bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Temperature Variations on Asphaltene Dynamics in Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Darabi Hamed , Abouie Ali , Sepehrnoori Kamy
Published: April 2016

Asphaltene precipitation, flocculation, and deposition strongly depend on the pressure, temperature, and composition variations (e.g. phase instability due to CO2 injection). The effect of temperature variations on asphaltene precipitation is more complicated compared to the other factors. As temperature increases, oil density decreases while at the same time entropy of the solution increases, resulting in a counter balancing effect. Although some researchers addressed this issue in the literature, there is a lack of comprehensive model that investigates dynamic effect of temperature variations on asphaltene behavior.

In this paper, a comprehensive non-isothermal compositional EOS-based reservoir simulator is developed with the capability of modeling asphaltene phase behavior to study the effect of temperature variations on dynamics of asphaltene precipitation, flocculation, and deposition during cold/hot water injection. The results showed that effect of temperature variations might be favorable or detrimental on oil production, depending on fluid composition, direction of wettability alteration, and dynamic changes in reservoir condition. Each of these factors has a distinct effect on the asphaltene behavior, and neglecting such effects may result in a significant error in the prediction of asphaltene behavior, and consequently, oil production rate.
Improved Oil Recovery in Asphaltic Reservoirs During Gas Injection
Authors: Darabi Hamed , Abouie Ali , Sepehrnoori Kamy
Published: April 2016

A successful gas injection design is a challenging task in asphaltic reservoirs. Gas injection accelerates asphaltene deposition, which results in detrimental effects on field development and ultimate oil recovery. The main objective of this paper is to provide a workflow to mitigate asphaltene problems in reservoirs during gas injection. The workflow includes data gathering, fluid characterization, and dynamic asphaltene modeling using an in-house compositional reservoir simulator. The in-house simulator is capable of modeling (1) the effects of pressure, temperature, and composition variations simultaneously on asphaltene phase behavior, (2) asphaltene precipitation, flocculation, and deposition, and (3) wettability alteration due to asphaltene deposition. Three case studies were presented to investigate the effects of gas flooding, gas override, and wettability alteration on the dynamics of asphaltene precipitation, flocculation, and deposition.

The simulation results showed that gas injection considerably increased the instability of asphaltene particles in the oil, and consequently, accelerated asphaltene precipitation and deposition in the reservoir. During miscible gas flooding, asphaltene mostly deposited at the front near the boundaries, where the front velocity was minimum. Moreover, asphaltene deposition occurred mainly in the bottom layer in the presence of gas override due to the lower velocity of the front in the bottom layer compared to the upper layer. Finally, the study revealed that wettability alteration due to asphaltene deposition had a major impact on the performance of the reservoir, specifically on the ultimate oil recovery, compared to the permeability reduction.
Characterizing Reservoir Connectivity and Forecasting Waterflood Performance Using Data-Driven and Reduced-Physics Models
Authors: Artun Emre
Published: April 2016

Closed-loop reservoir management requires representative models that can be updated quickly. Such kind of models that can be used for characterization of reservoir connectivity would greatly contribute to decisions in waterflooding operations. In heterogeneous reservoirs that are characterized with thief-zones/fractures or flow-barriers, that may enhance or prevent connectivity, it becomes challenging to construct geological models with both reasonable accuracy and computational efficiency. In this study, practical and computationally-efficient methods are presented to first accurately characterize the connectivity between producer and injector wells, and then to forecast the waterflood performance. Two classes of modeling approaches are evaluated in terms of their applicability to characterize the connectivity: 1) Data-driven modeling - artificial neural networks (ANN), in which there is not any presumed functional relationship and connectivity is derived from the weights on connection links of neural networks; 2) Reduced-physics modeling - capacitance-resistance models (CRM), in which physics are incorporated with certain assumptions and connectivity is derived from the fractional flow parameter in the formulation. In both approaches; a producer-based control volume is considered to focus on producers and their connectivity to different injectors, and both models are trained with injection/production histories. Connectivity values derived from these methods are fed into a short-term, pattern-based forecasting methodology, which quantified ultimate recoveries at the desired oil-cut values. Two synthetic reservoir models are used to test the applicability of aforementioned methods; which are characterized with high-permeability streaks and flow-barriers. These key features that affect connectivity are identified by both modeling approaches with reasonable accuracies, but with varying interpretations of fluid movement in the reservoir. Pattern-based forecasting methodology resulted in ultimate recovery predictions very close to the numerical-model based results, with errors within 3%. The workflow presented is quick and reliable to be implemented in closed-loop reservoir management protocols, which requires models that can be updated easily with recent data, and can be used in decision making processes with confidence.
Customized Drilling & Completion Fluids Designed for Horizontal Wells to Address the Drilling and Production Challenges - Case History
Authors: Soliman Ahmed , Samir Ahmed , Sheer Shahad , AL-Khaldi Ali , Boukhamsin Ali
Published: April 2016

This paper presents drilling and completion fluids design for drilling long lateral / horizontal wells in a North Kuwait field and its field application on well RA-AAA, RA-BBB, RA-CCC and RA-DDD. The offset wells were reviewed to identify the issues from drilling a challenging trajectory through troublesome reactive formations that showed serious wellbore stability issues and stuck pipe incidents.

The customized drilling and completions fluids system was designed for different intervals, taking the following objectives in consideration: Improved hole stability through stressed and reactive formationsEnhanced hole-cleaning efficiency at critical anglesMinimized risk of stuck pipe across depleted formations with high porosity and permeabilityMinimized / no induced losses to formation by utilizing unique wellbore-strengthening techniqueMinimal damage to reservoir section during drilling phaseNear-wellbore damage remediation during completion phase

This paper describes the customized drilling and completions fluids performance as compared to offset wells. A comprehensive engineered approach addressed the challenges of drilling horizontal wells by using a revolutionary bridging technology to strengthen the wellbore and improve wellbore stability to reduce non-productive time (NPT) related to losses, stuck pipe, etc. This paper also describes the completions fluids design to minimize reservoir damage and utilize Mesophase technology to remediate near-wellbore damage and improve reservoir producibility. The lessons learned on these wells were incorporated in drilling subsequent wells to continue improve on performance.
Rigorous and Explicit Determination of Reserves and Hyperbolic Exponents in Gas-Well Decline Analysis
Authors: Stumpf T. N. , Ayala Luis F.
Published: April 2016

Reservoir evaluation on the basis of rate-time data of gas wells producing under boundary-dominated flow (BDF) is often performed with the Arps’ empirical hyperbolic decline model and associated type curves. In this study, we show that, for volumetric, single-phase, gas reservoirs produced at constant bottomhole pressure, the decline exponent, b, used in Arps’ hyperbolic model can be calculated solely on the basis of fluid properties and the prevailing bottomhole specification—regardless of reservoir properties and before collecting any rate-time data. For the case of real gases produced under less-than wide-open decline, the assumption of a constant b necessary for the use of Arps’ equations does not hold true throughout the production life of a reservoir. We show that during early BDF, a hyperbolic window may be defined for which the constant-b assumption may be valid. Within this window, we show that the application of type-curve and straight-line analysis techniques derived from the hyperbolic model can be used to successfully and explicitly determine reservoir properties, including original gas in place (OGIP). Several case studies based on numerical simulation and field data are presented to thoroughly validate and highlight the predictive capabilities of the proposed model.
Effect of Planting Date on Distribution of Seasonal Forage Yields in Dual‐Purpose Wheat, Oats, and Ryegrass Crops
Authors: Darapuneni Murali K. , Morgan Gaylon D. , Shaffer Oliver J.
Published: April 2016

Planting date is a key factor for determining the forage yields in different seasons to meet grazing requirements for various winter annual crops. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of planting date on seasonal forage yield distribution for different grazing systems in dual‐purpose winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), oats (Avena sativa L.), and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.). The research was conducted in two consecutive growing seasons (2003–2004 and 2004–2005) at the Texas A&M University Agriculture Research and Extension Center, McGregor, TX. Treatments were six planting dates (September through November with 2‐week interval between consecutive planting dates) for all three crops designed in randomized complete block with three replications. Three harvests of forage (fall, winter, and spring) were conducted each year for all three winter annuals. The results indicated that early planting (early September) favored the higher forage yields in fall season for both years in all three crops. For all three crops, under below‐average precipitation (2003–2004), planting date had no significant effect (P < 0.05) on both winter and spring forage yields. In the year 2004–2005, with above‐normal precipitation, late‐mid planting (late October) was optimum for both winter and spring seasons in wheat and oats. For ryegrass, late‐early (late September) planting produced significantly greater yields in fall and spring seasons. Planting date had no significant effect on winter forage yields for ryegrass. These research findings may be utilized in making planting decisions for the farmers with different grazing requirements in south and central Texas.
QTL Mapping for Grain Yield, Flowering Time, and Stay‐Green Traits in Sorghum with Genotyping‐by‐Sequencing Markers
Authors: Sukumaran Sivakumar , Li Xin , Li Xianran , Zhu Chengsong , Bai Guihua , Perumal Ramasamy , Tuinstra Mitchell R. , Prasad P.V. Vara , Mitchell Sharon E. , Tesso Tesfaye T. , Yu Jianming
Published: April 2016

Molecular breeding can complement traditional breeding approaches to achieve genetic gains in a more efficient way. In the present study, genetic mapping was conducted in a sorghum recombinant inbred line (RIL) population developed from Tx436 (a non‐stay‐green high food quality inbred) × 00MN7645 (a stay‐green high yield inbred) and evaluated in eight environments (location and year combination) in a hybrid background of Tx3042 (a non‐stay‐green A‐line). Phenotyping was conducted for agronomic traits (grain yield and flowering time), physiological traits of stay‐green (chlorophyll content [SPAD] and chlorophyll fluorescence [Fv/Fm] measured on the leaves), and green leaf area visual score (GLAVS). This population was genotyped with genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) technology. Data processing resulted in 7144 high quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were used in a genome‐wide single marker scan with physical distance. A selected subset of 1414 SNPs was used for composite interval mapping (CIM) with genetic distance. These complementary methods revealed fifteen QTLs for the traits studied. In addition, QTL mapping for individual environments and year‐wise combinations revealed 42 QTLs. A consistent QTL for grain yield under normal and stressed conditions was identified in chromosome 1 that explained 8 to 16% of the phenotypic variation. QTLs for flowering time were identified in chromosomes 2, 6, and 9 that explained 6 to 11% of the phenotypic variation. Stay‐green QTLs in chromosomes 3 and 4 explained 8 to 24% of the phenotypic variation. These identified QTLs with flanking SNPs of known genomic positions could be used to improve grain yield, flowering time, and stay‐green in sorghum molecular breeding programs.
Analisis Perbandingan Penerapan Pembelajaran Tata Bahasa China Antara Pembelajaran Tatap Muka Dengan Kombinasi Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh Dan Tatap Muka
Authors: Ying Yi
Published: April 2016

Di Fakultas Sastra, selama ini pengajaran tata bahasa hanya melalui tatap muka langsung. Seiring dengan penerapan sistem pembelajaran Multi Channel Learning di UBiNus maka dikembangkanlah metode pembelajaran tata bahasa model kombinasi pembelajaran jarak jauh dan tatap muka. Untuk mengetahui metode pembelajaran yang paling tepat dan efektif, sekaligus mengevaluasi semua metode yang sudah dijalankan selama ini, Jurusan Sastra China akan melaksanakan penelitian perbandingan antara kelas konvensional, gabungan off-class dan MCL, dan MCL tanpa off-class. Metode yang akan digunakan adalah metode kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Berdasarkan penelitian disimpulkan bahwa nilai mahasiswa kelas MCL lebih unggul dibandingkan nilai mahasiswa kelas MCL Off Class dan kelas Face to Face (Konvensional).
印 尼 华 人 的 宗 教 信 仰
Authors: Khosasih Andyni
Published: April 2016

The population of Chinese descendants in Indonesia reaches 7 millions. Their success cannot be taken separated from the culture embedded. On the other hand, understanding Chinese cultures cannot be separated from analyzing Chinese believes. There is a long history of Chinese religion. It has also portrayed the differences of cultures from which the portrayal forms unique symbol and characterization of its people. The outstanding quality of religions of Chinese-Indonesians is the adaptability, acceptance and openness. Indonesian Government, which has the policy of uniformity after the 1960 causes the breach of Chinese heritage for a long period of time. This has cost socio-structural gaps and multicultural disparity which is getting wider between east and west cultures. This thesis discusses the history and developments of Chinese-Indonesian religions with future predictions uphold.
Mendesain Bahan Ajar Bahasa Indonesia untuk Tujuan Akademis
Authors: Hs. Widjono
Published: April 2016

Article on how to design Indonesian language course material for academic purposes discusses some aspects necessary to be understood in designing the materials used by students at university level. Understanding of language essence, academic competence, appropriate course materials, and effective learning process covering the three stages of accountability model according to Moore, and the seven textuality criteria according to Rankema, is ablsolutely needed to be able to design good course materials. Article also includes a model structure of learning academic paragraph writing and academic essay.
The Study of Figurative Languages using Stylistics Theory in What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Authors: Winnie Winnie , Akun Akun
Published: April 2016

What My Mother Doesn’t Know is a novel-in-verse by Sonya Sones which tells about a teenage girl named Sophie who tries to find her Mr. Right and her bad relationship with her parents. In the end, Sophie finds her Mr. Right who is actually not her type of boy friend but he can make her feel happy and even though she hates her parents, she realizes that she loves them nevertheless. The purpose of this article is to prove that the author’s use of style can reveal the themes of novel-in-verse The analysis of the novel-in-verse focuses mainly on the themes and the figurative language of simile, metaphor, personification, paradox, and hyperbole. Research methods are conducted in qualitative method in the form of library research and statistics to calculate how many poems use the five figurative languages and are related to the themes. In the analysis, the author’s style is figurative language and there are three themes that can be taken from the novel-in-verse. The themes are overwhelmed feeling does not show the true feeling, the bond of family will always be there, no matter how hateful we are to them and love is not determined by someone’s physical appearance. The result shows that 91.36 percents of poems that use the five figurative languages are related to the themes. It can be concluded that the author’s style in writing the novel-in-verse can reveal the three themes.
The Analysis Of Creative Writing Teaching Through Story Book Reading For The First Grade Students Of Tunas Muda International School
Authors: Agus Jaclyn Ryani , Winiharti Menik
Published: April 2016

One method to support the success of teaching of writing skills is using story books. It has many kinds of benefits that provides the students more creative and challenging texts that require personal exploration, easier understanding of information which are commonly hard to comprehend and remember, and easier illustration in making connection among various elements and concepts being taught. This research deals with teaching creative writing through story book reading, and it is aimed at finding whether this method is beneficial or not in increasing creativity in writing. The study is carried out using a pre-test and post-test design to 14 students from the first grade. Between the two tests, the students were provided with basic knowledge of creative writing. The data of the research were the scores of the pre-test and post-test compared and analyzed based on the rubric of ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions. The pre-test result shows that 29% of the students achieve the standard of achievement. After the creative writing process, the post-test result indicates that 93% of the students achieve the standard of student achievement in creative writing.
Karakter Han Dengan Radikal 示 Dalam Shuowenjiezi: Klasifikasi, Aktivitas Penyembahan, Perbandingan Dengan Kamus Xiandai Hanyu
Authors: Sahertian Diana C.
Published: April 2016

The writing system used in the Chinese language is different from the Latin characters used in the Indonesian language. While the Latin characters represent sounds, the Han characters of the Chinese language represent meanings. Some Han characters have a component called a ‘radical’. This paper discusses Han characters with the 示 radical in Shuowen jiezi. The first part consists of the classification of such characters based on their structure and meaning. The second part discusses the worship practices on which the characters are based. The last part of this paper compares these Han characters to those with the same 示 radical in the Xiandai Hanyu Dictionary.
Penghapusan Shūshinkoyō (終身雇用) Menjadi Fenomena Muenshakai (無縁社会)
Authors: Prabowo Roberto Masami
Published: April 2016

Muenshakai is a phenomenon in Japanese society that relationship disappears and a growing number of people who live their own lives. This phenomenon occurs because of the abolition of the shūshinkoyō (終身雇用) working system in about 1990. Declining in marriage rates, divorce, and declining in birth rates (少子化) also lead to the formation of muenshakai. The problem limited to Japanese people around the year of 2007–2013, when the elderly Japanese people began to retire, lived alone, no relatives who could or would take care of them or even just going to visit. When they were sick, even died in the residence or in a public place, none of their family wanted to pay for hospital, funeral ceremony, and burial. To discuss this study, the author used descriptive analytical method. This research results the analysis of an image of contemporary Japanese society with economic issues that affect the family. The conclusion of the study states Japan must create a working system to ensure the community’s economy in the future.
Diskriminasi Gender dalam Novel Ginko Karya Junichi Watanabe
Authors: Unsriana Linda
Published: April 2016

Discrimination is an attitude and behavior that violates human rights. Discrimination can also be interpreted as a treatment for individuals differently based on race, religion, or gender. Any harassment, restriction, or exclusion to race, religion, or gender includes discriminatory actions. The theme of discrimination experienced by many women made the writer want to examine it from literature point of view, especially Japanese literature. The problem in this paper is gender discrimination experienced by the main character in novel Ginko. In Ginko novel written by Junichi Watanabe, the theme of discrimination against women is very strong, as experienced by the main character named Gin Ogino. This study used feminist standpoint research with the assumption that gender discrimination in society in the novel cannot be separated from women’s real experiences perceived by the author. In addition to stand on or derived from real experiences from the first woman doctor in Japan, which with all her efforts to break away from discrimination against women endured throughout her life: before marriage, divorce, attending medical school to become a doctor, even after she was graduated from medical school, she still experienced gender discrimination. This study found that gender discrimination experienced by Ginko because she is a woman, in which at that time (the Meiji era) there were clear boundaries between men and women. Difficulty and discrimination experienced are because Ginko’s ideals were considered impossible, because she wanted to become a doctor. Her ability and cleverness were obstructed just because she is a woman. It can be concluded in the Meiji era, there was discrimination against women reflected in the Novel Ginko.
Motherhood in the American Woman Poet’s Perspective: A Short Glance at Allen’s Rock Me to Sleep
Authors: Kurnia Nandy Intan
Published: April 2016

Article scrutinized one of the works of an American woman poet named Elizabeth Akers Allen. The poem under study entitled “Rock Me to Sleep”. It was a portrayal of motherhood. The speaker of this poem is a woman who is longing for the love of her mother. She is seeking for a way to ease her pain since she feels that she has lost her own battle of womanhood. Although the mother remains absent, the readers of the poem can sense the powerful love of the speaker of the poem toward her mother. Method of this study was library research that carried out by applying descriptive analytical methods. Data were collected from the primary and secondary sources. Results of this paper are the writer of poetry wants to warn people that womanhood in the patriarchal society can create many problems, and the only remedy for those problems is motherhood. Article also proves that a writer does not have to be a feminist to produce a literary text which discusses the issue of women, which has became the focus of feminism.
Dampak Psikologis Tokoh Pria dan Wanita dalam Film Tangshan Da Dizhen
Authors: Sinarsih Andriani , Handani Yuvina , Tjong Cendrawaty
Published: April 2016

"Tangshan Earthquake" by Feng Xiaogang began shooting at the 2010 Aftershock of a background to the film. Movie tells the story of a mother for her daughter because of the expense of her choice between life and death caused deep trauma, the purpose of this study was to indicate the difference between sex behavior may cause deep psychological trauma. This article uses the collected literature research method, to "Aftershock" movie LiYuanni Stool and post-disaster psychological research scope and use of gender inequality theory, post-disaster trauma psychology to analyze the process of gender inequality in the movie protagonist psychology. Analysis showed that factors of gender inequality is mainly a social problem and a lack of self-consciousness of women. The uneven treatment of choice in pondering Fang Deng and mother for decades.
Spatio-temporal variability of temperature and potential evapotranspiration over India
Authors: Sonali P. , Nagesh Kumar D.
Published: April 2016

Worldwide, major changes in the climate are expected due to global warming, which leads to temperature variations. To assess the climate change impact on the hydrological cycle, a spatio-temporal change detection study of potential evapotranspiration (PET) along with maximum and minimum temperatures (Tmax and Tmin) over India have been performed for the second half of the 20th century (1950–2005) both at monthly and seasonal scale. From the observed monthly climatology of PET over India, high values of PET are envisioned during the months of March, April, May and June. Temperature is one of the significant factors in explaining changes in PET. Hence seasonal correlations of PET with Tmax and Tmin were analyzed using Spearman rank correlation. Correlation of PET with Tmax was found to be higher compared to that with Tmin. Seasonal variability of trend at each grid point over India was studied for Tmax, Tmin and PET separately. Trend Free Pre-Whitening and Modified Mann Kendall approaches, which consider the effect of serial correlation, were employed for the trend detection analysis. A significant trend was observed in Tmin compared to Tmax and PET. Significant upward trends in Tmax, Tmin and PET were observed over most of the grid points in the interior peninsular region.
Variations in Organizational Role Stress in Different Cycles of Age
Authors: Girdhar Priyanka
Published: April 2016

The present paper seeks to explore variations caused by individual variables categorized in two broad categories i.e. age and dispositional- locus of control. In the present study a sample of 180 employees were selected from different industries. Employees belonging to age group of below 25 years’ experience maximum organizational role stress. Second most age group is belonging to age category of 26-35. Employees in age group of above 45 years are reported to be least stressed among employees of all category. Stress level is defined to increase with higher rating on locus scale. Locus of control are somewhat related with internal belief and self-confidence of the individual employees. HR practitioners are advised to consider personality related differences to counter stressors. Psychologists have suggested various practices to build up higher levels of internal locus of control. Practices like ABC theory of emotions, Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA), Unconditional Others Acceptance (UOA) etc. can prove beneficial in this regards.Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-3, issue-2: 125-128
A Simple and Efficient Synthesis of Novel Aryloxy-Functionalised 4,4′-bi-1,2,4-Triazoles
Authors: Zhang Li-Juan , Dong Zhan , Liang De-Hui , Wang Zhi-Qiang , Zhao Ting-Xing , Zhang Song , Li Hong-Bo
Published: April 2016

A simple and efficient strategy for the synthesis of novel aryloxy-functionalised 4,4′-bi-1,2,4-triazoles was successfully explored by nucleophilic aromatic substitution of tetrachloro-4,4′-bi-1,2,4-triazole by various phenols using Cs2CO3 as catalyst. The syntheses were achieved in 25–94% yields.
An automatic approach for tagging Web services using machine learning techniques
Authors: Lin Maria , Cheung David W.
Published: April 2016

Web services have become popular and increasingly important in e-business and e-commerce applications especially in large scale distributed systems. As a result, an increasing number of Web services have been developed. However, this huge collection of Web services makes the task of locating a suitable one more challenging as well as more difficult.

Automatic clustering of Web services groups services with similar functions together. Clustering could greatly boost the power of Web service search engines and generate tags to improve the search accuracy of tag-based service recommendation.

In this paper, we propose a Web service clustering technique based on Carrot search clustering and K-means to group similar services together. These clustered groups are then tagged. We also develop a tag-based service recommendation for WSDL documents using naive bayes algorithm to classify Web services into different tags. We demonstrate that the proposed clustering approach is effective for Web service discovery through two sets of real data.
Ranging Behaviour of Commercial Free-Range Laying Hens
Authors: Chielo Leonard , Pike Tom , Cooper Jonathan
Published: April 2016

In this study, the range use and behaviour of laying hens in commercial free-range flocks was explored. Six flocks were each visited on four separate days and data collected from their outdoor area (divided into zones based on distance from shed and available resources). These were: apron (0–10 m from shed normally without cover or other enrichments); enriched belt (10–50 m from shed where resources such as manmade cover, saplings and dust baths were provided); and outer range (beyond 50 m from shed with no cover and mainly grass pasture). Data collection consisted of counting the number of hens in each zone and recording behaviour, feather condition and nearest neighbour distance (NND) of 20 birds per zone on each visit day. In addition, we used techniques derived from ecological surveys to establish four transects perpendicular to the shed, running through the apron, enriched belt and outer range. Number of hens in each 10 m × 10 m quadrat was recorded four times per day as was the temperature and relative humidity of the outer range. On average, 12.5% of hens were found outside. Of these, 5.4% were found in the apron; 4.3% in the enriched zone; and 2.8% were in the outer range. This pattern was supported by data from quadrats, where the density of hens sharply dropped with increasing distance from shed. Consequently, NND was greatest in the outer range, least in the apron and intermediate in the enriched belt. Hens sampled in outer range and enriched belts had better feather condition than those from the apron. Standing, ground pecking, walking and foraging were the most commonly recorded activities with standing and pecking most likely to occur in the apron, and walking and foraging more common in the outer range. Use of the outer range declined with lower temperatures and increasing relative humidity, though use of apron and enriched belt was not affected by variation in these measures. These data support previous findings that outer range areas tend to be under-utilized in commercial free-range flocks and suggest positive relationships between range use, feather condition and increased behavioural opportunities and decline in the use of range in cold and/or damp conditions.
“Vicious, Aggressive Bird Stalks Cyclist”: The Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) in the News
Authors: Van Vuuren Kitty , O’Keeffe Scott , Jones Darryl
Published: April 2016

The Australian Magpie ( Cracticus tibicen ) is a common bird found in urban Australian environments where its nest defense behavior during spring brings it into conflict with humans. This article explores the role of print media in covering this conflict. Leximancer software was used to analyze newspaper reports about the Australian Magpie from a sample of 634 news stories, letters-to-the editor and opinion pieces, published in newspapers from around Australia between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014. The results confirm that stories about these birds are primarily published in the daily regional and weekly suburban press, and that the dominant story frame concerns the risk of “swooping” behavior to cyclists and pedestrians from birds protecting their nests during the spring breeding season. The most prominent sources used by journalists are local and state government representatives, as well as members of the public. The results show that the “swooping season” has become a normal part of the annual news cycle for these publications, with the implication that discourse surrounding the Australian Magpie predominantly concerns the risk these birds pose to humans, and ignores their decline in non-urban environments.
Structural and Biochemical Characterization of a Cyanobacterial PP2C Phosphatase Reveals Insights into Catalytic Mechanism and Substrate Recognition
Authors: Si Yunlong , Yuan Ye , Wang Yue , Gao Jin , Hu Yanbo , Feng Shiqiong , Su Jiyong
Published: April 2016

PP2C-type phosphatases play roles in signal transduction pathways related to abiotic stress. The cyanobacterial PP2C-type phosphatase tPphA specifically dephosphorylates the PII protein, which is a key regulator in cyanobacteria adapting to nitrogen-deficient environments. Previous studies have shown that residue His39 of tPphA is critical for the enzyme’s recognition of the PII protein; however, the manner in which this residue determines tPphA substrate specificity is unknown. Here, we solved the crystal structure of H39A, a tPphA variant. The structure revealed that the mutation of residue His39 to alanine changes the conformation and the flexibility of the loop in which residue His39 is located, and these changes affect the substrate specificity of tPphA. Moreover, previous studies have assumed that the FLAP subdomain and the third metal (M3) of tPphA could mutually influence each other to regulate PP2C catalytic activity and substrate specificity. However, despite the variable conformations adopted by the FLAP subdomain, the position of M3 was consistent in the tPphA structure. These results indicate that the FLAP subdomain does not influence M3 and vice versa. In addition, a small screen of tPphA inhibitors was performed. Sanguinarine and Ni2+ were found to be the most effective inhibitors among the assayed chemicals. Finally, the dimeric form of tPphA was stabilized by cross-linkers and still exhibited catalytic activity towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate.
Nickel Catalyzed Conversion of Cyclohexanol into Cyclohexylamine in Water and Low Boiling Point Solvents
Authors: Qi Yunfei , Yu Haiyun , Cao Quan , Dong Bo , Mu Xindong , Mao Aiqing
Published: April 2016

Nickel is found to demonstrate high performance in the amination of cyclohexanol into cyclohexylamine in water and two solvents with low boiling points: tetrahydrofuran and cyclohexane. Three catalysts, Raney Ni, Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/C, were investigated and it is found that the base, hydrogen, the solvents and the support will affect the activity of the catalyst. In water, all the three catalysts achieved over 85% conversion and 90% cyclohexylamine selectivity in the presence of base and hydrogen at a high temperature. In tetrahydrofuran and cyclohexane, Ni/Al2O3 exhibits better activity than Ni/C under optimal conditions. Ni/C was stable during recycling in aqueous ammonia, while Ni/Al2O3 was not due to the formation of AlO(OH).
A New Approach of Modeling an Ultra-Super-Critical Power Plant for Performance Improvement
Authors: Hou Guolian , Yang Yu , Jiang Zhuo , Li Quan , Zhang Jianhua
Published: April 2016

A suitable model of coordinated control system (CCS) with high accuracy and simple structure is essential for the design of advanced controllers which can improve the efficiency of the ultra-super-critical (USC) power plant. Therefore, with the demand of plant performance improvement, an improved T-S fuzzy model identification approach is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the improved entropy cluster algorithm is applied to identify the premise parameters which can automatically determine the cluster numbers and initial cluster centers by introducing the concept of a decision-making constant and threshold. Then, the learning algorithm is used to modify the initial cluster center and a new structure of concluding part is discussed, the incremental data around the cluster center is used to identify the local linear model through a weighted recursive least-square algorithm. Finally, the proposed approach is employed to model the CCS of a 1000 MW USC one-through boiler power plant by using on-site measured data. Simulation results show that the T-S fuzzy model built in this paper is accurate enough to reflect the dynamic performance of CCS and can be treated as a foundation model for the overall optimizing control of the USC power plant.
Modeling of Production and Quality of Bioethanol Obtained from Sugarcane Fermentation Using Direct Dissolved Sugars Measurements
Authors: Velazquez-Marti Borja , Pérez-Pacheco Sergio , Gaibor-Chávez Juan , Wilcaso Paola
Published: April 2016

Bioethanol production from sugarcane represents an opportunity for urban-agricultural development in small communities of Ecuador. Despite the fact that the industry for bioethanol production from sugarcane in Brazil is fully developed, it is still considered expensive as a small rural business. In order to be able to reduce the costs of monitoring the production process, and avoid the application of expensive sensors, the aim of this research was modeling the kinetics of production of bioethanol based on direct measurements of Brix grades, instead of the concentration of alcohol, during the process of cane juice bio-fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This avoids the application of expensive sensors that increase the investment costs. Fermentation experiments with three concentrations of yeast and two temperatures were carried out in a laboratory reactor. In each case Brix grades, amount of ethanol and alcoholic degree were measured. A mathematical model to predict the quality and production of bioethanol was developed from Brix grade measurements, obtaining an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.97. The model was validated in a pilot plant.
Forecasting Monthly Prices of Japanese Logs
Authors: Michinaka Tetsuya , Kuboyama Hirofumi , Tamura Kazuya , Oka Hiroyasu , Yamamoto Nobuyuki
Published: April 2016

Forecasts of prices can help industries in their risk management. This is especially true for Japanese logs, which experience sharp fluctuations in price. In this research, the authors used an exponential smoothing method (ETS) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models to forecast the monthly prices of domestic logs of three of the most important species in Japan: sugi (Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica D. Don), hinoki (Japanese cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa (Sieb. et Zucc.) Endl.), and karamatsu (Japanese larch, Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carr.). For the 12-month forecasting periods, forecasting intervals of 80% and 95% were given. By measuring the accuracy of forecasts of 12- and 6-month forecasting periods, it was found that ARIMA gave better results than did the ETS in the majority of cases. However, the combined method of averaging ETS and ARIMA forecasts gave the best results for hinoki in several cases.
Metabarcoding of Bacteria Associated with the Acute Oak Decline Syndrome in England
Authors: Sapp Melanie , Lewis Erin , Moss Stephen , Barrett Ben , Kirk Susan , Elphinstone John , Denman Sandra
Published: April 2016

Outbreaks of acute oak decline (AOD) have been documented in England from 2006. Both species of native oaks (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea) are affected. To complement isolation efforts for identification of putative causative biotic agents and increase our understanding of bacteria associated with oak tissue, five sites in England were chosen for this study. Samples of outer bark, inner bark, sapwood and heartwood were taken from healthy oak and trees with symptoms at varying stages of the syndrome. Furthermore, larval galleries attributed to infestation with Agrilus biguttatus were included. After DNA extraction and amplification of the V3–V5 fragment of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes by pyrosequencing, the dataset was analyzed to identify patterns in bacterial communities in oak tissue samples with and without AOD symptoms at each site. The composition of bacterial communities differed greatly according to the site from which the samples were obtained. Within each site, the composition of the bacteria associated with symptomatic tissue varied between advanced stages of the syndrome and healthy tissue. Key players in healthy and symptomatic tissue were identified and included members of the Gammaproteobacteria related to Pseudomonas sp. or Brenneria goodwinii and members of the Firmicutes.
Circadian Dysrhythmias, Physiological Aberrations, and the Link to Skin Cancer
Authors: Gutierrez Daniel , Arbesman Joshua
Published: April 2016

Circadian rhythms are core regulators of a variety of mammalian physiologic processes and oscillate in a 24-h pattern. Many peripheral organs possess endogenous rhythmicity that is then modulated by a master clock; the skin is one of these peripheral organs. The dysregulation of rhythms is associated with decreased ability to ameliorate cellular stressors at a local and global level, which then increases the propensity for the development of neoplastic growths. In this article, we review the implications of altered circadian rhythms on DNA repair as well as modified gene expression of core clock proteins with particular focus on skin models. These findings are then correlated with epidemiologic data regarding skin cancer to showcase the effects of circadian disruption on this phenomenon.
KRAS/BRAF Analysis in Ovarian Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma Having Synchronous All Pathological Precursor Regions
Authors: Nakamura Kohei , Nakayama Kentaro , Ishibashi Tomoka , Ishikawa Noriyoshi , Ishikawa Masako , Katagiri Hiroshi , Minamoto Toshiko , Sato Emi , Sanuki Kaori , Yamashita Hitomi , Iida Kouji , Sultana Razia , Kyo Satoru
Published: April 2016

Ovarian low-grade serous carcinoma is thought to begin as a serous cystadenoma or adenofibroma that progresses in a slow stepwise fashion. Among the low-grade serous carcinomas, there is a high frequency of activating mutations in the KRAS or BRAF genes; however, it remains unclear as to how these mutations contribute to tumor progression. This is the first report to track the histopathological progression of serous adenofibroma to low-grade serous carcinoma. Each stage was individually analyzed by pathological and molecular genetic methods to determine what differences occur between the distinct stages of progression.
Super-Protective Child-Rearing by Japanese Bess Beetles, Cylindrocaulus patalis: Adults Provide Their Larvae with Chewed and Predigested Wood
Authors: Mishima Tatsuya , Wada Noriko , Iwata Ryûtarô , Anzai Hirosi , Hosoya Tadatsugu , Araya Kunio
Published: April 2016

Beetles of the family Passalidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are termed subsocial. The insects inhabit rotten wood as family groups consisting of the parents and their offspring. The Japanese species Cylindrocaulus patalis has the lowest fecundity among passalids because siblicide occurs among the first-instar larvae; accordingly, parental care toward the survived larva is the highest among Passalidae. To clarify the nutritional relationships between the parents and their offspring, we investigated their ability to digest three types of polysaccharides that are components of wood (cellulose and β-1,4-xylan) and fungal cell walls (β-1,3-glucan). Although carboxymethyl-cellulase activity was barely detectable, β-xylosidase, β-glucosidase, β-1,4-xylanase and β-1,3-glucanase activities were clearly detected in both adults and larvae. Because the activities of enzymes that digest β-1,3-glucan were much higher than those for degrading β-1,4-xylan, in both adults and larvae, it is concluded that they are mainly fungivorous. Furthermore, these digestive enzymatic activities in second- and third-instar larvae were much lower than they were in adults. Although all larval instars grew rapidly when fed chewed wood by their parents, larvae ceased growing and died when fed only artificially ground wood meals. We conclude that the larvae are assumed to be provided with chewed predigested wood in which β-1,3-glucan is degraded by parental enzymes.
Magnetic Particle Plug-Based Assays for Biomarker Analysis
Authors: Phurimsak Chayakom , Tarn Mark , Pamme Nicole
Published: April 2016

Conventional immunoassays offer selective and quantitative detection of a number of biomarkers, but are laborious and time-consuming. Magnetic particle-based assays allow easy and rapid selection of analytes, but still suffer from the requirement of tedious multiple reaction and washing steps. Here, we demonstrate the trapping of functionalised magnetic particles within a microchannel for performing rapid immunoassays by flushing consecutive reagent and washing solutions over the trapped particle plug. Three main studies were performed to investigate the potential of the platform for quantitative analysis of biomarkers: (i) a streptavidin-biotin binding assay; (ii) a sandwich assay of the inflammation biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP); and (iii) detection of the steroid hormone, progesterone (P4), towards a competitive assay. Quantitative analysis with low limits of detection was demonstrated with streptavidin-biotin, while the CRP and P4 assays exhibited the ability to detect clinically relevant analytes, and all assays were completed in only 15 min. These preliminary results show the great potential of the platform for performing rapid, low volume magnetic particle plug-based assays of a range of clinical biomarkers via an exceedingly simple technique.
A Cellular GWAS Approach to Define Human Variation in Cellular Pathways Important to Inflammation
Authors: Miller Samuel , Chaudhary Anu
Published: April 2016

An understanding of common human diversity in innate immune pathways should be beneficial in understanding autoimmune diseases, susceptibility to infection, and choices of anti-inflammatory treatment. Such understanding could also result in definition of currently unknown components of human inflammation pathways. A cellular genome-wide association studies (GWAS) platform, termed Hi-HOST (High-throughput human in vitro susceptibility testing), was developed to assay in vitro cellular phenotypes of infection in genotyped lymphoblastoid cells from genetically diverse human populations. Hi-HOST allows for measurement of multiple host and pathogen parameters of infection/inflammation including: bacterial invasion and intracellular replication, host cell death, and cytokine production. Hi-HOST has been used to successfully define a significant portion of the heritable human diversity in inflammatory cell death in response to Salmonella typhimurium. It also led to the discovery of genetic variants important to protection against systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and protection against death and bacteremia in individuals with SIRS. Our laboratory is currently using this platform to define human diversity in autophagy and the NLPR3 inflammasome pathways, and to define new components that can impact the expression of phenotypes related to these pathways.