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Heat waves pose a substantial and increasing risk to public health. Heat health early warning systems (HHEWSs) and response plans are increasingly being adopted to alert people to the health risks posed by days of extreme heat and recommend protective behaviors. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of HHEWSs remains limited. We examined the impact of heat wave naming on heat-related beliefs and behaviors to ascertain the potential effectiveness of heat wave naming as a heat health risk communication and management tool. Specifically, we surveyed members of the public exposed to the proMETEO Sevilla HHEWS messaging campaign which in the summer of 2022 applied a name to heat waves considered to pose the greatest risk to public health. During the heat season we evaluated, the proMETEO Sevilla HHEWS campaign applied a name to one heat wave, heat wave "Zoe". Our analysis of the post-survey of 2022 adults indicated that the 6% of participants who recalled the name Zoe unaided reported greater engagement in heat wave safety behaviors and more positive beliefs about naming heat waves and their local governments' heat wave response. These results provide initial evidence for potential utility in naming heat waves as part of HHEWSs and HAPs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We analyze and quantify the capabilities and limitations of a double-conjugate adaptive-optics system. In the proposed system the contribution of two turbulent layers is treated separately, with Rayleigh guide stars for the bottom layer, sodium guide stars for the top layer, and two adaptive mirrors conjugate to the respective layers. The system substantially increases the compensated field of view. We give calculated results for the estimated number of guide stars needed, the wave-front sensor, and the adaptive-mirror resolution. Simulation results are also presented, and the residual error remaining after correction in our proposed system is compared with a conventional single-adaptive-mirror system.

A wave-front sensor based on pseudo-phase-conjugate interferometry is presented. We show that a pseudo-phase-conjugate interferometer is suitable for the measurement of phase distribution on a propagating wave. This new method may be employed for optical workshop applications and wave-front sensing for adaptive optics. The theoretical sensitivity of the interferometer is twice that of the Hartmann-Shack wave-front sensor. Preliminary laboratory experiments demonstrate excellent performance and consistency with computer simulations.