bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feasibility Study of a Polymer Flood for the Uzen Brownfield Conditions
Authors: Imanbayev Bakyt , Kushekov Ruslan , Sagyndikov Marat , Shyrakbayev Damir
Published: November 2022

The Uzen field development stage is characterized by high watercut (~90%) due to long-term waterflooding and a recovery factor of 34,6%, which is appropriate for moving to the tertiary recovery methods, especially chemical EOR. Polymer flooding (PF) is a promising chemical EOR technology to provide incremental oil and extend the field life. Therefore, the main features of PF were investigated and screened for the Uzen field conditions within the scope of the feasibility study.

The main geological characteristics of the reservoir were examined to confirm polymer flooding applicability. Reservoir dynamics analysis was conducted to identify the main problems of the current development strategy. Water composition analysis was carried out to assess available water sources in terms of polymer compatibility. Based on Daqing oilfield PF experience, the watercut dynamic behavior was used to determine incremental oil amount for the potential pilot area in Uzen. Since technical feasibility studies are done, economical feasibility has been conducted considering current oil prices.

Parameters such as temperature, permeability, oil viscosity, and brine salinity were found to be the most critical for polymer flood. Two water sources out of three available in the Uzen showed the compatibility of polymers according to water composition analysis. The first priority is given to Cretaceous formation brine as the most appropriate and the second priority is given to Caspian seawater. The potential pilot area with 3 injectors and 14 producers has been selected and forecasted in terms of PF production. PF technology performed for 10+ years resulting in 4.7% of incremental oil recovery. Polymer flooding has proven to be an effective development strategy as a tertiary recovery method that hopefully will be applied in the coming years.

Although polymer flooding has been used for the past ~60 years, for the Uzen field polymer flooding is a step away from being applied for the first time. Observations and obtained results are the basis for future design, implementation, and optimization of PF in the Uzen oilfield.
World's Longest DTS Cable Run for Permanent Monitoring Below ESP - A Successful Solution for West Siberian Wells Surveillance with ESP Systems - Case Study
Authors: Nifontov Nikita , Maltsev Andrey , Vikulin Nikita , Ten Petr , Torsunov Nikolay
Published: November 2022

This article describes evolution of well design concept for Vikulovskaya oil rim reservoir development with no possibility for fracking and first World's longest application of permanent monitoring solution for appraisal multilateral well with the access to the wellbore restricted by presence of ESP pump in West Siberia inside 7″ casing and 4.5″ production liner Horizontal Multilateral well.
Laboratory Investigation on Cryogenic Fracturing of Coal Rocks: An Experimental Study in Kazakhstan
Authors: Longinos Sotirios , Tuleugaliyev Mirlan , Serik Alina , Wang Lei , Hazlett Randy
Published: November 2022

Cryogenic fracturing with liquid nitrogen (LN2) has been identified as a feasible and promising waterless fracturing method for coalbed methane extraction for its environmental safety and effectiveness. Though it performed well in certain field tests in the late twentieth century, the use of LN2 as the fracturing fluid is still largely unexplored. This research work examines the thermo-mechanical properties of coal specimens from the Karaganda basin in Kazakhstan. Coal specimens were subjected to LN2 treatment under varied lab-controlled conditions, such as the freezing time (FT) length and number of freezing-thawing cycles (FTC), both in dried and water-saturated conditions. SEM investigation for FTC and FT experiments for dried coal samples indicated that the LN2 freezing-thawing process can enhance the cryogenic fracture extent and the fracture interconnectivity. Moreover, uniaxial compressive tests indicated that compressive strength decreases beneficially with an increase in both the number of freezing-thawing cycles, while water-saturated experiments indicated substantial change after liquid nitrogen treatment compared to dried ones.
Improving the Operation Efficiency of Deviated Wells with High Oil Viscosity Values and Abnormally Low Reservoir Pressures
Authors: Isaev Anatoliy Andreevich , Takhautdinov Rustem Shafagatovich , Malykhin Vladimir Ivanovich , Sharifullin Almaz Amirzyanovich , Aliev Mekhrali Mirzali ogly
Published: November 2022

Hydraulic fracturing of a formation causes its partial destruction; the subsequent operation of wells is frequently complicated by the release of solid particles (mechanical impurities) from the bottomhole, as well as by the inflow of loose proppant particles into the pump. The authors show how the occurrence of mechanical impurities in the produced fluid affects the operation of downhole installations and the number of well maintenance operations. The paper provides information on the results of measures implemented to prevent mechanical impurities from getting into the pump, whereupon the situation with wells complicated by mechanical impurities has significantly improved. To improve the efficiency of operation of curved wells with high oil viscosity values and abnormally low reservoir pressures, various downhole sucker rod pumps and new solutions for sucker-rod screw pump (PCP) installations have been developed. The analysis of existing PCP designs was carried out.

The today's key strategy of Sheshmaoil Management Company LLC (Republic of Tatarstan, Russia) is to maintain oil production by applying highly effective well interventions (WI), i.e. hydraulic fracturing (HF) [1, 2]. This method of reservoir stimulation has been massively implemented in all seven production companies of Sheshmaoil Management Company LLC since 2014. Mainly transition to such type of WI is connected with abandoning of ineffective methods of production stimulation with various options of acid treatment:

– acid treatments of bottomhole zones; – large-volume selective acid treatments; – acid hydraulic fracturing; – foam-acid treatment.
Combination of WFT and Conventional Well Testing Methods to Effectively Reduce the Time for Hydrocarbons Exploration in Tight and Fractured Suprasalt Carbonates Field in West Kazakhstan
Authors: Shutang Zhin , Blinov Vladislav , Filimonov Anton , Fu Gongwei , Shteynbrenner Kirill , Onggarbay Zhan-Tore , Zhabagenov Muratbek
Published: November 2022

Low-porosity post-salt carbonate reservoirs of Carbonian and Devonian age at Pre-Caspian Region of West Kazakhstan have complex pore structure which cause significant uncertainties in petrophysical properties estimation based on standard wireline logs and subsequently time-consuming and less informative tests in the production string. Therefore, an integrated approach was proposed and applied, involving advanced wireline formation testing methods (WFT) to refine the petrophysical logging results and to optimize the formation tester program and significantly reduce time for dynamic fluid Well Testing in exploration wells.

The new approach integrates methods of WFT using modern technologies which allow to test ultra-low permeability formations. Thus, uncertainties in petrophysical properties such as saturation and fluid contacts are significantly reduced with the use of WFT and allowed to put together optimized and effective formation testing program. The approach described below has helped to cut down the time for Well Testing and brought in valuable information to clarify geological structure and to evaluate oil and gas content of explored reservoirs horizons.
Application of the Wellbore Imaging Tools in Tengiz Field
Authors: Issayev Duman , Sargunanov Marat , Manakhayev Ruslan , Se Yegor , Thornton Dean
Published: November 2022

This paper provides an overview of the borehole imaging tools (BIT) run in the Tengiz-Korolev field giant carbonate reservoirs located in Western Kazakhstan.

Borehole imaging tools have historically been run in Tengiz-Korolev fields both wireline-conveyed and in logging-while-drilling (LWD) conditions. These tools provide indirect images that are derived from a high-density grid of electrical, ultrasonic and formation density measurements. Understanding the distribution of vugs and fractures in carbonate reservoirs greatly enhances the correctness of any proposed flow modeling and, through better plans for drilling and completion, improves production. There have also been successful attempts in generating core-like images based on high-resolution electrical resistivity data recorded in Tengiz's unique "non-conductive" oil-based mud environment. Validation of existing core data with resistivity image log-based fracture picks was performed and encouraged the log-based fracture characterization workflow at wells. Incorporation of the BIT interpretation results confirmed the depositional settings and rock types of interest in both tight matrix and naturally fractured reservoirs.

Understanding the distribution of fractures and karst properties across the conceptual geological regions allowed for calibration of the static and dynamic models. On top of the reservoir model, the implementation of the BIT analysis results helped to constrain key subsurface uncertainties in the principal stresses of the Tengiz 3D mechanical earth model, which is of first order importance for fault reactivation and development of shear zones. The interpretation results allowed determination of the maximum horizontal stress direction from both drilling-induced tensile fractures and borehole breakouts in image-logged intervals.

Currently, the imaging tool is included in the standard well logging program of the field, and characterization of the field utilizing these datasets is ongoing.
A redundancy allocation problem for a series-parallel system with multiple choice technologies considering fuzzy sense with ambiguity and vagueness
Authors: Maji Anushri , Duary Avijit , Bhunia Asoke Kumar , Mondal Shyamal Kumar
Published: November 2022

This study deals with a redundancy allocation problem (RAP) for a series-parallel system with multiple choice technologies contained in each subsystem. The aim of this study is to solve the multi-objective optimization problems by maximizing the system reliability and minimizing the system cost subject to the volume and weight constraints considering three different cases such as (i) crisp, (ii) fuzzy and (iii) fuzzy with ambiguity and vagueness. These multi-objective optimization problems have been solved by applying two methodologies, viz. elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) and Global Criterion Method (GCM). To justify all these models, four numerical examples have been considered and solved. Then the simulated results have been discussed with respect to different cases and methodologies. Also to observe the impact of some vital parameters on system reliability and system cost, sensitivity analyses have been carried out.
Zebrafish pancreatic β cell clusters undergo stepwise regeneration using Neurod1-expressing cells from different cell lineages
Authors: Matsuda Hiroki , Kubota Yukihiko
Published: November 2022

Pancreatic β cell clusters produce insulin and play a central role in glucose homeostasis. The regenerative capacity of mammalian β cells is limited and the loss of β cells causes diabetes. In contrast, zebrafish β cell clusters have a high regenerative capacity, making them an attractive model to study β cell cluster regeneration. How zebrafish β cell clusters regenerate, when the regeneration process is complete, and the identification of the cellular source of regeneration are fundamental questions that require investigation. Here, using larval and adult zebrafish, we demonstrate that pancreatic β cell clusters undergo a two-step regeneration process, regenerating functionality and then β cell numbers. Additionally, we found that all regenerating pancreatic β cells arose from Neurod1-expressing cells and that cells from different lineages contribute to both functional and β cell number recovery throughout their life. Furthermore, we found that during development and neogenesis, as well as regeneration, all β cells undergo Neurod1expression in zebrafish. Together, these results shed light on the fundamental cellular mechanisms underlying β cell cluster development, neogenesis, and regeneration.
Antipodal seismic observation locates liquid region on the Earth’s Inner Core
Authors: Tsuboi Seiji , Butler Rhett
Published: November 2022

The Earth's inner core is thought to have been formed by the precipitation of iron from the fluid outer core. It is considered that a part of the inner core surface where iron in the fluid outer core is precipitated may be melted and formed a mushy region, but its position is not well understood seismologically. We recently analyzed seismic waveforms observed at the antipodal station of the seismic source and showed that there are precursors to reflections beneath the inner core boundary from deeper in the inner core. It has been found that this precursory wave can be modeled as a reflection under the liquid/solid interface at a depth of 100 km below the inner core boundary. Here, we use these precursor waves observed at the antipodal station (> 179°). The sensitivity kernel for the shear wave velocity structure on the inner core surface was calculated by the adjoint method, using theoretical seismic waveforms. The location of the fluid region was identified using this kernel. Our results show two regions of the inner core surface where the shear wave velocity is close to zero. These results may provide seismological evidence to the origin of the earth's magnetic field.
Probing the atomically diffuse interfaces in core-shell nanoparticles in three dimensions
Authors: Li Zezhou , Xie Zhiheng , Zhang Yao , Mu Xilong , Yin Hai-jing , Zhang Ya-Wen , Ophus Colin , Zhou Jihan
Published: November 2022

Deciphering the three-dimensional atomic structure of solid-solid interfaces in core-shell nanomaterials is the key to understand their remarkable catalytical, optical and electronic properties. Here, we probe the three-dimensional atomic structures of palladium-platinum core-shell nanoparticles at the single-atom level using atomic resolution electron tomography. We successfully quantify the rich structural variety of core-shell nanoparticles with heteroepitaxy in 3D at atomic resolution. Instead of forming an atomically-sharp boundary, the core-shell interface is atomically diffuse with an average thickness of 4.2 Å, irrespective of the particle’s size, morphology or crystallographic texture. The high concentration of Pd in the diffusive interface is highly related to the electric double layers of the Pd seeds. These results advance our understanding of core-shell structures at the fundamental level, providing potential strategies into precise nanomaterial manipulation and chemical property regulation.
Neuroimaging and machine learning for studying the pathways from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review
Authors: Ahmadzadeh Maryam , Christie Gregory J. , Cosco Theodore D. , Arab Ali , Mansouri Mehrdad , Wagner Kevin R. , DiPaola Steve , Moreno Sylvain
Published: November 2022

Background: This systematic review synthesizes the most recent neuroimaging procedures and machine learning approaches for the prediction of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) systematic review guidelines.
Results: Our search returned 2572 articles, 56 of which met the criteria for inclusion in the final selection. The multimodality framework and deep learning techniques showed a potential for predicting the conversion of MCI to AD dementia.
Conclusion:Findings of this systematic review identified that the possibility of using neuroimaging data processed by advanced learning algorithms is promising for the prediction of AD progression. We also provided a detailed description of the challenges that researchers are faced along with future research directions. The protocol has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews– CRD42019133402 and published in the Systematic Reviews journal.
Is equipoise a useful concept to justify RCTs in a different cultural context? A survey of clinicians in Pakistan in relation to an RCT of talking therapy for self-harm
Authors: Memon Rakhshi , Asif Muqaddas , Pitman Alexandra , Chaudhry Nasim , Husain Nusrat , Edwards Sarah JL
Published: November 2022

Background
Clinical equipoise, also defined as the uncertainty principle, is considered essential when recruiting subjects to a clinical trial. However, equipoise is threatened when clinicians are influenced by their own preferences. Little research has investigated equipoise in the context of trial recruitment.
Methods
This cross-sectional survey sought clinicians’ views about equipoise and individual treatment preferences in the context of moral justification for recruiting young people at risk of self-harm or suicide to a Randomised Clinical Trial (RCT) to evaluate the Youth Culturally Adapted Manual Assisted Psychological Intervention (Y-CMAP) in Pakistan. We compared the views (11 statements relating to the clinical care of young people at risk of suicide and self-harm) of clinicians involved in RCT recruitment to those of a sample of clinicians not involved in trial recruitment, comparing their sociodemographic characteristics and the proportions of those in each group agreeing with each statement.
Results
There was a response rate of 96%. Findings showed that, during trial recruitment and before the RCT results were known, the majority of all responding clinicians (73.3%) considered Y-CMAP to be an effective treatment for young patients at risk of self-harm or suicide. Although there was acknowledgement of individual preferences for the intervention, there was near consensus (90%) on the need to conduct an RCT for reaching an evidence-based decision. However, there were no significant differences in the proportion of recruiting clinicians reporting a treatment preference for Y-CMAP than similar clinicians treating patients not involved in the trial 31(88.6%) versus 36 (90%), p = 0.566). A significantly higher percentage of health professionals (87.5%) not involved in YCMAP as compared to (48.5%) in the trial (p = .000) stated that there may be other treatments that may be equally good for the patients seemingly undermining a preference for the intervention. Those reporting a treatment preference also importantly acknowledged that there was nothing on which their preference was based, however confident they felt about them, thus accepting clinical equipoise as moral justification for conducting the RCT. There was a significant group difference in views that treatment overall is better as a result of young patients’ participation in the Y-CMAP trial (p = 0.015), and in on perceived availability of other treatment options that were good for young people at risk of self-harm (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
The paper highlights that clinicians in Pakistan accept the notion of clinical equipoise as an ethical justification for patient participation in RCTs. These findings have important implications for researchers conducting RCTs and for the robustness of trial findings.
Concerns related to COVID-19 in South Korea : What are associated individual and regional factors?
Authors: Lee Doo Woong , Jang Jieun , Shin Jaeyong
Published: November 2022

Background
COVID-19 is raising new concerns previously non-existent. It is important to identify risk groups to avoid potential problems that may arise from this.
Methods
Data from the 2020 Korea Community Health Survey and official government database were collected for this analysis and are nationally representative. The final study population was 225,689 (men: 102,358; 45·4%, mean age: 54·9). Multilevel regression analysis was employed to evaluate concerns related to COVID-19 and its related individual- and area-level factors.
Results
4·86% of the variability in the scores of concerns related to COVID-19 was accounted for by district areas. Individuals who lived in the most deprived area showed a higher coefficient of 0·123 (p-value: 0·070) compared to the least deprived area. In addition, concern type 3 (“Concerns of being blamed by others of infection”) showed a higher coefficient when individuals lived in the most deprived area (Q4 coefficient: 0·088, p-value: 0·006).
Conclusion
People in deprived areas had inferior coping strategies; thus, they are more likely to be a risk population for current or future psychological problems. Proper strategies on the population are needed to build risk perception with adequate information about COVID-19.
How do we monitor degraded areas recovery projects?
Authors: Torres Maria Fernanda Oliveira , Ferreira Robério Anastácio , Mendonça Fernanda Cristina Aguiar , Santos Renan Costa , Silva-Mann Renata
Published: November 2022

Areas undergoing forest restoration need to be monitored to achieve ecosystem services. This work was carried out to evaluate the establishment of the riparian forest area in the restoration process, after 18 years of intervention, through temporal analysis of the landscape, biotic and soil indicators. Moreover, a temporal analysis of the landscape, biomass and Gross Primary Production (GPP) was carried out, via geoprocessing, at five-intervals within the period from 2002 to 2020, as well as biotic indicators (seed rain, seed bank, seedlings), and edaphic indicators from 2019 to 2020. The seed rain presented 1,197 propagules, belonging to 27 different species. The soil seed bank showed higher density in the rainy season (21.3 seeds/m2), 25 seeds, seven species, and only one botanical family recorded. In the seedling bank, 1,193 seedlings were reported, belonging to 28 botanical families, in which 57% of the individuals are arboreal-shrubby of the forest. Edaphic conditions improved compared to the initial project implementation. In 2010 using the temporal analysis of the landscape, the planting area was 100% covered with dense vegetation. For biomass and the GPP is a linear increment over time. The successional stage of the area is advanced, with a significant representation of secondary and climax species. The monitoring favored understanding the dynamics of the restoration environment and conservation.
Efficient Metrics for Data Recovery at Perception Layer: e-health Case Study
Authors: Afzaal Rabia , Jan Saeedullah , Ponum Mahvish , Sana Saba , Adnan Kiran , Jameel Aqsa
Published: November 2022

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most innovative technologies, which promises to improve and optimize daily life using sensors and smart devices. Semantic Web of Things (SWoT) is an extension of IoT that makes it possible for devices to enhance communication between each other by behaving intelligently. The SWoT comprises seven-layer architecture, where the perception layer is one of the most important layers, which is used for collecting data from devices and for ensuring communication with the devices and associated layer. Due to insufficient resources, unpredictable link, noise, collision, and sensor faults, data loss can occur at sensor nodes of perception. This paper defines the recoverability metric for the perception layer of the SWoT architecture. The contribution of this paper is three folds. First, it describes the main challenges for data communication in the perception layer. Second, it focuses on the recoverability metric that recovers the missing data at the perception layer. Finally, the recoverability metric is evaluated and compared with the ISO-9126-1 standard design quality metrics. To develop the design quality of SWoT, different measures, including efficiency, availability, and recoverability, are considered and proved with e-health case study. The results are statistically proven and demonstrate that the application of the proposed metric can enhance the SWoT performance and overcomes the problem of temporal loss of information.
Relaxation dynamics transition near the dry-wet transition in foams
Authors: Yanagisawa Naoya , Kurita Rei
Published: November 2022

Liquid foams respond plastically to external perturbations over some critical magnitude. This relaxation process is directly related to the mechanical properties of the foams, playing a significant role in determining foam lifetime, deformability, elasticity, and fluidity. In this paper, we experimentally investigate the relaxation dynamics of foams near a dry-wet transition. When a foam transforms from a dry state to a wet state, it is found that the relaxation mode changes from sequential T1 events to collective rearrangements. We show that this mode transition is closely related to the change in local bubble arrangements and mobility. Furthermore, it is also found that a probability of relaxation events occurring follows a Poisson distribution, suggesting that there is little correlation between discrete relaxation events. These results constitute progress in understanding the dynamical properties of soft jammed systems, relevant for biological and material sciences as well as food science.
Chronic pain in patients with gunshot wounds
Authors: Kuchyn Iurii , Horoshko Vasyl’
Published: November 2022

Background: In civilian life, from 11% to 40% of patients suffer from chronic pain after receiving injuries. There are almost no data on chronic pain in patients with gunshot wounds, isolated clinical cases have been published. The purpose of our study is to determine the factors that can potentially affect the results of treatment of such patients, namely the frequency of development of chronic pain, acute stress reactions, satisfaction with the results of treatment and the number of wound localizations.
Methods: The treatment of 769 patients was analyzed. Pain intensity was diagnosed using a visual analog scale (VAS). To detect neuropathic pain, the pain diagnostic questionnaire (DN4). The presence of an acute stress reaction (ASR) was diagnosed using The hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and medical history, the diagnosis was established by a psychiatrist. Satisfaction with treatment results was studied using the Chaban quality of life scale (CQLS). Group comparisons were made using the Mann-Whitney test and the chi-square test, taking into account continuity correction.
Results: Chronic pain was observed in 538 (70% 95% CI 66.7%-73.1%) patients with gunshot wounds: of them, 439 patients had wounds in 1, 2 anatomical parts of the body, here the frequency of pain chronicity is 69.7% (95% CI 66.0%-78.5%), and 99 patients had wounds in 3 or more anatomical parts of the body – 71.2% (95%CI 63.4%-78.5%). DN4 data suggest the presence of a neuropathic pain component in these patients. Also, all patients were diagnosed with ASR upon admission: the number of HADS points ranged from 9 to 25 points. CQLS data indicate that satisfaction with treatment outcomes was high (76 points) before hospital discharge, but subsequently decreased to a low level (64 points).
Conclusions: Patients with gunshot wounds have a high risk of chronic pain, averaging 45% higher than the general population in civilian trauma patients. A greater frequency of the neuropathic component of pain and acute stress reactions is the reason for such chronicity. A decrease in the level of satisfaction with the results of treatment, in the remote period of observation, compared to the level at the time of discharge from the hospital, is probably a consequence of the formation of chronic pain.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov: Retrospectively registered on August 1, 2022, NCT05489029.
Effect of European COVID-containment policies on epidemiological monitoring indicators
Authors: Podrecca Chiara , Parimbelli Enea , Pala Daniele , Cheng Cindy , Messerschmidt Luca Elias , Büthe Tim , Bellazzi Riccardo
Published: November 2022

Since its initial appearance on the western world in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a catastrophic event that has seriously endangered the world’s population. While governments have tried their best to respond appropriately to the changing rhythms of the pandemic, they have largely been unprepared to deal with a calamity of such proportion. This is in no small part due to the lack of sufficient or adequately fine-grained data necessary for forecasting the pandemic’s evolution. To remedy this gap, researchers from around the world have been collecting data about different aspects of COVID-19’s evolution and government responses to them so as to provide the foundation for informative models and tools that can be used to mitigate the current pandemic and possibly prevent the spread of future ones.
Indeed, a number of research initiatives were launched in the early stages of the pandemic with this goal, including the PERISCOPE (Pan-European Response to the ImpactS of COVID-19 and future Pandemics and Epidemics) Project 1 , funded by the European Commission. PERISCOPE aims to investigate the broad socioeconomic and behavioral impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of making Europe more resilient and prepared for future large-scale risks.
The purpose of this paper, which is part of work carried on within the PERISCOPE project, is to provide a first analysis at the European level of the effect of policy actions on the spread of the virus. To do so, the relationship between a novel index, the Policy Intensity Index, and four epidemiological variables collected by the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention will be assessed.
After a first exploratory correlational and causal analysis, a comprehensive Pan-European population model is proposed: based on Multilevel Vector Autoregression, the model aims at identifying effects that are common to all European countries while treating country-specific policies as covariates explaining the different evolution of the pandemic in 9 selected countries, tracked through four epidemiological monitoring indicators.
Intelligent optimization under blocking constraints: a variant iterated greedy algorithm for hybrid flow shop scheduling problem
Authors: Wang Yong , Wang Yuting , Han Yuyan , Li Junqing , Gao Kaizhou
Published: November 2022

The hybrid flow shop scheduling problem (HFSP) is one of the most relevant optimization problems in manufacturing industry. This paper aims to minimize the makespan for a hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with blocking constraints (BHFSP), which is an extension of traditional HFSP and has more practical significance. We construct the mathematical model of BHFSP and verify its correctness by Gurobi. Specifically, our study develops a variant iterated greedy (VIG) algorithm to solve the above model. The main novelties of the proposed algorithm are that a hybrid decoding strategy, i.e., forward decoding and backward decoding, are designed to calculate the objective value; a parallel mechanism is adopted to increase the diversity of VIG; a simple local search based on swap operator and a cooperative mechanism based on crossover are proposed to enhance the convergence and diversity of the algorithm. Comprehensive computational experiments are conducted on 100 instances to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results and statistical analyses show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the six state-of-the-art algorithms and can effectively solve BHFSP.
Distribution and pollution characteristics of organophosphate esters: reflected by tree rings of arbor species
Authors: Song Jiaojiao , Xiong Xiaoyu , Yin Hongling , Xiong Yuanming , Fang Shuhong
Published: November 2022

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a kind of emerging pollutants. Tree rings are long-lasting reservoirs of OPEs in the environment and can be analyzed to indicate OPEs contamination in the sampling region. Currently, research on OPEs in tree rings is still limited. In this study, tree rings of 5 arbor species from Sichuan Province, China, were sampled to study the occurrence and distribution of 6 OPEs, which were quantitatively analyzed by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total concentrations of OPEs in all samples ranged from 189.79 (Fir species) to 341.23 ng/g (Toona sinensis), with average concentration of 284.77 ± 46.66 ng/g. The concentrations of OPEs in the 5 arbor species showed no significant difference. Tree rings of arbor species could be used as good passive samplers to show the occurrence and distribution of OPEs in the regional environment. Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP) was the dominant OPEs followed by tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). Tris (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP) showed relatively stable concentrations in each arbor species, while the other 4 OPEs including TBEP, triphenyl phosphate (TPhP), tri(chloropropyl) phosphate (TCPP) and TCEP had significantly different concentrations. Interestingly, the absorption and accumulation of OPEs by tree rings of arbor species was quite different from that of inorganic elements reported by other studies.
A Natural Language Processing Pipeline to Study Disparities in Cannabis Use and Documentation Among Children and Young Adults A Survey of 21 Years of Electronic Health Records
Authors: Tavabi Nazgol , Raza Marium , Singh Mallika , Golchin Shahriar , Singh Harsev , Hogue Grant , Kiapour Ata
Published: November 2022

The legalizations of medical and recreational cannabis have generated a great deal of interest in studying the health impacts of cannabis products. Despite increases in cannabis use, its documentation during clinical visits is not yet mainstream. This lack of information hampers efforts to study cannabis effects on health outcomes. A clear and in-depth understanding of current trends in cannabis use documentation is necessary to develop proper guidelines to screen and document cannabis use. Here we have developed and used a hierarchical natural language processing pipeline (AUROC=0.94) to evaluate the trends and disparities in cannabis documentation on more than 23 million notes from a large cohort of 370,087 patients seen in a high-volume multi-site pediatric and young adult clinic over a period of 21 years. Our findings show a very low but growing rate of cannabis use documentation (<2%) in electronic health records with significant demographic and socioeconomic disparities in both documentation and use, which requires further attention.
Translation to German and linguistic validation of the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) questionnaire
Authors: Kulnik Stefan Tino , Gutenberg Johanna , Mühlhauser Kathrin , Topolski Tari , Crutzen Rik
Published: November 2022

Purpose: To produce a culturally adapted translation of the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) questionnaire for German speaking Austrians and to conduct a linguistic validation of the new questionnaire version.
Methods: The original English-language RAPA questionnaire was independently forward-backward translated to Austrian German. The new version of the RAPA then underwent linguistic validation through individual cognitive debriefing interviews with older adults aged 55 to 78 years with and without health conditions (n=13).
Results: Several distinct choices were made in the translation of the RAPA questionnaire to German, including the use of colloquial terms for ‘physical activity’ and ‘intensity’; and the decision to keep to the original examples and images of different physical activities for illustrating the intensity levels (light, moderate, vigorous) of physical activity. In cognitive debriefing, interviewees commented that some example activities for the respective intensity levels could – depending on the individual – also represent a higher or lower intensity level; and that the wording of RAPA items 4 and 5, which describe the category ‘under-active regular’ aerobic activity, was difficult to understand. Both issues were addressed and resolved through minor iterative modifications made during the cognitive debriefing process.
Conclusion: A new Austrian German version of the RAPA questionnaire has been produced applying a rigorous method of forward-backward translation and qualitative linguistic validation. The questionnaire may now be taken forward for psychometric evaluation.
Prediction of hypotension during the alveolar recruitment maneuver in spine surgery: A prospective observational study
Authors: Min Ji Young , Chang Hyun Jae , Kim Sung Jun , Cha Seung Hee , Jeon Joon Pyo , Kim Chang Jae , Chung Mee Young
Published: November 2022

Background: Atelectasis can occur in many clinical practices. One way to prevent this complication is through the alveolar recruitment maneuver (ARM). However, hemodynamic compromise can accompany ARM. This study aims to reduce the hemodynamic effect of ARM by predicting hypotension during ARM using a non-invasive method.
Methods: 94 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-II patients aged 19 to 75 with scheduled surgery were enrolled. After anesthesia, we performed a stepwise ARM by MAQUET Flow I. Data on the mean blood pressure (MBP), heart rate, pleth variability index (PVI) and perfusion index (Pi), cardiac index (CI), and stroke volume variation (SVV) were collected before induction of anesthesia (T0), just before ARM (T1), at the start of ARM(T2), 0.5 min(T3), 1 min (T4), 1.5 min (T5, end of ARM), and 2 min after the beginning of ARM (T6).
Results: Hypotension was defined as when the MBP at T5 decreased by 20% or more compared to the baseline mean blood pressure; 75 patients developed hypotension during ARM. Pi was considerably higher in the hypotension group than the non-hypotension group before induction. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of Pi for predicting hypotension during ARM was 0.718 (95% CI 0.615~0.806; p=0.004), and the threshold value of the Pi was 2.4.
Conclusion: A Higher Perfusion index value before induction of anesthesia can be used to predict the development of hypotension during ARM. Prophylactic management of the following hypotension during ARM could be considered in high baseline Pi patients.
Carbon dioxide emissions and the Environmental Kuznets Curve: evidence from ASEAN
Authors: Ponce Brian Jason H. , Manlangit Ariane T.
Published: November 2022

We examined the non-linear relationship of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) with economic growth and energy consumption using a panel data consisting of the ten ASEAN member states from 1960 to 2021. The order of integration of each series in the study were verified by the IPS test, Fisher-ADF test, and the Fisher-PP test. The existence of a cointegrating relationship between the variables being studied were verified by the Kao test and the Pedroni test. We find strong empirical evidence supporting the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in the ASEAN region, suggesting the existence of a per capita income turning point which is approximately equal to USD 4,808.85. Upon reaching this point, CO2 emissions and economic growth in the ASEAN region will begin to decouple, implying the existence of an environmentally sustainable economic growth path beyond the turning point. The results of the study suggest that the ASEAN member states should design coordinated strategic plans to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions by promoting the use of renewable energy sources without compromising economic growth in the region.
JEL classification: Q40, Q53, Q56
The quantitative investigation of spark plasma on skin parameters: skin elasticity, thickness, density, and biometric characteristics
Authors: Ghasemi Erfan , Nilforoushzadeh Mohammad Ali , Khani Mohammadreza , Amirkhani Mohammad Amir , Nouri Maryam , Charipoor Parisa , Eftekhari Mohammad , Izadpanah Samira , Shokri Babak
Published: November 2022

Cold atmospheric plasma has been developed and utilized as a novel technique for skin rejuvenation because of its various effects on cells and living things. This study investigated the accuracy of this claim and any possible side effects of using spark plasma to rejuvenate skin. The present work is the first quantitative investigation using animal models.
12 Wistar rats were divided into two groups for this investigation. To compare the skin's natural process with the treated skin, the first group underwent a single session of plasma therapy, while the second group served as the control group. The back of the necks of the samples was shaved for 20 cm. Before beginning treatment, the MPA9 multifunctional skin tester was used to determine the melanin index, erythema index, and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The skin's thickness and density were assessed using sonography, and its elasticity index was calculated using a Cutometer.
The samples were exposed to plasma radiation in the designated area (in a triangular pattern). The signs mentioned above were examined immediately after the following therapy and at the weekly appointment, 2-4 weeks later. Optical spectroscopy was also used to demonstrate the presence of active species.
2.4 GHz Compact Textile Antenna for Body Wear Application and Monitoring Of Health Parameters
Authors: Ghodake Asha Pandit , B.G Hogade
Published: November 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Transcriptome Analysis and Single-Cell Sequencing Analysis Reveal the Prognostic Value and Immune Landscapes of CD276 in Pan-Cancer and Clinical Validation in Glioblastoma
Authors: Dai Lirui , Guo Xuyang , Xing Zhe , Tao Yiran , Liang Wulong , Shi Zimin , Hu Weihua , Zhou Shaolong , Wang Xinjun
Published: November 2022

Background
CD276, also known as B7-H3, is one of the most important immune checkpoints of CD28 and B7 families, and its abnormal expression is closely associated with cancers. It has been discovered that CD276 can inhibit the function of T cells, which may become a promising immunotherapy target for cancers.
Methods
Since there are few systematic studies on CD276 in cancers, this study used single-cell sequencing and bioinformatics methods to analyze the expression patterns, clinical significance, prognostic value, epigenetic alterations, DNA methylation level, tumor immune cell infiltration and immune functions of CD276 in cancers. In addition, we performed a simple validation of the above analysis using RT-qPCR assay.
Results
The results showed that CD276 is highly expressed and often associated with poorer survival and prognosis in most cancers. In addition, CD276 expression was closely associated with T cell infiltration, immune checkpoint genes, immunoregulatory interactions between lymphoid and a non-lymphoid cell. It is worth mentioning that CD276 expression was significantly higher than normal controls by RT-qPCR in glioblastoma (GBM), and the co-expression network, biological function and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity of CD276 in GBM were further explored.
Conclusions
Our findings reveal important roles of CD276 in different cancers, especially GBM, and may become a potential cancer biomarker.
Spatial characterization and quantification of CD40 expression across cancer types
Authors: Bates Katherine M. , Vathiotis Ioannis , MacNeil Tyler , Ahmed Fahad Shabbir , Aung Thazin Nwe , Katlinskaya Yuliya , Bhattacharya Sabyasachi , Psyrri Amanda , Yea Steven , Parkes Amanda , Sadraei Nooshin Hashemi , Roychoudhury Siddharta , Rimm David L. , Gavrielatou Niki
Published: November 2022

Background
CD40, a TNF receptor family member, is expressed by a variety of immune cells and is involved in the activation of both adaptive and innate immune responses. Here, we used quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) to evaluate CD40 expression on the tumor epithelium of solid tumors in large patient cohorts of lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.
Methods
Tissue-biopsy samples from nine different solid tumors (bladder, breast, colon, gastric, head and neck, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian, pancreatic and renal cell carcinoma), constructed in tissue microarray format, were initially assessed for CD40 expression by QIF. CD40 expression was then evaluated on the large available patient cohorts for three of the tumor types demonstrating high CD40 positivity rate; NSCLC, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. The prognostic impact of CD40 expression on tumor cells was also investigated.
Results
CD40 expression on tumor cells was found to be common, with 80% of the NSCLC population, 40% of the ovarian cancer population, and 68% of the pancreatic adenocarcinoma population displaying some degree of CD40 expression on cancer cells. All of three of these cancer types displayed considerable intra-tumoral heterogeneity of CD40 expression, as well as partial correlation between expression of CD40 on tumor cells and on surrounding stromal cells. CD40 was not found to be prognostic for overall survival in NSCLC, ovarian cancer, or pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Conclusions
The high percentage of tumor cells expressing CD40 in each of these solid tumors should be considered in the development of therapeutic agents designed to target CD40.
Nutritional evaluation of shrimp waste and its inclusion in laying diet for European quails
Authors: Fileto Juliana Braga , Freitas Ednardo Rodrigues , Nepomuceno Rafael Carlos , Gomes Thalles Ribeiro , Silva Valquíria Sousa , Santos Edibergue Oliveira dos , de Souza Otoniel Félix , Watanabe Germana Costa Aguiar , de Oliveira Paula Joyce Delmiro
Published: November 2022

The present research aimed to evaluate the shrimp waste meal (SWM) in the diet of European quails in the production phase. Firstly, a metabolism trial was carried out with 96 quails of 28 days of age distributed in an completely randomized design (CRD) with three treatments (reference diet and two test diets in which SWM replaced 20% and 40% of the reference diet) and four replications of eight birds. It was observed that the nutritional composition of SWM is within the variation found in the literature, differing only in the sodium content. There was no difference in apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent corrected for nitrogen balance (AMEn) values. In the performance trial 200 quails of 28 weeks of age were distributed in a CRD with four treatments (0, 5, 10 and 15.0% of inclusion of SWM) and five replications of ten birds. There was reduction in the nitrogen metabolization coefficient (NMC) with the inclusion of 15% SWM. The feed intake, production and egg mass worsened with 15% inclusion, causing a linear reduction of these variables. The inclusion of SWM at all levels reduced the values of specific gravity and Hugh units, and the level 15% promoted reduction in shell percentage and shell thickness. No difference was observed on any of the economic variables. It was concluded that the AMEn of SWM is 2,377 kcal/kg DM and that the inclusion of SWM in the diet of quails in production can be up to 10%.