bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Carotid Plaque and Candidate Genes Related to Inflammation and Endothelial Function in Hispanics From Northern Manhattan
Authors: Gardener Hannah , Beecham Ashley , Cabral Digna , Yanuck Danielle , Slifer Susan , Wang Liyong , Blanton Susan H. , Sacco Ralph L. , Juo Suh-Hang Hank , Rundek Tatjana 
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—
The genetic influence on carotid atherosclerotic plaque is mostly unknown. This study examines the association between carotid plaque and single nucleotide polymorphisms in selected genes implicated in inflammation and endothelial function.

Methods—
A total of 43 genes (197 single nucleotide polymorphisms) involved in inflammation and endothelial function were interrogated in 287 Dominicans from the Northern Manhattan Study (mean age, 64±7 years; 58% women) who had undergone high-resolution B-mode ultrasound for examination of carotid plaque. Using an additive genetic model, multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted, a within-gene haplotype analysis was performed, and interactions between genes were examined. Results were validated in an independent set of 301 Dominicans.

Results—

Carotid plaque was present in 143 (47%) participants. Nine genes had at least 1 single nucleotide polymorphism associated (
P
≤0.01) with carotid plaque phenotypes:
TNF
,
NOS2A
,
IL6R
,
TNFSF4
,
PPARA
,
IL1A
,
TLR4
,
ITGA2
, and
HABP2
. Single nucleotide polymorphisms
in TNFSF4
,
PPARA
,
TLR4
,
ITGA2
, and
HABP2
were also implicated with the same carotid phenotype in the validation analysis. Haplotype analysis revealed an additional gene of interest,
VCAM1
.

Conclusions—
We report novel associations between variations in 10 genes involved in inflammation and endothelial function and carotid plaque phenotypes in a Dominican sample, with replication for 5 genes in an independent Dominican sample.
Compromise of Brain Tissue Caused by Cortical Venous Reflux of Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas
Authors: Sato Kenichi , Shimizu Hiroaki , Fujimura Miki , Inoue Takashi , Matsumoto Yasushi , Tominaga Teiji 
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—
Cortical venous reflux (CVR) is a high risk factor for aggressive behavior of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF). The pathological conditions in brain tissue affected by CVR were investigated by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods—
A retrospective review identified 56 patients with DAVFs who underwent diffusion-weighted imaging before treatment. Twenty patients had neurological symptoms corresponding to the brain area affected by CVR (Group I), 21 patients with CVR had no focal brain dysfunctions (Group II), and 15 patients had no CVR (Group III). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured for 11 brain areas predefined based on normal venous drainage patterns in the 56 patients and in 21 normal volunteers. The mean ADC ratio was calculated for each area by dividing the ADC value of patients by that of normal volunteers.

Results—

Areas affected by CVR in Group I showed a mean ADC-to-control ratio of 0.72, which was significantly lower than that of Group II (0.96,
P
<0.01). Follow-up studies demonstrated significantly increased ADC ratios in brain areas affected by CVR after the DAVFs were treated successfully. The mean ADC ratio of an affected area remained low, with persistent symptoms in 1 patient who underwent palliative treatment.

Conclusions—
Decreased ADC was observed in the brain parenchyma affected by CVR and was associated with regional brain dysfunction. Successful treatment of the DAVF increased the ADC toward normal levels. The ADC may be a useful indicator of the severity of CVR.
Angiogenic and Vasoprotective Effects of Adrenomedullin on Prevention of Cognitive Decline After Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion in Mice
Authors: Maki Takakuni , Ihara Masafumi , Fujita Youshi , Nambu Takuo , Miyashita Kazutoshi , Yamada Mahito , Washida Kazuo , Nishio Keiko , Ito Hidefumi , Harada Hiroshi , Yokoi Hideki , Arai Hiroshi , Itoh Hiroshi , Nakao Kazuwa , Takahashi Ryosuke , Tomimoto Hidekazu 
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—
Although subcortical vascular dementia, the major subtype of vascular dementia, is caused by a disruption in white matter integrity after cerebrovascular insufficiency, no therapy has been discovered that will restore cerebral perfusion or functional cerebral vessels. Because adrenomedullin (AM) has been shown to be angiogenic and vasoprotective, the purpose of the study was to investigate whether AM may be used as a putative treatment for subcortical vascular dementia.

Methods—
A model of subcortical vascular dementia was reproduced in mice by placing microcoils bilaterally on the common carotid arteries. Using mice overexpressing circulating AM, we assessed the effect of AM on cerebral perfusion, cerebral angioarchitecture, oxidative stress, white matter change, cognitive function, and brain levels of cAMP, vascular endothelial growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor.

Results—
After bilateral common carotid artery stenosis, mice overexpressing circulating AM showed significantly faster cerebral perfusion recovery due to substantial growth of the capillaries, the circle of Willis, and the leptomeningeal anastomoses and reduced oxidative damage in vascular endothelial cells compared with wild-type mice. Vascular changes were preceded by upregulation of cAMP, vascular endothelial growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor. White matter damage and working memory deficits induced by bilateral common carotid artery stenosis were subsequently restored in mice overexpressing circulating AM.

Conclusions—
These data indicate that AM promotes arteriogenesis and angiogenesis, inhibits oxidative stress, preserves white matter integrity, and prevents cognitive decline after chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. Thus, AM may serve as a strategy to tackle subcortical vascular dementia.
Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women
Authors: Larsson Susanna C. , Virtamo Jarmo , Wolk Alicja 
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—
Coffee consumption has been inconsistently associated with stroke incidence and mortality in previous studies. We investigated the association between coffee consumption and stroke incidence in the Swedish Mammography Cohort.

Methods—
We prospectively followed of 34 670 women without a history of cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline in 1997. Coffee consumption was assessed in 1997 using a self-administered questionnaire. Incident stroke cases were ascertained from the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry.

Results—

During a mean follow-up of 10.4 years, we ascertained 1680 stroke events, including 1310 cerebral infarctions, 154 intracerebral hemorrhages, 79 subarachnoid hemorrhages, and 137 unspecified strokes. After adjustment for other risk factors, coffee consumption was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of total stroke, cerebral infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage but not intracerebral hemorrhage. The multivariable relative risks of total stroke across categories of coffee consumption (<1 cup/day, 1 to 2 cups/day, 3 to 4 cups/day, and ≥5 cups/day) were 1.00, 0.78 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.91), 0.75 (95% CI, 0.64 to 0.88), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.63 to 0.92, respectively;
P
for trend=0.02). The association between coffee consumption and cerebral infarction was not modified by smoking status, body mass index, history of diabetes or hypertension, or alcohol consumption.

Conclusions—
These findings suggest that low or no coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of stroke in women.
A Satellite-Based Summer Convective Cloud Frequency Analysis over the Southeastern United States
Authors: Gambill Laci D. , Mecikalski John R. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractA convective cloud (CC) analysis is performed over the southeastern United States (SEUS) during June, July, and August 2006 and 2007, using data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) visible and infrared sensors as processed by a satellite-based convection cloud mask and initiation algorithm. Six 5–7-day periods are analyzed between the times 1500 and 1900 UTC, representative of summertime conditions in the SEUS. The ~8.7 × 108pixel database contains information on nonprecipitating CCs possessing various satellite-estimated attributes of cloud size, based on whether they meet set thresholds in eight infrared “interest fields.” CCs at ~1 km × 1 km pixel size in the GOES projection are evaluated in comparison with the land cover classes, elevation gradients, and normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVIs) beneath the CCs. The goals are to relate the frequency of occurrence of CCs to land surface properties, attempting to determine which of these three properties are most correlated with CCs. CCs are more likely to form over forests and dense vegetation and over higher gradients in elevation. Although forest cover classes are not the most common over the SEUS, CC occurrence increases disproportionately where steeply sloped topography and forests are coincident across large regions of the SEUS. Also, as NDVI increases, the percentage of CCs per land class also increases. Analysis of landscape heterogeneity (combining local variability in land classes, topography, and NDVI) shows that as it increases CC development is more widespread. Thus, lakes among forests and hilly topography intermingled with agricultural lands appear most conducive to high CC frequency.
LES Analysis of the Aerodynamic Surface Properties for Turbulent Flows over Building Arrays with Various Geometries
Authors: Nakayama Hiromasa , Takemi Tetsuya , Nagai Haruyasu 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThis paper describes aerodynamic roughness properties for turbulent flows over various building arrays that represent realistic urban surface geometries. First, building morphological characteristics such as roughness density λf and building height variability Vh, defined respectively as the ratio of total frontal area of roughness elements to the total surface area and the ratio of standard deviation in building height to the average building height of the study site, were investigated. Next, large-eddy simulations (LESs) of turbulent flows over building arrays were performed with various surface geometries characterized by a wide range of values for both λf and Vh, based on this building morphological analysis. Third, aerodynamic roughness parameters such as roughness length z0 and drag coefficient were evaluated for the central Tokyo area from the values of z0 and Vh using the LES results. The values of z0 and as a function of both λf and Vh were comparable to those found in earlier studies. The values of z0 and evaluated by a conventional method using only λf were underestimated, particularly for densely built-up areas. This indicates that the present approach to estimating aerodynamic roughness parameters, taking account of both roughness density and building height variability, is more appropriate than conventional approaches when applied to actual urban areas. The roughness aerodynamic parameters as a function of λf and Vh obtained from the LES results will be useful in incorporating urban effects into weather forecasting models.
Artificial Cloud Seeding Using Liquid Carbon Dioxide: Comparisons of Experimental Data and Numerical Analyses
Authors: Seto Jinichiro , Tomine Kikuro , Wakimizu Kenji , Nishiyama Koji 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAn artificial seeding experiment was carried out over the Genkai Sea, Japan, using liquid carbon dioxide. The seeded cloud was followed by an aircraft and radar at Kyushu University. A radar-echo intensity of 19 dBZ was formed in the seeded cloud where no radar echo was observed previously. The results of the experiment are analyzed using a numerical model [Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF), version 3.1] to evaluate the effects of the artificial seeding. The numerically simulated radar echo has a slightly stronger intensity and wider area than that observed. The results of the experiments were similar to those produced by the numerical model, however. Evaporation of cloud liquid water; growth of snow particles that is due to deposition, autoconversion, aggregation, and collection; and convection caused by released latent heat are shown in the numerical results as effects of the seeding experiment. The falling snow particles cause downward flow, which is compensated for by upward flow that causes the formation of new cloud liquid water as a secondary effect of seeding, although this secondary effect is confirmed only in the numerical results.
Investigation of GOSAT TANSO-CAI Cloud Screening Ability through an Intersatellite Comparison
Authors: Ishida Haruma , Nakjima Takashi Y. , Yokota Tatsuya , Kikuchi Nobuyuki , Watanabe Hiroshi 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIn this work, the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) Thermal and Near-infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation–Cloud and Aerosol Imager (TANSO-CAI) cloud screening results, which are necessary for the retrieval of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) gas amounts from GOSAT TANSO–Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) observations, are compared with results from Aqua/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in four seasons. A large number of pixels, acquired from both satellites with nearly coincident locations and times, are extracted for statistical comparisons. The same cloud screening algorithm was applied to both satellite datasets to focus on the performance of the individual satellite sensors, without concern for differences in algorithms. The comparisons suggest that CAI is capable of discriminating between clear and cloudy areas over water without sun glint and also may be capable of identifying thin cirrus clouds, which are generally difficult to detect without thermal infrared or near-infrared bands. On the other hand, cloud screening over land by CAI resulted in greater cloudy discrimination than that by MODIS, whereas detection of thin cirrus clouds tended to be more difficult over land than water, resulting in incorrect identification of thin cirrus as clear. The amount of missed thin cirrus had a seasonal variation, with the maximum occurring in summer. The cloudy tendency of CAI over half vegetation is caused by lack of an effective threshold test that can be applied to MODIS. The statistical results of the comparison clarified the important points to consider when using the results of CAI cloud screening.
Severe Ice Conditions in the Bohai Sea, China, and Mild Ice Conditions in the Great Lakes during the 2009/10 Winter: Links to El Niño and a Strong Negative Arctic Oscillation
Authors: Bai Xuezhi , Wang Jia , Liu Qinzheng , Wang Dongxiao , Liu Yu 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThis study investigates the causes of severe ice conditions over the Bohai Sea, China, and mild ice cover over the North American Great Lakes under the same hemispheric climate patterns during the 2009/10 winter with a strong negative Arctic Oscillation (AO) and an El Niño event. The main cause of severe ice cover over the Bohai Sea was the strong negative AO. Six of seven winters with severe ice were associated with a strong negative AO during the period 1954–2010. The Siberian high (SH) in the 2009/10 winter was close to normal. The influence of El Niño on the Bohai Sea was not significant. In contrast, the mild ice conditions in the Great Lakes were mainly caused by the strong El Niño event. Although the negative AO generally produces significant colder surface air temperature (SAT) and heavy ice cover over the Great Lakes, when it coincided with a strong El Niño event during the 2009/10 winter the El Niño–induced Pacific–North America (PNA)-like pattern dominated the midlatitudes and was responsible for the flattening of the ridge–trough system over North America, leading to warmer-than-normal temperatures and mild ice conditions over the Great Lakes. This comparative study revealed that interannual variability of SAT in North America, including the Great Lakes, is effectively influenced by El Niño events through a PNA or PNA-like pattern whereas the interannual variability of SAT in northeastern China, including the Bohai Sea area, was mainly controlled by AO and SH.
Maximizing the Statistical Diversity of an Ensemble of Bred Vectors by Using the Geometric Norm
Authors: Pazó Diego , Rodríguez Miguel A. , López Juan M. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
It is shown that the choice of the norm has a great impact on the construction of ensembles of bred vectors. The geometric norm maximizes (in comparison with other norms such as the Euclidean one) the statistical diversity of the ensemble while at the same time it enhances the growth rate of the bred vector and its projection on the linearly most unstable direction (i.e., the Lyapunov vector). The geometric norm is also optimal in providing the least fluctuating ensemble dimension among all the spectrum of norms studied. The results are exemplified with numerical integrations of a toy model of the atmosphere (the Lorenz-96 model), but these findings are expected to be generic for spatially extended chaotic systems.
Climate Variability and Radiocarbon in the CM2Mc Earth System Model
Authors: Galbraith Eric D. , Kwon Eun Young , Gnanadesikan Anand , Rodgers Keith B. , Griffies Stephen M. , Bianchi Daniele , Sarmiento Jorge L. , Dunne John P. , Simeon Jennifer , Slater Richard D. , Wittenberg Andrew T. , Held Isaac M. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
The distribution of radiocarbon (14C) in the ocean and atmosphere has fluctuated on time scales ranging from seasons to millennia. It is thought that these fluctuations partly reflect variability in the climate system, offering a rich potential source of information to help understand mechanisms of past climate change. Here, a long simulation with a new, coupled model is used to explore the mechanisms that redistribute 14C within the earth system on interannual to centennial time scales. The model, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model version 2 (GFDL CM2) with Modular Ocean Model version 4p1(MOM4p1) at coarse-resolution (CM2Mc), is a lower-resolution version of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory’s CM2M model, uses no flux adjustments, and is run here with a simple prognostic ocean biogeochemistry model including 14C. The atmospheric 14C and radiative boundary conditions are held constant so that the oceanic distribution of 14C is only a function of internal climate variability. The simulation displays previously described relationships between tropical sea surface 14C and the model equivalents of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Indonesian Throughflow. Sea surface 14C variability also arises from fluctuations in the circulations of the subarctic Pacific and Southern Ocean, including North Pacific decadal variability and episodic ventilation events in the Weddell Sea that are reminiscent of the Weddell Polynya of 1974–76. Interannual variability in the air–sea balance of 14C is dominated by exchange within the belt of intense “Southern Westerly” winds, rather than at the convective locations where the surface 14C is most variable. Despite significant interannual variability, the simulated impact on air–sea exchange is an order of magnitude smaller than the recorded atmospheric 14C variability of the past millennium. This result partly reflects the importance of variability in the production rate of 14C in determining atmospheric 14C but may also reflect an underestimate of natural climate variability, particularly in the Southern Westerly winds.
First Observations of Microbaroms with Single Absolute Barometers
Authors: Subramanian Ganesh K. , Muschinski Andreas 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
The first observations of microbaroms with single absolute barometers are presented and discussed. Microbaroms are pulses of atmospheric infrasound emitted by ocean surface waves. They can propagate over thousands of kilometers through the atmosphere, and they can reach altitudes well into the upper atmosphere before they are refracted down to the earth’s surface. Typical microbarom periods are 5 s, typical wavelengths are 1.5 km, and typical surface amplitudes are 100 mPa (1 μbar). The data presented here were collected during the 2-week period from 26 February through 10 March 2008 in Amherst, Massachusetts, which is located about 150 km away from the Atlantic Ocean. The authors report for the first time, to the best of their knowledge, an f−5 microbarom frequency spectrum, which is consistent with Phillips’s f−5 ocean surface wave equilibrium spectrum.
On Domain Localization in Ensemble-Based Kalman Filter Algorithms
Authors: Janjić Tijana , Nerger Lars , Albertella Alberta , Schröter Jens , Skachko Sergey 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
Ensemble Kalman filter methods are typically used in combination with one of two localization techniques. One technique is covariance localization, or direct forecast error localization, in which the ensemble-derived forecast error covariance matrix is Schur multiplied with a chosen correlation matrix. The second way of localization is by domain decomposition. Here, the assimilation is split into local domains in which the assimilation update is performed independently. Domain localization is frequently used in combination with filter algorithms that use the analysis error covariance matrix for the calculation of the gain like the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) and the singular evolutive interpolated Kalman filter (SEIK). However, since the local assimilations are performed independently, smoothness of the analysis fields across the subdomain boundaries becomes an issue of concern.
To address the problem of smoothness, an algorithm is introduced that uses domain localization in combination with a Schur product localization of the forecast error covariance matrix for each local subdomain. On a simple example, using the Lorenz-40 system, it is demonstrated that this modification can produce results comparable to those obtained with direct forecast error localization. In addition, these results are compared to the method that uses domain localization in combination with weighting of observations. In the simple example, the method using weighting of observations is less accurate than the new method, particularly if the observation errors are small.
Domain localization with weighting of observations is further examined in the case of assimilation of satellite data into the global finite-element ocean circulation model (FEOM) using the local SEIK filter. In this example, the use of observational weighting improves the accuracy of the analysis. In addition, depending on the correlation function used for weighting, the spectral properties of the solution can be improved.
Accounting for Observational Uncertainty in Forecast Verification: An Information-Theoretical View on Forecasts, Observations, and Truth
Authors: Weijs Steven V. , van de Giesen Nick 
Published: March 2011

Abstract
Recently, an information-theoretical decomposition of Kullback–Leibler divergence into uncertainty, reliability, and resolution was introduced. In this article, this decomposition is generalized to the case where the observation is uncertain. Along with a modified decomposition of the divergence score, a second measure, the cross-entropy score, is presented, which measures the estimated information loss with respect to the truth instead of relative to the uncertain observations. The difference between the two scores is equal to the average observational uncertainty and vanishes when observations are assumed to be perfect. Not acknowledging for observation uncertainty can lead to both overestimation and underestimation of forecast skill, depending on the nature of the noise process.