bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving Continuous Sign Language Recognition with Consistency Constraints and Signer Removal
Authors: Zuo Ronglai , Mak Brian
Published: January 2024

Deep-learning-based continuous sign language recognition (CSLR) models typically consist of a visual module, a sequential module, and an alignment module. However, the effectiveness of training such CSLR backbones is hindered by limited training samples, rendering the use of a single connectionist temporal classification loss insufficient. To address this limitation, we propose three auxiliary tasks to enhance CSLR backbones. First, we enhance the visual module, which is particularly sensitive to the challenges posed by limited training samples, from the perspective of consistency. Specifically, since sign languages primarily rely on signers’ facial expressions and hand movements to convey information, we develop a keypoint-guided spatial attention module that directs the visual module to focus on informative regions, thereby ensuring spatial attention consistency. Furthermore, recognizing that the output features of both the visual and sequential modules represent the same sentence, we leverage this prior knowledge to better exploit the power of the backbone. We impose a sentence embedding consistency constraint between the visual and sequential modules, enhancing the representation power of both features. The resulting CSLR model, referred to as consistency-enhanced CSLR, demonstrates superior performance on signer-dependent datasets, where all signers appear during both training and testing. To enhance its robustness for the signer-independent setting, we propose a signer removal module based on feature disentanglement, effectively eliminating signer-specific information from the backbone. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed auxiliary tasks, we conduct extensive ablation studies. Notably, utilizing a transformer-based backbone, our model achieves state-of-the-art or competitive performance on five benchmarks, including PHOENIX-2014, PHOENIX-2014-T, PHOENIX-2014-SI, CSL, and CSL-Daily. Code and models are available at https://github.com/2000ZRL/LCSA_C2SLR_SRM.
Nanosheet like Ni-MOFs/MWCNTs Composite Synthesis: Application to Trace Level Dopamine Measurement
Authors: Supritha K. M. , Pandurangappa M.
Published: January 2024

Nanosheet like nickel metal organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs) have been synthesized using solvothermal route at room temperature. Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been embedded into these MOFs through equilibration to prepare the composite. The composite (Ni-MOFs/MWCNTs) has been used as a modifier in sensor fabrication on glassy carbon electrode surface and successfully applied in dopamine measurement through cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry techniques. The composite has exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance with a very low detection limit of 0.017 μM. The protocol showed wide linearity in the concentration range 2–200 μM with a sensitivity of 17.14 μAμM−1cm−2. The proposed electrochemical platform exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity in dopamine sensing which has been successfully applied to real sample matrices like human blood serum and injection.
Development and Evaluation of a Physicochemical Equivalent Circuit Model for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Graule A. , Oehler F.F. , Schmitt J. , Li J. , Jossen A.
Published: January 2024

Physicochemical models of lithium-ion cells, like the Doyle Fuller Newman (DFN) model, are omnipresent in battery research and development as they provide crucial insight into the cell, while equivalent circuit models dominate the area of application-oriented models, where speed is paramount. In this work, we develop and analyze a model that combines the two approaches using equivalent circuits and the DFN theory. By using a generalized approach to equivalent circuits, we model the necessary electric and diffusional processes analogously. The developed model accounts for all physical processes and internal states contained in the standard DFN model. We investigate the impact of model discretization and compare the developed model to a reference DFN implementation. Agreement between the models for both the predicted cell voltage and internal states shows that the developed equivalent circuit model provides a physically meaningful description of a lithium-ion battery, thereby successfully combining the two main modeling approaches for lithium-ion batteries.
Experimental Validation of Side Reaction on Capacity Fade of Vanadium Redox Flow Battery
Authors: Huang Zebo , Liu Yilin , Xie Xing , Huang Cao , Huang Qian , Guo Zhenwei , Liu Yangsheng
Published: January 2024

The all-vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is widely regarded as the most effective solution for mitigating the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and simultaneously achieving “carbon neutrality goals.” Nevertheless, the battery’s overall performance is adversely affected by capacity loss resulting from side reactions, hence constraining its viability for usage in large-scale energy storage systems. This study proposes a novel approach that aims to minimize side reactions and mitigate capacity fade by employing an appropriate charge cut-off voltage mechanism. The experiment centers around the examination of performance indicators, including battery charge/discharge capabilities, internal resistance, capacity retention rate, and efficiency, for analytical purposes. The findings indicate that by setting the charge cut-off reference voltage at 1.65 V, the battery’s capacity can be sustained at 61.76% after 60 cycles. When the charge cut-off voltage is raised by increments of 0.1 V and 0.15 V, the corresponding reductions in battery capacity amount to 1.74% and 5.16% respectively. The aforementioned findings emphasize the significance of considering the effect of side reactions on battery capacity and implement that mechanism can significantly enhance the battery’s overall performance.
State-of-Charge Implications of Thermal Runaway in Li-ion Cells and Modules
Authors: Karmakar Avijit , Zhou Hanwei , Vishnugopi Bairav S. , Jeevarajan Judith A. , Mukherjee Partha P.
Published: January 2024

The thermal safety of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for electric vehicles continues to remain a major concern. A comprehensive understanding of the thermal runaway (TR) mechanisms in Li-ion cells and modules due to intrinsic factors such as state-of-charge (SOC) and cell-to-cell arrangement under abuse scenarios such as external heating is critical toward the development of advanced battery thermal management systems. This study presents a hierarchical TR modeling framework to examine the TR behavior of Li-ion cells at various SOCs and probe its implications on the thermal runaway propagation (TRP) in a battery module. We perform accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) experiments with 3.25 Ah cylindrical Li-ion cells at different SOCs and demonstrate the strong SOC dependence of TR characteristics such as the onset temperature, maximum cell temperature, and self-heating rate. The thermo-kinetic parameters extracted from the ARC experiments are used to develop a TR model that captures the SOC-induced TR response in Li-ion cells. The mechanistic information from the cell-level model is used to examine the pathways for TRP in a battery module consisting of cells with uniform and imbalanced SOCs, thereby demonstrating the underlying role of SOC variability on the resulting TRP under abuse conditions.
Sensational site: the sodium pump ouabain-binding site and its ligands
Authors: Blaustein Mordecai P. , Hamlyn John M.
Published: January 2024

Cardiotonic steroids (CTS), used by certain insects, toads, and rats for protection from predators, became, thanks to Withering’s trailblazing 1785 monograph, the mainstay of heart failure (HF) therapy. In the 1950s and 1960s, we learned that the CTS receptor was part of the sodium pump (NKA) and that the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger was critical for the acute cardiotonic effect of digoxin- and ouabain-related CTS. This “settled” view was upended by seven revolutionary observations. First, subnanomolar ouabain sometimes stimulates NKA while higher concentrations are invariably inhibitory. Second, endogenous ouabain (EO) was discovered in the human circulation. Third, in the DIG clinical trial, digoxin only marginally improved outcomes in patients with HF. Fourth, cloning of NKA in 1985 revealed multiple NKA α and β subunit isoforms that, in the rodent, differ in their sensitivities to CTS. Fifth, the NKA is a cation pump and a hormone receptor/signal transducer. EO binding to NKA activates, in a ligand- and cell-specific manner, several protein kinase and Ca2+-dependent signaling cascades that have widespread physiological effects and can contribute to hypertension and HF pathogenesis. Sixth, all CTS are not equivalent, e.g., ouabain induces hypertension in rodents while digoxin is antihypertensinogenic (“biased signaling”). Seventh, most common rodent hypertension models require a highly ouabain-sensitive α2 NKA and the elevated blood pressure is alleviated by EO immunoneutralization. These numerous phenomena are enabled by NKA’s intricate structure. We have just begun to understand the endocrine role of the endogenous ligands and the broad impact of the ouabain-binding site on physiology and pathophysiology.
Ca2+ storage function is altered in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle lacking mitsugumin 23
Authors: Watanabe Daiki , Nishi Miyuki , Liu Feng , Bian Yuhan , Takeshima Hiroshi
Published: January 2024

The function of calcium storage within sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) plays a pivotal role in influencing the health and disease states of skeletal muscle. In the present study, we demonstrated that mitsgumin 23, a novel non-selective cation channel, modifies SR Ca2+ storage in skeletal muscle fibers. These findings provide valuable insights into the physiological regulation of Ca2+ in skeletal muscle, offering significant potential for uncovering the mechanisms underlying muscle fatigue, muscle adaptation, and muscle diseases.
Short-term dynamic characteristics of diuresis during exogenous pressure perturbations with and without arterial baroreflex control
Authors: Kawada Toru , Matsushita Hiroki , Yokota Shohei , Yoshida Yuki , Fukumitsu Masafumi , Alexander Joe , Saku Keita
Published: January 2024

We quantified short-term dynamic characteristics of the urine flow (UF) response to arterial pressure (AP) changes using white noise analysis. The UF step response approximated the sum of two exponential decay functions with time constants of ∼6.5 s and 102 s. The neurally mediated antidiuretic (NMA) effect contributed to the slow component of the UF step response, with the magnitude of approximately one-third of that of the pressure diuresis (PD) effect.
The Role of Neutrophil in COVID-19 — Positive or Negative
Authors: Rong Na , Wei Xiaohui , Liu Jiangning
Published: January 2024

Background
Neutrophils are the first line of defense against pathogens. They are divided into multiple subpopulations during development and kill pathogens through various mechanisms. Neutrophils are considered one of the markers of severe COVID-19.
Summary
In-depth research has revealed that neutrophil subpopulations have multiple complex functions. Different subsets of neutrophils play an important role in the progression of COVID-19.
Key Messages
In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the developmental processes of neutrophils at different stages and their recruitment and activation after SARS-CoV-2 infection, aiming to elucidate the changes in neutrophil subpopulations, characteristics, and functions after infection and provide a reference for mechanistic research on neutrophil subpopulations in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, we have also summarized research progress on potential targeted drugs for neutrophil immunotherapy, hoping to provide information that aids the development of therapeutic drugs for the clinical treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Pterin Profiling in Serum, Dried Blood Spot, and Urine Samples Using LC-MS/MS in Patients with Inherited Hyperphenylalaninemia
Authors: Öktem Rıdvan Murat , İnci Aslı , Bayrak Harun , Demir Fevzi , Biberoğlu Gürsel , Maviş Murat Emrah , Gürsu Gökçe Göksu , Yılmaz Hazal , Okur İlyas , Ezgü Fatih Suheyl , Tümer Leyla
Published: January 2024

Background: Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) is defined as blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels exceeding the normal values (>120 μmol/L or >2 mg/dL) and is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). The widespread screening of Phe levels in newborn screening programs has led to a very high number of patients with HPA. Methods: The samples were collected at various ages, not at the point of diagnosis. Nine pterin derivatives, including isoxanthopterin, sepiapterin, xanthopterin, primapterin, biopterin, neopterin, 7,8-dihydrobiopterin, 7,8-dihydroneopterin, and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), were analyzed in different HPA classes in serum, dried blood spots (DBS), and urine samples. A total of 18 patients, including six classical phenylketonuria (PKU), eight BH4-responsive PKU, and four mild HPA patients, were included in the study. Results: Among the nine pterin derivatives measured, a significant increase was observed in the levels of isoxanthopterin, biopterin, and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin in serum, dried blood spots (DBS), and urine samples of patients with HPA compared to the control group. However, elevations in isoxanthopterin, biopterin, and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin were observed in all HPA groups, although the extent of elevation varied among the different disease groups. There were also significant differences between HPA subgroups among these high values. Conclusion: In this study, it might be suggested that pterin profiling shows promising potential for its effective utilization in the differential diagnosis of HPA. Pterin profiling demonstrated its efficacy in accurately categorizing patients into distinct subtypes. This approach offers several notable advantages, including the ability to simultaneously screen multiple HPA subtypes through a single test, establish disease decision limits for pterins, shorten the time required for HPA differential diagnosis, reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, and increase overall diagnostic accuracy. This study is the most comprehensive study examining the association between HPA pterin in the literature. In our study, samples obtained from BH4-responsive PKU patients were on treatment. This may have affected the results. Preliminary findings on pterin profiles may need to be replicated in a prospective cohort of samples collected at the time of diagnosis to confirm the results.
Maternal Diabetes and Risk of Hypospadias: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liu Zhiyuan , Yu Chengjun , Yang Shuhan , Luo Jin , Zhang Jie , Wang Xiao , Wei Chun , Shi Qinlin , Hua Yi , Liu Xing , Wei Guanghui
Published: January 2024

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal diabetes and the risk of hypospadias in male infants, as the relationship between them remains uncertain. Methods: To comprehensively evaluate the association between pregestational diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus with hypospadias, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. A thorough literature search was conducted, encompassing relevant publications published prior to January 2023. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Results: Our meta-analysis comprised a total of 13 studies, 11 of which investigated the relationship between pregestational diabetes mellitus and hypospadias, while 9 studies explored the association between gestational diabetes mellitus and hypospadias. Notably, these investigations yielded compelling evidence of significant positive associations between pregestational diabetes mellitus and hypospadias (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.13–2.03), as well as between gestational diabetes mellitus and hypospadias (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.04–1.35). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that both pregestational diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus are associated with an increased risk of hypospadias in offspring. Further investigations are needed to explore the optimal range of blood glucose during pregnancy that minimizes the risk of congenital malformation in the fetus, as well as to develop more effective measures for glycemic control in pregnant women.
K-dramas originais Netflix no catálogo brasileiro: melodrama e literacia midiática
Authors: Mungioli Maria Cristina Palma , Lemos Ligia Prezia , Penner Tomaz Affonso
Published: January 2024

As plataformas de streaming expandem a ficção seriada para novos mercados e estimulam nos polos produtores estratégias como o uso de temáticas locais, com aspectos de universalidade. Conjuntura que instiga a perceber proximidades e possibilidades de diálogo entre produções pertencentes a diferentes culturas. O artigo – por meio de mapeamento e análise – constata a progressão numérica dos K-dramas disponíveis na plataforma Netflix Brasil. Com base nesse contexto, analisa-se a questão dos gêneros televisivos como categorias culturais que asseguram modelos de leitura e interpretação e configuram storyworlds. A discussão sugere que os traços melodramáticos dos K-dramas aproximam as produções sul-coreanas da audiência brasileira. O artigo conclui que o gênero melodrama é fator determinante para a popularidade desse formato no país, pois integra a literacia do público brasileiro devido à telenovela.
Minamata: a tragédia exposta no documentário de Noriaki Tsuchimoto e nas fotografias de William Eugene Smith
Authors: Magno Maria Ignes Carlos
Published: January 2024

Para esta resenha, o filme escolhido é O Fotógrafo de Minamata (2020). A obra cinematográfica de Andrew Levitas é sobre o fotógrafo William Eugene Smith, conhecido por suas fotos nas linhas de frente da Segunda Guerra. Chamado pelo editor-chefe da Life Magazine, sai da quase total reclusão em que vivia e vai para Minamata fotografar a vida dos moradores da cidade japonesa que foi envenenada pelo mercúrio e por dejetos industriais jogados nos rios e no mar pela Chisso Corporation. O Desastre Ambiental de Minamata, como ficou conhecida a tragédia, também foi registrado pelo documentarista Noriaki Tsuchimoto ao longo de 35 anos de sua vida. Considerando a atualidade do tema, a importância de Eugene Smith no fotojornalismo e os documentários de Noriaki Tsuchimoto, pensei no filme como um pretexto para falar de artistas que registraram e denunciaram ao mundo por meio de sua arte, imagens de uma tragédia tão ou mais devastadora que as guerras veiculadas diariamente pelos meios de comunicação.
Did A. J. Ayer Bring Logical Positivism to England?
Authors: Koterski Artur
Published: January 2024

Ayer’s Language, Truth and Logic (1936) was immediately regarded as a clear and faithful presentation of the views of the Vienna Circle to English-speaking readers. Since Ayer wrote this book after his visit to Vienna, where he participated in the meetings of the Circle, one may often hear to this day that he brought logical positivism to England. However, while Ayer’s conception was a form of logical positivism, it significantly differed from its Viennese counterpart(s). The key discrepancies are related to verificationism: this article aims to analyse these discrepancies. It will be claimed that upon his return from Vienna Ayer assumed positions that were no longer, or had never been, held in the Circle: regarding the verification principle, test-statements, phenomenalist reductionism and analyticity.
Can Tacit Know-How Be Acquired via Testimony?
Authors: Malik Abida
Published: January 2024

The role of testimony in the transmission and generation of knowledge has been debated vigorously in contemporary epistemology. More recently, types other than propositional knowledge are also being discussed, among them know-how. No special attention, however, has been paid so far to tacit forms of know-how. In this article, I am arguing for the thesis that testimony, if understood in an inclusive way, can play a central role in the transmission and generation of tacit know-how. This thesis is embedded in a virtue-theoretic framework: next to testimony, successful acquisition of tacit know-how crucially depends on the relationship between teacher and student and the virtues they both display.
Resisting Protestant Hegemony: Privileging Coverage in Religion Reporting
Authors: Montalbano Kathryn , Perreault Gregory
Published: January 2024

The present study explores how religion reporters in the United States (n = 20) define religion and privilege religious identities, at times also working to combat dominant hegemonic narratives about some of these religious groups. We find that some religion reporters covered religion in ways that reflect the institutional power of religious traditions, whereas others aimed to combat the hegemonic power structures of dominant religious identities by covering less prominent groups or usurping stereotypical framings of other groups. This paper (1) provides a window into the evolving landscape of religious news in the United States, tracing how many of these journalists aim or at least recognize the need to overcome White, Protestant hegemonic lenses for understanding religion in the United States through their reporting, and (2) demonstrates how religion reporters’ approaches to covering religion, even while drawing from secular principles and values of journalism, are a byproduct of religion itself.
Digital Discussions among Women Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Authors: Romero Walker Alexis
Published: January 2024

Latter-day Saint women find comfort in community, including in online spaces. This study is a digital observation of a private Facebook group of thousands of lds mothers. It recognizes patterns around conversations of religion, politics, and gender roles. It examines how lds women create or maintain identity through interpretation of moments where vulnerable topics are discussed. The study expresses the importance in better understanding religious groups of women and their communicative practices that influence their identity within private online groups. The study also provides a framework for the methodology of exploring large but private groups on social media platforms.
Religion, covid-19, and a Sense of Community: a Facebook Case Study
Authors: Vail Maggie , Boyle Kris , Brubaker Pamela
Published: January 2024

The global lockdown caused by covid-19 sent people online in search of religious support. As a result, a religious community emerged within the Worldwide Unified Facebook group to pray and fast on Good Friday, April 10, 2020, for covid-19. Within seven days of its creation, a thriving and highly interactive 500,000+ member religious online community emerged consisting of individuals representing 99 countries and 32 religions. Through a mixed-method approach, this study investigated the Worldwide Unified member and administrator communication and how interaction within the online group fostered a Sense of Community, which can emerge from shared crises. Through an in-depth content analysis of more than 24,000 Facebook posts, this paper offers insight into how the Worldwide Unified leaders and members created a Sense of Community, highlights how social media groups influence individuals’ religiosity during times of crises, and offers suggestions on how religious leaders can utilize online groups to support communities facing crises.
Survival Ignored? Ethiopian Media’s Framing of the Terror Attack against Ethiopian Christians in Libya
Authors: Kumlachew Sileshie Semahagne
Published: January 2024

The paper explores whether Ethiopian media report on the religious reasons behind the terrorist attack against 30 Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church (eotc) followers in Libya in 2015. A framing analysis of newspaper articles reporting on the event reveal that the religious identity of the victims, and the religious justification for the massacre, have been suppressed, and it has been presented as a common, criminal offence, and political act. The government is found to be the dominant framing force creating and shifting public opinion in the reports, while the eotc’s influence is found to be restricted. The state newspaper Addis Zemen shows favoritism towards the government in its framing of the event. The private newspapers are critical of this favoritism. It is found that journalists’ perceiving that secularism means writing articles and news reports that are free of religion, and anti-eotc rhetoric that has been voiced by consecutive governments since the 1970s appear to be contributing factors to this framing negligence.
Exploring Chinese Strong Base Plan Policy Development in Pilot Universities: a Policy Implementation Analysis
Authors: Zhang Xinyao , Li Jian
Published: January 2024

The strong base plan considers both college entrance examination results and comprehensive quality. It changes the practice of paying attention to subject knowledge in independent enrollment assessment. Based on the analysis of the training implementation of 36 colleges and universities in the pilot program, it is found that all colleges and universities have implemented the training programs and incentive mechanisms targeted by the Strong Base plan from various fields and have also made appropriate adjustments according to the disciplinary specialties and cultural traditions of different colleges and universities. Therefore, to further explore the implementation effect of the strong base plan, we should establish a long-term tracking mechanism and conduct more in-depth research on the participants of the strong base plan, so that we can get a glimpse of the overall implementation of the strong base plan.
Advocating Strong Base Plan for Creating World-Class Universities in Chinese Higher Education System: Problems and Strategies
Authors: Li Jian , Wei Yukai
Published: January 2024

Strong Base Plan is committed to exploring multiple admission mechanisms for creating world-class universities, promoting the common resonance of basic education and higher education, and bringing comprehensive quality into the evaluation system is a breakthrough. As an important recruitment institution under the Strong Base plan, the competency of colleges and universities is the key factor affecting the enrollment effect. Due to the unclear employment of basic subjects, students cannot change their major after entering the program, and the long training cycle and other practical factors, the countermeasures and suggestions should include to further strengthen the supervision of all dimensions and improve the social accountability mechanism, strengthen overall planning and coordination to provide guarantee for students’ export and implement follow-up evaluation to promote continuous improvement.
Shaping Strong Base Plan in Chinese Higher Education Reform: a Policy Forecasting Perspective
Authors: Li Jian , Li Kun
Published: January 2024

As a pilot program of enrollment reform, the strong Base plan is more of an exploration of the cultivation path of top innovative talents. It needs to achieve self-improvement and innovation during challenges, constantly standardize the rights and obligations of each subject in the process of policy implementation, constantly clarify the content and standards of college entrance examination and comprehensive evaluation, and constantly improve the connection between each link, to ensure that the purpose and effect of the strong base plan are basically the same. It is a long way to go for the “Strong Base Plan” to explore a way to cultivate top-notch innovative talents with Chinese characteristics. It is necessary to coordinate and cooperate with various departments of planning, finance, human resources and social security, science, and technology, increase policy preference and resource investment, effectively improve the treatment and status of talents in basic disciplines.
Scaling Greater Heights in Higher Education Through Boundary-Spanning-Based University-Industry Collaboration: the ‘Four New’ Project in China
Authors: Zhuang Tengteng
Published: January 2024

China’s ‘Four New Project’ initiative has been a major attempt to achieve quality revolution in higher education since 2017. Underpinning it are comprehensive strategies coordinating multiple stakeholders to span boundaries and develop a synergistic approach for collaborative education. This paper teases out China’s national policies and measures to develop a leadership-oriented innovation ecosystem for higher education, drawing upon boundary-spanning perspectives of various practices in engineering education, medical education, agriculture education, and liberal arts education. It unravels how stakeholders with different interest pursuits have been coordinated to jointly fuel the reform to China’s higher education talent cultivation patterns in response to the demands of Industry 4.0 and Biomedicine 3.0. The findings render visible the macro changes in higher education institutions across tiers, types and fields, and also unravel the project’s robust effects on teaching and learning at micro level. Challenges are also discussed to shed light upon space of improvement.
Integration or Re-mobility: Exploring the Typology of Academic Returnees’ Post-return Experiences in Chinese Universities from the Cultural Assimilation Perspective
Authors: Chen Jiaxin , Du Xiaoxin
Published: January 2024

In this century, Chinese overseas-educated academics have been attracted to return to their homeland to reverse the brain drain trend in China. However, many studies have found that these academic returnees may face difficulty reintegrating upon returning. This study examines the complexity of academic returnees’ post-return integration process in Chinese universities via the cultural assimilation theory perspective. Twenty-nine in-depth semi-structured interviews with academic returnees from eight top universities in Shanghai and Guangzhou were conducted. In our analysis, academic returnees perceived two obstacles to their cultural integration after returning: the mismatch in valuing research outputs and the barriers to forming a trustworthy local research community. According to their reactions to perceived challenges and given rationales, we categorized returnees’ post-return integration processes into three patterns: integration, enclavement, and self-separation. We suggest that institutionalized practices to cultivate mutual understandings between returnees and local academia regarding overseas-developed academic culture and its distinction with dominant values and norms in the local academic community are imperative to facilitate academic returnees’ post-return integration.
Nigrohirschioporus violacaeruleum sp. nov. and a new record of Pallidohirschioporus brastagii (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetales) from India
Authors: SAHA RITUPARNA , DUTTA ARUN KUMAR , ACHARYA KRISHNENDU
Published: January 2024

The present study deals with the descriptions of two Hirschioporaceae taxa from West Bengal, India, using morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses of nrITS sequence data. Of these two taxa, Nigrohirschioporus violacaeruleum is newly described, while Pallidohirschiorus brastagii is a new record to West Bengal, India. Nigrohirschioporus violacaeruleum is characterized by a dimidiate, applanate, woody basidiocarp; a velutinate to glabrous, azonate upper surface coloured white to greyish violet; circular to angular pores (7–10 per mm) coloured lilac grey; dimorphic cystidia and inamyloid, ellipsoid to elongate basidiospores (3.5–6 × 2.5−3.0 µm). Pallidohirschioporus brastagii possess a sessile imbricate, pileate basidiocarp, an adpressed hispid, brownish orange concentrically zonate upper surface; a poroid to irpicoid hymenophore, apically encrusted, thick-walled cystidia, and inamyloid, cylindrical basidiospores (3‒5.5 × 1.5‒2.5 µm). Full descriptions, field photographs of the fruiting bodies, detailed morphological descriptions, and a molecular sequence-based phylogenetic tree, are provided.
Modulations of Madden–Julian Oscillation and Quasi-Biweekly Oscillation on Early Summer Tropical Cyclone Genesis over the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea
Authors: Chen Weizhen , Ho Chang-Hoi , Yang Song , Wu Zeming , Chen Hongjing
Published: January 2024

The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and the quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) are prominent components of the intraseasonal oscillations over the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. This study examines the tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) and the South China Sea (SCS) on an intraseasonal scale in May–June during 1979–2021. Results show that the convection associated with the two types of intraseasonal oscillations simultaneously modulates TC genesis in both ocean basins. As the MJO/QBWO convection propagated, TCs form alternately over the two basins, with a significant increase (decrease) in TC genesis frequency in the convective (nonconvective) MJO/QBWO phase. Based on the anomalous genesis potential index associated with the MJO/QBWO, an assessment of the influence of various factors on TC genesis is further assessed. Middle-level relative humidity and lower-level relative vorticity play key roles in the MJO/QBWO modulation on TC genesis. The MJO primarily enhances large-scale cross-equatorial moisture transport, resulting in significant moisture convergence, while the QBWO generally strengthens the monsoon trough and induces the retreat of the western North Pacific subtropical high, increasing the regional lower-level relative vorticity. The potential intensity and vertical wind shear make small or negative contributions. This study provides insights into the neighboring basin TC relationship at intraseasonal scales, which has a potential to improve the short-term prediction of regional TC activity.

Significance Statement

The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and the quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) are two types of intraseasonal tropical atmospheric oscillations. The development of tropical cyclones (TCs) is often accompanied by intraseasonal convection. This study highlights the distinct roles of MJO and QBWO in TC genesis over the South Asian marginal seas (e.g., Bay of Bengal and South China Sea). The QBWO can co-regulate TC genesis along with the background of the MJO, where the large-scale MJO mainly provides moisture, while the small-scale QBWO mainly contributes to vorticity. These findings provide useful information for subseasonal TCs forecasting. There are many developing countries along the South Asian marginal seacoast; therefore, further research on regional TC climate would help effectively reduce casualties and property damage.
Climatology of the Elevated Mixed Layer over the Contiguous United States and Northern Mexico Using ERA5: 1979–2021
Authors: Andrews Margo S. , Gensini Vittorio A. , Haberlie Alex M. , Ashley Walker S. , Michaelis Allison C. , Taszarek Mateusz
Published: January 2024

Elevated mixed layers (EMLs) influence the severe convective storm climatology in the contiguous United States (CONUS), playing an important role in the initiation, sustenance, and suppression of storms. This study creates a high-resolution climatology of the EML to analyze variability and potential changes in EML frequency and characteristics for the first time. An objective algorithm is applied to ERA5 to detect EMLs, defined in part as layers of steep lapse rates (≥8.0°C km−1) at least 200 hPa thick, in the CONUS and northern Mexico from 1979 to 2021. EMLs are most frequent over the Great Plains in spring and summer, with a standard deviation of 4–10 EML days per year highlighting sizable interannual variability. Mean convective inhibition associated with the EML’s capping inversion suggests many EMLs prohibit convection, although—like nearly all EML characteristics—there is considerable spread and notable seasonal variability. In the High Plains, statistically significant increases in EML days (4–5 more days per decade) coincide with warmer EML bases and steeper EML lapse rates, driven by warming and drying in the low levels of the western CONUS during the study period. Additionally, increases in EML base temperatures result in significantly more EML-related convective inhibition over the Great Plains, which may continue to have implications for convective storm frequency, intensity, severe perils, and precipitation if this trend persists.

Significance Statement

Elevated mixed layers (EMLs) play a role in the spatiotemporal frequency of severe convective storms and precipitation across the contiguous United States and northern Mexico. This research creates a detailed EML climatology from a modern reanalysis dataset to uncover patterns and potential changes in EML frequency and associated meteorological characteristics. EMLs are most common over the Great Plains in spring and summer, but show significant variability year-to-year. Robust increases in the number of days with EMLs have occurred since 1979 across the High Plains. Lapse rates associated with EMLs have trended steeper, in part due to warmer EML base temperatures. This has resulted in increasing EML convective inhibition, which has important implications for regional climate.
Oceanic Frontal Turbulence
Authors: Sullivan Peter P. , McWilliams James C.
Published: January 2024

Upper-ocean turbulence results from a complex set of interactions between submesoscale turbulence and local boundary layer processes. The interaction between larger-scale currents and turbulent fluctuations is two-way: large-scale shearing motions generate turbulence, and the resulting coherent turbulent fluxes of momentum and buoyancy feed back onto the larger flow. Here we examine the evolution and role of turbulence in the intensification, instability, arrest, and decay (i.e., the life cycle) of a dense filament undergoing frontogenesis in the upper-ocean boundary layer, i.e., cold filament frontogenesis (CFF). This phenomenon is examined in large-eddy simulations (LES) with resolved turbulent motions in large horizontal domains using 109 grid points. The boundary layer turbulence is generated by surface buoyancy loss (cooling flux) and is allowed to freely interact with an initially imposed cold filament, and the evolution is followed through the frontal life cycle. Two control parameters are explored: the initial frontal strength M2 = ∂xb and the surface flux . The former is more consequent: initially weaker fronts sharpen more slowly and become arrested at a later time with a larger width. This reflects a competition between the frontogenetic rate induced by the secondary circulation associated with vertical momentum mixing by the turbulence and the instability rate for the along-filament shear flow. The frontal turbulence is energized by the shear production of the latter, is nonlocally transported away from the primary production zone at the filament centerline, and cascades to dissipation in a broad region surrounding the filament. The turbulent momentum fluxes arresting the frontogenesis are supported across a wide range of horizontal scales.
Note on the Beam Structure in Step-Trapped Internal Tides
Authors: Sanders Paul A. , Dorrestijn Martijn D. , Gerkema Theo
Published: January 2024

The along-slope propagation of subinertial trapped internal tides is studied for the configuration of a simple step. It is revealed that they form a beam structure in the along-slope direction that is evanescent above the top of the step; these beams lack strict periodicity in the along-slope direction. As in classical internal Kelvin waves, they become less sharp away from the step, as higher modes decay more rapidly in the cross-slope direction. We discuss implications for abyssal mixing and outline the necessary ingredients for their generation.
A Weighted Adaptive Range-Averaging Technique to Improve the Precision Consistency of Polarimetric Variable Fields
Authors: Ivić Igor R.
Published: January 2024

The two main metrics for the performance evaluation of radar-variable estimators are the bias and standard deviation (SD) of estimates. Depending on the estimator properties, the bias may increase as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) decreases. The standard deviation, however, always rises as the SNR becomes smaller. For instance, if estimates are computed from 16 samples (typically used for WSR-88D surveillance scans) using a rectangular data window and the maximum unambiguous velocity is ∼9 m s−1, the standard deviation of reflectivity estimates increases 1.6 times as the SNR drops from 20 to 2 dB. But for estimates of differential reflectivity, differential phase, and copolar correlation coefficient, SDs increase ∼6.7, ∼6, and ∼54 times, respectively. Hence, this effect impacts the polarimetric variables substantially more than the spectral moments. Additionally, the polarimetric variable SD is also sensitive to the correlation between signals in horizontal and vertical channels leading to reduced data quality in the regions where the correlation coefficient is low. Such increases in the variability of estimates are observable in the fields of dual polarization variables as an increased spatial inhomogeneity (or noisiness) in the areas where radar echoes exhibit low-to-moderate SNRs and/or decreased correlation coefficient. These effects can obscure the visual identification of weather features as well as adversely impact algorithms. Herein, a novel method that applies variable smoothing in the range where the smoothing intensity depends on the SDs of estimates is presented. It applies little or no range averaging in the regions where data SDs are deemed adequate while using more aggressive smoothing in areas where data appear noisy.

Significance Statement

The noisiness in the fields of polarimetric variables is an issue that has plagued dual-polarization weather radars since their inception. This is because standard deviations of polarimetric variable estimates increase significantly more with the reduction in SNR than those of spectral moment estimates. A typical mitigation approach that indiscriminately averages a fixed number of estimates in the range may lead to unnecessary loss of range resolution in regions where data appearance is satisfactory. Further, such an approach can be inadequate in regions with a high variability of estimates leading to insufficient enhancement of weather feature visibility. In this study, a method that mitigates these issues is proposed.
An Airborne Multifrequency Microwave Analysis of Precipitation within Two Winter Cyclones
Authors: Richter Amanda , Lang Timothy J.
Published: January 2024

NASA’s Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign gathered data using “satellite-simulating” (albeit with higher-resolution data than satellites currently provide) and in situ aircraft to study snowstorms, with an emphasis on banding. This study used three IMPACTS microwave instruments—two passive and one active—chosen for their sensitivity to precipitation microphysics. The 10–37-GHz passive frequencies were well suited for detecting light precipitation and differentiating rain intensities over water. The 85–183-GHz frequencies were more sensitive to cloud ice, with higher cloud tops manifesting as lower brightness temperatures, but this did not necessarily correspond well to near-surface precipitation. Over land, retrieving precipitation information from radiometer data is more difficult, requiring increased reliance on radar to assess storm structure. A dual-frequency ratio (DFR) derived from the radar’s Ku- and Ka-band frequencies provided greater insight into storm microphysics than reflectivity alone. Areas likely to contain mixed-phase precipitation (often the melting layer/bright band) generally had the highest DFR, and high-altitude regions likely to contain ice usually had the lowest DFR. The DFR of rain columns increased toward the ground, and snowbands appeared as high-DFR anomalies.

Significance Statement

Winter precipitation was studied using three airborne microwave sensors. Two were passive radiometers covering a broad range of frequencies, while the other was a two-frequency radar. The radiometers did a good job of characterizing the horizontal structure of winter storms when they were over water, but struggled to provide detailed information about winter storms when they were over land. The radar was able to provide vertically resolved details of storm structure over land or water, but only provided information at nadir, so horizontal structure was less well described. The combined use of all three instruments compensated for individual deficiencies, and was very effective at characterizing overall winter storm structure.
The Impact of Surplus, Promoter Holding, Leverage and Retained Earnings on Dividend Payment Decisions: Evidence from Small- and Mid-sized Firms in India
Authors: Chaklader Barnali , Srivatava Neharika , Sharma Vandna , Sayeed Samies S.
Published: January 2024

Free cash flow is a crucial component in deciding the dividend payout ratio; but literature has not sufficiently explored the effects of the same, specifically on dividend payment decisions. We therefore examine whether a firm’s deficit or cash surplus affects ‘cash dividend payout’ for Indian small- and mid-sized firms. Also, we have explored the idea of studying the effect of promoter holding on the dividend policy of mid-cap and small-cap firms listed in the stock exchange of India. Our study also determines the relationship between retained earnings and the dividend policy. The sample of the study includes 174 non-financial companies from the NIFTY MidSmallcap 400 Index from April 2011 till March 2019. Applying the Logit and Tobit models, we have arrived at the findings. Our findings demonstrate that surplus cash positively influences the decision of paying dividends in both mid-cap and small-cap firms. The findings also indicate that mid-cap firms use retained earnings for scaling up rather than distributing dividends and small-cap firms distribute dividends. We prove that Indian business houses with high promoter holdings are less in favour of distributing dividends. The results have the limitation of geography and period and may not be valid for other countries.