24 research outputs found
Installation and configuration of an ionospheric scintillation monitoring station based on GNSS SDR receivers in Brazil
No full textThe use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) is nowadays very popular, and the positioning service that they provide is becoming the basis of several applications. Due to their wide coverage, GNSS signals can be used at no cost as probing signals to retrieve parameters to characterize the atmosphere, such as ionospheric scintillation indexes. GNSS receivers coupled to the specific algorithm are indeed a valid alternative to large and expensive ad hoc equipment such as ionosondes. In particular, Software Defined Radio (SDR) receivers are characterized by a higher level of flexibility and configurability when compared to commercial receivers, which fits for the purposes of ionospheric monitoring and enable the study of advanced and innovative algorithms, both for scientific purposes (ionospheric monitoring, space weather), and for technological development (robust GNSS receivers design). A GNSS-based ionosphere monitoring station, including an SDR-based receiver and a professional receiver, was installed in the CRAAM laboratory at Mackenzie Presbyterian University (São Paulo, Brazil) on May 2017. Details of the installation and the new approaches for the storage, processing, and transfer of GNSS data, including raw Intermediate Frequency (IF) samples, are described, along with preliminary results related to ionospheric events captured during the first months of its operation
Investigation into the Space Weather Event of September 2017 through GNSS Raw Samples Processing
No full textGlobal Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning quality, continuity and reliability can be severely impaired by ionospheric propagation, in particular during strong space weather events. Ionospheric amplitude and phase scintillation cause power fading and random phase fluctuations of the received signal, leading to a reduced performance of the receiver tracking loops. This can translate into significant errors in the final position solution, especially when higher accuracy is concerned. In the period between 4 and 10 September 2017, several space weather events, including two coronal mass ejections, triggered disturbed conditions of the near-Earth space. This interval was considered one of the most flare-productive of now-waning solar cycle. Significant disturbances on GPS L1 signals have been observed and automatically recorded by a network of GNSS monitoring stations based on customized Software Defined Radio data grabbers and receivers. Relevant and highly unique raw samples are being processed to deeply investigate the phenomenon. The analysis of the data collected in different stations, in terms of scintillation indices time-series, shows a connection between the recording in the different locations of the world. In addition, the impact of such a strong event in receiver has been analyzed, focusing on positioning algorithms employing phase measurements to smooth code measurements. Results show a good correlation between the values of the scintillation indices and the positioning error, showing that carrier-smoothing techniques are particularly sensitive to distortion induced by phase scintillation. Such an impact is automatically observed by means of the identification of clusters in the positioning solutions through a machine learning algorithm. The adoption of carrier smoothing hence reveals weaknesses in precise positioning during scintillations events. At the same time, a novel scintillation detection technique based on clustering of the position solution is suggested
Installation and configuration of an Ionospheric Scintillation Monitoring Station based on GNSS receivers in Antarctica
No full textGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs), such as the US Global Positioning System (GPS), The
Russian GLONASS or the European Galileo, are space-based navigation systems. GNSSs enable a generic
user located anywhere on the Earth to determine in real time his Position, Velocity and Time (PVT), by
means of a Radio Frequency (RF) electro-magnetic signal, the Signal-In-Space (SIS), transmitted by a
constellation of satellites orbiting around Earth.
Uninterrupted Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solution is determined by GNSS receivers,
which continuously process the SIS from the satellites in view. GNSS receivers are part of the GNSSs
ground segment. They are a suboptimal implementation of a maximum likelihood estimator of the SIS
propagation time. The PNT solution is indeed based on the computation of the SIS Time Of Arrival (TOA),
according to the satellite and receiver local clocks. This is achieved thanks to the presence of a different
Pseudo Random Noise (PRN) spreading code in the modulated SIS broadcast by each satellite. In the GNSS
receiver, the incoming signal is correlated with a local replica of signal code, obtaining the time difference
information. The time difference is then transformed into a range information by multiplying it by the speed
of light in the vacuum. However, since the receiver clock is not synchronized with the transmitters clock, this
measure suffers of time bias, which is considered as an additional unknown in the navigation solution.
Finally, the user position is determined on an Earth centred reference system with a process denoted
trilateration, by exploiting the range information computed by the receiver and the information contained in
the SIS navigation message, such as satellite ephemeris [Kaplan et al., 2005].Published1-252A. Fisica dell'alta atmosferaN/A or not JC
An upper bound on the rate of strain in the Central Apennines, Italy, from triangulation measurements between 1869 and 1963
No full textItaly is covered by a first-order triangulation network that was established between 1869 and 1908 and re-measured in patches between 1936 and 1963. We analyse the measurements made in the central part of Italy to form an estimate of the rate of strain in the Central Apennines. We conclude that the rate of strain in this region is too small to detect from the repeated triangulation measurements. This result places an upper bound of about 10-7/yr on the strain rate of the Central Apennines, and implies that the maximum rate of extension across the region is no higher than about 3 mm/yr
Energy Efficient System for Environment Observation
No full textEnvironment observations provide a unique source of consistent information about the natural environment and they provide resource managers the information to assess the current state of the environment, weight the requirements of different uses by multiple stakeholders, and manage the natural resources and ecosystemsinasustainablemanner.Mostoftheobservationsarebasedonsatellites, but remote-sensing technologies alone cannot guarantee observations at the spatiotemporal resolution and with the accuracy requested for monitoring and modeling applications targeting, like weather and climate extremes and the complex feedback processes between the natural environment and human activities. Dense networks of standard and in-situ weather related sensors are present in EU and US, but it may happen that their data are not always available in real-time or updated with the required scale for various weather and climate applications. Then, highresolution, (near) real-time on field monitoring systems are needed to satisfy the demand to sample environmental data, both in dense populated regions and in less developedandgettingmorepopulatedregions,whereessentialin-situobservational capabilities can be lacking or deteriorating. The paper would demonstrate the possibility to have energy efficient computing and communication systems that can be employed for environment observation and that can enrich traditional in-situ and remote sensing environmental data, to enable a significant step forward in the environment monitoring of a wide range of weather and climate data. The paper will present an approach going in this direction (computing/communication everywhere withlow-powerconstrains),testedinaharshenvironment,byexploitinglow-power boardstoperformdatapre-processingandreconfigurableantennastosenddataina moreenergeticallyconvenientwayappliedtoarealcaseasitmaybethemonitoring of ionospheric scintillation in Antarctica
DemoGRAPE: First phase scintillations on GNSS signals from Galileo satellites as observed from SANAE and EACF
No full textPalliativ omsorg til hjertesviktpasienter
No full textHensikt: Litteraturstudien har til hensikt å utforske hvordan sykepleier kan inkludere palliativ omsorg i behandlingen til hjertesviktpasienter.
Metode: Dette er en systematisk litteraturstudie bestående av åtte artikler og selvvalgt litteratur, hvorav tre artikler er kvalitative, tre er kvantitative, en er mikset-metode og en er en systematisk litteraturstudie basert på 37 forskningsartikler.
Resultat: Funnene viser at det er stort behov for både teoretisk kunnskap om palliativ omsorg rettet mot hjertesviktpasienter, og kompetanse innen kommunikasjonsferdigheter blant sykepleiere. Forløpet ved hjertesvikt er uforutsigbart og sykepleiere føler det er utfordrende å vite når lindrende behandling skal trekkes inn. Sykepleiere er ikke komfortable i diskusjoner om palliativ omsorg, og det kreves både riktig tidspunkt og varsomhet i alle slags samtaler om terminal omsorg. Det bør være repeterende muligheter for diskusjon om temaet. Sykepleiere opplever frustrasjon rundt den tverrprofesjonelle samhandlingen til hjertesviktpasienter, og det er behov for en tydelig definisjon av de ulike rollene. Videre er det nødvendig at sykepleiere tar i bruk verktøy for å skape større koordinasjon og kontinuitet i omsorgen til pasientene.
Konklusjon: Sykepleier har behov for økt kompetanse og kommunikasjonsferdigheter om palliasjon til hjertesviktpasienter. Palliativt team og en palliativ plan bør tidlig trekkes inn i behandlingsforløpet for å kunne tilby helhetlig omsorgstilbud for pasientgruppen.Aim: The purpose of this literature study is to research how nurses can include palliative care in the treatment of patients with heart failure.
Method: This is a systematic literature study, containing eight research articles as well as self-selected literature. Of these, three studies are qualitative, three are quantitative, one uses a mixed-method and one is a systematic literature study based on 37 research articles.
Results: This study reveals that there is a great need for both theoretical knowledge on palliative care for heart failure patients, and knowledge on communication skills within the nursing staff. The course of heart failure is unpredictable, and nurses find it challenging to know when to start palliative treatment. Nurses are not comfortable in discussions on palliative care, and therefore discussions on terminal treatment demand the appropriate timing and caution. Nurses experience frustration concerning interprofessional cooperation regarding patients with heart failure, and there is therefore a need for clearly defined roles. It is essential that nurses utilize tools to improve cooperation and continuity in care.
Conclusion: Nurses have an increased need for knowledge and communication skills towards palliative care for heart failure patients. Advanced care plan and the palliative care team should be included early in the course of treatment, to offer comprehensive care services for the patient group
Palliativ omsorg til hjertesviktpasienter
No full textHensikt: Litteraturstudien har til hensikt å utforske hvordan sykepleier kan inkludere palliativ omsorg i behandlingen til hjertesviktpasienter.
Metode: Dette er en systematisk litteraturstudie bestående av åtte artikler og selvvalgt litteratur, hvorav tre artikler er kvalitative, tre er kvantitative, en er mikset-metode og en er en systematisk litteraturstudie basert på 37 forskningsartikler.
Resultat: Funnene viser at det er stort behov for både teoretisk kunnskap om palliativ omsorg rettet mot hjertesviktpasienter, og kompetanse innen kommunikasjonsferdigheter blant sykepleiere. Forløpet ved hjertesvikt er uforutsigbart og sykepleiere føler det er utfordrende å vite når lindrende behandling skal trekkes inn. Sykepleiere er ikke komfortable i diskusjoner om palliativ omsorg, og det kreves både riktig tidspunkt og varsomhet i alle slags samtaler om terminal omsorg. Det bør være repeterende muligheter for diskusjon om temaet. Sykepleiere opplever frustrasjon rundt den tverrprofesjonelle samhandlingen til hjertesviktpasienter, og det er behov for en tydelig definisjon av de ulike rollene. Videre er det nødvendig at sykepleiere tar i bruk verktøy for å skape større koordinasjon og kontinuitet i omsorgen til pasientene.
Konklusjon: Sykepleier har behov for økt kompetanse og kommunikasjonsferdigheter om palliasjon til hjertesviktpasienter. Palliativt team og en palliativ plan bør tidlig trekkes inn i behandlingsforløpet for å kunne tilby helhetlig omsorgstilbud for pasientgruppen
Installation and configuration of an ionospheric scintillation monitoring station based on GNSS receivers in Antarctica
No full textGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs), such as the US Global Positioning System (GPS), The
Russian GLONASS or the European Galileo, are space-based navigation systems. GNSSs enable a generic
user located anywhere on the Earth to determine in real time his Position, Velocity and Time (PVT), by
means of a Radio Frequency (RF) electro-magnetic signal, the Signal-In-Space (SIS), transmitted by a
constellation of satellites orbiting around Earth.
Uninterrupted Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solution is determined by GNSS receivers,
which continuously process the SIS from the satellites in view. GNSS receivers are part of the GNSSs
ground segment. They are a suboptimal implementation of a maximum likelihood estimator of the SIS
propagation time. The PNT solution is indeed based on the computation of the SIS Time Of Arrival (TOA),
according to the satellite and receiver local clocks. This is achieved thanks to the presence of a different
Pseudo Random Noise (PRN) spreading code in the modulated SIS broadcast by each satellite. In the GNSS
receiver, the incoming signal is correlated with a local replica of signal code, obtaining the time difference
information. The time difference is then transformed into a range information by multiplying it by the speed
of light in the vacuum. However, since the receiver clock is not synchronized with the transmitters clock, this
measure suffers of time bias, which is considered as an additional unknown in the navigation solution.
Finally, the user position is determined on an Earth centred reference system with a process denoted
trilateration, by exploiting the range information computed by the receiver and the information contained in
the SIS navigation message, such as satellite ephemeris [Kaplan et al., 2005].Published1-252A. Fisica dell'alta atmosferaN/A or not JC
Seismic waves and acoustic waves: from earthquake to music
No full textINGV is currently the largest European scientific institution dealing with Earth Sciences research and real-time
surveillance, early warning, and forecast activities in geophysics and volcanology. The Laboratorio Didattica e
Divulgazione Scientifica of INGV organizes every year rich educational and outreach activities with schools of
different levels and with general public to convey scientific knowledge and to promote research on science and
nature, focusing on volcanic and seismic hazard. The activities encompass a wide variety of formats, such as the
opening of our labs to schools for guided visits, contributing to national (e.g., the Italian “Week of the Scientific
Culture”, launched by the Ministry of Education and Research) and international (e.g., the European “Night of the
Researchers”) events, editing educational videos, creating multimedia tools also available on the Web. Moreover,
we contribute to expositions and science festivals organizing exhibitions with experiments, models, and exhibits
designed to teaching and learning geophysics. Finally, we offer guided visits to the control rooms run by our
Institute, which ensures the round-the-clock volcanic and seismic surveillance of the whole Italian territory.
During the Week of the Scientific Culture and the Night of the Researchers we opened our Institute to the general
public, in order to show our laboratories, to talk about new researches on Earth Sciences and to explain the
volcanic and seismic risk and the related surveillance activities. These initiatives are widely appreciated by the
community and we organized special events with the aim to inspire curiosity toward scientific research, and to
facilitate the approach of the general public to science and nature. The special event of the 2010 programmes
was a scientific-musical format: Seismic waves and acoustic waves, from earthquake to music. The aim of this
project was to involve the public in scientific events offering happening where the scientific language is mediate
through the language of the music. In this way, scientific phenomenon are brought in using emotion, making
easier the understanding of the scientific themes. The format started with short lectures on earthquake and seismic
wave propagation to move on the comparison between the seismic waves and the acoustic waves. We used
seismograms, acoustic instruments, the voice, and the Earth sounds to explain the relation between earthquake
waves and music. The scientific talks were organized to create a trail that, through emotion and curiosity, guides
the public to the discovery and comprehension of the scientific phenomenon. The final part of the event was
devoted to classical/jazz/blues live concerts performed by groups and ensembles, some of them arranged by INGV
researchers. As a general result, thanks to this project we joined science and community, merging the INGV
mission with the public expectation. This scientific-musical format represented an experimental outreach project,
new, stimulating, and appreciated by the audience that can be used as good practice of scientific divulgation.PublishedVienna- Austria5.9. Formazione e informazioneope
