bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of Trust Between Online Auction Consumers
Authors: Malinen Sanna , Ojala Jarno
Published: November 2012

Trust between partners is a precondition for business transactions. The perceptions of trust were studied among the users of a popular Finnish online auction site, ‘Huuto.net’. Results are based on interview and survey data collected from 358 users. According to the interviews, a reputation system that is based on user feedback is essential for the evaluation of other users and their reliability, but the more experienced users had also adopted more advanced strategies for looking for additional reliability cues. The results of the survey indicate that experienced users with a longer transaction history often tend to establish regular contacts, and, partly for this reason, perceive online transacting as reliable. The experienced users were also more positive about the system and its administration than less experienced users. As a practical result, in this paper, the authors examine which kinds of design elements of the service support the experience of trust.
An Initial Examination of Free and Proprietary Software-Selection in Organizations
Authors: Sticklen Damien J. , Issa Theodora
Published: November 2012

This article presents the findings of a study concerning organisational software-selection in the context of proprietary and “Free Software”. Proprietary software with its inherent benefits and drawbacks remains dominant over Free Software in many business contexts. In contrast, the arrival of disruptive approaches to applying technology, such as cloud-computing, almost certainly mandates a heterogeneous software environment. However, this paper abstracts to the organisational context, as opposed to solely concentrating on the technical aspects, so that broader issues surrounding both proprietary software and Free Software adoption are brought into focus and may provide academics and practitioners with insight into what many would consider an information technology-centric matter. Contemporary multi-disciplinary literature addressing the areas of software-selection methodology, architectures for service delivery, and software types, are combined with recent findings from primary research in order to draw initial conclusions on the current state of software-selection in organisations.
Multiagent Social Computing
Authors: Choi Ben
Published: November 2012

This article provides a framework for extending social networks to social computing. When people join social networks, such as Facebook and discussion groups, their personal computers can also join the social networks. This framework facilitates sharing of computing resources among friends and groups. Computers of friends and groups act autonomously to help each other perform various tasks. The framework combines many key technologies, including intelligent agents, multi-agent system, object space, and parallel and distributed computing, into a new computing platform, which has been successfully implemented and tested. With this framework, any person will have access to not only the computing power of his or her own personal computer but also the vast computing power of a community of computers. The collective capabilities of humans and computers working in communities will create complementary capabilities of computing to achieve behaviors that transcend those of people and computers in isolation. The future of computing is moving from personal computers to societies of computers.
An Advanced and Secure Symbian-Based Mobile Approach for Body Sensor Networks Interaction
Authors: Pereira Orlando R. E. , Caldeira João M. L. P. , Rodrigues Joel J. P. C.
Published: November 2012

The combination of body sensor networks (BSNs) and mobile devices brings a personalized health monitoring opportunity to patients and medical teams. Mobile devices may be used to process and present data collected by BSN sensors in an easy and meaningful way to users. The mobility of such systems improves patients’ quality of life, enabling continuous unobtrusive health monitoring during regular daily routine tasks. This paper presents a Symbian-powered smartphone based solution for BSN sensors data gathering, monitoring, and presentation. The systems’ sensor platform hardware provides an onboard long-term data storage module, enabling continuous data gathering even in the absence of the mobile device. The mobile device connects wirelessly to the BSN using Bluetooth technology, supporting interaction with multiple sinks. This system aims to help patients that need continuous monitoring of human bio-physiological parameters in a transparent and unobtrusive way. A case study is presented, based on a sensor for women’s core body temperature collection, enabling fertility follow up processing. The system was evaluated successfully, proving its usefulness in a real scenario. As a result, it is ready for regular use.
Pervasive Computing Support in the Transition towards Personalised Health Systems
Authors: Serrano Martín , Elmisery Ahmed , Foghlú Mícheál Ó , Donnelly Willie , Storni Cristiano , Fernström Mikael
Published: November 2012

This paper discusses pervasive computing work in the transition from traditional health care programs to personalised health systems (pHealth). A chronological guided transition survey is discussed to highlight trends in medicine describing their most recent developments about health care systems. Future trends in this interdisciplinary techno-medical area are described as research goals. Particularly, research and technological efforts concerning ICT’s and pervasive computing in healthcare and medical applications are presented to identify systems requirements supporting secure and reliable networks and services. The main objectives are to summarise both the pHealth systems requirements providing end-user applications and the necessary pervasive computing support to interconnect device-based health care applications and distributed information data systems in secure and reliable forms, highlighting the role pervasive computing plays in this process. A generic personalised healthcare scheme is introduced to provide guidance in the transition and can be used for multiple medical and health applications. An example is briefly introduced by using the generic scheme proposed.
Applications of Policy Based Agents in Wireless Body Sensor Mesh Networks for Patient Health Monitoring
Authors: Miller Kevin , Sankaranarayanan Suresh
Published: November 2012

Considerable research interest in using wireless and mobile technologies in patient health monitoring exists, particularly in hospitals and nursing homes. For health monitoring, an intelligent agent based hierarchical architecture was presented in the authors’ previous work. The technique of monitoring and notifying the health of patients using an intelligent agent, to the concerned hospital personnel, was proposed. This paper presents the details of the functioning of four main intelligent agents, i.e., the nurse agent, the sensor agent, the database agent, and the ward boy agent, for intimating the health information to the concerned doctor in the hospital, based on certain policies relevant to the hospital. The policies worked based on the temperature parameter monitored by the nurse agent. This paper considers an example of the physiological parameter i.e., the body temperature monitoring, for policy based agent implementation. The implementation was carried out using JADE-LEAP agent development kit.
QoS Concepts and Architecture Over Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications
Authors: Chaari Lamia , Kamoun Lotfi
Published: November 2012

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) applications have emerged as one of the most recent research areas of wireless sensor networks. Lots of research is improving QoS factors in sensor networks. However, QoS requirements vary from application to application, WBAN applications are very sensitive, and QoS issues in WBAN need major concern and focus. This paper outlines the WBANs QoS requirements and factors and reviews with emphasis on their strengths some medium access mechanisms that response to some QoS challenges. Moreover, the authors have defined and specified a QWBAN MAC protocol that can allow the integration of QoS architecture over WBAN. A set of QoS modules such as admission control (CAC), bandwidth allocation and scheduling are discussed. Besides that, an integrated QoS architecture is suggested for WBAN to support healthcare applications.
Improving Supervised Classification of Activities of Daily Living Using Prior Knowledge
Authors: Fleury Anthony , Noury Norbert , Vacher Michel
Published: November 2012

The increase in life expectancy is producing a bottleneck at the entry in institutions. Therefore, telemedicine becomes a timely solution, which is largely explored to care after elderly people living independently at home. It requires identifying the behaviors and activities of the person at home, with non-intrusive sensors and to process data to detect the main trends in the health status. This paper presents the results of the study of prior introduction, in Support Vector Machine, to improve the automatic recognition of Activities of Daily Living. From a set of activities, performed in the experimental smart home in Grenoble, the authors obtained models for seven activities of Daily Living and tested the performances of this classification with introduction of spatial and temporal priors. Eventually, different results are discussed.
Modeling Emergency and Telemedicine Health Support System
Authors: Yu Weider D. , Bhagwat Radhika
Published: November 2012

This paper examines the study of healthcare services provided through a telemedicine oriented Emergency Health Support System (EHSS). This study caters to the needs of senior citizens, but can be extended to a larger population. The main goals are to model the support system in Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) using Cloud Computing and study its performance. The paper compares a system deployed in the cloud versus a co-located environment based on data gathered from the prototype. The emergency support system has a 24/7 remote healthcare monitoring of registered users and provides immediate support in case of a healthcare emergency. The telemedicine system empowers the physicians to prescribe medication based on the users’ vitals, via email, instant messaging, or phone. The system can be based on the platform of Cloud Computing to not only improve performance, but also cut down on computing and networking resource requirements to a large extent. A prototype of Emergency Health Support System has been developed and the system has been modeled and tested to derive performance statistics of the system’s capability.
Proposed Framework for the Deployment of Telemedicine Centers in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Mostafa Raqibul , Hasan Gazi Mehedi , Kabir A.M. Alomgir , Rahman Md Atiqur
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a unique and comprehensive framework for the deployment of effective telemedicine centers in diverse locations in Bangladesh. The framework employs a top-down analysis and design approach by properly organizing the key elements comprising it. The elements include a nationwide analysis of demographics along with current healthcare scenario as well location-specific pre-deployment studies and the recommended telemedicine solution. This framework will be a valuable guide to deploy effective and long-term telemedicine center at any given location. Towards this goal, the paper presents the framework along with a detailed discussion of the constituent elements, and analyzes several case studies to demonstrate the application of the framework to provide site-specific telemedicine solutions at some selected test sites. All the previous telemedicine projects in Bangladesh suffered from a lack of sustainability and it is expected that deployments based on the proposed framework will be effective, scalable, and long-lasting in bringing e-healthcare to the target population in Bangladesh.
Census of the Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) at Leveste, Municipality of Gehrden, Germany
Authors: von Bethlenfalvy Gabor , Hindersin Julia , Strauß Egbert
Published: November 2012

The case study used spotlight strip census routes to estimate Brown Hare numbers in a 793 ha hunting district. The habitats, dominated by intensively farmed arable land were also mapped. This is part of a Germany-wide long-term monitoring program of game populations which is carried out by hunters and was initiated by the German Hunters’ Association and the Hunters’ Association of Lower Saxony in 2001.
The Case Study in Sfântu Gheorghe Commune, Romania
Authors: Navodaru Ion , Bozagievici Raluca , Marin Eugenia , Bota Diana
Published: November 2012

School children in the 541 km2 Commune of Sfântu Gheorghe, part of a Biosphere Reserve in the Danube Delta, mapped vegetation areas containing two wild plants. The plants were potential natural resources for raising income from tourists, to offset declining access to wild resources in the strongly protected area.
Mapping Landuse Impacts on Bezoar Goat (Capra aegagrus) Habitats in Firtina Basin, Turkey
Authors: Sütlü Ercan , Avcioglu Basak , Berke Mustafa Özgür , Gem Engin
Published: November 2012

WWF-Turkey implemented two different case studies in regions which have different ecosystems and socio-economic characteristics. The first case study was conducted in Firtina Basin in a northeastern part of Turkey which is dominated by forest and where tea cultivation and tourism are the main income generation activities. The case study in Firtina Basin was focused on conservation of the bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus) population in partnership with local stakeholders and the mapping created high interest among participants.
Identification of a sex pheromone component for Pennisetia
marginata (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)
Authors: Judd Gary J.R. , Gries Regine , Teasdale Carolyn , Gries Gerhard
Published: November 2012

Raspberry crown borer, Pennisetia marginata (Harris) (Lepidoptera:
Sesiidae), is a native North American species and pest of many cane fruits. Using
coupled gas chromatographic–electroantennographic detection analyses (GC-EAD) we
identified candidate sex pheromone components in pheromone gland extracts and
effluvia from calling females. Analysis of gland extracts on a Zebron-5 column
revealed four components (A, B, C, and D) that elicited strong responses from male
antennae. The two most EAD-active components A and B were hypothesised to be
(3E,13Z)-octadecadienal
[(3E,13Z)-18:Ald] and
(3E,13Z)-octadecadienol
[(3E,13Z)-18:OH], respectively. Their retention
times on other GC columns matched those of authentic standards, thus supporting
structural assignments. Synthetic (3E,13Z)-18:Ald,
and its GC rearrangement product
(2E,13Z)-octadecadienal
[(2E,13Z)-18:Ald; component C], also induced
antennal responses in GC-EAD analyses of female effluvia. Compounds D in pheromone
gland extract, and E and F in female effluvia, elicited EAD responses but could not
be identified. In field trapping experiments,
(3E,13Z)-18:Ald was the only component that
attracted male P. marginata when tested alone.
Attractiveness of (3E,13Z)-18:Ald was reduced when
combined in binary or ternary blends with any of the other identified components,
suggesting one or all may act as pheromone antagonists. In Aldergrove, British
Columbia, Canada, peak diel attraction of male P.
marginata to (3E,13Z)-18:Ald
occurred between 16:00 and 18:00 hours Pacific Daylight Time, at temperatures of
21–23°C, on 30 August 2010, 3 September 2010, and 13 September 2010. We conclude that
(3E,13Z)-18:Ald is the major pheromone component
of P. marginata.
Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting cattle and African buffaloes in the Tsavo conservation area, Kenya
Authors: Kariuki Edward K. , Penzhorn Barend L. , Horak Ivan G.
Published: November 2012

Several ixodid tick species are shared between domestic cattle and African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer). So too, are a number of tick-borne diseases. The aim of the study was to compare the species composition of ticks that infest cattle and buffaloes utilising the same habitat within the Tsavo Conservation Area, Kenya. To this end, 25 cattle and 62 buffaloes were each opportunistically sampled for ticks on a single occasion in February 2010. Eight species, namely Amblyomma gemma, Amblyomma lepidum, Hyalomma albiparmatum, Hyalomma rufipes, Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus pravus and Rhipicephalus pulchellus infested both cattle and buffaloes. Three species, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) sp., Rhipicephalus kochi, and Rhipicephalus muehlensi were collected only from cattle, and three species, Hyalomma impeltatum, Rhipicephalus humeralis and Rhipicephalus praetextatus were present only on buffaloes. The attachment sites of the various tick species were also recorded. New locality records for H. impeltatum and H. truncatum and the first confirmed locality record for Rhipicephalus praetextatus sensu stricto in Kenya were documented.
The Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain on Leisure Participation: Implications for Occupational Therapy
Authors: Ashby Samantha , Fitzgerald Maureen , Raine Simon
Published: November 2012

Aim:

Chronic low back pain can reduce engagement and participation in all areas of daily life. Previous research has focused on employment and vocational rehabilitation initiatives, with less attention paid to its impact on leisure. This paper examines the difficulties men with chronic low back pain experienced in the maintenance of their leisure activities. It explores the connection between leisure and social networks and the potential barriers to resuming leisure occupations due to chronic low back pain.

Method:

This ethnographic study examined the experiences of 11 men involved in a vocational rehabilitation programme in New South Wales, Australia. Data were gathered using participant observation and semi-structured interviews.

Findings:

Chronic low back pain has a critical impact on leisure occupations. It creates two barriers to a client's engagement in former leisure occupations: physical restrictions and financial barriers.

Conclusion:

The findings build on knowledge of how leisure impacts on social dimensions of health and wellbeing. Occupational therapists can play an important role in enabling people with chronic low back pain to re-engage in leisure. These interventions may reduce the social isolation experienced by individuals due to the loss of leisure activity.
Current Developments of the Housing Enabler Methodology
Authors: Iwarsson Susanne , Haak Maria , Slaug Björn
Published: November 2012

Twenty years of methodological development, empirical research and practice application have resulted in an updated version of the Housing Enabler instrument and a screening version. The methodology rests on Lawton's and Nahemow's ecological model, with accessibility defined as the relationship between the individual's functional capacity and the demands of the physical environment. The complete instrument is based on one checklist of functional capacity in the individual (personal component) and another of environmental barriers (environmental component), followed by an analysis of person-environment fit giving an accessibility score. The Housing Enabler Screening Tool requires a less complex and less time-consuming procedure.
Thunderstorms and upper troposphere chemistry during the early stages of the 2006 North American Monsoon
Authors: Barth M. C. , Lee J. , Hodzic A. , Pfister G. , Skamarock W. C. , Worden J. , Wong J. , Noone D.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. To study the meteorology and chemistry that is associated with the early stages of the North American Monsoon, the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is applied for the first time at high resolution (4 km grid spacing, allowing for explicit representation of convection) over a large region (continental US and northern Mexico) for a multi-week (15 July to 7 August 2006) integration. Evaluation of model results shows that WRF-Chem reasonably represents the large-scale meteorology and strong convective storms, but tends to overestimate weak convection. In the upper troposphere, the WRF-Chem model predicts ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) to within 10–20% of aircraft and sonde measurements. Comparison of UT O3 and CO frequency distributions between WRF-Chem and satellite data indicates that WRF-Chem is lofting CO too frequently from the boundary layer (BL). This excessive lofting should also cause biases in the WRF-Chem ozone frequency distribution; however it agrees well with satellite data suggesting that either the chemical production of O3 in the model is overpredicted or there is too much stratosphere to troposphere transport in the model. Analysis of different geographic regions (West Coast, Rocky Mountains, Central Plains, Midwest, and Gulf Coast) reveals that much of the convective transport occurs in the Rocky Mountains, while much of the UT ozone chemical production occurs over the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions where both CO and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are abundant in the upper troposphere and promote the production of peroxy radicals. In all regions most of the ozone chemical production occurs within 24 h of the air being lofted from the boundary layer. In addition, analysis of the anticyclone and adjacent air indicates that ozone mixing ratios within the anticyclone region associated with the North American Monsoon and just outside the anticyclone are similar. Increases of O3 within the anticyclone are strongly coincident with entrainment of stratospheric air into the anticyclone, but also are from in situ O3 chemical production. In situ O3 production is up to 17% greater within the anticyclone than just outside the anticyclone when the anticyclone is over the southern US indicating that the enhancement of O3 is most pronounced over regions with abundant VOCs.
Dynamic recycling of gaseous elemental mercury in the boundary layer of the Antarctic Plateau
Authors: Dommergue A. , Barret M. , Courteaud J. , Cristofanelli P. , Ferrari C. P. , Gallée H.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) was investigated in the troposphere and in the interstitial air extracted from the snow at Dome Concordia station (alt. 3320 m) on the Antarctic Plateau during January 2009. Measurements and modeling studies showed evidence of a very dynamic and daily cycling of Hg0 inside the mixing layer with a range of values from 0.2 ng m−3 up to 2.3 ng m−3. During low solar irradiation periods, fast Hg0 oxidation processes in a confined layer were suspected. Unexpectedly high Hg0 concentrations for such a remote place were measured under higher solar irradiation due to snow photochemistry. We suggest that a daily cycling of reemission/oxidation occurs during summer within the mixing layer at Dome Concordia. Hg0 concentrations showed a negative correlation with ozone mixing ratios, which contrasts with atmospheric mercury depletion events observed during the Arctic spring. Unlike previous Antarctic studies, we think that atmospheric Hg0 removal may not be the result of advection processes. The daily and dramatic Hg0 losses could be a consequence of surface or snow induced oxidation pathways. It remains however unclear whether halogens are involved. The cycling of other oxidants should be investigated together with Hg species in order to clarify the complex reactivity on the Antarctic plateau.
Top-down estimation of carbon monoxide emissions from the Mexico Megacity based on FTIR measurements from ground and space
Authors: Stremme W. , Grutter M. , Rivera C. , Bezanilla A. , Garcia A. R. , Ortega I. , George M. , Clerbaux C. , Coheur P. , Hurtmans D. , Hannigan J. W. , Coffey M. T.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Continuous carbon monoxide (CO) total column densities above the UNAM campus in Mexico City have been derived from solar absorption infrared spectroscopic measurements since October 2007. Its diurnal evolution is used in the present study in conjunction with other ground-based and satellite data to develop a top-down emission estimate of the annual CO emission of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The growth-rate of the total column around noon under low ventilation conditions is calculated and allows us to derive the average surface emission-flux at UNAM, while similar measurements taken at the edge of the MCMA in Tecámac provides information on background CO levels in the Mexico basin. Based on 3 yr of measurements, CO column measurements from the IASI satellite instrument are used to reconstruct the spatial distribution of this anthropogenic pollutant over the MCMA. The agreement between the measured columns of the satellite and ground-based measurements is excellent, particularly when a comparison strategy based on time-displaced air masses is used. The annual emission of the Mexico Megacity is estimated to be (2.15 ± 0.5) Tg yr−1 for the year 2008, while the official inventory for that year reported 1.6 Tg yr−1. The difference is slightly higher than the conservative uncertainty estimated in this work suggesting that the emission might be underestimated by the conventional bottom-up method. A larger discrepancy is found in the spatial distribution of the emissions, when comparing the emission flux over UNAM (derived from the ground-based measurement) with that of the inventory integrated over a representative area. The methodology presented here represents a new and useful strategy to evaluate the contribution of megacities to the global anthropogenic gas emissions. Additionally, three different strategies to compare ground and space-based measurements above an inhomogeneous and strongly contaminated area like Mexico City are presented and discussed.
Study of the kinetics and equilibria of the oligomerization reactions of 2-methylglyceric acid
Authors: Birdsall A. W. , Zentner C. A. , Elrod M. J.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. The presence of a variety of chemical species related to the gaseous precursor isoprene in ambient secondary organic aerosol (SOA) has stimulated investigations of the nature of SOA-phase chemical processing. Recent work has demonstrated that 2-methylglyceric acid (2-MG) is an important isoprene-derived ambient SOA component and atmospheric chamber experiments have suggested that 2-MG may exist in oligomeric form (as oligoesters) under conditions of low SOA water content. In order to better understand the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of such oligomerization reactions, nuclear magnetic resonance techniques were used to study the bulk phase acid-catalyzed aqueous reactions (Fischer esterification) of 2-MG. While the present results indicate that 2-MG oligoesters are formed in the bulk phase with similar water content equilibrium dependences as observed in atmospheric chamber SOA experiments, the acid-catalyzed rate of the Fischer esterification mechanism may be too slow to rationalize the 2-MG oligoester production timescales observed in the atmospheric chamber experiments. Furthermore, it appears that unrealistically high ambient SOA acidities would also be required for significant 2-MG oligoester content to arise via Fischer esterification. Therefore, the present results suggest that other, more kinetically facile, esterification mechanisms may be necessary to rationalize the existence of 2-MG oligomers in atmospheric chamber-generated and ambient SOA.
Transport of aerosol pollution in the UTLS during Asian summer monsoon as simulated by ECHAM5-HAMMOZ model
Authors: Fadnavis S. , Semeniuk K. , Pozzoli L. , Schultz M. G. , Ghude S. D. , Das S.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. An eight member ensemble of ECHAM5-HAMMOZ simulations for the year 2003 is analyzed to study the transport of aerosols in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) during the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM). Simulations show persistent maxima in black carbon, organic carbon, sulfate, and mineral dust aerosols within the anticyclone in the UTLS throughout the ASM (period from July to September) when convective activity over the Indian subcontinent is highest. Model simulations indicate boundary layer aerosol pollution as the source of this UTLS aerosol layer and identify ASM convection as the dominant transport process. Evidence of ASM transport of aerosols into the stratosphere is observed in HALogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II aerosol extinction. The impact of aerosols in the UTLS region is analyzed by evaluating the differences between simulations with (CTRL) and without aerosol (HAM-off) loading. The transport of anthropogenic aerosols in the UTLS increases cloud ice, water vapour and temperature, indicating that aerosols play an important role in enhancement of cloud ice in the Upper-Troposphere (UT). Aerosol induced circulation changes include a weakening of the main branch of the Hadley circulation and increased vertical transport around the southern flank of the Himalayas and reduction in monsoon precipitation over the India region.
NW European shelf under climate warming: implications for open ocean – shelf exchange, primary production, and carbon absorption
Authors: Gröger M. , Maier-Reimer E. , Mikolajewicz U. , Moll A. , Sein D.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Shelves have been estimated to account for more than one fifth of the global marine primary production. It has been also conjectured that shelves strongly influence the oceanic absorption of atmospheric CO2 (carbon shelf pump). Owing to their coarse resolution, currently applied global climate models are inappropriate to investigate the impact of climate change on shelfs and regional models do not account for the complex interaction with the adjacent open ocean. In this study, a global ocean general circulation model and biogeochemistry model were set up with a distorted grid providing a maximal resolution for the NW European shelf and the adjacent North Atlantic. Using model climate projections we found that already a moderate warming of about 2.0 K of the sea surface is linked with a reduction by ~ 30% of biological production on the NW European shelf. If we consider the decline of anthropogenic riverine eutrophication since the 90's the reduction of biological production amounts to 39%. The decline of NW European shelf productivity is twice as strong as the decline in the open ocean (~ 15%). The underlying mechanism is a spatially well confined stratification feedback along the continental shelf break. This feedback reduces the nutrient supply from the deep Atlantic to about 50%. In turn, the reduced productivity draws down CO2 absorption on the NW European shelf by ~ 34% at the end of the 21st century compared to the end of the 20th century implying a strong weakening of shelf carbon pumping. Sensitivity experiments with diagnostic tracers indicate that not more than 20% of the carbon absorbed in the North Sea contributes to the long term carbon uptake of the world ocean. The rest remains within the ocean mixed layer where it is exposed to the atmosphere. The predicted decline in biological productivity and decrease of phytoplankton concentration (by averaged 25%) due to reduced nutrient imports from the deeper Atlantic will probably negatively affect the local fish stock and therefore fisheries in the North Sea.
Enhanced Atlantic subpolar gyre variability through baroclinic threshold in a coarse resolution model
Authors: Mengel M. , Levermann A. , Schleussner C.-F. , Born A.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Direct observations, satellite measurements and paleo records reveal strong variability in the Atlantic subpolar gyre on various time scales. Here we show that variations of comparable amplitude can only be simulated in a coupled climate model in the proximity of a dynamical threshold. The threshold and the associated dynamic response is due to a positive feedback involving increased salt transport in the subpolar gyre and enhanced deep convection in its centre. A series of sensitivity experiments is performed with a coarse resolution ocean general circulation model coupled to a statistical-dynamical atmosphere model which in itself does not produce atmospheric variability. To simulate the impact of atmospheric variability, the model system is perturbed with freshwater forcing of varying, but small amplitude and multi-decadal to centennial periodicities and observational variations in wind stress. While both freshwater and wind-stress-forcing have a small direct effect on the strength of the subpolar gyre, the magnitude of the gyre's response is strongly increased in the vicinity of the threshold. Our results indicate that baroclinic self-amplification in the North Atlantic ocean can play an important role in presently observed SPG variability and thereby North Atlantic climate variability on multi-decadal scales.
Atmospheric muons: experimental aspects
Authors: Cecchini S. , Spurio M.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. We present a review of atmospheric muon flux and energy spectrum measurements over almost six decades of muon momentum. Sea level and underground/water/ice experiments are considered. Possible sources of systematic errors in the measurements are examined. The characteristics of underground/water muons (muons in bundle, lateral distribution, energy spectrum) are discussed. The connection between the atmospheric muon and neutrino measurements are also reported.
Mass-flux subgrid-scale parameterization in analogy with multi-component flows: a formulation towards scale independence
Authors: Yano J.-I.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. A generalized mass-flux formulation is presented, which no longer takes a limit of vanishing fractional areas for subgrid-scale components. The presented formulation is applicable to a~situation in which the scale separation is still satisfied, but fractional areas occupied by individual subgrid-scale components are no longer small. A self-consistent formulation is presented by generalizing the mass-flux formulation under the segmentally-constant approximation (SCA) to the grid–scale variabilities. The present formulation is expected to alleviate problems arising from increasing resolutions of operational forecast models without invoking more extensive overhaul of parameterizations. The present formulation leads to an analogy of the large-scale atmospheric flow with multi-component flows. This analogy allows a generality of including any subgrid-scale variability into the mass-flux parameterization under SCA. Those include stratiform clouds as well as cold pools in the boundary layer. An important finding under the present formulation is that the subgrid-scale quantities are advected by the large-scale velocities characteristic of given subgrid-scale components (large-scale subcomponent flows), rather than by the total large-scale flows as simply defined by grid-box average. In this manner, each subgrid-scale component behaves as if like a component of multi-component flows. This formulation, as a result, ensures the lateral interaction of subgrid-scale variability crossing the grid boxes, which are missing in the current parameterizations based on vertical one-dimensional models, and leading to a reduction of the grid-size dependencies in its performance. It is shown that the large-scale subcomponent flows are driven by large-scale subcomponent pressure gradients. The formulation, as a result, furthermore includes a self-contained description of subgrid-scale momentum transport. The main purpose of the present paper is to appeal the importance of this new possibility suggested herein to the numerical weather forecast community with implications for the other parameterizations (cloud fraction, mesoscale organization) as well as resolution-dependence of parameterizations.
The SURFEXv7.2 land and ocean surface platform for coupled or offline simulation of Earth surface variables and fluxes
Authors: Masson V. , Le Moigne P. , Martin E. , Faroux S. , Alias A. , Alkama R. , Belamari S. , Barbu A. , Boone A. , Bouyssel F. , Brousseau P. , Brun E. , Calvet J.-C. , Carrer D. , Decharme B. , Delire C. , Donier S. , Essaouini K. , Gibelin A.-L. , Giordani H. , Habets F. , Jidane M. , Kerdraon G. , Kourzeneva E. , Lafaysse M. , Lafont S. , Lebeaupin Brossier C. , Lemonsu A. , Mahfouf J.-F. , Marguinaud P. , Mokhtari M. , Morin S. , Pigeon G. , Salgado R. , Seity Y. , Taillefer F. , Tanguy G. , Tulet P. , Vincendon B. , Vionnet V. , Voldoire A.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. SURFEX is a new externalized land and ocean surface platform that describes the surface fluxes and the evolution of four types of surface: nature, town, inland water and ocean. It can be run either coupled or in offline mode. It is mostly based on pre-existing, well validated scientific models. It can be used in offline mode (from point scale to global runs) or fully coupled with an atmospheric model. SURFEX is able to simulate fluxes of carbon dioxide, chemical species, continental aerosols, sea salt and snow particles. It also includes a data assimilation module. The main principles of the organization of the surface are described first. Then, a survey is made of the scientific module (including the coupling strategy). Finally the main applications of the code are summarized. The current applications are extremely diverse, ranging from surface monitoring and hydrology to numerical weather prediction and global climate simulations. The validation work undertaken shows that replacing the pre-existing surface models by SURFEX in these applications is usually associated with improved skill, as the numerous scientific developments contained in this community code are used to good advantage.
Coupled daily streamflow and water temperature modelling in large river basins
Authors: van Vliet M. T. H. , Yearsley J. R. , Franssen W. H. P. , Ludwig F. , Haddeland I. , Lettenmaier D. P. , Kabat P.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Realistic estimates of daily streamflow and water temperature are required for effective management of water resources (e.g. for electricity and drinking water production) and freshwater ecosystems. Although hydrological and process-based water temperature modelling approaches have been successfully applied to small catchments and short time periods, much less work has been done at large spatial and temporal scales. We present a physically based modelling framework for daily river discharge and water temperature simulations applicable to large river systems on a global scale. Model performance was tested globally at 1/2 × 1/2° spatial resolution and a daily time step for the period 1971–2000. We made specific evaluations on large river basins situated in different hydro-climatic zones and characterized by different anthropogenic impacts. Effects of anthropogenic heat discharges on simulated water temperatures were incorporated by using global gridded thermoelectric water use datasets and representing thermal discharges as point sources into the heat advection equation. This resulted in a significant increase in the quality of the water temperature simulations for thermally polluted basins (Rhine, Meuse, Danube and Mississippi). Due to large reservoirs in the Columbia which affect streamflow and thermal regimes, a reservoir routing model was used. This resulted in a significant improvement in the performance of the river discharge and water temperature modelling. Overall, realistic estimates were obtained at daily time step for both river discharge (median normalized BIAS = 0.3; normalized RMSE = 1.2; r = 0.76) and water temperature (median BIAS = −0.3 °C; RMSE = 2.8 °C; r = 0.91) for the entire validation period, with similar performance during warm, dry periods. Simulated water temperatures are sensitive to headwater temperature, depending on resolution and flow velocity. A high sensitivity of water temperature to river discharge (thermal capacity) was found during warm, dry conditions. The modelling approach has potential to be used for risk analyses and studying impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic effects (e.g. thermal pollution, dams and reservoir regulation) on large rivers.
Climate change impacts on maritime mountain snowpack in the Oregon Cascades
Authors: Sproles E. , Nolin A. , Rittger K. , Painter T.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Globally maritime snow comprises 10% of seasonal snow and is considered highly sensitive to changes in temperature. This study investigates the effect of climate change on maritime mountain snowpack in the McKenzie River Basin (MRB) in the Cascades Mountains of Oregon, USA. Melt water from the MRB's snowpack provides critical water supply for agriculture, ecosystems, and municipalities throughout the region especially in summer when water demand is high. Because maritime snow commonly falls at temperatures close to 0 °C, accumulation of snow versus rainfall is highly sensitive to temperature increases. Analyses of current climate and projected climate change impacts show rising temperatures in the region. To better understand the sensitivity of snow accumulation to increased temperatures, we modeled the spatial distribution of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the MRB for the period of 1989–2009 with the SnowModel spatially distributed model. Simulations were evaluated using point-based measurements of SWE, precipitation, and temperature that showed Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficients of 0.83, 0.97, and 0.80, respectively. Spatial accuracy was shown to be 82% using snow cover extent from the Landsat Thematic Mapper. The validated model was used to evaluate the sensitivity of snowpack to projected temperature increases and variability in precipitation, and how changes were expressed in the spatial and temporal distribution of SWE. Results show that a 2 °C increase in temperature would shift peak snowpack 12 days earlier and decrease basin-wide volumetric snow water storage by 56%. Snowpack between the elevations of 1000 and 1800 m is the most sensitive to increases in temperature. Upper elevations were also affected, but to a lesser degree. Temperature increases are the primary driver of diminished snowpack accumulation, however variability in precipitation produce discernible changes in the timing and volumetric storage of snowpack. This regional scale study serves as a case study, providing a modeling framework to better understand the impacts of climate change in similar maritime regions of the world.
Desiccation-crack-induced salinization in deep clay sediment
Authors: Baram S. , Ronen Z. , Kurtzman D. , Küells C. , Dahan O.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. A study on water infiltration and solute transport in a clayey vadose zone underlying a dairy farm waste source was conducted to assess the impact of desiccation cracks on subsurface evaporation and salinization. The study is based on five years of continuous measurements of the temporal variation in the vadose zone water-content and on the chemical and isotopic composition of the sediment and pore-water in it. The isotopic composition of water stable isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) in water and sediment samples, from the area where desiccation crack networks prevail, indicated subsurface evaporation down to ∼3.5 m below land surface, and vertical and lateral preferential transport of water, following erratic preferential infiltration events. Chloride (Cl-) concentrations in the vadose zone pore water substantially increased with depth, evidence of deep subsurface evaporation and down flushing of concentrated solutions from the evaporation zones during preferential infiltration events. These observations led to development of a Desiccation-Crack-Induced Salinization (DCIS) conceptual model. DCIS suggests that thermally driven convective air flow in the desiccation cracks induces evaporation and salinization in relatively deep sections of the subsurface. This conceptual model supports previous conceptual models on vadose zone and groundwater salinization in fractured rock in arid environments and extends its validity to clayey soils in semi-arid environments.
Seismic site response of unstable steep slope using noise measurements: the case study of Xemxija Bay area, Malta
Authors: Panzera F. , D'Amico S. , Lotteri A. , Galea P. , Lombardo G.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Landslide phenomena involve the northern coast of Malta, affecting in particular the urban area of Xemxija. Limestones overlying a clayey formation represent the shallower lithotypes that characterize the surficial geology of this area, where lateral spreading phenomena and rockfalls take place. Ambient noise records, processed through spectral ratio techniques, were analysed in order to characterize the dynamic behavior of the rock masses affected by the presence of fractures linked to the landslide body existing in the area. Experimental spectral ratios were also calculated after rotating the horizontal components of the seismic signal, and a direct estimate of the polarization angle was also performed in order to investigate the existence of directional effects in the ground motion. The results of the morphologic survey confirmed the existence of large cliff-parallel fractures that cause cliff-edge and unstable boulder collapses. Such phenomena appear connected to the presence, inside the clay formation, of a sliding surface that was identified through the interpretation of the noise measurement data. The boundaries of the landslide area appear quite well defined by the pronounced polarization effects, trending in the northeastern direction, observed in the fractured zone and in the landslide body in particular.
Seismic vulnerability of the Himalayan half-dressed rubble stone masonry structures, experimental and analytical studies
Authors: Ahmad N. , Ali Q. , Ashraf M. , Alam B. , Naeem A.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Half-Dressed rubble stone (DS) masonry structures as found in the Himalayan region are investigated using experimental and analytical studies. The experimental study included a shake table test on a one-third scaled structural model, a representative of DS masonry structure employed for public critical facilities, e.g. school buildings, offices, health care units, etc. The aim of the experimental study was to understand the damage mechanism of the model, develop damage scale towards deformation-based assessment and retrieve the lateral force-deformation response of the model besides its elastic dynamic properties, i.e. fundamental vibration period and elastic damping. The analytical study included fragility analysis of building prototypes using a fully probabilistic nonlinear dynamic method. The prototypes are designed as SDOF systems assigned with lateral, force-deformation constitutive law (obtained experimentally). Uncertainties in the constitutive law, i.e. lateral stiffness, strength and deformation limits, are considered through random Monte Carlo simulation. Fifty prototype buildings are analyzed using a suite of ten natural accelerograms and an incremental dynamic analysis technique. Fragility and vulnerability functions are derived for the damageability assessment of structures, economic loss and casualty estimation during an earthquake given the ground shaking intensity, essential within the context of risk assessment of existing stock aiming towards risk mitigation and disaster risk reduction.
Coming to Terms with the Meaning of Interdisciplinarity:
Authors: Reybold L. Earle , Halx Mark D.
Published: November 2012

This qualitative case study explores the implementation of interdisciplinarity across the sciences at a liberal arts university in the Southwest, with specific attention to the project's impact on pedagogy, scholarship, and faculty rewards. We discuss findings in relation to perceptions of interdisciplinarity, applications of interdisciplinarity, and the institutionalization of interdisciplinarity.
Development and Validation of a New Measure of Faculty Assessments of Reformed Teaching and Learning Practices
Authors: Ellett Chad D. , Monsaas Judy , Martin-Hansen Lisa , Demir Abdulkadir
Published: November 2012

This article describes the development and continuing validation of a measure of traditional and reformed teaching and learning practices for a sample of 298 science and mathematics faculty in eight higher education institutions in Georgia. Implications for the continued use of this new measure in these institutional contexts are discussed.