bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biases in Stratospheric and Tropospheric Temperature Trends Derived from Historical Radiosonde Data
Authors: Randel William J. , Wu Fei 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
Temperature trends derived from historical radiosonde data often show substantial differences compared to satellite measurements. These differences are especially large for stratospheric levels, and for data in the Tropics, where results are based on relatively few stations. Detailed comparisons of one radiosonde dataset with collocated satellite measurements from the Microwave Sounding Unit reveal time series differences that occur as step functions or jumps at many stations. These jumps occur at different times for different stations, suggesting that the differences are primarily related to problems in the radiosonde data, rather than in the satellite record. As a result of these jumps, the radiosondes exhibit systematic cooling biases relative to the satellites. A large number of the radiosonde stations in the Tropics are influenced by these biases, suggesting that cooling in the tropical lower stratosphere is substantially overestimated in these radiosonde data. Comparison of trends from stations with larger and smaller biases suggests the cooling bias extends into the tropical upper troposphere. Significant biases are observed in both daytime and nighttime radiosonde measurements.
Seasonal and El Niño Variability in Weekly Satellite Evaporation over the Global Ocean during 1996–98
Authors: Mestas-Nuñez Alberto M. , Bentamy Abderrahim , Katsaros Kristina B. 
Published: May 2006

Abstract
The seasonal and anomaly variability of satellite-derived weekly latent heat fluxes occurring over the global oceans during a 3-yr period (January 1996–December 1998) is investigated using EOF and harmonic analyses. The seasonal cycle of latent heat flux is estimated by least squares fitting the first three (annual, semiannual, and 4 month) harmonics to the data. The spatial patterns of amplitudes of these harmonics agree well with the corresponding patterns for wind speed. The annual harmonic captures an oscillation that reflects high evaporation in late fall/early winter and low evaporation in late spring/early summer in both hemispheres, with larger amplitudes in the Northern Hemisphere over the western side of the oceans and significant phase differences within each hemisphere. The main feature of the semiannual harmonic is its large amplitude in the Asian monsoon region (e.g., in the Arabian Sea its amplitude is about 1.5 larger than the annual) and the out-of-phase relationship of this region with the high latitudes of the North Pacific, consistent with other studies. The third harmonic shows three main regions with relatively large amplitudes, one in the Arabian Sea and two out-of-phase regions in the central midlatitude North and South Pacific. After removing this estimate of the seasonal cycle from the data, the leading EOF of the anomalies isolates the 1997–98 El Niño signal, with enhanced evaporation in the eastern tropical Pacific, around the Maritime Continent, in the midlatitude North and South Pacific, and the equatorial Indian Ocean, and reduced evaporation elsewhere around the global ocean during April 1997–April 1998. This pattern is consistent with known patterns of ENSO variability and with the “atmospheric bridge” teleconnection concept. The current study illustrates the usefulness of satellite-derived latent heat fluxes for climatic applications.
Guarding Privacy on the Internet
Authors: Bhasin Madan Lal 
Published: May 2006

Undoubtedly, the government, business houses and employers have a legitimate need to collect data and to monitor people, but their practices often threaten an individual's privacy. Since a vast amount of data can be collected on the Internet, and due to its global ramifications, the FTC had identified ‘core’ principles of privacy which are widely accepted by leading countries. With the European Directive in force from 1998, ‘trust seals’ and ‘government regulations’ are the two leading forces pushing for more privacy disclosures. The need for companies to develop and put into place good privacy policies and/or statements has become more crucial than ever. Privacy legislation prevalent in the US, the EU, Canada, Japan and Australia is summarized in this article. Privacy laws vary throughout the globe but, unfortunately, the topic has turned out to be the subject of legal contention between the EU and the US. Among the companies given high marks by privacy advocates for making data protection a priority are Dell, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Time Warmer and Verizon. Currently, the only way consumers can stop the collection of their personal data is to ‘opt-out’ or configure the browser to reject ‘cookies’. We have briefly examined various methods (like Carnivore program, W3C Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P), Encryption, etc.) used by the corporate world. Today, more advanced technological safeguards are needed. For corporations that collect and use personal information, ignoring privacy legislative and regulatory warning signs can prove to be a costly mistake.
NPM-ALK–dependent expression of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β in ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Authors: Quintanilla-Martinez Leticia , Pittaluga Stefania , Miething Cornelius , Klier Margit , Rudelius Martina , Davies-Hill Theresa , Anastasov Natasa , Martinez Antonio , Vivero Angelica , Duyster Justus , Jaffe Elaine S. , Fend Falko , Raffeld Mark 
Published: May 2006

AbstractCCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ) is one of a 6-member family of C/EBPs. These transcription factors are involved in the regulation of various aspects of cellular growth and differentiation. Although C/EBPβ has important functions in B- and T-cell differentiation, its expression has not been well studied in lymphoid tissues. We, therefore, analyzed its expression by immunohistochemistry and Western blot in normal lymphoid tissues and in 248 well-characterized lymphomas and lymphoma cell lines. Nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues and most B-cell, T-cell, and Hodgkin lymphomas lacked detectable levels of C/EBPβ. In contrast, most (40 of 45; 88%) cases of ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) strongly expressed C/EBPβ. Western blot analysis confirmed C/EBPβ expression in the ALK-positive ALCLs and demonstrated elevated levels of the LIP isoform, which has been associated with increased proliferation and aggressiveness in carcinomas. Transfection of Ba/F3 and 32D cells with NPM-ALK and a kinase-inhibitable modified NPM-ALK resulted in the induction of C/EBPβ and demonstrated dependence on NPM-ALK kinase activity. In conclusion, we report the constitutive expression of C/EBPβ in ALK-positive ALCL and show its relationship to NPM-ALK. We suggest that C/EBPβ is likely to play an important role in the pathogenesis and unique phenotype of this lymphoma.
Inhibition of RhoA GTPase activity enhances hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell proliferation and engraftment
Authors: Ghiaur Gabriel , Lee Andrew , Bailey Jeff , Cancelas Jose A. , Zheng Yi , Williams David A. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractRas-related Rho GTPases regulate actin cytoskeletal organization, adhesion, gene transcription, and cell-cycle progression. The Rac subfamily of Rho GTPases and Cdc42 has been shown to play essential roles in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) engraftment and mobilization. Here, we study the role of RhoA, a related Rho GTPase, in HSC functions. Using retrovirus-mediated gene transfer of a dominant-negative (DN) mutant of RhoA (RhoAN19), we demonstrate that down-regulation of RhoA activity resulted in increased HSC engraftment and self-renewal as measured by competitive repopulation and serial transplantation assays. However, overexpression of RhoAN19 resulted in decreased migration toward SDF-1α and α4β1- and α5β2-integrin–mediated adhesion of hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro. Low RhoA activity was associated with higher proliferation rate of hematopoietic progenitor cells and increased cells in active phases of cell cycle, most likely via decreasing p21Cip/Waf expression and increasing cyclin D1 levels. Thus, reducing RhoA activity by optimizing the balance between adhesion/migration and proliferation/self-renewal results in a net increase in HSC engraftment. This mechanism could provide a novel therapeutic target to enhance HSC therapies.
Empirical array quality weights in the analysis of microarray data
Authors: Ritchie Matthew E , Diyagama Dileepa , Neilson Jody , van Laar Ryan , Dobrovic Alexander , Holloway Andrew , Smyth Gordon K 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackgroundAssessment of array quality is an essential step in the analysis of data from microarray experiments. Once detected, less reliable arrays are typically excluded or "filtered" from further analysis to avoid misleading results.ResultsIn this article, a graduated approach to array quality is considered based on empirical reproducibility of the gene expression measures from replicate arrays. Weights are assigned to each microarray by fitting a heteroscedastic linear model with shared array variance terms. A novel gene-by-gene update algorithm is used to efficiently estimate the array variances. The inverse variances are used as weights in the linear model analysis to identify differentially expressed genes. The method successfully assigns lower weights to less reproducible arrays from different experiments. Down-weighting the observations from suspect arrays increases the power to detect differential expression. In smaller experiments, this approach outperforms the usual method of filtering the data. The method is available in the limma software package which is implemented in the R software environment.ConclusionThis method complements existing normalisation and spot quality procedures, and allows poorer quality arrays, which would otherwise be discarded, to be included in an analysis. It is applicable to microarray data from experiments with some level of replication.
Differential cognitive impairment for diverse forms of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Gonzalez-Rosa Javier J , Vazquez-Marrufo Manuel , Vaquero Encarnacion , Duque Pablo , Borges Monica , Gamero Miguel A , Gomez Carlos M , Izquierdo Guillermo 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
Cognitive impairment is a common feature in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and occurs in 60% of all cases. Unfortunately, neurological examination does not always agree with the neuropsychological evaluation in determining the cognitive profile of the patient. On the other hand, psychophysiological techniques such as event-related potentials (ERPs) can help in evaluating cognitive impairment in different pathologies.
Behavioural responses and EEG signals were recorded during the experiment in three experimental groups: 1) a relapsing-remitting group (RRMS), 2) a benign multiple sclerosis group (BMS) and 3) a Control group. The paradigm employed was a spatial attention task with central cues (Posner experiment). The main aim was to observe the differences in the performance (behavioural variables) and in the latency and amplitude of the ERP components among these groups.

Results
Our data indicate that both MS groups showed poorer task performance (longer reaction times and lower percentage of correct responses), a latency delay for the N1 and P300 component, and a different amplitude for the frontal N1. Moreover, the deficit in the BMS group, indexed by behavioural and pyschophysiological variables, was more pronounced compared to the RRMS group.

Conclusion
The present results suggest a cognitive impairment in the information processing in all of these patients. Comparing both pathological groups, cognitive impairment was more accentuated in the BMS group compared to the RMSS group. This suggests a silent deterioration of cognitive skills for the BMS that is not usually treated with pharmacological or neuropsychological therapy.
Adrenalectomy promotes a permanent decrease of plasma corticoid levels and a transient increase of apoptosis and the expression of Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGF-β1) in hippocampus: effect of a TGF-β1 oligo-antisense
Authors: Bravo Javier A , Parra Claudio S , Arancibia Sandor , Andrés Sergio , Morales Paola , Herrera-Marschitz Mario , Herrera Luisa , Lara Hernán E , Fiedler Jenny L 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
Corticosterone reduction produced by adrenalectomy (ADX) induces apoptosis in dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus, an effect related to an increase in the expression of the pro-apoptotic gene bax. However it has been reported that there is also an increase of the anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2, suggesting the promotion of a neuroprotective phenomenon, perhaps related to the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1). Thus, we have investigated whether TGF-β1 levels are induced by ADX, and whether apoptosis is increased by blocking the expression of TGF-β1 with an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) administered intracerebrally in corticosterone depleted rats.

Results
It was observed an increase of apoptosis in DG, 2 and 5 days after ADX, in agreement with a reduction of corticosterone levels. However, the effect of ADX on the number of apoptotic positive cells in DG was decreased 5 days after the lesion. In CA1–CA3 regions, the effect was only observed 2 days after ADX. TGF-β1 mRNA levels were increased 2 days after ADX. The sustained intracerebro-ventricular administration of a TGF-β1 ASO via an osmotic mini pump increased apoptosis levels in CA and DG regions 5 days after ADX as well as sham-operated control animals. No significant effect was observed following a scrambled-oligodeoxynucleotide treatment.

Conclusion
The changes in both the pattern and the magnitude of apoptotic-cell morphology observed 2 and 5 days after ADX suggest that, as a consequence of the reduction of corticosteroids, some trophic mechanisms restricting cell death to a particular time window are elicited. Sustained intracerebral administration of TGF-β1 ASO increased the apoptosis promoted by ADX, suggesting that TGF-β1 plays an anti-apoptotic role in vivo in hippocampus.
Procalcitonin is not sufficiently reliable to be the sole marker of neonatal sepsis of nosocomial origin
Authors: López Sastre José B , Pérez Solís David , Roqués Serradilla Vicente , Fernández Colomer Belén , Coto Cotallo Gil D , Krauel Vidal Xavier , Narbona López Eduardo , García del Río Manuel , Sánchez Luna Manuel , Belaustegui Cueto Antonio , Moro Serrano Manuel , Urbón Artero Alfonso , Álvaro Iglesias Emilio , Cotero Lavín Ángel , Martínez Vilalta Eduardo , Jiménez Cobos Bartolomé ,   "Grupo de Hospitales Castrillo"
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
It has recently been suggested that serum procalcitonin (PCT) is of value in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis, with varying results. The aim of this prospective multicenter study was to assess the usefulness of PCT as a marker of neonatal sepsis of nosocomial origin.

Methods
One hundred infants aged between 4 and 28 days of life admitted to the Neonatology Services of 13 acute-care teaching hospitals in Spain over 1-year with clinical suspicion of neonatal sepsis of nosocomial origin were included in the study. Serum PCT concentrations were determined by a specific immunoluminometric assay. The reliability of PCT for the diagnosis of nosocomial neonatal sepsis at the time of suspicion of infection and at 12–24 h and 36–48 h after the onset of symptoms was calculated by receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves. The Youden's index (sensitivity + specificity - 1) was used for determination of optimal cutoff values of the diagnostic tests in the different postnatal periods. Sensitivity, specificity, and the likelihood ratio of a positive and negative result with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.

Results
The diagnosis of nosocomial sepsis was confirmed in 61 neonates. Serum PCT concentrations were significantly higher at initial suspicion and at 12–24 h and 36–48 h after the onset of symptoms in neonates with confirmed sepsis than in neonates with clinically suspected but not confirmed sepsis. Optimal PCT thresholds according to ROC curves were 0.59 ng/mL at the time of suspicion of sepsis (sensitivity 81.4%, specificity 80.6%); 1.34 ng/mL within 12–24 h of birth (sensitivity 73.7%, specificity 80.6%), and 0.69 ng/mL within 36–48 h of birth (sensitivity 86.5%, specificity 72.7%).

Conclusion
Serum PCT concentrations showed a moderate diagnostic reliability for the detection of nosocomial neonatal sepsis from the time of suspicion of infection. PCT is not sufficiently reliable to be the sole marker of sepsis, but would be useful as part of a full sepsis evaluation.
The impact of clothing style on bone mineral density among post menopausal women in Morocco: a case-control study
Authors: Allali Fadoua , Aichaoui Siham El , Saoud Bouchra , Maaroufi Houda , Abouqal Redouane , Hajjaj-Hassouni Najia 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
The clothing style is an important factor that influences vitamin D production and thus bone mineral density. We performed a case-control study in order to evaluate the effect of veil wearing (concealing clothing) on bone mineral density in Moroccan post menopausal women.

Methods
The cases were osteoporotic women whose disease was assessed by bone mineral density measurement. Each patient was matched with a non osteoporotic woman for age, and body mass index. All our patients were without secondary causes or medications that might affect bone density. The veil was defined as a concealing clothing which covered most of the body including the arms, the legs and the head. This definition is this of the usual Moroccan traditional clothing style.

Results
178 post menopausal osteoporotic patients and 178 controls were studied. The mean age of the cases and the controls was 63.2 years (SD 7) and the mean body mass index was 32.1 (SD 8). The results of crude Odds Ratios analyses indicated that wearing a veil was associated with a high risk of osteoporosis: OR 2.29 (95% CI, 1.38–3.82). Multiparity or a history of familial peripheral osteoporotic fractures had also a significant effect on increasing the osteoporosis risk (ORs: 1.87 (95% CI, 1.05–3.49) and 2.01 (95% CI, 1.20–3.38)). After a multiple regression analysis, wearing the veil and a history of familial osteoporotic fractures remained the both independent factors that increased the osteoporosis risk (ORs: 2.20 (95% CI, 1.22–3.9) and 2.19 (95% CI, 1.12–4.29) respectively).

Conclusion
our study suggested that in Moroccan post menopausal women, wearing a traditional concealing clothing covering arms, legs and head increased the risk of osteoporosis. Further studies are required to evaluate the clinical impact of the above findings and to clarify the status of vitamin D among veiled women in Morocco.
The shortened disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire (Quick DASH): validity and reliability based on responses within the full-length DASH
Authors: Gummesson Christina , Ward Michael M , Atroshi Isam 
Published: May 2006

Abstract

Background
The 30-item disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire is increasingly used in clinical research involving upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders. From the original DASH a shorter version, the 11-item Quick DASH, has been developed. Little is known about the discriminant ability of score changes for the Quick DASH compared to the DASH. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the Quick DASH and its cross-sectional and longitudinal validity and reliability.

Methods
The study was based on extracting Quick DASH item responses from the responses to the full-length DASH questionnaire completed by 105 patients with a variety of upper extremity disorders before surgery and at follow-up 6 to 21 months after surgery. The DASH and Quick DASH scores were compared for the whole population and for different diagnostic groups. For longitudinal construct validity the effect size and standardized response mean were calculated. Analyses with ROC curves were performed to compare the ability of the DASH and Quick DASH to discriminate among patients classified according to the magnitude of self-rated improvement. Cross-sectional and test-retest reliability was assessed.

Results
The mean DASH score was 34 (SD 22) and the mean Quick DASH score was 39 (SD 24) at baseline. For the different diagnostic groups the mean and median Quick DASH scores were higher than the corresponding DASH scores. For the whole population, the mean difference between the Quick DASH and DASH baseline scores was 4.2 (95% CI 3.2–5.3), follow-up scores was 2.6 (1.7–3.4), and change scores was 1.7 (0.6–2.8).
The overall effect size and standardized response mean measured with the DASH and the Quick DASH were similar. In the ROC analysis of change scores among patients who rated their arm status as somewhat or much better and those who rated it as unchanged the difference in the area under the ROC curve for the DASH and Quick DASH was 0.01 (95% CI -0.05–0.07) indicating similar discriminant ability.
Cross-sectional and test-retest reliability of the DASH and Quick DASH were similar.

Conclusion
The results indicate that the Quick DASH can be used instead of the DASH with similar precision in upper extremity disorders.