bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ancestral Caddo Ceramic Vessel Sherds from Sites in the White Oak Creek Basin, Hopkins County, Texas
Authors: Perttula Timothy
Published: August 2020

The ancestral Caddo ceramic vessel sherd assemblages discussed in this article are from five sites in the White Oak Creek basin in the Blackland Prairie of East Texas (Figure 1). They are the E. B. Minter Farm (41HP2), R. H. Taylor Farm (41HP4), Hilman Hathcoat (41HP9), Avery Rasurer (41HP10), and Tom Cannon Farm (41HP11) sites. They were investigated by archaeologists from The University of Texas in 1931 or 1934 who were in search of whole Caddo vessels and burial features, and the collections obtained from the sites (including donated or purchased collections) are held by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin (TARL). The collections include ceramic vessel sherds from each of the sites, elbow pipes from two of the sites, and a few vessels from the E. B. Minter and R. H. Taylor Farm sites.
The William Farrar Site (41TT1) in the Sulphur River Basin,Titus County, Texas
Authors: Perttula Timothy
Published: August 2020

The William Farrar site (41TT1) is an ancestral Caddo settlement and cemetery on an alluvial terrace of the Sulphur River (Figure 1) in the East Texas Post Oak Savannah, a few miles downstream from the W. A. Ford site (41TT2) (see Goldschmidt 1935; Perttula 2016). University of Texas (UT) archaeologists completed excavations at the site in August 1934, but they had known about the site since as early as 1932, when they purchased or had donated several Caddo vessels from a Henry William Martin and, in 1934, purchased a vessel from a John Bowman, who had previously dug at the site.
The R. F. Wallace Farm (41CE20) and W. T. Brooks Farm (41CE18) Sites in the Neches River Basin, Cherokee County, Texas
Authors: Perttula Timothy
Published: August 2020

The R. F. Wallace Farm (41CE20) and W. T. Brooks Farm (41CE18) sites are ancestral Caddo sites in the Neches River basin in the East Texas Pineywoods, not far to the north and northwest, respectively, from the well-known Caddo village and mound center at the George C. Davis site (41CE19). Both sites are on tributaries to the Neches River: the R. F. Wallace Farm site is on Bowles Creek, and the W. T. Brooks Farm site is on Box’s Creek.
Results from Magnetic Gradient Surveys at the Walnut Branch (41CE47), Ross I (41CE485), and Ross II (41CE486) Sites in Cherokee County, Texas
Authors: McKinnon Duncan , Stingley Kevin
Published: August 2020

The use of magnetic gradient surveys at Caddo sites located throughout the Caddo people’s ancestral lands within the current areas of East Texas, Southwest Arkansas, Northwest Louisiana, and eastern Oklahoma has been very successful in the elucidation and mapping of the distributional characteristics of buried cultural features. In March 2018, three Caddo sites in East Texas (41CE47, 41CE485, 41CE486) were surveyed and the results add to the growing corpus of remote sensing spatial data. The recent survey work was conducted in order to assess the nature of sub-surface preservation of archaeological deposits in different environmental and historical contexts and to map the distribution of geophysical anomalies attributed to the Caddo occupations. The following presents results and preliminary interpretations.
The Pearson Site (41RA5) at Lake Tawakoni on the Sabine River, Rains County, Texas
Authors: Perttula Timothy
Published: August 2020

The Pearson site (41RA5) in the Blackland Prairie of East Texas is one of a number of aboriginal archaeological sites recorded during a 1957 archaeological survey of the flood pool of then proposed Lake Tawakoni on the Sabine River; the site is now inundated. The Pearson site was located on several low sandy rises across ca. 25 acres in the Hooker Creek-Sabine River floodplain, and these rises had both aboriginal and European artifacts on the surface. Johnson and Jelks, and Duffield and Jelks have argued that the Pearson site was the Tawakoni-Yscani village visited by a Spanish missionary in 1760 and part of a recently defined Norteno focus, a complex of sites apparently associated with the Wichita tribes. Schambach, by contrast, considers the Pearson site to be an 18th century Tunican entrepot.
41NA197, the Sam Stripling Site, on Bayou Loco in Nacogdoches County, Texas
Authors: Perttula Timothy
Published: August 2020

The Sam Stripling site (41NA197) is an ancestral Caddo settlement on a series of alluvial knolls in the floodplain on the east side of Bayou Loco in the Angelina River basin in the East Texas Pineywoods. The site was first located by Robert L. Turner, Sr. and Jr. in 1938, and in 1939 they told Gus Arnold of the University of Texas about the site when Arnold was conducting a Works Progress Administration (WPA)-sponsored archaeological survey of East Texas. Arnold collected a large sample of ceramic vessel sherds from the site (ET-601) during his 1939 survey work, and these collections are held by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin; the Turner’s had also amassed a substantial collection during their work; and in 1996 Tom Middlebrook returned to the site and officially recorded it, noting a well-preserved midden deposit in one part of the site, while also inventorying the Turner’s collection. In this article, I discuss the specific character of the ancestral Caddo ceramic assemblage from the Sam Stripling site recovered during Arnold’s work. Analyses by Middlebrook of the other known collections from the site are in progress.
Aboriginal Ceramic Wares from Sites in the Yegua Creek Drainage of the Brazos River Basin, East Central Texas
Authors: Perttul Timothy
Published: August 2020

Sherds from aboriginally-made ceramic vessels have been recovered on sites dating after ca. 2000 years B.P. in the Yegua Creek drainage of the Brazos River basin in the Post Oak Savannah of Burleson, Lee, and Washington counties in east central Texas (Figure 1). These sherds are from several different wares, including sandy paste Goose Creek Plain sherds made by Mossy Grove peoples, ancestral Caddo tempered and decorated wares made in East Texas, bone-tempered sandy paste wares that may be representative of a local ceramic tradition, and bone-tempered sherds from Leon Plain vessels made by Central Texas Toyah phase peoples. None of the ceramic sherd assemblages from the 18 sites discussed herein are substantial, ranging only from 1-72 sherds per site (with an average of only 13.3 sherds per site), indicating that the use (much less their manufacture) of ceramic vessels by Post Oak Savannah aboriginal peoples was not of much significance in their way of life, but may signify interaction, trade, and exchange between them and other cultures, such as the Caddo, inland and coastal Mossy Grove, and Toyah phase peoples that relied on ceramic vessel manufacture and use as key parts of their subsistence pursuits. It is likely that the benefits of trade (ceramics being just one of the items that was being traded) between these different peoples was to help establish cooperative alliances, and reduce competition and violence in the region, and such alliances were established and maintained by aboriginal peoples over a long period of time in the region.
The Barkman Site (41BW693) in the Red River Valley in Northeast Texas
Authors: Perttula Timothy , Nelson Rodney
Published: August 2020

The Barkman site (41BW693) is an ancestral Caddo settlement on a natural alluvial rise in the Red River floodplain in Bowie County, Texas (Figure 1). The rise is on the north side of Clear Lake, an old river channel and now an oxbow lake, about 140 meters northwest of the large platform mound at the Hatchel site (41BW3, see Perttula 2014, 2015, 2018). The Hatchel site is a major ancestral Caddo village and mound center on a natural levee deposit in the floodplain of the Red River in Bowie County, Texas, just a few kilometers west of the Arkansas state line, and on the south side of Clear Lake. The platform mound and the main part of the associated village overlooks two channel lakes of the river; these likely were part of the channel of the river when the site was occupied by the Caddo. The Hatchel site was occupied by the Caddo from at least A.D. 1040 to the late 17th century, and the Barkman site appears to have been occupied contemporaneously much of the time with this ancestral Caddo village and mound center.
Классификация методов формообразования и синтез на ее основе схем обработки профильных моментопередающих поверхностей
Authors: Panteleenko F. I. , Danilov A. A.
Published: August 2020

The paper presents characteristics of the known classifications of surface shaping methods in mechanical engineering during mechanical and physical-technical processing;  according to the  classifications a surface shaping  method is considered as a combination of methods for generating its producing lines – generatrix and guide – provided that the generation rate of the generatrix is higher than the guide. The advantages of constructing a classification and a formalized description of surface shaping methods have been shown in the paper; each of them represents a combination of surface formation methods in cross section and in length, regardless of generation speed for generatrix and guide lines. This increases information content of the description for a shaping method which is important for comparing methods of shaping surfaces and synthesis of schemes for their processing in the functional design of the machine. The paper has revealed the fact that in comparison with the well-known classification of A. A. Fedotenka it is an expedient to introduce methods of bending, intermittent track and intermittent rolling, as well as combined methods combining advantages of their basic methods which expand the synthesis of progressive processing schemes for profile surfaces. The introduction of the methods has been made in many basic methods of generating production lines (copying, following, touching and rolling).  Based on the expanded set of basic methods and the accepted principle of presenting the methods of shaping profile surfaces, their classification has been developed as the basis for systematization and synthesis of known and possible shaping methods. The paper considers examples of rational shaping method synthesis based on the proposed classification and progressive processing schemes for profile moment-transmitting surfaces on the basis of synthesis examples. In particular, the use of an envelope method instead of the applied rolling method has made it possible to simplify significantly a tool design, to increase its versatility and accuracy in formation of moment-transmitting surfaces with a profile in the form of a Relo triangle.
City Delivery Routes Planning Based on the Ant Colony Algorithm
Authors: Olkhova M. , Roslavtsev D. , Matviichuk O. , Mykhalenko A.
Published: August 2020

For any company that sells its products in the networks of city stores, the urgent issue is the optimal delivery of their goods. During routing it is necessary to take into account many restrictions caused by specific conditions of transportation process in the city: number of cargoes, nature of cargoes, delivery time, structure of fleet and its presence, work time of enterprises for load matching, drivers’ working hours, loading capacity, road congestion etc. These days, the process of efficient manual routing is difficult because of many restrictions and delivery points wherein it is almost impossible to take into account the road congestion for specific routes. Today's companies are increasingly interested in outsourcing. One of the options for routes planning for enterprises is to use special software products that allow to plan optimal routes according to the chosen criteria and under specific conditions. The process of formation of routes using the Ant Logistics service, based on the Ant Colony optimization algorithm are analysed in the paper. Comparing the two options of forming routes to serve one of the largest retail chains in Kharkiv with the application of Ant Logistics service, it has been elucidated that the application of Ant Colony algorithm is more optimal than the Clarke-Wright algorithm based on delivery routes indicators.
Macondo Changed BOPs But There Is a Limit
Authors: Rassenfoss Stephen
Published: August 2020

There is a limit to disruptive innovation in oilfield technology. Blowout preventers (BOP) show how hard it can be.

A decade ago on 20 April 2020, the Macondo disaster made a powerful case for change when this last line of defense failed to stop a blowout that caused explosions and a fire that killed 11, destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, and set off one of the largest oil spills ever in the Gulf of Mexico.

Scathing reports from investigations and staggering payouts from lawsuits against BP and other companies highlighted the shortcomings of machines that failed to serve as the last line of defense when natural gas surged onto the drilling floor, setting off a series of explosions.

The investigations highlighted a long string of errors that led to the avoidable crisis. There was a failure to verify the cementing, missed signs of gas building up in the well, and a delayed decision to activate the BOP until the explosions already may have severed the hydraulic lines to the wellhead.

But the simple explanation for it all: The shear rams failed to sever the pipe and seal the well.

In the aftermath, well-control standards and regulations were rewritten and expanded. The changes required that old recommendations became requirements, and new ones were added, including a strong push toward real-time monitoring.

The reports did not propose fundamentally redesigning BOPs.

But for engineers with an inventive streak, this looked like a call to rethink the driving force behind these hydraulic devices where the fundamentals have changed little since the first patent was issued nearly 100 years ago.

The arguments for rethinking BOPs included a 2003 study by West Engineering Services that found shear rams failed 7.5% of the time based on an estimate of the typical force required to cut pipe at the time. The force needed rises as casing gets tougher, water depths deeper, and well pressures higher, according to the study funded by what is now the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

A Det Norske Veritas study for Transocean completed before the Macondo blowout found 11 situations where a BOP was activated in an emergency among the 15,000 wells drilled from 1980 to 2006. The BOPs only worked six times during that period, according to a story in The New York Times published in June 2010 - while the industry was scrambling to find a way to stop the Macondo leak.

Different Perspectives

The innovators range from startups to major offshore drillers.

A Norwegian engineer started a company to sell a design for all-electric BOP stacks and an offshore drilling contractor developed an electric motor to retrofit into a BOP body.

Engineers with military and space experience created cutting devices powered by gas generators using solid chemical propellants that send out high-pressure streams of gas when ignited by an electrical signal, similar to the deployment of an airbag or the thrusters on the Space Shuttle (this technology has been around for a long time).
Rethinking Exploration
Authors: Feder Judy
Published: August 2020

“Down but not out” is how Westwood Global Energy Group described exploration drilling in an article based on its State of Exploration 2020 Report. The Baker Hughes rig count provides supporting details. On 12 May, the data showed 339 active rigs in the United States - the lowest level since the rig count was introduced in 1987. On 1 June, the US count plunged to 301 in its 12th week of losses. At the worst of the 2014-2016 oil bust - the previous lowest point on record - 404 rigs were operating.

The worldwide rig count for May was 1,176, down 338 from the 1,514 counted in April and down 1,006 from the 2,182 counted in May 2019. And, Rystad predicted on 28 May that more than half of the world’s planned licensing rounds for 2020 are likely to be canceled.

The consensus among industry experts is that exploration will be hit by some of the deepest cuts inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, the biggest oil market crash in history, and the transition to a low-carbon energy future. The silver lining is that there is still a business case for exploration despite these difficult times. Julie Wilson, director of global exploration research for Wood Mackenzie, said in a recent virtual panel discussion that the role of exploration in replacing supply sources in current portfolios with “new and better” barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) will continue over the next 20 years. But for explorers to prosper, those barrels will need to be low in cost and emissions.

Rude Awakening

For the exploration sector, 2020 began with a degree of cautious optimism and increasing activity. Confidence had returned with improved performance, the highest commercial success rate (CSR) in 10 years, and the discovery in 2019 of several multi-billion-barrel plays. Explorers were keenly aware of challenges ahead, including investability, capital efficiency, the risks of exploring in deep water, and societal pressure to move toward energy transition. But, the overall outlook was for another 30 years of profitable exploration.

At the start of the year, the high-impact well count had been expected to be similar or slightly higher than the 93 wells completed in 2019. Westwood now expects around 60 to 70 high-impact exploration wells to be completed by the end of 2020, a decline of up to 35% and back to the numbers and volumes seen from 2016 to 2018 following the 2014 oil price crash. In the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), the number of executed high-impact wells has declined from 34 to 15, all in deep water. Seven of those have been spudded. For independent GOM explorers, the number of expected wells went from 13 to one, as companies decided to focus their bare-minimum budgets on near-term production.
Spatiotemporal Clustering-Based Formulation Aids Multiscale Modeling
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 195329, “A General Spatiotemporal Clustering-Based Nonlocal Formulation for Multiscale Modeling of Compartmentalized Reservoirs,” by Soheil Esmaeilzadeh, Stanford University, and Amir Salehi and Gill Hetz, Quantum Reservoir Impact, et al., prepared for the 2019 SPE Western Regional Meeting, San Jose, California, 23-26 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

In the complete paper, a novel hybrid approach is presented in which a physics-based nonlocal modeling framework is coupled with data-driven clustering techniques to provide a fast and accurate multiscale modeling of compartmentalized reservoirs. The research adds to the literature by presenting a comprehensive work on spatiotemporal clustering for reservoir-studies applications that considers the clustering complexities, the intrinsic sparse and noisy nature of the data, and the interpretability of the outcome.

Introduction

History matching is the most time-consuming phase in any reservoir-simulation study. As a means of accelerating reservoir simulations, a 2018 study proposed an approach in which a reservoir is treated as a combination of multiple interconnected compartments that, under a range of uncertainty, can capture the reservoir’s response during a recovery process. In this work, the authors extend that approach to represent a reservoir in a multiscale form consisting of multiple interconnected segments. To identify segments of the reservoir, spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal unsupervised data-mining clustering techniques are used. Then, a novel nonlocal formulation for flow in porous media is presented in which the reservoir is represented by an adjacency matrix describing the neighbor and non-neighbor connections of comprising compartments. The reservoir is divided automatically into distinct compartments in which direction-dependent multiphase-flow communication is a function of nonlocal phase potential differences. With the segmented reservoir and the uncertain parameters, a robust history-matching technique is used to reproduce the reservoir’s historical response. Finally, for the segmented and history-matched reservoir, forecasting is performed. The complete paper first describes the spatiotemporal clustering framework, followed by an overview of the compartmentalized reservoir simulation framework, in which multitank history material balance and multi tank predictive material balance are explained. Next, the history-matching approach is described. These sections are not included in the current synopsis. The complete paper concludes with results of clustering, multitank material balance, and history matching for a real-world reservoir.
Future of Nonmetallic Composite Materials in Downhole Applications
Authors: Feder Judy
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Judy Feder, contains highlights of paper SPE 198572, “The Future of Nonmetallic Composite Materials in Upstream Applications,” by Wael Badeghaish, SPE, Mohamed Noui-Mehidi, SPE, and Oscar Salazar, Saudi Aramco, prepared for the 2019 SPE Gas and Oil Technology Showcase and Conference, Dubai, 21-23 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Nonmetallic (NM) composite-based materials offer distinct advantages in overcoming the effects of corrosion, scale, and friction on carbon steel to minimize frequent workovers and extend the life cycle of critical downhole products. However, high initial cost and technical-skills limitations pose challenges to more-widespread development and deployment of these materials downhole, particularly in extended-reach drilling and other challenging wells. The complete paper highlights examples of nonmetallic materials selection and qualification for upstream water-injection and producer and hydrocarbon wells and presents suggestions for future progress.

Introduction

Carbon steel (CS) is the material of choice for downhole applications because of its advantages over other materials in terms of cost, temperature and pressure ratings, and field-construction-support services. The downsides of CS include corrosion, scale, and friction that can result in high repair and workover costs and limitations of equipment life. Corrosive fluids are handled generally by chemically inhibited CS and corrosion-resistant alloys (CRAs). However, CRAs can increase project cost and complexity significantly. NM composite materials have been introduced for drilling and completions in high-risk, corrosive environments to minimize the effect of corrosion, scale, and friction in CS tubulars and extend the well life cycle. The new proposed materials are lightweight, high-strength, and offer superior fatigue and corrosion resistance.

Economic analysis shows that using NM tubulars and internal linings will yield substantial life-cycle cost savings per well, mainly from the elimination of workover operations. However, composite materials pose several challenges. In downhole environments, the materials are subjected to a more-complex set of dynamic stress conditions under variable multiphase fluids and temperatures. Forces such as burst, collapse, tension, and axial compression play a significant role in NM downhole tubular performance. In deep-well operations, service tools are required to perform at high pressures and temperatures. Currently, the industry has explored the opportunity to deploy NM materials in standard applications while pursuing research and development (R&D) to expand the operating envelope to target high-pressure/high- temperature applications.
Technology Focus: CO2 (July 2020)
Authors: Kokal Sunil
Published: August 2020

During the past 12 months, CO2 has taken center stage in global political debates and climate-change dialogues. Countries and companies are coming under intense pressure to find sustainable solutions to address the issue of carbon footprint by reducing CO2 emissions.

In May of last year, 2019 SPE President Sami Alnuaim wrote a JPT article on the circular economy. The essence was on sustainability through efficiency, conservation, recycling, and reusing to minimize our impacts. While he was addressing the broader picture, I want to focus this article on the circular carbon economy. The circular carbon economy, which is not new, is a framework in which emissions of carbon from all sectors of the economy (including oil and gas) can be addressed through the four R pillars: reduce, recycle, reuse, and remove.

We in the oil and gas industry can work collaboratively with governments, companies, academia, and other organizations on these four pillars. For example, energy efficiency can be improved across the entire chain of operations, flaring can be reduced to near zero, and investments can be made into high-efficiency technologies that reduce the carbon footprint.

For the recycle and reduce pillars, CO2 can be converted into useful products such as methanol or used for well stimulation or conformance control, for example. And the biggest impact can be made with the removal of CO2 permanently from the atmosphere by capturing and storing it. Two examples are storage in subterranean formations and mineralization in cements, rocks, or other materials. We need to look for (or create) appropriate business opportunities that will reduce our impact on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint and intensity.

The papers that follow are examples of these four R pillars. One describes some promising pathways to lower atmospheric carbon through a practical and holistic approach. Another is the harvesting of energy from waste heat (improving efficiency) during oil and gas operations using supercritical CO2. The third is an example of using CO2 in place of water for fracturing operations. Many other opportunities can be adopted, and a business case can be made for them. What the industry needs at this stage is a willingness to work together, share best practices, conduct innovative research, and focus on technologies that lower cost of capture and make our operations more sustainable.
Cybersecurity: Preventing Infection in a Body of Data
Authors: Flowers Lynnmarie P.
Published: August 2020

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. That’s an adage that often alerts us to the dangers of knowing - and yet not mitigating - the repercussions of risk. And with the resurgence of cyberattacks globally, it’s also a wakeup call to cyber readiness.

The oil and gas industry faces particular risk - though it’s not necessarily ready (Fig 1).

Sixty-one percent of oil and gas professionals who are responsible for cyber risk said their organization fell short last year in protecting and securing its industrial control systems (ICS). Sixty-eight percent surveyed said their organization had experienced at least one cyber compromise in the past year, resulting in OT disruption or the loss of confidential information (Ponemon 2017).

And perhaps most alarming: They did not have a clear strategy to address it.

This is an industry where the opportunities for infiltration are nearly limitless. A typical large oil and gas company uses half a million processors just for reservoir simulation; it generates, transmits, and stores petabytes (each equal to 1,015 bytes) of sensitive field data; and it operates thousands of drilling and production control systems in diverse locations, with numerous fields, vendors, service providers, and partners (Mittal et al. 2015).

ICS are used to control assets spanning thousands of square miles - such as the 2.6 million miles of oil and gas pipeline in the US alone (PHMSA). ICS may be as simple as a few panel-mounted controllers or as complex as interconnected and interactive distributed control systems with thousands of field connections. At the same time, cloud-based internet of things (IoT) technology, wireless communications networks, and analytical and automated tools are connecting operations in real time, with new data-based links between rigs, refineries, and headquarters.

And as these connections multiply exponentially, the exposure - and thus the threats - increase.

“The industry is increasingly becoming a target, with attacks growing in frequency, sophistication, and impact. Data is becoming more valuable, perhaps the most valuable commodity in the world right now, and oil and gas companies are oozing with data,” Ben Dickinson, global cybersecurity lead for ABB’s oil, gas, and chemicals unit, said at the 2019 SPE Offshore Europe conference.
Head of Chevron Technology Ventures on the Realities of Investing Amid a Pandemic
Authors: Jacobs Trent
Published: August 2020

Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) has been involved in the emerging technology space for more than 20 years, making it the largest and most experienced corporate investment arm in the oil and gas business.

But like every other organization in the industry today, it is facing new realities as a result of a global pandemic that is suppressing energy demand and forcing key business operations to be done remotely.

Barbara Burger, the president of CTV, offered fresh perspectives in an interview on SPE Live on how the pandemic and the resulting industry downturn has impacted the industry’s startup eco-system, which she emphasized remains “vibrant” and “needed.”

Along these lines, Burger said the fundamentals of CTV’s investing philosophy have not changed, nor its key interest areas. New technologies that can bring clear value to Chevron by improving its understanding of the subsurface, drive efficiencies in drilling, or ensure asset integrity all have a chance of earning a coveted spot within the supermajor’s investment portfolio.

However, the sudden southward movement of market conditions has raised the bar on which startups will receive new funding. “We’re having to prioritize more, which means by definition some folks don’t make the list,” said Burger, who summed up that the impact of the pandemic and ensuing downturn “has not been a positive message” for the startup community.

As activity levels drop across the board, Burger said downhole and hardware technologies will have fewer opportunities for trials, at least in the short term. And while CTV and most of the industry’s other venture groups remain active in their pursuit of new companies, she said some have curtailed their activity.

For the companies already in CTV’s basket of investments, the pandemic spurred each of them to reassess their operations and business plans in preparation for a tighter marketplace. Burger added that a number of the youngest technology developers still courting venture groups for investments have adapted to the situation by lowering their valuations.

“That’s always good as an investor,” she quipped before noting that the new normal represents a mixed bag for the funding side of the equation. “We’re having to do due diligence and our early engagement with startups in a different way,” she said. “We always want to go and see them - kind of see what’s there and kick the tires.” But for now, because of the need for social distancing and travel restrictions, all of those highly valued meet and greets must be done virtually.

Similar to its commitment to keep building its upstream and downstream investment portfolio, CTV remains undeterred in its pursuit of technologies that can lower emissions or provide entry into other forms of energy generation - a refrain echoed by most of the international majors in recent months.

“We know that the energy mix is going to be more diverse as we go forward,” said Burger as she cited various reports that estimate oil and gas will make up only about 50% of the world’s primary energy demand by 2040.
Using a Digital Twin in Predictive Maintenance
Authors: Rao Samvith Vasudeva
Published: August 2020

The oil and gas industry is facing unprecedented and brutal market conditions. While the industry was already in the midst of digitalization, the oil price crash has instilled a fresh impetus on its adoption to cut costs through innovation and new technologies. One such technology is predictive maintenance. When equipment on a rig breaks down, the resulting problem often is not that of replacement but the forced downtime in production or drilling. Therefore, predicting when equipment or a system is going to fail and determining the root cause of failure unlocks significant value.

Predictive maintenance has rapidly gained in popularity, spurred by well publicized advances in high-performing computing and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Some companies are experiencing the benefits of predictive maintenance firsthand. For example, engineers at Baker Hughes implemented predictive maintenance on the company’s fleet of fracturing trucks. They collected nearly a terabyte of data from pumps on these trucks and then used signal-processing techniques to identify the relevant sensors. Finally, they applied machine-learning techniques to distinguish a healthy pump from an unhealthy one and reduced overall costs by $10 million (MathWorks 2019). This success story and others like it have made pursuing predictive maintenance projects a priority among both oilfield operators and services firms.
Developing Technologies Can Lower Subsea Tieback Cost
Authors: Feder Judy
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Judy Feder, contains highlights of paper OTC 30667, “How Technology Enables a Lower Cost for Subsea Tiebacks,” by Fabrice Bacati, Giorgio Arcangeletti, SPE, Bruno Breuskin, Saipem, et al., prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Houston, 4-7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.

The traditional subsea tieback model is evolving, supported by advances in flow assurance that allow tiebacks over much longer distances and by the introduction of new technologies that increase overall cost effectiveness. Paper OTC 30667 discusses several of these technologies, their maturity status, and how they can be integrated economically.

Introduction

During the past 15 years, operating companies have relied increasingly on effective subsea field-development solutions to eliminate the need for traditional platforms or vessels with topside processing facilities, particularly in geographically remote areas and small-pool developments of maturing brownfield areas. Technical and economic challenges include flow assurance and the cost of the umbilical and flowlines, which increase with length. These aspects, together with others independent of length, such as power and space availability, affect project economics significantly.

Technologies developed recently or in their final stage of qualification can help not only in solving technical challenges but also in finding cost-effective configurations, either through reduction or re-apportioning of capital and operational expenditures, extension of reserves recoverability, or reduction of associated risks.

The complete paper outlines several configurations, beginning with those enabled by conventional technologies, and compares them to those enabled by the new technologies. Each section of the complete paper discusses the subject technology’s composition, application, maturity, and impact on cost effectiveness.

Subsea Boosting

Subsea boosting systems that ensure pressure to enable production flow for the life of the field have matured during the last 10 years. Boosting can reduce backpressure at wellheads, and also can transport the production fluid at higher pressure to minimize flowline diameter and control possible instability issues. For gas fields, recovery can be increased by allowing the reservoir to deplete and then using compression to produce the field over a longer time. Currently, several boosting systems operate internationally.

The type of pump technology used depends on the fluid to be boosted and the performance required. Single-phase pumps are used for water injection and oil boosting up to 15% of gas/volume fraction (GVF). Hybrid pumps are used for GVF up to 30%, and multiphase pumps for up to 95%. Subsea compressors are used for higher GVF.
Assessing inequalities and regional disparities in child nutrition outcomes in India using MANUSH – a more sensitive yardstick
Authors: Jain Ayushi , Agnihotri Satish Balram
Published: August 2020

Background: India is strongly committed to reducing the burden of child malnutrition, which has remained a persistent concern. Findings from recent surveys indicate co-existence of child undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency and overweight/obesity, i.e. the triple burden of malnutrition among children below five years. While considerable efforts are being made to address this challenge, and several composite indices are being explored to inform policy actions, the methodology used for creating such indices, i.e., linear averaging, has its limitations. Briefly put, it could mask the uneven improvement across different indicators by discounting the ‘lagging’ indicators, and hence not incentivising a balanced improvement. signifying negative implications on policy discourse for improved nutrition. To address this gap, we attempt to develop a composite index for estimating the triple burden of malnutrition in India, using a more sensitive measure, MANUSH. Methodology: Data from publicly available nation-wide surveys - National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS), was used for this study. First, we addressed the robustness of MANUSH method of composite indexing over conventional aggregation methods. Second, using MANUSH scores, we assessed the triple burden of malnutrition at the subnational level over different periods NHFS- 3(2005-06), NFHS-4 (2015-16) and CNNS (2106-18). Using mapping and spatial analysis tools, we assessed neighbourhood dependency and formation of clusters, within and across states. Result: MANUSH method scores over other aggregation measures that use linear aggregation or geometric mean. It does so by fulfilling additional conditions of Shortfall and Hiatus Sensitivity, implicitly penalising cases where the improvement in worst-off dimension is lesser than the improvement in best-off dimension, or where, even with an overall improvement in the composite index, the gap between different dimensions does not reduce. MANUSH scores helped in revealing the gaps in the improvement of nutrition outcomes among different indicators and, the rising inequalities within and across states and districts in India. Significant clusters (p<0.05) of high burden and low burden districts were found, revealing geographical heterogeneities and sharp regional disparities. A MANUSH based index is useful in context-specific planning and prioritising different interventions, an approach advocated by the newly launched National Nutrition Mission in India. Conclusion: MANUSH based index emphasises balanced development in nutritional outcomes and is hence relevant for diverse and unevenly developing economy like India.
Common bean resistance to Xanthomonas is associated with upregulation of the salicylic acid pathway and downregulation of photosynthesis.
Authors: Foucher Justine , Ruh Mylène , Préveaux Anne , Carrère Sébastien , Pelletier Sandra , Briand Martial , Serre Rémy-Félix , Jacques Marie-Agnès , Chen Nicolas W.G.
Published: August 2020

Background: Common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. phaseoli and Xanthomonas citri pv. fuscans is one of the major threats to common bean crops (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Resistance to CBB is particularly complex as 26 quantitative resistance loci to CBB have been described so far. To date, transcriptomic studies after CBB infection have been very scarce and the molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility or resistance are largely unknown. Results: We sequenced and annotated the genomes of two common bean genotypes being either resistant (BAT93) or susceptible (JaloEEP558) to CBB. Reciprocal BLASTp analysis led to a list of 20,787 homologs between these genotypes and the common bean reference genome (G19833), which provides a solid dataset for further comparative analyses. RNA-Seq after inoculation with X. phaseoli pv. phaseoli showed that the susceptible genotype initiated a more intense and diverse biological response than the resistant genotype. Resistance was linked to upregulation of the salicylic acid pathway and downregulation of photosynthesis and sugar metabolism, while susceptibility was linked to downregulation of resistance genes and upregulation of the ethylene pathway and of genes involved in cell wall modification. Conclusions: This study helps better understanding the mechanisms occurring during the early colonization phase of common bean by Xanthomonas and unveils new actors potentially important for resistance and susceptibility to CBB. We discuss the potential link between the pathways induced during bean colonization and genes induced by transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), as illustrated in other Xanthomonas pathovars.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Modified With Short Hairpin RNA (shRNA) Constructs Targeting Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3) Improve Erectile Dysfunction in old Rats
Authors: Pu Xiao-Yong , Zhang Xie-WU , Zhou Xuang-Xue , Fang Jian-Xiong , Liu Hao-Sheng , Liu Tian-Qi , Xiao Hen-Jun , Bi Xue-Cheng , Li Dong , Liu Jiu-Min
Published: August 2020

Background: We have confirmed that injection of vector-based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs targeting insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in penis in old rat can improve erectile function. The aim of this study is to further determine the feasibility of bone marrowe derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) genetically modified with shRNA constructs targeting IGFBP-3 on improving erectile function in the aged rat. Methods: 40 old (24 months) male rats were randomized divided into 4 groups: PBS-only, BM-MSC treatment and LV3-shIGFBP-3 engineered BM-MSC treatment group (n=10/group).Ten 5-month-old rats were used as the young group. Four weeks after transplantation, the erectile function was assessed by cavernosal nerve stimulation. The percent of smooth muscle in corpus cavernosum was evaluated by masson’s trichrome staining. IGFBP-3 expression was estimated by Western blot. The cavernous insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were analyzed after transplantation. Apoptosis in corpus cavernosum was measured using TUNEL and the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and concentration of guanosine 3’, 5’-cyclic-monophosphates (cGMP) in penile tissue were also analyzed. Results: Four weeks after intracavernous injection, BM-MSCs alone, especially LV3-shIGFBP-3 engineered BM-MSCs treatment rats had improvements in erectile function (p<0.05). The percentage of cavernosal smooth muscle was increased in BM-MSCs and LV3-shIGFBP-3 engineered BM-MSCs treatment group. IGFBP-3 protein expression was decreased obviously after injection of LV3-shIGFBP-3 engineered BM-MSCs. In addition, significant lower IGFBP-3 expression was associated with increased IGF-1 expression in LV3-shIGFBP-3 engineered BM-MSCs treatment rats although higher IGF-1 and VEGF concentrations were all determined after transplantation with BM-MSCs alone or BM-MSCs modified with LV3-shIGFBP-3. Lower levels of the apoptosis were also observed in the BM-MSCs and LV3-shIGFBP-3 engineered BM-MSCs treatment group. NOS activities and cGMP concentrations were also significantly increased after transplantation. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that BM-MSCs alone or genetically modified with LV3-shIGFBP-3 can improve diminished erectile responses in the aged rat partially by increasing the smooth muscle integrity, increasing secretion of IGF-1 and VEGF, inhibiting apoptosis and increasing the NOS activity and cGMP accumulation.
Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire: psychometric Properties of the Persian version
Authors: Sharifnia Hamid , Behmanesh Fereshteh , Kwok Cannas , Firouzbakht Mojgan , Ebadi Abbas , Nikpour Maryam
Published: August 2020

Background: Valid and reliable instruments are needed to assess such beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge. This study aimed to translate Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire into Persian and evaluate its psychometric properties among Iranian women. Methods: In this methodological study, the twelve-item Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire was translated into Persian and filled out by 1256 Iranian women. Face, content, convergent, and discriminant validity were evaluated and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed for construct validity evaluation. Reliability was also evaluated through calculating Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, Average inter-item correlation, and test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient and finally, composite reliability was estimated. Results: Three factors were extracted in factor analysis which included screening attitude, screening knowledge and perception, and screening practice. These factors explained 55.71% of the total variance of breast cancer screening beliefs. This three-factor model was confirmed in confirmatory factor analysis based on model fit indices (PCFI = 0.703, PNFI = 0.697, CMIN/DF = 2.127, RMSEA = 0.30, GFI = 0.980, AGFI = 0.998, and CFI = 0.991). Convergent and discriminant validity were also confirmed. Composite reliability and test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient were more than 0.7. Conclusion: With a three-factor structure, the Persian Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire has acceptable validity and reliability and hence, can be used to evaluate Iranian women’s breast cancer screening beliefs.
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor inhibitor JL5 synergizes with Ym155 to induce Apoptosis-Inducing Factor (AIF) caspase independent cell death
Authors: Mondal Arindam , NeMoyer Rachel , Langenfeld Elaine , Glover Danea , Scott Michael , Lairson Lauren , Zloza Andrew , Augeri David , Gilleran John , Peng Youyi , Roberge Jacques , Langenfeld John E.
Published: August 2020

Background: Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is an evolutionarily conserved morphogen that is reactivated in lung carcinomas. BMP receptor inhibitors promote cell death of lung carcinomas by mechanisms not fully elucidated. The studies here reveal novel mechanisms by which the “survivin” inhibitor Ym155 in combination with the BMP receptor inhibitor JL5 synergistically induces death of lung cancer cells. Methods: This study examines the mechanism by which Ym155 in combination with JL5 downregulates BMP signaling and induces cell death of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines. Validation experiments were performed on five passage 0 primary NSCLC cell lines. Results: We found that Ym155, which is reported to be a survivin inhibitor, potently inhibits BMP signaling by causing BMPR2 mislocalization into the cytoplasm and its decreased expression. The combination of Ym155 and the BMP receptor inhibitor JL5 synergistically causes the downregulation of BMP Smad-1/5 dependent and independent signaling and the induction of cell death of lung cancer cell lines and primary lung tumors. Cell death involves the nuclear translocation of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondria to the nucleus. This causes DNA double stranded breaks independent of caspase activation, which occur only when JL5 and Ym155 are used in combination. Knockdown of BMPR2 together with Ym155 also induced AIF localization to the nucleus. Conclusions: These studies suggest that inhibition of BMPR2 together with Ym155 can induce AIF caspase-independent cell death. AIF caspase-independent cell is an evolutionarily conserved cell death pathway that has never been targeted to induce cell death in cancer cells. These studies provide mechanistic insight of how to target AIF caspase-independent cell death using BMP inhibitors.