Electrical Resistivity Measurements of Downscaled Homogenous Rocks for Network Model Validation

Knowledge of electrical resistivity for reservoir rocks is crucial for a number of reservoir engineering tasks such as the determination of oil-in-place and the calibration of resistivity logs. Those properties can now be predicted by numerical calculations directly on micro-CT images taken from rock fragments typically having a bulk volume of 100 mm3. The experimental data used to validate those predictions are obtained on conventional cores having bulk volumes of the order of 10,000 mm3. A better validation of micro-CT technique would be to use the same core size for both imaging and flow experiment. Experimental data for electrical resistivity measurements using micropore membrane and centrifuge desaturation techniques are presented for cores having bulk volumes from 10,000 mm3 down to 100 mm3. Both 2- and 4-electrode techniques were applied to measure the resistivity index. Simple fluids like brine and air were used for clear wettability. Homogeneous sandstone cores (Berea and Bentheim) and a carbonate core (Mount Gambier) were used in the experiments. The results demonstrate that reliable experimental data of resistivity index can be obtained for the small cores of homogeneous porous rocks at sensitized frequency. Such data are of immense interest for validating the predictive value of network models based on micro-CT imaging of rock fragments with bulk volumes as small as 100 mm3

Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on the Growth of Senecio biafrae (WOROWO) OLIVE & HIERN

Soils have shown a negative balance in nutrient budget which poses a great threat to sustainable soil management for increase in growth and crop yield. This study thus investigated the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth of Senecio biafrae (Oliv. &Hiern). Topsoil, organic (poultry manure) and inorganic fertilizers (NPK 15:15:15) were used. The fertilizers were weighed and applied to the soil at 5g, 10g, 15g each; control topsoil without application of fertilizers and were replicated five times. Growth parameters including height, number of leaves and stem diameter were taken weekly for the period of the experiment. Application of poultry manure and NPK fertilizer had significant effects on all the growth parameters considered. The application of poultry manure resulted into significant increase in the growth parameters towards the latter part of the study. This study has shown that organic manure has great potential for improving soil productivity and plant growth

The Role of GIS And Remote Sensing in the Control of Malaria

Effective control of mosquito requires adequate knowledge of not just the breeding sites but also the habitats and all other environmental factors relating to the Anopheline vector’s life. This is not just to avoid the nuisance they cause but most importantly to curtail the spread of the diseases they transmit. This paper identified environmental factors being chiefly responsible for the proliferation of the vector with Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) as viable tools in the control of the diseases they transmit. Effective application and utilization of the spatial technologies also forms a major aspect in the Malaria Early Warning System (MEWS). GIS and RS technology explore all minute details related to the environment, thus it remains a vibrant tool in the epidemiological studies of vector borne diseases

Thyroid Function Variations Within the Reference Range Do Not Affect Quality of Life, Mood, or Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Men

Background: Variations in thyroid function within the laboratory reference range have been associated with a number of clinical outcomes. However, quality of life, mood, and cognitive function have not been extensively studied, and it is not clear whether mild variations in thyroid function have major effects on these neurocognitive outcomes. Methods: Data were analyzed from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study, a cohort of community-dwelling men aged 65 years and older in the United States. A total of 539 participants who were not taking thyroid medications and had age-adjusted TSH levels within the reference range underwent detailed testing of quality of life, mood, and cognitive function at baseline. The same quality of life, mood, and cognitive outcomes were measured again in 193 of the men after a mean follow-up of 6 years. Outcomes were analyzed using thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels as continuous independent variables, adjusting for relevant covariates. Results: At baseline, there were no associations between TSH or FT4 levels and measures of quality of life, mood, or cognition in the 539 euthyroid men. Baseline thyroid function did not predict changes in these outcomes over a mean of 6 years in the 193 men in the longitudinal analysis. Conclusions: Variations in thyroid function within the age-adjusted laboratory reference range are not associated with variations in quality of life, mood, or cognitive function in community-dwelling older men

Safety of intranasal human insulin: A review.

Aims: To conduct a review in order to assess the safety of intranasal human insulin in clinical studies as well as the temporal stability of nasal insulin sprays. Material and methods: An electronic search was performed using MEDLINE. We selected original research on intranasal human insulin without further additives in humans. The studies included could be of any design as long as they used human intranasal insulin as their study product. All outcomes and adverse side effects were extracted. Results: A total of 38 studies in 1092 individuals receiving acute human intranasal insulin treatment and 18 studies in 832 individuals receiving human intranasal insulin treatment lasting between 21 days and 9.7 years were identified. No cases of symptomatic hypoglycaemia or severe adverse events (AEs) were reported. Transient local side effects in the nasal area were frequently experienced after intranasal insulin and placebo spray, while other AEs were less commonly reported. There were no reports of participants being excluded as a result of AEs. No instances of temporal stability of nasal insulin were reported in the literature. Tests on insulin that had been repacked into spray flasks showed that it had a chemical stability of up to 57 days. Conclusions: Our retrospective review of published studies on intranasal insulin did not reveal any safety concerns; however, there were insufficient data to ensure the long-term safety of this method of chronic insulin administration. Improved insulin preparations that cause less nasal irritation would be desirable for future treatment