bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anticarcinogenic Impact of Interferon on Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C: A Large-Scale Long-Term Study in a Single Center
Authors: Ikeda Kenji , Arase Yasuji , Saitoh Satoshi , Kobayashi Masahiro , Someya Takashi , Hosaka Tetsuya , Sezaki Hitomi , Akuta Norio , Suzuki Fumitaka , Suzuki Yoshiyuki , Kumada Hiromitsu
Published: September 2005

Background: The anticarcinogenic capacity of interferon (IFN) was assessed in a cohort of Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C en masse. Patients and Methods: The rate of hepatocarcinogenesis was analyzed in 2,166 patients with chronic hepatitis C, of whom 1,654 had received IFN therapy while 512 had not. Results: Crude rates of hepatocarcinogenesis in treated and untreated patients were 2.6 and 4.6% at the end of the 5th year, 5.8 and 12.7% at the 10th year and 13.9 and 23.9% at the 15th year (after completion of IFN therapy for those treated) (p < 0.001). IFN decreased the hazard ratio of carcinogenesis to 0.42 (p < 0.001) in multivariate analysis with adjustments for significant covariates including fibrotic stage, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase level, gender, platelet count and age. Among the 1,654 patients treated with IFN, 606 (36.6%) achieved persistent loss of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and an additional 266 (16.1%) gained normal levels of alanine aminotransferase without loss of HCV RNA for 6 months or longer after the completion of IFN therpay. Cumulative rates of hepatocarcinogenesis in sustained virological responders and biochemical responders were 1.4 and 2.0% at the end of the 5th year, 1.9 and 3.6% at the 10th year and 1.9 and 7.5% at the 15th year, respectively. The hazard ratio of sustained virological response was 0.10 (p < 0.001), and that of biochemical response was 0.12 (p < 0.001). Normalization of aminotransferase levels after IFN therapy without loss of serum HCV RNA decreased hepatocarcinogenesis. Conclusion: IFN significantly decreased the rate of hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C as a whole in Japan, even in those who fail to clear HCV RNA from serum.
Response to Combined Interferon and Ribavirin Is Better in Patients Infected with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 6 than Genotype 1 in Hong Kong
Authors: Yuen Man-Fung , Lai Ching-Lung
Published: September 2005

Data on the treatment efficacy of interferon (IFN)-α and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) of genotype 6 are lacking. A study has been reported from Hong Kong which compared the treatment efficacy of IFN-α and ribavirin in the treatment of chronic HCV infection with genotypes 1 and 6. Twenty-four patients with HCV genotype 1 and 16 patients with HCV genotype 6 were studied. The baseline demographic data including median age, gender ratio, alanine aminotransferase levels, bilirubin levels, HCV RNA levels and histological scores were comparable between the two groups of patients. All patients received IFN-α 5 million units three times per week and ribavirin (1,000 mg for those weighing ≤75 kg and 1,200 mg for those weighing >75 kg) for 1 year. Patients infected with HCV genotype 6 achieved virological response significantly higher than those with HCV genotype 1 (67 vs. 33% at week 24, p = 0.02; 75 vs. 42% at the end of treatment, p = 0.05; 63 vs. 29% at 6 months after completion of treatment, p = 0.04). Histological improvement in inflammatory activity and fibrosis in the liver were observed in 25% and 25% of patients infected with HCV genotype 6 in contrast to only 13 and 8% in patients infected with HCV genotype 1; however, the differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, patients with HCV genotype 6 gain a better response to combined treatment with IFN-α and ribavirin than those with HCV genotype 1 and achieve a significantly higher rate of sustained virological response.
Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease and Hemophilia – The Singapore Experience
Authors: Chow Wan-Cheng , Tien Sim-Leng , Tan Chee-Kiat , Lui Hock-Foong , Vathsala Anantharaman , Ng Han-Seong
Published: September 2005

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the response to treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN-α) in patients with chronic hepatitis C who had end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or hemophilia in Singapore. Methods: Treatment-naive hepatitis patients with ESRD or hemophilia were given IFN-α2a 3 million units three times per week for 12 months in an open-label study. Hepatitis C virus RNA was determined before treatment, at the end of treatment and 6 months thereafter. Regular clinical examinations including blood counts and biochemistry were carried out during and after the treatment. Results: Nine consecutive patients with ESRD (8 men and 1 woman) and 6 consecutive male patients with hemophilia, with a mean age of 43 and 40 years, received treatment. Patients in both groups were predominantly infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 and had significant cytopenia affecting all three cell lines during the treatment; only 1 patient developed serious neutropenia, temporarily demanding a reduction of his IFN dose. Biochemical and virological responses at the end of treatment were accomplished by 8 of the 9 (89%) patients with ESRD and 4 of the 6 (67%) patients with hemophilia; however, 1 patient with ESRD and 2 with hemophilia relapsed after the treatment. Four of the 7 patients with ESRD who had sustained virological response underwent successful kidney transplantation later on. Conclusion: Monotherapy with IFN-α for 12 months is safe for treatment of the patients with chronic hepatitis C who had ESRD or those with hemophilia. A higher sustained virological response rate was observed in patients with ESRD than in those with hemophilia (78 vs. 33%).
Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C with Interferon Alone or Combined with Ribavirin in Japan
Authors: Kumada Takashi , Toyoda Hidenori , Honda Takashi , Kuzuya Teiji , Katano Yosiaki , Nakano Isao , Goto Hidemi
Published: September 2005

We treated 665 patients with chronic hepatitis C with interferon (IFN) monotherapy and 288 with combined IFN and ribavirin. At the baseline, age (53.8 ± 11.1 vs. 49.7 ± 10.5 years, p < 0.0001) and activity (p = 0.0207) as well as fibrosis (p = 0.0270) were higher in patients who received combination therapy than in those receiving monotherapy. Compliance to treatment (64.2 vs. 62.1%, p < 0.0001) and discontinuation were more frequent (18.1 vs. 14.5%, p < 0.0001) in patients with combination therapy than in those with monotherapy. Patients with combination therapy with genotype 2 infection achieved sustained viral response (SVR) at a rate of 77.0%, regardless of viral loads, in contrast to those with genotype 1 infection, of whom only 24.4% gained SVR. Of patients with combination therapy, reduction (42.6 vs. 29.0%, p = 0.0453) and discontinuation (34.0 vs. 21.6%, p = 0.0414) of ribavirin were more frequently required in the 47 patients ≧65 years than in the 241 patients <65 years. Although a trend for higher SVR to combination therapy was observed in patients aged <65 than in those aged ≧65 years (39.4 vs. 25.2%), the difference was not significant (p = 0.0819). In patients with genotype 1 infection, IFN monotherapy in addition to the 24-week combination therapy increased the SVR rate (18.3 vs. 42.6%, p = 0.0003). A decrease in SVR was observed with an increased body mass index in patients who received combination therapy.
Combination Therapy of Intravenous Maxacalcitol and Percutaneous Ethanol Injection Therapy Lowers Serum Parathyroid Hormone Level and Calcium × Phosphorus Product in Secondary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Tanaka Motoko , Itoh Kazuko , Matsushita Kazunori , Matsushita Kazutaka , Fukagawa Masafumi
Published: September 2005

Background: Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) is an alternative treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). Although maxacalcitol has been recently developed as a new vitamin D3 and its efficacy is anticipated in SHPT, there are only few reports on the usefulness of combination therapy of intravenous maxacalcitol and selective PEIT. Methods: The study population comprised 10 hemodialysis patients (6 males and 4 females, mean age; 51.5 ± 13.5 years, mean HD period 13.7± 3.5 years), with high intact-PTH level (>400 pg/ml) and 1 or 2 enlarged parathyroid glands detected by power Doppler ultrasonography. Intravenous maxacalcitol therapy commenced one week after PEIT at 15 µg/week. The effect of combination therapy was monitored by measuring intact-PTH, serum Ca and P, bone metabolic markers, parathyroid gland volume and bone mineral density, prior to and at 6 and 12 months after PEIT. Results: Successful control of intact-PTH, bone metabolic markers and parathyroid gland volume was achieved using the combination therapy. Serum P and Ca×P productweresignificantly decreased 12 months after PEIT. The mean values of serum intact-PTH, P and Ca×P product fulfilled all of the K/DOQI guidelines at 12 months after PEIT. None of the patients developed complications related to PEIT-maxacalcitol therapy during 12 months following PEIT. Conclusion: Combination therapy of intravenous maxacalcitol therapy and selective PEIT is safe and effective for the treatment of refractory SHPT. This combination therapy results in suppression of PTH secretion, regression of parathyroid hyperplasia and the control of Ca×P product, which may prevent calcific uremic arteriolopathy in dialysis patients.
Nerve Fiber Layer Measurement Using Scanning Laser Polarimetry with Fixed Corneal Compensator in Normal Cynomolgus Monkey Eyes
Authors: Shimazawa Masamitsu , Taniguchi Takazumi , Sasaoka Masaaki , Hara Hideaki
Published: September 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in normal cynomolgus monkeys using a scanning laser polarimeter with a fixed corneal compensator (GDx FCC), and to clarify the reproducibility and symmetries (right-left differences) between both eyes for the GDx parameters. Methods: GDx parameters were measured in 36 normal eyes of 18 cynomolgus monkeys aged 4.0–5.5 years. The retardation values (thickness parameters) at peripapillary and macular areas obtained from the GDx FCC were measured and calculated thickness, ratio, and modulation parameters in the superior and inferior quadrants. Mean and standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and binocular differences were obtained for each parameter from three independent measurements made during a 1-week period. Correlation between both eyes in macular retardation and baseline values, which indicated the combined minimum retardation values for the nasal and temporal quadrants, and between macular retardation and baseline values were analyzed. Results: The intraocular pressure values (mean ± SD, n = 18) obtained for the right and left eyes were 20.7 ± 3.8 and 20.0 ± 3.2 mm Hg, respectively (no significant differences in both eyes). No significant differences between right and left eyes were detected for any GDx parameters. All parameters showed small right-left differences. The CVs (SD/mean × 100) for all parameters were less than 10%. Highly significant correlations were seen between bilateral eyes for macular retardation (r = 0.936, p < 0.0001) or baseline values (r = 0.946, p < 0.0001). A significant correlation (r = 0.883, p < 0.0001) was also seen between macular retardation and baseline values. Conclusions: Considering individual differences in corneal birefringence, GDx parameters obtained from a GDx FCC may be useful for the objective evaluation of time-related changes in individual eyes or for binocular comparisons in cynomolgus monkeys.
Beta-Ray Brachytherapy of Retinoblastoma: Feasibility of a New Small-Sized Ruthenium-106 Plaque
Authors: Schueler Andreas O. , Flühs Dirk , Anastassiou Gerasimos , Jurklies Christine , Sauerwein Wolfgang , Bornfeld Norbert
Published: September 2005

A non-comparative case observation study estimated the feasibility of brachytherapy for retinoblastoma with a newly designed ruthenium-106 plaque (label: CXS) with an 8-mm diameter of the irradiation zone. Methods: The new CXS plaque was used between 2001 and 2003 for brachytherapy of 13 retinoblastomas. Indications were recurrences after preceding local treatment or endophytic retinoblastoma with an impending vitreous tumour cell seeding. The prescribed radiation dose at the apex was 88 Gy (NIST-calibrated dosimetry). Results: The mean age at brachytherapy was 1.2 years (standard deviation, SD: 1.1 years), and the mean follow-up was 1.7 years (SD: 0.6 years). The treated tumours had a mean diameter of 2.3 mm (SD: 0.7 mm) and a mean height of 1.5 mm (SD: 0.6 mm) with a mean distance to the optic disc of 9.9 mm (SD: 2.2 mm). The mean duration of irradiation was 29.3 h (SD: 9.9 h) with a mean dose at the sclera of 213 Gy (SD: 80 Gy). Surgery was uneventful in all cases. Complete regression developed after 3.1 months (SD: 2.8 months) in all cases without a recurrence or a progression of the vitreous tumour cell seeding. The eyes developed no further side-effects besides a temporary circumscribed intra-ocular haemorrhage that emerged from the regressive tumour remnants. Conclusion: Brachytherapy with the CXS plaque seems to be a safe and reliable treatment option for small-sized retinoblastoma when laser or cryocoagulation failed to control the tumour growth or for small retinoblastoma with an incipient local tumour cell seeding on the tumour surface.
Serum Level of Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor and Atherosclerosis in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Haraguchi Kazutaka , Kubo Masashi , Saito Takehiro , Furuya Fumihiko , Inoue Hironobu , Takahashi Mitsuhiko , Shimura Hiroki , Tago Kiichiro , Kobayashi Tetsuro
Published: September 2005

Background/Aims: Atherosclerosis and its related complications are the leading causes of death in the hemodialysis (HD) population. Aortic calcification index (ACI), intima-media thickness (IMT) in common carotid arteries, and electrocardiogram (ECG) are atherosclerotic parameters that are available in usual clinical outpatient settings. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) play important roles in atherosclerosis. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 133 outpatients on maintenance HD in a single HD outpatient center. We measured serum levels of MCSF and MCP-1, determined the ACI using computed tomography scan and the IMT using high-sensitivity ultrasound B-mode imaging, and performed ECGs. Results: Stepwise multivariate regression analysis revealed that the MCSF level correlated with age-adjusted mean and maximum IMT (F = 10.811, p = 0.001, and F = 6.784, p = 0.010, respectively) as well as with the diastolic blood pressure. Age and MCSF level (F = 4.866, p = 0.029) were independently related to an increased ACI. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was not related to IMT and ACI. The hsCRP level (χ2 = 5.002, p = 0.025) correlated with ECG changes followed by MCSF (χ2 = 3.940, p = 0.047). MCP-1 was not related to the above atherosclerotic parameters. Conclusion: A head-to-head comparison between MCSF and hsCRP revealed that MCSF was more closely associated with IMT and ACI in HD patients.
The Neuropsychological Profile of Alcohol-Related Dementia Suggests Cortical and Subcortical Pathology
Authors: Schmidt Kara S. , Gallo Jennifer L. , Ferri Christine , Giovannetti Tania , Sestito Nicole , Libon David J. , Schmidt Paul S.
Published: September 2005

The neuropathology associated with chronic alcohol abuse varies across studies, though research suggests generalized reductions in cortical and subcortical grey and white matter. Neuropsychological findings also differ within the literature. The inconsistent findings with respect to the neuropathology and neurobehavior of patients with histories of alcohol abuse may be due, at least in part, to differing nosology and the highly variable inclusion/exclusion criteria employed by researchers. Oslin et al. [Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 1998;13:203–212] have proposed and recently validated specific criteria for probable alcohol-related dementia (ARD). We were interested in comparing the neuropsychological profile of ARD patients with the neurocognitive profiles of typical cortical and subcortical dementia patients. Participants included 14 ARD patients, 15 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 13 patients diagnosed with subcortical vascular dementia (VaD), and 20 normal controls. Patient subgroups were similar with respect to age (mean = 79), education (mean = 12 years) and dementia severity (MMSE; mean = 22.1). The three dementia patient subgroups demonstrated significantly worse performance than the normal controls subgroup on all neuropsychological tests. The ARD subgroup exhibited very similar executive control deficits to VaD patients. However, the different neurocognitive profiles of the patient subgroups suggest that ARD patients may also, in fact, demonstrate some degree of amnesia given that they perform slightly worse than subcortical patients on delayed verbal free recall and recognition. Nonetheless, the ARD patients did not display as severe impairment as the AD patients on the memory tasks. No significant differences between the three patient groups were identified on language tests. In sum, we present preliminary evidence of a distinct neuropsychological profile for ARD patients that includes impairment on both executive control and memory tests. This pattern of performance suggests that long-term alcohol abuse, in comparison to AD and VaD, may be associated with both cortical and subcortical neuropathology.
Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy-Candidiasis-Ectodermal Dystrophy Presenting with Severe Keratopathy in an Egyptian Patient with a Homozygous R139X Mutation
Authors: Tawfik Sameh , Azim Mohammed Abd , Peterson Part , Donaldson Malcolm D.C.
Published: September 2005

Objective: To report a patient with an unusual presentation of autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) and severe keratopathy. Case History: An Egyptian male sustained an injury to the left eye at 13 years of age and was found to have corneal damage which was attributed to the injury. Subsequently, however, he continued to have sore eyes with photophobia. A year later he became weak with pigmentation and episodes of collapse, and investigation showed that he had Addison’s disease together with mucocutaneous candidiasis. At 15 years of age he developed carpo-pedal spasm and was found to have hypoparathyroidism with intracranial calcification. At 20 years of age the ophthalmic diagnosis was revised to keratopathy by which time the patient had corneal opacity and problems with visual acuity, especially in the right eye. Investigation at 22 years of age showed that he was homozygous for an R139X mutation in the gene encoding the AIRE protein, a mutation which to date has only been found in Sardinian patients. Conclusions: Keratopathy can be an early and severe manifestation of APECED, requiring expert ophthalmic care. Its presence should prompt a search for other components of APECED, some of which are life-threatening.
Generalized Hough Modes: The Structure of Damped Global-Scale Waves Propagating on a Mean Flow with Horizontal and Vertical Shear
Authors: Ortland David A.
Published: September 2005

The technique of classical tidal theory in which linear disturbances to a background flow at rest are expanded in terms of Hough modes is generalized for damped disturbances to a general zonal mean state under the assumption that the vertical scale of the background flow is longer than the vertical scale of the disturbance. Generalized Hough modes provide an alternative to the concept of mode coupling between classical modes as a means of describing how the mean flow and damping affect the wave structure. Generalized modes take into account the horizontal shear of the mean flow and damping at lowest order. Effects of vertical shear in the mean flow only arise as first-order corrections, and hence generalized modes provide exact modal solutions to the linearized primitive equations when the mean flow only varies with latitude.
A Study of the Global Structure of the Migrating Diurnal Tide Using Generalized Hough Modes
Authors: Ortland David A.
Published: September 2005

The theory of generalized Hough modes developed in a companion paper is applied here to investigate the structure of the migrating diurnal tide in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. A series of simple examples illustrate how equatorial and midlatitude jets affect the horizontal structure and vertical wavelength of the tidal modes. Complex damping coefficients are used to model the effects of diffusion and gravity wave forcing acting on the tide. It is shown that the imaginary part of the damping coefficient can have significant effects that cannot be adequately represented by real damping coefficients alone. An exact solution of the linearized equations obtained with realistic mean flow and diffusion values representing solstice conditions is compared to the approximate generalized Hough mode solution. It is found that excellent agreement is obtained when expanding to first order, where the corrections at this order account for the observed hemispheric asymmetry in tidal winds during solstice. It is concluded that the asymmetry arises as the result of strong vertical shear in the mean winds that result from the reversal of the sign of the summer and winter jets in the upper mesosphere.
Adjustment to Injections of Mass, Momentum, and Heat in a Compressible Atmosphere
Authors: Chagnon Jeffrey M. , Bannon Peter R.
Published: September 2005

This study compares the response to injections of mass, heat, and momentum during hydrostatic and geostrophic adjustment in a compressible atmosphere. The sensitivity of the adjustment to these different injection types is examined at varying spatial and temporal scales through analysis of the transient evolution of the fields as well as the partitioning of total energy between acoustic waves, buoyancy waves, Lamb waves, and the steady state.

The effect of a cumulus cloud on its larger-scale environment may be represented as a vertical mass source/sink and a localized warming. To examine how the response to such injections may differ, injections of mass and heat that generate identical potential vorticity (PV) distributions and, hence, identical steady states, are compared. When the duration of the injection is very short (e.g., a minute or less), the injection of mass generates a very large acoustic wave response relative to the PV-equivalent injection of heat. However, the buoyancy wave response to these two injection types is quite similar.

The responses to injections of divergent momentum in the vertical and horizontal directions are also compared. It is shown that neither divergent momentum injection generates any PV and, thus, there is no steady-state response to these injections. The waves excited by these injections generally propagate their energy in the direction of the injection. Consequently, an injection of vertical momentum is an efficient generator of vertically propagating, horizontally trapped, high-frequency buoyancy waves. Such waves have a short time scale and are therefore very sensitive to the injection duration. Analogously, an injection of divergent horizontal momentum is an efficient generator of horizontally propagating, vertically trapped low-frequency buoyancy waves that are relatively insensitive to the injection duration. Because of this difference in the response to horizontal and vertical injections of momentum, the response to the injection of an isolated updraft differs depending on whether a compensating horizontal inflow/outflow is also specified. This additional specification of inflow/outflow helps filter acoustic waves and encourages a stronger updraft that is not removed as rapidly by the buoyancy waves. This finding is relevant to the initialization of updrafts in compressible numerical weather prediction models.

Injection of nondivergent momentum generates waves in the regions of convergence/divergence produced by the deflection of the current by Coriolis forces. The energy partitioning for such an injection is sensitive to the width and depth of the current relative to the Rossby radius of deformation, but the response is insensitive to the duration of injection for time scales shorter than several hours.
Regional Heat Sources and the Active and Break Phases of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal (30–50 Day) Variability*
Authors: Annamalai H. , Sperber K. R.
Published: September 2005

The boreal summer intraseasonal variability (BSISV) associated with the 30–50-day mode is represented by the coexistence of three components: poleward propagation of convection over the Indian and tropical west Pacific longitudes and eastward propagation along the equator. The hypothesis that the three components influence each other has been investigated using observed outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), NCEP–NCAR reanalysis, and solutions from an idealized linear model. The null hypothesis is that the three components are mutually independent. Cyclostationary EOF (CsEOF) analysis is applied on filtered OLR to extract the life cycle of the BSISV. The dominant CsEOF mode is significantly tied to the observed spatial rainfall pattern associated with the active/break phases over the Indian subcontinent. The components of the heating patterns from CsEOF analysis serve as prescribed forcings for the dry version of the linear model. This allows one to investigate the possible roles that the regional heat sources and sinks play in driving the large-scale monsoon circulation at various stages of the BSISV life cycle. To understand the interactive nature between convection and circulation, the moist version of the model is forced with intraseasonal SST anomalies.

The linear models reproduce the major features of the BSISV seen in the reanalysis. The linear model suggests three new findings: (i) The circulation anomalies that develop as a Rossby wave response to suppressed convection over the equatorial Indian Ocean associated with the previous break phase of the BSISV results in low-level convergence and tropospheric moisture enhancement over the equatorial western Indian Ocean and helps trigger the next active phase of the BSISV. (ii) The development of convection over the tropical west Pacific forces descent anomalies to the west. This, in conjunction with the weakened cross-equatorial flow due to suppressed convective anomalies over the equatorial Indian Ocean, reduces the tropospheric moisture over the Arabian Sea and promotes westerly wind anomalies that do not recurve over India. As a result the low-level cyclonic vorticity shifts from India to Southeast Asia and break conditions are initiated over India. (iii) The circulation anomalies forced by equatorial Indian Ocean convective anomalies significantly influence the active/break phases over the tropical west Pacific.

The model solutions support the hypothesis that the three components of the BSISV influence each other but do not imply that such an influence is responsible for the space–time evolution of the BSISV. Further, the applicability of the model results to the observed system is constrained by the assumption that linear interactions are sufficient to address the BSISV and that air–sea interaction and transient forcing are excluded.
On the Role of Moist Processes in Tropical Intraseasonal Variability: Cloud–Radiation and Moisture–Convection Feedbacks
Authors: Bony Sandrine , Emanuel Kerry A.
Published: September 2005

Recent observations of the tropical atmosphere reveal large variations of water vapor and clouds at intraseasonal time scales. This study investigates the role of these variations in the large-scale organization of the tropical atmosphere, and in intraseasonal variability in particular. For this purpose, the influence of feedbacks between moisture (water vapor, clouds), radiation, and convection that affect the growth rate and the phase speed of unstable modes of the tropical atmosphere is investigated.

Results from a simple linear model suggest that interactions between moisture and tropospheric radiative cooling, referred to as moist-radiative feedbacks, play a significant role in tropical intraseasonal variability. Their primary effect is to reduce the phase speed of large-scale tropical disturbances: by cooling the atmosphere less efficiently during the rising phase of the oscillations (when the atmosphere is moister) than during episodes of large-scale subsidence (when the atmosphere is drier), the atmospheric radiative heating reduces the effective stratification felt by propagating waves and slows down their propagation. In the presence of significant moist-radiative feedbacks, planetary disturbances are characterized by an approximately constant frequency. In addition, moist-radiative feedbacks excite small-scale disturbances advected by the mean flow. The interactions between moisture and convection exert a selective damping effect upon small-scale disturbances, thereby favoring large-scale propagating waves at the expense of small-scale advective disturbances. They also weaken the ability of radiative processes to slow down the propagation of planetary-scale disturbances. This study suggests that a deficient simulation of cloud radiative interactions or of convection-moisture interactions may explain some of the difficulties experienced by general circulation models in simulating tropical intraseasonal oscillations.
An Observational Case for the Prevalence of Roll Vortices in the Hurricane Boundary Layer*
Authors: Morrison Ian , Businger Steven , Marks Frank , Dodge Peter , Businger Joost A.
Published: September 2005

Doppler velocity data from Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars during four hurricane landfalls are analyzed to investigate the presence of organized vortices in the hurricane boundary layer (HBL). The wavelength, depth, magnitude, and track of velocity anomalies were compiled through analysis of Doppler velocity data. The analysis reveals alternating bands of enhanced and reduced azimuthal winds closely aligned with the mean wind direction. Resulting statistics provide compelling evidence for the presence of organized secondary circulations or boundary layer rolls across significant areas during four hurricane landfalls. The results confirm previous observations of the presence of rolls in the HBL. A potential limitation of the study presented here is the resolution of the WSR-88D data. In particular, analysis of higher-resolution data (e.g., from the Doppler on Wheels) is needed to confirm that data aliasing has not unduly impacted the statistics reported here. Momentum fluxes associated with the secondary circulations are estimated using the covariance between the horizontal and vertical components of the wind fluctuations in rolls, with resulting fluxes 2–3 times greater than estimated by parameterizations in numerical weather prediction models. The observational analysis presented here, showing a prevalence of roll vortices in the HBL, has significant implications for the vertical transport of energy in hurricanes, for the character of wind damage, and for improvements in numerical simulations of hurricanes.
Using Idealized Coherent Structures to Parameterize Momentum Fluxes in a PBL Mass-Flux Model
Authors: Lappen Cara-Lyn , Randall David A.
Published: September 2005

In 2001, the authors presented a higher-order mass-flux model called assumed distributions with higher-order closure (ADHOC), which represents the large eddies of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) in terms of an assumed joint distribution of the vertical velocity and scalars such as potential temperature or water vapor mixing ratio. ADHOC is intended for application as a PBL parameterization. It uses the equations of higher-order closure to predict selected moments of the assumed distribution, and diagnoses the parameters of the distribution from the predicted moments. Once the parameters of the distribution are known, all moments of interest can be computed.

The first version of ADHOC was incomplete in that the horizontal momentum equations, the vertical fluxes of horizontal momentum, the contributions to the turbulence kinetic energy from the horizontal wind, and the various pressure terms involving covariances between pressure and other variables were not incorporated into the assumed distribution framework. Instead, these were parameterized using standard methods.

This paper describes an updated version of ADHOC. The new version includes representations of the horizontal winds and momentum fluxes that are consistent with the mass-flux framework of the model. The assumed joint probability distribution is replaced by an assumed joint spatial distribution based on an idealized coherent structure, such as a plume or roll. The horizontal velocity can then be determined using the continuity equation, and the momentum fluxes and variances are computed directly by spatial integration. These expressions contain unknowns that involve the parameters of the assumed coherent structures. Methods are presented to determine these parameters, which include the radius of convective updrafts and downdrafts and the wavelength, tilt, and orientation angle of the convective rolls. The parameterization is tested by comparison with statistics computed from large-eddy simulations. In a companion paper, the results of this paper are built on to determine the perturbation pressure terms needed by the model.
Assimilation of Surface Pressure Observations Using an Ensemble Filter in an Idealized Global Atmospheric Prediction System
Authors: Anderson Jeffrey L. , Wyman Bruce , Zhang Shaoqing , Hoar Timothy
Published: September 2005

An ensemble filter data assimilation system is tested in a perfect model setting using a low resolution Held–Suarez configuration of an atmospheric GCM. The assimilation system is able to reconstruct details of the model’s state at all levels when only observations of surface pressure (PS) are available. The impacts of varying the spatial density and temporal frequency of PS observations are examined. The error of the ensemble mean assimilation prior estimate appears to saturate at some point as the number of PS observations available once every 24 h is increased. However, increasing the frequency with which PS observations are available from a fixed network of 1800 randomly located stations results in an apparently unbounded decrease in the assimilation’s prior error for both PS and all other model state variables. The error reduces smoothly as a function of observation frequency except for a band with observation periods around 4 h. Assimilated states are found to display enhanced amplitude high-frequency gravity wave oscillations when observations are taken once every few hours, and this adversely impacts the assimilation quality. Assimilations of only surface temperature and only surface wind components are also examined.

The results indicate that, in a perfect model context, ensemble filters are able to extract surprising amounts of information from observations of only a small portion of a model’s spatial domain. This suggests that most of the remaining challenges for ensemble filter assimilation are confined to problems such as model error, observation representativeness error, and unknown instrument error characteristics that are outside the scope of perfect model experiments. While it is dangerous to extrapolate from these simple experiments to operational atmospheric assimilation, the results also suggest that exploring the frequency with which observations are used for assimilation may lead to significant enhancements to assimilated state estimates.
The Impact of Model Resolution on Differences between Independent Column Approximation and Monte Carlo Estimates of Shortwave Surface Irradiance and Atmospheric Heating Rate
Authors: O’Hirok William , Gautier Catherine
Published: September 2005

Within general circulation models (GCMs), domain average radiative fluxes are computed using plane-parallel radiative transfer algorithms that rely on cloud overlap schemes to account for clouds not resolved at the horizontal resolution of a grid cell. These parameterizations have a strong statistical approach and have difficulty being applied well to all cloudy conditions. A more physically based superparameterization has been developed that captures subgrid cloud variability using an embedded cloud system resolving model (CSRM) within each GCM grid cell. While plane-parallel radiative transfer computations are generally appropriate at the scale of a GCM grid cell, their suitability for the much higher spatially resolved CSRMs (2–4 km) is unknown because they ignore photon horizontal transport effects. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between model horizontal resolution and 3D radiative effects by computing the differences between independent column approximations (ICA) and 3D Monte Carlo estimates of shortwave surface irradiance and atmospheric heating rate.

Shortwave radiative transfer computations are performed on a set of six 2D fields composed of stratiform and convective liquid water and ice clouds. To establish how 3D effects vary with the size of a grid cell, this process is repeated as the model resolution is progressively degraded from 200 to 20 km. For shortwave surface irradiance, the differences between the 3D and ICA results can reach 500 W m−2. At model resolutions of between 2.0 and 5.0 km the difference for almost all columns is reduced to a maximum of ±100 W m−2. For atmospheric heating rates assessed at the level of individual model cells, 3D radiative effects can approach a maximum value of ±1.2 K h−1 when the horizontal column size is 200 m. However, between model resolutions of 2.0 and 5.0 km, 3D radiative effects are reduced to well below ±0.1 K h−1 for a large majority of the cloudy cells. While this finding seems to bode well for the CSRM, the results ultimately need to be understood within the context of how 3D radiative effects impact not only heating rates but also cloud dynamics.
Destabilization of the Symmetric Vortex and Formation of the Elliptical Eye of Typhoon Herb
Authors: Oda Masahito , Itano Toshihisa , Naito Gen’ichi , Nakanishi Mikio , Tomine Kikuro
Published: September 2005

An elliptical eye was observed in Typhoon Herb during its passage around the Sakishima Islands located in the southwest of the Okinawa Islands in Japan on 30–31 July 1996. Later analysis showed that this elliptical eye had a structure with wavenumber 2 in the radar echo distribution, rainfall field, and pressure field. It is argued here that this structure is likely caused by a dynamic instability arising from radial shear in the tangential flow. To examine this possibility, a linear eigenvalue problem was set up using the asymmetric balance model in which the basic flow was based on the observed surface wind in Typhoon Herb, and the stability of the basic flow for both two- and three-dimensional perturbations was examined.

Although for large Rossby numbers, the asymmetric balance model is not formally valid for higher azimuthal wavenumber perturbations, results certainly show that an unstable mode appears with the perturbation with wavenumber 2. In particular, the largest growth rate of the perturbation with wavenumber 2 is shown to occur for the three-dimensional perturbation. The eigenmode structure and rotation period of this three-dimensional perturbation with wavenumber 2 are comparable with the observations. These results suggest that barotropic instability due to the radial shear of tangential flow is relevant to the formation of the elliptical eye of Typhoon Herb.
Analytic Green’s Function for Radiative Transfer in Plane-Parallel Atmospheres
Authors: Qin Yi , Box Michael A.
Published: September 2005

Green’s function is a widely used approach for boundary value problems. In problems related to radiative transfer, Green’s function has been found to be useful in land, ocean, and atmosphere remote sensing. It is also a key element in higher order perturbation theory. This paper presents an explicit expression of the Green’s function, in terms of the source and radiation field variables, for a plane-parallel atmosphere with either vacuum boundaries or a reflecting [atmosphere–bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF)] surface. A FORTRAN 95 code, Green’s function and discrete ordinate method (GDOM), has been developed to efficiently compute the Green’s function. This code also integrates with an implementation of the discrete ordinate method with several extensions and improvements. Computing complexity of the Green’s function algorithm is analyzed, and validation of the code is discussed.
Phantom Benefits
Authors: Werner William B. , Hardigree Christian E. , Okada Shannon
Published: September 2005

In an effort to avoid the rising costs and risks of employment litigation, some companies in the United States have implemented employment contracts that require employees to submit any legal disputes with their employer to final and binding private arbitration. The assumption of such companies, as well as scholars and practitioners who have studied the matter, has been that a company should impose final and binding arbitration on its employees, if it may lawfully do so. An examination of that assumption indicates that mandatory employment arbitration is not necessarily the most advantageous method of employee dispute resolution. Indeed, despite what appears to be a rising popularity of mandatory employment arbitration, such a policy should not be viewed as a panacea for rising employment litigation risks and may not even be appropriate or helpful for many businesses.
Text Mining for the Hotel Industry
Authors: Lau Kin-Nam , Lee Kam-Hon , Ho Ying
Published: September 2005

With the availability of huge volumes of text-based information freely available on the Internet, text mining can be used by hoteliers to develop competitive and strategic intelligence. Although the software needed to analyze online text files remains comparatively expensive, the cost will inevitably fall. A demonstration of text mining compiled information about Hong Kong hotels and about would-be travelers. Such relatively invariant information as statistics on competitors’ facilities is fairly easy to assemble, but variant information, such as room rates, can be elusive. Customers’ demographics and attitudes can be mined with reasonable accuracy from newsgroup postings and the like.
Euro-Vision
Authors: D’Haenens Leen
Published: September 2005

This article monitors news coverage on the European Union and EU-related matters in terms of news frames and news discourses adopted in online versions of seven quality newspapers (six European and one American) over a period of four months (December 2001-March 2002). During this period the EU Council Summit was held in Laeken, Belgium, on 14 and 15 December 2001. The selection of the national quality press outlets is carried out on the basis of a general, significant readership and centrality to the current media debate on European issues in the country. The seven countries are interesting cases in terms of their varying role in the history of European integration as well as their current attitude towards the EU. The research literature identifies five recurrent news frames (conflict, human interest, economic consequences, morality and responsibility): this article assesses the relative visibility of each of these news frames in the coverage on the EU and its institutions in the news outlets under study. Furthermore, it asks which discourse is more dominant when it comes to the shaping of European identity as portrayed in the news reporting. Four types of discourse (culture, expansion, in- and exclusion and power) are examined.
The Framing of Politics
Authors: Segvic Ivana
Published: September 2005

This study explores 11 years of content in three well-circulating Croatian newspapers, Vjesnik, Slobodna Dalmacija and Feral Tribune. Utilizing framing theory, the author examines how the three papers differed in their presentation of the Croatian government from 1990 through 2000. Using a sample of 1400 articles, the use of specific frames and the presentation of antagonists and protagonists in the articles’ content are examined.
A Critical Review of Rural Poverty Literature: Is There Truly a Rural Effect?
Authors: Weber Bruce , Jensen Leif , Miller Kathleen , Mosley Jane , Fisher Monica
Published: September 2005

Poverty rates are highest in the most urban and most rural areas of the United States and are higher in nonmetropolitan than metropolitan areas. Yet perhaps because only one-fifth of the nation's 35 million poor people live in nonmetro areas, rural poverty has received less attention than urban poverty from both policy makers and researchers. The authors provide a critical review of literature that examines the factors affecting poverty in rural areas. The authors focus on studies that explore whether there is a rural effect, that is, whether there is something about rural places above and beyond demographic characteristics and local economic context that makes poverty more likely in those places. The authors identify methodological concerns (such as endogenous membership and omitted variables) that may limit the validity of conclusions from existing studies that there is a rural effect. The authors conclude with suggestions for research that would address these concerns and explore the processes and institutions in urban and rural areas that determine poverty, outcomes, and policy impacts.
Poverty, Policy, and Place: How Poverty and Policies to Alleviate Poverty Are Shaped by Local Characteristics
Authors: Blank Rebecca M.
Published: September 2005

This article synthesizes an extensive literature on how local characteristics might affect the nature of poverty, particularly U.S. rural poverty. The attributes discussed include the natural environment, economic structure, public and community institutions, social norms, and demographic characteristics. In each case, the author discusses the ways in which these attributes can affect poverty and indicates what this implies about effective antipoverty policies. Multiple causal factors affect place-specific outcomes and interact so that “outcome” and “cause” are difficult to untangle. One implication is that both place-based and people-based policies may be necessary.
Combining Registry, Primary, and Secondary Data Sources to Identify the Impact of Cancer on Labor Market Outcomes
Authors: Bradley Cathy J. , Neumark David , Oberst Kathleen , Luo Zhehui , Brennan Simone , Schenk Maryjean
Published: September 2005

Some cancers are rapidly becoming chronic conditions that are more and more often diagnosed in working-age individuals. The authors developed a research agenda to study the labor market outcomes attributable to detection and treatment for cancer, and research design and data collection strategies to improve upon other research on these questions. In this article, they describe their approach to combining secondary data sources, primary data collection, and cancer registry data to evaluate the impact cancer has on labor market outcomes such as employment, hours worked, wages, and health insurance. They then critically assess how well their study design and data collection strategy accomplished its objectives. The intention is to offer guidance on how researchers, who are interested in the economic consequences of cancer, as well as of other chronic conditions, might develop and execute studies that examine labor market outcomes. As more attention is placed on the economic aspects of disease, the methods used to estimate productivity loss and other economic outcomes attributable to these conditions require careful scrutiny so that reliable findings can be used to shape health care decisions and policy.