SHARE Information System: un database geografico condiviso per il monitoraggio degli ambienti di alta quota

The scientific and technological research project SHARE (Stations at High Altitude for Research in the Environment) is an Italian project aimed to study and to monitor environment and climate in mountainous areas. SHARE is promoted by EvK2-CNR Committee with the participation of Italian and international research institutions and in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme for Environment (UNEP). This research aims to improve the level of dissemination and sharing of knowledge and information on environmental and land acquired in past projects and ongoing activities related to the project through SHARE. The creation of a platform for web services based on the architecture of GeoNetwork Opensource represents the main instrument for implementing and structuring a system for sharing data and metadata in an integrated network of focal point

Il portale GeoNetwork di SHARE. Un catalogo condiviso di metadati a servizio delle ricerche in alta montagna.

The need to share information and data in science finds a ready answer in new technology in the development of Internet access services structured according to standards that guarantee the accessibility to the scientific community. In this context it is being realized at the Ev-K2-CNR Commitee a platform for web services based on the architecture of GeoNetwork Opensource for the realization of the data and metadata catalog dedicated to the high altitude research. This activity is one of the themes of scientific and technological research project SHARE (Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment). The first phase of the project was dedicated to the completion of the cataloging system of climate observatories and weather stations in high mountain regions included in the SHARE program that acquire the data, some of which are transmitting from the highest peaks in the world, and available in real time for the SHARE researchers and the scientific community

Adaptations to the neoliberal city:a comparative investigation of faith-based organisations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Philadelphia, USA

This thesis examines the role of faith-based organisations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Philadelphia, USA. It was prompted by debates about the persistence of religion in seemingly secular societies and contexts and related questions about the role and relationship of faith-based organisations to the neighbourhood and non-faith community. Some scholars have suggested that increasingly the rhetorical moves of neoliberalism create specific spaces for faith-based organisations encouraging a kind of marketization in non-economic spheres. This study suggests that while the neoliberalizing urban carved out a niche for faith-based organisations, declining participation in conventional religious spaces and rites led these organisations to search for new meanings and roles for themselves. The forces that allowed these faith-based organisations a particular and meaningful role in the city were not religion versus secularity, but rather an unexpected interplay of neo-liberalism and secularism that can be seen the ways they attempt to create local and national ties through enhancing resident connections to neighbourhood and community The process of constant comparison has been central to this study and in doing so, it has enhanced our understanding of faith-based organisations by offering a new comparative perspective that recognises the significance of the interplay between neoliberalism and secularism. In adopting a comparative perspective that specifically juxtaposes a putatively secular nation (the Netherlands) against a putatively religious one (the U.S.A), it has been possible to discern common threads that have encouraged and facilitated these organisations in very different national contexts.

Aerosol-Ozone Correlations during Dust Transport Episodes.

Abstract not availableJRC.H-Institute for environment and sustainability (Ispra

Accurate neurosonographic prediction of brain injury in the surviving fetus after the death of a monochorionic cotwin

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of the prenatal diagnosis using fetal neurosonography of brain injuries in the surviving fetus after the demise of a monochorionic cotwin. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study in the period 1990-2004 of monochorionic twin pregnancies with a single fetal demise. A detailed sonographic evaluation of the intracranial anatomy of the surviving twin had been performed whenever possible using a multiplanar approach and from 1999, fetal magnetic resonance imaging was offered as well. Postnatal follow-up was obtained in all cases. RESULTS: In six of nine cases, abnormal neurosonographic findings were identified including intracranial hemorrhage, brain atrophy, porencephaly and periventricular echogenicities evolving into polymicrogyria. Prenatal diagnosis of brain lesions was confirmed postnatally and all affected infants who survived had severe neurological sequelae. Two fetuses had normal cerebral structures both on the prenatal neurosonogram and on postnatal imaging and were following normal developmental milestones, one at 1 and the other at 5 years of age. In one case the neurosonographic examination was suboptimal and the infant was found at birth to have a porencephalic cyst. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging was performed in two cases and confirmed the ultrasound diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal neurosonography is a valuable tool for the prediction of neurological outcome in fetuses surviving after the intrauterine death of a monochorionic cotwin. Although our experience is limited, we suggest that magnetic resonance imaging should also be offered

Pathophysiology of Hyperechogenic Bowel in Congenitally Human Cytomegalovirus Infected Fetuses

Hyperechogenic bowel (HB) is a nonspecific ultrasound finding that can be associated with human cytomegalovirus (CMV) congenital infection. In this study, we investigated HB pathophysiology in CMV-infected fetuses. We examined small and large intestine as well as pancreas in 8 fetuses at 22 weeks of gestation with congenital CMV infection. Ultrasound findings showed 4 fetuses with HB and 4 without. As negative group, 4 fetuses without CMV infection and without HB were studied. Immunohistochemistry for CMV, lymphocytic infiltrate, B-cell leukemia/lymphoma-2 (bcl-2), CD-117, cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) were performed. HB fetuses showed multiple and sequential CMV-positive ganglion cells of Auerbach’s myenteric plexus. In the ganglia, bcl-2 was weakly expressed representing a reduced neuronal functionality. CD-117 revealed a regular distribution of Cajal cells, the pacemakers of intestinal contractility. Pancreas showed normal CFTR staining, indicating a preserved exocrine secretion, thus unlikely a contributory factor in HB. In CMV-infected fetuses without HB, CMV-positive cells were scatteredly found in ganglion cells and bcl-2 was strongly expressed. Intestinal CD-117 and pancreatic CFTR expression were similar to fetuses with HB. In conclusion, fetal CMV infection of the bowel may lead to peristalsis impairment (paralytic ileus) due to intestinal plexus involvement, which at ultrasound appeared as HB

Atmospheric Brown Clouds in the Himalayas: first two years of continuous observations at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (5079 m)

This paper provides a detailed description of the atmospheric conditions characterizing the high Himalayas, thanks to continuous observations begun in March 2006 at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P) located at 5079 m a.s.l. on the southern foothills of Mt. Everest, in the framework of ABC-UNEP and SHARE-Ev-K2-CNR projects. The work presents a characterization of meteorological conditions and air-mass circulation at NCO-P during the first two years of activity. The mean values of atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind speed recorded at the site were: 551 hPa, −3.0 °C, 4.7 m s−1, respectively. The highest seasonal values of temperature (1.7 °C) and relative humidity (94%) were registered during the monsoon season, which was also characterized by thick clouds, present in about 80% of the afternoon hours, and by a frequency of cloud-free sky of less than 10%. The lowest temperature and relative humidity seasonal values were registered during winter, −6.3 °C and 22%, respectively, the season being characterised by mainly cloud-free sky conditions and rare thick clouds. The summer monsoon influenced rain precipitation (seasonal mean: 237 mm), while wind was dominated by flows from the bottom of the valley (S–SW) and upper mountain (N–NE). The atmospheric composition at NCO-P has been studied thanks to measurements of black carbon (BC), aerosol scattering coefficient, PM1, coarse particles and ozone. The annual behaviour of the measured parameters shows the highest seasonal values during the pre-monsoon (BC: 316.9 ng m−3, PM1: 3.9 μg m−3, scattering coefficient: 11.9 Mm−1, coarse particles: 0.37 cm−3 and O3: 60.9 ppbv), while the lowest concentrations occurred during the monsoon (BC: 49.6 ng m−3, PM1: 0.6 μg m−3, scattering coefficient: 2.2 Mm−1, and O3: 38.9 ppbv) and, for coarse particles, during the post-monsoon (0.07 cm−3. At NCO-P, the synoptic-scale circulation regimes present three principal contributions: Westerly, South-Westerly and Regional, as shown by the analysis of in-situ meteorological parameters and 5-day LAGRANTO back-trajectories. The influence of the brown cloud (AOD>0.4) extending over Indo–Gangetic Plains up to the Himalayan foothills has been evaluated by analysing the in-situ concentrations of the ABC constituents. This analysis revealed that brown cloud hot spots mainly influence the South Himalayas during the pre-monsoon, in the presence of very high levels of atmospheric compounds (BC: 1974.1 ng m−3, PM1: 23.5 μg m−3, scattering coefficient: 57.7 Mm−1, coarse particles: 0.64 cm−3, O3: 69.2 ppbv, respectively). During this season 20% of the days were characterised by a strong brown cloud influence during the afternoon, leading to a 5-fold increased in the BC and PM1 values, in comparison with seasonal means. Our investigations provide clear evidence that, especially during the pre-monsoon, the southern side of the high Himalayan valleys represent a "direct channel" able to transport brown cloud pollutants up to 5000 m a.s.l., where the pristine atmospheric composition can be strongly influenced.ISSN:1680-7375ISSN:1680-736