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The successful development and implementation of high-temperature electrical-submersible-pump (ESP) technology for steam-assisted gravity- drainage (SAGD) applications have enabled operators to reduce their flowing bottom hole pressures and achieve higher production rates. However, operating under these conditions brings the pump-intake pressure (PIP) closer to the saturation pressure of steam, which can result in live-steam production through the pump. The effect that live-steam has on pump performance is not well-understood, and has been a key challenge for operators when designing and optimizing ESP systems for SAGD applications. In early 2011, ConocoPhillips, Baker Hughes, and C-FER Technologies (herein referred to as the operator, manufacturer, and independent laboratory, respectively) embarked on an experimental test program to determine the consequences of producing live steam through a centrifugal pump. This new program was meant to build on multiphase work that had begun more than a decade ago at the University of Tulsa, where researchers had focused on experimentally measuring the two-phase-flow performance of ESP stages with air at moderate temperatures (Pessoa and Prado 2003). The University of Tulsa work ultimately resulted in a wave of new technology aimed at increasing ESP gas-handling capabilities. Following a similar testing and ESP-instrumentation philosophy, this new collaboration looked to build upon the University of Tulsa experiments and expand the test fluids to include live steam, water, and air at higher temperatures. This ultimately involved the design and construction of a unique high-temperature-steam flow loop that enables live-steam injection into a centrifugal pump, while monitoring both head and performance degradation. This paper will reveal some of the unique test results collected with the first pumping system, including snapshots of the stage-by-stage pressure contributions captured in real time as air or air and steam migrated through the ESP being tested. These results also demonstrate the impact that other gases can have on steam flashing and the importance of considering gas- and steam-vapor effects in SAGD-ESP designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was undertaken in response to music therapists working in school settings for information relating to the availability of music therapy assessments and the feasibility of standardizing an assessment instrument for music therapists to use in school settings. Five research questions were identified, and the music therapy literature was surveyed to compile responses to those questions. Three different online data bases (ERIC, PsycINFO, and Article 1st) were used, covering articles published between 1980 and 1997. Individual hand searches were done of the Arts in Psychotherapy, Journal of Music Therapy, Journal of Research in Music Education, Journal of the International Association of Music for the Handicapped, Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives. The questions and responses were as follows: 1. Which music-based assessment tools are being used with children with disabilities? Little commonality in assessment tools being used by music therapists and researchers was discovered. Of the total 41 studies, 20 (49%) reported using a "named" or "titled" assessment tool, and in the remaining 51% of studies, the authors reported using an untitled, and usually experimenter-designed, original assessment tool. 2. Have certain assessments been used in more than one study? Very limited replication of existing assessments was found. Of the 16 "named" assessments, only 3 were found to be used in more than one research study. 3. Are the actual assessments published along with the articles describing their use? Only 3 of the 20 studies using named assessments were published along with the journal article. Of the remaining 21 studies using original, experimenter-designed assessment tools, only 6 (28%) had the assessment instrument published with the article. 4. What is the primary purpose for using the assessment? Six primary purposes emerged from the review of the literature: to compare with data obtained from other assessment measures or from other populations (39%), as a baseline or pretest measure (29%), to determine eligibility for services or the receipt of treatment (12%), to determine the psychometric properties of the assessment (7%), suitability of the instrument for the given population (7%), and the identification of musical preferences (5%). 5. What are the musical or nonmusic elements being assessed? Musical elements were: music perception (37%), musical aptitude (29%), musical preferences (12%), and attention to/enjoyment of music (2%). Nonmusical behaviors/responses were: self-expression (10%), motor responses (10%), behavioral responses (7%), cognitive development (2%), and acts of communication (2%). 6. What subject populations are being assessed? Subject populations were: children with developmental disabilities/mental retardation (44%), children with autism (10%), children with hearing impairments (17%), "psychiatric" clients or emotionally disturbed (22%), individuals described as "handicapped" (5%), individuals with physical disabilities (2%), and a student with a speech impairment (2%). Nondisabled individuals were also included in 12 of the aforementioned studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major activity for central office staff is to promote instructional improvement. The research reported in this article indicates that a key way of accomplishing improvement is to facilitate staff members' access to and use of important bodies of instructional knowledge. The extent to which this knowledge is imparted helps explain district success in enabling all students to become successful learners. Instructional improvement is most effectively enacted through giving a clear and consistent message that instruction and its improvement is the primary expectation for adults in the system. Furthermore, this message is a function of central office staff involvement, support, and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined factors that influenced the employment rates of 529 veterans with severe alcohol and other substance use disorders who were being treated at an addictions partial hospitalization program. The employment rate was significantly higher for veterans who completed the hospitalization program, participated in a Veterans Industries work-for-pay program, and received drug-free supportive housing.

One of the greatest behavioral and ethical challenges faced by a burn team is the treatment of a patient whose burn injury is the result of parasuicidal behavior. Parasuicidal behavior is defined as intentional self-injurious behavior that, although not fatal, may result in tissue damage or risk of death. There are a number of reasons, usually psychiatric, that patients engage in parasuicidal behavior; however, our contention is that the majority of these patients have a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Axis II diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. We describe the nature of borderline personality disorder and how it leads to disruptive behavior, including self-harm behavior, on the burn unit, We also argue that if staff members fail to recognize the borderline personality disorder diagnosis, it will lead to responses from staff that can heighten disruptive behavior. We present a series of recommendations for treating such patients with burns and an illustrative case report.

Wadi El Raiyan is a great depression located southwest of Cairo in the western desert of Egypt, one of the most arid regions of the world. In 1973, Wadi El Raiyan was connected with the agricultural wastewater drainage system of the El Faiyum province to provide a reservoir for the wastewater that exceeded the capacity of Lake Qarun north of the province. Pollutants from agricultural waste including pesticides and fertilizers as well as other effluents of industrial activities and runoffs certainly will pass into the biotic elements of the ecosystem. This report presents the status of inorganic pollutants including anions, cations, and trace metals in the two lakes and the surrounding springs of Wadi El Raiyan using ion chromatography, ion-selective electrodes, and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy. The report also includes the levels of selected metals in the vegetation community of the area. The result of this investigation revealed a great improvement in water quality of the Wadi El Raiyan lakes compared to 1988 report by Saleh et al. Mercury was not detected in any of the samples and the level of lead was significantly reduced. Cadmium levels were much higher than those seen earlier. The higher level of cadmium might be used as an indicator to track the contamination of water by human waste. Concentrations of common anions were not significantly different from those reported earlier. However, an increase in the level of cyanide was observed. Levels of heavy metals in vegetation around the lakes were also found to be lower than previously reported., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

Trace metal pollutants in the surface water of the Houston Ship Channel were determined using inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS). Metal concentrations varied according to sampling sites. Barium, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, silver, beryllium, antimony, lead, and mercury concentrations were relatively similar throughout the channel averaging 83.25, 0.55, 6. 31, 6.66, 0.02, 0.017, 3.61, 0.68, and 0.055 microg/L, respectively. Titanium, manganese, copper, zinc, nickel, and selenium concentrations were found to be higher at stations closer to the Galveston Bay (as the water is turning from relatively fresh water to sea water) with concentration ranges of 102.5-351.7, 0.3-25, 0. 3-25, 30-280, 16-77, 6.2-26.5, and 0.0-6.2 microg/L, respectively. Aluminum was found to be much higher at the Buffalo Bayou station (341 microg/L) followed by the San Jacinto station (104 microg/L) with an average of 42 microg/L in the other two stations. Vanadium was found to be unusually high at the Washburn Tunnel station (116 microg/L) and at much lower concentrations in the other three stations, averaging 6.5 microg/L. Iron was also higher at the Buffalo Bayou station (143 microg/L) but was absent at the Lynchburg Ferries station. Arsenic was not found at the Lynchburg and San Jacinto stations. However, arsenic had similar concentrations of 1. 983 and 1.835 microg/L at Buffalo Bayou and Washburn Tunnel, respectively. Cadmium was higher at the Lynchburg Ferries station (3. 3 microg/L) and ranged from 0.3 to 0.96 microg/L in the other locations. Thallium was not found in any of the stations., (Copyright 1999 Academic Press.)

In the present study 36 police officers were exposed to a psychological stressor (IQ quiz) and to cold pressor stress while several cardiovascular variables were monitored. Impedance cardiography was used to provide measures of heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, myocardial contractility, and total peripheral resistance. In addition, measures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and peripheral skin temperature were obtained. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that significant increases in diastolic and systolic blood pressure during the cold pressor test were mediated by large increases in total peripheral resistance, whereas blood pressure elevation during the IQ quiz were accompanied by significant increases in heart rate and, to a lesser extent, cardiac output. Peripheral skin temperature decreased in response to each stressor. Additional analysis indicated a degree of stimulus specificity for several variables. For example, diastolic blood pressure showed greater increases to cold pressor than quiz, whereas systolic blood pressure increased more with the psychological than the physical stressor. Directional fractionation occurred for both myocardial contractility and cardiac output.

This randomized, double-blind parallel study compared the effects of atenolol, captopril, enalapril and propranolol in 360 men with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension. Patients were titrated until diastolic blood pressure (Korotkoff phase V) decreased by at least 10 mmHg or to 90 mmHg or less. Quality of life assessments, based on validated psychometric questionnaires and objective measurements of cognitive function, occurred after three study phases: placebo run-in (3-5 weeks), titration (1-4 weeks), and maintenance (4 weeks). After four weeks of maintenance therapy, atenolol, captopril and enalapril generally had equivalent effects on quality of life, as measured by psychometric questionnaires, whereas propranolol consistently evidenced worsening or less improvement. Global scores of distressing psychological symptoms differed as a function of specific treatment (P = 0.01), with improvements significantly better for the atenolol, captopril and enalapril groups as compared with the propranolol group. There were no statistically significant differences among treatments for changes in cognitive function at maintenance. Thus, the quality of life questionnaires differentiated among drugs of the same class, indicating that selection among antihypertensive drugs should be based on their specific qualities, not on general class characteristics.

A soluble antigen extract of Brucella abortus (BASA) has been prepared by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and furnished to a number of workers who are examining antibody-mediated and cell-mediated immune responses of cattle infected with B. abortus. Three lots of BASA were examined. There were quantitative but not qualitative differences among lots by content of protein, total carbohydrate, hexose, fatty acid, and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid. The presence of smooth lipopolysaccharide was demonstrated by the presence of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid and lipid, by Limulus lysate gelation activity, and by formation of characteristic lipopolysaccharide precipitates in immunoelectrophoresis. A polysaccharide antigen as well as two nonsurface antigens, A2 and C, were also identified. BASA is a satisfactory antigen for use in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay since the smooth lipopolysaccharide component bound to polystyrene and functioned in the test. Normal murine spleen cells showed a mitogenic response to BASA similar to that produced by purified smooth lipopolysaccharide. BASA has been used in other laboratories to stimulate peripheral blood leukocytes from cattle infected with B. abortus. Because BASA is a mixture of antigenic components shown to have mitogenic effects in the mouse system, questions on the nature of its stimulatory effect on bovine cells are raised.

Aerobacter aerogenes strain PRL-R3 possesses inducible enzyme pathways for the catabolism of d-xylose and d-arabitol. d-Xylose is the apparent inducer for d-xylose isomerase and d-xylulokinase. d-Arabitol is the apparent inducer for d-arabitol dehydrogenase and a separate d-xylulokinase. Both kinases had similar K(m) values and substrate specificities, and could not be separated by sucrose gradient centrifugation or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. They could be differentiated, however, by their separate regulation, their inhibition by antisera, and by the cold sensitivity of the kinase of the d-arabitol catabolic pathway.