Immiscible-Recycle Gas Injection to Enhance Recovery in an Iranian Naturally Fractured Reservoir: a Case Study with Emphasis on Uncertain Parameters

Utiskivanje recikliranog plina je proces iskorištavanja ležišta od kojeg se mnogo očekuje u proizvodnji nafte i plina. Metoda koristi kontinuirano utiskivanje rentabilnog obroka proizvedenog plina kako bi se održala energija ležišta i iskoristila viskozna sila kao pokretačka sila. Postoje brojne studije o utiskivanju recikliranog plina u konvencionalna ležišta, međutim postoje neki drugi čimbenici kao što su lokacija bušotina i vrsta završnog opremanja, obrok i tlak utiskivanja, koji jako djeluju na konačni rezultat ove metode, a većini njih nije uzimana u obzir. U ovoj studiji je proučen proces utiskivanja nemiscibilnog recikliranog plina u jedno od iranskih prirodno raspucanih karbonatnih ležišta na opsegu polja. Stvarni model heterogenosti je konstruiran i simuliran pomoću Eclipse-100 modula (softver za simulaciju ležišta). Ispitani su učinci radnih parametara, kao što su broj i lokacija injekcionih/proizvodnih bušotina, proizvodnih/injekcionih obroka, vrsta opremanja i perforirani produktivni interval a rezultat je uspoređen s metodom prirodnog iskorištavanja ležišta. Utvrđeno je da je, osjetljivost obzirom na broj bušotina, 1 injekcijska/2 proizvodne bušotine najučinkovitiji slučaj. Kapacitet proizvodnje od 500 m3/d (3 145 bbl/d) i tlak na dnu bušotine od 25 bara (362,6 psi), dali su veću proizvodnju nafte. Završno opremanje injekcionih bušotina u frakturi i proizvodnih bušotina u matriksu, ima bolju proizvodnost naftnog polja u odnosu na druge slučajeve. Štoviše, uočeno je da je najučinkovitija vrsta završnog opremanja injekcionih bušotina vertikalno, a za proizvodne bušotine horizontalno. Rezultati su pokazali da je moguće postići značajno sekundarno pridobivanje korištenjem optimalnih uvjeta za utiskivanje nemiscibilnog recikliranog plina u to ležište.Recycle-gas injection is a promising recovery process to produce oil and gas. The method uses continues injection of the produced gas at economical rates to keep the reservoirs energy up and using viscous force as the driving force. There are numerous studies done on recycle-gas injection in conventional reservoirs, however, there are some other factors such as location of wells and completion type, rate and pressure of injection which highly affect the final result of this method and failed to be considered in the majority of them. In this study, we investigate the immiscible recycle gas injection process in one of the Iranian carbonate naturally fractured reservoirs on a field scale. The real heterogeneous model was constructed and simulated by Eclipse-100 module. The effects of operational parameters, such as number and location of injection/production wells, production/injection rate, completion type and interval, on the immiscible gas injection performance were investigated and the result were compared with natural depletion method. It was found that, in sensitivity with number of the wells, 1 injection/2 production wells was the most efficient case. Also well oil production rate of 3 145 bbl/d (500 m3/d) and well bottom-hole pressure of 25 bar provided higher oil recovery. Completing of the injection wells in fracture and production wells in matrix has a better field oil efficiency in comparison to the other cases. Moreover, it was observed that the most efficient type of well completion for injection well is vertical and for production wells are horizontal. The results revealed that the substantial secondary oil recovery can be achieved using optimum conditions for immiscible recycle gas injection in this reservoir

Immediate remote ischemic postconditioning after hypoxia ischemia in piglets protects cerebral white matter but not grey matter

Remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPostC) is a promising therapeutic intervention whereby brief episodes of ischemia/reperfusion of one organ (limb) mitigate damage in another organ (brain) that has experienced severe hypoxia-ischemia. Our aim was to assess whether RIPostC is protective following cerebral hypoxia-ischemia in a piglet model of neonatal encephalopathy (NE) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) biomarkers and immunohistochemistry. After hypoxia-ischemia (HI), 16 Large White female newborn piglets were randomized to: (i) no intervention (n = 8); (ii) RIPostC - with four, 10-min cycles of bilateral lower limb ischemia/reperfusion immediately after HI (n = 8). RIPostC reduced the hypoxic-ischemic-induced increase in white matter proton MRS lactate/N acetyl aspartate (p = 0.005) and increased whole brain phosphorus-31 MRS ATP (p = 0.039) over the 48 h after HI. Cell death was reduced with RIPostC in the periventricular white matter (p = 0.03), internal capsule (p = 0.002) and corpus callosum (p = 0.021); there was reduced microglial activation in corpus callosum (p = 0.001) and more surviving oligodendrocytes in corpus callosum (p = 0.029) and periventricular white matter (p = 0.001). Changes in gene expression were detected in the white matter at 48 h, including KATP channel and endothelin A receptor. Immediate RIPostC is a potentially safe and promising brain protective therapy for babies with NE with protection in white but not grey matter

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The relationship between leadership style and time management in senior and middle nursing managers

Background and research: Leadership styles are categorizedin different ways, and time management as one ofthe determinants of leadership success is of great importance.This study aimed to investigate the relationship betweenthe dominant leadership style of nursing managersand their use of time management skills.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study.The population of the study consisted of 485 senior andmiddle managers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,among which 182 were selected by simple random samplingmethod. In this research, three separate questionerconsist of demographic information questionnaires, theleadership style of Bass and Avolio managers and the timemanagement of Nazem questionnaire were used.Findings: Most of the research units leadership style consistof task oriented, then humanistic and then non-interventional.The task-oriented leadership style at the significancelevel of 0.05 has the strongest correlation with timemanagement, but the non-intervention leadership style isnot correlated with time management.Conclusion: Managers need to pay more attention totime management because their ability to gain individualskills in managing time has a positive effect on organizationalskills and as a result of increasing organizationalproductivity

Application of the Perceptual Factors, Enabling and Reinforcing Model on Pap Smaear Screening in Iranian Northern Woman

Background and Purpose: Cervical cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in the world. Cervical cancer is no symptoms and can be treated if diagnosed in the first stage of the disease. The aim of this study was to survey the affecting factors of the Pap smears test on perceptual factors, enabling and reinforcing (PEN-3) model constructs in women. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample size was 416 married women with random sampling. The questionnaire had 50 questions based on PEN-3 model structures. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression method in software SPSS 20. Results: The mean age of women was 32.70 &plusmn; 21.00 years. The knowledge of risk factors and screening methods for cervical cancer was 37.2. About 40% of women had a history of Pap smears. The most important of perception factors were effective, family history of the disease, encourage people to Pap smear, and fear of detecting of cervical cancer. The most important enabling factors were the presence of expert health personnel to provide training and Pap smear test (50.3%), lack of time and too busy to do Pap smear test (23.2%). The reinforcing factors were the media advice (41.3%), doctor&rsquo;s advice (32.5%) and neglect and forgetfulness (36.2%). Conclusion: This study has shown the Pap smear screening behavior affected by personal factors, family, cultural and economic. Application of PEN-3 can effective in planning and designing intervention programs for cervical cancer screening

Prevalence and Causes of Sick Leave among Healthcare System Employees of Joibar Province in 2015

Introduction and purpose: Absenteeism is defined as being absent from work&nbsp;without a good reason. Sick leave among healthcare providers can have serious&nbsp;negative impacts on organizational performance. This study was conducted to&nbsp;determine the prevalence and causes of sick leave in the healthcare system of&nbsp;Joibar, Iran.&nbsp;Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on all employees&nbsp;of the healthcare system of Joibar, Iran (n=239). Data was collected using a&nbsp;checklist including demographic data and reasons for absenteeism (the number&nbsp;of absent days, work experience, and&nbsp; employment status) by presenting to the&nbsp;Human Resources Department of the healthcare system. Data was analyzed&nbsp;by using Chi-square test and Spearman&rsquo;s rank correlation coefficient in SPSS,&nbsp;version 20.&nbsp;Results: The mean age of the employees was 35.72&plusmn;3.3 years. Sick leave was&nbsp;mostly observed in the age group of 30-39, official staff, married women, and&nbsp;employees with work experience of 6 to 10 years (83 cases). Among the studied&nbsp;diseases, cold and musculoskeletal disorders were the most frequent causes of&nbsp;absenteeism among employees in the healthcare system.&nbsp;Conclusion: Based on our findings, musculoskeletal disorders were the most&nbsp;important causes of absenteeism, which are preventable. To improve the physical&nbsp;and ergonomic conditions of the staff, we suggest healthcare authorities to&nbsp;install ergonomy software (Office Exercise Program) and provide standard and&nbsp;adjustable seats and office desks

Faunistic Study of Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in Qaenat County in Iran in 2017

Background and Objectives: Scorpion’s sting has created one of the most significant health and medical issues in Iran. Lack of sufficient knowledge of the fauna and the seasonal activity of scorpions in an area poses a serious challenge to the control programs. Each year, several cases of scorpion sting are reported in Qaenat county. In this regard, the present study aimed to identify and determine the fauna and scorpions of this region.   Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the scorpions that were caught using Ultra-Violet (UV) light, pitfall traps, and hand-catching methods every month in Qaenat City in South Khorasan Province in Iran during 2017. After their capture, the scorpions were stored in plastic containers of glycerin and 70% ethanol and were identified using a valid morphological key.   Results: A total of 912 scorpion specimens from the buthidae family were collected, including six species of Mesobuthus eupeus, Androctonus crassicauda, Orthochirus scrobiculosus, Compsobuthus matthiesseni, Mesobuthus caucasicus, and Odontobuthus doriae. M. eupeus and O. doriae had the highest (60.96%) and lowest (0.88%) frequencies, respectively. Moreover, most of the scorpions were collected in December in rural areas, while the least number of them were collected in May.   Conclusion: Due to the diversity of scorpion species in the studies region, it is essential to educate and raise the awareness of individuals living in this region about methods of preventing scorpion stings

Isoflurane Exposure Induces Cell Death, Microglial Activation and Modifies the Expression of Genes Supporting Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Function in the Male Newborn Piglet Brain

Exposure of the brain to general anesthesia during early infancy may adversely affect its neural and cognitive development. The mechanisms mediating this are complex, incompletely understood and may be sexually dimorphic, but include developmentally inappropriate apoptosis, inflammation and a disruption to cognitively salient gene expression. We investigated the effects of a 6h isoflurane exposure on cell death, microglial activation and gene expression in the male neonatal piglet brain. Piglets (n = 6) were randomised to: (i) naive controls or (ii) 6h isoflurane. Cell death (TUNEL and caspase-3) and microglial activation were recorded in 7 brain regions. Changes in gene expression (microarray and qPCR) were assessed in the cingulate cortex. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded throughout. Isoflurane anesthesia induced significant increases in cell death in the cingulate and insular cortices, caudate nucleus, thalamus, putamen, internal capsule, periventricular white matter and hippocampus. Dying cells included both neurons and oligodendrocytes. Significantly, microglial activation was observed in the insula, pyriform, hippocampus, internal capsule, caudate and thalamus. Isoflurane induced significant disruption to the expression of 79 gene transcripts, of these 26 are important for the control of transcription and 23 are important for the mediation of neural plasticity, memory formation and recall. Our observations confirm that isoflurane increases apoptosis and inflammatory responses in the neonatal piglet brain but also suggests novel additional mechanisms by which isoflurane may induce adverse neural and cognitive development by disrupting the expression of genes mediating activity dependent development of neural circuits, the predictive adaptive responses of the brain, memory formation and recall