bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simulation of Single Well Chemical Tracer Tests Conducted in Carbonate Reservoir
Authors: Al-Mutairi Fahad , Tiwari Sanhita , Baroon Bodoor , AlAbdullah Mohammad , Pathak Ashok , Gammiero Alexis
Published: October 2015

Successful implementations of Single Well Chemical Tracer (SWCT) Tests have opened up new opportunities for reserves growth in North Kuwait reservoirs with water flood and with use of Enhanced Oil Recovery methods (EOR). Series of SWCT Tests have been carried out with water flood and ASP (Alkaline Surfactant Polymer) as a part of the EOR project in Sabiriyah Mauddud (SAMA) reservoir to evaluate the efficiency of chemical EOR agent (ASP) in reducing the residual oil saturation. SAMA reservoir is very heterogeneous carbonate reservoir and results of SWCT tests reflect the reservoir complexity of SAMA. Produced tracer profiles do no show a sharp identifiable peak as seen in case of tests conducted in sandstone reservoir. Though these tests provided valuable information about residual oil saturation with water flood (Sorw) and residual oil saturation with ASP injection (Sorc), a need was felt to model these tests to have a better understanding of the controlling parameters affecting tracer concentration production profile. The SWCTT modeling will also help in reducing the impact of uncertainties in future planned tests.

Two single well models have been built using STARS simulator of CMG to simulate four SWCT tests conducted in two wells. This is considered as the first simulation study of SWCT tests conducted in North Kuwait Asset, KOC. Detailed sensitivity analysis has been carried out to match Tracers concentration profiles using (i) Single porosity and single permeability model, (ii) Dual porosity dual permeability model and (iii) Drift model. In addition to that, various history match parameters of dispersion, diffusion and dispersivity have been tried to get a reasonable match.

First, major emphasis was given to material balance tracer (IPA) and cover tracer (NPA) profiles during history match because these tracer profiles are not affected by reaction rate and there are no signs of dilution or drift effect observed. The perfect match in material balance tracer indicates that reservoir characterization of the model is good. After that, reactive and product tracers were matched using different magnitudes of Dispersivity and Reaction rate.

The paper brings out the findings of simulation studies performed and discusses the main controlling parameters affecting tracer concentration profiles during SWCT tests in such heterogeneous carbonate reservoir.
Implementation of Formation Pressure While Drilling for Cost Optimization and Efficient Operations in Complex Structural Geology Field: A Case Study From the UAE
Authors: Haggag Mostafa , Thakur Parmanand , Hammadi Djelloul , Edris Adib , Al Arfi SAIF , Akhtar Muhammad Javid , Molua Sammy , Qleibo Meretta
Published: October 2015

The field under study is an elongated NE-SW faulted anticline which has a main axis length of around 25 km and a width of approximately 6km located onshore UAE. The main hydrocarbon accumulations occur in the Lower Cretaceous-Thamama Group. This group is comprised of a series of carbonate reservoirs with well-developed porosity, but low to moderate permeability.

This paper discusses the implementation of acquiring Formation Pressure While-Drilling (FPWD) applied for better understanding and mitigating the geological structure uncertainties. The results were used to obtain accurate reservoir pressure measurements while drilling horizontal wells that intersected multiple fault blocks.

Formation pressure measurements acquired while drilling (FPWD) have numerous applications including mud weight optimization to reduce drilling risk, control well placement in pay zones to maximize reservoir contact (MRC), and for better reservoir management by evaluating the connectivity between different fault blocks.

This paper will discuss the theory and the operational sequences of the FPWD tool as well as the results of some case studies in the implementation of the FPWD runs in an onshore Abu Dhabi carbonate field.
Sprint to the Finish Line: Value of Agile Methodology in Digital Oilfields
Authors: Saied Imran
Published: October 2015

Agile methodology (Agile) has become a revolutionary tool that continues to help IT companies today develop innovative products that are rated high in quality and customer satisfaction. The Agile model has proved successful in reducing defects, delivering valuable results quickly, and encouraging collaboration among teams. This paper will discuss some of the basic concepts of Agile to show the value of its application in digital oilfield projects.

The Agile methodology is based on concepts that have been extensively used in the software industry. Complete principles defined in The Agile Manifesto will be discussed in detail along with the different Agile methods and processes that are typically used in some IT companies today. This paper will also strive to provide details that will help readers relate the concepts of Agile methodology to the digital oilfield processes present today. This will help organizations that are implementing digital oilfields to decide whether Agile can help make their processes run more efficiently.

The Agile model is defined by a set of 12 principles that is readily available in a document called, The Agile Manifesto. Agile concepts, such as: Sprint, Scrum, Iterative Planning sessions, User stories, Backlogs, and other practices, will be defined to provide a clearer understanding as to how the Agile process works. Along with these concepts, the Agile process will also be illustrated and detailed in order to give the reader an understanding of how a product goes through a typical Agile workflow from beginning to end. With the current shift of utilizing IT technologies to support and develop digital oilfield operations, Agile concepts will be increasingly important as it encourages constant collaboration and interaction among teams over processes and tools, figuring out responses to change over simply "following a plan", and giving importance to working results over presenting documents in meetings.

The novelty of the Agile methodology is to provide a possible solution to making IT processes more efficient and value-driven in the petroleum industry, especially in the area of digital oilfields, as it aims to increase collaboration among team members and deliver high quality results quickly.
A Novel Technique for Reducing Uncertainties in Static Reservoir Modeling and Development Infill Well Placement
Authors: Mahmoud Salah El
Published: October 2015

The objective of this study is to find out a novel way of overcoming uncertainties associated with successfully locating best sites for drilling infill development wells. These uncertainties are usually associated with the non-uniqueness of responses from such petrophysical properties as porosity, permeability, and water saturation created through the static reservoir modeling process, leading, in many cases, to misleading allocation of proposed infill well locations.

In order to achieve this objective, a normalized combined super-property, composed of selected petrophysical properties, was created. This new property was calibrated using certain scalar factors that were given to each property in order to bring the real distribution and weightage of each of the component properties into effect.

The main observation from the present study is that the novel combined super-property has proven to give more realistic and accurate allocation of proposed infill well sites. This observation was documented through practical validation of negative (wet) wells, giving misleading positive responses from conventional petrophysical properties, while giving correct accurate negative response, and vice versa, using the novel combined super-property. Incorporating this novel technique into the high-resolution stratigraphic model resulted in maximizing property distribution accuracy per reservoir layer. More accurate prediction of lateral and vertical distribution of reservoir facies and petrophysical properties in three dimensions was then achieved and resulted in outlining a number of new well locations based on this technique.

The value of this novel technique lies in significantly reducing the risk of drilling negative boreholes based on static reservoir models. This is because each individual value of a property, such as water saturation, can be the result of a multitude of factors, including natural factors and/or data acquisition, processing, & interpretation pitfalls, therefore, not necessarily indicating presence of hydrocarbons. The present study reduces non-uniqueness of each individual property response using the scaled combined super-property.
A Comprehensive Review of Corrosion and its Inhibition in the Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Amani Mahmood , Hjeij Dawood
Published: October 2015

Corrosion is defined as the gradual degradation of materials as a result of reaction with their environment, and corrosion inhibition is the systematic procedure of preventing or treating the effects of corrosion on metals. Due to the continued growth in hydrocarbon demand, operators in the oil and gas industry are always looking to drill deeper wells in order to access previously unattainable hydrocarbons. High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) wells are now broadly present in places like the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and the Middle East. These extreme conditions bring new challenges for corrosion inhibition. This paper is a review of corrosion encountered in the oil and gas industry, its cost and impact, the mechanisms/types of corrosion faced, and the current methods used to minimize, control, and monitor corrosion.
Advanced Geophysical Techniques to Optimize Microseismic Imaging of Hydraulic Fractures in Saudi Arabian Unconventional Resources
Authors: Ghamdi Yasser , Al-Hawi Maan , Al-Hashem Hisham
Published: October 2015

Successful production from unconventional reservoirs requires expensive hydraulic fracturing operations that are not only costly but pose environmental and health risks if not managed properly. Optimized use of microseismic imaging is essential to control the hydraulic fracture operation, to minimize any possible environmental hazards introduced by fracturing, and to achieve cost efficiency.

An integrated workflow that incorporates advanced geophysical techniques is presented in this paper to enhance microseismic imaging of hydraulic fracturing in unconventional resources in Saudi Arabia. The use of surface seismic attributes is suggested to primarily minimize location uncertainties of microseismic events; whether downhole or surface receivers arrays were used. Secondly, coherence and edge attributes are used to highlight faults and seismic-scale fractures in seismic volumes, knowledge of which may favorably infer the "geomechanical" maximum horizontal stress direction; hence the main direction of fluid flow within targeted sediments and a preliminary conception of hydraulically induced fractures' direction of propagation. Moreover, knowledge of fault networks in reservoirs is vital to pinpoint potential barriers that may impact the growth of fractures, and their likely geometries.

Seismic attributes are combined with acoustic impedance inversion volumes, Vp/Vs and Poisson ratios to further enhance inferences to hydrocarbon bearing, and sediment brittleness. These methods can be used collectively to optimize multi-staged hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoirs, which will eventually lead to limiting stimulation to only selected "producible" sweet spots, thus minimizing the required number of "fracking" stages and associated environmental and financial concerns. These methods should also drive the use of more economic stimulation solutions using low-proppant, high-flow-rate, and water based treatments (Gale, et. al., 2007).
Challenges in Contractor Financed, Built, Owned & Operated Oil & Gas Processing Facilities in Kuwait
Authors: Alam Maqsood , Al-Ghawas Mamoon
Published: October 2015

This paper presents authors upfront experiences on challenges faced by contractors in Kuwait in the project segment dealing with fast track oil and gas processing facilities designed, built, financed, operated and maintained by contractors.

Discovery of New Jurassic Reservoir and drilling of the Sabriya Structure (SA-153) prompted Kuwait Oil Company ("KOC") to have a fast track test plant as an Early Production Facility to process (18 MMCFD gas & 5 MBOPD crude oil). This was a contractor financed, built and operated facility commissioned in 2003 and had 3 years of operations. Encouraged by expedient project implementation and a short gestation period, KOC employed similar contracts for several crude oil and gas processing facilities of larger scale. In these contracts, during the 1st phase contractor finances project investments, builds and commissions facility, and in the 2nd phase contractor operates facility and earns revenue. All investments, incurred costs and financial gains are recouped through revenues spread over operations phase. After the end of contract, owner has an option to extend operation phase for an agreed period, or purchase facility, or discontinue.

Implementation of contractor financed, built and operated facilities in Kuwait abounds in challenges and has validated that financing can be key to success of such projects particularly in today's financial markets which is very volatile and operates under a cautious atmosphere. KOC's experience underlines that before implementing a new project it is important that contractors conduct a comprehensive appraisal of project, accurately ascertains costs, evaluate and address all risks, have in place a financing arrangement to cover all costs, inflations and contingencies and assurance of return through revenue. Corporate finance normally used for traditional EPC contracts, sustained by progress payment from owners, can be used for such projects to some extent if level of investment is low. With increase in projects cost and quantum of investment, corporate financing has fallen short to meet needs of such projects and project financing has emerged as the preferred alternative. Project finance is a method of raising long-term debt financing for major projects through "financial engineering," based on lending against the cash flow generated by the project alone; it depends on a detailed evaluation of a project's construction, operating and revenue risks, and their allocation between lenders and contractor /project sponsor through contractual and other arrangements.
Pore System Characterization of a Low Permeability Reservoir and its Related Development and Production Issues: A Case Study from Ratawi Limestone, Umm Gudair Field, Kuwait
Authors: Dutta Dipankar , Al-Muraikhi Haifa Rashed , Tiwary Asheshwar , Tiwari Brajesh Kumar , Abdul-Aziz Wejdan Jassem , Bardapukar Vilas , Al-Anezi Sawsan Nayef
Published: October 2015

Ratawi Limestone is a fairly low permeability reservoir in the Umm Gudair field of Kuwait. Production history shows low liquid rate and fast pressure depletion around the wellbore. To understand the causatives for flow restriction, this study captures systematically different pore types, their relationship, distribution, connectivity and their impact on reservoir fluid flow behavior. It is observed that pores are not related to any depositional surface and are rather formed due to mesogenetic corrosion of highly micritized, tight carbonate rock bodies. Primary pores are almost completely destroyed during the process of shallow burial diagenesis. Separate vug pores are both fabric as well as nonfabric selective type and are the main contributor of pore volume within an overall pervasive (micritic) matrix pore dominated system of wackestone and packstone. Five porefacies are created on the basis of capillarity within a wider range of pore throat size variation. Type 1 is represented by macropores, Type 2 and 5 are mesopore and rests are micropore dominated. Each porefacies is assigned a linear equation on core calibrated porosity- permeability transform. The resultant permeability shows about 20% less value compared to permeabilities of corresponding intergranular Lucia class 2 pore type. This gap is specially pronounced within the reservoir rocks with high porosity and intermediate permeability values. Seven years of production history of this reservoir shows low rate of production with rapid pressure depletion around wellbore within a few months of production. Logical option to improve production is to increase the reservoir contact using horizontal multilaterals along with reduced well spacing and aggressive pressure support through water injection.
Improving Cold Heavy Oil Development at Peace River with the Understanding of Foamy-Oil Dynamics
Authors: Shen Chonghui , Hamm Mark L. , Bdair Mohammad
Published: October 2015

Cold heavy oil production (CHOP) exploits the mechanism of enhanced solution gas (or foamy-oil) drive to achieve an economic oil rate and ultimate recovery. Understanding the foamy-oil dynamics and being able to simulate the process enable us to evaluate the cold production potential more realistically. This has led to the improved cold heavy oil recovery in Shell Canada's Cliffdale development in Peace River area.

A recently developed foamy-oil dynamic model has been employed to evaluate the effects of well spacing and patterns on oil recovery. The results revealed that under the foamy-oil drive, the oil recovery improves as the well spacing decreases, because of decreasing well spacing leads to faster reservoir pressure depletion and stronger foamy-oil drive. In contrast, with a conventional black-oil model, the estimated ultimate oil recovery stays constant irrespective of the well spacing, and the only benefits of down spacing would be the production acceleration.

The benefits of capturing foamy oil dynamics for the evaluation of CHOP development has been demonstrated with an example of a high level economic screening approach for the search of optimal well spacing and the number of laterals. The evolution of typical well spacing and the number of well laterals with time in the Peace River CHOP development has resulted from both the ever-increasing field operation experience and the improved understanding of foamy-oil drive dynamics.
Mitigating Water Recycling in a Heterogeneous Carbonate Reservoir
Authors: Majhi Somnath , Al-Otaibi Basel , Al-Omair Shahad , AlAbdullah Mohammad Bader
Published: October 2015

Water injection is the most commonly used method for pressure maintenance in depletion drive reservoirs worldwide and there are numerous examples where the recovery has been enhanced significantly. However early breakthrough of injected water due to high permeability zones or thief zones mostly in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs causes water recycling resulting in poor volumetric sweep and in turn adversely affects the oil recovery from the reservoir. A judicious mixture of proper reservoir management and development strategy may reduce the water recycling to a significant level.

Sabiriyah Mauddud is a giant carbonate reservoir in North Kuwait and has been under production since last 57 years. Historical performance indicated very little aquifer support for the reservoir with no water production. A water flood pilot was initiated in 1997 when the reservoir had produced only 1% of its oil in place and pressure declined from its initial value of 3700 psi to the level of 2600 psi. Currently, the reservoir is under water flood with inverted 9 spot patterns in the crestal part and peripheral injection mainly in the western flank area. The water cut has gone up to the level of 42% after only low current oil recovery. High water cut is attributed to poor sweep efficiency due to preferential movement of water from conventional injector to producer through high permeability streaks/thief zones in the crestal area.

As short term measure, a conformance plan to shut off the water contributing layers was prepared and has been introduced in the wells worked over during the period. Simulation run shows reduction in water cut by 5% by adopting the conformance plan. The new development strategy formulated for the field is to inject low and produce high from the reservoir and shifting the focus from crestal to peripheral injection. All the producers are planned to be completed with inflow control device to control the water production through the wells.

The recently drilled producers are showing positive results and it is expected that the measures taken will help to maximize the benefits of water injection. The learning and the water flooding experience gained will be a valuable input for other reservoirs under water flooding.
A Study on Bicarbonate Production by Boiler's Flue Gases CO2 Condensation for Algae Culturing and Biofuels Production
Authors: Mohamed Essam Kabbary , Hassouna Salah El-Din
Published: October 2015

Reduction of green house gases (GHGs) emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum products and natural gas is a big Challenge. Especially, CO2 due to its role in global climate change. Industrial boilers are considered to be one of the largest stationary sources of CO2 emissions in oil and gas (O&G) industries(J.C.M. Pires.et al., 2012). These emissions from boiler's stack represent the highest ratio of the boiler losses because of the heat carried out by hot combustion products (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and excess oxygen). The high amount of energy wasted by dry flue gases depends on the amount of water vapor loss. The amount of wasted energy depends on final boiler exhaust temperature and mainly the hydrogen content of the fuel which ranges from 4 to 11%, depending on the type of fuel.One potential way to reduce this emission is to capture, transport and store CO2 either in geologic or oceanic formations. In addition, storage of CO2 in geologic formations could lead to new environmental issues such as threat of CO2 leakage, or potential contamination of ground water(Dennis Y.C.Leunga.et al., 2014). Biomitigation is an ideal and sustainable alternative solution for CO2 capture and recycle (CCR) by using microalgae. Using algae, as a source of biofuels offers many advantages over traditional biofuel crops including the potential to be grown on the marginal land, use of water sources which is not suitable for agriculture because algae can tolerate high salt content. Meanwhile, they sustain high growth rates, and relatively high lipid content. In fact, using captured CO2 to grow microalgae is limited by the high cost of CO2 capture technologies and utilization(Liam Brennan.et al.,2010). Moreover, algae grow poorly at night, as CO2 cannot be temporarily stored until sunrise. Therefore, the condensation of CO2 from flue gasses in the form of bicarbonate (HCO-3) solution would provide a superior alternative for CO2 delivery as feedstock for algae culture system (Van Den Hende et al., 2012.)Furthermore, it reduces CO2 emissions significantly up to 80%, and reduces the use of fossil fuels by improving the efficiency of boilers. In addition, transport and storage of the aqueous bicarbonate solution costs less than for that of compressed CO2.
An Assessment of Risk of Migration of Hydrocarbons or Fracturing Fluids to Fresh Water Aquifers: Wattenberg Field, CO
Authors: Fleckenstein W. W. , Eustes A. W. , Stone C. H. , Howell P. K.
Published: October 2015

The United States National Science Foundation, engaging 29 researchers at nine institutions, has funded a Sustainability Research Network (SRN) focused on natural gas development. The mission of this Sustainability Research Network is to provide a logical, science-based framework for evaluating the environmental, economic, and social trade-offs between development of natural gas resources and protection of water and air resources and to convey the results of these evaluations to the public in a way that improves the development of policies and regulations governing natural gas and oil development.

Currently, there are a wide range of estimates of the probability of shallow aquifer contamination. There are a series of independent events that must occur to allow hydrocarbon migration and estimates were made of these probabilities. An analysis of data from drilling in the Wattenberg field, CO was made to quantify the probability of contamination.

It has been determined that there are five events that must each independently happen to allow the migration of fracturing fluids, and there are three events that must occur independently for the migration of hydrocarbons. The lower number of independent events, which must arise for hydrocarbon migration to occur, explains the infrequent, but well publicized natural gas migrations in poorly constructed wellbores, and the lack of such publicized events of hydraulic fracturing fluid contamination, which was confirmed by our analysis.

The significance of these results is to help quantify the risks associated with natural gas development, as related to the contamination of surface aquifers. These results will help shape the discussion of the risks of natural gas development and will assist in identifying areas of improved well construction and hydraulic fracturing practices to minimize risk.
Role of Infill Drilling in Increasing Reserves of the Western Desert of Egypt – Case Studies
Authors: Awaad Ahmed H. , Al-Maraghi Ahmed M. , ElGawad Ashraf Abd , El-Banbi Ahmed H.
Published: October 2015

In 2010 Qarun Pet. Co. started an extensive infill drilling campaign in Western Desert of Egypt for 9 fields, aiming to improve recovery after water flooding. The well spacing was reduced to half of its original value and all infill wells were producers. Through the course of the paper the authors will conclude some key findings from the success stories and learned lessons from the failure cases.

The fields of Samra, Asala, Diyur, North Diyur, Yomna, E-Bah C, E-Bah D, E-Bah E and E-Bah F were developed by water flooding either from the start of production or after a short period of depletion production. After about 2 years of production, high water production rates were observed although these fields did not achieve their planned recovery. Several analyses were carried out and showed that significant remaining oil existed. Reasons identified for bypassed oil include lateral pay discontinuities, completion inconsistencies, and high level of heterogeneity.

Drilling significant number of infill wells was the key technology suggested to recover bypassed reserves. Initially, the well spacing was about 450m between producer-producer or injector-injector pairs. The well spacing was reduced to maximum 300m to better connect pay intervals especially for Upper Baharyia reservoir, due to its high complexity and heterogeneity level.

After implementing the infill drilling within the 9 main fields, comprehensive monitoring plan was executed to observe the recovery improvement. 6 Fields (i.e. Samra, Asala, Diyur, North Diyur, Yomna and E-Bah D) recorded additional reserves by infill drilling and the other 3 fields (i.e. E-Bah-C, E-Bah-E and E-Bah-F) did not achieve the expected increase. Comprehensive integrated analyses revealed that the heterogeneity level and maturity (age) of the water flood were the main controlling factors in the success of infill drilling.

Five main lessons learnt are presented (supported with data) for successful implementation of infill drilling in low permeability and heterogeneous reservoirs. Analysis workflows are presented for water flood candidate selection and for infill drilling evaluation.
Photographic Facial Soft Tissue Analysis by Means of Linear and Angular Measurements in an Adolescent Persian Population
Authors: Moshkelgosha Vahid , Fathinejad Sheida , Pakizeh Zeinab , Shamsa Mohammad , Golkari Ali
Published: October 2015

Objective : To obtain objective average measurements of the profile and frontal facial soft tissue to be used as a guide for aesthetic treatment goals. Methods and Materials : This observational study included 110 females and 130 males high school students aged 16-18 years. None of the subjects had any facial deformities. All of them and their parents gave consent to take part in this study. In each case, two standard photographs of profile and frontal views were taken 27 landmarks were digitized on photographs. The mean, standard deviation, and range for a total of 43 facial indices were calculated digitally by computer software. The Student’s t-test was used to compare males and females. Results : The ratio between the lower and middle facial thirds was one to one, but the height of the upper facial third was proportionally smaller than the other two-thirds in both sexes. Boys had greater nasal length, depth, and prominence than girls with statistically significant differences. Both upper and lower lips were more prominent in girls than in boys. All measurements of the chin showed sexual dimorphism characterized by greater chin height and prominence and deeper mentolabial sulcus. Boys had greater facial dimensions than girls. Mouth width, nasal base width, and intercanthal distance were significantly greater in boys. Conclusion : The labial, nasal, and chin areas showed sexual dimorphism in most of the parameters used in this study. Boys had larger faces, greater facial heights, longer nasal, labial, and chin lengths, and greater nasal, labial, and chin prominence.
Waves of Global Standardization: Small Practitioners' Resilience and Intra-Professional Fragmentation within the Accounting Profession
Authors: Durocher Sylvain , Gendron Yves , Picard Claire-France
Published: October 2015

We examine how small practitioners perceive and react to global standards of practice and the underlying mechanisms put in place by the accounting profession to ensure “appropriate” implementation. Interviews with practitioners, standard setters, and other informants indicate that small practitioners consider many features of global standards ill-adapted to their practices' particular circumstances. However, they do not tend to resist actively global standardization, adopting instead a logic of resilience under which they mobilize coping mechanisms, such as support mobilization, selective application of standards, and increased involvement in the activities of the profession. An important paradox ensues from small practitioners' professional resilience: by adapting to globalization pressures, small practitioners arguably sustain their own marginalization and intensify the fragmentation processes within the accounting profession. For instance, their role is increasingly peripheral within the audit market, and they are often constrained to use “second order” accounting standards.
Effects of Listening to Preferential Music on Sex Differences in Endurance Running Performance
Authors: Cole Zachary , Maeda Hotaka
Published: October 2015

Music is a common accompaniment to exercise, but some running environments do not allow for personalized control over the music stimulus. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of listening to preferred versus non-preferred music on sex differences in running performance. The sample consisted of 20 women and 15 men ( M = 20.7 yr., SD = 2.3) who reported running at least once per week over the previous year. The participants completed three 12-min. Cooper Tests (i.e., aerobic fitness test) accompanied by preferred, non-preferred, or no music in randomized order. A 2 × 2 repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the effect of music preference and sex on endurance running performance while controlling for the distance run with no music. Women ran further in the preferred music condition. However, music selection did not significantly change running performance for men. Listening to preferred instead of non-preferred music had a larger effect on the endurance running performance of women than men.
Tonic Stretch Reflex Threshold as a Measure of Ankle Plantar-Flexor Spasticity After Stroke
Authors: Blanchette Andreanne K. , Mullick Aditi A. , Moïn-Darbari Karina , Levin Mindy F.
Published: October 2015

Background

Commonly used spasticity scales assess the resistance felt by the evaluator during passive stretching. These scales, however, have questionable validity and reliability. The tonic stretch reflex threshold (TSRT), or the angle at which motoneuronal recruitment begins in the resting state, is a promising alternative for spasticity measurement. Previous studies showed that spasticity and voluntary motor deficits after stroke may be characterized by a limitation in the ability of the central nervous system to regulate the range of the TSRT.

Objective

The study objective was to assess interevaluator reliability for TSRT plantar-flexor spasticity measurement.

Design

This was an interevaluator reliability study.

Methods

In 28 people after stroke, plantar-flexor spasticity was evaluated twice on the same day. Plantar-flexor muscles were stretched 20 times at different velocities assigned by a portable device. Plantar-flexor electromyographic signals and ankle angles were used to determine dynamic velocity-dependent thresholds. The TSRT was computed by extrapolating a regression line through dynamic velocity-dependent thresholds to the angular axis.

Results

Mean TSRTs in evaluations 1 and 2 were 66.0 degrees (SD=13.1°) and 65.8 degrees (SD=14.1°), respectively, with no significant difference between them. The intraclass correlation coefficient (2,1) was .851 (95% confidence interval=.703, .928).

Limitations

The notion of dynamic stretch reflex threshold does not exclude the possibility that spasticity is dependent on acceleration, as well as on velocity; future work will study both possibilities.

Conclusions

Tonic stretch reflex threshold interevaluator reliability for evaluating stroke-related plantar-flexor spasticity was very good. The TSRT is a reliable measure of spasticity. More information may be gained by combining the TSRT measurement with a measure of velocity-dependent resistance.
Multiple Foreign Bodies in GIT in a Child Managed by Conservative Approach
Authors: Ahmed SM , Kumar MM
Published: October 2015

A seven years old child presented with multiple pebble stones in the gastro intestinal tract. Clinical examination did not reveal any abnormality except mild dehydration. Serial clinical examination for period of three days and regular radiographic follow up was done. Spontaneous expulsion of all the pebbles per rectum without any complication occurred in three days. In the absence of emergency surgical situation observation and watchful follow up of the patients will suffice the management.J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2015;35(1):67-69
Association of Birth Weight with Gestational Age and Maternal Measles Antibodies
Authors: Ahmadu BU , Shemiya Y , Anita G , Ubong S , Abdulrahman B , Amina B , Iranyang Y , Rabi Z , Chekwube MA , Fatima MU , Gidado A
Published: October 2015

Introduction: Maternal measles antibody (MMA) offers protection against measles in early childhood, however, certain determinants of this antibody lives much to be desired. The aim of the study were to determine the association between birthweight (BW) and gestational age (GA), to assess the relationship between BW and MMA, to correlate GA with MMA and to examine the combined effects of BW and GA on MMA.Material and Methods: The work was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study. Babies were enrolled using systematic random sampling method. The babies BW was measured using the bassinet scale; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine MMA. GA of babies was determined using the mothers' last menstrual period (LMP) or by Dubowitz score or by Obstetric ultrasound scan. Data were analysed using SPSS statistical software version 16, Illinois, Chicago USA and a computer program for epidemiologist PEPI version 3.01. Spearman’s correlation (rho), Kendall’s rank correlation (tau b) and Jonckheere-Terpstra test of association of ordinal variables were determined. Univariate analysis was used to investigate the combine effects of BW and GA on MMA. Likely-hood ratio Chisquare (?2) was used for categorical data. Goodman-Kruskal index rank order of predictive association (tau) of ordinal data was also calculated.Results: 200 babies were enrolled, 101 (50.5%) were males and 99 (49.5%) females. 169 babies (84.5%) had normal BW, 117 (58.5%) were delivered at term. The mean BW was 3.04 (0.58) at 95% CI (2.96 – 3.12) kg. Association between BW and GA was significant (p=0.003), the predictive value for the association was also significant (p=0.039). Significant correlation was also observed between GA and MMA (p<0.001).Conclusions: There was a significant association between BW and GA and MMA correlated well with GA.J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2015;35(1):6-12
Sacrococcygeal Teratoma: Experience with 36 Patients in a Teritiary Care Hospital
Authors: Kundal VK , Jadhav A , Gupta A , Shukla A , Chaturvedi V , Kundal R
Published: October 2015

Introduction: Sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCT) are the most common solid tumours in the neonatal period, originate from embryonic totipotent cells. Most of them are benign however some that present later in life and have major intra-pelvic component have greater malignant potential. Complete surgical excision provides an excellent prognosis. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical profile, age of presentation, sex distribution, diagnostic evaluation and management of children with a histological confirmed diagnosis of sacrococcygeal teratoma.Material and Methods: Patients with histological diagnosis of sacrococcygeal teratoma during a period from January 2011 to December 2012 were included in this retrospective study. Data collected included age of presentation, sex distribution, symptoms, associated anomalies, diagnostic evaluation, operative approach technique employed, tumour histology, operative complications and outcome.Results: Thirty six patients with diagnosis of sacrococcygeal teratoma were included in the study. Of these children, 58.33% were females and 41.66% were males. The median age at presentation was four days. 69.44% of patients presented during the neonatal period. 77.77% of patients presented with sacrococcygeal mass followed by lower abdominal mass in 11.11%. The tumour was resected by sacral approach in 27 patients and abdomino sacral approach in nine patients. Tumour was resectable in 34 patients and two had incomplete resection. Follow up duration varied from six months to 24 months.Conclusion: Sacrococcygeal teratomas represent a group of benign and malignant lesions of children. Neonates present with benign disease and aggressive lesions are seen as age progresses. Overall survival of SCT is high.J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2015;35(1):89-93
Reducing Respiratory Health Risks to Horses and Workers: A Comparison of Two Stall Bedding Materials
Authors: Saastamoinen Markku , Särkijärvi Susanna , Hyyppä Seppo
Published: October 2015

Stable air quality and the choice of bedding material are an important health issue both in horses and people working or visiting horse stables. Risks of impaired respiratory health are those that can especially be avoided by improving air quality in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions; where horses are kept most of the day and year indoors throughout their life. This study examined the effect of two bedding materials; wood shavings and peat; on stable air quality and health of horses. Ammonia and dust levels were also measured to assess conditions in the stable. Ammonia was not detected or was at very low levels (<0.25 ppm) in the boxes in which peat was used as bedding; but its concentration was clearly higher (1.5–7.0 ppm) in stalls with wood shavings as bedding. Personal measurements of workers revealed quite high ammonia exposure (5.9 ppm8h) in the boxes in which wood shavings were used; but no exposure was Animals 2015, 5 966 observed in stalls bedded with peat. The respiratory symptoms in horses increased regardless of the bedding material at the beginning of the study. The health status of the horses in the peat bedding group returned to the initial level in the end of the trial but horses bedded with wood shavings continued to be symptomatic. The hooves of the horses with peat bedding had a better moisture content than those of the horses bedded with wood shavings. The results suggest that peat is a better bedding material for horses than wood shavings regarding the health of both horses and stable workers.
Laser Annealing for Gas-Dynamical Spraying of HA Coating upon a Titanium Surface
Authors: Saphronov Victor , Shishkovsky Igor
Published: October 2015

Laser post-heating computer controlled detonation spraying (CCDS) and cold spray (CS) hybrid processes were proposed for fabrication of near sub micron structure coatings of hydroxyapatite (HA) + Ti system. Optical and SEM with energy dispersive X-ray analysis and comparative XRD phase analysis were used to evaluate microstructure. After those hybrid processes, no substantial variation in HA composition was noted by structural and phase examination. Nano-sized HA powders can be recommended for laser annealing CS (LaCS) process. Regimes of laser treatment optimal for increasing the adhesion between the HA and titanium coatings, providing more strength, ductility and decreasing of HA destruction in the coatings were determined.
Economic Development and Government Spending: An Exploration of Wagner’s Hypothesis during Fifty Years of Growth in East Asia
Authors: Mohammadi Hassan , Ram Rati
Published: October 2015

Applicability of Wagner’s hypothesis to six East Asian countries is studied for a period of nearly a half-century during which their economic growth has often been termed as a “miracle”. Despite the high rates of growth in most cases, there is little indication to support the hypothesis except for Japan and possibly Korea. This finding is broadly supported by a variety of tests of cointegration using time-series as well as panel data.
A Survey of Soil Enzyme Activities along Major Roads in Beijing: The Implications for Traffic Corridor Green Space Management
Authors: Li Tianxin , Meng Linglong , Herman Uwizeyimana , Lu Zhongming , Crittenden John
Published: October 2015

Soil quality is critical to the management of urban green space, in particular, along traffic corridors where traffic-related air pollution is significant. Soil quality can be evaluated by soil enzyme activities, which show quick responses to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, we investigated three soil enzyme activities (i.e., dehydrogenase, catalase and urease) along the major roads in urban areas of Beijing. Results show the activities of dehydrogenase, catalase and urease in urban samples were 58.8%, 68.2% and 48.5% less than the rural sample, respectively. The content of fluorescent amino acids as indicators of microbial activities was also consistently lower in urban samples than the rural. We observed two times greater exposure of particulate material along the roadsides in urban areas than rural areas. Although traffic air pollutants provide some nutrient sources to stimulate the URE activity, the exposure to traffic-related air pollution leads to the substantial decrease in enzyme activities. There were significant negative correlations for exposure to PM10 with DHA (r = −0.8267, p = 0.0017) and CAT (r = −0.89, p = 0.0002) activities. For the urban soils URE activity increased with the increasing of PM. We conclude that the degraded soil quality can negatively affect the target of developing plants and green spaces along the traffic corridors to mitigate the traffic impact. This study suggests the investigation of integrated strategies to restore the soil quality, reinforce the ecological service functions of green spaces along the traffic corridors and reduce the traffic pollutants.
Neighborhood Self-Selection: The Role of Pre-Move Health Factors on the Built and Socioeconomic Environment
Authors: James Peter , Hart Jaime , Arcaya Mariana , Feskanich Diane , Laden Francine , Subramanian S.V.
Published: October 2015

Residential self-selection bias is a concern in studies of neighborhoods and health. This bias results from health behaviors predicting neighborhood choice. To quantify this bias, we examined associations between pre-move health factors (body mass index, walking, and total physical activity) and post-move neighborhood factors (County Sprawl Index, Census tract socioeconomic status (SES)) in the Nurses’ Health Study (n = 14,159 moves from 1986–2008). Individuals in the highest quartile of pre-move BMI (BMI > 28.4) compared to the lowest quartile (BMI < 22.5) moved to counties that averaged 2.57 points lower on the sprawl index (95% confidence interval −3.55, −1.59) indicating that individuals moved to less dense counties; however, no associations were observed for pre-move walking nor total physical activity. Individuals with higher pre-move BMI tended to move to Census tracts with lower median income and home values and higher levels of poverty. Analyses examining the change in neighborhood environments after a move demonstrated that healthy pre-move behaviors were associated with moves to worse socioeconomic environments. This type of self-selection would bias results downward, underestimating the true relationship between SES and physical activity. Generally, the magnitudes of associations between pre-move health factors and neighborhood measures were small and indicated that residential self-selection was not a major source of bias in analyses in this population.
Gender-Based Experiences and Perceptions after the 2010 Winter Storms in Atlantic Canada
Authors: Vasseur Liette , Thornbush Mary , Plante Steve
Published: October 2015

This paper conveys the findings of the first phase of a longitudinal study into climate change adaptation in Atlantic Canada. Men and women from 10 coastal communities in three provinces (Quebec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island) were interviewed to better understand how both sexes perceived and reacted to extreme weather events. Their responses were recorded based on their experiences, personal and community levels of preparedness, as well as help received and effects on their lives. Most importantly, the findings denote that more men were personally prepared and more active in the community than women. More men recognized a deficiency in help at the community level, and were critical of government in particular, addressing a lack of financial interventions and support. Women were forthcoming with their emotions, admitting to feeling fear and worry, and their perceptions in terms of impacts and actions were closer to home. The results support what others have shown that in rural and coastal communities the traditional division of labor may influence and lead to a gender bias in terms of actions and gradual adaptation in communities. There is a need to better understand how these sometimes subtle differences may affect decisions that do not always consider women’s roles and experiences in the face of extreme events.
Optimal Sequential Diagnostic Strategy Generation Considering Test Placement Cost for Multimode Systems
Authors: Zhang Shigang , Song Lijun , Zhang Wei , Hu Zheng , Yang Yongmin
Published: October 2015

Sequential fault diagnosis is an approach that realizes fault isolation by executing the optimal test step by step. The strategy used, i.e., the sequential diagnostic strategy, has great influence on diagnostic accuracy and cost. Optimal sequential diagnostic strategy generation is an important step in the process of diagnosis system construction, which has been studied extensively in the literature. However, previous algorithms either are designed for single mode systems or do not consider test placement cost. They are not suitable to solve the sequential diagnostic strategy generation problem considering test placement cost for multimode systems. Therefore, this problem is studied in this paper. A formulation is presented. Two algorithms are proposed, one of which is realized by system transformation and the other is newly designed. Extensive simulations are carried out to test the effectiveness of the algorithms. A real-world system is also presented. All the results show that both of them have the ability to solve the diagnostic strategy generation problem, and they have different characteristics.