Warm Process Research Articles

Hypothermia is an independent risk factor for prolonged ICU stay in coronary artery bypass surgery: an observational study

Maintenance of normothermia is a critical perioperative issue. The warming process after hypothermia tends to increase oxygen demand, which may lead to myocardial ischemia. This study explored whether hypothermia was an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in patients receiving CABG. We conducted a retrospective observational study of CABG surgeries performed from January 2018 to June 2019. The outcomes of interest were mortality, surgical site infection rate, ventilator dependent time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and hospitalization duration. Data from 206 patients were analysed. Hypothermic patients were taller (p = 0.012), had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.016), and had off-pump CABG more frequently (p = 0.04). Our analysis noted no incidence of mortality within 30 days. Hypothermia was not associated with higher surgical site infection rate or longer intubation time. After adjusting for sex, age, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, left ventricular ejection fraction, and EuroSCORE II, higher EuroSCORE II (p < 0.001; odds ratio 1.2) and hypothermia upon ICU admission (p = 0.04; odds ratio 3.8) were independent risk factors for prolonged ICU stay. In addition to EuroSCORE II, hypothermia upon ICU admission was an independent risk factor for prolonged ICU stay in patients receiving elective CABG.

Effect of Different Fineness of Cement on the Autogenous Shrinkage of Mass Concrete under Variable Temperature Conditions

The internal temperature of the mass concrete is not constant. In the actual project, the internal temperature of the concrete will experience a process of rapid warming to reach the peak temperature and then slow down. In this study, volume measurement method is used to simulate the internal volume deformation of mass concrete under actual engineering conditions. The embedded strain gauge was embedded in concrete with a water-cement ratio of 0.32 for 28 days, and the development of total volume deformation and autogenous volume deformation of concrete under variable temperature conditions was studied by external heating of concrete. The results show that the finer the cement, the earlier the concrete starts to shrink, and the greater the total shrinkage of the concrete. The high temperature will promote the hydration of cement with different fineness and will reduce the total porosity of their paste, but the proportion of harmful pores in the paste with finer cement particles is lower.

High density Fe-based soft magnetic composites with nice magnetic properties prepared by warm compaction

The influences of compacting temperature (Tc), molding pressure (Pm), contents of lubricant (Cl) and binder (Cb) on the compacted density (ρc) and its comprehensive soft magnetic properties for the FeSiCr soft magnetic composites (SMCs) fabricated by warm compaction were systematically studied. Appropriate increase of Tc is beneficial to improve the surface lubrication effect of magnetic powders during the forming process of SMCs, thus giving rise to the increase of ρc and the decrease of porosity fraction for the SMCs. Under this situation, the resistance of domain rotation and domain wall displacement in the SMCs during magnetization process is reduced, which is finally in favor of the improvement of SMCs’s soft magnetic properties. The results of loss separation show that the Ph value plays a dominant role in the variation trend of Pcv value for the FeSiCr-SMCs in the test frequency range of 20–200 KHz, wherein the ratio of Ph/Pcv is large than 81 %. Under the optimized process parameters of Tc= 110 ℃, Pm= 600 MPa, Cl= 1.5 wt. % and Cb = 2.5 wt. %, the ρc of FeSiCr-SMCs increases by 8.14 % to 6.38 kg/m3, and the SMCs exhibit better comprehensive soft magnetic properties compared with those at Tc = 25 ℃. Hereinto, μe increases by 19.89 % to 45.8 @ 100 kHz, Pcv decreases by 26.11 % to 495.8 kW/m3@f= 100 kHz, Bm= 50mT, and μe % reached 85.5 % at H = 8000 A/m. These results indicated that the warm compaction process is one of the effective ways to further promote Fe-based SMCs to meet the development requirements of high-frequency, miniaturization and high-power of electronic equipment.

Assessment of vapor pressure deficit variability and trends in Spain and possible connections with soil moisture

The Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) is one of the most relevant surface meteorological variables; with important implications in ecology, hydrology, and atmosphere. By understanding the processes involved in the variability and trend of the VPD, it is possible to assess the possible impacts and implications related to both physical and human environments, like plant function, water use efficiency, net ecosystem production, atmospheric CO2 growth rate, etc. This study analysed recent temporal variability and trends in VPD in Spain between 1980 and 2020 using a recently developed high-quality dataset. Also, the connection between VPD and soil moisture and other key climate variables (e.g. air temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity) was assessed on different time scales varying from weekly to annual. The objective was to determine if changes in land-atmosphere feedbacks connected with soil moisture and evapotranspiration anomalies have been relevant to assess the interannual variability and trends in VPD. Results demonstrate that VPD exhibited a clear seasonality and dominant positive trends on both the seasonal (mainly spring and summer) and annual scales. Rather, trends were statistically non-significant (p > 0.05) during winter and autumn. Spatially, VPD positive trends were more pronounced in southern and eastern of Spain. Also, results suggest that recent trends of VPD shows low contribution of variables that drive land-atmosphere feedbacks (e.g. evapotranspiration, and soil moisture) in comparison to the role of global warming processes. Notably, the variability of VPD seems to be less coupled with soil moisture variability during summertime, while it is better interrelated during winter, indicating that VPD variability would be mostly related to climate variability mechanisms that control temperature and relative humidity than to land-atmosohere feedbacks. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of assessing driving forces and physical mechanisms that control VPD variability using high-quality climate datasets, especially, in semiarid and sub-humid regions of the world.

The numerical study on the sensitivity of different auto-conversion parameterization to CCN concentration

The auto-conversion from cloud droplet to raindrop is a process whereby rain drops formed by collision-coalescence of cloud droplets. As an essential link connecting aerosol-cloud interaction, it significantly influences the changes in cloud morphology and precipitation. In order to explore the sensitivity of auto-conversion schemes to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration, using the auto-conversion scheme in the Thompson scheme (TH-AU) and Milbrandt-Yau scheme (MY-AU), we set four groups of CCN concentrations to simulate a strong convection process in Ningxia region of China. The results show that: The sensitivity of different auto-conversion schemes to changes in CCN concentrations varies significantly, and the aerosol-induced changes in precipitation and convection strongly depend on the auto-conversion scheme. With the increase of CCN concentration, the mixing ratio of cloud droplets increases, and the particle size decreases, resulting in a decrease in the auto-conversion intensity for the two schemes, which makes more supercooled water participate in the ice phase process. Compared with the TH-AU, the MY-AU has lower auto-conversion intensity at the same CCN concentration, the proportion of supercooled cloud droplets participating in the ice phase process is higher than that in the TH-AU, which leads to the raindrop mixing ratio of 4000–6000 m in MY-AU is lower than that in TH-AU at the same CCN concentration, and the mixing ratio of ice phase particles in MY-AU scheme is higher in the convective mature stage, especially snow and graupel particles, and the graupel particle generation height of MY-AU is lower than that of TH-AU. In terms of dynamic structure, with the increase of CCN concentration, more cloud droplets are activated and frozen which makes the enhancement of updraft mainly occur in the upper layer in both schemes, but the stronger gravitational drag caused by graupel particles in MY-AU may enhance the downdraft in the middle and lower layers, which makes the convection of MY-AU decay early at higher CCN concentration. In addition, changes in microphysical processes also lead to differences in cumulative precipitation and accumulated ground graupel-fall of the two schemes. The cumulative precipitation and the accumulated ground graupel-fall of the MY-AU decrease strongly with the increase of CCN concentration because the warm rain process of MY-AU is strongly inhibited. Compared with MY-AU, the warm rain process of TH-AU is not significantly inhibited, which leads to the cumulative precipitation and the accumulated ground graupel-fall of the TH-AU scheme increases when the CCN concentration is 50–200 cm−3 and slightly decreases when the CCN concentration is 200–10000 cm−3.

Analysis and numerical simulation of temperature measurements made on earth and from space

The sum of all currently known facts confirms the existence of a global warming process. The development models of this process are statistical in nature and often do not take into account the specifics of local conditions. This fact confirms our analysis of measurements of the average annual surface air temperature during the period 1980–2019 in the city of Krasnodar (Russia). We used data from ground based (World Data Center) and space based (POWER project) measurements. A comparison of the data showed that the discrepancies in ground and space based measurements of surface air temperatures until 1990 do not exceed the data error (s=±0.7 °C). After 1990, the most significant short-term discrepancies were observed in 2014 (−1.12°С) and 2016 (1.33°С). An analysis of the forecast model of the Earth's surface air average annual temperature for 1918–2020 indicates a gradual decrease in the average annual temperature even in the presence of short-term impulses of its increase. The rate of decrease in the average annual temperature from ground based observations is slightly higher than from space based observations, which is probably due to a more complete consideration of local conditions in ground based observations.

Influence of strain induced melt activation (SIMA) on the morphology of primary phase in steel microstructure

Strain induced melt activation (SIMA) is the mechanism for the formation of the globular microstructure under the controlled working process followed by holding the specimen at a temperature between solidus &amp; liquidus pertaining to the given alloy system. The effect of SIMA process on the microstructure of steel, 10% and 15% deformed at 900°C and holding at 1400°C for 3 and 5 min separately were investigated. The metallographic examination of the SIMA processed steel was done and compared with the as received steel. It was observed that SIMA processed steel shows the globular structure as compared with the unprocessed steel. It was also found that as the deformation percentage increases, more globular structure forms. Due to the globular microstructure, there is enhancement in the mechanical properties such as tensile strength and hardness. The parameter such as degree of warm working process, temperature and holding time are important factor in controlling SIMA process. During mechanical working in the SIMA process, strain energy gets stored in the material. The 15% deformation with 3 min holding time enhanced the hardness and ultimate tensile strength by approximately 8% respectively as compared with as received sample. This acts as a driving force for recrystallization of warm worked steel which resulted in equiaxed grains of primary phase in the microstructure.

Climate change in two Mediterranean climate areas (Spain and Chile): evidences and projections

Climate change is the most important environmental problem facing humanity in this century. And it has become the great axis of public policies and private actions in developed societies. The effects of altering the planetary energy balance due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are already becoming evident in some regions of the planet. Among them, the evidence is already significant in the areas with a Mediterranean climate. This paper collects, as a review paper, the evidence and trends that are being recorded in two areas with a Mediterranean climate (the Spanish Mediterranean coast and the central sector of Chile) to assess the effect of the global warming process. The impact that the current climate change is having on the main elements of the climate and on specific environmental processes in both of these geographical spaces has been analysed. The study seeks to update, through an evaluative summary, the state of the issue of climate change in Mediterranean areas, indicating its future impact on elements of the natural environment and on the functioning of the societies that exist in these regions.

Summer Onset in Northern East Asia: Feature, Mechanism and Variability

Summer in the East Asian monsoon region is characterized by heavy rainfall and high temperature. Its onset, depicted by monsoon rainfall and/or airflow as well as surface air temperature, has been well documented. However, the onset of summer season is rarely addressed in northern East Asia (NEA) around the northern edge of the East Asian summer monsoon. This study investigates the feature, mechanism, and variability of the summer onset in NEA based on the ERA-5 reanalysis dataset for 1979–2020. Results show that, in climatology, the onset of summer in NEA occurs in pentad 31 when the spring-to-summer warming process is decelerated at the highest rate. The change in the warming rate is mainly attributed to a decrease in the diabatic heat, mostly surface sensible heat, and temperature advection plays a small role. After the onset of summer, regional low-level northwesterly winds are weakened, and a local NEA cyclonic low forms. The latter, coupled with monsoon southerly airflow to the south, advects more moisture into NEA and increases regional rainfall. Furthermore, a temperature threshold of 17 °C, the climatological regional mean surface air temperature in pentad 31, was proposed to depict summer onset in NEA. Based on the temperature threshold, the year-to-year variability of summer onset timing in NEA is revealed, ranging from pentad 29 (late May) to 34 (middle June), with the standard deviation of 1.2 pentads. It advanced by 0.6 pentads, on average, after the late 1990s. This study provides a new method to objectively quantify the timing of summer onset in East Asia, which is thermodynamically explainable and may help us to depict and monitor summer onset in different latitudes and topography.

Research Progress on the Impact of Land Use Change on Soil Carbon Sequestration

Land use change is the most important driving factor of terrestrial carbon stock change. Soil is the largest carbon reservoir of terrestrial ecosystems, and the impact of land use change on soil carbon sequestration is related to major issues such as the global warming process and food security. The research can provide a basis for land managers and policy makers to develop appropriate planning strategies for soil carbon sequestration management. Despite the widespread attention of relevant studies, macro reviews are still lacking. In order to objectively reveal the current situation of the research field, firstly this paper conducted a bibliometric analysis based on relevant papers in the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1985 to 2021. Secondly, we conducted a review study of land use change on soil carbon sequestration. The research results showed that: (1) the overall amount of the published literature in related fields showed an upward trend, and the development could be divided into three stages, growing slowly from 1985 to 1999, steadily from 2000 to 2009, and rapidly from 2010 to 2021. (2) From the perspective of national distribution, the published papers were mainly from the United States and China, which were much higher than those in other countries. There was mutual cooperation between research institutions in different countries and on a certain scale. (3) Since 2000, soil carbon sequestration has been more frequently mentioned in articles on land use change. Related research was mostly focused on exploring the impact of different land use types and different farming methods on soil organic carbon content in the context of global warming. Land use change and management among agricultural land, woodland, and grassland are the focus of research. The conversion of woodland to agricultural land and grassland is an important reason for the decrease in soil carbon sequestration. Corresponding management measures can be taken to improve soil carbon sequestration. Future research should use multidisciplinary technical means and methods to further explore the interaction mechanism between climate change, land use change, and soil carbon sequestration, so as to carry out more accurate prediction and assessment of different climate scenarios.

Analysis of Water Vapour Feedback and its Impact on Surface Temperature

The accumulation of greenhouse gases is the main reason for the global warming process. Water vapour, being one of the most abundant and powerful greenhouse gas, strongly influences the warming process in multiple ways. Despite being a greenhouse gas itself, the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere is directly related to the surface temperature of the earth. To understand the global warming process, a deeper look into water vapour and its unique positive feedback mechanism is meaningful. This paper will discuss the mechanism of water vapour feedback, the equilibrium established between the content of water vapour in the air and the surface temperature of the earth. In addition, this study will calculate the time scale and magnitude of the response of water vapour to varying (in real cases increasing) surface temperature, and qualitatively analyse how water vapour feedback would affect the global warming process by serving as an amplifier for the greenhouse effect. These results establish a mathematical model for water vapour feedback’s impact on surface temperature rise and could be used as a starting point for lab experiments and more complex analysis.

Development of future typical meteorological year (TMY) for major cities in Indonesia: Identification of suitable GCM

Today, with the rapid process of urbanization, the proportion of building energy consumption will continue to increase and speed up the emission of greenhouse gases which can intensify the process of global warming. Thus, building energy conservation has become one of the essential aspects of a sustainable development strategy. A typical meteorological year (TMY) is frequently used in building energy simulation to assess the expected heating and cooling costs in the design of the building. Therefore, by considering the future alternations in climate, it is important to develop future TMY data. To generate the TMY for future climate, the projected weather dataset obtained from GCMs from the IPCC coupled inter comparison project phase 6 (CMIP6) can be helpful. However, a key issue with the use of GCM data is the low resolution and bias of the data. Thus, it is important to identify best suitable GCM for a particular region. Therefore, present study aims to evaluate the performance of 6 global GCMs from the CMIP6 for simulating the surface air temperature over the 29 major cities in Indonesia during 1980-2014. Here, dataset (MERRA-2) was utilized to compare the simulations of GCMs. Further three statistical metrics viz. correlation coefficient, standard deviation and centered root mean square error were computed to check the performance of each GCM against the reanalysis data. For most cities, the correlation coefficient values between the results of GCMs, and the reanalysis dataset ranges from 0.3 to 0.7 whereas the value of standard deviation varies from 0.3 to 1. The result revelled that among all the GCMs MPI-HR is one of the most appropriate choices to simulate the surface air temperature over 8 different cities. However, Nor-MM shows the worse performance over the cities located in Indonesia. For the future period, the input dataset from the best identified GCMs will be downscaled for the generation of TMY for future climate.

Глобальні еколого-економічні передумови змін клімату та їх прогнозна динаміка в середньо- та довгостроковій перспективах

The purpose of the article is to study global trends in climate change, which is one of the most pressing threats with a long-term negative impact on the population, environment and economy. The article analyzes the impact of global climate change on land resources, agriculture, forestry, water resources, emergencies, etc. It is defined that global climate change is one of the most acute problems of human development, ignoring which in the long run will lead to a leveling of economic growth. In addition, climate change can lead to various negative consequences, such as an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, worsening conditions for agricultural production, threatening changes in the regimes of water resources, high temperatures, air pollution, etc. The article examines the anthropogenic causes that have led to the global problem of climate change. The main causes and features of the global warming and climate change process are identified. The natural and anthropogenic factors that influence global warming and climate change are described. Examples of climate change in different regions of the world are given, and their consequences are characterized. The article presents a forecast of regional manifestations of global climate change, which is important for regional development and strategic planning. Forecasts help to develop adaptation strategies and measures to reduce the negative impacts and take advantage of opportunities that may arise as a result of changes. In addition, regional analysis makes it possible to determine the specifics of the impact of climate change on specific territories and take them into account in the development of strategies for balanced development, ensuring public safety and preserving natural resources. Approaches to determining the characteristics in the context of future climate change are proposed, as well as approaches to developing an adaptation policy in relation to possible consequences of climate change. The results of the study can be used by local government officials to assess the causes and consequences of global warming and extreme weather events, as well as to formulate adaptation policies.

Roles of Surface Forcing in the Southern Ocean Temperature and Salinity Changes under Increasing CO2: Perspectives from Model Perturbation Experiments and a Theoretical Framework

Abstract A rapid warming and freshening of the Southern Ocean have been observed over the past several decades and are attributed to anthropogenic climate change. In this study, ocean model perturbation experiments are conducted to separate roles of individual surface forcing in the Southern Ocean temperature and salinity changes. Model-based findings are compared with results from a theoretical framework including three idealized processes defined on the θ–S diagram. Under the future scenario of CO2 doubling, the heat flux forcing dominates the large-scale warming, deepening of isopycnals, and spiciness changes along isopycnals, which can be captured by an idealized pure warming process to represent the subduction of surface heat uptake. The poleward-intensifying westerly winds account for 24% of the enhanced warming between 35° and 50°S and would have comparable contribution as the heat flux forcing after removing the global ocean warming effect. In contrast, the widespread freshening in the Southern Ocean driven by increased surface freshwater input is largely compensated by the wind-driven saltening. The response to freshwater forcing could not be approximated as a similar pure freshening process as the induced cooling and freshening have comparable effects on density. The wind-driven changes are primarily through the local heave of isopycnals, thus resembling an idealized pure heave process, but contain considerable spiciness signals especially in the midlatitude Southern Ocean, resulting from anomalous northward transport and subduction of heat and salt that are largely density-compensating. These distinct signatures of individual surface forcing help us to better understand observed and projected changes in the Southern Ocean. Significance Statement Considerable changes including a rapid warming and freshening have been observed in the Southern Ocean as it absorbs most of the extra heat from the anthropogenic climate change, receives increased surface freshwater input, and experiences a poleward shift and intensification of the westerly winds. The purpose of this study is to distinguish different contributions from surface heat flux, freshwater flux, and wind forcing to the Southern Ocean temperature and salinity changes, based on ocean model experiments and three idealized processes from a theoretical framework. Our study reveals distinct signatures of individual surface forcing that help us to understand linkages between changes seen at the surface and in the interior Southern Ocean.

Attribution of the Subsurface Temperature Change in the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract The Southern Hemisphere temperature has experienced obvious changes with great spatial differences over the past several decades. Most regions show extreme warming, especially those located at 35°–55°S. In contrast, subsurface cooling exists between 15° and 35°S in the Indian and Pacific basins. The subsurface temperature and salinity change can be divided into spiciness change and heave components. The results show the warming due to isopycnal movement being largely offset by significant spiciness cooling at middepth. Surface warming and subduction into the interior ocean account for subsurface spiciness cooling near 45°S, while surface freshening and penetration along isopycnals are more important to the subsurface spiciness cooling farther north. The isobaric temperature change is associated with pure warming and pure heaving, and the subsurface cooling observed in the Indian and Pacific subtropics is predominantly attributed to pure heaving. This study provides a quantitative estimate of the relative contribution of surface temperature, salinity change, and circulation adjustment in subsurface temperature change, highlighting the importance of circulation change in producing subsurface cooling. Further research is needed to understand why different processes dominate in different ocean sections. Significance Statement While the global ocean is warming, the subsurface temperature change exhibits a significant regional disparity. This paper attempts to explain the deep-reaching warming at 35°–55°S and cooling at 15°–35°S based on three historical observation datasets. We find that the cooling mostly occurs between 400 and 1000 m in the south Indian and Pacific subtropics (15°–35°S), which is attributed to pure heaving, indicating the importance of circulation change in these regions. The midlatitude warming (35°–55°S) is mainly caused by the pure warming process, which is related to heat uptake at the subpolar surface and northward and downward heat transport. The spiciness cooling near 45°S is mainly driven by the subduction of the surface warming signal while the freshening process has a stronger impact on spiciness cooling farther north.

Thermal stress and drop stress analysis based on 3D package reliability study

As the semiconductor industry enters the post-Moore era, chip packaging is gradually developing in the direction of miniaturization, multi-function and low power consumption, which has prompted the creation of three-dimensional packaging. The thermomechanical stress and drop stress of 3D package are relatively large, which is very different from the common packaging method. In this paper, an equivalent layer is introduced, a quarter model is constructed and a series of changes in the chip during use due to the influence of the external environment are simulated using ANSYS focusing on the warming process and dropping from different heights. The total deformation, maximum principal stresses and equivalent forces are simulated during the temperature increase of the packaged chip from 22 °C to 280 °C and after falling from the heights of 1 m, 2 m and 3 m. Results show that the parts of the overall model that are more prone to failure in the case of heating or dropping are the four corners of the bottom chip, the copper pillar at the center of each copper pillar array, the upper surface of the bottom equivalent layer and the four corners. To improve the reliability of the packaged chip, the above mentioned areas of the packaged chip must be strengthened first.

Measurement of Excess Pore-Water Pressure in Frozen Soil at Subfreezing Temperatures Close to 0°C

Response of pore-water pressure has crucial effect on the engineering geological performance of permafrost ground. However, there is a dearth of literature on the measurement of pore-water pressure in frozen soils due to challenges with regard to technical and operational method. To validate the generation of pore-water pressure and to reveal its variation property in frozen soils at subfreezing temperatures close to 0°C, a miniature pressure transducer was utilized to conduct a number of confined compression tests. Double-wall structure avoided damage to the transducer during frozen soil sampling. The transducer at sample bottom perceived a pressure fluctuation as varying air pressure imposed on sample surface, proving the connectivity among the pores in frozen soils with a hysteretic effect on pressure transmission. Pore-water pressure experienced a progressive increase followed by a slow dissipation under invariable load and temperature conditions when water drainage was permitted, while a monotonic increase in pressure was observed for an undrained sample. With decreasing temperature, a smaller peak and a more dilatory dissipation were displayed. When the sample was exposed to a stepwise warming process, a similar performance for the pressure was obtained with abrupt rise at the turning point of temperature.

43 Resveratrol during the warming process improves the quality of

Reproduction, Fertility and Development is an international journal publishing original research , review and comment in the fields of reproduction and developmental biology in humans, domestic animals and wildlife

Can DSD Assumptions Explain the Differences in Satellite Estimates of Warm Rain?

Abstract Satellite-based oceanic precipitation estimates, particularly those derived from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite and CloudSat, suffer from significant disagreement over regions of the globe where warm rain processes are dominant. GPM estimates of average rain rate tend to be lower than CloudSat estimates, due in part to GPM being less sensitive to shallow and/or light precipitation. Using coincident observations between GPM and CloudSat, we find that the GPM_2BCMB product misses about two-thirds of total accumulated warm rain compared to the CloudSat 2C-RAIN-PROFILE product. This difference becomes much smaller when products are compared at 1000 m above the surface (mitigating surface clutter issues) and when forcing the frequency of rain from CloudSat to match the frequency from GPM (mitigating sensitivity issues). However, even then a gap of about 25% remains. Using an optimal estimation retrieval algorithm on the underlying data, we retrieve a similar result, but find that the remaining difference between the GPM and CloudSat retrieved rain rates can be almost entirely accounted for by inconsistent assumptions about the shape of the drop size distribution (DSD) that are made in the two retrievals. We conclude that DSD assumptions contribute significantly to the relative underestimation of warm rain by GPM compared to CloudSat. Because the choice of DSD model has such a large effect on retrieved rain rates, more work is needed to determine whether the DSD models assumed by either the GPM_2BCMB or 2C-RAIN-PROFILE algorithms are actually appropriate for warm rain.

The Future of the Energy Sector and the Global Economy: Prosumer Capitalism and What Comes Next

This paper describes the present and the future of the energy sector in relation to the dominant and constantly evolving form of the global economic system. These considerations have their starting point in transformations of the energy sector in prosumer capitalism, which has dramatically changed the picture of the global economy in recent years. Subsequently, a futuristic approach is applied to determine the role and importance of energy from renewable sources for further human development. The main objective of the paper is to explain the current situation of the energy sector in prosumer capitalism and to extrapolate these relationships for the future, considering the need to enter the path of sustainable development to eliminate the global warming processes and climate changes. A review of the existing scientific literature was applied as the research method. The historical wave concept, proposed by Toffler, was found to be highly useful because of its high potential in futurology, where it enables one to study megatrends. The Fourth Wave was linked to prosumer capitalism, and it provided the base for defining the next ones: the Fifth Wave of Computing (ecosocialism) and the Sixth Wave in the form of technological and energy communism (solar communism). It also turned out that the key to solving mankind’s energy problems lies in the global mean entropy budget. The literature review shows that founding the global energy system on solar radiation is the only known method for eliminating the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, which is the source of global warming and, consequently, of climate change. Therefore, the second law of thermodynamics provides a physical, economic, and logical justification for introducing a new and ultimate management form—solar communism—by 2050.