Performance of 15 Years of Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil Wells in South of Oman

The first application of Hydraulic Fracturing in the South Oman started in 2000 to enhance water disposal wells. In 2004 the first oil wells were frac'ed. Although the technology was deployed many times, it never grew into a conventional practice. From 2004 to 2017 on average 5 Oil Wells were hydraulically fractured on yearly basis. In November 2017, a Hydraulic Fracturing Maturation & Expansion Workshop was conducted with the vision of growing the application by applying new frac concepts. A focused effort was initiated to drastically reduce cost, and simultaneously increase the scope by executing larger frac campaigns. The first hydraulic fracturing campaign introducing the frac new concepts, started end 2018 and a rapid growth from 5 wells per year to 45 wells per year was anticipated in the next three years. This large growth of scope relied on a steady supply of frac candidates and needed to be supported by screening and selecting processes that are fit for purpose in finding candidates. Although more than a hundred wells had already been frac'ed wells, selection of the most appropriate wells for stimulation was and remains one of the greatest challenges. A frac performance database was created for over 100 wells that had been hydraulically fracture stimulated to date. Recognizing that the frac performance depends on many variables ranging from subsurface properties to surface execution of the frac job, the size of the dataset proved to be too small to find correlations using sophisticated multivariable regression methods. Instead, the dataset was analyzed through careful investigation and evaluation of each frac job. In this paper the net oil gain will be used as the key success criteria i.e., value driver to demonstrates how effective the frac is achieving its business objective. Some 40% of the producers had been producing from the same zone before the hydraulic fracture stimulation. This provided the opportunity to understand the efficiency of the stimulation in terms of the "stimulation ratio" i.e., measuring the net oil gain. This paper will focus on investigating the suitability of frac'ing the reservoir based on the initial production variables; Gross Rate and BS&W. Also, this paper will discuss benefits and impacts of Hoist versus Coiled-Tubing clean-out on the frac delivery process and compare the frac performance. To date, the project demonstrated that hydraulic fracturing at low cost, can be applied as a viable development concept for producing oil wells, with the potential unlock additional and new reserves. Significant folds in production increase are possible from 2x to 7x.

Increasing rates of laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery and decreasing rates of surgical site infections: an observational study in Japan from 2012–2017

Background Surgical site infections (SSI) are the most common healthcare-associated infection, and gastrointestinal surgery is frequently followed by a high incidence of SSI. Epidemiological analysis of the temporal trends in SSI following gastrointestinal surgery has yet to be performed in Japan. Our purpose was to descriptively investigate these trends. Methods Extracting national surveillance data from the Japan Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (JANIS) system, we analyzed the frequency of SSI events following gastrointestinal surgery, which consisted of seven surgical procedures, from 2012–2017. We calculated the standardized infection ratio to compute risk-adjusted SSI frequency, and used the trend test to detect time-dependent changes. Results The frequency of SSI events, except for those associated with surgery of the upper gastrointestinal tract, revealed a decreasing time-dependent trend. The use of laparoscopic surgery increased dramatically over time (p < 0.01 for the six applicable surgical sites), while the frequency of SSI events during laparoscopic surgery remained unchanged. Conclusions The increasing use of laparoscopic surgery was identified, and the observation coincided with the decreasing trend in SSI, especially in lower gastrointestinal tract surgery. If the relationship is causal, the overall SSI incidence among previously healthy individuals is expected to decrease, because the use of laparoscopic surgery has large growth potential in Japan.

Positive effect of using just-in-time teaching with part time students in a pedagogical university

This article is centered around the problem of using active learning and online home exercises as an effective means of learning a second language. Just in Time Teaching (JITT) is considered to be the combination of active learning and online exercises which proves its effectiveness. The authors dwell upon the advantages of JIIT in order to give most informative course in the shortest period of time possible. JITT facilitates students’ involving more learning strategies and simple ways to achieve best results and language acquisition. The authors claim that using the new approach makes learning grammar more successful. To find out the data the research was undertaken at the university. It included a survey that was carried out before and after the experiment with JITT. The results of the study showed a large growth in students’ accomplishments and interest to the subject.

Prediction of China’s Express Business Volume Based on FGM (1, 1) Model

With the continuous development of the economy, people’s lifestyle has changed greatly, online shopping has become a better choice for many people, and the express business volume is also increasing. Forecasting express business volume is of benefit to the healthy development of the logistics industry. Based on the data of China’s express business volume from 2015 to 2019, this paper uses the improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm to calculate the fractional-order r of the FGM (1, 1) model and forecasts China’s express business volume from 2020 to 2023. The results indicate that in the next few years, China’s express business volume will show a large growth trend, indicating that the express delivery industry still has a lot of room for development.

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and the role of universities to activating it, Sulaymaniyah Governorate as a case study

The entrepreneurship ecosystem is a special system of relevant stakeholders that support and contribute directly or indirectly to assist entrepreneurs to launch their businesses and projects. Human capital is one of the essential components of the entrepreneurs' ecosystem on which the success of entrepreneurship depends. This research investigated the importance of the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the role of universities in activating it. Unemployment is one of the biggest a growing challenges for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in light of the large growth rate of the population and the slow growth of the economy, which has created countless problems. This challenge must be faced by all possible means. Activating the entrepreneurship ecosystem is a proven and successful method for the natural birth and growth of businesses and projects, creating job opportunities, and reducing unemployment. The province of Sulaymaniyah was chosen as the limits of the spatial research and the temporal boundary is between the beginning of the first month and until the sixth month of 2021 within the period of the outbreak of the Covid19 epidemic. The research population is university graduates in recent years, and the research sample was 92 university graduates from various disciplines, of both sexes, and within one age category (23-26 years). The research found that most university graduates have some basic skills for business management, but before establishing their businesses, they need additional doses of skills designed through the curricula established in universities, and there were no statistically significant differences due to the gender variable in the level of their entrepreneurial abilities. It is expected that the conclusions and recommendations reached by this research will be a reference for university curricula and syllabus designers, decision-makers, and researchers for solutions to the unemployment crisis in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The diagnostic dilemma of the most common malignancy in orofacial region involving maxillary tuberocity: A case report

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy affecting the oral cavity. OSCC presents diverse clinical features including small ulcerative lesion to a large growth. The treatment modality of OSCC depends upon the severity, progress and spread of the disease. The purpose of this case report is to emphasize the etiological factors, clinical features as well as the management protocols of OSCC.

Has the Composition of the Greek Banking Sector Investment Portfolio Contributed to the Greek Economy Financial Crisis?

The banking sector in Greece met a large growth and provided the Greek economy with a vital push after the credit release. The galloping increase of private, business, and public loans reinforced business activity and offered high incomes for a few years. However, this push that the Greek economy experienced was based on consumption and not on the development of financial sectors that could constantly produce income for the economy and the state. The research examines the Greek banking investment portfolio from 2003 until 2017 based on the portfolio theory of Markowitz. Furthermore, it evaluates its differentiation and examines whether or not has contributed to the financial crisis that the domestic economy faced the previous decade. The findings point out that the negative portfolio returns during the span of seven out of 15 reviewed years and their covariances highlight that the portfolio diversification was not successful according to Markowitz's theory.

Regulatory Measures' Effect on Gambling Participation: Experiences From Norway

The purpose of gambling regulation can be to ensure revenue for the public, to prevent crime and gambling problems. One regulatory measure involves restriction of what games can be offered in a market. In this study, the effects of two regulatory market changes are investigated: First, a restriction of availability when slot machines were banned from the Norwegian market in 2007, and second the introduction of regulated online interactive games to the same market in 2014. Data collected from the general population in the period from 2005 through 2018, comprising 2,000 respondents every year, are used to investigate how participation in gambling changed over time. The respondents were asked if they took part in various games or lotteries. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict the proportion participating in five groups of games and if changes in participation coincided with major market changes. The first change was associated with a reduction in gambling on slot machines as well as a reduction in gambling participation overall. Following the slot machine ban, results show an increase in women participating in games offered in land-based bingo premises. A general increase in gambling on foreign websites was also seen, albeit much smaller than the reduction in slot machine gambling. The increases can partly be explained as substitution of one type of gambling with another. New regulated online interactive games were introduced in 2014. Despite the relatively large growth of such games internationally, Norway included, increased online gambling in general and an increased marketing of foreign gambling websites, the participation on foreign websites seemed stable. However, the overall participation in online interactive games increased. The introduction of the regulated alternative seems to have had a channelizing effect. Overall, the changes in gambling participation coinciding with two major regulatory changes can be explained by transformations of physical and social availability, and in terms of mechanisms outlined by the model of total consumption.

A Review on Recent Scenario of Cosmetics

Cosmetics are a category of health and beauty products that are used to care for the face and body, or used to accentuate or change a person's appearance. The history of cosmetics is present for at least 7,000 years and is present in almost every society around the globe. It is clear that the market of beauty has been extraordinarily glorious in brainwashing our minds. India has become one of the emerging countries with large growth in in cosmetic industries with each passing year. In spite of the global economic recession, Above 350 billion rupees was registered by the cosmetic industries of India in 2009. Sunscreens, creams and soaps are some of the widely used cosmetics. Even though, cosmetics are considered as boon by huge populations globally, the risk and toxicity of the cosmeceuticals are not to be excluded. In silico modelling for cosmeceuticals, Circular Economy, Release based on biological stimuli are some of the latest trends in cosmetics. Hypoallergenic cosmetic products can be defined as the class of cosmetics which tends to produce lesser allergic reactions when compared with other cosmetic formulations. The two firms charged that FDA had no authority to issue the regulation, but the court upheld FDA. Later the court of appeals of United States stated that the cosmetic companies can continue the labeling term "hypoallergenic". Process of labeling can reduce the probability of severe allergic reaction in persons with hypersensitive skin and hair. It can be concluded that cosmetic plays a key role in day-to-day life and is used by every gender thereby, creating an increase in cosmetic usage and scope also has an important role.

Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment

Technical and scientific developments have facilitated an increase in human life expectancy and quality, which is reflected in a large growth of global population [...]