bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ageing and Life Extension of Offshore Oil and Gas Installations
Authors: Wright Iain 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Over 50% of the offshore oil and gas installations in the UK Sector of the North Sea have now been operating for at least 20 years. Most assets are now approaching or operating beyond the original design intent. With the continuing rise in oil and gas prices and the advances in technology, there is an increasing requirement to extend the operational life of these assets. Coupled with this is the fact that most installations have seen considerable changes in the composition of the well fluids over the life of the field and there is an increasing trend for additional subsea tie-backs.
All of these issues have raised concerns regarding the integrity and fitness for purpose of the structures and equipment for this extended life. As a result, the safety case regulations were modified to include a technical justification for extended operation and the Health & Safety Executive has recently launched the Key Programme 4 (KP4) to ensure that all duty holders have suitable management systems in place to adequately address the ageing related issues.
This paper will outline a structured methodology that can be used to identify the issues which may prevent safe and reliable future operations of an offshore oil and gas installation. Some of the specific issues from previous ABB studies for offshore assets in the UK, Danish and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea will be outlined. These will include corrosion, obsolescence of equipment, changes in design duties, changes in oil or gas properties, availability of historic information etc. The paper will present a methodology for the evaluation of the risks associated with these issues and also outline how the recommended actions from such an approach can be used to help justify continued operations from a health & safety, environment and financial standpoint.
Flow Assurance Challenges in Gas Storage Schemes in Depleted Reservoirs
Authors: Kazemi Alireza , Tohidi Bahman , Nyounary Emile Bakala 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Gas storage and subsequent production is of great interest due to fluctuations in gas demand and the difficulty for large scale gas storage in surface facilities. However, the injection and production of dry gas into or from a depleted gas reservoir could result in serious flow assurance challenges. The injected gas will evaporate connate/formation water to satisfy thermodynamic equilibrium. This will also happen during production phase and may cause salt precipitation, and potentially pore throats plugging.
In this paper we quantitatively describe and discuss the parameters involved in water evaporation/production and salt precipitation for a gas production/injection well in a field. In this work, the impact in terms of formation damage (skin) will be evaluated and some recommendations for prediction and mitigation will be proposed. In addition, the water present in the produced gas is a major flow assurance threat due to possibility of gas hydrate formation in the production system. Origin, description, prevention and mitigation methods are discussed and compared.
The results show that an increase in the salinity of formation water (due to production) will result in a decrease in the water vapour pressure, hence water vaporization, hence a decrease in the amount of hydrate inhibitor required for preventing hydrate formations in the system. Another important factor observed in this study is capillary pressure. A high capillary pressure will increase the gas/water transient zone and therefore there could be more water production from the well. In addition to water production problem we also observed that due to salt precipitation the porosity and permeability in the vicinity of the wellbore can be reduced by more than 50%. The effect of salt deposition and vaporised water production are potentially serious challenges in gas storage projects. It is necessary to carefully address these challenges in order to make gas storage projects practical and commercial.
The Practical Application of Process Safety Principles to Determine and Monitor Asset Integrity of Oil and Gas Facilities
Authors: Hopkins John 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
This paper discusses the differences between Process Safety Management and Asset Integrity Management.
It demonstrates how Asset Integrity is defined and managed simultaneously across a wide range of asset types –oil and gas, offshore production, onshore terminal, fixed platform, FPSO, NUI, new and mature assets.
The process is based on simple yet established principles which give clarity to areas that require attention. At its centre is a tool which defines the current vulnerability of the assets against engineering, production, maintenance, systems and human factors parameters. The vulnerability of an asset is ‘benchmarked’.
The information is displayed in different formats to meet the requirements of each level of risk management and accountability in the Duty Holder organization. This accelerates understanding of the current risks against Major Accident Hazards as both single and combined events. Remedial actions can be prioritized and resourced. Senior Management can interrogate the process to a detailed level in order to challenge the effectiveness of the interventions.
The process is based on the Barrier Model and uses Process Safety Performance Indicators selected to monitor Asset Integrity based on the company’s experience of managing offshore oil and gas assets. Each barrier is different and has an appropriate weighting. Calibration against a standard defines the strength of the barriers which in combination should prevent Major Accident Hazards on a site. Lagging and Leading PSPI are treated as ‘Holes’ and ‘Cracks’ in the barriers respectively. Weekly performance against the PSPI is recorded and used to derive the Vulnerability Index for the asset for that week. After any event against a PSPI, a simple Root Cause Analysis is carried out to determine which individual barriers were involved. Combined Risk is displayed in a number of different formats.
The process is adaptable, and can be scaled to suit a wide range of different types and size of facilities. It can be adapted for use in Process Safety Management
This process has evolved over three years. Asset Integrity Management is now imbedded in the organization. The implementation journey has not been easy. The paper gives an insight into the traction factors on this journey.
Asset Integrity is a status; you either have it or do not have it. Process Safety Management may deliver Asset Integrity. Asset Integrity Management is specifically designed to deliver Asset Integrity on a facility. Process Safety Management has the benefit of being applied to a wider range of industries and size of facilities.
Appendix D discusses the above and the company’s journey in terms of Asset Integrity Management up to 2008.
Managing Process Safety of the Upstream Sector: Lessons Learnt from the Downstream Industry
Authors: Bhatnagar Vivek , Smith Andrew , Berger Scott 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
The US presidential commission’s "Deep Water" report inquiring into the causes of a recent Gulf of Mexico accident recommends an independent industry-run safety organization along the lines of the nuclear and the chemicals industry for the US offshore industries. The report in reference to essential features of this "self-policing" organization states:
"The main goal is to drive continuous improvement in every company’s standards and performance, measured against global benchmarks" and "The industry needs to benchmark safety and environmental practice rules against recognized global best practices."
CCPS has published recommended lagging and leading indicators of Process Safety performance which enable companies to track and monitor their efforts. Lagging indicators help companies compare their process safety performance in regard to incident frequency and severity, i.e. tier 1 and 2 events. Comparison of leading indicators level, i.e. tier 3 and 4 activities, isn’t possible without establishing a deeper understanding of the management decision process. Tier 1 and 2 data is relatively easy to obtain but there is currently no way for companies to formally compare how their respective tier 3 and 4 practices affect either the consequences or the severity of the outcome.
Formal benchmarking provides an opportunity for companies to identify gaps in their current practices so that they can work towards continuous improvement. By sharing their data they help create a better understanding of industry best practices that then become global benchmarks for others to emulate. The paper details salient aspects of a process safety benchmarking initiative recently developed in conjunction with CCPS that considers performance on six of the twenty Risk-Based Process Safety elements. The paper briefly describes how the program was developed and provides new insights into HSE management. Later, it illustrates how the upstream industry can learn from the downstream industry.
Investigation of Wettability Alteration by Low Salinity Water in Sandstone Rock
Authors: Nasralla Ramez A. , Bataweel Mohammed A. , Nasr-El-Din Hisham A. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Optimization of any oil recovery process is based on understanding of recovery mechanisms, though the underlying mechanisms of improving oil recovery by low salinity water injection are still debated. Wettability alteration is one of the dominant mechanisms of any IOR/EOR process. In this paper, wettability alteration by low salinity water in sandstone reservoirs is examined by using contact angle measurements. Moreover, the impact of changing ionic strength on the electrokinetic charge at oil/brine interface is investigated using zeta potential technique to explain the causes of wettability alteration by low salinity water.
The behavior of wettability with pressure and temperature was studied by running contact angle measurements different ranges of pressure and temperature (500-1000 psi, and 140-250°F). Sandstone rock was represented by mica sheets to eliminate the influence of rock heterogeneity and hysteresis on the contact angle measurements. Effect of salinity on wettability alteration was studied by utilizing synthetic water at a wide range of salinity (from 0 to 174,000 mg/l). In addition, two different crude oils with different compositions were used to evaluate the effect of oil characteristics on low salinity water efficiency. Zeta potential test were conducted to measure the oil/brine interface electrokinetic charge for combinations between the two crude oils, and different brines.
The contact angle increased with the increase of temperature, and pressure. High salinity water showed high contact angles, while low salinity water decreased the contact angles significantly for the two types of crude oil. This proves that low salinity water could alter the wettability to more water-wet. In addition, the electrokinetic charges at oil/brine interfaces were sensitive to the change of ionic strength. Oil/brine charges were highly negative with low salinity water, which resulted in repulsion forces between oil/brine and brine/rock surfaces and altered the wettability towards water-wet. This paper demonstrates the efficiency of low salinity water in improving oil recovery by altering rock wettability, and it contributes to the understandings of the main mechanism of low salinity water.
Single and Multi-phase Flow Loop Testing Results for Industry Standard Inflow Control Devices
Authors: Lauritzen J. Eric , Martiniussen Ingvild Berg 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Nozzle/orifice, tube, and helix Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) have been tested for flow performance at the Statoil multi-phase flow loop facility in Porsgrunn, Norway. The test results are given as performance curves for single phase oil, water and gas. Two phase tests have also been run for oil/water and oil/gas. Results confirm that single phase ICD flow performance characteristics can be accurately described with a physical model, and corrected by an error function which is predominately dependent on the Reynolds Number. For the fluids tested, the gas and water cut multi-phase data exhibits reasonable correlation to the single phase loss coefficient values for nozzle/orifices, water cut only for tube ICDs, and does not exhibit correlation to the water or gas cut multi-phase loss coefficient values for helix designs, especially at higher choke settings.
Determining Coding CpG Islands by Identifying Regions Significant for Pattern Statistics on Markov Chains
Authors: Singer Meromit , Engström Alexander , Schönhuth Alexander , Pachter Lior 
Published: September 2011

Recent experimental and computational work confirms that CpGs can be unmethylated inside coding exons, thereby showing that codons may be subjected to both genomic and epigenomic constraint. It is therefore of interest to identify coding CpG islands (CCGIs) that are regions inside exons enriched for CpGs. The difficulty in identifying such islands is that coding exons exhibit sequence biases determined by codon usage and constraints that must be taken into account.We present a method for finding CCGIs that showcases a novel approach we have developed for identifying regions of interest that are significant (with respect to a Markov chain) for the counts of any pattern. Our method begins with the exact computation of tail probabilities for the number of CpGs in all regions contained in coding exons, and then applies a greedy algorithm for selecting islands from among the regions. We show that the greedy algorithm provably optimizes a biologically motivated criterion for selecting islands while controlling the false discovery rate.We applied this approach to the human genome (hg18) and annotated CpG islands in coding exons. The statistical criterion we apply to evaluating islands reduces the number of false positives in existing annotations, while our approach to defining islands reveals significant numbers of undiscovered CCGIs in coding exons. Many of these appear to be examples of functional epigenetic specialization in coding exons.
Diaspora entrepreneurship revisited: Greek merchants and firms in the southern Russian ports
Authors: Sifneos Evrydiki 
Published: September 2011

Résumé Fondé sur des sources nouvelles puisées dans les archives russes et ukrainiennes, cet article reprend la question des capacités d’action des entrepreneurs grecs en Russie du Sud et s’efforce de modifier et enrichir les précédents cadres théoriques. Il contribue au débat théorique sur le succès entrepreneurial des grandes sociétés grecques d’import-export basées à Odessa dans la première moitié du XIX e siècle. Il enquête sur les avantages concurrentiels du patronat familial grec de la région de la mer d’Azov et met en évidence quelques-unes de ses caractéristiques : proximité spatiale, mobilité géographique, adaptabilité grâce à la diversification. La persistance des firmes familiales grecques de la mer d’Azov et leurs fréquents résultats favorables durant une longue période sont dues à une conjonction de ressources et de capacités qui étaient à la disposition des firmes et que les entreprises grecques ont su exploiter. Ces types de ressources, incluant des actifs aussi bien physiques qu’intangibles, ont compensé la taille moyenne des firmes et la modestie des capitaux disponibles.
Case Report-Inguinoscrotal ureteral hernia diagnosed on micturating cystourethrography
Authors: Sripathi Smiti , Rajagopal KV , Kakkar Chandan , Polnaya Ashwin 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe presence of a ureter within an inguinal hernia is an extremely rare entity, usually discovered incidentally during herniorrhaphy and may pose a surgical risk. Early preoperative diagnosis is crucial to guide proper surgical approach and to preserve renal function.
Diffusion tensor imaging in spinal cord injury
Authors: Kamble Ravindra B , Venkataramana Neelam K , Naik Arun L , Rao Shailesh V 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Background and Purpose: To assess the feasibility of spinal tractography in patients of spinal cord injury vs a control group and to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) values between the groups. Materials and Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed in the spinal cord of 29 patients (18 patients and 11 controls). DTI was done in the cervical region if the cord injury was at the dorsal or lumbar region and in the conus region if cord injury was in the cervical or dorsal region. FA was calculated for the patients and the controls and the values were compared. Results: The mean FA value was 0.550±0.09 in the control group and 0.367±0.14 in the patients; this difference was statistically significant (P=0.001). Conclusion: Spinal tractography is a feasible technique to assess the extent of spinal cord injury by FA, which is reduced in patients of spinal cord injury, suggesting possible Wallerian degeneration. In future, this technique may become a useful tool for assessing cord injury patients after stem cell therapy, with improvement in FA values indicating axonal regeneration.
Case report: Thrombosed giant cavernous carotid artery aneurysm secondary to cervical internal carotid artery dissection: An unusual entity
Authors: Baldawa Sachin S , Pendharkar Hima , Menon Girish R , Nair Suresh R 
Published: September 2011

AbstractSpontaneous thrombosis of a giant intracranial aneurysm with parent artery occlusion is known. The exact mechanism is however unclear and various theories have been proposed. We present an unusual case of an angiographically documented cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection, which led to total occlusion of the ICA distal to the dissected site, with acute cessation of forward blood flow. This resulted in acute upstream thrombosis of the giant cavernous carotid artery aneurysm and an acute cavernous sinus syndrome-like presentation.
Percutaneous placement of a biliary plastic stent
Authors: Keshava Shyamkumar N , Mammen Suraj 
Published: September 2011

AbstractEndoscopic biliary plastic stent placement is a well-established technique for unresectable and recurrent biliary obstructive disease and provides significant improvement in the quality of life. We describe a new technique of percutaneous placement of biliary plastic stent that has not been previously mentioned in the literature.
Application of quality by design principles to the development and technology transfer of a major process improvement for the manufacture of a recombinant protein
Authors: Looby Mairead , Ibarra Neysi , Pierce James J. , Buckley Kevin , O'Donovan Eimear , Heenan Mary , Moran Enda , Farid Suzanne S. , Baganz Frank 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThis study describes the application of quality by design (QbD) principles to the development and implementation of a major manufacturing process improvement for a commercially distributed therapeutic protein produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell culture. The intent of this article is to focus on QbD concepts, and provide guidance and understanding on how the various components combine together to deliver a robust process in keeping with the principles of QbD. A fed‐batch production culture and a virus inactivation step are described as representative examples of upstream and downstream unit operations that were characterized. A systematic approach incorporating QbD principles was applied to both unit operations, involving risk assessment of potential process failure points, small‐scale model qualification, design and execution of experiments, definition of operating parameter ranges and process validation acceptance criteria followed by manufacturing‐scale implementation and process validation. Statistical experimental designs were applied to the execution of process characterization studies evaluating the impact of operating parameters on product quality attributes and process performance parameters. Data from process characterization experiments were used to define the proven acceptable range and classification of operating parameters for each unit operation. Analysis of variance and Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to assess the appropriateness of process design spaces. Successful implementation and validation of the process in the manufacturing facility and the subsequent manufacture of hundreds of batches of this therapeutic protein verifies the approaches taken as a suitable model for the development, scale‐up and operation of any biopharmaceutical manufacturing process. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011
Synthesis and characterization of bovine serum albumin‐coated nanocapsules loaded with indocyanine green as potential multifunctional nanoconstructs
Authors: Jung Bongsu , Anvari Bahman 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWe have synthesized and characterized bovine serum albumin (BSA)‐coated polymeric nanocapsules (NCs) loaded with indocyanine green (ICG), an FDA‐approved near infrared chromophore. Poly(allylamine) hydrochloride was electrostatically crosslinked with phosphate anions to form nanoconstructs encapsulating ICG. BSA was conjugated onto the polymeric NCs via glutaraldehyde. BSA‐coated ICG‐containing nanocapsules (BSA‐ICG NCs) were characterized by FTIR and optical spectroscopy, SEM, and zeta‐potential measurements. Using normal human endocervical epithelial cells, we demonstrate the effectiveness of BSA‐ICG NCs for intracellular optical imaging in vitro. These nanoconstructs may potentially serve as a multifunctional platform for combined optical imaging, phototherapy, and drug delivery. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
The QKI‐PLP pathway controls SIRT2 abundance in CNS myelin
Authors: Zhu H. , Zhao L. , Wang E. , Dimova N. , Liu G. , Feng Y. , Cambi F. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractSirtuin 2 (SIRT2), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)‐dependent deacetylase expressed by oligodendrocytes (OLs), the myelin‐producing cells of the central nervous system (CNS), is markedly up‐regulated during active myelination (Li et al. (2007) J Neurosci 27:2606–2616; Southwood et al. (2007) Neurochem Res 32:187–195; Werner et al. (2007) J Neurosci 27:7717–7730). SIRT2 is a component of the myelin proteome and is severely reduced in the Plp1 knockout mouse brain, in which both proteolipid protein (PLP) and DM20 are absent (Werner et al. (2007) J Neurosci 27:7717–7730). The mechanisms that regulate SIRT2 expression in OLs and myelin remain to be investigated. We report for the first time that the expression of SIRT2 is regulated by the QKI‐dependent pathway and this effect is mediated through selective regulation of PLP. In the homozygous quakingviable (qkv/qkv) mutant mouse that harbors QKI deficiency in OLs (Bockbrader and Feng (2008) Future Neurol 3:655–668; Ebersole et al. (1996) Nat Genet 12:260–265; Hardy et al. (1996) J Neurosci 16:7941–7949), PLP, but not DM20 mRNA, was selectively down‐regulated and SIRT2 protein was severely reduced whereas SIRT2 mRNA expression was unaffected. Expression of the cytoplasmic isoform QKI6 in OLs (Zhao et al. (2006) J Neurosci 26:11278–11286) rescued SIRT2 expression in the qkv/qkv mutant concomitantly with restoration of PLP expression. Moreover, SIRT2 protein is diminished in myelin tracts and compact myelin of the PLP‐ISEdel mutant brain, in which PLP protein but not DM20 is selectively reduced (Wang et al. (2008) Exp Neurol 214:322–330). In contrast, SIRT2 expression and its cellular function in regulating process complexity are not affected by the absence of PLP in PLP‐ISEdel non‐myelinating OLs. Collectively, our results indicate that the abundance of SIRT2 in myelin is dependent on PLP, but not DM20. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.