bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Risks: Offshore Wind-Powered Hydrogen Production Using Existing Infrastructure
Authors: Leach E. H. , Mahoney D. , Melville R. C.
Published: September 2023

The PosHYdon project (PosHYdon website) is an innovative energy transition pilot project in the Dutch North Sea. The project is the first of its kind in the world and will produce green hydrogen using offshore wind power on an operational platform. Electricity from offshore wind will be used to electrolyze filtered sea water, producing hydrogen for transportation to shore using existing North Sea gas infrastructure. This has the potential to vastly reduce complexity and cost. However, using the existing gas infrastructure means the newly produced hydrogen will pass through other existing operational platforms which can impact the safety risk profile of the existing assets.

This paper presents recent modelling work carried out by Kent to help a Dutch North Sea operator understand the change in risk on their production platform due to the presence of this hydrogen passing through the facility. Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling techniques have been applied to quantify the consequences of accidental releases of gas mixtures containing hydrogen. This modelling work includes simulating the dispersion of releases and subsequent build-up of flammable gas, as well as the overpressures generated by vapour cloud explosions caused by the ignition of flammable clouds.

These consequences have been combined with historical leak frequency data and ignition probabilities to calculate probabilistic explosion loads for critical locations on the platform, allowing the operator to understand and manage any change in risks due to this novel project.

The following conclusions have been drawn from the study:

The ignition probabilities for hydrogen releases are higher than for conventional hydrocarbons. It is difficult to quantify the extent to which ignition probabilities will be increased for releases which are a mixture of hydrogen and conventional hydrocarbons, so there is an opportunity for further work in this area. For the purposes of this study, ignition probabilities have been taken from UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) curve 21 (International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, 2010) and doubled, following the Energy Institute guidance (Energy Institute, 2006). The wider flammable range of hydrogen resulted in increased flammable cloud volumes for large hydrogen containing releases, compared to conventional hydrocarbons. The flammable volumes for smaller releases were similar between the hydrogen containing releases and the conventional hydrocarbon releases. The higher reactivity of hydrogen resulted in an increase in overpressure on a key target of between 25% and 90% depending on the hydrogen content. The combination of these factors resulted in an increase in overpressure loads at critical frequencies of up to 40% for a key target on the platform.
Swing to Fatigue: Exploring Fatigue and Sleep Health and their Differences Between Regular and Swing Shift Patterns in Oil and Gas Offshore Workers
Authors: Mihulkova J. , Donald R. , Henderson A.
Published: September 2023

The objectives of the study were to explore fatigue levels on swing shifts, whereby workers work on day shifts for the first week and roll over to night shifts for the second week, compared to regular shifts; sleep health when workers were off work onshore compared to their time offshore; and the effects of fatigue on performance. The study also identified some of the factors that may cause feelings of fatigue.

Mixed-method, self-report surveys collected data on sleep hygiene, sleep health, and fatigue. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with the workers who were on swing shifts to help understand the impacts of fatigue with three offshore workers. A number of statistical tests and qualitative analysis were carried out.

Results obtained from the survey showed experiences of mild fatigue levels and mild severity of fatigue across the workforce. Interviews revealed that workers on swing shifts experienced higher levels of fatigue which impacted their performance via poorer communication, attention, reaction time, and motivation. It was also found that fatigue negatively impacted physical functioning and ability to carry out duties and responsibilities. Importantly, sleep health scores in swing shift workers were significantly worse when they were offshore compared to onshore. Such finding was not observed in workers who operated on regular shifts. Factors such as sleep health, sleep quality, and energy levels negatively correlated with self-reported fatigue levels.

In general, present findings supported previous literature which found that swing shift may have caused or increased fatigue levels due to the adaptation process to a different wake-sleep cycle that took days. It was found that swing shift operators experienced worse sleep health when they were offshore compared to onshore. This study identified some of the possible sources and effects of fatigue that can directly inform interventions in terms of subjects for focus.
Multi-Stage Hydraulic Fracturing Using High- Temperature Fracturing Fluids in the Deepest Offshore Well in China- Case Study of Lab Test and Field Execution
Authors: Feng Yi , Zhang Ming , Li Junbao , Zhang Bo , Hu Lipeng , Wang Yisheng , Zhang Xuefeng , Liang Tian , Wang Zichao , Feng Liang , Wuauthor Changhong
Published: September 2023

Bohai Bay is one of the world's largest oil and gas fields, consisting of different reservoirs with multiple lithologies.

BZ condensate oil and gas reservoir is discovered in recently past years. It is planning to develop this field in future years. This field are fractured buried hill condensate gas reservoir, buried deeply and it is not property researched. Several Wells drilled at early stage of the production schedule is not stable and economic value is not enough, so hydraulic fracturing technology is needed to realize the maximization of the production. Due to the well was deep with extremely high temperature and high pressure, the choice of the method of completion, fracturing process design and the realization of the project are challengeable.

When the target well depth over 5000m with temperature over 195 °C, we usually use metal crosslinked fluids, particularly using CMHPG and crosslinked with Zirconate crosslinker designed for high temperature. This system delivers a great combination of benefits: availability, low cost, ease to use, high viscosity, and fluid recovery.

BZ 9 well is the deepest offshore in China by far. We finish the multi-stage hydraulic fracturing using High-temperature fracturing fluids. We conduct DST test, production evaluation, DFIT Test, Hydraulic Fracture for BZ 9 well. Data analysis and caliber the production evaluation is also tried to do. The high temperature fracture fluid stability test, break test, surface tension test, core perm recovery test is shown is this article. At the same time, also show the well fracturing design idea and method of pump schedule, fracturing model result, DFIT and SRT process, understanding of the reservoir, display and analysis of fracturing plot, the full 3D GRID- ORIENTED HYFRAULIC FRACTURE STIMULATOR corrective, the analysis of the pressure plot, flowback and production, and further suggestions are put forward.
Novel Kick Detection Tool Based on Knowledge-Data-Dual-Driven Approaches
Authors: Shi Xiaoyan , Cui Meng , Ji Yong , Wu Dong , Guo Weihong , Jing Lingzhi , Tian Yumeng , Yang Xinyi
Published: September 2023

Recognizing abnormal fluid influx is the first and most important step for well control safety. However, due to the complexity of the wellbore fluid mechanism, uncertainty of the formation pressure and noises in the real-time measurement data, it is difficult to detect kicks by conventional approaches. The purpose of this paper is to propose a knowledge-data hybrid approach and build a reliable and easy-to-use tool to automatically detect kicks. Based on the knowledge of the kick main indicators, this work utilizes Long-Short moving window average algorithm combining advanced filtration technology to capture subtle change trends precisely and timely in noisy real-time measured surface data during drilling. Self-adaptive kick threshold value adopting approaches are proposed to improve the accuracy of kick detection for different data measuring technologies. The knowledge and inference logic of specific drilling operations and phenomena, such as wellbore ballooning effects and drilling fluid poring, are embedded in the data analysis technologies to reduce the false alarms of the kick detection system. A reliable and practical intelligent kick detection tool is built based on this knowledge-data-dual-driven method. The must-have input set of this tool only contains 8 channels, including pit volumes, outlet flowrate, stand pipe pressure, and etc, which makes the tool flexible and widely applicable. The tool consumes both real-time and archived drilling data, and provide audible and easy-to-understand visual alarms when kick is detected. Moreover, the tool supports different outlet flowrate measurement technologies, including Paddle meter, Radar meter and Coriolis meter. Extensive testing process using historical data manifests that the kick detection rate is 100% (correctly detected 16 kicks out of total 16 kicks), and the overall detection time is 6.1 mins earlier comparing to that of conventional methods. The tool was also deployed in a real-time operation center for more comprehensive verification. During the trial, 1 kick was experienced which was detected accurately and timely by the tool. The false alarm rate of the tool is lower than 3.5 times per 12 drilling hours for paddle meters. According to the demonstrated kick detection rate and false alarm rate, the tool is promising and beneficial for detecting kicks in early time automatically, which improves the well control safety and enables further automatic well control process.
Maximizing Technology for the Energy Transition: An Organisational Innovation Adoption Culture Survey
Authors: Roberts Ruby , Flin Rhona , Corradi Luca
Published: September 2023

Accelerating our transition towards a net zero future is imperative for both the longer-term success of the energy sector and providing energy security for wider society. An integrated North Sea offers significant opportunities for working towards these targets but also represents challenges for the energy sector. Innovation has been the backbone of the oil and gas industry, continuing to provide many solutions for a smooth transition. Whilst there have been increasing efforts to facilitate innovation, the oil and gas industry has retained a reputation for being conservative and reluctant to adopt new technology with many companies preferring to be "fast followers". Consequently, it is essential for the success of the energy transition to address the resistance to innovation adoption.

Our previous research has shown that that psychological factors impact on technology adoption decisions in the oil and gas industry, such as gatekeepers’ attitudes, motivations, and risk perception, as well as social influence – all with the potential to act as innovation barriers. Organisational culture was found to have a significant effect on how people respond to and introduce technology into their organisation. Whilst the role of organisational culture is recognised for key strategic priorities, such as safety, less is known about the culture that values and facilitates innovation uptake. In response to this gap, a pioneering organisational innovation adoption culture questionnaire was developed based upon our earlier findings and extant literatures. Having been successfully piloted with 12 operating companies in 2021, in this study it was refined and validated with one international oil company.

The refined innovation adoption questionnaire consists of 36 items covering eight factors: Collaboration, Innovation Value, Leadership & Vision, Implementation Context, Open Communication, Organisational Learning & Competence, Rewards & Recognition, and Risk Taking for Technology adoption. The questionnaire was run in an online survey across the company with 455 participants (85%working onshore and 13% working offshore, 2% did not indicate). The results provided a valuable snapshot of this company's innovation adoption culture across multiple locations and business areas. To examine the link between innovation adoption culture and innovation adoption behaviour, two questions asked about the current technology innovation adoption status in the company. An overview of the development of the measure and results of a psychometric analysis (criterion validity) of the questionnaire will be given, as well as recommendations and best practices on how to support an innovation adoption culture. This novel survey tool can offer valuable insights for companies looking to strengthen their innovation uptake profile, maximising the potential of innovation as part of their energy transition.
ROV-Based Multi-String Hot Tapping Optimizes Subsea Wellhead Annulus Abandonment
Authors: Wylie Iain , Malone John , Shiung Cody , Thaisiri Korakoch , Sripramote Pobtorn
Published: September 2023

Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to access annular spaces within a subsea multi-string wellhead avoids HSE risk and subsequently reduces the cost and time associated with abandonment operations compared to that of typical rig workovers and diver-assisted repairs. This method was selected to access the annuli of plugged and abandoned exploration wells for remediation, prior to wellhead severance. The operation creates a controlled conduit to surface for pressure testing, venting, and cementing operations to each annulus in a multi-string configuration.

A set of subsea exploration wells drilled in the late 1980’s, slated for wellhead severance, had been plugged and abandoned. However, a wireline survey found evidence of gas trapped in various annuli, preventing severance until remediated, which could have introduced Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) risk during wellhead severance operations. These wellheads consisted of a 30 in. wellhead and various combinations of 20 in., 13 3/8 in., and 9 5/8 in. casings. To avoid rig workover or diver-assisted operations, a suite of ROV tooling was developed to gain controlled access to each annulus. The operation involved cutting a window into the wellhead, preparing a sealing surface for an isolation valve, and hot tapping a hole into the annulus. A downline was then connected for remediation operations.

The ROV-based subsea multi-string hot tapping method safely accessed a mixture of single and multiple annuli subsea wellheads. Over two campaigns of 42 wells, the typical time to complete a two-annulus well was three and half days and two and half days for a one-annulus well. The annulus remediation had mixed success; some wells pressure tested well after venting, other wells required cementing, and some wells with low injectivity and continuing pressure trends were plugged for remediation by a rig in a later campaign. Overall, the campaign demonstrated a new ROV method for controlled hydraulic access to the annular space of subsea wellheads for intervention and remediation.

The ROV-based method described in this paper has been applied for decommissioning the annulus of plugged and abandoned subsea wells prior to wellhead severance but could be applied for other annular access purposes.
Low Cost Electrochemical Ammonia Cracking and Fuel Cell
Authors: Laddha Chetan
Published: September 2023

Ammonia is a dense energy carrier with high energy density and established supply chain for transport, and storage of green energy. Ammonia is a common commodity used in the fertiliser and chemical sector and has a potential to become an affordable and sustainable energy carrier to meet growing demand for industrial decarbonisation. This paper describes an innovative ceramics-based solid oxide fuel cell technology for conversion of ammonia into fossil fuel parity energy at a thermal efficiency of 85%. The technology is based on proton conducting ceramics (PCC) electrochemical pathway which eliminates NOx emissions by design and ammonia slippage by catalyst performance and reactor design. The technology has been developed over the last 7 years and the ammonia utilisation capabilities has been proven through demonstrations conducted for O&G and industrial companies. The technology uses low-cost and widely available ceramics-based catalyst. The technology is particularly suited for industrial decarbonisation because of the ability to yield high efficiency and the ability to produce low-cost heat at 700C and hydrogen as byproducts.
Lithium Extraction From North Sea Oilfield Brines Using Ion Exchange Membranes
Authors: Disu Botelho , Rafati Roozbeh , Haddad Amin Sharifi , Fierus Nabihah
Published: September 2023

The annual demand for lithium for low-carbon technologies applications has been trading exponentially forward, 965% more in 2050 than the quantity demanded in 2017. In the current chain of demand, there is a necessity for continuous lithium production from both conventional sources (i.e., salt lakes and rock minerals) as well as the incorporation of novel extraction sites from alternative brine resources such as Oilfield and Geothermal. In the present paper, the lithium potentiality of the North Sea is evaluated with fields in the Central-East and Southern-West reaching the highest regional concentration of 40 ppm. Those include oilfields such as Montrose, Arbroath, Ula, Nelson, Brisling, Gyda, Ekofisk and Bream, as well as gas fields such as the Esmond, Anglia, Lemman, Ann, and Viking, with the possibility of brine enrichment extending itself even to shallow waters fields around the Groningen region. To experimentally evaluate the potential extractability of lithium from those oilfield brine resources in the North Sea, ion-sieve adsorbents (Li1.6Mn1.6O4) were prepared from commercially available LiMnO2 and formed into three different ion-exchange membranes. The foam had the best performance out of those structures, displaying a higher and much stabler powder insertion capacity compared to granular and flat sheet membranes, which registered significant material loss. At an optimum polymeric concentration of 10% and MNO/PVA ratio of about 50%, the foam membrane had the highest theoretical extraction capacity of 9.94 mg/g, followed by granular and flat sheet, with 7.36 and 7.24 mg/g, respectively. Those membranes had good selectivity forward lithium ion in the presence of other competing cations when used on synthetic oilfield brine with concentration mimicking that of Buchan field, being able to efficiently recover 18.4% (foam), 17% (granular), and 14.37% (flat sheet) of lithium. However, the recovery capacity was increased up to 50% when non-formed HMO powder was used, with selectivity in the following decreased order of affinity, Li+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > Ca2+ > K+. The powder recoverability raises the lithium production prospect from North Sea brine to about 26.2 kg per day with an estimated market value of 1834 USD for the produced quantity.
Recurrence Time and Down-Dip Size of Chilean Earthquakes Influenced by Geological Structure
Authors: Julve Joaquín , Barbot Sylvain , Moreno Marcos , Tassara Andrés , Araya Rodolfo , Catalán Nicole , Crempien Jorge , Becerra Valeria
Published: September 2023

In 1960, the giant Valdivia earthquake (Mw 9.5), the largest earthquake ever recorded, struck the Chilean subduction zone, rupturing the entire depth of the seismogenic zone and extending for 1,000 km along strike. The first sign of new seismic energy release since 1960 occurred in 2017 with the Melinka earthquake (Mw 7.6), which affected only a portion of the deepest part of the seismogenic zone. Despite the recognition that rupture characteristics and rheology vary with depth, the mechanical controls behind such variations of earthquake size remain elusive. Here, we build quasi-dynamic simulations of the seismic cycle in Southern Chile including frictional and viscoelastic properties, drawing upon a compilation of geological and geophysical insights, to explain the recurrence times of recent, historic, and paleoseismic earthquakes and the distribution of fault slip and crustal deformation associated with the Melinka and Valdivia earthquakes. The frictional and rheological properties of the forearc, primarily controlled by the geological structure and distribution of fluids at the megathrust, govern earthquake size and recurrence patterns in Chile.
A Distributed Virtual-Machine Placement and Migration Approach Based on Modern Portfolio Theory
Authors: Filho Manoel Campos da Silva , Monteiro Claudio de Castro , Inácio Pedro Ricardo Morais , Freire Mário Marques
Published: September 2023

Virtual machine placement and migration (VMPM) are key operations for managing cloud resources. Considering the large scale of cloud infrastructures, several proposals still fail to provide a comprehensive and scalable solution. A variety of approaches have been used to address this issue, e.g., the modern portfolio theory (MPT). Originally formulated for financial markets, MPT enables the construction of a portfolio of financial assets in order to maximize profit and reduce risk. This paper presents a novel VMPM approach applying MPT and incremental statistics computation for VMPM decisionmaking so as to maximize resource usage while minimizing under and overload. Extensive simulation experiments were conducted using CloudSim Plus, relying on synthetic data, PlanetLab and Google Cluster traces. Results show that the proposal is highly scalable and largely reduces computational complexity and memory footprint, making it suitable for large-scale cloud service providers.
Moonlight role of PEDF in breast cancer: self-renewal inhibition in breast cancer stem cells
Authors: Gil-Gas Carmen , Sánchez-Díez Marta , Honrubia-Gómez Paloma , Sánchez-Sánchez Jose Luis , Alvarez-Simón Carmen Belen , Sabater Sebastiá , Sánchez-Sánchez Francisco , Ramirez-Castillejo Carmen
Published: September 2023

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among females in developed countries. Although the implementation of screening tests and the development of new therapies has increased the probability of remission, relapse rates remain high. Numerous studies have indicated the connection between cancer initiating cells and slow cellular cycle cells, identified by their capacity to retain long labelling (LT+).
Methods: In this study, we perform tumour cell culture dose-response assays in adherent and mamospheres cultures. We also probe our conclusion in Xenograft models. Cell culture and in vivo tumours were analysed by immunofluorescence, qPCR and flow cytometry assays showing how stem cell self-renewal modulating proteins, such as PEDF, can statistically significant modify the properties, cell-percentage expressing biomarkers, and carcinogenicity of cancer stem cells (by student t-test).
Results: The PEDF signaling pathway could be a useful tool for controlling cancer stem cells’ self-renewal, and therefore control patient relapse, as PEDF enhances resistance in breast cancer patient cells in vitro culture. We have designed a peptide consisting in the C-terminal part of this protein, which acts by blocking endogenous PEDF in culture cell assays.
Conclusion: We demonstrate that it is possible to interfere with the self-renewal capacity of cancer stem cells, induce anoikis in vivo, and reduce resistance against Docetaxel treatment in cancer patient cells in in vitro culture. We have also demonstrated that this PEDF-modified protein produces a significant decrease in the percentage of cancer stem cell expressing markers.
Rectified Artificial Neural Networks for Long-term Force Sensing in Piezoelectric Touch Panels
Authors: Liu Yong , Gao Qihang , Zhang Ran , Gao Shuo , Huang Anbiao , Wang Wenshuo
Published: September 2023

Human-machine interface based on force touch panel has attract enormous attention, for the merits of high human-machine interaction efficiency. Many studies and researches are devoted to diverse force touch technologies. Broad applications in both actual use and research have been developed, such as 3D Touch and force-based keystroke authentication. The fruitful results are based on the assumption that users’ touch habits remain unchanged along the time, thus a stationary customized force sensing model can be build. However, in longterm use, users’ touch habits changed due to time-drifting and specific-event, causing stationary force sensing model’s performance decreased. To address this issue, a rectified artificial neural network for long-term force sensing in piezoelectric touch panels is presented in this paper. With additional information of touching time and sign of specific-event, the predictions of force level are rectified, achieving an accuracy of 94.79% on long-term data set. The proposed technique enables customized force sensing in long-term use and enhancing human-machine interactive efficiency.
Ultrasound-guided dexmedetomidine combination with modified high fascia iliaca compartment block for arthroscopic knee surgery: What is the Optimal Dose of Dexmedetomidine?
Authors: Chen An , Duan Wanqing , Hao Ruijinlin , Wang Chen , Xu Xingguo
Published: September 2023

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common orthopedic procedure for end-stage knee osteoarthritis. Although effective in relieving pain and improving function, postoperative pain is still a common and distressing problem for many patients. This study aims to investigate efficacy of combined administration of dexmedetomidine and modified high fascia iliaca compartment block (H-FICB) in managing acute and chronic pain after TKA, as well as to identify the optimal dosage of dexmedetomidine.
Methods: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing TKA. A total of 96 patients undergoing TKA were randomly assigned to one of three groups, were treated with different doses of dexmedetomidine All groups received H-FIB. Pain scores, opioid consumption, side effects, and quality of life were recorded 48 hours postoperatively.
Results: The intraoperative consumption of remifentanil and propofol in Group Db was significantly reduced compared with that in Group D0 and Da (P < 0.05). Compared with D0 and Da group, Db group had the lowest number of rescue analgesia, analgesia time and morphine accumulative dosage 48 hours after operation (P < 0.05). The Db group had the lowest scores on the numerical rating scale at rest (P < 0.05) and during movement (P < 0.01), followed by the Da group and then the D0 group. Additionally, the incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly reduced in the Db group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the Db group had the lowest incidence of chronic pain (P < 0.05).
Discussion: In comparison to the other two groups, the administration of combined dexmedetomidine and H-FIB resulted in a significant reduction in pain scores, opioid consumption, and side effects. The optimal dosage of dexmedetomidine was determined to be 1 µg/kg, which provided the most favorable pain relief with minimal adverse effects.
The effect of music therapy on social interaction function in interventions with children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Wang Yuxiang , Zhang Tong
Published: September 2023

Background
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) vary in their social interaction needs. In their development, improving social interaction is important. Although music therapy has long been used with children with ASD, there is a lack of quality research showing the effects of music therapy on social interaction. Our objective was to examine the effects of group music therapy as measured by ASD assessment tools for social skills improvements and explore whether there are differences in social functions between music therapy and music education.
Methods
Fifty children with a diagnosis of ASD were assessed on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The children were randomly assigned to the music therapy group (MTG) or the music education group (MEG). Every child was involved in 30-minute group sessions for 8 weeks. MTG sessions were designed to target social skills based on the transformation design model. MEG lessons were based on Orff’s music education system, and some other music activities were added according to children’s preferences. All subjects were reassessed after the 8-week intervention.
Results
Both MTG and MEG showed significant changes before and after 8-week intervention. In comparison to difference score of CARS, SRS and ATEC, there was significant difference between two groups. Children in MTG group showed greater changes after the intervention
Conclusion
Our statistical results show that music therapy improves social interaction function and supports further research on music therapy in the social interaction skills training of children with ASD.
Trial registration
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, No. ChiCTR2200060926. Registered 14/06/2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/
Immediate and short-term effects of low-level laser on the functional performance of athletes with exercise-induced muscle fatigue: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Monteiro Renan , Vaz Luana , Barreiros Dayane , Neto João , Landre Cleuton
Published: September 2023

Background
Sports that require repetitive movements put athletes at high risk of injury, especially when combined with an exhaustive routine of training and matches and reduced rest time. Recovery from exercise-induced muscle fatigue is important for improving athletic performance, and various therapeutic modalities have been studied to expedite this process. Low-level laser therapy is an intervention that has shown potential benefits in muscle tissue recovery before and after sports practice. This study aims to evaluate the immediate and short-term effects of low-level laser therapy on the functional performance of handball and volleyball athletes with exercise-induced muscle fatigue. The secondary objective is to evaluate the short-term effects of low-level laser therapy on muscle activity levels of the femoral quadriceps muscle.
Methods
This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 24 athletes aged between 18 and 35 years. The primary outcome of the study is functional performance (measured by a modified hop test), and the secondary outcome is the level of electromyographic activity. After baseline evaluations, the athletes will be randomized and allocated into two groups: Intervention Group (GI, n = 12) and Control Group (CG, n = 12). They will undergo a fatigue protocol followed by either laser or placebo therapy. This study will contribute to the knowledge of the immediate and short-term effects of low-level laser therapy on athletes with exercise-induced muscle fatigue. It may also provide valuable information on the potential benefits of low-level laser therapy as a muscle recovery intervention in sports practice.
Discussion
We hypothesize that the intervention group will demonstrate superior functional performance outcomes compared to the control group.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05344183; 25/04/2022.“ Immediate and Short-term Effects of Low-level Laser”.
Predicting hypoproteinemia among patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis: A development and validation study based on machine learning algorithms
Authors: Yao Wang , Jingshu Yang , Haiyan Wang , Huiru Zhang , Xiaotian Duan , Songyu Wang , Hongshi Cao
Published: September 2023

Purpose Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), which can cause various complications, is a common alternative therapy for patients with ESRD. This research built a prediction model of hypoproteinemia among ESRD patients based on machine learning algorithms. Method A total of 468 patients were selected as subjects. The “hypoproteinemia risk factor data extraction table” was drawn up after a literature review. Univariate analysis was used to screen independent risk factors as prediction variables. After hyper parameter adjustment by k-fold (k = 5) cross-validation and grid search, random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), back propagation (BP) neural network and logistic regression (LR) prediction models were developed. The model was evaluated by 6 dimensions, including AUROC, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity and F1 score, and an importance matrix diagram was used to describe the importance. Result The incidence of hypoproteinemia in total was 30.8%. According to univariate analysis, the difference between the hypoproteinemia and nonhypoproteinemia groups was significant in 18 aspects, including age, weight, dialysis duration, and dialysis frequency. In the training set, the AUROC values of the RF, SVM, and LR models were all greater than 0.8 unlike the BP neural network (0.798). The RF model had the highest AUC value (0.924). The specificities of the LR and RF models were similar (0.846 and 0.839, respectively), while the RF model had the best accuracy (0.924) and balanced F1 score (0.751). The models had higher performance indexes in the test set than in the training set, with the RF and BP models performing better in AUROC (0.981, 0.948) and the RF model being better in accuracy, specificity balanced F1 score and precision. The top 5 prediction variables were hypersensitivity C reactive protein, age, weight, usage of high-throughput dialyzers, and dialysis age. ConclusionTheRF model performed best. The model could help recognize characteristics related to hypoproteinemia during clinical practice, thereby enhancing nurses’ risk perception and improving accurate screening, primary prevention and early intervention.
Role of carbon nano tubes for improving drought tolerance via upregulation of physiological attributes processes of peanut plant grown in sandy soils
Authors: Sadak Mervat Sh. , Ashkar Naglaa M Al , Bakry Bakry A
Published: September 2023

Drought stress resulted due to climatic variations is a universal issue thatoccurs unexpected result in significant impacts on growth, development as well asyield of different plants. Carbon materials impact on plant subjected to different stresses are still poorly studied. Thus, this study was carried outto investigate the feasibility of applying carbon nanotubes (CNTs)(0, 20, & 40mg/L) as foliar treatment for mitigating the reduced effect of water stress (100%, 75% & 50%irrigation water IW) on peanut plants growing in sandy soilthrough assessment growth, productivity, and some physiological and biochemical measurements.Exposure of peanut to decrease irrigation water led to significant decreases in growth, yield photosynthetic pigments, indole acetic acid IAA, and some nutritional components of yielded peanut seeds.While increased osmolytes as total soluble carbohydrates TSS, proline in addition to free amino acids and phenolics, however, foliar spraying with CNTscould ameliorate the diminished impacts of decreased irrigation water on growth and production via enhancing the studied physiological parameters as photosynthetic pigments, IAA, in addition to osmolytes and phenolics. Furthermore, the application of carbon nano tubes improved the nutrient contents expressed by oil yield, protein yield, total carbohydrates, antioxidant activities (DPPH), B- carotene, lycopene and flavonoids in peanut seeds either under normal or water stress conditions. Higher level 40 mg/L CNTs was more effective than lower one 20 mg/L on increasing the above mentioned parameters. In conclusion, foliar treatment with carbon nano tube has the ability to enhance peanut drought tolerance and increase growth and productivity under sandy soil conditions.
Development and validation of digital self-harm: population-based study of adolescent in China
Authors: Xu Mingtu , Mei Songli , Li Jingyang , Wu Bo , Fu Cong , Tian Runhui
Published: September 2023

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a digital self-harm scale suitable for Chinese adolescents, and to test its reliability and validity.
Methods: Through open interview, literature analysis and expert evaluation, the initial questionnaire was developed, and 1651 students from three middle schools in Jilin Province were selected for questionnaire survey. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were carried out, and 843 students were selected for confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, discrimination validity, criterion validity,split-half reliability, content consistency reliability and test-retest reliability.
Results: The results showed that the digital self-harm scale consisted of eight items divided into two factors, namely External self image harm and Inner self emotional harm. And 73.47% of the total variance was explained. The two-factor structure model fitted well (2χ/df =4.2, CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.989, SRMR= 0.01, RMSEA= 0.062). The total score and each factor score of the digital self-harm scale were negatively correlated with sleep duration, and positively correlated with other criteria. The Cronbach α coefficient of the total scale and each factor was 0.938-0.965, the split-half reliability was 0.834-0.920, and the test-retest reliability was 0.983-0.991.
Limitations:The Inner self emotional harm dimension has few questions，the relationship and mechanism between digital self-harm and non-suicidal self-injury is not deep enough.
Conclusions: The digital self-harm scale developed in this study has good validity and reliability, and can be used as a measurement tool to assess the digital self-harm of Chinese adolescents.
Assessment of Spiritual intelligence, spiritual practices and their association with wellbeing of students entering a medical college in India
Authors: Vaishnav Bhalendu , Verma Jagdish , Prabhakaran Anusha , Ganjiwale Jaishree , Vaghela Nirav , Vaishnav Rutam , Vaishnav Smruti
Published: September 2023

Background: Spiritual intelligence (SI) is reported to provide meaning-giving and context-creator functionality, besides enhancing academic engagement and care competence. Enabling medical students to become aware about their own SI has a potential to provide a transformational edge to the learning process. Method: We studied spiritual intelligence, daily spiritual practices, and work satisfaction of 127 students of first year undergraduate course in an Indian medical college using a questionnaire-based survey. Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI 24) was used which measures overall spiritual intelligence and its 4 components: Critical existential thinking, Personal meaning production, Transcendental awareness, Conscious state expansion. Results were analysed by STATA 14 software.
Results: Eighty five percent students had moderate/high SI. Scores: Critical existential thinking (17.0/28), Personal meaning production (12.9 /20) Transcendental awareness (17.8/28), Conscious state expansion (9.8./20). SI was significantly associated with work satisfaction(p=0.006). More than 80% students were regularly undertaking spiritual practices (prayer, meditation, etc). Students consider spirituality as an important is helpful in professional growth.
Conclusion: First year medical students have moderate/high spiritual intelligence associated with good work satisfaction. Students consider spirituality as essential component of education for enhancing self-development and professional competence. Students entering medical studies should be provided opportunities for exploring their spiritual insight and strengthening the same for as a pedagogic intervention.
Application of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) and real-time RT-PCR Using different nasopharyngeal swabs in Diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 Omicron
Authors: LI Sujuan , Zhang Yuanhang , Tong pengcheng , Yang wei
Published: September 2023

Background: The Omicron variant, which main types was BA5.2and BF.7 in China, in December 2022 to January 2023 leaded to off-target of the S and N genes, and the kits used were not adequately and independently evaluated when these agents are studied and developed. To ensure the accuracy of coronavirus test results, performance verification of commercial Real-Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR)
was required.
Objective: We performed a clinical evaluation for two Real Time SARS-CoV-2 assay, and to verify them based on different detection reagents and different clinical specimens.
Methods: We performed clinical evaluations of two existing Chinese SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR kits COVID-19 nucleic acid detection kits (e-Diagnostic Biomedical, Wuhan, China) and 2019-nCoV nucleic acid diagnostic kits (Fosun Biotechnology, Shanghai, China) using BSD ( Bondson) (Guangzhou Bondson Biotechnology Co. Ltd.;batch number 2022101), quality controls provided by the inspection center and a large number of clinically confirmed specimens.
Results: The coincidence rate for Fosun and e-Diagnostic kits were individually 95% and 100%. Verified that the detection limit for Fosun and e-Diagnostic kits was 300copies/mL. All were below the detection limit for Fosun reagent was 300copies/mL. e-Diagnostic was 500copies/mL. Fosun had the largest CV for ORF1ab and N gene at the the detection limit concentration(4.80%,3.49%), while e-Diagnostic had the smaller (0.93%,1.10%). Negative results were tested in cross-reactivity. During the verification of clinical samples, sequencing analyses had shown that Fosun single gene miss rate was relatively high, especially ORF1ab, followed by N gene miss rate. we survey that all N genes were detected in clinical specimens, ,ORFab dropout (i.e., a negative/low result) occurred in (10.8%) of 225 Omicron variant.
Conclusions: Our results endorse the use of these two commercial kits for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in China, as their clinical performance has been fully validated by a large number of clinically confirmed cases.
Transvenous Endocardial Pacing with SelectSecureTM 3830 Lead in Pediatric Patients: Case Series of Two Infants and a Literature Review
Authors: Yang Chuan , Qi Jing , Alam Mahmood , Zou Deling
Published: September 2023

Background: The SelectSecureTM 3830 lead is an innovative, lumenless, and thin active fixed lead with a nonretractable screw-in tip and a diameter of 4.1 Fr, making it the thinnest pacing lead available. Its high anti-extrusion properties and durability have shown favorable outcomes in cardiac pacing, especially in pediatric patients. The superfine design and easy implantation of the lead have rendered it a preferred choice in children, particularly in cases of congenital heart disease.
Case presentation: This case series presents two infant patients who underwent transvenous endocardial pacing using the SelectSecureTM 3830 lead, along with a comprehensive literature review on the topic. The study followed the patients for 5 years and 1.5 years, respectively, and observed stable pacing parameters, indicating a positive therapeutic outcome and safety.
This article discusses the optimal age and body shape for transvenous lead implantation in infants and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of endocardial and epicardial pacing approaches. Although endocardial pacing offers several benefits such as minimal trauma, short hospital stay, and longer battery life, it may not be suitable for intracardiac shunts, and venous occlusion remains a concern. On the other hand, epicardial pacing may be considered for children with challenging endocardial access but comes with higher risk of lead failure and coronary artery compression.
This study emphasizes the importance of careful follow-up in pediatric patients with pacing, as lead failure can occur in young patients owing to growth and development, leading to syncope and battery depletion. The article also underscores the significance of selecting the appropriate pacing location to minimize the impact of cardiac function, with right ventricular septal pacing emerging as a preferable option.
Conclusions: The SelectSecureTM 3830 lead presents a promising solution for transvenous endocardial pacing in pediatric patients with high atrioventricular block and bradycardia, ensuring safe and effective pacing as they grow and develop.
A study on curative care expenditure and the financing burden from different comorbidity states of chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Wei Qiaoying , Fan Lanming , Yang Lian , Li Jia , Tian Xingjun , Sun Qun , Zhou Yuelin
Published: September 2023

Background
The hepatitis B incidence rate has dropped significantly in China recent years. However, the number of hepatitis B virus carriers and infected people is still relatively high due to the extensive population base. The study calculated the curative care expenditure and financing burden from different comorbidity states of chronic hepatitis B in Sichuan Province, to provide a reference for the relevant government departments to invest in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and to optimize health insurance protection measures for this disease.
Methods
Data on the CCE of 242,749 CHB patients were collected from 1,600 healthcare institutions in Sichuan Province in 2019 using a multistage stratified random sampling method. Based on the System of Health Accounts 2011, the CCE of CHB in different comorbidity states was calculated from the dimensions of service function, financing schemes, institutional flows, and beneficiary group distribution.
Results
The total CCE of CHB in Sichuan Province in 2019 was USD 85.49 million. Most of the total CCE (USD 67.16 million) was spent on outpatient services, whereby the main source of financing for the outpatient expenditure was household out-of-pocket payment (75.71%). Conversely, the CCE for inpatient services (USD 18.33 million) was mainly financed by public financing schemes (46.38%). More than 70% of the CCE flowed to general hospitals, and less than 20% flowed to primary healthcare institutions, while the CCE varied significantly among different comorbidity groups. In this case, the CCE for patients with no additional comorbidities and those in the low comorbidity group was mainly spent on patients under the age of around 35 years and those in the 40–49 age group, respectively, while the CCE in the high comorbidity group was mainly used for patients aged around 50 or 55 years.
Conclusions
The present study shows that a high proportion of the CCE allotted to CHB is financed by household out-of-pocket payment; this situation poses a heavy medical burden on individuals. Therefore, the financing structure needs to be optimized urgently. Overall, it is imperative to continuously improve the outpatient mutual aid protection mechanism, effectively improve the curative rate for antiviral treatments aimed at CHB.
Role of sulfide on DNRA distribution and the microbial community structure in a sulfide-driven nitrate reduction process
Authors: Li Xiaoling , Zhao JianQiang , Lu Zhaolin , Zhou Juncai , Zhang Wenbo , Hu Bo
Published: September 2023

The two competing paths in microbial nitrate-reduction process are denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). In this study, a series of batch tests with five sulfide/nitrate (S/N) ratio were performed in a labratory-scale sequencing biofilm batch reactor (SBBR). This was done to investigate DNRA distribution in a sole sulfur-driven nitrogen conversion process. While DNRA increased its share in the sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification (SOAD) -dominant process as the S/N ratio was increased to 1.5:1, 1.7:1, and 2:1, the highest share was 35.3% at an S/N ratio of 1.5:1. The redox potential (ORP) pattern demonstrated that the knee points of NO3−-N and NO2−-N were separated when there was only SOAD, whereas the two points overlapped when DNRA coexisted with SOAD. 16S rRNA analysis revealed that the DNRA functional genera in autotrophic nitrate reduction process were Ignavibacterium, Hydrogenophaga, and Geobacter. DNRA divergence investigation could provide guidance for the strengthen biological nitrogen removal process especially coupled with anammox process.