surface dose rate above 10 mSv/h. Waste up to 10 mSv/h is conditioned at the Juelich site according to different conditioning methods. The intermediate-level waste can only be conditioned by supercompaction in the processing facility for intermediate-level waste from plant operation at Research Centre Karlsruhe. Research Centre Juelich also uses this waste cell to condition its intermediate-level waste from plant operation

Grace and Courtesy and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Pat

2015-01-01

Taking up the cause of grace and courtesy across the planes of education, Pat Schaefer tells of the grace and courtesy of successive planes within a school culture and gives a glimpse of how the Montessori vision of a new society can look. Grace and courtesy go well beyond the practice of manners and into the topic of deep observation and…

Homocysteine enhances the predictive value of the GRACE risk score in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yan; Wang, Jianjun; Zhang, Sumei; Wan, Zhaofei; Zhou, Dong; Ding, Yanhong; He, Qinli; Xie, Ping

2017-09-01

The present study aims to investigate whether the addition of homocysteine level to the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score enhances its predictive value for clinical outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). A total of 1143 consecutive patients with STEMI were included in this prospective cohort study. Homocysteine was detected, and the GRACE score was calculated. The predictive power of the GRACE score alone or combined with homocysteine was assessed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, methods of net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). During a median follow-up period of 36.7 months, 271 (23.7%) patients reached the clinical endpoints. It showed that the GRACE score and homocysteine could independently predict all-cause death [GRACE: HR=1.031 (1.024-1.039), p<0.001; homocysteine: HR=1.023 (1.018-1.028), p<0.001] and MACE [GRACE: HR=1.008 (1.005-1.011), p<0.001; homocysteine: HR=1.022 (1.018-1.025), p<0.001]. When they were used in combination to assess the clinical outcomes, the area under the ROC curve significantly increased from 0.786 to 0.884 (95% CI=0.067-0.128, Z=6.307, p<0.001) for all-cause death and from 0.678 to 0.759 (95% CI=0.055-0.108, Z=5.943, p<0.001) for MACE. The addition of homocysteine to the GRACE model improved NRI (all-cause death: 0.575, p<0.001; MACE: 0.621, p=0.008) and IDI (all-cause death: 0.083, p<0.001; MACE: 0.130, p=0.016), indicating effective discrimination and reclassification. Both the GRACE score and homocysteine are significant and independent predictors for clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI. A combination of them can develop a more predominant prediction for clinical outcomes in these patients.

GRACE Status at Mission End

Science.gov (United States)

Tapley, B. D.; Flechtner, F. M.; Watkins, M. M.; Bettadpur, S. V.

2017-12-01

The twin satellites of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) were launched on March 17, 2002 and have operated for nearly 16 years. The mission objectives are to observe the spatial and temporal variations of the Earth's mass through its effects on the gravity field at the GRACE satellite altitude. The mass changes observed are related to both the changes within the solid earth and the change within and between the Erath system components. A significant cause of the time varying mass is water motion and the GRACE mission has provided a continuous decade long measurement sequence which characterizes the seasonal cycle of mass transport between the oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere; its inter-annual variability; and the climate driven secular, or long period, mass transport signals. The fifth reanalysis on the mission data set, the RL05 data, were released in mid-2013. With the planned launch of GRACE Follow-On in early 2018, plans are underway for a reanalysis that will be consistent with the GRACE FO processing standards. The mission is entering the final phases of its operation life with mission end expected to occur in early 2018. The current mission operations strategy emphasizes extending the mission lifetime to obtain an overlap with the GRACE FO. This presentation will review the mission status and the projections for mission lifetime, describe the current operations philosophy and its impact on the science data, discuss the issues related to achieving the GRACE and GRACE FO connection and discuss issues related to science data products during this phase of the mission period.

Remote Monitoring of Groundwater Overdraft Using GRACE and InSAR

Science.gov (United States)

Scher, C.; Saah, D.

2017-12-01

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data paired with radar-derived analyses of volumetric changes in aquifer storage capacity present a viable technique for remote monitoring of aquifer depletion. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analyses of ground level subsidence can account for a significant portion of mass loss observed in GRACE data and provide information on point-sources of overdraft. This study summed one water-year of GRACE monthly mass change grids and delineated regions with negative water storage anomalies for further InSAR analyses. Magnitude of water-storage anomalies observed by GRACE were compared to InSAR-derived minimum volumetric changes in aquifer storage capacity as a result of measurable compaction at the surface. Four major aquifers were selected within regions where GRACE observed a net decrease in water storage (Central Valley, California; Mekong Delta, Vietnam; West Bank, occupied Palestinian Territory; and the Indus Basin, South Asia). Interferogram imagery of the extent and magnitude of subsidence within study regions provided estimates for net minimum volume of groundwater extracted between image acquisitions. These volumetric estimates were compared to GRACE mass change grids to resolve a percent contribution of mass change observed by GRACE likely due to groundwater overdraft. Interferograms revealed characteristic cones of depression within regions of net mass loss observed by GRACE, suggesting point-source locations of groundwater overdraft and demonstrating forensic potential for the use of InSAR and GRACE data in remote monitoring of aquifer depletion. Paired GRACE and InSAR analyses offer a technique to increase the spatial and temporal resolution of remote applications for monitoring groundwater overdraft in addition to providing a novel parameter - measurable vertical deformation at the surface - to global groundwater models.

Phase Error Modeling and Its Impact on Precise Orbit Determination of GRACE Satellites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia Tu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Limiting factors for the precise orbit determination (POD of low-earth orbit (LEO satellite using dual-frequency GPS are nowadays mainly encountered with the in-flight phase error modeling. The phase error is modeled as a systematic and a random component each depending on the direction of GPS signal reception. The systematic part and standard deviation of random part in phase error model are, respectively, estimated by bin-wise mean and standard deviation values of phase postfit residuals computed by orbit determination. By removing the systematic component and adjusting the weight of phase observation data according to standard deviation of random component, the orbit can be further improved by POD approach. The GRACE data of 1–31 January 2006 are processed, and three types of orbit solutions, POD without phase error model correction, POD with mean value correction of phase error model, and POD with phase error model correction, are obtained. The three-dimensional (3D orbit improvements derived from phase error model correction are 0.0153 m for GRACE A and 0.0131 m for GRACE B, and the 3D influences arisen from random part of phase error model are 0.0068 m and 0.0075 m for GRACE A and GRACE B, respectively. Thus the random part of phase error model cannot be neglected for POD. It is also demonstrated by phase postfit residual analysis, orbit comparison with JPL precise science orbit, and orbit validation with KBR data that the results derived from POD with phase error model correction are better than another two types of orbit solutions generated in this paper.

RSCAT_LEVEL_2B_OWV_COMP_12_V1.1:1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This dataset contains the RapidScat Level 2B 12.5km Version 1.1 science-quality ocean surface wind vectors. The Level 2B wind vectors are binned on a 12.5 km Wind...

The Value of Information from a GRACE-Enhanced Drought Severity Index

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwayama, Y.; Bernknopf, R.; Macauley, M.; Brookshire, D.; Zaitchik, B. F.; Rodell, M.

2013-12-01

Water storage anomalies derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Data Assimilation System (GRACE-DAS) have been used to enhance the information contained in drought indicators. The potential value of this information is to inform local and regional decisions to improve economic welfare in the face of drought. Based on a characterization of current drought evaluations, a modeling framework has been structured to analyze the contributed value of the Earth observations in the assessment of the onset and duration of droughts and their regional impacts. The analysis focuses on (1) characterizing how GRACE-DAS provides Earth observation information for a drought warning, (2) assessing how a GRACE-DAS-enhanced U.S. Drought Monitor would improve economic outcomes in a region, and (3) applying this enhancement process in a decision framework to illustrate the potential role of GRACE data products in a recent drought and response scenario for a value-of-information (VOI) analysis. The VOI analysis quantifies the relative contribution of enhanced understanding and communication of the societal benefits associated with GRACE Earth observation science. Our emphasis is to illustrate the role of an enhanced National Integrated Drought Information System outlook on three key societal outcomes: effects on particular economic sectors, changes in land management decisions, and reductions in damages to ecosystem services.

Hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults aged ≥ 18 years traveling to a country of high or intermediate endemicity, United States, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Peng-Jun; O'Halloran, Alissa C; Williams, Walter W; Nelson, Noele P

2018-04-25

Persons from the United States who travel to developing countries are at substantial risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Hepatitis B vaccine has been recommended for adults at increased risk for infection, including travelers to high or intermediate hepatitis B endemic countries. To assess hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults ≥ 18 years traveling to a country of high or intermediate endemicity from the United States. Data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were analyzed to determine hepatitis B vaccination coverage (≥1 dose) and series completion (≥3 doses) among persons aged ≥ 18 years who reported traveling to a country of high or intermediate hepatitis B endemicity. Multivariable logistic regression and predictive marginal analyses were conducted to identify factors independently associated with hepatitis B vaccination. In 2015, hepatitis B vaccination coverage (≥1 dose) among adults aged ≥ 18 years who reported traveling to high or intermediate hepatitis B endemic countries was 38.6%, significantly higher compared with 25.9% among non-travelers. Series completion (≥3 doses) was 31.7% and 21.2%, respectively (P travel status was significantly associated with hepatitis B vaccination coverage and series completion. Other characteristics independently associated with vaccination (≥1 dose, and ≥ 3 doses) among travelers included age, race/ethnicity, educational level, duration of U.S. residence, number of physician contacts in the past year, status of ever being tested for HIV, and healthcare personnel status. Although travel to a country of high or intermediate hepatitis B endemicity was associated with higher likelihood of hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis B vaccination coverage was low among adult travelers to these areas. Healthcare providers should ask their patients about travel plans and recommend and offer travel related vaccinations to their patients or refer them to alternate

Some Intermediate-Level Violin Concertos.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramson, Michael

1997-01-01

Contends that many violin students attempt difficult concertos before they are technically or musically prepared. Identifies a variety of concertos at the intermediate and advanced intermediate-level for students to study and master before attempting the advanced works by Bach and Mozart. Includes concertos by Vivaldi, Leclair, Viotti, Haydn,…

Mass-induced sea level variations in the Red Sea from GRACE, steric-corrected altimetry, in situ bottom pressure records, and hydrographic observations

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, W.; Lemoine, J.-M.; Zhong, M.; Hsu, H. T.

2014-08-01

An annual amplitude of ∼18 cm mass-induced sea level variations (SLV) in the Red Sea is detected from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites and steric-corrected altimetry from 2003 to 2011. The annual mass variations in the region dominate the mean SLV, and generally reach maximum in late January/early February. The annual steric component of the mean SLV is relatively small (mass-induced SLV. In situ bottom pressure records at the eastern coast of the Red Sea validate the high mass variability observed by steric-corrected altimetry and GRACE. In addition, the horizontal water mass flux of the Red Sea estimated from GRACE and steric-corrected altimetry is validated by hydrographic observations.

Estimating continental water storage variations in Central Asia area using GRACE data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dapeng, Mu; Zhongchang, Sun; Jinyun, Guo

2014-01-01

The goal of GRACE satellite is to determine time-variations of the Earth's gravity, and particularly the effects of fluid mass redistributions at the surface of the Earth. This paper uses GRACE Level-2 RL05 data provided by CSR to estimate water storage variations of four river basins in Asia area for the period from 2003 to 2011. We apply a two-step filtering method to reduce the errors in GRACE data, which combines Gaussian averaging function and empirical de-correlation method. We use GLDAS hydrology to validate the result from GRACE. Special averaging approach is preformed to reduce the errors in GLDAS. The results of former three basins from GRACE are consistent with GLDAS hydrology model. In the Tarim River basin, there is more discrepancy between GRACE and GLDAS. Precipitation data from weather station proves that the results of GRACE are more plausible. We use spectral analysis to obtain the main periods of GRACE and GLDAS time series and then use least squares adjustment to determine the amplitude and phase. The results show that water storage in Central Asia is decreasing

Correcting GRACE gravity fields for ocean tide effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Per; Andersen, Ole Baltazar

2002-01-01

[1] The GRACE mission will be launch in early 2002 and will map the Earth's gravity fields and its variations with unprecedented accuracy during its 5-year lifetime. Unless ocean tide signals and their load upon the solid earth are removed from the GRACE data, their long period aliases obscure more...... tide model if altimetry corrected for inverted barometer effects was used in its derivation. To study the temporal characteristics of the ocean tidal constituents when sampled by GRACE, approximate alias frequencies were derived assuming a sampling of half a sidereal day. Those results show...

Mass-induced sea level variations in the Red Sea from steric-corrected altimetry, GRACE, in-situ bottom pressure records, and hydrographic observations

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Wei; Lemoine, Jean-Michel; Zhong, Min; Xu, Houze

2014-05-01

An annual amplitude of ~18 cm mass-induced sea level variations (SLV) in the Red Sea is detected from steric-corrected altimetry and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites from 2003 to 2011, which dominates the mean sea level in the region. Seawater mass variations here generally reach maximum in late January/early February. The steric component of SLV calculated from oceanographic temperature and salinity data is relatively small and peaks about seven months later than mass variations. The phase difference between the steric SLV and the mass-induced SLV indicates that when the Red Sea gains the mass from inflow water in winter, the steric SLV fall, and vice versa in summer. In-situ bottom pressure records in the eastern coast of the Red Sea validate the high mass variability observed by steric-corrected altimetry and GRACE. Furthermore, we compare the horizontal water mass flux in the Red Sea from steric-corrected altimetry and GRACE with that estimated from hydrographic observations.

Using Tikhonov Regularization for Spatial Projections from CSR Regularized Spherical Harmonic GRACE Solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Save, H.; Bettadpur, S. V.

2013-12-01

It has been demonstrated before that using Tikhonov regularization produces spherical harmonic solutions from GRACE that have very little residual stripes while capturing all the signal observed by GRACE within the noise level. This paper demonstrates a two-step process and uses Tikhonov regularization to remove the residual stripes in the CSR regularized spherical harmonic coefficients when computing the spatial projections. We discuss methods to produce mass anomaly grids that have no stripe features while satisfying the necessary condition of capturing all observed signal within the GRACE noise level.

Results from GRACE/SUSY at one-loop

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We report the recent development on the SUSY calculations with the help of GRACE system. GRACE/SUSY/1LOOP is the computer code which can generate Feynman diagrams in the MSSM automatically and compute one-loop amplitudes in the numerical way. We present new results of various two-body decay widths ...

GRACE manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, T.; Kawabata, S.; Shimizu, Y.; Kaneko, T.; Kato, K.; Tanaka, H.

1993-02-01

This manual is composed of three kinds of objects, theoretical background for calculating the cross section of elementary process, usage and technical details of the GRACE system. Throughout this manual we take the tree level process e + e - → W + W - γ as an example, including the e ± -scalar boson interactions. The real FORTRAN source code for this process is attached in the relevant sections as well as the results of calculation, which might be a great help for understanding the practical use of the system. (J.P.N.)

Conditioning of intermediate-level waste at Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krumbach, H.

2003-01-01

This contribution to the group of low-level, intermediate, mixed and hazardous waste describes the conditioning of intermediate-level mixed waste (dose rate above 10 mSv/h at the surface) from Research Centre Juelich (FZJ). Conditioning of the waste by supercompaction is performed at Research Centre Karlsruhe (FZK). The waste described is radioactive waste arising from research at Juelich. This waste includes specimens and objects from irradiation experiments in the research reactors Merlin (FRJ-1) and Dido (FRJ-2) at FZJ. In principle, radioactive waste at Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH is differentiated by the surface dose rate at the waste package. Up to a surface dose rate of 10 mSv/h, the waste is regarded as low-level. The radioactive waste described here has a surface dose rate above 10 mSv/h. Waste up to 10 mSv/h is conditioned at the Juelich site according to different conditioning methods. The intermediate-level waste can only be conditioned by supercompaction in the processing facility for intermediate-level waste from plant operation at Research Centre Karlsruhe. Research Centre Juelich also uses this waste cell to condition its intermediate-level waste from plant operation. (orig.)

Detecting seasonal and long-term vertical displacement in the North China Plain using GRACE and GPS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Wang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In total, 29 continuous Global Positioning System (GPS time series data together with data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE are analysed to determine the seasonal displacements of surface loadings in the North China Plain (NCP. Results show significant seasonal variations and a strong correlation between GPS and GRACE results in the vertical displacement component; the average correlation and weighted root-mean-squares (WRMS reduction between GPS and GRACE are 75.6 and 28.9 % respectively, when atmospheric and non-tidal ocean effects were removed, but the annual peak-to-peak amplitude of GPS (1.2–6.3 mm is greater than the data (1.0–2.2 mm derived from GRACE. We also calculate the trend rate as well as the seasonal signal caused by the mass load change from GRACE data; the rate of GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (TWS loss (after multiplying by the scaling factor in the NCP was 3.39 cm yr−1 (equivalent to 12.42 km3 yr−1 from 2003 to 2009. For a 10-year time span (2003 to 2012, the rate loss of TWS was 2.57 cm yr−1 (equivalent to 9.41 km3 yr−1, which is consistent with the groundwater storage (GWS depletion rate (the rate losses of GWS were 2.49 and 2.72 cm yr−1 during 2003–2009 and 2003–2012 respectively estimated from GRACE-derived results after removing simulated soil moisture (SM data from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS/Noah model. We also found that GRACE-derived GWS changes are in disagreement with the groundwater level changes from observations of shallow aquifers from 2003 to 2009, especially between 2010 and 2013. Although the shallow groundwater can be recharged from the annual climate-driven rainfall, the important facts indicate that GWS depletion is more serious in deep aquifers. The GRACE-derived result shows an overall uplift in the whole region at the 0.37–0.95 mm yr−1 level from 2004 to 2009, but the rate of change direction is

Trapping and Characterization of a Reaction Intermediate in Carbapenem Hydrolysis by B. cereus Metallo-β-lactamase

Science.gov (United States)

Tioni, Mariana F.; Llarrull, Leticia I.; Poeylaut-Palena, Andrés A.; Martí, Marcelo A.; Saggu, Miguel; Periyannan, Gopal R.; Mata, Ernesto G.; Bennett, Brian; Murgida, Daniel H.; Vila, Alejandro J.

2009-01-01

Metallo-β-lactamases hydrolyze most β-lactam antibiotics. The lack of a successful inhibitor for them is related to the previous failure to characterize a reaction intermediate with a clinically useful substrate. Stopped-flow experiments together with rapid freeze-quench EPR and Raman spectroscopies were used to characterize the reaction of Co(II)-BcII with imipenem. These studies show that Co(II)-BcII is able to hydrolyze imipenem both in the mono- and dinuclear forms. In contrast to the situation met for penicillin, the species that accumulates during turnover is an enzyme-intermediate adduct in which the β-lactam bond has already been cleaved. This intermediate is a metal-bound anionic species, with a novel resonant structure, that is stabilized by the metal ion at the DCH or Zn2 site. This species has been characterized based on its spectroscopic features. This represents a novel, previously unforeseen intermediate, that is related to the chemical nature of carbapenems, as confirmed by the finding of a similar intermediate for meropenem. Since carbapenems are the only substrates cleaved by B1, B2 and B3 lactamases, the identification of this intermediate could be exploited as a first step towards the design of transition state based inhibitors for all three classes of metallo-β-lactamases. PMID:18980308

Can GRACE detect winter snows in Japan?

Science.gov (United States)

Heki, Kosuke

2010-05-01

Current spatial resolution of the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites is 300-400 km, and so its hydrological applications have been limited to continents and large islands. The Japanese Islands have width slightly smaller than this spatial resolution, but are known to show large amplitude seasonal changes in surface masses due mainly to winter snow. Such loads are responsible for seasonal crustal deformation observed with GEONET, a dense array of GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers in Japan (Heki, 2001). There is also a dense network of surface meteorological sensors for, e.g. snow depths, atmospheric pressures, etc. Heki (2004) showed that combined effects of surface loads, i.e. snow (predominant), atmosphere, soil moisture, dam impoundment, can explain seasonal crustal deformation observed by GPS to a large extent. The total weight of the winter snow in the Japanese Islands in its peak season may reach ~50 Gt. This is comparable to the annual loss of mountain glaciers in the Asian high mountains (Matsuo & Heki, 2010), and is above the detection level of GRACE. In this study, I use GRACE Level-2 Release-4 data from CSR, Univ. Texas, up to 2009 November, and evaluated seasonal changes in surface loads in and around the Japanese Islands. After applying a 350 km Gaussian filter and a de-striping filter, the peak-to-peak change of the water depth becomes ~4 cm in northern Japan. The maximum value is achieved in February-March. The region of large winter load spans from Hokkaido, Japan, to northeastern Honshu, which roughly coincides with the region of deep snow in Japan. Next I compiled snow depth data from surface meteorological observations, and converted them to loads using time-dependent snow density due to compaction. By applying the same spatial filter as the GRACE data, its spatial pattern becomes similar to the GRACE results. The present study suggests that GRACE is capable of detecting seasonal mass changes in an island arc not

Reformation or Revolution? Herman Bavinck and Henri de Lubac on Nature and Grace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parker Gregory W.

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Henri de Lubac’s treatment of the relationship between nature and grace will be critiqued by Herman Bavinck’s ‘grace restores nature’ theme. In two significant addresses, Bavinck critiqued a Roman Catholic approach to nature and grace. De Lubac’s influence upon Roman Catholic thinking addressing nature and grace occurred post-Bavinck and has altered Catholic thinking on the subject. Neo-Calvinist scholar, Wolter Huttinga admits that Bavinck and de Lubac offer similar critiques of Roman Catholicism (Huttinga 2014. The question remains then, do Bavinck’s critiques still hold? I propose that Bavinck’s account of grace restores nature still makes valid critiques of a post-Vatican II construction of nature and grace. The paper is broken into three sections: (1 an exploration of de Lubac’s nature and grace theme, (2 the framework of Bavinck’s ‘grace restores nature’ theme, and (3 a Bavinckian critique of de Lubac’s nature and grace theme.

Colloids related to low level and intermediate level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsay, J.D.F.; Russell, P.J.; Avery, R.G.

1991-01-01

A comprehensive research investigation has been undertaken to improve the understanding of the potential role of colloids in the context of disposal and storage of low level and intermediate level waste immobilized in cement. Several topics have been investigated which include: (a) the study of the formation and characteristics of colloids in cement leachates; (b) the effects of the near-field aqueous chemistry on the characteristics of colloids in repository environments; (c) colloid sorption behaviour; (d) interactions of near-field materials with leachates; (e) characteristics of near-field materials in EC repository simulation tests; and (f) colloid migration behaviour. These experimental investigations should provide data and a basis for the development of transport models and leaching mechanisms, and thus relate directly to the part of the Task 3 programme concerned with migration and retention of radionuclides in the near field. 114 Figs.; 39 Tabs.; 12 Refs

Impact of IL1B gene polymorphisms and interleukin 1B levels on susceptibility to spontaneous preterm birth.

Science.gov (United States)

Langmia, Immaculate M; Apalasamy, Yamunah D; Omar, Siti Z; Mohamed, Zahurin

2016-11-01

Genetic factors influence susceptibility to preterm birth (PTB) and the immune pathway of PTB that involves the production of cytokines such as interleukins has been implicated in PTB disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of interleukin 1β (IL1B) gene polymorphisms and IL1B levels with spontaneous PTB. Peripheral maternal blood from 495 women was used for extraction of DNA and genotyping was carried out using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Maternal plasma was used to measure IL1B levels. There was no significant association between the allelic and genotype distribution of IL1B single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs1143634, rs1143627, rs16944) and the risk of PTB among Malaysian Malay women (rs1143634, P=0.722; rs1143627, P=0.543; rs16944, P=0.615). However, IL1B levels were significantly different between women who delivered preterm compared with those who delivered at term (P=0.030); high mean levels were observed among Malay women who delivered at preterm (mean=32.52) compared with term (mean=21.68). IL1B SNPs were not associated with IL1B plasma levels. This study indicates a significant association between IL1B levels and reduced risk of PTB among the Malaysian Malay women. This study shows the impact of IL1B levels on susceptibility to PTB disease; however, the high levels of IL1B observed among women in the preterm group are not associated with IL1B SNPs investigated in this study; IL1B high levels may be because of other factors not explored in this study and therefore warrant further investigation.

Saving Grace - A Climate Change Documentary Education Program

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, J. M.; McDaniel, S.; Graham, J.; Little, L.; Hoggan, J. C.

2012-12-01

Saving Grace conveys climate change knowledge from the best international scientists and social scientists using a series of new media formats. An Education and Communication Plan (ECP) has been developed to disseminate climate change knowledge on impacts, mitigation and adaptation for individuals, and for all sectors of society. The research team is seeking contacts with science and social science colleagues around the world to provide the knowledge base for the ECP. Poverty enslaves…and climate change has, and will, spread and deepen poverty to hundreds of millions of people, primarily in the developing world. And make no mistake; we are enslaving hundreds of millions of people in a depressing and debilitating poverty that in numbers will far surpass the horrors of the slave trade of past centuries. Saving Grace is the story of that poverty - and minimizing that poverty. Saving Grace stars the best of the world's climate researchers. Saving Grace presents the science; who, where and why of greenhouse gases that drive climate change; current and projected impacts of a changing climate around the world; and most important, solutions to the climate change challenges we face.

Radial and tangential gravity rates from GRACE in areas of glacial isostatic adjustment

Science.gov (United States)

van der Wal, Wouter; Kurtenbach, Enrico; Kusche, Jürgen; Vermeersen, Bert

2011-11-01

In areas dominated by Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA), the free-air gravity anomaly rate can be converted to uplift rate to good approximation by using a simple spectral relation. We provide quantitative comparisons between gravity rates derived from monthly gravity field solutions (GFZ Potsdam, CSR Texas, IGG Bonn) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission with uplift rates measured by GPS in these areas. The band-limited gravity data from the GRACE satellite mission can be brought to very good agreement with the point data from GPS by using scaling factors derived from a GIA model (the root-mean-square of differences is 0.55 mm yr-1 for a maximum uplift rate signal of 10 mm yr-1). The root-mean-square of the differences between GRACE derived uplift rates and GPS derived uplift rates decreases with increasing GRACE time period to a level below the uncertainty that is expected from GRACE observations, GPS measurements and the conversion from gravity rate to uplift rate. With the current length of time-series (more than 8 yr) applying filters and a hydrology correction to the GRACE data does not reduce the root-mean-square of differences significantly. The smallest root-mean-square was obtained with the GFZ solution in Fennoscandia and with the CSR solution in North America. With radial gravity rates in excellent agreement with GPS uplift rates, more information on the GIA process can be extracted from GRACE gravity field solutions in the form of tangential gravity rates, which are equivalent to a rate of change in the deflection of the vertical scaled by the magnitude of gravity rate vector. Tangential gravity rates derived from GRACE point towards the centre of the previously glaciated area, and are largest in a location close to the centre of the former ice sheet. Forward modelling showed that present day tangential gravity rates have maximum sensitivity between the centre and edge of the former ice sheet, while radial gravity

Corrective effects of hepatotoxicity by hepatic Dyrk1a gene delivery in mice with intermediate hyperhomocysteinemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alizée Latour

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Hyperhomocysteinemia results from hepatic metabolism dysfunction and is characterized by a high plasma homocysteine level, which is also an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Elevated levels of homocysteine in plasma lead to hepatic lesions and abnormal lipid metabolism. Therefore, lowering homocysteine levels might offer therapeutic benefits. Recently, we were able to lower plasma homocysteine levels in mice with moderate hyperhomocysteinemia using an adenoviral construct designed to restrict the expression of DYRK1A, a serine/threonine kinase involved in methionine metabolism (and therefore homocysteine production, to hepatocytes. Here, we aimed to extend our previous findings by analyzing the effect of hepatocyte-specific Dyrk1a gene transfer on intermediate hyperhomocysteinemia and its associated hepatic toxicity and liver dysfunction. Commensurate with decreased plasma homocysteine and alanine aminotransferase levels, targeted hepatic expression of DYRK1A in mice with intermediate hyperhomocysteinemia resulted in elevated plasma paraoxonase-1 and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activities and apolipoprotein A–I levels. It also rescued hepatic apolipoprotein E, J, and D levels. Further, Akt/GSK3/cyclin D1 signaling pathways in the liver of treated mice were altered, which may help prevent homocysteine-induced cell cycle dysfunction. DYRK1A gene therapy could be useful in the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in populations, such as end-stage renal disease patients, who are unresponsive to B-complex vitamin therapy.

Synergies Between Grace and Regional Atmospheric Modeling Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Kusche, J.; Springer, A.; Ohlwein, C.; Hartung, K.; Longuevergne, L.; Kollet, S. J.; Keune, J.; Dobslaw, H.; Forootan, E.; Eicker, A.

2014-12-01

In the meteorological community, efforts converge towards implementation of high-resolution (precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff data; confirming that the model does favorably at representing observations. We show that after GRACE-derived bias correction, basin-average hydrological conditions prior to 2002 can be reconstructed better than before. Next, comparing GRACE with CLM forced by EURO-CORDEX simulations allows identifying processes needing improvement in the model. Finally, we compare COSMO-EU atmospheric pressure, a proxy for mass corrections in satellite gravimetry, with ERA-Interim over Europe at timescales shorter/longer than 1 month, and spatial scales below/above ERA resolution. We find differences between regional and global model more pronounced at high frequencies, with magnitude at sub-grid scale and larger scale corresponding to 1-3 hPa (1-3 cm EWH); relevant for the assessment of post-GRACE concepts.

Predictive values of D-dimer assay, GRACE scores and TIMI scores for adverse outcome in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Science.gov (United States)

Satilmisoglu, Muhammet Hulusi; Ozyilmaz, Sinem Ozbay; Gul, Mehmet; Ak Yildirim, Hayriye; Kayapinar, Osman; Gokturk, Kadir; Aksu, Huseyin; Erkanli, Korhan; Eksik, Abdurrahman

2017-01-01

Purpose To determine the predictive values of D-dimer assay, Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scores for adverse outcome in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Patients and methods A total of 234 patients (mean age: 57.2±11.7 years, 75.2% were males) hospitalized with NSTEMI were included. Data on D-dimer assay, GRACE and TIMI risk scores were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors predicting increased mortality. Results Median D-dimer levels were 349.5 (48.0–7,210.0) ng/mL, the average TIMI score was 3.2±1.2 and the GRACE score was 90.4±27.6 with high GRACE scores (>118) in 17.5% of patients. The GRACE score was correlated positively with both the D-dimer assay (r=0.215, P=0.01) and TIMI scores (r=0.504, P=0.000). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that higher creatinine levels (odds ratio =18.465, 95% confidence interval: 1.059–322.084, P=0.046) constituted the only significant predictor of increased mortality risk with no predictive values for age, D-dimer assay, ejection fraction, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, sodium, albumin or total cholesterol levels for mortality. Conclusion Serum creatinine levels constituted the sole independent determinant of mortality risk, with no significant values for D-dimer assay, GRACE or TIMI scores for predicting the risk of mortality in NSTEMI patients. PMID:28408834

Ocean tides in GRACE monthly averaged gravity fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Per

2003-01-01

The GRACE mission will map the Earth's gravity fields and its variations with unprecedented accuracy during its 5-year lifetime. Unless ocean tide signals and their load upon the solid earth are removed from the GRACE data, their long period aliases obscure more subtle climate signals which GRACE...... aims at. In this analysis the results of Knudsen and Andersen (2002) have been verified using actual post-launch orbit parameter of the GRACE mission. The current ocean tide models are not accurate enough to correct GRACE data at harmonic degrees lower than 47. The accumulated tidal errors may affect...... the GRACE data up to harmonic degree 60. A study of the revised alias frequencies confirm that the ocean tide errors will not cancel in the GRACE monthly averaged temporal gravity fields. The S-2 and the K-2 terms have alias frequencies much longer than 30 days, so they remain almost unreduced...

Association of Neuropeptide Y (NPY), Interleukin-1B (IL1B) Genetic Variants and Correlation of IL1B Transcript Levels with Vitiligo Susceptibility

Science.gov (United States)

Laddha, Naresh C.; Dwivedi, Mitesh; Mansuri, Mohmmad Shoab; Singh, Mala; Patel, Hetanshi H.; Agarwal, Nishtha; Shah, Anish M.; Begum, Rasheedunnisa

2014-01-01

Background Vitiligo is a depigmenting disorder resulting from loss of functional melanocytes in the skin. NPY plays an important role in induction of immune response by acting on a variety of immune cells. NPY synthesis and release is governed by IL1B. Moreover, genetic variability in IL1B is reported to be associated with elevated NPY levels. Objectives Aim of the present study was to explore NPY promoter −399T/C (rs16147) and exon2 +1128T/C (rs16139) polymorphisms as well as IL1B promoter −511C/T (rs16944) polymorphism and to correlate IL1B transcript levels with vitiligo. Methods PCR-RFLP method was used to genotype NPY -399T/C SNP in 454 patients and 1226 controls; +1128T/C SNP in 575 patients and 1279 controls and IL1B −511C/T SNP in 448 patients and 785 controls from Gujarat. IL1B transcript levels in blood were also assessed in 105 controls and 95 patients using real-time PCR. Results Genotype and allele frequencies for NPY −399T/C, +1128T/C and IL1B −511C/T SNPs differed significantly (pvitiligo by 2.3 fold (pvitiligo (p = 0.015), also in female patients than male patients (p = 0.026). Genotype-phenotype correlation showed moderate association of IL1B -511C/T polymorphism with higher IL1B transcript levels. Trend analysis revealed significant difference between patients and controls for IL1B transcript levels with respect to different genotypes. Conclusion Our results suggest that NPY −399T/C, +1128T/C and IL1B −511C/T polymorphisms are associated with vitiligo and IL1B −511C/T SNP influences its transcript levels leading to increased risk for vitiligo in Gujarat population. Up-regulation of IL1B transcript in patients advocates its possible role in autoimmune pathogenesis of vitiligo. PMID:25221996

High-frequency signal and noise estimates of CSR GRACE RL04

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Jennifer A.; Bettadpur, Srinivas; Tapley, Byron D.

2012-12-01

A sliding window technique is used to create daily-sampled Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) solutions with the same background processing as the official CSR RL04 monthly series. By estimating over shorter time spans, more frequent solutions are made using uncorrelated data, allowing for higher frequency resolution in addition to daily sampling. Using these data sets, high-frequency GRACE errors are computed using two different techniques: assuming the GRACE high-frequency signal in a quiet area of the ocean is the true error, and computing the variance of differences between multiple high-frequency GRACE series from different centers. While the signal-to-noise ratios prove to be sufficiently high for confidence at annual and lower frequencies, at frequencies above 3 cycles/year the signal-to-noise ratios in the large hydrological basins looked at here are near 1.0. Comparisons with the GLDAS hydrological model and high frequency GRACE series developed at other centers confirm CSR GRACE RL04's poor ability to accurately and reliably measure hydrological signal above 3-9 cycles/year, due to the low power of the large-scale hydrological signal typical at those frequencies compared to the GRACE errors.

Grace and Courtesy: Empowering Children, Liberating Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Sackett, Ginni

2015-01-01

Ginni Sackett delves into the many implications of grace and courtesy, from social relations and the basis of community to respect for the child's personality. Her point of departure is modern social living with grace and dignity. Hers is an exploration over two generations of seeing grace and courtesy as a comprehensive social view that is the…

Combining GRACE and Altimetry to solve for present day mass changes and GIA

Science.gov (United States)

Rietbroek, R.; Lück, C.; Uebbing, B.; Kusche, J.; King, M. A.

2017-12-01

Past and present day sea level rise is closely linked to geoid and surface deformation changes from the ongoing glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Sea level, as detected by radar altimetry, senses the radial deformation of the ocean floor as mantle material slowly flows back to the locations of the former glacial domes. This manifests itself as a net subsidence when averaged over the entire ocean, but can regionally be seen as an uplift for locations close to the former ice sheets. Furthermore, mass driven sea level as derived from GRACE, is even more sensitive to GIA induced mass redistribution in the solid Earth. Consequently, errors in GIA corrections, most notably errors in mantle viscosity and ice histories, have a different leverage on regional sea level estimates from GRACE and altimetry. In this study, we discuss the abilities of a GRACE-altimetry combination to co-estimate GIA corrections together with present day contributors to sea level, rather than simply prescribing a GIA correction from a model. The data is combined in a joint inversion scheme which makes use of spatial patterns to parameterize present day loading effects and GIA. We show that the GRACE-altimetry combination requires constraints, but generally steers the Antarctic GIA signal towards a weaker present day signal in Antarctica compared to a ICE5-G(VM2) derived model. Furthermore, in light of the aging GRACE mission, we show sensitivity studies of how well one could estimate GIA corrections when using other low earth orbiters such as SWARM or CHAMP. Finally, we show whether the Antarctic GNSS station network may be useful in separating GIA from present day mass signals in this type of inversion schemes.

Improved predictive value of GRACE risk score combined with platelet reactivity for 1-year cardiovascular risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome who underwent coronary stent implantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shan; Liu, Hongbin; Liu, Jianfeng; Wang, Haijun

2016-11-01

Both high platelet reactivity (HPR) and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score have moderate predictive value for major adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whereas the prognostic significance of GRACE risk score combined with platelet function testing remains unclear. A total of 596 patients with non-ST elevation ACS who underwent PCI were enrolled. The P2Y 12 reaction unit (PRU) value was measured by VerifyNow P2Y 12 assay and GRACE score was calculated by GRACE risk 2.0 calculator. Patients were stratified by a pre-specified cutoff value of PRU 230 and GRACE score 140 to assess 1-year risk of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and stent thrombosis. Seventy-two (12.1%) patients developed CVD events during 1-year follow-up. Patients with CVD events had a higher PRU value (244.6 ± 50.9 vs. 203.7 ± 52.0, p risk independently. Compared to patients with normal platelet reactivity (NPR) and GRACE score risk (HR: 5.048; 95% CI: 2.268-11.237; p risk score yielded superior risk predictive capacity beyond GRACE score alone, which is shown by improved c-statistic value (0.871, p = 0.002) as well as net reclassification improvement (NRI 0.263, p risk of adverse CVD events. The combination of platelet function testing and GRACE score predicted 1-year CVD risk better.

Regionally Optimized GRACE Processing and Inter-comparison on the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Mohajerani, Y.; Velicogna, I.; Sutterley, T. C.; Rignot, E. J.

2017-12-01

The Antarctic ice sheet is losing mass at an accelerating rate, with a sea level contribution that changed from 0.08mm/yr from 1992 to 2001 to 0.4mm/yr from 2002 to 2011. While most of this contribution comes from West Antarctica, Totten Glacier has the largest discharge of ice in East Antarctica, with a sea level rise potential of 3.9 m. Furthermore, the drainage basin of Totten Glacier, along the neighboring Moscow University Glacier are below sea level, extending hundreds of kilometers inland. Therefore, obtaining regional estimates of both western and eastern Antarctic basins are of critical importance. The GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite has been providing mass balance time-series from geoid changes since 2002. Several mascon and harmonic GRACE solutions are available from different processing centers. Here, we evaluate the various solutions across the ice sheet and a new set of regionally optimized mascons to study the mass balance of Totten and Moscow University glaciers. We obtain a trend of -16.5±4.1Gt/yr with an acceleration of -2.0±1.8Gt/yr2 for the two glaciers for the period April 2002 to December 2016 using the Ivins et al (2013) GIA model (errors include leakage, GIA, and regression errors). We compare the results with the Mass Budget Method that combines ice discharge (D) and surface mass balance (SMB) from two models: 1) RACMO2.3, and 2) MAR3.6.4. MBM/RACMO2.3 shows the best agreement with the GRACE estimates. Within the common period from April 2002 to December 2015, the MBM/RACMO2.3 and MAR3.6.4 results are -15.6±1.8Gt/yr and -6.7±1.5Gt/yr respectively, while the GRACE time-series has a trend of -14.8±2.7 Gt/yr. We extend the study to the Getz Ice Shelf, the third largest ice shelf in West Antarctica after Ronne and Ross West ice shelves. We compare our gravity-derived mass estimates, the mass budget estimates, and the volume changes from altimetry data to compare the estimates and obtain a multi-sensor assessment

Association of neuropeptide Y (NPY, interleukin-1B (IL1B genetic variants and correlation of IL1B transcript levels with vitiligo susceptibility.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naresh C Laddha

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a depigmenting disorder resulting from loss of functional melanocytes in the skin. NPY plays an important role in induction of immune response by acting on a variety of immune cells. NPY synthesis and release is governed by IL1B. Moreover, genetic variability in IL1B is reported to be associated with elevated NPY levels. OBJECTIVES: Aim of the present study was to explore NPY promoter -399T/C (rs16147 and exon2 +1128T/C (rs16139 polymorphisms as well as IL1B promoter -511C/T (rs16944 polymorphism and to correlate IL1B transcript levels with vitiligo. METHODS: PCR-RFLP method was used to genotype NPY -399T/C SNP in 454 patients and 1226 controls; +1128T/C SNP in 575 patients and 1279 controls and IL1B -511C/T SNP in 448 patients and 785 controls from Gujarat. IL1B transcript levels in blood were also assessed in 105 controls and 95 patients using real-time PCR. RESULTS: Genotype and allele frequencies for NPY -399T/C, +1128T/C and IL1B -511C/T SNPs differed significantly (p<0.0001, p<0.0001; p = 0.0161, p = 0.0035 and p<0.0001, p<0.0001 between patients and controls. 'TC' haplotype containing minor alleles of NPY polymorphisms was significantly higher in patients and increased the risk of vitiligo by 2.3 fold (p<0.0001. Transcript levels of IL1B were significantly higher, in patients compared to controls (p = 0.0029, in patients with active than stable vitiligo (p = 0.015, also in female patients than male patients (p = 0.026. Genotype-phenotype correlation showed moderate association of IL1B -511C/T polymorphism with higher IL1B transcript levels. Trend analysis revealed significant difference between patients and controls for IL1B transcript levels with respect to different genotypes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that NPY -399T/C, +1128T/C and IL1B -511C/T polymorphisms are associated with vitiligo and IL1B -511C/T SNP influences its transcript levels leading to increased risk for vitiligo in

The Light and the Grace: Christian Metaphors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iacob COMAN

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Our present study continues to provide guidance and meaning for those who are open and have the courage to ask the kind of questions superior to reason. The acceptance of unreasonable realities expresses sometimes the portrait of a non-modern and superstitious man, a portrait dismantled by the contemporary science in order to get the assurance of control over the material and spiritual reality around us. However, the acceptance of unreasonable realities, born by the reason’s questions, expresses in other circumstances the access to super-reason and super-faith. The Light and the Grace from super-existence toward the human nature, and the implications these have, as a divine communication method and metaphors, and as a call to dialogic sharing with the Divine, are the objects of our present study. Super-reason and super-faith can and must characterize also the modern man. The Light and the Grace express both the cause and the means; God who is Light and Grace does communicate Himself in a salvific manner through Light and Grace, and we, as destinations of Light and of Grace can communicate ourselves as Light and Grace to our neighbors.

Predictive values of D-dimer assay, GRACE scores and TIMI scores for adverse outcome in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satilmisoglu MH

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Muhammet Hulusi Satilmisoglu,1 Sinem Ozbay Ozyilmaz,1 Mehmet Gul,1 Hayriye Ak Yildirim,2 Osman Kayapinar,3 Kadir Gokturk,4 Huseyin Aksu,1 Korhan Erkanli,5 Abdurrahman Eksik1 1Department of Cardiology, 2Department of Biochemistry, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, 3Department of Cardiology, Duzce University Faculty of Medicine, Duzce, 4Department of Infectious Diseases, 5Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey Purpose: To determine the predictive values of D-dimer assay, Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI risk scores for adverse outcome in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI.Patients and methods: A total of 234 patients (mean age: 57.2±11.7 years, 75.2% were males hospitalized with NSTEMI were included. Data on D-dimer assay, GRACE and TIMI risk scores were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors predicting increased mortality.Results: Median D-dimer levels were 349.5 (48.0–7,210.0 ng/mL, the average TIMI score was 3.2±1.2 and the GRACE score was 90.4±27.6 with high GRACE scores (>118 in 17.5% of patients. The GRACE score was correlated positively with both the D-dimer assay (r=0.215, P=0.01 and TIMI scores (r=0.504, P=0.000. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that higher creatinine levels (odds ratio =18.465, 95% confidence interval: 1.059–322.084, P=0.046 constituted the only significant predictor of increased mortality risk with no predictive values for age, D-dimer assay, ejection fraction, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, sodium, albumin or total cholesterol levels for mortality.Conclusion: Serum creatinine levels constituted the sole independent determinant of mortality risk, with no significant values for D

Quantifying the resolution level where the GRACE satellites can separate Greenland's glacial mass balance from surface mass balance

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, J. A.; Chambers, D. P.

2015-09-01

Mass change over Greenland can be caused by either changes in the glacial dynamic mass balance (DMB) or the surface mass balance (SMB). The GRACE satellite gravity mission cannot directly separate the two physical causes because it measures the sum of the entire mass column with limited spatial resolution. We demonstrate one theoretical way to indirectly separate cumulative SMB from DMB with GRACE, using a least squares inversion technique with knowledge of the location of the glaciers. However, we find that the limited 60 × 60 spherical harmonic representation of current GRACE data does not provide sufficient resolution to adequately accomplish the task. We determine that at a maximum degree/order of 90 × 90 or above, a noise-free gravity measurement could theoretically separate the SMB from DMB signals. However, current GRACE satellite errors are too large at present to separate the signals. A noise reduction of a factor of 10 at a resolution of 90 × 90 would provide the accuracy needed for the interannual cumulative SMB and DMB to be accurately separated.

Inter-comparison of GRACE data over India

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Chandan; Kumar, D. Nagesh

2016-05-01

The advent of satellite remote sensing and its use in hydrology has facilitated a huge leap in the understanding of the various water resources, its interaction with ecological systems and anthropogenic creations. Recently, NASA and German Aerospace Research Agency-DLR launched the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission consisting of two satellites. They measure the time varying gravity which gives changes in the distribution of mass on the surface of the earth which after removing atmospheric and oceanic effects is majorly caused by changes in Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS) changes. GRACE data is generally available as spherical harmonic coefficients, which is difficult for hydrologists to understand and interpret. JPL's TELLUS website is now providing gridded global data set in the form of mass anomaly derived from the Level-2 data sets of spherical harmonic coefficients of 3 sources, viz. CSR, GFZ and JPL. Before using these data sets for solving hydrological problems, it is important to understand the differences and similarities between these data sets as direct calibration of GRACE data is not possible. In this study we do an inter-comparison of the Level-3 Release 05 data sets over India. We compare the data sets using Pearson, Spearman and Kendall correlation. CSR and GFZ data sets appear to be closest to each other whereas JPL and GFZ data sets are most different from each other.

Application of EOF/PCA-based methods in the post-processing of GRACE derived water variations

Science.gov (United States)

Forootan, Ehsan; Kusche, Jürgen

2010-05-01

Two problems that users of monthly GRACE gravity field solutions face are 1) the presence of correlated noise in the Stokes coefficients that increases with harmonic degree and causes ‘striping', and 2) the fact that different physical signals are overlaid and difficult to separate from each other in the data. These problems are termed the signal-noise separation problem and the signal-signal separation problem. Methods that are based on principal component analysis and empirical orthogonal functions (PCA/EOF) have been frequently proposed to deal with these problems for GRACE. However, different strategies have been applied to different (spatial: global/regional, spectral: global/order-wise, geoid/equivalent water height) representations of the GRACE level 2 data products, leading to differing results and a general feeling that PCA/EOF-based methods are to be applied ‘with care'. In addition, it is known that conventional EOF/PCA methods force separated modes to be orthogonal, and that, on the other hand, to either EOFs or PCs an arbitrary orthogonal rotation can be applied. The aim of this paper is to provide a common theoretical framework and to study the application of PCA/EOF-based methods as a signal separation tool due to post-process GRACE data products. In order to investigate and illustrate the applicability of PCA/EOF-based methods, we have employed them on GRACE level 2 monthly solutions based on the Center for Space Research, University of Texas (CSR/UT) RL04 products and on the ITG-GRACE03 solutions from the University of Bonn, and on various representations of them. Our results show that EOF modes do reveal the dominating annual, semiannual and also long-periodic signals in the global water storage variations, but they also show how choosing different strategies changes the outcome and may lead to unexpected results.

Estimation of regional mass anomalies from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) over Himalayan region

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, R.; Singh, S. K.; Rajawat, A. S.; Ajai

2014-11-01

Time-variable gravity changes are caused by a combination of postglacial rebound, redistribution of water and snow/ice on land and as well as in the ocean. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission, launched in 2002, provides monthly average of the spherical harmonic co-efficient. These spherical harmonic co-efficient describe earth's gravity field with a resolution of few hundred kilometers. Time-variability of gravity field represents the change in mass over regional level with accuracies in cm in terms of Water Equivalent Height (WEH). The WEH reflects the changes in the integrated vertically store water including snow cover, surface water, ground water and soil moisture at regional scale. GRACE data are also sensitive towards interior strain variation, surface uplift and surface subsidence cover over a large area. GRACE data was extracted over the three major Indian River basins, Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, in the Himalayas which are perennial source of fresh water throughout the year in Northern Indian Plain. Time series analysis of the GRACE data was carried out from 2003-2012 over the study area. Trends and amplitudes of the regional mass anomalies in the region were estimated using level 3 GRACE data product with a spatial resolution at 10 by 10 grid provided by Center for Space Research (CSR), University of Texas at Austin. Indus basin has shown a subtle decreasing trend from 2003-2012 however it was observed to be statistically insignificant at 95 % confidence level. Ganga and Brahmaputra basins have shown a clear decreasing trend in WEH which was also observed to be statistically significant. The trend analysis over Ganga and Brahamputra basins have shown an average annual change of -1.28 cm and -1.06 cm in terms of WEH whereas Indus basin has shown a slight annual change of -0.07 cm. This analysis will be helpful to understand the loss of mass in terms of WEH over Indian Himalayas and will be crucial for hydrological and

Downregulation of miR-29a/b/c in placenta accreta inhibits apoptosis of implantation site intermediate trophoblast cells by targeting MCL1.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Yongzhong; Bian, Yuehong; Xu, Xiaofei; Wang, Xietong; Zuo, Changting; Meng, Jinlai; Li, Hongyan; Zhao, Shigang; Ning, Yunnan; Cao, Yongzhi; Huang, Tao; Yan, Junhao; Chen, Zi-Jiang

2016-12-01

Placenta accreta is defined as abnormal adhesion of placental villi to the uterine myometrium. Although this condition has become more common as a result of the increasing rate of cesarean sections, the underlying causative mechanism(s) remain elusive. Because microRNA-29a/b/c (miR-29a/b/c) have been shown to play important roles in placental development, this study evaluated the roles of these microRNAs in placenta accreta. Expression of miR-29a/b/c and myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL1) were quantified in patient tissues and HTR8/SVneo trophoblast cells using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Western blotting was used to analyze expression of the MCL1 protein in HTR8/SVneo trophoblast cells with altered expression of miR-29a/b/c. To determine their role in apoptosis, miR-29a/b/c were overexpressed in HTR-8/SVneo cells, and levels of apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Luciferase activity assays were used to determine whether MCL1 is a target gene of miR-29a/b/c. Expression of miR-29a/b/c was significantly lower in creta sites compared to noncreta sites (p = 0.018, 0.041, and 0.022, respectively), but expression of MCL1 was upregulated in creta sites (p = 0.039). MCL1 expression was significantly downregulated in HTR-8/SVneo cells overexpressing miR-29a/b/c (p = 0.002, 0.008, and 0.013, respectively). Luciferase activity assays revealed that miR-29a/b/c directly target the 3' untranslated region of MCL1 in 293T cells. Over-expression of miR-29a/b/c induced apoptosis in the HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cell line. Moreover, histopathological evaluation revealed that the number of implantation site intermediate trophoblast (ISIT) cells was increased in creta sites and that these cells were positive for MCL1. Our results demonstrate that in placenta accreta, miR-29a/b/c inhibits apoptosis of ISIT cells by targeting MCL1. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of placenta accreta. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

26 CFR 5.856-1 - Extensions of the grace period for foreclosure property by a real estate investment trust.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Extensions of the grace period for foreclosure property by a real estate investment trust. 5.856-1 Section 5.856-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) TEMPORARY INCOME TAX REGULATIONS UNDER THE REVENUE ACT OF 1978 § 5.856-1...

Assimilation of GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage into a Land Surface Model: Evaluation 1 and Potential Value for Drought Monitoring in Western and Central Europe

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Li, Bailing; Rodell, Matthew; Zaitchik, Benjamin F.; Reichle, Rolf H.; Koster, Randal D.; van Dam, Tonie M.

2012-01-01

A land surface model s ability to simulate states (e.g., soil moisture) and fluxes (e.g., runoff) is limited by uncertainties in meteorological forcing and parameter inputs as well as inadequacies in model physics. In this study, anomalies of terrestrial water storage (TWS) observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission were assimilated into the NASA Catchment land surface model in western and central Europe for a 7-year period, using a previously developed ensemble Kalman smoother. GRACE data assimilation led to improved runoff correlations with gauge data in 17 out of 18 hydrological basins, even in basins smaller than the effective resolution of GRACE. Improvements in root zone soil moisture were less conclusive, partly due to the shortness of the in situ data record. In addition to improving temporal correlations, GRACE data assimilation also reduced increasing trends in simulated monthly TWS and runoff associated with increasing rates of precipitation. GRACE assimilated root zone soil moisture and TWS fields exhibited significant changes in their dryness rankings relative to those without data assimilation, suggesting that GRACE data assimilation could have a substantial impact on drought monitoring. Signals of drought in GRACE TWS correlated well with MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data in most areas. Although they detected the same droughts during warm seasons, drought signatures in GRACE derived TWS exhibited greater persistence than those in NDVI throughout all seasons, in part due to limitations associated with the seasonality of vegetation.

The management of intermediate level wastes in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hultgren, Aa.; Thegerstroem, C.

1980-01-01

A brief overview of current practices and research in Sweden on the management of intermediate level wastes is given. Intermediate level wastes include spent resins, filters and core components from the six power reactors in operation; radioactive wastes from nuclear fuel development at Studsvik and from non-nuclear applications are a minor contribution. (Auth.)

Grace and Courtesy: A Human Responsibility. AMI/USA Conference (Oak Brook, Illinois, July 23-26, 1998).

Science.gov (United States)

American Montessori International of the United States, Inc., Rochester, NY.

This conference proceedings compile presentations from a 1998 meeting of the American Montessori International of the United States, focusing on the importance of grace and courtesy in children's lives and in Montessori education. The papers presented are: (1) "Grace--The Felicity of Being" (Renilde Montessori); (2) "A Montessori…

GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage depletion associated with the 2003 European heat wave

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Seneviratne, S.I.; Hinderer, J.

2005-01-01

water storage depletion observed from GRACE can be related to the record-breaking heat wave that occurred in central Europe in 2003. We validate the measurements from GRACE using two independent hydrological estimates and direct gravity observations from superconducting gravimeters in Europe. All...... datasets agree well with the GRACE measurements despite the disparity of the employed information; the difference between datasets tends to be within GRACE margin of error. The April-to-August terrestrial water storage depletion is found to be significantly larger in 2003 than in 2002 from both models......The GRACE twin satellites reveal large inter-annual terrestrial water-storage variations between 2002 and 2003 for central Europe. GRACE observes a negative trend in regional water storage from 2002 to 2003 peaking at -7.8 cm in central Europe with an accuracy of 1 cm. The 2003 excess terrestrial...

The potential of ground gravity measurements to validate GRACE data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Crossley

2003-01-01

Full Text Available New satellite missions are returning high precision, time-varying, satellite measurements of the Earth’s gravity field. The GRACE mission is now in its calibration/- validation phase and first results of the gravity field solutions are imminent. We consider here the possibility of external validation using data from the superconducting gravimeters in the European sub-array of the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP as ‘ground truth’ for comparison with GRACE. This is a pilot study in which we use 14 months of 1-hour data from the beginning of GGP (1 July 1997 to 30 August 1998, when the Potsdam instrument was relocated to South Africa. There are 7 stations clustered in west central Europe, and one station, Metsahovi in Finland. We remove local tides, polar motion, local and global air pressure, and instrument drift and then decimate to 6-hour samples. We see large variations in the time series of 5–10µgal between even some neighboring stations, but there are also common features that correlate well over the 427-day period. The 8 stations are used to interpolate a minimum curvature (gridded surface that extends over the geographical region. This surface shows time and spatial coherency at the level of 2– 4µgal over the first half of the data and 1–2µgal over the latter half. The mean value of the surface clearly shows a rise in European gravity of about 3µgal over the first 150 days and a fairly constant value for the rest of the data. The accuracy of this mean is estimated at 1µgal, which compares favorably with GRACE predictions for wavelengths of 500 km or less. Preliminary studies of hydrology loading over Western Europe shows the difficulty of correlating the local hydrology, which can be highly variable, with large-scale gravity variations.Key words. GRACE, satellite gravity, superconducting gravimeter, GGP, ground truth

Intermediate Levels of Visual Processing

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Nakayama, Ken

1998-01-01

...) surface representation, here we have shown that there is an intermediate level of visual processing, between the analysis of the image and higher order representations related to specific objects; (2...

Grace and Courtesy across the Planes of Development

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Ludick, Pat

2015-01-01

Pat Ludick's commentary on grace and courtesy is established by a philosophical orientation to development: Grace is oriented to the life of the interior that is consciousness and being, and courtesy moves outward to daily living where civility reflects on success with human interactions. Pat's projected grace and courtesy across the planes is…

Characteristic mega-basin water storage behavior using GRACE.

Science.gov (United States)

Reager, J T; Famiglietti, James S

2013-06-01

[1] A long-standing challenge for hydrologists has been a lack of observational data on global-scale basin hydrological behavior. With observations from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, hydrologists are now able to study terrestrial water storage for large river basins (>200,000 km 2 ), with monthly time resolution. Here we provide results of a time series model of basin-averaged GRACE terrestrial water storage anomaly and Global Precipitation Climatology Project precipitation for the world's largest basins. We address the short (10 year) length of the GRACE record by adopting a parametric spectral method to calculate frequency-domain transfer functions of storage response to precipitation forcing and then generalize these transfer functions based on large-scale basin characteristics, such as percent forest cover and basin temperature. Among the parameters tested, results show that temperature, soil water-holding capacity, and percent forest cover are important controls on relative storage variability, while basin area and mean terrain slope are less important. The derived empirical relationships were accurate (0.54 ≤  E f  ≤ 0.84) in modeling global-scale water storage anomaly time series for the study basins using only precipitation, average basin temperature, and two land-surface variables, offering the potential for synthesis of basin storage time series beyond the GRACE observational period. Such an approach could be applied toward gap filling between current and future GRACE missions and for predicting basin storage given predictions of future precipitation.

Acceptance criteria for deposition of low-level and intermediate-level radiation levels radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-09-01

This norm establishes the criteria for acceptance low and intermediate radiation level for safe deposition in repositories, for assuring the protection of workers, population and environment against the hazardous effects of the ionizing radiations. The criteria of this norm applies to the low and intermediate radiation levels

Improving estimates of water resources in a semi-arid region by assimilating GRACE data into the PCR-GLOBWB hydrological model

Science.gov (United States)

Tangdamrongsub, Natthachet; Steele-Dunne, Susan C.; Gunter, Brian C.; Ditmar, Pavel G.; Sutanudjaja, Edwin H.; Sun, Yu; Xia, Ting; Wang, Zhongjing

2017-04-01

An accurate estimation of water resources dynamics is crucial for proper management of both agriculture and the local ecology, particularly in semi-arid regions. Imperfections in model physics, uncertainties in model land parameters and meteorological data, as well as the human impact on land changes often limit the accuracy of hydrological models in estimating water storages. To mitigate this problem, this study investigated the assimilation of terrestrial water storage variation (TWSV) estimates derived from the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) data using an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) approach. The region considered was the Hexi Corridor in northern China. The hydrological model used for the analysis was PCR-GLOBWB, driven by satellite-based forcing data from April 2002 to December 2010. The impact of the GRACE data assimilation (DA) scheme was evaluated in terms of the TWSV, as well as the variation of individual hydrological storage estimates. The capability of GRACE DA to adjust the storage level was apparent not only for the entire TWSV but also for the groundwater component. In this study, spatially correlated errors in GRACE data were taken into account, utilizing the full error variance-covariance matrices provided as a part of the GRACE data product. The benefits of this approach were demonstrated by comparing the EnKF results obtained with and without taking into account error correlations. The results were validated against in situ groundwater data from five well sites. On average, the experiments showed that GRACE DA improved the accuracy of groundwater storage estimates by as much as 25 %. The inclusion of error correlations provided an equal or greater improvement in the estimates. In contrast, a validation against in situ streamflow data from two river gauges showed no significant benefits of GRACE DA. This is likely due to the limited spatial and temporal resolution of GRACE observations. Finally, results of the GRACE DA study

GRACE score predicts heart failure admission following acute coronary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

McAllister, David A; Halbesma, Nynke; Carruthers, Kathryn; Denvir, Martin; Fox, Keith A

2015-04-01

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common and preventable complication of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Nevertheless, ACS risk scores have not been shown to predict CHF risk. We investigated whether the at-discharge Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score predicts heart failure admission following ACS. Five-year mortality and hospitalization data were obtained for patients admitted with ACS from June 1999 to September 2009 to a single centre of the GRACE registry. CHF was defined as any admission assigned WHO International Classification of Diseases 10 diagnostic code I50. The hazard ratio (HR) for CHF according to GRACE score was estimated in Cox models adjusting for age, gender and the presence of CHF on index admission. Among 1,956 patients, CHF was recorded on index admission in 141 patients (7%), and 243 (12%) were admitted with CHF over 3.8 median years of follow-up. Compared to the lowest quintile, patients in the highest GRACE score quintile had more CHF admissions (116 vs 17) and a shorter time to first admission (1.2 vs 2.0 years, HR 9.87, 95% CI 5.93-16.43). Per standard deviation increment in GRACE score, the instantaneous risk was more than two-fold higher (HR 2.28; 95% CI 2.02-2.57), including after adjustment for CHF on index admission, age and gender (HR 2.49; 95% CI 2.06-3.02). The C-statistic for CHF admission at 1-year was 0.74 (95% CI 0.70-0.79). The GRACE score predicts CHF admission, and may therefore be used to target ACS patients at high risk of CHF with clinical monitoring and therapies. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Status of CSR RL06 GRACE reprocessing and preliminary results

Science.gov (United States)

Save, H.

2017-12-01

The GRACE project plans to re-processes the GRACE mission data in order to be consistent with the first gravity products released by the GRACE-FO project. The RL06 reprocessing will harmonize the GRACE time-series with the first release of GRACE-FO. This paper catalogues the changes in the upcoming RL06 release and discusses the quality improvements as compared to the current RL05 release. The processing and parameterization changes as compared to the current release are also discussed. This paper discusses the evolution of the quality of the GRACE solutions and characterize the errors over the past few years. The possible challenges associated with connecting the GRACE time series with that from GRACE-FO are also discussed.

GIA Model Statistics for GRACE Hydrology, Cryosphere, and Ocean Science

Science.gov (United States)

Caron, L.; Ivins, E. R.; Larour, E.; Adhikari, S.; Nilsson, J.; Blewitt, G.

2018-03-01

We provide a new analysis of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) with the goal of assembling the model uncertainty statistics required for rigorously extracting trends in surface mass from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. Such statistics are essential for deciphering sea level, ocean mass, and hydrological changes because the latter signals can be relatively small (≤2 mm/yr water height equivalent) over very large regions, such as major ocean basins and watersheds. With abundant new >7 year continuous measurements of vertical land motion (VLM) reported by Global Positioning System stations on bedrock and new relative sea level records, our new statistical evaluation of GIA uncertainties incorporates Bayesian methodologies. A unique aspect of the method is that both the ice history and 1-D Earth structure vary through a total of 128,000 forward models. We find that best fit models poorly capture the statistical inferences needed to correctly invert for lower mantle viscosity and that GIA uncertainty exceeds the uncertainty ascribed to trends from 14 years of GRACE data in polar regions.

Uncertainty estimates of a GRACE inversion modelling technique over Greenland using a simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Jennifer; Chambers, Don

2013-07-01

The low spatial resolution of GRACE causes leakage, where signals in one location spread out into nearby regions. Because of this leakage, using simple techniques such as basin averages may result in an incorrect estimate of the true mass change in a region. A fairly simple least squares inversion technique can be used to more specifically localize mass changes into a pre-determined set of basins of uniform internal mass distribution. However, the accuracy of these higher resolution basin mass amplitudes has not been determined, nor is it known how the distribution of the chosen basins affects the results. We use a simple `truth' model over Greenland as an example case, to estimate the uncertainties of this inversion method and expose those design parameters which may result in an incorrect high-resolution mass distribution. We determine that an appropriate level of smoothing (300-400 km) and process noise (0.30 cm2 of water) gets the best results. The trends of the Greenland internal basins and Iceland can be reasonably estimated with this method, with average systematic errors of 3.5 cm yr-1 per basin. The largest mass losses found from GRACE RL04 occur in the coastal northwest (-19.9 and -33.0 cm yr-1) and southeast (-24.2 and -27.9 cm yr-1), with small mass gains (+1.4 to +7.7 cm yr-1) found across the northern interior. Acceleration of mass change is measurable at the 95 per cent confidence level in four northwestern basins, but not elsewhere in Greenland. Due to an insufficiently detailed distribution of basins across internal Canada, the trend estimates of Baffin and Ellesmere Islands are expected to be incorrect due to systematic errors caused by the inversion technique.

Low-degree gravity change from GPS data of COSMIC and GRACE satellite missions

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Tingjung; Hwang, Cheinway; Tseng, Tzu-Pang; Chao, B. F.

2012-01-01

This paper demonstrates estimation of time-varying gravity harmonic coefficients from GPS data of COSMIC and GRACE satellite missions. The kinematic orbits of COSMIC and GRACE are determined to the cm-level accuracy. The NASA Goddard's GEODYN II software is used to model the orbit dynamics of COSMIC and GRACE, including the effect of a static gravity field. The surface forces are estimated per one orbital period. Residual orbits generated from kinematic and reference orbits serve as observables to determine the harmonic coefficients in the weighted-constraint least-squares. The monthly COSMIC and GRACE GPS data from September 2006 to December 2007 (16 months) are processed to estimate harmonic coefficients to degree 5. The geoid variations from the GPS and CSR RL04 (GRACE) solutions show consistent patterns over space and time, especially in regions of active hydrological changes. The monthly GPS-derived second zonal coefficient closely resembles the SLR-derived and CSR RL04 values, and third and fourth zonal coefficients resemble the CSR RL04 values.

Towards Designing Graceful Degradation into Trajectory Based Operations: A Human-systems Integration Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Tamsyn; Lee, Paul

2017-01-01

One of the most fundamental changes to the air traffic management system in NextGen is the concept of trajectory based operations (TBO). With the introduction of such change, system safety and resilience is a critical concern, in particular, the ability of systems to gracefully degrade. In order to design graceful degradation into a TBO envrionment, knowledge of the potential causes of degradation, and appropriate solutions, is required. In addition, previous research has predominantly explored the technological contribution to graceful degradation, frequently neglecting to consider the role of the human operator, specifically, air traffic controllers (ATCOs). This is out of step with real-world operations, and potentially limits an ecologically valid understanding of achieving graceful degradation in an air traffic control (ATC) environment. The following literature review aims to identify and summarize the literature to date on the potential causes of degradation in ATC and the solutions that may be applied within a TBO context, with a specific focus on the contribution of the air traffic controller. A framework of graceful degradation, developed from the literature, is presented. It is argued that in order to achieve graceful degradation within TBO, a human-system integration approach must be applied.

Does C-reactive Protein Add Prognostic Value to GRACE Score in Acute Coronary Syndromes?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correia, Luis Cláudio Lemos; Vasconcelos, Isis; Garcia, Guilherme; Kalil, Felipe; Ferreira, Felipe; Silva, André; Oliveira, Ruan; Carvalhal, Manuela; Freitas, Caio; Noya-Rabelo, Márcia Maria

2014-01-01

The incremental prognostic value of plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in relation to GRACE score has not been established in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with non-ST segment elevation. To test the hypothesis that CRP measurements at admission increases the prognostic value of GRACE score in patients with ACS. A total of 290 subjects, consecutively admitted for ACS, with plasma material obtained upon admission CRP measurement using a high-sensitivity method (nephelometry) were studied. Cardiovascular outcomes during hospitalization were defined by the combination of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal refractory angina. The incidence of cardiovascular events during hospitalization was 15% (18 deaths, 11 myocardial infarctions, 13 angina episodes) with CRP showing C-statistics of 0.60 (95% CI = 0.51-0.70, p = 0.034) in predicting these outcomes. After adjustment for the GRACE score, elevated CRP (defined as the best cutoff point) tended to be associated with hospital events (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.92 to 3.88, p = 0.08). However, the addition of the variable elevated CRP in the GRACE model did not result in significant increase in C-statistics, which ranged from 0.705 to 0.718 (p = 0.46). Similarly, there was no significant reclassification of risk with the addition of CRP in the predictor model (net reclassification = 5.7 %, p = 0.15). Although CRP is associated with hospital outcomes, this inflammatory marker does not increase the prognostic value of the GRACE score

Does C-reactive Protein Add Prognostic Value to GRACE Score in Acute Coronary Syndromes?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Correia, Luis Cláudio Lemos, E-mail: lccorreia@terra.com.br; Vasconcelos, Isis; Garcia, Guilherme; Kalil, Felipe; Ferreira, Felipe; Silva, André; Oliveira, Ruan; Carvalhal, Manuela; Freitas, Caio; Noya-Rabelo, Márcia Maria [Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA (Brazil); Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA (Brazil)

2014-05-15

The incremental prognostic value of plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in relation to GRACE score has not been established in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with non-ST segment elevation. To test the hypothesis that CRP measurements at admission increases the prognostic value of GRACE score in patients with ACS. A total of 290 subjects, consecutively admitted for ACS, with plasma material obtained upon admission CRP measurement using a high-sensitivity method (nephelometry) were studied. Cardiovascular outcomes during hospitalization were defined by the combination of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal refractory angina. The incidence of cardiovascular events during hospitalization was 15% (18 deaths, 11 myocardial infarctions, 13 angina episodes) with CRP showing C-statistics of 0.60 (95% CI = 0.51-0.70, p = 0.034) in predicting these outcomes. After adjustment for the GRACE score, elevated CRP (defined as the best cutoff point) tended to be associated with hospital events (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.92 to 3.88, p = 0.08). However, the addition of the variable elevated CRP in the GRACE model did not result in significant increase in C-statistics, which ranged from 0.705 to 0.718 (p = 0.46). Similarly, there was no significant reclassification of risk with the addition of CRP in the predictor model (net reclassification = 5.7 %, p = 0.15). Although CRP is associated with hospital outcomes, this inflammatory marker does not increase the prognostic value of the GRACE score.

ESA Swarm Mission - Level 1b Products

Science.gov (United States)

Tøffner-Clausen, Lars; Floberghagen, Rune; Mecozzi, Riccardo; Menard, Yvon

2014-05-01

Swarm, a three-satellite constellation to study the dynamics of the Earth's magnetic field and its interactions with the Earth system, has been launched in November 2013. The objective of the Swarm mission is to provide the best ever survey of the geomagnetic field and its temporal evolution, which will bring new insights into the Earth system by improving our understanding of the Earth's interior and environment. The Level 1b Products of the Swarm mission contain time-series of the quality screened, calibrated, corrected, and fully geo-localized measurements of the magnetic field intensity, the magnetic field vector (provided in both instrument and Earth-fixed frames), the plasma density, temperature, and velocity. Additionally, quality screened and pre-calibrated measurements of the nongravitational accelerations are provided. Geo-localization is performed by 24- channel GPS receivers and by means of unique, three head Advanced Stellar Compasses for high-precision satellite attitude information. The Swarm Level 1b data will be provided in daily products separately for each of the three Swarm spacecrafts. This poster will present detailed lists of the contents of the Swarm Level 1b Products and brief descriptions of the processing algorithms used in the generation of these data.

Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4a is a possible evolutionary intermediate between L. monocytogenes serovars 1/2a and 4b and L. innocua.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jianshun; Jiang, Lingli; Chen, Xueyan; Luo, Xiaokai; Chen, Yang; Yu, Ying; Tian, Guoming; Liu, Dongyou; Fang, Weihuan

2009-03-01

The genus Listeria consists of six closely related species and forms three phylogenetic groups: L. monocytogenes- L. innocua, L. ivanovii-L. seeligeri-L. welshimeri, and L. grayi. In this report, we attempted to examine the evolutionary relationship in the L. monocytogenes-L. innocua group by probing the nucleotide sequences of 23S rRNA and 16S rRNA, and the gene clusters lmo0029-lmo0042, ascBdapE, rplS-infC, and prs-ldh in L. monocytogenes serovars 1/2a, 4a, and 4b, and L. innocua. Additionally, we assessed the status of L. monocytogenes-specific inlA and inlB genes and 10 L. innocua-specific genes in these species/serovars, together with phenotypic characterization by using in vivo and in vitro procedures. The results indicate that L. monocytogenes serovar 4a strains are genetically similar to L. innocua in the lmo0035-lmo0042, ascB-dapE, and rplS-infC regions and also possess L. innocua-specific genes lin0372 and lin1073. Furthermore, both L. monocytogenes serovar 4a and L. innocua exhibit impaired intercellular spread ability and negligible pathogenicity in mouse model. On the other hand, despite resembling L. monocytogenes serovars 1/2a and 4b in having a nearly identical virulence gene cluster, and inlA and inlB genes, these serovar 4a strains differ from serovars 1/2a and 4b by harboring notably altered actA and plcB genes, displaying strong phospholipase activity and subdued in vivo and in vitro virulence. Thus, by possessing many genes common to L. monocytogenes serovars 1/2a and 4b, and sharing many similar gene deletions with L. innocua, L. monocytogenes serovar 4a represents a possible evolutionary intermediate between L. monocytogenes serovars 1/2a and 4b and L. innocua.

Monitoring Lakes in Africa with Altimetry and GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Carabajal, C. C.; Boy, J. P.

2017-12-01

Thanks to more than two decades of radar altimetry measurements from TOPEX/POSEIDON, Jason 1, 2 and 3, ENVISAT and others, 18 Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) laser altimeter measurement campaigns over 6 years, and 15 years of Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations, water levels changes of major lakes and reservoirs can be remotely measured regularly with unprecedented precision, facilitating monitoring of continental water storage variations. Smaller footprint laser altimeters like ICESat are more suitable for the retrieval of water level variations of small inland water bodies, better discriminating water returns when water height measurements have the potential to be contaminated by land or vegetation. Using imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) contemporaneous with the altimetry data collections, in combination with careful examination of the laser waveforms, one can better isolate returns form the water surface. Combining these altimetry observations, we derive and compare water height estimates for several lakes and reservoirs in Africa from radar and laser altimetry measurements, we estimate the surface extent of each individual water body from available MODIS imagery, and derive corresponding estimates of volume variations for each water body. Mass variations from time-variable gravity measurements from the GRACE mission, using the latest one-degree global iterated mascons solution from GSFC are then transformed into volume changes, assuming a constant density, and compared to altimetry plus imagery estimates. These methods demonstrate the power of combined observations to monitor water resources and facilitate their management. Upcoming laser altimetry missions like ICESat-2, with vastly improved coverage and temporal sampling, continuous observations, better measurements techniques, including inland water products specifically formulated for these applications, when combined with SWOT

[Management of NSTEMI in a hospital without interventional cardiology and without use of GRACE score: Does the clinician appreciation match the GRACE score calculated retrospectively for the coronarography delay?

Science.gov (United States)

Bouriche, F; Yvorra, S; Hassan, A; Paganelli, F; Bonello, L; Luigi, S; Attia, F

2017-11-01

The management of non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS) remains an issue for mobidity, mortality, and an economic stake. The first aim of the study was to evaluate the additional value of the GRACE score for the compliance with the recommended times to coronary angiography in an hospital without interventional cardiology. We also analysed the in-hospital and 6-month mortality and the predictive factors of compliance for the coronarography delays. Retrospective monocenter cross-sectional study including consecutive patients with chest pain suggestive of a NSTEACS during 1 year. Data of the delay to coronarography were collected and GRACE score was calculated a posteriori. The time to perform coronary angiography was non-compliant in 49% of cases (27 patients out of 55). The calculation of the GRACE score would have allowed correcting the delay for two patients of our cohort. Clinical appreciation, troponin elevation, ECG modifications were associated with the delay compliance. Age <75 years predisposed to recommended delays. Renal failure and history of coronaropathy were significantly associated with non compliant delays. A non-compliant delay was significantly associated with higher mortality. In our experience, the knowledge of the GRACE score had little impact on the timing of coronary angiography. However, as a predictor of mid and long term mortality, GRACE score remains SCA ST+ useful to intensify surveillance of high-risk patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

EGSIEM combination service: combination of GRACE monthly K-band solutions on normal equation level

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Ulrich; Jean, Yoomin; Arnold, Daniel; Jäggi, Adrian

2017-04-01

The European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management (EGSIEM) project offers a scientific combination service, combining for the first time monthly GRACE gravity fields of different analysis centers (ACs) on normal equation (NEQ) level and thus taking all correlations between the gravity field coefficients and pre-eliminated orbit and instrument parameters correctly into account. Optimal weights for the individual NEQs are commonly derived by variance component estimation (VCE), as is the case for the products of the International VLBI Service (IVS) or the DTRF2008 reference frame realisation that are also derived by combination on NEQ-level. But variance factors are based on post-fit residuals and strongly depend on observation sampling and noise modeling, which both are very diverse in case of the individual EGSIEM ACs. These variance factors do not necessarily represent the true error levels of the estimated gravity field parameters that are still governed by analysis noise. We present a combination approach where weights are derived on solution level, thereby taking the analysis noise into account.

Redox regulation of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B): Importance of steric and electronic effects on the unusual cyclization of the sulfenic acid intermediate to a sulfenyl amide

Science.gov (United States)

Sarma, Bani Kanta

2013-09-01

The redox regulation of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) via the unusual transformation of its sulfenic acid (PTP1B-SOH) to a cyclic sulfenyl amide intermediate is studied by using small molecule chemical models. These studies suggest that the sulfenic acids derived from the H2O2-mediated reactions o-amido thiophenols do not efficiently cyclize to sulfenyl amides and the sulfenic acids produced in situ can be trapped by using methyl iodide. Theoretical calculations suggest that the most stable conformer of such sulfenic acids are stabilized by nO → σ*S-OH orbital interactions, which force the -OH group to adopt a position trans to the S⋯O interaction, leading to an almost linear arrangement of the O⋯S-O moiety and this may be the reason for the slow cyclization of such sulfenic acids to their corresponding sulfenyl amides. On the other hand, additional substituents at the 6-position of o-amido phenylsulfenic acids that can induce steric environment and alter the electronic properties around the sulfenic acid moiety by S⋯N or S⋯O nonbonded interactions destabilize the sulfenic acids by inducing strain in the molecule. This may lead to efficient the cyclization of such sulfenic acids. This model study suggests that the amino acid residues in the close proximity of the sulfenic acid moiety in PTP1B may play an important role in the cyclization of PTP1B-SOH to produce the corresponding sulfenyl amide.

Seasonal changes in the European gravity field from GRACE: A comparison with superconducting gravimeters and hydrology model predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Hinderer, Jacques; Andersen, Ole; Lemoine, Frank; Crossley, David; Boy, Jean-Paul

2006-01-01

This paper is devoted to the investigation of seasonal changes of the Earth's gravity field from GRACE satellites and the comparison with surface gravity measurements in Europe from the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) sub-network, as well as with recent hydrology models for continental soil moisture and snow. We used gravity maps in Europe retrieved from the initial GRACE monthly solutions spanning a 21-month duration from April 2002 to December 2003 for various truncation levels of the initial spherical harmonic decomposition of the field. The transfer function between satellite-derived and ground gravity changes due to continental hydrology is studied and we also compute the theoretical ratio of gravity versus radial displacement (in μGal/mm) involved in the hydrological loading process. The 'mean' value (averaged in time and in space over Europe) from hydrologic forward modeling is found to be close to -1.0 μGal/mm and we show that this value can be explained by a strong low degree ( n = 5-6) peak in the hydrology amplitude spectrum. The dominant time-variable signal from GRACE is found to be annual with an amplitude and a phase both of which are in fair agreement with predictions in Europe from recent hydrology models. Initial results suggest that all three data sets (GRACE, hydrology and GGP) respond to annual changes in near-surface water in Europe of a few μGal (at length scales of ˜1000 km) that show a high value in winter and a summer minimum. Despite the limited time span of our analysis and the uncertainties in separating purely local effects from regional ones in superconducting gravimeter data, the calibration and validation aspects of the GRACE data processing based on the annual hydrology cycle in Europe are in progress.

The ARES High-level Intermediate Representation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moss, Nicholas David [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-03-03

The LLVM intermediate representation (IR) lacks semantic constructs for depicting common high-performance operations such as parallel and concurrent execution, communication and synchronization. Currently, representing such semantics in LLVM requires either extending the intermediate form (a signi cant undertaking) or the use of ad hoc indirect means such as encoding them as intrinsics and/or the use of metadata constructs. In this paper we discuss a work in progress to explore the design and implementation of a new compilation stage and associated high-level intermediate form that is placed between the abstract syntax tree and when it is lowered to LLVM's IR. This highlevel representation is a superset of LLVM IR and supports the direct representation of these common parallel computing constructs along with the infrastructure for supporting analysis and transformation passes on this representation.

Global Assessment of New GRACE Mascons Solutions for Hydrologic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Save, H.; Zhang, Z.; Scanlon, B. R.; Wiese, D. N.; Landerer, F. W.; Long, D.; Longuevergne, L.; Chen, J.

2016-12-01

Advances in GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data processing using new mass concentration (mascon) solutions have greatly increased the spatial localization and amplitude of recovered total Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS) signals; however, limited testing has been conduct on land hydrologic applications. In this study we compared TWS anomalies from (1) Center for Space Research mascons (CSR-M) solution with (2) NASA JPL mascon (JPL-M) solution, and with (3) a CSR gridded spherical harmonic rescaled (sf) solution from Tellus (CSRT-GSH.sf) in 176 river basins covering 80% of the global land area. There is good correspondence in TWS anomalies from mascons (CSR-M and JPL-M) and SH solutions based on high correlations between time series (rank correlation coefficients mostly >0.9). The long-term trends in basin TWS anomalies represent a relatively small signal (up to ±20 mm/yr) with differences among GRACE solutions and inter-basin variability increasing with decreasing basin size. Long-term TWS declines are greatest in (semi)arid and irrigated basins. Annual and semiannual signals have much larger amplitudes (up to ±250 mm). There is generally good agreement among GRACE solutions, increasing confidence in seasonal fluctuations from GRACE data. Rescaling spherical harmonics to restore lost signal increases agreement with mascons solutions for long-term trends and seasonal fluctuations. There are many advantages to using GRACE mascons solutions relative to SH solutions, such as reduced leakage from land to ocean increasing signal amplitude, and constraining results by applying geophysical data during processing with little or no post-processing requirements, making mascons more user friendly for non-geodetic users. This inter-comparison of various GRACE solutions should allow hydrologists to better select suitable GRACE products for hydrologic applications.

Arctic sea level change over the past 2 decades from GRACE gradiometry and multi-mission satellite altimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, O. B.; Stenseng, L.; Sørensen, C. S.

2014-01-01

The Arctic is still an extremely challenging region for theuse of remote sensing for sea level studies. Despite the availability of 20 years of altimetry, only very limited sea level observations exist in the interior of the Arctic Ocean. However, with Cryosat-2 SAR altimetry the situation...... gradiometer observations from the ESA GOCE mission, we are now able to derive a mean dynamic topography of the Arctic Ocean with unprecedented accuracy to constrain the Arctic Ocean circulation controlling sea level variations in the Arctic. We present both a new estimation of the mean ocean circulation...... and new estimates of large scale sea level changes based on satellite data and perform an estimation of the fresh waterstorage increase over the last decade using temporal gravity changes from the GRACE satellite....

Towards Designing Graceful Degradation into Trajectory Based Operations: A Human-Machine System Integration Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Tamsyn; Lee, Paul

2017-01-01

One of the most fundamental changes to the air traffic management system in NextGen is the concept of trajectory based operations (TBO). With the introduction of such change, system safety and resilience is a critical concern, in particular, the ability of systems to gracefully degrade. In order to design graceful degradation into a TBO envrionment, knowledge of the potential causes of degradation, and appropriate solutions, is required. In addition, previous research has predominantly explored the technological contribution to graceful degradation, frequently neglecting to consider the role of the human operator, specifically, air traffic controllers (ATCOs). This is out of step with real-world operations, and potentially limits an ecologically valid understanding of achieving graceful degradation in an air traffic control (ATC) environment. The following literature review aims to identify and summarize the literature to date on the potential causes of degradation in ATC and the solutions that may be applied within a TBO context, with a specific focus on the contribution of the air traffic controller. A framework of graceful degradation, developed from the literature, is presented. It is argued that in order to achieve graceful degradation within TBO, a human-system integration approach must be applied.

Evaluation of recent GRACE monthly solution series with an ice sheet perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Horwath, Martin; Groh, Andreas

2016-04-01

GRACE monthly global gravity field solutions have undergone a remarkable evolution, leading to the latest (Release 5) series by CSR, GFZ, and JPL, to new series by other processing centers, such as ITSG and AIUB, as well as to efforts to derive combined solutions, particularly by the EGSIEM (European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management) project. For applications, such as GRACE inferences on ice sheet mass balance, the obvious question is on what GRACE solution series to base the assessment. Here we evaluate different GRACE solution series (including the ones listed above) in a unified framework. We concentrate on solutions expanded up to degree 90 or higher, since this is most appropriate for polar applications. We empirically assess the error levels in the spectral as well as in the spatial domain based on the month-to-month scatter in the high spherical harmonic degrees. We include empirical assessment of error correlations. We then apply all series to infer Antarctic and Greenland mass change time series and compare the results in terms of apparent signal content and noise level. We find that the ITSG solutions show lowest noise level in the high degrees (above 60). A preliminary combined solution from the EGSIEM project shows lowest noise in the degrees below 60. This virtue maps into the derived ice mass time series, where the EGSIEM-based results show the lowest noise in most cases. Meanwhile, there is no indication that any of the considered series systematically dampens actual geophysical signals.

Hydrology signal from GRACE gravity data in the Nelson River basin, Canada: a comparison of two approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tanghua; Wu, Patrick; Wang, Hansheng; Jia, Lulu; Steffen, Holger

2018-03-01

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission measures the combined gravity signal of several overlapping processes. A common approach to separate the hydrological signal in previous ice-covered regions is to apply numerical models to simulate the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) signals related to the vanished ice load and then remove them from the observed GRACE data. However, the results of this method are strongly affected by the uncertainties of the ice and viscosity models of GIA. To avoid this, Wang et al. (Nat Geosci 6(1):38-42, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1652; Geodesy Geodyn 6(4):267-273, 2015) followed the theory of Wahr et al. (Geophys Res Lett 22(8):977-980, 1995) and isolated water storage changes from GRACE in North America and Scandinavia with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) data. Lambert et al. (Postglacial rebound and total water storage variations in the Nelson River drainage basin: a gravity GPS Study, Geological Survey of Canada Open File, 7317, 2013a, Geophys Res Lett 40(23):6118-6122, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL057973, 2013b) did a similar study for the Nelson River basin in North America but applying GPS and absolute gravity measurements. However, the results of the two studies in the Nelson River basin differ largely, especially for the magnitude of the hydrology signal which differs about 35%. Through detailed comparison and analysis of the input data, data post-processing techniques, methods and results of these two works, we find that the different GRACE data post-processing techniques may lead to this difference. Also the GRACE input has a larger effect on the hydrology signal amplitude than the GPS input in the Nelson River basin due to the relatively small uplift signal in this region. Meanwhile, the influence of the value of α , which represents the ratio between GIA-induced uplift rate and GIA-induced gravity-rate-of-change (before the correction for surface uplift), is more obvious in

Natural analogue study for low-and-intermediate level radioactive waste shallow burial disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu Cunli; Fan Zhiwen; Huang Yawen; Cui Anxi; Liu Xiuzheng; Zhang Jinshen

1995-01-01

The paper makes a comparison of low-and-intermediate level radioactive waste shallow burial disposal with Chinese ancient tombs in respects of siting, engineering structures, design principle and construction procedures. Results showed that Chinese ancient tombs are very good analogue for low-and-intermediate level radioactive waste shallow burial disposal. Long-term preservation of ancient tombs and buried objects demonstrated that low-and-intermediate level radioactive waste shallow burial disposal would be safe if suitable sites were selected, reasonable engineering structures and good backfill materials were adopted, and scientific construction procedures were followed. The paper reports for the first time the testing results of certain ancient tomb backfill materials. The results indicated that the materials have so low a permeability as 1.5 x 10 -8 cm/s , and strong adsorption to radionuclides Co and Cs with the distribution coefficients of 1.4 x 10 4 mL/g and 2.1 x 10 4 mL/g, and the retardation factors of 4.4 x 10 4 and 7.7 x 10 4 respectively. Good performance of these materials is important assurance of long-term preservation of the ancient tombs. These materials may be considered to be used as backfill materials in low-and-intermediate level radioactive shallow burial disposal. (4 figs., 10 tabs.)

Monitoring the spatio-temporal changes of terrestrial water storage using GRACE data in the Tarim River basin between 2002 and 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Peng; Xia, Jun; Zhan, Chesheng; Qiao, Yunfeng; Wang, Yueling

2017-10-01

With the threat of water shortages intensifying, the need to identify the terrestrial water storage (TWS) variation in the Tarim River Basin (TRB) becomes very significant for managing its water resource. Due to the lack of large-scale hydrological data, this study employed the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) to monitor TWS variation in the TRB during the period of 2002-2015, cooperating with two statistical techniques, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) - Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). Results indicated that (1) the Tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM) data can be applied well in the TRB; (2) the EOF result showed that both the time series of TRMM precipitation and GRACE-derived TWS in the TRB between 2002 and 2015 were dominated by the annual signals, which were followed by the semiannual signals; (3) the linear trend for the spatially averaged GRACE-derived TWS changes exhibited an decrease of 1.6±1.1mm/a, and the EOF result indicated a significant decrease of 4.1±1.5mm/a in the north of TRB; (4) while the precipitation variations was the major driver for the TWS changes, the GLDAS-derived TWS (i.e., soil moisture) decrease and ground water decrease played the major role in the TWS decrease in the north of TRB for the significant correlation (P<0.05). The changes of TWS might be linked to excessive exploitation of water resources, increased population, and shrinking water supplies, which would impact on the water level of the lakes or reservoir. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Millennial total sea-level commitments projected with the Earth system model of intermediate complexity LOVECLIM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goelzer, H; Huybrechts, P; Raper, S C B; Loutre, M-F; Goosse, H; Fichefet, T

2012-01-01

Sea-level is expected to rise for a long time to come, even after stabilization of human-induced climatic warming. Here we use simulations with the Earth system model of intermediate complexity LOVECLIM to project sea-level changes over the third millennium forced with atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations that stabilize by either 2000 or 2100 AD. The model includes 3D thermomechanical models of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets coupled to an atmosphere and an ocean model, a global glacier melt algorithm to account for the response of mountain glaciers and ice caps, and a procedure for assessing oceanic thermal expansion from oceanic heat uptake. Four climate change scenarios are considered to determine sea-level commitments. These assume a 21st century increase in greenhouse gases according to SRES scenarios B1, A1B and A2 with a stabilization of the atmospheric composition after the year 2100. One additional scenario assumes 1000 years of constant atmospheric composition from the year 2000 onwards. For our preferred model version, we find an already committed total sea-level rise of 1.1 m by 3000 AD. In experiments with greenhouse gas concentration stabilization at 2100 AD, the total sea-level rise ranges between 2.1 m (B1), 4.1 m (A1B) and 6.8 m (A2). In all scenarios, more than half of this amount arises from the Greenland ice sheet, thermal expansion is the second largest contributor, and the contribution of glaciers and ice caps is small as it is limited by the available ice volume of maximally 25 cm of sea-level equivalent. Additionally, we analysed the sensitivity of the sea-level contributions from an ensemble of nine different model versions that cover a large range of climate sensitivity realized by model parameter variations of the atmosphere–ocean model. Selected temperature indices are found to be good predictors for sea-level contributions from the different components of land ice and oceanic thermal expansion after 1000 years. (letter)

Ice loading model for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment in the Barents Sea constrained by GRACE gravity observations

Science.gov (United States)

Root, Bart; Tarasov, Lev; van der Wal, Wouter

2014-05-01

The global ice budget is still under discussion because the observed 120-130 m eustatic sea level equivalent since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) can not be explained by the current knowledge of land-ice melt after the LGM. One possible location for the missing ice is the Barents Sea Region, which was completely covered with ice during the LGM. This is deduced from relative sea level observations on Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya and the North coast of Scandinavia. However, there are no observations in the middle of the Barents Sea that capture the post-glacial uplift. With increased precision and longer time series of monthly gravity observations of the GRACE satellite mission it is possible to constrain Glacial Isostatic Adjustment in the center of the Barents Sea. This study investigates the extra constraint provided by GRACE data for modeling the past ice geometry in the Barents Sea. We use CSR release 5 data from February 2003 to July 2013. The GRACE data is corrected for the past 10 years of secular decline of glacier ice on Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya and Frans Joseph Land. With numerical GIA models for a radially symmetric Earth, we model the expected gravity changes and compare these with the GRACE observations after smoothing with a 250 km Gaussian filter. The comparisons show that for the viscosity profile VM5a, ICE-5G has too strong a gravity signal compared to GRACE. The regional calibrated ice sheet model (GLAC) of Tarasov appears to fit the amplitude of the GRACE signal. However, the GRACE data are very sensitive to the ice-melt correction, especially for Novaya Zemlya. Furthermore, the ice mass should be more concentrated to the middle of the Barents Sea. Alternative viscosity models confirm these conclusions.

Assimilating GRACE terrestrial water storage data into a conceptual hydrology model for the River Rhine

Science.gov (United States)

Widiastuti, E.; Steele-Dunne, S. C.; Gunter, B.; Weerts, A.; van de Giesen, N.

2009-12-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) is a key component of the terrestrial and global hydrological cycles, and plays a major role in the Earth’s climate. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) twin satellite mission provided the first space-based dataset of TWS variations, albeit with coarse resolution and limited accuracy. Here, we examine the value of assimilating GRACE observations into a well-calibrated conceptual hydrology model of the Rhine river basin. In this study, the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and smoother (EnKS) were applied to assimilate the GRACE TWS variation data into the HBV-96 rainfall run-off model, from February 2003 to December 2006. Two GRACE datasets were used, the DMT-1 models produced at TU Delft, and the CSR-RL04 models produced by UT-Austin . Each center uses its own data processing and filtering methods, yielding two different estimates of TWS variations and therefore two sets of assimilated TWS estimates. To validate the results, the model estimated discharge after the data assimilation was compared with measured discharge at several stations. As expected, the updated TWS was generally somewhere between the modeled and observed TWS in both experiments and the variance was also lower than both the prior error covariance and the assumed GRACE observation error. However, the impact on the discharge was found to depend heavily on the assimilation strategy used, in particular on how the TWS increments were applied to the individual storage terms of the hydrology model.

Separation of GRACE geoid time-variations using Independent Component Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Frappart, F.; Ramillien, G.; Maisongrande, P.; Bonnet, M.

2009-12-01

Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a blind separation method based on the simple assumptions of the independence of the sources and the non-Gaussianity of the observations. An approach based on this numerical method is used here to extract hydrological signals over land and oceans from the polluting striping noise due to orbit repetitiveness and present in the GRACE global mass anomalies. We took advantage of the availability of monthly Level-2 solutions from three official providers (i.e., CSR, JPL and GFZ) that can be considered as different observations of the same phenomenon. The efficiency of the methodology is first demonstrated on a synthetic case. Applied to one month of GRACE solutions, it allows to clearly separate the total water storage change from the meridional-oriented spurious gravity signals on the continents but not on the oceans. This technique gives results equivalent as the destriping method for continental water storage for the hydrological patterns with less smoothing. This methodology is then used to filter the complete series of the 2002-2009 GRACE solutions.

Can mountain glacier melting explains the GRACE-observed mass loss in the southeast Tibetan Plateau: From a climate perspective?

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Chunqiao; Ke, Linghong; Huang, Bo; Richards, Keith S.

2015-01-01

The southeast Tibetan Plateau (SETP) includes the majority of monsoonal temperate glaciers in High Mountain Asia (HMA), which is an important source of water for the upper reaches of several large Asian river systems. Climatic change and variability has substantial impacts on cryosphere and hydrological processes in the SETP. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravimetry observations between 2003 and 2009 suggest that there was an average mass loss rate of - 5.99 ± 2.78 Gigatonnes (Gt)/yr in this region. Meanwhile, the hydrological data by model calculations from the GLDAS/Noah and CPC are used to estimate terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes with a slight negative trend of about - 0.3 Gt/yr. The recent studies (Kääb et al., 2012; Gardner et al., 2013) reported the thinning rates of mountain glaciers in HMA based on the satellite laser altimetry, and an approximate estimation of the glacier mass budget in the SETP was 4.69 ± 2.03 Gt/yr during 2003-2009. This estimate accounted for a large proportion ( 78.3%) of the difference between the GRACE TWS and model-calculated TWS changes. To better understand the cause of sharp mass loss existing in the SETP, the correlations between key climatic variables (precipitation and temperature) and the GRACE TWS changes are examined at different timescales between 2003 and 2011. The results show that precipitation is the leading factors of abrupt, seasonal and multi-year undulating signals of GRACE TWS anomaly time series, but with weak correlations with the inter-annual trend and annual mass budget of GRACE TWS. In contrast, the annual mean temperature is tightly associated with the annual net mass budget (r = 0.81, p < 0.01), which indirectly suggests that the GRACE-observed mass loss in the SETP may be highly related to glacial processes.

MNE Entrepreneurial Capabilities at Intermediate Levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoenen, Anne K.; Nell, Phillip Christopher; Ambos, Björn

2014-01-01

at intermediate geographical levels differ from local subsidiaries and global corporate headquarters, and why those differences are important. We illustrate our arguments using data on European regional headquarters (RHQs). We find that RHQs' entrepreneurial capabilities depend on their external embeddedness...... and on the heterogeneous information that is generated through dissimilar markets within the region. Our study opens up for an interesting discussion of the independence of these mechanisms. In sum, we contribute to the understanding of the entrepreneurial role of intermediate units in general and RHQs in particular....

Advice concerning the advantages of a reference incinerator for low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luyten, G.B.

1985-05-01

In this report, an inventory is presented of new incinerators and flue gas filters used in low and intermediate-level radioactive waste combustion. It is argued that a 'reference equipment' for the combustion of solid and liquid low- and intermediate-level wastes best meets existing Dutch radiation protection standards. A cost-benefit analysis of such an equipment is given including annual costs of investment, capital and exploration. A separate combustion process of organic liquids and carrions is considered finally. (G.J.P.)

Incorporation of GRACE Data into a Bayesian Model for Groundwater Drought Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Slinski, K.; Hogue, T. S.; McCray, J. E.; Porter, A.

2015-12-01

Groundwater drought, defined as the sustained occurrence of below average availability of groundwater, is marked by below average water levels in aquifers and reduced flows to groundwater-fed rivers and wetlands. The impact of groundwater drought on ecosystems, agriculture, municipal water supply, and the energy sector is an increasingly important global issue. However, current drought monitors heavily rely on precipitation and vegetative stress indices to characterize the timing, duration, and severity of drought events. The paucity of in situ observations of aquifer levels is a substantial obstacle to the development of systems to monitor groundwater drought in drought-prone areas, particularly in developing countries. Observations from the NASA/German Space Agency's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have been used to estimate changes in groundwater storage over areas with sparse point measurements. This study incorporates GRACE total water storage observations into a Bayesian framework to assess the performance of a probabilistic model for monitoring groundwater drought based on remote sensing data. Overall, it is hoped that these methods will improve global drought preparedness and risk reduction by providing information on groundwater drought necessary to manage its impacts on ecosystems, as well as on the agricultural, municipal, and energy sectors.

Grace and Courtesy for the Whole School

Science.gov (United States)

Cobb, Mary Lou

2015-01-01

Mary Lou Cobb gives a framework from a very practical point of view, leaning on the aspects of grace and courtesy that are fundamental and arise out of a Montessori administrative point of view. Her examples are pragmatic, such as the grace and courtesy of a greeting, of movement, as a whole-school culture, and the right use of language. She calls…

The celestial mechanics approach: application to data of the GRACE mission

Science.gov (United States)

Beutler, Gerhard; Jäggi, Adrian; Mervart, Leoš; Meyer, Ulrich

2010-11-01

The celestial mechanics approach (CMA) has its roots in the Bernese GPS software and was extensively used for determining the orbits of high-orbiting satellites. The CMA was extended to determine the orbits of Low Earth Orbiting satellites (LEOs) equipped with GPS receivers and of constellations of LEOs equipped in addition with inter-satellite links. In recent years the CMA was further developed and used for gravity field determination. The CMA was developed by the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB). The CMA is presented from the theoretical perspective in (Beutler et al. 2010). The key elements of the CMA are illustrated here using data from 50 days of GPS, K-Band, and accelerometer observations gathered by the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission in 2007. We study in particular the impact of (1) analyzing different observables [Global Positioning System (GPS) observations only, inter-satellite measurements only], (2) analyzing a combination of observations of different types on the level of the normal equation systems (NEQs), (3) using accelerometer data, (4) different orbit parametrizations (short-arc, reduced-dynamic) by imposing different constraints on the stochastic orbit parameters, and (5) using either the inter-satellite ranges or their time derivatives. The so-called GRACE baseline, i.e., the achievable accuracy of the GRACE gravity field for a particular solution strategy, is established for the CMA.

The potential of GRACE gravimetry to detect the heavy rainfall-induced impoundment of a small reservoir in the upper Yellow River

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Shuang; Song, Chunqiao; Wang, Qiuyu; Wang, Linsong; Heki, Kosuke; Sun, Wenke

2017-08-01

Artificial reservoirs are important indicators of anthropogenic impacts on environments, and their cumulative influences on the local water storage will change the gravity signal. However, because of their small signal size, such gravity changes are seldom studied using satellite gravimetry from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). Here we investigate the ability of GRACE to detect water storage changes in the Longyangxia Reservoir (LR), which is situated in the upper main stem of the Yellow River. Three different GRACE solutions from the CSR, GFZ, and JPL with three different processing filters are compared here. We find that heavy precipitation in the summer of 2005 caused the LR water storage to increase by 37.9 m in height, which is equivalent to 13.0 Gt in mass, and that the CSR solutions with a DDK4 filter show the best performance in revealing the synthetic gravity signals. We also obtain 109 pairs of reservoir inundation area measurements from satellite imagery and water level changes from laser altimetry and in situ observations to derive the area-height ratios for the LR. The root mean square of GRACE series in the LR is reduced by 39% after removing synthetic signals caused by mass changes in the LR or by 62% if the GRACE series is further smoothed. We conclude that GRACE data show promising potential in detecting water storage changes in this ˜400 km2 reservoir and that a small signal size is not a restricting factor for detection using GRACE data.

Multi-shell spherical GaAs /AlxGa1-x As quantum dot shells-size distribution as a mechanism to generate intermediate band energy levels

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Magdaleno, K. A.; Pérez-Álvarez, R.; Martínez-Orozco, J. C.; Pernas-Salomón, R.

2017-04-01

In this work the generation of an intermediate band of energy levels from multi-shell spherical GaAs /AlxGa1-x As quantum dot shells-size distribution is reported. Within the effective mass approximation the electronic structure of a GaAs spherical quantum-dot surrounded by one, two and three shells is studied in detail using a numerically stable transfer matrix method. We found that a shells-size distribution characterized by continuously wider GaAs domains is a suitable mechanism to generate the intermediate band whose width is also dependent on the Aluminium concentration x. Our results suggest that this effective mechanism can be used for the design of wider intermediate band than reported in other quantum systems with possible solar cells enhanced performance.

Intermediate-level crossings of a first-passage path

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhat, Uttam; Redner, S

2015-01-01

We investigate some simple and surprising properties of a one-dimensional Brownian trajectory with diffusion coefficient D that starts at the origin and: (i) is at X at time T, or (ii) first reaches X at time T. We determine the most likely location of the first-passage trajectory from (0, 0) to (X, T) and its distribution at any intermediate time t < T. A first-passage path typically starts out by being repelled from its final location when X 2 /DT ≪ 1. We also determine the distribution of times when the trajectory first crosses and last crosses an arbitrary intermediate position x < X. The distribution of first-crossing times may be unimodal or bimodal, depending on whether X 2 /DT ≪ 1 or X 2 /DT ≫ 1. The form of the first-crossing probability in the bimodal regime is qualitatively similar to, but more singular than, the well-known arcsine law. (paper)

Living Grace and Courtesy in the Primary

Science.gov (United States)

Soholt, Polli

2015-01-01

Polli Soholt looks at grace and courtesy from the 3-6 classroom perspective with clear theory explanations as they pertain to the larger classroom culture. She discusses the link between older and young children and the presence of the teacher as a model for grace and takes a brief look to neural science for proof of the existence of social…

Human-induced Terrestrial Water Storage Change: A Global Analysis using Hydrological Models and GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Felfelani, F.; Pokhrel, Y. N.

2016-12-01

Hydrological models and data derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission are used to study terrestrial water storage (TWS) change; however, both have disadvantages that necessitate the integrated use of them. While GRACE doesn't disintegrate the vertical storage into its components, most models do not account for human activities. Here we use two Land Surface Models (LSMs), i.e., HiGW-MAT and PCRGLOBWB that fully couple natural and human drivers of changes in water cycle, explicitly simulating the changes in various TWS compartments. We first evaluate the models performance with GRACE observations. Then, we quantify the human footprint over global river basins located in different geographic and climate regions. To quantify human impacts, a new framework is proposed based on the GRACE observations (representing both climate variability and human activities) together with the natural simulation of LSMs using water budget equation (P-ET-R; P for precipitation, ET for evapotranspiration, and R for runoff). Finally, we examine the uncertainty in TWS simulations arising from the uncertainties in forcing data. Results indicate that, in snow-dominated regions, PCRGLOBWB generally fails to reproduce neither the interannual variability of observed TWS nor the seasonal cycle, while HiGW-MAT model shows significantly better results. In basins with human signatures, PCRGLOBWB generally shows better agreement with GRACE compared to HiGW-MAT. It is found that HiGW-MAT tends to overestimate groundwater depletion in basins with human impacts (e.g., Amudarya, Colorado, Euphrates and Indus), which results in larger negative interannual TWS trend compared to GRACE. Euphrates and Ganges river basins experience the highest human-induced TWS deficit rates (2.08 cm/yr and 1.94 cm/yr, respectively) during the simulation period of 2002-2010. Uncertainty analysis of results from the same model but with different forcing data suggests a high standard

The unrealised ethical potential of the Methodist theology of prevenient grace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David N. Field

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This article examines the unrealised ethical potential of the theology of prevenient grace. It begins with a brief analysis of John Wesley’s rejection of slavery as rooted in his theology of prevenient grace. This is demonstrated in the next section which analyses Wesley’s notion of prevenient grace. This is followed by a constructive proposal for a contemporary theology of prevenient grace and some ethical implications of this theology, for contemporary social and political ethics, are developed.

GRACE-Assimilated Drought Indicators for the U.S. Drought Monitor

Science.gov (United States)

Rui, Hualan; Vollmer, Bruce; Teng, Bill; Loeser, Carlee; Beaudoing, Hiroko; Rodell, Matt

2018-01-01

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission detects changes in Earth's gravity field by precisely monitoring the changes in distance between two satellites orbiting the Earth in tandem. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center generate GRACE-assimilated groundwater and soil moisture drought indicators each week, for drought monitor-related studies and applications. The GRACE-assimilated Drought Indicator Version 2.0 data product (GRACE-DA-DM V2.0) is archived at, and distributed by, the NASA GES DISC (Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center). More information about the data and data access is available on the data product landing page at https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/datasets /GRACEDADM_CLSM0125US_7D_2.0/summary. The GRACE-DA-DM V2.0 data product contains three drought indicators: Groundwater Percentile, Root Zone Soil Moisture Percentile, and Surface Soil Moisture Percentile. The drought indicators are of wet or dry conditions, expressed as a percentile, indicating the probability of occurrence within the period of record from 1948 to 2012. These GRACE-assimilated drought indicators, with improved spatial and temporal resolutions, should provide a more comprehensive and objective identification of drought conditions. This presentation describes the basic characteristics of the data and data services at NASA GES DISC and collaborative organizations, and uses a few examples to demonstrate the simple ways to explore the GRACE-assimilated drought indicator data.

A decrease in cyclin B1 levels leads to polyploidization in DNA damage-induced senescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kikuchi, Ikue; Nakayama, Yuji; Morinaga, Takao; Fukumoto, Yasunori; Yamaguchi, Naoto

2010-05-04

Adriamycin, an anthracycline antibiotic, has been used for the treatment of various types of tumours. Adriamycin induces at least two distinct types of growth repression, such as senescence and apoptosis, in a concentration-dependent manner. Cellular senescence is a condition in which cells are unable to proliferate further, and senescent cells frequently show polyploidy. Although abrogation of cell division is thought to correlate with polyploidization, the mechanisms underlying induction of polyploidization in senescent cells are largely unclear. We wished, therefore, to explore the role of cyclin B1 level in polyploidization of Adriamycin-induced senescent cells. A subcytotoxic concentration of Adriamycin induced polyploid cells having the features of senescence, such as flattened and enlarged cell shape and activated beta-galactosidase activity. In DNA damage-induced senescent cells, the levels of cyclin B1 were transiently increased and subsequently decreased. The decrease in cyclin B1 levels occurred in G2 cells during polyploidization upon treatment with a subcytotoxic concentration of Adriamycin. In contrast, neither polyploidy nor a decrease in cyclin B1 levels was induced by treatment with a cytotoxic concentration of Adriamycin. These results suggest that a decrease in cyclin B1 levels is induced by DNA damage, resulting in polyploidization in DNA damage-induced senescence.

A comparison of the gravity field over Central Europe from superconducting gravimeters, GRACE and global hydrological models, using EOF analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Crossley, David; de Linage, Caroline; Hinderer, Jacques; Boy, Jean-Paul; Famiglietti, James

2012-05-01

We analyse data from seven superconducting gravimeter (SG) stations in Europe from 2002 to 2007 from the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) and compare seasonal variations with data from GRACE and several global hydrological models - GLDAS, WGHM and ERA-Interim. Our technique is empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decomposition of the fields that allows for the inherent incompatibility of length scales between ground and satellite observations. GGP stations below the ground surface pose a problem because part of the attraction from soil moisture comes from above the gravimeter, and this gives rise to a complex (mixed) gravity response. The first principle component (PC) of the EOF decomposition is the main indicator for comparing the fields, although for some of the series it accounts for only about 50 per cent of the variance reduction. PCs for GRACE solutions RL04 from CSR and GFZ are filtered with a cosine taper (degrees 20-40) and a Gaussian window (350 km). Significant differences are evident between GRACE solutions from different groups and filters, though they all agree reasonably well with the global hydrological models for the predominantly seasonal signal. We estimate the first PC at 10-d sampling to be accurate to 1 μGal for GGP data, 1.5 μGal for GRACE data and 1 μGal between the three global hydrological models. Within these limits the CNES/GRGS solution and ground GGP data agree at the 79 per cent level, and better when the GGP solution is restricted to the three above-ground stations. The major limitation on the GGP side comes from the water mass distribution surrounding the underground instruments that leads to a complex gravity effect. To solve this we propose a method for correcting the SG residual gravity series for the effects of soil moisture above the station.

On the use of the GRACE normal equation of inter-satellite tracking data for estimation of soil moisture and groundwater in Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Tangdamrongsub

2018-03-01

Full Text Available An accurate estimation of soil moisture and groundwater is essential for monitoring the availability of water supply in domestic and agricultural sectors. In order to improve the water storage estimates, previous studies assimilated terrestrial water storage variation (ΔTWS derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE into land surface models (LSMs. However, the GRACE-derived ΔTWS was generally computed from the high-level products (e.g. time-variable gravity fields, i.e. level 2, and land grid from the level 3 product. The gridded data products are subjected to several drawbacks such as signal attenuation and/or distortion caused by a posteriori filters and a lack of error covariance information. The post-processing of GRACE data might lead to the undesired alteration of the signal and its statistical property. This study uses the GRACE least-squares normal equation data to exploit the GRACE information rigorously and negate these limitations. Our approach combines GRACE's least-squares normal equation (obtained from ITSG-Grace2016 product with the results from the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE model to improve soil moisture and groundwater estimates. This study demonstrates, for the first time, an importance of using the GRACE raw data. The GRACE-combined (GC approach is developed for optimal least-squares combination and the approach is applied to estimate the soil moisture and groundwater over 10 Australian river basins. The results are validated against the satellite soil moisture observation and the in situ groundwater data. Comparing to CABLE, we demonstrate the GC approach delivers evident improvement of water storage estimates, consistently from all basins, yielding better agreement on seasonal and inter-annual timescales. Significant improvement is found in groundwater storage while marginal improvement is observed in surface soil moisture estimates.

On the use of the GRACE normal equation of inter-satellite tracking data for estimation of soil moisture and groundwater in Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Tangdamrongsub, Natthachet; Han, Shin-Chan; Decker, Mark; Yeo, In-Young; Kim, Hyungjun

2018-03-01

An accurate estimation of soil moisture and groundwater is essential for monitoring the availability of water supply in domestic and agricultural sectors. In order to improve the water storage estimates, previous studies assimilated terrestrial water storage variation (ΔTWS) derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) into land surface models (LSMs). However, the GRACE-derived ΔTWS was generally computed from the high-level products (e.g. time-variable gravity fields, i.e. level 2, and land grid from the level 3 product). The gridded data products are subjected to several drawbacks such as signal attenuation and/or distortion caused by a posteriori filters and a lack of error covariance information. The post-processing of GRACE data might lead to the undesired alteration of the signal and its statistical property. This study uses the GRACE least-squares normal equation data to exploit the GRACE information rigorously and negate these limitations. Our approach combines GRACE's least-squares normal equation (obtained from ITSG-Grace2016 product) with the results from the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) model to improve soil moisture and groundwater estimates. This study demonstrates, for the first time, an importance of using the GRACE raw data. The GRACE-combined (GC) approach is developed for optimal least-squares combination and the approach is applied to estimate the soil moisture and groundwater over 10 Australian river basins. The results are validated against the satellite soil moisture observation and the in situ groundwater data. Comparing to CABLE, we demonstrate the GC approach delivers evident improvement of water storage estimates, consistently from all basins, yielding better agreement on seasonal and inter-annual timescales. Significant improvement is found in groundwater storage while marginal improvement is observed in surface soil moisture estimates.

Analysis of Groundwater Anomalies Estimated by GRACE and GLDAS Satellite-based Hydrological Model in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Lotfata, A.; Ambinakudige, S.

2017-12-01

Coastal regions face a higher risk of flooding. A rise in sea-level increases flooding chances in low-lying areas. A major concern is the effect of sea-level rise on the depth of the fresh water/salt water interface in the aquifers of the coastal regions. A sea-level change rise impacts the hydrological system of the aquifers. Salt water intrusion into fresh water aquifers increase water table levels. Flooding prone areas in the coast are at a higher risk of salt water intrusion. The Gulf coast is one of the most vulnerable flood areas due to its natural weather patterns. There is not yet a local assessment of the relation between groundwater level and sea-level rising. This study investigates the projected sea-level rise models and the anomalous groundwater level during January 2002 to December 2016. We used the NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) satellite data in the analysis. We accounted the leakage error and the measurement error in GRACE data. GLDAS data was used to calculate the groundwater storage from the total water storage estimated using GRACE data (ΔGW=ΔTWS (soil moisture, surface water, groundwater, and canopy water) - ΔGLDAS (soil moisture, surface water, and canopy water)). The preliminary results indicate that the total water storage is increasing in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. GRACE data show high soil wetness and groundwater levels in Mississippi, Alabama and Texas coasts. Because sea-level rise increases the probability of flooding in the Gulf coast and affects the groundwater, we will analyze probable interactions between sea-level rise and groundwater in the study area. To understand regional sea-level rise patterns, we will investigate GRACE Ocean data along the Gulf coasts. We will quantify ocean total water storage, its salinity, and its relationship with the groundwater level variations in the Gulf coast.

A Feynman graph selection tool in GRACE system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuasa, Fukuko; Ishikawa, Tadashi; Kaneko, Toshiaki

2001-01-01

We present a Feynman graph selection tool grcsel, which is an interpreter written in C language. In the framework of GRACE, it enables us to get a subset of Feynman graphs according to given conditions

The fosfomycin resistance gene fosB3 is located on a transferable, extrachromosomal circular intermediate in clinical Enterococcus faecium isolates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaogang Xu

Full Text Available Some VanM-type vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates from China are also resistant to fosfomycin. To investigate the mechanism of fosfomycin resistance in these clinical isolates, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, filter-mating, Illumina/Solexa sequencing, inverse PCR and fosfomycin resistance gene cloning were performed. Three E. faecium clinical isolates were highly resistant to fosfomycin and vancomycin with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs >1024 µg/ml and >256 µg/ml, respectively. The fosfomycin and vancomycin resistance of these strains could be co-transferred by conjugation. They carried a fosfomycin resistance gene fosB encoding a protein differing by one or two amino acids from FosB, which is encoded on staphylococcal plasmids. Accordingly, the gene was designated fosB3. The fosB3 gene was cloned into pMD19-T, and transformed into E. coli DH5α. The fosfomycin MIC for transformants with fosB3 was 750-fold higher than transformants without fosB3. The fosB3 gene could be transferred by an extrachromosomal circular intermediate. The results indicate that the fosB3 gene is transferable, can mediate high level fosfomycin resistance in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and can be located on a circular intermediate.

Status and Assessments of CSR GRACE Level-2 Data Products

Science.gov (United States)

Bettadpur, Srinivas; Kang, Zhigui; Nagel, Peter; Pastor, Rick; Poole, Steve; Ries, John; Save, Himanshu

2015-04-01

The joint NASA/DLR GRACE mission has successfully operated for more than 13 years, and has provided a remarkable record of global mass flux due to a large variety of geophysical and climate processes at various spatio-temporal scales. The University of Texas Center for Space Research (CSR) hosts the mission PI, and is responsible for delivery of operational (presently denoted as Release-05 or RL05) gravity field data products. In addition, CSR generates and distributes a variety of other gravity field data products, including products generated from the use of satellite laser ranging data. This poster will provide an overview of all these data products, their relative quality, potential applications, and future plans for their development and delivery.

Monte Carlo cross section testing for thermal and intermediate 235U/238U critical assemblies, ENDF/B-V vs ENDF/B-VI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinman, J.P.

1997-06-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the eigenvalue sensitivity to changes in ENDF/B-V and ENDF/B-VI cross section data sets by comparing RACER vectorized Monte Carlo calculations for several thermal and intermediate spectrum critical experiments. Nineteen Oak Ridge and Rocky Flats thermal solution benchmark critical assemblies that span a range of hydrogen-to- 235 U (H/U) concentrations (2052 to 27.1) and above-thermal neutron leakage fractions (0.555 to 0.011) were analyzed. In addition, three intermediate spectrum critical assemblies (UH3-UR, UH3-NI, and HISS-HUG) were studied

Global evaluation of new GRACE mascon products for hydrologic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlon, Bridget R.; Zhang, Zizhan; Save, Himanshu; Wiese, David N.; Landerer, Felix W.; Long, Di; Longuevergne, Laurent; Chen, Jianli

2016-12-01

Recent developments in mascon (mass concentration) solutions for GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data have significantly increased the spatial localization and amplitude of recovered terrestrial Total Water Storage anomalies (TWSA); however, land hydrology applications have been limited. Here we compare TWSA from April 2002 through March 2015 from (1) newly released GRACE mascons from the Center for Space Research (CSR-M) with (2) NASA JPL mascons (JPL-M), and with (3) CSR Tellus gridded spherical harmonics rescaled (sf) (CSRT-GSH.sf) in 176 river basins, ˜60% of the global land area. Time series in TWSA mascons (CSR-M and JPL-M) and spherical harmonics are highly correlated (rank correlation coefficients mostly >0.9). The signal from long-term trends (up to ±20 mm/yr) is much less than that from seasonal amplitudes (up to 250 mm). Net long-term trends, summed over all 176 basins, are similar for CSR and JPL mascons (66-69 km3/yr) but are lower for spherical harmonics (˜14 km3/yr). Long-term TWSA declines are found mostly in irrigated basins (-41 to -69 km3/yr). Seasonal amplitudes agree among GRACE solutions, increasing confidence in GRACE-based seasonal fluctuations. Rescaling spherical harmonics significantly increases agreement with mascons for seasonal fluctuations, but less for long-term trends. Mascons provide advantages relative to spherical harmonics, including (1) reduced leakage from land to ocean increasing signal amplitude, and (2) application of geophysical data constraints during processing with little empirical postprocessing requirements, making it easier for nongeodetic users. Results of this product intercomparison should allow hydrologists to better select suitable GRACE solutions for hydrologic applications.

Revisiting global mean sea level budget closure : Preliminary results from an integrative study within ESA's Climate Change Initiative -Sea level Budget Closure-Climate Change Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Palanisamy, H.; Cazenave, A. A.

2017-12-01

The global mean sea level budget is revisited over two time periods: the entire altimetry era, 1993-2015 and the Argo/GRACE era, 2003-2015 using the version '0' of sea level components estimated by the SLBC-CCI teams. The SLBC-CCI is an European Space Agency's project on sea level budget closure using CCI products. Over the entire altimetry era, the sea level budget was performed as the sum of steric and mass components that include contributions from total land water storage, glaciers, ice sheets (Greenland and Antarctica) and total water vapor content. Over the Argo/GRACE era, it was performed as the sum of steric and GRACE based ocean mass. Preliminary budget analysis performed over the altimetry era (1993-2015) results in a trend value of 2.83 mm/yr. On comparison with the observed altimetry-based global mean sea level trend over the same period (3.03 ± 0.5 mm/yr), we obtain a residual of 0.2 mm/yr. In spite of a residual of 0.2 mm/yr, the sea level budget result obtained over the altimetry era is very promising as this has been performed using the version '0' of the sea level components. Furthermore, uncertainties are not yet included in this study as uncertainty estimation for each sea level component is currently underway. Over the Argo/GRACE era (2003-2015), the trend estimated from the sum of steric and GRACE ocean mass amounts to 2.63 mm/yr while that observed by satellite altimetry is 3.37 mm/yr, thereby leaving a residual of 0.7 mm/yr. Here an ensemble GRACE ocean mass data (mean of various available GRACE ocean mass data) was used for the estimation. Using individual GRACE data results in a residual range of 0.5 mm/yr -1.1 mm/yr. Investigations are under way to determine the cause of the vast difference between the observed sea level and the sea level obtained from steric and GRACE ocean mass. One main suspect is the impact of GRACE data gaps on sea level budget analysis due to lack of GRACE data over several months since 2011. The current action plan

Experimental study on intermediate level radioactive waste processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagakura, Tadashi; Abe, Hirotoshi; Okazawa, Takao; Hattori, Seiichi; Maki, Yasuro

1977-01-01

In the disposal of intermediate level radioactive wastes, multilayer package will be adopted. The multilayer package consists of cement-solidified waste and a container such as a drum - can with concrete liner or a concrete container. So, on the waste to be cement-solidified in such container, experimental study was carried out as follows. (1) Cement-solidification method. (2) Mechanical behaviour of cement-solidified waste. The mechanical behaviour of the containers was studied by the finite element method and experiment, and the function of pressure-balancing valves was also studied. The following data on processing intermediate level radioactive wastes were obtained. (1) In the case of cement-solidified waste, the data to select the suitable solidifying material and the standard mixing proportion were determined. (2) The basic data concerning the uniaxial compressive strength of cement-solidified waste, the mechanical behaviour of cement-solidified waste packed in a drum under high hydrostatic pressure, the shock response of cement-solidified waste at the time of falling and so on were obtained. (3) The pressure-balancing valves worked at about 0.5 Kg/cm 2 pressure difference inside and outside a container, and the deformation of a drum cover was 10 to 13 mm. In case of the pressure difference less than 0,5 Kg/cm 2 , the valves shut, and water flow did occur. (auth.)

Grace and Courtesy in the Elementary Community

Science.gov (United States)

Huneke-Stone, Elise

2015-01-01

Don't be fooled by Elise Huneke-Stone's disarming beginning where she implies that grace and courtesy is not normally associated with the elementary. She goes on to elaborate that grace and courtesy is indeed everywhere: in project-based learning, understanding of moral precepts, social and intellectual independence, in the utilization of empathy,…

GRace: a MATLAB-based application for fitting the discrimination-association model.

Science.gov (United States)

Stefanutti, Luca; Vianello, Michelangelo; Anselmi, Pasquale; Robusto, Egidio

2014-10-28

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a computerized two-choice discrimination task in which stimuli have to be categorized as belonging to target categories or attribute categories by pressing, as quickly and accurately as possible, one of two response keys. The discrimination association model has been recently proposed for the analysis of reaction time and accuracy of an individual respondent to the IAT. The model disentangles the influences of three qualitatively different components on the responses to the IAT: stimuli discrimination, automatic association, and termination criterion. The article presents General Race (GRace), a MATLAB-based application for fitting the discrimination association model to IAT data. GRace has been developed for Windows as a standalone application. It is user-friendly and does not require any programming experience. The use of GRace is illustrated on the data of a Coca Cola-Pepsi Cola IAT, and the results of the analysis are interpreted and discussed.

Deep geologic repository for low and intermediate radioactive level waste in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jianqin; Li Honghui; Sun Qinghong; Yang Zhongtian

2012-01-01

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is undergoing a project for the long-term management of low and intermediate level waste (LILW)-a deep geologic repository (DGR) project for low and intermediate level waste. The waste source term disposed, geologic setting, repository layout and operation, and safety assessment are discussed. It is expected to provide reference for disposal of low and intermediate level waste that contain the higher concentration of long-lived radionuclides in China. (authors)

Using GRACE to constrain precipitation amount over cold mountainous basins

Science.gov (United States)

Behrangi, Ali; Gardner, Alex S.; Reager, John T.; Fisher, Joshua B.

2017-01-01

Despite the importance for hydrology and climate-change studies, current quantitative knowledge on the amount and distribution of precipitation in mountainous and high-elevation regions is limited due to instrumental and retrieval shortcomings. Here by focusing on two large endorheic basins in High Mountain Asia, we show that satellite gravimetry (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)) can be used to provide an independent estimate of monthly accumulated precipitation using mass balance equation. Results showed that the GRACE-based precipitation estimate has the highest agreement with most of the commonly used precipitation products in summer, but it deviates from them in cold months, when the other products are expected to have larger errors. It was found that most of the products capture about or less than 50% of the total precipitation estimated using GRACE in winter. Overall, Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) showed better agreement with GRACE estimate than other products. Yet on average GRACE showed 30% more annual precipitation than GPCP in the study basins. In basins of appropriate size with an absence of dense ground measurements, as is a typical case in cold mountainous regions, we find GRACE can be a viable alternative to constrain monthly and seasonal precipitation estimates from other remotely sensed precipitation products that show large bias.

Ocean Bottom Pressure Seasonal Cycles and Decadal Trends from GRACE Release-05: Ocean Circulation Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, G. C.; Chambers, D. P.

2013-12-01

Ocean mass variations are important for diagnosing sea level budgets, the hydrological cycle and global energy budget, as well as ocean circulation variability. Here seasonal cycles and decadal trends of ocean mass from January 2003 to December 2012, both global and regional, are analyzed using GRACE Release 05 data. The trend of global flux of mass into the ocean approaches 2 cm decade-1 in equivalent sea level rise. Regional trends are of similar magnitude, with the North Pacific, South Atlantic, and South Indian oceans generally gaining mass and other regions losing mass. These trends suggest a spin-down of the North Pacific western boundary current extension and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the South Atlantic and South Indian oceans. The global average seasonal cycle of ocean mass is about 1 cm in amplitude, with a maximum in early October and volume fluxes in and out of the ocean reaching 0.5 Sv (1 Sv = 1 × 106 m3 s-1) when integrated over the area analyzed here. Regional patterns of seasonal ocean mass change have typical amplitudes of 1-4 cm, and include maxima in the subtropics and minima in the subpolar regions in hemispheric winters. The subtropical mass gains and subpolar mass losses in the winter spin up both subtropical and subpolar gyres, hence the western boundary current extensions. Seasonal variations in these currents are order 10 Sv, but since the associated depth-averaged current variations are only order 0.1 cm s-1, they would be difficult to detect using in situ oceanographic instruments. a) Amplitude (colors, in cm) and b) phase (colors, in months of the year) of an annual harmonic fit to monthly GRACE Release 05 CSR 500 km smoothed maps (concurrently with a trend and the semiannual harmonic). The 97.5% confidence interval for difference from zero is also indicated (solid black line). Data within 300 km of coastlines are not considered.

The calcium-modulated proteins, S100A1 and S100B, as potential regulators of the dynamics of type III intermediate filaments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Garbuglia

1999-10-01

Full Text Available The Ca2+-modulated, dimeric proteins of the EF-hand (helix-loop-helix type, S100A1 and S100B, that have been shown to inhibit microtubule (MT protein assembly and to promote MT disassembly, interact with the type III intermediate filament (IF subunits, desmin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, with a stoichiometry of 2 mol of IF subunit/mol of S100A1 or S100B dimer and an affinity of 0.5-1.0 µM in the presence of a few micromolar concentrations of Ca2+. Binding of S100A1 and S100B results in inhibition of desmin and GFAP assemblies into IFs and stimulation of the disassembly of preformed desmin and GFAP IFs. S100A1 and S100B interact with a stretch of residues in the N-terminal (head domain of desmin and GFAP, thereby blocking the head-to-tail process of IF elongation. The C-terminal extension of S100A1 (and, likely, S100B represents a critical part of the site that recognizes desmin and GFAP. S100B is localized to IFs within cells, suggesting that it might have a role in remodeling IFs upon elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration by avoiding excess IF assembly and/or promoting IF disassembly in vivo. S100A1, that is not localized to IFs, might also play a role in the regulation of IF dynamics by binding to and sequestering unassembled IF subunits. Together, these observations suggest that S100A1 and S100B may be regarded as Ca2+-dependent regulators of the state of assembly of two important elements of the cytoskeleton, IFs and MTs, and, potentially, of MT- and IF-based activities.

Global inter-annual gravity changes from GRACE: Early results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Hinderer, J.

2005-01-01

with an accuracy of 0.4 muGal corresponding to 9 mm water thickness on spatial scales longer than 1300 km. Four of the most widely used global hydrological models have been investigated for their spatial comparison with GRACE observations of inter-annual gravity field variations due to changes in continental water...... storage. The Global Land Data Assimilation System model has a spatial correlation coefficient with GRACE observations of 0.65 over the northern hemisphere. This demonstrates that the observed gravity field changes on these scales are largely related to changes in continental water storage.......Fifteen monthly gravity field solutions from the GRACE twin satellites launched more than two years ago have been studied to estimate gravity field changes between 2002 and 2003. The results demonstrate that GRACE is capable of capturing the changes in ground water on inter-annual scales...

GRACE storage-runoff hystereses reveal the dynamics of ...

Science.gov (United States)

Watersheds function as integrated systems where climate and geology govern the movement of water. In situ instrumentation can provide local-scale insights into the non-linear relationship between streamflow and water stored in a watershed as snow, soil moisture, and groundwater. However, there is a poor understanding of these processes at the regional scale—primarily because of our inability to measure water stores and fluxes in the subsurface. Now NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites quantify changes in the amount of water stored across and through the Earth, providing measurements of regional hydrologic behavior. Here we apply GRACE data to characterize for the first time how regional watersheds function as simple, dynamic systems through a series of hysteresis loops. While the physical processes underlying the loops are inherently complex, the vertical integration of terrestrial water in the GRACE signal provides process-based insights into the dynamic and non-linear function of regional-scale watersheds. We use this process-based understanding with GRACE data to effectively forecast seasonal runoff (mean R2 of 0.91) and monthly runoff (mean R2 of 0.77) in three regional-scale watersheds (>150,000 km2) of the Columbia River Basin, USA. Data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites provide a novel dataset for understanding changes in the amount of water stored across and through the surface of the Ear

Canova's 'The Three Graces'

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marković Kamenko M.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Antonio Canova (1757-1822, the epitome of the neo-classical style, was born in a small village Passagno in the province of Treviso. At the age of fourteen he started learning sculpture in Venice; at first, he was placed under Giovanni Bernardi and, later on, under Giovanni Ferrari. After he had established himself as a sculptor, he moved to Rome, the city of classisists in which he would later achieve a worldwide fame. The highest level of his art were the statues of naked women which exposed a new type of female beauty as well as a new poetic style based on the beauty conceived in ancient Greece. This work gives a story of one of Canova's unknown pieces. It is about a group of marble statues 'The Three Graces' which can be found in the Regional Museum of Art in Craiova. Not even a word has it been written referring to this particular sculpture in Romania. These are the first words about this piece of art, placed somewhere out of sight at a dark corner of the museum only because they do not possess any valid documentation concerning its purchase. Only the signature was left on it by the author; however, it is certain that it came to life a few years after he moved to London. The sculpture might have been made (around 1820 four or five years prior to his first marble group of statues 'The Three Graces' standing in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Insights into the Earth System mass variability from CSR-RL05 GRACE gravity fields

Science.gov (United States)

Bettadpur, S.

2012-04-01

The next-generation Release-05 GRACE gravity field data products are the result of extensive effort applied to the improvements to the GRACE Level-1 (tracking) data products, and to improvements in the background gravity models and processing methodology. As a result, the squared-error upper-bound in RL05 fields is half or less than the squared-error upper-bound in RL04 fields. The CSR-RL05 field release consists of unconstrained gravity fields as well as a regularized gravity field time-series that can be used for several applications without any post-processing error reduction. This paper will describe the background and the nature of these improvements in the data products, and provide an error characterization. We will describe the insights these new series offer in measuring the mass flux due to diverse Hydrologic, Oceanographic and Cryospheric processes.

Preliminary Results from Powell Research Group on Integrating GRACE Satellite and Ground-based Estimates of Groundwater Storage Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlon, B. R.; Zhang, Z.; Reitz, M.; Rodell, M.; Sanford, W. E.; Save, H.; Wiese, D. N.; Croteau, M. J.; McGuire, V. L.; Pool, D. R.; Faunt, C. C.; Zell, W.

2017-12-01

Groundwater storage depletion is a critical issue for many of the major aquifers in the U.S., particularly during intense droughts. GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite-based estimates of groundwater storage changes have attracted considerable media attention in the U.S. and globally and interest in GRACE products continues to increase. For this reason, a Powell Research Group was formed to: (1) Assess variations in groundwater storage using a variety of GRACE products and other storage components (snow, surface water, and soil moisture) for major aquifers in the U.S., (2) Quantify long-term trends in groundwater storage from ground-based monitoring and regional and national modeling, and (3) Use ground-based monitoring and modeling to interpret GRACE water storage changes within the context of extreme droughts and over-exploitation of groundwater. The group now has preliminary estimates from long-term trends and seasonal fluctuations in water storage using different GRACE solutions, including CSR, JPL and GSFC. Approaches to quantifying uncertainties in GRACE data are included. This work also shows how GRACE sees groundwater depletion in unconfined versus confined aquifers, and plans for future work will link GRACE data to regional groundwater models. The wealth of ground-based observations for the U.S. provides a unique opportunity to assess the reliability of GRACE-based estimates of groundwater storage changes.

Analysis of Seasonal Variability in Gulf of Alaska Glacier Mass Balance using GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Arendt, A. A.; Luthcke, S. B.; Oneel, S.; Gardner, A. S.; Hill, D. F.

2011-12-01

Mass variations of glaciers in Alaska/northwestern Canada must be quantified in order to assess impacts on ecosystems, human infrastructure, and global sea level. Here we combine Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations with a wide range of satellite and field data to investigate drivers of these recent changes, with a focus on seasonal variations. Our central focus will be the exceptionally high mass losses of 2009, which do not correlate with weather station temperature and precipitation data, but may be linked to ash fall from the March 31, 2009 eruption of Mt. Redoubt. The eruption resulted in a significant decrease in MODIS-derived surface albedo over many Alaska glacier regions, and likely contributed to some of the 2009 anomalous mass loss observed by GRACE. We also focus on the Juneau and Stikine Icefield regions that are far from the volcanic eruption but experienced the largest mass losses of any region in 2009. Although rapid drawdown of tidewater glaciers was occurring in southeast Alaska during 2009, we show these changes were probably not sufficiently widespread to explain all of the GRACE signal in those regions. We examine additional field and satellite datasets to quantify potential errors in the climate and GRACE fields that could result in the observed discrepancy.

Project Guarantee 1985. Repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste: construction and operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1985-01-01

A constructional engineering project study aimed at clarification of the feasibility of a repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (type B repository) has been carried out; the study is based on a model data-set derived from the geological, rock mechanical and topographical characterictics of one of Nagra's planned exploration areas. Final storage is effected in subterranean rock caverns accessed by horizontal tunnel. The reception area also is sited below the surface. Storage is conceived in such a way that, after closure of the repository, maintenance and supervision can be dispensed with and a guarantee of high long-term safety can nevertheless be provided. The envisaged repository consists of an entry tunnel for road vehicles and a reception area with a series of caverns for receiving waste, for additional technical facilities and for the production of the concrete back-fill material. The connecting tunnel is serviced by a tunnel railway and the actual repository area consists of several storage caverns. The repository is intended to accomodate a total of 200'000 m3 of solidified low- and intermediate-level waste. Valanginian marl is assumed as the host rock, although it would also be basically possible to house the proposed installations in other host rocks. The excavated material will total around 1'000'000 m3. The construction time for the whole installation is estimated as about 7 years and a working team of around 30 people will be required for the estimated 60-year operational duration. The project described in the present report justifies the conclusion that construction of a repository for low-and intermediate-level radioactive waste is feasible with present-day technology. This conclusion takes into consideration quantitative and operational constraints as well as geological and hydrogeological data relevant to constructional engineering. The latter are derived from a model data-set based on a specific locality

On Graceful Spider Graphs with at Most Four Legs of Lengths Greater than One

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A. Panpa

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A graceful labeling of a tree T with n edges is a bijection f:V(T→{0,1,2,…,n} such that {|f(u-f(v|:uv∈E(T} equal to {1,2,…,n}. A spider graph is a tree with at most one vertex of degree greater than 2. We show that all spider graphs with at most four legs of lengths greater than one admit graceful labeling.

Storage for low-level and intermediate-level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-11-01

The objective of this report was to assess whether three nominated sites in Norway for underground storage of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive wastes would comply with safety standards and applicable laws and regulations. The site selection criteria are described and the report evaluates the technical, environmental and socio-economic suitability of the different sites. The site selection process eliminated two of the nominated sites, whereas one site was singled out. 28 refs., 14 figs., 10 tabs

Sensitivity of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to the complexity of aquifer systems for monitoring of groundwater

Science.gov (United States)

Katpatal, Yashwant B.; Rishma, C.; Singh, Chandan K.

2018-05-01

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission is aimed at assessment of groundwater storage under different terrestrial conditions. The main objective of the presented study is to highlight the significance of aquifer complexity to improve the performance of GRACE in monitoring groundwater. Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, central India, was selected as the study area for analysis, since the region comprises a simple aquifer system in the western region and a complex aquifer system in the eastern region. Groundwater-level-trend analyses of the different aquifer systems and spatial and temporal variation of the terrestrial water storage anomaly were studied to understand the groundwater scenario. GRACE and its field application involve selecting four pixels from the GRACE output with different aquifer systems, where each GRACE pixel encompasses 50-90 monitoring wells. Groundwater storage anomalies (GWSA) are derived for each pixel for the period 2002 to 2015 using the Release 05 (RL05) monthly GRACE gravity models and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) land-surface models (GWSAGRACE) as well as the actual field data (GWSAActual). Correlation analysis between GWSAGRACE and GWSAActual was performed using linear regression. The Pearson and Spearman methods show that the performance of GRACE is good in the region with simple aquifers; however, performance is poorer in the region with multiple aquifer systems. The study highlights the importance of incorporating the sensitivity of GRACE in estimation of groundwater storage in complex aquifer systems in future studies.

Progress on the national low level radioactive waste repository and national intermediate level waste store

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkins, C.

2003-01-01

The Australian Government is committed to establishing two purpose-built facilities for the management of Australia's radioactive waste; the national repository for disposal of low level and short-lived intermediate level ('low level') waste, and the national store for storage of long-lived intermediate level ('intermediate level') waste. It is strongly in the interests of public security and safety to secure radioactive waste by disposal or storage in facilities specially designed for this purpose. The current arrangements where waste is stored under ad hoc arrangements at hundreds of sites around Australia does not represent international best practice in radioactive waste management. Environmental approval has been obtained for the national repository to be located at Site 40a, 20 km east of Woomera in South Australia, and licences are currently being sought from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) to site, construct and operate the facility. The national repository may be operating in 2004 subject to obtaining the required licences. The national store will be located on Australian Government land and house intermediate level waste produced by Australian Government departments and agencies. The national store will not be located in South Australia. Short-listing of potentially suitable sites is expected to be completed soon

Global models underestimate large decadal declining and rising water storage trends relative to GRACE satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlon, Bridget R.; Zhang, Zizhan; Save, Himanshu; Sun, Alexander Y.; van Beek, Ludovicus P. H.; Wiese, David N.; Reedy, Robert C.; Longuevergne, Laurent; Döll, Petra; Bierkens, Marc F. P.

2018-01-01

Assessing reliability of global models is critical because of increasing reliance on these models to address past and projected future climate and human stresses on global water resources. Here, we evaluate model reliability based on a comprehensive comparison of decadal trends (2002–2014) in land water storage from seven global models (WGHM, PCR-GLOBWB, GLDAS NOAH, MOSAIC, VIC, CLM, and CLSM) to trends from three Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite solutions in 186 river basins (∼60% of global land area). Medians of modeled basin water storage trends greatly underestimate GRACE-derived large decreasing (≤−0.5 km3/y) and increasing (≥0.5 km3/y) trends. Decreasing trends from GRACE are mostly related to human use (irrigation) and climate variations, whereas increasing trends reflect climate variations. For example, in the Amazon, GRACE estimates a large increasing trend of ∼43 km3/y, whereas most models estimate decreasing trends (−71 to 11 km3/y). Land water storage trends, summed over all basins, are positive for GRACE (∼71–82 km3/y) but negative for models (−450 to −12 km3/y), contributing opposing trends to global mean sea level change. Impacts of climate forcing on decadal land water storage trends exceed those of modeled human intervention by about a factor of 2. The model-GRACE comparison highlights potential areas of future model development, particularly simulated water storage. The inability of models to capture large decadal water storage trends based on GRACE indicates that model projections of climate and human-induced water storage changes may be underestimated. PMID:29358394

Constraining precipitation amount and distribution over cold regions using GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Behrangi, A.; Reager, J. T., II; Gardner, A. S.; Fisher, J.

2017-12-01

Current quantitative knowledge on the amount and distribution of precipitation in high-elevation and high latitude regions is limited due to instrumental and retrieval shortcomings. Here we demonstrate how that satellite gravimetry (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, GRACE) can be used to provide an independent estimate of monthly accumulated precipitation using mass balance. Results showed that the GRACE-based precipitation estimate has the highest agreement with most of the commonly used precipitation products in summer, but it deviates from them in cold months, when the other products are expected to have larger error. We also observed that as near surface temperature decreases products tend to underestimate accumulated precipitation retrieved from GRACE. The analysis performed using various products such as GPCP, GPCC, TRMM, and gridded station data over vast regions in high latitudes and two large endorheic basins in High Mountain Asia. Based on the analysis over High Mountain Asia it was found that most of the products capture about or less than 50% of the total precipitation estimated using GRACE in winter. Overall, GPCP showed better agreement with GRACE estimate than other products. Yet on average GRACE showed 30% more annual precipitation than GPCP in the study basin.

Capital Grace of the Word Incarnate According to Saint Thomas Aquinas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Marie Siemering

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The doctrine of capital grace was developed during the Scholastic period and bears on many areas of theology including ecclesiology, Christology, sacraments, and Trinitarian theology with regard to the missions of the Word and the Holy Spirit. Viewed from a Christological standpoint, capital grace sheds light on how Christ in his human nature can be said to be a source of grace to the members of the Church. Following his contemporaries, the young Thomas Aquinas espoused a view in which Christ is a meritorious, ministerial, and dispositive cause of grace according to his human nature, and an efficient cause according to his divinity. After a deeper reading of John Damascene’s treatment of Christ’s humanity being an instrument of his divinity, Thomas was able to articulate a view in which Christ’s human nature is an instrumental efficient cause of grace. This view undergirds Aquinas’s strong conception of Christ as one acting person in two natures.

EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing, Version 2.2

Science.gov (United States)

Perun, Vincent; Jarnot, Robert; Pickett, Herbert; Cofield, Richard; Schwartz, Michael; Wagner, Paul

2009-01-01

A computer program performs level- 1B processing (the term 1B is explained below) of data from observations of the limb of the Earth by the Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), which is an instrument aboard the Aura spacecraft. This software accepts, as input, the raw EOS MLS scientific and engineering data and the Aura spacecraft ephemeris and attitude data. Its output consists of calibrated instrument radiances and associated engineering and diagnostic data. [This software is one of several computer programs, denoted product generation executives (PGEs), for processing EOS MLS data. Starting from level 0 (representing the aforementioned raw data, the PGEs and their data products are denoted by alphanumeric labels (e.g., 1B and 2) that signify the successive stages of processing.] At the time of this reporting, this software is at version 2.2 and incorporates improvements over a prior version that make the code more robust, improve calibration, provide more diagnostic outputs, improve the interface with the Level 2 PGE, and effect a 15-percent reduction in file sizes by use of data compression.

Colloids related to low level and intermediate level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsay, J.D.F.; Russell, P.J.; Avery, R.G.

1991-03-01

A comprehensive investigation has been undertaken to improve the understanding of the potential role of colloids in the context of disposal and storage of low and intermediate level waste immobilised in cement. Several topics have been investigated using a wide range of advanced physico-chemical and analytical techniques. These include: (a) the study of formation and characteristics of colloids in cement leachates, (b) the effects of the near-field aqueous chemistry on the characteristics of colloids in repository environments, (c) colloid sorption behaviour, (d) interactions of near-field materials with leachates, and (e) preliminary assessment of colloid migration behaviour. It has been shown that the generation of colloids in cement leachates can arise from a process of nucleation and growth leading to an amorphous phase which is predominantly calcium silicate hydrate. Such colloidal material has a capacity for association with polyvalent rare earths and actinides and these may be significant in the source term and processes involving radionuclide retention in the near field. It has also been shown that the near-field aqueous chemistry (pH, Ca 2+ concentration) has a marked effect on colloid behaviour (deposition and stability). A mechanistic approach to predict colloid sorption affinity has been developed which highlights the importance of colloid characteristics and the nature of the ionic species. (author)

Intermediate-Level Knowledge in Child-Computer Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barendregt, Wolmet; Torgersson, Olof; Eriksson, Eva

2017-01-01

Based on an analysis of all papers at IDC from 2003 to 2016 this paper urges the Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) field to start formulating intermediate-level knowledge, in the form of e.g. strong concepts. Our analysis showed that 40% of all papers at the Interaction Design and Children...... conference presents the design of an artefact accompanied by an evaluation (to which we will refer as 'artefact-centered' papers). While exploring the design space in the form of artefacts is important and valuable, it can be argued that those artefact-centered papers generally make a smaller contribution...... to the field as a whole, which is also visible in the number of citations to such papers in comparison to the number of citations to other kinds of papers. As a first step towards more intermediate-level knowledge, we have thus attempted to formulate and ground three suggestions for strong concepts in CCI...

Progress on the national low level radioactive waste repository and national intermediate level waste store

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkins, C.

2001-01-01

Over the last few years, significant progress has been made towards siting national, purpose-built facilities for Australian radioactive waste. In 2001, after an eight year search, a preferred site and two alternatives were identified in central-north South Australia for a near-surface repository for Australian low level (low level and short-lived intermediate level) radioactive waste. Site 52a at Everts Field West on the Woomera Prohibited Area was selected as the preferred site as it performs best against the selection criteria, particularly with respect to geology, ground water, transport and security. Two alternative sites, Site 45a and Site 40a, east of the Woomera-Roxby Downs Road, were also found to be highly suitable for the siting of the national repository. A project has commenced to site a national store for intermediate (long-lived intermediate level) radioactive waste on Commonwealth land for waste produced by Commonwealth agencies. Public input has been sought on relevant selection criteria

Predictive power of the grace score in population with diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Baeza-Román, Anna; de Miguel-Balsa, Eva; Latour-Pérez, Jaime; Carrillo-López, Andrés

2017-12-01

Current clinical practice guidelines recommend risk stratification in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) upon admission to hospital. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is widely recognized as an independent predictor of mortality in these patients, although it is not included in the GRACE risk score. The objective of this study is to validate the GRACE risk score in a contemporary population and particularly in the subgroup of patients with diabetes, and to test the effects of including the DM variable in the model. Retrospective cohort study in patients included in the ARIAM-SEMICYUC registry, with a diagnosis of ACS and with available in-hospital mortality data. We tested the predictive power of the GRACE score, calculating the area under the ROC curve. We assessed the calibration of the score and the predictive ability based on type of ACS and the presence of DM. Finally, we evaluated the effect of including the DM variable in the model by calculating the net reclassification improvement. The GRACE score shows good predictive power for hospital mortality in the study population, with a moderate degree of calibration and no significant differences based on ACS type or the presence of DM. Including DM as a variable did not add any predictive value to the GRACE model. The GRACE score has an appropriate predictive power, with good calibration and clinical applicability in the subgroup of diabetic patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

In between St. Augustine and Luther: Grace and justification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael M. Ramos

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The view presented in this study emphasized grace as a cause of spiritual strength and justification of man. In understanding the deep meaning and nature of grace, this paper analyzes the formations given on the subject by two great minds, St. Augustine and Martin Luther. Because of the great influence of their work on the theology of grace and justification, this paper attempts to seek whether man’s understanding and belief of prudence would mean nothing at all, that any good that he will perform on his behalf would do nothing for his own justification. Thus it raises the question on the purpose of man’s freedom if his proprium is nothing and that divine prudence is the source of everything good. This led to the idea that grace is the primary energy source of man to make good, not by his own, but by divine prudence to obtain justification. Therefore, in this sense there is nothing good in man.

Valence, magnetism and conduction in the intermediate valence compounds: the case SmB6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derr, J.

2006-09-01

In some rare earth based compounds, the 4f level is situated so close to the Fermi level that the valence of the compound can become intermediate between two integer values. The so called 'intermediate valence' compound of Samarium hexaboride (SmB 6 ) is one typical example of the exciting physics which can result from this quantum equilibrium between two valence configurations. The first configuration (Sm 2+ ) corresponds to an insulating and non magnetic state whereas the second one (Sm 3+ ) would theoretically give a magnetic and metallic ground state. This dissertation deals with the influence of pressure on this equilibrium. Specific heat measurements under pressure evidenced a new long range magnetic ordering for pressures higher than p c ∼ 10 GPa. On another hand, transport measurements measured for the first time in good conditions of hydrostatics found a reliable and reproducible critical pressure for the insulator to metal transition equal to p c . The phase diagram of SmB 6 is now well known and the observation for the first time of a magnetic anomaly in the high pressure resistivity curves certifies that the onset of the magnetic phase really coincide with the closure of the gap. This change at the critical pressure p c is discussed in a general frame taking into account the Kondo lattice temperature as a key parameter for the renormalization of the wavefunction from one integer configuration to the other whereas the valence itself is still intermediate. This general idea seems to be valid also for other systems studied in this dissertation like SmS or TmSe and could even be valid for more general cases (Ytterbium, Cerium). In the same time, resistivity measurements under uniaxial stress were undertaken. The result is a strong anisotropy effect observed on the pressure dependence of the residual resistivity in the compound SmB 6 . The comparison with the transport under hydrostatic conditions enables us to consider a new idea for the nature of the gap

PNGMDR - Characterisation of intermediate-level long-lived wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-12-01

This document presents the status of the characterization of intermediate-level long-lived wastes which are warehoused on exploited EDF sites or which will be produced during the deconstruction of first-generation reactors. It addresses aspects related to characterisation and packaging of wastes produced before 2015. More specifically, it addresses aspects related to contamination and to activation. Contamination is assessed by measurements whereas activation assessment is based on numerical simulations associated with measurements performed during parcel production. After having mentioned the concerned reactors, the document presents the methodology adopted for these assessments, and reports the progress status of the characterization process for these intermediate-level long-lived wastes

Determination of groundwater abstractions by means of GRACE data and Artificial Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Gemitzi, Alexandra; Tsagkarakis, Konstantinos; Lakshmi, Venkat

2017-04-01

The EU Water Framework Directive requires for each groundwater body the determination of annual average rates of abstraction from all points providing more than 10m3 per day as well as groundwater level monitoring, so as to ensure that the available groundwater resource is not exceeded by the long-term annual average rate of abstraction. In order to acquire such information in situ observation networks are necessary. However, there are cases, e.g. Greece where WFD monitoring programme has not yet become operational due to bureaucratic, socioeconomic and often political constraints. The present study aims at determining groundwater use at the aquifer scale by using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data coupled with readily available meteorological data. Traditionally, GRACE data have been used at the global and regional scale due to their coarse resolution and the difficulties in disaggregating the various Total Water Storage (TWS) components. Previous works have evaluated the subsurface anomalies (ΔGW), using supplementary data sets and hydrologic modeling results in order to disaggregate GRACE TWS anomalies into their various components. Recent works however, have shown that changes in groundwater storage are dominating the GRACE Total Water Storage (TWS) changes, therefore it was though reasonable to use changes in Grace derived TWS in order to quantify abstractions from a groundwater body. Statistical downscaling was performed using an Artificial Neural Network in the form a Multilayer Perceptron model, in conjunction with local meteorological data. An ensemble of 100 ANNs provided a means of quantifying uncertainty and improving generalization. The methodology was applied in Rhodope area (NE Greece) and proved to be an efficient way of downscaling GRACE data in order to estimate the monthly quantity of water extracted from a certain aquifer. Although our methodology does not aim at estimating abstractions at single points, it manages

REVIEW A SPACE FOR GRACE: TOWARDS AN AESTHETICS OF ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

REVIEW. A SPACE FOR. GRACE: TOWARDS. AN AESTHETICS OF. PREACHING ... Cilliers' views of space and time are clearly post-Einstein and post-. Hawking. .... in the step-by-step, week-in-week-out process of sermon preparation. The.

Assessment of studies and researches on warehousing - High-level and intermediate-level-long-lived radioactive wastes - December 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This large report first presents the approach adopted for the study and research on the warehousing of high-level and intermediate-level-long-lived radioactive wastes. It outlines how reversible storage and warehousing are complementary, discusses the lessons learned from researches performed by the CEA on long duration warehousing, presents the framework of studies and researches performed since 2006, and presents the scientific and technical content of studies and researches (warehousing need analysis, search for technical options providing complementarity with storage, extension or creation of warehousing installations). The second part addresses high-level and intermediate-level-long-lived radioactive waste parcels, indicates their origins and quantities. The third part proposes an analysis of warehousing capacities: existing capacities, French industrial experience in waste parcel warehousing, foreign experience in waste warehousing. The fourth part addresses reversible storage in deep geological formation: storage safety functions, storage reversibility, storage parcels, storage architecture, chronicle draft. The fifth part proposes an inventory of warehousing needs in terms of additional capacities for the both types of wastes (high-level, and intermediate-level-long-lived), and discusses warehousing functionalities and safety objectives. The sixth and seventh parts propose a detailed overview of design options for warehousing installations, respectively for high-level and for intermediate-level-long-lived waste parcels: main technical issues, feasibility studies of different concepts or architecture shapes, results of previous studies and introduction to studies performed since 2011, possible evolutions of the HA1, HA2 and MAVL concepts. The eighth chapter reports a phenomenological analysis of warehousing and the optimisation of material selection and construction arrangements. The last part discusses the application of researches to the extension of the

Integrating Enhanced Grace Terrestrial Water Storage Data Into the U.S. and North American Drought Monitors

Science.gov (United States)

Housborg, Rasmus; Rodell, Matthew

2010-01-01

NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites measure time variations nf the Earth's gravity field enabling reliable detection of spatio-temporal variations in total terrestrial water storage (TWS), including ground water. The U.S. and North American Drought Monitors are two of the premier drought monitoring products available to decision-makers for assessing and minimizing drought impacts, but they rely heavily on precipitation indices and do not currently incorporate systematic observations of deep soil moisture and groundwater storage conditions. Thus GRACE has great potential to improve the Drought Monitors hy filling this observational gap. Horizontal, vertical and temporal disaggregation of the coarse-resolution GRACE TWS data has been accomplished by assimilating GRACE TWS anomalies into the Catchment Land Surface Model using ensemble Kalman smoother. The Drought Monitors combine several short-term and long-term drought indices and indicators expressed in percentiles as a reference to their historical frequency of occurrence for the location and time of year in question. To be consistent, we are in the process of generating a climatology of estimated soil moisture and ground water based on m 60-year Catchment model simulation which will subsequently be used to convert seven years of GRACE assimilated fields into soil moisture and groundwater percentiles. for systematic incorporation into the objective blends that constitute Drought Monitor baselines. At this stage we provide a preliminary evaluation of GRACE assimilated Catchment model output against independent datasets including soil moisture observations from Aqua AMSR-E and groundwater level observations from the U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Climate Response Network.

Benefits and Pitfalls of GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Data Assimilation

Science.gov (United States)

Girotto, Manuela

2018-01-01

Satellite observations of terrestrial water storage (TWS) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission have a coarse resolution in time (monthly) and space (roughly 150,000 sq km at midlatitudes) and vertically integrate all water storage components over land, including soil moisture and groundwater. Nonetheless, data assimilation can be used to horizontally downscale and vertically partition GRACE-TWS observations. This presentation illustrates some of the benefits and drawbacks of assimilating TWS observations from GRACE into a land surface model over the continental United States and India. The assimilation scheme yields improved skill metrics for groundwater compared to the no-assimilation simulations. A smaller impact is seen for surface and root-zone soil moisture. Further, GRACE observes TWS depletion associated with anthropogenic groundwater extraction. Results from the assimilation emphasize the importance of representing anthropogenic processes in land surface modeling and data assimilation systems.

RACK1 downregulates levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Fem1b in apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Subauste, M Cecilia; Ventura-Holman, Tereza; Du, Liqin; Subauste, Jose S; Chan, Shing-Leng; Yu, Victor C; Maher, Joseph F

2009-12-01

Evasion of apoptosis plays an important role in colon cancer progression. Following loss of the Apc tumor suppressor gene in mice, the gene encoding Fem1b is upregulated early in neoplastic intestinal epithelium. Fem1b is a pro-apoptotic protein that interacts with Fas, TNFR1 and Apaf-1, and increased expression of Fem1b induces apoptosis of cancer cells. Fem1b is a homolog of FEM-1, a protein in Caenorhabditis elegans that is negatively regulated by ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. To study Fem1b regulation in colon cancer progression, we used apoptotis-sensitive SW480 cells, derived from a primary colon cancer, and their isogenic, apoptosis-resistant counterparts SW620 cells, derived from a subsequent metastatic lesion in the same patient. Treatment with proteasome inhibitor increased Fem1b protein levels in SW620 cells, but not in SW480 cells. In SW620 cells we found that endogenous Fem1b co-immunoprecipitates in complexes with RACK1, a protein known to mediate ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of other pro-apoptotic proteins and to be upregulated in colon cancer. Full-length Fem1b, or the N-terminal region of Fem1b, associated with RACK1 when co-expressed in HEK293T cells, and RACK1 stimulated ubiquitination of Fem1b. RACK1 overexpression in SW620 cells led to downregulation of Fem1b protein levels. Conversely, downregulation of RACK1 led to upregulation of Fem1b protein levels, associated with induction of apoptosis, and this apoptosis was inhibited by blocking Fem1b protein upregulation. In conclusion, RACK1 downregulates levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Fem1b in metastatic, apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells, which may promote apoptosis-resistance during progression of colon cancer.

Insights about data assimilation frameworks for integrating GRACE with hydrological models

Science.gov (United States)

Schumacher, Maike; Kusche, Jürgen; Van Dijk, Albert I. J. M.; Döll, Petra; Schuh, Wolf-Dieter

2016-04-01

Improving the understanding of changes in the water cycle represents a challenging objective that requires merging information from various disciplines. Debates exist on selecting an appropriate assimilation technique to integrate GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage changes (TWSC) into hydrological models in order to downscale and disaggregate GRACE TWSC, overcome model limitations, and improve monitoring and forecast skills. Yet, the effect of the specific data assimilation technique in conjunction with ill-conditioning, colored noise, resolution mismatch between GRACE and model, and other complications is still unclear. Due to its simplicity, ensemble Kalman filters or smoothers (EnKF/S) are often applied. In this study, we show that modification of the filter approach might open new avenues to improve the integration process. Particularly, we discuss an improved calibration and data assimilation (C/DA) framework (Schumacher et al., 2016), which is based on the EnKF and was extended by the square root analysis scheme (SQRA) and the singular evolutive interpolated Kalman (SEIK) filter. In addition, we discuss an off-line data blending approach (Van Dijk et al., 2014) that offers the chance to merge multi-model ensembles with GRACE observations. The investigations include: (i) a theoretical comparison, focusing on similarities and differences of the conceptual formulation of the filter algorithms, (ii) a practical comparison, for which the approaches were applied to an ensemble of runs of the WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model (WGHM), as well as (iii) an impact assessment of the GRACE error structure on C/DA results. First, a synthetic experiment over the Mississippi River Basin (USA) was used to gain insights about the C/DA set-up before applying it to real data. The results indicated promising performances when considering alternative methods, e.g. applying the SEIK algorithm improved the correlation coefficient and root mean square error (RMSE) of TWSC by 0.1

Comparison of precise orbit determination methods of zero-difference kinematic, dynamic and reduced-dynamic of GRACE-A satellite using SHORDE software

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kai; Zhou, Xuhua; Guo, Nannan; Zhao, Gang; Xu, Kexin; Lei, Weiwei

2017-09-01

Zero-difference kinematic, dynamic and reduced-dynamic precise orbit determination (POD) are three methods to obtain the precise orbits of Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEOs) by using the on-board GPS observations. Comparing the differences between those methods have great significance to establish the mathematical model and is usefull for us to select a suitable method to determine the orbit of the satellite. Based on the zero-difference GPS carrier-phase measurements, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) has improved the early version of SHORDE and then developed it as an integrated software system, which can perform the POD of LEOs by using the above three methods. In order to introduce the function of the software, we take the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) on-board GPS observations in January 2008 as example, then we compute the corresponding orbits of GRACE by using the SHORDE software. In order to evaluate the accuracy, we compare the orbits with the precise orbits provided by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The results show that: (1) If we use the dynamic POD method, and the force models are used to represent the non-conservative forces, the average accuracy of the GRACE orbit is 2.40cm, 3.91cm, 2.34cm and 5.17cm in radial (R), along-track (T), cross-track (N) and 3D directions respectively; If we use the accelerometer observation instead of non-conservative perturbation model, the average accuracy of the orbit is 1.82cm, 2.51cm, 3.48cm and 4.68cm in R, T, N and 3D directions respectively. The result shows that if we use accelerometer observation instead of the non-conservative perturbation model, the accuracy of orbit is better. (2) When we use the reduced-dynamic POD method to get the orbits, the average accuracy of the orbit is 0.80cm, 1.36cm, 2.38cm and 2.87cm in R, T, N and 3D directions respectively. This method is carried out by setting up the pseudo-stochastic pulses to absorb the errors of atmospheric drag and other

Monthly gravity field recovery from GRACE orbits and K-band measurements using variational equations approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changqing Wang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE mission can significantly improve our knowledge of the temporal variability of the Earth's gravity field. We obtained monthly gravity field solutions based on variational equations approach from GPS-derived positions of GRACE satellites and K-band range-rate measurements. The impact of different fixed data weighting ratios in temporal gravity field recovery while combining the two types of data was investigated for the purpose of deriving the best combined solution. The monthly gravity field solution obtained through above procedures was named as the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics (IGG temporal gravity field models. IGG temporal gravity field models were compared with GRACE Release05 (RL05 products in following aspects: (i the trend of the mass anomaly in China and its nearby regions within 2005–2010; (ii the root mean squares of the global mass anomaly during 2005–2010; (iii time-series changes in the mean water storage in the region of the Amazon Basin and the Sahara Desert between 2005 and 2010. The results showed that IGG solutions were almost consistent with GRACE RL05 products in above aspects (i–(iii. Changes in the annual amplitude of mean water storage in the Amazon Basin were 14.7 ± 1.2 cm for IGG, 17.1 ± 1.3 cm for the Centre for Space Research (CSR, 16.4 ± 0.9 cm for the GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ and 16.9 ± 1.2 cm for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL in terms of equivalent water height (EWH, respectively. The root mean squares of the mean mass anomaly in Sahara were 1.2 cm, 0.9 cm, 0.9 cm and 1.2 cm for temporal gravity field models of IGG, CSR, GFZ and JPL, respectively. Comparison suggested that IGG temporal gravity field solutions were at the same accuracy level with the latest temporal gravity field solutions published by CSR, GFZ and JPL.

Antarctic Ocean Tides from GRACE Intersatellite Tracking Data and Hydrodynamic Assimilation

Science.gov (United States)

Erofeeva, S.; Han, S.; Ray, R.; Egbert, G.; Luthcke, S.

2007-12-01

Long-wavelength components of the oceanic tides surrounding Antarctica are estimated from over three years of GRACE satellite-to-satellite ranging measurements. An inversion is performed for the major constituents M2, O1, and S2, parameterized as localized average mass anomalies relative to a prior tidal model. Satellite state adjustments are made simultaneously. These long-wavelength anomalies are then assimilated into a high-resolution regional hydrodynamic tidal model. Comparisons to independent "ground truth" data, previously collected by King and Padman, show that assimilation of the GRACE inversions results in improved accuracy, for all three constituents.

A comparison of annual vertical crustal displacements from GPS and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) over Europe

Science.gov (United States)

van Dam, T.; Wahr, J.; LavalléE, David

2007-03-01

We compare approximately 3 years of GPS height residuals (with respect to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame) with predictions of vertical surface displacements derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity fields for stations in Europe. An annual signal fit to the residual monthly heights, corrected for atmospheric pressure and barotropic ocean loading effects, should primarily represent surface displacements due to long-wavelength variations in water storage. A comparison of the annual height signal from GPS and GRACE over Europe indicates that at most sites, the annual signals do not agree in amplitude or phase. We find that unlike the annual signal predicted from GRACE, the annual signal in the GPS heights is not coherent over the region, displaying significant variability from site to site. Confidence in the GRACE data and the unlikely possibility of large-amplitude small-scale features in the load field not captured by the GRACE data leads us to conclude that some of the discrepancy between the GPS and GRACE observations is due to technique errors in the GPS data processing. This is evidenced by the fact that the disagreement between GPS and GRACE is largest at coastal sites, where mismodeling of the semidiurnal ocean tidal loading signal can result in spurious annual signals.

Improved regional sea-level estimates from Ice Sheets, Glaciers and land water storage using GRACE time series and other data

Science.gov (United States)

He, Z.; Velicogna, I.; Hsu, C. W.; Rignot, E. J.; Mouginot, J.; Scheuchl, B.; Fettweis, X.; van den Broeke, M. R.

2017-12-01

Changes in ice sheets, glaciers and ice caps (GIC) and land water mass cause regional sea level variations that differ significantly from a uniform re-distribution of mass over the ocean, with a decrease in sea level compared to the global mean sea level contribution (GMSL) near the sources of mass added to the ocean and an increase up to 30% larger than the GMSL in the far field. The corresponding sea level fingerprints (SLF) are difficult to separate from ocean dynamics on short time and spatial scales but as ice melt continues, the SLF signal will become increasingly dominant in the pattern of regional sea level rise. It has been anticipated that it will be another few decades before the land ice SLF could be identified in the pattern of regional sea level rise. Here, we combine 40 years of observations of ice sheet mass balance for Antarctica (1975-present) and Greenland (1978-present), along with surface mass balance reconstructions of glacier and ice caps mass balance (GIC) from 1970s to present to determine the contribution to the SLF from melting land ice (MAR and RACMO). We compare the results with observations from GRACE for the time period 2002 to present for evaluation of our approach. Land hydrology is constrained by GRACE data for the period 2002-present and by the GLDAS-NOAH land hydrology model for the longer time period. Over the long time period, we find that the contribution from land ice dominates. We quantify the contribution to the total SLF from Greenland and Antarctica in various parts of the world over the past 40 years. More important, we compare the cumulative signal from SLF with tide gauge records around the world, corrected for earth dynamics, to determine whether the land ice SLF can be detected in that record. Early results will be reported at the meeting. This work was performed at UC Irvine and at Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory under a contract with NASA's Cryospheric Science Program.

CryoSat Level1b SAR/SARin: quality improvements towards BaselineC

Science.gov (United States)

Scagliola, Michele; Fornari, Marco; Bouzinac, Catherine; Tagliani, Nicolas; Parrinello, Tommaso

2014-05-01

CryoSat was launched on the 8th April 2010 and it is the first European ice mission dedicated to monitoring precise changes in the thickness of polar ice sheets and floating sea ice over a 3-year period. Cryosat carries an innovative radar altimeter called the Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Altimeter (SIRAL), that transmits pulses at a high pulse repetition frequency thus making the received echoes phase coherent and suitable for azimuth processing. This allows to reach a significantly improved along track resolution with respect to traditional pulse-width limited altimeters. CryoSat is the first altimetry mission operating in SAR mode and continuous improvement in the Level1 Instrument Processing Facility (IPF1) are being identified, tested and validated in order to improve the quality of the Level1b products. Towards the release of the BaselineC of the CryoSat Level1b SAR/SARin products, that is expected during 2014, several improvements have been identified: • a datation bias of about -0.5195 ms will be corrected • a range bias of about -0.6730 m will be corrected • the waveform length in the Level1b product will be doubled with respect to BaselineB • improved processing for 1Hz echoes to have sharper waveforms • surface sample stack weighting to filter out the single look echoes acquired at highest look angle, that results in a sharpening of the 20Hz waveforms This poster details the main improvements that are foreseen to be included in the CryoSat Level1b SAR/SARin products in BaselineC.

A Record-High Ocean Bottom Pressure in the South Pacific Observed by GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Boening, Carmen; Lee, Tong; Zlotnicki, Victor

2011-01-01

In late 2009 to early 2010, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite pair observed a record increase in ocean bottom pressure (OBP) over a large mid-latitude region of the South East Pacific. Its magnitude is substantially larger than other oceanic events in the Southern Hemisphere found in the entire GRACE data records (2003-2010) on multi-month time scales. The OBP data help to understand the nature of a similar signal in sea surface height (SSH) anomaly observed by altimetry: the SSH increase is mainly due to mass convergence. Analysis of the barotropic vorticity equation using scatterometer data, atmospheric reanalysis product, and GRACE and altimeter an atmospheric reanalysis product observations suggests that the observed OBP/SSH signal was primarily caused by wind stress curl associated with a strong and persistent anticyclone in late 2009 in combination with effects of planetary vorticity gradient, bottom topography, and friction

Coronary Artery Calcium as an Independent Surrogate Marker in the Risk Assessment of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and an Intermediate Pretest Likelihood for Coronary Artery Disease Admitted to a German Chest Pain Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Breuckmann, Frank; Olligs, Jan; Hinrichs, Liane; Koopmann, Matthias; Lichtenberg, Michael; Böse, Dirk; Fischer, Dieter; Eckardt, Lars; Waltenberger, Johannes; Garvey, J Lee

2016-03-01

About 10% of patients admitted to a chest pain unit (CPU) exhibit atrial fibrillation (AF). To determine whether calcium scores (CS) are superior over common risk scores for coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients presenting with atypical chest pain, newly diagnosed AF, and intermediate pretest probability for CAD within the CPU. In 73 subjects, CS was related to the following risk scores: Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score, including a new model of a frequency-normalized approach; Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction score; European Society of Cardiology Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE); Framingham risk score; and Prospective Cardiovascular Münster Study score. Revascularization rates during index stay were assessed. Median CS was 77 (interquartile range, 1-270), with higher values in men and the left anterior descending artery. Only the modified GRACE (ρ = 0.27; P = 0.02) and the SCORE (ρ = 0.39; P risk scores and calcium burden, as well as revascularization rates during index stay, were low. By contrast, the determination of CS may be used as an additional surrogate marker in risk stratification in AF patients with intermediate pretest likelihood for CAD admitted to a CPU. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NASA 3D Models: GRACE

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), twin satellites launched in March 2002, are making detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field which will lead to...

NASA 3D Models: Grace

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), twin satellites launched in March 2002, are making detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field which will lead to...

Reactivity of Criegee Intermediates toward Carbon Dioxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yen-Hsiu; Takahashi, Kaito; Lin, Jim Jr-Min

2018-01-04

Recent theoretical work by Kumar and Francisco suggested that the high reactivity of Criegee intermediates (CIs) could be utilized for designing efficient carbon capture technologies. Because the anti-CH 3 CHOO + CO 2 reaction has the lowest barrier in their study, we chose to investigate it experimentally. We probed anti-CH 3 CHOO with its strong UV absorption at 365 nm and measured the rate coefficient to be ≤2 × 10 -17 cm 3 molecule -1 s -1 at 298 K, which is consistent with our theoretical value of 2.1 × 10 -17 cm 3  molecule -1 s -1 at the QCISD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p) level but inconsistent with their results obtained at the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ level, which tends to underestimate the barrier heights. The experimental result indicates that the reaction of a Criegee intermediate with atmospheric CO 2 (400 ppmv) would be inefficient (k eff < 0.2 s -1 ) and cannot compete with other decay processes of Criegee intermediates like reactions with water vapor (∼10 3 s -1 ) or thermal decomposition (∼10 2 s -1 ).

Using an SLR inversion to measure the mass balance of Greenland before and during GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Jennifer

2016-04-01

The GRACE mission has done an admirable job of measuring large-scale mass changes over Greenland since its launch in 2002. However before that time, measurements of large-scale ice mass balance were few and far between, leading to a lack of baseline knowledge. High-quality Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data existed a decade earlier, but normally has too low a spatial resolution to be used for this purpose. I demonstrate that a least squares inversion technique can reconstitute the SLR data and use it to measure ice loss over Greenland. To do so, I first simulate the problem by degrading today's GRACE data to a level comparable with SLR, then demonstrating that the inversion can re-localize Greenland's contribution to the low-resolution signal, giving an accurate time series of mass change over all of Greenland which compares well with the full-resolution GRACE estimates. I then utilize that method on the actual SLR data, resulting in an independent 1994-2014 time series of mass change over Greenland. I find favorable agreement between the pure-SLR inverted results and the 2012 Ice-sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) results, which are largely based on the "input-output" modeling method before GRACE's launch.

Quantifying Modern Recharge to the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System: Inferences from GRACE and Land Surface Models

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, A.; Sultan, M.; Ahmed, M.; Yan, E.

2014-12-01

The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) is shared by Egypt, Libya, Chad and Sudanand is one of the largest (area: ~ 2 × 106 km2) groundwater systems in the world. Despite its importance to the population of these countries, major hydrological parameters such as modern recharge and extraction rates remain poorly investigated given: (1) the large extent of the NSAS, (2) the absence of comprehensive monitoring networks, (3) the general inaccessibility of many of the NSAS regions, (4) difficulties in collecting background information, largely included in unpublished governmental reports, and (5) limited local funding to support the construction of monitoring networks and/or collection of field and background datasets. Data from monthly Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity solutions were processed (Gaussian smoothed: 100 km; rescaled) and used to quantify the modern recharge to the NSAS during the period from January 2003 to December 2012. To isolate the groundwater component in GRACE data, the soil moisture and river channel storages were removed using the outputs from the most recent Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5). GRACE-derived recharge calculations were performed over the southern NSAS outcrops (area: 835 × 103 km2) in Sudan and Chad that receive average annual precipitation of 65 km3 (77.5 mm). GRACE-derived recharge rates were estimated at 2.79 ± 0.98 km3/yr (3.34 ± 1.17 mm/yr). If we take into account the total annual extraction rates (~ 0.4 km3; CEDARE, 2002) from Chad and Sudan the average annual recharge rate for the NSAS could reach up to ~ 3.20 ± 1.18 km3/yr (3.84 ± 1.42 mm/yr). Our recharge rates estimates are similar to those calculated using (1) groundwater flow modelling in the Central Sudan Rift Basins (4-8 mm/yr; Abdalla, 2008), (2) WaterGAP global scale groundwater recharge model (plans are underway for the deployment of a GRACE follow-On and GRACE-II missions, we suggest that within the next few years, GRACE

Statistically optimal estimation of Greenland Ice Sheet mass variations from GRACE monthly solutions using an improved mascon approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, J.; Ditmar, P.; Klees, R.; Farahani, H. H.

2018-03-01

We present an improved mascon approach to transform monthly spherical harmonic solutions based on GRACE satellite data into mass anomaly estimates in Greenland. The GRACE-based spherical harmonic coefficients are used to synthesize gravity anomalies at satellite altitude, which are then inverted into mass anomalies per mascon. The limited spectral content of the gravity anomalies is properly accounted for by applying a low-pass filter as part of the inversion procedure to make the functional model spectrally consistent with the data. The full error covariance matrices of the monthly GRACE solutions are properly propagated using the law of covariance propagation. Using numerical experiments, we demonstrate the importance of a proper data weighting and of the spectral consistency between functional model and data. The developed methodology is applied to process real GRACE level-2 data (CSR RL05). The obtained mass anomaly estimates are integrated over five drainage systems, as well as over entire Greenland. We find that the statistically optimal data weighting reduces random noise by 35-69%, depending on the drainage system. The obtained mass anomaly time-series are de-trended to eliminate the contribution of ice discharge and are compared with de-trended surface mass balance (SMB) time-series computed with the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO 2.3). We show that when using a statistically optimal data weighting in GRACE data processing, the discrepancies between GRACE-based estimates of SMB and modelled SMB are reduced by 24-47%.

Reconciling ocean mass content change based on direct and inverse approaches by utilizing data from GRACE, altimetry and Swarm

Science.gov (United States)

Rietbroek, R.; Uebbing, B.; Lück, C.; Kusche, J.

2017-12-01

Ocean mass content (OMC) change due to the melting of the ice-sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, melting of glaciers and changes in terrestrial hydrology is a major contributor to present-day sea level rise. Since 2002, the GRACE satellite mission serves as a valuable tool for directly measuring the variations in OMC. As GRACE has almost reached the end of its lifetime, efforts are being made to utilize the Swarm mission for the recovery of low degree time-variable gravity fields to bridge a possible gap until the GRACE-FO mission and to fill up periods where GRACE data was not existent. To this end we compute Swarm monthly normal equations and spherical harmonics that are found competitive to other solutions. In addition to directly measuring the OMC, combination of GRACE gravity data with altimetry data in a global inversion approach allows to separate the total sea level change into individual mass-driven and steric contributions. However, published estimates of OMC from the direct and inverse methods differ not only depending on the time window, but also are influenced by numerous post-processing choices. Here, we will look into sources of such differences between direct and inverse approaches and evaluate the capabilities of Swarm to derive OMC. Deriving time series of OMC requires several processing steps; choosing a GRACE (and altimetry) product, data coverage, masks and filters to be applied in either spatial or spectral domain, corrections related to spatial leakage, GIA and geocenter motion. In this study, we compare and quantify the effects of the different processing choices of the direct and inverse methods. Our preliminary results point to the GIA correction as the major source of difference between the two approaches.

Application of the Regional Water Mass Variations from GRACE Satellite Gravimetry to Large-Scale Water Management in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillaume Ramillien

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Time series of regional 2° × 2° Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE solutions of surface water mass change have been computed over Africa from 2003 to 2012 with a 10-day resolution by using a new regional approach. These regional maps are used to describe and quantify water mass change. The contribution of African hydrology to actual sea level rise is negative and small in magnitude (i.e., −0.1 mm/y of equivalent sea level (ESL mainly explained by the water retained in the Zambezi River basin. Analysis of the regional water mass maps is used to distinguish different zones of important water mass variations, with the exception of the dominant seasonal cycle of the African monsoon in the Sahel and Central Africa. The analysis of the regional solutions reveals the accumulation in the Okavango swamp and South Niger. It confirms the continuous depletion of water in the North Sahara aquifer at the rate of −2.3 km3/y, with a decrease in early 2008. Synergistic use of altimetry-based lake water volume with total water storage (TWS from GRACE permits a continuous monitoring of sub-surface water storage for large lake drainage areas. These different applications demonstrate the potential of the GRACE mission for the management of water resources at the regional scale.

Policy and technical considerations for intermediate-level and low-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1977-01-01

This section has addressed issues, topics, and considerations related to low-level and intermediate-level wastes that are basic to developing and establishing environmental radiation protection criteria for radioactive wastes. Applicability of criteria, criteria considerations for sites, control of radiological impact to the population, and long-term considerations are discussed

Q&A: Grace Anne Koppel, Living Well with COPD

Science.gov (United States)

... their own lives back is the most rewarding thing we have ever done. Read More "The Challenge of COPD" Articles Q&A: Grace Anne Koppel, Living Well with COPD / What is COPD? / What Causes COPD? / Getting Tested / Am I at Risk? / COPD Quiz Fall ...

Integration of altimetric lake levels and GRACE gravimetry over Africa: Inferences for terrestrial water storage change 2003-2011

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, P.; Williams, S. D. P.

2014-12-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) change for 2003-2011 is estimated over Africa from GRACE gravimetric data. The signatures from change in water of the major lakes are removed by utilizing kernel functions with lake heights recovered from retracked ENVISAT satellite altimetry. In addition, the contribution of gravimetric change due to soil moisture and biomass is removed from the total GRACE signal by utilizing the GLDAS land surface model. The residual TWS time series, namely groundwater and the surface waters in rivers, wetlands, and small lakes, are investigated for trends and the seasonal cycle using linear regression. Typically, such analyses assume that the data are temporally uncorrelated but this has been shown to lead to erroneous inferences in related studies concerning the linear rate and acceleration. In this study, we utilize autocorrelation and investigate the appropriate stochastic model. The results show the proper distribution of TWS change and identify the spatial distribution of significant rates and accelerations. The effect of surface water in the major lakes is shown to contribute significantly to the trend and seasonal variation in TWS in the lake basin. Lake Volta, a managed reservoir in Ghana, is seen to have a contribution to the linear trend that is a factor of three greater than that of Lake Victoria despite having a surface area one-eighth of that of Lake Victoria. Analysis also shows the confidence levels of the deterministic trend and acceleration identifying areas where the signatures are most likely due to a physical deterministic cause and not simply stochastic variations.

PIC-container for containment and disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araki, Kunio; Shinji, Yoshimasa; Maki, Yasuro; Ishizaki, Kanjiro; Minegishi, Keiichi; Sudoh, Giichi.

1981-03-01

Steel fiber reinforced polymer-impregnated concrete (SFPIC) has been investigated for low and intermediate level radioactive waste containers. The present study has been carried out by the following stages. A) Preliminary evaluation: 60 L size container for cold and hot tests. B) Evaluation of size effect: 200 L size container for cold tests. The 60 L and 200 L containers were designed as pressure-container (without equalizer) for 500 kg/cm 2 and 700 kg/cm 2 . Polymerization of impregnated methylmethacrylate monomer for stage-A and B were performed by 60 Co-γ ray radiation and thermal catalytic polymerization, respectively. Under the loading of 500 kg/cm 2 and 700 kg/cm 2 -outside hydraulic pressure, these containers were kept in their good condition. The observed maximum strains were about 1380 x 10 -6 and 3950 x 10 -6 at the outside central position of container body for circumferential direction of the 60 L and 200 L container, respectively. An accelerated leaching test was performed by charging the concentrate of the liquid radioactive waste from JMTR in JAERI into the container. Although they were immersed in deionized water for 400 days, nuclides were not leached from the container. From results of various tests, it was evaluated that the SFPIC-container was suitable for containment and disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes. There was not any great difference between the two size containers for the physical and chemical properties except in their preparation process. (author)

Greenland Ice Sheet seasonal and spatial mass variability from model simulations and GRACE (2003-2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Patrick M.; Tedesco, Marco; Schlegel, Nicole-Jeanne; Luthcke, Scott B.; Fettweis, Xavier; Larour, Eric

2016-06-01

Improving the ability of regional climate models (RCMs) and ice sheet models (ISMs) to simulate spatiotemporal variations in the mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is crucial for prediction of future sea level rise. While several studies have examined recent trends in GrIS mass loss, studies focusing on mass variations at sub-annual and sub-basin-wide scales are still lacking. At these scales, processes responsible for mass change are less well understood and modeled, and could potentially play an important role in future GrIS mass change. Here, we examine spatiotemporal variations in mass over the GrIS derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites for the January 2003-December 2012 period using a "mascon" approach, with a nominal spatial resolution of 100 km, and a temporal resolution of 10 days. We compare GRACE-estimated mass variations against those simulated by the Modèle Atmosphérique Régionale (MAR) RCM and the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM). In order to properly compare spatial and temporal variations in GrIS mass from GRACE with model outputs, we find it necessary to spatially and temporally filter model results to reproduce leakage of mass inherent in the GRACE solution. Both modeled and satellite-derived results point to a decline (of -178.9 ± 4.4 and -239.4 ± 7.7 Gt yr-1 respectively) in GrIS mass over the period examined, but the models appear to underestimate the rate of mass loss, especially in areas below 2000 m in elevation, where the majority of recent GrIS mass loss is occurring. On an ice-sheet-wide scale, the timing of the modeled seasonal cycle of cumulative mass (driven by summer mass loss) agrees with the GRACE-derived seasonal cycle, within limits of uncertainty from the GRACE solution. However, on sub-ice-sheet-wide scales, some areas exhibit significant differences in the timing of peaks in the annual cycle of mass change. At these scales, model biases, or processes not accounted for by models related

"A Prairie Childhood" by Edith Abbott: An Excerpt from "The Children's Champion," a Biography of Grace Abbott

Science.gov (United States)

Sorensen, John

2003-01-01

Grace Abbott's courageous struggles--to protect the rights of immigrants, to increase the role of women in government, and to improve the lives of all children--are filled with adventurous tales of the remarkable human ability to seek out suffering and to do something about it. "A Prairie Childhood" is an excerpt from the Grace Abbott biography…

Assimilation of Gridded GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Estimates in the North American Land Data Assimilation System

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sujay V.; Zaitchik, Benjamin F.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Rodell, Matthew; Reichle, Rolf; Li, Bailing; Jasinski, Michael; Mocko, David; Getirana, Augusto; De Lannoy, Gabrielle;

Melting of metallic intermediate level waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huutoniemi, Tommi; Larsson, Arne; Blank, Eva [Studsvik Nuclear AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

2013-08-15

This report presents a feasibility study of a melting facility for core components and reactor internals. An overview is given of how such a facility for treatment of intermediate level waste might be designed, constructed and operated and highlights both the possibilities and challenges. A cost estimate and a risk analysis are presented in order to make a conclusion of the technical feasibility of such a facility. Based on the authors' experience in operating a low level waste melting facility, their conclusion is that without technical improvements such a facility is not feasible today. This is based on the cost of constructing and operating such a facility, in conjunction with the radiological risks associated with operation and the uncertain benefits to disposal and long term safety.

Melting of metallic intermediate level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huutoniemi, Tommi; Larsson, Arne; Blank, Eva

2013-08-01

This report presents a feasibility study of a melting facility for core components and reactor internals. An overview is given of how such a facility for treatment of intermediate level waste might be designed, constructed and operated and highlights both the possibilities and challenges. A cost estimate and a risk analysis are presented in order to make a conclusion of the technical feasibility of such a facility. Based on the authors' experience in operating a low level waste melting facility, their conclusion is that without technical improvements such a facility is not feasible today. This is based on the cost of constructing and operating such a facility, in conjunction with the radiological risks associated with operation and the uncertain benefits to disposal and long term safety

Country-Level Population and Downscaled Projections Based on the SRES A1, B1, and A2 Scenarios, 1990-2100

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Country-Level Population and Downscaled Projections Based on Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1, B1, and A2 Scenarios, 1990-2100, were adopted in...

Use of GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Retrievals to Evaluate Model Estimates by the Australian Water Resources Assessment System

Science.gov (United States)

van Dijk, A. I. J. M.; Renzullo, L. J.; Rodell, M.

2011-01-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) estimates retrievals from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission were compared to TWS modeled by the Australian Water Resources Assessment (AWRA) system. The aim was to test whether differences could be attributed and used to identify model deficiencies. Data for 2003 2010 were decomposed into the seasonal cycle, linear trends and the remaining de-trended anomalies before comparing. AWRA tended to have smaller seasonal amplitude than GRACE. GRACE showed a strong (greater than 15 millimeter per year) drying trend in northwest Australia that was associated with a preceding period of unusually wet conditions, whereas weaker drying trends in the southern Murray Basin and southwest Western Australia were associated with relatively dry conditions. AWRA estimated trends were less negative for these regions, while a more positive trend was estimated for areas affected by cyclone Charlotte in 2009. For 2003-2009, a decrease of 7-8 millimeter per year (50-60 cubic kilometers per year) was estimated from GRACE, enough to explain 6-7% of the contemporary rate of global sea level rise. This trend was not reproduced by the model. Agreement between model and data suggested that the GRACE retrieval error estimates are biased high. A scaling coefficient applied to GRACE TWS to reduce the effect of signal leakage appeared to degrade quantitative agreement for some regions. Model aspects identified for improvement included a need for better estimation of rainfall in northwest Australia, and more sophisticated treatment of diffuse groundwater discharge processes and surface-groundwater connectivity for some regions.

RuO4-mediated oxidation of secondary amines: Part 1. Are hydroxylamines main intermediates?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florea Cristina A.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The RuO4-catalyzed oxidation of secondary amines Bn-NH-CH2R (1a-b; R=H, Me gave mainly amides, but minute amounts of nitrones PhCH=N(O-CH2R (9a-b and traces of Bn-N(OH-CH2R (R=H, 4a were also detected. In the presence of cyanide, up to 22 reaction products were identified, but mainly α-aminonitriles. Comparison of the oxidation products of 1a-b with those of 4a-b, 9a-b, and Bn-N(O=CHR (10a-b showed that 4a-b cannot be main reaction intermediates formed from 1a-b.

A complex selection signature at the human AVPR1B gene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cagliani Rachele

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The vasopressin receptor type 1b (AVPR1B is mainly expressed by pituitary corticotropes and it mediates the stimulatory effects of AVP on ACTH release; common AVPR1B haplotypes have been involved in mood and anxiety disorders in humans, while rodents lacking a functional receptor gene display behavioral defects and altered stress responses. Results Here we have analyzed the two exons of the gene and the data we present suggest that AVPR1B has been subjected to natural selection in humans. In particular, analysis of exon 2 strongly suggests the action of balancing selection in African populations and Europeans: the region displays high nucleotide diversity, an excess of intermediate-frequency alleles, a higher level of within-species diversity compared to interspecific divergence and a genealogy with common haplotypes separated by deep branches. This relatively unambiguous situation coexists with unusual features across exon 1, raising the possibility that a nonsynonymous variant (Gly191Arg in this region has been subjected to directional selection. Conclusion Although the underlying selective pressure(s remains to be identified, we consider this to be among the first documented examples of a gene involved in mood disorders and subjected to natural selection in humans; this observation might add support to the long-debated idea that depression/low mood might have played an adaptive role during human evolution.

A complex selection signature at the human AVPR1B gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Cagliani, Rachele; Fumagalli, Matteo; Pozzoli, Uberto; Riva, Stefania; Cereda, Matteo; Comi, Giacomo P; Pattini, Linda; Bresolin, Nereo; Sironi, Manuela

2009-06-01

The vasopressin receptor type 1b (AVPR1B) is mainly expressed by pituitary corticotropes and it mediates the stimulatory effects of AVP on ACTH release; common AVPR1B haplotypes have been involved in mood and anxiety disorders in humans, while rodents lacking a functional receptor gene display behavioral defects and altered stress responses. Here we have analyzed the two exons of the gene and the data we present suggest that AVPR1B has been subjected to natural selection in humans. In particular, analysis of exon 2 strongly suggests the action of balancing selection in African populations and Europeans: the region displays high nucleotide diversity, an excess of intermediate-frequency alleles, a higher level of within-species diversity compared to interspecific divergence and a genealogy with common haplotypes separated by deep branches. This relatively unambiguous situation coexists with unusual features across exon 1, raising the possibility that a nonsynonymous variant (Gly191Arg) in this region has been subjected to directional selection. Although the underlying selective pressure(s) remains to be identified, we consider this to be among the first documented examples of a gene involved in mood disorders and subjected to natural selection in humans; this observation might add support to the long-debated idea that depression/low mood might have played an adaptive role during human evolution.

Glacial Isostatic Adjustment as a Source of Noise for the Interpretation of GRACE Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wahr, J.; Velicogna, I.; Paulson, A.

2009-05-01

Viscoelastic relaxation in the Earth's mantle caused by wide-spread deglaciation following the last glacial maximum (LGM), can appear as a secular trend in measurements of the Earth's time-variable gravity field. The presence of this trend can provide an opportunity to use gravity observations to constrain models of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) process. But it can also be a nuisance for people who are using the gravity observations to learn about other things. Gravity observations, whether from satellites or from ground-based gravimeters, can not distinguish between the gravitational effects of water/snow/ice variations on or near the surface, and those caused by density variations deep within the mantle. Unmodeled or mismodeled GIA signals can sometimes make it difficult to use gravity observations to learn about secular changes in water/snow/ice from such places as northern Canada, Scandinavia, Antarctica, and Greenland: places where there was considerable long-term deglaciation following the LGM. These issues have become particularly important since the 2002 launch of the GRACE gravity satellite mission. GIA signals in northern Canada and Scandinavia are clearly evident in the GRACE data. But the presence of GIA signals in these and other regions has sometimes caused problems for long-term hydrological and, especially, cryospheric studies with GRACE. GIA model errors, for example, are by far the largest source of uncertainty when using GRACE to estimate present-day thinning rates of the Antarctic ice sheet. This talk will discuss the contributions of the GIA signal to GRACE time-variable gravity measurements; partly as an opportunity to study the GIA process, but mostly as a source of uncertainty for other applications.

Trauma surgeon becomes consultant: evaluation of a protocol for management of intermediate-level trauma patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallon, Sara C; Delemos, David; Christopher, Daniel; Frost, Mary; Wesson, David E; Naik-Mathuria, Bindi

2014-01-01

At our level 1 pediatric trauma center, 9-54 intermediate-level ("level 2") trauma activations are received per month. Previously, the surgery team was required to respond to and assume responsibility for all patients who had "level 2" trauma activations. In 8/2011, we implemented a protocol where the emergency room (ER) physician primarily manages these patients with trauma consultation for surgical evaluation or admission. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the effects of the new protocol to ensure that patient safety and quality of care were maintained. We compared outcomes of patients treated PRE-implementation (10/2010-7/2011) and POST-implementation (9/2011-5/2012), including surgeon consultation rate, utilization of imaging and laboratory testing, ER length of stay, admission rate, and missed injuries or readmissions. Statistical analysis included chi-square and Student's t-test. We identified 472 patients: 179 in the PRE and 293 in the POST period. The populations had similar baseline clinical characteristics. The surgical consultation rate in the POST period was only 42%, with no missed injuries or readmissions. The ER length of stay did not change. However, in the POST period there were significant decreases in the admission rate (73% to 44%) and the mean number of CT scans (1.4 to 1), radiographs (2.4 to 1.7), and laboratory tests (5.1 to 3.3) ordered in the emergency room (all p<0.001). Intermediate-level pediatric trauma patients can be efficiently and safely managed by pediatric emergency room physicians, with surgical consultation only as needed. The protocol change improved resource utilization by decreasing testing and admissions and streamlining resident utilization in an era of reduced duty hours. © 2014.

Impact of low-level BK polyomavirus viremia on intermediate-term renal allograft function.

Science.gov (United States)

Korth, Johannes; Widera, Marek; Dolff, Sebastian; Guberina, Hana; Bienholz, Anja; Brinkhoff, Alexandra; Anastasiou, Olympia Evdoxia; Kribben, Andreas; Dittmer, Ulf; Verheyen, Jens; Wilde, Benjamin; Witzke, Oliver

2018-02-01

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV)-associated nephropathy (PyVAN) is a significant cause of premature renal transplant failure. High-level BKPyV viremia is predictive for PyVAN; however, low-level BKPyV viremia does not necessarily exclude the presence of PyVAN. As data are limited regarding whether or not low-level BKPyV viremia has an effect on intermediate-term graft outcome, this study analyzes the impact of low-level BKPyV viremia on intermediate-term graft function and outcome compared with high-level viremia and non-viremic patients. All renal transplant patients received follow-up examinations at the Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Essen. Patients were screened for BKPyV viremia and stratified into three groups according to their maximum BKPyV load in serum (low-level viremia, high-level viremia, and no viremia). In 142 of 213 (67%) patients, BKPyV was never detected in serum; 42 of 213 (20%) patients were found positive for low-level viremia (≤10 4 copies/mL); and 29 of 213 (13%) patients showed high-level viremia (>10 4 copies/mL). No significant differences regarding transplant function and graft failure were observed between patients without BKPyV viremia (delta estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] +0.1 mL/min [month 1 vs last visit at month 44]) and patients with low-level BKPyV viremia (delta eGFR -1.7 mL/min). In patients with high-level viremia, transplant function was significantly restricted (delta eGFR -6.5 mL/min) compared with low-level viremia until the last visit at 44 ± 9.7 months after transplantation. Although the graft function and graft loss were worse in the high-level viremia group compared with no viremia (eGFR 37 vs 45 mL/min), the difference was not significant. High-level viremia was associated with impaired graft function. In contrast, low-level BKPyV viremia had no significant impact on intermediate-term graft function. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Kantian Grace as Ethical Gymnastics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vanden Auweele, Dennis

2017-01-01

Kant’s concept of grace in Religion within the Bounds of Mere Reason is a difficult topic, exegetically speaking. Obviously enough, Kant subscribes positively to a notion of divine assistance. This appears awkward given his rationalist ethics rooted in personal autonomy. This has given cause to

Low and intermediate level radioactive waste processing in plasma reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauchyn, V.; Khvedchyn, I.; Van Oost, G.

2013-01-01

Methods of low and intermediate level radioactive waste processing comprise: cementation, bituminization, curing in polymer matrices, combustion and pyrolysis. All these methods are limited in their application in the field of chemical, morphological, and aggregate composition of material to be processed. The thermal plasma method is one of the universal methods of RAW processing. The use of electric-arc plasma with mean temperatures 2000 - 8000 K can effectively carry out the destruction of organic compounds into atoms and ions with very high speeds and high degree of conversion. Destruction of complex substances without oxygen leads to a decrease of the volume of exhaust gases and dimension of gas cleaning system. This paper presents the plasma reactor for thermal processing of low and intermediate level radioactive waste of mixed morphology. The equipment realizes plasma-pyrolytic conversion of wastes and results in a conditioned product in a single stage. As a result, the volume of conditioned waste is significantly reduced (more than 10 times). Waste is converted into an environmentally friendly form that suits long-term storage. The leaching rate of macro-components from the vitrified compound is less than 1.10 -7 g/(cm 2 .day). (authors)

GRACE-Based Analysis of Total Water Storage Trends and Groundwater Fluctuations in the North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) and Tindouf Aquifer in Northwest Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Lezzaik, K. A.; Milewski, A.

2013-12-01

Optimal water management practices and strategies, in arid and semi-arid environments, are often hindered by a lack of quantitative and qualitative understanding of hydrological processes. Moreover, progressive overexploitation of groundwater resources to meet agricultural, industrial, and domestic requirements is drawing concern over the sustainability of such exhaustive abstraction levels, especially in environments where groundwater is a major source of water. NASA's GRACE (gravity recovery and climate change experiment) mission, since March 2002, has advanced the understanding of hydrological events, especially groundwater depletion, through integrated measurements and modeling of terrestrial water mass. In this study, GLDAS variables (rainfall rate, evapotranspiration rate, average soil moisture), and TRMM 3B42.V7A precipitation satellite data, were used in combination with 95 GRACE-generated gravitational anomalies maps, to quantify total water storage change (TWSC) and groundwater storage change (GWSC) from January 2003 to December 2010 (excluding June 2003), in the North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) and Tindouf Aquifer System in northwestern Africa. Separately processed and computed GRACE products by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA), CSR (Center of Space Research, UT Austin), and GFZ (German Research Centre for Geoscience, Potsdam), were used to determine which GRACE dataset(s) best reflect total water storage and ground water changes in northwest Africa. First-order estimates of annual TWSC for NWSAS (JPL: +5.297 BCM; CSR: -5.33 BCM; GFZ: -9.96 BCM) and Tindouf Aquifer System (JPL: +1.217 BCM; CSR: +0.203 BCM; GFZ: +1.019 BCM), were computed using zonal averaging over a span of eight years. Preliminary findings of annual GWSC for NWSAS (JPL: +2.45 BCM; CSR: -2.278 BCM; GFZ: -6.913 BCM) and Tindouf Aquifer System (JPL: +1.108 BCM; CSR: +0.094 BCM; GFZ: +0.910 BCM), were calculating using a water budget approach, parameterized by GLDAS

Inter-comparison of ice sheet mass balance products from GRACE: ESA CCI Round Robin results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Groth, A.; Horwath, M.; Horvath, A.

-term satellite-based data products are generated for selected ECVs. Since ice sheet mass balance is an ECV parameter of highest interest, both the AIS_cci and the GIS_cci project will provide mass balance products based on satellite gravimetry data: (a) time series of monthly mass changes for individual drainage...... basins, and (b) gridded mass changes covering the entire ice sheet.Gravimetry Mass Balance (GMB) products are derived from data acquired by the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) mission. Although GRACE data have the advantage of being directly sensitive to mass changes, their limited...... drainage basins the GMB time series are compared to independent mass balance products based on satellite altimetry and firn densification information from a regional climate model. This inter-comparison has aided the algorithm definition for the operational ECV production....

New GRACE-Derived Storage Change Estimates Using Empirical Mode Extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Aierken, A.; Lee, H.; Yu, H.; Ate, P.; Hossain, F.; Basnayake, S. B.; Jayasinghe, S.; Saah, D. S.; Shum, C. K.

2017-12-01

Estimated mass change from GRACE spherical harmonic solutions have north/south stripes and east/west banded errors due to random noise and modeling errors. Low pass filters like decorrelation and Gaussian smoothing are typically applied to reduce noise and errors. However, these filters introduce leakage errors that need to be addressed. GRACE mascon estimates (JPL and CSR mascon solutions) do not need decorrelation or Gaussian smoothing and offer larger signal magnitudes compared to the GRACE spherical harmonics (SH) filtered results. However, a recent study [Chen et al., JGR, 2017] demonstrated that both JPL and CSR mascon solutions also have leakage errors. We developed a new postprocessing method based on empirical mode decomposition to estimate mass change from GRACE SH solutions without decorrelation and Gaussian smoothing, the two main sources of leakage errors. We found that, without any post processing, the noise and errors in spherical harmonic solutions introduced very clear high frequency components in the spatial domain. By removing these high frequency components and reserve the overall pattern of the signal, we obtained better mass estimates with minimum leakage errors. The new global mass change estimates captured all the signals observed by GRACE without the stripe errors. Results were compared with traditional methods over the Tonle Sap Basin in Cambodia, Northwestern India, Central Valley in California, and the Caspian Sea. Our results provide larger signal magnitudes which are in good agreement with the leakage corrected (forward modeled) SH results.

77 FR 73452 - Grace Period Study

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-10

... survey may be distributed in waves for convenience. The Grace Period Study survey will be an electronic... information that is used for sampling purposes will be maintained in a separate file from the quantitative...

B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and classical Burkitt's lymphoma: A case report and review

OpenAIRE

Chettiankandy, Tabita Joy; Tupkari, Jagdish Vishnu; Kumar, Keshav; Ahire, Manisha Sandeep

2016-01-01

B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and classical Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), is a diagnostic provisional category in the World Health Organization 2008 classification of lymphomas. This category was designed as a measure to accommodate borderline cases that cannot be reliably classified into a single distinct disease entity after all available morphological, immunophenotypical and molecular studies have been performed. Typica...

Disposal of high level and intermediate level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flowers, R.H.

1991-01-01

The waste products from the nuclear industry are relatively small in volume. Apart from a few minor gaseous and liquid waste streams, containing readily dispersible elements of low radiotoxicity, all these products are processed into stable solid packages for disposal in underground repositories. Because the volumes are small, and because radioactive wastes are latecomers on the industrial scene, a whole new industry with a world-wide technological infrastructure has grown up alongside the nuclear power industry to carry out the waste processing and disposal to very high standards. Some of the technical approaches used, and the Regulatory controls which have been developed, will undoubtedly find application in the future to the management of non-radioactive toxic wastes. The repository site outlined would contain even high-level radioactive wastes and spent fuels being contained without significant radiation dose rates to the public. Water pathway dose rates are likely to be lowest for vitrified high-level wastes with spent PWR fuel and intermediate level wastes being somewhat higher. (author)

Radiological protection and the selection of management strategies for intermediate level wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, M.D.; Webb, G.A.M.

1982-01-01

This paper describes the steps involved in selecting management systems and an overall management strategy for intermediate level solid radioactive wastes. The radiological protection inputs to intermediate level waste management decisions are discussed, together with the results of preliminary radiological assessments of disposal options. Areas where further work is required are identified. (author)

Antarctic Glacial Isostatic Adjustment and Ice Sheet Mass Balance using GRACE: A Report from the Ice-sheet Mass Balance Exercise (IMBIE)

Science.gov (United States)

Ivins, E. R.; Wahr, J. M.; Schrama, E. J.; Milne, G. A.; Barletta, V.; Horwath, M.; Whitehouse, P.

2012-12-01

In preparation for the Inter-govermental Panel on Climate Change: Assessment Report 5 (IPCC AR5), ESA and NASA have formed a committee of experts to perform a formal set of comparative experiments concerning space observations of ice sheet mass balance. This project began in August of 2011 and has now concluded with a report submitted for Science (Shepherd et al., 2012). The focus of the work conducted is to re-evaluate scientific reports on the mass balance of Greenland ice sheet (GIS) and Antarctic ice sheet (AIS). The most serious discrepancies have been reported for the AIS, amounting to as much as 0.9 mm/yr in discrepant sea level contribution. A direct method of determining the AIS is by space gravimetry. However, for this method to contribute to our understanding of sea level change, we require knowledge of present-day non-elastic vertical movements of bedrock in Antarctica. Quantifying the uncertainty and bias caused by lack of observational control on models of regional glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), was a major focus for our experiments. This regional process is the most problematic error source for GRACE-determinations of ice mass balance in Antarctica. While GIA likely dominates some large vertical motions in Antarctica that are now observed with GPS (Thomas et al., 2011, GRL), interpretations still require models. The reported uncertainty for space gravimetric (GRACE) based sea level sourcing is roughly 0.20 to 0.35 mm/yr. The uncertainty is also part of the error budget for mass balances derived from altimetry measurements, though at a much lower level. Analysis of the GRACE time series using CSR RL04 (2003.0-2010.10) for AIS mass balance reveals a small trend of order +1 to -24 Gt/yr without a GIA correction. Three periods were selected over which to perform inter-comparisons (see Table). One class of GIA models, that relies primarily on far field sea level reconstructions (e.g. ICE-5G), provide a GIA correction that places AIS mass imbalance (�

Effects of 1,2-cyclohexanedione modification on the metabolism of very low density lipoprotein apolipoprotein B: potential role of receptors in intermediate density lipoprotein catabolism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Packard, C.J.; Boag, D.E.; Clegg, R.; Bedford, D.; Shepherd, J.

1985-01-01

The conversion of very low density (VLDL) to low density lipoproteins (LDL) is a two-step process. The first step is mediated by lipoprotein lipase, but the mechanism responsible for the second is obscure. In this study we examined the possible involvement of receptors at this stage. Apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins were separated into three fractions, VLDL (Sf 100-400), an intermediate fraction IDL (Sf 12-100), and LDL (Sf 0-12). Autologous 125I-labeled VLDL and 131I-labeled 1,2-cyclohexanedione-modified VLDL were injected into the plasma of four normal subjects and the rate of transfer of apoB radioactivity was followed through IDL to LDL. Modification did not affect VLDL to IDL conversion. Thereafter, however, the catabolism of modified apoB in IDL was retarded and its appearance in LDL was delayed. Hence, functional arginine residues (and by implication, receptors) are required in this process. Confirmation of this was obtained by injecting 125I-labeled IDL and 131I-labeled cyclohexanedione-treated IDL into two additional subjects. Again, IDL metabolism was delayed by approximately 50% as a result of the modification. These data are consistent with the view that receptors are involved in the metabolism of intermediate density lipoprotein

Antarctica, Greenland and Gulf of Alaska Land-Ice Evolution from an Iterated GRACE Global Mascon Solution

Science.gov (United States)

Luthcke, Scott B.; Sabaka, T. J.; Loomis, B. D.; Arendt, A. A.; McCarthy, J. J.; Camp, J.

2013-01-01

We have determined the ice mass evolution of the Antarctica and Greenland ice sheets (AIS and GIS) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) glaciers from a new GRACE global solution of equal-area surface mass concentration parcels (mascons) in equivalent height of water. The mascons were estimated directly from the reduction of the inter-satellite K-band range-rate (KBRR) observations, taking into account the full noise covariance, and formally iterating the solution. The new solution increases signal recovery while reducing the GRACE KBRR observation residuals. The mascons were estimated with 10 day and 1 arc degree equal-area sampling, applying anisotropic constraints. An ensemble empirical mode decomposition adaptive filter was applied to the mascon time series to compute annual mass balances. The details and causes of the spatial and temporal variability of the land-ice regions studied are discussed. The estimated mass trend over the total GIS, AIS and GOA glaciers for the time period 1 December 2003 to 1 December 2010 is -380 plus or minus 31 Gt a(exp -1), equivalent to -1.05 plus or minus 0.09 mma(exp -1) sea-level rise. Over the same time period we estimate the mass acceleration to be -41 plus or minus 27 Gt a(exp -2), equivalent to a 0.11 plus or minus 0.08 mm a(exp -2) rate of change in sea level. The trends and accelerations are dependent on significant seasonal and annual balance anomalies.

Greenland ice mass balance from GPS, GRACE and ICESat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khan, Shfaqat Abbas; Kjær, Kurt H.; Korsgaard, Niels Jákup

Greenland, using stereoscopic coverage by aerial photographs recorded in 1985, and subsequent comparative surface elevation data from ICESat (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite) and ATM (Airborne Topographic Mapper) supplemented with measurements from GPS and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment...... (GRACE) satellite gravity mission, launched in March, 2002. The GRACE results provide a direct measure of mass loss, while the GPS data are used to monitor crustal uplift caused by ice mass loss close to the GPS sites....

Automatic computation of cross sections in HEP. Status of GRACE system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuasa, F.; Fujimoto, J.; Ishikawa, T.

2000-01-01

For the study of reactions in High Energy Physics (HEP) automatic computation systems have been developed are widely used nowadays. GRACE is one of such systems and it has achieved much success in analyzing experimental data. Since we deal with the cross section whose value can be given by calculating hundreds of Feynman diagrams, we manage the large scale calculation, so that effective symbolic manipulation, the treat of singularity in the numerical integration are required. The talk will describe the software design of GRACE system and computational techniques in the GRACE. (author)

3-D GRACE gravity model for the 2011 Japan earthquake

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Corresponding author. e-mail: rgss1fes@iitr.ac.in/rgssastry@gmail.com. The GRACE mission has contributed to the seismic characterization of major earthquakes in offshore ... −13μGal), fully accounting for co-seismic mass redistribution.

The 2-ID-B intermediate-energy scanning X-ray microscope at the APS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNulty, I.; Paterson, D.; Arko, J.; Erdmann, M.; Goetze, K.; Ilinski, P.; Mooney, T.; Vogt, S.; Xu, S.; Frigo, S.P.; Stampfl, A.P.J.; Wang, Y.

2002-01-01

The intermediate-energy scanning x-ray microscope at beamline 2-ID-B at the Advanced Photon Source is a dedicated instrument for materials and biological research. The microscope uses a zone plate lens to focus coherent 1-4 keV x-rays to a 60 nm focal spot of 10 9 photons/s onto the sample. It records simultaneous transmission and energy-resolved fluorescence images. We have used the microscope for nano-tomography of chips and micro-spectroscopy of cells. (authors)

Increased endothelin-1 and diminished nitric oxide levels in blister fluids of patients with intermediate cold type complex regional pain syndrome type 1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niehof Sjoerd

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS1 pro-inflammatory mediators and vascular changes play an important role in the sustained development and outcome of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of vasoactive substances endothelin-1 (ET-1 and nitric oxide (NO during early chronic CRPS1. Methods Included were 29 patients with CRPS 1 who were diagnosed during the acute stage of their disease and observed during follow-up visits. Disease activity and impairment were determined and artificial suction blisters were made on the CRPS1 and the contralateral extremities for measurements of IL-6, TNF-α, ET-1 and nitrate/nitrite (NOx. Results The levels of IL-6, TNF-α and ET-1 in blister fluid in the CRPS1 extremity versus the contralateral extremity were significantly increased and correlated with each other, whereas NOx levels were decreased. Conclusion The NOx/ET-1 ratio appears to be disturbed in the intermediate stage of CRPS, resulting in vasoconstriction and consequently in a diminished tissue blood distribution.

Assessment of 3D hydrologic deformation using GRACE and GPS

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, C. S.; Tregoning, P.; Fleming, K.; Burgette, R. J.; Featherstone, W. E.; Awange, J.; Kuhn, M.; Ramillien, G.

2009-12-01

Hydrological processes cause variations in gravitational potential and surface deformations, both of which are detectable with ever increasing precision using space geodetic techniques. By comparing the elastic deformation computed from continental water load estimates derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), with three-dimensional surface deformation derived from GPS observations, there is clear potential to better understand global to regional hydrological processes, in addition to acquiring further insight into the systematic error contributions affecting each space geodetic technique. In this study, we compare elastic deformation derived from water load estimates taken from the CNES, CSR, GFZ and JPL time variable GRACE fields. We compare these surface displacements with those derived at a global network of GPS sites that have been homogeneously reprocessed in the GAMIT/GLOBK suite. We extend our comparison to include a series of different GPS solutions, with each solution only subtly different based on the methodology used to down weight the height component in realizing site coordinates on the terrestrial reference frame. Each of the GPS solutions incorporate modeling of atmospheric loading and utilization of the VMF1 and a priori zenith hydrostatic delays derived via ray tracing through ECMWF meteorological fields. The agreement between GRACE and GPS derived deformations is not limited to the vertical component, with excellent agreement in the horizontal component across areas where large hydrologic signals occur over broad spatial scales (with correlation in horizontal components as high as 0.9). Agreement is also observed at smaller scales, including across Europe. These comparisons assist in understanding the magnitude of current error contributions within both space geodetic techniques. With the emergence of homogeneously reprocessed GPS time series spanning the GRACE mission, this technique offers one possible means of

Decay υ(3S)→υ(1S)π+π- and a possible b(b-bar)q(q-bar) state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Fengkun; Ping Ronggang

2005-01-01

The decay process υ(3S)→υ(1S)π + π - are re-visited using a Chiral Unitary Theory (ChUT) to include the important ππS wave final state interaction (FSI). It is found that when an additional intermediate state with J P =1 + and I=1 is introduced, the ππ invariant mass spectrum and the cosθ π * distribution in the υ(3S)→υ(1S)π + π - process can simultaneously be well-explained, and a good description for other bottomonium π + π - transitions can be obtained consistently. As a result, the mass and the width of the intermediate state are predicted to be M X =10.08 GeV and Γ X =0.665 GeV, respectively. From the quark content analysis, this state should be a b(b-bar)q(q-bar) state. (authors)

Can we observe the fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current using GRACE OBP?

Science.gov (United States)

Makowski, J.; Chambers, D. P.; Bonin, J. A.

2014-12-01

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and the Southern Ocean remains one of the most undersampled regions of the world's oceans. The ACC is comprised of four major fronts: the Sub-Tropical Front (STF), the Polar Front (PF), the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF), and the Southern ACC Front (SACCF). These were initially observed individually from repeat hydrographic sections and their approximate locations globally have been quantified using all available temperature data from the World Ocean and Climate Experiment (WOCE). More recent studies based on satellite altimetry have found that the front positions are more dynamic and have shifted south by up to 1° on average since 1993. Using ocean bottom pressure (OBP) data from the current Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) we have measured integrated transport variability of the ACC south of Australia. However, differentiation of variability of specific fronts has been impossible due to the necessary smoothing required to reduce noise and correlated errors in the measurements. The future GRACE Follow-on (GFO) mission and the post 2020 GRACE-II mission are expected to produce higher resolution gravity fields with a monthly temporal resolution. Here, we study the resolution and error characteristics of GRACE gravity data that would be required to resolve variations in the front locations and transport. To do this, we utilize output from a high-resolution model of the Southern Ocean, hydrology models, and ice sheet surface mass balance models; add various amounts of random and correlated errors that may be expected from GFO and GRACE-II; and quantify requirements needed for future satellite gravity missions to resolve variations along the ACC fronts.

A Test Run of the EGSIEM Near Real-Time Service Based on GRACE Mission Data

Science.gov (United States)

Kvas, A.; Gruber, C.; Gouweleeuw, B.; Guntner, A.; Mayer-Gürr, T.; Flechtner, F. M.

2017-12-01

To enable the use of GRACE and GRACE-FO data for rapid monitoring applications, the EGSIEM (European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management) project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Program for Research and Innovation of the European Union, has implemented a demonstrator for a near real-time (NRT) gravity field service. The goal of this service is to provide daily gravity field solutions with a maximum latency of five days. For this purpose, two independent approaches were developed at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and Graz University of Technology (TUG). Based on these daily gravity field solutions, statistical flood and drought indicators are derived by the EGSIEM Hydrological Service, developed at GFZ. The NRT products are subsequently provided to the Center for Satellite based Crisis Information (ZKI) at the German Aerospace Center as well as the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. In the first part of this contribution, the performance of the service based on a statistical analysis of historical flood events during the GRACE period is evaluated. Then, results from the six month long operational test run of the service which started on April 1st 2017 are presented and a comparison between historical and operational gravity products and flood indicators is made.

The elusive 2s3s1S level in B II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinson, I; Awaya, Y; Ekberg, J O; Kink, I; Mannervik, S; Ryabtsev, A N

2003-01-01

It has been known for nearly 30 years that the theoretical and experimental values for the energy of the 2s3s 1 S level in singly ionized boron, B II, differ strongly. Since there is much better agreement for other B II levels, it has been concluded that the experimental value for 2s3s 1 S must be revised. Despite a number of recordings over the years of sliding-spark, hollow cathode and beam-foil spectra, this level has not been located. We have now performed another beam-foil experiment, using higher resolution and sensitivity than in most previous studies. By combining these new data with previous results, we have identified transitions from the 2s4p, 2s5p and 2p3s 1 P levels to 2s3s 1 S, the excitation energy (137 622 ± 3 cm -1 ) of which is now well established and in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions

Evaluating Greenland glacial isostatic adjustment corrections using GRACE, altimetry and surface mass balance data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutterley, Tyler C; Velicogna, Isabella; Csatho, Beata; Rezvan-Behbahani, Soroush; Babonis, Greg; Van den Broeke, Michiel

2014-01-01

Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) represents a source of uncertainty for ice sheet mass balance estimates from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) time-variable gravity measurements. We evaluate Greenland GIA corrections from Simpson et al (2009 Quat. Sci. Rev. 28 1631–57), A et al (2013 Geophys. J. Int. 192 557–72) and Wu et al (2010 Nature Geosci. 3 642–6) by comparing the spatial patterns of GRACE-derived ice mass trends calculated using the three corrections with volume changes from ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite) and OIB (Operation IceBridge) altimetry missions, and surface mass balance products from the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO). During the period September 2003–August 2011, GRACE ice mass changes obtained using the Simpson et al (2009 Quat. Sci. Rev. 28 1631–57) and A et al (2013 Geophys. J. Int. 192 557–72) GIA corrections yield similar spatial patterns and amplitudes, and are consistent with altimetry observations and surface mass balance data. The two GRACE estimates agree within 2% on average over the entire ice sheet, and better than 15% in four subdivisions of Greenland. The third GRACE estimate corrected using the (Wu et al 2010 Nature Geosci. 3 642–6)) GIA shows similar spatial patterns, but produces an average ice mass loss for the entire ice sheet that is 64 − 67 Gt yr −1 smaller. In the Northeast the recovered ice mass change is 46–49 Gt yr −1 (245–270%) more positive than that deduced from the other two corrections. By comparing the spatial and temporal variability of the GRACE estimates with trends of volume changes from altimetry and surface mass balance from RACMO, we show that the Wu et al (2010 Nature Geosci. 3 642–6) correction leads to a large mass increase in the Northeast that is inconsistent with independent observations. (paper)

Comparison of RISK-PCI, GRACE, TIMI risk scores for prediction of major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakimov, Tamara; Mrdović, Igor; Filipović, Branka; Zdravković, Marija; Djoković, Aleksandra; Hinić, Saša; Milić, Nataša; Filipović, Branislav

2017-12-31

To compare the prognostic performance of three major risk scoring systems including global registry for acute coronary events (GRACE), thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI), and prediction of 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (RISK-PCI). This single-center retrospective study involved 200 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent invasive diagnostic approach, ie, coronary angiography and myocardial revascularization if appropriate, in the period from January 2014 to July 2014. The GRACE, TIMI, and RISK-PCI risk scores were compared for their predictive ability. The primary endpoint was a composite 30-day major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which included death, urgent target-vessel revascularization (TVR), stroke, and non-fatal recurrent myocardial infarction (REMI). The c-statistics of the tested scores for 30-day MACE or area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with confidence intervals (CI) were as follows: RISK-PCI (AUC=0.94; 95% CI 1.790-4.353), the GRACE score on admission (AUC=0.73; 95% CI 1.013-1.045), the GRACE score on discharge (AUC=0.65; 95% CI 0.999-1.033). The RISK-PCI score was the only score that could predict TVR (AUC=0.91; 95% CI 1.392-2.882). The RISK-PCI scoring system showed an excellent discriminative potential for 30-day death (AUC=0.96; 95% CI 1.339-3.548) in comparison with the GRACE scores on admission (AUC=0.88; 95% CI 1.018-1.072) and on discharge (AUC=0.78; 95% CI 1.000-1.058). In comparison with the GRACE and TIMI scores, RISK-PCI score showed a non-inferior ability to predict 30-day MACE and death in ACS patients. Moreover, RISK-PCI was the only scoring system that could predict recurrent ischemia requiring TVR.

Relation of the aortic stiffness with the GRACE risk score in patients with the non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Omer, Gedikli; Gokhan, Aksan; Adem, Uzun; Sabri, Demircan; Korhan, Soylu

2014-01-01

Current guidelines recommend clinical risk scoring systems for the patients diagnosed and determinated treatment strategy with in Non-ST-elevation elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Previous studies demonstrated association between aortic elasticity properties, stiffness and severity CAD. However, the associations between Aortic stiffness, elasticity properties and clinical risk scores have not been investigated. In the present study we have evaluated the relation between the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score and aortic stiffness in patients with NSTEMI. We prospectively analyzed 87 consecutive patients with NSTEMI. Aortic elastic parameter and stiffness parameter were calculated from the echocardiographically derived thoracic aortic diameters (mm/m(2)), and the measurement of pulse pressure obtained by cuff sphygmomanometry. We have categorized the patients in to two groups as low ((n = 45) (GRACE risk score ≤ 140)) and high ((n = 42) (GRACE risk score > 140)) risk group according to GRACE risk score and compare the both groups. Table 1 shows baseline characteristics of patients. Our study showed that Aortic strain was significantly low (3.5 ± 1.4, 7.9 ± 2.3 respectively, p < 0.001) and aortic stiffness index was significantly high (3.9 ± 0.38; 3 ± 0.35, respectively, p < 0.001) in the high risk group values compared to those with low risk group. The aortic stiffness index was the only independent predictor of GRACE risk score (OR: 119.390; 95% CI: 2.925-4872.8; p = 0.011) in multivariate analysis. We found a significant correlation between aortic stiffness, impaired elasticity and GRACE risk score. Aortic stiffness index was the only independent variable of the high GRACE risk score. The inclusion of aortic stiffness into the GRACE risk score could allow improved risk classification of patients with ACS at admission and this may be important in the diagnosis, follow up and treatment of the patients.

Water storage changes in North America retrieved from GRACE gravity and GPS data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hansheng Wang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available As global warming continues, the monitoring of changes in terrestrial water storage becomes increasingly important since it plays a critical role in understanding global change and water resource management. In North America as elsewhere in the world, changes in water resources strongly impact agriculture and animal husbandry. From a combination of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE gravity and Global Positioning System (GPS data, it is recently found that water storage from August, 2002 to March, 2011 recovered after the extreme Canadian Prairies drought between 1999 and 2005. In this paper, we use GRACE monthly gravity data of Release 5 to track the water storage change from August, 2002 to June, 2014. In Canadian Prairies and the Great Lakes areas, the total water storage is found to have increased during the last decade by a rate of 73.8 ± 14.5 Gt/a, which is larger than that found in the previous study due to the longer time span of GRACE observations used and the reduction of the leakage error. We also find a long term decrease of water storage at a rate of −12.0 ± 4.2 Gt/a in Ungava Peninsula, possibly due to permafrost degradation and less snow accumulation during the winter in the region. In addition, the effect of total mass gain in the surveyed area, on present-day sea level, amounts to −0.18 mm/a, and thus should be taken into account in studies of global sea level change.

hnRNP A2/B1 interacts with influenza A viral protein NS1 and inhibits virus replication potentially through suppressing NS1 RNA/protein levels and NS1 mRNA nuclear export

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Yimeng; Zhou, Jianhong; Du, Yuchun, E-mail: ydu@uark.edu

2014-01-20

The NS1 protein of influenza viruses is a major virulence factor and exerts its function through interacting with viral/cellular RNAs and proteins. In this study, we identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 (hnRNP A2/B1) as an interacting partner of NS1 proteins by a proteomic method. Knockdown of hnRNP A2/B1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in higher levels of NS vRNA, NS1 mRNA, and NS1 protein in the virus-infected cells. In addition, we demonstrated that hnRNP A2/B1 proteins are associated with NS1 and NS2 mRNAs and that knockdown of hnRNP A2/B1 promotes transport of NS1 mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in the infected cells. Lastly, we showed that knockdown of hnRNP A2/B1 leads to enhanced virus replication. Our results suggest that hnRNP A2/B1 plays an inhibitory role in the replication of influenza A virus in host cells potentially through suppressing NS1 RNA/protein levels and NS1 mRNA nucleocytoplasmic translocation. - Highlights: • Cellular protein hnRNP A2/B1 interacts with influenza viral protein NS1. • hnRNP A2/B1 suppresses the levels of NS1 protein, vRNA and mRNA in infected cells. • hnRNP A2/B1 protein is associated with NS1 and NS2 mRNAs. • hnRNP A2/B1 inhibits the nuclear export of NS1 mRNAs. • hnRNP A2/B1 inhibits influenza virus replication.

Using GRACE Satellite Gravimetry for Assessing Large-Scale Hydrologic Extremes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Y. Sun

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Global assessment of the spatiotemporal variability in terrestrial total water storage anomalies (TWSA in response to hydrologic extremes is critical for water resources management. Using TWSA derived from the gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE satellites, this study systematically assessed the skill of the TWSA-climatology (TC approach and breakpoint (BP detection method for identifying large-scale hydrologic extremes. The TC approach calculates standardized anomalies by using the mean and standard deviation of the GRACE TWSA corresponding to each month. In the BP detection method, the empirical mode decomposition (EMD is first applied to identify the mean return period of TWSA extremes, and then a statistical procedure is used to identify the actual occurrence times of abrupt changes (i.e., BPs in TWSA. Both detection methods were demonstrated on basin-averaged TWSA time series for the world’s 35 largest river basins. A nonlinear event coincidence analysis measure was applied to cross-examine abrupt changes detected by these methods with those detected by the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI. Results show that our EMD-assisted BP procedure is a promising tool for identifying hydrologic extremes using GRACE TWSA data. Abrupt changes detected by the BP method coincide well with those of the SPI anomalies and with documented hydrologic extreme events. Event timings obtained by the TC method were ambiguous for a number of river basins studied, probably because the GRACE data length is too short to derive long-term climatology at this time. The BP approach demonstrates a robust wet-dry anomaly detection capability, which will be important for applications with the upcoming GRACE Follow-On mission.

Using GPS and GRACE data to assess Solid Earth elastic parameters at regional scale

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barletta, Valentina Roberta; Borghi, A.; Aoudia, A.

2012-01-01

We propose a way to combine GPS and GRACE data for regional scale cross check and validation especially of the most commonly used PREM (Preliminary Earth Reference Model). In form of h and k Love numbers, global PREM is very often used to simulate elastic rebound due to present-day ice mass loss......, to derive the mass distribution produced by the observed GRACE time series, and it is also used for atmospheric loading correction both in GPS and in GRACE dealiasing products. GRACE data provide load estimates, usually given as water equivalent mass distribution, from which one derives the Earth elastic...... response, by convolution with suitable elastic green functions, relying on selected Earth model and related layering and elastic parameters. We calculate at regional scale the time series of monthly uplift associated with the mass redistribution observed by GRACE implementing the high resolution technique...

Dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as seen by GRACE (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, M.; Dobslaw, H.; Bergmann, I.

2010-12-01

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current, being the strongest and longest ocean current on Earth, connects the three great ocean basins and contributes substantially to the global re-distribution of water masses, with a significant impact on global climate. Observational coverage from in-situ measurements is sparse due to the harsh environmental conditions, and satellite altimetry does not capture the full extent of the current due to seasonal sea-ice coverage. Ocean bottom pressure variations as sensed with the satellite gravity mission GRACE provide a promising way to broaden our observational basis. Besides monthly mean gravity fields that provide ocean bottom pressure variations averaged over 30 days, several alternative GRACE products with higher temporal resolution have been developed during the most recent years. These include 10-day solutions from GRGS Toulouse, weekly solutions from the GFZ Potsdam as well as constrained daily solutions from the University of Bonn which have been obtained by means of a Kalman filtering approach. In this presentation, ocean bottom pressure derived from these alternative GRACE releases will be contrasted against both in-situ observations and output from a numerical ocean model, highlighting the additional information contained in these GRACE solutions with respect to the standard monthly fields. By means of statistical analyses of ocean bottom pressure variations and barotropic transports it will be demonstrated how these new GRACE releases are contributing to our understanding of this highly dynamic great ocean conveyor.

"Amazing Grace": Literature as a Window on Colonial Slavery.

Science.gov (United States)

Basker, James G.

2003-01-01

Describes the book, "Amazing Grace: An Anthology of Poems about Slavery 1660-1810." Presents poems, written by 250 writers, that focus on slavery during the 150 year period. Provides examples of materials included in this book and how it can enable students to increase their understanding of slavery. (CMK)

The chemical, microbial, sensory and technological effects of intermediate salt levels as a sodium reduction strategy in fresh pork sausages.

Science.gov (United States)

Cluff, MacDonald; Steyn, Hannes; Charimba, George; Bothma, Carina; Hugo, Celia J; Hugo, Arno

2016-09-01

The reduction of sodium in processed meat products is synonymous with the use of salt replacers. Rarely has there been an assessment of the use of intermediate salt levels as a sodium reduction strategy in itself. In this study, 1 and 1.5% salt levels were compared with 0 and 2% controls in fresh pork sausages for effects on chemical, microbial, sensory and technological stability. Although significant (P sausages stored at 4 °C on days 6 and 9 and stored at -18 °C on days 90 and 180; taste, texture and overall liking during sensory evaluation; and % cooking loss, % total loss and % refrigeration loss. Consumers were able to differentiate between the 2 and 1% added NaCl treatments in terms of saltiness. This study indicated that salt reduction to intermediate levels can be considered a sodium reduction strategy in itself but that further research with regards to product safety is needed. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Seasonal changes in the European gravity field from GRACE: A comparison with superconducting gravimeters and hydrology model predictions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hinderer, J.; Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Lemoine, F.

2006-01-01

This paper is devoted to the investigation of seasonal changes of the Earth's gravity field from GRACE satellites and the comparison with surface gravity measurements in Europe from the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) sub-network, as well as with recent hydrology models for continental soil...... moisture and snow. We used gravity maps in Europe retrieved from the initial GRACE monthly solutions spanning a 21 -month duration from April 2002 to December 2003 for various truncation levels of the initial spherical harmonic decomposition of the field. The transfer function between satellite......-derived and ground gravity changes due to continental hydrology is studied and we also compute the theoretical ratio of gravity versus radial displacement (in mu Gal/mm) involved in the hydrological loading process. The 'mean' value (averaged in time and in space over Europe) from hydrologic forward modeling...

Numerical precision control and GRACE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimoto, J.; Hamaguchi, N.; Ishikawa, T.; Kaneko, T.; Morita, H.; Perret-Gallix, D.; Tokura, A.; Shimizu, Y.

2006-01-01

The control of the numerical precision of large-scale computations like those generated by the GRACE system for automatic Feynman diagram calculations has become an intrinsic part of those packages. Recently, Hitachi Ltd. has developed in FORTRAN a new library HMLIB for quadruple and octuple precision arithmetic where the number of lost-bits is made available. This library has been tested with success on the 1-loop radiative correction to e + e - ->e + e - τ + τ - . It is shown that the approach followed by HMLIB provides an efficient way to track down the source of numerical significance losses and to deliver high-precision results yet minimizing computing time

Grace Murray Hopper - Programming Pioneer

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 6; Issue 2. Grace Murray Hopper - Programming Pioneer. V Rajaraman. Article-in-a-Box Volume 6 Issue 2 February 2001 pp 2-3. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/006/02/0002-0003 ...

An Improved GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Assimilation System For Estimating Large-Scale Soil Moisture and Shallow Groundwater

Science.gov (United States)

Girotto, M.; De Lannoy, G. J. M.; Reichle, R. H.; Rodell, M.

2015-12-01

The Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission is unique because it provides highly accurate column integrated estimates of terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations. Major limitations of GRACE-based TWS observations are related to their monthly temporal and coarse spatial resolution (around 330 km at the equator), and to the vertical integration of the water storage components. These challenges can be addressed through data assimilation. To date, it is still not obvious how best to assimilate GRACE-TWS observations into a land surface model, in order to improve hydrological variables, and many details have yet to be worked out. This presentation discusses specific recent features of the assimilation of gridded GRACE-TWS data into the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Catchment land surface model to improve soil moisture and shallow groundwater estimates at the continental scale. The major recent advancements introduced by the presented work with respect to earlier systems include: 1) the assimilation of gridded GRACE-TWS data product with scaling factors that are specifically derived for data assimilation purposes only; 2) the assimilation is performed through a 3D assimilation scheme, in which reasonable spatial and temporal error standard deviations and correlations are exploited; 3) the analysis step uses an optimized calculation and application of the analysis increments; 4) a poor-man's adaptive estimation of a spatially variable measurement error. This work shows that even if they are characterized by a coarse spatial and temporal resolution, the observed column integrated GRACE-TWS data have potential for improving our understanding of soil moisture and shallow groundwater variations.

Validation and modification of a proposed substaging system for patients with intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing-Houng; Kee, Kwong-Ming; Lin, Chih-Yun; Hung, Chao-Hung; Chen, Chien-Hung; Lee, Chuan-Mo; Lu, Sheng-Nan

2015-02-01

Based on up-to-seven criteria and Child-Pugh score, four substages of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were proposed. The purpose of this study was to validate and modify this proposal. Between January 2002 and February 2011, newly diagnosed intermediate HCC patients underwent transarterial embolization (TAE) were enrolled. Patients were stratified into four (B1-B4) substages and followed up until death or end of 2012. Patients' survivals and discriminatory ability of substaging systems were compared. Five-hundred and eighty patients were enrolled. There were 56.6%, 33.8%, 7.4%, and 2.2% in substage B1, B2, B3, and B4. The 5-year survival rate was 21.4%, 13.9%, 7.4%, and 7.7% with median survival time of 2.4, 1.3, 0.5, and 0.8 years (P  200 ng/mL, B1 was classified into B1a and B1b, and B2 into B2a and B2b. There were no differences in survivals between B1b and B2a (P = 0.174), and B2b and B3 (P = 0.785). Patients were re-classified into modified (m)B1 (B1a), mB2 (B1b + B2a), mB3 (B2b + B3). The modified substages (mB1-mB3) showed a more desirable substaging system. For BCLC intermediate HCC patients, substages B1-B4 were useful in predicting survival after TAE. However, modified substaging system provided better prognostic prediction. © 2014 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Time Changes of the European Gravity Field from GRACE: A Comparison with Ground Measurements from Superconducting Gravimeters and with Hydrology Model Predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Hinderer, J.; Lemoine, Frank G.; Crossley, D.; Boy, J.-P.

2004-01-01

We investigate the time-variable gravity changes in Europe retrieved from the initial GRACE monthly solutions spanning a 18 month duration from April 2002 to October 2003. Gravity anomaly maps are retrieved in Central Europe from the monthly satellite solutions we compare the fields according to various truncation levels (typically between degree 10 and 20) of the initial fields (expressed in spherical harmonics to degree 120). For these different degrees, an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decomposition of the time-variable gravity field leads us to its main spatial and temporal characteristics. We show that the dominant signal is found to be annual with an amplitude and a phase both in agreement with predictions in Europe modeled using snow and soil-moisture variations from recent hydrology models. We compare these GRACE gravity field changes to surface gravity observations from 6 superconducting gravimeters of the GGP (Global Geodynamics Project) European sub-network, with a special attention to loading corrections. Initial results suggest that all 3 data sets (GRACE, hydrology and GGP) are responding to annual changes in near-surface water in Europe of a few microGal (at length scales of approx.1000 km) that show a high value in winter and a summer minimum. We also point out that the GRACE gravity field evolution seems to indicate that there is a trend in gravity between summer 2002 and summer 2003 which can be related to the 2003 heatwave in Europe and its hydrological consequences (drought). Despite the limited time span of our analysis and the uncertainties in retrieving a regional solution from the network of gravimeters, the calibration and validation aspects of the GRACE data processing based on the annual hydrology cycle in Europe are in progress.

Design of a store for encapsulated intermediate level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, A.I.; Robinson, G.; Price, M.S.T.

1989-01-01

The design of a new store for cemented intermediate level radioactive waste produced in unshielded 500 litre drums from the Winfrith Radwaste Treatment Plant is described. The store design has had to take account of local site constraints and disposal uncertainties. As a result, an innovative above ground storage tube design using interlocking, commercially available, concrete pipe rings has been selected. Other special features are that the store is easily capable of being extended whilst in service and is simple and cheap to decommission. A quality assessment facility for the drummed waste is an integral part of the store complex. (author)

Earth Surface Deformation in the North China Plain Detected by Joint Analysis of GRACE and GPS Data

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Renli; Li, Jiancheng; Fok, Hok Sum; Shum, C.K.; Li, Zhao

2014-01-01

Mass redistribution of the Earth causes variable loading that deforms the solid Earth. While most recent studies using geodetic techniques focus on regions (such as the Amazon basin and the Nepal Himalayas) with large seasonal deformation amplitudes on the order of 1–4 cm due to hydrologic loading, few such studies have been conducted on the regions where the seasonal deformation amplitude is half as large. Here, we use joint GPS and GRACE data to investigate the vertical deformation due to hydrologic loading in the North China Plain, where significant groundwater depletion has been reported. We found that the GPS- and GRACE-derived secular trends and seasonal signals are in good agreement, with an uplift magnitude of 1–2 mm/year and a correlation of 85.0%–98.5%, respectively. This uplift rate is consistent with groundwater depletion rate estimated from GRACE data and in-situ groundwater measurements from earlier report studies; whereas the seasonal hydrologic variation reflects human behavior of groundwater pumping for agriculture irrigation in spring, leading to less water storage in summer than that in the winter season. However, less than 20% of weighted root-mean-squared (WRMS) reductions were detected for all the selected GPS stations when GRACE-derived seasonal deformations were removed from detrended GPS height time series. This discrepancy is probably because the GRACE-derived seasonal signals are large-scale, while the GPS-derived signals are local point measurements. PMID:25340454

Earth surface deformation in the North China Plain detected by joint analysis of GRACE and GPS data.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Renli; Li, Jiancheng; Fok, Hok Sum; Shum, C K; Li, Zhao

2014-10-22

Mass redistribution of the Earth causes variable loading that deforms the solid Earth. While most recent studies using geodetic techniques focus on regions (such as the Amazon basin and the Nepal Himalayas) with large seasonal deformation amplitudes on the order of 1-4 cm due to hydrologic loading, few such studies have been conducted on the regions where the seasonal deformation amplitude is half as large. Here, we use joint GPS and GRACE data to investigate the vertical deformation due to hydrologic loading in the North China Plain, where significant groundwater depletion has been reported. We found that the GPS- and GRACE-derived secular trends and seasonal signals are in good agreement, with an uplift magnitude of 1-2 mm/year and a correlation of 85.0%-98.5%, respectively. This uplift rate is consistent with groundwater depletion rate estimated from GRACE data and in-situ groundwater measurements from earlier report studies; whereas the seasonal hydrologic variation reflects human behavior of groundwater pumping for agriculture irrigation in spring, leading to less water storage in summer than that in the winter season. However, less than 20% of weighted root-mean-squared (WRMS) reductions were detected for all the selected GPS stations when GRACE-derived seasonal deformations were removed from detrended GPS height time series. This discrepancy is probably because the GRACE-derived seasonal signals are large-scale, while the GPS-derived signals are local point measurements.

Measuring Earth: Current status of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Schütze, Daniel; LRI Team

2016-05-01

The GRACE mission that was launched in 2002 has impressively proven the feasibility of low-orbit satellite-to-satellite tracking for Earth gravity observations. Especially mass transport related to Earth's hydrological system could be well resolved both spatially and temporally. This allows to study processes such as polar ice sheet decline and ground water depletion in great detail. Owing to GRACE's success, NASA and GFZ will launch the successor mission GRACE Follow-On in 2017. In addition to the microwave ranging system, GRACE Follow-On will be the first mission to use a Laser Ranging Interferometer as technology demonstrator to track intersatellite distance changes with unprecedented precision. This new ranging device inherits some of the technologies which have been developed for the future spaceborne gravitational wave detector LISA. I will present the architecture of the Laser Ranging Interferometer, point out similarities and differences to LISA, and conclude with the current status of the flight hardware production.

Application of GRACE to the assessment of model-based estimates of monthly Greenland Ice Sheet mass balance (2003-2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Schlegel, Nicole-Jeanne; Wiese, David N.; Larour, Eric Y.; Watkins, Michael M.; Box, Jason E.; Fettweis, Xavier; van den Broeke, Michiel R.

2016-09-01

Quantifying the Greenland Ice Sheet's future contribution to sea level rise is a challenging task that requires accurate estimates of ice sheet sensitivity to climate change. Forward ice sheet models are promising tools for estimating future ice sheet behavior, yet confidence is low because evaluation of historical simulations is challenging due to the scarcity of continental-wide data for model evaluation. Recent advancements in processing of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data using Bayesian-constrained mass concentration ("mascon") functions have led to improvements in spatial resolution and noise reduction of monthly global gravity fields. Specifically, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's JPL RL05M GRACE mascon solution (GRACE_JPL) offers an opportunity for the assessment of model-based estimates of ice sheet mass balance (MB) at ˜ 300 km spatial scales. Here, we quantify the differences between Greenland monthly observed MB (GRACE_JPL) and that estimated by state-of-the-art, high-resolution models, with respect to GRACE_JPL and model uncertainties. To simulate the years 2003-2012, we force the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM) with anomalies from three different surface mass balance (SMB) products derived from regional climate models. Resulting MB is compared against GRACE_JPL within individual mascons. Overall, we find agreement in the northeast and southwest where MB is assumed to be primarily controlled by SMB. In the interior, we find a discrepancy in trend, which we presume to be related to millennial-scale dynamic thickening not considered by our model. In the northwest, seasonal amplitudes agree, but modeled mass trends are muted relative to GRACE_JPL. Here, discrepancies are likely controlled by temporal variability in ice discharge and other related processes not represented by our model simulations, i.e., hydrological processes and ice-ocean interaction. In the southeast, GRACE_JPL exhibits larger seasonal amplitude than predicted by the

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) detection of water storage changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir of China and comparison with in situ measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xianwei; de Linage, Caroline; Famiglietti, James; Zender, Charles S.

2011-12-01

Water impoundment in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) of China caused a large mass redistribution from the oceans to a concentrated land area in a short time period. We show that this mass shift is captured by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) unconstrained global solutions at a 400 km spatial resolution after removing correlated errors. The WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model (WGHM) is selected to isolate the TGR contribution from regional water storage changes. For the first time, this study compares the GRACE (minus WGHM) estimated TGR volume changes with in situ measurements from April 2002 to May 2010 at a monthly time scale. During the 8 year study period, GRACE-WGHM estimated TGR volume changes show an increasing trend consistent with the TGR in situ measurements and lead to similar estimates of impounded water volume. GRACE-WGHM estimated total volume increase agrees to within 14% (3.2 km3) of the in situ measurements. This indicates that GRACE can retrieve the true amplitudes of large surface water storage changes in a concentrated area that is much smaller than the spatial resolution of its global harmonic solutions. The GRACE-WGHM estimated TGR monthly volume changes explain 76% (r2 = 0.76) of in situ measurement monthly variability and have an uncertainty of 4.62 km3. Our results also indicate reservoir leakage and groundwater recharge due to TGR filling and contamination from neighboring lakes are nonnegligible in the GRACE total water storage changes. Moreover, GRACE observations could provide a relatively accurate estimate of global water volume withheld by newly constructed large reservoirs and their impacts on global sea level rise since 2002.

Low IDL-B and high LDL-1 subfraction levels in serum of ALS patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Delaye, J B; Patin, F; Piver, E; Bruno, C; Vasse, M; Vourc'h, P; Andres, C R; Corcia, P; Blasco, H

2017-09-15

Converging evidence highlights that lipid metabolism plays a key role in ALS pathophysiology. Dyslipidemia has been described in ALS patients and may be protective but peripheral lipoprotein subclasses have never been studied. We collected sera from 30 ALS patients and 30 gender and age-matched controls. We analyzed 11 distinct lipoprotein subclasses by linear polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Lipoprint, Quantimetrix Corporation, USA). We also measured lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein B, and apolipoprotein E levels. ALS patients had significant higher total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels than controls (pALS patients than controls. Our preliminary work confirmed the association between ALS and dyslipidemia. The low IDL-B levels may explain the hepatic steatosis frequently reported in ALS. The high levels of the cholesterol-rich LDL-1 subfraction is consistent with previously reported hypercholesterolemia. This study describes, for the first time, the distribution of serum lipoproteins in ALS patients, with low IDL-B and high LDL-1 subfraction level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temperature corrected-calibration of GRACE's accelerometer

Science.gov (United States)

Encarnacao, J.; Save, H.; Siemes, C.; Doornbos, E.; Tapley, B. D.

2017-12-01

Since April 2011, the thermal control of the accelerometers on board the GRACE satellites has been turned off. The time series of along-track bias clearly show a drastic change in the behaviour of this parameter, while the calibration model has remained unchanged throughout the entire mission lifetime. In an effort to improve the quality of the gravity field models produced at CSR in future mission-long re-processing of GRACE data, we quantify the added value of different calibration strategies. In one approach, the temperature effects that distort the raw accelerometer measurements collected without thermal control are corrected considering the housekeeping temperature readings. In this way, one single calibration strategy can be consistently applied during the whole mission lifetime, since it is valid to thermal the conditions before and after April 2011. Finally, we illustrate that the resulting calibrated accelerations are suitable for neutral thermospheric density studies.

Can GRACE Explain Some of the Main Interannual Polar Motion Signatures?

Science.gov (United States)

Adhikari, S.; Ivins, E. R.; Larour, E. Y.

2016-12-01

GRACE has provided a series of monthly solutions for water mass transport that now span a 14-year period. A natural question to ask is how much of this mass transport information might be used to reconstruct, theoretically, the non-tidal and non-Chandlerian polar motion at interannual time scales. Reconstruction of the pole position at interannual time scales since 2002 has been performed by Chen et al. (2013, GRL) and Adhikari and Ivins (2016, Science Advances). (The main feature of polar motion that has been evolving since the mid 1990's is the increasing dominance of Greenland ice mass loss.) Here we discuss this reconstruction and the level of error that occurs because of missing information about the spherical harmonic degree 1 and 2 terms and the lack of terms associated with angular momentum transfer in the Louiville equations. Using GRACE observations and complementary solutions of self-attraction/loading problem on an elastically compressible rotating earth, we show that ice mass losses from polar ice sheets, and when combined with changes in continental hydrology, explain nearly the entire amplitude (83±23%) and mean directional shift (within 5.9±7.6°) of recently observed eastward polar motion. We also show that decadal scale pole variations are directly linked to global changes in continental hydrology. The energy sources for such motions are likely to be associated with decadal scale ocean and atmospheric oscillations that also drive 20th century continental wet-dry variability. Interannual variability in pole position, therefore, offers a tool for assessing past stability of our climate, and for the future, now faced with an increased intensity in the water cycle and more vulnerable to ice sheet instability. Figure caption: Observed and reconstructed mean annual pole positions with respect to the 2003-2015 mean position. Blue error band is associated with the reconstructed solution; red signifies additional errors that are related to uncertainty in

GRACE, time-varying gravity, Earth system dynamics and climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Wouters, B.; Bonin, J. A.; Chambers, D. P.; Riva, R. E. M.; Sasgen, I.; Wahr, J.

2014-11-01

Continuous observations of temporal variations in the Earth's gravity field have recently become available at an unprecedented resolution of a few hundreds of kilometers. The gravity field is a product of the Earth's mass distribution, and these data—provided by the satellites of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE)—can be used to study the exchange of mass both within the Earth and at its surface. Since the launch of the mission in 2002, GRACE data has evolved from being an experimental measurement needing validation from ground truth, to a respected tool for Earth scientists representing a fixed bound on the total change and is now an important tool to help unravel the complex dynamics of the Earth system and climate change. In this review, we present the mission concept and its theoretical background, discuss the data and give an overview of the major advances GRACE has provided in Earth science, with a focus on hydrology, solid Earth sciences, glaciology and oceanography.

Synthesis of 4-O-glycosylated 1,5-anhydro-D-fructose and of 1,5-anhydro-D-tagatose from a common intermediate 2,3-O-isopropylidene -D-fructose

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agoston, Karoly; Dekany, Gyula; Lundt, Inge

2009-01-01

Four novel disaccharides of glycosylated 1,5-anhydro-D-ketoses have been prepared: 1,5-anhydro-4-O-b-D-glucopyranosyl-D-fructose, 1,5-anhydro-4-O-b-D-galactopyranosyl-D-fructose, 1,5-anhydro-4-O-b-D-glucopyranosyl-D-tagatose and 1,5-anhydro-4-O-b-D-galactopyranosyl-D-tagatose. The common...... intermediate, 1,5-anhydro-2,3-O-isopropylidene-b-D-fructopyranose, was prepared from D-fructose and converted into the D-tagatose derivative by oxidation followed by stereoselective reduction to the 4-epimer. The prepared anhydro-ketoses were glycosylated and deprotected to the disaccharides....

HIV-1 gp41 Fusion Intermediate: A Target for HIV Therapeutics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chungen Pan

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1 infection is initiated by the binding of gp120 envelope glyco-protein to its cell receptor (CD4 and a coreceptor (CXCR4 or CCR5, followed by a series of conformational changes in the gp41 transmembrane subunit. These changes include insertion of fusion peptide into the target cell membrane and association of C-heptad repeat (CHR peptide with the N-heptad repeat (NHR trimer, a pre-hairpin fusion intermediate. A stable six-helix bundle core is then formed, bringing the viral envelope and target cell membrane into close proximity for fusion. Peptides derived from the CHR region, such as T20 and C34, inhibit HIV-1 fusion by interacting with the gp41 fusion intermediate. A number of anti-HIV-1 peptides and small molecule compounds targeting the gp41 NHR-trimer have been identified. By combining HIV fusion/entry inhibitors targeting different sites in the gp41 fusion intermediate, a potent synergistic effect takes place, resulting in a potential new therapeutic strategy for the HIV infection/AIDS. Here, we present an overview of the current development of anti-HIV drugs, particularly those targeting the gp41 fusion intermediate.

Cryosat Level1b SAR/Sarin: Improving the Quality of the Baseline C Products

Science.gov (United States)

Scagliola, M.; Fornari, M.; Tagliani, N.; Frommknecht, B.; Bouffard, J.; Parrinello, T.

2014-12-01

CryoSat was launched on the 8th April 2010 and it is the first European ice mission dedicated to monitoring precise changes in the thickness of polar ice sheets and floating sea ice over a 3-year period. Cryosat carries an innovative radar altimeter called the Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Altimeter (SIRAL), that transmits pulses at a high pulse repetition frequency thus making the received echoes phase coherent and suitable for azimuth processing. This allows to reach a significantly improved along track resolution with respect to traditional pulse-width limited altimeters. CryoSat is the first altimetry mission operating in SAR mode and continuous improvement in the Level1 Instrument Processing Facility (IPF1) are being identified, tested and validated in order to improve the quality of the Level1b products. Towards the release of the BaselineC of the CryoSat Level1b SAR/SARin products, that is expected at the end of 2014, several improvements have been identified: a datation bias of about -0.5195 ms will be corrected a range bias of about 0.6730 m will be corrected The range window size will be doubled with respect to BaselineB, so that the in Level1b products the waveforms will be doubled too Improved processing for 1Hz echoes to have sharper waveforms Surface sample stack weighting to filter out the single look echoes acquired at highest look angle, that results in a sharpening of the 20Hz waveforms Additional auxiliary information related to the mispointing angles of the instrument as well as to the stacks of single look echoes will be added This poster details the main quality improvements that are foreseen to be included in the CryoSat Level1b SAR/SARin products in BaselineC.

The use of GRACE data to monitor natural and anthropogenic induced variations in water availability across Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmed, Mohamed; Sultan, Mohamed; Wahr, John; Yan, Eugene

2014-05-27

Inter-annual trends in terrestrial water storage (TWS) were extracted from monthly (01/2003–09/2012) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data acquired over Africa and correlated (in a geographic information system [GIS] environment) with relevant temporal remote sensing, geologic, and hydrologic datasets. Findings include the following: (1) large sectors of Africa are undergoing statistically significant TWS variations (+ 44 mm/yr to -15 mm/yr) due to natural and anthropogenic causes; (2) warming of the tropical Atlantic Ocean apparently intensified Atlantic monsoons and increased precipitation and TWS over western and central Africa; (3) warming in the central Indian Ocean decreased precipitation and TWS over eastern Africa; (4) the high frequency of flooding events increased TWS over the Zambezi and Okavango basins; (5) extraction of fossil groundwater decreased TWS over the Saharan aquifers; (6) deforestation decreased TWS in three subbasins (Ubangi, Congo, and Sangha) of the Congo River Basin; and (7) the construction of dams increased TWS in the Blue Nile and Atbara subbasins. Given the 10 years of monthly GRACE data acquired on the subbasin scale across the globe, as well as the plans underway for deployment of a GRACE-FO and GRACE-II, using GRACE-derived TWS data should be considered an alternative, viable index for measuring temporal and spatial variations in water availability.

Bituminization of low- and intermediate-level radioactive concentrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breza, M.; Krejci, F.; Timulak, J.; Tibensky, L.

1985-01-01

The results and experiences are summed up from the research and development of the technology of bituminization of low- and intermediate-level radioactive concentrates generated in the operation of nuclear power plants with WWER-440 reactors. The experiments took place on a pilot plant bituminization line with various model solutions at an evaporator capacity of 70, 100 and 140 litres per hour. The composition of the solutions changed in dependence on the knowledge of the composition of actual concentrates in the V-1 nuclear power plant at Jaslovske Bohunice. The following factors were studied in the concentrate: the effect of its pH, its borate content and content of metal carbonates, the content of organic acid salts, the content of detergents, etc., on the process of bituminization. Physico-chemical conditions are described under which the operation of the evaporator was fail-safe and filling of the bituminization product with salts homogeneous. A low water content of up to 1% was achieved. The properties of the bituminization product were negatively affected by a high level of heavy metal oxides, surfactants, oxalates and citrates. In order to improve the properties of the product it will be necessary to replace bitumen emulsion Silembit-60 used as reinforcement matrix, by a different type of bitumen. (Z.M.)

Incidência de fumonisina B1, aflatoxinas B1, B2, G1 e G2, ocratoxina A e zearalenona em produtos de milho Occurrence of fumonisin B1, aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2, ochratoxin A and zearalenone in corn products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciane Mie Kawashima

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Levantamentos de ocorrência de micotoxinas em alimentos foram realizados nas últimas duas décadas nas regiões Sudeste e Sul do Brasil. Levantamentos em alimentos comercializados em outras regiões têm-se limitado a aflatoxinas em amendoim e castanhas do Brasil. O presente trabalho pesquisou a presença de fumonisina B1, aflatoxinas B1, B2, G1 e G2, ocratoxina A e zearalenona em 74 amostras de produtos a base de milho adquiridas no comércio da cidade de Recife, PE, durante o período de 1999 a 2001. Fumonisina B1 foi determinada por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência com detecção por fluorescência e as demais toxinas foram determinadas por cromatografia em camada delgada. Fumonisina B1 foi encontrada em 94,6% das amostras em concentrações variando de 20 a 8600 µg/kg. Apenas 5 amostras continham aflatoxina B1 e o teor máximo encontrado foi 20 µg/kg. Duas amostras ultrapassaram o limite de 20 µg/kg para a somatória das aflatoxinas B1, B2, G1 e G2 (farinha de milho pré-cozida com 21,5 µg/kg e quirera (xerém com 23,3 µg/kg. As aflatoxinas G1 e G2, ocratoxina A e zearalenona não foram detectadas em nenhuma das amostras. Todas as amostras contaminadas com aflatoxinas também apresentaram fumonisina B1.Research concerning the presence of mycotoxin in food has been conducted in the Southwest and South regions of Brazil over the last two decades. Research in other regions has been limited to aflatoxin in peanuts and Brazil nuts. The aim of this work is to study the presence of fumonisin B1, aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2, ochratoxin A and zearalenone in 74 samples of corn products acquired in shops and food markets in the city of Recife (PE from 1999 to 2001. Fumonisin B1 was determined by high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence was detected. The other toxins were determined by thin layer chromatography. Fumonisin B1 was found in 94.6% of the samples in levels from 20 to 8600 µg/kg. Only 5 samples contained

High-Resolution Assimilation of GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Observations to Represent Local-Scale Water Table Depths

Science.gov (United States)

Stampoulis, D.; Reager, J. T., II; David, C. H.; Famiglietti, J. S.; Andreadis, K.

2017-12-01

Despite the numerous advances in hydrologic modeling and improvements in Land Surface Models, an accurate representation of the water table depth (WTD) still does not exist. Data assimilation of observations of the joint NASA and DLR mission, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) leads to statistically significant improvements in the accuracy of hydrologic models, ultimately resulting in more reliable estimates of water storage. However, the usually shallow groundwater compartment of the models presents a problem with GRACE assimilation techniques, as these satellite observations account for much deeper aquifers. To improve the accuracy of groundwater estimates and allow the representation of the WTD at fine spatial scales we implemented a novel approach that enables a large-scale data integration system to assimilate GRACE data. This was achieved by augmenting the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model, which is the core component of the Regional Hydrologic Extremes Assessment System (RHEAS), a high-resolution modeling framework developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for hydrologic modeling and data assimilation. The model has insufficient subsurface characterization and therefore, to reproduce groundwater variability not only in shallow depths but also in deep aquifers, as well as to allow GRACE assimilation, a fourth soil layer of varying depth ( 1000 meters) was added in VIC as the bottom layer. To initialize a water table in the model we used gridded global WTD data at 1 km resolution which were spatially aggregated to match the model's resolution. Simulations were then performed to test the augmented model's ability to capture seasonal and inter-annual trends of groundwater. The 4-layer version of VIC was run with and without assimilating GRACE Total Water Storage anomalies (TWSA) over the Central Valley in California. This is the first-ever assimilation of GRACE TWSA for the determination of realistic water table depths, at

Development of geopolymers as candidate materials for low/intermediate level highly alkaline nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perera, D.S.; Vance, E.R.; Kiyama, S.; Aly, Z.; Yee, P.

2006-01-01

Full text: Geopolymers have been studied for many years as a possible improvement on cement in respect of compressive strength, resistance to fire, heat and acidity, and as a medium for the encapsulation of hazardous or low/ intermediate level radioactive waste. They are made by adding aluminosilicates to concentrated alkali solutions and the application of heat at 0 Cfor subsequent polymerisation. In this work we studied them as suitable candidate materials to incorporate NaOH/NaA10 2 containing waste with low levels of Cs, Sr and Nd. Geopolymers were produced by incorporating the highly alkaline solution as part of the composition with added metakaolinite, fumed silica and extra NaOH, such that the overall geopolymer composition was of molar ratios Si/Al = 2 and Na/Al = 1. The simulated waste contained Na2SO 4 , therefore Ba(OH) 2 was also added to precipitate the SO 4 x 2 as BaSO 4 . Three geoplymers of the same composition containing simulated wastes were leach tested in triplicate after heating at 400 0 Cfor 1 h (to remove -98% of free and interstitial water) under the PCT-B test protocol at 90 0 Cfor 7 days and their results are listed in Table 1. The Cs, Sr and Nd normalised leach rates were low. The Na leach rate was ∼ 4 g/L thus passing the PCT-B test protocol value of 13.5 g/L for EA glass. The X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy showed that BaS04 did precipitate, however all the S did not appear to have precipitated. The ANSI/ANS-16.1-2003 test was carried out on the above geopolymer composition for 5 days. The ANSI Leachability Index D (diffusivity of 10''cm sec'') for the elements released are listed in Table 2. A Portland cement was also tested for comparison and the Leachability index values are 11, 8 and 10 for Al, Na and Ca respectively. Both passed the test protocol insofar as they were > 6. Geopolymers thus passing the tests for high level nuclear waste glass (PCT-B) and for low level nuclear waste (ANSI) show promising potential

Identification of Outliers in Grace Data for Indo-Gangetic Plain Using Various Methods (Z-Score, Modified Z-score and Adjusted Boxplot) and Its Removal

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, S.

2015-12-01

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data are widely used for the hydrological studies for large scale basins (≥100,000 sq km). GRACE data (Stokes Coefficients or Equivalent Water Height) used for hydrological studies are not direct observations but result from high level processing of raw data from the GRACE mission. Different partner agencies like CSR, GFZ and JPL implement their own methodology and their processing methods are independent from each other. The primary source of errors in GRACE data are due to measurement and modeling errors and the processing strategy of these agencies. Because of different processing methods, the final data from all the partner agencies are inconsistent with each other at some epoch. GRACE data provide spatio-temporal variations in Earth's gravity which is mainly attributed to the seasonal fluctuations in water level on Earth surfaces and subsurface. During the quantification of error/uncertainties, several high positive and negative peaks were observed which do not correspond to any hydrological processes but may emanate from a combination of primary error sources, or some other geophysical processes (e.g. Earthquakes, landslide, etc.) resulting in redistribution of earth's mass. Such peaks can be considered as outliers for hydrological studies. In this work, an algorithm has been designed to extract outliers from the GRACE data for Indo-Gangetic plain, which considers the seasonal variations and the trend in data. Different outlier detection methods have been used such as Z-score, modified Z-score and adjusted boxplot. For verification, assimilated hydrological (GLDAS) and hydro-meteorological data are used as the reference. The results have shown that the consistency amongst all data sets improved significantly after the removal of outliers.

Global and regional seasonal variations of the geoid detected by GRACE

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kostelecký, J.; Bezděk, Aleš; Klokočník, Jaroslav

2013-01-01

Roč. 10, č. 3 (2013), s. 285-291 ISSN 1214-9705 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-36843S Grant - others:EU(XE) NTIS CZ1.05/1.1.00/02.0090 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : GRACE mission * seasonal variations * geoid Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 0.667, year: 2013

Status and advice of the low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal sites in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng Keyan; Lu Caixia

2012-01-01

With the rapid development of nuclear power industry in China, as well as the decommissioning of the nuclear facilities, and the process of radioactive waste management, a mount of the low and intermediate level radioactive solid wastes will increase rapidly. How to dispose the low and intermediate level radioactive solid wastes, that not only related to Chinese nuclear energy and nuclear technology with sustainable development, but also related to the public health, environment safety. According to Chinese « long-term development plan of nuclear power (2005- 2020) », when construct the nuclear power, should simultaneous consider the sites that dispose the low and intermediate level radioactive waste, In order to adapt to the needs that dispose the increasing low and intermediate level radioactive waste with development of nuclear power. In the future, all countries are facing the enormous challenge of nuclear waste disposal. (authors)

76 FR 10899 - Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees From the W.R. Grace and Company...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-28

... Employees From the W.R. Grace and Company in Curtis, MD, To Be Included in the Special Exposure Cohort... evaluate a petition to designate a class of employees from the W.R. Grace and Company in Curtis, Maryland... Compensation Program Act of 2000. The initial proposed definition for the class being evaluated, subject to...

A low stringency polymerase chain reaction approach to the identification of Biomphalaria glabrata and B. tenagophila, intermediate snail hosts of Schistosoma mansoni in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teofânia HDA Vidigal

1996-12-01

Full Text Available The low stringency-polymerase chain reaction (LS-PCR with a pair of specific primers for the amplification of the 18S rRNA gene was evaluated as a means of differentiating between the two Schistosoma mansoni intermediate host species in Brazil: Biomphalaria glabrata and B. tenagophila. Individual snails obtained from different states of Brazil were used and the amplification patterns obtained showed a high degree of genetic variability in these species. Nevertheless, 4 and 3 clearly defined specific diagnostic bands was observed in individuals from B. glabrata and B. tenagophila respectively. The detection of snail specific diagnostic bands suggests the possibility of reliable species differentiation at the DNA level using LS-PCR.

Neuroscience Intermediate-Level Care Units Staffed by Intensivists: Clinical Outcomes and Cost Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyeremanteng, Kwadwo; Hendin, Ariel; Bhardwaj, Kalpana; Thavorn, Kednapa; Neilipovitz, Dave; Kubelik, Dalibour; D'Egidio, Gianni; Stotts, Grant; Rosenberg, Erin

2017-01-01

With an aging population and increasing numbers of intensive care unit admissions, novel ways of providing quality care at reduced cost are required. Closed neurointensive care units improve outcomes for patients with critical neurological conditions, including decreased mortality and length of stay (LOS). Small studies have demonstrated the safety of intermediate-level units for selected patient populations. However, few studies analyze both cost and safety outcomes of these units. This retrospective study assessed clinical and cost-related outcomes in an intermediate-level neurosciences acute care unit (NACU) before and after the addition of an intensivist to the unit's care team. Starting in October 2011, an intensivist-led model was adopted in a 16-bed NACU unit, including daytime coverage by a dedicated intensivist. Data were obtained from all patients admitted 1 year prior to and 2 years after this intervention. Primary outcomes were LOS and hospital costs. Safety outcomes included mortality and readmissions. Descriptive and analytic statistics were calculated. Individual and total patient costs were calculated based on per-day NACU and ward cost estimates and significance measured using bootstrapping. A total of 2931 patients were included over the study period. Patients were on average 59.5 years and 53% male. The most common reasons for admission were central nervous system (CNS) tumor (27.6%), ischemic stroke (27%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (11%). Following the introduction of an intensivist, there was a significant reduction in NACU and hospital LOS, by 1 day and 3 days, respectively. There were no differences in readmissions or mortality. Adding an intensivist produced an individual cost savings of US$963 in NACU and US$2687 per patient total hospital stay. An intensivist-led model of intermediate-level neurointensive care staffed by intensivists is safe, decreases LOS, and produces cost savings in a system increasingly strained to provide quality

Intensified water storage loss by biomass burning in Kalimantan: Detection by GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jiancheng; Tangdamrongsub, Natthachet; Hwang, Cheinway; Abidin, Hasanuddin Z.

2017-03-01

Biomass burning is the principal tool for land clearing and a primary driver of land use change in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo island). Biomass burning here has consumed millions of hectares of peatland and swamp forests. It also degrades air quality in Southeast Asia, perturbs the global carbon cycle, threatens ecosystem health and biodiversity, and potentially affects the global water cycle. Here we present the optimal estimate of water storage changes over Kalimantan from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). Over August 2002 to December 2014, our result shows a north-south dipole pattern in the long-term changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) and groundwater storage (GWS). Both TWS and GWS increase in the northern part of Kalimantan, while they decrease in the southern part where fire events are the most severe. The loss rates in TWS and GWS in the southern part are 0.56 ± 0.11 cm yr-1 and 0.55 ± 0.10 cm yr-1, respectively. We use GRACE estimates, burned area, carbon emissions, and hydroclimatic data to study the relationship between biomass burning and water storage losses. The analysis shows that extensive biomass burning results in excessive evapotranspiration, which then increases long-term water storage losses in the fire-prone region of Kalimantan. Our results show the potentials of GRACE and its follow-on missions in assisting water storage and fire managements in a region with extensive biomass burning such as Kalimantan.

Recent changes in terrestrial water storage in the Upper Nile Basin: an evaluation of commonly used gridded GRACE products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Shamsudduha

2017-09-01

Full Text Available GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite data monitor large-scale changes in total terrestrial water storage (ΔTWS, providing an invaluable tool where in situ observations are limited. Substantial uncertainty remains, however, in the amplitude of GRACE gravity signals and the disaggregation of TWS into individual terrestrial water stores (e.g. groundwater storage. Here, we test the phase and amplitude of three GRACE ΔTWS signals from five commonly used gridded products (i.e. NASA's GRCTellus: CSR, JPL, GFZ; JPL-Mascons; GRGS GRACE using in situ data and modelled soil moisture from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS in two sub-basins (LVB: Lake Victoria Basin; LKB: Lake Kyoga Basin of the Upper Nile Basin. The analysis extends from January 2003 to December 2012, but focuses on a large and accurately observed reduction in ΔTWS of 83 km3 from 2003 to 2006 in the Lake Victoria Basin. We reveal substantial variability in current GRACE products to quantify the reduction of ΔTWS in Lake Victoria that ranges from 80 km3 (JPL-Mascons to 69 and 31 km3 for GRGS and GRCTellus respectively. Representation of the phase in TWS in the Upper Nile Basin by GRACE products varies but is generally robust with GRGS, JPL-Mascons, and GRCTellus (ensemble mean of CSR, JPL, and GFZ time-series data, explaining 90, 84, and 75 % of the variance respectively in "in situ" or "bottom-up" ΔTWS in the LVB. Resolution of changes in groundwater storage (ΔGWS from GRACE ΔTWS is greatly constrained by both uncertainty in changes in soil-moisture storage (ΔSMS modelled by GLDAS LSMs (CLM, NOAH, VIC and the low annual amplitudes in ΔGWS (e.g. 1.8–4.9 cm observed in deeply weathered crystalline rocks underlying the Upper Nile Basin. Our study highlights the substantial uncertainty in the amplitude of ΔTWS that can result from different data-processing strategies in commonly used, gridded GRACE products; this uncertainty is

Recent changes in terrestrial water storage in the Upper Nile Basin: an evaluation of commonly used gridded GRACE products

Science.gov (United States)

Shamsudduha, Mohammad; Taylor, Richard G.; Jones, Darren; Longuevergne, Laurent; Owor, Michael; Tindimugaya, Callist

2017-09-01

GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data monitor large-scale changes in total terrestrial water storage (ΔTWS), providing an invaluable tool where in situ observations are limited. Substantial uncertainty remains, however, in the amplitude of GRACE gravity signals and the disaggregation of TWS into individual terrestrial water stores (e.g. groundwater storage). Here, we test the phase and amplitude of three GRACE ΔTWS signals from five commonly used gridded products (i.e. NASA's GRCTellus: CSR, JPL, GFZ; JPL-Mascons; GRGS GRACE) using in situ data and modelled soil moisture from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) in two sub-basins (LVB: Lake Victoria Basin; LKB: Lake Kyoga Basin) of the Upper Nile Basin. The analysis extends from January 2003 to December 2012, but focuses on a large and accurately observed reduction in ΔTWS of 83 km3 from 2003 to 2006 in the Lake Victoria Basin. We reveal substantial variability in current GRACE products to quantify the reduction of ΔTWS in Lake Victoria that ranges from 80 km3 (JPL-Mascons) to 69 and 31 km3 for GRGS and GRCTellus respectively. Representation of the phase in TWS in the Upper Nile Basin by GRACE products varies but is generally robust with GRGS, JPL-Mascons, and GRCTellus (ensemble mean of CSR, JPL, and GFZ time-series data), explaining 90, 84, and 75 % of the variance respectively in "in situ" or "bottom-up" ΔTWS in the LVB. Resolution of changes in groundwater storage (ΔGWS) from GRACE ΔTWS is greatly constrained by both uncertainty in changes in soil-moisture storage (ΔSMS) modelled by GLDAS LSMs (CLM, NOAH, VIC) and the low annual amplitudes in ΔGWS (e.g. 1.8-4.9 cm) observed in deeply weathered crystalline rocks underlying the Upper Nile Basin. Our study highlights the substantial uncertainty in the amplitude of ΔTWS that can result from different data-processing strategies in commonly used, gridded GRACE products; this uncertainty is disregarded in analyses of �

The storage center of short life low and intermediate level radioactive wastes; Le centre de stockage des dechets de faible et moyenne activite a vie courte

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-01

Situated at 50 km of Troyes, the Aube Center was opened in 1992 in order to take over from the Manche Center, for the surface storage of low life low and intermediate level radioactive wastes. It offers an answer to manage safely theses wastes at an industrial scale during 50 years. (A.L.B.)

Time-variations of the regional evapotranspiration rate from GRACE satellite gravimetry

OpenAIRE

Ramillien , Guillaume; Frappart , Frédéric; Güntner , Andreas; Ngo-Duc , Thanh; Cazenave , Anny; Laval , Katia

2006-01-01

International audience; Since its launch in March 2002, the GRACE mission is measuring the global time variations of the Earth's gravity field with a current resolution of ~500 km. Especially over the continents, these measurements represent the integrated land water mass including surface waters (lakes, wetlands and rivers), soil moisture, groundwater and snow cover. In this study, we use the GRACE land water solutions computed by Ramillien et al. (2005a) through an iterative inversion of mo...

GRACE, time-varying gravity, Earth system dynamics and climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wouters, B; Bonin, J A; Chambers, D P; Riva, R E M; Sasgen, I; Wahr, J

2014-01-01

Continuous observations of temporal variations in the Earth's gravity field have recently become available at an unprecedented resolution of a few hundreds of kilometers. The gravity field is a product of the Earth's mass distribution, and these data—provided by the satellites of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE)—can be used to study the exchange of mass both within the Earth and at its surface. Since the launch of the mission in 2002, GRACE data has evolved from being an experimental measurement needing validation from ground truth, to a respected tool for Earth scientists representing a fixed bound on the total change and is now an important tool to help unravel the complex dynamics of the Earth system and climate change. In this review, we present the mission concept and its theoretical background, discuss the data and give an overview of the major advances GRACE has provided in Earth science, with a focus on hydrology, solid Earth sciences, glaciology and oceanography. (review article)

Treatment of low- and intermediate-level liquid radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

This report aims at giving the reader details of the experience gained in the treatment of both low- and intermediate-level radioactive liquid wastes. The treatment comprises those operations to remove radioactivity from the wastes and those that change only its chemical composition, so as to permit its discharge. Considerable experience has been accumulated in the satisfactory treatment of such wastes. Although there are no universally accepted definitions for low- and intermediate-level liquid radioactive wastes, the IAEA classification (see section 3.2) is used in this report. The two categories differ from one another in the fact that for low-level liquids the actual radiation does not require shielding during normal handling of the wastes. Liquid wastes which are not considered in this report are those from mining and milling operations and the high-level liquid wastes resulting from fuel reprocessing. These are referred to in separate IAEA reports. Likewise, wastes from decommissioning operations are not within the scope of this report. Apart from the description of existing methods and facilities, this report is intended to provide advice to the reader for the selection of appropriate solutions to waste management problems. In addition, new and promising techniques which are either being investigated or being considered for the future are discussed

Type 1 Does The Two-Step: Type 1 Secretion Substrates With A Functional Periplasmic Intermediate.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Timothy J; Sondermann, Holger; O'Toole, George A

2018-06-04

Bacteria have evolved several secretion strategies for polling and responding to environmental flux and insult. Of these, the type 1 secretion system (T1SS) is known to secrete an array of biologically diverse proteins - from small < 10 kDa bacteriocins to gigantic adhesins with a mass over 1 MDa. For the last several decades T1SS have been characterized as a one-step translocation strategy whereby the secreted substrate is transported directly into the extracellular environment from the cytoplasm with no periplasmic intermediate. Recent phylogenetic, biochemical, and genetic evidence point to a distinct sub-group of T1SS machinery linked with a bacterial transglutaminase-like cysteine proteinase (BTLCP), which uses a two-step secretion mechanism. BTLCP-linked T1SS transport a class of repeats-in-toxin (RTX) adhesins that are critical for biofilm formation. The prototype of this RTX adhesin group, LapA of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1, uses a novel N-terminal retention module to anchor the adhesin at the cell surface as a secretion intermediate threaded through the outer membrane-localized, TolC-like protein LapE. This secretion intermediate is post-translationally cleaved by the BTLCP family LapG protein to release LapA from its cognate T1SS pore. Thus, secretion of LapA and related RTX adhesins into the extracellular environment appears to be a T1SS-mediated, two-step process that involves a periplasmic intermediate. In this review, we contrast the T1SS machinery and substrates of the BLTCP-linked two-step secretion process with those of the classical one-step T1SS to better understand the newly recognized and expanded role of this secretion machinery. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Packaging and transport of low and intermediate level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.J.S.; Streatfield, R.E.

1987-02-01

The paper presents an overview of Nirex proposals for the packaging and transport of low and intermediate-level radioactive waste, as well as the regulatory requirements which must be met in such operations. (author)

ESP AS A CHALLENGE TO CONFRONT – A CASE STUDY OF TECHNICAL ENGLISH IN A PRE-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL UNIVERSITY CLASSROOM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LUSTIGOVÁ, Lenka

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Drowned in explosive amounts of information, new technology developments, globalisation, international job opportunities and large-scale job migration, ESP courses are faced with the increasing requirement of tailoring language-learning to accommodate employer/employee specialisations. This dynamism is currently being transmitted to courses at the university level, along with the accompanying challenges for all involved. This paper reviews these potential barriers to implementation of ESP courses for students with low proficiency of English, taking a pre-intermediate-level Technical English course at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague as a case study. After analysing various scholarly references aimed at ESP, the classroom-based research for this paper confirms the feasibility and efficacy of implementing ESP and TE, in particular, even into pre-intermediate classrooms. The self-motivating design of 6 TASKS, as well as authentic video sessions, combined with a student survey and teacher observations, all serve to point to ESP introduction on the pre-intermediate level as achievable in terms of application and resourceful regarding future life-career situations in which students will eventually find themselves.

Analysis of seasonal position variation for selected GNSS sites in Poland using loading modelling and GRACE data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Rajner

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this study we compared weekly GNSS position time series with modelled values of crustal deformations on the basis of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE data. The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS time series were taken from homogeneously reprocessed global network solutions within the International GNSS Service (IGS Reprocessing 1 project and from regional solutions performed by Warsaw University of Technology (WUT European Permanent Network (EPN Local Analysis Center (LAC within the EPN reprocessing project. Eight GNSS sites from the territory of Poland with observation timespans between 2.5 and 13 years were selected for this study. The Total Water Equivalent (TWE estimation from GRACE data was used to compute deformations using the Green's function formalism. High frequency components were removed from GRACE data to avoid aliasing problems. Since GRACE observes mainly the mass transport in continental storage of water, we also compared GRACE deformations and the GNSS position time series, with the deformations computed on the basis of a hydrosphere model. We used the output of Water GAP Hydrology Model (WGHM to compute deformations in the same manner as for the GRACE data. The WGHM gave slightly larger amplitudes than GNSS and GRACE. The atmospheric non-tidal loading effect was removed from GNSS position time series before comparing them with modelled deformations. The results confirmed that the major part of observed seasonal variations for GNSS vertical components can be attributed to the hydrosphere loading. The results for these components agree very well both in the amplitude and phase. The decrease in standard deviation of the residual GNSS position time series for vertical components corrected for the hydrosphere loading reached maximally 36% and occurred for all but one stations for both global and regional solutions. For horizontal components the amplitudes are about three times smaller than for vertical

ESL for Hotel/Hospitality Industry. Level: Advanced Beginner/Intermediate.

Science.gov (United States)

Western Suffolk County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Northport, NY.

This document contains 16 lesson plans for an advanced beginning and intermediate course in work-related English for non-English- or limited-English-speaking entry-level employees in the hotel and hospitality industry. Course objectives are as follows: helping participants understand and use job-specific vocabulary; receive and understand…

Determination of fumonisin B1 levels in body fluids and hair from piglets fed fumonisin B1-contaminated diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Souto, Pollyana C M C; Jager, Alessandra V; Tonin, Fernando G; Petta, Tânia; Di Gregório, Mayra C; Cossalter, Anne-Marie; Pinton, Philippe; Oswald, Isabelle P; Rottinghaus, George E; Oliveira, Carlos A F

2017-10-01

The levels of fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ) residues in plasma, urine, feces and hair from 24 piglets fed FB 1 -contaminated diets containing 3.1, 6.1 or 9.0 μg FB 1 .g -1 for 28 days were determined using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The levels of FB 1 in plasma, urine, feces and pooled hair (n = 3) samples varied from 0.15 to 1.08 μg.L -1 , 16.09-75.01 μg.L -1 , 1.87-13.89 μg.g -1 and 2.08-8.09 ng.g -1 , respectively. Significant correlations (r = 0.808-0.885; P 14 days). The possibility to evaluate hair as a biomarker of fumonisin exposure was established, although further studies are needed to provide physiologically based toxicokinetics of residual FB 1 in the pig hair. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Glacial isostatic adjustment on the Northern Hemisphere - new results from GRACE

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, J.; Steffen, H.; Gitlein, O.; Denker, H.; Timmen, L.

2007-12-01

The Earth's gravity field mapped by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission shows variations due to the integral effect of mass variations in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. The Earth's gravity field is provided in form of monthly solutions by several institutions, e.~g. GFZ Potsdam, CSR and JPL. During the GRACE standard processing of these analysis centers, oceanic and atmospheric contributions as well as tidal effects are reduced. The solutions of the analysis centers differ slightly, which is due the application of different reduction models and center-specific processing schemes. We present our investigation of mass variations in the areas of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in North America and Northern Europe from GRACE data. One key issue is the separation of GIA parts and the reduction of the observed quantities by applying dedicated filters (e.~g. isotropic, non-isotropic, and destriping filters) and global models of hydrological variations (e.~g. WGHM, LaDWorld, GLDAS). In a further step, we analyze the results of both regions regarding their reliability, and finally present a comparison to results of a geodynamical modeling and absolute gravity measurements. Our results clearly show that the quality of the GRACE-derived gravity- change signal benefits from improved reduction models and chosen analysis techniques. Nevertheless, the comparison to results of geodynamic models still reveals differences, and thus further studies are in progress.

HIV-1 Env trimer opens through an asymmetric intermediate in which individual protomers adopt distinct conformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiaochu; Lu, Maolin; Gorman, Jason; Terry, Daniel S; Hong, Xinyu; Zhou, Zhou; Zhao, Hong; Altman, Roger B; Arthos, James; Blanchard, Scott C; Kwong, Peter D; Munro, James B; Mothes, Walther

2018-03-21

HIV-1 entry into cells requires binding of the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) to receptor CD4 and coreceptor. Imaging of individual Env molecules on native virions shows Env trimers to be dynamic, spontaneously transitioning between three distinct well-populated conformational states: a pre-triggered Env (State 1), a default intermediate (State 2) and a three-CD4-bound conformation (State 3), which can be stabilized by binding of CD4 and coreceptor-surrogate antibody 17b. Here, using single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET), we show the default intermediate configuration to be asymmetric, with individual protomers adopting distinct conformations. During entry, this asymmetric intermediate forms when a single CD4 molecule engages the trimer. The trimer can then transition to State 3 by binding additional CD4 molecules and coreceptor.

Low and intermediate level radioactive waste in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paredes, L.C.; Ortiz, J.R.; Sanchez, S.

2002-01-01

Currently, it is necessary to establish, in a few years, a definitive repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste in order to satisfy the necessities of Mexico for the next 50 years. Consequently, it is required to estimate the volumes of the radioactive waste generated annually, the stored volumes to-date and their projection to medium-term. On this subject, the annual average production of low and intermediate level radioactive waste from the electricity production by means of nuclear power reactors is 250 m 3 /y which consist of humid and dry solid waste from the 2 units of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power plant having a re-use efficiency of effluents of 95%. On the other hand, the applications in medicine, industry and research generate 20 m 3 /y of solid waste, 280 m 3 /y of liquid waste and approximately 10 m 3 /y from 300 spent sealed radioactive sources. The estimation of the total volume of these waste to the year 2035 is 17500 m 3 corresponding to the 46% of the volume generated by the operation and maintenance of the 2 units of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power plant, 34% to the decommissioning of these 2 units at the end of their useful life and 20% to the waste generated by applications in medicine, industry and research. (author)

Groundwater storage changes in arctic permafrost watersheds from GRACE and in situ measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muskett, Reginald R; Romanovsky, Vladimir E

2009-01-01

The Arctic permafrost regions make up the largest area component of the cryosphere. Observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission offer to provide a greater understanding of changes in water mass within permafrost regions. We investigate a GRACE monthly time series, snow water equivalent from the special scanning microwave imager (SSM/I), vegetation water content and soil moisture from the advanced microwave scanning radiometer for the Earth observation system (AMSR-E) and in situ discharge of the Lena, Yenisei, Ob', and Mackenzie watersheds. The GRACE water equivalent mass change responded to mass loading by snow accumulation in winter and mass unloading by runoff in spring-summer. Comparison of secular trends from GRACE to runoff suggests groundwater storage increased in the Lena and Yenisei watersheds, decreased in the Mackenzie watershed, and was unchanged in the Ob' watershed. We hypothesize that the groundwater storage changes are linked to the development of closed- and open-talik in the continuous permafrost zone and the decrease of permafrost lateral extent in the discontinuous permafrost zone of the watersheds.

Suitability of Yin Yang 1 transcript and protein levels for biomarker studies in B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Arribas Arranz, Jéssica; Winter, Dalia Nilufar; Drexler, Hans Günter; Eberth, Sonja

2018-01-01

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a transcription factor that plays an important role during all stages of B cell differentiation. Several studies reported upregulation of YY1 in B cell derived lymphoma, indicating that it might act as an oncogene. Furthermore, aberrant YY1 expression has been associated with survival in some entities of B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), suggesting that YY1 could be a valuable biomarker in B-NHL. However, studies are controversial and methodologically disparate, partially because some studies are based on transcript levels while others rely on YY1 protein data. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the dependence of YY1 protein levels on YY1 transcription. A panel of human cell lines representing different B-NHL subtypes was used to test for the correlation of YY1 mRNA and protein levels which were determined by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. To analyze YY1 mRNA and YY1 protein stability cells were treated with actinomycin-D and cycloheximide, respectively. siRNAs were transfected to knockdown YY1 . Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed with data from published patient cohorts. Pearson's correlation analyses were assessed and statistical power was examined by Student's t-test. In the analyzed panel of B-NHL cell lines YY1 transcript levels do not correlate with their cellular protein amounts. YY1 protein levels were unaffected by transient block of transcription or by targeting YY1 mRNA using siRNA. Additionally, global inhibition of translation up to 48 h did not alter protein levels of YY1, indicating that YY1 is a highly stable protein in B-NHL. Furthermore, in a retrospective analysis of two different B-NHL cohorts, YY1 transcript levels had no impact on patients' survival probabilities. Our results point out the necessity to focus on YY1 protein expression to understand the potential role of YY1 as an oncogene and to unravel its suitability as clinical biomarker in B-NHL.

Sediment-Mass Accumulation Rate and Variability in the East China Sea Detected by GRACE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ya-Chi Liu

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The East China Sea (ECS is a region with shallow continental shelves and a mixed oceanic circulation system allowing sediments to deposit on its inner shelf, particularly near the estuary of the Yangtze River. The seasonal northward-flowing Taiwan Warm Current and southward-flowing China Coastal Current trap sediments from the Yangtze River, which are accumulated over time at rates of up to a few mm/year in equivalent water height. Here, we use the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE gravity products from three data centres to determine sediment mass accumulation rates (MARs and variability on the ECS inner shelf. We restore the atmospheric and oceanic effects to avoid model contaminations on gravity signals associated with sediment masses. We apply destriping and spatial filters to improve the gravity signals from GRACE and use the Global Land Data Assimilation System to reduce land leakage. The GRACE-derived MARs over April 2002–March 2015 on the ECS inner shelf are about 6 mm/year and have magnitudes and spatial patterns consistent with those from sediment-core measurements. The GRACE-derived monthly sediment depositions show variations at time scales ranging from six months to more than two years. Typically, a positive mass balance of sediment deposition occurs in late fall to early winter when the southward coastal currents prevail. A negative mass balance happens in summer when the coastal currents are northward. We identify quasi-biennial sediment variations, which are likely to be caused by quasi-biennial variations in rain and erosion in the Yangtze River basin. We briefly explain the mechanisms of such frequency-dependent variations in the GRACE-derived ECS sediment deposition. There is no clear perturbation on sediment deposition over the ECS inner shelf induced by the Three Gorges Dam. The limitations of GRACE in resolving sediment deposition are its low spatial resolution (about 250 km and possible contaminations by

Large scale mass redistribution and surface displacement from GRACE and SLR

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, M.; Ries, J. C.; Tapley, B. D.

2012-12-01

Mass transport between the atmosphere, ocean and solid earth results in the temporal variations in the Earth gravity field and loading induced deformation of the Earth. Recent space-borne observations, such as GRACE mission, are providing extremely high precision temporal variations of gravity field. The results from 10-yr GRACE data has shown a significant annual variations of large scale vertical and horizontal displacements occurring over the Amazon, Himalayan region and South Asia, African, and Russian with a few mm amplitude. Improving understanding from monitoring and modeling of the large scale mass redistribution and the Earth's response are a critical for all studies in the geosciences, in particular for determination of Terrestrial Reference System (TRS), including geocenter motion. This paper will report results for the observed seasonal variations in the 3-dimentional surface displacements of SLR and GPS tracking stations and compare with the prediction from time series of GRACE monthly gravity solution.

A measurement of intermediate vector boson production in 1.8 TeV /bar p/p collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

St Denis, R.D.

1988-01-01

The cross section for the production and subsequent decay to electron and neutrino of the W intermediate vector boson has been measured in 1.8 TeV /bar p/p collisions at the Collider Detector at Fermilab. An analysis of events with missing transverse energy greater than 25 GeV and an electron of transverse energy greater than 15 GeV from a data sample of 25nb/sup /minus/1/ gives σ/center dot/B = 2.57 +- 0.56 +- 0.46nb, in agreement with theoretical predictions. 10 refs., 4 figs

Younger Dryas sea level and meltwater pulse 1B recorded in Barbados reef crest coral Acropora palmata

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul, N. A.; Mortlock, R. A.; Wright, J. D.; Fairbanks, R. G.

2016-02-01

The Younger Dryas climate event occurred during the middle of the last deglacial cycle and is marked by an abrupt shift in the North Atlantic polar front almost to its former glacial position, trending east to west. Using high-precision and high-accuracy U-Th-dated Barbados reef crest coral, Acropora palmata, we generate a detailed sea level record from 13.9 to 9000 years before present (kyr B.P.) and reconstruct the ice volume response to the Younger Dryas cooling. From the mid-Allerød (13.9 kyr B.P.) to the end of the Younger Dryas (11.65 kyr B.P.), rates of sea level rise decreased smoothly from 20 mm yr-1 to 4 mm yr-1, culminating in a 400 year "slow stand" before accelerating into meltwater pulse 1B (MWP-1B). The MWP-1B event at Barbados is better constrained as beginning by 11.45 kyr B.P. and ending at 11.1 kyr B.P. during which time sea level rose 14 ± 2 m and rates of sea level rise reached 40 mm yr-1. We propose that MWP-1B is the direct albeit lagged response of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets to the rapid warming marking the end of the Younger Dryas coinciding with rapid warming in the circum-North Atlantic region and the polar front shift from its zonal to meridional position 11.65 kyr B.P. As predicted by glaciological models, the ice sheet response to rapid North Atlantic warming was lagged by 400 years due to the thermal inertia of large ice sheets. The regional circum-North Atlantic Younger Dryas climate event is elevated to a global response through sea level changes, starting with the global slowdown in sea level rise during the Younger Dryas and culminating with MWP-1B. No meltwater pulses are evident at the initiation of the Younger Dryas climate event as is often speculated.

Containers for packaging of solid and intermediate level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Low and intermediate level radioactive wastes are generated at all stages in the nuclear fuel cycle and also from the medical, industrial and research applications of radiation. These wastes can potentially present risks to health and the environment if they are not managed adequately. Their effective management will require the wastes to be safely stored, transported and ultimately disposed of. The waste container, which may be defined as any vessel, drum or box, made from metals, concrete, polymers or composite materials, in which the waste form is placed for interim storage, for transport and/or for final disposal, is an integral part of the whole package for the management of low and intermediate level wastes. It has key roles to play in several stages of the waste management process, starting from the storage of raw wastes and ending with the disposal of conditioned wastes. This report provides an overview of the various roles that a container may play and the factors that are important in each of these roles. This report has two main objectives. The first is to review the main requirements for the design of waste containers. The second is to provide advice on the design, fabrication and handling of different types of containers used in the management of low and intermediate level radioactive solid wastes. Recommendations for design and testing are given, based on the extensive experience available worldwide in waste management. This report is not intended to have any regulatory status or objectives. 56 refs, 16 figs, 10 tabs

Brazilian low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal and environmental conservation areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uemura, George; Cuccia, Valeria

2013-01-01

Low and intermediate level radioactive waste should be disposed off in proper disposal facilities. These facilities must include unoccupied areas as protection barriers, also called buffer zone. Besides that, Brazilian environmental laws require that certain enterprises must preserve part of their area for environmental conservation. The future Brazilian low and intermediate level waste repository (RBMN) might be classified as such enterprise. This paper presents and discusses the main Brazilian legal framework concerning different types of conservation areas that are allowed and which of them could be applied to the buffer zones of RBMN. The possibility of creating a plant repository in the buffer zone is also discussed. (author)

Evaluating water storage variations in the MENA region using GRACE satellite data

KAUST Repository

Lopez, Oliver

2013-12-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations over large river basins can be derived from temporal gravity field variations observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites. These signals are useful for determining accurate estimates of water storage and fluxes over areas covering a minimum of 150,000 km2 (length scales of a few hundred kilometers) and thus prove to be a valuable tool for regional water resources management, particularly for areas with a lack of in-situ data availability or inconsistent monitoring, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This already stressed arid region is particularly vulnerable to climate change and overdraft of its non-renewable freshwater sources, and thus direction in managing its resources is a valuable aid. An inter-comparison of different GRACE-derived TWS products was done in order to provide a quantitative assessment on their uncertainty and their utility for diagnosing spatio-temporal variability in water storage over the MENA region. Different processing approaches for the inter-satellite tracking data from the GRACE mission have resulted in the development of TWS products, with resolutions in time from 10 days to 1 month and in space from 0.5 to 1 degree global gridded data, while some of them use input from land surface models in order to restore the original signal amplitudes. These processing differences and the difficulties in recovering the mass change signals over arid regions will be addressed. Output from the different products will be evaluated and compared over basins inside the MENA region, and compared to output from land surface models.

Evaluating Water Storage Variations in the MENA region using GRACE Satellite Data

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, O.; Houborg, R.; McCabe, M. F.

2013-12-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations over large river basins can be derived from temporal gravity field variations observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites. These signals are useful for determining accurate estimates of water storage and fluxes over areas covering a minimum of 150,000 km2 (length scales of a few hundred kilometers) and thus prove to be a valuable tool for regional water resources management, particularly for areas with a lack of in-situ data availability or inconsistent monitoring, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This already stressed arid region is particularly vulnerable to climate change and overdraft of its non-renewable freshwater sources, and thus direction in managing its resources is a valuable aid. An inter-comparison of different GRACE-derived TWS products was done in order to provide a quantitative assessment on their uncertainty and their utility for diagnosing spatio-temporal variability in water storage over the MENA region. Different processing approaches for the inter-satellite tracking data from the GRACE mission have resulted in the development of TWS products, with resolutions in time from 10 days to 1 month and in space from 0.5 to 1 degree global gridded data, while some of them use input from land surface models in order to restore the original signal amplitudes. These processing differences and the difficulties in recovering the mass change signals over arid regions will be addressed. Output from the different products will be evaluated and compared over basins inside the MENA region, and compared to output from land surface models.

Temporal and spatial variabilities of Antarctic ice mass changes inferred by GRACE in a Bayesian framework

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, L.; Davis, J. L.; Tamisiea, M. E.

2017-12-01

The Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) holds about 60% of all fresh water on the Earth, an amount equivalent to about 58 m of sea-level rise. Observation of AIS mass change is thus essential in determining and predicting its contribution to sea level. While the ice mass loss estimates for West Antarctica (WA) and the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) are in good agreement, what the mass balance over East Antarctica (EA) is, and whether or not it compensates for the mass loss is under debate. Besides the different error sources and sensitivities of different measurement types, complex spatial and temporal variabilities would be another factor complicating the accurate estimation of the AIS mass balance. Therefore, a model that allows for variabilities in both melting rate and seasonal signals would seem appropriate in the estimation of present-day AIS melting. We present a stochastic filter technique, which enables the Bayesian separation of the systematic stripe noise and mass signal in decade-length GRACE monthly gravity series, and allows the estimation of time-variable seasonal and inter-annual components in the signals. One of the primary advantages of this Bayesian method is that it yields statistically rigorous uncertainty estimates reflecting the inherent spatial resolution of the data. By applying the stochastic filter to the decade-long GRACE observations, we present the temporal variabilities of the AIS mass balance at basin scale, particularly over East Antarctica, and decipher the EA mass variations in the past decade, and their role in affecting overall AIS mass balance and sea level.

Constraining Earth's Rheology of the Barents Sea Using Grace Gravity Change Observations

Science.gov (United States)

van der Wal, W.; Root, B. C.; Tarasov, L.

2014-12-01

The Barents Sea region was ice covered during last glacial maximum and experiences Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Because of the limited amount of relevant geological and geodetic observations, it is difficult to constrain GIA models for this region. With improved ice sheet models and gravity observations from GRACE, it is possible to better constrain Earth rheology. This study aims to constrain the upper mantle viscosity and elastic lithosphere thickness from GRACE data in the Barents Sea region. The GRACE observations are corrected for current ice melting on Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya and Frans Joseph Land. A secular trend in gravity rate trend is estimated from the CSR release 5 GRACE data for the period of February 2003 to July 2013. Furthermore, long wavelength effects from distant large mass balance signals such as Greenland ice melting are filtered out. A new high-variance set of ice loading histories from calibrated glaciological modeling are used in the GIA modeling as it is found that ICE-5G over-estimates the observed GIA gravity change in the region. It is found that the rheology structure represented by VM5a results in over-estimation of the observed gravity change in the region for all ice sheet chronologies investigated. Therefore, other rheological Earth models were investigated. The best fitting upper mantle viscosity and elastic lithosphere thickness in the Barents Sea region are 4 (±0.5)*10^20 Pas and 110 (±20) km, respectively. The GRACE satellite mission proves to be a useful constraint in the Barents Sea Region for improving our knowledge on the upper mantle rheology.

Estimating a Global Hydrological Carrying Capacity Using GRACE Observed Water Stress

Science.gov (United States)

An, K.; Reager, J. T.; Famiglietti, J. S.

2013-12-01

Global population is expected to reach 9 billion people by the year 2050, causing increased demands for water and potential threats to human security. This study attempts to frame the overpopulation problem through a hydrological resources lens by hypothesizing that observed groundwater trends should be directly attributed to human water consumption. This study analyzes the relationships between available blue water, population, and cropland area on a global scale. Using satellite data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) along with land surface model data from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), a global groundwater depletion trend is isolated, the validity of which has been verified in many regional studies. By using the inherent distributions of these relationships, we estimate the regional populations that have exceeded their local hydrological carrying capacity. Globally, these populations sum to ~3.5 billion people that are living in presently water-stressed or potentially water-scarce regions, and we estimate total cropland is exceeding a sustainable threshold by about 80 million km^2. Key study areas such as the North China Plain, northwest India, and Mexico City were qualitatively chosen for further analysis of regional water resources and policies, based on our distributions of water stress. These case studies are used to verify the groundwater level changes seen in the GRACE trend . Tfor the many populous, arid regions of the world that have already begun to experience the strains of high water demand.he many populous, arid regions of the world have already begun to experience the strains of high water demand. It will take a global cooperative effort of improving domestic and agricultural use efficiency, and summoning a political will to prioritize environmental issues to adapt to a thirstier planet. Global Groundwater Depletion Trend (Mar 2003-Dec 2011)

Measuring the Value of Earth Observation Information with the Gravity Research and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Bernknopf, R.; Kuwayama, Y.; Brookshire, D.; Macauley, M.; Zaitchik, B.; Pesko, S.; Vail, P.

2014-12-01

Determining how much to invest in earth observation technology depends in part on the value of information (VOI) that can be derived from the observations. We design a framework and then evaluate the value-in-use of the NASA Gravity Research and Climate Experiment (GRACE) for regional water use and reliability in the presence of drought. As a technology that allows measurement of water storage, the GRACE Data Assimilation System (DAS) provides information that is qualitatively different from that generated by other water data sources. It provides a global, reproducible grid of changes in surface and subsurface water resources on a frequent and regular basis. Major damages from recent events such as the 2012 Midwest drought and the ongoing drought in California motivate the need to understand the VOI from remotely sensed data such as that derived from GRACE DAS. Our conceptual framework models a dynamic risk management problem in agriculture. We base the framework on information from stakeholders and subject experts. The economic case for GRACE DAS involves providing better water availability information. In the model, individuals have a "willingness to pay" (wtp) for GRACE DAS - essentially, wtp is an expression of savings in reduced agricultural input costs and for costs that are influenced by regional policy decisions. Our hypothesis is that improvements in decision making can be achieved with GRACE DAS measurements of water storage relative to data collected from groundwater monitoring wells and soil moisture monitors that would be relied on in the absence of GRACE DAS. The VOI is estimated as a comparison of outcomes. The California wine grape industry has features that allow it to be a good case study and a basis for extrapolation to other economic sectors. We model water use in this sector as a sequential decision highlighting the attributes of GRACE DAS input as information for within-season production decisions as well as for longer-term water reliability.

MHD intermediate shock discontinuities: Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennel, C.F.; Blandford, R.D.; Coppi, P.

1989-01-01

Recent numerical investigations have focused attention once more on the role of intermediate shocks in MHD. Four types of intermediate shock are identified using a graphical representation of the MHD Rankine-Hugoniot conditions. This same representation can be used to exhibit the close relationship of intermediate shocks to switch-on shocks and rotational discontinuities. The conditions under which intermediate discontinuities can be found are elucidated. The variations in velocity, pressure, entropy and magnetic-field jumps with upstream parameters in intermediate shocks are exhibited graphically. The evolutionary arguments traditionally advanced against intermediate shocks may fail because the equations of classical MHD are not strictly hyperbolic. (author)

Project GRACE A grid based search tool for the global digital library

CERN Document Server

Scholze, Frank; Vigen, Jens; Prazak, Petra; The Seventh International Conference on Electronic Theses and Dissertations

2004-01-01

The paper will report on the progress of an ongoing EU project called GRACE - Grid Search and Categorization Engine (http://www.grace-ist.org). The project participants are CERN, Sheffield Hallam University, Stockholm University, Stuttgart University, GL 2006 and Telecom Italia. The project started in 2002 and will finish in 2005, resulting in a Grid based search engine that will search across a variety of content sources including a number of electronic thesis and dissertation repositories. The Open Archives Initiative (OAI) is expanding and is clearly an interesting movement for a community advocating open access to ETD. However, the OAI approach alone may not be sufficiently scalable to achieve a truly global ETD Digital Library. Many universities simply offer their collections to the world via their local web services without being part of any federated system for archiving and even those dissertations that are provided with OAI compliant metadata will not necessarily be picked up by a centralized OAI Ser...

Assessment of intake and nutritional status of vitamin b1, b2, and b6 in men and women with different physical activity levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Malara, M; Hübner-Wozniak, E; Lewandowska, I

2013-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the nutritional status of vitamin B1, B2, and B6 in respect to dietary intake of these vitamins and activity coefficients of the erythrocyte enzymes transketolase, glutathione reductase, and aspartic aminotransferase in young men and women with different physical activity levels. The participants of this study were 20 women and 20 men with high physical activity (groups HAW and HAM, respectively), and 20 women and 20 men with low physical activity (groups LAW and LAM, respectively). The intake of vitamins B1, B2, B6, proteins, and calorie content of the diet was based on the average of the 4-day dietary recalls. To assess nutritional status of vitamin B1, B2, and B6, the activity coefficients (α) of erythrocyte transketolase (ETK), erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EGR), and erythrocyte aspartic aminotransferase (EAST) were estimated in blood hemolysates. The intake of the studied vitamins in the diet was statistically significantly lower in the female groups compared with the respective male groups. Deficiency of vitamin B6 in the diet was present more often in women than in men (in terms of the recommended dietary allowances [RDA]). Values of the activity coefficient αETK indicated that none of the groups in this study suffered the risk of vitamin B1 deficiency. The value of the activity coefficient αEGR indicated that the groups of women and men with low physical activity were more prone to vitamin B2 deficiency compared with the high physical activity groups. The risk of vitamin B6 deficiency (αEAST) in both male groups was higher than in both female groups. The obtained results do not allow for unequivocal determination of the impact of sex and the level of physical activity on intake and nutritional status of vitamin B1, B2, and B6. Independently of sex and the level of physical activity, the women and men consumed insufficient quantities of vitamins B1 and B6, although this was not always related to

Conditions for the test emplacement of intermediate-level radioactive wastes in chamber 8a of the 511 m level of the Asse Salt Mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Strahlen- und Umweltforschung mbH (GSF) emplaces intermediate-level radioactive wastes which accumulate in an activity involving the use of radioactive materials that is licensed or reported in the Federal Republic of Germany or which are stored on an interim basis by the appropriate licensing or inspection agencies in chamber 8a of the 511 m level of the Asse Salt Mine in Remlingen near Wolfenbuettel in conjunction with an engineering test program. The type and form of the intermediate-level wastes must conform to certain conditions so that there are no hazards to personnel and the repository during transfer and subsequent storage. It is therefore necessary for the radioactive wastes to be treated and packaged before delivery in such a way that they satisfy the conditions presented in this document. The GSF shall inform the companies and organizations delivering wastes about its experiences with emplacement operations. The Conditions for the Test Emplacement of Intermediate-Level Radioactive Wastes in Chamber 8a of the 511 m Level of the Asse Salt Mine must be adapted to conform to the latest state of science and the art. The GSF must therefore reserve the right to modify the conditions, allowing for an appropriate transition period

Cytochrome P450 1B1 mRNA levels in peripheral blood cells and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Chinese coke oven workers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanaoka, Tomoyuki; Tsugane, Shoichiro [Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute East, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, 277-8577 Chiba (Japan); Yamano, Yuko; Kagawa, Jun [Tokyo Womens' Medical University, 8-1 Kawadacho, Shinjuku-ku, 162-8666 Tokyo (Japan); Pan, Guowei; Zhang, Shujuan [Liaoning Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, 42-1 Jixian Street, 110005 Shenyang (China); Hara, Kunio [Institute for Science of Labour, 2-8-14 Miyamae-ku, 216-8501 Kawasaki (Japan); Ichiba, Masayoshi; Zhang, Jiusong [Saga Medical School, 5-1 Nabeshima, Saga-shi, 849-8501 Saga (Japan); Liu, Tiefu; Li, Landi [Angang Public Health and Anti-epidemic Station Lishan District, 23 Shengoushi Yutian Street, 114034 Anshan (China); Takahashi, Ken [University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, 807-8555 Kitakyushu (Japan)

2002-09-16

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is induced through the Ah receptor and is involved in the activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). To determine the validity of a quantitative analysis of CYP1B1 mRNA in peripheral human blood cells for the estimation of PAH exposure, a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method was used to measure the relative levels of CYP1B1 mRNA in 37 Chinese coke oven workers and 13 control workers. A large inter-individual difference in the levels was observed. The average level of the CYP1B1 mRNA in workers at the top work site, where the PAH exposure level from the coke ovens was highest, was significantly higher than in workers at the middle site (P<0.01) or the controls (P=0.02). A non-significant positive correlation was found between the CYP1B1 mRNA levels and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (R=0.22, P=0.13), and a significant correlation between these mRNA levels and urinary cotinine (R=0.33, P=0.02). It was interesting that a significant positive correlation between CYP1B1 mRNA and 1-hydroxypyrene was observed in subjects with the Leu/Leu type of CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphism (R=0.33, P=0.02, n=38) and a non-significant correlation in subjects with the Leu/Val and Val/Val types (R=-0.36, P=0.25, n=12), although the number of subjects in this strata analysis was small. Our preliminary study suggests that PAH exposure in coke ovens and smoking maybe associated with CYP1B1 mRNA levels in peripheral blood cells although mRNA is generally unstable and could be expressed following exposure to other agents.

Low- and intermediate-level waste management practices in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlesworth, D.H.

1982-05-01

Low- and intermediate-level wastes arise in Canada from the operation of nuclear power stations, nuclear research establishments, nuclear fuel and radioisotope production facilities, as well as from many medical, research and industrial organizations. Essentially all of the solid radioactive wastas are stored in a retrievable fashion at five waste management areas from which a portion is expected to be transferred to future disposal facilities. Waste processing for volume reduction and stabilization is becoming an increasingly important part of low-level waste management because of the advantages it provides for both interim storage currently, and permanent disposal in the future

Deriving Scaling Factors Using a Global Hydrological Model to Restore GRACE Total Water Storage Changes for China's Yangtze River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Di; Yang, Yuting; Yoshihide, Wada; Hong, Yang; Liang, Wei; Chen, Yaning; Yong, Bin; Hou, Aizhong; Wei, Jiangfeng; Chen, Lu

2015-01-01

This study used a global hydrological model (GHM), PCR-GLOBWB, which simulates surface water storage changes, natural and human induced groundwater storage changes, and the interactions between surface water and subsurface water, to generate scaling factors by mimicking low-pass filtering of GRACE signals. Signal losses in GRACE data were subsequently restored by the scaling factors from PCR-GLOBWB. Results indicate greater spatial heterogeneity in scaling factor from PCR-GLOBWB and CLM4.0 than that from GLDAS-1 Noah due to comprehensive simulation of surface and subsurface water storage changes for PCR-GLOBWB and CLM4.0. Filtered GRACE total water storage (TWS) changes applied with PCR-GLOBWB scaling factors show closer agreement with water budget estimates of TWS changes than those with scaling factors from other land surface models (LSMs) in China's Yangtze River basin. Results of this study develop a further understanding of the behavior of scaling factors from different LSMs or GHMs over hydrologically complex basins, and could be valuable in providing more accurate TWS changes for hydrological applications (e.g., monitoring drought and groundwater storage depletion) over regions where human-induced interactions between surface water and subsurface water are intensive.

Inferring Large-Scale Terrestrial Water Storage Through GRACE and GPS Data Fusion in Cloud Computing Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Rude, C. M.; Li, J. D.; Gowanlock, M.; Herring, T.; Pankratius, V.

2016-12-01

Surface subsidence due to depletion of groundwater can lead to permanent compaction of aquifers and damaged infrastructure. However, studies of such effects on a large scale are challenging and compute intensive because they involve fusing a variety of data sets beyond direct measurements from groundwater wells, such as gravity change measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) or surface displacements measured by GPS receivers. Our work therefore leverages Amazon cloud computing to enable these types of analyses spanning the entire continental US. Changes in groundwater storage are inferred from surface displacements measured by GPS receivers stationed throughout the country. Receivers located on bedrock are anti-correlated with changes in water levels from elastic deformation due to loading, while stations on aquifers correlate with groundwater changes due to poroelastic expansion and compaction. Correlating linearly detrended equivalent water thickness measurements from GRACE with linearly detrended and Kalman filtered vertical displacements of GPS stations located throughout the United States helps compensate for the spatial and temporal limitations of GRACE. Our results show that the majority of GPS stations are negatively correlated with GRACE in a statistically relevant way, as most GPS stations are located on bedrock in order to provide stable reference locations and measure geophysical processes such as tectonic deformations. Additionally, stations located on the Central Valley California aquifer show statistically significant positive correlations. Through the identification of positive and negative correlations, deformation phenomena can be classified as loading or poroelastic expansion due to changes in groundwater. This method facilitates further studies of terrestrial water storage on a global scale. This work is supported by NASA AIST-NNX15AG84G (PI: V. Pankratius) and Amazon.

Treatment of low- and intermediate-level solid radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

One of the essential aims in the waste management is to reduce as much as possible the waste volumes to be stored or disposed of, and to concentrate and immobilize as much as possible the radioactivity contained in the waste. This document describes the treatment of low- and intermediate-level solid waste prior to its conditioning for storage and disposal. This report aims primarily at compiling the experience gained in treating low- and intermediate-active solid wastes, one of the major waste sources in nuclear technology. Apart from the description of existing facilities and demonstrated handling schemes, this report provides the reader with the basis for a judgement that facilitates the selection of appropriate solutions for a given solid-waste management problem. It thus aims at providing guidelines in the particular field and indicates new promising approaches that are actually under investigation and development

Vertical Integration at Junior and Intermediate Levels. School Research Newsletter.

Science.gov (United States)

Marklund, Inger, Ed.; Hanse, Mona-Britt, Ed.

1984-01-01

In recent years, there has been a rapid growth of interest in Sweden in vertically integrated classes in compulsory schools, especially at junior high school and intermediate grade levels. This development is supported in various ways by the curriculum, partly because it puts more emphasis than previous curricula on the occurrence of teaching…

Characterization of spatio-temporal patterns for various GRACE- and GLDAS-born estimates for changes of global terrestrial water storage

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tao; Wang, Chao; Yu, Zhongbo; Xu, Feng

2013-10-01

Since the launch in March 2002, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission has provided us with a new method to estimate terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations by measuring earth gravity change with unprecedented accuracy. Thus far, a number of standardized GRACE-born TWS products are published by different international research teams. However, no characterization of spatio-temporal patterns for different GRACE hydrology products from the global perspective could be found. It is still a big challenge for the science community to identify the reliable global measurement of TWS anomalies due to our limited knowledge on the true value. Hence, it is urgently necessary to evaluate the uncertainty for various global estimates of the GRACE-born TWS changes by a number of international research organizations. Toward this end, this article presents an in-depth analysis for various GRACE-born and GLDAS-based estimates for changes of global terrestrial water storage. The work characterizes the inter-annual and intra-annual variability, probability density variations, and spatial patterns among different GRACE-born TWS estimates over six major continents, and compares them with results from GLDAS simulations. The underlying causes of inconsistency between GRACE- and GLDAS-born TWS estimates are thoroughly analyzed with an aim to improve our current knowledge in monitoring global TWS change. With a comprehensive consideration of the advantages and disadvantages among GRACE- and GLDAS-born TWS anomalies, a summary is thereafter recommended as a rapid reference for scientists, end-users, and policy-makers in the practices of global TWS change research. To our best knowledge, this work is the first attempt to characterize difference and uncertainty among various GRACE-born terrestrial water storage changes over the major continents estimated by a number of international research organizations. The results can provide beneficial reference to usage of

Checkpointing for graceful degradation in distributed embedded systems

Science.gov (United States)

Sababha, Belal Hussein

Graceful degradation is an approach to developing dependable safety-critical embedded applications, where redundant active or standby resources are used to cope with faults through a system reconfiguration at run-time. Compared to traditional hardware and software redundancy, it is a promising technique that may achieve dependability with a significant reduction in cost, size, weight, and power requirements. Reconfiguration at run-time necessitates using proper checkpointing protocols to support state reservation to ensure correct task restarts after a system reconfiguration. One of the most common checkpointing protocols are communication induced checkpointing (CIC) protocols, which are well developed and understood for large parallel and information systems, but not much has been done for resource limited embedded systems. This work implements and evaluates some of the most common CIC protocols in a periodic resource constrained distributed embedded system for graceful degradation purposes. A test-bed has been developed and used for the evaluation of the various protocols. The implemented protocols are thoroughly studied and performances are contrasted. Specifically the periodicity property and how it benefits checkpointing in embedded systems is investigated. This work introduces a unique effort of CIC protocol implementation and evaluation in the field of distributed embedded systems. Other than providing a test-bed for graceful degradation support, this work shows that some checkpointing protocols that are not efficient in large information systems and supercomputers perform well in embedded systems. We show that a simple index-based CIC protocol, such as the BCS protocol, is more appropriate in embedded system applications compared to other protocols that piggyback a significant amount of information to reduce the number of forced checkpoints. Finally, this work proposes a whole graceful degradation approach to achieve fault tolerance in resource constrained

Results and Error Estimates from GRACE Forward Modeling over Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Jennifer; Chambers, Don

2013-04-01

Forward modeling using a weighted least squares technique allows GRACE information to be projected onto a pre-determined collection of local basins. This decreases the impact of spatial leakage, allowing estimates of mass change to be better localized. The technique is especially valuable where models of current-day mass change are poor, such as over Antarctica. However when tested previously, the least squares technique has required constraints in the form of added process noise in order to be reliable. Poor choice of local basin layout has also adversely affected results, as has the choice of spatial smoothing used with GRACE. To develop design parameters which will result in correct high-resolution mass detection and to estimate the systematic errors of the method over Antarctica, we use a "truth" simulation of the Antarctic signal. We apply the optimal parameters found from the simulation to RL05 GRACE data across Antarctica and the surrounding ocean. We particularly focus on separating the Antarctic peninsula's mass signal from that of the rest of western Antarctica. Additionally, we characterize how well the technique works for removing land leakage signal from the nearby ocean, particularly that near the Drake Passage.

Feasibility of large volume casting cementation process for intermediate level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhuying; Chen Baisong; Zeng Jishu; Yu Chengze

1988-01-01

The recent tendency of radioactive waste treatment and disposal both in China and abroad is reviewed. The feasibility of the large volume casting cementation process for treating and disposing the intermediate level radioactive waste from spent fuel reprocessing plant in shallow land is assessed on the basis of the analyses of the experimental results (such as formulation study, solidified radioactive waste properties measurement ect.). It can be concluded large volume casting cementation process is a promising, safe and economic process. It is feasible to dispose the intermediate level radioactive waste from reprocessing plant it the disposal site chosen has resonable geological and geographical conditions and some additional effective protection means are taken

CryoSat Level1b SAR/SARin BaselineC: Product Format and Algorithm Improvements

Science.gov (United States)

Scagliola, Michele; Fornari, Marco; Di Giacinto, Andrea; Bouffard, Jerome; Féménias, Pierre; Parrinello, Tommaso

2015-04-01

CryoSat was launched on the 8th April 2010 and is the first European ice mission dedicated to the monitoring of precise changes in the thickness of polar ice sheets and floating sea ice. Cryosat carries an innovative radar altimeter called the Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Altimeter (SIRAL), that transmits pulses at a high pulse repetition frequency thus making the received echoes phase coherent and suitable for azimuth processing. This allows to reach a significantly improved along track resolution with respect to traditional pulse-width limited altimeters. CryoSat is the first altimetry mission operating in SAR mode and continuous improvements in the Level1 Instrument Processing Facility (IPF1) are being identified, tested and validated in order to improve the quality of the Level1b products. The current IPF, Baseline B, was released in operation in February 2012. A reprocessing campaign followed, in order to reprocess the data since July 2010. After more than 2 years of development, the release in operations of Baseline C is expected in the first half of 2015. BaselineC Level1b products will be distributed in an updated format, including for example the attitude information (roll, pitch and yaw) and, for SAR/SARIN, the waveform length doubled with respect to Baseline B. Moreveor, various algorithm improvements have been identified: • a datation bias of about -0.5195 ms will be corrected (SAR/SARIn) • a range bias of about 0.6730 m will be corrected (SAR/SARIn) • a roll bias of 0.1062 deg and a pitch bias of 0.0520 deg • Surface sample stack weighting to filter out the single look echoes acquired at highest look angle, that results in a sharpening of the 20Hz waveforms With the operational release of BaselineC, the second CryoSat reprocessing campaign will be initiated, taking benefit of the upgrade implemented in the IPF1 processing chain but also at IPF2 level. The reprocessing campaign will cover the full Cryosat mission starting on 16th July 2010

Ab initio investigation of B16(GeS), B27(FeB) and B33(CrB/TlI) phases of lead chalcogenides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demiray, Ferhat; Berber, Savas

2013-01-01

We report an ab initio investigation of the intermediate phases occurring in the pressure-induced B1–B2 phase transitions of lead chalcogenides PbX (X = S, Se and Te). The equilibrium lattice constants and atomic positions were calculated without symmetry constraints. The total energies of the optimized structures under pressure were obtained to determine the structures of possible intermediate phases and transitions between these structures. PbTe prefers to be in the B27 structure in the whole transition pressure range while the intermediate phase of PbSe is B27 at lower pressures and becomes B16/B33 at ≈5 GPa. Our results help in understanding the difficulties in experimental investigations of the intermediate phase of PbSe. The intermediate phase of PbS is in the B27 structure at lower pressure values, but it should be in the B16/B33 structure with a transition around ≈6 GPa. Our finding that it is possible to find the intermediate structures of PbS and PbSe in B27 and B16/B33 while PbTe adopts only B27 as the intermediate structure is in good agreement with previous research. The electronic structures of the three structures remain semi-conducting in their calculated optimized structures and the fundamental electronic energy gap decreases with increasing pressure. The projected density of states indicates that the bonding between the Pb atom and the chalcogen has both covalent and ionic contributions with a charge transfer from the Pb atom to the chalcogen. (paper)

What can we learn from the self-attraction and loading fingerprints about pre-GRACE mass-loss acceleration from Greenland and Antarctica?

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, J. L.; Vinogradova, N. T.

2017-12-01

Tide-gauge records from the North Atlantic reveal significant acceleration in sea level starting in the late 20th century. We have analyzed the tide-gauge data using a model in which the accelerations are assumed to be zero prior to 1990. The estimated accelerations range from -1 to +3 m cy-2 and exhibit a systematic spatial variability. Davis and Vinogradova [2017] demonstrated that to model this variability in sea-level acceleration requires contributions from several distinct physical processes: accelerated mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets and acceleration associated with ocean circulation and heat uptake. Atmospheric pressure also contributes to the observed changes in sea level, at a much smaller amplitude. Because we are focusing on sea-level accelerations (i.e., sea-level rate changes), the contribution from Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) is negligible. Modeling of observed sea-level acceleration is achieved using external constraints for the important physical processes. Using GRACE results, we can calculate the sea-level "fingerprints" for Greenland and Antarctica associated with mass loading and gravitational perturbations. For the North Atlantic, Greenland induces a significant spatial variation in sea-level change—dominated by the solid-Earth response to the mass loss—whereas Antarctica contributes a spatially constant acceleration. The observations prefer a scaling of the solid-Earth/gravitational response, and we present the implications of this result for ice-mass changes prior to the onset of GRACE observations (2002-3).

Operating safety requirements for the intermediate level liquid waste system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-07-01

The operation of the Intermediate Level Liquid Waste (ILW) System, which is described in the Final Safety Analysis, consists of two types of operations, namely: (1) the operation of a tank farm which involves the storage and transportation through pipelines of various radioactive liquids; and (2) concentration of the radioactive liquids by evaporation including rejection of the decontaminated condensate to the Waste Treatment Plant and retention of the concentrate. The following safety requirements in regard to these operations are presented: safety limits and limiting control settings; limiting conditions for operation; and surveillance requirements. Staffing requirements, reporting requirements, and steps to be taken in the event of an abnormal occurrence are also described

Predictive value of NT-proBNP for 30-day mortality in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: a comparison with the GRACE and TIMI risk scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Schellings, Dirk Aam; Adiyaman, Ahmet; Dambrink, Jan-Henk E; Gosselink, At Marcel; Kedhi, Elvin; Roolvink, Vincent; Ottervanger, Jan Paul; Van't Hof, Arnoud Wj

2016-01-01

The biomarker N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) predicts outcome in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS). Whether NT-proBNP has incremental prognostic value beyond established risk strategies is still questionable. To evaluate the predictive value of NT-proBNP for 30-day mortality over and beyond the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scores in patients with NSTE-ACS. Patients included in our ACS registry were candidates. NT-proBNP levels on admission were measured and the GRACE and TIMI risk scores were assessed. We compared the predictive value of NT-proBNP to both risk scores and evaluated whether NT-proBNP improves prognostication by using receiver operator curves and measures of discrimination improvement. A total of 1324 patients were included and 50 patients died during follow-up. On logistic regression analysis NT-proBNP and the GRACE risk score (but not the TIMI risk score) both independently predicted mortality at 30 days. The predictive value of NT-proBNP did not differ significantly compared to the GRACE risk score (area under the curve [AUC]) 0.85 vs 0.87 p =0.67) but was considerably higher in comparison to the TIMI risk score (AUC 0.60 p risk score by adding NT-proBNP did not improve prognostication: AUC 0.86 ( p =0.57), integrated discrimination improvement 0.04 ( p =0.003), net reclassification improvement 0.12 ( p =0.21). In patients with NSTE-ACS, NT-proBNP and the GRACE risk score (but not the TIMI risk score) both have good and comparable predictive value for 30-day mortality. However, incremental prognostic value of NT-proBNP beyond the GRACE risk score could not be demonstrated.

Prognostic Accuracy of the GRACE Score in Octogenarians and Nonagenarians with Acute Coronary Syndromes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Mauricio dos Santos Cerqueira Junior

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: The GRACE Score was derived and validated from a cohort in which octogenarians and nonagenarians were poorly represented. Objective: To test the accuracy of the GRACE score in predicting in-hospital mortality of very elderly individuals with acute coronary syndromes (ACS. Methods: Prospective observational study conducted in the intensive coronary care unit of a tertiary center from September 2011 to August 2016. Patients consecutively admitted due to ACS were selected, and the very elderly group was defined by age ≥ 80 years. The GRACE Score was based on admission data and its accuracy was tested regarding prediction of in-hospital death. Statistical significance was defined by p value < 0,05. Results: A total of 994 individuals was studied, 57% male, 77% with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and 173 (17% very elderly patients. The mean age of the sample was 65 ± 13 years, and the mean age of very elderly patients subgroup was 85 ± 3.7 years. The C-statistics of the GRACE Score in very elderly patients was 0.86 (95% CI = 0.78 - 0.93, with no difference when compared to the value for younger individuals 0.83 (95% CI = 0.75 - 0.91, with p = 0.69. The calibration of the score in very elderly patients was described by χ2 test of Hosmer-Lemeshow = 2.2 (p = 0.98, while the remaining patients presented χ2 = 9.0 (p = 0.35. Logistic regression analysis for death prediction did not show interaction between GRACE Score and variable of very elderly patients (p = 0.25. Conclusion: The GRACE Score in very elderly patients is accurate in predicting in-hospital ACS mortality, similarly to younger patients.

Terrestrial water storage changes over the Pearl River Basin from GRACE and connections with Pacific climate variability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhicai Luo

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Time-variable gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE satellite mission are used to study terrestrial water storage (TWS changes over the Pearl River Basin (PRB for the period 2003–Nov. 2014. TWS estimates from GRACE generally show good agreement with those from two hydrological models GLDAS and WGHM. But they show different capability of detecting significant TWS changes over the PRB. Among them, WGHM is likely to underestimate the seasonal variability of TWS, while GRACE detects long-term water depletions over the upper PRB as was done by hydrological models, and observes significant water increases around the Longtan Reservoir (LTR due to water impoundment. The heavy drought in 2011 caused by the persistent precipitation deficit has resulted in extreme low surface runoff and water level of the LTR. Moreover, large variability of summer and autumn precipitation may easily trigger floods and droughts in the rainy season in the PRB, especially for summer, as a high correlation of 0.89 was found between precipitation and surface runoff. Generally, the PRB TWS was negatively correlated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO events. However, the modulation of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO may impact this relationship, and the significant TWS anomaly was likely to occur in the peak of PDO phase as they agree well in both of the magnitude and timing of peaks. This indicates that GRACE-based TWS could be a valuable parameter for studying climatic influences in the PRB.

Removal of radioruthenium from alkaline intermediate level radioactive waste solution : a laboratory investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, S.K.; Theyyunni, T.K.

1994-01-01

Various methods were investigated in the laboratory for the removal of radioruthenium from alkaline intermediate level radioactive waste solutions of reprocessing plant origin. The methods included batch equilibration with different ion exchangers and sorbents, column testing and chemical precipitation. A column method using zinc-activated carbon mixture and a chemical precipitation method using ferrous salt along with sodium sulphite were found to be promising for plant scale application. (author). 10 refs., 3 figs., 7 tabs

Transport, handling, and interim storage of intermediate-level transuranic waste at the INEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metzger, J.C.; Snyder, A.M.

1977-09-01

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory stores transuranic (TRU)-contaminated waste emitting significant amounts of beta-gamma radiation. This material is referred to as intermediate-level TRU waste. The Energy Research and Development Administration requires that this waste be stored retrievably during the interim before a Federal repository becomes operational. Waste form and packaging criteria for the eventual storage of this waste at a Federal repository, i.e., the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), have been tentatively established. The packaging and storage techniques now in use at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory are compatible with these criteria and also meet the requirement that the waste containers remain in a readily-retrievable, contamination-free condition during the interim storage period. The Intermediate Level Transuranic Storage Facility (ILTSF) provides below-grade storage in steel pipe vaults for intermediate-level TRU waste prior to shipment to the WIPP. Designated waste generating facilities, operated for the Energy Research and Development Administration, use a variety of packaging and transportation methods to deliver this waste to the ILTSF. Transfer of the waste containers to the ILTSF storage vaults is accomplished using handling methods compatible with these waste packaging and transport methods

A strategy for the improvement of the intermediate and low level radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benitez, J.C.; Salgado, M.; Jova, L.

1996-01-01

The work describes the surrent situation with regard to the management of intermediate and low level radioactive wastes that are generated in the country. Updated information is reffered on the quantities of stored wastes that are to be treated and conditioned at the facilities of the CPHR

Signal and noise in Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) observed surface mass variations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schrama, E.J.O.; Wouters, B.; Lavallée, D.A.

2007-01-01

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) product used for this study consists of 43 monthly potential coefficient sets released by the GRACE science team which are used to generate surface mass thickness grids expressed as equivalent water heights (EQWHs). We optimized both the smoothing

A New Model of the Mean Albedo of the Earth: Estimation and Validation from the GRACE Mission and SLR Satellites.

Science.gov (United States)

Deleflie, F.; Sammuneh, M. A.; Coulot, D.; Pollet, A.; Biancale, R.; Marty, J. C.

2017-12-01

This talk provides new results of a study that we began last year, and that was the subject of a poster by the same authors presented during AGU FM 2016, entitled « Mean Effect of the Albedo of the Earth on Artificial Satellite Trajectories: an Update Over 2000-2015. »The emissivity of the Earth, split into a part in the visible domain (albedo) and the infrared domain (thermic emissivity), is at the origin of non gravitational perturbations on artificial satellite trajectories. The amplitudes and periods of these perturbations can be investigated if precise orbits can be carried out, and reveal some characteristics of the space environment where the satellite is orbiting. Analyzing the perturbations is, hence, a way to characterize how the energy from the Sun is re-emitted by the Earth. When led over a long period of time, such an approach enables to quantify the variations of the global radiation budget of the Earth.Additionally to the preliminary results presented last year, we draw an assessment of the validity of the mean model based on the orbits of the GRACE missions, and, to a certain extent, of some of the SLR satellite orbits. The accelerometric data of the GRACE satellites are used to evaluate the accuracy of the models accounting for non gravitational forces, and the ones induced by the albedo and the thermic emissivity in particular. Three data sets are used to investigate the mean effects on the orbit perturbations: Stephens tables (Stephens, 1980), ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) data sets and CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) data sets (publickly available). From the trajectography point of view, based on post-fit residual analysis, we analyze what is the data set leading to the lowest residual level, to define which data set appears to be the most suitable one to derive a new « mean albedo model » from accelerometric data sets of the GRACE mission. The period of investigation covers the full GRACE

Using ocean bottom pressure from the gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) to estimate transport variability in the southern Indian Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Makowski, Jessica K.; Chambers, Don P.; Bonin, Jennifer A.

2015-06-01

Previous studies have suggested that ocean bottom pressure (OBP) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) can be used to measure the depth-averaged, or barotropic, transport variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Here, we use GRACE OBP observations to calculate transport variability in a region of the southern Indian Ocean encompassing the major fronts of the ACC. We use a statistical analysis of a simulated GRACE-like data set to determine the uncertainty of the estimated transport for the 2003.0-2013.0 time period. We find that when the transport is averaged over 60° of longitude, the uncertainty (one standard error) is close to 1 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s-1) for low-pass filtered transport, which is significantly smaller than the signal and lower than previous studies have found. The interannual variability is correlated with the Southern Annual mode (SAM) (0.61), but more highly correlated with circumpolar zonally averaged winds between 45°S and 65°S (0.88). GRACE transport reflects significant changes in transport between 2007 and 2009 that is observed in the zonal wind variations but not in the SAM index. We also find a statistically significant trend in transport (-1.0 ± 0.4 Sv yr-1, 90% confidence) that is correlated with a local deceleration in zonal winds related to an asymmetry in the SAM on multidecadal periods.