bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Weight management and cardiovascular disease: implications of recent and ongoing clinical trials
Authors: Wilding John , Finer Nick 
Published: August 2008

Obesity is a global issue with increasing evidence that overweight and obesity are associated with a higher chronic disease risk. Despite over 10 years of government recognition of a need to develop and implement effective prevention strategies, all age groups are getting fatter with overweight becoming the `norm'. Modest weight loss reduces many of the risk factors that accompany obesity, notably type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Adherence to lifestyle changes required to achieve these improvements is poor and progressively more weight-loss medications are used as adjunctive therapy, while bariatric surgery is performed for the severely obese. Currently available pharmacotherapy shows encouraging benefits in clinical trials but remains unproven as an effective strategy to support long-term weight loss and weight maintenance and for translation of improved surrogate risk markers into fewer cardiovascular events and a longer life. Three large clinical trials are ongoing in an attempt to answer this question. Br J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2008; 8: 170—176
Lnk adaptor protein down-regulates specific Kit-induced signaling pathways in primary mast cells
Authors: Simon Clotilde , Dondi Elisabetta , Chaix Amandine , de Sepulveda Paulo , Kubiseski Terrance J. , Varin-Blank Nadine , Velazquez Laura 
Published: August 2008

AbstractStem cell factor (SCF) plays critical roles in proliferation, survival, migration, and function of hematopoietic progenitor and mast cells through binding to Kit receptor. Previous studies have implicated the adaptor protein Lnk as an important negative regulator of SCF signaling. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this regulation is unclear. Here, we showed that the Src homology 2 domain (SH2) of Lnk binds directly and preferentially to phosphorylated tyrosine 567 in Kit juxtamembrane domain. Using Lnk−/− bone marrow mast cells (BMMCs) transduced with different Lnk proteins, we demonstrated that Lnk down-regulates SCF-induced proliferation with attenuation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-jun N-terminal kinase signaling. Furthermore, we showed that Lnk−/− BMMCs displayed increased SCF-dependent migration compared with wild-type cells, revealing a novel Lnk-mediated inhibitory function. This correlated with enhanced Rac and p38 MAPK activation. Finally, we found that Lnk domains and carboxy-terminal tyrosine contribute differently to inhibition of in vitro expansion of hematopoietic progenitors. Altogether, our results demonstrate that Lnk, through its binding to Kit tyrosine 567, negatively modulates specific SCF-dependent signaling pathways involved in the proliferation and migration of primary hematopoietic cells.
Costs and effects of paliperidone extended release compared with alternative oral antipsychotic agents in patients with schizophrenia in Greece: A cost effectiveness study
Authors: Geitona Maria , Kousoulakou Hara , Ollandezos Markos , Athanasakis Kostas , Papanicolaou Sotiria , Kyriopoulos Ioannis 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackgroundTo compare the costs and effects of paliperidone extended release (ER), a new pharmaceutical treatment for the management of schizophrenia, with the most frequently prescribed oral treatments in Greece (namely risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole and ziprasidone) over a 1-year time period.MethodsA decision tree was developed and tailored to the specific circumstances of the Greek healthcare system. Therapeutic effectiveness was defined as the annual number of stable days and the clinical data was collected from international clinical trials and published sources. The study population was patients who suffer from schizophrenia with acute exacerbation. During a consensus panel of 10 psychiatrists and 6 health economists, data were collected on the clinical practice and medical resource utilisation. Unit costs were derived from public sources and official reimbursement tariffs. For the comparators official retail prices were used. Since a price had not yet been granted for paliperidone ER at the time of the study, the conservative assumption of including the average of the highest targeted European prices was used, overestimating the price of paliperidone ER in Greece. The study was conducted from the perspective of the National Healthcare System.ResultsThe data indicate that paliperidone ER might offer an increased number of stable days (272.5 compared to 272.2 for olanzapine, 265.5 f risperidone, 260.7 for quetiapine, 260.5 for ziprasidone and 258.6 for aripiprazole) with a lower cost compared to the other therapies examined (€7,030 compared to €7,034 for olanzapine, €7,082 for risperidone, €8,321 for quetiapine, €7,713 for ziprasidone and €7,807 for aripiprazole). During the sensitivity analysis, a ± 10% change in the duration and frequency of relapses and the economic parameters did not lead to significant changes in the results.ConclusionTreatment with paliperidone ER can lead to lower total cost and higher number of stable days in most of the cases examined.
A robust classifier of high predictive value to identify good prognosis patients in ER-negative breast cancer
Authors: Teschendorff Andrew E , Caldas Carlos 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Introduction
Patients with primary operable oestrogen receptor (ER) negative (-) breast cancer account for about 30% of all cases and generally have a worse prognosis than ER-positive (+) patients. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of ER- cases have favourable outcomes and could potentially benefit from a less aggressive course of therapy. However, identification of such patients with a good prognosis remains difficult and at present is only possible through examining histopathological factors.

Methods
Building on a previously identified seven-gene prognostic immune response module for ER- breast cancer, we developed a novel statistical tool based on Mixture Discriminant Analysis in order to build a classifier that could accurately identify ER- patients with a good prognosis.

Results
We report the construction of a seven-gene expression classifier that accurately predicts, across a training cohort of 183 ER- tumours and six independent test cohorts (a total of 469 ER- tumours), ER- patients of good prognosis (in test sets, average predictive value = 94% [range 85 to 100%], average hazard ratio = 0.15 [range 0.07 to 0.36] p < 0.000001) independently of lymph node status and treatment.

Conclusions
This seven-gene classifier could be used in a polymerase chain reaction-based clinical assay to identify ER- patients with a good prognosis, who may therefore benefit from less aggressive treatment regimens.
Effect of water movement and substratum type on vegetative recruitment of the invasive green alga Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides
Authors: Scheibling Robert E. , Melady Robert A. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
We examined the ability of vegetative propagules (small buds and branch fragments) of the green alga Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides to attach and grow on natural substrata in laboratory and field experiments. In the laboratory, the probability of attachment (on coralline algae, mussel shell, smooth and rough rock) was greater for buds than excised apical branches (both ∼4 cm long) over 10 weeks, and greater in weak flow (1.3 cm s-1) than static conditions. Probability of attachment differed among substrata in flow (greater on coralline algae than smooth rock) but not static conditions. Attachment strength in flow was greater for buds than fragments (pooled over substrata). Growth was greater for fragments than buds in static conditions, but not in flow. Fragments grew more in static conditions than in flow. In a field experiment, buds were transplanted to three tide pools at different tidal heights on a rocky shore. After eight months, the proportion that attached and attachment strengths of transplants did not differ significantly among pools. However, transplants in the high pool grew less and were discolored and atypically branched compared to those in pools lower on the shore. These findings indicate that vegetative propagation may contribute to the invasive success of Codium fragile.
The origin and spread of eukaryotic photosynthesis: evolving views in light of genomics
Authors: Archibald John M. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Plants and algae acquired photosynthesis through the assimilation of a prokaryotic endosymbiont related to the ancestors of modern-day cyanobacteria. This landmark event, known as the primary endosymbiotic origin of plastids, is generally thought to have occurred only once during the history of eukaryotes and to have given rise to the plastids of green algae, land plants, red algae and glaucophyte algae through vertical evolution. Plastids have also spread horizontally across the tree of eukaryotes by “secondary” endosymbioses involving heterotrophic host eukaryotes and both green and red algal endosymbionts. Here I provide an overview of current research in the area of plastid evolution, focusing on the latest advances in the field of algal comparative genomics. Recent genome-scale analyses of both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic eukaryotes have provided fresh new insight into the pattern and process of secondary endosymbiosis, although it is still not possible to discern with confidence the number of endosymbiotic events that gave rise to the known spectrum of eukaryotic phototrophs. In fact, with more genomic data has come the intriguing possibility that the nuclear genomes of some secondary plastid-containing algae are a mosaic of genes derived from multiple endosymbioses, adding yet another layer of complexity to the convoluted evolutionary history of these fascinating organisms.
Effects of heavy metals on riverine benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages with reference to potential food availability for drift-feeding fishes
Authors: Iwasaki Yuichi , Kagaya Takashi , Miyamoto Ken-ichi , Matsuda Hiroyuki 
Published: August 2008

AbstractWe examined the influence of heavy metal pollution from an abandoned mine on benthic macroinvertebrates, at population and community levels, and the potential amount of food available for drift-feeding fish in northern Japanese streams. We studied multiple polluted and unpolluted sites with similar longitudinal positions to avoid problems caused by upstream–downstream comparisons. The ranges of zinc, copper, cadmium, and lead concentrations among the study sites were 5 to 812 μg/L, less than 0.12 to 5.2 μg/L, less than 0.0026 to 4.9 μg/L, and 0.1 to 18.6 μg/L, respectively. The abundance of several populations and community metrics showed a significant negative response to heavy metal pollution. Mayfly diversity and abundance was relatively sensitive to heavy metal pollution. In addition, the biomass of groups of macroinvertebrate taxa that are highly available for salmonids were significantly reduced at metal-polluted sites; this decrease in the most highly available group was noticeable (99% at the heavily polluted upper sites and 69% at the moderately polluted lower sites in spring). These results suggest that we should consider the indirect effect of pollution on food availability for the conservation of fish populations that depend on drifting macroinvertebrates.
P-Wave Azimuthal AVO in a Carbonate Reservoir: An Integrated Seismic Anisotropy Study
Authors: Johns M. K. , Wang D. Y. , Lu C. P. , Sun S. Z. , Xu S. , Zhou Da 
Published: August 2008

Summary
Seismic anisotropy is sensitive to the intensity and orientation of fractures aligned by tectonic or local stress fields. Azimuthal anisotropy of amplitude vs. offset (AzAVO) is one common measure of seismic anisotropy for fracture detection. For this study, we calculated P-wave AzAVO attributes for a Lower Cretaceous limestone reservoir in east Texas. Our study tests AzAVO inversion for the relatively low-fold, fair data quality typical of some land surveys. We developed a workflow to integrate the AzAVO inversion with rock physics, forward seismic modeling, seismic-scale fault interpretation, image logs, and cores.
Our AzAVO inversion method was based on Rüger's equation, which describes the observed reflectivity (R) as a function of incidence angle (θi) and acquisition azimuth (ϕi) to equal a function of normal incidence reflectivity (A0), amplitude vs. offset (AVO) slope (B0), anisotropy magnitude (B1), orientation of symmetry of anisotropy (ϕ0), and noise (ni ):
(1) R ( θ i , ϕ i ) ≈ A 0 + [ B 0 + B 1 cos 2 ( ϕ i + ϕ 0 ) ] sin 2 θ i + n i ,
Inversion of Rüger's equation yielded four attribute volumes (corresponding to A0, B0, B1, and ϕ0). Additionally, we proposed an additional data-quality parameter that describes the relative amount of the total reflection energy predicted by the model. Pre-inversion processing carefully preserved signal via random noise attenuation, superbinning, bandwidth balancing, and phase alignment.
In general, AzAVO inversion displayed geologically interpret-able high-anisotropy anomalies. Noise, however, limited our confidence for quantitative fracture prediction. On the flanks of the anticline, data quality was high (greater than 50% fit of observed to predicted amplitude). Here the magnitude of the anisotropy (B1) volume showed strong lineations parallel to northeast-southwest trending faults. Over the crest of the anticline, the inversion quality was degraded by an overburden effect, coincident with poor data quality (less than 50% fit). AzAVO orientation maps were noisy and in some places obscured by an acquisition footprint. Locally, however, AzAVO orientations were parallel to east-northeast fracture orientations from cores, maximum horizontal stress from image logs, and fast-velocity direction from a dipole-sonic log.
An Integrated Approach To Obtain Reliable Permeability Profiles From Logs in a Carbonate Reservoir
Authors: Balossino P. , Pampuri F. , Bruni C. , Ebzhasarova K. 
Published: August 2008

Summary
Permeability is one of the key petrophysical parameters in reservoir evaluation. Information about permeability is commonly derived from cores and test data, which generally cover only part of the reservoir section, but can also be derived from logs and then extrapolated to uncored intervals and wells. Two logs provide such information: acoustic and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In the Karachaganak field, an approach based on the acoustic tool was preferred because of the textural characteristics of the vuggy carbonate reservoir.
The approach relies also on the use of image logs to obtain a detailed description of the reservoir-rocks texture and to discriminate between rocks with primary interparticle porosity or very small vugs and lithotypes with multimodal distribution of pores, enlarged vugs, and touching vugs.
More than 900 m of core have been used to validate the permeability log derived from the analysis of Stoneley waves in 25 wells from this field. A correlation between the validated log-derived permeability and the textural facies from image logs has allowed the relationship between permeability variations and the geological framework to be established.
The results have been compared with dynamic data from production logging through the definition of flow units from Stoneleywave-derived permeability and porosity-log data and the use of a stratigraphic-modified Lorenz plot (SMLP) to identify possible fluid-entry points.
Three main permeability trends have been identified:
For undolomitized or patchily dolomitized biohermal deposits for pervasively dolomitized lithologies characterized by lower mean permeability values for facies characterized by well-developed vuggy porosity with enhanced dissolution phenomena (i.e., touching vugs and microfracturing)
Also, well-test results have highlighted the occurrence, in some wells, of very high k values in the biohermal deposits, which are clearly unmatchable by log-derived matrix permeability. Open fractures have been observed in these wells on the image logs, thus suggesting that the enhanced permeability and the improved well performances have to be related to their presence.
The comparison of log-derived permeability and well-test results has given a new perspective in the interpretation of well-test results with respect to the geological framework and a well-defined sequence-stratigraphic model. The extension of this methodology to new wells could improve knowledge of the petrophysical characteristics of the reservoir and allow better prediction of reservoir productivity.
Implementing the Optimum Well Placement Strategy for Horizontal Injectors Drilled in Highly Heterogeneous Reservoirs of Central Saudi Arabia
Authors: Abitrabi B Abdel Nasser , Rabba Ali , Amoudi Waleed , Behair Abdallah M. , Javalagi M. , Al-alqum W. , Butt P. , Onsy O. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Targeting thin sand bodies while drilling across heterogeneous sandstone reservoir is a major challenge that requires integrated reservoir engineering, formation evaluation, geological and geophysical contributions. The objective of this paper is to exemplify geosteering challenges when drilling horizontal power water injector across Permian eolian sandstone reservoirs with high degree of structural and reservoir uncertainty1.
The integrated reservoir management team has utilized the geological and seismic impedance to locate a power water injector in the southwestern flank of the field to support pressures during production from offset wells. Seismic impedance indicated that the target area comprises of beds with high degree of lateral and vertical heterogeneity. The team decided first to drill the well utilizing a conventional logging while drilling (LWD) tool to geosteer the well in the horizontal section. The LWD was unable to trace the sand while drilling across the heterogeneous sandstone reservoir. The team decided to abandon the hole and sidetrack the well with a new lateral, utilizing directional and deep resistivity (DDR) while drilling to improve geosteering and optimizing of well placement. The DDR measurements provide remote detection of bed boundaries around the wellbore. This technique has been used successfully in other analogous sandstone reservoirs of Saudi Arabia to ensure maximum reservoir contact.
The results of using this approach were very encouraging and a net to gross of 62% was achieved. It can be concluded from the results that the DDR technology is an effective way to efficiently drill and place water injector wells. It has the potential to reduce the number of injector wells drilled, thus cutting cost and meeting the production goals.
Management of Wastes Associated With an Offshore Oil and Gas Field, Located Offshore Abu Dhabi, UAE
Authors: Ataya Zaher M. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
This paper surveyes the major waste streams generated by human and industrial activities in an offshore oil and gas drilling and production field. It focuses on investigating and recommending proper waste management practices in the frame of a waste management plan as a tool for environmental protection and pollution prevention. The study sets a waste management strategy, suggests a frame work document of a waste management plan considering oil and gas industry best practices and regulatory requirement. It highlights some of the waste minimization and environmet protection initiatives by oil and gas Production companies in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS) System Modeling and Application
Authors: Wang X. , Lee J. , Vachon G. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS) technology uses fiber-optic cable to measure a continuous temperature profile along the wellbore. Compared to conventional production logging tools (PLT), DTS can provide operators real-time well information without intervention. Applications, from flow profiling to gas lift surveillance, have grown steadily in recently years.
DTS applications require reliable data modeling and analysis or measurement interpretation. The complexity of the data analysis has been a barrier to DTS usage.
This paper presents software tools developed for DTS interpretation. The model behind the software is based on steady-state energy balance, and it is applicable for gas and oil wells in both onshore and offshore environments. The software allows users to run in two modes: forward simulation and flow profiling. The forward simulation mode calculates the temperature distribution along the wellbore for any given production profile, and this mode is critical for the model calibration. It is also very useful for emulating "what-if" scenarios, such as forecast and gas lift surveillance. The flow profiling estimates the production profile based on measured temperatures, which is the basis for the real-time well monitoring.
The model is tested against other models and good agreement has been obtained. This paper presents two examples: result comparison against TIPP, a computer program package developed by Chevron Corp, and a field example to verify gas lift valve operation.
Potential Saudi Standard Sandstone for Applied Studies of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
Authors: Al-Awad Musaed N. J. , AlQuraishi Abdulrahman A. , Almisned Omar A. , Haroon Kamal A. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Core samples are a vital constituent in petroleum and natural gas engineering research activities. Newly developed techniques or theories for solving problems or improving process in petroleum and natural gas engineering with respect to formation rock, must be verified in laboratory using fairly homogenous core samples. Currently, the worldwide practice is to import homogenous sandstone core samples (i.e. Berea sandstone). The cost of importing such core samples is very high and time consuming.
The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of utilizing sandstone formations outcroping in Saudi Arabia as a source for core samples needed for the above mentioned studies. Thus, two sandstone formations named Saq and Sarah outcroping in Al-Qassim area in addition to a sandstone formation named Um Assha'al outcroping in Al-Kharj area were selected for investigation.
Properties of the selected sandstones were thoroughly investigated by studying the geology, location accessibility, availability, values and ranges of the physical properties (permeability, k and porosity, φ), mineralogy (% clay content and type), rock quality designation (RQD), grain size distribution, pore size distribution, and mechanical properties.
Based on the determined properties, Um Assha'al seems to be suitable for sand production testing, Saq sandstone is good for performing permeability-stress-production rate relationship studies, and finally Sarah sandstone can be used in performing oil recovery improvement tests.
Preliminary economical feasibility study indicates that the tested sandstones are cost effective compared to imported core samples. Based on the above investigations and the performed preliminary economical evaluation, it is recommended to use those sandstones in petroleum and natural gas applied studies and academic demonstrations.