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Through recent years, there have been an increase of well integrity issues arising from the build-up of pressure in a well's casing annulus, or Sustained Annulus Pressure (SAP). The casing annulus (the volume between 2 concentric casings) are typically not designed for intervention and are only accessible from the casing valves at surface. While the A-annulus (the volume immediately next to the production tubing) may have limited accessibility from the tubing itself, for B- and C- annulus, this access is non-existent. Up until now, this has been the primary challenge in rectifying SAP issue in casings. Current well intervention technologies or methodologies are unable to rectify SAP issues and the wells had to be shut-in (production deferment) or required bleed-off facilities installed (additional CAPEX and OPEX). A breakthrough technology and methodology is required to resolve SAP issues and prevent risk escalation and production deferment. The desired solution should have the following characteristics: Ability to enter casing annulus, effectively lubricate the annulus, practicable at offshore and cost effective. Based on the objectives, a technology selection process was performed concurrently with development of the execution methodology. This resulted in the selection and vetting of the Annulus Intervention System (AIS) Wellspring which utilizes a compact and flexible conveyance system known as ‘wellspring’ to be installed at the casing gate valve, ability to deliver fluid up to 400m away from pumping point and have integrated well control barrier for safe intervention into a live condition well. In addition, a suppression fluid placement methodology was designed using a heavy (14.8 ppg) brine system to replace the existing (lighter) casing annulus fluid. This was calculated to have a net pressure downwards and therefore suppressing the SAP. With systematic process and procedure in place, team managed to prove the AIS can be conveyed through the casing head valve, passthrough the casing hanger and entered the B-annulus. The suppression fluid which is 14.8ppg brine also was able to be pump into the annulus to replace the degraded water-based mud with an optimum pumping rate and operating pressure. By achieving that, the team manage to suppress the SAP which ultimately safeguard the production from the well. This paper shall discuss the process of identification, diagnostic and subsequently the step-by-step method that has been taken by the team to ensure the AIS system is well suited to rectify the sustained annulus pressure. It will also discuss the execution strategy, technical challenges faced and lesson learnt during the execution of the project.

Coiled Tubing (CT) operations on small platforms pose multiple challenges, more so at a monopod. Resolution of apparent challenges, including worksite limitations and returns handling, led to new issues that needed to be addressed and overcome. This paper will discuss in detail, the case study of a CT Catenary campaign that addressed all challenges resulting in the first execution of high-complexity sand cleanout operations on a monopod platform at offshore Sabah, Malaysia by the Operator. The approach commonly used in the region to perform sand cleanout at small platforms is using a work barge or workboat-assisted CT with sand-handling equipment placed on the platform's main deck. For this monopod facility, in addition to adopting a CT catenary solution to reduce monopod deck loading, further load reduction requirements on the structure necessitated a reassessment of sand-handling equipment placement, specifically on the supporting workboat. This approach required the development of safe, effective, and practical returns management between the workboat and the platform. During the planning stage, the team established that a compact and fit-for-purpose operational set-up was required to meet the approved project economics. It was identified that detailed program engineering, comprehensive operational planning, personnel competency upskilling, and specific equipment optimizations would collectively be critical to the success of the sand cleanout campaign. In addition to the main scope of removing sand build-up in the well completions, the campaign also involved additional CT fishing and pumping activities. These additional scopes required the work program to be sufficiently robust to address potential operational contingencies yet flexible enough to meet all scope requirements for the equipment layout without the workboat having to return to the mobilization port for layout changes. The value presented in this paper comes from the comprehensive and detailed discussion of all technical and operational issues resolved by the Operator and its Solution Partner, in performing CT catenary cleanouts at a remote, small-size monopod facility. The paper also shares the final configuration and arrangement by which the campaign was executed and completed for insight sharing and further improvements.

Introduction: Fetal microchimerism is a frequent phenomenon occurring in all human pregnancies, which allows the transfer of fetal cells of various phenotypes to the mother. Recent data suggest an association between pregnancy, microchimerism, and cancer. A pregnancy history has been identified as a consistent protective factor against breast cancer. Thus, it is conceivable that undefined characteristics of previous pregnancies could explain why some women with positive parity have a reduced risk of breast cancer while others do not. In this context, we undertook this study to evaluate the relationship between fetal microchimerism and female breast cancers through a literature review. Materials and Methods: To meet this objective, namely, to evaluate the relationship between fetal microchimerism and female breast cancer, a literature review was performed using mainly a bibliographic data search engine (Pubmed). Results and Discussion: This study found microchimerism more in healthy women than women with breast cancer, with a statistically significant difference. These results suggest that microchimeric cells may reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. This protective effect may be explained by the differentiation and tissue regeneration properties associated with the immunoregulatory properties of fetal microchimeric stem cells. However, the correlation is not linear. Conclusion: In this study, our results indicate that microchemical cells may help reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. Good knowledge of the mechanisms of these microchemical stem cells could potentially serve as an innovative therapeutic approach for breast cancer patients.

Abstract The aim of this project is to reduce the water cut in highly deviated well and subsequently enhance gas production of an offshore gas producer. Well A is located in a mature field in the Andaman Sea and contains 10% CO2 and 400 μg/m3 mercury. Due to the high-water cut, the well was struggling to meet its daily gas nomination, and any further decline in production would reduce the national daily gas supply, thus leading to penalties to the operator if not tackled properly. With limited historical data acquisition opportunities at the location, adjacent well performance and well test data were correlated to pinpoint the problematic zones that were contributing to the high-water production being shut off. The well construction posed several challenges for installation, as severe completion ovality and minimum internal diameter (ID) at landing nipple restricted conventional plug application. Elastomers with high expansion capability were made-to-order to fully seal around the casing liner ID for effective downhole barrier isolation. Furthermore, the presence of CO2 content in produced gas may potentially cause elastomer swelling and embrittlement, leading to downhole failure. Guided by the lessons learned from previous operations, a structured engineering approach was undertaken to select a bridge plug with a customized deployment method to ensure the successful zonal shut-off operation for Well A. A high expansion mechanical plug (>30% ratio) dressed in customized swellable elastomers was selected instead of conventional inflatable plugs to tackle swelling and embrittlement concerns due to high CO2. The elastomer was required to meet the gas-tight requirement without the need to spot cement above it and should be economically viable. The plug was to be deployed through coiled tubing to enable activation of the plug mechanism via the hydraulic setting tool and cater for contingencies post-plug setting such as nitrogen kickoff. During execution, the water production layers were successfully shut off within the planned duration while meeting safety objectives. Upon flowing the well, the instantaneous gas gain increased by 190% and WGR (Water Gas Ratio) reduced by 70%, allowing production to flow without any unplanned shutdown. Despite the successful operation, it is highly recommended that production logging is performed post-operation to confirm the state of the downhole condition. Dealing with a mature well with declining production due to water loading is a problem for any operator. Every solution must lead to cost savings & able to prolong the production life of well. As iterated above, zone shut-off using the high expansion mechanical plug was able to enhance production from Well A, thus meeting the gas nomination supply. This paper will help other operators who are experiencing the same problem and drive replication efforts.

Sustained annulus pressure is an increasingly common well integrity issue encountered particularly in aging platforms. The issue is normally discovered via periodic wellhead maintenance programs or during monitoring by the production team. Subsequently, the wells integrity team will pursue well diagnostic via annular pressure diagnostic by manipulating and creating specific conditions to acquire information on the potential leak rate, leak path, and source of the leak. The probable culprit of the tubular integrity issues is due to completion or casing leakages, or failed cement conditions. The generic rectification technique available varies from rig to rigless method. Considering the low economic of the field & remote jacket location with a small footprint and limited crane capacity in Sabah waters, either the rig or workover option can be unfavorable. Therefore, the options available to remediate the sustained annulus pressure are limited considering the platform's design and operational setup. Historically, the team has attempted with a conventional pump and lubricate the annulus to mitigate the symptoms. However, the effectiveness was questionable as the pressure kept creeping up within a short period which urged the team to look into better technology solutions. With the limitations above, the team warrants a new holistic approach to resolve the sustained annulus issue. Annulus Intervention System (AIS) provides better fluid conveyance and circulation for better fluid displacement at the targeted depth. The AIS system has a smaller footprint as compared to a pumping or workover unit which is a major advantage for a small and remote platform directly applicable to the target Sabah asset. This paper will table out the step-by-step method that has been taken by the team to ensure the AIS system is engineered and tailored to rectify the sustained annulus pressure in a less than 500-meter square deck space.

Plants have numerous fatty acid desaturase (FAD) enzymes regulating the unsaturation of fatty acids, which are encoded by a FAD gene family. The FAD2 genes belong to such family and play a vital role in converting monounsaturated oleic acid to polyunsaturated linoleic acid. Oleic acid has the health benefits for humans, such as reduction in cholesterol level, antioxidation property, and industrial benefits like longer shelf life. The development of genotypes with high oleic acid content in seeds has become one of the primary goals in breeding oilseed plants. The identification and characterization of the FAD2 genes in plants have been an important step to better manipulate gene expression to improve the seed oil quality. The induction of mutations in FAD2 genes to reduce FAD2 enzyme activity has been an integral approach to generate genotypes with high oleic acid. This chapter will describe the FAD2 gene family in the model organism soybean and the correction of mutations in FAD2 genes with the increase of oleic acid content. Leveraging advanced research of FAD2 gene family in soybean promotes the study of FAD2 genes in other legume species, including peanut. The future perspectives and challenges associated with mutations in FAD2 genes will be discussed.

Micronutrient deficiencies caused by lack of Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn) and Vitamin A in the human body have negative effect with regard to health issues worldwide. Imbalances of these nutrients in the human body create a significant risk of illness and mortality among children under five years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Some of the food crops that thought to reduce micronutrients include rice, sweet potato, dry bean, sorghum, corn, barley, and finger millet have been biofortified through ways of agronomic practices, conventional breeding, or modern biotechnology. Despite the fact that dry beans address Fe and Zn deficiencies based on recommended dietary allowances (RDA), they often take a long time to cook. Many communities have limited cooking resources which make them rely on burning wood, charcoal or other biofuels that require more time and money. This study identified dry bean cultivars with enhanced Fe and Zn concentration levels and fast cooking time from 200 cultivars. Experiments were conducted under a complete randomized block design with two replications, 200 cultivars, and two different agro-ecologies. Iron and Zinc concentration levels were determined from the harvested seed grains of each bean cultivar using X-Ray Fluorescence while cooking time of similar cultivars were determined using the Mattson cooker. The variation of Fe and Zn concentration was significantly different at (p

IMPORTANCE: N-glycan branching modulates cell surface receptor availability, and its deficiency in mice promotes inflammatory demyelination, reduced myelination, and neurodegeneration. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is a rate-limiting substrate for N-glycan branching, but, to our knowledge, endogenous serum levels in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate a marker of endogenous serum GlcNAc levels in patients with MS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional discovery study and cross-sectional confirmatory study were conducted at 2 academic MS centers in the US and Germany. The discovery study recruited 54 patients with MS from an outpatient clinic as well as 66 healthy controls between April 20, 2010, and June 21, 2013. The confirmatory study recruited 180 patients with MS from screening visits at an academic MS study center between April 9, 2007, and February 29, 2016. Serum samples were analyzed from December 2, 2013, to March 2, 2015. Statistical analysis was performed from February 23, 2020, to March 18, 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Serum levels of GlcNAc plus its stereoisomers, termed N-acetylhexosamine (HexNAc), were assessed using targeted tandem mass spectroscopy. Secondary outcomes (confirmatory study) comprised imaging and clinical disease markers. RESULTS: The discovery cohort included 66 healthy controls (38 women; mean [SD] age, 42 [20] years), 33 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS; 25 women; mean [SD] age, 50 [11] years), and 21 patients with progressive MS (PMS; 14 women; mean [SD] age, 55 [7] years). The confirmatory cohort included 125 patients with RRMS (83 women; mean [SD] age, 40 [9] years) and 55 patients with PMS (22 women; mean [SD] age, 49 [80] years). In the discovery cohort, the mean (SD) serum level of GlcNAc plus its stereoisomers (HexNAc) was 710 (174) nM in healthy controls and marginally reduced in patients with RRMS (mean [SD] level, 682 [173] nM; P = .04), whereas patients with PMS displayed markedly reduced levels compared with healthy controls (mean [SD] level, 548 [101] nM; P = 9.55 × 10(-9)) and patients with RRMS (P = 1.83 × 10(-4)). The difference between patients with RRMS (mean [SD] level, 709 [193] nM) and those with PMS (mean [SD] level, 405 [161] nM; P = 7.6 × 10(-18)) was confirmed in the independent confirmatory cohort. Lower HexNAc serum levels correlated with worse expanded disability status scale scores (ρ = -0.485; P = 4.73 × 10(-12)), lower thalamic volume (t = 1.7; P = .04), and thinner retinal nerve fiber layer (B = 0.012 [SE = 7.5 × 10(-11)]; P = .008). Low baseline serum HexNAc levels correlated with a greater percentage of brain volume loss at 18 months (t = 1.8; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study suggests that deficiency of GlcNAc plus its stereoisomers (HexNAc) may be a biomarker for PMS. Previous preclinical, human genetic, and ex vivo human mechanistic studies revealed that N-glycan branching and/or GlcNAc may reduce proinflammatory responses, promote myelin repair, and decrease neurodegeneration. Combined, the data suggest that GlcNAc deficiency may be associated with progressive disease and neurodegeneration in patients with MS.

Summary Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) caused by Acidovorax citrulli is one of the most important bacterial diseases of cucurbits worldwide. However, the mechanisms associated with A. citrulli pathogenicity and genetics of host resistance have not been extensively investigated. We idenitfied Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum as surrogate hosts for studying A. citrulli pathogenicity and non‐host resistance triggered by type III secreted (T3S) effectors. Two A. citrulli strains, M6 and AAC00‐1, that represent the two major groups amongst A. citrulli populations, induced disease symptoms on N. benthamiana, but triggered a hypersensitive response (HR) on N. tabacum plants. Transient expression of 19 T3S effectors from A. citrulli in N. benthamiana leaves revealed that three effectors, Aave_1548, Aave_2708, and Aave_2166, trigger water‐soaking‐like cell death in N. benthamiana. Aave_1548 knockout mutants of M6 and AAC00‐1 displayed reduced virulence on N. benthamiana and melon (Cucumis melo L.). Transient expression of Aave_1548 and Aave_2166 effectors triggered a non‐host HR in N. tabacum, which was dependent on the functionality of the immune signalling component, NtSGT1. Hence, employing Nicotiana species as surrogate hosts for studying A. citrulli pathogenicity may help characterize the function of A. citrulli T3S effectors and facilitate the development of new strategies for BFB management.

Powdery mildew disease caused by Oidium arachidis poses a threat to peanut production in Africa. Loss of function mutants of specific Mlo (Mildew Locus O) genes have provided broad-spectrum and durable resistance against pathogen in many crop species. Since there is huge potential to utilize susceptibility gene-mediated resistance in crop improvement, genome-wide mining of susceptibility genes is required for further researches. However, the susceptibility genes have not been characterized in peanut genome. In this research study, the genome of the cultivated peanut was used as reference to identify the AhMlo loci. Our results revealed that 25 AhMlo loci were identified and distributed on the chromosomes of the cultivated peanut. Eleven AhMlo loci were located on the A-genome while the remaining 14 on the B-genome. Variable number of inserted intron sequences (4–14) and transmembrane helix (4–8) were observed in the coding sequence of the AhMlo loci. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of the AhMlo loci along with homologs from other species has clustered the AhMlo loci into six clades. Three AhMlo loci were clustered in the clade V known to regroup the powdery susceptibility loci in dicots. Additionally, four core promoters were predicted on the promoter region of the specific AhMlo along with cis-regulatory elements related to PM susceptibility. These results provided strong evidence of the identification and distribution of the Mlo loci in the cultivated peanut genome and the identified specific AhMlo loci can be used for loss of susceptibility study.

English has a need for some people around the world. People been struggling to learn and master English actively. And so teachers around the world been struggling to find the best way to teach the students of how to master English well. Not many people realize that the ability to speak and to master new language is an innate ability. Its in the brain. When the teacher are able to dig thebrain potential of the students than all the problem of learning English suffered by the students are solved. In this article, the author will show what our brains do when students listen to you. Most particularly, we will show how the brains of infants and children are tuned to understand language, and how changes in the brain during development serve as preconditions for language learning. Understanding language is a process that involves at least two important brain regions, which need to work together in order to make it happen. This would be impossible without connections that allow these brain regions to exchange information. The nerve fibers that make up these connections develop and change during infancy and childhood and provide a growing underpinning for the ability to understand and use language. We will show you how to gain students’ brain potentiality. So, they can learn English maximally like their own language

Most agronomic traits in plants are quantitatively inherited. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) are chromosome regions associated with a particular phenotypic trait. QTL mapping is used to gain insight into the genetic architecture of complex quantitative traits in plants. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) has become a routine strategy to understand the genetic basis of quantitative traits. QTL mapping and GWAS study requires genotypic and phenotypic data that have been scored across a large number of individuals within a population. Utilization of statistical methods is a crucial step for identifying QTLs or causal genes associated with traits to explain the genetic basis of complex traits. In this chapter, we review current advances and strategies in the QTL mapping such as the creation of various populations, application of different types of DNA markers, collection of phenotypic data, and selection of appropriate statistical software to ensure the execution of association mapping. Association studies between DNA regions and traits can provide an optimistic assessment of the prospects of marker-assisted selection (MAS) employed in plant breeding programs. Candidate genes associated with complex traits can be discovered and cloned after validation of QTLs through the functional study by gene editing or the combination of QTL mapping with RNA-seq.

Filled pauses may reveal speech planning or execution problems that result in various positional and temporal patterns in spontaneous utterances. The purpose of this study was to analyze the position of the vocalic FPs, with respect to an adjacent word, in terms of occurrences and their durations produced by young (mean age: 25 years) and elderly (mean age: 76 years) speakers of Hungarian (a total of 32 participants). Elderly speakers produced significan-tly less and longer vocalic FPs than young speakers did. Both the occurrences and durations were significantly influenced by position of FPs and by age. In this paper, we introduced the conception of a functional difference between FPs attached either to the preceding or to the following word. The findings indicated different ways of resolving speech plan-ning or execution problems depending on age.

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies caused by lack of Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn) and Vitamin A have negative effects on human health worldwide. Even though common bean meets Fe and Zn deficiencies based on recommended dietary allowances, the cooking time remains an important challenge. Understanding the genome organization, the loci and genes localization controlling multiple traits is crucial for developing enhanced micronutrient content and improved common bean with short cooking time. Results: In this study, GWAS method was used to determine SNPs associated with four traits studied, including water uptake, cooking time, Fe and Zn concentration level, using ~5,000 SNPs for a panel of 206 genotypes. By the analysis of population structure, 206 common bean genotypes were formed in three groups, the Mesoamerican gene pool, the Andean gene pool, and the admixture gene pool using the Bayesian method. With the significance levels between p = 2.94 x 10-08 to p = 8.33 x 10-03 and phenotypic variation of 8.26% to 18.19%, total of 10 SNPs was found to be significantly associated with traits on chromosomes Pv03, Pv04 and Pv10. Among of these SNPs, four SNPs were associated with water uptake, another four SNPs with the cooking time, one SNP with Zn concentration and one of less significant SNP associated with Fe concentration. Within the range or nearby the peak of significant SNP, putative loci encoding pectin degradation, cell structure and cellular exchange/transport were identified, suggesting these loci may play important roles in modulating expression of traits.Conclusion: The resultant data in this study contributed on deciphering the molecular mechanisms associated with water uptake, cooking time and micronutrient contents in common bean. The investigation of association between phenotypic and genotypic data has showed that GWAS approach is a powerful tool to dissect genetic architecture of complex traits and cooperate molecular breeding for advanced genotypes with enhanced micronutrients and short cooking time.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) was utilized to detect genetic variations related to the powdery mildew (PM) resistance and several agronomic traits in common bean. However, its application in common bean and the PM interactions to identify genes and their location in the common bean genome has not been fully addressed. Results: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) through marker-trait association are useful molecular tools for the identification of disease resistance and other agronomic traits. SNP genotyping with a BeadChip containing 5398 SNPs was used to detect genetic variations related to resistance to PM disease in a panel of 206 genotypes grown under field conditions for two consecutive years. Significant SNPs identified on chromosomes 4 and 10 (Pv04 and Pv10) were repeatable, confirming the reliability of the phenotypic data scored from the genotypes grown in two locations within two years. A cluster of resistance genes was revealed on the chromosome 4 of common bean genome among which CNL and TNL like resistance genes were identified. Furthermore, two resistance genes Phavu_010G1320001g and Phavu_010G136800g were also identified on Pv10; further sequence analysis showed that these genes were homologs to the Arabidopsis disease resistance protein (RLM1A-like) and the putative disease resistance protein (At4g11170.1), respectively. Two LRR receptor-like kinases (RLK) were also identified on Pv11 in samples collected in 2018 only. Many genes encoding auxin-responsive protein, TIFY10A protein, growth-regulating factor 5-like, ubiquitin-like protein, cell wall protein RBR3-like protein related to PM resistance were identified nearby significant SNPs. These results suggested that the resistance to PM pathogen involves a network of many genes constitutively co-expressed and may generate several layers of defense barriers or inducible reactions.Conclusion: Our results provide new insights into common bean and PM interactions, and revealed putative resistance genes as well as their location on common bean genome that could be used for marker-assisted selection, functional genomic study approaches to confirm the role of these putative genes; hence, developing common bean resistance lines to the PM disease.

Background Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have several known functions involving various biological regulatory processes in plant. However, the possible roles of lncRNAs during peanut seed development have not been fully explored. Results In this study, two peanut recombinant inbred lines (RIL8) that differ in seed size were used to investigate comprehensive lncRNA profiles derived from the seed development at 15 and 35 days after flowering (DAF). We identified a total of 9388 known and 4037 novel lncRNAs, from which 1437 were differentially expressed lncRNAs. Interestingly, the expression patterns of a number of lncRNAs can be very different between two closely related inbred lines and these lncRNAs were expressed predominantly in only one RIL at 35 DAF. Some differentially expressed lncRNAs were found related to putative cis-acting target genes and predicted to be involved in transcription, transport, cell division, and plant hormone biosynthesis. The expression patterns of several representative lncRNAs and 12 protein-coding genes were validated by qPCR. Same expression pattern was observed between most lncRNAs and their target genes. 11 lncRNAs, XR_001593099.1, MSTRG.18462.1, MSTRG.34915.1, MSTRG.41848.1, MSTRG.22884.1, MSTRG.12404.1, MSTRG.26719.1, MSTRG.35761.1, MSTRG.20033.1, MSTRG.13500.1, and MSTRG.9304.1 and their cis-acting target genes may play key roles in peanut seed development. Conclusions These results provided new information on lncRNA-mediated regulatory roles in peanut seed development, contributing to the comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in peanut seed development.