Open Hole Research Articles

Joint Performance of a Continuous Glass Fiber/Polypropylene Composite.

Thermoplastic composite structures possess superior properties compared with thermosetting composites, including recyclability and high damage tolerance. However, the poor adhesion properties of thermoplastic composites make their joining process challenging. In this research, three bonding techniques, namely adhesive, mechanical joining, and hybrid bonding, are investigated using lap shear specimens to evaluate their mechanical properties and failure modes. The stress distributions at the joints of the three bonding techniques are analyzed by numerical simulation. The findings demonstrate that hybrid bonding enhances the strength of composite joints, albeit at the expense of some stiffness due to the presence of an open hole. This method is particularly suitable for applications that necessitate robust connections requiring high strength.

Evaluation of In-vitro Antimicrobial, Anti-arthritis and In-vivo Analgesic and Neuropharmacological Investigation of the Bark Extract of Solanum americanum Milli

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of methanol-prepared bark extract of Solanum americanum Milli. Bark on several in vitro activities, including antimicrobial and anti-arthritis effects. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the analgesic and neuropharmacological properties of the extracts in an animal model.
 Place and Duration of Study: The research study was carried out from March 2023 to July 2023 at the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and the Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, as well as the Laboratory of Microbiology at Stamford University Bangladesh, Dhaka.
 Methodology: The methodology involved various doses of methanolic bark extract of Solanum americanum Milli (MESAB), and employed techniques such as the Disk Diffusion Method for antimicrobial test and the Inhibition of Protein Denaturation Assay for anti-arthritic test. The analgesic efficacy was assessed by the hot plate test and administration of acetic acid induced writhing responses in Swiss albino mice. The mechanism test is conducted through the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) test. The neuropharmacological inquiry included the measurement of locomotor activity through the utilization of open field and hole cross tests.
 Results: The Disk Diffusion Test of MESAB yielded findings indicating its antimicrobial properties against all strains used in this research. The findings from the study examining the anti-arthritis properties indicate that MESAB exhibits a significant efficacy of 94.59% in inhibiting arthritis at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL. This level of efficacy is comparable to that of diclofenac sodium, which also has a similar efficacy of 98.19% at the same concentration. The findings of the present study demonstrated that MESAB displayed analgesic properties in both analgesic models, suggesting the involvement of both central and peripheral pathways. Based on the results of the study, it was observed that the administration of MESAB at a dosage of 400 mg/kg had a significant analgesic effect. The application of MB before to treatment resulted in a further enhancement of this effect, leading to an increase in the percentage of inhibition from 66.75% to 79.70%, respectively. The consideration of the involvement of the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor in neuropharmacological activity holds significant importance. In the Open Field and Hole Cross Tests, it was shown that the extract exhibited significant result compared to Diazepam in terms of increasing motor coordination.
 Conclusion: In the future, plant-derived pharmacological compounds may offer potential benefits for various clinical disorders, such as neurodegenerative illnesses. These substances possess neuropharmacological properties, antibacterial effects, and anti-arthritic activity, which could potentially serve as alternatives to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Effects of confining pressure and pore pressure on multipole borehole acoustic field in fluid-saturated porous media

In-situ stress is a common stress in the exploration and development of oil reservoirs. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the propagation characteristics of borehole acoustic waves in fluid-saturated porous media under stress. Based on the acoustoelastic theory of fluid-saturated porous media, the field equation of fluid-saturated porous media under the conditions of confining pressure and pore pressure and the acoustic field formula of multipole source excitation in open hole are given. The influences of pore pressure and confining pressure on guided waves of multipole borehole acoustic field in fluid-saturated porous media are investigated. The numerical results show that the phase velocity and excitation intensity of guided wave increase significantly under the confining pressure. For a given confining pressure, the phase velocity of the guided wave decreases with pore pressure increasing. The excitation intensity of guided wave increases at low frequency and then decreases at high frequency with pore pressure increasing, except for that of Stoneley wave which decreases in the whole frequency range. These results will help us get an insight into the influences of confining pressure and pore pressure on the acoustic field of multipole source in borehole around fluid-saturated porous media.

Hysteretic and rotational performance study of outwardly extending shape-steelprefabricated beam-column joints

This paper proposes fully-bolted extending shape steel prefabricated beam-column joints to achieve rapid construction and reliable connection of the precast reinforced concrete frame. The prefabricated component uses steel tube-concrete composite structures with outwardly extended shape steel, which achieves efficient installation and internal force transfer. Horizontal hysteresis tests were conducted on four components to determine the joint mode of failure and seismic performance index. The results show that the joint exhibits a “double plastic” failure mode, with plastic deformation occurring at the end of the reinforced concrete beam and buckling deformation at the shaped steel. Compared to cast-in-place joints, the new joints have a 30% increase in yield load, a 51% increase in peak load, an approximately 50% increase in initial stiffness, a 33% increase in equivalent viscous damping coefficient, and a ductility coefficient greater than 4.0. Analysis of strain showed that the stiffness of the connection area was too high, which will have a significant extrusion effect on the concrete at the end. Reducing the thickness of the steel plate in the joint space and weakening the shape stee by opening holes can significantly improve the rotational deformation capacity of the joint - further developing the plastic zone of reinforced concrete beams to improve the mechanical performance of the joint. Finally, the finite element model of the joint is established, and the numerical calculation is in good agreement with the experimental results. The research in this paper can provide technical support for the engineering application of the prefabricated joint.

Anxiolytic-like Effects by trans-Ferulic Acid Possibly Occur through GABAergic Interaction Pathways.

Numerous previous studies reported that ferulic acid exerts anxiolytic activity. However, the mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. The current study aimed to investigate the anxiolytic effect of trans-ferulic acid (TFA), a stereoisomer of ferulic acid, and evaluated its underlying mechanism using in vivo and computational studies. For this, different experimental doses of TFA (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg) were administered orally to Swiss albino mice, and various behavioral methods of open field, hole board, swing box, and light-dark tests were carried out. Diazepam (DZP), a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor, was employed as a positive control at a dose of 2 mg/kg, and distilled water served as a vehicle. Additionally, molecular docking was performed to estimate the binding affinities of the TFA and DZP toward the GABAA receptor subunits of α2 and α3, which are associated with the anxiolytic effect; visualizations of the ligand-receptor interaction were carried out using various computational tools. Our findings indicate that TFA dose-dependently reduces the locomotor activity of the animals in comparison with the controls, calming their behaviors. In addition, TFA exerted the highest binding affinity (-5.8 kcal/mol) to the α2 subunit of the GABAA receptor by forming several hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds. Taken together, our findings suggest that TFA exerts a similar effect to DZP, and the compound exerts moderate anxiolytic activity through the GABAergic interaction pathway. We suggest further clinical studies to develop TFA as a reliable anxiolytic agent.

Scale effect on unnotched and open-hole cross-ply glass fiber/epoxy non-crimp fabric (NCF) composites under quasi-static tensile loading

This study explores the effect of size scaling and stacking sequence on the quasi-static tensile behavior of sublaminate-level and ply-level scaled glass/epoxy laminates. Test results showed that the unnotched tensile strengths of both scaled specimens were comparable for a given scaling factor, even though ply-level scaled specimens suffered extensive delamination between and ply blocks. In contrast, the open hole tensile (OHT) strength was reduced with increased scale in sublaminate-level and was marginally increased in ply-level scaled specimens. Similar to unnotched specimens, ply-level scaled OHT specimens exhibited extensive delamination.

Real-time rate of penetration prediction for motorized bottom hole assembly using machine learning methods

Drilling rate of penetration (ROP) is one of the most important factors that have their significant effect on the drilling operation economically and efficiently. Motorized bottom hole assembly (BHA) has different applications that are not limited to achieve the required directional work but also it could be used for drilling optimization to enhance the ROP and mitigate the downhole vibration. Previous work has been done to predict ROP for rotary BHA and for rotary steerable system BHA; however, limited studies considered to predict the ROP for motorized BHA. In the present study, two artificial intelligence techniques were applied including artificial neural network and adaptive neurofuzzy inference system for ROP prediction for motorized assembly in the rotary mode based on surface drilling parameters, motor downhole output parameters besides mud parameters. This new robust model was trained and tested to accurately predict the ROP with more than 5800 data set with a 70/30 data ratio for training and testing respectively. The accuracy of developed models was evaluated in terms of average absolute percentage error, root mean square error, and correlation coefficient (R). The obtained results confirmed that both models were capable of predicting the motorized BHA ROP on Real-time. Based on the proposed model, the drilling parameters could be optimized to achieve maximum motorized BHA ROP. Achieving maximum ROP will help to reduce the overall drilling cost and as well minimize the open hole exposure time. The proposed model could be considered as a robust tool for evaluating the motorized BHA performance against the different BHA driving mechanisms which have their well-established models.

Influence of plate thickness on the results of residual stresses determination by through hole drilling in orthotropic composites of different fiber orientation

The main objective of this study is to characterize residual stress in composite orthotropic plates using hole drilling method. The values of hole diameter increment in the principal anisotropic directions, which were obtained from electronic speckle-pattern interferometry on the external surface of the specimen, serve as the initial experimental information. The theoretical foundation of the approach is based on S. G. Lekhnitsky's analytical solution, which describes a stress concentration along the edge of the central open hole in a rectangular orthotropic plate under tension in principal anisotropy directions. The transitional model, that is essential link for deriving residual stress components from initial experimental data, provides the unequivocally solution to the properly posed inverse problem. Firstly, the validation of the transitional model regarding prescription of residual stress values for specific plies within a specimen’s thickness is based on calibration experiments. These experiments yield data for unidirectional and cross-ply composite plates of three different thicknesses. The results demonstrate that the values of principal residual stress components for cross-ply composite material are independent of plate thickness. This means that the transition model, based on the measurements of deformation responses to through hole drilling on the external plate face, can be reliably implemented to characterize the maximal residual stress values present in the middle plane of the composite plate. An investigation into the effect of hole diamter values on the determination of residual stress is conducted for cross-ply and angle-cross-ply composites. It is shown that a hole of diameter of 3.2 mm provides the most reliable results.

Combining laser speckle imaging and spatially modulated visible illumination to study the effect of anesthetic drugs on the optical and physiological parameters of brain

This work employs an integrated optical imaging system to evaluate the effect of anesthetic drugs on several brain parameters including absorption, scattering, oxygen saturation, and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Two anesthetic drugs, namely ketamine-xylazine (KX) and thiopental, frequently used by researchers in mouse experiments, were investigated herein. The combined system is based on spatially modulated visible light illumination and a laser speckle based-technique. With this apparatus, a series of structured light (sinusoidal patterns) with phase shifts at each of two spatial frequencies (low and high) are projected onto the surface of a mouse brain and diffusely reflected light is acquired by a camera. A six-position filter wheel, equipped with five visible bandpass filters, is placed at the output of the projector. Then, structured illumination is blocked and a laser source illuminates the tissue while the diffusely reflected light is captured by the same camera through the remaining open hole in the wheel. In this manner, visible and laser speckle images are captured and processed off-line to reconstruct the cerebral tissue features. This work's major findings are six-fold: first, over a specific range of the spectrum a difference of more than 20% was found in the absorption coefficient presumably as a sensitivity to hemoglobin. Second, a difference of more than 20% was observed between drug types in the scattering coefficient along the entire spectral range. Third, CBF varied considerably in thiopental anesthesia throughout the experiment. Fourth, oxygen saturation level remains stable in both anesthetics. Fifth, thiopental keeps blood glucose in normal range while with KX glucose level increases. Sixth, the co-registered system is capable of revealing quantitative functional contrast and may be an attractive method in a variety of biomedical applications. Overall, these findings suggest that the choice of KX or thiopental should be carefully considered as a component of study design in research utilizing animal models.

Numerical Analysis of Humidification Condition Effects on Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cell Performance Considering Concentration Overpotential

Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) show relatively high performance at intermediate temperature range (400–600 °C) due to high proton conductivity in electrolyte. However, besides proton, other charges such as electron hole and oxygen vacancy can also be conductive in PCFCs. Especially, the hole conductivity will induce a hole current leakage so that current efficiency and power density will decrease. Besides the operating temperature, the conductivities of proton and hole are also strongly affected by the partial pressures of steam and oxygen in the PCFC [1,2]. Higher steam partial pressure leads higher proton conductivity, so that a higher power density can be expected. However, other influences such as concentration overpotential may be non-negligible. Furthermore, the proton and hole current density are affected by defect concentrations differences between two surfaces of the electrolyte membrane. Numerical simulation method is powerful tool for dealing with the complicated conditions in a PCFC mentioned above.In the present study, the influences of steam partial pressure on a BaZr0.8Yb0.2O3− δ (BZYb20) electrolyte are investigated. Specifically, to reveal the currents induced by the electrostatic potential and gas concentrations, Nernst-Planck model is selected. To relatively obviously reveal the steam concentration influences on the PCFC performances, low (3%) and high (69%) humidification conditions of H2 fuel gas are adopted. The results in Fig. 1(a) and 1(b) show the simulation and experimental current-voltage characteristics under 3% and 69% humidification conditions, respectively. The green solid and dotted lines are external and proton current densities considering concentration overpotential influence, respectively. The blue lines express external current density when no concentration overpotential in the numerical model. The red circles are the measured data. At low steam partial pressure, the simulation results well reproduced the experimental data without concentration overpotential consideration. However, an obvious deviation was found between simulation and experimental results when neglecting concentration overpotential in the simulation model. The performances such as open circuit voltage (OCV) and hole current leakage (difference between proton and external current density) are influenced by the steam partial pressure.

Fabrication and Characterization of Self-Aligned WSe2 p-Type Field-Effect Transistor

Semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have been growing interests as channel materials in field effect transistors (FET) for next generation low power digital electronics. [1]. Since a complementary metal oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverter constructed from pairs of n-type and p-type FETs is a fundamental building blocks in modern digital electronics [2], implementation of both n-type and p-type FETs with semiconducting TMDCs is of particular importance [3]. Among various semiconducting TMDCs, tungsten diselenide (WSe2) is a promising candidate for constructing a CMOS inverter because of its high mobility, symmetric electron and hole effective mass and ambipolar transport [4]. These prominent features of WSe2 is suitable for an application to CMOS inverter.One of the significant challenges is to develop a top gate and top contact FET structure with WSe2 for CMOS device integration on the same wafer. In addition, it is desirable to minimize the access region between channel and S/D contact because this access region served as a series resistance to channel resistance, resulting in the lower drain current in FET. This study reports a self-aligned process to fabricate top gate and top contact WSe2 p-type FET. In this self-aligned structure, the gate electrode and source/drain contact edges are automatically positioned and hence there are no overlap or access region between the gate and source/drain. The feature of this proposed method is that the gate stacks was utilized as a mask for self-aligned formation of WOx, which is source/drain contact for efficient hole injection [5]. The focus on this study is the impact of self-aligned structure of p-type WSe2 FET on the electrical characteristics. The effectiveness of proposed process was experimentally demonstrated by the fabrication and characterization of device.Figures 1 shows the self-aligned fabrication process of p-type WSe2 FET. 20 nm-thick SiO2 was formed by dry oxidation of p+-Si substrate. The mechanically exfoliated multi-layer WSe2 was transferred by PDMS stamp. Next, 15 nm-thick Al2O3 was prepared by ALD at 200 oC with H2O. Then, Nickel (Ni) metal was deposited by RF sputtering on Al2O3. Ni metal was patterned for gate electrode with conventional lithography process. After that, A2O3 layer was removed by wet etching. Subsequently, substrate was exposed to oxygen radicals to form WOx used as source/drain contact at surface of WSe2. Second layer of Al2O3 was deposited as an encapsulating passivation layer. After the contact hole opening, the electrical contact pad was fabricated. Finally, forming gas (N2 : H2 = 97 % : 3 %) annealing was performed at 200 oC for 30 min. The top gate length was 5 μm. The gate width was estimated to be 40 μm by optical microscope. The electrical characteristics were measured with a manual probe station in an atmospheric pressure without inert gas purge at room temperature using a precision semiconductor parameter analyzer (Agilent 4156 C).Figures 2 shows the Id–Vg characteristics of fabricated FETs for (a) back gate operation and (b) top gate operation. Representative Id–Vg characteristics of p-type FETs were observed irrespective of back gate and top gate operation. The on/off ratio of about 106 ~ 107 order were obtained for both back gate and top gate operation. Furthermore, the threshold voltage and sub-threshold slope were modulated by varying the substrate bias during gate sweep.This study opens up interesting directions for the research and development of TMDC-based devices.AcknowledgmentsThis study was supported by a JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (Grant No. 20K04616), a research grant for Tokyo Tech Challenging Research Award, the Samco Foundation and a research grant for Suematsu Award.

Prediction of the stress distributions and strength properties of 3-D braided composites with an eccentric circular hole

Due to their low delaminating tendency and high damage tolerance, 3-D braided composites are capable of being utilized in notched components. However, a few studies have investigated the mechanical properties of braided composites with open holes in multi-scale. In this paper, a multi-scale study on the mechanical properties of 3-D 4-directional braided composites with an eccentric circular hole is carried out. The equivalent elastic properties of 3-D 4-directional braided composites are calculated by the homogenization method based on the geometry of the meso unit cells. According to Lekhnitskii's theory, the local stress correction (LSC) method for computing the transverse stress around the eccentric hole is proposed. The models of meso unit cells with different braided angles are established, and the strength of the defect-free composites is predicted by the Tsai-Wu criterion. In the macroscopic view, using the point stress criterion (PSC), the average stress criterion (ASC), and numerical analysis, the strength properties of braided composites with different hole radii, braided angles, and eccentric distances are predicted. This study can be utilized to estimate the stress distributions and strength properties of 3-D braided composites with an eccentric hole and provides theoretical and simulation foundations for the problems of orthotropic materials with holes.

A DFT Study on the Impact of Saturated and Conjugated Side Chains on the Optoelectronic Performance of Y-series Nonfullerene Acceptors

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) consisting of nonfullerene acceptors have been found to be excellent candidates for harnessing solar energy. Extensive studies are being carried out to modify structures in a number of ways to enhance their efficiency. These include modifications in the acceptor part, use of efficient backbones and insertion of pi spacers. One strategy is the attachment of donor side chains for better assembly of molecules. In this work, the effect of theoretically designed side chains on electrochemical and optical properties of OPVs was studied. A series of molecules consisting of saturated (SC1-4) and conjugated donor (CD1-2) were designed and studied computationally for their potential OPV properties. Parameters like Band gap, absorption spectrum, frontier molecular orbital distribution, binding energy, fill factor, open circuit voltage, excitation energies, density of states (DOS) and transition density matrix (TDM) were studied using DFT and TD-DFT methods. Unsaturated side chains although exhibit better performance in terms of open circuit voltage and hole mobility but reduce light harvesting efficiency. All saturated side chain modifications showed improvement in fill factor and open circuit voltage than reference molecule. SC3 modification with red shift and smaller band gap showed the best performance.

GaAs/GaInNAs core-multishell nanowires with a triple quantum-well structure emitting in the telecommunication range

Semiconducting nanowires (NWs) fabricated from III–V materials have gained significant attention for their application in advanced optoelectronic devices. Here, the growth of GaAs/GaInNAs/GaAs core-multishell NWs with a triple quantum-well structure, having about 2% N and 20% In, is reported. The NWs are grown via selective area plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on patterned Si(111) substrates with SiO2 mask holes. The nucleation and growth of the GaAs nanowires' core are carried out by Ga-induced vapor–liquid–solid growth at the open holes. Finely controlled, vertically aligned, regular core-multishell NWs with uniform wire length and diameter are obtained with a 96% yield and targeted nitrogen concentrations of 0%, 2%, and 3%. The GaInNAs NWs exhibit a spectral red shift relative to the GaAs NWs' peak. Their emission wavelength increases with the N content reaching up to 1.26 μm, which makes them a promising tool in telecommunication light sources.

Experimental Study on Submerged Horizontal Perforated Plates under Irregular Wave Conditions

This study presents novel analytical solutions for analyzing wave dissipation effect and bottom flow field characteristics of permeable submerged horizontal plates through physical model trials. The experimental results show that a solid submerged horizontal plate effectively attenuates wave cycles, with a greater periodic attenuation effect at smaller submerged depths. However, this attenuation effect becomes reduced or less pronounced after a certain threshold. Selecting an optimal opening ratio becomes key to achieving the desired cycle attenuation. When the inundation depth of the horizontal plate is large, the wave dissipation effect is weak. Reducing the opening rate can improve the wave dissipation effect, but only to a certain extent. Under irregular wave actions, the velocity field of the submerged horizontal plate is uniformly distributed. The relative submerged depth has minimal effect on the maximum flow velocity and root mean square flow velocity. Increasing the wave height and increasing the open holes on a plate can improve the flow velocity at the bottom of the plate. However, increasing the opening ratio also leads to insignificant changes in flow velocity. A correlation between the transmission coefficient of the open plate and the maximum flow velocity has also been determined. The findings of this paper serve as a research foundation for the implementation of submerged horizontal plate wave dissipation structures in engineering.

Numerical and Experimental Study of Crack Propagation in the Tensile Composite Plate with the Open Hole

Numerical and Experimental Study of Crack Propagation in the Tensile Composite Plate with the Open Hole

Effect of Shape Tool Parameters on the Performance of Cold Circular Three-Dimensional Pilger Cross-Section Roll Forming

Compared with other forming processes, Pilger cold rolling exhibits unique process characteristics and a simple production method, making it highly advantageous in terms of high-precision, high-strength, and poor-plasticity alloys. Among them, the design parameters of the rolling mill play a significant role in the rolling results, with the key design parameters being the hole opening angle θ and the hole gap ΔK. In this study, a numerical simulation model for cold rolling an AZ31B magnesium alloy with variable cross-section three-roll Pilger cold rolling was established, and finite element simulation analysis was employed to obtain the comprehensive performance impact law of key design parameters on the cold-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy. It can be concluded that when the hole opening angle is 10° and the hole gap is 1.2 mm, the equivalent stress and equivalent plastic strain of the billet reach a minimum, and the surface precision is excellent.

Anxiolytic-like effect of succinic acid: A possible GABAergic intervention

In the modern era, physical and mental stress lead to anxiety at an alarming rate. Therefore, searching for new lead compounds that deal with anxiety has a practical demand. Our study aimed to evaluate succinic acid's (SUC) possibility of managing anxiety through in vivo and in silico studies. For this, SUC (5, 10, and 15) mg/kg were administered orally (p.o.) to the adult male Swiss mice, followed by several studies like open field, swing, hole cross, and light-dark residence tests. The GABAergic agonist diazepam (DZP-2 mg/kg) and an antagonist such as caffeine (CAF-10 mg/kg) were also studied in combination with the SUC group. In contrast to the DZP group, SUC significantly (p < 0.0001) increased the amount of time that animals spent in the light, suggesting that it may have relaxing impacts on mice. Additionally, in silico studies were carried out to understand the interaction between SUC and GABAA (α1, β2, and γ2) receptor subunits. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic and drug-like properties were examined by pkCSM and SwissADME online servers and found to be supportive of considering SUC as a potential drug candidate. Our experiment found that SUC-10 had an anxiolytic-like effect on the animals. SUC-10, when combined with DZP, produced more significant (p < 0.0001) anxiolytic effects than their individual groups, suggesting possible synergistic effects with this commonly used anxiolytic drug. SUC-10 also altered CAF-mediated effects in mice. An in silico study demonstrates that SUC has good interaction capacity with GABAA receptor subunits. Taken together, SUC-10 exerted anxiolytic-like effects in Swiss mice. It may act synergistically with DZP while acting antagonistically with CAF, possibly through GABAergic interaction pathways.

A Double-Emulsion Method for the Fabrication of PLA Single-Hole Hollow Particles

Background: Polymeric hollow particles with a single-hole structure have attracted broad interest due to their combined advantages of a hollow cavity and an opening hole in the shell. Aim: In the past decades, much progress has been made in the fabrication of such particles with various strategies. However, there is a lack of research on the easy fabrication of biodegradable polylactide (PLA) single hole particles (PLA SHHPs). Methods: In this work, we reported a simple double emulsion method for the fabrication of PLA SHHPs. The W/O/W double emulsion was formed by homogenizing PLA chloroform and brilliant blue G (BBG) solution. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used for the characterization. It was found that the concentrations of PLA chloroform and BBG solution both had a significant influence on the emulsion structure. Result: PLA SHHPs with a percentage &gt;85% were obtained from the emulsion composed of PLA chloroform (10.0 w%) and BBG solution (4 mM). The particle formation mechanism was also proposed based on the result of the low interfacial tension between PLA chloroform/BBG solution. Conclusion: The results may inspire new development of PLA particles with unique structures, which are promising to be used in drug delivery, catalysis, microreaction and micromotors.

Geomechanics Analysis of Well Drilling Instability: A Review

Wellbore instability is a significant problem faced during drilling operations and causes loss of circulation, caving, stuck pipe, and well kick or blowout. These problems take extra time to treat and increase the Nonproductive Time (NPT). This paper aims to review the factors that influence the stability of wellbores and know the methods that have been reached to reduce them. Based on a current survey, the factors that affect the stability of the wellbore are far-field stress, rock mechanical properties, natural fractures, pore pressure, wellbore trajectory, drilling fluid chemicals, mobile formations, naturally over-pressured shale collapse, mud weight, temperature, and time. Also, the most suitable ways to reduce wellbore instability are selecting the appropriate drilling mud and maintenance, reducing the Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) by using suitable hydraulics, selecting hole-trajectory, and compatibility of drilling fluid with the formation being drilled. Moreover, factors such as (minimizing time spent open hole, using offset-well data, and monitoring trend changes (torque, circulating pressure, drag) must be considered. As a result of this paper, wellbore instability problems can be controlled by careful study of reservoirs to find the solutions to some issues or reduce them.