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This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the influence of tropical cyclones on precipitation variations in Indochina, examining Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while exploring their connection with evolving climatic variables. Covering a span of four decades (1979–2021) and integrating daily precipitation records with climatic datasets, the research elucidates tropical cyclone's contributions to the annual precipitation across distinct regions, revealing percentages of 27%, 16%, and 6% in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, respectively. Spatial distribution mapping highlights concentrated intensities in central Vietnam, central Laos, and southern Cambodia. Additionally, an upward trend in Vietnam's precipitation, as a representative measure of the entire region, is observed over the study duration, while its variability exhibits marginal correlations with inter-annual and decadal-scale climatic indices. The upward trend aligns with increased precipitable water over Indochina and open oceans, increased sea surface temperatures, reinforced atmospheric low-pressure systems, and intensified westerly wind patterns post-2000. These findings underscore the complex interplay between climate variables and Indochina's precipitation dynamics, suggesting implications for disaster management and strategies to adapt to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a precancerous lesion characterized by fibrous tissue deposition, the incidence of which correlates positively with the frequency of betel nut chewing. Prolonged betel nut chewing can damage the integrity of the oral mucosal epithelium, leading to chronic inflammation and local immunological derangement. However, currently, the underlying cellular events driving fibrogenesis and dysfunction are incompletely understood, such that OSF has few treatment options with limited therapeutic effectiveness. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have been recognized for their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis capabilities, making them promising candidates to treat a range of immune, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases. However, the application of DPSCs in OSF is inconclusive. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the pathogenic mechanism of OSF and, based on this, to explore new treatment options. Methods: A human cell atlas of oral mucosal tissues was compiled using single-cell RNA sequencing to delve into the underlying mechanisms. Epithelial cells were reclustered to observe the heterogeneity of OSF epithelial cells and their communication with immune cells. The results were validated in vitro, in clinicopathological sections, and in animal models. In vivo, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of DPSCs were characterized by histological staining, immunohistochemical staining, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Results: A unique epithelial cell population, Epi1.2, with proinflammatory and profibrotic functions, was predominantly found in OSF. Epi1.2 cells also induced the fibrotic process in fibroblasts by interacting with T cells through receptor-ligand crosstalk between macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)-CD74 and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Furthermore, we developed OSF animal models and simulated the clinical local injection process in the rat buccal mucosa using DPSCs to assess their therapeutic impact and mechanism. In the OSF rat model, DPSCs demonstrated superior therapeutic effects compared with the positive control (glucocorticoids), including reducing collagen deposition and promoting blood vessel regeneration. DPSCs mediated immune homeostasis primarily by regulating the numbers of KRT19 + MIF + epithelial cells and via epithelial-stromal crosstalk. Conclusions: Given the current ambiguity surrounding the cause of OSF and the limited treatment options available, our study reveals that epithelial cells and their crosstalk with T cells play an important role in the mechanism of OSF and suggests the therapeutic promise of DPSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dihydroxyurea (DHU) is a novel salt-free reductant used in the reprocessing of spent fuel. This paper reports on the radiolysis of DHU in water and its radiolytic products. The concentration reduction ratio of DHU after irradiation increases with the dose but decreases with increasing DHU concentration. The radiolytic by-products are H2, CO2 NH4+ and HNO2. The amount of H2, CO2 and NH4+ increases with DHU concentration, but that of HNO2 decreases with increasing DHU concentration. The quantity of CO2 and NH4+ increases with the dose. The radiation chemical yields of DHU destruction and radiolytic products are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific transition into midlatitude cyclones, it often perturbs the jet stream, resulting in amplified flow conditions in the north Pacific and various weather extremes in North America. Thus far, however, the climatological impacts of extratropical transitioning cyclones (ETCs) on North American fire weather are mostly undocumented. In this study, we group ETCs by the characteristics that are important for their interaction with the jet stream and document the response in North American fire weather. We find that ETCs are consistently associated with broad swaths of suppressed fire weather along with smaller areas of enhanced fire weather in North America, mostly through anomalous upper-level circulation and near-surface temperatures. While the chaotic nature of the ETC and jet stream interaction means that ETCs grouped by similar characteristics and locations can result in varying downstream responses, the composite analysis reveals some areas of consistently altered fire weather for ETCs which recurve at certain longitudinal ranges, including the Pacific Northwest and northern Intermountain West. At a time in which the risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States is an issue of growing concern, this study represents the first holistic understanding of how ETCs' downstream perturbations impact fire weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic shielding system combining three-axis active magnetic shielding and a high-Tc superconducting ring (TASR) was developed. The active shield mainly responds to DC field while the ring operates for shielding AC fields below 1 kHz. In this study, the system's shielding effects were evaluated experimentally, and the results suggest that this system can effectively shield the interference of static and low-frequency magnetic fields to ensure the operation of high-precision magnetic sensors. The shielding factor reached 99.9% for geomagnetic field (DC, 38 500 nT), which exceeded 98% for about 10 000 nT AC magnetic field at 30–1000 Hz. Then, magnetic non-destructive testing of the circuit was performed in this TASR shielding system. The images clearly showed the magnetic field distribution in different kinds of circuits that could be inverted to current density information, indicating that the shielding system can detect circuit defects and has great application potential in integrated circuit diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design of a lightweight wing rib structure by combining topology optimisation with additive manufacturing. In addition, a deep feed-forward neural network model is proposed to perform the load prediction for the constructed wing structure incorporated with this optimised rib. The strain energy of the front rib has a minimum strain energy 1330 J for the initial volume state when the topology is not optimised for lightweighting. The relative error of the load prediction values obtained by the output layer of the deep feed-forward neural network is less than 0.02%. The absolute error of the small load prediction was less than 0.30 N. The presented results demonstrate the viability of additive manufactured rib and its implementation in global wing load prediction model for faster designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau (TP), a crucial area influencing global climatic patterns and water resources, is experiencing a unique climatic paradox, particularly evident in the Three Rivers Source Region (TRSR). A striking summer asymmetry in the increases of near-surface temperature and precipitation is observed from 1989 to 2018: the rate of daily minimum temperature (0.64°C decade−1) surpasses the daily maximum temperature (0.52°C decade−1), while the daytime precipitation intensity (0.40 mm day−1 decade−1) increases at a faster rate compared to nighttime (0.30 mm day−1 decade−1). Despite these trends, the summer mean nighttime precipitation intensity consistently remains higher than the daytime average. Notably, this pattern is accompanied by an increasing trend of moisture transport during both daytime and nighttime in TRSR. This paper deciphers the thermodynamic and dynamic processes behind this trend. The daytime warmth not only alters the stability of atmosphere but also modulates convective inhibition (CIN), thereby reshaping precipitation mechanics and potentially dampening or delaying daytime convection. Thermodynamically, a shift from unstable to stable anomalies in the summer troposphere suppresses precipitation development. The combination of increased CIN during those period leads to fewer but more intense rainy days. Dynamically, the shift from a consistent downward motion anomaly throughout troposphere to an upward motion anomaly becomes dominant during nighttime, exhibiting a similar transition but only below 500 hPa during daytime. These findings reveal the complex interplay between thermodynamics, dynamics, and precipitation, highlighting the need for refined climatic models that can accurately simulate these summer diurnal processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction and coalescence of shock waves originating from multiple explosion sources were studied using numerical simulations and theoretical analysis. The effects of the mass distribution, layout, and quantity of explosion sources were considered, and an engineering calculation model for shock wave parameters at the focus center was established. The results show that the peak overpressure at the focus center is significantly changed only when the mass ratio of the two explosion sources increases beyond two. Overall, the peak overpressure at the focus center decreases with the increase in mass ratio. The focus effect of multiple explosion sources is the greatest when the sources are uniformly distributed on a circle. When the number of explosion sources is less than four, the peak overpressure and specific impulse at the focus center increase with the increase of the number of explosion sources. Increasing the number of explosion sources from one to four results in an increase in the peak overpressure by a factor of 0.73–5.23 and an increase in the specific impulse gain by a factor of 1.59–4.71. The results from simulations and experiments verify the validity of the model used to characterize multiple explosion sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unexpected and large spring precipitation events in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) that significantly alleviated an otherwise severe water shortage have been observed for over a century, such as the "Miracle May" of 2015. Although these events are often termed as "drought‐busting" or "miracle events" by water managers and the media, they have not been extensively researched or characterized. In this collaborative study with water managers across the CRB, we propose a definition for these hard‐to‐predict, ultra‐high precipitation events occurring during the late‐snow or snowmelt season. This characterization provides a framework for quantifying the frequency and intensity of extreme dry‐to‐wet springtime transitions. Despite limitations of climate model simulations due to uncertainties and the inhomogeneous qualities, our findings suggest that such transitions may become less frequent and less intense in a warming climate. In view of the potentially wetter but less‐snowy climate in the basin, the need for future research to more quantitatively assess these "miracle events" is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the high vibrational states of Na2 were excited via stimulated emission pumping. The full-state resolution distribution of molecular scattering of CO2(0000, J), resulting from collisions with excited Na2 X¹ Σ+g (v'= 33 and 45), was also investigated. In particular, the scattered CO2(0000, J = 2–80) molecules were found to possess a biexponential rotational distribution. The low- and high-energy distributions were derived by fitting the data by means of a biexponential model. The cold distribution accounted for 80% of the total scattering and was caused by elastic or weakly inelastic collisions. Such collisions might have caused very small rotational excitations in CO2. The hot distribution involved substantial changes in the rotational energy of CO2 and accounted for 20% of the total amount of collisions. The influence of the donor energy on the rotational distribution was shown to be very large; however, for the two types of donor energies, the branches associated with inelastic and elastic collision rates were the same. The nascent translational energy curves for scattered CO2(0000, J = 56–80) were measured via high-resolution transient overtone fluorescence. For every 25% enhancement in donor vibrational energy, the product translational energy of an individual J-state increased by 60%. Additionally, the measured collision rates were found to be weakly dependent on the donor energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the modified couple stress theory and stress relaxation phenomenon, the governing equation of motion for a double viscoelastic nanoplate system is established, and the bending analysis of the system is performed. Using Navier's method, an analytical solution of the transverse relative deflection for two nanoplates is obtained. The effects of geometrical and physical factors on the bending behavior of the system are discussed. It is concluded that the transverse relative deflection of two nanoplates depends upon the relaxation time, ratio of the delayed to initial extensional elastic moduli, and damping parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited states of 117Sn have been populated using the fusion-evaporation reaction 114Cd(7Li, 1p3n) at a beam energy of 48 MeV. A total of nine new transitions have been identified and added into the level scheme of 117Sn. Based on the systematical comparisons with the neighboring Sn isotopes and the configuration-fixed constrained triaxial relativistic mean-field (RMF) calculations, a collective structure and two isomers are proposed to exist in 117Sn. The phenomenon of shape coexistence has been extended to A = 117 in odd-A Sn isotopes for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensile behavior at different deformation temperature of a transient liquid-phase (TLP) bonded joint of γ′-strengthened Co-based superalloy was investigated. A temperature dependence phenomenon of the joint's fracture position was found, which transferred from the base metal to the bonding area with increase in the temperature, and this is related to the deformation mechanism. At room temperature, dislocation shearing the γ′ phases in different areas of the joint domains the deformation and makes it heterogeneous, and more deformation has occurred at the BM because of lower content of γ′ phase, which makes the failure occurred at the BM. The deformation mechanism gradually transferred from dislocation shearing to bypassing the γ′ with increasing the temperature, making the deformation become diffused, and this can lead to the fracture of the joint's brittle borides, and the coalescence of the boride-induced cracks makes the fracture occur at the diffusion affect zone at 600 °C~ 900 °C. As the secondary-γ′ in the joint's isothermal solidification zone dissolves at 1000 °C, more deformation occurs there and the accumulation of micro-voids induced by the dislocation climbing leads to the fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the impact global climate change has had on the theoretical upper limit of precipitation for Utah's watersheds by examining historical trends in probable maximum precipitation (PMP), a metric widely used for dam construction and management. Trends in the factors of PMP driven by both frontal and monsoonal storm scenarios were studied using two networks of surface weather stations and modern gridded datasets spanning 1981–2018. It was found that the historical trend in both 3‐hr and 24‐hr PMP estimations exhibited a statistically significant increasing trend, despite that the magnitude of the trend was sensitive to which dataset was examined and the data's spatial resolution. Over the 24‐hr time scale, an interesting deviation in PMP trends was found where frontal storm events demonstrated increasing PMP trends compared to decreasing PMP trends for monsoonal storm events. However, both storm types demonstrated increasing trends over shorter 3‐hr durations, suggesting a universal increase in convective storm intensity. PMP estimates also demonstrated a dependency on the type and resolution of meteorological data used, where higher‐resolution data generally produced greater PMP values and weaker trends. A discussion on the potential causes of these dependencies is provided. This study implies the need to take the historical PMP trend into account for future PMP estimates, especially when coarse‐resolution data are used for conventional PMP studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-electrochemical machining (micro-ECM) has been widely used for microscale and nanoscale processing of materials. The performance of the nanosecond pulse power supply is directly related to the precision of micro-ECM, which is one of the core technologies for micro-ECM. In this work, a nanosecond pulse power supply, with adjustable pulse frequency, duty cycle, and voltage, was designed with an STM32F103VET6 single-chip microcomputer as the control core and a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor as the chopper switch component. The performance test has shown that the power supply can produce a continuous pulse with the highest frequency of 8 MHz, the shortest pulse width of 50 ns, the maximum peak current of 12 A, and the maximum voltage of 10 V. As compared with the power supply reported in the literature, the present power supply demonstrated the enhanced output current and improved waveform of the nanosecond pulse output, which could result in better machining accuracy and efficiency for micro-ECM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered perovskite oxides A3B2O7 with Ruddlesden–Popper structures have attracted great attention due to their intriguing hybrid improper ferroelectricity. In this work, we prepared high-quality epitaxial Ca3Ti2O7 (CTO) thin films on Nb-SrTiO3 (STO) and Pt–Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The epitaxial relationship between the CTO thin film and Nb-STO substrate is [010]CTO//[010]Nb-STO, while the CTO film on Pt–Si is the polycrystalline growth with the preferred orientation of (010). The piezoelectric force microscopy image is attested to the stable existence of ferroelectricity in CTO films at room temperature with different growth patterns. A resistive switching behavior with at least two orders of magnitude is observed in CTO films driven by their ferroelectric polarization reversal. Moreover, a downward self-poling phenomenon is observed in CTO films on different substrates, and the flexoelectric effect induced by the strain gradient is supposed to be the main origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roadside sensing units' (RSUs) perception capability may be substantially impaired by occlusion issue even they work cooperatively. However, the joint influence of static and dynamic occlusions in real‐life situations remains inadequately considered in optimizing RSUs' placement. This study proposes a virtual‐real‐fusion simulation (VRFS) framework that combines traffic simulation and point clouds of real‐world road environment to optimize RSUs' deployment. Point clouds and triangular meshes are used to model static and dynamic obstacles, respectively. A structure‐retained spherical projection method is developed to efficiently emulate RSUs' data collection. Based on the developed VRFS, the probabilistic occupancy maps (POM) are created to represent traffic scenarios. The POM‐based cross entropy (CE) is proposed as the surrogate metric for evaluating the detection performance of cooperative RSUs. The Bayesian optimizer is applied to optimize the RSUs' placement parameters (decision variables) by minimizing CE. Test results show that it is viable to use the POM‐based CE as a proxy for evaluating cooperative RSUs' sensing performance. Considering the occlusion effect adds to the efficacy of POM‐based CE as a surrogate metric. Compared with traffic volume, the adverse effect of the proportion of large vehicles on RSUs' detection performance is more significant. There are no significant patterns regarding how the optimized RSU positions vary with traffic parameters. The comparisons with existing methods further verify the importance of considering both static and dynamic occlusions in optimizing RSUs' placement. Besides, the proposed method can yield better optimization results more efficiently than existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western U.S. precipitation climatology, simulated by the NA‐CORDEX regional climate model ensembles, with spatial resolutions of 0.44° (14 model members) and 0.22° (15 model members), is examined to evaluate the capability of these ensembles to reproduce (1) the annual and semi‐annual precipitation cycle of several hydrologically‐important western U.S. regions and (2) localized seasonality in the amount and timing of precipitation. Similar to previous organized downscaling projects, NA‐CORDEX ensembles continue to over‐simulate wintertime precipitation over mountainous regions. However, both NA‐CORDEX ensembles showed improvements to the Desert Southwest's summertime precipitation associated with the North American Monsoon. Furthermore, the predominant dry bias found throughout the 0.44° ensemble was improved in many of the higher resolution 0.22° ensemble members; associated with enhanced mesoscale processes and improved thermodynamics driving the model's convective parameterizations. When compared against observation‐based gridded precipitation, the ability to capture the annual and semi‐annual modes of variability was starkly improved in the higher resolution 0.22° ensemble. The higher resolution members reproduced more consistent spatial patterns of variance featuring lower errors in magnitude—especially with respect to the winter‐summer and spring‐fall seasonality. A great deal of spread in model performance was found for the semi‐annual cycles, although the higher‐resolution ensemble exhibited better clustering of performance metrics. Ultimately, NA‐CORDEX model performance is still tied to the fidelity of the large‐scale parent model although we found performance is also closely related to which regional climate model was used while the future trend was more related to the parent GCM. Additionally, the value‐added via finer domain grid spacing is clear. Lastly, future projections of precipitation patterns were analysed to examine trends in the seasonality of precipitation intensity and modes of variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong winds that accentuated a fire outbreak in the western United States in early September of 2020 resulted from an atmospheric wave train that spanned the Pacific Ocean. Days before the atmospheric waves developed in the United States, three western Pacific tropical cyclones (typhoons) underwent an extratropical transition over Korea within an unprecedentedly short span of 12 days. Using a climate diagnostic approach and historical forecast data, it was found that the amplitude of the atmospheric waves accompanying the western U.S. fire weather would not have been so profound if not for the influence of these typhoons. Together, the recurving typhoons provided a significant source of wave activity flux directed toward North America – amplifying the ridge over the U.S. west coast while deepening the trough in central Canada. This anomalous circulation produced the severe frontal system that caused extreme winds in western Oregon, Washington and California – rapidly spreading fire. Plain Language Summary: The weather pattern that contributed to rapidly spreading fires in Oregon in early September 2020 can be traced back to an unexpected source: Three typhoons in the western Pacific that ran into the Korean Peninsula within two weeks of each other. Together, Typhoon Bavi, Typhoon Maysak, and Typhoon Haishen each contained enough energy to perturb the jet stream – creating an atmospheric wave train that enhanced the hot, dry weather of the western United States. This study uses forecast models and weather observations to show that these typhoons amplified areas of high and low pressure in North America leading to the intense winds which rapidly spread fire in Oregon, Washington, and California. While the impacts of climate change on these events were not evaluated in this study, the implication is that the effect of weather extremes that are known to be exasperated by climate warming are not always limited to the region in which those extremes occur. Key points: Three western Pacific typhoons tracked through the Korean peninsula – with sequential landfall within a two‐week period of timeThe diabatic outflow from these typhoons amplified an atmospheric wave train – increasing the pressure gradient over the western U.S.The heightened pressure gradient resulted in strong winds, a key element in the rapid spread of fires in Oregon and California [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N,N-dimethylhydroxylamine (DMHA) is an effective novel salt-free reductant used in spent fuel reprocessing. This paper reports the effect of monomethylhydrazine (MMH) on γ-ray radiolysis and radiolytic by-products of DMHA in HNO3. The presence of MMH improves the stability of DMHA against radiation significantly, the main radiolytic by-products are N-methylhydroxylamine, HCHO, HCOOH and HNO2, which concentration increases with the dose. The concentration of N-methylhydroxylamine increases with the MMH concentration, but that of HCHO, HCOOH and HNO2 decreases with increasing MMH concentration. These results will provide considerable reference for the application of DMHA in the PUREX process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperate fruit trees require chilling for rest completion, followed by sufficient heat accumulation for onset of growth and bloom. The application of phenological models to predict bloom dates has been widely used in orchard management. Examples of such application include selecting adapted cultivars less prone to early bloom, predicting needs for frost protection, and preventing damage from late spring freezes. This study merged the Utah (chill) and ASYMCUR (forcing) phenological models by combining chill units and heat units (measured in growing degree hours) to predict bloom dates of tart cherries (Prunus cerasus L.) in Utah and Michigan, the top producing states of the USA. It was found that the modified Utah model improves the estimation of chill units compared with the original one, while the original Utah model may still be suitable for use in the colder winter of Michigan (with its later bloom dates than Utah). The combined models were applied with the temperature predicted by the Climate Forecast System v2 (CFSv2) model. The prediction was applied twice a month, starting from 1 February to 1 May. The Utah-ASYMCUR model using the forecasted temperature from CFSv2 exhibits subseasonal performance in predicting the bloom dates for 6 weeks in advance. The prediction can offer growers a way to mitigate extreme climate anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating tunneling-induced ground deformations is a key issue in tunnel engineering. Many analytical approaches, including empirical models and physical models, have been developed to predict tunneling-induced ground vertical and lateral displacements. However, the most suitable model complexity level and their associated predictive ability have not been fully plumbed. This paper aims to perform a statistically rigorous model comparison of several representative predicting models in the framework of Bayesian model selection, and a probabilistic assessment of the information gain of different types of monitoring data by assessing the Kullback–Leibler divergence. The results of the calculated model evidences show that the Loganathan–Poulos model is the most suitable one when predicting tunneling-induced ground deformations in the illustrative example even though it has the least model parameters. The analyses of the estimated Kullback–Leibler divergences indicate that the measured ground vertical deformations are more informative than the measured ground horizontal deformations. The finding of this study is a first step to clarifying the role of model complexity in tunneling-induced ground deformation analysis and is helpful to provide guidance for ground deformation monitoring in future tunneling engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes to precipitation patterns and extremes over the Nepalese Himalayas were examined using a high‐resolution, station‐based daily dataset, Asian Precipitation‐Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation (0.05° × 0.05° APHRODITE) from 1951 to 2007. The annual statistics of extreme precipitation across Nepal show a significant increase since the end of the 20th century. However, seasonal mean precipitation shows a remarkable decrease in western Nepal, particularly since 1980, forming an east–west division in the precipitation change. This decreasing trend of precipitation led to a reduction to the dry‐season stream flow of Karnali River, the major river in western Nepal. At the same time, the increasing extreme precipitation produced greater threat of flash flood in Nepal. This east–west division of the precipitation trend agrees with the second leading mode of the mean precipitation variability, which was traced to the interannual variability of the Indian Ocean sea surface temperature that showed a slowdown of warming. Similar to the APHRODITE trends, precipitation simulated by the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) models depicted the decreasing historical trend in western Nepal, but future projections reverse that trend towards an all‐Nepal increase. CMIP5 future climate projections depict continual warming in the Indian Ocean, potentially reversing the historical decreasing trends of precipitation in western Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly populated north central India receives 90% of annual rainfall during June to September. The interannual variation of summer monsoon rainfall is less studied compared to central and western India, due to its weak signal with the El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Previous studies have reported a marked decadal variation in the ENSO influences on north India rainfall, but the teleconnections of this variation are not satisfactorily understood. A pathway of the changing ENSO influences on north central India rainfall is revealed from observational data analysis and numerical experiments. While La Niña-like conditions produce anomalous northeasterly wind over India and reduce the tropospheric wind shear, the emergence of the Atlantic Niño appears to overtake this ENSO influence. The Atlantic Niño intensifies the meridional stationary wave affecting pressure anomaly over northwest Europe. This excites the Eurasian Rossby wave train along the mid-latitude producing upper-troposphere high pressure anomaly, subsequently affecting north India. Future work should examine the extent to which these teleconnections are represented in climate forecast models to aid the seasonal prediction of north central India rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable-capacitance electrostatic motors are ideal for driving the test mass in ultra-low-noise electrostatic accelerometers. Such devices are essential for testing the new equivalence principle (NEP) with rotating extended masses. However, as the air-film damping is greatly reduced by placing the sensor core assembly in a high-vacuum housing, this synchronous motor may easily fall out of step and suffer spin-up failures with traditional open-loop excitation. In this study, a synchronous electronic phase commutation scheme is proposed by sensing the three-phase position change of the rotor poles and activating the stator electrodes in careful correlation with the instantaneous rotor position. Experiments on a ground-test NEP instrument prototype show that the proposed closed-loop excitation scheme can spin-up the rotor synchronously and maintain stable constant-speed operation of this macroscale variable capacitance motor operated in a high-vacuum environment. This rotation control method is also applicable to the synchronous operation of micromachined variable-capacitance electrostatic motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The active phase of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in Taiwan during May and June, known as Meiyu, produces substantial precipitation for water uses in all sectors of society. Following a companion study that analysed the historical increase in the Meiyu precipitation, the present study conducted model evaluation and diagnosis based on the EASM lifecycle over Taiwan. Higher and lower skill groups were identified from 17 Couple Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models, with five models in each group. Despite the difference in model performance, both groups projected a substantial increase in the Meiyu precipitation over Taiwan. In the higher skill group, weak circulation changes and reduced low‐level convergence point to a synoptically unfavourable condition for precipitation. In the lower skill group, intensified low‐level southwesterly winds associated with a deepened upper level trough enhance moisture pooling. Thus, the projected increase in Meiyu precipitation will likely occur through the combined effects of (1) the extension of a strengthened North Pacific anticyclone enhancing southwesterlies; and (2) more systematically, the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship that increases precipitation intensity in a warmer climate. The overall increase in the Meiyu precipitation projected by climate models of variable performance supports the observed tendency toward more intense rainfall in Taiwan and puts its early June 2017 extreme precipitation events into perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From January through March 2017, a series of extreme precipitation events occurred in coastal Peru, causing severe floods with hundreds of human casualties and billions of dollars in economic losses. The extreme precipitation was a result of unusually strong recurrent patterns of atmospheric and oceanic conditions, including extremely warm coastal sea surface temperatures (SST) and weakened trade winds. These climatic features and their causal relationship with the Peruvian precipitation were examined. Diagnostic analysis and model experiments suggest that an atmospheric forcing in early 2017, which was moderately linked to the Trans-Niño Index (TNI), initiated the local SST warming along coastal Peru that later expanded to the equator. In January 2017, soil moisture was increased by an unusual expansion of Amazonian rainfall. By March, localized and robust SST warming provided positive feedback to the weakening of the trade winds, leading to increased onshore wind and a subsequent enhancement in rainfall. The analysis points to a tendency towards more frequent and stronger variations in the water vapor flux convergence along the equator, which is associated with the increased precipitation in coastal Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics of In(Ga)As quantum ring infrared photodetectors (QRIPs) were investigated under normal incidence configuration. Compared with quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs), QRIPs showed wider photocurrent spectra, more stable responsivity with temperature change, and lower dark current activation energy. The wide detection band comes from the transitions from the quantum ring (QR) ground states to different excited states. The shallow confinement states generate higher dark current and enhance the carrier flow between the QRs within the same QR layer. This carrier flow averages out the repulsive potential and makes QRIPs behave similarly to the quantum well infrared photodetectors instead of QDIPs. With an Al0.27Ga0.73As current blocking layer, the performance of QRIPs was greatly enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) thin films are among the best-known ferroelectric and dielectric materials. Ce-doped BST films have been fabricated by pulsed laser deposition in order to enhance their dielectric properties. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy have been used to study variations of crystal structure, surface morphologies, and phase stability of Ce-doped BST films, respectively. A strong influence of Ce doping on the properties of the BST films has been observed. First, a small amount of Ce dopant makes easy epitaxial growth of a BST film with a smooth surface on a MgO substrate. Second, residual stress in a BST film on a MgO substrate can be reduced by Ce doping, as demonstrated by the blueshift of phonon peaks in Raman spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetization response to in-plane applied fields has been studied, using Stoner-Wohlfarth model, on the bilayer systems of synthetic antiferromagnet having an anisotropy configuration in which the induced intrinsic uniaxial anisotropy is set either parallel or orthogonal to the shape anisotropy. It has been found that the toggle-mode magnetoresistance random access memory operation is possible even when the shape anisotropy exceeds the intrinsic anisotropy to some extent due to the anisotropic effect of the magnetostatic coupling and that the minimum operating field and maximum relative operating field margin are attained when the two anisotropy compensate each other. The optimal operating fields increase with the increase of the absolute value of the total anisotropy constant. However, the tolerance of total anisotropy constant in the positive direction is greater than in the negative direction if zero total anisotropy is chosen to be optimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetization behavior of generalized synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) is investigated by analytic/numeric method, applying Stoner-Wohlfarth model to each layer. Critical conditions for toggle-mode switching are given using the critical-field curves obtained from the field trajectories giving a constant value to the average angle of the magnetizations of the two layers or to the angle between the two, leaving the other variable. The critical fields for the toggle operation are found to be expressed by analytical formulas including only controllable element parameters, facilitating the parameter optimization for the memory element. The results obtained for the generalized SAF are useful in determining the tolerance for the parameter imbalance. Half-select disturb effect is still one of the important issues to be taken into account in designing the memory element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review presents the nuclei with octupole correlations in the A ≈ 8 0 mass region. The status of experimental data on the behavior of the energy displacement, the E 1 transition probability and intrinsic electric dipole moment have been reviewed. The evolutions of the octupole strength with the numbers of protons and neutrons are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extratropical air–sea interactions have become increasingly involved in promoting the transition to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) with climate change. In this study, we break down the effects of future warming on the 1-year lead relationship between a cold western North Pacific (WNP) phase and El Niño development the following winter. We apply a conditional probability approach and sea surface temperature (SST) budget analysis on historical and Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 3–7.0 (SSP370) model runs. With enhanced warming, cold WNP SST anomalies in the boreal winter further strengthen summer westerly anomalies in the western equatorial Pacific, which promote the intensification of surface convergence and anomalous Ekman and geostrophic advection, and positive SST anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific in the seasons prior to the El Niño. Downwelling equatorial Kelvin waves induced by the westerly wind stress facilitate entrainment of subsurface water into the mixed layer during the transition period to trigger stronger thermocline feedback in the central–eastern equatorial Pacific. As a result, the amplitude and frequency of El Niño and its tropical precursors are projected to increase with warming under the WNP influence. ENSO diversity modulated by this relationship depends on the relative strength of advective and thermocline feedbacks, as well as the background state at the time of the event. The intensification of positive Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM) southwesterlies during the WNP–ENSO transition suggests a strengthened three-way link between WNP, PMM and ENSO under enhanced warming that may promote stronger and/or more frequent El Niños. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GH4169 is a precipitation‐strengthened nickel‐based high‐temperature alloy, and its mechanical behavior at different temperatures is of significant importance for practical applications. Here, an in situ study on the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of the GH4169 alloy at different temperatures was conducted using scanning electron microscopy in combination with digital image correlation. The results demonstrate the existence of a linear relationship between the local average strain and the macroscopic strain. At temperatures of 20 °C, 100 °C, 180 °C, and 260 °C, the local average strain is 1.96, 2.13, 2.26, and 2.30 times the macroscopic strain, respectively, which shows a clear trend. This indicates that the temperature has a significant influence on the plasticity of the alloy. Additionally, the strain is concentrated below the notch, whereby at a macroscopic strain of 1.7 % at 20 °C and 260 °C, the local maximum strain at the notch is 52 % and 83 %, respectively. Furthermore, when the macroscopic strain reaches 2.12 %, the local maximum strain at the notch is 72 % and 103 %, respectively. At this point, cracks start to initiate and gradually propagate. In situ observations show that at the beginning of the tensile plasticity stage, the plastic strain rate in the grains is twice the rate at the grain boundaries; subsequently, both rates tend to stabilize, and a high‐strain zone appears inside the grains and is coordinately transferred to the surrounding grains through the grain boundaries. The final stage of damage of the alloy consists of perforation fracture, and the presence of a large number of cracked carbides at the fracture results in specimen cracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southern Thailand has experienced significant shifts in precipitation patterns in recent years, exerting substantial impacts on regional water resources and infrastructure systems. This study aims to elucidate these changes and underlying factors based on daily precipitation observations from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province spanning 1980 to 2022. Additionally, data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) is utilized to investigate projected changes in precipitation for 2015–2100 relative to the historical period (1980–2014), employing a comprehensive analysis considering two emissions scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) across six models. Various precipitation indices are selected to assess trends and statistical significance using the Mann-Kendall test. Both observed and climate model data indicate an increasing precipitation trend in Southern Thailand, with a reduced association with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) under warming conditions. Extreme precipitation indices also exhibit an increasing trend, with total precipitation and the 95th percentile of daily precipitation (R95p) revealing very wet conditions in recent years, projected to continue increasing. Contrastingly, the number of dry days is also mounting, suggesting that both dry and wet extremes will impact Southern Thailand under a warmer climate. The findings from this study provide an early indication of future precipitation and extreme event scenarios, which can inform the development of measures to mitigate climate change-related hazards in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan's most significant natural hazards are caused by hydrological extremes resulting from excessive precipitation. The threat of extreme precipitation is posed by several different types of weather patterns that affect Taiwan. This study examined the bi‐decadal changes in rainfall by defining an extreme precipitation occurrence (EPO) for a range of event durations from 1 to 24 hr. Three major weather types affecting EPO in Taiwan were identified from 1993 to 2015: the front type consisting of either a frontal zone or convective systems developing with an apparent Meiyu cloudband, diurnal rainfall events when no apparent synoptic features are present, and a tropical cyclone (TC) type according to the maximum sustained wind radius of a TC. Results show that TC‐type events have the greatest overall contribution to EPO at longer (>6 hr) durations. Diurnal/afternoon convection events contribute most to the shorter (<3 hr) duration EPO, while frontal/Meiyu systems prevail in the medium (3–6 hr) duration. EPO of almost all durations have experienced an increase, with the 3‐ and 12‐hr EPO having increased by 4.6 days each over the 23 years. However, apparent decadal‐scale variability exists in these EPO associated with the decreasing tendency of EPO after the mid‐2000s, particularly the longer duration (>6 hr) EPO associated with the TC‐type events in summer. The distinction between EPO trends for the entire island of Taiwan and for the Taipei metropolitan area alone (northern Taiwan, population of 7 million) were compared, and an intriguing interannual variation is reported in the TC‐type EPO associated with the TC season 1 year to a year and half just before an El Niño–Southern Oscillation event. The analysis here provides refined statistical distributions of extreme rainfall, and these can contribute to the revision of governmental definitions for weather disasters that are used in mitigation and response strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve problems such as the low quality and efficiency of mechanized harvesting for underground crops in China, this study developed an autofollow row control system for a mechanized harvesting test bench for underground crops. A closed-loop fixed dual-threshold dead-zone PD (proportional differential) algorithm was developed to control the corrective displacement of the excavating mechanism. The backlash, dead-zone width, proportional gain constant, and differential gain constant of the control system were determined as ±70 mm, 180 mm, 700, and 15, respectively, according to previous statistical analysis of underground crop production data, design calculations, simulations, and debugging. The test bench simulation experiments indicated that the missed excavation rate and breakage rate were significantly lower than those of a conventional harvester without an autofollow row control system. At a plant spacing of 40 cm, off-centerline distance of 6 cm, and forward speed of 0.7 m s-1, the average values of the missed excavation rate and breakage rate for the autofollow row harvester were 2.29% and 3.58%, respectively. This research can provide a technical reference for mechanized autofollow row harvesting of underground crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocarbons (HCs) present on the epicuticle of terrestrial insects are not only used to reduce water loss but are also used as chemical signals. The cytochrome p450 CYP4G gene is essential for HC biosynthesis in some insects. However, its function in Tenebrio molitor is unknown. Moreover, it is not yet known whether CYP4G of a host can modulate the searching behaviours of its parasitoid. Here, we explore the function of the TmCYP4G122 and CYP4G123 genes in T. molitor. The TmCYP4G122 and CYP4G123 transcripts could be detected in all developmental stages. Their expression was higher in the fat body and abdominal cuticle than in the gut. Their transcript levels in mature larvae under desiccation stress [relative humidity (RH) < 5%] was significantly higher than that in the control (RH = 70%). Injection of dsCYP4G122 and dsCYP4G123 caused a reduction in HC biosynthesis and was associated with increased susceptibility to desiccation. Individuals of the parasitoid Scleroderma guani that emerged from mealworm pupae showed host preference for normal pupae whereas S. guani that emerged from pupae lacking CYP4G122 or/and CYP4G123 lost this searching preference. The current results confirm that CYP4G122 and CYP4G123 regulate the biosynthesis of HCs and modulate the olfactory response of its parasitoid S. guani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equatorial Rossby waves (ERWs) are manifest as westward-propagating, planetary-scale waves that feature a symmetric pair of pressure and zonal wind fields about the equator. ERWs can modulate tropical convective activity, especially in South Asia and the Maritime Continents, and represent an important mode of intraseasonal variability additional to the Madden-Julian Oscillation. Changes in the frequency and intensity of ERWs during the recent decades were investigated based on observations of tropospheric winds and tropical convection. Spectral analyses indicated that ERWs appear to have intensified especially in the upper troposphere; this is associated with increased convective activity located off the equator. The strengthening and westward shift of the Walker circulation observed in the recent decades acted to increase the tropical vertical westerly shear and, subsequently, may contribute to the increased ERW activity. Further investigation on the dynamical process of the vertical zonal shear enhancement will improve the understanding of the changing ERW characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1-in-1000-year precipitation event in late June 2016 over West Virginia caused tremendous flooding damage. Like the 2012 mid-Atlantic derecho that blacked out much of the DC area, similar events can be traced to small, mid-tropospheric perturbations (MPs) embedded in the large-scale ridge pattern. Under this "weakly-forced" pattern, severe weather outbreaks commonly occur alongside eastward propagating MPs acting as a triggering mechanism for progressive mesoscale convective systems, which move across the central and eastern US. Forecasting of such weakly-forced yet severe weather events is difficult in both weather and climate timescales. The present diagnostic analysis of the MP climatology is the first step toward developing metrics that can identify and evaluate weakly-forced severe weather outbreaks in multi-model projections. We report a discernable, potentially pronounced subseasonal change in the MP climatology associated with the changing climate of North America. Both sea surface temperatures within the Gulf of Mexico and mid-level high pressure over the central US were found to exhibit strong correlations with MPs. Analysis of regional climate downscaling indicates a projected increase in MP frequency and the associated convective precipitation through the mid twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrostatic accelerometers have extremely high sensitivity and are ideal scientific instruments for measuring very weak acceleration. In particular, a single-sensitive-axis electrostatic accelerometer can be used for testing the equivalence principle in space. Sensitive-axis capacitances formed by axial electrodes and a cylindrical proof mass vary with the axial motion of the mass and are also affected by radial motion, which results in cross-axis coupling disturbances. A quantitative model is built to analyze the cross-axis coupling effect on the sensitive axis from the radial suspension loop, including a nonlinear model for large radial motion and a linear model for small radial motion. Frequency response simulation shows that the cross-axis coupling effect for a small signal case arises mostly in the high-frequency range. Experiments are carried out with a ground-based electrostatic accelerometer made of a single, non-rotating test cylinder, and in this case, the experimental results are utilized to verify the mathematical model. Cross-axis coupling for small signal perturbations is virtually removed if the equilibrium position of the proof mass is calibrated to the null position of the sensor cage. In addition, data post-processing can further attenuate the cross-axis coupling disturbances when dealing with large radial motion. The cross-axis coupling disturbances on both the position and the acceleration measurement signals in the sensitive axis are mostly removed in ground-based experiments. The proposed model and compensation can be extended to space equivalence principle instruments and other electrostatic accelerometers with a cylindrical proof mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on electrochemical capacitance-voltage profiling of zinc selenide. Findings of carrier concentration measurement; Demand for a rapid method of measurement of the carrier concentration distribution; Behavior of the semiconductor/electrolyte interface if the electrolyte is concentrated.

The summer monsoon inversion in the Arabian Sea is characterized by a large amount of low clouds and August as the peak season. Atmospheric stratification associated with the monsoon inversion has been considered a local system influenced by the advancement of the India-Pakistan monsoon. Empirical and numerical evidence from this study suggests that the Arabian Sea monsoon inversion is linked to a broader-scale monsoon evolution across the African Sahel, South Asia, and East Asia-Western North Pacific (WNP), rather than being a mere byproduct of the India-Pakistan monsoon progression. In August, the upper-tropospheric anticyclone in South Asia extends sideways corresponding with the enhanced precipitation in the subtropical WNP, equatorial Indian Ocean, and African Sahel while the middle part of this anticyclone weakens over the Arabian Sea. The increased heating in the adjacent monsoon systems creates a suppression effect on the Arabian Sea, suggesting an apparent competition among the Africa-Asia-WNP monsoon subsystems. The peak Sahel rainfall in August, together with enhanced heating in the equatorial Indian Ocean, produces a critical effect on strengthening the Arabian Sea thermal inversion. By contrast, the WNP monsoon onset which signifies the eastward expansion of the subtropical Asian monsoon heating might play a secondary or opposite role in the Arabian Sea monsoon inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an elastic-brittle-damage constitutive model was incorporated into the coupled fluid/solid analysis of ABAQUS to iteratively calculate the equilibrium effective stress of Biot’s theory of consolidation. The Young’s modulus, strength and permeability parameter of the material were randomly assigned to the representative volume elements of finite element models following the Weibull distribution function. The hydraulic conductivity of elements was associated with their hydrostatic effective stress and damage level. The steady-state permeability test results for sandstone specimens under different triaxial loading conditions were reproduced by employing the same set of material parameters in coupled transient flow/stress analyses of plane-strain models, thereby indicating the reliability of the numerical model. The influence of heterogeneity on the failure response and the absolute permeability was investigated, and the post-peak permeability was found to decrease with the heterogeneity level in the coupled analysis with transient flow. The proposed model was applied to the plane-strain simulation of the fluid pressurization of a cavity within a large-scale block under different conditions. Regardless of the heterogeneity level, the hydraulically driven fractures propagated perpendicular to the minimum principal far-field stress direction for high-permeability models under anisotropic far-field stress conditions. Scattered damage elements appeared in the models with higher degrees of heterogeneity. The partially saturated areas around propagating fractures were simulated by relating the saturation degree to the negative pore pressure in low-permeability blocks under high pressure. By replicating previously reported trends in the fracture initiation and breakdown pressure for different pressurization rates and hydraulic conductivities, the results showed that the proposed model for hydraulic fracture problems is reliable for a wide range of pressurization rates and permeability conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2013 federal Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study projected the water imbalance between future supply and demand to increase. The Colorado water supply (WS) exemplifies a pronounced quasi-decadal oscillation (QDO) of 10-20 years throughout its historical record; however, this QDO feature is unaccounted for in the climate models used to project the future WS. Adjacent to the Colorado River, the large watershed of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) in Utah records the hydrologicQDOsignal in its water surface, leading previous studies to explore the cause of decadal fluctuations in the lake elevation and assess predictability. This study reports a remarkable coherence between the Colorado WS and the GSL elevation at the 10-20-yr time scale. Analysis of precipitation and terrestrial water storage anomalies suggests a crossbasin connection in the climate and hydrometeorological variations of the Colorado WS and the GSL. The 160-yr-long and well-kept GSL elevation record makes it an effective indicator for the Colorado WS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 110-year precipitation record in Taiwan, located at the western edge of the subtropical North Pacific, depicts a pronounced quasi-decadal oscillation (QDO). The QDO in Taiwan exhibits a fluctuating relationship with the similar decadal variations of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific, known as the Pacific QDO. A regime change was observed around 1960, such that the decadal variation of Taiwan’s precipitation became more synchronized with the Pacific QDO’s coupled evolutions of SST and atmospheric circulation than before, while the underlying pattern of the Pacific QOD did not change. Using long-term reanalysis data and CMIP5 single-forcing experiments, the presented analysis suggests that increased SST in the subtropical western Pacific and the strengthened western extension of the North Pacific subtropical anticyclone may have collectively enhanced the relationship between the Taiwan precipitation and the Pacific QDO. This finding provides possible clues to similar regime changes in quasi-decadal variability observed around the western Pacific rim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Winter crop losses from extreme weather in Taiwan have increased in the recent decade, with those losses associated with pronounced wet‐and‐cold events (temperature < 10 °C and precipitation >5 mm day−1). The regional and global patterns of atmospheric circulation and the sea surface temperature (SST) related to the extreme cold that damages fruits, vegetables, and paddy rice in northwest Taiwan were investigated. Cool SST anomalies in the western North Pacific (WNP) and warm SST in the central‐eastern Pacific associated with the Pacific meridional mode (PMM) shared a significant role in the occurrence of wet‐and‐cold events in northwest Taiwan. The interactions of the WNP/PMM with the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) and the Central Pacific type of El Niño led to a pronounced lead–lag relationship with the occurrence of wet‐and‐cold events. An empirical model was subsequently developed to predict the wet‐and‐cold event frequency using observed values of WNP, Niño‐3.4, and Arctic Oscillation from year‐1 and predicted indices of WNP and PMM derived from the Climate Forecast System Version 2 (CFSv2) outputs. The predictive skill of this hybrid empirical–dynamical model was statistically significant throughout the 6 months leading up to the occurrence of wet‐and‐cold events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophyllase (Chlase) is a hydrophobic enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of chlorophyll (Chl) to chlorophyllide (Chlide) and phytol. The objectives of this research were to study Chlase characteristics of sweet potatoes ( Ipomoea batatas , Ib) with various leaf colors: yellow (CN1927), green (TN57), and purple (CYY8467). Large variations in Chl and anthocyanin (Ant) and carotenoid (Car) existed in all plants, and CYY8467 contained significantly higher Chl, Ant, and Car levels compared to TN57 and CN1927. Various plants exhibited different Chlase activities, and Chl a degradation by Chlase of CYY8467 was higher than those of TN57 and CN1927. Nevertheless, Chlase activity in CN1927 exhibited a higher substrate preference toward Chl b than Chl a . Expression of the Chlase gene was detected in all leaves; however, IbChlase mRNA was most strongly active and regulated in TN57. The open reading frame sequences of IbChlase in TN57, CN1927, and CYY8467 shared 95% identity, and an eight-nucleotide sequence of Chlase in CYY8467 was missing due to a frame-shift mutation of the Chlase gene leading to early termination of gene translation. A phylogenetic analysis of Chlase indicated that 30 plants diverged into three clades, and sequences from TN57 and CN1927 were clustered together in a clade of the Chlase2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous study revealed that setting the induced intrinsic anisotropy orthogonal to the shape anisotropy to the toggle-MRAM (toggle mode magnetoresistive random access memory) element, thus giving zero total anisotropy, can reduce the operating field substantially with a greater margin. It has been confirmed that further reduction of the operating field is possible by applying a bias field keeping a substantial operating field margin, and that by choosing a proper bias field and the coupling field between the two magnetic layers composing a synthetic antiferromagnet memory element, the “orthogonal anisotropy” toggle-MRAM can be endowed with a greater margin than the conventional Stoner-Wohlfarth-type MRAM for the same strength of operating field, memory life, and half-select disturb robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using observed and reanalysis data, the pronounced interdecadal variations of Lake Qinghai (LQH) water levels and associated climate factors were diagnosed. From the 1960s to the early 2000s, the water level of LQH in the Tibetan Plateau has experienced a continual decline of 3m but has since increased considerably. A water budget analysis of the LQH watershed suggested that the water vapor flux divergence ∇ · Q is the dominant atmospheric process modulating precipitation and subsequently the lake volume change ΔV. The marked interdecadal variability in ΔV and = ∇ Q was found to be related to the North Pacific (NP) and Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) modes during the cold season (November-March). Through empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and regression analyses, the water vapor sink over the LQH watershed also responds significantly to the summer Eurasian wave train modulated by the low-frequency variability associated with the cold season NP and PDO modes. Removal of these variability modes (NP, PDO, and the Eurasian wave train) led to a residual uptrend in the hydrological variables of ΔV, ∇ · Q, and precipitation, corresponding to the net water level increase. Attribution analysis using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) single-forcing experiments shows that the simulations driven by greenhouse gas forcing produced a significant increase in the LQH precipitation, while anthropogenic aerosols generated a minor wetting trend as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]