Immense Economic Value Research Articles

Prediction of Cretaceous reservoir zone through petrophysical modeling: Insights from Kadanwari gas field, Middle Indus Basin

This study involved an interpretation of wire-line logs in assessing the hydrocarbon capacity of the sandstone reservoir within the gas fields of Kadanwari, Sindh, Pakistan. Wire-line logs from four wells (KD-01, KD-03, KD-10 and KD-11) were used in our research and provided interpretation for thirteen reservoir zones. Reservoir analyses were done for effective porosity (ϕeff), shale content (Vsh), net pay thickness variations, water saturation, and hydrocarbon (Sw and Shc). Hydrocarbon-bearing zones consist of high values of resistivity, permeability, porosity, low water saturation content, and less shale content, indicating the presence of clean sand. The Thomas Stieber model findings show that in lower Goru sand, the laminated form of shale distribution persists. Sub-reservoirs’ petrophysical parameters were analyzed and ranked into a good sand reservoir quality (having ϕeff ∼0.11-0.44%), permeability (∼10.539-477.76 mD), hydrocarbon saturation (having Shc ∼0.59-0.86%), and water saturation (having Sw ∼0.18-0.45%). In the current research Indonesian model has been used to test for water saturation over a shaly-sand reservoir situated in a heterogeneous zone. It was observed that each well exhibited Sw at values lesser than 60%. This is indicative the selected zone has a hydrocarbon potential, and the hydrocarbons are of good quality. Isoparametric maps and crossplots of litho-saturation results reveal variations in the horizontal and vertical petrophysical parameters of the reservoir. The subsurface reservoir geographical distribution is visualized employing isoparametric maps. The fuel treasure in the southwestern section of the study area is enormous, as revealed by the petrophysical investigations, suggesting more well-drilling prospects in the gas fields of the lower Goru Formation situated in Kadanwari. Our research identified a quality hydrocarbon hotspot zone of immense economic value in Southern Kadanwari. In contrast, more research is needed regarding the northeastern section though our present findings suggest the northeastern section should be avoided because of excess shale and high-water concentrations.

PH variability at volcanic CO2 seeps regulates coral calcifying fluid chemistry.

Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems with immense ecological, economic and cultural value, but globally their carbonate-based skeletal construction is threatened by ocean acidification (OA). Identifying coral species that have specialised mechanisms to maintain high rates of calcification in the face of declining seawater pH is of paramount importance in predicting future species composition, and growth of coral reefs. Here, we studied multiple coral species from two distinct volcanic CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea to assess their capacity to control their calcifying fluid (CF) chemistry. Several coral species living under conditions of low mean seawater pH, but with either low or high variability in seawater pH, were examined and compared with those living in 'normal' (non-seep) ambient seawater pH. We show that when mean seawater pH is low but highly variable, corals have a greater ability to maintain constant pHcf in their CF, but this characteristic was not linked with changes in abundance. Within less variable low pH seawater, corals with limited reductions in pHcf at the seep sites compared with controls tended to be more abundant at the seep site than at the control site. However, this finding was strongly influenced by a single species (Montipora foliosa), which was able to maintain complete pHcf homeostasis. Overall, although our findings indicate that there might be an association between ecological success and greater pHcf homeostasis, further research with additional species and at more sites with differing seawater pH regimes is required to solidify inferences regarding coral ecological success under future OA.

The wild ancestors of domestic animals as a neglected and threatened component of biodiversity.

Domestic animals have immense economic, cultural, and practical value and have played pivotal roles in the development of human civilization. Many domesticates have, among their wild relatives, undomesticated forms representative of their ancestors. Resurgent interest in these ancestral forms has highlighted the unclear genetic status of many, and some are threatened with extinction by hybridization with domestic conspecifics. We considered the contemporary status of these ancestral forms relative to their scientific, practical, and ecological importance; the varied impacts of wild-domestic hybridization; and the challenges and potential resolutions involved in conservation efforts. Identifying and conserving ancestral forms, particularly with respect to disentangling patterns of gene flow from domesticates, is complex because of the lack of available genomic and phenotypic baselines. Comparative behavioral, ecological, and genetic studies of ancestral-type, feral, and domestic animals should be prioritized to establish the contemporary status of the former. Such baseline information will be fundamental in ensuring successful conservation efforts.

Toward a Secure and Usable User Authentication Mechanism for Mobile Passenger ID Devices for Land/Sea Border Control

Nowadays the critical sector of transport becomes progressively more dependent on digital technologies to perform essential activities and develop novel efficient transport services and infrastructure to empower economic and social cohesion exploiting the economic strengths of the European Union (EU). However, although the continuously increasing number of visitors, entering the EU through land-border crossing points or seaports, brings immense economic value, novel border control solutions, such as mobile devices for passenger identification for land/sea border control, are essential to precisely identify passengers “on the fly” ensuring their comfort. Nevertheless, these devices are expected to handle highly confidential personal data and thus, it is very likely to become an attractive target to malicious actors. Therefore, to ensure high level of device security without interrupting border control activities, strong secure and usable user authentication mechanisms are required. Towards this direction, we, firstly, discuss risk-based and adaptive authentication for mobile devices as a suitable approach to deal with the security vs. usability challenge and a novel risk-based adaptive user authentication mechanism is proposed to address this challenge. Afterwards, a set of popular Machine Learning (ML) classification algorithms for risk-based authentication was tested and evaluated on the HuMIdb (Human Mobile Interaction database) dataset to identify the most appropriate ones for the proposed mechanism. The evaluation results demonstrated impact of overfitting (i.e., accuracy: 1,0000) and therefore, we considered novelty detection algorithms to overcome this challenge and demonstrate high performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that novelty detection algorithms have been considered for risk-based adaptive user authentication showing promising results (OneClassSVM 0,9536, LOF 0,9740, KNN_average 0,9998).

Effects of dietary Astragalus Membranaceus supplementation on growth performance, and intestinal morphology, microbiota and metabolism in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

A large number of studies have indicated that Astragalus Membranaceus (AM) possesses growth-promoting effects in animal husbandry. However, the function of AM in common carp growth performance has not meant fully evaluated. In this work, to investigate the potential effects of AM and Lactobacillus plantarum-fermented AM (FAM) on growth performance, intestinal function, and intestinal microenvironment of common carp, fish with an average weight of 10.10 ± 0.25 g were divided into seven groups, and fed daily with an additive-free basal diet (BD); 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4% (w/w) of AM (L-AM, M-AM, and H-AM); 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4% (w/w) of FAM (L-FAM, M-FAM and H-FAM) for an eight-week period. The results showed that incorporating L-AM or L-FAM in the diet significantly increased (P < 0.05) the final weight, weight gain ratio, and specific growth rate compared with the BD group, but significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the feed conversion ratio. In L-AM and L-FAM groups, the villus height was considerably increased (P < 0.05), and crypt depth remained unaffected. L-AM and L-FAM both changed the abundance of intestinal microbiota with strikingly different dominant microbiota. Dietary L-FAM supplementation increased the abundance of Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, Cyanobacteria, TM7, WS3, Chlamydiae, TM6, Fusobacteria, Spirochaetes, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, [Thermi], and Nitrospirae, whereas decreased Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria abundances. Intestinal metabolome analyses demonstrated that L-AM altered metabolic composition and function, which were linked to immunity and host metabolism. Furthermore, L-FAM showed superior beneficial metabolic effects than L-AM in fish. On growth performance improvement and intestinal microenvironment modulation, dietary L-FAM supplementation was superior to AM in common carp. We speculate that L-FAM may improve the intestinal morphology and microenvironment, which strengthens the growth of fish. In addition, FAM might be promising antibiotics’ alternatives for promoting fish growth and controlling pathogens that has immense economic value in aquaculture.

Geopolitics of Chabahar Port for Iran, India and Afghanistan

In January 2016, Iran, India and Afghanistan signed a trilateral economic agreement on developing the Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran. This project holds immense economic and geopolitical value for both Iran and India. Chabahar, as Iran’s first deep water port, connects it to oceanic trade routes. This helps Iran to mitigate US sanctions and sustain trade relations with neighbours and independent states such as India. For India, Chabahar is the key point of the ‘International North–South Transport Corridor’, an ambitious project connecting India to Central Asia and Europe. The article analyses the geostrategic, economic and trade-related importance of Chabahar port from both Iranian and Indian perspectives. This Iranian–Indian trade co-operation is considered a strategic alternative, if not a rival, to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), whose key point is the Gwadar port in Pakistan, next door to Chabahar.

Genetic diversity of Indian garlic core germplasm using agro-biochemical traits and SRAP markers.

The characterization of garlic germplasm improves its utility, despite the fact that garlic hasn't been used much in the past. Garlic has an untapped genetic pool of immense economic and medicinal value in India. Hence, using heuristic core collection approach, a core set of 46 accessions were selected from 625 Indian garlic accessions based on 13 quantitative and five qualitative traits. The statistical measures (CV per cent, CR per cent, VR per cent) were used to sort the core set using Shannon-Wiener diversity index and the Nei diversity index. In addition, the variation within the core set was tested for 18 agro-morphological and six biochemical characteristics (allicin, phenol content, pyruvic acid, protein, allyl methyl thiosulfinate (AMTHS), and methyl allyl thiosulfinate (MATHS)). Further study of the core set's molecular diversity was performed using sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers, which revealed a wide range of diversity among the core set's accessions, with an average polymorphism efficiency (PE) of 80.59 percent, polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.29, effective multiplex ratio (EMR) of 3.51, and marker index (MI) of 0.99. The findings of this study will be useful in identifying high-yielding, elite garlic germplasm lines with the trait of interest. Since this core set is indicative of total germplasm, these selected breeding lines will be used for genetic improvement of garlic in the future.

나노압입시험을 통한 양극산화 알루미늄의 두께에 따른 물성 측정

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) is widely used in various industrial fields to increase the mechanical property or corrosion resistance of the product surface. In this study, mechanical properties were measured according to the thickness of AAO through the nanoindentation test. The maximum indentation load, elastic modulus, and hardness were measured for different thicknesses of AAO. It was confirmed that the majority of the mechanical property values increased with the thickness. Various fracture shapes based on the thickness were analyzed by observing pressure marks on the surface using FE-SEM equipment. Apparently, it is proposed that the optimum AAO thickness with desired mechanical properties can be obtained, which is expected to possess immense economic value as per the optimization of the production time of AAO based products.

Building an Engaged Himalayan Sustainability Science

The Himalayan region is facing a new crisis under climate change, rapid economic transformation, and escalating geopolitical tensions. A large body of Himalayan sciences has endeavored to understand this challenge but has failed to engage meaningfully with the local people and policymakers. I argue for a new engaged Himalayan sustainability science that not only understands and interprets the emerging challenges but also strengthens societal capability.

Role of AURKA in the hypothalamus–pituitary–testicular axis in Tibetan sheep from Tianzhu

The mitosis-associated protein aurora kinase A (AURKA) regulates the maturation of germ cells. We have previously reported using transcriptome analysis that AURKA is expressed in yak testes. Although Tibetan sheep possess an immense economic value, their reproductive rate is low. Herein, the expression and functions of AURKA in the hypothalamus–pituitary–testicular (HPT) axis in Tibetan sheep from Tianzhu were investigated. The cDNA sequence of sheep AURKA was cloned and bioinformatics techniques were used to predict its structure. Tissue expression of AURKA was determined by qPCR, immunoblotting, immunostaining, and immunohistochemistry. The AURKA coding sequence was found to be 1218 bp in length, encoding a 405-amino acid polypeptide chain. Furthermore, the highest sequence similarity of AURKA with the corresponding sequence in other species was seen in goat and cattle; the least degree of similarity was seen in the domestic cat. In addition, AURKA expression was elevated in the testes compared to that in the hypothalamus and pituitary (p < 0.01). Moreover, AURKA was mainly localized in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (magnocellular), chromophobe cells of the pituitary, and spermatogenic cells of the testis. These results indicated that AURKA might participate in sheep reproductive regulation, thus providing a reference for the study of AURKA function in the reproductive process of Tibetan sheep from Tianzhu.

Assessment of Awareness Regarding the Advantages of Lactation Among Nursing Mothers in Lahore

Breastfeeding is a basic human activity, vital to infant and maternal health and of immense economic value to households and societies. Among South Asian countries, Pakistan has the lowest rate of exclusive lactation.

Automating Drone Image Processing to Map Coral Reef Substrates Using Google Earth Engine

While coral reef ecosystems hold immense biological, ecological, and economic value, frequent anthropogenic and environmental disturbances have caused these ecosystems to decline globally. Current coral reef monitoring methods include in situ surveys and analyzing remotely sensed data from satellites. However, in situ methods are often expensive and inconsistent in terms of time and space. High-resolution satellite imagery can also be expensive to acquire and subject to environmental conditions that conceal target features. High-resolution imagery gathered from remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS or drones) is an inexpensive alternative; however, processing drone imagery for analysis is time-consuming and complex. This study presents the first semi-automatic workflow for drone image processing with Google Earth Engine (GEE) and free and open source software (FOSS). With this workflow, we processed 230 drone images of Heron Reef, Australia and classified coral, sand, and rock/dead coral substrates with the Random Forest classifier. Our classification achieved an overall accuracy of 86% and mapped live coral cover with 92% accuracy. The presented methods enable efficient processing of drone imagery of any environment and can be useful when processing drone imagery for calibrating and validating satellite imagery.

Exclusive breast feeding: a cross sectional survey about knowledge, attitudes and practices among lactating mothers in Pilkhuwa, Hapur

Background: Exclusive breast feeding is a basic human activity, vital to infant and maternal health and of immense economic value to households and societies. Studies in India have also shown a decline in breastfeeding trends, especially in urban areas. The WHO recommends that for the first six months of life, infants should be exclusively breastfed to achieve optimal growth, development, and health. Thereafter, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or more. Thus the present study was developed to examine the infant feeding practices, knowledge and attitude towards breast feeding among postnatal mothers.Methods: This was a cross sectional study carried out among post natal mothers who attended immunization clinics with their children for vaccination and for the treatment of other minor illnesses at a UHTC (Urban Health Training Centre).Results: Sixty three percent mothers were aware about exclusive breast feeding. Hospital/health facilities were the main source of information. A significant decrease about misconceptions and significant increase in knowledge occurred about exclusive breast feeding, in post testing.Conclusions: Promotion of women’s education, husband’s engagement, encouraging antenatal care and exclusive breastfeeding counselling during antenatal care were recommended to improve exclusive breastfeeding practice.

Biogas to Bio-CNG from paddy straw: A review

Quick industrialization and growing the urbanization besides automatic undeveloped give achieve up to a lofty call of energy in every one of forms such as thermal, electrical and mechanical. To minimum acceleration energy is accomplished by burning of fossils fuels like coal; lubricate which further leads to its overexploitation in unsustainable conduct. The overuse of fossils fuels has increased environmental turbulence leading to serious detrimental effects such as large scale climate changes and global warming. This further leads to a shortage of any permanent source and thereby increasing the imports of the fuels. But we are so expedient to have some sustainable and ecological forms of energy for example- biomass, solar and, etc. Due to its everlasting characteristics and availability make it a better alternative for the present and future. Due to increasing environmental pollution, the researches emphasized supplementary on the making of biogas and bio-CNG from paddy straw. Producing renewable energy from paddy straw helps to lessen the energy catastrophe and paddy straw management, which is completed by anaerobic digestion. The future lies in the conversion of paddy straw into biogas. Keeping efficient management and conversion of paddy straw in mind Biogas or Bio-CNG production is the best possible method to obtain the clean low-carbon output. Biogas or bio-CNG obtained by anaerobic absorption of paddy straw tin be old as an energy cause for a choice of application namely, heating, cooling, brake cooling, electricity age bracket and gaseous fuel for vehicular applications. Paddy straw has immense economic value in the form of fresh gas production. This paper focuses on the review of exploring the most promising alternatives of paddy straw management and transmutation of biogas to bio-CNG to mitigate environmental pollution.

Transcriptomic Insights into Mechanisms of Early Seed Maturation in the Garden Pea (Pisum sativum L.).

The garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a legume crop of immense economic value. Extensive breeding has led to the emergence of numerous pea varieties, of which some are distinguished by accelerated development in various stages of ontogenesis. One such trait is rapid seed maturation, which, despite novel insights into the genetic control of seed development in legumes, remains poorly studied. This article presents an attempt to dissect mechanisms of early maturation in the pea line Sprint-2 by means of whole transcriptome RNA sequencing in two developmental stages. By using a de novo assembly approach, we have obtained a reference transcriptome of 25,756 non-redundant entries expressed in pea seeds at either 10 or 20 days after pollination. Differential expression in Sprint-2 seeds has affected 13,056 transcripts. A comparison of the two pea lines with a common maturation rate demonstrates that while at 10 days after pollination, Sprint-2 seeds show development retardation linked to intensive photosynthesis, morphogenesis, and cell division, and those at 20 days show a rapid onset of desiccation marked by the cessation of translation and cell anabolism and accumulation of dehydration-protective and -storage moieties. Further inspection of certain transcript functional categories, including the chromatin constituent, transcription regulation, protein turnover, and hormonal regulation, has revealed transcriptomic trends unique to specific stages and cultivars. Among other remarkable features, Sprint-2 demonstrated an enhanced expression of transposable element-associated open reading frames and an altered expression of major maturation regulators and DNA methyltransferase genes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comparative transcriptomic study in which the issue of the seed maturation rate is addressed.

Preparing for a changing future in recreational fisheries: 100 research questions for global consideration emerging from a horizon scan

Recreational fisheries hold immense ecological, social, and economic value. The management of these fisheries is increasingly important as we move forward in the Anthropocene. Recreational fisheries managers face several challenges as fisheries often involve diverse social and ecological systems comprised of complex feedback and stakeholder motivations and needs. Here, we used a horizon scanning exercise to yield 100 research questions related to recreational fisheries science and management in the Anthropocene. Initial research questions (n = 205) were collected from recreational fisheries experts (i.e., stakeholders, managers, researchers) from various sectors (i.e., industry, government, NGOs) and geographic locations (14 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA). These questions were subsequently categorized, thematized, and refined by our authorship team, eventually yielding what we considered to be the top 100 research questions of relevance to management of recreational fisheries. The key themes include: human dimensions; bioeconomics; resource monitoring and data acquisition; governance; management—regulatory actions; management—stock and habitat enhancement; catch-and-release; impacts of recreational fisheries on populations, communities and ecosystems; threats and sustainability; and angler outreach, education and engagement. It is our intention that this comprehensive and forward-looking list will create a framework to guide future research within this field, and contribute to evidence-based recreational fisheries management and policy.

Protection of Traditional Health Knowledge: International Negotiations, National Priorities and Knowledge Commons

Traditional knowledge (TK) is under debate in the contemporary world for its inherent value and need for protection from ‘biopiracy’. International consensus is proving difficult on defining its scope and ambit of protection. Traditional health knowledge (THK) is a promising domain of TK which, due to its immense economic and commercial value, is prone to misappropriation. International provisions exist for protection and definitions of TK and related resources at various fora such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Proposals to protection of TK under Intellectual Property Right regimes are being addressed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The text of a proposed treaty is being debated at WIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC-GRTKF). This article spells out the issues being negotiated at the WIPO-IGC-GRTKF. With THK characterised in a tiered manner based on its secret or diffused public availability, consideration of customary law is an imperative. India proposed that the national governments be given status of knowledge holders for THK in the public domain and fiduciary rights in case of closely held/associated THK. The article finds that a comprehensive national policy instrument and sui generis law for the protection of THK have become especially urgent in the light of international debates. It also proposes that, rather than Intellectual property (IP), the framework of a ‘knowledge commons’ for just sharing of TK and its innovations may be a better option.

Hydrogen Isotope Separation in Confined Nanospaces: Carbons, Zeolites, Metal-Organic Frameworks, and Covalent Organic Frameworks.

One of the greatest challenges of modern separation technology is separating isotope mixtures in high purity. The separation of hydrogen isotopes can create immense economic value by producing valuable deuterium (D) and tritium (T), which are irreplaceable for various industrial and scientific applications. However, current separation methods suffer from low separation efficiency owing to the similar chemical properties of isotopes; thus, high-purity isotopes are not easily achieved. Recently, nanoporous materials have been proposed as promising candidates and are supported by a newly proposed separation mechanism, i.e., quantum effects. Herein, the fundamentals of the quantum sieving effect of hydrogen isotopes in nanoporous materials are discussed, which are mainly kinetic quantum sieving and chemical-affinity quantum sieving, including the recent advances in the analytical techniques. As examples of nanoporous materials, carbons, zeolites, metal-organic frameworks, and covalent organic frameworks are addressed from computational and experimental standpoints. Understanding the quantum sieving effect in nanospaces and the tailoring of porous materials based on it will open up new opportunities to develop a highly efficient and advanced isotope separation systems.

Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the Asian honeybee Apis cerana provides novel insights into honeybee biology

The Asian honeybee Apis cerana is one of two bee species that have been commercially kept with immense economic value. Here we present the analysis of genomic sequence and transcriptomic exploration for A. cerana as well as the comparative genomic analysis of the Asian honeybee and the European honeybee A. mellifera. The genome and RNA-seq data yield new insights into the behavioral and physiological resistance to the parasitic mite Varroa the evolution of antimicrobial peptides, and the genetic basis for labor division in A. cerana. Comparison of genes between the two sister species revealed genes specific to A. cerana, 54.5% of which have no homology to any known proteins. The observation that A. cerana displayed significantly more vigilant grooming behaviors to the presence of Varroa than A. mellifera in conjunction with gene expression analysis suggests that parasite-defensive grooming in A. cerana is likely triggered not only by exogenous stimuli through visual and olfactory detection of the parasite, but also by genetically endogenous processes that periodically activates a bout of grooming to remove the ectoparasite. This information provides a valuable platform to facilitate the traits unique to A. cerana as well as those shared with other social bees for health improvement.

Platform Competition in Online Digital Market

The Internet has dramatically changed social and industrial dynamics. Two decades after the rise of the modern Internet, more and more major businesses and industries are being run on software and delivered as online services. On one hand the Internet is generating an immense economic value, on the other hand it has a disruptive impact on a large number of markets. This paper consists in both economic theory and policy analysis regarding the internet industry. The former aspect refers to network effects, product differentiation, multi-sided platform, etc.; with the latter we discuss the potential market power, consumer lock-in effect, incentives for innovation, etc. We first summarized the main features in the digital era: direct and indirect network effects, economies of scale, differentiated services accessed by internet users, etc. Consequently a market structure exhibits both “superstar” effects and “long tail” effects. Considering the success of some large internet player and the potential competition concerns, the paper discusses the role of dynamic competition, in the lens of market competition. The study applies also the new tools and models of economic analysis relevant to the internet and the audiovisual market, such as multi-sided platform, dynamic competition, etc. We claim that some indicators of market power in a single-sided market have to be reviewed under multi-sided scenario. Besides addressing the importance of competition, this paper emphasizes that the ideal regulatory regime should safeguard and encourage innovation. Rapid innovation and its adaptation is no doubt the central feature of the internet, and is also the main driver of economic growth.