bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Role of Wettability Alteration with Brine Composition and Increased Oil Recovery from Carbonate Cores
Authors: Alshakhs Mohammed J. , Kovscek Anthony R.
Published: July 2016

Laboratory studies have shown that certain modifications to the ionic composition of the injection water increase oil recovery from carbonates. The impact of salinity is related to wettability alteration of the system toward more water wetness, demonstrated by a reduction in the measured oil-water contact-angles. It is not confirmed that the wettability shift contributes to all or most of the oil recovery increase. This is mainly because conventional multiphase fluid flow simulators, commonly used to predict oil recovery, do not incorporate directly the role of wettability conditions and contact-angles. This paper provides a new method to estimate the additional oil recovery that results from wettability alteration of carbonate cores.

A pore network model (PNM) was used to predict relative permeability curves at different wettability conditions. The effect on oil recovery was quantified from imbibition relative permeability curves that were generated from the PNM. These curves were used to simulate displacements. The simulation was run using a brine tracking function that estimates the instantaneous relative permeability based on tracing the injection brine salinity. The proposed approach was applied to the experimental core-flood experiments reported by Alshakhs and Kovscek (2015a).

The PNM was constructed for a representative bimodal carbonate system. A drainage capillary pressure curve from a mercury injection experiment guided the construction of the static model structure. The static PNM model generated two relative permeability sets that correspond to contact-angles of 95° and 55°. The simulation results showed comparable additional oil recovery to observations from the experimental core-flood experiments, 7.5% compared to 6.4%, respectively. The good match supports that the additional oil recovery is mainly attributed to wettability alteration.
Implementation of Chemical EOR as Huff and Puff to Improve Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil Field by Chemical Treatment SEMAR Cast Study Bamboo Oil Field
Authors: Farog Ali , A.Mustafa Haytham , Mukhtar Enas , Elblaoula Husham , A. Yassin Badreldin , Tagwa Musa , Mucharam Leksono , Abdalla Fadul
Published: July 2016

Bamboo field is located in block 2A Muglad Basin covers an area of 144 Square km. It consists of multi block, multi-layered under-saturated sandstone reservoir of late Cretaceous ages barried at depth ranging from 1000 m to 1700 m with crude oil viscosity ranges from 70 cp to 3000 cp. The total Field STOIIP and Recovery Factor (RF) are currently estimated at around 506MMSTB and 18% respectively through primary depletion. Up to date; the field had recovered more than 75% of the EUR.

The field initially produced around 20,000 STB/Day with early water breakthrough and very minimal gas production rate until today. However the production rate declined rapidly when the water production rate increased. Major factors that contributed to this problem are possibly due to the fingering and water conning. Currently the field is producing around 8000 STB/Day with water cut around 80% and keeps increasing.

Schemes in enhancing and prolonging the already decline production and diminishing reserves strategically call for timely implementation of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) process. Among various Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) process and techniques, Bamboo reservoirs appear especially amenable to thermal injection process. But Sudapet, ITB and PERTAMINA (an especial study) came up with different solution which is Huff and Buff of Chemical EOR, This proved to be one of the practical, promising and potential options in enhancing the recovery factor in Bamboo Field.

This paper will discuss the lab study scope, includes the core sample, fluid sample, phase behaviour test, spontaneous Imbibition Test, Compatibility test, Viscosity Mixture and core flood, well selection analysis as well as the implementation of SEMAR as pilot project in Bamboo Oil Field.

After implementation of the pilot as Huff and Puff in three wells the results show that about 18,000 STB of oil gained from adjacent wells, which indicate that SEMAR is very interesting to be evaluated for further steps in chemical EOR implementation for continuous Injection.
New Technique for Condensate Banking Removal in Gas Reservoirs
Authors: El Hajj Hicham , Shakeel Muzzammil
Published: July 2016

In unconventional and tight-gas reservoirs, hydraulic fracturing treatments are widely performed to recover significant amounts of hydrocarbon, thus establishing unconventional plays as commercially viable. However, in gas reservoirs, formation damage and various unfavorable conditions, such as condensate banking, phase trapping, water-blocking, etc., can cause production that is less than expected.

This paper introduces a new fracturing fluid additive that aims to help increase production following a hydraulic fracturing treatment and helps control fracture face damage. The new surfactant in the fracturing fluid system can allow faster production at higher rates. It can also provide a better regained permeability after hydraulic fracturing because it reduces formation damage caused by phase trapping and improves mobilization of liquid hydrocarbons, including condensate. The product has been typically designed for unconventional reservoirs, including tight gas, tight sandstone, shale, and coalbed methane.

Coreflooding experiments were conducted to demonstrate the performance and efficiency of this new additive in fracturing fluid and to optimize its concentration. Favorable results were obtained from the experiments that indicated good formation damage control in terms of regained permeability along with significant condensate production after the fracturing fluid treatment. The additive, when used in specific concentrations, has physical and chemical properties that contribute to improving hydrocarbon production by enhancing the mobilization of liquid hydrocarbons. It tends to reduce the capillary pressure and surface tension of the treating fluid to allow higher fluid mobility in the treated reservoir zone. This effective new fracturing fluid system is environmentally friendly and exhibits excellent performance under high-temperature/high-pressure conditions.

The fracturing fluid additive presented here helps overcome a condensate banking problem and unfavorable conditions, such as wells coming online slowly and low production rates resulting from formation damage following hydraulic fracturing treatments. Experiments validate the performance of the fracturing fluid additive, and significant condensate production for optimum additive concentration was observed during experimental treatments.
An Advanced Selection Tool for the Application of In-Situ Polymer Gels for Undiagnosed Injection Wells
Authors: Aldhaheri Munqith N. , Wei Mingzhen , Bai Baojun , Alsaba Mortadha
Published: July 2016

Conformance improvement by polymer gels continues to gain momentum in the field of water management in mature oilfields. A key component for a successful treatment is the identification of the most appropriate gel technology for a targeted reservoir. Advanced approaches provide efficient screening and ranking tools; however, to the best of our knowledge, no such approaches have been developed for polymer gels so far.

In this study, we utilized a machine-learning technique to develop an advanced selection methodology for the application of polymer gels in injection wells. Historical data of four in-situ gel systems including bulk gels, high temperature bulk gels, colloidal dispersion gels, and weak gels were used to train logistic regression models. Data sets of 19 property or parameter were tested for potential outliers, the missing values were imputed, and some variables were categorized in order to treat the data gaps. To identify the most discriminating variables, the univariate entropy R2, stepwise regression, and area under ROC curve (AUC) heuristic technique were employed. The candidate variables were then modified according to some considerations like the univariate logistic probability pattern. To consider the regional tendencies in application of polymer gels, we developed three probabilistic models that include different number of treating technologies. Furthermore, to meet the new developments in the application of some gel systems, we constructed a variant model for each classifier in which the treatment timing indicator (water cut) was omitted.

Results show that logistic classification models and their variants correctly predict the proper gel technology in more than 85% of the projects in the training and validation samples with a minimum AUC of 0.9375. We also used a prediction profiler to visually monitor performances of the classifiers and certain tendencies were identified by the investigation of the mispredicted projects. The novelty of the new methodology is its capability to predict the most applicable gel technology for undiagnosed injection wells.
Field Application of Glass Reinforced Epoxy GRE Coating in Water Injection Wells Resolves Reoccurrence of Tubing Failures
Authors: Murit Meflah A. , Ajmi Mohammed D , Al-Hajri Nasser M. , Mujaljil Saleh R. , Radhakrishnan Gokul , Lata Ashwani
Published: July 2016

The paper will present and discuss the reliability of carbon steel tubings installed in dual-completion water injection wells through looking at historical data pertaining to identified leaks and workover frequencies. The durability of carbon steel tubing in this type of water injector will be contrasted with glass reinforced epoxy (GRE) lined and wrapped tubings. Corrosion in downhole tubing results in production/injection loss and the incurrence of additional operational costs through multiple rig interventions. This calls for exploring feasible and prudent solutions to extend downhole tubing life and minimize workover operations.

In field-A, water injection wells have different completions depending on the specific application and use. Well-X has a unique dual-completion design that enables combining water production and water injection in the same well. This was achieved through completing this well in two zones (a water producing zone and a water injecting zone). The water is supplied from one formation through the tubing casing annulus and then injected into the second formation through the tubing using a surface injection pump. The water producing formation is known to be corrosive, and several outside corrosion attacks have been observed in these dual-completion water injection wells. Well-X has been worked over two times in the first 8 years of its life cycle. This was due to external corrosion of tubing, especially below the casing perforations, where the fluids stood stagnant.

Realizing the need to reduce workover frequency on this well by extending the tubing life mandates looking into all alternative options. An innovative solution was applied using GRE lined and GRE wrapped carbon steel tubing all the way from packer to surface. As a result, the well continued to operate for an extended period of time with no integrity issues.
Big Data Hiding in Small Rocks: Case Study of Advanced Microscopy and Image Processing to Aid Upstream Asset Development
Authors: Minhas Naeem-Ur-Rehman , Saad Bilal , Hussain Maaruf , Nair Asok J. , Korvin Gabor
Published: July 2016

Objectives/Scope

Though ‘Big Data’ has been a much talked topic in recent years, its potential has not been fully utilized to study rocks for the purpose of improving asset development workflow. Our research has been focused on this topic. Upstream research publications combining imaging; elemental analysis and the mineral compositional information to derive a mineral map have recently started. This is very welcome as both SEM (scanning electron) and Optical Microscopy have tremendous latent potential to assist in reservoir characterization including depositional environment and diagenesis and to develop a more accurate reservoir model. In this study we describe new advanced image analysis that combines both SEM and optical microscopy. Results are used to study rock texture and predict rock fracture behavior.

Methods, Procedures, Processes

Carbonate and sandstone rock samples were imaged using QEMSCAN (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals using Scanning Electron Microscope) and optical microscopy analysis. Rock sections were prepared from cores. New digital data processing techniques were devised to extract the information and compute statistics and eventually automate data extraction.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

The information from image processing such as porosity, grain size, shape, mineral associations, average distance between the neighboring grains, spatial distribution, crack patterns etc. has been used to find correlations between crack propagation and the texture of the rock. Combination of SEM and optical imaging techniques allows one to differentiate between cement and the mineral grains. It is found that the crack pattern is affected by the number of mineral grains per unit area. Higher number of mineral grains per unit area leads to more complex crack pattern which has implications for fraccability. Results show that quantitative microscopy provides a relationship between rock texture and fracture behavior. A new mathematical model is developed to predict the crack length as a function of grain size.

Novelty

While recently XRD/XRF and elemental composition have been more frequently used by Industry, this study focuses on the importance of accurate, comprehensive and quantitative rock texture characterization. Novel image processing techniques and workflows developed by the authors were used to quantify texture. This work also reinforces the case of using complementary microscopy techniques for more accurate and insightful analysis.
Development of Heavy Oil Recovery Technique Using Toe-to-Heel Cyclic Steam Stimulation Method for Heterogeneous Reservoirs
Authors: Janjua Aneeq Nasir , Hossain M. Enamul , Sadeed Ahmed , Ahmed Owais , Tariq Zeeshan
Published: July 2016

There are heavy oil reservoirs found in oil industry. However, due to the high viscosity, traditional means of technologies such as natural depletion, pumps installation, and pressure maintenance are inefficient to extract the remaining oil in place. Therefore, there is a need for an efficient method for more recovery of heavy oil. In this study, a new method is proposed where combination of toe-to-heel (TTH) and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) methods is employed to optimize the recovery from such reservoirs. Steam is injected in one of the wells and it is allowed to soak for some time and production is taken then from the reservoir.

The main objective of this study is to optimize oil production from the heterogeneous reservoir by viscosity reduction via injection of steam in TTH manner. Cyclic steam stimulation in TTH configuration is a new method and has never been studied. It requires vertical and horizontal wells both for injection and production. A 3D reservoir model is built in commercial software. Five parameters such as steam injection rate, injection time, soaking time, oil production rate and oil production time are used for sensitivity analysis and optimization. All parameters are found influential and interrelated when sensitivity is performed. An optimization tool (i.e. CMA-ES) is also used to get the optimum values for the parameters. The optimized parameters are steam injection rate, injection time, soaking time, oil production rate and oil production time. This study involves three cases: i) a range of values for all the parameters to be optimized were provided and the optimization tool gave the most appropriate values for those parameters, ii) steam is injected from vertical well and production is taken from horizontal well. The optimized parameters are utilized to determine the recovery from this pattern and, iii) a case vice versa of second case which is applied and the recovery is determined. Results show that both cases (ii) and (iii) give low recovery of oil which is about 4% and 13% respectively. In contrast case (i) used optimization tool where recovery factor shows about 40%. This means that in order to maximize the recovery, it is necessary to optimize different rates and times in cyclic steam stimulation method and arrangement of vertical and horizontal wells in TTH manner. It is also necessary to evaluate the performance of the heavy oil reservoirs.
Viscoelastic Properties of Novel Emulsified Acid Using Waste Oil: Effect of Emulsifier Concentration, Mixing Speed and Temperature
Authors: Sidaoui Ziad , Sultan Abdullah S. , Qiu Xiangdong
Published: July 2016

In carbonate reservoirs, hydrochloric acid (HCl) is commonly used for stimulation purposes. The main disadvantage for using HCl is its high and rapid reactivity allowing for less control on acid reaction with formation. In addition, HCl may react with the tubing causing severe corrosion and damages. Several slow-reacting acid systems, though HCl-based, have been developed to retard the HCl reaction and control its reactivity. Therefore, the emulsified acid can flow deeper inside the formation before it breaks out and reacts with formation rock. However, the selection of the hydrocarbon phase of emulsified acid is critical to the creation and stability of the emulsified acid system. Diesel oil, crude oil and solvents such as xylene have been reported to be successful in the field.

In this work, alternative and less expensive source of oil is utilized to replace the current practices, known as waste oil. Filtered waste oil is used to prepare the emulsified acid of this work. Extensive work has been carried out to study the chemical composition of the waste oil, namely Gas Chromatography (GC) to select the proper emulsifier. Emulsions are prepared using 15% HCl with emulsifier concentration ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 vol% and 70:30 of acid-to-oil ratio. Later, rheological analyses of the waste oil emulsion are compared to the commonly used diesel-based emulsified acid. Results showed the potential use of waste oil to prepare high temperature emulsified acid. The addition of cationic emulsifier helps to formulate a more stable emulsion. Apart from that, the optimum concentration of the emulsifier was at 1 vol%. The rheological data confirms the stability of the new emulsified formulation at higher temperatures. Moreover, to apprehend the behavior of this emulsion, droplet size distribution is addressed. This paper summarizes the findings of using waste oil emulsion and recommends it for field applications.

The novelty of this work is the viscoelastic properties for waste oil emulsion have never been addressed before. Addressing them, will help to comprehensively apprehend this novel emulsified acid.
Removal of naphthalene from offshore produced water through immobilized nano-TiO2 aided photo-oxidation
Authors: Liu Bo , Chen Bing , Lee Kenneth , Zhang Baiyu , Ma Yinchen , Jing Liang
Published: July 2016

In order to increase the applicability of photocatalysis in treating offshore produced water (OPW), an immobilized catalyst was introduced into the UV irradiation system and its performance on the degradation of organic compounds in OPW was evaluated. Naphthalene was selected as the target pollutant owing to its abundance in produced water and its chemical property as a typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Aeroxide® P25 nano-scale TiO2 powder was immobilized on glass slides by a heat attachment method and its photocatalytic capacity was compared to that of the original powder in terms of naphthalene removal efficiency. The results of adsorption showed that the reduction of catalysts’ surface area by immobilization was similar to that by agglomeration. The photocatalytic reaction rate constants in the homogeneous and immobilized systems were 0.00219 min−1 and 0.00305 min−1, respectively, indicating that the immobilized catalyst had a better performance in photo-oxidation. The fouling of catalyst surface during the irradiation process came from the deposition of insoluble particles, organic matter, and the scaling of calcium. The immobilization of catalysts was more resistant to the substrate effects of OPW, indicating a promising alternative in treating OPW.
The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ 2016 Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs
Authors: _ _ , Griffin Brenda , Bushby Philip A. , McCobb Emily , White Sara C. , Rigdon-Brestle Y. Karla , Appel Leslie D. , Makolinski Kathleen V. , Wilford Christine L. , Bohling Mark W. , Eddlestone Susan M. , Farrell Kelly A. , Ferguson Nancy , Harrison Kelly , Howe Lisa M. , Isaza Natalie M. , Levy Julie K. , Looney Andrea , Moyer Michael R. , Robertson Sheilah Ann , Tyson Kathy
Published: July 2016

As community efforts to reduce the overpopulation and euthanasia of unwanted and unowned cats and dogs have increased, many veterinarians have increasingly focused their clinical efforts on the provision of spay-neuter services. Because of the wide range of geographic and demographic needs, a wide variety of spay-neuter programs have been developed to increase delivery of services to targeted populations of animals, including stationary and mobile clinics, MASH-style operations, shelter services, community cat programs, and services provided through private practitioners. In an effort to promote consistent, high-quality care across the broad range of these programs, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians convened a task force of veterinarians to develop veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs. These guidelines consist of recommendations for general patient care and clinical procedures, preoperative care, anesthetic management, surgical procedures, postoperative care, and operations management. They were based on current principles of anesthesiology, critical care medicine, infection control, and surgical practice, as determined from published evidence and expert opinion. They represent acceptable practices that are attainable in spay-neuter programs regardless of location, facility, or type of program. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians envisions that these guidelines will be used by the profession to maintain consistent veterinary medical care in all settings where spay-neuter services are provided and to promote these services as a means of reducing sheltering and euthanasia of cats and dogs.
Efficacy of a single dose of trazodone hydrochloride given to cats prior to veterinary visits to reduce signs of transport- and examination-related anxiety
Authors: Stevens Brenda J. , Frantz Eva M. , Orlando Jillian M. , Griffith Emily , Harden Lyndy B. , Gruen Margaret E. , Sherman Barbara L.
Published: July 2016

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of a single dose of trazodone for reducing anxiety in cats during transport to a veterinary hospital and facilitating handling during veterinary examination.

DESIGN Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study.

ANIMALS 10 healthy client-owned cats (2 to 12 years of age) with a history of anxiety during transport or veterinary examination.

PROCEDURES Each cat was randomly assigned to first receive trazodone hydrochloride (50 mg) or a placebo PO. The assigned treatment was administered, and each cat was placed in a carrier and transported by car to a veterinary clinic, where it received a structured veterinary examination. Owners scored their cat's signs of anxiety before, during, and after transport and examination. The veterinarian also assessed signs of anxiety during examination. After a 1- to 3-week washout period, each cat received the opposite treatment and the protocol was repeated.

RESULTS Compared with placebo, trazodone resulted in a significant improvement in the cats’ signs of anxiety during transport. Veterinarian and owner scores for ease of handling during veterinary examination also improved with trazodone versus the placebo. No significant differences were identified between treatments in heart rate or other physiologic variables. The most common adverse event related to trazodone administration was signs of sleepiness.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Oral administration of a single dose of trazodone to cats prior to a veterinary visit resulted in fewer signs of transport- and examination-related anxiety than did a placebo and was generally well tolerated by most cats. Use of trazodone in this manner may promote veterinary visits and, consequently, enhance cat welfare.
Optimized Live Load Model Determination Method for Fatigue Assessment of Bridge Structures
Authors: Xia Ye , Su Dan , Sun Limin
Published: July 2016

This paper presents a simplified live load model based on a general solution in order to allow a rigorous and more accurate fatigue analysis procedure due to vehicular loads. Based on the least square estimation technique, truck loads measured using an elaborate Weight-In-Motion (WIM) database were categorized into limited groups and each group of trucks was represented by one truck model with determined parameters such as axle number, axle spacing and axle load ratio. The performance of the proposed simplification approach was demonstrated using numerical simulations. Results show that the proposed approach is quite effective in simplifying vehicular loads with acceptable error of equivalent stresses and in further estimating fatigue service life of orthotropic steel deck (OSD) bridges.
Theory and Reality in the Design of Viscous Dampers for Structural Applications
Authors: Huber Peter , Fobo Wolfgang
Published: July 2016

Viscous dampers are energy dissipators to be employed in particular for protection of structures against earthquake and/or certain service load cases. Designers specify design parameters and thus the characteristics of viscous dampers that shall be required as seismic protection of a certain structure. While it seems to be relatively simple to determine the theoretical design parameters by way of a computer simulation, the reality is often a different one when viscous dampers in the structure do not perform as specified as either the basic function needs were neglected or the real occurring function is different to the desired one.

It will be shown that the four standard design parameters of a viscous damper, to be “response force”, “stroke”, “damping constant” and “damping exponent” will be insufficient for a qualified specification, and that additional design parameters such as compressibility as well as function and geometric tolerances will make a deciding difference.
Floating Concrete Barge Monitoring to Extend Service Life
Authors: Collet Pascal , Galléa Floriane
Published: July 2016

Following an overview of N’Kossa barge history of the first and unique concrete floating hull in off shore Oil & Gas industry - 220 m x 46 m x 16 m, displacement 107,000 t including 73,000 t for the hull and 34,000 t for the topsides - this proceeding address the philosophy followed by TOTAL to monitor the concrete hull.

After 20 years Congo off shore, TOTAL E&P Congo intends to develop and operate for another 20 years or more new assets connected to NKP process/utility plant.

Initial hull design was done with a projected 30 years service life and the Operator faces now the issue of assessing the hull soundness and reliability for another 20 years.

A Risk Based Analysis was performed taking into account prestressed concrete behaviour with all concrete issues and loss of prestressing strength, fatigue effects, material ageing in marine environment and potential accident such as boat impact, chemical leak or fire and blast, in order to assess the potential failure modes and the associated symptoms.

Based on the results, the most sensitive areas were located and significant criteria were established. Eventually several monitoring approaches were compared and combined to provide a hull assessment tool to extend hull useful service life.
Experimental and Numerical Methods for Characterization of The Tensile Behavior of Textile Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Li Yingxiong , Scholzen Alexander , Chudoba Rostislav , Hegger Josef
Published: July 2016

This paper reports on the ongoing development of experimental and numerical methods for characterization of the tensile behavior of textile reinforced concrete. Using a recently developed modular test setup, two series of tensile tests have been carried out, one with monotonic and the other one with cyclic loading conditions. Furthermore, in order to investigate the bond properties between the textile reinforcement yarns and the fine grained concrete matrix, in particular the required anchorage length of the reinforcement, additional double-sided pull-out tests have also been conducted. The results of the experiments investigations are briefly summarized. Then, in conjunction with the experimental results, the numerical modeling framework is introduced and discussed based on the preliminary results obtained.
Critical Design Problems and Countermeasures for Non-channel Continuous Steel Box Girders of HongKong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
Authors: Fang Mingshan
Published: July 2016

The ongoing construction of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge(HZMB) project adopts large cantilever flange steel box girder with orthotropic bridge deck structure, which has cross section of one single box with twin rooms. Aiming at the problems, such as welding fatigue of orthotropic bridge deck, vortex-induced vibration of box girder and buckling instability of thin-walled box girder, the key technical countermeasures took in HZMB project will be presented in this paper. Wherein, some special optimized constructional details of design are adopted to decrease the risk of welding fatigue of orthotropic bridge deck, and tune-massed dampers are used to control the vortex-induced vibration of continuous steel box girder. Regarding the buckling problem of instability of thin-walled box girder happened in the project, some countermeasures are proposed.
The Design Challenges and Innovations in 400m High CRC Headquarter Tower
Authors: Lin Hai , Lin Feng-Jun , Kang Man , Wang Yang , Mu Jichang
Published: July 2016

The iconic super tall building has a sculptured form with 56 external slender columns starting from the diagrid at the bottom and converging into a crystal cap at the top. Its structural system is exterior column frame and RC core without strengthen stories to fully reflect the architect’s intent and make the tower as light and clean as possible. Engineering challenges to seismic design strategy, cross wind effect controlling, tension walls, construction precision and etc. were induced by the building shape and structural system. Therefore, a range of innovative solutions have been provided to systematically design this tower. Except that design team adopt eccentric column-beam connection to create column-free interior and inclined set-back of the core layout to increases the net floor area and core integrity in this tower, the engineering solutions enable the building safety and economy with high quality.
Lateral Bracing Method for Cable Alignment Transformation
Authors: Wang Xiaoming , Cai Jingyang , Lei Xiaoming , Ran Zhun , Sun Mengjin , Zhou Fengqi
Published: July 2016

Xiaoming LEI Graduate Student Chang’an University Xi’an, China leixiaoming@outlook.comZhun RAN Graduate Student Chang’an University Xi’an, China 1501490929@qq.comMengjin SUN
Graduate Student

Univ. of California, San Diego La Jolla, United States summersmj@qq.com
Fengqi ZHOU Graduate Student Chang’an University Xi’an, China 1094633714@qq.com
The main cable of spatial cable suspension bridge has a large lateral deviation from the free cable state to finished bridge state, hangers will be bended or even enable to anchor due to its large lateral drift angle. A new method named “lateral brace between main cables” is proposed It has been successfully used in a project. The detailed comparison is undertaking to construction analysis of Jiangdong bridge between temporary hanger method and temporary lateral brace between main cables method. Analysis of the component force in the process of girder hoisting as well as its influence on the lateral deviation of main cables and the lateral drift angle of hangers. The result shows that the proposed method can satisfy the needs of hangers and lateral braces force, and has a very small lateral deviation and lateral drift angle. This method is easy and widely suitable.
Prescription Patterns of Antimicrobial Drugs in Hospitalized Patients in Tertiary Care Hospital of Kathmandu
Authors: Raut Binod , Khadka Anjan , Borah Rabindra Nath
Published: July 2016

Introduction: Antimicrobial drugs are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in hospital. Overuse and irrational use of antimicrobials is a key factor behind rapidly spreading antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms. Use of irrational and unnecessary antimicrobials remains common in the developing countries.  This study was conducted to analyze the prescription pattern of antimicrobials in the department of internal medicine of tertiary care hospital. Methods: Antimicrobials are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in hospital. Overuse and irrational use of antimicrobials is a key factor behind rapidly spreading antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms. Use of irrational and unnecessary antimicrobials remains common in the developing countries.  This study was conducted to analyze the prescription pattern of antimicrobials in the department of internal medicine of tertiary care hospital. Results: The mean duration of hospitalization among the study population was 5 days. Of the 460 medicines prescribed, mostly indicated for respiratory infections, and the most common antibiotic was from the group cephalosporin 209 (69.7 %).  55 % of prescriptions include only one drug, 39 % with two drugs and 6% with three or more than three drugs. Conclusion: The mean duration of hospitalization among the study population was 5 days. Of the 460 medicines prescribed, mostly indicated for respiratory infections, and the most common antibiotic was from the group cephalosporin 209 (69.7 %). 55 % of prescriptions include only one drug, 39 % with two drugs and 6% with three or more than three drugs.
Comment vaincre l’anxiété en situation extrême ?
Authors: Sala Gabriel , Haag Christophe
Published: July 2016

En se fondant sur différents travaux de recherche et en s’appuyant sur les données qualitatives collectées auprès de la force « intervention » du GIGN, cet article tente de mieux comprendre les mécanismes de régulation émotionnelle de l’anxiété en situation extrême. L’étude révèle que la stratégie de réévaluation cognitive est la plus efficace et qu’à partir d’un certain seuil d’anxiété, les individus optent pour une stratégie de régulation émotionnelle inefficace. Finalement, les auteurs proposent un modèle en quatre étapes permettant de réguler plus efficacement l’anxiété.
Up regulation of MMP9 gene expression in female patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Hamedani Shima Yazdandoost , Taheri Mohammad , Sajjadi Elham , Omrani Mir Davood , Mazdeh Mehrdokht , Arsang-Jang Shahram , Panah Akram Sadat Tabatabaei , Sayad Arezou
Published: July 2016

BACKGROUND:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system which disturbs cerebral vascular permeability.

OBJECTIVE:

Matrix metalloproteinase can increase capillary permeability and are involved in neurological diseases.

METHODS:

The study compared the expression level of MMP9 gene in RRMS samples with normal individuals in Iran. RNA from the buffy coat of 50 RRMS patients and 50 normal controls were extracted. All patients were HLA-DRB1*15 negative and were responders to interferon-beta with a normal vitamin D level. The level of MMP9 gene expression was measured using quantitative RT-PCR.

RESULTS:

The RRMS patients manifested a higher expression level of MMP9 than their normal counterparts (P= 0.02). Age-wise, there was no correlation between different age groups (> 30, 30-40, 40 <). In terms of sex, only the female patients manifested a statistically significant increase in MMP9 (p value = 0.037). Besides, there was no linear correlation between MMP9 expression level and risk of Expanded Disability Status Scale of Kurtzke (EDSS); nor were there any significant correlation between expression status of MMP9 and duration of the disease.

CONCLUSION:

Up regulation of MMP9 gene expression would happen in RRMS IFN-B responders, but the level of increase in female patients is significantly more than males.
MRI brain pattern analysis for detection of Alzheimer's disease using random forest classifier
Authors: Selvathi D. , Emala T.
Published: July 2016

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and a major cause of disability worldwide.It is a progressive and degenerative disease that affects brain cells and its early diagnosis has been essential for appropriate intervention by health professionals. In this work, Random forest classifier is used to identify Alzheimer's disease (AD) affected patient using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Random Forest grows many classification trees. To classify a new input vector, each tree votes for a class and the forest chooses the class having the majority of votes over all the trees in the forest. A set of MR brain images from healthy and pathological subjects extracted from the OASIS (Open Access Series of Imaging Studies) database are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Nonsubsampled Contourlet Transform decomposes the input image into many sub bands. Features are extracted from the input images and also from the transformed images. In this work, two groups of features are used to extract the information. In the first groups, features such as intensity, orientation, and edge information & in the second group, features such as color Mean, Symmetry, Center Black area, Total Brain Area, Mean, Variance, Skewness, Image Kurtosis, Gradient Mean and Gradient Variance are calculated. The features are given as the input to Random forest classifier and also to the Support Vector Machine (SVM) for comparing the performance of proposed work with the well-known existing SVM classifier. From the classification results, it is observed that Random forest classifier performed better than the SVM classifier and other existing work.
Design of antenna in Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) for biotelemetry applications
Authors: Sudha M. Nesa , Benitta Sherlin J.
Published: July 2016

Biomedical telemetry system transmits biological signal to a long distance. Antenna finds vital role in transmitting a biological signals. Patch Antennas are integrated with medical devices and used widely because of their design flexibility and shape. This paper proposes two antennas for telemetry application. Yagi antennas provide high directivity. Patch antennas are of light weight and is easy to carry. It can be fabricated on the fabric easily. Hence it proves to be an ideal solution for biotelemetry where the patients can wear the antenna, which in turn can collect the bio signals from the body and send it to the monitoring station. This combination of yagi and patch antennas gives sufficient gain and directivity his paper proposes the design of two Yagi Patch Antennas (YPA) with two different substrates for telemetry purpose. A miniature telemetry antenna model is designed, which captures information from the human body and transmits it to the monitoring station. The biological information is transmitted at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. in WLAN range. The performance of the antenna is simulated and analyzed using FEKO software.
ECG Morphological Marking using Discrete Wavelet Transform
Authors: Sampath A. , Sumithira T.R.
Published: July 2016

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is almost recurrent signals that express the activity of the heart. A large amount of information on the normal and pathological physiology of heart can be acquired from ECG. However, the ECG signals being non-stationary in nature, it is very hard to visually examine them. Thus the need is there for computer built methods for ECG signal analysis. This paper has been stimulated by the need to find an effective method for ECG signal analysis which is common and has excellent accuracy and minimum computation time. The initial task for efficient analysis is the removal of noise. It actually involves the extraction of the needed cardiac components by degeneration of the background noise. Enhancement of signal is attained by the use of multi-resolution feature extraction using DWT decomposition method. Use of this was influenced by its adaptive nature. The second task is that of P, QRS complex and T wave peak detection which is performed by the use of multi-resolution adaptive threshold method executed with DWT. The experiments are carried out on MIT-BIH database and PTB diagnostic ECG database. The results show %that our the proposed method is very effective and an efficient method for computation of P, QRS complex and T wave peak detection.
Comparison of the knee valgus angle, leg muscle activity, and vastus medialis oblique/vastus lateralis ratio during a single leg squat on flat and declined surfaces in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome
Authors: Yoon Tae-Lim , Kim Ki-Song , Cynn Heon-Seock
Published: July 2016

BACKGROUND:

The knee valgus angle and knee muscles activity on a declined surface have not yet provided enough biomechanical analyses and treatment guidelines for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) patients

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the knee valgus angle, leg muscle activity, and the vastus medialis oblique (VMO)/vastus lateralis (VL) muscles ratio during a single leg squat (SLS) on a declined surface in individuals with PFPS.

METHODS:

Fifteen young adults with PFPS (9 men, 6 women; height, 168.6 ± 7.3 cm; weight, 62.4 ± 17.9 kg; age, 22.7 ± 2.8 y; body mass index, 22.7 ± 2.8) participated in this study. Knee valgus angle and leg muscle activity and VMO/VL ratios were collected in subjects with PFPS during SLS on flat and declined surfaces.

RESULTS:

During the SLS, the knee valgus angle was significantly increased on the declined surface than the flat surface (p< 0.05). Also, significantly higher EMG activity in the rectus femoris (RF), VMO, and VL muscles when doing the SLSs were present during the SLSs on the declined surface (p< 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results of this study suggest that significantly increased knee valgus angles and muscle activity of RF, VMO, and VL during SLSs occur on a declined surface. Therefore, individuals with PFPS should be cautious when stepping down on a declined surface, such as downhill terrain on a mountain.
Wearable Sensors for Advanced Therapy Referral in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Heldman Dustin A. , Giuffrida Joseph P. , Cubo Esther
Published: July 2016

Background: Advanced therapies, such as deep brain stimulation and levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel, can significantly improve quality of life in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, determining who should be referred for advanced therapy is a challenging problem.

Objective: The objective was to determine the impact of remote monitoring using objective, wearable sensors on the advanced therapy referral rate in patients with advanced PD and if sensor data differed in patients who were referred and those who were not.

Methods: A retrospective, exploratory, secondary analysis was performed on data collected in a study that followed forty individuals with advanced PD for one year with half receiving standard care and half using motion sensor-based remote monitoring once per month in conjunction with standard care. Advanced therapy referral rates were compared between groups. For the group who underwent remote monitoring, objective motor features representing symptoms, dyskinesias, and fluctuations were examined to determine if objective kinematic features differed between patients who were and were not recommended for advanced therapy.

Results: The advanced therapy referral rate was significantly higher for patients when a clinician had access to remote monitoring reports compared to standard care alone (63.6% versus 11.8%, p < 0.01). Bradykinesia severity, bradykinesia fluctuations, and dyskinesia severity differed significantly ( p < 10e-8, p < 10e-5, and p < 0.01, respectively) between patients recommended and not recommended for advanced therapy.

Conclusions: Remote monitoring technologies can capture motor features that may be clinically useful in identifying patients who may be candidates for advanced therapy. This could lead to development of automated screening algorithms, improve referral efficiency, and expand access to advanced therapies for patients with advanced PD.
Protection against Radiotherapy-Induced Toxicity
Authors: Hall Susan , Rudrawar Santosh , Zunk Matthew , Bernaitis Nijole , Arora Devinder , McDermott Catherine , Anoopkumar-Dukie Shailendra
Published: July 2016

Radiation therapy is a highly utilized therapy in the treatment of malignancies with up to 60% of cancer patients receiving radiation therapy as a part of their treatment regimen. Radiation therapy does, however, cause a wide range of adverse effects that can be severe and cause permanent damage to the patient. In an attempt to minimize these effects, a small number of compounds have been identified and are in use clinically for the prevention and treatment of radiation associated toxicities. Furthermore, there are a number of emerging therapies being developed for use as agents that protect against radiation-induced toxicities. The aim of this review was to evaluate and summarise the evidence that exists for both the known radioprotectant agents and the agents that show promise as future radioprotectant agents.
Tremor Reduction at the Palm of a Parkinson’s Patient Using Dynamic Vibration Absorber
Authors: Gebai Sarah , Hammoud Mohammad , Hallal Ali , Khachfe Hassan
Published: July 2016

Parkinson’s patients suffer from severe tremor due to an abnormality in their central oscillator. Medications used to decrease involuntary antagonistic muscles contraction can threaten their life. However, mechanical vibration absorbers can be used as an alternative treatment. The objective of this study is to provide a dynamic modeling of the human hand that describes the biodynamic response of Parkinson’s patients and to design an effective tuned vibration absorber able to suppress their pathological tremor. The hand is modeled as a three degrees-of-freedom (DOF) system describing the flexion motion at the proximal joints on the horizontal plane. Resting tremor is modeled as dual harmonic excitation due to shoulder and elbow muscle activation operating at resonance frequencies. The performance of the single dynamic vibration absorber (DVA) is studied when attached to the forearm and compared with the dual DVA tuned at both excitation frequencies. Equations of motion are derived and solved using the complex transfer function of the non-Lagrangian system. The absorber’s systems are designed as a stainless steel alloy cantilevered beam with an attached copper mass. The dual DVA was the most efficient absorber which reduces 98.3%–99.5%, 97.0%–97.3% and 97.4%–97.5% of the Parkinson’s tremor amplitude at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joint.