bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparison of sumanirole versus placebo or ropinirole for the treatment of patients with early Parkinson's disease
Authors: Singer Carlos , Lamb Janice , Ellis Amanda , Layton Gary ,   Sumanirole for Early Parkinson's Disease Study Group
Published: February 2007

To assess the safety and efficacy of sumanirole, a highly selective dopamine agonist, versus placebo and demonstrate its noninferiority to ropinirole, 614 patients with early Parkinson's disease (PD) were treated with sumanirole, 1 to16 mg/day; ropinirole, 0.75 to 24 mg/day; or placebo. Primary end point in this flexible‐dose, double‐blind, double‐dummy, parallel‐group study of 40 weeks was the change in total sum of the United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Parts II + III scores from baseline to end of maintenance. Approximately half the subjects in the sumanirole and placebo groups withdrew early from the study, most (51.8% and 68.5%, respectively) due to lack of efficacy. Of the ropinirole subjects who withdrew (50.5%), most discontinued because of adverse events. In sumanirole and ropinirole groups, mean changes from baseline of −2.48 and −5.20 in UPDRS II + III mean scores were significant versus 0.38 in the placebo group (P ≤ 0.006). Sumanirole and ropinirole are effective in the treatment of patients with early PD when compared with placebo. Noninferiority of sumanirole to ropinirole was not demonstrated, with a difference of 2.70 (90% CI, 0.92–4.49). Sumanirole was better tolerated than ropinirole. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Libraries in transition to a marketing orientation: are librarians' attitudes a barrier?
Authors: Parker Richard , Kaufman‐Scarborough Carol , Parker Jon C.
Published: February 2007

This study examines librarians' attitudes toward the marketing of library services, as libraries continue their transition to a marketing orientation. Although prior studies had observed misunderstandings and hostility to marketing among librarians, most previous discussions of this topic were either speculative or based on extremely small samples. In order to provide more evidence in this matter, a large‐scale survey of members of the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) was conducted. A ‘Pro Marketing’ scale was introduced and used to segment participants with respect to their attitudes. The findings indicate that most respondents expressed relatively positive attitudes toward marketing, but that more positive attitudes were expressed by public librarians than school or college/university librarians, and by administrators as opposed to reference and technical services librarians. Illustrative respondent comments and implications for library management are included.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of the immune escape phenotype of human gastric cancers with and without high‐frequency microsatellite instability
Authors: Hirata T , Yamamoto H , Taniguchi H , Horiuchi S , Oki M , Adachi Y , Imai K , Shinomura Y
Published: February 2007

Gastric cancers with and without high‐frequency microsatellite instability (MSI‐H) represent distinctive pathways of carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to clarify if human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen subunits and antigen processing machinery (APM) components are differentially downregulated in these two groups of tumours. Using reverse transcription PCR (RT‐PCR), loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis, methylation‐specific PCR (MSP), DNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry, we analysed expression and/or alteration of HLA class I antigen subunits and APM components, including low molecular weight polypeptide proteasome subunit (LMP)2, LMP7, LMP10, transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)1, TAP2, tapasin, proteasome activator (PA) 28α, and PA28β in two stage‐matched panels of 30 MSI‐H and 30 microsatellite stable (MSS) gastric cancers. Mutations at coding microsatellites (cMS) located within β2‐microglobulin (β2m) and genes encoding APM components, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone protein genes, such as calnexin, SEC63, SEC31, and P4HB (p55), were also analysed. HLA class Ia transcripts were totally downregulated in 18.3% of cancer cases. Locus‐specific downexpression of HLA‐A, ‐B, and ‐C was detected in 41.7%, 45.0%, and 31.7% of cases. Loss of HLA‐A was significantly more frequent in MSI‐H cancers. The LOH ratios of the HLA‐A, ‐B, and ‐C loci microsatellite markers were relatively low: 5/32 (15.6%) for D6S306, 4/32 (12.5%) for D6S258, 4/33 (12.1%) for D6S273, and 4/30 (13.3%) for D6S1666. Methylation of HLA‐A, ‐B, and ‐C was detected in 38.3%, 40.0%, and 28.3% of cases. A significant association between methylation and reduction in expression was observed in gastric cancer tissues. Mutations at cMS of β2m and APM components were detected in 3.3–46.7% of MSI‐H cancers but in none of MSS cancers. These data show that gastric cancers have various defects in HLA class I antigen subunits and APM components and that the MSI phenotype is associated with frequent HLA‐A inactivation and frameshift mutations of the β2m and APM genes. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Autoimmunity, spontaneous tumourigenesis, and IL‐15 insufficiency in mice with a targeted disruption of the tumour suppressor gene Fus1
Authors: Ivanova AV , Ivanov SV , Pascal V , Lumsden JM , Ward JM , Morris N , Tessarolo L , Anderson SK , Lerman MI
Published: February 2007

The Fus1 gene resides in the critical 3p21.3 human chromosomal region deleted in lung and breast cancers. Recently, the tumour suppressor properties of Fus1 were confirmed experimentally by intra‐tumoural administration of Fus1 that suppressed experimental lung metastasis in mice. We generated Fus1‐deficient mice that were viable, fertile, and demonstrated a complex immunological phenotype. Animals with a disrupted Fus1 gene developed signs of autoimmune disease, such as vasculitis, glomerulonephritis, anaemia, circulating autoantibodies, and showed an increased frequency of spontaneous vascular tumours. Preliminary analysis of immune cell populations revealed a consistent defect in NK cell maturation in Fus1 null mice that correlated with changes in the expression of IL‐15. Injection of IL‐15 into Fus1 knockout mice completely rescued the NK cell maturation defect. Based on these results, we propose the hypothesis that Fus1 deficiency affects NK cell maturation through the reduction of IL‐15 production but does not directly alter their developmental capacity. Since acquired immunity was not affected in Fus1‐deficient animals, we suggest a relationship between the Fus1 protein and the regulation of innate immunity via IL‐15 production. The increased frequency of spontaneous cancers and the development of an autoimmune syndrome in Fus1 null mice imply that these mice could serve as a model for studying molecular mechanisms of anti‐tumour immunity and autoimmunity. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication, characterization and drug loading of pH‐dependent multi‐morpho‐ logical nanoparticles based on cellulose
Authors: Dou Hongjing , Jiang Ming
Published: February 2007

This paper investigates the pH‐dependent micellization of (hydroxyethyl cellulose)‐graft‐poly(acrylic acid) (HEC‐graft‐PAA), the crosslinking of the pH‐induced nanoparticles and the drug loading of the crosslinked multi‐morphological nanoparticles. The hydrodynamic diameter (〈Dh〉) of the pH‐induced micelles was found dependent on both temperature and concentration in dynamic light scattering studies. After the crosslinking of PAA segments in the micelles, shape‐persistent nanoparticles were obtained, which exhibited multiple morphologies from nano‐cage to hollow sphere, and a homogeneous swollen microgel in neutral medium with an increase of the degree of crosslinking. To investigate the drug loading of these shape‐persistant nanoparticles, diminazene aceturate was chosen as a model drug. The loading efficiency and the drug release behavior against water and 0.1 mol L−1 NaCl were studied using UV absorption spectroscopy. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Fracture surfaces and tensile properties of UV‐irradiated spider silk fibers
Authors: Pérez‐Rigueiro J. , Elices M. , Plaza G. R. , Rueda J. , Guinea G. V.
Published: February 2007

A study of the influence of UV radiation on the tensile properties of spider silk has shown that the shape of the stress–strain curves is not affected by 254‐nm irradiation, except for a significant decrease in the tensile strength and strain at breaking. This decrease has been found in both forcibly silked and maximum‐supercontracted fibers, despite the different initial alignments of the protein chains. Local damage is also induced by UV radiation. With this procedure, it is possible to recover and analyze fracture surfaces. These show different granular microstructures that are characteristic of fibers spun from a solution. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 786–793, 2007
Quality of sleep and quality of life in caregivers of breast cancer patient
Authors: Chang Edward Wei‐Chung , Tsai Ying‐Ying , Chang Tsai‐Wang , Tsao Chao‐Jung
Published: February 2007

Background: Sleep is an important issue for cancer patients and caregivers and poor sleep quality may have deleterious effects on health. This study will examine the correlation between sleep quality and quality of life of breast cancer caregivers.

Method: A cross‐sectional and correlational design was used to explore the relationship between sleep quality and the quality of life of caregivers. Sixty‐one participants were identified by invasive early breast cancer patients, who were diagnosed within the period of 18‐month period, as their primary caregivers. The World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life: BREF‐Taiwan version (WHOQOL‐BREF‐TAIWAN) and the Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (CPSQI) were used to measure the quality of life and sleep quality of caregivers, respectively.

Result: Eighty‐nine percent of caregivers from this study reported possible sleep difficulties. The scores of CPSQI scores were negatively correlated with the score of every domain of the WHOQOL‐BREF‐TAIWAN.

Discussion: The results suggest that sleep quality may have an impact on several aspects of the quality of life of caregivers. Understanding the correlation between sleep quality and the quality of life of caregivers may assist health professionals in enhancing the sleep quality of caregivers and their ability to care for patients and themselves. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A chronology of Late‐Pleistocene permafrost events in southern New Jersey, Eastern USA
Authors: French Hugh M. , Demitroff Mark , Forman Steven L. , Newell Wayne L.
Published: February 2007

Frost fissures, filled with wind‐abraded sand and mineral soil, and numerous small‐scale non‐diastrophic deformations, occur in the near‐surface sediments of the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. The fissures are the result of thermal‐contraction cracking and indicate the previous existence of either permafrost or seasonally‐frozen ground. The deformations reflect thermokarst activity that occurred when permafrost degraded, icy layers melted and density‐controlled mass displacements occurred in water‐saturated sediments. Slopes and surficial materials of the area reflect these cold‐climate conditions. Optically‐stimulated luminescence permits construction of a tentative Late‐Pleistocene permafrost chronology. This indicates Illinoian, Early‐Wisconsinan and Late‐Wisconsinan episodes of permafrost and/or deep seasonal frost and a Middle‐Wisconsinan thermokarst event. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Syngenetic sand veins and anti‐syngenetic sand wedges, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada
Authors: Murton Julian B. , Bateman Mark D.
Published: February 2007

Sand‐sheet deposits of full‐glacial age in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada, contain syngenetic sand veins 1–21 cm wide and sometimes exceeding 9 m in height. Their tall and narrow, chimney‐like morphology differs from that of known syngenetic ice wedges and indicates an unusually close balance between the rate of sand‐sheet aggradation and the frequency of thermal‐contraction cracking. The sand sheets also contain rejuvenated (syngenetic) sand wedges that have grown upward from an erosion surface. By contrast, sand sheets of postglacial age contain few or sometimes no intraformational sand veins and wedges, suggesting that the climatic conditions were unfavourable for thermal‐contraction cracking. Beneath a postglacial sand sheet near Johnson Bay, sand wedges with unusually wide tops (≤3.9 m) extend down from a prominent erosion surface. The wedges grew vertically downward during deflation of the ground surface, and represent anti‐syngenetic wedges. The distribution of sand veins and wedges within the sand sheets indicates that the existence of continuous permafrost during sand‐sheet aggradation can be inferred confidently only during full‐glacial conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of androgen receptors in a transplantable human prostatic adenocarcinoma (PC‐82)
Authors: Brinkmann A. O. , Bolt J. , Van Steenbrugge G. J. , Kuiper G. G. J. M. , De Boer W. , Mulder E.
Published: February 2007

The transplantable human prostatic adenocarcinoma, PC‐82, has been shown to be a suitable model for the study of several aspects of androgen‐regulated tumor growth. This tumor contains an androgen receptor, and the purpose of the present investigation was to characterize this androgen receptor with respect to hormone specificity, sedimentation coefficient, dissociation constant, Stokes radius, ionic properties, and molecular mass. Cytosol was prepared from tumor tissues grown in athymic nude mice, which were castrated 10 days before harvesting the tumor. Scatchard plot analysis revealed a binding protein with a Kd of 0.1 nM for R1881 (methyltrienolone) and a binding capacity of 120 fmol/mg protein. The receptor showed a high affinity for R1881, testosterone, and 5α‐dihydrotestosterone, respectively, whereas no or little affinity was found for progesterone and estradiol. In the presence of 10 mM molybdate the androgen receptor in PC‐82 cytosol eluted from an FPLC anion exchange column (Mono Q) at 0.32 M NaCl, which is identical to what has been found for androgen receptors from rat prostate and calf uterine cytosol. Photoaffinity labeling of the [3H]R1881‐androgen receptor complex and subsequent analysis on SDS‐polyacrylamide gels resulted in a covalently labeled protein with a molecular mass of approximately 50 kD. The androgen receptor of the PC‐82 tumor had a sedimentation coefficient of 4S and a Stokes radius of 3.3 nm at high ionic strength (0.4 M NaCl). It is concluded that the PC‐82 tumor contains a binding protein with the properties described for androgen receptors present in prostate tissue.
Histological localization of estrogen receptors in normal and diseased human prostates by immunocytochemistry
Authors: Schulze Harald , Claus Siegfried
Published: February 2007

The role of estrogens and estrogen receptors (ER) in the human prostate remains unresolved. In this study we have used the monoclonal ER antibody H222 to investigate the histological localization of ER in normal and diseased human prostates by immunocyto‐chemistry. Prostate tissue was obtained from 3 young organ donors (Group I—normal prostate), from 14 prostates removed by radical prostatectomy or radical cystoprostatectomy, which had caused no or only mild obstructive symptoms (Group II—non‐obstructive prostate), and from 11 prostates removed by suprapubic prostatectomy, which had caused severe obstructive symptoms due to a large benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (Group III—obstructive prostate). In prostates of all groups ER were found to be in nuclei of the prostatic urethra and of the periurethral prostatic duct. In striking contrast, ER in the interglandular prostatic stroma was not as homogeneous among the different groups. We observed a low concentration of ER in the stroma of normal prostates, the highest concentration in non‐malignant stroma of non‐obstructive prostates, and no ER at all in stroma of obstructive prostates. Based on the immunocytochemical localization of ER in normal and diseased human prostate, our results indicate that stromal growth in obstructive BPH may not be mediated via ER. However, we cannot exclude that an increase of stromal ER concentration (as observed in non‐obstructive prostates) is directly involved in induction of BPH, leading further prostate growth thereafter into an estrogen independent state.
NK cell activity in treated prostate cancer patients as a probe for circulating tumor cells: Hormone regulatory effects in vivo
Authors: KašCtelan Maja , Tarle Marko , Kraljić Ivo
Published: February 2007

Natural killer (NK) cell activity was studied together with tumor marker serotests (PSA, PAP) and blood testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, and prolactin concentrations in treated prostate cancer patients. NK cell activity data were correlated with tumor stage (stage D0 + D1 versus stage D2) and showed statistically insignificant differences. Both tumor progression and stabilization of metastatic disease, triggered by the application of more appropriate therapy in progressive subjects, yielded low NK activity data. By contrast, normal NK activity was found during both partial remission of stage D2 tumor and stabilization of the same disease, after an initial period of tumor remission. Differences between NK activity data from the aforementioned two groups are statistically significant (p<0.01). In subjects examined, the application of NK activity assay to those with advanced disease reflected changes in the outcome of the treatment more closely than it did routine tumor marker assessment. The activity of NK cells seems unaffected by changes in basal blood estradiol, cortisol, testosterone, and prolactin concentrations that occur during therapy with pharmacological agents (estradiol, cyproterone acetate, diethylstilbestrol, and flutamide) and during surgical castration. The reported NK activity recordings in treated prostate cancer patients might be indicative of the presence of tumor cells in the circulation. If this holds true, the measurement of NK activity would appear to furnish urological oncology with a new tool for early, rapid recognition of progressive metastatic tumors.
Induction of benign prostatic hyperplasia in intact dogs by near‐physiological levels of 5α‐dihydrotestosterone and 17β‐estradiol
Authors: Winter Mark L. , Liehr Joachim G. , Bosland Maarten C. , Wade David R. , Falvo Richard E. , Nagamani Manubai
Published: February 2007

Benign prostatic hyperplasia was induced in mongrel dogs treated for 60 days with one silastic implant containing 17β‐estradiol and four containing 5α‐dihydrotestosterone. The condition was characterized by (1) a marked increase of the stromal elements, particularly the stromal septa between the individual glands, (2) a slight increase in prostatic volume, and (3) a morphology that resembled spontaneous complex benign prostatic hyperplasia in the dog. Other groups of animals that remained untreated or received only 17β‐estradiol or only 5α‐dihydrotestosterone did not develop this condition. Prostate volumes decreased by 14% in the estrogen‐treated dogs, whereas they increased in the androgen‐treated animals by 6% compared to pretreatment prostate volumes. The morphology of the epithelium of the prostates of androgen‐treated animals was not different from that of controls despite the increase in prostate volume. The serum 17β‐estradiol and 5α‐dihydrotestosterone concentrations were increased from 25 ± 2 (mean ± SEM) and 256 ± 42 pg/mL, respectively, in control dogs to 52 ± 37 and 562 ± 37 pg/mL, respectively, in the dogs treated with the hormone combination. Thus, hormone concentrations were two‐ to three‐fold higher than control values, and the ratio of estradiol‐17β to 5α‐dihydrotestosterone was increased by up to 19%. These data demonstrate that treatment of dogs with low levels of estrogen and androgen may be an excellent model for the study of spontaneous complex benign prostatic hyperplasia in aging men.
Time course of reactive oxygen intermediates release and histopathological findings during experimental autoimmune prostatitis development
Authors: Orsilles M. A. , Donadio A. C. , Depiante‐Depaoli M.
Published: February 2007

Spontaneous and stimulated reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) release by peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) and histopathological findings in the prostate gland were assessed during experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) development. Results in EAP rats were compared with data from rats immunized with kidney homogenate, BSA, and CFA, as well as nontreated rats. At 28 days of first immunization (FI), EAP rats spontaneously released significantly more ROI than occurred in the cells from controls rats. A similar response was found when ROI release was analyzed after in vitro stimulus. In time course studies, an increased spontaneous O−2 production was observed at day 7 after FI, and remained the same during all period studied (14, 21, and 28 days after FI). The stimulated O−2 production showed elevated levels at 7 days after FI and fell afterward to levels similar to those of nontreated rats and increased again at day 28. Spontaneous or stimulated H2O2 release showed a progressive increase during the study periods. ROI release was correlated with infiltrate formation in the prostate gland. This differential responsiveness could indicate that, during the autoimmune process, the autoantigen(s) amplify the inflammatory response triggered by them. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A screening tool for vulnerability assessment of pesticide leaching to groundwater for the islands of Hawaii, USA
Authors: Stenemo Fredrik , Ray Chittaranjan , Yost Russell , Matsuda Steven
Published: February 2007

This paper describes an updated version of a screening tool for groundwater vulnerability assessment to evaluate pesticide leaching to groundwater, based on a revised version of the attenuation factor. The tool has been implemented in a geographical information system (GIS) covering the major islands of the state of Hawaii, USA. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture currently uses the tool in their pesticide evaluation process as a first‐tier screening tool. The basic soil properties and pesticide properties necessary to compute the index, and estimates of their uncertainty, are included in the GIS. Uncertainties in soil and pesticide properties are accounted for using first‐order uncertainty analysis. Classifications of pesticides as ‘likely’, ‘uncertain’ or ‘unlikely’ to leach are made on the basis of the uncertainty and a comparison of the revised attenuation factor with values and uncertainties of two reference chemicals. The reference chemicals represent what are considered to be a ‘leachable’ and a ‘non‐leachable’ pesticide under Hawaii conditions. It is concluded that the tool is suitable for screening new and already used pesticides for the islands of Hawaii. However, the tool is associated with uncertainties that are not accounted for, so a conservative approach with respect to interpretation of the results and selection of pesticide parameters used in the tool is recommended. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Tropical cyclone forecasting with model‐constrained 3D‐Var. II: Improved cyclone track forecasting using AMSU‐A, QuikSCAT and cloud‐drift wind data
Authors: Liang Xudong , Wang Bin , Chan Johnny CL , Duan Yihong , Wang Dongliang , Zeng Zhihua , Leiming Mab
Published: February 2007

Generally, the three‐dimensional variational (3D‐Var) data assimilation technique does not impose constraints on the numerical model such as the dynamics and physics, which are used in a 4D‐Var technique. On the other hand, adopting the 4D‐Var technique requires a large amount of computer resources, which limits its practical application. In Part I, a 3D‐Var method was proposed by minimizing the distance between observations and model variables, and the time tendency of model variables which makes the optimized initial conditions satisfy the constraints of full dynamics and physics in the numerical model. The forward and adjoint models used in this method are the same as those in a 4D‐Var method but are only integrated one time step to calculate the time tendency and gradient. Because a numerical model is adopted as weak constraint, this technique is labelled as MC‐3DVar. Here the National Center for Atmospheric Research/Penn State Mesoscale Model 5 (MM5) is used.

In this paper (Part II), AMSU‐A retrieved air temperatures are assimilated into 32 tropical cyclone (TC) cases using this framework. The results show a significant decrease in track forecast errors. Meanwhile, one case‐study of assimilating AMSU‐A temperature, QuikSCAT sea‐level winds, and cloud‐drift winds gives dramatic track error decreases. The study shows that the assimilation of these data with MC‐3DVar improves TC forecasts, and more satellite data give better performances. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
The remapped particle‐mesh semi‐Lagrangian advection scheme
Authors: Cotter C. J. , Frank J. , Reich S.
Published: February 2007

We describe the remapped particle‐mesh advection method, a new mass‐conserving method for solving the density equation which is suitable for combining with semi‐Lagrangian methods for compressible flow applied to numerical weather prediction. In addition to the conservation property, the remapped particle‐mesh method is computationally efficient and at least as accurate as current semi‐Lagrangian methods based on cubic interpolation. We provide results of tests of the method in the plane, results from incorporating the advection method into a semi‐Lagrangian method for the rotating shallow‐water equations in planar geometry, and results from extending the method to the surface of a sphere. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
A multivariate treatment of bias for sequential data assimilation: Application to the tropical oceans
Authors: Balmaseda M. A. , Dee D. , Vidard A. , Anderson D. L. T.
Published: February 2007

This paper discusses the problems arising from the presence of system bias in ocean data assimilation taking examples from the ECMWF ocean reanalysis used for seasonal forecasting. The examples illustrate how in a biased system, the non‐stationary nature of the observing system is a handicap for the reliable representation of climate variability. It is also shown how the bias can be aggravated by the assimilation process, as is the case for the temperature bias in the eastern equatorial Pacific, linked to a spurious vertical circulation generated by the data assimilation.

A generalized algorithm for treatment of bias in sequential data assimilation has been implemented. The scheme allows the control variables of the bias to be different from those for the state vector. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of the results to the choice of bias variables. Results highlight the importance of the correct choice of variables for the bias: while correcting the bias in the pressure field reduces the bias in temperature and in the velocity field, the direct correction of the bias in the temperature field reduces the temperature bias, but significantly increases the error in the velocity field.

Analysis of the error statistics reveals that the bias term is not constant in time, but exhibits large interannual fluctuations. The bias algorithm has been generalized further to include temporal variations of the bias term. A memory factor is included to allow for the slow variations of the bias, and a prescribed bias term is added to represent errors known a priori. Several experiments have been conducted to illustrate the sensitivity of the results to the time evolution of the bias. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Ice supersaturation in the ECMWF integrated forecast system
Authors: Tompkins A. M. , Gierens K. , Rädel G.
Published: February 2007

A parametrization for ice supersaturation is introduced into the ECMWF Integrated Forecast System (IFS), compatible with the cloud scheme that allows partial cloud coverage. It is based on the simple, but often justifiable, diagnostic assumption that the ice nucleation and subsequent depositional growth time‐scales are short compared to the model time step, thus supersaturation is only permitted in the clear‐sky portion of the grid cell.

Results from model integrations using the new scheme are presented, which is demonstrated to increase upper‐tropospheric humidity, decrease high‐level cloud cover and, to a much lesser extent, cloud ice amounts, all as expected from simple arguments. Evaluation of the relative distribution of supersaturated humidity amounts shows good agreement with the observed climatology derived from in situ aircraft observations. With the new scheme, the global distribution of frequency of occurrence of supersaturated regions compares well with remotely sensed microwave limb sounder (MLS) data, with the most marked errors of underprediction occurring in regions where the model is known to underpredict deep convection. Finally, it is also demonstrated that the new scheme leads to improved predictions of permanent contrail cloud over southern England, which indirectly implies upper‐tropospheric humidity fields are better represented for this region. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Precipitating convection in cold air: Virtual potential temperature structure
Authors: Grant A. L. M.
Published: February 2007

Simulations of precipitating convection are used to illustrate the importance of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget in determining the virtual potential‐temperature structure of the convecting atmosphere. Two sets of simulations are presented: in one the surface temperature was increased to simulate cold air flowing over a warmer surface and in the second a cooling profile, representing cold‐air advection, was imposed. It is shown that the terms in the TKE budgets for both sets of simulations scale in the same way, but that the non‐dimensional profiles are different. It is suggested that this is associated with the effects of sublimation of ice.

It is shown that the magnitudes of the transport and precipitation terms in the virtual potential temperature budget are determined by the scaling of the TKE budget. Some implications of these results for parametrizations of moist convection are discussed. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Impacts of initial condition errors on mesoscale predictability of heavy precipitation along the Mei‐Yu front of China
Authors: Bei Naifang , Zhang Fuqing
Published: February 2007

Summertime heavy precipitation associated with the quasi‐stationary Mei‐Yu front often causes severe flooding along the Yangtze river basin in China. This study explores the mesoscale predictability of one such event near Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province. The 20–21 July rainfall event contributed to making the 1998 flood season the worst in this region since 1954. Various sensitivity experiments were performed to examine the impact of both realistic and idealized initial condition uncertainties of different scales and amplitudes on the prediction of the mesoscale precipitation systems along the Mei‐Yu front. While it is found that mesoscale model simulations initialized with global analyses at a 36‐h lead time can depict the evolution of the synoptic environment reasonably well, there are large variations between different experiments in the prediction of the mesoscale details and heavy precipitation of this event. It was also found that larger‐scale, larger‐amplitude initial uncertainties generally led to larger forecast divergence than did uncertainties of smaller scales and small amplitudes. However, the forecast errors induced by perturbations of the same amplitude but at different scales are very similar if the initial error is sufficiently small. Error growth is strongly nonlinear and small‐amplitude initial errors, which are far smaller than those of current observational networks, may grow rapidly and quickly saturate at smaller scales. They subsequently grow upscale, leading to significant forecast uncertainties at increasingly larger scales. In agreement with previous studies, moist convection is found to be the key to the rapid error growth leading to limited mesoscale predictability. These findings further suggest that, while there is significant scope for improving forecast skill by improving forecast models and initial conditions, mesoscale predictability of such a heavy precipitation event is inherently limited. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Northern Hemisphere stratospheric summer from MIPAS observations
Authors: Lahoz W. A. , Geer A. J. , Orsolini Y. J.
Published: February 2007

Data from the MIPAS instrument on Envisat, supplemented by meteorological analyses from ECMWF and the Met Office, are used to study the meteorological and trace‐gas evolution of the stratosphere in the Northern Hemisphere during spring and summer 2003. A Pole‐centred approach, together with sequences of vertical profiles along the viewing tracks of the MIPAS instrument, is used to interpret the data in the physically meaningful context of the evolving summertime high. During April the vortex break‐up and build‐up of the summertime high gives rise, in the mid‐stratosphere, to a ‘frozen‐in’ anticyclone (FrIAC), over the Pole, encircled by vortex fragments at ∼50°N. As the summer moves on, the FrIACs and vortex fragments are gradually smoothed out but they persist in the mid‐ and upper stratosphere until July–August as roughly zonally symmetric W‐shaped tracer isopleths. The persistence of the W shows the slowness of isentropic mixing processes at these levels during the summer. As the summertime high becomes dominant during June–August, net photochemical ozone loss produces a low ozone pool in the lower and mid‐stratosphere. Finally, as the summertime high decays and the wintertime polar vortex builds up from September onward, the low ozone pool extends vertically throughout the stratosphere, and the tracer isopleths at high latitudes start to dip, showing the effects of wintertime diabatic descent. Of these features, to our knowledge, the W‐shaped tracer isopleths have not been observed previously. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Small scale mixing processes at the top of a marine stratocumulus—a case study
Authors: Haman Krzysztof E. , Malinowski Szymon P. , Kurowski Marcin J. , Gerber Hermann , Brenguier Jean‐Louis
Published: February 2007

A layer of intensive mixing (entrainment interface layer, [EIL]) at the top of marine stratocumulus under a strong inversion has been investigated with 10 cm resolution using an ultrafast thermometer (UFT‐F; temperature), a particle volume monitor PVM–100A (liquid water content), and a fast forward scattering spectrometer probe (FFSSP; droplet spectra). Measurements were collected on board the NCAR C‐130 aircraft during research flight RF05 of DYCOMS‐II field study. The EIL consists of mutual filaments of cloudy and clear air at different stages of stirring, mixing, and homogenization. Borders between these filaments are often very sharp, with the 10 cm resolution of the instruments being insufficient to characterize them properly in many cases. Certain classifications of these filaments and hypotheses about the mechanisms of their formation have been proposed. The common occurrence of filaments of sizes smaller than the resolution of instruments has been indirectly confirmed. This is in agreement with the observed cloud droplet spectra showing variations of droplet number concentration without significant change of the mean droplet diameter and spectrum width. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Effects of data selection and error specification on the assimilation of AIRS data
Authors: Joiner J. , Brin E. , Treadon R. , Derber J. , Van Delst P. , Da Silva A. , Le Marshall J. , Poli P. , Atlas R. , Bungato D. , Cruz C.
Published: February 2007

The Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS), flying aboard NASA's Aqua satellite with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit‐A (AMSU‐A) and four other instruments, has been providing data for use in numerical weather prediction and data assimilation systems for over three years. The full AIRS data set is currently not transmitted in near‐real‐time to the prediction/assimilation centres. Instead, data sets with reduced spatial and spectral information are produced and made available within three hours of the observation time. In this paper, we evaluate the use of different channel selections and error specifications. We achieve significant positive impact from the Aqua AIRS/AMSU‐A combination during our experimental time period of January 2003. The best results are obtained using a set of 156 channels that do not include any in the H2O band between 1080 and 2100 cm−1. The H2O band channels have a large influence on both temperature and humidity analyses. If observation and background errors are not properly specified, the partitioning of temperature and humidity information from these channels will not be correct, and this can lead to a degradation in forecast skill. Therefore, we suggest that it is important to focus on background error specification in order to maximize the impact from AIRS and similar instruments. In addition, we find that changing the specified channel errors has a significant effect on the amount of data that enters the analysis as a result of quality control thresholds that are related to the errors. However, moderate changes to the channel errors do not significantly impact forecast skill with the 156 channel set. We also examine the effects of different types of spatial data reduction on assimilated data sets and NWP forecast skill. Whether we pick the centre or the warmest AIRS pixel in a 3 × 3 array affects the amount of data ingested by the analysis but does not have a statistically significant impact on the forecast skill. Copyright © Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mass spectrometric study of dirhenium biscarboxylate:purine dinucleotide complexes
Authors: Day Elizabeth F. , Payne Tiffany A. , Holt Crystal A.
Published: February 2007

Dirhenium adducts of purine dinucleotides were identified by mass spectrometry. In consecutive studies, Re2(O2C2H3)2Cl4 · 2H2O was reacted with 2′‐deoxyguanylyl(3′→5′)‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (dGpG) and 2′‐deoxyadenylyl(3′→5′)‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (dApG) in H2O or D2O. These reactions were monitored to identify novel dinuclear rhenium:dinucleotide complexes as confirmed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) and collision‐induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID MS/MS) experiments. However, the most abundant adducts detected by ES‐MS were dirhenium:nucleotide species. Of these, guanine‐containing ions were observed with highest ion counts suggesting a preference for guanine coordination. Dimetal adducts showed coordination of the purine bases and common metalated fragments were observed for both dGpG and dApG reactions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relative calcium‐binding strengths of amino acids determined using the kinetic method
Authors: Ho Yen‐Peng , Yang Ming‐Wei , Chen Li‐Ting , Yang Yu‐Chuan
Published: February 2007

We have measured the relative calcium‐binding energies of amino acids using tandem mass spectrometry of Ca2+‐bound trimeric amino acids. Although calcium‐bound dimeric amino acid complexes coordinated too strongly to allow observation of the two competing dissociation products (calcium‐bound monomeric ions) required for analysis of their metal binding affinities using the conventional kinetic method, the Ca2+‐bound trimeric cluster ions dissociated readily to form dimeric cluster ions through simple ligand losses. The calcium‐binding energies were obtained by comparing the ratio of the [Ca2+(A1)2  H+]+ and [Ca2+ (A1)(A2)  H+]+ ions that dissociated from the [Ca2+ (A1)2(A2)  H+]+ ion and the ratio of the [Ca2+(A2)2  H+]+ and [Ca2+(A1) (A2)  H+]+ ions that dissociated from the [Ca2+(A1)(A2)2  H+]+ ion, where A1 and A2 represent two amino acids. The energies deduced from this analysis represent the relative average binding energies of complexes having the form [Ca2+(A1)2  H+]+. The relative Ca2+‐binding strengths of the α‐amino acid complexes follow the order Cys < Ser < Thr < Ile < Leu < Val < Gly < Ala < Pro < Phe < Met < Tyr < Asn < His < Gln < Trp < Lys < Arg. To our knowledge, this report provides the first example of using kinetic methods to determine the relative binding strengths of divalent metal–amino acid complexes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human Melanoma Cells: Relationship Between Their Radiosensitivity and the Repair of Potentially Lethal Damage
Authors: Utsumi H. , Elkind M. M.
Published: February 2007

From clinical experience, malignant melanomas are generally considered to be radioresistant. To explain this impression, the hypothesis had been advanced that the melanoma cells in a tumor are inherently resistant and that they are so because they are particularly effective in repairing potentially lethal damage. We have examined this idea with several lines of melanoma cells, and we have compared the responses of these cells to those of normal and ataxia telangiectasia fibroblasts (both SV40 transformed). The single‐dose responses of the melanoma cells were found to cover a large range. The most sensitive had a response similar to that of normal fibroblasts, but the most resistant required a dose for 10% survival to be 2–3 times larger. Correlated with this range in response, we found the sensitive melanoma cells to be deficient in both the fast and slow repair of potentially lethal damage compared to resistant melanoma cells. Sensitive and resistant melanoma cells survived ultraviolet light exposure equally well, however. We conclude that the repair of potentially lethal damage is important to the X‐ray response of melanoma cells, but that the degree of such repair correlates with the inherent sensitivity of such cells. Consistent with many other types of observations, we also note that the mechanism of lethality by ionizing radiation is fundamentally different from that of ultraviolet light. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Recombinant Interleukin‐3 and Recombinant Interleukin‐6 on Radiation Survival of Normal Human Bone Marrow Progenitor Cells
Authors: Waddick Kevin G. , Uckun Fatih M.
Published: February 2007

The effects of recombinant interleukin‐6 (rIL‐6) and rIL‐3 on the radiation responses of myeloid [colony forming unit‐granulocyte‐macrophage (CFU‐GM)] and erythroid [burst forming unit‐erythroid (BFU‐E)] human pediatric bone marrow progenitor cells were analyzed. Cytokine exposure times of 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr, 16 hr, and 24 hr were used prior to irradiation. The most notable observations were based on short exposure data, which provided unprecedented evidence that rIL‐6 increases the radiation damage repair capacity of both CFU‐GM and BFU‐E without affecting their radiation sensitivity, whereas rIL‐3 modulated the radiation responses of CFU‐GM only. The cytokine‐induced increase in radiation survival of CFU‐GM or BFU‐E at doses ≤200 cGy appeared to be primarily due to an increase in the ability of these hematopoietic progenitor cell populations to repair sublethal radiation damage.
Inhibition of Polyamine Synthesis Suppresses Growth and γ‐Ray‐Induced Sublethal and Potentially Lethal Damage Recovery in Human Tumor Cells in Culture
Authors: Stea Baldassarre , Buatti John M. , Stringer David E. , Gerner Eugene W.
Published: February 2007

Polyamines are ubiquitous polycations that interact with negatively charged macromolecules, including DNA. Since DNA is a target for radiation damage, we tested the hypothesis that radiation survival responses are polyamine‐dependent in cells derived from human tumors arising at different sites (lung [A549], cervix [HeLa], and brain [D54 and U251]). Untreated cultures displayed different growth rates (HeLa ≈ A549 > D54 > U251). Treatment with the specific ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor α‐difluoro‐methylornithine (DFMO) for 2 days or more suppressed putrescine and spermidine contents in all four cell lines. DFMO inhibited growth of each line, but to varying degrees (U251 > HeLa ≈ A549 > D54). Polyamine depletion generally suppressed γ‐ray‐induced sublethal and potentially lethal damage recovery. The degree of suppression of these recovery processes varied among cell lines (D54 > A549 ≈ HeLa > U251), which correlated inversely with the ability of DFMO to suppress cell growth. These data suggest that agents such as DFMO, which suppress polyamine contents, may be useful adjuvants to radiation therapy by inhibiting either radiation recovery processes or cell proliferation, or both, during fractionated radiotherapy schedules. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prognostic Value of Cellular DNA Content and S‐Phase Fraction in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Relation to Different Treatment Modalities
Authors: Fietkau Rainer , Iro Heiner , Altendorf‐Hofmann Annelore , Sauer Rolf
Published: February 2007

DNA‐ploidy and the percentage of S‐phase cells were measured by DNA flow cytometry in 171 primary squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Of the analyzed tumors, 102 (60%) were aneuploid and 69 (40%) were diploid. Minimum follow‐up was 6 months (median: 37 months). For the whole population no difference of the 5‐year survival rate was found comparing diploid (18%) and aneuploid tumors (26%). Following sequential radiochemotherapy, aneuploid tumors revealed a better 5‐year survival (54%) than diploid tumors (7%;P< 0.01). Accordingly, the locoregional control rate was higher for aneuploid tumors (57% vs. 28%; n.s.). By contrast, following surgery and radiotherapy or concurrent radiochemotherapy, diploid and aneuploid tumors had nearly the same survival rates. The analysis of recurrence demonstrated a lower rate of locoregional failures of diploid tumors (surgery + radiotherapy: 32% vs. 44%), but this was leveled out by a higher incidence of distant metastases of diploid carcinomas (surgery + radiotherapy: 36% vs. 17%). Relating to the fraction of S‐phase cells, slowly proliferating tumors (S‐phase < median; 28%) had a better 5‐year survival rate than fast proliferating tumors (20%;P< 0.05). The same was true for different treatment modalities surgery + radiotherapy; concurrent or sequential radiochemotherapy) and for the investigated stage III and IV tumors according to UICC 1987. The analysis of recurrence revealed that the better survival of slowly proliferating tumors was explained by the higher locoregional control rate (60%) compared to fast proliferating tumors (45%;P< 0.05). Stepwise multivariate analysis revealed treatment modality (P= 0.107), S‐phase fraction (P= 0.026), and UICC stage (P= 0.044) as independent prognostic factors for locoregional recurrences and S‐phase fraction (P= 0.0143) for 3‐year overall survival. These data indicate that flow cytometrically evaluated DNA‐ploidy and S‐phase fraction have a relevant prognostic power for predicting the clinical outcome of squamous head and neck cancer. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.