Simulation of satellite water vapour lidar measurements: Performance assessment under real atmospheric conditions

A lidar simulator has been applied to assess the performances of a satellite water vapour differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system. Measurements performed by the airborne Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR) water vapour DIAL on 15 May 2002 during ESA's Water Vapour Lidar Experiment (WALEX), in combination with PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) output, were used to obtain backscatter and water vapour fields with high resolution and accuracy. These data and model output serve as input for the simulator, allowing for the performance of satellite DIAL under highly-inhomogeneous atmospheric conditions including clouds to be assessed. The airborne measurements show an intrusion of stratospheric air into the troposphere, and MM5 data used above the DLR Falcon airplane flight altitude are characterized by very high upper tropospheric humidity levels, comparable to those associated with strong mid-latitude transport events from the troposphere to the lowermost stratosphere. Results of the simulator reveal that the maximum systematic error does not exceed 5% up to 16 km, except in the presence of thick cirrus and mid level clouds with an optical thickness up to 2 and, occasionally, inside the dry stratospheric intrusion, while the random error is less than 20% up to 16 km when spatial measurement resolutions are applied that follow the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) threshold observational requirements for numerical weather prediction (NWP). The bias is even smaller if a drier upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) region from a reference atmosphere is considered. The results confirm the capability of satellite water vapour DIAL systems to retrieve thin structures of the tropospheric water vapour and particle backscatter fields, as well as its capability to provide low bias and random error measurements even in the presence of clouds.     

Radical scavenging activity, anti-bacterial and mutagenic effects of cocoa bean Maillard reaction products with degree of roasting

Raw, pre-roasted and roasted Cocoa samples were separated into four different molecular weight fractions (> 30, 30-10, 10-5 and < 5 kDa) with ultrafiltration and tested for their antibacterial, mutagenic, as well as their radical-scavenging effects. Radical-scavenging effects were tested with electro paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, anti-mutagenicity in the Salmonella microsome assay (with and without metabolic activation), and antibacterial effects by incubating the fractions with several strains of Bifidobacteria, Enterobacter and Escherichia, and observing their growth. The radical-scavenging activity and reducing substance concentrations increased, particularly in the 5-10-kDa roasted fraction. Chromaticity testing elucidated that the 10-5-kDa fraction was one of the darkest fractions. The Salmonella microsome assay showed neither mutagenic nor anti-mutagenic effects in any of the samples at any of the different concentrations applied when using TA98, TA100 and TA102. All fractions reduced the growth of pathogenic bacteria, in particular at the highest concentration of 100 microg/mL; however, the same trends were also observed for Bifidobacteria.     

Mitral annulus size in isolated mitral stenosis

M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic images were obtained using the planimeter method in the short axis view and calculated by Doppler-derived pressure half-time in 24 patients with mitral stenosis before and after surgical commissurotomy and posterior annuloplasty. The diameter of the mitral valve annulus was measured in the standard long axis view and in the apical four-chamber view using two-dimensional echocardiography. Preoperatively, the mitral annulus was dilated in all patients as a consequence of left atrial dilation. This could be one of the factors causing residual regurgitation after surgical mitral commissurotomy. However, more data are needed to demonstrate that annuloplasty can prevent the development of mitral regurgitation after surgery.     

Flexible Live‐Wire: Image Segmentation with Floating Anchors

We introduce Flexible Live‐Wire, a generalization of the Live‐Wire interactive segmentation technique with floating anchors. In our approach, the user input for Live‐Wire is no longer limited to the setting of pixel‐level anchor nodes, but can use more general anchor sets. These sets can be of any dimension, size, or connectedness. The generality of the approach allows the design of a number of user interactions while providing the same functionality as the traditional Live‐Wire. In particular, we experiment with this new flexibility by designing four novel Live‐Wire interactions based on specific primitives: paint, pinch, probable, and pick anchors. These interactions are only a subset of the possibilities enabled by our generalization. Moreover, we discuss the computational aspects of this approach and provide practical solutions to alleviate any additional overhead. Finally, we illustrate our approach and new interactions through several example segmentations.     

Geochemistry of two peats suitable for medical uses and their behaviour during leaching

The compositional characteristics of two peats, from Austria and Italy, have been studied. The Massaciuccoli peat shows a high quantity of trace elements (Br, Cd, Mo, Se, U, As and Sb) with respect to the average shale, whereas the Neydharting peat contains more Br, Se and U. Since the therapeutic properties of peats are broad and interesting, the mobility of trace elements (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se, Te and Tl) used for pelotherapy, during water leaching and after Na exchange, have been checked. The data concerning the leaching procedure indicate that the analysed peats are rather stable materials under laboratory conditions. Although the concentration of some toxic elements (As, Se, Cd and Hg) in bulk peats are of the same order of magnitude as in muds used in pelotherapy, the release after similar leaching is lesser. The higher release from muds could be explained by the high exchange capacity of smectite minerals. These minerals are characterised by low cation selectivity because the chemical interactions between smectite and sorbed species is mainly ionic. On the other hand, the cation–organic matter interactions can establish a higher degree of covalent bonds, that are more stable during the interactions developed with leaching. An additional possibility can be considered taking into account the genetic conditions of peat formation. In the upper part, the acidic and oxidising conditions cause the depletion of mobile elements. This process can be seen as a natural cleaning, which occurs under relatively strong conditions compared to the use during medical treatments.     

Biochar-containing construction materials for electromagnetic shielding in the microwave frequency region: the importance of water content

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Electromagnetic waves in the X-band (8.2–12.4&nbsp;GHz frequency) are used for radar, satellite communication, and, in some countries, for...     

3‐Aminoazetidin‐2‐one Derivatives as N‐Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase (NAAA) Inhibitors Suitable for Systemic Administration

N‐Acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) is a cysteine hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of endogenous lipid mediators such as palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). PEA has been shown to exert anti‐inflammatory and antinociceptive effects in animals by engaging peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α (PPAR‐α). Thus, preventing PEA degradation by inhibiting NAAA may provide a novel approach for the treatment of pain and inflammatory states. Recently, 3‐aminooxetan‐2‐one compounds were identified as a class of highly potent NAAA inhibitors. The utility of these compounds is limited, however, by their low chemical and plasma stabilities. In the present study, we synthesized and tested a series of N‐(2‐oxoazetidin‐3‐yl)amides as a novel class of NAAA inhibitors with good potency and improved physicochemical properties, suitable for systemic administration. Moreover, we elucidated the main structural features of 3‐aminoazetidin‐2‐one derivatives that are critical for NAAA inhibition.     

在陕南利用本土树种进行人工造林研究介绍

 在陕南秦岭山区的在摞荒地,用本土树种进行人工造林研究。在田间实验中,通过在2个地点（一个清除植被,一个没有清除植被）比较4个树种（中国杉、栓皮栎、山东槭树、中国榛树）的优劣程度,并在种植后一年,用树种存活量和高度来评价实验是否成功。结果显示,所有调查树种的成活率是令人满意的,然后高度不十分理想。由于中国杉种植在好的母质上,它的高度是非常合理的,然而栓皮栎和山东槭树很矮。另一方面,由于中国榛树嫩枝枯死,导致它的嫩枝数量呈减少趋势。竞争植被的砍伐对存活量和高度没有重要影响。长时期的调查将为用本土树种进行人工造林提供可靠的数据支持。