The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) morphing technique (CMORPH) satellite precipitation estimates are reprocessed and bias corrected on an 8 km × 8 km grid over the globe (60°S–60°N) and in a 30-min temporal resolution for an 18-yr period from January 1998 to the present to form a climate data record (CDR) of high-resolution global precipitation analysis. First, the purely satellite-based CMORPH precipitation estimates (raw CMORPH) are reprocessed. The integration algorithm is fixed and the input level 2 passive microwave (PMW) retrievals of instantaneous precipitation rates are from identical versions throughout the entire data period. Bias correction is then performed for the raw CMORPH through probability density function (PDF) matching against the CPC daily gauge analysis over land and through adjustment against the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) pentad merged analysis of precipitation over ocean. The reprocessed, bias-corrected CMORPH exhibits improved performance in representing the magnitude, spatial distribution patterns, and temporal variations of precipitation over the global domain from 60°S to 60°N. Bias in the CMORPH satellite precipitation estimates is almost completely removed over land during warm seasons (May–September), while during cold seasons (October–April) CMORPH tends to underestimate the precipitation due to the less-than-desirable performance of the current-generation PMW retrievals in detecting and quantifying snowfall and cold season rainfall. An intercomparison study indicated that the reprocessed, bias-corrected CMORPH exhibits consistently superior performance than the widely used TRMM 3B42 (TMPA) in representing both daily and 3-hourly precipitation over the contiguous United States and other global regions.

This is a topical report. AbstractThe two-scale (small irregularities superimposed upon large undulations) scattering theory proposed by Semyonov has been extended and used to compute microwave apparent temperature and the backscattering cross section from ocean surfaces. The effect of the small irregularities upon the scattering characteristics of the large undulations is included by modifying the Fresnel reflection coefficients; whereas the effect of the large undulations upon those of the small irregularities is taken into account by averaging over the surface normals of the large undulations.The same set of surface parameters is employed for a given wind speed to predict both the scattering and the emission characteristics at both polarizations. Improved agreement with measured results is demonstrated when compared with predictions by a single scale surface. This indicates that the sea surface is better modeled by a composite rather than a single surface. The results also imply that the adequacy of a scattering model is best exemplified when it is used to predict both the scattering and the emission characteristics.

This study evaluated 24-, 6-, and 1-h radar precipitation estimated from the National Mosaic and Multisensor Quantitative Precipitation Estimation System (NMQ) and the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) Precipitation Processing System (PPS) over the conterminous United States (CONUS) for the warm season Precipitation gauge observations from the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) were used as the ground truth. Gridded StageIV multisensor precipitation estimates were applied for supplementary verification. The comparison of the two systems consisted of a series of analyses including the linear correlation coefficient (CC) and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between the radar precipitation estimates and the gauge observations, large precipitation amount detection categorical scores, and the reliability of precipitation amount distribution. Data stratified for the 12 CONUS River Forecast Centers (RFCs) and for the cold rains events with bright-band effects were analyzed additionally. Major results are 1) the linear CC of NMQ versus ASOS are generally higher than that of PPS versus ASOS over CONUS, while the spatial variations stratified by the RFCs may switch with seasons; 2) compared to the precipitation distribution of ASOS, NMQ shows less deviation than PPS; 3) for the cold rains verified against ASOS, NMQ has higher CC and PPS has lower RMSE for 6-h and higher RMSE for 1-h cold rains; and 4) for the precipitation detection categorical scores, either NMQ or PPS can be superior, depending on the time interval and season. The verification against StageIV gridded precipitation estimates showed that NMQ consistently had higher correlations and lower biases than did PPS.

Novel neoadjuvant therapy regimens are warranted for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this phase I trial (NCT04393506), 20 patients with locally advanced resectable OSCC receive three cycles of camrelizumab (200 mg, q2w) and apatinib (250 mg, once daily) before surgery. The primary endpoints are safety and major pathological response (MPR, defined as ≤10% residual viable tumour cells). Secondary endpoints include 2-year survival rate and local recurrence rate (not reported due to inadequate follow-up). Exploratory endpoints are the relationships between PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS, defined as the number of PD-L1-stained cells divided by the total number of viable tumour cells, multiplied by 100) and other immunological and genomic biomarkers and response. Neoadjuvant treatment is well-tolerated, and the MPR rate is 40% (8/20), meeting the primary endpoint. All five patients with CPS ˃10 achieve MPR. Post-hoc analysis show 18-month locoregional recurrence and survival rates of 10.5% (95% CI: 0%–24.3%) and 95% (95% CI: 85.4%–100.0%), respectively. Patients achieving MPR show more CD4+ T-cell infiltration than those without MPR (P = 0.02), and decreased CD31 and ɑ-SMA expression levels are observed after neoadjuvant therapy. In conclusion, neoadjuvant camrelizumab and apatinib is safe and yields a promising MPR rate for OSCC.