Differences Between Collection 4 and 5 MODIS Ice Cloud Optical/Microphysical Products and Their Impact on Radiative Forcing Simulations

This paper reports on the comparison of two latest versions (collections 4 and 5) of ice cloud products derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) measurements. The differences between the bulk optical properties of ice clouds used in collections 4 and 5 and the relevant impact on simulating the correlation of the bidirectional reflection functions at two MODIS bands centered at 0.65 (or 0.86) and 2.13 mum are investigated. The level-3 MODIS ice cloud properties (specifically, ice cloud fraction, optical thickness, and effective particle size in this paper) from the collection 4 and 5 datasets are compared for a tropical belt of 30deg S-30deg N. Furthermore, the impact of the differences between the MODIS collection 4 and 5 ice cloud products on the simulation of the radiative forcing of these clouds is investigated. Over the tropics, the averaged ice cloud fraction from collection 5 is 1.1% more than the collection 4 counterpart, the averaged optical thickness from collection 5 is 1.2 larger than the collection 4 counterpart, and the averaged effective particle radius from collection 5 is 1.8 mum smaller than the collection 4 counterpart. Moreover, the magnitude of the differences between collection 5 and 4 ice cloud properties also depends on the surface characteristics, i.e., over land or over ocean. The differences of these two datasets (collections 4 and 5) of cloud properties can have a significant impact on the simulation of the radiative forcing of ice clouds. In terms of total (longwave plus shortwave) cloud radiative forcing, the differences between the collection 5 and 4 results are distributed primarily between -60 and 20 W ldr m^-2 but peak at 0 W ldr m^-2.     

NVP‐BHG712: Effects of Regioisomers on the Affinity and Selectivity toward the EPHrin Family

Erythropoietin‐producing hepatocellular (EPH) receptors are transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases. Their extracellular domains bind specifically to ephrin A/B ligands, and this binding modulates intracellular kinase activity. EPHs are key players in bidirectional intercellular signaling, controlling cell morphology, adhesion, and migration. They are increasingly recognized as cancer drug targets. We analyzed the binding of NVP‐BHG712 (NVP) to EPHA2 and EPHB4. Unexpectedly, all tested commercially available NVP samples turned out to be a regioisomer (NVPiso) of the inhibitor, initially described in a Novartis patent application. They only differ by the localization of a single methyl group on either one of two adjacent nitrogen atoms. The two compounds of identical mass revealed different binding modes. Furthermore, both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that the isomers differ in their kinase affinity and selectivity.     

Real-time multi-rate HIL simulation platform for evaluation of a jet engine fuel controller

A new Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) platform is developed for testing of a turbojet engine fuel control system using a multi-rate simulation platform. The HIL equipment consists of an industrial PC and a commercial I/O board for jet engine simulation as the controlled process and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) as the fuel controller. The controlled process consisting of actuator, physical process and sensors is fully simulated in HIL simulation. However, the high resolution signals of some components in the HIL simulation cause the real-time simulation to become difficult due to the need of small time-steps. As a result, the disparity between the jet engine model sampling rate and these high resolution signals requires a multi-rate simulation. In this study, a multi step size simulation is developed using multiple processors. These processors are designed to synchronize the status of the engine model with the control system as well as to convert the raw data of the I/O boards to actual input and output signals in real-time. These features make the HIL equipment more effective and flexible. The HIL environment is proved to be an efficient tool to develop various control functions and to validate the software and hardware of the engine fuel control system.     

Multi objective association rule mining with genetic algorithm without specifying minimum support and minimum confidence

Multi objective processing can be leveraged for mining the association rules. This paper discusses the application of multi objective genetic algorithm to association rule mining. We focus our attention especially on association rule mining. This paper proposes a method based on genetic algorithm without taking the minimum support and confidence into account. In order to improve algorithm efficiency, we apply the FP-tree algorithm. Our method extracts the best rules that have best correlation between support and confidence. The operators of our method are flexible for changing the fitness. Unlike the Apriori-based algorithm, it does not depend on support. Experimental study shows that our technique outperforms the traditional methods.     

A novel hybrid method for selecting soccer players during the transfer season

The quality of its players is one of the most significant features determining the failure or success of a sports team. The wide array of factors contributing to the performance of the players together with the inherent financial limitations of the clubs have transformed the selection of players into a complex problem. The current paper presents an integrated approach that combines multiple‐criteria decision‐making analysis and mathematical programming to support the decision maker through the building process of a soccer team. First, the fuzzy analytic network process is applied to evaluate the significance of the different performance criteria for each position in the field. The score attained by the different players in each potential position is computed using PROMETHEE II. A biobjective integer programming model has been designed to evaluate the transfer status of the players. Finally, data envelopment analysis is used to identify the most efficient Pareto solution determining the status of each player. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach, the position in the field and transfer status of 60 players being considered by a real soccer team have been determined.     

Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of zinc tungstate nanoparticles and investigation of its photocatalyst application

Zinc tungstate nanoparticles were synthesized via a sonochemical method based on the reaction between zinc (II) nitrate hexahydrate and sodium tungstate dihydrate in water. The structural, morphological and optical properties of as-obtained products were characterized by techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The samples indicated a ferromagnetic behavior, as evidenced by using vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature. To evaluate the catalytic properties of nanocrystalline zinc tungstate, the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under ultraviolet light irradiation was carried out.     

Nanocrystalline copper ferrite: synthesis of different shapes through a new method and its photocatalyst application

Pure CoFe₂O₄ nanostructures were prepared via auto-combustion sol–gel method in presence of different amino acids as a natural fuel. The effect of different amino acids such as leucine, asparagine, and alanine on the size, and morphology of CoFe₂O₄ nanostructures were investigated. The as-obtained CoFe₂O₄ nanostructures were analyzed by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction. The magnetic properties of as-prepared CoFe₂O₄ nanostructures were also investigated with vibrating sample magnetometer. In addition, methyl orange was chosen as a dye water pollution to evaluate its degradation by as-synthesize CoFe₂O₄ under ultraviolet light irradiation. Furthermore, the photocatalysis results reveal that the maximum decolorization of 82 % for methyl orange occurred with CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles in 90 min under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation.     

Thermal properties of Cf/HfC and Cf/HfC-SiC composites prepared by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis

Ultra-high temperature ceramic infiltrated carbon-fibre composites were prepared by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) using a laboratory synthesized precursor. Microstructures and thermal properties including thermal expansion, thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity and oxidative stability are correlated. XRD reveals the presence of C_f-HfC and C_f-HfC-SiC phases without formation of oxides. The CTE observed at 1200?°C is slightly higher for C_f-HfC (3.36?×?10^?6?K^?1) compared to C_f-HfC-SiC (2.95?×?10^?6?K^?1) composites. Lower thermal diffusivity of the C_f-HfC-SiC compared to C_f-HfC composites is attributed to a thermal barrier effect and cracks in the composites which formed due to the CTE mismatch between carbon fibre and the matrix as well as CO generated during graphitization. The thermal conductivity of C_f-HfC (4.18?±?0.14?Wm^?1?K^?1) is higher than that of C_f-HfC-SiC composite (3.33?±?0.42?Wm^?1?K^?1). Composites microstructures were coarse with some protruding particles (5?μm) with a homogeneous dense (～70%) matrix (HfC and HfC-SiC) for both composites.     

Modeling of Zinc Bromide Energy Storage for Vehicular Applications

Energy storage devices such as lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydrate batteries and ultracapacitors have been considered for utilization in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and HEVs to improve efficiency and performance and reduce gas mileage. In this paper, we analyze and model an advanced energy storage device, namely, zinc bromide, for vehicular applications. This system has high energy and power density, high efficiency, and long life. A series of tests has been conducted on the storage to create an electrical model of the system. The modeling results show that the open-circuit voltage of the battery is a direct function of the battery's state of charge (SOC). In addition, the battery internal resistance is also a function of SOC at constant temperature. A Kalman filtering technique is also designed to adjust the estimated SOC according to battery current.      

Ab initio and TD-DFT study of the structural and spectroscopic properties of C30H10 as a new buckybowl

In this study, the structural and spectroscopic properties of the C₃₀H₁₀ as a sub-fullerene and a new buckybowl was carried out by quantum mechanical computations using B3LYP method and 6–311++G(d,p) basis set. All of the parameters were evaluated by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) were described which revealed different charge transfer possibilities for the molecule. The chemical shifts (δ, ppm) were predicted for ¹H and ¹³C atoms using GIAO method. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was carried out to picture the charge transfer between the localized bonds and lone pairs. The Fukui function (FF) for local reactivity of C₃₀H₁₀ was calculated and related discussions were done.