bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teaching with Literature: the Needs of Indonesian Islamic Universities
Authors: Irwansyah Dedi , Nurgiyantoro Burhan , Tou Asruddin B.
Published: October 2017

Reading literary works helps learners grow linguistically, personally, culturally, and spiritually. However, researchers in the field of ESL and EFL have not conducted adequate analysis on the use of literature as a resource particularly in a multi-layered educational contexts like Indonesian Islamic universities where values embedded in literature might be in conflict with each other. This research therefore aims to provide a thick description on the target needs and the learning needs of teaching with literature in such context. A case study with qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection was conducted. A questioner was distributed to 30 students and a semi-structured interview was conducted to five lecturers from three Islamic universities. Major findings show that short stories with the topics of noble character, self-empowerment, freedom, code of conduct, and greed are preferable to novel, drama, and poem. The stories in the forms of their simplified and original versions should be used to teach language skills and to inculcate global, national, and Islamic values within the CTL framework. Values similarities are to be the basis of teaching universal values while their differences are to strengthen cross-culture understanding.
The Voice of the Silenced in Salman Rushdie’s Shame, Caryl Phillips’s Foreigners: Three English Lives, and Colum McCann’s
Authors: Talif Rosli , Mani Manimangai , Baizura Bahar Ida , Wagaa Intisar Mohammed
Published: October 2017

This article examines the implications of history in Salman Rushdie’s Shame (1983), Caryl Phillips’s Foreigners: Three English Lives (2007), and Colum McCann’s TransAtlantic (2013). History plays an important role in discriminating and distinguishing the proper characteristics of certain nations and people of a specific historical era. The purpose of the current paper is to scrutinize the historical components in the selected novels. These novels incarnate the authors’ visions of the silenced minorities depicted in the fictional plots. They embody the sense of individual sufferings at the time of human devastation and retardation caused by historical events. In essence, my study focuses on the authors’ abstract voices which are uttered through the fictional characters’ dialogic voices. That is, the authors portray the neglected and suppressed voices which need alleviation and freedom. Thus, the authors do not tend to express their authorial voices directly in the novels. Instead, they convey their literary meanings through the characters’ voices. Thus, my analysis will focus on both the authors’ implied voices and their manifestation in the characters’ direct fictional voices. The methodological analysis of the study will concentrate on the way by which the authors present the peculiarities of their fictional characters and discourses.
An Investigation of the Use of politeness strategies in refusal among Characters with different power relations in English and Farsi Novels
Authors: Farrokhi Farahman , Arghami Mina
Published: October 2017

One of the important concerns of communicative way of learning is to be able to convey meaning and not just physical words in a language. The study of speech acts could possibly help achieve this. When using speech acts, one should take into consideration the conversational rules of the language and in order to establish a safe and harmonious conversation, it is better to use certain strategies to eliminate their possible threatening effects. Attempt is made in the present study using a mixed-method design, to investigate the employment of politeness strategies proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987), among the interlocutors with different power relations in English and Farsi novels, when using the speech act of refusal. The speech act of refusal addressed in this study is a face threatening act (FTA) (Brown & Levinson, 1987), which may be used differently by speakers of different languages, with different power relations, in different situations. The materials used are five English and five Farsi novels written by native speakers of English and Farsi. The taxonomy of Beebe, Takahashi and Uliss-Weltz (1990) were employed in order to categories different types of refusal. The frequency of their use and their percentages were calculated manually. The results indicated that even though reflecting two different cultures, the similarities among the English and Farsi novels regarding the use of both speech acts, were more than the differences. The differences were more obvious in the employment of politeness strategies. The findings of this study will probably give insights into the pragmatic and conversational rules of both languages.
The Self, the Peer and the Teacher in the EFL Pronunciation Class: A Comparative Study on Assessment, Perceptions and Systematicity
Authors: Edo-Marzá Nuria
Published: October 2017

This pilot study is aimed at describing, analysing and comparing self, peer and teacher quantitative and qualitative assessment (and consequently also perceptions and degree of systematicity when assessing) in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pronunciation class in tertiary education. Accordingly, the main objectives of this study have been to measure, rank and compare the harshness or leniency of the three different types of raters involved and their consistency/systematicity when in this role, as well as to measure the levels of coincidence and/or discrepancy when evaluating from different roles and depending on quantitative or qualitative considerations. The method used for the analysis involves the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the scores obtained in a triple-role assessment task carried out by 16 students and a teacher. The calculation of various statistical measures, the triangulation of the data obtained and the Many-Facet Rasch Measurement analysis of the results have completed the study and constitute the departure point for further larger studies. From the results obtained, it can be highlighted that quantitatively, the self and the teacher’s perceptions seem to be the ones that are more distant or different, whereas the self and the peer's tend to be the most similar. In the same way, qualitative assessments seem to be more lenient, that is to say, slightly higher in mean score and have a lower coefficient of variation than quantitative ones in the three groups analysed. Consistency/systematicity is relatively high but it is still an aspect to be improved on the part of most raters.
Impersonality, Traditional Heritage and Intertextuality: A Comparative Study between Salah Abd al-Sabur, Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab and T.S.Eliot
Authors: Hizabr Alhusami Mohammed A. A.
Published: October 2017

This comparative study aims to investigate the similarities and differences between the two Arab poets, Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab and Salah Abd al-Sabur from one hand and T. S. Eliot from the other. The study attempts to investigate the attitudes of those poets towards impersonality. It shows how impersonality from the perspective of Abd al-Sabur is not like Eliot’s, who emphasizes that impersonality is critical to poetry while Abd al-Sabur argues that personality and impersonality together form a perfect work. Unlike them, Al-Sayyab does not have critical comments on the terms of personality and impersonality. The study also aims to investigate the resemblance between those poets, regarding their attitudes towards traditional heritage. It also attempts to investigate intertextuality between their texts. The analysis is comparatively based on some selected poems composed by the three above-mentioned poets. The study concludes that Al-Sayyab, Abd al-Sabur and Eliot hold similar views on traditional heritageas they emphasize the necessity of a positive relation between modern and traditional heritage. In regards to impersonality in poetry, Eliot contradicts himself because he could not escape being impersonal in his poetry. On the other hand, Abd al-Sabur’s and Al-Sayyab’s poems bear stamps of personality and impersonality. The study also concludes that intertexulaity between Al-Sayyab and Abd al-Sabur, from one hand and T. S. Eliot from the other, is due to acculturation rather than influence and eurocentrism.
A Detailed Analysis over Iranian EFL Teachers’ Beliefs towards Using Pronunciation Software in Teaching English Pronunciation
Authors: Pourhosein Gilakjani Abbas , Banou Sabouri Narjes
Published: October 2017

One of the useful ways of teaching English pronunciation is the application of pronunciation software. Pronunciation software supplies a personal and stress-free setting for both teachers and learners through which they can have infinite input, exercise at their own pace, and get feedback through the automatic speech recognition. This study investigated the Iranian teachers’ beliefs towards utilizing pronunciation software in English pronunciation instruction. The researchers applied a qualitative method to investigate the impact of pronunciation software on teachers’ pronunciation instruction. The researchers used a belief questionnaire to choose teachers for the semi-structured interview and distributed it to 28 teachers at the two Islamic Azad Universities of Iran. The researchers chose 14 of them based on their answers to the belief questionnaire. Therefore, these 14 teachers participated in the qualitative aspect of this study. The researchers collected data and analyzed them. Qualitative data analysis was done through reducing and displaying the collected data and drawing conclusions from the collected data. The findings obtained from the qualitative research demonstrated that Iranian university teachers held positive beliefs towards the application of pronunciation software in pronunciation instruction. These positive beliefs provided teaching and learning opportunities and appropriate resources for teachers, met their teaching needs, and solved some of their pronunciation difficulties.
The Effect of Dictogloss on Listening Comprehension: Focus on Metacognitive Strategies and Gender
Authors: Taheri Mina , Taki Saeed
Published: October 2017

This study aimed at investigating the effect of dictogloss on EFL learners’ listening comprehension as well as on their use of metacognitive listening strategies with a focus on the effects on male and female learners. To this end, a total number of 50 female and male Iranian EFL learners, aged between 12 and 15 years old, at the intermediate proficiency level in a private language school in Iran were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups with 25 male and female learners in each group. Dictogloss was employed to teach the learners in the experimental group for an instruction period of 12 sessions. Participants’ listening comprehension was determined through a pre/posttest which was adapted from the listening section of the standard test of PET and their use of metacognitive listening strategies via the MALQ, a questionnaire developed by Vandergrift et al. (2006). The data obtained were submitted to the t-test and results revealed significant improvement in the experimental group’s listening comprehension with no significant difference between male and female learners. Finally, the results showed that the listeners in the experimental group made noticeable gains in their choice of metacognitive strategies through using the dictogloss technique.  Findings are discussed in light of recent theories of language learning and teaching.
Speech Act of Greeting for American Native Speakers of English and Saudi Native Speakers of Arabic: A Comparative Study
Authors: Almegren Rehan
Published: October 2017

This study focuses on comparing the speech acts of native Arabic speakers of Saudi region and English speakers of America, which help depict the impact of the variables involved, namely status, setting, social distance and situation formality. This paper makes a significant contribution for future researchers, as it is of help to researchers in the speech act area specifically in terms of Saudi Arabic and American English. It will be also of help to those learning Arabic or English and those who teach it in these two countries. Thus, the outcome of this research will contribute to depict the differences and the similarities in the use of greeting strategies between two different groups of respondents from diverse linguistic and cultural domains. Data was collected using the discourse completion test (DCT), developed by Cohen, Olshtain & Rosenstien (1985). Fifty female respondents within the age group of 20-25 years were selected from each group to participate in research procedures. Although the inclusion of male respondents would have made the process complex, it would have provided with comparatively more accurate outcomes if managed properly. The findings showed that linguistic and cultural differences, variables of social distance, social status, settings and situation formality greatly influenced the decision-making of Saudi Native Speakers of Arabic and American Native Speakers of English, pertaining to their usage of greeting strategies as part of their speech acts. For example, differences can be observed between these two speakers in terms of their greeting strategies; American English speakers attach less significance to social and physical distance and hierarchy compared to Saudi Arabic speakers. Similarly, both the groups attach almost equal importance to their initiation words when greeting others. These differences and similarities help determine social status and the relationship between speakers.
Exploring the Relationship between Burnout and Critical Thinking Skills among Iranian University Professors Teaching TEFL
Authors: Khodabakhshzadeh Hossein , Garmabi Hanieh , Bakhtiari Fayendari Mehri
Published: October 2017

The profession as a teacher involves experiencing a number of challenges which naturally lead to emotional tiredness and lack of reward, technically known as burnout (Colomeischi, 2015). The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between burnout and critical thinking ability. To this end, a sample of 40 professors of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) filed at a number of universities in Iran was chosen. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was employed to assess the participants' burnout level, which is specifically evaluated by measuring three subscales of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement. In addition, the measures of the participants' critical thinking skills were obtained via Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA). The Pearson correlation coefficient analysis indicated that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization strongly and negatively correlated with critical thinking ability. However, a strong and positive relationship was found between personal achievement and critical thinking skills.
Conceptualizing Language Learning Metaphors in the Saudi EFL Context: Practicality, Applicability & Appropriacy
Authors: Almalki Mansoor S.
Published: October 2017

This paper tries to investigate the trends about the use of metaphors in the Saudi EFL classrooms. The proper implementation of metaphors (i.e. instruction, acquisition, and socialization metaphors) by teachers can be a reason for boosting source in the interactional and instructional patterns of the Saudi EFL classrooms, and the significance of these metaphors at aforementioned settings was investigated in the present study. Focusing upon the perceptive design of the study, a survey was conducted to know the significance of the three metaphors in the interactional settings of the Saudi EFL classrooms. This study targeted Saudi EFL teachers’ attitudes towards the three delimited metaphors.. The respondents consisted of 200 Saudi EFL teachers drawn from the English Language Centers of the Saudi Universities. A 22-item Likert-scale questionnaire was designed to know the opinions of Saudi EFL teachers about the dynamic use of metaphors in the context of the  Saudi EFL classroom. The findings of the study reflected that the Saudi EFL teachers represented by the cohort of this study presented a mixed attitudes towards the utilization of the three delimited metaphors. The findings show that a limited exposure of instructional metaphor may be one of the reasons of the poor performance of the Saudi EFL teachers. A limited exposure of  acquisition metaphor may also be damaging the dynamics of teacher student interactional and instructional patterns inside the Saudi EFL classrooms. The findings further  show that the teachers’ imbalanced use of class time and hardly any reliance on the coordinated interaction might be due to the limited exposure to the latest techniques embedded in the socialization metaphor. Although policy makers do not acknowledge the fundamental role of metaphors into classroom pedagogies, the participant-teachers recommended professional use of all the metaphors to achieve prerequisite dynamics of the EFL classrooms by fully acknowledging the applicability, appropriateness, and practicality of all the variables of acquisition metaphor.
An Analysis of Jack Mapanje’s Poetry with Particular Reference to his use of Obscuring Devices
Authors: T Mukhuba Theophilus
Published: October 2017

Jack Mapanje’s poetry is a true reflection of his society through the use of obscuring devices. These obscuring devices are necessary to ensure that the literary work reaches its intended audience in a totalitarian society. Overall, Jack Mapanje’s poetry exploits creatures from the world of nature—mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects—for close association with life experiences in various contexts and situations and with people he viewed with contempt and disgust and those he regarded with tenderness and compassion. He utilises them to conceptualize and construct a wide range of ideas that respond to questions of justice, identity and belonging. It all thus becomes part of ecocriticism which is defined by various authors as ‘the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment’. This eco-critical reading, the use of animal imagery in his poetry makes it stand apart and ahead of other resistance poetry and makes new statements about the relationships between animals, poetry and political resistance in African literature. Mapanje’s poetry is a direct response and a stance of resistance to social injustice, especially the debasement of culture, abuse of power, despotism, oppression and exploitation of the masses by the hegemonic regime of Dr. Hastings in Malawi that leads to his incarceration and final forced flight from his motherland. This paper attempts to showcase the nature of poetic expressions produced in a repressive society.
Developing Competence in Basic Writing Skills: Perceptions of EFL Undergraduates
Authors: Mathew Nalliveettil George , Mahasneh Abdullah
Published: October 2017

English language course materials in EFL contexts are tailored to enhance the proficiency levels of receptive and productive skills of undergraduates.  These course materials are designed in the form of worksheets to fulfil the aims and objectives of communicative/task based syllabus.  During the process of completing these tasks/activities, students are expected to actively engage in writing words and meaningful sentences. In order to understand the effectiveness of their writing skills, the researchers administered a 30-item questionnaire to EFL undergraduates studying at Aljouf University, Saudi Arabia. This study focused on eliciting the perceptions of EFL undergraduates on various aspects related to writing proficiency.  A total of 52 male students participated in responding to the questionnaire.  The findings of our study reveal that translating strategies often impede progress in the writing skills development.
Persian Poetry and Wine in its Place
Authors: Mamkhezri Ali , Pashaee-Fakhri Kamran , Aadelzadeh Parvaneh
Published: October 2017

In the Persian literature “wine” is divided in to three sub-categories:  mystic, true and literary. The true wine is used in texts, where the intention is to show the pleasures of life, whereas in some philosophical and mystic texts such as the story of Zartosht and Goshtasb, drinking wine and Haoma juice. results in achieving knowledge and cognition and being prepared for making important decisions .Sometimes it was only used ritually and not drunk and this made them to discover the unseen and unknown secrets. Therefore, on can classify the true wine- which is also called natural win - in to two groups: natural festive and natural Hikmah/philosophical wines. Basically, they differ in their usages. The first one drunk for joy and pleasure and the second one to reach knowledge and cognition.
Beyond Expectations: Autonomy and the Iranian Postgraduate Students in Malaysian Public Universities
Authors: Neissi Sina , Hussin Habsah
Published: October 2017

Iranian learners at all levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary) face a number of constraints in their studies due to restriction of educational system, cultures, upbringing and expectations of society. Based on this premise the researchers would like to explore the degrees of autonomy as practiced by selected Iranian postgraduate students studying at three premier public universities in Malaysia. Data were gathered using the Learner Autonomy Profile (LAP) developed by Confessore & Confessore (1992).  The findings reveal that these Iranian postgraduate students do practice autonomy and know how to apply positive coping strategies in their studies; thus indicating positive contradiction from the normal expectations of Iranian learners’ performance in relation to autonomy. The paper concludes with the impacts and implications of the findings.
The Making of Odysseus the Hero in Homer’s Odyssey
Authors: Liang Meng
Published: October 2017

This paper examines in a sociological manner how the heroic identity of Odysseus is constructed in Homer’s Odyssey. The making of Odysseus the hero requires the constant testing and improving of Odysseus's heroic qualities, the existence of a largely loyal crowd to testify to his charisma, and the weaving of a myth that wraps him up. Various aspects of the Greek hero are fleshed out.
An Analytical Reverse Engineering of IELTS Listening Tasks for a Construct Model
Authors: Khalili Sabet Masood , Babaee Bormanaki Hamid Reza
Published: October 2017

The study reported here was concerned with the issue of reverse engineering of language test items as it relates to the identification of the language constructs underlying listening tasks of LELTS test. In this regard, the IELTS examination papers, from IELTS 1 to IELTS 10 were compiled as a corpus for the analysis. Tasks were analyzed using a taxonomic frame work adopted from Moore, Morton and price (2012), that was originally adapted from Weir and Urquhart (1998), with a focus on two dimensions of difference: level of engagement, referring to the level of text with which a listener required to engage in order to respond to a task (local vs. global); type of engagement referring to the way (or ways)  listeners expected to engage with a text in order to process the material to respond to a task (literal vs. interpretative). Overall, the analysis found evidences of bottom up processing underlying most IELTS listening tasks. The majority of tasks were identified to have a ‘local-literal’ configuration on their orientation, demanding primarily a basic understanding of relatively small textual units of the material. The results of the study were used to suggest the practical implications for the four groups of the people involved in the IELTS educational contexts: participants; teachers; material preparation experts, and curriculum designers.
The Coronal Place; Why is It Special?
Authors: Alkazwini Azhar
Published: October 2017

To prove the existence of arguments about the exact place that can bear the term ‘coronal’, it would be enough to check the explanatory dictionary’s entry. There are different arguments regarding the exact place of coronal. In this paper, some of the linguistic evidence regarding the coronal place shall be mentioned. Then, I shall discuss the classes of coronal that lend support to the fact that coronal place is believed to be special, and that is by discussing the different typologies of coronal consonants and giving their description.
Quranic Sciences from Abdul Hamid Farahi’s Perspective (1863-1930)
Authors: Taftahi Jannat , Mirzaee al-Husayni Seyyed mahmoud , Nazari Ali
Published: October 2017

Discussions regarding Quranic sciences and gaining cognizance of different issues of this field date back to the advent of Islam. Throughout history, this field has witnessed a surge of valuable research that has been and is being conducted on its various issues. Farahi (1863-1930), the Indian interpreter, due to preventing the introduction of eisegesis and Isra'iliyyat which lack well-accepted sources into the field of Quran interpretation, is known as the interpreter of Quran. In the introduction of Nazm-ul-Quran and his other works, Farahi proposes novel ideas regarding Qur'anic sciences such as coherence, interconnection between verses and Surahhs (or Surahs) of Quran, asbab al-nuzul (occasions of revelation), and the muqatta'at (disjoined letters), etc. He has also put forward some views concerning naskh (abrogation) which are in line with other interpreters' views. Determined and deliberate attempts of this anonymous author in the field of Qur'anic science led the researchers, drawing on library research and descriptive-analytic methods, to shed some light on the views of this noteworthy interpreter and, as a corollary, revive his character.
Nabokov’s Freedom: An Uneven Battle against the Sinister Narrator
Authors: Asadi Amjad Fazel , Farahani Bahare Jalali , Momeni Javad
Published: October 2017

With the recent inclination toward reading for ideological aspects of his works, Nabokov, who had been pervasively regarded as a mere ingenious aesthete, both during his life and for a long time after his death, has proved more puzzling in interpretation than what scholars believed. In this research, in order to understand what concept of freedom Nabokov has developed in his Bend Sinister, we focus on the two of his salient concerns: reality and individuality. Consequently, our narratological reading of Bend Sinister is concentrated first on the interpretation of the whatness of reality and its contribution to realize freedom, and second on analyzing the significance of retaining individuality to procure freedom; ultimately, out of delving into these two issues, the concept of freedom that the narrative techniques of the novel render, in correspondence to the peculiarities of the mid-twentieth century, is found out. Regarding the notion of the reality, in this novel, the unremitting propaganda of the totalitarian system presented the materialistic world as the ultimate truth, confining citizens in the prison of a fake world and not permitting them to gain the slightest awareness of the endless freedom possible in eternity. As to the individuality, Krug’s attempts not to succumb to the desired system of padograph lead him to maintain his individuality and partly realize his freedom of mind. And finally, it is shown how totalitarianism has reached such absolute power that no thorough freedom of mind is now conceivable for humanity.
Identification of Predictors of Surgical Site Infection in Patients With Gastric Cancer Undergoing Surgery With Curative Intent
Authors: Toiyama Yuji , Shimura Tadanobu , Yasuda Hiromi , Yoshiyama Shigeyuki , Saigusa Susumu , Fujikawa Hiroyuki , Hiro Junichiro , Kobayashi Minako , Ohi Masaki , Araki Toshimitsu , Inoue Yasuhiro , Mohri Yasuhiko , Kusunoki Masato
Published: October 2017

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a potentially morbid and costly complication of surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine preoperative and operative predictors of SSIs after gastric resection with lymphadenectomy in patients with gastric cancer (GC). Data on clinicopathologic factors, including operative and preoperative laboratory factors, for 384 patients with GC who had undergone curative surgery were analyzed in this retrospective study to assess their associations with SSIs. Superficial/deep incisional SSIs (iSSIs) and organ/space SSIs (o/sSSIs) occurred in 18 (4.6%), and 27 (7.0%), respectively. The o/sSSIs were significantly associated with surgery-related factors such as duration of operation, blood loss, and extent of tumor. Additionally, high levels of preoperative indicators of systemic inflammation, including neutrophil counts, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein concentrations, were significantly associated with o/sSSIs. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that preoperative neutrophil counts and duration of surgery were independent predictors for o/sSSIs, whereas only preoperative serum albumin concentration was predicted for iSSIs. In patients with GC undergoing curative surgery, preoperative neutrophil count and operation time are potentially valuable predictors of o/sSSIs, whereas only preoperative serum albumin predicts iSSIs.
Relative Importance of Nitric Oxide Physical Drivers in the Lower Thermosphere
Authors: Hendrickx Koen , Megner Linda , Marsh Daniel R. , Gumbel Jörg , Strandberg Rickard , Martinsson Felix
Published: October 2017

Nitric oxide (NO) observations from the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment and Student Nitric Oxide Explorer satellite instruments are investigated to determine the relative importance of drivers of short‐term NO variability. We study the variations of deseasonalized NO anomalies by removing a climatology, which explains between approximately 70% and 90% of the total NO budget, and relate them to variability in geomagnetic activity and solar radiation. Throughout the lower thermosphere geomagnetic activity is the dominant process at high latitudes, while in the equatorial region solar radiation is the primary source of short‐term NO changes. Consistent results are obtained on estimated geomagnetic and radiation contributions of NO variations in the two data sets, which are nearly a decade apart in time. The analysis presented here can be applied to model simulations of NO to investigate the accuracy of the parametrized physical drivers.
Implications of Detection Methods on Characterizing Atmospheric River Contribution to Seasonal Snowfall Across Sierra Nevada, USA
Authors: Huning Laurie S. , Margulis Steven A. , Guan Bin , Waliser Duane E. , Neiman Paul J.
Published: October 2017

This study investigates the extent to which the diagnosed contribution of atmospheric rivers (ARs) to the seasonal cumulative snowfall (CS) is related to the AR detection approach utilized. Using both satellite integrated water vapor (IWV)‐based and reanalysis integrated vapor transport (IVT)‐based methodologies, the corresponding AR‐derived CS distributions were characterized over the Sierra Nevada (USA) from 1998 to 2015. AR detection methods indicated that ARs yield greater orographic enhancement of the seasonal CS than non‐AR storms above ~2,100–2,300 m for the IWV‐based approach and over all elevations for the IVT‐based detection approach across the western (i.e., windward) Sierra Nevada. Due to differences in the methodologies, the IWV‐based approach diagnosed 2.1 times fewer ARs than the IVT‐based approach. As a result, the ARs diagnosed using the IWV‐based detection method yielded an average 33% of the total range‐wide CS annually as opposed to 56% from the IVT‐based detection method.
Dominating Roles of Ice Sheets and Insolation in Variation of Tropical Cyclone Genesis Potential Over the North Atlantic During the Last 21,000 Years
Authors: Yan Qing , Zhang Zhongshi
Published: October 2017

To advance our knowledge on tropical cyclone (TC)'s sensitivity to various external forcings, we investigate evolution of TC genesis potential over the North Atlantic during the last 21,000 years that experienced more varied forcings than present‐day using transient simulations. Abrupt large amplitude of fluctuations in genesis potential during the studied period was dominated by meltwater discharge, whereas insolation controlled the long‐term trend. Increased (decreased) meltwater discharge from Northern Hemisphere ice sheets leads to detrimental (conducive) conditions for genesis via altering the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and hence three‐dimensional temperature structure and Hadley circulation. This effect is larger than the orographic effect of retreated ice sheets that favors TC formation. Decreasing (increasing) insolation broadly results in more (less) favorable conditions for genesis arising from larger (smaller) local vertical temperature contrast and stronger (weaker) meridional circulation. Our study highlights potential changes of ice sheets and insolation in affecting future long‐term TC activity.
Coseismic Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances during the Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake on 25 April 2015 From Ground and Spaceborne Observations
Authors: Tulasi Ram S. , Sunil P. S. , Ravi Kumar M. , Su S.‐Y. , Tsai L. C. , Liu C. H.
Published: October 2017

Coseismic traveling ionospheric disturbances (CTIDs) and their propagation characteristics during Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal on 25 April 2015 have been investigated using a suite of ground‐based GPS receivers and broadband seismometers along with the spaceborne radio occultation observations over the Indian subcontinent region. Depletion in vertical total electron content, a so called ionospheric hole, is observed near the epicenter ~9–11 min after the onset of earthquake. A positive pulse preceding the depletion, similar to N‐shaped perturbation, propagating with an apparent velocity of ~2.4 km/s is observed on the south. Further, the CTIDs in the southward direction are found to split in to fast (~2.4–1.7 km/s) and slow (~680–520 m/s) propagating modes at epicentral distances greater than ~800 km. However, the velocities of fast mode CTIDs are significantly smaller than the surface Rayleigh wave velocity (~3.7 km/s), indicating that they are not the true imprint of Rayleigh wave, instead, can probably be attributed to the superimposed wave front formed by the mixture of acoustic waves excited by main shock and propagating Rayleigh wave. The southward CTIDs are found to propagate at F2 region altitudes of ~300–440 km captured by Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate radio occultation observations. The CTIDs with periods of ~4–6 min are observed in all directions with significantly larger amplitudes and faster propagation velocities in south and east directions. The observed azimuthal asymmetry in the amplitudes and velocities of CTIDs are discussed in terms of the alignment with geomagnetic field and nature of surface crustal deformation during the earthquake.
Impact of Oscillating IMFBzDuring 17 March 2013 Storm on the Distribution of Plasma Over Indian Low‐Latitude and Mid‐Latitude Ionospheric Regions
Authors: Shreedevi P. R. , Choudhary R. K.
Published: October 2017

We show evidence of a positive ionospheric storm occurring simultaneously at the equatorial, low‐latitude and mid‐latitude ionospheric regions in the Indian sector in response to an intense geomagnetic storm on 17 March 2013. The storm had its onset time coinciding with the local noon. An on‐site digisonde at Trivandrum (dip equator) recorded a sharp decrease in the height ofF region peak in the afternoon, which is a signature of westward electric field associated with a counter electrojet (CEJ). Coupled with it was a simultaneous increase in total electron content (TEC) in the entire Indian region. The magnitude of increase in TEC decreased slowly northward of the dip equator and had almost no change near the anomaly crest. Farther northward of the anomaly crest, the TEC started increasing again and at Shimla, a mid‐latitude station, it had a value close to 2 times its monthly mean. We surmise that the westward electric field resulting from the CEJ pushed theF layer at the dip equator down to the altitude regions where recombination and diffusion played minimal roles. No loss of plasma due to diffusion while photoproduction of ions was still taking place, led to an enhancement in the electron density near the equatorial/low‐latitude region. The Joule heating of the thermosphere, on the other hand, gave rise to the traveling atmospheric disturbances which pushed the plasma up in altitude at the equatorial anomaly region. It supplemented the loss of plasma at the anomaly crest region resulting in no change in the TEC thereat and a marked increase in the TEC in the mid‐latitude ionosphere.
Data Assimilation of Ground‐Based GPS and Radio Occultation Total Electron Content for Global Ionospheric Specification
Authors: Lin C. Y. , Matsuo T. , Liu J. Y. , Lin C. H. , Huba J. D. , Tsai H. F. , Chen C. Y.
Published: October 2017

This study presents an approach based on the Gauss‐Markov Kalman filter to assimilate the total electron content observed from ground‐based GPS receivers and space‐based radio occultation instrumentations (such as FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC (F3/C) and FORMOSAT‐7/COSMIC‐2 (F7/C2)) into the International Reference Ionosphere. Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) show that the data assimilation procedure consisting of the forecast and the measurement update steps can better improve the accuracy of the data assimilation analysis than the assimilation procedure using the measurement update alone. Compared with F3/C, the denser F7/C2 occultation observations can improve the analysis accuracy significantly as suggested by OSSEs. The real data assimilation results are further validated with global ionosphere maps, the global ground‐based GPS measurements, and the ionospheric F2 peak height and electron density sounded by ionosondes. Both the OSSEs and validation results confirm that a number of improvements to the data assimilation procedure presented in this paper can indeed be used to reconstruct the three‐dimensional ionospheric electron density adequately.
Revisiting Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Responses to Solar Wind Driving in Superstorms of November 2003 and 2004
Authors: Verkhoglyadova O. P. , Komjathy A. , Mannucci A. J. , Mlynczak M. G. , Hunt L. A. , Paxton L. J.
Published: October 2017

We revisit three complex superstorms of 19–20 November 2003, 7–8 November 2004, and 9–11 November 2004 to analyze ionosphere‐thermosphere (IT) effects driven by different solar wind structures associated with complex interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and their upstream sheaths. The efficiency of the solar wind‐magnetosphere connection throughout the storms is estimated by coupling functions. The daytime IT responses to the complex driving are characterized by combining and collocating (where possible) measurements of several physical parameters (total electron content or TEC, thermospheric infrared nitric oxide emission, and composition ratio) from multiple satellite platforms and ground‐based measurements. A variety of metrics are utilized to examine global IT phenomena at ~1 h timescales. The role of direct driving of IT dynamics by solar wind structures and the role of IT preconditioning in these storms, which feature complex unusual TEC responses, are examined and contrasted. Furthermore, IT responses to ICME magnetic clouds and upstream sheaths are separately characterized. We identify IT feedback effects that can be important for long‐lasting strong storms. The role of the interplanetary magnetic fieldBycomponent on ionospheric convection may not be well captured by existing coupling functions. Mechanisms of thermospheric overdamping and consequential ionospheric feedback need to be further studied.
Asymmetries in the Magnetosheath Field Draping on Venus' Nightside
Authors: Delva M. , Volwerk M. , Jarvinen R. , Bertucci C.
Published: October 2017

Draping features of the interplanetary magnetic field around nonmagnetic bodies, especially Venus, have been studied in detail in numerical simulations and also from observations. Existing analytical and numerical work for nonperpendicular interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind velocity direction show a kink in the draped fieldlines in the near magnetosheath on the quasi‐parallel side of the bow shock. Here long‐term magnetic field data from the Venus Express mission (2006–2014) are analyzed in the near‐nightside region of the magnetosheath, searching for differences in the draping pattern between the quasi‐parallel and quasi‐perpendicular side of the shock. From these magnetometer (MAG) data, the kink in the fieldlines occurring only on the quasi‐parallel side is clearly identified from the change of sign in the field component parallel to the solar wind velocity. Furthermore, an asymmetry in the deflection of the out‐of‐plane field component due to the slipping of the fieldlines over the planetary obstacle is also found, which confirms predictions from numeral studies and from earlier work.
SC‐Associated Electric Field Variations in the Magnetosphere and Ionospheric Convective Flows
Authors: Kim S.‐I. , Kim K.‐H. , Kwon H.‐J. , Jin H. , Lee E. , Jee G. , Nishitani N. , Hori T. , Lester M. , Wygant J. R.
Published: October 2017

We examine magnetic and electric field perturbations associated with a sudden commencement (SC), caused by an interplanetary (IP) shock passing over the Earth's magnetosphere on 16 February 2013. The SC was identified in the magnetic and electric field data measured at Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS‐E; THE‐E: magnetic local time (MLT) = 12.4, L = 6.3), Van Allen Probe‐A (VAP‐A: MLT = 3.2, L = 5.1), and Van Allen Probe‐B (VAP‐B: MLT = 0.2. L = 4.9) in the magnetosphere. During the SC interval, THE‐E observed a dawnward‐then‐duskward electric (E) field perturbation around noon, while VAP‐B observed a duskward E field perturbation around midnight. VAP‐A observed a dawnward‐then‐duskward E field perturbation in the postmidnight sector, but the duration and magnitude of the dawnward E perturbation are much shorter and weaker than that at THE‐E. That is, the E field signature changes with local time during the SC interval. The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network radar data indicate that the ionospheric plasma motions during the SC are mainly due to the E field variations observed in space. This indicates that the SC‐associated E field in space plays a significant role in determining the dynamic variations of the ionospheric convection flow. By comparing previous SC MHD simulations and our observations, we suggest that the E field variations observed at the spacecraft are produced by magnetospheric convection flows due to deformation of the magnetosphere as the IP shock sweeps the magnetopause.
Application of Manley‐Rowe Relation in Analyzing Nonlinear Interactions Between Planetary Waves and the Solar Semidiurnal Tide During 2009 Sudden Stratospheric Warming Event
Authors: He Maosheng , Chau Jorge Luis , Stober Gunter , Hall Chris M. , Tsutsumi Masaki , Hoffmann Peter
Published: October 2017

Upper mesospheric winds observed by the Svalbard specular meteor radar (16.01°E,78.16°N) are analyzed to study the tidal variabilities during the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW). We report a textbook case of nonlinear interactions between planetary waves (PWs) and the SW2 tide (SWm denotes semidiurnal westward propagating tidal mode with zonal wave number m). The Lomb‐Scargle algorithm, bispectrum, wavelet spectra, and Manley‐Rowe relations are combined to explore the frequency match, phase coherence, energy budget, and wave number relations among the interacting waves and their temporal evolution. Our results suggest that (1) 5, 10, 16 day PW normal modes interact with SW2 generating significant sidebands (S2Ss) at frequencies lower and higher than SW2, known as SW1 and SW3 enhancements, respectively; (2) SW2 is the main energy supplier for both SW1 and SW3, hence shrinks in the interactions; (3) whereas the PWs export relatively negligible energy to SW3 but accept energy from SW2 in generating SW1, therefore, the PWs is not subject to the interactions but controlled by external dynamics, which might in turn act as a key in switching on/off the SW1 and SW3 interactions independently; (4) the SW1 enhancement could be explained as a byproduct of the planetary wave amplification by stimulated tidal decay (PASTIDE); (5) PASTIDE contributes energy to the secondary PW in the late SSW stage reported in previous studies; and (6) one SW1 component associated with the 16 day PW is very close to the semidiurnal lunar mode in frequency, which might contaminate the estimation of the lunar tidal amplification in previous studies.
Surface Current Patterns in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea and Their Response to Wind Forcing
Authors: Fang Ying‐Chih , Potter Rachel A. , Statscewich Hank , Weingartner Thomas J. , Winsor Peter , Irving Brita K.
Published: October 2017

We measured northeastern Chukchi Sea surface currents using high‐frequency radar systems (HFR) during the ice‐free periods of August to October from 2010–2014. We analyzed these data, along with regional winds, using Self‐Organizing Maps (SOM) to develop a set of surface current‐wind patterns. Temporal changes in the SOM patterns consist predominantly of two patterns comprising northeastward and southwestward surface currents. A third pattern represents a transitional stage established during the onset of strong northeasterly winds. These patterns are analogous to the first two eigenmodes of an empirical orthogonal function analysis of the HFR data. The first principal component (PC1) is significantly correlated (∼0.8) to that of the winds and is directly related to the time series of SOM‐derived patterns. The sign of PC1 changes when the speed of local northeasterly winds exceeds ∼6 m s−1, at which point the northeastward surface currents reverse to the southwest. This finding agrees with previous models and observations that suggest this wind threshold is needed to overcome the pressure gradient between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The transitional stage is characterized by alongshore currents bifurcating in the vicinity of Icy Cape and wind‐driven Ekman currents north of 71.5°N. Its development is a manifestation of interactions among the poleward pressure gradient, wind stress, and geostrophic flow due to the coastal setdown.
Spatial Variability of Wet Troposphere Delays Over Inland Water Bodies
Authors: Mehran Ali , Clark Elizabeth A. , Lettenmaier Dennis P.
Published: October 2017

Satellite radar altimetry has enabled the study of water levels in large lakes and reservoirs at a global scale. The upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission (scheduled launch 2020) will simultaneously measure water surface extent and elevation at an unprecedented accuracy and resolution. However, SWOT retrieval accuracy will be affected by a number of factors, including wet tropospheric delay—the delay in the signal's passage through the atmosphere due to atmospheric water content. In past applications, the wet tropospheric delay over large inland water bodies has been corrected using atmospheric moisture profiles based on atmospheric reanalysis data at relatively coarse (tens to hundreds of kilometers) spatial resolution. These products cannot resolve subgrid variations in wet tropospheric delays at the spatial resolutions (of 1 km and finer) that SWOT is intended to resolve. We calculate zenith wet tropospheric delays (ZWDs) and their spatial variability from Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical weather prediction model simulations at 2.33 km spatial resolution over the southwestern U.S., with attention in particular to Sam Rayburn, Ray Hubbard, and Elephant Butte Reservoirs which have width and length dimensions that are of order or larger than the WRF spatial resolution. We find that spatiotemporal variability of ZWD over the inland reservoirs depends on climatic conditions at the reservoir location, as well as distance from ocean, elevation, and surface area of the reservoir, but that the magnitude of subgrid variability (relative to analysis and reanalysis products) is generally less than 10 mm.