GridRM: an extensible resource monitoring system

GridRM is an open and extensible resource monitoring system, based on the Global Grid Forum's Grid Monitoring Architecture (GMA). GridRM is not intended to interact with applications; rather it is designed to monitor the resources that an application may use. This paper focuses on the dynamic driver infrastructure used by GridRM to interact with heterogeneous data sources, such as SNMP or Ganglia agents, and how it provides a homogeneous view of the underlying heterogeneous data. This paper discusses the local infrastructure and details work implementing and deploying a number of drivers.

Generating VRS data using atmospheric models: How far can we go?

Nowadays, with the expansion of the reference stations networks, several positioning techniques have been developed and/or improved. Among them, the VRS (Virtual Reference Station) concept has been very used. In this paper the goal is to generate VRS data in a modified technique. In the proposed methodology the DD (double difference) ambiguities are not computed. The network correction terms are obtained using only atmospheric (ionospheric and tropospheric) models. In order to carry out the experiments it was used data of five reference stations from the GPS Active Network of West of São Paulo State and an extra station. To evaluate the VRS data quality it was used three different strategies: PPP (Precise Point Positioning) and Relative Positioning in static and kinematic modes, and DGPS (Differential GPS). Furthermore, the VRS data were generated in the position of a real reference station. The results provided by the VRS data agree quite well with those of the real file data.

Determinação de órbitas com o GPS através de mínimos quadrados recursivo com rotações de Givens

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Bayesian scene analysis for multi-camera 3D tracking and camera positioning

Los sistemas de seguimiento mono-cámara han demostrado su notable capacidad para el análisis de trajectorias de objectos móviles y para monitorización de escenas de interés; sin embargo, tanto su robustez como sus posibilidades en cuanto a comprensión semántica de la escena están fuertemente limitadas por su naturaleza local y monocular, lo que los hace insuficientes para aplicaciones realistas de videovigilancia. El objetivo de esta tesis es la extensión de las posibilidades de los sistemas de seguimiento de objetos móviles para lograr un mayor grado de robustez y comprensión de la escena. La extensión propuesta se divide en dos direcciones separadas. La primera puede considerarse local, ya que está orientada a la mejora y enriquecimiento de las posiciones estimadas para los objetos móviles observados directamente por las cámaras del sistema; dicha extensión se logra mediante el desarrollo de un sistema multi-cámara de seguimiento 3D, capaz de proporcionar consistentemente las posiciones 3D de múltiples objetos a partir de las observaciones capturadas por un conjunto de sensores calibrados y con campos de visión solapados. La segunda extensión puede considerarse global, dado que su objetivo consiste en proporcionar un contexto global para relacionar las observaciones locales realizadas por una cámara con una escena de mucho mayor tamaño; para ello se propone un sistema automático de localización de cámaras basado en las trayectorias observadas de varios objetos móviles y en un mapa esquemático de la escena global monitorizada. Ambas líneas de investigación se tratan utilizando, como marco común, técnicas de estimación bayesiana: esta elección está justificada por la versatilidad y flexibilidad proporcionada por dicho marco estadístico, que permite la combinación natural de múltiples fuentes de información sobre los parámetros a estimar, así como un tratamiento riguroso de la incertidumbre asociada a las mismas mediante la inclusión de modelos de observación específicamente diseñados. Además, el marco seleccionado abre grandes posibilidades operacionales, puesto que permite la creación de diferentes métodos numéricos adaptados a las necesidades y características específicas de distintos problemas tratados. El sistema de seguimiento 3D con múltiples cámaras propuesto está específicamente diseñado para permitir descripciones esquemáticas de las medidas realizadas individualmente por cada una de las cámaras del sistema: esta elección de diseño, por tanto, no asume ningún algoritmo específico de detección o seguimiento 2D en ninguno de los sensores de la red, y hace que el sistema propuesto sea aplicable a redes reales de vigilancia con capacidades limitadas tanto en términos de procesamiento como de transmision. La combinación robusta de las observaciones capturadas individualmente por las cámaras, ruidosas, incompletas y probablemente contaminadas por falsas detecciones, se basa en un metodo de asociación bayesiana basado en geometría y color: los resultados de dicha asociación permiten el seguimiento 3D de los objetos de la escena mediante el uso de un filtro de partículas. El sistema de fusión de observaciones propuesto tiene, como principales características, una gran precisión en términos de localización 3D de objetos, y una destacable capacidad de recuperación tras eventuales errores debidos a un número insuficiente de datos de entrada. El sistema automático de localización de cámaras se basa en la observación de múltiples objetos móviles y un mapa esquemático de las áreas transitables del entorno monitorizado para inferir la posición absoluta de dicho sensor. Para este propósito, se propone un novedoso marco bayesiano que combina modelos dinámicos inducidos por el mapa en los objetos móviles presentes en la escena con las trayectorias observadas por la cámara, lo que representa un enfoque nunca utilizado en la literatura existente. El sistema de localización se divide en dos sub-tareas diferenciadas, debido a que cada una de estas tareas requiere del diseño de algoritmos específicos de muestreo para explotar en profundidad las características del marco desarrollado: por un lado, análisis de la ambigüedad del caso específicamente tratado y estimación aproximada de la localización de la cámara, y por otro, refinado de la localización de la cámara. El sistema completo, diseñado y probado para el caso específico de localización de cámaras en entornos de tráfico urbano, podría tener aplicación también en otros entornos y sensores de diferentes modalidades tras ciertas adaptaciones. ABSTRACT Mono-camera tracking systems have proved their capabilities for moving object trajectory analysis and scene monitoring, but their robustness and semantic possibilities are strongly limited by their local and monocular nature and are often insufficient for realistic surveillance applications. This thesis is aimed at extending the possibilities of moving object tracking systems to a higher level of scene understanding. The proposed extension comprises two separate directions. The first one is local, since is aimed at enriching the inferred positions of the moving objects within the area of the monitored scene directly covered by the cameras of the system; this task is achieved through the development of a multi-camera system for robust 3D tracking, able to provide 3D tracking information of multiple simultaneous moving objects from the observations reported by a set of calibrated cameras with semi-overlapping fields of view. The second extension is global, as is aimed at providing local observations performed within the field of view of one camera with a global context relating them to a much larger scene; to this end, an automatic camera positioning system relying only on observed object trajectories and a scene map is designed. The two lines of research in this thesis are addressed using Bayesian estimation as a general unifying framework. Its suitability for these two applications is justified by the flexibility and versatility of that stochastic framework, which allows the combination of multiple sources of information about the parameters to estimate in a natural and elegant way, addressing at the same time the uncertainty associated to those sources through the inclusion of models designed to this end. In addition, it opens multiple possibilities for the creation of different numerical methods for achieving satisfactory and efficient practical solutions to each addressed application. The proposed multi-camera 3D tracking method is specifically designed to work on schematic descriptions of the observations performed by each camera of the system: this choice allows the use of unspecific off-the-shelf 2D detection and/or tracking subsystems running independently at each sensor, and makes the proposal suitable for real surveillance networks with moderate computational and transmission capabilities. The robust combination of such noisy, incomplete and possibly unreliable schematic descriptors relies on a Bayesian association method, based on geometry and color, whose results allow the tracking of the targets in the scene with a particle filter. The main features exhibited by the proposal are, first, a remarkable accuracy in terms of target 3D positioning, and second, a great recovery ability after tracking losses due to insufficient input data. The proposed system for visual-based camera self-positioning uses the observations of moving objects and a schematic map of the passable areas of the environment to infer the absolute sensor position. To this end, a new Bayesian framework combining trajectory observations and map-induced dynamic models for moving objects is designed, which represents an approach to camera positioning never addressed before in the literature. This task is divided into two different sub-tasks, setting ambiguity analysis and approximate position estimation, on the one hand, and position refining, on the other, since they require the design of specific sampling algorithms to correctly exploit the discriminative features of the developed framework. This system, designed for camera positioning and demonstrated in urban traffic environments, can also be applied to different environments and sensors of other modalities after certain required adaptations.

Bayesian scene analysis for multi-camera 3D tracking and camera positioning

Los sistemas de seguimiento mono-cámara han demostrado su notable capacidad para el análisis de trajectorias de objectos móviles y para monitorización de escenas de interés; sin embargo, tanto su robustez como sus posibilidades en cuanto a comprensión semántica de la escena están fuertemente limitadas por su naturaleza local y monocular, lo que los hace insuficientes para aplicaciones realistas de videovigilancia. El objetivo de esta tesis es la extensión de las posibilidades de los sistemas de seguimiento de objetos móviles para lograr un mayor grado de robustez y comprensión de la escena. La extensión propuesta se divide en dos direcciones separadas. La primera puede considerarse local, ya que está orientada a la mejora y enriquecimiento de las posiciones estimadas para los objetos móviles observados directamente por las cámaras del sistema; dicha extensión se logra mediante el desarrollo de un sistema multi-cámara de seguimiento 3D, capaz de proporcionar consistentemente las posiciones 3D de múltiples objetos a partir de las observaciones capturadas por un conjunto de sensores calibrados y con campos de visión solapados. La segunda extensión puede considerarse global, dado que su objetivo consiste en proporcionar un contexto global para relacionar las observaciones locales realizadas por una cámara con una escena de mucho mayor tamaño; para ello se propone un sistema automático de localización de cámaras basado en las trayectorias observadas de varios objetos móviles y en un mapa esquemático de la escena global monitorizada. Ambas líneas de investigación se tratan utilizando, como marco común, técnicas de estimación bayesiana: esta elección está justificada por la versatilidad y flexibilidad proporcionada por dicho marco estadístico, que permite la combinación natural de múltiples fuentes de información sobre los parámetros a estimar, así como un tratamiento riguroso de la incertidumbre asociada a las mismas mediante la inclusión de modelos de observación específicamente diseñados. Además, el marco seleccionado abre grandes posibilidades operacionales, puesto que permite la creación de diferentes métodos numéricos adaptados a las necesidades y características específicas de distintos problemas tratados. El sistema de seguimiento 3D con múltiples cámaras propuesto está específicamente diseñado para permitir descripciones esquemáticas de las medidas realizadas individualmente por cada una de las cámaras del sistema: esta elección de diseño, por tanto, no asume ningún algoritmo específico de detección o seguimiento 2D en ninguno de los sensores de la red, y hace que el sistema propuesto sea aplicable a redes reales de vigilancia con capacidades limitadas tanto en términos de procesamiento como de transmision. La combinación robusta de las observaciones capturadas individualmente por las cámaras, ruidosas, incompletas y probablemente contaminadas por falsas detecciones, se basa en un metodo de asociación bayesiana basado en geometría y color: los resultados de dicha asociación permiten el seguimiento 3D de los objetos de la escena mediante el uso de un filtro de partículas. El sistema de fusión de observaciones propuesto tiene, como principales características, una gran precisión en términos de localización 3D de objetos, y una destacable capacidad de recuperación tras eventuales errores debidos a un número insuficiente de datos de entrada. El sistema automático de localización de cámaras se basa en la observación de múltiples objetos móviles y un mapa esquemático de las áreas transitables del entorno monitorizado para inferir la posición absoluta de dicho sensor. Para este propósito, se propone un novedoso marco bayesiano que combina modelos dinámicos inducidos por el mapa en los objetos móviles presentes en la escena con las trayectorias observadas por la cámara, lo que representa un enfoque nunca utilizado en la literatura existente. El sistema de localización se divide en dos sub-tareas diferenciadas, debido a que cada una de estas tareas requiere del diseño de algoritmos específicos de muestreo para explotar en profundidad las características del marco desarrollado: por un lado, análisis de la ambigüedad del caso específicamente tratado y estimación aproximada de la localización de la cámara, y por otro, refinado de la localización de la cámara. El sistema completo, diseñado y probado para el caso específico de localización de cámaras en entornos de tráfico urbano, podría tener aplicación también en otros entornos y sensores de diferentes modalidades tras ciertas adaptaciones. ABSTRACT Mono-camera tracking systems have proved their capabilities for moving object trajectory analysis and scene monitoring, but their robustness and semantic possibilities are strongly limited by their local and monocular nature and are often insufficient for realistic surveillance applications. This thesis is aimed at extending the possibilities of moving object tracking systems to a higher level of scene understanding. The proposed extension comprises two separate directions. The first one is local, since is aimed at enriching the inferred positions of the moving objects within the area of the monitored scene directly covered by the cameras of the system; this task is achieved through the development of a multi-camera system for robust 3D tracking, able to provide 3D tracking information of multiple simultaneous moving objects from the observations reported by a set of calibrated cameras with semi-overlapping fields of view. The second extension is global, as is aimed at providing local observations performed within the field of view of one camera with a global context relating them to a much larger scene; to this end, an automatic camera positioning system relying only on observed object trajectories and a scene map is designed. The two lines of research in this thesis are addressed using Bayesian estimation as a general unifying framework. Its suitability for these two applications is justified by the flexibility and versatility of that stochastic framework, which allows the combination of multiple sources of information about the parameters to estimate in a natural and elegant way, addressing at the same time the uncertainty associated to those sources through the inclusion of models designed to this end. In addition, it opens multiple possibilities for the creation of different numerical methods for achieving satisfactory and efficient practical solutions to each addressed application. The proposed multi-camera 3D tracking method is specifically designed to work on schematic descriptions of the observations performed by each camera of the system: this choice allows the use of unspecific off-the-shelf 2D detection and/or tracking subsystems running independently at each sensor, and makes the proposal suitable for real surveillance networks with moderate computational and transmission capabilities. The robust combination of such noisy, incomplete and possibly unreliable schematic descriptors relies on a Bayesian association method, based on geometry and color, whose results allow the tracking of the targets in the scene with a particle filter. The main features exhibited by the proposal are, first, a remarkable accuracy in terms of target 3D positioning, and second, a great recovery ability after tracking losses due to insufficient input data. The proposed system for visual-based camera self-positioning uses the observations of moving objects and a schematic map of the passable areas of the environment to infer the absolute sensor position. To this end, a new Bayesian framework combining trajectory observations and map-induced dynamic models for moving objects is designed, which represents an approach to camera positioning never addressed before in the literature. This task is divided into two different sub-tasks, setting ambiguity analysis and approximate position estimation, on the one hand, and position refining, on the other, since they require the design of specific sampling algorithms to correctly exploit the discriminative features of the developed framework. This system, designed for camera positioning and demonstrated in urban traffic environments, can also be applied to different environments and sensors of other modalities after certain required adaptations.

The Information-analytical System for Diagnostics of Aircraft Navigation Units

The operation of technical processes requires increasingly advanced supervision and fault diagnostics to improve reliability and safety. This paper gives an introduction to the field of fault detection and diagnostics and has short methods classification. Growth of complexity and functional importance of inertial navigation systems leads to high losses at the equipment refusals. The paper is devoted to the INS diagnostics system development, allowing identifying the cause of malfunction. The practical realization of this system concerns a software package, performing a set of multidimensional information analysis. The project consists of three parts: subsystem for analyzing, subsystem for data collection and universal interface for open architecture realization. For a diagnostics improving in small analyzing samples new approaches based on pattern recognition algorithms voting and taking into account correlations between target and input parameters will be applied. The system now is at the development stage.

Atmospheric mercury concentrations observed at ground-based monitoring sites globally distributed in the framework of the GMOS network

Long-term monitoring of data of ambient mercury (Hg) on a global scale to assess its emission, transport, atmospheric chemistry, and deposition processes is vital to understanding the impact of Hg pollution on the environment. The Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) project was funded by the European Commission (http://www.gmos.eu) and started in November 2010 with the overall goal to develop a coordinated global observing system to monitor Hg on a global scale, including a large network of ground-based monitoring stations, ad hoc periodic oceanographic cruises and measurement flights in the lower and upper troposphere as well as in the lower stratosphere. To date, more than 40 ground-based monitoring sites constitute the global network covering many regions where little to no observational data were available before GMOS. This work presents atmospheric Hg concentrations recorded worldwide in the framework of the GMOS project (2010–2015), analyzing Hg measurement results in terms of temporal trends, seasonality and comparability within the network. Major findings highlighted in this paper include a clear gradient of Hg concentrations between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, confirming that the gradient observed is mostly driven by local and regional sources, which can be anthropogenic, natural or a combination of both.

Service-oriented infrastructure to support the control, monitoring and management of a shop floor system

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Kenttätykistön erikoisampumatarvikkeiden käyttö suomalaisissa olosuhteissa

Nykypäivän taistelukentällä käytettävä taisteluvälinemateriaalin on oltava kustannustehokasta. Entistä pienempien joukkojen on taisteltava laajalla alueella ja valmistauduttava vaikuttamaan viholliseen myös syvyydessä. Materiaali ja kalusto erikoistuvat saavuttaakseen mahdollisimman suurta tehoa ja tuhoa tietyissä maaleissa. Tykistön tehtävinä ovat edelleen vastatykistötoiminta, torjuntatuli sekä joukkojen lähituki. Tykistöjärjestelmien merkitys kokonaistulivoiman aikaansaamisessa pysyy ennallaan muun muassa sen monipuolisen käytettävyyden, tehokkuuden ja nopean reagointikyvyn ansiosta. Tykistöasejärjestelmillä halutaan vaikuttaa yhä syvemmälle vihollisen ryhmitykseen. Kasvaneen ampumaetäisyyden johdosta on tarvetta varustaa ampumatarvikkeet ohjausominaisuuksilla. Vihollinen on suojautunut kevyesti panssaroituihin ajoneuvoihin tai liikkuu jalan. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus on esitellä eri erikoisampumatarvikkeiden käyttötehokkuutta tiettyjä maaleja vastaan tietyissä suomalaisissa olosuhteissa. Erikoisampumatarvikkeina käsitellään kenttätykistön erikoisampumatarvikkeita. Erikoisampumatarvikkeisiin luetaan valaisu-, savutus- ja kuorma-ammukset sekä ohjautuvat ja ohjattavat ammukset. Tutkimuksessa ei käsitellä raketinheittimistön tai kranaatinheittimistön ampumatarvikkeita eikä NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical)-ampumatarvikkeita. Tutkimuksesta on jätetty pois ampumatarvikkeet, joilla on mittausominaisuuksia tai ovat muotoilunsa ansiosta suunniteltu saavuttamaan pidempiä ampumaetäisyyksiä. GPS-ohjautuvia ampumatarvikkeita käsiteltäessä tarkastellaan vain yhdysvaltalaista Global Positioning System:iin tukeutuvaa järjestelmää. Eurooppalaista GALILEO Positioning System:iä ja venäläistä Global Navigation System:iä (GLONASS) ei ole tarkasteltu. Nykyajan ampumatarviketeollisuudessa yleisimpänä kenttätykistön kaliiperina on 155 millimetrin ampumatarvikkeet. Tälle kaliiperille löytyy suurin valikoima erilaisia ampumatarvikkeita. Tutkimuksessa on siksi tarkasteltu vain tälle kaliiperille valmistettuja ampumatarvikkeita. Maalilla tarkoitetaan tutkimuksessa esitettyjä yleispäteviä kenttätykistön maaleja. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on kartoittava ja kuvaileva asiakirjatutkimus. Tiedot on analysoitu ja johtopäätökset tehty lähinnä teknisestä näkökulmasta. Kaikki tutkimuksessa käytetyt lähteet on verrattu ainakin yhteen muuhun lähteeseen, mahdollisimman suuren totuudenmukaisuuden saavuttamiseksi. Tutkija on pyrkinyt vähentämään lähteiden määrää ja täten käyttämään mahdollisimman laadukkaita lähteitä. Tutkimuksen pääkysymykset ovat: Mitkä kenttätykistön erikoisampumatarvikkeet ovat käytännöllisimmät mitäkin maalia kohti? Miten suomalaiset olosuhteet vaikuttavat mihinkin erikoisampumatarvikkeeseen? Saavuttaakseen pääkysymyksiin vastauksen on tutkija käsitellyt seuraavia alakysymyksiä: Millä tavalla erikoisampumatarvikkeet toimivat? Mihin tarkoitukseen ne ovat suunniteltuja? Mihin maaliin on mikäkin erikoisampumatarvike suunniteltu?

Variable speed drive in fan system monitoring

Fan systems are responsible for approximately 10% of the electricity consumption in industrial and municipal sectors, and it has been found that there is energy-saving potential in these systems. To this end, variable speed drives (VSDs) are used to enhance the efficiency of fan systems. Usually, fan system operation is optimized based on measurements of the system, but there are seldom readily installed meters in the system that can be used for the purpose. Thus, sensorless methods are needed for the optimization of fan system operation. In this thesis, methods for the fan operating point estimation with a variable speed drive are studied and discussed. These methods can be used for the energy efficient control of the fan system without additional measurements. The operation of these methods is validated by laboratory measurements and data from an industrial fan system. In addition to their energy consumption, condition monitoring of fan systems is a key issue as fans are an integral part of various production processes. Fan system condition monitoring is usually carried out with vibration measurements, which again increase the system complexity. However, variable speed drives can already be used for pumping system condition monitoring. Therefore, it would add to the usability of a variablespeed- driven fan system if the variable speed drive could be used as a condition monitoring device. In this thesis, sensorless detection methods for three lifetime-reducing phenomena are suggested: these are detection of the fan contamination build-up, the correct rotational direction, and the fan surge. The methods use the variable speed drive monitoring and control options for the detection along with simple signal processing methods, such as power spectrum density estimates. The methods have been validated by laboratory measurements. The key finding of this doctoral thesis is that a variable speed drive can be used on its own as a monitoring and control device for the fan system energy efficiency, and it can also be used in the detection of certain lifetime-reducing phenomena.

Can climate trends be calculated from reanalysis data?

Several global quantities are computed from the ERA40 reanalysis for the period 1958-2001 and explored for trends. These are discussed in the context of changes to the global observing system. Temperature, integrated water vapor (IWV), and kinetic energy are considered. The ERA40 global mean temperature in the lower troposphere has a trend of +0.11 K per decade over the period of 1979-2001, which is slightly higher than the MSU measurements, but within the estimated error limit. For the period 1958 2001 the warming trend is 0.14 K per decade but this is likely to be an artifact of changes in the observing system. When this is corrected for, the warming trend is reduced to 0.10 K per decade. The global trend in IWV for the period 1979-2001 is +0.36 mm per decade. This is about twice as high as the trend determined from the Clausius-Clapeyron relation assuming conservation of relative humidity. It is also larger than results from free climate model integrations driven by the same observed sea surface temperature as used in ERA40. It is suggested that the large trend in IWV does not represent a genuine climate trend but an artifact caused by changes in the global observing system such as the use of SSM/I and more satellite soundings in later years. Recent results are in good agreement with GPS measurements. The IWV trend for the period 1958-2001 is still higher but reduced to +0.16 mm per decade when corrected for changes in the observing systems. Total kinetic energy shows an increasing global trend. Results from data assimilation experiments strongly suggest that this trend is also incorrect and mainly caused by the huge changes in the global observing system in 1979. When this is corrected for, no significant change in global kinetic energy from 1958 onward can be found.

Stochastic modelling of rainfall from satellite data

Satellite-based rainfall monitoring is widely used for climatological studies because of its full global coverage but it is also of great importance for operational purposes especially in areas such as Africa where there is a lack of ground-based rainfall data. Satellite rainfall estimates have enormous potential benefits as input to hydrological and agricultural models because of their real time availability, low cost and full spatial coverage. One issue that needs to be addressed is the uncertainty on these estimates. This is particularly important in assessing the likely errors on the output from non-linear models (rainfall-runoff or crop yield) which make use of the rainfall estimates, aggregated over an area, as input. Correct assessment of the uncertainty on the rainfall is non-trivial as it must take account of • the difference in spatial support of the satellite information and independent data used for calibration • uncertainties on the independent calibration data • the non-Gaussian distribution of rainfall amount • the spatial intermittency of rainfall • the spatial correlation of the rainfall field This paper describes a method for estimating the uncertainty on satellite-based rainfall values taking account of these factors. The method involves firstly a stochastic calibration which completely describes the probability of rainfall occurrence and the pdf of rainfall amount for a given satellite value, and secondly the generation of ensemble of rainfall fields based on the stochastic calibration but with the correct spatial correlation structure within each ensemble member. This is achieved by the use of geostatistical sequential simulation. The ensemble generated in this way may be used to estimate uncertainty at larger spatial scales. A case study of daily rainfall monitoring in the Gambia, west Africa for the purpose of crop yield forecasting is presented to illustrate the method.

A two-dimensional X-ray scattering system for in-situ time-resolving studies of polymer structures subjected to controlled deformations

A two-dimensional X-ray scattering system developed around a CCD-based area detector is presented, both in terms of hardware employed and software designed and developed. An essential feature is the integration of hardware and software, detection and sample environment control which enables time-resolving in-situ wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements of global structural and orientational parameters of polymeric systems subjected to a variety of controlled external fields. The development and operation of a number of rheometers purpose-built for the application of such fields are described. Examples of the use of this system in monitoring degrees of shear-induced orientation in liquid-crystalline systems and crystallization of linear polymers subsequent to shear flow are presented.

A comparative study of satellite and ground-based phenology

Long time series of ground-based plant phenology, as well as more than two decades of satellite-derived phenological metrics, are currently available to assess the impacts of climate variability and trends on terrestrial vegetation. Traditional plant phenology provides very accurate information on individual plant species, but with limited spatial coverage. Satellite phenology allows monitoring of terrestrial vegetation on a global scale and provides an integrative view at the landscape level. Linking the strengths of both methodologies has high potential value for climate impact studies. We compared a multispecies index from ground-observed spring phases with two types (maximum slope and threshold approach) of satellite-derived start-of-season (SOS) metrics. We focus on Switzerland from 1982 to 2001 and show that temporal and spatial variability of the multispecies index correspond well with the satellite-derived metrics. All phenological metrics correlate with temperature anomalies as expected. The slope approach proved to deviate strongly from the temporal development of the ground observations as well as from the threshold-defined SOS satellite measure. The slope spring indicator is considered to indicate a different stage in vegetation development and is therefore less suited as a SOS parameter for comparative studies in relation to ground-observed phenology. Satellite-derived metrics are, however, very susceptible to snow cover, and it is suggested that this snow cover should be better accounted for by the use of newer satellite sensors.

Trust in authorities monitoring the distribution of genetically modified foods: dimensionality, measurement issues, and determinants

Based on a combined internet and mail survey in Germany the independence of indica-tors of trust in public authorities from indicators of attitudes toward genetically modified food is tested. Despite evidence of a link between trust indicators on the one hand and evaluation of benefits and perceived likelihoods of risks, correlation with other factors is found to be moderate on average. But the trust indicators exhibit only a moderate relation with the re-spondents’ preference for either sole public control or a cooperation of public and private bodies in the monitoring of GM food distribution. Instead, age and location in either the New or the Old Lander are found to be significantly related with such preferences.