M-AARE - Coupling atmospheric, hydrological, hydrodynamic and damage models in the Aare river basin, Switzerland

The triggering mechanism and the temporal evolution of large flood events, especially of worst-case scenarios, are not yet fully understood. Consequently, the cumulative losses of extreme floods are unknown. To study the link between weather conditions, discharges and flood losses it is necessary to couple atmospheric, hydrological, hydrodynamic and damage models. The objective of the M-AARE project is to test the potentials and opportunities of a model chain that relates atmospheric conditions to flood losses or risks. The M-AARE model chain is a set of coupled models consisting of four main components: the precipitation module, the hydrology module, the hydrodynamic module, and the damage module. The models are coupled in a cascading framework with harmonized time-steps. First exploratory applications show that the one way coupling of the WRF-PREVAH-BASEMENT models has been achieved and provides promising new insights for a better understanding of key aspects in flood risk analysis.

La réforme Dodd-Frank des produits dérivés de gré à gré : vers un modèle mondial?

Suite à la crise financière de 2008 les pays du G20 se sont interrogés sur la transparence des marchés, la stabilité du système et une façon de réguler les risques posés par le nouvel environnement économique. Les produits dérivés de gré à gré ont été identifiés et des engagements ont été pris en faveur de nouvelles régulations des dérivés de gré à gré et la gestion des risques sous-jacents. Les régulateurs ont donc adopté chacun à leur tour un cadre législatif régulant les dérivés de gré à gré tout en déployant un effort international d'harmonisation et de reconnaissance des contreparties assujetties à des régimes équivalents. Les autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières ont publié des projets de règlements. Nous nous interrogerons sur ce nouveau cadre réglementaire des dérivés de gré à gré élaboré par les autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières, prenant en considération les spécificités canadiennes et les acteurs actifs sur leur territoire. Notre étude traite de ces projets de règlements et de la difficulté d'encadrer les marchés des dérivés de gré à gré qui par définition ne comportent pas de plateformes de négociation ou de lieu géographique et de frontières mais se caractérisent surtout par le lien contractuel entre les parties et l'identification de ces parties. L'élaboration d'un nouveau cadre pour les dérivés de gré à gré qui régule les transactions transfrontières semble très délicat à traiter et les possibles conflits et chevauchements de lois seront inévitables. Confrontés à des définitions divergentes de contreparties locales, les parties à une opération seront condamnées à un risque de qualification en vertu des règlements nationaux sur les dérivés de gré à gré. Une concertation pourrait être renforcée et la détermination de l'autorité compétente ainsi que les concepts de contreparties locales, succursales ou filiales pourraient être harmonisés.

ISRIC-WISE - Global Soil Profile Data (ver. 3.1)

Version 3.1 of the ISRIC-WISE database holds selected site and horizon data for some 10 250 soil profiles from 149 countries. Profile data were extracted from a wide range of sources and harmonized with respect to the original (1974) and revised (1988) Legend of the FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World. Profiles have been described, sampled, and analysed according to methods and standards in use in the originating countries; analytical results for the same property cannot always be compared directly; as a result the amount of measured data available for modelling is sometimes much less than expected. WISE was specifically developed for land-related applications at continental and global scales.

USITC publication /

Description based on: 776.

The complete works of Count Tolstóy /

Half title.

Cyber-security, privacy and trust: trends in the Latin American and Caribbean region and the way forward

Este artigo é parte do relatório Cybersecurity Are We Ready in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Practical considerations for the measurement of free light chains in serum

Background: A new immunoassay for free light chain measurements has been reported to be useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of monoclonal light chain diseases and nonsecretory myeloma. We describe experience with and some potential pitfalls of the assay. Methods: The assay was assessed for precision, sample type and stability, recovery, and harmonization of results between two analyzers on which the reagents are used. Free-light-chain concentrations were measured in healthy individuals (to determine biological variation), patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, myeloma patients after autologous stem cell transplants, and patients with renal disease. Results: Analytical imprecision (CV) was 6-11% for kappa and A free-light-chain measurement and 16% for the calculated kappa/lambda ratio. Biological variation was generally insignificant compared with analytical variation. Despite the same reagent source, values were not completely harmonized between assay systems and may produce discordant free-light-chain ratios. In some patients with clinically stable myeloma, or post transplantation, or with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, free-light-chain concentration and ratio were within the population reference interval despite the presence of monoclonal intact immunoglobulin in serum. In other patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, values were abnormal although there was no clinical evidence of progression to multiple myeloma. Conclusions: The use of free-light-chain measurements alone cannot differentiate some groups of patients with monoclonal gammopathy from healthy individuals. As with the introduction of any new test, it is essential that more scientific data about use of this assay in different subject groups are available so that results can be interpreted with clinical certainty. (C) 2003 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Formal considerations of rule-based messaging for Business Process Integration

In the last decade, with the expansion of organizational scope and the tendency for outsourcing, there has been an increasing need for Business Process Integration (BPI), understood as the sharing of data and applications among business processes. The research efforts and development paths in BPI pursued by many academic groups and system vendors, targeting heterogeneous system integration, continue to face several conceptual and technological challenges. This article begins with a brief review of major approaches and emerging standards to address BPI. Further, we introduce a rule-driven messaging approach to BPI, which is based on the harmonization of messages in order to compose a new, often cross-organizational process. We will then introduce the design of a temporal first order language (Harmonized Messaging Calculus) that provides the formal foundation for general rules governing the business process execution. Definitions of the language terms, formulae, safety, and expressiveness are introduced and considered in detail.

Moving on from nascent entrepreneurship:measuring cross-national differences in the transition to new business ownership

Nascent entrepreneurship and new business ownership are subsequent stages in the entrepreneurial process. We illustrate how information from the largest internationally harmonized database on entrepreneurship, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor project, can be used to approximate the entrepreneurial process. We make a methodological contribution by computing the ratio of new business ownership to nascent entrepreneurship in a way that reflects the transition from nascent to new business ownership and provides cross-nationally comparable information on the efficiency of the entrepreneurial process for 48 countries. We report evidence for the validity of the transition ratio by benchmarking it against transition rates obtained from longitudinal studies and by correlating it with commonly used entrepreneurship indicators and macro-level economic indices. The transition ratio enables future cross-national research on the entrepreneurial process by providing a reliable and valid indicator for one key transition in this process. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Measures of process harmonization

Context Many large organizations juggle an application portfolio that contains different applications that fulfill similar tasks in the organization. In an effort to reduce operating costs, they are attempting to consolidate such applications. Before consolidating applications, the work that is done with these applications must be harmonized. This is also known as process harmonization. Objective The increased interest in process harmonization calls for measures to quantify the extent to which processes have been harmonized. These measures should also uncover the factors that are of interest when harmonizing processes. Currently, such measures do not exist. Therefore, this study develops and validates a measurement model to quantify the level of process harmonization in an organization. Method The measurement model was developed by means of a literature study and structured interviews. Subsequently, it was validated through a survey, using factor analysis and correlations with known related constructs. Results As a result, a valid and reliable measurement model was developed. The factors that are found to constitute process harmonization are: the technical design of the business process and its data, the resources that execute the process, and the information systems that are used in the process. In addition, strong correlations were found between process harmonization and process standardization and between process complexity and process harmonization. Conclusion The measurement model can be used by practitioners, because it shows them the factors that must be taken into account when harmonizing processes, and because it provides them with a means to quantify the extent to which they succeeded in harmonizing their processes. At the same time, it can be used by researchers to conduct further empirical research in the area of process harmonization.

Optimal design of the renewable energy map of Greece using weighted goal-programming and data envelopment analysis

Renewable energy forms have been widely used in the past decades highlighting a "green" shift in energy production. An actual reason behind this turn to renewable energy production is EU directives which set the Union's targets for energy production from renewable sources, greenhouse gas emissions and increase in energy efficiency. All member countries are obligated to apply harmonized legislation and practices and restructure their energy production networks in order to meet EU targets. Towards the fulfillment of 20-20-20 EU targets, in Greece a specific strategy which promotes the construction of large scale Renewable Energy Source plants is promoted. In this paper, we present an optimal design of the Greek renewable energy production network applying a 0-1 Weighted Goal Programming model, considering social, environmental and economic criteria. In the absence of a panel of experts Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach is used in order to filter the best out of the possible network structures, seeking for the maximum technical efficiency. Super-Efficiency DEA model is also used in order to reduce the solutions and find the best out of all the possible. The results showed that in order to achieve maximum efficiency, the social and environmental criteria must be weighted more than the economic ones.

Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment Modeling Approaches for Transboundary Energy Feedstocks

The rise of the twenty-first century has seen the further increase in the industrialization of Earth’s resources, as society aims to meet the needs of a growing population while still protecting our environmental and natural resources. The advent of the industrial bioeconomy – which encompasses the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, and bio-based products – is seen as an important step in transition towards sustainable development and away from fossil fuels. One sector of the industrial bioeconomy which is rapidly being expanded is the use of biobased feedstocks in electricity production as an alternative to coal, especially in the European Union.

As bioeconomy policies and objectives increasingly appear on political agendas, there is a growing need to quantify the impacts of transitioning from fossil fuel-based feedstocks to renewable biological feedstocks. Specifically, there is a growing need to conduct a systems analysis and potential risks of increasing the industrial bioeconomy, given that the flows within it are inextricably linked. Furthermore, greater analysis is needed into the consequences of shifting from fossil fuels to renewable feedstocks, in part through the use of life cycle assessment modeling to analyze impacts along the entire value chain.

To assess the emerging nature of the industrial bioeconomy, three objectives are addressed: (1) quantify the global industrial bioeconomy, linking the use of primary resources with the ultimate end product; (2) quantify the impacts of the expaning wood pellet energy export market of the Southeastern United States; (3) conduct a comparative life cycle assessment, incorporating the use of dynamic life cycle assessment, of replacing coal-fired electricity generation in the United Kingdom with wood pellets that are produced in the Southeastern United States.

To quantify the emergent industrial bioeconomy, an empirical analysis was undertaken. Existing databases from multiple domestic and international agencies was aggregated and analyzed in Microsoft Excel to produce a harmonized dataset of the bioeconomy. First-person interviews, existing academic literature, and industry reports were then utilized to delineate the various intermediate and end use flows within the bioeconomy. The results indicate that within a decade, the industrial use of agriculture has risen ten percent, given increases in the production of bioenergy and bioproducts. The underlying resources supporting the emergent bioeconomy (i.e., land, water, and fertilizer use) were also quantified and included in the database.

Following the quantification of the existing bioeconomy, an in-depth analysis of the bioenergy sector was conducted. Specifically, the focus was on quantifying the impacts of the emergent wood pellet export sector that has rapidly developed in recent years in the Southeastern United States. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment was conducted in order to quantify supply chain impacts from two wood pellet production scenarios: roundwood and sawmill residues. For reach of the nine impact categories assessed, wood pellet production from sawmill residues resulted in higher values, ranging from 10-31% higher.

The analysis of the wood pellet sector was then expanded to include the full life cycle (i.e., cradle-to-grave). In doing to, the combustion of biogenic carbon and the subsequent timing of emissions were assessed by incorporating dynamic life cycle assessment modeling. Assuming immediate carbon neutrality of the biomass, the results indicated an 86% reduction in global warming potential when utilizing wood pellets as compared to coal for electricity production in the United Kingdom. When incorporating the timing of emissions, wood pellets equated to a 75% or 96% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, depending upon whether the forestry feedstock was considered to be harvested or planted in year one, respectively.

Finally, a policy analysis of renewable energy in the United States was conducted. Existing coal-fired power plants in the Southeastern United States were assessed in terms of incorporating the co-firing of wood pellets. Co-firing wood pellets with coal in existing Southeastern United States power stations would result in a nine percent reduction in global warming potential.

EUSAAR size distribution analysis database

Two years of harmonized aerosol number size distribution data from 24 European field monitoring sites have been analysed. The results give a comprehensive overview of the European near surface aerosol particle number concentrations and number size distributions between 30 and 500 nm of dry particle diameter. Spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols in the particle sizes most important for climate applications are presented. We also analyse the annual, weekly and diurnal cycles of the aerosol number concentrations, provide log-normal fitting parameters for median number size distributions, and give guidance notes for data users. Emphasis is placed on the usability of results within the aerosol modelling community. We also show that the aerosol number concentrations of Aitken and accumulation mode particles (with 100 nm dry diameter as a cut-off between modes) are related, although there is significant variation in the ratios of the modal number concentrations. Different aerosol and station types are distinguished from this data and this methodology has potential for further categorization of stations aerosol number size distribution types. The European submicron aerosol was divided into characteristic types: Central European aerosol, characterized by single mode median size distributions, unimodal number concentration histograms and low variability in CCN-sized aerosol number concentrations; Nordic aerosol with low number concentrations, although showing pronounced seasonal variation of especially Aitken mode particles; Mountain sites (altitude over 1000 m a.s.l.) with a strong seasonal cycle in aerosol number concentrations, high variability, and very low median number concentrations. Southern and Western European regions had fewer stations, which decreases the regional coverage of these results. Aerosol number concentrations over the Britain and Ireland had very high variance and there are indications of mixed air masses from several source regions; the Mediterranean aerosol exhibit high seasonality, and a strong accumulation mode in the summer. The greatest concentrations were observed at the Ispra station in Northern Italy with high accumulation mode number concentrations in the winter. The aerosol number concentrations at the Arctic station Zeppelin in Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard have also a strong seasonal cycle, with greater concentrations of accumulation mode particles in winter, and dominating summer Aitken mode indicating more recently formed particles. Observed particles did not show any statistically significant regional work-week or weekday related variation in number concentrations studied. Analysis products are made for open-access to the research community, available in a freely accessible internet site. The results give to the modelling community a reliable, easy-to-use and freely available comparison dataset of aerosol size distributions.

Alcoholic Beverage Preference and Dietary Habits in Elderly across Europe: Analyses within the Consortium on Health and Ageing: Network of Cohorts in Europe and the United States (CHANCES) Project

INTRODUCTION: The differential associations of beer, wine, and spirit consumption on cardiovascular risk found in observational studies may be confounded by diet. We described and compared dietary intake and diet quality according to alcoholic beverage preference in European elderly.

METHODS: From the Consortium on Health and Ageing: Network of Cohorts in Europe and the United States (CHANCES), seven European cohorts were included, i.e. four sub-cohorts from EPIC-Elderly, the SENECA Study, the Zutphen Elderly Study, and the Rotterdam Study. Harmonized data of 29,423 elderly participants from 14 European countries were analyzed. Baseline data on consumption of beer, wine, and spirits, and dietary intake were collected with questionnaires. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI). Intakes and scores across categories of alcoholic beverage preference (beer, wine, spirit, no preference, non-consumers) were adjusted for age, sex, socio-economic status, self-reported prevalent diseases, and lifestyle factors. Cohort-specific mean intakes and scores were calculated as well as weighted means combining all cohorts.

RESULTS: In 5 of 7 cohorts, persons with a wine preference formed the largest group. After multivariate adjustment, persons with a wine preference tended to have a higher HDI score and intake of healthy foods in most cohorts, but differences were small. The weighted estimates of all cohorts combined revealed that non-consumers had the highest fruit and vegetable intake, followed by wine consumers. Non-consumers and persons with no specific preference had a higher HDI score, spirit consumers the lowest. However, overall diet quality as measured by HDI did not differ greatly across alcoholic beverage preference categories.

DISCUSSION: This study using harmonized data from ~30,000 elderly from 14 European countries showed that, after multivariate adjustment, dietary habits and diet quality did not differ greatly according to alcoholic beverage preference.

Den goda viljan och framtida lönsamhet : En studie om nedskrivning av goodwill är en ledande indikator på framtida minskad lönsamhet i svenska och finska börsnoterade bolag

Bakgrund: Goodwill är en omdebatterad immateriell tillgångspost. En nedskrivning ska enligt redovisningsstandarden IAS 36 baseras på bolagens framtida ekonomiska utveckling. Därmed kan en nedskrivning vara en indikation på hur bolagets ekonomiska framtid kommer att gestalta sig. Tidigare forskning visar att bolagsledningens subjektiva bedömningar kan leda till att nedskrivningens relevans kan ifrågasättas. Syfte: Enligt IFRS 3 och IAS 36 ska goodwill värderas till det framtida uppskattade värde som tillgången ska generera. Grundtanken med standarderna är att öka tillförlitligheten och relevansen för att bättre återspegla bolagens ekonomi i de finansiella rapporterna. Utifrån grundtanken bör en nedskrivning av goodwill vara en ledande indikator på framtida minskad lönsamhet. Vi avser därmed att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan nedskrivning av goodwill och minskad framtida lönsamhet i svenska och finska börsnoterade bolag samt om det finns en skillnad mellan länderna när det gäller sambandet. Metod: Uppsatsen är baserad på en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats där sekundärdata hämtats från databas samt årsredovisningar. Informationen har samlats in för att därefter testas med regressionsanalyser. Slutsats: Studien kan inte styrka att standarden ger en bättre återspegling av bolagens ekonomi i de finansiella rapporterna. Resultatet visar att hanteringen av goodwill kan ske utifrån ett opportunistiskt beteende då nedskrivningen kan vara baserad på en redan realiserad försämring av goodwill istället för att vara baserad på framtida bedömningar. Resultatet antyder att tillsynen inte är harmoniserad inom EU, då det finns en signifikant skillnad mellan Sverige och Finland två år efter nedskrivningen. Studiens resultat kan användas till att ifrågasätta gällande standardens utformning.