bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blood Pressure Reduction for Vascular Risk
Authors: Birns Jonathan , Markus Hugh , Kalra Lalit
Published: April 2005

The importance of lowering blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive subjects is well-known and recent studies suggest that lowering of BP in patients who may already be in the normotensive range further reduces the risk of vascular events, particularly stroke. Epidemiological data have also shown that lower BP and antihypertensive treatment may be associated with cognitive impairment once cerebrovascular disease is established. However, the relationship between hypertension and cerebrovascular disease is more complex than suggested by epidemiological or intervention studies. Cerebral imaging studies have shown that cerebral blood flow (CBF) is reduced in areas of small-vessel disease (SVD) and the degree of hypoperfusion correlates with disease severity. Furthermore, impaired neuropsychological performance has been found to correlate with cerebral hypoperfusion in patients with established SVD. These findings raise questions surrounding the desirability of lowering of BP beyond a certain level in such patients. It is conceivable that indiscriminate BP reduction may compromise cerebral perfusion and function in these patients, increasing the risk of cognitive decline and cerebrovascular disease progression. Randomized clinical trials addressing the relationship between antihypertensive treatment and vascular cognitive impairment are lacking. Further studies are therefore needed to assess the cognitive consequences of BP reduction in people with established cerebrovascular disease. This will help to direct appropriate protective strategies and treatments in a vulnerable group of people, many of whom have hypertension and cerebrovascular disease at the same time.
The Functional Organization of Auditory Working Memory as Revealed by fMRI
Authors: Arnott Stephen R. , Grady Cheryl L. , Hevenor Stephanie J. , Graham Simon , Alain Claude
Published: April 2005

Spatial and nonspatial auditory tasks preferentially recruit dorsal and ventral brain areas, respectively. However, the extent to which these auditory differences reflect specific aspects of mental processing has not been directly studied. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, participants encoded and maintained either the location or the identity of a sound for a delay period of several seconds and then subsequently compared that information with a second sound. Relative to sound localization, sound identification was associated with greater hemodynamic activity in the left rostral superior temporal gyrus. In contrast, localizing sounds recruited greater activity in the parietal cortex, posterior temporal lobe, and superior frontal sulcus. The identification differences were most prominent during the early stage of the trial, whereas the location differences were most evident during the late (i.e., comparison) stage. Accordingly, our results suggest that auditory spatial and identity dissociations as revealed by functional imaging may be dependent to some degree on the type of processing being carried out. In addition, dorsolateral prefrontal and lateral superior parietal areas showed greater activity during the comparison as opposed to the earlier stage of the trial, regardless of the type of auditory task, consistent with results from visual working memory studies.
Inattentional Amnesia to Words in a High Attentional Load Task
Authors: Ruz María , Worden Michael S. , Tudela Pío , McCandliss Bruce D.
Published: April 2005

We investigated the dependence of visual word processes on attention by examining event-related potential (ERP) responses as subjects viewed words while their attention was engaged by a concurrent highly demanding task. We used a paradigm from a previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment [Rees, G., Russel, C., Frith, C. D., & Driver, J. Inattentional blindness vs. inattentional amnesia for fixated but ignored words. Science, 286, 2504–2506, 1999] in which participants attended either to drawings or to overlapping letters (words or nonwords) presented at a fast rate. Although previous fMRI results supported the notion that word processing was obliterated by attention withdrawal, the current electrophysiological results demonstrated that visual words are processed even under conditions in which attentional resources are engaged in a different task that does not involve reading. In two experiments, ERPs for attended words versus nonwords differed in the left frontal, left posterior, and medial scalp locations. However, in contrast to the previous fMRI results, ERPs responded differentially to ignored words and consonant strings in several regions. These results suggest that fMRI and ERPs may have differential sensitivity to some forms of neural activation. Moreover, they provide evidence to restore the notion that the brain analyzes words even when attention is tied to another dimension.
Aerosol Properties and Chemical Apportionment of Aerosol Optical Depth at Locations off the U.S. East Coast in July and August 2001
Authors: Magi Brian I. , Hobbs Peter V. , Kirchstetter Thomas W. , Novakov Tihomir , Hegg Dean A. , Gao Song , Redemann Jens , Schmid Beat
Published: April 2005

Airborne in situ measurements of vertical profiles of the aerosol light scattering coefficient, light absorption coefficient, and single scattering albedo (ω0) are presented for locations off the East Coast of the United States in July–August 2001. The profiles were obtained in relatively clean air, dominated by airflows that had passed over Canada and the Atlantic Ocean. Comparisons of aerosol optical depths (AODs) at 550 nm derived from airborne in situ and sun-photometer measurements agree, on average, to within 0.034 ± 0.021. A frequency distribution of ω0 measured in the atmospheric boundary layer off the coast yields an average value of ω0 = 0.96 ± 0.03 at 550 nm. Values for the mass scattering efficiencies of sulfate and total carbon (organic and black carbon) derived from a multiple linear regression are 6.0 ± 1.0 m2 (g SO=4)−1 and 2.6 ± 0.9 m2 (g C)−1, respectively. Measurements of sulfate and total carbon mass concentrations are used to estimate the contributions of these two major components of the submicron aerosol to the AOD. Mean percentage contributions to the AOD from sulfate, total carbon, condensed water, and absorbing aerosols are 38% ± 8%, 26% ± 9%, 32% ± 9%, and 4% ± 2%, respectively. The sensitivity of the above results to the assumed values of the hygroscopic growth factors for the particles are examined and it is found that, although the AOD derived from the in situ measurements can vary by as much as 20%, the average value of ω0 is not changed significantly. The results are compared with those obtained in the same region in 1996 under more polluted conditions.
Radiative Transfer Modeling for the CLAMS Experiment
Authors: Jin Zhonghai , Charlock Thomas P. , Rutledge Ken , Cota Glenn , Kahn Ralph , Redemann Jens , Zhang Taiping , Rutan David A. , Rose Fred
Published: April 2005

Spectral and broadband radiances and irradiances (fluxes) were measured from surface, airborne, and spaceborne platforms in the Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) campaign. The radiation data obtained on the 4 clear days over ocean during CLAMS are analyzed here with the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Radiative Transfer (COART) model. The model is successively compared with observations of broadband fluxes and albedos near the ocean surface from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE) sea platform and a low-level OV-10 aircraft, of near-surface spectral albedos from COVE and OV-10, of broadband radiances at multiple angles and inferred top-of-atmosphere (TOA) fluxes from CERES, and of spectral radiances at multiple angles from Airborne Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), or “AirMISR,” at 20-km altidude. The radiation measurements from different platforms are shown to be consistent with each other and with model results. The discrepancies between the model and observations at the surface are less than 10 W m−2 for downwelling and 2 W m−2 for upwelling fluxes. The model–observation discrepancies for shortwave ocean albedo are less than 8%; some discrepancies in spectral albedo are larger but less than 20%. The discrepancies between low-altitude aircraft and surface measurements are somewhat larger than those between the model and the surface measurements; the former are due to the effects of differences in height, aircraft pitch and roll, and the noise of spatial and temporal variations of atmospheric and oceanic properties. The discrepancy between the model and the CERES observations for the upwelling radiance is 5.9% for all angles; this is reduced to 4.9% if observations within 15° of the sun-glint angle are excluded.

The measurements and model agree on the principal impacts that ocean optical properties have on upwelling radiation at low levels in the atmosphere. Wind-driven surface roughness significantly affects the upwelling radiances measured by aircraft and satellites at small sun-glint angles, especially in the near-infrared channel of MISR. Intercomparisons of various measurements and the model show that most of the radiation observations in CLAMS are robust, and that the coupled radiative transfer model used here accurately treats scattering and absorption processes in both the air and the water.
Two MODIS Aerosol Products over Ocean on the Terra and Aqua CERES SSF Datasets
Authors: Ignatov Alexander , Minnis Patrick , Loeb Norman , Wielicki Bruce , Miller Walter , Sun-Mack Sunny , Tanré Didier , Remer Lorraine , Laszlo Istvan , Geier Erika
Published: April 2005

Understanding the impact of aerosols on the earth’s radiation budget and the long-term climate record requires consistent measurements of aerosol properties and radiative fluxes. The Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Science Team combines satellite-based retrievals of aerosols, clouds, and radiative fluxes into Single Scanner Footprint (SSF) datasets from the Terra and Aqua satellites. Over ocean, two aerosol products are derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) using different sampling and aerosol algorithms. The primary, or M, product is taken from the standard multispectral aerosol product developed by the MODIS aerosol group while a simpler, secondary [Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) like], or A, product is derived by the CERES Science Team using a different cloud clearing method and a single-channel aerosol algorithm. Two aerosol optical depths (AOD), τA1 and τA2, are derived from MODIS bands 1 (0.644 μm) and 6 (1.632 μm) resembling the AVHRR/3 channels 1 and 3A, respectively. On Aqua the retrievals are made in band 7 (2.119 μm) because of poor quality data from band 6. The respective Ångström exponents can be derived from the values of τ. The A product serves as a backup for the M product. More importantly, the overlap of these aerosol products is essential for placing the 20+ year heritage AVHRR aerosol record in the context of more advanced aerosol sensors and algorithms such as that used for the M product.

This study documents the M and A products, highlighting their CERES SSF specifics. Based on 2 weeks of global Terra data, coincident M and A AODs are found to be strongly correlated in both bands. However, both domains in which the M and A aerosols are available, and the respective τ/α statistics significantly differ because of discrepancies in sampling due to differences in cloud and sun-glint screening. In both aerosol products, correlation is observed between the retrieved aerosol parameters (τ/α) and ambient cloud amount, with the dependence in the M product being more pronounced than in the A product.
The NPOESS Airborne Sounding Testbed Interferometer—Remotely Sensed Surface and Atmospheric Conditions during CLAMS
Authors: Smith W. L. , Zhou D. K. , Larar A. M. , Mango S. A. , Howell H. B. , Knuteson R. O. , Revercomb H. E. , Smith W. L.
Published: April 2005

During the Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS), the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST-I), flying aboard the high-altitude Proteus aircraft, observed the spatial distribution of infrared radiance across the 650–2700 cm−1 (3.7–15.4 μm) spectral region with a spectral resolution of 0.25 cm−1. NAST-I scans cross track with a moderate spatial resolution (a linear ground resolution equal to 13% of the aircraft altitude at nadir). The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of this instrument provides abundant information about the surface and three-dimensional state of the atmosphere. In this paper, the NAST-I measurements and geophysical product retrieval methodology employed for CLAMS are described. Example results of surface properties and atmospheric temperature, water vapor, ozone, and carbon monoxide distributions are provided. The CLAMS NAST-I geophysical dataset is available for use by the scientific community.
The MODIS Aerosol Algorithm, Products, and Validation
Authors: Remer L. A. , Kaufman Y. J. , Tanré D. , Mattoo S. , Chu D. A. , Martins J. V. , Li R.-R. , Ichoku C. , Levy R. C. , Kleidman R. G. , Eck T. F. , Vermote E. , Holben B. N.
Published: April 2005

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard both NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites is making near-global daily observations of the earth in a wide spectral range (0.41–15 μm). These measurements are used to derive spectral aerosol optical thickness and aerosol size parameters over both land and ocean. The aerosol products available over land include aerosol optical thickness at three visible wavelengths, a measure of the fraction of aerosol optical thickness attributed to the fine mode, and several derived parameters including reflected spectral solar flux at the top of the atmosphere. Over the ocean, the aerosol optical thickness is provided in seven wavelengths from 0.47 to 2.13 μm. In addition, quantitative aerosol size information includes effective radius of the aerosol and quantitative fraction of optical thickness attributed to the fine mode. Spectral irradiance contributed by the aerosol, mass concentration, and number of cloud condensation nuclei round out the list of available aerosol products over the ocean. The spectral optical thickness and effective radius of the aerosol over the ocean are validated by comparison with two years of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data gleaned from 132 AERONET stations. Eight thousand MODIS aerosol retrievals collocated with AERONET measurements confirm that one standard deviation of MODIS optical thickness retrievals fall within the predicted uncertainty of Δτ = ±0.03 ±0.05τ over ocean and Δτ = ±0.05 ± 0.15τ over land. Two hundred and seventy-one MODIS aerosol retrievals collocated with AERONET inversions at island and coastal sites suggest that one standard deviation of MODIS effective radius retrievals falls within Δreff = ±0.11 μm. The accuracy of the MODIS retrievals suggests that the product can be used to help narrow the uncertainties associated with aerosol radiative forcing of global climate.
Suborbital Measurements of Spectral Aerosol Optical Depth and Its Variability at Subsatellite Grid Scales in Support of CLAMS 2001
Authors: Redemann J. , Schmid B. , Eilers J. A. , Kahn R. , Levy R. C. , Russell P. B. , Livingston J. M. , Hobbs P. V. , Smith W. L. , Holben B. N.
Published: April 2005

As part of the Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) experiment, 10 July–2 August 2001, off the central East Coast of the United States, the 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) was operated aboard the University of Washington’s Convair 580 (CV-580) research aircraft during 10 flights (∼45 flight hours). One of the main research goals in CLAMS was the validation of satellite-based retrievals of aerosol properties. The goal of this study in particular was to perform true over-ocean validations (rather than over-ocean validation with ground-based, coastal sites) at finer spatial scales and extending to longer wavelengths than those considered in previous studies. Comparisons of aerosol optical depth (AOD) between the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Cimel instrument at the Chesapeake Lighthouse and airborne measurements by AATS-14 in its vicinity showed good agreement with the largest r-square correlation coefficients at wavelengths of 0.38 and 0.5 μm (>0.99). Coordinated low-level flight tracks of the CV-580 during Terra overpass times permitted validation of over-ocean Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) level 2 (MOD04_L2) multiwavelength AOD data (10 km × 10 km, nadir) in 16 cases on three separate days. While the correlation between AATS-14- and MODIS-derived AOD was weak with an r square of 0.55, almost 75% of all MODIS AOD measurements fell within the prelaunch estimated uncertainty range Δτ = ±0.03 ± 0.05τ. This weak correlation may be due to the small AODs (generally less than 0.1 at 0.5 μm) encountered in these comparison cases. An analogous coordination exercise resulted in seven coincident over-ocean matchups between AATS-14 and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) measurements. The comparison between AATS-14 and the MISR standard algorithm regional mean AODs showed a stronger correlation with an r square of 0.94. However, MISR AODs were systematically larger than the corresponding AATS values, with an rms difference of ∼0.06. AATS data collected during nine extended low-level CV-580 flight tracks were used to assess the spatial variability in AOD at horizontal scales up to 100 km. At UV and midvisible wavelengths, the largest absolute gradients in AOD were 0.1–0.2 per 50-km horizontal distance. In the near-IR, analogous gradients rarely reached 0.05. On any given day, the relative gradients in AOD were remarkably similar for all wavelengths, with maximum values of 70% (50 km)−1 and more typical values of 25% (50 km)−1. The implications of these unique measurements of AOD spatial variability for common validation practices of satellite data products and for comparisons to large-scale aerosol models are discussed.
Chemical Characterization of Aerosols on the East Coast of the United States Using Aircraft and Ground-Based Stations during the CLAMS Experiment
Authors: Castanho Andréa Dde Almeida , Artaxo Paulo , Martins J. Vanderlei , Hobbs Peter V. , Remer Lorraine , Yamasoe Marcia , Colarco Peter R.
Published: April 2005

The Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) experiment was carried out off the central East Coast of the United States in July 2001. During CLAMS, aerosol particle mass was measured at two ground stations and on the University of Washington’s Convair 580 research aircraft. Physical and chemical characteristics of the aerosols were identified and quantified. Three main aerosol regimes were identified in the region and are discussed in this work: local pollution/sea salt background, long-range transported dust, and long-range transported pollution. The major component measured in the fine mode of the aerosol on the ground at Wallops Island, Virginia, was sulfate, estimated as NH4HSO4, which accounted for 55% ± 9% on average of the fine particle mass (FPM) during the experiment period. Black carbon concentrations accounted for 3% ± 1% of FPM; soil dust was also present, representing on average 6% ± 8% of FPM. The difference between the sum of the masses of the measured compounds and the total fine particle mass was 36% ± 10% of FPM, which is attributed primarily to nitrates and organic carbon that were not measured. Aerosol chemical composition in the atmospheric column is also discussed and compared with ground-based measurements. Aerosol dust concentration reached 40% of FPM during an incursion of Saharan dust between 24 and 26 July. Sulfate aerosol reached 70% of FPM during the transport of regional pollution on 17 July. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical thickness, coupled with air parcel back trajectories, supported the conclusion of episodes of long-range transport of dust from the Sahara Desert and pollutants from the continental United States.
Retrieval of Aerosol Scattering and Absorption Properties from Photopolarimetric Observations over the Ocean during the CLAMS Experiment
Authors: Chowdhary Jacek , Cairns Brian , Mishchenko Michael I. , Hobbs Peter V. , Cota Glenn F. , Redemann Jens , Rutledge Ken , Holben Brent N. , Russell Ed
Published: April 2005

The extensive set of measurements performed during the Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) experiment provides a unique opportunity to evaluate aerosol retrievals over the ocean from multiangle, multispectral photometric, and polarimetric remote sensing observations by the airborne Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) instrument.

Previous studies have shown the feasibility of retrieving particle size distributions and real refractive indices from such observations for visible wavelengths without prior knowledge of the ocean color. This work evaluates the fidelity of the aerosol retrievals using RSP measurements during the CLAMS experiment against aerosol properties derived from in situ measurements, sky radiance observations, and sun-photometer measurements, and further extends the scope of the RSP retrievals by using a priori information about the ocean color to constrain the aerosol absorption and vertical distribution.

It is shown that the fine component of the aerosol observed on 17 July 2001 consisted predominantly of dirty sulfatelike particles with an extinction optical thickness of several tenths in the visible, an effective radius of 0.15 ± 0.025 μm and a single scattering albedo of 0.91 ± 0.03 at 550 nm. Analyses of the ocean color and sky radiance observations favor the lower boundary of aerosol single scattering albedo, while in situ measurements favor its upper boundary. Both analyses support the polarimetric retrievals of fine-aerosol effective radius and the consequent spectral variation in extinction optical depth. The estimated vertical distribution of this aerosol component depends on assumptions regarding the water-leaving radiances and is consistent with the top of the aerosol layer being close to the aircraft height (3500 m), with the bottom of the layer being between 2.7 km and the surface. The aerosol observed on 17 July 2001 also contained coarse-mode particles. Comparison of RSP data with sky radiance and in situ measurements suggests that this component consists of nonspherical particles with an effective radius in excess of 1 μm, and with the extinction optical depth being much less than one-tenth at 550 nm.
Evaluation of the MODIS Aerosol Retrievals over Ocean and Land during CLAMS
Authors: Levy R. C. , Remer L. A. , Martins J. V. , Kaufman Y. J. , Plana-Fattori A. , Redemann J. , Wenny B.
Published: April 2005

The Chesapeake Lighthouse Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) experiment took place from 10 July to 2 August 2001 in a combined ocean–land region that included the Chesapeake Lighthouse [Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE)] and the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), both along coastal Virginia. This experiment was designed mainly for validating instruments and algorithms aboard the Terra satellite platform, including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Over the ocean, MODIS retrieved aerosol optical depths (AODs) at seven wavelengths and an estimate of the aerosol size distribution. Over the land, MODIS retrieved AOD at three wavelengths plus qualitative estimates of the aerosol size. Temporally coincident measurements of aerosol properties were made with a variety of sun photometers from ground sites and airborne sites just above the surface. The set of sun photometers provided unprecedented spectral coverage from visible (VIS) to the solar near-infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) wavelengths. In this study, AOD and aerosol size retrieved from MODIS is compared with similar measurements from the sun photometers. Over the nearby ocean, the MODIS AOD in the VIS and NIR correlated well with sun-photometer measurements, nearly fitting a one-to-one line on a scatterplot. As one moves from ocean to land, there is a pronounced discontinuity of the MODIS AOD, where MODIS compares poorly to the sun-photometer measurements. Especially in the blue wavelength, MODIS AOD is too high in clean aerosol conditions and too low under larger aerosol loadings. Using the Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) radiative code to perform atmospheric correction, the authors find inconsistency in the surface albedo assumptions used by the MODIS lookup tables. It is demonstrated how the high bias at low aerosol loadings can be corrected. By using updated urban/industrial aerosol climatology for the MODIS lookup table over land, it is shown that the low bias for larger aerosol loadings can also be corrected. Understanding and improving MODIS retrievals over the East Coast may point to strategies for correction in other locations, thus improving the global quality of MODIS. Improvements in regional aerosol detection could also lead to the use of MODIS for monitoring air pollution.
Improved Formulations of the Superposition Method
Authors: Wang Lian-Ping , Ayala Orlando , Grabowski Wojciech W.
Published: April 2005

Two formulations of an improved superposition method are proposed for studying droplet–droplet hydrodynamic interactions. The formulations make explicit use of the boundary conditions on the surface of the two interacting droplets. The improved formulations are described through a consistent and rigorous consideration of the relationship between the drag force and representation of disturbance flows. It is demonstrated that the improved formulations are much more accurate than the original implementation of the superposition method. Specifically, for the case of Stokes disturbance flows, the relative errors on the drag force can be reduced by one order of magnitude using the improved formulations, when compared with the original formulation, for situations when the lubrication effect is not dominant. Using the improved superposition method, collision efficiencies of small cloud droplets falling in calm air are also computed and compared with previously published results.
An Idealized Model Study Relevant to the Dynamics of the Midwinter Minimum of the Pacific Storm Track
Authors: Deng Yi , Mak Mankin
Published: April 2005

The synoptic variability of a two-level quasigeostrophic flow in response to plausible changes in the forcing of a localized baroclinic jet is investigated in the context of the midwinter minimum of the Pacific storm track (MWM). The changes in the model forcing are introduced in terms of a reference potential vorticity field that is associated with plausible changes in the global baroclinicity, zonal variation of the baroclinicity, and horizontal deformation over the Pacific from early winter to midwinter conditions. It is found that the modal instability growth rate of perturbation in such a localized jet is significantly reduced in spite of an increase in the local baroclinicity. The dynamical nature of such an effect can be interpreted as a generalized barotropic governor effect on localized baroclinic instability. The existence of three instability regimes is established on the basis of energetics characteristics. The intensity of the nonlinear model storm track is reduced by about 30% in response to a change in the forcing condition from early to midwinter. The characteristics of the linear model storm track and nonlinear model storm track are compared. The overall results support a hypothesis that MWM could stem from a sufficiently large increase in the stabilizing influence of the local barotropic process in spite of a simultaneous increase in its local baroclinicity in the Pacific jet from early to midwinter.
The Sensitivity of Diagnostic Radiative Properties to Cloud Microphysics among Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations
Authors: Xu Kuan-Man
Published: April 2005

This study examines the sensitivity of diagnosed radiative fluxes and heating rates to different treatments of cloud microphysics among cloud-resolving models (CRMs). The domain-averaged CRM outputs are used in this calculation. The impacts of the cloud overlap and uniform hydrometeor assumptions are examined using outputs having spatially varying cloud fields from a single CRM. It is found that the cloud overlap assumption impacts the diagnosis more significantly than the uniform hydrometeor assumption for all radiative fluxes. This is also the case for the longwave radiative cooling rate except for a layer above 7 km where it is more significantly impacted by the uniform hydrometeor assumption. The radiative cooling above upper-tropospheric anvils and the warming below these clouds are overestimated by about 0.5 K day−1 using the domain-averaged outputs. These results are used to further quantify intermodel differences in radiative properties due to different treatments of cloud microphysics among 10 CRMs. The magnitudes of the intermodel differences, as measured by the deviations from the consensus of 10 CRMs, are found to be smaller than those due to the cloud overlap assumption and comparable to those due to the uniform hydrometeor assumption for most shortwave radiative fluxes and the net radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface. For all longwave radiative fluxes, they are smaller than those due to cloud overlap and uniform hydrometeor assumptions. The consensus of all diagnosed radiative fluxes except for the surface downward shortwave flux agrees with observations to a degree that is close to the uncertainties of satellite- and ground-based measurements.
The Eastern Pacific ITCZ during the Boreal Spring
Authors: Gu Guojun , Adler Robert F. , Sobel Adam H.
Published: April 2005

The 6-yr (1998–2003) rainfall products from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) are used to quantify the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in the eastern Pacific (defined by longitudinal averages over 90°–130°W) during boreal spring (March–April). The double-ITCZ phenomenon, represented by the occurrence of two maxima with respect to latitude in monthly mean rainfall, is observed in most but not all of the years studied. The relative spatial locations of maxima in sea surface temperature (SST), rainfall, and surface pressure are examined. Interannual and weekly variability are characterized in SST, rainfall, surface convergence, total column water vapor, and cloud water. There appears to be a competition for rainfall between the two hemispheres during this season. When one of the two rainfall maxima is particularly strong, the other tends to be weak, with the total rainfall integrated over the two varying less than does the difference between the rainfall integrated over each separately. There is some evidence for a similar competition between the SST maxima in the two hemispheres, but this is more ambiguous, and there is evidence that some variations in the relative strengths of the two rainfall maxima may be independent of SST.

Using a 25-yr (1979–2003) monthly rainfall dataset from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), four distinct ITCZ types during March–April are defined, based on the relative strengths of rainfall peaks north and south of, and right over, the equator. Composite meridional profiles and spatial distributions of rainfall and SST are documented for each type. Consistent with previous studies, an equatorial cold tongue is essential to the existence of the double ITCZs. However, too strong a cold tongue may dampen either the southern or northern rainfall maximum, depending on the magnitude of SST north of the equator.
Identifying Rogue Air Temperature Stations Using Cluster Analysis of Percentile Trends
Authors: Robeson Scott M. , Doty Jeffrey A.
Published: April 2005

A new and efficient method for identifying “rogue” air temperature stations—locations with unusually large air temperature trends—is presented. Instrumentation problems and spatially unrepresentative local climates are sometimes more apparent in air temperature extremes, yet can have more subtle impacts on variations in mean air temperature. As a result, using data from over 1300 stations in North America, the tails of daily air temperature frequency distributions were examined for unusual trends. In particular, linear trends in the 5th percentile of daily minimum air temperature during the winter months and the 95th percentile of daily maximum air temperature during the summer were analyzed. Cluster analysis then was used to identify stations that were distinct from other locations. Both single- and average linkage clustering were evaluated.

By identifying individual stations along the entire periphery of the percentile trend space, single-linkage clustering appears to produce better results than that of average linkage. Average linkage clustering tends to group together several stations with large trends; however, only a handful of these stations appear distinctly different from the large body of trends toward the center of the percentile trend space. Maps of the rogue stations show that most are in close proximity to numerous other stations that were not grouped into the rogue cluster, making it unlikely that the unusually large temperature trends were due to regional climatic variations. As with all approaches for evaluating data quality, time series plots and station history information also must be inspected to more fully understand inhomogeneous variations in historical climatic data.
Estimating Extremes in Transient Climate Change Simulations
Authors: Kharin Viatcheslav V. , Zwiers Francis W.
Published: April 2005

Changes in temperature and precipitation extremes are examined in transient climate change simulations performed with the second-generation coupled global climate model of the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis. Three-member ensembles were produced for the time period 1990–2100 using the IS92a, A2, and B2 emission scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The return values of annual extremes are estimated from a fitted generalized extreme value distribution with time-dependent location and scale parameters by the method of maximum likelihood. The L-moment return value estimates are revisited and found to be somewhat biased in the context of transient climate change simulations.

The climate response is of similar magnitude in the integrations with the IS92a and A2 emission scenarios but more modest for the B2 scenario. Changes in temperature extremes are largely associated with changes in the location of the distribution of annual extremes without substantial changes in its shape over most of the globe. Exceptions are regions where land and ocean surface properties change drastically, such as the regions that experience sea ice and snow cover retreat. Globally averaged changes in warm extremes are comparable to the corresponding changes in annual mean daily maximum temperature, while globally averaged cold extremes warm up faster than annual mean daily minimum temperature. There are considerable regional differences between the magnitudes of changes in temperature extremes and the corresponding annual means. Changes in precipitation extremes are due to changes in both the location and scale of the extreme value distribution and exceed substantially the corresponding changes in the annual mean precipitation. Generally speaking, the warmer model climate becomes wetter and hydrologically more variable. The probability of precipitation events that are considered extreme at the beginning of the simulations is increased by a factor of about 2 by the end of the twenty-first century.
The Radiative, Cloud, and Thermodynamic Properties of the Major Tropical Western Pacific Cloud Regimes
Authors: Jakob Christian , Tselioudis George , Hume Timothy
Published: April 2005

This study investigates the radiative, cloud, and thermodynamic characteristics of the atmosphere separated into objectively defined cloud regimes in the tropical western Pacific (TWP). A cluster analysis is applied to 2 yr of daytime-only data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) to identify four major cloud regimes in the TWP region. A variety of data collected at the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) site on Manus Island is then used to identify the main characteristics of the regimes. Those include surface and top-of-the-atmosphere radiative fluxes and cloud properties derived from a suite of ground-based active remote sensors, as well as the temperature and water vapor distribution measured from radiosondes.

The major cloud regimes identified in the TWP area are two suppressed regimes—one dominated by the occurrence of mostly shallow clouds, the other by thin cirrus—as well as two convectively active regimes—one exhibiting a large coverage of optically thin cirrus clouds, the other characterized by a large coverage with optically thick clouds. All four of these TWP cloud regimes are shown to exist with varying frequency of occurrence at the ARM site at Manus. It is further shown that the detailed data available at that site can be used to characterize the radiative, cloud, and thermodynamic properties of each of the regimes, demonstrating the potential of the regime separation to facilitate the extrapolation of observations at one location to larger scales. A variety of other potential applications of the regime separation are discussed.
The Climate of the McMurdo, Antarctica, Region as Represented by One Year of Forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System*
Authors: Monaghan Andrew J. , Bromwich David H. , Powers Jordan G. , Manning Kevin W.
Published: April 2005

In response to the need for improved weather prediction capabilities in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program’s Antarctic field operations, the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) was implemented in October 2000. AMPS employs a limited-area model, the Polar fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5), optimized for use over ice sheets. Twice-daily forecasts from the 3.3-km resolution domain of AMPS are joined together to study the climate of the McMurdo region from June 2002 to May 2003. Annual and seasonal distributions of wind direction and speed, 2-m temperature, mean sea level pressure, precipitation, and cloud fraction are presented. This is the first time a model adapted for polar use and with relatively high resolution is used to study the climate of the rugged McMurdo region, allowing several important climatological features to be investigated with unprecedented detail.

Orographic effects exert an important influence on the near-surface winds. Time-mean vortices occur in the lee of Ross Island, perhaps a factor in the high incidence of mesoscale cyclogenesis noted in this area. The near-surface temperature gradient is oriented northwest to southeast with the warmest temperatures in the northwest near McMurdo and the gradient being steepest in winter. The first-ever detailed precipitation maps of the region are presented. Orographic precipitation maxima occur on the southerly slopes of Ross Island and in the mountains to the southwest. The source of the moisture is primarily from the large synoptic systems passing to the northeast and east of Ross Island. A precipitation-shadow effect appears to be an important influence on the low precipitation amounts observed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Total cloud fraction primarily depends on the amount of open water in the Ross Sea; the cloudiest region is to the northeast of Ross Island in the vicinity of the Ross Sea polynya.
Outsourcing the Constitution and Administrative Law Norms
Authors: Rosenbloom David H. , Piotrowski Suzanne J.
Published: April 2005

In the United States, the constitutional constraints and administrative law requirements imposed on government agencies generally have no applicability to private entities performing outsourced public administrative activities. In this article, the authors broadly explore the issues associated with outsourcing constitutional and administrative law norms along with government work by imposing them on private contractors. The authors seek to help frame these issues more cogently for the public administration community in an effort to promote more comprehensive and thoughtful discussion of outsourcing and a greater role for public administrative expertise in determining when and how to apply constitutional and administrative law norms to government contractors.
Public Employees With High Levels of Public Service Motivation
Authors: Bright Leonard
Published: April 2005

More than a decade ago, Perry and Wise popularized the concept of public service motivation. Yet today, still little is known about public employees with high levels of public service motivation. This study sought to fill this gap in the literature by investigating the relationship that exists between public service motivation and the personal characteristics, management level, and monetary preferences of public employees. The findings reveal that public service motivation is significantly related to the gender, education level, management level, and monetary preferences of public employees. The implications of this study and areas of future research are discussed.
Plasma chemokine levels correlate with the outcome of antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis C
Authors: Butera David , Marukian Svetlana , Iwamaye Amy E. , Hembrador Edgardo , Chambers Thomas J. , Di Bisceglie Adrian M. , Charles Edgar D. , Talal Andrew H. , Jacobson Ira M. , Rice Charles M. , Dustin Lynn B.
Published: April 2005

Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with failures of T-cell–mediated immune clearance and with abnormal B-cell growth and activation. We examined the levels of chemokines that bind to CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) to determine whether such chemokines might play a role in the failure of the immune system to clear HCV infection. Elevations in CXC ligand 9 (CXCL9), CXCL10, and CXCL11 were observed in all patients with HCV. CXCR3 expression was increased significantly on peripheral blood B lymphocytes, but not T lymphocytes, from individuals with HCV infection. Chemokine levels were measured in samples collected before, during, and after antiviral therapy from a group of 29 patients infected with HCV genotypes 1a (24 patients) and 1b (5 patients). Levels of CXCL10 and CXCL9 decreased following successful antiviral therapy; CXCL11 did not decline significantly during or in the first 6 months after therapy. The baseline level of CXCL10 (measured before the start of antiviral treatment) was greatest in patients with HCV who subsequently became nonresponders to therapy. These results suggest that plasma concentrations of immunoreactive CXCL10 may be a predictor of responsiveness or nonresponsiveness to antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon (IFN) with or without ribavirin. This observation has implications for understanding the pathogenesis of HCV infection.
Smooth muscle cell matrix metalloproteinases in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Lepetit H. , Eddahibi S. , Fadel E. , Frisdal E. , Munaut C. , Noel A. , Humbert M. , Adnot S. , D'Ortho M-P. , Lafuma C.
Published: April 2005

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) results from persistent vasoconstriction, smooth muscle growth and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling of pulmonary arteries (PAs). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are matrix-degrading enzymes involved in ECM turnover, and in smooth muscle cell (SMC) and endothelial cell migration and proliferation. MMP expression and activity are increased in experimental PAH. Therefore, this study investigated whether similar changes occur in idiopathic PAH (IPAH; formerly known as primary pulmonary hypertension).

Bothin situandin vitrostudies were performed on PAs from patients undergoing lung transplantation for IPAH and from patients treated by lobectomy for localised lung cancer, who served as controls.

In IPAH, MMP–tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) imbalance was found in cultured PA-SMCs, with increased TIMP-1 and decreased MMP-3. MMP-2 activity was markedly elevated as a result of increases in both total MMP-2 and proportion of active MMP-2.In situzymography and immunolocalisation showed that MMP-2 was associated with SMCs and elastic fibres, and also confirmed the MMP-3–TIMP-1 imbalance.

In conclusion, the findings of this study were consistent with a role for the matrix metalloproteinase–tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase system in pulmonary vascular remodelling in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. The matrix metalloproteinase–tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase imbalance may lead to matrix accumulation, and increased matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity may contribute to smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation. Whether these abnormalities are potential therapeutic targets deserves further investigation.
Effects of chronic widespread pain on the health status and quality of life of women after breast cancer surgery
Authors: Burckhardt Carol S , Jones Kim D
Published: April 2005

Background

Most research and treatment of post-breast cancer chronic pain has focused on local or regional pain problems in the operated area. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare and contrast the pain characteristics, symptom impact, health status, and quality of life of post-breast cancer surgery women with regional chronic pain versus those with widespread chronic pain.

Methods

A cross-sectional, descriptive design compared two groups of women with chronic pain that began after surgery: regional pain (n = 11) and widespread pain (n = 12). Demographics, characteristics of the surgery, as well as standardized questionnaires that measured pain (Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ-SF)), disease impact (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B)), health status (Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF-36)) and quality of life (Quality of Life Scale (QOLS)) were gathered.

Results

There were no significant differences between the groups on any demographic or type of surgery variable. A majority of both groups described their pain as aching, tender, and sharp on the MPQ-SF. On the BPI, intensity of pain and pain interference were significantly higher in the widespread pain group. Differences between the two groups reached statistical significance on the FIQ total score as well as the FACT-B physical well-being, emotional well-being and breast concerns subscales. The SF-36 physical function, physical role, and body pain subscales were significantly lower in the widespread pain group. QOLS scores were lower in the widespread pain group, but did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion

This preliminary work suggests that the women in this study who experienced widespread pain after breast cancer surgery had significantly more severity of pain, pain impact and lower physical health status than those with regional pain.