Growth and Reproduction in the Ouachita Madtom (Noturus lachneri) at the Periphery of its Distribution

The Ouachita madtom (Noturus lachneri) occurs primarily in drainages of the upper Saline River and in a few small tributaries to the Ouachita River in Arkansas, USA. We collected specimens by hand and by use of aquarium dipnets on 29 occasions from 20 October 1999 through 25 July 2000 in Cooper Creek, presently a feeder creek into Lake Catherine on the Ouachita River. Total length was measured, reproductive attributes were noted, and individuals were released at the capture site (with exception of 3 gravid females retained to assess fecundity). We recognized 2 age (size) classes during most of the year based on a plot of length-frequency distributions. Regression of total length against time indicated a mean growth rate of 0.14 mm/day for the population, and 0.20 mm/day for juveniles during warmer months. Hatchlings were found from 27 June through 4 November

Recommendations for exercise adherence measures in musculoskeletal settings : a systematic review and consensus meeting (protocol)

Background: Exercise programmes are frequently advocated for the management of musculoskeletal disorders; however, adherence is an important pre-requisite for their success. The assessment of exercise adherence requires the use of relevant and appropriate measures, but guidance for appropriate assessment does not exist. This research will identify and evaluate the quality and acceptability of all measures used to assess exercise adherence within a musculoskeletal setting, seeking to reach consensus for the most relevant and appropriate measures for application in research and/or clinical practice settings. Methods/design: There are two key stages to the proposed research. First, a systematic review of the quality and acceptability of measures used to assess exercise adherence in musculoskeletal disorders; second, a consensus meeting. The systematic review will be conducted in two phases and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to ensure a robust methodology. Phase one will identify all measures that have been used to assess exercise adherence in a musculoskeletal setting. Phase two will seek to identify published and unpublished evidence of the measurement and practical properties of identified measures. Study quality will be assessed against the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. A shortlist of best quality measures will be produced for consideration during stage two: a meeting of relevant stakeholders in the United Kingdom during which consensus on the most relevant and appropriate measures of exercise adherence for application in research and/or clinical practice settings will be sought. Discussion: This study will benefit clinicians who seek to evaluate patients’ levels of exercise adherence and those intending to undertake research, service evaluation, or audit relating to exercise adherence in the musculoskeletal field. The findings will impact upon new research studies which aim to understand the factors that predict adherence with exercise and which test different adherence-enhancing interventions. PROSPERO reference: CRD4201300621

Elastic-Wavefield Seismic Stratigraphy: A New Seismic Imaging Technology

The purpose of our research has been to develop and demonstrate a seismic technology that will provide the oil and gas industry a better methodology for understanding reservoir and seal architectures and for improving interpretations of hydrocarbon systems. Our research goal was to expand the valuable science of seismic stratigraphy beyond the constraints of compressional (P-P) seismic data by using all modes (P-P, P-SV, SH-SH, SV-SV, SV-P) of a seismic elastic wavefield to define depositional sequences and facies. Our objective was to demonstrate that one or more modes of an elastic wavefield may image stratal surfaces across some stratigraphic intervals that are not seen by companion wave modes and thus provide different, but equally valid, information regarding depositional sequences and sedimentary facies within that interval. We use the term elastic wavefield stratigraphy to describe the methodology we use to integrate seismic sequences and seismic facies from all modes of an elastic wavefield into a seismic interpretation. We interpreted both onshore and marine multicomponent seismic surveys to select the data examples that we use to document the principles of elastic wavefield stratigraphy. We have also used examples from published papers that illustrate some concepts better than did the multicomponent seismic data that were available for our analysis. In each interpretation study, we used rock physics modeling to explain how and why certain geological conditions caused differences in P and S reflectivities that resulted in P-wave seismic sequences and facies being different from depth-equivalent S-wave sequences and facies across the targets we studied

Illusory Stimuli Can Be Used to Identify Retinal Blind Spots

Background. Identification of visual field loss in people with retinal disease is not straightforward as people with eye disease are frequently unaware of substantial deficits in their visual field, as a consequence of perceptual completion ("filling-in'') of affected areas. Methodology. We attempted to induce a compelling visual illusion known as the induced twinkle after-effect (TwAE) in eight patients with retinal scotomas. Half of these patients experience filling-in of their scotomas such that they are unaware of the presence of their scotoma, and conventional campimetric techniques can not be used to identify their vision loss. The region of the TwAE was compared to microperimetry maps of the retinal lesion. Principal Findings. Six of our eight participants experienced the TwAE. This effect occurred in three of the four people who filled-in their scotoma. The boundary of the TwAE showed good agreement with the boundary of lesion, as determined by microperimetry. Conclusion. For the first time, we have determined vision loss by asking patients to report the presence of an illusory percept in blind areas, rather than the absence of a real stimulus. This illusory technique is quick, accurate and not subject to the effects of filling-in

Secondary Natural Gas Recovery -- Infield Reserve Growth Joint Venture: Applications in Midcontinent Sandstones

The primary objective of the Infield Reserve Growth/Secondary Natural Gas Recovery (SGR) project is to develop, test, and verify technologies and methodologies with near- to midterm potential for maximizing the recovery of natural gas from conventional reservoirs in known fields. Additional technical and technology transfer objectives of the SGR project include: To establish how depositional and diagenetic heterogeneities in reservoirs of conventional permeability cause reservoir compartmentalization and, hence, incomplete recovery of natural gas. To document examples of reserve growth occurrence and potential from deltaic and valley-fill sandstones of the Midcontinent as a natural laboratory for developing concepts and testing applications to find secondary gas; to demonstrate how the integration of geology, reservoir engineering, geophysics, and well log analysis/petrophysics leads to strategic recompletion and well placement opportunities for reserve growth in mature fields; and to transfer project results to a wide array of natural gas producers, not just as field case studies, but as conceptual models of how heterogeneities determine natural gas flow units and how to recognize the geologic and engineering clues that operators can use in a cost-effective manner to identify incremental, or secondary, gas

Determining anisotropy in a stratum using scattered vertical and horizontal shear modes

The present invention provides a system for, and method of determining anisotropy in a stratum using scattered horizontal shear and vertical shear modes. The method includes transforming seismic energy wave generated by a seismic energy source and received by seismic receivers into radial/transverse coordinate space, determining a seismic energy wave corridor along a radial path between the seismic energy source and the seismic receivers, and gathering seismic data received by the seismic receivers within the corridor wherein the data includes horizontal and vertical shear components.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Determining vertical fractures in a stratum using scattered vertical and horizontal shear modes

The present invention provides a system for, and method of determining vertical fractures in a stratum using scattered horizontal shear and vertical shear modes. The method may include segregating first order horizontal and vertical shear modes of a seismic energy wave into second order horizontal and vertical shear modes, defining a seismic energy wave corridor along a radial path between a seismic energy source and seismic receivers, and gathering seismic data received by the seismic receivers within the corridor, the data including the second order horizontal and vertical shear modes.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Analysis of CRRES PHA Data for Low-Energy-Deposition Events

This effort analyzed the low-energy deposition Pulse Height Analyzer (PHA) data from the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES). The high-energy deposition data had been previously analyzed and shown to be in agreement with spallation reactions predicted by the Clemson University Proton Interactions in Devices (CUPID) simulation model and existing environmental and orbit positioning models (AP-8 with USAF B-L coordinates). The scope of this project was to develop and improve the CUPID model by increasing its range to lower incident particle energies, and to expand the modeling to include contributions from elastic interactions. Before making changes, it was necessary to identify experimental data suitable for benchmarking the codes; then, the models to the CRRES PHA data could be applied. It was also planned to test the model against available low-energy proton or neutron SEU data obtained with mono-energetic beams

A Robust Economic Technique for Crosswell Seismic Profiling. Final Report

The objective of this research program was to investigate a novel way to acquire crosswell tomographic data, that being to use a standard surface-positioned seismic energy source stationed inline with two wells that have downhole receiver arrays. This field technique differs from the traditional way that crosswell tomography is done, which requires that a downhole receiver array be in one well and that a downhole seismic source be in a second well. The purpose of the research effort was to evaluate the relative merits of the potential advantages and pitfalls of surface-source crosswell tomography, which some also refer to as twin-receiver-well crosswell tomography. The principal findings were: (1) surface-source crosswell tomography is a viable technology and can be used in appropriate reservoir conditions, (2) raypath modeling should be done to determine if the targeted interwell space is properly illuminated by surface-generated wavefields before proceeding to collect surface-source tomographic data, (3) crosswell data generated by a surface-based source are subject to a greater range of traveltime errors than are data generated by a downhole source, primarily due to shot statics caused by variable weathered layers, and (4) the accuracy and reliability of the interwell tomogram increase as more independent velocity information (sonic logs, velocity checkshots, vertical seismic profiles, downhole-source crosswell data) is available to constrain the inversion. The surface-source approach to crosswell tomography was evaluated by recording twin-receiver well data at the Texaco Borehole Test Site in Humble, Texas