bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Trade-Wind Strength and Direction on the Leeside Circulations and Rainfall of the Island of Hawaii
Authors: Yang Yang , Chen Yi-Leng , Fujioka Francis M. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The leeside circulations and weather of the island of Hawaii were studied from the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) land surface model simulations for eight strong (∼7.9 m s−1) and eight weak (∼5.2 m s−1) trade-wind days and for five days with southeasterly trades (∼7.1 m s−1) during summer 2004. The objective is to investigate the effects of trade-wind strength and directions on the leeside circulations and rainfall and the modification of these effects by the land surface thermal forcing. For the small wake on the lee side of the Kohala Mountains (1700 m, lower than the trade-wind inversion at 2000 m) over northern Hawaii, the hydraulic jump is present with stronger downslope winds and warmer and drier conditions on the lee side and a weaker westerly reversed flow offshore when trades are stronger. In contrast, the westerly reversed flow along the large wake axis off the central Kona leeside coast (behind massive mountains with tops &gt;4000 m) is 1–1.5 m s−1 stronger and 200–300 m deeper with higher moisture content when trades are stronger. Over the Kona slopes, the daytime thermally direct circulation cell is more significant when trades are stronger because of descending airflow aloft with less cloudiness. In the evening, the convergence between the westerly reversed flow offshore along the wake axis and the offshore/katabatic flow in the Kona coastal region is more significant with higher evening rainfall when trades are stronger. During the day, the lee side of the Kohala Mountains is characterized by a reversed flow (∼4 m s−1) merging with sea-breeze circulations along the coast. When trades are stronger, the convergence between the anabatic winds and the descending flow from the upper slopes is greater. However, the simulated cloud water there is less under strong trades because of warmer and drier conditions due to significant adiabatic descent in the lee. At night, when trades are stronger, the combined downslope/katabatic flow prevails without a reversed flow offshore. Under a southeasterly trade-wind flow with a lower trade-wind inversion (1.5 km), the westerly reversed flow is shallower; the adiabatic descent aloft on the southwestern leeside areas is more significant with warmer temperatures (0.5 K), a larger negative potential vorticity maximum [0.2 potential vorticity units (PVU), 1 PVU = 10−6 K m2 s−1 kg−1], and a more pronounced anticyclonic vortex offshore. The westerly reversed flow off the Kona coast shifts northward.
Subversion of complement activation at the bacterial surface promotes serum resistance and opsonophagocytosis ofFrancisella tularensis
Authors: Ben Nasr Abdelhakim , Klimpel Gary R 
Published: April 2008

AbstractFrancisella tularensis (Ft) is resistant to serum but requires complement factor C3-derived opsonins for uptake by phagocytic cells and subsequent intracellular growth. In this study, we show that C3 fragments, deposited on Ft, are detected by anti-C3d and -iC3b mAb and that the classical and the alternative pathways are involved in this event. This was demonstrated using C2-depleted sera and specific inhibitors of the classical-versus-alternative pathways of complement activation. Further, we demonstrate that factor C4b, which is crucial for the classical pathway, is deposited on the surface of Ft. In contrast, the C5b-C9 membrane attack complex (MAC) is not assembled on the surface of Ft, which may explain its resistance to complement killing. Deposition of C3 opsonins leads to enhanced phagocytosis by human immature dendritic cells (DC), which leads to intracellular survival, growth, and DC death. Finally, we show that factor H (fH) can bind to the surface of Ft. We believe our data suggest that important virulence factors for Ft are its ability to bind fH and inactivate C3b to iC3b, which culminates in opsonin-induced uptake for subsequent intracellular growth. C3b inactivation also leads to inefficient MAC assembly, which contributes to the ability of this bacterium to resist complement lysis.
The Retail Value Chain: Linking Employee Perceptions to Employee Performance, Customer Evaluations, and Store Performance
Authors: Maxham James G. , Netemeyer Richard G. , Lichtenstein Donald R. 
Published: April 2008

The authors test a value chain model entailing a progression of influence from retail employee job perceptions → retail employee job performances → customer evaluations → customer spending and comparable store sales growth. The authors test the model using three matched samples of 1,615 retail employees, 57,656 customers, and 306 stores of a single retail chain. The authors find that three retail employee job perceptions (conscientiousness, perceived organizational justice, and organizational identification) have main and interactive effects on three dimensions of employee job performance (in-role performance, extra-role performance toward customers, and extra-role performance toward the organization). In turn, these performance dimensions exert influence on customer evaluations of the retailer (a satisfaction, purchase intent, loyalty, and word-of-mouth composite). The authors also show that employee perceptions exert a direct influence on customer evaluations, and that customer evaluations affect retail store performance (customer spending and comparable store sales growth). Finally, the authors conduct some simple simulations that show: (1) how changes in employee perceptions may raise average employee performances; (2) how changes in employee performances enhance average customer evaluations; and (3) how changes in customer evaluations raise average customer spending and comparable store sales growth. The authors then show that employee job perceptions and performances “ripple thru the system” to affect customer spending and store sales growth. The authors offer implications for theory and practice.
Can Inaccurate Perceptions in Business-to-Business (B2B) Relationships Be Beneficial?
Authors: Vosgerau Joachim , Anderson Erin , Ross William T. 
Published: April 2008

The authors dedicate this paper in honor of the memory of their deceased co-author, Erin Anderson. In dyadic business relationships, parties can be incorrect in reading their counterparts' relational closeness. For example, they can overestimate or underestimate the counterpart's commitment to their relationship. In the business-to-business (B2B) literature, the consequences of such inaccurate perceptions have not been empirically investigated. We advance and test the proposition that the impact of misreading the other party's relational closeness depends on the direction of the error. We propose that overestimating the counterpart's relational closeness (CRC) is beneficial, while underestimating the counterpart's relational closeness is detrimental for the relationship's functioning. Using original dyadic data in the service sector, we show that most companies underestimate their CRC, in which case becoming perceptually more accurate would improve their relationships. But the opposite holds for parties that overestimate their CRC, in which case becoming perceptually more accurate would actually make the relationship deteriorate. Furthermore, we show that even in long-standing relationships, companies do not know how accurate their perceptions are, even when they believe that they correctly perceive their CRC. We discuss managerial implications of our findings and encourage future research to determine why most decision makers underestimate their CRC, which can lead to impaired functioning of B2B relationships.
Buyer-Initiated vs. Seller-Initiated Information Revelation
Authors: Bhardwaj Pradeep , Chen Yuxin , Godes David 
Published: April 2008

Sales presentations are the core of the selling process where salespeople provide information to prospects. One challenge is that the amount of information available to be potentially communicated may exceed salespeople's ability to communicate or customers' ability to process: there is limited “bandwidth” between the firm and customers. One important decision, then, is which information should customers see? What the firm chooses to tell customers may be informative in itself. When constrained to a “seller-initiated information revelation” format, where the firm chooses which feature to show, the firm never finds it optimal to offer more features than it is able to inform customers about. Consequently, customers never find credible a claim that the product has all features. The important implication is that price alone cannot serve as a signal of quality in this setting. In contrast, a “buyer-initiated information revelation” format, where customers decide which information to receive, increases the probability of a sale and also results in the production of higher quality products. In a competitive setting, by adopting buyer-initiated information revelation, firms are able to attain positive profits. This is due to the fact that customers infer the product's quality from the price along with the information revelation format. Customers know that at some prices, firms find it profitable to produce high-quality products and at other, lower, prices, this is not the case. Thus, customer empowerment leads to higher profits.
Managed Care: Effect of an Academic Detailing Intervention on the Utilization Rate of Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors in the Elderly
Authors: Graham Stephen D , Hartzema Abraham G , Sketris Ingrid S , Winterstein Almut G 
Published: April 2008

Background: Osteoarthritis is prevalent in the elderly. Nova Scotia general practitioners (GPs) identified the need for an academic detailing (AD) intervention aimed at optimizing the management of osteoarthritis. AD was provided by Dalhousie University Continuing Medical Education in a face-to-face encounter employing evidence-based information. GP participation was voluntary. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a GP-targeted osteoarthritis AD intervention on a reduction in the prescribing of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, as well as examine the intervention effect on the utilization rates of gastroprotective agents and medical services. Methods: A retrospective cohort study design employing administrative data was used. Differences in utilization rates between intervention and control groups were evaluated using generalized estimating equations analysis for longitudinal data over four 90-day postintervention periods. Confounding was addressed using propensity scores to adjust for between-group bias on the measured covariates. Results: The between-group difference for change in COX-2 utilization rates was 0.76 defined daily doses/patient (p = 0.040; 95% CI 0.037 to 1.48) for the 3-month period following the intervention, with lower COX-2 utilization in the AD intervention group than in the control group. The intervention group showed a significant decrease in the within-group utilization rate between the pre- and postintervention periods (z = -2.34; p = 0.019). The between-group difference for change in GP office visit rates was 0.40 visits/patient (p = 0.028; 95% CI 0.046 to 0.79) with the intervention group, showing higher visit rates compared with the control group. Conclusions: The osteoarthritis AD intervention was associated with a significant decrease (23%) in COX-2 utilization rates in the 3-month period immediately following the intervention. The only secondary outcome to show a significant between-group effect was the GP office visit rate, which was higher for the intervention group in the second 3-month postintervention period.
Postpartum voiding dysfunction
Authors: Kearney Rohna , Cutner Alfred 
Published: April 2008

The postpartum bladder is vulnerable to urinary retention; if undetected, this can lead to bladder underactivity, recurrent urinary tract infection and incontinence.
The aim of intrapartum bladder care is to prevent bladder overdistension.
Following delivery or catheter removal, no woman should be allowed to go longer than 6 hours without voiding.
All units should have a guideline for bladder care and the management of postpartum voiding dysfunction.

Learning objectives:

To be aware of the risk factors for the development of postpartum voiding dysfunction and the symptoms indicating voiding problems.
To learn about the management of postpartum voiding dysfunction.

Ethical issues:

Is it acceptable to catheterise a woman to estimate the volume of residual urine when this can be estimated by ultrasound scanning of the bladder?

Please cite this article as: Kearney R, Cutner A. Postpartum voiding dysfunction. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2008;10:71–74.
Tubal disease and assisted reproduction
Authors: Siassakos Dimitrios , Syed Amber , Wardle Peter 
Published: April 2008

Surgery can be useful in selected cases of tubal infertility and may have a complementary role for some women undergoingin vitrofertilisation (IVF).Salpingectomy for women with large hydrosalpinges can improve the success rate of IVF.There is little evidence that laparoscopy offers any advantage over laparotomy for tubal surgery.Structured training in reproductive surgical techniques is of critical importance.Learning objectives:To understand the selection criteria for tubal surgery and evaluate the supporting evidence.To understand the limitations of the existing evidence.To be able to counsel infertile couples appropriately.Ethical issues:Couples seeking fertility treatment may receive unreliable or biased information when considering tubal surgery.Is it ethical to perform tubal surgery on women with a low chance of success simply because they are unable to have IVF?Please cite this article as: Siassakos D, Syed A, Wardle P. Tubal disease and assisted reproduction.The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist2008;10:80–87.
Cervical insufficiency: prediction, diagnosis and prevention
Authors: Chandiramani Manju , Shennan Andrew H 
Published: April 2008

Predicting preterm birth secondary to cervical insufficiency is based mainly on previous history.
Prediction has become more effective with the use of transvaginal ultrasonography and fetal fibronectin.
Prophylactic and reactive interventions remain largely unevaluated or ineffective.
A combination of interventions, including cerclage, progesterone, antibiotics and tocolytics, are routinely used in the clinical management.

Learning objectives:

To understand how predictive tools can guide clinicians in identifying ‘at‐risk’ women.
To be aware of the limitations of research into diagnosis and prevention.

Ethical issues:

How can the risk/benefit of uncertain interventions be balanced in women at high risk?

Please cite this article as: Chandiramani M, Shennan AH. Cervical insufficiency: prediction, diagnosis and prevention. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2008;10: 99–106.
Experiences of a 24‐hour resident consultant service
Authors: Edmonds Simon , Allenby Keith 
Published: April 2008

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists supports the Department of Health recommendation to increase consultant presence outside current working hours.
Resident, 24‐hour consultant cover exerts considerable pressure on staff.
Whether permanent consultant presence improves standards of care is unclear.

Learning objectives:

To explore the relationship between evidence in support of a permanent consultant presence and pregnancy outcomes.
To appreciate the advantages, disadvantages and practical considerations of 24‐hour resident consultant cover.

Ethical issues:

Is it possible to balance improvements in the standard of maternity care with potential detrimental effects on NHS staff?

Please cite this article as: Edmonds S, Allenby K. Experiences of a 24‐hour resident consultant service. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2008;10:107–111.
Response Assessment in Clinical Trials: Implications for Sarcoma Clinical Trial Design
Authors: Jaffe C. Carl 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Response assessment and design of clinical trials require careful consideration of many factors, especially as validated response criteria can ultimately lead to the approval of an anticancer agent. Current anatomic imaging criteria are difficult to apply for evaluation of certain types of tumors, including soft tissue sarcomas. The emergence of new molecular imaging techniques, such as 64-slice computed tomography scanners and dynamic contrast magnetic resonance imaging, provide complementary information to conventional anatomical imaging. Currently the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are aiming to revise existing response criteria based on the development of volumetric anatomic imaging for oncology. Reviewing existing and new approaches in the design of clinical trials will help to optimize the clinical development and evaluation of new therapies for sarcomas.
Endpoints for Assessing Drug Activity in Clinical Trials
Authors: Pazdur Richard 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Overall survival remains the gold standard for the demonstration of clinical benefit. An improvement in overall survival is a direct clinical benefit to patients. An analysis of overall survival requires larger patient numbers and longer follow-up than other endpoints. Survival analysis may be confounded by subsequent therapies. Time to progression usually requires smaller clinical trials and may be more rapidly assessed than trials using overall survival as an endpoint. This endpoint is not confounded by subsequent therapies. Time to progression must use the same evaluation techniques and schedules for all therapies being evaluated. Blinding of trials or the use of an external blinded radiographic review committee is recommended in assessing time to progression. Unlike overall survival and time to progression, which must be evaluated in randomized trials, response rates can be accurately assessed using a single-arm trial. Stable disease is not included in a response rate determination and is optimally evaluated by assessing tumor progression in a randomized trial. Improvement in disease-related symptoms is considered clinical benefit and may be an appropriate endpoint for drug approval.
New Water-Soluble Polymer for Drilling Fluids
Authors: Bielewicz Danuta , Kraj Lucja , Bortel Edgar , Witek Ewa 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The new water-soluble polymer designed for improving of drilling muds used in oil-well borings, is constituted by two comonomers from which the one is a sulfonic group containing electrolyte, the other is afforded by a non dissociating water-soluble compound.
The polymer designed as CAA-5 diminishes effectively the filtration even if the concentration used is very low, not exceeding 0,25%-w/w. As a consequence that polymer renders it possible to prepare mud containing a small number of components in presence of as little as 2%-wgt of bentonite. The system proves to be stable towards 10% wgt of monovalent salts. The additional of biopolymer XCD improves the stability against bivalent salts. After heating of the mud up to 70°C (158°F) over 16 hours the fluid was increased not significantly.
By the use of CAA-5 it was possible to prepare a drilling mud MMH (Mixed Metal Hydroxide) distinguished by good rheological and filtrational parameters. At low concentration the CAA-5 polymer is an effective flocculant in muds containing a large number of components, being highly mineralized.
The CAA-5 polymer can also be applied as an auxiliary agent in slurries used in geotechnical entertainments (drainage rows, screens etc.). Such an suspensions undergoes a degradation caused by calcium hypochlorite.
In the paper are presented results on applying of CAA-5 polymer to drilling fluids.
Periodic Effect of Pressure and Temperature on Flow Phenomena in Porous Media
Authors: Lakatos I. , Tóth J. , Lakatos-Szabó J. , Rayes B. H. , Hlatki M. , Vágó Á. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The paper deals with the effect of pressure and temperature fluctuation characteristic in underground gas storage facilities on gas permeability of natural sandstone cores. Primary aim of the laboratory studies was to develop an appropriate method which might simultaneously restrict water imbibition and improve rock stability in vicinity of both producing and injection gas wells. The hypothetical method is based on hydrophobization of rock surface by different silicone compounds and asphaltenes or asphaltene-containing natural hydrocarbons. The paper provides new information for behavior of treated and non-treated cores, particularly for their gas permeability as a function of cycle number, absolute gas permeability and type of treating agents. It is also demonstrated that water content (saturation) of the porous media fundamentally influences the adsorption of asphaltenes, and hence, the efficiency of hydrophobization, wettability alteration. Despite substantial progress in the topic, some questions remained open and these "white spots" must be answered if a reliable and efficient well treatment methods should be developed for stabilization of gas wells operating in gas fields and underground gas storage facilities.
Ultra Light Well Architecture in Ultradeep Waters: Application of the "BARBI Concept" Reduces CAPEX
Authors: Bianco Luis C. B. , Barata Paulo A. , Rosa Fabio S. N. , Aragäo Ätila F. L. , Santos Paulo S. Batista , Stepkowski Alejandro T. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The BARBI Concept was a result of an integrated project targeted to drilling and production operations in deep and ultradeep waters, with the main goal of reducing the well construction costs and enhancing productivity. Based on the new available technologies for drilling and completion, improvements on the well design were made. Time reduction on the execution was attained by the decrease on the number of drilling phases, speeding up well construction by the extensive use of rotary steerable tool, use of expandable sand screens and synthetic base mud for the drilling and completion phases, and simplification on the operational procedures. The increase in well productivity was a result of the lower formation damage due to the design fluid and the use of larger screens ID that led to a more uniform oil influx, which potentially delays the water breakthrough. Substantial cost reduction on the CAPEX was achieved and this paper discusses the application of the new concept in horizontal well construction that is being applied in Campos Basin.