A self-sufficient approach for GERB cloudy radiance detection.

Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) is the broadband radiometer onboard the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) platform, launched at the end of August 2002 and still in commissioning phase. GERB data is planned to be used in many applications concerning Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) calculation. In order to evaluate the impact of clouds on ERB, a cloud detection is required and, at present, a cloud mask based on higher spatial and spectral resolution data acquired by Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI), the imager onboard the same MSG platform, is planned to be used in order to identify cloudy GERB soundings. As an alternative, a self-sufficient (only based on GERB data) method (OCA, the One-channel Cloudy-radiance-detection Approach) is proposed, as a time-saving and, probably, more suitable solution than the planned co-location approach. In this paper, preliminary results obtained by using several years of Meteosat data as well as GERB synthetic radiances (produced from Meteosat-7 observations) are presented. It is shown how results obtained by using GERB data alone can be comparable (and better in terms of number and spatial distribution of clear-sky GERB soundings identified) to the ones achieved if the co-location of a higher resolution cloud mask is use

Seismically active area monitoring by robust TIR satellite techniques: a sensitivity analysis on low magnitude earthquakes in Greece and Turkey

International audienceSpace-time TIR anomalies, observed from months to weeks before earthquake occurrence, have been suggested by several authors as pre-seismic signals. Up to now, such a claimed connection of TIR emission with seismic activity has been considered with some caution by scientific community mainly for the insufficiency of the validation data-sets and the scarce importance attached by those authors to other causes (e.g. meteorological) that, rather than seismic activity, could be responsible for the observed TIR signal fluctuations. A robust satellite data analysis technique (RAT) has been recently proposed which, thanks to a well-founded definition of TIR anomaly, seems to be able to identify anomalous space-time TIR signal transients even in very variable observational (satellite view angle, land topography and coverage, etc.) and natural (e.g. meteorological) conditions. Its possible application to satellite TIR surveys in seismically active regions has been already tested in the case of several earthquakes (Irpinia: 23 November 1980, Athens: 7 September 1999, Izmit: 17 August 1999) of magnitude higher than 5.5 by using a validation/confutation approach, devoted to verify the presence/absence of anomalous space-time TIR transients in the presence/absence of seismic activity. In these cases, a magnitude threshold (generally M In this work, 9 medium-low magnitude (

AVHRR Automated detection of volcanic clouds.

A new satellite‐based technique has recently been proposed which seems suitable for an automatic detection of volcanic clouds in daytime conditions. In this paper the robustness of such a new approach, in particular in detecting early eruptive clouds, is evaluated, on several eruptive events at Mt Etna, by using five years of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The detection scheme is discussed together with its possible extension to night‐time monitoring and the improvements expected by its application to the next generation of satellite sensors (in particular Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI)) with enhanced spectral and temporal resolution. The proposed approach seems to overcome the limitations related to other proposed methods which, in some conditions (very fresh eruptive clouds, cold‐backgrounds, etc.), give false or missed detection and will no longer be applicable to the next generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) due to the planned reduction of their thermal infrared channels until 2010

Robust Satellite Techniques for Volcanic and Seismic Hazards Monitoring

Several satellite techniques have been proposed to monitor events related to seismic and volcanic activity. A selfadaptive approach (RAT, Robust AVHRR Techniques) has recently been proposed which seems able to recognise space-time anomalies, differently related to such events, also in the presence of highly variable contributions from atmospheric (transmittance), surface (emissivity and morphology) and observational (time/season, but also solar and satellite zenithal angles) conditions. On the basis of NOAA-AVHRR data, the RAT aprroach has already been applied to Mount Etna volcanic ash cloud monitoring in daytime, and to seismic area monitoring in Southern Italy. This paper presents the theoretical basis for the extension of RAT approach also to nighttime volcanic ash cloud detection, together with its possible implementation to lava flow monitoring. One example of successful forecasting (few days before) of a new lava vent opening during the Mount Etna eruption of July 2001 will be discussed in some detail. Progress on the use of the same approach on seismically active area monitoring will be discussed by comparison with previous results achieved on the Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (MS = 6.9), which occurred on November 23rd 1980 in Southern Italy

Seismically active area monitoring by robust TIR satellite techniques: a sensitivity analysis on low magnitude earthquakes in Greece and Turkey

Space-time TIR anomalies, observed from months to weeks before earthquake occurrence, have been suggested by several authors as pre-seismic signals. Up to now, such a claimed connection of TIR emission with seismic activity has been considered with some caution by scientific community mainly for the insufficiency of the validation data-sets and the scarce importance attached by those authors to other causes (e.g. meteorological) that, rather than seismic activity, could be responsible for the observed TIR signal fluctuations. A robust satellite data analysis technique (RAT) has been recently proposed which, thanks to a well-founded definition of TIR anomaly, seems to be able to identify anomalous space-time TIR signal transients even in very variable observational (satellite view angle, land topography and coverage, etc.) and natural (e.g. meteorological) conditions. Its possible application to satellite TIR surveys in seismically active regions has been already tested in the case of several earthquakes (Irpinia: 23 November 1980, Athens: 7 September 1999, Izmit: 17 August 1999) of magnitude higher than 5.5 by using a validation/confutation approach, devoted to verify the presence/absence of anomalous space-time TIR transients in the presence/absence of seismic activity. In these cases, a magnitude threshold (generally M In this work, 9 medium-low magnitude (4b The analysis, which was performed using 8 years of Meteosat TIR observations, demonstrated that anomalous TIR transients can be observed even in the presence of medium-low magnitude earthquakes (4b<5.5). As far as the research (just started) of possible correlation among TIR anomalies and earthquake occurrence is concerned, such a result suggests that: a) in order to identify seismically unperturbed periods for confutation purposes, a magnitude threshold (at least) lower than 4 should be used; b) the proposed validation/confutation approach should be applied in low-seismicity areas in order to find suitably long seismically quiescent periods

Dedicated versus mainstreaming approaches in local climate plans in Europe

Cities are gaining prominence committing to respond to the threat of climate change, e.g., by developing local climate plans or strategies. However, little is known regarding the approaches and processes of plan development and implementation, or the success and effectiveness of proposed measures. Mainstreaming is regarded as one approach associated with (implementation) success, but the extent of integration of local climate policies and plans in ongoing sectoral and/or development planning is unclear. This paper analyses 885 cities across the 28 European countries to create a first reference baseline on the degree of climate mainstreaming in local climate plans. This will help to compare the benefits of mainstreaming versus dedicated climate plans, looking at policy effectiveness and ultimately delivery of much needed climate change efforts at the city level. All core cities of the European Urban Audit sample were analyzed, and their local climate plans classified as dedicated or mainstreamed in other local policy initiatives. It was found that the degree of mainstreaming is low for mitigation (9% of reviewed cities; 12% of the identified plans) and somewhat higher for adaptation (10% of cities; 29% of plans). In particular horizontal mainstreaming is a major effort for local authorities; an effort that does not necessarily pay off in terms of success of action implementation. This study concludes that climate change issues in local municipalities are best tackled by either, developing a dedicated local climate plan in parallel to a mainstreamed plan or by subsequently developing first the dedicated and later a mainstreaming plan (joint or subsequent “dual track approach”). Cities that currently provide dedicated local climate plans (66% of cities for mitigation; 26% of cities for adaptation) may follow-up with a mainstreaming approach. This promises effective implementation of tangible climate actions as well as subsequent diffusion of climate issues into other local sector policies. The development of only broad sustainability or resilience strategies is seen as critical.We thank the many council representatives that supported the datacollection. Special thanks to Birgit Georgi who helped in setting up this large net work of researchers across the EU-28. We also thank the EU COST Action TU 0902 (ledbyRichardDawson) that established the core research network and the positive engagement and interaction of th emembers of this group. OH is Fellow of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and was funded by the UK EPSRC LC Transforms: Low Carbon Transitions of Fleet Operations in Metropolitan Sites Project (grant number EP/N010612/1). EKL was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Czechia, within the National Sustainability Program I (NPU I) (grant number LO1415). DG ac-knowledges support by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), Italy ("Departments of Excellence" grant L. 232/2016). HO was supported by the Ministry of Education and Research, Estonia (grantnumberIUT34-17). MO acknowledges funding from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Spain (grant number IJCI-2016-28835). SS acknowledges that CENSE's research is partially funded by the Science Foundation, Portugal (grant number UID/AMB/04085/2019). The paper reflects only the views of the authors. The European Union, the European Environment Agency or other supporting bodies are not liable for any use that may be made of the information that is provided in this manuscript

Allele *2 of the HS1,2A enhancer of the Ig regulatory region associates with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To investigate the role of the HS1.2 enhancer polymorphisms as a new candidate marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to define the possible association with autoantibody positivity and clinical outcome. Methods: Genomic DNA was obtained from two cohorts of patients with RA (100 with early RA (ERA) and 114 with longstanding RA (LSRA)) and from 248 gender-matched controls from the same geographical area. Clinical and immunological characteristics were recorded for all the patients. Results: The percentage of the 2/2 genotype was higher In patients with ERA (27.0%), and In patients with LSRA (34.2%), than In controls (14.9%) (ERA: OR = 2.11 (95% Cl 1.20 to 3.70) vs controls; LSRA: OR = 2.96 (95% Cl 1.76 to 5.00) vs controls). A lower representation of allele *3 was present In patients with ERA (2.0%) than In controls (6.0%; OR = 0.32 (95% Cl 0.11 to 0.91)). No significant associations were found between polymorphisms and autoantibodies positivity. Conclusion: The HS1.2A allele *2 associates with early and longstanding RA

Types of Corruption in Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) in Ibadan, Nigeria

Corruption is a phenomenon that manifests in various types and forms especially among operators of Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs). Many actions of the operators which constitute corrupt practices often tend to be overlooked in spite of their grave consequences for the success SMEs in Nigeria. The fight against corruption in Nigeria is more concentrated in the formal sector. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate various forms in which corrupt practices are carried out among Small and Micro Enterprises in Ibadan, Nigeria. Business owners, their employees, apprentices and consumers constituted the study population. Primary data were collected using questionnaire administered on 200 business owners, 150 employees and 150 apprentices randomly chosen in five business districts in Ibadan; and the conduct of 10 in-depth interviews with purposively selected participants. Quantitative data were analysed at uni-variate level using simple percentages and frequencies while qualitative data were content analysed. Findings from the study revealed that corrupt practices were rampant among actors in SMEs and the common types of corrupt practices included stealing (60%), deception of customers (78.4%), tax evasion (62%), sale of fake products (76%), sale of expired products (65.2%), tampering with measurement scales (69.6%), bribery (82.4%), and poor service delivery (73%). The study concludes that the level of corruption in SMEs calls for concern and government should extend the fight against corruption to the informal sector in Nigeria

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Glucose-6-Phosphate dehydrogenase deficient variants among the Kurdish population of Northern Iraq

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glucose-6-Phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a key enzyme of the pentose monophosphate pathway, and its deficiency is the most common inherited enzymopathy worldwide. G6PD deficiency is common among Iraqis, including those of the Kurdish ethnic group, however no study of significance has ever addressed the molecular basis of this disorder in this population. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of this enzymopathy and its molecular basis among Iraqi Kurds.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 580 healthy male Kurdish Iraqis randomly selected from a main regional premarital screening center in Northern Iraq were screened for G6PD deficiency using methemoglobin reduction test. The results were confirmed by quantitative enzyme assay for the cases that showed G6PD deficiency. DNA analysis was performed on 115 G6PD deficient subjects, 50 from the premarital screening group and 65 unrelated Kurdish male patients with documented acute hemolytic episodes due to G6PD deficiency. Analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism for five deficient molecular variants, namely G6PD Mediterranean (563 C→T), G6PD Chatham (1003 G→A), G6PD A- (202 G→A), G6PD Aures (143 T→C) and G6PD Cosenza (1376 G→C), as well as the silent 1311 (C→T) mutation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 580 random Iraqi male Kurds, 63 (10.9%) had documented G6PD deficiency. Molecular studies performed on a total of 115 G6PD deficient males revealed that 101 (87.8%) had the G6PD Mediterranean variant and 10 (8.7%) had the G6PD Chatham variant. No cases of G6PD A-, G6PD Aures or G6PD Cosenza were identified, leaving 4 cases (3.5%) uncharacterized. Further molecular screening revealed that the silent mutation 1311 was present in 93/95 of the Mediterranean and 1/10 of the Chatham cases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The current study revealed a high prevalence of G6PD deficiency among Iraqi Kurdish population of Northern Iraq with most cases being due to the G6PD Mediterranean and Chatham variants. These results are similar to those reported from neighboring Iran and Turkey and to lesser extent other Mediterranean countries.</p

Clinching joining system: validation of numerical models

peer reviewedThe clinching process, also known as “press joining”, is a mechanical joining technique for sheet metal. Its basic principle is to clamp together several metal sheets by an impact extrusion between a punch and a die. The joint is formed by a localized cold plastic deformation. Forming is used as a joining method. Within the context of this research, University of Liège is developing numerical models, with the FEM code LAGAMINE, that simulate the clinching process. On the other hand, shear tests on simple joints with one or two clinches were realized and their behaviour is reproduced numerically with LAGAMINE. This work opens the way to the analytical formulation of the behaviour of clinched joints. The article will focus on comparisons between experiments and numerical simulations. First, the identification of model parameters will be explained. Then, the predicted failure modes will be analysed by comparison with the xperiments