米国ユダヤ人の対イスラエル観の変化と新しいロビー組織J STREETの活動

The American Jewish community as a whole still remains very much supportive of Israel's policies. Most American mainstream Jewish organizations and their leaders have hardly criticized Israel's position regarding the occupation, settlements, and the peace process. But over the last ten years or so, different views and opinions have become more visible in the American Jewish community, as represented by J Street, a "pro-Israel and pro-peace" lobby. What has brought about this diversification in the American Jewish community over their attitude toward Israel's policies? Many opinion surveys indicate that younger American Jews have become more critical of Israel's policies with regard to the Palestine question and the peace process. This may be attributed to a shift in identity among young American Jews. Older American Jews tend to see Israel as democratic, progressive and peace-seeking, etc. In addition, they perceive Israel as a safe haven for Jews. But younger Jews draw from memories and impressions scene in recent events, such as the First and Second Intifada, and the military confrontations with Palestinian groups based in Gaza, all of which are perceived as morally and politically more complex than the wars Israel fought between 1948 and 1974. Communities in the Jewish diaspora try to influence the policies of their homeland in order to protect their identity and sets of values. While the American Jewish community is still strongly committed to liberal democratic values, its counterpart in Israel has leaned toward the political right and toward ethno-religious nationalism. The diffusion of identities and sets of values in both communities may bring about further shifts in the relations between the two communities.

Geochemistry and risk assessment of street dust in Luanda, Angola, a tropical urban environment

A total of 92 samples of street dust were collected in Luanda, Angola, were sieved below 100 μm, and analysed by ICP-MS for 35 elements after an aqua-regia digestion. The concentration and spatial heterogeneity of trace elements in the street dust of Luanda are generally lower than in most industrialized cities in the Northern hemisphere. These observations reveal a predominantly “natural” origin for the street dust in Luanda, which is also manifested in that some geochemical processes that occur in natural soils are preserved in street dust: the separation of uranium from thorium, and the retention of the former by carbonate materials, or the high correlation between arsenic and vanadium due to their common mode of adsorption on solid particles in the form of oxyanions. The only distinct anthropogenic fingerprint in the composition of Luanda's street dust is the association Pb–Cd–Sb–Cu (and to a lesser extent, Ba–Cr–Zn). The use of risk assessment strategies has proved helpful in identifying the routes of exposure to street dust and the trace elements therein of most concern in terms of potential adverse health effects. In Luanda the highest levels of risk seem to be associated (a) with the presence of As and Pb in the street dust and (b) with the route of ingestion of dust particles, for all the elements included in the study except Hg, for which inhalation of vapours presents a slightly higher risk than ingestion. However, given the large uncertainties associated with the estimates of toxicity values and exposure factors, and the absence of site-specific biometric factors, these results should be regarded as preliminary and further research should be undertaken before any definite conclusions regarding potential health effects are drawn.

Origin and patterns of distribution of trace elements in street dust. Unleaded petrol and urban lead

The elemental composition, patterns of distribution and possible sources of street dust are not common to all urban environments, but vary according to the peculiarities of each city. The common features and dissimilarities in the origin and nature of street dust were investigated through a series of studies in two widely different cities, Madrid (Spain) and Oslo (Norway), between 1990 and 1994. The most comprehensive sampling campaign was carried out in the Norwegian capital during the summer of 1994. An area of 14 km2, covering most of downtown Oslo and some residential districts to the north of the city, was divided into 1 km2 mapping units, and 16 sampling increments of approximately 150 g were collected from streets and roads in each of them. The fraction below 100 μm was acid-digested and analysed by ICP-MS. Statistical analyses of the results suggest that chemical elements in street dust can be classified into three groups: “urban” elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Mg, Pb, Sb, Ti, Zn), “natural” elements (Al, Ga, La, Mn, Na, Sr, Th, Y) and elements of a mixed origin or which have undergone geochemical changes from their original sources (Ca, Cs, Fe, Mo, Ni, Rb, Sr, U). Soil resuspension and/or mobilisation appears to be the most important source of “natural” elements, while “urban” elements originate primarily from traffic and from the weathering and corrosion of building materials. The data for Pb seem to prove that the gradual shift from leaded to unleaded petrol as fuel for automobiles has resulted in an almost proportional reduction in the concentration of Pb in dust particles under 100 μm. This fact and the spatial distribution of Pb in the city strongly suggest that lead sources other than traffic (i.e. lead accumulated in urban soil over the years) may contribute as much lead, if not more, to urban street dust.

Variation of PM2.5 concentrations in relation to street washing activities

Several studies conducted in urban areas have pointed out that road dust resuspension contributes significantly to PM concentration levels. Street washing is one of the methods proposed to reduce resuspended road dust contributions to ambient PM concentrations. As resuspended particles are mainly found in the coarse mode, published studies investigating the effects of street washing have focused on PM10 size fraction. As the PM2.5 mass fraction of particles originating from mechanical abrasion processes may still be significant we conducted a study in order to evaluate the effects of street washing on the mitigation of resuspension of fine particles. The PM2.5 mass concentration data were examined and integrated with the occurrence of street washing activities. In addition, the effect of the meteorological variability, traffic flow and street washing activities, on ambient PM2.5 levels was valuated by means of a multivariate regression model. The results revealed that traffic low is the most important factor that controls PM2.5 hourly concentrations while street washing activities did not influence fine particle mass levels.

Smooth light extraction in lighting optical fibre

Smooth light extraction in lighting optical fibre

Advances in optics for solid state lighting

Optics and LEDs, design Methods, design examples, conclusions

Lighting technology

From the economic point of view, additional lighting at night causes enormous costs and is responsible for using up a massive percentage of the worlds energy resources. During recent years, development trends in the field of LED technology have paved the way for novel concepts impacting on the subject oflight. In this way, the abovementioned issues can be greatly reduced resulting in a better balance between the environment and human needs.

Los dibujos de arquitectura gótica española de George E. Street

Between 1861 and 1863 the British architect George E. Street made several trips in order to study the Spanish gothic architecture, not so well known until then. He published afterwards, in 1865, a book entitled Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain which became the standard reference on the issue for generations of British and Spanish scholars. His work was supported by an incredible amount of reliable drawings he managed to create on the spot, that were enthusiastically greeted by critics and historians of the architecture. In this paper we will trace the path of his journeys and present the catalogue of his Spanish sketchbooks, analyzing his technique -in the context of his forerunners- and its reception in the academic world, both in Spain and England.

Correction of the Colour Variations under Uncontrolled Lighting Conditions

Esta tesis trata sobre métodos de corrección que compensan la variación de las condiciones de iluminación en aplicaciones de imagen y video a color. Estas variaciones hacen que a menudo fallen aquellos algoritmos de visión artificial que utilizan características de color para describir los objetos. Se formulan tres preguntas de investigación que definen el marco de trabajo de esta tesis. La primera cuestión aborda las similitudes que se dan entre las imágenes de superficies adyacentes en relación a su comportamiento fotométrico. En base al análisis del modelo de formación de imágenes en situaciones dinámicas, esta tesis propone un modelo capaz de predecir las variaciones de color de la región de una determinada imagen a partir de las variaciones de las regiones colindantes. Dicho modelo se denomina Quotient Relational Model of Regions. Este modelo es válido cuando: las fuentes de luz iluminan todas las superficies incluídas en él; estas superficies están próximas entre sí y tienen orientaciones similares; y cuando son en su mayoría lambertianas. Bajo ciertas circunstancias, la respuesta fotométrica de una región se puede relacionar con el resto mediante una combinación lineal. No se ha podido encontrar en la literatura científica ningún trabajo previo que proponga este tipo de modelo relacional. La segunda cuestión va un paso más allá y se pregunta si estas similitudes se pueden utilizar para corregir variaciones fotométricas desconocidas en una región también desconocida, a partir de regiones conocidas adyacentes. Para ello, se propone un método llamado Linear Correction Mapping capaz de dar una respuesta afirmativa a esta cuestión bajo las circunstancias caracterizadas previamente. Para calcular los parámetros del modelo se requiere una etapa de entrenamiento previo. El método, que inicialmente funciona para una sola cámara, se amplía para funcionar en arquitecturas con varias cámaras sin solape entre sus campos visuales. Para ello, tan solo se necesitan varias muestras de imágenes del mismo objeto capturadas por todas las cámaras. Además, este método tiene en cuenta tanto las variaciones de iluminación, como los cambios en los parámetros de exposición de las cámaras. Todos los métodos de corrección de imagen fallan cuando la imagen del objeto que tiene que ser corregido está sobreexpuesta o cuando su relación señal a ruido es muy baja. Así, la tercera cuestión se refiere a si se puede establecer un proceso de control de la adquisición que permita obtener una exposición óptima cuando las condiciones de iluminación no están controladas. De este modo, se propone un método denominado Camera Exposure Control capaz de mantener una exposición adecuada siempre y cuando las variaciones de iluminación puedan recogerse dentro del margen dinámico de la cámara. Los métodos propuestos se evaluaron individualmente. La metodología llevada a cabo en los experimentos consistió en, primero, seleccionar algunos escenarios que cubrieran situaciones representativas donde los métodos fueran válidos teóricamente. El Linear Correction Mapping fue validado en tres aplicaciones de re-identificación de objetos (vehículos, caras y personas) que utilizaban como caracterísiticas la distribución de color de éstos. Por otra parte, el Camera Exposure Control se probó en un parking al aire libre. Además de esto, se definieron varios indicadores que permitieron comparar objetivamente los resultados de los métodos propuestos con otros métodos relevantes de corrección y auto exposición referidos en el estado del arte. Los resultados de la evaluación demostraron que los métodos propuestos mejoran los métodos comparados en la mayoría de las situaciones. Basándose en los resultados obtenidos, se puede decir que las respuestas a las preguntas de investigación planteadas son afirmativas, aunque en circunstancias limitadas. Esto quiere decir que, las hipótesis planteadas respecto a la predicción, la corrección basada en ésta y la auto exposición, son factibles en aquellas situaciones identificadas a lo largo de la tesis pero que, sin embargo, no se puede garantizar que se cumplan de manera general. Por otra parte, se señalan como trabajo de investigación futuro algunas cuestiones nuevas y retos científicos que aparecen a partir del trabajo presentado en esta tesis. ABSTRACT This thesis discusses the correction methods used to compensate the variation of lighting conditions in colour image and video applications. These variations are such that Computer Vision algorithms that use colour features to describe objects mostly fail. Three research questions are formulated that define the framework of the thesis. The first question addresses the similarities of the photometric behaviour between images of dissimilar adjacent surfaces. Based on the analysis of the image formation model in dynamic situations, this thesis proposes a model that predicts the colour variations of the region of an image from the variations of the surrounded regions. This proposed model is called the Quotient Relational Model of Regions. This model is valid when the light sources illuminate all of the surfaces included in the model; these surfaces are placed close each other, have similar orientations, and are primarily Lambertian. Under certain circumstances, a linear combination is established between the photometric responses of the regions. Previous work that proposed such a relational model was not found in the scientific literature. The second question examines whether those similarities could be used to correct the unknown photometric variations in an unknown region from the known adjacent regions. A method is proposed, called Linear Correction Mapping, which is capable of providing an affirmative answer under the circumstances previously characterised. A training stage is required to determine the parameters of the model. The method for single camera scenarios is extended to cover non-overlapping multi-camera architectures. To this extent, only several image samples of the same object acquired by all of the cameras are required. Furthermore, both the light variations and the changes in the camera exposure settings are covered by correction mapping. Every image correction method is unsuccessful when the image of the object to be corrected is overexposed or the signal-to-noise ratio is very low. Thus, the third question refers to the control of the acquisition process to obtain an optimal exposure in uncontrolled light conditions. A Camera Exposure Control method is proposed that is capable of holding a suitable exposure provided that the light variations can be collected within the dynamic range of the camera. Each one of the proposed methods was evaluated individually. The methodology of the experiments consisted of first selecting some scenarios that cover the representative situations for which the methods are theoretically valid. Linear Correction Mapping was validated using three object re-identification applications (vehicles, faces and persons) based on the object colour distributions. Camera Exposure Control was proved in an outdoor parking scenario. In addition, several performance indicators were defined to objectively compare the results with other relevant state of the art correction and auto-exposure methods. The results of the evaluation demonstrated that the proposed methods outperform the compared ones in the most situations. Based on the obtained results, the answers to the above-described research questions are affirmative in limited circumstances, that is, the hypothesis of the forecasting, the correction based on it, and the auto exposure are feasible in the situations identified in the thesis, although they cannot be guaranteed in general. Furthermore, the presented work raises new questions and scientific challenges, which are highlighted as future research work.

Spatial and temporal variations of trace element distribution in soils and street dust of an industrial town in NW Spain: 15 years of study

Extensive spatial and temporal surveys, over 15 years, have been conducted in soil in urban parks and street dusts in one of the most polluted cities in western Europe, Avilés (NW Spain). The first survey was carried out in 1996, and since then monitoring has been undertaken every five years. Whilst the sampling site is a relatively small town, industrial activities (mainly the steel industry and Zn and Al metallurgy) and other less significant urban sources, such as traffic, strongly affect the load of heavy metals in the urban aerosol. Elemental tracers have been used to characterise the influence of these sources on the composition of soil and dust. Although PM10 has decreased over these years as a result of environmental measures undertaken in the city, some of the “industrial” elements still remain in concentrations of concern for example, up to 4.6% and 0.5% of Zn in dust and soil, respectively. Spatial trends in metals such as Zn and Cd clearly reflect sources from the processing industries. The concentrations of these elements across Europe have reduced over time, however the most recent results from Avilés revealed an upward trend in concentration for Zn, Cd, Hg and As. A risk assessment of the soil highlighted As as an element of concern since its cancer risk in adults was more than double the value above which regulatory agencies deem it to be unacceptable. If children were considered to be the receptors, then the risk nearly doubles from this element.

Road Dust Emission Sources and Assessment of Street Washing Effect

Although previous studies report on the effect of street washing on ambient particulate matter levels, there is a lack of studies investigating the results of street washing on the emission strength of road dust. A sampling campaign was conducted in Madrid urban area during July 2009 where road dust samples were collected in two sites, namely Reference site (where the road surface was not washed) and Pelayo site (where street washing was performed daily during night). Following the chemical characterization of the road dust particles the emission sources were resolved by means of Positive Matrix Factorization, PMF (Multilinear Engine scripting) and the mass contribution of each source was calculated for the two sites. Mineral dust, brake wear, tire wear, carbonaceous emissions and construction dust were the main sources of road dust with mineral and construction dust being the major contributors to inhalable road dust load. To evaluate the effectiveness of street washing on the emission sources, the sources mass contributions between the two sites were compared. Although brake wear and tire wear had lower concentrations at the site where street washing was performed, these mass differences were not statistically significant and the temporal variation did not show the expected build-up after dust removal. It was concluded that the washing activities resulted merely in a road dust moistening, without effective removal and that mobilization of particles took place in a few hours between washing and sampling. The results also indicated that it is worth paying attention to the dust dispersed from the construction sites as they affect the emission strength in nearby streets.

Energy and Lighting Performance of Buildings in the Neighbourhood Ciudad de los Angeles, Before and After Refurbishing.

The Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness is funding the SHERIF Research Project, which falls under the INNPACTO pr ogram. This project aims to increase the rate of the existing building refurbishment fro m the energy efficiency point of view by designing a facade system that must be an economica l, flexible and integrated solution 1 . Under this project has been performing several task s regarding the constructive characterization and energy evaluation of the therm al behaviour of facades on existing buildings . In order to perform the latter task, in which this article will focus, has been developing a survey of various buildings in the nei ghbourhood Ciudad de los Angeles, which has as main objective the comparison between the ac tual energy and light behaviour of different buildings, prior and posterior to any ref urbishment works have been undertaken. The evaluation of the actual performance of buildin gs before and after being refurbished is aimed to determine the impact of the work developed as well as learn from the work performed for future interventions.

The Theory and Practice of Restoration in England in the Second Half of the 19th Century: The Work of George E. Street

Análisis de la teoría y práctica de la restauración en Inglaterra en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, enfocada al trabajo realizado por el arquitecto George Edmund Street, desde el punto de vista de su investigación sobre la historia de la construcción de la arquitectura gótica en Europa.

Development of a full hybrid lighting-CPV prototype and savings in a real case operation

A full Hybrid lighting-CPV prototype has been assembled. This new concept mixes a classical CPV module with the production of light for illumination without a double conversion (solar energy to electricity and electricity to light) allowing a higher efficiency to the whole system. The present prototype is based on a commercial CPV module that has been adapted in order to be hybrid, adjusting the receivers to pass the fibers into the module, inserting a holder to adjust x,y and z position of the fibers and changing the original parquet of lenses by a bifocal one composed most of the original lenses and the inclusion of other lenses in the position of the corners. Results show that with a minimal loss in the CPV part, a luminous flux is obtained that can be used to illuminate. Adding an additional electrical lamp and a light sensor that enables this lamp when no light from the sun is received, a 38% saving on lighting electricity is expected in Madrid during a year.