Analysis and interpretation of a hydraulic fracture treatment using offset vertical observation wells and a hydraulic fracture simulator

Analysis of hydraulic fracture treatments requires incorporating a wide range of data in order to make useful inferences about fracture properties. For example, microseismic monitoring and production decline analysis can be used to obtain the hydraulic fracture half-length, which is an important parameter for field development. The challenge in using these tools is that the methods used for analysis are open to interpretation and can make it difficult to rely on the results. This thesis integrates data from four horizontal wells that were hydraulically fractured in an unconventional shale play and results from a 2-dimensional hydraulic fracture simulator in order to make qualitative observations about fracture properties. The importance of the data set hinges on nine vertical observation wells that recorded pressure vs. time during the hydraulic fracture treatments. The observation wells were located at different distances and depths from the horizontal wells. This is important because it removes some of the ambiguity associated with making interpretations from microseismic data, production decline analysis, or other methods. Results from modeling and the data set indicated the following: (1) the networks of fractures created from these treatments were volumetric and complex, illustrated by the microseismic data and the pressure signals recorded at the observation wells, (2) microseismicity was generally successful in delineating where fluid progressed during pumping, (3) however, flow of fluid into fractures stimulated during previous stages was aseismic, a manifestation of the Kaiser effect, and (4) during long term production, fluid was not produced from the more distant parts of the reservoir that were pressurized and stimulated during the fracturing treatment. To explain these four observations, we hypothesize that proppant was not transported to the regions of the stimulated rock volume that were most distant from the stimulated wells. The stimulated, but unpropped, fractures in this region evidently lost much of their conductivity after closure that they did not contribute significantly to long term production.Petroleum and Geosystems Engineerin

Testing for Market Power in Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output Industries: The Australian Grains and Oilseeds Industries

Recent empirical studies have found significant evidence of departures from competition in the input side of the Australian bread, breakfast cereal and margarine end-product markets. For example, Griffith (2000) found that firms in some parts of the processing and marketing sector exerted market power when purchasing grains and oilseeds from farmers. As noted at the time, this result accorded well with the views of previous regulatory authorities (p.358). In the mid-1990s, the Prices Surveillence Authority (PSA 1994)determined that the markets for products contained in the Breakfast Cereals and Cooking Oils and Fats indexes were "not effectively competitive"(p.14). The PSA consequently maintained price surveillence on the major firms in this product group. The Griffith result is also consistent with the large number of legal judgements against firms in this sector over the past decade for price fixing or other types of non-competitive behaviour. For example, bread manufacturer George Weston was fined twice during 2000 for non-competitive conduct and the ACCC has also recently pursued and won cases against retailer Safeway in grains and oilseeds product lines. Griffith obtained his results using highly aggregated data and a relatively simple empirical model. In this study we focus on confirming the earlier results by formally testing for competitive behaviour in the Australian grains and oilseeds industries using a more sophisticated empirical model and a less aggregated grains and oilseeds data set. We specify a general duality model of profit maximisation that allows for imperfect competition in both the input and output markets of the grains and oilseeds industries. The model also allows for variable-proportions technologies and can be regarded as a generalisation of several models appearing in the agricultural economics and industrial organisation literatures. Aggregate Australian data taken from the 1996-97 input-output tables are used to define the structure of the relevant industries, and time series data are used implement the model for thirteen grains and oilseeds products handled by seven groups of agents. The model is estimated in a Bayesian econometrics framework. Results are reported in terms of the characteristics of estimated probability distributions for demand and supply elasticities and indexes of market power. Our results suggest that there is a positive probability that: (a) flour and cereal food product manufacturers exert market power when purchasing wheat, barley, oats and triticale; (b) beer and malt manufacturers exert market power when purchasing wheat and barley; and (c) other food product manufacturers exert market power when purchasing wheat, barley, oats and triticale. What is interesting is that each of the transaction nodes where market power is indicated is one where a farm commodity is sold to a processing sector that is, the evidence suggests oligopsonistic behaviour by grains buyers. The wheat and barley industries seem to be especially disadvantaged by this type of market conduct. A related and equally interesting result is that there was no consistent evidence of market power in the downstream nodes of the data set relating to the sales of flour and other cereal foods, or the sale of bread and other bakery products. These transaction points are where legal judgements against suppliers have been made in the recent past. We have stated our results in quite cautious language, as there is much uncertainty surrounding our estimates. This stems partly from the lack of good quality data, so we suggest that one avenue for future research should be improving the collection and integrity of relevant data (especially including the retail and distributive nodes of the various markets).Industrial Organization, Marketing,

Intersection Information based on Common Randomness

The introduction of the partial information decomposition generated a flurry of proposals for defining an intersection information that quantifies how much of "the same information" two or more random variables specify about a target random variable. As of yet, none is wholly satisfactory. A palatable measure of intersection information would provide a principled way to quantify slippery concepts, such as synergy. Here, we introduce an intersection information measure based on the G\'acs-K\"orner common random variable that is the first to satisfy the coveted target monotonicity property. Our measure is imperfect, too, and we suggest directions for improvement.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Estimation of intrafamilial DNA contamination in family trio genome sequencing using deviation from Mendelian inheritance

With the increasing number of sequencing projects involving families, quality control tools optimized for family genome sequencing are needed. However, accurately quantifying contamination in a DNA mixture is particularly difficult when genetically related family members are the sources. We developed TrioMix, a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) framework based on Mendel\u27s law of inheritance, to quantify DNA mixture between family members in genome sequencing data of parent-offspring trios. TrioMix can accurately deconvolute any intrafamilial DNA contamination, including parent-offspring, sibling-sibling, parent-parent, and even multiple familial sources. In addition, TrioMix can be applied to detect genomic abnormalities that deviate from Mendelian inheritance patterns, such as uniparental disomy (UPD) and chimerism. A genome-wide depth and variant allele frequency plot generated by TrioMix facilitates tracing the origin of Mendelian inheritance deviations. We showed that TrioMix could accurately deconvolute genomes in both simulated and real data sets

A case of acute myeloid leukemia with promyelocytic features characterized by expression of a novel RARG-CPSF6 fusion

Key Points Novel RARG-CPSF6 fusion in an AML case with promyelocytic features and no evidence of PML-RARA or X-RARA fusion. Gene fusions involving RARG can initiate AML with promyelocytic morphological features.</jats:p

The Demand for Beef in Indonesia: Implications for Australian Agribusiness

Meat consumption and socio-demographic data from the 1990, 1993 and 1996 SUSENAS Household Food Expenditure and Consumption Surveys were employed to estimate the demand for meats in Indonesia. The focus was on the Provinces of DKI Jakarta and West Java where about one-fourth of the Indonesian population reside. Statistical and econometric procedures were used to aggregate the 16 meat types recorded in the SUSENAS into four Meat Groups. They were then used to estimate the Linear Approximation of the Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) model, taking into account zero observations and the restrictions on budget shares. The demand for Meat Group 1 (with the dominant meat, beef) is income-inelastic, whereas for Meat Group 2 (with the dominant meat, commercial and native chicken) it is income-elastic. These two groups comprise nearly 95 per cent of all meat purchases. The estimated own-price elasticity of the beef group is -0.92, while that for the chicken group is -1.09. The cross-price elasticities indicate that all the meat groups are substitute goods, as expected. The results suggest that the current focus of the Indonesian government on strengthening the domestic poultry industry is well placed, as the demand for chicken is likely to respond more quickly to income growth than the demand for beef. Further, consumers seem more likely to adapt their chicken consumption patterns to price changes than they do for beef. However, these differences are relatively minor and there is still a major opportunity for Australian agribusiness firms in the cattle and beef sectors to take advantage of the projected rapid growth in Indonesian beef demand.beef demand, almost ideal demand system, commodity aggregation, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

Intravascular Talcosis due to Intravenous Drug Use Is an Underrecognized Cause of Pulmonary Hypertension

Intravenous injection of illegal drugs or medications meant for oral administration can cause granulomatous disease of the lung. This intravascular talcosis results in pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension. Nine cases of histologically confirmed intravascular talcosis were reviewed with specific attention given to the clinical histories in these patients. Five autopsy cases were included in this series with detailed investigation in the anatomic features associated with intravascular talcosis and pulmonary hypertension. All nine patients showed perivascular and/or intravascular deposition of polarizable foreign material in their lungs. Intravascular talcosis as a result of previous intravenous drug use was not clinically suspected in any patient despite clinically diagnosed pulmonary hypertension in five. All patients showed dilatation of the right and left heart, but none had dilatation of the aortic valve. Congestive heart failure with hepatosplenomegaly was also common. We conclude that intravascular talcosis is an underdiagnosed cause of pulmonary hypertension in patients with known history of intravenous drug use