Iras observations of solar-like stars

IRAS has detected 70% of the 66 F, G, K nearby dwarf stars investigated here. The sample included chromospherically active as well as non-active dwarfs. The detected stars show emission at 12 and 25 m. Their 12 m luminosity is in the range 1–13×10³⁰ erg s^–1 and it is strongly correlated to the star's total luminosity (L _bol).There are indications that some of the stars possess IR emission in excess of that expected from a stellar photosphere.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meeting of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Ecosystem-based marine spatial management: Review of concepts, policies, tools, and critical issues

Conventional sectoral management and piecemeal governance are considered less and less appropriate in pursuit of sustainable development. Ecosystem based marine spatial management (EB-MSM) is an approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including human uses, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services in isolation. Marine spatial planning and ocean zoning are emerging concepts that can support EB-MSM. EB-MSM is driven by high-level goals that managers aim to achieve through the implementation of measures. High-level goals and objectives need to be translated into more operational objectives before specific targets, limits and measures can be elaborated.Monitoring, evaluation and adaptation are necessary to ensure that marine management measures are both effective and efficient. Solid monitoring frameworks are the foundation of adaptive management, as they provide the necessary information to evaluate performance and the effectiveness of management actions. Marine protected areas (MPAs) - possibly set up in networks - constitute a key component in EB-MSM policies and practises and have been applied as a cornerstone in conservation of marine biodiversity, management of fish populations, development of coastal tourism, etc. Moreover, MPA experiences have provided methods and concepts (such as zoning) to a wider EB-MSM context. The assignment of values to biophysical features of the marine environment allows the direct assessment of related management choices and may assist EB-MSM.A range of monetary valuation techniques have been proposed to reduce attributes of goods and services to a single metric. However, in the marine environment such an approach is often over simplistic, and thus less reductive techniques may be necessary. Rather than producing a single metric, the results of non-monetary assessments guide policy allowing weight to be given as necessary to potential areas of conflict and consensus.Strategies to take into account climate change effects and geohazard risks in EB-MSM have been applied or proposed worldwide. EB-MSM regimes must be alert to such risks and flexible to account for changes.     

X-Ray Binaries in Nearby Galaxies

In the last few years Chandra observations have revolutionized the study of X-ray binaries by extending observed samples to extragalactic distances and stellar environments of varied star formation history. Here we summarize some of our results related to the interpretation of current observations of young star clusters and of elliptical galaxies.     

The 17 November 2015 Mw 6.4 Lefkas (Ionian Sea,Western Greece) Earthquake: Impact on Environment and Buildings

On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 07:10:07 (UTC) a strong earthquake struck Lefkas Island (Ionian Sea, Western Greece) with magnitude Mw 6.4, depth of about 6 km and epicenter located 20 km southwest of Lefkas town. It was felt in Lefkas Island and the surrounding region and caused the death of two people, the injury of eight others, many earthquake environmental effects (EEE) and damage to buildings and infrastructures. Secondary EEE were observed in western Lefkas and classified as ground cracks, slope movements and liquefaction phenomena. Primary effects directly linked to surface expression of seismogenic source were not detected in the field. The maximum intensity VIII_{ESI 2007} was assigned to large-volume slope movements along western coastal Lefkas. Damage to buildings was mainly observed in villages located in Dragano-Athani graben arranged almost parallel to the northern segment of the Cephalonia Transform Fault Zone (Lefkas segment). Among structures constructed with no seismic provisions, the stone masonry buildings and monumental structures suffered most damage, while the traditional buildings of the area with dual structural system performed relatively well and suffered minor damage. Reinforced-concrete buildings were affected not so much by the earthquake itself but by the generation of secondary EEE. The maximum seismic intensities VIII_EMS-98 were assigned to villages located in Dragano-Athani graben due to very heavy structural damage observed on masonry buildings mainly attributed to the combination of the recorded high PGA values, the poor antiseismic design and construction of buildings and the geological and tectonic structure of the affected area.     

Multi-model multi-analysis ensemble weather forecasting on the grid for the South Eastern Mediterranean Region

Weather forecasting is based on the use of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models that are able to perform the necessary calculations that describe/predict the major atmospheric processes. One common problem in weather forecasting derives from the uncertainty related to the chaotic behaviour of the atmosphere. A solution to that problem is to perform in addition to “deterministic” forecasts, “stochastic” forecasts that provide an estimate of the prediction skill. A computationally feasible approach towards this aim is to perform “ensemble forecasts”. Indeed, in the frame of SEE-GRID-SCI EU funded project a Regional scale Multi-model, Multi-analysis ensemble forecasting system (REFS) was built and ported on the Grid infrastructure. REFS is based on the use of four limited area models (namely BOLAM, MM5, ETA, and NMM) that are run using a multitude of initial and boundary conditions over the Mediterranean. This paper presents the tools and procedures followed for developing this application at a production level.