An evaluation of a novel method for the inhibition of sulphide stress corrosion cracking in steel

Sulphide stress corrosion cracking, (SSCC) is one of the major problems encountered by the petroleum industry throughout the world. The problem is likely to increase in severity for the North Sea oil and gas industries as the fields get older and platforms are moved to deeper waters. This is because the hydrogen sulphide concentration increases as the fields get older and deeper water explorations require higher strength steels. The protective measures taken at present to combat SSCC are not adequate. Therefore a novel method was developed to inhibit SSCC in steel. This method is based on using an active hydrogen evolution sulphide electro-catalyst, more active than steel, as a coat on the surface of the steel, such that the hydrogen evolution will take place on the catalyst surface, instead of on the corroding steel surface. Therefore, the amount of hydrogen diffusing through the steel is greatly reduced. Hence, SSCC in the steel is effectively inhibited. Electrochemical and mechanical experimental studies were carried out to confirm the validity of this method A computer-aided literature survey on SSCC and its prevention in oil- and gas-well equipment is presented. The viability of three sulphide electro-catalysts, NiCo₂S₄, MoS₂ and WS₂ for this method were studied in various experiments, namely, electrochemical polarization, hydrogen diffusion studies and corrosion weight loss measurements. The experimental studies carried out in NACE solution, consisting of a 5 percent (mass/volume) NaCl and 0.5 percent (volume/volume) acetic acid, with a continuous flow of H₂S at 1 atmospheric pressure, indicated that hydrogen evolution performances are in the following order: in the absence of H₂S, NiCo₂, S₄ > WS₂ , > MoS₂> EN 42 steel in the presence of H₂S, MoS₂> WS₂> NiCo₂S₄> EN 42 steel MoS₂was found to be the most stable catalyst in the sour corrosive environment. Evans diagrams, constructed to predict corrosion rates, indicate that the corrosion current ratio of the MoS₂ - EN 42 steel couple and EN 42 steel did not change significantly when the catalyst loading was reduced. The hydrogen diffusion studies confirmed that an MoS₂/ FEP (fluoro ethylene polymer) adherent coat with higher catalyst to FEP ratio was the most effective of three adherent coats. The corrosion weight loss measurements showed that the corrosion rates of steel coupons partially coated with MoS₂/ FEP coat were higher than those of uncoated coupons for up to 50 hours but thereafter they reduced significantly below those of uncoated coupons. Mechanical studies carried out to eväluate the effectiveness of this method were helped by a literature survey on stress corrosion test methods and interpretation of results. Slower straining/loading rate tests and sustained load tests were selected to study the changes in various mechanical parameters on different types of specimens when protected with MoS₂ / FEP coat. In addition to these tests, Charpy impact tests were also carried out. The mechanical parameters measured on the specimens are: a) for compact tension specimens - stress intensity factor at failure - total energy required for fracturing the specimen - average energy consumed for unit length of crack extension - crack opening displacement - crack growth rate - time to failure b) for three-point bend specimens - crack opening displacement c) for Charpy V-notch impact test specimens - fracture energy All these mechanical parameters confirm the effectiveness of the MoS₂ / FEP coat to inhibit SSCC in steel. Scanning electron microscopic examinations of the specimens also confirmed the viability of the novel protective method. The sour-corrosion fatigue tests showed that the MoS₂ / FEP coat could be used effectively in environments where a cyclic loading pattern is inevitable. These studies confirm that the proposed protective technique could be used effectively in the oil and gas industries to inhibit SSCC

In re K-Dur Antitrust Litigation: Reopening the Door for Pharmaceutical Competition

One of the most controversial legal questions in the pharmaceutical industry today concerns settlements of patent infringement suits between branded and generic drug companies. These settlements, which are by-products of the Hatch-Waxman Act, involve payments from the branded manufacturer to the generic drug company in exchange for the generic company staying off the market for a period of time. For nearly a decade, courts considering this issue applied a scope of the patent test to determine the validity of these settlements. Over time, increasing deference was given to a presumption of patent validity, and almost all challenged settlements were deemed valid. In June 2012, the Third Circuit applied a quick look rule of reason test and found the settlement in question invalid. The Third Circuit’s departure from the prevailing approach taken by its sister circuits marked a shift towards stricter scrutiny and created a circuit split. After almost a decade of effort by the Federal Trade Commission to get this issue before the Supreme Court, certiorari was granted to a patent settlement case out of the Eleventh Circuit, Actavis. It was the Third Circuit’s decision in favor of the FTC’s position that clinched the effort this time. Following Actavis, reverse-payment settlements are not categorically immune from the antitrust laws even when within the scope of the patent. Lower courts must now weigh the settlement’s possible pro-competitive benefits against its potential anticompetitive effects. As a result, the doors have been reopened for pharmaceutical competition

The two Torontos: Young people navigating the core-inner suburb socio-spatial divide

In 2014 Toronto was named ‘Youthful City of the Year’ by the global Youthful Cities initiative. The ranking was supposed to be indicative of Toronto’s progressiveness and as a place where youth are equipped to thrive. Toronto also ranked number one for diversity. Much of Toronto’s celebrated diversity exists in the inner suburbs of the city. The homogenous framing of Toronto as captured by the Youthful Cities initiative neglects the lived realities of young people who live on the fringes of the city. This is heightened in a context of increasing socio-economic inequalities that is spatially concentrated. In this paper I examine how divergences in the city are spatially produced and navigated by young people that live both symbolically and geographically on the fringes. I argue that Toronto is differentiated along lines of race and socio-economic status that is reified through the socio-spatial division between the core of the city and the inner suburbs.En l’an 2014, Toronto a fut nommé « Ville jeune de l’année » par l’initiative mondiale Youthful Cities. Le classementétait censé être révélateur de la progressivité de Toronto et comme un endroit où les jeunes sont équipés pour s’épanouir. Toronto s’est également classée numéro un pour la diversité. Une grande partie de la célèbre diversité de Toronto existe dans les banlieues intérieures de la ville. Le cadrage homogène de Toronto tel que capturé par l’initiativede Youthful Cities néglige les réalités vécues des jeunes qui vivent en marge de la ville. Celle-ci sont accentuées dans un contexte d’inégalités socio-économiques croissantes et concentrées spatialement. Cet article explore comment les divergences dans la ville sont spatialement produites et naviguées par des jeunes qui vivent à la fois symboliquement et géographiquement en marge. L’auteur soutient que Toronto est différenciée selon des critères de race et de statut socio-économique entre le coeur de la ville et les banlieues intérieures

OUT OF THE CORE: NEGOTIATING EVERYDAY DIFFERENCE AND BELONGING AMONG RACIALIZED YOUTH IN EAST-END TORONTO NEIGHBOURHOODS

The objective of this study is to examine the way youth negotiate belonging in two priority neighbourhoods - Malvern and Chester Le in Toronto’s east-end. It asks how youth experience belonging and negotiate difference in ‘priority neighbourhoods’. In what ways does space shape belonging and difference? How do youth reproduce dominant scripts and rupture others in their quest for belonging in their communities? In contrast to the previous studies that are spatially decontextualized, I argue that neighbourhoods are the very sites where youth negotiate differences and connections as they engage with peers, families, friends and residents. The importance of space in studying youth’s sense of belonging is particularly valuable in Toronto where neighbourhoods are highly diverse and stratified. Building on prior investigations on belonging that tend to focus on attachment to the nation (Yuval-Davis 2006), in this dissertation I re-scale belonging to understand if and how neighbourhoods matter in the experiences of belonging. Is it possible to simultaneously feel excluded from the nation, but yet forge attachments to sub-national spaces? I use Yuval-Davis’s (2006) conceptualization of belonging and the politics of belonging and Bourdieu’s (1984) social field, habitus, and symbolic violence. I also draw on the literature that underscores the importance of space in negotiations of difference and experiences of belonging. I braid together a conceptual framework with the aim to achieve a more nuanced understanding of the ways power operates in the everyday context of ‘priority neighbourhoods’ and how processes of inclusion and exclusion and boundaries of belonging are demarcated. The approach attends to the interpretive dimensions of youth difference and belonging as situated within structural and discursive inequalities that shape their lives. I employ an ethnographic approach to argue that youth’s negotiations of difference and experiences of belonging are rooted in neighbourhood contexts. It is important to account for these local realities because they have both policy implications and allow for thinking about intercultural solidarity

Stories of innovative democracy at local level: enhancing participation, activism and social change across the world

I am very pleased to present to you the FACTS Reports special issue on local democratic innovations. I am proud that CIVICUS is involved in such an innovative initiative, supporting our core beliefs. At CIVICUS, we believe that in a healthy society people have multiple opportunities to come together, discuss and deliberate, and act for the common good. This collection of essays is both welcome and timely. It highlights the creativity and necessity of civil society as the heart of healthy, ju..

Liberation struggle or terrorism? The politics of naming the LTTE

This article examines the politics of naming in one of the longest-running and most intractable conflicts in the world: that between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (ltte) and the Sri Lankan state. While the narratives presented by the ltte and the state in support of their respective positions are complex and range across a number of issues, this paper is primarily concerned with the politics of the ‘terrorist’ label as applied to the ltte. In particular, it examines how the characterisation of the conflict as a form of terrorism has affected its evolutionary course. While the Sri Lankan state has deployed the language of terrorism to further its strategic aims in both the domestic and international spheres, the label has not necessarily impeded the growth of the ltte's military capability but has, by denying the ltte international legitimacy, undermined the organisation's stated political project—Tamil self-determination. The article also outlines the contradictions between prevailing international attitudes to terrorism and the conduct of key international actors with regard to the protagonists in Sri Lanka and demonstrates how the sustained rhetoric of terrorism has become a serious impediment to reaching a permanent resolution of the conflict

Development of a genetic transformation method for seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.)

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a dioecious plant with berries containing highamounts of several bioactive compounds with nutritional and medicinal traits. It is also planted tocontrol soil erosion. A genetic transformation procedure will facilitate studies of the control ofplant development and interactions with symbionts and pathogens, and will provide a tool forplant breeding. Here, we present a particle bombardment method for transforming seabuckthorn.The early stages of induced adventitious shoots from roots were chosen as a novel target tissue forthe transformation procedure. The root system was bombarded with gold particles coated withplasmid pRT99gus containing genes for plant kanamycin resistance and for β-glucuronidase expression,and shoots were regenerated under kanamycin selection. PCR analysis of the regeneratedtransformed lines confirmed the presence of a 603 bp gus (uidA) gene fragment and a 1.5 kbfragment from the 35S promoter in three shoots from independent transformation events

Provider Selection Framework for Bundled Payments in Healthcare Services

Identification of competitive healthcare providers is an important issue for the successful operation of a bundled payment reimbursement program. We develop a healthcare provider selection framework via data envelopment analysis (DEA) and combinatorial auction (CA). Our goal is to cover target regions with adequate numbers of healthcare providers to optimally deploy a bundled payment program across these regions. Our methodology balances bid prices and performance of applicants to cover the entire regions in an equitable manner, allows for provider preferences in selecting the bundle of services, and determines winners considering service quality, efficiency and the price of the bundles. Our work provides a practical and systematic selection procedure for payers compared to the extant subjective selection methods

Demonstrating Identities: Citizenship, Multiculturalism and Canadian-Tamil Identities

Using political demonstrations as sites of analysis, this thesis explores popular understandings of diasporic identities within a Canadian multiculturalism framework and second generation Sri Lankan Tamil\u27s (SLT) (re)negotiations of these constructions in forming and informing their identities. Through the use of critical discourse analysis and in-depth interviews I argue that popular constructions of diasporic identities and Canadian national identity as understood within a multiculturalism framework is not entirely in concurrence with diasporic minorities\u27 identity constructions. The divergences that emerge amongst the discourses demonstrate a need for a more nuanced conceptualization of Canadian multiculturalism and citizenship which should incorporate the idea of transnational political and cultural practices. The current understanding of multiculturalism is still premised on the nation state model in which diasporic identities are seen in juxtaposition to the Canadian national identity. Moving towards a global framework allows for the incorporation of these forms of identities