Primary Recovery Research Articles

Locally Produced Sustainable and Resilient Surfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 24518, “Locally Produced Sustainable and Resilient Surfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery,” by Syed Muhammad Shakil Hussain, SPE, Muhammad Shahzad Kamal, SPE, and Afeez Gbadamosi, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2024 International Petroleum Technology Conference. _ Chemical flooding is a major enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method for recovering residual oil within rock pores. Injected chemicals such as surfactant, however, must be soluble in low- and high-salinity brine, compatible with reservoir ions, and stable at elevated temperatures. The main objective of the study described in the complete paper is to explore the potential of locally produced surfactants for EOR in high-temperature and high-salinity reservoir environments. Design and synthesis of the new surfactants were achieved using green or no solvents. Importance of Chemical EOR Because only 15–20% of hydrocarbons can be extracted in the primary recovery stage, the waterflooding or gas-injection techniques usually are applied in the secondary recovery stage to extract 15–20% more oil and maintain the oilfield’s original pressure. After the application of these two techniques, however, a large amount of oil remains, the extraction of which requires the use of EOR, which can include thermal, gas, or chemical techniques. In thermal EOR, hot water or steamflooding are usually used to recover heavy oil. Currently, other thermal EOR methods such as in-situ combustion or steam-assisted gravity drainage receive considerable attention, especially in reservoirs containing heavy to extra-heavy crude oil. Gas methods normally are used in reservoirs featuring light and volatile oil. CO2 flooding is perhaps the most extensively applied gas EOR method for light oil extraction. Other gases such as nitrogen, hydrocarbon gas, acid gas, and air also are used for oil recovery. Chemical EOR involves the injection of chemicals including surfactants, polymers, alkali, and mixtures thereof. The polymer tends to increase the viscosity of the aqueous phase and lower the permeability of reservoir rocks. Surfactants minimize the interfacial tension (IFT), cause emulsification, and alter the wettability of the reservoir rocks. Alkali flooding generates in-situ surfactant by reacting with organic acid and ultimately reducing the IFT. Surfactants are organic compounds having both lipophilic and lipophobic parts. The lipophilic part is called a nonpolar compound and is soluble in the oil phase. The lipophobic part is termed a polar group and is soluble in the aqueous phase. Because of the availability of both lipophilic and lipophobic compounds in the same chemical structure, the surfactant stays on the interface ­of the water and oil phase and reduces the IFT. Based on the charge of the lipophobic head, the surfactants can be classified as nonionic, cationic, anionic, and zwitterionic (Fig. 1). Each class of surfactants possesses unique properties. For example, anionic surfactants are the material of choice in sandstone reservoirs because of their low adsorption into reservoir rocks. Similarly, the cationic surfactants exhibit minimum adsorption in carbonate rocks because of charge repulsion. Zwitterionic surfactants (ZS) show high heat-stability and salt-tolerance properties, and nonionic surfactants are known for their use as cosurfactants or solvents.

Recovery of coronal dimmings

Context. Coronal dimmings are regions of reduced emission in the lower corona observed in the wake of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), representing their footprints. Studying the lifetime evolution of coronal dimmings helps us to better understand the recovery and replenishment of the corona after large-scale eruptions. Aims. We study the recovery of dimmings on different spatial scales to enhance our understanding of the replenishment and dynamics of the corona after CMEs. Methods. In order to investigate the long-term evolution of coronal dimming and its recovery, we propose two approaches that focus on both the global and the local evolution of dimming regions: the fixed mask approach and the pixel boxes approach. We present four case studies (September 6, 2011; March 7, 2012; June 14, 2012; and March 8, 2019) in which a coronal dimming is associated with a flare/CME eruption. We analyzed each event with the same methodology, using extreme-ultraviolet filtergrams from the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) and Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory’s Extreme UltraViolet Imager (STEREO/EUVI) instruments. We identified the dimming region by image segmentation, then restricted the analysis to a specific portion of the dimming and tracked the time evolution of the dimming brightness and area. In addition, we study the behavior of small subregions inside the dimming area, of about 3 × 3 pixels, to compare the recovery in different regions of the dimming. Results. Three out of the four cases show a complete recovery 24 hours after the flare/CME eruption. The primary recovery mechanism identified in the observations is the expansion of coronal loops into the dimming region. The recovery of the brightness follows a two-step trend, with a steeper and quicker segment followed by a slower one. In addition, some parts of the dimming, which may be core dimmings, are still present at the end of the analysis time and do not recover within 3 days, whereas the peripheral regions (secondary dimmings) show a full recovery. Conclusions. The high temporal and spatial resolution of SDO/AIA observations combined with multi-view data of the STEREO/EUV instrument reveal high-situated coronal loops expanding after CME eruptions, which cover dimming regions and gradually increase their intensity. Our developed approaches enable the analysis of dimmings alongside these bright structures, revealing different timescales of recovery for core and secondary or twin dimming regions. Combined with magnetic field modeling, these methods lay the foundation for further systematic analysis of dimming recovery and enhance the knowledge gained from already-analyzed events.

Streamlining process development and scale-up: Risk assessment to reduce workload in primary protein recovery

Risk assessment is an integral aspect of the Quality-by-Design strategy to identify potential obstacles at every stage of biopharmaceutical production, from process development to tech transfer. We explored flow process chart, root cause analysis, and failure mode and effects analysis, to assess the scale-up of bacterial cell disruption and its influence on centrifugation and filtration steps. The Ishikawa diagram suggests that data on the impact of homogenizer valve design on product release, impurity profile, particle size distribution, viscosity, and dsDNA fragment size are missing which were collected experimentally for this study. Cell lysates from micro-, lab- and pilot scales cell disruption were analyzed for the above-mentioned parameters. Process parameters affecting these output parameters were identified on each individual scale. Cell disruption on the micro scale was performed in a bead mill. High pressure homogenization was used on lab- and pilot scales. Cell disintegration by bead milling delivers homogenates of product and impurity content comparable to those on bench scale but with 3-fold higher viscosity and significantly larger dsDNA fragments, 8.0 instead of 1.0 kbp, respectively. Miniaturized pressure flow curves identified dsDNA fragment sizes as critical for filter performance during clarification. Combining risk assessment, micro scale cell disintegration and bench scale pressure flow curves allows for selective and efficient process development, and scale up for primary recovery steps.

Photoinhibition and recovery of primary photosynthesis in Antarctic and subantarctic lichens. Analysis of interspecific differences

This study meticulously investigates the dynamics of photoinhibition and the mechanisms of primary photosynthetic activity recovery in lichens found in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic regions. Advanced methodologies were utilised, such as Kautsky's kinetic analysis and the OJIP test. The study carefully details the response of various lichen species to intense light stress, outlining both immediate effects and subsequent recovery processes. Our findings reveal that these lichens employ a range of adaptive strategies, specific to each species, to mitigate the effects of photoinhibition, thereby emphasizing their remarkable resilience and ecological importance in harsh environments. Notably, the investigation reveals the sophisticated interplay between inherent photoprotective mechanisms and the ecological adaptations that enable these lichens to thrive under such harsh conditions. The study not only advances our knowledge of plant physiology under stress but also enriches our insights into the survival strategies of terrestrial organisms facing global environmental changes. Three types of photoinhibitory treatments differing in their duration and strength were applied to 7 lichen species from Antarctica and South America (Isla Navarino). The lichens responded with a decrease in photosynthetic processes in photosystem II (FV/FM and ΦPSII declined), although they showed almost complete recovery in the following 5 h. This was attributed to the activation of photoprotective mechanisms, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in particular, during photoinhibitory treatments. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters derived from slow Kautsky kinetics were correlated with those derived from the OJIP curve. Our study presents data that supports the conclusion of significant photoresistance of the studied lichen species in the hydrated state to photoinhibition induced by high doses of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR).

Optimization Analysis of In-Situ Conversion and Displacement in Continental Shale Reservoirs.

In the context of growing global energy demands and the need for efficient extraction techniques, this research, based on numerical analysis, addresses the high-energy demands of in situ conversion by introducing a two-stage development strategy. The strategy begins with an initial continuous heating stage, followed by a thermal stabilization stage. It culminates in a hydrocarbon production stage, which is divided into primary recovery and water injection-enhanced recovery. The findings demonstrate that the reservoir temperature continues to increase even after the stop of heating. Consequently, the reactions within the reservoir persist, leading to increased hydrocarbon generation. The heating stage also helps restore reservoir pressure, enabling high production rates of hydrocarbons during the first year of primary recovery. However, natural depletion subsequently occurs, requiring an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. While water injection is a viable EOR method, it proves less effective due to high water breakthroughs in the producer well. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis reveals that hydrocarbon generation and production are closely related to the calibration of energy input and the duration of injection. These results underscore the critical importance of precise energy management and injection timing in optimizing hydrocarbon recovery. By enhancing our understanding of the thermal dynamics and reaction kinetics within the reservoir, this research contributes to the development of more efficient and sustainable extraction technologies, ultimately improving the feasibility of commercial shale oil production.

3-D Modelling and Simulation of a Reservoir for Surfactant-Polymer Flooding Using Eclipse Software

Surfactant-polymer flooding is a tertiary enhanced oil recovery method used to recover oil that remained in the reservoir after the primary and secondary oil recovery mechanisms. Predicting the pressure in the reservoir is important for oil production as pressure changes with time. A suitable approach to achieve this task is to derive fluid flow equation based on the reservoir characteristics and solve them numerically which provide the solution to the mathematical fluid flow model (diffusivity equation). In this study, 3-D reservoir was modelled using Eclipse software. The fluid flow equations in a porous media were derived based on the simulated model and the reservoir conditions. Numerical solution using implicit formulation to solve the mathematical fluid flow model (diffusivity equation) was investigated by developing Python codes using Jupyter library to ascertain the pressure distribution for the reservoir and imported into Eclipse simulator. Simulation was carried out using surfactant-polymer and reservoir properties to determine the oil recovery. The results of the study showed that pressure increases with time as oil production continued, and water saturation decreased for the grid-cells of the reservoir. Waterflooding had oil recovery of 38.0% and water-cut of 59.0%, while surfactant flooding had oil recoveries of 42.0%, 46.5%, 49.0% and water-cut of 57.0%, 51.0%, 46.3%. In addition, polymer flooding had oil recoveries of 44.3%, 48.4%, 54.0% and water-cut of 50.0%, 45.0% and 33.0% respectively at different concentrations of 0.3%wt. 0.4%wt. and 0.5%wt.

Primary productivity recovery and shallow-water oxygenation during the Sturtian deglaciation in South China

The Cryogenian Period (ca. 720–635 Ma) marks a key node in Earth's history, characterized by two global glaciations when the paleo-tropical regions were covered by glaciers, namely the Sturtian and Marinoan Snowball Earth events. Within the Cryogenian, the evolution of primary producers persisted, evidenced by the worldwide discovery of diverse microfossils and the proliferation of algae in the interglacial oceans. The Cryogenian radiation of algae facilitated the emergence and evolution of early eumetazoan animals. However, the paleoredox reconstruction of the interglacial Cryogenian presents more challenges. The open oceans were predominantly and permanently ferruginous throughout the Cryogenian Period, and persistently euxinic conditions developed in restricted basins, such as the Nanhua Basin. Some of the studies suggested a possible fully‑oxygenated interval in the aftermath of the Sturtian glaciation. Therefore, a knowledge gap lies between the biological prosperity and severe habitability in the interglacial oceans. In order to fill this gap, we report a newly discovered interglacial deposition – the Datangpo Formation – of shallow water depth from the Guitouwan section, Shennongjia area, South China. A combination of iron speciation, total organic matter (TOC), and pyrite sulfur isotopes (δ34Spy) analyses are conducted, along with numerical simulations, for reconstructions of paleoredox conditions and paleoproductivity level. Additionally, we collected Fe chemistry, TOC, and pyrite sulfur data from multiple successions of the Datangpo Formation in South China to reconstruct the paleoredox landscape. The spatial TOC comparison suggests that the interglacial interval is marked by a TOC increase at the base, and the Guitouwan succession represents the early deposition during the wake of Sturtian deglaciation. Fe speciation suggests locally (dys)oxic-ferruginous condition in the Shennongjia area, while the δ34Spy systematics indicate a transition from ferruginous to euxinic condition and a sharp increase in primary productivity during the Sturtian deglaciation. With respect to the high δ34Spy values, the observed discrepancy suggests that the iron proxy might be inapplicable during fast environmental changes, especially during the deglaciation episodes. The comparison of Fe chemistry and pyrite sulfur isotopes between different water-depth settings informs a redox-stratified ocean in the Nanhua Basin. The newly discovered interglacial deposition fills the blank in understanding the shallow-water oxygenation in the Sturtian glacial aftermath, recording the transition from (dys)oxic-ferruginous to ferruginous-euxinic and from low to high productivity levels. These findings shed new light on the interpretation of Fe chemistry and δ34Spy in the geological past, and provide a novel perspective on investigating productivity levels.

Primary Team Versus Local Recovery in Liver Transplantation in the Modern Era: A National Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing Database.

The implementation of acuity circles (AC) in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of local surgeons to recover livers for transplant; however, the impact on liver transplant (LT) outcomes is unknown. Deceased donor adult LT recipients from the UNOS database were identified. Recipients were grouped by donor surgeon: local versus primary recovery. Patient and graft survival as well as trends in local recovery in the 2 years pre-AC and post-AC were assessed. The utilization of local recovery in LT increased from 22.3% to 37.9% post-AC (p<0.01). LTs with local recovery had longer cold ischemia times (6.5 h [5.4-7.8] vs. 5.3 h [4.4-6.5], p<0.01) and traveled further (210 miles [89-373] vs. 73 miles [11-196], p<0.01) than those using primary recovery. Multivariate analyses revealed no differences in patient or graft survival between local and primary recovery, and between OPO and local surgeon. There was no difference in survival when comparing simultaneous liver-kidney, donation after circulatory death, MELD ≥ 30, or redo-LT by recovery team. Recovery and utilization rates were also noted to be higher post-AC (51.4%vs. 48.6% pre-AC, p<0.01) as well as when OPO surgeons recovered the allografts (72.5%vs. 66.0%, p<0.01). Nearly 40% of LTs are performed using local recovery, and utilization rates and trends continue to change with changing organ-sharing paradigms such as AC. This practice appears safe with outcomes similar to recovery by the primary team in appropriately selected recipients and may lead to increased access and the ability to transplant more livers.

Numerical simulation of CO2-ECBM for deep coal reservoir with strong stress sensitivity

CH4 production rate of coalbed methane (CBM) well decreases rapidly during primary recovery in the deeply buried coal seam, resulting in a lot of CH4 residues. CO2 pour into deep coal seam with high stress sensitivity is available for enhancing CH4 recovery by improving permeability for reservoir fracture and displacing CH4 adsorbed in matrix. A coupled adsorp-hydro-thermo-mechanical (AHTM) model for deep methane development is established by considering the coupling relationships of non-isothermal and non-constant pressure competitive adsorption between CO2 and CH4, multi-phase flow, unsteady diffusion, heat transmission and in-situ stress variety. The model is verified by historical production and then used for CO2 enhanced CBM (CO2-ECBM) of deep coal reservoir in a sedimentary basin in Northwest China. The simulation results show that: (1) For primary recovery, permeability in coal reservoir drops rapidly with the development of CBM, which seriously restricts the production of CH4. The permeability of the reservoir decreases from 7.89 × 10−16 m2 to less than 1.50 × 10−16 m2, CH4 production rate in CBM well reduces to below 2000 m3/d, and the average total CH4 content of coal reservoir is reduced by 5.49 m3/t with the decrease of only 1.12 m3/t of average adsorbed CH4 in a production duration of 2000 d (2) With 10 MPa CO2 continuous injection into coal seam after 700d of primary, the permeability for reservoir and CH4 production rate increase while the total CH4 content and adsorption CH4 content in reservoir decrease compared with the primary recovery. (3) CO2 pouring into coal reservoir increases the CH4 production time and rate, which improves CH4 recovery of coal reservoir. And it increases by 23.36 %, 23.07 % and 22.46 % with shut-in thresholds of CH4 production rate of 1000 m3/d, 800 m3/d and 600 m3/d, respectively. The investigation is of great significance for the development of deep coalbed methane.

Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia Requiring Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy with oXiris® Membrane in a Third-Level Hospital in Northeast Mexico

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represented a global public health problem with devastating consequences that have challenged conventional medical treatments. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), based on a spectrum of modalities and dialysis membranes, can modify cytokine storms, and improve the clearance of inflammatory factors. As severe COVID-19 can lead to acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring RRT, most patients require more than one extracorporeal organ support at this point. This is due to complications that lead to organ dysfunction. The aim of our study was to assess renal recovery and survival while use of the oXiris membrane, as well as a decrease in vasopressors and hemodynamic parameters. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study. The population included adult patients (aged >18 years) with a real-time PCR COVID-19 positive test, admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with AKI KDIGO 3, which required CRRT, in a hospital in northern Mexico. The primary outcomes were renal recovery and survival, and the secondary outcomes were a decrease in the vasopressor requirements and changes in the hemodynamic parameters. Results: Thirteen patients were included from January 2020 to August 2021, all of whom met the inclusion criteria. oXiris, an AN69-modified membrane, was used for blood purification and cytokine storm control in all the patients. The primary outcome, renal recovery, and survival were observed in 23% of the patients. The secondary outcome was a decrease of 12% in the use of noradrenaline in the first 24 h of CRRT initiation with oXiris, in addition to a decrease in creatinine and C-reactive protein levels in all patients. Discussion: The use of the oXiris membrane in patients with severe COVID-19 improved hemodynamic parameters, with 23% of the patients achieving renal recovery. The decrease on the requirement of vasopressors in the overall patients in the first 24 h of CRRT with oXiris was achieved. The mean decrease was of 12%, accompanied by a decrease in inflammatory markers. There is literature on the benefit of CRRT with a modified AN69 membrane in Mexico; however, studies in this regard are scarce, and our research provides valuable information on our experience in this field.

A review of the prospects, efficacy and sustainability of nanotechnology-based approaches for oil spill remediation.

Numerous marine oil spill incidents and their environmental catastrophe have raised the concern of the research community and environmental agencies on the topic of the offshore crude oil spill. The oil transport through oil tankers and pipelines has further aggravated the risk of the oil spill. This has led to the necessity to develop an effective, environment-friendly, versatile oil spill clean-up strategy. The current review article analyses various nanotechnology-based methods for marine oil spill clean-up, focusing on their recovery rate, reusability and cost. The authors weighed the three primary factors recovery, reusability and cost distinctively for the analysis based on their significance in various contexts. The findings and analysis suggest that magnetic nanomaterials and nano-sorbent have been the most effective nanotechnology-based marine oil spill remediation techniques, with the magnetic paper based on ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires standing out with a recovery rate of over 99%. The chitosan-silica hybrid nano-sorbent and multi-wall carbon nanotubes are also promising options with high recovery rates of up to 95-98% and the ability to be reused multiple times. Although the photocatalytic biodegradation approach and the nano-dispersion method do not offer benefits for recovery or reusability, they can nevertheless help lessen the negative ecological effects of marine oil spills. Therefore, careful evaluation and selection of the most appropriate method for each marine oil spill situation is crucial. The current review article provides valuable insights into the current state of nanotechnology-based marine oil spill clean-up methods and their potential applications.

Cutting-edge HPLC and MCR techniques for synchronically quantifying anticholinergic drugs in the presence of C12 and C14 homologs: Robust application to green and white chemistry.

Green and white chemistry are vital to revolutionizing the chemical industry through their unparalleled potential to enhance sustainability and efficiency. In this study, nine sustainability tools of both green and white metrics, including green analytical procedure index (GAPI), ComplexGAPI, analytical greenness, analytical greenness metric for sample preparation, Analytical Eco-Scale (ESA), analytical method greenness score, high-performance liquid chromatography- environmental assessment tool (HPLC-EAT), analytical method volume intensity, and blue applicability grade index (BAGI), have been developed for appraising environmental friendliness for both innovative and straightforward mean centering of ratio spectra (MCR) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC)strategies utilized for concurrent analysis and separation of cyclopentolate (CYC) and C12 and C14 homologs of benzalkonium chloride (BNZ) in pure and ophthalmic solution. The mobile phase, formed of buffer phosphate and acetonitrile (35:65, v/v), was adjusted to pH 6.3, and 215-nm UV detection was used. The experimental flow rate was 2.0 mL min-1, and the analytical column was L11 Inertsil Ph-3 (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm). All sequences were run at 25°C in the column oven. The MCR approach effectively resolved the drug's spectral overlapping. CYC and BNZ employed this approach at 227.5 and 220.4 nm, respectively. As part of the HPLC analysis, an isocratic method was employed with phosphate buffer and acetonitrile in the mobile phase at 35:65. A correlation coefficient greater than 0.999 was observed between the calibration curves for the HPLC and MCR methods in the ranges of 20-320 µg mL-1 and 5-30 µg mL-1 for all drugs. The technique yields excellent primary recovery rates, ranging from 97.2% to 100.5%. The recommended approach has been validated according to International Council for Harmonizationguidelines.

Antimicrobial efficacy of DJK-5 peptide in combination with EDTA against biofilms in dentinal tubules: Primary irrigation, recovery and re-irrigation.

To investigate the dynamic recovery of biofilms within dentinal tubules after primary irrigation with different protocols, and to evaluate the efficacy of various re-irrigation protocols on recovered biofilm, considering factors such as smear layer, nutrient conditions, and primary irrigants. A total of 416 mono or multi-species biofilms samples were prepared from human teeth and incubated for 3 weeks. After inducing a smear layer on half of the samples, all specimens were irrigated with one of the following irrigant sequences: (1) 6% NaOCl +17% EDTA, (2) 6% NaOCl +8.5% EDTA, (3) 6% NaOCl and (8.5% EDTA +10 μg/mL DJK-5 antimicrobial peptide), or (4) sterile water. Thirty-two samples were used to assess immediate effect, whilst the rest were re-incubated to assess biofilms recovery. Nutrient conditions were defined based on whether culture media were changed (nutrient-rich) or not (nutrient-poor) during re-incubation. After 16 weeks, recovered biofilms underwent re-irrigation using four additional protocols, with or without DJK-5 peptide, based on primary irrigants. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was employed to evaluate immediate irrigant effects, biofilms recovery intervals (1, 3, 5, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after primary irrigation), and re-irrigation effects at the 16-week. Statistical analysis included one-way anova and two-way mixed anova tests. The DJK-5 peptide irrigation protocols demonstrated the highest killing rates during primary irrigation and resulted in a longer biofilms recovery time of 16 weeks compared to non-peptide protocols (p < .001). Both primary irrigation type and smear layer presence significantly influenced biofilms recovery (p < .001). In the absence of smear layer, re-irrigation efficacy didn't significantly differ from primary irrigation, regardless of primary irrigation type or nutrient conditions. However, with a smear layer present, re-irrigation led to significantly higher proportion of dead bacteria compared to primary irrigation (p < .05). Inclusion of the DJK-5 peptide into the re-irrigation protocol displayed superior killing rate compared to other protocols (p < .001). Biofilms exhibited susceptibility to both peptide and non-peptide protocols during re-irrigation, irrespective of nutrient conditions or primary irrigation protocols. The DJK-5 peptide irrigation protocols consistently displayed superior effectiveness compared to non-peptide protocols.

Overdose prevention activities led by local public health departments, 2019–2023

BackgroundDrug overdose deaths in the United States increased to historic levels in recent years, with provisional estimates indicating more than 111,000 deaths in the 12 months ending July 2023. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Overdose Prevention in collaboration with the National Association of City and County Health Officials, funded local health departments (LHDs) to work on overdose prevention activities. This paper aims to: 1) describe the overdose prevention activities that LHDs implemented during the four eighteen-month funding cycles; 2) identify programmatic successes and areas of opportunity for LHDs to consider when implementing future overdose prevention activities; and to 3) inform policy considerations and future overdose prevention programming at the local level.MethodsWe used programmatic data to identify overdose prevention activities implemented by 45 LHDs. Activities were double-coded according to the social-ecological model and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Overdose Prevention Strategies and Guiding Principles. We analyzed final codes to identify distribution and overlap of the Strategies and Guiding Principles across the social ecological model co-occurrences.ResultsApproximately 55.9% (n=123) of the 220 overdose prevention activities that were coded took place at the community level, 32.3% (n=71) at the individual level, 8.6% (n=19) at the relationship level, and 3.2% (n=7) at the policy level. Most of the activities were coded as coordination, collaboration, and integration (n=52, 23.6%), harm reduction (n=51, 23.1%), data and evidence (n=47, 21.4%) or reducing stigma (n=24, 10.9%). Few activities were related to primary prevention (n=14, 6.4%), equity (n=14, 6.4%), recovery support (n=11, 5.0%), and evidence-based treatment (n=7, 3.2%).ConclusionsLocalities have primarily implemented activities focused on the community and individual levels, with most of these centered around coordination, collaboration, and integration; harm reduction; or data and evidence. This study identified gaps in overdose prevention for LHDs related to treatment and health equity and that more interventions should be implemented at the relationship and policy levels. Continuing these efforts is important as LHDs explore opportunities to enhance and expand their work in various strategy areas across the social ecology. Findings from this study may be used to inform localities as they design and implement future overdose prevention activities.

A Combined Neural Network Forecasting Approach for CO2-Enhanced Shale Gas Recovery

Summary Intensive growth of geological carbon sequestration has motivated the energy sector to diversify its storage portfolios, given the background of climate change mitigation. As an abundant unconventional reserve, shale gas reservoirs play a critical role in providing sufficient energy supply and geological carbon storage potentials. However, the low recovery factors of the primary recovery stage are a major concern during reservoir operations. Although injecting CO2 can resolve the dual challenges of improving the recovery factors and storing CO2 permanently, forecasting the reservoir performance heavily relies on reservoir simulation, which is a time-consuming process. In recent years, pioneered studies demonstrated that using machine learning (ML) algorithms can make predictions in an accurate and timely manner but fails to capture the time-series and spatial features of operational realities. In this work, we carried out a novel combinational framework including the artificial neural network (ANN, i.e., multilayer perceptron or MLP) and long short-term memory (LSTM) or bi-directional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) algorithms, tackling the challenges mentioned before. In addition, the deployment of ML algorithms in the petroleum industry is insufficient because of the field data shortage. Here, we also demonstrated an approach for synthesizing field-specific data sets using a numerical method. The findings of this work can be articulated from three perspectives. First, the cumulative gas recovery factor can be improved by 6% according to the base reservoir model with input features of the Barnett shale, whereas the CO2 retention factor sharply declined to 40% after the CO2 breakthrough. Second, using combined ANN and LSTM (ANN-LSTM)/Bi-LSTM is a feasible alternative to reservoir simulation that can be around 120 times faster than the numerical approach. By comparing an evaluation matrix of algorithms, we observed that trade-offs exist between computational time and accuracy in selecting different algorithms. This work provides fundamental support to the shale gas industry in developing comparable ML-based tools to replace traditional numerical simulation in a timely manner.

Aqueous two‐phase systems as a novel alternative in the primary recovery of human mesenchymal cells obtained from adipose tissue

AbstractIn recent years, therapies based on regenerative medicine have gained wide interest owing to their potential in organ transplantation and in the treatment of multiple diseases. These cell‐based therapies rely mainly on the therapeutic potential of stem cells as a result of their self‐renewal, differentiation, capacities and immunosuppressive properties. Adipose tissue contains a large number of mesenchymal stem cells compared to other tissues and is easily accessible through noninvasive techniques; hence the primary recovery of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) has become a critical step. Aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) have shown promise as a separation technique for mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as a result of their scalability, cost‐effectiveness and compatibility. In this study, we investigated the partitioning behavior of the stromal vascular fraction cells, including ASC, in different ATPS compositions [polyethylene glycol, dextran (DEX), Ficoll and Ucon). Among the three ATPS tested, most of the ASC consistently migrates to the top phase as indicated by immunostaining studies for CD73, CD90 and CD105 stem cell markers. Nevertheless, the Ficoll–DEX system retrieves the greatest quantity of ASC recovered in the top phase (89% of total ASC), whereas the Ucon–DEX system effectively eliminates the most contaminating cells (38%). Our findings provide insights into the conditions under which ASC and contaminant cells concentrate in opposite phases in different ATPS, which can contribute to the development of efficient and scalable separation systems for MSC in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Implementation of a novel EOR screening methodology to the oilfields in Türkiye

In response to growing energy demand of Türkiye, an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applicability assessment was conducted through an improved screening methodology, calibrated with successful applications. The methodology incorporated some improvements in applicability ranges and a novel pointing system. 159 oilfields in Türkiye were characterized based on reservoir properties and categorized as heavy, weak and strong aquifer support. The characterization revealed how source rock type and regional paleo-tectonic events dictate primary recovery and need for EOR. The EOR assessment implemented promised 58 applicable cases out of 315. Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection is applicable for many fields, which could stimulate feasibility of carbon capture projects in the country. Immiscible nitrogen injection might be an alternative for many of the medium and light oil reservoirs in the absence of CO2. Polymer flooding is also promising mainly for fields having weak-aquifer support. However, our hands-on experience suggests that conformance control is required to control flow of EOR agent in densely fractured carbonates. Thermal methods do not seem applicable in heavy oil reservoirs due to depth limitations except in-situ combustion, which requires pilot test confirmation. Provided methodology in this study may be used as a guideline for other fields to assess EOR potential.

Composite ultrathin membranes for clarification and primary recovery of biobased itaconic acid from fermentation broths

Itaconic acid is a biobased organic acid with clear potential to become a relevant renewable building-block chemical. However, to compete with petrochemical processes, the production cost of biobased processes, particularly the downstream processing contribution, needs to be reduced. In this work, composite membranes comprising ultrathin films of crosslinked poly[(o-cresyl glycidyl ether)-co-formaldehyde] and branched polyethyleneimine on mixed cellulose ester supports were developed for application in the primary recovery of itaconic acid from fermentation broths. In contrast to commercial and literature-reported counterparts, these membranes exhibit low itaconic acid rejections over a wide range of pH, ionic strength, organic acid concentration and operating pressure. Moreover, these membranes can efficiently recover itaconic acid from clarified fermentation broth as well as unclarified fermentation broth of Pichia pastoris cultivations, with average rejections below 15 % recorded over 8 h of operation. Lastly, the performance of these membranes was compared to literature-reported strategies for primary recovery of biobased organic acids. The efficient recovery of itaconic acid from unclarified fermentation broth opens the possibility to perform clarification and primary recovery simultaneously, thus simplifying the downstream processing of biobased itaconic acid considerably.

457 Timing of Surgery as an Outcome Predictor in Brachial Plexus Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Injuries that affect the brachial plexus are considered to have a high impact on the quality of life of patients. Brachial plexus injuries in adults require reconstruction using microsurgical techniques. At least, there is still controversy about the impact of the timing of surgical reconstruction and its effect on outcome. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, and MEDLINE, up to March 2023, for published studies on evidence of timing of surgery in Brachial plexus injury and neurological outcome. Primary outcome Good motor functional Recovery (MRC). RESULTS: In this meta-analysis, it was found that early surgical treatment before 6 months post-injury increases motor recovery (MRC) three times more than late intervention (after 6 months) with adequate statistical significance and good homogeneity (OR 3,115 [95% CI 2,248–4,317] p = &lt;0.0001; I2 = &lt;0.00001%). CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence suggests that performing brachial plexus surgery in less than 6 months can be associated with a better outcome. Further research is needed to characterize various subgroups of BPI patients. It is necessary to improve the quality of the evidence, so we suggest the creation of a multicenter database in the United States that allows us to obtain better conclusions.

Practical deployment of automation to expedite aqueous two-phase extraction

The feasibility of bioprocess development relies heavily on the successful application of primary recovery and purification techniques. Aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) disrupts the definition of "unit operation" by serving as an integrative and intensive technique that combines different objectives such as the removal of biomass and integrated recovery and purification of the product of interest. The relative simplicity of processing large samples renders this technique an attractive alternative for industrial bioprocessing applications. However, process development is hindered by the lack of easily predictable partition behaviours, the elucidation of which necessitates a large number of experiments to be conducted. Liquid handling devices can assist to address this problem; however, they are configured to operate using low viscosity fluids such as water and water-based solutions as opposed to highly viscous polymeric solutions, which are typically required in ATPE. In this work, an automated high throughput ATPE process development framework is presented by constructing phase diagrams and identifying the binodal curves for PEG6000, PEG3000, and PEG2000. Models were built to determine viscosity- and volume-independent transfer parameters. The framework provided an appropriate strategy to develop a very precise and accurate operation by exploiting the relationship between different liquid transfer parameters and process error. Process accuracy, measured by mean absolute error, and device precision, evaluated by the coefficient of variation, were both shown to be affected by the mechanical properties, particularly viscosity, of the fluids employed. For PEG6000, the mean absolute error improved by six-fold (from 4.82% to 0.75%) and the coefficient of variation improved by three-fold (from 0.027 to 0.008) upon optimisation of the liquid transfer parameters accounting for the viscosity effect on the PEG-salt buffer utilising ATPE operations. As demonstrated here, automated liquid handling devices can serve to streamline process development for APTE enabling wide adoption of this technique in large scale bioprocess applications.