bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biennial and Lower-Frequency Variability Observed in the Early Summer Climate in the Western North Pacific
Authors: Tomita Tomohiko , Yoshikane Takao , Yasunari Tetsuzo 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Early summer climate in the western North Pacific is largely represented by the baiu phenomenon. The meridional fluctuations of the baiu front on interannual time scales and the associated large-scale circulations are examined using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis and composite or correlation analyses based on the EOF time coefficients.
The first EOF mode indicates a 5- or 6-yr low-frequency fluctuation (LF mode) appearing south of 35°N. The development is concurrent with horseshoe sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the entire tropical Pacific that are associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). SSTAs in the western North Pacific control the anomalous southward expansion of the baiu front through a modification of the convection at around 20°–35°N. The LF mode is negatively correlated with the south-southeast Asian summer monsoon.
The second EOF mode is characterized by a meridional seesawlike fluctuation with a node at around 28°N and a time scale of biennial oscillation (BO mode). The horseshoe SSTAs again control the anomalous meridional circulations, but with a different spatial phase through a convection off the Philippines. The spatial phase difference between the two horseshoe patterns is about 90° in both the zonal and meridional directions. The BO mode is negatively correlated with the tropical western North Pacific monsoon.
SSTAs associated with the BO mode tend to be confined to the tropical western Pacific, while the signals of the LF mode extend rather broadly in the tropical Pacific–Indian Ocean sector, suggesting that the tropical BO is an aborted ENSO in the tropical central–western Pacific. The spatial phase of horseshoe SSTAs adjusts the interannual variability of the meridional fluctuation of the baiu front in the western North Pacific.
Numerically Converged Solutions of the Global Primitive Equations for Testing the Dynamical Core of Atmospheric GCMs
Authors: Polvani L. M. , Scott R. K. , Thomas S. J. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Solutions of the dry, adiabatic, primitive equations are computed, for the first time, to numerical convergence. These solutions consist of the short-time evolution of a slightly perturbed, baroclinically unstable, midlatitude jet, initially similar to the archetypal LC1 case of Thorncroft et al. The solutions are computed with two distinct numerical schemes to demonstrate that they are not dependent on the method used to obtain them.
These solutions are used to propose a new test case for dynamical cores of atmospheric general circulation models. Instantaneous horizontal and vertical cross sections of vorticity and vertical velocity after 12 days, together with tables of key diagnostic quantities derived from the new solutions, are offered as reproducible benchmarks. Unlike the Held and Suarez benchmark, the partial differential equations and the initial conditions are here completely specified, and the new test case requires only 12 days of integration, involves no spatial or temporal averaging, and does not call for physical parameterizations to be added to the dynamical core itself.
Lake-Effect Snowstorms over Southern Ontario, Canada, and Their Associated Synoptic-Scale Environment
Authors: Liu A. Q. , Moore G. W. K. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Lake-effect snowstorms are an important source of severe winter weather over the Great Lakes region and are often triggered by the passage of synoptic-scale low pressure systems. In this paper, a climatology of lake-effect snowstorms over southern Ontario, Canada, for the period 1992–99 is developed. The distinguishing characteristics of the synoptic-scale environment associated with intense lake-effect snowstorms in the region are identified through the study of individual events and through composite analysis. In particular, it is found that a low pressure and a cold-temperature anomaly situated over Hudson Bay, north of the Great Lakes, is a favorable environment for the development of intense lake-effect snowstorms over southern Ontario. It is also found that the track of the low pressure system can have a significant impact on the development or lack thereof of lake-effect snowstorms over southern Ontario. It is found that the low pressure systems that trigger intense lake-effect snowstorms tend to have an anomalous northeastward track as compared to the eastward track of most low pressure systems that transit the region.
Optimization of a Direct Elliptic Boundary Value Problem Solver by the Combined Use of Symmetry and Strassen's Algorithm
Authors: Qaddouri Abdessamad , Côté Jean 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
A direct elliptic boundary value problem solver used for meteorological applications has been optimized. The problem to be solved is symmetric under a parity operation, and this is preserved by discretization. Therefore if the mesh possesses this symmetry, then the discretized problem will share this symmetry as well. The direct method can make use of this symmetry on a variable mesh to reduce the cost associated with the slow transform, a matrix product, by half. It is also shown that this can be combined with the Strassen–Winograd algorithm for even better results.
Variants in estrogen-biosynthesis genes CYP17 and CYP19 and breast cancer risk: a family-based genetic association study
Authors: Ahsan Habibul , Whittemore Alice S , Chen Yu , Senie Ruby T , Hamilton Steven P , Wang Qiao , Gurvich Irina , Santella Regina M 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Background
Case-control studies have reported inconsistent results concerning breast cancer risk and polymorphisms in genes that control endogenous estrogen biosynthesis. We report findings from the first family-based association study examining associations between female breast cancer risk and polymorphisms in two key estrogen-biosynthesis genes CYP17 (T→C promoter polymorphism) and CYP19 (TTTA repeat polymorphism).

Methods
We conducted the study among 278 nuclear families containing one or more daughters with breast cancer, with a total of 1123 family members (702 with available constitutional DNA and questionnaire data and 421 without them). These nuclear families were selected from breast cancer families participating in the Metropolitan New York Registry, one of the six centers of the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Family Registry. We used likelihood-based statistical methods to examine allelic associations.

Results
We found the CYP19 allele with 11 TTTA repeats to be associated with breast cancer risk in these families. We also found that maternal (but not paternal) carrier status of CYP19 alleles with 11 repeats tended to be associated with breast cancer risk in daughters (independently of the daughters' own genotype), suggesting a possible in utero effect of CYP19. We found no association of a woman's breast cancer risk either with her own or with her mother's CYP17 genotype.

Conclusion
This family-based study indicates that a woman's personal and maternal carrier status of CYP19 11 TTTA repeat allele might be related to increased breast cancer risk. However, because this is the first study to report an association between CYP19 11 TTTA repeat allele and breast cancer, and because multiple comparisons have been made, the associations should be interpreted with caution and need confirmation in future family-based studies.
Transgenic expression of CCL2 in the central nervous system prevents experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Elhofy Adam , Wang Jintang , Tani Mari , Fife Brian T , Kennedy Kevin J , Bennett Jami , Huang DeRen , Ransohoff Richard M , Karpus William J 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2)/monocyte chemotactic protein-1, a member of the CC chemokine family, is a chemoattractant for monocytes and T cells through interaction with its receptor CCR2. In the present study, we examined a T helper cell type 1 (Th1)-dependent disease, proteolipid protein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, in a transgenic mouse line that constitutively expressed low levels of CCL2 in the central nervous system (CNS) under control of the astrocyte-specific glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter. CCL2 transgenic mice developed significantly milder clinical disease than littermate controls. As determined by flow cytometry, mononuclear cell infiltrates in the CNS tissues of CCL2 transgenic and littermate-control mice contained equal numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and the CCL2 transgenic mice showed an enhanced number of CNS-infiltrating monocytes. CNS antigen-specific T cells from CCL2 transgenic mice produced markedly less interferon-γ. Overexpression of CCL2 in the CNS resulted in decreased interleukin-12 receptor expression by antigen-specific T cells. Collectively, these results indicate that sustained, tissue-specific expression of CCL2 in vivo down-regulates the Th1 autoimmune response, culminating in milder clinical disease.
Cohort Analysis of Patients With Localized, High-Risk, Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treated at Two Cancer Centers: Chemotherapy-Associated Outcomes
Authors: Cormier Janice N. , Huang Xuelin , Xing Yan , Thall Peter F. , Wang Xuemei , Benjamin Robert S. , Pollock Raphael E. , Antonescu Cristina R. , Maki Robert G. , Brennan Murray F. , Pisters Peter W.T. 
Published: November 2004

Purpose Patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III soft tissue sarcoma (STS) have high risks of distant recurrence and death. The role of chemotherapy for these patients remains controversial despite several randomized trials and a meta-analysis. Methods We reviewed the treatments and outcomes of 674 consecutive adult patients presenting with primary stage III extremity STS between 1984 and 1999. Pre- or postoperative doxorubicin-based chemotherapy was used in a nonrandomized fashion in approximately half of this high-risk population. The objective of this review was to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy while accounting for known prognostic variables. Results Among 674 patients, 338 (50%) were treated with local therapy only, and 336 (50%) were treated with local therapy plus chemotherapy. The median follow-up for survivors was 6.1 years. Five-year local and distant recurrence-free interval probabilities were 83% and 56%, respectively, for the two groups combined. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate was 61%. Cox regression analyses showed a time-varying effect associated with chemotherapy. During the first year, the hazard ratio associated with DSS for patients treated with chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy was 0.37 (95% CI, 0.20 to 0.69; P = .002). Thereafter, this hazard ratio was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.81; P = .04). Conclusion It seems that the clinical benefits associated with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy in patients with high-risk extremity STS are not sustained beyond 1 year. These results suggest that caution should be used in the interpretation of randomized clinical trials of adjuvant chemotherapy that seem to demonstrate clinical benefits with relatively short-term follow-up.
High-Dose Therapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation for Recurrent or Refractory Pediatric Hodgkin's Disease: Results and Prognostic Indices
Authors: Lieskovsky YeeYie E. , Donaldson Sarah S. , Torres Mylin A. , Wong Ruby M. , Amylon Michael D. , Link Michael P. , Agarwal Rajni 
Published: November 2004

Purpose To evaluate the outcome of pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed Hodgkin's disease (HD) who undergo high-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (AHSCT). Patients and Methods From 1989 to 2001, 41 pediatric patients with relapsed or primary refractory HD underwent high-dose therapy followed by AHSCT according to one of four autologous transplantation protocols at Stanford University Medical Center (Stanford, CA). Pretreatment factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis for prognostic significance for 5-year overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and progression-free survival (PFS). Results At a median follow-up of 4.2 years (range, 0.7 to 11.9 years), the 5-year OS, EFS, and PFS rates were 68%, 53%, and 63%, respectively. Multivariate analysis determined the following three factors to be significant predictors of poor OS and EFS: extranodal disease at first relapse, presence of mediastinal mass at time of AHSCT, and primary induction failure. Two of these factors also predicted for poor PFS (extranodal disease at time of first relapse and presence of mediastinal mass at time of transplantation). Conclusion More than half of children with relapsed or refractory HD can be successfully treated with the combination of high-dose therapy and AHSCT, confirming the efficacy of this approach. Further investigation is now required to determine the optimal timing of AHSCT, as well as to develop alternative regimens for those patients with factors prognostic for poor outcome after AHSCT.
White Matter Lesions Detected by Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Radiotherapy and High-Dose Chemotherapy in Children With Medulloblastoma or Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor
Authors: Fouladi Maryam , Chintagumpala Murali , Laningham Fred H. , Ashley David , Kellie Stewart J. , Langston James W. , McCluggage Charles W. , Woo Shaio , Kocak Mehmet , Krull Kevin , Kun Larry E. , Mulhern Raymond K. , Gajjar Amar 
Published: November 2004

Purpose White matter lesions (WMLs) have been described as a delayed effect of cranial irradiation in children with brain tumors, or a transient subacute effect characterized by an intralesional or perilesional reaction. We report the occurrence of subacute WMLs detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children treated for medulloblastoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) and document the associated clinical, radiologic, and neurocognitive findings. Patients and Methods Among 134 patients with medulloblastoma or supratentorial PNET treated prospectively with risk-adjusted craniospinal irradiation and conformal boost to the tumor bed, followed by four high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) cycles with stem-cell rescue, 22 developed WMLs on T1-weighted imaging with and without contrast and/or T2-weighted imaging on MRI. Patients had ≥ 12 months of follow-up. Neurocognitive assessments included intelligence quotient (IQ) tests and tests of academic achievement. Results Twenty-two patients developed WMLs at a median of 7.8 months after starting therapy (range, 1.9 to 13.0 months). Lesions were predominantly in the pons (n = 8) and cerebellum (n = 6). Sixteen patients (73%) had WML resolution at a median of 6.2 months (range, 1.68 to 23.5 months) after onset; two patients developed necrosis and atrophy. Three developed persistent neurologic deficits. Cumulative incidence of WMLs at 1 year was 15% ± 3%. Patients with WMLs had a significant decline in estimated IQ (−2.5 per year; P = .03) and math (−4.5 per year; P = .003) scores. Conclusion WMLs in medulloblastoma or PNET patients treated with conformal radiotherapy and HDC are typically transient and asymptomatic, and may mimic early tumor recurrence. A minority of patients with WMLs develop permanent neurologic deficits and imaging changes. Overall, the presence of WMLs is associated with greater neurocognitive decline.
Insulin, Physical Activity, and Caloric Intake in Postmenopausal Women: Breast Cancer Implications
Authors: Chlebowski Rowan T. , Pettinger Mary , Stefanick Marcia L. , Howard Barbara V. , Mossavar-Rahmani Yasmin , McTiernan Anne 
Published: November 2004

PurposeIncreased physical activity and programs to reduce body mass index (BMI) with both increased physical activity and decreased caloric intake have been proposed to reduce insulin as a potential mediator of breast cancer and other chronic diseases. However, there are few data on the relative contribution of physical activity, caloric intake, and BMI to fasting insulin levels.Materials and MethodsAn ethnically diverse subsample of 2,996 mostly healthy postmenopausal women with no prior cancer history was randomly identified from the 161,809 participants in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trials and observational study. Information was collected on diet, recreational physical activity, and anthropometrics including BMI. Fasting insulin levels were determined. Using a cross-sectional design, insulin levels were then compared across quintiles of caloric intake and physical activity in linear regression model analyses controlled for BMI and other factors.ResultsLower BMI (P < .0001), higher levels of physical activity (P < .0001), and lower caloric intake (P < .02) were all independently associated with significantly lower mean fasting insulin levels throughout the range of observed values. Insulin levels of 8.74 μU/mL ± 4.16 SD were seen in the highest physical activity and lowest caloric intake quintile compared with insulin levels of 15.08 μU/mL ± 16.32 SD in the lowest physical activity and highest caloric intake quintile (P < .0001).ConclusionThese findings suggest that reduction in BMI achieved by increasing physical activity, reducing caloric intake, or both, should lower insulin levels, providing support for clinical trials evaluating insulin level change and breast cancer risk.
Angiotensin II Stimulates Protein Synthesis and Inhibits Proliferation in Primary Cultures of Rat Adrenal Glomerulosa Cells
Authors: Otis Mélissa , Campbell Shirley , Payet Marcel D. , Gallo-Payet Nicole 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Angiotensin II (Ang II) is one of the most important stimuli of rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether Ang II can stimulate cell proliferation and/or hypertrophy and investigate pathways and intracellular targets. A 3-d treatment with Ang II (5–100 nm), through the Ang II type 1 receptor subtype, abolished cell proliferation observed in control cells but increased protein synthesis. Preincubation with PD98059 (a MAPK kinase inhibitor) abolished basal proliferation and had no effect on basal protein synthesis but did reverse the effect of Ang II on protein synthesis. The p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 reversed the inhibitory effect on cell proliferation and abolished the increase in protein synthesis, whereas the c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor SP600125 had no effect. Time-course studies revealed that Ang II stimulated phosphorylation of both p42/p44mapk and p38 MAPK but did not activate c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Ang II had no effect on the level of cyclin E expression but increased the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase, p27Kip1, an effect abolished in cells preincubated with SB203580 and PD98059. In conclusion, in cultured rat glomerulosa cells, a 3-d treatment with Ang II increases protein synthesis, with a concomitant decrease in proliferation. These effects are mediated by both the p42/p44mapk and p38 MAPK pathways, which increase expression of the steroidogenic enzymes, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and p27Kip1, a protein known to block the cell cycle in G1 phase. Together these results support the key role of Ang II as a stimulus of steroid synthesis rather than a proliferating factor.
The HCR–20 and post‐discharge outcome in male patients discharged from medium security in the UK
Authors: Dolan Mairead , Khawaja Afshan 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe Historical Clinical Risk–20 (HCR–20) [Webster et al., 1997a,b] is a structured clinical judgement 20–item risk assessment scale, which was developed for use in Canadian forensic facilities. Data on the HCR–20 in UK samples is limited. We examined the predictive validity of the HCR–20 in relation to post‐discharge outcomes in male medium secure patients who had a history of violent offending. HCR–20 scores (omitting the psychopathy item) at the point of discharge were rated in 70 violent patients released into the community using case file data. Relationships between post‐discharge outcomes (reconviction, readmission, self/collateral reports of violence) over a minimum two‐year follow‐up period were rated blind to the HCR–20 score and examined using a variety of risk prediction statistics. HCR–20 score did not predict reconviction, but was a significant predictor of readmission and self/collateral reports of violence. Subscale analyses indicated that all subscales had predictive validity. High scores on the Historical items were better at predicting who would have poor outcome. High scores on the Clinical and Risk scales were better at predicting how long an individual remained at liberty in the community following discharge. The findings suggest that the HCR–20, without the psychopathy rating, is a reasonably robust predictor of self‐reported violence and readmission in medium secure services. Our finding that it did not predict violent recidivism reflects the utility of this measure in the management of risk in violent patients discharged to the community. Aggr. Behav. 30:469–483, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Aggressive encounters between patients and general hospital staff: Staff perceptions of the context and assailants' levels of cognitive processing
Authors: Winstanley Sue , Whittington Richard 
Published: November 2004

AbstractA considerable body of research has accumulated regarding aggression toward health care staff, yet little is known about the contextual factors involved. The present study examined the context within which aggressive incidents occurred and the dynamics of the interaction between staff and patients. Two aspects in particular were investigated; firstly, whether incidents were preceded by some anxiety provoking stimulus and secondly, the assailants' levels of cognitive processing apparent at the time of the incident. A prospective study collected data concerning incidents of physical assault and threatening behaviour in a general hospital. Staff were interviewed soon after the incident occurred. A content analysis determined that 82.8% of incidents involved experiences delivered by the staff victims likely to have provoked anxiety in the assailant. Most commonly, incidents involved staff intervening in the patient's intended behaviour. In addition, in 64% of cases, assailants were actually displaying some impairment in cognitive processing at the time of the incident Data suggest that many patients may not have been fully aware of their situation and might have experienced some difficulty in comprehending the staff member's actions. Patients who do not appear to understand what is happening may require additional time and effort to ensure they comprehend fully and accept what the staff member is intending to do, particularly if patients are experiencing an event likely to increase anxiety levels. Aggr. Behav. 30:534–543, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
KBG syndrome in a cohort of Italian patients
Authors: Brancati Francesco , D'Avanzo Maria Gabriella , Digilio Maria Cristina , Sarkozy Anna , Biondi Massimo , De Brasi Davide , Mingarelli Rita , Dallapiccola Bruno 
Published: November 2004

AbstractKBG syndrome comprises a distinct facial phenotype, macrodontia, short stature, and skeletal anomalies. So far, it has been reported in 29 individuals. Recently, diagnostic criteria were outlined. Here, we describe eight new patients whose clinical and radiological findings fit the diagnostic criteria of KBG syndrome. While most patients were sporadic in occurrence, in two families the disorder was transmitted from mildly affected mothers to their affected children. The phenotype of KBG syndrome has been reviewed based on published and present patients. EEG anomalies with or without seizures, mixed hearing loss, palatal anomalies with secondary speech disorder, distinct age‐related behavior, and cryptorchidism are possible additional characteristics. Less common manisfestations were posterior fossa malformations, eye defects, and congenital heart defects. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.