bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Percepción de los estudiantes de la Facultad de Economía de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán sobre cómo se fomentan o promueven valores en su formación profesional
Authors: Santoyo-Manzanilla David de Jesús
Published: March 2022

La finalidad de esta investigación consistió en evaluar el tipo de percepción que poseen los estudiantes de la Facultad de Economía de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY) sobre el modo en que ésta fomenta o promueve valores durante su formación académica-profesional; basado en el cumplimiento del Modelo Educativo para la Formación Integral (MEFI) que rige a la Institución. Se empleó una metodología de tipo investigación acción-participativa, en donde se utilizó como instrumento una guía de preguntas previamente elaboradas que fue tratada entre los grupos participantes por medio de un foro participativo o grupo de enfoque, donde el criterio de inclusión de la muestra fue que los estudiantes pertenecieran a la Facultad de Economía, ya sea en calidad de ingreso, tránsito o egreso y, en cualquiera de los dos programas educativos ofertados por la dependencia; tampoco importó el género de los participantes. La percepción general del estudiantado de la Facultad de Economía de la UADY en cuanto a la formación de valores consiste en que éstos se encuentran en consolidación y no se encuentran total mente presentes dentro de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje involucrados dentro de las actividades académicas.
Tip 2 diyabetli bireylerde serum vitamin D düzeyleri ile mikroalbüminüri arasındaki ilişkinin değerlendirilmesi
Authors: KARTAL BAYKAN Emine , YILDIRIMER Yılmaz , DURMAZATAR İbrahim
Published: March 2022

Amaç: D vitamin eksikliği, birçok çalışmada diyabet gelişimi için önemli bir risk faktörü olarak gösterilmiştir. Tip 2 diabetes mellitus’lu hastalarında, D vitamin eksikliği sık görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada Tip 2 diyabetli bireylerde serum vitamin D düzeyleri ile mikroalbüminüri arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmayı amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Tip 2 diabetes mellitus tanısı ile izlenen 18 ile 75 yaş aralığında 177 kadın, 205 erkek toplam 382 hasta çalışmaya alındı. Hastaların, D vitamin, idrar mikroalbumin/kreatinin, homosistein ve biyokimyasal parametreleri değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Diyabetik nefropatisi olan grupta 182 hasta ve diyabetik nefropati olmayan grupta 200 hasta mevcuttu. Nefropati olan grupta D vitamin ortalaması:11.8 ng/ml, nefropati olmayan grupta D vitamin ortalaması:14,4 ng/ml, iki grup arasındaki fark istatiksel olarak anlamlıydı. Pearson kolerasyon analizinde D vitamin ile mikroalbuminüri (p:0,028, r:-0,87) arasında güçlü negatif kolerasyon saptandı. Logistik regresyon analizde nefropati gelişiminde D vitamin eksikliğinin etkisi anlamlı saptandı (p:0,000, OR:1,060, % 95 CI 1,028-1,93). D vitamini eksikliği açısından değerlendirildiğinde Hba1c ile anlamlı ilişki bulunmazken (p:0,258, OR:934, %95 CI 0,830-1,051), mikroalbuminüri ile anlamlı ilişki saptandı (p:0,040, OR:996, %95 CI 0,993-1,000). Nefropati olan grupta homosistein düzeyi 21,8 ± 1,5 μmol/L, nefropati olmayan grupta homosistein düzeyi 14,5 ± 2,5 μmol/L, iki grup arasındaki fark istatiksel olarak anlamlıydı (P:0,017). D vitamin ile homosistein (p:0,018, r:-0,910) arasında güçlü negatif kolerasyon mevcuttu. Sonuç: Çalışmamızın sonuçlarına göre D vitamin eksikliğinin mikroalbuminüri ve hiperhomosisteinemiye neden olarak diyabetik nefropatiyi artırdığını söyleyebiliriz.
Senolytic vaccination: a new mandate for cardiovascular health?
Authors: Lear Travis B. , Finkel Toren
Published: March 2022

Senescent cell accumulation is increasingly associated with a number of age-related cardiovascular diseases. Now, a new manuscript in Nature Aging suggests that a novel vaccine-based strategy might provide a targeted method to eliminate the senescent cell population.
Effect of Rehydration with Mineral Water Following Exercise Induced Dehydration on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Athletes
Authors: Al-Qurashi Talal M. , Aljaloud Khalid Saad , Aldayel Abdulaziz A , Alsharif Yahya R. , Alaqil Abdulrahman I. , Alshuwaier Ghareeb O.
Published: March 2022

Background: the present study aimed to examine the effect of rehydration with mineral water on cardiorespiratory fitness in athletes. Methods: Twenty athletes (21.7±3 years) were ran-domly underwent a crossover design experimental trail. Three visits were arranged. The first visit was for baseline measurement. The second visit included three phases (pre-dehydration, post-dehydration, and post-rehydration), and either Zamzam (mineral water) or bottle water (control water) was used. The third visit was similar to the second visit with exchange the type of water. Cardiorespiratory fitness and blood parameters have been evaluated. Data were an-alyzed to compare results of Zamzam water with bottle water and to compare between the phases for each type of water. Results: although there was no significant difference found be-tween Zamzam and bottle water in the cardiorespiratory fitness markers, Zamzam water maintained cardiorespiratory function including VO2peak, VT1, VT2, and VEpeak even with re-hydration equal to 100% of losing body mass following exercise-induced dehydration (>-2% body mass), where rehydration with bottle water reported significant reduction in both VO2peak and VEpeak. Conclusion: rehydration with mineral water such as Zamzam water may not impair cardiorespiratory fitness even with amount equal to 100% of losing body mass.
Peptide: N-Glycanase 1 and Its Relationship with Congenital Disorder of Deglycosylation
Authors: Miao Xiangguang , Wu Jin , Chen Hongping , Lu Guanting
Published: March 2022

The cytosolic PNGase (peptide:N-glycanase; Png1 in yeast; NGLY1/Ngly1 in human/mice), also known as peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl)-asparagine ami-dase, is a well-conserved deglycosylation enzyme (EC 3.5.1.52) which catalyzes the non-lysosomal hydrolysis of an N(4)-(acetyl-β-D-glucosaminyl) asparagine residue into N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminylamine and a peptide containing an aspartate residue. This enzyme (NGLY1) plays essential roles in clearance of misfolded or unassembled gly-coproteins through a process named ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Accumulating evidence also points out that NGLY1 deficiency can cause an autosomal recessive hu-man genetic disorder associated with abnormal development and congenital disorder of deglycosylation. In addition, the loss of NGLY1 can affect multiple cellular pathways, including but not limited to NFE2L1 pathway, Creb1/Atf1-AQP pathway, BMP path-way, AMPK pathway, and SLC12A2 ion transporter, which might be the underlying reasons for a constellation of clinical phenotypes of NGLY1 deficiency. The current comprehensive review indeed uncovers the detailed NGLY1’s structure and its im-portant roles for participation in ERAD, involvement in CDDG and potential treatment for NGLY1 deficiency.
Virtual Team Adaptation: Management Perspective on individual Differences
Authors: Karunathilaka Ganga Sajeewani
Published: March 2022

In the contemporary business world, digital transformations have undergone vast and important developments over the last several decades, and they have aided in the development of the virtual team concept, in which geographically dispersed team members work to achieve a common goal. Virtual teams, according to the literature, suffer from process losses more frequently than their face-to-face counterparts. Although just a few studies have looked at the effects of individual differences in virtual teams, this study fills in the gaps by examining the impact of individual differences: Age Disparity (AD), Gender Disparity (GD), Language Competency (LC), and IT Competency (ITC) in management perspective on virtual team adaptation in the Sri Lankan private sector. A survey was used to collect data from a sample of 175 private sector companies in Sri Lanka during the COVID- 19 pandemic, and the data was analyzed using partial least squares path modeling (PLS) to test the study's hypotheses. The results indicated that the hypotheses were statistically significant only in the language competency and IT competency and their effects were in the expected direction. Future research could benefit from perceptions of employees in public sector organizations.
Desert Dust Climatology of Turkey
Authors: Aslanoğlu S. Yeşer , Proestakis Emmanouil , Gkikas Antonis , Güllü Gülen , Amiridis Vassilis
Published: March 2022

Turkey is located in the heart of complex transition geography between Eurasia and the Middle East. In the grand scheme, the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Basin is almost amidst the dusty belt and a hot spot of climate change. The downstream location of dust carrying winds from the closer desert sources reveals Turkey as an open plane to particulate matter exposure throughout the year. In order to clarify this phenomenon, it is aimed to find out the desert dust climatology of Turkey via CALIPSO onboard Lidar. This prominent instrument enables us to understand clouds, aerosols and their types and relatedly climatic systems with its valuable products. In this study, 9-year CALIPSO derived pure dust product is formed to explain horizontal and vertical distributions, transport heights and case incidences. Results indicated mass and conditional abundancy are higher with the location shifts from west to east. In the same direction, dominant spring months change to summer and autumn. Mountain range systems surrounding Anatolia are the main obstacles against lofted and buoyant dust particles travelling to northern latitudes. Even if high ridges accumulate mass load on the southern slopes, it also enables elevated particles to reach the ground level of the inner cities.
A Pilot Study on the Prevalence of Micronutrient Imbalances in a Dutch General Population Cohort and the Effects of a Digital Lifestyle Program
Authors: Castela Forte José , Gannamani Rahul , Folkertsma Pytrik , Kanthappu Saro , van Dam Sipko , Wolffenbuttel Bruce H. R.
Published: March 2022

Maintaining an adequate micronutrient status can be achieved by following a complete, diverse diet. Yet, food trends in Western countries show suboptimal consumption of healthy nutrients. In this study we explored the prevalence of vitamin and mineral imbalances in a general population cohort of Dutch adults, and evaluated the effect of a digital lifestyle program on the nutritional status and nutrition health behaviors of these individuals. A micronutrient panel was measured in 348 participants, alongside a dietary assessment. One-hundred users subsequently underwent a remeasurement. We identified at least one nutritional imbalance in 301 individuals (86.5%). 80% improved and normalized B6, 67% improved folate, 70% improved B12, and 86% improved vitamin D. Iron abnormalities were corrected in 75% of participants. In conclusion, this study found micronutrient deficiencies of easily obtainable vitamins through diet or supplementation such as B vitamins and vitamin D were more prevalent than expected in a Dutch population. This can partly be explained by an insufficient consumption of food groups rich in B vita-mins. Our preliminary results in those remeasured after a digitally-enabled lifestyle intervention show these imbalances can be corrected with adequate behavioral support in a “food as medicine” approach complemented with supplementation where needed.
Susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants to Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Tao Kaiming , Tzou Philip L. , Pond Sergei L. Kosakovsky , Ioannidis John P.A. , Shafer Robert W.
Published: March 2022

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants contain many mutations in its spike receptor binding domain, the target of all authorized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Determining the extent to which Omicron variants reduced mAb susceptibility is critical to preventing and treating COVID-19. We systematically reviewed PubMed and three preprint servers, last updated February 22, 2022, of the in vitro activity of authorized mAbs against the Omicron variants. Thirty-three studies were eligible including 33 containing Omicron BA.1 susceptibility data and five that also contained Omicron BA.2 susceptibility data. The first two authorized mAb combinations, bamlanivimab/etesevimab and casirivimab/imdevimab, were inactive against the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants. In 24 studies, sotrovimab (third authorized mAb) displayed a median 4.1-fold (IQR: 2.4-7.6) reduced activity against Omicron BA.1 and, in four studies, a median 26-fold (IQR:16-35) reduced activity against Omicron BA.2. In 18 studies, cilgavimab and tixagevimab independently displayed median reductions in activity of >300-fold against Omicron BA.1, while in ten studies, the cilgavimab/tixagevimab combination (fourth authorized mAb preparation) displayed a median 63-fold (IQR: 26-145) reduced activity against Omicron BA.1. In two studies, cilgavimab was approximately 100-fold more susceptible to BA.2 than to BA.1. In two studies, bebtelovimab, the most recently authorized mAb, was fully active against both the Omicron variants. Disparate results between assays were common as evidenced by a median 42-fold range (IQR: 25-625) in IC50 between assays for the eight authorized individual mAbs and three authorized mAb combinations. Highly disparate results between published assays indicates a need for improved mAb susceptibility test standardization or inter-assay calibration.
Breathing Exercises for Pain Management in Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wang Haiying , Liu Xian-Liang , Wang Tao , Tan Jing-Yu (Benjamin) , Huang Houqiang
Published: March 2022

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of breathing exercises for pain management in cancer survivors. Design: A systematic review. Data sources: Thirteen databases, including PubMed, EMBase, CENTRAL, Medline, CINAHL, JBI, Science Direct, Scopus, SocINDEX, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CNKI, and Wan Fang, were searched from inception to May 24, 2021. Review/analysis methods: Studies that focused on the efficacy of breathing exercises for pain management in cancer survivors were included. Cochrane tools were used for the quality appraisal of the included studies. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, descriptive data analysis was used to summarize the results. Results: A total of 10 studies were included in this systematic review. Slow pursed lip breathing showed benefits for post-surgical pain. Contradictory findings were identified in the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery breathing exercise for post-surgical pain. Slow deep breathing and Hey-Hu regular breathing techniques were effective for pain management in pediatric cancer patients. The Active Cycle of Breathing Technique and five-minute mindful breathing did not have any statistically significant effects on pain relief. Quality of life was measured in three studies, with some improvement. Only one study addressed adverse events and reported that no adverse events associated with the breathing exercises occurred during the study. Conclusion: This review found some evidence of positive effects of breathing exercises for pain relief in cancer survivors. However, the unsatisfactory methodological quality of the studies prevents its generalizability. More large-scale studies are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of breathing exercises for pain relief in cancer survivors.
Carbon and Trace Element Compositions of Total Suspended Particles (TSP) and Nanoparticles (PM0.1) in Ambient Air of Southern Thailand and Characterization of Their Sources
Authors: Inerb Muanfun , Phairuang Worradorn , Paluang Phakphum , Hata Mitsuhiko , Furuuchi Masami , Wangpakapattanawong Prasit
Published: March 2022

The concentration of total suspended particles (TSP) and nanoparticles (PM0.1) over Hat Yai city, Songkhla province, southern Thailand was measured in 2019. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were evaluated by carbon aerosol analyzer (IMPROVE-TOR) method. Thirteen trace elements including Al, Ba, K, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Ti, Pb, and Zn were evaluated by ICP-OES. Annual average TSP and PM0.1 mass concentrations were determined to be 58.3 ± 7.8 and 10.4 ± 1.2 µg/m3, respectively. The highest levels of PM occurred in the wet season with the corresponding values for the dry seasons being lower. The annual average OC/EC ratio ranged from 3.8 - 4.2 (TSP) and 2.5 - 2.7 (PM0.1). The char to soot ratios were constantly less than 1.0 for both TSP and PM0.1, indicating that land transportation is the main emission source. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that road transportation, industry, and biomass burning are the key sources of these particles. However, PM arising from Indonesian peatland fires causes an increase in the carbon and trace element concentrations in southern Thailand. The findings make useful information for air quality management and strategies for controlling this problem, based on a source apportionment analysis.
T3OMVP: A Transformer-based Time and Team Reinforcement Learning Scheme for Observation-constrained Multi-Vehicle Pursuit in Urban Area
Authors: Yuan Zheng , Wu Tianhao , Wang Qinwen , Yang Yiying , Li Lei , Zhang Lin
Published: March 2022

Smart Internet of Vehicles (IoVs) combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) will contribute to vehicle decision-making in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). Multi-Vehicle Pursuit games (MVP), a multi-vehicle cooperative ability to capture mobile targets, is becoming a hot research topic gradually. Although there are some achievements in the field of MVP in the open space environment, the urban area brings complicated road structures and restricted moving spaces as challenges to the resolution of MVP games. We define an Observation-constrained MVP (OMVP) problem in this paper and propose a Transformer-based Time and Team Reinforcement Learning scheme (T3OMVP) to address the problem. First, a new multi-vehicle pursuit model is constructed based on decentralized partially observed Markov decision processes (Dec-POMDP) to instantiate this problem. Second, by introducing and modifying the transformer-based observation sequence, QMIX is redefined to adapt to the complicated road structure, restricted moving spaces and constrained observations, so as to control vehicles to pursue the target combining the vehicle’s observations. Third, a multi-intersection urban environment is built to verify the proposed scheme. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed T3OMVP scheme achieves significant improvements relative to state-of-the-art QMIX approaches by 9.66%~106.25%. Code is available at https://github.com/pipihaiziguai/T3OMVP.
Molecular Mechanisms of Fungal Signaling
Authors: Jacob Stefan , Bühring Sri , Bersching Katharina
Published: March 2022

Biochemical signaling is the key mechanism to coordinate a living organism in all aspects of its life. It is still enigmatic how exactly cells and organisms deal with environmental signals and irritations precisely because of the limited number of signaling proteins and a multitude of transitions inside and outside the cell. Many components of signaling pathways are functionally pleiotropic, which means they have several functions. A single stimulus often activates multiple effectors, a distinct effector can be activated by numerous stimuli and signals triggered by different stimuli are often transduced via shared network components. This very compact and concise review sheds light on the most important molecular mechanisms of cellular signaling in fungi.
Field guide to identifying the upper extent of stream channels
Authors: Rossi Rebecca , David Gabrielle
Published: March 2022

The upper extent of a channel is a transition zone from the hillslope to the beginning of the stream channel. Accurately and consistently identifying the upper extent of a channel in the field and locating where hillslope processes transition to stream-channel processes can be a difficult task. Physical characteristics located at the beginning of a channel (i.e., channel head), including geomorphic, sediment, and vegetation indicators, can vary significantly across different landscapes in the United States. Remote tools are useful for examining the upper extent of channels, but these re-mote tools have limitations for identifying the beginning of channels. Even as the resolution of remote data continues to increase, field observations are necessary to validate the remote data on the ground and to accurately and consistently identify and locate the transition from the hillslope to the stream channel. Use of a combination of remote and field evidence is likely the most successful strategy for identifying channel heads. This report presents a case study that demonstrates how a weight-of-evidence approach can combine field and remote evidence to locate the different parts of the transition and ultimately to identify the channel-head location.
A Forensic Analysis Visualization Tool for Mobile Instant Messaging Apps
Authors: Ong Wee Sern , Ab Rahman Nurul Hidayah
Published: March 2022

In this study, we demonstrate the role of visualization to facilitate forensic analysis goal in interpreting metadata of evidence of interest to answer who, what, why, when, where, and how an incident occurred. Two mobile Instant Messaging (IM) applications (i.e. WhatsApp and Line) were deployed as a case study.  Subsequently, a tool – W*W Visualizer – was designed and developed with the aims to analyze and visualize the connection of evidence metadata, text frequency and word count, and display report of analysis activities. The tool is developed by adopting Object-Oriented Software Development Model with Visual Studio platform and C# language were used to develop the system. Our findings show that W*W Visualizer could transform the data of the chat database into a visual form, for example graph, chart and word cloud. The tool also allows the user to perform search feature such as searching based on keyword and timestamp from the IM chat history. It is expected that outcomes from this study would significantly influence digital forensics practitioners in analyzing and interpreting evidence data, and judicial authorities in understanding the presentation of evidence.
Thermal Stimulation on Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery Under Microwave Heating Based on a Fully Coupled Numerical Model
Authors: Zhu Jingyi , Wang Hao , Yang Zhaozhong , Li Xiaogang , Zhou Jie
Published: March 2022

For the desorption of methane, thermal stimulation is an alternative to develop coalbed methane (CBM) when it is difficult to reduce the formation pressure. Microwave heating is a promising thermal method to increase the gas recovery of CBM especially for the CBM reservoir with high heterogeneity and low water content. The current study aims to establish a fully coupled numerical model to understand the enhanced gas recovery (EGR) mechanism of CBM under microwave heating.

In the study, the CBM reservoir model was developed first. Then a mathematical model considering electromagnetic excitation, heat transfer, mass transfer, Langmuir adsorption, and fluid flow was built. Moreover, some important parameters were set as temperature-dependent to achieve the coupling effects among the multiphysics. Based on the above two models, a fully coupled electromagnetic-thermal-hydraulic-mechanical model was solved by the finite element, so that the distributions of electric field, reservoir temperature, methane concentration were able to be investigated. Finally, a sensitivity analysis including water content, microwave power and microwave heating mode was done based on the heating efficiency and EGR.

Under microwave heating, the electric field distributes near the microwave heater with the maximum electric intensity as 1.07×103 V/m. The high electric intensity and low thermal conductivity easily enables microwaves to generate the required temperature region within CBM reservoir, so that 200 W power was applied to continuous heat the formation. Under 1 day, the maximum temperature of CBM reservoir increased to 81 °C, enabling the desorption of methane. Moreover, heating efficiency is controlled by the dielectric properties as well as electric field intensity of the CBM reservoir, although the existence of water content increases the dielectric constant within the CBM reservoir. In addition, by setting the temperature-dependent properties, microwave heating shows the ability to induce the pore volume changes by generating thermal stress, so that the porosity and permeability of CBM reservoir near the heater increase from 0.15 to 0.24 and from 0.36 mD to 1.47 mD, respectively. Based on the above positive effects of microwave heating, the CBM recovery could be significantly enhanced. Finally, in order to transfer the heat deeper into the reservoir, the feasibility of stepwise microwave heating mode has been successfully proven based on the temperature distribution within the CBM reservoir.

In the study, microwave has showed great potential in enhancing the CBM recovery resulting from its high heating efficiency and pore induction effect. The results presented in this paper can provide comprehensive guidance for the optimization of microwave heating parameters.
Sealed Wellbore Pressure Monitoring in the Montney: Early Learnings
Authors: Chin Adam , Miller Patrick , Redpath Darcy , Dauncey Keane , Nakaska Daniel , Alimahomed Farhan
Published: March 2022

Characterizing fracture geometry in unconventional reservoirs is essential to optimizing field development. Surveillance data is critical to understand how fractures propagate both vertically and laterally in any given formation. This paper is focused on low-cost, practical solutions to this problem, primarily Sealed Wellbore Pressure Monitoring (SWPM). SWPM is a novel technology recently developed by Devon Energy, which employs a sealed monitoring well to detect the arrival of hydraulic fractures from an adjacent treatment well via a pressure pulse. SWPM has recently been employed in unconventional plays in the U.S. This paper reports the results from its first application in Canada, in the Montney formation in British Columbia.

SWPM data was collected from monitoring wells across four pads in the Montney, located in north-east B.C. The Montney consists of multiple stacked development targets, which emphasizes the importance of fracture characterization for optimal well placement and fracture design. Data collected from SWPM was compared with other diagnostics such as production interference testing, and fracture modeling. By integrating the information from these diagnostics, it is possible to better calibrate hydraulic fracture models and make better field development decisions earlier, with more confidence.

This paper summarizes the key learnings, challenges, and limitations from the SWPM pilot. In terms of hydraulic fracture geometry, lateral fracture propagation was consistently very fast (long fracture lengths) in the Upper target; whereas in the Middle target, lateral fracture growth was shorter and fracture height growth was greater. This behavior was generally consistent with expectations based on the minimum horizontal stress profile and fracture modeling in the area. The SWPM data correlated reasonably well with production interference tests. A new metric (SWPM Intensity) was found to have the best relationship with the interference test data. This relationship is crucial as it links hydraulic fracture geometry to propped, flowing geometry.

In conjunction with other diagnostics, early learnings from SWPM data have already provided significant value in informing field development decisions in the Montney. The novel SWPM Intensity metric provides an early indication of expected production interference between wells, and therefore an indication of how to balance completion intensity with well spacing. Moreover, by better understanding hydraulic fracture geometry and its relationship to propped geometry, completion designs and well spacing can be better customized by layer.
Optimizing Geothermal Heat Extraction from End of Life Oil & Gas Wells Using a Transient Multiphase Flow Simulator
Authors: Sask David , Graham Peter , Nascimento Carlos
Published: March 2022

Oil and gas wells that have reached their economic end of life or have never been put into production for any reason may have potential for an alternate form of energy. Geothermal energy can be extracted from wells and is dependent upon numerous factors, but primarily by the thermal gradient of the region and the well depth. These two primary factors cannot be altered, however the design of the completion and production systems for extracting geothermal energy can significantly impact the amount of energy that can be extracted.

This paper presents results from evaluating the rate of thermal energy that can be extracted under various completion scenarios using a transient flow simulator. This evaluation was conducted on closed loop systems whereby the fluids are contained within the well bore and surface facilities and do not involve any formation fluids.

The results from the transient flow simulator show that the direction of flow circulation and insulation of the tubing string are crucial in evaluating assorted options to diminish thermal losses. There is an economic decision required for the decision on insulation type

Results were also obtained for using the system to store energy in the upper regions of the well during time periods when there is no heat required from the system. This improves thermal recovery efficiencies when heat demand returns. Based on analyses of the simulations the two-stage storage/extraction processes significantly improved the technical, economic and environmental merits of the previously developed coaxial technology for heat generation.

The use of a multiphase flow simulator for this study provides a roadmap for understanding the thermal energy potential, as well as the most important variables when considering extraction of geothermal energy from existing oil and gas wells.
Bacteria Control in Unconventional High Temperature Downhole Conditions During Completions
Authors: Graham Matt , Kramer Jeff
Published: March 2022

Comparative biocidal efficacy studies were conducted using field water samples. Biocide stock solutions were made up in field waters and tested before and after thermal aging to simulate downhole thermal conditions. Biocidal efficacy was measured by serial dilution vials and ATP. Tributyl tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC) provided rapid biocidal activity against sulfate-reducing and acid-producing bacteria in multiple field water samples. It was also thermally stable and retained all of its biocidal activity through 7 days of heat aging at downhole temperatures of 85-90°C. In contrast, non-oxidizing biocides based on 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide, and glutaraldehyde/quaternary ammonium chloride lost significant biocidal activity after exposure to these same downhole temperatures. TTPC also showed excellent compatibility with anionic friction reducers. Once the efficacy and compatibility of TTPC was confirmed in lab tests, it was used on several multi-well fracs. Results of the flowback testing gave zero viable sulfate-reducing and acid-producing bacteria and ATP values of <100 pg/ml in several wells, indicating that TTPC was highly effective at controlling microbial contamination in the harsh field environment.
Pump Jack Timer Optimization Using Detailed, High-Quality Pressure Monitoring
Authors: Gordon Ryan
Published: March 2022

To reduce power usage and wear and tear on pumping equipment, low producing wells are often placed on timers. This study demonstrates how timer settings can be rapidly and effectively optimized using detailed measurement of tubing pressure. Pressure monitoring devices, based on an internet of things (IoT) architecture, were installed on the flow-t of 24 pumping wells, gathered and stored per second pressure data, and used it to establish optimal timer settings.
Understanding Field Performance of Paraffin Inhibitors Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry
Authors: Shuya Matthew , Baron Holley , Tiberio Cristino
Published: March 2022

The standard test procedure for paraffin inhibitor evaluations in oil and gas production over the past 20 years has been cold finger analysis. With the emergence of unconventional Canadian oil and gas production from tight reservoirs such as the Montney and Duvernay formations, mounting paraffin treatment issues have been observed. The limitations of cold finger analysis have become increasingly evident when relating product evaluation data to field performance data. Baker Hughes has developed a method to evaluate paraffin inhibitors using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) that exhibits key improvements over cold finger analysis. The results of an investigation between product evaluation testing through DSC and field performance data is presented.

DSC analysis is commonly used in the oil and gas industry for cloud point or wax appearance temperature (WAT) determination of crude oil by detecting the point at which paraffin crystals form. It has commonly been presumed that detection of cloud point shifting can be accomplished with paraffin inhibitor chemistries; however, contradictory evidence obtained through thorough investigation within the industry refutes this claim. This is due to the fact that standard paraffin inhibitors work to disrupt paraffin crystal growth and agglomeration, instead of paraffin crystal suppression.

Many programs identified through DSC testing methodology have been successfully implemented in a variety of field applications including both conventional and unconventional production. Moreover, field application monitoring data correlates to product selection and treatment rate data obtained through DSC analysis far better than results acquired through cold finger analysis. Additionally, analysis through DSC is far less susceptible to commonly experienced interferences observed in cold finger analysis such as high asphaltene content of specific crude oils, or paraffin content of condensate.

Paraffin inhibitor evaluation through DSC allows for improved understanding of intended paraffin inhibitor programs for oil and gas producers, especially those experiencing difficult to treat paraffin issues in higher temperature tight reservoirs.
Dissipation-Based Nonlinear Solver for Fully Implicit Compositional Simulation
Authors: Jiang Jiamin , Pan Huanquan
Published: March 2022

In reservoir simulation of complex recovery processes, solving nonlinear equation system arising from the fully implicit method (FIM) poses a significant challenge. The Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) conditions can span orders of magnitude in heterogeneous reservoir models because of large variations of permeability and porosity. The standard Newton method often fails to converge for large timestep sizes.

We extend a new dissipation-based continuation (DBC) method to multiphase and compositional problems. The objective is to avoid timestep cuts and maintain efficient timestepping in FIM simulations. The method constructs a homotopy of the discrete governing equations by adding numerical dissipation. A continuation parameter is introduced to control the dissipation level and ensure that the accuracy of the converged solution is not degraded. Within the DBC framework, we develop general dissipation operators for multiphase and compositional flow models. Adaptive strategies are also proposed to determine the optimum dissipation matrix for hyperbolic systems.

We evaluate the efficiency of the new nonlinear solver using several challenging cases. Results show that the standard damped Newton solver is afflicted by severe timestep restrictions and wasted computations. By comparison, the DBC solver enables superior nonlinear convergence. The dissipation operators can effectively overcome major convergence difficulties of coupled flow and transport problems.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy-silver nanoparticle conjugate interacts with neuronal and glial cells and alleviates anxiety-like behaviour in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Lawal Sodiq Kolawole , Olojede Samuel Oluwaseun , Dare Ayobami , Faborode Oluwaseun Samuel , Naidu Edwin C. Stephen , Rennie Carmen Olivia , Azu Onyemaechi Okpara
Published: March 2022

The inception of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has changed the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients, and their life expectancy has improved. However, neurological complications associated with chronic HAART administration has not been fully addressed. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential benefits of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) conjugated HAART and its interaction with neuronal and glial cells in type-2 diabetic rats. Forty-two (42) adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250 ± 13 g) were divided into non-diabetic and diabetic groups. After induction of diabetes, non-diabetic and diabetic animals were administered either with de-ionized water (DW), HAART (98.2 mg/kg, p.o) or AgNPs + HAART (24.5 mg/kg, i. p) for eight weeks. After that, metabolic biomarkers, oxidative injury, tissue inflammation, and animal behavioural changes were evaluated. Also, the prefrontal cortex was excised for immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis. The HAART-treated diabetic rats showed a significant increase in blood glucose level, number of faecal pellets, malondialdehyde (MDA), and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) while locomotion, reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and PFC-GFAP positive cells were significantly reduced compared with diabetic control. However, administration of AgNPs + HAART to diabetic rats significantly improved the blood glucose level, metabolic activities, SOD, GSH, PFC-GFAP positive cells, protecting neuronal injury while reducing MDA and anxiety-like behaviour in the open field test. Administration of HAART aggravates anxiety-like behaviours and promotes neurotoxic effects in the PFC of diabetic rats. However, AgNPs + HAART alleviates the anxiogenic effects of HAART, and preserves PFC GFAP-positive cells and neuronal cytoarchitecture by reducing oxidative and neuroinflammatory injury.
Using Joint Models To Study The Association Between CD4 Count And The Risk Of Death In TB/HIV Data
Authors: Mchunu Nobuhle Nokubonga , Mwambi Henry , Rizopoulos Dimitris , Reddy Tarylee , Yende-Zuma Nonhlanhla
Published: March 2022

Background: Joint modeling is an active area of research which has seen an increasing interest in medical research for various dynamic medical scenarios for studying possible relationships between longitudinal biomarkers and survival outcomes. The association structure that links the survival and the longitudinal sub-models is of great importance within the joint modeling framework, nevertheless, rationale for selecting it has received relatively little attention in the literature. In light of this, our main aim is to explore alternative functional forms of the association structure linking the CD4 count and the risk of death and provide rationale for selecting the optimal association structure for our data. Methods: We used data from the study conducted by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research inSouth Africa (CAPRISA) AIDS Treatment programme, the Starting Antiretroviral Therapy at Three Points in Tuberculosis (SAPiT) study, which was an open-label, three armed randomised, controlled trial conducted between June 2005 and July 2010 (N=642). We considered five association structures and to select the final model we utilized the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC), where smaller values indicate better model adjustments to the data. Results: We observed similar characteristics of the study participants across the three study arms. The median CD4 count was 154.5, 149.0 and 140.0 in the early integrated, late integrated and sequential arms, respectively. The random effects association structure was found to be the best functional form for our data, in particular, the baseline levels as well as the longitudinal evolution of the underlying CD4 count were found tobe strongly associated with the risk of death. Conclusions: In this paper we have shown that the "current value" association structure is not always the bests tructure that expresses the correct relationship between the outcomes in all settings, which is why it is crucial to explore alternative clinically meaningful association structures that links the longitudinal and survival processes. Keywords: Time-to-event data; longitudinal data; joint models; CD4 count; mortality; Association structures
A Case Study Addressing Trauma Needs During COVID-19 Remote Learning From An Ecological Systems Theory Framework
Authors: Mahmud Sharmeen
Published: March 2022

Mental health conditions related to trauma among American children are a concern, particularly because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children, as students, carry the trauma they encounter with them into the classroom. Students impacted by trauma learn differently due to effects on the brain that relate to several impairments, causing them to perform poorly in school. However, teachers may not always understand this issue. This case study shows how certain dynamics within the EST layers impacted one school during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers at the school experienced a trauma–informed online PD and SEL program intended to improve student outcomes, teacher perceptions, and teacher–student relationships. The six participants included teachers in a K-8 low-income, minority population charter school. The assessment tools used were the Teacher–Student Relationship Scale, Teacher Perception Scale, and Student Outcomes Survey. The teachers’ outlook on SEL improved, particularly online. This improvement helped the teachers implement community circles and SEL infused with mindfulness in their online classrooms, which may have helped them maintain their relationships with the students and may have helped the students with academic and stress outcomes. During unprecedented times, the maintenance, rather than the deterioration, of student outcomes and teacher–student relationships is an accomplishment and an area that necessitates further research.
The Comparison of Surgical Outcomes Between Early and Advanced Class of Jugular Paragangliomas Following Application of Our Modified Surgical Techniques
Authors: Zhao Peng , Lin Feng , Zhang Yibo , Kong Dedi , Feng Yisi , Dai Chunfu
Published: March 2022

Purpose: To compare the safety and effectiveness of surgical treatment of jugular paragangliomas (JPs) following application of our modified surgical techniques.Methods: Fifty-six patients with JPs were analyzed for tumor classification, surgical outcomes, and intratumor blood vessels.Results: The gross total resection in C1-2 (100%) was significantly greater than that in C3 and D (66.7%). The presence of postoperative good facial nerve (FN) function House-Brackmann (HB) I-II in C1-2 (89.5%) was not significantly different from C3 and D (93.3%) (P =0.694). The presence of preoperative and postoperative lower cranial nerve (LCN) deficits was correlated with the Fisch classification of tumors (P<0.05), and more intraoperative blood loss was demonstrated in advanced tumors (P=0.050). Further study showed that the cross-sectional area of intratumor blood vessels was positively associated with intraoperative blood loss (P<0.001).Conclusions: Surgical excision of JPs is a safe and effective strategy, and early surgical treatment is a good option for patients with C1-2 tumors without surgical contraindications.
Gradient Electromechanical Theory for Thin Dielectric Curved Beams Considering Direct and Converse Flexoelectric Effects
Authors: Joshan Yadwinder Singh , Santapuri Sushma
Published: March 2022

This work presents the development of a unified gradient electromechanical theory for thin flexoelectric beams considering both direct and converse flexoelectric effects. The two-way coupled electromechanical theory is developed starting from 3D variational formulation by considering an electric field-strain based free energy function. The formulation incorporates mechanical as well as electrical size effects. The coupled 3D theory is specialized to isotropic materials and a 1D beam theory for composite flexoelectric curved beams is derived using the classical Kirchhoff assumptions. The beam theory is solved using a novel C2 continuous finite element framework for different loading and boundary conditions. Our finite element results are verified with analytical solutions for a simply-supported flexoelectric beam operating in both actuator and sensor modes. The results are also compared with existing literature for the special case of a passive micro-beam. Our computational framework is subsequently used to perform various parametric studies to analyze the effect of electrical and mechanical length scale parameters, geometric parameters like the radius of curvature, flexoelectric layer thickness etc., on the response of the beam. Also, contribution of converse flexoelectricity in the overall response of the flexoelectric beam is compared with that of the direct effect. Our simulation results predict that the converse effect is significant (≈ 10-25% of the direct effect) for a wide range of thickness and length scale parameter values. It is also observed that the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient, calculated in terms of the voltage developed across the flexoelectric layer thickness, is higher in flexoelectric materials compared to piezoelectric materials at smaller length scales (thickness of the order of a few microns). The trends observed in our simulation results also agree with recent experimental findings.
Celastrol Ameliorated Lupus in Fas-Deficiency MRL/lpr Mice via Regulating in Vivo Immune Response of Lymphocytes
Authors: Xie Tianhong , Liu Huiqiang , Liu Xin , Li Ping
Published: March 2022

Background
Celastrol is the bioactive constituent extracted from tripterygium wilfordii (Thunder God Vine). In present study, we explore whether celastrol would exhibit a regulatory effect on adaptive immune response in vivo in MRL/lpr mice.
Methods
In present study, we combined following approaches to determine the underlying mechanism of celastrol treatment on MRL/lpr mice, including Elisa, Luminex, and flow cytometry.
Results
Celastrol treatment significantly prevented enlargement of spleen and lymph node, alleviated renal injuries, and reduced production of ANA and anti-dsDNA antibody. Celastrol treatment also strikingly decreased serum levels of multiple cytokines and antibody subsets in MRL/lpr mice. Celastrol treatment also reduced Th1 and TNF producing cells frequencies in CD4 + T cells of MRL/lpr mice. Celastrol treatment strikingly prevented CD138 + T cells accumulation and increased apoptosis level of CD138 + T cells in MRL/lpr mice. In addition, celastrol treatment prevented plasma cells formation from B cells in MRL/lpr mice by decreasing activated and germinal center B cells frequency in B cells.
Conclusions
Celastrol treatment has a significantly therapeutic effect on MRL/lpr mice. Both alleviated accumulation of CD138 + T cells and reduced formation of plasma cells in MRL/lpr mice induced by celastrol treatment together contributed to the reduced secretion of autoantibody in celastrol-treated MRL/lpr mice.