Digital Commons Network^™

List-Wise Fairness Criterion For Point Processes, Jin Shang, Mingxuan Sun, Nina S.N. Lam

Faculty Publications

Many types of event sequence data exhibit triggering and clustering properties in space and time. Point processes are widely used in modeling such event data with applications such as predictive policing and disaster event forecasting. Although current algorithms can achieve significant event prediction accuracy, the historic data or the self-excitation property can introduce biased prediction. For example, hotspots ranked by event hazard rates can make the visibility of a disadvantaged group (e.g., racial minorities or the communities of lower social economic status) more apparent. Existing methods have explored ways to achieve parity between the groups by penalizing the objective function …

Counterion Condensation Or Lack Of Solvation? Understanding The Activity Of Ions In Thin Film Block Copolymer Electrolytes, Qi Lei, Ke Li, Deepra Bhattacharya, Jingya Xiao, Subarna Kole, Qingteng Zhang, Joseph Strzalka, Jimmy Lawrence, Revati Kumar, Christopher G. Arges

Faculty Publications

© The Royal Society of Chemistry. Polymer electrolytes are found at the heart of numerous electrochemical technologies involved in energy storage, conversion and separations. An important property of these materials is their partitioning behavior of ions in aqueous solutions and its effect on the activity of the ions within the polymer electrolyte. In this work, the fraction of condensed counterions (fc) were quantified in nanostructured block copolymer electrolyte (BCE) thin films with new and established experimental techniques. The transition between the osmotic-controlled regime and condensation-controlled regime in BCEs was identified using environmental GI-SAXS and solution uptake measurements via a quartz …

Exploring The Fmn Binding Site In The Mitochondrial Outer Membrane Protein Mitoneet, Homyra Tasnim, Aaron P. Landry, Chelsey R. Fontenot, Huangen Ding

Faculty Publications

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. MitoNEET is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein that hosts a redox active [2Fe-2S] cluster in the C-terminal cytosolic domain. Increasing evidence has shown that mitoNEET has an essential role in regulating energy metabolism in human cells. Previously, we reported that the [2Fe-2S] clusters in mitoNEET can be reduced by the reduced flavin mononucleotide (FMNH2) and oxidized by oxygen or ubiquinone-2, suggesting that mitoNEET may act as a novel redox enzyme catalyzing electron transfer from FMNH2 to oxygen or ubiquinone. Here, we explore the FMN binding site in mitoNEET by using FMN analogs and find that lumiflavin, …

Erratum: Searches For Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars At Two Harmonics In 2015-2017 Ligo Data (Astrophysical Journal (2019) 879 (10) Doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/Ab20cb), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, G. Allen, A. Allocca, M. A. Aloy, P. A. Altin, A. Amato, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. V. Angelova, S. Antier, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda, M. Arène, N. Arnaud

Faculty Publications

Two analysis errors have been identified that affect the results for a handful of the high-value pulsars given in Table 1 of Abbott et al. (2019). One affects the Bayesian analysis for the five pulsars that glitched during the analysis period, and the other affects the 5n-vector analysis for J0711-6830. Updated results after correcting the errors are shown in Table 1, which now supersedes the results given for those pulsars in Table 1 of Abbott et al. (2019). Updated versions of figures can be seen in Figures 1-4. Bayesian analysis.-For the glitching pulsars, the signal phase evolution caused by the …

A Cryogenic Silicon Interferometer For Gravitational-Wave Detection, R. X. Adhikari, K. Arai, A. F. Brooks, C. Wipf, O. Aguiar, P. Altin, B. Barr, L. Barsotti, R. Bassiri, A. Bell, G. Billingsley, R. Birney, D. Blair, E. Bonilla, J. Briggs, D. D. Brown, R. Byer, H. Cao, M. Constancio, S. Cooper, T. Corbitt, D. Coyne, A. Cumming, E. Daw, R. Derosa, G. Eddolls, J. Eichholz, M. Evans, M. Fejer, E. C. Ferreira, A. Freise, V. V. Frolov, S. Gras

Faculty Publications

The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by LIGO has opened the era of gravitational wave astronomy, revealing a previously hidden side of the cosmos. To maximize the reach of the existing LIGO observatory facilities, we have designed a new instrument able to detect gravitational waves at distances 5 times further away than possible with Advanced LIGO, or at greater than 100 times the event rate. Observations with this new instrument will make possible dramatic steps toward understanding the physics of the nearby Universe, as well as observing the Universe out to cosmological distances by the detection of …

Recent Progress In Enhancing Poly(Lactic Acid) Stereocomplex Formation For Material Property Improvement, Fuhong Luo, Alexander Fortenberry, Jie Ren, Zhe Qiang

Faculty Publications

The production and utilization of polymers have been widely implemented into diverse applications that benefit modern human society, but one of the most valuable properties of polymers, durability, has posed a long-standing environmental challenge from its inception since plastic waste can lead to significant contamination and remains in landfills and oceans for at least hundreds of years. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) derived from renewable resources provides a sustainable alternative to traditional polymers due to its advantages of comparable mechanical properties with common plastics and biodegradability. However, the poor thermal and hydrolytic stability of PLA-based materials limit their potential for durable applications. …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Six Strains Isolated From The Rhizosphere Of Wheat Grown In Cadmium-Contaminated Soil, Vira Hovorukha, Ankita Bhattacharyya, Olga Iungin, Hanna Tashyreva, Victoria Romanovska, Olesia Havyrliuk, Olena Bielikova, Claire Blackwell, Brian Burks, Cara Cothern, Jakia Elliott, Jonathan Hoover, Alexis Jones, Christian Leise, Linda Lowmiller, Ahmed Mohamed, Tiffany Mullen, Ethan Nettleton, Karshanda Polk, Benny Tran, Teresa Tran, Manuel Vega, Landon Ware, Emily Welch, Leandra Williams, Madison Woodward, Kaylin Young, Olga Mavrodi, Oleksandr Tashyrev, Dmitri Mavrodi

Faculty Publications

This study presents high-quality draft genome assemblies of six bacterial strains isolated from the roots of wheat grown in soil contaminated with cadmium. The results of this study will help to elucidate at the molecular level how heavy metals affect interactions between beneficial rhizobacteria and crop plants.

A Method To Measure The Partitioning Coefficient Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Nanoparticles, Guiying Rao, Jeonghyeon Ahn, Abigail Evans, Michelle Casey, Eric P. Vejerano

Faculty Publications

The partitioning behavior of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into nanoparticles is less studied compared to those of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) because of the lower concentration of the VOCs that is expected to partition into particles. One challenge in measuring the accurate partition coefficient of VOCs is quantifying their low mass fraction that sorbed on nanoparticles and differentiating them from the high VOC concentrations present in the gas-phase. Systematically characterizing the partitioning coefficient at a specific environmental condition is also difficult when sampling in the field. During field sampling, thermal and non-thermal issues such as sampling artifacts and non-equilibrium conditions …

Erratum: Searches For Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars At Two Harmonics In 2015-2017 Ligo Data (Astrophysical Journal (2019) 879 (10) Doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/Ab20cb), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, G. Allen, A. Allocca, M. A. Aloy, P. A. Altin, A. Amato, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. V. Angelova, S. Antier, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

© 2020. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Two analysis errors have been identified that affect the results for a handful of the high-value pulsars given in Table 1 of Abbott et al. (2019). One affects the Bayesian analysis for the five pulsars that glitched during the analysis period, and the other affects the 5n-vector analysis for J0711-6830. Updated results after correcting the errors are shown in Table 1, which now supersedes the results given for those pulsars in Table 1 of Abbott et al. (2019). Updated versions of figures can be seen in Figures 1-4. Bayesian analysis.-For the …

Multilayer Inse-Te Van Der Waals Heterostructures With An Ultrahigh Rectification Ratio And Ultrasensitive Photoresponse, Fanglu Qin, Feng Gao, Mingjin Dai, Yunxia Hu, Miaomiao Yu, Lifeng Wang, Wei Feng, Bin Li, Ping An Hu

Faculty Publications

Multilayer van der Waals (vdWs) semiconductors have promising applications in high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, photoconductive photodetectors based on layered semiconductors often suffer from sizeable dark currents and high external driving bias voltages. Here, we report vertical van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) consisting of multilayer indium selenide (InSe) and tellurium (Te). The multilayer InSe-Te vdWH device shows a record high forward rectification ratio greater than 107 at room temperature. The vdWH device achieves an ultrasensitive and broadband photoresponse photodetector with an ultrahigh photo/dark current ratio over 104 and a high detectivity of 1013 Jones under visible light illumination with weak incident …

Men’S Vasectomy Knowledge, Attitudes, And Information-Seeking Behaviors In The Southern United States: Results From An Exploratory Survey, Ashley L. White, Rachel E. Davis, Deborah Lynn Billings Phd, Emily S. Mann

Faculty Publications

Vasectomy is one of the few options men have to manage their reproductive capacity and take on a more equitable role in pregnancy prevention. While the method is underused throughout the United States, the southern states have a lower prevalence rate compared to the rest of the country. Existing survey research does not assess what men know or think about the procedure as a means of understanding why this is the case. We created and conducted an exploratory survey to assess men’s knowledge, attitudes, and information-seeking behaviors about vasectomy in the Southern United States. We used targeted Facebook advertising to …

Influence Of External Nacl Salt On Membrane Rigidity Of Neutral Dopc Vesicles, Judith U. De Mel, Sudipta Gupta, Rasangi M. Perera, Ly Ngo, Piotr Zolnierczuk, Markus Bleuel, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Gerald J. Schneider

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a very common molecule in biotic and abiotic aqueous environments. In both cases, variation of ionic strength is inevitable. In addition to the osmotic variation posed by such perturbations, the question of whether the interactions of monovalent ions Na+ and Cl-, especially with the neutral head groups of phospholipid membranes are impactful enough to change the membrane rigidity, is still not entirely understood. We investigated the dynamics of 1,2-di-(octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) vesicles with zwitterionic neutral head groups in the fluid phase with increasing external salt concentration. At higher salt concentrations, we …

Thinking Small To Think Big: Leading For Change, Petr Cincala

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Consent, Rape And The Criminal Law, Michelle Oberman, Katharine K. Baker

Faculty Publications

he story of US criminal rape law reform tends to be told as one of remarkable feminist success (between 1970–1990, feminist-led coalitions changed state laws so that rape ceased to be a crime requiring force and resistance and became instead a crime that only required sex without consent) followed by widespread stagnation. Despite comprehensive changes in the law, reporting rates, prosecution rates and conviction rates for rape increased only slightly. This essay resists that binary account of success and failure by offering a more nuanced assessment. First, it explores the full range of factors hindering the reporting, prosecution and conviction …

Adapting A Picture Description Task For Grammatical Analysis In English–Spanish Bilingual Preschool Children, Vanesa Smith, Isabel Cano, Lisa Lozada, Connie Summers

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to assess the use of an adapted picture description task described by Eisenberg and Guo to explore the morphosyntactic error patterns of English–Spanish preschool simultaneous bilingual learners. Language samples were collected from 28 bilingual preschool children aged 3 to 5 years. Language samples were elicited in both English and Spanish using a series of pictures and elicitation questions/prompts. Twenty-one participants produced a language sample in only one language (16 in English and 5 in Spanish) and seven participants produced language samples in both languages. Language samples were analyzed for grammaticality and error types. There …

Using Personality-Based Propensity As A Guide For Teaching Practice, Lin-Miao L. Agler, Kelley Stricklin, Larisa K. Alfsen

Faculty Publications

The Big Five-Factor personality traits are examined in the present review. Individual characteristics and personality types may contribute differently to choices of learning strategies and overall cognitive performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to provide a brief overview of consistent research findings on personality constructs as predictors of school-related factors, including academic ability, reading and math skills, metacognitive assessments, self-regulatory learning and processing strategies, and students' confidence; and (2) to highlight the applicable value of using personality-related propensities to guide teachers in the classroom. Inter-relationships among personality, cognition, metacognition, self-regulation, and learning outcomes are addressed. More importantly, …

Using Stable Isotopes To Disentangle Marine Sedimentary Signals In Reactive Silicon Pools, Rebecca A. Pickering, Lucie Cassarino, Katharine R. Hendry, Xiangli L. Wang, Kanchan Maiti, Jeffrey W. Krause

Faculty Publications

Many studies use sedimentary biogenic silica (bSiO2) stable isotopes (e.g., δ³⁰Si) as paleoproxies but neglect signals from other sedimentary reactive SiO2 phases. We quantified δ³⁰Si for multiple reactive Si pools in coastal river-plume sediments, revealing up to −5‰ difference between acid-leachable and alkaline-digestible amorphous SiO2. Thus, previous studies have missed valuable information on early diagenetic products and, in cases where sediments were not cleaned, potentially biased bSiO2 δ³⁰Si values. Acid-leachable δ³⁰Si, that is, from authigenic products, are the result of either multistep fractionation from a bSiO2 source or an ~2‰ fractionation (consistent …

Gw190412: Observation Of A Binary-Black-Hole Coalescence With Asymmetric Masses, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, A. Aich, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, S. Akcay, G. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, A. Amato, S. Anand, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. V. Angelova, S. Ansoldi, S. Antier, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda

Faculty Publications

We report the observation of gravitational waves from a binary-black-hole coalescence during the first two weeks of LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run. The signal was recorded on April 12, 2019 at 05â¶30â¶44 UTC with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 19. The binary is different from observations during the first two observing runs most notably due to its asymmetric masses: A ∼30 M⊙ black hole merged with a ∼8 M⊙ black hole companion. The more massive black hole rotated with a dimensionless spin magnitude between 0.22 and 0.60 (90% probability). Asymmetric systems are predicted to emit gravitational waves with stronger …

Cosmological Initial Data For Numerical Relativity, David Garfinkle, Lawrence Mead

Faculty Publications

© 2020 American Physical Society. We find initial data for numerical relativity simulations of inhomogeneous cosmologies. This involves treating an exceptional case of the general relativity constraint equations. We devise analytic and numerical methods to treat this exceptional case. We apply the analytic method to the standard case of cosmology with a single scalar field. The numerical method is applied to the two-field ekpyrotic cosmology.

Observational Consequences Of Bianchi I Spacetimes In Loop Quantum Cosmology, Ivan Agullo, Javier Olmedo, V. Sreenath

Faculty Publications

Anisotropies generically dominate the earliest stages of expansion of a homogeneous universe. They are particularly relevant in bouncing models, since shears grow in the contracting phase of the cosmos, making the isotropic situation unstable. This paper extends the study of cosmological perturbations in loop quantum cosmology (LQC) to anisotropic Bianchi I models that contain a bounce followed by a phase of slow-roll inflation. We show that, although the shear tensor dilutes and the universe isotropizes soon after the bounce, cosmic perturbations retain memory of this short anisotropic phase. We develop the formalism needed to describe perturbations in anisotropic, effective LQC, …

Gw190412: Observation Of A Binary-Black-Hole Coalescence With Asymmetric Masses, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, A. Aich, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, S. Akcay, G. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, A. Amato, S. Anand, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. V. Angelova, S. Ansoldi, S. Antier, S. Appert, K. Arai, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

© 2020 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. We report the observation of gravitational waves from a binary-black-hole coalescence during the first two weeks of LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run. The signal was recorded on April 12, 2019 at 05â¶30â¶44 UTC with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 19. The binary is different from observations during the first two observing runs most …

Modifications To Gravitational Wave Equation From Canonical Quantum Gravity, Andrea Dapor, Klaus Liegener

Faculty Publications

It is expected that the quantum nature of spacetime leaves its imprint in all semiclassical gravitational systems, at least in certain regimes, including gravitational waves. In this paper we investigate such imprints on gravitational waves within a specific framework: space is assumed to be discrete (in the form of a regular cubic lattice), and this discrete geometry is quantised following Dirac's canonical quantisation scheme. The semiclassical behavior is then extracted by promoting the expectation value of the Hamiltonian operator on a semiclassical state to an effective Hamiltonian. Considering a family of semiclassical states representing small tensor perturbations to Minkowski background, …

Unjust Universities: Part Ii, Zachary S. Ritter, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

Dr. Zachary S. Ritter and Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt explore the challenges that faculty diversity workers face in institutions that are suffering from toxic whiteness.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

An Exploratory Study To Understand Factors Associated With Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Uninsured/Underinsured Patients As Identified By Clinic Providers And Staff, Guillermo M. Wippold, Nwakaego Nmezi, Jaime L. Williams, Jacqueline Butler, Tanya M. Hodge

Faculty Publications

Since the release of Healthy People 2020, there has been extensive research understanding factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among specific populations. Despite this growing body of research, little has been conducted to understand the factors associated with HRQoL among uninsured/underinsured Americans. The purposes of the present study were to assess clinic staff to determine: (1) whether there is a need to examine HRQoL among uninsured/underinsured individuals, (2) whether there is a need for tailored HRQoL-promoting interventions among uninsured/underinsured individuals, and (3) the factors associated with HRQoL among uninsured/underinsured individuals. A survey was sent to an association of …

Water-Redispersible Cellulose Nanofiber And Polyanionic Cellulose Hybrids For High-Performance Water-Based Drilling Fluids, Mei Chun Li, Zhengjie Tang, Chaozheng Liu, Runzhou Huang, Meen S. Koo, Guoqiang Zhou, Qinglin Wu

Faculty Publications

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) with nanoscale dimension, high aspect ratio, and easily modified surface chemistry show great potential as novel rheological and filtration modifiers in bentonite water-based drilling fluids (BT-WDFs). However, CNFs would suffer from poor redispersibility in an aqueous suspension if they were fully dried for transportation, storage, and field application. Herein, we report a simple, versatile, and scalable strategy to prepare water-redispersible CNFs through compounding them with a water-soluble, commercially available drilling fluid additive, polyanionic cellulose (PAC), and subsequent drying. The results revealed that the water redispersibility of CNF/PAC hybrids was dependent on the PAC's viscosity (i.e., low viscosity, …

Antarctica And The Southern Ocean, Jessica Blunden, Derek S. Arndt, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Sandra Barreira, Cecilia M. Bitz, Amy Butler, Kyle R. Clem, Steve Colwell, Lawrence Coy, Jos De Laat, Marcel D. Du Plessis, Ryan L. Fogt, Helen Amanda Fricker, John Fyfe, Alex S. Gardner, Sarah T. Gille, Tessa Gorte, L. Gregor, Will Hobbs, Bryan Johnson, Eric Keenan, Linda M. Keller, Natalya A. Kramarova, Matthew A. Lazzara, Jan T.M. Lenaerts, Jan L. Lieser, Hongxing Liu, Craig S. Long, Michelle Maclennan, Robert A. Massom, François Massonnet, Matthew R. Mazloff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Big Data Computing For Geospatial Applications, Zhenlong Li, Wenwu Tang, Qunying Huang, Eric Shook, Qingfeng Guan

Faculty Publications

The convergence of big data and geospatial computing has brought challenges and opportunities to GIScience with regards to geospatial data management, processing, analysis, modeling, and visualization. This special issue highlights recent advancements in integrating new computing approaches, spatial methods, and data management strategies to tackle geospatial big data challenges and meanwhile demonstrates the opportunities for using big data for geospatial applications. Crucial to the advancements highlighted here is the integration of computational thinking and spatial thinking and the transformation of abstract ideas and models to concrete data structures and algorithms. This editorial first introduces the background and motivation of this …

Characterizing The Epigenetic And Transcriptomic Responses To Perkinsus Marinus Infection In The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Kevin M. Johnson, K. A. Sirovy, Sandra M. Casas, Jerome F. La Peyre, Morgan W. Kelly

Faculty Publications

© Copyright © 2020 Johnson, Sirovy, Casas, La Peyre and Kelly. Eastern oysters in the northern Gulf of Mexico are routinely infected with the protistan parasite Perkinsus marinus, the cause of the disease commonly known as dermo. Recent experimental challenges among Atlantic coast populations have identified both resistant and susceptible genotypes using comparative transcriptomics. While controlled experimental challenges are essential first assessments, expanding this analysis to field reared individuals provides an opportunity to identify key genomic signatures of infection that appear both in the laboratory and in the field. In this study we combined reduced representation bisulfite sequencing with 3′ …

Characterizing The Epigenetic And Transcriptomic Responses To Perkinsus Marinus Infection In The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Kevin M. Johnson, K. A. Sirovy, Sandra M. Casas, Jerome F. La Peyre, Morgan W. Kelly

Faculty Publications

© Copyright © 2020 Johnson, Sirovy, Casas, La Peyre and Kelly. Eastern oysters in the northern Gulf of Mexico are routinely infected with the protistan parasite Perkinsus marinus, the cause of the disease commonly known as dermo. Recent experimental challenges among Atlantic coast populations have identified both resistant and susceptible genotypes using comparative transcriptomics. While controlled experimental challenges are essential first assessments, expanding this analysis to field reared individuals provides an opportunity to identify key genomic signatures of infection that appear both in the laboratory and in the field. In this study we combined reduced representation bisulfite sequencing with 3′ …

Overcoming Salt Contamination Of Bentonite Water-Based Drilling Fluids With Blended Dual-Functionalized Cellulose Nanocrystals, Mei Chun Li, Qinglin Wu, Jingquan Han, Changtong Mei, Tingzhou Lei, Sun Young Lee, Jaegyoung Gwon

Faculty Publications

The depletion of onshore oil reserves along with a rapid increase in the global energy demand has driven the oil industry to explore and produce oil from deepwater fields. However, because of high salinity in the subsea formation, salt contamination is becoming one of the most critical challenges to bentonite water-based drilling fluids (BT-WDFs), causing undesirable changes in density, rheology, and filtration performance of the fluids. Herein, we reveal the mechanisms of the negative influence of salt cations on BT-WDFs and demonstrate the function of biomass-derived cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as anti-salt agents in the fluids through rational dual surface functionalization …