City College

Abstract Effective water demand management is critical for adaptation during drought periods. However, drought planning is challenged by the lack of rigorous water demand‐integrated measures and the limited number of drought event samples based on instrumental data. We propose a Normalized Reservoir Drought Index (NRDI) and associated drought event metrics that can inform reservoir operations. Using NRDI, we analyzed the effectiveness of demand management and paleo streamflow data in assessing drought risks—the exposure related to meeting water demands during certain drought events. We explored reservoir drought risk analysis using data from seven reservoirs in the western United States. The NRDI was derived from inflow and estimated water demand and subsequently compared to observed reservoir storage. The NRDI and event metrics demonstrated responsiveness to observed storage. Comparative analysis of drought risk using paleo and instrumental inflow highlighted the importance of paleo inflow, providing larger drought event samples and broader extreme ranges. Sensitivity of drought risks was quantified under varying demand conditions. As expected, the sensitivity was more significant in extreme events than moderate events. This paper provides an effective and robust measure for reservoir managers to manage water releases during drought periods and a valuable tool to assess reservoir risk to drought by considering natural variability more broadly, and providing a deeper understanding on the sensitivity of drought risk to demand alterations.

Abstract. Although most of our understanding of boundary layer cloudiness is based on idealized, subtropical, barotropic marine environments, boundary layer clouds exist across a range of conditions. In this study, we use the Naval Research Laboratory's Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) and an automated cold-front-relative analysis framework to explore the boundary layer structure associated with low clouds across a transect through the cold front of a midlatitude synoptic cyclone. The model credibly captures boundary layer structure in line with conceptual models of midlatitude cyclones and ground-based observations at Graciosa Island in the Azores. The warm sector is conditionally unstable, with clouds that are too shallow and with too little liquid water, compared to cloud property retrievals from satellite and surface-based instruments. The cold-frontal region exhibits convection associated with weak stability and ascent. Northwest of the cold front, the boundary layer is well mixed, deeper, and capped by a strong inversion maintained by large-scale subsidence. Simulated clouds in frontal and post-frontal regions are mostly too thick, with too much liquid water and too little cloud base drizzle. The post-frontal clouds are associated with grid-scale updrafts, which appear to be the model's attempt to represent mesoscale organization of cellular convection typically observed in the cold sector of midlatitude cyclones. The deep, well-mixed post-frontal boundary layers and cloudiness are maintained by strong surface fluxes, as in cold air outbreaks. Our analysis framework serves as a unique approach to model verification, and our results offer insights into differences in boundary layer cloud behavior between subtropical and synoptic cold-sector regimes.

This paper presents a collaborative research initiative between the City College of Calamba (CCC) and the Information, Investment Promotions and Employment Services Office (IIPESO). The study responds to the pressing issue of the skills gap that separates higher education outcomes from industry needs within local economic hubs. Specifically, it investigates how academic programs align—or fail to align—with employer expectations, and how collaborative approaches can enhance workforce readiness. The primary purpose of this study was to identify current hiring practices, future talent requirements, and employer perceptions of CCC graduates. Using a qualitative, exploratory research design, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted during a job fair in Calamba City. Employers from diverse sectors participated, sharing insights on technical proficiencies, soft skills, and institutional partnerships. Thematic analysis revealed a strong demand for adaptability, problem-solving, communication, and digital literacy, alongside continued emphasis on theoretical knowledge. Employers praised CCC graduates’ discipline and work ethic but highlighted the need for more practical exposure, structured internship programs, and regular curriculum updates. Findings suggest that sustained collaboration among the academe, industry, and government is essential for cultivating a future-ready workforce and ensuring sustainable local economic growth. This paper contributes actionable insights for policy and practice, offering CCC and IIPESO a roadmap to enhance their strategic role in addressing workforce challenges.

Purpose This study explores how green marketing practices adopted by eco-certified hotels in China affect guests’ repurchase intention. Drawing on the resource-based view, it examines the sequential mediation of green brand image and customer loyalty and investigates how green self-identity strengthens the transformation of green resources into sustained customer commitment. Design/methodology/approach A structured survey was conducted among 598 guests who had recently stayed at eco-certified hotels in China. Established seven-point Likert scales measured key constructs. Structural equation modelling tested direct, mediated and moderated relationships. Robustness checks included common method bias assessment and multi-group analysis to confirm the validity and reliability of findings. Findings Green marketing significantly enhances green brand image, which boosts customer loyalty, ultimately increasing repurchase intention. Green self-identity positively moderates the effects of green marketing on brand image and loyalty, amplifying the indirect paths. Originality/value This study extends the resource-based view by illustrating how green marketing resources can be transformed into competitive advantages through psychological mechanisms. It clarifies the mediating and moderating roles within a single framework, offering new insights for eco-certified hotels seeking to convert environmental initiatives into long-term customer loyalty and repeat patronage.

Can the vacuum itself be a crystalline solid of frozen spinons with chargons hopping across it? In this paper, we describe an attempt at adding an inverted world action to the usual action, leading to an emergent field description of physical quarks and bosons. We take first an example of the free-field fermion Lagrangian and show how the fermion can be a frozen spinon in the vacuum. We then apply it to the Standard Model Fermion–Higgs Lagrangian, and show how the Higgs fields are the chargons hopping across the quantum vacuum.

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> Most of our understanding of boundary-layer cloudiness is based on idealized, subtropical, barotropic marine environments, yet boundary-layer clouds exist across a range of conditions. In this study, we investigate marine boundary-layer clouds associated with a midlatitude synoptic cyclone. We use the Naval Research Laboratory&rsquo;s Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) and an automated cold-front-relative analysis framework to explore low cloud properties across a transect from the warm sector, through the cold front, and northwestward into the cold sector. The model credibly captures boundary-layer structure in line with conceptual models. However, the simulated clouds are too thick, with too much liquid water and too little cloud-base drizzle, compared to observations. The transects reveal a shallow, conditionally unstable boundary layer in the warm sector, accompanied by shallow clouds with low liquid water content. The frontal region exhibits forced convection associated with weak stability and upward vertical motion. Northwest of the cold front, the boundary layer is well-mixed with increasing depth and stability. Further northwest in environments of high stability and subsidence, the model produces clouds and associated upward grid-scale vertical motion. We interpret these features as the model&rsquo;s attempt to represent cumulus or mesoscale organization of closed cellular convection typically observed in the wake of midlatitude cyclones. The deep, well-mixed boundary layers and shallow cumulus are maintained by strong surface fluxes, as in cold air outbreaks. Our analysis framework serves as a unique approach to model verification, and our results offer unique insights into cloud and boundary layer evolution throughout a cyclone.

Abstract Study aim: Aerobic exercise has many benefits including improvements in mood and cognition. Group exercise has been suggested to better improve mood compared to exercise alone, but there is no consensus and few studies attempting to understand exercise and social influences on mood and cognition. This study’s purpose was to begin filling this gap by isolating socialization from exercise to determine how each affect mood and cognitive changes. Materials and methods: Twenty-five adults (24.2 ± 1.69 years) performed four 30-minute sessions including either acute exercise or sedentary, and either social interaction or limited social interaction. Mood was assessed using a Profile of Mood States and a State-trait Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire. Cognitive assessments were performed using computerized Stroop and Eriksen Flanker tasks. Mood and cognition were assessed prior-to and following each session. Differences in mood and cognitive performance were analyzed for main effects of both exercise and social interactions in a two-by-two within subject design. Results: Both exercise and social interactions influenced mood parameters, with fatigue being reduced by exercise and social interaction, total mood disturbance approaching significance for exercise, and hostility being reduced by socialization. Vigor approached significance for exercise and had a significant interaction with socialization. No cognitive improvements were observed, likely due to cognitive tasks lacking sufficient sensitivity for cognitively healthy young adults. Conclusion: Both exercise and social interactions can improve mood parameters, and when performed together there may be an additive effect for some mood parameters. Additional studies are needed to elucidate these acute effects.