Simulation of Sea Level Variations in The Tropical Pacific Using A Linear Multi-mode Model with Application to The Emergence of Central Pacific ENSO

The interannual sea level variability in the tropical Pacific is dominated by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In recent two decades, the increasing occurrence of Central Pacific ENSO (CP ENSO) contrasting with the classical Eastern Pacific ENSO (EP ENSO), termed with respect to the locations of maximum Sea Surface Temperature anomalies (SSTa) during the mature phase, post new challenges to the prediction of ENSO. In this thesis, the interannual sea level variations in the tropical Pacific over the time span 1961-2014 are simulated to investigate the dynamics of ENSO, especially of CP ENSO, using a linear multi-mode model, given the good agreement of the ENSO-related sea level variations with the linear wave dynamics

Reconstructing Tropical Pacific Sea Level Variability for the Period 1961-2002 Using a Linear Multimode Model

Monthly mean sea level anomalies in the tropical Pacific for the period 1961-2002 are reconstructed using a linear, multi-mode model driven by monthly mean wind stress anomalies from the NCEP/NCAR and ERA-40 reanalysis products. Overall, the sea level anomalies reconstructed by both wind stress products agree well with the available tide gauge data, although with poor performance at Kanton Island in the western-central equatorial Pacific and reduced amplitude at Christmas Island. The reduced performance is related to model error in locating the pivot point in sea level variability associated with the so-called “tilt” mode. We present evidence that the pivot point was further west during the period 1993-2014 than during the period 1961-2002 and attribute this to a persistent upward trend in the zonal wind stress variance along the equator west of 160° W throughout the period 1961-2014. Experiments driven by the zonal component of the wind stress alone reproduce much of the trend in sea level found in the experiments driven by both components of the wind stress. The experiments show an upward trend in sea level in the eastern tropical Pacific over the period 1961-2002, but with a much stronger upward trend when using the NCEP/NCAR product. We argue that the latter is related to an overly strong eastward trend in zonal wind stress in the eastern-central Pacific that is believed to be a spurious feature of the NCEP/NCAR product

The impact of evidence type and message framing on promoting HPV vaccination in online health communities

Message features and type are crucial in health-related communication, especially due to the potential impact these messages can have on an individual's health. This study uses a 2 ' 2 experimental design (evidence type: statistical evidence vs. narrative evidence; message framing: gain-framed message vs. loss-framed message), to investigate how evidence type and message framing affect the attitudes, health beliefs, and intentions of college students in online health communities, regarding getting the HPV vaccination. Preliminary results (N=300) indicated that; (1) evidence type and message framing both influence attitudes and intentions significantly; Statistical evidence will lead to more favorable views than narrative evidence, and loss-framed messages will lead to more favorable views than gain-framed messages. (2) Concerning the interactions, we used construal level theory and found that, for gain-framed message, narrative evidence will lead to more favorable attitudes, free intentions, perceived benefits and barriers of HPV vaccination than statistical evidence; for loss-framed message, statistical evidence will lead to more favorable attitudes, intentions, perceived seriousness, benefits and barriers of HPV vaccination than narrative evidence

Research on health service system of smart communities for older adults

Smart community provides opportunities to develop the elder care system with information technologies for elderly people. Most existing studies on elder care system are from the macro level and there lacks practical development in this area, especially has ignored diversified elderly people’s health needs. This study tried to investigate the elderly people’s health needs by conducting interviews in two smart communities (Sanli community and Tieli community in Hefei city, Anhui province). We have interviewed 16 older adults and 16 of their grown-up children in the communities. With the help of Nvivo12, health needs about elderly people are coded into 57 free nodes and 8 tree nodes elderly people, which are further divided into four aspects based on the social support angle, information needs, instrument needs, substance needs, and emotion needs. Finally, we developed the health service system of smart communities from the subjects and functions of social support perspective. Through this study, we can better understand health needs of older adults and provide references for the development of health services in smart communitie

Traveler Pro-social Behaviors at Heritage Tourism Sites

This study aimed to explain the development of tourists’ pro-social intentions during heritage tourism within the pandemic context by combining the norm activation model (NAM) and two significant variables in the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The quantitative data analysis results indicated that the proposed hypotheses have been partially supported, which resonated and enriched the existing studies on COVID-19- related pro-social tourism and tourist behaviors from a theoretical angle. Based on the research outcomes, the corresponding managerial implications for heritage tourism practitioners and meaningful references for future researchers to promote sustainable and pro-social heritage tourism products have been discussed

Interannual variability of tropical Pacific Sea level from 1993 to 2014

A multi-mode, linear reduced-gravity model, driven by ERA-Interim monthly mean wind stress anomalies, is used to investigate interannual variability in tropical Pacific sea level as seen in satellite altimeter data. The model output is fitted to the altimeter data along the equator, in order to derive the vertical profile for the model forcing, showing that a signature from modes higher than mode six cannot be extracted from the altimeter data. It is shown that the model has considerable skill at capturing interannual sea level variability both on and off the equator. The correlation between modelled and satellite-derived sea level data exceeds 0.8 over a wide range of longitudes along the equator and readily captures the observed ENSO events. Overall, the combination of the first, second, third and fifth modes can provide a robust estimate of the interannual sea level variability, the second mode being dominant. A remarkable feature of both the model and the altimeter data is the presence of a pivot point in the western Pacific on the equator. We show that the westward displacement of the pivot point from the centre of the basin is strongly influenced by the fact that most of the wind stress variance is found in the western part of the basin. We also show that the Sverdrup transport is not fundamental to the dynamics of the recharge/discharge mechanism in our model, although the spatial structure of the wind forcing does play a role in setting the amplitude of the “warm water volume”

Magnetically attracted iron scrap anode based electrocoagulation for phosphate removal

This study shows the effectiveness of a novel electrocoagulation process using magnetically attracted iron scrap anodes for phosphate removal from aqueous solution. The effect of contact time, reaction temperature, dose of iron scrap, initial phosphate concentration, applied voltage, pH, magnetic force, and the species of competing anions on the efficiency of phosphate removal and the reaction products has been investigated. The techniques of XRD, XPS, and VSM were used to characterize the elemental composition and the types of the reaction products in order to clarify the interaction between novel anode and phosphate ions. The removal of phosphate was fitted by a pseudo first-order reaction kinetic model. The results showed that magnetically attracted iron scrap anodes were electrodissoluted under an applied potential and reacted with phosphate into Fe-hydroxo-phosphate complexes. The work suggested that electrocoagulation using magnetically attracted iron scrap anodes had the potential to become a promising technique for phosphate precipitation

Formation and homogenisation of Sn-Cu interconnects by self-propagated exothermic reactive bonding

We produced SnCu interconnects by self-propagated exothermic reactions using AlNi NanoFoil at ambient conditions, through the instantaneous localised heat across the interfaces between Sn electroplated Cu substrates. This technique presents a great potential for electronics integration with minimal thermal effects to the components. However, the metastable phases resulted from the non-equilibrium interfacial reactions and solidification were inevitable under a highly transient regime due to a drastic heating/cooling (over 107 K/s). In this study, Finite Element Analysis was performed to predict the temperature profiles across bonding interfaces, which were subsequently correlated with the formation and homogenisation of the bonded structures during the bonding and post-bonding ageing process. It has been revealed that, for nano-sized metastable phases, their formation, morphologies and distribution were primarily attributed to the convective mass transportation, liquid-solid inter-diffusion, and directional non-equilibrium solidification of Sn in molten zone of the bonding interfaces. The non-equilibrium phases initially formed in the SnCu interconnects can be homogenised towards the equilibrium status by accelerated ageing. This was achieved through the coalescing and subsequent growth of the original nano-sized metastable phases, as a result of the solid-diffusion of Cu and Ag atoms at intergranular boundary regions of Sn grains, AlNi NanoFoil/Sn. and Cu/Sn interfaces

Integrated multi-omics of the gastrointestinal microbiome and ruminant host reveals metabolic adaptation underlying early life development

publishedVersio

The Anti-Sigma Factor MucA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Dramatic Differences of a mucA22 vs. a ΔmucA Mutant in Anaerobic Acidified Nitrite Sensitivity of Planktonic and Biofilm Bacteria in vitro and During Chronic Murine Lung Infection

Mucoid mucA22 Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is an opportunistic lung pathogen of cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients that is highly sensitive to acidified nitrite (A-NO2-). In this study, we first screened PA mutant strains for sensitivity or resistance to 20 mM A-NO2- under anaerobic conditions that represent the chronic stages of the aforementioned diseases. Mutants found to be sensitive to A-NO2- included PA0964 (pmpR, PQS biosynthesis), PA4455 (probable ABC transporter permease), katA (major catalase, KatA) and rhlR (quorum sensing regulator). In contrast, mutants lacking PA0450 (a putative phosphate transporter) and PA1505 (moaA2) were A-NO2- resistant. However, we were puzzled when we discovered that mucA22 mutant bacteria, a frequently isolated mucA allele in CF and to a lesser extent COPD, were more sensitive to A-NO2- than a truncated ΔmucA deletion (Δ157–194) mutant in planktonic and biofilm culture, as well as during a chronic murine lung infection. Subsequent transcriptional profiling of anaerobic, A-NO2--treated bacteria revealed restoration of near wild-type transcript levels of protective NO2- and nitric oxide (NO) reductase (nirS and norCB, respectively) in the ΔmucA mutant in contrast to extremely low levels in the A-NO2--sensitive mucA22 mutant. Proteins that were S-nitrosylated by NO derived from A-NO2- reduction in the sensitive mucA22 strain were those involved in anaerobic respiration (NirQ, NirS), pyruvate fermentation (UspK), global gene regulation (Vfr), the TCA cycle (succinate dehydrogenase, SdhB) and several double mutants were even more sensitive to A-NO2-. Bioinformatic-based data point to future studies designed to elucidate potential cellular binding partners for MucA and MucA22. Given that A-NO2- is a potentially viable treatment strategy to combat PA and other infections, this study offers novel developments as to how clinicians might better treat problematic PA infections in COPD and CF airway diseases