0000000000140378
AUTHOR
Manuel Nuñez
Approaches to partitioning the global UVER irradiance into its direct and diffuse components in Valencia, Spain
[1] The paper explores methods of partitioning the hourly average UV erythemal flux into its direct and diffuse components for Valencia, Spain. It is shown that the cloud modification factor, the ratio of measured to cloudless erythemal flux relates linearly to the fraction of the measured irradiance that is diffuse. This relationship was developed further into two simple models- a linear and nonlinear one. The models are characterized by an effective cloud cover to partition the global erythemal flux. The diffuse fraction increases linearly with cloud cover in the linear model, but exponentially in the nonlinear one. The models may be used to partition the direct and diffuse irradiance wit…
Ultraviolet radiation protection by a beach umbrella.
A beach umbrella intercepts all direct UV irradiance, but only part of the diffuse component. Using a simple sky view factor model, we have determined the fraction of the hemispheric diffuse irradiance that is not intercepted by the umbrella. Assuming a sensor at the surface and close to the center of the umbrella, isotropic diffuse irradiance and for an umbrella of 80 cm radius and 100 cm high, our results show that approximately 34% of the incident horizontal irradiance is not intercepted by the umbrella. These results agree with irradiance measurements conducted with and without the umbrella. The model is next extended to examine receipt of UV radiation by a human figure in a vertical po…
A new technique for analysis of human sperm morphology in unstained cells from raw semen
Sperm morphology analysis is a fundamental component of semen analysis, but its real significance has been clouded by the plethora of techniques used for its evaluation. Most involve different fixation and staining procedures that induce artefacts. Herein we describe Trumorph (Proiser R+D, Paterna, Spain), a new method for sperm morphology analysis based on examination of wet preparations of spermatozoa immobilised, after a short 60°C shock, in narrow chambers and examined by negative phase contrast microscopy. A range of morphological forms was observed, similar to those found using conventional fixed and stained preparations, but other forms were also found, distinguishable only by the o…
Incorporation of aerosol effects in a clear-sky semi-empirical model of UVER radiation for Valencia, Spain
The study develops a simple but physically based model for estimating erythemal irradiance [(UV erythemal radiation (UVER)] for cloudless urban regions with substantial aerosol load, such as that of the Valencia environment in Spain. The model estimates direct and diffuse UVER for cloudless aerosol-free conditions using the LibRadtran model with a DISORT algorithm. Aerosol optical thickness for UVER (τaER) is obtained as a residual term by comparing measured direct UVER against modelled direct UVER in the absence of aerosol load. On average, τaER is 18% higher than τ data extrapolated to 305 nm using the CIMEL CE-318. Comparison of measured direct and diffuse UVER with model estimates provi…
Narrow-band to broad-band conversion for Meteosat-visiible channel and broad-band albedo using both AVHRR-1 and -2 channels
Abstract Satellite-derived broad-band albedo offers a useful tool for monitoring surface conditions. Given the limited wavelength window of most satellite radiometers, satellite albedo studies need to define narrow-band to a broad-band transformations. Signals from the AVHRR channels on board the NOAA-11 satellite, the Meteosat visible channel and a rectangular spectral band from 0-3 to 2.5 μm were simulated for a set of 20 representative land surfaces. The radiative transfer code described in Tanre et al. (1990) was used to obtain top of the atmosphere radiances. The derived signals were then correlated to predict broadband albedo and the Meteosal response via the two AVHRR signals. The re…
Facial attractiveness in men provides clues to semen quality
Abstract Facial attractiveness has been related to health in both men and women. Certain psychological, physiological, and secondary sex characteristics have been used as accurate markers of hormonal and developmental health. The main objective of this study was to investigate the capacity of women to select males of high reproductive quality based on their facial attractiveness. A total of 66 males were included in the study. Each of them provides a semen sample, and frontal and lateral photographs were taken. Semen analysis was made according to standard WHO (1999) guidelines for morphology, motility, and concentration. Moreover, a Sperm Index (SI) was calculated as the principal componen…
Wavelength dependence of the effective cloud optical depth
This study examines the wavelength dependence of cloud optical depth. To accomplish this task two different wavelength bands of the solar spectrum were considered in the cloud optical depth retrieval which was conducted in Valencia, Spain. The first retrieval used global irradiance measurements in the UVER range taken from a YES-UVB-1 radiometer in combination with multiple scattering model estimates; while the second retrieval was obtained in the Broadband range, with measurements of global solar surface irradiance from a CM6 pyranometer and a multiple scattering model. Whilst the dependence of the cloud optical depth (τ) on the wavelength is small, the best result was displayed by the SBD…
Effects of exposure to static magnetic fields on the morphology and morphometry of mouse epididymal sperm.
Morphologic and morphometric sperm characteristics of mouse epididymal extracts from animals exposed to static magnetic fields were evaluated. For this purpose, animals were exposed for 35 days to a field of 0.7 T generated by a commercial permanent magnet for either 1 or 24 h per day. The values of morphometric parameters were obtained using the morphometric module of the Sperm Class Analyzer® computerized image analysis system, and percentages of abnormalities were calculated. The size of sperm heads was unaffected by exposure to static magnetic fields. Lack of hook was a sperm head abnormality found significantly more frequently in animals exposed continually than in nonexposed animals, …
Conversion of nadir, narrowband reflectance in red and near-infrared channels to hemispherical surface albedo
Abstract Measured nadir-viewed narrow-band reflectanees in red and near infrared channels simulating AVHRR Channels 1 and 2 are compared with measured integrated solar spectrum hemispherical albedos. Reflectanees and albedos were measured from an aircraft over four widely different vegetation surfaces in southeastern Tasmania (Australia). A linear function is used to simultaneously correct for narrow band to broad band conversion errors and to convert nadir viewed reflectances to hemispherical albedos. While the application of the conversion equation presented is limited to the vegetation types of the study, the equation is independent of vegetation type. Results indicate that the reflectan…
Regionalization of epididymal duct and epithelium in rats and mice by automatic computer-aided morphometric analysis.
Aim: To establish a rat and mouse epididymal map based on the use of the Epiquatre automatic software for histologic image analysis. Methods: Epididymides from five adult rats and five adult mice were fixed in alcoholic Bouin’s fixative and embedded in paraffin. Serial longitudinal sections through the medial aspect of the organ were cut at 10 µm and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. As determined from major connective tissue septa, nine subdivisions of the rat epididymis and seven for the mouse were determined, consisting of five sub-regions in the caput (rat and mouse), one (mouse) or three (rat) in the corpus and one in the cauda (rat and mouse). Using the Epiquatre software, several t…
Relationship between the effective cloud optical depth and different atmospheric transmission factors
This study examines the sensitivity of cloud optical depth (COD) for overcast conditions to radiation transmission using data collected in Valencia, Spain. These relationships are provided as simple empirical functions, therefore avoiding the need to apply complex model minimisation schemes to obtain COD. Comparisons are presented between COD obtained by a minimization method and several radiation transmission factors comprising a clearness index (kt), a modified version (kt'), a cloud modification factor (CMF) and its modified version (CMF'). Additionally, a statistical model of COD proposed by J.C. Barnard and C.N. Long (2004) is tested with our data. Statistical relationships between COD…
Effect of solid storage at 15 degrees C on the subsequent motility and fertility of rabbit semen.
We conducted two studies to improve preservation of rabbit semen. The objective of the first study was determine whether a glucose- and fructose-based extender with two different amounts of gelatin would solidify at 15 degrees C, and to evaluate the influence of gelatin supplementation on sperm motility parameters after storing semen up to 10 days at 15 degrees C. The fertility of rabbit semen diluted in the best gelatin-supplemented extender established in Study 1 and stored for up to 5 days was evaluated in the second study. In Study 1, semen was collected with an artificial vagina from 40 bucks. Each ejaculate was diluted to (80-100) x 10(6) spermatozoa/mL (1:3, semen/extender) at 37 deg…
Sensitivity of UVER enhancement to broken liquid water clouds: A Monte Carlo approach
The study uses a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model to examine the sensitivity of the UV erythemal radiation (UVER) enhancement to broken liquid water clouds of the cumulus and stratocumulus type. The model uses monochromatic radiation at 310 nm corresponding approximately to the peak of the product between irradiance and the erythemal curve. All scattering, absorption, extinction coefficients, and spectral albedos are tuned to this wavelength. In order of importance, fractional cloud cover, the area of individual cloud patches, and cloud thickness exert a strong influence on the enhancement, with smaller contributions from cloud optical depth, cloud base height, and solar zenith angle. I…
A comparison of the effects of bilateral efferent duct ligation and of partial epididymectomy on the testes of rats.
Testis weight as a percentage of body weight did not change following bilateral ligation of the efferent ducts (EDL) close to the epididymis, whereas following removal of part of the epididymis between the site of ligation and a point close to the junction between the caput and corpus (PCE), testis weight first rose linearly until Day 4 and then showed an exponential decrease between Days 4 and 28. After EDL, the perimeter of the seminiferous tubules rose for the first 7 days and then remained elevated, whereas after PCE, there was a linear decrease between Days 4 and 28. Following EDL, the percentage of altered and degenerated tubular cross-sections rose to about 30% and 10%, respectively,…
Effective cloud optical depth and enhancement effects for broken liquid water clouds in Valencia (Spain)
Partly cloudy skies with liquid water clouds have been analysed, founding that it is essential to distinguish data if the Sun is obstructed or not by clouds. Both cases can be separated considering simultaneously the Cloud Modification Factor (CMF) and the clearness index (kt). For partly cloudy skies and the Sun obstructed the effective cloud optical depth (τ) has been obtained by the minimization method for overcast skies. This method was previously developed by the authors but, in this case, taking into account partial cloud cover. This study has been conducted for the years 2011–2015 with the multiple scattering model SBDART and irradiance measurements for the UV Erythemal Radiation (UV…
Male Facial Anthropometry and Attractiveness
The symmetry and masculinity of the face are often considered important elements of male facial attractiveness. However, facial preferences are rarely studied on natural faces. We studied the effect of these traits and facial metric parameters on facial attractiveness in Spanish and Colombian raters. In total, 13 metric and 11 asymmetry parameters from natural, unmanipulated frontal face photographs of 50 Spanish men were measured with the USIA semiautomatic anthropometric software. All raters (women and men) were asked to rank these images as potential long-term partners for females. In both sexes, facial attractiveness was negatively associated with facial masculinity, and preference was …
Comparison of three different staining methods for the assessment of epididymal red deer sperm morphometry by computerized analysis with ISAS®
When collection of ejaculated sperm samples is not possible, as is the case with wild species, the epididymides of sacrificed wild males become the only possible source of spermatozoa. Mature cauda epididymal spermatozoa display characteristics similar to those of ejaculated sperm cells. The present work proposes a sperm staining technique suitable for the morphometric evaluation of red deer epididymal sperm using a new computerized system. Epididymides from wild animals were extracted no later than 2 h post mortem. After epididymal sectioning, sperm samples were collected, cooled to and equilibrated at 5 °C, and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Before staining, sperm samples were thawed for 20 s…
Male facial attractiveness and masculinity may provide sex- and culture-independent cues to semen quality
Phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis (PLFH) predicts that male secondary sexual traits reveal honest information about male fertilization ability. However, PLFH has rarely been studied in humans. The aim of the present study was to test PLFH in humans and to investigate whether potential ability to select fertile partners is independent of sex or cultural background. We found that on the contrary to the hypothesis, facial masculinity was negatively associated with semen quality. As increased levels of testosterone have been demonstrated to impair sperm production, this finding may indicate a trade-off between investments in secondary sexual signalling (i.e. facial masculinity) and fertilit…
Use of the Sperm-Class Analyser® for objective assessment of human sperm morphology
The Sperm-Class Analyser was validated for assessing morphometric parameters of the head and midpiece of unwashed and washed human ejaculated spermatozoa from volunteers providing a wide range of semen quality. A higher proportion of sperm could be assessed (86% fresh semen and 75% washed sperm) if Hemacolor staining was used rather than DiffQuik (80 and 73%) or Papanicolaou (78 and 68%). Different stains employed different fixatives and the area, length, width and perimeter of the sperm head was significantly larger for washed sperm stained by Hemacolor and DiffQuik. Acrosomal area ranged from 48 to 51% of the sperm head area and this percentage was larger for washed sperm stained with Dif…
Effective cloud optical depth for overcast conditions determined with a UV radiometers
Using a sky camera, episodes characterized by overcast low clouds in the Valencia region of Spain have been selected for analysis. One year of cloud optical depth data have been produced by inverting UV erythemal irradiance measured with a UVB-1 radiometer from Yankee Environmental Systems using the LibRadtran radiative transfer model. Measurement uncertainties, aerosol single scattering albedo and cloud properties are, in order of decreasing importance, the most important factors influencing the accuracy of cloud optical depth retrieval when using UV erythemal radiometers. Statistics for cloud optical depth show a highly skewed frequency distribution best described by a gamma distribution …
Development of mouse testis and epididymis following intrauterine exposure to a static magnetic field
In order to test if the in utero exposure to static magnetic fields affects testis and epididymis development in mice, females were exposed to 0.5–0.7 T, generated by a permanent magnet, from day 7 of gestation to the day of birth. No significant differences were found between exposed and sham-exposed animals with respect to body weight gain of dam during the gestational period, litter size, body weight of male pups at the day of birth, and body or testis-epididymis weight gain of pups from birth to day 35. Histopathologic evaluation of testis and epididymis of pups of 1, 5, 15, and 35 days of age showed no detectable alterations due to in utero exposure to static magnetic fields. Bioelectr…