bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postprandial effects of a meal low in sulfur amino acids and high in polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to a meal high in sulfur amino acids and saturated fatty acids on stearoyl CoA-desaturase indices and plasma sulfur amino acids: a pilot study
Authors: Olsen Thomas , Turner Cheryl , Øvrebø Bente , Bastani Nasser E. , Refsum Helga , Vinknes Kathrine J.
Published: August 2020

Objective

The sulfur amino acid (SAA) cysteine is positively related, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are inversely related to activity of the lipogenic enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD). High SCD activity promotes obesity in animals, and plasma activity indices positively associates with fat mass in humans. SCD may thus be a target for dietary intervention with SAA restriction and PUFA enrichment with unknown potential benefits for body composition. We randomized ten healthy individuals to a meal restricted in SAAs and enriched with PUFAs (Cys/Metlow + PUFA) (n = 5) or a meal enriched in SAA and saturated fatty acids (Cys/Methigh + SFA) (n = 5). We measured plasma SCD activity indices (SCD16 and SCD18) and SAAs response hourly from baseline and up to 4 h postprandial.

Results

SCD16 was unchanged whereas SCD18 tended to increase in the Cys/Metlow + PUFA compared to the Cys/Methigh + SFA group (ptime*group interaction = 0.08). Plasma concentrations of total cysteine fractions including free and reduced cysteine decreased in the Cys/Metlow + PUFA compared to the Cys/Methigh + SFA group (both ptime*group interaction < 0.001). In conclusion, a meal low in SAA but high in PUFAs reduced plasma cysteine fractions but not SCD activity indices. This pilot study can be useful for the design and diet composition of future dietary interventions that targets SCD and SAA.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02647970, registration date: 6 January 2016
Fecal DNA methylation markers for detecting stages of colorectal cancer and its precursors: a systematic review
Authors: Raut Janhavi R. , Guan Zhong , Schrotz-King Petra , Brenner Hermann
Published: August 2020

Background

DNA methylation biomarkers in stool may have applications in early colorectal cancer (CRC) detection; however, their association with stages of CRC carcinogenesis or their performance in detecting various stages is unclear. We aimed to systematically review the evidence for DNA methylation markers in stool for risk stratification or detection of specific CRC stages, as well as precursors of CRC.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge to identify relevant studies published until 14th January 2020. Two reviewers independently extracted data on study population characteristics, candidate genes, methylation measurement methods, odds ratios (ORs), overall and stage-specific sensitivities, specificities, areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve, and p-values for statistical significance for OR and for association of methylation levels with stage.

Results

Twenty-seven studies that reported stage-specific associations or performances of fecal DNA methylation markers for detecting colorectal neoplasms were identified. All studies used methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction for assessing methylation levels in the promoter or exon 1 regions of targeted genes. However, most studies were underpowered and limited by their case-control design. Furthermore, the stage-specific associations or sensitivities were validated for two markers (hypermethylation of GATA4 and VIM) only.

Conclusion

Methylation markers in stool may be useful for detection of CRC precursors or CRC staging, but promising candidate markers need to be validated in longitudinal studies on large screening populations, performing epigenome-wide analyses. Identification of stage-specific DNA methylation biomarkers in stool could boost current strategies towards early detection and enable different approaches to precision medicine for CRC.
Gasping during refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a prognostic marker for favourable neurological outcome following extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a retrospective study
Authors: Bunya Naofumi , Ohnishi Hirofumi , Wada Kenshiro , Kakizaki Ryuichiro , Kasai Takehiko , Nagano Nobutaka , Kokubu Nobuaki , Miyata Kei , Uemura Shuji , Harada Keisuke , Narimatsu Eichi
Published: August 2020

Background

Gasping during cardiac arrest is associated with favourable neurological outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Moreover, while extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) performed for refractory cardiac arrest can improve outcomes, factors for favourable neurological outcomes remain unknown. This study aimed to examine whether gasping during cardiac arrest resuscitation during transport by emergency medical services (EMS) was independently associated with a favourable neurological outcome for patients who underwent ECPR. This retrospective study was based on medical records of all adult patients who underwent ECPR due to refractory cardiac arrest. The primary endpoint was neurologically intact survival at discharge. The study was undertaken at Sapporo Medical University Hospital, a tertiary care centre approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, located in the city of Sapporo, Japan, between January 2012 and December 2018.

Results

Overall, 166 patients who underwent ECPR were included. During transportation by EMS, 38 patients exhibited gasping, and 128 patients did not. Twenty patients who exhibited gasping during EMS transportation achieved a favourable neurological outcome (20/38; 52.6%); 14 patients who did not exhibit gasping achieved a favourable neurological outcome (14/128; 10.9%). Gasping during transportation by EMS was independently associated with favourable neurological outcome irrespective of the type of analysis performed (multiple logistic regression analysis, odds ratio [OR] 9.52; inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity score, OR 9.14).

Conclusions

The presence of gasping during transportation by EMS was independently associated with a favourable neurological outcome in patients who underwent ECPR. The association of gasping with a favourable neurological outcome in patients with refractory cardiac arrest suggests that ECPR may be considered in such patients.
Spatially coupled turbo-coded continuous phase modulation: asymptotic analysis and optimization
Authors: Benaddi Tarik , Poulliat Charly
Published: August 2020

For serially or parallel concatenated communication systems, spatial coupling techniques enable to improve the threshold of these systems under iterative decoding using belief propagation (BP). For the case of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, it has been shown that, under some asymptotic assumptions, spatially coupled ensembles have BP thresholds that approach the bitwise maximum a posteriori (MAP) threshold of the related uncoupled ensemble. This phenomenon is often referred to asthreshold saturation, and it has sometimes very important consequences. For example, in the case of regular LDPC code ensembles, spatial coupling enables to achieve asymptotically the capacity for any class of binary memoryless symmetric channels. Since then, this threshold saturation has been conjectured or proved for several other types of concatenations. In this work, we consider a serially concatenated scheme which is the serial concatenation of a simple outer convolutional code and a continuous phase modulator (CPM) separated by an interleaver. Then, we propose a method to do the spatial coupling of several replicas of this serially concatenated scheme, aiming to improve the asymptotic convergence threshold. First, exploiting the specific structure of the proposed system, an original procedure is proposed in order to terminate the spatially coupled turbo-coded CPM scheme. In particular, the proposed procedure aims to ensure the continuity of the transmitted signal among spatially coupled replicas, enabling to keep one of the core characteristics and advantages of coded CPM schemes. Then, based on an asymptotic analysis, we show that the proposed scheme has very competitive thresholds when compared to carefully designed spatially coupled LDPC codes. Furthermore, it is shown how we can accelerate the convergence rate of the designed systems by optimizing the connection distributions in the coupling matrices. Finally, by investigating on different continuous phase modulation schemes, we corroborate the conjecture stating that spatially coupled turbo-coded CPM schemes saturate to a lower bound very close to the threshold given by the extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) area theorem.
CRISPR-Cas system: a potential alternative tool to cope antibiotic resistance
Authors: Aslam Bilal , Rasool Maria , Idris Adi , Muzammil Saima , Alvi Roman Farooq , Khurshid Mohsin , Rasool Muhammad Hidayat , Zhang Derong , Ma Zhongren , Baloch Zulqarnain
Published: August 2020

Antibiotic exposure leads to massive selective pressures that initiate the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in commensal and pathogenic bacteria. The slow process of developing new antibiotics makes this approach counterintuitive for combatting the rapid emergence of new antibiotic resistant pathogens. Therefore, alternative approaches such as, the development of nucleic acid-based anti-bacterial treatments, anti-bacterial peptides, bacteriocins, anti-virulence compounds and bacteriophage therapies should be exploited to cope infections caused by resistant superbugs. In this editorial, we discuss how the newly popular CRISPR-Cas system has been applied to combat antibiotic resistance.
Heat stress on calves and heifers: a review
Authors: Wang Jingjun , Li Jinghui , Wang Fengxia , Xiao Jianxin , Wang Yajing , Yang Hongjian , Li Shengli , Cao Zhijun
Published: August 2020

The current review is designed with aims to highlight the impact of heat stress (HS) on calves and heifers and to suggest methods for HS alleviation. HS occurs in animals when heat gain from environment and metabolism surpasses heat loss by radiation, convection, evaporation and conduction. Although calves and heifers are comparatively heat resistant due to less production of metabolic heat and more heat dissipation efficiency, they still suffer from HS to some degree. Dry matter intake and growth performance of calves and heifers are reduced during HS because of redistributing energy to heat regulation through a series of physiological and metabolic responses, such as elevated blood insulin and protein catabolism. Enhanced respiration rate and panting during HS accelerate the loss of CO2, resulting in altered blood acid-base chemistry and respiratory alkalosis. HS-induced alteration in rumen motility and microbiota affects the feed digestibility and rumen fermentation. Decreased luteinizing hormone, estradiol and gonadotrophins due to HS disturb the normal estrus cyclicity, depress follicular development, hence the drop in conception rate. Prenatal HS not only suppresses the embryonic development by the impaired placenta, which results in hypoxia and malnutrition, but also retards the growth, immunity and future milk production of newborn calves. Based on the above challenges, we attempted to describe the possible impacts of HS on growth, health, digestibility and reproduction of calves and heifers. Likewise, we also proposed three primary strategies for ameliorating HS consequences. Genetic development and reproductive measures, such as gene selection and embryo transfers, are more likely long-term approaches to enhance heat tolerance. While physical modification of the environment, such as shades and sprinkle systems, is the most common and easily implemented measure to alleviate HS. Additionally, nutritional management is another key approach which could help calves and heifers maintain homeostasis and prevent nutrient deficiencies because of HS.
Abandoned landscape project design
Authors: Biddau Giovanni Maria , Marotta Antonello , Sanna Gianfranco
Published: August 2020

Conversion and transformation of historic buildings and industrial site reclamation projects are becoming topics of renewed interest. Many industrial buildings beckon architecture design theory to revitalize urban areas and make new use of public space. Ruins and historic sites speak to us about the need to rethink settings which belong to long-lost ages and yet are contemporary in the stories they reveal. There are present-day problematic and sensitive areas (abandoned quarries, ex industrial plants, landfills, etc.) which inspire renewed critical thinking; themes of memory and recollection touch us in the here and now. In contrast with the 1970s and 1980 s’ tendency to treat such topics with a mix of lightheartedness and nostalgia, the projects presented in this work regard history as a process of revision and reclamation of profound spatial and social principles. Contact with historic, industrial and modern spaces pushes us to apply new methodological approaches in an effort to re-write the present. In fact, nowadays it is imperative that we engage a relationship with the past which takes into consideration not only ancient legacies but also those entrenched in 20th century crises—uncomfortable memories often embodied in areas of great landscape or historic value. How are we to approach our relationship with these legacies? Critical studies illustrate the value of those projects capable of breathing new life into the fabric of urban space by creating public areas and city parks. Memory, seemingly pushed into a playful, irreverently lighthearted vein for years, is thus allowed once again to speak to us of the human and social desire to reclaim time and provide urban and suburban areas with new opportunities for regeneration and growth.
Coeruptive and posteruptive crustal deformation associated with the 2018 Kusatsu-Shirane phreatic eruption based on PALSAR-2 time series analysis
Authors: Himematsu Yuji , Ozawa Taku , Aoki Yosuke
Published: August 2020

Coeruptive deformation helps to interpret physical processes associated with volcanic eruptions. Because phreatic eruptions cause small, localized coeruptive deformation, we sometimes fail to identify plausible deformation signals. Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data allow us to identify extensive deformation fields with high spatial resolutions. Herein, we report coeruptive crustal deformation associated with the 2018 Kusatsu-Shirane phreatic eruption detected by time series analyses of L-band satellite SAR (ALOS-2/PALSAR-2) data. Cumulative deformation maps derived from SAR time series analyses show that subsidence and eastward displacement dominate the southwestern side of an eruptive crater with a spatial extent of approximately 2 km in diameter. Although we were unable to identify any significant deformation signals before the 2018 eruption, posteruptive deformation on the southwestern side of the crater has been ongoing until the end of 2019. This prolonged deformation implies the progression of posteruptive physical processes within a confined hydrothermal system, such as volcanic fluid discharge, similar to the processes observed during the 2014 Ontake eruption. Although accumulated snow and dense vegetation hinder the detection of deformation signals on Kusatsu-Shirane volcano using conventional InSAR data, L-band SAR with various temporal baselines allowed us to successfully extract both coeruptive and posteruptive deformation signals. The extracted cumulative deformation is well explained by a combination of normal faulting with a left-lateral slip component along a southwest-dipping fault plane and an isotropic deflation. Based on the geological background in which the shallow hydrothermal system develops across Kusatsu-Shirane volcano, the inferred dislocation plane can be considered as a degassing pathway from the shallow hydrothermal system to the surface due to the phreatic eruption. We reconfirmed that SAR data are a robust tool for detecting coeruptive and posteruptive deformations, which are helpful for understanding shallow physical processes associated with phreatic eruptions at active volcanoes.
Implant-supported fixed and removable prostheses in the fibular mandible
Authors: Nguyen Truc Thi Hoang , Eo Mi Young , Myoung Hoon , Kim Myung-Joo , Kim Soung Min
Published: August 2020

Background

To restore the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients who underwent jaw resection and reconstruction surgery, dental rehabilitation is an essential procedure and also one of the most challenging for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Even though recent studies have reported the possibility and reliability of dental implant rehabilitation with the fibula free flap (FFF), clinical reports of long-term follow-up cases are scarce. We herein reported seven cases of FFF reconstruction and implant rehabilitation. We also discussed implant planning strategy and surgical techniques.

Methods

From 2012 to 2019, seven patients were treated with FFF reconstructive jaw surgery combined with dental implant installation and fabrication of implant-supported prostheses at Seoul National University Dental Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Patient characteristics and FFF treatment results were collected. Records of dental implants were analyzed clinically and radiologically.

Results

Among the seven patients in this report, there were three males and four females, with an average age of 54.4 years. A total of 39 implants were placed in the fibular bone. The mean follow-up period after implant installation was 24 months. Five implants failed and were removed 3 months after installation. The implant success rate was 87.2%. Marginal bone loss at 12 months after loading was 0.23 ± 0.18 mm on the mesial side and 0.25 ± 0.26 mm on the distal side.

Conclusion

With the challenges present in FFF-reconstructed patients, an implant-supported prosthesis is a reliable option for stable and functional oral rehabilitation. The implant-supported prosthesis on the FFF has great results regarding restoration of function (mastication, swallowing, and speaking), appearance, and overall HRQoL. Collaboration between surgeons and prosthodontists is essential for a satisfying outcome.
Global Health in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum Alliance: development of an international consumer and community involvement framework
Authors: Bergmeier Heidi J. , Vandall-Walker Virginia , Skrybant Magdalena , Teede Helena J. , Bailey Cate , Baxter Jo-Anna B. , Borges Ana Luiza Vilela , Boyle Jacqueline A. , Everitt Ayesha , Harrison Cheryce L. , Herrera Margely , Hill Briony , Jack Brian , Jones Samuel , Jorgensen Laura , Lim Siew , Montanaro Cynthia , Redman Leanne M. , Stephenson Judith , Sundseth Hildrun , Thangaratinam Shakila , Thynne Paula , Walker Ruth , Skouteris Helen
Published: August 2020

Background

The goal of the Global Health in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum (HiPPP) Alliance, comprising consumers and leading international multidisciplinary academics and clinicians, is to generate research and translation priorities and build international collaboration around healthy lifestyle and obesity prevention among women across the reproductive years. In doing so, we actively seek to involve consumers in research, implementation and translation initiatives. There are limited frameworks specifically designed to involve women across the key obesity prevention windows before (preconception), during and after pregnancy (postpartum). The aim of this paper is to outline our strategy for the development of the HiPPP Consumer and Community (CCI) Framework, with consumers as central to co-designed, co-implemented and co-disseminated research and translation.

Method

The development of the framework involved three phases: In Phase 1, 21 Global HiPPP Alliance members participated in a CCI workshop to propose and discuss values and approaches for framework development; Phase 2 comprised a search of peer-reviewed and grey literature for existing CCI frameworks and resources; and Phase 3 entailed collaboration with consumers (i.e., members of the public with lived experience of weight/lifestyle issues in preconception, pregnancy and postpartum) and international CCI experts to workshop and refine the HiPPP CCI Framework (guided by Phases 1 and 2).

Results

The HiPPP CCI Framework’s values and approaches identified in Phases 1–2 and further refined in Phase 3 were summarized under the following five key principles: 1. Inclusive, 2. Flexible, 3. Transparent, 4. Equitable, and 5. Adaptable. The HiPPP Framework describes values and approaches for involving consumers in research initiatives from design to translation that focus on improving healthy lifestyles and preventing obesity specifically before, during and after pregnancy; importantly it takes into consideration common barriers to partnering in obesity research during perinatal life stages, such as limited availability associated with family caregiving responsibilities.

Conclusion

The HiPPP CCI Framework aims to describe approaches for implementing meaningful CCI initiatives with women in preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods. Evaluation of the framework is now needed to understand how effective it is in facilitating meaningful involvement for consumers, researchers and clinicians, and its impact on research to improve healthy lifestyle outcomes.
Brassicaceous roots as an unexpected diversity hot-spot of helotialean endophytes
Authors: Maciá-Vicente Jose G. , Piepenbring Meike , Koukol Ondřej
Published: August 2020

A high number of fungal strains were isolated from roots of Brassicaceae species collected across western and southern Europe, resulting in an unexpectedly rich collection of Cadophora species. These isolates enable us to present a new and comprehensive view of the ecological, morphological, and phylogenetic traits of root-inhabiting members of this helotialean genus. We provide phylogenetic placement of all of our isolates based on a four-gene dataset, analyze their phenotypic traits in relation to their phylogenetic relationships, and infer the potential distribution ranges of the species by sequence comparisons with available databases. We consider seven well supported phylogenetic lineages as species new to science. Six further lineages probably also represent new species but remain undescribed due to the lack of diagnostic morphological characters. Our results show that Cadophora, as currently circumscribed, is paraphyletic and encompasses a broad spectrum of morphologies and lifestyles. Among the new species, only two (C. ferruginea and C. constrictospora) form phialides and conidia typical of Cadophora, three species (C. echinata, C. gamsii and C. variabilis) produce chains of swollen hyphal segments that may function as holoblastic conidia, and one species (C. fascicularis) produces chains of holoblastic ramoconidia and conidia. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis suggests that phialidic conidiogenesis evolved several times in Cadophora s. lat. from a putatively holoblastic common ancestor. Most Cadophora lineages are rare as estimated from the availability of sequence data, in spite of having relatively wide distribution ranges, whereas five lineages may represent endemic relationships given their restricted distributions. Our dataset, probably the most comprehensive available for Cadophora, nevertheless shows knowledge gaps concerning the phylogenetic relationships within this genus and highlights a need for further investigation.
Intra-operative fractures in primary total knee arthroplasty - a systematic review
Authors: Purudappa Prabhudev Prasad , Ramanan Sruthi Priyavadhana , Tripathy Sujit Kumar , Varatharaj Sushrruti , Mounasamy Varatharaj , Sambandam Senthil Nathan
Published: August 2020

Background

One of the rare complications of primary total knee arthroplasty is intra-operative fracture. Intra-operative fracture during revision knee arthroplasty has been well-documented but there is limited literature on fractures occurring during primary knee arthroplasty. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to compare and contrast the various studies to clearly define the predisposing factors, incidence, and characteristics of the fracture itself and to arrive at a consensus on the management and prevention of intra-operative fractures during primary knee arthroplasty.

Methods

The PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, Scopus and Embase databases were searched using keywords “intra-operative fracture”, “distal femoral fracture”, “tibial fracture”, “patella fracture” and “primary total knee arthroplasty”. A total of 158 articles were retrieved and after further filtration and exclusion processing, 10 articles that evaluated intra-operative fractures in primary total knee arthroplasty were included for the review.

Results

The reported incidence of intra-operative fractures varied from 0.2% to 4.4%. A higher incidence in female patients with a male to female ratio of 0.4 was reported. Posterior stabilized (PS) total knee arthroplasty was associated with higher risk of intra-operative femoral fractures by many authors in this review. Timing of occurrence and location of the intra-operative fractures can vary widely, with femoral fractures occurring more commonly during bone preparation, trialing and impaction of the final implant and tibial fractures occurring during preparation for the tibial keel and impaction of the tibial component.

Conclusions

Intra-operative fractures during primary total knee arthroplasty are rare with higher risk associated with osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, advanced age, female gender, chronic steroid use, metabolic bone disorders, PS type of femoral implant and difficult surgical exposure of the knee joint due to severe deformities. A plethora of management options have been utilized according to surgeon preference. Standard principles of fracture fixation and arthroplasty principles should be followed to achieve stable internal fixation and any unstable fracture site should be bypassed with the utilization of stemmed components. Satisfactory radiographic and functional outcome can be expected with appropriate treatment.
Influence of posteromedial corner injuries on clinical outcome and second-look arthroscopic findings after allograft transtibial anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Yoo Jun-Young , Park Hee-Gon , Kwon Soon-Min
Published: August 2020

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of posterior medial corner (PMC) injuries on clinical outcome and second-look arthroscopic findings after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Methods

Seventy-eight consecutive patients underwent a second-look arthroscopic surgery after ACL reconstruction and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of the PMC. The patients were divided into a PMC intact group (n = 42) and a PMC injured group (n = 36). The stability and clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Lachman test, pivot-shift test, a KT-2000 arthrometer, and the Lysholm knee scoring scale. Graft tension and synovial coverage were evaluated in second-look arthroscopy.

Results

The clinical function showed no significant differences regarding PMC injury. Although the graft tendon tension revealed no significant differences (p = 0.141), the second-look arthroscopic findings indicated that the PMC intact group showed better synovial coverage compared to the PMC injured group (p = 0.012).

Conclusion

Patients who injured the PMC had poor synovial coverage as assessed by second-look arthroscopic findings after transtibial ACL reconstruction, even though clinical outcomes and stability showed no significant differences.
Correlation of prognostic factors with MRI findings in malignant breast lesions
Authors: Temiz Kerim , Oztekin Pelin Seher , Hucumenoglu Sema , Koseoglu Enver Necip , Kosar Pinar Nercis
Published: August 2020

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast represents the most sensitive imaging modality in the detection of breast cancer, with a reported sensitivity between 94 and 100%. We aim to detect the correlation between MRI findings and pathologically detected prognostic factors in malignant breast lesions.

Breast parenchymal density distribution, background parenchymal enhancement pattern, lesion’s morphologic features, T2WI signal characteristics, contrast enhancement, time/signal intensity curves, and lesions localizations in breast were evaluated using dynamic MRI images. Histopathological diagnosis, maximum measurements of the lesion, histological grade, presence of estrogen and/or progesterone receptors, c-erb B2, and Ki-67 parameters were noted as prognostic factors.

Results

We cannot detect any relationship between the breast parenchymal density and prognostic factors. Mild background breast enhancement is related with ER presence, a good prognostic factor. Histopathological grade of the lesions augmented with the increase in the lesion diameters. ADC values are not related with prognostic factors.

Conclusion

A mild background enhancement, an intermediate signal intensity on T2WI, a high tpeak value, and absence of pathological axillary lymph node are found to be related with good prognostic factors. An irregular contour, a huge diameter, having a type III kinetic curve, a high slopei value, and presence of pathological axillary lymph node are found to be related with poor prognostic factors. MRI can be used to predict prognostic factors in breast cancer cases.
Automatic waveform-based source-location imaging using deep learning extracted microseismic signals
Authors: Saad Omar M. , Chen Yangkang
Published: August 2020

We have used an automatic unsupervised technique to extract waveform signals from continuous microseismic data. First, the time-frequency representation (scalogram) is obtained for the input microseismic trace. Second, the convolutional autoencoder (CAE) is used to extract the significant scalogram features related to the waveform signals and discard the rest. Third, the extracted features from the CAE encoder are considered as the input for the k-means clustering algorithm, in which the input samples are classified into waveform and nonwaveform components. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using several synthetic and field examples. We find that the proposed algorithm successfully extracts the waveform signals even in a noisy environment with a signal-to-noise-ratio as low as −10 dB. We compared the proposed algorithm to benchmark algorithms, for example, simple k-means and short-term and long-term average ratio methods, and find that the proposed algorithm performs best. We find that the detected waveform signals can enhance the resolution of microseismic imaging using a waveform-based reverse time migration method.
Application of nuclear magnetic resonance logging in the low-resistivity reservoir — Taking the XP area as an example
Authors: Li Zhaoping , Gao Chuqiao , Zhao Bin , Guan Yao , Liu Junyi
Published: August 2020

With the deepening of exploration and development, many low-resistivity reservoirs have been found in the XP area. We have found that the genesis of these low-resistivity reservoirs is that they contain a lot of very fine sand, which leads to the high content of bound water in the reservoirs and reduces resistivity. Compared with normal oil reservoirs, these reservoirs show low resistivity and high natural gamma, which makes it difficult to identify reservoirs qualitatively and calculate parameters quantitatively. Using conventional logging interpretation methods, the wrong shale content and porosity will be obtained, and such reservoirs may even be judged as mudstones. To solve this problem, we extract a characteristic parameter from the T2 spectrum of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging, which can effectively identify such reservoirs. In addition, we have innovatively adopted an optimized logging interpretation method for integrated NMR logging and conventional logging, which has effectively improved the parameter calculation accuracy of this type of reservoir and achieved a good application effect in the XP area.
Radial resistivity measurement method for cylindrical core samples
Authors: He Jiahuan , Li Min , Zhou Keming , Zeng Li , Li Nong , Yang Yu , Xiao Dan , Huang Mei
Published: August 2020

Electrical resistivity is one of the fundamental physical properties of rocks, and its relationship with fluid saturation is widely used in reservoir evaluation. The interpretation of electrical logs usually relies on the results of rock resistivity tests of cores in the laboratory. In the laboratory, core samples are commonly cut into cylinders, and the resistivity is measured along the axial direction. To determine the rock resistivity along different directions, samples are cut into cubes and tested along three perpendicular directions to obtain resistivity data. The expensive and complicated preparation process of cubic samples and the custom holder requirements limit the use of these tests. We have analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of rock resistivity measurements of cylindrical and cubic samples. To overcome the abovementioned difficulties, we develop a core holder for radial resistivity measurements and a radial resistivity measurement method for cylindrical samples. Based on the conformal transformation of the complex variable function theory, we establish a mathematical model of radial resistivity. We develop a measurement method of radial resistivity according to the mathematical model and verify this approach with isotropic cores. The theoretical calculation results agree with the experimental results. With the radial resistivity measurement method, we effectively test the resistivity anisotropy of shale. This method has more advantages than existing methods in terms of the sample preparation and realization of various displacement levels and angles. Hence, the proposed method can be widely used.
Improving fault delineation using maximum entropy multispectral coherence
Authors: Lyu Bin , Qi Jie , Sinha Saurabh , Li Jianjun , Marfurt Kurt J.
Published: August 2020

Knowledge of fault geometry plays an important role in reservoir modeling and characterization. Seismic attributes, such as volumetric dip, coherence, and curvature, provide an efficient and objective tool to extract fault geometry attributes. Traditionally, we use noise-attenuated full-bandwidth seismic data to compute coherence followed by smoothing, sharpening, and skeletonization. However, different stratigraphic reflectors with relatively similar waveforms and amplitudes juxtaposing across a fault will algorithmically appear to be continuous, with the resulting fault image being broken. This leads to pseudo fault breakpoints and challenges the accurate extraction of other fault geometric attributes. Because the phase of the similar reflections across the faults varies with different spectral components, such nonstratigraphic alignments occur for only a few spectral components such that a multispectral coherence algorithm produces more continuous fault images. We have evaluated the influence of spectral voice selection and spectral decomposition algorithm on the quality of fault imaging in multispectral coherence images using a 3D seismic survey acquired in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. Of the algorithms evaluated, we find that the high-resolution maximum-entropy-based multispectral coherence method provides better results than those based on other spectral decomposition algorithms, which especially improves the fault continuity. However, the lateral resolution of fault imaging in multispectral coherence is decreased compared to the full-bandwidth coherence, because the fault image is smeared when we combine the coherence volumes computed using different spectral voices. We perform a fault enhancement workflow on the maximum-entropy-based multispectral coherence volume to improve the lateral resolution of fault imaging, which helps delineate the minor faults.
Hannah Arendt, Karl Jaspers, and World Citizenship Rethought
Authors: Papastephanou Marianna
Published: August 2020

In antiquity Diogenes was asked to identify himself as a citizen. He retorted by affirming that he was a “citizen of the world” and thus implicitly rejecting local citizenship. Ever since, his political identification has become a reference point in most literature on cosmopolitanism. After a brief discussion of the predicate “citizen of the world,” this article turns to Hannah Arendt’s attribution of it to Karl Jaspers. It explores how Arendt’s related work helps us recast issues of patriotism and cosmopolitanism, get a more accurate picture of her complex view on locality and universality, and introduce new sensibilities into political philosophical engagement with claims of world citizenship. Themes of limits, solitude, and darkness emerge as possible points of interest of a philosophy that acknowledges the centrality of politics in the life of the person whose right to world citizenship is tested by subjective and collective answerability to cosmos.
Reification and the Duty to Work Through the Past: On Critical Theory and Temporality
Authors: Peters Mathijs
Published: August 2020

This article focuses on the role that the notion of temporality can and should play in the tradition of Critical Theory. Following an overview of the critical analyses of time found in the works of Marx, Lukács, Weber, Adorno, Fromm, and Marcuse, the article analyzes Hartmut Rosa’s critique of social acceleration and argues that this critique lacks a firm normative basis. This basis is required, however, for one to claim why certain processes of social acceleration are wrong. It is shown that Rosa’s analyses of acceleration contain two suggestions for such a basis: autonomy understood as a narrative identity, and autonomy as defended by Honneth’s theory of recognition. After an exploration of both suggestions, in which the ideas of MacIntyre and Ricoeur are briefly discussed as well, it is argued that a combination of both may result in a specific, normative understanding of reification, which is defended against Honneth’s definition of this concept. Based on an interpretation of passages in Horkheimer and Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment and Adorno’s notion of “working through the past,” the article claims that reification should be understood as a forgetting of the narratives that have shaped the self and the social structures under which this self is formed, and therefore as the inability to recognize the temporal dimensions of the autonomous self.
The Metamorphic Temporality of Natural Beauty: Adorno’s Negation of Kantian Disinterested Contemplation
Authors: Neville Kaushall Justin
Published: August 2020

This article argues that Immanuel Kant’s concept of disinterested contemplation is inadequate because it represses the historical suffering of nature, and thus the aesthetic object’s materiality. It also argues that Theodor W. Adorno’s concept of natural beauty ought to be considered a response to Kant’s concept of disinterested contemplation and, finally, that Adorno must ground the aesthetic concept of natural beauty in a concept of temporality. Such temporality would be a mode of aesthetic experience that allows natural beauty to critically present the violence of history while also anticipating a future in which such violence does not exist. The article calls the new form of temporality that would engage properly with past and future metamorphic. Metamorphic time thus involves recollection and speculation that dialectically refer to each other.
Heat and water loss vs shelter: a dilemma in thermoregulatory decision-making for a retreat-dwelling nocturnal gecko
Authors: Chukwuka Christian O. , Monks Joanne M. , Cree Alison
Published: August 2020

Understanding the interaction between upper voluntary thermal limit (VTmax) and water loss may aid in predicting responses of ectotherms to increasing temperatures within microhabitats. However, the temperature (VTmax) at which climate heating will force cool-climate, nocturnal lizards to abandon daytime retreats remains poorly known. Here, we developed a new laboratory protocol for determining VTmax in the retreat-dwelling, viviparous Woodworthia “Otago/Southland” gecko, based on escape behaviour (abandonment of heated retreat). We compared the body temperature (Tb) at VTmax, and duration of heating, between two source groups with different thermal histories, and among three reproductive groups. We also examined continuous changes in Tb (via an attached biologger) and total evaporative water loss (EWL) during heating. In the field, we measured Tb and microhabitat thermal profiles to establish whether geckos reach VTmax in nature. We found that VTmax and duration of heating varied between source groups (and thus potentially with prior thermal experience), but not among reproductive groups. Moreover, geckos reached a peak temperature slightly higher than VTmax before abandoning the retreat. Total EWL increased with increasing VTmax and with the duration of heating. In the field, pregnant geckos with attached biologgers reached VTmax temperature, and temperatures of some separately monitored microhabitats exceeded VTmax in hot weather implying that some retreats must be abandoned to avoid overheating. Our results suggest that cool-climate nocturnal lizards that inhabit daytime retreats may abandon retreats more frequently if climate warming persists, implying a trade-off between retention of originally occupied shelter and ongoing water loss due to overheating.
Relation between delivery mode and maternal mental status one month after delivery at a perinatal center in Japan: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Suzuki Shunji
Published: August 2020

Background: Maternal mental status has been thought to be affected by the delivery modes. We examined the relation between delivery modes and the mental status of women who delivered at our institute in Japan.

Methods: Data were collected from the medical charts of 643 primiparous women without a history of mental disorders who delivered singleton babies and underwent a 1-month postpartum check-up at our institute from September 2018 to June 2019. The maternal mental status was examined based on the scores of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Mother-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS).

Results: The rate of high scores of the EPDS and the MIBS in women choosing elective cesarean section were higher than in women with vaginal delivery and emergency cesarean section.

Conclusion: Mental health care may be necessary for women choosing elective cesarean section.
Augmented Reality in Descriptive Geometry
Authors: Ignat'ev S. , Tret'yakova Z. , Voronina Marianna
Published: August 2020

In this paper is investigated the possibility of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies contextualizing in teaching methods for “Descriptive Geometry” (DG) student course. The aim of the investigation was the study of the current state of knowledge and practice in the field of DG students teaching with the help of AR-technologies, and identification of key issues affecting the adoption by users (teachers and students) of AR-technologies as a modern educational tool in the. Conducted an analysis of existing researches in the field of modern educational tool in the field of DG. Has been carried out the analysis of current investigations in the field of DG students teaching based on AR-technology. The key problems affecting the adoption by users of AR-technologies as an educational tool in the field of DG have been determined. Existing methods of DG students teaching using AR-technologies in St. Petersburg Mining University are gradually completed and updated. The work results showed that students have a positive perception of educational classes on DG course based on AR-technologies. Students successfully solve DG problems using AR-technology based on Vuforia platform; create 3-D models of geometric entities in SketchUp, and labels for camera fixing based on AutoCAD. When creating the software, the compiled C ++ programming language is used, based on which scripts (markers) are written that lift 3-D models of objects to given planes. The study results will be useful for developers of AR-platforms, AR-applications in the field of DG students training. They will allow avoid projects that may cause problems with the convenience of AR-applications using, what, in turn, will lead to the rejection of users from the introduction of this technology when getting students education in DG.
Augmented Reality Technologies in Students Project Activities
Authors: Ignat'ev S. , Tret'yakova Z. , Voronina Marianna
Published: August 2020

This study’s relevance is determined by the absence of serious research, science-based, tested and verified programs and training materials related to the use of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies when getting students education in Engineering and Computer Graphics (ECG). The study’s aim was the introduction of AR-technologies in the project activities of first-year students. The study was conducted on the base of St. Petersburg Mining University. 48 first-year students of the Civil Engineering Faculty, pursuing a specialist's degree in “Construction of Unique Buildings and Structures”, participated in the project activity. The students' project activities results showed that at present, AR-technologies have gained popularity not only among designers and planners, but also among schoolteachers, as well as among lecturers and students of technical universities. A student team of St. Petersburg Mining University solved the design problem using AR-technology and created an informational 3-D model of the building structure. The existing methods related to students training have been completed and updated with the method of graphical presentation for the students' project activities results with the help of AR-technologies. As a result of the students’ project activities study, has been revealed the thoroughly obvious need for teaching a new generation of students to use AR-technologies. The aim is implementation of AR-technologies by students in the perspective, with continuous and subsequent self-education, as well as teaching future designers of rational use of AR-technologies to solve educational and practical problems, including areas of engineering and computer graphics. The study had showed that currently there is not enough of scientifically based learning materials for the organization of students' project activities using AR-technologies. Has been revealed the need for further scientific research in the field of AR-technologies implementation in the students’ project activities within the framework of ECG academic discipline. The paper materials can be useful for lecturers of all levels.