bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ursodeoxycholic Acid versus Sulfasalazine in Colitis-Related Colon Carcinogenesis in Mice
Authors: Kohno Hiroyuki , Suzuki Rikako , Yasui Yumiko , Miyamoto Shingo , Wakabayashi Keiji , Tanaka Takuji
Published: April 2007

Purpose: Inflammation influences carcinogenesis. In the current study, we investigated whether ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) can inhibit colitis-related mouse colon carcinogenesis and compared it with the effects of sulfasalazine.

Experimental Design: Male CD-1 mice were given a single i.p. injection of azoxymethane followed by 1-week oral exposure of 1% dextran sodium sulfate in drinking water. They are then maintained on a basal diet mixed with UDCA (0.016%, 0.08%, or 0.4%) or sulfasalazine (0.05%) for 17 weeks. At week 20, the tumor-inhibitory effects of both chemicals were assessed by counting the incidence and multiplicity of colonic neoplasms. The immunohistochemical expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index in colonic epithelial malignancies was also assessed. Finally, at week 5, the mRNA expressions for cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured in nontumorous mucosa.

Results: Feeding the mice with UDCA at all doses significantly inhibited the multiplicity of colonic adenocarcinoma. The treatment also significantly lowered the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index in the colonic malignancies. UDCA feeding reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA in the colonic mucosa, while not significantly affecting the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ mRNA. Sulfasalazine caused a nonsignificant reduction in the incidence and multiplicity of colonic neoplasia and did not affect these mRNA expression.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that UDCA rather than sulfasalazine could serve as an effective suppressing agent in colitis-related colon cancer development in mice.
Higher Frequency of Diploidy in Young-Onset Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Boardman Lisa A. , Johnson Ruth A. , Petersen Gloria M. , Oberg Ann L. , Kabat Brian F. , Slusser Joshua P. , Wang Liang , Morlan Bruce W. , French Amy J. , Smyrk Thomas C. , Lindor Noralane M. , Thibodeau Stephen N.
Published: April 2007

Purpose: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) can be divided into two nonoverlapping groups: those that are chromosomally unstable but microsatellite stable (MSS CIN+) and those that are chromosomally stable but microsatellite unstable (MSI CIN−). However, a third group with neither chromosome nor microsatellite instability (MSS CIN−) makes a substantial contribution to the total CRC burden. The clinicopathologic features of MSS CIN− CRC are not well delineated. We assessed the relationship between age and chromosomal instability (CIN) status as measured by ploidy and allelic imbalance in a series of MSS tumors.

Experimental Design: We studied a prospectively collected series of CRC patients at Mayo Clinic Rochester. A total of 84 samples of MSS CRC in patients ≤50 years old were identified between 1994 and 1997. A consecutive series of 90 MSS CRC in patients ≥65 years old served as a comparison group. CIN status was assessed using two techniques: ploidy analysis by flow cytometry and small chromosome changes as measured by genomewide fractional allelic imbalance.

Results: CRC in the young-onset group was more likely to involve the rectum and to be high stage. MSS tumors in the young-onset group were more often diploid (46%) than those in older patients (26%; P = 0.006). This difference was maintained in the subset of MSS CRC that were high stage (42% versus 18%; P = 0.02) and in rectal cancers (50% versus 23%; P = 0.04).

Conclusion: A greater proportion of young patients with MSS CRC has diploid tumors than patients who develop MSS CRC over age 65.
Reviewing the Structural Features of Autologous Platelet-Leukocyte Gel and Suggestions for Use in Surgery
Authors: Everts P.A. , Jakimowicz J.J. , van Beek M. , Schönberger J.P.A.M. , Devilee R.J.J. , Overdevest E.P. , Knape J.T.A. , van Zundert A.
Published: April 2007

The therapeutic use of autologously prepared platelet-leukocyte gel (PLG) is a relatively new technology which might stimulate and accelerate soft-tissue and bone healing. The effectiveness of this procedure lies in the exogenous delivery of a wide range of platelet growth factors, intentionally released from autologously prepared PLG. The rationale to employ this technique is to mimic physiological wound healing and reparative tissue processes. Despite an increase in clinical PLG applications, the structures and kinetics of this biological material have not been completely examined. Electron microscopic imaging was performed to evaluate platelet-leukocyte gel structures. Furthermore, directions for PLG application are presented, based on results from published articles in various surgical disciplines. In conclusion, PLG can be useful in a wide range of clinical applications to enhance healing following surgical procedures, since exogenous applied PLG releases instantly platelet growth factors, in the presence of leukocytic cells.
Favorable Tissue Effects of Quantum Molecular Resonance Device (Vesalius®) Compared with Standard Electrocautery
Authors: Schiavon M. , Calabrese F. , Nicotra S. , Marulli G. , Pozzato G. , Giacometti C. , Valente M. , Rea F.
Published: April 2007

Background: Electrosurgical devices are largely employed in thoracic surgery but their use is burdened by extensive necrosis and second intention healing. Methods: A rat model of thoracotomy was performed on 46 adult male rats using a standard electrocautery or a new quantum molecular resonance (QMR) instrument called Vesalius®. Skin, muscle and lung specimens were obtained immediately and 2 weeks after surgery to evaluate acute and late effects. Results: Both in the short- and long-term study, Vesalius produced less severe tissue damage than that of standard electrocautery. Conclusions: The use of the QMR device may provide an alternative to gold-standard electrosurgical devices in thoracic surgery.
Improving Simulations of Convective Systems from TRMM LBA: Easterly and Westerly Regimes
Authors: Lang S. , Tao W-K. , Simpson J. , Cifelli R. , Rutledge S. , Olson W. , Halverson J.
Published: April 2007

The 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model is used to simulate two convective events observed during the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere (TRMM LBA) experiment in Brazil. These two events epitomized the type of convective systems that formed in two distinctly different environments observed during TRMM LBA. The 26 January 1999 squall line formed within a sheared low-level easterly wind flow. On 23 February 1999, convection developed in weak low-level westerly flow, resulting in weakly organized, less intense convection. Initial simulations captured the basic organization and intensity of each event. However, improvements to the model resolution and microphysics produced better simulations as compared to observations. More realistic diurnal convective growth was achieved by lowering the horizontal grid spacing from 1000 to 250 m. This produced a gradual transition from shallow to deep convection that occurred over a span of hours as opposed to an abrupt appearance of deep convection. Eliminating the dry growth of graupel in the bulk microphysics scheme effectively removed the unrealistic presence of high-density ice in the simulated anvil. However, comparisons with radar reflectivity data using contoured-frequency-with-altitude diagrams (CFADs) revealed that the resulting snow contents were too large. The excessive snow was reduced primarily by lowering the collection efficiency of cloud water by snow and resulted in further agreement with the radar observations. The transfer of cloud-sized particles to precipitation-sized ice appears to be too efficient in the original scheme. Overall, these changes to the microphysics lead to more realistic precipitation ice contents in the model. However, artifacts due to the inability of the one-moment scheme to allow for size sorting, such as excessive low-level rain evaporation, were also found but could not be resolved without moving to a two-moment or bin scheme. As a result, model rainfall histograms underestimated the occurrence of high rain rates compared to radar-based histograms. Nevertheless, the improved precipitation-sized ice signature in the model simulations should lead to better latent heating retrievals as a result of both better convective–stratiform separation within the model as well as more physically realistic hydrometeor structures for radiance calculations.
New Multiscale Models and Self-Similarity in Tropical Convection
Authors: Majda Andrew J.
Published: April 2007

One of the unexplained striking features of tropical convection is the observed statistical self-similarity in clusters, superclusters, and intraseasonal oscillations through complex multiscale processes ranging from the mesoscales to the equatorial synoptic scales to the intraseasonal/planetary scales. Here new multispatial-scale, multitime-scale, simplified asymptotic models are derived systematically from the equatorial primitive equations on the range of scales from mesoscale to equatorial synoptic to planetary/intraseasonal, which provide a useful analytic framework for addressing these issues. New mesoscale equatorial synoptic dynamical (MESD) models and balanced MESD (BMESD) models are developed for the multitime, multispace interaction from mesoscales to equatorial synoptic scales; new multitime versions of the intraseasonal planetary equatorial synoptic dynamics (IPESD) models are developed for multiple spatiotemporal interactions on equatorial synoptic scales and planetary scales. The mathematical character derived below for all these simplified models explicitly demonstrates that the main nonlinear interactions across scales are quasi-linear where eddy flux divergences of momentum and temperature from nonlinear advection from the smaller-scale spatiotemporal flows as well as mean source effects accumulate in time and drive the waves on the successively larger spatiotemporal scales. Furthermore, these processes that transfer energy to the next larger, longer, spatiotemporal scales are self-similar in a suitable sense established here. On the other hand, the larger scales set the environment for this transport through processes such as mean advection of the smaller scales.
Virtualization
Authors: Bannon Peter R.
Published: April 2007

The virtual temperature of a moist air parcel is defined as the temperature of a dry air parcel having the same mass, volume, and pressure. It is shown here that a virtual air parcel can be formed diabatically by warming the parcel to its virtual temperature while replacing its water vapor with the equivalent mass of dry air under isobaric, isochoric conditions. Conversely a saturated virtual air parcel can be formed diabatically by cooling the parcel to its saturated virtual temperature while replacing some of its dry air with the equivalent mass of water vapor under isobaric, isochoric conditions. These processes of virtualization can be represented on a vapor pressure–temperature diagram. This diagram facilitates the comparison of the relative density of two moist air parcels at the same pressure. The effects of liquid and/or solid water can also be included.
The Relation between Baroclinic Adjustment and Turbulent Diffusion in the Two-Layer Model
Authors: Zurita-Gotor Pablo
Published: April 2007

Baroclinic adjustment and turbulent diffusion are two popular paradigms used to describe the eddy–mean flow closure in the two-layer model, with very different implications for the criticality of the system. Baroclinic adjustment postulates the existence of preferred equilibrium states, while the turbulent diffusion framework predicts smooth variations of the mean state with the forcing. This study investigates the relevance of each paradigm over a wide range of the parameter space, including very strong changes in the diabatic forcing. The results confirm the weak sensitivity of the criticality against changes in the forcing noted by baroclinic adjustment studies but do not support the existence of preferred equilibrium states.

The weak sensitivity of the mean state when the forcing is varied is consistent with the steepness of the diffusive closure predicted by homogeneous turbulence theories. These turbulent predictions have been tested locally against observed empirical diffusivities, extending a previous study by Pavan and Held. The results suggest that a local closure works well, even at low criticalities when the eddy momentum fluxes are important, provided that the criticality is generalized to include the effect of the meridional curvature potential vorticity (PV) gradient. When friction is weak, the development of this curvature may be important for halting the cascade and making the flow more linear. A remarkable difference from previous homogeneous results is that the empirical closure does not appear to steepen at low criticality. This may be due to the use of a generalized criticality or to the distinction between a local and domain-averaged closure.
Turbulent Fluxes in the Hurricane Boundary Layer. Part I: Momentum Flux
Authors: French Jeffrey R. , Drennan William M. , Zhang Jun A. , Black Peter G.
Published: April 2007

An important outcome from the ONR-sponsored Coupled Boundary Layer Air–Sea Transfer (CBLAST) Hurricane Program is the first-ever direct measurements of momentum flux from within hurricane boundary layers. In 2003, a specially instrumented NOAA P3 aircraft obtained measurements suitable for computing surface wind stress and ultimately estimating drag coefficients in regions with surface wind between 18 and 30 m s−1. Analyses of data are presented from 48 flux legs flown within 400 m of the surface in two storms. Results suggest a roll-off in the drag coefficient at higher wind speeds, in qualitative agreement with laboratory and modeling studies and inferences of drag coefficients using a log-profile method. However, the amount of roll-off and the wind speed at which the roll-off occurs remains uncertain, underscoring the need for additional measurements.
Coupling of Convective Momentum Transport with Convective Heating in Global Climate Simulations
Authors: Wu Xiaoqing , Deng Liping , Song Xiaoliang , Zhang Guang Jun
Published: April 2007

The effects of convective momentum transport (CMT) on global climate simulations are examined in this study. Comparison between two sets of 20-yr (1979–98) integration using the NCAR Community Climate Model version 3 (CCM3) illustrates that the inclusion of CMT in the convection scheme systematically modifies the climate mean state over the equatorial region. The convective momentum tendencies slow down the equatorward flow at higher latitudes near the surface and weaken the equatorial convergence and convection. This reduces the convective heating and drying around the equator and produces an improved meridional distribution within the upward branch of the Hadley circulation. The major heating peak during the boreal winter is moved to south of the equator at about 10°S, which is closer to the heat budget residuals of the ECMWF reanalysis data. The responses of meridional wind to the reduced heating result in the secondary meridional circulation within the intertropical convergence zone.
Tropical Cyclogenesis within an Equatorial Rossby Wave Packet
Authors: Molinari John , Lombardo Kelly , Vollaro David
Published: April 2007

A packet of equatorial Rossby (ER) waves that lasted 2.5 months is identified in the lower troposphere of the northwest Pacific. Waves within the packet had a period of 22 days, a wavelength of 3600 km, a westward phase speed of 1.9 m s−1, and a near-zero group speed. The wave properties followed the ER wave dispersion relation with an equivalent depth near 25 m. The packet was associated with the development of at least 8 of the 13 tropical cyclones that formed during the period. A composite was constructed around the genesis locations. Tropical cyclones formed east of the center of the composite ER wave low in a region of strong convection and a separate 850-hPa vorticity maximum.

The background flow during the life of the packet was characterized by 850-hPa zonal wind convergence and easterly vertical wind shear. Wave amplitude peaked at the west end of the convergent region, suggesting that wave accumulation played a significant role in the growth of the packet. The presence of easterly vertical wind shear provided an environment that trapped energy in the lower troposphere. Each of these processes increases wave amplitude and thus the likelihood of tropical cyclone formation within the waves.

The initial low pressure region within the wave packet met Lander’s definition of a monsoon gyre. It developed to the west of persistent localized convection that followed the penetration of an upper-tropospheric trough into the subtropics. It is argued that the monsoon gyre represented the initial ER wave low within the packet.
The Effect of Internally Generated Inner-Core Asymmetries on Tropical Cyclone Potential Intensity*
Authors: Yang Bo , Wang Yuqing , Wang Bin
Published: April 2007

In a quiescent environment on an f plane, the internal dynamic processes of a tropical cyclone (TC) can generate axially asymmetric circulations (asymmetries) in its inner-core region. The present study investigates how these inner-core asymmetries affect TC intensity. For this purpose, a three-dimensional (3D) TC model and its axisymmetric (2D) version were used. Both have identical model vertical structure and use the same set of parameters and the same initial conditions. The differences between the two model runs are considered to be due to mainly the effects of the TC asymmetries. The results show that the presence of asymmetries in the 3D run reduces the TC final intensity by about 15% compared with the 2D run, suggesting that the TC asymmetry is a limiting factor to the potential intensity (PI).

In the 2D run without asymmetries, the convective heating in the eyewall generates an annular tower of high potential vorticity (PV) with relatively low PV in the eye. The eyewall tilts outward with height significantly. Underneath the tilted eyewall the downdrafts induced by evaporation of rain and melting of snow and graupel make the subcloud-layer inflow dry and cool, which lowers the boundary layer equivalent potential temperature (θe), thus increasing the entropy difference between the air and sea in the vicinity of the radius of maximum wind (RMW). The increased air–sea entropy deficit leads to more energy input into TC from the underlying ocean and thus a greater final intensity. On the other hand, in the 3D run, the model-resolved asymmetric eddies, which are characterized by the vortex Rossby waves in the mid-lower troposphere, play important roles in modifying the symmetric structure of the TC. Potential vorticity and θe budgets indicate that significant inward PV mixing from the eyewall into the eye results in a less-tilted eyewall, which in turn limits the drying and cooling effects of downdrafts in the subcloud layer and reduces the air–sea entropy deficit under the eyewall, thereby reducing the TC intensity. The angular momentum budget analysis shows that the asymmetric eddies tend to reduce the strength of the primary circulation in the vicinity of the RMW. This eddy contribution to the azimuthal mean angular momentum budget is larger than the parameterized horizontal diffusion contribution in the 3D run, suggesting an overall diffusive effect of the asymmetric eddies on the symmetric circulation.
Changes in Temperature and Precipitation Extremes in the IPCC Ensemble of Global Coupled Model Simulations
Authors: Kharin Viatcheslav V. , Zwiers Francis W. , Zhang Xuebin , Hegerl Gabriele C.
Published: April 2007

Temperature and precipitation extremes and their potential future changes are evaluated in an ensemble of global coupled climate models participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) diagnostic exercise for the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Climate extremes are expressed in terms of 20-yr return values of annual extremes of near-surface temperature and 24-h precipitation amounts. The simulated changes in extremes are documented for years 2046–65 and 2081–2100 relative to 1981–2000 in experiments with the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) B1, A1B, and A2 emission scenarios.

Overall, the climate models simulate present-day warm extremes reasonably well on the global scale, as compared to estimates from reanalyses. The model discrepancies in simulating cold extremes are generally larger than those for warm extremes, especially in sea ice–covered areas. Simulated present-day precipitation extremes are plausible in the extratropics, but uncertainties in extreme precipitation in the Tropics are very large, both in the models and the available observationally based datasets.

Changes in warm extremes generally follow changes in the mean summertime temperature. Cold extremes warm faster than warm extremes by about 30%–40%, globally averaged. The excessive warming of cold extremes is generally confined to regions where snow and sea ice retreat with global warming. With the exception of northern polar latitudes, relative changes in the intensity of precipitation extremes generally exceed relative changes in annual mean precipitation, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Consistent with the increased intensity of precipitation extremes, waiting times for late-twentieth-century extreme precipitation events are reduced almost everywhere, with the exception of a few subtropical regions. The multimodel multiscenario consensus on the projected change in the globally averaged 20-yr return values of annual extremes of 24-h precipitation amounts is that there will be an increase of about 6% with each kelvin of global warming, with the bulk of models simulating values in the range of 4%–10% K−1. The very large intermodel disagreements in the Tropics suggest that some physical processes associated with extreme precipitation are not well represented in models. This reduces confidence in the projected changes in extreme precipitation.
On the Joint Role of Subtropical Atmospheric Variability and Equatorial Subsurface Heat Content Anomalies in Initiating the Onset of ENSO Events
Authors: Anderson Bruce T.
Published: April 2007

Previous research has shown that seasonal mean variations in both the subtropical/extratropical sea level pressures over the central North Pacific and the subsurface heat content anomalies in the western equatorial Pacific are significantly related to the state of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) 12–18 months later. Here we find that positive (negative) subsurface temperature anomalies in the western equatorial Pacific during boreal summer/fall, followed by negative (positive) anomalies in the sea level pressure fields over the subtropical central North Pacific during boreal winter, tend to result in positive (negative) mature ENSO events 12–15 months later (i.e., during the following boreal winter). When the intervening sea level pressure anomalies are of the same sign as the preceding heat-content anomalies, the correlation between the heat-content anomalies and the following boreal-winter ENSO state disappears. There is still some relation between the boreal-winter sea level pressure anomalies and the ENSO state the following year when the two precursor patterns are of the same sign; however, the correlation is smaller and the ENSO events tend to be weaker. Additional analysis indicates that the two precursor fields are related to one another; however, the sea level pressure variations contain more unique information about, and provide better predictability of, the state of the following ENSO system than do the heat content anomalies.
A Synoptic Analysis of the Interannual Variability of Winter Cyclone Activity in the Aleutian Low Region
Authors: Zhu Xiaojie , Sun Jilin , Liu Zhengyu , Liu Qinyu , Martin Jonathan E.
Published: April 2007

An analysis of cyclone activity in winter associated with years of strong and weak Aleutian low in the North Pacific is presented. From 1958 to 2004, 10 winters with a strong Aleutian low are defined as the strong years, while 8 winters with a weak Aleutian low are defined as the weak years.

Employing a system-centered Lagrangian method, some characteristics of the cyclone activity in both sets of years are revealed. The cyclone frequency, duration, and intensity are nearly the same in both strong and weak years. The cyclone tracks in the strong years are more zonal than those in the weak years. More intense cyclone events and more large cyclone cases occur in strong years than in weak years and the deepening of cyclones in strong years is stronger than that in weak years. The analyses of geopotential height, wind, stationary Rossby wavenumber, and Eady growth rate index at 500 or 300 hPa reveal that conditions are favorable for more zonal tracks and greater cyclone growth in strong years than in weak years.

An estimation of the relative change of cyclone intensity and the relative change of Aleutian low intensity is made, which shows that the interannual change of cyclone intensity is about 73% of the interannual change of Aleutian low intensity. This result suggests that the evolution of individual cyclones may be a significant driver of changes in the Aleutian low.
Detecting Atlantic MOC Changes in an Ensemble of Climate Change Simulations
Authors: Drijfhout S. S. , Hazeleger W.
Published: April 2007

Signal-to-noise patterns for the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) have been calculated for an ensemble of greenhouse scenario runs. The greenhouse-forced signal has been defined as the linear trend in ensemble-mean MOC, after year 2000. It consists of an overall decrease and shoaling of the MOC, with maximum amplitudes of 10 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) per century. In each member the internal variability is defined as the anomaly with respect to the ensemble-mean signal. The interannual variability of the MOC is dominated by a monopole with a maximum amplitude of 2 Sv at 40°N. This variability appears to be driven by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), mainly through NAO-induced variations in the wind field.

The signal-to-noise ratio was estimated for various time spans, all starting in 1950 or later. Different noise estimates were made, both with and without intra-annual variability, relevant for episodic and continuous monitoring, respectively, and with and without an estimate of the observational error. Detection of a greenhouse-forced MOC signal on the basis of episodic measurements is impossible before 2055. With continuous monitoring, detection becomes possible after 35 years of observation. The main motivation for calculating signal-to-noise ratios and detection times is their usefulness for local monitoring strategies and detection methods. The two-dimensional pattern of detection times of a MOC change supports the rationale for deploying a sustained monitoring array on at 26°N.
An Analysis of the Potential for Extreme Temperature Change Based on Observations and Model Simulations
Authors: Lynn Barry H. , Healy Richard , Druyan Leonard M.
Published: April 2007

The study analyzes observational climate data for June–August 1977–2004 and simulations of current and future climate scenarios from a nested GCM/regional climate model system to assess the potential for extreme temperature change over the eastern United States. Observational evidence indicates that anomalously warm summers in the eastern United States coincide with anomalously cool eastern Pacific sea surface temperatures, conditions that are conducive to geopotential ridging over the east, less frequent precipitation, and lower accumulated rainfall. The study also found that days following nighttime rain are warmer on average than daytime rain events, emphasizing the importance of the timing of precipitation on the radiation balance. Precipitation frequency and eastern Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies together account for 57% of the 28-yr variance in maximum surface temperature anomalies. Simulation results show the sensitivity of maximum surface air temperature to the moist convection parameterization that is employed, since different schemes produce different diurnal cycles and frequencies of precipitation. The study suggests that, in order to accurately project scenarios of extreme temperature change, models need to realistically simulate changes in the surface energy balance caused by the interannual variation of these precipitation characteristics. The mesoscale model that was realistic in this respect predicted much warmer mean and maximum surface air temperatures for five future summers than the parallel GCM driving simulation.
Validation and Error Analysis of OSCAR Sea Surface Currents
Authors: Johnson Eric S. , Bonjean Fabrice , Lagerloef Gary S. E. , Gunn John T. , Mitchum Gary T.
Published: April 2007

Comparisons of OSCAR satellite-derived sea surface currents with in situ data from moored current meters, drifters, and shipboard current profilers indicate that OSCAR presently provides accurate time means of zonal and meridional currents, and in the near-equatorial region reasonably accurate time variability (correlation = 0.5–0.8) of zonal currents at periods as short as 40 days and meridional wavelengths as short as 8°. At latitudes higher than 10° the zonal current correlation remains respectable, but OSCAR amplitudes diminish unrealistically. Variability of meridional currents is poorly reproduced, with severely diminished amplitudes and reduced correlations relative to those for zonal velocity on the equator. OSCAR’s RMS differences from drifter velocities are very similar to those experienced by the ECCO (Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean) data-assimilating models, but OSCAR generally provides a larger ocean-correlated signal, which enhances its ratio of estimated signal over noise. Several opportunities exist for modest improvements in OSCAR fidelity even with presently available datasets.
Scaling Analysis of the Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly in the South China Sea
Authors: Gan Zijun , Yan Youfang , Qi Yiquan
Published: April 2007

Based on the data of optimum interpolation sea surface temperature (OISST), the temporal correlations of the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the South China Sea (SCS) are studied by using the rescaled range analysis (R/S) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). The results show that the scaling exponents of SSTAs are larger than 0.8. This finding indicates that the SSTAs in the SCS exhibit persistent long-range time correlation of the fluctuations and the interval spreads over a wide period, from about 1 month to 4.5 yr (4∼235 weeks). In addition, the “degree” of the correlations depends very much on the geographic locations: near to the coastal regions, the value is small, while far from the coastline, the value is relatively larger. This means that SSTAs in the central SCS are smoother than those of the coastal regions. The persistence of SST in the SCS may be used as a “minimum skill” to assess the ocean models and to evaluate their performance.
Angular Distribution Models for Top-of-Atmosphere Radiative Flux Estimation from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System Instrument on the Terra Satellite. Part II: Validation
Authors: Loeb Norman G. , Kato Seiji , Loukachine Konstantin , Manalo-Smith Natividad , Doelling David R.
Published: April 2007

Errors in top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative fluxes from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument due to uncertainties in radiance-to-flux conversion from CERES Terra angular distribution models (ADMs) are evaluated through a series of consistency tests. These tests show that the overall bias in regional monthly mean shortwave (SW) TOA flux is less than 0.2 W m−2 and the regional RMS error ranges from 0.70 to 1.4 W m−2. In contrast, SW TOA fluxes inferred using theoretical ADMs that assume clouds are plane parallel are overestimated by 3–4 W m−2 and exhibit a strong latitudinal dependence. In the longwave (LW), the bias error ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 W m−2 and regional RMS errors remain smaller than 0.7 W m−2. Global mean albedos derived from ADMs developed during the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) and applied to CERES measurements show a systematic increase with viewing zenith angle of 4%–8%, while albedos from the CERES Terra ADMs show a smaller increase of 1%–2%. The LW fluxes from the ERBE ADMs show a systematic decrease with viewing zenith angle of 2%–2.4%, whereas fluxes from the CERES Terra ADMs remain within 0.7%–0.8% at all angles. Based on several months of multiangle CERES along-track data, the SW TOA flux consistency between nadir- and oblique-viewing zenith angles is generally 5% (<17 W m−2) over land and ocean and 9% (26 W m−2) in polar regions, and LW TOA flux consistency is approximate 3% (7 W m−2) over all surfaces. Based on these results and a theoretically derived conversion between TOA flux consistency and TOA flux error, the best estimate of the error in CERES TOA flux due to the radiance-to-flux conversion is 3% (10 W m−2) in the SW and 1.8% (3–5 W m−2) in the LW. Monthly mean TOA fluxes based on ERBE ADMs are larger than monthly mean TOA fluxes based on CERES Terra ADMs by 1.8 and 1.3 W m−2 in the SW and LW, respectively.
Degradation of Radar Reflectivity by Cloud Attenuation at Microwave Frequency
Authors: Pujol Olivier , Georgis Jean-François , Féral Laurent , Sauvageot Henri
Published: April 2007

The main object of this paper is to emphasize that clouds—the nonprecipitating component of condensed atmospheric water—can produce a strong attenuation at operational microwave frequencies, although they present a low reflectivity preventing their radar detection. By way of a simple and realistic model, simulations of radar observations through warm precipitating targets are thus presented in order to quantify cloud attenuation. Simulations concern an airborne radar oriented downward and observing precipitation at four frequencies: 3, 10, 35, and 94 GHz. Two cases are first considered: a convective cell (vigorous cumulus congestus plus rain) and a stratiform one (nimbostratus plus drizzle) superimposed on the previous one. Other simulations are then performed on different types of cumulus (congestus, mediocris, and humilis) with various thicknesses characterized, in a microphysical sense, by their maximum liquid water content.

Simulations confirm the low cumulus reflectivity ranging from −45 dBZ for the weakest cumulus (i.e., the humilis one) to −5 dBZ for the strongest one (i.e., the vigorous cumulus congestus). It reaches −35 dBZ for the nimbostratus cloud. On the other hand, cumulus attenuation [precisely path-integrated cloud attenuation (PICA)] is not negligible and, depending on the frequency, can be very strong: the higher the frequency, the stronger the PICA. At 3 GHz, the far less attenuated frequency, PICA for the vigorous cumulus congestus alone in the convective cell (embedded into the stratiform background) is on the order of 1.2 dB (1.5 dB) at 10 GHz, 16 dB (20 dB) at 35 GHz, and 80 dB (100 dB) at 94 GHz. For weaker cumulus, PICA is lower but, in certain cases, significant. All these results mean that it is necessary to be very careful about radar measurements if reliable information on precipitation—for example, the precipitation rate R—has to be deduced, particularly at high operational frequencies.
Interpretation of Coastal HF Radar–Derived Surface Currents with High-Resolution Drifter Data
Authors: Ohlmann Carter , White Peter , Washburn Libe , Emery Brian , Terrill Eric , Otero Mark
Published: April 2007

Dense arrays of surface drifters are used to quantify the flow field on time and space scales over which high-frequency (HF) radar observations are measured. Up to 13 drifters were repetitively deployed off the Santa Barbara and San Diego coasts on 7 days during 18 months. Each day a regularly spaced grid overlaid on a 1-km2 (San Diego) or 4-km2 (Santa Barbara) square, located where HF radar radial data are nearly orthogonal, was seeded with drifters. As drifters moved from the square, they were retrieved and replaced to maintain a spatially uniform distribution of observations within the sampling area during the day. This sampling scheme resulted in up to 56 velocity observations distributed over the time (1 h) and space (1 and 4 km2) scales implicit in typical surface current maps from HF radar. Root-mean-square (RMS) differences between HF radar radial velocities obtained using measured antenna patterns, and average drifter velocities, are mostly 3–5 cm s−1. Smaller RMS differences compared with past validation studies that employ current meters are due to drifter resolution of subgrid-scale velocity variance included in time and space average HF radar fields. Roughly 5 cm s−1 can be attributed to sampling on disparate time and space scales. Despite generally good agreement, differences can change dramatically with time. In one instance, the difference increases from near zero to more than 20 cm s−1 within 2 h. The RMS difference and bias (mean absolute difference) for that day exceed 7 and 12 cm s−1, respectively.
Current Patterns on the West Florida Shelf from Joint Self-Organizing Map Analyses of HF Radar and ADCP Data
Authors: Liu Yonggang , Weisberg Robert H. , Shay Lynn K.
Published: April 2007

To assess the spatial structures and temporal evolutions of distinct physical processes on the West Florida Shelf, patterns of ocean current variability are extracted from a joint HF radar and ADCP dataset acquired from August to September 2003 using Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analyses. Three separate ocean–atmosphere frequency bands are considered: semidiurnal, diurnal, and subtidal. The currents in the semidiurnal band are relatively homogeneous in space, barotropic, clockwise polarized, and have a neap-spring modulation consistent with semidiurnal tides. The currents in the diurnal band are less homogeneous, more baroclinic, and clockwise polarized, consistent with a combination of diurnal tides and near-inertial oscillations. The currents in the subtidal frequency band are stronger and with more complex patterns consistent with wind and buoyancy forcing. The SOM is shown to be a useful technique for extracting ocean current patterns with dynamically distinctive spatial and temporal structures sampled by HF radar and supporting in situ measurements.
An Integrating Velocity–Azimuth Process Single-Doppler Radar Wind Retrieval Method
Authors: Liang Xudong
Published: April 2007

Among the single-Doppler radar wind analysis methods, the velocity–azimuth display (VAD), velocity–azimuth process (VAP), and uniform-wind (UW) methods are widely used because of their simplicity. This paper shows that the VAD, VAP, and UW methods can all be derived from the same relationship based on the azimuthal uniform-wind assumption. Using this assumption, an integrating VAP (IVAP) method is developed that can provide a smoother wind field than the VAP and UW methods and a higher resolution than the VAD method. Using the IVAP technique, the wind fields associated with a heavy rainfall case in Shanghai, China, are retrieved and compared with those from surface observations and wind-profiler data.
Social Psychiatry in Zimbabwe or the Interplay of Culture and Psychosocial Disorders
Authors: Romme M.A.J.
Published: April 2007

This article describes stresses that affect the social security of patients in a developing country like Zimbabwe and the influence of those stresses on the onset of psychosocial disorder. This is demonstrated in the form of case presentations. The impact on psycho-social disorders reflects a process in which the main factors are social status; stress/support; deprivation; reference.
Demographic Features of Adult Fears
Authors: Croake James W. , Myers Kathleen M. , Singh Abe
Published: April 2007

This paper reports one of the first investigations of adult fears. Demographic variables included: sex, race, college degree status, and sibling position for a broadly defined middle class population. Additionally, it reports a new entity, "fisity" which accounts for both the popularity and strength of a fear in a single calculated measure. Women, in general, endorsed greater overall fearfulness than men, but this differential was not observed in an all white subsample. This male-female difference is similar to trends noted in studies of children's foars. However, college degree status did not correlate with fearfulness for the total population, or for an all white male subsample; although non-degreed females did express significantly greater fearfulness than their degreed cohort. Finally, increasing birth order in the sibship also correlated with increasing fearfulness.
Delusion of Exchanged Doubles in an Immigrant: a New Capgras Variant?
Authors: Arturo Silva J. , Jalali Behnaz , Leong Gregory B.
Published: April 2007

A possible new variant of the Capgras syndrome in an immigrant to the U.S. is presented. The biopsychosocial and phenomenological aspects of this case are discussed.
Self Poisoning: Could Psychiatric Management Be Improved?
Authors: Vidalis A.A. , Jungalwalla H.N. , Baker G.H.B.
Published: April 2007

A retrospective case note study was made of 93 cases of deliberate self-poisoning admitted to the Casualty Department of a busy District General Hospital. The population under investigation is described in terms of age, sex and substance overdosed; it is broadly similar to populations described in most other studies of overdose. Our results show a higher incidence of functional psychoses (19.4%) than other studies, due to an excess of depressive psychosis in females. The main finding is that 84% of patients referred for psychiatric out-patient treatment either failed to attend or failed to complete the treatment. These results are discussed and suggestions made.
The Continuing Care Client
Authors: Svab-Cotic Vesna
Published: April 2007

In the present contribution, I would like to describe modes of care for people who, because of their mental health problems, need the continuing or occasional help of different institutions (Ramon, 1990). Some service structures are described which are the most outstanding. The history and organisation of relevant institutions, as well as possibilities for the improvement of their work, or alternatively their abolition, are also discussed.
Holy Families? Religion, Sacrifice and Family Violence
Authors: Dillen Annemie
Published: April 2007

This essay examines how family violence, the divinization of the family and the religious call to sacrifice are interrelated. Could a Christian-theological perspective on the meaning of the cross in some way prevent religion from being a legitimization of family violence? Drawing on René Girard's thought, the author shows how the cross of Jesus can be liberating for people in the light of the danger of family violence.
The Psychological Analogy of the Trinity: Augustine, Aquinas, and Lonergan
Authors: Drilling Peter
Published: April 2007

The author argues that the psychological analogy of the Trinity should not be left aside or overlooked, since for those Christians willing to attend to the operations of human consciousness, the analogy offers an understanding of the divine Trinity that is fruitful for Christian theology and spirituality.
Yorùbá Influences on Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo
Authors: Fandrich Ina J.
Published: April 2007

The enormous impact of the Yorùbá religion on the New World African diaspora has been well established by scholars, especially when referring to the heavily Yorùbánized popular Creole belief systems of Cuba ( Santería/ Lucumí, Palo) and Brazil ( Umbanda, Candomblé). Far less known are the connections between the Yorùbá faith and the African-based religions of Haiti ( Vodou ) and New Orleans ( Voodoo/Voudou). This article seeks to fill these lacunae and explores the Yorùbá influences on these two neo-African religious traditions both from a contemporary and historical perspective, sorting through many misconceptions attached to the confusing and, for the most part, derogatory English term Voodoo. Interestingly, it is the powerful warrior spirits Eshu/Elegba and Ogun who proved to be the most resilient survivors of Yorùbá cosmology in the Haitian and New Orleanian diaspora.
History as a Core Subject Area of African American Studies
Authors: Dagbovie Pero Gaglo
Published: April 2007

This article examines and theorizes the function of African American history as a valuable African American Studies' core subject area by analyzing the scholarship and historical worldviews of a group of influential African American historians. Although they did not formally earn doctorates in history, at various points from the early 1960s until the mid-1980s, Malcolm X, the recently deceased Harold Cruse, Angela Davis, and Lerone Bennett, Jr., helped validate African American history as an essential core subject area of African American Studies. Challenging conventional Eurocentric notions of what the historian and history constitutes in U.S. academic culture, this article demonstrates (a) how Malcolm, Cruse, Davis, and Bennett embraced the Afrocentric view of history's function as a pragmatic tool for African American liberation and consciousness building and (b) how they provided insightful historical epistemologies, conceptualizations of African American history, and analyses of the African American experience.
The News Agenda of the Black African Press in the United Kingdom
Authors: Ogunyemi Olatunji
Published: April 2007

The proliferation of ethnic press in the United Kingdom has enabled the ethnic communities to represent themselves in the public sphere, to contest negative stereotypes, and to receive information with Blacks as central subjects. However, the perception of Black people as one Black group has skewed our understanding of how different groups within the Black communities project their linguistic and visual distinctiveness through their media. Subsequently, we have little understanding of the press for and by Black African diasporas in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the article explores the dynamic relationship between the Black African community and its press through a case study of African Voice, interview with the editor, and audience survey. Furthermore, it explores the news agenda of the African Voice from the theoretical paradigms of alternative and tabloid popular press. It concludes that the African Voice is neither an alternative press nor tabloid popular press but leans towards semiserious press.
Langmuir-Type Model for Anomalous Moisture Diffusion In Composite Resins
Authors: Carter Harris G. , Kibler Kenneth G.
Published: April 2007

Considerable evidence has recently been presented for anomalous mois ture diffusion in epoxy matrix composites. In an earlier paper we noted that there is no a priori reason why moisture should obey simple diffusion theory rather than Kirkwood's (linear) generalization of the Boltzmann transport equation. With the intent of keeping the analytical aspects of the moisture diffusion problem as simple as possible, we here present a slightly generalized but linear model which involves sources and sinks of diffusing water molecules. With respect to diffusive characteristics, our model is related to the simplest form of neutron transport theory. With respect to bound and unbound particles it is similar to the Langmuir theory of ad sorption isotherms, although we here assume bulk absorption in the resin with no implication that surfaces are involved. An approximation to our exact solution of the coupled linear differential equations is used to fit mildly anomalous moisture uptake curves for 5208 resin exposed to several rclative humidities for two years. The fact that the same parameters give equally good fits to the data at all humidities suggests that the absorption anomaly does not result from nonlinear (e.g. concentration-dependent) effects.