This paper presents a programmable lab-on-CMOS (LoCMOS) with micro-electrode cell array. Array structure is suitable for programmable like CMOS VLSIs. In order to improve the utilization, each micro-electrode cell is composed of actuation and sensing circuit. In addition, a CMOS-compatible extended drain MOSFET (EDMOS) is adopted under a 3V supply. This LoCMOS platform is composed of 1,800 microelectrodes with exploiting EDMOS to enable droplet actuations. Through its field programmability, the chip can successfully perform all microfluidic operations, droplet moving/cutting/mixing on a 2-dimenional microelectrode cell array. Implemented in 0.35um standard CMOS process, the LoCMOS platform demonstrates microfluidic functions and droplet detection. Measured results show successfully for actuation and real-time droplet location sensing.

This paper presents a field programmable lab-on-a-chip (FPLOC) with microfluidics actuation, droplet location/ category readback, built-in-self-test (BIST), and bioassays detection. This FPLOC is composed of 1,800 MEDA microelectrodes and integrates a set of microfluidic operations to perform droplet moving/cutting/mixing. Besides, capacitive sensing circuits are considered for system automation, droplets classification, malfunctioning microelectrodes and surface flatness testing, and biomedical detection. Implemented in 0.35μm standard CMOS process in 7.4mm2, the FPLOC demonstrates microfluidic operations under 25V at 1KHz, 1.3fF resolution for droplet location/category/chip BIST maps readback at 1MHz, and 0.34fF sensitivity of capacitive measurement window for biomedical detection at 1KHz.

The fundamentals of electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) digital microfluidics are very strong: advantageous capability in the manipulation of fluids, small test volumes, precise dynamic control and detection, and microscale systems. These advantages are very important for future biochip developments, but the development of EWOD microfluidics has been hindered by the absence of: integrated detector technology, standard commercial components, on-chip sample preparation, standard manufacturing technology and end-to-end system integration. A field-programmable lab-on-a-chip (FPLOC) system based on microelectrode dot array (MEDA) architecture is presented in this research. The MEDA architecture proposes a standard EWOD microfluidic component called 'microelectrode cell', which can be dynamically configured into microfluidic components to perform microfluidic operations of the biochip. A proof-of-concept prototype FPLOC, containing a 30 × 30 MEDA, was developed by using generic integrated circuits computer aided design tools, and it was manufactured with standard low-voltage complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, which allows smooth on-chip integration of microfluidics and microelectronics. By integrating 900 droplet detection circuits into microelectrode cells, the FPLOC has achieved large-scale integration of microfluidics and microelectronics. Compared to the full-custom and bottom-up design methods, the FPLOC provides hierarchical top-down design approach, field-programmability and dynamic manipulations of droplets for advanced microfluidic operations.

Summary Pore-pressure (PP) and fracture-gradient (FG) predictions were prepared for Prelude development wells in the Browse basin in offshore northwest Australia. The PP forecasts were based on resistivity- and sonic-based models calibrated with pressure measurements and drilling events, such as kicks from existing wells. FGs were based on leakoff tests and loss events from offset wells and were not necessarily equal to either the minimum compressive principal stress (often considered a lower bound to FG) or the formation-breakdown pressure (often considered an upper bound to FG that includes effects of formation tensile strength and near-wellbore hoop stress). The minimum compressive horizontal stress was calculated from lithology-dependent effective-stress ratios. Maximum horizontal stress was inferred from observed breakouts. PP and stresses were combined with formation properties from well logs and laboratory rock-mechanics tests to provide input for elastoplastic (shales) and poroelastic (sands) borehole-stability (BHS) models. These techniques are applicable to exploration, appraisal, or early-development wells that have potential for encountering geopressured formations in high-angle well sections requiring good predrill estimates to adequately plan the casing and drilling programs and determine BHS. The predrill studies can be extended to provide integrated real-time PP and BHS while drilling, and the models can be recalibrated after each well to provide updated predictions for subsequent wells. There are only minor deviations in the predicted PP and FG among the different well locations considered. Common features include potential loss zones in the shallow overburden, pressure ramp within the Jamieson, pressure regression below the Aptian, and near-hydrostatic pressure within the Upper Swan and below. The BHS models indicate that minimum-required mud weight in deviated sections could be up to 20% higher than that required to balance formation PP. In one well that would cross a suspected fault, the risk of fault reopening or reactivation is low.

Digital microfluidics, by the electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD), is a promising way to manipulate biological targets like DNA, proteins, or cells in very small liquid volumes. Conventionally, digital microfluidic operations are performed on a two-dimensional electrode array. This research expands the two-dimensional conventional digital microfluidic architecture into a three-dimensional architecture. The concept relies on the possibility that back and forth motions between open and covered regions are possible under electrowetting actuation. Two face-to-face plates based on "microelectrode dot array" (MEDA) architecture form the foundation of the two-layer microfluidic operations and a dual open/covered hybrid design adds the inter-layer microfluidic connection to complete the three-dimensional system. By combining the advantages of the open/covered systems, a three-dimensional digital microfluidics may achieve better droplet routing capabilities and fit more functions into a given footprint.

Droplet-based digital microfluidic lab-on-chips exploiting electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) have been studied over the last decade. With the recent introduction of new highly scalable, reconfigurable and field-programmable microelectrode dot array (MEDA) architecture, there is a compelling need for a new digital microfluidics synthesizer for the new MEDA architecture. Droplet routing is a critical part of the digital microfluidics synthesizer. This paper presents a routing algorithm and the associated performance analysis results. The algorithm is able to route different sizes of reagent and sample droplets simultaneously and also incorporates other characteristics such as diagonal movements and channel-based movements that are specific to the MEDA architecture.

Participation trends in 100 m (161 km) ultramarathon running competitions in North America were examined from race results from 1977 through 2008. A total of 32, 352 finishes accounted for by 9815 unique individuals were identified. The annual number of races and number of finishes increased exponentially over the study period. This growth in number of finishes occurred through a combination of (1) an increase in participation among runners >40 years of age from less than 40% of the finishes prior to the mid-1980s to 65-70% of the finishes since 1996, (2) a growth (p < 0.0001) in participation among women from virtually none in the late 1970s to nearly 20% since 2004, and (3) an increase in the average annual number of races completed by each individual to 1.3. While there has been considerable growth in participation, the 161 km ultramarathon continues to attract a relatively small number of participants compared with running races of shorter distances.

PURPOSE: To document changes in participation and performance in 100-mile (161-km) ultramarathon running competitions in North America from 1974 to 2008. METHODS: Results were tabulated for all 161-km running races in North America between 1974 and 2008 from which results could be identified. Regression analyses were used to examine changes across time. ANOVA was used to compare the fastest finish times across age groups. RESULTS: From 1974 through 2007, a total of 29,617 finishes were identified which were accounted for by 8969 different individuals (83% men). There was exponential growth in the total number of finishes as well as the number of different individuals finishing these races. The number of 161-km ultramarathon running races in North America has also risen exponentially since 1980, with there being 53 such events in 2008. The proportion of finishes accounted for by women has increased to the current level of nearly 20%. Finishers ranged in age from 15-75 years, and women were significantly (p<0.0001) younger than men (41±8 vs. 43±9 years). Mean ages generally increased (p<0.0001) across years for both men and women, but dropped after 2004 among men so that ages in 2007 averaged 44 and 43 years, respectively. The general increase in average age of finishers was accounted for by proportional increases among those ≥40 years of age and decreases among those <40 years of age for men; and proportional increases among those in the 40-59 year age range and decreases among those <30 years of age for women. Overall finish rates have increased slightly (p<0.002) over the last 30 years to approximately 60%. Runners in the 30-39 year age group achieved the fastest finish times. Over the last 30 years, the average age of winners has increased (p≤0.01) for both sexes to approximately 38 years. On the whole, the fastest women were 22% slower than the fastest men, and this difference has not changed in the last 20 years. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in 161-km running competitions in North America increased exponentially from the 1970‘s, and though participation among women grew, men have remained dominant in terms of quantity and speed. The age range of finishers was quite wide, and the average age of finishers and winners has increased to the mid-40‘s and upper-30‘s, respectively. Supported by the Ultra-Endurance Exercise Research Foundation

Reclaiming farmland from lakes in China in the 1950s damaged the water quality of many lakes. Tremendous efforts have been made since the late 1990s to restore vegetation around the damaged lakes. This paper examines water quality of Fuxian and Qilu Lakes and land-use characteristics within the two catchments in the high-altitude area of Yunnan Province, China. Landsat TM data acquired in 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2005 were used to extract land use and land cover (LULC) information. Measurements of five water quality indices (WQIs), BOD, COD, pH, TN and TP, for the same period of time were examined. The results showed that the area of residential and forest/shrub increased, whereas that of cropland and barren land decreased from 1989 to 2005 in both catchments. Qilu Lake was much more polluted than Fuxian Lake, and pollution worsened over time for both lakes. The differences in water quality between the two lakes were caused by differences in LULC composition and continued degradation in water quality was caused by intensive farming and urban sprawl. Unless the landscape is converted back to its pre-1950 composition and structure, water quality in both lakes cannot be significantly improved and will continue to threaten sustainable development in the region.

Proposal Hydrocarbon production is associated with the generation of waste and by-products. The safe disposal of produced water, a common by-product, is of prime concern in oilfield operations. Long thought of as an economical and environmental liability, Produced Water Re-Injection (PWRI) provides an unrivaled option that is beneficial on both fronts. The paper identifies the operation's associated opportunities and risks. Emphasis is placed on procedures and best practices compiled during a 10-year, joint industry project (JIP). The overall theme of the paper is injector performance. PWRI is used in water flooding for the purpose of pressure maintenance and the possibility of Improved Oil Recovery (IOR). The design process must meet production requirements, assure conformance and sweep and achieve desired pressure maintenance. Additional considerations include meeting waste management requirements for disposal volumes and reducing waste. These constraints translate into injector performance metrics and sustained delivery of the injection rate/injectivity. The paper examines the options available for balancing CAPEX (treatment facility, pumping equipment, and well drilling and construction) and OPEX (filtration, chemical, and biological treatment, stimulation and voidage replacement) to ensure long term injectivity maintenance. Addressed are selection criteria for well completion, injection and thermal treatment. Issues such as vertical vs. horizontal wells, matrix vs. fractured or cool vs. hot water injection are tackled. Investigated are the damage mechanism and their effect on extended injection. Identification of the damage cause is paramount in guiding the design of an effective stimulation treatment or intervention. The optimal injection design provides the equilibrium between how to mitigate (selection of appropriate water quality) and when to remediate (plan effective stimulation) damage. Several field examples are included to support the conclusion and recommended best practices discussed in the paper. Monitoring is an essential task during injection. The primary product of which is large amounts of raw data. The paper investigates the use of non-deterministic models and data mining techniques in ascertaining the physical correlations and observations from the data. A field case from the North Sea illustrates this application.

This paper reports on the development of an automated embedded video surveillance system using two customized embedded RISC processors. The application is partitioned into object tracking and video stream encoding subsystems. The real-time object tracker is able to detect and track moving objects by video images of scenes taken by stationary cameras. It is based on the block-matching algorithm. The video stream encoding involves the optimization of an international telecommunications union (ITU)-T H.263 baseline video encoder for quarter common intermediate format (QCIF) and common intermediate format (CIF) resolution images. The two subsystems running on two processor cores were integrated and a simple protocol was added to realize the automated video surveillance system. The experimental results show that the system is capable of detecting, tracking, and encoding QCIF and CIF resolution images with object movements in them in real-time. With low cycle-count, low-transistor count, and low-power consumption requirements, the system is ideal for deployment in remote locations.

This paper reports on the optimization of a H.263/MPEG-4 video encoder for Quarter Common Intermediate Format (QCIF) and Common Intermediate Format (CIF) pictures when implemented on the configurable and extensible embedded RISC processor core. Software optimizations were made on the encoder using computationally light routines and the RISC processor core was configured for our specific application and extended with instructions designed specifically for video compression application. The experimental results show that QCIF and CIF size images can be encoded in real-time.

AbstractTo a certain extent, the success of drill cuttings reinjection (DCRI) has been serendipitous. Aggressive operational parties initially implemented the technique with support from far-seeing researchers. With the favorable economics incentive along with successful and safe implementations, drill cuttings reinjection has been further refined over time with established methodologies for attempting to more precisely predict placement of large solid volumes. There is a need now for verification and accurate monitoring of the process.This paper reviews standard technologies for monitoring cuttings placement; including pressure-time evaluation during and following injection using conventional methodologies, pressure transient evaluation technologies during and between batches. These techniques include interference techniques where appropriate, microseismic monitoring, tiltmeter surveys and logging methods. Future challenges and developments of each relevant technology are suggested in more detail. For example, tiltmeter methodologies have been successfully used in many situations but there remain issues in certain environments, i.e., in some layered scenarios. A good example of this relates to the difficulties that might be encountered in inverting tiltmeter data in arctic regions where DCRI takes place below an extensive permafrost layer. Another example relates to refining concepts for predicting multiple fracture geometries. Most practitioners are familiar with the disposal domain concept where batch-injected fractures are attributed to a simplified and regular three-dimensional domain, with no specific indication of individual fracture morphology. To date, precise prediction of domain geometry from pressure signatures or surface tilts has been weak. Simple methods are presented for identifying from pressure records or surface profiles the three-dimensional extent and near-well azimuths of multiple fractures.