Dynamic petrophysical properties of laminated rocks : an experimental investigation

Laminae included in rock samples are small-scale heterogeneities that introduce anisotropy to the larger-scale rock system. They can be described in terms of grain size variations, as in a clastic sediment that is interbedded with shale layers. Such variations in grain size translate into variations in pore and pore-throat size distributions, and they control the effective two-phase fluid transport properties of the rock. Ultimately, they impact hydrocarbon recovery. This thesis implements an experimental workflow to study and quantify the impact of laminations on dynamic petrophysical properties in the presence of two distinct types of layering: cross and parallel. Accordingly, relative permeability and capillary pressure are measured under two flow conditions: across (perpendicular flow) and along layers (parallel flow). Two cylindrical composite rock samples were fabricated in which the first composite sample was interbedded with a lower permeability rock (Berea sandstone interbedded with Kentucky sandstone), and the second one was interbedded with a higher permeability rock (Kentucky sandstone interbedded with Berea sandstone) to represent the layering cases defined above. Multiple laboratory experiments were carried out to measure mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP) and saturation-dependent relative permeability. These measurements were complemented with micro-computed tomography images and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. For the perpendicular flow experiments, I sealed the sub-samples into a cylindrical sample in order to allow mercury to flow across them. The seal surrounds the samples and forces mercury to intrude only through the two ends (faces) of the composite samples. In the parallel flow experiments, I first sealed each piece individually and then sealed the entire stack. This was done to ensure that flow pathways between the pieces were sealed. A bimodal pore-size distribution in the Berea interbedded with Kentucky and in the Kentucky interbedded with Berea samples was revealed by MICP measurements in the parallel layering composite cores. In the cross-layering experiments, I observed a bimodal pore-size distribution for the two rock arrangements. Relative permeability was higher in the parallel flow composite cores compared to the perpendicular flow composite cores. In core data analysis, samples are taken from intervals considered representative of one single rock type. When the data are quality checked, petrophysical measurements from samples that exhibit grain laminations are often excluded. This bias propagates to simulation work and leads to results that often do not match field data.Petroleum and Geosystems Engineerin

The Link between Serum Omentin Level and Insulin Resistance Biomarkers, Lipid Profile, and Atherogenic Indices in Iraqi Obese Patients.

الأومنتينOmentin- (او الأنتلكتينintelectin-) هو أحد المركبات التي تفرز من الدهون الحشوية. يوجد اهتمام بحثي متزايد لربط الأومنتين والسمنة مع عوامل الخطورة. الهدف من هذه الدراسة هو تقييم مستوى الأومنتين في مصل الدم وارتباطه بالمؤشرات الحيوية لمقاومة الأنسولين، مستويات الدهون وبعض عوامل الخطورة المصاحبة للسمنة. أجريت هذه الدراسة المقطعية في وحدة أبحاث وعلاج السمنة - كلية طب الكندي بتطويع (115) فردا 49 من رجال و66 من نساء). تم اختيار الاشخاص الذين تتراوح أعمارهم بين (60-20) عاماً وتصنيفهم إلى مجموعتين وفقاً لمؤشر كتلة الجسم. (BMI) المجموعة الأولى (مجموعة السيطرة) اشترك فيها متطوعون أصحاء نحاف 25 رجال / 36 نساء وكتلة الجسم لهم 18.5 - 24.9: مؤشر كتلة الجسم). وتضمنت المجموعة الثانية الأشخاص المصابين بالسمنة 24 رجال / 30 نساء (مؤشر كتلة الجسم ≥ 30). بينت الدراسة ان المجموعة الثانية (المصابين بالسمنة) لديهم مستويات أومنتين أعلى مقارنة بالمجموعة الأولى للأصحاء (السيطرة)، (15.49 ± 4.20 vs. 10.15 ± 5.04 pg/ml, P <0.001). واظهرت المجموعة الثانية مستويات أعلى لمقياس الخصر، نسبة مقياس الخصر الى الورك، الوزن، مؤشر كتلة الجسم وسكر الدم، الانسولين، مؤشر مقاومة الانسولين، مستوى الدهون ومستوى اقل من الكوليسترول الدهني عالي الكثافة (HDL-Cholesterol).الأومنتين ارتبط إيجابيا واحصائيا بالمؤشرات الحيوية كمقياس الخصر، نسبة الخصر الى الورك، الوزن، مؤشر كتلة الجسم، سكر الدم، الانسولين، الهيموغلوبين السكري A1c، مؤشر مقاومة الانسولين، مستويات الكوليسترول منخفض الكثافة، مؤشر الدهون الثلاثية الى السكر triglyceride to glucose index (TyG index) ومؤشر تصلب الشرايين للبلازماatherogenic index of plasma (AIP) (P< 0.05) ;. أثبت تحليل الانحدار المتعدد أن مستويات الأومنتين مرتبطة بمستويات سكر الدم، الكوليسترول، مؤشر TyG ومؤشر تصلب الشرايين للبلازما (AIP). تشير النتائج إلى أن مستويات الأومنتين في المصل أعلى في الأفراد المصابين بالسمنة مقارنة بالأشخاص الاصحاء ذوي مؤشر كتلة الجسم الطبيعية.  ارتبط الأومنتين أيضا بالمؤشرات الحيوية لمقاومة الأنسولين ومؤشرات عوامل الخطورة مثل مؤشر AIP ومؤشر TyG. يمكن استخدام الأومنتين كعلامة للأيض في السمنة.Omentin (or intelectin) is a main visceral fat secretory adipokine.  There is a growing interest to link omentin, obesity and co-morbidity factors. The aim of the present study is to evaluate serum omentin and its association to insulin resistance biomarkers, lipid profile and atherogenic indies. This cross – sectional study was conducted in Obesity Research and Therapy Unit-Alkindy College of Medicine by recruiting (115) individuals; 49 males /66 females. Subjects between (20 to 60) years of age were selected and classified into two groups according to their Body mass index (BMI). Group1 involved healthy lean volunteers (25 male/ 36 female; BMI 18.5 - 24.9). Group2 involved obese subjects; (24 male / 36 female with BMI ≥ 30). The study shows that obese group has higher omentin levels compared to the healthy lean group (15.49 ± 4.20 vs. 10.15 ± 5.04 pg/ml, P <0.001). In addition; obese group exhibited significantly higher levels waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), glucose, insulin, homeostatic module of insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) and lipid profile and lower levels of HDL-Chol (P <0.05). Omentin levels were significantly and positively correlated with WC, WHR, BMI, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, HOMA2-IR, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins - cholesterol, triglyceride to glucose index (TyG index) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP); (P< 0.05). Multiple regression analysis established that omentin levels was found to be associated with glucose, total Chol, TyG index and AIP in total population. These findings indicate that serum omentin levels are higher in obese individuals compared to lean subjects. Furthermore, omentin was linked to insulin resistance biomarkers and other risk factors indices such as AIP and TyG. Omentin can be used as a metabolic marker in obese

Effects of metformin+sitagliptin versus metformin + glibenclamide combinations on lipid profile, body mass index and kidney function in Iraqi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Until 1995, only two options for pharmacologic treatment were available for patients with diabetes; sulfonylurea (for type 2 DM only) and insulin (for type 1 or 2). Since 1995, a number of new oral agents, injectables, and insulins have been introduced in therapy. Currently, six classes of oral agents are approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes: , sulfonylurea, α-glucosidase inhibitors, biguanides, meglitinides, thiazolidinediones or glitazones& dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. This study aimed to evaluate the lipid profile, kidney function and BMI by using two combinations of drugs metformin + glibenclamide and metformin + sitagliptin on patients with T2DM. Sixty eight T2DM patients (and categorized in to two treatment groups) and 34 normal healthy individuals as control group were enrolled in this study group 1 (34 patients ) received metformin 500 mg three times daily + glibenclamide 5 mg twice daily and group 2 (34 patients) received metformin 500 mg three times daily + sitagliptin 100 mg once daily. From each patients 10 ml of blood was obtained by veinpuncture and the serum was separated and used for estimating the lipid profile, kidney function (blood urea and serum creatinin). The mean calculated serum total cholesterol(TC), serum triglyceride(TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc)and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol(VLDLc) were significantly(p<0.05) lower for group 2 patients after 3 & 6 months of treatment (225.88 ± 6.62 mg/dl,214.32 mg/dl ± 4.86 and 197.61 mg/ dl ± 3.4), (252.08±9.07mg/dl, 234.02 mg/dl ± 6.44 and 196.0 mg/dl ± 5.70 ), (96.2± 2.03mg/dl, 94.26 mg/dl ± 2.58, 88.17 mg/dl ± 1.79) and (78.38±3.65mg/dl, 68.50 mg/dl ± 2.9, 60.52 mg/dl ± 2.26)respectively as compared to group 1 (245.7 ± 2.87,235.61mg/dl ± 2.64, 224.9 mg/dl ±2.98 ), (257.38 ± 9.25,249.67 mg/dl ± 8.19 , 235.7 mg/dl ± 7.83 ), (103.14 ± 2.19, 95.64 mg/dl ± 1.19 , 91.64 mg/dl ± 1.196) and (94.74 mg/dl ± 2.93 , 83.79 mg/dl ± 3.28 ) respectively. The picture was different for high density lipoprotein (HDLc) where, significantly (p<0.05) increased for group 2 patients after 3&6 months of treatment (48.37± 1.07, 49.9 mg/dl ± 1.16 and 51.14 mg/dl ± 1.35 ) compared to group 1 patients (43.02±1.24, 44.67 mg/dl ± 1.28 , 46.52 mg /dl ± 1.22). The mean calculated body mass index (BMI) was significantly (p<0.05) lower for group 2 patients after 1&6 months of treatment (26.7 ± 0.35 and 25.3 ± 0.35) than in group 1 patients (28.5 ± 0.55 and 26.95 ± 0.43. This study also showed significantly(p<0.05) lower mean serum blood urea and serum creatinine level for group 2 patients after 3&6 months of treatment (42.9 ± 1.30 , 44.0 ± 1.48 and 44.0 ± 1.59 mg /dl ),( 0.89 ± 0.03 , 0.91 ± 0.03 and 0.98 ± 0.05 mg/dl) respectively compared to that of group 1(60.0 ± 4.25 , 63.0 ± 4.4 and 64.0 ± 4.34 mg/dl), (1.23 ± 0.54 , 1.26 ± 0.55 and 1.32 ± 0.54 mg/dl) respectively. IN conclusion, the combination of metformin + sitagliptin improved lipid profile, kidney function and body mass index more than metformin +glibenclamide combination

Clinical and radiographic peri-implant tissue changes for implants restored with convex or concave abutment shapes: A 3-year randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate peri-implant tissue levels over a 3-year period for implants connected to either convex or concave final abutments at the time of implant placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized, double-masked, controlled clinical study, 28 patients with one missing maxillary premolar were assigned to receive one single implant with a permanent abutment of either convex (CONVEX Group) or concave (CONCAVE Group) emergence shape at the time of implant placement. Clinical and radiographic data were collected at the time of implant placement (IP), final prosthesis delivery (PR), 12 months (FU-1), and 36 months (FU-3) following implant placement. RESULTS: At the FU-3 13 patients were available from the CONCAVE Group (n = 13) and eleven from the CONVEX Group (n = 11). The mean change in buccal peri-implant mucosa position (MP) from IP to FU-3 was -0.54 ± 0.93 mm for the CONVEX Group and - 0.53 ± 0.87 mm for CONCAVE Group (p = .98). The amount of bone remodeling above the implant platform from IP to FU-3 was -0.69 ± 0.48 mm for the CONVEX Group and -0.16 ± 0.22 mm for the CONCAVE Group (p = .005). CONCLUSION: The study failed to support the hypothesis that abutment macro-design has an effect on buccal peri-implant mucosa margin position over time

Efficacy of Nigella sativa extract on abnormalities of cryopreserved sperm of Holstein bulls raised in Iraq

The present study was performed on Holstein bulls at the Department of Artificial Insemination center/ Directorate of Animal Resource, Ministry of Agriculture in Abu-Ghraib, Baghdad, during the period from December 2021 to June 2022.The study was conducted to enrich low semen quality by adding Nigella sativa aqueous extract to semen Tris extender.Three to five years old bulls (No= 4), weighing 500-750 Kg body weight were used for semen collection by artificial vagina (AV) weakly. Bad pooled fresh semen was divided into four groups.First group used a control containing Tris extender only (C), second group added 0.5% NS extract,third group added 2% NS extract, and the fourth group added 4% NS extract.The results revealed different aqueous extract of N.S after zero time and 2 hrs.Post-cooling, for head abnormalities no significant differences (P&lt;0.05) between treatment and control, while it recorded a significant decrease in&nbsp; T1 and T2, compared with T3 and T4, after 4 hrs., post-cooling and 48 hrs., post freezing&nbsp; (cryopreservation), mid-piece abnormalities reported no significant differences (P&lt;0.05) in all groups at zero time, after 4 hrs., post-cooling and 24 hrs., post freezing while it recorded a significant decrease (P&lt;0.05) in T2 and T3 compared with T1 and T4 after 2hrs.&nbsp

Face Recognition System Using Independent Components Analysis and Support Vector Neural Network Classifier

With an increasing number of security threats in recent years, the field of automatic facial recognition has seen many new developments. The introduction of many new face recognition algorithms focuses on increasing the accuracy rate of the recognition system. This paper introduces a face recognition system using Independent Component Analysis (lCA) for feature extraction and a Support Vector Neural Network (SVNN) for classification. As well as introducing a comparison between SVNN and Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classifiers, they are applied to prove the reliability of the proposed method. The implemented experiments use Yale databases, and the results prove that the proposed approach has a higher recognition rate than the (ICA+SVM) and (ICA+ANN) approaches for face recognition

Impact of Multi-Year Analysis on the Optimal Sizing and Control Strategy of Hybrid Energy Systems

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Grid-connected hybrid energy systems (HESs) represent a very promising option for addressing the problem of power outages worldwide. The selection of a suitable optimization approach and operational strategy are important aspects of the optimal design and operation of these HESs. This study aimed to find the optimal grid-connected PV/battery system sizes to supply electricity for a residential house in Karbala, Iraq, using two control strategies, load following (LF) and cycle charging (CC). The optimization was performed using HOMER software with and without the multi-year effects. The comparison analysis was carried out by considering the techno-economic and environmental performance of the feasible systems. The simulation results indicate that optimal configuration is achieved by using the CC strategy. Furthermore, the multi-year module affects the optimal results dramatically. Under the CC strategy, the multi-year effects increase the required PV size from 6 kW to 7 kW and the required number of batteries from 18 to 20, leading to an increase in the net present cost from $26,750 to$33,102 and a decrease in CO2 emissions from 7581 kg/year to 7379 kg/year. The results also show that the optimization results are highly affected by the variations of some critical parameters, such as solar radiation, average load, and battery degradation limits. The achievements indicate the higher effectiveness of the multi-year effects and control strategy on the optimal design of HESs.Al-Mustaqbal University Colleg

Impact of Multi-Year Analysis on the Optimal Sizing and Control Strategy of Hybrid Energy Systems

Grid-connected hybrid energy systems (HESs) represent a very promising option for addressing the problem of power outages worldwide. The selection of a suitable optimization approach and operational strategy are important aspects of the optimal design and operation of these HESs. This study aimed to find the optimal grid-connected PV/battery system sizes to supply electricity for a residential house in Karbala, Iraq, using two control strategies, load following (LF) and cycle charging (CC). The optimization was performed using HOMER software with and without the multi-year effects. The comparison analysis was carried out by considering the techno-economic and environmental performance of the feasible systems. The simulation results indicate that optimal configuration is achieved by using the CC strategy. Furthermore, the multi-year module affects the optimal results dramatically. Under the CC strategy, the multi-year effects increase the required PV size from 6 kW to 7 kW and the required number of batteries from 18 to 20, leading to an increase in the net present cost from $26,750 to$33,102 and a decrease in CO2 emissions from 7581 kg/year to 7379 kg/year. The results also show that the optimization results are highly affected by the variations of some critical parameters, such as solar radiation, average load, and battery degradation limits. The achievements indicate the higher effectiveness of the multi-year effects and control strategy on the optimal design of HESs

Computational study of the thermal performance of water/Fe3O4 nanofluid in an oscillating heat pipe: A molecular dynamics approach

Recently, oscillating heat pipes (OHPs) filled with nanofluid (NF) as the operating fluid has drawn researchers’ attention because of their improved thermal conductivity, and heat/mass transfer (HT/MT) characteristics. An OHP is an HT device based on a two-phase fluid flow that transfers heat between heat sources and heat sinks which is applicable in industries in terms of its highly effective thermal conductivity. According to previous research, in previous experimental and computational studies, the effect of adding metal oxide NPs into the operating fluid of an OHP was not studied. Therefore, adding Fe3O4 NPs to the operating fluid of the water flowing into an OHP with nano dimensions will be the research work ahead that can increase the efficiency of designed structures. The maximum density, velocity, temperature, and heat flux after 20 ns are examined to determine the effects of NP size and an external magnetic field (EMF). The numerical findings show that heat flux increased from 1561 to 1602 W/m2 when the NPs' size grew from 5 to 10. Therefore, the HT/MT of Fe3O4-H2O simulated NF showed enhanced thermal behavior as NP's radius increases. Furthermore, the results show that the presence of an EMF enhanced the thermal behavior of NF in the OHP. The heat flux increased from 1563 to 1586 W/m2 when the magnetic field magnitude increased from 1 to 5 T

Design and Optimization of a Grid-Connected Solar Energy System: Study in Iraq

Hybrid energy systems (HESs) consisting of both conventional and renewable energy sources can help to drastically reduce fossil fuel utilization and greenhouse gas emissions. The optimal design of HESs requires a suitable control strategy to realize the design, technical, economic, and environmental objectives. The aim of this study is to investigate the optimum design of a grid-connected PV/battery HES that can address the load requirements of a residential house in Iraq. The MATLAB Link in the HOMER software was used to develop a new dispatch strategy that predicts the upcoming solar production and electricity demand. A comparison of the modified strategy with the default strategies, including load following and cycle charging in HOMER, is carried out by considering the techno-economic and environmental perspectives. According to optimization studies, the modified strategy results in the best performance with the least net present cost (USD 33,747), unmet load (87 kWh/year), grid purchases (6188 kWh/year), and CO2 emission (3913 kg/year). Finally, the sensitivity analysis was performed on various critical parameters, which are found to affect the optimum results on different scales. Taking into consideration the recent advocacy efforts aimed at achieving the sustainable development targets, the models proposed in this paper can be used for a similar system design and operation planning that allow a shift to more efficient dispatch strategies of HESs