Why you Can’t Use Water to Make Cryoporometric Measurements of the Pore Size Distributions in Meteorites – or in High Iron Content Clays, Rocks or Concrete.

Many porous materials have high susceptibility magnetic gradients in the pores, due to the presence of iron or other magnetic materials. Thus if probe liquids are placed in the pores they exhibit fast decaying signals with a short T2*. Usually the actual T2 of the liquids is also reduced, due the presence of paramagnetic ions in the pore walls. The usual solution in NMR is to measure an echo (or echo train) at short times. However, recent work [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19, 415117, 2007.] has shown that water/ice systems near a pore wall form rotator phase plastic ice, with T2 relaxation times in the region of 100 to 200 ms. Thus if a NMR cryoporometric measurement is attempted with a measurement time significantly less than 1 or 2 milli-seconds, the result is to make a measurement based on the phase properties of the brittle to plastic ice phase transition, not that of the brittle ice to water phase transition. This gives rise to artefacts of small pore sizes that may not actually be present. This work successfully uses a-polar liquids instead

A Review of the Machine Learning in GIS for Megacities Application

Machine learning (ML) is very useful for analyzing data in many domains, including the satellite images processing. In the remote sensing data processing, ML tools are mainly founded out a place for filtering, interpretation and prediction information. Filtering aims at removing noise and performing transformations, which is vital segment of data processing as useful performance of data validation. An interpretation is significant part of it as the stage of objects classification depends of existing task for solution. Prediction is performed to estimate precise values of underlying parameters or future events in the data. It can be used successfully above achievements in a variety of areas. An urbanization is one of the spheres of advance technology application where highly need to collect appropriate data for understanding of challenges facing society. The process of urbanization becomes very important problem, thanks to city expansion. Each city is a complicated system. It consists of various interactive sub-systems and is affected by multiple factors, including population growth, transportation and management policies. To understand the driving forces of the urban structure change, the satellite-based estimates are considered to monitor these changes, in long term. GIS (geographic information system) is equivalent to methods related to the use of geospatial information. Besides, the increasing application of ML techniques in various fields, including GIS, is undeniable. Thus, the chapter attempts to review the application of ML techniques in GIS with a focus on megacities and theirs features fixing/identification and solution

The Impact of Opioid Prescribing Limits on Drug Usage in South Carolina: A Novel Geospatial and Time Series Data Analysis

Background: To curb the opioid epidemic, legislation regulating the amount of opioid prescriptions covered by Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act Medical Assistance Program) came into effect in May 2018 in South Carolina. Methods: We employ a classification system based on distance and disparity between dispensers, prescribers, and patients and conduct an ARIMA analysis on each class and without any class to examine the effect of the legislation on opioid prescriptions, considering secular trends and autocorrelation. The study also compares trends in benzodiazepine prescriptions as a control. Results: The proposed classification system clusters each transaction into 16 groups based on the location of the stakeholders. These categories were found to have different prescription volume levels, with the highest group averaging 96.50 in daily MME (95% CI [63.43, 99.57]) and the lowest 37.78 (95% CI [37.38,38.18]). The ARIMA models show a decrease in overall prescription volume from 53.68 (95% CI [53.33,54.02]) to 51.09 (95% CI [50.74,51.44]) and varying impact across the different classes. Conclusion: Policy was effective in reducing opioid prescription volume overall. However, the volume of prescriptions filled where the prescribing doctor is located more than 1000 miles away from the patient went up, hinting at the possibility of doctor shopping.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, 4 table

External review of the storage plan for the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage Project

This document summarises the findings of an external independent review of the storage plan for the proposed Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage project which aims to store up to 20 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 within the framework of the European Directive on the geological storage of CO2. The Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage Project proposes to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from an existing gas-fired power-station at Peterhead and to store this in geological strata at a depth of around 2600 m beneath the outer Moray Firth. The plan is to store 10 - 15 Mt of CO2 over a ten to fifteen-year period commencing around 2020, but the site is being qualified for 20 Mt to allow for potential extension of the injection period. Storage will utilise the depleted Goldeneye gas condensate field with the Captain Sandstone reservoir as the primary storage container. The Storage Site covers some 70 km2, and comprises the Captain Sandstone and underlying strata of the Cromer Knoll Group, bounded by a polygon some 2 to 3 km outside of the original Goldeneye oil-water contact. The Storage Complex is larger, around 154 km2, bounded some 2 to 7 km outside of the original oil-water contact, and extending upwards to the top of the Dornoch Mudstone at a depth of more than 800 m. The top-seal of the primary container is a proven caprock for natural gas and is formed by the mudstones of the Upper Cromer Knoll Group, the overlying Rødby and Hidra formations and the Plenus Marl. A number of additional seals are present in the overburden within the Storage Complex, as are a number of potential secondary containers which could also serve as monitoring horizons. The geological interpretation of the storage site is based on the comprehensive datasets acquired during the discovery, appraisal and development of the Goldeneye field, and also data from other wells, fields and seismic surveys in the surrounding area. The static geological model of the storage site and adjacent aquifer has been stress tested for the key uncertainties, and it is considered to be robust. The storage capacity of the Goldeneye structure has been calculated using both static (volumetric) methods and dynamic flow modelling together with uncertainty analysis. Total estimated capacity of the structural closure is in the range 25 to 47 Mt and so robustly exceeds the proposed injected amount

Recurrence of a neuroendocrine tumor of adrenal origin: a case report with more than a decade follow-up

Background: Neuroendocrine tumor (NET) with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion are very rare. To our knowledge, no follow-up study is published for ACTH-secreting NET, regardless of the primary site, to show second occurrence of tumor after a long follow-up, following resection of primary tumor. Case presentation: Here, we describe a 49-year-old-man with cushingoid feature, drowsiness and quadriparesis came to emergency department at December 2005. Laboratory tests revealed hyperglycemia, metabolic alkalosis, severe hypokalemia, and chemical evidence of an ACTH-dependent hypercortisolism as morning serum cortisol of 57 μg /dL without suppression after 8 mg dexamethasone suppression test, serum ACTH level of 256 pg/mL, and urine free cortisol of > 1000 μg /24 h. Imaging showed only bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, without evidence of pituitary adenoma or ectopic ACTH producing tumors. Importantly, other diagnostic tests for differentiating Cushing disease (CD) from ectopic ACTH producing tumor, such as inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS), corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation test, octreotide scan or fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) scan were not available in our country at that time. Therefore, bilateral adrenalectomy was performed that led to clinical and biochemical remission of hypercortisolism and decreased ACTH level to < 50 pg/mL, findings suggestive of a primary focus of NET in adrenal glands. After 11 years uncomplicated follow up, the ACTH level elevated up to 341 pg/mL and re-evaluation showed a 2 cm nodule in the middle lobe of the right lung. Surgical excision of the pulmonary nodule yielded a carcinoid tumor with positive immunostaining for ACTH; leading to decrease in serum ACTH level to 98 pg/mL. Subsequently after 7 months, serum ACHT levels rose again. More investigation showed multiple lung nodules with metastatic bone lesions accompanied by high serum chromogranin level (2062 ng/mL), and the patient managed as a metastatic NET, with bisphosphonate and somatostatin receptor analogues. Conclusion: This case of surgically-treated NET showing a secondary focus of carcinoid tumor after one decade of disease-free follow-up emphasizes on the importance of long-term follow-up of ACTH-secreting adrenal NET. © 2021, The Author(s)

Conversion of organic matter in the carbonaceous medium in the supercritical water

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The work is based on the modeling of geothermal transformations of hydrocarbons in oil-bearing formations of deep horizons of the earth's crust - under abnormally high pressure, in the presence of aqueous fluid and carbonaceous substances. The pressure and temperature in the experiments are typical for water in the supercritical state. The regularities of the conversion of heavy oil in supercritical water and in the presence of finely dispersed caustobioliths and metal oxides were shown. Aquathermolysis in the presence of proton provides blockage of free radicals of high-molecular weight hydrocarbons and saturation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, produced by cracking reactions, and inhibiting of condensation reactions of aromatic macromolecules. The hydrogen protons also promote hydrogenation reactions in the crude oil. The regularities of changes of the component, structural-group, fractional and elemental compositions of heavy oil during the conversion under the above conditions were established, rheological characteristics of the initial crude oil and converted oil were studied as well. As a result of carrying out aquathermolysis in the supercritical water environment and in the presence of initiating additives, the high-molecular weight components of the initial crude oil were degraded with the formation of light distillate fractions, which were scarcely present in the initial crude oil. Thus, the conversion rate for various samples amounted to 18–29%. It resulted in the significant reduction in the viscosity of the converted oil, up to 96% compared to the initial crude oil

Increased circulating ANG II and TNF-α represents important risk factors in obese Saudi adults with hypertension irrespective of diabetic status and BMI

Central adiposity is a significant determinant of obesity-related hypertension risk, which may arise due to the pathogenic inflammatory nature of the abdominal fat depot. However, the influence of pro-inflammatory adipokines on blood pressure in the obese hypertensive phenotype has not been well established in Saudi subjects. As such, our study investigated whether inflammatory factors may represent useful biomarkers to delineate hypertension risk in a Saudi cohort with and without hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2). Subjects were subdivided into four groups: healthy lean controls (age: 47.9±5.1 yr; BMI: 22.9±2.1 Kg/m2), non-hypertensive obese (age: 46.1±5.0 yr; BMI: 33.7±4.2 Kg/m2), hypertensive obese (age: 48.6±6.1 yr; BMI: 36.5±7.7 Kg/m2) and hypertensive obese with DMT2 (age: 50.8±6.0 yr; BMI: 35.3±6.7 Kg/m2). Anthropometric data were collected from all subjects and fasting blood samples were utilized for biochemical analysis. Serum angiotensin II (ANG II) levels were elevated in hypertensive obese (p<0.05) and hypertensive obese with DMT2 (p<0.001) compared with normotensive controls. Systolic blood pressure was positively associated with BMI (p<0.001), glucose (p<0.001), insulin (p<0.05), HOMA-IR (p<0.001), leptin (p<0.01), TNF-α (p<0.001) and ANG II (p<0.05). Associations between ANG II and TNF-α with systolic blood pressure remained significant after controlling for BMI. Additionally CRP (p<0.05), leptin (p<0.001) and leptin/adiponectin ratio (p<0.001) were also significantly associated with the hypertension phenotype. In conclusion our data suggests that circulating pro-inflammatory adipokines, particularly ANG II and, TNF-α, represent important factors associated with a hypertension phenotype and may directly contribute to predicting and exacerbating hypertension risk

Association of liver enzymes with incident type 2 diabetes: A nested case control study in an Iranian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To investigate the association of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanin aminotranferase (ALT) and Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) with incident type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a nested case-control study, AST, ALT, GGT as well as classic diabetes risk factors, insulin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in 133 non-diabetic subjects at baseline of which 68 were cases and 65 were controls. Incident diabetes was defined by the WHO 1999 criteria. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of incident diabetes associated with different hepatic markers. We used factor analysis for clustering of classic diabetes risk factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In Univariate analysis both ALT and GGT were associated with diabetes with ORs of 3.07(1.21–7.79) and 2.91(1.29–6.53) respectively. After adjustment for CRP and insulin, ALT and GGT were still predictive of incident diabetes. When the model was further adjusted for anthropometric, blood pressure and metabolic factors, only ALT was independently associated with diabetes [OR = 3.18 (1.02–9.86)]. No difference was found between the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the models with and without ALT (0.820 and 0.802 respectively, P = 0.4)</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ALT is associated with incident type 2 diabetes independent of classic risk factors. However, its addition to the classic risk factors does not improve the prediction of diabetes.</p

Metabolic syndrome is linked to a mild elevation in liver aminotransferases in diabetic patients with undetectable non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by ultrasound

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite ongoing findings on the relationship between elevated levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), this association in diabetic patients without a known cause for liver enzymes elevation other than diabetes, per se, remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between circulating liver enzymes and MetS in a relatively large sample of patients with diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 670 diabetic patients, without known causes of hepatocellular injury, were enrolled. Patients with ultrasonographic signs of fatty liver disease were not included. Fasting blood samples were obtained and biochemical characteristics were measured. MetS was defined according to the international diabetes federation criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum ALT and AST were significantly higher in patients with MetS (p < 0.001). High waist circumference and low HDL-cholesterol were significantly associated with elevated ALT (OR = 2.56 and 2.0, respectively) and AST (OR = 2.23 and 2.21, respectively). ALT and AST were significantly associated with MetS (OR = 2.17 and 2.31, respectively). These associations remained significant after multiple adjustments for age, sex, BMI, diabetes duration, HbA1c and medications. There was a significant (p < 0.01) positive association between the number of the MetS features and the level of ALT or AST.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In diabetic patients without ultrasonographic evidence of fatty liver, elevated aminotransferases are independently associated with MetS. Despite negative ultrasound results in diabetic patients with MetS, the serum level of liver aminotransferases may be elevated and should be more thoroughly monitored.</p