Delaying Water Breakthrough Using Horizontal Wells in Khurmala Oilfield

Water coning presents a serious problem in many oil fields, in terms of reducing oil production rate and increasing production costs. As breakthrough time represents the time until coning occurs, it should be increased by studying the significant affecting parameters and proposing a method to control them. Since horizontal wells are known to have higher potentials than vertical wells, they are used worldwide to delay water coning among other purposes. In this study, four designed horizontal wells are proposed to replace a drilled vertical well in Khurmala oilfield in northern Iraq, and the effect of each on water breakthrough time is studied with four different production rates and six different permeability ratios. PERFORM software is used to model the wells, and calculate the expected breakthrough time for each well. It was found that the 1000-ft horizontal well, and longer wells, will delay water breakthrough time, in all cases. Also, higher permeability ratios increase the breakthrough time for longer wells, by up to 15.69 folds, except with the optimum production rate, and increasing production rate results in decreasing breakthrough time (tBT) in all cases, where doubling the production rate may decrease tBT by more than 73.5%. It is essential to determine the minimum horizontal well length required to delay water breakthrough time, compared to the vertical well, by considering both production rate and permeability ratio. The breakthrough time ratio, depending on the proposed to optimum production rate ratio, can be calculated using the developed correlation with an average error of 1.73%

Management of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I in Saudi Arabia: Insights from Saudi Arabia

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) is a group of rare disorders that are characterized by intracellular accumulation of glycosaminoglycans with subsequent cellular and organ dysfunction. In the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, higher prevalence of MPS type I was observed compared to reported rates from European countries and the United States (U.S). The present work was developed as a part of the Saudi MPS Group’s efforts to address the current situation of MPS type I in Saudi Arabia and to reach a national consensus in the management of MPS type I. The first “Management of MPS Type I Advisory Board” meeting was held in Riyadh on May 2, 2019, to reflect the expert opinions regarding different aspects of MPS type I and develop this manuscript; eight consultants from different specialties (medical genetics, pediatric rheumatology, and pediatric endocrinology), representing six Saudi institutions, in addition to a global expert in genetics participated in the meeting

Water-pipe smoking and serum testosterone levels in adult males in Qatar.

Water-pipe (WP) smoking is the most common method of tobacco consumption in the Middle-East and is rapidly spreading on a global scale. Although, water-pipe smoking is linked to various diseases, such as emphysema and various types of cancers, its effect on testosterone levels has yet to be investigated. This study explores the effect of water-pipe smoking on serum testosterone levels in males in Qatar. In this cross-sectional sample within a cohort study, we retrieved data for a total of 1000 male volunteers from the Qatar BioBank (QBB) project. A self-reported questionnaire was used to determine the water-pipe smoking status of participants. Moreover, participants were stratified based on the frequency of smoking. Total testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured clinically, whereas free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone were calculated using Vermeulen's equation. Hormone values of 541 males (277 water-pipe smokers and 264 non-smokers) were compared using multiple regression analysis based on water-pipe smoking status after adjusting for confounding factors. No statistically significant difference was observed between WP smokers and non-water-pipe smokers in the likelihood of having lower or higher total testosterone, after adjustment for confounding factors. Similar results were found in free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin (all p>0.05). When compared with the reference group, both light and heavy water-pipe smokers had a similar likelihood of circulating low total testosterone levels (OR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.46-1.49; and OR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.43-1.49; respectively). Our results reveal, for the first time, that there is no significant change in total testosterone, free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin in waterpipe smokers compared to non-water-pipe smokers. Therefore, we believe that further studies are needed to confirm the effect of water-pipe smoking on testosterone in different populations.This work was supported by the College of Medicine of Qatar University and grant QUST-2-CMED-2018-1 from Qatar University

ZnO-Loaded SA-g-Poly (AC-co-EBS) Hydrogel Nanocomposite as an Efficient Adsorption of Tetracycline and Phenol: Kinetics and Thermodynamic Models

A synthetic superabsorbent polymer hydrogel nanocomposite was prepared by the free radical graft co-polymerization method. This study included the preparation of two surfaces: first sodium alginate-g-(acrylic acid-co-sodium; 4-ethenylbenzenesulfonate), SA-g-poly (Ac-co-EBS) hydrogel, and second surface hydrogel after zinc oxide loading SA-g-poly (Ac-co-EBS). Hydrogel nanocomposite was prepared from different monomers for the removal of pollutants. The physical characterizations of nanocomposite have been studied using several techniques like UV-vis, FTIR, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX, and XRD. The data from the adsorption study show that E% increases with increasing contact time, with the best agitation time of 1 h, after which the adsorption becomes constant. The increase in adsorbent amount 0.01–0.1 g, the percentage removal of tetracycline (TC) and phenol (PH) increased from 60.639–97.085 and 487.71–94.05%, respectively, and Qe decreased 606.39–97.08 to 487.1831–94.456 mg/g on hydrogel. The ∆H value is endothermic. All processes of adsorption are considered spontaneous, from a negative value of ∆G to a positive value of ∆S. The release of the TC drug was studied in conditions similar to those in the human body in terms of acidity and temperature. The cumulative release of TC drug in 3 h was 50.65%, 42.33%, pH = 7.5 and pH 1.2, respectively

Novel Polyepoxysuccinic Acid-Grafted Polyacrylamide as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Carbon Steel in Acidic Solution.

Utilizing green corrosion inhibitors has been classified among the most efficient and economical mitigation practices against metallic degradation and failure. This study aims to integrate the features of green and complementary properties of polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) for steel corrosion inhibition. A novel PESA-grafted-PAM (PESAPAM) has been first-ever synthesized in this research study and deployed as a corrosion inhibitor for C-steel in 1.0 M HCl solution. Eco-toxicity prediction confirmed the environmentally friendly properties acquired by the synthesized inhibitor. Electrochemical, kinetics, and surface microscopic studies were carried out to gain a holistic view of C-steel corrosion behavior with the PESAPAM. Furthermore, the performance of PESAPAM was compared with that of the pure PESA under the same testing conditions. Results revealed predominant inhibitive properties of PESAPAM with an inhibition efficiency (IE) reaching 90% at 500 mg·L at 25 °C. Grafting PAM onto the PESA chain showed an overall performance improvement of 109% from IE% of 43 to 90%. Electrochemical measurements revealed a charge transfer-controlled corrosion mechanism and the formation of a thick double layer on the steel surface. The potentiodynamic study classified PESAPAM as a mixed-type inhibitor. Furthermore, the investigation of C-steel corrosion kinetics with the presence of PESAPAM predicted an activation energy of 85 kJ·mol, correlated with a physical adsorption behavior. Finally, performed scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses confirmed the adsorption of PESA and PESAPAM, with superior coverage of PESAPAM onto the steel surface.This work was made possible by the support of the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) from Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), grant #UREP28-104-2-036. R.J. would like to acknowledge the support of Qatar University project, grant #QUCP-CENG-2021-03. The findings achieved herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. Central Laboratories Unit at Qatar University are acknowledged for providing facilities to perform SEM/EDX analyses. Qatar National Library (QNL) is acknowledged for providing open access funding

Haematologic Parameters In Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Patients Treated With ALL Trans- Retinoic acid

Background: Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) is commonly associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and early correction of coagulopathy is of vital importance. All Trans-Retinoic Acid (ATRA) is considered to be the drug of choice in the treatment of APL.  Objective: The work was conducted to 1- Identify patients with APL who show laboratory evidence of DIC. 2- Study the serial changes in haemostatic parameters in APL patients treated with ATRA and to compare their results with those treated with conventional chemotherapy without ATRA. Subjective and methods: In this prospective study (from October 2003 to October 2005), 44 newly diagnosed, untreated APL patients were included. ATRA plus chemotherapy – treated patients were 24 while 17 patients were treated with chemotherapy other than ATRA. For each patient, a full clinical evaluation was done and hematological investigations were accomplished at time of diagnosis and repeated on day 3 and 7 of therapy. Diagnosis of DIC was based on finding a positive D- dimer test with hypofibrinogenaemia with or without pathologically prolonged (PT and/or APTT). Results: In 44 newly diagnosed, untreated APL patients studied, the age range between 6-81 years with a median of 27 years. Male to female ratio was 1.3:1. Before treatment all patients had anemia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated level of D – dimer. DIC was present in all patients at time of diagnosis. All parameters that showed abnormal level at time of diagnosis had returned to normality within one week in ATRA treated group, indicating that DIC has essentially resolved. By contrast, those parameters remained abnormal even on day 7 in the chemotherapy treated group. Indicating that DIC was on going. Conclusion: ATRA therapy in APL patients is associated with rapid improvement of coagulopathy therefore , it is justified to be used from day one of the treatment

Exploring the Level of Managerial, Political, Academic, Economic and Social Women Empowerment in Saudi Arabia

Women empowerment may be utilized for sustainable development by using hidden un-utilized potential of the country. The present research is estimated the perception-based level of managerial, academic, economic, political and social women empowerment from a well-structured questionnaire. The Cronbach Alpha test is corroborated the reliability of each item in the hypothesized women empowerment dimension. We corroborate the satisfactory level of women empowerment in all hypothesized dimensions as per perception of the respondents. The highest average score is found for social women empowerment. It means that social women empowerment played a greatest role among others to empower the Saudi women. The second rank is achieved by academic women empowerment and the third position is for economic empowerment. Thus, economic empowerment and academic empowerment are playing their significant role in empowering the Saudi women. The lowest average mean is found for political empowerment. Hence, political domain need attention to provide women rights in political participation and processes

Sex disparities in food consumption patterns, dietary diversity and determinants of self-reported body weight changes before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 10 Arab countries

The COVID-19 pandemic along with its confinement period boosted lifestyle modifications and impacted women and men differently which exacerbated existing gender inequalities. The main objective of this paper is to assess the gender-based differentials in food consumption patterns, dietary diversity and the determinants favoring weight change before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic among Arab men and women from 10 Arab countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a convenience sample of 12,447 households\u27 family members (mean age: 33.2 ± 12.9; 50.1% females) and information from participants aged 18 years and above was collected about periods before and during the pandemic. Findings showed that, during the COVID-19 period, the dietary diversity, declined by 1.9% among females compared to males (0.4%) (p \u3c 0.001) and by 1.5% among overweight participants (p \u3c 0.001) compared to their counterparts. To conclude, gender-sensitive strategies and policies to address weight gain and dietary diversity during emergent shocks and pandemics are urgently needed in the region

Dietary Diversity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Disparities, Challenges, and Mitigation Measures

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the Eastern Mediterranean Region's food system's fragility posing severe challenges to maintaining healthy sustainable lifestyle. The aim of this cross-sectional study (N = 13,527 household's family members, mean age: 30.3 ±11.6, 80% women) is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food consumption patterns and household's dietary diversity in 10 Eastern Mediterranean countries. A food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the consumption patterns along with the calculation of the Food Consumption Score (FCS), a proxy indicator of dietary diversity. Data collected on cooking attitudes, shopping and food stock explore the community mitigation measures. In the overall population, before and during the pandemic, most food groups were consumed less or equal to 4 times per week. As evident from our findings and considering that the pandemic may be better, but it's not over, small to moderate changes in food consumption patterns in relatively short time periods can become permanent and lead to substantial poor dietary diversity over time. While it is a priority to mitigate the immediate impact, one area of great concern is the long-term effects of this pandemic on dietary patterns and dietary diversity in Eastern Mediterranean households. To conclude, the COVID-19 crisis revealed the region's unpreparedness to deal with a pandemic. While the aggressive containment strategy was essential for most countries to help prevent the spread, it came at a high nutritional cost, driving poor dietary diversity.This research was funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (G047518N) and Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0397). These funding sources had no role in the design of the study, the analysis and interpretation of the data or the writing of, nor the decision to publish the manuscript

The ability of digital breast tomosynthesis to reduce additional examinations in older women

AimsTo assess the diagnostic performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in older women across varying breast densities and to compare its effectiveness for cancer detection with 2D mammography and ultrasound (U/S) for different breast density categories. Furthermore, our study aimed to predict the potential reduction in unnecessary additional examinations among older women due to DBT.MethodsThis study encompassed a cohort of 224 older women. Each participant underwent both 2D mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis examinations. Supplementary views were conducted when necessary, including spot compression and magnification, ultrasound, and recommended biopsies. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for 2D mammography, DBT, and ultrasound. The impact of DBT on diminishing the need for supplementary imaging procedures was predicted through binary logistic regression.ResultsIn dense breast tissue, DBT exhibited notably heightened sensitivity and NPV for lesion detection compared to non-dense breasts (61.9% vs. 49.3%, p < 0.001) and (72.9% vs. 67.9%, p < 0.001), respectively. However, the AUC value of DBT in dense breasts was lower compared with non-dense breasts (0.425 vs. 0.670). Regarding the ability to detect calcifications, DBT demonstrated significantly improved sensitivity and NPV in dense breasts compared to non-dense breasts (100% vs. 99.2%, p < 0.001) and (100% vs. 94.7%, p < 0.001), respectively. On the other hand, the AUC value of DBT was slightly lower in dense breasts compared with non-dense (0.682 vs. 0.711). Regarding lesion detection for all cases between imaging examinations, the highest sensitivity was observed in 2D mammography (91.7%, p < 0.001), followed by DBT (83.7%, p < 0.001), and then ultrasound (60.6%, p < 0.001). In dense breasts, sensitivity for lesion detection was highest in 2D mammography (92.9%, p < 0.001), followed by ultrasound (76.2%, p < 0.001), and the last one was DBT. In non-dense breasts, sensitivities were 91% (p < 0.001) for 2D mammography, 50.7% (p < 0.001) for ultrasound, and 49.3% (p < 0.001) for DBT. In terms of calcification detection, DBT displayed significantly superior sensitivity compared to 2D mammography in both dense and non-dense breasts (100% vs. 91.4%, p < 0.001) and (99.2% vs. 78.5%, p < 0.001), respectively. However, the logistic regression model did not identify any statistically significant relationship (p > 0.05) between DBT and the four dependent variables.ConclusionOur findings indicate that among older women, DBT does not significantly decrease the requirement for further medical examinations