bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacts of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway on Accessibility and Economic Linkage of the Third Pole
Authors: Li Shicheng , Gong Jian , Deng Qinghai , Zhou Tianyu
Published: October 2018

Constructing the Qinghai–Tibet Railway (QTR) was a landmark project and was beneficial to the sustainable development of the Third Pole. To understand the sustainable development of remote regions by the provision of railway, we studied the QTR’s impact on accessibilities and economic linkages for four cities in the Third Pole, Xining, Golmud, Nagqu, and Lhasa, and between these four cities and 29 capital cities in mid-eastern China. First, employing average shortest travel time (ASTT) and weighted average travel time (WATT) as indicators, we calculated the railway-based accessibilities for June 2006 and January 2013. Then, using a gravity model, railway-based economic linkages were determined. The results demonstrate that: (i) ASTT for Xining–Golmud decreased by 4.14 h from June 2006 to January 2013. Both ASTT and WATT indicated that the accessibilities of the four cities and between these four cities and 29 capital cities in mid-eastern China improved significantly, and the spatial disparity in accessibility for the four cities decreased, which increased the balance and sustainability of the transportation system; (ii) the average contribution rate of the QTR to improving economic linkages for six routes among the four cities was 25.29%, with the Xining–Nagqu and Nagqu–Lhasa linkages improving most significantly; (iii) the QTR strengthened economic linkages between the four cities and mid-eastern cities. Because of the QTR, the economic linkages between the four cities and 29 capital cities increased 27.58% on average. The spatial disparity in interurban economic linkages also decreased. Transporting products from Tibet should be promoted to strengthen the sustainability of economic growth.
Filling the Joints: Completion and Recovery of Incomplete 3D Human Poses
Authors: Bautembach Dennis , Oikonomidis Iason , Argyros Antonis
Published: October 2018

We present a comparative study of three matrix completion and recovery techniques based on matrix inversion, gradient descent, and Lagrange multipliers, applied to the problem of human pose estimation. 3D human pose estimation algorithms may exhibit noise or may completely fail to provide estimates for some joints. A post-process is often employed to recover the missing joints’ locations from the remaining ones, typically by enforcing kinematic constraints or by using a prior learned from a database of natural poses. Matrix completion and recovery techniques fall into the latter category and operate by filling-in missing entries of a matrix whose available/non-missing entries may be additionally corrupted by noise. We compare the performance of three such techniques in terms of the estimation error of their output as well as their runtime, in a series of simulated and real-world experiments. We conclude by recommending use cases for each of the compared techniques.
Design of a Quick Switching Sampling System Based on the Coefficient of Variation
Authors: Yen Ching-Ho , Aslam Muhammad , Chang Chia-Hao , Khan Muhammad Zahir , Jun Chi-Hyuck
Published: October 2018

In this research, a quick switching sampling (QSS) system based on the coefficient of variation (CV) is developed, which utilizes information from present and previous lots to make a decision about the submitted lot of product. The design parameters of the proposed plan are determined through a non-linear optimization solution. In addition, the performance of the proposed plan is compared with plans available in the literature in terms of sample size. Finally, one example is given to illustrate the proposed plan.
Effect of Increased Temperature on Native and Alien Nuisance Cyanobacteria from Temperate Lakes: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Savadova Ksenija , Mazur-Marzec Hanna , Karosienė Jūratė , Kasperovičienė Jūratė , Vitonytė Irma , Toruńska-Sitarz Anna , Koreivienė Judita
Published: October 2018

In response to global warming, an increase in cyanobacterial blooms is expected. In this work, the response of two native species of Planktothrix agardhii and Aphanizomenon gracile, as well as the response of two species alien to Europe—Chrysosporum bergii and Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides—to gradual temperature increase was tested. The northernmost point of alien species distribution in the European continent was recorded. The tested strains of native species were favoured at 20–28 °C. Alien species acted differently along temperature gradient and their growth rate was higher than native species. Temperature range of optimal growth rate for S. aphanizomenoides was similar to native species, while C. bergii was favoured at 26–30 °C but sensitive at 18–20 °C. Under all tested temperatures, non-toxic strains of the native cyanobacteria species prevailed over the toxic ones. In P. agardhii, the decrease in concentration of microcystins and other oligopeptides with the increasing temperature was related to higher growth rate. However, changes in saxitoxin concentration in A. gracile under different temperatures were not detected. Accommodating climate change perspectives, the current work showed a high necessity of further studies of temperature effect on distribution and toxicity of both native and alien cyanobacterial species.
AbobotulinumtoxinA: A New Therapy for Hip Osteoarthritis. A Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Multicenter Study
Authors: Eleopra Roberto , Rinaldo Sara , Lettieri Christian , Santamato Andrea , Bortolotti Paolo , Lentino Carmelo , Tamborino Carmine , Causero Araldo , Devigili Grazia
Published: October 2018

Hip Osteoarthritis (OA) causes pain and disability. Here we evaluate abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport®) (AboBoNT-A) injections versus placebo as a novel treatment option to improve hip range of motion, pain and quality of life. This prospective randomized double-blind multicenter study (EudraCT # 2012-004890-25) recruited 46 outpatients with hip OA who were randomized 2:1 to the Treatment Group (TG; 31 subjects), or the Placebo Group (PG; 15 subjects). The TG received 400 U of AboBoNT-A injected into the adductor muscles, and the PG received placebo solution. The primary endpoints were the difference in Harris Hip Score (HHS) and Visual Analogic Scale for pain (VAS) at Week 4 between groups (TG vs. PG). Secondary endpoints were the change from baseline in HHS, VAS pain, Medical Research Council scale for muscle strength (MRC) and Short Form scale (SF-36) scores. In TG at Week 4, the HHS and VAS score were significantly improved compared to PG, and pairwise assessments showed significant improvements in HSS and VAS pain at each time point compared to baseline for TG. No significant changes were observed in MRC and SF-36 over time, though SF-36 showed a positive trend. There were no significant differences from baseline in the PG. No adverse events were detected in either treatment group. AboBoNT-A injections in hip OA improve range of motion and pain without any significant side effects.
Tuberculosis Elimination in the Asia-Pacific Region and the WHO Ethics Guidance
Authors: Denholm Justin T. , Silva Diego S. , Burhan Erlina , Chaisson Richard E.
Published: October 2018

The World Health Organization has produced ethical guidance on implementation of the End TB strategy, which must be considered in local context. The Asia-Pacific Region has important distinctive characteristics relevant to tuberculosis, and engagement with the ethical implications raised is essential. This paper highlights key ethical considerations for the tuberculosis elimination agenda in the Asia-Pacific Regions and suggests that further programmatic work is required to ensure such challenges are addressed in clinical and public health programs.
Comparative Genomics and Characterization of the Late Promoter pR’ from Shiga Toxin Prophages in Escherichia coli
Authors: Zhang Ling Xiao , Simpson David J. , McMullen Lynn M. , Gänzle Michael G.
Published: October 2018

Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) causes human illness ranging from mild diarrhea to death. The bacteriophage encoded stx genes are located in the late transcription region, downstream of the antiterminator Q. The transcription of the stx genes is directly under the control of the late promoter pR’, thus the sequence diversity of the region between Q and stx, here termed the pR’ region, may affect Stx toxin production. Here, we compared the gene structure of the pR’ region and the stx subtypes of nineteen STECs. The sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis suggested that the pR’ region tends to be more heterogeneous than the promoter itself, even if the prophages harbor the same stx subtype. Furthermore, we established and validated transcriptional fusions of the pR’ region to the DsRed reporter gene using mitomycin C (MMC) induction. Finally, these constructs were transformed into native and non-native strains and examined with flow cytometry. The results showed that induction levels changed when pR’ regions were placed under different regulatory systems. Moreover, not every stx gene could be induced in its native host bacteria. In addition to the functional genes, the diversity of the pR’ region plays an important role in determining the level of toxin induction.
Reverse Genetic Approaches for the Generation of Recombinant Zika Virus
Authors: Ávila-Pérez Ginés , Nogales Aitor , Martín Verónica , Almazán Fernando , Martínez-Sobrido Luis
Published: October 2018

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emergent mosquito-borne member of the Flaviviridae family that was responsible for a recent epidemic in the Americas. ZIKV has been associated with severe clinical complications, including neurological disorder such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults and severe fetal abnormalities and microcephaly in newborn infants. Given the significance of these clinical manifestations, the development of tools and reagents to study the pathogenesis of ZIKV and to develop new therapeutic options are urgently needed. In this respect, the implementation of reverse genetic techniques has allowed the direct manipulation of the viral genome to generate recombinant (r)ZIKVs, which have provided investigators with powerful systems to answer important questions about the biology of ZIKV, including virus-host interactions, the mechanism of transmission and pathogenesis or the function of viral proteins. In this review, we will summarize the different reverse genetic strategies that have been implemented, to date, for the generation of rZIKVs and the applications of these platforms for the development of replicon systems or reporter-expressing viruses.
Thermoluminescence glow curve and spectrum of zircon (sand)
Authors: Jain Vinod K.
Published: October 2018

Thermoluminescence of zircon sand obtained from the monazites areas of Kerala, India, has been investigated. After gamma irradiation the glow curve shows a peak at 100° C and then extends up to about 400° C. However, the sensitivity is poor. Heating the sand at high temperatures improves the sensitivity several fold. The zircon so sensitized shows glow peaks at 100, 180, 240, 275 and 375° C. There is also a fast fading peak at about 50° C. Thermoluminescence spectra have been recorded at temperatures corresponding to these peaks. Except the first, for all others the spectra can be identified as due to Tb3+. The first peak has a broad spectrum with line spectrum superimposed.
Spin Evolution and Cometary Interpretation of the Interstellar Minor Object 1I/2017 ’Oumuamua
Authors: Rafikov Roman R.
Published: October 2018

Observations of the first interstellar minor object 1I/2017 ’Oumuamua did not reveal direct signs of outgassing that would have been natural if it had a volatile-rich composition. However, a recent measurement by Micheli et al. of a substantial non-gravitational acceleration affecting the orbit of this object has been interpreted as resulting from its cometary activity, which must be rather vigorous. Here we critically reassess this interpretation by exploring the implications of measured non-gravitational acceleration for ’Oumuamua’s rotational state. We show that outgassing torques should drive the rapid evolution of ’Oumuamua’s spin (on a timescale of a few days), assuming torque asymmetry that is typical for solar system comets. However, given the highly elongated shape of the object, its torque asymmetry is likely higher, implying an even faster evolution. This would have resulted in rapid rotational fission of ’Oumuamua during its journey through the solar system, and is clearly incompatible with the relative stability of its rotational state inferred from photometric variability. Based on these arguments, as well as the lack of direct signs of outgassing, we conclude that the classification of ’Oumuamua as a comet (invoked to explain its claimed anomalous acceleration) is questionable.
Assessment of Expression of Ki-67 in Benign and Malignant Prostatic Lesions among Sudanese Patients
Authors: Mohamed Albasheer Abdelmalik , Abbas Mohammed Yousif , Alharbi Hajed , Babiker Ali Yousif
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND: Prostatic cancer is one of the most common cancers of males in a Sudanese population. The early detection is very important, as it is only curable at an early stage.
AIM: The objective of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of Ki-67 in benign and malignant prostatic lesions to improve the diagnosis that may help in better management and prevention of disease.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-eight formalin fixed paraffin blocks from diagnosed cases of prostatic tumours with different grade, and stages were included in this study. Ki-67 expression was examined immunohistochemically by using monoclonal mouse anti-human Ki67 IS626. The results were correlated with Gleason score and tumour differentiation and stage.
RESULTS: The frequency of histological types was as follow: 11 cases of benign prostate,atic hyperplasia (19%) and 47 cases of prostatic cancer (81%). Our results stated that prostatic adenocarcinoma among Sudanese patients was of low grade which means tumours are less aggressive. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that Ki-67 expression in prostatic carcinoma smears was correlated significantly with the degree of Gleason score (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: We found that the prostatic adenocarcinoma among Sudanese patients was less aggressive. Furthermore, Ki-67 expression was proportional to the grade of a tumour and it was a useful prognostic and diagnostic biomarker.
Comparison of the Effects of Omega 3 and Vitamin E on Palcitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Authors: Anoushirvani Ali Arash , Poorsaadat Laila , Aghabozorgi Reza , Kasravi Maryam
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND: Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy is the most important side effect limiting the use of this medication.
AIM: This study aimed to compare the effects of omega-3 and vitamin E on the incidence of peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving Taxol.
METHODS: In this clinical trial, 63 patients who were a candidate for receiving taxol, were enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. In group O, patients received 640 mg omega-3 three times a day, and group E, received 300 mg vitamin E two times a day. Patients took the supplements up to three months after the onset of Taxol. Group P received placebo for a similar period. All patients referred to a neurologist for electrophysiological evaluation before the onset of chemotherapy and at months 1 and 3. The presence of neuropathy and its progression was recorded by the neurologist.
RESULTS: Neurological examination in this study indicated that 6 patients (28.6%) in Group O, 7 patients (33.3%) in group E, and 15 patients (71.4%) in placebo group started peripheral neuropathy. There was a significant difference between intervention groups and the placebo group (p = 0.0001) and no significant difference between intervention groups (p = 0.751).
CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that vitamin E and omega-3 may significantly reduce the incidence of Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. Routine administration of such supplements that have no special side effect for patients under chemotherapy may greatly enhance their quality of life.
Advances in the Diagnosis of GERD Using the Esophageal pH Monitoring, Gastro-Esophageal Impedance-pH Monitoring, And Pitfalls
Authors: Foroutan Mojgan , Zojaji Homayoun , Ehsani Mohammad Javad , Darvishi Mohammad
Published: October 2018

PH monitoring is not capable of detecting all types of reflux, especially when the amount of acid is very low or not at all in the refluxate. Multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH) is used as a new method to assess bolus transport. The types of reflexes including acid, weak acid and weak alkaline MII-pH is capable of distinguishing more reflux episodes based upon use of physical and chemical parameters of the refluxate, leads to a diagnosis of normal acid reflux from abnormal nonacidic reflux. 24-h oesophagal pH monitoring can be effectively used to assess the potential relationship between symptoms and refluxes. MII-pH is capable of distinguishing more reflux episodes based upon use of physical and chemical parameters of the refluxate, leads to a diagnosis of normal acid reflux from abnormal nonacidic reflux. It can be used to confirm gastro-oesophagal reflux episodes, where has a sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing GERD in comparison with endoscopy or pH-metry.
Collaborative Learning for Histopathology Education
Authors: Fishback James L. , Klein Robert M.
Published: October 2018

The authors have developed a pedagogical approach to the teaching of histology and histopathology using a team-based, collaborative learning model. To accomplish this, students are assigned to small groups of “microdissection” teams, mirroring the approach used in gross anatomy dissection. These collaborative groups present the case, including history, relative labs, imaging, gross pathology, and microanatomy, to their classmates. Each clinical case contains normal and abnormal virtual microscopy slides with links to key areas of interest, as well as hyperlinked references to the medical literature (the electronic pathology text or an article from a general medical journal, e.g., The New England Journal of Medicine®). In order to facilitate this collaborative process, they use Microsoft Office 365® and the included OneNote® program. The approach has facilitated integration of histopathology into the curriculum with more interactive laboratories stimulating active learning to build improved diagnostic skills for the learners.
The African-American Male First-Year Experience
Authors: Smith Craig
Published: October 2018

The retention of African-American male students in U.S. institutions of higher education is a complex and multifaceted problem that is comprised of both individual and institutional factors. Researchers have highlighted several individual factors that inhibit the academic persistence of African-American men in higher education institutions including poor academic preparation, financial constraints, low self-esteem, a lack of student involvement, and a lack of “connectedness” to the institution. This chapter will shed light on the state of the African-American male students engaged in higher education. It will also reveal the impact of this population's participation in various versions of first-year experience (FYE) programs.
Engaging Millennial Students Through Social Media Usage and Its Impact on HBCU Persistence
Authors: Woods Antwon D. , Shelton Kenisha
Published: October 2018

This chapter will explore the perception millennial college students hold regarding the engagement of social media use and its impact on their college persistence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The topic of student persistence in postsecondary education continues to be a matter of significant importance. A third or more students leave four-year public colleges and universities at the end of their first year, and about 40% of students who begin college will never earn a degree. Despite all the attention to improving student retention, most institutional persistence rates have remained stagnant.
Fog Computing and Its Role in the Internet of Things
Authors: Nisha Angeline C. V.  , Lavanya Raja
Published: October 2018

Fog computing extends the cloud computing paradigm to the edge of the network, thus enabling a new breed of applications and services. Defining characteristics of the Fog are 1) low latency and location awareness, 2) widespread geographical distribution, 3) mobility, 4) very large number of nodes, 5) predominant role of wireless access, 6) strong presence of streaming and real time applications, and 7) heterogeneity. In this chapter, the authors argue that the above characteristics make the Fog the appropriate platform for a number of critical internet of things (IoT) services and applications, namely connected vehicle, smart grid, smart cities, and in general, wireless sensors and actuators networks (WSANs).
Scholarly Publications
Authors: Brookfield Stephen
Published: October 2018

This chapter describes the stages of preparing a book proposal and offers practical strategies for dealing with securing a publisher, receiving and responding to feedback, and making revisions. There are three stages typically involved in submitting a book proposal to a scholarly publisher. The first is to overcome one's sense of impostorship, the feeling that books are written by “real” academics with startlingly original things to say. The second is to write the proposal itself. This involves describing the genesis of the idea for the book, establishing a strong rationale as to why the book ought to be published, and summarizing its succinct purpose. The meat of a proposal is the chapter-by-chapter outline that provides a clear description of the book's contents. Proposals typically end with an analysis of competing texts currently on the market, a schedule for writing the book, and indications of how a web presence might be created to support the book. The final stage is to select and then approach a publisher. Through multiple examples drawn from accepted book proposals, this chapter delineates successful, real life ways to manage these challenges and processes.
Financing at the Housing Market
Authors: Mariia Ermilova
Published: October 2018

Instruments of financing at the housing market allow increasing the efficiency of branch operation, accumulating more money resources, and redistributing them among the segments of this market. The chapter is based on the analysis of the housing markets' functioning in different countries, taking into account the possibilities of their financing. Recommendations have been formulated on the use of the foreign countries' experience in Russian practice in order to improve the efficiency of financing for the housing market in Russia. It is determined that the main instrument of financing at the majority of national housing markets is mortgage lending. The author has analyzed single-level and two-level models of mortgage lending to determine the advantages and disadvantages each of them has. In the German model, such a mechanism is implemented as a system of “building saving,” which involves gradual accumulation of the initial contribution.
Scoring Modeling in Estimating the Financial Condition of Russian Agro-Industrial Companies
Authors: Patlasov Oleg Y. , Mzhelskaya Olga K.
Published: October 2018

The chapter presents the authors' estimations according to the scoring modeling techniques; also, internationally spread models of bankruptcy forecasting are systematized. Advantages and disadvantages of dynamic modelling methods as applied to financial condition assessment are presented here. Methodological problems of financial modelling are explained here in detail. Regression, logit-regression, and discriminant models are built on the basis of data on the Rosselkhozbank and Sberbank of Russia regulations, taking into account the agrarian specifics of organizations and regional specificity of the Omsk region. An attempt has been made to balance the simplicity of calculations and the accuracy of predictions. Graphs, to be used for express analysis, are constructed on the basis of two core financial indicators.
Effect of Peer Interaction among Online Learning Community on Learning Engagement and Achievement
Authors: Lai Chih-Hung , Lin Hung-Wei , Lin Rong-Mu , Tho Pham Duc
Published: October 2018

This article explores whether a learning community can affect students' learning achievement and engagement. Besides, this study also analyzed whether degree centralities of peer interaction affect learning achievement and learning engagement based on social network analysis. While the experimental group combined the English learning system with the online learning community, the control group was simply using the English learning system. The results indicated that the students' engagement from the online learning community were higher than the ones who used the English learning system only, although the learning achievement is not significant difference between these two groups. Moreover, higher interaction learners from the online learning community revealed better performance in learning achievement and student engagement. Other than that, the learners who played the “Center” emerged with a higher learning achievement as well as the students' engagement than the “Periphery” ones. The research provides suggestions for online learning with learning communications as well.
How Do Millennials Learn?
Authors: Chitiga Miriam , Kaniuka Theodore , Ombonga Mary
Published: October 2018

This article investigates how 86 first-semester African-American college freshmen perceive their time management, study, and test-preparation habits. The research questions sought if the freshman students reported study, note taking, and test preparation habits were different from what we would expect if no preferences existed. Participants voluntarily completed the 21-item quantitative survey. The study revealed patterns of preference for study patterns, that students believed they spent sufficient time studying, crammed materials, were unable to study for long periods, had retention challenges, and were generally cognizant of haphazard study patterns. There were strong relationships between having disorganized study behavior, cramming, and difficulty in retention of materials. The study recommends that student development and academic personnel work together to help student develop their students' academic success skills.
Development of Students' Programming Abilities With the Means of Non-Programming Disciplines and Activities
Authors: Sakibayev Razakh , Sakibayev Spartak , Sakibayeva Bela
Published: October 2018

This article is dedicated to the topic of discovering effective ways of developing students' programming abilities with the means of non-programming disciplines and activities. The authors argue that the process of educating students in programming becomes effective if students participates not only in programming lessons themselves, but also dedicates a significant amount of time to other academic disciplines and extracurricular activities. For example, these other activities are solving number-theoretics and chess endgame problems. The authors find that these disciplines and activities provide efficient means for developing programming capacities and therefore, their methods are the essential prerequisites for programming course. The significance of the obtained results is that they provide an effective alternative approach to the teaching process in educational institutions where the traditional methodology does not bring the desired pedagogical effect.
An Approach for Load Balancing in Cloud Computing Using JAYA Algorithm
Authors: Mohanty Subhadarshini , Patra Prashanta Kumar , Ray Mitrabinda , Mohapatra Subasish
Published: October 2018

Cloud computing is a jargon in the era of information technology. It acts as a metaphor for the internet. Still, it possesses several challenges related to automated resource provisioning, security, event content dissemination, server consolidation, virtual machine migration. Load balancing is one of the critical challenges in the cloud that are faced by the enterprises. Here the basic objective of load balancing is to minimize response time, data center service request time, and improve the overall performance of the system. In this article, a JAYA algorithm is used for load balancing in a cloud which uses less control parameters and provides a better optimized result. Comparisons are made with other evolutionary approaches to observe the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Studies on Numerical Simulation of Temperature Distribution in Laser Beam Welding of 304L Austenitic Stainless Steel
Authors: Kumar Pramod , Sinha Amar Nath
Published: October 2018

A numerical simulation of temperature distribution in laser welding of 304L austenitic stainless steel have been investigated in the present research work. A three-dimensional Gaussian conical moving heat source has been implemented in the present numerical simulation using ANSYS software package. Temperature-dependent thermal physical properties of 304L austenitic stainless steel have been considered, which affects the temperature profile in the weldment. The effect of laser welding process parameters, namely, average beam power, welding speed, and laser spot diameter on weld bead geometry have been studied. The temperature distribution obtained from the numerical results at different positions away from the weld line were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. The shape of the weld pool profile obtained through numerical simulation are in good agreement with the experimental results. Mechanical properties of the welded joint have also been studied. The ultimate tensile strength of the laser welded sample was equal to the base metal 304L austenitic stainless steel.
Natural Image Quality Assessment Based on Visual Biological Cognitive Mechanism
Authors: Zhang Run , Wang Yongbin
Published: October 2018

With the focus of the main problems in no-reference natural image quality assessment (NR-IQA), the researchers propose a more universal, efficient and integrated resolution based on visual biological cognitive mechanism. First, the authors bring up an inspiring visual cognitive computing model (IVCCM) on the basis of visual heuristic principles. Second, the authors put forward an asymmetric generalized gaussian mixture distribution model (AGGMD), and the model can describe the probability distribution density of the images more precisely. Third, the authors extract the quality-aware multiscale local invariant features (QAMLIF) statistic and perceptive from natural images and form quality-aware uniform features descriptors (QAUFD) based on clustering and encoding the visual quality features. Fourth, the authors build topic semantic model and realize the resolution with Bayesian inference with IVCCM, AGGDM and QAUFD to implement NR-IQA. Theoretical research and experimental results show that the proposed resolution perform better with biological cognitive mechanism.
Pile Foundation System for Offshore Protection Structure
Authors: Phillips R. , Piercey G. , Barrett J.
Published: October 2018

The hydrocarbon production facilities offshore eastern Canada must contend with icebergs. Subsea infrastructure is typically protected by placement in excavated drill centers (EDCs). EDCs are large excavations where subsea infrastructure is installed below the depth of potential iceberg penetration. However, EDCs are expensive for marginal field developments and therefore alternative concrete Subsea Ice Protection Structures (SIPS) are being evaluated.

A concept 8 m high circular concrete SIPS of 45m and 25m outside and inside diameter, respectively, would be placed directly on the seabed. Global loads from contact with an iceberg are estimated to be less than 100 MN without ice management. Pipe piles are proposed to resist the lateral forces. Such large diameter pipe piles are commonly used on the Grand Banks to anchor mooring lines.

Movement of the iceberg onto the SIPS may also generate greater vertical load onto the structure, increasing the sliding resistance. This paper presents an evaluation of the ultimate lateral load capacity of the piled foundation at large displacements. Centrifuge model tests were compared to numerical modelling results and to reduce the uncertainty with extrapolating the P-y method of pile analysis beyond its typical limits. The load sharing behavior between the piles and the SIPS foundation base was also evaluated.
Iceberg Risk to Marginal Field Developments: Physical Tests to Investigate Free-Floating Iceberg Contact with Pipeline Laid on the Seabed
Authors: Bailey E. , Phillips R.
Published: October 2018

Up to present, the annual iceberg contact frequency for short subsea flowline systems designed for offshore Newfoundland and Labrador has been less than the target reliability level. For longer flowlines, iceberg contact rates will be higher and the consequence of such contacts must be considered. It is possible, for example, that the pipe gets pushed into the seabed with acceptable damage to the pipe and/or localized ice failure takes place. If it can be demonstrated that a pipe could survive some impacts, it might be possible to avoid costly protection strategies such as trenching or rock berms. This paper describes physical tests conducted as part of a preliminary investigation to assess the consequence of a free-floating iceberg interacting with a flowline placed on the seafloor. Two scenarios were considered in this testing program. The first focused on understanding the local iceberg failure processes and the second evaluated the transverse flowline motion when a free-floating keel snags a flexible pipe laid on the seabed.
Ridge Loads on Wind Turbine Structures
Authors: Croasdale K. , Allyn N.
Published: October 2018

Wind turbine towers are being planned in ice covered regions subject to pressure ridges (e.g. the Great Lakes). Conical collars are often employed to reduce ice loads from level ice and their associated dynamics. For level ice, downward breaking cones have some advantages. It is not clear if this is the case for pressure ridges. This paper presents an improved method for ridge loads on wind turbines with downward breaking cones and makes comparisons with upward breaking cones.

First year pressure ridges can be formidable ice features and usually control design ice loads in the sub-Arctic. Important components of a ridge creating ice loads are the consolidated layer at the surface (which is considered as solid ice) and the ridge keel below consisting of ice rubble, but much thicker. The load due to the consolidated layer is usually derived as if it is thick level ice. On a cone, methods for level ice assume it can be idealized as a plate on an elastic foundation (the water) and equations have been developed for upward and downward breaking cones. But for a ridge on a downward cone, to break the consolidated layer downwards requires it to be pushed into the keel rubble below. This will have a different foundation modulus than water buoyancy. A method is developed to account for this difference. The method uses an iterative approach to determine the point of breaking of the consolidated layer (and associated load) accounting for the ridge geometry, keel rubble shear strength, the flexural strength of the consolidated layer and the buoyancy forces. The keel loads on the vertical shaft below the conical collar are based on the method currently in ISO 19906 (2010) but modified to add the effect of additional rubble in the keel from breaking the consolidated layer downwards.

In examples, it is shown that the breaking force can be about twice that of breaking the consolidated layer without the keel present. This might be seen as a disadvantage for downward breaking cones vs upward breaking. However, it is also shown that the clearing forces on an upward cone are higher; which tends to balance out the lower breaking force. Example loads are given on typical wind turbine bases due to typical ridges. Upward and downward breaking configurations are compared.

The paper provides new methods for ice loads due to ridges acting on wind turbine structures not currently covered by existing methods.
Rigid Foam as an Engineered Material
Authors: Halcomb Steven , Oakland Bryan
Published: October 2018

The traditional use of extruded polystyrene (XPS) rigid foam insulation has been to control heat flow between building living space and outside environment; however, new information reveals additional ways XPS rigid foam insulation can be used in heavy load roadway, railbed, and airfield applications. The objective of this paper is to provide engineers with a better understanding of the behavior of rigid foam as an engineered insulation material to support transportation infrastructure in cold regions.

Numerous aspects of foam application and performance are discussed in this paper. Aspects include equivalent thermal resistance of foam vs. soil, normalized stress-strain curves of various rigid foam ultimate compressive strengths, cost comparisons between rigid foam and fill, and recent testing results of rigid foam when applied loadings exceed the ultimate compressive strength under repeated loadings. Testing approach was designed to consider loading associated with heavy equipment active in oil and mining operations.

Historic design recommendations for use of rigid foam in bearing considerations has been the inclusion of a sustained dead load from which a reduced live load is then utilized. The reduced live load presents challenges in roadway and runway applciations as more fill is required to reduce applied surface loads to lower values, thus disqualifying XPS as a viable insulation solution to support pavement structures under heavy live loads. With the introduction of new data, analysis, and interpretation, XPS is shown to provide a cost-effective thermal barrier between the subgrade and road surface for heavy loads when compared to fill that is sourced far from the construction site.

The recent testing of both extruded and expanded polystyrene under heavy and repeated loadings, with thermal resistance comparisons, leads to additional understanding of rigid foam as an engineering material.
Ice Clearing to Support Near-Field Operations
Authors: Kennedy Allison , Harris Trevor , Reid Veronica
Published: October 2018

Ice management is an important consideration for any offshore petroleum operation conducted in an area that could encounter sea ice. Ice management could be performed for a number of reasons: to reduce global ice loads on the installation, to avoid ice interaction with underwater components such as risers or turrets, or to allow for close proximity operations such as loading / offloading, manning / de-manning, or evacuation in the case of an emergency event. The purpose of this project is to provide baseline information relating to ice clearing operations conducted in pack ice conditions. This information includes outcomes of different ice clearing operations in terms of loads on a GBS structure and ice concentration upstream of the GBS structure. It also includes loads measured on the support vessel that is conducting the ice clearing operations for a subset of the clearing techniques considered.

To investigate this problem, model testing experiments were conducted in NRC-OCRE's ice tank located in St. John's NL, Canada. These experiments involved systematic testing involving various pack ice conditions representative of the Grand Banks area and two models: a support vessel and a GBS structure. The environmental conditions included: two ice concentrations, two ice piece sizes, and two ice piece drift speeds. Four ice clearing techniques were tested in each condition. The ice clearing techniques included two fixed position tests; where the support vessel was held in place upstream of the GBS using flexible mooring lines and two free running tests; where the support vessel was remotely controlled and maneuvered upstream of the GBS.

Results are provided in terms of loads measured on the GBS model with clearing support, loads measured on the support vessel during the fixed ice clearing operations, ice free zones created upstream of the GBS and aft of the support vessel during ice clearing tests, reductions in GBS loads due to ice clearing operations, reductions in ice concentration upstream of the GBS due to ice clearing operations, and a summary of ice events that led to large pack ice loads. The significant factors that influenced each result were also identified.

These results complement existing literature relating to physical ice clearing operations by providing the outcomes of systematic testing in different ice conditions which is available in public domain. These results could be used as benchmark values for design or numerical model validation. In addition, they could provide insight to operators, regulators and academia to support informed decision making regarding the level of ice management support required in different operating environments. All dimensions and test results in this paper are provided at full scale value.
Experimental Investigation of Low Salinity Waterflooding to Improve Heavy Oil Recovery from the Schrader Bluff Reservoir on Alaska North Slope
Authors: Cheng Yaoze , Czyzewski William , Zhang Yin , Dandekar Abhijit , Ning Samson , Barnes John
Published: October 2018

Alaska North Slope (ANS) contains vast resources of heavy oil which have not been developed efficiently using conventional waterflooding. Recently, low salinity waterflooding (LSWF) has been considered to enhance oil recovery by reducing residual oil saturation in the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoir.

In this study, lab experiments have been conducted to investigate the performance of LSWF in heavy oil reservoirs on ANS. Fresh-state core plugs cut from preserved core samples with original oil saturations have been flooded sequentially with high salinity produced water, low salinity water, and softened low salinity water. The cumulative oil production and pressure drop across the core plugs have been recorded by the AFS-300 coreflooding system. The oil recovery factors and residual oil saturation after each flooding have been determined based on material balance. In addition, restored-state core plugs saturated with heavy oil have been employed to conduct unsteady-state displacement experiments to measure the oil-water relative permeabilities using high salinity produced water and low salinity water, respectively.

It has been found that the core plugs are very unconsolidated, with porosity and absolute permeability in the range of 33 – 36% and 155 – 330 mD respectively. Produced crude oil sample having a viscosity of 63 cP at ambient conditions was used in the experiments. The total dissolved solids (TDS) of the high salinity produced water and the low salinity water are 28,000 mg/L and 2,940 mg/L, respectively. After softening, the TDS of softened low salinity water has little change, but the concentration of Ca2+ has been reduced significantly. The residual oil saturations are reduced gradually by applying LSWF and softened LSWF successively after high salinity water flooding. On the average, LSWF can improve heavy oil recovery by 6.3% of original oil in place (OOIP) over high salinity water flooding, while the softened LSWF further enhances the oil recovery by 1.3% OOIP. The pressure drops observed in the LSWF and softened LSWF demonstrates more fluctuations than that in the high salinity water flooding, which indicates potential particle migration in LSWF. Furthermore, it was found that regardless of the salinity the calculated water relative permeabilities are much lower than the typical values in conventional rock-fluid systems, implying more complex interactions between the reservoir rock, heavy oil, and injected water. This study provides fundamental lab data for evaluating the technical and economic benefits of LSWF in heavy oil reservoirs on ANS.
Usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Iceberg Surveying and Monitoring - Preliminary Results
Authors: Briggs Robert , Thibault Carl , Mingo Laurent
Published: October 2018

Due to their potential instabilities, deploying personnel onto icebergs to make direct in-situ measurement is hazardous. The preliminary results from an investigation into the usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for surveying and monitoring icebergs are presented. The project had four objectives: (i) acquisition of imagery for the generation of iceberg topside reconstructions using photogrammetry; (ii) development of a GPS tracking device and a deployment mechanism to place it onto an iceberg; (iii) development of a motion sensor to record the motion of an iceberg and a deployment mechanism to deliver it onto an iceberg; and (iv) iceberg draft measurements from a UAV-mounted ice penetrating radar.

The project has used both commercially available and custom-built UAVs. The sensor packages (cameras, tracking devices, accelerometers and ground penetrating radar) were commercial products that have been modified for this study and, when required, mountings and delivery mechanisms have been designed and manufactured to integrate the system together.

Fieldwork was performed during the 2017 iceberg season in a near-shore environment (Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) aboard a survey vessel and, in 2018, from an operational supply vessel offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. The field campaigns were conducted in parallel with an iceberg profiling system that uses an integrated multibeam sonar and LiDAR system to generate composite (topside and subsurface) iceberg reconstructions. These reconstructions can be compared with the results obtained from the photogrammetry and the radar survey.

During the 2017 program, iceberg imagery for photogrammetry was acquired and GPS tracking devices were deployed onto icebergs and sea-ice. The longest iceberg track obtained was 21 days. For the 2018 campaign, further photogrammetric data was collected and ground penetrating radar surveys of icebergs were performed. The photogrammetry topside reconstructions and the draft estimates from the ground penetrating radar produced results comparable to measurements from the iceberg profiling system.

This project has explored the capability of UAVs to deliver sensor packages onto icebergs, and to take aerial measurements over and around them. They are an emerging technology that, although challenging to work with in the harsh North Atlantic environment, have proved useful.