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Reanalysis data are extensively employed in investigation of the tropical large-scale climate variability. In this study, we attempt to use the Advanced Microwave Sounding unit-A (AMSU-A) window channel brightness temperature (TB) observations to examine their relationship with the sea surface temperature (SST). A close relationship is found between the AMSU-A window channel TB and SST in the tropical oceans. A TB Niño Index (TNI) of AMSU-A window (sounding) channels is found to sometimes reach its maximum for about 2 months ahead of Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) for half of El Niño cases from 1998 to 2020. The AMSU-A sounding channels TNI had minimum values about 1–3 months behind ONI peak month. Spatial correlation maps of AMSU-A window channel TB anomalies with TNI are similar to those of SST anomalies with ONI, featuring a horseshoe-shaped pattern in the tropical Pacific and a dipole-shaped pattern in the tropical Indian Ocean. The AMSU-A retrieved liquid water path (LWP) is also highly correlated with the ONI, with larger values in El Niño years. An active development of tropical convective disturbances and their movement associated with westerly wind bursts may be the reason for the peak TNI to occur 1–3 months earlier than the peak ONI. The potential for AMSU-A TB observations to reveal El Niño signals adds additional satellite data source for El Niño research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the vibration characteristics of the mechanical systems is a necessary step for the stable and reliable operation of high-end equipment. The 6 degrees of freedom parallel mechanism is proposed for the supporting mechanism of the antenna. First, the dynamic equations of the moving platform and branch of the mechanism are established. The closed-form dynamics of the mechanism are derived based on the Newton–Euler method. In addition, the vibration equation of the parallel antenna is established based on the vibration theory, and the relationship between the natural frequency, displacement response, and vibration frequency is obtained. Afterward, the pitch and roll poses of a 1.8 m aperture antenna are developed based on a MATLAB software simulation. The actuation forces of parallel antenna under no-load and load conditions are simulated. Finally, the natural frequencies and vibration modes of the initial position and roll (20 ∘) are simulated based on the Adams software vibration analysis module. Furthermore, the relationship between the displacement response of the moving platform and the resonant frequency is studied based on the harmonic response analysis. The control strategy based on the dynamic model improves the control accuracy of parallel antenna. This research work provides a guarantee for the dynamic characteristics analysis and engineering application of parallel antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reveal a symbol – "however" that authors are very interested in, but few research studies pay attention to the existing literature. The authors aim to further insight its function. Design/methodology/approach: In this research, the authors selected 3,329 valid comments on articles published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) from 2015 to 2020 as the research objects. The authors showed the length distribution of reviewers' comments. In what follows, the authors analyzed the general distribution of words in comments and reviewer comments' position to understand reviewers' comments qualitatively in word dimension. Specially, the authors analyzed functions of "however" and "but", words that authors are most concerned with. In addition, the authors also discussed some factors, which may be related to "however," that reflect reviewers' praise through regression analysis. Findings: The authors found that there are marked differences in the length of reviewers' comments under different review rounds. By mapping the reviewers' comments to different sections, the authors found that reviewers are deeply concerned to methods section. Adjectives and adverbs in comments written in different sections of the manuscripts also have different characteristics. The authors tried to interpret the turning function of "however" in scientific communication. Its frequency of use is related to reviewers' identities, specifically academic status. More precisely, junior researchers use "however" in praise more frequently than senior researchers do. Research limitations/implications: The linguistic feature and function of "however" and "but" in the reviewers' comments of the rejected manuscripts may be different from accepted papers and also worth exploring. Regrettably, the authors cannot obtain the peer review comments of rejected manuscripts. This point may limit the conclusion of the investigation of this article. Originality/value: Overall, the survey results revealed some language features of reviewers' comments, which could provide a basis of future endeavors for many reviewers in open peer review (OPR) field. Specially, the authors also put forward an interesting symbol to examine the review comments, "however", for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tracking range and pointing performance of the antenna are important indices to measure the antenna system. First, the 3 degree of freedom parallel mechanism is proposed for the supporting mechanism of the antenna. The trajectory tracking principle of the antenna mechanism is analyzed based on the inverse position solution model. Meanwhile, the kinematic model of the antenna mechanism with a specific motion trajectory is derived. In addition, the structural optimization design is demonstrated based on the actuation torques and motion range index. In addition, the trajectory planning research is carried out according to the trajectory tracking requirements. The trajectory planning simulation is carried out in the joint space. Afterward, the antenna motion range is obtained through simulation. The specific trajectory tracking simulation of the antenna is completed. Furthermore, the pitch and azimuth motion performance experiments are carried out based on the developed antenna mechanism prototype. Finally, the pentagram trajectory tracking performance is verified via experiments. This research serves as a reference for designing and engineering application of the antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite microwave temperature sounding data have been widely used in the study of climate trends over the past decades. When merging advanced microwave sounding unit-A (AMSU-A) data from 1998 to 2017 from different satellites, brightness temperature observations can be affected by differences in the center frequency, incidence angle, and local equator crossing time (LECT) among the instruments. Atmospheric drag and gravity variations with latitude can also cause orbital drift that leads to changes in LECT of the same instrument. Inter-sensor calibration and diurnal correction are thus necessary before applying AMSU-A data to climate studies. In this study, AMSU-A data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) -15, -18, and -19 satellites and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites MetOp-A/-B collected during 1998–2017 were first inter-calibrated by a double difference method to remove inter-sensor biases. AMSU-A data from NOAA-18 was used as the reference for the double difference inter-sensor calibration. A diurnal correction was then applied to data over the Amazon rainforest to eliminate the effects of different LECTs. Finally, linear and nonlinear climate trends were calculated to show that warming (cooling) trends over the Amazon rainforest for window and tropospheric AMSU-A channels 1–8 and 15 (stratospheric channels 9–14) significantly decreased (increased) if inter-sensor calibration and a diurnal correction was applied. The nonlinear climate trends reveal more rapid warming trends for tropospheric sounding channels 3–7 and 15 and less rapid cooling trends for stratospheric channels 10–12 during 1998–2008 than during 2008–2017. Channels 1–2 (channel 13) have cooling (warming) and warming (cooling) trends before and after 2008, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave temperature sounding observations from polar-orbiting meteorological satellites have been widely used for research on climate trends of atmospheric temperature at different heights around the world. Taking the Amazon rainforest as the target area, this study combined the Microwave Temperature Sounder-2 (MWTS-2) data onboard the Chinese FengYun-3D (FY-3D) satellite with the Advanced Microwave Sounding unit-A (AMSU-A) data onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Meteorological Operational (MetOp) polar-orbiting meteorological satellites (i.e., NOAA-15, −18, −19, MetOp-A, -B). The double difference method was used to estimate and thus eliminate the inter-sensor bias, and a decadal diurnal correction was used to reduce the impact of different local equator crossing times on climate trends. The "no-rain" conditions were determined for AMSU-A data by channels 1 and 15, and for MWTS-2 data by channels 1 and 7. Finally, the decadal linear trends of atmospheric temperature from 1998 to 2020 were obtained after applying the inter-sensor bias calibration and inter-decadal diurnal correction to AMSU-A and MWTS-2 data from NOAA-15, −18, −19; MetOp-A, -B; and FY-3D. A warming trend was found in the AMSU-A window and tropospheric channels (1–9 and 15) and a cooling trend in stratospheric channels (10–14). The warming (cooling) trends of channels 7–9 (10) were relatively small. The warming (cooling) trends of AMSU-A channels 1–6 (14–15) were significantly reduced after the inter-decadal diurnal correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder (HIRAS) onboard the Feng Yun-3D (FY-3D) satellite is the first Chinese hyperspectral infrared instrument. In this study, an improved cloud detection scheme using brightness temperature observations from paired HIRAS long-wave infrared (LWIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) channels at CO2 absorption bands (15-μm and 4.3-μm) is developed. The weighting function broadness and a set of height-dependent thresholds of cloud-sensitive-level differences are incorporated into pairing LWIR and SWIR channels. HIRAS brightness temperature observations made under clear-sky conditions during a training period are used to develop a set of linear regression equations between paired LWIR and SWIR channels. Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud mask data are used for selecting HIRAS clear-sky observations. Cloud Emission and Scattering Indices (CESIs) are defined as the differences in SWIR channels between HIRAS observations and regression simulations from LWIR observations. The cloud retrieval products of ice cloud optical depth and cloud-top pressure from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed cloud detection scheme for FY-3D HIRAS observations. Results show that the distributions of modified CESIs at different altitudes can capture features in the distributions of AIRS-retrieved ice cloud optical depth and cloud-top pressure better than the CESIs obtained by the original method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]