A novel satellite mission concept for upper air water vapour, aerosol and cloud observations using integrated path differential absorption LiDAR limb sounding

We propose a new satellite mission to deliver high quality measurements of upper air water vapour. The concept centres around a LiDAR in limb sounding by occultation geometry, designed to operate as a very long path system for differential absorption measurements. We present a preliminary performance analysis with a system sized to send 75 mJ pulses at 25 Hz at four wavelengths close to 935 nm, to up to 5 microsatellites in a counter-rotating orbit, carrying retroreflectors characterized by a reflected beam divergence of roughly twice the emitted laser beam divergence of 15 µrad. This provides water vapour profiles with a vertical sampling of 110 m; preliminary calculations suggest that the system could detect concentrations of less than 5 ppm. A secondary payload of a fairly conventional medium resolution multispectral radiometer allows wide-swath cloud and aerosol imaging. The total weight and power of the system are estimated at 3 tons and 2,700 W respectively. This novel concept presents significant challenges, including the performance of the lasers in space, the tracking between the main spacecraft and the retroreflectors, the refractive effects of turbulence, and the design of the telescopes to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio for the high precision measurements. The mission concept was conceived at the Alpbach Summer School 2010.

Theoretical perspectives of enterprise architecture

The number of published Enterprise Architecture (EA) research has increased during the last few years. As a discipline, EA is still young and lacking theoretical foundation. Lately some research trying to ground EA to theory has been published, including linkage to systems theory. Enterprise Architecture can be defined as; (i) a formal description of the current and future state(s) of an organisation, and (ii) a managed change between these states to meet organisation’s stakeholders’ goals and to create value to the organisation. Based on this definition, this conceptual paper tries to shed light to theoretical underpinnings of EA from three theoretical perspectives; EA as a communication media, EA as an activity, and EA as an information technology system. Our conclusions are that; (i) EA can be categorised as a communication media and theoretically underpinned by ontology and semiotics, (ii) EA can be explained and theoretically underpinned by Activity Theory, and (iii) EA can be categorised as an information technology system and theoretically underpinned by General Systems Theory and Technology Acceptance Theory.

Amnesty international's language strategy put into practice: a case study of the translation of press releases

This paper investigates the language strategy and translation policies of Amnesty International by discussing the translation of a press release from a textual as well as an institutional point of view. Combining textual analysis with ethnographic methods of data collection and ideas from organisation studies, the paper aims to illustrate how the strategic use of language and translation play a vital role in mediating the NGO’s message and in contributing to its visibility and success. The findings of the textual analysis are contextualised within data collected at the local office of Amnesty International Vlaanderen to come to a better understanding of why particular translation strategies are being applied. The idea of an NGO spreading one consistent message is questioned by showing how different translation strategies apply to different languages and sections, thereby addressing the difficulty of defining translation in the context of news translation.

Nitrogen and carbohydrate fractions in exclusive Tifton 85 and in pasture oversown with annual winter forage species

O experimento foi conduzido na FCAV - Campus de Jaboticabal, no período de inverno-primavera-verão de 2001-2002, com o objetivo de determinar o fracionamento de compostos nitrogenados e de carboidratos do Tifton 85 (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst x Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers), exclusivo ou sobressemeado com forrageiras anuais de inverno. Os tratamentos testados foram: aveia preta (Avena strigosa Schreb); aveia amarela (Avena byzantina C. Koch); triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack); aveia preta + aveia amarela; aveia preta + triticale; aveia amarela + triticale; aveia preta + aveia amarela + triticale, sobressemeados sobre Tifton 85 e, sem consorciação (testemunha). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos completos ao acaso, com três repetições. O corte das forrageiras foi realizado a 20 cm de altura (presença de forrageiras de inverno) e 10 cm de altura (ausência das forrageiras de inverno). Foram determinados os teores de proteína bruta, carboidratos totais, e o fracionamento dos compostos nitrogenados e de carboidratos. Houve redução nos teores dos compostos químicos das espécies de forrageiras de inverno e no Tifton 85 ao longo dos períodos de avaliações. Os conteúdos de compostos nitrogenados e de carboidratos apresentaram grande variação durante os períodos avaliados, relacionando com as características morfológicas das espécies de gramineas e com a composição botânica das pastagens.

Modification of polyethylene terephthalate by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in view of improving the polymer wetting properties

Surface treatment of polymers by discharge plasmas has increasingly found industrial applications due to its capability of modifying uniformly the surface without changing the material bulk properties. This work deals with surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure. The treatments were conducted in air, nitrogen or argon plasma. The polymer surface was characterized by contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that the plasma treatment introduces oxygen-and nitrogen-related polar groups on the polymer surface and promotes the surface roughening. Both plasma-induced surface modifications contribute to the enhancement of the polymer wettability.

Standard model: An introduction

We present a primer on the Standard Model of the electroweak interaction. Emphasis is given to the historical aspects of the theory's formulation. The radiative corrections to the Standard Model are presented and its predictions for the electroweak parameters are compared with the precise experimental data obtained at the Z pole. Finally, we make some remarks on the perspectives for the discovery of the Higgs boson, the most important challenge of the Standard Model.

Velocidade de corrida associada ao consumo máximo de oxigênio em meninos de 10 a 15 anos

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a influência da idade cronológica e da maturação biológica sobre o consumo máximo de oxigênio (VO2max) e a velocidade de corrida correspondente ao VO2max em crianças e adolescentes brasileiros, do sexo masculino, com idade entre 10 e 15 anos, não praticantes de atividade física sistemática. Participaram do estudo 40 voluntários, divididos em dois grupos, segundo a idade cronológica (GC1 - n = 20; 11,4 ± 0,6 anos; 38,8 ± 8,6kg; 143,6 ± 8,2cm e GC2 - n = 20; 14,1 ± 0,6 anos; 55,9 ± 14,2kg; 163,3 ± 10,2cm) e maturação biológica (GB1 - n = 20; estágios 1, 2 e 3; e GB2 - n = 20; estágios 4 e 5). O VO2max foi mensurado em um teste progressivo e intermitente de corrida em esteira rolante, com estágios de três minutos e pausa de 20 segundos, incrementos de 1km/h a começar com 9km/h, até a exaustão voluntária. A velocidade correspondente ao VO2max (vVO2max) foi considerada como a menor velocidade em que se observou o maior valor de VO2. A máxima velocidade aeróbia (Va max) foi calculada pela fórmula proposta por di Prampero (1986). Houve diferença significante para os valores de VO2max(l/min), Va max(km/h)e vVO2max(km/h) entre os grupos GC1 e GC2 (1,84 ± 0,41 / 2,81 ± 0,61; 11,8 ± 1,2 / 12,6 ± 1,2; 12,1 ± 1,2 / 12,9 ± 1,1, respectivamente), GB1 e GB2 (1,80 ± 0,37 / 2,87 ± 0,56; 12,1 ± 1,2 / 12,9 ± 1,1; 11,8 ± 1,2 / 12,5 ± 1,1, respectivamente), mas não para os valores de VO2max em ml.kg-1.min-1 para todos os grupos (GC1 e GC2: 47,9 ± 6,8 / 50,4 ± 5,5; GB1 e GB2: 47,9 ± 6,8 / 50,3 ± 5,5, respectivamente). Com base nos resultados obtidos, pode-se concluir que o VO2max (l/min), aVa max e a vVO2max têm seus valores aumentados como um provável efeito do crescimento e desenvolvimento, podendo, ainda, expressar melhora da economia de movimento, mesmo em indivíduos não praticantes de atividade física sistemática.

Survey of the leg exocrine glands in termites(Isoptera)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Seasonal variation in growth and yield of the brown mussel Perna perna (L.) cultured in Ubatuba, Brazil

Seasonal variation in growth and yield of cultured brown mussels Perna perna was studied in Ubatuba, south-east Brazilian coastline. Young mussels were transplanted (seeded) into four groups of 16 polyethylene net tubes 2 m long, suspended from a wooden raft (18 m 2). The first group was set out in April (autumn), the next in July (winter), the next in October (spring) 1984 and the final group in January (summer) 1985. One net tube of each group was sampled monthly and biometric data were collected. Growth was initially faster for the spring group, but at the end of the culture period length and weight were not statistically different between groups. L(∞) and W(∞) were 73.9, 71.3, 72.7 and 73.8 mm and 26.3, 23.9, 25.7 and 25.7 g for the autumn, winter, spring and summer groups, respectively. Maximum yield was attained 9 months after seeding for groups of autumn, winter and spring (7.2, 5.2 and 6.3 kg x m -1, respectively) and after 10 months for the summer group (6.9 kg X m -1). The conclusion of this study is that, growth and yield were unaffected by the season of seeding at the study site and that it is not commercially worthwhile to farm mussels more than 9 months, due to yield decrease.