bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainable European Companies Market Value
Authors: Pache-Durán María , Pérez-Calderón Esteban , Milanés-Montero Patricia
Published: April 2019

This chapter reveals the extent to which the companies with the best eco-efficiency indicators have found their market value positively or adversely affected. The authors will analyze whether one of the main stakeholders in business attitude and activity towards the environment (i.e., capital markets) are rewarding companies for their excellent eco-efficiency performance. The chapter will be explicitly examining the hypothesis that a higher degree of eco-efficiency is associated with a greater recognition by the stock market. The study sample will comprise a data panel from European companies indexed in the DJSWI for the years ranging from 2011-2015. The findings obtained indicate that the capital markets are giving recognition to the European companies that achieve greater eco-efficiency levels where emissions are concerned. The previous behavior will be rewarded by the capital market, which can contribute to improving its reputation, reducing its financing costs and generating wealth for its shareholders.
New Approach to Detect and Select Technology-Based Firms
Authors: Garrido-Prada Pablo , Delgado-Rodríguez María Jesús , Romero-Jordán Desiderio
Published: April 2019

Technology-based firms are a key driver for the growth potential of a country due to their capacity to introduce radical innovations and value into the economy. In this chapter, the authors propose a definition for technology-based firms based on strategies that makes possible to identify the companies with advanced use of technology (including knowledge) in all the sectors of the economy. This refined definition helps to identify this kind of companies and to orientate special public policies to foster their development. For follower countries in terms of technology and innovation, as it is the case of Spain, technology-based firms may be a significantly different collective compare with advanced technological countries. Thus, the authors propose a method to detect technology-based firms in not only high technology sector using a Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) in Spain. This chapter confirms that there are technology-based firms in many activities outside the high technology sectors that can be of interest for public institution and investors.
Fashion Design Entrepreneurs
Authors: Fernandes Clara Eloïse , Madeira Maria José , Pereira Maria Madalena
Published: April 2019

The fashion industry is experiencing a new dynamic as many professionals have decided to take the risk to create fashion-related businesses. As universities and private schools provide fashion courses, many paths can be taken by graduates in this vast and challenging industry, including careers as fashion design entrepreneurs. However, the lack of information regarding networking and business-creation can be a hard wall to come across, as fashion designers are not prepared in that sense by higher-education courses. Fashion education is still very focused on hard skills, forgetting to teach students to be pro-active and forward-thinkers; yet a new generation of fashion designers has transformed past experiences and professional vision to become entrepreneurs. This chapter provides results obtained through interviews of these fashion entrepreneurs in Portugal, as well as other countries around the globe. This work observes this ever-changing industry and suggests the rise of a new entrepreneurial reality in fashion design, as well as the multi-disciplinary people who are changing it.
Automatic IQ Estimation Using Stylometric Methods
Authors: Abramov Polina Shafran , Yampolskiy Roman V.
Published: April 2019

Stylometry is a study of text linguistic properties that brings together various fields of research such as statistics, linguistics, computer science and more. Stylometry methods have been used for historic investigation, as forensic evidence and an educational tool. This chapter presents a method to automatically estimate individual's IQ based on quality of writing and discusses challenges associated with it. The method utilizes various text features and NLP techniques to calculate indexes which are used to estimate individual's IQ. The results show a high degree of correlation between expected and estimated IQs in cases when IQ is within the average range. Obtaining good estimation for IQs on the high and low ends of the spectrum proves to be more challenging and this work offers several reasons for that. Over the years stylometry benefitted from wide exposure and interest among researches, however it appears that there aren't studies that focus on using stylometry methods to estimate individual's intelligence. Perhaps this work presents the first in-depth attempt to do so.
Ethical Issues in Transhumanism
Authors: Karaman Faruk
Published: April 2019

Transhumanism seems to be inevitable. There seems to be no way to stop the developments leading humanity to transhumanism. As Heidegger puts, technological determinism rules, rather than social determinism. In other words, the technology controls the society, not the other way around. Therefore, in a short time period, people will be forced to face the challenges of transhumanism. It is therefore the right time to prepare for those challenges before they became mainstream. Tomorrow, it will be too late. Academicians, educators, politicians, philosophers, intellectuals, psychologists … etc. all should concentrate on the issue. This chapter will try to answer such questions and many others. A philosophical approach is used. After all, ethics is a branch of philosophy. Since, this is a futuristic topic, it is hard to find first-hand data and conduct survey analysis etc. Therefore, this is a theoretical chapter.
The Role, Influence, and Demand of Pedagogies in the Age of Transhumanism
Authors: Misra Pradeep Kumar
Published: April 2019

Whether pedagogies play a role in the age of transhumanism is a question that has no certain answers. There are some who say that pedagogies do not play any role in transhumanism while some say that pedagogies appear to play a role in this movement. Agreeing to the later observation, this chapter proposes that pedagogies have a relationship with transhumanism and will play a very important role in the transhumanistic societies of the future. Extending these arguments and observations, present paper assesses the role, influence and demand of pedagogies in the age of transhumanism. In this quest, present chapter: defines pedagogy and discusses its importance; enumerates the relationship between pedagogy and transhumanism; analyses the role of pedagogies in the age of transhumanism; looks upon the influence and demand of pedagogies in the age of transhumanism; and predicts the future of pedagogies in transhumanistic societies.
Being a Post-Learner With Virtual Worlds
Authors: Şahin Ferhan , Doğan Ezgi
Published: April 2019

Transhumanism, which emerges as a movement of thought, stands out with the developments such as artificial organs, brain-to-brain knowledge and learning transfer and smart robots in the 21st century. One of these technologies, where we see early applications with the goal of reaching the post-human, is the virtual worlds. Some features of the post-humans, which can now be experienced through 3 dimensional immersive virtual worlds in a certain scale, also reveal the fact that the existing virtual worlds are a limited simulation of a transhumanist future. While the virtual worlds and transhumanism perspective is expected to be effective in various areas of human life, it will be inevitable for these effects to manifest themselves in learning processes. In this sense, evaluation of surrounding learning by virtual worlds is the main objective of this chapter. For this purpose, virtual worlds in transhumanism age were tried to be evaluated under learning context by using anime series and film samples which are yet considered as sci-fi.
Educational Technologies in the Age of Transhumanism
Authors: Karadeniz Şirin , Ergül Işıl Boy
Published: April 2019

Transhumanism has created drastic changes in many different sectors, especially in education as it is directly related to how we grow and shape our lives. Transhumanist technologies, especially augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI), play an important role in education and provide new opportunities by facilitating the communication between students and teachers and students and other students in order to obtain fruitful learning outcomes. In this chapter, transhumanist technologies used in teaching and learning will be discussed with a critical analysis, and how these technologies can change the way people learn will be explained through the lens of transhumanism.
Gender Issues and Priorities in Republic of Belarus
Authors: Sibirskaya Albina
Published: April 2019

In today's world, sustainable development of society is impossible without gender equality. Gender equality is one of the indicators of the level of democratization of society, the level of its civilization. There are gender-related problems in the world of access to resources and benefits, such as access to education or healthcare and treatment, or wage differentials between women and men. These differences are usually caused, in particular, by the customs of society, religious prejudices, social conditions. Gender stratification in society provokes an uneven distribution of wealth, power, and privileges between men and women in the aftermath. Gender issues are addressed at all levels, including legislation, policies, economic, and social programs. The ultimate goal of integration is to achieve gender equality.
Making the Postsecondary Education Experience a Primary Focus for the Evolving Student Population
Authors: Newman Craig M.
Published: April 2019

As the United States grapples with the changing realities associated with a rapidly post-industrial economy, the need for a robust postsecondary educational structure is taking on an outsized importance for social and societal viability. While the need to augment and prepare current and future workforces is apparent, the best practices and ideas for what is needed, who needs it, and how to deliver the needed educational undergirding for a transformative workforce are less certain. The existing paradigms of higher education—be they college- or vocation-oriented—are struggling to maintain relevance in serving a student consumer for whom traditional education models are less relevant and often too slow to adapt to the demands of a changing work environment.
Mentoring at Minority-Serving Institutions
Authors: Bannister John
Published: April 2019

This chapter highlights mentorship strategies of a southeastern Historically Black College and University (HBCU) adult degree program. In serving the nontraditional student population of this Black university, the institutions have cultivated strategies used to mentor and motivate adult students to achieve successful outcomes. Some of these strategies are built around activities and organizations designed to include adult students while other measures can be contributed to the development of the family like atmosphere that the college provides nontraditional students on campus and virtually. These insights were gathered from the experiences of current and previous students of the program as well as faculty and administrators through informal interviews and observation. This work will first address the literature on mentoring adult learners, highlight the strategies that were used to develop the college's approach to adult mentorship, and share examples. The chapter will close with recommendations and insights on how our approach could be replicated at other minority-serving institutions (MSIs).
Public School Education
Authors: Small Dwayne
Published: April 2019

This chapter examines public schools in low income communities in the U.S. by example of two low income high schools in Chicago. It addresses how alliances between U.S. corporations and local government, and public-school officials do not work in the best interest of students of color in low income communities in their pursuit of higher education. The chapter posits that schools for low income communities do not prepare students for white collar corporate positions, putting them at risk of not qualifying for higher education. Considering the claimed school to prison pipeline, the author calls for closing the educational gap between low income and rich public schools in the U.S. by eradicating racism and classism that appears to prevail in U.S. institutions of education.
Language Students' Training as Future Teachers
Authors: Presadă Diana , Badea Mihaela
Published: April 2019

The purpose of the chapter is to show to what extent university-based teacher training programs reflect the new educational standards required by the reform applied to the Romanian higher education system. Specifically, it attempts to analyze the relevance of the curriculum that forms the basis of the language teachers' preparation focusing on its content, structure, and educational aims and purposes. It also tries to highlight the degree to which such programs meet not only learners' needs but also the ones of today's society. Last but not least, the study aims to identify what elements resulted from the Romanian educational reform could be useful for the researchers interested in the field of initial language teacher training.
The Comparison of Parents' Perceptions of Early Educators' Real and Ideal Personality and Optimism
Authors: Vorkapić Sanja Tatalović , Lisjak Korana
Published: April 2019

Given the importance of personality traits and optimism of early childhood educators in their work with children, this research was aimed at comparing their actual and ideal personality traits and optimism from the perspective of the parents. The study involved 295 parents from three counties of the Republic of Croatia. Parents evaluated the real and ideal personality traits and the optimism of 41 early childhood educators from the six kindergartens their children were enrolled. Two questionnaires were applied: TIPI for measuring the personality traits and the LOT-R for measuring optimism. Parents have rated the real and ideal educators' personality traits and optimism at very high levels. Testing the significance of differences, the results revealed that there are significant differences between the realistic and ideal image of educators' personality and optimism. In other words, ideal educators are considerably more extroverted, agreeable, conscientious, more emotionally stable, more open and more optimistic than their profiles based on realistic ratings.
Creating Sustainable Project-Based Learning Through Teacher Professional Development
Authors: McCormack Virginia
Published: April 2019

This chapter highlights the effectiveness of teacher professional development to expand and support the implementation of project-based learning. Teacher professional development is essential for the growth of teacher content comprehension in the educational environment, confidence, and refining instructional learning segments. The purpose was to increase the capacity and implementation of project-based learning through teacher professional development that afforded distinctive methods in which teachers acted as a team with a variety of learning tasks, assessments, tools and materials. Consideration was given to educational collaboration and support, the influence of teacher mindset and self-certitude, resource impediments, and improving student participation. The results denoted valuable inferences of how professional development for teachers could guide the function of project- based learning in the learning environment.
Social Capital
Authors: Abduljawad Haytham
Published: April 2019

Social capital is the foundation of innovative capabilities. There's no denying the fact that innovation is nothing but a collaborative effort of different actors in partnerships formed between universities, industries, and governments, and social capital plays an integral role in all the stages of the innovation process, from developing creative ideas to commercialization of those ideas. It is due to social capital that communication, dispersal of information, and sharing knowledge is done effortlessly. Thus, investing in the development and management of social capital is the most crucial thing for developing a collection of innovative capabilities and gaining the potential to use those capabilities in order to achieve competitive advantage in the market.
Transparency in Financial Communication
Authors: Baykal Elif
Published: April 2019

Authentic leadership is considered a foundation of other positive leadership styles. In this leadership, the leader is known for his openness and clarity. Authentic leaders are not hesitant in sharing information, and they are accurate and clear in their communication manners. Moreover, they tend to give importance to others' ideas, and when necessary, they do not avoid revealing their own values, emotions, and thoughts. They build integrity with their followers by creating an atmosphere congruent for open communication that results in a realistic relational climate nourished by followers' increased level of personal and social identification. In this chapter, it is suggested that authenticity and tranperency of authentic leadership will be important catalyzers for financial communication transperency. In this context, financial communication refers to all kinds of financial messages conveyed from the organization to its stakeholders. And financial communication transperency refers to the extent financial communication of an organization is open, accurate, clear, satisfying, and relevant.
The Use of Quantitative Methods in Investment Decisions
Authors: Eti Serkan
Published: April 2019

Quantitative methods are mainly preferred in the literature. The main purpose of this chapter is to evaluate the usage of quantitative methods in the subject of the investment decision. Within this framework, the studies related to the investment decision in which quantitative methods are taken into consideration. As for the quantitative methods, probit, logit, decision tree algorithms, artificial neural networks methods, Monte Carlo simulation, and MARS approaches are taken into consideration. The findings show that MARS methodology provides a more accurate results in comparison with other techniques. In addition to this situation, it is also concluded that probit and logit methodologies were less preferred in comparison with decision tree algorithms, artificial neural networks methods, and Monte Carlo simulation analysis, especially in the last studies. Therefore, it is recommended that a new evaluation for investment analysis can be performed with MARS method because it is understood that this approach provides better results.
Corporate Scandals Involving Social Media
Authors: Akyüz Ayşen
Published: April 2019

The importance of public relations and crisis communication is undeniable for companies. In a corporate scandal or crisis situation, the right messages have to be conveyed to the relevant audiences including shareholders at the right time and in the right way. Today, social media is one of the most popular tools of crisis communication. Including Turkey, the number of social media users all over the world is quite high and continues to increase every day. In recent years, we observe that companies use social media as an effective communication tool during their crisis periods. The aim of this chapter is to make an in-depth review of the literature on crisis management and the use of social media and to reveal the position of social media in communication efforts carried out during the company crises through various cases that took place in Turkey.
The Influence of Mould Cavities´ Surface Structure on their Contamination when Processing Polymers
Authors: Shejbalova Dana , Dvorak Zdenek
Published: April 2019

The process of manufacturing polymeric material products includes the entire processing system; from their properties and the technical level of the manufacturing device, through its control and regulation system, and the manufacturing tools. This article deals with the study of aluminium alloy materials used in the manufacture of moulds - with different coatings, in order to reduce the surface contamination of the cavity moulds. The reason for choosing this topic is to discover a way as to how to understand the contamination process. The method chosen for eliminating such contamination is then, dependent on the degree of knowledge regarding the state and cause of the problem in the production process under investigation.
Statistical Point of View on Polymer (Nano) Composite Preparation
Authors: Měřínská Dagmar , Pata Vladimír , Kubišová Milena , Sýkorová Libuše
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this article is to add knowledge about the influence of preparation conditions on the resulting properties of polymeric (Nano) composites by a statistical view of the results.Most of the work on the preparation of (Nano) composites only deals with the description of the improvement or deterioration of properties without a more in-depth assessment of the statistical significance of the obtained results. In the article on the above name, the primary objective of the statistical proof of change in the strength of the tested materials will be the nanoplane content. The Yakima’s (polynomial interpolation method) will be used for the basic part of the evidence, which, by smooth interpolation, will enhance the functional dependence of the tensile strength of the modified and unmodified mixture on temperature and time.As a further one and for key evidence presented, application of cluster analysis methodology, namely the finding of a suitable calculation method based on the basic correlation matrix, will be used. The resulting evidence will then be confirmed using a further methodology, specifically cluster analysis.This article has proved to be able to prove that the obtained improvements in the properties of the prepared systems are also statistically significant.
Effect of Nano-Sized Nickel Ferrite Addition on Superconducting Properties of (Tl0.85Cr0.15)Sr2CaCu2O7-δ Superconductors
Authors: Kong Wei , Kong Ing , Jaafar Nur Akasyah , Kamarudin M. Aizat , Suib Nurul Raihan , Abd-Shukor Roslan
Published: April 2019

The effect of nanosized nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) addition on (Tl0.85Cr0.15)Sr2CaCu2O7-δ superconductors has been investigated. (Tl0.85Cr0.15)Sr2CaCu2O7-δ high temperature superconductors was prepared via solid-state reaction method using high purity oxide powders. Nanosized NiFe2O4 was added to the compound at composition x = 0 - 0.003 wt.%. Samples were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction method (XRD), electrical resistance versus temperature, transport critical current density Jc and AC susceptibility measurements. SEM micrographs showed close-packed microstructure with low porosity. XRD patterns showed a dominant phase of Tl-1212 with a minor phase of Tl-1201 for all samples. All of the samples displayed metallic normal state behavior before the onset transition temperature (Tc-onset) which was between 102 and 104 K. The transition temperature (Tcχ’) from AC susceptibility measurement also showed the similar results between 101 and 103 K. Tc-zero was slightly suppressed with the addition of nanosized NiFe2O4. The peak temperature Tp from the imaginary part of the susceptibility χ” was found between 77 - 91 K for all samples. The highest transport critical current density (Jc) at 77 K was shown by sample x = 0.001 wt.% at 2213 mAcm-2. Nanosized NiFe2O4 has significantly enhanced the Jc of (Tl0.85Cr0.15)Sr2CaCu2O7-δ superconductor.
Characterization and In Vitro Toxicity of French Process Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles with High Surficial Zinc
Authors: Nordin Sufiniza , Mahmud Shahrom , Seeni Azman , Kamaruddin Nur Mariam , Ahmad Nur Syuhada
Published: April 2019

In this study, we investigated in vitro toxicity of ZnO nanopowder on L929 fibroblast cell lines. The ZnO nanoparticles were observed to possess relatively more surficial zinc compared to oxygen. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) data revealed that the particle morphologies consisted of nanorods, platelets and nodules between 40-100 nm size range. EDS confirmed that there were more zinc elements on the surfaces of the particles. XRD results showed that the calculated average crystallite size of ZnO nanopowder was 44.28 nm. The optical band gap calculated was 3.298 eV based on UV-visible absorption spectra. In vitro toxicity results showed that ZnO concentration at 0.3125mM, 0.625mM and 1.25 mM were considered non-toxic to L929 cell line since the cell viability was higher than 70 % after 72 hours treatment whereas the ZnO nanopowder concentration above 2.5mM was considered toxic. High surficial zinc atoms on ZnO particles could have been a significant factor in cell toxicity.
Cytotoxicity of Pharma Grade ZnO with Higher Surficial Oxygen on L929 Mouse Cell
Authors: Kamaruddin Nur Mariam , Mahmud Shahrom , Nordin Sufiniza , Abuelsamen Abdulsalam , Seeni Azman , Izwan Muhammad Fadhirul
Published: April 2019

Apart from being a promising optoelectronic devices such as photodetector and sensors, ZnO has many dental and biomedical applications. ZnO has been known to possess strong toxicity towards bacteria, cancer and fungi. Cytotoxicity test of pharmaceutical grade of ZnO on L929 mouse fibroblast cell lines was carried out using trypan blue assay. ZnO was characterized for its morphology, structure and optical properties using FESEM, EDS, UV-Vis and XRD. ZnO exhibited various morphologies like rod, platelet, slab and irregular-shaped particles. EDS data showed the ZnO powder possessed relatively higher oxygen atomic percentage if compared to zinc atoms with an oxygen-to-zinc ratio of 1.219. The average crystallite size obtained was about 39 nm. The percentage of cell viability on L929 cell was decreased with increasing ZnO concentrations. The cells viability after 72h were achieved and the concentration of ZnO below 1 mM was summarized as non-toxic after treated with ZnO. The higher surficial oxygen on ZnO particle surface could have promoted higher generation of reactive oxygen species that caused lower L929 cell viability.
Properties of Nanostructured Rutile Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) Thin Film Deposited with Silver Sulfide (Ag2S) Quantum Dots as Photoanode for Solar Photovoltaic
Authors: Mustakim Nurul Syafiqah Mohamed , Sepeai Suhaila , Ludin Norasikin Ahmad , Mat Teridi Mohd Asri , Ibrahim Mohd Adib
Published: April 2019

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles thin film has been successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal process using Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) as chelating agent and Titanium (IV) Chloride (TiCl4) as precursor. In this study, the nanostructured TiO2 thin films were prepared at different hydrothermal reaction times of 2 hours, 5 hours, and 10 hours, and then Ag2S Quantum Dots (QDs) were deposited on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles using 6 cycles of Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction Deposition (SILAR) method. The surface morphology, crystalline structure and optical characterizations of the films were carried out using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Ultra-Violet-Visible Near Infrared Spectrophotometer (UV-Vis). For electrical properties, four-point probe investigated the sheet resistance, resistivity, and conductivity of these thin films. TiO2 nanorods were formed with diameter ranged from 33.78 nm to 42.58 nm and the length of TiO2 layer increased as the reaction time increased, from 2.84 μm to 3.93 μm (without Ag2S QDs) and 2.88 μm to 4.85 μm (with Ag2S QDs). When the reaction time reaches 10 hours, nanoflowers can be seen on the surface of film. The XRD results showed that with longer reaction time, the value of full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the TiO2/ Ag2S QDs thin films decreased from 0.335° to 0.263 while the crystallite size increased from 22.73 nm to 35.39 nm. UV-Vis analysis indicated that the optical band gap of these thin films decreased from 2.68 eV to 2.00 eV (direct) and 2.94 eV to 2.40 eV (indirect) with increased in reaction time. The electrical properties of the films showed that the resistivity varied between 7 x 107 Ω.cm and 5.07 x 107 Ω.cm when the reaction time changed from 2 hours to 10 hours. The conductivity of the TiO2/ Ag2S QDs thin films increased with the increase in hydrothermal reaction time and further increased with the incorporation of Ag2S QDs. Besides, the TiO2 films synthesized hydrothermally for 10 hours showed higher surface roughness as compared to other thin films. The obtained results showed that the TiO2 / Ag2S QDs thin films are applicable as a photoanode for Quantum Dots Sensitized Solar Cell (QDSSCs) applications.
Physical and Structural Properties of Dysprosium Doped Barium Borate Glass
Authors: Yahya Norihan , Abdullah Mardhiah , Zainal Abidin Mohamed Najmi Naquib Mohamed , Kasim Azman , Hashim Azhan
Published: April 2019

Five distinguish glass samples were prepared by melt quenching technique of the composition (81-x)H3BO3-19BaCO3-xDy2O3 with x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mol%. The effect of Dy3+ to the barium borate glass can be investigated in terms of their physical properties such as density, molar volume and oxygen packing density. The structural properties were analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The result revealed that the increment of mol% of Dy3+ in the compound generally will increases the density and molar volume of the glass samples. The amorphous nature of the glass system was verified from the XRD spectra pattern. Meanwhile, the FTIR spectra shown the presence of Ba2+, BO3, BO4, B-O-B linkage, H-O-H and isolated borate in the glass network.
Physical and Structural Properties of Neodymium Doped Lithium Boro-Tellurite Glasses
Authors: Norihan Yahya , Bin Ab Rahim Ahmad Ridzwan , Abdullah Mardhiah
Published: April 2019

Nd3+ doped lithium borotellurite glasses were successfully been prepared by conventional melt-quenching method with the chemical composition (70.0)B2O3-(5.0)TeO2-(25.0-x) Li2CO3-xNd2O3 (where x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 2.0 mol%) by varying the Neodymium content. The physical properties such as density, molar volume and oxygen packing density were measured. The structural properties have been studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The XRD pattern has been used to confirm the amorphous nature of the glass samples. There are no sharp peaks were observed in XRD patterns of the glass samples which confirmed the amorphous nature of the glass. FTIR spectra were used to analyse the functional groups present in the glass samples. The FTIR spectra reveal the presence of B-O-B, B-O, BO3, BO4,Te-O and characteristic of the hydrogen bond in the prepared glass samples.
A Novel Approach to Fatigue Life Assessment of Subsea Connectors
Authors: Bennet Derek James , Carmichael Andrew Macdonald , Roberts Simon John
Published: April 2019

The capability to predict fatigue damage continues to be critical for determining the operational life and inspection intervals of connectors and components used in offshore applications. Subsea well intervention systems are subjected to wave induced cyclic bending moments and understanding the fatigue performance of equipment is essential for determining safe operating envelopes.

In this paper, a validated fatigue analysis methodology is presented for non-preloaded connectors that are used within subsea well intervention systems. The fatigue analysis methodology addresses limitations in current standards when calculating the fatigue capacities of non-preloaded connectors with different interacting component materials (i.e. low alloy steel and nickel based alloys). The methodology considers the effect on the fatigue life of both non-axisymmetric geometry/loading, FAT loading, as well as the interaction of different connector materials, capturing any potential change in hot spot locations.

Three different non-preloaded connections (i.e. consisting of threaded and load shoulder connectors) were analysed using 3-D finite element analysis models, where ΔM-N curves and the associated crack initiation locations were calculated for each connector. Full-scale resonance fatigue tests were successfully performed on the three different connector types, validating the ΔM-N curves calculated using the fatigue analysis methodology. Fatigue failure (i.e. through-wall crack) was achieved in all tests between 100,000 and 5,000,000 cycles matching the predicted crack initiation location from the analysis for each connection. The validated methodology provides accurate calculation of the fatigue life and correct identification of hot spot locations. Using the validated approach described in this paper within the design process can lead to significant improvements in future designs of connectors, enabling safer operational limits and extending the service life of subsea systems.
A Machine Learning Application for Field Planning
Authors: Kumar Amit
Published: April 2019

Recently, machine learning methods have enjoyed resurgence in the oil and gas industry and provide applications to a wide variety of problems (Noshi et al. 2018). However, few address the important problem of field planning, which is the area of focus of this paper.

This paper introduces a machine learning-based framework for field planning and specifically addresses the problem of well location planning. Unsupervised learning is used to understand characteristics of the data, followed by the creation of a regression model trained on available data in a marginal oilfield to develop a prediction tool for well productivity. This data-based prediction tool is used in a workflow to optimize well locations under uncertainty, and then in another workflow, using an adaptation from modern portfolio theory (MPT) (Markowitz 1952), to evaluate recommended well locations. The latter workflow enables the operator to select a portfolio of wells to maximize returns at a given risk tolerance.

Both workflows are applicable to plays where drainage areas for wells are small; consequently, a well can be assumed to produce independently of other wells. This assumption is true for both early-stage shale plays and conventional fields in tight rocks.

As compared to traditional reservoirs, a very large number of wells are drilled in shale plays, generating a very large amount of data that existing productivity prediction tools, such as reservoir simulators, find difficult to consume and use in practical timeframes. The presented framework is attractive for shales because it can easily handle large datasets.

The framework accounts explicitly for risk resulting from uncertainty in well productivity and uses data typically acquired in the field, but not used currently for field planning.
Digital Twin Technology in the Field Reclaims Offshore Resources
Authors: Brewer Thornton , Knight Darrell , Noiray Gautier , Naik Harit
Published: April 2019

For decades, upstream personnel have struggled to efficiently gather offshore data and effectively analyze it to make better business decisions. One internal audit conducted by an oil and gas company found its upstream employees spent up to 80 percent of their time just looking for, then converting the data because the data historically has not been housed in one place within one platform. Traditionally, employees must collect large volumes of information from multiple data sources, including spreadsheets, data streams or tacit knowledge. Alone, the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors connected to equipment in the field can send 1,000 readings a minute to engineers, resulting in an insurmountable data for engineers to assess critically. All of this effort results in underutilized time and loss of money.

The paper's topic addresses the digital twin technology solution which solves energy company's Big Data problems and recoups the wasted time and associated costs of field workers looking for data. Specifically, FutureOn's FieldTwin technology offers a cloud-based, comprehensive and secure platform with the ability to break up the barriers of the data silos built by legacy systems, creating accessible data across the company. Employees spend less time searching for data, and more time identifying trends and innovative ways to exploit the data, i.e., smarter drilling, greater field automation or improved safety.

FieldTwin technology also provides a real-time, data-driven visual representation of the field that creates actionable data, whether it is an operator using the visualization of its subsea assets for field expansions or a renewable company utilizing the digitalization of its offshore wind projects for more effective planning. Studies show humans respond to and process visual data better than any other type of data. The human brain processing images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. FieldTwin exploits this reality to enhance data processing and organizational effectiveness spanning project management to risk management in the field.
Success Path: The Secret Methodology to Priority and Probability Assessment for High Reliability Offshore Operation
Authors: Hamedifar Hamed , Kusinski Greg
Published: April 2019

Proper risk assessment involves prioritization and probability, which are themselves a form of uncertainty evaluation. This paper illustrates development of a methodology where a powerful multiple-criteria decision analysis technique known as "Success Path" could further improved the risk assessment of complex offshore operation in a high risk & high rewards environment.

Traditional probability of failure analysis forces decision-maker to converge vague judgment to single numeric preferences in order to estimate high reliability offshore operation. The final resultant of alternatives cannot be tested for statistical significance of and it lacks systematic approach to capture all categories of uncertainties. To overcome the above limitation, this paper demonstrates a modified analytical process, which incorporated uncertainty dealing with human and organizational factors. The proposed method in this work can offer improved assessment for generating mutually exclusive path sets that assure the system's successful operation.

The "Success Path" method have been applied in a variety of situation involving risk and uncertainty in different aspects of offshore oil and gas operation. It is generally useful in such cases to carry out the evaluation over a period of time as project evolves and pass certain phase of the operation. The proposed approach (Success Path), used in the present paper could be used as one of the techniques for making concept maintenance or modification evaluations. This technique is enhancing the capability of taking into consideration different categories of uncertainties both qualitatively, and quantitatively.

This paper will present novel method that can be of benefit to the petroleum industry in the following areas:

Facilitates consensus, generate new insights and provide more confidence in making decision during the critical phases of offshore oil and gas operation Provides a systematic approach that can test the alternative paths for statistical significance. Incorporate extrinsic uncertainties such as human and organizational factors.
Effective Corrosion Mitigation Exploiting Glass Reinforced Epoxy Lined Tubulars in Offshore Producing & Injection Wells
Authors: Duthie Laurie , Almarri Hamad , Saiood Hussain , Lata Ashwani , Radhakrishnan Gokul
Published: April 2019

Corrosion in offshore well completions can lead to serious well integrity problems and costly workover operations. Although carbon steel is an ideal material for most completions, under certain conditions corrosion can attack and severely damage carbon steel equipment. Corrosion resistant alloys (CRA) are a good option but come with the considerable downside of very high cost. A relatively simple and cost effective approach to protect completion equipment against these corrosive elements is to line carbon steel completion tubulars with a non-metallic Glass Reinforced Epoxy (GRE). The GRE material properties provide excellent protection against a range of conditions including; highly corrosive fluids, erosive granular materials, Carbon dioxide (CO2), Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and acid treatments.

The GRE lined Carbon steel is capable of combatting a range of corrosive environments in oil producers, water injectors / supply wells, including water with high concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride and sulfates and oil with high levels of H2S and CO2. The steel tubing is protected from these unforgiving ecosystems by lining the inside of the tubing with one continuous GRE tube. To secure the GRE lining and to increase the strength, a cement is pumped down the narrow annulus between the GRE lining and tubing internal wall. This procedure is relatively simple with the resultant GRE lined tubing having exactly the same tubing strength properties as the bare tubing.

The primary method for detecting any well integrity problems with water injector wells are from determining high pressures in the tubing casing annulus (TCA). To date, all of the water injector wells installed with 7" GRE lined tubing have remained integral with no indication of any corrosion. Several of the oil producer and water supply wells that were lined with GRE have subsequently been worked over to replace faulty equipment; primarily electrical submersible pumps (ESP's). Encouragingly, the condition of the recovered GRE tubing had suffered no corrosion, scaling or other degradation benefiting from the GRE protection.

The non-metallic GRE material is exceptionally robust with notable longevity and very resistant to any scale build-ups, leading to improved flow assurance. At the same time being tough enough to withstand any routine well intervention for logging, acid stimulation and other applications. The durable qualities and chemical characteristics of these non-metallic materials in downhole completions is likely to expand in the coming years, with increasing applications being found.
Marine Seismic Source Characterization Using Fiber Optic Sensors
Authors: Alfataierge Ezzedeen , Dyaur Nikolay , Chang Li , Stewart Robert R.
Published: April 2019

This laboratory study explores the geophysical imaging applications of a fiber optic sensing system in a marine environment, from fiber installed on pipes or casing to fiber laying on the floor. The most common application with fiber installed on casing is borehole seismic imaging. With fiber laying on the ocean floor, surface seismic imaging is a possible application. This is tested in a laboratory setting using a Distributed Acoustic Sensing "DAS" system, Fiber Bragg Grating "FBG" system, and a conventional geophysical hydrophone system. A setup is made using PVC pipes and a water-filled tank to simulate a marine environment, and the sensing systems were distributed along the pipes and on the tank floor.

Single mode telecommunication fiber was laid out on the tank floor and the pipes, which consist of a vertical pipe segment and a horizontal pipe segment. The pipes are connected to a water reservoir to allow flow from the reservoir through the vertical pipe then the horizontal pipe into the tank. An array of FBG sensors were distributed along the pipes and some were left floating in the water. A hydrophone array was secured to the vertical pipe segment and distributed along the horizontal pipe segment to make conventional geophysical imaging measurements. Seismic sources with different frequencies were used, a piezoelectric transducer was used to introduce higher frequency (ranging from 500 Hz to 25 kHz), and a hammer source was used with different material as broad frequency sources. The measurements made were compared across the sensing systems and the frequency response was used to evaluate the preservation of the source frequency signature on the sensing instruments.

The DAS system was sensitive to low-frequency ambient noise which made it difficult to see the frequency response of the seismic sources, however, it was useful in capturing the higher range of frequencies. The FBG system showed better results in capturing lower frequency signal but was limited by the high frequencies it could capture. Nevertheless, the captured high frequencies exceeded the frequency range of interest for seismic imaging but are useful for applications of wireless communication using fiber and PZT transducers. Therefore, both systems can capture the response of the seismic sources for imaging but with different noise sensitivity.

The results presented in this study indicate that a fiber optic sensing system can be used for seismic imaging in an offshore environment. Further tests are recommended in larger scale environments to confirm the findings of this study. The advantages of using a fiber optic sensing system are highlighted in this study. Finally, further applications to wireless communication via fiber optic sensors and high-frequency transducers are discussed.
Subsea Broadband Using Underwater LASER Telemetry and Remote Access
Authors: Mons Ishan , Veedu Vinod , Pollock Jacob , Nakafuji Glen , Elshahawi Hani , Jim Kevin , Hadmack Michael
Published: April 2019

High speed wireless communication has proven elusive in subsea environments due to the inherent bandwidth limitations of acoustics and range limitations of other transmission modalities. A truly connected subsea system necessitates a high-speed, resilient architecture that can enable the integration of new sensor technologies and edge analytics and allow closed-loop monitoring and control of subsea operations for integrity monitoring and optimization. Like terrestrial Internet of Things applications, the realization of this "digital subsea" vision requires the application of high speed, point-to-point wireless technologies to complement rather than replace "hard-wired" communications such as optical fiber or acoustic systems. This work addresses the development of ULTRA (Underwater LASER Telemetry and Remote Access), an ultra-long range underwater laser communications system for use in critical points of the subsea communications architecture to increase reliability, operational flexibility, and reduce communication system maintenance associated with physical subsea connections.

To demonstrate the data capacity and range of ULTRA, a subscale laboratory point-to-point wireless laser communication system was constructed with the flexibility to transmit through either air or water. The test system used power and modulation frequencies for air, fresh water, and different qualities of seawater. Optical and RF encoding methodologies were implemented to facilitate and characterize data transmission through the various media. The laboratory experiment used a subscale, filtered, and attenuated 5 mW blue-green laser in a 22-meter folded path configuration to demonstrate real-time data transmission at 312 Megabit per Second (Mbps) data rate using single channel Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation. A field prototype ULTRA system will use an unattenuated 5 mW laser that can reach approximately 280-meter range at 312 Mbps in clear conditions, which are typical of deepwater subsea. The selection of laser power and data rate are considered operational tradeoffs in environments where underwater vehicles operate. The extended range of ULTRA can enable various use cases to greatly augment subsea data communications capacity to enable the "Digital Subsea".