bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Robust Machine Learning Model to Predict the Relative Permeability of an Oil Porous Medium at Elevated Temperatures
Authors: Kumar Saket , Gautam Sandarbh , Varun Rit , Khan Murtaza Ahmed
Published: April 2022

Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery (TEOR) such as SAGD, CSS and other steam injection processes have been employed in heavy oil reservoirs of North-American and Middle-East countries for oil recovery. Elevation of temperature during this process leads to wettability alteration, IFT variation, viscosity reduction, asphaltene and resin precipitation. These variations during TEOR impact relative permeability to each fluid phase in the reservoirs. Therefore, available models like the Corey model and Stone's model for estimating the relative permeability cannot be directly used for reservoir simulation/modelling study of such reservoir where TEOR is implemented. Hence, an attempt has been made to develop a reliable, accurate, and robust data-driven model for two-phase oil/water relative permeability using the XG-Boost machine learning algorithm which accounts for the temperature's effect.

For this study, numerous sets of oil and relative permeability data have been sourced, compiled and validated using our proposed model via the supervised XG-Boost approach. For model construction, 1270 oil relative permeability and 1230 water relative permeability data points were obtained from literature covering different rock/fluid and reservoir conditions. This study presents a new data-driven model developed using the XG-Boost algorithm to predict two-phase oil/water relative permeability over a wide range of temperatures in unconsolidated sand and sandstone formations. Moreover, the proposed model gave us better results based on the statistical error analysis.
Geological Aspects of Using Saline Aquifers in the San Joaquin Basin for Storage of Compressed Air or Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Davis Mathew , Ershaghi Iraj
Published: April 2022

A question in the minds of many is the potential use of saline aquifers in California for storing compressed air and for CO2 storage. This paper is the result of an extensive study on the geological properties of subsurface saline water containing geologic layers located below the freshwater limits in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California. There are many thousands of pass-through wells drilled for hydrocarbon extraction in the area that can provide subsurface information on the saline aquifers. We discuss some of the saline aquifer properties and geologic aspects associated with the subsurface storage of compressed air and or carbon dioxide.

The raw database to generate the information included archives of CalGEM with respect to the existing and previously drilled oil and gas wells in the SJV Basin as well as separate studies by the USGS, Kang (2016), and Gillespi (2017). We mapped these aquifers across the valley and estimated ranges of pore volumes, the deliverability and the injectivity range for storage purposes. We also studied the sealing characteristics of these sands with respect to over and under burden and the geologic faulting in the San Joaquin Basin. We studied the drilling reports of many key wells and identified the lithologies of interest and examined relevant petrophysical properties. Estimates of capacity and deliverability were generated for these intervals. The legal ownership issues of operating these saline aquifers as storage were not part of this study.

Our critical observations include aspects of salinity, petrophysical properties, and the areal extent. Knowing the salt content of in-situ water is essential for site selection and the economics of repurposing idle wells to connect to these aquifers. The base of drinkable water (USDWs) (<10,000 mg/L) deepens northwest to southeast over the San Joaquin Basin, likely due to significant freshwater recharge from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the northwestern portion of Kern County, a number of wells intersect waters with 3000 and 10,000 ppm above 2000 ft TVD, within the Tulare Formation. At North Belridge field, a salinity reversal is apparent below 6900 ft., and salinities for zones below 7200 ft. range from 10,000 to 32,000 ppm (Gillespi, 2019). From the maps and correlative sections that relate to the areal extent of the target saltwater sands, we estimated the range of storage volumes, injectivity, and deliverability capacities for various wet sands.

The information generated and included in the paper is a reference point for the operators in the SJV, CA. It can help with the site selection for potentially converting some or all existing idle wells that are on the verge of abandonment and repurposing the wells for energy storage and for subsurface CO2 and other waste disposal purposes using the shallow saline aquifers.
A Generalized Dynamic Transfer Function for Ultra-Tight Dual-Porosity Systems
Authors: Zhang Jingzhe , Raslan Mohammed , Wu Cheng , Jessen Kristian
Published: April 2022

The Warren and Root (1963) transfer function laid the foundation for describing the mass transfer between the matrix and fracture blocks in dual-porosity (DP) reservoir simulation. However, the pseudo steady-state (PSS) assumption imbedded in the approach of Warren and Root is no longer applicable when the duration of the transient state is prominent (tight oil or shale gas reservoirs). Lim and Aziz (1995) derived new shape factors in a framework that avoids the PSS assumption. However, similar to the formulation of Warren and Root, the approximation of Lim and Aziz fails to capture the pressure gradients inside matrix blocks for tight rocks with substantial characteristic times for mass transfer.

In this paper, we introduce a generalized dynamic transfer function that can accurately predict the pressure response of ultra-tight DP formations. Based on the Vermeulen (1953) approximate solution, we first derive the new transfer function to model fluid flow for one, two, and three sets of perpendicular fractures where the matrix blocks are approximated by planar, cylindrical, and spherical geometries, respectively. Then, we apply it for rocks with anisotropic permeability. We extend our transfer function to represent more realistic geology by considering irregular-shaped matrix blocks. The proposed transfer function accounts for physical mechanisms at play in the reservoir and is applicable to describe different diffusion-type processes.

Development and testing of the dynamic transfer function were done in the open-source environment of the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox (MRST). The implementation was validated using single-block DP calculations and fine grid single-porosity (SP) models. We report results from several examples covering a broad range of reservoir parameters. For comparison purposes, we also report the simulation results from a traditional transfer function, incorporating Lim and Aziz shape factors, in MRST and commercial simulators (CMG and ECLIPSE). We demonstrate that our proposed dynamic transfer function accurately predicts the pressure response across early and late times, while the traditional transfer function with Lim and Aziz shape factors can depart substantially from the true solution for ultra-tight DP reservoirs.
A Comprehensive Review of Tracer Test Applications in Geothermal Reservoirs
Authors: Aydin Hakki , Nagabandi Nirup , Jamal Diyar , Temizel Cenk
Published: April 2022

Tracer test is a strong tool that is used to understand the connectivity between injection and production wells in geothermal reservoirs. It is essential to design and implement a tracer test for particular reservoir properties. Inappropriate tracer tests, might cuase wrong reservoir characterization interpretations. This study incorporates in the design, the implementation, and the interpretation of tracer tests in geothermal reservoirs. This study is populated with numerous field applications to ensure better understanding of the subject.

The study initially present the types of tracers used in geothermal reservoirs. The appropriate tracer type is selected based on various parameters such as reservoir conditions, economics, type of measurement devices available, minimum detection concentration, environmentally friendly, and stability at reservoir conditions. Once the type of tracer is selected, the amount of tracer to be injected and the tracer sampling frequency are determined based on the distance between wells, mean traveling time, and the desired peak concentration. The tracer is injected as slug/continuous type to the selected injection wells and sampling from production wells. The measured tracer concentrations are then modeled with analytical methods such as the multi-fractures, single fracture, dual-porosity, and homogenous models.

Naphthalene sulfonates, is frequently used in high-temperature geothermal reservoirs because of is high resistance and half-life in harsh conditions. Salts such as sodium chloride and potassium chloride are also conservative in harsh conditions; however, a large amount of salt is required to be injected to create an additional concentration in the reservoir brine, which already includes a certain salt concentration. Fluorescein is mostly applicable in low enthalpy reservoirs because of its weakness at high temperatures. Analytical models are matched with field data by using the nonlinear least square method. The most representative reservoir model is determined by evaluating the sum of the squared differences between tracer concentrations of the model and field data. Geothermal reservoirs are generally best matched with multi-fractures and dual-porosity models because of the secondary permeability and porosity of tectonic activities and mineral dissolution mechanisms.

This study, provides a detailed information about tracer test design, implementation, and interpretation. It serves as a guidance by including numerous field cases and the latest research about tracers in geothermal.
Experimental Investigation of Foam Flooding Performance in Bulk and Porous Media for Carbonates Under Harsh Conditions
Authors: Xiong Ding , Ahmed Shehzad , Alameri Waleed , Al-Shalabi Emad W.
Published: April 2022

Foam injection has been promoted as a reliable method for improving the sweep efficiency in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs by modifying the properties of the injected gas and hence, providing mobility control effect. However, the conditions of the Middle Eastern carbonate reservoirs are quite detrimental to foam performance, leading to unoptimized mobility control. This challenge has motivated the improvement and development of different foaming agent formulations that can withstand the harsh conditions in carbonate reservoirs of high temperature and high salinity. In this study, the effect of different amphoteric and switchable surfactants on bulk foam performance were investigated and later the optimum formulation was evaluated in carbonate porous media for EOR under high salinity and temperature conditions. For this purpose, the solutions containing different commercial amphoteric and amine-based switchable surfactants were prepared in high salinity brine (20 wt%) at high temperature conditions (80 °C). Initial screening was performed by conducting series of foamability and foam stability tests at high temperature. Foam generation and endurance were also investigated in the presence of crude oil. Foam performance was evaluated in carbonate core samples under different foam qualities and at reservoir conditions. After selecting the optimal foam quality for effective foam generation, the oil recovery experiment was then performed to recover the remaining oil after secondary N2-gas flood.

The results from bulk foam experiments demonstrated the superior properties of betaine-based surfactant (B-1235), in which the highest foam generation and foam stability performance were achieved. Foam endurance of B-1235 was also found comparable to the foam produced by switchable diamine (DTTM) surfactant; however, DTTM surfactant showed poorer foamability performance. In the presence of crude oil, B-1235 surfactant was able to maintain the foam properties, compared to other tested surfactants. The optimum concentrations for B-1235 in the absence and presence of crude oil were found to be 0.25 wt% and 0.5 wt%, respectively. The injection of foam stabilized by the B-1235 was able to pronouncedly increase the mobility reduction factor (MRF) at all the tested foam qualities under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. Coreflood investigations indicated an optimal foam quality at 70% for all tested surfactant concentrations. The cumulative oil recovery after foam injection was found to be 67%, including 25% tertiary incremental oil recovery by foam flooding. The overall performance of the tested betaine-based surfactant is promising as an effective mobility control during foam EOR process and promotes further application in difficult Middle Eastern carbonate reservoir conditions.
Framework for the Prediction and Assessment of Corrosion Damages in Amine Systems Using Plant Data, Process Simulation and Data Analysis
Authors: Galatro Daniela , Navas Gladys
Published: April 2022

The prediction and assessment of corrosion rates in amine gas treating units include reviewing current and historical environmental components such as amine type, H2S and CO2 loading, and temperature; to identify, trend, and provide corrective actions for potential problems related to streams quality, contamination, or damage diagnosis. This review is completed with data obtained from traditional off-line monitoring methods, such as mechanical integrity reports and analysis of the process streams, to capture the state of criticality of the system. Recent advances in corrosion modeling of amine systems allow integrating this data with numerical modeling to effectively quantity and predict corrosion rates. Numerical modeling is based on empirical models, which are usually limited within the ranges of data used in their development, unlike first-principles models that can accurately extrapolate beyond this range. Furthermore, empirical models may lead to significant errors when extrapolated outside the range of the training data. Therefore, their accuracy can be substantially improved by adding data generated from first- principles models through a sensitivity analysis of process and corrosion-related variables. This work proposes a framework for predicting and assessing corrosion rates in amine gas treating units, using surrogate models that combine process simulation software and plant data. A first-principles model of a simulated amine plant is employed to predict process-related variables, combined with a mechanistic model used to predict corrosion rates. Once the data is collected, exploratory data analysis is employed to quantify the correlation between process and corrosion variables, dimensionality reduction, outliers’ detection and treatment, and model performance evaluation. This framework also provides guidelines for selecting surrogate models predicting process variables and corrosion rates. These models can eventually be coupled with multi-objective optimization algorithms for control purposes.
Employing Regression Analysis to Demonstrate the Impact of Hyperbolic Decline Curve Parameters on Long-Term Production Forecast Accuracy for Unconventional Oil and Gas Production in the Bakken and Barnett
Authors: Younk Nathaniel , Hoffman B. Todd
Published: April 2022

Forecasting production from unconventional reservoirs is challenging because of the uncertainty that arises from intricate fracture networks, complex transport mechanisms, and convoluted flow configurations. The accuracy of decline curve analysis for such reservoirs has been questioned due to the limited amount of long-term production data available. That being so, some unconventional reservoirs, such as the Bakken and the Barnett, have produced for 15-20 years, providing an adequate amount of data to validate the accuracy of the hyperbolic decline curve method, shed light on proper parameters – b and Di, and determine the amount of production history necessary to trust regression techniques.

To test this, an extensive and versatile regression analysis model was built in Python using least squares optimization to match specific durations of production data – first 6 months, first year, first two years, etc. The model outputs the optimal parameters – b and Di –to match the specific duration. Additionally, fixed b values from 0.5 to 1.5 are tested where only Di is optimized through the model. To understand how accurately the models predict production, they are validated against the most recent 5 years of data, which was not included in the matching period. For a statistically significant sample size, around 700 wells in the Bakken and 1800 wells in the Barnett with start dates between 2005 and 2010 were used.

The results show that in order to have confidence in the model's ability to predict production, more than 3 years of production data must be available. If 3 years of data is not available, the hyperbolic exponent, b, should be set close to 1.0 for Bakken wells (and likely other unconventional liquid rich wells) and between 1.0 and 1.2 for Barnett wells (and likely other unconventional gas wells). Additionally, the initial nominal decline rate, Di, should be chosen in accordance with the hyperbolic exponent. Not only do these guidelines result in satisfactory, long-term predictions, but they mitigate any significant error influenced by the underlying relationships between b and Di. These curve-altering relationships induce both positive and negative impacts on the predictions. If b is improperly chosen, overestimation in late-life production profiles may ensue. Alternatively, if Di is improperly chosen, early-life production may be too high.

Since production forecasting is a necessity for a company to determine its present value, this paper provides knowledge and guidance regarding forecasting procedures and parameter settings for North American unconventional operators. Using decline curve analysis to accurately predict oil and gas rates is pertinent to the longevity of these unconventional reservoirs.
A Machine Learning Analysis to Relate Flow Pattern and Pressure Gradient During Gas Kicks Under Static Conditions
Authors: Obi Chinemerem Edmond , Falola Yusuf , Manikonda Kaushik , Hasan Abu Rashid , Rahman Mohammad Azizur
Published: April 2022

Warning signs of possible kick during drilling operation can either be primary (flow rate increase and pit gain) or secondary (drilling break, pump pressure decrease,). Drillers rely on pressure data at the surface to determine in-situ downhole conditions while drilling. The surface pressure reading is always available and accessible. However, understanding or interpretation of this data is often ambiguous. This study analyses significant kick symptoms in the wellbore annulus while under shut-in conditions.

We have tied several observed annular flow patterns to the measured pressure gradient during water- air, and water-carbon dioxide complex flow. This is based on experiments in a 140-ft high flow loop, with a hydraulic diameter of approximately 3 in. The experiments were carried out under static conditions to simulate kick occurrence when the drilling fluid is not flowing, typically the wellbore is shut-in. We used an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and K-Means clustering approach for kick prognosis. We trained these Machine learning models to detect kick symptoms from pressure response and gas evolution data collected between the kick occurrence and the Wellhead.

The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach was relatively fast with a negligible difference in accuracy when compared for air influx and carbon dioxide influx for kick prognosis. The ANN resulted in an accuracy of about 90% and 93% for air-based kick prognosis. While the accuracy was 92% and 94% for carbon dioxide-based influx. With K-mean clustering, the Silhouette score were 0.5 and 0.6 for the air and carbon dioxide influx respectively. The estimation of the influx size and type is strongly a function of the duration of kick and bottom hole underbalanced pressure. Based on visual analysis, pit gain, and pressure signals, the quantity of the mass influx significantly controls the flow pattern, pressure losses, and pressure gradient as the kick migrates to the surface. The resulting turbulent flow after the initial kick (After Taylor bubble flow) varied with duration of kick, average liquid flow rate, influx type, and drilling scenario. We have tied the surface pressure readings to the flow regimes to better visualize well control approach while drilling. This is based on relating the significant kick symptoms we observed to the pressure readings at multiple locations and time, then training the Deep learning models based on this data.

Although computationally demanding, the Deep-Learning model can use the surface pressure data to relay annular flow patterns while drilling. This work provides an alternative and relatively accessible primary kick detection tool for drillers based on measured pressure responses at the surface.
Epigenetic silencing of PTEN and epi-transcriptional silencing of MDM2 underlied resistance to hypomethylating agents in myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Lee Paul , Yim Rita , Miu Kai-Kei , Fung Sin-Hang , Liao Jason Jinyue , Wang Zhangting , Li Jun , Yung Yammy , Chu Hiu-Tung , Yip Pui-Kwan , Lee Emily , Tse Eric , Kwong Yok-Lam , Gill Harinder
Published: April 2022

BackgroundIn myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), resistance to hypomethylating agents (HMA) portends a poor prognosis, underscoring the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms leading to HMA-resistance. MethodsIn this study, P39 and Kasumi-1 cells and their azacitidine-resistant and decitabine-resistant sublines were evaluated comparatively with transcriptomic and methylomic analyses. ResultsExpression profiling and genome-wide methylation microarray showed downregulation of PTEN associated with DNA hypermethylation in P39 cell lines resistant to azacitidine and decitabine. This pattern of PTEN dysregulation was also confirmed in a cohort of patients failing treatment with HMA. DNA hypomethylation of MDM2 was detected with downregulation of MDM2 in HMA resistant cell lines. Long-read sequencing revealed significant RNA hypomethylation of MDM2 resulting in alternative splicing and production of a truncated MDM2 transcript in azacitidine-resistant P39 cells. The expression of this MDM2 truncated transcript was also significantly increased in HMA-resistant patients compared with HMA-responsive patients. ConclusionsIn conclusion, epigenetic and epi-transcriptomic dysregulation of PTEN and MDM2 were associated with resistance to hypomethylating agents.
Characterization of the sheep production smallholder farms and prevalence of Caseous lymphadenitis and Clinical mastitis in a Brazilian semi-arid region
Authors: Neto Francisco Fernandes Feitoza , Ferreira Josiel Borges , Monteiro Hudson , Santos Wanderson Lucas dos , Silveira Robson , de Sousa José Ernandes , Portela Ricardo , Façanha Débora
Published: April 2022

The objective of this study was to characterize the sanitary condition of white Morada Nova herds and to present data on the prevalence of caseous lymphadenitis (CL) and clinical mastitis (CM) in this small population of sheep raised in a semi-arid region. Two blood samples were collected from adult females from herds belonging to five cities in two states in northeastern Brazil. The first venous blood sample was collected for a complete blood count, including variables such as red blood cells (RBC), mean corpuscle volume (MCV), packed cell volume (PCV), lymphocyte count (LYM), intermediate volume cell count (MID), granulocyte count (GRA), LYM percentage (LY%), MID percentage (MI%), granulocyte percentage (GR%), red cell distribution width (RDWc) and white blood cells (WBC). The second blood sample was used to detect the presence of specific anti-C. pseudotuberculosis by ELISA assay. The production and management systems of the herds were characterized using structured questionnaires in loco, and the interview was divided into four blocks of indicators: (1) Facilities; (2) Characterization of the production system; (3) Health Management; (4) CL and CM. For CL, the cities of Quixeramobim – Ceará (85.71%; 30/35), Governador Dix – Sept Rosado – Rio Grande do Norte (79.41%; 27/34) and Mossoró – Rio Grande do Norte (60.45%; 26/43) stood out as having the highest frequencies of seropositivity. The same cities also had the highest prevalence for CM: Mossoró – Rio Grande do Norte (9.30%; 4/43), Governador Dix – Sept Rosado – Rio Grande do Norte (8.82%; 3/34) and Quixeramobim – Ceará (5.71%; 2/35). The study made it possible to observe the relationship between the best sanitary practices and the lowest prevalence rates of both CL and CM. The diseases are present in the herds studied and show considerable prevalence values ​​for CL and CM in the white Morada Nova sheep populations.
The Burden of Adolescent Pregnancy, Motherhood and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
Authors: Shri Neha , Singh Mayank , Dhamnetiya Deepak , Bhattacharyya Krittika , Jha Ravi Prakash , Patel Priyanka
Published: April 2022

Pregnancy during adolescence is a major risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further, Motherhood at an adolescence period is identified as a major global health burden. Considering the wide known importance of negative impact of adolescent pregnancy, motherhood at an early age and adverse pregnancy outcome, this paper aim is to provides an insight into correlates of teen pregnancy, adolescent motherhood and adverse pregnancy outcome. This study utilizes the data from UDAYA survey conducted in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The eligible sample size for the study was 4,897 married adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years. Univariate analysis, bivariate analysis with chi square test of association and logistic regression analysis was performed to fulfil the aim of the study. Our study shows that a major proportion of married adolescent (61%) got pregnant before the age of 20years and around 42% of all adolescent married women gave birth to child before reaching the age of 20 years. Adolescents who married before the age 18 years were 1.79 times more likely to experience pregnancy (OR: 1.79; CI: 1.39–2.30) and 3.21 times more likely to experience motherhood (OR: 3.21; CI: 2.33–4.43). In the present study, women who experienced physical violence were at higher risk for having an adverse pregnancy outcome (OR: 1.41; CI: 1.08–1.84) than those who did not experience physical violence. The study highlights the need of addressing the others risk factors such as dietary habits, maternal care which impact the pregnancy outcomes.
Efficient photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye using solar light-driven La˗Mn co-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles
Authors: Maqbool Sobia , Ahmed Adeel , Mukhtar Arif , Jamshaid Muhammad , Rehman Aziz Ur , Anjum Saima
Published: April 2022

This work aims to develop a highly efficient solar light-induced photocatalyst based on La˗Mn co-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Pure Fe2O3 and La˗Mn co-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles were fabricated by a simple co-precipitation method. The photocatalysts were analyzed for their morphological, structural, and magnetic characteristics. The photocatalytic performance of the Fe2O3, La0.1Mn0.3Fe1.60O3, and La0.2Mn0.2Fe1.60O3 catalysts was assessed by their capability to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) under solar light illumination. La0.2Mn0.2Fe1.60O3 displayed exceptional degradation performance, degrading RhB to 91.78% in 240 min, in comparison to La0.1Mn0.3Fe1.60O3 (71.09%) and pristine Fe2O3 (58.21%) under specified reaction conditions [(RhB) = 50 ppm; (catalyst) = 40 mg/L; pH = 7; T = 25 ºC)]. The increased photocatalytic performance of La0.2Mn0.2Fe1.60O3 was attributed to the large surface area of the catalyst as a result of La˗Mn co-doping. RhB degradation was affected by changing pH, catalytic dosage, dye concentration and temperature. The degradation of RhB was found to be pseudo-1st order kinetics. The photocatalyst material exhibited exceptional stability in four consecutive cyclic runs. The excellent photodegradation potential of La0.2Mn0.2Fe1.6O3 nanoparticles suggests that the effective eradication of organic pollutants can be achieved by these particles.
Sequence-specific capture and concentration of viral RNA by type III CRISPR system enhances diagnostic
Authors: Nemudraia Anna , Nemudryi Artem , Buyukyoruk Murat , Scherffius Andrew , Zahl Trevor , Wiegand Tanner , Pandey Shishir , Nichols Joseph , Hall Laina , McVey Aidan , Lee Helen , Wilkinson Royce , Snyder Laura , Jones Joshua , Koutmou Kristin , Santiago-Frangos Andrew , Wiedenheft Blake
Published: April 2022

Type-III CRISPR-Cas systems have recently been adopted for sequence-specific detection of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we make two major advances that simultaneously limit sample handling and significantly enhance the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection directly from patient samples. First, we repurpose the type III-A CRISPR complex from Thermus thermophilus (TtCsm) for programmable capture and concentration of specific RNAs from complex mixtures. The target bound TtCsm complex primarily generates two cyclic oligoadenylates (i.e., cA3 and cA4) that allosterically activate ancillary nucleases. To improve sensitivity of the diagnostic, we identify and test several ancillary nucleases (i.e., Can1, Can2, and NucC). We show that Can1 and Can2 are activated by both cA3 and cA4, and that different activators trigger changes in the substrate specificity of these nucleases. Finally, we integrate the type III-A CRISPR RNA-guided capture technique with the Can2 nuclease for 90 fM (5x104 copies/ul) detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA directly from nasopharyngeal swab samples.
Expression of MicroRNA 181a and its Target Genes: BCL2 and NOVA1 in Plasma Cell Myeloma
Authors: Elbordiney Magdy , Elghandour Ashraf , Yakout Yasmin , Elwafa Reham Abo
Published: April 2022

Background: Plasma cell myeloma (PCM) is one of the most common hematological malignancies. Despite advances in myeloma treatment, it remains an incurable disease. Studying the molecular bases of PCM has become essential to understand the pathobiology of the disease and hence for better management. The role of miRNAs is evolving in many malignancies, their use as markers for diagnosis, prognosis or as therapeutic modalities is promising. This study aimed at investigating the role of miR-181a and its target genes BCL2 and NOVA1 in PCM. Methods: The expression of miR-181a and its target genes BCL2 and NOVA1 was studied in bone marrow samples of 50 newly diagnosed PCM patients compared to 50 control subjects using real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR). Results: miR-181a, BCL2 and NOVA1 were found to be significantly upregulated among PCM patients compared to controls. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between miR-181a and BCL2. Furthermore, BCL2 and NOVA1 expression were found to be positively correlated. High levels of BCL2 were associated with advanced disease stages, presence of bone lesions as well as higher percentage of plasma and myeloma cells in bone marrow.Conclusion: The current study results are highly suggestive of the potential role miR181a plays in PCM development and progression, and explains how it can play its role through influencing its targets expression levels.
Systematic Review on Factors Associated With Self-perceived Burden Among Cancer Patients
Authors: Liu Bingyang , Lee Khuan , Sun Chao , Wu Di , Lim Poh Ying
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Cancer is the leading cause of death in the world. There was a high prevalence of high self-perceived burden (SPB) among cancer patients and this could bring adverse consequences on the physical and mental health of cancer patients, which can lead to suicide if not treated well. This review aims to determine the prevalence of SPB among cancer patients and its risk factors.Methods: Published journals before September 2021, from five databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, Cochrane, and CNKI) were be retrieved according to the keywords. The keywords used included cancer patients, terminally ill patients, cancer, SPB, self-perceived burden, self-burden, self-perceived, factor, predictor, associated factor, determinants, risk factor, prognostic factor, covariate, independent variable and variable. The quality of the inclusion and exclusion criteria was independently reviewed by three researchers. Results: Out of 12712 articles, there are 22 studies met the eligibility criteria. The prevalence of SPB among cancer patients ranged from 73.2% to 100% from Malaysia, China, Canada. Most of them had moderate SPB. Out of the reported factors, age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, residence, educational level, occupational status, family income, primary caregiver, payment methods, disease-related factors, psychological factors and physical factors were mostly reported across the studies.Conclusions: In conclusion, SPB prevalence is high in cancer patients. Therefore, hospitals, non-governmental organizations, relevant policy makers and communities can provide special programs for high-risk groups to provide psychological guidance or design corresponding interventions to reduce the SPB level of patients and improve the quality of life.
Genetic evaluation and phenotypic trend for some lactation traits of dromedary camels
Authors: El-Din Mohamed Ibrahim Shehab , Amer Ahmed Mousa , Abdel-Aziz Fatma Ramadan , Othman Amal Abdel-Kareem
Published: April 2022

There is a paucity of published work on genetic evaluation of lactation traits in camels using modern methodologies such as MTDFREML (Maximum Likelihood Restricted by Multiple Trait Derivatives Free of Maximum). The current study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters (direct heritabilities, repeatability and breeding values), and to estimate the phenotypic trend. A 302 lactation records over 10 years for a herd of dromedary camel that were bred at Matrouh Camel Studies and Production Development Center, Animal Production Research Institute, Egypt. Studied traits were lactation traits including total milk yield (TMY, kg), day milk yield (DMY, kg) and length of lactation period (LP). Actual means of TMY, DMY and LP were 1464.90 kg, 4.00 and 418.84, respectively. LP was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by the year and season of calving. Additive heritability (h2a) estimates for TMY, DMY and LP was 0.25, 0.30 and 0.17, respectively. These are promising values for the potential of genetic improvement. Repeatability (t) values recorded a medium value for LP (0.19), while the values were high for both TMY (0.36) and DMY (0.43). The range of predicted breeding values (PBVs) of animals for TMY, DMY and LP were 143.07 kg, 1.5 kg and 113.9 days, respectively. Regression coefficients for she-camels showed a negative annual phenotypic trend (PT) of about − 3.58 kg and − 0.012 kg per year for TMY and DMY, respectively. A genetic improvement program should be followed that allows exploiting the higher estimates of genetic parameters by relying on animals with positive breeding values.
Green synthesis of Magnesium oxide nanoparticles with antioxidant potential using leaf extract of Piper nigrum
Authors: Periakaruppan Rajiv , Naveen V , Danaraj Jeyapragash
Published: April 2022

Green fabrication is an environmental friendly and innovative method and attractive research field for the production of Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) in clinical and environmental applications. In this current study, a viable green synthetic approach to produce magnesium oxide nanoparticles by using P. nigrum leaf aqueous extract as a capping agent. The formation and physicochemical properties of MgO NPs were confirmed through stranded characterization methods. All the analytical data revealed that the formation of pure, rod shaped and crystalline MgO NPs with average size of 20 nm. This study reports that, the synthesized MgO NPs exhibiting good antioxidant activity and it can be used for bio-medical applications.
Analysis of thermal videos for detection of lie during interrogation
Authors: Satpathi Saswata , Arafath K. Mohamed Ismail Yasar , Routray Aurobinda , Satpathi Partha Sarathi
Published: April 2022

The Lie-Detection tests are traditionally carried out by well-trained experts using polygraph machines. However, it is time-consuming, invasive, and overall, a cumbersome process, not admissible by the court of law. Trained individuals can easily flaunt these tests. On the other hand, facial thermal imaging could be more effective as it is a noninvasive and could be a stealth method of tracking the facial blood flow patterns, which have been proven to detect deceit. This paper presents a method based on facial thermal imaging to detect deceit in human subjects. The major issue in such research is the lack of proper real-life databases which emulate the crime scenes. In this paper, first, we have developed a database based on almost real-life theft incidents with due diligence using isolated subjects over a period of time at a government hospital under the plea of free health checkup. The experiment has been conducted at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India, with proper ethical committee approval. The participants are selected at the behest of the police department with habitual crime records. Most of them have been repeatedly charged with petty crimes of pick-pocketing and stealing. They are invited individually at different instances of time under the plea of medical checkup where they have been enticed to steal cash. It is followed by a two-stage process, a friendly interaction followed by a slightly tougher interrogation. Their forehead and periorbital region skin surface temperature are recorded by a hidden thermal camera. Upon analysis, conspicuous changes in the temperature profile and blood flow pattern have been observed in the individuals who stole money and those who did not.
Clinical study of α 2-MG, PCX, AFU, RBP-4 and CysC in type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Li Jingjing , Yan Zhaoli
Published: April 2022

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). The changes of α2-macroglobulin (α2-MG), podocalysin (PCX), α-L-fucosidase (AFU), retinol binding protein-4 (RBP-4), cystatin C(CysC) and clinical indicators in patients with or without DN.To explore their role and significance in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and DN.Methods: A total of 203 T2DM patients admitted to hospital from December 2018 to December 2020 were collected and divided into DN group (115 cases) and NDN group (88 cases). Urine α2-MG, PCX and AFU levels, serum RBP-4 and CysC levels were determined, and other clinical indicators were collected.Results: 1.Comparison of general data between groups: the levels of CysC, RBP-4, α2-MG/UCr,PCX/UCr and AFU/UCr in DN group were higher than those in NDN group (P<0.05). 2. Comparison of ACR stage and renal function stage of CKD: ①ACR stage: CysC, RBP-4, α2-MG/UCr, PCX/UCr, AFU/UCr increased with the increase of ACR stage(P<0.05). ② Renal function stage of CKD: CysC, RBP-4, α2-MG/UCr, PCX/UCr, AFU/UCr increased with the increase of renal function stage of CKD (P<0.05). 3. Partial correlation analysis after adjusting gender and age: CysC, RBP-4, α2-MG/UCr, PCX/UCr, AFU/UCr were positively correlated with UACR, Scr, Urea, UTP/24h, NLR, but negatively correlated with eGFR (P<0.05). 2.ROC curve: (1) Analysis of single index on DN diagnosis: AUCROC of UACR, eGFR, CysC, RBP-4, α2-MG/UCr, PCX/UCr and AFU/UCr were 0.97, 0.77, 0.80, 0.76, 0.83, 0.86, 0.79, respectively. (2) Analysis of combined indicators for DN diagnosis: AUCROC of α2-MG/UCr+PCX/UCr, α2-MG/UCr+AFU/UCr, α2-MG/UCr+PCX/UCr+AFU/UCr, α2-MG/UCr+PCX/UCr+AFU/UCr were 0.88, 0.88, 0.86, 0.89.Conclusion: 1.α2-MG, PCX and AFU are related to the occurrence and development of DN. 2. RBP-4, CysC, PCX, AFU and α2-MG have better diagnostic value,but UACR has the best diagnostic value. 3.PCX can reflect early renal damage.
Clinical value of fetal facial profile markers during the first trimester
Authors: Zhou Xiaofeng , Ji Chunya , Sun Lingling , Yin Linliang , Deng Xuedong , Pan Qi , Zhang Jun , Yang Zhong , Zheng Chenhan , Ling Chen , Shi Liping , Wu Yanqing
Published: April 2022

Objectives
To study the correlations between facial profile markers and crown-lump length (CRL) in a Chinese population, and to evaluate the clinical value of these markers for abnormal fetuses during the first trimester (11 to 13+ 6 gestational weeks) .
Methods
The facial profile markers were as followings: inferior facial angle (IFA), maxilla-nasion-mandible (MNM) angle, facial maxillary angle (FMA), frontal space (FS) distance and profile line (PL) distance. These markers were measured in facial mid-sagittal section through ViewPoint 6 software. The diagnostic value of these markers for abnormal fetuses was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.
Results
According to the ultrasonic examination and follow-up, 31 fetuses were enrolled in the abnormal group, including 14 cases of trisomy 21, 7 cases of trisomy 18, 10 cases with cleft lip and palate (CLP), and 1000 cases were selected to the normal group, during the first trimester,with the CRL from 45mm to 84 mm. In the normal group, the IFA, FS distance and PL distance had negative correlations with CRL during the first trimester (rs=-0.614, p < 0.001; rs=-0.42, p < 0.001; rs=-0.271, p < 0.001). The MNM angle and FMA had positive correlations with CRL (rs=0574, p < 0.001; rs=0.451, p < 0.001). The mean IFA values for fetuses with trisomy 21 and trisomy 18 were 74.11° (standard deviation (SD) 7.48) and 69.88° (SD 7.08), respectively, which were significantly smaller than the normal group (Z=-2.496, p = 0.013; Z=-3.018, p = 0.003). The mean MNM angle of fetuses with trisomy 18 and CLP were 6.98° (SD 2.61) and 9.41° (SD 2.57), respectively, which were significantly greater than the normal group (Z=-2.83, p = 0.005; Z=-5.05, p < 0.001). The mean FMA values of trisomy 18 fetuses were 63.95° (SD 4.77), which was significantly smaller than the normal group (t = 4.777, p < 0.001). The mean FS distance of CLP fetuses was − 0.22mm (SD 1.38), which was significantly smaller than the normal group (Z=-4.259, p < 0.001). The mean PL distance of trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and CLP fetuses were 2.89mm (SD 0.41), 2.91mm (SD 0.56) and 2.71mm (SD 0.37), respectively. The difference with the normal group had no statistical significance (t=-0.583, p = 0.56; t=-0.515, p = 0.607; t = 0.613, p = 0.54).
Conclusions
Fetal facial profile markers had excellent correlations with CRL during the first trimester. IFA had certain clinical significance in detecting trisomy 21. FMA, IFA and MNM angle were reliable indicators for screening trisomy 18. The abnormal MNM angle and FS distance could be used as sensitive indicators for CLP. However, PL distance was not the best markers for trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and CLP during the first trimester.
Performance evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device (Abbott) in detecting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the point of care, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Teklemariam Zelalem , Feleke Dereje , Abdurahman Abdusemed , Alemayehu Astawus , Demissie Abebaw , Tufa Asefa , Sherefa Nebiyu , Mohammed Abdusemed , Brhane Mussie
Published: April 2022

Rapid Antigen tests can help rapid detection, effective isolation of symptomatic cases, and systematic tracing of close contacts. However, the reliability of rapid antigen tests must be validated before they can be used widely. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 COVID-19 suspected patients visiting four health institutions in Harari Regional state, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia from June-July, 2021. Two Nasopharyngeal samples were also collected and processed by the Panbio™ Ag-RDT kit directly and RT-PCR. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The Panbio tests has sensitivity of 77.5% (95% CI: 61.6% − 89.2%), specificity of 98.5% (95% CI: 95.6%- 99.7%), Positive Predictive Value of 91.2% (95% CI : 76.9% − 96.9%), negative Predictive Value of 95.5%(95%CI: 92.3%-,97.4%) and Kappa = 0.81, (95% CI: 0.7–0.9.).The test has sensitivity of 94.4% ,100%, 100% and 90% in sample collected from patients with in the 1–5 days duration of COVID post on set symptoms, age group < = 18 years old and cycle threshold (Ct) values of < 20 and source of contact from house hold respectively .The overall sensitivity of Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device is 77.5%. The test has sensitivity > = 90% in the sample collected from symptomatic patients in early clinical course, age of < = 18 years old, low Ct-values, and had contact with COVID patients in the household. Therefore, this test can be used as a point of care testing for diagnosis of symptomatic patients with shorted clinical course and contact with patients in the households.
Enhanced fluoride adsorption on aluminum-impregnated kenaf biochar: adsorption characteristics and mechanism
Authors: Choi Moon-Yeong , Lee Chang-Gu , Park Seong-Jik
Published: April 2022

The fast-growing plant kenaf was pyrolyzed to biochar, and the biochar was impregnated with aluminum to improve its fluoride adsorption capacity. The Al-impregnated kenaf biochar (Al-KNF-BC) was pyrolyzed at different temperatures (300–700°C). The specimen treated at 300°C (Al-KNF-300) showed the highest fluoride adsorption capacity. The kinetics and equilibrium adsorption of fluoride by Al-KNF-300 followed the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of Al-KNF-300 is 13.93 mg/g. The enthalpy and entropy of fluoride adsorption by Al-KNF-300 were 37.80 kJ/mol and 124.1 J/mol‧K, respectively. Fluoride adsorption by Al-KNF-300 was favorable at pH values as low as pH 3, and the effect of anion competition followed the order HCO3− > SO42− > NO3− > Cl−. In experiments with different adsorbent dose, the maximum adsorption efficiency of 99.23% was obtained at an adsorbent concentration of 16.67 g/L, at which the fluoride concentration decreased from 100 mg/L to < 1.5 mg/L (the drinking water standard). Al-KNF-300 is an effective and inexpensive adsorbent for removing fluoride from contaminated water to meet drinking water standards.
WITHDRAWN: A Multi-center Observational Cohort Study of Dialysis Patients’ Prognostic Factors: Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Siddiqa Maryam , Shah Gulzar , Jones Jeffery
Published: April 2022

Objective: Chronic kidney disease has emerged as a devastating global health crisis. This cohort study identifies predictive factors for the survival prognosis of patients receiving dialysis.Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study uses data on 1,137 patients undergoing hemodialysis for at least 3 months at multiple clinics in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, from January 2015 to December 2019. Semi-parametric Cox Regression and parametric Accelerated Failure Time models were used to detect predictive factors associated with the survival of the patients.Results: Factors significantly associated with dialysis survival prognosis included dialysis duration (in months) (HR 0.075;95% CI:0.017-0.332), inter-dialytic weight gain (HR 0.775; 95% CI:0.582-1.032), serum potassium (HR 0.883;95% CI:0.730-1.068), serum hemoglobin (HR 1.734;95% CI:1.446-2.081), serum albumin (HR 1.293;95% CI:0.566-2.955).Conclusion: We propose a prognosis score which is a practical and easily adaptable tool based on readily available clinical variables. Our findings present an overall survival advantage at levels of high serum albumin, high serum hemoglobin, low inter-dialytic weight gain, and large dialysis duration at the recommended range of potassium level for a patient. Results report established primary prognosis factors that are clinically useful and can offer insights to clinicians that may provide better treatment and improved survival of dialysis patients.