bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the Defensive Mechanism of Lead Affected Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Genotypes by Exogenously Applied Salicylic Acid
Authors: Arshad Taskeen , Maqbool Nazimah , Javed Farrukh , Arshad Muhammad Usman
Published: January 2017

Lead is a non-essential element reduced plant growth and development that may cause multifarious disturbance in physiological, biochemical and structural integrity of plants. SA is an efficient signal molecule induces systemic resistance responses that control local defense reactions in plants. To evaluate the effect of SA on photosynthetic activity of Pb affected plants therefore a pot experiment was conducted on barley genotype Juo- 93 and Juo- 87 in the Old Botanical Garden, University Of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Three treatment levels (0, 100 and 200 µM) of lead sulphate (PbSO4) were applied in thrice replication with or without SA (0.5 mM) along half strength of Hoagland’s solution till the termination of experiment. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design. During course of study growth and pigments modulations were recorded. The result indicated that growth parameters such as root and shoot length, leaf area, fresh weight of shoot and root, dry weight of shoot and root were reduced under lead toxicity. Pb stress damaged the photosynthetic pigments such as Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids but chlorophyll a/b was increased under Pb stress whereas exogenous application of SA alleviated the negative effect of lead toxicity. Juo- 93 showed more tolerance to Pb toxicity as compared to Juo-87.
Lactobacillus plantarum Exopolysaccharides Induce Resistance against Tomato Bacterial Spot
Authors: Blainski Juliane Mendes Lemos , Neto Argus Cezar da Rocha , Luiz Caroline , Rossi Márcio José , Di Piero Robson Marcelo
Published: January 2017

Lactic acid bacteria produce several exopolysaccharides (EPS) that may have antimicrobial action and/or induce defense responses in plants. This work aims to evaluate the potential of EPS produced by Lactobacillus plantarum in the protection of tomato plants against bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas gardneri, as well as to predict the possible mechanisms of action. The EPS were characterized through FTIR and applied at 0; 0.5; 1.5 and 3.0 mg mL-1 in tomato plants with five expanded leaves, followed by the pathogen inoculation after 3 or 7 days. Antimicrobial activity of the biopolymer (1.5 or 10.0 mg mL-1) was evaluated in bioassay when EPS was incorporated into culture medium or embedded in antibiogram disk. The defense mechanisms i.e., total phenolic compounds and flavonoids content, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), glutathione reductase (GR) and lipoxygenase (LOX) activities, were measured in tomato plants treated with EPS (1.5 mg mL-1), inoculated or not with X. gardneri. EPS reduced bacterial spot symptoms by up to 72.0% compared to the control. There were no direct effects of EPS on the in vitro growth of X. gardneri. The spectrophotometric profile, ascorbic and ellagic acid concentrations were change in tomato plants after EPS application, in plants challenged with the pathogen. Increases in PAL, GR and LOX activities were observed in plants treated with EPS. Thus, the application of L. plantarum exopolysaccharides can be considered as an effective alternative for controlling bacterial spot in tomato plants. This paper also discusses how these exopolysaccharides reduced the severity of the disease.
NMR Metabolomics Investigates the Influence of Flavonoid-Enriched Rations on Chicken Plasma
Authors: Fotakis Charalambos , Lantzouraki Dimitra Z , Goliomytis Michael , Simitzis Panagiotis E , Charismiadou Maria , Deligeorgis Stelios G , Zoumpoulakis Panagiotis
Published: January 2017

The use of flavonoids as dietary supplements is well established, mainly due to their intense antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, hesperidin, naringin, and vitamin E were used as additives at different concentrations in poultry rations in order to achieve meat of improved quality. NMR metabolomics was applied to chicken blood serum samples to discern whether and how the enriched rations affected the animals' metabolic profile. Variations in the metabolic patterns according to sustenance consumption were tracedby orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models and were attributed to specific metabolites by using S-line plots. In particular, serum samples from chickens fed with vitamin E displayed higher concentrations of glycine and succinic acid compared to control samples, which were mainly characterized by betaine, formic acid, and lipoproteins. Samples from chickens fed with hesperidin were characterizedby increased levels of lactic acid, citric acid, creatine, carnosine, creatinine, phosphocreatine, anserine, glucose, and alanine compared to control samples. Lastly, naringin samples exhibited increased levels of citric and acetic acids. Results verify the scalability of NMR metabolomics to highlight metabolite variations among chicken serum samples in relation to food rations.
A Guide (not only) for Economics Dictionaries
Authors: Caruso Valeria
Published: January 2017

The recent report by Besomi (2013) shows the huge number of Economics dictionaries available online, but also describes some of their shortcomings; on the contrary Fuertes-Olivera (2012) points out the potential of these resources in a learning context. However, in order to offer a quick reference guide to Economics dictionaries for web surfers, an evaluation system (Caruso 2011) has been designed to assess dictionary usability with respect to three kinds of prospective users (laymen, semi-experts, and experts), both in cognitive and communicative tasks, and with special reference to two types of situations in which the dictionaries might be consulted, namely translation and learning. This project, however, is not devoted to testing data quality, therefore it doesn’t necessarily give any guarantees to web surfers regarding the contents provided by unrestricted dictionaries found on the Internet.The analysis of Economics dictionaries carried out using this tool, offers a quantitative survey of the overall lexicographical features they display, proving that, even if these resources are on average not particularly suited for communicative tasks, some of them include specific kinds of data that are considered crucial for supporting users in text production (Alonso et al. 2011).
Haunted Fascination: Horror, Cinephilia and Barbara Steele
Authors: Olney Ian
Published: January 2017

Regarded by fans and critics alike as the Queen of Horror, Barbara Steele stands as one of the few bona fide cult icons of the genre, whose ability to project an uncanny blend of deathliness and eroticism imbues her characters with a kind of necrophiliac appeal. Horror film scholars have tended to read Steele‘s films in feminist terms, as texts that play to our fascination with the monstrous-feminine. This article approaches them from a different standpoint – that of cinephilia studies. Steele‘s cult horror films are at their most basic level horror movies about cinephilia, presenting her as the very embodiment of the ghostly medium that cinephiles cherish. In so doing, they convert Steele into a necrophiliac fetish-object, an intoxicating fusion of death and desire. Considering Steele‘s work from this perspective reveals the fluidity of the boundary between horror and cinephilia, demonstrating that horror has something important to teach us about cinephilia and cinephilia has something important to teach us about horror.
A Different Shade of Green: A Survey of Indonesian Higher Education Institutional Repositories
Authors: Liauw Toong Tjiek , Genoni Paul
Published: January 2017

INTRODUCTION Institutional repositories (IRs) are an accepted part of the open access landscape, and they have a particular role to play in supporting scholarly communication in developing countries, such as Indonesia. METHODS Content analysis was conducted of 52 Indonesian higher education institutional repository websites between November 2014 and February 2015. Assessment included the degrees of “openness” of repositories, the types of works collected, software used, exploration tools, existence of links to institutional website, the language used for access points, and the standard of metadata. The study also gathered qualitative indicators of local practices in the management and population of repositories. RESULTS Only 26.9% of the surveyed IRs provide all or most documents in full-text; the most widely included types of work are Theses and Dissertations (84.6%) and Published Works (80.8%), but there is also a high representation of Unpublished Works and University Records. Most IRs (90.3%) provide access points in the form of standardized subject headings, and English is widely used. DISCUSSION The characteristics of the content of the IRs surveyed suggests that many Indonesian IRs were conceived as a corporate information management system rather than as a genuine attempt to support open access. CONCLUSION The findings lead the authors to speculate that institutional repositories serving Indonesian higher education institutions are in their early adoption phase; and that initial drivers for them have been corporate information management, institutional prestige, and the need to combat plagiarism.
Energy balance in the semiarid area of the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Liang Jiening , Zhang Lei , Cao Xianjie , Wen Jun , Wang Jiemin , Wang Guoyin
Published: January 2017

To understand the energy balance over the complex terrain of the Loess Plateau, we analyzed data from the Semi‐Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL). From 1 June to 15 August 2008, the energy balance closure ratio ranged from 0.52 to 0.90 during the daytime when the available energy was greater than 150 W m−2; during nocturnal hours, it was about 0.25. We proposed a method based on water mass conservation to estimate the energy transmitted by the vertical movement of moisture in the soil and set out to explain the imbalance. During the daytime, the heat stored in the soil above the heat flux plate placed at 5 cm below the surface, the energy transmitted by the vertical movement of moisture in the soil, and the energy assimilated by plant photosynthesis contributed to 29.6%, 2.0%, and 1.8% of the energy residual, respectively. During stable conditions, the soil heat storage contributed to 46.4% of the energy residual, whereas the other energy terms contributed little. The instantaneous energy closure ratio was about 0.80 during unstable conditions; it was about 0.40 when the wind speed U was greater than 3.0 m s−1, while depends systematically on U under condition of U < 3.0 m s−1 during stable conditions. Under the weak wind stable condition, affected by topography‐induced nonstationary motions, the turbulence is anisotropic with a strong horizontal fluctuation and a weak vertical fluctuation, resulting in weakened heat mixing in the vertical direction and stronger unclosure of energy.
Depth variations in seismic velocity in the subducting crust: Evidence for fluid‐related embrittlement for intermediate‐depth earthquakes
Authors: Shiina Takahiro , Nakajima Junichi , Matsuzawa Toru , Toyokuni Genti , Kita Saeko
Published: January 2017

We investigated seismic wave velocity in the subducting crust of the Pacific slab beneath eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan. To detect depth‐dependent properties of the seismic velocities in the crust, we analyzed guided waves that propagate in the crust and estimated P wave velocity (Vp) of 6.5–7.5 km/s and S wave velocity (Vs) of 3.6–4.2 km/s at depths of 50–100 km. The results show that the obtained Vp and Vs are 10–15% lower than those expected for the fully hydrated mid‐ocean ridge basalt, suggesting the existence of aqueous fluids by ~1 vol % in the crust at this depth range. Our observations suggest that overpressurized fluids channeled in the subducting crust plays as a dominant factor for facilitating the genesis of crustal earthquakes at intermediate depths.
Multi‐MeV electron loss in the heart of the radiation belts
Authors: Shprits Yuri Y. , Kellerman Adam , Aseev Nikita , Drozdov Alexander Y. , Michaelis Ingo
Published: January 2017

Significant progress has been made in recent years in understanding acceleration mechanisms in the Earth's radiation belts. In particular, a number of studies demonstrated the importance of the local acceleration by analyzing the radial profiles of phase space density (PSD) and observing building up peaks in PSD. In this study, we focus on understanding of the local loss using very similar tools. The profiles of PSD for various values of the first adiabatic invariants during the previously studied 17 January 2013 storm are presented and discussed. The profiles of PSD show clear deepening minimums consistent with the scattering by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. Long‐term evolution shows that local minimums in PSD can persist for relatively long times. During considered interval of time the deepening minimums were observed around L* = 4 during 17 January 2013 storm and around L* = 3.5 during 1 March 2013 storm. This study shows a new method that can help identify the location, magnitude, and time of the local loss and will help quantify local loss in the future. This study also provides additional clear and definitive evidence that local loss plays a major role for the dynamics of the multi‐MeV electrons.
Morphology of Ganymede's FUV auroral ovals
Authors: Musacchio Fabrizio , Saur Joachim , Roth Lorenz , Retherford Kurt D. , McGrath Melissa A. , Feldman Paul D. , Strobel Darrell F.
Published: January 2017

We study the morphology of Ganymede's FUV aurora by analyzing spectral images obtained over the past two decades by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations cover the eastern and western elongation as well as various magnetic latitudes of Ganymede within the Jovian plasma sheet. We find both asymmetries in the spatial distribution of auroral brightness on the observed moon disk and temporal variation correlated to Ganymede's changing magnetic latitude. The total disk brightness is on average 1.42 ± 0.07 times brighter on the leading side (95.4 ± 2.1 R) than on the trailing side (67.2 ± 2.9 R). The brightness ratio of the sub‐Jovian hemisphere to the anti‐Jovian hemisphere is 1.81 ± 0.06 on the leading side and 1.41 ± 0.14 on the trailing side, respectively. Inside the Jovian current sheet, the brightness of the auroral ovals increases by a factor of 1.45 ± 0.02 on the leading side and decreases by a factor of 0.80 ± 0.02 on the trailing side. At the current sheet center, the auroral ovals shift 4.1° ± 0.7°latitude toward Ganymede's planetographic equator on the leading side and 2.9° ± 1.5° toward the poles on the trailing side. Both effects, the variation of brightness and the movement of the ovals are correlated to a stronger interaction of Jupiter's magnetospheric plasma with Ganymede's minimagnetosphere inside the current sheet. Finally, we calculate the latitudinal difference of the northern and southern ovals from Ganymede's magnetic equator. The result suggests a farther westward orientation of Ganymede's dipole magnetic moment at approximately 47° + 58°/−43°west longitude compared to previous estimates.
Energy transfer from lower energy to higher‐energy electrons mediated by whistler waves in the radiation belts
Authors: Shklyar D. R.
Published: January 2017

We study the problem of energy exchange between waves and particles, which leads to energization of the latter, in an unstable plasma typical of the radiation belts. The ongoing Van Allen Probes space mission brought this problem among the most discussed in space physics. A free energy which is present in an unstable plasma provides the indispensable condition for energy transfer from lower energy particles to higher‐energy particles via resonant wave‐particle interaction. This process is studied in detail by the example of electron interactions with whistler mode wave packets originated from lightning‐induced emission. We emphasize that in an unstable plasma, the energy source for electron energization is the energy of other particles, rather than the wave energy as is often assumed. The way by which the energy is transferred from lower energy to higher‐energy particles includes two processes that operate concurrently, in the same space‐time domain, or sequentially, in different space‐time domains, in which a given wave packet is located. In the first process, one group of resonant particles gives the energy to the wave. The second process consists in wave absorption by another group of resonant particles, whose energy therefore increases. We argue that this mechanism represents an efficient means of electron energization in the radiation belts.
Io plasma torus ion composition: Voyager, Galileo, and Cassini
Authors: Nerney Edward G. , Bagenal Fran , Steffl Andrew J.
Published: January 2017

The Io torus produces ultraviolet emissions diagnostic of plasma conditions. We revisit data sets obtained by the Voyager 1, Galileo, and Cassini missions at Jupiter. With the latest version (8.0) of the CHIANTI atomic database we analyze UV spectra to determine ion composition. We compare ion composition obtained from observations from these three missions with a theoretical model of the physical chemistry of the torus by Delamere et al. (2005). We find ion abundances from the Voyager data similar to the Cassini epoch, consistent with the dissociation and ionization of SO2, but with a slightly higher average ionization state for sulfur, consistent with the higher electron temperature measured by Voyager. This reanalysis of the Voyager data produces a much lower oxygen:sulfur ratio than earlier analysis by Shemansky (1988), which was also reported by Bagenal (1994). We derive fractional ion compositions in the center of the torus to be S+/Ne ~ 5%, S++/Ne ~ 20%, S+++/Ne ~ 5%, O+/Ne ~ 20%, O++/Ne ~ 3%, and Σ(On+)/Σ(Sn+) ~ 0.8, leaving about 10–15% of the charge as protons. The radial profile of ion composition indicates a slightly higher average ionization state, a modest loss of sulfur relative to oxygen, and Σ(On+)/Σ(Sn+) ~ 1.2 at about 8 RJ, beyond which the composition is basically frozen in. The Galileo observations of UV emissions from the torus suggest that the composition in June 1996 may have comprised a lower abundance of oxygen than usual, consistent with observations made at the same time by the EUVE satellite.
Simulation of the production rates of cosmogenic nuclides on the Moon based on Geant4
Authors: Li Yong , Zhang Xiaoping , Dong Wudong , Ren Zhongzhou , Dong Tiekuang , Xu Aoao
Published: January 2017

A numerical simulation model is built to simulate the production of cosmogenic nuclides based on Geant4 (GEometry ANd Tracking). Some modifications have been made for cross sections in Geant4 using the experimental data or the other proper model and the contributions of all secondary particles caused by cosmic rays are included in our simulation model. Our simulation results suggest a substantial contribution of the secondary charged pions to the production rates of 10Be and 14C, as high as 21.04% for 10Be and 21.36% for 14C, respectively. Within one set of self‐consistent parameters, the simulation results of the production rates of the cosmogenic nuclides, 53Mn, 36Cl, 41Ca, 26Al, 10Be, and 14C, agree well with the measured data from Apollo 15 drill core. This model provides users a validated approach to study the production of cosmogenic nuclides on the planet surface and in the meteorites.
A self‐consistent mechanism for electron cyclotron maser emission and its application to type III solar radio bursts
Authors: Chen L. , Wu D. J. , Zhao G. Q. , Tang J. F.
Published: January 2017

Type III solar radio bursts (SRBs) produced by fast electron beams (FEBs) traveling along solar magnetic fields are the best known and the most important kind of SRBs because of their clearest association with FEBs as well as most frequent observations during solar activities. However, the physics of their emitting mechanism has been a controversial issue. Based on the electron cyclotron maser (ECM) instability driven directly by a magnetized FEB, whose physics is fairly well known from the Earth's auroral kilometric radiation, this paper proposes a self‐consistent mechanism for type III SRBs, in which the Alfvén wave (AW) produced by the current instability of the beam‐return current system associated with the FEB, called the self‐generated AW, plays an important and crucial role. Taking into account the return‐current effect of the FEB, the growth rate and the saturation intensity of the self‐generated AW are estimated. Then the effects of the self‐generated AW on the ECM emission via the ECM instability driven by the magnetized FEB are further investigated. The results show that the self‐generated AW can significantly influence and change the physical properties of the ECM emission. In particular, this novel ECM emission mechanism can effectively overcome the main difficulties of the conventional ECM emission mechanism in application to type III SRBs and may potentially provide a self‐consistent physics scenario for type III SRBs.
The magnetic storms of 3–4 August 2010 and 5–6 August 2011: 1. Ground‐ and space‐based observations
Authors: Valladares C. E. , Eccles J. V. , Basu Su. , Schunk R. W. , Sheehan R. , Pradipta R. , Ruohoniemi J. M.
Published: January 2017

We have used total electron content (TEC) values from low, middle, and high latitudes recorded over the American continent and density and ion temperature measured in situ by the DMSP‐F15 and F17 satellites during the geomagnetic storms of 3–4 August 2010 and 5–6 August 2011 to study the formation and dynamics of plasma density enhancements that developed during these two storms. Common to both storms are the timing of the main phase that extends between 20 and 24 UT and their seasonality with both storms occurring near the end of the Northern Hemisphere summer solstice. During both storms, TEC data show incipient equatorial anomalies lacking a poleward expansion beyond 20° magnetic latitude. Two large‐scale TEC enhancements were observed at middle latitudes showing a complicated pattern of structuring and merging. The first TEC enhancement corresponds to a storm‐enhanced density (SED) seen between 21 and 01 UT on the following day. The second TEC enhancement was observed over Central America, located equatorward of the SED and apparently moving northward. However, careful analysis of the TEC values indicates that this second TEC enhancement is not transported from lower latitudes through a superfountain effect. Instead, the enhanced plasma has a local origin and is driven by a southward directed meridional wind that moves plasma up the tilted magnetic field lines. DMSP flights passing over the second TEC enhancement show a reduction of the ion temperature, confirming an adiabatic expansion of the plasma as it moves up the field lines. It is concluded that the midlatitude TEC enhancements do not arise from a low‐latitude ionospheric fountain effect.
Particle energization by a substorm dipolarization
Authors: Kabin K. , Kalugin G. , Donovan E. , Spanswick E.
Published: January 2017

Magnetotail dipolarizations, often associated with substorms, produce significant energetic particle enhancements in the nighttime magnetosphere. In this paper, we apply our recently developed magnetotail dipolarization model to the problem of energizing electrons and ions. Our model is two‐dimensional in the meridional plane and is characterized by the ability to precisely control the location of the transition from the dipole‐like to tail‐like magnetic fields. Both magnetic and electric fields are calculated, self‐consistently, as the transition zone retreats farther into the tail and the area around the Earth occupied by dipole‐like lines increases in size. These fields are used to calculate the motion of electrons and ions and changes in their energies. We consider the energizing effects of the fields restricted to ±15° and ±30° sectors around the midnight meridian, as well the axisymmetric case. Energies of some electrons increase by a factor of 25, which is more than enough to produce observable ionospheric signatures. Electrons are treated using the Guiding Center approximation, while protons and heavier particles generally require description based on the Lorentz equations.
Topographic controlled forcing of salt flow: Three‐dimensional models of an active salt system, Canyonlands, Utah
Authors: Kravitz Katherine , Upton Phaedra , Mueller Karl , Roy Samuel G.
Published: January 2017

The grabens within Canyonlands, Utah, is an active salt system primarily driven by differential unloading due to incision of the Colorado River. However, many other conditions exist in the region that potentially influence regional deformation, including the gentle dip of the evaporite deposits, unconfined salt within the river canyon, weaknesses in the overburden, and topographic gradients on various scales. Three‐dimensional numerical models were built to test the scale at which salt responds to these parameters individually and as a whole. Topography has a large influence on salt flow on both a regional and local scales and predicts the formation of existing structures in the region on consistent spatial scales without the influence of overburden weakening or salt geometry. Topography also has a large influence on the direction of salt flow, which acts to divert salt away from the canyon at the edge of the grabens and enhance salt flow within the grabens. Unconfined salt within the canyon regionally alters displacement rates and patterns, indicating a clear shift in strain before and after incision of the river into the Paradox Formation. On a local scale, there is a strong coupling between overburden weakening and salt flow patterns, where salt responds to individual structures and less to regional drivers. All these driving forces create an ensemble of feedback that alters the strain field and structural development through time.
Quantifying uncertainties in radar forward models through a comparison between CloudSat and SPartICus reflectivity factors
Authors: Mascio Jeana , Mace Gerald G.
Published: January 2017

Interpretations of remote sensing measurements collected in sample volumes containing ice‐phase hydrometeors are very sensitive to assumptions regarding the distributions of mass with ice crystal dimension, otherwise known as mass‐dimensional or m‐D relationships. How these microphysical characteristics vary in nature is highly uncertain, resulting in significant uncertainty in algorithms that attempt to derive bulk microphysical properties from remote sensing measurements. This uncertainty extends to radar reflectivity factors forward calculated from model output because the statistics of the actual m‐D in nature is not known. To investigate the variability in m‐D relationships in cirrus clouds, reflectivity factors measured by CloudSat are combined with particle size distributions (PSDs) collected by coincident in situ aircraft by using an optimal estimation‐based (OE) retrieval of the m‐D power law. The PSDs were collected by 12 flights of the Stratton Park Engineering Company Learjet during the Small Particles in Cirrus campaign. We find that no specific habit emerges as preferred, and instead, we find that the microphysical characteristics of ice crystal populations tend to be distributed over a continuum‐defying simple categorization. With the uncertainties derived from the OE algorithm, the uncertainties in forward‐modeled backscatter cross section and, in turn, radar reflectivity is calculated by using a bootstrapping technique, allowing us to infer the uncertainties in forward‐modeled radar reflectivity that would be appropriately applied to remote sensing simulator algorithms.
Boundaries of tropical tropopause layer (TTL): A new perspective based on thermal and stability profiles
Authors: Sunilkumar S. V. , Muhsin M. , Venkat Ratnam M. , Parameswaran K. , Krishna Murthy B. V. , Emmanuel Maria
Published: January 2017

The structure of tropical tropopause layer (TTL) is delineated based on static stability criteria. It is defined as the region extending from the level of minimum static stability to the level of maximum static stability. The static stability and dynamic instability steadily increase from the base to the top of the TTL. Radiosonde data from three tropical stations and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate GPS radio occultation (COSMIC) data over the tropics are used for this investigation. This study suggests that in terms of stability, the TTL can further be considered as a composite of three sublayers: a bottom layer (BL), a middle layer (ML), and an upper layer (UL) embedded between the potential temperatures ~350–360 K, ~360–380 K, and 380–420 K, respectively. While the BL is significantly influenced by frequent convective outflows, the influence of convection declines across the ML. Ozone and water vapor mixing ratios show a discernible change in their gradients across these sublayers. Occurrences of small‐scale turbulence and cirrus are maximum in the BL and decrease in the ML and UL. Longitudinally, the BL is broad and the ML and UL are narrow over the deep convective cores. Strength of static stability in the UL (BL) is relatively strong (weak) centered about the equator, with pronounced features over the deep convective regions. These features of static stability centered about the equator in the BL could be attributed to the convective outflows in the troposphere and that in the UL to the dynamic and radiative processes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.
Radiative effects of absorbing aerosols over northeastern India: Observations and model simulations
Authors: Gogoi Mukunda M. , Babu S. Suresh , Moorthy K. Krishna , Bhuyan Pradip Kumar , Pathak Binita , Subba Tamanna , Chutia Lakhima , Kundu Shyam Sundar , Bharali Chandrakala , Borgohain Arup , Guha Anirban , De Barin Kumar , Singh Brajamani , Chin Mian
Published: January 2017

Multiyear measurements of spectral properties of aerosol absorption are examined over four geographically distinct locations of northeastern India. Results indicated significant spatiotemporal variation in aerosol absorption coefficients (σabs) with highest values in winter and lowest in monsoon. The western parts of the region, close to the outflow of Indo‐Gangetic Plains, showed higher values of σabs and black carbon (BC) concentration—mostly associated with fossil fuel combustion. But, the eastern parts showed higher contributions from biomass‐burning aerosols, as much as 20–25% to the total aerosol absorption, conspicuously during premonsoon season. This is attributed to a large number of burning activities over the Southeast Asian region, as depicted from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer fire count maps, whose spatial extent and magnitude peaks during March/April. The nearly consistent high values of aerosol index (AI) and layer height from Ozone Monitoring Instrument indicate the presence of absorbing aerosols in the upper atmosphere. The observed seasonality has been captured fairly well by Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) as well as Weather Research and Forecasting–Chemistry (WRF‐Chem) model simulations. The ratio of column‐integrated optical depths due to particulate organic matter and BC from GOCART showed good coincidence with satellite‐based observations, indicating the increased vertical dispersion of absorbing aerosols, probably by the additional local convection due to higher fire radiative power caused by the intense biomass‐burning activities. In the WRF‐Chem though underperformed by different magnitude in winter, the values are closer or overestimated near the burnt areas. Atmospheric forcing due to BC was highest (~30 Wm−2) over the western part associated with the fossil fuel combustion.
An improved ray theory and transfer matrix method‐based model for lightning electromagnetic pulses propagating in Earth‐ionosphere waveguide and its applications
Authors: Qin Zilong , Chen Mingli , Zhu Baoyou , Du Ya‐ping
Published: January 2017

An improved ray theory and transfer matrix method‐based model for a lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP) propagating in Earth‐ionosphere waveguide (EIWG) is proposed and tested. The model involves the presentation of a lightning source, parameterization of the lower ionosphere, derivation of a transfer function representing all effects of EIWG on LEMP sky wave, and determination of attenuation mode of the LEMP ground wave. The lightning source is simplified as an electric point dipole standing on Earth surface with finite conductance. The transfer function for the sky wave is derived based on ray theory and transfer matrix method. The attenuation mode for the ground wave is solved from Fock's diffraction equations. The model is then applied to several lightning sferics observed in central China during day and night times within 1000 km. The results show that the model can precisely predict the time domain sky wave for all these observed lightning sferics. Both simulations and observations show that the lightning sferics in nighttime has a more complicated waveform than in daytime. Particularly, when a LEMP propagates from east to west (Φ = 270°) and in nighttime, its sky wave tends to be a double‐peak waveform (dispersed sky wave) rather than a single peak one. Such a dispersed sky wave in nighttime may be attributed to the magneto‐ionic splitting phenomenon in the lower ionosphere. The model provides us an efficient way for retrieving the electron density profile of the lower ionosphere and hence to monitor its spatial and temporal variations via lightning sferics.
Projecting regional climate and cropland changes using a linked biogeophysical‐socioeconomic modeling framework: 1. Model description and an equilibrium application over West Africa
Authors: Wang Guiling , Ahmed Kazi Farzan , You Liangzhi , Yu Miao , Pal Jeremy , Ji Zhenming
Published: January 2017

Agricultural land use alters regional climate through modifying the surface mass, energy, and momentum fluxes; climate influences agricultural land use through their impact on crop yields. These interactions are not well understood and have not been adequately considered in climate projections. This study tackles the critical linkages within the coupled natural‐human system of West Africa in a changing climate based on an equilibrium application of a modeling framework that asynchronously couples models of regional climate, crop yield, multimarket agricultural economics, and cropland expansion. Using this regional modeling framework driven with two global climate models, we assess the contributions of land use change (LUC) and greenhouse gas (GHGs) concentration changes to regional climate changes and assess the contribution of climate change and socioeconomic factors to agricultural land use changes. For future cropland expansion in West Africa, our results suggest that socioeconomic development would be the dominant driver in the east (where current cropland coverage is already high) and climate changes would be the primary driver in the west (where future yield drop is severe). For future climate, it is found that agricultural expansion would cause a dry signal in the west and a wet signal in the east downwind, with an east‐west contrast similar to the GHG‐induced changes. Over a substantial portion of West Africa, the strength of the LUC‐induced climate signals is comparable to the GHG‐induced changes. Uncertainties originating from the driving global models are small; human decision making related to land use and international trade is a major source of uncertainty.
Projecting regional climate and cropland changes using a linked biogeophysical‐socioeconomic modeling framework: 2. Transient dynamics
Authors: Ahmed Kazi Farzan , Wang Guiling , You Liangzhi , Anyah Richard , Zhang Chuanrong , Burnicki Amy
Published: January 2017

Understanding climate‐cropland interactions and their impact on future projections in West Africa motivated the recent development of a modeling framework that asynchronously couples four models for regional climate, crop growth, socioeconomics, and cropland allocation. This modeling framework can be applied to a future time slice using an equilibrium approach or to a continuous projection using a transient approach. This paper compares the differences between these two approaches, examines the transient dynamics of the system, and evaluates its impact on future projections. During the course of projection up to mid‐century, food demand is projected to increase monotonically, while the projected crop yield shows a high degree of temporal dynamics due to strong climate variability. Such temporal dynamics are not accounted for by the equilibrium approach. As a result, the transient approach projects a generally faster future expansion of cropland, with the largest differences over Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, and Togo. Despite the relative large differences between the two approaches in projecting land cover changes associated with cropland expansion, the projected future climate changes are fairly similar. While the additional cropland expansion in the transient approach favors a wet signal, both the transient and equilibrium approaches project a future decrease of rainfall in the western part of West Africa and an increase in the eastern part. For quantifying climate changes, the equilibrium application of the modeling framework is likely to be sufficient; for assessing climate impact on agricultural sectors and devising mitigation and adaptation strategies, transient dynamics is important.
A new method for determining the optimal lagged ensemble
Authors: Trenary L. , DelSole T. , Tippett M. K. , Pegion K.
Published: January 2017

We propose a general methodology for determining the lagged ensemble that minimizes the mean square forecast error. The MSE of a lagged ensemble is shown to depend only on a quantity called the cross‐lead error covariance matrix, which can be estimated from a short hindcast data set and parameterized in terms of analytic functions of time. The resulting parameterization allows the skill of forecasts to be evaluated for an arbitrary ensemble size and initialization frequency. Remarkably, the parameterization also can estimate the MSE of a burst ensemble simply by taking the limit of an infinitely small interval between initialization times. This methodology is applied to forecasts of the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) from version 2 of the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2). For leads greater than a week, little improvement is found in the MJO forecast skill when ensembles larger than 5 days are used or initializations greater than 4 times per day. We find that if the initialization frequency is too infrequent, important structures of the lagged error covariance matrix are lost. Lastly, we demonstrate that the forecast error at leads
10 days can be reduced by optimally weighting the lagged ensemble members. The weights are shown to depend only on the cross‐lead error covariance matrix. While the methodology developed here is applied to CFSv2, the technique can be easily adapted to other forecast systems.
Effects of multilayer snow scheme on the simulation of snow: Offline Noah and coupled with NCEPCFSv2
Authors: Saha Subodh Kumar , Sujith K. , Pokhrel Samir , Chaudhari Hemantkumar S. , Hazra Anupam
Published: January 2017

The Noah version 2.7.1 is a moderately complex land surface model (LSM), with a single layer snowpack, combined with vegetation and underlying soil layer. Many previous studies have pointed out biases in the simulation of snow, which may hinder the skill of a forecasting system coupled with the Noah. In order to improve the simulation of snow by the Noah, a multilayer snow scheme (up to a maximum of six layers) is introduced. As Noah is the land surface component of the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the modified Noah is also coupled with the CFSv2. The offline LSM shows large improvements in the simulation of snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE), and snow cover area during snow season (October to June). CFSv2 with the modified Noah reveals a dramatic improvements in the simulation of snow depth and 2 m air temperature and moderate improvements in SWE. As suggested in the previous diagnostic and sensitivity study, improvements in the simulation of snow by CFSv2 have lead to the reduction in dry bias over the Indian subcontinent (by a maximum of 2 mm d−1). The multilayer snow scheme shows promising results in the simulation of snow as well as Indian summer monsoon rainfall and hence this development may be the part of the future version of the CFS.
Hadza sleep biology: Evidence for flexible sleep‐wake patterns in hunter‐gatherers
Authors: Samson David R. , Crittenden Alyssa N. , Mabulla Ibrahim A. , Mabulla Audax Z.P. , Nunn Charles L.
Published: January 2017

Objectives

Cross‐cultural sleep research is critical to deciphering whether modern sleep expression is the product of recent selective pressures, or an example of evolutionary mismatch to ancestral sleep ecology. We worked with the Hadza, an equatorial, hunter‐gatherer community in Tanzania, to better understand ancestral sleep patterns and to test hypotheses related to sleep segmentation.

Methods

We used actigraphy to analyze sleep‐wake patterns in thirty‐three volunteers for a total of 393 days. Linear mixed effects modeling was performed to assess ecological predictors of sleep duration and quality. Additionally, functional linear modeling (FLM) was used to characterize 24‐hr time averaged circadian patterns.

Results

Compared with post‐industrialized western populations, the Hadza were characterized by shorter (6.25 hr), poorer quality sleep (sleep efficiency = 68.9%), yet had stronger circadian rhythms. Sleep duration time was negatively influenced by greater activity, age, light (lux) exposure, and moon phase, and positively influenced by increased day length and mean nighttime temperature. The average daily nap ratio (i.e., the proportion of days where a nap was present) was 0.54 (SE = 0.05), with an average nap duration of 47.5 min (SE = 2.71; n = 139).

Discussion

This study showed that circadian rhythms in small‐scale foraging populations are more entrained to their ecological environments than Western populations. Additionally, Hadza sleep is characterized as flexible, with a consistent early morning sleep period yet reliance upon opportunistic daytime napping. We propose that plasticity in sleep‐wake patterns has been a target of natural selection in human evolution.
Assembly studies of six intestinal intermediate filament (IF) proteins B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, and E1 in the nematode C. elegans
Authors: Karabinos Anton , Schünemann Jürgen , Parry David A. D.
Published: January 2017

The dimerisation properties of six intestine‐expressed intermediate filament (IF) proteins (B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1) were analysed in blot overlay assay on membranes containing all of the eleven recombinant C. elegans IF proteins (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, and E1). The interactions detected in the blot assays exclusively comprise intestine‐expressed IF proteins and the protein A4, which is found in the dauer larva intestine. About 86% of these interactions are heterotypic, while the remaining interactions relate to C1, C2, and D2 homodimers. These multiple modes of interaction were also supported by calculations of the numbers of possible interchain ionic interactions derived from the individual rod sequences. The results predict that the six B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, and E1 IF proteins are able to form as many as eleven different heteropolymeric and three homopolymeric IFs in the C. elegans intestine. This simple model of the intestinal IF meshwork enables us to speculate that our previously reported triple RNAi worms arrested or decreased their growth because of feeding reduction due to morphological defects of the mechanically compromised intestine.
Diabetes is associated with risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Feinkohl I. , Winterer G. , Pischon T.
Published: January 2017

Background

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) occurs frequently after surgery, particularly among older people. Diabetes, chronic hyperglycemia, and a history of hypoglycemia are related to cognitive impairment, but little is known about their roles in POCD. Here, we estimated their associations with risk of POCD on the basis of published epidemiological research.

Methods

The PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for longitudinal studies of adults undergoing surgery with reporting of associations of diabetes status, glycemic levels, and/or a history of hypoglycemia with risk of POCD as relative risks or odds ratios. Meta‐analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed.

Results

The search identified 246 publications of which 14 met inclusion criteria, reporting on a total of 2642 patients (mean age 64 y). Follow‐up periods spanned 1 day to 5 years. Overall, patients with diabetes had a 1.26‐fold higher risk of POCD compared with diabetes‐free patients (95% CI, 1.12–1.42). A single study assessed glycemic control in patients with diabetes and identified a higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level as associated with higher POCD risk (relative risk per percent higher HbA1c, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4–2.6). We did not find studies on glycemic levels in the nondiabetic range or on hypoglycemia as potential predictors of POCD.

Conclusion

Patients with diabetes appear to have a higher risk of POCD compared with diabetes‐free persons. Among patients with diabetes, POCD risk may further increase with poorer glycemic control as indexed by higher HbA1c. The roles of HbA1c levels among nondiabetic persons in POCD risk warrant further research.
Identification and analytical characterization of six synthetic cannabinoids NNL‐3, 5F–NPB‐22‐7N, 5F–AKB‐48‐7N, 5F–EDMB‐PINACA, EMB‐FUBINACA, and EG‐018
Authors: Liu Cuimei , Jia Wei , Hua Zhendong , Qian Zhenhua
Published: January 2017

Clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories are continuously confronted by analytical challenges when dealing with the new psychoactive substances phenomenon. The number of synthetic cannabinoids, the chemical diversity, and the speed of emergence make this group of compounds particularly challenging in terms of detection, monitoring, and responding. Three indazole 7N positional isomer synthetic cannabinoids, two ethyl 2‐amino‐3‐methylbutanoate‐type synthetic cannabinoids, and one 9H–carbazole substituted synthetic cannabinoid were identified in seized materials. These six synthetic cannabinoid derivatives included: 1H–benzo[d] [1,2,3]triazol‐1‐yl 1‐(5‐fluoropentyl)‐1H–pyrrolo[2,3‐b]pyridine‐3‐carboxylate (NNL‐3, 1), quinolin‐8‐yl 1‐(5‐fluoropentyl)‐1H–pyrrolo[2,3‐b]pyridine‐3‐carboxylate (5F–NPB‐22‐7N, 2), N‐((1 s,3 s)‐adamantan‐1‐yl)‐1‐(5‐fluoropentyl)‐1H–pyrrolo[2,3‐b]pyridine‐3‐carboxamide (5F–AKB‐48‐7N, 3), ethyl 2‐(1‐(5‐fluoropentyl)‐1H–indazole‐3‐carboxamido)‐3,3‐dimethylbutanoate (5F–EDMB‐PINACA, 4), ethyl 2‐(1‐(4‐fluorobenzyl)‐1H–indazole‐3‐carboxamido)‐3‐methylbutanoate (EMB‐FUBINACA, 5), and naphthalen‐1‐yl(9‐pentyl‐9H‐carbazol‐3‐yl)methanone (EG‐018, 6). The identification was based on ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐QTOF‐MS), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The analytical characterization of these six synthetic cannabinoids was described, so as to assist forensic laboratories in identifying these compounds or other substances with similar structure in their case work. To our knowledge, no analytical data about the compounds 1–5 have appeared until now, making this the first report on these compounds. The GC–MS data of 6 has been reported, but this study added the LC–MS, NMR, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), data to render the analytical data collection process more complete. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.