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.

Clinical Presentations of Iranian Confirmed COVID-19 Patients at the Admission Time: A Preliminary Retrospective Study

Background and Aims: The current preliminary study aimed to assess the clinical symptoms of the 67 Iranian COVID-19 patients and investigate the possible beneficial effects of the naproxen compared to the standard therapeutic regimen. Materials and Methods: We assessed 67 COVID-19 patients. All COVID-19 cases were confirmed by computed tomography (CT) and real time-polymerase chain reaction tests. We evaluated the clinical symptoms of the patients at the admission time. Also, a group of 28 patients received naproxen besides their standard treatment. Clinical presentations, radiographic features, white blood cells (WBC) in peripheral blood, hemoglobin, platelets, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, blood urea nitrogen, lactate dehydrogenase, Albumin, and Creatine Phosphokinase were evaluated. Results: The patients' clinical symptoms show that cough (89.6%) was the most repeated signed at the admission time, followed by fever at 78.7%, fatigue at 70%, and myalgia at least 64.2%. Unilateral slight ground-glass opacity was the most abundant presentation by 64.1% in CT. The laboratory assessment in patients indicates that mean WBC was 6193 ± 3258 (x106/L), and mean lymphocyte was 27.8 ± 12%. The survival rate and the hospitalization days for patients with or without the Naproxen regimen were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The most common clinical symptoms in Iranian patients with COVID-19 at the admission time include cough, fever, fatigue, and myalgia. Based on the current study results, the survival rate and the hospitalization days for patients with or without Naproxen usage were not statistically significant. The laboratory parameters could not show any particular statistically significant differences.

A Cross-Sectional Survey to Assess Biorisk Management System in Research and Diagnostic Laboratories in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Financial, cultural, and managerial hurdles have made biosafety and biosecurity measures difficult in resource-constrained countries like Pakistan. Because of increasing awareness of biorisk management, diagnostic and research laboratories have made major advances in biosafety and biosecurity in the recent decade. As a result, identifying and addressing gaps in biorisk management has never been more critical. The purpose of this study was to assess the current situation of personal protective equipment (PPE), biosafety behavior, waste management, biosafety and biosecurity measures, training and safety, and health services in diagnostic and research laboratories across Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. We adapted the WHO Laboratory Assessment tool (2012) and CWA 15793 (Biorisk management guidelines) for conducting a cross-sectional survey, which was distributed among various laboratories in KP. The survey included 30 laboratories, including 11 diagnostic and 19 research laboratories. In comparison to diagnostic laboratories, biorisk management practices in research laboratories were better in terms of PPE, biosafety behavior, waste management, biosafety measures, biosecurity measures, trainings, and safety and health services. KP laboratories' biorisk management practices have improved over time, according to our findings. However, we were able to identify inadequacies that would require considerable improvements to the current setups based on the WHO and CWA 15793 recommendations. Organizations can tailor their biosafety measures and training to address identified gaps using the presented KP snapshot.

Aluminum resistance of malting barley

Background. Barley is the second cereal crop in Russia in terms of its importance and production volume. It is used for food, feed, and industrial purposes. The production of malting barley in Russia exceeds 1.5 million tons; each year the area under this crop increases by 10–15%, reaching 600,000– 800,000 hectares. Barleys suitable for brewing must have certain physicochemical and technological properties. The main requirements for raw materials are presented in GOST 5060-86 (state standard for malting barley). An important condition for obtaining sustainable harvests is the development and utilization of cultivars resistant to a set of edaphic stressors. The purpose of this work was searching for resistant cultivars for use in targeted breeding.Materials and methods. The material for the study included 161 spring barley cultivars for brewing from the collection of plant genetic resources held by VIR. The laboratory assessment of aluminum tolerance in barley accessions was carried out at the initial phases of plant growth and development, using the method of calculating root and shoot length indices. The tested malting barley was classified into five resistance groups.Results and conclusions. Cultivars resistant to Al3+ ions were identified among different ecogeographic groups of malting barleys. The trait had a wide range of variability in terms of both the root length index (0.17–0.95) and shoot length index (0.47–0.99). Accessions with high resistance to ionic (Al3+) stress can be used in barley breeding targeted at the development of high-yielding malting cultivars most adapted to harmful environmental factors.

Laboratory assessment of a head impact sensor for youth soccer ball heading impacts using an anthropomorphic test device

Recent advances in technology have enabled the development of instrumented equipment, which estimate the head impact kinematics of athletes in vivo. One such headband-mounted impact sensor is the SIM-G (Triax Technologies, Norwalk, CT, USA), which has been previously used to investigate the biomechanics of soccer heading by human subjects. Previous studies have evaluated the accuracy of the SIM-G for pure rotation and pendulum, impulse hammer and drop rig impacts. The current study used a soccer ball heading model to evaluate the accuracy of the SIM-G. A soccer ball was projected at the head of an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) representing a 10-year-old to replicate the heading maneuver at various impact sites, angles and speeds previously identified in youth soccer. Linear regression revealed that the SIM-G sensor overestimated the peak angular velocity and linear acceleration recorded by the ATD headform by approximately 44% and 105%, respectively. Tests in which the ball directly contacted the SIM-G sensor resulted in the largest peak linear accelerations. Glancing impacts were significantly associated with a decrease in percentage error of the SIM-G sensor peak angular velocity data relative to the ATD reference data. While it may not demonstrate accuracy in estimating the magnitudes of head impacts, the SIM-G remains a useful tool to provide estimates of head impact exposure for soccer players.

Laboratory Characterization of Asphalt Binders Modified with Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)

The study describes the laboratory assessment (physical and rheological properties) of the binders (PG 64-22 and PG 76-22) modified with Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), and a comprehensive comparison between these two modified binder types. PG 64-22 and PG 76-22 were used as base binders. Both of the base binders were blended with SBR at four different percentages of content (0%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by the weight of the binder). The base and modified binders were artificially short-term and long-term aged using a rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and pressure aging vessel (PAV) procedures. Superpave binder tests were conducted on the SBR modified binder using rotational viscometer (RV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and bending beam rheometer (BBR). In depth rutting performance was investigated using Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR). The results of this study indicated that (1) the addition of SBR into both binders increased the viscosity and polymer modified asphalt (PMA) binders observed to have more significant effect on its viscosity property; (2) the higher the SBR content, the better the rutting resistance of the binder and it is observed that the effect is prominent on the control binder; (3) MSCR test results showed that the SBR modified binders improved the binder percentage recovery and found to have a more significant effect on the PG 76-22 binder compared to PG 64-22; and (4) both the control PG 64-22 and PMA PG 76-22 binders resulted in similar trends on the cracking properties and were found to have insignificant effects due to the addition of an SBR modifier.

SENSITIVITY OF THREE THYROTROPIN RECEPTOR ANTIBODY ASSAYS IN THYROID-ASSOCIATED ORBITOPATHY

Background: Thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies (TSH-R-Ab) are indispensable biomarkers in the laboratory assessment of thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO). Clinical sensitivity of three different assays for TSH-R-Ab determination was evaluated in patients with TAO. Methods: 87 consecutive TAO patients were enrolled and their serum samples analyzed in parallel with three assays. An ECLIA competitive binding and a chemiluminescent bridge immunoassay were used to measure total and binding TSH-R-Ab concentration, while their functional activity was determined using a stimulatory TSH-R-Ab (TSAb) cell-based bioassay. Results: Compared to the two binding assays (ECLIA p<0.001, bridge p=0.003), the TSAb bioassay was more sensitive pertaining to the positive detection of TSH-R-Ab in TAO patients. No difference (p=0.057) was noted between the ECLIA and bridge assays regarding sensitivity rate. All patients with active and/or moderate-to-severe TAO tested positive in the TSAb bioassay (100% and 100%, respectively), while the positivity rates for bridge and ECLIA binding assays were 89.7% and 82.1% for active TAO, and 90.2% and 86.3% for severe TAO, respectively. Negative predictive values of the bioassay, bridge, and ECLIA assays were 100%, 75%, and 71%, respectively for active TAO, and 100%, 86%, and 71%, respectively for moderate-to-severe TAO. The superiority of the bioassay was most prominent in euthyroid (ET) TAO. Positivity rates of the TSAb bioassay, bridge and ECLIA binding assays were 89.6%, 75%, and 64.6%, respectively for inactive TAO; 86.1%, 69.4%, and 52.8%, respectively for mild TAO; 87.5%, 62.5%, and 12.5%, respectively for euthyroid TAO. The bridge assay correlated better with the ECLIA binding assay (ρ=0.893, p<0.001), compared to the bioassay (ρ=0.669, p<0.001). Conclusions: In patients with TAO of various activity and severity, the TSAb bioassay demonstrates a superior clinical performance compared to both ECLIA and bridge binding assays.

Occupational risk management as a system of socio-economic measures aimed at preventing diseases and protecting the health of workers in the Republic of Belarus

The article presents a retrospective of the leading research directions on preserving the health of the able-bodied population of the Republic of Belarus based on the results presented at the XVI Congress with international participation "Profession and Health". These are the possibilities of monitoring "working conditions-employee health", laboratory assessment of the intensity of the labor process, monitoring the health of workers employed under the influence of industrial vibration, industrial aerosols, development of a risk management system for the development of occupational diseases of certain professions on the Belarusian railway, a pilot project of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus "Caring Polyclinic", assessment of the effects of low-intensity production factors in oil refining, etc.