FUEL AND ENERGY COMPLEX OF IRKUTSK REGION IN CONTEMPORARY CONDITIONS. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPMENT

The article discusses the formation of the power industry of the Irkutsk region (IR), the structure of its fuel and energy complex (FEC). The modern fuel resource base of the region and its prob-lems are analyzed. All components of the fuel and energy complex are considered: oil and gas, coal and electric power. The most problematic areas in each of the components of the fuel and energy complex are highlighted and some recommendations for their elimination are proposed. Also shown are new risks and threats to IRs associated with the fuel and energy complex region.

Loyalties divided or identities as resources? The role of external relational identification in facilitating socialization

PurposeAlthough research regarding socialization processes recognizes the importance of organizational identification for newcomer adjustment outcomes, it has less frequently considered the impact of newcomer identification with targets external to the organization. This study aims to investigate whether relational identification with identities external to the organization can be beneficial for socialization outcomes, a relationship the authors describe through the conservation of resources theory. At a time when newcomers are expending resources and may not have a support system inside the organization, important identities may foster success through building a resource base of support available to the newcomer.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted with newcomers, both groups responded to multi-wave surveys. The authors conducted an initial study with undergraduate students (n = 45) in their first semester of college and a second study with working individuals employed full time in their first year in a new organization (n = 148).FindingsRelational identification with identities external to the organization is positively related to job engagement through the dual mediation of social support and psychological well-being. The results indicate that these external resources encourage well-being and free newcomers to invest in becoming physically, emotionally and cognitively engaged with their new jobs.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that organizations may wish to take care in helping newcomers maintain strong relational identities outside the organization while becoming connected with their new organization.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that external relational identities are a neglected and important element influencing the socialization process.

The Impact of Extended-Time Proppant Conductivity Impairment on the Ultimate Recovery from Unconventional Horizontal Well Completions

The stimulation design of hydraulically fractured wells has always pitted the engineer's capability to maximize the fracture extent (or fracture half-length within the formation) versus the conductivity of the fracture pack generated by the deposited proppant material. In essence, the area of productive reservoir rock contacted by the hydraulic fracture treatment needs to be appropriately engineered to remain connected to the wellbore over the life of the well to maximize reservoir recovery. The completion design of multi-stage hydraulically fractured horizontal wells has been driven by their application to unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. This has primarily occurred in North America where most of the wells drilled and completed were operated by small, private, or upstream-only independent public companies. Metrics used to evaluate performance and completion design changes were short-term in nature and typically focused on parameters such as peak-month production, 90- or 180-day cumulative production; or at longest, the first year or two of cumulative production. Capital efficiency, and capital return or well payout were drivers of value creation in an environment where the well inventory was viewed as extensive if not unlimited and the quick recycling of invested capital created the illusion of value creation. Short-term performance metrics give credence to fracture designs that value most the early-time production that is dominated by rate acceleration. The work presented in this paper shows a comparison of fracture designs in deep unconventional formations looking to minimize cost by pumping all sand proppants versus a focus on ultimate recovery from the reservoir with designs that are more applicable to the stress regime. The work shows the importance of maintaining the wellbore connectivity to the reservoir by designing fracture treatments using proppant conductivity decline data measured over an extended-time period of months or years to maximize ultimate recovery from the reservoir. This approach will be critical to those E&P companies who view their well inventory or resource base as finite and consequently place a priority on maximizing recovery from the reservoir.

Environmental Crises at the End of Safavid History: The Collapse of Iran's Early Modern Imperial Ecology, 1666–1722

The 17th century was a period of transition in world history. It was marked globally by social movements emerging in response to widespread drought, famine, disease, warfare, and dislocation linked to climate change. Historians have yet to situate Safavid Iran (1501–1722) within the “General Crisis.” This article, coauthored by an environmental historian and a climate scientist, revisits primary sources and incorporates tree-ring evidence to argue that an ecological crisis beginning in the late 17th century contributed to the collapse of the imperial ecology of the Safavid Empire. A declining resource base and demographic decline conditioned the unraveling of imperial networks and the empire's eventual fall to a small band of Afghan raiders in 1722. Ultimately, this article makes a case for the connectedness of Iran to broader global environmental trends in this period, with local circumstances and human agency shaping a period of acute environmental crisis in Iran.

Objective method for analysis of mineral resources supply on the example of Russia

A forecast of nonfuel mineral production in Russia is considered, based on the integration of the expected life of specific deposits currently exploited and developed. It is shown that mineral safety is fully ensured for copper, nickel, lead, tungsten and tin, whose reserves are sufficient for their extraction, at least at the current level, for 40–50 years and there are real prospects for its significant growth. The sufficiency of other minerals is much lower: for molybdenum and chromium, it is limited to about 30 years, and the extraction of zinc and uranium in Russia may significantly decrease in 20 years. The situation is more difficult with the most liquid solid minerals, like gold and diamonds. The commissioning of mining enterprises at the developed gold deposits can ensure a rapid growth in the production of the precious metal in the coming years. However, at the beginning of the next decade, the resource base depletion of the Olimpiada field and a number of other exploited deposits is predicted. The projects currently implemented for the development of new fields do not compensate for the lost capacity. This may account for a long-term (until the beginning of the 2050s) decline in the Russian gold production, which may be halved against the current level by the end of this period. Such a scenario can only be avoided with the intensification of geological exploration in the coming years. The earlier decrease in the number of diamonds mined in Russia, associated with the depletion of reserves of exploited pipes, is predicted (since 2025). Unless new deposits are discovered and developed, the domestic production of precious stones will steadily decline and, in the 2040s, may be reduced fourfold.

Challenges for ethics committees in biomedical research governance: Illustrations from China and Australia

In this paper, the evolution of the ethics committees for health research, their history, membership, and function in China and Australia is described. Investigators in each country compared the history and governance of their ethical systems based on the published evidence rather than personal opinions. Similarly, examples of challenges were selected from the literature. In both countries, the aim was to maximize the social benefits of research and minimize the risk imposed on the participants. Common challenges include maintaining independence, funding and delivering timely ethical reviews of the research projects. These challenges can be difficult where research ethics committees rely on voluntary contributions and lack a strong resource base. They must adapt to the increasingly rapid pace of research as well as the technological sophistication. Population health research can challenge the conventional views of consent and privacy. The principles of the sound ethical review are common in both countries; governance arrangements and operational procedures, however, can differ, reflecting the cultural values and norms of their host countries and in respect of legal environments. By studying the evolution and function of ethics committees in the two countries, we established the differences in the governance and health systems, while similar ethical objectives helped sustain collaborative research.

Adaptive Leadership in Micro Social Enterprise Teams

COVID-19 is a relatively new disease, and most victims are in low income, people-facing jobs. The most economically disadvantaged in society are less able to comply with certain non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) partly due to their financial situation. Hope for the Helpless (H4H), set up as part of a micro social enterprise to cater for rough sleepers in London, UK, is at the heart of the COVID-19 response to the homeless there. A lack of financial resources or capital can constrain social entrepreneurs and restrict their ability to create social capital. However, some social entrepreneurs have been able to innovatively leverage on previous relationships to augment their resource base because engagement with stakeholders is critical. The study explores one such relationship between H4H and a local health centre. It is hoped that this study will uncover survival strategies for social entrepreneurs to succeed and thrive in a post-COVID-19 world.

Strategic diagnostics at the at the Russian Far East gas industry

World and regional economics are nonstationary, and due to this it becomes a strategically important task to ensure social and economic development of the regions which considers the existing tendencies and the arising opportunities. The task can be fulfilled by means of uncovering the accumulated scientific-technical and industrial-production potentials of the industries. The Far Eastern Federal district possesses such a strategic opportunity, and gas industry can become such a driver. Therefore, the purpose of the study is performing strategic diagnostics of the Far Eastern gas industry in order to determine the position of the object of strategizing within the global and regional economic system, to form the information basis for further strategic analysis and to define the type of the potential industrial strategy. To this end the authors carried out analysis and presented the main results of strategic diagnostics of the Far Eastern gas industry as the object of strategizing including the key historical aspects and the dynamics of development of the gas industry of the Far East, assessment of the resource base and human resources potential, technological potential of the industry, analysis of the major industrial indicators and structure, assessment of the export potential and market positioning, analysis of the regulatory environment for operation and development of the gas industry in the Far East. For each direction of strategic diagnostics the authors have detected the specificity, features and factors which influence or are able to influence the Far Eastern gas industry in a long-term perspective. The results of the analysis revealed high concentration of national, public, regional, industrial, commercial interests, high level of technological potential of gas industry of the Far East, its deep integration into international economic relations and favorable regulatory environment encouraging effective operation and development. The study made it possible to conclude that the strategy of the gas industry of the Far East ought to be that of the innovative type and ought to be aimed at realization of all groups of interests and at involvement and efficient employment of all existing regional resources and competitive advantages.

Egyptian Expeditionary Inscriptions of the Fourth Dynasty and Ancient Natural Landscapes of the Western (Libyan) Desert

The Middle Holocene epoch in northeastern Africa was marked by a steady trend towards aridization. However, the transformation of ecosystems and natural landscapes was gradual and had a complex nature. This change directly affected the development of the first ancient Egyptian centralized state as well as the development of its resource base beyond the Nile Valley. This study addresses the problem of using ancient Egyptian epigraphic sources (expeditionary inscriptions) for the study of both paleolandscapes and ecosystems of the Western (Libyan) Desert and the possible socio-economic impact of their change. The author studies several graffiti, which are believed to have preserved information on natural conditions near the Dakhla oasis and in the region of Wadi Toshka during the time of construction of the great pyramids (Fourth Dynasty). The author concludes that it is quite easy to make misleading assumptions when interpreting expeditionary artefacts. At the same time, as an example with an unusual toponym from the quarries near Wadi Toshka demonstrates, even the shortest graffiti can provide researchers with important additional information on possible changes in the ancient climate and landscape.