bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Data Length Requirements for Observational Estimates of Land–Atmosphere Coupling Strength
Authors: Findell Kirsten L. , Gentine Pierre , Lintner Benjamin R. , Guillod Benoit P. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMultiple metrics have been developed in recent years to characterize the strength of land–atmosphere coupling in regional and global climate models. Evaluation of these metrics against observations has proven challenging because of limited observations and/or metric definitions based on model experimental designs that are not replicable with observations. Additionally, because observations are limited in time, with only a single realization of the earth’s climate available, metrics of land–atmosphere coupling strength typically assume stationarity and ergodicity, so that an observed time series (or set of time series) can be used in place of an ensemble mean of multiple realizations. The present study evaluates the observational data requirements necessary for robust quantification of a suite of land–atmosphere coupling metrics previously described in the literature. It is demonstrated that the amount of data required to obtain robust estimates of metrics assessing relationships between variables is greater than that necessary to constrain means of directly measured observables. Moreover, while the addition of unbiased noise does not significantly alter the mean of a directly observable quantity, inclusion of such noise degrades metrics based on connections between variables, yielding a unidirectional and negative impact on metric strength estimates. This analysis suggests that longer records of surface observations are required to correctly estimate land–atmosphere coupling strength than are required to estimate mean values of the observed quantities.
A Meteorological Analysis of the 2013 Alberta Flood: Antecedent Large-Scale Flow Pattern and Synoptic–Dynamic Characteristics
Authors: Milrad Shawn M. , Gyakum John R. , Atallah Eyad H. 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
The 19–21 June 2013 Alberta flood was the costliest (CAD $6 billion) natural disaster in Canadian history. The flood was caused by a combination of above-normal spring snowmelt in the Canadian Rockies, large antecedent precipitation, and an extreme rainfall event on 19–21 June that produced rainfall totals of 76 mm in Calgary and 91 mm in the foothills. As is typical of flash floods along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, rapidly rising streamflow proceeded to move downhill (eastward) into Calgary.
A meteorological analysis traces an antecedent Rossby wave train across the North Pacific Ocean, starting with intense baroclinic development over East Asia on 11 June. Subsequently, downstream Rossby wave development occurred across the North Pacific; a 1032-hPa subtropical anticyclone located northeast of Hawaii initiated a southerly atmospheric river into Alaska, which contributed to the development of a cutoff anticyclone over Alaska and a Rex block (ridge to the north, cyclone to the south) in the northeastern North Pacific. Upon breakdown of the Rex block, lee cyclogenesis occurred in Montana and strong easterly upslope flow was initiated in southern Alberta.
The extreme rainfall event was produced in association with a combination of quasigeostrophically and orographically forced ascent, which acted to release conditional and convective instability. As in past Front Range flash floods, moisture flux convergence and positive θe advection were collocated with the heavy rainfall. Backward trajectories show that air parcels originated in the northern U.S. plains, suggesting that evapotranspiration from the local land surface may have acted as a moisture source.
Nudging, Ensemble, and Nudging Ensembles for Data Assimilation in the Presence of Model Error
Authors: Lei Lili , Hacker Joshua P. 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
Objective data assimilation methods such as variational and ensemble algorithms are attractive from a theoretical standpoint. Empirical nudging approaches are computationally efficient and can get around some amount of model error by using arbitrarily large nudging coefficients. In an attempt to take advantage of the strengths of both methods for analyses, combined nudging-ensemble approaches have been recently proposed. Here the two-scale Lorenz model is used to elucidate how the forecast error from nudging, ensemble, and nudging-ensemble schemes varies with model error. As expected, an ensemble filter and smoother are closest to optimal when model errors are small or absent. Model error is introduced by varying model forcing, coupling between scales, and spatial filtering. Nudging approaches perform relatively better with increased model error; use of poor ensemble covariance estimates when model error is large harms the nudging-ensemble performance. Consequently, nudging-ensemble methods always produce error levels between the objective ensemble filters and empirical nudging, and can never provide analyses or short-range forecasts with lower errors than both. As long as the nudged state and the ensemble-filter state are close enough, the ensemble statistics are useful for the nudging, and fully coupling the ensemble and nudging by centering the ensemble on the nudged state is not necessary. An ensemble smoother produces the overall smallest errors except for with very large model errors. Results are qualitatively independent of tuning parameters such as covariance inflation and localization.
Investigation of the Effects of Considering Balloon Drift Information on Radiosonde Data Assimilation Using the Four-Dimensional Variational Method
Authors: Choi Yonghan , Ha Jong-Chul , Lim Gyu-Ho 
Published: April 2015

AbstractEffects of balloon drift information (i.e., position and elapsed ascent time of the balloon) on the assimilation of radiosonde observations are investigated by using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and its data assimilation (WRFDA) system. Special radiosonde observations over the Korean Peninsula, which include the exact position and elapsed time of the balloon, are used instead of estimating the balloon drift information. To consider the balloon drift information appropriately, the four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVAR) and a high horizontal resolution (6 km) are used. Cycling experiments over the observation period from 20 June to 4 July 2013 are carried out to obtain the statistical robustness of the effects of considering the balloon drift information, and a single-case experiment is also conducted to show further details about the effects. The verification results of cycling experiments, such as root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) for meteorological-variable forecasts verified against the radiosonde observations and threat and bias scores for rainfall forecasts, show the positive impacts of considering the balloon drift information. Results of the single-case experiment also reveal that the simulated rainfall distribution, time series of hourly rainfall, and quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) skills are improved through the assimilation of radiosonde observations while considering the balloon drift information. Additionally, forecasts of meteorological variables such as horizontal wind components, temperature, and dewpoint temperature are also improved by considering the balloon drift information in the single-case experiment.
Why do they die? Comparison of selected aspects of organ injury and dysfunction in mice surviving and dying in acute abdominal sepsis
Authors: Drechsler Susanne , Weixelbaumer Katrin M , Weidinger Adelheid , Raeven Pierre , Khadem Anna , Redl Heinz , van Griensven Martijn , Bahrami Soheyl , Remick Daniel , Kozlov Andrey , Osuchowski Marcin F 
Published: April 2015

Abstract

Background
The mechanisms of sepsis mortality remain undefined. While there is some evidence of organ damage, it is not clear whether this damage alone is sufficient to cause death. Therefore, we aimed to examine contribution of organ injury/dysfunction to early deaths in the mouse abdominal sepsis.

Methods
Female OF-1 mice underwent either medium-severity cecal ligation and puncture (CLP-Only) or non-lethal CLP-ODam (CLP with cisplatin/carbontetrachloride to induce survivable hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity). In the first experiment, blood was collected daily from survivors (SUR; CLP-Only and CLP-ODam groups) or until early death (DIED; CLP-Only). In the second experiment (CLP-Only), early outcome was prospectively predicted based on body temperature (BT) and pairs of mice predicted to survive (P-SUR) and die (P-DIE) were sacrificed post-CLP. The overall magnitude of organ injury/dysfunction was compared in retrospectively and prospectively stratified mice.

Results
At day 7 post-CLP, survival in CLP-Only was 48%, while CLP-ODam was non-lethal. In CLP-Only mice within 24 h of death, urea increased to 78 (versus 40 mg/dl in SUR), ALT to 166 (vs. 108 U/l), LDH to 739 (vs. 438 U/l) and glucose declined to 43 (vs. 62 mg/dl). In CLP-ODam, hypoglycemia was exacerbated (by 1.5-fold) and ALT and LDH were 20- and 8-fold higher versus DIED (CLP-Only) mice. In CLP-Only, predicted deaths (P-DIE) were preceded by a significant rise only in cystatin C (268 vs. 170 ng/ml in P-SUR) but not in creatinine and troponin I. Respiratory function of mitochondria in the liver and kidney of P-SUR and P-DIE CLP-Only mice was not impaired (vs. controls) and ATP level in organs remained similar among all groups. Histologic injury scores in the liver, kidney, heart and lung showed no major disparities among dying, surviving and control mice.

Conclusions
In CLP-Only mice, although the deregulation of parameters indicative of organ injury/dysfunction was greater in dying versus surviving mice, it never exceeded the changes in surviving CLP-ODam animals, and it was not followed by histopathological damage and/or mitochondrial dysfunction. This shows that interpretation of the contribution of the organ injury/dysfunction to early deaths in the CLP model is not straightforward and depends on the pathophysiological origin of the profiled disturbances.
Frequent Screening With Serial Neck Ultrasound Is More Likely to Identify False-Positive Abnormalities Than Clinically Significant Disease in the Surveillance of Intermediate Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients Without Suspicious Findings on Follow-Up Ultrasound Evaluation
Authors: Peiling Yang Samantha , Bach Ariadne M. , Tuttle R. Michael , Fish Stephanie A. 
Published: April 2015

Context:
American Thyroid Association (ATA) intermediate-risk thyroid cancer patients who achieve an excellent treatment response demonstrate a low risk of structural disease recurrence. Despite this fact, most patients undergo frequent surveillance neck ultrasound (US) during follow-up.

Objective:
The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical utility of routine screening neck US in ATA intermediate-risk patients documented to have a nonstimulated thyroglobulin less than 1.0 ng/mL and a neck US without suspicious findings after therapy.

Patients and Design:
Retrospective review of 90 ATA intermediate-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma patients treated with total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine ablation in a tertiary referral center.

Main Outcome Measures:
A comparison between the frequency of finding false-positive US abnormalities and the frequency of identifying structural disease recurrence in the study cohort was measured.

Results:
Over a median of 10 years, 90 patients had a median of six US (range 2–16). Structural disease recurrence was identified in 10% (9 of 90) at a median of 6.3 years. Recurrence was associated with other clinical indicators of disease in 5 of the 90 patients (5.6%, 5 of 90) and was detected without other signs of recurrence in four patients (4.8%, 4 of 84). False-positive US abnormalities were identified in 57% (51 of 90), leading to additional testing, which failed to identify clinically significant disease.

Conclusions:
In ATA intermediate-risk patients who have a nonstimulated thyroglobulin less than 1.0 ng/mL and a neck US without suspicious findings after therapy, frequent US screening during follow-up is more likely to identify false-positive abnormalities than clinically significant structural disease recurrence.
Solving Variants of the Job Shop Scheduling Problem Through Conflict-Directed Search
Authors: Grimes Diarmuid , Hebrard Emmanuel 
Published: April 2015

We introduce a simple technique for disjunctive machine scheduling problems and show that this method can match or even outperform state-of-the-art algorithms on a number of problem types. Our approach combines a number of generic search techniques such as restarts, adaptive heuristics, and solution-guided branching on a simple model based on a decomposition of disjunctive constraints and on the reification of these disjuncts. This paper describes the method and its application to variants of the job shop scheduling problem (JSP). We show that our method can easily be adapted to handle additional side constraints and different objective functions, often outperforming the state-of-the-art and closing a number of open problems. Moreover, we perform in-depth analysis of the various factors that make this approach efficient. We show that, while most of the factors give moderate benefits, the variable and value ordering components are key.
Epileptic Seizures and Epilepsy in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Alexiev Filip , Semerdjieva Nikolina , Milanova Milena 
Published: April 2015

Purpose: Epilepsy and epileptic seizures occur more frequently in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this patient population most often are reported complex partial and secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and some demographic characteristics of patients with epileptic seizures or epilepsy and MS who have sought specialized medical care in the area of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Methods: A prospective study with 67 consecutive cases of patients with definite MS which was realized at a Clinic of neurology of a University hospital. In all patients a disease history was reviewed with a focus on epileptic seizures and other motor phenomena, as well on epilepsy.
Results: Epileptic seizures were identified in 4 (6.0%) patients in our group. Epilepsy was identified as well in 4 (6.0%) patients. Of these, we identified simple focal motor seizures, simple focal sensory seizures, and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Paroxysmal activity on electroencephalography (EEG) was registered in three patients.
Conclusions: Our locally performed study corroborates the overall opinion that epilepsy and epileptic seizures are more frequent in patients with MS than in the general population. The seizure semiology was not different than previously reported in other MS and epilepsy studies. We did not identify any patient with an epileptic seizure as an initial or the only presentation of MS.
Cerebral Vasospasm and Hemodynamic Alterations Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Revealed with Combined CT Perfusion and CT Angiography
Authors: Zhao Yiping , Zhang Bo , Zhang He , Xu Ke , Li Songbai 
Published: April 2015

Purpose: Vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is considered to be one of the major factors leading to neurological deficits and is associated with poor outcome in SAH. In this study, we utilized combined computed tomography angiography (CTA) and CT perfusion (CTP) techniques to assess radiographic cerebral vasospasm with attempts (1) to determine if cerebral vasospasms can be detected in patients with onset of SAH less than 3 days, and (2) to assess the perfusion deficits or hemodynamic alterations of the affected brain tissues following acute or delayed SAH.
Materials and Methods: Thirty-eight patients with SAH and seven without SAH were recruited in the present study. After SAH was confirmed with a baseline non-enhanced head CT scan, the combined CTA-CTP procedures were performed and the CTP maps were created simultaneously. Quantitative CTP measurements including cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), mean transit time (MTT) and time-to-peak (TTP) were carried out for each of the territories in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the posterior cerebral artery (PCA), respectively.
Results: Among 38 patients with SAH, a total of 33 aneurysms were detected and their anatomic locations were as follows: PCA (17), ACA (10) and MCA (6), respectively. Furthermore, multiple aneurysms were also present in 7 of the 33 patients with SAH. Whole-brain CTP measurements showed perfusion deficits in all of the patients with SAH. Both CBV and CBF values were significantly reduced in the affected areas of brain tissues. The incidence of cerebral vasospasm was significantly higher in the patients with delayed SAH (61.5%) than those with onset of SAH in less than 3 days (12%) (Fisher exact test, p<0.05). Additionally, quantitative analysis of CTP measurements of the patient without cerebral vasospasms with those with CVS reveals that, when compared to the control, all the patients with or without cerebral vasospasms showed significant differences in all four parameters measured (p<0.05, one-way ANOVA). Furthermore, according to their corresponding territories of the ACA, MCA and PCA, there were significant decreases in the mean CBV and CBF values of the ACA, MCA and PCA of SAH patients compared to the control patients, respectively. Moreover, a significant prolongation in the mean MTT and TTP values in SAH patients was also evident.
Conclusion: Although a much higher incidence of cerebral vasospasms usually occurs in the delayed SAH, cerebral vasospasm could be detected in less than three days following the onset of acute SAH. Furthermore, the combined CTA-CTP procedures, along with the baseline CT scan, could also offer diagnostic benefits for assessing changes in global perfusion following the onset of aneurysmal SAH.
Forestier’s Disease in a Young Student: A Genetic Origin?
Authors: Assogba Komi , Apetsè Kossivi M. , Kombaté Damelan , Oniankitan Inoussa , Balogou Koffi A.A. 
Published: April 2015

Forestier’s disease or ankylosing hyperostosis is a non inflammatory esthesopathy that ossifying the anterolateral spine face and sparing the disc and joint space. It is often occurred in elderly men over 50 years old. We aimed to report an early onset Forestier’s Disease in a 20- year –old student. He was admitted for walking trouble, decline hearing and speech disturbance that began progressively four years ago. The neurological examination let appear walking ataxia, slight amyotrophy of both legs and deep sensibility impairment. Somatic exam has revealed the outgrowth bones areas. Ophthalmic examination has noted decreased visual acuity less than 4/10th in both eyes. The audiogram has showed bilateral decline in hearing. X-ray showed an anterior weaving hyperostosis in spine, multiple new bones formation in joints of skull, mandible, scapula, humerus and knees.
Portopulmonary Hypertension: An Effect of Vasomodulation and Mortality Post-Transplant
Authors: Ferro Tammy , Alsina Angel , Pham Thuy , Rumbak Mark 
Published: April 2015

Introduction: Portopulmonary hypertension (PPH) complicates the perioperative conditions in patients who anticipate orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). PPH is rare-occurring in only 6% of those referred for OLT. There is decrease in survival with the moderate to severe PPH subgroup with OLT. Overall only a third live to 5 years time after transplant. Treatment of PPH with vasomodulative therapies before transplantation has increased survival both pre- and post-transplant. The purpose of this study is to report the mortality, prevalence of vasomodulator therapy in PPH before and after OLT depending on group severity.
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted from our liver transplant database over the course of 15 years. Patients were selected if they were diagnosed with PPH and received OLT. There pulmonary pressures were recorded preoperatively thereby categorizing patients into severity stages. Patient age, ethnicity, gender, BMI, and concurrent comorbidities were also included. The outcomes were overall and group-specific survival, and vasomodulator therapy types used.
Results: The most common cause of liver failure in both groups was Hepatitis C and alcohol-induced cirrhosis. Overall mortality was 50%. There was an increase in use of sildenafil and epoprostenol post-transplant in the PPH group. Forty-percent of transplanted patients lived to more than 1200 day end-point. Patients in moderate to severe had a sustained survival rate from years 1-5 post-transplant.
Conclusions: Patients with pulmonary vascular disease have a complicated liver transplant course specifically with moderate to severe PPH. This retrospective study suggests that in the setting of PPH and liver transplant, mortality is greatly improved after OLT with long-term treatment with vasomodulators, specifically those with moderate-severe disease.
Use of Acoustic Assessment to Detect Decay and Assess Condition of Wooden Guardrail Posts
Authors: Sinha Arijit , Morrell Jeffrey J. , Clauson Milo 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
Wood guardrail posts are the most common wood materials currently used in highway construction. Maintenance crews and engineers are often faced with the challenge of rapidly assessing the extent of decay or damage in individual posts. Many conventional intrusive techniques are unsuitable for inspecting guardrail posts because they are too time-consuming. Acoustic detection could be an ideal inspection method because of its rapid assessment. The potential for using acoustic inspection for wooden guardrail posts was assessed on treated hem-fir guardrail posts removed from western Washington State. The posts were tested nondestructively using an impulse hammer, and then increment cores were removed from each post for assessing preservative treatment and fungal colonization. The posts were then tested to failure in bending to determine flexural properties. All but one of the posts met the minimum threshold for strength according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. There was a weak correlation between acoustically predicted modulus of elasticity (MOE) and actual MOE. Correlations between acoustically predicted MOE and modulus of rupture were slightly better but still weak and lower than would be acceptable for this method to be used in the field. The results indicate that acoustic methods might be useful for detecting the presence of advanced decay but failed to provide definitive estimates of post properties.
Novel Genes Affecting Blood Pressure Detected Via Gene-Based Association Analysis
Authors: Zhang Huan , Mo Xing-Bo , Xu Tan , Bu Xiao-Qing , Lei Shu-Feng , Zhang Yong-Hong 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
Hypertension is a common disorder and one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to identify more novel genes for blood pressure. Based on the publically available SNP-based P values of a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies, we performed an initial gene-based association study in a total of 69,395 individuals. To find supplementary evidence to support the importance of the identified genes, we performed GRAIL (gene relationships among implicated loci) analysis, protein–protein interaction analysis, functional annotation clustering analysis, coronary artery disease association analysis, and other bioinformatics analyses. Approximately 22,129 genes on the human genome were analyzed for blood pressure in gene-based association analysis. A total of 43 genes were statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (P &lt; 2.3×10−6). The evidence obtained from the analyses of this study suggested the importance of ID1 (P = 2.0×10−6), CYP17A1 (P = 4.58×10−9), ATXN2 (P = 1.07×10−13), CLCN6 (P = 4.79×10−9), FURIN (P = 1.38×10−6), HECTD4 (P = 3.95×10−11), NPPA (P = 1.60×10−6), and PTPN11 (P = 8.89×10−10) in the genetic basis of blood pressure. The present study found some important genes associated with blood pressure, which might provide insights into the genetic architecture of hypertension.