bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metabolic and Hormonal Contributors to Neuronal Necrosis in Alzheimer’s Dementia
Authors: Overholt Michael
Published: June 2018

Research into the causes of neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD) has focused on neurofibrillary tangles and beta amyloid (Aβ) plaques. This paper proposes the heterodox theory that these hallmarks of AD are the visible effects, not direct causes of neuronal necrosis. Rather AD results from a combination of age-induced, disproportional decline in physiological support for aerobic metabolism, and dysregulation of the sleep cycle processes.  The hypothesis is that the decimation of neurons in AD results from a combination of neurotoxicity and increased apoptosis caused by: 1. direct damage from toxic waste products of anaerobic glycolysis due to a progressive decline in the capacity of neurons to perform oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and an increased reliance on anaerobic glycolysis to meet metabolic needs; 2. impaired cellular repair and effluent release due to dysregulation of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep allowing damage to cell membranes and synaptic junctions to accumulate inducing a chronic inflammatory response; 3. indirect damage from products produced by inflammatory reaction to toxic metabolites; 4. neuronal apoptosis from the AβPP-mediated pathway due to the age-induced decline of growth hormone (GH), GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF).
Complex Buildings and Cellular Automata – A Cellular Automaton Model for the Centquatre-Paris
Authors: D'Autilia Roberto , Hetman Janet
Published: June 2018

We explores the relational, dynamic elements of Complex Buildings, a type of architecture designed to incubate uses, located in urban areas with high housing density. The uses of Complex Buildings concern different elements, including the network of agents using or managing them, the environment, and the activities and functions that take place occasionally, temporarily or permanently. Data was gathered through ethnographic research lasting 6 months and a chronotopian approach was used to describe time and space. We analyzed and discussed the interaction of the elements of Complex Buildings through a cellular automaton model, a computational method that simulates the growth of complex systems. It was used here to generate patterns that suggest configurations of uses that can optimize management and therefore increase economic and social capital. The cellular automaton model was also used to develop an abstraction of the Centquatre, a public cultural center in Paris. This center is a good example of a Complex Building, being based on a public-private partnership and having an architectural configuration designed to host a wide range of art, social and productive activities. The building includes a large central space used as an urban public area open to different types of people. The importance of this case study lies in its capacity to produce economic value by combining different uses, and also by welcoming different people to the public space. Regarding the building as a living organism, the cellular automaton model reveals the determinant nature of the concepts of configuration, compatibility of uses and economic value generated by the presence of people. We argue that this approach makes it possible to show that the space-time design and public space dimensions are determinant factors in Complex Buildings.
Detailed Analysis of 17β-Estradiol-Aptamer Interactions – A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study
Authors: Eisold Alexander , Labudde Dirk
Published: June 2018

Micro pollutants such as 17β-Estradiol (E2) have been detected in low concentrations in different water resources and their negative effects on the environment and organisms are observed. In this study, a previously described 35-mer E2-specific aptamer was used to investigate the underlying binding characteristics between E2 and the aptamer through an MD simulation in an aqueous medium. There is no 3D structure information for this aptamer, so it was modeled using coarse-grained modeling method. The E2 ligand was positioned inside the potential binding area of the aptamer structure, the underlying complex was used for an 25 ns MD simulation, and the interactions were examined by an interaction profiler tool for each time step. The E2-specific bases of the aptamer had presumably dominant roles in the binding of E2 in terms of the different interaction types. We identified the specific bases within the interior loop of the aptamer and we also demonstrate the influence of oftentimes underestimated water-mediated hydrogen bonds. The study contributes to the understanding of the behavior of ligands binding through aptamer structure in an aqueous solution. The developed workflow allows to generate and examine further appealing ligand aptamer complexes.
What Characterizes the Polymodal Media of the Mobile Phone? The Multiple Media within the World’s Most Popular Medium
Authors: Hilbert Martin , Aravindakshan Ashwin
Published: June 2018

While the mobile phone is the world’s most popular media device, it is actually not one single medium, but is effectively used as a different medium by different user groups. The article characterizes polymodal differences in mobile apps usage among different user groups, including gender, education, occupation, screen size, and price. We monitored the complete app usage of 10,725 smartphone users for one month each (56 million sessions, recording almost 1 million hours). Our key contribution consists in developing and analyzing a theoretical framework to classify the over 16,000 apps used into five categories. Exploring nine research questions we provide a broad characterization by asking who, with which characteristics, uses which kinds of apps in what extensity and intensity? For example, it is not the young and high occupational grades that use the mobile phone as a human-to-machine computer (including gaming and artificial intelligence tools). Large screen size is related to extensive long sessions, while a small screen size is related to intensive frequent usage. The results go beyond providing ample empirical evidence for the inherently polymodal nature of the mobile phone, but also proposes a framework on how to possibility deal with it analytically.
The Production of Isoflavones by Genista tinctoria L. In Vitro Culture after Two Vanadium Compounds Application. Possible Transport Mechanism of Secondary Metabolites through Plasma Membrane
Authors: Skalicky Milan , Kubes Jan , Hejnak Vaclav , Tumova Lenka , Martinkova Jaroslava , Martin Jan , Hnilickova Helena
Published: June 2018

Family Fabaceae traditionally serves as food and herbal remedies source. Several plants are already used for menopausal symptoms treatment based on a presence of typical secondary metabolites, isoflavones. Beside soybean and clovers, isoflavones could be produced by other plants or in vitro cultures. This type of production can be further enhanced by elicitation that stimulates metabolites biosynthesis via stress reaction. Vanadium compounds have been already described as potential elicitors and the aim of this study was to determine an impact of NH4VO3 and VOSO4 solutions on isoflavones production in Genista tinctoria L. cell cultures. The significant increase of isoflavones content such as genistin, genistein or formononetin was measured in a nutrient medium or dry mass after NH4VO3 treatment for 24 or 48 hours. The possible transport mechanism of isoflavones was also evaluated. An incubation with different transport inhibitors prior elicitation took effect on isoflavones content in the medium. However, there was non-ended result for particular metabolites such as genistein and daidzein, where ABC or alternatively MATE proteins can participate. Possible elicitation by some inhibitors was also discussed as result of their pleiotropic effect. Despite this outcome, the determining of transport mechanism is important step for identification of specific transporter.
Estimating the Speed of Icegoing Ships by Integrating SAR Imagery and Ship Data From Automatic Identification System
Authors: Simila Markku , Lensu Mikko
Published: June 2018

Ship speeds extracted from AIS data vary with ice conditions. We extrapolated this variation with SAR data to a chart of expected icegoing speed. The study is for the Gulf of Bothnia in March 2013 and for ships with ice class 1A Super that are able to navigate without icbreaker assistance. The speed was normalized to 0-10 for each ship. As the matching between AIS and SAR was complicated by ice drift during the time gap, from hours to two days, we calculated a set of local SAR statistics over several scales. We used random tree regression to estimate the speed. The accuracy was quantified by mean squared error (MSE), and the fraction of estimates close to the actual speeds. These depended strongly on the route and the day. MSE varied from 0.4 to 2.7 units2 for daily routes. 65 % of the estimates deviated less than one unit and 82 % less than 1.5 units from the AIS speeds. The estimated daily mean speeds were close to the observations. Largest speed decreases were provided by the estimator in a dampened form or not at all. This improved when ice chart thickness was included as one predictor.
Be Introduced to the First Universal Common Ancestor (FUCA): The Great-Grandmother of LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor)
Authors: Prosdocimi Francisco , José Marco V , Farias Sávio Torres de
Published: June 2018

The existence of a common ancestor to all living organisms in Earth is a necessary corollary of Darwin idea of common ancestry. The Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) has been normally considered as the ancestor of cellular organisms that originated the three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. Recent studies about the nature of LUCA indicate that this first organism should present hundreds of genes and a complex metabolism. Trying to bring another of Darwin ideas into the origins of life discussion, we went back into the prebiotic chemistry trying to understand how LUCA could be originated under gradualist assumptions. Along this line of reasoning, it became clear to us that the definition of another ancestral should be of particular relevance to the understanding about the emergence of biological systems. Together with the view of biology as a language for chemical translation, on which proteins are encoded into nucleic acids polymers, we glimpse a point in the deep past on which this Translation mechanism could have taken place. Thus, we propose the emergence of this process shared by all biological systems as a point of interest and propose the existence of this non-cellular entity named FUCA, as the First Universal Common Ancestor. FUCA was born in the very instant on which RNA-world replicators started to be capable to catalyze the bonding of amino acids into oligopeptides. FUCA has been considered mature when the translation system apparatus has been assembled together with the establishment of a primeval, possibly error-prone genetic code. This is FUCA, the great-grandmother of LUCA.
Effect of Green Roof Configuration and Hydrological Variables on Runoff Water Quantity and Quality
Authors: Ferrans Pascual , Rey Carlos , Pérez Gabriel , Rodríguez Sánchez Juan Pablo , Díaz-Granados Mario
Published: June 2018

This study assessed the hydrological performance and runoff water quality of 12 green roof (GR) modular systems located at the Universidad de los Andes campus (Bogotá, Colombia). Based on 223 rainfall events spanning a 3-year period, average rainfall retention was 85% (SD = 25%). T-tests, Welch Test, multiple linear regressions and correlation analysis were performed in order to assess the potential effect of air temperature, substrate type, vegetation cover, relative humidity, antecedent dry weather period (ADWP), rainfall duration and rainfall maximum intensity. In some cases, GR design variables (i.e. growing media and type of vegetation) were found to be significant for describing rainfall retention efficiencies and, depending on the GR type, some hydrological variables were also correlated with the rainfall retention. Rainfall and GR runoff were monitored for Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, Total Phosphorus (TP), Phosphates, pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Color, Turbidity, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Coliforms, metals and Poliaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results obtained confirmed that GR systems have the ability to neutralize pH, but are source of the rest of the aforementioned parameters, excluding PAHs (with concentrations below detection limits), Ammonia, TSS, Se and Li, where differences with reference values (rainfall and plastic panel runoff) were not statistically significant. Substrate type, event size and rainfall regime are relevant variables for explaining runoff water quality.
Zagreb Polynomials and Redefined Zagreb Indices of Silicon-Carbon Si2C3-I[p,q] and Si2C3-II[p,q]
Authors: Kwun Young Chel , Virk Abaid ur Rehman , Nazeer Waqas , Gao Wei , Kang Shin Min
Published: June 2018

The application of graph theory in chemical and molecular structure research far exceeds people's expectations, and it has recently grown exponentially. In the molecular graph, atoms are represented by vertices and bonded by edges. In this report, we study the silicon-carbon Si2C3-I[p,q] and Si2C3-II[p,q]. We compute several Zagreb polynomials and Redefined Zagreb indices of these silicon-carbons.
Identification and Characterization of Novel Fc-Binding Heptapeptides from Experiments and Simulations
Authors: Sun Xiaoquan , Weaver Justin , Wickramasinghe Sumith Ranil , Qian Xianghong
Published: June 2018

Purification of biologically-derived therapeutics is a major cost contributor to the production of this rapidly growing class of pharmaceuticals. Monoclonal antibodies comprise a large percentage of these products therefore new antibody purification tools are needed. Small peptides, as opposed to traditional antibody affinity ligands such as Protein A, may have advantages in stability and production costs. Multiple heptapeptides that demonstrate Fc binding behavior that have been identified from a combinatorial peptide library using M13 Phage Display are presented herein. Seven unique peptide sequences of diverse hydrophobicity and charge were identified. All seven peptides showed strong binding to the four major human IgG isotypes, human IgM, as well as binding to canine, rat, and mouse IgG. These seven peptides were also shown to bind human IgG4 from DMEM cell culture media with 5% FCS and 5 g/L ovalbumin present. These peptides may be useful as surface ligands for antibody detection and purification purposes. Molecular docking and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to elucidate the mechanisms and energetics for the binding of these peptides to the Fc region. The binding site was found to be located between the two glycan chains inside the Fc fragment. Both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were found to be crucial for the binding interactions. Excellent agreement for the binding strength was obtained between experimental results and simulations.
Towards a Smart System for Rehabilitation: TANGO-H Recommender System
Authors: González-González Carina S. , Toledo Delgado Pedro A. , Muñoz-Cruz Vanesa , Hernández Miriam , Fardoun Habib M.
Published: June 2018

The main objective of this work was to build an intelligent system for user rehabilitation. The system comprehends a platform with an exercise player and a designer tool. The intelligent platform analyzes the user interactions with it at every time along with the user record evolution to recommend new activities to the user. The main contributions of this work are, firstly, the definition of a recommender system based on different difficulty levels and user skills. The recommender system therefore has the function of providing the user a personalized game mode based on his own records and preferences. Secondly, a gamified system has been developed in the platform to increase the motivation of users and to prevent them from abandoning. Lastly, a twofold validation of the built system has been performed, with a group of experts in the first place and in a real intervention with children afterwards.
Proposal of an Alternative UAV Engine Organic Coolants
Authors: Davidy Alon
Published: June 2018

The demands for high power and low emissions put focus on energy efficiency when developing new engines. An important part is the UAV engine cooling system, which cools the engine structure below damaging temperatures. For high temperatures in the cooling system there is a risk that boiling occurs and while the initial nucleate boiling enhances the cooling effect, the subsequent Film boiling decreases the heat transfer drastically. It is important to understand the benefits and limitations of various fluids when designing a two-phase cooling system. This paper proposes an alternative organic coolant. Its normal application range is 15°C to 400°C, and its pressure range is from atmospheric to 10.6 bar. DOWTHERM A fluid possesses unsurpassed thermal stability at temperatures of 400°C. This fluid, in both the liquid and vapor form, is noncorrosive toward common metals and alloys. Even at the high temperatures involved, the equipment usually exhibits excellent service life. Original equipment in many systems is still being used after 30 years of continuous service. The numerical results, described in this paper, show the potential of DOWTHERM A as a good alternative for cooling a UAV engine. It will extend the working temperature range of the Diesel engine and will maintain the structural integrity of the piston, cylinder and the piston rings.
Preliminary Data Validation and Reconstruction of Temperature and Precipitation in Central Italy
Authors: Gentilucci Matteo , Barbieri Maurizio , Burt Peter , D’Aprile Fabrizio
Published: June 2018

This study provides a unique procedure for validating and reconstructing temperature and precipitation data. Although developed from data in Middle Italy, the validation method is intended to be universal, subject to appropriate calibration according to the climate zones analysed. This~research is an attempt to create shared applicative procedures that are most of the time only theorized or included in some software without a clear definition of the methods. The purpose is to detect most types of errors according to the procedures for data validation prescribed by the World Meteorological Organization, defining practical operations for each of the five types of data controls: gross error checking, internal consistency check, tolerance test, temporal consistency, and~spatial consistency. Temperature and~precipitation data over the period 1931--2014 were investigated. The~outcomes of this process have led to the removal of 375 records (0.02%) of temperature data from 40 weather stations and 1286 records (1.67%) of precipitation data from 118 weather stations, and 171 data points reconstructed. In conclusion, this work contributes to the development of standardized methodologies to validate climate data and provides an innovative procedure to reconstruct missing data in the absence of reliable reference time series.
Optimization of Planting Structure for Irrigation Area with Biannual Cropping Patterns in Xinjiang Oasis in China
Authors: Liu Bing , Wang Zhenhua
Published: June 2018

Light and heat resources are ample in Xinjiang plain oasis region. Planting structure is single in irrigation area, which leads to severe seasonal water shortages due to high concentration of water utilization. Therefore, how to make full use of light and heat resources to develop oasis agriculture without expanding planting scale has become the focus of research. The biannual cropping patterns are possible solutions to the problem. Manas River Irrigation area, which is located on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang in China is regarded as a typical case study to analyze the suitable planting structure and planting scale for biannual cropping pattern. The effects of optimizing planting patterns on alleviating the contradiction between water supply and water need，and the efficiency of water resources utilization was also studied. The results of the study show that：(1) the suitable planting scales of Manas River irrigation area in wet year (P = 25%), normal year (P = 50%), and low flow year (P = 75%) are about 72.66%, 78.73% and 83.91% of the current planting scale. (2) After the planting structure was optimized, the water use process in the irrigation area extends from May to August at present to April to November. The water use ratio at the peak period of water use decreased from 0.847 to 0.601, and the water use peak was significantly dispersed. (3) Economic benefits per cubic metre of water of the biannual cropping patterns increased from 8.65 yuan·m−3 at present to 9.45 yuan·m−3, 10.31 yuan·m−3 and 11.43 yuan·m−3 in wet year (P = 25%), in normal year (P = 50%) and low flow year (P = 75%) respectively, which proved that replanting crops could improve the efficiency of water resources utilization in irrigated areas. Therefore, the optimal planting pattern can be implemented to improve the utilization efficiency of soil and water resources in irrigation area in the arid oasis with single planting pattern with excessive concentration of water use peak and serious water shortage.
Strategies to Engage Adolescents in Digital Health Interventions for Obesity Prevention and Management
Authors: Partridge Stephanie R , Redfern Julie
Published: June 2018

Obesity is one of the greatest health challenges facing today’s adolescents. Dietary interventions are the foundation of obesity prevention and management. As adolescents are digital frontrunners and early adopters of technology, digital health interventions appear the most practical modality for dietary behaviour change interventions. Despite the rapid growth in digital health interventions, effective engagement with adolescents remains a pertinent issue. Key strategies for effective engagement include co-designing interventions with adolescents, personalisation of interventions, and just-in-time adaptation using data from wearable devices. The aim of this paper is to appraise these strategies, which may be used to improve effective engagement and thereby improve the dietary behaviours of adolescents now and in the future.
Comparative Analysis Between the In Vivo Biodistribution and Therapeutic Efficacy of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Administered Intraperitoneally in Experimental Colitis
Authors: Lopez-Santalla Mercedes , Mancheño-Corvo Pablo , Escolano Amelia , Menta Ramon , Delarosa Olga , Redondo Juan M. , Bueren Juan A. , Dalemans Wilfried , Lombardo Eleuterio , Garin Marina I.
Published: June 2018

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising treatment for inflammatory diseases. It is described that the immunomodulatory effect of MSCs takes place both by direct cell-to-cell contact and by means of soluble factors that leads to an increased accumulation of regulatory immune cells at the sites of inflammation. Similar efficacy of MSCs has been described regardless the route of administration used, the inflammation conditions and the MHC context. These observations arise the question as to whether the migration of the MSCs to the inflamed tissues is a pre-requisite to achieve their beneficial effect. To address this, we examined the biodistribution and the efficacy of intraperitoneal luciferase-expressing human expanded adipose derived stem cells (Luci-eASCs) in a mouse model of colitis. Luci-eASC-infused mice were stratified according to their response to the Luci-eASC treatment. According to the stratification criteria, there was a tendency to increase the bioluminescence signal in the intestine at the expense of a decrease in the bioluminescence signal in the liver in the `responder´ mice. These data thus suggest that the accumulation of the eASCs to the inflamed tissues is beneficial to achieve an optimal modulation of inflammation.
Theory of g-Tg-Sets
Authors: Khodabocus Mohammad Irshad , Sookia Noor-Ul-Hacq
Published: June 2018

Several specific types of generalized sets of a generalized topological space have been defined and investigated for various purposes from time to time in the literature of topological spaces. Our recent research in the field of a new class of generalized sets of a generalized topological space is reported herein as a starting point for more generalized classes.
Hermite Hadamard Type Inequalities for Functions Whose Derivatives Are η- Convex via Fractional Integrals
Authors: Kang Shin Min , Saleem Muhammad Shoaib , Ghafoor Mamoona , Nazeer Waqas
Published: June 2018

In the present research, we will develop some integral inequalities of Hermite Hadamard type for differentiable η- convex function. Moreover, our results include several new and known results as special cases.
Degree Equal Dominating Set of a Graph
Authors: N Ramalingam , S Karthikeyan , N Swaminathan , K.S Sudhakhar , S Prabhu
Published: June 2018

A subset D of V is called dominating set if for any vertex u in V-D, there exist at least one vertex v in D such that u and v are adjacent. A subset D of a graph G is called a degree equal dominating set of G if for any u in V-D, there exists v in D such that u and v are adjacent and deg(u) = deg(v). In a social network, members who are neighbors and who have equal status can dominate each other. In the sense, the domination is symmetric. A graph model for this network leads to the concept of degree equal domination. In this paper we define and study the degree equal dominating set of a graph, degree equal irredundant sets in a graph, independent degree equal dominating set of a graph, degree equal complete graphs, 2-equal packing number of a graph.
Representing Sums of Finite Products of Chebyshev Polynomials of Third and Fourth Kinds by Chebyshev Polynomials
Authors: Kim T. , Kim D.S. , Dolgy D.V. , Ryoo C.S.
Published: June 2018

Here we consider sums of finite products of Chebyshev polynomials of the third and fourth kinds. Then we represent each of those sums of finite products as linear combinations of the four kinds of Chebyshev polynomials which involve the hypergeometric function 3F2.
Regional Differences in Energy and Environmental Performance: An Empirical Study of 283 Cities in China
Authors: Sun Zuoren , An Chao , Sun Huachen
Published: June 2018

This paper proposes a new non-radial biennial Luenberger energy and environmental performance index (EEPI) to measure the EEP change in various Chinese cities. The sources of EEP change, in terms of technical efficiency change and technological change, are examined by Luenberger EEPI. The contributions from specific undesirable outputs and energy inputs to the EEP change are identified by means of the non-radial efficiency measure. The proposed approach is applied to evaluate the EEP of the industrial sector in 283 cities in China over 2010-2014. Factors influencing the emission abatement potential are investigated by employing geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We find that 1) changes in EEP can be attributed to technological progress but that technological progress slows down across the study period; 2) the soot emission performance experiences a downtrend among four specific sub-performances in line with the truth that severe haze happened frequently in China; 3) the best performers begin to move from the coastal to inland cities with the less resource consumption and higher ecological equality; 4) cities with the strongest positive effect in regards to pollution intensity on emission abatement potential are located in the areas around the Bohai Gulf, where air pollution is particularly severe.
Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Production Among Smallholder Farmers in Damot Gale and Humbo Woredas of Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Bassa Besufekad
Published: June 2018

This research was aimed to study the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) production among smallholder farmers in Damot Gale and Humbo Woredas. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in order to determine the sample respondents. By using simple random sampling techniques four sample Kebeles were selected. Cross sectional data were collected from 182 farmer households who were chickpea producers in 2016 production season. Primary data were collected from sample households using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and econometric model were employed to analyze the data. To identify the production function of chickpea crops Cobbe-Douglas production function was employed. The study suggest interventions such as intensification strategies which increase yields through proper management and use of inputs, rural infrastructure improvement increases the likelihood of production of chickpea.
Nutritional Quality during Development Alters Insulin-Like Peptides Expression and Physiology of the Adult Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti
Authors: Pooriirouby Rana , Sharma Arvind , Beard Joshua , Reyes Jeremiah , Nuss Andrew , Gulia-Nuss Monika
Published: June 2018

Mosquitoes have distinct developmental and adult life history, and the vectorial capacity of females has been shown to be affected by the larval nutritional environment. However, little is known about the effect of developmental nutrition on insulin-signaling and nutrients storage. In this study, we used Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, to determine whether larval nutrition affects insulin gene expression. We also determined the traits regulated by insulin signaling, such as stored-nutrients levels and fecundity. We raised mosquito larvae on two different diets, containing either high protein or high carbohydrates. Development on a high-carbohydrate diet resulted in several life-history phenotypes indicative of suboptimal conditions, including increased developmental time and decreased fecundity. Additionally, our data showed that insulin transcript levels are affected by a high-carbohydrate diet during development. Females, not males, reared on high-carbohydrate diets had much higher transcript levels of insulin-like peptide 3 (ILP3), a mosquito equivalent of human insulin, and these females more readily stored sugar from the meal into lipids. We also found that AaILP4, not AaILP3, transcript levels were much higher in the males after a sugar meal, suggesting sex-specific differences in insulin-signaling pathway. Our findings suggest a conserved mechanism of carbohydrate-mediated hyperinsulinemia in animals.
A Generalized Fejér-Hadamard Inequality for Harmonically Convex Functions via Generalized Fractional Integral Operator and Related Results
Authors: Kang Shin Min , Abbas Ghulam , Farid Ghulam , Nazeer Waqas
Published: June 2018

In the present research, we will develop some integral inequalities of Hermite Hadamard type for differentiable η-convex function. Moreover, our results include several new and known results as special cases.
JOURNAL OF CORDOBA STUDENTS RESEARCH (JCORSR): EXPANDIENDO METODOLOGÍAS DOCENTES ORIENTADAS A LA APLICACIÓN DEL MÉTODO CIENTÍFICO, LA ESCRITURA DE RESULTADOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y EL PROCESO DE REVISIÓN POR PARES
Authors: Pérez-Écija Alejandro , Buzón Cuevas Antonio , González De Cara Carlos , Mendoza García Francisco Javier
Published: June 2018

Uno de los mayores problemas en la actual formación universitaria en veterinaria es la escasa capacidad de nuestros alumnos para diferenciar la calidad científica de sus fuentes de información bibliográfica. Este trabajo detalla una actividad enfocada a enseñar al alumnado las reglas que rigen la publicación científica y la investigación biomédica, tales como el método científico, buscando también fomentar el espíritu investigador en los participantes y sentando las bases para poder diferenciar fuentes bibliográficas según su calidad. Los grupos de alumnos desarrollaron un trabajo experimental original siguiendo la metodología científica y redactaron tanto un manuscrito en inglés como un póster con sus resultados. El manuscrito fue sometido a una revisión por pares anónima por parte de los propios alumnos y se publicó en formato journal, mientras que el póster se presentó en un congreso de estudiantes. A la vista de la evaluación del proyecto y los resultados obtenidos, este diseño permite eficazmente establecer en los participantes un espíritu crítico respecto a la evaluación científica, fomentando al mismo tiempo su capacidad de innovación y emprendimiento.
ANÁLISIS DEL NIVEL DE ATENCIÓN DE LOS ALUMNOS EN CLASE UTILIZANDO NEUROSKY’S MINDWAVE MOBILE
Authors: Romero Morales Cristóbal , Luna Ariza José María , Bogarín Vega Alejandro , Luque Rodríguez María , González Espejo Pedro
Published: June 2018

Este artículo describe un software en Android específico para el dispositivo NeuroSky’s MindWave Mobile, con el que poder medir el nivel de atención de los estudiantes de grado en informática durante las sesiones tradicionales de clases teóricas y prácticas. Utilizando este software se podrá monitorizar a un grupo de alumnos que portarán el dispositivo en sus cabezas como si fueran unos típico auriculares de escuchar música. El software específico desarrollado irá recogiendo en tiempo real la información sobre el nivel de atención directamente desde el propio teléfono móvil de alumno. A partir de esta información los profesores pueden analizar y determinar: en que sesiones los alumnos han mostrado más o menos atención, en que momentos de cada clase muestran más o menos atención, que transparencias o contenidos son en las que muestran más o menor atención, que comentarios producen mayor atención o menor atención en clase, que alumnos muestran más atención en teoría o en práctica, etc. y por tanto se podrán determinar multitud de posibles acciones para intentar aumentar el nivel de atención de los alumnos durante sus clases.
A Novel Solution to Remove Carbonate and Sulfate Scale in Electric Submersible Pumps, Offshore Oil Wells in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Garcia-Olvera G. , Galicia-Lopez O. , Padilla-Martinez R. , Hernandez-DelAngel E. , Salazar-Munive A. , Miquilena-Rojas E. , Muñoz-Rivera M. , Santillán-Mirsaydi E.
Published: June 2018

In the Gulf of Mexico, an important number of wells in carbonate reservoirs produce heavy oil through electric submersible pumps (ESP). The efficiency and useful life of pumps decrease due to the formation of mineral scales inside the pumps. Study of the main scale components and their origin led to look for a scale remover that is optimal for removal and that has no detrimental effect on the ESP components. Additionally, changes in the operational procedure were implemented to decrease scale formation occurrence.

Inorganic scale samples were recovered from an ESP and characterized by X-ray analysis. The scale modeling software in conjunction with water analysis provided key information to predict the scale tendency and mineral composition under reservoir and operational conditions. These analyses identified the formation of two main scale minerals: calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4). The origin of these minerals is driven by the incompatibility of formation water with water-based drilling fluids, auto-scaling due to temperature changes occurring into the ESP equipment, and the produced water flowing through the pump.

Laboratory experiments were focused on finding the appropriate scale remover that could dissolve the inorganic samples that were recovered from the ESP equipment. The screening of several products allowed identifying the chelating agent with the highest activity dissolving calcium carbonate and calcium and barium sulfate scales in a single treatment.

Corrosion and sensitivity tests were carried out for the metallic and nonmetallic ESP components. These results showed that the product does not have significative effect on the different parts of the ESP equipment; compatibility tests with the heavy oil and the chelant product were also satisfactory. Because of these encouraging results, a field validation test was implemented with outstanding results—the oil well production increased significantly and the temperature in the ESP equipment was improved.

The implementation of this chelating agent in wells presenting scale formation significantly improved the oil production and increased the ESP run life cycle under profitable economic indicators. The operator has implemented an operational procedure for wells operating with ESP that consists in continuous monitoring to optimize the treatments.
Insights into the Mechanism of Lead Sulfide Pbs Fouling and The Influence of Light Distillate Fraction
Authors: Keogh William , Charpentier Thibaut , Eroini Violette , Olsen John Helge , Nielsen Frank Møller , Baraka-Lokmane Salima , Ellingsen Jon Arne , Bache Oeystein , Neville Anne
Published: June 2018

Deposition of inorganic scale on downhole completion equipment contributes to significant downtime and loss of production within the oil and gas industry. High temperature/high pressure (HT/HP) fields have reported build-up of lead sulfide (PbS) scale as a consequence of reservoir souring. This paper reports on the design of an experimental rig allowing diffusion of H2S into a scaling brine under dynamic environments. Multiphase conditions induced by introduction of a light distillate within the system were used to create an emulsion in order to reflect more accurately the scaling process occurring within sour systems. The results showed that the presence of an oil phase within the system caused the lead sulfide nano crystals to reside at the oil- water (o/w) interface; increasing surface build-up propensity through an adhesion process. Performance of a range of coatings for potential application in oilfield environments was determined through gravimetric measurements and microscopy techniques and the wettability of surfaces was shown to have a significant influence on the degree of lead sulfide deposition in a multiphase system.
The Procedures that Time Forgot: Sample Preservation, Back to Basics
Authors: Johnston C. J. , Jordan M. M.
Published: June 2018

A key part of the oilfield scale management toolbox is the ability to determine the concentration of residual scale inhibitors and scaling ions in produced waters. This data is essential to providing correct recommendations for how to manage and inhibit scale in a particular system, as well as monitoring the efficacy of scale management processes already in place.

The progression of analytical techniques over the last two decades has provided enhanced methods for accurate detection of ions and scale inhibitors to low limits of detection, however, correct detection of analytes present in a sample in the laboratory does not necessarily equal characterisation of the analytes in-system as they were present at the point of sampling.

The collation of a range of preservation techniques, each appropriate to a different group of analytes, forms the basis of this paper. The results of several field applications of incorrect sample preservation are outlined and the alternative preservation technique used to correct the analysis will be detailed.

The implication of using the correct preservation technique will be clearly shown to have an impact on scale management where it would lead to reduction of over treatment, leading to increased revenue, whilst also eliminating incorrectly scheduled early well interventions.
Correcting for Mud Filtrate Contamination of Formation Water Samples for Scale Management Planning: A Case Study from the Nova Field, Norwegian North Sea
Authors: McCartney R. A. , Hatscher S. T. , Droppert V. S.
Published: June 2018

To develop scale management strategies and plans during field development planning, it is important to know the composition of formation water in the reservoir. Typically, formation water samples will be collected from appraisal wells and analysed for this purpose. However, when the wells are drilled with water-based mud, the samples are often contaminated with mud filtrate that has invaded the formation during drilling. By adding a tracer to the drilling mud and using a simple mass balance correction technique, it is possible to correct for the effects of contamination and obtain an estimate of the formation water composition. But, where reactions occur during invasion or within the sample after collection, this method of correction will generate an erroneous estimate of the composition. The errors will increase with the extent of reaction and degree of contamination.

In this paper, we describe a new ‘correction’ approach which additionally makes use of (a) 1-D reactive transport modelling of mud filtrate invasion and (b) modelling of reactions occurring in formation water samples after collection. This approach accounts for the potential effects of these reactions and provides an estimate of the formation water composition within uncertainty limits. It reduces the risk of obtaining erroneous estimates of formation water composition and is particularly beneficial where reactions occur and where the mud contamination fractions are elevated (e.g. ~10-40%). At higher fractions, the uncertainties can be so high that the estimated compositions are not useful, emphasising the risks of trying to estimate formation water compositions from heavily contaminated samples.

This approach has been applied to formation water samples obtained from the Nova Field (formerly Skarfjell, Norwegian North Sea). It has meant that the resulting composition and associated uncertainties have been used with more confidence in scale management planning; to select seawater as the injection water, and to identify the scale risks across the relevant nodes in the production process over the life of field of the asset. Based on these risks, appropriate scale mitigation and monitoring measures have been selected.
Mechanisms and Mitigation Strategies of Iron Sulfide Deposition in Sour Gas Wells
Authors: Chen Tao , Wang Qiwei , Chang Frank
Published: June 2018

Iron sulfide deposition on downhole tubular is a ubiquitous phenomenon in sour gas wells, especially for these producing from high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) reservoirs. Many studies have been focused on iron sulfide formation and mitigation previously, the root-cause of iron sulfide deposition is still not well defined and the cost-effective scale management strategy is remained to be identified.

This paper presents some new progresses made for understanding the mechanisms of iron sulfide deposition in the sour gas wells, using a combined approach of laboratorial tests and model prediction.

Study results indicate that iron sulfide can deposit during both acidizing treatment and production stage. Large amount of iron sulfide could precipitate during acidizing treatment and potentially causes severe formation damage. During production stage iron sulfide is accumulated on tubular surface due to corrosion of the underlying metal.

This paper presents a fundamental study to understand the mechanisms of iron sulfide deposition in sour gas wells. Corrosion and scaling inhibition are recommended to mitigate iron sulfide deposition in sour gas wells, especially during acidizing treatment.
Comparing Oilfield Biocides for Corrosion Control Using a Laboratory Method for MIC Generation Under Oilfield-Relevant Conditions
Authors: Eibergen Nora , Maun Philip , Caldwell Brittany , Widera Imke , Morris Brandon E. , Wunch Kenneth , van der Kraan Geert M.
Published: June 2018

The pipelines and vast infrastructure required for the production and transport of oil and gas are largely constructed of carbon steel. This material is highly susceptible to damage and failure as a result of direct or indirect Microbially Influenced Corrosion (MIC). One approach to reduce and/or remediate MIC is the application of microbicides to affected assets such as storage tanks, pipelines, heat exchangers and pumps. The objective of this paper is to generate efficacy data for biocidal formulations against corrosion-associated biofilms grown under anoxic and flowing conditions, which is difficult to obtain due to the distinct nature of biofilms and growth conditions. This data can be more representative when mimicking petroleum and water transporting pipelines. Thus, to facilitate the testing and comparison of products that successfully attenuate MIC under field-relevant conditions, a method that allows consistent corrosion measurements to be made, for corroding biofilms grown on steel surfaces under flowing and anoxic conditions, has been developed. This method utilizes microorganisms that were enriched on carbon steel from a North Sea sediment sample that, when grown in recirculating flow circuits, can generate corrosion rates of up to 65 mpy after four weeks of growth. The samples taken for the enrichment of corroding cultures came from a low tide anoxic sediment sample (black sand). In this presentation and paper, this method and its application to the benchmarking of field-relevant biocidal chemistries in MIC control experiments are described. Attention will be given to the reproducibility of the method as well. Distinct differences can be observed in biocidal performance against biofilms developed on metal surfaces.
Corrosion Testing in Moderate and Ultra High Shear Production Environments
Authors: Madjitey Rodney , Thomson Hunter , Simpson Caroline M. , Frigo Dario M. , Graham Gordon M.
Published: June 2018

Selection of effective corrosion for use in high wall shear conditions is of increasing importance in oilfield production. Development of new oil and gas fields often requires the use of more sophisticated downhole equipment. As a result these production conditions can result in exceptionally high wall shear stress, for example in-flow control devices (ICDs) can reach shear stresses up to 10,000 Pa. To accommodate this, there is need for more representative high shear tests for material and production chemical selection. A jet impingement test procedure is shown that allows for the evaluation of products under such environments. Further to this the shear stresses generated in standard laboratory tests have been compared with a high flow pilot rig and comparative Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling.

A test system has been developed that allows routine laboratory evaluation of corrosion processes at moderate to high shear stresses using jet impingement methodology. A series of tests have been conducted to determine the extent of corrosion under moderate to high shear conditions. Static tests and low shear rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) tests have been carried out using the same brine system to allow comparison of results from the different methods. Ultimately, high flow (moderate to high shear) pilot rig tests have also been used to verify the results.

The results show that the jet impingement approach is effective in generating field representative conditions, which in turn can support material or chemical selection. The work presented is supported by case studies which will be illustrated.

In order to test effectively, the flow regimes experienced in the field must be replicated. Using CFD models we demonstrate that the observed field conditions can be reproduced using these laboratory flow regimes and produce results that correlate well.