Search

The sandstone reservoir rock failure during production may lead to sand production issues and may impact the economics of field development strategy, especially deep-water operation. The lifting cost can be higher as the issue can lead to metal-erosion, well integrity and oil/gas leakage. In the absence of a sand control mechanism (screenless-completions), the production rates often reduced to bound the severity of sanding and its consequences. In nutshell, the wrong decision for the type of completion prior to drilling and production may risk the financial feasibility of the field. Therefore, an accurate prediction of sand production volume/rates is essential during the well planning. Having this information upfront will able the operators to select the best sand-management plan for the well and field economically (best productivity and highest ultimate recovery while keeping the operating cost low. This paper reviews the ingredients required for sand propensity modeling, not limited to onset sanding drawdown but also the sand propensity (volume). A new proposed modeling technique for sand production propensity will be discussed. The new innovative modelling techniques (fully coupled with fluid dynamics) is powered by a new constitutive elastoplastic and damage model. The newly developed failure criteria give better insight for rock mechanical behavior honoring pre and post-failure stages enabling the usage for sand production analysis to estimate the sanding propensity which includes stress stabilization. Validation and comparison between laboratory testing and numerical modeling for sand production volume presented using the newly developed modeling techniques namely perforation cavity geometry stabilization and grid cell removal.

The consequences of sandstone reservoir rock failure may lead to sand production. This phenomenon can have negative impact on lifting cost and economic of any field development. Metal erosion due to sanding can lead to loss of integrity and hydrocarbon leakage. Poor decision on the type of completion can risk the viability of the field. To facilitate best sand management over the life of a field and to maintain economical productivity, accurate prediction of sand production volume/rates is needed to increase both productivity and the ultimate recovery of the hydrocarbon while keeping the operating cost low. This paper summarizes the sand production modeling for onset and volume of sand namely technology that required to improve understanding on sand production and mitigation. Three main questions will be answered, why industry needs to worry about sand production, what are the available technologies to predict sanding volume/rates finally, how the current technologies can be improved to estimate sand production volume/rates.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the complementary effects of polyphenolic compounds from pine bark extract (PE) as a strong antioxidative substrate on the symptoms of inattention and impulsivity in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This was a randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study that included two experimental units (4 weeks with PE supplementation and 4 weeks with placebo supplementation) separated by a 2-week washout period. ADHD participants were supplemented with 25 mg or 50 mg PE. We recruited 20 participants (17 boys and 3 girls) with a mean age of 10.0 ± 2.1 years. PE supplementation caused a significant reduction in the inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity items of SNAP-IV. During the period of PE supplementation, the item of commissions in the Continuous Performance Test III (CPT III) significantly decreased, which was used to evaluate the symptoms of inattention and impulsivity. In addition, the erythrocytic reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio significantly increased, and the plasma TBARs level significantly decreased after 4 weeks of PE supplementation. However, there was no significant correlation between CPT III (commission) and antioxidative status indictors. PE supplementation may have potential effects of ameliorating inattention and impulsivity, and elevating the antioxidative status in children with ADHD.

Background: The injury severity score (ISS) is used in daily practice to evaluate the severity of trauma patients; however, the score is not always consistent with the prognosis. After injury, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (CARS) are related to the prognosis of trauma patients. Methods: Patients who admitted to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were eligible. Whole blood samples were collected at admission, and then 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after admission. Natural killer (NK) cells, lymphocyte subset population and cytokines release were identified using flow cytometry. We grouped patients by their ISS (≤ 25 and > 25 as very severe injury) and ICU stay (≤ 10 days as a short ICU stay and >10 days as a long ICU stay) for evaluation. Results: Fifty-three patients were enrolled. ICU stay but not ISS was close correlated with activity daily living (ADL) at discharge. Patients with a long ICU stay had an immediate increase in NK cells followed by lymphopenia which persisted for 48 hours. Immediate activation of CD8 + T cells and then exhaustion with a higher programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) expression and suppression of CD4 + T cells with a shift to an anti-inflammatory Th2 phenotype were also observed in the patients with a long ICU stay. When the patients were grouped by ISS, the dynamics of immune responses were inconsistent to those when the patients were grouped by ICU stay. Conclusion: Immune responses are associated with the prognosis of trauma patients, however the currently used clinical parameters may not accurately reflect immune responses. Further investigations are needed to identify accurate predictors of prognosis in trauma patients.

The field under study is witnessing an increasing trend in NPT events while drilling vertical wells through high stressed shale formations and the underlying depleted sandstone reservoir in the same section. The field has multiple sets of faults with lateral variations in stress azimuth and completion quality with the regional strike-slip regime. High angled wells are being planned to increase reservoir coverage and perform hydro fracturing. This paper provides details of capturing stress regime variation along with the effects of depletion in offset wells and identify suitable azimuth of planned well with drilling risks through a 3D geomechanical study. Comprehensive 1D mechanical earth models are constructed using open hole logs, core data and available hydro-fracturing results for wells in the field. Rock mechanical properties have been calibrated at well scale as per core data. Poro-elastic horizontal strain method at well scale indicates a strike-slip to reverse fault variation with significant horizontal stress anisotropy as evident from the closure pressure range of 9,500 psi to 12,500 psi. 3D numerical geomechanical model has been constructed considering structural discontinuities, rock mechanical properties and formation pressure to estimate the principal stresses. Stress direction data from dipole sonic measurements and breakout azimuth from borehole image logs are used for calibration in 3D model incorporating faults. Stress path for depletion has been estimated. Results from the study suggested change in casing policy specifically to have a liner isolating the overburden formations where more than 800 m should be drilled prior to entering the depleted reservoir formation. 3D geomechanical analysis reckons that the mud weight should be in the range of 12.7 kPa/m to 13.1 kPa/m during building up the well profile at 80 deg inclination in overlying shale while 1D study suggesting a range of 13.2 kPa/m to 13.7 kPa/m. Along well path at 80deg to 90deg deviation within reservoir layer toward minimum horizontal stress azimuth, mud weight requirement was found to be much lower at 11.5 kPa/m to 12.1 kPa/m. Apart from mud weight, BHA and chemicals were optimized to avoid differential sticking and better hole cleaning for respective sections. Actual mud weight used was in the range of 12.8 kPa/m to 13.1 kPa/m for building up with no torque and drag issue while running liner and BHA trips. Mud weight was maintained in the range of 11.5 kPa/m to 11.8 kPa/m in the horizontal section with minimum breakouts and smoother hole condition. Cuttings shape and size analysis were performed regularly to check well behavior and manage downhole pressure higher than shear failure limit. Using 3D Geomechanical study and continuous monitoring of drilling parameters in near real-time, the buildup and reservoir sections have been drilled within schedule with no major NPT event and saved at least one week of rig days.

Lots of lithium ion battery (LIB) products contain lithium metal oxide LiNi5Co2Mn3O2 (LNCM) as the positive electrode&rsquo, s active material. The stable surface of this oxide results in high resistivity in the battery. For this reason, conductive carbon-based materials, including acetylene black and carbon black, become necessary components in electrodes. Recently, carbon nano-tube (CNT) has appeared as a popular choice for the conductive carbon in LIB. However, a large quantity of the conductive carbon, which cannot provide capacity as the active material, will decrease the energy density of batteries. The ultra-high cost of CNT, compared to conventional carbon black, is also a problem. In this work, we are going to introduce long-length carbon nano-tube s(L-CNT) into electrodes in order to design a reduced-amount conductive carbon electrode. The whole experiment will be done in a 1Ah commercial type pouch LIB. By decreasing conductive carbon as well as increasing the active material in the positive electrode, the energy density of the LNCM-based 1Ah pouch type LIB, with only 0.16% of L-CNT inside the LNCM positive electrode, could reach 224 Wh/kg and 549 Wh/L, in weight and volume energy density, respectively. Further, this high energy density LIB with L-CNT offers stable cyclability, which may constitute valuable progress in portable devices and electric vehicle (EV) applications.

Chondroitin sulfate synthases, a family of enzyme involved in chondroitin sulfate (CS) polymerization, are dysregulated in various human malignancies, but their roles in glioma remain unclear. We performed database analysis and immunohistochemistry on human glioma tissue, to demonstrate that the expression of CHSY1 was frequently upregulated in glioma, and that it was associated with adverse clinicopathologic features, including high tumor grade and poor survival. Using a chondroitin sulfate-specific antibody, we showed that the expression of CHSY1 was significantly associated with CS formation in glioma tissue and cells. In addition, overexpression of CHSY1 in glioma cells enhanced cell viability and orthotopic tumor growth, whereas CHSY1 silencing suppressed malignant growth. Mechanistic investigations revealed that CHSY1 selectively regulates PDGFRA activation and PDGF-induced signaling in glioma cells by stabilizing PDGFRA protein levels. Inhibiting PDGFR activity with crenolanib decreased CHSY1-induced malignant characteristics of GL261 cells and prolonged survival in an orthotopic mouse model of glioma, which underlines the critical role of PDGFRA in mediating the effects of CHSY1. Taken together, these results provide information on CHSY1 expression and its role in glioma progression, and highlight novel insights into the significance of CHSY1 in PDGFRA signaling. Thus, our findings point to new molecular targets for glioma treatment.

SummaryBackground Thrombocytopenia, a common side effect of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-mimetic antiplatelet drugs, is associated with drug-dependent antibodies (DDAbs) that recognize conformation-altered integrin αIIbβ3. Objective To explore the correlation between αIIbβ3 binding epitopes and induction of DDAb binding to conformation-altered αIIbβ3, we examined whether two purified disintegrins TMV-2 and TMV-7 with distinct binding motifs that have different effects on induction of αIIbβ3 conformational change and platelet aggregation in the presence of AP2, an IgG1 inhibitory monoclonal antibody (mAb) raised against αIIbβ3. Methods We investigated the possible mechanisms of intrinsic platelet activation of TMV-2 and TMV-7 in the presence of AP2 by examining the signal cascade, tail bleeding time and immune thrombocytopenia in FcγRIIa transgenic mice. Results TMV-7 has a binding motif that recognizes the αIIb β-propeller domain of αIIbβ3, different from that of TMV-2. TMV-7 neither primed the platelets to bind ligand, nor caused conformational change of αIIbβ3 identified by ligand-induced binding site (LIBS) mAb AP5. In contrast to eptifibatide and TMV-2, co-treatment of TMV-7 with AP2 did not induce FcγRIIa-mediated platelet aggregation and downstream activation cascade. Both TMV-2 and TMV-7 efficaciously prevented occlusive thrombosis in vivo. Notably, both eptifibatide and TMV-2 caused severe thrombocytopenia mediated by FcγRIIa, prolonged tail bleeding time in vivo, and repressed human whole blood coagulation-indexes, whereas TMV-7 did not impair hemostatic capacity. Conclusions TMV-7 displays antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities by a mechanism different from all other tested αIIbβ3 antagonists and may offer advantages as a therapeutic agent with a better safety profile. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to establish clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion by retrieving relevant literature and adopting the best current national and international evidence, according to experts' experience and patients' values. This was achieved using the Grade of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system combined with a wide range of national experts' consensus, in order to provide reliable evidence for acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis, and to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Aggressive nutritional intervention may improve the outcomes of critically ill patients. Therefore, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) in Taiwan revised its relevant fee schedule. On October 1, 2019, nutritional care items for intensive care unit (ICU) patients, covered by the NHIA under the category of nutritional care fees, were introduced to reflect real clinical needs. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in a medical center ICU. The study period was January 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020, before and after the start of national health insurance (NHI) coverage of new nutritional care items for ICU patients. A total of 5292 patients were recruited and divided into two groups based on timing of NHI coverage. There were 1591 patients included in the analysis (751 in the non-NHI group and 840 in the NHI group). In the NHI group, the following nutritional protocol was implemented: First visit was at 48hr following admission to the ICU with 2 follow up visits over the next 5 days, then 3 visits the following week. Patient demographics, daily nutritional data, and outcomes were collected to investigate the impact of this protocol. RESULTS: Both groups were given the same nutritional intervention initially. However, there were significant differences in nutritional intervention following the incorporation of this treatment protocol in the ICU. Closely monitored nutritional intervention met critical requirements without overfeeding and led to shorter ICU stays (non-NHI 8.11 ± 6.69 days vs NHI 7.12 ± 7.43 days, p

Sand production in oil or gas well can cause serious havoc leading to surface and downhole equipment erosion and induced unwanted cost to fix it. Thus, for the completion selection and optimisation, it requires a proper geomechanical analysis. During this process it is very important to use an appropriate failure constitutive model where it should be able to honour the onset failure of the geomaterial and the post failure as well. Currently most of existing failure criteria do not honour full spectrum of stress and strain evolution including post failure (softening). We developed a new elastoplastic constitutive model for weak geomaterial to fill the gap by using single equation to honour both hardening and softening of the geomaterial. Triaxial test has been conducted on rock sample under different confining pressure using a servo controller. The data from lab test has been used to develop the constitutive failure model followed by a validation using the Finite Element Method. Mohr Coulomb failure which is commonly used in the industry has been compared with the new constitutive model (known as ASA model). As the results the newly developed model was able to capture better the full elasto-plastic behaviour that includes softening or post failure of the geomaterial mechanical response compared to Mohr Coulomb criterion. This is quite critical for oil and gas applications, especially in the case of sand production. In conclusion, the new constitutive model was able to honour the full spectrum of nonlinear stress strain evolution using single equation and demonstrated superior compared to the commonly used failure criteria in the industry.

Sandstone reservoir rock failure due to hydrocarbon extraction and pore pressure reduction can induce phenomenon called sand production. Even though sand production may increase the overall productivity especially in heavy oil, it also may cause other negative impact such as equipment erosion which can lead to loss of integrity that can eventually induce hydrocarbon leakage. Thus, safety factors need to be considered before deciding if sand production can be allowed in the well. Operators must be prepared for any additional cost for special well completion plan if their well is sanding candidate. Therefore, predicting the sand production ahead of field development plan is smarter exercise for better return of investment. Estimating where and when sand production will occur can be achieved by conducting fit for purpose geomechanical modelling for the specific reservoir. Summary of the methodology is discussed in the paper which can help completion engineer to make decision in selecting best completion. Data from a gas field and well are used in this paper adopting the suggested methodology. The results from the study can predict when and where sand production will occur and the level of severity. The study also recommends simple solution to avoid any sand production by optimising perforation phasing and its geometry.

In this study a graphite (Gr)/silicon (Si)/carbon (C) (Gr+C:Si = 85:15, wt.%) composite anode material was prepared through spray-drying and then subjected to wet-coating in an aqueous solution to obtain lithium polyacrylate (LiPAA)–coated Gr/Si/C composite anode materials. The thickness of the LiPAA coating layer of the 1 wt.% LiPAA-coated Gr/Si/C anode material was approximately 4 nm. The characteristics of the LiPAA-coated Gr/Si/C composite materials were examined using X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The capacity retentions of CR2032 half-cells featuring the pristine Gr/Si/C composite electrode were ca. 74.0% at 0.2C after 100 cycles and 30.0% at 0.5C after 500 cycles; they improved markedly—up to 94.4% and 82.2%, respectively—for the cells prepared with the 1 wt.% LiPAA-coated Gr/Si/C composite electrode. The LiPAA polymer coating functioned as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase layer that stabilized the structural integrity at the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte during the cycling process. Our experimental results suggest that LiPAA-coated Gr/Si/C composites are promising candidate materials for use as high-capacity anodes in next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

In most secret image sharing schemes, the secrecy level of each pixel is the same. However, in real applications, different pixels may require different secrecy levels. For example, in a patient's medical image, the region with the patient's name must be highly protected. To solve this problem, Wang and Lin proposed a scheme that allows a dealer to divide an image into multiple regions, each of which is associated with a certain level of secrecy. In their scheme, an extra pixel-security-level map (PSLM) is required to record the secrecy level of each pixel, and the shadow size of the PSLM is approximately 20 % of that of the secret image. It is unreasonable to have such a large overhead. To reduce the shadow size of the PSLM, they restricted each region to be a rectangle. Furthermore, any two participants can reconstruct the PSLM, enabling the content of regions with high secrecy levels to be compromised easily. To resolve these disadvantages, this paper proposes a new encoding scheme for PSLMs. The location of each region is protected according to its secrecy level, thus improving the security of the image. Moreover, the shape of each region is unrestricted, and the shadow size of the PSLM is reduced significantly.

In the area of secret image sharing (SIS), most papers focused on the schemes for threshold or some special access structures. Regarding general access structures (GAS), few results have been found in the literature. Two SIS schemes for GAS were proposed in 2001 and 2010, both are based on qualified sets. However, one distorts the reconstructed secret image, and some extra information is needed in both schemes. Here, we propose three polynomial based SIS schemes for GAS. Considering either qualified or forbidden sets, these schemes can reconstruct the secret image perfectly without any extra information needed. Some proof and analysis on the shadow sizes of the three schemes are given to lead us to choose the one with the smallest size. In addition, we also give some comparisons with two existing schemes, and security issue is also addressed in conclusion.

Results from stock assessment modelling are often highly sensitive to model assumptions. It is therefore important that models are correctly specified and sensitivity analyses are conducted to evaluate the impact of model uncertainty. Model misspecification, changes in parameters over time, and data weighting are common issues that arise when developing stock assessment models. We conducted a stock assessment for swordfish Xiphias gladius in the Indian Ocean, using an integrated age-structured model, and evaluated estimates of management quantities under alternative assumptions about (1) changes in catchability for CPUE-based indices of abundance, (2) changes in gear selectivity, (3) weighting of abundance indices, and (4) the impact of sex-specific growth. The results indicated that assuming time-blocks for both catchability and selectivity may be appropriate to reflect the changes in fishing operations of Japanese and Taiwanese longline fleets. This assumption also provided better model performance and more optimistic assessment results because it implied that the decline in indices of abundance resulted from changes in catchability rather than depletion of biomass. Inappropriate choices for selectivity curves can deleteriously affect model performance, and attempting to account for model misspecification through downweighting of data may not be appropriate. Care must be taken when modelling changes in selectivity because selectivity can be distorted to accommodate changes in catchability. More generally, substantial changes in catchability (e.g., due to changes in targeting) may not be fully addressed in CPUE standardization and may require modelling changes over time in catchability within the stock assessment model. Finally, we found that misspecification of growth is at least as influential, if not more so, than misspecification of catchability and selectivity, or data weighting.

Summary Large accumulations of methane hydrates are known to exist in the deepwater Nankai Trough off the southern coast of Japan. Because of its enormous potential as an energy source, there is growing interest in the production of methane gas from these deposits. An offshore production test was scheduled to test the technological viability to produce the methane hydrate with a depressurization method. However, methane-hydrate production may cause large amounts of compaction and subsidence, which can damage well integrity and cause loss of zonal isolation in the overburden. This condition could provide potential leakage pathways for methane gas to the surface and endanger offshore operations. The paper presents a study in which well integrity was evaluated for a methane-hydrate-production test well in the Nankai Trough. In this study, a new work flow was proposed and applied to honor both fieldwide formation heterogeneity and near-wellbore geometry. The geomechanics properties were determined through integration of seismic inversion data, log data, and core data from the Nankai Trough. Interface elements were installed between the casing and cement and the cement and formation to evaluate the impact of cement-bond quality on the well integrity. The numerical simulation was conducted through coupling of the simulation results produced by a methane-hydrate production simulator from a third party with a 3D finite-element geomechanics simulator. The study predicted the occurrence of 2 cm of subsidence on the seafloor generated by approximately 1.5% of reservoir compaction for a production test of 20 days. Over this period, casing would yield with a plastic strain of approximately 1%. Most findings indicated a low risk in the loss of zonal isolation that is consistent with the results of the production test conducted in March 2013. This simulation evaluated potential risks related to well integrity, and provided critical information for the preparation and execution of the pioneering offshore methane-hydrate production test in the Nankai Trough.

In this study, three different approaches were applied to obtain thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanocellular foams. The TPU was synthesized with a 4, 4′-methylenebis (phenyl isocyanate) and 1, 4-butanediol (MDI/BD) hard segment system using a pre-polymer method. The three approaches included increasing the hard segment content, adding a graphene nucleation agent, and replacing the soft segments. Although the synthesized TPUs had a different hardness, it was possible to obtain nanocellular structures with all of the methods. The cell structure is not a function of hardness only. Crystallinity affects the cell structure as well. The addition of graphene and replacement of the soft segments were more effective at yielding nanocellular foams. Our best results showed that after adding 0.1 wt% of graphene, the average cell size of the TPU foam decreased to 715 nm, and the cell density was improved to 4.94 × 1011 cells/cm3. The relative density of the foam could be as low as 0.77. This study first reported elastomer-based nanocellular structures with such low relative density.

Purpose: To examine the hypothesis that intervention with the polyphenolic complex (PE) from pine bark improves the symptoms of ADHD and reduces oxidative stress in children and adolescent. Methods: It was a randomized, double-blind, crossover and placebo-controlled 10-weeks period study, including two interventional periods (4weeks/period) and one washout period (2 weeks). Data were from 8 participants with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at ages 7~16 years (seven boys and one girl). During the first interventional period, participants were received a capsule of PE from pine bark, which contain 25mg Oligopin® per capsule, or a capsule of placebo, which contains 25mg cellulose. Then, participants entered the washout period for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks of washout, the participants entered the second interventional period and crossed over to receive an Oligopin® or placebo capsule. Neuropsychological assessment, routine blood biochemical parameter and antioxidative status were carried out in this study. Results: All blood biochemical parameters were normal in the interventional periods. However, the lipid peroxidation was significantly decreased when participants received the PE capsules. Moreover, the participants had a significant higher hit accuracy, inhibition, sustainability in CPT-II performanceduring the PE interventional period. Conclusions: The administration of the polyphenolic extract from pine bark (25 mg/day) for one month might improve the inattention and impulsivity and reduce plasma lipid peroxidation levels in children and adolescent with ADHD.

Objective To observe the antihypertensive efficacy of guasha for essential hypertension. Methods Thirty-four cases of essential hypertension were treated with guasha along the following route of the governor vessel, the bladder meridian and the gallbladder meridian and the hand yangming large intestine meridian and the foot yangming stomach meridian on the head, neck and back. The gentle stimulation and supplementation method was applied for deficiency syndrome and the heavy stimulation and drainage method was applied for excess syndrome. Two times a week, total 8 treatments were given Blood pressure was measured at different time points from 2:00PM to 8:00PM (2:00PM, 2:30PM, 3:00PM, 3:30PM, 4:00PM, 5:00PM, 6:00PM, 8:00PM) before the first application of guasha and after the eighth treatment, respectively. Results Compared with each time point before the first application of guasha, there were statistically significant differences of blood pressure at each corresponding time point after the eighth guasha (all P Conclusion Blood pressure can be effectively reduced by adopting guasha, and the clinical symptoms and quality of life of patients with essential hypertension can be improved.

Compared to data on adolescents and adults, limited research has been conducted on biological correlates among young children with possible psychological difficulties, especially in Asian countries. By focusing on various peripheral biochemical indicators, we investigated potential biological correlates of psychological states in a community sample of Taiwanese school children aged 6–10 years. In total, 307 students (159 obese children and 148 normal-weight children) were selected from first- and fourth-grade school children in eight elementary schools in the Taipei metropolitan area in 2009. These children underwent a comprehensive health examination, including a physical examination, blood sample analysis, and questionnaire administration in a hospital. Differences in anthropometric and serum biochemical readings were compared between children with average and worse levels on each of the five psychological domains. We found that interleukin (IL)-1β [β = 1.29, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.50–2.09], IL-10 (β = 1.61, 95 % CI

The effects of aging time on the mechanical properties of the Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag– x Bi lead-free solder alloys are investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and a universal testing machine. The experimental results show that the microstructure of Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag– x Bi solder alloys is composed of Sn-rich phase and AgZn 3 . No other intermetallic compounds (IMCs) with Bi content was observed in the solder matrix for Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag solder alloys with various Bi contents before and after aging at 150 °C for different durations. The lattice parameter increases significantly with increasing aging time or Bi addition. The size of Sn-rich grain increased gradually with aging time increased, but decreases with Bi content increases. The maximum yield strength is 112.7 ± 2.2 MPa for Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag–3Bi solder alloy before aging.

Work-related stress (WS) can result in considerable and extensive changes in physiological and psychological performance. WS beyond the optimal levels induces anxiety, confusion, exhaustion, and burnout. Chronic WS affects neurocognitive performance, particularly attention and visuospatial memory. Essence of chicken (EC) has been reported to improve neurocognitive function after mental stress. To investigate the beneficial effects of EC in improving neurocognitive performance under WS, we conducted a randomized, double blind trial. Total 102 young workers in New Taipei City with high WS, evaluated using the Individual Subjective Perception Job Stress Scale scores (>36 for job leaders and 33 for nonleaders) were recruited. Fifty-one participants received 70 mL of EC and 51 received a placebo daily for 2 weeks. Blood tests and neurocognitive assessment were performed before treatment, at the end of treatment, and 2 weeks after treatment. EC improved the performance of participants with high depression scores in the form-color associative memory test, used for assessing short-term memory. Although creatinine and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels increased in week 2, but the levels returned to the baseline in week 4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels decreased in week 4. EC significantly improved short-term memory in participants with high WS and concomitant depressive mood, although it slightly increased GPT and creatinine levels and reduced BUN levels. The long-term treatment effects of EC warrant further investigation.

Batteries will undoubtedly play critical roles in modernizing energy grids, allowing greater penetration of renewable generation and providing services that help grids function. Applying storage technology to grid applications is a business decision that requires potential revenues to be accurately measured to determine economic viability. Using models of storage connected to the California energy grid, we simulate grid-scale applications to estimate such revenues under current market conditions. All calculations are undertaken over two full years of operation of the storage device where a simulation of the grid-connected battery is undertaken so that control and decision are made in real time. Control and decision are made with data available at the time and mimics actual use as it might have happened. The use of a long period of data provides precise estimates as to the values of different applications of the battery. Each simulation results in duty cycles (power profiles) on which the cell-level batteries are tested. We examine the effects of these differing duty cycles on the efficiencies of batteries with various chemsitries. For the first time, we reveal critical tradeoffs between the battery chemistries and the applicability of their energy content, and show that accurate revenue measurement can only be achieved if realistic battery operation in each application is taken into account. The findings in this work could call for a paradigm shift on how the true economic values of energy storage devices could be assessed.

This paper presents a true motion-compensated de-interlacing (TMCD) algorithm based on a fast true motion estimation scheme. The fast true motion estimation scheme, designated as a variable block size true motion estimation for a translated motion model (VBTME), finds block-based true motion vectors within interlaced fields and then uses these true motion vectors to construct corresponding de-interlaced frames. Although the real motions of a majority of the objects within an interlaced field can be accurately represented by using block-based true motion vectors, the motions of certain objects (e.g., those which disappear suddenly or are occluded by other objects) cannot be adequately compensated by using such vectors, and therefore, the corresponding pixels must be further refined by an alternative method. Accordingly, a TMCD applies a set of three decisional rules and then selects either a new spatial edge direction indicated interpolation method or a traditional temporal mean filter to interpolate those pixels which cannot be adequately compensated by using true motion vectors. The experimental results show that by comparing the PSNR values for CIF format video sequences obtained by a 4-field adaptive motion-compensated (4F-AMC) de-interlacing scheme and a selective motion-compensated (SMC) de-interlacing scheme to a TMCD scheme, an average PSNR improvement of 1.37 and 6.36 dB is achieved, respectively. Furthermore, compared to the motion estimation schemes used in a 4F-AMC and a SMC, the VBTME reduces motion estimation time by 96 and 69%, respectively. Finally, it is shown that the visual quality of videos with a CCIR601 format de-interlaced using a TMCD is better than that obtained by using a 4F-AMC de-interlacing scheme.

The microstructure and adhesion strength of the Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag– x Bi ( x = 0 wt% and 2 wt%)/Cu interface after electrochemical polarization have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and pull-off testing. The equilibrium potentials of Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag/Cu and Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag–2Bi/Cu are −1.31 V sce and −1.22 V sce , respectively, indicating that Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag–2Bi/Cu has a better corrosion resistance than that of Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag/Cu. The intermetallic compounds of Cu 6 Sn 5 , Cu 5 Zn 8 and Ag 3 Sn are formed at the soldered interface between the Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag– x Bi solder alloy and the Cu substrate. The scallop-shaped Cu 6 Sn 5 is close to the Cu substrate and the scallop-shaped Cu 5 Zn 8 is found at the interface in the solder matrix after soldering at 250 °C for 10 s. The corrosion products are ZnCl 2 , SnCl 2 and ZnO. On the other hand, pits are also formed on the surface of both solder alloys. The interfacial adhesion strength of the Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag/Cu and Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag–2Bi/Cu decreases from 8.27 ± 0.56 MPa and 12.67 ± 0.45 MPa to 4.78 ± 0.45 MPa and 8.14 ± 0.38 MPa, respectively, after electrochemical polarization in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The fracture path of the Sn–9Zn–1.5Ag–2Bi/Cu is along the solder alloy/ZnO and solder/Cu 6 Sn 5 interfaces.

Indium nitride (InN) epilayers have been successfully grown on Si (111) substrates with low-temperature (450°C) grown InN and high-temperature (1050°C) grown AlN (InN∕AlN) double-buffer layers by atmospheric-pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (AP-MOCVD). X-ray diffraction characterizations indicated that highly (0001)-oriented hexagonal InN was grown on Si (111) substrate. Photoluminescence (PL) analyses performed at room temperature showed a strong emission at 0.72eV with a full width at half maximum of 121meV. Excitation intensity dependent measurements demonstrated the PL mechanism to be the band-to-band transition. Time-resolved PL could be fitted by a single exponential exhibiting an ordered film and a recombination lifetime of around 0.85ns. In particular, transmission electron microscopy characterizations indicated that the use of AlN first buffer is very important to achieve a structurally uniform (0001)-oriented InN epilayer on Si (111) by AP-MOCVD.

This paper presents a robust true motion estimation algorithm, designated as MPMVP (Multi-pass and Motion Vector Propagation), to enhance the accuracy of the motion vector fields in frame rate up-conversion applications. The MPMVP uses a multi-pass scheme to progressively refine approximate motion vectors to true motion vectors based upon the motion information acquired in previous passes. The multi-pass motion estimation process uses a large block size to detect the motion vectors within the objects themselves and small block sizes to detect the motion vectors along the object boundaries. Actually, the block size is progressively reduced during the search process. When the motion vector of a block is considered to be sufficiently accurate for motion estimation purposes, the block is said to be converged and the local motion vector search process terminates. A novel technique, referred to as motion vector propagation, is then applied to propagate the motion vector of the converged block to its neighboring blocks. This technique not only ensures that neighboring motion vectors within the same object have a high degree of spatial correlation, but also accelerates the convergence of the motion vectors in the neighboring blocks and therefore reduces the overall computational time and expense of the multi-pass motion vector search procedure. A novel distortion criterion is proposed to enhance the tolerance of the traditional sum-of-absolute-difference measurement technique applied in the motion estimation scheme to noise and shadow effects. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed true motion estimation algorithm outperforms the traditional full search, 3DRS and TCSBP algorithms in terms of both the smoothness of the generated motion vector fields and the visual quality of the up-converted frames.

A good fast motion search algorithm should efficiently speed up the encoding time and keep the quality of encoded video stable at the same time. Researches have shown that many fast algorithms lose the quality requirement in some special video sequences. These video sequences often have heavy motions and need large search windows for motion vector search. E3SS, DS, and E-HEXBS, which are famous algorithms, are not good enough in these sequences. As to UMHexagonS, it is able to meet the high video quality requirement very well, but it costs too much computation. This paper introduces a multi-stage motion estimation algorithm. The algorithm ensures getting good video quality while decreases the motion search time efficiently. It divides the search regions into many un-overlapped small-diamond regions and forces the motion search to go outward for larger motion vectors. This method is also designed to avoid mistaking local optimal motion vectors. For this reason, the selected motion vector is refined by several stages. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm uses almost the same number of checking points as E3SS but achieves a better quality. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is also tested in H.264/AVC JM9.5 encoder; the experimental results show that this algorithm is also suitable for variable block-size motion estimation.

The electrochemical properties of the joints formed between Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-lBi alloys and Cu substrates in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution have been investigated by potentiodynamic polarization, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. For the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-1Bi/Cu joints in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, corrosion current (Ι corr ), corrosion potential (E corr ) and corrosion resistance (R p ) are 2.46 x 10 -6 A/cm 2 , -1.18 V, and 7.54 x 103 Ωcm 2 , respectively. Cu 6 Sn 5 , Cu 5 Zn 8 , and Ag 3 Sn are formed at the interface between the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-xBi solder alloy and Cu substrate. The corrosion products of ZnCl 2 , SnCl 2 and ZnO are formed at the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-xBi/Cu joints after polarization in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Pits are also formed on the surface of the solder alloys.

This paper reports on the device characteristics of strain-compensated multi-quantum wells (SC-MQWs) GaAsN/InGaAs single junction solar cell based on this very promising InGaAs material. Limitations of lattice mismatch could be overcome because the compressive strain in the InGaAs layers matches the tensile strain in the GaAsN layers. GaAsN/InGaAs SC-MQWs solar cells, lattice matched to GaAs, are proposed as a means of extending the long-wavelength absorption to make a competitive candidate in a cascade solar cell structure. We demonstrated that this GaAsN/InGaAs SC-MQWs solar cell could achieve a high short-circuit current density of about 20.87 mA cm?2, under AM1.5G illumination, which is higher than that of the InGaNAs cell. The GaAsN/InGaAs SC-MQWs structures show many of the characteristics required to make it a candidate for the next generation of multi-junction solar cells, which means this design can be used as the third junction in future generation ultrahigh-efficiency three- and four-junction devices.

The formation of Intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the interface between an Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-xBi solder alloy and a Cu substrate dipped at 250 � C and heat-treated at 150 � C for various times has been investigated by an optical microscope (OM), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The OM result shows the flat and smooth surface for the Sn9Zn-1.5Ag-1Bi solder alloy and Cu substrate after dipping at 250 � C. The phases of IMCs formed are Cu6Sn5 and Cu5Zn8 for both lead-free solder alloys. After thermal treatment at 250� C for 200 h, the phases of IMCs are Cu6Sn5 ,C u 5Zn8 and Ag3Sn. The Cu6Sn5 has a scallop morphology, and is located at the interface between the solder and Cu substrate. The adhesion strength for the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-1Bi lead-free solder alloy is higher than the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag solder alloy. After being heat-treated at 150� C, the adhesion strength of the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-1Bi solder alloy decreases from 12:67 � 0:45 to 6:92 � 0:38 MPa after thermal treatment for 200 h. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MRA2007075]

To explore the clinical efficacy and action mechanism of acupuncture for premature ovarian failure (POF).According to prospective cohort study design, 30 cases were included. Based on theory of regulating Chong and Conception Vessels as well as soothing the liver and calming the nerves, acupuncture at Guanyuan (CV 4), Dahe (KI 12), Taixi (KI 3), Taichong (LR 3), Baihui (GV 20) was applied, three times per week and 3 months were considered as one session. Totally two sessions were performed. The menstruation condition, estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and scores of the clinical perimenopausal symptoms were taken as treatment outcomes.The total effective rate was 86.7% (26/30) and the cured rate was 16.7% (5/30). The recovery rate of menstruation was 16.7% (5/30) and the regain rate of menstruation was 56.7% (17/30). After the treatment, the level of E2 was significantly increased from (45.41 +/- 18. 09) pmol/L to (59.07 +/- 24.21) pmol/L (P0.05), and the score of perimenopausal symptoms was obviously reduced from 14.28 +/- 8. 30 to 4.04 +/- 3.28 (P0.01). However, no statistical differences could be seen in FSH before and after treatment (P0.05).Acupuncture has certain effect on improving menstruation and perimenopausal symptoms in POF patients, which is likely to he related with increasing the level of E2.

To investigate the effect of acupuncture on women with premature ovarian failure (POF), prospective consecutive case series study was applied. 31 women with POF were included; all patients were treated with acupuncture once every other day, three times a week for three months. Acupoints, GV 20, GV 24, GB 13, CV 3, CV 4, BL 23, BL 32, ST 25, ST 28, ST 29, ST 36, SP 6, KI 3, and LR 3, were selected. Serums FSH, E2, and LH level, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Kupperman score were measured at baseline and at the end of treatment; the menstrual cycle was recorded during one-month follow-up. Compared with baseline, patients’ serums FSH and LH were decreased, E2was increased, and SAS score and Kupperman score were decreased. Four patients resumed menstrual cycle after treatment and two resumed during follow-up. No serious adverse events were found in all patients. The results indicate that acupuncture may decrease serums FSH and LH level, raise serum E2level, relieve anxiety, reduce mental stress, and improve the menopausal symptoms.

Objective Several agents including hydroxyurea, erythropoietin and butyric acid have been shown to reactivate γ gene expression during adult stage development by unknown molecular mechanisms. In addition to inhibiting the enzyme histone deacetylase, butyrate may modulate transcription factor binding to specific DNA sequences defined as butyrate response elements (BREs). The purpose of this study was to identify promoter sequences involved in γ gene activation by butyrate using truncation mutants in stable cell lines. Materials and Methods A detailed analysis of Aγ gene activation in the presence of α-aminobutyric acid and sodium butyrate was completed in stable mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cell pools established with seven Aγ promoter truncation mutants. Functional studies were performed in a transient assay system followed by gel mobility shift assays to define protein binding patterns and to demonstrate transcription factor interactions in the γ promoter BRE. Results Aγ promoter analysis in stable MEL cell pools revealed BREs between nucleotide-141 and −201, and nucleotide-822 and -893 (γBRE). The γBRE required the minimal Aγ promoter (−201 to +36) to stimulate gene expression. We observed a 6.1-fold ( p 0.05) increase in CAT activity for the minimal Aγ promoter alone compared with an 11.5-fold ( p 0.05) increase when the γ promoter was combined with the −822 to −893 fragment. Protein binding studies demonstrated altered protein-DNA interactions in the γBRE after butyrate induction. The pattern for binding observed suggest both negative- and positive-acting transcription factors may interact in this region. Conclusion The data supports the −822 to −893 region as a DNA regulatory element that contributes to Aγ gene inducibility by butyrate.