A New Sidelobe Correction Algorithm for Microwave Radiometers: Application to the Envisat Instrument

The antenna temperature measured by a microwave radiometer is converted in brightness temperature (TB) by removing the different contributions that do not come from the main lobe of the antenna. Among them, the Earth contribution in the sidelobes may be significant as for the Environmental Satellite mission due to the antenna position on the platform. In such a case, simple corrections commonly applied on previous altimetry missions are inadequate, and a more accurate correction should be determined. We propose in this paper a new method based on global seasonal tables of contamination. This allows application of an accurate sidelobe correction in space and time in the retrieved TB computation     

F. Holland Day's ‘Nubians’

Abstract

In the October 1897 issue of his newly-founded journal, Camera Notes, Alfred Stieglitz began to publish a remarkable series of ‘Nubian’ portraits. They were by F. Holland Day, the Boston photographer whose innovative and dramatic images of young women had already established his reputation internationally. Greatly admired by Stieglitz, Day's ‘Nubian’ series was afforded the most painstaking attention, and reproduced in the expensive process of photogravure.     

The Project Involvement Index,psychological distress,and psychological well-being: Comparing workers from projectized and non-projectized organizations

It is important to understand the extent to which project involvement affects mental health. As projects and project management expand beyond traditional fields, it is also important to compare project involvement and mental health across settings that vary in terms of management structure. This study is the first to validate a Project Involvement Index (PII) useful in various settings to understand how workload relates to mental health defined as high psychological well-being and low psychological distress. Our results demonstrate that the PII is parsimonious measure showing reliability, predictive validity, and discriminant validity. Furthermore, results show that people involved in projects from a non-projectized organization show less mental health than those from a projectized organization.     

Measurement of fat and moisture in air-dried bread by near infrared reflectance

Near infrared calibrations have been derived and used routinely for a year in the measurement of fat and moisture in air-dried bread. First and second derivative calibrations were obtained using a Pacific Scientific mark II scanning spectrophotometer on samples sent from all over South Africa to the Wheat Board for analysis. Prediction analysis performed on further bread samples gave standard errors of prediction (s.e.p.) of 0.12% fat and 0.13% moisture.     

Which persistent organic pollutants can we map in soil using a large spacing systematic soil monitoring design? A case study in Northern France

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) impact upon human and animal health and the wider environment. It is important to determine where POPs are found and the spatial pattern of POP variation. The concentrations of 90 molecules which are members of four families of POPs and two families of herbicides were measured within a region of Northern France as part of the French National Soil Monitoring Network (RMQS: Réseau de Mesures de la Qualité des Sols). We also gather information on five covariates (elevation, soil organic carbon content, road density, land cover and population density) which might influence POP concentrations. The study region contains 105 RMQS observation sites arranged on a regular square grid with spacing of 16 km. The observations include hot-spots at sites of POP application, smaller concentrations where POPs have been dispersed and observations less than the limit of quantification (LOQ) where the soil has not been impacted by POPs. Fifty nine of the molecules were detected at less than 50 sites and hence the data were unsuitable for spatial analyses. We represent the variation of the remaining 31 molecules by various linear mixed models which can include fixed effects (i.e. linear relationships between the molecule concentrations and covariates) and spatially correlated random effects. The best model for each molecule is selected by the Akaike Information Criterion. For nine of the molecules, spatial correlation is evident and hence they can potentially be mapped. For four of these molecules, the spatial correlation cannot be wholly explained by fixed effects. It appears that these molecules have been transported away from their application sites and are now dispersed across the study region with the largest concentrations found in a heavily populated depression. More complicated statistical models and sampling designs are required to explain the distribution of the less dispersed molecules.