Understanding reservoir heterogeneity using variography and data analysis: an example from coastal swamp deposits, Niger Delta Basin (Nigeria)

For efficient reservoir management and long-term field development strategies, most geologists and asset managers pay special attention to reservoir chance of success. To minimise this uncertainty, a good understanding of reservoir presence and adequacy is required for better ranking of infill opportunities and optimal well placement. This can be quite challenging due to insufficient data and complexities that are typically associated with areas with compounded tectonostratigraphic framework. For the present paper, data analysis and variography were used firstly to examine possible geological factors that determine directions in which reservoirs show minimum heterogeneity for both discrete and continuous properties; secondly, to determine the maximum range and degree of variability of key reservoir petrophysical properties from the variogram, and thirdly, to highlight possible geological controls on reservoir distribution trends as well as areas with optimal reservoir quality. Discrete properties evaluated were lithology and genetic units, while continuous properties examined were porosity and net-to-gross (NtG). From the variogram analysis, the sandy lithology shows minimum heterogeneity in east-west (E–W) and north-south (N–S) directions, for Upper Shoreface Sands (USF) and Fluvial/Tidal Channel Sands (FCX/TCS), respectively. Porosity and NtG both show the least heterogeneity in the E–W axis for reservoirs belonging to both Upper Shoreface and Fluvial Channel environments with porosity showing a slightly higher range than NtG. The vertical ranges for both continuous properties did not show a clear trend. The Sequential Indicator Simulation (SIS) and Object modelling algorithm were used for modelling the discrete properties, while Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS) was used for modelling of the continuous properties. Results from this exercise show that depositional environment, sediment provenance, topographical slope, sub-regional structural trends, shoreline orientation and longshore currents, could have significant impacts on reservoir spatial distribution and property trends. This understanding could be applied in reservoir prediction and for generating stochastic estimates of petrophysical properties for nearby exploration assets of similar depositional environments

Investigating people’s attitudes towards participating in longitudinal health research: an intersectionality-informed perspective

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that participation proportions in longitudinal health research vary according to sex/gender, age, social class, or migration status. Intersectionality scholarship purports that such social categories cannot be understood in isolation and makes visible the co-dependent nature of the social determinants of health and illness. This paper uses an intersectionality-informed approach in order to expand the understanding of why people participate in health research, and the impact of intersecting social structures and experiences on these attitudes. METHODS: A sample of 80 respondents who had previously either accepted or declined an invitation to participate in the German National Cohort (NAKO) participated in our interview study. Interviews were semi-structured and contained both narrative elements and more structured probes. Data analysis proceeded in two steps: first, the entire data set was analysed thematically (separately for participants and non-participants); second, key themes were compared across self-reported sex/gender, age group and migration status to identify differences and commonalities. RESULTS: Respondents' attitudes towards study participation can be categorised into four themes: wanting to make a contribution, seeking personalised health information, excitement and feeling chosen, and seeking social recognition. Besides citing logistical challenges, non-participants narrated adverse experiences with or attitudes towards science and the healthcare system that deterred them from participating. A range of social experiences and cultural value systems shaped such attitudes; in particular, this includes the cultural authority of science as an arbiter of social questions, transgressing social categories and experiences of marginalisation. Care responsibilities, predominantly borne by female respondents, also impacted upon the decision to take part in NAKO. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that for participants, health research constitutes a site of distinction in the sense of making a difference and being distinct or distinguishable, whereas non-participants inhabited an orientation towards science that reflected their subjective marginalisation through science. No clear relationship can thereby be presumed between social location and a particular attitude towards study participation; rather, such attitudes transgress and challenge categorical boundaries. This challenges the understanding of particular populations as more or less disadvantaged, or as more or less inclined to participate in health research

Effect of coffee consumption on liver enzymes (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase), total and conjugated bilirubin levels among students in Nnewi

Background: Coffee has a number of bioactive compounds that have beneficial effects on human health in general and more importantly is the fact that coffee consumption has positive impact on the liver function. The present study investigated the effect of coffee consumption on liver enzymes: alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TB) and conjugated bilirubin (CB) levels among student in Nnewi.Methods: A total of twenty-five (25) apparently healthy participants aged between 18 and 30 years which were randomly recruited from College of Health Sciences’ students to serve as both test and control group. Each participant was advised to abstain from coffee and similar beverages for a period of three weeks prior to the commencement of the study. Subsequently, in addition to their normal diet, each of the subjects was given 2 gm of coffee dissolved in 150 ml of hot water in which 50 mg of non-dairy creamer was added before breakfast daily for 28 consecutive days. 6 ml each of baseline and test samples (after an overnight fast) were collected at day 0 and 29 respectively from each participant. Liver enzymes such as ALT, AST, and ALP activity as well as TB and CB levels was determined using standard laboratory methods.Results: This showed significant reductions in the mean serum AST and ALT activity, TB and unconjugated bilirubin (UB) levels with no significant alterations in the mean ALP activity and CB level in participants studied after short-term coffee consumption.Conclusions: This study revealed the hepatoprotective effect of coffee intake at short term basis

2017 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Chronic Kidney Disease–Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) Guideline Update Implementation: Asia Summit Conference Report

Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Clinical Practice Guideline on Chronic Kidney Disease–Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD–MBD) 2009 provided recommendations on the detection, evaluation, and treatment of CKD-MBD in patients CKD who are and are not undergoing dialysis. Because of the accumulation of evidence since this initial publication, the CKD-MBD Guideline underwent a selective update in 2017. In April 2018, KDIGO convened a CKD-MBD Guideline Implementation Summit in Japan with the key objective to discuss various barriers to the uptake and implementation of the CKD-MBD Guideline in 8 Asian countries/regions. These countries/regions were comparable according to their high-to-middle economic ranking assigned by the World Bank. The discussion took into account the availability of CKD-MBD medication therapies and government health policies that may influence reimbursement and practice patterns in the region. Most importantly, Summit participants developed a framework of multifaceted strategies aimed at overcoming barriers to guideline implementation. The Summit attendees suggested a shared decision-making approach between clinicians and patients in CKD-MBD management, as well as individualized care based on the treatment risk-benefit ratio. The Summit participants also discussed how KDIGO, as a guideline development organization, may work in partnership with local and national nephrology societies to provide education and facilitate implementation of the guideline by clinicians. The conclusions drawn from this Summit in Asia may serve as an important guide for other regions to follow

Why honey is effective as a medicine. 1. Its use in modern medicine

Honey has been used as a medicine for thousands of years and its curative properties are well documented. However, modern medicine turned its back on honey and it is only now, with the advent of multi-resistant bacteria, that the antibiotic properties of honey are being rediscovered

Inhomogeneous magnetism induced in a superconductor at superconductor-ferromagnet interface

We study a magnetic proximity effect at superconductor (S) - ferromagnet (F) interface. It is shown that due to an exchange of electrons between the F and S metals ferromagnetic correlations extend into the superconductor, being dependent on interface parameters. We show that ferromagnetic exchange field pair breaking effect leads to a formation of subgap bands in the S layer local density of states, that accommodate only one spin-polarized quasiparticles. Equilibrium magnetization leakage into the S layer as function of SF interface quality and a value of ferromagnetic interaction have also been calculated. We show that a damped-oscillatory behavior versus distance from SF interface is a distinguished feature of the exchange-induced magnetization of the S layer.Comment: 10 pages, 7 Postscript figure

Josephson effect in double-barrier superconductor-ferromagnet junctions

We study the Josephson effect in ballistic double-barrier SIFIS planar junctions, consisting of bulk superconductors (S), a clean metallic ferromagnet (F), and insulating interfaces (I). We solve the scattering problem based on the Bogoliubov--de Gennes equations and derive a general expression for the dc Josephson current, valid for arbitrary interfacial transparency and Fermi wave vectors mismatch (FWVM). We consider the coherent regime in which quasiparticle transmission resonances contribute significantly to the Andreev process. The Josephson current is calculated for various parameters of the junction, and the influence of both interfacial transparency and FWVM is analyzed. For thin layers of strong ferromagnet and finite interfacial transparency, we find that coherent (geometrical) oscillations of the maximum Josephson current are superimposed on the oscillations related to the crossover between 0 and $\pi$ states. For the same case we find that the temperature-induced $0-\pi$ transition occurs if the junction is very close to the crossovers at zero temperature.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Using antenatal care as a platform for malaria surveillance data collection: study protocol

BACKGROUND: While many malaria-endemic countries have health management information systems that can measure and report malaria trends in a timely manner, these routine systems have limitations. Periodic community cross-sectional household surveys are used to estimate malaria prevalence and intervention coverage but lack geographic granularity and are resource intensive. Incorporating malaria testing for all women at their first antenatal care (ANC) visit (i.e., ANC1) could provide a more timely and granular source of data for monitoring trends in malaria burden and intervention coverage. This article describes a protocol designed to assess if ANC-based surveillance could be a pragmatic tool to monitor malaria. METHODS: This is an observational, cross-sectional study conducted in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia. Pregnant women attending ANC1 in selected health facilities will be tested for malaria infection by rapid diagnostic test and administered a brief questionnaire to capture key indicators of malaria control intervention coverage and care-seeking behaviour. In each location, contemporaneous cross-sectional household surveys will be leveraged to assess correlations between estimates obtained using each method, and the use of ANC data as a tool to track trends in malaria burden and intervention coverage will be validated. RESULTS: This study will assess malaria prevalence at ANC1 aggregated at health facility and district levels, and by gravidity relative to current pregnancy (i.e., gravida 1, gravida 2, and gravida 3 +). ANC1 malaria prevalence will be presented as monthly trends. Additionally, correlation between ANC1 and household survey-derived estimates of malaria prevalence, bed net ownership and use, and care-seeking will be assessed. CONCLUSION: ANC1-based surveillance has the potential to provide a cost-effective, localized measure of malaria prevalence that is representative of the general population and useful for tracking monthly changes in parasite prevalence, as well as providing population-representative estimates of intervention coverage and care-seeking behavior. This study will evaluate the representativeness of these measures and collect information on operational feasibility, usefulness for programmatic decision-making, and potential for scale-up of malaria ANC1 surveillance

The impact of social and physical distancing measures on COVID-19 activity in England: findings from a multi-tiered surveillance system

BACKGROUND: A multi-tiered surveillance system based on influenza surveillance was adopted in the United Kingdom in the early stages of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic to monitor different stages of the disease. Mandatory social and physical distancing measures (SPDM) were introduced on 23 March 2020 to attempt to limit transmission. AIM: To describe the impact of SPDM on COVID-19 activity as detected through the different surveillance systems. METHODS: Data from national population surveys, web-based indicators, syndromic surveillance, sentinel swabbing, respiratory outbreaks, secondary care admissions and mortality indicators from the start of the epidemic to week 18 2020 were used to identify the timing of peaks in surveillance indicators relative to the introduction of SPDM. This timing was compared with median time from symptom onset to different stages of illness and levels of care or interactions with healthcare services. RESULTS: The impact of SPDM was detected within 1 week through population surveys, web search indicators and sentinel swabbing reported by onset date. There were detectable impacts on syndromic surveillance indicators for difficulty breathing, influenza-like illness and COVID-19 coding at 2, 7 and 12 days respectively, hospitalisations and critical care admissions (both 12 days), laboratory positivity (14 days), deaths (17 days) and nursing home outbreaks (4 weeks). CONCLUSION: The impact of SPDM on COVID-19 activity was detectable within 1 week through community surveillance indicators, highlighting their importance in early detection of changes in activity. Community swabbing surveillance may be increasingly important as a specific indicator, should circulation of seasonal respiratory viruses increase