Passive Millimeter-wave Signatures of Ice Particles in Hurricane Erin

Observations of Hurricane Erin (2001) taken during the Fourth Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-Q) are used to elucidate relationships between measurements and models. Measurements include active and passive microwave sensors, and dropsondes. Models used in the analysis include radiative transfer (RT) models, mesoscale models (MM5), and particle parameterizations. Various combinations of the models and observational constraints are used in the RT model to provide calculated brightness temperatures to compare to the passive observations. In order to match the wide frequency range 10 to 183+/-10 GHg model modifications were needed. The 55.5 GHz channel provided insight to the tropospheric temperature profile, while the 10 GHz channel provided knowledge of (near) ocean surface conditions. The channels less than approx.90 GHz are mostly responsive to liquid in the cloud, while higher frequencies respond to ice particles in the cloud. Keywords-ice clouds, precipitation, millimeter-wave, retrievals

Nonspherical and Spherical Characterization of Ice in Hurricane Erin for Wideband Passive Microwave Comparisons

In order to better understand the characteristics of frozen cloud particles in hurricane systems, computed brightness temperatures were compared with radiometric observations of Hurricane Erin (2001) from the NASA ER-2 aircraft. The focus was oil the frozen particle microphysics and the high frequencies (2 85 GHz) that are particularly sensitive to frozen particles. Frozen particles in hurricanes are an indicator of increasing hurricane intensity. In fact "hot towers" associated with increasing hurricane intensity are composed of frozen ice cloud particles. (They are called hot towers because their column of air is warmer than the surrounding air temperature, but above about 5-7 km to the tops of the towers at 15-19 km, the cloud particles are frozen.) This work showed that indeed, one can model information about cloud ice particle characteristics and indicated that nonspherical ice shapes, instead of spherical particles, provided the best match to the observations. Overall, this work shows that while non-spherical particles show promise, selecting and modeling a proper ice particle parameterization can be difficult and additional in situ measurements are needed to define and validate appropriate parameterizations. This work is important for developing Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission satellite algorithms for the retrieval of ice characteristics both above the melting layer, as in Hurricane Erin, and for ice particles that reach the surface as falling snow

Investigating Demand for Weather Index Insurance: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia

There is much interest in weather index insurance as a poverty‐mitigating tool, but concerns persist about potential demand for the product among the poorest of the poor. This paper relates the experiences in rural areas of Tigray region, Ethiopia through both commercial sign‐up data and a series of experimental games conducted to test demand for weather index insurance. Demand was observed to be considerable in both.Risk and Uncertainty,

The EBNA3 Family of Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Proteins Associates with the USP46/USP12 Deubiquitination Complexes to Regulate Lymphoblastoid Cell Line Growth

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear proteins EBNA3A, EBNA3B, and EBNA3C interact with the cell DNA binding protein RBPJ and regulate cell and viral genes. Repression of the CDKN2A tumor suppressor gene products p16INK4A and p14ARF by EBNA3A and EBNA3C is critical for EBV mediated transformation of resting B lymphocytes into immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). To define the composition of endogenous EBNA3 protein complexes, we generated lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) expressing flag-HA tagged EBNA3A, EBNA3B, or EBNA3C and used tandem affinity purification to isolate each EBNA3 complex. Our results demonstrated that each EBNA3 protein forms a distinct complex with RBPJ. Mass-spectrometry revealed that the EBNA3A and EBNA3B complexes also contained the deubquitylation complex consisting of WDR48, WDR20, and USP46 (or its paralog USP12) and that EBNA3C complexes contained WDR48. Immunoprecipitation confirmed that EBNA3A, EBNA3B, and EBNA3C association with the USP46 complex. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate that WDR48 and USP46 are recruited to the p14ARF promoter in an EBNA3C dependent manner. Mapping studies were consistent with WDR48 being the primary mediator of EBNA3 association with the DUB complex. By ChIP assay, WDR48 was recruited to the p14ARF promoter in an EBNA3C dependent manner. Importantly, WDR48 associated with EBNA3A and EBNA3C domains that are critical for LCL growth, suggesting a role for USP46/USP12 in EBV induced growth transformation

Interpreting Cancer Genomes Using Systematic Host Perturbations by Tumour Virus Proteins

Genotypic differences greatly influence susceptibility and resistance to disease. Understanding genotype-phenotype relationships requires that phenotypes be viewed as manifestations of network properties, rather than simply as the result of individual genomic variations. Genome sequencing efforts have identified numerous germline mutations associated with cancer predisposition and large numbers of somatic genomic alterations. However, it remains challenging to distinguish between background, or “passenger” and causal, or “driver” cancer mutations in these datasets. Human viruses intrinsically depend on their host cell during the course of infection and can elicit pathological phenotypes similar to those arising from mutations. To test the hypothesis that genomic variations and tumour viruses may cause cancer via related mechanisms, we systematically examined host interactome and transcriptome network perturbations caused by DNA tumour virus proteins. The resulting integrated viral perturbation data reflects rewiring of the host cell networks, and highlights pathways that go awry in cancer, such as Notch signalling and apoptosis. We show that systematic analyses of host targets of viral proteins can identify cancer genes with a success rate on par with their identification through functional genomics and large-scale cataloguing of tumour mutations. Together, these complementary approaches result in increased specificity for cancer gene identification. Combining systems-level studies of pathogen-encoded gene products with genomic approaches will facilitate prioritization of cancer-causing driver genes so as to advance understanding of the genetic basis of human cancer

Eco-Reps: A Living Plan

The Eco-Reps plan lays about a vision, implementation plan, and resources for future iterations of the Eco-Reps program. This is a living plan, meant to be continuously evaluated and redefined.U of I OnlyNo permission for open acces

The Epstein-Barr Virus LF2 Protein Inhibits Viral Replication▿

The switch from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection to lytic replication is governed by two transcriptional regulators, Zta and Rta. We previously reported that the EBV protein encoded by the LF2 gene binds to Rta and can inhibit Rta activity in reporter gene assays. We now report that LF2 associates with Rta in the context of EBV-infected cells induced for lytic replication. LF2 inhibition of Rta occurs in both epithelial and B cells, and this downregulation is promoter specific: LF2 decreases Rta activation of the BALF2, BMLF1, and BMRF1 promoters by 60 to 90% but does not significantly decrease Rta activation of its own promoter (Rp). LF2 decreases Rta activation by at least two mechanisms: decreased DNA binding and interference with transcriptional activation by the Rta acidic activation domain. Coexpression of LF2 also specifically induces modification of Rta by the small ubiquitin-like modifiers SUMO2 and SUMO3. We further demonstrate that LF2 overexpression blocks lytic activation in EBV-infected cells induced with Rta or Zta. Our results demonstrate that LF2, a gene deleted from the EBV reference strain B95-8, encodes a potent inhibitor of EBV replication, and they suggest that future studies of EBV replication need to account for the potential effects of LF2 on Rta activity

Rapid Methods to Predict Lean Quality Attributes in Pork

Meat quality has a significant impact on the value of pork. This research was conducted to determine if measures taken within the first 24 hours after harvest could be used to predict final meat quality in the domestic and export market. Measurements of loin pH, electrical impedance, and light reflectance were taken at the last rib 22 hours postmortem on 604 pigs in a commercial meat plant. One loin from each carcass was stored for 21 or 42 days to simulate domestic or export handling and shipping. At the conclusion of the storage time, pork color and loin purge were assessed. Measures taken within a day of slaughter were used to construct prediction equations for ultimate color and purge in domestic and export product. Color (L*, a measure of lightness) was determined using a colorimeter and purge was defined as the percentage of boneless loin weight found as free liquid in the vacuum package after storage. Prediction equations explained only 21% and 12% of the variation in percent purge for domestic and export product, respectively, and 29% and 44%, respectively, of the variation in L*. Electrical impedance and light reflectance were of limited value in predicting pork quality within narrow quality classes when the measurements were made on cold carcasses

Need-solution pair recognition by household sector individuals: Evidence, and a cognitive mechanism explanation

© 2020 The Author(s) Problem-solving by everyday individuals is thought to occur as a two-step process. First, an individual identifies or formulates a problem, followed by entering into a subsequent search to find the best solution. Here, however, we consider an alternative process that everyday individuals may use for solution finding first theorized by von Hippel and von Krogh (2016). Specifically, von Hippel and von Krogh proposed that everyday individuals may sometimes discover a solution and the need it satisfies simultaneously without the need for apriori problem formation, a cognitive process they called “need-solution pair recognition”. Utilizing a rich literature from psychology and neuroscience, we propose that seemingly spontaneous discoveries found by need-solution pair recognition are natural products of the object recognition system and its underlying mechanisms. This view asserts that on encountering an object and reasoning how it might be used (i.e. functional object understanding), an individual's perception of an object may culminate in recognizing the object as a solution, and in some cases, as a solution to a problem previously unknown to him or her, thus bypassing formal problem-formulation and active solution searching entirely. To empirically test this view, we manipulated the ability of everyday individuals to functionally reason about objects while we examined the spontaneous occurrence of solutions found by either need-solution pair recognition or traditional problem-first problem-solving. Consistent with our hypothesized mechanism, our results indicate that need-solution pair recognition occurs more frequently when constraints on functional object understanding are reduced. That is, we found that needsolution pair discoveries outpaced solutions found from traditional problem solving, in environments with unfamiliar objects, where participants were not directed to solve specific problems. Our results provide clear evidence that everyday individuals in the household sector do not always innovate through traditional problem-solving processes, but instead may arrive at solutions as they recognize and reason about objects. Implications for research and practice in household innovation, and for innovation more generally are considered

Investigating Demand for Weather Index Insurance: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia

There is much interest in weather index insurance as a poverty‐mitigating tool, but concerns persist about potential demand for the product among the poorest of the poor. This paper relates the experiences in rural areas of Tigray region, Ethiopia through both commercial sign‐up data and a series of experimental games conducted to test demand for weather index insurance. Demand was observed to be considerable in both