Parametric and predictive analysis of horizontal well configurations for coalbed methane reservoirs in Appalachian Basin

It has been a well-established fact that the Appalachian Basin represents a high potential region for the Coalbed Methane (CBM) production. The thin coal beds in the Appalachian basin are characterized by low porosity and permeability values. Due to highly complex reservoir characteristics, different drilling techniques have been developed in order to improve ultimate gas recovery in the shortest possible time. It has been claimed that horizontal drilling is the optimum completion technique used in this region to maximize methane recovery from coalbed reservoirs.;Horizontal wells are considered to be effective in the relatively thin, naturally fractured reservoirs that are characterized by permeability anisotropy. With today\u27s advanced drilling technology, the direction of a horizontal wellbore can be controlled, maximizing the gas production. The objective of this study is to review the various horizontal well configurations used for the recovery of coal bed methane. This study discusses different coalbed properties, and horizontal well patterns, that should be applied in different cases. In addition, the gas recovery and the flow rate associated to the drainage area for each pattern are discussed.;Various reservoir models with diversity of reservoir properties and different horizontal well configurations with various spacing between laterals have been investigated for the best possible gas recovery, using detailed sensitivity analysis, parametric study and intelligent modeling approach

Genetic and Structural Characterization of Pneumolancidin, a Broad Spectrum Inhibitory Lantibiotic, Produced by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a member of the diverse microbial community of the human nasopharynx, is subjected to competitive interactions. Since colonization is a prerequisite for pneumococcal pathogenesis, understanding the dynamics of bacterial competition is important for identifying factors that aid in colonization and carriage. To eliminate competitors, pneumococcus is known to secrete antimicrobial peptides or bacteriocins. Pneumococcal bacteriocins and their role in competition have been well characterized. However, a class of modified bacteriocins named lantibiotics, and their role in promoting pneumococcal competition is less well understood. Though several lantibiotic loci have been identified in pneumococcus, none have been found with antimicrobial activity. Recently, our laboratory identified a clinical isolate of pneumococcus, P174, with a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity attributed to a novel lantibiotic locus, termed pneumolancidin (pld). In addition to encoding genes required for the modification, processing, regulation and immunity to lantibiotic peptides, four open reading frames predicted to encode four highly homologous lantibiotic peptides were also found. This posed the question of whether the Pld peptides were redundant in function or had specialized roles. Lantibiotic peptides are known to function as antimicrobials and autoinducers. To determine the role of each peptide as it relates to inhibition and induction, individual in-frame peptide deletions were constructed. Strains carrying the mutation were assayed for their ability to inhibit the growth of other strains and their ability to upregulate the pld locus. The first three peptides, PldA1-3, were found to be required for signaling while PldA4 was found to be dispensable. Because upregulation of the locus is needed to determine whether specific peptides were involved in inhibition, the ability of the peptide deletion strains to inhibit could not be evaluated. However, a serendipitous mutant, P174act, was discovered that allowed for distinct phenotypes to be observed for each of the Pld peptide deletion strains. Through structural elucidation, it was found that PldA1 and PldA3 are structurally similar yet have specialized roles in signaling and inhibition, respectively. The Pld peptides represent a novel strategy for bacterial competition and provide insight into structure-function relationships of lantibiotics.PHDMicrobiology and ImmunologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133297/1/natmar_1.pd

Udžbenici nacionalnoga identiteta: podučavanje škotstva nakon ujedinjenja parlamenata

Even though the interrelation of the emergence of modern mass school systems and processes of nation-building in the modern era has evoked academic interest, such research endeavours are generally exemplified by case studies of established nationstates. Conversely, this article demonstrates the pertinence of widening the research scope beyond the synthesis of the nation and the state, by focusing on the particular case of Scotland as a nation without a state and the role schools played in creating Scottish national identity in the wake of the Union of Parliaments in 1707. Thereby focus is put on textbooks as a materialisation of curricula and an extended arm of school governance. The article concludes with insights that can be derived from this case study for the case of Scottish nationalism as well as its significance for the study of nationalism, education and their interrelation in general.Čak unatoč tome što je međusobna povezanost pojave modernih sustava masovnoga školovanja i procesa izgradnje nacije u moderno doba izazvala akademski interes, takva istraživačka nastojanja uglavnom su predstavljena studijama slučaja uspostavljenih nacionalnih država. S druge strane, u ovome radu ustraje se na širenju istraživačkoga spektra izvan granica sinteze nacije i države, fokusirajući se na poseban slučaj Škotske kao nacije bez države i ulogu koju su škole odigrale u kreiranju škotskoga nacionalnog identiteta nakon ujedinjenja parlamenata 1707. godine. Stoga, fokus je na udžbenicima kao materijalizaciji kurikula i produženoj ruci školske vlasti. U zaključku rada donose se uvidi dobiveni u ovoj studiji slučaja o škotskom nacionalizmu kao i važnosti proučavanja nacionalizma, obrazovanja i njihove općenite međusobne povezanosti

Simultaneous precise editing of multiple genes in human cells

Abstract. When double-strand breaks are introduced in a genome by CRISPR they are repaired either by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), which often results i

Health literacy in female – association with socioeconomic factors and effects on reproductive health

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. The aim of the study is to assess the health literacy of women who are using health services within the Gynecol-ogy Obstetric Clinic “Narodni Front” in Belgrade. Testing of health literacy was conducted as a cross-sectional study in the period October-November 2012. As instruments of research the following questionnaires are used: Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults and General information questionnaire of respondents who referred to the demo-graphic, social and economic characteristics of respondents, self-assessment of health, use of health services, health knowledge and behavior in the area of reproductive health. Inad-equate health literacy level is registered in every ten respon-dents. The education level of the respondents proved to be a significant predictor of health literacy. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the patients (age, occupation, marital status) as well as self-evaluation of the health status were not significantly related to the health literacy. Health literacy respondents did not significantly dependent on risk behaviors related to reproductive health. The level of health literacy is consistent with the knowledge of subjects in the field of protection of reproductive health. Health literacy as the ability to function within the health care system is equal-ly certain by individual characteristics and skills, characteristics of the health and education systems as well as a wide range of social and cultural factors. Health literacy is more systematic than individual problem, so it requires a broader social action

Adaptive sensing and optimal power allocation for wireless video sensors with sigma-delta imager

We consider optimal power allocation for wireless video sensors (WVSs), including the image sensor subsystem in the system analysis. By assigning a power-rate-distortion (P-R-D) characteristic for the image sensor, we build a comprehensive P-R-D optimization framework for WVSs. For a WVS node operating under a power budget, we propose power allocation among the image sensor, compression, and transmission modules, in order to minimize the distortion of the video reconstructed at the receiver. To demonstrate the proposed optimization method, we establish a P-R-D model for an image sensor based upon a pixel level sigma-delta ( ) image sensor design that allows investigation of the tradeoff between the bit depth of the captured images and spatio-temporal characteristics of the video sequence under the power constraint. The optimization results obtained in this setting confirm that including the image sensor in the system optimization procedure can improve the overall video quality under power constraint and prolong the lifetime of the WVSs. In particular, when the available power budget for a WVS node falls below a threshold, adaptive sensing becomes necessary to ensure that the node communicates useful information about the video content while meeting its power budget.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version