bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cloning and characterization of nitrate reductase gene in Ulva prolifera (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta)
Authors: Guo Yang , Wang Hao Zhe , Wu Chun Hui , Fu Hui Hui , Jiang Peng
Published: June 2017

Ulva spp. dominates green tides around the world, which are occurring at an accelerated rate. The competitive nitrogen assimilation efficiency in Ulva is suggested to result in ecological success against other seaweeds. However, molecular characterization of genes involved in nitrogen assimilation has not been conducted. Here, we describe the identification of the nitrate reductase (NR) gene from a green seaweed Ulva prolifera, an alga which is responsible for the world's largest green tide in the Yellow Sea. Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends and genome walking, the NR gene from U. prolifera (UpNR) was cloned, which consisted of six introns and seven exons encoding 863 amino acids. According to sequence alignment, the NR in U. prolifera was shown to possess all five essential domains and 21 key invariant residues in plant NRs. The GC content of third codon position of UpNR (82.75%) was as high as those of green microalgae, and the intron number supported a potential loss issue from green microalga to land plant. Real‐time quantitative PCR results showed that UpNR transcript level was induced by nitrate and repressed by ammonium, which could not be removed by addition of extra nitrate, indicating that U. prolifera preferred ammonium to nitrate. Urea would not repress NR transcription by itself, while it weakened the induction effect of nitrate, implying it possibly inhibited nitrate uptake rather than nitrate reduction. These results suggest the use of UpNR as a gene‐sensor to probe the N assimilation process in green tides caused by Ulva.
Rupture of a medial striate artery aneurysm associated with spontaneous middle cerebral artery stenosis
Authors: Mitsutake Akihiko , Hideyama Takuto , Totsuka Ryo , Sato Tatsuya , Katsumata Junko , Seki Tomonari , Maekawa Risa , Ito Shoichi , Kishida Yukiko , Kure Shigeo , Shiio Yasushi
Published: June 2017

A 77‐year‐old man presented with left basal ganglia hematoma. Magnetic resonance angiography showed severe stenosis of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA), which had already been detected 7 years earlier. He had been free of symptoms caused by the stenosis. The hematoma was found to be caused by a rupture of a medial striate artery aneurysm. We suspected that this aneurysm formation was associated with the MCA stenosis, and that the underlying mechanism of MCA stenosis was similar to that of moyamoya disease. A genetic analysis of a variant in RING finger protein 213, a susceptibility gene for moyamoya disease, was negative, but other variants might be responsible for the MCA stenosis.
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in congenital disorders: A single‐center experience
Authors: Faraci Maura , Giardino Stefano , Bagnasco Francesca , Morreale Giuseppe , Terranova M. Paola , Di Martino Daniela , Lanino Edoardo
Published: June 2017

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) is the treatment of choice for a variety of congenital disorders. We report the experience of children affected by congenital diseases other than bone marrow failure syndromes who received allo‐HSCT over a period of 25 years at G. Gaslini Paediatric Research Institute. HSCTs were performed in 57 children with congenital diseases (25 with congenital immunodeficiencies, 10 with severe combined immunodeficiencies, and 22 with metabolic diseases). Overall survival rate at 3 years in the whole group of patients was 76.9%, with a trend in favor of better outcome in children with metabolic diseases and in those who received cord blood cells (85.9%) vs bone marrow cells (72.4%).
The Specter of Supreme Court Criticism: Public Opinion and Unilateral Action
Authors: Christenson Dino P. , Kriner Douglas L.
Published: June 2017

The conventional wisdom suggests that the judicial constraint on presidential unilateralism is weak: judicial challenges are rare and successful ones rarer still. However, we argue that courts have grown increasingly assertive in checking important unilateral policy initiatives in both the foreign and domestic arenas. This judicial reassertion also raises the prospect that courts may exert a more informal constraint on presidential power. Utilizing two experiments embedded on nationally representative surveys, we find evidence that even speculation about a judicial challenge can erode public support for unilateral action. For some issues the effect may be conditional on diffuse support for the Court. Anticipations of these political costs may help explain the relative paucity of major unilateral actions.
In‐season changes in heart rate recovery are inversely related to time to exhaustion but not aerobic capacity in rowers
Authors: Haraldsdottir K. , Brickson S. , Sanfilippo J. , Dunn W. , Watson A.
Published: June 2017

To determine if in‐season changes in heart rate recovery (HRR) are related to aerobic fitness and performance in collegiate rowers. Twenty‐two female collegiate rowers completed testing before and after their competitive season. Body fat percentage (BF%) was determined by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) and time to exhaustion (Tmax) were determined during maximal rowing ergometer testing followed by 1 minute of recovery. HRR was expressed absolutely and as a percentage of maximal HR (HRR%1 min). Variables were compared using paired Wilcoxon tests. Multivariable regression models were used to predict in‐season changes in HRR using changes in VO2max and Tmax, while accounting for changes in BF%. From preseason to post‐season, VO2max and BF% decreased (3.98±0.42 vs 3.78±0.35 L/min, P=.002 and 23.8±3.4 vs 21.3±3.9%, P<.001, respectively), while Tmax increased (11.7±1.3 vs 12.6±1.3 min, P=.002), and HRR%1 min increased (11.1±2.7 vs 13.8±3.8, P=.001). In‐season changes in VO2max were not associated with HRR%1 min (P>.05). In‐season changes in Tmax were related to changes in HRR%1 min (β=−1.67, P=.006). In‐season changes in BF% were not related to changes in HRR (P>.05 for all). HRR1 min and HRR%1 min were faster preseason to post‐season, although the changes were unrelated to VO2max. Faster HRR%1 min post‐season was inversely related to changes in Tmax. This suggests that HRR should not be used as a measure of aerobic capacity in collegiate rowers, but is a promising measure of training status in this population.
Characteristics of acute groin injuries in the adductor muscles: A detailed MRI study in athletes
Authors: Serner A. , Weir A. , Tol J. L. , Thorborg K. , Roemer F. , Guermazi A. , Yamashiro E. , Hölmich P.
Published: June 2017

Acute adductor injuries account for the majority of acute groin injuries; however, little is known about specific injury characteristics, which could be important for the understanding of etiology and management of these injuries. The study aim was to describe acute adductor injuries in athletes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Male athletes with acute groin pain and an MRI confirmed acute adductor muscle injury were prospectively included. MRI was performed within 7 days of injury using a standardized protocol and a reliable assessment approach. 156 athletes presented with acute groin pain of which 71 athletes were included, median age 27 years (range 18‐37). There were 46 isolated muscle injuries and 25 athletes with multiple adductor injuries. In total, 111 acute adductor muscle injuries were recorded; 62 adductor longus, 18 adductor brevis, 17 pectineus, 9 obturator externus, 4 gracilis, and 1 adductor magnus injury. Adductor longus injuries occurred at three main injury locations; proximal insertion (26%), intramuscular musculo‐tendinous junction (MTJ) of the proximal tendon (26%) and the MTJ of the distal tendon (37%). Intramuscular tendon injury was seen in one case. At the proximal insertion, 12 of 16 injuries were complete avulsions. This study shows that acute adductor injuries generally occur in isolation from other muscle groups. Adductor longus is the most frequently injured muscle in isolation and in combination with other adductor muscle injuries. Three characteristic adductor longus injury locations were observed on MRI, with avulsion injuries accounting for three‐quarters of injuries at the proximal insertion, and intramuscular tendon injury was uncommon.
Cross‐country skiing movement factorization to explore relationships between skiing economy and athletes' skills
Authors: Pellegrini B. , Zoppirolli C. , Boccia G. , Bortolan L. , Schena F.
Published: June 2017

We investigated the relationships between the biomechanics of the double poling (DP) technique in cross‐country skiing, its economy, and athletes' skill. To this aim, skiers' motion has been factorized into components through principal component analysis (PCA). Eight high‐level (HL) and eight regional level (RL) male cross‐country skiers performed a 5‐minute submaximal DP trial while roller skiing on a treadmill at 14 km h−1 and 2° incline. Whole‐body kinematics was recorded with a motion capture system. PCA was applied to markers coordinates to extract principal movements (PMk), which were ranked by their variance. Energy cost (EC) of locomotion was calculated from ergospirometric measurements. Results showed that 96.7%±0.6% of total skiing pattern variance can be described with the first three PMk. (Shoulder and trunk flexion‐extension are described PM1 and PM2 and elbow flexion‐extension are mainly represented in PM2 and PM3. The variance of further components, consisting of residual movements (eg, slow postural changes or high‐frequency vibrations), was greater for the RL than the HL skiers (4.0%±0.5% vs 2.6%±0.3%; P<.001) and was positively correlated with EC (R2=.646; P<.001). PCA permitted to describe the biomechanics of the DP technique through a limited set of principal movements. Skiing skills and economy appeared to be related to a skier's ability to simplify movement complexity, suggesting that an efficient skier is better able to reduce superfluous movement components during DP.
Scattering of harmonic waves from a nonlinear elastic inclusion
Authors: Kube Christopher M.
Published: June 2017

This article considers the scattering of harmonics stemming from the interaction of a primary wave with a heterogeneous and elastically nonlinear inclusion present in an otherwise linearly elastic host medium. The elastodynamic equations of motion are derived for general elastic anisotropy up to a third-order in displacement nonlinearity (cubic nonlinearity). The method of successive approximations is applied in order to decouple the equations of motion into a linear system of equations. The linear equations permit the use of Green's functions to obtain the scattering amplitudes from an arbitrarily shaped inclusion. General forms of the scattering amplitudes are given as functions of scattering-based quadratic and cubic acoustic nonlinearity parameters. Shape factors are offered for some simple geometries in order to arrive at closed-form solutions. An explicit example is given in the case of a spherically shaped inclusion with isotropic elastic moduli. The influence of the second-, third-, and fourth-order elastic stiffnesses, primary and scattered wave mode types, and scattering angles are highlighted. Potential experimental techniques, based on the present scattering model, offer an alternative method of probing the nonlinear elastic properties of materials.
The Tightly Super 2-extra Connectivity and 2-extra Diagnosability of Locally Twisted Cubes
Authors: REN YUNXIA , WANG SHIYING
Published: June 2017

Connectivity plays an important role in measuring the fault tolerance of an interconnection network [Formula: see text]. A faulty set [Formula: see text] is called a g-extra faulty set if every component of G − F has more than g nodes. A g-extra cut of G is a g-extra faulty set F such that G − F is disconnected. The minimum cardinality of g-extra cuts is said to be the g-extra connectivity of G. G is super g-extra connected if every minimum g-extra cut F of G isolates one connected subgraph of order g + 1. If, in addition, G − F has two components, one of which is the connected subgraph of order g + 1, then G is tightly [Formula: see text] super g-extra connected. Diagnosability is an important metric for measuring the reliability of G. A new measure for fault diagnosis of G restrains that every fault-free component has at least (g + 1) fault-free nodes, which is called the g-extra diagnosability of G. The locally twisted cube LTQn is applied widely. In this paper, it is proved that LTQn is tightly (3n − 5) super 2-extra connected for [Formula: see text], and the 2-extra diagnosability of LTQn is 3n − 3 under the PMC model ([Formula: see text]) and MM* model ([Formula: see text]).
Multirelational Recommendation in Heterogeneous Networks
Authors: Vahedian Fatemeh , Burke Robin , Mobasher Bamshad
Published: June 2017

Recommender systems are key components in information-seeking contexts where personalization is sought. However, the dominant framework for recommendation is essentially two dimensional, with the interaction between users and items characterized by a single relation. In many cases, such as social networks, users and items are joined in a complex web of relations, not readily reduced to a single value. Recent multirelational approaches to recommendation focus on the direct, proximal relations in which users and items may participate. Our approach uses the framework of complex heterogeneous networks to represent such recommendation problems. We propose the weighted hybrid of low-dimensional recommenders (WHyLDR) recommendation model, which uses extended relations, represented as constrained network paths, to effectively augment direct relations. This model incorporates influences from both distant and proximal connections in the network. The WHyLDR approach raises the problem of the unconstrained proliferation of components, built from ever-extended network paths. We show that although component utility is not strictly monotonic with path length, a measure based on information gain can effectively prune and optimize such hybrids.
A Time-Aware Personalized Point-of-Interest Recommendation via High-Order Tensor Factorization
Authors: Li Xin , Jiang Mingming , Hong Huiting , Liao Lejian
Published: June 2017

Recently, location-based services (LBSs) have been increasingly popular for people to experience new possibilities, for example, personalized point-of-interest (POI) recommendations that leverage on the overlapping of user trajectories to recommend POI collaboratively. POI recommendation is yet challenging as it suffers from the problems known for the conventional recommendation tasks such as data sparsity and cold start, and to a much greater extent. In the literature, most of the related works apply collaborate filtering to POI recommendation while overlooking the personalized time-variant human behavioral tendency. In this article, we put forward a fourth-order tensor factorization-based ranking methodology to recommend users their interested locations by considering their time-varying behavioral trends while capturing their long-term preferences and short-term preferences simultaneously. We also propose to categorize the locations to alleviate data sparsity and cold-start issues, and accordingly new POIs that users have not visited can thus be bubbled up during the category ranking process. The tensor factorization is carefully studied to prune the irrelevant factors to the ranking results to achieve efficient POI recommendations. The experimental results validate the efficacy of our proposed mechanism, which outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches significantly.
Usability, tested?
Authors: Kumar Neha , Karusala Naveena , Seth Aaditeshwar , Patra Biswajit
Published: June 2017

This forum addresses conceptual, methodological, and professional issues that arise in the UX field's continuing effort to contribute robust information about users to product planning and design.
--- David Siegel and Susan Dray, Editors
Extended Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Locatelli Marzia A. , Curigliano Giuseppe , Eniu Alexandru
Published: June 2017

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a heterogeneous breast cancer subtype with a poor prognosis. The optimal adjuvant chemotherapy regimen is still unknown. Although numerous large randomized trials have established the benefit of adjuvant anthracyclines and/or taxanes in TNBC, there is no preferred regimen for these patients. There is currently no guideline. Moreover, without knowing the optimal treatment backbone, it will not be possible to evaluate whether adding agents such as platinum or other novel therapies is beneficial for TNBC patients. Furthermore, the best duration of adjuvant treatment in TNBC is still unknown. This review will focus on results of clinical trials that analyzed the benefits of extending the duration of adjuvant treatment in TNBCs with maintenance treatments. We will further discuss promising results in favor of other new agents including capecitabine, metronomic treatment, and biological drugs.
ПРОБЛЕМИ МЕДИКО-ДЕМОГРАФІЧНОЇ СИТУАЦІЇ ТА ЗАХОДИ З ЇЇ ПОКРАЩЕННЯ
Authors: Chepelevska L. A. , Dzyuba O. M.
Published: June 2017

Мета: виявлення проблем медико-демографічної ситуації в Україні та наукове обґрунтування заходів щодо її покращення.Матеріали і методи. Дані офіційної статистики Державної служби статистики України про медико-демографічну ситуацію аналізувались за допомогою методів медичної та математичної статистики, системного підходу, контент-аналізу.Результати. Виявлені проблеми медико-демографічної ситуації в Україні, розроблені заходи державного рівня з їх покращення.Висновки. Чисельність населення України скорочується, народжуваність зменшується, смертність залишається на високому рівні, продовжується депопуляція. Представлені заходи державного рівня з покращення медико-демографічної ситуації.
Trematode infestation in coral colonies at Poshitra Reef, Gulf of Kachchh Marine National Park, Gujarat, India
Authors: Adhavan D. , Chandran R. , Tikadar S. , Sivakumar K.
Published: June 2017

Some colonies of Porites sp. at Poshitra Reef were spotted with pink swollen nodules. These nodules are termed as a condition called “Porites trematodiasis” which is due to an infection of digenetic trematodes. The temperature fluctuation and anthropogenic pressures are perhaps the reasons.  This situation indicates that if the corals fail to develop disease resistance and thermal tolerance, the reefs along the Indian subcontinent may experience a phase shift in community structure, which could impact fisheries.
First report of Mantibaria mantis (Dodd) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae: Scelioninae) from India and additional descriptors for the species
Authors: Veenakumari Kamalanathan , Mohanraj Prashanth
Published: June 2017

Mantibaria mantis, an egg parasitoid and an ectoparasite of praying mantids (Mantodea) is reported for the first time from India. This species is redescribed and imaged.
Four species of Commelinaceae, as additions to Andhra Pradesh, India
Authors: Salamma S. , Naik M. Chennakesavulu , Kumar M. Anil , Sreenath A. , Rao Ravi Prasad
Published: June 2017

Cyanotis vaga and Murdannia nimmoniana collected from Horsley Hills in Chittoor District; Cyanotis villosa collected from Horsley Hills in Chittoor District and Penchalakona in Nellore District; Cyanotis burmanniana collected from Tyda forests in Visakhapatnam District are new distributional records for the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.  Cyanotis vaga is recorded for the first time from southern Peninsular India.  Description, phenology, distribution, voucher specimen information and photographs are provided for all the species.
Identity of Sphaerotheca pluvialis (Jerdon, 1853) and other available names among the burrowing frogs (Anura: Dicroglossidae) of South Asia
Authors: Dahanukar Neelesh , Sulakhe Shauri , Padhye Anand
Published: June 2017

Species diversity of South Asian burrowing frogs within the genus Sphaerotheca is still obscure because of lack of taxonomic review.  There are taxonomic issues within the genus Sphaerotheca with several names being synonymized to S. breviceps and names, such as S. pluvialis, being available without proper diagnosis. To resolve the taxonomic confusion, we describe and diagnose S. pluvialis by designating a neotype from Carnatic region of southern India, from where the original species was described, and make S. fodiens as its objective synonym.  We designate lectotype of S. breviceps and provide diagnosis for separating the species from its congeners. We clarify the identity of S. dobsonii and resurrect S. swani and S. maskeyi.  Based on morphology we define three groups within genus Sphaerotheca and provide key to the groups and eight valid species in the genus.  We assign genetic barcodes to S. pluvialis, S. dobsonii and S. breviceps.
Targeting AGGF1 (angiogenic factor with G patch and FHA domains 1) for Blocking Neointimal Formation After Vascular Injury
Authors: Yao Yufeng , Hu Zhenkun , Ye Jian , Hu Changqing , Song Qixue , Da Xingwen , Yu Yubin , Li Hui , Xu Chengqi , Chen Qiuyun , Wang Qing Kenneth
Published: June 2017

Background

Despite recent improvements in angioplasty and placement of drug‐eluting stents in treatment of atherosclerosis, restenosis and in‐stent thrombosis impede treatment efficacy and cause numerous deaths. Research efforts are needed to identify new molecular targets for blocking restenosis. We aim to establish angiogenic factor
AGGF
1 (angiogenic factor with G patch and FHA domains 1) as a novel target for blocking neointimal formation and restenosis after vascular injury.

Methods and Results

AGGF
1 shows strong expression in carotid arteries; however, its expression is markedly decreased in arteries after vascular injury.
AGGF
1
+/−
mice show increased neointimal formation accompanied with increased proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (
VSMC
s) in carotid arteries after vascular injury. Importantly,
AGGF
1 protein therapy blocks neointimal formation after vascular injury by inhibiting the proliferation and promoting phenotypic switching of
VSMC
s to the contractile phenotype in mice in vivo. In vitro,
AGGF
1 significantly inhibits
VSMC
s proliferation and decreases the cell numbers at the S phase.
AGGF
1 also blocks platelet‐derived growth factor‐
BB
–induced proliferation, migration of
VSMC
s, increases expression of cyclin D, and decreases expression of p21 and p27.
AGGF
1 inhibits phenotypic switching of
VSMC
s to the synthetic phenotype by countering the inhibitory effect of platelet‐derived growth factor‐
BB
on
SRF
expression and the formation of the myocardin/
SRF
/
CA
rG‐box complex involved in activation of
VSMC
s markers. Finally, we show that
AGGF
1 inhibits platelet‐derived growth factor‐
BB
–induced phosphorylation of
MEK
1/2,
ERK
1/2, and Elk phosphorylation involved in the phenotypic switching of
VSMC
s, and that overexpression of Elk abolishes the effect of
AGGF
1.

Conclusions

AGGF
1 protein therapy is effective in blocking neointimal formation after vascular injury by regulating a novel
AGGF
1‐
MEK
1/2‐
ERK
1/2‐Elk‐myocardin‐
SRF
/p27 signaling pathway.
From 1917 to 1937: The Muftī, the Turkologist, and Stalin’s Terror
Authors: Kemper Michael
Published: June 2017

The Tatar religious scholar Rizaeddin Fakhreddinov (1859-1936) is well-known as a Jadīd publicist and historian, but his time as qāḍī and muftī of Soviet Russia (1918-36) is still unexplored. Muftī Fakhreddinov witnessed the Bolsheviks’ gradual elimination of all Islamic community life. In 1935 he considered saving his personal archive from de­­struction by transferring it to the Institute of Oriental Studies in Leningrad, the director of which, Turkologist Aleksandr N. Samoilovich (1880-1938), enjoyed his trust. But Fakhreddinov passed away in 1936, and in 1937 the NKVD constructed a group case against Muslim historians and philologists into which Samoilovich and Fakhreddinov’s sons were also drawn. After Stalin’s death in 1953, the “rehabilitation” of these victims of state terror was slow and selective, and scholarship on Islam in Russia was severely crippled. Only the late 1980s and the 1990s brought a window of opportunity for revisiting the Bolsheviks’ destruction of the secular and Islamic elites.
Biolaw Stakes, Activist Jurisprudence, and (Presumed) Limits for Protected Interests
Authors: Matwijkiw Bronik , Matwijkiw Anja
Published: June 2017

This essay shows that the emerging phenomenon called biolaw would benefit from philosophically critical exercises to secure a good fit with international criminal law (icl). Although legal experts agree to treat icl as the primary framework for conceptualisation and dynamic realisation (through norm-conferment, – implementation and -enforcement), the implied (bio)law-and-(bio)ethics integration can still be construed in different ways, thereby paving more than one path for biolaw. With the emphasis on transplant-related crimes, the authors try to capture a notion of important biolaw stakes, which provides direction-posts for the inescapable marketplace discussion. The argument draws on a broad stakeholder jurisprudence that does not overplay the distinction between capitalism and altruism – to avoid the abandonment of vulnerable cum poor stakeholders. Critically, theories may look like instances of activist jurisprudence, lines of argument and reasoning that would (better) explain, (re)direct and (ethically) enhance the realm, but which nevertheless fail substantively or procedurally, or both.
A review of testate amoeba genus Cryptodifflugia Penard, 1890 (Phryganellina: Cryptodifflugiidae) with a key to species
Authors: BOBROV ANATOLY , MAZEI YURI
Published: June 2017

The testate amoeba genus Cryptodifflugia is reviewed. Thirty-two taxa are described. Four taxa, namely Cryptodifflugia collum (Chardez, 1971), Cryptodifflugia minuta (Playfair, 1917), Cryptodifflugia patinata (Schönborn, 1965), Cryptodifflugia psammophila (Golemansky, 1970), appear as new combinations. A dichotomous identification key is provided.
Larvae of three East-Asian species of Nemoura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae)
Authors: TESLENKO VALENTINA A.
Published: June 2017

Larvae of the three East-Asian Nemoura species, N. jezoensis (Okamoto), N. manchuriana Ueno and N. nigrodentata Zhiltzova are described and illustrated in detail for the first time. Descriptions for the male and female of N. nigrodentata are supplemented.
Two Issues Concerning Surface Frontogenesis
Authors: Mak Mankin , Lu Yi , Deng Yi
Published: June 2017

With the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model specifically configured to simulate the intensification and evolution of an extratropical baroclinic wave, this study first investigates why cold fronts are characteristically longer, narrower, and more intense than warm fronts in the extratropical atmosphere. It is found that the differential thermal advection by the geostrophic and ageostrophic wind components in the two frontal regions results in a greater thermal contrast across the cold front. The length of the cold front is essentially the length scale of the intensifying baroclinic wave (i.e., on the order of radius of deformation). The frontal system as a whole moves eastward under the influence of a steering flow. In addition, the cold front outpaces the warm front eastward, making the western portion of the warm front progressively occluded and the eastern portion of the warm front shorter. The dynamical processes tend to move the cold front eastward, whereas the diabatic heating processes tend to move it westward, contributing to the narrowness of the cold front.

This study also investigates whether, how, and why an upper-level front (ULF) would synergistically interact with a surface front (SF). It is found that a favorable circumstance for such interaction to occur in an observed extratropical cyclone and in the WRF Model simulation is when the ULF and SF are roughly parallel to one another with the ULF aloft located a few hundred kilometers to the west of the SF. The relative importance of “forcing” for the ageostrophic circulation associated with the geostrophic circulation, diabatic heating, and friction are diagnosed in such interaction.
Ice Nucleation Parameterization and Relative Humidity Distribution in Idealized Squall-Line Simulations
Authors: Diao Minghui , Bryan George H. , Morrison Hugh , Jensen Jorgen B.
Published: June 2017

Output from idealized simulations of a squall line are compared with in situ aircraft-based observations from the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry campaign. Relative humidity distributions around convection are compared between 1-Hz aircraft observations (≈250-m horizontal scale) and simulations using a double-moment bulk microphysics scheme at three horizontal grid spacings: Δx = 0.25, 1, and 4 km. The comparisons focus on the horizontal extent of ice supersaturated regions (ISSRs), the maximum and average relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) in ISSRs, and the ice microphysical properties during cirrus cloud evolution, with simulations at 0.25 and 1 km providing better results than the 4-km simulation. Within the ISSRs, all the simulations represent the dominant contributions of water vapor horizontal heterogeneities to ISSR formation on average, but with larger variabilities in such contributions than the observations. The best results are produced by a Δx = 0.25-km simulation with the RHi threshold for initiating ice nucleation increased to 130%, which improves almost all the ISSR characteristics and allows for larger magnitude and frequency of ice supersaturation (ISS) > 8%. This simulation also allows more occurrences of clear-sky ISSRs and a higher spatial fraction of ISS for in-cloud conditions, which are consistent with the observations. These improvements are not reproduced by modifying other ice microphysical processes, such as a factor-of-2 reduction in the ice nuclei concentration; a factor-of-10 reduction in the vapor deposition rate; turning off heterogeneous contact and immersion freezing; or turning off homogeneous freezing of liquid water.
The Recent Increase in the Occurrence of a Boreal Summer Teleconnection and Its Relationship with Temperature Extremes
Authors: Lee Min-Hee , Lee Sukyoung , Song Hyo-Jong , Ho Chang-Hoi
Published: June 2017

This study has investigated the relationship between temperature extremes and a subseasonal hemispheric teleconnection pattern over the Northern Hemisphere during boreal summer. By applying self-organizing map (SOM) analysis to 200-hPa geopotential fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts interim reanalysis (ERA-Interim) for the period 1979–2012, a teleconnection pattern is identified that increased dramatically in its occurrence after the late 1990s. This pattern is characterized by a zonal wavenumber-5 pattern with anomalous high pressure cores over eastern Europe, northeastern Asia, the eastern North Pacific, the eastern United States, and Greenland. These high pressure centers coincide with regions of increasingly frequent temperature extremes in recent decades. To investigate the temporal evolution of the identified SOM pattern, time-lagged composites were performed relative to the days in which the 200-hPa geopotential field most closely resembled the SOM pattern. From day −10 to day 0, a wave train propagated from the central tropical Pacific to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland. This poleward wave propagation was followed by the establishment of quasi-stationary high pressure centers over Greenland, Europe, and Asia. This study suggests that more frequent occurrence of the hemispheric teleconnection is linked to more severe and longer extreme weather events over the Northern Hemisphere since the late 1990s.
Influences of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation on Heat Waves in Monsoon Asia
Authors: Hsu Pang-Chi , Lee June-Yi , Ha Kyung-Ja , Tsou Chih-Hua
Published: June 2017

By analyzing observation-based high-resolution surface air temperature (SAT) data over the Asian monsoon region (here called “monsoon Asia”) for 1981–2007, the modulation by boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) of heat wave (HW) occurrence is examined. Strong SAT variability and a high probability of HW occurrence on intraseasonal time scales are found consistently in the densely populated regions over central India (CI), the Yangtze River valley in China (YR), Japan (JP), and the Korean Peninsula (KP). The two distinct BSISO modes (30–60-day BSISO1 and 10–30-day BSISO2) show different contributions to HW occurrence in monsoon Asia. A significant increase in HW occurrence over CI (YR) is observed during phases 2–3 (8–1) of BSISO2 when the 10–30-day anticyclonic and descending anomaly induce enhanced upward thermal heating and sensible heat flux (warm advection) around the areas. On the other hand, the northeastward propagating BSISO1 is closely connected to the increased HW probability over JP and KP. During phases 7–8 of BSISO1, the 30–60-day subsidence along with the low-level anticyclonic anomaly moves into northeastern Asia, leading to enhanced diabatic (adiabatic) warming near surface in JP (KP). Analysis of a three-dimensional streamfunction tendency equation indicates that diabatic cooling induced by the BSISO-related suppressed convections is the main forcing term of anticyclonic anomaly although it is largely offset by the decreased static stability associated with adiabatic warming. The BSISO-related vorticity advection leads to an anticyclonic (cyclonic) tendency to the northwestern (southeastern) part of the center of anticyclonic anomaly, favoring northwestward development of the BSISO anomalous circulations and thus providing a favorable condition for HW occurrence over the western Pacific–East Asia sector.
Reforecasting the ENSO Events in the Past 57 Years (1958–2014)
Authors: Huang Bohua , Shin Chul-Su , Shukla J. , Marx Lawrence , Balmaseda Magdalena A. , Halder Subhadeep , Dirmeyer Paul , Kinter James L.
Published: June 2017

A set of ensemble seasonal reforecasts for 1958–2014 is conducted using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System, version 2. In comparison with other current reforecasts, this dataset extends the seasonal reforecasts to the 1960s–70s. Direct comparison of the predictability of the ENSO events occurring during the 1960s–70s with the more widely studied ENSO events since then demonstrates the seasonal forecast system’s capability in different phases of multidecadal variability and degrees of global climate change. A major concern for a long reforecast is whether the seasonal reforecasts before 1979 provide useful skill when observations, particularly of the ocean, were sparser. This study demonstrates that, although the reforecasts have lower skill in predicting SST anomalies in the North Pacific and North Atlantic before 1979, the prediction skill of the onset and development of ENSO events in 1958–78 is comparable to that for 1979–2014. In particular, the ENSO predictions initialized in April during 1958–78 show higher skill in the summer. However, the skill of the earlier predictions declines faster in the ENSO decaying phase, because the reforecasts initialized after boreal summer persistently predict lingering wind and SST anomalies over the eastern equatorial Pacific during such events. Reforecasts initialized in boreal fall overestimate the peak SST anomalies of strong El Niño events since the 1980s. Both phenomena imply that the model’s air–sea feedback is overly active in the eastern Pacific before ENSO event termination. Whether these differences are due to changes in the observing system or are associated with flow-dependent predictability remains an open question.
A Satellite-Derived Lower-Tropospheric Atmospheric Temperature Dataset Using an Optimized Adjustment for Diurnal Effects
Authors: Mears Carl A. , Wentz Frank J.
Published: June 2017

Temperature sounding microwave radiometers flown on polar-orbiting weather satellites provide a long-term, global-scale record of upper-atmosphere temperatures, beginning in late 1978 and continuing to the present. The focus of this paper is a lower-tropospheric temperature product constructed using measurements made by the Microwave Sounding Unit channel 2 and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit channel 5. The temperature weighting functions for these channels peak in the middle to upper troposphere. By using a weighted average of measurements made at different Earth incidence angles, the effective weighting function can be lowered so that it peaks in the lower troposphere. Previous versions of this dataset used general circulation model output to remove the effects of drifting local measurement time on the measured temperatures. This paper presents a method to optimize these adjustments using information from the satellite measurements themselves. The new method finds a global-mean land diurnal cycle that peaks later in the afternoon, leading to improved agreement between measurements made by co-orbiting satellites. The changes result in global-scale warming [global trend (70°S–80°N, 1979–2016) = 0.174°C decade−1], ~30% larger than our previous version of the dataset [global trend (70°S–80°N, 1979–2016) = 0.134°C decade−1]. This change is primarily due to the changes in the adjustment for drifting local measurement time. The new dataset shows more warming than most similar datasets constructed from satellites or radiosonde data. However, comparisons with total column water vapor over the oceans suggest that the new dataset may not show enough warming in the tropics.
Role of Vertical Structure of Convective Heating in MJO Simulation in NCAR CAM5.3
Authors: Cao Guyu , Zhang Guang J.
Published: June 2017

Observational studies suggest that the vertical structure of diabatic heating is important to MJO development. In particular, the lack of a top-heavy heating profile was believed to be responsible for poor MJO simulations in global climate models. In this work, the role of the vertical heating profile in MJO simulation is investigated by modifying the convective heating profile to different shapes, from top-heavy heating to bottom cooling, to mimic mesoscale heating in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model, version 5.3 (CAM5.3). Results suggest that incorporating a mesoscale stratiform heating structure can significantly improve the MJO simulation. By artificially adding stratiform-like heating and cooling in the experiments, many observed features of MJO are reproduced, including clear eastward propagation, a westward-tilted vertical structure of MJO-scale anomalies of dynamic and thermodynamic fields, and strong 20–80-day spectral power. Further analysis shows an abundance of shallow convection ahead of MJO deep convection, confirming the role of shallow convection in preconditioning the atmosphere by moistening the lower troposphere ahead of deep convection during the MJO life cycle. Additional experiments show that lower-level cooling contributes more to improving the MJO simulation. All these features are lacking in the control simulation, suggesting that the mesoscale stratiform heating, especially its lower-level cooling component, is important to MJO simulation.
Estimating Random Uncertainty in Airborne Flux Measurements over Alaskan Tundra: Update on the Flux Fragment Method
Authors: Dobosy Ronald , Sayres David , Healy Claire , Dumas Edward , Heuer Mark , Kochendorfer John , Baker Bruce , Anderson James
Published: June 2017

Airborne turbulence measurement gives a spatial distribution of air–surface fluxes that networks of fixed surface sites typically cannot capture. Much work has improved the accuracy of such measurements and the estimation of the uncertainty peculiar to streams of turbulence data measured from the air. A particularly significant challenge and opportunity is to distinguish fluxes from different surface types, especially those occurring in patches smaller than the necessary averaging length. The flux fragment method (FFM), a conditional-sampling variant of eddy covariance in the space–time domain, was presented in 2008. It was shown capable of segregating the mean flux density (CO2, H2O, sensible heat) in maize from that in soybeans over the patchwork farmlands of Illinois. This was, however, an ideal surface for the method, and the random-error estimate used a relatively rudimentary bootstrap resampling. The present paper describes an upgraded random-error estimate that accounts for the serial correlation of the time/space series and the heterogeneity of the signal. Results are presented from the Alaskan tundra. Though recognized as important, systematic error estimates are not covered in this paper. Some discussion is offered on the relation of the FFM to other approaches similarly motivated, particularly those using wavelets. Successful measurement of the variation of air–surface exchange over heterogeneous surfaces has value for developing and improving process models relating surface flux to remotely sensible quantities, such as the vegetative land-cover type and its condition.
Seasonal-to-Subseasonal Model Forecast Performance during Agricultural Drought Transition Periods in the U.S. Corn Belt
Authors: Schiraldi Nicholas J. , Roundy Paul E.
Published: June 2017

The prediction of drought onset and decay in the U.S. Corn Belt region (CBR) on seasonal-to-subseasonal time scales has not been well studied. This study utilizes the subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction archive to assess model errors in large-scale circulation patterns associated with agricultural drought transition periods, targeting models used by the European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and Australian Bureau of Meteorology. An analysis of the seasonal cycle of bias for geopotential anomalies at 200 hPa and net radiation at the top of the atmosphere in each model is presented and used to subtract the long-term bias from each model. Model fields are decomposed into three spectral bands—low frequency (periods > 100 days), intraseasonal (periods 20–100 days), and synoptic (periods < 20 days)—to demonstrate each model’s ability to predict patterns associated with agricultural drought transition periods in each band. Results demonstrate that ECMWF and NCEP struggle in predicting the large-scale circulation patterns associated with 20-day agricultural drought and onset transitions, but are more skillful in predicting the patterns associated with 60-day agricultural drought onset and decay events at reforecast hour lead window 360–480 (F360–F480). BoM was not skillful in predicting the circulation patterns associated with either type of drought transition. Results also demonstrate that the errors associated with these events are no worse than historical errors for the target study period.
Explaining the Decline in Special Education Teacher Employment From 2005 to 2012
Authors: Dewey Jim , Sindelar Paul T. , Bettini Elizabeth , Boe Erling E. , Rosenberg Michael S. , Leko Chris
Published: June 2017

Demand for special education teachers grew continuously from the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975 through 2005, when this trend reversed. From 2005 to 2012, the number of special education teachers employed by U.S. schools declined by >17%. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine factors that contributed to this decline. We parsed change in number of special education teachers employed into four constituent elements and found that these recent reductions were fueled by decreases in disability prevalence and the relative ratio of teachers to students in special versus general education, which favored the latter. These changes have important implications for teacher preparation programs’ efforts to adequately prepare special and general educators and for policies designed to improve teacher quality.
Critique of the National Evaluation of Response to Intervention: A Case for Simpler Frameworks
Authors: Fuchs Douglas , Fuchs Lynn S.
Published: June 2017

In 2010, the Institute of Education Sciences commissioned a much-needed national evaluation of response to intervention (RTI). The evaluators defined their task very narrowly, asking “Does the use of universal screening, including a cut-point for designating students for more intensive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, increase children’s performance on a comprehensive reading measure?” Their regression-discontinuity analysis showed that first-grade children designated for (but not necessarily receiving) more intensive intervention in the 146 study schools performed significantly worse than children not designated for it. There were no reliable differences between designated and nondesignated students in Grades 2 or 3. The provocativeness of these findings notwithstanding, the evaluation’s focus and design weakens its importance. RTI implementation data were also collected in the 146 study schools. These data suggest many of them were not conducting RTI in a manner supported by research and policy. Such findings and others’ evaluations of RTI advance the idea that simpler frameworks may encourage more educators to implement RTI’s most important components with fidelity.
Leader Trust, Competence, LMX, and Member Performance: A Moderated Mediation Framework
Authors: Byun Gukdo , Dai Ye , Lee Soojin , Kang Seungwan
Published: June 2017

Based on social exchange theory, this study examines the influence of leaders’ trusting behavior and competence in in-role activities on members’ perceived leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships. Our study proposes that a leader’s trust in a member contributes to the member’s perceived LMX, and that the leader’s competence in in-role activities moderates this relationship. Furthermore, our study suggests that perceived LMX mediates the relationship between the leader’s trust and members’ task performance. Finally, the study proposes that the leader’s competence moderates the mediating role of LMX in transmitting the effect of the leader’s trust on members’ task performance. Analyses of the data collected from soldiers and platoon leaders in the South Korean army support these hypotheses.
Using an the intelligent self-modifier of probability of section approach to study the revenue influence of the pricing scheme of recyclable items in a green vehicle routing problem
Authors: Ghezavati VR , Sahihi A , Barzegar A
Published: June 2017

In this article, a hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm is applied to solve a green vehicle routing problem with respect to economic aspects. In this research, a transportation model will be studied in which the fleet operates with eco-friendly fuels in order to collect used products in different nodes. By implementing value-added processes, the firm can sell products and gain profit. However, using alternative fuels causes some limitations because of lack of alternative fuel stations. These limitations usually affect the travel distance range of vehicles and, consecutively, route selection to serve desired customers. A proper formulation for this type of problem could be applicable to manage imposed costs of transportation pertaining to alternative fuels and related issues. To reach this goal, the proposed model represents the revenue and purchasing price of used products in the output. These results are attained by using an improved Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm. The self-modifier of probability of section approach (SMPSA) featured with a SA algorithm can solve the model in less time compared with the classic SA algorithm. In addition, a heuristic algorithm is used to generate each initial solution with higher quality. Finally, the results and running time of the proposed algorithm are compared with the exact method and the SA algorithm without the SMPSA. Then the results are discussed.