bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Grand-prêtre ou hiérophante. Les traductions grecques du terme pontifex
Authors: Van Haeperen Françoise
Published: December 2013

Les différentes traductions grecques du terme pontifex sont examinées à partir d'un vaste corpus littéraire et épigraphique. Au-delà de l'aspect linguistique, cette étude permet également d'envisager la manière dont les auteurs hellénophones percevaient ce sacerdoce. Les traductions grecques de pontifex expriment d'une part la primauté et le prestige de cette fonction (pontife - grand-prêtre), d'autre part son contenu (pontife, responsable des sacra, enseignant les choses sacrées, hiérophante).
Protagoras and Instrumentality of Religion
Authors: Drozdek Adam
Published: December 2013

Protagoras et l'instrumentalisation de la religion.

Protagoras exprime un agnosticisme en matière religieuse. Si les dieux existent, il faut considérer que leur nature est si différente de la nature humaine que les humains ne sont pas capables d'y accéder. Toutefois, Protagoras reconnaît le fait que l'instinct religieux est primaire chez les humains et peut être envisagé en fonction de l'ordre d'apparition d'autres manifestations de sagesse : après le culte aux dieux, les humains ont développé le langage, la construction de maisons, la fabrication de vêtements, et la production d'aliments. Les premiers actes de sagesse chez les humains leur sont spécifiques : religion et langage. Protagoras reconnaît donc que l'homme est un être et exprime en même temps son désintérêt pour la discussion théologique. Protagoras comprend la religion en tant que pratique sociale et comme outil dans les mains des dirigeants. Le Sophiste certifie que les citoyens adhèrent à cette situation et considère que le système est meilleur que tout ce qu'ils pourraient proposer d'autre par eux-mêmes.
La rhétorique éléatico-gorgienne d'Alcidamas chez Diogène Laërce (IX, 54) et les quatre fonctions fondamentales du λόγος
Authors: Mazzara Giuseppe
Published: December 2013

Giuseppe Mazzara (Païenne), La rhétorique éléatico-gorgienne d'Alcidamas chez Diogène Laërce (IX, 54) et les quatre fonctions fondamentales du λόγος.

Le but de cette étude est de montrer comment le témoignage de Diogène Laërce (IX, 54) concernant les quatre fonctions du λόγος d'Alcidamas (φάσις - άπόφασις - έρώτησις - προσαγόρευσις : affirmation - négation - demande - réponse) peut être considéré comme fondé tant du point de vue rhétorique que philosophique. On peut tirer deux ordres de : le premier couple (φάσις - άπόφασις) pourrait être rapporté à la fonction anti-prédi cative du λόγος, mais aussi à la fonction prédicative impliquée dans la dialectique de Γάντίθεσις qui était propre à Gorgias ; le deuxième (έρώτησις - προσαγόρευσις) serait à rapporter à la rhétorique de l'improvisation et de la πολυτροπία, elles aussi gorgiennes. Deux points sont développés : 1) l'éléatisme dialectique gorgien d'Alcidamas, où sont soulignés les concepts de vérité et de vraisemblance et de philosophie et du sophiste philosophe ; 2) l'herméneutique d'Alcidamas comme μίμησις των πραγμάτων du point de vue expositif et stylistique. cative du λόγος, mais aussi à la fonction prédicative impliquée dans la dialectique de l'ἀντίθεσις qui était propre à Gorgias ; le deuxième (ἐρώτησις - προσαγόρευσις) serait à rapporter à la rhétorique de l'improvisation et de la πολυτροπία, elles aussi gorgiennes. Deux points sont développés : 1) l'éléatisme dialectique gorgien d'Alcidamas, où sont soulignés les concepts de vérité et de vraisemblance et de philosophie et du sophiste philosophe ; 2) l'herméneutique d'Alcidamas comme μίμησις τῶν πραγμάτων du point de vue expositif et stylistique.
Beau Monde and Demi-Monde in Alexandria, 323-116 BC
Authors: McKechnie Paul
Published: December 2013

Paul McKechnie (Auckland), Beau monde and Demi-monde in Alexandria, 323-116 BC.

In this article debate is continued about hetaerae in Hellenistic Alexandria, engaging with points made by Alan Cameron in Callimachus and his Critics (1995). Evidence from the works of Asclepiades, Posidippus and Hedylus is examined. It is proposed that love epigrams should be viewed in the context of how men behaved at a symposium, and that they reflect interaction between men of an educated, literary-minded upper class and a wide range of women who (whether hetaerae or not) had the chance to indulge in love affairs. The life of this trend-setting minority is reflected also in Sirach 32, where the sage instructs Jewish readers on how to behave at a symposium ; Sirach 9, concomitantly, commends morally correct behaviour towards women, in a social context where temptation can be expected.
Literary Loves as Cycles: from Meleager to Ovid
Authors: Ypsilanti Maria
Published: December 2013

Maria Ypsilanti (Nicosie), Literary Loves as Cycles : From Meleager to Ovid.

The importance of Meleager for later Greek and Roman erotic poetry is well known. The present paper offers observations on the cyclical approach by Meleager in his poems on girls and boys and, within this, his pair-of-epigrams technique. A comparison with similar techniques in later Greek epigrams and Roman erotic poetry of the first century B.C. allows a greater appreciation of Meleager's importance and influence on later poets and reveals the manner and the extent to which his poetic works have inspired and constituted a guide for Latin love poetry.
Structural development and energy dissipation in simulated silicon apices
Authors: Jarvis Samuel Paul , Kantorovich Lev , Moriarty Philip
Published: December 2013

In this paper we examine the stability of silicon tip apices by using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that some tip structures - modelled as small, simple clusters - show variations in stability during manipulation dependent on their orientation with respect to the sample surface. Moreover, we observe that unstable structures can be revealed by a characteristic hysteretic behaviour present in the F(z) curves that were calculated with DFT, which corresponds to a tip-induced dissipation of hundreds of millielectronvolts resulting from reversible structural deformations. Additionally, in order to model the structural evolution of the tip apex within a low temperature NC-AFM experiment, we simulated a repeated tip–surface indentation until the tip structure converged to a stable termination and the characteristic hysteretic behaviour was no longer observed. Our calculations suggest that varying just a single rotational degree of freedom can have as measurable an impact on the tip–surface interaction as a completely different tip structure.
PARADOXICAL PHENOMENON IN URBAN RENEWAL PRACTICES: PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION VERSUS BUILDINGS’ SHORT LIFESPAN
Authors: Shen Li-yin , Yuan Hongping , Kong Xiangfei
Published: December 2013

The current urban renewal programs in some developing countries, such as China, are at the expense of demolishing a huge number of existing buildings without distinction. As a consequence, the buildings’ short lifespan due to premature demolition and resultant adverse impacts on environment and society have been criticized for not being in line with sustainable development principles. This study therefore examines impacts of urban renewal practices on buildings’ lifespan by referring to a typical urban renewal region in western China – the Gailanxi region of Chongqing city which is considered representative. Findings show in current practices, little consideration is given to the implications of building demolitions across economic, social and environmental horizons collectively. As a result, premature demolition due to requirements of urban renewal has been a major factor leading to the significantly short lifespan of buildings. This is against the core intention of implementing urban renewal, which is promoting sustainability of the cities. Particularly, buildings’ short lifespan results in consequences against sustainable construction principles, such as energy and resources waste, construction waste generation, environmental pollution, and higher lifecycle costs of buildings. Furthermore, building demolitions without distinction lead to losses of valuable historic buildings. Therefore, the urban renewal process presents a paradoxical phenomenon: the promotion of sustainable construction versus buildings’ short lifespan. The dominance of economic consideration in the decision-making on buildings is considered as the underlying reason to the paradox. The learned experience presented in this study should be built into the decision-making process for carrying out future urban renewal programs.
L'approche Watch, Wait, and Wonder et l'évolution de la fonction réflexive parentale de mères à risque
Authors: Rossignol Annie , Terradas Miguel M. , Puentes-Neuman Guadalupe , Caron Marie , Leroux Julien
Published: December 2013

Cette étude exploratoire vise à documenter les changements qui accompagnent une intervention selon l’approche Watch, Wait, and Wonder (3W) sur le plan de l’évolution de la fonction réflexive parentale (FRP) de mères à risque. Pour ce faire, trois mères issues d’une population à risque ont été évaluées avant, pendant et après une intervention selon l’approche 3W se déroulant en quinze séances. Les changements observés chez les mères, ainsi que les résultats aux différents instruments de mesure permettent de documenter l’évolution de la FRP, mais également du stress parental et de la capacité d’empathie des mères. A la lumière des résultats obtenus, des modifications à l’approche 3W, lorsqu’elle est utilisée auprès d’une clientèle à risque, sont proposées afin de favoriser le développement de la FRP.
Jean Casimir-Perier, de la fortune financière à l'infortune caricaturale
Authors: Jarnier Jean-Luc
Published: December 2013

La personne de Jean Casimir-Perier, éphémère président de la République (six mois) en 1894-1895, suscita de nombreuses charges graphiques. Son nom (son grand-père ayant été président du Conseil de Louis-Philippe) et sa fortune d’héritier (il fut le principal actionnaire de la Compagnie des mines d’Anzin) furent principalement à l’origine de l’ire que son accession aux plus hautes responsabilités déclencha. Ceci, à l’heure où la « question sociale » imprégnait fortement le débat public tant à la Chambre des députés que dans la presse d’opposition. Nous proposons, selon l’appartenance politique des journaux auxquels les caricaturistes participaient, de mettre en lumière leurs arguments graphiques. Nous nous attacherons plus particulièrement à examiner ceux venant étriller l’hôte de l’Élysée eu égard à sa fortune financière.
Poincaré dans la caricature allemande
Authors: Brouland Pierre
Published: December 2013

Raymond Poincaré compte parmi les dirigeants de la Troisième République les plus caricaturés dans la presse allemande. Cette situation s’explique aisément par le fait qu’il occupe des fonctions de premier plan lors de deux moments particulièrement conflictuels dans les relations franco-allemandes : la Première Guerre mondiale et l’occupation de la Ruhr. Alors que les dessins allemands présentent Poincaré plutôt comme un personnage ridicule et il pitoyable pendant la Grande Guerre, cette image se métamorphose au début des années 1920. Poincaré devient désormais l’incarnation du nationalisme français et est présenté comme l’ennemi implacable du peuple allemand. Même après les accords de Locarno, cette vision négative de l’ancien président de la République perdure.
Borrowed Beauties: The National Collection of Artistic Reproductions
Authors: Bolaños María
Published: December 2013

The role of the copy in the history of art; museums of art reproductions and the Spanish collection at the end of the 19th century; the phenomenon of the copy in ancient Rome and in the successive rebirths and recoveries of the classic in the Western tradition; historical and conceptual paradoxes that encloses the reproduction of sculptures; the incorporation of the national collection of casts to he National Museum of Sculpture.
Alexander von Humboldt and British artists: the Oriental taste
Authors: Garrido Elisa
Published: December 2013

Humboldtian landscape is the best result of a close relationship between artists and scientists in the context of the Enlightenment. Many artists inspired Humboldt to develop his concept of landscape as the best way of representing Nature, but some British artists in particular were a strong reference for him. Thomas Daniell and William Hodges had travelled to Asia creating a particular imagery, which inspired the desire to travel and the feeling of the exotic taste in Humboldt. Around Humboldt, mainly two types of artists have been studied: on the one hand, painter travellers who received direct instructions from Humboldt after his experience in America, and on the other, artists who started their trips by themselves after reading his works. However, this paper is focused on the links between Humboldt and these British painters of the Orient, whom he met on a European tour with Georg Forster, before making his trip to America.
Aesthetics and Empire: The Sense of Feminine Beauty in the Making of the US Imperial Archipelago
Authors: Thompson Lanny
Published: December 2013

This article examines the “sense of beauty” in the United States imperial archipelago, composed of the island territories of Cuba, Hawai`i, Philippines, and Puerto Rico, all acquired in 1898. The theoretical connection among these two elements –aesthetics and empire– is provided by a revision of the concepts “economy of colonial desire” and “complex of visuality.” This paper analyzes the most advanced visual technology of the late nineteenth century: the mass- produced, printed photograph. In particular, it focuses upon the representations of feminine beauty as found the illustrated “new-possessions” books which described recent island acquisitions of the United States. The connections between aesthetics and the forms of governance in each territory will also be elucidated.
“Wheat of Portugal” . The African adventure of maize
Authors: De Paz-Sánchez Manuel
Published: December 2013

This work focuses on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and starts from the introduction of maize (Zea mays) in different places of Africa by the Portuguese. Likewise, it tries to open the way in the jungle of uncertain names and interpretations offered by various descriptions of the period under study, and it poses the need for cultural-historical readings of the phenomenon by comparing different descriptive traditions, with special reference in this case to Ethiopia.
General Provisions
Authors: Yastrebenetsky Michael A. , Rozen Yuri
Published: December 2013

This chapter contains definitions of the main terms in this book—Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system, individual and overall I&C system, central part of the I&C system and peripheral equipment, Software-Hardware Complex (SHC), Commercial Of The Shelf (COTS) products, and equipment family (platforms). Differences between the SHC and I&C system are explained. General information about I&C systems, based on the use of up-to-date digital methods and facilities of obtaining, transferring, processing, and displaying of data, is provided. The main peculiarities of such systems, which are described in more detail in further chapters of this book and illustrated by the given examples of implementation of specific systems, are considered.
International Standard Bases and Safety Classification
Authors: Yastrebenetsky Michael A. , Gromov Grygoriy
Published: December 2013

The main standard bases for NPP I&C systems are documents of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Standards are interconnected through the following: IAEA develops general safety principles for NPP I&C systems, and IEC develops technical requirements that use and specify safety principles. Structures of the bases are considered. Classifications of I&C systems and their components are given on the basis of their safety impact. According to the IAEA classification, all systems are divided into safety important and non-safety important. According to IEC, functions to be performed by I&C systems shall be assigned to categories according to their importance to safety. The importance to safety of a function shall be identified by means of the consequences in the event of its failure, when it is required to be performed, and by the consequences in the event of a spurious actuation. All functions are divided into categories A, B, C.
Software of Safety Important I&C Systems
Authors: Kharchenko Vyacheslav , Sklyar Vladimir , Volkoviy Andriy
Published: December 2013

Features of software as a component of Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems are analyzed. Attention is paid to the importance of functions performed by software and hazards of such software. Requirements for characteristics of software as a component of I&C systems are analyzed. Different regulatory documents are considered in order to disclose common approaches to the use of dedicated software and off-the-shelf software components. Classification of software, as well as classification of requirements, is described. Criteria of selection and structuring of requirements, as well as criteria for software verification, are defined. As long as the characteristics of software components directly depend on the quality of the processes of software development and verification, requirements for software life cycle processes are considered. The second part of this chapter is dedicated to evaluation of software for nuclear power plant I&C system. Criteria and principles of evaluation are observed. Evaluation of the characteristic of software as a product and software development and verification processes are considered.
Safety Parameters Display Systems
Authors: Goldrin Vladislav
Published: December 2013

The chapter contains a description of Safety Parameters Display Systems (SPDS) implemented at NPP units WWER-1000 of Ukraine. These systems were designed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation (USA). LLC “Westron” (Ukraine) took development and implementation of these systems. These systems were provided at 11 NPP units in the framework of the International Nuclear Safety Program with the support of DOE (USA). The general purpose of SPDS is to provide support for operators, when abnormality of NPP unit operational conditions must be determined rapidly. The chapter considers the purpose and the functions of these systems, specific features of the displaying information about the state of the functions, which are critical for NPP unit safety, and the structure of systems. Implementation of SPDS project at 11 units of Ukrainian NPPs is a good example of USA and Ukraine collaboration in the nuclear area. Organization of this large-scale modernization is described.
Muscular Dystrophies: Key Elements for Everyday Diagnosis and Management
Authors: Palladino Alberto , Nigro Gerardo , Politano Luisa
Published: December 2013

Muscular dystrophies are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders that share similar clinical features and dystrophic changes on muscle biopsy, associated with progressive weakness. Weakness may be noted at birth or develop in late adult life. In recent years, cardiac involvement has been observed in a growing number of genetic muscle diseases, and considerable progress has been made in understanding the relationships between disease skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle disease. This review will focus on the skeletal muscle diseases most commonly associated with cardiac complications that can be diagnosed by echocardiography, such as dystrophinopathies including Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophies, cardiomyopathy of DMD/BMD carriers and X-L dilated cardiomyopathy.
Harvesting orchard pruning residues in southern Piedmont: a first evaluation of biomass production and harvest loss
Authors: Grella Marco , Manzone Marco , Gioelli Fabrizio , Balsari Paolo
Published: December 2013

In recent years, interest in farming residues has grown and orchard pruning residues are no exception. Several factors define pruned branch mass and dimensional characteristics: fruit variety, vigor, training system used, and pruning intensity and periodicity. While many studies have been performed to determine residue biomass availability, dating and surveying are not always accurate. Detailed qualitative and quantitative knowledge is needed to evaluate the economic sustainability of exploiting orchard pruning residues as an energy source. To assess the real chain potential of renewable energy production from orchard pruning residues in the area of Cuneo, in the Region of Piedmont, northwestern Italy, a study was conducted on the species Actinidia (kiwi tree) pruned according to the Peyracchia system, and Malus (apple tree) pruned according to two different systems, i.e. traditional and taille longue. For each species, pruning residue amounts were quantified and their basal diameter measured. Surveys were performed on some half trees, spaced as crop, for three randomised replications. Pruning residues were determined by dynamometer (accuracy 0.02N); individual cut-off branch diameters were measured at their base with mechanical calipers. Pruning residues were blown by rotating rake and harvested by a modified fixed chamber round baler. Harvest losses were determined by the methodology used for the initial residue quantification. Results showed the average biomass availability was 2.51 Mg DM ha–1 (SD 0.83) for kiwi tree, 3.04 Mg DM ha–1 (SD 1.17) for traditionally-pruned apple trees, and 0.46 Mg DM ha–1 (SD 0.36) for apple trees pruned with the taille longue system. Harvest losses (total pruned dry mass) averaged approximately 19% in kiwi trees and 16% in apple trees (95% to 10% for variety)
Evaluation of the morphological quality index in the Cordevole river (Bl, Italy)
Authors: Rigon Emanuel , Moretto Johnny , Rainato Riccardo , Lenzi Mario Aristide , Zorzi Andrea
Published: December 2013

The European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC), which came into force in Italy under Decree Law no. 152 of 3rd April 2006, has as its objectives the protection and improvement of aquatic ecosystem status, promoting the sustainable use of water resources and mitigating the effects of floods and droughts. According to this Directive, the ecological classification of a watercourse should be considered in addition to physical-chemical and biological aspects of its hydromorphological condition, in order to define the deviation of the present condition from a pre-defined reference state. The Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research has promoted a methodology called IDRAIM for the hydromorphological analysis of streams. This is an integrated approach aimed at implementing both WFD and EU Flood Directives (2007/60/EC). In this paper, we describe the application of the morphological quality index (MQI) protocol, which is part of the IDRAIM, used for evaluating the morphological quality of the Cordevole River, Province of Belluno, northeastern Italy. General settings and segmentation of the water network through the use of semi-automatic GIS techniques were presented. The MQI data derived from the application of 28 indicators in 42 reaches were then analysed. Most (48%) of the analysed reaches have a good quality status; 38% have a moderate quality status and poor morphological conditions (14%) are due to the presence of artificial elements and to the limited connectivity between hill-slopes and the river corridor.
A low-cost electronic tensiometer system for continuous monitoring of soil water potential
Authors: Thalheimer Martin
Published: December 2013

A low cost system for measuring soil water potential and data logging was developed on the basis of an Arduino microcontroller board, electronic pressure transducers and water-filled tensiometers. The assembly of this system requires only minimal soldering, limited to the wiring of the power supply and the pressure sensors to the microcontroller board. The system presented here is, therefore, not only inexpensive, but also suited for easy reproduction by users with only basic technical skills. The utility and reliability of the system was tested in a commercial apple orchard.
Repair and maintenance costs of hill-farm tractors and transporters for upland mechanisation
Authors: Lips Markus
Published: December 2013

The annual repair and maintenance costs of two types of motorised agricultural machines for upland agriculture, hill-farm tractors (twoaxle mowers) and transporters, are estimated on the basis of crosssectional data. An aggregation leads to the accumulated repair and maintenance costs for the entire service life of the machines, expressed as a repair and maintenance factor (RMF). Given the strong influence of annual utilisation, a high annual utilisation combined with a short length of service leads to lower accumulated costs. While the RMFs of hill-farm tractors and transporters are similar, they are higher than those of standard 4-wheel drive tractors analysed in a similar study. This effect is especially relevant for low annual utilisation, as is the case for both machine types under current operating conditions in Switzerland. Accordingly, the assumption that the RMFs of hillfarm tractors and transporters are equivalent to those of standard 4- wheel drive tractors is not to be recommended.
Molecular cloning, recombinant protein expression, tissue distribution and functional analysis of a new c-type lysozyme from Lezhi black goat rumen
Authors: Zhang Peng , Wang Yong , Jiang Mingfeng , Zhu Lianlian , Li Jianbo , Luo Meirong , Ren Honghui , Liu Lushu
Published: December 2013

Zhang, P., Wang, Y., Jiang, M., Zhu, L., Li, J., Luo, M., Ren, H. and Liu, L. 2014. Molecular cloning, recombinant protein expression, tissue distribution and functional analysis of a new c-type lysozyme from Lezhi black goat rumen. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 27–34. Three major distinct types of lysozymes have been identified in the animal kingdom and most lysozymes cloned from ruminants belong to the chicken-type (c-type). In this study, a new c-type lysozyme gene, named LZRLyz, was cloned and sequenced from the Lezhi black goat rumen. The LZRLyz cDNA has a 444 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 147 amino acid polypeptide. The encoded polypeptide is predicted to have an 18 amino acid signal peptide, and a 129 amino acid mature protein with an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.08. The LZRLyz amino acid sequence shares 70.27% identity with the Capra hircus blood lysozyme and is grouped with other ruminants c-type lysozymes using the phylogenetic tree estimated by Neighbor-Jointing method. The recombinant expressed LZRLyz protein (pET-rLZR) shows a molecular mass of ∼33 kDa, which is consistent with the predicted fusion protein molecular mass and shows antimicrobial activity. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analyses revealed that LZRLyz transcripts are expressed in all tested tissues with the predominant expression being observed in rumen and the weakest one in spleen. Results of this study suggest that the LZRLyz gene represents a new c-type lysozyme gene that likely functions in Lezhi black goat host immunity and digestive systems.
Self-Reported Changes in the Implementation of Hospital-Based Health Promotion in Taiwan
Authors: Lee Chiachi Bonnie , Chen Michael S. , Powell Michael John , Chu Cordia Ming-Yeuk
Published: December 2013

Purpose.

To evaluate the pattern of perceived changes in the implementation of the Health Promoting Hospital (HPH) Initiative.

Design.

This was a cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire, asking the correspondents what changes they perceived before and after adopting the HPH initiative.

Setting.

This study was conducted with 55 hospitals committed to the HPH in Taiwan, and 52 completed the questionnaire.

Subjects.

One coordinator in each of the 55 hospitals served as subject.

Intervention.

HPH seeks to improve health gains for its stakeholders by developing structure, cultures, decisions, and process conducive to health promotion.

Measures.

Perceived changes were measured in the areas of more resource inputs, changing work models, realigned implementation strategies, more programs, higher service volume, and improved quality control. Regarding realigned strategies, emphasizing the impact of healthy public policies, supportive environments, staff participation, individual knowledge and skills, and reorienting health services were measured.

Analysis.

Descriptive analysis was used to examine the pattern of “prevalence of changes.”

Results.

Changes were more prevalent in the domains of patients and community (both with averaged ranks = 1.8); “realigning strategies” was the area in which more changes were perceived (average rank = 1). Emphases on healthy public policies and reorienting health services were the leading changes (both averaged ranks = 2.4) regarding realigning strategies.

Conclusion.

The HPH initiative appeared to be an effective approach to build organizational capacity for health promotion.
Patterns and Predictors of Health Behaviors among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Residents of Low-Income Housing Developments
Authors: Harley Amy E. , Yang May , Stoddard Anne M. , Adamkiewicz Gary , Walker Renee , Tucker-Seeley Reginald D. , Allen Jennifer D. , Sorensen Glorian
Published: December 2013

Purpose.

To examine behavioral patterns and sociodemographic predictors of diet, inactivity, and tobacco use among a diverse sample of residents from low-income housing developments.

Design.

In this cross-sectional survey study, households and residents were randomly selected using multistage cluster sampling.

Setting.

The study was conducted in 20 low-income housing developments in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area.

Subjects.

Subjects were 828 residents who completed the survey (response rate = 49.3%). Forty-one percent of participants were Hispanic and 38% were non-Hispanic Black.

Measures.

Outcomes measured were diet, inactivity, and tobacco use. Predictors measured were age, race/ethnicity, gender, education, country in which the subject was born, language spoken, and financial hardship.

Analysis.

Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of three health behaviors with sociodemographic factors.

Results.

Age, gender, language spoken, and financial hardship showed significant relationships with all three behaviors. For example, those who reported less financial hardship (odds ratio [OR] = 1.75) were more likely to eat healthier. Residents who spoke no English, or at least one language in addition to English, were significantly more likely to report healthier eating (OR = 2.78 and 3.30, respectively) than those who spoke English only. Men were significantly more likely to report less healthy eating (OR = 0.65) than were women. Similar trends emerged for inactivity and tobacco use.

Conclusion.

Effective health promotion interventions in low-income housing developments that leverage protective factors while addressing risk factors have the potential to reduce income-related health disparities in these concentrated resource-deprived neighborhoods.
Characteristics of regional new particle formation in urban and regional background environments in the North China Plain
Authors: Wang Z. B. , Hu M. , Sun J. Y. , Wu Z. J. , Yue D. L. , Shen X. J. , Zhang Y. M. , Pei X. Y. , Cheng Y. F. , Wiedensohler A.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Long-term measurements of particle number size distributions were carried out both at an urban background site (Peking University, PKU) and a regional Global Atmospheric Watch station (Shangdianzi, SDZ) from March to November in 2008. In total, 52 new particle formation (NPF) events were observed simultaneously at both sites, indicating that this is a regional phenomenon in the North China Plain. On average, the mean condensation sink value before the nucleation events started was 0.025 s−1 in the urban environment, which was 1.6 times higher than that at regional site. However, higher particle formation and growth rates were observed at PKU (10.8 cm−3 s−1 and 5.2 nm h−1) compared with those at SDZ (4.9 cm−3 s−1 and 4.0 nm h−1). These results implied that precursors were much more abundant in the polluted urban environment. Different from the observations in cleaner environments, the background conditions of the observed particle homogeneous nucleation events in the North China Plain could be characterized as the co-existing of a stronger source of precursor gases and a higher condensational sink of pre-existing aerosol particles. Secondary aerosol formation following nucleation events results in an increase of particle mass concentration, particle light scattering coefficient, and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration, with consequences on visibility, radiative effects, and air quality. Typical regional NPF events with significant particle nucleation rates and subsequent particle growth over a sufficiently long time period at both sites were chosen to investigate the influence of NPF on the number concentration of "potential" CCN. As a result, the NPF and the subsequent condensable growth increased the CCN number concentration in the North China Plain by factors in the range from 5.6 to 8.7. Moreover, the potential contribution of anthropogenic emissions to the CCN number concentration was more than 50%, to which more attention should be drawn in regional and global climate modeling, especially in the polluted urban areas.
Model for acid-base chemistry in nanoparticle growth (MABNAG)
Authors: Yli-Juuti T. , Barsanti K. , Hildebrandt Ruiz L. , Kieloaho A.-J. , Makkonen U. , Petäjä T. , Ruuskanen T. , Kulmala M. , Riipinen I.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Climatic effects of newly-formed atmospheric secondary aerosol particles are to a large extent determined by their condensational growth rates. However, all the vapours condensing on atmospheric nanoparticles and growing them to climatically relevant sizes are not identified yet and the effects of particle phase processes on particle growth rates are poorly known. Besides sulfuric acid, organic compounds are known to contribute significantly to atmospheric nanoparticle growth. In this study a particle growth model MABNAG (Model for Acid-Base chemistry in NAnoparticle Growth) was developed to study the effect of salt formation on nanoparticle growth, which has been proposed as a potential mechanism lowering the equilibrium vapour pressures of organic compounds through dissociation in the particle phase and thus preventing their evaporation. MABNAG is a model for monodisperse aqueous particles and it couples dynamics of condensation to particle phase chemistry. Non-zero equilibrium vapour pressures, with both size and composition dependence, are considered for condensation. The model was applied for atmospherically relevant systems with sulfuric acid, one organic acid, ammonia, one amine and water in the gas phase allowed to condense on 3–20 nm particles. The effect of dissociation of the organic acid was found to be small under ambient conditions typical for a boreal forest site, but considerable for base-rich environments (gas phase concentrations of about 1010 cm−3 for the sum of the bases). The contribution of the bases to particle mass decreased as particle size increased, except at very high gas phase concentrations of the bases. The relative importance of amine versus ammonia did not change significantly as a function of particle size. While our results give a reasonable first estimate on the maximum contribution of salt formation to nanoparticle growth, further studies on, e.g. the thermodynamic properties of the atmospheric organics, concentrations of low-volatility organics and amines, along with studies investigating the applicability of thermodynamics for the smallest nanoparticles are needed to truly understand the acid-base chemistry of atmospheric nanoparticles.
Kalman filter physical retrieval of surface emissivity and temperature from geostationary infrared radiances
Authors: Masiello G. , Serio C. , De Feis I. , Amoroso M. , Venafra S. , Trigo I. F. , Watts P.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. The high temporal resolution of data acquisition by geostationary satellites and their capability to resolve the diurnal cycle allows for the retrieval of a valuable source of information about geophysical parameters. In this paper, we implement a Kalman filter approach to apply temporal constraints on the retrieval of surface emissivity and temperature from radiance measurements made from geostationary platforms. Although we consider a case study in which we apply a strictly temporal constraint alone, the methodology will be presented in its general four-dimensional, i.e., space-time, setting. The case study we consider is the retrieval of emissivity and surface temperature from SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager) observations over a target area encompassing the Iberian Peninsula and northwestern Africa. The retrievals are then compared with in situ data and other similar satellite products. Our findings show that the Kalman filter strategy can simultaneously retrieve surface emissivity and temperature with an accuracy of ± 0.005 and ± 0.2 K, respectively.
Tree height and tropical forest biomass estimation
Authors: Hunter M. O. , Keller M. , Victoria D. , Morton D. C.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Tropical forests account for approximately half of above-ground carbon stored in global vegetation. However, uncertainties in tropical forest carbon stocks remain high because it is costly and laborious to quantify standing carbon stocks. Carbon stocks of tropical forests are determined using allometric relations between tree stem diameter and height and biomass. Previous work has shown that the inclusion of height in biomass allometries, compared to the sole use of diameter, significantly improves biomass estimation accuracy. Here, we evaluate the effect of height measurement error on biomass estimation and we evaluate the accuracy of recently published diameter–height allometries at four areas within the Brazilian Amazon. As no destructive sample of biomass was available at these sites, reference biomass values were based on allometries. We found that the precision of individual tree height measurements ranged from 3 to 20% of total height. This imprecision resulted in a 5–6% uncertainty in biomass when scaled to 1 ha transects. Individual height measurement may be replaced with existing regional and global height allometries. However, we recommend caution when applying these relations. At Tapajos National Forest in the Brazilian state of Pará, using the pantropical and regional allometric relations for height resulted in site biomass 21% and 25% less than reference values. At the other three study sites, the pantropical equation resulted in errors of less that 2%, and the regional allometry produced errors of less than 12%. As an alternative to measuring all tree heights or to using regional and pantropical relations, we recommend measuring height for a well-distributed sample of about 100 trees per site. Following this methodology, 95% confidence intervals of transect biomass were constrained to within 4.5% on average when compared to reference values.
CranSLIK v1.0: stochastic prediction of oil spill transport and fate using approximation methods
Authors: Snow B. J. , Moulitsas I. , Kolios A. J. , De Dominicis M.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. This paper investigates the development of a model, called CranSLIK, to predict the transport and transformations of a point mass oil spill via a stochastic approach. Initially the various effects that affect the destination are considered and key parameters are chosen which are expected to dominate the displacement. The variables considered are: wind velocity, surface water velocity, spill size, and spill age. For a point mass oil spill, it is found that the centre of mass can be determined by the wind and current data only, and the spill size and age can then be used to reconstruct the surface of the spill. These variables are sampled and simulations are performed using an open-source Lagrangian approach-based code, MEDSLIK II. Regression modelling is applied to create two sets of polynomials: one for the centre of mass, and one for the spill size. A minimum of approximately 80% of the oil is captured for the Algeria scenario. Finally, Monte-Carlo simulation is implemented to allow for consideration of most likely destination for the oil spill, when the distributions for the oceanographic conditions are known.
The June 2013 flood in the Upper Danube Basin, and comparisons with the 2002, 1954 and 1899 floods
Authors: Blöschl G. , Nester T. , Komma J. , Parajka J. , Perdigão R. A. P.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. The June 2013 flood in the Upper Danube Basin was one of the largest floods in the past two centuries. An atmospheric blocking situation produced precipitation exceeding 300 mm over four days at the northern rim of the Alps. The high precipitation, along with high antecedent soil moisture, gave rise to extreme flood discharges in a number of tributaries including the Tiroler Ache, Saalach, Salzach and Inn. Runoff coefficients ranged from 0.2 in the Bavarian lowlands to 0.6 in the Alpine areas in Austria. Snowfall at high altitudes (above about 1600 m a.s.l.) reduced the runoff volume produced. Precipitation was distributed over two blocks separated by a few hours, which resulted in a single peak, long-duration flood wave at the Inn and Danube. At the confluence of the Bavarian Danube and the Inn, the small time lag between the two flood waves exacerbated the downstream flood at the Danube. Because of the long duration and less inundation, there was less flood peak attenuation along the Austrian Danube reach than for the August 2002 flood. Maximum flood discharges of the Danube at Vienna were about 11 000 m3 s−1, as compared to 10 300, 9600 and 10 500 m3 s−1 in 2002, 1954 and 1899, respectively. This paper reviews the meteorological and hydrological characteristics of the event as compared to the 2002, 1954 and 1899 floods, and discusses the implications for hydrological research and flood risk management.
Regional water-balance modelling using flow-duration curves with observational uncertainties
Authors: Westerberg I. K. , Gong L. , Beven K. J. , Seibert J. , Semedo A. , Xu C.-Y. , Halldin S.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Robust and reliable water-resources mapping in ungauged basins requires estimation of the uncertainties in the hydrologic model, the regionalisation method, and the observational data. In this study we investigated the use of regionalised flow-duration curves (FDCs) for constraining model predictive uncertainty, while accounting for all these uncertainty sources. A water-balance model was applied to 36 basins in Central America using regionally and globally available precipitation, climate and discharge data that were screened for inconsistencies. A rating-curve analysis for 35 Honduran discharge stations was used to estimate discharge uncertainty for the region, and the consistency of the model forcing and evaluation data was analysed using two different screening methods. FDCs with uncertainty bounds were calculated for each basin, accounting for both discharge uncertainty and, in many cases, uncertainty stemming from the use of short time series, potentially not representative for the modelling period. These uncertain FDCs were then used to regionalise a FDC for each basin, treating it as ungauged in a cross-evaluation, and this regionalised FDC was used to constrain the uncertainty in the model predictions for the basin. There was a clear relationship between the performance of the local model calibration and the degree of dataset consistency – with many basins with inconsistent data lacking behavioural simulations and the basins with the highest dataset consistency also having the highest simulation reliability. For the basins where the regionalisation of the FDCs worked best, the uncertainty bounds for the regionalised simulations were only slightly wider than those for a local model calibration. The predicted uncertainty was greater for basins where the result of the FDC-regionalisation was more uncertain, but the regionalised simulations still had a high reliability compared to the locally-calibrated simulations and often encompassed them. The regionalised FDCs were found to be useful on their own as a basic signature constraint; however, additional regionalised signatures could further constrain the uncertainty in the predictions and may increase the robustness to severe data inconsistencies, which are difficult to detect in ungauged basins.
Reconciling the north–south density difference scaling for the Meridional Overturning Circulation strength with geostrophy
Authors: Cimatoribus A. A. , Drijfhout S. , Dijkstra H. A.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Since the formulation of the Stommel two-box model for the meridional overturning circulation (MOC), various theoretical and conceptual models for the MOC emerged based on scaling the MOC strength with the north south density difference. At the same time the MOC should obey geostrophic balance with an east-west density difference. Scaling with the north south density gradient seems to violate the common assumption of geostrophic balance for the large-scale circulation, which implies that the pressure gradient is orthogonal to the flow. In this brief report, we report on the results of a series of numerical simulations in an idealized ocean basin (with a zonally periodic channel at its southern end). The simulations performed with different surface forcing conditions indicate that the meridional and zonal density gradients, important for the MOC strength, are in fact related to each other through the stratification located at the northern end of the periodic channel. The results suggest that the water properties at the northern end of the periodic channel play a crucial role in setting the MOC strength, possibly explaining the sensitivity of climate models to the conditions in this area.
MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords
Authors: Hudson B. , Overeem I. , McGrath D. , Syvitski J. P. M. , Mikkelsen A. , Hasholt B.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. We test the hypothesis that increased meltwater runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has elevated the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) of six river plumes in three fjords in southwest Greenland. A~SSC retrieval algorithm was developed using the largest in situ SSC dataset for Greenland known and applied to all cloud free NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) reflectance values in the Terra image archive (2000 to 2012). Melt-season mean plume SSC has not increased as anticipated, with the exception of one river. However, positive statistically significant trends involving metrics that described the duration and the spatial extent of river plumes were observed in many locations. Zones of sediment concentration > 50 mg L−1 expanded in three river plumes, with potential consequences for biological productivity. The high SSC cores of river plumes (> 250 mg L−1) expanded in one-third of study locations. When data from study rivers was aggregated, higher volumes of runoff were associated with higher melt-season mean plume SSC values, but this relationship did not hold for individual rivers. High spatial variability between proximal plumes highlights the complex processes operating in Greenland's glacio-fluvial-fjord systems.