bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can the Frequency of Blocking Be Described by a Red Noise Process?
Authors: Masato Giacomo , Hoskins Brian J. , Woollings Tim J.
Published: January 2009

The frequency of persistent atmospheric blocking events in the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) is compared with the blocking frequency produced by a simple first-order Markov model designed to predict the time evolution of a blocking index [defined by the meridional contrast of potential temperature on the 2-PVU surface (1 PVU ≡ 1 × 10−6 K m2 kg−1 s−1)]. With the observed spatial coherence built into the model, it is able to reproduce the main regions of blocking occurrence and the frequencies of sector blocking very well. This underlines the importance of the climatological background flow in determining the locations of high blocking occurrence as being the regions where the mean midlatitude meridional potential vorticity (PV) gradient is weak. However, when only persistent blocking episodes are considered, the model is unable to simulate the observed frequencies. It is proposed that this persistence beyond that given by a red noise model is due to the self-sustaining nature of the blocking phenomenon.
Effects of Moist Convection on Hurricane Predictability
Authors: Zhang Fuqing , Sippel Jason A.
Published: January 2009

This study exemplifies inherent uncertainties in deterministic prediction of hurricane formation and intensity. Such uncertainties could ultimately limit the predictability of hurricanes at all time scales. In particular, this study highlights the predictability limit due to the effects on moist convection of initial-condition errors with amplitudes far smaller than those of any observation or analysis system. Not only can small and arguably unobservable differences in the initial conditions result in different routes to tropical cyclogenesis, but they can also determine whether or not a tropical disturbance will significantly develop. The details of how the initial vortex is built can depend on chaotic interactions of mesoscale features, such as cold pools from moist convection, whose timing and placement may significantly vary with minute initial differences. Inherent uncertainties in hurricane forecasts illustrate the need for developing advanced ensemble prediction systems to provide event-dependent probabilistic forecasts and risk assessment.
Response of Idealized Baroclinic Wave Life Cycles to Stratospheric Flow Conditions
Authors: Kunz Torben , Fraedrich Klaus , Lunkeit Frank
Published: January 2009

Dynamical stratosphere–troposphere coupling through a response of baroclinic waves to lower stratospheric flow conditions is investigated from an initial value approach. A series of adiabatic and frictionless nonlinear baroclinic wave life cycles in a midlatitude tropospheric jet with different initial zonal flow conditions in the stratosphere is simulated, using a dry primitive equation model with spherical geometry. When a stratospheric jet, located at various latitudes between 35° and 70°, is removed from the initial conditions, the wavenumber-6 life cycle behavior changes from the well-known LC1 to LC2 evolution, characterized by anticyclonic and cyclonic wave breaking, respectively. Linear theory, in terms of refractive index and the structure of the corresponding fastest-growing normal mode, is found to be unable to explain this stratosphere-induced LC1 to LC2 transition. This implies that altered nonlinear wave–mean flow interactions are important. The most significant stratosphere-induced change that extends into the nonlinear baroclinic growth stage is a region of downward wave propagation in the lower stratosphere associated with positive values of the squared refractive index near 20 km. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the difference between the response of the tropospheric circulation to LC1 and LC2 life cycles closely resembles the meridional and vertical structure of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with positive (negative) NAO-like anomalies being driven by LC1 (LC2). Thus, a weakened stratospheric jet induces the generation of negative NAO-like anomalies in the troposphere, consistent with the observed stratosphere–NAO connection.
Systematic Metastable Atmospheric Regime Identification in an AGCM
Authors: Franzke Christian , Horenko Illia , Majda Andrew J. , Klein Rupert
Published: January 2009

In this study the authors apply a recently developed clustering method for the systematic identification of metastable atmospheric regimes in high-dimensional datasets generated by atmospheric models. The novelty of this approach is that it decomposes the phase space in, possibly, overlapping clusters and simultaneously estimates the most likely switching sequence among the clusters. The parameters of the clustering and switching are estimated by a finite element approach. The switching among the clusters can be described by a Markov transition matrix. Possible metastable regime behavior is assessed by inspecting the eigenspectrum of the associated transition probability matrix.

The recently introduced metastable data-analysis method is applied to high-dimensional datasets produced by a barotropic model and a comprehensive atmospheric general circulation model (GCM). Significant and dynamically relevant metastable regimes are successfully identified in both models. The metastable regimes in the barotropic model correspond to blocked and zonal states. Similar regime states were already previously identified in highly reduced phase spaces of just one and two dimensions in the same model.

Next, the clustering method is applied to a comprehensive atmospheric GCM in which seven significant flow regimes are identified. The spatial structures of the regimes correspond to, among others, both phases of the Northern Annular Mode and Pacific blocking. The regimes are maintained predominantly by transient eddy fluxes of low-pass-filtered anomalies. It is demonstrated how the dynamical description of the slow process switching between the regimes can be acquired from the analysis results, and an investigation of the resulting simplified dynamical model with respect to predictability is performed.

A predictability study shows that a simple Markov model is able to predict the regimes up to six days ahead, comparable to the ability of high-resolution state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction models to accurately predict the onset and decay of blockings. The implications of the results for derivation of reduced models for extended-range predictability are discussed.
Surface-Based Convective Potential in the Contiguous United States in a Business-as-Usual Future Climate
Authors: Van Klooster Sara L. , Roebber Paul J.
Published: January 2009

To date, neither observational studies nor direct climate model simulations have been able to document trends in the frequency or severity of deep moist convection associated with global climate change. The lack of such evidence is not unexpected as the observational record is insufficiently long and computational limitations prevent modeling at the scales necessary to simulate explicitly such phenomena. Nonetheless, severe deep moist convection represents an important aspect of regional climate, particularly in the central United States, where damage, injuries, and fatalities are a frequent result of such phenomena. Accordingly, any comprehensive assessment of the regional effects of climate change must account for these effects.

In this work, the authors present a “perfect prog” approach to estimating the potential for surface-based convective initiation and severity based upon the large-scale variables well resolved by climate model simulations. This approach allows for the development of a stable estimation scheme that can be applied to any climate model simulation, presently and into the future. The scheme is applied for the contiguous United States using the output from the Parallel Climate Model, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change third assessment A2 (business as usual) as input. For this run, relative to interannual variability, the potential frequency of deep moist convection does not change, but the potential for severe convection is found to increase east of the Rocky Mountains and most notably in the “tornado alley” region of the U.S. Midwest. This increase in severe potential is mostly tied to increases in thermodynamic instability as a result of ongoing warm season surface warming and moistening. Finally, approaches toward improving such estimation methods are briefly discussed.
The Roles of Intraseasonal Kelvin Waves and Tropical Instability Waves in SST Variability along the Equatorial Pacific in an Isopycnal Ocean Model
Authors: Jiang Chuan Li , Thompson Lu Anne , Kelly Kathryn A. , Cronin Meghan F.
Published: January 2009

The roles of intraseasonal Kelvin waves and tropical instability waves (TIWs) in the intraseasonal and low-frequency mixed-layer temperature budget were examined in an isopycnal ocean model forced by QuikSCAT winds from 2000 to 2004. Correlations between temperature tendency and other terms of the intraseasonal budget compare well with previous results using Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) observations: the net heat flux has the largest correlation in the western Pacific and zonal advection has the largest correlation in the central Pacific. In the central Pacific, the intraseasonal variations in zonal advection were due to both the zonal background velocity acting on the Kelvin wave temperature anomaly and the Kelvin wave’s anomalous velocity acting on the background temperature. In the eastern Pacific, three of the four temperature budget terms have comparable correlations. In particular, the vertical processes acting on the shallow thermocline cause large SST anomalies in phase with the intraseasonal thermocline anomalies.

On intraseasonal time scales, the influence of individual composite upwelling and downwelling Kelvin waves cancel each other. However, because the intraseasonal SST anomalies increase to the east, a zonal gradient of SST is generated that is in phase with intraseasonal zonal velocity. Consequently, heat advection by the Kelvin waves rectifies into lower frequencies in the eastern Pacific. Rectification resulting from TIWs was also seen. The prevalence of intraseasonal Kelvin waves and the zonal structure of intraseasonal SST from 2002 to early 2004 suggested that they might be important in setting the eastern Pacific SST on interannual time scales.
A Comparison of Climate Feedback Strength between CO2 Doubling and LGM Experiments
Authors: Yoshimori Masakazu , Yokohata Tokuta , Abe-Ouchi Ayako
Published: January 2009

Studies of the climate in the past potentially provide a constraint on the uncertainty of climate sensitivity, but previous studies warn against a simple scaling to the future. Climate sensitivity is determined by a number of feedback processes, and they may vary according to climate states and forcings. In this study, the similarities and differences in feedbacks for CO2 doubling, a Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and LGM greenhouse gas (GHG) forcing experiments are investigated using an atmospheric general circulation model coupled to a slab ocean model. After computing the radiative forcing, the individual feedback strengths of water vapor, lapse-rate, albedo, and cloud feedbacks are evaluated explicitly. For this particular model, the difference in the climate sensitivity between the experiments is attributed to the shortwave cloud feedback, in which there is a tendency for it to become weaker or even negative in cooling experiments. No significant difference is found in the water vapor feedback between warming and cooling experiments by GHGs. The weaker positive water vapor feedback in the LGM experiment resulting from a relatively weaker tropical forcing is compensated for by the stronger positive lapse-rate feedback resulting from a relatively stronger extratropical forcing. A hypothesis is proposed that explains the asymmetric cloud response between the warming and cooling experiments associated with a displacement of the region of mixed-phase clouds. The difference in the total feedback strength between the experiments is, however, relatively small compared to the current intermodel spread, and does not necessarily preclude the use of LGM climate as a future constraint.
Evaluating Enhanced Hydrological Representations in Noah LSM over Transition Zones: Implications for Model Development
Authors: Rosero Enrique , Yang Zong-Liang , Gulden Lindsey E. , Niu Guo-Yue , Gochis David J.
Published: January 2009

The authors introduce and compare the performance of the unified Noah land surface model (LSM) and its augments with physically based, more conceptually realistic hydrologic parameterizations. Forty-five days of 30-min data collected over nine sites in transition zones are used to evaluate (i) their benchmark, the standard Noah LSM release 2.7 (STD); (ii) a version equipped with a short-term phenology module (DV); and (iii) one that couples a lumped, unconfined aquifer model to the model soil column (GW). Their model intercomparison, enhanced by multiobjective calibration and model sensitivity analysis, shows that, under the evaluation conditions, the current set of enhancements to Noah fails to yield significant improvement in the accuracy of simulated, high-frequency, warm-season turbulent fluxes, and near-surface states across these sites. Qualitatively, the versions of DV and GW implemented degrade model robustness, as defined by the sensitivity of model performance to uncertain parameters. Quantitatively, calibrated DV and GW show only slight improvement in the skill of the model over calibrated STD. Then, multiple model realizations are compared to explicitly account for parameter uncertainty. Model performance, robustness, and fitness are quantified for use across varied sites. The authors show that the least complex benchmark LSM (STD) remains as the most fit version of the model for broad application. Although GW typically performs best when simulating evaporative fraction (EF), 24-h change in soil wetness (ΔW30), and soil wetness, it is only about half as robust as STD, which also performs relatively well for all three criteria. GW’s superior performance results from bias correction, not from improved soil moisture dynamics. DV performs better than STD in simulating EF and ΔW30 at the wettest site, because DV tends to enhance transpiration and canopy evaporation at the expense of direct soil evaporation. This same model structure limits performance at the driest site, where STD performs best. This dichotomous performance suggests that the formulations that determine the partitioning of LE flux need to be modified for broader applicability. Thus, this work poses a caveat for simple “plug and play” of functional modules between LSMs and showcases the utility of rigorous testing during model development.
Evaluation and Comparison of Microphysical Algorithms in ARW-WRF Model Simulations of Atmospheric River Events Affecting the California Coast
Authors: Jankov Isidora , Bao Jian-Wen , Neiman Paul J. , Schultz Paul J. , Yuan Huiling , White Allen B.
Published: January 2009

Numerical prediction of precipitation associated with five cool-season atmospheric river events in northern California was analyzed and compared to observations. The model simulations were performed by using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (ARW-WRF) with four different microphysical parameterizations. This was done as a part of the 2005–06 field phase of the Hydrometeorological Test Bed project, for which special profilers, soundings, and surface observations were implemented. Using these unique datasets, the meteorology of atmospheric river events was described in terms of dynamical processes and the microphysical structure of the cloud systems that produced most of the surface precipitation. Events were categorized as “bright band” (BB) or “nonbright band” (NBB), the differences being the presence of significant amounts of ice aloft (or lack thereof) and a signature of higher reflectivity collocated with the melting layer produced by frozen precipitating particles descending through the 0°C isotherm.

The model was reasonably successful at predicting the timing of surface fronts, the development and evolution of low-level jets associated with latent heating processes and terrain interaction, and wind flow signatures consistent with deep-layer thermal advection. However, the model showed the tendency to overestimate the duration and intensity of the impinging low-level winds. In general, all model configurations overestimated precipitation, especially in the case of BB events. Nonetheless, large differences in precipitation distribution and cloud structure among model runs using various microphysical parameterization schemes were noted.
The Impact of Abyssal Mixing Parameterizations in an Ocean General Circulation Model
Authors: Jayne Steven R.
Published: January 2009

A parameterization of vertical diffusivity in ocean general circulation models has been implemented in the ocean model component of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM). The parameterization represents the dynamics of the mixing in the abyssal ocean arising from the breaking of internal waves generated by the tides forcing stratified flow over rough topography. This parameterization is explored over a range of parameters and compared to the more traditional ad hoc specification of the vertical diffusivity.

Diapycnal mixing in the ocean is thought to be one of the primary controls on the meridional overturning circulation and the poleward heat transport by the ocean. When compared to the traditional approach with uniform mixing, the new mixing parameterization has a noticeable impact on the meridional overturning circulation; while the upper limb of the meridional overturning circulation appears to be only weakly impacted by the transition to the new parameterization, the deep meridional overturning circulation is significantly strengthened by the change. The poleward ocean heat transport does not appear to be strongly affected by the mixing in the abyssal ocean for reasonable parameter ranges. The transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current through the Drake Passage is related to the amount of mixing in the deep ocean. The new parameterization is found to be energetically consistent with the known constraints on the ocean energy budget.
Removal of Contaminated Pixels from the Desert Target for AVHRR Vicarious Calibration
Authors: Yu Fangfang , Wu Xiangqian
Published: January 2009

Desert-based vicarious calibration plays an important role in generating long-term reliable satellite radiances for the visible and near-infrared channels of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). Lacking an onboard calibration device, the AVHRR relies on reflected radiances from a target site, for example, a large desert, to calibrate its solar reflective channels. While the radiometric characteristics of the desert may be assumed to be stable, the reflected radiances from the target can occasionally be affected by the presence of clouds, sand storms, vegetation, and wet surfaces. These contaminated pixels must be properly identified and removed to ensure calibration performance. This paper describes an algorithm for removing the contaminated pixels from AVHRR measurements taken over the Libyan Desert based on the characteristics of consistent normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) land-cover stratification. An NDVI histogram-determined threshold is first applied to screen pixels contaminated with vegetation in each individual AVHRR observation. The resulting analyses show that the vegetation growth inside the desert target has a negligibly small impact on the AVHRR operational calibration results. Two criteria based on the maximum NDVI compositing technique are then employed to remove pixels contaminated with clouds, severe sand storms, and wet sand surfaces. Compared to other cloud-screening methods, this algorithm is capable of not only identifying high-reflectance clouds, but also removing the low reflectance of wet surfaces and the nearly indifferent reflectance of severe dust storms. The use of clear pixels appears to improve AVHRR calibration accuracy in the first 3–4 yr after satellite launch.
CO2 Retrieval over Clouds from the OCO Mission: Model Simulations and Error Analysis
Authors: Vidot Jérôme , Bennartz Ralf , O’Dell Christopher W. , Preusker René , Lindstrot Rasmus , Heidinger Andrew K.
Published: January 2009

Spectral characteristics of the future Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) sensor, which will be launched in January 2009, were used to infer the carbon dioxide column-averaged mixing ratio over liquid water clouds over ocean by means of radiative transfer simulations and an inversion process based on optimal estimation theory. Before retrieving the carbon dioxide column-averaged mixing ratio over clouds, cloud properties such as cloud optical depth, cloud effective radius, and cloud-top pressure must be known. Cloud properties were not included in the prior in the inversion but are retrieved within the algorithm. The high spectral resolution of the OCO bands in the oxygen absorption spectral region around 0.76 μm, the weak CO2 absorption band around 1.61 μm, and the strong CO2 absorption band around 2.06 μm were used. The retrieval of all parameters relied on an optimal estimation technique that allows an objective selection of the channels needed to reach OCO’s requirement accuracy. The errors due to the radiometric noise, uncertainties in temperature profile, surface pressure, spectral shift, and presence of cirrus above the liquid water clouds were quantified. Cirrus clouds and spectral shifts are the major sources of errors in the retrieval. An accurate spectral characterization of the OCO bands and an effective mask for pixels contaminated by cirrus would mostly eliminate these errors.
Anomalous Spiking in Spectra of XCTD Temperature Profiles
Authors: Gille Sarah T. , Lombrozo Aaron , Sprintall Janet , Stephenson Gordon , Scarlet Richard
Published: January 2009

The high vertical resolution of temperature and salinity measurements from expendable conductivity–temperature–depth (XCTD) instruments can be useful for inferring small-scale mixing rates in the ocean. However, XCTD temperature profiles show distinct spectral spikes at frequencies of 5 and 10 Hz, corresponding to 1 and 2 cycles per five measurement points. Peaks at these same frequencies are often present in the conductivity spectra as well. The spectral spikes occur in XCTD profiles from both the subtropical and subpolar regions. They appear to originate as digital electronic noise within the probes. A finite impulse response filter design procedure was used to develop filters that could remove the spectral spikes while retaining as much high vertical resolution as possible. For most purposes, the application of an 11-point, least squares, low-pass filter proves sufficient for removing the spectral energy at 5 and 10 Hz, and results in an effective minimum vertical resolution of about 0.7 m.
Regional Atmospheric Simulation of Monthly Precipitation Using High-Resolution SST Obtained from an Ocean Assimilation Model: Application to the Wintertime Japan Sea
Authors: Yamamoto Masaru , Hirose Naoki
Published: January 2009

The present study examines the influence of an assimilation SST product on simulated monthly precipitation. The high-resolution SST structures located close to the oceanic front and coastal areas are important in regional atmospheric simulations over semienclosed marginal seas such as the Japan Sea. Two simulations are conducted using assimilation and interpolation SST products (experiments R and N, respectively), for January 2005. The surface heat fluxes and PBL height in experiment R are lower than those in experiment N in coastal areas and the cold tongue. A decrease of 4 K in SST leads to decreases of 120 W m−2 in surface sensible and latent fluxes and 300 m in PBL height. The precipitation in experiment R is less than that in experiment N for the sea area except at 38°N, 137°E. The cold tongue in the central Japan Sea acts to reduce moisture supply via the latent heat flux, resulting in low precipitation in coastal areas. The fact that the difference between observed and modeled precipitation in experiment R is 21% less than that in experiment N demonstrates that the assimilation of SST data leads to improved regional atmospheric simulations of monthly precipitation.
On the Reliability and Calibration of Ensemble Forecasts
Authors: Johnson Christine , Bowler Neill
Published: January 2009

An important aspect of ensemble forecasting is that the resulting probabilities are reliable (i.e., the forecast probabilities match the observed frequencies). In the medium-range forecasting context, the literature tends to focus on the requirement that, for a reliable ensemble, the ensemble spread should be representative of the uncertainty in the mean, whereas in the seasonal forecasting context, the literature tends to focus on the requirement that, for a reliable ensemble, the ensemble forecasts should have the same climatological variance as the truth. In this note, the authors emphasize that both of these requirements are necessary for reliability and they clarify that a popular calibration method actually achieves both of these requirements.
Design of a Nonhydrostatic Atmospheric Model Based on a Generalized Vertical Coordinate
Authors: Toy Michael D. , Randall David A.
Published: January 2009

The isentropic system of equations has particular advantages in the numerical modeling of weather and climate. These include the elimination of the vertical velocity in adiabatic flow, which simplifies the motion to a two-dimensional problem and greatly reduces the numerical errors associated with vertical advection. The mechanism for the vertical transfer of horizontal momentum is simply the pressure drag acting on isentropic coordinate surfaces under frictionless, adiabatic conditions. In addition, vertical resolution is enhanced in regions of high static stability, which leads to better resolution of features such as the tropopause. Negative static stability and isentropic overturning frequently occur in finescale atmospheric motion. This presents a challenge to nonhydrostatic modeling with the isentropic vertical coordinate. This paper presents a new nonhydrostatic atmospheric model based on a generalized vertical coordinate. The coordinate is specified in a manner similar to that of Konor and Arakawa, but “arbitrary Eulerian–Lagrangian” (ALE) methods are used to maintain coordinate monotonicity in regions of negative static stability and to return the coordinate surfaces to their isentropic “targets” in statically stable regions. The model is mass conserving and implements a vertical differencing scheme that satisfies two additional integral constraints for the limiting case of z coordinates. The hybrid vertical coordinate model is tested with mountain-wave experiments including a downslope windstorm with breaking gravity waves. The results show that the advantages of the isentropic coordinate are realized in the model with regard to vertical tracer and momentum transport. Also, the isentropic overturning associated with the wave breaking is successfully handled by the coordinate formulation.
Climatology of Storm Reports Relative to Upper-Level Jet Streaks
Authors: Clark Adam J. , Schaffer Christopher J. , Gallus William A. , Johnson-O’Mara Kaj
Published: January 2009

Using quasigeostrophic arguments and numerical simulations, past works have developed conceptual models of vertical circulations induced by linear and curved jet streaks. Because jet-induced vertical motion could influence the development of severe weather, these conceptual models, especially the “four quadrant” model for linear jet streaks, are often applied by operational forecasters. The present study examines the climatology of tornado, hail, and severe wind reports relative to upper-level jet streaks, along with temporal trends in storm report frequencies and changes in report distributions for different jet streak directions. In addition, composite fields (e.g., divergence, vertical velocity) are analyzed for jet streak regions to examine whether the fields correspond to what is expected from conceptual models of curved or linear jet streaks, and whether the fields help explain the storm report distributions.

During the period analyzed, 84% of storm reports were associated with upper-level jet streaks, with June–August having the lowest percentages. In March and April the left-exit quadrant had the most storm reports, while after April the right-entrance quadrant was associated with the most reports. Composites revealed that tornado and hail reports are concentrated in the jet-exit region along the major jet axis and in the right-entrance quadrant. Wind reports have similar maxima, but the right-entrance quadrant maximum is more pronounced. Upper-level composite divergence fields generally correspond to what would be expected from the four-quadrant model, but differences in the magnitudes of the vertical velocity between the quadrants and locations of divergent–convergent centers may have resulted from jet curvature. The maxima in the storm report distributions are not well collocated with the maxima in the upper-level divergence fields, but are much better collocated with low-level convergence maxima that exist in both exit regions and extend into the right-entrance region. Composites of divergence–convergence with linear, cyclonic, and anticyclonic jet streaks also generally matched conceptual models for curved jet streaks, and it was found that wind reports have a notable maximum in the right-entrance quadrant of both anticyclonic and linear jet streaks. Finally, it was found that the upper-level divergence and vertical velocity in all jet-quadrants have a tendency to decrease as jet streak directions shift from SSW to NNW.
The Disquieting of History
Authors: Gupta Pamila
Published: January 2009

This article presents a case study of Goan Mozambicans — a diasporic group created out of the itinerant quality that characterized Portuguese (de)colonization in the Indian Ocean. Many chose to emigrate from Portuguese India to Portuguese Africa between the 1920s and 1950s. That some Goans chose to stay while others left in the aftermath of Mozambican independence (1975) is also tied to this migratory history. An ethnographic life history approach is employed to access individual varied experiences of migration. Findings will suggest that Goan Mozambicans occupied an ambiguous position in the colonial order of things, and identify them as local cosmopolitans in postcolonial Mozambique.
Labour, Migrancy and Urbanization in South Africa and India, 1900—60
Authors: Bonner Phil
Published: January 2009

This article compares labour migrancy and urbanization in several of the leading cities of South Africa and India. It begins by noting the pervasiveness of single male oscillating labour migration between rural areas and city employment in both societies up until the 1950s, despite fundamentally different institutional and political arrangement in each state. It highlights and explores the issues of social structure and culture in both societies, both pre-colonial and colonial, in explaining the dynamics of migrancy and urbanization, including which sections of village society migrated and with what effects. The article explores different modes of living in and adapting to urban environments, and particularly the different social trajectory of women and youth in both societies and the implications of each for social stability. It finally asks why historians and other social scientists have adopted such distinctive approaches to each society.
Gustave de Beaumont
Authors: Hess Andreas
Published: January 2009

In this article I argue that the work of Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont must be seen as one common comparative project in studying emerging modern democracies, just as one sees Marx and Engels as life-long collaborators in the critique of capitalism. In order to fully appreciate the finer details of this common project it is first necessary to acknowledge Gustave de Beaumont's genuine insights and contributions as they can be found in his letters and in his anti-slavery novel Marie. Tocqueville then comes to be seen as primus inter pares rather than the solitary genius as which he is normally portrayed.
Health inequalities in England: advocacy, articulation and action
Authors: Adshead Fiona , Thorpe Allison
Published: January 2009

There is a long history of people expressing concern about the health, lifestyle and well-being of our population â€” and of proposals for action to address the inequitable experiences between groups within this population. Over time, our understanding of both the problem and its causal connections has changed considerably. This is reflected within an increasingly explicit articulation of the issues and a progressively more sophisticated and determined cross-sectoral approach to tackling health inequalities. This paper reflects on the progress we have made in England in addressing this challenge, suggesting that we need to engage more proactively with our population and with our international partners, taking a systematic partnership approach to inform policy, practice and delivery on the ground.
The RSPH Health Promotion and Community Well-Being Organization and Partnership Awards
Authors: Griffiths Jenny , Parish Richard , Behenna Sue , Campbell Claire , French Chris , Toleikyte Lina , Weir Carol J
Published: January 2009

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has launched the Health Promotion and Community Well-Being Organization and Partnership Awards, in collaboration with the Faculty of Public Health, the UK Public Health Register and the Institute of Health Promotion and Education. The Awards demonstrate the new Society's mission of â€œvision, voice and practiceâ€�, and will raise the profile of health promotion in the UK and recognize good practice through public and professional acknowledgement. They are linked to a wider programme of advocacy and workforce development led by the RSPH through the Shaping the Future collaboration (see http://www.specialisedhealthpromotion.org.uk). The Awards have a powerful pedigree in the â€œsettingsâ€� approach of the World Health Organization, and focus on the strong processes that organizations and partnerships need to develop and implement strategies. The Awards have been developed in partnership with four initial applicants from primary care trusts, and one partnership applicant spanning a primary care trust, local authority and Council for Voluntary Services. Assessment of applications is through peer review and a panel challenge. Examples of evidence from the five initial applicants, and how they relate to the criteria for the Awards, are showcased in this article. They are: Sefton's Health-Promoting Settings Network; the North East Essex Youth Health Trainers scheme; Health Equity Audits in Rotherham; public engagement in North Lancashire; and Health at Work in Plymouth.
A Facile and Expeditious Synthesis of Cryptosanguinolentines
Authors: Kumar Dalip , Kumar. N. Maruthi , Rao V S
Published: January 2009

A simple and efficient synthesis of naturally occurring cryptosanguinolentines is described. Neat reaction of easily accessible 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolin-4-ones and aryl hydrazines in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid at 100 °C rapidly afforded cryptosanguinolentines in very good yields.
Fluorescence of Rhodamine 6G on Hydrotalcite —Possibility of Alcohol Sensing—
Authors: Takahashi Keiichi , Tajima Masahiro , Matsunaga Katsuji , Miura Hideaki
Published: January 2009

The fluorescence intensity of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) introduced on hydrotalcite by the rehydration method was determined to depend strongly on the alcohol vapor pressure, whereas that of R6G simply adsorbed on hydrotalcite had low dependence on the vapor pressure. The intensity decreased with an increase in pressure, and the change in intensity was reversible. The degree of change differed according to the alcohol used and seemed to be related to the saturated vapor pressure of the alcohols.
Parallel Electrosynthesis of N-Acyliminium Ion Equivalents Using Silica Gel-supported Piperidine
Authors: Tajima Toshiki , Nakajima Atsushi
Published: January 2009

Parallel anodic methoxylation of carbamates was successfully carried out to provide the corresponding α-methoxylated products as N-acyliminium ion equivalents in high to excellent yields using silica gel-supported piperidine (Si–piperidine).
Electrochemical Investigation of the Behavior of Solid-supported Bases in Aprotic Organic Solvents Using Anodic Oxidation of p-Methoxybenzyl Alcohol as a Model Reaction
Authors: Tajima Toshiki , Oba Rieko , Nakajima Atsushi
Published: January 2009

The behavior of solid-supported bases in aprotic organic solvents was investigated by cyclic voltammetry as well as preparative electrolyses using anodic oxidation of p-methoxybenzyl alcohol as a model reaction.
Photoinduced Oxyamination of Enamines and Aldehydes with TEMPO Catalyzed by [Ru(bpy)3]2+
Authors: Koike Takashi , Akita Munetaka
Published: January 2009

Tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) ([Ru(bpy)3]2+: TB(II)) catalyzes oxidative coupling of enamines and aldehydes with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxy (TEMPO) under irradiation of visible light to afford α-oxyaminated carbonyl compounds. The visible light irradiation is essential to generate the triplet excited state of ∗TB(II) which acts as an oxidizing agent. This is a new procedure for radical coupling based on single electron transfer mediated by photoactivated TB.
A New Family of Ty1-copia-Like Retrotransposons Originated in the Tomato Genome by a Recent Horizontal Transfer Event
Authors: Cheng Xudong , Zhang Dongfeng , Cheng Zhukuan , Keller Beat , Ling Hong-Qing
Published: January 2009

Rider is a novel and recently active Ty1-copia-like retrotransposon isolated from the T3238fer mutant of tomato. Structurally, it is delimited by a duplication of target sites and contains two long terminal direct repeats and an internal open reading frame, which encodes a Ty1-copia-type polyprotein with characteristic protein domains required for retrotransposition. The family of Rider elements has an intermediate copy number and is scattered in the chromosomes of tomato. Rider family members in the tomato genome share high sequence similarity, but different structural groups were identified (full-size elements, deletion derivatives, and solo LTRs). Southern blot analysis in Solanaceae species showed that Rider was a Lycopersicon-specific element. Sequence analysis revealed that among other plants, two Arabidopsis elements (named as Rider-like 1 and Rider-like 2) are most similar to Rider in both the coding and noncoding regions. RT–PCR analysis indicates that Rider is constitutively expressed in tomato plants. The phylogeny-based parsimony analysis and the sequence substitution analyses of these data suggest that these Rider-like elements originated from a recent introgression of Rider into the tomato genome by horizontal transfer 1–6 million years ago. Considering its transcriptional activity and the recent insertion of the element into at least two genes, Rider is a recently active retrotransposon in the tomato genome.
Thomas Young and the Brunels: masters of masonry analysis
Authors: Wood Alan Muir
Published: January 2009

Recent examples of inappropriate analysis of masonry structures, leading to their unnecessary designation as unsafe, suggest modern engineers could benefit from a wider appreciation of elementary principles. The 1820s procedure of Thomas Young – perhaps best remembered for his modulus of elasticity – is a good place to start. This paper sets out the principles of Young’s visionary approach and how it was adopted and developed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for his record-breaking Maidenhead Bridge over the River Thames in England. It also speculates how Brunel’s father Marc Isambard may have further developed the method for assessing his Thames Tunnel design.
M25 Holmesdale tunnel – setting a new standard for safety
Authors: Tomkins John , Celentano John , Colgan Eamonn , Spiby Ken
Published: January 2009

Following a spate of fatal fires in European motorway tunnels, new EU road tunnel safety legislation was enacted in the UK in 2007. One of the first tunnels to be brought up to the new safety standards was the 25-year-old, 650 m long Holmesdale tunnel on the M25 motorway north of London – one of the busiest in Europe with up to 120 000 vehicles a day. This paper reports on the planning, procurement and management of the tunnel’s recent £75 million refurbishment, which included replacing all mechanical, electrical, operational and communication systems and installing passive fire protection – and all without closing the tunnel to traffic. The award-winning scheme was completed three months early, on budget and without a single reportable construction accident.
Nurturing the Bangladesh–UK Friendship Bridge
Authors: Matin Abdul , Thrift John
Published: January 2009

External support for large new infrastructure assets in developing nations is essential in the early years of operation. This paper reports on the first six years of the 1·2 km long Bangladesh–UK Friendship Bridge, completed over the Meghna River in 2002 with the help of British expertise and funding. It explains how British and Malaysian operation and maintenance skills have been transferred to the Bangladeshi workforce through joint-venture and consultancy arrangements. It also reviews social and environmental impacts of the bridge, provides an overview of performance monitoring and reports on problems identified and solutions implemented by the project team from 2003 to 2008.
More GPS high-accuracy choice for civil engineers
Authors: Danson Ed
Published: January 2009

A new range of highly accurate dynamic satellite-positioning systems is now available to civil engineers. Ed Danson of the ice geospatial expert panel says commercially available ‘precise-point-positioning’ systems can deliver 1 cm accuracy on the move, even in obstructed areas.
Project-management lessons learned on UK waste projects
Authors: Butler Phil
Published: January 2009

UK local authorities are currently delivering some very expensive and complex waste-disposal projects – in many cases bigger than anything attempted before. Phil Butler, chairman of the ICE waste and resources management board, reports on the many useful project-management lessons that have been learned.
Biomass and waste co-firing in large-scale combustion systems
Authors: Marsh R. , Steer J. , Fesenko E. , Cleary V. , Rahman A. , Griffiths T. , Williams K.
Published: January 2009

Biomass and waste co-firing in industrial energy systems is a growing technology that is in an early stage of deployment in the UK. Typical power station projects are utilising biomass at a ratio of up to 10% coal replacement by mass. In cement kiln applications, biomass is derived primarily from waste materials and is only being co-fired at less than 10% replacement in the UK. There are a number of technical issues currently impeding the large-scale uptake of this low-carbon combustion methodology. This paper examines the current state of the art for biomass co-firing and introduces some of the issues surrounding this technology. Characterisation of the feedstocks is key in understanding the combustion behaviour when the material is co-fired in large-scale utility boilers. A number of candidate energy crops and wastes were characterised for combustion behaviour and ash properties. The results showed that, although there is a large variation in the materials selected for the study, there is a comparatively small variation in the properties of the varieties of energy crops.
Required improvements to primary energy in the IPCC scenarios
Authors: Lightfoot H. D.
Published: January 2009

This paper addresses problems in calculating primary energy discovered during an analysis of the 40 scenarios of world primary energy demand prepared by working group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Problems in calculating primary energy arise because of: inconsistent use of efficiency of conversion values for calculating primary energy from final energy; unsubstantiated low values for nuclear primary energy; omission of the problems caused by the characteristics of wind and solar primary energy and limits to hydropower; inclusion of overestimated electricity in final energy; and inconsistent use of the various scales for measuring primary energy. The primary energy given misrepresents the final energy that is the basis of each scenario. Consequently, the anthropogenic emissions derived from the primary energy are also misrepresented, thereby possibly causing problems with the results of climate models that use these emissions. It is recommended that the IPCC scenarios are reviewed and the questions raised in this paper resolved during construction of the next set of scenarios currently being considered.
Policy learning in UK renewable energy policy: a methodology
Authors: Murrall S. , Bailey I.
Published: January 2009

Despite the need and potential for renewable energy (RE) to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation and reduced fossil-fuel dependence of economies, RE capacity in the UK has developed slowly compared with some other EU states, with persistent under-achievement against national and EU targets. This signals the need for detailed re-examination of the reasons for these ‘failures’ and, in particular, the extent, nature and constraints on ‘policy learning’ within UK RE policy. Policy learning has emerged in recent years as an innovative way of exploring the roles of knowledge acquisition and use in policy change. The aim of this paper is to examine the concept of policy learning and how this can be translated into a methodology for analysing the development of UK renewables policy. The paper examines different forms of policy learning (instrumental, conceptual and political) and their relationship to other drivers of policy change, for example power or past policy. This is then utilised to develop a methodology for an analysis of policy learning based upon textual analysis and semi-structured interviews with key government and non-state actors.
Stress and Rock Property Profiling for Unconventional Reservoir Stimulation
Authors: Barree R. D. , Gilbert J. V. , Conway M. W.
Published: January 2009

Sonic log data and core measurements are often used to develop models of in-situ stress profiles and rock elastic properties for use in hydraulic fracture design treatments in unconventional reservoirs. "Unconventional?? reservoirs, for the purposes of this paper, include shale-gas, coalbed methane, and tight-gas projects. In unconventional reservoirs, many of the assumptions underlying rock property estimation and stress profiling in conventional reservoirs may not apply. In fact, the result of using conventional approaches may be an incorrect and often misleading stress profile. Fracture geometry predicted using conventionally derived rock properties and stresses might also be inaccurate.

Methods of deriving rock properties from log and core measurements and the effect of various parameters on resulting moduli and stress estimates are examined. The paper also discusses the effects of rock anisotropy and inhomogeneity on static and dynamic properties. The impact of organic materials and trapped gas on sonic logs and conventional mechanical properties interpretation and the use of synthetic sonic logs are also presented. For static and dynamic measurements on core samples, the effects of the condition of recovered core and applied laboratory procedures on measurement results are also considered.

Potential errors resulting from the use of inappropriate mechanical properties for stress profiling and fracture geometry prediction can be significant. The paper identifies common pitfalls in core and log interpretation. A recommended procedure to determine useful and accurate rock mechanical properties for stress profile prediction and fracture design is presented.