Search

Forest stand mean height is a critical indicator in forestry, playing a pivotal role in various aspects such as forest inventory, sustainable forest management practices, climate change mitigation strategies, monitoring of forest structure changes, and wildlife habitat assessment. However, there is currently a lack of large-scale, spatially continuous forest stand mean height maps. This is primarily due to the requirement of accurate measurement of individual tree height in each forest plot, a task that cannot effectively be achieved by existing globally covered, discrete footprint-based satellite platforms. To address this gap, this study was conducted using over 1117 km2 of close-range light detection and ranging (lidar) data, which enables the measurement of individual tree heights in forest plots with high precision. Apart from lidar data, this study incorporated spatially continuous climatic, edaphic, topographic, vegetative, and synthetic aperture radar data as explanatory variables to map the tree-based arithmetic mean height (ha) and weighted mean height (hw) at 30 m resolution across China. Due to limitations in obtaining the basal area of individual tree within plots using uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) lidar data, this study calculated the weighted mean height through weighting an individual tree height by the square of its height. In addition, to overcome the potential influence of different vegetation divisions at a large spatial scale, we also developed a machine-learning-based mixed-effects (MLME) model to map forest stand mean height across China. The results showed that the average ha and hw across China were 11.3 and 13.3 m with standard deviations of 2.9 and 3.3 m, respectively. The accuracy of mapped products was validated utilizing lidar and field measurement data. The correlation coefficient (r) for ha and hw ranged from 0.603 to 0.906 and 0.634 to 0.889, while the root mean square error (RMSE) ranged from 2.6 to 4.1 and 2.9 to 4.3 m, respectively. Comparing with existing forest canopy height maps derived using the area-based approach, it was found that our products of ha and hw performed better and aligned more closely with the natural definition of tree height. The methods and maps presented in this study provide a solid foundation for estimating carbon storage, monitoring changes in forest structure, managing forest inventory, and assessing wildlife habitat availability. The dataset constructed for this study is publicly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12697784 (Chen et al., 2024).

Abstract We report multi-differential measurements of strange hadron production ranging from mid- to target-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at a center-of-momentum energy per nucleon pair of s NN $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ = 3 GeV with the STAR experiment at RHIC. K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ meson and Λ hyperon yields are measured via their weak decay channels. Collision centrality and rapidity dependences of the transverse momentum spectra and particle ratios are presented. Particle mass and centrality dependence of the average transverse momenta of Λ and K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ are compared with other strange particles, providing evidence of the development of hadronic rescattering in such collisions. The 4π yields of each of these strange hadrons show a consistent centrality dependence. Discussions on radial flow, the strange hadron production mechanism, and properties of the medium created in such collisions are presented together with results from hadronic transport and thermal model calculations.

In pursuit of enhancing the conveying performance of the spiral axial flow gas-liquid multiphase pump, a comprehensive exploration is conducted to unravel the underlying influence mechanism of impeller structural parameters on gas-liquid separation. This study employs the Box-Behnken design, constructing a sample space that encompasses crucial factors such as impeller hub parameters and blade inclination angle, utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics software to perform numerical simulations of various models within the sample space. Researching the influence of impeller hub diameter ratio and blade inclination angle on the internal flow of a multiphase pump, aiming to determine high-performance parameters under high gas content conditions with the coupled effects of impeller hub diameter ratio and blade inclination angle. The results indicate that the performance improvement becomes more pronounced when the blade inclination angle (γ) is greater than 2°. For hub structure parameters, the relative size of hub inlet coefficient (kd1) and hub middle section coefficient (kd2) is measured using the diameter ratio (kr), where kr ranges from 0.94 to 1.02. After optimization, the impeller hub parameters are kd1 = 0.77, kd2 = 0.76, kr = 1.013, γ = 6.95. In comparison with the original model, when the Inlet Gas Volume Fraction is 60%, the gas phase aggregation (λ) at 0.1Span is reduced by 4.5%, the energy dissipation (σ) is decreased by 5.3%, and the efficiency and head coefficient are increased by 2.331% and 0.05, respectively. Therefore, this study has vital theoretical and technical significance for improving the reliability, stability and efficiency of deepwater oil and gas transportation.

For this brief communication, we analyzed the crop area and number of livestock exposed to flooding from the historic precipitation caused by Storm Daniel in central Greece on 3–8 September 2023. We derived from the near-real-time RAdar Produced Inundation Diary (RAPID) system an inundated area totaling 1150 km2, located mainly in the Thessalian plain. By overlaying a land cover map on the RAPID inundation map, we found that ∼ 820 km2 (70 %) of the inundated area was agricultural land. A detailed distribution map of crop type and animal farms revealed that the crop most affected by the flooding was cotton; the inundated area of more than 282 km2 comprised ∼ 30 % of the total area planted with cotton in central Greece. In terms of livestock, we estimated more than 14 000 ornithoids and 21 500 sheep and goats were affected. Consequences for agriculture and animal husbandry in Greece are expected to be severe.

Stratosphere-to-troposphere transport results in the stratospheric intrusion (SI) of O3 into the free troposphere through the folding of the tropopause. However, the mechanism of SI that influences the atmospheric environment through the cross-layer transport of O3 from the stratosphere and free troposphere to the atmospheric boundary layer has not been elucidated thoroughly. In this study, an SI event over the North China Plain (NCP; 33–40° N, 114–121° E) during 19–20 May 2019 was chosen to investigate the mechanism of the cross-layer transport of stratospheric O3 and its impact on the near-surface O3 based on multi-source reanalysis, observation data, and air quality modeling. The results revealed a mechanism of stratospheric O3 intrusion into the atmospheric environment induced by an extratropical cyclone system. The SI with downward transport of stratospheric O3 to the near-surface layer was driven by the extratropical cyclone system, with vertical coupling of the upper westerly trough, the middle of the northeast cold vortex (NECV), and the lower extratropical cyclone, in the troposphere. The deep trough in the westerly jet aroused the tropopause folding, and the lower-stratospheric O3 penetrated the folded tropopause into the upper and middle troposphere; the westerly trough was cut off to form a typical cold vortex in the upper and middle troposphere. The compensating downdrafts of the NECV further pushed the downward transport of stratospheric O3 in the free troposphere; the NECV activated an extratropical cyclone in the lower troposphere; and the vertical cyclonic circulation governed the stratospheric O3 from the free troposphere across the boundary layer top, invading the near-surface atmosphere. In this SI event, the average contribution of stratospheric O3 to near-surface O3 was accounted for at 26.77 %. The proposed meteorological mechanism of the vertical transport of stratospheric O3 into the near-surface atmosphere, driven by an extratropical cyclone system, could improve the understanding of the influence of stratospheric O3 on the atmospheric environment, with implications for the coordinated control of atmospheric pollution.

Formic acid is the most abundant organic acid in the troposphere and has significant environmental and climatic impacts. Isocyanic acid poses severe threats to human health and could be formed through the degradation of formic acid. However, the lack of vertical observation information has strongly limited the understanding of their sources, particularly in urban regions with complex pollutant emissions. To address this issue, we assessed the impact of long tubes on the measurement uncertainties of formic and isocyanic acids and found that the tubing impact was negligible. Then, we conducted continuous (27 d) vertical gradient measurements (five heights between 5–320 m) of formic and isocyanic acids using long tubes based on a tall tower in Beijing, China, in the summer of 2021. Results show that the respective mean mixing ratios of formic and isocyanic acids were 1.3 ± 1.3 ppbv and 0.28 ± 0.16 ppbv at 5 m and were 2.1 ± 1.9 ppbv and 0.43 ± 0.21 ppbv at 320 m during the campaign. The mixing ratios of formic and isocyanic acids were substantially enhanced in the daytime and correlated with the diurnal change of ozone. Upon sunrise, the mixing ratios of formic and isocyanic acids at different heights simultaneously increased, even in the residual layer. In addition, positive vertical gradients were observed for formic and isocyanic acids throughout the day. The positive vertical gradients of formic and isocyanic acids in the daytime imply the enhancement of their secondary formation in urban regions aloft, predominantly due to the enhancements of oxygenated volatile organic compounds. Furthermore, the afternoon peaks and positive vertical gradients of formic and isocyanic acids in the nighttime also indicate their minor contributions from primary emissions from ground-level sources. The formation pathway of isocyanic acid through HCOOH–CH3NO–HNCO was enhanced with height but only accounted for a tiny fraction of its ambient abundance. The abundance and source contributions of formic and isocyanic acids in the atmospheric boundary layer may be highly underestimated when being derived from their ground-level measurements. With the aid of numerical modeling techniques, future studies could further identify key precursors that drive the rapid formation of formic and isocyanic acids and quantitatively assess the impacts of the enhanced formation of the two acids aloft on their budgets at ground level.

We report on the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of net-proton cumulant ratios up to sixth order from s=200 GeV p+p collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The measured ratios C4/C2, C5/C1, and C6/C2 decrease with increased charged-particle multiplicity and rapidity acceptance. Neither the Skellam baselines nor PYTHIA8 calculations account for the observed multiplicity dependence. In addition, the ratios C5/C1 and C6/C2 approach negative values in the highest-multiplicity events, which implies that thermalized QCD matter may be formed in p+p collisions.

In-channel vegetation is ubiquitous in aquatic environments and plays a critical role in the fate and transport of solutes and particles in aquatic ecosystems. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the role of vegetation in solute flow and particle transport in aquatic ecosystems. This review summarizes these papers and discusses the impacts of emergent and rigid vegetation on the surface flow, the advection and dispersion of solutes, suspended load transport, bedload transport, and hyporheic exchange. The two competing effects of emergent vegetation on the above transport processes are discussed. On the one hand, emergent vegetation reduces mean flow velocity at the same surface slope, which reduces mass transport. On the other hand, at the same mean flow velocity, vegetation generates turbulence, which enhances mass transport. Mechanistic understanding of these two competing effects and predictive equations derived from laboratory experiments are discussed. Predictive equations for the mean flow velocity and turbulent kinetic energy inside an emergent vegetation canopy are derived based on force and energy balance. The impacts of emergent vegetation on the advection-dispersion process, the suspended load and bedload transport, and the hyporheic exchange are summarized. The impacts of other vegetation-related factors, such as vegetation morphology, submergence, and flexibility, are briefly discussed. The role of vegetation in transporting other particles, such as micro- and macro-plastics, is also briefly discussed. Finally, suggestions for future research directions are proposed to advance the understanding of the dynamic interplays among natural vegetation, flow dynamics, and sedimentary processes.

The term “hotspot” refers to the sharp increase in the reflectance occurring when incident (solar) and reflected (viewing) directions almost coincide in the backscatter direction. The accurate simulation of hotspot directional signatures is important for many remote sensing applications. The RossThick–LiSparse–Reciprocal (RTLSR) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model is widely used in radiative transfer simulations, and the hotspot model mostly used is from Maignan–Bréon, but it typically requires large values of numerical quadrature and Fourier expansion terms in order to represent the hotspot accurately for its use coupled with atmospheric radiative transfer modeling (RTM). In this paper, we have developed a modified version based on the Maignan–Bréon's hotspot BRDF model that converges much faster numerically, making it more practical for use in the RTMs that require Fourier expansion of BRDF to simulate the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) hotspot signatures, such as in the RTM models using the Doubling–Adding or discrete ordinate method. Using the vector linearized discrete ordinate radiative transfer model (VLIDORT), we found that reasonable TOA–hotspot accuracy can be obtained with just 23 Fourier terms for clear atmosphere and 63 Fourier terms for atmosphere with aerosol scattering. In order to study the impact of molecular and aerosol scattering on hotspot signatures, we carried out a number of hotspot signature simulations with VLIDORT. We confirmed that (1) atmospheric molecule scattering and the existence of aerosol tend to smooth out the hotspot signature at the TOA and that (2) the hotspot signature at the TOA in the near-infrared is larger than in the visible, and its impact by surface reflectance is more significant. As the hotspot amplitude at the TOA with aerosol scattering included is smaller than that with molecular scattering only, the amplitude of hotspot signature at the surface is likely underestimated in the previous analysis based on the POLDER measurements, where the atmospheric correction was based on a single-scatter Rayleigh-only calculation. This modified model can calculate the amplitude of the hotspot accurately, and, as it agrees very well with the original RossThick model away from the hotspot region, this model can be simply used in conditions with and without hotspots. However, there are some differences in this modified model compared to the original Maignan–Bréon model for the scattering angles close to the hotspot point; thus, it may not be appropriate for those who need an exact representation of the hotspot angular signature.

Fires have great ecological, social, and economic impact. However, fire prediction and management remain challenges due to a limited understanding of their roles in the Earth system. Fires over southern Mexico and Central America (SMCA) are a good example of this, greatly impacting local air quality and regional climate. Here we report that the spring peak (April–May) of fire activities in this region has a distinct quasi-biennial signal based on multiple satellite datasets measuring different fire characteristics. The variability is initially driven by quasi-biennial variations in precipitation. Composite analysis indicates that strong fire years correspond to suppressed ascending motion and weakened precipitation over the SMCA. The anomalous precipitation over the SMCA is further found to be mostly related to the East Pacific–North Pacific (EP-NP) pattern 2 months prior to the fire season. The positive phase of the EP-NP leads to enhanced precipitation over the eastern US but suppressed precipitation over the SMCA, similar to the spatial pattern of precipitation differences between strong and weak fire years. Meanwhile, the quasi-biennial signals in precipitation and fires appear to be amplified by their interactions through a positive feedback loop at short timescales. Model simulations show that in strong fire years, more aerosol particles are released and transported downstream over the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern US, where suspended light-absorbing aerosols warm the atmosphere and cause the ascending motion of the air aloft. Subsequently, a compensating downward motion is formed over the region of the fire source and ultimately suppresses precipitation and intensifies fires. Statistical analysis shows the different durations of the two-way interaction, where the fire suppression effect of precipitation lasts for more than 20 d, while fire leads to a decrease in precipitation at shorter timescales (3–5 d). This study demonstrates the importance of fire–climate interactions in shaping the fire activities on an interannual scale and highlights how precipitation–fire interactions at short timescales contribute to the interannual variability in both fire and precipitation.

Background & Aims: Metabolic-dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is associated with obesity and diabetes, and is linked to liver fibrosis and cardiovascular disease. Identification of patients who have MASH is challenging and the development of non-invasive strategies to diagnose and follow this condition is an important unmet need. Recent studies in mouse and humans have identified that significant changes occur in liver macrophage composition during MASH progression; namely, resident Kupffer cells decrease in number while recruited monocyte-derived macrophages increase. Methods: We developed peptide radiotracers targeted to C–C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and CD163 to conduct positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of recruited vs. resident macrophages, respectively. Mice were placed on a MASH-inducing diet and non-invasive PET imaging of the liver was performed with tissue confirmation studies using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. Statistical analyses were conducted using Student’s t tests, Pearson correlational analysis, and linear regression. Results: Using a mouse model of MASH, we found that the liver uptake of both CCR2 and CD163 radiotracers detected an increase in recruited cells and a decrease in resident macrophages. These findings correlated well with tissue macrophage content assessed by flow cytometry with an r value of 0.77 (p = 0.002) and 0.78 (p = 0.001) for CCR2 and CD163, respectively. Serial imaging with these radiotracers at several time points during MASH progression and regression revealed good correlation between liver macrophage composition and PET signal intensity. Conclusion: We demonstrate that novel PET radiotracers targeting CCR2 and CD163 can be used to image macrophage composition in MASH. Non-invasive molecular imaging of inflammation has the potential for diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in humans with MASH. Impact and implications:: Macrophage-mediated inflammation contributes to MASH progression and fibrosis; however, liver biopsy is currently the only tool to assess this response. Thus, the development of non-invasive imaging modalities to identify and follow inflammatory activation is an area of need for patient care. In this study, we leverage molecular imaging using PET radiotracers to follow changes in macrophage composition that are related to MASH disease activity. The results in our preclinical model provide important proof of concept evidence that this approach can be used to diagnose MASH and to follow disease activity in response to intervention. Ongoing studies will evaluate the utility of this modality in humans with MASH.

We report the first measurements of cumulants, up to 4th order, of deuteron number distributions and proton-deuteron correlations in Au+Au collisions recorded by the STAR experiment in phase-I of Beam Energy Scan (BES) program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Deuteron cumulants, their ratios, and proton-deuteron mixed cumulants are presented for different collision centralities covering a range of center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN=7.7 to 200 GeV. It is found that the cumulant ratios at lower collision energies favor a canonical ensemble over a grand canonical ensemble in thermal models. An anti-correlation between proton and deuteron multiplicity is observed across all collision energies and centralities, consistent with the expectation from global baryon number conservation. The UrQMD model coupled with a phase-space coalescence mechanism qualitatively reproduces the collision-energy dependence of cumulant ratios and proton-deuteron correlations.

The chiral magnetic effect (CME) is a phenomenon that arises from the QCD anomaly in the presence of an external magnetic field. The experimental search for its evidence has been one of the key goals of the physics program of the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. The STAR Collaboration has previously presented the results of a blind analysis of isobar collisions (_{44}^{96}Ru+_{44}^{96}Ru, _{40}^{96}Zr+_{40}^{96}Zr) in the search for the CME. The isobar ratio (Y) of CME-sensitive observable, charge separation scaled by elliptic anisotropy, is close to but systematically larger than the inverse multiplicity ratio, the naive background baseline. This indicates the potential existence of a CME signal and the presence of remaining nonflow background due to two- and three-particle correlations, which are different between the isobars. In this postblind analysis, we estimate the contributions from those nonflow correlations as a background baseline to Y, utilizing the isobar data as well as Heavy Ion Jet Interaction Generator simulations. This baseline is found consistent with the isobar ratio measurement, and an upper limit of 10% at 95% confidence level is extracted for the CME fraction in the charge separation measurement in isobar collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

The differential cross section for Z0 production, measured as a function of the boson's transverse momentum (pT), provides important constraints on the evolution of the transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). The transverse single spin asymmetry (TSSA) of the Z0 is sensitive to one of the polarized TMDs, the Sivers function, which is predicted to have the opposite sign in p+p →W/Z+X from that which enters in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. In this Letter, the STAR Collaboration reports the first measurement of the Z0/γ⁎ differential cross section as a function of its pT in p+p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 510 GeV, together with the Z0/γ⁎ total cross section. We also report the measurement of Z0/γ⁎ TSSA in transversely polarized p+p collisions at 510 GeV.

We investigate the interaction between an anticyclonic eddy (AE) and semidiurnal internal tide (SIT) on the continental slope of the northeastern South China Sea (SCS), using a high spatiotemporal resolution numerical model. Two key findings are as follows: first, the AE promotes energy conversion from low-mode to higher-mode SIT. Additionally, production terms indicate that energy is also transferred from the SIT field to the eddy field at an average rate of 3.0 mW m−2 (accounting for 7 % of the incoming energy flux of SIT when integrated over the eddy diameter). Second, the AE can modify the spatial distribution of tidal-induced dissipation by refracting, scattering, and reflecting low-mode SIT. The phase and group velocities of the SIT are significantly influenced by the eddy field, resulting in a northward or southward shift in the internal tidal rays. These findings deepen our understanding of the complex interactions between AE and SIT, as well as their impacts on energy conversion, wave propagation, and coastal processes.

Due to more affordable solar and wind power, and the European Union regulations for decarbonisation of the economy, more than 40% of the Fortune 500 companies have targets related to green energy. This is one of the main reasons why multi-technology Power-Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are becoming increasingly important. However, there are risks associated with the uncertainty and variable generation patterns in wind speed and solar radiation. Moreover, there are challenges to predict intermittent wind and solar generation for the forecasting horizon required by PPAs, which is usually of several years. We propose a long-term wind and solar energy generation forecasts suitable for PPAs with cost optimisation in energy generation scenarios. We use Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations with suitable models of wind and solar generation and optimise long-term energy contracts with purchase of renewable energy.

We report results on an elastic cross section measurement in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy s=510 GeV, obtained with the Roman Pot setup of the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The elastic differential cross section is measured in the four-momentum transfer squared range 0.23≤−t≤0.67 GeV2. This is the only measurement of the proton-proton elastic cross section in this t range for collision energies above the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) and below the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) colliders. We find that a constant slope B does not fit the data in the aforementioned t range, and we obtain a much better fit using a second-order polynomial for B(t). This is the first measurement below the LHC energies for which the non-constant behavior B(t) is observed. The t dependence of B is also determined using six subintervals of t in the STAR measured t range, and is in good agreement with the phenomenological models. The measured elastic differential cross section dσ/dt agrees well with the results obtained at s=540 GeV for proton–antiproton collisions by the UA4 experiment. We also determine that the integrated elastic cross section within the STAR t-range is σelfid=462.1±0.9(stat.)±1.1(syst.)±11.6(scale) μb.

Purpose-Explore the impact of AI and ChatGPT on library information services; Design/methodology/approach-A sample of twenty-two reference questions are fed to ChatGPT and the answers are evaluated for quality and accuracy; Findings-ChatGPT are excellent in information retrieval in some areas, but it is not comparable to a reference librarian in others; Research limitations/implications-The findings may not be conclusive due to small sample size; Practical implications-Understand AI and ChatGPT and their behavior; Social implications -The knowledge from the study can assist librarians to adjust their services to better serve users; Originality/value-No research has been done in this area.

Purpose: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are historically radioresistant, with surgery being an integral component of their treatment. With their low α/β, STS may be more responsive to hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT), which is often limited by long-term toxicity risk to surrounding normal tissue. An isotoxic approach using a hypofractionated accelerated radiation dose-painting (HARD) regimen allows for dosing based on clinical risk while sparing adjacent organs at risk. Methods and Materials: We retrospectively identified patients from 2019 to 2022 with unresected STS who received HARD with dose-painting to high, intermediate, and low-risk regions of 3.0 Gy, 2.5 Gy, and 2.0 to 2.3 Gy, respectively, in 20 to 22 fractions. Clinical endpoints included local control, locoregional control, progression free survival, overall survival, and toxicity outcomes. Results: Twenty-seven consecutive patients were identified and had a median age of 68 years and tumor size of 7.0 cm (range, 1.2-21.0 cm). Tumors were most often high-grade (70%), stage IV (70%), located in the extremities (59%), and locally recurrent (52%). With a median follow-up of 33.4 months, there was a 3-year locoregional control rate of 100%. The 3-year overall and progression-free survival were 44.9% and 23.3%, respectively. There were 5 (19%) acute and 2 (7%) late grade 3 toxicities, and there were no grade 4 or 5 toxicities at any point. Conclusions: The HARD regimen is a safe method of dose-escalating STS, with durable 3-year locoregional control. This approach is a promising alternative for unresected STS, though further follow-up is required to determine long-term control and toxicity.

The single field-of-view (SFOV) sounder atmospheric product (SiFSAP) retrieval algorithm has been developed to address the need to retrieve high-spatial-resolution atmospheric data products from hyper-spectral sounders and ensure the radiometric consistency between the retrieved properties and measured spectral radiances. It is based on an integrated optimal-estimation inversion scheme that processes data from the satellite-based synergistic microwave (MW) and infrared (IR) spectral measurements from advanced sounders. The retrieval system utilizes the principal component radiative transfer model (PCRTM), which performs radiative transfer calculations monochromatically and includes accurate cloud-scattering simulations. SiFSAP includes temperature, water vapor, surface skin temperature and emissivity, cloud height and microphysical properties, and concentrations of essential trace gases for each SFOV at a native instrument spatial resolution. Error estimations are provided based on a rigorous analysis for uncertainty propagation from the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) spectral radiances to the retrieved geophysical properties. As a comparison, the spatial resolution for the traditional hyper-spectral sounder retrieval products is much coarser than the native resolution of the instruments due to the common use of the “cloud-clearing” technique to compensate for the lack of cloud-scattering simulation in the forward model. The degraded spatial resolution in traditional cloud-clearing sounder retrieval products limits their applications for capturing meteorological or climate signals at finer spatial scales. Moreover, a rigorous uncertainty propagation estimation needed for long-term climate trend studies cannot be given due to the lack of direct radiative transfer relationships between the observed TOA radiances and the retrieved geophysical properties. With the advantages of the higher spatial resolution; the simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric, cloud, and surface properties using all available spectral information; and the establishment of “radiance closure” in the sounder spectral measurements, the SiFSAP provides additional information needed for various weather and climate studies and applications using sounding observations. This paper gives an overview of the SiFSAP retrieval algorithm and assessment of SiFSAP atmospheric temperature, water vapor, clouds, and surface products derived from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) data.

Abstract Biofilms play critical roles in wastewater treatment, bioremediation, and medical-device-related infections. Understanding the dynamics of biofilm formation and growth is essential for controlling and exploiting their properties. However, the majority of current studies have focused on the impact of steady flows on biofilm growth, while flow fluctuations are common in natural and engineered systems such as water pipes and blood vessels. Here, we reveal the effects of flow fluctuations on the development of Pseudomonas putida biofilms through systematic microfluidic experiments and the development of a theoretical model. Our experimental results showed that biofilm growth under fluctuating flow conditions followed three phases: lag, exponential, and fluctuation phases. In contrast, biofilm growth under steady-flow conditions followed four phases: lag, exponential, stationary, and decline phases. Furthermore, we demonstrated that low-frequency flow fluctuations promoted biofilm growth, while high-frequency fluctuations inhibited its development. We attributed the contradictory impacts of flow fluctuations on biofilm growth to the adjustment time (T 0) needed for biofilm to grow after the shear stress changed from high to low. Furthermore, we developed a theoretical model that explains the observed biofilm growth under fluctuating flow conditions. Our insights into the mechanisms underlying biofilm development under fluctuating flows can inform the design of strategies to control biofilm formation in diverse natural and engineered systems.

The important roles that the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) plays in the central Arctic climate system have been recognized, but the atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH), defined as the layer of continuous turbulence adjacent to the surface, has rarely been investigated. Using a year-round radiosonde dataset during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition, we improve a Richardson-number-based algorithm that takes cloud effects into consideration and subsequently analyze the characteristics and variability of the ABLH over the Arctic Ocean. The results reveal that the annual cycle is clearly characterized by a distinct peak in May and two respective minima in January and July. This annual variation in the ABLH is primarily controlled by the evolution of the ABL thermal structure. Temperature inversions in the winter and summer are intensified by seasonal radiative cooling and warm-air advection with the surface temperature constrained by melting, respectively, leading to the low ABLH at these times. Meteorological and turbulence variables also play a significant role in ABLH variation, including the near-surface potential temperature gradient, friction velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rate. In addition, the MOSAiC ABLH is more suppressed than the ABLH during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment in the summer, which indicates that there is large variability in the Arctic ABL structure during the summer melting season.

Abstract We report a new measurement of the production of electrons from open heavy-flavor hadron decays (HFEs) at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.7) in Au+Au collisions at s NN $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ = 200 GeV. Invariant yields of HFEs are measured for the transverse momentum range of 3.5 < p T < 9 GeV/c in various configurations of the collision geometry. The HFE yields in head-on Au+Au collisions are suppressed by approximately a factor of 2 compared to that in p + p collisions scaled by the average number of binary collisions, indicating strong interactions between heavy quarks and the hot and dense medium created in heavy-ion collisions. Comparison of these results with models provides additional tests of theoretical calculations of heavy quark energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma.

Monitoring a wide range of atmospheric turbulence over the Antarctic continent is still tricky, while the atmospheric Richardson number (Ri; a valuable parameter which determines the possibility that turbulence could be triggered) is easier to obtain. The Antarctic atmospheric Ri, calculated from the potential temperature and wind speed, was investigated using the daily results from the radiosoundings and forecasts of the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS). Radiosoundings for a year at three sites (McMurdo – MM, South Pole – SP, and Dome C – DC) were used to quantify the reliability of the AMPS forecasts. The AMPS-forecasted Ri can identify the main spatiotemporal characteristics of atmospheric turbulence over the Antarctic region. The correlation coefficients (Rxy) of log 10(Ri) at McMurdo, the South Pole, and Dome C are 0.71, 0.59, and 0.53, respectively. The Ri was generally underestimated by the AMPS and the AMPS could better capture the trend of log 10(Ri) at relatively unstable atmospheric conditions. The seasonal median of log 10(Ri) along two vertical cross-sections of the AMPS forecasts are presented, and it shows some zones where atmospheric turbulence can be highly triggered in Antarctica. The Ri distributions appear to be reasonably correlated to some large-scale phenomena or local-scale dynamics (katabatic winds, polar vortices, convection, gravity wave, etc.) over the Antarctic plateau and surrounding ocean. Finally, the log 10(Ri) at the planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) were calculated and their median value is 0.316. This median value, in turn, was used to estimate the PBLH and agrees well with the AMPS-forecasted PBLH (Rxy>0.69). Overall, our results suggest that the Ri estimated by AMPS are reasonable and the turbulence conditions in Antarctica are well revealed.

Abstract Electron-electron correlations play central role in condensed matter physics, governing phenomena from superconductivity to magnetism and numerous technological applications. Two-dimensional (2D) materials with flat electronic bands provide natural playground to explore interaction-driven physics, thanks to their highly localized electrons. The search for 2D flat band materials has attracted intensive efforts, especially now with open science databases encompassing thousands of materials with computed electronic bands. Here we automate the otherwise daunting task of materials search and classification by combining supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms. To this end, convolutional neural network was employed to identify 2D flat band materials, which were then subjected to symmetry-based analysis using a bilayer unsupervised learning algorithm. Such hybrid approach of exploring materials databases allowed us to construct a genome of 2D materials hosting flat bands and to reveal material classes outside the known flat band paradigms.

The surface morphology of lake ice remarkably changes under the combined influence of thermal and mechanical forces. However, research on the surface morphology of lake ice and its interaction with climate is scarce. A large-scale linear structure has repeatedly appeared on satellite images of Chagan Lake in recent years. The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), with a 1 h revisit, and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), with a spatial resolution of 30 m, provide the possibility for the study of hourly changes in the large-scale linear structure. We merged the Landsat and GOCI images, using an Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM), and extracted the lengths and angles of the linear structure. We monitored the hourly changes in the surface morphology during the cold season from 2018 to 2019. The average length of the linear structure in the completely frozen period was 21 141.57 ± 68.36 m. The average azimuth angle was 335.48 ± 0.23∘, nearly perpendicular to the domain wind in winter. Through two field investigations during the two recent cold seasons, we verified the linear structure as being ice fractures and ridges. The evolution of surface morphology is closely associated with air temperature, wind, and shoreline geometry.

The Nepalese in the United States of America (USA) are an emerging diasporic community. In spite of the phenomenal growth of the Nepalese diaspora in the USA in the last more than two decades, little is known about this new diasporic community, especially regarding how the Nepalese adapt to American life. This study documents the rapid growth in Nepalese immigration to the USA in the twenty-first century, based on data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Using the data from an online survey, it analyzes the experiences of the Nepalese in cultural adaptation, structural adaptation, marital adaptation, identificational adaptation, and receptional adaptation. The results show that although the Nepalese have become partly assimilated to American culture, they still to a large extent retain their ethnic culture, ethnic association, ethnic identity, and ethnic marital partners, and they have had mixed experiences of prejudice and discrimination. The findings have significant scholarly and practical implications.

Background & Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a common complication of obesity with a hallmark feature of hepatic steatosis. Recent data from animal models of MAFLD have demonstrated substantial changes in macrophage composition in the fatty liver. In humans, the relationship between liver macrophage heterogeneity and liver steatosis is less clear. Methods: Liver tissue from 21 participants was collected at time of bariatric surgery and analysed using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and H&E microscopy. Single-cell RNA sequencing was also conducted on a subset of samples (n = 3). Intrahepatic triglyceride content was assessed via MRI and tissue histology. Mouse models of hepatic steatosis were used to investigate observations made from human liver tissue. Results: We observed variable degrees of liver steatosis with minimal fibrosis in our participants. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed four macrophage clusters that exist in the human fatty liver encompassing Kupffer cells and monocyte-derived macrophages (MdMs). The genes expressed in these macrophage subsets were similar to those observed in mouse models of MAFLD. Hepatic CD14+ monocyte/macrophage number correlated with the degree of steatosis. Using mouse models of early liver steatosis, we demonstrate that recruitment of MdMs precedes Kupffer cell loss and liver damage. Electron microscopy of isolated macrophages revealed increased lipid accumulation in MdMs, and ex vivo lipid transfer experiments suggested that MdMs may serve a distinct role in lipid uptake during MAFLD. Conclusions: The human liver in MAFLD contains macrophage subsets that align well with those that appear in mouse models of fatty liver disease. Recruited myeloid cells correlate well with the degree of liver steatosis in humans. MdMs appear to participate in lipid uptake during early stages of MALFD. Impact and implications: Metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is extremely common; however, the early inflammatory responses that occur in human disease are not well understood. In this study, we investigated macrophage heterogeneity in human livers during early MAFLD and demonstrated that similar shifts in macrophage subsets occur in human disease that are similar to those seen in preclinical models. These findings are important as they establish a translational link between mouse and human models of disease, which is important for the development and testing of new therapeutic approaches for MAFLD.

Density fluctuations near the QCD critical point can be probed via an intermittency analysis in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. We report the first measurement of intermittency in Au+Au collisions at sNN = 7.7-200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The scaled factorial moments of identified charged hadrons are analyzed at mid-rapidity and within the transverse momentum phase space. We observe a power-law behavior of scaled factorial moments in Au+Au collisions and a decrease in the extracted scaling exponent (ν) from peripheral to central collisions. The ν is consistent with a constant for different collisions energies in the mid-central (10-40%) collisions. Moreover, the ν in the 0-5% most central Au+Au collisions exhibits a non-monotonic energy dependence that reaches a minimum around sNN = 27 GeV. The physics implications on the QCD phase structure are discussed.

We report on new measurements of elliptic flow (v2) of electrons from heavy-flavor hadron decays at mid-rapidity (|y|

A numerical simulation is used to investigate the flow field characteristics of a three-dimensional over-under turbine-based combined cycle circular-to-rectangular transition exhaust nozzle when only the turbojet flowpath is in operation. The effect on the exhaust nozzle performance of there being a secondary injection on the ramp of the expansion section of the turbojet flow path is then examined. Finally, the impact of variations in the secondary injection design parameters is further investigated. The results show that a secondary injection can improve the exhaust nozzle's performance by reducing the axial force on the inner wall of the flow path. However, changes in flight status can undermine this improvement. Under the baseline operating condition, a secondary injection with a larger angle and close to the ramp outlet can produce a more significant improvement in nozzle performance. In this study, the axial thrust coefficient, lift and pitch moment of the nozzle can be improved by a maximum of 9.312%, 66.007% and 10.975%, respectively.

Firmness is an important fruit quality trait in northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). Many researchers, growers, and packers rely on machines for measuring firmness right after harvest and during postharvest cold storage of fresh fruit. In this study, we compared two machines that use compression firmness measurements to determine a force-deformation value. The first firmness-testing machine has been in use for the past 30 years by blueberry (Vaccinium) researchers and packers worldwide. The second has been on the market for the past 5 years. We compared fruit firmness and size measurements for several commercial cultivars and breeding accessions of northern highbush blueberry by both machines at harvest and 2 weeks postharvest. In general, we found there were slight differences in fruit firmness and size measurements between the two machines, but these measurements were generally consistent across the machines. Our study suggests that, in general, one machine can predict the measurements taken on the other machine.

Abstract Partons traversing the strongly interacting medium produced in heavy-ion collisions are expected to lose energy depending on their color charge and mass. We measure the nuclear modification factors for charm- and bottom-decay electrons, defined as the ratio of yields, divided by the number of binary nucleon–nucleon collisions, in $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}=200$$ s NN = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions to p+p collisions ( $$R_{\textrm{AA}}$$ R AA ), or in central to peripheral Au+Au collisions ( $$R_{\textrm{CP}}$$ R CP ). We find the bottom-decay electron $$R_{\textrm{AA}}$$ R AA and $$R_{\textrm{CP}}$$ R CP to be significantly higher than those of charm-decay electrons. Model calculations including mass-dependent parton energy loss in a strongly coupled medium are consistent with the measured data. These observations provide evidence of mass ordering of charm and bottom quark energy loss when traversing through the strongly coupled medium created in heavy-ion collisions.

The crucial role that Antarctic sea ice plays in the global climate system is strongly linked to its thickness. While field observations are too sparse in the Southern Ocean to determine long-term trends of the Antarctic sea ice thickness (SIT) on a hemispheric scale, satellite radar altimetry data can be applied with a promising prospect. The European Space Agency's Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative project (ESA SICCI) generates sea ice thickness derived from Envisat, covering the entire Southern Ocean year-round from 2002 to 2012. In this study, the SICCI Envisat Antarctic SIT is first compared with an Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) SIT product retrieved with a modified ice density algorithm. Both data sets are compared to SIT estimates from upward-looking sonar (ULS) in the Weddell Sea, showing mean differences (MDs) and standard deviations (SDs, in parentheses) of 1.29 (0.65) m for Envisat − ULS (− denotes “minus” and the same below), while we find 1.11 (0.81) m for ICESat − ULS. The inter-comparisons are conducted for all seasons except for winter, based on the ICESat operating periods. According to the results, the differences between Envisat and ICESat SIT reveal significant temporal and spatial variations. More specifically, the smallest seasonal SIT MD (SD) of 0.00 m (0.39 m) for Envisat − ICESat is found in spring (October–November), while a larger MD (SD) of 0.52 (0.68 m) and 0.57 m (0.45 m) exists in summer (February–March) and autumn (May–June). It is also shown that from autumn to spring, mean Envisat SIT decreases while mean ICESat SIT increases. Our findings suggest that both overestimation of Envisat sea ice freeboard potentially caused by radar backscatter originating from inside the snow layer and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E, where EOS stands for Earth Observing System) snow depth biases and sea ice density uncertainties can possibly account for the differences between Envisat and ICESat SIT.

In this communication, we present the exposure of agricultural lands to the flooding caused by extreme precipitation in western Europe from 12 to 15 July 2021. Overlaying the flood inundation maps derived from the near-real-time RAdar-Produced Inundation Diary (RAPID) system on the Coordination of information on the environment (CORINE) Land Cover map we estimate a 1920 km2 area affected by the flooding, with 64 % representing agricultural land. Among the inundated agricultural land, 36 % of the area is pastures while 34 % is arable land. Most agricultural flood exposure is found in eastern France along the Rhône River, the southern Netherlands along the Meuse River, and western Germany along the Rhine River.

The deconfined quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions enables the exploration of the fundamental properties of matter under extreme conditions. Noncentral collisions can produce strong magnetic fields on the order of 10^{18} G, which offers a probe into the electrical conductivity of the QGP. In particular, quarks and antiquarks carry opposite charges and receive contrary electromagnetic forces that alter their momenta. This phenomenon can be manifested in the collective motion of final-state particles, specifically in the rapidity-odd directed flow, denoted as v_{1}(y). Here, we present the charge-dependent measurements of dv_{1}/dy near midrapidities for π^{±}, K^{±}, and p(p[over ¯]) in Au+Au and isobar (_{44}^{96}Ru+_{44}^{96}Ru and _{40}^{96}Zr+_{40}^{96}Zr) collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV, and in Au+Au collisions at 27 GeV, recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The combined dependence of the v_{1} signal on collision system, particle species, and collision centrality can be qualitatively and semiquantitatively understood as several effects on constituent quarks. While the results in central events can be explained by the u and d quarks transported from initial-state nuclei, those in peripheral events reveal the impacts of the electromagnetic field on the QGP. Our data put valuable constraints on the electrical conductivity of the QGP in theoretical calculations.

Experiments on ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) in 2021 and 2022 have addressed a number of critical issues for ITER and EU DEMO. A major objective of the AUG programme is to shed light on the underlying physics of confinement, stability, and plasma exhaust in order to allow reliable extrapolation of results obtained on present day machines to these reactor-grade devices. Concerning pedestal physics, the mitigation of edge localised modes (ELMs) using resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) was found to be consistent with a reduction of the linear peeling-ballooning stability threshold due to the helical deformation of the plasma. Conversely, ELM suppression by RMPs is ascribed to an increased pedestal transport that keeps the plasma away from this boundary. Candidates for this increased transport are locally enhanced turbulence and a locked magnetic island in the pedestal. The enhanced D-alpha (EDA) and quasi-continuous exhaust (QCE) regimes have been established as promising ELM-free scenarios. Here, the pressure gradient at the foot of the H-mode pedestal is reduced by a quasi-coherent mode, consistent with violation of the high-n ballooning mode stability limit there. This is suggestive that the EDA and QCE regimes have a common underlying physics origin. In the area of transport physics, full radius models for both L- and H-modes have been developed. These models predict energy confinement in AUG better than the commonly used global scaling laws, representing a large step towards the goal of predictive capability. A new momentum transport analysis framework has been developed that provides access to the intrinsic torque in the plasma core. In the field of exhaust, the X-Point Radiator (XPR), a cold and dense plasma region on closed flux surfaces close to the X-point, was described by an analytical model that provides an understanding of its formation as well as its stability, i.e., the conditions under which it transitions into a deleterious MARFE with the potential to result in a disruptive termination. With the XPR close to the divertor target, a new detached divertor concept, the compact radiative divertor, was developed. Here, the exhaust power is radiated before reaching the target, allowing close proximity of the X-point to the target. No limitations by the shallow field line angle due to the large flux expansion were observed, and sufficient compression of neutral density was demonstrated. With respect to the pumping of non-recycling impurities, the divertor enrichment was found to mainly depend on the ionisation energy of the impurity under consideration. In the area of MHD physics, analysis of the hot plasma core motion in sawtooth crashes showed good agreement with nonlinear 2-fluid simulations. This indicates that the fast reconnection observed in these events is adequately described including the pressure gradient and the electron inertia in the parallel Ohm’s law. Concerning disruption physics, a shattered pellet injection system was installed in collaboration with the ITER International Organisation. Thanks to the ability to vary the shard size distribution independently of the injection velocity, as well as its impurity admixture, it was possible to tailor the current quench rate, which is an important requirement for future large devices such as ITER. Progress was also made modelling the force reduction of VDEs induced by massive gas injection on AUG. The H-mode density limit was characterised in terms of safe operational space with a newly developed active feedback control method that allowed the stability boundary to be probed several times within a single discharge without inducing a disruptive termination. Regarding integrated operation scenarios, the role of density peaking in the confinement of the ITER baseline scenario (high plasma current) was clarified. The usual energy confinement scaling ITER98( p,y ) does not capture this effect, but the more recent H20 scaling does, highlighting again the importance of developing adequate physics based models. Advanced tokamak scenarios, aiming at large non-inductive current fraction due to non-standard profiles of the safety factor in combination with high normalised plasma pressure were studied with a focus on their access conditions. A method to guide the approach of the targeted safety factor profiles was developed, and the conditions for achieving good confinement were clarified. Based on this, two types of advanced scenarios (‘hybrid’ and ‘elevated’ q -profile) were established on AUG and characterised concerning their plasma performance.

A decisive experimental test of the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) is considered one of the major scientific goals at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) towards understanding the nontrivial topological fluctuations of the Quantum Chromodynamics vacuum. In heavy-ion collisions, the CME is expected to result in a charge separation phenomenon across the reaction plane, whose strength could be strongly energy dependent. The previous CME searches have been focused on top RHIC energy collisions. In this Letter, we present a low energy search for the CME in Au+Au collisions at sNN=27 GeV. We measure elliptic flow scaled charge-dependent correlators relative to the event planes that are defined at both mid-rapidity |η|

The linear and mode-coupled contributions to higher-order anisotropic flow are presented for Au+Au collisions at sNN = 27, 39, 54.4, and 200 GeV and compared to similar measurements for Pb+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The coefficients and the flow harmonics' correlations, which characterize the linear and mode-coupled response to the lower-order anisotropies, indicate a beam energy dependence consistent with an influence from the specific shear viscosity (η/s). In contrast, the dimensionless coefficients, mode-coupled response coefficients, and normalized symmetric cumulants are approximately beam-energy independent, consistent with a significant role from initial-state effects. These measurements could provide unique supplemental constraints to (i) distinguish between different initial-state models and (ii) delineate the temperature (T) and baryon chemical potential (μB) dependence of the specific shear viscosity ηs(T,μB).

The ability to modulate photosynthesis is essential for plants to adapt to fluctuating growing conditions. Populus species show high tolerance to various and highly variable environments. To understand their response strategies against fluctuating environments, this study investigated the morphological and physiological differences of white poplar (Populus alba) leaves when grown in a phytotron, glasshouse, and field. Our results show that the palisade cells were elongated in the field, which would enhance intercellular CO2 exchange. Photosynthetic capacity was the highest in the field leaves, as shown by higher electron transport rates (1.8 to 6.5 times) and carbon assimilation rates (2.7 to 4.2 times). The decrease of PSI acceptor-side limitation and increase of PSI donor-side limitation suggests changes in PSI redox status may contribute to photoprotection. This plasticity of white poplar allows adjusting its structure and photosynthesis under fluctuating conditions, which may partly enable its outstanding tolerance against environmental changes.

Antarctic sea ice is an important component of the Earth system. However, its role in the Earth system is still unclear due to limited Antarctic sea-ice thickness (SIT) data. A reliable sea-ice reanalysis can be useful to study Antarctic SIT and its role in the Earth system. Among various Antarctic sea-ice reanalysis products, the Global Ice-Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (GIOMAS) output is widely used in the research of Antarctic sea ice. As more Antarctic SIT observations with quality control are being released, a further evaluation of Antarctic SIT from GIOMAS is conducted in this study based on in situ and satellite observations. Generally, though only sea-ice concentration is assimilated, GIOMAS can basically reproduce the observed variability in sea-ice volume and its changes in the trend before and after 2013, indicating that GIOMAS is a good option to study the long-term variation in Antarctic sea ice. However, due to deficiencies in the model and asymmetric changes in SIT caused by assimilation, GIOMAS underestimates Antarctic SIT especially in deformed ice regions, which has an impact on not only the mean state of SIT but also the variability. Thus, besides the further development of the model, assimilating additional sea-ice observations (e.g., SIT and sea-ice drift) with advanced assimilation methods may be conducive to a more accurate estimation of Antarctic SIT.

Single-column sea ice models are used to focus on the thermodynamic evolution of the ice. Generally, these models are forced by atmospheric reanalysis in the absence of atmospheric in situ observations. Here we assess the sea ice thickness simulated by a single-column model (ICEPACK) with in situ observations obtained off Zhongshan Station for the austral winter of 2016. In the reanalysis, the surface air temperature is about 1 ∘C lower, the total precipitation is about 2 mm d−1 greater, and the surface wind speed is about 2 m s−1 higher compared to the in situ observations. We designed sensitivity experiments to evaluate the simulation bias in sea ice thickness due to the uncertainty in the individual atmospheric forcing variables. Our results show that the unrealistic precipitation in the reanalysis leads to a bias of 14.5 cm in sea ice thickness and 17.3 cm in snow depth. In addition, our data show that increasing snow depth works to gradually inhibit the growth of sea ice associated with thermal blanketing by the snow due to changing the vertical heat flux. Conversely, given suitable conditions, the sea ice thickness may grow suddenly when the snow load gives rise to flooding and leads to snow-ice formation. However, there are still uncertainties related to the model results because superimposed ice and snowdrift are not implemented in the version of the ice model used and because snow-ice formation might be overestimated at locations with landfast sea ice.

In this paper, we present a custom-designed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) platform based on a broadband complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) NMR-on-a-chip transceiver and a synchronous reference signal generator, which features arbitrary phase control of the excitation pulse in combination with phase-coherent detection at a non-zero intermediate frequency (IF). Moreover, the presented direct digital synthesis (DDS)-based frequency generator enables a digital temperature compensation scheme similar to classical field locking without the need for additional hardware. NMR spectroscopy and relaxometry measurements verify the functionality of the proposed frequency reference and temperature compensation scheme as well as the overall state-of-the-art performance of the presented system.

Regional volcanic threat assessments provide a large-scale comparable vision of the threat posed by multiple volcanoes. They are useful for prioritising risk-mitigation actions and are required by local through international agencies, industries and governments to prioritise where further study and support could be focussed. Most regional volcanic threat studies have oversimplified volcanic hazards and their associated impacts by relying on concentric radii as proxies for hazard footprints and by focussing only on population exposure. We have developed and applied a new approach that quantifies and ranks exposure to multiple volcanic hazards for 40 high-threat volcanoes in Southeast Asia. For each of our 40 volcanoes, hazard spatial extent, and intensity where appropriate, was probabilistically modelled for four volcanic hazards across three eruption scenarios, giving 697 080 individual hazard footprints plus 15 240 probabilistic hazard outputs. These outputs were overlain with open-access datasets across five exposure categories using an open-source Python geographic information system (GIS) framework developed for this study (https://github.com/vharg/VolcGIS, last access: 5 April 2022). All study outputs – more than 6500 GeoTIFF files and 70 independent estimates of exposure to volcanic hazards across 40 volcanoes – are provided in the “Data availability” section in user-friendly format. Calculated exposure values were used to rank each of the 40 volcanoes in terms of the threat they pose to surrounding communities. Results highlight that the island of Java in Indonesia has the highest median exposure to volcanic hazards, with Merapi consistently ranking as the highest-threat volcano. Hazard seasonality, as a result of varying wind conditions affecting tephra dispersal, leads to increased exposure values during the peak rainy season (January, February) in Java but the dry season (January through April) in the Philippines. A key aim of our study was to highlight volcanoes that may have been overlooked perhaps because they have not been frequently or recently active but that have the potential to affect large numbers of people and assets. It is not intended to replace official hazard and risk information provided by the individual country or volcano organisations. Rather, this study and the tools developed provide a road map for future multi-source regional volcanic exposure assessments with the possibility to extend the assessment to other geographic regions and/or towards impact and loss.

Despite the rapid growth of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the USA, knowledge about this new diasporic community remains very limited. This study argues and demonstrates that the Bangladeshi diaspora in the USA is a fast-growing and sizable diasporic community that requires systematic research and better understanding. It delineates the history of the Bangladeshi diaspora to the USA in four periods and documents the phenomenal growth of the Bangladeshi diasporic community in the USA since 1981, using data from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). By taking into account the legal Bangladeshi immigration as well as the emigration and mortality rates of immigrants and undocumented Bangladeshi immigration, it estimates the current size of the Bangladeshi diasporic community in the USA at about 500,000 instead of a range of low-to-mid 200,000s normally cited. Additionally, using the pooled samples of the 2001–2019 American Community Surveys (ACS) and other ACS data, as well as the DHS data, this paper provides a demographic and socioeconomic portrait of the Bangladeshi diasporic community in the USA. The findings are generalizable to the population and fill some important gaps in the literature.