bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Scenic Spots Sustainable Capacity Based on PCA-Entropy TOPSIS: A Case Study from 30 Provinces, China
Authors: Liang Xuedong , Liu Canmian , Li Zhi
Published: December 2017

In connection with the sustainable development of scenic spots, this paper, with consideration of resource conditions, economic benefits, auxiliary industry scale and ecological environment, establishes a comprehensive measurement model of the sustainable capacity of scenic spots; optimizes the index system by principal components analysis to extract principal components; assigns the weight of principal components by entropy method; analyzes the sustainable capacity of scenic spots in each province of China comprehensively in combination with TOPSIS method and finally puts forward suggestions aid decision-making. According to the study, this method provides an effective reference for the study of the sustainable development of scenic spots and is very significant for considering the sustainable development of scenic spots and auxiliary industries to establish specific and scientific countermeasures for improvement.
Shaping the Cell and the Future: Recent Advancements in Biophysical Aspects Relevant to Regenerative Medicine
Authors: Hart Melanie , Lauer Jasmin , Selig Mischa , Hanak Martha , Walters Brandan , Rolauffs Bernd
Published: December 2017

In a worldwide effort to generate clinically useful therapeutic or preventive interventions, harnessing biophysical stimuli for directing cell fate is a powerful strategy. With the vision to control cell function through engineering cell shape, better understanding, measuring, and controlling cell shape for ultimately utilizing cell shape-instructive materials is an emerging “hot” topic in regenerative medicine. This review highlights how quantitation of cellular morphology is useful not only for understanding the effects of different microenvironmental or biophysical stimuli on cells, but also how it could be used as a predictive marker of biological responses, e.g., by predicting future mesenchymal stromal cell differentiation. We introduce how high throughput image analysis, combined with computational tools, are increasingly being used to efficiently and accurately recognize cells. Moreover, we discuss how a panel of quantitative shape descriptors may be useful for measuring specific aspects of cellular and nuclear morphology in cell culture and tissues. This review focuses on the mechano-biological principle(s) through which biophysical cues can affect cellular shape, and recent insights on how specific cellular “baseline shapes” can intentionally be engineered, using biophysical cues. Hence, this review hopes to reveal how measuring and controlling cellular shape may aid in future regenerative medicine applications.
Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Magnetoelectrochemical Etching with Chloride Additives
Authors: Mogi Iwao , Aogaki Ryoichi , Takahashi Kohki
Published: December 2017

Magnetoelectrolysis (electrolysis under magnetic fields) produces chiral surfaces on metal thin films, which can recognize the enantiomers of amino acids. Here, the chiral surface formation on copper films is reported in magnetoelectrochemical etching (MEE) at 5T with chloride additives. In the absence of additives, the surface chirality signs of MEE films depended on the magnetic field polarity. On the contrary, the MEE films prepared with the additives exhibited only d-activity in both magnetic field polarities. This result implies that the specific adsorption of chloride additives induces the chiral symmetry breaking for the magnetic field polarity.
WARCProcessor: An Integrative Tool for Building and Management of Web Spam Corpora
Authors: Callón Miguel , Fdez-Glez Jorge , Ruano-Ordás David , Laza Rosalía , Pavón Reyes , Fdez-Riverola Florentino , Méndez Jose
Published: December 2017

In this work we present the design and implementation of WARCProcessor, a novel multiplatform integrative tool aimed to build scientific datasets to facilitate experimentation in web spam research. The developed application allows the user to specify multiple criteria that change the way in which new corpora are generated whilst reducing the number of repetitive and error prone tasks related with existing corpus maintenance. For this goal, WARCProcessor supports up to six commonly used data sources for web spam research, being able to store output corpus in standard WARC format together with complementary metadata files. Additionally, the application facilitates the automatic and concurrent download of web sites from Internet, giving the possibility of configuring the deep of the links to be followed as well as the behaviour when redirected URLs appear. WARCProcessor supports both an interactive GUI interface and a command line utility for being executed in background.
An Event-Triggered Machine Learning Approach for Accelerometer-Based Fall Detection
Authors: Putra I , Brusey James , Gaura Elena , Vesilo Rein
Published: December 2017

The fixed-size non-overlapping sliding window (FNSW) and fixed-size overlapping sliding window (FOSW) approaches are the most commonly used data-segmentation techniques in machine learning-based fall detection using accelerometer sensors. However, these techniques do not segment by fall stages (pre-impact, impact, and post-impact) and thus useful information is lost, which may reduce the detection rate of the classifier. Aligning the segment with the fall stage is difficult, as the segment size varies. We propose an event-triggered machine learning (EvenT-ML) approach that aligns each fall stage so that the characteristic features of the fall stages are more easily recognized. To evaluate our approach, two publicly accessible datasets were used. Classification and regression tree (CART), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), logistic regression (LR), and the support vector machine (SVM) were used to train the classifiers. EvenT-ML gives classifier F-scores of 98% for a chest-worn sensor and 92% for a waist-worn sensor, and significantly reduces the computational cost compared with the FNSW- and FOSW-based approaches, with reductions of up to 8-fold and 78-fold, respectively. EvenT-ML achieves a significantly better F-score than existing fall detection approaches. These results indicate that aligning feature segments with fall stages significantly increases the detection rate and reduces the computational cost.
Accurate Analysis of Target Characteristic in Bistatic SAR Images: A Dihedral Corner Reflectors Case
Authors: Ao Dongyang , Li Yuanhao , Hu Cheng , Tian Weiming
Published: December 2017

The dihedral corner reflectors are the basic geometric structure of many targets and are the main contributions of radar cross section (RCS) in the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. In stealth technologies, the elaborate design of the dihedral corners with different opening angles is a useful approach to reduce the high RCS generated by multiple reflections. As bistatic synthetic aperture sensors have flexible geometric configurations and are sensitive to the dihedral corners with different opening angles, they specially fit for the stealth target detections. In this paper, the scattering characteristic of dihedral corner reflectors is accurately analyzed in bistatic synthetic aperture images. The variation of RCS with the changing opening angle is formulated and the method to design a proper bistatic radar for maximizing the detection capability is provided. Both the results of the theoretical analysis and the experiments show the bistatic SAR could detect the dihedral corners, under a certain bistatic angle which is related to the geometry of target structures.
De Novo Transcriptome Reconstruction of a Thermo‐Sensitive Male Sterility Mutant in Rapeseed (Brassica napus; Brassicaceae)
Authors: Liu Xi‐Qiong , Yu Cheng‐Yu , Dong Jun‐Gang , Xu Ai‐Xia , Hu Sheng‐Wu
Published: December 2017

Premise of the study: SP2S is a spontaneous thermo‐sensitive genic male sterility (TGMS) mutation that facilitates two‐line hybrid breeding in Brassica napus (Brassicaceae). De novo assembly of the floral bud transcriptome of SP2S can provide a foundation for deciphering the transcriptional regulation of SP2S in response to temperature change.

Methods: mRNAs of the young floral buds of SP2S and its near‐isogenic line SP2F grown under cool (16°C)/warm (22°C) conditions were sequenced on an Illumina Solexa platform, producing 239.7 million short reads with a total length of 19.95 Gbp.

Results: The reads were assembled de novo using the Trinity program, resulting in 135,702 transcripts with an average length of 784 bp, an N50 value of 1221 bp, and a total length of 107 Mbp. We identified 24,157 cDNA‐derived simple sequence repeats in the assembly. We found 137 and 195 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms and 49 and 51 differentially regulated KEGG orthology groups when comparing sample SP2S at 22°C vs. SP2S at 16°C and sample SP2S at 22°C vs. SP2F at 22°C, respectively.

Discussion: The numerous differentially expressed genes and the derived single‐nucleotide polymorphisms show abnormal transcriptional regulation in the TGMS system. These results outline an intricate transcriptional regulation that occurred in the rapeseed TGMS SP2S when the temperature changed.
Counseling in Pediatric Audiology: Audiologists’ Perceptions, Confidence, and Training
Authors: Muñoz Karen , Price Tanner , Nelson Lauri , Twohig Michael
Published: December 2017

Background:Pediatric audiologists are an important source of support for parents when a child is identified with hearing loss. As parents learn how to manage their child’s hearing loss they often need help navigating challenges that arise; however, audiologists may experience
a variety of barriers implementing effective counseling strategies. Many internal and external barriers experienced by parents can be appropriately supported and navigated within audiology services.Purpose:To investigate audiologists’ perceptions, training, and confidence related
to counseling and to explore the influence of years practicing audiology and taking a counseling course on perceptions and confidence.Research Design:A cross-sectional, population-based survey.Study Sample:Three hundred and fifty surveys were analyzed from pediatric audiologists
across the U.S. Responses were received from 26 states and one U.S. territory.Data Collection and Analysis:Data were collected through the mail and online. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used to analyze the information. Content analysis was performed to identify emergent
themes from the responses to open-ended questions.Results:Pediatric audiologists reported their perceptions about importance of counseling skills, challenges they encounter, their confidence in counseling, and how often they use the skills when needed in practice. Most audiologists
(≥75%) felt it was very or extremely important to talk with parents about nine of the ten items (e.g., their [parents’] expectations). Three-fourth of the audiologists reported experiencing a moderate challenge or greater in knowing how to assess the presence
of psychosocial challenges and in having enough time to address emotional needs. Many of the audiologists felt very or extremely confident in guiding parents in the development of an action plan (62%) and determining if parents have external barriers (60%). Approximately one-third
or less of the participants reported performing any of the skills (e.g., determining if parent has external or internal barriers) ≥75% of the time, and a statistically significant difference was found with participants practicing ≤10 yr using the skills more frequently than participants
practicing for ≥11 yr. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between participants who had taken an audiology-specific counseling course and those who had not; those who had reported being more confident and using counseling skills more often than audiologists did
not have a counseling course.Conclusions:This study found strong support for audiologist perceived importance of counseling; however, fewer audiologists reported confidence in their counseling skills and in using counseling skills. Counseling training was variable; audiologists would
benefit from a more systematic approach to counseling instruction within graduate training.
Triggered Star Formation inside the Shell of a Wolf–Rayet Bubble as the Origin of the Solar System
Authors: Dwarkadas Vikram V. , Dauphas Nicolas , Meyer Bradley , Boyajian Peter , Bojazi Michael
Published: December 2017

A critical constraint on solar system formation is the high

/27Al abundance ratio of

at the time of formation, which was about 17 times higher than the average Galactic ratio, while the 60Fe/56Fe value was about

, lower than the Galactic value. This challenges the assumption that a nearby supernova (SN) was responsible for the injection of these short-lived radionuclides into the early solar system. We show that this conundrum can be resolved if the solar system was formed by a triggered star formation at the edge of a Wolf–Rayet (W–R) bubble. 26Al is produced during the evolution of the massive star, released in the wind during the W–R phase, and condenses into dust grains that are seen around W–R stars. The dust grains survive passage through the reverse shock and the low-density shocked wind, reach the dense shell swept-up by the bubble, detach from the decelerated wind, and are injected into the shell. Some portions of this shell subsequently collapse to form the dense cores that give rise to solar-type systems. The subsequent aspherical SN does not inject appreciable amounts of

into the proto–solar system, thus accounting for the observed low abundance of

. We discuss the details of various processes within the model and conclude that it is a viable model that can explain the initial abundances of

and

. We estimate that 1%–16% of all Sun-like stars could have formed in such a setting of triggered star formation in the shell of a W–R bubble.
Type III Solar Radio Burst Source Region Splitting due to a Quasi-separatrix Layer
Authors: McCauley Patrick I. , Cairns Iver H. , Morgan John , Gibson Sarah E. , Harding James C. , Lonsdale Colin , Oberoi Divya
Published: December 2017

We present low-frequency (80–240 MHz) radio imaging of type III solar radio bursts observed by the Murchison Widefield Array on 2015 September 21. The source region for each burst splits from one dominant component at higher frequencies into two increasingly separated components at lower frequencies. For channels below ∼132 MHz, the two components repetitively diverge at high speeds (0.1c–0.4c) along directions tangent to the limb, with each episode lasting just ∼2 s. We argue that both effects result from the strong magnetic field connectivity gradient that the burst-driving electron beams move into. Persistence mapping of extreme-ultraviolet jets observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory reveals quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) associated with coronal null points, including separatrix dome, spine, and curtain structures. Electrons are accelerated at the flare site toward an open QSL, where the beams follow diverging field lines to produce the source splitting, with larger separations at larger heights (lower frequencies). The splitting motion within individual frequency bands is interpreted as a projected time-of-flight effect, whereby electrons traveling along the outer field lines take slightly longer to excite emission at adjacent positions. Given this interpretation, we estimate an average beam speed of 0.2c. We also qualitatively describe the quiescent corona, noting in particular that a disk-center coronal hole transitions from being dark at higher frequencies to bright at lower frequencies, turning over around 120 MHz. These observations are compared to synthetic images based on the MHD algorithm outside a sphere (MAS) model, which we use to flux-calibrate the burst data.
Quand l’État fait son marché, quels effets pour les opérateurs ?
Authors: Berthet Thierry , Bourgeois Clara
Published: December 2017

À partir de l’après-guerre, le placement des demandeurs d’emploi est un monopole d’État confié à une agence publique, l’Agence nationale pour l’emploi (ANPE). Le milieu des années 2000 a été le moment d’un tournant qui opère une brèche dans ce monopole en amplifiant le recours à des quasi-marchés de prestataires privés. En dépit d’une sémantique qui fait une place centrale à la notion de « marché » du travail et de l’emploi, cet article s’attachera à démontrer que la régulation des prestations d’accompagnement et de placement offertes aux chômeurs demeure entre les mains de l’opérateur public. L’analyse de la genèse de la sous-traitance dans la politique de l’emploi permet de révéler que ce phénomène obéit davantage à des impératifs contextuels qu’à une perspective stratégique globale et qu’il demeure marginal. De plus, l’analyse du fonctionnement concret des marchés de prestations aux chômeurs via les pratiques des prestataires de services permet de mettre en valeur le poids des instruments d’action publique au regard du renforcement des rapports de force entre acteurs de l’insertion professionnelle.
The butterflies of the Stelvio National Park (Lepidoptera Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea)
Authors: Bonifacino Marco , Cristiano Luca , Rossi Roberta , Baroni Daniele , Pedrotti Luca , Sindaco Roberto
Published: December 2017

This paper presents the results of a research on the butterflies of Stelvio National Park, carried out by the authors between 2013 and 2015 within the “Animal biodiversity monitoring in the alpine environment” project. In the study area 144 species are represented, corresponding to 49,66% of the Italian butterfly fauna, many of which are of conservational and biogeographical importance.
Functional nutrients in infants born by vaginal delivery or Cesarean section
Authors: Lista Gianluca , Meneghin Fabio , Bresesti Ilia , Castoldi Francesca
Published: December 2017

The development of a proper neonatal microbiota is of great importance, especially for the effects that dysbiosis has in acute and chronic diseases’ onset. The microbiota, particularly the intestinal one, plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the host, preventing colonization by pathogenic bacteria and significantly influencing the development and maturation of a normal gastrointestinal mucosal immunity. Several factors may interfere with the physiological development of microbiota, such as diseases during pregnancy, type of delivery, maternal nutrition, type of neonatal feeding, use of antibiotics, exposition to hospital environment (e.g., neonatal intensive care unit) and genetic factors. Thanks to a proper maternal and neonatal supplementation with specific functional nutrients, it is now possible to correct dysbiosis, thus reducing the risks for the newborn’s health. In this review of the literature, we give an overview of the studies highlighting the composition of the maternal, fetal and neonatal microbiota, the factors potentially responsible for dysbiosis and the use of functional nutrients to prevent diseases’ onset.
Introducing complementary foods in the first year of life
Authors: Tandoi Francesco , Morlacchi Laura , Bossi Angela , Agosti Massimo
Published: December 2017

Introduction of solid foods is a fundamental step in the development of an individual. There are many implications that weaning contains not only on a nutritional plan, but also on the contingent and long-term health of an individual. Over time this nutritional passage has evolved through the acquisition of new knowledge about maturation of anatomical and neurosensory structures involved in all the phases of such a complex process. The understanding of a maturing taste of infant and cultural changes is another key to understand the evolution of introduction of solid foods in infants. What is contained in this text encapsulates thus the evolutionary path of weaning in recent years, showing current trends in the light of cultural changes and new scientific acquisitions.
Weakly Laskerian rings versus Noetherian rings
Authors: Bahmanpour Kamal , Divaani-Aazar Kamran
Published: December 2017

Let

R

be a commutative ring with identity.We investigate some ring-theoretic properties of weakly Laskerian

R

-modules. Our results indicate that weakly Laskerian rings behave as Noetherian ones in many respects. However, we provide some examples to illustrate the strange behavior of these rings in some other respects.
A note on $S$-semipermutable subgroups of finite groups
Authors: Yu Haoran
Published: December 2017

In this note, we obtain some criteria for

p

-supersolvablity of a finite group and extend some known results concerning weakly

S

-semipermutable subgroups.
Centralizers of finite subgroups in Hall’s universal group
Authors: Kegel Otto H. , Kuzucuoğlu Mahmut
Published: December 2017

The structure of the centralizers of elements and finite abelian subgroups in Hall's universal group is studied by B. Hartley by using the property of existential closed structure of Hall’s universal group in the class of locally finite groups. The structure of the centralizers of arbitrary finite subgroups were an open question for a long time. Here by using basic group theory and the construction of P. Hall we give a complete description of the structure of centralizers of arbitrary finite subgroups in Hall's universal group. Namely we prove the following. Let

U

be the Hall's universal group and

F

be a finite subgroup of

U

.Then the centralizer

C_U(F)

is isomorphic to an extention of

Z(F)

by

U

.
Graph homomorphisms and components of quotient graphs
Authors: Bubboloni Daniela
Published: December 2017

We study how the number

c(X)

of components of a graph

X

can be expressed through the number and properties of the components of a quotient graph

X/\sim

. We partially rely on classic qualifications of graph homomorphisms such as locally constrained homomorphisms and on the concept of equitable partition and orbit partition. We introduce the new definitions of pseudo-covering homomorphism and of component equitable partition, exhibiting interesting inclusions among the various classes of considered homomorphisms. As a consequence, we find a procedure for computing

c(X)

when the projection on the quotient

X/\sim

is pseudo-covering. That procedure becomes particularly easy to handle when the partition corresponding to

X/\sim

is an orbit partition.
Quotient graphs for power graphs
Authors: Bubboloni Daniela , Iranmanesh Mohammad A. , Shaker Seyed M.
Published: December 2017

In a previous paper of the first author a procedure was developed for counting the components of a graph through the knowledge of the components of one of its quotient graphs. Here we apply that procedure to the proper power graph

\mathcal{P}_0(G)

of a finite group

G

, finding a formula for the number of its components which is particularly illuminative when

G\leq S_n

is a fusion controlled permutation group. We make use of the proper quotient power graph

\widetilde{\mathcal{P}}_0(G)

, the proper order graph

\mathcal{O}_0(G)

and the proper type graph

\mathcal{T}_0(G)

. All those graphs are quotient of

\mathcal{P}_0(G)

. We emphasize the strong link between them determining number and typology of the components of the above graphs for

G=S_n

. In particular, we prove that the power graph

\mathcal{P}(S_n)

is

2

-connected if and only if the type graph

\mathcal{T}(S_n)

is

2

-connected, if and only if the order graph

\mathcal{O}(S_n)

is

2

-connected, that is, if and only if either

n = 2

or none of

n, n-1

is a prime.
Strongly inert subgroups of abelian groups
Authors: Breaz Simion , Călugăreanu Grigore
Published: December 2017

Mixing in a natural way the notions of fully inert (see [6]) and strongly invariant (see [4]) subgroups of abelian groups, we introduce the strongly inert subgroups which we determine for several classes of abelian groups.
On groups with the same character degrees as almost simple groups with socle Mathieu groups
Authors: Alavi Seyed Hassan , Daneshkhah Ashraf , Jafari Ali
Published: December 2017

Let

G

be a finite group and

\mathrm {cd}(G)

denote the set of complex irreducible character degrees of

G

. In this paper, we prove that if

G

is a finite group and

H

is an almost simple group whose socle is a Mathieu group such that

\mathrm {cd}(G) =\mathrm {cd}(H)

, then there exists an abelian subgroup

A

of

G

such that

G/A

is isomorphic to

H

. In view of Huppert's conjecture (2000), we also provide some examples to show that

G

is not necessarily a direct product of

A

and

H

, and hence we cannot extend this conjecture to almost simple groups.
Lusin type theorems for Radon measures
Authors: Marchese Andrea
Published: December 2017

We add to the literature the following observation. If

\mu

is a singular measure on

\mathbb{R}^n

which assigns measure zero to every porous set and

f\colon \mathbb{R}^n\rightarrow\mathbb{R}

is a Lipschitz function which is non-differentiable

\mu

-a.e., then for every

C^1

function

g\colon \mathbb{R}^n\rightarrow\mathbb{R}

it holds

\mu\{x\in\mathbb{R}^n\colon f(x)=g(x)\}=0.

In other words the Lusin type approximation property of Lipschitz functions with

C^1

functions does not hold with respect to a general Radon measure.
An evaluation of three methods for measuring black carbon in Alert, Canada
Authors: Sharma Sangeeta , Leaitch W. Richard , Huang Lin , Veber Daniel , Kolonjari Felicia , Zhang Wendy , Hanna Sarah J. , Bertram Allan K. , Ogren John A.
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Absorption of sunlight by black carbon (BC) warms the atmosphere, which may be important for Arctic climate. The measurement of BC is complicated by the lack of a simple definition of BC and the absence of techniques that are uniquely sensitive to BC (e.g., Petzold et al., 2013). At the Global Atmosphere Watch baseline observatory in Alert, Nunavut (82.5° N), BC mass is estimated in three ways, none of which fully represent BC: conversion of light absorption measured with an Aethalometer to give equivalent black carbon (EBC), thermal desorption of elemental carbon (EC) from weekly integrated filter samples to give EC, and measurement of incandescence from the refractory black carbon (rBC) component of individual particles using a single particle soot photometer (SP2). Based on measurements between March 2011 and December 2013, EBC and EC are 2.7 and 3.1 times higher than rBC, respectively. The EBC and EC measurements are influenced by factors other than just BC, and higher estimates of BC are expected from these techniques. Some bias in the rBC measurement may result from calibration uncertainties that are difficult to estimate here. Considering a number of factors, our best estimate of BC mass in Alert, which may be useful for evaluation of chemical transport models, is an average of the rBC and EC measurements with a range bounded by the rBC and EC combined with the respective measurement uncertainties. Winter-, spring-, summer-, and fall-averaged (± atmospheric variability) estimates of BC mass in Alert for this study period are 49 ± 28, 30 ± 26, 22 ± 13, and 29 ± 9 ng m−3, respectively. Average coating thicknesses estimated from the SP2 are 25 to 40 % of the 160–180 nm diameter rBC core sizes. For particles of approximately 200–400 nm optical diameter, the fraction containing rBC cores is estimated to be between 10 and 16 %, but the possibility of smaller undetectable rBC cores in some of the particles cannot be excluded. Mass absorption coefficients (MACs) ± uncertainty at 550 nm wavelength, calculated from light absorption measurements divided by the best estimates of the BC mass concentrations, are 8.0 ± 4.0, 8.0 ± 4.0, 5.0 ± 2.5 and 9.0 ± 4.5 m2 g−1, for winter, spring, summer, and fall, respectively. Adjusted to better estimate absorption by BC only, the winter and spring values of MACs are 7.6 ± 3.8 and 7.7 ± 3.8 m2 g−1. There is evidence that the MAC values increase with coating thickness.
Widespread polar stratospheric ice clouds in the 2015/2016 Arctic winter – Implications for ice nucleation
Authors: Voigt Christiane , Dörnbrack Andreas , Wirth Martin , Groß Silke M. , Pitts Michael C. , Poole Lamont R. , Baumann Robert , Ehard Benedikt , Sinnhuber Björn-Martin , Woiwode Wolfgang , Oelhaf Hermann
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Low planetary wave activity led to a stable vortex with exceptionally cold temperatures in the 2015/2016 Arctic winter. Extended areas with temperatures below the ice frost point Tice persisted over weeks in the Arctic stratosphere as derived from the 36-years temperature climatology of the ERA-Interim reanalysis data set of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast ECMWF. These extreme conditions promoted the formation of widespread polar stratospheric ice clouds (ice PSCs). The space-borne Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization CALIOP instrument onboard the CALIPSO satellite (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) continuously measured ice PSCs for about a month with maximum extensions of up to 2 × 106 km2 in the stratosphere. On 22 January 2016, the WALES (Water Vapor Lidar Experiment in Space – airborne demonstrator) lidar onboard the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft HALO detected an ice PSC with a horizontal length of more than 1400 km. The ice PSC extended between 18 and 24 km altitude and was surrounded by nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) particles, supercooled ternary solution (STS) droplets and particle mixtures. The ice PSC occurrence in the backscatter ratio to depolarization optical space spanned by WALES observations is best matched by defining the inverse backscatter ratio of 0.3 as 1/Rice|NAT threshold between ice and NAT cloud regions. In addition, the histogram clearly shows two distinct branches in ice PSC occurrence, indicative for two ice formation pathways. In addition to ice nucleation in STSm with meteoric dust inclusions, ice nucleation on pre-existing NAT may play a role in the Arctic winter 2015/2016. This hypothesis is supported by differences in the ECMWF trajectory analysis for the two ice branches. The observation of widespread Arctic ice PSCs can advance our understanding of ice nucleation in cold polar and tropical latitudes. It further provides a new observational data base for the parameterization of ice nucleation schemes in atmospheric models.
On the Suitability of Current Atmospheric Reanalyses for Regional Warming Studies over China
Authors: Zhou Chunlüe , He Yanyi , Wang Kaicun
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Reanalyses have been widely used because they add value to the routine observations by generating physically/dynamically consistent and spatiotemporally complete atmospheric fields. Existing studies have extensively discussed their temporal suitability in global change study. This study moves forward on their suitability for regional climate change study where land–atmosphere interactions play a more important role. Here, surface air temperature (Ta) from 12 current reanalysis products were investigated, focusing on spatial patterns of Ta trends, using homogenized Ta from 1979 to 2010 at ~ 2200 meteorological stations in China. Results show that ~ 80 % of the Ta mean differences between reanalyses and in-situ observations are attributed to station and model-grid elevation differences, denoting good skill in Ta climatology and rebutting the previously reported Ta biases. However, the Ta trend biases in reanalyses display spatial divergence (standard deviation = 0.15–0.30 °C/decade at 1° × 1° grids). The simulated Ta trend biases correlate well with those of precipitation frequency, surface incident solar radiation (Rs), and atmospheric downward longwave radiation (Ld) among the reanalyses (r = −0.83, 0.80 and 0.77, p
Thermodynamic structure of the convective boundary layer (CBL) over the Indian monsoon region during CAIPEEX campaigns
Authors: Mehta Sanjay Kumar , Ojha Devendra , Mehta Shyam , Anand Devarajan , Rao Daggumati Narayana , Annamalai Vanmathi , Ananthavel Aravindhavel , Ali Saleem
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Spatial and temporal variability in the convective boundary layer (CBL) height for the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) study period are examined using the data collected from high-resolution radiosondes during May–September 2009 over the Indian monsoon region. In total, 57 radiosonde launchings were carried out at ∼ 11:00–17:00 IST over six different stations covering a large geographical region, ranging from latitude ∼ 13 to 32° N and longitude 73 to 92° E. Of the total 57 launchings, 17 were made during cloudy conditions during which relative humidity (RH) was found to be greater than 83 % for an ∼ 1.0 km layer at various altitudes below 6 km. Within the layer the difference between saturated equivalent potential temperature and equivalent potential temperature is small, and it satisfies the condition that RH > 83 % for about 1 km is considered as the cloudy layer. There are eight cases when the cloud-topped boundary layer (CTBL) and 19 cases when fair-weather boundary layer (FWBL) is observed. The CBL heights are obtained using thermodynamic profiles, which vary from ∼ 0.4 to 2.5 km a. g. l.  The formation of the cloud layers above the boundary layer generally lowers the CBL height and is responsible for its day-to-day variability. The development of the cloud beneath the boundary layer generally elevates the CBL, which is also responsible for the large day-to-day variability in the CBL. The FWBL identified using relative invariance of the thermodynamic profiles varies from ∼ 2.0 to 5.5 km, which is clearly marked by a local minimum in the refractivity gradient. During cloudy days, the CBL is found to be shallow and the surface temperature lower when compared to clear-sky days. The CBL and the lifting condensation level (LCL) heights are randomly related and are found to be at a lower height during cloudy days when compared to clear-sky days. Finally, the typical comparison between the CBL height obtained using thermodynamic profiles and backscattering profiles using Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) is examined.
Return levels of temperature extremes in southern Pakistan
Authors: Zahid Maida , Blender Richard , Lucarini Valerio , Bramati Maria Caterina
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Southern Pakistan (Sindh) is one of the hottest regions in the world and is highly vulnerable to temperature extremes. In order to improve rural and urban planning, it is useful to gather information about the recurrence of temperature extremes. In this work, return levels of the daily maximum temperature Tmax are estimated, as well as the daily maximum wet-bulb temperature TWmax extremes. We adopt the peaks over threshold (POT) method, which has not yet been used for similar studies in this region. Two main datasets are analyzed: temperatures observed at nine meteorological stations in southern Pakistan from 1980 to 2013, and the ERA-Interim (ECMWF reanalysis) data for the nearest corresponding locations. The analysis provides the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year return levels (RLs) of temperature extremes. The 90 % quantile is found to be a suitable threshold for all stations. We find that the RLs of the observed Tmax are above 50 °C at northern stations and above 45 °C at the southern stations. The RLs of the observed TWmax exceed 35 °C in the region, which is considered as a limit of survivability. The RLs estimated from the ERA-Interim data are lower by 3 to 5 °C than the RLs assessed for the nine meteorological stations. A simple bias correction applied to ERA-Interim data improves the RLs remarkably, yet discrepancies are still present. The results have potential implications for the risk assessment of extreme temperatures in Sindh.
Mars sub-millimeter sensor on micro-satellite: sensor feasibility
study
Authors: Larsson Richard , Kasai Yasuko , Kuroda Takeshi , Sato Shigeru , Maezawa Hiroyuki , Haseagwa Yutaka , Nishibori Toshiyuki , Nakasuka Shinichi
Published: December 2017

Abstract. We are planning a mission to Mars using a micro-satellite to carry a sub-millimeter sensor to orbit and have performed a feasibility study to determine what we can measure and to what success. The sensor will measure atmospheric molecular oxygen, water, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide to retrieve their volume mixing ratios and change over time. The sensor will also retrieve the temperature field, the wind field, and the magnetic field at various levels of success. The expected measurement errors for molecular oxygen is below 100 ppmv in limb view below 50 km, with 20 ppmv for near surface measurements. For water in limb-view, the retrieval errors are below 1 ppmv with a detection limit of a few tens of ppbv. For ozone the limits are at 2 ppbv, and for hydrogen peroxide the retrieval limits are in the range of 1 ppbv. In nadir-viewing geometry, the expected errors in the column are worse but not by much since we can keep integrating the signal from the same area for a long time, though the vertical resolution clearly suffers.
Towards a more detailed representation of high-latitude vegetation in the global land surface model ORCHIDEE (ORC-HL-VEGv1.0)
Authors: Druel Arsène , Peylin Philippe , Krinner Gerhard , Ciais Philippe , Viovy Nicolas , Peregon Anna , Bastrikov Vladislav , Kosykh Natalya , Mironycheva-Tokareva Nina
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Simulation of vegetation–climate feedbacks in high latitudes in the ORCHIDEE land surface model was improved by the addition of three new circumpolar plant functional types (PFTs), namely non-vascular plants representing bryophytes and lichens, Arctic shrubs and Arctic C3 grasses. Non-vascular plants are assigned no stomatal conductance, very shallow roots, and can desiccate during dry episodes and become active again during wet periods, which gives them a larger phenological plasticity (i.e. adaptability and resilience to severe climatic constraints) compared to grasses and shrubs. Shrubs have a specific carbon allocation scheme, and differ from trees by their larger survival rates in winter, due to protection by snow. Arctic C3 grasses have the same equations as in the original ORCHIDEE version, but different parameter values, optimised from in situ observations of biomass and net primary productivity (NPP) in Siberia. In situ observations of living biomass and productivity from Siberia were used to calibrate the parameters of the new PFTs using a Bayesian optimisation procedure. With the new PFTs, we obtain a lower NPP by 31 % (from 55° N), as well as a lower roughness length (−41 %), transpiration (−33 %) and a higher winter albedo (by +3.6 %) due to increased snow cover. A simulation of the water balance and runoff and drainage in the high northern latitudes using the new PFTs results in an increase of fresh water discharge in the Arctic ocean by 11 % (+140 km3 yr−1), owing to less evapotranspiration. Future developments should focus on the competition between these three PFTs and boreal tree PFTs, in order to simulate their area changes in response to climate change, and the effect of carbon–nitrogen interactions.
The implementation of NEMS GFS Aerosol Component (NGAC)
Version 2.0 for global multispecies forecasting at NOAA/NCEP: Part
I Model Descriptions
Authors: Wang Jun , Bhattacharjee Partha S. , Tallapragada Vijay , Lu Cheng-Hsuan , Kondragunta Shobha , da Silva Arlindo , Zhang Xiaoyang , Chen Sheng-Po , Wei Shih-Wei , Darmenov Anton S. , McQueen Jeff , Lee Pius , Koner Prabhat , Harris Andy
Published: December 2017

Abstract. The NEMS GFS Aerosol component (NGAC) version 2.0 for global multi-species aerosol forecast has been developed at the National Centers of Environment Prediction (NCEP) in collaboration with the NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNYA). This paper describes the continuous development of the NGAC system at NCEP after the initial global dust-only forecast implementation (NGAC version 1.0). With version 2, additional sea salt, sulfate, organic carbon and black carbon aerosol species were included. The smoke emissions are from the NESDIS STAR's Global Biomass Burning Product (GBBEPx), blended from the global biomass burning emission product from a constellation of geostationary satellites (GBBEP-Geo) and GSFC's Quick Fire Emission Data Version 2 from a polar orbiting sensor (QFED2). This implementation advanced the global aerosol forecast capability and made a step forward toward developing a global aerosol data assimilation system. The aerosol products from this system have been used by many applications such as for regional air quality model lateral boundary conditions, satellite SST physical retrievals and the global solar insolation estimation. Positive impacts have been seen in these applications.
Using satellite observations of precipitation and soil moisture to
constrain the water budget of a land surface model
Authors: Pinnington Ewan , Quaife Tristan , Black Emily
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Early warning of agricultural drought can enable decision makers to act to improve food security. Land-surface models are useful tools to inform such monitoring systems, but model errors are problematic. We show that satellite-derived estimates of shallow soil moisture can be used to calibrate a land-surface model at the regional scale in Ghana, using data assimilation techniques. The modified calibration significantly improves model estimation of soil moisture. Specifically, we find a 44 % reduction in root-mean-squared error for a 5-year hindcast after assimilating a single year of soil moisture observations to update model parameters. The use of an improved remotely-sensed rainfall dataset contributes to 10 % of this reduction in error. Improved rainfall data has the greatest impact on model estimates during the seasonal wetting-up of soil, with the assimilation of remotely sensed soil moisture having greatest impact during drying down. The significant reduction in root-mean-squared error we find after assimilating a single year of observations bodes well for the production of improved soil moisture forecasts over sub-Saharan Africa where subsistence farming remains prevalent.
Low cost, multiscale and multi-sensor application for flooded areas mapping
Authors: Giordan Daniele , Notti Davide , Villa Alfredo , Zucca Francesco , Calò Fabiana , Pepe Antonio , Dutto Furio , Pari Paolo , Baldo Marco , Allasia Paolo
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Flood mapping and estimation of maximum water depth are essential elements for a first damages evaluation, civil protection interventions planning and detection of areas where remedial are more needed. In this work, we present and discuss a methodology for mapping and quantifying flood severity over plain areas. The proposed methodology considers a multiscale and multi-sensor approach using free or low-cost data/sensors. We applied this method to November 2016 Piemonte (NW Italy) flood. We first mapped flooded areas at basin scale using free satellite data from low to medium-high resolution using both SAR (Sentinel-1, Cosmo-Skymed) and multispectral sensors (MODIS, Sentinel-2). Using very- and ultra- high-resolution images from the low-cost aerial platform and Remotely Piloted Aerial System, we refined the flooded zone, and we detected the most damaged sector. The presented method considers both urbanized and not urbanized areas. Nadiral images have several limitations in particular in urbanized areas, where the use of terrestrial images solved this limitation. Very- and ultra-high resolution images have been processed with Structure from Motion (SfM) for the realization of 3-D models. These data, combined with available digital elevation model, allowed us to obtain maps of flooded area, maximum water high and damaged infrastructures.
Escrever sob o fascínio da imagem – ressonâncias entre o pensamento de Maurice Blanchot e Georges Didi-Huberman
Authors: Hack Lilian , Da Silva Édio Raniere
Published: December 2017

Resumo O artigo problematiza o conceito de imagem a partir do pensamento de Maurice Blanchot e Georges Didi-Huberman. Explorando especialmente os conceitos de duplicidade da imagem em Blanchot e dupla distância do olhar em DidiHuberman, pretende-se verificar os pontos em que se faz convergir nesses autores um modo de operar o pensamento e a escrita sobre a arte em sua relação com a imagem. Nesse jogo, sujeito e objeto são lançados a uma instabilidade, movimento em que o sujeito se desfaz de si mesmo pela imagem, se desfaz de si no encontro com uma obra. Momento em que a imagem solicita a palavra e em que a língua torna-se o lugar desde onde podemos nos aproximar dela. AbstractThe article problematizes the concept of image from the thinking of Maurice Blanchot and Georges Didi-Huberman. Exploring especially the concepts of duplicity of the image in Blanchot and double distance of the look in Didi-Huberman, it is intended to compose a starting plan that will allow to verify the points in which one converges in these authors a way of operating the thought about art in its relation to the image. In this game subject and object are thrown into an instability, a movement in which the subject undoes himself by the image, he discards himself in the encounter with a work. Moment when the image asks for the word and where the language becomes the place from which we can approach it. ResumenEl artículo problematiza el concepto de imagen a partir del pensamiento de Maurice Blanchot y Georges DidiHuberman. Examinando especialmente los conceptos de duplicidad de la imagen en Blanchot y doble distancia de la mirada en Didi-Huberman, se pretende verificar los puntos en los que se hace converger en esos autores un modo de operar el pensamiento y la escritura sobre el arte en su relación con la imagen. En ese juego, sujeto y objeto son lanzados a una inestabilidad, movimiento en que el sujeto se deshace de sí mismo por la imagen, se deshace de sí en el encuentro con una obra. Momento en el que la imagen pide la palabra y en el que la lengua se convierte en el lugar desde donde podemos acercarnos a ella.
Innovative Strategy for Counterfeit Analysis
Authors: Dégardin Klara , Roggo Yves
Published: December 2017

Currently, counterfeit medicine is a significant issue for the pharmaceutical world, and it targets all types of therapeutic areas. The health consequences are appalling, since counterfeit medicines can contain impurities and the wrong chemical composition, and can be manufactured and/or stored in dreadful conditions. The provision of fast and reliable analytical tools can contribute to an efficient fight against this phenomenon. In this paper, an analytical strategy based on mobile and forensic laboratories is presented. The mobile equipment, composed of handheld x-ray fluorescence, Raman, infrared, and near-infrared spectrometers, and a handheld microscope, can be used as a first screening tool to detect counterfeits. The counterfeits can then be confirmed in a forensic-dedicated lab in which the chemical composition of the counterfeits is determined to evaluate the danger encountered by the patients. Relevant links with former counterfeit cases then can be revealed based on the analytical data, and can be interpreted from a forensic intelligence perspective in order to provide additional information for law enforcement.