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The October effect is known as a rapid and strong decrease in the signal amplitude of radio waves with very low frequency (VLF), reflected at the lowest edge of the ionosphere. This strong decrease can be observed only during the daytime. Although the October effect is long known, it is hardly investigated and its mechanism is still unknown. To get closer to a mechanism, we answer why the October effect does not occur during nighttime. Therefore, average characteristics of the October effect are obtained from different VLF transmitter‐receiver combinations. The occurrence of the October effect is then compared with characteristics of the neutral atmosphere temperature at VLF reflection heights as it seems to act as a proxy for the unknown mechanism. The temperature shows an asymmetric seasonal behavior at daytime VLF reflection heights poleward of 50°N but not during the nighttime, resulting in the October effect. Plain Language Summary The October effect is known as a rapid and strong decrease in the signal amplitude of radio waves with very low frequency, reflected at the lowest edge of the ionosphere (60–90 km). This strong decrease can be observed only during the daytime. Although the October effect has been long known, it is hardly investigated and its mechanism is still unknown. To get one step closer to a mechanism, we want to answer the question of why the October effect does not occur during nighttime. There are two main reasons why the October effect does not occur during nighttime. First, the radio wave reflection height is at around 70 km during daytime and at 85 km during nighttime. The second is the different behavior of the temperature at these two altitudes. While the temperature follows the seasonal cycle of the sun at 85 km, it shows an asymmetric behavior between spring and autumn at 70 km. This unexpected behavior of the temperature at 70 km leads to the October effect during the daytime only. Key Points Strong and rapid decrease in VLF amplitude in October Spring‐fall asymmetry in VLF amplitude and lower mesospheric temperature Asymmetry only at daytime VLF reflection height

In the past 42 years from 1980 to 2021, 103 regional strong cooling events (RSCEs) occurred in winter in Northeast China, and the frequency has increased significantly in the past 10 years, averaging 2.45 per year. The longest (shortest) duration is 10 (2) days. The minimum temperature series in 60 events exists in 10–20 d of significant low-frequency (LF) periods. The key LF circulation systems affecting RSCEs include the Lake Balkhash–Baikal ridge, the East Asian trough (EAT), the robust Siberian high (SH) and the weaker (stronger) East Asian temperate (subtropical) jet, with the related anomaly centers moving from northwest to southeast and developing into a nearly north–south orientation. The LF wave energy of the northern branch from the Atlantic Ocean disperses to Northeast China, which excites the downstream disturbance wave train. The corresponding LF positive vorticity enhances and moves eastward, leading to the formation of deep EAT. The enhanced subsidence motion behind the EAT leads to SH strengthening. The cold advection related to the northeast cold vortex is the main thermal factor causing the local temperature to decrease. The Scandinavian Peninsula is the primary cold air source, and the Laptev Sea is the secondary one, with cold air from the former along northwest path via the West Siberian Plain and Lake Baikal, and from the latter along the northern path via the Central Siberian Plateau, both converging towards Northeast China.

We report here studies on the cerebral mechanisms of conscious deceptive and honest manipulative actions. Analysis of cause-effect relationships showed that the execution of both deceptive and honest actions with the aim of manipulating the opinion of an opponent was characterized by a bottom-up interaction between components of the frontostriate system: the caudate nuclei modulated the activity of the prefrontal cortex. This result confirms the hypothesis that the cerebral error detection (ED) mechanism is involved in selection of the appropriate version of an action during execution of manipulative actions.

The wind data from NCEP and hydrographic data obtained from April 22–May 24, 1998 have been used to compute the circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) using three dimensional diagnostic models. The main numerical results with SSHA derived from T/P altimeter are as follows: most of intruded Kuroshio bypasses. However, a part of Kuroshio intrudes westward above 300 m levels. This intruded westward flow is narrowly confined to the continental slope south of China, in agreement with the findings of Qu et al. (2000). The basin-scale cyclonic gyre dominates in the northern SCS and consists of two cyclonic eddies, C2 and C3, above 300 m levels. However, it is separated into two parts by an anti-cyclonic eddy, W4, below 300 m. The basin-scale anti-cyclonic gyre dominates in the central SCS and consists of three anti-cyclonic eddies, W1, W2 and W3, above 300 m levels. However, below 300 m it consists of the anti-cyclonic eddies W1, W2 and W4 and extends northward to near 20°N. A northward coastal jet is present near the coast of Vietnam at depths above 300 m, and develops northward further to about a distance of 3°15′ N than that in cruise 2. The most important dynamical mechanism is due to the joint effect of the baroclinity and relief. The second dynamical mechanism is due to the interaction between the wind stress and relief. The topography effect is more important than the β effect. The Sverdrup relation cannot be satisfied in the SCS.

The gas booster station of a steel works has experienced excessive bearing failures since commissioning over two decades ago. This station was designed with redundancy, allowing for automatic switch-over between two gas booster fans. Bearing failures were observed, on average once every 15.7 days, with instances where both fans experienced simultaneous downtime. Booster failures resulted in regular station downtime, preventing Coke Oven Gas (COG) transport to an end user. This flammable by-product is used as a heat source and all unutilized volumes are flared, resulting in energy wastages. Furthermore, the absence of COG increases Natural Gas (NG) usage, procured at a cost. Traditional root cause analysis techniques failed to identify the cause of these excessive bearing failures. However, multiple in-depth data analysis studies resulted in a thermodynamic investigation, exposing liquid and solid particles within the COG to be responsible for the failures. This allowed for the design of an in-line particle collector, eliminating excessive failures. Following the particle collector installation, only two strategic bearing changes took place over the next 41 weeks, with reduced bearing vibration levels compared to before. The station experienced no failure downtime during this period, resulting in reduced COG flaring and thus improved energy utilization.

Because the perceived ethics of a banking institution can affect its reputation, concern over ethical practices in the banking sector is rapidly increasing. The alignment of such practices with daily operations, however, requires dealing with a wide range of variables, tangible or intangible, and constitutes a notoriously difficult endeavor. Still, due to the rapidly changing economic environment and current sharp competition in the banking industry, a better understanding of this alignment can help bank managers and other key players enhance value creation through more informed decisions, contributing to stronger integration of ethical practices in the banks’ daily activities. This paper proposes the use of fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) to analyze the dynamics behind ethical banking practices. Grounded on intensive group meetings with a panel of senior executives from the banking industry, the result is a well-informed process-oriented framework that sheds light on the manner in which ethical practices interrelate with each other. Implications, advantages and shortcomings of our proposal are also discussed.

This paper contributes to the literature on hyperinflation and stabilizations by analyzing the great Yugoslav hyperinflation and stabilization during the period 1992 to 1994. The paper makes three contributions. First, it provides updated and more accurate estimates of key economic variables on economic activity, public finances, and seigniorage revenues during hyperinflation based on most recent and updated data. Second, it identifies and analyzes salient features, causes, transmission mechanisms, and monetary consequences of the extreme Yugoslav hyperinflation in the period 1992-1994. It discusses what we call the fundamental equations of the Yugoslav hyperinflation and their implications for inflation expectations and subsequent stabilization. And third, it analyzes the implementation, achievements, and challenges of the currency reform and stabilization program that ended hyperinflation, highlighting the roles of the currency board, currency reform, and of the architect of the program, Dragoslav Avramovic, the then governor of the Central Bank of FR Yugoslavia.

The world's rapidly growing population is an issue to be taken seriously. Its consequences could be dramatic if the required steps are not taken. Concerns about this problem have led to the creation of \"smart\" cities, which promote improvements in citizens' quality of life through a combination of new technologies and environmentally sustainable practices. For these cities to be truly \"smart\", they need to be evaluated in order to understand the areas in which interventions are necessary to make these cities economically stable and environmentally sustainable. In this regard, various studies have sought to understand which indicators should be considered in assessments of smart cities and how this process should be conducted. Thus far, however, researchers have found that using \"loose\" indicators, which measure only some areas of these cities, is insufficient. That said, this study proposes the use of fuzzy cognitive maps to analyze the dynamics behind smart cities' components. Grounded in intensive group meetings with a panel of experts in different dimensions of these cities, the method applied produced a well-informed, process-oriented framework that contains the characteristics and components that should be assessed in this type of city. Specifically, after a fuzzy cognitive map was constructed based on the direct involvement of the expert participants, six main clusters were extracted as key components in the development of smart cities. These clusters were: people; planning and environments; technology; infrastructure and materials; services; and transportation and mobility. The results also facilitate an improved understanding of smart cities' cause-and-effect relationships and better strategic planning by urban planners and city administrators. The implications, advantages, and limitations of the proposed framework are also presented.

This chapter contains sections titled: Do the Formulations Meet Kuyken and Colleagues' Criteria? Conclusions References

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Some Simple Rules for Human Nature Some Collective Dynamics Collective Histories Personality and Culture How Individual Personality Shapes Collective History The Origins of the Capacity for Evil Concluding Remarks References