MATRIX HETEROGENEITY EFFECTS ON FLUID TRANSPORT IN POROUS MEDIUM: USING PERTURBATION THEORY

In this dissertation the processes of transport and reaction in heterogeneous porous medium is upscaled from pore scale to the scale of interest (e.g., core sample or reservoir scale) and new governing equations describing gas transport and reaction including the effects of heterogeneity is introduced.New upscaled equations for the first time described observations have been made earlier in the laboratory regarding storage and transport of gas in tight formations, such as gas trapping mechanism in gas release experiments and gas threshold effect in gas uptake, gas loading effects, adsorbed phase transport and nonlinearity effects of gas sorption kinetics on diffusive transports. New upscaled governing equations provide basis for further experimental works to quantify and distinguish effects of local heterogeneities on transport and storage in tight formations.\\Matrix heterogeneity effects on fluid transport in porous medium is investigated using an upscaling approach based on small perturbation theory.The approach allows us investigate the heterogeneity effects in spectral domain in the presence of non-equilibrium sorption with random partition coefficient. The work is motivated by the fact that (1) the porous medium is heterogeneous, i.e., it has a significant degree of spatial variability, and shows a complex structure at larger scales; (2) there always exists a lack of knowledge of the detailed local structure of these spatial variations; and (3) difficulties appear in obtaining sufficient data related to spatial and temporal distributions of mass and momentum variables, dictated by these large-scale variations. Here, the heterogeneity of the matrix is introduced using random porosity or permeability fields that holds the assumption of first and second orders of stationarity, i.e., constant mean and variance, and possess a well defined gaussian correlation function. All transport and kinetics parameters and dependent variables (e.g., free and adsorbed gas concentration) are also affected by the matrix heterogeneity and represented by their average and perturbations around the mean (arithmetic average) values.First, fundamental investigation is performed on shale and coal samples with simplified gas transport and adsorption kinetics. The former is simplified by considering the free phase transport only in the micro-pores and the latter by assuming linear non-equilibrium sorption kinetics. Substituting the perturbed variables and coefficients into the basic governing equations leads to the set of stochastic partial differential equations including mean and perturbation equations. Mean equations are essentially upscaled new governing equations that includes the auto- and cross-correlations between different perturbed quantities. The auto- and cross-correlations could be found solving perturbation equations in the Laplace-Fourier domain and back-transforming them to the time-space domain.It is found that upscaled deterministic gas mass balance includes new sink and source terms into the governing equations related to the local heterogeneity. Heterogeneity affects the gas transport and adsorption significantly through macro-transport and macro-kinetics terms. Macro-transport depends on P$\acute{e}$clet number and interestingly persist at the diffusive limit, while micro-kinetics is related to the modified Thiele modulus. Heterogeneity retards gas release from the matrix and influences the ultimate gas recovery adversely. Both effects are directly related to the amount of initial gas adsorbed and the level of heterogeneity introduced to the system by the porosity variance. Next, the effects of heterogeneity on gas transport and adsorption in the presence of earlier ignored adsorbed phase transport and non-linear sorption kinetics investigated. The heterogenous porosity field leads to a significant improvement in adsorbed-phase transport when non-linear sorption kinetics is considered in very low permeability porous media. We theoretically observe new transport effects in the presence of adsorbed-phase. Furthermore, it is shown that the conventional Langmuir isotherms are not representing the sorption behavior of the gas correctly in the heterogeneous formations where the nonlinearity in sorption kinetics acts as trapping mechanism for adsorbed phase and surface diffusion decreases the time needed to reach the saturation pressure. Finally we investigated the effects of heterogeneity introduced by random permeability field on advection- reaction problem, where one step nonlinear reaction takes place. The results show rich nonlinear interplay between the existing mechanisms. The effect of heterogeneity on steady planar reaction wave is also investigated. It is revealed that the planar reaction wave is intrinsically unstable. The later is anticipated to expand due to development of non--uniform velocity field along the reaction wave

The Normative Model of Human Communication in the Thought of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli

Reflection on creation implies a set of relations including those between material and immaterial as well as animate and inanimate beings as the basis and axis of the universe. Among these, human social relations are of special importance because human relations and social relations are the most difficult in terms of knowledge and practice. In the meantime, recognizing the views of social thinkers provides the grounds for reducing the epistemological and the practical human relations difficulties. In this article, in order to study and recognize Ayatollah Javadi Amoli’s view of human communication, the research method of combining his existing works has been used. In general, the relations of the believer are explained from Ayatollah Javadi Amoli’s perspective in three areas: "Islamic", "monotheistic" and "human". By relations in the Islamic field, he means communication with all Muslims in the world. In the realm of monotheism, it means communication with all monotheists (Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and all those who accept God), and communication in the human realm is related to humanity, regardless of their religions. The relationship of the believer in each of these areas follows the four general principles and macro characteristics of "monotheism, justice, unity and good fellowship." According to Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, each domain includes its specific communication scope with their own characteristics, while some scopes are common in all of them. In the Islamic field, the realms of communication are: communication with the Prophet (Imam and his special and general deputy) with the characteristic of love and obedience (acceptance of guardianship), communication with parents with the characteristic of kindness and companionship, communication with spouse, children and relatives with the characteristic of friendliness and mercy, the relationship with orphans and the poor with the characteristic of benevolence and expediency, the relationship with neighbors and companions with the characteristic of benevolence and victory, the relationship with believers and Muslims with the characteristic of brotherhood. In the field of monotheism, the relationship with the People of the Book conducive to unity and peace has been Ayatollah’s special consideration. Ayatollah’s advice in the international arena is that Muslims should not allow the infidels’ guardianship and should shun their obedience despite living peacefully with them. Regarding the connection with the Taghut (illegitimate tyrants) abroad and the hypocrites inside the Islamic society, he has ordered Muslims' dissociation (bara'at) from them and concerning the arrogant ones who are at war with Muslims, he believes in a just confrontation and fight

The common fixed point of single-valued generalized φf-weakly contractive mappings

AbstractFixed point and coincidence results are presented for single-valued generalized φf-weakly contractive mappings on complete metric spaces (X,d), where φ:[0,∞)→[0,∞) is a lower semicontinuous function with φ(0)=0 and φ(t)>0 for all t>0 and f:E→X is a function such that E⊆X is nonempty and closed. Our results extend previous results given by Rhoades (2001) [1] and by Zhang and Song (2009) [2]

Spatial and temporal changes in physicochemical properties of sediments in Choghakhor wetland

Soil is one of the most important natural resources and foundation of formation and development of human civilized societies. Sediments are also important at receiving organic matter, material budgets and distribution of benthic organisms. As part of the ecological study of Choghakhor Wetland where located in Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtyari Province, some physical and chemical characteristics of sediments in this wetland were studied in relation with benthos environment. Sampling was performed in 10 stations with 3 replicates in each station since April 2010 to March 2011. The results showed that wetland sediments texture at different stations was not differeny and sediments component showed no significant differences between the stations. But the components showed significant differences between the stages. There was no from spring to winter (timing change’s) amounts of organic matter increased and showed the significant differences between seasons. Also sediment’s moisture percent and organic matter in different seasons showed significant differences. There was no significant differences in the sediment texture between the season’s .The Pearson correlation coefficient showed positive correlation in the 0.01 level between percentage of organic matter and sediment moisture that indicating a high capacity for water storage in organic soils

The methanolic extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark improves formaldehyde-induced neurotoxicity through reduction of phospho-tau (Thr231), inflammation, and apoptosis

Accumulation of formaldehyde (FA) in the brain is linked to age-related neurodegenerative disorders, as it accelerates memory impairment through tau protein aggregation, inflammation, and nuclear damage. This study aimed to assess the possible effects of methanolic cinnamon extract (CE) on FA-induced neurotoxicity in rats. The animals were treated with CE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, P.O.) for 30 days following FA administration (60 mg/kg, I.P.) for 30 days. Briefly, spatial and inhibitory memory were examined by Morris water maze (MWM) and passive avoidance (PA) tasks, respectively. The Nissl, Hoechst, and Bielschowsky silver staining methods were also used to assess apoptosis and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the hippocampal CA1 region, respectively. Brain tissues were probed with an anti-phospho-tau (Thr231) monoclonal antibody to assess tau hyperphosphorylation. Inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were also measured by ELISA assay. Western blotting was performed to quantify the amount of phospho-tau (Thr231), caspase-8, and caspase-9. The results showed that FA injection significantly caused tau hyperphosphorylation at Thr231 residue, which in turn disturbed the MWM performance. The ratio of apoptotic to intact neurons increased following FA treatment. The results of Western blotting indicated that the hippocampal levels of phospho-tau (Thr231) and caspase-8 were significantly higher in the FA group compared to the control group. The hippocampal levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the FA group were also higher than the control group. Administration of 200 mg/kg of CE significantly improved the rats’ MWM performance, decreased the levels of phospho-tau (Thr231), caspase-8, IL-6, and TNF-α, and reduced the ratio of apoptotic to intact neurons. Overall, cinnamon improved cognitive performance in FA-treated rats by eliminating tau hyperphosphorylation, inflammatory cytokines, and nuclear damage

Drilling Performance Monitoring and Optimization: A Data-driven Approach

Abstract Drilling performance monitoring and optimization are crucial in increasing the overall NPV of an oil and gas project. Even after rigorous planning, drilling phase of any project can be hindered by unanticipated problems, such as bit balling. The objective of this paper is to implement artifcial intelligence technique to develop a smart model for more accurate and robust real-time drilling performance monitoring and optimization. For this purpose, the back propagation, feed forward neural network model was developed to predict rate of penetration (ROP) using diferent input parameters such as weight on bit, rotations per minute, mud fow (GPM) and diferential pressures. The heavy hitter features identifcation and dimensionality reduction are performed to understand the impacts of each of the drilling parameters on ROP. This will be used to optimize the input parameters for model development and validation and performing the operation optimization when bit is underperforming. The model is frst developed based on the drilling experiments performed in the laboratory and then extended to feld applications. From both laboratory and feld test data provided, we have proved that the data-driven model built using multilayer perceptron technique can be successfully used for drilling performance monitoring and optimization, especially identifying the bit malfunction or failure, i.e., bit balling. We have shown that the ROP has complex relationship with other drilling variables which cannot be captured using conventional statistical approaches or from diferent empirical models. The data-driven approach combined with statistical regression analysis provides better understanding of relationship between variables and prediction of ROP

Effects of sewage sludge and its biochar on soybean yield in fine-textured loess soil

Background: The application of biochar as a soil amendment has achieved popularity and has been found to improve considerably soil nutrient status and plant productivity in low fertile soils. Methods: This study used two different methods to apply sewage sludge and sewage sludge biochar with three replicates in a completely randomized block design. The experiment included (1) control, (2) mulch biochar (20 t/ha), (3) incorporated biochar (20 t/ha), (4) mulch sewage sludge (45 t/ha), and (5) incorporated sewage sludge (45 t/ha). This study aimed to investigate the potential benefits of sewage sludge and its biochar as mulch and incorporated into the top-soil for soil fertility, growth, yield, and shoot nutrient concentration of soybean and the effects of treatments on dry bulk density, water content, and mechanical resistance. Results: The results showed higher values of height, biological yield, grain yield, and number of pods in the biochar mulch treatments (116.5, 10627.01, 4180, and 71.2, respectively). Moreover, it was determined that the addition of biochar and sewage sludge to soil resulted in increased shoot nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) concentrations, soil P, soil K, and total soil N (TN) compared with the control plots. Results from this study also showed that biochar and sewage sludge had positive impacts on the physical properties of soil. Bulk density and soil mechanical resistance were decreased, and volumetric water content was increased. Conclusion: Heating sludge removed all pathogens. It is recommended that short- and long-term studies be conducted in the region to investigate further increases in the combined biochar and sewage sludge application rates

Перинатология. Настоящее и будущее

На основании обобщения многолетнего собственного опыта автора, данных литературы и результатов работы Московского центра планирования семьи и репродукции освещены актуальные проблемы перинатологии от пренатального периода до постнатальной охраны здоровья плода. Сделано заключение о необходимости и возможности создания стандартов в области лечебных мероприятий и тактики ведения родов при осложнениях.Basing on the generalization of many−year experience as well as the data of the literature and results of the work of Moscow Center for Family Planning and Reproduction, the author features the urgent issues of perinatology from prenatal period to postnatal health protection. The author concludes about the necessity and possibility to create the standards in the field of therapeutic measures and management tactics in complicated delivery

Validity and reliability of the perceived benefits/barriers scale of physical activity among Iranian elderly

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was investigating the validity and reliability of Persian version of perceived benefits/barriers of physical activity in Iranian elderly. Methods: 388 elderly subjects (up to 60 years) completed demographic characteristics questionnaire, Exercise Benefits/Barriers (EBBS) and Yale physical activity scale. Results: Persian version of EBBS showed nine components, and 31 items predicted 60.26% of variance. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency in total and subscales was respectively 0.75, 0.91 and 0.71. As well positive and significant correlation between total benefits and its subscales and between total barriers and its subscales were found. Research results showed significant and positive correlation between physical activity and the benefits of physical activity (r=0.178, P<0.05) and significant and negative correlation between physical activity and the barriers of physical activity (r=0.249, P<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed acceptable reliability and validity of Persian version of perceived benefits/barriers of physical activity in Iranian elderly