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A reliable determination of equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations derived from filter absorption photometers (FAPs) measurements depends on the appropriate quantification of the mass absorption cross-section (MAC) for converting the absorption coefficient (babs) to eBC. This study investigates the spatial-temporal variability of the MAC obtained from simultaneous elemental carbon (EC) and babs measurements performed at 22 sites. We compared different methodologies for retrieving eBC integrating different options for calculating MAC including: locally derived, median value calculated from 22 sites, and site-specific rolling MAC. The eBC concentrations that underwent correction using these methods were identified as LeBC (local MAC), MeBC (median MAC), and ReBC (Rolling MAC) respectively. Pronounced differences (up to more than 50 %) were observed between eBC as directly provided by FAPs (NeBC; Nominal instrumental MAC) and ReBC due to the differences observed between the experimental and nominal MAC values. The median MAC was 7.8 ± 3.4 m2 g-1 from 12 aethalometers at 880 nm, and 10.6 ± 4.7 m2 g-1 from 10 MAAPs at 637 nm. The experimental MAC showed significant site and seasonal dependencies, with heterogeneous patterns between summer and winter in different regions. In addition, long-term trend analysis revealed statistically significant (s.s.) decreasing trends in EC. Interestingly, we showed that the corresponding corrected eBC trends are not independent of the way eBC is calculated due to the variability of MAC. NeBC and EC decreasing trends were consistent at sites with no significant trend in experimental MAC. Conversely, where MAC showed s.s. trend, the NeBC and EC trends were not consistent while ReBC concentration followed the same pattern as EC. These results underscore the importance of accounting for MAC variations when deriving eBC measurements from FAPs and emphasize the necessity of incorporating EC observations to constrain the uncertainty

This study analyzed the variability of equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations and their sources in urban Europe to provide insights into the use of eBC as an advanced air quality (AQ) parameter for AQ standards. This study compiled eBC mass concentration datasets covering the period between 2006 and 2022 from 50 measurement stations, including 23 urban background (UB), 18 traffic (TR), 7 suburban (SUB), and 2 regional background (RB) sites. The results highlighted the need for the harmonization of eBC measurements to allow for direct comparisons between eBC mass concentrations measured across urban Europe. The eBC mass concentrations exhibited a decreasing trend as follows: TR > UB > SUB > RB. Furthermore, a clear decreasing trend in eBC concentrations was observed in the UB sites moving from Southern to Northern Europe. The eBC mass concentrations exhibited significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, including marked differences in eBC mass concentration and variable contributions of pollution sources to bulk eBC between different cities. Seasonal patterns in eBC concentrations were also evident, with higher winter concentrations observed in a large proportion of cities, especially at UB and SUB sites. The contribution of eBC from fossil fuel combustion, mostly traffic (eBCT) was higher than that of residential and commercial sources (eBCRC) in all European sites studied. Nevertheless, eBCRC still had a substantial contribution to total eBC mass concentrations at a majority of the sites. eBC trend analysis revealed decreasing trends for eBCT over the last decade, while eBCRC remained relatively constant or even increased slightly in some cities.

This study analyzed the variability of equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations and their sources in urban Europe to provide insights into the use of eBC as an advanced air quality (AQ) parameter for AQ standards. This study compiled eBC mass concentration datasets covering the period between 2006 and 2022 from 50 measurement stations, including 23 urban background (UB), 18 traffic (TR), 7 suburban (SUB), and 2 regional background (RB) sites. The results highlighted the need for the harmonization of eBC measurements to allow for direct comparisons between eBC mass concentrations measured across urban Europe. The eBC mass concentrations exhibited a decreasing trend as follows: TR > UB > SUB > RB. Furthermore, a clear decreasing trend in eBC concentrations was observed in the UB sites moving from Southern to Northern Europe. The eBC mass concentrations exhibited significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, including marked differences in eBC mass concentration and variable contributions of pollution sources to bulk eBC between different cities. Seasonal patterns in eBC concentrations were also evident, with higher winter concentrations observed in a large proportion of cities, especially at UB and SUB sites. The contribution of eBC from fossil fuel combustion, mostly traffic (eBCT) was higher than that of residential and commercial sources (eBCRC) in all European sites studied. Nevertheless, eBCRC still had a substantial contribution to total eBC mass concentrations at a majority of the sites. eBC trend analysis revealed decreasing trends for eBCT over the last decade, while eBCRC remained relatively constant or even increased slightly in some cities., This study is supported by the RI-URBANS project (Research Infrastructures Services Reinforcing Air Quality Monitoring Capacities in European Urban & Industrial Areas, European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, Green Deal, European Commission, contract 101036245). RI-URBANS is implementing the ACTRIS (https://actris.eu/) strategy for the development of services for improving air quality in Europe. The authors would like to also thank the support from “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the project CAIAC (PID2019-108990RB-I00) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR, SGR-447) M. Savadkoohi would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for her FPI grant (PRE-2020-095498). This study is also part funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, a partnership between UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Imperial College London, and the UK Natural Environment Research Council. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, UKHSA or the Department of Health and Social Care. The measurements in Stockholm (SE) were funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The work performed in Rome (IT) was supported by ARPA Lazio, the regional Environmental Protection Agency. This work was also carried out through the Core Program within the Romanian National Research Development and Innovation Plan 2022-2027, with the support of MCID, project no. PN 23 05 and through the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Programme 2014–2020, Action 1.1.3 Creating synergies with H2020 Programme, project Strengthen the participation of the ACTRIS-RO consortium in the pan-European research infrastructure ACTRIS, ACTRIS-ROC, MYSMIS code 107596 (ctr. no.337/2021). Measurements at Granada urban station were possible thanks to the “Agencia Es, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

[Resumen] Uno de los principales fenómenos a evitar en los sistemas con muestreo por umbrales fijos es la aparición de ciclos límite. Existe bibliografía sobre cómo evitarlos usando técnicas clásicas de análisis, sin embargo, dichos trabajos no tienen en cuenta el efecto de las señales que intervienen en el bucle sobre la robustez del sistema. En este trabajo se presenta una metodología que permite a un controlador por eventos del tipo SSOD-PI resintonizarse de forma dinámica para evitar oscilaciones de ciclo límite generadas por perturbaciones de tipo rampa., [Abstract] One of the main phenomena to avoid in systems sampled with fixed threshold samplers is the appearance of limit cycle oscillations. There is extensive literature on how to avoid them using classical analysis techniques, however, these works do not take into account the effect of the signals involved in the loop on the robustness of the system. This paper presents a methodology that allows the controller to dynamically retune itself to avoid limit cycle oscillations generated by ramp-type disturbances.

El presente trabajo se origina como consecuencia de una solicitud realizada para poner en valor y crear una empresa basada en la tecnología LiDAR sobre la que están investigando y sobre la que hay una serie de inversores potenciales interesados en ella. Para ello necesitan un plan de negocio y una valoración de su proyecto con el que poder negociar con los posibles inversores. Este trabajo se ha dividido en dos partes: plan de negocio (comportamiento de la empresa cualitativa y cuantitativamente durante los próximos años y bajo un escenario definido) y la valoración (se centrará en el proceso de valoración y se establecerá un rango de valor razonable para el proyecto de dicha compañía).

I dagens samhälle genereras en stor mängd avfall, där stora delar av avfallen förbränns vilket inte är gynnsamt för vare sig miljön eller klimatet. Därför finns det idag ett stort behov av klimatsmarta metoder där avfallen kan användas till att producera produkter som kan motverka klimatförändringar. Största delen av avfallen som genereras kommer från större företag som till exempel IKEA och de är i ständigt behov av nya metoder för att kunna använda sina avfall till klimatsmarta resurser. Att producera biokol av avfallen är en sådan klimatsmart metod, där biokolet är en hållbar produkt som både motverkar klimatförändringar och andra miljöproblem såsom övergödning. I denna rapport undersöktes två avfallsfraktioner från IKEA, vilka var Dust2k och Hogger. Det som undersöktes var hur lämpliga avfallsfraktionerna från IKEA är för produktion av biokol som skulle kunna appliceras i jordbruket samt hur denna lämplighet påverkas av avfallsfraktion och processförhållanden som används under pyrolysen. För att besvara frågeställningarna utfördes pyrolys på avfallsfraktionerna vid pyrolystemperaturerna 550℃ och 750℃, vilket gav fyra olika prover av biokol. Dessa prov analyserades med ett antal analysmetoder för att avgöra biokolets lämplighet som jordförbättrare och för att motverka klimatförändringar. De analyser som utfördes var elementaranalys, pH-mätning, termogravimetrisk analys (TGA), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) och svepelektronmikroskopi (SEM). Från pyrolysen och TGA kunde utbytet bestämmas, vilket uppgick till över 20% för samtliga prov. Elementaranalysen visade att biokol producerat av Hogger vid 900°C uppfyllde de EBC-krav som analyserades. Genom att mäta pH på avfallsfraktionerna samt biokolen gick det att se att pH höjdes under pyrolysen. Från BET och SEM erhölls information om porositet, ledningsförmåga och ytarea. Porositeten ökade med temperaturen och ledningsförmågan var högre för biokolet än biomassan. Ytarean låg mellan 347,2 m2/g och 422,8 m2/g och porvolymen

The current dissertation examined neurological and behavioral approaches to studying the development of large-scale spatial cognition and its underlying neurobiology in young children. Study one reviewed the literature on the development of the neurobiology of spatial navigation and reorientation, including the hippocampus and the parahippocampal, parietal, and prefrontal cortices, and discussed how researchers can overcome the challenges of studying these brain-behavior relations in young children. One solution, I propose, is to employ a hippocampal-dependent form of associative learning known as Pavlovian Trace Eyeblink Conditioning (EBC) to assess hippocampal functioning indirectly and safely in pediatric populations. For the following two empirical studies, children between the ages of four and six years completed three structural magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI), a hippocampal-dependent eyeblink conditioning paradigm, a spatial reorientation test, a left-right assessment, the Boehm-3 Preschool Test of Basic Concepts, and two control tasks, the Children’s Mental Transformation Task (CMTT) and the NIH Toolbox Pattern Comparison Processing vii Speed (PCPS) Test. Study two (N=31) examined the validity of using a child-friendly, hippocampal-dependent measure of associative learning (i.e., trace EBC) as a proxy for hippocampal function and efficiency. Results revealed that individual differences in greater neurite density of the bilateral hippocampus, but not the cerebellum, predicted later, and thus more efficient, timing of learned associations between auditory and tactile stimuli. Study three (N=39) investigated the role of spatial language on children’s spatial reorientation strategies and outcomes. Findings showed that, independent of age, children who could comprehend relative locations such as left and right, as opposed to general relational concepts, were better at encoding the geometry of a room to recall the location of a hidden object after being dis

[Resumen] En este artículo se presenta un estudio sobre el efecto en la robustez y en la generación de eventos de los diferentes métodos de muestreo empleados en el control basado en eventos, a saber, el muestreo por cuantificación regular y el muestreo por cruce de niveles simétricos. Además, se propone como alternativa un nuevo método de muestreo a medio camino entre los anteriores, el cual ofrece un buen compromiso entre robustez y sobrecarga en la generación de eventos., [Abstract] In this paper a study of the effect on the robustness and the event generation of different sampling methods usually used in event-based control is presented. These methods, namely the regular quantifier and the symmetric-send-on-delta, have some disadvantages that are tried to be resolved by the new sampling method proposed in this paper, which offers a good balance between robustness and event bursts.

Cities are responsible for more than 70 % of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, cities can play a major part within the CO2 emission reduction goals of the Paris agreement. Lack of technical knowledge and solutions has often been seen as major challenge for energy efficiency implementation. However, findings of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Annex 51 – Case Studies & Guidelines for Energy Efficient Communities – showed that the primary challenges result from inefficient organizational processes and unsupportive framework for implementation. Thus, solutions have to be found how the energy and urban planning can act more efficiently to successfully support the implementation of energy strategies within urban areas. Within the IEA Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Program, the Annex 63 – Implementation of Energy Strategies in Communities – aims at giving recommendations for an optimized energy and urban planning process to support decision makers as well as planners. Therefore, existing legal frameworks, processes and case studies within energy planning in communities were analysed. This paper shows first results of the Annex 63 to serve as orientation for decision makers and other interested persons in the field of urban energy planning.

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 120 (2015): 7237–7252, doi:10.1002/2015JC010969., This study examines the seasonal cycle of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and its eastern boundary contributions. The cycle has a magnitude of 6 Sv, as measured by the RAPID/MOCHA/WBTS project array at 26°N, which is driven largely by the eastern boundary. The eastern boundary variations are explored in the context of the regional circulation around the Canary Islands. There is a 3 month lag between maximum wind forcing and the largest eastern boundary transports, which is explained in terms of a model for Rossby wave generated at the eastern boundary. Two dynamic processes take place through the Lanzarote Passage (LP) in fall: the recirculation of the Canary Current and the northward flow of the Intermediate Poleward Undercurrent. In contrast, during the remaining seasons the transport through the LP is southward due to the Canary Upwelling Current. These processes are linked to the seasonal cycle of the AMOC., The first author would like to thank the Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI) grant program of Apoyo al Personal Investigador en Formación. This study has been performed as part of the Instituto Español de Oceanografía RAPROCAN Project, and as part of the SeVaCan project (CTM2013-48695) from the Ministerio de Economía y Competividad. The 26°N array is a collaborative effort supported through the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) RAPID-WATCH program, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Meridional Overturning Circulation Heat-flux Array project, and the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Western Boundary Time Series project., 2016-05-07

Asthma is a common chronic disorder of the airways that involves a complex interaction of airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and underlying airway inflammation. It is increasingly clear that asthma is a heterogeneous group of conditions (phenotypes) with common symptoms. The underlying mechanisms of different phenotypes are not clearly understood and the treatment responsiveness and causative factors are likely to vary between phenotypes. The increasing interest in airway inflammatory biomarkers assessment has led to the development and evolution of tools to measure these biomarkers which identify various asthma phenotypes. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a totally non-invasive, easy to perform, feasible and inexpensive method for sampling lung and airways fluid, which reflects the airway epithelial lining fluid (ELF). EBC comprises a variety of airway inflammatory mediators, such as oxidative stress and pH, which provides non-invasive indicators of ongoing biochemical and inflammatory activity in the airways. Although EBC samples the entire respiratory tract from the mouth to the alveoli, the precise origin of each sampled molecule cannot be determined. A number of studies have assessed the relationship between EBC biomarkers and adult airway diseases, such as asthma. However, these studies have had limited sample sizes and, as a result, were unable to compare associations between numerous phenotypes of airway diseases. It remains possible that the associations with EBC biomarkers may change with age, but this has not been examined in a single study using the same methods. Furthermore, previous studies have been conducted in clinical populations rather than epidemiologic settings. Therefore, the overall aim of this PhD research was to assess the associations between oxidative stress biomarkers and pH in EBC and asthma phenotypes, rhinitis phenotypes, atopic sensitisation, lung function and objective markers of airway inflammation, including bronc

Existe una serie de razones psicológicas, sociales y económicas que nos han impulsado a actuar de modo poco correcto, siendo una opción que ya no es válida bajo ninguna perspectiva y crea la urgente necesidad y responsabilidad ética de avalar, secundar y suscribir el cambio de paradigma global por parte de nuestras profesiones, apoyando a empresas con criterios claros de utilidad social. Es necesario, por tanto, revisar los códigos deontológicos de cada una de nuestras profesiones (diseñador gráfico, ilustrador, concept artist, etc.) para identificar el cambio de trayectoria, acelerar y favorecer una evolución hacia una sociedad más ética y respetuosa.

本稿では三次元物体の姿勢パラメータを二次元画像から高速に推定する方法として,EbC(Estimation-by-Completion)法を提案する.EbC法は,アピアランスベース姿勢推定を,画像に埋め込まれた情報トラックの復元という問題としてとらえ,固有空間法による学習結果を基にBPLP法で画像補完することで情報トラックを復元し,パラメータ推定を実現する.また,画像補完とパラメータ推定の計算を二枚の画像(EbC画像対)に集約し,各パラメータの推定を画像の内積演算と簡単な三角関数のみで実現するため,パラメータ推定を高速に行うことができる.実験では,鉛直軸周りの回転と画像面での並進の3自由度の姿勢パラメータ推定結果を示し,EbC法の精度と計算コストについて述べる., In this paper, we propose a method called EbC, Estimation-by-Completion, a high speed estimation of pose parameters of a three-dimensional object in an image. For appearance-based pose estimation, EbC method introduces the concept of information track that represents the parameters embedded into image samples. The pose parameters are estimated by the completion of the information track with BPLP method, an image interpolation technique with eigenspace learning. EbC integrates the completion of the information track and the estimation of the parameters into pairs of two images, called EbC image pairs, and performs quickly the estimation by few inner products of images. Experimental results for pose estimation results of three degree of freedoms, rotation about vertical axis and horizontal and vertical translations, show the accuracy, and calculation cost of EbC method is described., MIRU2006 画像の認識・理解シンポジウム インタラクティブセッション優秀賞受賞

MIRU 2006 画像の認識・理解シンポジウム, ポスター ; 開催日時 : 2006年7月19-21日 ; 開催場所 : 仙台, MIRU2006 画像の認識・理解シンポジウム インタラクティブセッション優秀賞受賞

© 2016 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 licenseLung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Early LC diagnosis is crucial to reduce the high case fatality rate of this disease. In this case–control study, we developed an accurate LC diagnosis test using retrospectively collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human lung tissues and prospectively collected exhaled breath condensates (EBCs). Following international guidelines for diagnostic methods with clinical application, reproducible standard operating procedures (SOP) were established for every step comprising our LC diagnosis method. We analyzed the expression of distinct mRNAs expressed from GATA6 and NKX2-1, key regulators of lung development. The Em/Ad expression ratios of GATA6 and NKX2-1 detected in EBCs were combined using linear kernel support vector machines (SVM) into the LC score, which can be used for LC detection. LC score-based diagnosis achieved a high performance in an independent validation cohort. We propose our method as a non-invasive, accurate, and low-price option to complement the success of computed tomography imaging (CT) and chest X-ray (CXR) for LC diagnosis.

© 2016 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 licenseLung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Early LC diagnosis is crucial to reduce the high case fatality rate of this disease. In this case–control study, we developed an accurate LC diagnosis test using retrospectively collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human lung tissues and prospectively collected exhaled breath condensates (EBCs). Following international guidelines for diagnostic methods with clinical application, reproducible standard operating procedures (SOP) were established for every step comprising our LC diagnosis method. We analyzed the expression of distinct mRNAs expressed from GATA6 and NKX2-1, key regulators of lung development. The Em/Ad expression ratios of GATA6 and NKX2-1 detected in EBCs were combined using linear kernel support vector machines (SVM) into the LC score, which can be used for LC detection. LC score-based diagnosis achieved a high performance in an independent validation cohort. We propose our method as a non-invasive, accurate, and low-price option to complement the success of computed tomography imaging (CT) and chest X-ray (CXR) for LC diagnosis.