Use Of Surveillance Techniques Research Articles

Technical Report on Harmful Impact of Illegal Bunkering of Crude Oil on the People and Environment of the Igbomatoru Community, Bayelsa, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Nigeria is blessed with crude oil in an abundance, which makes it one of the largest oil producers in Africa. Illegal crude oil bunkering is a regular activity in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. The trend of illegal bunkering of crude oil activities in the Niger Delta has turned out to be a key concern to the people, government, and the international body. This makes it deem fit to carry out an assessment of the continued negative impact of vandalism, crude oil theft, and illegal bunkering of oil production activities in the Igbomatoru community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (SILGA), Bayelsa, Niger Delta area. This report critically examines the negative impact of vandalism and crude oil theft, negative impacts of illegal bunkering of crude oil activities in the community, and finding lasting possible solution to the problem of illegal bunkering of crude oil in the Igbomotoru community. Based on the investigation, some recommendations have been made, including that the government should promote a kick-start of cellular refinery programme to close the refining gap with strong local participation, provide legitimate employment opportunities, make better use of surveillance techniques, youth empowerment programmes should be carried out through vocational training, government should clean-up the degraded sites, government should give free education for the youths and children in the community, and government ought to promptly arrest and prosecute offenders of crude oil theft.

KDOQI 2019 Vascular Access Guidelines: What Is New?

The new Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Vascular Access Guidelines now focus on a more comprehensive overall patient strategy. The patient's vascular access needs are part of a dialysis access strategy, which itself is part of an End Stage Kidney Disease Life-Plan strategy that stems from a unique patient's individualized needs. The End Stage Kidney Disease Life-Plan is an individualized and comprehensive map for dialysis modalities and dialysis access for the lifetime of the patient. New targets are introduced that align with this patient-centered approach. The Guidelines made significant changes to the use of surveillance techniques to detect stenosis and found insufficient evidence to make a recommendation for routine arteriovenous fistula surveillance by measuring access blood flow, pressure monitoring, or imaging for stenosis that was in addition to routine clinical monitoring. Routine surveillance is not recommended in arteriovenous grafts. Similarly, pre-emptive angioplasty of arteriovenous fistulas or arteriovenous grafts with stenosis, not associated with clinical indicators, is not recommended. The Guidelines represent a rigorous review of the evidence; however, the available evidence to guide vascular access practice remains limited. There is a significant need and opportunity for new and ongoing high-quality research to inform best practice.

Doubling Production From a Mature North Kuwait Reservoir

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper IPTC 15334, ’Doubling the Production From a Mature Reservoir in North Kuwait - Challenges, Achievements, and Lessons Learned,’ by H.B. Chetri, SPE, M. Raju, SPE, Harry Alam, SPE, and Hussain Al-Ajmi, SPE, KOC, prepared for the 2011 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-17 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. [Note: Conference rescheduled to 7-9 February 2012.] Copyright 2011 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. Sabiriyah Lower Burgan (SA LB) is a clastic reservoir in northern Kuwait that has been on continuous production for 45 years. The reservoir, with an active waterdrive, suffers from a rapid increase in watercut. Production performance of the wells declines dramatically after the water cut reaches 40%. The formal strategy for production had been focused on keeping the active perforations away from water. In the past, the concern was to avoid installation of artificial lift or the application of water-shutoff or new technologies. Introduction The SA LB reservoir is a prolific reservoir with natural-aquifer support. The crude is light, at 33°API, and has less than 2.8% sulfur. Cumulative production is approximately 40% of reserves. The reservoir has produced only by natural flow at a daily rate for the last 3 to 4 years of approximately 50,000 BOPD, with average water cut of 29%. The team works daily to review and identify perforation intervals that could improve well performance. Also, the well reviews aim at identifying and implementing suitable water-shutoff jobs for improving the production performance. Therefore, close production monitoring, tracking of water movement, and use of surveillance techniques (e.g., production-logging tools) are key to the success of these production-management efforts. Geologically, water movement resulting from cumulative depletion has led to tortuous movement of the water front, which requires periodic mapping and integrating with production activities. Crossflow between layers, caused by inappropriate perforating procedures, also results in underperforming wells. To double production from the reservoir within 6 months, the following actions were taken. Extensive review of the well performance Intelligent analysis of existing wells Identification of production-enhancement opportunities (with reference to mapping resources needed), use of horizontal wells, and first-time installation of electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) More-ambitious ESP implementation than was contemplated earlier.

Map-making, landscapes and memory: a geography of colonial and early modern Ireland, c.1530-1750

This is the first engagement by a geographer in one book of this most formative and revolutionary period (c. 1550 - c. 1750) in Ireland's history. Using the twin concepts of 'colonialism' and 'early modernity', the book comprises a geographical analysis of the conquest and settlement of Ireland by the New English (and Scottish) and the consequences of this often violent and deep-seated intrusion upon the cultures and landscapes of pre-existing Irish societies. The book effectively isolates the emerging methodologies of the early modern British state in this process of colonial subjugation: the systematic use of surveillance techniques; the implementation of regional and island-wide mapping and inventories of strategic landscapes and resources; the development of bureaucracies and the administrative techniques of law and the market economy so as to obliterate regional expression of 'other' Gaelic or Gaelicised cultures and practices. Consequently, a wide range of documentary evidence, from the Elizabethan fiants, 16th and 17th century mss. maps, the '1641 Depositions', the Cromwellian Civil and Down Surveys, Petty's '1659 Census' to the 'State of Popery' materials of 1730s are available for mapping. The book contains over 100 original colour and black and white maps, which point up the nuanced and regionally varied character of the engagement between local peoples and incomers. The use of so many maps thus highlights many hidden Irelands, often obscured in a strictly historical/narrative format. Uniquely, the book uses Irish language (as well as English) sources to illuminate Irish ways of understanding and using territories and resources, understandings and practices which were often undermined and eroded under New English rule. Overall, the book represents a novel rendition of Ireland's experiences in this crucial early modern period from the particular perspective of a historical geographer.

Haemodialysis vascular access and fistula surveillance methods in The Netherlands.

As the mean age of haemodialysis patients is increasing, fewer patients will have suitable blood vessels for the creation of a Brescia-Cimino fistula and an increased use of graft implants is to be expected. To assess the change in vascular access and the use of surveillance techniques, all haemodialysis centres in The Netherlands received a questionnaire regarding the types of vascular accesses and surveillance techniques used in their department on 31 December, 1996. The results were related to a comparable study done in 1987, shown between brackets. The response of the haemodialysis staff was 96%, of the vascular surgeons this was 91%. Sixty-two per cent (70%) of the patients had Brescia-Cimino fistulas, 21% (13%) Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft fistulas, 17% (17%) other vascular accesses. Scheduled surveillance for stenosis detection was done by recirculation measurements in 6%, venous pressure measurements in 31%, Duplex scanning in 11% and angiography in 11% of the centres. When access problems occurred, 79% of the physicians performed recirculation measurements, 38% venous pressure measurements, 79% Duplex scanning and 100% angiography. In 46% of the centres PTA was done occasionally, and in 46% routinely for the treatment of stenotic complications in arteriovenous fistulas. The use of PTFE grafts and other types of vascular accesses has increased at the expense of BC fistulas. Recirculation and venous pressure measurements are primarily done when problems occur and not according to a standard surveillance schedule. For visualization of failing fistulas, 79% of the centres uses Duplex ultrasound analysis and 100% angiography. The popularity of PTA has increased from 46 to 92% of the centres.

The Quest for Accountability: Parliament and Public Administration in Bangladesh

This article examines the scope and limits of parliamentary control over public administration in Bangladesh. It adopts a comparative approach, focusing on the use of surveillance techniques by members of Bangladesh’s first, second, and fifth parliaments. The evidence presented here shows that the three JSs, as a natural rule, have fared differently in scrutinising the activities of the government and administration. But the data do not always reveal any positive correlation between the nature of partisanship and the performance of the parliament in overseeing governmental activities. Furthermore, the various surveillance techniques do not generally appear to be very effective in probing into the operations of the government. Two factors that account for this are first, the intransigent attitude of the bureaucracy; and second, the lack of willingness and ability of MPs to seriously enquire into government policies and operations. The article suggests that the traditional control mechanisms be supplemented...