First-time lidar measurement of water vapor flux in a volcanic plume

The CO2 laser-based lidar ATLAS has been used to study the Stromboli volcano plume. ATLAS measured water vapor concentration in cross-sections of the plume and wind speed at the crater. Water vapor concentration and wind speed were retrieved by differential absorption lidar and correlation technique, respectively. Lidar returns were obtained up to a range of 3 km. The spatial resolution was 15 mand the temporal resolution was 20 s. By combining these measurements, the water vapor flux in the Stromboli volcano plume was found. To our knowledge, it is the first time that lidar retrieves water vapor concentrations in a volcanic plume.Published1295–12981.10. TTC - TelerilevamentoJCR Journalreserve

Correlations between psychometric schizotypy, scan path length, fixations on the eyes and face recognition.

Psychometric schizotypy in the general population correlates negatively with face recognition accuracy, potentially due to deficits in inhibition, social withdrawal, or eye-movement abnormalities. We report an eye-tracking face recognition study in which participants were required to match one of two faces (target and distractor) to a cue face presented immediately before. All faces could be presented with or without paraphernalia (e.g., hats, glasses, facial hair). Results showed that paraphernalia distracted participants, and that the most distracting condition was when the cue and the distractor face had paraphernalia but the target face did not, while there was no correlation between distractibility and participants' scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Schizotypy was negatively correlated with proportion of time fixating on the eyes and positively correlated with not fixating on a feature. It was negatively correlated with scan path length and this variable correlated with face recognition accuracy. These results are interpreted as schizotypal traits being associated with a restricted scan path leading to face recognition deficits

Mixed Climatology, Non-synoptic Phenomena and Downburst Wind Loading of Structures

Modern wind engineering was born in 1961, when Davenport published a paper in which meteorology, micrometeorology, climatology, bluff-body aerodynamics and structural dynamics were embedded within a homogeneous framework of the wind loading of structures called today \u201cDavenport chain\u201d. Idealizing the wind with a synoptic extra-tropical cyclone, this model was so simple and elegant as to become a sort of axiom. Between 1976 and 1977 Gomes and Vickery separated thunderstorm from non-thunderstorm winds, determined their disjoint extreme distributions and derived a mixed model later extended to other Aeolian phenomena; this study, which represents a milestone in mixed climatology, proved the impossibility of labelling a heterogeneous range of events by the generic term \u201cwind\u201d. This paper provides an overview of this matter, with particular regard to the studies conducted at the University of Genova on thunderstorm downbursts

Cognitive Neuropsychology of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders

Advances in the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have dramatically improved survival rates over the past 10 years, but HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remain highly prevalent and continue to represent a significant public health problem. This review provides an update on the nature, extent, and diagnosis of HAND. Particular emphasis is placed on critically evaluating research within the realm of cognitive neuropsychology that aims to elucidate the component processes of HAND across the domains of executive functions, motor skills, speeded information processing, episodic memory, attention/working memory, language, and visuoperception. In addition to clarifying the cognitive mechanisms of HAND (e.g., impaired cognitive control), the cognitive neuropsychology approach may enhance the ecological validity of neuroAIDS research and inform the development of much needed novel, targeted cognitive and behavioral therapies

Software tool for soil surface parameters retrieval from fully polarimetric remotely sensed sar data

The retrieval of soil surface parameters, in particular soil moisture and roughness, based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, has been the subject of a large number of studies, of which results are available in the scientific literature. However, although refined methods based on theoretical/analytical scattering models have been proposed and successfully applied in experimental studies, at the operative level very simple, empirical models with a number of adjustable parameters are usually employed. One of the reasons for this situation is that retrieval methods based on analytical scattering models are not easy to implement and to be employed by non-expert users. Related to this, commercially and freely available software tools for the processing of SAR data, although including routines for basic manipulation of polarimetric SAR data (e.g., coherency and covariance matrix calculation, Pauli decomposition, etc.), do not implement easy-to-use methods for surface parameter retrieval. In order to try to fill this gap, in this paper we present a user-friendly computer program for the retrieval of soil surface parameters from Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) imageries. The program evaluates soil permittivity, soil moisture and soil roughness based on the theoretical predictions of the electromagnetic scattering provided by the Polarimetric Two-Scale Model (PTSM) and the Polarimetric Two-Scale Two-Component Model (PTSTCM). In particular, nine different retrieval methodologies, whose applicability depends on both the used polarimetric data (dual-or full-pol) and the characteristics of the observed scene (e.g., on its topography and on its vegetation cover), as well as their implementation in the Interactive Data Language (IDL) platform, are discussed. One specific example from Germany’s Demmin test-site is presented in detail, in order to provide a first guide to the use of the tool. Obtained retrieval results are in agreement with what was expected according to the available literature

Awareness of everyday executive difficulties precede overt executive dysfunction in schizotypal subjects

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01651781 Copyright Elsevier Ltd. DOI : 10.1016/j.psychres.2007.06.004Much evidence indicates that schizophrenic patients exhibit deficits on tests of executive functioning. It is therefore hypo- 10 thesized that individuals with high schizotypal personality traits that may have a predisposition to schizophrenia, are also likely to 11 exhibit impairments in neuropsychological tests of executive function. The sample consisted of 61 healthy controls that were 12 divided into high and low scorers on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-B: Raine et al., 1995). Participants completed 13 a battery of executive tasks (category and letter fluency, the Hayling test, Zoo map); however, a MANOVA revealed no significant 14 differences between high and low SPQ scorers. Nevertheless, high SPQ scorers scored significantly higher on the dysexecutive Q1 15 (DEX) self-rating scale of everyday executive problems; and these self-ratings correlated significantly with the disorganisation and 16 cognitive–perceptual features of the SPQ-B, but not with the interpersonal features. This suggests that perceived executive 17 dysfunction is pre-morbidly present and may become evident in test performance only with the onset of schizophrenia itself.Peer reviewe