bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Customer Intention on Islamic Home Financing Products: An Application of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
Authors: Ibrahim Mohd Azizi , Fisol Wan Nazjmi Mohamed , Haji-Othman Yusuf
Published: April 2017

Islamic home financing products are completely different from conventional home loan. Conventional home loan is based on lending and working on regime of interest which is prohibited by Shari’ah. This research aims to investigate the relationship between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, level of knowledge or awareness and religiosity with customer’s intention in choosing Islamic home financing products. In addition, this study also hopes to identify the most influential factors that affect the customer’s intention in choosing Islamic home financing products. A total of 421 sets of questionnaires were returned by respondents among bank customers in Alor Setar, Kedah. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS software version 18). The results of this study reveals that there is a significant relationship between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, level of knowledge or awareness and religiosity with customer’s intention in choosing Islamic home financing products. This research also verifies that religiosity is the most important factor that affects the customer’s intention in choosing Islamic home financing products.
Treatment Challenges of Prosthetic Hip Infection with Associated Iliacus Muscle Abscess: Report of 5 Cases and Literature Review
Authors: Lawrenz Joshua M. , Mesko Nathan W. , Higuera Carlos A. , Molloy Robert M. , Simpfendorfer Claus , Babic Maja
Published: April 2017

Abstract. Prosthetic joint infection is an unfortunate though well-recognized complication of total joint arthroplasty. An iliacus and/or iliopsoas muscle abscess is a rarely documented presentation of hip prosthetic joint infection. It is thought an unrecognized retroperitoneal nidus of infection can be a source of continual seeding of the prosthetic hip joint, prolonging attempts to eradicate infection despite aggressive debridement and explant attempts. The current study presents five cases demonstrating this clinical scenario, and discusses various treatment challenges.In each case we report the patient's clinical history, pertinent imaging, management and outcome. Diagnosis of the iliacus muscle abscess was made using computed tomography imaging. In brief, the mean number of total drainage procedures (open and percutaneous) per patient was 4.2, and outcomes consisted of one patient with a hip girdlestone, two patients with delayed revisions, and two patients with retained prosthesis. All patients ended with functional pain and on oral antibiotic suppression with an average follow up of 18 months.This article highlights an iliacus muscle abscess as an unrecognized source of infection to a prosthetic hip. It demonstrates resilience to standard treatment protocols for prosthetic hip infection, and is associated with poor patient outcomes. Aggressive surgical debridement appears to remain critical to treatment success, and early retroperitoneal debridement of the abscess should be considered.
Toward Understanding Arab Women's Cultural Landscapes
Authors: Shalghin Akram
Published: April 2017

The cultural representation of women in the Arab world is a complex issue due to the sensitivity surrounding their status in the region. We are confronted with many ways in which women are misrepresented and distorted.  There are false claims used by male dominated culture(s) in the Arab world about women and their intellectual and physical capabilities. Indeed, Arab women are often prevented from representing themselves.  When they are present, they are conceptualized as serving a decorative purpose. When women are given platforms from which they may speak, they are expected to reiterate male discourses.The paper focuses on the cultural and political marginalization and misrepresentation of Arab women and describes a number of cultural biases against women in Arabic-speaking societies. Based on culturally constructed misconceptions, Arab women are effaced and excluded from decision-making processes both politically, where they are subjugated and denied a social voice in the public sphere in favour of male-dominated discourses, and within the private sphere of the family where they are subordinate to male relatives.
Structural analysis of SgvP involved in carbon–sulfur bond formation during griseoviridin biosynthesis
Authors: Li Qin , Chen Yan , Zhang Guiqin , Zhang Huaidong
Published: April 2017

Griseoviridin (GV) is a broad‐spectrum antibiotic with antibacterial and antifungal activity. In the GV biosynthetic pathway, SgvP catalyzes formation of the carbon–sulfur bond in GV. Herein, we report the recombinant expression and characterization of SgvP from Streptomyces griseoviridis NRRL2427. We also present the 2.6 Å crystal structure of SgvP, which is the first structure of a cytochrome P450 involved in carbon–sulfur bond formation in GV. Structural analysis indicates that Pro237 in the I‐helix of SgvP may play a critical role in dioxygen binding and proton transfer during the catalytic cycle. Of the three channels we observed in SgvP, channel 3 may be essential for substrate ingress and egress from the active site, while channels 1 and 2 may be the solvent and water pathway, respectively.

Database

Coordinate and structure factor were deposited in the Protein Data Bank database under the accession number 4MM0.
Molecular characterization of lysyl oxidase‐mediated extracellular matrix remodeling during mouse decidualization
Authors: Li Shu‐Yun , Yan Jia‐qi , Song Zhuo , Liu Yue‐Fang , Song Min‐Jie , Qin Jia‐Wen , Yang Zeng‐Ming , Liang Xiao‐Huan
Published: April 2017

The establishment of decidualization is a prerequisite of successful pregnancy. Lysyl oxidase (Lox) is a copper‐containing amine oxidase which catalyzes cross‐linking of collagen and elastin in the ECM. Lox is expressed in the subluminal stroma surrounding the implanting blastocyst on day 5 of pregnancy. From days 6 to 8, the signals for Lox mRNA and protein are strongly detected in the decidual cells. The expression of Lox is under the control of estrogen via the GSK‐3β/β‐catenin/c‐myc pathway. Dtprp is decreased by the inhibition of Lox activity. Furthermore, the inhibition of Lox activity decreases stromal cell migration and embryo adhesion. Our findings highlight the crucial role of Lox in endometrial stromal cells and deepen our understanding of decidualization.
The distribution of oscillation frequency of magnetic field and plasma parameters in BBFs: THEMIS statistics
Authors: Wu Qi , Du A. M. , Volwerk M. , Tsurutani B. T. , Ge Y. S.
Published: April 2017

Bursty bulk flows (BBFs) have been correlated with Pi2 pulsations and damping oscillations of plasma velocity in many investigations. But the oscillation time scales in BBFs are still an open question. The purpose of this study is to statistically study the oscillated frequency distribution of magnetic field and plasma parameters inside BBFs. The data are obtained by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) probes during the period of 2008 to 2011. For 424 selected BBF events, we use the wavelet spectrum analysis to select the main, second, and third period components of the magnetic field and plasma parameters according to their largest, second, and third largest values of the wavelet power spectral density, respectively. The power spectra show repeated information in the form of multiple peaks or oscillations. The quasi‐Gaussian distribution is a good model for the occurrences of the main and secondary periods. The most probable main periods of the magnetic field and plasma parameters are between 143 s and 160 s, which are located in the frequency band of Pi2 and Pi3 pulsations. The second and third period ranges from 63 s to 70 s and from 34 s to 37 s, respectively. Main periods of these parameters change little with the radial distance. We conclude that periods of these parameters are formed at the beginning of BBF history. Although the distribution model cannot give the dynamic processes, it identifies the intrinsic frequencies in oscillations of magnetic field and ion velocity inside of BBFs.
Seasonal variability of Martian ion escape through the plume and tail from MAVEN observations
Authors: Dong Y. , Fang X. , Brain D. A. , McFadden J. P. , Halekas J. S. , Connerney J. E. P. , Eparvier F. , Andersson L. , Mitchell D. , Jakosky B. M.
Published: April 2017

We study the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft observations of Martian planetary ion escape during two time periods: 11 November 2014 to 19 March 2015 and 4 June 2015 to 24 October 2015, with the focus on understanding the seasonal variability of Martian ion escape in response to the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) flux. We organize the >6 eV O+ ion data by the upstream electric field direction to estimate the escape rates through the plume and tail. To investigate the ion escape dependence on the solar EUV flux, we constrain the solar wind dynamic pressure and interplanetary magnetic filed strength and compare the ion escape rates through the plume and tail in different energy ranges under high and low EUV conditions. We found that the total >6 eV O+ escape rate increases from 2 to 3 × 1024 s−1 as the EUV irradiance increases by almost the same factor, mostly on the <1 keV tailward escape. The plume escape rate does not vary significantly with EUV. The relative contribution from the plume to the total escape varies between ~30% and ~20% from low to high EUV. Our results suggest that the Martian ion escape is sensitive to the seasonal EUV variation, and the contribution from plume escape becomes more important under low EUV conditions.
Thermospheric recovery during the 5 April 2010 geomagnetic storm
Authors: Sheng Cheng , Lu Gang , Solomon Stanley C. , Wang Wenbin , Doornbos Eelco , Hunt Linda A. , Mlynczak Martin G.
Published: April 2017

Thermospheric temperature and density recovery during the 5 April 2010 geomagnetic storm has been investigated in this study. Neutral density recovery as revealed by Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) simulations was slower than observations from GOCE, CHAMP, and GRACE satellites, suggesting that the cooling processes may not be fully represented in the model. The NO radiative cooling rate in TIEGCM was also compared with TIMED/SABER measurements along satellite orbits during this storm period. It was found that the model overestimated the NO cooling rate at low latitudes and underestimated it at high latitudes. The effects of particle precipitation on NO number density and NO cooling rate at high latitudes were examined in detail. Model experiments showed that while NO number density and NO cooling rate do change with different specifications of the characteristic energy of auroral precipitating electrons, neutral temperature and density recovery remain more or less the same. The reaction rates of key NO chemistry were tested as well, and the NO number density between 110 and 150 km was found to be very sensitive to the reaction rate of N(2D) + O2
NO + O. A temperature‐dependent reaction rate for this reaction proposed by Duff et al. (2003) brought the TIEGCM NO cooling rate at high latitudes closer to the SABER observations. With the temperature‐dependent reaction rate, the neutral density recovery time became quite close to the observations in the high‐latitude Southern Hemisphere. But model‐data discrepancies still exist at low latitudes and in the Northern Hemisphere, which calls for further investigation.
Stress distribution during cold compression of a quartz aggregate using synchrotron X‐ray diffraction: Observed yielding, damage, and grain crushing
Authors: Cheung C. S. N. , Weidner D. J. , Li L. , Meredith P. G. , Chen H. , Whitaker M. L. , Chen X.
Published: April 2017

We report new experimental results that quantify the stress distribution within a quartz aggregate during pore collapse and grain crushing. The samples were probed with synchrotron X‐ray diffraction as they were compressed in a multianvil deformation apparatus at room temperature from low pressure (tens of megapascal) to pressures of a few gigapascal. In such a material, stress is likely to concentrate at grain‐to‐grain contacts and vanish where grains are bounded by open porosity. Therefore, internal stress is likely to vary significantly from point to point in such an aggregate, and hence, it is important to understand both the heterogeneity and anisotropy of such variation with respect to the externally applied stress. In our quartz aggregate (grain size of ~4 μm), the measured diffraction peaks broaden asymmetrically at low pressure (tens of megapascal), suggesting that open pores are still a dominant characteristic of grain boundaries. In contrast, a reference sample of novaculite (a highly dense quartz polycrystal, grain size of ~6–9 μm) showed virtually no peak broadening with increasing pressure. In the quartz aggregate, we observed significant deviation in the pressure‐volume curves in the range of P = 400–600 MPa. We suggest that this marks the onset of grain crushing (generally denoted as P* in the rock mechanic literature), which is commonly reported to occur in sandstones at pressures of this order, in general agreement with a Hertzian analysis of fracturing at grain contacts.
Attenuation tomography of the upper inner core
Authors: Pejić Tanja , Tkalčić Hrvoje , Sambridge Malcolm , Cormier Vernon F. , Benavente Roberto
Published: April 2017

The solidification of the Earth's inner core shapes its texture and rheology, affecting the attenuation and scattering of seismic body waves transmitted through it. Applying attenuation tomography in a Bayesian framework to 398 high‐quality PKIKP waveforms, we invert for the apparentQpfor the uppermost 400 km below the inner core boundary at latitudes 45°S to 45°N. We use damping and smoothing for regularization of the inversion, and it seems that the smoothing regularization combined with the discrepancy principle works better for this particular problem of attenuation tomography. The results are consistent with a regional variation in inner core attenuation more complex than hemispherical, suggesting coupling between inner core solidification and the thermal structure of the lowermost mantle.
Evidence for a scale‐limited low‐frequency earthquake source process
Authors: Chestler S. R. , Creager K. C.
Published: April 2017

We calculate the seismic moments for 34,264 low‐frequency earthquakes (LFEs) beneath the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. LFE moments range from 1.4 × 1010 to 1.9 × 1012 N m (Mw = 0.7–2.1). While regular earthquakes follow a power law moment‐frequency distribution with a b value near 1 (the number of events increases by a factor of 10 for each unit increase in Mw), we find that while for large LFEs the b value is ~6, for small LFEs it is <1. The magnitude‐frequency distribution for all LFEs is best fit by an exponential distribution with a mean seismic moment (characteristic moment) of 2.0 × 1011 N m. The moment‐frequency distributions for each of the 43 LFE families, or spots on the plate interface where LFEs repeat, can also be fit by exponential distributions. An exponential moment‐frequency distribution implies a scale‐limited source process. We consider two end‐member models where LFE moment is limited by (1) the amount of slip or (2) slip area. We favor the area‐limited model. Based on the observed exponential distribution of LFE moment and geodetically observed total slip, we estimate that the total area that slips within an LFE family has a diameter of 300 m. Assuming an area‐limited model, we estimate the slips, subpatch diameters, stress drops, and slip rates for LFEs during episodic tremor and slip events. We allow for LFEs to rupture smaller subpatches within the LFE family patch. Models with 1–10 subpatches produce slips of 0.1–1 mm, subpatch diameters of 80–275 m, and stress drops of 30–1000 kPa. While one subpatch is often assumed, we believe 3–10 subpatches are more likely.
Influence of dehydration on the electrical conductivity of epidote and implications for high‐conductivity anomalies in subduction zones
Authors: Hu Haiying , Dai Lidong , Li Heping , Hui Keshi , Sun Wenqing
Published: April 2017

The anomalously high electrical conductivities (~0.1 to 1 S/m) in deep mantle wedge regions extensively detected by magnetotelluric studies are often associated with the presence of fluids released from the progressive dehydration of subducting slabs. Epidote minerals are the Ca‐Al‐rich hydrous silicates with huge stability fields exceeding those of amphibole (>70–80 km) in subducting oceanic crust, and they may therefore be transported to greater depth than amphibole and release water to the mantle wedge. In this study, the electrical conductivities of epidote were measured at 0.5–1.5 GPa and 573–1273 K by using a Solartron‐1260 Impedance/Gain‐Phase Analyzer in a YJ‐3000t multianvil pressure within the frequency range of 0.1–106 Hz. The results demonstrate that the influence of pressure on electrical conductivity of epidote is relatively small compared to that of temperature. The dehydration reaction of epidote is observed through the variation of electrical conductivity around 1073 K, and electrical conductivity reaches up to ~1 S/m at 1273 K, which can be attributed to aqueous fluid released from epidote dehydration. After sample dehydration, electrical conductivity noticeably decreases by as much as nearly a log unit compared with that before dehydration, presumably due to a combination of the presence of coexisting mineral phases and aqueous fluid derived from the residual epidote. Taking into account the petrological and geothermal structures of subduction zones, it is suggested that the aqueous fluid produced by epidote dehydration could be responsible for the anomalously high conductivities in deep mantle wedges at depths of 70–120 km, particularly in hot subduction zones.
The effect of nonlinear decompression history on H2O/CO2 vesiculation in rhyolitic magmas
Authors: Su Yanqing , Huber Christian
Published: April 2017

Magma ascent rate is one of the key parameters that control volcanic eruption style, tephra dispersion, and volcanic atmospheric impact. Many methods have been employed to investigate the magma ascent rate in volcanic eruptions, and most rely on equilibrium thermodynamics. Combining the mixed H2O‐CO2 solubility model with the diffusivities of both H2O and CO2 for normal rhyolitic melt, we model the kinetics of H2O and CO2 in rhyolitic eruptions that involve nonlinear decompression rates. Our study focuses on the effects of the total magma ascent time, the nonlinearity of decompression paths, and the influence of different initial CO2/H2O content on the posteruptive H2O and CO2 concentration profiles around bubbles within the melt. Our results show that, under most circumstances, volatile diffusion profiles do not constrain a unique solution for the decompression rate of magmas during an eruption, but, instead, provide a family of decompression paths with a well‐defined trade‐off between ascent time and nonlinearity. An important consequence of our analysis is that the common assumption of a constant decompression rate (averaged value) tends to underestimate the actual magma ascent time.
Sea ice draft observations in Nares Strait from 2003 to 2012
Authors: Ryan Patricia A. , Münchow Andreas
Published: April 2017

Time series observation of sea ice draft and velocity from Nares Strait between 2003 and 2012 provides new insights on the statistical properties of sea ice leaving the Arctic for the Atlantic Oceans. Median ice draft is 0.8 m, but it varies annually from 1.5 m in 2007–2008 to 0.5 m in 2008–2009. Probability density distributions of sea ice draft depend on location across the channel with thicker ice near Canada and thinner ice near Greenland. Nevertheless, sea ice motion stops seasonally due to arching land‐fast ice that spans the 30–40 km wide channel for up to 190 days per year such as during the 2011–2012 winter. In contrast, the 2006–2010 period exhibits a single ice arch lasting 47 days in April/May 2008. Hence sea ice statistics are weighted by space not by time, using sea ice velocities estimated from colocated velocity observations. Multiyear sea ice with drafts exceeding 5 m constitute between 9% (2003–2004) and 16% (2007–2008) of the observed sea ice. The probability g(D) of this thick, ridged, multiyear ice decays exponentially with draft D at an e‐folding scale D0 of 3.0 ± 0.2 m. The trend of D0 with time is statistically indistinguishable from zero. This observation suggests a steady export of multiyear sea ice at decadal time scales. We speculate that our observations document the draining of the last reservoir of thick ice from the Arctic Ocean found to the north of Ellesmere Island and Greenland.
Boussinesq modeling of wave‐induced hydrodynamics in coastal wetlands
Authors: Chakrabarti Agnimitro , Brandt Steven R. , Chen Qin , Shi Fengyan
Published: April 2017

In this paper, an improved formulation of the vegetation drag force, applicable for the fully nonlinear Boussinesq equations and based on the use of the depth‐varying, higher‐order expansion of the horizontal velocity, in the quadratic vegetation drag law has been presented. The model uses the same numerical schemes as FUNWAVE TVD but is based on the CACTUS framework. The model is validated for wave height and setup, against laboratory experiments with and without vegetation cover. The wave attenuation results using the improved formulation were compared with those using the first‐order reference velocity as well as with analytical solutions using linear wave theory. The analytical solution using the depth‐varying velocity, predicted by the linear wave theory, was shown to match the model results with the fully expanded velocity approach very well for all wave cases, except under near‐emergent and emergent conditions (when the ratio of stem height to water depth is greater than 0.75) and when the Ursell (Ur) number is less than 5. Simulations during peak storm waves, during Hurricane Isaac, showed that vegetation is very effective in reducing setup on platforms and in reducing the wave energy within the first few hundred meters.
Impacts of oil spills on altimeter waveforms and radar backscatter cross section
Authors: Cheng Yongcun , Tournadre Jean , Li Xiaofeng , Xu Qing , Chapron Bertrand
Published: April 2017

Ocean surface films can damp short capillary‐gravity waves, reduce the surface mean square slope, and induce “sigma0 blooms” in satellite altimeter data. No study has ascertained the effect of such film on altimeter measurements due to lack of film data. The availability of Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) oil cover, daily oil spill extent, and thickness data acquired during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill accident provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of surface film on altimeter data. In this study, the Jason‐1/2 passes nearest to the DWH platform are analyzed to understand the waveform distortion caused by the spill as well as the variation of σ0 as a function of oil thickness, wind speed, and radar band. Jason‐1/2 Ku‐band σ0 increased by 10 dB at low wind speed (<3 m s−1) in the oil‐covered area. The mean σ0 in Ku and C bands increased by 1.0–3.5 dB for thick oil and 0.9–2.9 dB for thin oil while the waveforms are strongly distorted. As the wind increases up to 6 m s−1, the mean σ0 bloom and waveform distortion in both Ku and C bands weakened for both thick and thin oil. When wind exceeds 6 m s−1, only does the σ0 in Ku band slightly increase by 0.2–0.5 dB for thick oil. The study shows that high‐resolution altimeter data can certainly help better evaluate the thickness of oil spill, particularly at low wind speeds.
Important global and regional differences in aerosol cloud‐albedo effect estimates between simulations with and without prognostic aerosol microphysics
Authors: Kodros J. K. , Pierce J. R.
Published: April 2017

Aerosol‐cloud interactions are among the most uncertain climate forcings, in part due to the strong sensitivity of cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) to changes in the size distribution of potential cloud condensation nuclei. Despite this sensitivity of simulated aerosol‐cloud interactions to variations in size‐resolved aerosol concentrations being well established, many chemistry‐climate and chemical‐transport models do not include explicit treatment of the aerosol size distribution. We use a global chemical‐transport model to estimate the aerosol cloud‐albedo effect (CAE) due to anthropogenic emissions with prognostic sectional aerosol microphysics and compare this to the CAE calculated when the simulated aerosol mass of each species is remapped onto a prescribed size distribution. We find that although both the prescribed and prognostic methods compare similarly well with present‐day size‐distribution observations, there are substantial differences in the relative CDNC and CAE due to anthropogenic emissions. When using the prognostic size‐distribution method, anthropogenic emissions yield a 25–75% larger increase in CDNC over most land masses but a 50–75% smaller increase in some remote‐marine regions than in the prescribed size‐distribution methods. Simulations using the prognostic scheme yield a global mean anthropogenic CAE of −0.87 W m−2, while the simulations with the prescribed scheme predict −0.66 W m−2. In South America and South Asia, differences in the CAE exceed 3.0 W m−2. These differences suggest that simulations with prescribed size‐distribution mapping are unable to capture regional and temporal variability in size‐resolved aerosol number and thus may lead to biases in estimates of the CAE.
Quantifying the effect of riming on snowfall using ground‐based observations
Authors: Moisseev Dmitri , von Lerber Annakaisa , Tiira Jussi
Published: April 2017

Ground‐based observations of ice particle size distribution and ensemble mean density are used to quantify the effect of riming on snowfall. The rime mass fraction is derived from these measurements by following the approach that is used in a single ice‐phase category microphysical scheme proposed for the use in numerical weather prediction models. One of the characteristics of the proposed scheme is that the prefactor of a power law relation that links mass and size of ice particles is determined by the rime mass fraction, while the exponent does not change. To derive the rime mass fraction, a mass‐dimensional relation representative of unrimed snow is also determined. To check the validity of the proposed retrieval method, the derived rime mass fraction is converted to the effective liquid water path that is compared to microwave radiometer observations. Since dual‐polarization radar observations are often used to detect riming, the impact of riming on dual‐polarization radar variables is studied for differential reflectivity measurements. It is shown that the relation between rime mass fraction and differential reflectivity is ambiguous, other factors such as change in median volume diameter need also be considered. Given the current interest on sensitivity of precipitation to aerosol pollution, which could inhibit riming, the importance of riming for surface snow accumulation is investigated. It is found that riming is responsible for 5% to 40% of snowfall mass. The study is based on data collected at the University of Helsinki field station in Hyytiälä during U.S. Department of Energy Biogenic Aerosols Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC) field campaign and the winter 2014/2015. In total 22 winter storms were analyzed, and detailed analysis of two events is presented to illustrate the study.
Effects of environment forcing on marine boundary layer cloud‐drizzle processes
Authors: Wu Peng , Dong Xiquan , Xi Baike , Liu Yangang , Thieman Mandana , Minnis Patrick
Published: April 2017

Determining the factors affecting drizzle formation in marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds remains a challenge for both observation and modeling communities. To investigate the roles of vertical wind shear and buoyancy (static instability) in drizzle formation, ground‐based observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program at the Azores are analyzed for two types of conditions. The type I clouds should last for at least 5 h and more than 90% time must be nondrizzling and then followed by at least 2 h of drizzling periods, while the type II clouds are characterized by mesoscale convection cellular structures with drizzle occur every 2 to 4 h. By analyzing the boundary layer wind profiles (direction and speed), it was found that either directional or speed shear is required to promote drizzle production in the type I clouds. Observations and a recent model study both suggest that vertical wind shear helps the production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), stimulates turbulence within cloud layer, and enhances drizzle formation near the cloud top. The type II clouds do not require strong wind shear to produce drizzle. The small values of lower tropospheric stability (LTS) and negative Richardson number (Ri) in the type II cases suggest that boundary layer instability plays an important role in TKE production and cloud‐drizzle processes. By analyzing the relationships between LTS and wind shear for all cases and all time periods, a stronger connection was found between LTS and wind directional shear than that between LTS and wind speed shear.
Sunshine duration and global radiation trends in Italy (1959–2013): To what extent do they agree?
Authors: Manara V. , Brunetti M. , Maugeri M. , Sanchez‐Lorenzo A. , Wild M.
Published: April 2017

Two Italian homogenized data sets of sunshine duration (SD) and global radiation (Eg↓) relative anomalies are used to investigate to what extent these two variables agree with respect to their temporal evolution. They are compared for northern and southern Italy over the period 1959–2013. Both under all‐sky and clear‐sky conditions, the SD records tend to show a shorter and less intense decrease until the 1980s (“global dimming”) with respect to the Eg↓ ones, while there is a better agreement in the subsequent period when both variables increase (“brightening period”). To investigate whether such behavior can be explained by a different sensitivity of SD and Eg↓ to atmospheric turbidity variations, the observed clear‐sky trends are compared to those estimated by a model based both on Lambert‐Beer's law and on a simple estimation of diffuse radiation. Results show that most of the differences observed in the trends of the clear‐sky SD and Eg↓ records can be explained considering a realistic pattern of atmospheric turbidity in the 1959–2013 period. The only exception concerns winter and autumn in northern Italy where clear‐sky SD does not decrease in the dimming period as much as it would be expected on the basis of the corresponding increase in atmospheric turbidity. One reason for this discrepancy could be the influence of other variables like relative humidity. This case study highlights that changes in atmospheric turbidity have to be kept in mind when SD is used to investigate the multidecadal evolution of Eg↓.
Ion trapping by dust grains: Simulation applications to the Enceladus plume
Authors: Farrell W. M. , Wahlund J.‐E. , Morooka M. , Kurth W. S. , Gurnett D. A. , MacDowall R. J.
Published: April 2017

Using a particle‐in‐cell electrostatic simulation, we examine the conditions that allow low‐energy ions, like those produced in the Enceladus plume, to be attracted and trapped within the sheaths of negatively charged dust grains. The conventional wisdom is that all new ions produced in the Enceladus plume are free to get picked up (i.e., accelerated by the local E field to then undergo vB acceleration). However, we suggest herein that the presence of submicron‐charged dust in the plume impedes this pickup process since the local grain electric field greatly exceeds the corotation E fields. The simulations demonstrate that cold ions will tend to accelerate toward the negatively charged grains and become part of the ion plasma sheath. These trapped ions will move with the grains, exiting the plume region at the dust speed. We suggest that Cassini's Langmuir probe is measuring the entire ion population (free and trapped ions), while the Cassini magnetometer detects the magnetic perturbations associated with pickup currents from the smaller population of free ions, with this distinction possibly reconciling the ongoing debate in the literature on the ion density in the plume.
Major pathways to electron distribution function formation in regions of diffuse aurora
Authors: Khazanov George V. , Sibeck David G. , Zesta Eftyhia
Published: April 2017

This paper discusses the major pathways of electron distribution function formation in the region of diffuse aurora. The diffuse aurora accounts for about of 75% of the auroral energy precipitating into the upper atmosphere, and its origin has been the subject of much discussion. We show that an earthward stream of precipitating electrons initially injected from the Earth's plasma sheet via wave‐particle interactions degrades in the atmosphere toward lower energies and produces secondary electrons via impact ionization of the neutral atmosphere. These electrons of magnetospheric origin are then reflected back into the magnetosphere along closed dipolar magnetic field lines, leading to a series of reflections and consequent magnetospheric interactions that greatly augment the initially precipitating flux at the upper ionospheric boundary (700–800 km). To date this, systematic magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling element has not been included in auroral research models, and, as we demonstrate in this article, has a dramatic effect (200–300%) on the formation of the precipitating fluxes that result in the diffuse aurora. It is shown that wave‐particle interaction processes that drive precipitating fluxes in the region of diffuse aurora from the magnetospheric altitudes are only the first step in the formation of electron precipitation at ionospheric altitudes, and they cannot be separated from the atmospheric “collisional machine” that redistributes and transfers their energy inside the magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐atmosphere coupling system.
Evaluation of cell death pathways initiated by antitumor drugs melatonin and valproic acid in bladder cancer cells
Authors: Liu Siwei , Liang Bilin , Jia Huiting , Jiao Yuhan , Pang Zhongqiu , Huang Yongye
Published: April 2017

Effective drug combinations have the potential to strengthen therapeutic efficacy and combat drug resistance. Both melatonin and valproic acid (VPA) exhibit antitumor activities in various cancer cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cell death pathways initiated by anticancer combinatorial effects of melatonin and VPA in bladder cancer cells. The results demonstrated that the combination of melatonin and VPA leads to significant synergistic growth inhibition of UC3 bladder cancer cells. Gene expression studies revealed that cotreatment with melatonin and VPA triggered the up‐regulation of certain genes related to apoptosis (TNFRSF10A and TNFRSF10B), autophagy (BECN, ATG3 and ATG5) and necrosis (MLKL, PARP‐1 and RIPK1). The combinatorial treatment increased the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐stress‐related genes ATF6, IRE1, EDEM1 and ERdj4. Cotreatment with melatonin and VPA enhanced the expression of E‐cadherin, and decreased the expression of N‐cadherin, Fibronectin, Snail and Slug. Furthermore, the Wnt pathway and Raf/MEK/ERK pathway were activated by combinatorial treatment. However, the effects on the expression of certain genes were not further enhanced in cells following combinatorial treatment in comparison to individual treatment of melatonin or VPA. In summary, these findings provided evidence that cotreatment with melatonin and VPA exerted increased cytotoxicity by regulating cell death pathways in UC3 bladder cancer cells, but the clinical significance of combinatorial treatment still needs to be further exploited.
Multivariate Methods for Binary Longitudinal Data
Authors: Glynn Robert J. , Rosner Bernard , Ilk Ozlem
Published: April 2017

Longitudinal data in which the repeatedly measured response variable is binary often occur in many fields including medical investigations, particularly clinical trials, and social sciences. This article describes a number of suitable approaches to exploring and modeling such data including marginal models, mixed‐effects models, transition models, and multilevel models. Approaches to inferences, including generalized estimating equations, maximum likelihood method, and Gibbs sampling, are discussed.
Tunable Oxygen Diffusion and Electronic Conduction in SrTiO3 by Dislocation‐Induced Space Charge Fields
Authors: Adepalli Kiran K. , Yang Jing , Maier Joachim , Tuller Harry L. , Yildiz Bilge
Published: April 2017

Plastic strain engineering was applied to induce controllable changes in electronic and oxygen ion conductivity in oxides by orders of magnitude, without changing their nominal composition. By using SrTiO3 as a model system of technological importance, and by combining electrical and chemical tracer diffusion experiments with computational modeling, it is revealed that dislocations alter the equilibrium concentration and distribution of electronic and ionic defects. The easier reducibility of the dislocation cores increases the n‐type conductivity by 50 times at oxygen pressures below 10−5 atm at 650 °C. At higher oxygen pressures the p‐type conductivity decreases by 50 times and the oxygen diffusion coefficient reduces by three orders of magnitude. The strongly altered electrical and oxygen diffusion properties in SrTiO3 arise because of the existence of overlapping electrostatic fields around the positively charged dislocation cores. The findings and the approach are broadly important and have the potential for significantly impacting the functionalities of electrochemical and/or electronic applications such as thin film oxide electronics, memristive systems, sensors, micro‐solid oxide fuel cells, and catalysts, whose functionalities rely on the concentration and distribution of charged point defects.
Engineering Immunological Tolerance Using Quantum Dots to Tune the Density of Self‐Antigen Display
Authors: Hess Krystina L. , Oh Eunkeu , Tostanoski Lisa H. , Andorko James I. , Susumu Kimihiro , Deschamps Jeffrey R. , Medintz Igor L. , Jewell Christopher M.
Published: April 2017

Treatments for autoimmunity—diseases where the immune system mistakenly attacks self‐molecules—are not curative and leave patients immunocompromised. New studies aimed at more specific treatments reveal that development of inflammation or tolerance is influenced by the form in which self‐antigens are presented. Using a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is shown for the first time that quantum dots (QDs) can be used to generate immunological tolerance by controlling the density of self‐antigen on QDs. These assemblies display dense arrangements of myelin self‐peptide associated with disease in MS, are uniform in size (<20 nm), and allow direct visualization in immune tissues. Peptide‐QDs rapidly concentrate in draining lymph nodes, colocalizing with macrophages expressing scavenger receptors involved in tolerance. Treatment with peptide‐QDs reduces disease incidence tenfold. Strikingly, the degree of tolerance—and the underlying expansion of regulatory T cells—correlates with the density of myelin molecules presented on QDs. A key discovery is that higher numbers of tolerogenic particles displaying lower levels of self‐peptide are more effective for inducing tolerance than fewer particles each displaying higher densities of peptide. QDs conjugated with self‐antigens can serve as a new platform to induce tolerance, while visualizing QD therapeutics in tolerogenic tissue domains.
All‐Printed Porous Carbon Film for Electricity Generation from Evaporation‐Driven Water Flow
Authors: Ding Tianpeng , Liu Kang , Li Jia , Xue Guobin , Chen Qian , Huang Liang , Hu Bin , Zhou Jun
Published: April 2017

Converting environmental “waste energies” into electricity via a natural process is an ideal strategy for environmental energy harvesting and supplying power for distributed energy‐consuming devices. This paper reports that evaporation‐driven water flow within an all‐printed porous carbon film can reliably generate sustainable voltage up to 1 V with a power density of ≈8.1 µW cm−3 under ambient conditions. The output performance of the device can be easily scaled up and used to power low‐power consumption electronic devices or for energy storage. Furthermore, the device is successfully used without electric storage as a direct power source for electrodeposition of silver microstructures. Because of the ubiquity of water evaporation in nature and the low cost of materials involved, the study presents a novel avenue to harvest ambient energy and has potential applications in low‐cost, green, self‐powered devices and systems.
Graphene Multielectrode Arrays as a Versatile Tool for Extracellular Measurements
Authors: Kireev Dmitry , Seyock Silke , Lewen Johannes , Maybeck Vanessa , Wolfrum Bernhard , Offenhäusser Andreas
Published: April 2017

Graphene multielectrode arrays (GMEAs) presented in this work are used for cardio and neuronal extracellular recordings. The advantages of the graphene as a part of the multielectrode arrays are numerous: from a general flexibility and biocompatibility to the unique electronic properties of graphene. The devices used for extensive in vitro studies of a cardiac‐like cell line and cortical neuronal networks show excellent ability to extracellularly detect action potentials with signal to noise ratios in the range of 45 ± 22 for HL‐1 cells and 48 ± 26 for spontaneous bursting/spiking neuronal activity. Complex neuronal bursting activity patterns as well as a variety of characteristic shapes of HL‐1 action potentials are recorded with the GMEAs. This paper illustrates that the potential applications of the GMEAs in biological and medical research are still numerous and diverse.
Laser–Material Interactions for Flexible Applications
Authors: Joe Daniel J. , Kim Seungjun , Park Jung Hwan , Park Dae Yong , Lee Han Eol , Im Tae Hong , Choi Insung , Ruoff Rodney S. , Lee Keon Jae
Published: April 2017

The use of lasers for industrial, scientific, and medical applications has received an enormous amount of attention due to the advantageous ability of precise parameter control for heat transfer. Laser‐beam‐induced photothermal heating and reactions can modify nanomaterials such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and two‐dimensional materials including graphene, in a controlled manner. There have been numerous efforts to incorporate lasers into advanced electronic processing, especially for inorganic‐based flexible electronics. In order to resolve temperature issues with plastic substrates, laser–material processing has been adopted for various applications in flexible electronics including energy devices, processors, displays, and other peripheral electronic components. Here, recent advances in laser–material interactions for inorganic‐based flexible applications with regard to both materials and processes are presented.
Ultrafast Synthesis of Novel Hexagonal Phase NaBiF4 Upconversion Nanoparticles at Room Temperature
Authors: Lei Pengpeng , An Ran , Yao Shuang , Wang Qishun , Dong Lile , Xu Xia , Du Kaimin , Feng Jing , Zhang Hongjie
Published: April 2017

Upconversion (UC) nanoparticles (UCNPs) have evoked considerable attention in many fields owing to their fascinating features. However, rigorous synthesis conditions and expensive raw materials often limit their further applications. Here, a novel hexagonal phase NaBiF4 UC matrix through a very facile method (one min only at room temperature) is synthesized. The nanoparticles show good monodispersity with uniform size. Under the 980 nm irradiation, Yb3+/Ln3+ (Ln = Er, Ho, Tm) codoped NaBiF4 nanoparticles show excellent UC luminescence (UCL). This super facile synthesis strategy and excellent matrix materials enable to achieve UCL in such low temperature, opening a new gateway for the UCNPs applied to a variety of areas in the future.
Tuning Contact Barrier Height between Metals and MoS2 Monolayer through Interface Engineering
Authors: Chai Jian Wei , Yang Ming , Callsen Martin , Zhou Jun , Yang Tong , Zhang Zheng , Pan Ji Sheng , Chi Dong Zhi , Feng Yuan Ping , Wang Shi Jie
Published: April 2017

Creating an electrical contact to 2D semiconductors with low resistance is a challenging task. In this study, by combining photoemission spectroscopy measurements and first‐principles calculations, it has been shown that a significant interfacial reaction occurring between the high work function metal Ni and an MoS2 monolayer leads to a metallic MoS2 monolayer and a high contact barrier height. By introducing an additional MoS2 layer as a buffer layer, both of these effects can be remedied, resulting in the desired semiconducting channel layer and a reduced contact barrier height. Further applying this strategy to the low work function metal Ti interfaced with an MoS2 monolayer, the contact barrier height can be decreased to about 0.29 eV. The results of this study provide an improved understanding of the interfacial interaction between metals and 2D semiconductors. In addition, a technically less demanding way to tune the contact barrier height is demonstrated.
Synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation of N,N‐Dimethylacrylamide–alkyl acrylate copolymers as novel multifunctional additives for lube oil
Authors: Singh Raj K. , Kukrety Aruna , Kumar Arvind , Chouhan Ajay , Saxena Rakesh C. , Ray Siddharth S. , Jain Suman L.
Published: April 2017

Three copolymeric and two homopolymeric additives were synthesized utilizing the C18 alkyl acrylate (C18Ac) and N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) monomers. Three additives named as additive 1, additive 2, and additive 3 were synthesized by varying the ratio between C18Ac: DMAA as 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 respectively by free radical polymerization using AIBN (azobis(isobutyronitrile)) as initiator, whereas additive 4 and additive 5 were the homopolymers of C18Ac and DMAA, respectively. All the synthesized polymers were characterized by FT‐IR (fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), and GPC (gel permeation chromatography) analysis. Performance evaluation of the copolymers as viscosity index improver (VII), pour point depressant (PPD), antiwear, antifriction, and anticorrosion additives in polyol base oil was done by standard methods. As far as the VII, anti‐wear, antifriction, and anticorrosive properties are concerned, additive 2 revealed best performance; however, none of the above synthesized additives was found to be suitable for PPD activity.