Assessing The Probability Of Fluid Migration Caused By Hydraulic Fracturing; And Investigating Flow And Transport In Porous Media Using Mri

Hydraulic fracturing is used to extract oil and natural gas from low permeability formations. The potential of fluids migrating from depth through adjacent wellbores and through the production wellbore was investigated using statistical modeling and predic-tive classifiers. The probability of a hydraulic fracturing well becoming hydraulically connected to an adjacent well in the Marcellus shale of New York was determined to be between 0.00% and 3.45% at the time of the study. This means that the chance of an in-duced fracture from hydraulic fracturing intersecting an existing well is highly dependent on the area of increased permeability caused by fracturing. The chance of intersecting an existing well does not mean that fluid will flow upwards; for upward migration to occur, a pathway must exist and a pressure gradient is required to drive flow, with the exception of gas flow caused by buoyancy. Predictive classifiers were employed on a dataset of wells in Alberta Canada to identify well characteristics most associated to fluid migration along the production well. The models, specifically a random forest, were able to identify pathways better than random guessing with 78% of wells in the data set identified cor-rectly. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to visualize and quantify contami-nant transport in a soil column using a full body scanner. T1 quantification was used to determine the concentration of a contaminant surrogate in the form of Magnevist, an MRI contrast agent. Imaging showed a strong impact from density driven convection when the density difference between the two fluids was small (0.3%). MRI also identified a buildup of contrast agent concentration at the interface between a low permeability ground silica and higher permeability AFS 50-70 testing sand when density driven con-vection was eliminated

“Suddenly you are King Solomon”: Multiplicity, transformation and integration in compassion focused therapy chairwork

Chairwork is a psychotherapeutic method that frequently focuses on self-multiplicity and internal relationships. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) uses chairwork to generate and apply compassion towards threat-based aspects of the self. This study explores self-multiplicity in a CFT chairwork intervention for self-criticism. Twelve participants with depression were interviewed following the intervention and the resultant data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three super-ordinate themes were identified: differentiating selves; mental imagery of selves; and integrating and transforming selves with compassion. The results highlight how the intervention enabled clients to differentiate internal aspects of themselves in a way that was accessible and helpful, increasing self-complexity and introducing the potential to observe and change patterns of self-to-self relating. The process of bringing compassion to self-criticism was shown to integrate both aspects of the critical dialogue, transforming the ‘critic’ by understanding its fears and function. The use of mental imagery was also shown to facilitate clients’ experience of self-multiplicity and to symbolize the kind of changes generated by the exercise. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.N/

Unhatched Eggs in Nests of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers

During 1991 and 1992, nests of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) were monitored in the Ouachita National Forest in Scott and Polk counties of west-central Arkansas. Nests in three additional woodpecker areas in Arkansas and Oklahoma were also monitored in 1992. Of 92 eggs laid in 27 nesting attempts in the Ouachita National Forest, 18 (19%) failed to hatch. When viewed in the cavities, six unhatched eggs were noticeably below average in size for the species and eight were average size. Seven unhatched eggs were removed in 1992 from seven nests in Arkansas and Oklahoma; three eggs showed some embryological development and three showed no development. Techniques used to remove unhatched eggs and results of analysis of eggs are presented. Possible management applications of egg data are discussed

Fungi associated with the die-back of Pterocarpus angolensis (kiaat) in South Africa

Pterocarpus angolensis (kiaat) is one of 20 species of trees in the pantropical genus Pterocarpus. The species occurs in Southern Africa and has a broad distribution over several African countries, including Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The tree is commercially used in several traditional medicinal applications and is well-known as a source of timber for woodcarving and furniture. A single serious disease known as mukwa has been reported on P. angolensis, and the cause has been attributed to the generalist fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Reports of this disease date back to the late 1950s and appear localized in the Livingstone distinct, between Livingstone in Zambia and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Recent studies indicate that mukwa disease has begun to subside. There are more recent reports, however, of P. angolensis trees dying in South Africa, in the Mpumalanga Province. The aim of the research presented in this dissertation was to establish the nature of the disease affecting P. angolensis trees in the Mpumalanga Province in South Africa. Trees were sampled from several areas in the province, both from reported disease areas and from areas sustaining healthy trees. Field observations and fungal isolations provided a means to determine whether the disease was attributable to a biotic factor or the result of environmental factors affecting the tree. Isolations concentrated on obtaining species of the Botryosphaeriaceae and of the so-called ophiostomatoid fungi because these fungi are well-known pathogens of trees in the area, have been fairly well studied and the die-back symptoms suggested that they could be involved. The first chapter of this dissertation presents a review of the literature pertaining to P. angolensis, with a focus on mukwa disease. Aspects of the review introduce the genus Pterocarpus, the ecology of the environment wherein P. angolensis occurs and cover the biology of the species. Commercial aspects of the tree as well as the need for conservation are also addressed, providing the foundation for further studies in this dissertation. Many of the symptoms of diseased trees studied were indicative of infection by the Botryosphaeriaceae, a group of several genera of endophytic plant pathogens. These fungi were thus isolated from P. angolensis trees growing in different areas and were subsequently identified. Pathogenicity tests were used to evaluate the possible role that these species might play in the dieback of P. angolensis. CopyrightDissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Microbiology and Plant Pathologyunrestricte

Wildlife linkages: volumes and values of residual timber in riparian zones in eastern Texas

In regenerating southern pine, maintenance of riparian zones (RZs) is a major land concession for soil and water protection and wildlife habitat enhancement. However, there are few data quantifying the volume and value of residual timber in such areas. We inventoried merchantable timber in nine RZs of three widths in sapling-class East Texas pine plantations. Present, discounted, and projected volumes and values of residual timber were determined. Average per-acre volumes of narrow, medium, and wide RZs were 337, 1438, and 2542 board feet (Doyle log rule) and 4.6, 8.2, and 7.2 cords, respectively. At US $154.00 and US$57.00 per thousand board feet for pine and hardwood saw timber, respectively, and US $15.00 and US$5.00 per cord for pine and hardwood pulpwood, respectively, average present per-acre values were US $46.41, US$209.93 and US $352.75 for narrow, medium, and wide RZs. Interest rates for the growth of trees from 1981 to 1989 ranged 3.7$4.52, US $20.46, and US$34.38, respectively. Stumpage values at the time of harvest projected at 7% compound interest for 30 years ranged US $10.66-US$3547.54 per acre and for 80 years ranged US $313.93-US$104 499.95 per acre. The impact of these results on wildlife is discusse

CHOPCHOP: a CRISPR/Cas9 and TALEN web tool for genome editing

Major advances in genome editing have recently been made possible with the development of the TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 methods. The speed and ease of implementing these technologies has led to an explosion of mutant and transgenic organisms. A rate-limiting step in efficiently applying TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 methods is the selection and design of targeting constructs. We have developed an online tool, CHOPCHOP (https://chopchop.rc.fas.harvard.edu), to expedite the design process. CHOPCHOP accepts a wide range of inputs (gene identifiers, genomic regions or pasted sequences) and provides an array of advanced options for target selection. It uses efficient sequence alignment algorithms to minimize search times, and rigorously predicts off-target binding of single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) and TALENs. Each query produces an interactive visualization of the gene with candidate target sites displayed at their genomic positions and color-coded according to quality scores. In addition, for each possible target site, restriction sites and primer candidates are visualized, facilitating a streamlined pipeline of mutant generation and validation. The ease-of-use and speed of CHOPCHOP make it a valuable tool for genome engineering

Emotional Phenomenology: Toward a Nonreductive Analysis

In this article I want to create a presumption in favor of a nonreductive analysis of emotional phenomenology. The presumption relies on the claim that none of the nonemotional elements which are usually regarded as constitutive of emotional phenomenology may reasonably be considered responsible for the evaluative character of the latter. In section 1 I suggest this is true of cognitive elements, arguing that so-called ‘evaluative’ judgments usually result from emotional, evaluative attitudes, and should not be conflated with them. In section 2 I argue the same holds true for conative attitudes (desires and acts of the will). And in section 3 I briefly mention some salient aspects of the version of nonreductive analysis I lean toward.Phenomenology of thinking past and present (Crédit classique, PhéCog)