Production analysis of oil production from unconventional reservoirs using bottom hole pressures entirely in the Laplace space

textLaplace transforms are a powerful mathematical tool to solve many problems that describe fluid flow in unconventional reservoirs. However, for the solutions to be useful in applications, for instance history matching, they must be converted from the Laplace space into the real-time domain. A common practice is to numerically invert the transformed Laplace solution. However, we find substantial benefits if the data sets are handled entirely in the Laplace domain, and fitted to models presented in Laplace space rather than in the time domain. The data set used in this work is oil production rate and bottom hole pressure (BHP) from a liquid-rich shale play in North America, which we study to understand the decline of production from a tight formation produced by a fractured horizontal well. Since the BHP is relatively constant in the long run, a constant BHP solution is appropriate to analyze inflow performance analysis for most wells. However in some cases, as a result of operational changes to some wells, mainly periodic shut-ins, the production rate experiences isolated pressure build-ups. Both the production rate and BHP are transformed into the Laplace domain and accounted for in the model. Ours is the first analysis that combines rate and BHP entirely in the Laplace domain. There is no need for a Laplace transform inversion. Two models whose Laplace solutions are readily available are studied side-by-side, a single-compartment model versus a dual-compartment model. We fit the transformed production data of hundreds of wells to the Laplace models. The algorithm to transform data is fairly simple and computationally inexpensive. Since Laplace transformation smoothes the data, the fits are consistently good. Both models yield realistic and similar estimates of ultimate recovery. In most cases the effect of the second compartment in the dual-compartment model can be ignored, i.e., neglecting the fracture-well interaction. The single-compartment model seems adequate for modeling unconventional reservoirs performance. The knowledge of the reservoir model parameters provides estimation of the drainage volume and forecast future production. One of the main advantages of this novel history matching method is its ability to eliminating noise from data scatter without losing important information. As a result, we can match data more easily. Moreover, real-time solutions to many fluid flow problems in porous media often cannot be obtained analytically but rather via numerical computation. Our current method eliminates the need of inverting to real-time solutions. Additionally, these solutions often assume simple closed forms in Laplace domain even for very complex geometry (higher number of compartments), facilitating the task of history matching.Petroleum and Geosystems Engineerin

It's time to reconsider early-morning testosterone tests

Guidelines recommend collecting an early-morning sample to compensate for the natural diurnal variation in testosterone levels. But for men 45 and older, this is unnecessary. Practice changer: Early-morning testosterone tests are necessary only for men younger than age 45. Because the natural diurnal variation in testosterone levels tends to diminish with age, it is acceptable to test men ages 45 and older before 2 pm.

Optimization of human, animal, and environmental health by using the One Health approach

Emerging diseases are increasing burdens on public health, negatively affecting the world economy, causing extinction of species, and disrupting ecological integrity. One Health recognizes that human, domestic animal, and wildlife health are interconnected within ecosystem health and provides a framework for the development of multidisciplinary solutions to global health challenges. To date, most health-promoting interventions have focused largely on single-sector outcomes. For example, risk for transmission of zoonotic pathogens from bush-meat hunting is primarily focused on human hygiene and personal protection. However, bush-meat hunting is a complex issue promoting the need for holistic strategies to reduce transmission of zoonotic disease while addressing food security and wildlife conservation issues. Temporal and spatial separation of humans and wildlife, risk communication, and other preventative strategies should allow wildlife and humans to co-exist. Upstream surveillance, vaccination, and other tools to prevent pathogen spillover are also needed. Clear multi-sector outcomes should be defined, and a systems-based approach is needed to develop interventions that reduce risks and balance the needs of humans, wildlife, and the environment. The ultimate goal is long-term action to reduce forces driving emerging diseases and provide interdisciplinary scientific approaches to management of risks, thereby achieving optimal outcomes for human, animal, and environmental health

Optimization of human, animal, and environmental health by using the One Health approach

Emerging diseases are increasing burdens on public health, negatively affecting the world economy, causing extinction of species, and disrupting ecological integrity. One Health recognizes that human, domestic animal, and wildlife health are interconnected within ecosystem health and provides a framework for the development of multidisciplinary solutions to global health challenges. To date, most health-promoting interventions have focused largely on single-sector outcomes. For example, risk for transmission of zoonotic pathogens from bush-meat hunting is primarily focused on human hygiene and personal protection. However, bush-meat hunting is a complex issue promoting the need for holistic strategies to reduce transmission of zoonotic disease while addressing food security and wildlife conservation issues. Temporal and spatial separation of humans and wildlife, risk communication, and other preventative strategies should allow wildlife and humans to co-exist. Upstream surveillance, vaccination, and other tools to prevent pathogen spillover are also needed. Clear multi-sector outcomes should be defined, and a systems-based approach is needed to develop interventions that reduce risks and balance the needs of humans, wildlife, and the environment. The ultimate goal is long-term action to reduce forces driving emerging diseases and provide interdisciplinary scientific approaches to management of risks, thereby achieving optimal outcomes for human, animal, and environmental health

Interrelationship between Sensory Modulation, Altered Interoceptive Awareness, and Anxiety and Impacts on Quality of Life

OBJECTIVE: The negative impacts of sensory modulation disorder (SMD), anxiety, and altered interoceptive awareness (AIA) on daily occupations reinforced the need for the study of the relationship between sensory modulation, anxiety, and interoception in typical adults. Understanding the relationship between the three constructs is the first step in the ultimate goal of developing effective intervention and treatment measures. METHODS: This cross-sectional, exploratory study analyzed the relationship between scores on four self-report measures in an online survey: State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Sensory Responsiveness Questionnaire (SRQ), and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). Participants were recruited via snowballing and a convenience sample of typical adults. Data was analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 22). RESULTS: Data from 186 respondents showed moderately positive significant correlations between variables: (1) MAIA-2 and SRQ sum; (2) MAIA-2 and STAI state anxiety total; (3) MAIA-2 total and STAI trait anxiety total; (4) SRQ sum and STAI state anxiety total; and (5) STAI trait total and SRQ sum. CONCLUSION: This correlational study shines light on the distinct interrelationship between SMD, AIA, and anxiety. Results indicate a significant interrelationship between SMD, AIA, and anxiety. Findings indicate that there is a relationship between co-occurring constructs: SMD and AIA; AIA and anxiety; SMD and anxiety. However, further research needs to be done to determine directionality

Nanoparticle Film Assemblies as Platforms for Electrochemical Biosensing – Factors Affecting Amperometric Signal Enhancement of Hydrogen Peroxide

Factors affecting the enhanced amperometric signal observed at electrodes modified with polyelectrolyte–gold nanoparticle (Au-NP) composite films, which are potential interfaces for first-generation biosensors, were systematically investigated and optimized for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection. Polyelectrolyte multilayer films embedded with citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles exhibited high sensitivity toward the oxidation of H2O2. From this Au-NP film assembly, the importance of Au-NP ligand protection, film permeability, the density of Au-NPs within the film, and electronic coupling between Au-NPs (interparticle) and between the film and the electrode (interfacial) were evaluated. Using alternative Au-NPs, including those stabilized with thiols, polymers, and bulky ligands, suggests that the amperometric enhancement of H2O2 is optimized at poly-l-lysine-linked film assemblies embedded with Au-NPs possessing small, charged, and conductive (conjugated) peripheral ligands. As a potential application of these Au-NP film assemblies, an enhanced amperometric signal for H2O2 oxidation was shown for modified “needle” electrodes. The overall aim of this research is to gain a greater understanding of designing electrochemical sensing strategies that incorporate Au-NPs and target specific analytes

Effects of Age, Sex, and Neuropsychological Performance on Financial Decision-Making

The capacity to make sound financial decisions across the lifespan is critical for interpersonal, occupational, and psychological health and success. In the present study, we explored how healthy younger and older adults make a series of increasingly complex financial decisions. One-hundred sixteen healthy older adults, aged 56–90 years, and 102 college undergraduates, completed the Financial Decision-Making Questionnaire, which requires selecting and justifying financial choices across four hypothetical scenarios and answering questions pertaining to financial knowledge. Results indicated that Older participants significantly outperformed Younger participants on a multiple-choice test of acquired financial knowledge. However, after controlling for such pre-existing knowledge, several age effects were observed. For example, Older participants were more likely to make immediate investment decisions, whereas Younger participants exhibited a preference for delaying decision-making pending additional information. Older participants also rated themselves as more concerned with avoiding monetary loss (i.e., a prevention orientation), whereas Younger participants reported greater interest in financial gain (i.e., a promotion orientation). In terms of sex differences, Older Males were more likely to pay credit card bills and utilize savings accounts than were Older Females. Multiple positive correlations were observed between Older participants’ financial decision-making ability and performance on neuropsychological measures of non-verbal intellect and executive functioning. Lastly, the ability to justify one’s financial decisions declined with age, among the Older participants. Several of the aforementioned results parallel findings from the medical decision-making literature, suggesting that older adults make decisions in a manner that conserves diminishing cognitive resources

The Effects of a Brief Educational Intervention on COVID-19 Knowledge, Beliefs, and Intention to Get Vaccinated in Black and Hispanic Populations

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp22/1140/thumbnail.jp