A Holistic Approach to Simulate the Impact of H2S on Production and Injection Surface Facilities Using an Integrated Asset Model as a Digital Twin

The presence of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in produced reservoir fluids mandates precautions in the design and operation of the surface facilities. The toxicity and corrosive nature of H2S, and the need to prevent both plugging of reservoir formations and increasing the sulphur content of the produced oil dictates the criticality of forecasting and monitoring the volumes and concentrations of H2S flowing through the whole asset. Ensuring the concentration is within acceptable operational limits is critical to safeguard the overall asset and the integrity of the surface pipeline network. The objective of this study was to utilize a history matched Digital Twin Integrated Asset Model (IAM) to predict the volumes and concentrations of H2S in a field located offshore Abu Dhabi by modeling the multi-stage separation, H2S removal, and re-injection facilities for gas injection and gas lifts. The field consists of multiple stacked carbonate reservoirs sharing the same surface facilities. The proposed modelling of H2S removal strategy involved a series of steps beginning with the sweetening of the produced associated gas for fuel gas requirements and mixing the extracted H2S volumes with the gas injection and gas lift streams. The sweetening process effectively mitigated any potential asset integrity issues arising due to corrosion of the power generation system and other surface facility assets. The stripped H2S gas, re-combined with the remaining produced gas, was used for gas-lifts and reinjected into the lower reservoirs for pressure maintenance and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). A next-generation surface-subsurface coupled simulator was utilized for the modeling of this field including the full asset surface pipeline network, the H2S removal plant, bypass lines and re-injection facilities for gas injection and gas-lifts. The Digital Twin IAM approach provided a robust method for tracking and predicting the concentration and volume of H2S in the produced gas over a period of 50 years. The simulation allowed tracking the H2S from its initial location in the reservoirs, into the production wells, then through the pipelines, all the way to the surface facilities where the sweetening of the produced is handled. Moreover, the use of the Digital Twin allowed the verification of the disposal plan of the extracted H2S, showing that mixing it with the re-injection gas stream is a feasible option. Recommendations based on the model were provided to the production and facilities team, leading to a robust long-term field development plan that ensures asset integrity.

Investigating the Effect of School Bus Stopping Process on Driver Behavior of Surrounding Vehicles Based on a Driving Simulator Experiment

School bus safety has attracted widespread attention with economic development and the improvement of overall quality of the population. However, violations of school bus regulations and school bus-related crashes often occur. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of the school bus stopping process on surrounding drivers’ behavior. This study provides a driving simulator experiment to explore drivers’ behaviors during the school bus stopping process under different traffic law awareness status, traffic volume status, and initial location status. Eight variables about behavior decision and kinetic parameters were assessed for analysis by a logistic regression model and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results show that the mean speed decreases and the number of people complying with the regulations increases after publicizing the regulations. The proportion of surrounding vehicles in the acceleration state increases, especially under the scenario that the traffic volume is large and the initial distance is far. This indicates that the enforcement of the regulations may stimulate unsafe driving behavior. The findings of this study could help policy makers to better understand the prevalence and compliance of current school bus stopping regulations among drivers and support improvements in the practical application of the regulations.

Multi-Level Control System for an Intelligent Robot that is Part of a Group

The article is devoted to the application of a group of robotic complexes for military purposes. The current state of control systems of single robotic complexes does not allow solving all the tasks assigned to the robot. The analysis of methods of controlling a group of robots in combat conditions is carried out. The necessity of using a multi-level control system for an intelligent combat robot is justified. A multi-level control system for an intelligent robot is proposed. Such a system assumes the possibility of controlling the robot in one of four modes: remote, supervisory, autonomous and group. Moreover, each robot, depending on the external conditions and its condition, can be in any control mode. The application of the technique is shown by the example of the movement of a group of robots with an interval along the front. The problem of the movement of slave robots behind the leader is considered. When forming the robot control algorithm, the method of finite automata was used. The algorithm controls the movement of the RTK in various operating modes: group control mode and autonomous movement mode. In the group control mode, the task is implemented: movement for the leader. For the state of "Movement in formation", an algorithm for forming the trajectory of the movement of guided robots was implemented. An algorithm for approximating the Bezier curve was used. It allows you to build a trajectory for the slave robot. On the basis of the obtained trajectory, the angular and linear velocity were calculated. In the autonomous control mode, two tasks are solved: moving to a given point and avoiding obstacles. Vector Field Histogram was used as an algorithm for detouring an obstacle, which determines the direction of movement without obstacles. The state of "Movement to a given point" is based on Pure Pursuit as a simple and reliable algorithm for solving such problems. A computer model of the movement of a group of robots was developed. The model is implemented in the MATLAB program using the Simulink and Mobile Robotics Simulation Toolbox libraries. Several different variants of the movement of the RTK group are modeled, which differ from each other in the initial location of the robots and the position of obstacles. The conducted computer simulation showed the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method of RTC control.

Dust Rings as a Footprint of Planet Formation in a Protoplanetary Disk

Relatively large dust grains (referred to as pebbles) accumulate at the outer edge of the gap induced by a planet in a protoplanetary disk, and a ring structure with a high dust-to-gas ratio can be formed. Such a ring has been thought to be located immediately outside the planetary orbit. We examined the evolution of the dust ring formed by a migrating planet, by performing two-fluid (gas and dust) hydrodynamic simulations. We found that the initial dust ring does not follow the migrating planet and remains at the initial location of the planet in cases with a low viscosity of α ∼ 10−4. The initial ring is gradually deformed by viscous diffusion, and a new ring is formed in the vicinity of the migrating planet, which develops from the trapping of the dust grains leaking from the initial ring. During this phase, two rings coexist outside the planetary orbit. This phase can continue over ∼1 Myr for a planet migrating from 100 au. After the initial ring disappears, only the later ring remains. This change in the ring morphology can provide clues as to when and where the planet was formed, and is the footprint of the planet. We also carried out simulations with a planet growing in mass. These simulations show more complex asymmetric structures in the dust rings. The observed asymmetric structures in the protoplanetary disks may be related to a migrating and growing planet.

These boots are made for burnin’: Inferring the position of the corpse and the presence of leather footwears during cremation through isotope (δ13C, δ18O) and infrared (FTIR) analyses of experimentally burnt skeletal remains

Cremation is a complex mortuary practice, involving a number of activities of the living towards the dead before, during, and after the destruction of the bodily soft tissues by fire. The limiting information concerning these behavioral patterns obtained from the pyre remains and/or cremation deposits prevents the reconstruction of the handling of the corpse during the burning process. This pioneering study tries to determine the initial positioning of the corpse in the pyre and assess whether the deceased was wearing closed leather shoes during cremation through isotopic (δ13C, δ18O) and infrared (ATR-FTIR) analyses of experimentally burnt pig remains, used as a proxy for humans. The results obtained show that both the position of feet on or within the pyre and the presence of footwears may moderately-to-highly influence the oxygen isotope ratios of bone apatite carbonates and the cyanamide content of calcined bone in certain situations. By forming a protective layer, shoes appear to temporarily delay the burning of the underlying pig tissues and to increase the heat-shielding effect of the soft tissues protecting the bone mineral fraction. In such case, bioapatite bone carbonates exchange oxygen with a relatively more 18O-depleted atmosphere (due to the influence of lignin-derived oxygen rather than cellulose-derived oxygen), resulting in more pronounced decrease in the δ18Ocarb values during burning of the shoed feet vs. unshoed feet. The shift observed here was as high as 2.5‰. A concomitant isotopic effect of the initial location of the feet in the pyres was also observed, resulting in a top-to-bottom decrease difference in the δ18Ocarb values of shoed feet of about 1.4‰ between each deposition level tested. Finally, the presence of cyanamide (CN/P ≥ 0.02) seems to be indicative of closed footwear since the latter creates favorable conditions for its incorporation into bone apatite.

Utilization of 3D MRI for the Evaluation of Sphincter Pharyngoplasty Insertion Site in Patients With Velopharyngeal Dysfunction

Sphincter pharyngoplasty is a surgical method to treat velopharyngeal dysfunction. However, surgical failure is often noted and postoperative assessment frequently reveals low-set pharyngoplasties. Past studies have not quantified pharyngoplasty tissue changes that occur postoperatively and gaps remain related to the patient-specific variables that influence postoperative change. The purpose of this study was to utilize advanced three-dimensional imaging and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to visualize and quantify pharyngoplasty insertion site and postsurgical tissue changes over time. A prospective, repeated measures design was used for the assessment of craniometric and velopharyngeal variables postsurgically. Imaging was completed across two postoperative time points. Tissue migration, pharyngoplasty dimensions, and predictors of change were analyzed across imaging time points. Significant differences were present between the initial location of pharyngoplasty tissue and the pharyngoplasty location 2 to 4 months postoperatively. The average postoperative inferior movement of pharyngoplasty tissue was 6.82 mm, although notable variability was present across participants. The pharyngoplasty volume decreased by 30%, on average. Inferior migration of the pharyngoplasty tissue was present in all patients. Gravity, scar contracture, and patient-specific variables likely interact, impacting final postoperative pharyngoplasty location. The use of advanced imaging modalities, such as 3D MRI, allows for the quantification and visualization of tissue change. There is a need for continued identification of patient-specific factors that may impact the amount of inferior tissue migration and scar contracture postoperatively.

Research on the Segmentation of Biomarker for Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Based on Multimodal Fundus Image

At present, laser surgery is one of the effective ways to treat the chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), in which the location of the leakage area is of great importance. In order to alleviate the pressure on ophthalmologists to manually label the biomarkers as well as elevate the biomarker segmentation quality, a semiautomatic biomarker segmentation method is proposed in this paper, aiming to facilitate the accurate and rapid acquisition of biomarker location information. Firstly, the multimodal fundus images are introduced into the biomarker segmentation task, which can effectively weaken the interference of highlighted vessels in the angiography images to the location of biomarkers. Secondly, a semiautomatic localization technique is adopted to reduce the search range of biomarkers, thus enabling the improvement of segmentation efficiency. On the basis of the above, the low-rank and sparse decomposition (LRSD) theory is introduced to construct the baseline segmentation scheme for segmentation of the CSCR biomarkers. Moreover, a joint segmentation framework consisting of the above method and region growing (RG) method is further designed to improve the performance of the baseline scheme. On the one hand, the LRSD is applied to offer the initial location information of biomarkers for the RG method, so as to ensure that the RG method can capture effective biomarkers. On the other hand, the biomarkers obtained by RG are fused with those gained by LRSD to make up for the defect of undersegmentation of the baseline scheme. Finally, the quantitative and qualitative ablation experiments have been carried out to demonstrate that the joint segmentation framework performs well than the baseline scheme in most cases, especially in the sensitivity and F1-score indicators, which not only confirms the effectiveness of the framework in the CSCR biomarker segmentation scene but also implies its potential application value in CSCR laser surgery.

P14.59 Rapid early progression of glioblastoma is not related to cortical/neural stem cells regions

BACKGROUND Rapid early progression (REP) of glioblastoma after surgery observed on pre-radiotherapy MRI scan is common. Subventricular zone (SVZ) and hippocampal regions are supposed to harbor astrocyte-like neural stem cells (NSC) with tumors arising from these transformed stem cells threatening of higher risk of REP. REP is defined as a new enhancing tumor or >25% increase in enhancement before radiotherapy. Lim′s classification of initial glioblastoma location related to these NSC regions predicts invasive and multifocal tumor phenotype. Glioblastomas are classified preoperatively into four groups by the spatial relationship of the contrast-enhancing lesion with the SVZ and cortex. The aim of this retrospective single-institutional study is to evaluate the relations of this Lim classification on REP in unselected cohort of glioblastoma patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients receiving radiotherapy between 2014–2017 were analyzed, 95 were evaluable. 47 patients (30.5%) were treated with the Stupp regimen. Lim1 classification (contact with cortex as well as SVZ) was presented in 74(48%) patients, Lim2 (contact with SVZ only) in 22(14.3%), Lim3 (contact with cortex only) in 50(32.5%) and Lim4 in 8(5.2%) patients. A total of 52% of patients developed REP. RESULTS Significantly better overall survival was with Stupp regimen (23.3 vs. 8.6 months, p<0.001) and without REP (18.5 vs. 10.2 months, p=0.001). There was no significant impact of time to start of radiotherapy. No significant relation between REP and Lim classification was observed. CONCLUSION The initial location is not predictive for REP. Patients experiencing REP have significantly worse overall survival and modification of their management represents an urgent unmet clinical need. Molecular and clinical biomarkers indicating an increased risk of REP are needed.Presented will also be an already published analysis of clinical factors associated with REP in glioblastoma and the effect of REP and treatment on survival outcomes. Newly, we will introduce the investigator-initiated prospective academic clinical trial (GlioMET) focused on optimization of glioblastoma radiotherapy by 11C-Methionine PET scan in patients with REP. Supported by Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic AZV, No.18-03-00469 and AZV NU20-03-00148.

Effectiveness of a Modified Measurement of the Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter in Newborns: A Randomized Study

Highlights Abstract Introduction: The measurement recommended in literature for a peripherally inserted central catheter presents considerable rates of poor positioning in the neonatal population. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the modified measurement method for a peripherally inserted central catheter in newborns, with respect to the positioning of the catheter tip. Method: A randomized clinical trial, conducted in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in south Brazil. The sample comprised the number of catheter insertion procedures in newborns, being randomized in the control group by applying the traditional measure and in the experimental group by applying a modified measure. The sample included 155 procedures, with 88 procedures included in data analysis. The data collection period was from September 2018 to September 2019. Results: The group-related variable was considered a risk factor for tip location. The control group was 28.87 times more likely to have the tip’s initial location peripheral than the experimental group, and 44.80 times more likely that the location would be intracardiac than in the experimental group. Conclusions: The modified measurement method proved to be more effective for the central location of the tip. The need for new assessments of this method in future research studies is highlighted.