Deep Convective System Evolution over Africa and the Tropical Atlantic

In the tropical African and neighboring Atlantic region there is a strong contrast in the properties of deep convection between land and ocean. Here, satellite radar observations are used to produce a composite picture of the life cycle of convection in these two regions. Estimates of the broadband thermal flux from the geostationary Meteosat-8 satellite are used to identify and track organized convective systems over their life cycle. The evolution of the system size and vertical extent are used to define five life cycle stages (warm and cold developing, mature, cold and warm dissipating), providing the basis for the composite analysis of the system evolution. The tracked systems are matched to overpasses of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, and a composite picture of the evolution of various radar and lightning characteristics is built up. The results suggest a fundamental difference in the convective life cycle between land and ocean. African storms evolve from convectively active systems with frequent lightning in their developing stages to more stratiform conditions as they dissipate. Over the Atlantic, the convective fraction remains essentially constant into the dissipating stages, and lightning occurrence peaks late in the life cycle. This behavior is consistent with differences in convective sustainability in land and ocean regions as proposed in previous studies. The area expansion rate during the developing stages of convection is used to provide an estimate of the intensity of convection. Reasonable correlations are found between this index and the convective system lifetime, size, and depth.

A stochastic parameterization for deep convection based on equilibrium statistics

A stochastic parameterization scheme for deep convection is described, suitable for use in both climate and NWP models. Theoretical arguments and the results of cloud-resolving models, are discussed in order to motivate the form of the scheme. In the deterministic limit, it tends to a spectrum of entraining/detraining plumes and is similar to other current parameterizations. The stochastic variability describes the local fluctuations about a large-scale equilibrium state. Plumes are drawn at random from a probability distribution function (pdf) that defines the chance of finding a plume of given cloud-base mass flux within each model grid box. The normalization of the pdf is given by the ensemble-mean mass flux, and this is computed with a CAPE closure method. The characteristics of each plume produced are determined using an adaptation of the plume model from the Kain-Fritsch parameterization. Initial tests in the single column version of the Unified Model verify that the scheme is effective in producing the desired distributions of convective variability without adversely affecting the mean state.

Consistent approximate models of the global atmosphere: shallow, deep, hydrostatic, quasi-hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic

We study global atmosphere models that are at least as accurate as the hydrostatic primitive equations (HPEs), reviewing known results and reporting some new ones. The HPEs make spherical geopotential and shallow atmosphere approximations in addition to the hydrostatic approximation. As is well known, a consistent application of the shallow atmosphere approximation requires omission of those Coriolis terms that vary as the cosine of latitude and of certain other terms in the components of the momentum equation. An approximate model is here regarded as consistent if it formally preserves conservation principles for axial angular momentum, energy and potential vorticity, and (following R. Müller) if its momentum component equations have Lagrange's form. Within these criteria, four consistent approximate global models, including the HPEs themselves, are identified in a height-coordinate framework. The four models, each of which includes the spherical geopotential approximation, correspond to whether the shallow atmosphere and hydrostatic (or quasi-hydrostatic) approximations are individually made or not made. Restrictions on representing the spatial variation of apparent gravity occur. Solution methods and the situation in a pressure-coordinate framework are discussed. © Crown copyright 2005.

Structure oil-absorption relationships during deep-fat frying

Analysis of the oil-absorption process in deep-fat fried potato cylinders (frying temperatures of 155degreesC, 170degreesC, and 185degreesC) allowed to distinguish 3 oil fractions: structural oil (absorbed during frying), penetrated surface oil (suctioned during cooling), and surface oil. Results showed that a small amount of oil penetrates during frying because most of the oil was picked up at the end of the process, suggesting that oil uptake and water removal are not synchronous phenomena. After cooling, oil was located either on the surface of the chip or suctioned into the porous crust microstructure, with an inverse relationship between them for increasing frying times.

Search space pruning and global optimization of multiple gravity assist trajectories with deep space manoeuvres

This paper deals with the design of optimal multiple gravity assist trajectories with deep space manoeuvres. A pruning method which considers the sequential nature of the problem is presented. The method locates feasible vectors using local optimization and applies a clustering algorithm to find reduced bounding boxes which can be used in a subsequent optimization step. Since multiple local minima remain within the pruned search space, the use of a global optimization method, such as Differential Evolution, is suggested for finding solutions which are likely to be close to the global optimum. Two case studies are presented.

Arterial disease and thrombosis in the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): A pathogenic role for endothelin-1 (ET-1)

Objective To explore a possible correlation between endothelin 1 (ET-1), the most potent endothelium-derived contracting factor that modulates vascular smooth muscle tone, and arterial disease in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Methods Plasma levels of ET-1 were measured in APS patients with (n = 16) and without (n = 11) arterial thrombosis and in non-APS patients with arterial thrombosis (n = 9). In addition, steady-state prepro-ET-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were determined in endothelial cells treated with a range of human monoclonal anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) (as anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies) by semiquantitative 32P-dCTP-labeled reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results Compared with healthy controls, markedly increased plasma levels of ET-1 were found in APS patients with arterial thrombosis (2.00 ± 0.87 versus 0.96 ± 0.37 pg/ml; P = 0.0001) but not in other groups. Three human monoclonal aCL induced prepro-ET-1 mRNA levels significantly more than did control monoclonal antibody lacking aCL activity. Conclusion Plasma ET-1 levels correlated significantly with a history of arterial thrombosis in patients with APS. Prepro-ET-1 mRNA was induced by human monoclonal aCL in the in vitro experimental system. The induction of ET-1 by antiphospholipid antibodies might contribute to increased arterial tone, leading to vasospasm and, ultimately, to arterial occlusion.