bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
3D melanoma spheroid model for the development of positronium biomarkers
Authors: Karimi Hanieh , Moskal Paweł , Żak Agata , Stępień Ewa Ł.
Published: May 2023

It was recently demonstrated that newly invented positronium imaging may be used for improving cancer diagnostics by providing additional information about tissue pathology with respect to the standardized uptake value currently available in positron emission tomography (PET). Positronium imaging utilizes the properties of positronium atoms, which are built from the electrons and positrons produced in the body during PET examinations. We hypothesized that positronium imaging would be sensitive to the in vitro discrimination of tumor-like three-dimensional structures (spheroids) built of melanoma cell lines with different cancer activities and biological properties. The lifetime of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) was evaluated in melanoma spheroids from two cell lines (WM266-4 and WM115) differing in the stage of malignancy. Additionally, we considered parameters such as the cell number, spheroid size and melanoma malignancy to evaluate their relationship with the o-Ps lifetime. We demonstrate pilot results for o-Ps lifetime measurement in extracellular matrix-free spheroids. With the statistical significance of two standard deviations, we demonstrated that the higher the degree of malignancy and the rate of proliferation of neoplastic cells, the shorter the lifetime of ortho-positronium. In particular, we observed the following indications encouraging further research: (i) WM266-4 spheroids characterized by a higher proliferation rate and malignancy showed a shorter o-Ps lifetime than WM115 spheroids characterized by a lower growth rate. (ii) Both cell lines showed a decrease in the lifetime of o-Ps after spheroid generation on day 8 compared to day 4 in culture, and the mean o-Ps lifetime was longer for spheroids formed from WM115 cells than for those formed from WM266-4 cells, regardless of spheroid age. The results of this study revealed that positronium is a promising biomarker that may be applied in PET diagnostics for the assessment of the degree of cancer malignancy.
Development and modeling of a novel type of photoreactors with exterior ultraviolet (UV) reflector for water treatment applications
Authors: Hassanpour Amirhossein , Jalali Alireza , Raisee Mehrdad , Naghavi Mohammad Reza
Published: May 2023

Ultraviolet (UV) water disinfection method has emerged as an alternative to chemical methods of disinfection. In typical UV photoreactors for water treatment, water flows in the space between the lamp’s sleeve and outer shell. The contact of water and sleeve causes fouling, which reduces the effectiveness of UV. To clean the photoreactor, the quartz sleeve must be replaced; this may lead to quartz or lamp breakage and mercury leakage into water during cleaning. In this study, a novel type of multi-lamp UV photoreactors is proposed, in which the UV lamps are placed out of the water channel and their UV irradiation is redirected into the channel using an outer cylindrical reflector. This allows for the installment of a self-cleaning mechanism for the water channel. A well-validated three-dimensional CFD model is utilized to model the performance of this photoreactor for microbial inactivation. The impacts of several geometrical and optical parameters are investigated on the inactivation of microorganisms. The results revealed that the difference in log reduction values (LRV) between fully specular and fully diffuse reflector ranges from 10 to 47% as the lamp-to-channel distance increases. For the volumetric flow rate of 25 GPM, the LRV of a photoreactor with fully diffuse reflector can be 46% higher than a fully specular one. In addition, the performance of the proposed photoreactor is compared against a classic L-shaped annular photoreactor. The results show that the new design can provide equal or better microbial performance compared to the classic photoreactor, but it removes many of their common issues such as quartz fouling, lamp overheating at low flow rates, and sleeve breakage during lamp replacement.
Tuning the acidity of halloysite by polyionic liquid to develop an efficient catalyst for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
Authors: Sadjadi Samahe , Yaghoubi Soheila , Zhong Xuemin , Yuan Peng , Heravi Majid M.
Published: May 2023

In an attempt to prepare a low-cost and efficient acidic heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural under mild reaction conditions, the acidity of halloysite was improved by covalent grafting of an acidic polyionic liquid. More precisely, halloysite was first vinyl functionalized and then polymerized with vinyl imidazole and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. The tangling imidazole rings were further converted to acidic ionic liquids by treating them with chlorosulfuric acid. UV–Vis spectroscopy and Hammett equation confirmed that conjugation of acid polyionic liquid resulted in the increase of the acidity of halloysite. Investigation of the efficiency of the catalyst for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and optimization of reaction variables showed that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural was yielded in 97.8% after 30 min under the optimum conditions, i.e. catalyst loading of 20 wt% at 70 °C. Notably, the catalyst was highly reusable and it could be reused for at least seven reaction runs with insignificant loss of its activity. Furthermore, this catalyst could also promote the conversion of sucrose and maltose to give moderate yields of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.
MgO nanocube hydroxylation by nanometric water films
Authors: Luong N. Tan , Holmboe Michael , Boily Jean-François
Published: May 2023

Hydrophilic nanosized minerals exposed to air moisture host thin water films that are key drivers of reactions of interest in nature and technology.
Annulation of enaminones with quinonediimides/quinoneimides for selective synthesis of indoles and 2-aminobenzofurans
Authors: Zhong Zukang , Liao Lihua , Liu Yunyun , Zhang Ming , Wan Jie-Ping
Published: May 2023

The selectivity tunable synthesis of functionalized indoles and benzofurans has been achieved via the reactions of enaminones with quinonediimides and quinoneimides under modified conditions, respectively.
Simple synthetic access to [Au(IBiox)Cl] complexes
Authors: Martynova Ekaterina A. , Zuccarello Marco , Kronenberg Domenic , Beliš Marek , Czapik Agnieszka , Zhang Ziyun , Van Hecke Kristof , Kwit Marcin , Baudoin Olivier , Cavallo Luigi , Nolan Steven P.
Published: May 2023

Green and sustainable access to chiral and achiral gold-IBiox complexes is reported. %Vbur for the Au-IBiox complexes were calculated for the first time from XRD data. Their catalytic activity was examined in the hydroamination of phenylacetylene.
Reactive oxygen species nanoamplifiers with multi-enzymatic activities for enhanced tumor therapy
Authors: Zhao Shasha , Lai Kexin , Gao Zhen , Ye Xueli , Mou Juan , Yang Shiping , Wu Huixia
Published: May 2023

The multi-enzyme activities of Ce-doped carriers combined with saikosaponin A effectively inhibit tumor growth by amplifying oxidative stress.
Correction: Controlling barrier height and spectral responsivity of p–i–n based GeSn photodetectors via arsenic incorporation
Authors: Nawwar Mohamed A. , Abo Ghazala Magdy S. , Sharaf El-Deen Lobna M. , Anis Badawi , El-Shaer Abdelhamid , Elseman Ahmed Mourtada , Rashad Mohamed M. , Kashyout Abd El-hady B.
Published: May 2023

Correction for ‘Controlling barrier height and spectral responsivity of p–i–n based GeSn photodetectors via arsenic incorporation’ by Mohamed A. Nawwar et al., RSC Adv., 2023, 13, 9154–9167, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RA00805C.
Plastic recognition and electrogenic uniport translocation of 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-row transition and post-transition metals by primary-active transmembrane P1B-2-type ATPase pumps
Authors: Abeyrathna Sameera S. , Abeyrathna Nisansala S. , Basak Priyanka , Irvine Gordon W. , Zhang Limei , Meloni Gabriele
Published: May 2023

Transmembrane P1B-2 type ATPase pumps catalyze thepromiscuous extrusion of transition metal ions across cellular membranes by plastic recognition and electrogenic translocation of diverse metal substrates.
Photocycle of a cyanobacteriochrome: a charge defect on ring C impairs conjugation in chromophore
Authors: Köhler Lisa , Gärtner Wolfgang , Salvan Georgeta , Matysik Jörg , Wiebeler Christian , Song Chen
Published: May 2023

The results obtained here help to locate the positive charge of the chromophore during the photocycle of a cyanobacteriochrome which gives access to an in-depth mechanistic understanding of spectral regulating factors in phytochrome photoreceptors.
Photoluminescence control by atomically precise surface metallization of C-centered hexagold(i) clusters using N-heterocyclic carbenes
Authors: Lei Zhen , Zhao Pei , Pei Xiao-Li , Ube Hitoshi , Ehara Masahiro , Shionoya Mitsuhiko
Published: May 2023

The properties of metal clusters are highly dependent on their molecular surface structure.
MicroRNAs as Possible Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Therapy of Alzheimer’s Disease by Regulating the Abnormal Expression of Genes Related to Tau
Authors: Tang Mengzhu
Published: May 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common dementia with the symptom of deterioration of memory and cognitive functions, becomes one of the prevalent threats globally. Tau hyperphosphorylation is one of major risk factors of AD. At present, there is no effective treatment or quick diagnostic methods for the pre-clinical stage of this disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (20-25bp) non-coding, double stranded RNA molecule. They mainly regulate gene expression during the post-transcription by binding to the 3-’UTR of the mRNA then stop translation. Unlike other biomarkers using for Alzheimer’s disease, miRNAs are stable and widely found in body fluids such as serum, tissues, and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and one miRNA can regulate multiple genes. As a result, they are potentially used as diagnosis or therapeutic biomarkers for many diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, this field that using miRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment has been rapidly developed. To examine the mechanism and function of miRNAs and potential in AD, this review summarizes current diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and comparing several microRNAs that especially regulating tau toxicity as practicable diagnostic biomarkers and treatment agents. It is likely to detect different stages of Alzheimer’s disease and reduce Tau hyperphosphorylation if this field of miRNA as biomarkers carries forward.
Loss of Setd2 Induces the Upregulation of Genes Related to Akt/Mtor Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhou Zhouyang , Xu Yuan
Published: May 2023

Patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) have a high risk of developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC). SET domain–containing 2(SETD2) is the only molecule known to regulate lysine trimethylation (H3K3me3) of histone H3 in human tissue, and SETD2 is identified as a tumor suppressor in ccRCC. Although there are some studies revealing some mechanism about PKD developing ccRCC, the underlying mechanism remains largely reported. We collected the Kidney samples from SETD2 conditional knockout mice described before (Rao, 2021) and detected the expression levels of some important genes related to Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Besides, we found that SETD2 is closely related to Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and can be regulated by Western blot analysis, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence. For clinical translation, the cross-talks between SETD2 and Akt/mTOR signaling may provide a potential strategy to prevent tumorigenesis in patients with ccRCC therapy.
Analytical Study on the Components of Health Products for Lowering Blood Glucose
Authors: Peng Lin , Luo Benlong , Xiong Lingzhu
Published: May 2023

Apriori algorithm was used to analyze 480 hypoglycemic health products for component association. Meanwhile, plain Bayesian algorithm was used to analyze the properties and flavors according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia on the former basis. The results showed that chromium pyridinecarboxylate, magnesium stearate and Astragalus single ingredient played an important role on lowering blood glucose. The extracts of huangjing and mulberry leaf as well as coix seed and Chinese yam were highly correlated in the hypoglycemic health products. the The ingredients of health products used to lower blood glucose are mainly pungent, warm and bitter medicines. This paper, can contribute to the research and application of health products and regulate the health products market according to the analysis of the valid ingredients of health products.
Research Progress of Functional Nano Drug Carrier Puerarin in The Treatment of Skin Diseases
Authors: Yang Min , Ding Chuanbo , Liu Xinglong , Fang Jihao
Published: May 2023

Functional nanofibers have good porosity to exchange oxygen and appropriate surface hydrophilicity to promote cell adhesion and proliferation, which has attracted extensive attention in the medical research field in the treatment of skin repair diseases. Puerarin is a kind of isoflavones extracted from the roots of the leguminous plant pueraria lobata or kudzu vine. Because of its strong antioxidant, free radical scavenging and anti-tumor effects, puerarin has made some preliminary exploration in the research field of skin diseases in recent years. This paper summarizes the research progress of skin wound repair, puerarin treatment of skin diseases and nanotechnology in skin wound repair, with a view to providing new therapeutic ideas for the research and development of puerarin skin wound repair.
Study on The Treatment of Osteonecrosis of The Femoral Head Based on The Classic Theory of “Blood Stasis Removal - Regeneration Bone - Fusion”
Authors: Hu Yuchen
Published: May 2023

Objective Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classics, this paper, by searching the literature on the treatment of femoral head necrosis with TCM, aims to explain the essence of the theory of “blood stasis removal - regeneration bone - fusion”, analyze the development of modern Chinese medicine in the treatment of osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH), and provide new ideas for the treatment of ONFH with integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine. Methods CNKI, PubMed, Wanfang and VIP databases were searched by computer to collect literature research on the theory of “blood stasis removal - regeneration bone - fusion” and the treatment of ONFH with integrated TCM Western medicine. Based on content analysis and bibliometric analysis, the modern integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine literature database of treating ONFH with the theory of “removing blood stasis and generating bone” was established and analyzed. Results Based on the theory of “blood stasis removal - regeneration - bone fusion”, this paper found that the TCM treatment of ONFH has the clinical effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. The essence of the modern medicine of the theory of “blood stasis removal - regeneration - bone fusion” is to eliminate the microcirculation disorders caused by microvascular regeneration and hypoperfusion, so as to promote bone regeneration, which coincides with the treatment of ONFH by western medicine. Conclusions The theory of “blood stasis removal - regeneration - bone fusion” in modern Chinese medicine has a certain scientific and valuable value, which is worth more scientific research in the future.
The Preliminary Investigation of the Effect of Caries on the Extension of Dentin Cracks
Authors: Qin Rui , Zhu Xinyao , Song Zhengxun
Published: May 2023

Dentin is part of the structural composition of the teeth and consists of intertubular dentin (ITD), peritubular dentin (PTD) and the dentinal tubules. The interaction of the three components provides significant strength and durability to the dentin. Caries is a dental disease caused by bacteria, which can damage the microstructure of teeth and lead to teeth damage or even fracture. It is necessary to investigate the mechanism of teeth damage from the perspective of fracture mechanics. In order to study the effect of caries on crack extension, this study uses finite element simulation (FEM) to establish a monophasic dentin model, a bidirectional dentin model, and a dentin model with different caries degrees to compare and analyze the crack extension under the same magnitude of displacement load. The experimental results reveal the influence of different caries degrees on crack extension, which is important for exploring the damage and fracture mechanism of teeth and the design of bionic teeth.
Difference in Haptic Softness Estimation using Pressing and Pinching
Authors: Gao Binyue , Yang Jiajia , Yu Yinghua , Takahashi Satoshi , Ejima Yoshimichi , Wu Jinglong
Published: May 2023

People systematically use different touch strategies to perceive different object features. When interacting with a deformable object, human typically judge the softness by pressing the finger pad into the surface or pinching the object with the thumb and index finger. However, the link between touch strategy (e.g., pressing) and haptic softness perception needed to be explored. To ascertain how people’s perceptions of softness are impacted by touch strategy, experiments on estimating softness were undertaken in the current study. Nineteen subjects were instructed to understand how to estimate the softness of a variety of haptic stimuli with varied elastic moduli by pressing and pinching. The results indicate that subjects were able to scale softness regardless of the touch strategy. However, the functions for scaling softness were affected by the touch strategy; the estimation of softness was greater with pinching. It suggests that the haptic perception of softness was affected by touch strategy. Additionally, the slopes of the functions were greater in the pressing group. This finding suggests that subjects in the pressing group showed better softness discrimination.
Environmental and Biological Determinants of Brain Mass
Authors: Kevin Yunqin Zhang
Published: May 2023

According to the expensive brain hypothesis, periodic energy level determines the brain mass. However, various environmental and biological factors directly or indirectly relevant to energy intake have not been well studied. Here, we systematically examined how body mass, hibernation, diurnally, substrate use, diet individually and synergistically determine brain mass in a large dataset of more than 1000 species. We found that body mass and hibernation are the major determinants of brain mass in most species. These findings will shed light on future studies of how evolutionary constraints acting on brain size.
The Visualization Analysis of Sleep Quality Research Literature of Chinese College Students Based on Citespace
Authors: Jiang Shuo , Nie Haiyang
Published: May 2023

This study explores the current research hotspots and trends of sleep quality in college students by bibliometric analysis, and to provide reference for further research in this field. The study uses CNKI as the retrieval data source and use Citespace and the visualization fuction of CNKI to visualized the included literatures. A total of 212 literatures were included in this study. The publication of relevant literature shows an increasing trend in general, and there is no cooperative relationship between the publishing institutions. Research hotspots include the status quo, influencing factors and intervention measures of sleep quality of college students. The regression analysis of sleep quality and mental health problems of college students are recent research frontiers. Future research needs to strengthen collaboration between different institutions and authors. In order to solve the problem of college students’ sleep quality, it needs not only self-adjustment, but also the joint efforts and care of school, family and government, and the implementation of intervention measures to solve this problem.
Risperidone Powder Prepared by Spray Drying Technology for Intranasal Delivery
Authors: Li Ting , Shi Jingyu , Tong Zhengbo , Miao Hao
Published: May 2023

The main objective of this study was to prepare Risperidone (RIS) nasal powder by spray drying method, so as to achieve controlled drug release and high deposition efficiency in the nasal cavity. The microparticles with uniform size and controllable structure were prepared by mixing hydroxypropyl -βcyclodextrin (CD) with API before a novel microfluidic spray drying technology. The properties of particles were characterized in terms of particle size, crystal shape and in vitro local deposition efficiency, and the formation mechanism and structure-activity relationship of particles were revealed. The results showed that the spray drying samples were all in amorphous state, and the physicochemical properties of risperidone can be improved by the addition of CD. Compared to spray-dried pure RIS, spray-dried samples with CD addition had good fluidity (CI<30%) and more suitable particle sizes (35-55μm) for nasal delivery. When the mass ratio of drug excipients (RIS: CD) was 1:6, the deposition fraction in the olfactory region was 13.338%, indicating that this prescription has considerable potential for brain targeted delivery.
Research Progress on Neural Circuit Mechanisms of Depression
Authors: Gong Wenxuan
Published: May 2023

Depression is one of the most prevailing neurological and psychotic disorders with a high rate of mental disability. The depression is closely related to the abnormality of neural circuits in brain. As a result, it is of great significance to make a profound study of the neural circuit of depression for revealing new clinical therapies of depression. Currently, neural circuits about depression have not been fully understood and there are still many difficulties puzzling researchers. While with the processing effort of neuroscientists and the development of electrophysiology, epigenetics or neuroimmunology, great progresses have been made in studies about neuronal circuits in depression to some extent. In this paper, we discuss various brain areas those are related to depression including the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), and then put emphasis on their local function with different neurotransmitters and abnormality of neural circuits of depression by reviewing previous studies. In a way, figuring out the mechanism of depression can improve the cure rate, and reduce the economic loss due to depression around the world.
Immunhämatologische Untersuchungen und
Blutkomponenten-Auswahl bei Früh- und Reifgeborenen
Authors: Flommersfeld Sabine , Wienzek-Lischka Sandra , Cooper Nina , Maier Rolf F. , Sachs Ulrich J. , Bein Gregor
Published: May 2023

In der vorliegenden Übersichtsarbeit diskutieren wir, wie iatrogene
Blutverluste durch immunhämatologische Untersuchungen bei Früh-
und Reifgeborenen minimiert werden können. Die Hauptursache für
die Transfusion von Erythrozytenkonzentraten (EK) sind dabei iatrogene
Blutverluste durch diagnostische Blutentnahmen. In einer Beobachtungsstudie
betrug der iatrogene Blutverlust bei Frühgeborenen in den ersten 28
Lebenstagen im Median 24,2 mL/kg im Vergleich zum
transfundierten EK-Volumen von 30 mL/kg im selben Zeitraum 1. Die Reduktion von diagnostischen
Blutentnahmen stellt somit eine effiziente Maßnahme zur Reduzierung von
EK-Transfusionen bei Frühgeborenen dar. Rationale und bedarfsadaptierte
immunhämatologische Untersuchungen können den Blutverlust
reduzieren, Transfusionen vermeiden und die entstehenden Kosten senken. Ferner
stellen wir dar, wie durch differenzierte Auswahl von Blutkomponenten das
Auftreten unerwünschter Ereignisse bei der Transfusion von Neugeborenen
verhindert werden kann und regen an, restriktivere Indikationsstellungen zur
Transfusion insbesondere in der Frühgeborenenmedizin zu diskutieren.
Besprechungen optimal gestalten – Teamsitzungen
Authors: Holtmeier Lisa
Published: May 2023

Besprechungen führen oft zu Unzufriedenheit der Teilnehmenden. Mal reichte die Zeit nicht aus, um alles Wichtige zu besprechen, mal wurden notwendige Entscheidungen vertagt. Dabei können Teamsitzungen zur echten Teambuilding-Maßnahme werden, die alle motiviert! Gute Teamsitzungen erhöhen die Zufriedenheit Ihrer Mitarbeitenden eminent und stärken so die Bindung zur Praxis. Hier erfahren Sie, wie Sie Ihre Meetings ab sofort nachhaltig, gesund, motivierend und zufriedenstellend gestalten.
Nichts für Einzelkämpfer – Physiotherapeut*innen im Sozialpädiatrischen Zentrum
Authors: Laquai Sophia
Published: May 2023

160 Sozialpädiatrische Zentren gibt es insgesamt in Deutschland. Innerhalb eines multidisziplinären Teams untersuchen und behandeln Physiotherapeut*innen dort Kinder mit Erkrankungen oder Entwicklungsstörungen. physiopraxis-Redakteurin Sophia Laquai besuchte das Heidelberger SPZ und stellte fest, wie äußerst komplex und teamorientiert die Tätigkeit dort ist.
Kategorisierung als Lösungsansatz – Praxisorganisation
Authors: Veit Katrin
Published: May 2023

Marcus Kinkelin teilte auf dem physiokongress seine Idee eines neuartigen Praxismodells. Er ist davon überzeugt, dass eine 1:1-Behandlung pauschal für alle Patient*innen weder evidenzbasiert noch mit dem Fachkräftemangel und einer gleichzeitig wachsenden Patient*innenzahl vereinbar ist.
Diabetes mellitus Typ 1 und Sport – eine Übersicht
Authors: Kolassa Ralf
Published: May 2023

Typ-1-Diabetes ist eine Volkskrankheit. Sportlerinnen und Sportler, die daran leiden, müssen in Training und Wettkampf manches beachten, um ein gefährliches Absinken ihres Blutzuckerspiegels zu verhindern. Auch für das Betreuerteam sind grundlegende Kenntnisse über die Erkrankung unerlässlich.
Neue Entwicklungen in der Therapie des Diabetes mellitus Typ 2
Authors: Hintze Sophie Charlotte , Terkamp Christoph
Published: May 2023

Die rasante Entwicklung der Diabetesforschung hat viele neue Medikamente und Therapiestrategien auf den Weg gebracht, die das Potenzial haben, auch unabhängig von einer Diabeteserkrankung wirksam zu sein. So gibt es neue Erkenntnisse zu SGLT-2-Inhibitoren bei Herz- und chronischer Niereninsuffizienz. Auch die Weiterentwicklung inkretinbasierter Medikamente und duale GIP/GLP-1-Rezeptoragonisten sind vielversprechend.
Monocyte Tissue Factor Expression: Lipopolysaccharide Induction and Roles in Pathological Activation of Coagulation
Authors: Sachetto Ana T. A. , Mackman Nigel
Published: May 2023

The coagulation system is a part of the mammalian host defense system. Pathogens and pathogen components, such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), induce tissue factor (TF) expression in circulating monocytes that then activates the coagulation protease cascade. Formation of a clot limits dissemination of pathogens, enhances the recruitment of immune cells, and facilitates killing of pathogens. However, excessive activation of coagulation can lead to thrombosis. Here, we review studies on the mechanism of LPS induction of TF expression in monocytes and its contribution to thrombosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Binding of LPS to Toll-like receptor 4 on monocytes induces a transient expression of TF that involves activation of intracellular signaling pathways and binding of various transcription factors, such as c-rel/p65 and c-Fos/c-Jun, to the TF promoter. Inhibition of TF in endotoxemia and sepsis models reduces activation of coagulation and improves survival. Studies with endotoxemic mice showed that hematopoietic cells and myeloid cells play major roles in the activation of coagulation. Monocyte TF expression is also increased after surgery. Activated monocytes release TF-positive extracellular vesicles (EVs) and levels of circulating TF-positive EVs are increased in endotoxemic mice and in patients with sepsis. More recently, it was shown that inflammasomes contribute to the induction of TF expression and activation of coagulation in endotoxemic mice. Taken together, these studies indicate that monocyte TF plays a major role in activation of coagulation. Selective inhibition of monocyte TF expression may reduce pathologic activation of coagulation in sepsis and other diseases without affecting hemostasis.
Influence of Cr doping on the structural, optical, and third-order nonlinear optical properties of ZnAl2O4 nanoceramics
Authors: Nadafan M. , Khorrami GH. H. , Arab M. , Dehghani Z. , Kompany A.
Published: May 2023

In this research, Zn(1−x)CrxAl2O4 (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20) nanoparticles were prepared by a simple and green chemistry synthesis using gelatin as a polymerization agent. X-ray diffraction technique and scanning electron microscopy imaging were used to analyze the structural and morphological properties of the samples. X-ray diffraction results revealed that all samples were polycrystalline and crystallized in a cubical spinel phase. With increasing the x from 0.00 to 0.20, the main Bragg peaks shift to smaller angles, and the crystallite size and energy bandgap of samples decrease as well. The nonlinear absorption coefficient, β, and nonlinear refractive index, n2, of Zn(1−x)CrxAl2O4 were meticulously studied by the Z-scan approach. The orders of n2 and β are 10−7 and 10−4 cm/W, respectively. The saturable absorption and the self-defocusing effect are the main factors in the appearance of β and n2, respectively. The experimental results confirmed that increasing the percentage of Cr caused nonlinear coefficients to increase.
Numerical study on prediction and discrimination methods of propeller tip vortex cavitation inception
Authors: Duan Jia , Xu Rongwu , Cui Lilin , Li Ruibiao
Published: May 2023

Tip vortex cavitation is typically the first type of cavitation in real ship propellers due to the scale effect. To lessen or eliminate propeller cavitation noise, it is necessary to effectively identify and predict the tip vortex cavitation initiation of the propeller and run the propeller as far as possible in the “non-cavitation area.” However, for the current numerical computation, it is impossible to determine the minimum pressure at the vortex core directly and correctly, making it difficult to anticipate the cavitation initiation of the propeller tip vortex. In this paper, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical calculations and the tip vortex model proposed by Xin [Proceedings of 2013 Ship Hydrodynamics Conference (2013), pp. 211–218], we propose a new prediction method for propeller tip vortex cavitation initiation—“the tip vortex model method.” The propeller tip vortex is solved by CFD calculation in this model, and the minimum pressure at the downstream vortex core is examined based on the tip vortex model to determine the initiation of propeller cavitation. We examine the cavitation inception using the tip vortex model method and compare it to the results obtained using the minimum pressure coefficient method and the minimum vapor volume method. It is discovered that the cavitation inception number obtained by the tip vortex model method is closer to the experimental results. Furthermore, the effects of different turbulence models and grid settings on the prediction of tip vortex cavitation initiation are investigated, providing an effective reference for the prediction of propeller tip vortex cavitation initiation.
Investigating the potential for a blue carbon economy on Australia’s northern coastline
Authors: Davis B. W. , Groom R. A. , Carle C. J. , Hutley L. B. , Lovelock C. , Perry J.
Published: May 2023

The term ‘Blue Carbon’ (BC) recognises the ability of mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrasses to capture and store carbon in their soils and biomass. Given their anoxic sediment, BC ecosystems can sequester up to as much as four times more carbon per hectare, and store it 30–50 times faster, than terrestrial forests. Australia has some of the world’s largest BC storage capacity, with 5–11% of global BC soil stocks and 2–7% of annual BC sequestration, based on available global estimate. Evidence indicates that mangrove and saltmarsh degradation from cyclone damage, feral damage and disease, is occurring throughout the Northern Territory (NT). This is a growing issue with feral animal populations degrading Indigenous lands and areas of conservation significance. This cumulative pressure on BC habitat means that northern Australia is uniquely positioned to expand BC methods to also account for protection and restoration of degraded coastal habitats including freshwater wetlands that have been damaged by non-native feral animals. Researchers from Charles Darwin University (CDU), University of Queensland (UQ), and the Northern Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd (NAILSMA) recently worked to explore the opportunity and potential for economically viable BC methods in the NT. The study had a particular focus on Aboriginal Land gazetted under the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act (1976) (Cth). We present the research outcomes and identify the pathway to focused research on BC stores and tailored methods for generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and potentially biodiversity credits, in the NT.
Rapid play evaluation through AI interpretation
Authors: Smith Jacob , Szafian Peter
Published: May 2023

Recent years have brought an explosion in the application of advanced AI techniques to the imaging and interpretation of petroleum reservoirs. The ability of these techniques to image features in unprecedented detail, and within very short timeframes, has provided the opportunity for the industry to gain a more complete understanding of hydrocarbon reservoirs than ever before. The rapid evolution of these technologies has brought challenges however, as new workflows must be developed to gain the greatest value from these advancements. In this paper we look at the impact of these technologies on imaging, interpretation and modelling. This is done through an analysis of datasets spanning compressional and extensional systems, looking at both onshore and offshore data. A particular focus is given to recent acreage release areas. Through this analysis we find significant opportunities to revolutionise G&G workflows, but also unexpected challenges in understanding and integrating this newfound complexity. The given examples show that the interpreter is no longer working with the artificial simplicity of manually interpreted structures, but rather with a web of localised planes of slippage. Rather than the challenge of accurately identifying faults, we must focus on how to transfer this complexity into a useful interpretation and then into our static model. In these examples we can see that, through a reduction in manual processes, the interpreter can focus more of their energy on the iterative process of proposing and refining structural models, and that this process proves crucial to working effectively with these new methods.
Benchmarking Corporate Resilience and Sustainability – a framework for assessing corporate positioning in the face of uncertainty and risk
Authors: Harwood Andrew
Published: May 2023

Low carbon is still a key stock market theme, but war and changing economic conditions through 2022 have placed greater emphasis on the security of supply. Yet our longstanding view still holds: the energy transition will happen, and oil and gas companies have significant value at risk. In the face of tightening carbon policies or the eventual decline in oil and gas demand, companies that fail to adapt to the emerging low-carbon world will suffer a deterioration in market rating. Plotting a strategy for the energy transition has become more complex than ever. Satisfying investors, government and public stakeholders while pursuing secure, affordable and sustainable sources of energy requires a delicate balance. Unanticipated shocks like the global pandemic or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine make strategic planning a veritable high-wire act. The complexity in mapping out an approach to the energy transition makes it even harder to benchmark the different strategies companies may employ. How are companies positioned to navigate the energy transition over the coming decades? Which companies are best situated to handle shocks to the market in the next few years? We believe these questions of near-term resilience and long-term sustainability can be answered by examining (a) a company’s financial position and scale, (b) its portfolio outlook and (c) its carbon exposure and transition strategy. Building on these concepts of Corporate Resilience and Sustainability, we can compare the strategies of Australia’s largest energy players against their international peers. We can highlight their strengths, weaknesses and areas for focus. We can show you what ‘best-in-class’ looks like.
Oil, gas and new energy: how to transform holistically for a more efficient and sustainable future
Authors: Hastie Scott , Wall Tim
Published: May 2023

Oil, gas and new energy companies are facing multiple competing priorities and challenges, from ongoing high-injury rates, a challenging economic climate, reduced capital funding, increasing social pressures and disengaged talent – all leading to pressure to transform at pace. Riding the commodity price cycle and taking a piecemeal approach to transformation is no longer a viable operating strategy. An integrated approach is required, to improve safety, risk, unit cost, growth, culture and decarbonisation performance concurrently, whilst making new energy assets viable. Critical to this integrated approach is an agile, well-designed operating system. Operating systems are not new to the oil, gas and new energy industry; however, dss+ has witnessed the limited effectiveness many of them have in enabling businesses to transform holistically and rapidly. Through this presentation, dss+ will give practical guidance on the elements critical to an effective operating system, using the real-life example of a recent project which saw dss+ partnering with a global oil and gas operator to deliver a reduction in tier 1 and tier 2 safety events, reduce business operating expenditure by US$90 m, reduce capital expenditure by US$20 m and deliver an additional 350 000 boe above budget at a critical asset in the region.
Improving process safety for the operation of Major Hazard Facilities
Authors: Vandenberg Erik
Published: May 2023

The discipline of process safety management has proven to be a valuable tool for assisting operators of Major Hazard Facilities (MHF) in focussing on the critically important ‘few’, with a heightened level of scrutiny than that of the ‘many’ lesser critical yet still important elements of a process system. This discipline attracts much oversight, discussion, and enthusiasm from many areas within and outside asset operations teams. Major Accident Hazards may vary in severity and probability throughout the life cycle of existing assets, it is, therefore, important to review these periodically. Clear purpose and definition of Safety Critical Elements (SCE), and in some cases Integrity Critical Elements (ICE), along with intelligent rationalisation of these to reflect the items of legitimate criticality, will allow higher precision and clarity, leading to higher confidence and an improved ability to manage genuine process safety risk. Further improvements can be made through real-time and near-time reporting through risk visualisation bowtie diagrams to ensure hazards can be managed to As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) and their status made visible to enable the most effective prioritisation of work which prioritises restoration of the most compromised threat and consequence barriers first.
Thermal history of the Carrara Sub-basin: insights from modelling of the NDI Carrara 1 drill hole
Authors: Palu Tehani J. , Grosjean Emmanuelle , Wang Liuqi , Boreham Christopher J. , Bailey Adam H. E.
Published: May 2023

NDI Carrara 1 is a 1751 m stratigraphic drill hole completed in 2020 as part of the MinEx CRC National Drilling Initiative, in collaboration with Geoscience Australia and Northern Territory Geological Survey under the Exploring for the Future program. It is the first stratigraphic test of the Carrara Sub-basin, a recently discovered depocentre in the South Nicholson region. The drill hole intersected Cambrian and Proterozoic sediments consisting of organic-rich black shales and a thick sequence of interbedded black shales and silty-sandstones with hydrocarbon shows. A comprehensive analytical program carried out by Geoscience Australia on the recovered continuous core from 283 m to total depth at 1751 m provides critical data for understanding this area. Using data from this drilling campaign, thermal history modelling was undertaken to provide an estimate of the time-temperature maxima that the sub-basin has experienced, contributing to an understanding of hydrocarbon maturity. Kerogen kinetics are used to estimate the petroleum prospectivity of the sub-basin and attempt to understand the timing and nature of hydrocarbon generation. Combined, these newly modelled data provide insights into the resource potential of this frontier Proterozoic–Paleozoic hydrocarbon province, delivering foundational data to support explorers across the eastern Northern Territory and northwest Queensland.
Integrating underground gas storage experience for CCS optimisation
Authors: Katelis Zis G. , Askham William J.
Published: May 2023

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) sites require diligent assessments to account for potential leakage over time. Leakage pathways include both natural and engineered (e.g. wells) invoking the requirement for a structured technical analysis as part of a risk inventory. This paper focuses on lessons learnt from underground gas storage (UGS) sites to guide CCS technical workflows to handle natural geological risk elements. UGS facilities have been operating for over a 100 years. Their injection and withdrawal histories, by their very nature, test the complex changes that occur to the reservoir and cap-rock over time and provide valuable insight to demonstrate the feasibility of CCS and its potential for long-term storage. Geomechanical assessment of the reservoir and cap-rock requires an inventory of core material, log and seismic data with the aim of selecting the appropriate data to model the ability of that formation to contain a column of CO2. As supercritical CO2 is injected into the formation and pore pressure builds, the geomechanics of the reservoir needs diligent review to assess the potential to trigger failure on the cap-rock and pre-existing faults and fractures. UGS injection/withdrawal histories assist in the reservoir and overburden static and dynamic modelling along with designing a measurement, monitoring and verification process for CCS sites. Technical workflows, from seismic and static modelling to geomechanics and dynamic simulation and back to seismic for containment monitoring, are discussed that have been refined by UGS experience to benefit the selection of potential CCS sites.
Beyond the TRIFR – maintaining safe operations with a TRIFR of zero
Authors: Bull Andy
Published: May 2023

Upstream Production Solutions Eastern business has completed 12 months maintaining a Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) of zero. This does not result from running an inherently safe operation. Maintaining performance has required significant effort in the right areas: Training and competence, and verifying competencies are adequately developed; Setting clear expectations for behaviours, and providing visible management support; Providing the right HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) support in the right areas (with a focus on effort where the risk is); Strong reporting culture, with information captured and communicated positively throughout our organisation, avoiding a culture of blame; Practical risk assessment, with robust risk mitigations put in place and tested; Deployment of the right tools (including Step Back 5 × 5 and Job Hazard Analysis) to support conscious review at the work site, with review and feedback provided to teams; Developing leading indicators and visible reporting; and Management review and continuous improvement building our learning of what works. We have continued to face challenges over the past 12 months of operation and we will present examples of issues identified and corrective actions undertaken, including: Training delivered, but competence not achieved prior to starting work on site; Change in work practises not identified and assessed through management of change process – business is exposed to new risks without robust mitigation in place; and Some of our corporate HSE management practises were not delivering real benefits and had to be changed to support delivery of safe operations. Upstream PS will share practical learnings and examples from the last 12 months of this journey.
Cumulative impact assessments – its relevance for Australia’s energy transition
Authors: Miller Ashlyn
Published: May 2023

Environmental impact assessments for offshore oil and gas activities have historically focused on the specific impacts from an individual, and independent, activity. However, as Australia’s environmental assessment process continuously improves, it has become increasingly evident that cumulative impacts from previous, concurrent, or future activities need to be taken further into consideration. Cumulative impacts occur when multiple activities are conducted simultaneously, or consecutively, within the same region resulting in a greater level of potential impact to the environment than what would occur from the individual activity alone. Development of a standardised Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) methodology has been a well argued, and inherently difficult task, leading to current processes considered inadequate globally. With Australia moving in the direction of increasing, and diversifying its offshore energy activities, conducting adequate CIAs within the marine environment has become an increasingly important topic. We explore the challenges others have faced to develop a suitable methodology and shed light on the role CIAs will play during the energy transition phase in Australia. We conclude by outlining the fundamental aspects that require consideration to comprehensively assess cumulative impacts.
Cretaceous depositional environment interpretation of offshore Otway Basin cores and wireline logs; application to the generation of basin-scale gross depositional environment maps
Authors: Cubitt Chris , Abbott Steve , Bernardel George , Gunning Merrie-Ellen , Nguyen Duy , Nicholson Chris , Stoate Alan
Published: May 2023

Gas production from the Inner Otway Basin commenced in the early 2000s but the deep-water part of this basin remains an exploration frontier. Historically, the understanding of plays in this region were largely model driven and therefore the ground-truthing of depositional environments (DE) and gross depositional environments (GDE) are critical. This aspect has been investigated for the Sherbrook Supersequence (SS) by the integration of legacy wireline and core data, with regional 2D seismic facies mapping of new and reprocessed data from Geoscience Australia’s 2020 Otway Basin seismic program. Core observations were matched to wireline logs and seismic facies with resulting well-based DE interpretations calibrated to seismic resolution Regional GDE intervals. Integration of well and seismic observations led to the compilation of a basin-wide Regional GDE map for the Sherbrook SS. This GDE map indicates the distribution of Sherbrook SS play elements such as source rock, seal and reservoir, especially across the Deep-water Otway Basin where well data is sparse.