bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VICTORIAN GAS MARKET-OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRODUCERS
Authors: Demarte C.P.
Published: August 2017

This paper addresses opportunities for producers in the Victorian gas market arising from the ongoing reform of the Australian gas industry. Much of the impetus of the change has occurred in Victoria but to date there has been little evidence of the benefit of market reform to producers. This is expected to change.Until recently, Esso/BHPP had a secure hold on gas production into the Victorian market. The renegotiation of their gas supply agreement with Gas and Fuel has created opportunities for limited production from new producers in the short term and significant market options in the long term.Gas marketing companies are preparing to change the way they do business. Rigid long-term gas supply contracts will be balanced with alternative arrangements with producers such as financing of field development, equity investment in projects, alliances, commodity exchanges and the use of underground gas storage and LNG.The formation of a spot market for gas will allow a transparent market place to evolve where forward physical and paper transactions can take place. Trading of gas futures and options will provide a mechanism for producers to take up any risk position that meets their corporate strategy.In the light of market growth forecasts, flexible supply arrangements and market restructure, the potential for supply of natural gas by producers into the Victorian market is considerable.
ASSESSMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PETROLEUM ACTIVITY IMPACTS: COONGIE LAKES CASE STUDY
Authors: Cockshell C.D. , Malavazos M.
Published: August 2017

The introduction of changes to petroleum regulation in South Australia will, and have, resulted in some concern by industry, particularly in the area of public consultation. Primary Industry and Resources South Australia (PIRSA)-Petroleum Group's development of a set of guidelines for determination of project environmental significance is aimed to give a clearer indication of the level of consultation, documentation and assessment appropriate for each project. The Coongie Lakes assessment case study gives an indication of how these concepts can be applied in a practical sense.The assessment process establishes scales for the level of certainty (predictability) of the potential environmental impacts and the degree to which the consequences of the potential impacts can be managed or avoided (manageability). This process was undertaken for the seismic proposal in the Coongie Lakes area and provides an innovative approach to project assessment. The predictability and manageability charts prepared for all potential impacts provides a method of presenting a vast amount of information very concisely. The definition of assessment guidelines allows potential environmental impacts to be expressed in a quantitative manner, and leads to evaluation of these impacts against a defined level of community acceptability. The approach also demonstrates a degree of rigour in the assessment process and is transparent to all stakeholders. In addition, the predictability and manageability charts focus attention to issues which have higher ratings, and thus a need for closer attention. The feedback from stakeholders on this innovative assessment technique indicates a general acceptance of the approach and the criteria definitions used, although some adjustment and refinement is required.
APPLICATION OF NEURAL NETWORKS TO THE EVALUATION OF RESERVOIR QUALITY IN A LITHOLOGICALLY COMPLEX FORMATION
Authors: Zhang Y. , Salisch H.A.
Published: August 2017

Neural networks are non-algorithmic, analog, distributive and massively parallel information processing systems that have a number of performance characteristics in common with biological neural networks or the human brain. Neural networks can simulate the nervous systems of living animals which work differently from conventional computing, to analyse, compute and solve some complex practical problems making use of computers. Neural networks are able to discover highly complex relationships between several variables that are presented to the network. Studies show that neural networks can be used to solve a great number of practical problems which occur in modeling, predictions, assessments, recognition and image processing. In particular, neural networks are suitable for application to problems where some results are known but the manner in which these results can be achieved are not known (or are difficult to implement) or the results themselves are not known. An important challenge for geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers is to accurately determine petrophysical parameters and to improve reservoir evaluation and description. It is important to be able to obtain realistic values of petrophysical parameters from well logs because core data are often not available either because of bore hole conditions or due to the high cost of coring. In lithologically complex formations conventional petrophysical evaluation methods cannot be used because of the lithological heterogeneity. This paper presents an application of neural networking to estimate petrophysical parameters from well logs and to evaluate reservoir quality in the Mardie Greensand in the Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia.
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION OF THE UPSTREAM GAS INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND: A NEW APPROACH
Authors: Walter A.C. , Jones C.J.
Published: August 2017

The environmental regulation of the upstream gas industry in Queensland is based on the principles of ecologically sustainable development. There is an increasing emphasis on meeting the expectations of the general community with respect to impact assessment, the environmental performance of the industry and the ability of government to provide effective regulation. In Australian States, regulation of the industry is generally characterised by a combination of industry self-regulation and government licensing and co-regulation policies.Environmental administration and regulation in Queensland, that is, impact assessment, planning and monitoring of performance, is undertaken by the Department of Mines and Energy, primarily through Regional Offices. Direction is provided principally by Department policy and the Environmental Protection Act.Case studies are presented which illustrate the impact assessment processes for three different types of gas development projects: gas field development in southwest Queensland; construction of a gas pipeline; and development of a coal seam methane project.The Queensland Government is currently developing an Environmental Protection Policy for the upstream petroleum industry (the EPP (Petroleum)). The process of developing the EPP has involved considerable community and stakeholder input to encourage acceptance of the Policy by all parties. The process has identified several key issues for industry including: the need for multiple land use; the incremental nature of petroleum development (including the gas industry); the need to strengthen the impact assessment process; the need for an integrated, single agency regulatory regime; the need for greater accountability of both industry and government; and the need for adequate resourcing of environmental regulation.A possible new regulatory regime for the industry in Queensland, based on the co-regulation model, may include a two-tier system of impact assessment and a combination of compliance for operations with Codes of Practice or a project specific Environmental Management Plan and licences for emissions and certain high impact activities.The administrative framework would be provided by the Petroleum Act which is currently undergoing a major review.
PALAEO-HYDROLOGY OF THE VULCAN SUB-BASIN: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAP INTEGRITY
Authors: Lisk M. , Brincat M.P. , O'Brien G.W. , Eadington P.J. , Faiz M.
Published: August 2017

A major fluid-flow event has been recognised in the Vulcan Sub-basin from an analysis of palaeo-formation waters trapped as fluid inclusions. These pore waters, with maximum salinities in excess of 200,000 ppm, record the migration of high-salinity brines through sandstones in the Mesozoic and Tertiary sequences. Although the source of these fluids cannot be demonstrated conclusively, Palaeozoic evaporites, occurring as both salt diapirs and bedded salt at depth, represent the only recognised source of such fluids in this area. Significantly, the distribution of high-salinity fluids cannot be reconciled through the dissolution of intruded salt diapirs alone; fault controlled injection of brine from bedded salt at depths of up to 10 km is considered to be the main source for brine migration. The absence of these hyper- saline fluids In samples taken from intact hydrocarbon columns indicates the flow of brine occurred subsequent to hydrocarbon charge. Further, the presence of high salinities in samples from recognised residual oil zones suggests that breaching of these traps facilitated the ingress of high-salinity brines, thus making the brines a marker for fault reactivation. Renewed salt diapirism and fault reactivation during Mio-Pliocene collision of the Australian and Eurasian plates is seen as the trigger for brine flow. The geographically dispersed location of wells containing high-salinity fluids argues for an areally extensive bedded salt layer that may play a very significant role in controlling the style and distribution of fault reactivation. Thermal anomalies associated with the migration of hot brines are recognised in some wells and while substantial on a localised scale, they may not greatly influence the overall thermal state of the basin. Nonetheless examples of convective heating do appear to characterise traps located close to potential up-flow zones, while convective cooling may affect traps that are distal from injection points, with downward-flow of brine acting as a heat sink. However, perturbation of the current thermal and salinity conditions is generally not apparent, probably reflecting the waning of this fluid-flow event Importantly, conclusions about trap integrity derived from these palaeo-salinity data complement previously published predictive seal integrity models allowing such models to be applied with greater confidence.
THE STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PETROLEUM POTENTIAL OF THE ROEBUCK BASIN
Authors: Smith S.A. , Tingate P.R. , Griffths C.M. , Hull J.N.F.
Published: August 2017

The Roebuck Basin is a sparsely explored, frontier province located between the Carnarvon and Browse basins on Australia's North West Shelf. Mapping of the main structural and depositional elements of the basin has led to the identification of new features and elucidated the basin's tectonic history.The newly-identified Oobagooma High is a 25 km wide north-south oriented, elongate structure that separates the Oobagooma and Rowley sub-basins at the Palaeozoic level. This structure links with the Bedout High to form a major hinge zone that stretches across the entire basin.In the study area, three sub-divisions of the Fitzroy Movement are observed which have been termed Fitzroy Movement I, II and III, of Middle Triassic, Late Triassic and Early Jurassic ages. A previously unidentified breakup event linked to Fitzroy Movement III in the Early Jurassic is inferred from the stratal geometries in the basin.The region lacks a source rock equivalent to the Upper Jurassic Dingo Claystone of the contiguous Carnarvon Basin. However, Lower Triassic marine shale and deltaic sands are well developed in the Bedout Sub-basin and based on the results of forward stratigraphic modelling using SEDPAK™ software and sequence stratigraphic correlations these sediments, have high source potential over most of the untested Rowley Sub-basin. Possible Jurassic source rocks in the Roebuck Basin were deposited under fluvio-deltaic conditions during waning thermal sag. Thinly developed sapropel zones exist in the Bedout Sub-basin but potential exists for greater thicknesses in the Rowley Sub-basin. This potential is suggested by the seismic character, sedimentary architecture and sedimentary modelling of Lower Jurassic rocks in the basin. Preliminary thermal modelling indicates that source rocks would have generated significant hydrocarbons from Middle Jurassic to the present. Timing of generation is favourable for trap formation.
USE OF NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE AND NEW CORE ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY FOR DETERMINATION OF GAS SATURATION IN PRETTY HILL SANDSTONE RESERVOIRS, ONSHORE OTWAY BASIN
Authors: Boult P.J. , Ramamoortby R. , Theologou P.N. , East R.D. , Drake A.M. , Neville T.
Published: August 2017

The failure of conventional log interpretation of low resistivity gas-bearing reservoirs in the Lower Cretaceous Pretty Hill Sandstone, onshore Otway Basin, has led to the use of the saturation versus height, Leverett J function as a basis for predicting hydrocarbon saturation.The recent application of a new method of proprietary core analysis (corEVAL™*) in the 1998 gas discovery well Redman–1, allowed the derivation of a more realistic Leverett J function to water saturation transform for the Pretty Hill Sandstone. Furthermore, this transform could be applied beyond the cored interval to the remaining reservoir section by calibrating the core with its nuclear magnetic resonance response. An algorithm, which converts Schlumberger's combinable magnetic resonance (CMR*) cumulative T2 distributions into a pseudo- capillary pressure curve, has been derived enabling the calculation of gas saturation directly from this log. The CMR derived permeability log also assisted in facies differentiation of the reservoir section and in the selection of wireline pressure and formation fluid sampling points.The combined application of nuclear magnetic resonance technology and proprietary core analysis, independently validated by formation sample and test data, resulted in a 30% increase over previous methods, in average gas saturation in the reservoir being calculated. This has lead to a predicted increase in estimated gas in place at the Redman Field
GRIFFIN VENTURE GAS TURBINE FAILURE 1997
Authors: Black K.R.
Published: August 2017

On 10 November 1997 the BHP Petroleum-operated Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) crude oil facility the Griffin Venture suffered an unprecedented mechanical failure of a gas turbine engine. The power turbine casing was breached resulting in an explosion and fire within the engine room space. The incident was safely controlled without personnel injury in what was a world class emergency response effort.The engine failure was caused by an unusual form of crack propagation known as stress assisted grain boundary oxidation (SAGBO) of the engine's high pressure power turbine disc. The incident also identified a number of safety system improvements, many of which could be applicable to other facilities. These included smoke impairment of the accommodation (designated temporary safe refuge) because of leaking fire doors, failure to release the engine package fire extinguishing system and failure of the fire detection system due to short circuit intolerance nine minutes after the incident commenced.The facility was repaired in Singapore by Sembawang Shipyard where new engine cores were fitted and many of the safety systems were upgraded. Production resumed in March 1998 since when the Griffin Venture has produced above target oil volumes and record gas volumes.
CORNEA CASE STUDY: LESSONS FORTHE FUTURE
Authors: Ingram G.M. , Eaton S. , Regtien J.M.M.
Published: August 2017

The Cornea Field was discovered in January 1997. The Cornea structure represents a relatively simple trap configuration comprising a large, elongated, four-way dip closure, formed by the drape of Albian age sediments over a northeast to southwest trending positive basement feature. It is located on an active hydrocarbon migration fairway with proven charge and is capped by a regionally extensive Albian seal. An associated Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator extends over an area of 50 km2 and this feature coincides with gas-fluid contacts throughout the field.Subsequent to the initial Cornea discovery wells in permit WA–241-P, further exploration drilling took place within WA–241-P, and also within two, newly-acquired, adjacent permits, WA–265-P and WA–266-P, during 1998 and 1999. Detailed field assessment during and subsequent to these wells, involving geological, geophysical and reservoir engineering disciplines, indicated that the field consisted of an extensive gas cap over a thin, laterally discontinuous oil rim. The poor quality of the Lower Cretaceous marine reservoir succession and the extremely low expected oil recovery indicated that recoverable volumes would be low.This paper contains a review of the data and studies that led to a full understanding of the field. Key learning points from the case study are introduced here and may help future exploration campaigns in other areas.
THE PETROLEUM GEOCHEMISTRY OF OILS AND SOURCE ROCKS FROM THE NORTHERN BONAPARTE BASIN, OFFSHORE NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Preston J.C. , Edwards D.S.
Published: August 2017

Geochemical data from oils and source rock extracts have been used to delineate the active petroleum systems of the Northern Bonaparte Basin. The study area comprises the northeastern portion of the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and the western part of the Zone of Co-operation Area A, and is specifically concerned with the wells located on and between the Laminaria and Flamingo highs. The oils and condensates from this region can be divided into two distinct chemical groups which correspond with the reservoir types, namely, a smaller group recovered from fracture porosity within the Early Cretaceous Darwin Formation, and a larger group reservoired in sandstones of the Middle-to-Late Jurassic Plover and Elang formations. The oils recovered from the Darwin Formation have a marine source affinity and correlate with sediment extracts from the underlying Early Cretaceous Echuca Shoals Formation. The Elang/ Plover-reservoired oils, which include all the commercial accumulations, were divided into two end-member families; the first includes the relatively land-plant- influenced oils from the northwestern part of the area (e.g. Laminaria, Corallina, Buffalo and Jahal fields), the second includes the relatively marine-influenced oils to the southeast (e.g. Bayu-Undan fields). Another oil family comprises the geographically and geochemically intermediate oils of the Elang and Kakatua fields and adjacent areas. While none of the oils can be uniquely correlated with a single source unit, they show geochemical similarities with Middle-to-Late Jurassic source rock extracts. Organic-rich rocks within the Plover and Elang formations are the major source of hydrocarbons for this area. The range in geochemistry of the Elang/Plover-reservoired oils may arise from facies variation within these sediments, but is more probably due to the localised additional input of hydrocarbons generated from thermally mature organic-rich claystone seals that overlie the Elang reservoir in catchment areas and traps; i.e. from the Frigate Formation for the northwestern oil family and from the Flamingo Group for the southeastern oil family. The short-range migration patterns dictated by the structural complexity of the basin are reflected in the closeness with which variations in the geochemical character of the accumulated liquids track variations in the character of source-seal lithologies. The length of migration pathways can, therefore, be inferred from the similarity or otherwise of source-seal characters with those of the hydrocarbon accumulations themselves. The resulting observations may challenge existing ideas concerning migration patterns, hydrocarbon prospectivity and prospect risking within the Northern Bonaparte Basin.
TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS IN THE BRISBANE VALLEY-DEALING WITH THE EXTERNAL ISSUES OF EXPLORATION WITHIN A RURAL RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Fenton R.N. , Wyche R.M.
Published: August 2017

This paper examines challenges experienced when drilling Glamorgan–1, a wildcat exploration well located at Glamorganvale, 40 km west of Brisbane.The operation of the well received a high level of public and government scrutiny due to its proximity to local residences and the overseeing government departments in Brisbane. While exploratory hydrocarbon exploration drilling has occurred in close proximity to residences in other Australian states, this well was considered a first, as the well was drilled on a 24-hour basis within a rural residential population. To compound this issue, the immediate community consisted mainly of professionally employed people attempting to escape the urban noise and lifestyle. The well, drilled within the winter months of 1999, was located in a small valley surrounded by 11 houses within a 700 m radius.The paper considers the following key issues:Environmental management: Due to the well location and its proximity to the neighbouring residents, an environmental management plan was developed for the operation. A number of key issues were identified during the preparation of the EM plan, including noise, water use, waste water removal,social impacts, air quality, light and impact on fauna.Noise management: Noise levels recorded by four static loggers were correlated against rig activity to determine noise sources. The main sources of constant noise on the rig were the generators and mud pumps, with an increase in the level of intrusive noise occurring during tripping of the pipe. Not all noise could be controlled on the site and the focus of the mitigation was turned from controlling it at the source to mitigating its impact to the receiver using hay bales as soundbarriers.Community awareness of the drilling operation, and the overall acceptance of the project.
LEGAL HIGHLIGHTS OF 1999
Authors: Young D.M. , Kennedy A.M.
Published: August 2017

In 1999 there were a number of significant legislative and judicial developments which affected the petroleum industry. Among these, the more significant included:the commencement of a national review of Australia’s off-shore petroleum legislation1 against competition policy principles;the disallowance by the Federal Senate of the Northern Territory’s alternative right to negotiate (RTN) regime;further shifts towards underground gas storage for commercial purposes;the release of draft legislation to replace the Cultural Record (Landscapes Queensland and Queensland Estate) Act; andthe High Court’s2 decision in Yanner v Eaton.Legislative reform continues to be one of the key issues facing the Australian petroleum industry. Recent events concerning the Northern Territory’s and Queensland’s alternative RTN regimes suggest that replacement of the Commonwealth’s RTN regime with alternative State-based regimes is increasingly unlikely, at least while the Senate remains so constituted. Apart from the uncertainties associated with native title, the industry must also contend with ongoing reform of both cultural heritage and petroleum legislation.The challenges for the petroleum industry in the year 2000 will therefore be to persevere whilst continuing to participate in and contribute to the various review processes.
ZERO INJURIES
Authors: Webb C.F.
Published: August 2017

Esso Australia Pty Ltd, on behalf of the Esso/BHP Petroleum Joint Venture, recently completed Australia’s first deepwater oil and gas subsea development, Blackback, in Bass Strait. The project consisted of fabrication and installation of new facilities for the existing Mackerel platform, fabrication and installation of a 23 km pipeline and the installation of three subsea wells. The facilities were installed injury-free. This paper focusses on the application of safety systems to achieve this result.The Project.The vision of a zero Total Recordable Injury (TRI)-free workplace.Management commitment and leadership.Application of effective safety management systems.Empowering safety leadership.Taking the Blackback story further.Safety performance and other business outcomes.Conclusions/accomplishments lessons learnt and recommendations.
Identification of threatened rodent species using infrared and white-flash camera traps
Authors: Burns Phoebe A. , Parrott Marissa L. , Rowe Kevin C. , Phillips Benjamin L.
Published: August 2017

Camera trapping has evolved into an efficient technique for gathering presence/absence data for many species; however, smaller mammals such as rodents are often difficult to identify in images. Identification is inhibited by co-occurrence with similar-sized small mammal species and by camera set-ups that do not provide adequate image quality. Here we describe survey procedures for identification of two small, threatened rodent species – smoky mouse (Pseudomys fumeus) and New Holland mouse (P. novaehollandiae) – using white-flash and infrared camera traps. We tested whether observers could accurately identify each species and whether experience with small mammals influenced accuracy. Pseudomys fumeus was ~20 times less likely to be misidentified on white-flash images than infrared, and observer experience affected accuracy only for infrared images, where it accounted for all observer variance. Misidentifications of P. novaehollandiae were more common across both flash types: false positives (>0.21) were more common than false negatives (<0.09), and experience accounted for only 31% of variance in observer accuracy. For this species, accurate identification appears to be, in part, an innate skill. Nonetheless, using an appropriate setup, camera trapping clearly has potential to provide broad-scale occurrence data for these and other small mammal species.
Using alternative soil moisture estimates in the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index
Authors: Holgate Chiara M. , van Dijk Albert I. J. M. , Cary Geoffrey J. , Yebra Marta
Published: August 2017

McArthur’s Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) incorporates the Keetch–Byram Drought Index (KBDI) estimate of soil dryness. Improved approaches for estimating soil moisture now exist, with potential for informing the calculation of FFDI. We evaluated the effect, compared with KBDI, of two alternative methods of estimating soil moisture: the rainfall-based Antecedent Precipitation Index and soil moisture from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity satellite mission. These methods were used to calculate FFDI over a sample period of 5years (2010–14) at seven locations around Australia. The effect of substituting the alternatives for KBDI, and of entirely replacing the Drought Factor (DF) (a measure of fuel availability in FFDI) with the alternatives was explored by studying the effect on magnitude, distribution and timing of FFDI and associated Fire Danger Rating (FDR). Both approaches predicted drier soil conditions than KBDI, resulting in fewer Low–Moderate FDR days and more days of High FDR and above. The alternative methods replacing KBDI had little effect on seasonal patterns of FDR. Of all approaches, replacing DF entirely with the soil moisture alternatives most closely mimicked McArthur’s FFDI. Overall, if alternative measures of soil moisture are adopted for FFDI, the entire replacement of the DF term should be considered.
Neuroplasticity of selective attention: Research foundations and preliminary evidence for a gene by intervention interaction
Authors: Isbell Elif , Stevens Courtney , Pakulak Eric , Hampton Wray Amanda , Bell Theodore A. , Neville Helen J.
Published: August 2017

Significance

Selective attention is the ability to select and preferentially process specific information while simultaneously suppressing the processing of irrelevant, competing distractors. It is a fundamental ability linked to various cognitive skills and academic achievement. We describe the foundations and history of our research program, which spans from basic research on neural mechanisms and neuroplasticity of selective attention to translational research aimed at designing interventions to improve selective attention. We also present preliminary evidence for gene × intervention interactions in neural mechanisms of selective attention in children from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds. This program of research demonstrates the marked malleability of neural systems for selective attention and highlights the potential for changes in selective attention as a function of intervention.
Non-renditions in court interpreting
Authors: Cheung Andrew K. F.
Published: August 2017

By examining the types and frequencies of non-renditions in a 100-hour corpus of court interpreting records from Hong Kong, this study demonstrated that court interpreters actively coordinate communication when carrying out their interpreting duties. Non-renditions are interpreters’ utterances that do not have a corresponding counterpart in the source language, and such renditions are ordinarily used to coordinate interpreter-mediated exchanges. This analysis revealed that in the Hong Kong court setting, non-renditions were less common in English (the court language) than in Cantonese (the main language of the witnesses and defendants). In the Cantonese subsample, interactional non-renditions were more common than textual non-renditions, and most of these utterances were self-initiated rather than prompted by others. In the English subsample, textual non-renditions were more common than interactional non-renditions, and most of them were other-prompted. The skewed distribution of non-renditions, and particularly the tendency to address non-renditions to the lay participants, suggests that court interpreters may not be absolutely impartial.
The ideological role of selective translation in reconfiguration of news frames
Authors: Shahi Mohammad , Talebinejad Mohammad Reza
Published: August 2017

Drawing on social and cognitive models of news frame theory and argumentative approach to political discourse analysis, we studied how a declaration made by an Iranian general about revoking the citizenship of Bahrain uprising movement’s leader was selectively translated and reframed in 7 English news websites. The findings revealed that the reframed texts, on the one hand, suppressed the values and circumstantial premises of the declaration, and on the other hand, reframed the text in such a way that portrayed Iran as an interventionist seeking sectarianism in Bahrain. This study indicated that what underwent shift were not just arbitrary words and phrases; rather, the whole frame was reconfigured according to the interests of the news websites. In this process, selective translations were merely used as incontrovertible proof to support the frame buttressed by the target news websites.
The effect of memory training on consecutive interpreting performance by interpreter trainees
Authors: Yenkimaleki Mahmood , van Heuven Vincent J.
Published: August 2017

The present study investigates the effect of memory training on the quality of interpreting by Farsi-to-English interpreter trainees, with special attention to diminishing the rate of omission of message elements. Participants were assigned to two groups on the basis of their overall performance on a TOEFL test, with equal division between genders. The control group was taught interpreting skills by the routine curriculum, while the experimental, group spent part of the time on memory training exercises, e.g. imagination and story retelling. Three raters assessed the accuracy of interpreting, omissions, additions, grammar, expression, terminology, pace and accentuation in the trainees’ pre-test and post-test performance. Statistical analysis shows that the memory training had a positive effect on the quality of interpreting, particularly so on decreasing the omission rate. The results have implications for curriculum designers of interpreting programs, material producers and all who are involved in interpreting studies and its pedagogy.
What Moral Character is and is Not
Authors: George Marie I.
Published: August 2017

Louise Mitchell discusses character in “Integrity and virtue: The forming of good character” ( The Linacre Quarterly 82, no. 2: 149–169). I argue that she is mistaken in identifying character as a potency and that it is rather the sum of one's moral habits and dispositions. I establish this by showing that if one correctly applies the division Aristotle presents in the text that Mitchell relies on, it follows that character belongs in the category of habit. I further support this conclusion by considering how people commonly speak of moral character. I then show that the text from the Summa Theologiae Mitchell relies on concerns sacramental character and not moral character; moreover, if we apply the reasoning contained there to moral character, we are again led to see that it should be categorized as a habit. Lastly, I explain that a human being's potency for character lies in the soul's rational powers.

I defend the common-sense view that moral character is the sum of one's moral habits and dispositions in response to Louise Mitchell who maintains that moral character is a potency. I do so by applying Aristotle's threefold division of things that exist in the soul—namely, potency, habit, and emotion—and also by examining how Aristotle speaks about character and how the average person speaks about character. In addition, I show why humans are the only animals that have the potential to develop character, and how this potential lies in the rational faculties of our soul.
Hormonal Contraception and the Development of Autoimmunity: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Williams William V.
Published: August 2017

Estrogens and progestins are known to have profound effects on the immune system and may modulate the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. A comprehensive literature search was carried out using PubMed for any of 153 autoimmune disease terms and the terms contraception, contraceptive, or their chemical components with limits of Humans + Title or Abstract. Over 1,800 titles were returned and scanned, 352 papers retrieved and reviewed in depth and an additional 70 papers retrieved from the bibliographies. Based on this review, substantial evidence exists linking the use of combined oral contraceptives to a lower incidence of hyperthyroidism, an increase in multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and interstitial cystitis. Progesterone only contraceptives are linked to progesterone dermatitis and in one large developing world concurrent cohort study are associated with increases in arthropathies and related disorders, eczema and contact dermatitis, pruritis and related conditions, alopecia, acne, and urticaria. Hormonal contraceptives modulate the immune system and may influence the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases with significant increases in risk for several autoimmune diseases.

Hormonal contraceptives (HCs), such as the “pill,” Norplant, and vaginal rings, are very potent hormones that have effects on the immune system, which is made up of white blood cells and lymph nodes and normally defends the body against invading bacteria, viruses and parasites. This review looked at the association of HC use to the development of autoimmune diseases, where the immune system turns against the body and causes damage to organs. There is good evidence that HC use is associated with an increased risk of several serious autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease (which causes inflammation of the bowels), Lupus (which causes inflammation in many organs), and interstitial cystitis (which causes inflammation in the bladder). Several other rarer autoimmune diseases are also linked to HC use. People contemplating the use of HCs should be informed of these risks.
LRRK2 promotes the activation of NLRC4 inflammasome during Salmonella Typhimurium infection
Authors: Liu Weiwei , Liu Xia’nan , Li Yu , Zhao Junjie , Liu Zhenshan , Hu Zhuqin , Wang Ying , Yao Yufeng , Miller Aaron W. , Su Bing , Cookson Mark R. , Li Xiaoxia , Kang Zizhen
Published: August 2017

Although genetic polymorphisms in the LRRK2 gene are associated with a variety of diseases, the physiological function of LRRK2 remains poorly understood. In this study, we report a crucial role for LRRK2 in the activation of the NLRC4 inflammasome during host defense against Salmonella enteric serovar Typhimurium infection. LRRK2 deficiency reduced caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion in response to NLRC4 inflammasome activators in macrophages. Lrrk2−/− mice exhibited impaired clearance of pathogens after acute S. Typhimurium infection. Mechanistically, LRRK2 formed a complex with NLRC4 in the macrophages, and the formation of the LRRK2–NLRC4 complex led to the phosphorylation of NLRC4 at Ser533. Importantly, the kinase activity of LRRK2 is required for optimal NLRC4 inflammasome activation. Collectively, our study reveals an important role for LRRK2 in the host defense by promoting NLRC4 inflammasome activation.
K-K electron transfer and K-ionization in fast ion collisions with adenine and water using KLL Auger electron technique
Authors: Bagdia Chandan , Bhattacharjee S. , Roychowdhury M. , Mandal A. , Tribedi Lokesh C
Published: August 2017

Synopsis

In this report, we present a study of K-shell ionization, state selective K-to-K electron capture cross sections from C and N atoms in the adenine and other gas molecules using K-LL Auger electron technique, which is applied for first time. Energy dependence of K-ionization and K-K electron capture has also been measured. The e-transfer cross section is found to be substantial compared to the K-ionization. Total σKK and σKI for the entire molecule was deduced.
Bare C-ion impact ionization of adenine molecules : DDCS and TCS measurements
Authors: Bhattacharjee S. , Bagdia C. D. , Chowdhury M. R. , Monti J. , Rivarola R. D. , Tribedi L. C.
Published: August 2017

Synopsis

Double differential cros sections (DDCS) for vapour phase adenine molecule under the impact of 3.5-MeV/u C6+ ions have been measured. The measured DDCS values were compared against the those for other nucleobases, such as, uracil, as well as the CDW-EIS model calculations. An excellent agreement of the experimental result with the theoretical model was observed for both the energy and angular distributions.
Quantum analysis and thermodynamic operator relations in stochastic energetics
Authors: Koide Tomoi
Published: August 2017

We introduce a model of the quantum Brownian motion coupled to a classical neat bath by using the operator differential proposed in the quantum analysis. We then define the heat operator by adapting the idea of the stochastic energetics. The introduced operator satisfies the relations which are analogous to the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
Schrödinger equation in (pre-Planckian?) space–time early universe, with minimal distance, and minimum effective graviton mass
Authors: Beckwith Andrew W
Published: August 2017

We review Vuille’s generalized Schrödinger equation with its Ricci scalar inclusion, in curved space–time. This has a simplified version in the pre-Planckian regime, which leads to comparing a resultant admissible wave function with Bohmian reformulations of quantum physics, a radial distance given by a modified Poisson’s equation and a minimal graviton mass. Finally, we look if Bohmian mechanics has a role in our formulation.
Estimating fishing and natural mortality rates, and catchability coefficient, from a series of observations on mean length and fishing effort
Authors: Then Amy Y , Hoenig John M , Huynh Quang C
Published: August 2017

Gedamke and Hoenig (2006) (Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 135: 476–487) developed a non-equilibrium version of the Beverton and Holt estimator of total mortality rate, Z, based on mean length and thereby increased the usefulness of length-based methods. In this study, we extend their model by replacing period-specific Z parameters with the year-specific parameterization Zy = qfy + M where q is the catchability coefficient, fy is the fishing effort in year y, F (=qf) is the fishing mortality rate, and M is the natural mortality rate. Thus, the problem reduces to estimating just three parameters: q, M and residual variance. We used Monte Carlo simulation to study the model behaviour. Estimates of q and M are highly negatively correlated and may or may not be reliable; however, the estimates of corresponding Z’s are more precise than estimates of F and are generally reliable, even when uncertainty about the mean lengths is high. This length-based method appears to work best for stocks with rapid growth rate. Contrast in effort data may not be necessary for reliable estimates of Z’s. This approach forms a bridge between data-limited models and more complex models. We apply the method to the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus stock in Portugal as an example.
Enhancement of galaxy overdensity around quasar pairs at z < 3.6 based on the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Survey
Authors: Onoue Masafusa , Kashikawa Nobunari , Uchiyama Hisakazu , Akiyama Masayuki , Harikane Yuichi , Imanishi Masatoshi , Komiyama Yutaka , Matsuoka Yoshiki , Nagao Tohru , Nishizawa Atsushi J , Oguri Masamune , Ouchi Masami , Tanaka Masayuki , Toba Yoshiki , Toshikawa Jun
Published: August 2017

We investigate the galaxy overdensity around proto-cluster scale quasar pairs at high (z > 3) and low (z ∼ 1) redshift based on the unprecedentedly wide and deep optical survey of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). Using the first-year survey data covering effectively ∼121 deg2 with the 5σ depth of i ∼ 26.4 and the SDSS DR12Q catalog, we find two luminous pairs at z ∼ 3.3 and 3.6 which reside in >5σ overdensity regions of g-dropout galaxies at i < 25. The projected separations of the two pairs are R⊥ = 1.75 and 1.04 proper Mpc (pMpc), and their velocity offsets are ΔV = 692 and 1448 km s−1, respectively. This result is in clear contrast to the average z ∼ 4 quasar environments as discussed in Uchiyama et al. (2018, PASJ 70, S32) and implies that the quasar activities of the pair members are triggered via major mergers in proto-clusters, unlike the vast majority of isolated quasars in general fields that may turn on via non-merger events such as bar and disk instabilities. At z ∼ 1, we find 37 pairs with R⊥ < 2 pMpc and ΔV < 2300 km s−1 in the current HSC-Wide coverage, including four from Hennawi et al. (2006, AJ, 131, 1). The distribution of the peak overdensity significance within two arcminutes around the pairs has a long tail toward high-density (>4σ) regions. Thanks to the large sample size, we find statistical evidence that this excess is unique to the pair environments when compared to single-quasar and randomly selected galaxy environments at the same redshift range. Moreover, there are nine small-scale (R⊥ < 1 pMpc) pairs, two of which are found to reside in cluster fields. Our results demonstrate that <2 pMpc scale quasar pairs at both redshift ranges tend to occur in massive haloes, although perhaps not the most massive ones, and that they are useful in searching for rare density peaks.
Whole Grain Wheat Flour Production Using an Ultracentrifugal Mill
Authors: Khalid Khairunizah Hazila , Manthey Frank , Simsek Senay
Published: August 2017

Interest has been growing in whole grain products. However, information regarding the influence of the ultracentrifugal mill on whole grain flour quality has been limited. An experiment was conducted to produce whole wheat flour with hard red spring (HRS) wheat using an ultracentrifugal mill. This study determined the effect of centrifugal mill parameters as well as grain moisture (10–16%) on producing whole wheat flour and its final products. Mill parameters studied were rotor speed (6,000–15,000 rpm) and feed rate (12.5–44.5 g/min). Results showed that fine particle size (<150 µm) was favored by low seed moisture content (10–12%) and high rotor speed (12,000–15,000 rpm). Flour moisture content was positively related to seed moisture content. Wheat grain with low seed moisture content (10–12%) milled with high rotor speeds (12,000–15,000 rpm) produced desirable whole grain wheat flour quality, with 70–90% of fine particle size portion and low damaged starch (less than 11%). This whole wheat flour produced uniform and machinable dough that had low stickiness and formed bread with high loaf volume.
Rice Bran Substituted Turkish Noodles (Erişte): Textural, Sensorial, and Nutritional Properties
Authors: Yılmaz Tuncel Neşe , Kaya Esra , Karaman Melis
Published: August 2017

Infrared‐stabilized rice bran was substituted into Turkish noodles (erişte) at the levels of 10, 20, and 30%, and the effects of the incorporation on proximate composition, color, cooking properties, thiamin and riboflavin contents, mineral composition, and sensory and textural properties were investigated. Crude fat, protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, Mg, K, P, Mn, Ca, and Se contents of the noodles increased significantly with increasing substitution level (P < 0.05). Optimum cooking time increased with increasing levels of incorporation. Swelling volume and water absorption of the noodles substituted with 20 and 30% rice bran increased significantly (P < 0.05). However, cooking loss was not significantly affected by the substitution. The effect of rice bran inclusion was insignificant on hardness (P > 0.05), whereas adhesiveness, cohesiveness, and springiness of rice bran substituted noodles were significantly lower when compared with the control (P < 0.05). Structure/texture, taste/flavor, and overall acceptability scores of the control noodles and the noodles substituted with rice bran at the level of 10% were not significantly different (P > 0.05). However, substitution levels higher than 10% negatively affected the sensory scores.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Trauma Patients Treated With Contemporary External Fixation Devices: A Multicenter Case Series
Authors: Hayden Brett L. , Theriault Raminta , Bramlett Kasey , Lucas Robert , McTague Michael , Bedi Harprit Singh , Flacke Sebastian , Weaver Michael J. , Marcantonio Andrew J. , Ryan Scott P.
Published: August 2017

Objectives:

To report the safety and clinical outcomes of placing current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) components inside and outside the MRI bore during MRIs.

Design:

Retrospective case series.

Setting:

Four trauma centers (3 Level I and 1 Level II), from January 2005 to January 2015.

Patients:

All patients who had MRIs with external fixators in place either inside or outside the MRI bore.

Intervention:

MRI of patients with external fixator in place.

Main Outcome Measurements:

Adverse events were defined as catastrophic pullout of the external fixator during the MRI, thermal injury to the skin, severe field distortions precluding the intended imaging, alterations of the magnetic field, or visible structural damage to the magnet casing.

Results:

Thirty-eight patients with 44 external fixators were identified who had MRI with the fixator inside or outside the MRI bore. Twelve patients with 13 external fixators had MRI with the external fixator inside the MRI bore. Twenty-seven patients with 32 external fixators had MRI with the external fixator outside the MRI bore. There were no adverse events.

Conclusions:

Although no universal guidelines exist, there are circumstances in which obtaining MRIs of patients with external fixators can be safe. This is the first clinical series with the primary outcome of safety when placing modern external components both inside and outside an MRI bore during a scan.

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.