bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Will Blockchain Become the New Operational Backbone in Energy?
Authors: Whitfield Stephen 
Published: May 2018

As digital innovations such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, automation, and the Internet of Things (IoT) become more readily usable, energy companies are developing strategies that incorporate these burgeoning systems into their operational infrastructure. Distributed ledger technology—otherwise known as blockchain—may be the backbone of this new infrastructure.
Already well-known in the financial sector, blockchain is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network technology that uses advanced computer science techniques to enable trustworthy interactions between parties, even if those parties do not trust each other. It is a shared electronic ledger in which access can be managed by multiple sources, including anonymous ones. Proponents say blockchain is reliable and likely to change the way in which energy companies perform transactions.
Operators are already working with various blockchain platforms, but the developers of these platforms are still forging a path that they hope will lead to widespread adoption within the industry.
The Mechanics of Blockchain
Fig. 1 illustrates the basics of a blockchain platform. An entity requests a transaction, the transaction is broadcast to a P2P network, validated, combined with other transactions to create a block of data within a ledger, and added to a chain of previous transactions in a way that is permanent and unalterable. These transactions can represent anything, from the exchange of numbers of digital assets to the acceptance of a trade of a digital commodity that can be audited by a third party for authenticity without revealing sensitive information. The blockchain ledger can be shared with all members at all times. It is not stored in one place, and there is full transparency—companies can control exactly which information gets shared and with whom.
A blockchain entry can include executable computer code that reflects the terms of the contract, creating a smart contract that automatically validates transactions without the need for human intervention. A smart contract selfexecutes code that enables straight-through processing and eliminates the need for manual intervention in the execution of a transaction. Smart contracts can mimic regular contracts and execute the contract automatically if the conditions required to consummate the contract are met.
Jerry Bailey, director and president of Petroteq and a former senior executive engineer at Exxon, compared blockchain to traditional means of storing information.
“We all have had big file cabinets, big file rooms all through the years,” Bailey said. “You go into a file room and find dozens of file cabinets. Everybody had a key to the file room but not everybody had a key to each of the file cabinets, depending on what their part in the company was. Blockchain is like this to me. It sets up a system where not only the company, but our vendors, our suppliers, and our buyers can look into the appropriate file cabinet, as it were.”
US Onshore Pressure Pumpers - Adjusting to New Market Demands
Authors: Zborowski Matt 
Published: May 2018

Like other segments of the oilfield services industry, the US onshore pressure pumping space looks very different compared with a couple of years ago.
Decreased demand during the downturn forced some pumpers out of business and spurred consolidation, resulting in high personnel turnover in the field. Meanwhile, exploration and production (E&P) companies are drilling longer laterals faster and expecting similar efficiencies from pressure pumpers. Hoping to get the absolute most out of their wells, operators are intensifying completions by using more stages, water, and frac sand.
Now, with oil prices higher, E&Ps more focused on cash flow, and a growing count of wells awaiting completion, demand for pressure pumping is increasing fast, creating a race for horsepower among a leaner group of opportunistic firms hoping to gain market share. This includes the rise of large integrated, pure-play, and regional pressure pumpers and less use of integrated well services that include a full suite of completions work.
Market research firm Energent, part of research and consultancy Westwood Global Energy Group, estimates that US onshore pressure pumping horsepower during the first quarter totaled 17 million with a utilization rate of 83%, and it expects an additional 3.5 million hp to come online this year—primarily newbuilds—with many more currently being ordered. For comparison, total horsepower in the first quarter of 2015 was just less than 12 million with 61% utilization, according to Energent data. Much of the unused horsepower that was able to be refurbished has been redeployed.
Given expected lead time in delivery of new equipment, a surge of fleets is expected to be deployed by late summer, assuming oil prices hold in the mid-$60/bbl and demand remains strong, said Todd Bush, Energent Group vice president, commercial, North America research.
“We know of several companies that are already adding pumps and making larger orders for fluid ends and power ends,” which will most likely be filled in by late summer, he said. Transmissions and fluid ends have had longer back-logs compared with late last year. There also have been bottlenecks for pumps. But Bush expects manufacturers in those areas, especially for pumps, “to be pretty aggressive coming back for all the pressure pumpers to be able meet their E&P demands.”
Alex Yang, senior analyst of shale research at consulting service Rystad Energy, has observed that many equipment manufacturers now “are at capacity doing refurbishments rather than newbuilds.” He noted that “a lot of the cold-stacked equipment was cannibalized or not maintained correctly while in the yard” after demand plunged during the downturn.
Technology Focus: Deepwater Projects (May 2018)
Authors: Iversen Morten 
Published: May 2018

Technology Focus
Oil and gas companies are set to enter 2018 in their best shape since oil prices collapsed. It is a common belief that many operators will now focus on demonstrating that they can thrive at low prices. The outlook for the deep- and ultradeepwater market is positive, with a forecast capital growth rate of approximately 8% between 2014 and 2018.
From an operator perspective, the upcoming 5 years are expected to see Petrobras’ dominant market share decrease as a result of the increase in activity by independent operators such as Anadarko and Noble.
Now that the belt-tightening is done, companies are looking to deliver profitable growth and build for the future. We also expect to see signs that the investment cycle is starting to turn and the sector has reset itself to operate at lower commodity prices.
By resetting their cost base (with big advances in 2016), the majors/national oil companies greatly expanded their opportunity set in a lower-for-longer scenario. Deepwater breakevens are frequently being pegged below $50/bbl now. Total expects to bring “a number” of projects to final investment decision over the next 18 months.
Meanwhile, Shell said it has a decade of inventory in the sub-$40/bbl range, and in some cases sub-$30 range, in deep water. Shell also sees break-evens in Brazil well below $40/bbl across the board. Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said he is ready to grow in deep water now, not at some point in the future.
“We need both characteristics in our portfolio,” he said. “What we like about the deepwater business is indeed the very high free-cash-flow generative nature of it, once you pass the investment hump, which gives a lot of resilience, of course, for the portfolio when it is stable … . [Compared with shale] they complement each other, and that’s why we want to have roughly comparable strength—I wouldn’t say equal strength—in both of them.”
Companies will need to find the right formula to win back investors after a year of poor stock market performance in 2017. Demonstrating that free cash flow can grow in a low-price environment and fund higher shareholder distributions will be a core focus. Companies must also build a compelling case for long-term investment. This may not happen in 1 year, but they will need to show clear progress in 2018.
Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.
OTC 27850 Stones Development: Best-in-Class Risk Reduction and Cost Improvement During Project Execution by Maria Pena, Shell Exploration and Production, et al.
OTC 27947 Driving for Competitive and Affordable Projects in the Gulf of Mexico by David De Pledge, Shell International Exploration and Production, et al.
SPE 180350 Integrated Drilling Strategy Leads to Successful Execution of the First Highly Deviated Deepwater Well in Mexico by I. Przhegalinsky, Schlumberger, et al.
TERRITORIAL DESIGN AS A MARKETING FACTOR TO INCREASE THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF SINGLE-INDUSTRY TOWNS
Authors: Завьялова Екатерина , Zavyalova Ekaterina , Котова Ольга , Kotova Olga , Лысенко Е. , Lysenko E. 
Published: May 2018

The formation of a comfortable urban environment is one of the priority areas for the development of single-industry towns. The attractiveness of the city (for residents, visitors, etc.) is largely due to the peculiarities of its territorial design. In combination with marketing tools, territorial design becomes a powerful factor in increasing the attractiveness of a single-industry city and improving the quality of life. Particular importance in the formation of a comfortable urban environment is given to the improvement of public areas. When designing such areas, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the city, the opinion of the population, the history and traditions associated with this public space. The paper considers some features of the application of marketing tools in the implementation of projects for territory improvement. The research has employed some general methods (analysis, analogy, system approach), as well as empirical ones (description, comparison). The paper features 1) an analysis of conditions for implementing the marketing approach in cases of territorial planning to increase the attractiveness of single-industry towns; 2) a pros and cons analysis of the project aimed at the formation of comfortable urban environment within the framework of the state program for landscaping. The paper introduces an authentic approach to the development of the stages of using marketing tools in the territorial design. The approach has been implemented in the town of Myski (Kemerovo Region).
ANALYSIS OF THE HUMAN CAPITAL OF THE REGION
Authors: Бабина Светлана , Babina Svetlana , Садовникова И. , Sadovnikova I. 
Published: May 2018

The article describes approaches to the definition of “human capital” concept. It is noted that the modern paradigm of socio-economic development of the regions and the state identifies human capital as one of the most important sources of endogenous long-term economic growth. The concept of human capital of the region is defined as a set of localized on-site human resources that 1) possess the knowledge, abilities, skills, health status, level of culture and motivation; 2) are formed as a result of investments of concrete individuals, their families, as well as society and employers; 3) are used rationally and provide innovative development of regional social and economic systems. The current research features a comparative assessment of the human capital of the Kemerovo region and other subjects of the Siberian Federal district according to the human development index. The study has revealed some factors that reduce the «human choice» factor and put the Kemerovo region on the 7th place in the human development index list of 12 Siberian regions.
Earthfill dam seepage analysis using ensemble artificial intelligence based modeling
Authors: Sharghi Elnaz , Nourani Vahid , Behfar Nazanin 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
In this paper, an ensemble artificial intelligence (AI) based model is proposed for seepage modeling. For this purpose, firstly several AI models (i.e. Feed Forward Neural Network, Support Vector Regression and Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System) were employed to model seepage through the Sattarkhan earthfill dam located in northwest Iran. Three different scenarios were considered where each scenario employs a specific input combination suitable for different real world conditions. Afterwards, an ensemble method as a post-processing approach was used to improve predicting performance of the water head through the dam and the results of the models were compared and evaluated. For this purpose, three methods of model ensemble (simple linear averaging, weighted linear averaging and non-linear neural ensemble) were employed and compared. The obtained results indicated that the model ensemble could lead to a promising improvement in seepage modeling. The results indicated that the ensembling method could increase the performance of AI modeling by up to 20% in the verification step.
Inhibitory effects of extracts from Cinnamomum camphora fallen leaves on algae
Authors: Yakefu Zumulati , Huannixi Wulan , Ye Chaolin , Zheng Tiefeng , Chen Silan , Peng Xin , Tian Zhengfeng , Wang Junhao , Yang Youyou , Ma Zhongqing , Zuo Zhaojiang 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Natural allelochemicals are considered as a source of algaecides. To uncover the anti-algal activity of Cinnamomum camphora fallen leaves and promote their usage as algaecides, the composition of their water and methanol extracts was analyzed, and the inhibitory effects of extracts on the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and chlorophyll (Chl) content and photosynthetic abilities in C. reinhardtii were investigated. Twenty-five compounds were detected in the water extracts, mainly including terpenoids, esters, alcohols, and ketones. Compared to water extracts, there were more compounds and higher concentration in methanol extracts. Both water and methanol extracts inhibited the growth of the two algae, and 15 mg·ml−1 methanol extracts killed the algal cells after 48 h. The levels of Chl a and Chl b, as well as maximum quantum yield of photosystem II photochemistry (Fv/Fm) in C. reinhardtii cells reduced gradually with increasing the concentration of extracts, while the maximum quantum yield of non-photochemical de-excitation (φDO) increased gradually. At the same concentration, methanol extracts showed stronger inhibitory effects than water extracts, due to their higher number of compounds and higher concentration. Therefore, C. camphora fallen leaves have a potential value as an algaecide.
Pharmaceutical and nutraceutics on three endemic species of Ceropegia
Authors: T. Binish , R. Pushpa 
Published: May 2018

Plants are the richest resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine and modern medicines. Medicinal plant species has its own nutrient composition besides pharmacologically important phytochemicals. Nutraceutics is an emerging field of therapy. As we come to the end of this millennium, more and more people are getting health conscious are looking at dietary substances for preventive or curative effects. The importance of minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium etc. to human health is well known.The nutritional values and mineral composition of medicinal plants are being used as dietary supplements by humans. The nutritional compositions of selected Ceropegia species were found as good nutritive value. Nutritive compositions were analyzed and compared in vitro plant parts of Ceropegia spiralis, Ceropegia candelabrum and Ceropegia juncea. Sixty to seventy five days old in vitro plants were taken for biochemical studies of total proteins, total carbohydrates, sugar, starch and amino acid.Among the three samples analyzed, high protein sugar and aminoacids content was noticed in Ceropegia juncea and total carbohydrates and protein values high in Ceropegia candelabrum, Ceropegia candelabrum was found to be a rich source of iron (18.55±0.11) followed by Ceropegia juncea (17.74±0.25) and Ceropegia spiralis (17.56±0.25).Nutraceuticals importance of these valuable plants may help in future for the production of new medicines and valuable food stuffs. The secondary metabolitices present in them give them a specific medicinal benefit other than a purely nutritional.These species are utilized for Indian system of medicine and scientists encourage them to rationalize it suiting the modern requirements of biotechnology.
Assessment of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi of Glyphochloa santapaui: Vulnerable and endemic grass species of Maharashtra, India.
Authors: Kamble Vishal Ramchandra , Kolekar Meghana M. , Lanjekar Sonali S. , Yadav Yadvendradatta R. 
Published: May 2018

Glyphochloa santapaui (S.K. Jain & Deshp.) Clayton santapaui is endemic to Maharashtra state restricted to Ferricrete-Lateritic rocky plateaus at Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri district. Due to ongoing anthropogenic threats this species is rated as Vulnerable under IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and hence attention is needed toward its conservation.The lateritic plant-soil interactions in different taxa is dependent to their microbial or mycorrhizal associates. So far endemic grass species - Arbuscular mycorrhizal associations on Lateritic rocky plateaus are poorly investigated. In present paper critical assessment of AM fungal colonization in roots of vulnerable- endemic grass Glyphochloa santapaui is interpreted. Overall colonization percentage was 71.80%. Moreover, root segments of some samples were commonly co-colonized by dark septate hyphae (dsh) of other fungal endophytes (Ofe) and AM fungi. In present assessment, four Glomeromycota families viz., Acaulosporaceae, Diversisporaceae, Gigasporaceae and Glomeraceae were recorded comprising 18 species under 6 genera. These AM fungal species are viz., Acaulospora elegans, A. rehmii, A. scrobiculata, A. tuberculata, A. appendicula; Diversispora epigaea; Gigaspora albida, G. gigantea, G. margarita, G. rosea; Scutellospora calospora S. dipurpusescrns; Glomus gerdemanni, G. hoi, G. occultum, G. versiforme, G. warcuppi and Sclerocystis sinuosa. On the basis of analysis of spore density and relative abundance, two dominanting species of AM fungi viz., Diversispora epigaea and Gigaspora gigantea were recognized.
Política social, desigualdad y pobreza, el caso de México
Authors: Sánchez Juárez Isaac 
Published: May 2018

(Reseña) Gutiérrez, Flores Luis e Ignacio Llamas Huitrón (2016) Política social, desigualdad y pobreza, el caso de México. Fontamara, Ciudad de México, México. pp. 240 ISBN: 978-6077362-87-6
Training and Development Policy, Corporate Governance, and Firm Performance
Authors: Brahmana Rayenda Khresna , Brahmana Ritzky Karina , Ho Theresa Char Fei 
Published: May 2018

This research investigates the role of corporate governance as a moderator between firms’ performance and their Training and Development Policy (TDP). Research data were taken from the US, Brazil, Russia, India, China and Indonesia from 2007 to 2013. This research found that the TDP is important for enhancing firm performance. Also, the role of the training and development policy impacted each firm’s performance differently, according to the level of corporate governance of that firm. The moderating effect of corporate governance reveals that better governance of a firm may have an influence on its TDP policy, which would lead to better firm performance. Overall, the results are consistent with the conjecture that corporate governance influences the firm’s performance and training and development policy, suggesting that the training and development policy’s success depends on the corporate governance level of the firm. Hence, this research contributes to two big theories: the knowledge transfer theory and the human capital theory, where the research findings show a confirmation of the two theories application in this research context.
Teaching Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Globally through Virtual Simulation
Authors: Olszewski Aleksandra E. , Daniel Dennis A. , Stein Deborah R. , McCulloch Mignon I. , Su Sharon W. , Hames Daniel L. , Wolbrink Traci A. 
Published: May 2018

Background and objectives
Despite the increasing prevalence of childhood kidney disease worldwide, there is a shortage of clinicians trained to provide peritoneal dialysis (PD). E-learning technologies may provide a solution to improve knowledge in PD. We describe the development of a virtual PD simulator and report the first 22 months of online usage.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
The PD simulator was developed and released on OPENPediatrics in January of 2016. A prospective study of international, multidisciplinary healthcare providers was conducted from January of 2016 through October of 2017. User action data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and linear regression. Paired t tests compared user pre- and post-test scores. User satisfaction was assessed by survey.

Results
The simulator was accessed by 1066 users in 70 countries. Users spent a median of 35 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 14–84) in the simulator. Users who completed the structured learning curriculum (n=300) spent a median of 85 minutes (IQR 46–95), and those who completed the entire simulator (n=63) spent a median of 122 minutes (IQR 69–195). Users who completed the simulator were more likely to scroll through text and access the simulator in multiple sessions. The 300 users that completed testing showed statistically significant increases in the post- versus pretest scores, with a mean increase of 36.4 of 100 points, SD 19.9 (95% confidence interval, 34.1 to 38.6, P<0.001). Eighty-seven percent (20 of 23) of survey respondents felt the simulator was relevant to their clinical practice, and 78% (18 of 23) would recommend it to others.

Conclusions
This is the first reported virtual PD simulator. Increased test scores were observed between pre- and post-tests by clinicians who completed testing, across disciplines, training levels, and resource settings.

Podcast
This article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2018_05_02_CJASNPodcast_18_6_O.mp3
Examining the Value Aspiring Principals Place on Various Instructional Strategies in Principal Preparation
Authors: Oliver John , Gordon Stephen P. , Oliver Michele L. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract: This article reports on a study of the value master’s students in a principal preparation program placed on a variety of instructional strategies. The aspiring principals completed a survey with fixed-response and open-ended items. The students’ most valued class discussions were about how their personal experiences related to the class topic and how to apply the topic to practice. Class activities valued most highly by the aspiring principals were problem solving, simulations, small-group discussions, and whole-group discussions. Out-of-class assignments rated most highly included writing reflective papers, conducting interviews and observations, and performing leadership activities in schools. The types of readings the master’s students most appreciated were case studies and journal articles. In describing their “outstanding professor,” the aspiring principals focused on the professor’s personal qualities, creation of a positive learning environment, and constructivist teaching.Â Â