bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication in a Pandemic: A Model for Building Capacity and Resilience of Minority Communities
Authors: Crouse Quinn Sandra
Published: October 2008

As public health agencies prepare for pandemic influenza, it is evident from our experience with Hurricane Katrina that these events will occur in the same social, historical, and cultural milieu in which marked distrust of government and health disparities already exist. This article grapples with the challenges of crisis and emergency risk communication with special populations during a pandemic. Recognizing that targeting messages to specific groups poses significant difficulties at that time, this article proposes a model of community engagement, disaster risk education, and crisis and emergency risk communication to prepare minority communities and government agencies to work effectively in a pandemic, build the capacity of each to respond, and strengthen the trust that is critical at such moments. Examples of such engagement and potential strategies to enhance trust include tools familiar to many health educators.
Religious vehicle stickers in Nigeria: a discourse of identity, faith and social vision
Authors: Chiluwa Innocent
Published: October 2008

This study focuses on analysing the ways in which vehicle stickers construct individual and group identities, people's religious faith and social vision in the context of religious assumptions and practices in Nigeria. Data comprise 73 vehicle stickers collected in Lagos and Ota, between 2006 and 2007 and are analysed within the framework of the post-structuralist model of discourse analysis which views discourse as a product of a complex system of social and institutional practices that sustain its continuous existence (Derrida, 1982; Fairclough, 1989, 1992, 1995; Foucault, 1972, 1981). Results show that through stickers people define their individual and group identities within religious institutional practices. And as a means of group identification, they guarantee social security and privileges. In constructing social vision the stickers help mould the individual aspiration about a future which transcends the present. Significantly, stickers in the data also reveal the tension between Islam and Christianity and the struggle to propagate one above the other.
Constructing affiliation and solidarity in job interviews
Authors: Lipovsky Caroline
Published: October 2008

Success in job interviews depends largely on the interviewers' favourable opinion of the candidates' presentation, and how well candidates have managed to build solidarity with their interviewers. This article explores the ways in which candidates shape their talk to interact interpersonally with their interviewers, so as to construct affiliation and solidarity. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics Appraisal theory, in particular its system of Attitude, this article examines a set of authentic job interviews in French, or French and English. The interview analyses are complemented by the candidates' comments on the impressions they had tried to convey and the interviewers' comments about their impressions of the candidates. The analysis identifies two strategies whereby candidates may construct affiliation and solidarity with their interviewers: expressing their enthusiasm for and interest in their work and profession, and demonstrating their professional ability. It also highlights the damaging effect of expressing negative feelings and opinions.
Cowboy and misanthrope: a critical (discourse) analysis of Bush and bin Laden cartoons
Authors: Mazid Bahaa-Eddin M.
Published: October 2008

The article investigates the political cartoon construction of two major `players' on the contemporary political stage, and the semio-linguistic and visual rhetorical tools used to achieve this construction, through an analysis of semiotic-discursive aspects of a small corpus of political cartoons in English and Arabic, all about the two `players' — George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden — in the aftermath of 9/11 and within the ongoing `war on terror', followed by a more detailed analysis of two political cartoon texts from the corpus — one in Arabic about Bush and the other in English about bin Laden. A rationale for the combination of semiotics and critical discourse analysis and a discussion of the nature and functions of political cartoon are provided. These are followed by a review of the relevant literature with a focus on political cartoons. The analysis, drawing upon the `dispositive' model and the incongruity theory of humor, addresses the verbal and visual aspects of the cartoons, instances of blending, incongruity and visual metaphors therein. Some major notions in CDA, for example Van Dijk's ideological square and Chilton's (de)legitimation and proximization, are also utilized in examining the sample cartoons. The detailed analysis of the two cartoons elaborates on the salient features and generic aspects of the sample, specifically on incongruity, blending and visual metaphor, toward an understanding of the messages of the cartoons, the tools used to convey these messages and how they contribute to the ongoing war of ideological misrepresentation.
Examination of chemical reaction for revealing plastic deformation zone in low carbon steel
Authors: Okayasu M. , Sato A. , Mizuno M.
Published: October 2008

In order to expose a clear plastic deformation zone in a low carbon steel, an etching technique was carried out on the plastically deformed material under various conditions. In this study, the etchant solution, etching time and a polishing process were employed as control factors in the design of the etching technique. The deformation zone was revealed on the etched surface with different degrees of clarity depending on the etching conditions, and a suitable etching system for showing up the clear plastic zone was found. Moreover, a polishing process after the etching could make the plastic zone clearer. Details of the etching mechanism for exposing the plastic deformation zone are discussed on the basis of electrode potential considerations.
Novel method for densification of porous spray deposited Al–Fe–V–Si alloy tube preforms
Authors: Chen Z. H. , Chen Z. G. , Yan H. G. , Chen D. , He Y. Q. , Chen G.
Published: October 2008

A novel densification method, termed as wedge pressing, for spray deposited tube preforms with large dimensions was investigated. Al–Fe–V–Si heat resistant aluminium alloy tube preforms were prepared and wedge pressed. The experimental results show that the wedge pressing process can obviously eliminate the pores in the as deposited preforms and improve the formability. A steel shell canning can restrain the diameter expansion and uniform the temperature distribution. The microstructure evolution behaviour during densification was examined and the optimum processing parameters and fracture behaviour were investigated.
Novel Green Small-molecule Host Materials for Solution-processed Organic Light-emitting Diodes
Authors: Kim Dong-Ha , Choi Dae Hyuk , Park Jung Joo , Lee Seong Taek , Kwon Jang Hyuk
Published: October 2008

The authors report novel small-molecule green-fluorescent hosts for solution processed OLEDs. 9,10-Diarylanthracene and fluorene moieties were introduced to the 9 and 10 positions of an anthracene core to give the strong amorphous characteristics. These novel hosts show sufficient optical, electrical, and thermal properties with very good solubility in organic solvents. Utilizing these solution-processed hosts, a maximum current efficiency of 7.8 cd/A is demonstrated with a general fluorescent dopant.
Effects of Proton Beam Irradiation on Spirophenanthrooxazine Dissolved in Chloroform
Authors: Lee In-Ja , Kang Tae-Wook , Kim Tong-Eun
Published: October 2008

The proton-beam-induced reaction of spirophenanthrooxazine (SPO) is investigated as a function of fluence by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, color measurement, and GC/MS. The reaction is a decomposition reaction of SPO with a rate constant of 0.275 min−1 and proceeds in a different way from its photochromic reaction.
pH-sensitive Spherical Micelles with Core–Corona Structure Based on Graft-like Block Copolymer Containing Biodegradable ε-Caprolactone Branches
Authors: Tao Youhua , Liu Ren , Liu Xiaoya , Chen Mingqing , Yang Cheng , Ni Zhongbin
Published: October 2008

pH-sensitive spherical micelles with obvious core–corona structure were fabricated by self-assembling of block copolymer of methylacrylic acid and macro-monomer FM [CH2=C(CH3)OOCH2CH2(OCOCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2)5OH] (PMAA-b-PFM). Transmission electron microscopy and laser light scattering studies showed that micelles were nanoscale with narrow size distribution. Solution pH value and the micelle concentration strongly influenced the hydrodynamic radius of the spherical micelles (32–90 nm). The obtained polymeric micelles should be useful for biomedical materials such as drug delivery vehicles.
Real-time Off/On-mode Fluorescence Assay for Enzyme Reactions Involving Nucleoside Polyphosphates by Use of a Xanthene ZnII–Dpa Chemosensor
Authors: Kohira Takahiro , Takashima Ippei , Nonaka Hiroshi , Ojida Akio , Hamachi Itaru
Published: October 2008

New real-time fluorescent assay systems using a zinc(II) complex as a chemosensor for two enzyme reactions catalyzed by Nudix hydrolases and glycosyltransferases have been developed.
Protease-Dependent Fractional Mass and Peptide Properties
Authors: Barsnes Harald , Eidhammer Ingvar , Cruciani Véronique , Mikalsen Svein-Ole
Published: October 2008

Mass spectrometric analyses of peptides mainly rely on cleavage of proteins with proteases that have a defined specificity. The specificities of the proteases imply that there is not a random distribution of amino acids in the peptides. The physico–chemical effects of this distribution have been partly analyzed for tryptic peptides, but to a lesser degree for other proteases. Using all human proteins in Swiss-Prot, the relationships between peptide fractional mass, pI and hydrophobicity were investigated. The distribution of the fractional masses and the average regression lines for the fractional masses were similar, but not identical, for the peptides generated by the proteases trypsin, chymotrypsin and gluC, with the steepest regression line for gluC. The fractional mass regression lines for individual proteins showed up to ±100 ppm in mass difference from the average regression line and the peptides generated showed protease-dependent properties. We here show that the fractional mass and some other properties of the peptides are dependent on the protease used for generating the peptides. With the increasing accuracy of mass spectrometry instruments, it is possible to exploit the information embedded in the fractional mass of unknown peaks in peptide mass fingerprint spectra.
Assessing Effects of Pre-Processing Mass Spectrometry Data on Classification Performance
Authors: Ozcift Akin , Gulten Arif
Published: October 2008

Disease prediction through mass spectrometry (MS) data is gaining importance in medical diagnosis. Particularly in cancerous diseases, early prediction is one of the most life saving stages. High dimension and the noisy nature of MS data requires a two-phase study for successful disease prediction; first, MS data must be pre-processed with stages such as baseline correction, normalizing, de-noising and peak detection. Second, a dimension reduction based classifier design is the main objective. Having the data pre-processed, the prediction accuracy of the classifier algorithm becomes the most significant factor in the medical diagnosis phase. As health is the main concern, the accuracy of the classifier is clearly very important. In this study, the effects of the pre-processing stages of MS data on classifier performances are addressed. Three pre-processing stages—baseline correction, normalization and de-noising—are applied to three MS data samples, namely, high-resolution ovarian cancer, low-resolution prostate cancer and a low-resolution ovarian cancer. To measure the effects of the pre-processing stages quantitatively, four diverse classifiers, genetic algorithm wrapped K-nearest neighbor (GA-KNN), principal component analysis-based least discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), a neural network (NN) and a support vector machine (SVM) are applied to the data sets. Calculated classifier performances have demonstrated the effects of pre-processing stages quantitatively and the importance of pre-processing stages on the prediction accuracy of classifiers. Results of computations have been shown clearly.
Minimize the Detection of False Positives by the Software Program DetectShift for 18O-Labeled Cross-Linked Peptide Analysis
Authors: Gao Qiuxia , Xue Song , Shaffer Scott A. , Doneanu Catalin E. , Goodlett David R. , Nelson Sidney D.
Published: October 2008

In order to speed up the process of cross-linked peptide identification and characterization, we have previously reported the development of Pro-CrossLink,1 a suite of software tools consisting of three programs, DetectShift, IdentifyXLink and AssignXLink for mass spectrometric data analysis. Since its public disclosure, Pro-CrossLink has been downloaded by 101 research groups. Pro-CrossLink users have provided us with valuable feedback on the use of the DetectShift program. Here we assess some reasons for the generation of false positives by DetectShift. In addition, we provide users with suggestions on optimal parameter setting and efficient use of the software program.
Care pathway quality scorecards
Authors: Gray Jenny
Published: October 2008

This paper describes the rationale and methodology for three exercises used to critically appraise the quality of the two main tools supporting implementation of the care pathway continuous improvement methodology. The Venture care pathway journey quality scorecard and the Venture care pathway paper-document quality scorecard builds a greater understanding of the value provided by different components of content and layout. In addition, the Venture paper care pathway document template provides a basic design guide for teams, based on 20 years of experience in developing, implementing and evaluating care pathway documents.
Research Note—Trading Up: A Strategic Analysis of Reference Group Effects
Authors: Amaldoss Wilfred , Jain Sanjay
Published: October 2008

Reference groups influence product and brand evaluations, especially when the product is a publicly consumed luxury good. Marketers of such luxury goods need to carefully balance two important social forces: (1) the desire of leaders to distinguish themselves from followers and (2) the countervailing desire of followers to assimilate with leaders. In this paper, we examine the theoretical implications of these social forces for firm prices, product design, and target consumer selection. We show that the presence of reference group effects can motivate firms to add costly features, which provide limited or no functional benefit to consumers. Furthermore, reference group effects can induce product proliferation on one hand and motivate firms to offer limited editions on the other hand. We find that offering a limited edition can increase sales and profits. In some cases, reference group effects can even lead to a buying frenzy.
Try It, You Will Like It—Does Consumer Learning Lead to Competitive Price Promotions?
Authors: Freimer Marshall , Horsky Dan
Published: October 2008

There is strong evidence that consumers learn from their brand consumption experiences and continuously update their brand purchase probabilities. However, in explaining why established competitive brands continuously compete through periodic price promotions, most of the existing theories do not attribute this phenomenon to underlying consumer learning. Yet, “try it, you will like it” is often the stated rationale of the practicing marketing manager in offering consumers a price promotion on a brand. This paper examines the connection between consumer learning and the offering of price promotions. The consumer model specified is Markovian in nature and encompasses in addition to consumer learning other empirical findings such as the increase in product class consumption in response to price reductions. The consumer models used in the existing game theoretic approaches to this problem are shown to be mostly special cases of the proposed model. It is demonstrated that for the commonly used price response functions the existence of consumer learning, at a level of intensity consistent with that identified in empirical works, makes it optimal for competing brands to periodically offer price promotions. Moreover, it is shown that the competing brands should promote in different periods as opposed to head to head.
Class Pricing
Authors: Wernerfelt Birger
Published: October 2008

A contract with K-class pricing divides a large set of goods or services into K classes and assigns a single price to any element of a class. While the literature has emphasized rationales based on screening, this paper looks at the implications of costly pricing. My analysis suggests that class pricing is more likely to be used when the number of buyers is smaller, the number of versions is larger, the variance in costs is smaller, and demand ex ante differs less between versions. Under simple conditions classes should be designed to minimize the sum of squared within-class cost deviations. In bilateral trades, the most efficient game form is that in which classes are designed by the player with fewer varied gains from trade, while the traded version is chosen by the other player. Decisions are thus made by the player who cares most about them, while the opponent prescribes a set of limits.
Explanation of the Origin of Distortion and Residual Stress in Carburized Ring Using Computer Simulation
Authors: Arimoto K. , Yamanaka S. , Funatani K.
Published: October 2008

Case carburizing is recognized as a suitable process for realizing low distortion and high compressive stresses near the surfaces under optimal conditions. Patterns of distortion and residual stresses in carburized cylinders and rings under different conditions have been identified from measurements performed for many years. Some pioneers of the heat treatment simulation compared their simulated results of carburized and quenched parts with experimental data for verifying their programs. However, these early researchers did not sufficiently explain their distortion and stress generation mechanism using their simulated results. Although one of the authors tried to illuminate their mechanism of a carburized and quenched ring, the work has not been finished because the purpose was limited in examining the role of transformation plasticity in the process. In this paper, the same simulated results were analyzed more comprehensively for explaining the origin of distortion and residual stress in the ring based on a concrete strategy newly developed.
Ein maßstäbliches Experiment zur aktiven Schwingungsdämpfung eines Eisenbahn-Wagenkastens A Scaled Experiment for Active Vibration Control of a Railway Car Body
Authors: Kozek Martin , Benatzky Christian
Published: October 2008

Der Beitrag beschreibt Identifikation, Reglerentwurf sowie gemessene Resultate eines maßstäblichen Experiments für die aktive Schwingungsdämpfung eines Eisenbahn-Wagenkastens. Piezo Stack-Aktoren zusammen mit Piezo Patch-Sensoren werden zur aktiven Dämpfung der Struktur verwendet. Die optimale Platzierung der Aktoren und Sensoren, die Identifikation der Übertragungsfunktionen sowie der Entwurf eines robusten Reglers werden vorgestellt.
Vollständige Modale Synthese eines Wärmeleiters Parametric State Feedback Design for a Heat Conductor
Authors: Deutscher Joachim , Harkort Christian
Published: October 2008

Die Vollständige Modale Synthese wurde bisher nur für lineare zeitinvariante Systeme mit konzentrierten Parametern formuliert. Sie liefert einen expliziten Formelausdruck für die Zustandsrückführung in Abhängigkeit von den Regelungseigenwerten und Parametervektoren. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Wärmeleiter als Beispiel verwendet, um die Vollständige Modale Synthese auf lineare zeitinvariante verteilt-parametrische Systeme mit skalarem Zustand und verteiltem Eingriff zu erweitern. Durch Einführung der Regelungseigenwerte und Parametervektoren als Entwurfsparameter lässt sich ein expliziter Formelausdruck für die Zustandsrückführung des verteilt-parametrischen Systems herleiten. Neben der Eigenwertvorgabe erlaubt die neue Parametrierung eine gezielte Vorgabe der Regelungseigenfunktionen. Die Vorteile der neuen Entwurfsmethode werden anhand der Führungsentkopplung des Wärmeleiters diskutiert.
Über eine neue Methode zur Leistungssteigerung von Mensch-Maschine-Systemen durch gezielten Assistenzeinsatz About a New Method to Increase Performance of Man Machine Systems by Targeted Assistance Integration
Authors: Peinsipp-Byma Elisabeth
Published: October 2008

Eine ungünstige Systemauslegung kann den Menschen höher als notwendig belasten und dadurch die Gesamtleistung eines Mensch-Maschine-Systems geringer als möglich ausfallen lassen. In diesem Beitrag wird eine Methode vorgestellt, die die objektive Ermittlung von Aufgabenteilen, welche den Nutzer stark belasten, auf theoretischem Wege ermöglicht. Mit diesem Wissen kann die Systemauslegung optimiert werden, beispielsweise durch Assistenz, die den Menschen gezielt bei diesen Aufgabenteilen entlastet.
Megascience in Particle Physics: The Birth of an Experiment String at Fermilab
Authors: Bodnarczuk Mark , Hoddeson Lillian
Published: October 2008

During the 1970s and 1980s, the experimental particle physicists at large laboratories responded to the limited funding context of that time. Unlike the "big science" in the postwar decades, when funding for research appeared unlimited and many parameters grew exponentially, the even larger-scale "megascience" of the 1970s and on was shaped by competition for limited resources at host laboratories. Experimental programs increasingly took the form of long-lived (typically ten- to twenty-year) strings of related experiments, invisible institutions creating research traditions within the laboratory. Focusing on how a particular study of charmed particles (experiment E-516) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory gave rise to one of the laboratory's earliest experiment strings (E-516-691-769-791), we explore why such strings evolved and how they led to new research practices. Because these strings produced conflicts and ironies that threatened to undermine fundamental aspects of the research, the emergence of experiment strings can be viewed as a limiting process of large-scale research in the 1970s and 1980s.
Recombinant Science: The Birth of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)
Authors: Crease Robert P.
Published: October 2008

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory was the first facility to move the subfield of nuclear physics into the relativistic (very high-energy) regime. From the time of its formal proposal in 1984 to the start of its operation in 2000, it anchored a profound reconfiguration of Brookhaven's mission. This article analyzes the process by which RHIC came to seem the best solution to a problem thrust upon the Brookhaven laboratory administration by the planning and funding demands of the early 1980s, which required creative reconfiguration of resources and programs from long-established national laboratories accustomed to pursuing particular kinds of science. The RHIC story is an example of "recombinant science," as Catherine Westfall has labeled it, which does not occur as a natural outgrowth of previous research. In the recombinant science that gave birth to RHIC, the ends as well as the means arose as the result of contingencies and convergences that required researchers from multiple subfields to adapt their intentions and methods, sometimes awkwardly. Against a backdrop of limited budgets, increasing oversight, and competitive claims from other labs and projects, this case study illustrates how many strands had to come together simultaneously in RHIC, including changes in theoretical interest, experimental developments, and the existence of hardware assets---plus leadership and several lucky breaks.
Role Fusion: The Occupational Socialization of Prison Chaplains
Authors: Hicks Allison M.
Published: October 2008

The conclusion that prisons, as total institutions, are “forcing houses” for the changing of persons can be extended beyond inmates to the prison staff. In this article I focus on one subset of prison staff that has received only scant examination: prison chaplains. Using qualitative interview data, I analyze the occupational socialization of state‐employed prison chaplains. I begin by discussing the initial expectations chaplains held about their work and what they hoped to accomplish. I describe the challenges of working in the correctional environment and note the occupational adjustments chaplains made in reaction to these challenges. I conclude with a theoretical examination of the role and identity processes that framed the occupational socialization of prison chaplains.
Elevated Blood Pressure, Decreased Heart Rate Variability and Incomplete Blood Pressure Recovery after a 12‐hour Night Shift Work
Authors: Su Ta‐Chen , Lin Lian‐Yu , Baker Dean , Schnall Peter L. , Chen Ming‐Fong , Hwang Wen‐Chang , Chen Chen‐Fang , Wang Jung‐Der
Published: October 2008

Elevated Blood Pressure, Decreased Heart Rate Variability and Incomplete Blood Pressure Recovery after a 12‐hour Night Shift Work: Ta‐Chen Su, et al. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan—Shift work has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to determine the hemodynamic effects of 12‐hour (12‐h) shifts, and changes in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate variability (HRV) during 36 h rest time following 12‐h shifts. Fifteen male shift workers with a mean age of 32.9 yr were recruited from a semiconductor factory. Ambulatory BP (AmBP) monitoring was performed for a total of 48 h for each participant. Six workers were monitored for 48 h by Holter electrocardiogram on both the day and night shifts. Paired self‐comparison was used to estimate the difference between two hourly measurements of 12‐h BP, HR, and HRV using the same timetable intra‐individually. We also applied mixed models to estimate the effects of 12‐h shifts on the delayed recovery of BP and heart rate (HR) in six workers who completed 96‐h AmBP monitoring, including a 48‐h night shift‐rest period and another day shift period. Results showed that 12‐h night shift work gave a persistently elevated systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) and HR, and decreased HRV compared to 12‐h day shift work with the corresponding resting time. In addition, there was delayed SBP and DBP recovery on the first 12‐h rest time in night shift workers, which was further demonstrated on the second 12‐h rest time after adjustment for possible confounders through mixed models. In conclusion, 12‐h night shift work may elevate BP and HR and decrease HRV. It is also associated with delayed BP recovery.
The Value of High Resolution Computed Tomography in the Diagnostics of Small Opacities and Complications of Silicosis in Mine Machinery Manufacturing Workers, Compared to Radiography
Authors: Sun Jinkai , Weng Dong , Jin Changshan , Yan Bo , Xu Guihua , Jin Bo , Xia Shenning , Chen Jie
Published: October 2008

The Value of High Resolution Computed Tomography in the Diagnostics of Small Opacities and Complications of Silicosis in Mine Machinery Manufacturing Workers, Compared to Radiography: Jinkai Sun, et al. Division of Pneumoconiosis, School of Public Health, China Medical University, China—The purpose of this study was to assess the value and usefulness of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the diagnostics of small opacities and complications of silicosis in mine machinery manufacturing workers, compared to conventional radiograms. The diagnosis of silicosis is mainly based on the radiological findings of workers exposed to the dust causing lung fibrosis. However, on radiograms many parenchymal structures overlap, which limits the sensitivity and specificity of the method. Difficulties in accurate interpretation of conventional radiograms in silicosis also result from their relatively low resolution. We randomly selected 30 I period silicosis patients from 77 I period silicosis patients working at a mine machinery manufacturing company. Out of 1078 non‐silicosis and 162 0+period silicosis subjects, 30 non‐silicosis and 30 0+period silicosis subjects were randomly selected and matched with the 30 I period silicosis subjects by age (± 3.0 yr) and occupational exposure time (± 2.0 yr). Chest Xrays were taken at maximal inspiration. For the HRCT examination, the GE Somatom plus apparatus was used. Eight, five and six subjects were respectively diagnosed as 0+, I or I+period silicosis based on HRCT among 90 subjects whose original diagnoses were nonsilicosis, 0+ or I period silicosis based on radiography. The numbers of small opacities in HRCT scans were significantly higher than those seen in radiography in all lung zones (p<0.01). HRCT was more sensitive than radiography in detecting small opacities of midout zones of the lung, but no statistical significance was found between the two methods in the detection of small opacities of lower zones of the lung. A statistically significant increase in the detectability of bulla, emphysema, pleural, mediastinal and hilar changes was observed (p<0.05). HRCT might be more sensitive than radiography in detecting lung parenchymal changes suggestive of silicosis.
Changes in Guinea Pig Cochlear Hair Cells after Sound Conditioning and Noise Exposure
Authors: Zuo Hongyan , Cui Bo , She Xiaojun , Wu Mingquan
Published: October 2008

Changes in Guinea Pig Cochlear Hair Cells after Sound Conditioning and Noise Exposure: Hongyan Zuo, et al. Department of Occupational Hygiene, Institute of Health and Environmental Medicine of Tianjin, PR China—Sound conditioning has reduced noise‐induced hearing loss in experimental mammalian animals and in clinical observation. Forty guinea pigs were grouped as: A, control; B, conditioning noise exposure group; C, high level noise exposure group; and D, conditioning noise exposure followed by a high level noise exposure group. Auditory brainstem response thresholds were measured. The cochlear sensory epithelia surface was observed microscopically. Calmodulin, F‐actin and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in hair cells were immunohistochemistrically stained. The intracellular free calcium was stained for confocal microscopy. The ABR threshold shift after noise exposure was higher in group C than D, and showed a quicker and better recovery in group D than C. Stereocilia loss and the disarrangement of outer hair cells were observed, with the greatest changes seen in group C, followed by groups D and B. The most intensive immunohistochemical intracellular expressions of calmodulin, F‐actin, and HSP70 were found in group D, followed by groups C, B and A. The highest intensity of the fluorescent intracellular free Ca2+ staining in the isolated outer hair cells was observed in group C. The ABR and morphological studies confirmed the protective effect from noise trauma of sound conditioning. The protective mechanism of hair cells during sound conditioning was enforced through the increase of cellular cytoskeleton proteins and through the relieving of intracellular calcium overloading caused by the traumatic noise.
Foundation behaviour below an embankment on soft soils
Authors: Rankine B. R. , Indraratna B. , Sivakugan N. , Wijeyakulasuriya V. , Rujikiatkamjorn C.
Published: October 2008

The Sunshine Motorway is one of the major traffic corridors that service the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Initial investigations for the construction of pavements in area 2, stage 2 of the motorway began in late 1990. Large areas of soft, highly compressible organic clays were found to exist over the length of the upgrade. Also, because the topography of the proposed alignment was mostly low lying, earthworks were required over a large portion of the route. Prior to any earthworks for the stage being undertaken, a trial embankment was constructed in the area to provide an understanding of the foundation behaviour and to also ensure the overall success of the project. The finite difference code FLAC was employed to investigate the performance of the full-scale trial embankment, and the underlying soft clay. Predictions of the excess pore pressure and both vertical and lateral displacements are made and compared with field observations.
Resistivity through Casing Measurement Successfully Applied to Improve Oil Recovery and Water Shut Off: A Case Study from Western Desert, Egypt
Authors: Dutta Dhruba J. , Badr Abdallah B.
Published: October 2008

Improvement of oil recovery and reduction in water-cut in a matured field requires precise time lapse saturation monitoring. Behind casing resistivity, an important member of the comprehensive analysis behind casing services suite, provides the required answer by acquiring deep resistivity information through casing for subsequent formation evaluation. A time lapse saturation figure could be generated immediately after the acquisition which is extremely instrumental to take an immediate decision. The technology is well known in the industry and already proven beneficial in many occasions. In favorable conditions, this is the most effective methods available to date for saturation monitoring as being the deepest through casing measurement in terms of radial investigation.

The case study presented in the paper describes a successful water shutoff operation and improved oil recovery from the Bahariya formation in the western desert, Egypt. The well was drilled in early 2006 followed by logging and testing and was put on production immediately after completion. During the production time of little more than one year, the oil rate decreased by 70% with 84% water-cut. This significant fall in oil output with sharp early water break through, a common phenomenon in this mature field required a proper shutoff operation. The present example discusses in detail the reason in choosing resistivity behind casing acquisition and time lapse formation evaluation to monitor present saturation profile. Comparison between original and present water saturation level immediately detects the depleted zones and the degree of depletion across perforated intervals indicates the interval contributes most of the produced water. In the present example the cased-hole resistivity acquisition shows departure (lowering) of resistivity values against some perforated intervals. The zones were isolated after identification of the intervals that showed considerably lower resistivity values. This is considered as an indication of rise in oil-water-contact or lengthening of transition zone. In the present case, the remedial measures for water shut-off operation based on time lapse evaluation have enhanced oil recovery from 540 Barrel to 2250 Barrel oil per day with significant reduction in water cut from 84% to 0.5%.

The results were encouraging enough for the operator to reinvestigate the production performance and identify wells where this technique could be meaningfully utilized. The current analysis and workflow offers a fairly good understanding about the reservoir's production scenario, monitoring and future actions for enhanced recovery.
Linking Strategy to Performance in the Oil Industry
Authors: Fletcher A. J. P. , Davis J. P.
Published: October 2008

For an organisation, once having decided upon a given strategy, it is natural to want to assess subsequent performance against those strategic goals. However, it is notoriously difficult to quantify linkage between a strategy and seeing how it works. We propose a methodology to measure performance and establish the linkage between an agreed strategy to subsequent actions.

We argue that the key elements required to achieve the goal of a joined up system of strategy, overview and operation must include a shared ‘picture of the organisation’, an identification of real processes of that organisation and a direct linkage between the processes and the measurement of the success of those processes. This could be expressed as: Purpose, Process and Performance

We argue that a ‘shared picture of the organisation’ assists in communicating a consistent and unified picture to all those involved in transforming strategy into action

The authors present, through a consideration of organisational complexity and systems thinking, a process based method of representing an organisation to help identify the critical processes which will deliver strategic success and target performance measurement to monitor these critical processes.

Two studies are presented. Firstly, the selection and application of chemical EOR technology in the field is discussed with reference to projects conducted over the last two decades. Secondly, a study of options for gas developments with regards the NW Shelf of Australia is presented.

The methodology allows the creation of a hierarchical process model grounded in the values of the organisation; providing the capability of modeling at both strategic and operational levels. If communicated throughout the organisation, the model provides a consistent picture to all involved, reducing the irregularities that result from differing mental models and thereby increasing the potential for organisational learning.
A Method for Enhancing the RPM Performance in Matrix Reservoir
Authors: Sidiq Hiwa H. , Amin Robert
Published: October 2008

A methodology for enhancing the performance of relative permeability modifier (RPM) treatment presented here utilises a technique of injecting chemicals sequentially into the affected wells. This technique considers injecting a single RPM into matrix reservoir cannot occupy all the reservoir pores, because as RPM injected it will form a constant film on the reservoir rock grains that may plug small pores and reducing the effective size of larger pores. Therefore the RPM displacement will not be piston like and consequently the RPM treatments have shown low to moderate success. The aim of this method is to obtain a high dispersion rate of RPM polymers onto the reservoir rock grains to improve the performance of RPM treatments.

In this study we examined two injection methods; namely single and sequential injections. For the single chemical injection, three chemicals were tested each individually in Berea plugs having water permeabilities ranging from 5.5 to 18.5md and porosities from 14.1 to 19.6%. Thereafter three of these chemicals were injected successively into a Berea sample having water permeability of 34md and porosity of 20.4%.

The experiment results revealed that injecting chemicals sequentially is more effective method for conformance control in matrix reservoir than the single chemical injection method. For instance, for the first and second water alternate oil (WAO) cycles, the residual resistance factor to water Frrw obtained by this method was 5 and 2.5 times higher than the Frrw acquired by the single chemical injection method. The measured residual resistance factor to oil Frro using the sequential method was less than two, which is considered to be the upper limit for conformance control in matrix reservoirs. Accordingly injecting chemicals sequentially method can be applied to enhance RPM performance in matrix reservoirs.
The Effect of Wettability on Oil Recovery: A Review
Authors: Agbalaka Chinedu , Dandekar Abhijit Y. , Patil Shirish L. , Khataniar Santanu , Hemsath James R.
Published: October 2008

Numerous early reports on experimental works relating to the role of wettability in various aspects of oil recovery have been published. Early examples of laboratory waterfloods show oil recovery increasing with increasing water-wetness. This result is consistent with the intuitive notion that strong wetting preference of the rock for water and associated strong capillary imbibition forces give the most efficient oil displacement. However, an increasing number of examples of improved waterflood recovery with shift from strongly water-wet conditions to intermediate, weakly water-wet and oil-wet conditions have also been reported. All the early and more recently observed experimental outcomes, on wettability effects on waterflood oil recovery, point to the divergence of conclusions regarding the optimum wetting condition for maximum waterflood oil recovery.

The impact of the in-situ reservoir wetting state on miscible and /or immiscible gas flood oil recovery, though not as pronounced as that observed in waterflooding processes, is still nonetheless quite significant. It has been shown that wettability does indeed determine the gasflood oil recovery efficiency and changes in wetting states have resulted in observed improved gasflood recoveries.

This paper examines the effect of wettability on waterflooding and gasflooding processes respectively. Waterflood oil recoveries were examined for the dual cases of uniform and non-uniform wetting conditions. The uniformly wetted systems examined in this work are considered to be those systems in which the observed wetting state is uniformly distributed and covers the range from strongly water-wet through the intermediate-wet to strongly oil-wet conditions. The non-uniformly wetted systems examined include the mixed-wet and the fractionally-wetted systems. The effects of wettability on miscible and immiscible gas recovery processes (including WAG) are also examined. Other factors such as the spreading coefficient, mobility ratio, crossflows, etc. were also reported to affect gasflood oil recoveries.

Most experiments on wettability studies are performed on core samples and depending on the process of core sample recovery / retrieval, transportation and storage, the wetting state of the core sample may be altered. Consequently the importance of proper core handling procedure in ensuring that the reservoir native-state wettability is preserved is highlighted. In a situation where the native wetting state has been altered, the need for adequate care in the process of/approach to reproducing wettability is also mentioned.
Study of Produced CO2 Storage into Aquifer in an Offshore Field, Malaysia
Authors: Kartikasurja Dewanto Odeara , Lin Tan Giok , Sukahar M. Wakif , Viratno Bernato
Published: October 2008

To meet the ever increasing gas demand in Malaysia, many gas fields with high CO2 content are being considered for development. Located in offshore Peninsular Malaysia, B field is one of those gas fields. It is vital for the field development plan to focus on the issues of associated CO2 gas production disposal in view of the global warming effects of releasing CO2 to the atmosphere. The offshore separation and removal of CO2 has to be carried out to meet the gas sales specifications from an average CO2 of 29 mol % in the Full Well Steam (FWS) down to 8%, thus raising the issue of managing this huge volume of CO2 greenhouse gas production. The study on how to manage the disposal and storage of the CO2 separated from the gas stream was made as an integral part of the B field development plan, since a disposal site and an infrastructure for injection operations would be needed to store the produced CO2.

This paper presents the workflow and methods of evaluating the potential formation for subsurface disposal of produced CO2 into a saline aquifer over the entire life of the field and its impact in the field development plan. The main tasks associated with the study are the geological evaluation of the shallow subsurface and subsequent reservoir engineering and CO2 injection modeling challenges due to limited reservoir data. The water filled aquifer zones that were identified to be potential sequestration site are in the Group D with depth surfaces starting from 1170 m subsea and ending at 1300 m subsea, 5 km south of the A-Platform (main). All CO2 gas re-injection wells will be drilled from the satellite platform-B. All reservoirs which include potential aquifer zones below 1800 m subsea depth have been found to be over-pressured and are not suitable for CO2 sequestration.

A faulted geo-cellular model was built and subsequently characterized by stochastic facies and petrophysical distributions based on exploration/appraisal wells data and 3D seismic interpretation. Different sensitivity studies were carried out to have a good understanding of the key parameters that would control the re-injection process.

Based on the results of the model, the aquifer is adequate to store the volume of the re-injected CO2 using four injection wells. The model results show that by lengthening the CO2 migration path, the CO2 dissolution in the formation water can be maximized and thus minimizing the build-up of aquifer pressure. It is achieved by targeting the injection further down-dip of the aquifer. Furthermore, the low salinity of the aquifer water is also an important factor in helping to maximize the amount of CO2 dissolved. High injectivity wells are essential to minimize the bottom-hole pressure required to inject the gas, in order to stay below the fracture pressure limit. This factor becomes very important as the aquifer pressure builds up.
Killing of a Gas Well: Successful Implementation of Innovative Approaches in a Middle-Eastern Carbonate Field—A Field Case
Authors: Salehi S. , Hearland G. , Soroush M. , Dehkordi K. Khademi
Published: October 2008

A casing collapse occurred in a gas producing well with about 2.5 million cubic meters per day gas flow rate at a depth of 216 ft due to tectonic movements. As a result, the well blew out and different serious procedures were put into play to kill the well (Figure 1). This paper aims to review the practical and innovative approach that was used to secure and extinguish the well. Figure 1Gas Seepages in Kangan Field

Initially attempts to kill the well included pumping water and or cement into the well to kill and secure it but it was not successful. Two directional relief wells, Kanagan-23A and Kanagan-23B were drilled to secure the well, the latter one was successful. The 23B well was drilled down to total depth of 2500m and entered into drainage area of Kangan-23 gas well. Different directional surveys were tried according to geophysical and geological data for entering the target area. The well relief and intersection was done by combining the new wellpath with the old well and injecting different pills and acidizing the new well to generate connectivity between the two wells. This type of innovative techniques has never been used in killing a well successfully before. This paper presents the unique thinking and practical approach used for securing this well including the failures as well as successes. The successful procedure may be used in killing future wells under similar condition.