bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and preliminary testing of the psychosocial adjustment to hereditary diseases scale
Authors: Watkins Kathy E , Way Christine Y , Gregory Deborah M , LeDrew Holly M , Ludlow Valerie C , Esplen Mary Jane , Dowden Jeffrey J , Cox Janet E , Fitzgerald G William N , Parfrey Patrick S
Published: May 2013

Background

The presence of Lynch syndrome (LS) can bring a lifetime of uncertainty to an entire family as members adjust to living with a high lifetime cancer risk. The research base on how individuals and families adjust to genetic-linked diseases following predictive genetic testing has increased our understanding of short-term impacts but gaps continue to exist in knowledge of important factors that facilitate or impede long-term adjustment. The failure of existing scales to detect psychosocial adjustment challenges in this population has led researchers to question the adequate sensitivity of these instruments. Furthermore, we have limited insight into the role of the family in promoting adjustment.

Methods

The purpose of this study was to develop and initially validate the Psychosocial Adjustment to Hereditary Diseases (PAHD) scale. This scale consists of two subscales, the Burden of Knowing (BK) and Family Connectedness (FC). Items for the two subscales were generated from a qualitative data base and tested in a sample of 243 participants from families with LS.

Results

The Multitrait/Multi-Item Analysis Program-Revised (MAP-R) was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PAHD. The findings support the convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales. Construct validity was confirmed by factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha supported a strong internal consistency for BK (0.83) and FC (0.84).

Conclusion

Preliminary testing suggests that the PAHD is a psychometrically sound scale capable of assessing psychosocial adjustment. We conclude that the PAHD may be a valuable monitoring tool to identify individuals and families who may require therapeutic interventions.
Characterization of elastic properties of near-surface and subsurface deepwater hydrate-bearing sediments
Authors: Zhang Zijian , Han De-hua , McConnell Daniel R.
Published: May 2013

Hydrate-bearing sands and shallow nodular hydrate are potential energy resources and geohazards, and they both need to be better understood and identified. Therefore, it is useful to develop methodologies for modeling and simulating elastic constants of these hydrate-bearing sediments. A gas-hydrate rock-physics model based on the effective medium theory was successfully applied to dry rock, water-saturated rock, and hydrate-bearing rock. The model was used to investigate the seismic interpretation capability of hydrate-bearing sediments in the Gulf of Mexico by computing elastic constants, also known as seismic attributes, in terms of seismic interpretation, including the normal incident reflectivity (NI), Poisson’s ratio (PR), P-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), S-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), and density. The study of the model was concerned with the formation of gas hydrate, and, therefore, hydrate-bearing sediments were divided into hydrate-bearing sands, hydrate-bearing sands with free gas in the pore space, and shallow nodular hydrate. Although relations of hydrate saturation versus [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are different between structures I and II gas hydrates, highly concentrated hydrate-bearing sands may be interpreted on poststack seismic amplitude sections because of the high NI present. The computations of elastic constant implied that hydrate-bearing sands with free gas could be detected with the crossplot of NI and PR from prestack amplitude analysis, and density may be a good hydrate indicator for shallow nodular hydrate, if it can be accurately estimated by seismic methods.
President's Page
Authors: Liaw Alfred L. , Abdelmoaty Samir
Published: May 2013

SEG has opened two regional offices outside of the United States, the China office in Beijing in 2008 and the Middle East office in Dubai in 2012. Both regional offices are wholly owned subsidiaries of SEG Global, Inc. Opening regional offices has been a long-term strategy of the SEG globalization process. As of today, more than 60% of SEG members live outside of North America. Only 36% of the 33,000 SEG members reside in the United States; 21% are in Africa and the Middle East; and 15% are in the Asian/Pacific region.
The Institutionalization of Author Production and the Performance Imperative as an Ontological Fiction
Authors: Nickel Patricia Mooney
Published: May 2013

This essay inquires into the institutionalization of the author as a governing practice. I observe the experience of two authors—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and “Mr. Perestroika”—in relationship to two institutions—the Soviet Writers' Union and the American Political Science Association—as they contest the imperative to produce cultural/knowledge representations on behalf of the present. Drawing on Michel Foucault's identification of the political practice of parrēsia and its relationship to ontologies of veridiction, I argue that the institutionalization of the author stabilizes a circuitry of value in which the performance imperative dominates transformative thought.
Kirrel3 is required for the coalescence of vomeronasal sensory neuron axons into glomeruli and for male-male aggression
Authors: Prince Janet E. A. , Brignall Alexandra C. , Cutforth Tyler , Shen Kang , Cloutier Jean-François
Published: May 2013

The accessory olfactory system controls social and sexual interactions in mice that are crucial for survival. Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) form synapses with dendrites of second order neurons in glomeruli of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Axons of VSNs expressing the same vomeronasal receptor coalesce into multiple glomeruli within spatially conserved regions of the AOB. Here we examine the role of the Kirrel family of transmembrane proteins in the coalescence of VSN axons within the AOB. We find that Kirrel2 and Kirrel3 are differentially expressed in subpopulations of VSNs and that their expression is regulated by activity. Although Kirrel3 expression is not required for early axonal guidance events, such as fasciculation of the vomeronasal tract and segregation of apical and basal VSN axons in the AOB, it is necessary for proper coalescence of axons into glomeruli. Ablation of Kirrel3 expression results in disorganization of the glomerular layer of the posterior AOB and formation of fewer, larger glomeruli. Furthermore, Kirrel3−/− mice display a loss of male-male aggression in a resident-intruder assay. Taken together, our results indicate that differential expression of Kirrels on vomeronasal axons generates a molecular code that dictates their proper coalescence into glomeruli within the AOB.
The homeobox gene Gsx2 controls the timing of oligodendroglial fate specification in mouse lateral ganglionic eminence progenitors
Authors: Chapman Heather , Waclaw Ronald R. , Pei Zhenglei , Nakafuku Masato , Campbell Kenneth
Published: May 2013

The homeobox gene Gsx2 has previously been shown to be required for the specification of distinct neuronal subtypes derived from lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) progenitors at specific embryonic time points. However, its role in the subsequent generation of oligodendrocytes from these progenitors remains unclear. We have utilized conditional gain-of-function and loss-of-function approaches in order to elucidate the role of Gsx2 in the switch between neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis within the embryonic ventral telencephalon. In the absence of Gsx2 expression, an increase in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) with a concomitant decrease in neurogenesis is observed in the subventricular zone of the LGE at mid-stages of embryogenesis (i.e. E12.5-15.5), which subsequently leads to an increased number of Gsx2-derived OPCs within the adjacent mantle regions of the cortex before birth at E18.5. Moreover, using Olig2cre to conditionally inactivate Gsx2 throughout the ventral telencephalon with the exception of the dorsal (d)LGE, we found that the increase in cortical OPCs in Gsx2 germline mutants are derived from dLGE progenitors. We also show that Ascl1 is required for the expansion of these dLGE-derived OPCs in the cortex of Gsx2 mutants. Complementing these results, gain-of-function experiments in which Gsx2 was expressed throughout most of the late-stage embryonic telencephalon (i.e. E15.5-18.5) result in a significant decrease in the number of cortical OPCs. These results support the notion that high levels of Gsx2 suppress OPC specification in dLGE progenitors and that its downregulation is required for the transition from neurogenesis to oligodendrogenesis.
Ultraviolet sensitivity and colour vision in raptor foraging
Authors: Lind Olle , Mitkus Mindaugas , Olsson Peter , Kelber Almut
Published: May 2013

Raptors have excellent vision, yet it is unclear how they use colour information. It has been suggested that raptors use ultraviolet (UV) reflections from vole urine to find good hunting grounds. In contrast, UV plumage colours in songbirds such as blue tits are assumed to be ‘hidden’ communication signals, inconspicuous to raptors. This ambiguity results from a lack of knowledge about raptor ocular media transmittance, which sets the limit for UV sensitivity. We measured ocular media transmittance in common buzzards (Buteo buteo), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), red kites (Milvus milvus) and kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) so that, for the first time, raptor UV sensitivity can be fully described. With this information, and new measurements of vole urine reflectance, we show that (i) vole urine is unlikely to provide a reliable visual signal to hunting raptors and (ii) blue tit plumage colours are more contrasting to blue tits than to sparrowhawks because of UV reflectance. However, as the difference between blue tit and sparrowhawk vision is subtle, we suggest that behavioural data are needed to fully resolve this issue. UV cues are of little or no importance to raptors in both vole and songbird interactions and the role of colour vision in raptor foraging remains unclear.
A mutual NHS? The emergence of distinctive public involvement policy in a devolved Scotland
Authors: Stewart Ellen
Published: May 2013

Academic research on health policy divergence across the United Kingdom since devolution has characterised Scotland's approach as ‘professionalistic’ or ‘collaborative’. This article argues that more nuanced studies of particular policy areas are needed, and offers an exploration of the Scottish approach to public involvement as an example. An analysis of policy documents since devolution reveals the shifting significance of public involvement, and the introduction of new instruments for its accomplishment. The Scottish National Party’s vision of ‘a mutual National Health Service’ is presented as a complex, even contradictory, project, which warrants further empirical attention both within and beyond the context of four-system comparisons.
What is evolutionary theory and how does it inform policy studies?
Authors: Cairney Paul
Published: May 2013

The term ‘evolution’ is used loosely in the policy literature and its meaning is frequently unclear. This article injects clarity into debates of evolution and establishes its ability to describe and explain policy change. It has four main aims. First, it identifies the explicit and implicit uses of evolutionary theory in policy studies. Second, it considers how such accounts relate to each other and the wider literature on public policy. Third, it identifies the causal mechanisms involved in evolutionary accounts. Finally, it considers how to translate abstract theory into a more concrete set of methods and plans for empirical research.
Qualitätssicherung im Umgang mit digitalen Forschungsdaten / Quality assurance of digital research data / La garantie de la qualité des données numériques de recherche
Authors: Kindling Maxi
Published: May 2013

Der Beitrag behandelt das Thema Qualitätssicherung im Umgang mit digitalen Forschungsdaten. Es werden drei Ebenen herausgearbeitet, auf die sich die Qualitätssicherung beziehen kann: die der Forschungsdaten selbst, der Metadaten zur ihrer Erschließung sowie der Forschungsdaten- Infrastrukturen. Es erfolgt eine Annäherung an den Qualitätsbegriff im Kontext digitaler Forschungsdaten sowie an die qualitätssichernden Verfahren. Exemplarische nationale und internationale Initiativen werden vorgestellt, die Empfehlungen und Kriterien zu disziplinübergreifenden Aspekten der Qualitätssicherung formulieren. Zudem wird ein disziplinäres Beispiel aus der historischen Korpuslinguistik vorgestellt.
Feedstocks and Products of Crude Oil and Natural Gas Refineries
Authors: Riazi M. R. , Eser Semih
Published: May 2013

This chapter introduces the feedstocks and products of crude oil and natural gas refineries with a brief summary of biofuels. Classification and characteristics of various reservoir fluids are discussed along with the properties and uses of refinery products including natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, petroleum coke, some biofuels, and nonfuel products from petroleum refineries such as solvents, petrochemical feedstocks, lubricants, waxes, asphalts, and petroleum cokes. Different types of reservoir fluids are classified on the basis of their carbon number range and crude oils are classified with respect to their API gravity and sulfur contents. Compositional analysis of these types of feedstocks and the boiling range and carbon number range of various products obtained in refineries are provided as they relate to the applications of fuels and nonfuel products.
Worldwide Statistical Data on Proven Reserves, Production, and Refining Capacities of Crude Oil and Natural Gas
Authors: Riazi M. R. , Rana Mohan S. , Peña Díez José Luis
Published: May 2013

In this chapter, shares of oil and natural gas in world energy consumption as well as current oil and gas reserves and geographical locations are presented. Trends for the production and lifetime of oil, gas and coal reserves in different regions and projection by 2050 are also discussed. Locations of petroleum refineries and natural gas processing plants, their capacities and trends in expansion of these plants in different regions are also presented. In addition the share of renewable sources to provide world energy demand and its forecast is also presented.
Properties, Specifications, and Quality of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products
Authors: Riazi M. R. , Eser Semih
Published: May 2013

This chapter discusses basic properties and specifications of crude oil and refinery products and their significance in commercial applications. These properties include boiling point, density, viscosity, molecular type composition (paraffin, naphthene, aromatic content), elemental analysis, sulfur and metal contents, freezing point, carbon residue, pour point, flash point, cloud point, vapor pressure, flammability range, wax and asphaltene contents, octane number, cetane number, aniline point, and carbonto- hydrogen ratio. Not all of these properties are important for every product and usually additional specifications are required for each fuel, including, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and fuel oil. For heavy products, properties such as viscosity, sulfur content, wax and asphaltene contents, and carbon residues are measured and reported. Specifications recommended for various fuels including biodiesels by standard organizations and manufacturers in the United States and Europe are also presented. Crude assay data include density, viscosity, sulfur content, acidity, metal content, and salt and water contents, and selected assays are presented for several crude oils around the world. Minimum laboratory data needed by designers and operators for crude oil refining and various products are also discussed.
Crude Oil Refining Processes
Authors: Eser Semih , Riazi M. R.
Published: May 2013

This chapter introduces and discusses the major processes used for refining crude oil. After a brief historical perspective of crude oil refining, refinery objectives are introduced and an overall refinery flow diagram is presented to show how the major processes are integrated to produce the desired petroleum fuels and nonfuel materials from crude oil. In the order of increasing boiling point ranges, the major refinery products include liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs), naphtha, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel, fuel oil, lubricating oil, and asphalt. Refinery processes may be classified into four categories: separation, conversion, finishing, and supporting processes. Separation processes make use of the differences in physical properties of crude oil components to remove inorganic impurities present in crude oil (e.g., desalting) or to separate groups of hydrocarbon compounds in crude oil or other refinery streams, such as distillation, deasphalting, and dewaxing. On the other hand, the conversion processes are performed to make chemical changes in the hydrocarbon composition of crude oils to meet the demands for the quantity and quality of desirable products, including gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. Thermal and catalytic cracking processes (e.g., visbreaking, coking, and fluid catalytic cracking) break up larger molecules into the boiling range of light and middle distillates to make blending stocks for LPG, gasoline, and feedstocks for making diesel and jet fuel. Catalytic reforming, alkylation, isomerization, and polymerization processes produce high-octane number gasoline components for the blending pool. Finishing processes include hydrotreating to remove heteroatoms (S, N, and metals) and product blending to attain the product specifications and compliance with environmental and government regulations. Finally, supporting processes provide the recovery of the removed heteroatoms, additional production of hydrogen necessary for the conversion and hydrotreating processes, and the treatment of the effluent water and other environmental emissions. After the discussion of individual processes, an evolutionary path of crude oil refining processes is presented with a timeline for the introduction of new processes and changing refinery configurations as the demands for the petroleum products have evolved. Finally, a future outlook for the market and technology is presented to provide projections for the future refinery configurations.
Hydroisomerization of Paraffins in Light Naphthas and Lube Oils for Quality Improvement
Authors: Newalkar B. L. , Choudary N. V. , Siddiqui M. A.
Published: May 2013

Growing environmental concerns over the last two decades has not only added impetus for catalyst research but has also resulted in improvement in the oil refining processes. As a result, hydroisomerization of n- paraffins has seen significant improvements, both in terms of catalyst design and processes, resulting in one of the important processes to improve fuel and lube oil quality in the petroleum industry. Today, hydroisomerization of light naphtha, particularly C5 and C6 n-paraffins, has gained importance because of its ability to produce gasoline blend stock with the desired research octane number (RON) in view of the stringent gasoline specifications being implemented worldwide. Likewise, the catalytic hydroconversion of long-chain n-paraffins to isoparaffins, so as to produce groups II and III lube oil base stocks (LOBS) having excellent cold flow properties and superior yields, has depicted an immense growth rate because of the emergent demand for highquality lube for automobile and industrial applications. Hydroisomerization of n-paraffins is typically performed over bifunctional catalysts containing metallic sites, mainly platinum/palladium, for hydrogenation/dehydrogenation and mild acid sites for skeletal isomerization via carbenium ions. Thus, acidic support viz. alumina, zeolites, and mixed oxides is used for such conversions. Such supports not only offer flexibility to tailor their acidity and textural properties but also offer a platform for high metal dispersion, which is essential for hydroisomerization. In view of the above, the scope of this chapter is to understand the chemistry and development of hydroisomerization catalysts, the evolution of hydroisomerization processes based on these developments, and to bring out future challenges and opportunities.
Hydrogen Management
Authors: Zhang N. , Liu F.
Published: May 2013

Chapter 12 first provides an overview of various technical aspects in refinery hydrogen management, including basic information for hydrogen production, purification, transportation, and distribution. Because hydrogen supply becomes a bottleneck issue for many refineries to deal with stricter product specifications and a higher degree of heavy oil upgrading, good hydrogen management practice becomes very important to maintain the competitiveness of a refinery. Therefore, a systematic approach (i.e., hydrogen pinch analysis) is introduced. It contains two steps—targeting and design—in which the targeting step quickly identifies the maximum hydrogen saving potential, and then the design step tries to exploit all possible design options to reach the target on the basis of mathematical programming. Details of hydrogen pinch analysis technology are explained.
Modern Computer Process Control Refining Units
Authors: Jaisinghani Ravi
Published: May 2013

Advanced process control (APC) applications have become a norm for refining and petrochemical units. Evolving along the path of regulatory control to advanced regulatory control (ARC) to conventional APC to multivariable predictive control (MVPC), MVPC technology has not only been well established and proven but also has become the main workhorse of refinery process control and optimization, with several thousand applications implemented in the last 30 years. Recent additions of neural networks technology for inferential predictions, advisory/expert systems for abnormal situation management, and fuzzy logic for combining operating heuristics and rules with mathematical control have increased the control technology arsenal to monitor, control, and optimize during the normal operating period and during periods of fast ramping, feed changes, and unplanned events. This chapter provides the basis of understanding the various control technologies and their integration to meet the safety, operational, and economic objectives of refinery APC applications. The intention is not to provide academic theory of control, but to provide sufficient base knowledge and practical configuration examples of what has actually worked in real-life applications. Cheat-sheet-type configuration for MVPC control and a list of common conventional APC applications required to automate each unit are presented for most of the major refining units.
Refinery Inspection and Maintenance
Authors: Kosta A. L. , Kishore Keshav
Published: May 2013

Maintenance and inspection functions in a refinery are the backbone for safe and reliable plant operations and play a pivotal role in efficiently achieving the desired production target and profitability for the company. Maintenance functions in the refinery include mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and civil functions, which are responsible for monitoring, repair, and maintenance of equipment in the respective defined areas. Inspection is responsible for certification of quality adherence on the repair and maintenance activities through monitoring of static equipment functioning during plant operations. Fulfillment of statutory requirements and liaison with regulatory bodies, failure analysis, and remaining life assessment of plant equipment to establish a repair replacement plan in advance for reliable plant operations, metallurgy upgrading, etc., are also performed by inspection. On the basis of the process condition, on-stream monitoring of all critical equipment is decided by an individual group and monitored religiously. Preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, a structured repair system, and full-fledged plant shut-down management must be reliable. Each type of maintenance activity that needs to be followed in an operating refinery or when the plant or units have been shut down per plan is covered in detail in this chapter. In case of electrical and instrument equipment, emphasis is placed on explaining the maintenance activities required to be performed on all major equipment along with general guidelines to be followed for making systems more reliable. The chapter covers various methods of inspection techniques being followed in a refinery, including the detailed observations to be made with each piece of equipment. The chapter also includes important sample checklists that are used for recording observations while inspecting equipment or when the maintenance activity is being performed.
Fuel Blending Technology and Management
Authors: Agrawal Suresh S.
Published: May 2013

This chapter discusses the fuel blending technology, management of a blending project, many important topics such as linear and nonlinear blend models, methods to handle blend nonlinearity, concepts of recipe optimization and planning process in a refinery, etc. After the fundamental concepts are reviewed, the chapter discusses the design aspects of a blending project for the automation of field equipment and instrumentation, hardware and software, and blending tank quality measurement. The chapter concludes with methodologies to estimate various sources of errors and assesses the current state of blending state and successful implementation of upgrade or revamp of a blending system.
Tank Farm Management
Authors: Agrawal Suresh S.
Published: May 2013

This chapter discusses all technical and management aspects of a tank farm in a typical refinery. It starts with the discussion of various types of tanks such as the cylindrical and spherical tanks used in a typical refinery. It then presents design methodologies to estimate the storage requirement on the basis of refinery complexity and the mode of crude and product receipts and dispatch. The chapter also discusses process parameters, their methods to measure them by a tank gauging system, and how to calculate tank inventory using these measured parameters. Next, the methods and technology to measure/estimate tank qualities and fugitive emissions are discussed. The chapter discusses the oil movement and storage system in a refinery and presents the design concept, control technology, and economic analysis to justify and implement an oil movement and storage (OM&S) project. Lastly, the chapter covers refinery terminal operations and enumerates problems and challenges of marine, truck, railcar, and pipeline terminals.
Refinery Planning and Scheduling
Authors: Zhang Nan , Valleur Marc
Published: May 2013

Chapter 21 provides an overview of the mathematical methods used to solve the optimization problem for various design and operation issues in an oil refinery, including planning, scheduling, and process design and operation. Short-term scheduling is discussed from the viewpoints of complexity, integration with planning, operational applications, available software technologies, and the human factor. The economic incentives for more advanced short-term scheduling are discussed, along with the main differences with planning activities using a qualitative definition of scheduling tasks. A specific section illustrates the inherent complexity of large combinatorial scheduling problems that need to be solved in oil refineries. Available mathematical tools and required systems architecture are reviewed. Two examples are described: optimal crude scheduling and gasoline/gas oil blending. The human factor to support complex scheduling systems is discussed. Commercial software technologies are also reviewed.
A Review of Refinery Markets and Cost Estimation
Authors: Kaiser Mark J. , Gary James H.
Published: May 2013

A refinery is an installation that manufactures finished petroleum products from crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, and other hydrocarbons using heat, pressure, catalyst, and chemicals. Early refineries were simple, batch distillation units that processed hundreds of barrels of crude oil per day from one or a small collection of fields. Today, refineries are complex, highly integrated facilities that may contain as many as a dozen or more process units capable of handling numerous crude oils from around the world with a capacity up to one million barrels per day or more. Refineries perform the same chemical and physical transformations worldwide, but they differ greatly in their complexity and nature of the political and regulatory market environment in which they operate. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a general overview of the refining industry, covering domestic and international markets, industry characteristics, refinery economics, and cost estimation. We classify basic refinery processes and operations and describe product demand and supply and market statistics. We summarize 2005 U.S. Gulf Coast investment cost curves and describe the methodological framework, data sources, and normalization procedures used in estimation. Unit descriptions and cost functions are summarized for the main refinery process units.
Maintenance Simulation and Optimization in Refineries and Process Plants
Authors: Bagajewicz Miguel
Published: May 2013

This chapter outlines recent efforts to perform Monte Carlo simulation to obtain an assessment of the effect of existing corrective and preventive maintenance practices incorporating details of available labor, task assignment rules, and parts inventory on the plant economics. In addition, the use of a genetic algorithm in conjunction with the Monte Carlo simulation to obtain the economically optimal preventive maintenance frequency, the parts inventory policy (number and type of spare parts to keep in stock), and the labor allocation is presented. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated using the data of a fluid catalytic cracking plant.
Roles of Computers in Petroleum Refineries
Authors: Khor Cheng Seong , Elkamel Ali
Published: May 2013

Modern refineries have to respond to stiffer competition, lower margins, and increasingly stringent product and environmental specifications. The application of information technology (IT) via computer-aided process operation systems has been a key to the survival of refineries in the present competitive age of globalized economy. This chapter purports to examine the increasing roles of computers in refineries and the resulting impacts on operation, safety, quality control, and overall profitability as discussed with respect to the related concepts, benefits, challenges, and present status of applications. The chapter concludes by shedding light on the remaining issues to be addressed in the increasing implementation of computerized systems in refineries, including the resulting human impact brought especially to the role of a person operator.
Safety Issues Related to Petroleum Refineries
Authors: Haight Joel M.
Published: May 2013

In petroleum refineries, the concern for safety could be said to focus on two main areas: process safety and labor or personnel safety. These two areas are very different from each other, but both are important. They require two very different approaches to what one might call “the safety problem.” Process safety involves the development and implementation of interventions concentrated on preventing or minimizing the effects of loss of containment of flammable, toxic, or reactive chemicals. Labor or personnel safety interventions focus on the prevention or mitigation of hazards that can result in individual injuries or exposures; a much less catastrophic problem, but a no less important one. Through both approaches to the safety problem, we attempt to prevent or minimize the impact of accidents. There are many definitions for an accident, but for the purposes of this chapter, they will be considered unintentional events that result in undesirable consequences. Accidents occur in nearly every facet of our lives. Because in petroleum refineries, there is extensive heavy manual work (especially during maintenance turnarounds); there is large, heavy equipment; there are toxic, flammable and reactive chemicals; and there are high temperatures and pressures in many processes, it is no surprise that accidents occur here. Over the last 20–30 years, in petroleum refineries and similar processes, there have been several significant watershed incidents that have fueled the development of many of the regulations and prevention activities that apply today and that serve to minimize the impact of the hazards typically associated with petroleum refining. The driving forces behind much of what makes up a modern safety and health program in the petroleum refinery in the United States are the regulatory agencies: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although this chapter will draw heavily from these regulations, it will also include discussion on the ways and means that companies comply with these regulations (as well as other consensus standards and general good practice). The content of typical safety and health programs in petroleum refineries will also be covered, but the primary focus of this chapter will be on process safety, safe work practices or permit-to-work systems, and behavioral safety.
Refinery Management
Authors: Herlyn Folkert J.
Published: May 2013

Mastering the volatile crude oil situation, reflected in prices and availability, the high demand in refining capacity worldwide, as well as increasingly restrictive environmental regulations, calls for exceptional leadership at today's refineries. One of the main challenges is to maximize crude utilization at minimum cost while meeting regulations and customer requirements.

The refinery's leadership must possess a range of leadership qualities, preferably personally in the refinery manager, but if not, then certainly amongst his small cadre of senior managers upon whom he can rely. This section addresses these challenges and provides a suite of proven practices for successful refinery management.
Cyclic Shear Testing of a Multi-Component Geosynthetic Clay Liner
Authors: Athanassopoulos C. , Fox P. J. , Ross J. D. , Goldenberg M.
Published: May 2013

The design of a petrochemical processing and storage facility involved evaluation of several secondary containment liner options. One of the options considered was a needlepunch-reinforced woven/nonwoven geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) with a polyethylene geofilm laminated to the nonwoven side. Since the project site was located in a seismically-active area, design engineers were concerned about the ability of the multi-component GCL to withstand seismic loads. To assess the potential for damage to the GCL when subjected to seismic loads, a cyclic shear test of the proposed liner cross-section (sand/multi-component GCL/sand) was performed using a large dynamic direct shear machine, capable of applying static and dynamic loads to soil and geosynthetic specimens. Cyclic shear testing under a normal stress of 100 kPa found that shearing occurred at the sand/geofilm interface, with the GCL sustaining no visible damage even after 25 cycles of loading with a displacement amplitude of 20mm and a frequency of 1 Hz. Material property tests performed on pre-cyclic and post-cyclic GCL samples provided additional evidence that the GCL specimen did not sustain damage due to cyclic loading. The cyclic shear testing procedure described in this paper could be useful for not only evaluating the performance of liner systems during seismic events, but also for evaluating the potential for liner system damage due to dynamic equipment loading during installation and soil covering operations.
Peel Testing and Moisture Effects for Coated/Laminated Geosynthetic Clay Liners
Authors: Torosian Gary T.
Published: May 2013

ASTM D6496, “Standard Test Method for Determining Average Bonding Peel Strength between the Top and Bottom Layers of Needle-punched Geosynthetic Clay Liners,” is used as an index test for quality control in the manufacturing of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and as an acceptance test for the delivery of materials to a project. As its title indicates, it is normally used to measure the peel strength between the top and bottom geotextile layers within a GCL. This paper evaluates the use of this test method to measure the peel strength between the thin film/coating of a laminated GCL and the geotextile it is adhered to. This paper also shows how the moisture content and hydrating conditions affect the peel strength in these products.
Fehlpositionierung und Autopalimpsest. Michas’ Zarėckis Romanfragmente Kryvičy (1929) und Smerc’ Andrėja Berazoŭskaha (1931) im Kontext der Entautonomisierung des belarussischen Literaturfeldes
Authors: Kohler Gun-Britt
Published: May 2013

The paper focuses on the question whether and how it is possible to correct ‘failed’ literary position-takings in the medium of the literary text. An analysis of the case of Michas’ Zarėcki’s postural strategies will show how such ‘failed’ position-takings come about in the context of loss of institutional autonomy in Belarusian literature at the end of the 1920s. However, analyzing the aesthetic strategies applied in the ‘re-position-taking’ Smerc’ Andrėja Berazoŭskaha it appears that while ‘deleting’ and ‘overwriting’ his ‘failed’ position-taking Kryvičy Zarėcki only seemingly submits to the dominant ideology’s system and marxist literary criticism: Precisely in exposing conformist writing’s norms the transcribing text – on an aesthetic level – emerges as a skilfully encoded defense of literary autonomy.
Charakterisierung von in Lab-on-a-Chip Systemen eingebetteten Hohlfasern
Authors: Winkelmann Claudia , Luo Yongxiang , Lode Anja , Gelinsky Michael , Marx Uwe , Busek Mathias , Schmieder Florian , Sonntag Frank
Published: May 2013

Die Entwicklung komplexer 3D Gewebekulturen für die pharmazeutische und biochemische Industrie gewinnt stätig an Bedeutung. Die Herausforderung besteht in der Aufrechterhaltung des biologischen 3D Mikromilieus. Eine Lösung bietet ein Hohlfasernetzwerk, fungierend als künstliches Gefäßsystem, das über einen Perfussions-Mikro-Bioreaktor mit integriertem Mikropumpensystem versorgt wird.
Teaching the Scientific Method Using Current News Articles
Authors: Palmer Laura K. , Mahan Carolyn G.
Published: May 2013

We describe a short (<50 minutes) activity using news articles from sources such as Science Daily to teach students the steps of the scientific method and the difference between primary and secondary literature sources. The flexibility in choosing news articles to examine allowed us to tailor the activity to the specific interests of our student group. This exercise is particularly useful in situations where there is no laboratory component to a course, the time devoted to teaching the scientific method is constrained, or the topic is not presented adequately in the textbook utilized for the course.
Performing Research or Researching Performance?
Authors: Delamont Sara
Published: May 2013

Drawing on what Gary Alan Fine has called a peopled ethnography of two martial arts, one French ( savate), one African-Brazilian ( capoeira), strategies for studying embodied performativity are outlined. The relevance of classic ethnography for the illumination of global social and political issues is explored. The virtues of traditional, “peopled” (re)presentation are vigorously defended as a counter narrative to the vogue for presenting qualitative research results as performance pieces, which has produced monologues, poems, short stories, dialogues, plays, and dance events. Central to the analysis of the latter is a discussion of the academic performance of authenticity, sensitivity, empathy, and sincerity.
The Culture of Translational Science Research
Authors: Kotarba Joseph A. , Wooten Kevin , Freeman Jean , Brasier Allan R.
Published: May 2013

We apply a symbolic interactionist framework and a qualitative methodology to the examination of the everyday reality of translational science research (TSR). This is a growing scientific movement that aims to facilitate the efficient application of basic research to clinical service design and delivery. We describe the emerging culture of translational research at a mid-size medical center that received a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. The stories related by scientists, clinicians, and students in interviews indicate that they make sense of the emerging inter- and cross-disciplinary, team-oriented culture of TSR through the refinement and redefinition of the significant symbols that inform their work while they attempt to master translational research by addressing the dilemmas it produces for them and their work. We see the strength, currency, adaptability, and energy of the core self-definition of “scientist” to be significant in shaping the emerging culture of translational research. We conclude by celebrating the value of interpretive ethnography for evaluation research.
Intensity
Authors: Gale Ken , Pelias Ron , Russell Larry , Spry Tami , Wyatt Jonathan
Published: May 2013

In this collaborative autoethnography, the five of us explore the experience and ethics of writing—and living—from/in intensity. We have been writing together since meeting at the Third International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (QI), when we made a commitment to write over the following year to, for, and with each other. It became an experiment in the craft of autoethnography, exploring questions of intimacy and connection manifested through collaborative writing, a series of texts exchanged via e-mail. This essay's sequence of writing during July and August 2008 follows a period of silence. Senses of intensities emerged from our collaborative autoethnographic practice over this period: We remain unsure of what intensities might be, and in the fluidity of this lack of certainty we feel we can claim a pedagogical practice of inquiry that comes from this writing into our always not-yet-known.
Ethnographic Writing, the Avant-Garde and a Failure of Nerve1
Authors: Atkinson Paul
Published: May 2013

The paper reminds us that there has been a long history of mutual influence between ethnography and aesthetics. There is nothing new or recent in textual or graphic experimentation inspired by anthropological or sociological fieldwork. We have not had to wait for the so-called crisis of representation to acknowledge this. Anthropology was among the direct sources and inspirations for modernist aesthetics and textual practice. I go on to suggest that too many contemporary forms of textual experimentation are in fact lacking in truly experimental, avant-garde, force. We need collectively to revisit the values and practices of modernism. I suggest that too many contemporary texts display sentimental realism, a preoccupation with feelings and personal experiences, grounded in realist forms of biographical or autobiographical writing. This represents, I shall suggest, a collective failure of nerve. I call for more disciplined forms of experimentation that are more relevant to a modernist sensibility as well as more faithfully ethnographic.
Queer School-Based Self-Assessment, Inspiraction Research, and Second-Order Cybernetics as Thinking Tool
Authors: Reinertsen Anne B.
Published: May 2013

This is about queer school-based self-assessment and deauthorized, self-reflexive, and robust knowledge-creation processes and/as products in schools. It is about professional development and knowledge autonomy in a reform perspective, hence moving to the bricolage and inspiraction research. It is about cybernetics and circularity, so read again.
Dissecting High-Dimensional Phenotypes with Bayesian Sparse Factor Analysis of Genetic Covariance Matrices
Authors: Runcie Daniel E , Mukherjee Sayan
Published: May 2013

Quantitative genetic studies that model complex, multivariate phenotypes are important for both evolutionary prediction and artificial selection. For example, changes in gene expression can provide insight into developmental and physiological mechanisms that link genotype and phenotype. However, classical analytical techniques are poorly suited to quantitative genetic studies of gene expression where the number of traits assayed per individual can reach many thousand. Here, we derive a Bayesian genetic sparse factor model for estimating the genetic covariance matrix (G-matrix) of high-dimensional traits, such as gene expression, in a mixed-effects model. The key idea of our model is that we need consider only G-matrices that are biologically plausible. An organism’s entire phenotype is the result of processes that are modular and have limited complexity. This implies that the G-matrix will be highly structured. In particular, we assume that a limited number of intermediate traits (or factors, e.g., variations in development or physiology) control the variation in the high-dimensional phenotype, and that each of these intermediate traits is sparse – affecting only a few observed traits. The advantages of this approach are twofold. First, sparse factors are interpretable and provide biological insight into mechanisms underlying the genetic architecture. Second, enforcing sparsity helps prevent sampling errors from swamping out the true signal in high-dimensional data. We demonstrate the advantages of our model on simulated data and in an analysis of a published Drosophila melanogaster gene expression data set.
Core Concepts: Thermoregulation in the Newborn, Part II: Prevention of Aberrant Body Temperature
Authors: Ringer Steven A.
Published: May 2013

Newborns are uniquely at risk of abnormal body temperature, and susceptible to the potential ill effects of both hypo- and hyperthermia. Building on the understanding of the causes of temperature alteration and the physiologic mechanisms to prevent it, this review explores how both low and high body temperature may lead to severe injury, illness, or death. Support and regulation of the thermal environment of the newborn has long been recognized as a critical aspect of newborn care, and it has become increasingly important as smaller and less mature infants are able to survive. Because of their even more limited capacity for self-protection compared with term infants, the most immature infants can readily lose heat and body temperature, and succumb to the severe physiologic consequences of hypothermia. Hyperthermia, although much less common, may also have profound negative impact on the newborn, and in some ways poses a greater risk to term and late preterm infants.

A variety of different methods are discussed as means to reduce heat loss from evaporation, convection, conduction, or radiation and protect an infant from hypothermia. A number of these modalities are specifically geared to the critical time period immediately after birth, including occlusive plastic wraps, exothermic mattresses, and augmented room temperatures. In other cases, such as the use of hats, the value extends from birth through the days immediately after, and still other care practices are primarily designed for use in the NICU or nursery. The effectiveness, advantages, and drawbacks of these different modalities are outlined.