Nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde measurements from the GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Airborne Simulator over Houston, Texas

The GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Airborne Simulator (GCAS) was developed in support of NASA's decadal survey GEO-CAPE geostationary satellite mission. GCAS is an airborne push-broom remote-sensing instrument, consisting of two channels which make hyperspectral measurements in the ultraviolet/visible (optimized for air quality observations) and the visible–near infrared (optimized for ocean color observations). The GCAS instrument participated in its first intensive field campaign during the Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) campaign in Texas in September 2013. During this campaign, the instrument flew on a King Air B-200 aircraft during 21 flights on 11 days to make air quality observations over Houston, Texas. We present GCAS trace gas retrievals of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (CH2O), and compare these results with trace gas columns derived from coincident in situ profile measurements of NO2 and CH2O made by instruments on a P-3B aircraft, and with NO2 observations from ground-based Pandora spectrometers operating in direct-sun and scattered light modes. GCAS tropospheric column measurements correlate well spatially and temporally with columns estimated from the P-3B measurements for both NO2 (r2 = 0.89) and CH2O (r2 = 0.54) and with Pandora direct-sun (r2 = 0.85) and scattered light (r2 = 0.94) observed NO2 columns. Coincident GCAS columns agree in magnitude with NO2 and CH2O P-3B-observed columns to within 10&thinsp;% but are larger than scattered light Pandora tropospheric NO2 columns by 33&thinsp;% and direct-sun Pandora NO2 columns by 50&thinsp;%.</p

Teorii ale categorizarii lumii si practici ale comunicarii/ Categorization of the World Theories and Communication Practice (Romanian Version)

The theme of communication leads to major changes in the way of conceptualizing the world and human behavior. The communication process turns into the game, and how everything is put into communication “without limits” (Codoban, 1995) everything is a game. Transforming reality into a playground makes the depth not to matter. As a result, transcendence is excluded and any ontological model of origins is denied. History itself, “break into pieces” (Vattimo). No. pg. 198Communication Practice, human behavior, World Theories

Countering “Arctification”: Dawson City’s “Sourtoe Cocktail”

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Sourtoe Cocktail, a custom in Dawson City, Canada’s Yukon, in which participants drink a shot of alcohol with a dehydrated human toe in it. Springing from a local legend, the thrill-inducing Sourtoe Cocktail has attracted the attention of tourists. The paper reveals insights from this particular case study in order to discuss potential future tourism trends within the Arctic, especially in regard to the development of a sustainable tourism industry. Additionally, it illustrates how local communities can avoid negative effects of “Arctification.” Design/methodology/approach: The case study is deconstructed through Dean MacCannell’s (1976) framework of sight sacralization. The Sourtoe Cocktail is analyzed based on the five stages of the framework, which helps to reveal the various elements at play at the local level. The framework specifically highlights linkages between society and the Sourtoe Cocktail as a product in order to understand how it became a tourist attraction. Findings: The use of MacCannell’s sight sacralization framework reveals the intricate relationship of the Sourtoe Cocktail to both the Arctic and the local folklore of the Klondike Gold Rush. In addition, it is argued that the activity can serve as an example of avoiding “Arctification” processes for northern communities. Originality/value: The originality of the study lies in the application of the sight sacralization framework to an ordinary object — a toe — instead of an object of inherent historical, aesthetic or cultural value. The paper proposes a complementary study to the recommendations provided in the Arctic Tourism in Times of Change: Seasonality report (2019) for the development of sustainable Arctic societies

The use of NO₂ absorption cross section temperature sensitivity to derive NO₂ profile temperature and stratospheric–tropospheric column partitioning from visible direct-sun DOAS measurements

This paper presents a temperature sensitivity method (TESEM) to accurately calculate total vertical NO₂ column, atmospheric slant NO₂ profile-weighted temperature (<i>T</i>), and to separate stratospheric and tropospheric columns from direct-sun (DS), ground-based measurements using the retrieved <i>T</i>. TESEM is based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) fitting of the linear temperature-dependent NO₂ absorption cross section, σ (<i>T</i>), regression model (Vandaele et al., 2003). Separation between stratospheric and tropospheric columns is based on the primarily bimodal vertical distribution of NO₂ and an assumption that stratospheric effective temperature can be represented by temperature at 27 km ± 3 K, and tropospheric effective temperature is equal to surface temperature within 3–5 K. These assumptions were derived from the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemistry-transport model (CTM) simulations over two northern midlatitude sites in 2011. <br><br> TESEM was applied to the Washington State University Multi-Function DOAS instrument (MFDOAS) measurements at four midlatitude locations with low and moderate NO₂ anthropogenic emissions: (1) the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Table Mountain Facility (JPL-TMF), CA, USA (34.38° N/117.68° W); (2) Pullman, WA, USA (46.73° N/117.17° W); (3) Greenbelt, MD, USA (38.99° N/76.84° W); and (4) Cabauw, the Netherlands (51.97° N/4.93° E) during July 2007, June–July 2009, July–August and October 2011, November 2012–May 2013, respectively. NO₂ <i>T</i> and total, stratospheric, and tropospheric NO₂ vertical columns were determined over each site

Behaviour of Cold-formed High Strength Steel under Transient State Tests

Keynote Pape

Ground-based direct-sun DOAS and airborne MAX-DOAS measurements of the collision-induced oxygen complex, O₂O₂, absorption with significant pressure and temperature differences

The collision-induced O2 complex, O2O2, is a very important trace gas for understanding remote sensing measurements of aerosols, cloud properties and atmospheric trace gases. Many ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of the O2O2 optical depth require correction factors of 0.75 ± 0.1 to reproduce radiative transfer modeling (RTM) results for a nearly pure Rayleigh atmosphere. One of the potential causes of this discrepancy is uncertainty in laboratory-measured O2O2 absorption cross section temperature and pressure dependencies due to difficulties in replicating atmospheric conditions in the laboratory environment. This paper presents ground-based direct-sun (DS) and airborne multi-axis (AMAX) DOAS measurements of O2O2 absorption optical depths under actual atmospheric conditions in two wavelength regions (335–390 and 435–490 nm). DS irradiance measurements were made by the Washington State University research-grade Multi-Function Differential Spectroscopy Instrument instrument from 2007 to 2014 at seven sites with significant pressure (778 to 1013 hPa) and O2O2 profile-weighted temperature (247 to 275 K) differences. Aircraft MAX-DOAS measurements were conducted by the University of Colorado (CU) AMAX-DOAS instrument on 29 January 2012 over the Southern Hemispheric subtropical Pacific Ocean. Scattered solar radiance spectra were collected at altitudes between 9 and 13.2 km, with O2O2 profile-weighted temperatures of 231 to 244 K and nearly pure Rayleigh scattering conditions. Due to the well-defined DS air-mass factors during ground-based measurements and extensively characterized atmospheric conditions during the aircraft AMAX-DOAS measurements, O2O2 "pseudo" absorption cross sections, σ, are derived from the observed optical depths and estimated O2O2 column densities. Vertical O2O2 columns are calculated from the atmospheric sounding temperature, pressure and specific humidity profiles. Based on the ground-based atmospheric DS observations, there is no pressure dependence of the O2O2 σ within the measurement errors (3%). Two data sets are combined to derive the peak σ temperature dependence of the 360 and 477 nm dimer absorption bands from 231 to 275 K. DS and AMAX-derived peak σ ( O2O2) as a function of T can be described by a quadratic function at 360 nm and linear function at 477 nm with about 9% ± 2.5% per 44 K rate. Recent laboratory-measured O2O2 cross sections by Thalman and Volkamer (2013) agree with these "DOAS apparent" peak σ( O2O2) at 233, 253 and 273 K within 3%. Changes in the O2O2 spectral band shape at colder temperatures are observed for the first time in field data. Temperature effects on spectral band shapes can introduce errors in the retrieved O2O2 column abundances if a single room temperature σ( O2O2) is used in the DOAS analysis. Simultaneous fitting of σ( O2O2) at temperatures that bracket the ambient temperature range can reduce such errors. Our results show that laboratory-measured σ( O2O2) (Hermans, 2011, at 296 K and Thalman and Volkamer, 2013) are applicable for observations over a wide range of atmospheric conditions. Column densities derived using Hermans (2011) σ at 296 K require very small correction factors (0.94 ± 0.02 at 231 K and 0.99 ± 0.02 at 275 K) to reproduce theoretically calculated slant column densities for DS and AMAX-DOAS measurements. Simultaneous fitting of σ( O2O2) at 203 and 293 K further improved the results at UV and visible wavelengths for AMAX-DOAS

Clinical and evolutive features of gouty arthritis

Introduction. Gout is a disease that may be associated with different comorbidities, which causes difficulties in their management and appreciation of clinical manifestations. The objective of the study was to analyse the clinical and evolution peculiarities in patients with gout, from different age groups. Material and methods. A descriptive, selective study of 237 patients with gout (mean age of men 60±8.0 years and 63±9.0 years in women) was conducted. The diagnosis of gout was carried out according to the American College of Rheumatology and European League Against Rheumatism 2015 criteria. The patients were separated into two groups, depending on the age at the gout onset: 60 years (group II, 146 patients). The raw data were processed in SPSS version 26.0. Results. The mean duration of the disease was comparable in both groups: 11 [7.6; 18.6] years (from 1 month to 23.7 years (p = 0.7) in group I and 11.3 [8.3; 14] years (from 1.6 years to 21.8 years) in group II. The equivalent duration of arthritis allowed comparing the characteristics of evolution in the groups. The chronic form of gout arthritis was slightly more common in group II than in group I, with significant differences (24% and 34%, p<0.01). Conclusions. With the increase of age, the frequency of risk factors for gout increases: taking small doses of acetylsalicylic acid increases from 6 to 40%, diuretics from 18 to 44%, alcohol intake from 14 to 28%, hypertension from 44 to 78%, consumption of saturated foods with purine from 51 to 68%, overweight and obesity from 58 to 76% in the groups of patients with gout onset at the age less then 60 years and 60 years and more

NO₂ and HCHO measurements in Korea from 2012 to 2016 from Pandora spectrometer instruments compared with OMI retrievals and with aircraft measurements during the KORUS-AQ campaign

Nine Pandora spectrometer instruments (PSI) were installed at eight sites in South Korea as part of the KORUS-AQ (Korea U.S.-Air Quality) field study integrating information from ground, aircraft, and satellite measurements for validation of remote sensing air-quality studies. The PSI made direct-sun measurements of total vertical column NO2, C(NO2), with high precision (0.05&thinsp;DU, where 1&thinsp;DU&thinsp; = 2.69&thinsp;×&thinsp;1016&thinsp;molecules&thinsp;cm−2) and accuracy (0.1&thinsp;DU) that were retrieved using spectral fitting techniques. Retrieval of formaldehyde C(HCHO) total column amounts were also obtained at five sites using the recently improved PSI optics. The C(HCHO) retrievals have high precision, but possibly lower accuracy than for NO2 because of uncertainty about the optimum spectral window for all ground-based and satellite instruments. PSI direct-sun retrieved values for C(NO2) and C(HCHO) are always significantly larger than OMI (AURA satellite Ozone Monitoring Instrument) retrieved C(NO2) and C(HCHO) for the OMI overpass local times (KST = 13.5&thinsp;±&thinsp;0.5&thinsp;h). In urban areas, PSI C(NO2) 30-day running averages are at least a factor of two larger than OMI averages. Similar differences are seen for C(HCHO) in Seoul and nearby surrounding areas. Late afternoon values of C(HCHO) measured by PSI are even larger, implying that OMI early afternoon measurements underestimate the effect of poor air quality on human health. The primary cause of OMI underestimates is the large OMI field of view (FOV) that includes regions containing low values of pollutants. In relatively clean areas, PSI and OMI are more closely in agreement. C(HCHO) amounts were obtained for five sites, Yonsei University in Seoul, Olympic Park, Taehwa Mountain, Amnyeondo, and Yeoju. Of these, the largest amounts of C(HCHO) were observed at Olympic Park and Taehwa Mountain, surrounded by significant amounts of vegetation. Comparisons of PSI C(HCHO) results were made with the Compact Atmospheric Multispecies Spectrometer CAMS during overflights on the DC-8 aircraft for Taehwa Mountain and Olympic Park. In all cases, PSI measured substantially more C(HCHO) than obtained from integrating the CAMS altitude profiles. PSI C(HCHO) at Yonsei University in Seoul frequently reached 0.6&thinsp;DU and occasionally exceeded 1.5&thinsp;DU. The semi-rural site, Taehwa Mountain, frequently reached 0.9&thinsp;DU and occasionally exceeded 1.5&thinsp;DU. Even at the cleanest site, Amnyeondo, C(HCHO) occasionally exceeded 1&thinsp;DU.</p

Comparisons of spectral aerosol single scattering albedo in Seoul, South Korea

Quantifying aerosol absorption at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths is important for monitoring air pollution and aerosol amounts using current (e.g., Aura/OMI) and future (e.g., TROPOMI, TEMPO, GEMS, and Sentinel-4) satellite measurements. Measurements of column average atmospheric aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) are performed on the ground by the NASA AERONET in the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths and in the UV-VIS-NIR by the SKYNET networks. Previous comparison studies have focused on VIS and NIR wavelengths due to the lack of co-incident measurements of aerosol and gaseous absorption properties in the UV. This study compares the SKYNET-retrieved SSA in the UV with the SSA derived from a combination of AERONET, MFRSR, and Pandora (AMP) retrievals in Seoul, South Korea, in spring and summer 2016. The results show that the spectrally invariant surface albedo assumed in the SKYNET SSA retrievals leads to underestimated SSA compared to AMP values at near UV wavelengths. Re-processed SKYNET inversions using spectrally varying surface albedo, consistent with the AERONET retrieval improve agreement with AMP SSA. The combined AMP inversions allow for separating aerosol and gaseous (NO2 and O3) absorption and provide aerosol retrievals from the shortest UVB (305 nm) through VIS to NIR wavelengths (870 nm)

On the effect of sea breeze regime on aerosols and gases properties in the urban area of Rome, Italy

Several ground-based remote sensing and in-situ instruments were used to investigate the development of the sea-breeze front and its effect on both the optical and physical aerosol properties, the Particulate Matter (PM) content and the tropospheric and near-surface NO2 concentrations. Most of the instruments belongs to the Boundary-layer Air Quality-analysis Using Network of Instruments (BAQUNIN) supersite, in the urban area of Rome (Italy). Two characteristic sea-breeze patterns were identified: the front days, in which the sea-breeze front develops in a few minutes, and the gentle breeze days, in which the onset of the front is gradual (more than 20 min). In the case of front days, Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) increases during the onset of the breeze. The Ångström Exponent (AE), tropospheric and near surface NO2 amounts are almost constant during the day, while the aerosols volume size distribution follows a trimodal distribution. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations decrease before the development of the sea-breeze front and then increase. Conversely, during gentle breeze days, AOD and AE do not change significantly. The tropospheric and near surface amount of NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations decrease, suggesting a significant dispersion of pollutants, while the aerosol size distribution shows a trimodal predominance