bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collaboration as a Development Support Strategy for Marginal Oil Field Development in Nigeria
Authors: Oruwari H. , Salihu A. , Obunwa Q.
Published: August 2024

In 2018, the Nigerian government launched the Marginal Field Bid Round, offering 57 marginal oil fields to local and international investors to increase the participation of indigenous companies in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry in order to increase production, and generate revenue for the government. The purpose of the study is to examine collaboration as one of the success strategies for marginal oil field development in Niger Delta. Collaboration is working together to achieve a common goal. It involved separate companies working towards shared or common goal, collaboration can often be an important source of competitive advantages. It helps in pooling of resources to make capital available for marginal oil field operation. This study adopted a literature review and multiple case studies of AFREN Plc, Frontier oil limited and Universal Energy limited in the development of Okoro, Setu field, and Qua Iboe field to highlight the role of collaboration in the development of marginal oil field. The method adopted was qualitative method using literature review and multiple case study to highlight the role of collaboration in the development of marginal oil field. The findings showed that the successful development of marginal oil fields is possible through joint cooperation among the stakeholders of the oil and gas industry. Collaboration in terms of infrastructure sharing, knowledge sharing, and strategic partnership improve the performance of marginal oil field development. The overall result revealed that collaboration in form of strategic alliance and partnership is a driver or development support strategy for marginal oil field development. This research study recommends creation of an enabling environment for investment, for example the political environment, community challenge and security for marginal field investment in Niger Delta. The government should ensure that there is stable macroeconomic policy and efficient legal system that allows for contract to be enforced and support access to channels to arbitration.
Strategic Partnerships in Domestic Gas Project Maturation: The Iseni Phase 1 (OML35) Case
Authors: Effiom O. , Anietie J. , Iwedi U.
Published: August 2024

The gas rich Iseni field is part of the Okpokunou Cluster (OML 35) located in Sagbama Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa State that was discovered in the 1970's by four exploration wells. The cluster has the potential to deliver significant gas volumes to the Nigerian domestic gas market but to date has been undeveloped due to its remote location and lack of facilities in the area.

In 2015, SPDC partnered with a reputable indigenous company (BlueStar Gas Limited (BGL) and executed a gas sales agreement for the development of the field. This partnership is poised to support Nigeria's growing demand for domestic gas especially in the Western part of the Niger Delta area of the country.

This paper will discuss the project from three perspectives: The Subsurface reservoir description and uncertainties - The field was discovered in 1973 by the Iseni 1 exploration well. Two further wells and one side-track were drilled between 1973 and 1987. The wells penetrated thirteen stacked, gas-baring intervals with excellent reservoir sand properties. Five of the thirteen reservoirs are considered ‘ready to go’ for development due to the greater certainty around their gas content.The Project maturation methodology - The project development is split into the upstream and midstream scopes which will be matured by SPDC and Bluestar Gas Limited respectively. Apart from the appraisal-development wells, the upstream scope involved the construction of well head facilities, flowlines, a manifold and other civil works. The aim of the upstream scope is to safely deliver the wells and facilities to enable tie-in of the pipelines and flow lines to flow 100MMScf/d of unprocessed gas. The midstream scope is defined by the construction of a 47km pipeline from the wellhead to a third-party gas processing facility at Utorogu for use at the Dangote Fertilizer Plant at Lekki, Lagos State.Lastly, the paper discusses considerations around the risks, uncertainties and mitigation plans in place describing the areas of interface and how the two companies have partnered together to develop an integrated roadmap to the credible delivery of the project.

The OML35 journey to Final Investment Decision demonstrates how a strategic partnership hinged on technical excellence, commerciality, and trust, yields tangible benefits that actualize the Nigerian Domestic Gas aspiration.
Locating the Remaining Oil in a Brown Field via Integrated History Matching and Calibration
Authors: Alaigba D. , Adebayo A. , Oyeleke Z. , Onyeanya W.
Published: August 2024

Although new discoveries and developments often take the limelight, Brown fields are considered the "backbone" of the oil and gas industry as roughly two-thirds of the world’s daily oil production comes from such fields. A common trend observed with brown fields is that over time, production from these fields progressively decline at the reservoir level because of a combination of factors not limited to declining reservoir pressures, water breakthrough and attendant rise in BS&W and GOR, etc. A critical question which we must answer is: how do we locate these remaining resources and develop them in the most economic manner? This work focuses on conducting an integrated history match and calibration of a brown field reservoirs with a view to identifying and developing remaining oil resources.

As a first stage, Well, Reservoir, Facility Management (WRFM) analysis was carried out using classical reservoir engineering techniques to review the field and well historical performance to understand reservoir drive mechanisms and scope for production improvement. Next, a static model was built using seismic data, well logs, mud logs, sidewall samples, core data, RFT data and integrating results from the WRFM. The model was subsequently quality checked initialized and taken into dynamic modeling space. An integrated history matching of the 3-dimensional (3D) reservoir model was conducted first in the reservoir volume (RESV) to quantify aquifer activity followed by oil rate (ORAT) with a primary focus on pressure and saturation as the first stage. This was subsequently followed by calibration using additional information from open-hole and carbon oxygen logs. This provided the required level of confidence in terms of identifying the remaining oil.

Finally, different development options were assessed by considering available idle proximal wells for short term oil gains (STOG) and sidetracking. For each development case evaluated, offtake rate sensitivities were also run to arrive at the optimal rate. An additional 1.4 MMstb of oil was realized as the base case from the remaining oil via sidetracking an existing an available idle well.
Preliminary Assessment of Terminalia Mantaly Gum Exudate as a GreenScale Inhibitor
Authors: Obuebite A. , Okwonna O. O.
Published: August 2024

The study explores the potential of Terminalia mantaly gum as a sustainable, effective inhibitor of barium sulfate scale. The use of green materials has garnered attention as a promising natural compound for industrial processes. Scale formation, a pervasive issue in oil production and water treatment, leads to reduced efficiency and increased maintenance costscaused by blockages in pipelines, oil wells etc. However, the use of scale inhibitors has been used for the control of various scale types including barium sulfate scale. Terminalia mantaly gum, a natural polysaccharide, with its abundance, bio-degradable and eco-friendly characteristics aligns with the growing global emphasis on sustainable and green technologies. The gum exudate was extracted from the bark of a Terminalia mantalytree. The preliminary analysis of the scale- inhibitory effect of terminalia gum was evaluated using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA),X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier-transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze their crystal structure, thermal stability, identify and quantify the chemical concentration of the compounds present. Results showed an onset degradation at 315.5 ˚C temperature with a sudden decrease in mass of the sample at a calcination temperature of 560 ˚C. The average crystal size was observed to be twice that of synthetic gum with a high peak intensity (8.45). The FTIR spectra showed a high peak intensity, and symmetrical vibration of the O-H bond which is characteristic of glucoside ring. The chromatogram identified seven compounds linked to a functional group with the major constituent being 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester at a peak of 63.52 %, indicating that fatty acids are the dominant constituents inTerminalia mantalygum. Its high compatibility with diverse water compositions makes it a potential solution for scale inhibition.The study has shown that Terminalia mantalygum is a viable, eco-conscious option for mitigating scales based on its chemical composition, and crystalline structure, though less efficient at temperatures above 300˚C.
Pragmatic and Resilient Approach in the Resuscitation of a High Impact Well Post Shut- In for Production Curtailment in the Onshore Niger-Delta– A Case Study of Nkabra-41 Dual Completion Well
Authors: Adowei E. , Nwamara N. , Onyeji J. A. , Agbongiator E. , Oragwu O. , Chukwuka C. , Adegoke O. , Abe A. , Oyemami P.
Published: August 2024

Periodic well shut-in is a common practice in the oil industry. It entails isolating production from the affected well by tripping subsurface safety valves and/or shutting-in the tree valves on the surface. The challenge with shut-in is that sometimes it may not come back to pre-shut-in potential or will fail to come back on production after it is opened back to flow. This phenomenon is becoming frequent and a major cause for concern in the industry. However, it can be caused by varying reasons and thus the restoration of such well back on production can be approached using many methodologies and some of these approaches can be very costly. NKABRA-41 (NKB-41) well is a dual string high impact oil producer in the Onshore Area of the Niger-Delta. The well has hitherto produced problem free until there was a production curtailment request by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) aimed at managing market forces. The well was shut-in for three months and when the request came to restore production, both strings of the well failed to flow. All efforts to restore both strings of the well on production were initially unsuccessful even after costly remedial well interventions. This paper showcases the pragmatic and resilient approach in restoring both strings of NKB-41 back on-stream over a period of three years, post- production curtailment. The methodologies utilized include sequential restoration procedures, due diligence in subsurface diagnostics and assessments by the Petro-Tech team, extensive multifunctional collaboration and stakeholders’ engagement and alignment. The pragmatic and resilient approach led to production restoration of approximately 3,600 BOPD in the well.
Energy Transition in Nigeria: A Decarbonisation Strategy for the Oil and Gas Value Chain through Integrated Renewable Energy Technologies
Authors: Nkang D. , Iyalla I. , Mahon R. , Amber I.
Published: August 2024

The global energy landscape is transforming and is shifting toward cleaner energy sources to mitigate the effects of climate change. As such, traditional oil and gas operators are decarbonising and diversifying their existing oil and gas portfolios while transitioning toward becoming leaders of the energy transition. This work presents a downstream oil and gas supply chain (OGSC) decarbonisation strategy for a petrol filling station in Nigeria. It applies the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) decision-making techniques to identify the most appropriate renewable energy source (solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and bioenergy) technology to be adopted and a techno-economic analysis of the selected renewable energy source. Results revealed that a Solar Photovoltaics (PV) System is the most suitable renewable energy technology to be implemented based on technical, economic, environmental, and social factors. System modelling and analysis showed that the off-grid Solar PV System consisting of a 17 kW Solar PV and a 4500 Ah battery system can provide all the electricity requirements for the petrol filling station. Financial modelling results indicate that over a 15-year period, this decarbonisation strategy will be less expensive than grid purchased electricity. Additionally, this decarbonisation strategy has a positive impact on the environment as it eliminates the need for grid purchased electricity – a significant share of which is generated from natural gas. Overall, the result of this study supports Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contributions and Energy Transition Plan as it empirically demonstrates the use of Solar PV in decarbonising the downstream OGSC while being a financially and environmentally advantageous investment – a pathway helping to achieve Nigeria's Carbon Neutrality by 2060.
Determining the Relationship Between Gynecologic Cancer Awareness and Health Literacy Among Women of Reproductive Age: A Descriptive Study
Authors: Duman Fatma Nur , Ozdemir Ayse , Gölbaşı Zehra
Published: August 2024

Purpose
To determine the relationship between gynecologic cancer awareness and health literacy among women of reproductive age.
Methods
The study was conducted in a descriptive design and involved 510 women. Data collection utilized the “Personal Information Form”, “Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Scale (GCAS)” and “Health Literacy Scale (HLS)”, gathered. Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance and post-hoc analyses were employed for data analysis. Effect sizes were calculated using Eta squared (η²) coefficients.
Results
The mean total score of women on the GCAS was 154.42 ± 18.27, while the mean total score on the HLS was 57.07 ± 7.86. Significant differences were observed in women's GCAS total scores concerning age, perceived income status, and history of gynecological examination, whereas significant differences were noted in HLS total scores concerning age, educational status, marital status, and perceived income status. A weak positive correlation was detected betwixt women's GCAS and HLS total scores. It was determined that 20.8% of the total variation in gynecologic cancer awareness level was explained by health literacy.
Conclusion
Women exhibit an above-average level of awareness regarding gynecologic cancers. Health literacy level contributes to an increase in gynecologic cancer awareness.
Mapping of absolute stresses around two California earthquakes reveals a very weak crust
Authors: Zhang Siyuan , Houston Heidi , Wang Binhao , Zhang Hao
Published: August 2024

Absolute amplitudes of shear stresses that drive crustal earthquakes are not well known. There is a long-standing divergence between the values inferred from lab experiments and stress changes during faulting. Two large earthquakes near Ridgecrest, California with M6.4 and 7.1 provide a natural laboratory to determine the in-situ average shear stress in the crust off the main faults. Here we use the change in faulting geometries of abundant small earthquakes together with stress changes imposed by doublet slip to determine full deviatoric stress tensors both before and after it. We first invert suites of focal mechanisms for stress orientations and ratios between eigenvalues. We then invert for the 3-D full deviatoric tensors constrained by the stress orientations, stress ratios, and the coseismic stress change due to the doublet. We applied this method using two doublet slip models and two endmember approaches: first dividing the region into 12 blocks surrounding the mainshock faults, and second performing 9,200 separate inversions offset by ~ 1 km. To obtain reliable results, we use the 3-D relationship rather than a common 2-D strike-slip simplification, define inversion regions that do not cross the main faults, and include only high-quality events a few km away from the main faults to avoid large heterogeneities in the co-seismic stress change. Deviatoric stresses are only a few percent of levels expected at seismogenic depths from Byerlee friction, except for regions near the doublet hypocenters where they are up to only ~ 7.5%. Our approach yields strong evidence for a very weak continental crust, which bears on earthquake and geodynamic modeling, as well as earthquake recurrence behavior and hazard, suggesting near-complete stress drops in the mainshock doublet and a low chance of imminent large slips there.
Development of Mussaenda frondosa sepal infused functional tea with enhanced antioxidant and alpha amylase inhibitory activities
Authors: Nafla M. F.F. , Kananke T. C. , Perera M. G.A.N.
Published: August 2024

Mussaenda frondosa (MF) is an edible species of the genus Mussaenda (Rubiaceae) that contains a wide array of medicinal compounds. The present study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and functional properties of the MF sepals, to develop a novel herbal tea with improved functional properties. Remarkably high antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activities were exhibited by water and ethanol extracts of MF, subsequent to their high phenolic and flavonoid contents. None of the extracts showed a toxicity, as evaluated by brine shrimp lethality assay. A tea was formulated by blending different proportions of dry sepals of MF with black tea. The sensory analysis showed a significantly high level of acceptancy for the formula that containing 40% MF (MFT-40) with augmented phenolic contents, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities. This study revealed the potential use of MF as a source for the development of new functional teas with enhanced health benefits.
Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics reveal the role of calcium sugar alcohol in the regulation of phenolic acid biosynthesis in Torreya grandis nuts
Authors: Xie Qiandan , Jiang Zhengchu , Yu Chenliang , Wang Qi , Dai Wensheng , Wu Jiasheng , Yu Weiwu
Published: August 2024

Background：Torreya grandis, a prominent tree species of the autochthonous subtropical region of China, possesses a drupe-like fruit containing a nut that is rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. However, the effect of calcium (Ca2+) sugar alcohol (CSA), a newly developed chelated Ca2+-fertilizer, on the secondary metabolism of phenolics in T. grandis nuts is largely unknown, for which transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis was carried out.
Results: Transcriptome sequencing detected 47,064 transcripts, and several phenolic acid biosynthesis pathway-related genes were identified. Correlation analysis showed that the four transcription factors, WRKY12, AP2-1, AP2-3, and AP2-4, were positively associated with the accumulation of phenolic acids. Furthermore, the binding of AP2-1 to the HCT promoter was confirmed using yeast one hybrid and dual-luciferase assays. Furthermore, the expression of HCT in Nicotiana enhanced the total flavonoid content.
Conclusions: Our results indicated that a new regulatory module, Ca2+–AP2–HCT, involved in the regulation of phenolic acid biosynthesis was revealed, expanding the understanding of the role of Ca2+ fertilizers in plant secondary metabolism.
Phytostabilisation of arsenic contaminated gold mine waste using the native species Juncus usitatus L.A.S Johnson, Poa labillardieri Steud and Themeda triandra Forssk
Authors: Besedin Julie A. , Khudur Leadin S. , Netherway Pacian , Krohn Christian , Juhasz Albert L. , Huslina Feizia , Besedin Darislav A. , Jansriphibul Kraiwut , Nahar Kamrun , Ball Andrew S.
Published: August 2024

Arsenic (As) contaminated gold mine waste represents a significant issue for ecosystem and human health, as it is a known carcinogen and environmental toxin. Bendigo in Victoria, Australia, has reported As concentrations up to 22,000 mg/kg, exceeding the national soil guidance values (100 mg/kg) by 220-fold. To reduce exposure and potential human health risk, remediation or risk management strategies are required. Traditional remediation, such as excavation and landfill, often fail to improve soil conditions and are expensive. Biological remediation using plants (phytoremediation) represents a cost-effective strategy that results in the restoration of soil function and ecosystem services. There is a need to identify native plants for phytoremediation as current research focuses on fern species, which are not suitable for Bendigo. This study aimed to identify a native by conducting a mesocosm experiment involving Juncus usitatus, Poa labillardieri, and Themeda triandra. Plants grew in mine waste for 100 days, all survived and bioaccumulated As in the roots (phytostabilisation). Poa labillardieri grew significantly more biomass (roots 0.24 ± 0.01 g; shoots 0.22 ± 0.03 g (d/w)) and bioaccumulated the most As (~100 mg/kg plant biomass). The bacterial community was investigated to assess soil health and As association. The rhizosphere microbiota stabilised after root colonisation for Poa labillardieri and Themeda triandra, as indicated by richness and evenness changes. The two dominant phyla were Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria, which displayed As tolerance. A keystone taxon, Latescibacterota, exhibited a positive relative association with As remediation. Poa labillardieri is a good candidate for future phytostabilisation trials.
Preparation and rheological properties of a hydrophobically associating viscoelastic polymer with temperature and salt resistance via reversed-phase emulsion polymerization
Authors: chen shanshan , Lai Xiaojuan , Di Yiliang , Wu Zekun , Li Haibin , Chen Jiali , Wang Lei , Wen Xin
Published: August 2024

In some reservoirs, groundwater or formation water is exposed to high salinity salt solution and high underground temperature conditions. In high salinity environments,traditional fracturing fluid are prone to salt crystallization, salt deposition and colloidal particle aggregation.Moreover, In high temperature environment, additives and colloids in traditional fracturing fluids may degrade, fail or denature, resulting in the degradation of the fracturing fluid performance. Most of the fracturing fluids studied to date cannot meet the performance requirements of temperature and salt resistance simultaneously while ensuring a low cost.To solve this problem,using acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), and the hydrophobic monomer allyl polyethylene glycol (APEG) as molecular skeletons, an associating viscoelastic polymer, p(AM/AA/AMPS/APEG), was prepared via inverse emulsion polymerization. The structure and morphology of the polymer were characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and laser particle size analysis, and its rheological properties, particularly thixotropy and viscoelasticity, were evaluated. The p(AM/AA/AMPS/APEG) solution showed the characteristics of a viscoelastic fluid, as well as good temperature resistance at 160°C and a concentration of 0.8 wt.%. The viscosity of p(AM/AA/AMPS/APEG) was 64.88 and 56.77 mPa·s after shearing in 20000 mg/L NaCl solution and CaCl2 solution for 1 h at 140°C and 170 s− 1, respectively. With increasing polymer concentration, the intermolecular association efficiency of the hydrophobic groups and the apparent viscosity of the solution increased. The p(AM/AA/AMPS/APEG) polymer exhibited good thixotropy, salt resistance, temperature resistance, and shear resistance. This hydrophobically associating polymer shows good application prospects in the development and utilization of unconventional oil and gas resources.
Acoustic response characteristics of damage and instability precursors of rocks with different lithologies
Authors: Wang Chuangye , Sui QingRui , Chang Xinke , Yan Yuhang , Zhu Huangjin , Guo Yu
Published: August 2024

Uniaxial compression and acoustic emission (AE) tests were conducted on sandstone, marble, and granite specimens to investigate the damage and instability precursors of rocks with different lithologies. The AE event rate, autocorrelation coefficient and variance of AE event rate, proportion of main frequency signals of each level of AE, r value, and proportion of two types of AE signals were analysed to determine the damage and instability precursors of rocks with different lithologies during the loading process. Studies have revealed that the size of a rock’s AE low event rate missing portion is consistent with the order of the elastic modulus and peak stress of granite, marble, and sandstone, corresponding to the severity of the rock fracturing. The autocorrelation coefficient and variance of the event rate suggest that the damage precursors of three types of rock occur earlier and last longer as the rock strength increases. The low-frequency AE signals of the three types of rocks converge to large values when the rock approaches instability and failure. It should be noted that granite experiences a downward shift in the mid-frequency band before it experiences instability. The proportion of low-frequency AE signals initially decreases and then increases when the specimen is about to become unstable. In addition, at medium and high frequencies, it initially increases and then decreases. This phenomenon becomes more pronounced as the rock strength increases. Immediately before rock instability occurs, the r value is high, and a large number of shear-like AE events occur inside the rock, exacerbating the internal failure of the rock. The proportion of single peak AE signals and bimodal AE signals fluctuates, but their evolutionary trend is opposite. The AE signal with a single peak is a precursor to the occurrence of critical instability. It initially increases and then quickly decreases.
Role of New Generation Implantable Loop Recorders in Managing Undiagnosed Pediatric Cardiac Symptoms
Authors: Agudo-Montore Pedro , Stuart Graham , Wilson Deirdre , Spentzou Georgia , Sidiqqui Rabeea , Corcia Maria Cecilia Gonzalez
Published: August 2024

Importance: Pediatric cardiac symptoms such as palpitations, syncope, or seizure-like episodes pose diagnostic challenges for general pediatricians. These symptoms, though often benign, may reveal underlying arrhythmias or inherited cardiac conditions (ICCs), affecting the quality of life and limiting activity participation. Purpose: To determine the effectiveness and safety of implantable loop recorders (ILRs) in diagnosing and managing arrhythmias in pediatric patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted over an 8-year period from January 2016 to December 2023 in a single pediatric cardiology center. A cohort of 155 pediatric patients (median age 11.4 years) who underwent ILR implantation, selected based on symptoms such as palpitations, chest pain, or syncope, and those with previously recorded arrhythmias or high-risk ICCs. The primary outcomes were the diagnostic yield of ILRs for arrhythmias and subsequent changes in patient management. Diagnostic yield was defined as the detection of relevant arrhythmias, such as pauses of 3 seconds or longer, high-degree AV block, sinus node dysfunction, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia or inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Results: The median follow-up period was 2.3 years (845 days). Diagnostic arrhythmias were recorded in 60% of patients with symptom-activated transmissions and 80% of device-activated transmissions. Sinus pauses (37.5%) and VT (30%) were the most common arrhythmias detected. In patients with syncope (n = 76), 30% had relevant arrhythmias. In the palpitations group (n = 20), 35% had relevant arrhythmias. Approximately 80% of patients with ILR-diagnosed arrhythmias underwent targeted management, including medication changes and additional procedures. No significant complications were observed; minor complications occurred in 2.5% of patients. Conclusions: New generation ILRs are effective and safe for diagnosing and managing pediatric arrhythmias, providing significant reassurance to patients and families. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of ILRs on quality of life and sports participation in high-risk young patients.
Apolipoprotein E is a novel marker for chondrocytes in the growth plate resting zone
Authors: Otsuru Satoru , Kodama Joe , Oichi Takeshi , Wilkinson Kevin , Abzug Joshua , Kaito Takashi , Iwamoto-Enomoto Motomi , Iwamoto Masahiro
Published: August 2024

The resting zone (RZ) in mammalian growth plates is critical for maintaining and regulating chondrocyte turnover during longitudinal bone growth as a control tower and stem cell reservoir. Although recent lineage tracing studies have identified several markers for stem cells in the RZ, these markers only partially label chondrocytes in the RZ, suggesting that the resting chondrocytes (RCs) are a heterogeneous population with different types of stem cells. Since a comprehensive marker for RCs is still lacking, the RZ is generally determined based on ambiguous histological criteria, such as small and round chondrocytes without columnar formation, which may lead to inconsistencies among researchers. Therefore, in this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of growth plate chondrocytes followed by validation by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to precisely annotate cell clusters in scRNAseq and search for a marker of RCs. The scRNAseq analysis revealed that apolipoprotein E (Apoe) was the top-hit gene, which was ubiquitously expressed in the RC cluster. FISH confirmed that Apoe was exclusively localized to the histologically defined RZ. In newly generated Apoe-mCherry knock-in mice, we further confirmed that mCherry expression mirrored the distribution of Apoe-expressing chondrocytes in the RZ particularly after the formation of the secondary ossification center. These mCherry+ RCs were slow cycling in vivo and exhibited stem cell properties both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, APOE was detected in human growth plate RCs. These findings suggest that Apoe is a novel pan-RC marker in both mouse and human growth plates.
Pressurized torrefaction of waste biomass to improve bio coal quality: Synergistic effect between animal waste and wood chips
Authors: Tshuma N. , Moyo L. B. , Mamvura T. A. , Simate G. , Danha G
Published: August 2024

Perennial global energy demands and the need to cut on emissions from fossil fuels has paved the way for alternative energy sources such as raw biomass and animal waste. In addition, there is limited research in deducing the impact of blending waste material to improve its characteristic properties using pressurized torrefaction. In this regard, this research explored the benefits of blending animal waste with wood chips to produce a bio-coal with improved properties. The process conditions investigated were temperature and pressure intervals of 200°C to 280°C and atmospheric pressure (AP) to 4MPa, respectively. The results showed that a positive adjustment in temperature and pressure improved the fixed carbon content of the blend almost threefold from 19.87–66.90% and the higher heating value (HHV) to 27.32MJ/kg from 13.90MJ/kg at mild torrefaction temperature of 280oC and gas pressure of 4MPa. Wood chips had an HHV of 27.00MJ/kg upon treatment due to the decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose which enhanced the thermal stability, fixed carbon content and calorific value. However, animal waste had the least incremental increase in HHV (16.45MJ/kg) due to a high initial content of volatile substances and moisture. Moreover, pressurized torrefaction facilitated the decomposition of cellulose at a lower temperature than the typical range of 315-400oC if conducted at atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the study showed that to overcome the drawbacks of having a lower fixed carbon and HHV for animal waste, blending animal waste with wood chips was effective in synthesizing bio-coal with improved properties like some coals.
Biopesticidal Properies of Heliotropium Indicum Leaf Extracts for Controlling Stored Grain Weevils
Authors: Adeniyi B. M , Kyenge B.A , Adah C. A , Kunle Ogumgbemi , Odeniyi T. A , Balogun D.A , Alejo A.O
Published: August 2024

The hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous leaf extracts of Heliotropium indicum were screened for their biopesticidal activity against the weevils of rice, sorghum and maize grains. Each extract demonstrated promising efficacy in causing mortality at various concentrations (0.01 g/ml, 0.02 g/ml, 0.04 g/ml, and 0.08 g/ml) 24–96 h postexposure. Among the extracts, the methanol extract emerged as the most effective, exhibiting the highest mortality rate of 96.67% at a concentration of 0.08 g/ml, 96 h after exposure, comparable to the standard insecticide (cypermethrin 2.5 E.C). In contrast, the negative control, consisting of untreated grains, showed 1.67% mortality rate for Sitophilus zeamais 72 h post-exposure, which could be attributed to natural death. Additionally, the methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts demonstrated mortality rates above 50%, reaching up to 90%, for Sitophilus zeamais. This level of effectiveness is similar to that of cypermethrin, indicating that Heliotropium indicum could be a valuable biopesticide for the postharvest management of stored grains. This study suggests the potential for these plant extracts to serve as natural alternatives to synthetic insecticides, offering a sustainable solution for pest control in stored grain protection. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive approach to utilizing multiple solvent extracts from a single plant species, highlighting the untapped potential of Heliotropium indicum in the development of eco-friendly biopesticides. This could pave the way for further investigations into other medicinal plants with similar properties, ultimately contributing to safer and more sustainable agricultural practices.
Integrating D-S Evidence Theory and Multiple Deep Learning Frameworks for Time Series Prediction of Air Quality
Authors: Feng Siling , Tang Le , Huang Mengxing , Wu Yuanyuan
Published: August 2024

Accurate prediction of air quality time series data is helpful to identify and warn air pollution events in advance. Although the current air quality prediction models have made some progress in improving the accuracy of prediction, due to the impact of specific pollutants or complex meteorological conditions, these models still have the problems of low prediction accuracy, robustness and generalization ability in univariate prediction. In order to solve these problems, this study proposes a framework that integrates D-S evidence theory and a variety of deep learning models. The air quality data of three representative cities with climate characteristics in China are obtained and five indicators on air pollutants are collected. The preprocessed data are divided by time length to form short-term, medium-term and long-term input data, and MLP, RNN, CNN, LSTM, BI-LSTM and GRU models are established respectively. By comparing the performance indicators of the six models, three most suitable models are selected to predict the short, medium and long-term data respectively. Taking the prediction results and reliability as the three evidence bodies of the theory, a fusion model based on D-S evidence theory is established. For the three performance indicators Mae, MSE and MAPE of the model, the best result of the fusion model increases the performance by 7.42\%, 4.25\% and 12.82\% compared with the sub optimal architecture. This shows that integrating D-S evidence theory and a variety of deep learning algorithms provides an effective method to accurately predict the long-term air quality level in most urban areas.
Harmonic Mean Cordial labeling of Some Special Graphs and Some Graphs Related to H-graph
Authors: Hathi Yesha M. , Javia Parth S. , Jariya Mahesh M. , Shukla Minal , Acharya Biswaranjan , Shah Mohd Asif , Mallik Saurav
Published: August 2024

All the graphs considered in this article are simple, connected and undirected. In this paper, we have proved the theorems on Harmonic Mean Cordial labeling 1 of switching of a vertex in a graph, duplication of a central vertex in a path, cycle, triangular snake graph, friendship graph, path union of a path and a cycle and at last, applications of HMC labeling in civil engineering, i.e., in building cable-stayed tied-arch bridges.
AMS Classification (2020): 05C78
Determination Of Selective Cytotoxicity From Ncb-0846 In The Treatment Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Harmantepe Ahmet Tarık , Dikicier Enis , Kocer Belma , Kazan Nur , Yigit Merve
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND
It was aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of NCB-0846 inhibition of TNIK, which is the activator kinase of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, on triple negative breast cancer at the molecular stage.
METHODS
MDA-MB-231 cells were used as triple negative breast cancer cell line and MCF-10A cells were used as control cell line. WST-1 analysis showed the cytotoxic effect of NCB-0846, Annexin V analysis showed its apoptotic effect, cell cycle analysis showed its effect on cell cycle, and Acridine Orange staining showed its effect on cell morphology. In addition, the effect of NCB-0846 on CTNNB1 (β-catenin) gene expression was demonstrated by RT-PCR analysis.
RESULTS
The viability rates in NCB-0846, MDA-MB-231 cells decreased significantly in a time and dose dependent manner (p < 0.01). The lowest viability rates for MDA-MB-231 cells were determined as 42,20% at the 3 µM dose after 72 hours of incubation. After 72 hours of incubation in MCF-10A cells, the viability rate was determined as 53,92% at 3 µM dose (p < 0.01). Apoptotic cell rates were determined as 60,5% and 39,33% for 3 µM NCB-0846 incubation in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10A cells, respectively. In the RT-PCR analysis, while the expression level of CTNNB1 was decreased in MDA-MB-231 cells, it was determined that it increased significantly in MCF-10A cells.
CONCLUSION
NCB-0846 was shown to induce apoptosis while inhibiting viability in MDA-MB-231 cells. Our results suggest that NCB-0846 may be a suitable candidate for cancer therapy, but further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to better understand its mechanisms of action.
Reproduction rate and microbial load of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (Pallas, 1766) fed on Chlorella sp. cultured on organic media
Authors: Melaku Solomon , Getahun Abebe , Mengestou Seyoum , Geremew Akewake , Belay Amha
Published: August 2024

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the culture performance and total microbial load of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus reared on microalgae Chlorella sp. cultured with a replacement of 50% of the standard Bolds’ Basal Medium (BBM) with poultry manure filtrate (POMF), sheep manure filtrate (SHMF), water hyacinth root compost filtrate (WHRCF), water hyacinth leaf compost filtrate (WHLCF), water hyacinth root and leaf compost filtrate (WHR + LCF) and a control treatment with 100% BBM. The results indicated that the POMF substituted culture of Chlorella sp. gave significantly highest cell density (1.83x108 cells mL− 1) followed by the 100% BBM culture (1.74x108 cells mL− 1) supporting 272 ± 6.4 and 122.2 ± 5.53 rotifers mL− 1 B. calyciflorus population, respectively. The SHMF culture gave the third highest Chlorella sp. density (5.94x107 cells mL− 1) and supports 83.4 ± 13.78 rotifers mL− 1 B. calyciflorus population. The three treatments with the compost filtrate of the different parts of water hyacinth gave the least Chlorella sp. cell density and B.calyciflorus population as well. In terms of the total viable bacterial count of B.calyciflorus cultured on the substitution of the different organic media indicated that B.calyciflorus cultured on 100% BBM and 50% POMF- based culture gave significantly lowest total bacterial counts of 6.9x106 ± 9.9x105 and 8.05x106 ± 4.94x105 CFU mL− 1, respectively while SHMF, WHR + LCF, WHLCF, WHRCF group showed higher total bacterial counts of 1.62x107 ± 2.83x105, 1.09x107 ± 7.78x105, 1.25x107 ± 7.07x104, 1.03x107 ± 7.07x104 CFU mL− 1, respectively in non-rinsed samples. Therefore, it can be concluded that 50% substitution the standard BBM media for Chlorella sp. culture with organic manures such as POMF can be a sustainable alternative to culture the rotifer B. calyciflorus for larval fish culture.
Factors Associated with Adequate Antenatal Care Use Among Women of Childbearing Age in Burkina Faso: Finding From the 2010 and 2021 Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Badolo Hermann , Bado Aristide Romaric , Bazié Herman , Bacyé Yisso Fidèle , Konseiga Romaine , Hien Hervé
Published: August 2024

Introduction: Antenatal care (ANC) is a critical determinant of maternal and infant well-being and is a reliable method for reducing maternal and infant mortality. This study aimed to determine individual, family and community factors associated with the ANC use in 2010 and 2021.
Method: The data used in this study is procured from the Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in Burkina Faso in 2010 and 2021. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyse factors associated with the use of prenatal care. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were estimated to assess the strength of associations, and 95% confidence intervals were used for significance testing. A proportion test was used to examine differences in ANC utilisation between 2010 and 2021 in Burkina Faso. The data were cleaned, coded and analysed using Stata version 16.1 software.
Results: In our study sample, 22.92% of the respondents in 2010 had adequate ANC use, compared to 46.34% in 2021. The results demonstrate the influence of the woman’s individual characteristics, the household and the community characteristics on the adequate ANC use in Burkina Faso. Regarding the woman’s individual characteristics, age, educational level, marital status, occupation and modern contraceptive methods use were significantly associated with adequate ANC use in 2010 and 2021. In terms of the woman's living environment, the household well-being quintile, the degree of exposure to the media and the region of residence were significantly associated with adequate prenatal care use in 2010 and 2021.
Conclusion: This study notes that Burkina Faso has made enormous progress in improving the coverage of prenatal care between 2010 and 2021, and indicates several factors influencing adequate ANC use. These factors, including individual, family and community factors. For optimal efficacy, interventions promoting the adoption of antenatal care services must take these outcomes into account.
Infrared Thermal Imaging for Assessing Human Perspiration and Evaluating Antiperspirant Product Efficacy
Authors: Subhash Hrebesh Molly , Ofoegbuna Tochukwu , Oliveira Abmael , Pierce Mark C. , Pillai Shyamala
Published: August 2024

In humans, perspiration plays a crucial role in the regulation of core body temperature. For the mode of action and product efficacy studies of antiperspirant products, objective evaluation of perspiration is very important for studying the physiology of sweat gland function and mechanisms determining the amount of sweat excreted onto the skin. Various approaches have been developed for human perspiration measurement and for the evaluation of antiperspirant efficacy, which include visual, instrumental, and gravimetric methods. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of infrared thermography as a multiscale imaging modality for the direct evaluation of sweat pore activation and for the quantification of sweat retention to assess the efficacy of antiperspirants.
Knowledge and awareness of undergraduate medical students regarding palliative care in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.
Authors: Bilal Zoha , Malik Muhammad Jawad Amin , Virwani Vikash , Khan Alyna , Waqar Muhammad Atif
Published: August 2024

Objectives:
To assess the knowledge and awareness of undergraduate medical students in Pakistan regarding palliative care. The study will evaluate their understanding of palliative care, their comfort in discussing it, and whether they plan to incorporate it into their future practice.
Study Design:
This cross-sectional online survey was circulated among undergraduate medical students across Pakistan.
Results:
The mean PaCKS score was 9.699 out of 13, with a standard deviation of 2.76. Prior knowledge of palliative care significantly improved the PaCKS score. Factors associated with higher prior familiarity included attending private institutions and having a higher mean monthly family income.
Conclusion:
Recognizing palliative care as a fundamental human right highlights the need for healthcare professionals to be proficient in its principles. Despite sociopolitical challenges in Pakistan, enhancing education for future physicians can improve awareness and access to palliative care. Given the increasing disease burden and benefits of early palliative care integration, incorporating it into undergraduate and postgraduate medical education is crucial. This ensures that healthcare providers have the necessary knowledge and skills from the outset. Collaborating with palliative care professionals in Pakistan can help contextualize the curriculum and ensure practical application, preparing future practitioners to deliver comprehensive care that meets global standards. Effective educational policies can significantly improve patient outcomes and advance palliative care access in Pakistan.
Spatial-frequency Attention-based Optical and Scene Flow with Cross-Modal Knowledge Distillation
Authors: Zhou Youjie , Jiao Runyu , Tao Zhonghan , Liang Xichang , Wan Yi
Published: August 2024

This paper studies the problem of multimodal fusion for optical and scene flow from RGB and depth images, or point clouds. Previous methods fuse multimodal information in “early-fusion” or “late-fusion” strategies, in which an attention mechanism is employed to address the problem of optical and scene flow estimation when RGB information is unreliable. Such attentive approaches either suffer from substantial computational and time complexities or lose the inherent characteristics of features due to downsampling. To address this issue, we propose a novel multimodal fusion approach named SFRAFT, which utilizes Fourier transform to build the spatial-frequency domain transformed self-attention and cross-attention. With the novel attentive mechanism, our approach can extract informative features more efficiently and effectively. We further enhance information exchange between the two modalities by incorporating multi-scale knowledge distillation. Experimental results on Flythings3D and KITTI show that our SFRAFT achieves the best performance with low computational and time complexity. We also prove the strong ability of our approach for flow estimation on our real-world dataset. We release the code and datasets at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12697968