bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differentiating Bullish From Bearish Factors In The Arbitrage Pricing Theory
Authors: Cheng Joseph M. 
Published: February 2016

This is a teaching note on a proposed approach that will correct a common flaw in the way the return-generating process within the APT framework is illustrated in textbooks. The problem can be resolved by dichotomizing the risk factors into two kinds. Based on this approach, the author eliminated the main source of confusion and developed an alternative way to teaching this important financial theory in a comprehensive and intuitive manner.
Business Education Innovation: How Common Exams Can Improve University Teaching
Authors: Unger Darian 
Published: February 2016

Although there is significant research on improving college-level teaching practices, most literature in the field assumes an incentive for improvement. The research presented in this paper addresses the issue of poor incentives for improving university-level teaching. Specifically, it proposes instructor-designed common examinations as an incentive for teaching improvement and uses empirical data from business school student tests to illustrate the utility of such assessments. Results were drawn from almost 250 college students who had different professors for the same course. Comparing the data from a common assessment revealed important differences about what students learn and created opportunities and incentives to improve teaching practices in a way few other methods can.
The Impact Of International Financial Reporting Standards On Accounting Curriculum In The United States
Authors: Yallapragadarry JeRamMohan R. , Toma Alfred G. , Roe C. William 
Published: February 2016

According to the time line presently specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), business firms in the United States (US) should switch from the existing US accounting reporting guidelines of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by the year 2014. The US business school graduates and accounting professionals have less than four years to understand the differences between the two accounting systems, and to learn how to implement the new International Accounting Standards. But many of the business schools in the US are not yet ready to include the new IFRS standards in their accounting curriculum. In many schools, administrators do not have any understanding of how to incorporate the new standards in their curriculum. Many European countries shifted to IFRS as early as 2005. They are ahead of the US in teaching IFRS to their students. The main problems in incorporating IFRS in the curriculum include lack of good textbooks and providing training for professors to learn IFRS procedures so that they can teach them to their students. This paper makes an effort in presenting the historical background of IFRS, and the impact of the adapting of IFRS on US business schools.
Case Study Of Manor New Tech High School: Promising Practices In STEM Education For Comprehensive High Schools
Authors: Gourgey Hannah , Asiabanpour Bahram , Fenimore Carol 
Published: February 2016

The following paper culminates a year of research conducted by researchers at E3 Alliance and Texas State University and sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The following reports on promising practices observed and reported at Manor New Tech High School (MNTH), a Texas Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (T-STEM) high school in Manor Independent School District (ISD) that opened in August 2007. MNTH follows several high school redesign principles such as small learning communities and rigorous coursework with real-world applications, and is focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Through a case study analysis based on teacher surveys, interviews, and site visits, the researchers identify practices that potentially apply to comprehensive high schools committed to improving student outcomes in STEM fields.
Application Of Statistics In Engineering Technology Programs
Authors: Zhan Wei , Fink Rainer , Fang Alex 
Published: February 2016

Statistics is a critical tool for robustness analysis, measurement system error analysis, test data analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and many other fields in the engineering world. Traditionally, however, statistics is not extensively used in undergraduate engineering technology (ET) programs, resulting in a major disconnect from industry expectations. The research question: How to effectively integrate statistics into the curricula of ET programs, is in the foundation of this paper. Based on the best practices identified in the literature, a unique “learning-by-using” approach was deployed for the Electronics Engineering Technology Program at Texas A&M University. Simple statistical concepts such as standard deviation of measurements, signal to noise ratio, and Six Sigma were introduced to students in different courses. Design of experiments (DOE), regression, and the Monte Carlo method were illustrated with practical examples before the students applied the newly understood tools to specific problems faced in their engineering projects. Industry standard software was used to conduct statistical analysis on real results from lab exercises. The result from a pilot project at Texas A&M University indicates a significant increase in using statistics tools in course projects by students. Data from student surveys in selected classes indicate that students gained more confidence in statistics. These preliminary results show that the new approach is very effective in applying statistics to engineering technology programs.
A Systematic Approach To Teaching Critical Thinking Skills To Electrical And Computer Engineering Undergraduates
Authors: Conn Welch Karla Conn Welch , Hieb Jeffrey , Graham James 
Published: February 2016

Coursework that instills patterns of rigorous logical thought has long been a hallmark of the engineering curriculum. However, today’s engineering students are expected to exhibit a wider range of thinking capabilities both to satisfy ABET requirements and to prepare the students to become successful practitioners. This paper presents the initial results from a systematic effort to incorporate broader critical thinking instruction and assessment into electrical and computer engineering education as part of a university-wide quality enhancement program. All incoming freshmen are given explicit and implicit instruction in critical thinking in ENGR 100: Introduction to Engineering and other engineering fundamentals courses, using the Paul-Elder framework of critical thinking to define and operationalize critical thinking. This critical thinking foundation is reinforced later in the disciplinary courses so that students integrate critical thinking with the basic principles and practices of engineering. In the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program, at the sophomore level, students use critical thinking skills which were developed during their engineering fundamentals courses, to analyze requirements and constraints which would apply in real-world design projects. At the junior level, similar use of critical thinking is applied in an introductory computing methods course; and at the senior level, critical thinking skills are again strengthened and assessed in the capstone design course and in the professional issues and current topics seminar. The latter course emphasizes understanding of professional ethics and current topics in electrical and computer engineering. Initial data from this pilot implementation indicates statistically significant improvement in critical thinking skills in ECE students who have progressed through this sequence, and as a side benefit, it appears that writing skills also improve.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Coping Among Career Professional Firefighters
Authors: Nydegger Rudy , Nydegger Liesl , Basile Frank 
Published: February 2016

This study explores the relationship between years of service for professional firefighters and the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Further, the study examines the specific coping mechanisms that the firefighters use to deal with the stress of their jobs. In order to assess the presence of PTSD symptoms, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL—CV) was employed, and the Brief COPE Survey was also used to assess the different types of coping strategies that were reported by firefighters. The subjects were 91 paid, career firefighters from two different communities in Upstate New York. Results clearly showed that firefighters who have more years of service also demonstrated a higher frequency of symptoms suggestive of PTSD. Further, results of the Brief COPE survey demonstrated that firefighters who have more years on the job tend to utilize more negative and inefficient coping approaches. The implications of these results and suggestions for helping fire departments deal with these issues are discussed.
Brazil and the field of socio-legal studies: Globalization, the Hegemony of the US, the Place of Law, and Elite Reproduction
Authors: Garth Bryant 
Published: February 2016

This article is about the field of socio-legal studies and the sociology of the field. This division enables working with two dimensions of the author’s socio-legal scholarly personality, especially as it relates to Brazil. It is going to try to describe, not prescribe, and the description is very preliminary. It is in part meant to provoke responses and criticisms that will make the description better. Part one examines the rise and to some extent fall of the field of socio-legal studies in the United States. Part two will examine and make a preliminary contrast to a kind of parallel and contrasting story in Brazil. Part three moves to a different approach, a more sociological approach, focusing on lawyers as a point of entry into issues of law and state. Part four is the most tentative part of this talk as it a very preliminary contrast of the U.S. story with what I know preliminarily about Brazil in relation to the same issues of the place of law, elite production, hegemony, and globalization. Finally, it raises a couple of research projects and questions raised by this sociological examination.
Improved Tight Oil Productivity Through Integrated Technology Deployment on a Multipad Horizontal Well Trial in Central China
Authors: Liu Peiwu , Liu Hai , Xiao Xufeng , Liu Xiaojing , Tang Meirong , Ma Bing , Huang Yongjie , Judd Tobias , Luo Yin 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Activity in the Ordos basin, China, has mostly occurred in the low permeability, clay-rich Chang 7 sandstone and has utilized multi-fractured horizontal wells as the preferred completion technique. To further improve the production potential and increase operational efficiency a dual-well pad site was engineered to trial a pad drilling approach, and to evaluate different completion techniques, utilize integrated workflows, and accelerate the development cycle.
The pilot project involved two pads with two horizontal wells each, with the intention to compare the local multistage stimulation practice of using a tubing-conveyed completion method to a wireline-conveyed plug-and-perforation technique. The current tubing-conveyed completion practice impacts the completion efficiency of the well from the standpoints of surface efficiency, engineering workflow, post-fracturing performance, and subsequent commercial performance. The wells completed with the plug-and-perforation technique were completed in a shorter period of time; simultaneous operations enabled flowback water from the first well to be recycled and reused on pumping operations on the second well, further improving the project performance, and first-year cumulative production were 20% higher when compared to surrounding offsets.
Three vertical wells were placed between the parallel horizontal wells to enable real-time fracturing monitoring and improve subsurface understanding. To have a more precise microseismic mapping result, the closest vertical well was selected as the monitoring well.
The study demonstrates the importance of an integrated approach that accounts for well design, engineering workflow, technology used during the execution, and subsequent evaluation while improving overall productivity. Both the efficiency and production result were breakthroughs in this area.
Factors associated with recovery from paraplegia in dogs with loss of pain perception in the pelvic limbs following intervertebral disk herniation
Authors: Jeffery Nick D. , Barker Andrew K. , Hu Hilary Z. , Alcott Cody J. , Kraus Karl H. , Scanlin Elizabeth M. , Granger Nicolas , Levine Jonathan M. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate associations between recovery of locomotion and putative prognostic factors in dogs with loss of deep pain perception in the pelvic limbs caused by intervertebral disk herniation (IVDH).
DESIGN Prospective cohort study.
ANIMALS 78 client-owned dogs evaluated for IVDH that underwent spinal decompression surgery.
PROCEDURES Dogs with complete loss of deep pain perception in the pelvic limbs and tail underwent routine examinations, advanced imaging, and spinal decompression surgery in accordance with standards of practice and owner consent. For each dog, information was prospectively collected on duration of clinical signs prior to onset of paraplegia; delay between onset of paraplegia and initial referral evaluation; date of recovery of locomotion, death, or euthanasia (3-month follow-up period); and whether dogs had received corticosteroid drugs before surgery. Severity of spinal cord compression at the lesion epicenter was measured via CT or MRI.
RESULTS 45 of 78 (58%) of dogs recovered the ability to ambulate independently within 3 months after spinal decompression surgery. No evidence of prognostic value was identified for any of the investigated factors; importantly, a greater delay between onset of paraplegia and referral evaluation was not associated with a poorer prognosis.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In this group of dogs with IVDH, immediacy of surgical treatment had no apparent association with outcome. The prognosis for recovery may instead be strongly influenced by the precise nature of the initiating injury.
Ultrasonographic findings and outcomes of dogs with suspected migrating intrathoracic grass awns: 43 cases (2010–2013)
Authors: Caivano Domenico , Birettoni Francesco , Rishniw Mark , Bufalari Antonello , De Monte Valentina , Proni Alessia , Giorgi Maria Elena , Porciello Francesco 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe ultrasonographic findings and outcomes for dogs with suspected migrating intrathoracic grass awns.
DESIGN Retrospective case series.
ANIMALS 43 client-owned dogs.
PROCEDURES Records for dogs with suspected migrating intrathoracic grass awns examined between 2010 and 2013 were reviewed. Ultrasonographic images and additional information such as signalment and pleural fluid analysis, radiographic, bronchoscopic, and CT findings were collected. Surgical treatments and outcomes were also reviewed.
RESULTS Transthoracic or transesophageal ultrasonography revealed grass awns in the pleural space (n = 13) or pulmonary parenchyma (10) of 23 dogs. Surgical removal of grass awns was successful on the first attempt in 21 of these 23 dogs (including 11/23 that had intraoperative ultrasonography performed to aid localization and removal of the awn). In the remaining 2 dogs, a second surgery was required. Twenty dogs with evidence of migrating intrathoracic grass awns had no foreign body identified on initial ultrasonographic evaluation and were treated medically; 16 developed draining fistulas, and awns identified ultrasonographically at follow-up visits were subsequently removed from the sublumbar region (n = 10) or thoracic wall (6). The remaining 4 dogs had no grass awn visualized. Clinical signs resolved in all dogs.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Transthoracic, transesophageal, and intraoperative ultrasonography were useful for localization and removal of migrating intrathoracic grass awns. Ultrasonography may be considered a valuable and readily available diagnostic tool for monitoring dogs with suspected migrating intrathoracic grass awns.
Underbalanced Coiled Tubing Drilling Practices in a Deep, Low-Pressure Gas Reservoir (Russian)
Authors: Kavanagh T. , Pruitt R. , Reynolds M. , Ortiz R. , Shotenski M. , Coe R. , Davis P. , Bergum R. 
Published: February 2016

The pdf file of this paper is in Russian. To purchase the paper in English, order IPTC-10308-MS.

Abstract
The Sajaa field in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, is a deep, low-pressure gas field that has been a prolific producer since the first wells were drilled in the 1980s. Initial field development was through a series of vertical wells drilled overbalanced with conventional drilling rigs. As field pressure and production declined, it became necessary to access additional reserves not being drained efficiently by these older wells. As a result of this need, a campaign to drill horizontal, multilateral sidetracks from the existing wellbores was started in March 2003 using coiled tubing. From a standpoint of production, cost, health, safety, and environment, the results of the program thus far have been excellent.
This paper examines the surface and downhole equipment and operational best practices used in the Sajaa coiled tubing (CT) underbalanced drilling (UBD) campaign. It also reviews some of the key details that make a safer, more efficient day-to-day operation and created a highly successful project that has drilled 27 wells, comprising more than 90 laterals and more than 212,000 ft drilled.

Introduction
The Sajaa field was discovered in 1980 by Amoco Sharjah Oil Company; since that time a total of 41 wells have been drilled in the Sajaa field. Initial reservoir pressures were 7,500 psi or greater; these pressures have since declined substantially, with most wells now being drilled with equivalent circulating densities of 1.5 to 2.0 lb/gal. Initial completions were polished bore receptacle tubing completions, but with corrosion and packer leaks, these were changed to packerless 5-in. tubing completions with wells that have 7 -in. liners tied back and cemented to surface in most cases. Production trees are, for the most part, 5-1/8-in., 10,000-psi sour-service trees.
The initial drive to perform CT UBD in this field came about because data on the Sajaa field showed that valuable reserves were not being added or produced, and that additional technology needed to be brought to this field to exploit these reserves. A peer-assist team composed of personnel from Alaska's North Slope, Houston Engineering Technical Practices (ETP), Sunbury, UK ETP, and Sharjah worked through the various options and found coiled tubing to be the best option.
Downhole data transmission in underbalanced conditions can be done with pulse telemetry (previous UBD campaigns in Sharjah) or electromagnetic (EM) signals, but by 2003 the bottomhole pressure would not support a fluid column and the formations above the reservoir blocked EM transmission.
An Integrated Approach For Evaluating and Characterising Horizontal Well Inflow and Productivity in Heterogeneous Carbonate Reservoirs
Authors: Farran Herve , Harris Jeremy , Al Jabri Saleh H. , Jackson Richard Robert , Alkhayari Saif Rashid , Thomas Tony 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Carbonate reservoirs are generally highly heterogeneous and complex because many phenomena, such as diagenesis and tectonism have modified primary depositional structure and texture. Many carbonate reservoirs in the Shuaiba Formation of north Oman are characteristically heterogeneous with complex reservoir architecture. It is common to observe dual-media and natural fracture system behaviors with large variations in reservoir properties. Many of these reservoirs have been developed with horizontal wells, so they require application of advanced reservoir evaluation and management practices. Many of the horizontal wells produce at high water cuts, despite apparent initial high oil saturations. The need for data is paramount for effective management of these reservoirs, and to understand factors affecting the productivity of horizontal wells - both at the wellbore and within the reservoir itself. The first stage of this process is to define an accurate structural model incorporating all available reservoir, wellbore (2D modeling) and seismic data. The second stage, involves integrating this model with the inflow profile derived from advanced production logging measurements. We describe several field examples from a complex and heterogeneous carbonate reservoir in Oman, and discuss how they may be used to identify a range of important needs relating to horizontal well placement, improving completion strategy, and optimizing water shut-off activities.

Introduction
Short to long radius horizontal wells have been drilled in many types of oil and gas reservoirs, in both carbonate and siliclastic formations. A variety of technical advances in drilling, including logging while drilling and formation evaluation have meant that the application of horizontal wells for reservoir development in both primary recovery and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications is now a common practice. There are many options available for completion of horizontal wells, such as open hole (barefoot), cased hole (e.g. cemented, expandable and perforated liner), slotted liners and gravel-pack completions. In the Middle East and North America a large proportion of horizontal wells have openhole completions. Since horizontal wells have a much greater reservoir contact area than vertical wells, for reservoirs with lateral heterogeneity, fault and fracture networks or structural compartmentalisation, this can result in well performances that range from the spectacular to the very mediocre.