bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing Knowledge Performance for the Fast Track Delivery of Sustainable Mobility Solutions
Authors: Morfoulaki Maria , Chatziathanasiou Maria
Published: November 2023

European cities are motivated to act towards the achievement of climate-neutral mobility solutions. Often, though, they are facing many challenges when bringing (innovative) sustainable mobility solutions forward. Capacity building that fills skills gap and/or enables acquisition of new ones related to the planning and implementation of such solutions can empower local/ regional authorities to identify them, adopt them and eventually deliver them properly. The aim of this paper is to present the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework that has been used for the assessment of the effectiveness of the Learning and Exchange Programme applied in an EU-funded project. It presents the methodological steps for the adoption of the KPIs, as well as the tools used for the selection of the KPI data and the KPI monitoring at project level. It also presents the results from the application of the framework for assessing the knowledge performance towards the deployment of sustainable mobility solutions. It finally reflects on recommendations for applying the KPI framework to other cases and thematic contents.
Cardiac Amyloidosis and Valvular Heart Disease
Authors: Duca Franz , Kronberger Christina , Willixhofer Robin , Bartko Philipp , Bergler-Klein Jutta , Nitsche Christian
Published: November 2023

Growing interest has accrued in the co-existence of cardiac amyloidosis and valvular heart disease. Amyloid infiltration from either transthyretin (ATTR) or light chain (AL) origin may affect any structure of the heart, including the valves. Recent literature has mainly focused on aortic stenosis and cardiac amyloidosis, improving our understanding of epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this dual pathology. Even though of high clinical relevance, data on mitral/tricuspid regurgitation and cardiac amyloidosis is rather scarce and mostly limited to case reports and small cases series. It is the aim of this review article to summarize the current evidence of concomitant valvular heart disease and cardiac amyloidosis including epidemiology, diagnostic approaches, screening possibilities, therapeutic management, and prognostic implications.
Zirconia Implants: A Mapping Review
Authors: Sadowsky Steven Judd
Published: November 2023

The advent of zirconia ceramics with excellent mechanical, biomechanical and optical properties has made it an attractive metal-free substitute for titanium implants. Both animal and human studies have documented shortcomings with titanium implants. A review of the current literature on 3 iterations of zirconia implant designs has been challenging due to heterogeneous success data and limited follow-up. Zirconia implants hold promise for a new generation of dental implants, but technical developments are needed for design and material enhancements that will need to be validated by long-term rigorous studies.
Investigative Study of the Effect of Damping and Stiffness Nonlinearities on an Electromagnetic Energy Harvester at Low Frequency Excitations
Authors: Diala Uchenna , Zhu Yunpeng , Gunawardena Rajintha
Published: November 2023

Ambient vibration energy is widely being harnessed as a source of electrical energy to drive low-power devices. The vibration energy harvester (VEH) of interest employs an electromagnetic transduction mechanism, whereby ambient mechanical vibration is converted to electrical energy. The limitations affecting the performance of VEHs, with an electromagnetic transduction structure, include its operational bandwidth as well as the enclosure-size constraint. In this study, an analysis and design of a nonlinear VEH system is conducted, using the Output Frequency Response Function (OFRF) representations of the actual system model. However, the OFRF representations are determined from the Generalised Associated Linear Equation (GALE) decompositions of the system of interest. The effect of both nonlinear damping and stiffness characteristics, to respectively extend the average power and operational bandwidth of the VEH device, is demonstrated.
Development and Validation of Digital Competence Assessment Scale for Health Professions Students (DigiCAS-HPS) during Post- COVID-19 New Normal Era
Authors: Le Cua Ngoc , Le Luan Minh , Le Luan Minh
Published: November 2023

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a swift transition to online learning, remote work and an increased demand for proficiency in telehealth and digital health among health professions students as they prepare for their future careers. In responding to the question: “What are the essential constructs and the validity of a digital competence assessment scale for health professions students", this study sought to develop and validate a digital competence assessment scale (DigiCAS-HPS). The present study followed a mixed-methods approach: qualitative methods (phase 1) for generating and refining items in the scale through literature review on digital frameworks, pilot testing and expert review, and quantitative methods (phase 2) including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for its validation. The study revealed a two-factor structure, encompassing Digital Communication, Collaboration, and Online Security (Factor 1) and Digital Content Development and Software Mastery (Factor 2), demonstrating strong construct validity and reliability. Regarding differences in digital competence across groups, older and soon-to-graduate students exhibited higher proficiency in digital content development and software mastery. The two critical facets of DigiCAS-HPS scale could tailor training programs and ensure that health professions students are well-prepared for the evolving telehealthcare landscape. This promotes the growth and accessibility of telehealth, which is increasingly vital in the post-COVID-19 new normal era.
Estimating the Rate of Mutation to a Mutator Phenotype
Authors: Vazquez-Mendoza Isaac , Rodriguez-Torres Erika Elizabeth , Ezadian Mojgan , Wahl Lindi , Gerrish Philip John
Published: November 2023

Somerateofmutationisinevitable,eveningenesthatthemselvesdeterminethemutation rate. Because mutation in these genes can alter the mutation rate, variation in the mutation rate is inevitable. This simple line of reasoning is corroborated by a handful of empirical studies that found mutation-rate variation in natural and laboratory populations. The evolutionary consequences of mutation-rate variation in natural populations can be many and can be difficult to predict, as selection on such variation can be both direct and indirect. For example, lineages with increased mutation rate will have increased adaptability in the long term but decreased overall fitness in the short term because most fitness mutations are immediately deleterious. In spite of its great relevance to basic and applied science, the rate of mutation to mutator phenotype continues to be essentially unknown. The reasons for this gap in our knowledge are largely methodological; in general, a mutator phenotype cannot be observed directly but must instead be inferred from numbers of some neutral “marker” mutation that can be observed directly: different mutation-rate variants will produce this marker mutation at different rates. Here, we derive the expected distribution of numbers of the marker mutants observed, accounting for the fact that some of the mutants will have been produced by a mutator phenotype that itself arose by mutation during the growth of the culture. This development makes possible a novel experimental protocol for estimating the rate of mutation to mutator phenotype. Simulated experiments using biologically-reasonable parameters that employ this protocol show that such experiments in the lab can give us fairly accurate estimates of the rate of mutation to mutator phenotype. Although our ability to estimate mutation-to-mutator rates from simulated experiments is promising, we view this study as a proof-of-concept study and only a first step towards practical empirical estimation.
TAEF: A Task Allocation-based Ensemble Fuzzing Framework for Optimizing the Advantages of Heterogeneous Fuzzers
Authors: Sun Yutao , Xu Xianghua
Published: November 2023

Ensemble fuzzing in parallel with heterogeneous fuzzers has been proposed to leverage the advantages of diverse fuzzers and improve testing efficiency. However, in current ensemble fuzzing methods, the collaboration among different fuzzers is achieved solely by synchronizing the seeds discovered by each fuzzer. This results in a high likelihood of different fuzzers choosing the same seeds and creating a large number of equivalent testcases, thus reducing overall fuzzing efficiency. Meanwhile, the existing task division method proposed by AFLTeam is highly coupled with the fuzzer specially designed for it, making it challenging to apply to ensemble fuzzing directly. So, in this paper, we proposed a callgraph-based task division method suitable for ensemble fuzzing. Firstly, we divided the target program’s callgraph into subgraphs (subtasks) balancing expected workloads. Then, we divided the global seed corpus into sub-corpora, each corresponding to a subtask, making fuzzers easily accept the subtasks. Finally, we designed synchronization mechanisms for coverage bitmaps and seeds to realize the collaborative fuzzing among different fuzzers, and a cyclic subtask scheduling strategy to fully leverage the benefits of ensemble fuzzing. We have implemented a prototype called TAEF. The evaluation results show that in the best-case scenario, our method has up to 24% more branch coverage than previous work.
Does Fracture Pattern Really Predict Displacement of LC1 Sacral Fractures?
Authors: Livesey Michael G. , Salmons Harold I. , Butler Bennet A. , Edmond Tyler J. , Slobogean Gerard P. , O’Toole Robert V.
Published: November 2023

Background:

Operative management of minimally displaced lateral compression type-1 (LC1) pelvic ring injuries remains controversial. We aimed to assess the proportion of LC1 pelvic fractures that displaced following nonoperative management as a function of specific ring fracture patterns, and we quantified the magnitude of this displacement.

Methods:

A retrospective review of the billing registry of a level-I trauma center was performed. Two hundred and seventy-three patients with a high-energy LC1 pelvic ring fracture and <5 mm of sacral displacement were included. The fracture pattern was characterized with use of computed tomography (CT) scans and radiographs. Absolute and interval pelvic ring displacement were quantified with use of previously described methodology.

Results:

Thirty-five pelvic ring injuries (13%) were displaced. The rate of displacement was 31% (15 of 49) for LC1 injuries involving a complete sacral fracture and bilateral ramus fractures, 12% (7 of 58) for injuries involving a complete sacral fracture and a unilateral ramus fracture, and 10% (5 of 52) for injuries involving an incomplete sacral fracture and bilateral ramus fractures. In displaced injuries, the average interval displacement was 4.2 mm (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8 to 6.8) and the final displacement was 9.9 mm ± 4.2 mm.

Conclusions:

Our study suggests that fracture characteristics can be used to predict the likelihood of displacement of LC1 fractures that are treated without surgery. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to describe the magnitude of displacement that may occur in association with LC1 pelvic ring injuries that are treated nonoperatively; however, further studies are needed to determine the clinical impact of this displacement.

Level of Evidence:

Diagnostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Frank Ramsey, Cambridge Pragmatism and the Problem of Belief
Authors:   National Research University Higher School of Economics, Makeeva L. B.
Published: November 2023

The paper discusses Cambridge pragmatism which is understood as certain views of a few Cam­bridge philosophers (B. Russell, Ch. Ogden, F. Ramsey) in the 1920s. Frank Ramsey is regarded as the crucial and most interesting proponent of those views. The philosophers who have introduced the term Cambridge pragmatism (H. Price, Ch. Misak) propose to reconsider the “standard” his­tory which, in their view, underestimates the influence of American pragmatism on the Cambridge philosophers in question. It, first of all, concerns Ramsey who, in Misak’s words, created “the most compelling version” of pragmatism. The aim of the paper is to try to figure out, taking, as a kind of test, the problem of belief which was intensively discussed by both the American prag­matists and the Cambridge philosophers of the 1920s and the particular solution of which consti­tutes, so to say, the kernel of pragmatism, which of the approaches to understanding Ramsey’s view – the standard history or Misak’s history – is more justified. It is concluded that the differ­ences between the two approaches are determined by the fact that they evaluate Ramsey’s ideas from the position of different conceptions of pragmatism. It is noted that a more interesting task for historians of philosophy is to explain why such organic syntheses of analytic philosophy and pragmatism, as we have in the case of Ramsey, are possible.
T.M. Scanlon’s account of responsibility and the problem of moral luck
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), Gavrilov Maksim V. , Iunusov Artem T. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia)
Published: November 2023

Thomas M. Scanlon is one of the most prominent modern moral philosophers, and his theory of moral responsibility is one of the most influential theories of this kind in mod­ern ethics. In the present article we set out the main features of this theory and then deal in detail with one of the problems this theory faces, the moral luck cases. Despite several plausible approaches to this problem being available within the framework of theories of broadly Scanlonian type, Scanlon himself seems to choose none of them. So, in spite of his own claims, his theory (at least in its form that he himself defends) seems to fail to solve this problem. However, this could arguably not be counted as a decisive argu­ment against this theory, given that all the other modern non-revisionary theories of moral responsibility fare no better in dealing with this problem.
Diversity of Russian phi­losophy
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), Maslin Michael A.
Published: November 2023

The article is written on the basis of author’s paper at the panel discussion “How we un­derstand Russian philosophy” hold in the Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences. The article presents contemporary look on the problem based on the thesis of diversity as the central fundamental characteristic of the Russian philosophy. The di­versity must be acknowledged as the expression of it’s sovereignty opposed to the sole normative approach. Such kind of approach based on dogmatic Marxism had been spread during Soviet period by authoritarian measures. The conception of diversity instead of Marxist oriented unification proposes variety of cognitive and hermeneutic means for knowing the treasury of Russian intellectual history. Another aspect of diversity includes multiplicity of languages used in philosophical texts besides proper Russian during the various periods. There are: Church Slavonic, Greek, Latin (XI–XVII centuries), French, English, German (XVIII–XX centuries) and various Slavic languages (XIX–XX centuries). Multiplicity of languages in Russian philosophical space could be explained mostly by political and censorial reasons. That multiplicity incorporates also high assortment of eth­nic groups that took part in the elaboration of various philosophical texts. It included Greeks, Ukrainians, Moldavians, Serbs etc. Many Russian thinkers had been exiled abroad or ought to leave home country to avoid political repressions: A.I. Herzen, M.A. Bakunin, P.A. Kropotkin, N.A. Berdyaev, S.L. Frank, S.L. Karsavin, S.N. Bulgakov and others. Therefore they created their writings in abroad. Needless to mark also that some Russian thinkers born in Russia, such as A. Koyre, A. Kozhev, I. Berlin, P. Sorokin, became famous Western philosophers in emigration.
Philosophy of sense
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), Smirnov Andrey V.
Published: November 2023

Healing the inner rupture of Russian culture caused by the reforms of Peter the Great is an urgent need which is still on agenda. This task can be accomplished by relying upon the logic of sobornost’ and vsesubyectnost’ that manifested itself as the basic value in the course of millennium of Russian history. Implanting the European section into the overall layout of the vsechelovecheskoye design of Russian culture will help bridge the gap between the culture of the upper strata totally bound by the spirit of European domination (evropeynichanye, “Europe-apping”, according to N.Ya. Danilevsky) and the culture of the lower strata governed by the logic of sobornost’ and vsesubyectnost’. To overcome Europe-apping, which is still a pressing task, means to overcome the dogma of European culture as obshechelovecheskoye (common to humankind) by basing the dis­course on the vsechelovecheskoye category. Vsechelovecheskoye, as opposed to obshe­chelovecheskoye, was elaborated in Russian thought starting from the 19th century. For­mation and manifestation of the logic of sobornost’ and vsesubyectnost’ represents the sense of the Russian history tying it together over all breaks and revolutionary catas­trophes. “Humankind” can be conceived of only as a notion based on sobornost’, not as a unity of any kind, for it developed, in the course of its history, a number of the big cul­tures each of which based itself on its indigenous logic irreducible to the logic of any other big culture. The basic task the Russian philosophy faces, in order to develop itself as the philosophy of sense, is to study and elaborate on the actual manifestations of the logic of sobornost’ and vsesubyectnost’ in the course of Russian history as the logic of vsechelovecheskoye global design for humankind.
From the Concept of Travel to the Idea of the Practical Nature of Philosophy
Authors:   RAS Institute of Philosophy, Zubets Olga P.
Published: November 2023

Starting with consideration of the directions in which the comprehension of travel as a human activity, practice, act is moving, the author demonstrates the “compliance” of the mind, which is able to represent as a travel not only moving around one’s own room or pocket, but also sit­ting in an armchair, the complete absence of movement. The basis for this is the reliance on the concepts of motive, intention, result, personality, soul, divorced from the act of action itself, i.e. break with the Aristotelian understanding of the act as a self-sufficient and actual re­ality. The author emphasizes the similarity of this line of thought with a variety of philosophi­cal ideas that camouflage the givenness and make it possible to present murder as non-murder. This helpfulness, servility of the reason is opposed by the self-sufficiency of thinking, that does not serve anything, that is, philosophy as such or thinking as an act and a space of absolute givenness, in which a person does not think about an act, does not think an act, butacts. Philosophy understood in this way, capable of thinking everything, is practical not as an instrumental or cognitive service to various human practices, but as an act of thinking – that is, self-sufficient and personal thinking. It is practical not because of the usefulness of a product alienated from it in the form of ideas, concepts, ways of thought (being an act (act) of self-suf­ficient thinking, it does not have an external result, poiesis), but being self-sufficient, it carries a gesture indicating a given – something, not mediated by ideas, norms, discredited reason: the philosopher is faced with the need to see (think) something, the thought of which is not mediated by the ideological richness of the history of thought. The less something is mediated by ideas, the more it is practical, and the more absolute. Philosophy, which understands that no most sophisticated thinking can cancel the fact of deprivation of life of another or one’s own deprivation of life – and that is a truly practical philosophy.
Left-Libertarianism and Genetic Justice
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Morozov Konstantin E.
Published: November 2023

Distributive justice is one of the central questions of contemporary moral and political phi­losophy. Discussions on this topic are often presented as a confrontation between two groups of thinkers: libertarians and luck egalitarians. The former emphasize the dependence of the existing distribution on the individual choice and personal responsibility of people, and therefore are skeptical about various redistribution programs. The latter, on the contrary, emphasize the influence of morally arbitrary luck on the economic situation of people, and therefore welcome redistributive measures to compensate for this brute luck. Left-libertarian claims to reconcile these two types of moral considerations. The classical left-libertarian point of view seeks to offset the influence of brute luck through an egalitarian distribution of the benefits of owning natural resources that are independent of anyone’s choice and respon­sibility. However, this position does not sufficiently take into account the influence of other factors of brute luck and, in particular, genetic endowments on the distribution of economic wealth. This article discusses three approaches that allow left-libertarians to take into ac­count the factor of genetic luck in interpersonal distribution. First, it is Hillel Steiner’s pro­posal to attribute genetic information to natural resources, the benefits of which are subject to egalitarian redistribution. Second, it is the concept of equal opportunity for welfare by Pe­ter Vallentyne, Michael Otsuka and Eric Roark. Thirdly, it is the universal dominance crite­rion of Philippe Van Parijs and Kasper Ossenblok. The first two approaches face a number of moral and practical difficulties, but the third approach is able to overcome them. Thus, the universal dominance criterion is the most promising way to reconcile left-libertarianism and justice in the distribution of genetic endowments.
Dostoevsky and Wittgenstein: “From the Logic toward the World”
Authors:   HSE-University, Klimova Svetlana M.
Published: November 2023

The article is devoted to the consideration of some Wittgenstein’s ideas in relation to similar ideas of Dostoevsky. The comparison is given on a number of key topics for both: the world as the whole as it is and what it is; the image of the world and the meaning of life; the world of the happy and the unhappy. Despite the fundamental difference between the thinkers, the comparison makes it possible to discover an affinity with Dostoyevsky’s worldview of values in Wittgenstein. The analysis of his “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus”, the philosopher’s “Diaries” and “Lecture on Ethics” in comparison with the analysis of the Russian writer’s fiction texts, helps us to discover those religious and spiritual foundations that both hide and expose to the thoughtful reader beyond the “border and logic of the world”, about which one suggests silence, while the other hides and demonstrates only through the opposite form of false Christianity. The comparison allows us to see that, for Wittgenstein, making sense of the world as the meaning of life is not as silent as he himself claims. At the same time, it was the philosopher’s language of description that allowed us to discover Dostoevsky’s theodicy within the rational world, visibly crucifying Christ but tacitly living it.
Alexandre Maurer. Charles Secretan: the Evolution of His Thought. Preface, translation and commentaries
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vizgin Victor P.
Published: November 2023

The article by the Swiss author, published in translation, vividly and expressively reveals the nature of the personality and work of Charles Secretan (1815–1895), an outstanding philosopher of Switzerland of the 19th century, in the historical context in which they developed. The author of the article convincingly shows the difficulty of unambiguous historical and philosophical characteristics of Secretan’s philosophy, which is based on the religious-metaphysical doctrine of freedom and moral obligation. Maurer approaches the coverage of Secretan’s philosophy, trying to understand it not only as a result of certain philosophical and religious influences, but also as a reflection of “his time and his country”. The author of the article presents the evolution of Secretan's work as a departure from the speculative-deductive method of German idealists-systematists, characteristic of its first period, which is manifested in the Swiss philosopher’s appeal to the actual moral and socio-political problems of his time. Maurer’s article can be useful not only to specialists in the history of philosophy, but also to a wider circle of readers interested in the thought of the 19th century, without knowledge of which it is impossible to understand modern Western philosophy.
Methane Recovery with Carbon Dioxide Sequestration as Hydrates in Deep Marine Environments: An Extensive Examination of Potential, Technical Advancements, and Economic Feasibility
Authors: Shrivastava Saket Kumar , Kumar Saket , Kumar Arvind
Published: November 2023

In this study we aim to evaluate carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrate sequestration in ultradeep marine settings, focusing on the Indian deepwater context. Major scientific issues and opportunities are highlighted, including methane (CH4) production through hydrate formation. Economic, regulatory, and technical aspects are explored comprehensively, considering Indian offshore zones. The research involves comparing deposition and potential reserves with CO2 hydrate formation characteristics, kinetic promoters, and potential factors for optimal design criteria. Factors affecting hydrate development, like porosity, salinity, and CO2 interactions, are discussed. Technological and environmental feasibility of hydrate-based carbon sequestration in subsea basins are established. Challenges include kinetics, diffusion, and economics for large-scale Indian basin testing. Chemical interactions, pore water saturation, and depositional environment effects are summarized. We also outline the research necessary for commercial CO2 hydrate storage in Indian basins, building upon previous work. This research contributes to CO2 sequestration and substantial CH4 production in deep marine environments.
Dynamic Assisted History Matching of CO2 Plumes Using 4D Seismic
Authors: Mumtaz Yasir , Blondeau Christophe , Zerkoune Abbas , Khan Osama Hasan , Ali Samad
Published: November 2023

While Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has a pivotal role in meeting climate change targets, the question remains, "can we adequately predict the CO2 plume dynamics?" The results so far are not encouraging, which raises concerns about the integrity of sequestration projects and needs to be addressed to capitalise on the value of underground storage. This work is focused on developing an adequate understanding of CO2 migration in a storage unit using an ensemble-based 4D Assisted History Matching (AHM) methodology to improve predictive modelling. Additionally, the study will investigate the critical contributing parameters in the spatial and temporal development of the plume.

We perform a sensitivity study for appropriate selection of the compositional model, accounting for relative permeability hysteresis and identifying influential parameters. The high-resolution reservoir simulator coupled with EnHM Ensemble History Matching software developed by TotalEnergies, is employed to integrate static and dynamic parameters in the AHM workflow. We build an ensemble of 100 realisations for facies and petrophysical properties in the initial step using Truncated Gaussian Simulation (TGS) and Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS), respectively. These algorithms cater for uncertainties during data assimilation and ensure geological coherency by constraining the models to the prior information.

The correlation between all uncertain model parameters i.e., static and dynamic, and observations is assessed. The ensemble of the models is then modified using correlations to minimise the difference between simulated response and historical data in an iterative manner. The iteration methodology is based on the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and is further enriched by considering the time-lapse seismic as an observation dataset. We define 4D signal in workflow by extracting geobodies from seismic anomalies, and the distance to observed geobody and simulated response is treated as objective function.

The proposed methodology of inculcating the AHM workflow with geological uncertainties and dynamic parameters resulted in a good agreement between simulated and field response while respecting geological realism. The workflow addresses the modelling gaps mainly attributed to the lack of iteration between static and dynamic models, and application of fixed multipliers. It calibrates the hundred reservoir models simultaneously and enables us to make robust and reliable predictions. We conclude that the proposed methodology can potentially improve the prediction of plume migration and make well-informed decisions for all stakeholders. Nonetheless, one topic for future work is to convert the simulation model into a petro-elastic model for direct comparison with seismic response to avoid pre-processing for preparation of geobody and improve the rigorousness of the model.
Experimental Study on Nano Polymer Microspheres Assisted Low Salinity Water Flooding in Low Permeability Reservoirs
Authors: Yuan W. , Hou J. , Yang Y. , Zhao Y. , Nie H.
Published: November 2023

Water flooding in low permeability reservoirs generally results in severe channeling and a large amount of remaining oil. Polymer microspheres and low-salinity water are proven practical approaches for profile control and oil displacement, respectively, and their combination is expected to achieve both effects. This paper evaluates the co-injection of nano-polymer microspheres and low salinity water and its impacts on oil displacement in low permeability reservoirs. Firstly, the influence of injection velocity and injection concentration on the plugging effect of nano-polymer microspheres was evaluated by core displacement experiments. Secondly, the nano-polymer microsphere solutions were prepared using 10-time and 100-time diluted formation water to evaluate the impacts of the co-injection of nano-polymer microspheres and low-salinity water. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance T2 spectrum and imaging test were used to reveal the extent of residual oil in pores of various sizes during core flooding as well as the mechanism of oil displacement. The experimental results showed that, compared with nano-polymer microsphere flooding, the composite system of low salinity water and nano-polymer microsphere increased the recovery rate from 17.8% to 24.4%. The subsequent waterflooding stabilization injection pressure increased from 1.40 MPa to 2.43 MPa, and the corresponding plugging efficiency increased from 49.3% to 67.9%. The NMR study indicated that, in the polymer microsphere drive stage, the produced oil mainly came from the large pore spaces, accounting for 75% on average. With a lower solution salinity, the percentage of crude oil produced from the medium pore space to the total oil produced in the microsphere drive stage increased from 15% to 23%. The lower the salinity, the higher the oil produced from small- and medium-sized pores. Our results showed that polymer microspheres eliminated water channeling and changed flow direction, forcing the low-salinity water to enter smaller pores and improving the sweep and oil displacement efficiency. This study confirms the potential of synergistic flooding with low salinity water and nano-polymer microspheres in enhancing oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs. This study is the first to visually assess the impacts of nano-polymer- assisted low-salinity water flooding using NMR online tests. We confirmed that this combined technology successfully achieved both profile control and oil displacement. The nano-polymer-assisted low-salinity water flooding holds the advantages of low cost and simple construction, implying great potential in low permeability reservoirs.
Prediction of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of Sandstone Formations Using Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Mahdi Doaa Saleh , Alhaleem A. Alrazzaq Ayad A.
Published: November 2023

A detailed understanding of rock geo-mechanical characteristics is necessary for enhancing well productivity, optimizing hydraulic fracturing, and maintaining wellbore stability. The expensive cost of measurements of these characteristics makes the log-based estimation a possible alternative. These days, in-situ rock characteristics are estimated utilizing wireline log data and machine learning algorithms. Even though there are many correlations had been proposed to estimate the Uniaxial (Unconfined) Compressive Strength (UCS), the majority of these correlations are built for specific rock types. UCS is affected by various rock properties such as porosity, texture, fluid content and grain size. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) model is proposed to estimate the UCS of sandstone formations from well log data (i.e., neutron porosity, bulk density, formation resistivity, and gamma ray) and the corresponding static Young's modulus and shale volume. The performance of the rock strength model is evaluated using statistical techniques to guarantee model dependability and accuracy. The findings demonstrate that the created ANN model is capable of predicting rock strength, which is supported by the excellent agreement between model predictions and Sonic-derived UCS. The Results demonstrate that the ANN model is competent in predicting the sandstone UCS with high accuracy (i.e. R coefficient of the 96% and average absolute error of 7.75%). The suggested approach is anticipated to improve wellbore performance by enhancing the ability of gas and oil professionals to estimate UCS as well as reducing the cost of estimating the geo-mechanical characteristics.
Comparative Analysis Between Empirical Correlations and Time Series Models for the Prediction and Forecasting of Unconventional Bakken Wells Production
Authors: Laalam A. , Tomomewo O. S. , Khalifa H. , Bouabdallah N. , Ouadi H. , Tran T. H. , Perdomo M. E.
Published: November 2023

Accurately forecasting oil and gas well production, especially in complex unconventional reservoirs, is vital. Leveraging advanced techniques like machine learning and deep learning is becoming more common due to ample historical data availability. While traditional methods work for conventional reservoirs, they struggle in unconventional scenarios. Modern machine and deep learning models excel in such challenges, offering insights while bypassing temporary disruptions or pressure issues. This study compares ten empirical production forecast models with state-of-the-art deep learning and time series models (ARIMA, LSTM, GRU) in the Bakken shale play of the Williston Basin. After thorough calibration using extensive data, model efficacy is assessed using R2-score and MSE. Results highlight well-specific performance, with no single model consistently outperforming across all wells. Notably, optimally adjusted ARIMA produced commendable results for many wells. This research aids reservoir engineers by simplifying production decline trend identification, reducing reliance on intricate decline curve analyses. It ushers in a streamlined and dependable paradigm for production forecasting.
Methods for Differentiating Methane and Carbon Dioxide Sources in Aquifers Overlying Gas Reservoirs or Associated with CO2 Storage Sites
Authors: Pearce J. K. , Hofmann H. , Baublys K. , Golding S. D. , Fifield K. , Herbert S. J. , Bhebhe Z. , Matthews I. , Moser A. , Hayes P.
Published: November 2023

Understanding the sources of gases, including methane and carbon dioxide, and their concentrations and isotopic signatures in aquifer groundwater is important in regions where gas, coal or oil are extracted. It is also important where CO2 or other gases are stored or planned to be stored geologically. Methane and CO2 can exist naturally in an aquifer, for example when generated by microbial processes. Aquifer groundwater is often extracted by a variety of overlapping users for agriculture, stock, town and domestic water supply as well as by industries including mines and energy. Water bores drilled into these aquifers can be gassy or may become gassy over time, and gas shows can occur in shallow groundwater, soils, or rivers. Where these are overlying or adjacent to mines, gas and oil extraction or storage reservoirs it poses questions as to the source of gases and may raise queries about leakage. We show several examples where we have sampled gas and waters from Great Artesian Basin aquifers that overly coal seam gas (CSG) reservoirs. In addition, we regionally sampled deep bores in a proposed CO2 storage reservoir, and the surrounding and overlying aquifers. We used a combination of stable isotopes of gases and waters, major and minor ions, strontium isotopes, 36Cl, 14C, and other tracers to understand gas sources and inter aquifer connectivity. In the majority of cases the data support a lack of "leakage" with gases from natural in situ processes. The methods and tools described here can help distinguish sources of gases, and avoid environmental and social licence issues while protecting water resources. They are also applicable to understand sites and potential, real or claimed leakage from shale gas and oil reservoirs, or from other gas storage sites such as for H2, compressed air, or methane.
Rock Physics Based Direct Probabilistic Inversion of Seismic Data for Kerogen Thermal Maturity
Authors: Ross R. , Mandal P. P.
Published: November 2023

A rock physics model is developed that allows forward modelling of the elastic response for the thermal maturity variation of unconventional shale in the seismic domain. The model is calibrated to laboratory core measurements and wireline logs from the Early Cretaceous Toolebuc formation from Queensland, Australia. The model predicts that thermally mature shale should exhibit a significantly different seismic response to shales that are not thermally mature.

Significantly, in this paper, the rock physics model is then coupled with a probabilistic seismic inversion method. This allows the rock physics model to be used in the inverse sense, i.e., driven by the seismic data to predict areas with a high probability of thermally mature shale.

The use of the specific probabilistic inversion method in this study is also significant as the Toolebuc formation is thin relative to the seismic resolution, averaging 20 m - 45 m across the area of the study, and subdivided into three sub-units (Lithofacies1 (LF1), Lithofacies2 (LF2) and Lithofacies3 (LF3). The elastic contrasts are in some cases very weak.

The presented workflow concludes that through the novel combination of a rock physics model of shale thermal maturity, calibration of this model to extensive core measurements as well as wireline logs and a modern probabilistic inversion method, it is possible to infer both the thickness and the thermal maturity of thin shale units despite the bandwidth limitations of the input seismic data.
The Implementation of Subterranean Barriers to Reduce Shallow Gas Migration and Coal Mine Methane Emissions from Open-Cut Metallurgical-Coal Mines
Authors: Johnson Raymond L. , Sedaghat M.
Published: November 2023

The implementation of low-permeability barriers was originally proposed to reduce gas influx into areas of pre-drainage prior to or after mining operations (Johnson Jr, 2014). Currently, barriers are being proposed to provide a real opportunity to dramatically reduce methane emissions from open-cut, metallurgical coal (MC) mines, essential to meet steel production targets for international urbanisation and energy transformation. Finally, barrier implementations can accelerate peak gas production and recovery in areas of undersaturated coals or coal wells subject to aquifer influx.

The basis of barriers is similar to naturally occurring barriers (i.e., igneous intrusions or dikes) that have shown effectively separate areas of drained and undrained mine works (as observed in adjoining drained and undrained mines in Central Queensland). In the environmental and in civil engineering sectors, artificial impermeable barriers have been implemented in shallow reservoirs to manage flow or contain contaminant plumes in groundwater or to prevent water influx into groundworks, respectively. In the oil and gas sector, barriers have been proposed to control gas or water leakage or breakthrough in areas of storage, initial production, or secondary recovery processes, mostly involving gas or water egress into outlying reservoirs or unwanted influx into productive intervals. This paper builds on previous research and provides a working framework for the use of impermeable materials to create permeability barriers. It also builds on complementary research into more effective low permeability coal extraction technologies and technology implementation currently being deployed to improve underground mine gas drainage systems.

Our paper describes the design, execution and evaluation workflows and the relative importance of variables required for a barrier implementation in two key applications. Firstly, we will report the results of ongoing planning and modelling to implement and assess a barrier application for the primary application of eliminating gas migration from unmined, in-seam sections in conjunction with open-cut MC mining operations. Similarly, barriers can be used to improve underground mine pre-drainage, improving safety, and lowering methane influx and overall emissions from down-dip coals. Next, we will demonstrate using a representative model the application of barriers to reduce aquifer influx into and gas migration from a coal seam gas (CSG) well near a subcrop with an aquifer connection. Similarly, barrier applications can improve gas production and recovery for undersaturated coal seams where conventional shielding methods to reduce water influx and improve desorption have been ineffective.
Impact of Surface Roughness and Liquid Salinity on Shale Wettability
Authors: Qian Sijin , Zhu Yiran , Shi Zhang , Lu Mingyuan , Shen Luming , Li Jimmy Xuekai , Chen Zhongwei
Published: November 2023

This study explores the effect of surface roughness and liquid salinity on the wettability of shale. Varying levels of surface roughness are imparted onto the shale samples using sandpapers with differing grits and polishing disks. An optical profiler is also applied to determine the surface roughness and create 3D tomography models for each shale sample. Furthermore, contact angle tests were conducted using liquids with different salinity levels to determine the effect of salinity to surface wettability. The results indicate a marked increase in contact angle with decreasing surface roughness. This suggests that a smoother surface can considerably mitigate water-lock effects and reduce water flow resistance within the shale. Additionally, the results obtained from utilizing liquids with varying salinity demonstrate that higher salinity levels lead to lower shale contact angles. Moreover, the salinity effect is more pronounced on smoother surface than on a rougher one. A power function was found to aptly describe the mathematical relationship between the arithmetic average of surface roughness (Ra) and contact angle, validated by a high R² value of 0.863. The implications of these findings are significant for hydraulic fracturing and gas production strategies, as they can provide more reliable guidance for selecting operational parameters.
Microbiology in Unconventional Operations: A Journey from Surveillance Integrity to Operational Excellence
Authors: Shepherd A. G. , Lomans B. P. , Tsesmetzis N.
Published: November 2023

This work describes how microbiology surveillance can be used to drive improvements in unconventional assets. Various microbiology enumeration tools are compared in different case histories for well workovers, surface facilities and production sites. When correctly deployed, new tools and strategies for microbiology management can be powerful resources to further risk assess operations and improve understanding of operating envelopes for safe and reliable production.
Accounting Green and Blue Hydrogen in a Net Cash Flow Model for Techno-Economic Assessment on Underground Hydrogen Storage in Australia
Authors: Bo Z. , Hurter S. , Hoerning S. , Underschultz J. , Garnett A.
Published: November 2023

Hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in the process of decarbonizing the global energy sector where Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) may be the only option for large-scale seasonal energy storage. Studies conducted so far to investigate the economic feasibility of UHS in porous reservoirs focus on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) while the other economic indicators are left unattended. To better assess the techno-economic feasibility of UHS, we built a knowledge-based net cash flow model to estimate the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) of UHS projects under different hydrogen price assumptions. Specifically, we incorporate expected green and blue hydrogen prices by 2030 in Australia into our model to evaluate the resulting project economic performance. Our model calculated net cash flows illustrate the inherent technical and economic disadvantages of UHS in Australia compared to alternative technologies such as underground gas storage (UGS). Under current expectations, both the storage of hydrogen-methane mixtures and pure hydrogen cannot make considerable economic profits without policy support in the near future. The commercialization of UHS is in need of support measures such as an Australian carbon credit unit (ACCS) of at least $18.17 AUD.