The Static Laboratory Testing for Fracturing Fluid Optimization

Hydraulic fracturing operation is the common method to stimulate an oil well in order to make the permeability around the well become higher by injecting a mixing of fracturing fluid and proppant. Hopefully, this higher permeability can contribute to increase the production of oil and/or gas. The fundamental laboratory assessment of fracturing fluid as a part of injected component is important to be conducted before field scale implementation. One of the fundamental assessment is the static laboratory testing. In this test, the fracturing fluid sample is measured to obtain the data about its properties such as water quality, rheology, crown time and breaking time. These properties give important role to calculate the performance of the hydraulic fracturing field scale operation would be. In this research, we conducted the static laboratory testing for fracturing fluid in sensitivity of concentration which are 35, 40 and 45 systems. Every concentration have been measured its properties in order to compare each other to evaluate and select best fracturing fluid candidate for field scale application.

Self-Cognizant Bionic Liquid Sensor for Pathogen Diagnosis

As observed in the outbreaks of SARS and swine flu, as well as many other infectious diseases, the huge volume of human traffic across numerous enclosed public venues has posed immense challenges to preventing the spread of communicable diseases. There is an urgent need for effective disease surveillance management in public areas under pandemic outbreaks. The physicochemical properties associated with ionic liquids make them particularly suited for molecular communications in sensing networks where low throughput is quite adequate for pathogen detection. This paper presents a self-cognizant system for rapid diagnosis of infectious disease using a bionic sensor such that testing can be supported without collecting a fluid sample from a subject through any invasive methods. The system is implemented for testing the performance of the proposed bionic liquid sensing network.

A Non-invasive Method of Cerebrospinal fluid collection from rats for assessing the Cerebrospinal fluid drug content

The drug discovery and pharmacokinetic studies of drugs of the central nervous system depend on the successful collection of cerebrospinal fluid from lab animal models. Many a time, the treatment regime and management of diseases depends on the penetration and distribution of medicaments across the blood-brain barrier and for which a non-contaminated cerebrospinal fluid sample is essential. The present study was to simplify the cerebrospinal fluid collection from cisterna magna of rat, maximizing the quantity and minimizing the contamination. The rat is anaesthetized with Xylazine Ketamine combination intravenously and was kept on an inverted polypropylene tray with its head down at 45° angle. A depressible surface which look like a rhomb between occipital protuberances and the spine of the atlas becomes noticeable. A butterfly needle attached to a syringe was introduced into the cisterna magna, and cerebrospinal fluid is aspirated. The method is non-invasive and doesn’t require any sophisticated equipment and lessens the chance of contamination of the sample with blood. The technique is also less time consuming and easy to perform.

Clinical Microbiology Perspective of Empyema caused by Streptococcus constellatus in Malignancy Patient: A Case Report

Introduction: Streptococcus constellatus (SC) is commensal bacteria and belongs to Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG). However, SC causes infections especially in patient with underlying diseases. SC empyema is a clinical case that is described in very few studies, especially in Indonesia.Case: A 45-year-old man was admitted to emergency department in Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya with respiratory insufficiency on November 11th 2020 after 3 months of non-productive cough and a week of weakness. He was diagnosed with empyema on right hemithorax and received chest tube insertion. SC was isolated from pleural fluid sample after first day of culture on Bactec BD bottle. GeneXpert result of pleural fluid was negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). He completed 10 days of intravenous ampicillin-sulbactam and metronidazole. The CT scan reported solid mass of 4.7x7.4x7.8 cm in posterolateral segment of inferior lobe right lung, right pleural effusion, with adenocarcinoma as biopsy result.Discussion: SC is a normal commensal in respiratory tract, however with the presence of a certain factor such as immunocompromised, colonized SAG directly induces an infection after entering normal sterile sites in the body including pleural fluid.Conclusion: Although infection caused by SC is a rare case, it still should be considered in clinical diagnosis and treatment of related infections, particularly in patients with comorbidities. The prognosis was good with appropriate antibiotics and chest tube insertion.

ENHANCING THE UNDERSTANDING OF ASPHALTENE PRECIPITATION: A NOVEL APPROACH UNDER IN-SITU CONDITIONS

Flow assurance is a vital challenge that affects the viability of an asset in all oil producing environments. A proper understanding of asphaltene precipitation leading to deposition lends itself to reliable completions planning and timely remediation efforts. This ultimately dictates the production life of the reservoir. The Wireline Formation Tester (WFT) has traditionally aided the understanding of asphaltene composition in reservoir fluids through the collection of pressurized fluid samples. Moreover, the use of Downhole Fluid Analysis (DFA) during a fluid pumpout has augmented the understanding of soluble asphaltenes under in-situ flowing conditions. However, an accurate and representative measurement of Asphaltene Onset Pressure (AOP) has eluded the industry. Traditionally, this measurement has been determined post-acquisition through different laboratory techniques performed on a restored fluid sample. Although sound, there are inherent challenges that affect the quality of the results. These challenges primarily include the need to restore samples to reservoir conditions, maintaining samples at equilibrium composition, and the destruction of fluid samples through inadvertent asphaltene precipitation during transporting and handling. Hence, there is a need for WFT operations to deliver a source of reliable analysis, particularly in high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) reservoirs, to avoid costly miscalculations. A premiere industry method to determine AOP under in-situ producible conditions is presented. Demonstrated in a Gulf of Mexico (GOM) reservoir, this novel technique mimics the gravimetric and light scattering methods, where a fluid sample is isothermally depressurized from initial reservoir pressure; simultaneously, DFA monitors asphaltene precipitation from solution and a high-precision pressure gauge records the onset of asphaltene precipitation. This measurement is provided continuously and in real time. An added advantage is that experiments are performed individually after obtaining a pressurized sample in distinct oil zones. Therefore, the execution of this downhole AOP experiment is independent of an already captured fluid sample and does not impact the quality of any later laboratory-based analysis. Once the measurements are obtained, these can be utilized in flow assurance modeling methods to describe asphaltene precipitation kinetics, and continuity of complex reservoirs. For the first time in literature, this study applies these modeling methods in combination with the AOP data acquired from a downhole WFT This approach has the potential to create a step change in reservoir analysis by providing AOP at the sand-face, along with insight that describe performance from asphaltene precipitation. The results of which have tremendous economic implications on production planning.

Using a Ladder of Seeps With Computer Decision Processes to Explore for and Evaluate Cold Seeps on the Costa Rica Active Margin

Natural seeps occur at the seafloor as loci of fluid flow where the flux of chemical compounds into the ocean supports unique biologic communities and provides access to proxy samples of deep subsurface processes. Cold seeps accomplish this with minimal heat flux. While individual expertize is applied to locate seeps, such knowledge is nowhere consolidated in the literature, nor are there explicit approaches for identifying specific seep types to address discrete scientific questions. Moreover, autonomous exploration for seeps lacks any clear framework for efficient seep identification and classification. To address these shortcomings, we developed a Ladder of Seeps applied within new decision-assistance algorithms (Spock) to assist in seep exploration on the Costa Rica margin during the R/V Falkor 181210 cruise in December, 2018. This Ladder of Seeps [derived from analogous astrobiology criteria proposed by Neveu et al. (2018)] was used to help guide human and computer decision processes for ROV mission planning. The Ladder of Seeps provides a methodical query structure to identify what information is required to confirm a seep either: 1) supports seafloor life under extreme conditions, 2) supports that community with active seepage (possible fluid sample), or 3) taps fluids that reflect deep, subsurface geologic processes, but the top rung may be modified to address other scientific questions. Moreover, this framework allows us to identify higher likelihood seep targets based on existing incomplete or easily acquired data, including MBES (Multi-beam echo sounder) water column data. The Ladder of Seeps framework is based on information about the instruments used to collect seep information (e.g., are seeps detectable by the instrument with little chance of false positives?) and contextual criteria about the environment in which the data are collected (e.g., temporal variability of seep flux). Finally, the assembled data are considered in light of a Last-Resort interpretation, which is only satisfied once all other plausible data interpretations are excluded by observation. When coupled with decision-making algorithms that incorporate expert opinion with data acquired during the Costa Rica experiment, the Ladder of Seeps proved useful for identifying seeps with deep-sourced fluids, as evidenced by results of geochemistry analyses performed following the expedition.

Possible Involvement of Central Nervous System in COVID-19 and Sequence Variability of SARS-CoV-2 Revealed in Autopsy Tissue Samples: A Case Report

The case presented here illustrates that interdisciplinary teamwork can be essential for the understanding of the COVID-19 disease presentation and enlightening of the pathophysiology. A 60-year-old woman without any comorbidities, apart from overweight, was found dead in her apartment after 14 days of home isolation due to suspicion of COVID-19. A forensic autopsy was performed. This revealed severely condensed, almost airless, firm lungs, and the cause of death was severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-associated with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition, SARS-CoV-2 was detected with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in cerebrospinal fluid, lung tissue, and tracheal sample and specific antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 were detected in cerebrospinal fluid and serum. Subsequent sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus showed variation in nucleotides at 3 sites between SARS-CoV-2 isolates recovered from the tracheal sample, cerebrospinal fluid, and tissues from both lungs, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the spinal fluid sample differed the most from the other 3 samples. This case supports the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 may be neuroinvasive and cause central nervous system infection.

Congenital Toxoplasmosis: A Case Study

Acute toxoplasmosis infections that develop during pregnancy can be detrimental to the developing fetus. Although the etiology may derive from various factors, the primary cause of these maternal infections is the consumption of contaminated meat or water. The transmission of the infection to the fetus may result in devastating neurological and ocular disorders. In this article, we present a case of congenital toxoplasmosis that occurred on the 3rd live birth of a 37 year old mother’s 4th pregnancy. During the pregnancy, the mother received Spiramycin as she was (+) for Toxoplasma IgM. In the initial evaluation of the neonate, there were no findings associated with toxoplasmosis. A CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) sample was taken and the patient was followed-up, a re-evaluation was conducted as the patient’s PCR analysis was positive; the diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of chorioretinitis and intracranial calcification. In conclusion, congenital toxoplasmosis is an insidious disease with a slow progression. Physical examination findings may not be apparent during the early neonatal period. These patients should be carefully examined, periodically followed up, and their bodily fluids should be tested.