Geologic Analysis of Primary and Secondary Tight Gas Sand Objectives, Phase C

Previous assessments of blanket-geometry tight gas sandstones led to the selection of the Travis Peak Formation of the East Texas and North Louisiana Basins and the Corcoran and Cozzette Sandstones of the Piceance Creek Basin as major research objectives. The anticipated outcomes of this study include increased availability of tight gas resources and advancements in technology with high transferability. The work reported here encompasses all aspects of the depositional systems and reservoir geology of these units as fundamental components of resource characterization, with an emphasis on understanding controls on reservoir facies distribution and their relevance to low-permeability reservoir development. Six lithofacies of the Travis Peak (Hosston) Formation in East Texas and North Louisiana have been identified using electric logs. These facies comprise sand-rich fluvial-deltaic, silt-rich delta-front, clay- and carbonate-rich shelf, carbonate reef, and clay-rich open marine facies. The most well-developed facies in the East Texas area are the fluvial-deltaic and delta-front facies. Travis Peak rocks from the Clayton Williams #11 Sam Hughes well, Panola County, Texas, were primarily deposited in a fluvial environment within a coastal plain setting. Porosity and permeability control in the clean sandstones are primarily attributed to quartz overgrowths, chlorite cement, and solid organic matter, with approximately half of the remaining porosity being secondary, resulting from framework grain dissolution. Studies of Travis Peak gas production at Pinehill Southeast and Percy-Wheeler fields indicate an average permeability-thickness product of about 10 md-ft, with a range of 0.7 to 35 md-ft, indicating dry gas reservoirs. Well logs, core, and mud logs from Chapel Hill field in Smith County, Texas, were examined in preparation for a complete cooperative well program in the ARCO #11 Phillips well on the western margin of that field. Field studies of Corcoran-Cozzette Sandstones near Grand Junction, Colorado, suggest that the depositional environments of the Corcoran evolved from marine upper shoreface to non-marine, while the Cozzette sequence evolved from lower to upper shoreface. Porosity and water saturation calculations have been conducted by computer for seven Corcoran and Cozzette depositional units. A comparison of calculated water saturation with core-derived porosity and permeability indicates a fair to very good correlation of reservoir properties with clay content measured by gamma-ray log.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Taxonomy and structure of the Romanian personality lexicon

We identified 1746 personality-relevant trait-adjectives in a Romanian dictionary, of which 412 were classified as descriptors of dispositions by 10 judges. Self-ratings were collected from 515 participants on those 412 adjectives, and the ratings were factored using principal components analysis. Solutions with different numbers of factors were analysed. The two- and three-factor solutions, respectively, confirmed the Big Two and Big Three of personality traits. A five-factor solution reflected the Big Five model with a fifth factor emphasising Rebelliousness versus Conventionality. The five-factor solution was related to the International Personality Item Pool-Big Five scales, and the highest correlations were indeed between the corresponding factors and scales. A six-factor solution was indicative of the six-factor model as expressed in the HEXACO model, yet with a weak Honesty-Humility factor. Additional analysis with self-ratings from 218 participants on marker-scales for the six-factor solution and on the six scales of the HEXACO did not produce a clear one-to-one correspondence between the two sets of scales, confirming indeed that the six-factor model was only partially found

Decline in the strength of genetic controls on aspen environmental responses from seasonal to century‐long phenomena

Understanding intra-specific variation in climate sensitivity could improve the prediction of tree responses to climate change. We attempted to identify the degree of genetic control of tree phenology and growth of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Mchx.) in a natural stand of this species in northwestern Quebec. We mapped and genotyped 556 aspen trees growing within the plot, using seven nuclear microsatellite loci for clone identification. We selected 13 clones (n of trees per clone >5, in total 350 trees) and evaluated the explanatory power of clone identity in (a) variability of spring leaf phenology and (b) short- and long-term growth responses. The clone's identity explained 43% of the variability in spring leaf phenology, between 18% and 20% of variability in response to monthly climate variables significantly affecting growth, between 8% and 26% of growth response to insect outbreaks, and 12% in the long-term growth rates. Strong clonal control of aspen phenology and moderate control of growth responses to monthly weather do not result in an equally large impact on long-term growth rates. The result suggests an important role of environmental extremes and within community interactions as factors averaging aspen growth performance at the stand level

Effect of acute copper sulfate exposure on olfactory responses to amino acids and pheromones in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Exposure of olfactory epithelium to environmentally relevant concentrations of copper disrupts olfaction in fish. To examine the dynamics of recovery at both functional and morphological levels after acute copper exposure, unilateral exposure of goldfish olfactory epithelia to 100 μM CuSO4 (10 min) was followed by electro-olfactogram (EOG) recording and scanning electron microscopy. Sensitivity to amino acids (L-arginine and L-serine), generally considered food-related odorants, recovered most rapidly (three days), followed by that to catecholamines(3-O-methoxytyramine),bileacids(taurolithocholic acid) and the steroid pheromone, 17,20 -dihydroxy-4-pregnen- 3-one 20-sulfate, which took 28 days to reach full recovery. Sensitivity to the postovulatory pheromone prostaglandin F2R had not fully recovered even at 28 days. These changes in sensitivity were correlated with changes in the recovery of ciliated and microvillous receptor cell types. Microvillous cells appeared largely unaffected by CuSO4 treatment. Cilia in ciliated receptor neurones, however, appeared damaged one day post-treatment and were virtually absent after three days but had begun to recover after 14 days. Together, these results support the hypothesis that microvillous receptor neurones detect amino acids whereas ciliated receptor neurones were not functional and are responsible for detection of social stimuli (bile acidsandpheromones).Furthermore, differences in sensitivity to copper may be due to different transduction pathways in the different cell types

A human STAT3 gain-of-function variant confers T cell dysregulation without predominant Treg dysfunction in mice

Primary immune regulatory disorders (PIRD) represent a group of disorders characterized by immune dysregulation, presenting with a wide range of clinical disease, including autoimmunity, autoinflammation, or lymphoproliferation. Autosomal dominant germline gain-of-function (GOF) variants in STAT3 result in a PIRD with a broad clinical spectrum. Studies in patients have documented a decreased frequency of FOXP3+ Tregs and an increased frequency of Th17 cells in some patients with active disease. However, the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis in STAT3 GOF syndrome remain largely unknown, and treatment is challenging. We developed a knock-in mouse model harboring a de novo pathogenic human STAT3 variant (p.G421R) and found these mice developed T cell dysregulation, lymphoproliferation, and CD4+ Th1 cell skewing. Surprisingly, Treg numbers, phenotype, and function remained largely intact; however, mice had a selective deficiency in the generation of iTregs. In parallel, we performed single-cell RNA-Seq on T cells from STAT3 GOF patients. We demonstrate only minor changes in the Treg transcriptional signature and an expanded, effector CD8+ T cell population. Together, these findings suggest that Tregs are not the primary driver of disease and highlight the importance of preclinical models in the study of disease mechanisms in rare PIRD

Expressing one’s feelings and listening to others increases emotional intelligence: a pilot study of Asian medical students

<p>Background: There has been considerable interest in Emotional Intelligence (EI) in undergraduate medical education, with respect to student selection and admissions, health and well-being and academic performance. EI is a significant component of the physician-patient relationship. The emotional well-being of the physician is, therefore, a significant component in patient care. The aim is to examine the measurement of TEIQue-SF in Asian medical students and to explore how the practice of listening to the feelings of others and expressing one’s own feelings influences an individual’s EI, set in the context of the emotional well-being of a medical practitioner.</p> <p>Methods: A group of 183 international undergraduate medical students attended a half-day workshop (WS) about mental-health and well-being. They completed a self-reported measure of EI on three occasions, pre- and post-workshop, and a 1-year follow-up.</p> <p>Result: The reliability of TEIQue-SF was high and the reliabilities of its four factors were acceptable. There were strong correlations between the TEIQue-SF and personality traits. A paired t-test indicated significant positive changes after the WS for all students (n=181, p= .014), male students (n=78, p= .015) and non-Japanese students (n=112, p= .007), but a repeated measures analysis showed that one year post-workshop there were significant positive changes for all students (n=55, p= .034), female students (n=31, p= .007), especially Japanese female students (n=13, p= .023). Moreover, 80% of the students reported that they were more attentive listeners, and 60% agreed that they were more confident in dealing with emotional issues, both within themselves and in others, as a result of the workshop.</p> <p>Conclusion: This study found the measurement of TEIQue-SF is appropriate and reliable to use for Asian medical students. The mental health workshop was helpful to develop medical students’ EI but showed different results for gender and nationality. The immediate impact on the emotional awareness of individuals was particularly significant for male students and the non-Japanese group. The impact over the long term was notable for the significant increase in EI for females and Japanese. Japanese female students were more conscious about emotionality. Emotion-driven communication exercises might strongly influence the development of students’ EI over a year.</p&gt

The role of individual differences in resistance to persuasion on memory for political advertisements

When people see political advertisements on a polarized issue they take a stance on, what factors influence how they respond to and remember the adverts contents? Across three studies, we tested competing hypotheses about how individual differences in social vigilantism (i.e., attitude superiority) and need for cognition relate to intentions to resist attitude change and memory for political advertisements concerning abortion. In Experiments 1 and 2, we examined participants’ intentions to use resistance strategies to preserve their pre-existing attitudes about abortion, by either engaging against opposing opinions or disengaging from them. In Experiment 3, we examined participants’ memory for information about both sides of the controversy presented in political advertisements. Our results suggest higher levels of social vigilantism are related to greater intentions to counterargue and better memory for attitude-incongruent information. These findings extend our understanding of individual differences in how people process and respond to controversial social and political discourse

What is the fate of the river waters of Hudson Bay?

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Marine Systems 88 (2011): 352-361, doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2011.02.004.We examine the freshwater balance of Hudson and James bays, two shallow and fresh seas that annually receive 12% of the pan- Arctic river runoff. The analyses use the results from a 3–D sea ice-ocean coupled model with realistic forcing for tides, rivers, ocean boundaries, precipitation, and winds. The model simulations show that the annual freshwater balance is essentially between the river input and a large outflow toward the Labrador shelf. River waters are seasonally exchanged from the nearshore region to the interior of the basin, and the volumes exchanged are substantial (of the same order of magnitude as the annual river input). This lateral exchange is mostly caused by Ekman transport, and its magnitude and variability are controlled by the curl of the stress at the surface of the basin. The average transit time of the river waters is 3.0 years, meaning that the outflow is a complex mixture of the runoff from the three preceding years.We thank NSERC and the Canada Research Chairs program for funding. FS acknowledges support from NSF OCE-0751554 and ONR N00014-08-10490

Forest dynamics following spruce budworm outbreaks in the northern and southern mixedwoods of central Quebec

The effects of 20th century spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) outbreaks on forest dynamics was examined in the southern and northern parts of the mixedwood forest zone in central Quebec, Canada. In each region, three study areas were placed in unmanaged stands that had not burned for more than 200 years. Disturbance impacts and forest succession were evaluated using aerial photographs and dendrochronology. Spruce budworm outbreaks occurred around 1910, 1950, and 1980 in both regions. The 1910 outbreak seemed to have limited impact in both regions, and the 1950 outbreak caused heavy mortality in conifer stands (mostly of balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) in the southern region. The 1980 outbreak caused major mortality in the northern region, but had little impact in the southern region. Successive spruce budworm outbreaks led to a massive invasion by hardwood species in the last century in the southern region but not in the northern region. The reason for such contrasting dynamics between regions is unknown, but we hypothesize that differences in disturbance intensities, influenced by climate, played a major role. Results from this study emphasize that generalizations about the effect of spruce budworm outbreaks on forest dynamics cannot be derived from observations made during a single outbreak or at a single location

Developing "personality" taxonomies: Metatheoretical and methodological rationales underlying selection approaches, methods of data generation and reduction principles

Taxonomic "personality" models are widely used in research and applied fields. This article applies the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals (TPS-Paradigm) to scrutinise the three methodological steps that are required for developing comprehensive “personality” taxonomies: 1) the approaches used to select the phenomena and events to be studied, 2) the methods used to generate data about the selected phenomena and events and 3) the reduction principles used to extract the “most important” individual-specific variations for constructing “personality” taxonomies. Analyses of some currently popular taxonomies reveal frequent mismatches between the researchers’ explicit and implicit metatheories about “personality” and the abilities of previous methodologies to capture the particular kinds of phenomena toward which they are targeted. Serious deficiencies that preclude scientific quantifications are identified in standardised questionnaires, psychology’s established standard method of investigation. These mismatches and deficiencies derive from the lack of an explicit formulation and critical reflection on the philosophical and metatheoretical assumptions being made by scientists and from the established practice of radically matching the methodological tools to researchers’ preconceived ideas and to pre-existing statistical theories rather than to the particular phenomena and individuals under study. These findings raise serious doubts about the ability of previous taxonomies to appropriately and comprehensively reflect the phenomena towards which they are targeted and the structures of individual-specificity occurring in them. The article elaborates and illustrates with empirical examples methodological principles that allow researchers to appropriately meet the metatheoretical requirements and that are suitable for comprehensively exploring individuals’ “personality”