Dynamically Constrained Nowcasting in the Coastal Ocean

Abstract

Grant Number: N000140010067 http://newark.cms.udel.edu/~brucel/hrd.html LONG-TERM GOALSOur long-term goal is to quantify submesoscale processes in order to improve our understanding of ocean interactions at various space and time scales. Our current effort focuses on the following four tasks:1.Understanding small-scale coastal ocean processes; 2.Understanding small-scale advective exchange and stirring;3. Model assessment, enhancement, and assimilation;4. Using high-resolution disparate (HRD) ocean surface data to infer subsurface flow conditions. OBJECTIVESOur objective is to develop dynamically consistent nowcasts of the surface velocity field by combining disparate observations from a variety of sensors, including HF radar, Lagrangian drifters, current meters, ADCPs, and passive remote sensing. We can incorporate normal flow information at open boundaries from any source (observations, models, climatology, etc.).These nowcasts can be used to study the evolution of coastal processes including mixing and exchange. When assimilated into a numerical model, the nowcasts can also be used to infer aspects of the subsurface flow. APPROACHOur nowcasts employ an objective mapping technique that is a generalization of a method first described by Rao and Schwab (1981) in an analysis of currents in Lake Ontario. The technique, called normal 1

Reporting of patient-reported outcomes in recent trials in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review

“…Physical and general outcomes that are part of the core set4 – 6 (ie, pain, disability, general assessment) were evaluated frequently as shown by the present study. On the other hand, although some PROs such as sleep patterns,9 “return to normal life”,11 12 “sexual dissatisfaction”,11 “fear of the future”11 and “independence”11 (ie, being able to manage daily activities such as personal hygiene) were reported as important for patients, none of the articles assessed here presented these outcome measures. One of the reasons probably is that there are no well-defined and validated tools to evaluate these domains (eg, independence, even though this item can partly be understood as self-care, which is an item in the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale, AIMS2).…”

“…A growing number of studies indicate discordance in opinion between patients and physicians. Outcomes important for patients were evaluated by several patient group discussions9 10 or patient focus groups 11. Physical and general outcomes that are part of the core set4 – 6 (ie, pain, disability, general assessment) were evaluated frequently as shown by the present study.…”

“…Publications were identified through a search that used the following exploded MeSH term: (“arthritis, rheumatoid” (MeSH)) with a limitation to “humans”, “all adults: 19+ years”, “English”, “published in the last 2 years” and “clinical trials”. Publications were limited to articles referenced in PUBMED in the last 2 years, to obtain an exact view of the status of recent research in the field of RA, as data regarding fatigue9 11 12 or other important PROs were published over the last 5 years. Inclusion criteria comprise articles reporting any type of clinical design, including patients with RA, and reporting patient-reported results.…”

“…However, it has been increasingly recognised as important over the past few years to take into account the patients’ perspective in RA 7 8. Several publications issued from patient group discussions9 10 or patient focus groups11 indicate that some domains or areas of health that are important for patients are unrecognised and underestimated in RA. These domains include, among others, fatigue,9 11 12 well-being,9 11 12 sleep patterns,9 work incapacity11 or return to normal life11 12 and independence (ie, being able to manage daily activities, such as personal hygiene) 11…”

“…Thus, pain and functional capacity are well-recognised important PROs, whereas fatigue for example was poorly recognised before 2003 9. However, it is unknown how these different notions translate into practical use; ie, are these important PROs reported in recent publications?…”