Changes in the Social Status of Women in Societies in Transition: Russia and Armenia

The project studied the way the post-communist transition has affected the position of women in society and two post-Soviet states, Armenia and Russia, were chosen for a comparative study. Although in many respects the two countries show rather similar tendencies, there are important differences. The most dramatic of these lie in the field of the women's movement and state support, in family lifestyles and public thinking, and in the perception of female roles in society by both women and men in both countries. Whereas in Russia, at least in large cities, it is possible to speak of a movement concerned with equality and women's rights, in Armenia there are few women's organisations and those that exist are most focused on support for children and poor families. In Russia, many post-Soviet changes can be described as a shift towards 'Western' rather than 'Eastern' values, while in Armenia this tendency is much weaker and exists alongside a relapse into traditional attitudes. Iskandarian suggests possible explanations for this, both intrinsic (tradition. motivation) and external (influences, neighbouring countries, involvement in wars, the economic situation, migrations, political regimes). Nevertheless, for both societies it is possible to speak of a growing awareness of women's needs and of the birth of a new tradition in family and public life brought by the post-Soviet winds of change.

Tree phenology and carbon dioxide fluxes - use of digital photography for process-based interpretation at the ecosystem scale

Vegetation phenology is an important indicator of climate change and climate variability and it is strongly connected to biospheric–atmospheric gas exchange. We aimed to evaluate the applicability of phenological information derived from digital imagery for the interpretation of CO2 exchange measurements. For the years 2005–2007 we analyzed seasonal phenological development of 2 temperate mixed forests using tower-based imagery from standard RGB cameras. Phenological information was jointly analyzed with gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from net ecosystem exchange data. Automated image analysis provided reliable information on vegetation developmental stages of beech and ash trees covering all seasons. A phenological index derived from image color values was strongly correlated with GPP, with a significant mean time lag of several days for ash trees and several weeks for beech trees in early summer (May to mid-July). Leaf emergence dates for the dominant tree species partly explained temporal behaviour of spring GPP but were also masked by local meteorological conditions. We conclude that digital cameras at flux measurement sites not only provide an objective measure of the physiological state of a forest canopy at high temporal and spatial resolutions, but also complement CO2 and water exchange measurements, improving our knowledge of ecosystem processes.

Reanalysis of the Hamburg Storm Surge of 1962

In February 1962, Hamburg experienced its most catastrophic storm surge event of the 20th century. This paper analyses the event using the Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) dataset. Responsible for the major flood was a strong low pressure system centred over Scandinavia that was associated with strong north-westerly winds towards the German North Sea coast – the ideal storm surge situation for the Elbe estuary. A comparison of the 20CR dataset with observational data proves the applicability of the reanalysis data for this extreme event.

The Storm Surge Event of the Netherlands in 1953

A disastrous storm surge hit the coast of the Netherlands on 31 January and 1 February 1953. We examine the meteorological situation during this event using the Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) data set. We find a strong pressure gradient between Ireland and northern Germany accompanied by strong north-westerly winds over the North Sea. Storm driven sea level rise combined with spring tide contributed to this extreme event. The state of the atmosphere in 20CR during this extreme event is in good agreement with historical observational data

Arctic Winds in the “Twentieth Century Reanalysis”

Climate in the European part of the Arctic underwent a rapid warming between the 1910s and the 1930s. Previous studies have addressed the role of atmospheric circulation in this period based on geopotential height fields because observations of upper-level winds in the Arctic are rare. Here we analyse winds over the Arctic and specifically over Spitsbergen in the “Twentieth Century Reanalyses” (20CR). We compare in situ upper-air wind measurements performed in 1912 and 1913 in Spitsbergen with six-hourly 20CR data. Furthermore, we compare monthly-to-seasonal 20CR winds at 700 hPa over the European Arctic with statistically reconstructed winds at 3 km altitude. Finally, we analyse long-term trends in Arctic winds in 20CR. The general agreement between observed upper-air winds and 20CR on the day-to-day scale is rather poor, which is not surprising given the paucity of observations in the Arctic at that time that constrain 20CR. In contrast, the seasonally averaged winds (which represent a larger spatial scale) in 20CR compare well with statistically reconstructed winds. The analysis of long term near-surface wind time series in 20CR shows arguably artificial trends from 1871 to around the 1950s over sparsely observed regions, particularly oceanic regions. Densely observed regions such as Europe or the USA show no such trends. This analysis shows that great care needs to be taken when working with 20CR in the Arctic and other sparsely observed regions.

Strong Down-Valley Low-Level Jets over the Atacama Desert: Observational Characterization

The near-surface wind and temperature regime at three points in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile is described using two-year multi-level measurements from 80-m towers located in an altitude range between 2100 and 2700 m ASL. The data reveal the frequent development of strong nocturnal drainage flows at all sites. Down-valley nose-shaped wind speed profiles are observed with maximum values occurring at heights between 20 m and 60 m AGL. The flow intensity shows considerable inter-daily variability and a seasonal modulation of maximum speeds, which in the cold season can attain hourly average values larger than 20 m s−1. Turbulent mixing appears significant over the full tower layer, affecting the curvature of the nighttime temperature profile and possibly explaining the observed increase of surface temperatures in the down-valley direction. Nocturnal valley winds and temperatures are weakly controlled by upper-air conditions observed at the nearest aerological station. Estimates of terms in the momentum budget for the development and the quasi-stationary phases of the down-valley flows suggest that the pressure gradient force due to the near-surface cooling along the sloping valley axes plays an important role in these drainage flows. A scale for the jet nose height of equilibrium turbulent down-slope jets is proposed, based on surface friction velocity and surface inversion intensity. At one of the sites this scale explains about 70% of the case-to-case observed variance of jet nose heights. Further modeling and observational work is needed, however, in order to better define the dynamics, extent and turbulence structure of this flow system, which has significant wind-energy, climatic and environmental implications.

Proceedings of the Fifth Biochemical Engineering Symposium

This report presents the proceedings of the Biochemical Engineering Symposium held at Kansas State University, April 26, 1975. Since a number of the contributions will be published in detail elsewhere, only brief summaries of each contribution are included here. Requests for additional information on projects conducted at Iowa State University should be directed to Dr. Peter J. Reilly, and those at Kansas State University to the editors. Contents"Enzymatic Breakdown of Hemicellulose," Alfred R. Fratzke, Iowa State University "Biochemical Aspects of Hydrocarbon Uptake in Hydrocarbon Fermentations," Tadaatsu Nakahara, Kansas State University "Optimal Concentration Profiles for Bifunctional Catalysts with Langmuir-Hinshelwood Kinetics and Varying Effectiveness Factors," Ho Nam Chang, Iowa State University "Single Cell Protein Production from Hydrocarbons in Tower Systems," J. R. Gutierrez, Kansas State University "Effect of Temperature and pH on the Stability and Activity of Immobilized Glucoamylase and Glucose Isomerase," Gene K. Lee, Iowa State University "Oxygen Transfer in a Tower System with Two Liquid Phases," G. T. MacLean, Kansas State University "Continuous Production of Glucose from Dextrin by Glucoamylase Immlobilized on Porous Silica," Douglas D. Lee, Iowa State University

Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Kansas State–Nebraska Biochemical Engineering Symposium

The symposium whose papers are abstracted here was the fourth in a series held alternately at Kansas State University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Requests for further information on projects conducted at Kansas State should be directed to Professor L.E. Erickson and on those at Nebraska to the editor. ContentsJohn C. Heydweiller, "Estimating Sedimentation of Organisms in a Tower-Type Activated Sludge System" Raymond C. Eliason, "Properties and Utilization of Small Particulates in Cattle Manure" Kenneth H. Hsu, "Oxygen Transfer in Tower Systems with Motionless Mixers" Raymond C. Eliason, "Hydrolysis of Sucrose by 20 Invertase Immobilized on Hollow Fibers" Robert Shipman, "Single Cell Protein from Photosynthetic 26 Bacteria" Peter J. Reilly, "Stability of Commensalistic Systems"

Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Biochemical Engineering Symposium

This work presents the proceedings of the twelfth symposium which was held at Kansas State University on April 24, 1982. Since a number of the contributions will be published in detail elsewhere, only brief reports are included here. Some of the reports describe current progress with respect to ongoing projects. Requests for further information should be directed to Dr. Peter Reilly at Iowa State University, Dr. V. G. Murphy at Colorado State University, Dr. Rakesh Bajpai at University of Missouri, Dr. Ed Clausen at University of Arkansas, Dr. L. T. Fan and Dr. L. E. Erickson at Kansas State University. ContentsA Kinetic Analysis of Oleaginous Yeast Fermentation by Candida curvata on Whey Permeate, B.D. Brown and K.H. Hsu, Iowa State University Kinetics of Biofouling in Simulated Water Distribution Systems Using CSTR, T.M. Prakash, University of Missouri Kinetics of Gas Production by C. acetobutylicum, Michael Doremus, Colorado State University Large Scale Production of Methane from Agricultural Residues, O.P. Doyle, G.C. Magruder, E.C. Clausen, and J.L. Gaddy, University of Arkansas The Optimal Process Design for Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw, M.M Gharpuray and L.T. Fan, Kansas State University Extractive Butanol Fermentation, Michael Sierks, Colorado State University Yields Associated with Ethyl Alcohol Production, M.D. Oner, Kansas State University Estimation of Growth Yield and Maintenance Parameters for Microbial Growth on Corn Dust, B.O. Solomon, Kansas State University Milling of Ensiled Corn, Andrzej Neryng, Iowa State University Protein Extraction from Alfalfa, Ravidranath Joshi, Colorado State University Analysis of Disaccharides by Capillary Gas Chromatography, Z.L. Nikolov, Iowa State University Characterization of High Viscosity Fermentations in Tower Fermentors, S.A. Patel and C.H. Lee, Kansas State University Utilization of Sugars in Sorghum Molasses by Clostridium acetobutylicum B. Hong, K.C. Shin, and L.T. Fan, Kansas State University

Seismic stratigraphy of the Blue Hole (Lighthouse Reef, Belize), a late Holocene climate and storm archive

Five seismic units may be identified in the similar to 8 m thick Holocene sediment package at the bottom of the Blue Hole, a 120 m deep sinkhole located in the atoll lagoon of Lighthouse Reef, Belize. These units may be correlated with the succession of an existing 5.85-m-long sediment core that reaches back to 1385 kyrs BP. The identification of seismic units is based on the fact that uniform, fine-grained background sediments show weak reflections while alternating background and coarser-grained event (storm) beds exhibit strong reflections in the seismic profiles. The main source of sediments is the marginal atoll reef and adjacent lagoon area to the east and north. Northeasterly winds and storms transport sediment into the Blue Hole, as seen in the eastward increase in sediment thickness, i.e., the eastward shallowing of the Blue Hole. Previous assumptions of much thicker Holocene sediment packages in the Blue Hole could not be confirmed. So far, close to 6-m-long cores were retrieved from the Blue Hole but the base of the sedimentary succession remains to be recovered. The nature of the basal sediments is unknown but mid-Holocene and possibly older, Pleistocene sinkhole deposits can be expected. The number of event beds identified in the Blue Hole (n = 37) during a 1.385 kyr-long period and the number of cyclones listed in historical databases suggest that only strong hurricanes (categories 4 and 5) left event beds in the Blue Hole sedimentary succession. Storm beds are numerous during 13-0.9 kyrs BP and 0.8-0.5 kyrs BP.

Observations of the northern seasonal polar cap on Mars III: CRISM/HiRISE observations of spring sublimation

We analyze a series of targeted CRISM and HiRISE observations of seven regions of interest at high latitudes in the Northern polar regions of Mars. These data allow us to investigate the temporal evolution of the composition of the seasonal ice cap during spring, with a special emphasis on peculiar phenomena occurring in the dune fields and in the vicinity of the scarps of the North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLDs). The strength of the spectral signature of CO2 ice continuously decreases during spring whereas the one of H2O ice first shows a strong increase until Ls = 50°. This evolution is consistent with a scenario previously established from analysis of OMEGA data, in which a thin layer of pure H2O ice progressively develops at the surface of the volatile layer. During early spring (Ls < 10°), widespread jet activity is observed by HiRISE while strong spectral signatures of CO2 ice are detected by CRISM. Later, around Ls = 20-40°, activity concentrates at the dune fields where CRISM also detects a spectral enrichment in CO2 ice, consistent with "Kieffer's model" (Kieffer, H.H. [2007]. J. Geophys. Res. 112, E08005. doi:10.1029/2006JE002816) for jet activity. Effects of wind are prominent across the dune fields and seem to strongly influence the sublimation of the volatile layer. Strong winds blowing down the scarps could also be responsible for the significant spatial and temporal variability of the surface ice composition observed close to the NPLD.

Two Stable Equilibria of the Atlantic Subpolar Gyre

The cyclonic circulation of the Atlantic subpolar gyre is a key mechanism for North Atlantic climate variability on a wide range of time scales. It is generally accepted that it is driven by both cyclonic winds and buoyancy forcing, yet the individual importance and dynamical interactions of the two contributions remain unclear. The authors propose a simplified four-box model representing the convective basin of the Labrador Sea and its shallow and deep boundary current system, the western subpolar gyre. Convective heat loss drives a baroclinic flow of relatively light water around the dense center. Eddy salt flux from the boundary current to the center increases with a stronger circulation, favors the formation of dense waters, and thereby sustains a strong baroclinic flow, approximately 10%–25% of the total. In contrast, when the baroclinic flow is not active, surface waters may be too fresh to convect, and a buoyancy-driven circulation cannot develop. This situation corresponds to a second stable circulation mode. A hysteresis is found for variations in surface freshwater flux and the salinity of the near-surface boundary current. An analytical solution is presented and analyzed.

Investigating the sensitivity of hurricane intensity and trajectory to sea surface temperatures using the regional model WRF

The influence of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on the hurricane characteristics are investigated in a set of sensitivity experiments employing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The idealised experiments are performed for the case of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The first set of sensitivity experiments with basin-wide changes of the SST magnitude shows that the intensity goes along with changes in the SST, i.e., an increase in SST leads to an intensification of Katrina. Additionally, the trajectory is shifted to the west (east), with increasing (decreasing) SSTs. The main reason is a strengthening of the background flow. The second set of experiments investigates the influence of Loop Current eddies idealised by localised SST anomalies. The intensity of Hurricane Katrina is enhanced with increasing SSTs close to the core of a tropical cyclone. Negative nearby SST anomalies reduce the intensity. The trajectory only changes if positive SST anomalies are located west or north of the hurricane centre. In this case the hurricane is attracted by the SST anomaly which causes an additional moisture source and increased vertical winds.