Problems with .tif and .mat images

I've some problems with Imagemagick.
I use two versions: 6.3.5 on Suse 10.3 and  6.0.7  on Scientfic Linux.

I need to convert some images   .mel to .tif (16 bit).  (here there is
an example:
http://www.fisica.unile.it/~maglio/allow_listing/Proteomica/Problems/test.mel)

With Imagemagick. 6.3.5  conversion is not obtained. This is the error message:
Convert test.mel test.tif
Convert: test.mel: unknown field with tags 36864 (0x9000)
encountered. `TIFFReadDirectory '.
Convert: unable to open test.tif `image ': Permission denied.

The conversion is successful with Imagemagick. 6.0.7 , instead (the
result is here:
http://www.fisica.unile.it/~maglio/allow_listing/Proteomica/Problems/test.tif).
---I would like to convert mel to tif with imagemagick on Suse
Linux:is it possible?

I need to convert some images. tif   to .mat, also (this, for example:
http://www.fisica.unile.it/~maglio/allow_listing/Proteomica/Problems/test.tif)

Convert test.tif test.mat
With Imagemagick. 6.3.5: if I want to convert a 16-bit .tif image
(http://www.fisica.unile.it/~maglio/allow_listing/Proteomica/Problems/test.tif ,
for example) to .mat, the conversion takes place, but if Octave or
Matlab read the obtained matrix (this matrix, e.g.:
http://www.fisica.unile.it/~maglio/allow_listing/Proteomica/Problems/test.mat
  ), I see that it is  8-bit, rather than 16.
With Imagemagick. 6.0.7 there is no conversion. Octave creates a 0 kb
file called "test.mat"; this is error message:

Convert: no encode delegated for this image format `test.mat '.

--- Is it possible to convert 16 bit .tif image to .mat?  Could anyone help me?
Thanks
Silvio Maglio