Present and future atmospheric blocking and its impact on European mean and extreme climate

Atmospheric blocking plays an important role in the mid-latitude climate variability and can be responsible for anomalous mean and/or extreme climate. In this study, a potential vorticity based blocking indicator is used to investigate the representation of Euro-Atlantic atmospheric blocking events in the ECHAM5/MPI-OM climate model. The impact of blocking events on present and future mean and extreme climate is studied by means of composite maps and correlation analyses. In comparison to ERA-40 re-analysis, the model represents the blocking frequency and seasonal distribution well. We show that European blocking events have a sustained influence particularly on anomalous cold winter temperatures in Europe. In a future climate, the blocking frequency is slightly diminished but the influence on the European winter climate remains robust. Due to a northeastward shift of the blocking pattern and an increase in maximum blocking duration, cold winter temperature extremes can still be expected in a future climat

URBAN 3 - PARCO DI SPINA 4. PROMENADE DELL'ARTE E DELLA CULTURA INDUSTRIALE

Presentazione del concorso e del progetto PROMENADE DELL'ARTE E DELLA CULTURA INDUSTRIALE di Politecnico di Torino , Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti e Città di Torino, finanziato nell'ambito del Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale 2007/2013 - Por Fesr. In www.contemporarytorinopiemonte.it/.../ Portale di Città di Torino, Regione Piemonte e Fondazione per l'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea - CR

The relative risk of second primary cancers in Switzerland: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

More people than ever before are currently living with a diagnosis of cancer and the number of people concerned is likely to continue to rise. Cancer survivors are at risk of developing a second primary cancer (SPC). This study aims to investigate the risk of SPC in Switzerland. The study cohort included all patients with a first primary cancer recorded in 9 Swiss population-based cancer registries 1981-2009 who had a minimum survival of 6 months, and a potential follow-up until the end of 2014. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIR) to estimate relative risks (RR) of SPC in cancer survivors compared with the cancer risk of the general population. SIR were stratified by type of first cancer, sex, age and period of first diagnosis, survival period and site of SPC. A total of 33,793 SPC were observed in 310,113 cancer patients. Both male (SIR 1.18, 95%CI 1.16-1.19) and female (SIR 1.20, 95%CI 1.18-1.22) cancer survivors had an elevated risk of developing a SPC. Risk estimates varied substantially according to type of first cancer and were highest in patients initially diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, Hodgkin lymphoma, laryngeal, oesophageal, or lung cancer. Age-stratified analyses revealed a tendency towards higher RR in patients first diagnosed at younger ages. Stratified by survival period, risk estimates showed a rising trend with increasing time from the initial diagnosis. We observed strong associations between particular types of first and SPC, i.e. cancer types sharing common risk factors such as smoking or alcohol consumption (e.g. repeated cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (SIR <sub>males</sub> 20.12, 95%CI 17.91-22.33; SIR <sub>females</sub> 37.87, 95%CI 30.27-45.48). Swiss cancer survivors have an increased risk of developing a SPC compared to the general population, particularly patients first diagnosed before age 50 and those surviving more than 10 years. Cancer patients should remain under continued surveillance not only for recurrent cancers but also for new cancers. Some first and SPCs share lifestyle associated risk factors making it important to promote healthier lifestyles in both the general population and cancer survivors

Incidence trends of lung and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms in Switzerland

The incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) seems to increase worldwide. Long-term, population-based series that consider tumor differentiation are, however, sparse. We assessed the incidence trend of lung and gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NENs according to the latest International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization classification over a 41-year time period in two Swiss regions. All cases of lung and GEP NENs recorded in the Vaud and Neuch\ue2tel Cancer Registries from 1976 to 2016 were included. NENs were stratified into well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs). Changes in annual age-standardized incidence rates were calculated for lung and GEP NETs and NECs by sex. Of 4,141 patients diagnosed with NENs, 65% were men. The incidence of lung NETs among men and women increased by 3.9%/year (95% CI: -5.3, 14.1%) and 4.9%/year (0.1, 9.9%), respectively, between 1976 and 2016. The incidence of lung NECs decreased by 2.6%/year (-3.1,-1.8%) in men from 1985 to 2016 whereas it increased in women between 1976 and 1998 by 6%/year (4.2, 7.9%). For GEP NETs, a steady annual increase in incidence occurred between 1976 and 2016 with a magnitude of 1.7% (0.7, 2.7%) in men and 1.3% (0.5, 2.1%) in women. No significant trend in incidence of GEP NECs was found for both sexes. The incidence trends of lung NECs in men and women parallel changes in smoking prevalence in the population. Causes of the increase in incidence of GEP NETs are likely multifactorial. Our study supports the importance of evaluating the epidemiology of NENs by tumor differentiation

Incidence trends of lung and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms in Switzerland.

The incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) seems to increase worldwide. Long-term, population-based series that consider tumor differentiation are, however, sparse. We assessed the incidence trend of lung and gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NENs according to the latest International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization classification over a 41-year time period in two Swiss regions. All cases of lung and GEP NENs recorded in the Vaud and Neuchâtel Cancer Registries from 1976 to 2016 were included. NENs were stratified into well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs). Changes in annual age-standardized incidence rates were calculated for lung and GEP NETs and NECs by sex. Of 4,141 patients diagnosed with NENs, 65% were men. The incidence of lung NETs among men and women increased by 3.9%/year (95% CI: -5.3, 14.1%) and 4.9%/year (0.1, 9.9%), respectively, between 1976 and 2016. The incidence of lung NECs decreased by 2.6%/year (-3.1,-1.8%) in men from 1985 to 2016 whereas it increased in women between 1976 and 1998 by 6%/year (4.2, 7.9%). For GEP NETs, a steady annual increase in incidence occurred between 1976 and 2016 with a magnitude of 1.7% (0.7, 2.7%) in men and 1.3% (0.5, 2.1%) in women. No significant trend in incidence of GEP NECs was found for both sexes. The incidence trends of lung NECs in men and women parallel changes in smoking prevalence in the population. Causes of the increase in incidence of GEP NETs are likely multifactorial. Our study supports the importance of evaluating the epidemiology of NENs by tumor differentiation

Towards implementing climate services in Peru – The project CLIMANDES

CLIMANDES is a pilot twinning project between the National Weather Services of Peru and Switzerland (SENAMHI and MeteoSwiss), developed within the Global Framework for Climate Services of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Split in two modules, CLIMANDES aims at improving education in meteorology and climatology in support of the WMO Regional Training Center in Peru, and introducing user-tailored climate services in two pilot regions in the Peruvian Andes. Four areas were prioritized in the first phase of CLIMANDES lasting from 2012 to 2015 to introduce climate services in Peru. A demand study identified the user needs of climate services and showed that climate information must be reliable, of high-quality, and precise. The information should be accessible and timely, understandable and applicable for the users’ specific needs. Second, the quality of climate data was enhanced through the establishment of quality control and homogenization procedures at SENAMHI. Specific training and application of the implemented methods at stations in the pilot regions was promoted to ensure the sustainability of the work. Third, the specific work on climate data enabled the creation of a webpage to disseminate climate indicators among users. The forth priority of the project enhanced the broad communication strategy of SENAMHI through creation of a specialized network of journalists, diverse climate forums, and the establishment of a user database. The efforts accomplished within CLIMANDES improved the quality of the climate services provided by SENAMHI. The project hence contributed successfully to higher awareness and higher confidence in the climate information by SENAMHI.Por pare

Linkage of atmospheric blocks and synoptic-scale Rossby waves: a climatological analysis

The link between atmospheric blocking and propagating and breaking synoptic-scale Rossby waves (termed PV streamers) are explored for the climatological period 1958–2002, using the ERA-40 re-analysis data. To this end, potential vorticity (PV) based climatologies of blocking and breaking waves are used, and features of the propagating waves is extracted from Hovm¨oller diagrams. The analyses cover the Northern Hemisphere during winter, and they are carried out for the Atlantic and Pacific basins separately. The results show statistically significant wave precursor signals, up to 5 d prior to the blocking onset. In the Atlantic, the precursor signal takes the form of a coherent wave train, emanating approximately 110◦ upstream of the blocking location. In the Pacific, a single long-lived (10 d) northerly velocity signal preludes the blocking onset. A spatial analysis is conducted of the location, frequency and form of breaking synoptic-scale Rossby waves, prior to the onset, during the lifetime and after the blocking decay. It reveals that cyclonic streamers are present to the southwest and anticyclonic streamers to the south and southeast, approximately 43% (36%) of the time in the Atlantic (Pacific) basin, and this is significantly above a climatological distribution.ISSN:0280-6495ISSN:1600-087

The impact of socioeconomic position on stage at diagnosis and survival in colorectal cancer patients in Switzerland

Studies outside of Switzerland have reported socioeconomic inequalities in colorectal cancer (CRC) stage at diagnosis and survival. Aim : To investigate the impact of socioeconomic position (SEP) and further demographic characteristics on colorectal cancer (CRC) stage at diagnosis on CRC-specific survival ; To investigate whether potential survival inequalities can be explained by differences in stage at diagnosis and/or sociodemographic factors