bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Midyan Peninsula, northern Red Sea, Saudi Arabia: Seismic imaging and regional interpretation
Authors: Tubbs Robert E. , Fouda Hussein G. Aly , Afifi Abdulkader M. , Raterman Nickolas S. , Hughes Geraint W. , Fadolalkarem Yousuf K. 
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACT
The Midyan Peninsula of northwest Saudi Arabia offers an exceptional opportunity to observe a complex interplay of rifting, salt tectonics, and strike-slip faulting. Recently onshore 3-D, transition zone 2-D, and offshore 2-D seismic data have been acquired in the area. In addition, ongoing fieldwork and an active drilling program have provided new insights into the geologic history of the region. The initial stages of continental rifting began during the Early Oligocene (ca. 33 Ma) and often utilized pre-existing basement fault trends. The early syn-rift sedimentary record is typified by formation of deep half-grabens filled with thick wedges of primarily continental sediments, with lesser amounts of evaporitic and marine deposits.
Seismic data show a distinct break in deposition occurred ca. 21 Ma characterized by a persistent angular unconformity near the basin-bounding fault, before a shift to marine and offshore deposits of the Lower Miocene Burqan Formation. Post-Burqan a second angular unconformity termed the mid-clysmic event is evident away from the basin edge. This surface exhibits significant relief created by re-activation of older EW-trending faults and lower Maqna Group sediments display substantial thickening across these faults. Overall, the Maqna section transitions from normal marine sedimentation to more restricted basin conditions before being succeeded by the thick-layered evaporite sequence of the Mansiyah Formation.
Approximately 15–12 Ma active strike-slip faults appeared in the Red Sea and shifted the extension from rift normal to highly oblique directed at N15°–20°E, parallel to the Gulf of Aqaba. During this transition the composition of the rift-fill changed as well from basin-wide precipitates to thick siliciclastic wedges of the Ghawwas Formation. Seismic images of the Ghawwas show abrupt thickness changes and stratal geometries that date deposition as coincident with both the growth of Mansiyah Formation diapirs and the movement of a large detachment at the base of the Mansiyah.
Roughly five million years ago, organized seafloor spreading began in the southern Red Sea and strike-slip motion intensified as deformation began to focus along the Dead Sea/Aqaba strike-slip fault system. Adjacent to Midyan, a pull-apart basin in the Gulf of Aqaba has opened over 26 km perpendicular to the strike-slip system resulting in significant footwall uplift. The positive interference of the Aqaba/Dead Sea and Red Sea footwall uplifts has uniquely exposed the full syn-rift stratigraphic section from basement to Upper Miocene at Midyan, making the area an ideal locality for field studies. Presence of the complete Miocene section on the Aqaba shoulder uplift clearly indicates the uplift occurred after the Miocene. Salt-filled pull-apart basins in the same orientation as the Gulf of Aqaba are also observed on 3-D seismic data in the Ifal Basin.
Open versus closed mesogenetic systems in Cretaceous fluvial and tidal sandstones, Sirt Basin, Libya
Authors: Khalifa Muftah , Gasparrini Marta 
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACT
This study constrains factors controlling the distribution of diagenetic alteration and their impact on reservoir quality of the Cretaceous sandstones from the Al-Bayda Platform, located in the southern Sirt Basin (Libya). These factors include the presence of early cements as well as the influx of hot basinal brines. The studied samples come from two blocks in the Khalifa Field, which are dislocated by a major normal fault. The deep-burial (mesogenetic) alteration includes the partial to pervasive replacement of early (eogenetic) dolomite and calcite cements by ferroan-dolomite, ankerite and siderite, precipitation of grain-coating chlorite, and cementation by quartz overgrowths, barite and anhydrite, particularly in the downthrown block. The association of quartz overgrowths with barite suggests that deep burial was influenced by the influx of hot basinal brines through faults. Conversely, deep-burial alteration in braided fluvial deposits of the Nubian sandstones of the upthrown block include: illitization of eogenetic smectite, quartz cementation and formation of chlorite.
This study shows that deep burial of the studied sandstones did not occur in a closed system, but was affected by the influx of hot basinal brines through faults, which formed during basin rifting. This interpretation is supported by the relatively high homogenization temperatures (100–110°C; corrected to 110–125°C) of primary fluid inclusions within quartz overgrowths, which exceed the maximum burial temperatures experienced by the Cretaceous succession, and by the high salinity of these inclusions.
Calcareous nannofossil zonation and sequence stratigraphy of the Jurassic System, onshore Kuwait
Authors: Kadar Adi P. , Keyser Thomas De , Neog Nilotpaul , Karam Khalaf A. 
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the calcareous nannofossil zonation of the Middle and Upper Jurassic of onshore Kuwait and formalizes current stratigraphic nomenclature. It also interprets the positions of the Jurassic Arabian Plate maximum flooding surfaces (MFS J10 to J110 of Sharland et al., 2001) and sequence boundaries in Kuwait, and correlates them to those in central Saudi Arabia outcrops. This study integrates data from about 400 core samples from 11 wells representing a nearly complete Middle to Upper Jurassic stratigraphic succession. Forty-two nannofossil species were identified using optical microscope techniques. The assemblage contains Tethyan nannofossil markers, which allow application of the Jurassic Tethyan nannofossil biozones. Six zones and five subzones, ranging in age from Middle Aalenian to Kimmeridgian, are established using first and last occurrence events of diagnostic calcareous nannofossil species. A chronostratigraphy of the studied formations is presented, using the revised formal stratigraphic nomenclature.The Marrat Formation is barren of nannofossils. Based on previous studies it is dated as Late Sinemurian–Early Aalenian and contains Middle Toarcian MFS J10. The overlying Dhruma Formation is Middle or Late Aalenian (Zone NJT 8c) or older, to Late Bajocian (Subzone NJT 10a), and contains Lower Bajocian MFS J20. The overlying Sargelu Formation consists of the Late Bajocian (Subzone NJT 10b) Sargelu-Dhruma Transition, and mostly barren Sargelu Limestone in which we place Lower Bathonian MFS J30 near its base. The lower part of the overlying Najmah Formation consists of the Najmah Shale, which is subdivided into three subunits: (1) barren Najmah-Sargelu Transition, (2) Late Bathonian to Middle Callovian (lower Zone NJT 12) Lower Najmah Shale, and (3) Middle Callovian to Middle Oxfordian (upper Zone NJT 12 to NJT 13b) Upper Najmah Shale. Middle Callovian MFS J40 and Middle Oxfordian MFS J50 are positioned near the base and top of the Upper Najmah Shale. The upper part of the Najmah Formation is represented by the Late Oxfordian (Subzone NJT 13b) Najmah Limestone, and is overlain by the Kimmeridgian (Zone NJT 14) Jubaila Formation. Early Kimmeridgian MFS J60 and Late Kimmeridgian MFS J70 are positioned near the base and top of the Jubaila Formation. The positions of Late Jurassic MFS J80, J90 and J100 are not constrained by our biostratigraphic data and are positioned in the Gotnia Formation. The Upper Tithonian MFS J110 and the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary are positioned in the Makhul Formation.
Benthic Meiofaunal Diversity in Four Zones of Pichavaram Mangrove Forest, India
Authors: Punniyamoorthy Rengasamy , Murugesan Perumal , Mahadevan Gopalan , Sanchez Alberto 
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACTThe community structure of meiofauna was assessed relative to environmental parameters in four zones (non-mangrove, Avicennia zone, mixed zone, and Rhizophora zone) of Pichavaram Mangrove Forest, which is located along the southeast coast of India. Field sampling was carried out from June 2016–May 2017. The meiofaunal data were evaluated using univariate and multivariate statistics. The highest abundance of meiofauna (434 ind/10 cm−2) was recorded in the Rhizophora zone and the lowest (270 ind/10 cm−2) in the non-mangrove zone. A total of 62 species representing four meiofaunal groups were recorded, including 38 species of foraminifera, 12 species of nematodes, seven species of ostracods, and five species of harpacticoids. Diversity (Shannon H′) mostly ranged from 3–4, and was highest (3.86±0.26) in the Avicennia zone and averaged ∼3.3 in the other three zones. The Margalef richness index was ∼6 in the Avicennia and Rhizophora zones and ∼5 in the non-mangrove and mixed zones. The BIO-ENV and CCA analyses identified sediment texture and organic matter as key variables influencing the distribution of meiofauna, while % calcium carbonate, salinity, and sediment pH were also important. Monitoring studies of meiofaunal taxa may help elucidate their roles in coastal blue-carbon cycling and will also contribute to understanding how mangrove-associated habitats influence meiofaunal distributions.
Rarefied Air: Drilling for Helium in North America
Authors: Wright Blake 
Published: October 2021

Helium is one of the most abundant in advanced medical technologies such as MRIs, and in cryogenics, aerospace applications, and microchip manufacturing. It is also used to fill party balloons. It’s essential, expensive, and supplies are running low.
Helium is about 100 million times more abundant in one place—but that place is on the moon.
While trace amounts can even be found in the very air we breathe, the gas is difficult to find in commercial quantities, and those quantities are usually found as a byproduct of natural gas discoveries.
Historically, about 40% of the US supply of helium came from the Federal Helium Reserve, a US Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-operated storage reservoir, enrichment plant, and pipeline system near Amarillo, Texas. The reserve was set up in 1960 as a strategic repository so that BLM could supply crude helium to private helium refining companies, which in turn refined it and marketed it to consumers.
In the mid-1990s, Congress passed a bill to sell off a large part of the reserve’s supply to help pay off the facility’s debt, and effectively set in motion the federal government’s exit from the helium business. In 2013, BLM said it would begin auctioning off an increased percentage of the reserve annually as part of the bill. Last year, BLM announced the closure of the reserve.
At the time of the announcement, BLM Deputy Director for Policy and Programs William Perry Pendley said “now it is time for the US government to remove itself from the helium business and allow the private sector to further develop this industry to meet the supply needs of the United States, creating a sustainable economic model and jobs for Americans.”
BLM held its final crude helium auction in 2019, with the price rising 135%, from $119/Mcf a year earlier to $280/Mcf. Market pricing for helium is difficult to know. It is not a traded commodity, and pricing is normally based on long-term, confidential contracts. It’s a niche market that suffers from a lack of detailed analysis due in large part to the availability of its closely held data.
The helium industry shares many aspects of the oil and gas business. Commercial deposits are found via geological survey; then, once identified, drilling begins. Outside of the search and discovery, helium can also be a useful tool for those in the oil business. It can be used for leak detection and in specialized welding due to its inert properties and high heat transfer. Additionally, as the oil field moves more toward digitalization, storage of big data will need helium for the construction of storage drives and to keep server farms cool.

Swapping Hydrocarbons for Helium
As scientific developments advance, the need for helium increases—a notion not lost on Canada-based Avanti Energy. The company’s CEO Chris Bakker has more than 2 decades of experience in oil and gas, most recently working as a commercial negotiator with Encana/Ovintiv for major facilities and pipelines in the Montney gas play. Today, he and his team are looking for commercial helium deposits in southern Alberta and northern Montana.
Polymer Application in High-Water-Cut Wells Enhances Productivity in a Mature Field
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: October 2021

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 200957, “Application of Specially Designed Polymers in High-Water-Cut Wells: A Holistic Well-Intervention Technology Applied in Umm Gudair Field, Kuwait,” by Ali Abdullah Al-Azmi, SPE, Thanyan Ahmed Al-Yaqout, and Dalal Yousef Al-Jutaili, Kuwait Oil Company, et al., prepared for the 2020 SPE Trinidad and Tobago Section Energy Resources Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 29 June–1 July. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
A significant challenge faced in the mature Umm Gudair (UG) field is assurance of hydrocarbon flow through highly water-prone intervals. The complete paper discusses the field implementation of a downhole chemical methodology that has positively affected overall productivity. The treatment was highly modified to address the challenges of electrical-submersible-pump (ESP)-driven well operations, technical difficulties posed by the formation, high-stakes economics, and high water potential from these formations.

Field Background and Challenge
The UG field is one of the major oil fields in Kuwait (Fig. 1). The Minagish oolite (MO) reservoir is the main oil producer, contributing more than 95% of current production in the UG field. However, water cut has been increasing (approximately 65% at the time of writing). The increasing water cut in the reservoir is posing a major challenge to maintaining the oil-production rate because of the higher mobility of water compared with that of oil. The natural water aquifer support in the reservoir that underlies the oil column extends across the reservoir and is rising continuously. This has led to a decline in the oil-production rate and has prevented oil-producing zones from contributing effectively. The reservoir experiences water-coning phenomena, especially in high-permeability zones. Oil viscosity ranges from 2 to 8 cp, and hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide levels are 1.5 and 4%, respectively.
During recent years, water production has increased rapidly in wells because of highly conductive, thick, clean carbonate formations with low structural dip as well as some stratified formations. Field production may be constrained by the capacity of the surface facilities; therefore, increased water production has different effects on field operations.
The average cost of handling produced water is estimated to be between $5 billion and $10 billion in the US and approximately $40 billion globally. These volumes often are so large that even incremental modifications can have major financial effects. For example, the lift-ing cost of one barrel of oil doubles when water cut reaches 50%, increases fivefold at 80% water cut, and increases twenty-fold at 95% water cut.
Tetracycline Removal Enhancement With Fe-Saturated Nanoporous Montmorillonite in a Tripartite Adsorption/Desorption/Photo-Fenton Degradation Process
Authors: Chahardahmasoumi Shiva , Jalali Seyed Amir Hossein , Sarvi Mehdi Nasiri 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
The adsorption and photo-Fenton degradation of tetracycline (TC) over Fe saturated nanoporous montmorillonite was analyzed. The synthesized samples were characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and XRF analysis, and the adsorption and desorption of TC onto these samples as well as the antimicrobial activity of TC during these processes were analyzed at different pH. The results indicated that the montmorillonite is a great adsorbent for the separation of the TC from aqueous solutions, however, after increasing the amount of TC adsorbed, the desorption process started, and up to 50% of TC adsorbed onto non-modified montmorillonite was released back to the solution with almost no changes in its antimicrobial activity. After acid treatment (for creation of nanoporous layers) and Fe saturation of the montmorillonite, almost similar great separation was achieved compared to non-modified montmorillonite. In addition, the desorption of TC from modified montmorillonite was still high up to 40% of adsorbed TC. However, simultaneous adsorption and photodegradation of TC were detected and almost no antimicrobial activity was detected after 180 min of visible light irradiation, which could be due to the photo-Fenton degradation of TC on the modified montmorillonite surface. In the porous structures of modified montmorillonite high ˙OH radicals were created in the photo-Fenton reaction and were measured using the Coumarin technique. The ˙OH radicals help the degradation of TC as proposed in an oxidation process. Surprisingly, more than 90 % of antimicrobial activity of the TC decreased under visible light (after 180 min) when desorbed from nanoporous Fe-saturated montmorillonite compared to natural montmorillonite. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such a high TC desorption rate from an adsorbent with the least remained antimicrobial activity is reported which makes nanoporous Fe-saturated montmorillonite a perfect separation substance of TC from the environment.
Chlorothalonil induces metabolic syndrome in mice by regulating host gut microbiota and bile acids metabolism via FXR pathways
Authors: Meng Zhiyuan , Yan Sen , Sun Wei , Yan Jin , Teng Miaomiao , Jia Ming , Tian Sinuo , Li Ruisheng , Huang Shiran , Wang Yu , Chen Xiaojun , Zhou Zhiqiang , Zhu WenTao 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Background：The most commonly used organochlorine pesticide, chlorothalonil (CHI), is ubiquitous in a natural environment and poses many adverse effects to organisms. Unfortunately, the toxicity mechanisms of CHI have not been clarified yet.Results: This study found that the low-dose CHI based on acceptable daily intake (ADI) level could induce metabolic syndrome (MetS) in mice, including obesity, hepatic steatosis, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. In addition, exposure to low-dose CHI could induce an imbalance in the gut microbiota of mice, resulting in a significant increase in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Furthermore, the results of the antibiotic treatment and gut microbiota transplantation experiments showed that the low-dose CHI could induce MetS in mice in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. Based on the results of targeted metabolomics and gene expression analysis, the low-dose CHI could disturb the serum metabolism of bile acids (BAs) in mice, causing the inhibition of the signal response of BAs receptor farnesol X receptor (FXR) and leading to glycolipid metabolism disorders in liver tissue and epididymal white adipose tissue (epiWAT) of mice. The administration of FXR agonist GW4064 and CDCA could significantly improve the low-dose CHI-induced MetS in mice.Conclusions: In conclusion, the low-dose CHI was found to induce MetS in mice by regulating the gut microbiota and BAs metabolism via the FXR signaling pathway. This study provides evidence linking the gut microbiota and pesticides exposure with the progression of MetS, demonstrating the key role of gut microbiota in the toxic effects of pesticides.
Effect of Interventions for Non-Medical Emergency Transportation: A Systematic Review
Authors: Shekelle Paul G. , Begashaw Meron M. , Miake-Lye Isomi M. , Booth Marika , Myers Bethany , Renda Andrew 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Introduction: Transportation is an important social determinant of health. We conducted a systematic review of the associations on health and health care utilization of interventions aimed at reducing barriers to non-emergency transportation and non-medical transportation.Methods: We searched multiple databases and the gray literature through late January 2021. Included studies needed to assess an intervention targeted at non-emergency or non-medical transportation barriers, report missed (or kept) visits, health care utilization, costs, or health outcomes. Data extraction was performed in duplicate and included information about study design, results, and risk of bias. Primary outcomes were frequency of missed appointments, health care utilization, costs, and health outcomes. Synthesis was both narrative and meta-analytic using a random effects model. Results: 12 studies met inclusion criteria, 3 randomized trials, 1 controlled trial, and 8 observational studies. All included studies had some element of risk of bias. Populations studied usually had chronic or serious health conditions or were poor. Interventions included van rides, bus or taxi vouchers, ride-sharing services, and others. Meta-analysis of 7 studies (3 trials, 4 observational studies) yielded a pooled estimate of missed appointments = 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48, 0.83) favoring interventions. Evidence on cost, utilization, and health outcomes were too sparse to support conclusions. Evidence on the effect of non-medical transportation is limited to a single study.Conclusions and Relevance: Interventions aimed at non-emergency transportation barriers to access health care are associated with fewer missed appointments; the association with costs, utilization or health outcomes is insufficiently studied to reach conclusions.This review was registered in PROSPERO as ID CRD42020201875
The Feasibility of Applying Inferior Vena Cava Collapse Index to Guide the Use of Fluid Therapy in Neonates with Pulmonary Hemorrhage on Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: JIN HongJuan , LIU Xiaoyan , HUANG Ying 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Purpose. Explore the feasibility of applying Inferior Vena Cava Collapse Index (IVC-CI) in guiding the use of fluid therapy in neonates with Pulmonary Hemorrhage (PH) on mechanical ventilation. Construct a novel and non-invasive technique in accurately and dynamically assess the fluid volume of neonates.Methods. Cases met the diagnostical criteria of Pulmonary Hemorrhage (PH) admitted between July 2016 to June 2018 were reviewed and included into the Control Group for this study. Cases met the same said criteria between July 2018 and June 2020 were included into the Experimental Group. PHILIPS Bedside color Doppler ultrasound system was used in detecting and calculating the IVC-CI, which was later used for patients in experimental group to guide the practice of fluid therapy. A total of 54 cases were reviewed with 8 cases excluded for death during hospitalization. 24 cases were included into the control group, 22 cases were included into the experimental group.Results. Fluid intake volumes were recorded at 0-6th hours, 6th-24th hours and 24th-48th hours with the onset of PH as the initial observation point. For 22 patients in experimental group, the volumes were respectively (64±6) ml/Kg, (71±8) ml/Kg and (102±10) ml/Kg. In the control group, the volumes were (60±4) ml/kg, (93±4) ml/kg and (105±9) ml/kg, respectively. The P values of the two groups during the same time period were 0.013, 0.000, 0.361, suggesting the differences of fluid intake between the two groups during the first 6 hours and the following 18 hours after the onset of PH were of statistical significance.The time taken for the improvement of lactate concentration and oxygenation index for the experimental group were (26.4±6.7) h and (22.6±5.8) h, respectively. The time taken for the same two indexes to improve in the control group were (38.5±6.7) h and (27.0±5.0) h. P values for these two indexes between two groups were 0.015 and 0.009, suggesting statistically significant differences.Conclusion. Ultrasound guided IVC-CI measurement can dynamically evaluate volume status, guide fluid therapy in a targeted manner. A more responsive and selective fluid therapy achieved this way can alleviate the patients’ conditions quicker than traditional therapeutic approaches.