An Analytical Modelling Study of Pressure Build-up at CO2 Injection Wells in Saline Formations

Geological storage of CO2 in deep saline formations is one of the promising ways to reduce emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. This is because of the mature technology as a result of the experience in oil and gas extraction and the fact that saline formations offer large capacity and immediate availability. However, not all saline formations are suitable for CO2 storage. One of the important selection criteria for a suitable formation is the existence of sufficient injectivity. Injectivity simply shows how much CO2 can be injected into a saline formation for a constrained pressure build-up. One of the most important constraints in CO2 storage is to keep injection well pressure below formation fracture pressure. Otherwise, formation can be fractured which can create pathways for CO2 to escape from containment. Hence, significance of estimating injectivity should not be underestimated. Analytical models are preferred in preliminary studies to estimate pressure build-up. This thesis presents new analytical tools to estimate pressure build-up at CO2 injection wells in saline formations. The models developed in this thesis assume injection of CO2 at constant rate through vertical wells into homogenous and horizontal formations of constant thickness. They model the effects of relative permeability, CO2 dissolution in formation brine and drying-out on pressure build-up. Analytical solutions are presented for three types of formation outer boundary conditions: closed-boundary, constant pressure-boundary and infinite-acting formation. Using these models, transient pressure behaviour of fully-penetrating wells, partially-penetrating wells and multi-well injection are examined. The predictive capability of analytical models for each case is tested using numerical reservoir simulations. The results show a good agreement between the analytical and numerical computations. For partially-penetrating wells, a total skin factor which is composed of mechanical skin, partial penetration pseudo-skin and two-phase flow effects is introduced. Using the models developed for multi-well injection, the effects of number of injection and pressure relief wells as well as formation properties on total injection rate are studied

The Impact of Using Gloss-Mediated Vocational Vocabulary Learning on the Oral Authentic Use of Vocational Vocabularies Among Iranian ESP Learners

This quasi-experimental study intended to consider the role of using CALL-based and gloss-mediated vocational vocabulary learning and its impact on authentic oral vocabulary production. The study used five different majors (anesthesiology, software, civil engineering, architecture, and electronic science); for each major, there were two classes, so the researcher conveniently selected one class as the control group and the second class as the experimental group. Thus, five classes as the control groups (each field of study one class) and five classes as the experimental groups (each field of study one class). The total number of participants was 210, that 106 learners were in the control groups and 104 were in the experimental groups. The researchers used a pretest to select the target vocational vocabulary items. For the glossed groups, all vocational vocabulary items were taught through glosses, whereas the non-glossed groups did not receive any glosses. After the treatment session, the participants were asked to participate in the pictures description task and describe 15 pictures orally. For the first research question, an Independent Sample t-Test, and for the second research question, Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the collected data. By reviewing the inferential statistics, the significant difference between the glossed and non-gloss conditions was revealed, it can be concluded that using multimodal glossing can lead to more authentic oral production of the L2 ESP learners. Moreover, L2 teachers can use computer-based glossing information as an L2 vocabulary learning facilitator to help learners have more authentic production

Assessment of CO2 storage capacity and injectivity in saline aquifers – comparison of results from numerical flow simulations, analytical and generic models

AbstractMethodologies for the basin-scale evaluation of industrial-scale CO2 geological storage in saline aquifers can include the use of analytical tools, generic reservoir simulations, as well as basin-specific flow modelling studies. The selection of appropriate tools is dependent on the scale of investigation. Comparison of the results from these methods for the assessment of basin-scale CO2 geological storage in the Gippsland and Otway basins in Australia suggests that, at this scale, a combination of analytical tools in the form of equations for calculating injection pressure, radius of impact and storage capacity with generic numerical simulations may provide useful first-order predictions for storage capacity and injectivity. However, the development of multiple resources (petroleum, groundwater, coal) in the Gippsland Basin and regional compartmentalisation in the Otway Basin necessitates an additional, coarsely discretised basin-scale numerical model

The prevalence of antithyroid antibodies in women with polycystic ovary syndrome in Shahrekord, Iran

زمینه و هدف: سندروم تخمدان پلی کیستیک با چاقی و مقاومت به انسولین همراه است. یافته ها و شواهد نشان می دهد بافت چربی نقشی مهم در ایجاد و پایداری اختلالات موجود در سندروم تخمدان پلی کیستیک دارد. تیرویید نقش بسیار برجسته و چشمگیری در سوخت و ساز بدن به ویژه متابولیسم لیپیدها و کربوهیدرات‌ها دارد. سندروم تخمدان پلی کیستیک و بیماری های تیروئید با اختلال در کارکرد محور، هیپوتالاموس-هیپوفیز گناد همراهند. این پژوهش با هدف بررسی ارتباط آنتی بادی های ضد تیرویید و ابتلا به سندرم تخمدان پلی کیستیک انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی-تحلیلی دو گروه 54 نفره از زنان 15 تا 45 ساله مراجعه کننده به درمانگاه های وابسته به دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهرکرد به روش در دسترس انتخاب شد. و به صورت پی در پی وارد مطالعه شدند. گروه اول (شاهد) افرادی بودند که بر پایه شرح حال، معاینه بالینی و آزمایش های انجام شده هیچ گونه بیماری تیرویید، اختلالات سیستمیک و سندروم تخمدان پلی‌کیستیک نداشتند و هیچ گونه دارویـــی مصرف نمی کردند. گروه دوم (بیماران) بیمارانی بودند که بر پایه شرح حال، معاینه بالینی و آزمایش های انجام شده هیچ گونه بیماری تیرویید و اختلالات سیستمیک نداشتند ولی دچار سندروم تخمدان پلی کیستیک بودند. آنتی بادی های ضد تیرویید در هر دو گروه اندازه گیری و داده ها به کمک آزمون های آماری کای دو، t و آنالیز واریانس تجزیه و تحلیل شد. یافته ها: بین بیماران و گروه کنترل تفاوت معنی داری از نظر شیوع ومقدار آنتی بادی های ضد تیرویید وجود نداشت (05/0P>). میزان تری یدوتیروئید (T3) و تیروکسین (T4) در گروه سندروم تخمدان پلی کیستیک، به طور معنی داری بالاتر از گروه شاهد بود (05/0

Readiness of Teaching Hospitals to Attract Medical Tourists Based On Organization-Oriented Standards of Joint Commission International (JCI): a case study

Background & Objectives: The ability to attract tourists in international health markets depends on the quality standards. The aim of this study was to determine the state of educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences based on organization-oriented standards of joint commission international. Methods: This Descriptive study was performed in four selected teaching hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Data collection was carried out using the questionnaires of the organization-oriented standards of joint commission international including 76 questions in 6 areas of improving quality and patient safety, infection prevention and control, leadership and guidance, safety and facility management, training and staff competence and information and communication management. Descriptive statistics were used as mean and percentage. Data were entered into SPSS20 software. Results: The compliance rate of organization-oriented standards in the hospitals was 81.2% that indicated the relative readiness with regard to the standards of joint commission international in attracting medical tourists. The highest compliance rate of standards was related to safety and facility management (84.4%) and the lowest compliance rate was related to quality improvement and patient safety (75.2 %). Conclusion: Hospitals should pay more attention to the quality improvement and patient safety in order to meet international standards and obtain an international accreditation certificate, and they are supposed to improve standards in this area through corrective actions. Key¬words: Medical Tourism, Joint Commission International, Quality Assurance, Organization-Oriented Standards, Teaching Hospital Citation: Zarei E, Ahmadi Kashkoli S, Khezeli MJ, Fazli Ouchhesar F, Azizi A, Shamsadini Lori A. Readiness of Teaching Hospitals to Attract Medical Tourists Based On Organization-Oriented Standards of Joint Commission International (JCI): a case study. Journal of Health Based Research 2017; 3(3): 253-265

Evaluation and comparison of immunization level between recombinant proteins of binding subunit of entrotoxigenic Escherichia coli and botulinum toxin

زمینه و هدف: در میان عوامل باکتریایی، شایع ترین عامل بیماری اسهال، باکتری اشریشیاکلی انتروتوکسیژنیک است. زیر واحد LTB سم این باکتری قادر به ایجاد مصونیتی شش ماهه است. کلستریدیوم بوتولینوم نیز عامل بیماری کشنده بوتولیسم می باشد و زیر واحد BoNT/A-Hc سم آن می تواند تا دو سال در برابر این بیماری مصونیت ایجاد کند. میزان ایمنی زایی که هر یک از این زیر واحدهای نوترکیب ایجاد می کنند، می تواند از عواملی باشد که در به وجود آمدن مصونیتی با ماندگاری متفاوت تأثیرگذار باشد. هدف از این مطالعه بررسی و مقایسه میزان تولید آنتی بادی ناشی از استفاده از دو پروتئین LTB و BONT/A-Hc در موش آزمایشگاهی بود. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی از باکتری Bl21DE3 E. Coli تراریخت شده با وکتور pET28aاستفاده گردید. این وکتور حاوی ژن نوترکیب LTB اشریشیاکلی انتروتوکسیژنیک و ژن نوترکیب BONT/A-Hc بوتولینوم به طور جداگانه بود. پس از بهینه سازی بیان و تخلیص پروتئین نوترکیب LTB از فاز نامحلول و BoNT/A-Hc از فاز محلول عصاره سلولی، محصولات آن ها بر روی ژلSDS-PAGE بررسی گردید. موش های آزمایشگاهی به وسیله پروتئین های حاصل، ایمنی زایی شدند. تیتر آنتی بادی حاصل از هر دو نوع پروتئین نوترکیب با استفاده از آزمون آماری t-Test در نرم افزار SPSS ارزیابی و مورد مقایسه قرار گرفت. یافته ها: پروتئین های نوترکیب بیان شده BoNT/A-Hc و LTB با ستون نیکل تخلیص شدند. پس از ایمنی زایی موش های آزمایشگاهی، تفاوت معناداری در تیتر آنتی بادی برای دو پروتئین BoNT/A-Hc و LTB مشاهده گردید (01/0>P). نتیجه گیری: اختلاف کمی بین تیتر آنتی بادی برای دو پروتئین BoNT/A-Hc و LTB مشاهده گردید که می تواند به دلیل خاصیت قوی ادجوانسیتی LTBو ایمنی زایی ایجاد شده تقریباً یکسان، در فاصله زمانی محدود باش

Materials selection for hip prosthesis by the method of weighted properties

Process of materials selection for an artificial part, which is planted in vivo, has been always a vital procedure. Production and construction requirements for implants would involve a wide variety of considerations from mechanical specifications to medical limitations. From mechanical point of view, it is desired the implant exhibits mechanical properties of the missing bone as close as possible to reduce the risk of failure and provide a high level of comfort to the patient. The most bolded medical trait that prostheses must possess is the quality of biocompatible being; meaning that, they have to be accepted by the body’s living organisms. In this paper, five common biocompatible materials as candidates for hip prostheses production namely, 316L St Steel (cold worked, ASTM F138), Co–28Cr–6Mo (cast, ASTM F75), Ti–6Al–4V (hot forged, ASTM F620), Zirconia (ceramic, 3Y-TZP) and Alumina (ceramic, ZTA) are selected and evaluated by the method of weighted properties, in order to narrow down the search to find the candidate which best fit the real bone’s mechanical traits. For the analysis, six attributes were considered and weighted against each other namely, elastic modulus, yield strength, tensile strength, fatigue strength, corrosion rate and density. From the results, alumina and stainless steel show highest performance indexes but as it is discussed, due to the importance of biocompatibility required in practical, materials ranked on position 4th and 5th which are respectively of cobalt and titanium alloys–although are less mechanically similar to the real bone, are the most desirable choices in the industry. It will be concluded that in the process of materials selection for implant

Assessment of physical, mechanical, and biological properties of bamboo plastic composite made with polylactic acid

The effects of different mixing, bamboo mesh size and heat treatment on the physical and mechanical properties and biodegradability of a polylactic acid (PLA) composite were determined. The results indicated that this composite exhibited high strength in all mechanical properties examined, except hardness using the pure polymer (PLA). The mesh size of the bamboo flour and heat treatment had considerable effects on all tests expect the decay resistance. The water absorbance and thickness swelling of the PLA composite was reduced to nearly zero after 3000 hours immersion in water. Moreover, the fungal decay test results demonstrated that PLA was highly resistant to both Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes fungi. The brown rot fungi, however, produced an extensive mass loss in the composite composed of different levels of bamboo flour

Association between toxoplasmosis and COVID-19 infection: A cross-sectional study

Background: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease pandemic and a major global health problem that can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Previous studies have shown an inverse link between toxoplasmosis and COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the association between COVID-19 and toxoplasmosis infection. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, samples were taken from 360 patients, 50% of whom were men and 50% were women. Of the patients, 180 were determined to be COVID-19-positive by the ELISA kit, and 180 were in the control group. Some demographic characteristics, such as sex, age range, and occupation, were also recorded. Results: This study was conducted on 180 COVID-19-positive patients, of whom 26.7% were in the 16-30-year age group, 25.1% were self-employed, and 31.7% had anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. Among the 180 control patients, 21.1% had antibodies for T. gondii. Of the 57 patients who were co-infected with both COVID-19 and toxoplasmosis, men had higher infection rates (63.2%) than women (36.8%). There was a significant relationship between co-infections with COVID-19 and toxoplasmosis with occupation, but not with age. Conclusion: The study found that people with toxoplasmosis infection have a 1.73 times higher risk of contracting COVID-19. The findings suggest that infectious agents could be a predisposing factor, possibly due to changes in cytokine levels