Projection of Thermal Bioclimate Conditions over West Bengal, India in Response to Global Warming Based on Climate Model

The study of human bioclimatic conditions is becoming popular in climate perception for the improvement of the public health system. The objective of the present study is to analyze the past and future thermal bioclimate conditions over 15 stations in West Bengal (WB), India. The bioclimate conditions are measured by the daily Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) based on climate data extracted from the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX)-South Asia. The initial purpose of this study is to present the interannual distribution of PET classes over the considered stations of WB for the past period (1986–2005) and two future time periods, namely (i) near future (2016–2035) and (ii) mid-21st century (2046–2065). The results from the monthly distribution of PET reveal heat stress conditions from April to June and acceptable thermal conditions from November that persist till March for all the stations except Darjeeling, a hill station. To focus on future PET changes over WB in context to the reference period (1986–2005), warm and hot PET classes show prominent rises in the future epochs under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios. The highest percentage in the warm PET class (35.7–43.8 °C) appears in stations near the Bay of Bengal such as Digha, Diamond Harbour, Canning, and Baruipur during the mid-21st century time slice under RCP8.5 conditions. Simultaneously, hot PET class (>43.8 °C) records up to 10% for Kolkata, Dum Dum, Kharagpur, Siliguri and more than 10% in Sriniketan, Malda, Asansol, and Birbhum. Darjeeling will experience the greatest decrease in the very cool PET class (<3.3 °C) in the medium term. The explicit amount of change in temperature is seemingly connected to the increasing levels of heat stress over WB, as is evident from the relative mean monthly changes in PET

Future Changes in Thermal Bioclimate Conditions over West Bengal, India, Based on a Climate Model

Changes in extreme human bioclimate conditions are accepted evidence for and serve as a broad measure of anthropogenic climate change. The essential objective of the current study was to investigate past and future thermal bioclimate conditions across West Bengal (WB), India. The daily physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) was calculated by considering definite climate variables as inputs. These meteorological variables were captured from the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX)-South Asia. The initial results from this research work present the mean monthly distribution of each PET class over the considered stations of WB during the period (1986–2005) and three future time periods: (i) near future (2016–2035), (ii) mid-future (2046–2065), and (iii) far future (2080–2099). It was observed that the months from April to June comprise heat stress months in terms of human thermal perception, whereas thermally acceptable conditions begin in November and continue until March for most stations. Results from future PET changes over WB in the context of the reference period (1986–2005) reveal a prominent increase in warm and hot PETs for all future time periods in two different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. During the far-future time period, stations within a kilometer of the Bay of Bengal such as Digha, Diamond Harbour, Canning, and Baruipur account for the highest percentage in the warm PET class (35.7–43.8 °C) in high-end emission scenarios. Simultaneously, during the period from 2080 to 2099, Kolkata, Dum Dum, Kharagpur, and Siliguri will experience a PET greater than 43.8 °C for close to 10% of the days in the year and more than 10% in Sriniketan, Malda, Asansol, and Birbhum. During the far-future period, a negative change in the very cool PET class (<3.3 °C) indicating a decrease in cold days was the largest for Darjeeling

Variable influence on the equatorial troposphere associated with SSW using ERA-Interim

Sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events are identified to investigate their influence on the equatorial tropospheric climate. Composite analysis of warming events from Era-Interim (1979–2013) record a cooling of the tropical lower stratosphere with corresponding changes in the mean meridional stratospheric circulation. A cooling of the upper troposphere induces enhanced convective activity near the equatorial region of the Southern Hemisphere and suppressed convective activity in the off-equatorial Northern Hemisphere. After selecting vortex splits, the see-saw pattern of convective activity in the troposphere grows prominent and robust

Comparison of Extreme Bioclimatic Episodes in Kolkata (India) and Two Neighboring Suburban Stations

The objective of the present study is to estimate the duration of extreme thermal bioclimate conditions in and around Kolkata, one of the highly densely populated cities in India. The biometeorological conditions have been calculated by Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) using the RayMan model at 05:30 h and 14:30 h (IST) based on meteorological data for the stations Kolkata (Alipore), Dum Dum, and Diamond Harbour for the period January 2020 to December 2021. Dum Dum is located to the north of Kolkata, and Diamond Harbour is situated to the south of Kolkata. The meteorological data were retrieved from the station data measured by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The atmospheric variables required to calculate the PET index are air temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover, and wind speed. A recent study reported that stations outside Kolkata suffer warmer human thermal stress conditions. To account for the prolonged thermal stress periods, PET greater than 40 &deg;C is categorized as an episode if it turns up consecutively between 1 and 5 days, 6 and 10 days, 11 and 15 days, 16 and 20 days, 21 and 25 days, and 26 and 30 days. The number distribution of days not exceeding 40 &deg;C remains the same for all the stations. The number of episodes occurring successively for 6&ndash;10 days, 11&ndash;15 days, 16&ndash;20 days, and 21&ndash;25 days is highest in Diamond Harbour relative to Kolkata and Dum Dum at 14:30 h. Episodes occurring successively for 26&ndash;30 days appear in Kolkata and Dum Dum, whereas no episodes appear in Diamond Harbour

Projection of Thermal Bioclimate Conditions over West Bengal, India in Response to Global Warming Based on Climate Model

The study of human bioclimatic conditions is becoming popular in climate perception for the improvement of the public health system. The objective of the present study is to analyze the past and future thermal bioclimate conditions over 15 stations in West Bengal (WB), India. The bioclimate conditions are measured by the daily Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) based on climate data extracted from the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX)-South Asia. The initial purpose of this study is to present the interannual distribution of PET classes over the considered stations of WB for the past period (1986&ndash;2005) and two future time periods, namely (i) near future (2016&ndash;2035) and (ii) mid-21st century (2046&ndash;2065). The results from the monthly distribution of PET reveal heat stress conditions from April to June and acceptable thermal conditions from November that persist till March for all the stations except Darjeeling, a hill station. To focus on future PET changes over WB in context to the reference period (1986&ndash;2005), warm and hot PET classes show prominent rises in the future epochs under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios. The highest percentage in the warm PET class (35.7&ndash;43.8 &deg;C) appears in stations near the Bay of Bengal such as Digha, Diamond Harbour, Canning, and Baruipur during the mid-21st century time slice under RCP8.5 conditions. Simultaneously, hot PET class (&gt;43.8 &deg;C) records up to 10% for Kolkata, Dum Dum, Kharagpur, Siliguri and more than 10% in Sriniketan, Malda, Asansol, and Birbhum. Darjeeling will experience the greatest decrease in the very cool PET class (&lt;3.3 &deg;C) in the medium term. The explicit amount of change in temperature is seemingly connected to the increasing levels of heat stress over WB, as is evident from the relative mean monthly changes in PET

The Surface Climate Response to 11-Yr Solar Forcing during Northern Winter: Observational Analyses and Comparisons with GCM Simulations

The surface climate response to 11-yr solar forcing during northern winter is first reestimated by applying a multiple linear regression (MLR) statistical model to Hadley Centre sea level pressure (SLP) and sea surface temperature (SST) data over the 1880–2009 period. In addition to a significant positive SLP response in the North Pacific found in previous studies, a positive SST response is obtained across the midlatitude North Pacific. Negative but insignificant SLP responses are obtained in the Arctic. The derived SLP response at zero lag therefore resembles a positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Evaluation of the SLP and SST responses as a function of phase lag indicates that the response evolves from a negative AO-like mode a few years before solar maximum to a positive AO-like mode at and following solar maximum. For comparison, a similar MLR analysis is applied to model SLP and SST data from a series of simulations using an atmosphere–ocean general circulation model with a well-resolved stratosphere. The simulations differed only in the assumed solar cycle variation of stratospheric ozone. It is found that the simulation that assumed an ozone variation estimated from satellite data produces solar SLP and SST responses that are most consistent with the observational results, especially during a selected centennial period. In particular, a positive SLP response anomaly is obtained in the northeastern Pacific and a corresponding positive SST response anomaly extends across the midlatitude North Pacific. The model response versus phase lag also evolves from a mainly negative AO-like response before solar maximum to a mainly positive AO response at and following solar maximum.This work was supported under Grant AGS-1067827 from the Climate Dynamics Branch of the U.S. National Science Foundation and under Grant NNX10AQ63G from the NASA Living With a Star Targeted Research and Technology Program.6 month embargo: Published Online: 24 September 2013This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

MAPKAPK2 plays a crucial role in the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by regulating transcript stability

Abstract Background Head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks sixth among cancers worldwide. Though several molecular mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression of HNSCC are known, others remain unclear. Significance of p38/MAPKAPK2 (Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase-2) pathway in cell stress and inflammation is well established and its role in tumor development is being widely studied. Methods We have elucidated the role of MAPKAPK2 (MK2) in HNSCC pathogenesis using clinical tissue samples, MK2-knockdown (MK2KD) cells and heterotropic xenograft mice model. Results In patient-derived tissue samples, we observed that MK2 is reproducibly overexpressed. Increased stability of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (p27), mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) transcripts and decreased half-life of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) transcripts in MK2KD cells suggests that MK2 regulates their transcript stability. In vivo xenograft experiments established that knockdown of MK2 attenuates course of tumor progression in immunocompromised mice. Conclusion Altogether, MK2 is responsible for regulating the transcript stability and is functionally important to modulate HNSCC pathogenesis

Remarkably Distinct Mechanical Flexibility in Three Structurally Similar Semiconducting Organic Crystals Studied by Nanoindentation and Molecular Dynamics

Distinct macroscopic mechanical responses of the three crystals of naphthalene diimide derivatives, 1Me, 1Et, and 1nPr, studied here are very intriguing because their molecular structures are very similar, with the difference only in the alkyl chain length. Among the three crystals examined, 1Me shows highly plastic bending nature, 1Et shows elastic flexibility, and 1nPr is brittle. A detailed investigation by nanoindentation and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations allowed us to correlate their distinct mechanical responses with the way the weak interactions pack in crystal structures. The elastic modulus (E) of 1Me is nearly an order of magnitude lower than that of 1Et, whereas hardness (H) is less than half. The low values of E and H of 1Me indicate that these crystals are highly compliant and offer a low resistance to plastic flow. As the knowledge of hardness and elastic modulus of molecular crystals alone is insufficient to capture their macroscopic mechanical deformation nature, that is, elastic, brittle, or plastic, we have employed three-point bending tests using the nanoindentation technique. This allowed a quantitative evaluation of flexibility of the three mechanically distinct semiconducting molecular crystals, which is important for designing larger-scale applications; these were complemented with detailed MD simulations. The elastic 1Et crystals showed remarkable flexibility even after 1000 cycles. The results emphasize that the alkyl side chains in functional organic crystals may be exploited for tuning their self-assembly as well as their mechanical properties. Hence, the study has broad implications, for example, in crystal engineering of various flexible, ordered molecular materials. ©2019 American Chemical Society.DST (DST/SJF/CSA-02/2014−15)DST-SERB, India, National Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF/2015/000953)ONR (N000141612333)DOD-MURI (grant no. FA9550-15-1-0514