bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Petrobras Trims Drilling by Months With Software That Will One Day Automate Its Offshore Rigs
Authors: Jacobs Trent 
Published: September 2020

After 6 years of using its custom-built drilling advisory system, Brazilian oil and gas company Petrobras has become increasingly confident in the technology’s abilities to help prevent many of the complex problems that challenge pre-salt drilling operations.
Between the summer of 2014 and the end of 2019, the company credits the software innovation with the prediction of more than 100 drilling issues ranging from stuckpipe events to drillpipe leaks. Petrobras said the early warnings prevented an additional 150 days of deepwater drilling which amounts to $130 million in savings, in a new paper (SPE 199077) published in July during the SPE Virtual Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference.
André Leibsohn Martins, a senior consultant with Petrobras, emphasized that the headline figure is “only from diagnosis” of drilling problems and does not include gains Petrobras has made in terms of optimizing the drilling process. More details on that front may be forthcoming since he said the operator is expanding the capabilities of the software to launch a full-fledged drilling optimization campaign next year.
The next stop on the roadmap will be a fully automated system that will control the company’s drilling operations. Martin said the current monitoring-and-advisory system outlined in the paper he coauthored with several colleagues represents “the brain” of that system. “We have all the tools and the methods to create the logics for automated drilling, which will come in the very near future,” he said.
A Long Time Coming
As much as it portends what is to come, the paper also serves as a reminder that the digital transformation of the oil and gas industry is not so new.
The groundwork to create the current advisory system was laid in 2004, 2 years before Petrobras’ first pre-salt discovery was made in the Lula Field of the Santos Basin which produced over 1 million B/D in 2019. Today, virtually all the company’s wells are drilled in the challenging pre-salt reservoirs with the assistance of the software.
Speaking to the past, Martin reflected on the drivers that led to the current iteration. Chief among them was the need to address the misuse of real-time drilling data. “We had a lot of sensors, and we are paying for the sensors, and we had to rely on subjective decisions based on personal experience,” he explained. After acknowledging this as a performance limiter, “we started to think about the digital twin and how we would implement that.”
Other problems Petrobras faced when the project kicked off last decade included the fact that the rank and file on its deepwater rigs were young and therefore lacked the experience to catch drilling issues early on. These factors, on top of the high cost and risks of deepwater exploration, committed Petrobras to what is now a 16-year journey to realize the benefits of digitization.
Oil’s Wisdom Heats Up Drive for Geothermal Energy
Authors: Wilson Adam 
Published: September 2020

Oil and gas are not the only things in the ground that can power our lives. Heat in the form of geothermal energy is rapidly taking its place alongside other sources of renewable energy, buoyed by the lessons learned from decades of drilling for oil.
“Geothermal is this fantastic resource,” said Susan Hamm, director at the Geothermal Technologies Office in the US Department of Energy. “It’s an always-on renewable energy resource that harnesses the Earth’s natural heat. It improves domestic energy security and flexibility.” These benefits and challenges are the basis of the Geo Vision report (https://www.energy.gov/eere/ geothermal/geovision) created by the Energy Department.
Hamm, along with Tim Latimer, the cofounder and chief executive officer of Fervo Energy, a company working on geothermal energy, and Aparna Raman, president of reservoir performance at Schlumberger, spoke during the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference.
Hamm and Latimer laid out the benefits of geothermal sources of energy beyond its renewability. “It provides dispatchable baseload power,” Hamm said. “And this dispatchable nature is really key. You can turn it on, you can turn it off. You can turn it up, you can turn it down.”
“It not only produces clean power,” Latimer added, “it does it around the clock, 24/7. It’s a fantastic complement to wind and solar resources to decarbonize the hardest parts of the electric grid.”
Hamm mentioned that geothermal complements wind and solar by being widely available, pointing out that geothermal sources are available across the United States (Fig. 1). She also touted geothermal’s reliability, saying that, while solar can provide energy 20% of the time and wind 45% of the time, geothermal sources can provide energy more than 90% of the time.
“In order to have a geothermal resource, you need to have three things,” Hamm said. “You need to have heat at depth, which we’ve already shown is everywhere, just in differing amounts. You need to have a fluid in the subsurface, and you need to have pathways for that fluid to move around to get the heat so you can get it back out.” An enhanced geothermal system (EGS) is a system wherein one or more of those aspects is created where it did not previously exist. “You either fracture the subsurface or you add water, or you do both in order to be able to recover that stranded heat.”
Latimer, who began his career as a drilling engineer, turned toward geothermal sources after working in the Eagle Ford shale, where high temperatures were a problem to be solved. In solving the high-temperature problem, he said cues were taken often from the geothermal industry.
Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves growth and antioxidant function in dairy calves before weaning
Authors: Liu Wenhui , La A La Teng Zhu , Evans Alexander , Gao Shengtao , Yu Zhongtang , Bu Dengpan , Ma Lu 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: There is increasing research interest in using short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) in liquid feeds (milk, milk replacer, and the mixture of both) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and serum antioxidant capacity and immunoglobins in dairy calves before weaning. Forty healthy female Holstein calves (4-day-old; 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were housed in individual hutches and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (n = 10 per group) using the RAND analysis method in Excel. The control group was fed no SB (SB0), while the other three groups were supplemented with 15 (SB15), 30 (SB30), or 45 (SB45) g per day of SB mixed into liquid feeds offered. The calves were initially fed milk only (days 2 to 20), a mixture of milk and milk replacer (days 21 to 23), and then milk replacer only (days 24 to 60). Results: The SB supplementation enhanced growth and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group，and the average body gain had a tendency to increase linearly with increasing SB supplementation with a quadratic dose effect. No significant effect on rumen pH; concentrations of NH3-N, individual and total VFAs; or acetate: propionate (A:P) ratio was found during the whole experimental period. Serum glutathione peroxidase activity increased linearly with the increased SB supplementation, and the serum concentration of maleic dialdehyde linearly decreased as the SB supplementation amount increased. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, or immunoglobulin M were not affected by the SB supplementation during the whole experimental period. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, SB supplementation improved growth performance and antioxidant ability in pre-weaned dairy calves. We recommended 45 g per day as the optimal level of SB supplementation mixed into liquid feeds (milk or milk replacer) to improve the growth and antioxidant function of dairy calves before weaning.
Uterine Transcriptome Analysis Reveals mRNA Expression Changes Associated with the Ultrastructure Differences of Eggshell in Young and Aged Laying Hens
Authors: Feng Jia , Zhang Hai-jun , Wu Shu-geng , Qi Guang-hai , Wang J. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Lower eggshell quality in the late laying period leads to economic loss. It is a major threat to the quality and safety of egg products. Age-related variations in ultrastructure were thought to induce this deterioration. Eggshell formation is a highly complex process under precise regulation of genes and biological pathways in uterus of laying hens. Herein, we evaluated the physical, mechanical and ultrastructure properties of eggshell and conducted RNA sequencing to learn the transcriptomic differences in uterus between laying hens in the peak (young hens) and late phase (aged hens) of production.Results: The declined breaking strength and fracture toughness of eggshell were observed in aged hen group compared to those in young hen group, accompanied with ultrastructure variations including the increased thickness of mammillary layer and the decreased incidence of early fusion. During the initial stage of eggshell formation, a total of 183 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 125 upregulated and 58 downregulated) were identified in uterus of laying hens in the late phase in relative to those at peak production. The DEGs annotated to Gene Ontology terms related to antigen processing and presentation were downregulated in aged hens compared to young hens. The contents of proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β in uterus were higher in aged hens relative to those in young hens. Besides, the genes of some matrix proteins potentially involved in eggshell mineralization, such as ovalbumin, versican and glypican 3, were also differentially expressed between two groups.Conclusions: Altered gene expression of matrix proteins along with the compromised immune function in uterus of laying hens in the late phase of production may conduce to age-related impairments of eggshell ultrastructure and mechanical properties. The current study enhances our understanding of the age-related deteriorations in eggshell ultrastructure and provides potential targets for improvement of eggshell quality in the late laying period.
Distinct microbial assemblages associated with genetic selection for high- and low- muscle yield in rainbow trout
Authors: Chapagain Pratima , Walker Donald , Leeds Tim , Cleveland Beth M , Salem Mohamed 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background Fish gut microbial assemblages play a crucial role in the growth rate, metabolism, and immunity of the host. We hypothesized that the gut microbiota of rainbow trout was correlated with breeding program based genetic selection for muscle yield. To test this hypothesis, fecal samples from 19 fish representing an F2 high-muscle genetic line (ARS-FY-H) and 20 fish representing an F1 low-muscle yield genetic line (ARS-FY-L) were chosen for microbiota profiling using the 16S rRNA gene. Significant differences in microbial population between these two genetic lines might represent the effect of host genetic selection in structuring the gut microbiota of the host. Results Tukey’s transformed inverse Simpson indices indicated that high muscle yield genetic line (ARS-FY-H) samples have higher microbial diversity compared to those of the low muscle yield genetic line (ARS-FY-L) (LMM, c2(1) =14.11, p<0.05). The fecal samples showed statistically distinct structure in microbial assemblages between the genetic lines (F1,36= 4.7, p<0.05, R2=11.9%). Functional profiling of bacterial operational taxonomic units predicted characteristic functional capabilities of the microbial communities in the high (ARS-FY-H) and low (ARS-FY-L) muscle yield genetic line samples. Conclusion The significant differences of the microbial assemblages between high (ARS-FY-H) and low (ARS-FY-L) muscle yield genetic lines indicate an effect of genetic selection on the microbial diversity of the host. The functional composition of taxa demonstrates a correlation between bacteria and improving the muscle accretion in the host, probably, by producing various metabolites and enzymes that might aid in digestion. Further research is required to elucidate the mechanisms involved in shaping the microbial community through host genetic selection.
Identifying the know-do gap in evidence-based neonatal care practices among informal health care providers—A cross-sectional study from Ujjain, India
Authors: Mungai Isaac Gikandi , Baghel Sumit Singh , Soni Suchi , Vagela Shailja , Sharma Megha , Diwan Vishal , Tamhankar Ashok J. , Lundborg Cecilia Stålsby , Pathak Ashish 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: More than a quarter of global neonatal deaths are reported from India, and a large proportion of these deaths are preventable. However, in the absence of robust public health care systems in several states in India, informal health care providers (IHCPs) with no formal medical education are the first contact service providers. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of IHCPs in basic evidence-based practices in neonatal care in Ujjain district and investigated factors associated with differences in levels of knowledge.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire with multiple-choice questions covering the basic elements of neonatal care. The total score of the IHCPs was calculated. Multivariate quantile regression model was used to look for association of IHCPs knowledge score with: the practitioners’ age, years of experience, number of patients treated per day, and whether they attended children in their practice.Results: Of the 945 IHCPs approached, 830 (88%) participated in the study. The mean±SD score achieved was 22.3±7.7, with a median score of 21 out of maximum score of 48. Although IHCPs could identify key tenets of enhancing survival chances of neonates, they scored low on the specifics of cord care, breastfeeding, vitamin K use to prevent neonatal hemorrhage, and identification and care of low-birth-weight babies. The practitioners particularly lacked knowledge about neonatal resuscitation, and only a small proportion reported following up on immunizations. Results of quantile regression analysis showed that more than 5 years of practice experience and treating more than 20 patients per day had a statistically significant positive association with the knowledge score at higher quantiles (q75th and q90th) only. IHCPs treating children had significantly better scores across quantiles accept at the highest quantile (90th). Conclusions: The present study highlighted that know-do gap exists in evidence-based practices for all key areas of neonatal care tested among the IHCPs. The study provides the evidence that some IHCPs do possess knowledge in basic evidence-based practices in neonatal care, which could be built upon by future educational interventions. Targeting IHCPs can be an innovative way to reach a large rural population in the study setting and to improve neonatal care services.
Glucose-lactose mixture feeds in industry-like conditions: a gene regulatory network analysis on the hyperproducing Trichoderma reesei strain&nbsp;Rut-C30
Authors: Pirayre Aurélie , Duval Laurent , Blugeon Corinne , Firmo Cyril , Perrin Sandrine , Jourdier Etienne , Margeot Antoine , Bidard Frédérique 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: The degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose molecules into simpler sugars such as glucose is part of the second generation biofuel production process. Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates is usually performed by enzymes produced and secreted by the fungus Trichoderma reesei . Studies identifying transcription factors involved in the regulation of cellulase production have been conducted but no overview of the whole regulation network is available. A transcriptomic approach with mixtures of glucose and lactose, used as a substrate for cellulase induction, was used to help us decipher missing parts in the network of T. reesei Rut-C30.Results: Experimental results on the Rut-C30 hyperproducing strain confirmed the impact of sugar mixtures on the enzymatic cocktail composition. The transcriptomic study shows a temporal regulation of the main transcription factors and a lactose concentration impact on the transcriptional profile. A gene regulatory network built using BRANE Cut software reveals three sub-networks related to iq a positive correlation between lactose concentration and cellulase production, iiq a particular dependence of the lactose onto the β-glucosidase regulation and iiiq a negative regulation of the development process and growth.Conclusions: This work is the first investigating a transcriptomic study regarding the effects of pure and mixed carbon sources in a fed-batch mode. Our study expose a co-orchestration of xyr1 , clr2 and ace3 for cellulase and hemicellulase induction and production, a fine regulation of the β-glucosidase and a decrease of growth in favor of cellulase production. These conclusions provide us with potential targets for further genetic engineering leading to bettercellulase-producing strains in industry-like conditions.
The IL-6 rs12700386 polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee in the Chinese Han population: a case-control study
Authors: Yang Hui , Zhou Xindie , Xu Dongmei , Chen Gang 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: This case-control study aims to examine the association between the Interleukin-6 (IL-6) rs12700386 polymorphism and the increased risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee in the Chinese Han population.Methods: We extracted DNA from 763 subjects (352 OA patients and 411 healthy controls). The relative expression levels of IL-6 in blood samples of patients with knee OA was determined by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for genotyping the IL-6 gene polymorphism.Results: We found that the IL-6 polymorphism rs12700386 enhanced patient susceptibility to developing knee OA. Based on a subgroup analysis, the risk of developing knee OA was elevated in smokers, drinkers, and subjects ≥ 55 years old or with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. The combination of smoking, drinking, and having the rs12700386 genotype led to an increase in the risk of developing knee OA, indicating that an underlying interaction between gene and environment exists. The rs12700386 genotype was found to be correlated with an increase in IL-6 expression. We also found that IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the CC genotype compared to the GG genotype carriers in OA patients.Conclusion: These data suggest that the rs12700386 polymorphism in the IL-6 gene leads to an increase in the risk of knee OA in Chinese Han individuals.
Tubeless Uniportal Thoracoscopic Wedge Resection with Modified Air Leak Test and Chest Tube Drainage
Authors: Liu Zhengcheng , Yang Rusong , Sun Yang 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: To investigate whether tubeless uniportal thoracoscopic wedge resection with modified air leak test and chest tube drainage has better short-term outcomes than non-intubated approach with chest tube drainage.Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from January 2017 and December 2019. Tubeless group included 55 patients with pulmonary nodules underwent tubeless uniportal thoracoscopic wedge resection, 211 patients underwent non-intubated uniportal thoracoscopic wedge resection with chest tube drainage were included in drainage group. Peri-operative outcomes between two groups were compared. Results: After 1:1 matching, 110 patients remained for analysis, baseline demographic and clinical variables were comparable between the two groups. Mean incision size was 3 cm in both group. Mean operative time was 59.3 minutes in tubeless group and 52.8 minutes in drainage group. The detectable mean lowest SpO2 and mean peak EtCO2 during operation was acceptable in both groups. Conversion to intubated ventilation or thoracotomy was not required. No patient failed the air leak test and did not undergo a tubeless procedure. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 1.5 days in tubeless group and 2.5 days in drainage group. Residual pneumothorax or subcutaneous emphysema was not frequent and mild in tubeless group. Side effects were rare and mild, including cough and hemoptysis. No re-intervention or readmission occurred. The postoperative VAS score was significantly lower in tubeless group.Conclusions: Tubeless uniportal thoracoscopic wedge resection with modified air leak test and chest tube drainage is feasible and safe for selected patients with peripheral pulmonary nodules, it might reduce post-operation pain and lead to faster recovery.
Molecular Screening of PROKR2 Gene in Girls with Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty.
Authors: Aiello Francesca , Cirillo Grazia , Cassio Alessandra , Mase Raffaella Di , Tornese Gianluca , Umano Giuseppina Rosaria , Giudice Emanuele Miraglia del , Grandone Anna 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2) loss of function mutations have been described as cause of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. In 2017 a first case of central precocious puberty (CPP) caused by PROKR2 heterozygous gain of function mutation was described in a 3.5-year-old girl. No other cases have been reported yet. This study performs a molecular screening in girls with early onset CPP (breast budding before 6 years of age) in order to identify possible alterations in PROKR2. Methods: We analyzed DNA of 31 girls with idiopathic CPP diagnosed via basal LH levels >0.3 IU/L or peak-LH>5IU/L after stimulation, negative for MKRN3 mutations. The Fisher exact test was used to compare allele frequency of polymorphism found to genome aggregation database (gnomAD).Results: No rare variants were identified. Five polymorphisms were found (rs6076809, rs8116897, rS3746684, rs3746682, rs3746683). All except one (i.e. rs3746682) had a minor allele frequency similar to that reported in literature. rs3746682 presented a minor allele frequency higher than described in the gnomAD (0.84 in our population vs 0.25 from gnomAD). Conclusions: As for other G-protein-coupled receptors (i.e. GPR54), mutations in PROKR2 do not seem to be a frequent cause of CPP in girls.
Adsorbed Leucaena protein on citrate modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and its application as magnetic coagulant
Authors: Kristianto Hans , Reynaldi Edwin , Prasetyo Susiana , Sugih Asaf K 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Natural coagulants from plants resources have gained a lot of attention as it is renewable, biodegradable, non-hazardous, lower cost, and less sludge generated compared to chemical coagulants. However there are still some drawbacks, namely long settling time and possible increase of dissolved organic carbon in the treated water. In this paper we tried to address these drawbacks by utilizing citrate modified Fe3O4 to adsorb protein from Leucaena leucocephala as the active coagulating agent. The effect of trisodium citrate concentration and protein adsorption pH to the adsorbed protein was investigated. It was found that the trisodium citrate concentration of 0.5 M and pH 4.0 gave the highest protein adsorption. The obtained magnetic coagulant was furthermore characterized using SEM, XRD, FTIR, and TEM, to observe the characteristics before and after protein adsorption. Furthermore the effect of pH (2.0 to 10.0) and coagulant dosage (60 to 600 mg L-1) to the removal of synthetic Congo red wastewater and sludge volume formation was investigated. It was found that pH 3.0 was the best pH for coagulation due to charge neutralization mechanism of leucaena protein. Furthermore the highest removal was obtained at dosage 420 mg L-1 with 80% removal. This result was comparable with crude extract of leucaena with half settling time (20 min) and lower increase of permanganate value, indicating lower increase of dissolved organics in the treated water.