Verification of mesoscale objective analyses of VAS and rawinsonde data using the March 1982 AVE/VAS special network data

Various combinations of VAS (Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer Atmospheric Sounder) data, conventional rawinsonde data, and gridded data from the National Weather Service's (NWS) global analysis, were used in successive-correction and variational objective-analysis procedures. Analyses are produced for 0000 GMT 7 March 1982, when the VAS sounding distribution was not greatly limited by the existence of cloud cover. The successive-correction (SC) procedure was used with VAS data alone, rawinsonde data alone, and both VAS and rawinsonde data. Variational techniques were applied in three ways. Each of these techniques was discussed

Modification and Investment Intention in the Consumer-Possession Relationship

The present-day automobile is at once a source of physical transportation, of course, but also an extension of self, a potential platform for self-expression and image enhancement, a source of social approval as well as psychological and physiological stimulation, and, perhaps, an object of beauty. This study examines motivations and antecedents of various vehicle-directed consumer behaviors, including modification and the intention of consumers to invest in their relationship with their vehicle. In this study, vehicle modification refers to the voluntary actions taken by a user or owner of a vehicle to differentiate the functional or aesthetic characteristics or performance of a vehicle from other vehicles of the same make, model, year, option package, usage level, and mechanical and cosmetic condition. Investment intention, predicted in this research to derive from the perceived status of the consumer-possession relationship (i.e., how the consumer perceives the reliability and aesthetic appeal of the vehicle and the extent to which the vehicle receives the approval of important others), refers to the willingness of consumers to treat their vehicle as a special possession and invest in the longevity of the possession and consumption relationship

Two-way air-sea coupling : A study of the adriatic

Abstract High-resolution numerical simulations of the Adriatic Sea using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) and Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) were conducted to examine the impact of the coupling strategy (one versus two way) on the ocean and atmosphere model skill, and to elucidate dynamical aspects of the coupled response. Simulations for 23 September–23 October 2002 utilized 2- and 4-km resolution grids for the ocean and atmosphere, respectively. During a strong wind and sea surface cooling event, cold water fringed the west and north coasts in the two-way coupled simulation (where the atmosphere interacted with SST generated by the ocean model) and attenuated by approximately 20% of the cross-basin extension of bora-driven upward heat fluxes relative to the one-way coupled simulation (where the atmosphere model was not influenced by the ocean model). An assessment of model results using remotely sensed and in situ measurements of ocean temperature along with overwater and coastal wind observations showed enhanced skill in the two-way coupled model. In particular, the two-way coupled model produced spatially complex SSTs after the cooling event that compared more favorably (using mean bias and rms error) with satellite multichannel SST (MCSST) and had a stabilizing effect on the atmosphere. As a consequence, mean mixing was suppressed by over 20% in the atmospheric boundary layer and more realistic mean 10-m wind speeds were produced during the monthlong two-way coupled simulation

A Theory of Gravity Wave Absorption By Boundary Layers

A one-layer frictional model of the boundary layer is proposed to explain the nature of gravity wave absorption seen in numerical simulations. The key result is that friction causes the phase of the BL winds to shift upstream. The associated divergence in the BL winds modulates the BL thickness in way that allows the down-going gravity wave to be absorbed. To capture the BL effect, the reflection coefficient must be considered a complex number. In a lee wave situation, the influence of the boundary layer is to decay the wave amplitude and reduce its wavelength

In vitro and in vivo studies of the trypanocidal properties of WRR-483 against Trypanosoma cruzi.

BackgroundCruzain, the major cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi, is an essential enzyme for the parasite life cycle and has been validated as a viable target to treat Chagas' disease. As a proof-of-concept, K11777, a potent inhibitor of cruzain, was found to effectively eliminate T. cruzi infection and is currently a clinical candidate for treatment of Chagas' disease.Methodology/principal findingsWRR-483, an analog of K11777, was synthesized and evaluated as an inhibitor of cruzain and against T. cruzi proliferation in cell culture. This compound demonstrates good potency against cruzain with sensitivity to pH conditions and high efficacy in the cell culture assay. Furthermore, WRR-483 also eradicates parasite infection in a mouse model of acute Chagas' disease. To determine the atomic-level details of the inhibitor interacting with cruzain, a 1.5 A crystal structure of the protease in complex with WRR-483 was solved. The structure illustrates that WRR-483 binds covalently to the active site cysteine of the protease in a similar manner as other vinyl sulfone-based inhibitors. Details of the critical interactions within the specificity binding pocket are also reported.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that WRR-483 is an effective cysteine protease inhibitor with trypanocidal activity in cell culture and animal model with comparable efficacy to K11777. Crystallographic evidence confirms that the mode of action is by targeting the active site of cruzain. Taken together, these results suggest that WRR-483 has potential to be developed as a treatment for Chagas' disease

Economic Analysis of Increased Levels of Intramuscular Fat in Pork: Producer and Industry Opportunities

Ultrasound technology is available for accurately measuring intramuscular fat (IMF) in live pigs. This report provides information on the costs for pig producers and processors to implement this technology and what consumers are willing to pay for pork with improved levels of intramuscular fat. About half the participants in the willingness to pay study preferred the high IMF chop. They paid a premium of 25 percent over the low IMF chop.ultrasound technology, measure intramuscular fat live pigs, pig producer cost, pig processor costs, consumer willingness to pay, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Unified Parameterization of the Marine Boundary Layer

The long term goals of this effort are (i) the development of a unified parameterization for the marine boundary layer; (ii) the implementation of this new parameterization in the US Navy COAMPS mesoscale model; and (iii) the transition of this new version of the COAMPS model into operations at Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC). OBJECTIVE

High-resolution mapping of Bora winds in the northern Adriatic Sea using synthetic aperture radar

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2010. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 115 (2010): C04020, doi:10.1029/2009JC005524.The Adriatic Sea is regularly subjected to strong Bora wind events from the northeast during winter. The events have a strong effect on the oceanography in the Adriatic, driving basin-scale gyres that determine the transport of biogeochemical material and extracting large amounts of heat. The Bora is known to have multiple surface wind jets linked to the surrounding orography and have been the focus of many studies, but it has not been possible to describe the detailed spatial structure of these jets by in situ observations. Using high-resolution spaceborne RADARSAT-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images collected during an active Bora period (23 January–16 February 2003), we created a series of high-resolution (300 m) maps of the wind field. The obtained winds show reasonable agreement with several in situ wind observations, with an RMS wind speed error of 3.6 m/s, slightly higher than the 2–3 m/s errors reported in previous studies. These SAR images reveal the spatial structure of the Bora wind in unprecedented detail, showing several new features. In the Senj region of Croatia, several images show rhythmic structure with wavelengths of 2–3 km that may reflect Bora pulsation seen at fixed locations by previous investigators. Along the Italian coast, several images show a wide (20–30 km) band of northwesterly winds that abruptly change to the northeasterly Bora winds further offshore. Meteorological model results suggest that these northwesterly winds are consistent with those of a barrier jet forming along the Italian Apennine mountain chain