Variation of Internal Tides on the Continental Slope of the Southeastern East China Sea

The semidiurnal internal tides (ITs) on the continental slope of the southeastern East China Sea (ECS) exhibited abrupt enhancement in November of 2017. This enhancement resulted from the intensification of the coherent semidiurnal ITs. Coherent and incoherent semidiurnal ITs had a comparative energy contribution in October; however, coherent semidiurnal ITs dominated with a variance contribution of 90% in November. The variance contribution of vertical modes of the semidiurnal ITs varied between October and November, and the mode with most variance contribution changed from the second mode to the first mode. Altimeter data and the observed background currents indicated that the Kuroshio mainstream meandered and abruptly intruded into the ECS in November. The upper layer background currents were significantly related to the kinetic energy of the semidiurnal ITs, and the correlation coefficient between them reached 0.81. The frequent occurrences of the Kuroshio intrusion have suggested that the ITs in the ECS are susceptible to the modulation of the Kuroshio current. Numerical modeling and predication of ITs should consider the meander of the Kuroshio mainstream.

A 10-MHz FREE-FREE BEAM MICROMECHANICAL RESONATOR FABRICATION PROCESS USING SURFACE-MICROMACHINED TECHNOLOGY

The fabrication process for the designed MEMS resonator using surface-micromachined technology is presented in this paper. A 10-MHz Free-Free beam MEMS resonator is designed to vibrate in the second-mode shape, which is significant improvement compare to the fundamental mode. The design showed a Q value as high as 75,000, which is significant improvement compared to 8,400 VHF F-F beam MEMS resonator by K. Wang; and very low motional resistance (18kΩ). The surface-micromachined technology is used as the standard process for the design. The process is briefly described from the layout design to the experimental fabricated device.

Two distinct binding modes provide the RNA binding protein RbFox with extraordinary sequence specificity

The specificity of RNA-binding proteins for their target sequences varies considerably. Yet, it is not understood how certain proteins achieve markedly higher sequence specificity than most others. Here we show that the RNA Recognition Motif of RbFox accomplishes extraordinary sequence specificity by employing functionally and structurally distinct binding modes. Affinity measurements of RbFox for all binding site variants reveal the existence of two different binding modes. The first exclusively binds the cognate and a closely related RNA variant with high affinity. The second mode accommodates all other RNAs with greatly reduced affinity, thereby imposing large thermodynamic penalties on even near-cognate sequences. NMR studies indicate marked structural differences between the two binding modes, including large conformational rearrangements distant from the RNA binding site. Distinct binding modes by a single RNA binding module explain extraordinary sequence selectivity and reveal an unknown layer of functional diversity, cross talk and regulation for RNA-protein interactions.

Negotiating Cultural Identity in The Inheritance of Loss

This paper seeks to explore three modes of cultural identification presented in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss. With three intersecting plotlines, the novel focuses on three divergent modes of cultural identification in different spatio-temporal contexts. The first kind of cultural identification is imbued with a sense of foreignness, exemplified by the judge, Jemubhai, whose cultural identity is deeply shaped by imperialist ideology during British colonization of India. As Indian culture is negated by the colonial power, Jemubhai adheres to English cultural identification and disavows his Indianness. The second mode of cultural identification revolves around the issue of cultural authenticity in the diasporic context for Biju, a young migrant, illegal worker in various restaurants in New York. To survive in a foreign country, Biju forces himself to transgress cultural borders, which disconcerts Biju and further prompts him to pursue cultural authenticity. The third mode highlights Sai’s and Gyan’s trajectories of cultural identification. Just as Sai, Jemubhai’s granddaughter, embodies the idea of in-betweenness, Gyan, Sai’s math tutor, manifests the desire to escape narrow nationalism. Both Sai and Gyan evoke the potential of crossing borders. Juxtaposing the three modes of cultural identification, Desai’s novel explores the process of negotiating cultural identity and gestures towards a field of border-crossing identity.

Nanoobject mass measurement using the node displacement of the second mode of the nanomechanical resonator

This work suggests a new approach to weighting the nanoscale objects placed at the tip of cantilever vibrating inside the camera of scanning electron microscope. In contrast to traditional approach to mass determination, we suggest tracing the shift of the node of the second vibration mode as an alternative to frequency shift measurement. We demonstrate the applicability of our approach to carbon nanowhisker cantilevers grown on tungsten needles by focused electron beam induced deposition. We compare experimentally the performance of the suggested approach with the traditional frequency shift-based method.

Sea-Level Variability in the Arabian Gulf in Comparison with Global Oceans

The availability of nearly three decades of sea-level estimates from satellite altimetry, for the period from 1993 to the present, is exploited for understanding the climatology of sea level and its long-term variability in the Arabian Gulf (also known as the Persian Gulf) in comparison with global oceans. The Arabian Gulf is characterized by a lower sea level from February to May and a higher sea level from September to December, with a maximum in November and a minimum in April. The variability of sea level in the Arabian Gulf is significantly different and nearly opposite to the pattern of sea-level changes in the adjacent marginal basin, the Red Sea. The analysis of low-passed sea level using the empirical orthogonal function and principal component analysis showed that the first mode of variability explains 87.9% of the long-term variability and the second mode explains nearly half of the remaining variability (5.6%). The linear long-term trends in sea level are 2.58 mm/year for the Northern Arabian Gulf and 3.14 mm/year for its southern part, with an average of 2.92 mm/year for the entire Gulf. The analysis of sea level in the Arabian Sea showed a faster rate of sea level rise in the post-2000 period. The long-term linear trend for the post-2000 period in the Northern Arabian Gulf is 4.06 mm/year, and in the southern Gulf it is 4.44 mm/year, with an average trend of 4.29 mm/year. Under the RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 scenarios, the numerical projections show an expected rise in sea level in the Arabian Gulf by 8.1, 1.3, and 6.8 cm by 2050, and by 16.9, 17.7, 39.1 cm, respectively by the end of the 21st century.