Quantitative assessment of areal geological complexity

Background. The article presents a new approach to assessing the geological complexity — quantitative assessment of areal complexity, as well as an alternative methodology for assessing complexity in 1D. Aim. Developing a numerical metric for assessing the geological complexity and creating an algorithm for complexity maps construction. Materials and methods. Generally, complexity describe the reservoir in one number, that often underestimates the real complexity of the deposit. Geological complexity, presented in the article consists of 5 groups: structuraltectonic, facies-lithological, permeability and porosity, secondary alteration and fluid properties, 13 characteristics describe the complexity space of these groups. Each of these characteristics could be presented not only in 1D but also in 2D. The proposed methodology was tested on the company’s assets. Results. The presented examples of complexity maps for several fields show the advantage of 2D complexity estimation in comparison with 1D. The analysis of decomposed complexity estimation (for individual groups) on the company’s assets showed that the key groups of complexity are structural-tectonic, facies-lithological characteristics. Therefore, characteristics that describe these groups should be taken into account during the decision-making process and assets ranking. Conclusion. A methodology of quantitative assessment of areal geological complexity has been developed. This areal assessment allows identify the most “problematic” areas, analyzing existing sources of uncertainty, and also ranking and screening company assets when making strategic decisions.

Gas Deviation Factor Calculation Made Easy and Accurate Using an IR 4.0 Tool

Gas deviation factor (z-factor) and other gas reservoir fluid properties, such as formation volume factor, density, and viscosity, are normally obtained from Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) experimental analysis. This process of reservoir fluid characterization usually requires collecting pressurized fluid samples from the wellbore to conduct the experimental work. The scope of this paper will provide an alternative methodology for obtaining the z-factor. An IR 4.0 tool that heavily utilizes software coding was developed. The advanced tool uses the novel apparent molecular weight profiling concept to achieve the paper objective timely and accurately. The developed tool calculates gas properties based on downhole gradient pressure and temperature data as inputs. The methodology is applicable to dry, wet or condensate gas wells. The gas equation of state is modified to solve numerically for the z-factor using the gradient survey pressure and temperature data. The numerical solution is obtained by applying an iterative computation scheme as described below:A gas apparent molecular weight value is initialized and then gas mixture specific gravity and pseudo-critical properties are calculated.Gas mixture pseudo-reduced properties are calculated from the measured pressure and temperature values at the reservoir depth.A first z-factor value is determined as a function of the pseudo-reduced gas properties.Gas pressure gradient is obtained at the reservoir depth from the survey and used to back-calculate a second z-factor value by applying the modified gas equation of state.Relative error between the two z factor values is then calculated and compared against a low predefined tolerance.The above steps are reiterated at different assumed gas apparent molecular weight values until the predefined tolerance is achieved. This numerical approach is computerized to perform the highest possible number of iterations and then select the z-factor value corresponding to the minimum error among all iterations. The proposed workflow has been applied on literature data with known reservoir gas properties, from PVT analysis, and showed an excellent prediction performance compared to laboratory analysis with less than 5% error.

The Status of Soft Law in Interpreting the Lithuanian Constitution

In this paper, I examine the status of soft law in the official interpretation of the Lithuanian Constitution. The “living constitution” doctrine dominates the Lithuanian constitutional scholarship. I question this dominance by providing insights on the essence and application potential of the alternative methodology – the doctrine of originalism. Based on originalistic approach, I doubt the normative claim made in Lithuanian constitutional scholarship that soft law could be considered as a mandatory source of interpretation of the Lithuanian Constitution.

The Rasch Model Cannot Reveal Systematic Differential Item Functioning in Single Tests: Subset DIF Analysis as an Alternative Methodology

This article demonstrates that the Rasch model cannot reveal systematic differential item functioning (DIF) in single tests. The person total score is the sufficient statistic for the person parameter estimate, eliminating the possibility for residuals at the test level. An alternative approach is to use subset DIF analysis to search for DIF in item subsets that form the components of the broader latent trait. In this methodology, person parameter estimates are initially calculated using all test items. Then, in separate analyses, these person estimates are compared to the observed means in each subset, and the residuals assessed. As such, this methodology tests the assumption that the person locations in each factor group are invariant across subsets. The first objective is to demonstrate that in single tests differences in factor groups will appear as differences in the mean person estimates and the distributions of these estimates. The second objective is to demonstrate how subset DIF analysis reveals differences between person estimates and the observed means in subsets. Implications for practitioners are discussed.

Degrees of Freedom: Is Good Philosophy Bad Science?

The lecture starts by considering analytic philosophy as a tradition, and its global spread over recent years, of which Disputatio’s success is itself evidence. The costs and benefits of the role of English as the international language of analytic philosophy are briefly assessed. The spread of analytic philosophy is welcomed as the best hope for scientific philosophy, in a sense of ‘science’ on which mathematics, history, and philosophy can all count as sciences, though not as natural sciences. Arguably, experimental philosophy provides no plausible alternative methodology for philosophy, only a way of psychologizing it. However, it serves a useful purpose by highlighting the inadequacy of current methods for detecting errors in judgments on possible cases, which may result from reliance on possibly universal but imperfectly reliable cognitive heuristics. The problem is exacerbated by analytic philosophers’ tendency to regard increased flexibility in a theoretical framework as progress, where natural scientists would treat it as methodologically vicious profligacy with degrees of freedom. The result is a familiar type of bad science, overfitting theory to uncritically accepted data. The recent ‘hyperintensional revolution’ may be an example of such overfitting, it is suggested. The lecture ends with a call for a more miserly attitude to degrees of freedom.

A simple and intuitive methodology for estimating red blood cell surface antigen expression variation using optical cell-detachment technique

The analysis of surface antigens on cells, especially red blood cells (RBCs), has attracted increasing attention due to the recognition of antigenic variation that can facilitate early diagnoses. This paper presents an alternative methodology to estimate the variation of surface antigen expressions using an optical cell-detachment technique to validate the binding of individual RBCs stuck on corresponding antibody-coated surfaces. The detachment tests were implemented by an optical tweezers with gradually decreasing laser powers associated with serial antibody dilutions. Then, the antigen expression variation was estimated based on the known antibody dilution folds. The B- and B3-types of RBCs were selected for the demonstration subjects. With the semi-quantitative analysis, the proposed methodology was successfully verified for evaluating the variation of the RBC surface antigen expressions. The analysis result shows good consistency with the literature’s findings.

Alternative methodology for the germination test in chemically treated corn hybrid seeds

The objective of this work was to identify the most suitable conditions for the evaluation of the germination test in corn seeds through the use of different substrates. Two tests were carried out for the development of the work. In test 1, the hybrid Morgan 30A37 PWV was used in a factorial scheme of 5 substrates with 8 chemical treatments. The seeds were treated industrially with the following insecticides: Inside FS, Inside FS + Maestro FS, Maestro FS, Poncho, Inside FS + BioCoat Corn, Inside FS + Maestro FS + BioCoat Corn and Maestro FS + BioCoat Corn. For test 2, the hybrid used was the FS533 PWV in a factorial scheme of 5 substrates and 5 treatments, in which the seeds received the industrial treatment with the insecticides: Inside FS, Inside FS + Maestro FS, Maestro FS and Poncho. Both tests were submitted to two temperatures (20°C and 25°C) and five substrates (germitest® paper; germitest® paper + sand; germitest® paper + soil; germitest® paper + coal and brown paper). The most suitable substrates for installing the germination test in chemically treated corn seeds were brown pepper and germitest® + charcoal. And the temperature of 20°C is the one that allows the most uniform and rapid development of normal seedlings in the germination test in treated hybrid corn seeds.

Immunoglobulin D Multiple Myeloma with a “Hidden” Lambda Light Chain

Introduction/Objective In rare cases, the conventional immunofixation gel electrophoresis technique fails to detect the light chain of an M-protein. We report a case of immunoglobulin (Ig) D multiple myeloma with a hidden lambda (λ) light chain. Methods/Case Report Capillary electrophoresis (CE) (Sebia CAPILLARYS 2) was used to detect and quantify M- proteins in serum specimens. Immunosubtraction (IS) on the CAPILLARYS 2 systems was used to identify the classes of M-proteins. Conventional gel immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) was performed, using monospecific antisera for IgD, IgE, kappa (κ) or λ in the Sebia HYDRASYS system, and IgG, IgA, IgM, κ or λ in the Helena SPIFE3000 system. Beta-mercaptoethanol (BME) with Fluidil were used as reduction agents. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) Results of serum CE showed two abnormal peaks in beta 2 and gamma regions, suspected to be positive for M-proteins. IS results showed subtraction for λ light chain only in both peaks, suggesting two monoclonal λ light chains. In contrary, no monoclonal λ light chain was detected in gamma region by IFE (Sebia). Epitope masking in the folded monoclonal protein was suspected to cause the “hidden λ light chain” and was further investigated by two laboratory approaches. IFE performed on the Helena SPIFE3000 system found two λ bands in beta 2 and gamma regions, which was consistent with the results from IS. The treatment of BME with Fluidil helped unmasking the hidden epitope and revealed the λ band in gamma region on IFE (Sebia). Conclusion The medical laboratories should be aware of the described scenario. The failure to detect light chains of certain intact M-proteins is most likely due to the structurally inaccessibility of light chains. It is recommended that treatment with reduction agents or use of an alternative methodology or IS might be helpful for investigating suspected heavy chain only cases, due to the limitation of conventional methodology.