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_ Advanced well completions have proven to be an effective method of moderating gas breakthrough while producing a thin oil rim when placed in a heterogenous, carbonate reservoir. In addition, several studies have proven that the application of autonomous inflow control devices (AICDs) acts as a type of insurance policy against geological and dynamic reservoir uncertainties to reduce the risk and variation in the expected oil production profiles. During 2019 and 2020, Sarawak Shell Berhad conducted development campaigns in the central Luconia province in a thin oil rim carbonate reservoir offshore Sarawak, Malaysia. The horizontal, approximately 6,000-ft development wells were expected to intersect with different geological layers with varying rock properties, resulting in an uneven reservoir influx toward the wellbore. Oil production from these wells was expected to suffer severely from early gas and water breakthrough. To produce the oil rim without the risk of early gas production, global production optimization specialist, Tendeka, incorporated FloSure AICDs in the lower completion design at the reservoir interface along the horizontal section of the wells. As an active flow control device, the technology delivers a variable flow restriction in response to the properties of the fluid entering the wellbore and the rate of flow passing through it to help manage gas coning/cusping risks. The fluid is then lifted to surface with natural in-situ gas lift built into the upper completion. A three-phase development was planned for the field, and to date, two phases have been completed. New-Generation ICD The first AICD completion was installed in Norway in 2008 and widely implemented in the Troll field in 2013 with very encouraging results (SPE 159634). However, its use is relatively new to both the Asia Pacific region and this type of application. Similar to a standard ICD which balances the influx of reservoir fluids, the FloSure AICD will delay the production of unwanted effluents prior to their breakthrough (proactive solution). However, once a breakthrough occurs, the device restricts the production of unwanted effluents with lower viscosity, such as gas (in light oil applications) and both gas and water in viscous oil production (reactive solution) (OTC 30403, OTC 30363, SPE 193718). The device delivers a variable flow restriction in response to the properties of the fluid and the rate of flow passing through it. Flow enters the device through the nozzle in the top plate of the body. This impacts the disk and spreads radially through the gap between the disk and the top plate, then turns around the top plate and is discharged through several outlet ports in the body (Fig. 1). The overall geometry of the device is critical to its ability to balance these forces effectively and create the desired fluid-dependent pressure drop. Field A employed 7.5-mm AICD valves to match the performance of the devices to the potential well flow rate. The oil, water, and gas viscosities are 0.40 cP, 0.27 cP, and 0.018 cP, respectively, at downhole flow conditions.

In this paper, a multi-stage model for expansion co-planning of transmission lines, Battery Energy Storages (BESs), and Wind Farms (WFs) is presented considering resilience against extreme weather events. In addition to High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) lines, Multi-Terminal Voltage Source Converter (MTVSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines are planned to reduce the impact of high-risk events. To evaluate the system resilience against hurricanes, probable hurricane speed (HS) scenarios are generated using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). The Fragility Curve (FC) concept is utilized for calculating the failure probability of lines due to extreme hurricanes. Based on each hurricane damage, the probable scenarios are incorporated in the proposed model. Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) policy is modeled to integrate high penetration of WFs. To deal with the wind power and load demand uncertainties, a Chronological Time-Period Clustering (CTPC) algorithm is introduced for extracting representative hours in each planning stage. A deep learning approach based on Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (B-LSTM) networks is presented to forecast the yearly peak loads. The Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation of the proposed model is solved using a Benders Decomposition (BD) algorithm. A modified IEEE RTS test system is used to evaluate the proposed model effectiveness.

L-Proline is a natural anti-oxidative and osmoprotectant agent, playing a versatile role in cell metabolism and physiology. The present study aimed to explore the antioxidant effects of L-Proline on human sperm function during incubation. Thirty healthy, normozoospermic men (27-40 years) were enrolled. Sperm samples were incubated in an unsupplemented sperm medium (control group), or supplemented with L-Proline (1, 2 and 4 mmol/L) to evaluate its effect during 0, 1, 4 and 24 h of incubation. Sperm were assessed in terms of motility, viability, morphology, chromatin and DNA integrity. Moreover, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined in the sperm medium. The results indicated that 2 mmol/L of L-Proline significantly improved the maintenance of sperm motility, viability, normal morphology, chromatin and DNA integrity, and TAC levels compared to the control group during 24 h of incubation (p 0.05). However, 1 and 4 mmol/L of L-Proline could not significantly preserve sperm parameters, chromatin quality, and antioxidant status during different incubation times compared to the control group (p 0.05). Collectively, the inclusion of L-Proline (2 mmol/L) in the human sperm medium maintains sperm parameters and chromatin quality probably by modulating the oxidative status.

In this paper, a dynamic (i.e., multi-year) hybrid model is presented for Transmission Expansion Planning (TEP) utilizing the High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) and multi terminal Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC)-based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) alternatives. In addition to new HVAC and HVDC lines, the possibility of converting existing HVAC transmission lines to HVDC lines is considered in the proposed model. High shares of renewable resources are integrated into the proposed hybrid AC/DC TEP model. Due to the intermittency of renewable resources, the planning of large-scale Energy Storage (ES) devices is considered. In order to accurately estimate the total TEP costs and hence capturing the scenarios of load and renewable generation uncertainty, using a clustering approach, each year of the planning horizon is replaced with four representative days. The proposed model is formulated as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem. Using Benders Decomposition (BD) algorithm, the proposed model is decomposed into a Master investment problem to handle the decision variables, and Sub-problems to check the feasibility of master problem solution and optimize the operation and ES investment cost. Three test systems are used as case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid AC/DC TEP model.

During 2019 and 2020 the field operator conducted development campaigns in a thin oil rim carbonate reservoir offshore Malaysia. The horizontal development wells were expected to intersect heterogeneous formations with varying properties resulting in an uneven reservoir influx toward the wellbore. Oil production from these wells was expected to suffer severely from an early gas breakthrough. These challenges were recognized to be mitigated by deploying Autonomous Inflow Control Devices (AICDs), installed at reservoir interface along the horizontal section of the wells. The AICDs can manage the reservoir fluid influx entering the wellbore and therefore optimise the well performance. To improve oil production and ultimate recovery, AICDs were incorporated in the lower completion design for the development wells. The Rate Controlled Production (RCP) AICD was chosen for this application. It is an active flow control device, delivering a variable flow restriction in response to the properties of the fluid and the rate of flow passing through it. This paper summarizes the integrated technical learnings from this project. An integrated workflow was followed to design and deliver the AICD applications successfully for the operator in an offshore light oil reservoir with huge uncertainties in remaining oil thickness and reservoir properties. The wells with a horizontal length of ~6000 ft were drilled in a relatively thin oil formation. The well intersected different geological layers with different rock properties. The lower well completions comprised of RCP AICD valves, shrouded with debris filter screens with an in-situ gas lift system in the upper completions helping to lift the fluids to the surface. The wells were segmented into compartments with blank joints and swell packers and tailored AICD placements based on individual well's real-time log data to properly restrict the production of unwanted fluids. Through teamwork between the companies, the wells were successfully completed with AICDs. The final modelling was performed just in the time span between reaching target depth and running the completion. Over two years of production, the wells completed with AICD not only have not seen any problem in terms of solid production, but they have also successfully exhibited limited GOR development which enabled oil production optimization. A PLT was also run recently in one of the wells to analyze further the zonal contribution of each section of the well and how AICD has effectively choked back the gas in selective zones. The results show that the AICD completion ensured a balanced contribution from the entire 6000 ft long horizontal section in the well despite the heterogeneity of the carbonate reservoir and has potentially reduced the gas production significantly to enable more optimized oil production within gas offtake limits in the reservoir management plan.

Several techniques have been applied to improve fluid conformance of injection wells to increase water flooding performance and eventually field oil recovery. Normal outflow control devices (OCDs) are effective solutions for this problem in reservoirs with static properties, however, they fail in reservoirs with complex/dynamic properties including growing fractures. There, the continuously increasing contrast in the injectivity of a section with the fractures compared to the rest of the well causes diverting a great portion of the injected fluid into the thief zone thus creating short-circuit to the nearby producer wells. A new autonomous outflow control device (AOCD) has been developed recently to choke the injection fluid into the propagating fractures crossing the well autonomously after reaching a designed flowrate thus maintaining a balanced/prescribed injection distribution. This work focuses on modelling design workflow to find the optimum completion design and demonstrates its added value through an extensive dynamic reservoir simulation study. Like other OCDs, this device should be installed in several zones in the injection well. The device is a bi-stable flow control device with two operating conditions, one, devices operate as normal passive OCDs initially, and two, if the injected flowrate flowing through the valve exceeds a designed limit, the device will automatically shut off. This allows the denied fluid to that specific zone to be distributed among the neighbouring zones. This performance enables the operators to minimise the impacts of thief zones on the injected fluid conformance and to react to a dynamic change in reservoirs properties specifically the growth of fractures. This also reduces the injection cost and improving the reliability of the injection well systems. A sector reservoir-model coupled with a Geomechanics model via commercial reservoir simulation software was established to study the impacts of temperature and flowrate of injection fluids on the performance of injection wells completed with various completions. The simulation study showed less imposed pressure and much more efficient fluid conformance and fracture growth was delivered with the new device compared to various other completions. The results showed how the new device may change the sequence of thermal fractures initiation and the extends of their growth. This autonomously reactive control on the injection fluid conformance resulted in an increased sweep and ultimate oil recovery (up to 20%) while reducing the total volume of injected fluid (by 30%), so significantly increased field NPV. This study illustrates how efficiently the new injection valve chokes/restricts water into dynamic thief zones in a reservoir. This new device is autonomous and reacts to the rate of fluid passing through and eliminates the cost of alternative techniques including running PLT and following intervention actions.

In the 2018 intervention campaign, CNOOC aimed to improve production by retrofitting a horizontal well offshore of China. Water mobility in the reservoir was at least 20 times higher than oil mobility and a strong aquifer was located below the well. The well was drilled along a heterogeneous formation with varying properties resulting in an uneven reservoir influx toward the wellbore. Although the well was already completed with passive ICDs, oil production from the well started suffering severely from an early water breakthrough in a couple of weeks after starting production. It was recognized that the challenges could be mitigated by deploying Autonomous Inflow Control Devices (AICDs) which can control the reservoir fluid influx toward the wellbore and therefore optimise the well performance. An AICD is an active flow control device that delivers a variable flow restriction in response to the properties of a fluid and the rate of flow passing through. An integrated workflow comprising history matching and performance evaluation of the existing completion and sensitivity analyses was adopted to determine the best retrofit completion for the well. A well with a horizontal length of 300m was drilled in a thin formation with the oil column averaging 15ft. The optimum retrofit completion was to install a 2 3/8″ inner string consisting of AICD subs, swellable packers inside the existing ICD completion. The well was segmented in three compartments and a tailored AICD completion based on log data from the well was designed to properly restrict the production of water. The string was then connected to a redesigned ESP pump lifting the fluids to the surface. Through teamwork between the companies, the well was successfully re-completed with RCP AICD completions. Over a 9-month period of production, the well performance has been optimised with AICD devices. The AICDs significantly reduced the water cut (WC) of the well from 97% to 87% helping produce 200% more oil compared to production prior to re-completion. This application not only saved the cost of treating extra water but also added value by producing more oil. It also facilitated the connection of another well to the production system due to the enhanced capacity of the system which was then producing a lower volume of liquid. This well is an example that demonstrates the possibility of retrofitting AICDs in existing screens successfully. AICD completions ensured a balanced contribution from all reservoir sections and limited water production significantly. The lessons learnt from pre and post-installation studies will be discussed throughout. The AICD completions enabled the operator to implement an optimum reservoir drainage strategy that uses downhole control that can be manipulated autonomously based on well dynamic conditions to produce more oil.

As production declines over time, the injection of fluids is required to enhance oil recovery and/or maintain the reservoir pressure. Whether applied at field startup or as a secondary recovery technique, waterflooding can boost oil recovery from less than 30% to 30–50%. The common problems associated with waterflooding include loss of injectivity, premature injector failure, and injection conformance. This can also lead to issues around insufficient voidage replacement, which can result in lower reservoir pressure and the production of fluid with a higher gas/oil ratio. In total field recovery, this ultimately means lower production and oil left untapped in the well. To remediate the issue of conformance, costly and often complex interventions and redrills were traditionally used to restore water-injection capability. Also, passive outflow-control devices have been used successfully to somewhat improve the fluid conformance from injection wells. However, they may fail in reservoirs with complex/dynamic properties including propagating/dilating fractures. Advanced Wells in Injection Wells There are a number of considerations when planning a water-injection completion, particularly around both the rock and fluid properties, as well as the credible risks that could occur, namely: - Uneven displacement of hydrocarbon - Fracture growth short-circuiting injectant-proximal wells - Fracture growth breaching caprock/basement seal - Crossflow, plugging, and solids fill Advanced completion options include deploying passive flow-control devices. For example, inflow-control devices (ICDs) are unable to react to dynamic changes in reservoir/well properties. This often requires production-logging-tool (PLT) logs, distributed temperature sensors, and/or tracers to be run and, if available, to apply the sleeve option. Alternatively, active (intelligent) completions, such as inflow-control valves, can be used, but they tend to be expensive and complicated and are limited to the number of zones. This technique also requires frequent analysis of data from the well to perform such actions. Tendeka, a global specialist in advanced completions, production solutions, and sand control, has developed FloFuse, a new and exclusively autonomous rate-limiting outflow-control device (AOCD) (Fig. 1). Using the analogy and inspiration of a home fuse box, which contains many individual fuses to control various parts of a building, the AOCD can control the excessive rate that passes through a specific section of a well, causing tripping once the threshold is reached. By almost shutting, i.e., significantly choking, the injection fluid into the fractures crossing the well, the AOCD autonomously prevents growth and excessive fluid injection into the thief/fracture zones and maintains a balanced or prescribed injection distribution. Like other flow-control valves, this device should be installed in several compartments in the injection well. Initially, devices operate as normal passive outflow control, but if the injected flow rate through the valve exceeds a designed limit, the device will automatically shut off. This allows the denied fluid to that specific compartment to be distributed among the neighboring compartments.

The inclusion of antioxidants (AOXs) has been proposed in various protocols to conserve the normal physiology of spermatozoa during (cryo) preservation. The main aim of this review was to understand the necessity of AOXs inclusion in semen extenders of caprine and ovine semen samples and to decipher physico-chemical space of AOXs used in semen extenders till now. A total 27 full-text relevant articles were finally discussed here. This systematic review showed that the inclusion of AOXs may improve the success of semen cryopreservation although at least three studies could not support this finding. AOXs have been not added after assaying total antioxidant capacity of the sample of interest, and this is principal measurement bias of all papers. Furthermore, no rational dose-response curve and precise posology have been considered in comparable studies. Furthermore, new methodologies are requested to detect the oxidative status of semen specimens before AXOs fortification and new methodologies like imaging are also needed to detect various injuries of sperms during semen (cryo)preservation. Defining computational chemical and physical spaces of AOXs which used in semen (cryo)preservation would be an interdisciplinary effort to hasten deciphering epoch-making compounds. In conclusion, more in-depth analytical, toxicological and pharmacological methodologies should be pursued in supplementation or addition of AOXs during caprine and ovine semen (cryo)preservation after determining the oxidative status of semen samples.

Some of the microorganisms such as Escherichia coli have the ability to migrate to areas in which the intensity of magnetic fields (MFs) is higher, which is called magnetotactic properties. Magnetotaxis is a process implemented by a group of gram-negative bacteria that involves orienting and coordinating movement in response to magnetic fields. This study was conducted to investigate these properties of Escherichia coli in laboratory conditions. By means of coated wires (30 rounds) placed in two parts of the reactor (with five zones and a volume of 250 mL) and direct current (DC), an intensity of 0.18 mT for 42 minutes has been prepared. The most probable number of E. coli per 100 mL (MPN/100 mL) in each zone of the reactor, before and after exposure, was estimated. According to the results of this study, E. coli has magnetotactic properties, and the mean density of these bacteria in higher MFs (0.18 mT) is higher compared to the other zones in the reactor.

Integration of smart grid technologies in distribution systems, particularly behind-the-meter initiatives, has a direct impact on transmission network planning. This paper develops a coordinated expansion planning of transmission and active distribution systems via a stochastic multistage mathematical programming model. In the transmission level, in addition to lines, sitting and sizing of utility-scale battery energy storage systems and wind power plants under renewable portfolio standard policy are planned. Switchable feeders and distributed generations are decision variables in the distribution level while the impact of demand response programs as a sort of behind-the-meter technologies is accommodated as well. Expansion of electric vehicle taxi charging stations is included as a feasible option in both transmission and distribution levels. In order to deal with short-term uncertainty of load demand, renewable energy sources output power, and the charging pattern of electric vehicle taxis in each station, a chronological time-period clustering algorithm along with Monte Carlo simulation is utilized. The proposed model is tackled by means of Benders Dual Decomposition (BDD) method. The IEEE RTS test system (as the transmission system) along with four IEEE 33-node test feeders (as distribution test systems) are examined to validate effectiveness of the proposed model.

Several techniques have been applied to improve fluid conformance of injection wells to increase water flooding performance and eventually field oil recovery. Normal outflow control devices (OCDs) are effective solutions for this problem in reservoirs with static properties, however, they fail in reservoirs with complex/dynamic properties including fractures. There, the continuously increasing contrast in the injectivity of a section with the fractures compared to the rest of the well causes diverting a great portion of the injected fluid into the thief zone thus creating short-circuit to the nearby producer wells. This paper summarizes the integrated technical learnings from the successful application of the installation of the first Autonomous Outflow Control (AOCD) technology in a new long horizontal injector well. It shows the result of extending this technology to other injectors in both water and polymer phases in the field, it details the facts and observations and the insights the multidisciplinary authors have captured. This autonomously reactive control on the injection fluid conformance resulted in an increased sweep and ultimate oil recovery while reducing the total volume of injected fluid.

Several techniques have been applied to improve the water conformance of injection wells to eventually improve field oil recovery. Standalone Passive flow control devices or these devices combined with Sliding sleeves have been successful to improve the conformance in the wells, however, they may fail to provide the required performance in the reservoirs with complex/dynamic properties including propagating/dilating fractures or faults and may also require intervention. This is mainly because the continuously increasing contrast in the injectivity of a section with the feature compared to the rest of the well causes diverting a great portion of the injected fluid into the thief zone which ultimately creates short-circuit to the nearby producer wells. The new autonomous injection device overcomes this issue by selectively choking the injection of fluid into the growing fractures crossing the well. Once a predefined upper flowrate limit is reached at the zone, the valves autonomously close. Well A has been injecting water into reservoir B for several years. It has been recognised from the surveys that the well passes through two major faults and the other two features/fractures with huge uncertainty around their properties. The use of the autonomous valve was considered the best solution to control the water conformance in this well. The device initially operates as a normal passive outflow control valve, and if the injected flowrate flowing through the valve exceeds a designed limit, the device will automatically shut off. This provides the advantage of controlling the faults and fractures in case they were highly conductive as compared to other sections of the well and also once these zones are closed, the device enables the fluid to be distributed to other sections of the well, thereby improving the overall injection conformance. A comprehensive study was performed to change the existing dual completion to a single completion and determine the optimum completion design for delivering the targeted rate for the well while taking into account the huge uncertainty around the faults and features properties. The retrofitted completion including 9 joints with Autonomous valves and 5 joints with Bypass ICD valves were installed in the horizontal section of the well in six compartments separated with five swell packers. The completion was installed in mid-2020 and the well has been on the injection since September 2020. The well performance outcomes show that new completion has successfully delivered the target rate. Also, the data from a PLT survey performed in Feb 2021 shows that the valves have successfully minimised the outflow toward the faults and fractures. This allows achieving the optimised well performance autonomously as the impacts of thief zones on the injected fluid conformance is mitigated and a balanced-prescribed injection distribution is maintained. This paper presents the results from one of the early installations of the valves in a water injection well in the Middle East for ADNOC onshore. The paper discusses the applied completion design workflow as well as some field performance and PLT data.

Matrix acidizing is a common but complex stimulation treatment that could significantly improve production/injection rate, particularly in carbonate reservoirs. However, the desired improvement in all zones of the well by such operation may not be achieved due to existing and/or developing reservoir heterogeneity. This paper describes how a new flow control device (FCD) previously used to control water injection in long horizontal wells can also be used to improve the conformance of acid stimulation in carbonate reservoirs. Acid stimulation of a carbonate reservoir is a positive feedback process. Acid preferentially takes the least resistant path, an area with higher permeability or low skin. Once acid reacts with the formation, the injectivity in that zone increases, resulting in further preferential injection in the stimulated zone. Over-treating a high permeability zone results in poor distribution of acid to low permeability zones. Mechanical, chemical or foam diversions have been used to improve stimulation conformance along the wellbore, however, they may fail in carbonate reservoirs with natural fractures where fracture injectivity dominates the stimulation process. A new FCD has been developed to autonomously control flow and provide mechanical diversion during matrix stimulation. Once a predefined upper limit flowrate is reached at a zone, the valve autonomously closes. This eliminates the impact of thief zone on acid injection conformance and maintains a prescribed acid distribution. Like other FCDs, this device is installed in several compartments in the wells. The device has two operating conditions, one, as a passive outflow control valve, and two, as a barrier when the flow rate through the valve exceeds a designed limit, analogous to an electrical circuit breaker. Once a zone has been sufficiently stimulated by the acid and the injection rate in that zone exceeds the device trip point, the device in that zone closes and restricts further stimulation. Acid can then flow to and stimulate other zones This process can be repeated later in well life to re-stimulate zones. This performance enables the operators to minimise the impacts of high permeability zones on the acid conformance and to autonomously react to a dynamic change in reservoirs properties, specifically the growth of wormholes. The device can be installed as part of lower completions in both injection and production wells. It can be retrofitted in existing completions or be used in a retrievable completion. This technology allows repeat stimulation of carbonate reservoirs, providing mechanical diversion without the need for coiled tubing or other complex intervention. This paper will briefly present an overview of the device performance, flow loop testing and some results from numerical modelling. The paper also discusses the completion design workflow in carbonates reservoirs.

Study question Does exogenous melatonin (MLT) attenuate BEP-induced damage in testicular cells and spermatogenesis in a dose-dependent manner? Summary answer Melatonin protected the testes against BEP-induced testis damage through ameliorating nitro-oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation. However, there was no significant difference between melatonin-treated groups. What is known already Recently, the prevalence of testicular cancer (TC), accounting for the most common cancer among young people of reproductive age (15–40 years), has risen internationally. BEP chemotherapy has increased the 5-year survival rate of TC patients at all stages of testicular germ cell tumors to 90–95%. However, BEP creates a high incidence of male infertility and even long-term genotoxic effects, which emerges as a critical health issue. Melatonin is a well-known potent antioxidant with widespread clinical applications that recently has been giving increasing attention to its role in male sub/infertility. Study design, size, duration 60 Adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 10/group). Group 1, 3, and 4 were injected with vehicle, 10 and 20 mg/kg of melatonin, respectively. Other groups received one cycle of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin for a total of 3 weeks with or without melatonin. Melatonin administration started daily one week before BEP initiation continued on days 2, 9, and 16; and one week after the completion of the BEP cycle. Participants/materials, setting, methods Bodyweight, testes weight, Sperm parameters (count, motility, viability, and morphology), testosterone hormone level, testicular histopathology, stereological parameters, testicular level of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), the expression of Bcl–2, Bax, Caspase–3, p53, and TNF-α (Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry) were evaluated at the end of the study (day 35). Main results and the role of chance Our findings showed that melatonin restores the BEP-induced reduction in the body and testes weight (P Limitations, reasons for caution Owing to limited laboratory facilities we were not able to perform further studies to verify the mechanism of melatonin in the specific targets by using transfection technique and transgenic. Wider implications of the findings: These findings can draw attention to the clinical application of melatonin and also suggest that melatonin may be an attractive agent for attenuating chemotherapy-associated male sub/infertility. This indolamine also may shorten the fertility recovery period in patients undergoing chemotherapy with the BEP regimen. Trial registration number N/A

There is growing concern that some cytotoxic regimens for cancer adversely affect spermatogenesis and male fertility. Increasing evidence demonstrated that melatonin has beneficial impacts on reproductive processes; however, whether melatonin can protect against bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy regimen-induced testicular toxicity, remains obscure. The present study aimed to explore the effect of melatonin on BEP-evoked testicular injury in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 10/group) were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with one cycle of 21 days of 0.33 therapeutically relevant dose levels of BEP (.5 mg/kg bleomycin, 5 mg/kg etoposide, and 1 mg/kg cisplatin) with or without melatonin. At the end of the study, sperm parameters, testosterone level, stereology of testes, testicular levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), the expression of apoptosis-associated genes such as Bcl2, Bax, Caspase-3, p53, and TNF-α (Real-time PCR and Immunohistochemistry) were evaluated. Our findings showed that melatonin restored spermatogenesis by improving sperm count, motility, viability, and morphology. Testosterone level, histopathology, and stereology of testes were significantly improved in melatonin-administrated groups. Furthermore, melatonin recovered the oxidative status of the testes through elevating TAC and ameliorating MDA and NO levels. More importantly, melatonin therapy suppressed BEP-evoked apoptosis by modulating Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, p53, and TNF-α expression in testes. In conclusion, melatonin protects the testes against BEP-induced testicular damage by attenuating nitro-oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation, which provides evidence for melatonin as a possible clinical therapy against BEP-associated gonadotoxicity and male sub/infertility.

Improvement of project scheduling is a complicated task due to numerous activities and various resources. Accordingly, the resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) is an NP-hard problem that minimizes the time and cost of the project. In this paper, the goal is to model the problem under uncertainty in the availability of the resources and activities duration simultaneously. Subcontractors of the construction projects are motivated to form a coalition to reduce the makespan, increase the availability of the resources and maximize their profits. Initially, the robust optimization (RO) model is developed for the RCPSP based on the multi-objective optimization method in which the uncertainty is modeled in a set of scenarios. The behavior of subcontractors is considered by supper-additivity in cooperation, satisfaction level and stability of coalitions. The results of the proposed model demonstrate that the subcontractors can work together in a coalition and obtain more profit rather than working individually. Then, game theory methods such as Shapley Value, Max-Min core, and Equal Profit Method are applied to fairly allocate excess profit of the coalition.

Purpose This study considers a project scheduling model to assess the project risks and the impacts on project sustainability when subcontractors collaborate under uncertainty. Moreover, some allocation methods are applied for fair allocating utility of the project and supper-additivity, stability and satisfaction level of each coalition. Finally, sustainability concept is considered in risk assessment in all coalitions. Design/methodology/approach The proposed mathematical programming model evaluates project risks when the subcontractors cooperate with each other by sharing their limited resources. Then, some cooperative game theory methods are applied for fair allocation of net present value, of the cooperation and finally sustainability aspects (economic, social and environmental) are investigated in risk assessment for each possible coalition. Finding The results of the proposed model indicate that the subcontractors can increase their profit by 10 per cent ($14,028,450 thousand) and save the equilibrium between sustainability aspects especially in grand coalition. It means that subcontractors do not have incentive to leave the coalition and the supper-additive property is feasible. Furthermore, risk assessment shows that project risks have less impact on subcontractor profits when they cooperate with each other. Originality/value Sustainability aspects may be investigated in project management in previous studies, but the authors study sustainability indicators when subcontractors form a coalition and share their resources in response to the risks of availability to resources and delay in completing the project under uncertainty.

This paper develops a new model for optimal placement of a combination of single-phase and three-phase Micro Phasor Measurement Units (μPMUs) in smart distribution networks with radial asymmetrical structure for complete observability. The presented model is formulated as a Binary Integer Linear Programing (BILP) problem. In order to take the full advantage of the zero injection properties to make distribution network observable, two types of Zero Injection Buses (ZIBs) are taken into account including Fully Zero Injection Buses (FZIBs) and Partially Zero Injection Buses (PZIBs). With regard to the location of a FZIB or a PZIB in the radial distribution network, an innovative technique is applied to reduce the number of μPMUs. In addition, the single μPMU outage contingency is incorporated in the model. The suggested model is examined on asymmetrical IEEE 13-bus and 37-bus and 123-bus test feeders for different cases and the obtained results are analyzed to confirm the presented model.

The present article studies a B-type Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with certain applications in the fluids. Stating with the Hirota?s bilinear form and adopting reliable methodologies, a group of exact solutions such as the N-wave and other solutions to the B-type Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation is formally derived. Some figures in two and three dimensions are given to illustrate the characteristics of the obtained solutions. The results of the current work actually help to complete the previous studies about the B-type Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation.