bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oncogenic B-RAF Signaling in Melanoma Impairs the Therapeutic Advantage of Autophagy Inhibition
Authors: Armstrong Jane L. , Corazzari Marco , Martin Shaun , Pagliarini Vittoria , Falasca Laura , Hill David S. , Ellis Nicola , Al Sabah Salim , Redfern Christopher P.F. , Fimia Gian Maria , Piacentini Mauro , Lovat Penny E. 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
Purpose: Metastatic melanoma is characterized by extremely poor survival rates and hence novel therapies are urgently required. The ability of many anticancer drugs to activate autophagy, a lysosomal-mediated catabolic process which usually promotes cell survival, suggests targeting the autophagy pathway may be a novel means to augment therapy.
Experimental Design: Autophagy and apoptosis were assessed in vitro in human melanoma cell lines in response to clinically achievable concentrations of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-inducing drugs fenretinide or bortezomib, and in vivo using a s.c. xenograft model.
Results: Autophagy was activated in response to fenretinide or bortezomib in B-RAF wild-type cells, shown by increased conversion of LC3 to the autophagic vesicle-associated form (LC3-II) and redistribution to autophagosomes and autolysosomes, increased acidic vesicular organelle formation and autophagic vacuolization. In contrast, autophagy was significantly reduced in B-RAF–mutated melanoma cells, an effect attributed partly to oncogenic B-RAF. Rapamycin treatment was unable to stimulate LC3-II accumulation or redistribution in the presence of mutated B-RAF, indicative of de-regulated mTORC1-dependent autophagy. Knockdown of Beclin-1 or ATG7 sensitized B-RAF wild-type cells to fenretinide- or bortezomib-induced cell death, demonstrating a pro-survival function of autophagy. In addition, autophagy was partially reactivated in B-RAF–mutated cells treated with the BH3 mimetic ABT737 in combination with fenretinide or bortezomib, suggesting autophagy resistance is partly mediated by abrogated Beclin-1 function.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest inhibition of autophagy in combination with ER stress-inducing agents may represent a means by which to harness autophagy for the therapeutic benefit of B-RAF wild-type melanoma. Clin Cancer Res; 17(8); 2216–26. ©2011 AACR.
MRI-Guided Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation
Authors: Dickfeld Timm , Tian Jing , Ahmad Ghada , Jimenez Alejandro , Turgeman Aharon , Kuk Richard , Peters Matthew , Saliaris Anastasios , Saba Magdi , Shorofsky Stephen , Jeudy Jean 
Published: January 2011

Background—
Substrate-guided ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) relies on voltage mapping to define the scar and border zone. An integrated 3D scar reconstruction from late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) MRI could facilitate VT ablations.

Methods and Results—

Twenty-two patients with ICD underwent contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI with a specific absorption rate of <2.0 W/kg before VT ablation. Device interrogation demonstrated unchanged ICD parameters immediately before, after, or at 68±21 days follow-up (
P
>0.05). ICD imaging artifacts were most prominent in the anterior wall and allowed full and partial assessment of LGE in 9±4 and 12±3 of 17 segments, respectively. In 14 patients with LGE, a 3D scar model was reconstructed and successfully registered with the clinical mapping system (accuracy, 3.9±1.8 mm). Using receiver operating characteristic curves, bipolar and unipolar voltages of 1.49 and 4.46 mV correlated best with endocardial MRI scar. Scar visualization allowed the elimination of falsely low voltage recordings (suboptimal catheter contact) in 4.1±1.9% of <1.5-mV mapping points. Display of scar border zone allowed identification of excellent pace mapping sites, with only limited voltage mapping in 64% of patients. Viable endocardium of >2 mm resulted in >1.5-mV voltage recordings despite up to 63% transmural midmyocardial scar successfully ablated with MRI guidance. All successful ablation sites demonstrated LGE (transmurality, 68±26%) and were located within 10 mm of transition zones to 0% to 25% scar in 71%.

Conclusions—
Contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI can be safely performed in selected patients with ICDs and allows the integration of detailed 3D scar maps into clinical mapping systems, providing supplementary anatomic guidance to facilitate substrate-guided VT ablations.
Changing Temperature Inversion Characteristics in the U.S. Southwest and Relationships to Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation
Authors: Bailey Adriana , Chase Thomas N. , Cassano John J. , Noone David 
Published: January 2011

AbstractContinental temperature inversions significantly influence air quality, yet little is known about their variability in frequency and intensity with time or sensitivity to dynamical changes with climate. Inversion statistics for six upper-air stations in the American Southwest are derived for the period 1994–2008 from radiosonde data reported by the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), which use different significant level standards. GTS data indicate that low-level elevated inversions have increased in frequency at four of six sites, consistent with enhanced regional stagnation projected by models. NCDC data, in contrast, show remarkable declines in weak, near-surface inversions through 2001, indicating local surface conditions may counteract atmospheric dynamics in regulating inversion activity and air quality. To further test the sensitivity of inversion activity to climate, associations between wintertime inversion frequency and large-scale circulation are quantified using the self-organizing map technique. Twenty-four representative circulation patterns are derived from North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) 500-hPa geopotential height fields, and these patterns are correlated with inversion frequency at each site. Inversion activity in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Albuquerque and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is found to correspond well with large-scale anticyclonic ridging; however, sensitivities to large-scale circulation in Denver, Colorado, and Flagstaff and Tucson, Arizona, are weak. Denver stands out in exhibiting a higher percentage of near-surface inversions in winter than the other southwestern sites. These findings indicate that dynamical changes with climate will not uniformly influence inversions and hence urban air quality conditions in the American Southwest.
A TRMM-Based Tropical Cyclone Cloud and Precipitation Feature Database
Authors: Jiang Haiyan , Liu Chuntao , Zipser Edward J. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has provided invaluable data for tropical cyclone (TC) research since December 1997. The challenge, however, is how to analyze and efficiently utilize all of the information from several instruments on TRMM that observe the same target. In this study, a tropical cyclone precipitation, cloud, and convective cell feature (TCPF) database has been developed by using observations of the TRMM precipitation radar (PR), Microwave Imager (TMI), Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS), Lightning Imaging System (LIS), and the TRMM 3B42 rainfall product. The database is based on an event-based method that analyzes the measurements from multiple sensors. This method condenses the original information of pixel-level measurements into the properties of events, which can significantly increase the efficiency of searching and sorting the observed historical TCs. With both convective and rainfall properties included, the database offers the potential to aid the research aiming to improve both TC intensification and rainfall forecasts. Using the TRMM TCPF database, regional variations of TC convection and diurnal variations of TC rainfall are examined. In terms of absolute number, the northwest Pacific Ocean basin has the deepest and most intense TCPFs according to IR, radar, and 85-GHz microwave measurements. However, the North Atlantic TCPFs appear to have the highest lightning production. Globally, TC rainfall has a maximum at 0430–0730 local solar time (LST) and a minimum around 1930–2230 LST. However, after separating ocean from land, a distinct difference is seen. Over land, the diurnal variation of TC rainfall shows double peaks: one around 0130–0730 LST and the other at 1630–1930 LST. The minimum is at 1030–1330 LST.
Moist versus Dry Barotropic Instability in a Shallow-Water Model of the Atmosphere with Moist Convection
Authors: Lambaerts Julien , Lapeyre Guillaume , Zeitlin Vladimir 
Published: January 2011

AbstractDynamical influence of moist convection upon development of the barotropic instability is studied in the rotating shallow-water model. First, an exhaustive linear “dry” stability analysis of the Bickley jet is performed, and the most unstable mode identified in this way is used to initialize simulations to compare the development and the saturation of the instability in dry and moist configurations. High-resolution numerical simulations with a well-balanced finite-volume scheme reveal substantial qualitative and quantitative differences in the evolution of dry and moist-convective instabilities. The moist effects affect both balanced and unbalanced components of the flow. The most important differences between dry and moist evolution are 1) the enhanced efficiency of the moist-convective instability, which manifests itself by the increase of the growth rate at the onset of precipitation, and by a stronger deviation of the end state from the initial one, measured with a number of different norms; 2) a pronounced cyclone–anticyclone asymmetry during the nonlinear evolution of the moist-convective instability, which leads to an additional, with respect to the dry case, geostrophic adjustment, and the modification of the end state; and 3) an enhanced ageostrophic activity in the precipitation zones but also in the nonprecipitating areas because of the secondary geostrophic adjustment.
Soil Moisture Drought in China, 1950–2006
Authors: Wang Aihui , Lettenmaier Dennis P. , Sheffield Justin 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
Four physically based land surface hydrology models driven by a common observation-based 3-hourly meteorological dataset were used to simulate soil moisture over China for the period 1950–2006. Monthly values of total column soil moisture from the simulations were converted to percentiles and an ensemble method was applied to combine all model simulations into a multimodel ensemble from which agricultural drought severities and durations were estimated. A cluster analysis method and severity–area–duration (SAD) algorithm were applied to the soil moisture data to characterize drought spatial and temporal variability. For drought areas greater than 150 000 km2 and durations longer than 3 months, a total of 76 droughts were identified during the 1950–2006 period. The duration of 50 of these droughts was less than 6 months. The five most prominent droughts, in terms of spatial extent and then duration, were identified. Of these, the drought of 1997–2003 was the most severe, accounting for the majority of the severity–area–duration envelope of events with areas smaller than 5 million km2. The 1997–2003 drought was also pervasive in terms of both severity and spatial extent. It was also found that soil moisture in north central and northeastern China had significant downward trends, whereas most of Xinjiang, the Tibetan Plateau, and small areas of Yunnan province had significant upward trends. Regions with downward trends were larger than those with upward trends (37% versus 26% of the land area), implying that over the period of analysis, the country has become slightly drier in terms of soil moisture. Trends in drought severity, duration, and frequency suggest that soil moisture droughts have become more severe, prolonged, and frequent during the past 57 yr, especially for northeastern and central China, suggesting an increasing susceptibility to agricultural drought.
Effect of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation on Tropical Atlantic Variability: A Regional Coupled Model Study
Authors: Wen Caihong , Chang Ping , Saravanan Ramalingam 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
A simplified coupled ocean–atmosphere model, where an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) is fully coupled to a 2½-layer reduced-gravity ocean model (RGO) over the tropical Atlantic basin, is presented in the context of studying the role of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) in tropical Atlantic variability (TAV). In the ocean model, the strength of the AMOC is controlled by specifying mass transport at open boundaries. The fidelity of the reduced-physics model in capturing major features of tropical Atlantic variability, as well as its response to the AMOC changes, is demonstrated in a series of model experiments. The results of the experiments reveal the relative importance of oceanic processes and atmospheric processes in AMOC-induced tropical Atlantic variability–change. It is found that the oceanic processes are a primary factor contributing to the warming at and south of the equator and the precipitation increase over the Gulf of Guinea, while atmospheric processes are responsible for the surface cooling of the tropical North Atlantic and southward displacement of ITCZ.
A systematic investigation of the coupled system response to changes in AMOC strength indicates that the SST over the cold-tongue region responds nonlinearly to AMOC changes. The sensitivity of the SST response increases rapidly when AMOC strength decreases below a threshold value. Such nonlinear behavior is also found in precipitation response over the Gulf of Guinea. These results suggest that complex and competing atmosphere–ocean processes are involved in TAV response to AMOC changes and the nature of the response can vary from one region to another. This complexity should be taken into consideration in Atlantic abrupt climate studies.
The Impact of Climate Change on Air Quality–Related Meteorological Conditions in California. Part I: Present Time Simulation Analysis
Authors: Zhao Zhan , Chen Shu-Hua , Kleeman Michael J. , Tyree Mary , Cayan Dan 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
This study investigates the impacts of climate change on meteorology and air quality conditions in California by dynamically downscaling Parallel Climate Model (PCM) data to high resolution (4 km) using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. This paper evaluates the present years’ (2000–06) downscaling results driven by either PCM or National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecasting System (GFS) reanalysis data. The analyses focused on the air quality–related meteorological variables, such as planetary boundary layer height (PBLH), surface temperature, and wind. The differences of the climatology from the two sets of downscaling simulations and the driving global datasets were compared, which illustrated that most of the biases of the downscaling results were inherited from the driving global climate model (GCM). The downscaling process added mesoscale features but also introduced extra biases into the driving global data. The main source of bias in the PCM data is an imprecise prediction of the location and strength of the Pacific subtropical high (PSH). The analysis implied that using simulation results driven by PCM data as the input for air quality models will likely underestimate air pollution problems in California. Regional-averaged statistics of the downscaling results were estimated for two highly polluted areas, the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) and the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), by comparing to observations. The simulations driven by GFS data overestimated surface temperature and wind speed for most of the year, indicating that WRF has systematic errors in these two regions. The simulation matched the observations better during summer than winter in terms of bias. WRF has difficulty reproducing weak surface wind, which normally happens during stagnation events in these two regions. The shallow summer PBLH in the Central Valley is caused by the dominance of high pressure systems over the valley and the strong valley wind during summer. The change of meteorology and air quality in California due to climate change will be explored in Part II of this study, which compares the future (2047–53) and present (2000–06) simulation results driven by PCM data and is presented in a separate paper.
Decadal-Scale SST and Salinity Variations in the Central Tropical Pacific: Signatures of Natural and Anthropogenic Climate Change
Authors: Nurhati Intan S. , Cobb Kim M. , Di Lorenzo Emanuele 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
Accurate projections of future temperature and precipitation patterns in many regions of the world depend on quantifying anthropogenic signatures in tropical Pacific climate against its rich background of natural variability. However, the detection of anthropogenic signatures in the region is hampered by the lack of continuous, century-long instrumental climate records. This study presents coral-based sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity proxy records from Palmyra Island in the central tropical Pacific over the twentieth century, based on coral strontium/calcium and the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater (δ18OSW), respectively. On interannual time scales, the Sr/Ca-based SST record captures both eastern and central Pacific warming “flavors” of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability (R = 0.65 and 0.67, respectively). On decadal time scales, the SST proxy record is highly correlated to the North Pacific gyre oscillation (NPGO) (R = −0.85), reflecting strong dynamical links between the central Pacific warming mode and extratropical decadal climate variability. Decadal-scale salinity variations implied by the coral-based δ18OSW record are significantly correlated with the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) (R = 0.54). The salinity proxy record is dominated by an unprecedented trend toward lighter δ18OSW values since the mid–twentieth century, implying that a significant freshening has taken place in the region, in line with climate model projections showing enhanced hydrological patterns under greenhouse forcing. Taken together, the new coral records suggest that low-frequency SST and salinity variations in the central tropical Pacific are controlled by different sets of dynamics and that recent hydrological trends in this region may be related to anthropogenic climate change.
Estimation of the Terrestrial Water Budget over Northern Eurasia through the Use of Multiple Data Sources
Authors: Troy Tara J. , Sheffield Justin , Wood Eric F. 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
Northern Eurasia has experienced significant change in its hydrology during the past century. Much of the literature has focused on documenting and understanding the trends rather than documenting the uncertainty that exists in current estimates of the mean hydroclimatology. This study quantifies the terrestrial water budget with reanalysis, hydrologic modeling, remote sensing, and in situ observations and shows there is significant uncertainty in the estimates of precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, and terrestrial water storage changes. The spread among the various datasets highlights the scientific community's inability to accurately characterize the hydroclimatology of this region, which is problematic because much attention has focused on hydrologic trends using these datasets. The largest relative differences among estimates exist in the terrestrial storage change, which also is the least studied variable. Seasonally, the spread in estimates relative to the mean is largest in winter, when uncertainty in cold-season processes and measurements causes large differences in the estimates. A methodology is developed that takes advantage of multiple sources of data and observed discharge to improve estimates of precipitation, evapotranspiration, and storage changes. The method also provides a framework to evaluate the errors in datasets for variables that have no large-scale in situ measurements, such as evapotranspiration.
Experimental Study on Wind-Wave Momentum Flux in Strongly Forced Conditions
Authors: Savelyev Ivan B. , Haus Brian K. , Donelan Mark A. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractA quantitative description of wind-wave momentum transfer in high wind conditions is necessary for accurate wave models, storm and hurricane forecasting, and models that require atmosphere–ocean coupling such as circulation and mixed layer models. In this work, a static pressure probe mounted on a vertical wave follower to investigate relatively strong winds (U10 up to 26.9 m s−1 and U10/Cp up to 16.6) above waves in laboratory conditions. The main goal of the paper is to quantify the effect of wave shape and airflow sheltering on the momentum transfer and wave growth. Primary results are formulated in terms of wind forcing and wave steepness ak, where a is wave amplitude and k is wave number. It is suggested that, within the studied range (ak up to 0.19), the airflow is best described by the nonseparated sheltering theory. Notably, a small amount of spray and breaking waves was present at the highest wind speeds; however, their effect on the momentum flux was not found to be significant within studied conditions.
Texture analysis differentiates persistent and transient T1 black holes at acute onset in multiple sclerosis: A preliminary study
Authors: Zhang Yunyan , Traboulsee Anthony , Zhao Yinshan , Metz Luanne M , Li David K 
Published: January 2011

Background and Objective: The persistence of new enhancing T1 hypointense lesions (acute black holes, ABHs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) cannot be predicted visually at lesion onset. Texture analysis using the polar Stockwell transform (PST) applied to conventional MR images however shows promise in quantifying tissue injury early. The objective of this study was to explore whether ABHs that persist (pABHs) differ from those that are transient (tABHs) using PST texture analysis. Methods: Fifteen ABHs (8 pABHs; 7 tABHs) from 9 patients were analyzed on 3T images obtained during a clinical trial. Persistence was defined as remaining T1 hypointense 5–8 months later. NAWM regions were examined to control for changes unrelated to ABHs. Results: At first appearance, there was higher coarse texture indicating greater tissue damage in the pABHs than in the tABHs ( p < 0.01). Both had greater coarse texture than the contralateral and general NAWM ( p ≤ 0.01). No difference was identified in normalized signal intensity between pABHs and tABHs and neither demonstrated location preference. While tABHs tended to be smaller than pABHs there was no correlation between lesion size and texture (r = 0.44, p > 0.05). Furthermore, coarse texture content appeared to predict persistence of individual lesions. Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests that PST texture could predict persistence of tissue injury based on the severity of structural disorganization within acute lesions. While confirmation of this data is required texture analysis may prove to be a valuable tool to quantify tissue damage and predict recovery in proof-of-concept neuroprotection and repair trials.