Assessing the application of miscible CO2 flooding in oil reservoirs: a case study from Pakistan

Miscible carbon dioxide (CO2) flooding has been recognized as a promising approach to enhance the recovery of oil reservoirs. However, depending on the injection strategy and rock/fluid characteristics, efficiency of the miscible CO2flooding varies from reservoir to reservoir. Although, many studies have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the miscible CO2flooding, a specific strategy which can be strictly followed for a hydrocarbon reservoir has not been established yet. The aim of this study is to assess one of Pakistan’s oil reservoirs for miscible CO2flooding by applying a modified screening criterion and numerical modeling. As such, the most recent miscible CO2screening criteria were modified, and a numerical modeling was applied on the prospective reservoir. Based on the results obtained, South oil reservoir (S3) is chosen for a detailed assessment of miscible CO2flooding. It was also found that implementation of CO2water-alternating gas (CO2-WAG) injection at early stages of production can increase the production life of the reservoir

‘It used to be brutal, now it’s an art’:changing negotiations of violence and masculinity in British karate

In most western (and indeed eastern) cultures, fighting is seen as an ultimate symbol of masculinity – an embodied display of dominance, control and violence (Bourdieu, 2001). As a space legitimising and praising performances of mimetic violence (Dunning, 1999), combat sports provide an arena where the virtues of dominance and power at the heart of conceptions of orthodox masculinity (Anderson, 2010 ) or hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 2005) can be symbolically presented by men through bodily displays of strength, physical aggression, and the taking and overcoming of pain (Bourdieu, 2001; Messner, 1990; Wacquant, 2004). Yet, over the last twenty years the focus of karate in Britain has been perceived to shift from aggressive acts of 'hitting hard' to developing and displaying controlled, acrobatic and technically precise movements. Drawn from a nine-month ethnography and 7 semi-structured interviews, this chapter explores how British male karate practitioners re/negotiate ideas of masculinity and embodiments of a masculine identity in the context of karate’s changing emphasis on, and practices of, 'violence'. This paper suggests that a 'civilising' shift (Elias and Dunning, 1986) in the competition rules increases in women’s participation in karate with men, and subsequent negotiations of mimetic violence, complicate the use of violence as a symbol of praised masculine identity within British karate . A praised masculine identity is crafted by carefully blending traits conventional deemed feminine such as technical precision, elegance and agility alongside displays of strength and dominance. Such performances challenge conceptions of an orthodox sporting masculinity and notions of hierarchical gender distinction

Evasion of anti-growth signaling: a key step in tumorigenesis and potential target for treatment and prophylaxis by natural compounds

The evasion of anti-growth signaling is an important characteristic of cancer cells. In order to continue to proliferate, cancer cells must somehow uncouple themselves from the many signals that exist to slow down cell growth. Here, we define the anti-growth signaling process, and review several important pathways involved in growth signaling: p53, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), retinoblastoma protein (Rb), Hippo, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A), Notch, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) pathways. Aberrations in these processes in cancer cells involve mutations and thus the suppression of genes that prevent growth, as well as mutation and activation of genes involved in driving cell growth. Using these pathways as examples, we prioritize molecular targets that might be leveraged to promote anti-growth signaling in cancer cells. Interestingly, naturally-occurring phytochemicals found in human diets (either singly or as mixtures) may promote anti-growth signaling, and do so without the potentially adverse effects associated with synthetic chemicals. We review examples of naturally-occurring phytochemicals that may be applied to prevent cancer by antagonizing growth signaling, and propose one phytochemical for each pathway. These are: epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for the Rb pathway, luteolin for p53, curcumin for PTEN, porphyrins for Hippo, genistein for GDF15, resveratrol for ARID1A, withaferin A for Notch and diguelin for the IGF1-receptor pathway. The coordination of anti-growth signaling and natural compound studies will provide insight into the future application of these compounds in the clinical setting

Fabrication and Test of TQS01 - a 90 mm Nb3Sn Quadrupole Magnet for LARP

In support of the development of a large-aperture Nb3Sn superconducting quadrupole for the Large Hadron Collider luminosity upgrade, two models (TQS and TQC) with a 90-mm aperture are being constructed at LBNL and FNAL within the framework of the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP). These models use two identical Nb{sub 3}Sn coils but have different coil support structures. This paper describes the fabrication, assembly, cool-down and test of TQS01--a model based on key and bladder technology with supporting iron yoke and an aluminum shell. Comparison of the test measurements with design expectations is also reported

Fabrication and Test of TQS01 - a 90 mm Nb3Sn Quadrupole Magnet for LARP

In support of the development of a large-aperture Nb3Sn superconducting quadrupole for the Large Hadron Collider luminosity upgrade, two models (TQS and TQC) with a 90-mm aperture are being constructed at LBNL and FNAL within the framework of the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP). These models use two identical Nb{sub 3}Sn coils but have different coil support structures. This paper describes the fabrication, assembly, cool-down and test of TQS01--a model based on key and bladder technology with supporting iron yoke and an aluminum shell. Comparison of the test measurements with design expectations is also reported

Development of TQC01, a 90 mm Nb3 Sn Model Quadrupole for LHC Upgrade Based on SS Collar

As a first step toward the development of a large-aperture Nb{sub 3}Sn superconducting quadrupole for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) luminosity upgrade, two-layer technological quadrupole models (TQS01 at LBNL and TQC01 at Fermilab) are being constructed within the framework of the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP). Both models use the same coil design, but have different coil support structures. This paper describes the TQC01 design, fabrication technology and summarizes its main parameters

The Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition Generate Deep Commitments to Prosocial Religio

Understanding religion requires explaining why supernatural beliefs, devotions, and rituals are both universal and variable across cultures, and why religion is so often associated with both large-scale cooperation and enduring group conflict. Emerging lines of research suggest that these oppositions result from the convergence of three processes. First, the interaction of certain reliably developing cognitive processes, such as our ability to infer the presence of intentional agents, favors—as an evolutionary by-product—the spread of certain kinds of counterintuitive concepts. Second, participation in rituals and devotions involving costly displays exploits various aspects of our evolved psychology to deepen people's commitment to both supernatural agents and religious communities. Third, competition among societies and organizations with different faith-based beliefs and practices has increasingly connected religion with both within-group prosociality and between-group enmity. This connection has strengthened dramatically in recent millennia, as part of the evolution of complex societies, and is important to understanding cooperation and conflict in today's world

Nutrient supply affects the mRNA expression profile of the porcine skeletal muscle

Background: The genetic basis of muscle fat deposition in pigs is not well known. So far, we have only identified a limited number of genes involved in the absorption, transport, storage and catabolism of lipids. Such information is crucial to interpret, from a biological perspective, the results of genome-wide association analyses for intramuscular fat content and composition traits. Herewith, we have investigated how the ingestion of food changes gene expression in the gluteus medius muscle of Duroc pigs. Results: By comparing the muscle mRNA expression of fasted pigs (T0) with that of pigs sampled 5 h (T1) and 7 h (T2) after food intake, we have detected differential expression (DE) for 148 (T0-T1), 520 (T0-T2) and 135 (T1-T2) genes (q-value of 1.5). Many of these DE genes were transcription factors, suggesting that we have detected the coordinated response of the skeletal muscle to nutrient supply. We also found DE genes with a dual role in oxidative stress and angiogenesis (THBS1, THBS2 and TXNIP), two biological processes that are probably activated in the post-prandial state. Finally, we have identified several loci playing a key role in the modulation of circadian rhythms (ARNTL, PER1, PER2, BHLHE40, NR1D1, SIK1, CIART and CRY2), a result that indicates that the porcine muscle circadian clock is modulated by nutrition. Conclusion: We have shown that hundreds of genes change their expression in the porcine skeletal muscle in response to nutrient intake. Many of these loci do not have a known metabolic role, a result that suggests that our knowledge about the genetic basis of muscle energy homeostasis is still incomplete