Reliability of regional climate model simulations of extremes and of long-term climate

We present two case studies that demonstrate how a common evaluation methodology can be used to assess the reliability of regional climate model simulations from different fields of research. In Case I, we focused on the agricultural yield loss risk for maize in Northeastern Brazil during a drought linked to an El-Niño event. In Case II, the present-day regional climatic conditions in Europe for a 10-year period are simulated. To comprehensively evaluate the model results for both kinds of investigations, we developed a general methodology. On its basis, we elaborated and implemented modules to assess the quality of model results using both advanced visualization techniques and statistical algorithms. Besides univariate approaches for individual near-surface parameters, we used multivariate statistics to investigate multiple near-surface parameters of interest together. For the latter case, we defined generalized quality measures to quantify the model's accuracy. Furthermore, we elaborated a diagnosis tool applicable for atmospheric variables to assess the model's accuracy in representing the physical processes above the surface under various aspects. By means of this evaluation approach, it could be demonstrated in Case Study I that the accuracy of the applied regional climate model resides at the same level as that we found for another regional model and a global model. Excessive precipitation during the rainy season in coastal regions could be identified as a major contribution leading to this result. In Case Study II, we also identified the accuracy of the investigated mean characteristics for near-surface temperature and precipitation to be comparable to another regional model. In this case, an artificial modulation of the used initial and boundary data during preprocessing could be identified as the major source of error in the simulation. Altogether, the achieved results for the presented investigations indicate the potential of our methodology to be applied as a common test bed to different fields of research in regional climate modeling

Review on quality assurance along the CFRP value chain - Non-destructive testing of fabrics, preforms and CFRP by HF radio wave techniques

Eddy current testing is well established for non-destructive testing of electrical conductive materials [1]. The development of radio frequency (RF) eddy current technology with frequency ranges up to 100 MHz made it possible to extend the classical fields of application even towards less conductive materials like CFRP [2][3](Table 2). It turns out that RF eddy current technology on CFRP generates a growing number of valuable information for comprehensive material diagnostic. Both permittivity and conductivity of CFRP influence the complex impedance measured with RF eddy current devices. The electrical conductivity contains information about fiber texture like orientations, gaps or undulations in a multilayered material. The permittivity characterization influenced by dielectric properties allows the determination of local curing defects on CFRP e.g. hot spots, thermal impacts or polymer degradation. An explanation for that effect is seen in the measurement frequency range and the capacitive structure of the carbon rovings. Using radio wave frequencies for testing, the effect of displacement currents cannot be neglected anymore. The capacitive structures formed by the carbon rovings is supposed to further strengthen the dielectric influences on eddy current measurement signal [3]. This report gives an overview of several realized applications and should be understood as a general introduction of CFRP testing by HF Radio Wave techniques

A Comprehensive Classification and Evolutionary Analysis of Plant Homeobox Genes

The full complement of homeobox transcription factor sequences, including genes and pseudogenes, was determined from the analysis of 10 complete genomes from flowering plants, moss, Selaginella, unicellular green algae, and red algae. Our exhaustive genome-wide searches resulted in the discovery in each class of a greater number of homeobox genes than previously reported. All homeobox genes can be unambiguously classified by sequence evolutionary analysis into 14 distinct classes also characterized by conserved intron–exon structure and by unique codomain architectures. We identified many new genes belonging to previously defined classes (HD-ZIP I to IV, BEL, KNOX, PLINC, WOX). Other newly identified genes allowed us to characterize PHD, DDT, NDX, and LD genes as members of four new evolutionary classes and to define two additional classes, which we named SAWADEE and PINTOX. Our comprehensive analysis allowed us to identify several newly characterized conserved motifs, including novel zinc finger motifs in SAWADEE and DDT. Members of the BEL and KNOX classes were found in Chlorobionta (green plants) and in Rhodophyta. We found representatives of the DDT, WOX, and PINTOX classes only in green plants, including unicellular green algae, moss, and vascular plants. All 14 homeobox gene classes were represented in flowering plants, Selaginella, and moss, suggesting that they had already differentiated in the last common ancestor of moss and vascular plants

Matched Filters, Mate Choice and the Evolution of Sexually Selected Traits

Background Fundamental for understanding the evolution of communication systems is both the variation in a signal and how this affects the behavior of receivers, as well as variation in preference functions of receivers, and how this affects the variability of the signal. However, individual differences in female preference functions and their proximate causation have rarely been studied. Methodology/Principal Findings Calling songs of male field crickets represent secondary sexual characters and are subject to sexual selection by female choice. Following predictions from the “matched filter hypothesis” we studied the tuning of an identified interneuron in a field cricket, known for its function in phonotaxis, and correlated this with the preference of the same females in two-choice trials. Females vary in their neuronal frequency tuning, which strongly predicts the preference in a choice situation between two songs differing in carrier frequency. A second “matched filter” exists in directional hearing, where reliable cues for sound localization occur only in a narrow frequency range. There is a strong correlation between the directional tuning and the behavioural preference in no-choice tests. This second “matched filter” also varies widely in females, and surprisingly, differs on average by 400 Hz from the neuronal frequency tuning. Conclusions/Significance Our findings on the mismatch of the two “matched filters” would suggest that the difference in these two filters appears to be caused by their evolutionary history, and the different trade-offs which exist between sound emission, transmission and detection, as well as directional hearing under specific ecological settings. The mismatched filter situation may ultimately explain the maintenance of considerable variation in the carrier frequency of the male signal despite stabilizing selection

Family involvement and firms’ establishment mode choice in foreign markets

Extant literature on foreign entry increasingly recognizes firms’ heterogeneity as a potential reason for inconsistency in results on the establishment mode choice, i.e. whether and under which conditions firms should choose to enter a new country through a greenfield investment or an acquisition. Our study contributes to this debate by identifying family ownership and family involvement in management as potential powerful sources of such heterogeneity. Integrating international business studies with both corporate finance literature on family firms and recent contributions from the Socio Emotional Wealth perspective on family ownership, we claim that, due to greater risk aversion and lower access to information, the family involvement either in the firm ownership and management leads to a higher propensity towards greenfield initiatives (vs. acquisitions). However, we also find that such a propensity decreases with international experience especially in family-owned firms given the greater ability of professionalized management to overcome family-related concerns on making acquisitions. Our analysis on 1,045 foreign initiatives undertaken by 311 Italian family and non-family firms between 2003 and 2013 confirms our expectations – indicating family ownership as a significant driver of international business choices

Hyperacute Directional Hearing and Phonotactic Steering in the Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus deGeer)

Background: Auditory mate or prey localisation is central to the lifestyle of many animals and requires precise directional hearing. However, when the incident angle of sound approaches 0u azimuth, interaural time and intensity differences gradually vanish. This poses a demanding challenge to animals especially when interaural distances are small. To cope with these limitations imposed by the laws of acoustics, crickets employ a frequency tuned peripheral hearing system. Although this enhances auditory directionality the actual precision of directional hearing and phonotactic steering has never been studied in the behaviourally important frontal range. Principal Findings: Here we analysed the directionality of phonotaxis in female crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) walking on an open-loop trackball system by measuring their steering accuracy towards male calling song presented at frontal angles of incidence. Within the range of 630u, females reliably discriminated the side of acoustic stimulation, even when the sound source deviated by only 1u from the animal’s length axis. Moreover, for angles of sound incidence between 1u and 6u the females precisely walked towards the sound source. Measuring the tympanic membrane oscillations of the front leg ears with a laser vibrometer revealed between 0u and 30u a linear increasing function of interaural amplitude differences with a slope of 0.4 dB/u. Auditory nerve recordings closely reflected these bilateral differences in afferent response latency and intensity that provide the physiological basis for precise auditory steering