bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Production Enhancement & Cost Effective of Deep Gas Wells by Using Cluster Perforation Technique of Carbonate Reservoirs in Kuwait: Case Studies
Authors: Al-Saeed A. , Al-Salali Y.
Published: April 2024

North Kuwait Jurassic Gas (NKJG) fields are challenging HPHT wells with near-critical fluids in reservoir conditions. These wells are deep and sour with 2-8 % H2S and 1-3 % CO2 with average reservoir pressure ranging from 10,000 – 4,000 psi and average reservoir temperature of ~275oF. Best practices in terms of developing these fields by using the best technologies in drilling, completion, and production are essential to maximize the reserve recovery in order to deliver hydrocarbon to the market.

Due to anhydrite presence and existing high variation of natural fracture distribution along the wellbore with different lithology and reservoir properties. There is differential pressure depletion happens within the entire reservoir, so these reservoirs have been divided into different flow units based on stratigraphy and pressure differential. These layers have different productivity index based on production logging records and calibrated well production models due to existence of dual-porosity tight matrix with natural fracture system which require proper pinpoint activation protocol by treating these layers separately.

During the early development stages of these fields, these wells were completed with tapered type of completion with 3.5″ production tubing, which was used as the optimum flow rate for virgin or slightly depleted reservoirs. Nowadays, Monobore completion has been deployed so that these flow zones can be perforated, activated, stimulated, tested and isolated using plug and perf technique which provide proper stimulation fluids propagation into the target reservoir. In addition, the cluster perforation leads to better effective stimulation fracturing by bypassing formation damage due to drilling, completion & perforation debris from the illustrated case studies.

This paper aims to illustrate the successful story of the cluster perforation technique in tight carbonate reservoir layers, and share its impact on pinpoint stimulation and hydraulic fracturing treatment by comparing the production performance of the studied wells with offset wells.

As an additional achievement, the cluster perforation leads to cost reduction by reducing the perforation gun length, volumes of pumped treatment/wellbore diverters fluids and accelerating the well hookup to the production facility beside the sustainability of the production during the LTT. Also, that technique is better in terms of reservoir management as it supports depleting the reservoir layers uniformly. The success of this approach was proven by calibrated nodal analysis assessment and sustainability of well production at a stabilized rate, which supports reaching "optimal inflow distribution" along the different flow zones, which become a best practice approach in the newly completed wells aiming to maximize the gas recovery.
Water/Gas Control Mechanism of Unique Autonomous Inflow Control Device: A Case Study of Selection Parameters and Performance of AICD in Multi-Layer Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Chen Yanhong , Khan Javed Akbar
Published: April 2024

This paper presents intelligent water control technology advancement and effectiveness that can control water influx, enhance oil recovery, and manage pressure in multi-layer reservoirs. The water control completion mechanism is explored, automatically identifying fluids according to physical properties such as viscosity and density. The innovative design of the inflow channel structure restricts water. Secondly, the device's performance and critical control tools are elaborated; the core tool of the technology is an intelligent water control screen; it can automatically adjust pressure drop, has no moving parts, has an integrated design, and can function throughout the entire life cycle of the oil well. Finally, the application cases in a whole oilfield block were introduced; the technology had been installed in more than 200 wells globally and, out of which five wells in Chad oilfield, a good application result was achieved, daily oil production increased more than 30% on average, daily water production decreased more than 35% on average. Until now, those five wells have remarkably affected water control and oil increase. A case is presented in which AICD has improved oil production, reduced water content, and controlled water breakthroughs. It has been applied in vertical, directional, and horizontal wells to EOR of oil and gas wells. Before this unique AICD installation, daily oil was 107bbl/d, and daily water was 992bbl/d, which heavily occupied surface water treatment. After the AICD, daily oil was 350bbl/d, and daily water was 52bbl/d. This AICD completion has optimized the water control solution and increased production. After the AICD's completion, daily oil production increased by 2.08 times on average, and daily treated water decreased by 92.8%. Up to Nov 2nd, 2023, cum increased oil is above 420,000 bbl, cum and water decrease is over 1,230,000 bbl. Production after AICD is still stable after 1500 days.
Overcoming Geological Uncertainty Through Enhanced Drilling and Completion Techniques in Sabah Deepwater, Malaysia
Authors: Nopsiri Noppanan , Tattawasart Purin , Samuel Elvy , How Lee Choon , Amperanto Henrikus , Wee Low Kok , Mohd Aris Mohd Azri B , Zainal Mohamed Zamrud , Meng Tan Kiang , Sangvaree Thakerngchai
Published: April 2024

Deep-water and ultra-deep water drilling presents various challenges that demand intensive planning and innovative solutions to ensure successful well delivery where meeting well objective in the target reservoir. Geological uncertainties in these environments are rather complicated, thus, require meticulous planning across all aspects.

This paper aims to discuss & elaborate what has been done in each phase starting from planning phase for drilling and completion with inputs on subsurface matters throughout the phase of operation and contingency execution. The main focus on the execution phase will be utilization of cutting-edge monitoring tools combined with good drilling and completion practices and managing unexpected high pore pressures. At the end of discussion, we will include a walkthrough on how this well has been drilled and completed, highlighting the implementation of special plans and techniques to allow successful delivery of the well for production.
Enhancing CCS Well Design in Depleted Reservoirs
Authors: Konganuntragul P. , Boonsri K. , Buapha S. , Vattanapornpirom K. , Nopsiri N.
Published: April 2024

The decarbonization of the energy section urges a radical transformation to meet the net zero carbon emission target. In the last decades, many countries around the world have initiated the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as one of the pilot projects aiming to permanent and environmentally safe storage of CO2 underground. However, only a few projects have strived and is eventually executed. Ones of the biggest challenges are technicality and commerciality to drive the success of the project. Thus, the objective of this paper is to mainly focus on the CCS well construction, design consideration, and optimization in Southeast Asia offshore CCS projects during the detailed planning phase.

The process will start with the reservoir injection targets. Each well is planned to inject one single target to minimize the complexity of well architecture and completion equipment. Inevitably as being common in this area, stacked reservoirs or multi-target reservoirs are exceptional to achieve the intended CO2 injection target with a higher complexity level of completion equipment.

Wellhead platform is a huge capital investment. Reuse of existing platform or new wellhead platform brings advantages and disadvantages. The key concerns include slot recovery issues, collision risk, fatigue concern on platform structure, and so on. The detailed consideration has been laid out to ensure the platform integrity and meets the expected design life.

Well construction process is similar to normal oil and gas wells, but the main differences are CO2 injecting fluid and load cases analysis. Thus, material selection plays a major role for the well construction process to align with flow assurance study result and expected load case when majority of the worst-case scenario might occur in the late life injection. Material optimization is a key to bring the well construction cost down. Material testing has been constructed as per the expected downhole condition for the verification and optimization purposes. Detailed study of each type of wells are necessary to ensure the casing and completion equipment is fitted for purpose during the well life cycle.

The Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) equipment is embedded since the designed phase with the ranking technique to comply with conformance and containment criteria.
Process Simulation and Optimization of Hydrogen Liquification Using Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Zirrahi M. , Santiago C. , MacFarlan K.
Published: April 2024

Hydrogen liquification is one of the main steps for using hydrogen in obtaining carbon neutralization. This process consists of cooling hydrogen to approximately 20 K and converting ortho-hydrogen to para-hydrogen. This paper presents a study in which the authors simulate the Linde-Hampson hydrogen liquification process using a commercial process simulator. Then, the process optimization is evaluated using a reinforcement learning method.

In the first step, the Linde-Hampson process is simulated in a steady-state mode using a commercial process simulator. The process uses liquified natural gas (LNG) as a pre-cooling medium. Process optimization is conducted in the next step to minimize the energy consumption of the hydrogen liquification process. A reinforcement learning (RL) method, using a deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm (DDPG), is implemented for process optimization. The reward for the RL optimizer is defined to minimize the operating cost for hydrogen liquification according to the cost and rate of consumption of electricity and LNG.

An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used to construct the Actor-Critic sections of the RL algorithm. Capability of the RL algorithm is evaluated versus a classic optimization method. Case studies at different electricity and LNG prices were conducted to evaluate the trained RL model versus the base process optimized by the process simulator. The comparison between hydrogen liquification operating cost of the trained model with base model showed improved performance for the RL model.
Multifaceted Smart Completion Application: A Gulf of Mexico Case Study
Authors: Manning J. P. , Carter B. J. , Bannister A. L. , Saripally I. P.
Published: April 2024

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is one of the world’s most prolific hydrocarbon basins, with more than 80 years of development since the first offshore drilling began. GOM is the primary source of the United States (U.S.) offshore oil and natural gas production. According to data published by the United States EIA, approximately 15% of the U.S. domestic oil production came from offshore oil and natural gas fields in federal waters, with over 99% of that production coming from the Gulf of Mexico over the most recent year of data available at the time of this paper’s publishing (Q4 2022-Q3 2023) [1]. Nonetheless, GOM reservoirs have complex depositional settings. Reservoir heterogeneity, stacked pay system, reservoir compartmentalization, high-temp and pressure are some of the common challenges seen in these fields. The use of conventional completion design in vertical wells with commingled production form multiple zones has led to multiple operational challenges. In this paper, we explore the use of intelligent completions in the deepwater GOM as a solution to this problem. Specifically, we will show how intelligent completions have allowed for increased production, reduction in operating expenses, enhanced overall reservoir recovery and improved safety and environmental performance. A case study of intelligent completions in GOM is with sliding sleeves that are hydraulically controlled from the production facility.

In this paper we will be focusing on one of these deepwater oil fields located in the northern GOM. The field is comprised of a subsalt reservoir with best-in-class Pliocene age sands (main target reservoir). These conventional sands have good porosities and permeabilities up to 1 Darcy. The target producing reservoir sands are comprised of multiple, stacked, turbidite sands. This has led to the standard field development in this area to be vertical wells with commingled production from multiple zones. The field has been producing back to a deepwater facility for more than 5 years through multiple subsea wells. Initial production was over 10,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) per well. The producing reservoirs are supported with strong aquifer drive and leads to rapidly increasing water rates in wells post water breakthrough. Riser base gas lift is utilized in all producing risers to help optimize production.
A Tracer Technology Applied for Inflow Profiling While Monitoring Individual AICD/ICD Performance. A Case Study from Offshore Horizontal Wells in the South China Sea
Authors: Husein Nadir , Wang Guangyu , Belova Anna , Upadhye Vishwajit
Published: April 2024

A tracer technology system was integrated with AICD/ICD completions in 2 horizontal offshore wells with a dual objective to assess performance of each individual inflow control device and to obtain long-term dynamic data of the well inflow profile.

As a measure of water control, ICD (Inflow Control Device) technique is widely applied in the eastern oilfield in the South China Sea, AICD (Autonomous Inflow Control Device) technology is also gaining wider recognition. At the same time, it is very difficult to evaluate the application effect of ICD/AICD, and there is no unified evaluation criteria and methods. This solution assumes equipping each inflow control device with a set of marker indicators (tracers of unique signatures) enabling to obtain inflow profile in numerical terms with unique identification of a source of water breakthrough (specific ICD/AICD) in the horizontal lateral of the well.

Selected technologies showed good compatibility. The design of ICD/AICD allows easy incorporation of tracer material. Inflow profile can indicate each individual device working condition over a long period. The tracer analysis provides quantitative data showing the flow composition and each liquid phase contribution from every device. The large number of unique marker signatures allowed to trace every single device (25 with ICD and 37 with AICD in the study wells). Data combined from the performance of all ICDs/AICDs within one zone of the well horizontal section (3 zones in total of the study well) shows production profile of the well and helps with reservoir characterization to provide recommendations for improving field development management efficiency.

The key feature of the method is the possibility to measure the performance of each inflow control device and production contribution and phase composition coming from each zone of the well. Being a long term interventionless monitoring solution the combination of technologies (ICD/AICD + marker monitoring) allows to understand what impact different operational modes and working regimes of AICD have on the production and zonal contribution and select the most optimal regime to achieve production goals.
Optimizing Operational Decisions in Steam Flood Oilfields: A Machine Learning Model for Steam Injection Pressure Analysis
Authors: Wibawa R. , Faturrahman M. S. , Siregar A. O. , Reza M. , Muzammir M.
Published: April 2024

Efficient steam injection management is vital for successful operation of large-scale steam flood fields, such as the "D" field, which consists of more than 6000 wells located in 13 distinct areas. Maintaining steam injection pressure within the target range of 500-600 psi in both injection areas and Gathering Stations (GS) is a significant challenge. Steam supply originates from multiple sources scattered around the field that need to be managed to anticipate decreasing pressure due to operational problems, for example, equipment maintenance or fuel gas shortage. Steam injection pressure exhibits various behaviors across different areas because of several factors such as pipe configuration and choke sizing in injector wells.

This project aims to develop a Machine Learning (ML) model to simulate pressure behaviors in both steam injector areas and GS during any steam rate changes in each steam generator unit. Applying Machine Learning to modelling pressure in interconnected steam distribution network is a novel approach provided by the project. The utilized model is Nonlinear Autoregressive with eXogenous inputs (NARX), which incorporates historical time series data from both endogenous and exogenous inputs. Steam contribution factor for each source was also determined to augment information to the model about implicit factors that might impact the pressure at each area. To test the model’s robustness against actual data, a moving cross validation dataset was implemented. In addition, alignment with the physical sense was also tested by conducting sensitivity analysis of pressure against controllable parameters such as steam rate and equivalent opening choke area. The model outperformed the naïve forecast as a baseline performance. Furthermore, a dedicated web-based dashboard is constructed, providing engineers and operation teams with a user-friendly graphical interface to facilitate monitoring and decision-making processes. Lastly, the model has been used to improve steam rate management by avoiding oil loss due to decreasing producer well performance that equivalent to $250,000.
Applications of Advanced Multifunction Pulsed Neutron Measurements for Cased-Hole Formation Evaluation in a Mature Field
Authors: Al-Jubouri M. , Alward W. , Zongfa L. , Zhaowei L. , Wenyin Z. , Xiaori X
Published: April 2024

Efficient formation evaluation in heterogenous carbonate and clastic reservoirs is indispensable for estimating reserves and optimizing the testing and completion scheme of wells. E&P companies rely heavily on open hole logs to acquire a wide spectrum of measurements necessary for this objective. Effective petrophysical analysis provide quantification of key formation elements including, but not limited to, mineralogy, porosity, reservoir fluids saturation and typing, and rock permeability. Nonetheless, well control issues can sometimes pose considerable limitations to measurement acquisition in open hole leading to partial or complete compromise of data acquisition programs and subsequent loss of essential information. In such case, acquiring alternative measurements specifically designed to work in cased-hole environment is the only mitigation strategy.

A widely known cased-hole logging solution is pulsed neutron measurements that have been introduced to the Oil and Gas industry decades ago. Recent advances in pulsed neutron tools technology greatly improve the quality of this type of cased-hole measurement and enrich the spectrum of its applications, bringing it closer to open hole logs in terms of robustness. In time domain, the measurement includes formation Sigma, for saturation in saline environment, thermal neutron porosity (TPHI), and inelastic fast neutron cross section (FNXS) for gas identification. In energy domain, the measurement includes Inelastic-Capture elemental yields for mineralogy and Total Organic Carbon (TOC), and Inelastic Carbon & Oxygen ratio for salinity-independent saturation estimation.

These advanced measurements were deployed in a mature field to compensate for the absence of open-hole logs by providing comprehensive set of inputs for complete petrophysical analysis. The measurement was additionally implemented to evaluate the gravel pack integrity in certain producer wells that targeted clastic reservoirs where this type of completion is utilized.

The study presents the results of this successful deployment and discusses the associated interpretation workflow that helped optimizing the testing/completion design and characterizing the reservoir fluids across different formations. The study will also discuss the workflow used for verifying the gravel pack integrity with the same measurement.
Stability of closed and needle-punctured vials of Porvac ® subunit vaccine against classical swine fever subjected to thermal stress
Authors: Sardina-González Talía , Vargas-Hernández Milagros , Sordo-Puga Yusmel , Naranjo-Valdéz Paula , Rodríguez-Moltó María Pilar , Méndez-Orta Mary Karla , Hernández-García Mara Laura , Santana-Rodríguez Elaine , Pena-Guimaraes William , Moreira-Rubio Alain , Mateu-Hernández Rosaili , Cabrales-Rico Ania , Duarte Carlos A. , Pérez-Pérez Danny , Suárez-Pedroso Marisela
Published: April 2024

Background
Classical Swine Fever (CSF) is still one of the most economically important viral diseases of pigs. In endemic countries, the disease is controlled mostly through vaccination, hence, the availability of safe and effective vaccines is of utmost importance. Vaccines intended for application in developing countries must also be thermally stable, since the infrastructure needed to maintain a cold chain in those countries is usually lacking. Porvac® is a second-generation subunit marker vaccine against CSF that has demonstrates to be safe and protective. Previous studies have also shown that the vaccine is stable for 1 week at 37 oC and have a shelf life of at least 36 months at 2–8 oC. The aim of this work was to further explore the accelerated stability of Porvac® by assessing the physicochemical properties of the emulsion, and the safety and efficacy of the vaccine subjected to more drastic conditions of thermal stress: (1) 25 oC for 12 months; (2) 30oC and 37 oC for one month and (3) 15 days at 37°C after the cap of the vials had been needle-punctured.
Results
The vaccine subjected to all these conditions did not show significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the emulsion; did not produce local or systemic adverse reactions in pigs, and the chromatographic profile of the recovered antigen was preserved. All vaccinated swine developed protective neutralizing antibody titers ≥ 1:1000 at 28 days post vaccination.
Conclusions
Porvac® is stable in all the experimental conditions tested, even after cap puncture, and retains the capacity to induce protective neutralizing antibodies. These results reinforce the robustness of the vaccine, and support its use as a very attractive alternative to modified live vaccines in developing countries endemic for CSF.
Research on the Factors Influencing the Fertility Intentions of Women of Childbearing Age under the Three-Child Policy: Empirical research based on CGSS 2021 data
Authors: Zhou Ting , Chen Yijun , Liu Taotao
Published: April 2024

Objective
The fertility intentions of women of childbearing age in China has declined to very low levels, The purpose of this study is to explore the fertility intention for having a third child under the three-child policy and the factors that influence these intentions.
Methods
Based on the 2021 China General Social Survey (CGSS) database, a sample of 864 individuals was selected according to the research objectives. we systematically analyzed the third child fertility intention using descriptive statistical analysis, t-tests or chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression were used for analysis.
Results
Among the 864 women aged 20 to 49, 28.819% expressed a willingness to have a third child. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that personal education level, family annual income, affordable kindergarten services, and parental support in childcare are factors influencing the fertility intentions of women of childbearing age (P < 0.05). Women with higher education level have a lower willingness to have a third child. Conversely, women with lower education level, higher family income, access to affordable kindergarten services nearby, and support from their parents in childcare have a higher willingness to have a third child.
Conclusions
Implementing the three-child policy necessitates the development of comprehensive support measures, the promotion of various forms of beneficial services, and the strengthening of comprehensive supervision of childcare services to reduce the costs of childbirth, upbringing, and education, hence alleviating family concerns and better unleashing fertility potential, facilitating attainment of a moderate fertility level.
Controlled Synthesis of Fly Ash-Based Zeolite X/A for Ammonia- Nitrogen Removal
Authors: Yan Zheng , Wu Yaling , Yu Lingmeng , Qiao Hongwei , Hu Siqi , Wang Yongguang , Liu Dan , Meng Yan
Published: April 2024

Fly ash is a kind of industrial solid waste, which mainly comes from thermal power plants using coal as power fuel. The lack of effective disposal and utilization of fly ash has led to its not only destroying and polluting the ecological environment but also seriously endangering human health. In addition, the treatment of ammonia nitrogen wastewater is an important issue in environmental pollution control, so the study of efficient and low-cost separation materials has become a challenging topic. This study utilises the hydrothermal method to convert fly ash into fly ash-based zeolite, which is capable of treating ammonia nitrogen wastewater. The successful synthesis of Zeolite X, zeolite A and zeolite A-X are confirmed through various characterisation techniques, including XRD, TG-DSC, TEM, BET, and FT-IR. Simultaneously, the synthesized zeolite is tested for its capacity to adsorb and regenerate ammonia nitrogen wastewater. The pure zeolite with the largest adsorption capacity, simpler preparation process, good stability, and high regeneration capacity is selected.
Identification of Lernaea Species in Icthyofauna in District Mardan KPK, Pakistan
Authors: Ahmad Ashfaq
Published: April 2024

Lernaea cyprinacea, a parasitic cyclopoid copepod, is found to parasitize in the brood stock, nursery and culture system in the freshwater hatchery of Mardan regions. The fish were severely infected on their body surface showed dull and sluggish movements. This research, carried out in the district Mardan Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, spanning from February to August 2023, delves into the prevalence and infestation dynamics of Lernaea parasites in freshwater fish in river Kalpani. Through a comprehensive analysis of 159 specimens collected from various aquatic sources, the study identifies the presence of five parasite species, notably with Saprolegnia as the predominant one. Utilizing a categorization method, the investigation discerns varying degrees of infestation, underscoring the susceptibility of local fish populations to Lernaea. These findings corroborate with earlier research, accentuating the pressing need for targeted mitigation strategies and robust conservation initiatives. Additionally, the study unravels the profound impact of Lernaea cyprinacea on 103 fish, emphasizing its pivotal role as a primary cause of fish mortality. This research not only contributes crucial insights for shaping effective conservation measures but also proves imperative for sustaining the overall health and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems in the region.
Luminous Harmony: An Easy Approach to Amino Acid Detection through Fluorophore Sensing in Aqueous Micellar Systems
Authors: Malik Nisar AHMAD , Yaseen Sameera , Majeed Tameeza , Jan Nusrat , Khan Javed Masood
Published: April 2024

The fluorophore, Pyrene aldehyde, PA, with micelles of different surfactants is used to detect the amino acids using fluorescence. The fluorescence of the ensemble is utilized for obtaining the different spectra’s and the data obtained is analyzed for various types of interactions and detection of some amino acids in aqueous medium. The fluorophore (PA) when dissolved in PF-127 and Tween-80 micelle solutions, the fluorescence emission becomes more stable. The quenching efficiency determined in case of, Cetrimide (CET), CET + PA and Tx-100 + PA is much smaller than that of PF-127 and Tween-80. It was observed that Tween-80 sensor system has a good selectivity towards valine and PF-127 shows an increasing trend as Aspartic acid < Histadine < Valine.
Research on the degradation of hydrogen sulfide by sulfur oxidase using Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3
Authors: Sun Baoxin , Peng Jing , Shao Zhao'an , Zheng Xin , Zhang Xinli , Hu Xin
Published: April 2024

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the main toxic sulfur-containing odorant in water bloom, posing a great threat to the public health and drawn increasing attention. Marine Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 is the dominant species in coastal sediments and harbors various sulfide-oxidizing genes. Herein we check the ability for H2S removal of R. pomeroyi DSS-3 and study the enzymes responsible for H2S removal. Using the fluorescent probe psGFP, we found that R. pomeroyi DSS-3 is able to oxidize H2S to polysulfides, then converting to thiosulfate and eventually to sulfate. By expression of sulfur oxidase in R. pomeroyi DSS-3, we found that SQR and FccB play synergistic roles in sulfur oxidation. Given that the heterotrophic R. pomeroyi DSS-3 bacteria are abundant and ubiquitous in marine environment such as water bloom, they can make a considerable contribution to sulfide removal. This study provides a novel green microbial deodorization approach for H2S biodegradation.
Methods for developing models and decision making in a fuzzy environment for effective control of the coking process
Authors: Orazbayev Batyr , Orazbayeva Kulman , Dyussembina Elmira , Uskenbayeva Gulzhan , Shukirova Alia , Abdugulova Zhannat , Shaikhanova Aigul
Published: April 2024

The paper studies the problems of developing fuzzy and linguistic models of poorly formalized production facilities using available fuzzy information and other types of data. Since known methods do not allow us to effectively solve these problems in a fuzzy environment, we propose a systematic method and a heuristic approach to decision making for the effective objects control in a fuzzy environment. The proposed system method makes it possible to develop fuzzy, linguistic models of complex objects, and a heuristic approach to the formulation and solution of the adoption problem - to adequately and effectively solve the problem of fuzzy described objects control. In the proposed heuristic method of fuzzy decision making, effective control of the coking process is ensured through the maximum and effective use of fuzzy information representing the experience, knowledge and intuition of the decision maker, experts. Using the proposed system method, fuzzy and linguistic models of the studied coking reactors of the delayed coking unit of the Atyrau refinery were developed. A computer modeling system has been created that allows, as a result of modeling, to select the optimal operating modes of coking reactors. Based on the developed models using the proposed heuristic decision-making method, modifying and combining the principles of maximin and Pareto optimality, the problem of effective control of the delayed coking process was successfully solved. Comparison of the obtained results with the results of known methods and real data shows the advantages, efficiency and high adequacy of the proposed methods in a fuzzy environment. The practical significance of the results obtained is that they can be adapted and successfully applied in modeling and decision making for the effective complex objects control in a fuzzy environment.
Introducing TEC-LncMir for practical prediction of lncRNA-miRNA interactions through deep learning of RNA sequence data
Authors: Wang Yu , Yang Tingpeng , He Yonghong
Published: April 2024

The interactions between long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) play critical roles in many life processes, highlighting the necessity to further advance the performance of the state-of-the-art models. Here, we introduced a novel approach, named TEC-LncMir, for lncRNA-miRNA interaction prediction based on Transformer Encoder and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). TEC-LncMir treats both lncRNA and miRNA sequences as natural languages and encodes them using the Transformer Encoder. It then combines the meaningful representations of a pair of microRNA and lncRNA into a contact map (a three-dimensional array). Afterwards, TEC-LncMir treats the contact map as a multi-channel image, utilizes a four-layer CNN to extract the contact map's features, and then uses these features to predict the interaction between the pair of lncRNA and miRNA. We applied a series of comparative experiments to demonstrate that TEC-LncMir significantly improves lncRNA-miRNA interaction prediction, compared with existing state-of-the-art models. We also trained TEC-LncMir utilizing a large training dataset, and as expected, TEC-LncMir achieves unprecedented performance. Moreover, our approach is the first practical approach for practical miRNA-lncRNA interaction analysis. Specifically, we utilized TEC-LncMir to find microRNAs interacting with lncRNA NEAT1, where NEAT1 performs as a competitive endogenous RNA of the microRNAs’ targets (corresponding mRNAs) in the cellular context. We also demonstrated the regulatory mechanism of NEAT1 in Alzheimer’s disease via transcriptome analysis and sequence alignment analysis. These results reveal a potential regulatory mechanism of NEAT1 in Alzheimer’s disease and show that TEC-LncMir performs well in applications. Our results demonstrate the effectivity of TEC-LncMir and take a significant step forward in lncRNA-miRNA interaction prediction.
Exploring the effect of CdO / Al2O3 replacement on structural, optical, and gamma-ray attenuation properties of Na2O-BaO-P2O5 glasses
Authors: Azooz Moines , Abo-Mosallam H.A. , Mahdy Ebrahim
Published: April 2024

With the intention of investigating the impact of Al2O3 replacement by CdO on the physical, structural, and optical properties of sodium barium phosphate glasses with chemical compositions of 20Na2O-25BaO-(15–x) Al2O3-xCdO-40P2O5 were created using the traditional melt-quenching technique with coded as Cdx depending on cadmium amount, where (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 mol%). Shielding parameters against gamma rays were also reported for the modified glass samples. A shot-range of amorphous nature was detected by the XRD analysis. The value of the density (ρg) increased linearly with CdO content, from 3.24 to 3.87 g/cm3. On the other hand, an opposing behavior was observed for the molar volume (Vm) and crystalline volume, (Vc). FTIR spectra were carried out and confirmed the structure changing by replacing Al2O3 by CdO. Optical absorption spectra show a valuable difference at both energy gap and Urbach energy by increasing the CdO content. Radiation shielding parameters such as MAC, LAC, HVL, MFP, and Zeff, were calculated using Phy-X/PSD. We found that the CdO / Al2O3 replacement enhanced all the shielding parameters. The obtained results indicated that the increasing in CdO content modifying the structural properties and improves the shielding abilities of the studied samples. Therefore, the prepared glasses could be considered as promising as shielding materials.
Isolation, identification, and control effect of a biocontrol bacterium for lotus root rot disease
Authors: Yang Chen , Wei Baoyang , Zhao Xin , Tu Jing , Cui Kan , Xu Zhide , Fu Wei , Zeng Liangbin , Wei Lin
Published: April 2024

Lotus rot is harmful to the underground stems and roots of plants. The center of the vascular bundle is brown or light brown at the beginning of the disease. After the pathogen spreads, it causes the leaves to roll over. The edges of leaves appear to have water invasion necrosis until the entire leaf tissue rots and dies. An endophytic bacterium that showed an apparent inhibitory effect on a specific type of Fusarium oxysporum, the pathogen of lotus root rot disease, was isolated from lotus root tissue. The bacterium, named LS8 (also known as strain CGMCC 24563 according to the General Microbiology Center of China Microbial Species Conservation and Management Committee), was identified as Bacillus velesiensis using physiological and biochemical identification methods and 16S rDNA sequencing. Soaking lotus seeds in LS8 culture medium with a concentration of 108 CFU for 12 h could significantly reduce the incidence of the disease in leaves and exert a control effect of up to 60.42% on the germination of lotus leaves rot. B. velesiensis LS8 has a significant biocontrol effect on lotus rot and could potentially be used to develop biocontrol agents.
Contrasting effect of different crowding agents on pseudoknot RNA stability
Authors: Endoh Tamaki , Satpathi Sagar , Sugimoto Naoki
Published: April 2024

Pseudoknot (PK) is one of the prevalent and potential targets for drug discovery. It is still difficult to predict PK-forming regions within endogenous RNA transcripts because the intracellular environment consisting of various cellular agents has diverse effects on the structure and stability of nucleic acids. In this study, we have demonstrated the impact of the varied crowding conditions on the structural stability of pseudoknot RNA, emphasizing the distinct stabilities of PK structures depending on the crowding environment.
Climate change and variability impacts on food security of smallholder farmers in Assosa District, Ethiopia
Authors: Addisu Solomon , Wajera Argeta
Published: April 2024

Ethiopia is one of the most vulnerable countries of the sub- Saharan Africa to the impacts of climate change and variability. The impact is even stronger in arid and semi-arid areas on smallholder farmers of the country. However, studies on the actual climate change and variability dynamics and its effect on food security at household levels are limited. This study took Assosa district as a case study and analyzed changes in local climate; status of household food security; the relative significance of climate related causes on food insecurity; and household level determinants of food security. Rainfall, temperature and socioeconomic data were collected from 312 sample households. Using Mann-Kendall trend test, the study revealed the existence of statistically significant declining trend in rainfall in the rainy season and increasing trend in temperature at annual and seasonal time scale. The logistic regression result based on household food insecurity and access scale showed high prevalence of food insecurity in the district. Among other things, the study suggested improving climate change awareness and strengthening the existing adaptation measures that have positive impacts on food security.
The Effectiveness of Neural Mobilization Combined with Cervical Traction in the Treatment of Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhang Guojun , Liu Yueyue , Zhang Jingyu , Zhang Xia , Lin Yuye , Zeng Chufan , Rao Tianyu , Liu Kezhi , Zheng Linyao , Chen Jiayan , Huang Yuting , Fang Yanping , Tong Xiubing , Kan Yu , Liao Jun
Published: April 2024

Cervical Spondylosis Radiculopathy (CSR), a degenerative condition affecting the cervical spine,characterized by the irritation and compression of nerve roots, leading to a range of clinical symptoms such as numbness and pain in the neck, shoulders, upper limbs, and fingers. Neural Mobilization (NM)combined with Cervical Traction (CT) has emerged as a noteworthy therapeutic approach for CSR, gaining recognition for its effectiveness. This study endeavors to conduct a comprehensive and systematic review of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on NMCT. The objective is to critically assess the efficacy and safety of NM as a treatment modality for CSR.The study will analyze the methodologies, results, and any specific findings from the RCTs, providing a comprehensive assessment of the role of NMCT in managing CSR.
Factors Influencing Water Resources Levels under the Water Resources Carrying Capacity Framework – A Dynamic QCA Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data
Authors: Li Zehua , Wu Yanfeng , Li Zhijun
Published: April 2024

Current frameworks for evaluating water resources carrying capacity often overlook the interdependencies between subsystems, hindering the exploration of the differentiated pathways through which each subsystem impacts the water resource subsystem. Therefore, the aim of this study is to introduce the dynamic qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) model into the evaluation of water resources carrying capacity. The ecological environment, social, and economic subsystems are defined as conditional subsystems, while the water resources subsystem is defined as the outcome subsystem. The Entropy Weight Method is used to calculate the comprehensive scores of each subsystem and to calibrate them. Leveraging the "analysis of the necessity of a single conditional subsystem" and the "analysis of the sufficiency of the configuration of conditional subsystems" from dynamic QCA, we qualitatively analyze the extent and pathways of the impact of the ecological environment, social, and economic subsystems on the water resources subsystem within the framework of water resources carrying capacity. Results reveal a general stability in water resource levels despite regional variances, pinpointing pathways of influence including ecological-social and ecological-economic configurations. The period of 2011–2015 saw poor stability which then improved until 2019, followed by a decline in 2020. The middle reaches urban cluster showed the highest stability, less impacted by conditional subsystems. The findings enable provinces and municipalities to tailor policies and enhance subsystem levels for better water resource management.
Even beyond animal testing: possibilities for an overall assessment of animal well-being
Authors: Wenzel Sibylle , Helmig Simone
Published: April 2024

Background
The concept of well-being encompasses the physical and mental/emotional health of an individual. For animals, well-being is often defined merely by the absence of pain, suffering, fear, stress, or harm, and is generally difficult to assess for individuals who cannot communicate for themselves. In laboratory animal science, severity assessments have been mandatory by law since 2013, whereby stressors are initially considered as the sum of all factors leading to deviations in the well-being of animals. Depending on the interventions and treatments conducted, corresponding severity levels are then defined. Assessments of severity must occur before, during and after the experiment, with corresponding ethical considerations being made. Various severity assessments have been created for a large number of individual manipulations. However, when multiple harmful interventions or stressors occur simultaneously, the cumulative overall severity cannot be captured objectively, often leading to significant underestimation.
Methods
A comprehensive analysis was conducted on 20 legally mandated records of animal experiments (approval authorities in Germany: Regierungspräsidium Gießen and Freie Hansestadt Bremen) from the years 2015–2023. This analysis involved daily examination of the effects of each experiment on the respective animals or groups of animals. The aim was to identify significant stressors across various research domains.
Results
In order to visualise these cumulative occurring stressors, a scoring system was developed to estimate the overall stress loads within the context of an animal experiment and outside of animal experiments. The developed scoring system is based on four different aspects, namely the definition of the [1] highest individual stress load, the assessment of [2] parallel and [3] serial individual stress loads and the consideration of a [4] baseline load. From these four different aspects, a cumulative overall stress load can then be determined through point allocation.
Discussion
This scoring system is highly effective in objectively depicting cumulative stress load and covert burden. It is crucial that it is optimized for the respective situation and that care is taken to ensure that the point allocation is coherent and tailored to the specific testing project or situation.
Advancing Whole Person Care: An Innovative Approach to Integrating Spirituality and Religion into Medical Education
Authors: Hashim Haafiz , Zaidi Zuhair , Alshaikhsalama Ahmed , Kazi Ammaar , Jetpuri Zaiba
Published: April 2024

Background
Despite the recognized significance of the integration of spiritual care into healthcare, training in spiritual care is often an elective rather than a core component of medical education in the U.S., suggesting a gap in the comprehensive training of future healthcare professionals.
Methods
An innovative elective course, developed to explore the interplay between religion, spirituality, and medicine, was assessed over two academic semesters using qualitative and quantitative methods. The curriculum included lectures, interactive sessions with religious leaders, and discussions aimed at enhancing medical students' understanding and skills in integrating spiritual care into patient care. Through carefully designed pre- and post-course surveys, data was collected to gauge changes in students' perceptions, attitudes, and competencies.
Results
The course significantly improved participants' confidence and competence in integrating spiritual care into medical practice, as evidenced by the pre- and post-course survey comparisons. Students reported an enhanced understanding of the importance of spiritual care in patient treatment, expressed a greater willingness to incorporate spiritual assessments in their future clinical practice, and demonstrated a markedly elevated ability to correctly assist a patient in certain religiously based case scenarios.
Conclusions
The elective course successfully addressed a critical gap in medical education by equipping students with the knowledge and skills to incorporate spiritual care into holistic patient treatment. This initiative underscores the need for spiritual care training within medical curricula to prepare well-rounded healthcare professionals capable of meeting the diverse needs of patients. The course model offers a valuable framework for other medical schools aiming to enhance holistic care competencies among students.
Trial Registration
Not applicable, as this study did not report the results of a health care intervention on human participants requiring registry.
Research on the Influence of Cooling Module Layout on Flow and Heat Transfer Performance in Commercial Vehicles
Authors: Gao Zhenhai , Yang Yang , Zhang Yanji , Li Ming
Published: April 2024

In order to meet the needs of high-horsepower engine system integration for National VI emission and four-stage fuel consumption compliance limits, it is necessary to increase the heat load of the vehicle cooling system, which requires a redesign of the front grille of the body and the cooling system of the engine, such as the size and layout of the cooling air duct and cooling module, and the wind shield. Simply increasing the mass flow rate of cooling air can improve the performance of the whole cooling air system. However, it will also increase fan power consumption and vehicle aerodynamic resistance, resulting in increased fuel consumption and increased emissions. Therefore, multi-objective optimization of engine cooling system is needed to achieve the desired vehicle cooling effect. In this paper, LBM method is used for high-fidelity CFD simulation to optimize and improve vehicle thermal management performance. The numerical simulation method is used to calibrate the thermal wind tunnel to realize the high precision simulation prediction of thermal balance and thermal protection. On this basis, we use thermal management simulation to optimize the cooling module layout and performance, and the simulation results show that the temperatures of the condenser, CAC, and radiator surfaces are significantly reduced and more evenly distributed. The optimization solutions can improve the air mobility in the engine compartment, which can enhance the engine cooling effect. This study provides a method reference for improving the engine cooling performance, which is of great significance for the design of the whole vehicle and the optimization of the arrangement scheme.