Legal issues in clouds: towards a risk inventory.

Cloud computing technologies have reached a high level of development, yet a number of obstacles still exist that must be overcome before widespread commercial adoption can become a reality. In a cloud environment, end users requesting services and cloud providers negotiate service-level agreements (SLAs) that provide explicit statements of all expectations and obligations of the participants. If cloud computing is to experience widespread commercial adoption, then incorporating risk assessment techniques is essential during SLA negotiation and service operation. This article focuses on the legal issues surrounding risk assessment in cloud computing. Specifically, it analyses risk regarding data protection and security, and presents the requirements of an inherent risk inventory. The usefulness of such a risk inventory is described in the context of the OPTIMIS project

The opposite of Dante's hell? The transfer of ideas for social housing at international congresses in the 1850s–1860s

With the advent of industrialization, the question of developing adequate housing for the emergent working classes became more pressing than before. Moreover, the problem of unhygienic houses in industrial cities did not stop at the borders of a particular nation-state; sometimes literally as pandemic diseases spread out 'transnationally'. It is not a coincidence that in the nineteenth century the number of international congresses on hygiene and social topics expanded substantially. However, the historiography about social policy in general and social housing in particular, has often focused on individual cases because of the different pace of industrial and urban development and is thus dominated by national perspectives. In this paper, I elaborate on transnational exchange processes and local adaptations and transformations. I focus on the transfer of the housing model of SOMCO in Mulhouse, (a French house building association) during social international congresses. I examine whether cross-national networking enabled and facilitated the implementation of ideas on the local scale. I will elaborate on the transmission and the local adaptation of the Mulhouse-model in Belgium. Convergences, divergences, and different factors that influenced the local transformations (personal choice, political situation, socioeconomic circumstances) will be taken into accoun

High heterotrophic CO2 emissions from a Malaysian oil palm plantations during dry-season

Background Tropical peatlands are currently being rapidly cleared and drained for the establishment of oil palm plantations, which threatens their globally significant carbon sequestration capacity. Large-scale land conversion of tropical peatlands is important in the context of greenhouse gas emission factors and sustainable land management. At present, quantification of carbon dioxide losses from tropical peatlands is limited by our understanding of the relative contribution of heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration to net peat surface CO2 emissions. Methods In this study we separated heterotrophic and autotrophic components of peat CO2 losses from two oil palm plantations (one established in ‘2000’ and the other in 1978, then replanted in ‘2006’) using chamber-based emissions sampling along a transect from the rooting to non-rooting zones on a peatland in Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia over the course of three months (June-August, 2014). Collar CO2 measurements were compared with soil temperature and moisture at site and also accompanied by depth profiles assessing peat C and bulk density. Results The soil respiration decreased exponentially with distance from the palm trunks with the sharpest decline found for the plantation with the younger palms. The mean heterotrophic flux was 1244.7 ± SE 149.2 mg m-2h-1 and 663.8 ± SE 102.2 mg m-2h-1 at the 2000 and 2006 plantations, respectively. Autotrophic emissions adjacent to the palm trunks were 944 ± SE 99.7 mg m-2h-1 and 1962 ± SE 246 mg m-2h-1 at the 2000 and 2006 plantations, respectively. Heterotrophic CO2 flux was positively related to peat soil moisture, but not temperature. Total peat C stocks were 60 kg m-2 (down to 1 m depth) and did not vary among plantations of different ages but SOC concentrations declined significantly with depth at both plantations but the decline was sharper in the second generation 2006 plantation. Conclusions The CO2 flux values reported in this study suggest a potential for very high carbon (C) loss from drained tropical peats during the dry season. This is particularly concerning given that more intense dry periods related to climate change are predicted for SE Asia. Taken together, this study highlights the need for careful management of tropical peatlands, and the vulnerability of their carbon storage capability under conditions of drainage

Sea-ice production over the Laptev Sea shelf inferred from historical summer-to-winter hydrographic observations of 1960s-1990s

The winter net sea-ice production (NSIP) over the Laptev Sea shelf is inferred from continuous summer-to-winter historical salinity records of 1960s–1990s. While the NSIP strongly depends on the assumed salinity of newly formed ice, the NSIP quasi-decadal variability can be linked to the wind-driven circulation anomalies in the Laptev Sea region. The increased wind-driven advection of ice away from the Laptev Sea coast when the Arctic Oscillation (AO) is positive implies enhanced coastal polynya sea-ice production and brine release in the shelf water. When the AO is negative, the NSIP and seasonal salinity amplitude tends to weaken. These results are in reasonable agreement with sea-ice observations and modeling

Experimental investigation of the vortical activity in the close wake of a simplified military transport aircraft

This paper focuses on the experimental characterization of the vortex structures that develop in the aft fuselage region and in the wake of a simplified geometry of a military transport aircraft. It comes within the framework of the military applications of airflow influence on airdrop operations. This work relies on particle image velocimetry measurements combined with a vortex-tracking approach. Complex vortex dynamics is revealed, in terms of vortex positions, intensities, sizes, shapes and fluctuation levels, for both closed and opened cargo-door and ramp airdrop configurations

Measurements in Turbulent Water and Two-Phase Flows by Laser Anemometry

Measurements of the mean and rms values of the longitudinal velocity in a rectangular duct are reported. These results were obtained in a water flow using a laser anemometer. The important design criteria which facilitated the measurements are described and gradient, transit-time, noise and refractive-index corrections are specifically discussed. The results demonstrate the development of a rectangular duct flow and, in particular, reveal that a small lack of symmetry at the duct entrance can readily be identified in the normal- stress results, 37 hydraulic diameters downstream. The possibility of utilizing water droplets in steam and gas bubbles in water to scatter light and thereby to assist laser-anemometer studies of turbulence is discussed. Experimental evidence obtained by the authors and their colleagues is used to support the conclusions

Arctic Ocean fresh water changes over the past 100 years and their causes

Recent observations show dramatic changes of the Arctic atmosphere–ice–ocean system. Here the authors demonstrate, through the analysis of a vast collection of previously unsynthesized observational data, that over the twentieth century the central Arctic Ocean became increasingly saltier with a rate of freshwater loss of 239 ± 270 km3 decade−1. In contrast, long-term (1920–2003) freshwater content (FWC) trends over the Siberian shelf show a general freshening tendency with a rate of 29 ± 50 km3 decade−1. These FWC trends are modulated by strong multidecadal variability with sustained and widespread patterns. Associated with this variability, the FWC record shows two periods in the 1920s–30s and in recent decades when the central Arctic Ocean was saltier, and two periods in the earlier century and in the 1940s–70s when it was fresher. The current analysis of potential causes for the recent central Arctic Ocean salinification suggests that the FWC anomalies generated on Arctic shelves (including anomalies resulting from river discharge inputs) and those caused by net atmospheric precipitation were too small to trigger long-term FWC variations in the central Arctic Ocean; to the contrary, they tend to moderate the observed long-term central-basin FWC changes. Variability of the intermediate Atlantic Water did not have apparent impact on changes of the upper–Arctic Ocean water masses. The authors’ estimates suggest that ice production and sustained draining of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean in response to winds are the key contributors to the salinification of the upper Arctic Ocean over recent decades. Strength of the export of Arctic ice and water controls the supply of Arctic freshwater to subpolar basins while the intensity of the Arctic Ocean FWC anomalies is of less importance. Observational data demonstrate striking coherent long-term variations of the key Arctic climate parameters and strong coupling of long-term changes in the Arctic–North Atlantic climate system. Finally, since the high-latitude freshwater plays a crucial role in establishing and regulating global thermohaline circulation, the long-term variations of the freshwater content discussed here should be considered when assessing climate change and variability

Last glacial benthic foraminiferal d18O anomalies in the polar North Atlantic: A modern analogue evaluation

Modern processes are evaluated to understand the possible mechanisms behind last glacial benthic foraminiferal δ18O anomalies that occurred concurrent with meltwater events in the polar North Atlantic; such anomalies in the Nordic seas were recently interpreted to be caused by brine formation. Despite intensive sea-ice production on circumarctic shelves, modern data show that brines ejected from sea-ice formation containing low δ18O water do not significantly contribute to deep waters in the Arctic Ocean today. Assuming that this process was, nevertheless, responsible for δ18O anomalies in Nordic seas deep water during the last glaciation, a broad, shallow shelf area adjacent to the Nordic seas, such as the Barents Sea, had to be seasonally free of sea-ice in order to serve as an area for brine formation. Another process which may explain δ18O-depleted water at depth is found in the Weddell Sea today, where a low δ18O signal in deep waters originates from ice shelf interactions. If temperature were considered the main mechanism for the low benthic δ18O values, an increase of 4°C must have occurred in the deep water. An analogous situation with a reversed water temperature pattern due to a subsurface inflow of warm Atlantic water is found today in the eastern Arctic Ocean, and deep water warming is observed in the Greenland Gyre in the absence of deep convection. Because paleoproxy data also indicate an Atlantic water inflow into the Nordic seas during such benthic δ18O anomalies, temperature as a principal mechanism of changing δ18O cannot be excluded

Variation in Reproduction and Body Condition of the Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida) in Western Prince Albert Sound, NT, Canada, as Assessed Through a Harvest-based Sampling Program

Between 1992 and 1998, 869 ringed seals taken in the subsistence harvest in western Prince Albert Sound were sampled by two Inuvialuit seal monitors from Holman, Northwest Territories. Considering the 1992-98 data along with data from 1971-78, we found that the mean body-mass index (BMI) values for females (>= 7 yr) were significantly lower in 1974 than in all other years examined. At the same time, ovulation rates fell from 100% in 1971 and 1972 to lows of 42.9% (1974) and 64.3% (1975), with a return to 93.8% in 1976. Mature females that had ovulated had significantly higher BMI values than those that had not ovulated. In eastern Amundsen Gulf, 1974 was the most severe ice year on recent record, with the latest date of clearing of the landfast ice (6 September), the earliest date of new ice formation (4 October), and the fewest number of open water days (28 days). There were no years between 1992 and 1998 that compared to 1974 in reduced ovulation rates, reduced body condition, or severity of ice conditions. Between 1992 and 1998, mean BMI values for adult females and males were lowest in 1994 and highest in 1998, and all annual mean BMI values were between the extremes of the 1970s. This variation in condition in the 1990s did not coincide with a reduction in ovulation rates of mature females, which remained high (93.5-100%) from 1992 to 1998. In 1998, the landfast ice cleared 43 days earlier than the average clearing date for the 1990-98 period, apparently interrupting the lactation period for seal pups located at the periphery of the core breeding habitat. The apparent effects on growth and condition of unweaned pups came at a time when marine food appeared to be abundant and available to all age classes of ringed seals. Entre 1992 et 1998, 869 phoques annelés pris dans le cadre de la récolte de subsistance de l'ouest de la baie Prince-Albert ont fait l'objet d'échantillonnages par deux moniteurs inuvialuits de Holman (T. N.-O.), chargés de la surveillance des phoques. En tenant compte des données de 1992 à 1998 jointes à celles de 1971 à 1978, on a trouvé que la valeur moyenne de l'index de masse corporelle (IMC) pour les femelles (>= 7 ans) était sensiblement inférieure en 1974 par rapport à toutes les autres années de l'étude. En même temps, les taux d'ovulation ont chuté, de 100 p. cent qu'ils étaient en 1971 et 1972 à 42,9 p. cent en 1974 et à 64,3 p. cent en 1975, opérant une remontée à 93,8 p. cent en 1976. L'IMC des femelles adultes qui avaient ovulé était sensiblement plus élevé que celui des femelles adultes qui n'avaient pas ovulé. Dans l'est du golfe Amundsen, l'année 1974 fut celle qui connut la plus intense formation de glace enregistrée récemment, avec la date la plus tardive pour la disparition de la glace de rive (6 septembre), la date la plus précoce pour la formation de la nouvelle glace (4 octobre) et le plus petit nombre de jours de mer libre (28 jours). Entre 1992 et 1998, aucune année n'était comparable à 1974 en ce qui a trait à la réduction des taux d'ovulation, la réduction de l'état corporel ou l'intensité de la glace. Entre 1992 et 1998, les moyennes de l'IMC pour les femelles et pour les mâles adultes étaient les plus basses en 1994 et les plus élevées en 1998, et toutes les moyennes annuelles de l'IMC se situaient entre les extrêmes des années 1970. Cette variation dans l'état corporel durant les années 1990 n'a pas coïncidé avec une réduction du taux d'ovulation des femelles adultes, qui est resté élevé (de 93,5 à 100 p. cent) de 1992 à 1998. En 1998, la glace de rive a disparu 43 jours plus tôt que la date de dégagement moyenne pour la période se situant entre 1990 et 1998, ce qui semble avoir interrompu la période de lactation pour les bébés phoques qui se trouvaient à la périphérie de l'habitat de reproduction principal. Les effets apparents sur la croissance et l'état des bébés phoques se sont produits à un moment où le réseau trophique marin était abondant et à la portée de toutes les classes d'âge des phoques annelés.

Active mud volcanoes on the continental slope of the Canadian Beaufort Sea

The major geochemical characteristics of Red Sea brine are summarized for 11 brine-filled deeps located along the central graben axis between 19°N and 27°N. The major element composition of the different brine pools is mainly controlled by variable mixing situations of halite-saturated solution (evaporite dissolution) with Red Sea deep water. The brine chemistry is also influenced by hydrothermal water/rock interaction, whereas magmatic and sedimentary rock reactions can be distinguished by boron, lithium, and magnesium/calcium chemistry. Moreover, hydrocarbon chemistry (concentrations and δ 13 C data) of brine indicates variable injection of light hydrocarbons from organic source rocks and strong secondary (bacterial or thermogenic) degradation processes. A simple statistical cluster analysis approach was selected to look for similarities in brine chemistry and to classify the various brine pools, as the measured chemical brine compositions show remarkably strong concentration variations for some elements. The cluster analysis indicates two main classes of brine. Type I brine chemistry (Oceanographer and Kebrit Deeps) is controlled by evaporite dissolution and contributions from sediment alteration. The Type II brine (Suakin, Port Sudan, Erba, Albatross, Discovery, Atlantis II, Nereus, Shaban, and Conrad Deeps) is influenced by variable contributions from volcanic/ magmatic rock alteration. The chemical brine classification can be correlated with the sedimentary and tectonic setting of the related depressions. Type I brine-filled deeps are located slightly off-axis from the central Red Sea graben. A typical " collapse structure formation " which has been defined for the Kebrit Deep by evaluating seismic and geomorphological data probably corresponds to our Type I brine. Type II brine located in depressions in the northern Red Sea (i.e., Conrad and Shaban Deeps) could be correlated to " volcanic intrusion-/extrusion-related " deep formation. The chemical indications for hydrothermal influence on Conrad and Shaban Deep brine can be related to brines from the multi-deeps region in the central Red Sea, where volcanic/magmatic fluid/rock interaction is most obvious. The strongest hydrothermal influence is observed in Atlantis II brine (central multi-deeps region), which is also the hottest Red Sea brine body in 2011 (*68.2 °C)