bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Designing and Managing the Training Programme for a Major North Sea Platform
Authors: Olson H. A. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT
This paper describes the training programme created to prepare offshore staff to assume their responsibilities in the operation and maintenance of Conoco's Murchison platform in the U.K. sector of the North Sea.
Training was to be accomplished prior to existence of the actual platform, Keyed to platform responsibilities, and assumed personnel would be competent in their speciality or trade but not necessarily in the performance of this trade in an offshore environment.
With a "first oil" project date of late 1980, a training team was assembled in early 1978 to identify training requirements.
Line operations personnel were heavily involved in preparation and delivery of training courses and the development and use of a process simulator.
The intensive programme resulted in platform personnel being exposed before operations started to approximately 75% of the training considered to be of an essential nature.
Early signs are apparent of benefits accruing from the heavy involvement of line operations personnel in developing and delivering training material. As operations and maintenance personnel assume their initial offshore work assignments, they report having a "feel" for the location and interrelationships of platform systems that would otherwise be absent.
Recommendations for organisations faced with a similar task include early identification and appointment of a team to develop and manage the training effort, heavy involvement of line operations personnel in the development of materials, a training interface with the equipment procurement process, and probable use of computerisation to individualise instruction and aid in managing the programme.
Some Effects of Depletion Policy on UKCS Oil Economics
Authors: Davies Stephen B. , Perry John G. , Wiley Paul M. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of some studies into the potential effects of depletion controls on UKCS Oilfield economics. Arguments for and against depletion controls are reviewed, several depletion scenarios are presented and their effects discussed. Consideration is also given to encouraging the development of marginal fields within the overall framework of a depletion policy.
Bank Financing of UK Offshore Projects
Authors: Mann Fred H. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT
This paper discusses bank loans as they have been used to finance major offshore oilfield developments in Britain's North Sea. Two aspects are treated. The first covers the reasons underlying the difference between Bank's attitudes towards the money they lend and oil companies' attitudes to the money they invest in a project. This difference must be taken into account when considering loan finance for a project.
The second aspect is the engineering content in loan arrangements for the loan technique known as production payments. Engineering forecasts of field performance are used extensively in this scheme and the loan structure depends heavily on engineering judgement.
Modeling the Brent System Production Facilities
Authors: Jones George N. , Buysse Achiel M. , Porter Richard H. , Stubbs John 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Although computer simulation of individual oil and gas processing facilities is commonplace within the oil industry, a new simulation model authorized by Shell and Esso for their Northern U.K. offshore fields is the first to encompass a multifield, multifacility system. The Northern North Sea Model (NNSM), a computer program of over 150,000 Fortran statements, simulates the operations and interactions in a system including fourteen offshore production platforms, multistage gas-oil separation processes, two onshore terminals, and interconnecting oil and gas pipeline networks. The simulation calculates steady state material balances, checks the operability of the major equipment for the simulated conditions, and determines the operability of the gas pipelines for the corresponding flow rates and entry conditions. This paper describes the NNSM, details the method of its construction, and discusses its application as a management and engineering tool.
Foundation Design of the Maureen Steel Gravity Platform
Authors: Broughton Peter , Wright Stephen J. , Magris E. 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
The Maureen steel gravity platform is presently under construction and was designed by Tecnomare S.p.A. under contract to Phillips Petroleum Company Europe – Africa. This paper covers aspects of the foundation design. The platform is unique in that the structure will be installed over a predrilled template and will be supported on three 47-m diameter steel bases. These bases are required to support three large diameter steel cylinders, for oil storage, which are interconnected by a steel lattice tower.
Offshore Production Facilities Recommendations For A Simpler Approach
Authors: Loge P. G. 
Published: May 2012

Summary
It has been postulated that weights of offshore production and processing facilities give a good relative measure of costs of the facilities. However, presentation of weight data collected from actual North Sea projects indicated little logic dependents on platform functional parameters, but a further breakdown of these weights according to type of equipment or function offers some possible explanations. This material has been used with the aim of establishing likely consequences of early project decisions in terms of overall costs of facilities.
Simplification in general and process simplification in particular are found to be extremely important, and the penalty for such simplifications in terms of overall platform efficiency is found to be surprisingly small. So small that increased efficiency in many instances is unable to justify the added costs.
The Versatility of the Turbodrill in North Sea Drilling
Authors: Powell Roy , Cooke Gareth , Hippman Alan 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
The use of straight hole turbodrills in the North Sea, in vertical and deviated well applications, is discussed with reference to the optimisation of drilling performance and to the techniques employed for directional control.
The adaptation of turbodrilling to maximise the benefits of STRATAPAX* bits is examined, with specific reference to well examples in the Northern North Sea. Improvements in drilling performance due to the development of the turbodrill/STRATAPAX* bit combination are analysed.
Development of a Reliable Deviation Surveying Programme Using Standard Instruments
Authors: Thorogood John L. 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Two numerical techniques are introduced which enable survey datasets to be analysed for their quality and consistency. The scope of this paper is confined to magnetic surveying, and the main objectives are to examine the errors likely to be encountered in the field and outline measures that can be taken to minimise them. It is concluded that redundancies have to be built into the operations to increase the chance of detecting problems, and careful planning and supervision is essential in order to maintain quality.
The adjunct effectiveness of diode laser gingivectomy in maintaining periodontal health during orthodontic treatment
Authors: To Tony N. F. , Rabie A. Bakr M. , Wong Ricky W. K. , McGrath Colman P. 
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of diode laser gingivectomy as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal treatment in the management of periodontal health among patients receiving fixed orthodontic appliance therapy (FOAT).

Materials and Methods:
Thirty patients undergoing FOAT with gingival enlargement were block randomized into two treatment groups. The test group received diode laser gingivectomy (940-nm diode laser, ezlase, Biolase Technology Inc) as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal treatment. The control group received nonsurgical periodontal treatment only. For both groups, five periodontal parameters were assessed at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months: Plaque Index, Gingival Index, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth, and Gingival Overgrowth Index. Intra- and intergroup variations in the periodontal parameters were determined over time.

Results:
Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in periodontal health over the study period (P &lt; .05). However, significant improvements in periodontal health were evident earlier among the test group subjects (P &lt; .05). The magnitude of improvement in periodontal health compared to baseline was greater in the test group than in the control group for Gingival Overgrowth Index at 1 month (P &lt; .001) and 3 months (P &lt; .05), Gingival Index at 3 months (P &lt; .05) and 6 months (P &lt; .05), and probing pocket depth at 1 month (P &lt; .05).

Conclusions:
Nonsurgical periodontal management with or without the adjunct use of lasers can be effective in the management of gingival health problems among patients receiving FOAT. The adjunctive use of lasers can produce an earlier and greater improvement in gingival health.
What favors and disfavors the critical point of QCD?
Authors: Fukushima Kenji 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
Results from chiral effective models suggest the existence of the so-called QCD critical point. These model predictions are highly dependent on the model setup and there is no universal argument for its existence and location. I discuss why a first-order phase transition is generally favored in models at low temperature T and high chemical potential µ, which will explain why the model results are unreliable about the critical point. I propose a useful way to reinterpret the model results as a liquid-gas-type phase transition like that of nuclear matter. This picture provides us with a fairly model-independent description of the QCD critical point not relying on detailed phase structures.
Probing the QCD critical point with relativistic heavy-ion collisions
Authors: Bass Steffen , Petersen Hannah , Quammen Cory , Canary Hal , Healey Christopher , Taylor Russell 
Published: May 2012

Abstract
We utilize an event-by-event relativistic hydrodynamic calculation performed at a number of different incident beam energies to investigate the creation of hot and dense QCD matter near the critical point. Using state-of-the-art analysis and visualization tools we demonstrate that each collision event probes QCD matter characterized by a wide range of temperatures and baryo-chemical potentials, making a dynamical response of the system to the vicinity of the critical point very difficult to isolate above the background.
Comparison of the Diagnostic Utility of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computed Tomography, and Echocardiography in Assessment of Suspected Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Patients with Connective Tissue Disease
Authors: RAJARAM SMITHA , SWIFT ANDREW JAMES , CAPENER DAVID , ELLIOT CHARLES A. , CONDLIFFE ROBIN , DAVIES CHRISTINE , HILL CATHERINE , HURDMAN JUDITH , KIDLING RACHAEL , AKIL MOHAMMED , WILD JIM M. , KIELY DAVID G. 
Published: May 2012

Objective.Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening complication of connective tissue diseases (CTD). Our aim was to compare the diagnostic utility of noninvasive imaging modalities, i.e., magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and echocardiography, in evaluation of these patients.Methods.In total, 81 consecutive patients with CTD and suspected PH underwent cardiac MRI, CT, and right heart catheterization (RHC) within 48 hours. Functional cardiac MRI variables [ventricle areas and ratios, delayed myocardial enhancement, position of the interventricular septum, right ventricular mass, ventricular mass index (VMI), and pulmonary artery distensibility] were all evaluated. The pulmonary artery size, pulmonary artery/aortic ratio (PA/Ao), left and right ventricular (RV) diameter ratio, RV wall thickness, and grade of tricuspid regurgitation were measured on CT. Tricuspid gradient (TG) and size of the RV were assessed using echocardiography.Results.In our study of 81 patients with CTD, 55 had PAH, 22 had no PH, and 4 had PH owing to left heart disease. There was good correlation between mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) measured by RHC and VMI derived from MRI (mPAP, r = 0.69, p < 0.001; PVR, r = 0.78, p < 0.001) and systolic area ratio (mPAP, r = 0.69, p < 0.001; PVR, r = 0.68, p < 0.001) and TG derived from echocardiography (mPAP, r = 0.84, p < 0.001; PVR, r = 0.76, p < 0.001). In contrast, CT measures showed only moderate correlation. MRI and echocardiography each performed better as a diagnostic test for PAH than CT-derived measures: VMI ≥ 0.45 had a sensitivity of 85% and specificity 82%; and TG ≥ 40 mm Hg had a sensitivity of 86% and specificity 82%. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed the MRI measurements were better at predicting mortality. Patients with RV end diastolic volume < 135 ml had a better prognosis than those with a value > 135 ml, with a 1-year survival of 95% versus 66%, respectively.Conclusion.In patients with CTD and suspected PAH, cardiac MRI and echocardiography have greater diagnostic utility than CT in the assessment of patients with suspected PAH, and MRI has prognostic value.
CCL18 — Potential Biomarker of Fibroinflammatory Activity in Chronic Periaortitis
Authors: KOLLERT FLORIAN , BINDER MORITZ , PROBST CORINA , UHL MARKUS , ZIRLIK ANDREAS , KAYSER GIAN , VOLL REINHARD E. , PETER HANS-HARTMUT , ZISSEL GERNOT , PRASSE ANTJE , WARNATZ KLAUS 
Published: May 2012

Objective.Promising therapeutic approaches have emerged in chronic periaortitis, whereas peripheral blood biomarkers are lacking. CC-chemokine ligand 18 (CCL18) is known as a marker of fibrotic activity and prognosis in pulmonary fibrosis. We investigated whether CCL18 levels are increased in patients with chronic periaortitis and are associated with clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings.Methods.In this retrospective study, serum concentrations of CCL18 were assessed in 30 patients with chronic periaortitis and related to clinical data, laboratory variables, and imaging studies. Serum levels were compared to 15 apparently healthy volunteers and 15 controls with aortic sclerosis.Results.Serum concentrations of CCL18 were increased in patients with chronic periaortitis (median 197.6 ng/ml, range 73.7–301.0) compared to healthy volunteers (median 34.6 ng/ml, range 22.6–70.4; p < 0.0001) and controls with aortic sclerosis (median 50.4 ng/ml, range 24.5–141.2; p < 0.0001). CCL18 levels correlated with (n = 30; r = 0.461, p = 0.01) and increased with the transversal diameter of the periaortic mantle < 5, 5–10, and ≥ 10 mm (p = 0.008). Contrast enhancement (p = 0.044), treatment naivety (p = 0.042), and the occurrence of systemic symptoms (p = 0.007) were associated with higher CCL18 levels. During followup, changes of CCL18 correlated with changes of the transverse diameter of the periaortic mantle (n = 17; r = 0.512, p = 0.033).Conclusion.Serum concentration of CCL18 reflects fibroinflammatory activity and extent of disease in patients with chronic periaortitis.
Timing and Magnitude of Initial Change in Disease Activity Score 28 Predicts the Likelihood of Achieving Low Disease Activity at 1 Year in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated with Certolizumab Pegol: A Post-hoc Analysis of the RAPID 1 Trial
Authors: VAN DER HEIJDE DÉSIRÉE , KEYSTONE EDWARD C. , CURTIS JEFFREY R. , LANDEWÉ ROBERT B. , SCHIFF MICHAEL H. , KHANNA DINESH , KVIEN TORE K. , IONESCU LUCIAN , GERVITZ LEON M. , DAVIES OWEN R. , LUIJTENS KRISTEL , FURST DANIEL E. 
Published: May 2012

Objective.To determine the relationship between timing and magnitude of Disease Activity Score [DAS28(ESR)] nonresponse (DAS28 improvement thresholds not reached) during the first 12 weeks of treatment with certolizumab pegol (CZP) plus methotrexate, and the likelihood of achieving low disease activity (LDA) at 1 year in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Methods.In a post-hoc analysis of the RAPID 1 study, patients achieving LDA [DAS28(ESR) ≤ 3.2] at Year 1 were assessed according to DAS28 nonresponse at various timepoints within the first 12 weeks.Results.Seven-hundred eighty-three patients were included (CZP 200 mg, n = 393; CZP 400 mg, n = 390). A total of 86.9% of patients in the CZP 200 mg group had a DAS28 improvement of ≥ 1.2 by Week 12. Of the 13.1% of patients with DAS28 improvement < 1.2 by Week 12, only 2.0% had LDA at Year 1. Failure to achieve LDA at Year 1 depended on timing of nonresponse — 22.3%, 8.4%, and 2.0% of patients with DAS28 improvement < 1.2 by Weeks 1, 6, and 12, respectively, had LDA at Year 1 — and magnitude of initial lack of DAS28 improvement; for example, compared with the patients with DAS28 < 1.2 improvement, fewer patients with DAS28 < 0.6 had LDA at Year 1 (17.4%, 2.4%, and 0.0% at Weeks 1, 6, and 12, respectively).Conclusion.Failure to achieve improvement in DAS28 within the first 12 weeks of therapy was predictive of a low probability of achieving LDA at Year 1. Moreover, the accuracy of the prediction was found to be strongly dependent on the magnitude and timing of the lack of the response. (Clinical Trial Registration Nos. NCT00152386 and NCT00175877).
Psoriatic Arthritis and Onycholysis — Results from the Cross-sectional Reykjavik Psoriatic Arthritis Study
Authors: LOVE THORVARDUR JON , GUDJONSSON JOHANN ELI , VALDIMARSSON HELGI , GUDBJORNSSON BJORN 
Published: May 2012

Objective.To measure the associations between subtypes of nail changes and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) among patients with psoriasis.Methods.Patients age 18 years and older with active psoriasis were examined for skin and nail changes and asked if they had been diagnosed with PsA. Patients with arthritis were invited for a separate study 1–6 years after their initial visit. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to test the strength of associations between subtypes of nail changes and arthritis.Results.Of 1116 patients with psoriasis, 37% (95% CI 34%–40%) had nail changes. Age, any nail change, onycholysis, and pitting were each associated with PsA on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that onycholysis was the only type of nail change independently associated with PsA (OR 2.05, p < 0.001). Nail changes persisted and had increased in prevalence at the followup examination at a mean of 3.8 (median 4 yrs, interquartile range 3–4) years later. Previously reported associations between psoriasis location and arthritis were not seen in this dataset.Conclusion.PsA is associated with onycholysis. Associations with pitting and subungual hyperkeratosis were not statistically significant. Subtypes of nail changes should be analyzed separately in future studies of PsA.
Carotid Atherosclerosis, Disease Measures, Oxidized Low-density Lipoproteins, and Atheroprotective Natural Antibodies for Cardiovascular Disease in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis — An Inception Cohort Study
Authors: AJEGANOVA SOFIA , de FAIRE ULF , JOGESTRAND TOMAS , FROSTEGÅRD JOHAN , HAFSTRÖM INGIÄLD 
Published: May 2012

Objective.Although an enhanced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well established, the mechanisms behind it remain unclear. We studied whether carotid atherosclerosis, RA disease measures, or potential cardiovascular biomarkers influenced the incidence of CVD in an RA inception cohort.Methods.RA disease measures and CVD biomarkers were assessed at 0, 3, 12, 24, and 60 months after disease onset, and carotid ultrasonography after 5 years. The study outcome was incident CVD events — acute myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, congestive heart failure, or ischemic cerebrovascular event. Survival analysis and Cox and longitudinal regressions were used for statistical analyses.Results.A total of 105 patients, without CVD events prior to RA onset, experienced 17 CVD events, an incidence rate of 1.35 events per 100 person-years (95% CI 0.71–2.0). The rate of CVD events did not differ with regard to measures of carotid intima-media thickness, but it was higher for patients with bilateral carotid plaques than for those without (p = 0.012). Improvement in Disease Activity Score for 28 joints, visual analog scale for pain, and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire score over the first year, as well as usage of methotrexate (MTX), was associated, independent of age, with reduction of risk of CVD event [hazard ratios 0.68 (95% CI 0.5–0.97), 0.97 (95% CI 0.95–0.99), 0.35 (95% CI 0.15–0.82), and 0.34 (95% CI 0.12–0.91), respectively]. In longitudinal analyses, increasing oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and probability for low antiphosphorylcholine antibodies (anti-PC) were observed in those who experienced a subsequent CVD event.Conclusion.Bilateral carotid plaques were associated with poor CVD-free survival. Early reductions of inflammation, pain, and disability as well as MTX usage were associated with better CVD outcome. Elevated oxLDL and low IgM anti-PC levels may link chronic inflammation in RA to enhanced risk of CVD events.
Risk Factors for Temporomandibular Joint Arthritis in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: STOLL MATTHEW L. , SHARPE TYLER , BEUKELMAN TIMOTHY , GOOD JENNIFER , YOUNG DANIEL , CRON RANDY Q. 
Published: May 2012

Objective.To determine the prevalence and features of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to identify risk factors for TMJ arthritis.Methods.A retrospective chart review was performed on 187 patients with JIA who underwent a TMJ MRI at Children’s Hospital of Alabama between September 2007 and June 2010. Demographic and clinical information was abstracted from the charts. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for TMJ arthritis identified by MRI.Results.MRI evidence of TMJ arthritis was detected in 43% of patients, with no significant difference among JIA categories. The number of joints with active arthritis (exclusive of the TMJ) and the use of systemic immunomodulatory therapies were not associated with TMJ arthritis. Multivariable analysis revealed a strong association between mouth-opening deviation and TMJ arthritis (OR 6.21, 95% CI 2.87–13.4). A smaller maximal incisal opening and shorter disease duration were also associated with an increased risk of TMJ arthritis.Conclusion.TMJ arthritis was identified in a substantial proportion of children with JIA (43%) and affects all JIA categories. TMJ arthritis was present in some patients despite limited or otherwise quiescent disease and in the presence of concurrent systemic immunomodulatory therapy. Routine evaluation for TMJ arthritis by MRI is warranted for all children with JIA.