Drilling data quality improvement and information extraction with case studies

Data analytics is a process of data acquiring, transforming, interpreting, modelling, displaying and storing data with an aim of extracting useful information, so that decision-making, actions executing, events detecting and incidents managing can be handled in an efficient and certain manner. However, data analytics also meets some challenges, for instance, data corruption due to noises, time delays, missing and external disturbances, etc. This paper focuses on data quality improvement to cleanse, improve and interpret the post-well or real-time data to preserve and enhance data features, like accuracy, consistency, reliability and validity. In this study, laboratory data and field data are used to illustrate data issues and show data quality improvements with using different data processing methods. Case study clearly demonstrates that the proper data quality management process and information extraction methods are essential to carry out an intelligent digitalization in oil and gas industry.publishedVersio

Extracellular microRNAs in human circulation are associated with miRISC complexes that are accessible to anti-AGO2 antibody and can bind target mimic oligonucleotides

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function cell-intrinsically to regulate gene expression by base-pairing to complementary mRNA targets while in association with Argonaute, the effector protein of the miRNA-mediated silencing complex (miRISC). A relatively dilute population of miRNAs can be found extracellularly in body fluids such as human blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The remarkable stability of circulating miRNAs in such harsh extracellular environments can be attributed to their association with protective macromolecular complexes, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), proteins such as Argonaut 2 (AGO2), or high-density lipoproteins. The precise origins and the potential biological significance of various forms of miRNA-containing extracellular complexes are poorly understood. It is also not known whether extracellular miRNAs in their native state may retain the capacity for miRISC-mediated target RNA binding. To explore the potential functionality of circulating extracellular miRNAs, we comprehensively investigated the association between circulating miRNAs and the miRISC Argonaute AGO2. Using AGO2 immunoprecipitation (IP) followed by small-RNA sequencing, we find that miRNAs in circulation are primarily associated with antibody-accessible miRISC/AGO2 complexes. Moreover, we show that circulating miRNAs can base-pair with a target mimic in a seed-based manner, and that the target-bound AGO2 can be recovered from blood plasma in an approximately 1:1 ratio with the respective miRNA. Our findings suggest that miRNAs in circulation are largely contained in functional miRISC/AGO2 complexes under normal physiological conditions. However, we find that, in human CSF, the assortment of certain extracellular miRNAs into free miRISC/AGO2 complexes can be affected by pathological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The next Generation of Action Ecology: Novel Approaches towards Global Ecological Research

Advances in the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge over the last decade have dramatically reshaped the way that ecological research is conducted. The advent of large, technology-based resources such as iNaturalist, Genbank, or the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) allow ecologists to work at spatio-temporal scales previously unimaginable. This has generated a new approach in ecological research: one that relies on large datasets and rapid synthesis for theory testing and development, and findings that provide specific recommendations to policymakers and managers. This new approach has been termed action ecology, and here we aim to expand on earlier definitions to delineate its characteristics so as to distinguish it from related subfields in applied ecology and ecological management. Our new, more nuanced definition describes action ecology as ecological research that is (1) explicitly motivated by the need for immediate insights into current, pressing problems, (2) collaborative and transdisciplinary, incorporating sociological in addition to ecological considerations throughout all steps of the research, (3) technology-mediated, innovative, and aggregative (i.e., reliant on ‘big data\u27), and (4) designed and disseminated with the intention to inform policy and management. We provide tangible examples of existing work in the domain of action ecology, and offer suggestions for its implementation and future growth, with explicit recommendations for individuals, research institutions, and ecological societies

A Three-Component Gene Expression System and Its Application for Inducible Flavonoid Overproduction in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Inducible gene expression is a powerful tool to study and engineer genes whose overexpression could be detrimental for the host organisms. However, only limited systems have been adopted in plant biotechnology. We have developed an osmotically inducible system using three components of plant origin, RD29a (Responsive to Dehydration 29A) promoter, CBF3 (C-repeat Binding Factor 3) transcription factor and cpl1-2 (CTD phosphatase-like 1) mutation. The osmotic stress responsible RD29a promoter contains the CBF3 binding sites and thus RD29A-CBF3 feedforward cassette enhances induction of RD29a promoter under stress. The cpl1-2 mutation in a host repressor CPL1 promotes stress responsible RD29a promoter expression. The efficacy of this system was tested using PAP1 (Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1) transgene, a model transcription factor that regulates the anthocyanin pathway in Arabidopsis. While transgenic plants with only one or two of three components did not reproducibly accumulate anthocyanin pigments above the control level, transgenic cpl1 plants containing homozygous RD29a-PAP1 and RD29a-CBF3 transgenes produced 30-fold higher level of total anthocyanins than control plants upon cold treatment. Growth retardation and phytochemical production of transgenic plants were minimum under normal conditions. The flavonoid profile in cold-induced transgenic plants was determined by LC/MS/MS, which resembled that of previously reported pap1-D plants but enriched for kaempferol derivatives. These results establish the functionality of the inducible three-component gene expression system in plant metabolic engineering. Furthermore, we show that PAP1 and environmental signals synergistically regulate the flavonoid pathway to produce a unique flavonoid blend that has not been produced by PAP1 overexpression or cold treatment alone

Building organisational capacities for effective e-waste management: a conceptual framework

Globally, e-waste generation rises in parallel to the increased consumption of e-products. Management of this complex waste stream becomes a severe challenge, especially for developing countries. Sri Lanka also no exception to this problem due to the limited capacities of e-waste handling organisations in the country. Therefore, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework for effective e-waste management by integrating organisational capacities to improve the involvement of organisations for effective e-waste management. Initially, a comprehensive literature review was carried out on the state-of-art of the e-waste management, capacity buildings, and application of organisational capacities for e-waste management alike. The review of the literature revealed that there are eight dimensions to measure organisational capacities. They are mission and strategy, organisational structure, processes, human resources, financial resources, information resources, and infrastructure. The data collected from the literature review was manually analysed and finally, the conceptual framework was developed on organisational capacity buildings for effective e-waste management. The developed conceptual framework can be used as a guideline to implement organisational capacities for e-waste management. This framework will be a blueprint for individuals and organisations to incorporate dimensions of organisational capacity buildings to ewaste management by identifying the existing capacity gaps consequently, enhancing the organisational capacity for better managing the e-waste, especially in developing countries