bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managing Process Alarms in a LNG Facility
Authors: Liu Z. , Al Hammadi J.
Published: December 2014

Alarm management affects the bottom line and safety. A well-managed alarm system can help a process run closer to its optimal operating point while nuisance alarms heightened as a risk of alarm flood could have consequential adverse effect on product quality, process efficiency, equipment protection, environmental incident and personnel safety. An effective alarm management program is more than good operational practice, it may also become a business necessity for insurance industry and regulatory bodies.

This paper describes an approach and methodology adopted by ADGAS to effectively manage nuisance process alarms. A comprehensive assessment on the current status of key alarm performances against EEMUA-191 guidelines and ISA-18.2 standard was presented. Although significant reduction of nuisance alarms was achieved through alarm rationalisation, documentation and various suppression techniques during an alarm management project, maintaining a good performance of the alarm system and managing the changes during daily operation can be even more important and challenging in the alarm management lifecycle. This paper also describes an initiative involving a multi-discipline team to continuously review, analyse and reduce nuisance alarms.

As a result, frequent alarms were reduced by 40% for both process and utilities. A framework is established to ensure the good alarm management practice is sustainable and maintained.
ADCO'S Leadership Talent Psychometrics: Objective Measurement of Leadership Qualities for Potential Assessment and Development
Authors: Zahoor S. , Montes T. , Wahl A.
Published: December 2014

In the Oil and Gas Industry today, the most pressing challenge facing almost all organisations worldwide is the availability of talent. In ensuring that companies are able to sustain and build their capabilities in both technical as well as managerial areas, the market for qualified talent has become an intense international competition that will dominate the strategic concerns of many oil companies for a long time.

For the UAE, with a large part of economic activity still dependent on the exploration and production of Oil and Gas, the perspective on the war for talent is characterised by the need to accelerate the time to proficiency of its national workforce. The crew change from retiring international expertise is now reducing operational experience from an average of 16 years down to 10 years or less.

A broad front is being taken by the ADNOC Group of Companies to address these concerns so that a continuous value chain of technical and leadership talent provides the assurance of sustaining the growth in the current demand for oil production and exports.

This paper examines one important facet of this current reality. It focuses on the efforts by Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) towards attraction, retention and development of critical leadership talent as a subset of talent and succession planning. In particular this report provides detailed insights into the use of psychometric instruments in ADCO that enables the generation of objective information about leadership behaviour and potential.
Implementation of Project Areas Reservation System
Authors: Athmaram Jayaprakash , Batahif Awad Saleh
Published: December 2014

Land availability in offshore Islands is becoming increasingly ambitious due to large scale developments as part of various Engineering Projects. In fact some of these Islands are fast becoming regional hub/s for accommodation, oil and gas collection, processing and shipment. Project Management Teams (PMT) often clamber and compete for space in the offshore Islands to implement several projects as per engineering priority's and other project demands. It is often noted that PMT end up holding the project due to unavailability of laydown area and/or camp area as per company regulation and HSE design philosophies. ZADCO observed that future projects in its natural and artificial islands will require exceptional coordination and collaboration. Hence, it was considered paramount to implement a centralised project area reservation procedure and land use system to efficiently manage the project interfaces and control its high value real estate offshore.

Based on this requirement, a web based system with intuitive mapping frontend and tools to create project area or space reservations was internally designed and developed by Engineering Projects, referred as ‘iSPACE’. Today, project engineers use iSPACE to draw the project area of interest and route the area reservation approvals via automated workflows. Once the area is approved by all concerned, the area is reserved in the system and a Land Use Permit Form with area map, boundary coordinates such as Latitudes and Longitudes are generated.

It was observed that the system assists top management in case of any land dispute due to various ongoing and planned project interfaces on the Islands. The system provides a snapshot of all possible facilities, utilities, habitat, underground networks that may be affected as first-hand information based on the project area derived, using which faster, better decisions can be reached by the stakeholders.

Land Use Permit report with project area map including topography data, general soil and underground utilities data had increased the awareness of the sites by PMT teams. Further the system provides a cumulative inventory of projects being executed on the islands, project types and its approval status vis-à-vis to ongoing developments.
Why Does New Equipment Fail?
Authors: Henry Neil S
Published: December 2014

During investigation of equipment failure and deterioration of equipment the age of the equipment has been considered as a factor in problem being studied. The equipment being studied has been from many industries, but the majority of the work carried out was in Petrochemical facilities. The pattern which emerged from a study of two years (and over 200) investigations, revealed a pattern which revealed approximately 10% of equipment was less than 5 years old and over 20% was less than 10 years old.

There is a great deal of focus on managing ageing process equipment in the petrochemical industry. The performance of "younger" equipment appears to be equally unreliable as 25 to 30 year old equipment, in terms of number of failures. Industry is perhaps suffering failure, at both ends of the operating life of a plant which could be mitigated or avoided. By integrating the reasons for failure, into the design, fabrication and operation of equipment there is an opportunity to improve the reliability of new plants.

This paper has been prepared from data gained during detailed root cause analysis of equipment failure investigation. In order to manage the challenges of confidentiality of information, the results are described broad principals of the conditions which resulted in failure. These events are rarely the result of a single factor, therefore methods of restricting the potential for the combination of these circumstances are the key message.

It may be that many people believe the situation is no worse now, than it has been in the past, but my experience over 30 plus years suggests it is now more serious. There appear to be more significant failures, leading to prolonged plant shutdown. It is likely improvements in safety management have controlled the consequences of these events, so they do not cause the level of "injury" observed historically. The business loss appears to be the major impact of failure. However, in the longer term, the integrity of equipment may not meet the expected statistical performance values, which are commonly used in risk based studies for inspection or process safety

As the improvement in the financial climate for industry leads to many new plants being constructed, the importance of learning from experience and improving reliability represents a significant financial advantage. The data indicates achieving these benefits should involve all parts of the project process. This may not be simple to achieve, but the results are considered worthwhile. Some suggestions of how to achieve this objective are included in the conclusions.
How to Cope With Sand Production without Any Additional Sensor When Using the Right Multiphase Technology
Authors: Bifout Samia , Pinguet Bruno , Rojas Christophe
Published: December 2014

The multiphase metering business is shifting over the last years from "conventional" 3-Phase metering (i.e. only Water, Oil, and Gas measurement) to most complex combination of 4 phases.

With the wells ageing, the reservoir strength is becoming weaker and the production of sand starts. This sand production is happening at the time of the well life where usually large completion upgrade and/or large CAPEX are necessary to maintain production, and need to be balance with economics. This is a generic concern in brown fields; where in some areas up to 25%-50% of the wells, for a given field, are having sand production issues.

Few ways are used to mitigate the sand production ranging from shutting the sandy wells to sand extraction and monitoring. The former is leading to a drastic loss of oil production, when the latter requires accurate equipment to detect the lowest possible sand production.

In Asia, the problem is usually becoming more complex due to the large presence of gas field and therefore little amount of liquid is produced which can lead to a quicker erosion and pipe integrity issues. It is not acceptable in such schemes to have either inconsistent data between different equipment (permanent installations and periodic checks) or let undetected sand production.

The main objective is to investigate in detail the response of the most common acoustic sand detector and Multiphase Flow Meter (MPFM) with capability to measure 4th phase from production and to highlight the best solution for the oil company. This field study is based on measurement made in control conditions to get the lowest level of sand detection, and then in a second step a measurement of the sand velocity and erosion. Beyond the exercise of measuring sand, it is flow assurance, pipe integrity, and reservoir management that are addressed.

What most complex conditions to operate a multiphase flow meter that in 4th phases and high accuracy is compulsory? This paper will describe in detail the field operation, and the innovative and advanced data processing of a top-of-the-class multiphase meter to answer this challenge. This step forward in the production monitoring is instrumental in solving the measurement issues that plague solid production.

The innovative work presented in this paper creates the foundation for future work in sand monitoring. We believe that this study is a cornerstone to state the robustness of current specific design, and opens opportunity to future development for mature field and wells with early sand production.
Integration of Materials Selection, Corrosion Control and Asset Monitoring to Improve the Safety of Sour Gas Operations
Authors: Kapusta Sergio
Published: December 2014

The technical and mechanical integrity of sour gas production assets (wells, facilities, pipelines) is the key to achieving operational success, as well as ensuring safety and minimising harm to the environment. Asset integrity does not occur by chance, but rests on a foundation of proper design, materials selection, operational integrity, monitoring, personnel training and robust management. All these factors are interconnected and should work together to achieve excellence in asset integrity and process safety. This interconnection is particularly important in sour gas operations, as the threats to integrity and the hazards are potentially severe. In previous presentations (see ADIPEC 2013) we introduced several concepts that described the activities and management systems that lead to excellence in asset integrity, in particular the roles of technology, work processes and personnel training, and the "101 Elements" that constitute the basis of asset integrity. In this paper we build on the concept of safety barriers and safety critical elements, with a focus on some of the front-end barriers that, if properly implemented and maintained, will serve to improve the safety of sour gas operations: materials selection, corrosion control, and inspection, and how they are connected to the earlier concepts.
Successful History of Cementing and Zonal Isolation in Thailand's High Temperature Offshore Wells
Authors: Brandl A. , Valentino V. , Fauchille G. , Thein A. , Stanley R. , Rivera N. N. , Siritheerasas K.
Published: December 2014

The Gulf of Thailand is characterized by shallow-water depth wells with bottomhole static temperature ranging from 240 to more than 420°F. These wells are drilled to an average of 12,000 ft MD and 9,000 ft TVD with a fast paced-batch drilling strategy. Most cement jobs are done offline, and on the surface section can be as frequent as 6 jobs per day. With multiple rigs, operators can require more than 100 cementing operations per month and cement volumes as high as 18,000 bbl. This efficient operations environment creates a demand for a logistically and operationally simple cement system that can be applied in all well sections and across the full range of expected temperatures. An advanced, lightweight seawater-based cementing concept was tested for this application. This new cementing system uses a single blend with only 3 to 4 primary liquid additives (including a stable, high-temperature, multi-functional polymer) to adjust all primary cement jobs for the entire wellbore. A sophisticated lab testing program was conducted for the innovative cementing concept according to the required demands on cement slurry design given the harsh wellbore conditions in the Gulf of Thailand. Tests revealed that the developed cementing systems meet all well requirements despite low densities of 13.3 to 14.0 ppg with high water content. This advanced cementing system was introduced in 2011 and has gradually been used on all wells since then – to date more than 500 wells in the Gulf of Thailand. In addition to improving logistics, use of the system has enhanced cement bond quality in production tubing cementing jobs. This improvement also reduced pay at risk due to insufficient cement isolation. This is evident in the whole range of well temperatures.
Theories of Arps' Decline Curve Exponent and Loss Ratio, for Saturated Reservoirs
Authors: Mosobalaje Olatunde O. , Tiab Djebbar , Lu Jing
Published: December 2014

Rate decline curve analysis is an essential tool in predicting reservoir performance and in estimating reservoir properties. In its most basic form, decline curve analysis is to a large extent based on Arps' empirical models that have little theoretical basis. The use of historical production data to predict future performance is the focus of the empirical approach of decline analysis while the theoretical approach focuses on the derivation of relationships between the empirical model parameters and reservoir rock/fluid properties; thereby establishing a theoretical basis for the empirical models. Such relationships are useful in formulating techniques for reservoir properties estimation using production data.

Many previous attempts at establishing relationships between the empirical parameters and the rock/fluid properties have been concerned primarily with the exponential decline of single phase oil reservoirs. A previous attempt to establish the theories of hyperbolic decline of saturated reservoirs (multiphase) have yielded an expression relating the Arps' decline exponent, b, to rock/fluid properties. However, the values of exponent computed from the expression are not constant through time, whereas, the empirically-determined exponent b is a constant value.

This work utilizes basic concepts of compressibility and mobility to justify the dynamic behaviour of the values obtained from the existing theoretical expression of the previous theory; to prove that the expression, though rigorously derived, is not the theoretical equivalence of the empirical Arps' b-exponent; and finally, to properly to offer a new logical perspective to the previous theory relating b-exponent to rock and fluid property. Ultimately, this work presents, for the first time, a new consistent theoretical expression for the Arps' exponent, b. The derivation of the new expression is still founded on the concept of Loss Ratio, as in previous attempts; however, this latest attempt utilizes the cumulative derivative of the Loss Ratio, instead of the instantaneous derivative implied in the previous attempt.

The new expression derived in this work have been applied to a number of saturated reservoir models and found to yield values of b-exponent that are constant through time and are equivalent to the empirically-determined b-exponent.
The Horizon Program: Keeping Career Paths on Track
Authors: COCONNIER Jennifer
Published: December 2014

The Horizon Program is designed to ensure that all those identified at early to mid career as having potential to become leaders within their technical discipline are kept on track to reach their full potential.

Application

Individual Career Paths are mapped out to ensure that individuals are fully exposed and challenged to demonstrate their abilities. Thay are monitored by HR and coached by their executive manager. Commitment is given by the management to keep the career path on track; commitment is also given by the Horizon Program member. The program may span over three or more position changes.

Results

Joined up supervision between HR and Management enable the organization to grow the specialists, experts and leaders that the company and the industry requires.

Significance

This is a powerful retention tool. Program members have a clear view of how their company sees them developing and appreciate the investment given. The company in turn benefits from managing the balance between Technical expertise and Leadership within the National workforces worldwide. This program aims to ensure that diversity is catered for. It is a successful tool to improve levels of diversity at the top of the organisation by keeping Horizon Program members on track to reach their full potential.
Moving an Economically Marginal Project into a Major Project through Integrating Subsurface Uncertainty and Surface Design
Authors: Kawar Ra'ed , Ferrero Maria Boya , Al Wahabi Nasr , Koksaloglu Bengisu , Khabouri Khalid
Published: December 2014

The X field is located in The Sultanate of Oman. It consists of stacked fractured carbonate reservoirs with Natih and Shuaiba Formations. Historically the field has been studied and stalled over the years (1999, 2005 and 2008). Making an integrated development plan for the X field is considered as challenging for the following reasons:

1) we are dealing with three different reservoirs at the same location; 2) the field has sparse datasets for the different reservoirs; 3) fractures properties differ within reservoirs; 4) the three reservoirs contain different hydrocarbon types; 5) The development is targeting relatively short transition zone hydrocarbon columns; 6) fluid contacts are highly variable and non flat; 7) the oil in the shallow reservoir is biodegraded and the gs oil contact does not match the oil the bubble point pressure; 8) the field is producing at high H2S level.

As a consequence of the above the field development is confronted with a wide range of uncertainties in the production forecasts (between low and high cases). Surface design having to accommodate such large ranges in the production forecast translates into a project that is economically unattractive.

To unlock the X field resource volume, a two-fold strategy was adopted: Big Loop and Decision Driven Modelling, andConcept engineering designing the cost while maintaining the project key value drivers.

The Big Loop methodology enabler can be defined as the process of describing reservoirs conceptually to explore through modelling the uncertainties impacting major decisions. It results in exploring the subsurface unknowns in the decision space without anchoring to a base case. The Big Loop has resulted in the identification of the most relevant uncertainties in X field which led to drilling five appraisal wells and four well interference campaigns in 2012-2013. The appraisal results have proven GOGD as the most favourable recovery mechanism for the two deeper reservoirs; for the shallower reservoir uncertainty remains too large and the recommendation for an early production system in combination of a surveillance plan is proposed.

Optimisation of the compressor size has been key to unlock the economic feasibility of this development. It has lead to the definition of the maximum affordable capacity and the operating envelope for production phasing.

In conclusion the integration with surface design has driven the cost, and the Big Loop methodology has enabled the identification of appraisal needs and the optimum development mechanism. The combination of surface design for the three reservoirs and subsurface uncertainty screening has resulted in an economically feasible and robust project.
Integrated PVT Modeling for Gas Condensate Systems
Authors: Cornelisse P. M.
Published: December 2014

On the basis of PVT data from 10 well/reservoirs, fluid models were developed for subsurface and surface requirements. The present paper described a methodology that can be used to maximize consistency between the data used for subsurface as well as surface network modeling. The models were developed to honor all of the experimental data, even though in some cases inconsistencies between the different experimental data sets were found. The workflow is not preliminary aimed at the best match between model and experiment of a single sample but getting the most representative model for the reservoir fluid based on all knowledge. The basis of the model is a PR78 with constant Peneloux volume shift.

The paper describes the workflow for low CGR gas condensate systems from low permeability formations and focuses on three different steps tackling the impact of sampling and experimental issues. It is shown that for this example system many bottom hole samples, both open and cased hole samples, have some external contamination in the C34-C36 range that artificially increases the dew point and liquid drop out at pressures above 2500 psia, while having little to no effect on the overall CGR. Some separator sample sets seem to be depleted in the C5-C10 range compared to all bottom hole samples. It is likely that incomplete equilibration in the separator in combination with some water washing is the reason for this behavior. This observation is supported by the fact that this issue becomes more pronounced for leaner fluids. The issue has a quite strong effect on the CGR (~30%). So the most representative compositions were obtained from cased hole and open hole fluids, corrected for contamination and draw down effects.

In the modeling part of the workflow several steps can be identified: 1) Generation of a 1st model used for QC of data and definition of the parameter ranges (22 comp), 2) Create a model as above but doing a compositional correction for contamination or other compositional irregularities like H2S content, specific contaminants, effects of depletion/enrichment due to 2 phase sampling (22 comp), 3) Create a unified model (32 comp). The model is derived from model 2 but includes BTEX and is mapped onto a single ABC set of pseudo components that are the same for all reservoirs/wells. 4) As 3, but with S-components included. 5) Create the compositional 10 component lumped reservoir model (6 light end + 4 C7+ components).

The models generated show good agreement to the data and are believed to be the most realistic estimate of the fluid behavior of the reservoir fluids. On top of that we can swap from one model to another using a simple lumping/delumping scheme.
Modeling and Avoidance of Heave-Induced Resonances in Offshore Drilling
Authors: Aarsnes Ulf Jakob , Gleditsch Martin S. , Aamo Ole Morten , Pavlov Alexey
Published: December 2014

The problem of heave-induced-pressure fluctuation during drilling is considered. The surge/swab pressures created by the vertical motion of the pipe can excite resonances that may amplify the magnitude of pressure oscillations by a factor of 10. The locations of the resonant frequencies depend on the topside-choke opening and can hence be avoided. By use of a model of the full coupled dynamics, it is shown that the elastic pipe and the mud-in-pipe can also exhibit resonant behavior significantly affecting the downhole pressure. Techniques to avoid resonances are discussed.
Public perceptions of comparative effectiveness research and use of evidence in healthcare decision-making
Authors: Cornwell Derekh , Hu Mindy , Esposito Dominick
Published: December 2014

Aims:
This study elaborates on the public's understanding of comparative effectiveness research (CER) or patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), attitudes toward CER/PCOR and use of evidence in healthcare decision-making.
Materials & methods:
We conducted six focus groups with the general public – three with individuals actively engaged in healthcare decision-making and three with individuals more passive in their approach.
Results:
The general public has little knowledge of CER/PCOR, and its perceptions of certain CER/PCOR concepts are inconsistent with those of researchers and policy-makers. Active healthcare consumers value information more than passive consumers and are likely to use evidence in decision-making.
Conclusion:
Providers are an important source for disseminating and communicating CER/PCOR evidence to active and passive consumers.
Differences among consumer segments with regard to perceptions of comparative effectiveness research
Authors: Williams Sunyna S , Frost Sloane L
Published: December 2014

Aim:
To examine differences among health-related decision-making consumer segments with regard to knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors pertinent to comparative effectiveness research.
Methods:
Data were collected via an online survey from 603 adults with chronic conditions. Consumer segment was determined using a two-item tool.
Results:
Active consumers (high skills and motivation) reported the highest levels of engagement in various behaviors. Passive consumers (low skills and motivation) reported the lowest levels of engagement in various behaviors. High-effort consumers (low skills, high motivation) reported more positive attitudes and opinions and more engagement in various behaviors than did complacent consumers (high skills, low motivation).
Conclusion:
Effective translation and dissemination of comparative effectiveness research will require the development of approaches tailored to consumers with varying levels of skills and motivation.
Arnoldo Cantani: Pioneer of Modern Diabetes Treatment
Authors: Allen Frederick M
Published: December 2014

Three men are commonly considered the outstanding pioneers in modern treatment of diabetes: Bouchardat (1806-1886) in France, Cantani (1837-1893) in Italy, and Naunyn (1839-1925) in Germany. Of the three, Cantani was foremost in his insistence that stopping glycosuria was the major method of controlling the disease.

All three men lived at a time when, after centuries of dense ignorance, there occurred an explosive outburst of scientific achievement and enthusiasm which is reminiscent of the similar excitement arising from the primitive beginnings of an atomic technology in our own time. As background for their researches in diabetes these three pioneers had Rollo's “animal food” empiricism; the physiological revelations of Claude Bernard; the discovery of enzymes and also of internal secretions; the foundation of physiological chemistry by Liebig; Pasteur's incredible bacteriology; the new microscopic anatomy opened up by the Schleiden- Schwann cell theory and followed by Virchow's cellular pathology; many metabolic studies capped by the investigation of respiratory metabolism by Pettenkofer and Voit; and—by no means unimportant in themselves— the developmentof methods of sugar analysis both by copper reduction and by polarimetry.
Studies of an Inhibitor of the Two Antibody Immunoassay System
Authors: Morgan Carl Robert , Sorenson Robert L , Lazarow Arnold
Published: December 2014

A heat labile plasma inhibitor of the two antibody insulin immunoassay system has been investigated by means of paper electrophoresis, ultracentrifugation, and DEAE cellulose anion exchange resin. These studies indicate that the inhibitor does not interfere with the binding of insulin to its specific antibody (first antibody reaction); but that the inhibitor interferes with the reaction of anti-guinea pig serum (rabbit source) with the insulin-anti-insulin soluble complex (second antibody reaction). When plasma samples are appropriately diluted the effect of the inhibitor is minimized.
Exhaustion of Insulogenic Reserve in Maturity-onset Diabetic Patients During Prolonged and Continuous Hyperglycemic Stress
Authors: Seltzer Holbrooke S , Harris Virginia L
Published: December 2014

Solutions of 15 per cent glucose were administered by continuous intravenous infusion for five to seven days to six normal subjects, seven tolbutamide-responsive adult diabetics, and six tolbutamide-nonresponsive adult diabetics. Blood glucose concentration, plasma insulin activity, and net assimilation of carbohydrate were determined daily. An “insulogenic index,” relating level of circulating insulin activity to magnitude of glycemic stimulus, enabled comparison of the insulin-secreting capacity of respective groups.

In nondiabetic subjects, mean daily blood glucose levels remained normal, and carbohydrate loads averaging 717 gm. per day were wholly retained. In both diabetic groups, increasing blood glucose and glycosuria permitted net glucose uptakes of only 88 per cent in tolbutamide-responders and 56 per cent in tolbutamide-nonresponders.

Plasma insulin activity increased significantly in all groups. In both normal subjects and tolbutamide-responsive diabetics, enhanced levels appeared on the first day, were sustained at high titers each day thereafter, and exhibited mean maximal value on the last day of infusion. Conversely, in tolbutamide-nonresponsive diabetics, average maximal insulin activity was achieved on the second day, whereafter it declined progressively and sometimes disappeared completely.

Compared to an insulogenic index of 100 per cent to represent the greatest secretory response of normal subjects, the corresponding maximal index was 49 per cent for tolbutamide-responders and 17 per cent for tolbutamide-nonresponders. On the last day of infusion, capacity for sustained insulin release was reflected by insulogenic indexes of 55 per cent, 32 per cent and 0.1 per cent in the respective groups.

The data indicate that unremitting hyperglycemia tends to exhaust insulogenic reserve in adult-onset diabetics, and that betacytotropic collapse occurs most rapidly in patients with severest clinical intolerance to carbohydrate. This demonstration strengthens the view that maturity-onset diabetes and growth-onset diabetes represent different stages of the same disease. The findings suggest that the fundamental lesion in hereditary human diabetes is either primary beta cell deficiency or impaired responsiveness of peripheral tissues to the action of insulin—or, quite possibly, a combination of both.
Hepatic Enzyme Activities in Rats Made Diabetic with Alloxan and with Guinea Pig Anti-insulin Serum
Authors: Dolkart Ralph E , Torok Elizabeth E , Wright Peter H
Published: December 2014

In diabetes abnormally high rates of gluconeogenesis have been demonstrated by various methods. Here it is confirmed that in rats which have been fasted or treated with alloxan, changes occur in hepatic enzyme activity which are compatible with an adaptation to increased rates of gluconeogenesis; there are increased glutamic-pyruvic and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities and reduced lactic dehydrogenase activity. Comparable effects were demonstrated in the livers of rats killed in a diabetic state twenty-four to sixty hours after injection of guinea pig anti-insulin serum, with the exception that glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity was not increased and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase activity was increased when expressed per liver protein or per body weight, but there was no change in the activity of the total liver. This finding provides suggestive evidence that increased gluconeogenesis is also characteristic of this experimental diabetic syndrome produced by anti-insulin serum.
The Enzymatic Nature of Phospholipid Synthesis in Normal Rabbit and Human Aorta: Results of In Vitro Studies
Authors: Parker Frank , Schimmelbusch Werner , Williams Robert H
Published: December 2014

Evidence has been presented to show that phospholipids are synthesized by supernatants of homogenates of rabbit and human aorta when palmitate-l-C-14, or linoleate-l-C-14, are used. The synthetic process is enzymatic in nature; it depends on temperature, pH, and the presence of various cofactors. These requirements are not unlike those of cellfree liver preparations, which also synthesize phospholipids.
Glucose Tolerance in Women Receiving an Ovulatory Suppressant
Authors: Gershberg Herbert , Javier Zenaida , Hulse Mildred
Published: December 2014

A high percentage of women receiving 5 mg. of norethynodrel with mestranol in cyclic fashion for contraception have decreased glucose tolerance. Ten per cent have elevated fasting levels, 20 per cent have elevated one-hour levels and 46 per cent have elevated two-hour levels (greater than our normal mean + 2 standard deviations of 105, 156 and 113 mg./100 ml., respectively). The incidence of abnormal glucose tolerance is greater in women with a family history of diabetes than in those without a history.

It seems reasonable to associate the change in glucose tolerance with the [pseudo-pregnancy] produced by the drug. Many women who have decreased glucose tolerance during natural pregnancy later become permanently diabetic. If this is true of those women with decreased glucose during drug treatment, then this response may identify the prediabetic.
The Effect of a Benzothiadiazine, Diazoxide, on Carbohydrate Metabolism
Authors: Tabachnick I I A , Gulbenkian A , Seidman F
Published: December 2014

After the oral, intraperitoneal, or intravenous administration of an antihypertensive, antidiuretic benzothiadiazine, diazoxide, to dogs, rabbits, mice, and rats, rapid hyperglycemia is promptly elicited, but of short duration, and reversible. The hyperglycemia is accompanied by increased hepatic glycogenolysis, serum lactate and pyruvate, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The hyperglycemia is obtained in depancreatized dogs, alloxanized mice, propylthiouracil treated mice, and nephrectomized mice, suggesting that the pancreas, thyroid and kidneys are not the primary locus of action of diazoxide.

Modification of diazoxide hyperglycemia by hypophysectomy suggests that the pituitary plays a role in the hyperglycemic phenomenon. However, this view must be tempered by the realization that hypophysectomy causes partial inanition, perhaps sufficient to prevent hyperglycemia.

The partial suppression of diazoxide hyperglycemia by adrenalectomy and BW 61–43 (isopropyl methoxamine), a specific inhibitor of the metabolic effects of epinephrine, suggests that the metabolic effects of diazoxide are mediated, at least in part, by adrenergic hormones. Preliminary experiments wherein diazoxide hyperglycemia was markedly attenuated in adrenalectomized mice treated with a ganglionic blocking agent, chlorisondamine, tend to support this concept. However, some doubt is cast upon this concept since reserpine treated mice respond to diazoxide and differences were observed in the hyperglycemic responses to epinephrine and diazoxide in hypophysectomized mice.

Further work is underway to elucidate the mechanism(s) and locus of action of the metabolic effects of diazoxide.
Observations on a Case of Spontaneous Diabetes Mellitus in a Dog
Authors: Groen J J , Frenkel H S , Offerhaus L
Published: December 2014

A case of spontaneous diabetes in a female dog eleven years of age is described. The clinical picture closely resembled that of human diabetes mellitus. As special particulars the authors mention the large quantities of insulin which were needed to check the glycosuria; the development of acromegalic features during the course of the disease; the finding of extremely scarce islets of Langerhans with a loss of beta cells; and a preponderance of eosinophilic cells in the pituitary. The authors express the assumption that in some cases spontaneous diabetes in the dog is based on an overproduction of growth hormone (“diabetogenie hormone”) and therefore is similar in its patho genesis to the diabetes provoked by Houssay and Young in laboratory animals by the injection of this hormone. A certain analogy with the human disease is also pointed out.
Insulin-like Activity in Serum of Normal and Diabetic Subjects: Results Obtained with Dual Assay Measuring Conversion of C-14 Glucose to CO2 and to Lipid in Rat Adipose Tissue
Authors: Alp Haluk , Recant Lillian , Kilo Charles , Eggeman Joanne , Koch Mary B
Published: December 2014

Epididymal fat pad assays of insulin-like activity in plasma of normal and diabetic subjects have been carried out. When conversion of l-C-14 glucose to C-14-O2 was used as a measure of ILA, diabetics revealed elevated fasting levels, and adult diabetics showed an exaggerated ILA response to glucose loads. Juvenile-type diabetics had lower levels of ILA than the adult diabetics and responded less well to glucose.

When the measure was the conversion of 6-C-14 glucose to lipid, no elevation in fasting ILA was found in diabetics. Evidence was obtained indicating that elevated levels of NEFA may inhibit the effect of insulin on adipose tissue with respect to fat synthesis from glucose and not CO2 production.

Possible explanations for the discrepancy in the two ILA parameters are discussed.
The Relation Between the Growth and Diabetogenic Effects of the So-Called Growth Hormone of the Anterior Pituitary
Authors: Levine R , Luft R
Published: December 2014

The accumulated evidence in the literature since 1930 reveals that pituitary extracts rich in “growth hormone” exert powerful diabetogenic effects. It has not been possible thus far to separate these two activities as belonging to two distinct molecular species. However, an analysis on broad biological principles makes it most probable that two hormonal entities compose the so-called growth hormone fraction. The somatotrophic component (STH) would be expected to exert the following actions: (1) promote protein synthesis (together with insulin); (2) cause orderly proliferation of epiphyseal cartilage; (3) lead to increased insulin liberation from B cells. The total effect would consist of growth in bodily length and enhanced protein synthesis. The diabetogenic component (here called adipokinetic .AK) would play its role in: (1) liberating fatty acids from adipose tissue, thus shifting cellular metabolism to the utilization of fat, whenever there develops a relative scarcity of carbohydrate. This shift would inhibit glucose use and lead to insulin resistance, ketone production, etc.

This analysis is presented in order to stimulate experimental approaches for testing the validity of either the “one” or “two” factor hypothesis of the pituitary growth hormone fraction. Available experimental evidence is not adequate nor sufficiently convincing for unequivocal decision.
Sugar Consumption in Vitro of the Muscle Tissue of Diabetic Patients
Authors: Magyar I , Lehoczky D , Márton I
Published: December 2014

The sugar consumption of healthy pieces of rectus muscle incubated in normal plasma and in an insulin medium is almost identical with the sugar uptake of rat diaphragm.

The sugar consumption of healthy pieces of human rectus muscle is identical in both normal plasma and in those of our insulin-resistant diabetic patients. In four out of our five insulin-resistant diabetics, the rectus muscle pieces consumed none or only a minimum quantity of glucose when incubated in either a healthy human plasma, plasma from the diabetic patient supplying the muscle sample, or in a medium containing a known quantity of insulin.
False Elevation of Plasma 17-Hydroxycorticoids in Diabetic Ketosis
Authors: Wieland Ralph G , Schachner Stephen H , Kruger Fred A , Maynard Donald E , Hamwi George J
Published: December 2014

Plasma corticoids were measured by an acid-fluorescent method and a modification of the Porter-Silber reaction in diabetic patients under good control and in states of poor control including ketoacidosis. In patients with significant ketonemia the plasma ketone bodies may produce a falsely high estimation of adrenal corticoid secretion when measured as Porter-Silber chromogens. Evaporation of the plasma extract, or preferably use of the acid-fluorescent procedure, will obviate such interference.
Immunohistopathologic Study of Localized Plasma Proteins and Fixation of Guinea Pig Complement in Renal Lesions of Diabetic Glomerulosclerosis
Authors: Burkholder Peter M
Published: December 2014

Results of immunohistopathologic study of kidneys from six patients with diabetic glomerulosclerosis are presented and discussed. The data indicate that γ-globulin localized in hypereosinophilic glomerular exudates, hyaline arterioles, and coarsely fibrillar non-“cannon ball” type glomerular nodules may represent antibody-globulin in immune complexes on the basis of avidity for heterologous complement. Gamma globulin localized diffusely in a delicate “membranous” pattern in glomerular capillary walls, in “cannon ball” type nodules, in globlets within tubular epithelial cells, and in tubular casts does not fix heterologous complement and therefore is physicochemically or immunochemically different from the immunoglobulin in the latter sites. Evidence has also been presented which indicates that precipitation of fibrin in glomerular capillary walls, possibly in certain instances at sites of localized antigen-antibody complexes, and in glomerular capsules may play a significant role in the development of certain glomerular nodules and of thickened glomerular capsules. The identification and possible significance of tissue-bound insulin is also discussed.
Effect of Heparin on Insulin-like Activity in Rat Bioassay: Comparison between Rat Diaphragm and Epididymal Fat Pad Assay in Normal and Untreated Diabetic Subjects
Authors: Gundersen Kare , Lin Boniface J
Published: December 2014

A comparison between the rat diaphragm and the rat epididymal fat pad insulin bioassay has been undertaken, making use of serial dilution on sera from untreated diabetic and normal individuals and preincubation with heparin. Heparin, in our hands, has been found to split isolated basic insulin protein complexes and we believe that it also can do this in diluted sera. Our results indicate that by the use of dilution and preincubation with heparin, the two assays correspond surprisingly well in their results. Untreated diabetics, both in the fasting and postprandial state, have more insulin in their serum than normals. There appears to be an antagonistic factor present in postprandial diabetic serum, which is revealed by dilution. Diabetic sera appear to contain more “complexed insulin” than normal ones. No dissociation of “complexed insulin” could be found when glucose was given orally.
Hyperosmolar and Other Types of Nonketoacidotic Coma in Diabetes
Authors: Danowski T S , Nabarro J D N
Published: December 2014

In patients with hyperosmolality as the sole cause or as an important factor in the production of the coma, therapy with hypotonic or isotonic fluids and with insulin, often in amounts less than those generally used in diabetic ketoacidosis, has proved effective in restoring consciousness in many, but not all, instances of hyperosmolar coma. The mortality, however, has been high, usually because of uremia, stroke, massive infection, pancreatitis, etc.
Observations on Blood Glucose Concentration of Human Subjects During Continuous Sampling
Authors: Burns Thomas W , Bregant Robert , Van Peenan Hubert J , Hood Tony E
Published: December 2014

A method for recording blood glucose concentration with use of a continuous sampling technic is described. Sensitivity studies indicate that fluctuations of 3 mg. per 100 ml. or more are reflected on the recording. The major cause of artifact was interruption of flow in the blood sampling tubing or in one of the reagent tubings. Recordings were made during the course of five-hour glucose tolerance tests performed on normal subjects and patients with hyperthyroidism (4), hypothyroidism (1), acute hepatitis (1), and the postgastrectomy syndrome (2). The continuous sampling technic is a practical method to obtain precise temporal and quantitative information relative to fluctuations of the blood glucose concentration under a variety of circumstances.
Dynamics of Insulin Secretion in Hypoglycemia
Authors: Yalow Rosalyn S , Berson Solomon A
Published: December 2014

Data have been presented on dynamic changes in plasma insulin concentrations in normal and pathologic states and the relationship between plasma insulin levels and insulin secretory rates has been considered. Hypoglycemia secondary to absolute or relative hyperinsulinism can follow stimulation by glucose or pharmacologic agents, abnormal sensitivity to leucine, uncontrolled secretion by insulinomas and exogenous insulin administration; hypoglycemianot associated with significant elevation of plasma insulin may occur with nonpancreatic neoplasms, fructose intolerance, idiopathic hypoglycemia of childhood and hepatic malfunction. The occasional failure of the body's counterregulatory mechanisms to alleviate hypoglycemia in the absence of significant hyperinsulinism may be attributable to different factors in individual cases and requires independent study.
Failure of Prolonged Sulfonylurea Administration to Enhance Insulogenic Response to Glycemic Stimulus
Authors: Seltzer Holbrooke S , Allen E William , Brennan Mildred T
Published: December 2014

The effect of chronic administration of sulfonylurea compounds on the insulogenic responsiveness of beta cells was studied in normal dogs who received hypoglycemia-maintaining dosages of tolbutamide daily for several weeks. Insulin concentration in pancreaticoduodenal venous blood was measured during infusion of glucose at a rate causing physiologic increase in arterial glucose concentration.

Neither fasting plasma insulin level nor its enhancement during progressive hyperglycemia was significantly greater in tolbutamide-treated animals than in the control group.

The data indicate that prolonged exposure of nondiabetic canine beta cells to effective concentrations of sulfonylurea does not increase their insulin-secretory responsiveness to glycemic stimulus. Whether these agents impinge similarly or differently upon diabetic human islets awaits elucidation.

It was parenthetically observed that dogs treated with tolbutamide for several weeks required more than twice the usual amount of Nembutal to maintain surgical anesthesia.