bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 as a Potential Biomarker for Early Anti-Thrombotic Therapy after Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Worthmann Hans , Dengler Reinhard , Schumacher Helmut , Schwartz Andreas , Eisert Wolfgang G. , Lichtinghagen Ralf , Weissenborn Karin
Published: July 2012

Inflammation following ischemic brain injury is correlated with adverse outcome. Preclinical studies indicate that treatment with acetylsalicylic acid + extended-release dipyridamole (ASA + ER-DP) has anti-inflammatory and thereby neuroprotective effects by inhibition of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) expression. We hypothesized that early treatment with ASA + ER-DP will reduce levels of MCP-1 also in patients with ischemic stroke. The EARLY trial randomized patients with ischemic stroke or TIA to either ASA + ER-DP treatment or ASA monotherapy within 24 h following the event. After 7 days, all patients were treated for up to 90 days with ASA + ER-DP. MCP-1 was determined from blood samples taken from 425 patients on admission and day 8. The change in MCP-1 from admission to day 8 did not differ between patients treated with ASA + ER-DP and ASA monotherapy (p > 0.05). Comparisons within MCP-1 baseline quartiles indicated that patients in the highest quartile (>217–973 pg/mL) showed improved outcome at 90 days if treated with ASA + ER-DP in comparison to treatment with ASA alone (p = 0.004). Our data does not provide any evidence that treatment with ASA + ER-DP lowers MCP-1 in acute stroke patients. However, MCP-1 may be a useful biomarker for deciding on early stroke therapy, as patients with high MCP-1 at baseline appear to benefit from early treatment with ASA + ER-DP.
C-Band SAR Imagery for Snow-Cover Monitoring at Treeline, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Authors: Pivot Frédérique C.
Published: July 2012

RADARSAT and ERS-2 data collected at multiple incidence angles are used to characterize the seasonal variations in the backscatter of snow-covered landscapes in the northern Hudson Bay Lowlands during the winters of 1997/98 and 1998/99. The study evaluates the usefulness of C-band SAR systems for retrieving the snow water equivalent under dry snow conditions in the forest–tundra ecotone. The backscatter values are compared against ground measurements at six sampling sites, which are taken to be representative of the land-cover types found in the region. The contribution of dry snow to the radar return is evident when frost penetrates the first 20 cm of soil. Only then does the backscatter respond positively to changes in snow water equivalent, at least in the open and forested areas near the coast, where 1-dB increases in backscatter for each approximate 5–10 mm of accumulated water equivalent are observed at 20–31° incidence angles. Further inland, the backscatter shows either no change or a negative change with snow accumulation, which suggests that the radar signal there is dominated by ground surface scattering (e.g., fen) when not attenuated by vegetation (e.g., forested and transition). With high-frequency ground-penetrating radar, we demonstrate the presence of a 10–20-cm layer of black ice underneath the snow cover, which causes the reduced radar returns (−15 dB and less) observed in the inland fen. A correlation between the backscattering and the snow water equivalent cannot be determined due to insufficient observations at similar incidence angles. To establish a relationship between the snow water equivalent and the backscatter, only images acquired with similar incidence angles should be used, and they must be corrected for both vegetation and ground effects.
Adaptive UAV Attitude Estimation Employing Unscented Kalman Filter, FOAM and Low-Cost MEMS Sensors
Authors: De Marina Héctor García , Espinosa Felipe , Santos Carlos
Published: July 2012

Navigation employing low cost MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is an uprising challenge. One important part of this navigation is the right estimation of the attitude angles. Most of the existent algorithms handle the sensor readings in a fixed way, leading to large errors in different mission stages like take-off aerobatic maneuvers. This paper presents an adaptive method to estimate these angles using off-the-shelf components. This paper introduces an Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) based on the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) using the Fast Optimal Attitude Matrix (FOAM) algorithm as the observation model. The performance of the method is assessed through simulations. Moreover, field experiments are presented using a real fixed-wing UAV. The proposed low cost solution, implemented in a microcontroller, shows a satisfactory real time performance.
Implementation of a Journal Club on Adult Learning and Nursing Professional Development
Authors: Ravin Claudia Reid
Published: July 2012

A provider unit in a nursing specialty organization sought ways to expand nurse planners’ knowledge of current theories in adult learning and methods of teaching and delivery of continuing education while enhancing skills in the review and analysis of research. Taking a cue from nurse educators in clinical settings, provider unit leaders launched the Provider Unit Journal Club in 2007. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of this 5-year-old journal club. Included is a discussion of strategies for success and measurement of effectiveness.
Corneal Thickness Measurements Using Time-domain Anterior Segment OCT, Ultrasound, and Scheimpflug Tomographer Pachymetry Before and After Corneal Cross-linking for Keratoconus
Authors: Mencucci Rita , Paladini Iacopo , Virgili Gianni , Giacomelli Giovanni , Menchini Ugo
Published: July 2012

PURPOSE:

To compare minimum corneal pachymetry assessment using three measurement methods in eyes before and after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) for keratoconus.

METHODS:

Fifty patients (54 eyes) who underwent CXL for keratoconus were evaluated with the Visante (Carl Zeiss Meditec), Pentacam (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH), and ultrasound pachymetry (USP) (Optikon Pacline) to assess corneal thickness at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment.

RESULTS:

Using USP, mean thickness was 456 μm at baseline, decreased by approximately 8 μm at 1 month, and then recovered to initial values. The mean difference between Visante and USP was statistically significant, but not clinically significant, and was similar at baseline and after CXL (−1 to −2 μm,
P
<.05 except for 12 months). Pentacam had similar readings at baseline (−2 μm vs USP), but lower corneal thickness after CXL (−12 to −20 μm throughout follow-up,
P
<.001). The width of the Bland–Altman 95% agreement interval of Visante and Pentacam with USP was approximately 5 μm and 15 μm, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

Visante pachymetry shows better agreement with USP compared to Pentacam after CXL, which may be due to the inhomogeneous reflectivity of the postoperative cross-linked cornea and possibly altered refractive index and acoustic impedance that may influence the observed differences among techniques.
A checklist of the exclusive vascular flora of Sardinia with priority rankings for conservation
Authors: Bacchetta Gianluigi , Fenu Giuseppe , Mattana Efisio
Published: July 2012

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and its isolation and high geological diversity have created a wide range of habitats with high levels of endemism, especially on its mountain massifs, where there are conditions of ecological insularity. In this study the exclusive endemic flora of Sardinia has been updated to 168 taxa, 139 of which are species, 23 subspecies, 4 varieties and 2 hybrids, belonging to 37 families and 72 genera. Despite this rich biodiversity and the threats to these species, few biological conservation studies have been carried out up to now. A conservation project for the most threatened exclusive endemic species of Sardinia was therefore funded in 2007 by the “Regione Autonoma della Sardegna”. To categorize these species of conservation interest, a priority list was created by applying 11 parameters based on rarity, threats and protection status. This work allowed the identification of the most threatened species of the Sardinian endemic flora.
The Orchidaceae of Ruiz & Pavón’s “Flora Peruviana et Chilensis”. A taxonomic study. I
Authors: Pupulin Franco
Published: July 2012

Inspired by King Carlos III in the second half of 18th Century, the Spanish government demonstrated a serious interest in the study of the rich floras of the colonies of the New World. The Royal expedition to Peru and Chile, led by Ruiz and Pavón, continued for 11 years in the two colonies and was followed by the activities of Tafalla and Manzanilla, who botanized in Peru and Ecuador. Two preliminary accounts of the flora of Peru were published in 1794 and 1798, but only three of the planned eleven volumes and five supplements of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis were eventually published. The seventh volume, devoted to the Orchids, never saw the light of day. Due to the short descriptions published in 1798, and the dispersal of large parts of Ruiz and Pavón’s herbarium, the concepts of several of their orchid species remained obscure to modern botanists. These species can now be identified for the first time through the critical study of the unpublished illustrations and manuscripts of the expedition, kept at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid (RJB). The results in orchidology of the expedition, with a discussion of the new findings and interpretations, made possible by the study of Ruiz and Pavón’s orchid iconography, are presented in two contributions. In this first part – an introduction – notes on the illustrators and their work, as well as on the orchid manuscripts and collections, are given. Orchid taxa are presented alphabetically, from Acianthera to Maxillariella. For each taxon references to the nomenclatural types, synonymy, illustrations and exsiccata prepared during the expedition, as well as to Ruiz’s diaries and the unpublished manuscripts of the expedition’s botanists, are provided. In the absence of any actual specimens referable to the type collections and associated with the protologues, Bletia repanda, Epidendrum cordatum, E. viride, Fernandezia laxa, Maxillaria longipetala, M. ramosa, and M. Triphylla are formally lectotypified with the type illustrations conserved in MA. New combinations are proposed for the basionyms Bletia parviflora, Fernandezia punctata, Humboldtia po lystachya, Maxillaria ramosa, and M. Triphylla.
Paleobiology of the genus Hypericum (Hypericaceae): a survey of the fossil record and its palaeogeographic implications
Authors: Meseguer Andrea S. , Sanmartín Isabel
Published: July 2012

Genus Hypericum is one of the 100 largest genera in angiosperms with nearly 500 species. Despite its worldwide, nearly cosmopolitan distribution and apparently old age – there are fossil remains of relatives from the Mid Cretaceous - the fossil record of Hypericum has been largely overlooked in phylogenetic studies. Here, we survey the fossil record of Hypericum from the literature, with special emphasis on the oldest fossil remain, Hypericum antiquum, from which we reassess its diagnostic characters. We evaluate the implications of this record in reconstructing the past geographic distribution of genus Hypericum.
Utilización de la Inteligencia Artificial en el diagnóstico patológico de edificaciones de valor patrimonial
Authors: Chávez-Hernández J. A. , Recarey C. A. , García-Lorenzo M. M. , López-Jiménez O.
Published: July 2012

Cada vez más las tecnologías de la información ocupan nuevas áreas del conocimiento y el diagnóstico patológico en las edificaciones no podía ser la excepción, en este trabajo ponemos a disposición de los profesionales de la construcción y específicamente los especializados en este tema un Sistema Experto (SE) que utiliza la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) y un Sistema Basado en el Conocimiento (SBC) para que identifique y diagnostique las patologías que se presentan en los materiales de Piedra Natural y Cerámica utilizados en la construcción. De tal manera que se crea un entorno informatizado para la búsqueda de información, que facilita la actualización o integración de datos relacionados con los deterioros en las edificaciones.
Current Aspects and Prospects of ICT in the Arab Higher Education Sector
Authors: Al Musawi Ali Sharaf
Published: July 2012

This chapter offers a brief overview of the current status of formal governmental support for technology integration in the higher education sectors in different countries in the Arab World, in addition to presenting some major initiatives started and implemented in some of the Arab states. Several distinguished initiatives in the Arab countries are reviewed to reflect on the strategies in higher education institutions. The policies and strategies that regulate technology implementation in these countries are described. Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges is conducted. Implications are drawn from the different experiences. The chapter suggests solutions that are required to overcome the weaknesses by presenting thoughts for creative improvements in the future with emphasis on training and infrastructure aspects. Moreover, solutions and recommendations as suggested by the research are summarized in fields of implementation in education.
Technology Integration in UAE Schools
Authors: Tamim Rana
Published: July 2012

Research has supported the assumption that computer technology is beneficial for students’ performance. Nevertheless, knowing that technology is beneficial is not sufficient on its own where teachers remain the key stakeholders in the success of the process. Teachers need to be aware of various issues, challenges, and ethical aspects when using technology for teaching, with such aspects being alleviated further in a young country with a conservative society such as the UAE. The chapter offers an overview of the Net Generation and computer technologies’ impact on student performance. It provides a briefing about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its educational system while highlighting formal initiatives launched by the government to support the educational reform and introduction of technology into the K-12 classroom. Finally, the chapter presents preliminary findings from a research study that investigates teachers’ perceptions about technology integration and their current practices in a UAE private school.
Computer Assisted School Administration in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Shishakly Rima
Published: July 2012

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country in which the governance of education has been centralized. The use of computers for administrative applications in education reflects the approach of centralization. As an evolution, most development work is done in a centrally located computer center at the Ministry of Education. School administration in the UAE educational system has experienced a rapid computerization process. The chapter presents the ways in which the Emirates educational system is coping with this issue. A brief overview of the structure of the educational system in UAE will be presented. Subsequently, the chapter will study how Information Technology in Educational Management (ITEM) use has developed over a decade. Recently, there have been various modifications within the educational system in the UAE, specifically towards modernization and decentralization. Nonetheless, a certain maturity has been reached in using ITEM. Therefore, the chapter will attempt to monitor the significance of this alternation on the system’s implementation and use of technology.
Information Systems in UAE Education Sector
Authors: Naser Abbas , Jaber Ibtisam , Jaber Reem , Saeed Khalidah
Published: July 2012

This chapter demonstrates some of the most important issues pertaining to information systems, such as security, ethics, and culture in the Arab education sector. Despite the fact that there is an evident shortage of references on this important topic in the Arab region context, the authors managed to gather sufficient information to develop a reasonable insight that has led to suggesting recommendations for improvement in future studies. They demonstrate how the concerned issues are managed in the Arab region, with specific interest and focus at the UAE context. Ethics in information systems are very important, especially as information systems are global by nature; its impact cannot be limited. The UAE is part of the GCC countries, which represent the richest Arab countries, yet ethics are highly regarded. The second part of the chapter discusses information systems security issue related and the third is focused on the cultural issues. Although, separated for the purpose of research, cultural and ethical issues are inter-related and are very important, because both directly reflect the society’s morals, traditions, language, customs, et cetera.
Meaningful Learning from Sustained Online Communication
Authors: Abdallah Salam , Albadri Fayez
Published: July 2012

This case study discusses a model of evaluating a group of adult students learning resulting from using an online social constructivist tool. The study is based on using a discussion board for sharing and co-constructing knowledge. Learning through social interactions and critical thinking is increasingly considered an essential teaching approach and especially for adult students. This approach promotes active learning and leads to better understanding of the subject matter. Online interaction evidently promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and knowledge construction. The literature provides a large set of approaches for evaluating discussion boards. However, their uses are not easily adoptable by faculty who are primarily interested in measuring the quality of online discussion. The authors contend that faculty should not adhere to a single measure but rather to be experiential and to develop their own models of evaluation of the students’ online learning experience. This case study discusses our own model for understanding the students’ learning experience and the authors’ approach to assess an individual’s level of engagement in critical thinking. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on adopting e-learning technologies at institutions in the Arab World for teaching adult students.
Enhancing e-Learning Environment with Embedded Recommender Systems
Authors: El Sayed Mohamed S. , Nasr Mona , Sultan Torky I.
Published: July 2012

Recommended learning objects are obtained by using a range of recommendation strategies based mainly on content based filtering and collaborative filtering approaches, each applied separately or in combination.
Online Learning Communities in UAE Schools
Authors: Fares Alia
Published: July 2012

The emergence of the Internet in a time when the world was struggling to cope with new information systems and technologies has put additional burdens on businesses, individuals, and societies, not only to adapt to new ways but also to creatively explore feasible applications and opportunities to drive improvements in all walks of life. This has translated into a multitude of tangible and intangible improvements and has generally improved decision making as a direct result of improved data storages, faster data processing, and retrieval. For educators, the Internet has provided excellent opportunities to improve the processes of online collaborative learning to complement conventional classes as well as reaping the benefits from information and knowledge bases that are relatively easy to access and are ready to share by both educators and students alike. This chapter explores the opportunities and challenges associated with using Internet Online Learning Communities to complement and aid conventional classes and enhance learning outcomes in UAE schools. The study describes the use of online forums to support English language classes in Al Foah Primary School, weighing its pros and cons and identifying lessons learned.
Knowledge Management Processes in Enterprise Systems
Authors: Ghazali Razatulshima , Zakaria Nor Hidayati
Published: July 2012

Activities related to Enterprise Systems (ES) are knowledge-intensive tasks, and the management of ES-related knowledge has received much attention in the Knowledge Management (KM) field. A systematic literature review of empirical studies of KM processes in the ES lifecycle identifies the KM processes most widely explored and the ES-related knowledge most often addressed. From 350 relevant book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers, 49 papers discuss KM processes in the ES lifecycle. The KM process that appears most often in studies of KM in the ES context is knowledge transfer/sharing. The type of ES-related knowledge most often studied in the literature is knowledge of the client organization.
Structuring Knowledge for Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation through an Ontology
Authors: Nach Hamid
Published: July 2012

The purpose of this research is to consolidate and formalize as ontology, on the basis of an extensive literature review, the key processes and skills required for successful implementation of ERP in an SME. Using the Protégé software, the research identified and formalized 395 terms, each of which has its own definition. Exploitation of this ontology could take multiple and varied forms, including the creation of a learning system, an on-line collaboration platform, or a project management process mapping tool contributing to successful implementation of ERP in SMEs.
Establishing and Verifying a Risk Ontology for Surfacing ERP Post-Implementation Risks
Authors: Peng Guo Chao Alex , Nunes Miguel Baptista
Published: July 2012

This chapter aims to establish and verify a risk ontology for the post-implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. The risk ontology was initially constructed through the process of a critical literature review. It consists of 40 ERP exploitation risks related to diverse operational, analytical, organization-wide, and technical aspects. This theoretical risk ontology can be used as the basis for identifying and assessing ERP post-implementation risks within different organizational and national contexts. In order to illustrate the discussion, a previous ERP study in China is presented as an example. The study adopted a mixed-methods design, which involved a questionnaire survey and a follow-up case study. The questionnaire examined the suitability of the established risk ontology in the context of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The follow-up case study then further explored and validated the questionnaire findings. By integrating the quantitative and qualitative findings, the original ontology was verified, revised, and extended.
Representation of Action is a Primary Requirement in Ontologies for Interoperating Information Systems
Authors: Colomb Robert M.
Published: July 2012

Ontologies at the present time are generally rich data models. The interoperating information system engineering paradigm Service-Oriented Architecture recognizes that the key issue in interoperating information systems is the actions performed by these systems, not so much the data. Further, the organizationally heterogeneous nature of these interoperating systems means that the individual object is difficult to characterize by classes. This chapter investigates the problems raised by giving priority in ontology representation to individuals and actions over classes, outlining a number of significant research questions in representation languages for ontologies.
Ontology for Database Preservation
Authors: Locuratolo Elvira , Palomäki Jari
Published: July 2012

Original research based on concept theory is exploited to define a concept structure called ontology for database preservation and to map this structure to database models. Starting from a general concept, corresponding to a Universe of Discourse, and from basic concepts intensionally related to the general concept, an engineering method allows the construction of ontology for database preservation. The leaves of this structure can be mapped into many equivalent graphs of classes supported by logical database models. Each of them can be encoded in the database in many different ways. This approach can be usefully exploited for database preservation. Moreover, all the concepts related to a class of the logical database model as well as all the consistent relationships among these concepts belong to the constructed concept structure.
Ontologies in Expertise Finding Systems
Authors: Fazel-Zarandi Maryam , Fox Mark S. , Yu Eric
Published: July 2012

Knowledge Management Systems that enhance and facilitate the process of finding the right expert in an organization have gained much attention in recent years. This chapter explores the potential benefits and challenges of using ontologies for improving existing systems. A modeling technique from requirements engineering is used to evaluate the proposed system and analyze the impact it would have on the goals of the stakeholders. Based on the analysis, an ontology-based expertise finding system is proposed. This chapter also discusses the organizational settings required for the successful deployment of the system in practice.
Ontology-Based Service Description, Discovery, and Matching in Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems
Authors: Aziz Muhammad Waqar , Mohamad Radziah , Jawawi Dayang N. A.
Published: July 2012

The service composition process depends on effective service discovery, matching, and selection. Although, service discovery and matching has been thoroughly researched for software services, an effective service discovery and matching mechanism is needed for services representing device functionality. In this chapter, an ontology-based service description method and service discovery and matching mechanism is proposed for Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems (DERTS). For service description, the existing ontology specification OWL-S is modified to make it suitable for DERTS. The proposed mechanism was applied to a scenario of Smart Home case study for testing. The proposed service description method and discovery and matching mechanism set foundations can be used for the dynamic service composition in DERTS and in any ubiquitous environment.
Ontology Development for ETL Process Design
Authors: Ta’a Azman , Abdullah Mohd Syazwan
Published: July 2012

The Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) process design is difficult to perform because of the ambiguity of user requirements and the complexity of data integration and transformation. Current studies have explored the ontology-based approach to overcome these limitations by reconciling the semantics of user requirements within the ETL process design for easy generation of the ETL process specification. The ontology for ETL process activities has been developed by using the Requirement Analysis Method for ETL Processes (RAMEPs) that is gathered from the perspectives of organization, decision-maker, and developer. Therefore, the ontology is used to generate the ETL process specification for a student affairs’ Data Warehouse (DW) system. The correctness of the ontology model was validated by using an appropriate reasoner. Moreover, the process of ontology development for the case study is presented and shows how the ontology-based approach was successful in implementing the design and generating the ETL process specification.
An Approach for Biological Data Integration and Knowledge Retrieval based on Ontology, Semantic Web Services Composition, and AI Planning
Authors: Remli Muhammad Akmal , Deris Safaai
Published: July 2012

This chapter describes an approach involved in two knowledge management processes in biological fields, namely data integration and knowledge retrieval based on ontology, Web services, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) planning. For the data integration, Semantic Web combining with ontology is promising several ways to integrate a heterogeneous biological database. The goal of this work is to construct an integration approach for gram-positive bacteria organism that combines gene, protein, and pathway, thus allowing biological questions to be answered. The authors present a new perspective to retrieve knowledge by using Semantic Web services composition and Artificial Intelligence (AI) planning system, Simple Hierarchical Order Planner 2 (SHOP2). A Semantic Web service annotated with domain ontology is used to describe services for biological pathway knowledge retrieval at Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) database. The authors investigate the effectiveness of this approach by applying a real world scenario in pathway information retrieval for an organism where the biologist needs to discover the pathway description from a given specific gene of interest. Both of these two processes (data integration and knowledge retrieval) used ontology as the key role to achieve the biological goals.
Ontology-Based Virtual Communities Model for the Knowledge Management System Environment
Authors: Eri Zeti Darleena , Abdullah Rusli , Jabar Marzanah A. , Murad Masrah Azrifah Azmi , Talib Amir Mohamed
Published: July 2012

Virtual communities are gaining attention in many organizations, particularly in Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL). The research communities in IHL have similar research practices and often form groups to collaborate in research activities. With proper Internet infrastructure, research communities form virtual communities to share knowledge and find the highest number of potential people to collaborate. However, studies to understand these research communities either in research activities or capturing changes in the communities are lacking. The study of virtual communities is crucial to properly manage group knowledge and enable social interaction using a tool to enable socialization. Ontology design of virtual communities can be used as a form to formalize research communities. Based on the Knowledge Management (KM) approach of finding the right knowledge and the right people to work, a model called the OntoVC-KMS is proposed. The main objective of this chapter is to address the following questions: 1) What constitutes virtual communities among research communities in IHL? 2) How can virtual communities be formalized using ontology? and 3) Can a KM system support virtual communities in IHL for research communities and practices? To provide the answers, the authors conduct a literature review and develop an ontology design using the ontology development approach of related research. Finally, this chapter describes an approach that promotes ontology design in an organization that focuses on communities and socialization in an IHL.
Creating an IO Capable Organization
Authors: Madsen Bjørn-Emil , Hansson Lisbeth , Danielsen Jan Eivind
Published: July 2012

This work is based on the “IO Mindset project” performed in the “IO centre” (Madsen et. al, 2011).
Collaborative Work Environments in Smart Oil Fields
Authors: Guldemond Ewoud
Published: July 2012

In the last decade, oil companies are increasingly viewing collaborative work environments as an important component of their smart oil fields programs. Collaborative work environments (CWEs) have been implemented by several major oil companies, to support the use of technology in smart oil fields. The implementation of these collaborative work environments is not without problems. After major oil companies successfully implemented the hardware, tools and applications in CWEs, organizational design challenges remained unsolved. The biggest challenge is to change behavior of staff and to effectively integrate people across disciplinary boundaries. This chapter emphasizes the importance of the organizational aspect of CWEs in smart oil fields. The objective of this chapter is to provide the upstream petroleum industry with guidelines for the organizational design of the collaborative work environments, in support of the operation of smart oil fields. In order to provide the organizational design guidelines, a PhD research was conducted at three different operating units of a major oil company. This research focused on the business processes, organizational structure, and competencies of staff in the CWEs.
Teams
Authors: Taylor Dominic
Published: July 2012

The success and sustainability of the Integrated Operations (IO) initiative within the Oil and Gas industry is discussed in relation to the ways people work together and the organisational structures which support that work. Whilst collaboration has become a defining concept in the industry for optimal working, this chapter argues that other characteristics found in the concept of teamwork are of equal importance in achieving the aims of the IO project. Teams and high-performing teams can provide a framework for understanding how groups of people within the workplace can respond to the dynamic environments of the oil and gas industry and fulfill the objectives of IO. The chapter presents some tactics for creating high-performing teams within this domain and presents two case studies to show the importance of teamwork in realizing the goals of Integrated Operations.
Implementing iE
Authors: Eike Martin
Published: July 2012

On the Norwegian continental shelf, utilization of iE has been regarded as a vital measure for avoiding a rapid decline in production. Implementation has however proven to be challenging, and an unharvested potential still exist. Taking a capability approach to such implementation may help attain this remaining potential. Doing so requires a good understanding of what factors secure a successful and sustainable iE-implementation. Here, a case study of how a drilling contractor has adopted iE is used as basis for identifying such factors. An analytical framework rooted in the tradition of innovation theory is used for exploring the empirical material. The findings are further used as basis for presenting a set of recommendations that, if utilized, could help managers and change agents in their efforts of successfully implementing iE-capabilities within their organization.
Good IO-Design is More than IO-Rooms
Authors: Moltu Berit
Published: July 2012

‘Integrated Operations’ (IO) is about employing real time data and new technology to remove barriers between disciplines, expert groups, geography, and the company. IO has been associated with so called IO rooms. IO is technology driven, but is neither room nor technology deterministic. A network understanding of IO, based on Science and Technology Studies (STS), gives a process of different actants chained in networks, pointing the same directions by the same interests, to obtain the anticipated effect as is comes to efficiency and good HSE results. This chapter develops the seamless web of the IO design and describes good design criteria based on studies in Operational Support Rooms (OPS) in a Norwegian Oil Company. This process of the heterogeneous engineering of IO is not to be seen as technology implementation rather than technology development. This chapter points on how the seamless web of the IO design might contribute to good working conditions.
Baker Hughes IO and BEACON with a Focus on Downsizing Personnel Requirements at Rig-Site
Authors: Fraser Joanna Karin Grov , Dagestad Jan Ove , Jones Barry L.
Published: July 2012

For more than a decade, Baker Hughes has developed a number of IO applications and WellLink technologies building its BEACON (Baker Expert Advisory Centre Operation Network) platform for the digital oilfield. The scope of BEACON is remote access of real-time rig data, drilling data and wireline data, production and pump monitoring, and static file management. These technologies have enabled the company’s collaboration centers around the world primarily to monitor, support, and optimize operations without having to be physically present at rig site. This development has been a foundation for a successful roll-out of remote collaboration and re-manning of operations, where Baker Hughes has reduced the number of personnel needed at rig site by 25-50%. Monitoring and remote supervision of real-time information 24/7 to optimize overall performance and paperwork (logging, petrophysical analyses) are now all done by people in the office using information communications technology to connect to the rig site. Larger-scale re-manning can also be done with services such as reservoir navigation, drilling optimization, pump management, liner hanger down hole technical support, et cetera. On the Norwegian shelf, where re-manning has been done at higher levels than in many other regions, nearly 50% of Baker Hughes’ staff who would traditionally have been offshore can be re-manned during operational peaks – this means they are either in an office onshore, or their responsibilities have been changed. Baker Hughes’ cross-training of personnel facilitates this flexibility, allowing for efficient and HSE-compliant re-manning.
Introducing IO in a Drilling Company
Authors: Ose Grethe Osborg , Steiro Trygve J.
Published: July 2012

The introduction of Integrated Operations (IO) in the offshore oil and gas industry makes distanced and distributed decision-making a growing part of normal work. Some functions have been transferred from offshore installations to onshore offices as a consequence of the technologies that have recently become available. The authors analyze whether the onshore organization is ready for increased responsibilities by increasing the resilience in its work patterns, since resilience is important for maintaining or increasing safety level compared to current operation, where personnel on board installations can observe the plant at first hand. This study has been performed as a case study of an onshore Support Center in a drilling company at the start of the process of using the Support Center. The establishment of the Support Center involved re-arranging the office arrangements to an open landscape for all offshore installation support personnel and grouping them according to disciplines. They also acquired new technology, including video conference equipment. Important findings are that developing resilience has to be followed through at all levels of the organization. Time and resources have to be made available when work practices change, providing the physical framework alone does not improve resilience. The study also offers a more detailed description of capability resilience and which aspects should be considered when developing resilience. The authors look at the status so far in the change process and also find areas that should be developed in order to increase resilience further.
The Use of Simulations as an Analytical Tool for Payment Systems
Authors: Diehl Martin
Published: July 2012

Simulations are among the analytical tools in payment systems analysis. They can be used to overcome epistemological weaknesses of models and calibrations, and they are virtual experiments that do not affect the real performance of payment systems. The chapter is intended to give an inside view into the use of simulations as an analysis tool for payment systems as well as settlement systems. Section 1 highlights the basic features of payment systems in order to explain the usefulness of, and the most important questions addressed by, simulations. Based on these features, an epistemological assessment of simulations versus other analytical tools will show the range and limits of simulations (section 2). Following the historic development, the use of simulations for functional development will be explained in section 3, before dealing with oversight aspects (section 4). Finally, in section 5, the authors list a couple of practical tools to do simulations and to discuss tendencies in simulation tools and speculate on the future direction of research.
Liquidity Saving Mechanisms and Bank Behavior in Payment Systems
Authors: Galbiati Marco , Soramäki Kimmo
Published: July 2012

Interbank payment systems form the backbone of the financial architecture. Banks need to hold costly funds at the central bank to process interbank payments. Each bank would individually like to hold a low amount of funds and finance its outgoing payments from payments received by other banks during the day. Collectively, however, all banks cannot “free ride” on other banks’ liquidity, which makes bank behavior in interbank payment systems a complex and interesting topic. This chapter investigates the effect of Liquidity Saving Mechanisms (LSM) in interbank payment systems. LSM mechanisms have recently been implemented and proposed in many major interbank payment systems. The chapter applies a novel methodology combining Agent Based Modeling (ABM) and game theory. The authors model a stylized two-stream payment system where banks choose a) how much liquidity to post and b) which payments to route into the each of two “streams”: an RTGS stream and an LSM stream. The authors simulate the systems using realistic settlement processes and solve equilibrium choices for the amount of liquidity to post and the fraction of payments to settle in each stream. The authors find that, when liquidity is expensive, the two-stream system is more efficient than the vanilla RTGS system without LSM. This is because the LSM achieves better co-ordination of payments. When liquidity is inexpensive, the second stream does not add value, as banks find it convenient to ignore it and use the plain RTGS stream. For an intermediate range of cost of liquidity, several equilibria may emerge. Besides a corner equilibrium where all payments are settled via the LSM stream, there are equilibria where both streams are used. Interestingly, some of these may be inefficient, as they involve a (somewhat paradoxical) mix of intensive use of the LSM and high liquidity usage in the RTGS stream. The appeal of the LSM resides in its ability to ease (but not completely solve) strategic inefficiencies stemming from externalities and free-riding.
Liquidity Saving in CHAPS
Authors: McLafferty Joanna , Denbee Edward
Published: July 2012

This study uses a simulation methodology and real payment data to quantify the liquidity efficiency that could be obtained in CHAPS, the UK’s large-value payment system, by the implementation of a Liquidity Saving Mechanism (LSM). The payment data comes from payments submitted to CHAPS and, as such, reflects bank behaviour in a system without an LSM. The authors use survey data about urgent payments and bilateral limits to calibrate the simulations and make reasonable assumptions about how banks might behave in a system with an LSM. The simulations show that introducing an offsetting algorithm into the existing Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) set-up could result in significant liquidity savings. The authors find that liquidity savings could be of the order of 30% compared to a simple RTGS. The results suggest that the benefits, however, are unevenly distributed amongst the members: some benefit more than others. In line with other studies, there is a trade-off between liquidity savings and payment delay. Delays range from a couple of minutes to over two hours, depending upon the delay measure and the LSM set-up. Each bank will have to choose its optimal position on the savings-delay curve, depending upon the relative weight it gives to liquidity usage and payment timing. Furthermore, the authors simulate a range of different algorithms and find that liquidity savings are almost invariant across algorithms. This suggests that liquidity saving is driven by the structural imposition of two payment streams and the restriction of liquidity to non-urgent payments as opposed to the sophistication of an offsetting algorithm. The choice of algorithm does, however, have a major impact upon the size of delay that is introduced for a given liquidity saving. In practice, banks may choose to translate some of this reduction in delay into an increase in liquidity saving.
Managing Intraday Liquidity
Authors: Alexandrova-Kabadjova Biliana , Solís-Robleda Francisco
Published: July 2012

The present chapter calculates the liquidity usage of the Mexican Real Time Settlement Payment System, SPEI, during a one month period. In particular, the authors’ interest is to give insight about how payment systems participants manage the settlement of low and large value payment transactions in real-time. To that end, they create an artificial environment, in which they use historical data from April 7 to May 7, 2010, and reproduce the operational conditions of SPEI. All payment instructions that arrived from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m. each working day are included. For each of these days, the authors arrange the transactions in four sets, delimited according to their value: all payments; payment orders with value higher than 100,000 MXN; transactions with value higher than 1,000,000 MXN; and payments with value higher than 10,000,000 MXN. The authors use a simulation environment to reproduce SPEI’s operational conditions in order to measure the liquidity usage in different settings of settlement speed requirements.
Systemic Risk, Stress Testing, and Financial Contagion
Authors: Martinez-Jaramillo Serafin , Lopez-Castañon Calixto , Lopez-Gallo Fabrizio
Published: July 2012

By using the proposed framework, it is also possible to perform stress testing in a coherent way, including second round effects like contagion through the interbank market. Additionally, it is possible to follow the evolution of certain coherent risk measures, like the CVaR, in order to evaluate if the system is becoming more or less risky, in fact, more or less fragile. Additionally, the authors decompose the distribution of losses of the whole banking system into the systemic and the contagion elements and determine if the system is more prone to experience contagious difficulties during a certain period of time.
Multi-Agent Financial Network (MAFN) Model of US Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDO)
Authors: Markose Sheri M. , Oluwasegun Bewaji , Giansante Simone
Published: July 2012

A database driven multi-agent model has been developed with automated access to US bank level FDIC Call Reports that yield data on balance sheet and off balance sheet activity, respectively, in Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS) and Credit Default Swaps (CDS). The simultaneous accumulation of RMBS assets on US banks’ balance sheets and also large counterparty exposures from CDS positions characterized the $2 trillion Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) market. The latter imploded at the end of 2007 with large scale systemic risk consequences. Based on US FDIC bank data, that could have been available to the regulator at the time, the authors investigate how a CDS negative carry trade combined with incentives provided by Basel II and its precursor in the US, the Joint Agencies Rule 66 Federal Regulation No. 56914, which became effective on January 1, 2002, on synthetic securitization and Credit Risk Transfer (CRT), led to the unsustainable trends and systemic risk. The resultant market structure with heavy concentration in CDS activity involving 5 US banks can be shown to present too interconnected to fail systemic risk outcomes. The simulation package can generate the financial network of obligations of the US banks in the CDS market. The authors aim to show how such a Multi-Agent Financial Network (MAFN) model is well suited to monitor bank activity and to stress test policy for perverse incentives on an ongoing basis.
A 72-Year-Old Patient with Bilateral Maisonneuve Fractures
Authors: Dienstknecht Thomas , Horst Klemens , Pape Hans-Christoph
Published: July 2012

Maisonneuve fractures result from a disruption of the medial ankle structures and a proximal fibular fracture. Patient complaints can be misleading and there is a significant rate of delayed diagnosed injuries. We present a case of bilateral Maisonneuve fractures after a fall due to a syncopal collapse. A precise clinical examination led to this rare diagnosis. The injuries were treated with syndesmotic screw fixation, removal of hardware followed after 6 weeks. The patient was asymptomatic at threemonths follow up. Patients with bilateral injuries undergoing standard surgical treatment can gain full recovery, but high suspicion in clinical examination is needed to detect this uncommon bilateral injury.