Magnitude Of Shear Research Articles

Role of Shear Stress in the Blister Formation of Cerebral Aneurysms

The development of cerebral aneurysms is related to hemodynamic stress. To elucidate the role of shear stress in the blister formation of cerebral aneurysms. Among 82 aneurysms detected during catheter-based 3D rotational angiography (3DRA), 4 aneurysms enlarged with blister formation during a mean follow-up period of 10.1 month. Three of these 4 aneurysms were analyzed in this study. The regions of blister formation were characterized by comparing 3DRA before and after blister formation, and computational fluid dynamic simulations were performed based on the aneurysm geometry before blister formation. The spatially averaged shear magnitude was lower in the aneurysm region (0.97 ± 0.39 Pa) than in the parent artery (2.75 ± 0.92 Pa). The spatially averaged shear magnitude of the blister-forming area was extremely low (0.48 ± 0.12 Pa), and the shear magnitude dropped precipitately to subphysiological levels, resulting in a high shear gradient near the border of the blister-forming area. These data suggest that low shear magnitude may trigger the progression of cerebral aneurysms and that blister formation is associated with high shear gradient in the large region of low shear magnitude on the aneurysm wall.

Spatial variation of blood viscosity: Modelling using shear fields measured by a μPIV based technique

The spatial characteristics of blood viscosity were investigated by combining a newly developed constitutive equation with shear deformation fields calculated from velocity measurements obtained by a μPIV based technique. Blood at physiological hematocrit levels and in the presence of aggregation was sheared in a narrow gap plate–plate geometry and the velocity and aggregation characteristics were determined from images captured using a high resolution camera. Changes in the microstructure of blood caused by aggregation were observed to affect the flow characteristics. At low shear rates, high aggregation and network formation caused the RBC motion to become essentially two-dimensional. The measured velocity fields were used to estimate the magnitude of shear which was subsequently used in conjunction with the new model to assess the spatial variation of viscosity across the flow domain. It was found that the non-uniform microstructural characteristics of blood influence its viscosity distribution accordingly. The viscosity of blood estimated in the core of the examined flow, using a zero-gradient core velocity profile assumption, was found to be significantly higher than the overall effective viscosity determined using other velocity profile assumptions.

An Analysis of the Environments of Intense Convective Systems in West Africa in 2003

Abstract The local- and regional-scale environments associated with intense convective systems in West Africa during 2003 were diagnosed from soundings, operational analysis, and space-based datasets. Convective system cases were identified from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) microwave imagery and classified by the system minimum 85-GHz brightness temperature and the estimated elapsed time of propagation from terrain greater than 500 m. The speed of the midlevel jet, the magnitude of the low-level shear, and the surface equivalent potential temperature θe were greater for the intense cases compared to the nonintense cases, although the differences between the means tended to be small: less than 3 K for surface θe and less than 2 × 10−3 s−1 for low-level wind shear. Hypothesis testing of a series of commonly used intensity prediction metrics resulted in significant results only for low-level metrics such as convective available potential energy and not for any of the mid- or upper-level metrics such as the 700-hPa θe. None of the environmental variables or intensity metrics by themselves or in combination appeared to be reliable direct predictors of intensity. In the regional-scale analysis, the majority of intense convective systems occurred in the surface baroclinic zone where surface θe exceeded 344 K and the 700-hPa zonal wind speeds were less than −6 m s−1. Fewer intense cases compared to nonintense cases were associated with African easterly wave troughs. Fewer than 25% of these cases occurred in environments with detectable Saharan dust loads, and the results for intense and nonintense cases were similar. Although the discrimination between the intense and nonintense environments was narrow, the results were robust and consistent with the seasonal movement of the West African monsoon, regional differences in topography, and African easterly wave energetics.

On the Ekman Spiral with an Anisotropic Eddy Viscosity

The eddy viscosity is a fourth-order tensor in three-dimensional space. When considering the viscous effects on the horizontal velocities in the vertical direction it is reduced to a second-order tensor in two-dimensional space, and is not necessarily horizontally isotropic. Anisotropic coherent structures (rolls) are a conspicuous feature of the planetary boundary layer. There is no reason to suppose that they should give rise to a horizontally isotropic eddy viscosity. The effects of an anisotropic constant eddy viscosity tensor on the Ekman layer dynamics is determined analytically. The shape of the Ekman spiral is modified. The magnitude of the bottom shear and the Ekman transport is changed in magnitude and rotated within an angle of 90°.

Rheological properties and microstructural evolution of semi-flexible fiber suspensions under shear flow

The mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced polymers are highly dependent on fiber orientation. A key factor is fiber flexibility, which varies with the intrinsic properties of the fiber, its aspect ratio, and the force of the flow field. In this work, the rheological behavior of model suspensions consisting of a Newtonian silicone oil and fibers with different flexibilities has been studied in transient shear flow. The viscous and elastic properties of the fiber suspensions were shown to increase markedly with fiber flexibility. The suspensions exhibited a viscosity overshoot in stress growth experiments and the magnitude and width of the overshoot became larger as the fiber flexibility increased. The evolution of the suspensions microstructure has also been monitored at different shear rates. The components of the second-order orientation tensor at different times (or strain) were calculated using the images obtained from the visualization experiments. Those experiments showed that fiber orientation was dependent on shear rate and magnitude of applied strain. At low shear rates, rigid fibers oriented to a larger extent in the flow direction as compared to more flexible fibers and their orientation was also faster. Finally, a mesoscopic model in the framework of the general equation for non-equilibrium reversible-irreversible coupling (GENERIC) has been used to predict the rheological behavior of semi-flexible fiber suspensions as well as their microstructure. The model takes into account fiber-fiber interactions and also the semi-flexible nature of the fibers. The predictions of the model are in good qualitative agreement with the rheological and visualization data.

The WRF Model Forecast-Derived Low-Level Wind Shear Climatology over the United States Great Plains

For wind resource assessment projects, it is common practice to use a power-law relationship (U(z) ~ zα) and a fixed shear exponent (α = 1=7) to extrapolate the observed wind speed from a low measurement level to high turbine hub-heights. However, recent studies using tall-tower observations have found that the annual average shear exponents at several locations over the United States Great Plains (USGP) are significantly higher than 1=7. These findings highlight the critical need for detailed spatio-temporal characterizations of wind shear climatology over the USGP, where numerous large wind farms will be constructed in the foreseeable future. In this paper, a new generation numerical weather prediction model—the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, a fast and relatively inexpensive alternative to time-consuming and costly tall-tower projects, is utilized to determine whether it can reliably estimate the shear exponent and the magnitude of the directional shear at any arbitrary location over the USGP. Our results indicate that the WRF model qualitatively captures several low-level wind shear characteristics. However, there is definitely room for physics parameterization improvements for the WRF model to reliably represent the lower part of the atmospheric boundary layer.

Structure and Phase Stability of NiMnGa Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys by Experimental and <i>Ab Initio</i> Techniques

This paper summarizes some of our recent results on crystal structure, microstructure, orientation relationship between martensitic variants and crystallographic features of martensitic transformation in Ni-Mn-Ga FSMAs. It was shown that Ni53Mn25Ga22 has a tetragonal I4/mmm martensitic structure at room temperature. The neighboring martensitic variants in Ni53Mn25Ga22 have a compound twinning relationship with the twinning elements K1={112}, K2={11-2}, η1=<11-1>, η2=<111>, P={1-10} and s=0.379. The ratio of the relative amounts of twins within the same initial austenite grain is ~1.70. The main orientation relationship between austenite and martensite is Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) relationship. Based on the crystallographic phenomenological theory, the calculated habit plane is {0.690 -0.102 0.716}A (5.95° from {101}A), and the magnitude, direction and shear angle of the macroscopic transformation shear are 0.121, <-0.709 0.105 0.698>A (6.04° from <-101>A) and 6.88°, respectively.

Kinematic and Thermodynamical Structures of Longitudinal-Mode Snow Bands over the Sea of Japan during Cold-Air Outbreaks Part I: Snow Bands in Large Vertical Shear Environment in the Band-Transverse Direction

The kinematic and thermodynamical structures of two longitudinal-mode (termed “L-mode”) snow bands over the Sea of Japan occurring on February 8, 1991 and January 21, 1993 are analyzed mainly based on dual-Doppler radar data. The L-mode snow bands with multicellular structure in 1991 and 1993 formed, respectively, at the early onset of and toward the end of cold-air outbreaks, where the magnitude of the band-transverse vertical shear was roughly 2 × 10-3 s-1 approximately in the lower-half of the mixed layer. This magnitude was larger than that associated with L-mode snow bands characterized by axi-symmetric circulation, which will be described in Part II. Thermodynamical structures and the spatial distributions of water substances in the two snow bands were inferred from variational-based retrieval.A pronounced feature of the airflow structures in both snow bands was upshear-tilting updrafts in the band-transverse vertical cross-section. At least two factors could account for their formation: the existence of a certain depth of the vertical layer of the environmental band-transverse system-relative wind components directing to the upshear, and the lower terminal fall velocities of snow and graupels. The retrieval results showed that both snow bands had a subsaturated cold pool beneath the band around the surface, whose collision with the unstable ambient air could have been responsible for overall upward motion in the bands. With regard to the energetics of the band circulation, energy production by buoyancy and the band-transverse shear was dominant.The repeated formation of new cells was observed in the two snow bands in the downshear side, which may have been triggered by the low-level collision of the outflow from active cells or a cold pool with the unstable ambient air. As the new cell developed enough, the older cell significantly decayed. Consequently, the successive formation of cells did not change the overall echo pattern of the L-mode snow bands without producing elongated echoes branching o. into the downshear direction at large angles to the orientation of the L-mode snow bands.

Reorganization of polar cap patches through shears in the background plasma convection

On the night of December 20, 2006, 630 nm airglow images obtained by an all‐sky camera at Resolute Bay, Canada (74.73°N, 265.07°E; altitude adjusted corrected geomagnetic (AACGM) latitude 82.9°) showed the passage of successive polar cap patches. Shortly after convection came to a temporary halt, one of the patches was reorganized into two substructures in approximately 8 min. The two‐dimensional background ionospheric convection pattern measured using the newly deployed PolarDARN radar at Rankin Inlet (62.82°N, 93.11°W; AACGM latitude 72.96°) showed that a velocity shear of approximately 120 m s−1/340 km suddenly appeared in the vicinity of the patch at the time of reorganization. A qualitative analysis of the relationship between the magnitude of the velocity shear and the distance between the divided patches indicates that the shear in the background plasma convection velocity significantly contributed to the reorganization of the patch. This shear structure appeared soon after a southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and was probably associated with the reconfiguration of the convection pattern from a pre‐existing northward‐oriented IMF pattern to a southward‐oriented one. The present observations indicate that the reconfiguration/deformation of patches because of a shear in the background convection field, especially reorganization of patches into smaller substructures, may play an important role in the rapid structuring of patches.

A mathematical theory of stochastic microlensing. II. Random images, shear, and the Kac–Rice formula

Continuing our development of a mathematical theory of stochastic microlensing, we study the random shear and expected number of random lensed images of different types. In particular, we characterize the first three leading terms in the asymptotic expression of the joint probability density function (pdf) of the random shear tensor due to point masses in the limit of an infinite number of stars. Up to this order, the pdf depends on the magnitude of the shear tensor, the optical depth, and the mean number of stars through a combination of radial position and the star’s mass. As a consequence, the pdf’s of the shear components are seen to converge, in the limit of an infinite number of stars, to shifted Cauchy distributions, which shows that the shear components have heavy tails in that limit. The asymptotic pdf of the shear magnitude in the limit of an infinite number of stars is also presented. All the results on the random microlensing shear are given for a general point in the lens plane. Extending to the general random distributions (not necessarily uniform) of the lenses, we employ the Kac–Rice formula and Morse theory to deduce general formulas for the expected total number of images and the expected number of saddle images. We further generalize these results by considering random sources defined on a countable compact covering of the light source plane. This is done to introduce the notion of global expected number of positive parity images due to a general lensing map. Applying the result to microlensing, we calculate the asymptotic global expected number of minimum images in the limit of an infinite number of stars, where the stars are uniformly distributed. This global expectation is bounded, while the global expected number of images and the global expected number of saddle images diverge as the order of the number of stars.

Modeling the Influence of Spring Hadley Circulation on the Summer Tropical Cyclone Frequency in the Western North Pacific

AbstractThe spring Hadley circulation is observed to be negatively correlated to the summer tropical cyclone frequency in the western North Pacific. This relationship is linked by the summer atmospheric circulation anomalies resulting from the anomalous spring Hadley circulation. To examine the authenticity of such a relationship indicated by the observation, a simulation on the strong spring Hadley circulation scenario by IAP9L‐AGCM is performed, and the response of the environmental conditions affecting the tropical cyclone genesis is analyzed in the present study. Results show that in relation to the strong spring Hadley circulation, larger magnitude of the vertical zonal wind shear and the anomalous low‐level divergence and upper‐level convergence are predominated in the western North Pacific in summer. The East Asian summer monsoon is also weakened. Such an atmospheric circulation background is unfavorable for the tropical cyclone genesis, and thus the tropical cyclone frequency in the western North Pacific is decreased. The numerical simulation supports the observation, demonstrating the existence of the out‐of‐phase relationship between the spring Hadley circulation and the summer tropical cyclone frequency in the western North Pacific. So, the variation of the spring Hadley circulation can be a potential indicator in predicting summer tropical cyclone activities in the western North Pacific.

Prediction of Plantar Shear Stress Distribution by Artificial Intelligence Methods

Shear forces under the human foot are thought to be responsible for various foot pathologies such as diabetic plantar ulcers and athletic blisters. Frictional shear forces might also play a role in the metatarsalgia observed among hallux valgus (HaV) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Due to the absence of commercial devices capable of measuring shear stress distribution, a number of linear models were developed. All of these have met with limited success. This study used nonlinear methods, specifically neural network and fuzzy logic schemes, to predict the distribution of plantar shear forces based on vertical loading parameters. In total, 73 subjects were recruited; 17 had diabetic neuropathy, 14 had HaV, 9 had RA, 11 had frequent foot blisters, and 22 were healthy. A feed-forward neural network (NN) and adaptive neurofuzzy inference system (NFIS) were built. These systems were then applied to a custom-built platform, which collected plantar pressure and shear stress data as subjects walked over the device. The inputs to both models were peak pressure, peak pressure-time integral, and time to peak pressure, and the output was peak resultant shear. Root-mean-square error (RMSE) values were calculated to test the models' accuracy. RMSE/actual shear ratio varied between 0.27 and 0.40 for NN predictions. Similarly, NFIS estimations resulted in a 0.28-0.37 ratio for local peak values in all subject groups. On the other hand, error percentages for global peak shear values were found to be in the range 11.4-44.1. These results indicate that there is no direct relationship between pressure and shear magnitudes. Future research should aim to decrease error levels by introducing shear stress dependent variables into the models.

Four Years of Tropical ERA-40 Vorticity Maxima Tracks. Part II: Differences between Developing and Nondeveloping Disturbances

Abstract Using a subset of the relative vorticity maxima (VM) tracks described in Part I, large-scale environmental fields, cold cloud area, and rainfall area are used to discriminate between developing and nondeveloping tropical disturbances in the eastern North Pacific (EPAC) and Atlantic Oceans. By using a minimum cold cloud coverage requirement, the nondeveloping VM are limited to disturbances with enhanced low-level relative vorticity and widespread deep convection. Linear discriminant analysis is used to determine the overall discrimination and the relative importance of each predictor for each basin separately. It is important to distinguish the two basins because, for many predictors, the differences between the basins are greater than the differences between developing and nondeveloping VM in each basin. Using the parametric forecast method, there is greater discrimination and prediction skill in the EPAC than in the Atlantic. There are also significant differences between the two basins in terms of the degree of discrimination provided by each of the predictors. Surprisingly, the mean vertical wind shear magnitude is greater for EPAC developing VM than for EPAC nondeveloping VM. Incorporating the satellite-derived predictors marginally improves the potential forecast skill in the EPAC but not in the Atlantic. The prediction skill (Heidke skill score) of tropical cyclogenesis in the Atlantic is similar to what has been obtained in previous studies using cloud cluster tracks. There is greater predictive skill in the EPAC.

Forefoot plantar shear stress distribution in hallux valgus patients

Background Hallux valgus is a common foot disorder often experienced with secondary callosities and metatarsalgia. Many factors including improper shoes might be responsible in the pathophysiology of the problem. Hallux valgus deformity has been shown to alter the biomechanics of the whole foot rather than affecting only the great toe. Due to changes in the biomechanical functioning of the first ray, other regions of the forefoot area have been shown to bear abnormal loads with increased vertical loading on medial, central and lateral forefoot regions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pattern of forefoot plantar shear loading in hallux valgus patients and compare these results with those of control subjects. Methods A total of 28 subjects were recruited for the study of which 14 were clinically diagnosed with hallux valgus. A custom built platform was used to collect peak pressure and shear data. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the recorded data. Findings Antero-posterior shear was significantly lower in the deformity group ( p < 0.05). The lateral forefeet of the patients, however, experienced slightly higher shear loads ( p > 0.05). Interpretation Propulsive shear force generation mechanism under the medial forefoot was impaired in the disorder group. In general, shear loading of the plantar feet shifted laterally. Previously hypothesized higher medio-lateral shear magnitudes under the hallux were not confirmed.

Near-Surface Shear Flow in the Tropical Pacific Cold Tongue Front*

Abstract Near-surface shear in the Pacific cold tongue front at 2°N, 140°W was measured using a set of five moored current meters between 5 and 25 m for nine months during 2004–05. Mean near-surface currents were strongly westward and only weakly northward (∼3 cm s−1). Mean near-surface shear was primarily westward and, thus, oriented to the left of the southeasterly trades. When the southwestward geostrophic shear was subtracted from the observed shear, the residual ageostrophic currents relative to 25 m were northward and had an Ekman-like spiral, in qualitative agreement with an Ekman model modified for regions with a vertically uniform front. According to this “frontal Ekman” model, the ageostrophic Ekman spiral is forced by the portion of the wind stress that is not balanced by the surface geostrophic shear. Analysis of a composite tropical instability wave (TIW) confirms that ageostrophic shear is minimized when winds blow along the front, and strengthens when winds blow oblique to the front. Furthermore, the magnitude of the near-surface shear, both in the TIW and diurnal composites, was sensitive to near-surface stratification and mixing. A diurnal jet was observed that was on average 12 cm s−1 stronger at 5 m than at 25 m, even though daytime stratification was weak. The resulting Richardson number indicates that turbulent viscosity is larger at night than daytime and decreases with depth. A “generalized Ekman” model is also developed that assumes that viscosity becomes zero below a defined frictional layer. The generalized model reproduces many of the features of the observed mean shear and is valid both in frontal regions and at the equator.

Bow Echo Mesovortices. Part I: Processes That Influence Their Damaging Potential

Abstract This two-part study examines the damaging potential and genesis of low-level, meso-γ-scale mesovortices formed within bow echoes. This was accomplished by analyzing quasi-idealized simulations of the 10 June 2003 Saint Louis bow echo event observed during the Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (BAMEX). This bow echo produced both damaging and nondamaging mesovortices. A series of sensitivity simulations were performed to assess the impact of low- and midlevel shear, cold-pool strength, and Coriolis forcing on mesovortex strength. By analyzing the amount of circulation, maximum vertical vorticity, and number of mesovortices produced at the lowest grid level, it was observed that more numerous and stronger mesovortices were formed when the low-level environmental shear nearly balanced the horizontal shear produced by the cold pool. As the magnitude of deeper layer shear increased, the number and strength of mesovortices increased. Larger Coriolis forcing and stronger cold pools also produced stronger mesovortices. Variability of ground-relative wind speeds produced by mesovortices was noted in many of the experiments. It was observed that the strongest ground-relative wind speeds were produced by mesovortices that formed near the descending rear-inflow jet (RIJ). The strongest surface winds were located on the southern periphery of the mesovortex and were created by the superposition of the RIJ and mesovortex flows. Mesovortices formed prior to RIJ genesis or north and south of the RIJ core produced weaker ground-relative wind speeds. The forecast implications of these results are discussed. The genesis of the mesovortices is discussed in Part II.

Child Well-Being: The Intersection of Schools and Child Welfare

this chapter, we argue for closer collaboration between public schools and the public child welfare system, on behalf of children placed at risk, with respect to whether they will do as well in school as their abilities suggest they might, all else being equal. The need for closer collaboration is tied to two developments affecting schools and the child welfare system. First, both systems, as the result of relatively recent federal, state, and local initiatives, are focused on accountability as never before. For schools, accountability fostered by the No Child Left Behind act means that educators have to pay closer attention to children placed at risk who may fall behind in school if their educational needs are not addressed. In this context, the overall well-being of children involved in the child welfare system poses particular challenges because the incidence of cognitive, social, and behavioral impairment is substantially higher than the rates found in the general population. From the perspective of the child welfare system, public agencies are starting to look at school success as a measure of child well-being and as an indicator of their own service quality, an expanded view of responsibility that was introduced in the wake of the Adoption and Safe Families Act passed in 1997. As a consequence, advocates are pushing child welfare agencies to consider placing foster children within their own home school districts in an effort to preserve educational continuity and minimize disruption in the children's lives. In turn, the new wave of accountability has focused attention on the shear magnitude of the dually involved population. According to the most recent national data, of the more than 3 million reports of child maltreatment received annually, about 610,000 school-age children (4to 17-year-olds) are involved in a substantiated allegation of maltreatment each year, a figure that represents about 70% of all official maltreatment

Speed and Direction Shear in the Stable Nocturnal Boundary Layer

Numerous previous works have shown that vertical shear in wind speed and wind direction exist in the atmospheric boundary layer. In this work, meteorological forcing mechanisms, such as the Ekman spiral, thermal wind, and inertial oscillation, are discussed as likely drivers of such shears in the statically stable environment. Since the inertial oscillation, the Ekman spiral, and statically stable conditions are independent of geography, potentially significant magnitudes of speed and direction shear are hypothesized to occur to some extent at any inland site in the world. The frequency of occurrence of non-trivial magnitudes of speed and direction shear are analyzed from observation platforms in Lubbock, Texas and Goodland, Indiana. On average, the correlation between speed and direction shear magnitudes and static atmospheric stability are found to be very high. Moreover, large magnitude speed and direction shears are observed in conditions with relatively high hub-height wind speeds. The effects of speed and direction shear on wind turbine power performance are tested by incorporating a simple steady direction shear profile into the fatigue analysis structures and turbulence simulation code from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In general, the effect on turbine power production varies with the magnitude of speed and direction shear across the turbine rotor, with the majority of simulated conditions exhibiting power loss relative to a zero shear baseline. When coupled with observational data, the observed power gain is calculated to be as great as 0.5% and depletion as great as 3% relative to a no shear baseline. The average annual power change at Lubbock is estimated to be −0.5%.

The Influence of Inversions on Rotors

Abstract Rotors are small-scale circulations about a horizontal or quasi-horizontal axis that usually form in conjunction with high-amplitude mountain waves. The moderate to severe turbulence often found within rotors is a hazard to aviation. Observations and numerical model studies have revealed two types of mountain-wave–rotor systems. The first type is associated with trapped waves, whereas the second, less common, type resembles a hydraulic jump. It has long been known that an upstream, near-mountaintop inversion plays an important role in mountain-wave/rotor formation. In this study, the role of the upstream inversion strength and height in an environment with sheared flow and over a barrier with a steep lee slope is investigated. It is found that the second mountain-wave/rotor type is more likely to form when a strong near-mountaintop inversion is present. Baroclinic generation of horizontal vorticity within the inversion along the lee slope leads to overturning in an upstream direction and spreading of inversion isentropes. The sign and magnitude of vertical shear within the upstream inversion has a modifying influence, with positive shear favoring the formation of trapped-wave systems. Stronger inversions lead to higher-reaching, more turbulent mountain-wave/rotor systems, regardless of type.

Sensitivity of Numerical Simulation of Early Rapid Intensification of Hurricane Emily (2005) to Cloud Microphysical and Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterizations

Abstract An advanced research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (ARW) Model is used to simulate the early rapid intensification of Hurricane Emily (2005) using grids nested to high resolution (3 km). A series of numerical simulations is conducted to examine the sensitivity of the simulation to available cloud microphysical (CM) and planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization schemes. Results indicate that the numerical simulations of the early rapid intensification of Hurricane Emily are very sensitive to the choice of CM and PBL schemes in the ARW model. Specifically, with different CM schemes, the simulated minimum central sea level pressure (MSLP) varies by up to 29 hPa, and the use of various PBL schemes has resulted in differences in the simulated MSLP of up to 19 hPa during the 30-h forecast period. Physical processes associated with the above sensitivities are investigated. It is found that the magnitude of the environmental vertical wind shear is not well correlated with simulated hurricane intensities. In contrast, the eyewall convective heating distributions and the latent heat flux and high equivalent potential temperature (θe) feeding from the ocean surface are directly associated with the simulated intensities. Consistent with recognized facts, higher latent heat release in stronger eyewall convection, stronger surface energy, and high θe air feeding from the ocean surface into the hurricane eyewall are evident in the more enhanced convection and intense storms. The sensitivity studies in this paper also indicate that the contributions from the CM and PBL processes can only partially explain the slow intensification in the ARW simulations. Simulation at 1-km grid resolution shows a slight improvement in Emily’s intensity forecast, implying that the higher resolution is somewhat helpful, but still not enough to cause the model to reproduce the real intensity of the hurricane.