bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of maternal and fetal outcome between low and normal amniotic fluid index at term
Authors: Mathuriya Gayatri , Verma Megha , Rajpoot Sudha
Published: January 2017

Background: Amniotic fluid index (AFI) is kind of an estimate of the amount of amniotic fluid. It is an index for the fetal well-being. The aim was to study fetal and maternal out come in cases of low AFI and normal AFI.Methods: This was a case control prospective comparative study performed on 200 randomly selected low risk pregnant patients at term (37-40 weeks of gestation) admitted in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. 100 patients with AFI <5 cm (cases) and 100 patients with AFI 8-20 cm (control).Results: Increased number of LSCS in cases that is 35 while only 10 in control and almost equal incidences of MSL and FD in both the groups, while in cases 17 women were planned for elective LSCS for various indications in expectation of better fetal outcome.  There was significant low APGAR score in babies of cases, but clinically we refute this. In present study almost double the no. of babies in cases was IUGR or FGR. Significant association between low AFI and congenital anomalies in babies. Most of the anomalies were of urinary tract system.Conclusions: An AFI ≤5 cm detected at term that was at or after 37 completed weeks of gestation in a low risk pregnancy was an indicator of poor perinatal outcome. Oligohydramnios was being detected more frequently now-a-days due to ready availability of ultrasonography these days.
Clinico epidemiological study of blunt abdominal trauma in a tertiary care hospital in north western Himalayas
Authors: Malhotra Parikshit , Sharma Dhruv , Gupta Sanjiv , Minhas S. S.
Published: January 2017

Background: Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT), a common form of trauma, is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. The study was aimed at the study of spectrum of injuries to various intra-abdominal organs after blunt trauma and to ascertain cause/mode of BAT in a hospital of hilly locality of Shimla.Methods: A prospective study was designed to conduct in the department of Surgery, IGMC, Shimla, India during the period of one year from 1st June 2005 to 31st May 2006. A total of 30 patients who had sustained BAT with or without other associated injuries were selected. In all patient’s history was taken and detailed physical examination done while concomitant resuscitation was performed. Chest and abdominal radiographs were done in all patients.Results: BAT is a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in young people in the 11-40 years’ age group. Males are affected more than females. Road traffic accidents are the predominant mode of injury however, a relatively high incidence of blunt abdominal trauma due to falls is observed in a hilly state like ours. Spleen and liver are the two commonly injured organs after blunt abdominal trauma.Conclusions: Proper early diagnosis with initial and adequate resuscitation is beneficial in having a good outcome in patients of BAT.
Dimensionalizing the Information and Communication Technology Adoption Construct
Authors: Sylva Waribugo , A.C. Success Anyanwu
Published: January 2017

This study was conducted to determine the principal components of the information and communication technology (ICT) adoption practices in a developing country. A nineteen- item instrument was developed from extant current literature. Eight hundred and fifty copies of the structured questionnaire were administered to teaching and non-teaching staff of two faculties from the University of Port Harcourt and Rivers State University of Science and Technology, both located in Rivers State. Out of the number distributed, 435 were completed and returned. To determine the dimensions of ICT adoption, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted through the application of principal component analysis (PCA). From the analysis, three factors were extracted which account for 68.8% of the total variance. Thus, the researchers named the factors: virtual learning, e-learning and networking practices.
Effect of leguminous green leaf manures and leaf extract on growth, yield, quality and economics of bhendi [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench]cv. Arka Anamika
Authors: Anbukkarasi V. , Sadasakthi A.
Published: February 2017

Bhendi [Abelmoschus esculentus (L) Moench] is one of the most commonly grown tropical vegetable crops. Its growth, yield and quality are highly influenced by the application of fertilizers and agrochemicals. An investigation was carried out to study the performance of bhendi (Abelmoschus esculenstus) cv. Arka Anamika under “Vrkshayurvedic Farming” with incorporation of different green leaf manures and seed soaking along with foliar sprays of different green leaf extracts on growth, yield, quality and economics. Among the treatment combinations, Albizia lebbeck [green leaf manure]+ Annona squamosa [seed soaking along with foliar sprays] was recorded the highest performance of growth parameters, yield and quality characters. This treatment also recorded highest net profit and benefit cost ratio. Treatment with only organic manure also resulted in improvement in fruit quality over application of only chemical fertilizer but had lesser effect on productivity.
La estética del juego político en el marco de la Femocracia Sur Americana durante el primer gobierno de Dilma Rousseff (2011-2014)
Authors: Pattaro Amaral Fernanda , Delfini Capistrano de Oliveira Ana Cláudia
Published: January 2017

Resumen: Este artículo intenta hacer una reflexión primaria sobre la Femocracia en elgobierno de Brasil en la figura de la jefa de Estado: Dilma Rousseff en su primero mandato (2011-2014). El concepto de Femocracia es un concepto bastante contemporáneo y poco analizado, sobre todo en los recientes gobiernos dirigidos por mujeres. Además, también es posible a la luz del concepto de Femocracia sacar algunos prejuicios dirigidos a las mujeres por el hecho de ser mujeres y su pertenencia al terreno del poder – predominantemente masculino, sobretodo en Suramérica. La metodología utilizada ha sido una revisión de la literatura pertinente sobre el pensamiento político, el feminismo en Brasil y el cruce de esas dos vertientes, y los analices del gobierno mencionado a la interpretación de la Femocracia. Los resultados son importantes en el sentido de que el término es relativamente nuevo y existe, por lo tanto, un gap político sobre los gobiernos ejercidos por las mujeres interpretados a la luz posmoderna de la Femocracia; además, el hecho de la existencia de tecnócratas feministas en los gobiernos demanda la aplicación de términos propios para realiza los análisis pertinentes a una nueva realidad destacada por la lucha de las mujeres por el espacio público. Palabras clave: femocracia, democracia, género, Brasil, Dilma Rousseff. The aesthetics of the political game within the framework of the South American Femocracy during the first government of Dilma Rousseff (2011-2014) Abstract: This article aims to make a primary reflection about Femocracy in Brazilian government by its Head of State: Dilma Rousseff in her first government (2011-2014). The concept of Femocracy is a fairly contemporary concept and little discussed, especially in recent governments led by women. In addition, it is also possible in the light of the concept of Femocracy take some prejudices aimed at women because they are women and they are working in the field of politics - predominantly male, especially in South America. We will work in this article the concept of aesthetic politics in a femocratic government to trim the issue and gain some depth theoretical discussion and practical application on a government. The methodology used will be a review of the relevant literature on political thought, feminism in Brazil intertwining these two aspects, and analyze the government referred by the Femocracy concept. The results are important in the sense that the term is relatively new and there is, therefore, a political gap on governments exercised by women interpreted in the postmodern concept of Femocracy, also we have the fact of the existence of feminist technocrats governments that demand the applicability of own terms to analyze relevant actions brought by the new reality by leading the struggle of women for public space. Keywords: femocracy, democracy, gender, Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. doi: https://doi.org/10.20318/femeris.2017.3551
Segara Anakan Lagoon (SAL): Fish Biodiversity and the Ecological Role
Authors: Setijanto Setijanto , Rukayah Siti
Published: January 2017

Two life stages of fish were sampled to examine the fish biodiversity and the ecological role of Segara Anakan lagoon (SAL). The fish were observed in during 2004 – 2014 while the larvae were sampled twice monthly during the full moon and dark periods in daylight hours only over 11 month periods (Novembre 2005 to Septembre 2006) at 10 sites located at SAL, Cilacap. Each trip two samples of the high tide and low ebb periods were taken from each station. The mature fish were sampled at Klaces and Karanganyar. The fish were also collected from fisherman. At least 90 genera of 48 family (65 mature fish and 64 larvae) were recorded at SAL. Gobbidae (range between 67.3 – 72.9 %) and Engraullidae (16.7 – 19.3 %) are the two most abundant larvae captured. Of the fish, at least 40 genera belongs to 16 families are of resident species that inhabit SAL for whole their life cycles. In other hand, 50 genera belongs to 31 families use SAL as temporary habitat (migratory). This finding suggests the important ecological role of SAL for fish.Keywords : segara anakan lagoon, biodiversity, ekological role
Pakan Ikan Alternatif Berbahan Baku Lokal untuk Calon Induk Ikan Gurami (Osphronemus gouramy)
Authors: Marnani Sri , Pramono Taufik Budhi
Published: January 2017

The aims of this study was to get local raw material of feed fish  able to improve growth anddevelopment of gonads  and composition of the artificial feed and feed supplement that can improvethe reproductive performance of gouramy fish. The method used is the method of completelyrandomized. The research was used completly randomized design with four  treatments and fourrepetition. The treatmens tested were four kinds, pellet commercial (60%) additional sprouts mungbean (Phaseolus radiatus L), fruit peel papaya (Carica papaya) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea L) by40%, and a pelleted commercial (100%) as control. Absolute growth ranges from 6-425 g, the relativegrowth of 3.7 to 22.1%, the growth day 1-7,1 g / day, feed efficiency from 7.8 to 29.33%, GSI 0.1 to1.1% and HSI 0.8 to 1.7%. Temperatures ranging from 23- 31,5⁰C, pH 6.6 to 7.5, Oxygen 5.0 - 6.2ppm , ammonia  0 - 0.25 ppm. Supplemental feed mixture (40%) and commercial pellets (60%) canimprove the growth and reproductive performance brood gouramy. Results of measurement oftemperature, pH and ammonia still qualify live gouramy.Keywords : alternative fish feeds, brood, Osphronemus gouramy
New Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurement
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 25686, “More Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurement: Overview,” by W. Letton, Letton Hall Group; J.M. Pappas, Research Partnership To Secure Energy for America; and J. Shen, Chevron, prepared for the 2015 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 4–7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

In an effort to develop new measurement technologies for ultradeepwater oil and gas production, the US Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory under the Research Partnership To Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) has initiated a new project. This project, titled More Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurement, has addressed those gaps that were identified by an earlier RPSEA project as the most pressing for multiphase-flow measurement.

Introduction

Approximately 15 years ago, as offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere moved off the continental shelf and into truly deep water, it became apparent that methods of measuring the flow of oil and gas would have to change in a significant manner. Not only did formidable technical challenges exist in performing production tests on wells that were many miles away in 1000 m or more of water, but the economics of installing test lines to perform such tests simply was not acceptable. Production from many wells would be commingled, and one of two alternatives would have to be chosen: Either a clever way of testing well rates from the combined flow would be developed, or each well’s rate of production would be measured before commingling.

Discussion History. Past efforts of RPSEA and others to research improving deepwater exploration-and-production operations are detailed in the complete paper. At the conclusion of one such RPSEA project, running from 2008 to 2011, several leaders in a joint-industry project ( JIP) that had supported that effort expressed an interest in a followup RPSEA project to refine certain results from the first project, and to investigate those areas where it was felt there were still questions needing answers. Consequently, a new proposal was submitted for RPSEA’s consideration, resulting in the new RPSEA project: 10121-4304-01, More Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurement. The following topics were identified:

Deepwater fluid sampling

Deepwater meter-verification technology

Early kick detection

Downhole differential-pressure-sensor development

Virtual-flowmeter evaluation

Detection of meter fouling

Each of these topics could have qualified as a project on its own, but the fact that the common thread of measurement ran through all, requiring the same kind of expertise in investigators, suggested that grouping the various parts under a single RPSEA project, managed by those experienced in measurement, made good sense. Therefore, this was the approach taken once again.
Shale Completions Improve, Despite Shrinking Number of New Wells
Authors: Jacobs Trent
Published: January 2017

Shale Completions

Two places that illustrate the mounting challenges facing the shale business are the Bakken Shale in North Dakota, where the number of working rigs is one-third what it was a year ago, and the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas, where there are no more working rigs.

Steve Mueller, the outgoing chairman of the board and former chief executive officer of Southwestern Energy, the company that discovered the Fayetteville Shale, noted how the current environment has made it harder to drive innovation forward even as it becomes more important than ever.

“How in the world do I learn at the speed I was learning at before when I am not drilling as many wells, when I am not doing as many fracs, and when I don’t have as much money?” he said. “And the conclusion I come to is that we have got to do it a different way and we have got to do it a lot faster.”

Mueller spoke in February before a room of engineers and service providers at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, where some of the innovations spurred by the need to change were presented. But because so many companies have laid down so many rigs, it will take a significant price recovery before the latest advancements and efficiencies make a big impact on the shale sector.

Getting More From More

A good example of a company executing a strategic retreat is Hess Corporation. In 2014, the company had 17 rigs running in its Bakken program. At the start of this year, that number was two. Despite the major pullback, the company has moved forward on two key completions strategies: increasing the number of stages from 35 to 50 and switching to a cheaper, and more effective, fracturing fluid system.
No-Damage Stimulation By Use of Residual-Free Diverting Fluids
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 177495, “No-Damage Stimulation Based on Residual-Free Diverting Fluid for Carbonate Reservoir,” by Y. Shi, X. Yang, F. Zhou, Y. Gao, S. Lian, X. Li, and X. Han, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, prepared for the 2015 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Horizontal wells and acid stimulation are essential technologies for the development of complex carbonate reservoirs. However, conducting effective stimulation in horizontal wells with long intervals is extremely difficult because traditional acid systems can flow only into the high-permeability formations, leaving the damaged formation untreated. This paper studied three residual-free fluid systems for acid treatments and fracturing in order to develop no-damage or reduced-damage and highly effective stimulation techniques for long-interval wells.

Introduction

Horizontal wells are essential for the development of carbonate reservoirs in China. However, horizontal wells always have long intervals, so they are extremely difficult to stimulate.

The fluid systems used are a critical aspect of high-efficiency stimulation. Traditional acid systems, which do not have diverting capabilities, can flow only into the high-permeability formations, leaving the damaged formation untreated. That is why long-interval wells with high heterogeneity need to be treated by a diverting acid system.

A new diverting acid system should have the following characteristics: The capability to reduce the acid/rock reaction rate; a diverting performance to achieve uniform stimulation in a carbonate reservoir with high heterogeneity; and use of clean chemical additives to eliminate or limit damage.

This paper analyzes three clean fluid systems for acid treatment and fracturing. The no-damage stimulation systems considered are a temperature-controlled deep-diverting acid system (TCA), a pH-controlled self-diverting acid system (DCA), and a fracture-reorientation technology using degradable fiber (RDF).

TCA

Diverting Mechanism of TCA. The TCA system is similar to ordinary gelled acid during pumping. The gelling agent can dissolve in water in a short time, reducing the frictional resistance of the system dramatically and making it easy to prepare and pump. At formation temperature, the system has a high viscosity to ensure diverting and retarding performance. After the acid fracturing treatment, the viscosity of the spent acid decreases in order to flow back easily and leave no damage in the formation.
Breaking from the Norm to Reach Marginal Offshore Fields
Authors: Jacobs Trent
Published: January 2017

Marginal Offshore Fields

One could argue that now is not the time to discuss how marginal or stranded offshore fields can be effectively monetized. After all, even in the good times the offshore sector showed that it had little appetite for small-scale developments; their risk-reward ratio is usually not viewed as worth the effort.

On the other hand, going big has not exactly worked out for the offshore sector in recent years. Too many headline projects have suffered major cost overruns or missed production targets.

And thanks to low oil prices, most of the recently completed projects that managed to stay on budget are now operating at a significant loss. On top of all that, the number of commercially viable offshore discoveries has been shrinking each of the past few years.

As the challenges continue to mount, a number of technology developers are hoping to rewrite the offshore playbook. Much of their work is focused on developing cheap ways to access the marginal assets that often lie just beyond the reach of existing facilities. Some of the more radical ideas involve developing futuristic and nimble technologies that could drastically reduce the physical capital required for green-field projects.

A company in Norway thinks it can do this by drilling record-long wells from aging platforms for a fraction of the cost it takes to use floating rigs or subsea production systems. Another Norwegian- born firm is working on a standalone drilling robot that will burrow thousands of feet into the subsurface where it will appraise a prospective reservoir and then monitor it for several years afterward.

Others are pushing for simpler solutions that have less to do with emerging technology and instead center on persuading oil companies to change how they develop their subsea properties. Among them is a call to build deep water floating facilities with spare capacity to handle unplanned field expansions. A proposal for shallow water argues that operators should use fixed-leg platforms that can be floated away and reused in multiple fields.

While these ideas do not answer all of the problems facing the offshore sector, nor do they apply to every type of field, they address the primary sources for spiraling costs. Using far less steel and far fewer people could allow subsea assets to start delivering positive earnings.
Increasing Efficiency, Safer Operations Key Themes at OTC
Authors: Parshall Joel , Jacobs Trent , Rassenfoss Stephen
Published: January 2017

Conference review - 2016 OTC

Despite the downturn in the oil and gas industry, more than 68,000 experts and leaders gathered from across the world in Houston for the 2016 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in May. The number of attendees, from 120 countries, put this year’s OTC among the top 15 in attendance in its 48-year history.

“As it has since 1969, the world came to OTC to make critical decisions, share ideas, and develop business partnerships to meet global energy demands,” said Joe Fowler, 2016 OTC chairman. The conference included 11 panel sessions, 24 executive keynote presentations, and more than 325 technical paper presentations.

Increasing efficiency while ensuring safe operations was a key theme at this year’s conference. Sessions covered new technologies that not only reduce costs to the operator but enhance the overall safety of the operations; cost-effective advances in well cementing technologies; and use of RFID to precisely track drillpipe.

Subsea Processing

Panel sessions covered a variety of industry issues, including the value of subsea operations. Moving oil/water separation equipment from platforms to the seabed looks inevitable, but based on the current rate of adoption, it may require a long-term outlook. Out of the 5,000 wells with subsea completions, only five have used some variety of separation, whether it is separating water from oil, gas from liquids, or treating seawater before it is injected into a reservoir.

A panel made the case for why separators are a better option in deep water than lifting water a mile or more, processing it, and pumping it back down to the bottom for injection into the ground. “It is going to happen,” said Jeff Jones, senior subsea systems consultant for ExxonMobil. “We will get back to it.” Jones referred to subsea separation in the past tense because it has been a while since the five projects, eight if you include some smaller units used for pilots, have gone into service.

“It is not as dead as you think,” said Don Underwood, director of subsea processing for FMC Technologies. “We are in a world where, perhaps, operators cannot go forward with green-field projects,” but still need to find ways to add production to make up for declines in older wells.

As for what will turn the inevitable technology into a practical option, the one-word answer is cost. Statoil, which has been a major supporter of moving operations subsea, has said that a 50% cost cut is needed, while Petrobras has put that number at 30%.

“There has been significant movement in that direction,” Underwood said. “For one, prices have been lowered dramatically,” while designs have shifted from huge units to “lower-cost, compact technologies” that can be added as a cheaper alternative to drilling.
Modeling of a Complex Reservoir Where the Normal Modeling Rules Do Not Apply
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 169369, “Integrated Modeling of a Highly Structural and Complex Reservoir Where the Normal Modeling Rules Do Not Apply—Cerro Fortunoso,” by Anthony Thompson, SPE, Abel Garriz, Gaston Manestar, SPE, Griselda Vocaturo, Vanesa Consoli, and Pablo Giampaoli, YPF, prepared for the 2014 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Maracaibo, Venezuela, 21–23 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

With the easy conventional oil in Argentina having been produced, one remaining way to find new oil in existing fields is to convert fields from primary or secondary production to secondary or tertiary production, respectively. For the Cerro Fortunoso field, the high costs required to develop the field, combined with an ambiguous log response that suggested that sand was predominantly disconnected, resulted in secondary production not being implemented. To reduce the risk, a waterflood pilot was necessary to demonstrate that waterflooding has potential and to provide water-injection and production data to constrain the history-matching process.

Introduction

Fig. 1 shows the location of Cerro Fortunoso in Mendoza province, approximately 1200 km southeast of Buenos Aires. Most large fields in Mendoza province were exploited by waterflood decades ago. For waterflooding not to be initiated, the nature of the reservoir had to be unclear or the capital expenditure required had to be high. In the case of Cerro Fortunoso, a substantial investment is required to cover the cost of drilling infill wells and for the construction of a pipeline to provide injection water from a river 15 km away.

To minimize the risk associated with converting the field to waterflooding, an integrated study was sanctioned that aimed to characterize the field initially and then to determine if waterflooding would, in fact, be economically viable.

Structural-Model Construction

Usually, the first step in the construction of a structural model is to extract a surface from a seismic marker. Unfortunately, in Cerro Fortunoso, the presence of a significant thickness of igneous rock and high-angle flanks causes high noise and attenuation, respectively, on existing 2D-seismic data and makes completing a 3D survey a fruitless exercise. Without 3D seismic, the structural model was constructed on the basis of data from both surface outcrops and subsurface well data. This was a challenge because Cerro Fortunoso is in a complex structural environment and the fold geometry was shown to vary significantly along the strike of the field.
Operational Risk: Stepping Beyond Bow Ties
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 174995, “Operational Risk: Stepping Beyond Bow Ties,” by D. Fraser, SPE, J. Braun, and M. Cunningham, Argonne National Laboratory; B. Marple, Chevron; D.D. Moore, SPE, Marathon; A. Sas-Jaworsky, SPE, SAS Industries; and J. Wilson, Transocean, prepared for the 2015 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 28–30 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

This paper presents the multiple-physical- barrier (MPB) approach to operational (or process) risk, an extension of the common bow-tie technique for identifying risk. Bow ties identify a variety of different types of barriers and help communicate safety principles that link causal factors and subsequent actions to a specific event. By narrowing the focus to physical barriers and by developing success paths that enable each barrier to perform its safety function, the MPB approach moves further toward a systematic approach to operational-risk management.

Introduction—Operational Risk, Bow Ties, and Physical Barriers

Operational Risk. One of the more elusive issues in the upstream oil and gas industry is the understanding of process safety or process risk—especially how it overlaps with industrial (or personal) safety—and the types of tools needed to assess and manage it. An important part of this hinges on the role that barriers play in the analysis and what constitutes a barrier. Some companies consider training to be a barrier, others consider certain meetings to be barriers, and still others consider safety procedures themselves to be barriers. Indeed, there is scarce practical agreement between companies as to how process risk is assessed, managed, and communicated. As a result, there can be similarities, but, ultimately, no two process-risk assessments from different companies look the same.

Several different barriers are shown in the bow-tie diagram in Fig. 1. Barrier types there include the well-control program, mud checks, fill-ups, and escalation barriers.

Bow-Tie Analysis. Bow-tie analysis has been widely used in the offshore oil and gas industry as a technique for communicating safety issues and safety control measures. Bow-tie analysis is event based; it seeks to tie causal factors and subsequent actions to a specific event, such as a kick. Bow-tie diagrams help teams better understand the sequences that can lead to serious process or operational risks. They also identify mitigating actions that can be taken to reduce the consequences of a major event.

The MPB Approach—A Pathway to Success

The MPB approach was developed with the help of collaborations from the upstream oil and gas industry. It takes a step beyond bow ties toward a more-direct and -systematic understanding of operational risk so that operators can design their operations to be successful. In so doing, risk is systematically identified and evaluated and can be incorporated into the management system to help ensure the safety of offshore operations.
Completion and Well-Spacing Optimization for Horizontal Wells in Pad Development
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 180956, “Completion and Well-Spacing Optimization for Horizontal Wells in Pad Development in the Vaca Muerta Shale,” by M. Suarez, SPE, YPF, and S. Pichon, SPE, Schlumberger, prepared for the 2016 SPE Argentina Exploration and Production of Unconventional Resources Symposium, Buenos Aires, 1–3 June. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

In organic shales, hydraulic fracturing is important for optimizing the production of horizontal wells. For a standalone lateral, the propped surface should be maximized to increase production. In the case of a pad, well spacing is an additional factor. Competition for production between laterals of a given pad should be minimized and is the result of both well spacing and hydraulic-fracture design. A numerical model coupling an explicit description of the hydraulic-fracture geometry and reservoir simulation is proposed to evaluate production interference.

Introduction

Well Spacing. One of the more critical questions that any asset team must consider concerns well spacing when designing the development plan for a new field. Well spacing defines the total number of wells, the drilling and completion schedule, and the field-production curve. The ultimate decision relies on economic analysis, balancing the expected ultimate recovery against capital and operational expenditures.

This work focuses on methods to evaluate different well spacing and on how to reduce the range of uncertainty in the development of the Vaca Muerta play.

Well-Spacing Evaluation. Well spacing depends on geomechanics, petrophysics, stimulation design, hydraulic-fracture geometry, and reservoir fluids. These factors are combined by use of numerical simulation to study their effects on the well spacing. The following are some of the methods that are applied to define possible well spacing.

Analogs. Using analog methods requires an older field already in development with similar rock and fluid quality, structural complexity, well architecture, and hydraulic-fracture stimulation. The analog approach leads to large uncertainties if any of these parameters are not within the same range or if the older analog field does not have sufficient statistical representation.

Simple Reservoir Description Without Explicit Hydraulic-Fracture Description.

The first step in simulation is to start with a simple reservoir description in which each property is uniform (porosity, permeability, and fluid saturations). The reservoir model is then coupled with an analytical or numerical production simulator. This kind of approach is appropriate for a field with minimal information. The hydraulic fractures are represented as parallel planes that intersect the wellbore. Hydraulic-fracture properties are kept constant over their whole surface and along the lateral.
Friction-Load Redistribution for Extended-Reach- and Horizontal-Well Completions
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IADC/SPE 178905, “Friction-Load Redistribution for Robust and Cost-Efficient Design of Extended-Reach- and Horizontal-Well Completions,” by A.R. McSpadden, SPE, and R. Trevisan, SPE, Altus Well Experts, prepared for the 2016 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, 1–3 March.

In horizontal and extended-reach wells in which long completions are run into highly deviated or lateral zones, large compression loads arise because of running friction. These loads remain locked in the string when the packer or cement sets. Dissipation of friction caused by string vibrations and movements redistributes these friction loads between the wellhead and the packer or the top of the cement. A numerical approach is presented to calculate the redistributed friction load so that an accurate initial tubing load is implemented in the tubular-stress analysis.

Introduction

The long lateral wells in modern shale developments provide new motivation to better understand and model the effect of friction in casing and tubing design. The multiple-barrier approach and modern design techniques compare favorably with previous generations of well construction. Even so, the root-cause failure analysis of individual subsurface components such as tubing, connections, or packers is difficult. The multizone- fracture-stimulation techniques common to shale developments combine the multiple challenges of long lateral zones with associated friction-induced compression loads and cyclic thermal loading from successive stimulation, flowback, and production.

An important motivation for understanding the effect of redistribution of locked-in friction loads is the increasing application of onetrip multistage completions and intelligent-well-system completions in unconventional- reservoir field developments. In extended-reach wells, as the long laterals grow longer and more-expensive equipment is run out farther into the reservoir-contact area, design requirements will become increasingly challenging.

It can be argued that these considerations are not as important for cemented completions or where the production casing is the effective operational conduit. However, even for production-casing fracture stimulations or even production, loads below the top of the cement cannot necessarily be disregarded. Also, the planned top-of-cement depth may not be realized. Hence, much more of the casing may be uncemented than in the original plan.
Solving Produced-Water Challenges With a Novel Guar-Based System
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 177678, “Solving Field Produced-Water Challenges With a Novel Guar- Based System: A Comprehensive Review of Actual Field Examples and Cost-Savings Analysis,” by Branden Ruyle, SPE, and Francisco E. Fragachan, SPE, Weatherford, prepared for the 2015 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

This paper summarizes the benefits of using a bipolymer crosslinking system in environments where water quality cannot be guaranteed. In addition to the cost advantages of using a crosslinking system that uses a conventional gelling agent, this paper also demonstrates the yielded cost savings per well that are achievable when reusing 100% produced or flowback water for hydraulic fracturing. The new fluid system consists of a specially formulated biopolymer crosslinking system that is not affected by the inconsistent quality of produced/ flowback water typically associated with fracturing applications.

Introduction

Water management is an environmental and logistical challenge to many operators across the United States. With the typical unconventional horizontal well requiring, on average, more than 8 million gal of water in a standard stimulation design, the need for an alternative to fresh water is a growing concern. A common approach to help mitigate freshwater use is on-site or centralized filtration to return produced or flowback water to a usable base fluid and even to fresh water in some cases, depending on the chemistry used and application. Filtration methods are considered a standard approach that lowers completion costs in terms of disposal reduction and freshwater conservation. However, many fracturing chemistries require increased filtration methods that create not only increased solid waste but also an associated cost burden because the cost of recycled produced water is more than double that of fresh water.
Tolerance in St. Augustinegrass Germplasm against Blissus insularis Barber (Hemiptera: Blissidae)
Authors: Milla‐Lewis Susana R. , Youngs Katharine M. , Arrellano Consuelo , Cardoza Yasmin J.
Published: January 2017

St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] is a widely used lawn grass in the southern United States due to its stoloniferous growth habit and shade tolerance. However, St. Augustinegrass is prone to thatch accumulation, which is conducive to pest problems, with the southern chinch bug (Blissus insularis Barber, SCB) being the most economically important one. Previous work to identify additional sources of SCB resistance reported genotypes with comparatively high numbers of recovered insects but low damage ratings. This study was conducted (i) to evaluate the performance of these materials in response to varying SCB feeding densities, and (ii) to determine feeding and oviposition under no‐choice scenarios. Genotypes exposed to 0, 10, or 30 adult SCBs were evaluated after 4 wk for damage and insect survival. Significant differences were observed among genotypes. Across infestation levels, while recovered insect numbers for susceptible check ‘Seville’ and plant introductions 509038 and 509039 were not significantly different, damage ratings were significantly lower for the latter, indicating that these materials were tolerant to SCB feeding. In the no‐choice experiments, survival levels of both males and females on week 4 were significantly lower for resistant check ‘Fx10’, PI 365031, and PI 289729. These genotypes, along with PIs 291594, 300129, and 647924, showed significantly lower SCB oviposition and feeding compared with Seville. Our study was able to confirm that two PIs display tolerance to SCB feeding, and five additional PIs have antibiosis activity against adult SCB (likely antibiosis), representing sources of SCB resistance for future St. Augustinegrass breeding efforts.
Analiza rozkładu pacjentów kwalifikowanych do radioterapii z placówek Wielkopolski ze względu na rozpoznanie z uwzględnieniem zachorowalności w regionie
Authors: Paczkowska Katarzyna
Published: January 2017

Celem pracy było określenie liczby chorych kierowanych do radioterapii  do Wielkopolskiego Centrum Onkologii  z subregionów wielkopolski (poznański, pilski, koniński, leszczyński, kaliski),  i porównanie ze  współczynnikiem zachorowalności w roku 2013 w województwie wielkopolskim.Dane o chorych otrzymano z kart napromieniania oraz systemu informatycznego Eskulap. Badaniem objęto 41 tygodni roku 2013. Stwierdzono lepszą dostępność radioterapii w subregionie  poznańskim, w porównaniu do czterech pozostałych subregionów województwa wielkopolskiego: pilskiego, konińskiego, leszczyńskiego i kaliskiego.
Ocena ryzyka, kontrola jakości i bezpieczeństwa w radioterapii w świetle doniesień konferencyjnych 3rd ESTRO Forum w Barcelonie.
Authors: Kowalik Anna Natalia
Published: January 2017

Ocena ryzyka, kontrola jakości i bezpieczeństwa w radioterapii w dobie nowoczesnych technologii i coraz bardziej skomputeryzowanych systemów odgrywa coraz większą  i znaczącą rolę w procesie radioterapii. Toteż coraz częściej podczas sympozjów, konferencji pojawiają się specjalne bloki tematyczne dedykowane tej tematyce. Również podczas tegorocznego 3rd ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) Forum w Barcelonie poświęcono tej tematyce specjalny panel podczas, którego poruszono zagadnienia dotyczące kwestii zarządzania ryzykiem oraz analizy ryzyka, które są ściśle związane z kontrolą jakości oraz bezpieczeństwem w radioterapii. W celu przedstawienia najnowszych trendów z niniejszego zagadnienia dokonano analizy wybranych doniesień naukowych zaprezentowanych podczas 3rd ESTRO Forum w Barcelonie.
An analysis of railtrack, UK through time and space
Authors: James Annabelle , Kirkbride James , Letza Steve , Sun Xiuping
Published: February 2017

Current analyses of the failure of Railtrack commonly blame privatisation and the subsequent fragmentation of the railway network as the main reasons for failure. The prevailing explanations are characterised by a temporal boundary (pre-post privatisation) and a spatial separation (fragmentation of the system). However, the available empirical evidence does not support these assumed boundary characterisations. Our analysis shows that past analyses of Railtrack fail to adequacy consider the role of time and space. We question the conventional mode of thought and turn to viewing the phenomenon of Railtrack in processual terms and in time and space dimensions. We find that Railtrack was destined to fail due to a complex mix of interlinkage and interaction of ideology, socio-cultural issues and historical legacies.
Labour process theory and critical accounting: Conceptualising managerial control
Authors: Mraović Branka
Published: February 2017

This paper examines the need to limit managerial control in the corporate world, by using the contribution of the labour process theory and critical accounting, in which the theoretical complementarity of these two scientific disciplines is pointed out. Neither labour process nor accounting are mere technical phenomena, but should be placed in the totality of social relations, which means the context of alienating effects of the capitalist mode of production. Relying on the works by Braverman, Tinker and Thompson, this paper is the introduction to an interdisciplinary methodology based on Marx’s labour theory of value, and its goal is to provide a guide for working-class action to change society.
Accumulation of capital and divisible reserves in labour managed firms
Authors: Tortia Ermanno C.
Published: February 2017

The problem of the accumulation of capital in labour managed firms and worker cooperatives has been attracting considerable attention by past research. The Furubotn-Pejovich effect is considered to be the source undercapitalisation. The paper seeks to show that the presence of undercapitalisation is due to a specific mechanism of reinvestment, i.e. reinvestment of self-financed capital funds in indivisible reserves. The introduction of divisible reserves appropriable by worker members at some point in time would solve the horizon problem. However, it is likely to engender new and unexplored problems connected with the way in which net surpluses are distributed, the reinvestment of individual shares of net surpluses and the reimbursement of individual capital quotas.
An exploration of the chief executive officers’ (CEOs) perception of strategic management process: The case of British high tech SMEs
Authors: Karami Azhdar
Published: February 2017

The past decade of organizational research has moved from an investigation of organizational static to an investigation of organizational dynamics, much of it focused on strategy and its formulation and implementation. This research is an attempt to shed light on the business owner managers and Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) perception of the importance of strategic management process in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. The data gathered from a sample of 132 CEOs of high tech firms and a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed for data analysis. In this research it has been found that firms which employ strategic management techniques, whether formal or informal, exhibit enhanced levels of success in formulation and implementation of business strategies than those firms which do not employ such procedures. Employing strategic management process in SMEs significantly helps in solving organizational problems, and reducing organizational conflicts. It significantly impacts on employees’ satisfaction and changing organizational culture.
Economic and corporate governance
Authors: Elsner Wolfram , Schoenig Werner
Published: February 2017

“Governance” has emerged in the social sciences and public policies only in the last two decades, although, according to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the word is rooted in Middle English. There, however, it was identified with government, i.e. with state authorities. Nevertheless, it was hardly used until recently. With its re-invention, governance is no longer confined to public government but it now reflects renewed interest in diversity and comparative structures, processes and performance of allocation mechanisms, (economic) systems, or organisational forms through which economic agents interact and get coordinated. The shift is indicative of the fact that the ideal, competitive “market”, largely viewed as the optimal system and measuring-rod by mainstream economics and economic policies, is far from being the problem-solving device in a complex world and, therefore, has to be complemented, (re-) embedded or substituted by competing forms of coordination. Hierarchy (bureaucracy, private and public), network forms of cooperation and their hybrid forms are at stake. “Governance” now pertains to diverse forms of coordination of agents beyond the ideal “market”
A review of IPO selling methods: Is there a clear winner?
Authors: Pukthuanthong Kuntara , Walker Thomas J.
Published: February 2017

After the hot IPO market of 1999/2000, numerous U.S. underwriters have been sued in connection with unfair IPO allocation schemes. In these lawsuits, plaintiffs contend that the underwriters engaged in illegal tactics by soliciting and receiving kickbacks in exchange for allocations of portions of a company’s IPO, required tie-in purchases creating an artificial demand for the stock, and artificially inflated the price of the stock through “laddering” (requiring purchases of additional stock in the aftermarket at escalating prices). The proliferation of these laddering schemes has inspired several government agencies and regulatory bodies to seek alternatives for a fairer way to sell IPO shares to the public. While auctions such as that used by Google alleviate issues related to unfair share allocation, they are associated with other problems which make them unattractive for many issuers. Our study discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the existing selling methods. While there is no clear-cut answer as to what constitutes the bestselling method, our study should provide corporate managers with the necessary insights that are needed to choose the method that best meets their objectives. In addition, our study aims to open the door for further academic discussion that is required to address a number of questions that to date remain unanswered in this area.