bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lessons Learned: Unconventional Intervention on a Ship-Damaged Caisson Well
Authors: Hoffman Corey , David John S. , Bozeman Elizabeth
Published: March 2013

This presentation will cover the operational review of a recent unconventional intervention project on an offshore caisson well that was severely damaged by ship impact. Due to the damage to the wellhead/tree, as well as all of the tubulars, an unconventional approach was required to intervene and remediate this well so that the operator could proceed with conventional plugging and abandonment operations. Wells damaged by ship impact are fairly common; the solutions used for this damaged well and the lessons learned will be considered and applied for future projects on a case-by-case basis. One critical aspect of the case study will review the application of cryogenic freeze techniques which were applied with the intent of providing a pressure barrier, as well as a mechanism to support the weight of the tubing and hold the repositioned casings in a concentric position. The results of the operation and actual well conditions encountered will be compared against data collected during the pre-job testing that was performed to simulate the expected well conditions. Unconventional methods of dealing with severely damaged wells will be of interest to conference attendees who might have high risk assets, and/or known damaged wells around the world. Conference attendees will be presented with a number of applied unconventional techniques within the presentation that may provide unique solutions for remediating damaged wells.
Well Intervention Challenges in Mega-Reach Wells with Coiled Tubing and the Application of the Latest Technologies in Tackling These Challenges, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Dhufairi M. , Arukhe J. , Elsherif T. , Baez F. , Kharrat W. , Bal M. , Krueger R. E.
Published: March 2013

With the growing demand for oil production, and pressure maintenance for giant fields, more horizontal wells has been drilled as power water injectors and oil producers to increase the contact with the reservoirs. In M-field, many wells are drilled as mega-reach with a measured total depth up to 33,000 ft. This present a big challenge for coiled tubing intervention to reach TD and stimulate or perform logging. Even with the use of hydraulic tractors, CT Pipe Locks up before TD, and it has been difficult to understand the root cause as it is not possible to differentiate between a hydraulic tractor malfunction and downhole obstruction causing the CT to tag.

Here in this paper we are going to illustrate the reach challenges, analysis performed on the un-anticipated lockups, and how could we utilize recent technologies in understanding the lockup occurrence, as well as quantifying the how can we improve the prejob tubing force model simulation to fine-tune well accessibility in real-time while on the job.

With the implementation of the real-time tension-compression tool, it becomes possible to detect any malfunction of the hydraulic tractor. With the real-time reading of the tractor pull downhole, the coiled tubing force model simulation can be adjusted during the operating to match the real coiled tubing weight and have better estimation of the expected lockup depth. Real-time informed decisions can optimize the CT reach.

Being in ultra heavy oil formation and barefoot completion, the following questions come to the scene: Are we tagging in tar? or it is just the excessive drag force that is causing an early lockup?; What if the tractor fails? and how to diagnose the failure?; Shall we use solvents? at what quantities if any?; Is it feasible to run more than once? or it is a challenge that we cannot overcome?

All the above questions are answered in details in the paper with illustrated troubleshooting, and problem solving workflow that is aided by case studies, jobs results, and success stories from one of the biggest fields in the Middle East. Exploring more in this direction would successfully change the face of the tubing force model simulation algorithms and take the on-site operational excellence to a significantly advanced level.
Application of Sand Jet Perforations for Multizone Fracturing in CBM Wells, India
Authors: Kothari Nikita , Mahajan Mahesh , Pooniwala Shahvir , Panjwani Jateen
Published: March 2013

Sand Jet Perforation (SJP) is a process which uses a high velocity jet of abrasive sand laden fluid to cut through the casing, cement and into the formation jetting pressure and cutting time can be varied to achieve maximum penetration.

The process begins by using Coiled Tubing to convey, accurately position and operate the sand jet perforating tool with integral casing collar locator (CCL). The sand jetting assembly perforates the zone; the CT is moved uphole to allow an optimum fracture treatment to be pumped down the casing/CT annulus. Based on the difference in depth of the perforation interval between the zones to be fractured, the underflush volume for fracturing treatment is calculated to place a sand plug in order to isolate the zone at the end of the treatment. If this is not sufficient, the sand used for perforating the next zone is allowed to settle to form additional plug height. An added advantage of using this technique includes washing off the extra sand (if any) using Coiled Tubing in the same run, which leads to saving significant amount of time and eliminates the need of setting up expensive packers to achieve zonal isolation in multi-zone wells.

With conventional wireline perforations, about 12 to 15 zones were usually fractured in a month in the Raniganj Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Block, India. The application of the above technology, made it possible to fracture more than 38 zones in a month. The process ensured that each zone received a positive zonal isolation and optimized fracturing treatment leading to cost effective and quality fracturing treatments.

This paper highlights the sand jetting perforation process for achieving maximum penetration, advantages of the technique for fracturing in CBM wells and the planning involved placing sand plugs for achieving optimized and economic stimulation treatment.
A Coiled-Tubing Perforating Solution Incorporating a Gun Deployment System and Dynamic Underbalanced Technique Improves Well Production in High-Angle Deep-Gas Wells in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Jubran H. A. , Leal J. , Al BuHassan S. A. , Bolarinwa S. , Kharrat W. , Polson D. M. , Barnawi M. T.
Published: March 2013

Saudi Aramco has recently initiated a change in gas well design in the Ghawar field of Saudi Arabia. The new approach is to drill deviated cased hole gas wells through the reservoir to increase the length of contact of the productive zone and thereby increase production potential. Typical gas wells were drilled as a vertical cased hole through the reservoir or open hole horizontal gas wells.

The increased well deviations, measured depths and resultant increase in reservoir sections required a new approach to the perforating solution for these wells to connect them to the gas plants. Various techniques were reviewed, considering safety, operating efficiency and well performance. The final solution was to deploy the perforating systems on electric coiled tubing (CT) and run all the guns in one run using completion insertion and retrieval under pressure (CIRP) as a deployment system, which allowed the guns to be run and pulled under live well conditions without having to kill the well.

This paper details the learning curve and lessons learned of the implementation of this technique in five gas wells. The deployment system and pressure control equipment were optimized to satisfy Saudi Aramco’s requirement for three barriers. A CT cleanout run was added before perforation to remove any debris from the wellbore causing a problem to the depth correlation tools. An existing CT tower was used to support the very long wellhead stack, but due to its height limitation a special solution was implemented to enable safe CT operations. A deployment system under live well conditions was used to minimize CT runs, operating time and cost savings. The static underbalance condition was set before running the guns, combined with the dynamic underbalance perforating technique and deep penetrating charge gun design were implemented to optimize the well performance. This technique allowed safe and efficient perforating in a single underbalance run of these five gas wells.

The paper also covers the planning of the perforating solution, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) considerations, equipment selection, operational procedures, job execution and results.
First Offshore Coiled Tubing Drilling with Ultra Slim BHA in Matured Malay Basin
Authors: Ibrahim Zahidi , Ezalina Nurul , Krishnan Sivakumaran , Ming Lim Kien , Maniam Thanasekaran
Published: March 2013

PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd. had identified some fields at Offshore Terengganu, Malaysia as the first batch of candidates for the CTD pilot project in 2011 to gain access to the marginal reserve and evaluate the feasibility of re-entry Coiled-Tubing Drilling (CTD). Several challenges for the startup had been highlighted during the pre-well feasibility study particularly on the requirement of a smaller Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) compared to a general conventional CTD project. The 2 ⅜-in BHA was the unanimous choice for this project which was done through 3 ½-in tubing. The challenges also include setting a whipstock, milling window, single as well as dual casing exit and drill ahead to the target reservoir until the planned total depth.

A comprehensive well planning was performed and completed with several stages of revision. The pre-well engineering including hydraulics, and torque & drag were carried out to ensure the planned CTD BHA overcame all challenges and met the objectives. Pre-CTD jobs were carried out as an initial preparation involving well integrity checks, depleted zone abandonment and milling existing completion profiles of selected well bores.

This paper aims to describe the success of this CTD campaign while highlighting the lessons learnt and opportunities for improvement for similar project within the vicinity in the near future. The description in the consideration of single and dual casing exit operation via the application of both straight and Adjustable Kick-Off (AKO) housing motors is included. This paper also shares the experience of casing joint identification, drilling through a fault, and Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) management through the down hole dynamic tool.
Assessment of the Performance of Road Markings in Urban Areas: The Outcomes of the CIVITAS RENAISSANCE Project
Authors: Asdrubali Francesco , Buratti Cinzia , Moretti Elisa , D'Alessandro Francesco , Schiavoni Samuele
Published: March 2013

In the framework of the EU funded CIVITAS plus RENAISSANCE project, a research activity was focused on
the definition of a new methodology for evaluating the global quality of the road markings at urban level, both from a
technical and an economic point of view, in order to assure road safety.

Two innovative indicators were developed: one for the assessment of the technical performance (CIS-Q) and one for the
optimization of the budget (CIS-C).

In order to rate the global quality of municipal road markings, the performance indicator CIS-Q takes into account all the
parameters characterizing the performance of road markings, such as luminance coefficient in day conditions Qd,
retroreflectivity in night conditions RL (dry, wet), skid resistance SRT, colour, kind of material and ageing of the
pavement markings, traffic volumes, characteristics of road surface and average local weather conditions.

The economic indicator CIS-C considers the budget available for the road manager and compares it with the one needed
to ensure an adequate level of quality for road markings.
Soldiering with Substance: Substance and Steroid Use among Military Personnel
Authors: Bucher Jacob
Published: March 2013

The military provides a unique social environment given the organization and culture of the institution. Understanding substance use by those inside this institution provides insight into both the population as well as substance use in general. Using data collected from in-depth interviews, this article explores the nature and extent of substance use among a sample of current U.S. Army personnel. Additionally, possible interpretations of the cause of this substance use are explored and explained through the application of strain and social learning theories. Important findings include marijuana use (36% of sample) and steroid use (32% of sample).
Changes in Smoking-Related Norms in Bars Resulting from California's Smoke-Free Workplace Act
Authors: Satterlund Travis D. , Lee Juliet P. , Moore Roland S.
Published: March 2013

California's Smoke-Free Workplace Act—CA Labor Code Sec. 6404.5(a)—was extended to bars in 1998. This article analyzes changes in normative beliefs and behaviors related to bar smoking in the decade following the adoption of the Act. In a series of studies evaluating the smoke-free workplace law in bars, researchers conducted extensive observations and interviews with bar staff and patrons, health officials, and law enforcement personnel in three California counties. Smoking outside became a normal pause in the social environment and created a new type of bar socializing for outside smokers. Although some bar owners and staff reported initially resenting the responsibility to uphold the law, once norms regarding cigarettes and smoking began changing, bar workers experienced less conflict in upholding the law. Non-smoking behavior within bars also became the normative behavior for bar patrons. California's Smoke-Free Workplace Act has both reflected and encouraged normative beliefs and behaviors related to smoking in bars. The findings indicate that such shifts are possible even in contexts where smoking behaviors and attitudes supporting smoking were deeply entrenched. Recommendations include attending to the synergistic effect of education and policy in effective tobacco control programs.
The Influence of Parental and Peer Drinking Behaviors on Underage Drinking and Driving by Young Men
Authors: Zhang Lening , Wieczorek William F. , Welte John W.
Published: March 2013

Background:

Studies have consistently found that parental and peer drinking behaviors significantly influence adolescent drinking behavior and that adolescent drinking has a significant effect on their drinking-and-driving behavior. Building upon these studies, the present article assesses whether parental and peer drinking behaviors have direct and indirect effects on adolescent drinking and driving as well as whether they moderate the effect of adolescent drinking on their drinking-and-driving behavior.

Methods:

The assessment is conducted using data collected from the Buffalo Longitudinal Survey of Young Men (BLSYM) with Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analyses.

Results:

The data reveal that peer drinking has direct and indirect effects on adolescent drinking-and-driving behavior when adolescent drinking behavior is controlled. It also moderates the effect of adolescent drinking behavior on their drinking and driving. However, parental drinking does not have these direct and interactive effects, although it may have an indirect effect on adolescent drinking and driving via adolescent drinking behavior.

Conclusions:

These findings imply that peer drinking behavior should be considered seriously in prevention and intervention for reducing the risk of adolescent drinking-and-driving behavior.
Sex and Grade Level Differences in Marijuana Use among Youth
Authors: King Keith A. , Vidourek Rebecca A. , Hoffman Ashlee R.
Published: March 2013

A total of 54,361 students in seventh through twelfth grades completed a survey examining the impact of perceived harm of marijuana use, ease of access in obtaining marijuana, and perceived parent/peer disapproval of marijuana use on youth involvement in annual and recent marijuana use. Results indicated that 1 in 6 (16%) students used marijuana in the past year, while 1 in 10 (10%) used marijuana in the past month. Students at highest risk for marijuana use were those who felt use was not harmful/somewhat harmful, felt it was easy/very easy to access marijuana, and had parents/peers who did not disapprove of use. Findings can assist prevention specialists to more thoroughly understand how perceived harm, ease of access, and parent/peer disapproval affect marijuana use among youth. Consistent parent-child communication on marijuana use should be encouraged.
Active Learning Activities to Revitalize Managerial Accounting Principles
Authors: Matherly Michele , Burney Laurie L.
Published: March 2013

Students often enroll in the managerial principles class because of a degree requirement rather than a burning passion to learn the subject matter. Through active learning, new content can become more interesting by involving students in their own learning. This paper offers accounting faculty four active learning activities to engage students and enhance their understanding of difficult concepts: managerial accounting terminology, activity-based costing, variance analysis, and special order decision-making. During these in-class activities, students work through relevant computations and delve into additional considerations using guided class discussions. A survey of students' attitudes reveals that students perceive that these active learning activities had a positive impact on their content knowledge related to the managerial principles course, as well as their attitude toward and interest in the class. In addition, students felt that the activities were worthwhile and demonstrated the concern their instructor had for quality teaching. The accompanying Teaching Notes contain detailed, step-by-step guidance for implementing the four activities, along with sample solutions.
Histomorphometric evaluation of the effect of early exercise on subchondral vascularity in the third carpal bone of horses
Authors: Kim Woong , McArdle Brian H. , Kawcak Chris E. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Firth Elwyn C. , Broom Neil D.
Published: March 2013

Objective—To investigate histomorphometric changes in the cartilage and subchondral bone of the third carpal bone associated with conditioning exercise in young Thoroughbreds.

Animals—Nine 18-month-old Thoroughbreds.

Procedures—Both third carpal bones of 9 horses (4 exercised spontaneously at pasture only and 5 given additional conditioning exercise beginning at a mean age of 3 weeks) were evaluated. Histomorphometric variables (hyaline and calcified cartilage thickness and collagen orientation; vascular channel area, number, and orientation; and osteochondral junction rugosity) of the third carpal bone, sampled at 4 dorsopalmar sites in the radial facet, were compared between the exercised and nonexercised groups.

Results—The vascular channel area measured at the 4 dorsopalmar sites was larger in the exercised group than in the control group, but none of the variables were significantly different between groups. Both groups had significant site-specific variations in all measured variables. Most importantly, the vascular channel area was highest in the most dorsal aspect.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that the mild exercise imposed in both groups during the developmental period appeared to be associated with an increase in the vascular channel area beneath the calcified cartilage layer in the third carpal bone. This increased vascular channel area could also be associated with high stress in the dorsal aspect of the radial facet, a region that is known to be vulnerable to osteochondral fragmentation.
Western blot patterns of serum autoantibodies against optic nerve antigens in dogs with goniodysgenesis-related glaucoma
Authors: Pumphrey Stephanie A. , Pizzirani Stefano , Pirie Christopher G. , Anwer M. Sawkat , Logvinenko Tanya
Published: March 2013

Objective—To investigate whether differences existed between clinically normal dogs and dogs with goniodysgenesis-related glaucoma (GDRG) in serum autoantibodies against optic nerve antigens.

Animals—16 dogs with GDRG, 17 healthy dogs with unremarkable pectinate ligament and iridocorneal angle morphology, and 13 euthanized dogs with no major ocular abnormalities or underlying diseases.

Procedures—Western blotting was performed with optic nerve extracts from the euthanized dogs as an antigen source and serum from clinically normal dogs and dogs with GDRG as a primary antibody (autoantibody) source. Blots were evaluated for presence and density of bands.

Results—Multiple bands were identified on western blots from all dogs with GDRG and all clinically normal dogs, with a high degree of variability among individual dogs. Dogs with GDRG were significantly more likely than healthy dogs to have bands present at 38, 40, and 68 kDa. Dogs with GDRG had significant increases in autoreactivity at 40 and 53 kDa and a significant decrease in autoreactivity at 48 kDa.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Significant differences in serum autoantibodies against optic nerve antigens were found in dogs with versus without GDRG. Although it remains unclear whether these differences were part of the pathogenesis of disease or were sequelae to glaucomatous changes, these findings provide support for the hypothesis that immune-mediated mechanisms play a role in the development or progression of GDRG. However, the high degree of variability among individual dogs and the considerable overlap between groups suggest that the clinical usefulness of this technique for distinguishing dogs with GDRG from clinically normal dogs is likely limited.
Development of a nanocomposite system and its application in biosensors construction
Authors: Penu Ramona , Vasilescu Ioana , Eremia Sandra , Gatea Florentina , Radu Gabriel-Lucian , Litescu Simona-Carmen
Published: March 2013

The present work describes the development of a nanocomposite system and its application in construction of a new amperometric biosensor applied in the determination of total polyphenolic content from propolis extracts. The nanocomposite system was based on covalent immobilization of laccase on functionalized indium tin oxide nanoparticles and it was morphologically and structural characterized. The casting of the developed nanocomposite system on the surface of a screen-printed electrode was used for biosensor fabrication. The analytical performance characteristics of the settled biosensor were determined for rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and catechol (as laccase specific substrate). The linearity was obtained in the range of 1.06×10−6 − 1.50×10−5 mol L−1 for rosmarinic acid, 1.90×10−7 − 2.80×10−6 mol L−1 for caffeic acid and 1.66×10−6 − 7.00×10−6 mol L−1 for catechol. A good sensitivity of amperometric biosensor 141.15 nA µmol−1 L−1 and fair detection limit 7.08×10−8 mol L−1 were obtained for caffeic acid. The results obtained for polyphenolic content of propolis extracts were compared with the chromatographic data obtained by liquid-chromatography with diode array detection.
A note on the differentiable structure of generalized idempotents
Authors: Andruchow Esteban , Corach Gustavo , Mbekhta Mostafa
Published: March 2013

For a fixed n > 2, we study the set Λ of generalized idempotents, which are operators satisfying T
n+1 = T. Also the subsets Λ†, of operators such that T
n−1 is the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse of T, and Λ*, of operators such that T
n−1 = T* (known as generalized projections) are studied. The local smooth structure of these sets is examined.
On completion in the category SSNσFrm
Authors: Naidoo Inderasan
Published: March 2013

We introduce the category SSN
σ
Frm of super strong nearness σ-frames and show the existence of a completion for a super strong nearness σ-frame unique up to isomorphism by the similar construction presented in [WALTERS-WAYLAND, J. L.: Completeness and Nearly Fine Uniform Frames. PhD Thesis, Univ. Catholique de Louvain, 1996] and [WALTERS-WAYLAND, J. L.: A Shirota Theorem for frames, Appl. Categ. Structures 7 (1999), 271–277]. Completion is also shown to be a coreflection in SSN
σ
Frm. We also engage with the notion of total boundedness for nearness σ-frames and provide a characterization of the Samuel compactification of a nearness σ-frame alternative to the description in [NAIDOO, I.: Samuel compactification and uniform coreflection of nearness σ-frames, Czechoslovak Math. J. 56(131) (2006), 1229–1241].
The electoral fate and policy impact of “anti-corruption parties” in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Bågenholm Andreas
Published: March 2013

Niche parties have been increasingly successful during the last 30 years and have accordingly received a lot of scholarly attention. So far most of the focus has been on Green and radical right parties, and to a more limited extent, regional parties. In this paper I analyze the electoral fates and policy outcomes of another type of niche party, namely those focusing on anti-corruption, whose successes culminated during the 2000s. The study is limited to all new parties campaigning on the issue of anti-corruption in Central and Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin wall and the questions to be answered are: To what extent are these parties successful in obtaining relevant positions in the government so that they are able to effectively fight corruption? What impact do they have on anti-corruption measures, thereby influencing the level of corruption? How successful are these parties in the elections that follow? In short, to what extent do anticorruption parties matter? Apart from electoral and governmental data, the analysis is based on the Freedom House Nation in Transit annual reports, in which one section deals with the efforts to curb corruption. The results are rather mixed, but indicate that the more influential positions the anti-corruption parties (ACPs) have in government, the better are their anti-corruption performances. That implies that they are serious and competent enough to tackle those issues, despite their newness and lack of experience. Not surprisingly, the incumbent ACPs fare worse than those in opposition in subsequent elections, but quite a few still remain popular. Finally, all but one party abandoned their anti-corruption rhetoric in their second election, which implies that anti-corruption is a different type of issue, compared to the ones used by previous niche parties.
Corruption between public and private moralities: The Albanian case in a comparative perspective
Authors: Prato Giuliana
Published: March 2013

This essay draws on comparative ethnographic material from Albania and Italy. It addresses different forms of corruption, arguing that in order to understand the way in which phenomena such as corruption occur and are experienced in any given society, we should contextualize them in the historical and cultural traditions of that specific society. In doing so, however, we should be alert in avoiding falling into the trap of either moral relativism or cultural determinism. The essay suggests that an anthropological analysis of corruption should distinguish between legal rules and social norms. In particular, the empirical study of such norms helps to understand the meanings—both individual and inter-subjective—that actors give to the social and political situation in which they operate.
Corruption and anti-corruption local discourses and international practices in post-socialist Romania
Authors: Zerilli Filippo
Published: March 2013

In the past two decades academic and research literature on “corruption” has flourished. During the same period organizations and initiatives fighting against corruption have also significantly expanded, turning “anti-corruption” into a new research subject. However, despite a few exceptions there is a division of labor between scholars who study corruption itself and those who study the global anti-corruption industry. Juxtaposing corruption’s local discourses and anti-corruption international practices, this article is an attempt to bring together these two intertwined research dimensions and explore how an ethnographic approach might contribute to framing them together. Firstly, it describes how corruption in Romania is often conceptualized and explained in terms of national heritage, something related to old and recent cultural history, including traditional folklore. Secondly, it explores how anti-corruption works in practice, focusing on international legal cooperation projects monitoring the progress and shortcomings both prior to and post Romania’s accession to the European Union. Finally, revealing the articulations of these two apparently unrelated research fields, the article argues that corruption’s local explanations and the circular logic of auditing observed within the anti-corruption industry share a common developmental ideology mirroring the crypto-colonialist structure of power relations and dependency among European nation-states emerging out of the Cold War.
The meta-language of politics, culture and integrity in Japan
Authors: Kawata Junichi , Papp Melinda
Published: March 2013

Words and phrases must be interpreted within the proper cultural and contemporary political and historical context. In particular, the language of politics is distinguished by the use of specific terms and phrases which often allude to other associated meanings. This means that caution must be exercised when interpreting the terms used not only within the context of the other language, but often also within its own linguistic context. The translator or commentator has to be familiar with the language code used in the given environment and within the cultural biases of that particular society so that meanings are not lost and the often crucial connotations are not misinterpreted. Political rhetoric often employs words and language in a manipulative yet frequently subtle manner. This paper analyzes examples of shifts in language code by looking at a number of cases in Japan and their cultural construction where loss of integrity and backstage practices are at stake.
Slovak Slavistics: Past and present. Interdisciplinary discourses of Slovak academic Slavistics
Authors: Žeňuch Peter , Žeňuchová Katarína
Published: March 2013

Slovak Slavistics has adopted the interdisciplinary research approach based on examining the processes involved in language, literature, history, culture, ethnics and religion. From a scholarly and investigative point of view, Slovak Slavistics is primarily concerned with researching Slovak and Slavic relations, and Slovak and non-Slavic relations. Although Slavistics at home and abroad has been affected by the recession, it maintains its role of accelerating systematic and comprehensive investigation. The priority of Slovak Slavistics, both in a domestic and international context, is to safeguard scholarly outputs and make them available in the competitive international arena. Ensuring continuity in Slavistic research is also important and is not merely a question of prestige, but is also a fundamental means of continually improving the quality of the academic discipline. Internationally recognised Slavistic research is conducted in collaboration with the Ján Stanislav Institute of Slavistics at the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The institute sees modern Slavistics in Slovakia as having currency and exigency. Slovak Slavistic research is indispensable, provides continuity and constitutes an inseparable component of wider Central European and international Slavistic research.
Institutionalisation of Slovak Slavistics
Authors: Doruľa Ján
Published: March 2013

The following contribution is an overview of the gradual and systematic establishment of the institutional foundations of Slovak Slavistics. It looks at how the research focus and programme were developed and its coordination centre set up, beginning in 1988.Following that, the Slovak Committee of Slavists was established and its were statutes drawn up. Preparations then began for the 11th International Congress of Slavists in 1993. The Department of Slavistics at the Slovak Academy of Sciences was also established, becoming the Ján Stanislav Institute of Slavistics in 2005.

The article describes in detail the initial beginnings of the programmatic focus of research in Slovak Slavistics, highlighting the difficulties encountered and the various twists and turns that complicated the process of establishing the research programme and institutionalising Slovak Slavistics. It also stresses the results produced thus far and its future prospects.
Slovak studies in Russia: The current state
Authors: Valentsova Marina
Published: March 2013

The article introduces readers to the current state of Slovak studies in Russia. The fate of Slavic studies in Russia is complicated and it has had its ups (late 19th and early 20th century) and downs (1920s and 1930s), but until now there has been a multidisciplinary tradition of studying all Slavic peoples, their languages, literature, history and culture. The article focuses on the study of Slovak language, literature, history and culture at Moscow State University, the Institute for Slavic Studies in Moscow, and Saint-Petersburg State University. It deals with the main researchers and their work and publications. The article is based on general research into the history of Slavic studies carried out by leading Russian scientists.
Making a Difference in Science Education
Authors: Eagan M. Kevin , Hurtado Sylvia , Chang Mitchell J. , Garcia Gina A. , Herrera Felisha A. , Garibay Juan C.
Published: March 2013

To increase the numbers of underrepresented racial minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), federal and private agencies have allocated significant funding to undergraduate research programs, which have been shown to increase students’ intentions of enrolling in graduate or professional school. Analyzing a longitudinal sample of 4,152 aspiring STEM majors who completed the 2004 Freshman Survey and 2008 College Senior Survey, this study utilizes multinomial hierarchical generalized linear modeling and propensity score matching techniques to examine how participation in undergraduate research affects STEM students’ intentions to enroll in STEM and non-STEM graduate and professional programs. Findings indicate that participation in an undergraduate research program significantly improved students’ probability of indicating plans to enroll in a STEM graduate program.
Indications for destructive ocular surgeries in Nigeria
Authors: Monsudi KF , Ayanniyi AA , Balarabe AH
Published: March 2013

Introduction: Destructive ocular surgery (DOS) means eye loss. An audit of its indications would be useful in reducing its incidence. Objective: To determine indications for destructive ocular surgeries. Materials and methods: The case records (files) of all the patients who had DOS in a tertiary health facility in Nigeria from January 2004 to December 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. The information extracted include the bio data, indication for DOS, type of surgery performed and history of the use of traditional eye medications (TEM) and willingness to use an artificial eye (AE). Results: Thirty-seven patients had DOS. The mean age of the patients was 35.51years (SD 21.6) and the male to female ratio was 2.1:1. Evisceration was the commonest DOS performed , in 30 eyes (81.1 %). The most common indication for DOS was intraocular infection, in 15 eyes (40.5 %), followed, among others, by trauma in 13 (35.1 %) and malignant ocular tumours in 4 (10.8 %). There was association between age and indication for DOS (P = 0.032). Many patients, 15 (40.5%), used TEM and most, 34 (91.9%), refused an artificial eye (AE) after surgery. Conclusions: The most common indication for DOS in this study was intraocular infection. Evisceration was the commonest destructive eye surgery offered. Nepal J Ophthalmol 2013; 5(9):24-27 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v5i1.7817
Traumatic scleral wound dehiscence with filtering bleb formation after surgical repair of penetrating globe injury
Authors: Ozkaya A , Alkin Z , Acet Y , Yigit U
Published: March 2013

Backgropund: Filtering bleb formation after surgical repair of penetrating globe injury is a rare occurrence. Case: A 45-year-old male who had undergone surgical repair of a corneoscleral laceration 16 months earlier presented to emergency room after blunt trauma to the left eye. His best-corrected visual acuities were 20/20 in the right eye and 20/25 in the left. An anterior segment examination found a conjunctival filtering bleb formation on scarred sclera at superotemporal location near the limbus. Anterior chamber was slightly shallow and the Seidel test was negative. Intraocular pressures were 17 mm Hg in the right eye, 7 mm Hg in the left. The fundus examination revealed no abnormal findings. The patient was treated with topical aplication of a steroid and a cycloplegic drop during three weeks. After 16 months follow-up, the visual acuity remained unchanged with the persistence of filtering bleb. IOP was 8 mm Hg in the left eye. Follow-up examinations showed no complications related to trauma. Conclusion: Blunt ocular trauma can cause dehiscence in old scleral scars and subsequent filtering bleb formation. Nepal J Ophthalmol 2013; 5(9):136-137 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v5i1.7843
Sutureless and glue free limbal conjunctival auto graft for primary pterygium surgery
Authors: Sharma MK
Published: March 2013

Nepal J Ophthalmol 2013; 5(9):139-140 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v5i1.7845
On Contextuality in Christian Theology
Authors: Douglas Hall
Published: March 2013

We have lived during a period of history when many reputedly new -and some really new -things have been said in the name of Christian theology; but perhaps the most revolutionary thing that has befallen this discipline over the past several decades has not been at the level of content but at the level of method. 'Doing theology' as such is what is most distinctive today in comparison with past expressions of the discipline. There can of course be no absolute separation of content and method, and so it happens that this methodological shift is at the same time in some instances more conspicuously than in others -a shift in content. But, with the exception of a rudimentary reorientation of Christian faith about which I shall speak later, I suspect that most of the changes in content are less momentous than is the methodological transformation which underlies the great majority of them.
Deuteronomy and the Gentile World: A Study in Biblical Theology
Authors: Dion Paul
Published: March 2013

According to the blessing which opens the Epistle to the Ephesians, the essential object of God's long-concealed purpose for humankind is finally to unite Jews and Gentiles under this one Head, Jesus Christ (1:9-14). Returning to the same theme in chapter 2, the author uses the impressive simile of a 'dividing wall' which at long last is being thrown down (v. 14b). Any careful reader of this section of Ephesians (2:1 Iff) will easily realize that, in describing the previous situation, the author's viewpoint is not sociological but theological. His true reference is not to the all too frequent animosity between Jew and Gentile documented even before the tum of the era, 1 but to the special religious status of Israel, as embodied in the Covenant, its sign in the flesh and its privileges (v. I 1-12, cf. 19), and fenced around by the Law and its stipulations.
Retoric and Realism in Barth
Authors: Marshall Bruce
Published: March 2013

The title of Stephen Webb's Re-figuring Theology, the reader discovers, is deliberately ambiguous in a way which nicely captures the twofold purpose of its author. Webb reads the second edition of Barth's Epistle to the Romans with an eye for the rhetorical strategies — the "figures" or "tropes" — Barth there employs, and finds that tortured text to be a challenging and highly creative "re-figuring" of theology. He also suggests that contemporary theology much needs "re-figuring," not least because of the influence of the later Barth, who unhappily, if perhaps inevitably, abandoned the rhetorical creativity of Romans for the' 'isolated world"(p. 6) of the Church Dogmatics and its unyielding rhetorical "realism." The book thus invites comment both as an interpretation of Barth and as a suggestion about how to do theology, or, more precisely, about where theology's priorities at present ought to lie.
Paul's Letters: A Homiletical Perspective
Authors: Wilson Paul
Published: March 2013

This article is an attempt at conversation between New Testament studies and homiletics, using standards acceptable in the study of English literature. Specifically, it is an examination of the scholarly preference for treating Paul's letters as epistle-essays rather than as epistle-sermons. If we take seriously the nature of Paul's letters (which here I accept to be 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Romans and Philemon) as they were initially delivered to their recipients, we would do well to shift our priorities. Instead of seeing them primarily as letters, as written documents which possibly bear traces of his preaching, it would be more accurate to view them primarily as single or multiple sermons for public delivery, preserved (completely or in part) as letters. Seemingly, the issue is not which perspective avoids speculation, but which perspective involves the least degree of speculation.
James Joyce's "The Dead." Eschatology and the Meaning of History
Authors: Lindsey William
Published: March 2013

To the delight of dissertation writers and critics, one can always say more about the fiction of James Joyce. The density of Joyce's texts is notorious. Few texts of modern literature exhibit such subtle imbrication as Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. Yet, as recent scholarship has demonstrated, even the Dubliners stories, which have often been read as rather simple and straightforward naturalistic chronicles, are highly elaborated. These stories are complex works that prefigure Joyce's novels in their use of multivalent symbolism, their sophisticated exploration of point of view and their linguistic gamesmanship.
Christian Theology and the North American Context: Assessing Douglas J. Hall's Methodological Initiative
Authors: Mukasa Kawuki
Published: March 2013

Although Douglas John Hall's three-volume project on Christian theology in a North American context is still in progress, it is already being considered as a major piece of work with considerable implications for theology in North America. In this project,Hall attempts to “mainstream” a method which hitherto has been associated with Third World theologies or theologies of marginalized groups in the industrialized world, a method which includes explicit contextual analysis as an integral part of the theological task.
Reading Theology
Authors: Webster John
Published: March 2013

In what follows, I want to consider some aspects of the nature and functions of theology, and in particular to reflect on the ways in which theological thinking is informed by reading the enduring textual deposit of the Christian tradition. The act of reading has, of course, lost some of its innocence at the hands of modem theorists: what we might once have considered a relatively uncomplicated affair is now-rightly-an object of busy scrutiny, literary-critical, hermeneutical, philosophical, socio-political. A theological inquiry into the nature of reading is both necessary and lacking (recent Christian “readerresponse” theory, for example, says almost nothing theological about what readers and reading are). But my present concerns are more restricted. Here I want to try to make a theological case for giving high profile to texts in the intellectual life of the Church. However, I want to begin somewhat tangentially, by reflecting on a couple of passages which are central to the philosophical rather than the theological canon of modernity.
The Liberative Strategy of Ben Sira: The Sage as Prophet
Authors: Ceresko Anthony
Published: March 2013

Readers of the Bible today confront a multitude of competing methods or “strategies” for interpreting the biblical text. In discussing such “strategies for an Asian interpretation of the Bible,” George M. Soares-Prabhu describes two main approaches to a specifically Asian interpretation of the Bible: “One [approach] will read the Bible primarily in the light of Asia's poverty, the other [approach] in the light of its religious traditions.” He argues further that the “basic concern” of either of these approaches will be liberation. In particular, such interpretation “in the light of Asia's poverty” must engage in “a prophetic critique of the Asian reality which will foster the social liberation of Asia's marginalized people from their overwhelming poverty, social oppression and patriarchy.”
"Reading Theology": A response
Authors: McEvenue Sean
Published: March 2013

One has to be grateful for so compelling and so gracious an account of the role of theology in the Church as provided in John Webster's “Reading Theology” in the Toronto Journal of Theology. And one must agree with its two central propositions: that theology assists the Church first to remain faithful to the gospel as expressed in a historical sacred Scripture, and, second, to remain alert to the radical challenge of the Word of God in a changing world. The first of these is partially caught in the phrase “all theology is exegesis, and doctrines are ancillary depictions of the biblical texts in which the gospel is set forth” (p. 56). And the second is deftly summarized as follows: “Theology is the tradition discriminating between itself and the Word of God, acknowledging the contingency and therefore openness to revision of the ways in which it has sought to represent the gospel” (p. 60).
Yohanan the Purifier and His Immersion
Authors: Chilton Bruce
Published: March 2013

There is a remarkable romanticism in the figure of John the Baptist. He is a pivotal figure within the Gospels, and the Gospels largely form the basis of the conception many people have of religious figures.
The Flesh of God: Christological Implications for an Ecological Vision of the World
Authors: Wells Harold
Published: March 2013

The great religious traditions of the world, including especially the indigenous religions of North America, have profound contributions to make to the ecological vision we need. In this paper I can only speak of the ecological significance of the gospel of Christ. I begin with the faith stance that Jesus Christ, God's Word made flesh, is "our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). This means that ultimately we shall find our salvation, even our ecological salvation, in God's grace. Because Christ is our wisdom, the scriptural witness to him in the Old and New Testaments stands alone as the incomparable source of our faith. That is why I think it appropriate to approach the ecological question from a christo logical centre and on a biblical basis. If we believe we have a decisive divine disclosure in the flesh of Jesus Christ, and, in his life, death and resurrection, the decisive appearance of God's reign, then all our theological thought, including our ecological theology, needs to be governed in him.

But ecological theology is a kind of contextual theology which seeks to address the environmental crisis theologically. A further methodological premise is that theologians must attend to both the Bible and the context (or as in Karl Barth's oft-quoted bon mot, "the Bible and the newspaper").
Installation Address: Knox College, October 1999
Authors: Gordon Dorcas
Published: March 2013

Many of you will remember, as I do, Sunday by Sunday, throughout your childhood, attending Church School. There, week-by-week, faithful volunteers- most of them women-nurtured us countless generations of children, in Christian faith and living. These teachers created a moment in time, a place in which the stories of faithful women and men came alive; a time in which I heard and saw lived out concepts of faith that only much, much later I came to know as grace, salvation and incarnation. In that time on a Sunday morning I quite unconsciously reflected on my life-what I was experiencing at school and at home with friends and family-even as I was learning about the story of God's great love in Jesus Christ.