Standard Core Research Articles

Capillary Desaturation Curves For Evaluating Surfactant Performance By Core Flooding Experiments

Capillary desaturation curves are normally generated in laboratory scale by means of core flooding experiments to evaluate the surfactant formulations for chemical injection in EOR projects. Low tension surfactant solution is the only liquid that could increase the dimensionless capillary number in order of magnitude of 103. Two types of core samples have been used in core flooding experiments to develop capillary desaturation curves, i.e., generic and standard Classhach core samples. In Addition, VS surfactant and additional alcohols are also used in these experiments. The higher the capillary number could generate a lower the residual oil saturation. Moreover, each rock may have a particular capillary desaturation curve depending on the rock properties. Therefore before implementing chemical injection in a pilot scale, capillary desaturation curve should be developed in laboratory to evaluate the surfactant injection performance.

Assessment of the Measurement Performance of the Multimodal Fibre Optic Shape Sensing Configuration for a Morphing Wing Section.

In this paper, with the final aim of shape sensing for a morphing aircraft wing section, a developed multimodal shape sensing system is analysed. We utilise the method of interrogating a morphing wing section based on the principles of both hybrid interferometry and Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) spectral sensing described in our previous work. The focus of this work is to assess the measurement performance and analyse the errors in the shape sensing system. This includes an estimation of the bending and torsional deformations of an aluminium mock-up section due to static loading that imitates the behaviour of a morphing wing trailing edge. The analysis involves using a detailed calibration procedure and a multimodal sensing algorithm to measure the deflection and shape. The method described In this paper, uses a standard single core optical fibre and two grating pairs on both the top and bottom surfaces of the morphing section. A study on the fibre placement and recommendations for efficient monitoring is also included. The analysis yielded a maximum deflection sensing error of 0.7 mm for a 347 × 350 mm wing section.

Study on the penetration of strengthening material for deep-water weakly consolidated shallow formation

Unformed-rock silt and sand are the main components of shallow formations in deep-water oil and gas wells. The formations are different from the perspective of mechanical performance of the cement sheath and often causes brittle failure. Improving the cement system or cement-formation interface strength is not sufficient to solve this problem. This study tested solid and liquid strengthening materials to increase the mechanical performance of weakly consolidated shallow formations and to minimize the performance difference with cement stone. The test of the groutability of superfine slag, cement, and epoxy resin indicated that waterborne epoxy resin system is the best choice. An annular simulation core was used to evaluate the penetration of the epoxy resin system. The simulation cementing experiment indicated that the viscosity of the ER (epoxy resin) slurry and the compression degree of the core negatively correlated with the permeate depth, while the grouting pressure exhibited positive correlation. The permeate depth can reach 11.8 mm under 0.1 MPa while the maximum was 21.7 mm at 0.4 MPa. A thin ER layer was formed between the cement sheath and the core after the ER slurry was cured, which increased the cement-formation interface strength by 22.18 %. Standard blocks showed that 5% of ER can increase the strength of unconsolidated clay to 2.17 MPa. SEM indicates that the ER filled part of the space between the particles of clay and consolidated them. The difference between standard blocks and core samples after treatment in SEM was low. The difference in mechanical performance between the cement stone and the weakly consolidated formation was narrowed after the formation was reinforced. • The groutability of solid and liquid strengthening material was evaluated. • The effect of grouting pressure, compress degree, and slurry viscosity on the permeate depth was studied. • The mechanism of epoxy resin to reinforce the weakly consolidated shallow formation and improved the cement-formation interface strength was revealed. • The mechanical properties between the cement sheath and the weakly consolidated formation were narrowed.

Reservoir evaluation of the Eastern Tethyan Middle Eocene Larger Benthic Foraminifera dominated carbonates from Pakistan.

The Eocene Large Benthic Foraminiferal limestones of the Tethyan margins are proven hydrocarbon reservoirs. This study examines the controls on porosity and permeability development of the producing Middle Eocene Pirkoh Member of the Eastern Tethys using well core data from Well Zx-01 from the Punjab Platform area, Central Indus Basin, Pakistan. The standard petrographic and core analysis techniques were adopted to determine these controls. Petrographic studies revealed three microfacies comprising bioclastic packstone to floatstone, bioclastic wackestone and mud-wackestone microfacies. The allochems belong to benthic foraminifera including Nummulites sp., Discocyclinids sp.., Coralline algae, Assilina sp., Lockhartia sp., Coralline algae and Gastropods along with the other bioclastic debris. These allochems were found embedded in the micritic matrix with extensive cementation of calcite. The diagenetic events included cementation, compaction, dolomitization, fracture filling and neomorphism. Based on microfacies, the environment of deposition is interpreted to be a high-energy zone of the middle ramp in shallow marine environment. Subsurface core indicates that the porosity of the reservoir is low to high ranging between 6 to 27.47% and permeability is found low to fair ranging between 0.03 to 7.73 mD, found closely related to microfacies and diagenetic modifications. This study is a first attempt to document the reservoir facies of the non-reefal carbonates of the Pirkoh limestone that would help to exploit the reservoir's potential of the carbonate platforms developed in similar settings worldwide.

A Study of Spontaneous Imbibition Recovery Mechanism of Surfactant Formulated from Methyl Ester Sulfonates

MES (Methyl Ester Suffocates) can be formulated to become surfactant-MES that has surfactant potential properties for EOR (enhanced oil recovery). A such formulated surfactant MES by adding some solvents and chemicals to adjust its properties in order to generate a compatibity with reservoir fluid and rock has been developed. This formulated surfactant MES, therefore, has been tested its properties for enhanced oil recovery in a selected oil field. The oil field produces an oil withc39.45oAPI, and brine content of about 18,900 mg/L equivalent NaCl concentration. While reservoir rock is not available and substituted by Bentheimer standard core. Basically the production enhancements of surfactant solution for EOR processes are wettability alteration and interfacial tension reduction. In these experiments, some evaluations have been done to observe the capability the formulated surfactant MES for oil production enhancements includingwettability alteration and imbibition capability. Formulated low interfacial tension surfactant-MES that will be evaluated for spontaneous imbibition ability have been diluted in the brine of 0.5 and 1.0% concentrations. Tests on wettability alteration indicated that the surfactant solutions could not change the wettability of the rocks. The initial wettability is mixed wet and still mixed wet after ageing in the surfactant solution. On other hand the spontaneous imbibition tests resulted in significant oil production coming out from the cores, i.e. 67.07% oil recovery with 0.5% surfactant and 92.25% for 1.0% surfactant solutions. But optimum oil recovery factor by brine imbibition is only 41.69%

On the Effects of Core Microstructure on Energy Absorbing Capabilities of Sandwich Panels Intended for Additive Manufacturing.

Increasing transportation safety can be observed as one of the biggest engineering challenges. This challenge often needs to be combined with the need to deliver engineering solutions that are able to lower the environmental impact of transportation, by reducing fuel consumption. Consequentially, these topics have attracted considerable research efforts. The present work aims to address the previously cited challenges by maximizing the energy absorption capabilities of hybrid aluminum/composite shock absorbers with minimal thickness and mass. This engineering solution makes it possible to lighten vehicles and reduce fuel consumption, without compromising safety, in terms of crashworthiness capabilities. A numerical sensitivity study is presented, where the absorbed energy/mass (AE/m) and the absorbed energy/total panel thickness (AE/Htot) ratios, as a consequence of low-velocity impact simulations performed on six different shock absorbers, are compared. These hybrid shock absorbers have been numerically designed by modifying the core thickness of two basic absorbers’ configurations, characterized, respectively, by a metallic lattice core, intended to be produced through additive manufacturing, and a standard metallic honeycomb core. This work provides interesting information for the development of shock absorbers, which should be further developed with an experimental approach. Indeed, it demonstrates that, by integrating composite skins with a very light core producible, by means of additive manufacturing capabilities, it is possible to design shock absorbers with excellent performance, even for very thin configurations with 6 mm thickness, and to provide a significant increase in AE/m ratios when compared to the respective equal volume standard honeycomb core configurations. This difference between the AE/m ratios of configurations with different core designs increases with the growth in volume. In detail, for configurations with a total thickness of 6 mm, the AE/m increases in additive manufacturing configurations by approximately 93%; for those with a total thickness of 10 mm, the increase is 175%, and, finally, for those with a total thickness of 14 mm, the increase is 220%.

Impact of local pressure enhancements on dust concentration in turbulent protoplanetary discs

The standard core accretion model for planetesimal formation in protoplanetary discs (PPDs) is subject to a number of challenges. One is related to the vertical settling of dust to the disc mid-plane against turbulent stirring. This is particularly relevant in the presence of the vertical shear instability (VSI), a purely hydrodynamic instability applicable to the outer parts of PPDs, which drives moderate turbulence characterized by large-scale vertical motions. We investigate the evolution of dust and gas in the vicinity of local pressure enhancements (pressure bumps) in a PPD with turbulence sustained by the VSI. Our goal is to determine the morphology of dust concentrations and if dust can concentrate sufficiently to reach conditions that can trigger the streaming instability (SI). We performed a suite of global 2D axisymmetric and 3D simulations of dust and gas for a range of values for Σd∕Σg (ratio of dust-to-gas surface mass densities or metallicity), particle Stokes numbers, τ, and pressure bump amplitude, A. Dust feedback onto the gas is included. For the first time, we use global 3D simulations to demonstrate the collection of dust in long-lived vortices induced by the VSI. These vortices, which undergo a slow radial inward drift, are the dusty analogs of large long-lived vortices found in previous dust-free simulations of the VSI. Without a pressure bump and for solar metallicity Z ≈ 0.01 and Stokes numbers τ ~ 10−2, we find that such vortices can reach dust-to-gas density ratios slightly below unity in the discs’ mid-plane, while for Z ≳ 0.05, long-lived vortices are largely absent. In the presence of a pressure bump, for Z ≈ 0.01 and τ ~ 10−2, a dusty vortex forms that reaches dust-to-gas ratios of a few times unity, such that the SI is expected to develop, before it eventually shears out into a turbulent dust ring. At intermediate metallicities, Z ~ 0.03, this occurs for τ ~ 5 × 10−3, but with a weaker and more short-lived vortex, while for larger τ, only a turbulent dust ring forms. For Z ≳ 0.03, we find that the dust ring becomes increasingly axisymmetric for increasing τ and dust-to-gas ratios reach order unity for τ ≳ 5 × 10−3. Furthermore, the vertical mass flow profile of the disc is strongly affected by dust for Z ≳ 0.03, such that gas is transported inward near the mid-plane and outward at larger heights, which is the reversed situation compared to simulations with zero or small amounts of dust. We find viscous α-values to drop moderately as ~10−3–10−4 for metallicities increasing as Z = 0–0.05. Our results suggest that the VSI can play an active role in the formation of planetesimals through the formation of vortices for plausible values of metallicity and particle size. Also, it may provide a natural explanation for the presence or absence of asymmetries of observed dust rings in PPDs, depending on the background metallicity.

Influence of sportive activity on functional and radiographic outcomes following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: a comparative study

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to compare the functional and radiographic outcomes following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) in a senior athletic and non-athletic population.Material and methodsIn this retrospective cohort study, patients who underwent RTSA between 06/2013 and 04/2018 at a single institution were included. Minimum follow-up was 2 years. A standardized questionnaire was utilized for assessment of patients’ pre- and postoperative physical fitness and sportive activity. Patients who resumed at least one sport were assigned to the athletic group, while patients who ceased participating in sports were assigned to the non-athletic group. Postoperative clinical outcome measures included the Constant score (CS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. Active shoulder range of motion (ROM) and abduction strength were assessed. Radiographic evaluation was based on a standardized core set of parameters for radiographic monitoring of patients following shoulder arthroplasty.ResultsSixty-one of 71 patients (85.9%; mean age: 72.1 ± 6.6 years) were available for clinical and radiographic follow-up at a mean of 47.1 ± 18.1 months. Thirty-four patients (55.7%) were assigned to the athletic group and 27 patients (44.3%) to the non-athletic group. The athletic group demonstrated significantly better results for CS (P = 0.002), ASES score (P = 0.001), SST (P = 0.001), VAS (P = 0.022), active external rotation (P = 0.045) and abduction strength (P = 0.016) compared to the non-athletic group. The overall rate of return to sport was 78.0% at an average of 5.3 ± 3.6 months postoperatively. Incomplete radiolucent lines (RLL) around the humeral component were found significantly more frequently in the athletic group compared to the non-athletic group (P = 0.019), whereas the occurrence of complete RLLs around the implant components was similar (P = 0.382). Scapular notching was observed in 18 patients (52.9%) of the athletic group and 12 patients (44.9%) of the non-athletic group (P = 0.51). The overall rate for revision surgery was 8.2%, while postoperative complications were encountered in 3.3% of cases.ConclusionAt mid-term follow-up, the athletic population demonstrated significantly better clinical results following RTSA without a higher rate of implant loosening and scapular notching when compared to non-athletic patients. However, incomplete radiolucency around the humeral component was observed significantly more often in the athletic group.Level of evidenceIII.

Consensus Development of a Core Content for a Standardized Medical Toxicology Curriculum for Medical Students.

BackgroundCurrently, no standardized core content in medical toxicology exists for medical students. The goals of this study were to (1) assess the current state and needs of medical toxicology clerkships and (2) develop a consensus-derived list of core topics that should be covered during a medical toxicology clerkship.MethodsWe assembled a task force established by the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) of nine experts in medical toxicology or emergency medicine. We developed a needs assessment survey that was sent to all medical student clerkship directors in medical toxicology. Based on their responses, we used a modified Delphi process to develop a consensus of core topics that should be covered during a medical student clerkship.ResultsNineteen out of 42 (45%) clerkship directors completed the survey; 18 met inclusion criteria. The majority of clerkships were 4 weeks in duration with an average of 15 students/year. The three most common teaching methods used were bedside teaching (n = 17/18), classroom teaching (n = 17/18), and journal club (n = 14/18). All the clerkship directors (n = 18/18) reported they would use a standardized curriculum as well as educational content developed by ACMT. There was overwhelming consensus on the core topics which included, but were not limited to, pharmacology/toxicology; drugs; drugs of abuse; natural products; pharmacological basis of antidote use; toxicologic syndromes; vital sign abnormalities; initial management; supportive and other care; withdrawal syndrome management; industrial, household, and environmental toxins; differential diagnosis by clinical findings; and ABCs-resuscitation.ConclusionThe ACMT task force developed a medical toxicology clerkship core content. The task force also identified a need for shared resources among clerkships.

Characteristics of Patients With Antiphospholipid Antibody Positivity in the APS ACTION International Clinical Database and Repository.

To describe the baseline characteristics of patients with positivity for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) who were enrolled in an international registry, the Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) Alliance for Clinical Trials and International Networking (APS ACTION) clinical database and repository, overall and by clinical and laboratory subtypes. The APS ACTION registry includes adults who persistently had positivity for aPLs. We evaluated baseline sociodemographic and aPL-related (APS classification criteria and "non-criteria") characteristics of patients overall and in subgroups (aPL-positive without APS, APS overall, thrombotic APS only, obstetric APS only, and both thrombotic APS/obstetric APS). We assessed baseline characteristics of patients tested for the presence of three aPLs (lupus anticoagulant [LAC] test, anticardiolipin antibody [aCL], and anti-β2 -glycoprotein I [anti-β2 GPI]) antibodies by aPL profiles (LAC only, single, double, and triple aPL positivity). The 804 aPL-positive patients assessed in the present study had a mean age of 45 ± 13 years, were 74% female, and 68% White; additionally, 36% had other systemic autoimmune diseases. Of these 804 aPL-positive patients, 80% were classified as having APS (with 55% having thrombotic APS, 9% obstetric APS, and 15% thrombotic APS/obstetric APS). In the overall cohort, 71% had vascular thrombosis, 50% with a history of pregnancy had obstetric morbidity, and 56% had experienced at least one non-criteria manifestation. Among those with three aPLs tested (n=660), 42% were triple aPL-positive. While single-, double-, and triple aPL-positive subgroups had similar frequencies of vascular, obstetric, and non-criteria events, these events were lowest in the single aPL subgroup, which consisted of aCLs or anti-β2 GPI only. Our study demonstrates the heterogeneity of aPL-related clinical manifestations and laboratory profiles in a multicenter international cohort. Within single aPL positivity, LAC may be a major contributor to clinical events. Future prospective analyses, using standardized core laboratory aPL tests, will help clarify aPL risk profiles and improve risk stratification.

Architecting Intelligent Smart Serious Games for Healthcare Applications: A Technical Perspective.

The immune system of human beings plays a pivotal role in guarding against different types of diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people with weak immune systems were more likely to die. Regular physical activities and healthy food intake can significantly improve the immune system; however, people with a sedentary lifestyle and a busy job schedule find it challenging and tedious to maintain regularity. Different approaches have been used over the years to engage people in various physical activities and improve their mental and physical health. The concept of employing serious games (games whose primary purpose is not fun or entertainment, but a serious goal) to effectuate better results has become one of the popular choices among healthcare professionals and research communities. Internet of things (IoT) has enabled digital transformation with smart cities, smart infrastructure, and the fourth industrial revolution. There have been some relevant studies on the encouragement of serious games in healthcare in the past few years. However, few research studies encourage IoT-enabled serious games played with IoT devices (sensors and actuators) by making the game experience more ubiquitous and pervasive. Consequently, the adaptation of the IoT in serious games for healthcare applications is a massive gap despite its growing need in an era significantly affected by COVID-19. This paper discusses the possibilities of integrating serious games with IoT and discusses the standard architecture, core technologies, and possible challenges. Finally, we present a prototype architecture and its various components and a qualitative analysis with recent studies.

ISP-Net: Fusing features to predict ischemic stroke infarct core on CT perfusion maps

Background: Acute ischemic stroke is one of the leading death causes. Delineating stoke infarct core in medical images plays a critical role in optimal stroke treatment selection. However, accurate estimation of infarct core still remains challenging because of 1) the large shape and location variation of infarct cores; 2) the complex relationships between perfusion parameters and final tissue outcome. Methods: We develop an encoder-decoder based semantic model, i.e., Ischemic Stroke Prediction Network (ISP-Net), to predict infarct core after thrombolysis treatment on CT perfusion (CTP) maps. Features of native CTP, CBF (Cerebral Blood Flow), CBV (Cerebral Blood Volume), MTT (Mean Transit Time), Tmax are generated and fused with five-path convolutions for comprehensive analysis. A multi-scale atrous convolution (MSAC) block is firstly put forward as the enriched high-level feature extractor in ISP-Net to improve prediction accuracy. A retrospective dataset which is collected from multiple stroke centers is used to evaluate the performance of ISP-Net. The gold standard infarct cores are delineated on the follow-up scans, i.e., non-contrast CT (NCCT) or MRI diffusion-weighted image (DWI). Results: In clinical dataset cross-validation, we achieve mean Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 0.801, precision of 81.3%, sensitivity of 79.5%, specificity of 99.5%, Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.721. Our approach yields better outcomes than several advanced deep learning methods, i.e., Deeplab V3, U-Net++, CE-Net, X-Net and Non-local U-Net, demonstrating the promising performance in infarct core prediction. No significant difference of the prediction error is shown for the patients with follow-up NCCT and follow-up DWI (P >0.05). Conclusion: This study provides an approach for fast and accurate stroke infarct core estimation. We anticipate the prediction results of ISP-Net could offer assistance to the physicians in the thrombolysis or thrombectomy therapy selection.

Screening of Surfactants for Flooding at High-Mineralization Conditions: Two Production Zones of Carbonate Reservoir

The selection of effective surfactants potentially can mobilize oil up to 50% of residuals in mature carbonate oilfields. Surfactants’ screening for such oilfields usually is complicated by the high salinity of water, high lipophilicity of the rock surface, and the heterogeneous structure. A consideration of features of the oilfield properties, as well as separate production zones, can increase the deep insight of surfactants’ influence and increase the effectiveness of surfactant flooding. This article is devoted to the screening of surfactants for two production zones (Bashkirian and Vereian) of the Ivinskoe carbonate oilfield with high water salinity and heterogeneity. The standard core study of both production zones revealed no significant differences in permeability and porosity. On the other hand, an X-ray study of core samples showed differences in their structure and the presence of microporosity in the Bashkirian stage. The effectiveness of four different types of surfactants and surfactant blends were evaluated for both production zones by two different oil displacement mechanisms: spontaneous imbibition and filtration experiments. Results showed the higher effect of surfactants on wettability alteration and imbibition mechanisms for the Bashkirian cores with microporosity and a higher oil displacement factor in the flooding experiments for the Vereian homogeneous cores with lower oil viscosity.

A High-Efficiency Triple-Mode Active Rectifier With Gate Charge Recycling Technique for Wireless Power Transfer System

This paper presents an active rectifier design with a gate charge recycling technique. Gate switching increases the switching losses of the active rectifier, therefore, as a way to reduce switching losses, the gate charge recycling technique is proposed. The output power of 15 W is achieved to enable rapid charging using the three standards for wireless charging mode, magnetic induction (WPC and PMA), and magnetic resonance (A4WP). Power-sharing is used to lower the amount of power consumed by each standard mode core. In WPC, and PMA mode zero current sensing (ZCS) technique has been used while in the A4WP mode, the digitally controlled delay adjustment (DCDA) technique has been employed. By using a gate charge recycling block, the efficiency has been considerably improved due to the lower power consumption. It aims to increase the overall efficiency by reusing switching loss using the gate charge recycling block, and it has effectiveness by allowing three standard modes to operate with one single chip. The proposed design combines charge-recycling with zero current sensing techniques to improve power efficiency. The layout size is <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.75~\mu \text{m}^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> . The achieved efficiency is 98.6 % in the magnetic induction method (WPC/PMA) at 15 W, and 94.86 % in the magnetic resonance method (A4WP) with an output power level of 15 W. The chip is fabricated in the BCD <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.18~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS process.

Machine learning-assisted surrogate construction for full-core fuel performance analysis

Accurately predicting the behavior of a nuclear reactor requires multiphysics simulation of coupled neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and fuel thermo-mechanics. Traditionally, fuel performance analysis is performed standalone as result of the cost induced by the full-core analysis. This work is therefore motivated to improve the computational efficiency of full-core modeling by constructing fast-running surrogate for fuel performance quantities of interest using machine learning. Rule-based models are used to account for the spatial–temporal-dependent operating histories, and expanded space-filling design is employed to ensure the appropriateness of the training set. Proposed methodologies are verified on both standard and high burnup PWR cores, achieving at least ten thousand times acceleration compared to FRAPCON with satisfying prediction accuracy. Current work lays foundation for tighter coupling of the fuel performance analysis into the core design optimization framework. It also sets stage for full-core fuel performance analysis with high-fidelity tools like BISON whose computational cost is more burdensome.

Development of a Methodological Approach to Identifying Petrophysical Types of Complicated Carbonate Rocks According to Laboratory Core Studies

Petrophysical typification of productive hydrocarbon deposits is one of the main stages of building a petrophysical model of a reservoir. For carbonate reservoirs characterized by a heterogeneous complex structure of the void space, the problem of identifying petrotypes is very relevant. An extensive literature review of existing methods of petrophysical typification showed that the most well-known and widely used of them were based on simple theoretical models of the structure of the void space of rocks, which did not allow a full description of complex carbonate deposits. Moreover, the petrotypes identified on the basis of these methods did not agree with the results of microdescription of thin sections. A new methodological approach to the identification of petrophysical types of complex carbonate rocks was proposed, based on the integration of the results of standard (determination of the absolute gas permeability and open porosity coefficients) and special (nuclear magnetic resonance studies) core studies and data obtained in the lithological description of thin sections. The developed approach took into account the main petrophysical properties of rocks that characterize its reservoir potential, as well as the structural features of the void space and the influence of secondary transformations. The proposed methodological approach was applied to distinguish petrophysical types in the section of the Assel-Sakmara deposits of the Yareyuskoye field: six petrotypes were identified and described in detail, combined into four zones (zone of development of healed fracturing, zone of development of leaching, zone of development of leaching and open fracturing, zone of development open fracturing), for each of them, individual dependences of the absolute gas permeability coefficient on the open porosity coefficient and the Leverett J-function on the water saturation coefficient were constructed. The information obtained would allow a differentiated approach to geological and hydrodynamic modeling of a hydrocarbon reservoir.

Study of heat transfer during steam condensation in the tubes of diesel radiator cores

The article contains an assumption about the practicability of using the processes of boiling and condensation of the coolant in the cooling system of a locomotive diesel in order to reduce the energy consumption of fans of the refrigerating chamber. The possibility of using of standard radiator cores of a diesel locomotive with flat tubes as steam condensers is considered. The results of the criterion equation of heat transfer from steam to a flat tube during condensation, obtained by the mathematical model of this process, are estimated. The assessment was carried out by comparison with experimental data. The influence of the initial steam velocity, the corresponding tube diameter, the working length of the tube, the physical properties of steam and condensate is considered. The comparison of the influence of these factors on heat transfer in round and flat tubes of a locomotive radiator core is carried out. The processed results of physical and numerical experiments for both circular and flat tubes are shown in the graphs and regression equations. The advantage of flat tubes over round ones in terms of heat transfer intensity during steam condensation, which can reach 24%, for a standard radiator core of a diesel locomotive was found.

Reported Outcomes and Outcome Measures in Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: There is a lack of scientific consensus on the best arthroplasty implant option for proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) arthritis, due to diversity in outcome reporting and measurement methods. The development of a standardized core outcome set (COS) and standard outcome measures could mitigate this issue. This study catalogs the reported outcomes and outcome measures found in PIPJ arthroplasty studies, which can be used in the first step of developing a COS. Methods: A database search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science (January 1, 2010, to March 10, 2021) was performed to retrieve studies that reported outcomes of the 3 most common primary PIPJ arthroplasty implants: silicone, pyrocarbon, and metal-polyethylene. The primary objectives of this study include reported outcomes and outcome measures. Secondary objectives include clinimetric properties of outcome measures, study design, and implant types. Results: Fifty articles met inclusion criteria. Of the included studies, 41 (82%) were case series, 8 (16%) were cohort studies, and 1 (2%) was a randomized control trial. Thirty-three unique outcomes were identified. Fifteen (46%) outcomes were clinician-reported and 26 (79%) were patient-reported. Eighteen unique outcome measures were identified. Of the outcome measures, 15 (83%) were patient-reported, 1 (6%) was clinician-reported, and 2 (11%) were reported by both patients and clinicians. Conclusions: Substantial heterogeneity was found in reported outcomes and outcome measures across studies evaluating PIPJ arthroplasty, impeding knowledge translation. The development of a COS for PIPJ arthroplasty is necessary to help compare and pool data across studies, and advance scientific knowledge.

Family physicians in an Eastern Turkish City need training on child abuse and neglect

The study's purpose was to determine the knowledge, competencies, and approaches of family physicians in recognizing the signs of child neglect and abuse. This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 March and 30 August 2019 in the Erzurum province in Turkey. The population of the study was family physicians working in primary care. The data were collected with an instrument that included the Scale of Diagnosing the Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect (SDRCAN) and a socio-demographic information form. The mean age was 37.40 ± 8.78 years (min. 26, max. 60). Of the participants, 103 (n = 58.5%) were men. The most common types of encountered child abuse/neglect were physical abuse or neglect (each 27.8%, n = 49). Having received education on child abuse/neglect among participants was only 44.9% (n = 79). On the other hand, the rate of having encountered any child abuse/neglect was 40.3% (n = 71). Another result of this study is the proportion of family physicians feeling weak regarding history taking (30.7%, n = 54), physical exam (17.0%, n = 30), and cooperation with the authorities (13.1%, n = 23). Additionally, the different responses among the participants about action in case of encountering child abuse/neglect were remarkable. Being a woman was one prominent factor that increased the SDRCAN score (P < 0.001). The awareness and knowledge of family physicians in Erzurum about child maltreatment are inadequate. We recommend focusing on child maltreatment, especially in medical faculties, including this issue in the standard core curriculums, and organizing intermittent in-service training programs during the post-graduate working period.

Employee Assessment Applications Using the Graphic Rating Scale and Profile Matching Methods at XYZ University

Performance appraisal is an evaluation and assessment carried out to employees to find out what their abilities are and measure productivity during work. XYZ University has an employee performance appraisal which is conducted annually to determine employee promotions. The assessment process is still using the manual method and using the Graphic Rating Scale method. Graphic Rating Scale is a performance appraisal method in which an employee is assessed based on criteria that are considered important and relevant to performance and productivity. To determine a promotion, the Graphic Rating Scale method cannot do it because it takes standard values, core factors and secondary factors that are used as standards to determine promotions. Therefore, In this employee appraisal application there is a combined method used to assist the assessment process, namely the Graphic Rating Scale method and the Profile Matching method. The Profile Matching method is used because there are standard values, core factors and secondary factors that can be used as standards to determine promotions. The results of this study are on testing the Graphic Rating Scale method with the combined method of Graphic Rating Scale and Profile Matching, the combined method of Graphic Rating Scale and Profile Matching has a higher average accuracy of 78,18%, while the Graphic Rating Scale method has an average accuracy of 68,45%.