bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why Are Multiple Regulators Required for Transcription of Each Gene?
Authors: Kobayashi Hiroshi
Published: June 2016

The human genome has been proposed to contain numerous regions called “consensus sequences” that are recognized by DNA-binding proteins required for gene expression. Results obtained with a computer simulation showed that: (1) all random sequences consisting of less than 15 base pairs were present in the human genome, and (2) consensus sequences reported to date were found in an artificial genome created randomly by a computer. These results suggest that conserved sequences consisting of more than 15 base pairs are required for accurate gene expression. No consensus sequence consisting of more than 15 base pairs has been identified to date. Thus, the co-association of multiple proteins bound side by side is required for appropriate gene expression because the total number of conserved sequences can exceed 15, whereas the binding of a single protein has no physiological role because its consensus sequence is present randomly in the human genome.
Computational Inference of Gene Regulation from Whole-Transcriptome Analysis of Early Embryos
Authors: Park Sung-Joon , Nakai Kenta
Published: June 2016

To ensure totipotency of new zygotes, immediately after fertilization, two gametes activate genetic and epigenetic processes that highly interplay and lead to sequential waves of gene expression. Since the first report of fertilization a hundred years ago, a long-standing question to what factors govern the dramatic transcriptional changes remains elusive. Recently, significant advances in biological experiment technology and computational methodology have taken place in understanding of the regulatory dynamics during fertilization. This chapter provides an overview of the recent progress in characterizing mammalian fertilization, and focuses on the computational methods applicable to the inference of regulation for understanding early embryo development. In particular, this chapter introduces the linear regression modeling and log-linear graphical modeling to identify potential key regulators in the higher-order conditional distribution where statistical paradox often occurs.
A Graphical Tool for the Creation of Behaviors in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Corradini Andrea , Mehta Manish
Published: June 2016

Typically, the creation of AI-based behaviors for Non-Playing Characters (NPC) in computer games is carried out by people with specialized skills in the broad areas of design and programming. This book chapter presents Second Mind (SM), a digital solution that makes it possible for novice users to successfully author behaviors. In SM, authors can use a graphical interface to define the behaviors of virtual characters in response to interactions with players. Authors can easily endow NPCs with behavior capabilities that make them act in different possible roles such as e.g. shopkeepers, museum hosts, etc. A series of user tests with human subjects to evaluate the behavior authoring process shows that Second Mind is easy to understand and simplifies the process of behavior production.
A Brief Introduction to Q Methodology
Authors: Yang Yang
Published: June 2016

Q methodology is a method to systematically study subjective matters such as thoughts and beliefs on any given topic. Q methodology can be used for both theory building and theory testing. The purpose of this paper was to give a brief overview of Q methodology to readers with various backgrounds. This paper discussed several advantages of Q methodology that makes it attractive to researchers and practitioners who are interested in understanding different perspectives or behavioral patterns toward any given topic, its distinct position as a methodology, and how it fits into the qualitative—mixed—quantitative continuum. The paper further used two research studies as applications to demonstrate how to perform a Q methodological study, involving the following steps: development of the Q sort statements; selection of the P set (participants); Q sorting; and analysis and interpretation of Q sorts.
Analysis of Existing Trust Based Routing Schemes Used in Wireless Network
Authors: Patel Kajal S. , Shah Jagdish S.
Published: June 2016

Wireless networks are vulnerable to many security attacks as they use wireless media and a node has to depend on unknown intermediate nodes for data transmission. Cryptographic algorithms used for wired network cannot work efficiently in wireless network, as in wireless network nodes are mobile and battery operated. Nodes may also have limited resources available. So, to detect malicious activities on node and improve stability of route while routing in mobile ad hoc network, trust-based routing is used. Communication parameters used in calculating trust value in most of existing trust based protocol (wireless network) are number of successful session or packet forwarded between two nodes, number of packet dropped or delayed, response time, battery life, mobility of node etc. This paper provides analysis of existing trust based routing by surveying current “sate of the art” work in this area. This paper also proposed a new parameter (number of route error message sent by a node) of a wireless node which can affect the network performance and can be used to calculate trust value.
Using Crowd Sourcing to Analyze Consumers' Response to Privacy Policies of Online Social Network and Financial Institutions at Micro Level
Authors: Alduaij Shaikha , Chen Zhiyuan , Gangopadhyay Aryya
Published: June 2016

As it becomes easy and inexpensive to store huge amount of data, concerns about privacy are increasing as well. Although service providers have privacy policies, research shows that users rarely read privacy policies. As a result, there has been little work done on how consumers respond to individual segments of privacy policies, which is important for organizations when designing privacy policies. In this study, the authors break down privacy policies of two well-known social network companies (Facebook, Twitter) and financial institution (Bank of America) into simple segments. They then use crowd sourcing to analyze consumers' response to these policy segments. The authors ask questions on users' awareness, expectations, familiarity, and privacy concerns of these policy segments. The relationships between various factors such as demographic factors, data type, data flow and consumers' privacy concerns were also investigated. The authors conclude with guidelines and suggestions for improvement and ways to increase users' awareness of privacy policies.
Swedish IT Project Managers' Personality Traits Mirrored in the Big Five
Authors: Marcusson Leif , Lundqvist Siw
Published: June 2016

Project success, which is critical to achieve, requires a competent project manager. Could anybody become a skilled project manager, or what does it take? One factor that is considered to influence the opportunities of succeeding is individuals' personality traits. Which ones would be suitable for Swedish IT project managers then? Could these be mirrored in the perspective of the Big five categories? This research was carried out by collecting and analyzing job advertisements (henceforth ads.) once a year (2010-2013), in total 325 ads. The findings indicate that the three most requested personality traits for a Swedish IT project manager are driven, communicative and structured. Mirrored in the Big five dimensions the most requested traits from the study fell into the categories conscientiousness and extraversion. The practical implication is improved ads. by using the Big five categories; research implications are foremost yet another perspective of IT project managers' personality traits.
Buffer Sizing Methods to Compare Critical Chain Project Management with Critical Path
Authors: Shurrab Mohammed , Abbasi Ghaleb
Published: June 2016

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) provided a tangible progress to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. The critical chain project management (CCPM) differs from the traditional Critical Path Method (CPM) which includes never changing resource dependencies. CCPM improves the project plan by aggregating uncertainty into buffers at the end of activity paths. In this research, one hundred twenty random projects were generated and analyzed using Microsoft Project software according to the traditional CPM and the CCPM once using the sum of squares (SSQ) method and another using the cut & past (C&PM) method. CCPM-SSQ method revealed an average savings of 13% and 43% in duration and cost, with a standard deviation of 21 and 11 for duration and cost respectively. While the CCPM-C&PM method revealed an average overestimation of about 2% in duration and 43% savings in cost, with a standard deviation of 25 and 11 for duration and cost respectively.
Palliation of Dysphagia in Carcinoma Esophagus
Authors: Ramakrishnaiah Vishnu Prasad Nelamangala , Malage Somanath , Sreenath G.S. , Kotlapati Sudhakar , Cyriac Sunu
Published: June 2016

Esophageal carcinoma has a special place in gastrointestinal carcinomas because it contains two main types, namely, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Carcinoma esophagus patients require some form of palliation because of locally advanced stage or distant metastasis, where it cannot be subjected to curable treatment with surgery and chemoradiation. Many modalities of palliation of dysphagia are available, but the procedure with least morbidity, mortality, and long-term palliation of dysphagia needs to be chosen for the patient. This study aims to discuss the recent trends in palliation of dysphagia with promising results and the most suitable therapy for palliation of dysphagia in a given patient. A total of 64 articles that were published between years 2005 and 2015 on various modes of palliation of dysphagia in carcinoma esophagus were studied, which were mainly randomized and prospective studies. Through this study, we conclude that stents are the first choice of therapy for palliation, which is safe and cost-effective, and they can be combined with either radiotherapy or chemotherapy for long-term palliation of dysphagia with good quality of life. Radiotherapy can be used as a second-line treatment modality.
The Simple Chordate Ciona intestinalis Has a Reduced Complement of Genes Associated with Fanconi Anemia
Authors: Stanley Edward C. , Azzinaro Paul A. , Vierra David A. , Howlett Niall G. , Irvine Steven Q.
Published: June 2016

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a human genetic disease characterized by congenital defects, bone marrow failure, and increased cancer risk. FA is associated with mutation in one of 24 genes. The protein products of these genes function cooperatively in the FA pathway to orchestrate the repair of DNA interstrand cross-links. Few model organisms exist for the study of FA. Seeking a model organism with a simpler version of the FA pathway, we searched the genome of the simple chordate Ciona intestinalis for homologs of the human FA-associated proteins. BLAST searches, sequence alignments, hydropathy comparisons, maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis, and structural modeling were used to infer the likelihood of homology between C. intestinalis and human FA proteins. Our analysis indicates that C. intestinalis indeed has a simpler and potentially functional FA pathway. The C. intestinalis genome was searched for candidates for homology to 24 human FA and FA-associated proteins. Support was found for the existence of homologs for 13 of these 24 human genes in C. intestinalis. Members of each of the three commonly recognized FA gene functional groups were found. In group I, we identified homologs of FANCE, FANCL, FANCM, and UBE2T/FANCT. Both members of group II, FANCD2 and FANCI, have homologs in C. intestinalis. In group III, we found evidence for homologs of FANCJ, FANCO, FANCQ/ERCC4, FANCR/RAD51, and FANCS/BRCA1, as well as the FA-associated proteins ERCC1 and FAN1. Evidence was very weak for the existence of homologs in C. intestinalis for any other recognized FA genes. This work supports the notion that C. intestinalis, as a close relative of vertebrates, but having a much reduced complement of FA genes, offers a means of studying the function of certain FA proteins in a simpler pathway than that of vertebrate cells.
Abstract Plancherel (Trace) Formulas over Homogeneous Spaces of Compact Groups
Authors: Ghaani Farashahi Arash
Published: June 2016

This paper introduces a unified operator theory approach to the abstract Plancherel (trace) formulas over homogeneous spaces of compact groups. LetGbe a compact group and letHbe a closed subgroup ofG. LetG/Hbe the left coset space ofHinGand letμbe the normalized G-invariant measure onG-Hassociated with Weil’s formula. Then we present a generalized abstract notion of Plancherel (trace) formula for the Hilbert spaceL2(G/H,μ).
Piecewise rigid curve deformation via a Finsler steepest descent
Authors: Charpiat Guillaume , Nardi Giacomo , Peyré Gabriel , Vialard François-Xavier
Published: June 2016

This paper introduces a novel steepest descent flow in Banach spaces. This extends previous works on generalized gradient descent, notably the work of Charpiat et al. [15], to the setting of Finsler metrics. Such a generalized gradient allows one to take into account a prior on deformations (e.g., piecewise rigid) in order to favor some specific evolutions. We define a Finsler gradient descent method to minimize a functional defined on a Banach space and we prove a convergence theorem for such a method. In particular, we show that the use of non-Hilbertian norms on Banach spaces is useful to study non-convex optimization problems where the geometry of the space might play a crucial role to avoid poor local minima.We show some applications to the curve matching problem. In particular, we characterize piecewise rigid deformations on the space of curves and we study several models to perform piecewise rigid evolution of curves.
Fine numerical analysis of the crack-tip position for a Mumford–Shah minimizer
Authors: Li Zhilin , Mikayelyan Hayk
Published: June 2016

A new algorithm to determine the position of the crack (discontinuity set) of certain minimizers of Mumford–Shah functional in situations when a crack-tip occurs is introduced. The conformal mapping

\tilde{z}=\sqrt{z}

in the complex plane is used to transform the free discontinuity problem to a new type of free boundary problem, where the symmetry of the free boundary is an additional constraint of a non-local nature. Instead of traditional Jacobi or Newton iterative methods, we propose a simple iteration method which does not need the Jacobian but is way fast than the Jacobi iteration. In each iteration, a Laplace equation needs to be solved on an irregular domain with a Dirichlet boundary condition on the fixed part of the boundary; and a Neumann type boundary condition along the free boundary. The augmented immersed interface method is employed to solve the potential problem. The numerical results agree with the analytic analysis and provide insight into some open questions in free discontinuity problems.
Diagnostico parcial da arborização viária sob rede elétrica na regional oeste de Minas Gerais
Authors: Oliveira Altamir Fernandes De , Alves Pereira José Aldo , Coelho Silvério José , Assis Pereira Gabriel De
Published: June 2016

Este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar um diagnóstico parcial da arborização viária sob a rede de energia elétrica, em cinco cidades da Regional Oeste de Minas Gerais, que mais apresentaram desligamentos de energia por causa de conflitos com árvores. Foram identificadas 186 árvores, distribuídas em 17 espécies de origem exótica e 30 espécies de origem nativa. As espécies mais frequentes foram Poincianella pluviosa (30,43%), seguida de Ligustrum lucidum (10,86%), Michelia champaca (6,52%) e Schinus molle (4,89%), que juntas perfizeram 52,7% das árvores avaliadas. 84,78% das árvores estavam localizadas em ruas com largura superior a 7 m. 36,55% das árvores estavam plantadas em calçadas com largura mínima de 2 m e apresentaram altura da primeira bifurcação superior a 1,80 m. As podas realizadas por causa de conflitos com a rede elétrica, equivaleram a 40,22%. As árvores com altura maior ou igual a 6 m compuseram 72,83% da população amostral. Em conclusão, Foi verificado que não há um plano de manejo arbóreo-urbano sob a rede elétrica adequado, visto que a frequência de árvores, se concentram em poucas espécies que eram em sua maioria de médio e grande porte.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha. La técnica y el “arte del construir”
Authors: Villac María Isabel
Published: June 2016

El artículo presenta la arquitectura de Paulo Mendes da Rocha bajo el concepto de la materialidad que traduce una opción cultural y social, orienta la técnica constructiva y la expresión de la obra. Aclara las intenciones de proyecto y afinidades entre las obras del Muelle de las Artes, el Museo de los Coches, los Museos de la USP.
Plaza de los museos de la Universidad de São Paulo. Brasil
Authors: Piratininga Arquitetos Associados Estudio
Published: June 2016

Los tres museos que forman este conjunto (Etnología, Zoología y Ciencia) deberán constituir un punto de atracción en las relaciones entre la Ciudad Universitaria y la población de São Paulo. Desde el punto de vista arquitectónico, la cuestión fundamental aparece en la peculiar disposición espacial que deberá surgir para albergar la zona de investigación y recintos de trabajo exclusivo y la visita pública. Un conjunto peculiar, todo él un museo.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Conversaciones alrededor de la arquitectura: memoria, deseo y experiencia
Authors: Azulay Tapiero Marilda
Published: June 2016

Paulo Mendes da Rocha, definiendo la arquitectura como “el momento, la conveniencia, la urgencia, los deseos, las necesidades, la técnica, resolver problemas”, reflexionaba en que el futuro es siempre reconstrucción del pasado. Arquitectura que, basada en el deseo humano, dice, debe ser oportuna. Este artículo trata de su arquitectura; una obra donde confluyen memoria, deseo y experiencia para el futuro. De hecho, y particularmente, el Ginásio do Clube Atlético Paulistano (1958) inaugura algunas características fundamentales de la arquitectura construida en São Paulo durante las décadas siguientes.
Las escuelas de Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Authors: Ferrer Forés Jaime J.
Published: June 2016

Este artículo, que analiza los edificios escolares del arquitecto Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Vitória, 1928) recorre tanto los edificios dedicados a la enseñanza como los fundamentos esenciales de su coherente trayectoria arquitectónica donde confluyen la proeza estructural, la continuidad espacial moderna y el uso plástico del hormigón. Este recorrido por las obras realizadas en la década de los sesenta y setenta, en la primera etapa prodigiosa de su trayectoria, permite ilustrar las constantes del arquitecto en el territorio de las aulas, a través del recorrido cronológico por nueve edificios escolares que revelan también las lecciones del maestro de Vitória.
La restauración arquitectónica en Italia, hoy
Authors: Marconi Paolo
Published: June 2016

En un artículo lleno de arrebato, Paolo Marconi expone su reflexión personal sobre la ideología de la restaura­ción en Italia, en los últimos decenios, extraída de casi cuarenta años de experiencia en el campo profesional y docente. Nos parece interesante que los lectores de LOGGIA conozcan este texto polémico, que posee la fuerza de un manifiesto, en el que propone un giro copernicano en la filosofía de la intervención en el patrimonio arquitectónico con respecto a las teorías de restauración de origen Boitiano
El centro histórico de Oporto. Patrimonio mundial
Authors: Gómez-Ferrer Álvaro
Published: June 2016

En la última Asamblea General del Comité del Patrimonio Mundial, celebrada en Mérida, Méjico, fue incluído en la lista de Patrimonio Mundial el Centro Histórico de Oporto. El arquitecto Alvaro Gómez Ferrer, que informó el expediente presentado por la Cámara Municipal de Oporto, explica algunas conside­raciones sobre el valor histórico, patrimonial y urba­nístico, poniendo un énfasis especial en la protección jurídica y la gestión de la rehabilitación
La Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados. Valencia. Propuestas de inervención integral. Me todología
Authors: Bosch Reig Ignacio , Roig Picaza Pilar
Published: June 2016

Pocos estudios previos a la restauración de un monumento, han acometido un análisis tan exhaus­tivo y completo como el realizado en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados, por el equipo interdisciplinar dirigido por l. Bosch y P. Roig; quie­nes ofrecen en estas páginas, una interesante, aunque difícil, síntesis de lo que constituye un compen dio metodológico de prospección y análisis, adentrándose finalmente en el terreno de las propo­siciones proyectuales
Patrimonio arquitectónico o parque temático
Authors: Solà-Morales Ignasi
Published: June 2016

El creciente paralelismo a constatar entre la percep­ción y el consumo de los parques temáticos y del patrimonio arquitectónico da pie a una reflexión sobre la museificación del objeto arquitectónico, que le despoja de su valor previo, su sustancia cultural inicial para convertirse en imágenes, abiertas a una pluralidad de miradas que produce lo que el autor denomina "efecto Parque Temático", con consecuen­cias para la arquitectura protegida.
Synergistic use of Lagrangian dispersion and radiative transfer modelling with satellite and surface remote sensing measurements for the investigation of volcanic plumes: the Mount Etna eruption of 25–27 October 2013
Authors: Sellitto Pasquale , di Sarra Alcide , Corradini Stefano , Boichu Marie , Herbin Hervé , Dubuisson Philippe , Sèze Geneviève , Meloni Daniela , Monteleone Francesco , Merucci Luca , Rusalem Justin , Salerno Giuseppe , Briole Pierre , Legras Bernard
Published: June 2016

Abstract. In this paper we combine SO2 and ash plume dispersion modelling with satellite and surface remote sensing observations to study the regional influence of a relatively weak volcanic eruption from Mount Etna on the optical and micro-physical properties of Mediterranean aerosols. We analyse the Mount Etna eruption episode of 25–27 October 2013. The evolution of the plume along the trajectory is investigated by means of the FLEXible PARTicle Lagrangian dispersion (FLEXPART) model. The satellite data set includes true colour images, retrieved values of volcanic SO2 and ash, estimates of SO2 and ash emission rates derived from MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) observations and estimates of cloud top pressure from SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager). Surface remote sensing measurements of aerosol and SO2 made at the ENEA Station for Climate Observations (35.52° N, 12.63° E; 50 m a.s.l.) on the island of Lampedusa are used in the analysis. The combination of these different data sets suggests that SO2 and ash, despite the initial injection at about 7.0 km altitude, reached altitudes around 10–12 km and influenced the column average aerosol particle size distribution at a distance of more than 350 km downwind. This study indicates that even a relatively weak volcanic eruption may produce an observable effect on the aerosol properties at the regional scale. The impact of secondary sulfate particles on the aerosol size distribution at Lampedusa is discussed and estimates of the clear-sky direct aerosol radiative forcing are derived. Daily shortwave radiative forcing efficiencies, i.e. radiative forcing per unit AOD (aerosol optical depth), are calculated with the LibRadtran model. They are estimated between −39 and −48 W m−2 AOD−1 at the top of the atmosphere and between −66 and −49 W m−2 AOD−1 at the surface, with the variability in the estimates mainly depending on the aerosol single scattering albedo. These results suggest that sulfate particles played a large role in the transported plume composition and radiative forcing, while the contribution by ash particles was small in the volcanic plume arriving at Lampedusa during this event.
Direct Inversion of Circulation and Mixing from Tracer Measurements: I. Method
Authors: von Clarmann Thomas , Grabowski Udo
Published: June 2016

Abstract. From a series of zonal mean global stratospheric tracer measurements sampled in altitude versus latitude, circulation and mixing patterns are inferred by the inverse solution of the continuity equation. As a first step, the continuity equation is written as a tendency equation, which is numerically integrated over time to predict a later atmospheric state, i.e. mixing ratio and air density. The integration is formally performed by multiplication of the initially measured atmospheric state vector by a linear prediction operator. Further, the derivative of the predicted atmospheric state with respect to the wind vector components and mixing coefficients is used to find the most likely wind vector components and mixing coefficients which minimize the residual between the predicted atmospheric state and the later measurement of the atmospheric state. Unless multiple tracers are used, this inversion problem is under-determined, and dispersive behaviour of the prediction further destabilizes the inversion. Both these problems are fought by regularization. For this purpose, a first order smoothness constraint has been chosen. The usefulness of this method is demonstrated by application to various tracer measurements recorded with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS). This method aims at a diagnosis of the Brewer-Dobson circulation without involving the concept of the mean age of stratospheric air, and related problems like the stratospheric tape recorder, or intrusions of mesospheric air into the stratosphere.
Model simulations of cooking organic aerosol (COA) over the UK using estimates of emissions based on measurements at two sites in London
Authors: Ots Riinu , Vieno Massimo , Allan James D. , Reis Stefan , Nemitz Eiko , Young Dominique E. , Coe Hugh , Di Marco Chiara , Detournay Anais , Mackenzie Ian A. , Green David C. , Heal Mathew R.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Cooking organic aerosol (COA) is currently not included in European emission inventories. However, recent positive matrix factorization (PMF) analyses of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements have suggested important contributions of COA in several European cities. In this study, emissions of COA were estimated for the UK, based on hourly AMS measurements of COA made at two sites in London (a kerbside site in central London and an urban background site in a residential area close to central London) for the full calendar year of 2012 during the Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) campaign. Iteration of COA emissions estimates and subsequent evaluation and sensitivity experiments were conducted with the EMEP4UK atmospheric chemistry transport modelling system with a horizontal resolution of 5 km × 5 km. The spatial distribution of these emissions was based on workday population density derived from the 2011 census data. The estimated UK annual COA emission was 7.4 Gg per year, which is an almost 10 % addition to the officially reported UK national total anthropogenic emissions of PM2.5 (82 Gg in 2012), corresponding to 320 mg person−1 day−1 on average. Weekday and weekend diurnal variation in COA emissions were also based on the AMS measurements. Modelled concentrations of COA were then independently evaluated against AMS-derived COA measurements from another city and time period (Manchester, Jan–Feb 2007), as well as with COA estimated by a chemical mass balance model of measurements for a two-week period at the Harwell rural site (~ 80 km west of central London). The modelled annual average contribution of COA to ambient particulate matter (PM) in central London was between 1–2 μg m−3, and between 0.5–0.7 μg m−3 in other major cities in England (Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds). It was also shown that cities smaller than London can have a central hot-spot of population density of smaller area than the computational grid cell, in which case higher localised COA concentrations than modelled here may be expected. Modelled COA concentrations dropped rapidly outside of major urban areas (annual average of 0.12 μg m−3 for the Harwell location), indicating that although COA can be a notable component in urban air, it does not have a significant effect on PM concentrations on rural areas. The possibility that the AMS PMF-apportionment measurements overestimate COA concentrations by up to a factor of 2 is discussed. Since COA is a primary emission, any downward adjustments in COA emissions would lead to a proportional linear downward scaling in the absolute magnitudes of COA concentrations simulated in the model.
Evaluation of biomass burning aerosols in the HadGEM3 climate model with observations from the SAMBBA field campaign
Authors: Johnson B. T. , Haywood J. M. , Langridge J. M. , Darbyshire E. , Morgan W. T. , Szpek K. , Brooke J. , Marenco F. , Coe H. , Artaxo P. , Longo K. M. , Mulcahy J. , Mann G. , Dalvi M. , Bellouin N.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. We present observations of biomass burning aerosol from the South American Biomass Burning Analysis (SAMBBA) and other measurement campaigns, and use these to evaluate the representation of biomass burning aerosol properties and processes in a state-of-the-art climate model. The evaluation includes detailed comparisons with aircraft and ground data, along with remote sensing observations from MODIS and AERONET. We demonstrate several improvements to aerosol properties following the implementation of the GLOMAP-mode modal aerosol scheme in the HadGEM3 climate model. This predicts the particle size distribution, composition and optical properties, giving increased accuracy in the representation of aerosol properties and physical-chemical processes over the CLASSIC bulk aerosol scheme previously used in HadGEM2. Although both models give similar regional distributions of carbonaceous aerosol mass and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), GLOMAP-mode is better able to capture the observed size distribution, single scattering albedo, and Ångström exponent across different tropical biomass burning source regions. Both aerosol schemes overestimate the uptake of water compared to recent observations, CLASSIC more so than GLOMAP-mode, leading to a likely overestimation of aerosol scattering, AOD and single scattering albedo at high relative humidity. Observed aerosol vertical distributions were well captured when biomass burning aerosol emissions were injected uniformly from the surface to 3 km. Finally, good agreement between observed and modelled AOD was gained only after scaling up GFED3 emissions by a factor of 1.6 for CLASSIC and 2.0 for GLOMAP-mode. We attribute this difference in scaling factor mainly to different assumptions for the growth of aerosol mass during ageing via oxidation and condensation of organics.
Large uncertainty in ecosystem carbon dynamics resulting from ambiguous numerical coupling of carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry: A demonstration with the ACME land model
Authors: Tang Jinyun , Riley William J.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Most Earth System Models (ESMs) have incorporated, or are incorporating, coupled carbon and nutrient dynamics in their land modules. We show here that different numerical implementations of nutrient controls may imply different ecological mechanisms not recognized in the original model design and can have first order impacts on predicted terrestrial carbon cycling. Using ALM, the land module of the DOE ESM (ACME), we analysed land-atmosphere CO2 exchange with coupled carbon and nitrogen dynamics through three commonly-applied numerical implementations of nitrogen limitation: (1) Mineral Nitrogen based Limitation (MNL), (2) Net nitrogen Uptake based Limitation (NUL), and (3) Proportional Nitrogen flux based Limitation (PNL). By the last decade of the contemporary period (1850–2000), the three schemes resulted in very similar global terrestrial carbon and nitrogen distributions. However, under an RCP4.5 CO2 concentration forcing, the implementations resulted in wildly diverging 2001–2300 land-atmosphere CO2 exchanges. Quantitatively, the divergence is as large as that of the CMIP5 models by 2100 and is about 1900 Pg C (~ 890 ppmv) by 2300. Our analysis suggests that these differences result from: (1) the typically high predicted terrestrial ecosystem carbon to nitrogen ratios (i.e., nutrient constrained conditions) and (2) the schemes predict different levels of nitrogen limitation to the carbon cycle, so that the PNL scheme leads to larger nitrogen loss through aerobic and anaerobic denitrification and surface and subsurface hydrological transport. We also found significant sensitivity of model predictions to initial conditions and numerical time step size but insignificant sensitivity to the sequence of numerical oxygen and nitrogen limitation or the ordering of reaction and chemical transport. We conclude that inconsistencies in imposing nutrient limitations will very likely lead to large uncertainties in predicted carbon stocks and long-term carbon-climate feedbacks. Finally, we recommend approaches to systematically alleviate these uncertainties.
Ubiquitous production of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) in global marine environments: a new source indicator for brGDGTs
Authors: Xiao Wenjie , Wang Yinghui , Zhou Shangzhe , Hu Limin , Yang Huan , Xu Yunping
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Presumed source specificity of branched and isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) led to the development of several biomarker proxies for biogeochemical cycle and paleoenvironment. However, recent studies reveal that brGDGTs are also produced in aquatic environments besides soils and peat. Here we examined three cores from the Bohai Sea and found distinct difference in brGDGT compositions varying with the distance from the Yellow River mouth. We thus proposed an abundance ratio of hexamethylated to pentamethylated brGDGT (IIIa / IIa) to evaluate brGDGT sources. The compiling of globally distributed 1354 marine sediments and 589 soils shows that the IIIa / IIa ratio is generally < 0.59 for soils, 0.59–0.92 and > 0.92 for marine sediments with and without significant terrestrial inputs, respectively. Such disparity confirms the existence of two sources of brGDGTs, a terrestrial origin with lower IIIa / IIa and a marine origin with higher IIIa / IIa, likely due to different pH influence. The application of the IIIa / IIa ratio to the East Siberian Arctic Shelf proves it a sensitive source indicator for brGDGTs, which is helpful for accurate estimation of organic carbon source and paleoclimates in marine settings.
Optimized Merging of Search Coil and Fluxgate Data for MMS
Authors: Fischer David , Magnes Werner , Hagen Christian , Dors Ivan , Chutter Mark W. , Needell Jerry , Torbert Roy  B. , Le Contel Olivier , Strangeway Robert  J. , Kubin Gernot , Valavanoglou Aris , Plaschke Ferdinand , Nakamura Rumi , Mirioni Laurent , Russel Christopher T. , Leinweber Hannes  K. , Bromund Kenneth R. , Le Guan , Kepko Lawrence , Anderson Brian  J. , Slavin James  A , Baumjohann Wolfgang
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) targets the characterization of fine scale current structures in the Earth's tail and magnetopause. The high speed of these structures, when traversing one of the MMS spacecraft, creates magnetic field signatures that cross the sensitive frequency bands of both search coil and fluxgate magnetometers. Higher data quality for analysis of these events can be achieved by combining data from both instrument types and using the frequency bands with best sensitivity and signal to noise ratio from both sensors. This can be achieved by a model based frequency 20 compensation approach which requires the precise knowledge of instrument gain and phase properties. We discuss relevant aspects of the instrument design, the ground calibration activities, describe the model development and explain the application on in-flight data. Finally, we show the precision of this method by comparison of inflight data. It confirms unity gain and a time difference of less than 100 μs between the different magnetometer instruments.
A coincidence detection system based on real-time software
Authors: Ayuso Sindulfo , Blanco Juan José , Medina José , Gómez-Herrero Raúl , García-Población Oscar , García Tejedor Ignacio
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Conventional real-time coincidence systems use electronic circuitry to detect coincident pulses (hardware coincidence). In this work, a new concept of coincidence system based on real-time software (software coincidence) is presented. This system is based on the recurrent supervision of the Analog to Digital Converters status, which is described in detail. A prototype has been designed and built using a low-cost development platform. It has been applied to two different experimental sets for cosmic ray muon detection. Experimental muon measurements recorded simultaneously using conventional hardware coincidence and our software coincidence system have been compared, yielding identical results. These measurements have been also validated using simultaneous neutron monitor observations. This new software coincidence system provides remarkable advantages such as higher simplicity of interconnection and adjusting. Thus, our system replaces, at least, three Nuclear Instrument Modules (NIM) required by conventional coincidence systems, reducing its cost by a factor of 40 and eliminating pulse delay adjustments.
Magnetic airborne survey – geophysical flight
Authors: de Barros Camara Erick , Guimarães Suze Nei Pereira
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This paper provides a technical review process in the area of airborne acquisition of geophysical data, with emphasis for magnetometry. In summary, it addresses the calibration processes of geophysical equipment as well as the aircraft to minimize possible errors in measurements. The corrections used in data processing and filtering are demonstrated with the same results as well as the evolution of these techniques in Brazil and worldwide.
Effect of land use/land cover and climate changes on surface runoff in a semi-humid and semi-arid transition zone in Northwest China
Authors: Yin Jing , He Fan , Xiong YuJiu , Qiu GuoYu
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Water resources, which are substantially affected by land use/land cover (LULC) and climate changes, are a key limiting factor for ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions exhibiting high vulnerability. It is crucial to assess the impact of LULC and climate changes on water resources in these areas. However, conflicting results on the effect of the LULC and climate changes on runoff have been reported for relatively large basins, e.g., in the Jinghe River Basin (JRB), a typical large catchment (> 45000 km2) located in a semi-humid and arid transition zone on the central Loess Plateau, Northwest China. In this study, we focused on quantifying both the combined and isolated impacts of LULC and climate changes on surface runoff. It is hypothesized that under climatic warming and drying conditions, LULC change, which is primarily caused by intensive human activities, such as the conversion of cropland to forest and grassland program (CCFGP), will alter runoff markedly in the JRB. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was adopted to perform simulations. The simulated results indicated that although runoff increased very little between the 1970s and the 2000s due to the combined effects of LULC and climate changes, LULC and climate changes affected surface runoff differently in each decade, i.e., runoff increased with elevated precipitation between the 1970s and the 1980s (precipitation contributed 88 % to the increased runoff). Thereafter, runoff decreased and became increasingly influenced by LULC change, with a 44 % contribution between the 1980s and the 1990s and a 71 % contribution between the 1990s and the 2000s. Our findings revealed that large-scale LULC under the CCFGP since the late 1990s has had an important effect on the hydrological cycle and that the conflicting findings on the effect of the LULC and climate changes on runoff in relatively large basins are likely caused by uncertainty in hydrological simulations.
Ecohydrological Optimality in Northeast China Transect
Authors: Li Qinshu , Cong Zhentao , Mo Kangle , Zhang Lexin
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Northeast China Transect (NECT) is one of International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) terrestrial transects. In this transect area, there is a significant precipitation gradient from east to west, as well as a vegetation transition of forest-grasslands-dessert. In this paper, we use vegetation cover as an index to describe the properties of vegetation distribution and dynamics in NECT. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is used to derive the actual vegetation cover M, while Eagleson's ecohydrological optimality theory is applied to calculate the optimal canopy cover M* along NECT. The result indicates that the theoretical M* fits the actual M well (for forest, M* = 0.822 while M = 0.826; for grassland, M* = 0.353 while M = 0.352; the correlation coefficient between M and M* is 0.81). Water balance are also calculated using Eagleson's theory. The result is compared to the field measured data and shows a relative good match, which further demonstrates the reliability of the ecohydrological optimality theory in this area. M* increases with the decrease of LAI, stem fraction, temperature, and the increase of leaf angle and precipitation amount. The ecohydrological optimality method offers a quantitative way to analyse the impacts of climate change to canopy cover quantitatively, thus providing advices for eco-restoration projects.
DETECTING ANOMALY REGIONS IN SATELLITE IMAGE TIME SERIES BASED ON SESAONAL AUTOCORRELATION ANALYSIS
Authors: Zhou Z.-G. , Tang P. , Zhou M.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Anomaly regions in satellite images can reflect unexpected changes of land cover caused by flood, fire, landslide, etc. Detecting anomaly regions in satellite image time series is important for studying the dynamic processes of land cover changes as well as for disaster monitoring. Although several methods have been developed to detect land cover changes using satellite image time series, they are generally designed for detecting inter-annual or abrupt land cover changes, but are not focusing on detecting spatial-temporal changes in continuous images. In order to identify spatial-temporal dynamic processes of unexpected changes of land cover, this study proposes a method for detecting anomaly regions in each image of satellite image time series based on seasonal autocorrelation analysis. The method was validated with a case study to detect spatial-temporal processes of a severe flooding using Terra/MODIS image time series. Experiments demonstrated the advantages of the method that (1) it can effectively detect anomaly regions in each of satellite image time series, showing spatial-temporal varying process of anomaly regions, (2) it is flexible to meet some requirement (e.g., z-value or significance level) of detection accuracies with overall accuracy being up to 89% and precision above than 90%, and (3) it does not need time series smoothing and can detect anomaly regions in noisy satellite images with a high reliability.
INCREMENTAL REFINEMENT OF FAÇADE MODELS WITH ATTRIBUTE GRAMMAR FROM 3D POINT CLOUDS
Authors: Dehbi Y. , Staat C. , Mandtler L. , Pl¨umer L.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Data acquisition using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has gotten more and more attention over the last years. Especially in the field of building reconstruction the incremental interpretation of such data is a demanding task. In this context formal grammars play an important role for the top-down identification and reconstruction of building objects. Up to now, the available approaches expect offline data in order to parse an a-priori known grammar. For mapping on demand an on the fly reconstruction based on UAV data is required. An incremental interpretation of the data stream is inevitable. This paper presents an incremental parser of grammar rules for an automatic 3D building reconstruction. The parser enables a model refinement based on new observations with respect to a weighted attribute context-free grammar (WACFG). The falsification or rejection of hypotheses is supported as well. The parser can deal with and adapt available parse trees acquired from previous interpretations or predictions. Parse trees derived so far are updated in an iterative way using transformation rules. A diagnostic step searches for mismatches between current and new nodes. Prior knowledge on fac¸ades is incorporated. It is given by probability densities as well as architectural patterns. Since we cannot always assume normal distributions, the derivation of location and shape parameters of building objects is based on a kernel density estimation (KDE). While the level of detail is continuously improved, the geometrical, semantic and topological consistency is ensured.
FAST PROBABILISTIC FUSION OF 3D POINT CLOUDS VIA OCCUPANCY GRIDS FOR SCENE CLASSIFICATION
Authors: Kuhn Andreas , Huang Hai , Drauschke Martin , Mayer Helmut
Published: June 2016

Abstract. High resolution consumer cameras on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) allow for cheap acquisition of highly detailed images, e.g., of urban regions. Via image registration by means of Structure from Motion (SfM) and Multi View Stereo (MVS) the automatic generation of huge amounts of 3D points with a relative accuracy in the centimeter range is possible. Applications such as semantic classification have a need for accurate 3D point clouds, but do not benefit from an extremely high resolution/density. In this paper, we, therefore, propose a fast fusion of high resolution 3D point clouds based on occupancy grids. The result is used for semantic classification. In contrast to state-of-the-art classification methods, we accept a certain percentage of outliers, arguing that they can be considered in the classification process when a per point belief is determined in the fusion process. To this end, we employ an octree-based fusion which allows for the derivation of outlier probabilities. The probabilities give a belief for every 3D point, which is essential for the semantic classification to consider measurement noise. For an example point cloud with half a billion 3D points (cf. Figure 1), we show that our method can reduce runtime as well as improve classification accuracy and offers high scalability for large datasets.