bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating the mean and variance from the median, range, and the size of a sample
Authors: Hozo Stela Pudar , Djulbegovic Benjamin , Hozo Iztok 
Published: April 2005

Abstract
Background
Usually the researchers performing meta-analysis of continuous outcomes from clinical trials need their mean value and the variance (or standard deviation) in order to pool data. However, sometimes the published reports of clinical trials only report the median, range and the size of the trial.

Methods
In this article we use simple and elementary inequalities and approximations in order to estimate the mean and the variance for such trials. Our estimation is distribution-free, i.e., it makes no assumption on the distribution of the underlying data.

Results
We found two simple formulas that estimate the mean using the values of the median (m), low and high end of the range (a and b, respectively), and n (the sample size). Using simulations, we show that median can be used to estimate mean when the sample size is larger than 25. For smaller samples our new formula, devised in this paper, should be used. We also estimated the variance of an unknown sample using the median, low and high end of the range, and the sample size. Our estimate is performing as the best estimate in our simulations for very small samples (n ≤ 15). For moderately sized samples (15 <n ≤ 70), our simulations show that the formula range/4 is the best estimator for the standard deviation (variance). For large samples (n > 70), the formula range/6 gives the best estimator for the standard deviation (variance).
We also include an illustrative example of the potential value of our method using reports from the Cochrane review on the role of erythropoietin in anemia due to malignancy.

Conclusion
Using these formulas, we hope to help meta-analysts use clinical trials in their analysis even when not all of the information is available and/or reported.
Evaluation of the VP22 protein for enhancement of a DNA vaccine against anthrax
Authors: Perkins Stuart D , Flick-Smith Helen C , Garmory Helen S , Essex-Lopresti Angela E , Stevenson Freda K , Phillpotts Robert J 
Published: April 2005

Abstract

Background
Previously, antigens expressed from DNA vaccines have been fused to the VP22 protein from Herpes Simplex Virus type I in order to improve efficacy. However, the immune enhancing mechanism of VP22 is poorly understood and initial suggestions that VP22 can mediate intercellular spread have been questioned. Despite this, fusion of VP22 to antigens expressed from DNA vaccines has improved immune responses, particularly to non-secreted antigens.

Methods
In this study, we fused the gene for the VP22 protein to the gene for Protective Antigen (PA) from Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. Protective immunity against infection with B. anthracis is almost entirely based on a response to PA and we have generated two constructs, where VP22 is fused to either the N- or the C-terminus of the 63 kDa protease-cleaved fragment of PA (PA63).

Results
Following gene gun immunisation of A/J mice with these constructs, we observed no improvement in the anti-PA antibody response generated. Following an intraperitoneal challenge with 70 50% lethal doses of B. anthracis strain STI spores, no difference in protection was evident in groups immunised with the DNA vaccine expressing PA63 and the DNA vaccines expressing fusion proteins of PA63 with VP22.

Conclusion
VP22 fusion does not improve the protection of A/J mice against live spore challenge following immunisation of DNA vaccines expressing PA63.
The caveolae-mediated sv40 entry pathway bypasses the golgi complex en route to the endoplasmic reticulum
Authors: Norkin Leonard C , Kuksin Dmitry 
Published: April 2005

Abstract

Background
Simian virus 40 (SV40) enters cells via an atypical caveolae-mediated endocytic pathway, which delivers the virus to a new intermediary compartment, the caveosome. The virus then is believed to go directly from the caveosome to the endoplasmic reticulum. Cholera toxin likewise enters via caveolae and traffics to caveosomes. But, in contrast to SV40, cholera toxin is transported from caveosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum via the Golgi. For that reason, and because the caveosome and Golgi may have some common markers, we revisited the issue of whether SV40 might access the endoplasmic reticulum via the Golgi.

Results
We confirmed our earlier finding that SV40 co localizes with the Golgi marker β-COP. However, we show that the virus does not co localize with the more discriminating Golgi markers, golgin 97 and BODIPY-ceramide.

Conclusion
The caveolae-mediated SV40 entry pathway does not intersect the Golgi. SV40 is seen to co localize with β-COP because that protein is a marker for caveosomes as well as the Golgi. Moreover, these results are consistent with the likelihood that the caveosome is a sorting organelle. In addition, there are at least two distinct but related routes by which a ligand might traffic from the caveosome to the ER; one route involving transport through the Golgi, and another pathway that does not involve the Golgi.
EBV latent membrane protein 1 abundance correlates with patient age but not with metastatic behavior in north African nasopharyngeal carcinomas
Authors: Khabir Abdelmajid , Karray Hela , Rodriguez Sandrine , Rosé Mathieu , Daoud Jamel , Frikha Mounir , Boudawara Tahia , Middeldorp Jaap , Jlidi Rachid , Busson Pierre 
Published: April 2005

Abstract

Background
Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas are rare in a majority of countries but they occur at a high incidence in South China and to a lesser extent in North Africa. They are constantly associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) regardless of patient geographic origin. In North Africa, the distribution of NPC cases according to patient age is bi-modal with a large group of patients being around 50 years old (80%) and a smaller group below 25 years old. We and others have previously shown that the juvenile form of NPC has distinct biological characteristics including a low amount of p53 and Bcl2 in the tumor tissue and a low level of anti-EBV IgG and IgA in the peripheral blood.

Results
To get more insight on potential oncogenic mechanisms specific of these two forms, LMP1 abundance was assessed in 82 NPC patients of both groups, using immuno-histochemistry and semi-quantitative evaluation of tissue staining. Serum levels of anti-EBV antibodies were simultaneously assessed. For LMP1 staining, we used the S12 antibody which has proven to be more sensitive than the common anti-LMP1 CS1-4 for analysis of tissue sections. In all NPC biopsies, at least a small fraction of cells was positively stained by S12. LMP1 abundance was strongly correlated to patient age, with higher amounts of the viral protein detected in specimens of the juvenile form. In contrast, LMP1 abundance was not correlated to the presence of lymph node or visceral metastases, nor to the risk of metastatic recurrence. It was also independent of the level of circulating anti-EBV antibodies.

Conclusion
The high amount of LMP1 recorded in tumors from young patients confirms that the juvenile form of NPC has specific features regarding not only cellular but also viral gene expression.
Study of the effect of standardized chemotherapy order forms on prescribing errors and anti-emetic cost
Authors: Sano Harold S , Waddell J Aubrey , A Solimando Dominic , Doulaveris Paula , Myhand Rickey 
Published: April 2005

Objectives. Many anti-neoplastic medication errors and excessive use of serotonin antagonist anti-emetic agents might be prevented by the use of a standardized chemotherapy order form (SCOF). Several studies showing a reduction in prescribing errors or control of inappropriate anti-emetic use through the use of SCOFs have been reported. No previously published study reported SCOFs were used to reduce both prescribing errors and anti-emetic cost. This study attempts to measure these outcomes in a haematology-oncology pharmacy service. Methods. The study consisted of a four-month control period, followed by a four-month test period following dissemination of the standardized order forms. In each period, prescriber errors and anti-emetic use were monitored. During the control period, using clinical studies from the primary literature and anti-emetic guidelines, 64 SCOFs representing the most commonly used chemotherapy regimens in the medical oncology and gynaecology oncology services were developed by the haematology-oncology pharmacy. Differences in prescribing error rate and anti-emetic cost were compared between each period and with the institution’s historic prescribing error rate. Results. During the control period, 1078 orders for oral and parenteral granisetron and ondansetron with combined total acquisition cost of $76 454.64 and a mean cost of $70.92 were dispensed. During the test period, the pharmacy dispensed 1121 orders with an acquisition cost of $73 331.61 and a mean cost of $65.42. A savings of $3123.03 resulted from a reduction of the amount prescribed in the test period. The difference in mean cost per order between the two periods was significant (P B0.037). Fifty-three prescribing errors out of 3592 medication orders were detected in the control period, while 12 errors out of 3585 medication orders were detected during the test period. A significant difference (P B0.0001) was detected between the two periods. There was a significant difference (P B0.0001) between the control period and the institution’s historic prescribing error rate and no difference between the test period and the institution’s historic prescribing error rate. Conclusion. SCOFs significantly reduced serotonin antagonist anti-emetic cost and prescribing error rate over a four-month period.
The Role of Psychology in a Liberal Arts Education: An Interview with Diane F. Halpern
Authors: McCarthy Maureen A. 
Published: April 2005

Diane F. Halpern is the Past-President of the American Psychological Association (APA) and Director of the Berger Institute for Work, Family, and Children and Professor of Psychology at Claremont McKenna College. Her earlier appointments include professor of psychology, Chair and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at California State University, San Bernardino. Her teaching, service to psychology, and research have been recognized with many awards, including the 2002 Outstanding Teaching Award from the Western Psychological Association, Wang Family Excellence Award, American Psychological Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching, Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training, G. Stanley Hall Lecture, and the Outstanding Professor Award from California State University-Statewide. Maureen McCarthy is the Director of Precollege and Undergraduate Programs for the APA. She provides leadership and management oversight of programs and initiatives to enhance the teaching and learning of psychology in high schools, community colleges, and undergraduate programs; coordinates programs with initiatives of national organizations, projects, and agencies that share the mission of enhancing teaching and faculty development; and initiates research pertaining to needs, achievements, and characteristics of undergraduate psychology. Effective spring 2005, she became a faculty member at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches experimental psychology and research methods.
Cyclic AMP mediates keratinocyte directional migration in an electric field
Authors: Pullar Christine E. , Isseroff R. Rivkah 
Published: April 2005

Re-epithelialization of wounded skin is necessary for wound closure and restoration of barrier function and requires directional keratinocyte migration towards the center of the wound. The electric field (EF) generated immediately upon wounding could be the earliest signal keratinocytes receive to initiate directional migration and healing. Keratinocytes express many β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-ARs), but their role in the epidermis is unknown. We have previously shown that β-AR agonists decrease keratinocyte migration in a cyclic AMP (cAMP) independent mechanism involving the activation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Here, we ask whether β2-ARs play a role in keratinocyte galvanotaxis.We report a bimodal response. When keratinocytes were exposed to higher concentrations of β-AR agonist (0.1 μM), their tracked migratory speed was inhibited, in both the presence (directional migration) and the absence (random migration) of a 100 mV mm–1 EF, as expected. At lower agonist concentrations (0.1 pM to 0.1 nM), there was no effect on migratory speed; however, all directionality was lost – essentially, cells were `blinded' to the directional cue. Preincubating the cells with β-antagonist restored directional migration, demonstrating that the `blindness' was β2-AR mediated. Incubation of keratinocytes with agents known to increase intracellular cAMP levels, such as sp-cAMP, pertussis toxin and forskolin, resulted in similar `blinding' to the EF, whereas random migration was unaffected. The inactive cAMP analog rp-cAMP had no effect on keratinocyte migration, whether directional or random. However, rp-cAMP pretreatment before β-agonist addition fully restored galvanotaxis, demonstrating the complete cAMP dependence of the attenuation of keratinocyte directional migration. This is the first report that cAMP is capable of mediating keratinocyte galvanotaxis. β-AR agonists and antagonists could be valuable tools for modulating re-epithelialization, an essential step in the wound-healing process. Thus, β-ARs regulate the two distinct components of keratinocyte directional migration differently: migration speed via a cAMP-independent mechanism and galvanotaxis by a cAMP-dependent one.
Blocking, descent and gravity waves: Observations and modelling of a MAP northerly föhn event
Authors: Jiang Qingfang , Doyle James D. , Smith Ronald B. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractA northerly föhn event observed during the special observational period of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme is investigated based on observational analysis and numerical modelling. The focus of this study includes three dynamical processes associated with mountain perturbations and their interactions, namely, windward flow blocking, descent and warming on the lee side, and mountain waves. Observations indicate the presence of a deep weak‐flow layer underneath a stable layer, associated with Alpine‐scale blocking. Satellite imagery reveals a föhninduced cloud‐free area to the south of the Alps, which is consistent with flow descent diagnosed from radiosondes and constant‐volume balloons. Moderate‐amplitude stationary waves were observed by research aircraft over the major Alpine peaks. Satellite images and balloon data indicate the presence of stationary trapped‐wave patterns located to the north of the Alpine massif.Satisfactory agreement is found between observations and a real‐data COAMPS simulation nested to 1 km resolution. COAMPS indicates the presence of trapped waves associated with a sharp decrease of Scorer parameter above a stable layer in the mid‐troposphere. Underneath the stable layer, moist low‐level flow is blocked to the north of the Alps. The warm air in the stable layer descends in the lee and recovers its altitude over a relatively short horizontal distance through a hydraulic jump.Blocking reduces the effective mountain and hence significantly reduces mountain drag. A simple empirical formula for estimation of the effective mountain height, he, is derived based on numerical simulations. The formula states he/hc=√h/hc, where h is the real mountain height and hc is the critical mountain height to have flow stagnation. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
Flavours of pseudo‐height
Authors: White A. A. , Beare R. J. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractVarious functions of pressure have been used as vertical coordinate in atmospheric dynamics. Some of these are called pseudo‐heights, or described as height‐like, although they could equally well be called pseudo‐thicknesses and described as thickness‐like. Three pseudo‐heights are reviewed here, and a unified treatment is presented in which two appear as specializations of the third. The common feature is a standard temperature profile which is a function only of pressure, and the two specializations arise when that function is chosen to represent either an isothermal atmosphere or an isentropic atmosphere. Neither of these choices—or any other reasonable function of pressure—itself introduces approximation. Under quasi‐geostrophic approximation, the need for a non‐zero mean‐state stratification means that a second reference‐temperature profile must be introduced if isentropic pseudo‐height is used as vertical coordinate. © Crown copyright 2005.
The structure of the lunar semi‐diurnal pressure tide L2
Authors: Goulter Stephen W. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe Hough structure of the lunar semi‐diurnal tide L2(p) in surface pressure is estimated using joint weightings by area and probable‐error structure, on annual and Lloyd seasonal scales, with new data.Global representations, on seasonal and annual scales of the L2 wave, in both spherical harmonic and Hough function forms, are presented for the Haurwitz–Cowley dataset enlarged by the more recent tidal determinations of Hutchings and Palumbo. These are mainly for southern hemiphere island locations.The asymmetric Hough eigenfunction terms H32 are considerably larger than previously estimated, both annually and seasonally, a possible artefact of the earlier data analysis technique. They are consistent and identified with the well‐known difference in phasing and amplitude of L2 by hemisphere.The dependence of the Hough structure on the order of the fitting and on the more extreme residuals is examined. It is stable for the smallest models (spherical harmonic terms up to degree 6 and order 3), to removal of the largest residuals from a first fitting, and to the two largest datasets.Seasonal changes in the Hough structure are discussed. The asymmetric results appear consistent with early frictional/thermal interpretations on the seasonal variation of L2. But the sensitivity of L2 to upper‐air temperature structure is not consistently shown in the analyses for the main mode H(2, 2). Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
Effects of stochastic parametrizations in the Lorenz '96 system
Authors: Wilks Daniel S. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractStochastic parametrization of the effects of unresolved variables is studied in the context of the Lorenz '96 system. These parametrizations are found to produce clear improvements in correspondence between the model and ‘true’ climatologies; they similarly provide clear improvements in all ensemble forecast verification measures investigated, including accuracy of ensemble means and ensemble probability estimation, and including measures operating on both scalar (each resolved forecast variable evaluated individually) and vector (all forecast variables evaluated simultaneously) predictands. Scalar accuracy measures for non‐ensemble (i.e. single integration) forecasts are, however, degraded. The results depend very strongly on both the amplitude (standard deviation) and time‐scale of the stochastic forcing, but only weakly on its spatial scale. In general there seems not to be a single clear optimum combination of time‐scale and amplitude, but rather there exists a range of combinations producing similar results. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
An investigation of incremental 4D‐Var using non‐tangent linear models
Authors: Lawless A. S. , Gratton S. , Nichols N. K. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractWe investigate the convergence of incremental four‐dimensional variational data assimilation (4D‐Var) when an approximation to the tangent linear model is used within the inner loop. Using a semi‐implicit semi‐Lagrangian model of the one‐dimensional shallow water equations, we perform data assimilation experiments using an exact tangent linear model and using an inexact linear model (a perturbation forecast model). We find that the two assimilations converge at a similar rate and the analyses are also similar, with the difference between them dependent on the amount of noise in the observations. To understand the numerical results, we present the incremental 4D‐Var algorithm as a Gauss–Newton iteration for solving a least‐squares problem and consider its fixed points. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
How homogeneous and isotropic is stratospheric mixing? Comparison of CRISTA‐1 observations with transport studies based on the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS)
Authors: Konopka P. , Spang R. , Günther G. , Müller R. , Mckenna D. S. , Offermann D. , Riese M. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) is used for the interpretation of N2O observed during the CRISTA‐1 experiment in early November 1994. By comparing CRISTA data with CLaMS simulations, the impact of the large‐scale horizontal deformations on mixing is studied. Using the probability density function technique (PDF) quantifying the statistics of N2O variability, the critical deformation γc was inferred that triggers the mixing algorithm in CLaMS. The critical deformation γc measures the ratio between the major and minor axes of the ellipse resulting from the stretching of a circle surrounding a given Lagrangian air parcel, i.e. only deformations stronger than γc are relevant for mixing in CLaMS.The PDF derived from CRISTA observations at 700 K and on horizontal scales of the order of 200 km is characterized by a Gaussian core and non‐Gaussian tails indicating filamentary structures typical for 2D turbulence. The PDFs obtained from CLaMS simulations strongly depend on γc but only weakly on the horizontal resolution r0 that was varied between 45 and 200 km. The choice γc=0.8 in the model best reproduces the observed PDF. This implies that the large‐scale isentropic transport leads to scale collapse and subsequent mixing in those parts of the flow where on a time scale ≈12 hours and a spatial scale ≈200 km the flow stretches a circle to an ellipse with the ratio between the major and minor axes exceeding 5. Owing to the spatial resolution of the CRISTA instrument that smooths out the non‐Gaussian tails, the elongation rate ≈5 estimates only the lower bound of the critical deformation.Furthermore, our simulations show that air masses of low N2O amounts observed by CRISTA between 20° and 40°S are fragments of the polar vortex that have been peeled from the vortex edge. The history of these fragments can be divided into two phases: formation and mixing of filaments at the vortex edge where γ>γc and pure advection of the remnants of such filaments into midlatitudes in flow regions with γ<γc. Here, the lifetime of such remnants may exceed two weeks due to negligible mixing in these parts of the flow. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.