bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DRILLING FLUIDS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: CHARACTERISATION OF BASE FLUIDS AND THE INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES
Authors: Papp R. , Fisher S.J.
Published: August 2017

Since the early 1990s, a variety of invert emulsion base fluids have been introduced into the drilling fluid market. The chemical composition of these fluids has evolved with the focus on minimising the environmental impact of discharged cuttings that contain adhered drilling fluids.The trend within Australia and other regions in which drilling fluids are extensively used, is that the life span of these fluids has become increasingly shorter, due to environmental impact pressures from the regulatory authorities in the North Sea and Australia, as well as public perception within these regions.The Well Construction Department within Woodside Energy Ltd. (WEL) has identified the need to characterise these base fluids in a manner that was both reproducible and definitive. The need was driven by the availability of a large number of commercial base fluids claiming technical and environmental superiority and the requirement for robust quality control systems for the base fluids from production to discharge—a cradle to grave philosophy.To this end, a study was initiated in 1997 where several drilling fluids were analysed using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. From this work, four classifications of invert emulsion, non-water based fluids (NWBF) have been identified. They include low toxicity oil based fluids (LTOBF), enhanced mineral oil based fluids (EMOBF), synthetic based fluids (SBF), and oxygen based fluids (OBF). The definition of these fluids and the rationale for this classification is presented here.The GC-MS characterisation has provided an insight into the structure of the base fluid, rheological characteristics, quality control/quality assurance, and in the future, the ability to develop a robust link to minimising environmental impact of the discharge.All of these benefits will aid in developing drilling fluids which achieve the technical objectives of drilling fluids as well as minimising the environmental impact. The quality control procedures for the base fluid also allow an auditable process for benchmarking with input from the regulator, operator, fluid service company and manufacturer.
LINKING ABORIGINAL HERITAGE ISSUES TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY
Authors: Davie K.N. , Winters T.A.
Published: August 2017

This paper discusses the relationship between the Aboriginal heritage clearance process and the environmental impact assessment process. The current Western Australian legislation and the Murrin Murrin nickel project and other Western Australian projects are used as a case study, although similar methods and issues are applicable to most states within Australia. The paper investigates areas where delays may occur and proposes a model which can be implemented to maximise the level of certainty for a project.
INTEGRATED HYDROCARBON SEAL EVALUATION IN THE PENOLATROUGH, OTWAY BASIN
Authors: Jones R.M. , Boult P. , Hillis R.R. , Mildren S.D. , Kaldi J.
Published: August 2017

Seals are one of the main components of the petroleum system, yet their evaluation has received surprisingly little attention in terms of integrated risk assessment. This paper emphasises the need for an integrated multi-disciplinary approach for robust cap and fault seal evaluation so to minimise seal risk. The region of study is the Penola Trough, Otway Basin, where recent improvements in seismic quality, stratigraphic modelling and additional well control have greatly enhanced regional prospectivity.The Laira Formation has the lowest cap seal risk of Penola Trough strata based on empirical data. The Eumeralla Formation has a similar gamma ray log signature to the Laira Formation yet contains a higher frequency of sandy, relatively high permeability horizons. These horizons increase the likelihood of fault juxtaposition and the development of leaky windows that allow cross fault communication.Faults in the Penola Trough display fractal characteristics from seismic to core scale. A prediction of regional fault extension and deformation intensity below seismic resolution is viable since fault systems appear to be systematic. Extrapolation of fault populations to the millimetre scale shows good agreement with fault density recorded in core from a fault damage zone. Deformation intensities close to seismically resolvable faults are indicative of inner damage zone geometry where faults form linked cluster arrays. Microstructural fault analysis indicates the dominant fault processes in the Upper Crayfish Group are grain boundary sliding and cataclasis with gouge quartz cementation. Petrophysical analysis indicates these faults are able to support gas columns of up to 102 m.The relative probability of seal failure due to the development of effective structural permeability within the in-situ stress field indicates that planes at the greatest risk of failure are steeply dipping (>60°) and strike between 110°N and 200°N. Open fractures crosscutting pre-existing faults have been identified through microstructural examination and these may provide a mechanism for trap leakage and tertiary hydrocarbon migration. An integrated technique for mapping the relative risk of seal breach due to the development of effective structural permeability at the seismic scale is also presented.
FAULT-RELATED CALCITE CEMENTATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR TIMING OF HYDROCARBON GENERATION AND MIGRATION AND SECONDARY POROSITY DEVELOPMENT, BARROW SUB BASIN, NORTHWEST SHELF
Authors: Kraishan G.M. , Lemon N.M.
Published: August 2017

Calcite is a common authigenic mineral in subsurface sandstones of the Barrow Sub-basin, North West Shelf. It is present in several formations from different stratigraphic horizons, ranging from Permian to Cretaceous. It occurs as poikilotopic cement and fracture-fill particularly concentrated along one of the major listric faults in the eastern part of the sub-basin. A detailed petrographical and geochemical study was performed on the Early Cretaceous calcite cements in an attempt to provide information on their origin, distribution and effect on reservoir quality. Calcite cements are Ca-rich, Mg-poor with considerable amounts of Fe and are characterised by bright orange to yellow luminescent colours. The δ13C and δ180 values vary considerably, δ13C ranging from −2.0 to −23.5 %o PDB (average of −10.2 %o, ± 4.8 PDB), whilst δ180 values range from 19.3 to 25.4 SMOW (average of 21.1 %o, ± 1.8 SMOW). Calcite cements are characterised by elevated 87Sr/86Sr ratios with a range of 0.71029 to 0.71058 (average of 0.71043 ± 0.00012). The elemental and stable isotope compositions of the calcite cements indicate cementation from meteoric pore-waters, with the same source and timing of occurrence.Calcite cements formed in the mid-diagenetic history below 45°C. The carbon isotopic composition of calcite cements is interpreted to be sourced from bicarbonate and carbon dioxide generated by thermal decarboxylation of kerogen and oxidation of the early-generated oil. The model for calcite formation involves fluids rich in organic carbon having migrated up dip along faults to be trapped and mixed with meteoric-derived C02 to form pervasive calcite-cemented zones. These zones may reach up to 8 m thick and occlude the intergranular primary porosity. Subsequent tectonic reactivation and maturation of organic matter has resulted in late acidic water invasion to partially or completely dissolve the calcite cement to locally enhance reservoir quality.
USING INTEGRATED REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES TO EVALUATE AND CHARACTERISE HYDROCARBON MIGRATION AND CHARGE CHARACTERISTICS ON THE YAMPI SHELF, NORTHWESTERN AUSTRALIA: A METHODOLOGICAL STUDY
Authors: O'Brien G.W. , Lawrence G. , Williams A. , Webster M. , Wilson D. , Burns S.
Published: August 2017

As part of a major interpretative study of the Yampi Shelf, northeastern Browse Basin, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) acquired regional seismic, water column geochemical sniffer (WaSi), RadarSat Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and high resolution bathymetric data over the area between 1995 and 1998. These data have been integrated in order to better understand both the hydrocarbon charge and top seal capacity characteristics of the area, and the relative responses of assorted remote sensing technologies to hydrocarbon migration, leakage and seepage. The area investigated comprises part of a Palaeozoic to Mesozoic flexural ramp margin, which dips northwest away from the flanking cratonic Kimberley Block. The basement has a rugose topography, with some horst blocks elevated 500 m above the surrounding basement. Progressive onlap of Cretaceous post-rift seals onto the ramp causes the regional seal to become thinner and sandier margin- ward. In some of these more margin-ward locations, some prominent basement highs are 'bald' of seal, whereas in others, the seal thins dramatically onto topographically prominent, landward-dipping tilt blocks. Natural hydrocarbon seepage was confirmed independently by SAR and WaSi, though the relative response and sensitivity of each technology to seepage of varying rates and compositions are quite different. Overall, the principal seeping hydrocarbon is dry (
GEOMETRY AND CONNECTIVITY OF DISTRIBUTARY CHANNEL SANDSTONES IN THE LATE PERMIAN MORANBAH COAL MEASURES, BOWEN BASIN, AUSTRALIA
Authors: Esterle J.S. , Smith G. Le Blanc , Yago J.V.R.
Published: August 2017

The fluvio-deltaic Moranbah Coal Measures are an extensively mined Late Permian coal-bearing sequence that crops out along the western limb of the Bowen Basin, Queensland. Data from operating coal mines provide high resolution datasets for detailed petroleum reservoir analogue studies. In this study, data from subsurface drilling and high wall exposures were used to produce a three-dimensional sub surface model of coal and sandstone geometry in a 200 m stratigraphic section over an area of 184 km2. Detailed analysis of the interval between the extensive Goonyella Middle seam and the 'P'-Tuff identified: 1) thin (10 km long) interpreted as trunk distributary channel-fill deposits. These are flanked by finer grained sediments containing a series of heterolithic units that display large siltstone-draped accretionary cross-stratification reflecting channel/splay deposition. Reservoir continuity in the Moranbah Coal Measures is controlled by coal seam splitting and the degree of amalgamation between sandstone bodies. Analogues for potential reservoirs within these systems include 1) very thick (>40 m), vertically-stacked amalgamated sandstone sequences with good connectivity; 2) thick (>25 m) stacked sandstone units separated by carbonaceous mudstone horizons that reduce vertical connectivity; and 3) thick sing le-sequence sandstone units with good lateral connectivity Marginal zones are fine grained and often faulted, acting as barriers to connectivity between potential reservoir sandstones.
THE PORTABLE REMOTELY OPERATED DRILL
Authors: Davies P.J. , Williamson M. , Frazer H. , Carter J.
Published: August 2017

The Portable Remotely Operated Drill (PROD), is a new generation drill capable of obtaining 100+ m of B sized rock/sediment core in water depths down to 2,000 m. Robotically driven from a mother-ship, PROD weighs 10 tonnes in air and six tonnes in water. It provides substantial operational flexibility in coring/sampling while at the same time providing precision positioning and sampling performance independent of surface water conditions. PROD is designed specifically to travel easily with predicted major use in the oil industry, telecommunications and the global research industries. Successful testing of PROD in shallow water has occurred off Eastern and Western Australia during 1999. Deep water trials off the western coast of the USA will be completed in March 2000. When operational, PROD will be a catalyst for a new phase of ocean exploration, from which Australia must surely benefit.
EXPLORATION AND EXPLOITATION OF A MATURE BASIN SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION OF A PROCESS-DRIVEN MULTI-DISCIPLINARYTEAM APPROACH
Authors: Ringhofer W. , Sperl H.
Published: August 2017

From the early 1940s until the mid-1980s, hydrocarbon exploration within Austria was focussed upon Tertiary clastic reservoirs within the Vienna Basin. From 1980 to the early 1990s, an increasing number of exploration wells were drilled for carbonate reservoirs within deep thrust anticlines in the Alpine overthrust belt. These were typically high pressure-high temperature wells, and as a result, technically challenging and expensive.In the early 1990s, after little success within the Alpine overthrust belt, the focus of Austrian exploration was switched back to the 'maturely' explored Vienna Basin. During this period, the integration of historical well data, reprocessed 2D seismic and newly acquired 3D seismic data, evaluated within a sequence stratigraphic framework, has facilitated the accurate placement of multi-target wells. Together with the application of new drilling technology, the result has been a dramatic increase in new field discoveries. The reserves size of exploration and appraisal targets, in accordance with the maturity of the basin, have been relatively small, but, as a result of well-developed infrastructure and low drilling costs, highly profitable.The drive for increased drilling success and cost reduction and the application of 'new' technology has demanded an even closer integration of disciplines including exploration, reservoir engineering, drilling and production engineering. This integration in turn has necessitated process driven management. Multi- disciplinary teams, working with key contractors in an incentivised environment, achieved risk reduction, increased exploration success and budget reductions. As a result successful exploration has revived the mature Vienna Basin.
A METHOD FOR CONDUCTING A 'COMPLETE PROCESS' WORKFLOW ANALYSIS
Authors: Toelle B. , Lingley J.
Published: August 2017

Many companies within the exploration and production industry have recently begun performing workflow studies with in-house personnel, or in collaboration with consulting groups that have the required expertise. While in-house studies often yield good results, outside consultants specialising in these types of studies can often recognise a broader range of workflow-related issues. There are many benefits companies realise from conducting these studies. Complete and periodic reviews of the E&P processes being conducted allow companies to determine whether or not they are using the 'State of the Science' methodologies needed to maintain a competitive lead. Information obtained during a workflow study helps a company's management to develop or adjust existing plans for effectively combining existing personnel, technology and data.Workflow studies may be approached in a number of ways. While some address specific portions of a company's workflow, such as its data flow, others seek rapid benefits, or 'quick hits'. The various types of workflow studies all have a place in the process re-engineering arena. However, one type, the 'complete process workflow analysis', offers companies the opportunity to solve the greatest number of process oriented issues.This type of study follows a specific pattern and starts by identifying main business drivers and objectives. Additional steps include the review of existing 'planned workflows', determining the actual workflow, analysis and issue identification, developing a 'recommended workflow', and educating company personnel in the new 'recommended' process. It is this 'complete process workflow analysis' that is discussed in this paper.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS OF A SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Authors: Aquino F.
Published: August 2017

A successful Safety Management System is more that just words and numbers on pages. It is the way that human beings cooperate with each other for surviving the hazards around them. The Safety Case concept which arose from the inquiry into Piper Alpha is one of the best attempts made thus far at systematising safety using risk management techniques. Unfortunately the Safety Case and its embedded Safety Management System do not address the basic problem that people are imperfect machines and are wholly unpredictable at a detail level. To counter this, it is essential that managers keep people risk-aware, safety-motivated and improvement-minded. This requires humility, sincerity, good system content, clarity of responsibility, a disinterest in blame, an easy- to-use written reporting system, respect for life and unambiguous priorities of safety, quality and money.
INTRODUCTIONTOTHE APPEA GUIDELINES FOR LIFTING EQUIPMENT
Authors: Williams D.C. , Potts A.E.
Published: August 2017

The APPEA Guidelines for Lifting Equipment were published in August 1999 as a working draft in recognition of the potential risks associated with 'off-boat' offshore lifting operations. This paper presents the background, contents and ramifications of the APPEA Guidelines as they affect lifting operations, particularly offshore.A technical working group comprising operator and service company representatives was formed at the request of APPEA to develop the Guidelines. The group examined a number of areas, including competency requirements for personnel involved, factors of safety for rigging, visual inspection criteria and justification for the reduced dependence on load testing for offshore containers. The group also carried out a field study of dynamic amplification due to offshore lifting.The Guidelines will introduce a uniform standard of lifting equipment for all Australian offshore operating areas and will become an important tool in the safe management of 'off-boat' lifting operations. They will be referenced in various Government publications including 'Guidelines for the Preparation and Submission of Safety Cases'.
OIL MIGRATION HISTORY OF THE OFFSHORE CANNING BASIN
Authors: Lisk M. , Ostby J. , Russell N.J. , O’Brien G.W.
Published: August 2017

The dual issues of the presence or absence of a viable, oil-prone petroleum system and reservoir quality represent key exploration uncertainties in the lightly explored Offshore Canning Basin, North West Shelf. To better quantify these factors, a detailed fluid inclusion investigation of potential reservoir horizons within the basin has been undertaken. The results have been integrated with regional petroleum geology and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) oil seep data to better understand the oil migration risk in the region.The fluid inclusion data provide confirmation of widespread oil migration at multiple Mesozoic and Palaeozoic levels, including those wells that are remote from the likely source kitchens. The lack of evidence for present or palaeo-oil accumulations is consistent with the proposition that none of the currently water-wet wells appear to have tested a valid structure. These observations, when combined with the presence of numerous direct hydrocarbon indicators on seismic data and a number of oil slicks (from SAR data) at the basin’s edge, suggest that the potential for oil charge to valid structures is much higher than previously recognised.Petrographic analysis of the tight, gas-bearing, Triassic sandstones in Phoenix–1 suggests that the low porosity and permeability is the result of late poikilotopic carbonate cement. Significantly, the presence of oil inclusions within quartz overgrowths that pre-date the carbonate indicates that oil migration began prior to crystallisation of carbonate. Fluid inclusion palaeotemperatures combined with a 1D basin model suggest that trapping of oil as inclusions occurred in the Early to Middle Cretaceous and that predictions of reservoir quality using available water-wet wells could seriously under-estimate porositypermeability levels in potential traps that were charged with oil at about 100 Ma. Indeed, acid leaching of core plugs from Phoenix–1 indicates that removal of diagenetic carbonate results in significant permeability increase with obvious implications for the producibility of any future oil discovery. Further, evidence of Early Cretaceous oil charge has implications for the size and locality of source kitchens compared to that observed at the current day.Collectively, the data indicate the area has received widespread oil migration and suggest future exploration, even to relatively deep levels, may be successful if valid traps can be delineated.
Adaptive strategy of tree communities on an environmental harshness hinterland inselberg in Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Araujo Felipe de Carvalho , Mendes Carolina Njaime , Pires Gabriela Gomes , Menino Gisele Cristina de Oliveira , Fontes Marco Aurelio Leite , Dos Santos Rubens Manoel
Published: August 2017

Trees and other plants growing in stressful environments can display adaptive strategies such as sprouting, which is considered to be a functional trait for the persistence niche. For example, inselbergs are rocky outcrops that impose limitations on many plant forms through selective pressure to adapt to these environments. The present research tested the hypotheses that environmental harshness enhances sprouting, and that multi-stemmed trees have different persistence dynamics compared with single-stemmed trees. We sampled vegetation in 2006 and 2011 across a soil depth gradient in three areas: riparian forest, inselbergs and a corridor between the first two areas. Trees with a diameter at the breast height (dbh) ≥5 cm were sampled, and sprouts were counted. Results showed that the inselberg had more sprouted individuals and a larger amount of sprouts than the other areas. Thus, sprouting as a survival strategy was efficient in dealing with the environmental harshness and may be considered an adaptive strategy of trees to enable them to persist in such environments. The dynamic of multi-stemmed trees differed from single-stemmed ones, and the inselberg was distinct from the other areas. Over the 5 years of the present study, sprouting proved to be a strategy of persistence in this habitat, a finding that is in accordance with our hypothesis. Factors contributing to the environmental harshness, such as soil depth, may be the cause of sprouting in trees.
A Novel Cancer Nanotheranostics System Based on Quantum Dots Encapsulated by a Polymer-Prodrug with Controlled Release Behaviour
Authors: Huang Hai-Kang , Yan Jing , Liu Pei , Zhao Bi-Yun , Cao Yi , Zhang Xue-Fei
Published: August 2017

A nanotheranostic system is a new system that combines both diagnosis and treatment of a malignant disease, e.g. cancer, by exploitation of the unusual properties of nano-sized particles. In this project, we have developed a novel nanotheranostic system based on quantum dots (QDs) coated with drug-loaded polymer. We first synthesized a double-group functionalized amphiphilic triblock copolymer and loaded it with the anti-tumour drug paclitaxel (PTX) and lipoic acid (LA) to obtain the prodrug mPEG-block-PCL-(graft-PTX)-block-PLA-(graft-LA) (mPEG: methoxy polyethylene glycol, PLA: poly(norbornene-lactide)s). When exposed to UV light (365 nm), the disulfide bond of LA was broken into two sulfydryls, which could in turn adhere to the surface of CdSe/ZnS QDs to form a nanotheranostic system. This novel system exhibited good controlled drug release behaviour due to the ester linkage between the drug and polymer. By using typical cancer cell lines, we showed that this nanotheranostic system is promising in cancer diagnosis and treatment in vitro.
Angiogenesis and oxidative stress-related gene variants in recurrent pregnancy loss
Authors: Fortis Marcela Felix , Fraga Lucas Rosa , Boquett Juliano André , Kowalski Thayne Woycinck , Dutra Caroline Gross , Gonçalves Rozana Oliveira , Vianna Fernanda Sales Luiz , Schüler-Faccini Lavinia , Sanseverino Maria Teresa Vieira
Published: August 2017

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects ~3–5% of couples attempting to conceive and in around 50% of cases the aetiology remains unknown. Adequate vascularisation and placental circulation are indispensable for the development of a normal pregnancy. Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the nitric oxide (NO) systems play important roles in reproductive physiology, participating in several steps including implantation and apoptosis of trophoblast cells. In this study we evaluated genetic polymorphisms in the inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2), PTGS2 and VEGFA genes as susceptibility factors for RPL. A case-control study was conducted in 149 women having two or more miscarriages and 208 controls. Allele and genotype distributions of the polymorphisms studied in the two groups were not statistically different. However, the dominant model showed that the presence of variant T (TT/GT) of rs2779249 (−1290G > T) of NOS2 was significantly associated with RPL (OR = 1.58, CI 95% = 1.03–2.44; P = 0.037). The increased risk remained significant when adjusted for number of pregnancies, alcohol consumption and ethnicity (OR = 1.92, CI95% = 1.18–3.11; P = 0.008). These results suggest that the variant genotypes of the functional polymorphism rs2779249 in the NOS2 promoter are a potential risk for RPL, possibly due to oxidative stress mechanisms.
EGF hijacks miR-198/FSTL1 wound-healing switch and steers a two-pronged pathway toward metastasis
Authors: Sundaram Gopinath M. , Ismail Hisyam M. , Bashir Mohsin , Muhuri Manish , Vaz Candida , Nama Srikanth , Ow Ghim Siong , Vladimirovna Ivshina Anna , Ramalingam Rajkumar , Burke Brian , Tanavde Vivek , Kuznetsov Vladimir , Lane E. Birgitte , Sampath Prabha
Published: August 2017

Epithelial carcinomas are well known to activate a prolonged wound-healing program that promotes malignant transformation. Wound closure requires the activation of keratinocyte migration via a dual-state molecular switch. This switch involves production of either the anti-migratory microRNA miR-198 or the pro-migratory follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) protein from a single transcript; miR-198 expression in healthy skin is down-regulated in favor of FSTL1 upon wounding, which enhances keratinocyte migration and promotes re-epithelialization. Here, we reveal a defective molecular switch in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This defect shuts off miR-198 expression in favor of sustained FSTL1 translation, driving metastasis through dual parallel pathways involving DIAPH1 and FSTL1. DIAPH1, a miR-198 target, enhances directional migration through sequestration of Arpin, a competitive inhibitor of Arp2/3 complex. FSTL1 blocks Wnt7a-mediated repression of extracellular signal–regulated kinase phosphorylation, enabling production of MMP9, which degrades the extracellular matrix and facilitates metastasis. The prognostic significance of the FSTL1-DIAPH1 gene pair makes it an attractive target for therapeutic intervention.
Study on Photocatalytic Degradation of Endocrine Disrupting Compound
Authors: Parihar Bhagwan Pralhad , Gupta Smita , Chakraborty Mousumi
Published: August 2017

Propylparaben (PP) is catagorized as endocrine disrupting compounds and is found to be present in urban wastewater comparatively at high concentrations. In the present work, propylparaben was degraded photo-catalytically by optimizing different process parameters such as initial concentration of propylparaben (25mgL-1 to 100 mgL-1), pH of the feed phase and concentration of photocatalyst TiO2 (50 mgL-1 to 200 mgL-1). Finally PP degraded and converted to CO2 and H2O and the degradation was found to follow the first order kinetics.
Isolation and Characterization of Biosurfactant Producing Bacteria for the Application in Enhanced Oil Recovery
Authors: Prasad Niraj , Dasgupta Sumita , Chakraborty Mousumi , Gupta Smita
Published: August 2017

In the present study, a biosurfactant producing bacterial strain was isolated, screened and identified. Further, various fermentation conditions (such as pH (5-10), incubation period (24-96h) and incubation temperature (20-60 °C) were optimized for maximum production of biosurfactant. The produced biosurfactant was characterized by measuring emulsification index, foaming characteristics, rhamnolipid detection, interfacial tension between water and oil and stability against pH and temperature for its potential application in oil recovery process. The additional oil recovery for two different sand, sand1 and sand2, was found to be 49% and 38%, respectively.
On the nonvanishing hypothesis for Rankin-Selberg convolutions for 𝐺𝐿_{𝑛}(ℂ)×𝔾𝕃_{𝕟}(ℂ)
Authors: Dong Chao-Ping , Xue Huajian
Published: August 2017

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Patient-Level Factors Influencing Hospital Costs and Short-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes After Transsphenoidal Resection of Sellar Tumors
Authors: Guan Jian , Karsy Michael , Bisson Erica F , Couldwell William T
Published: August 2017

BACKGROUND

Identifying which factors influence treatment costs of transsphenoidal surgery for removal of sellar lesions can be complex.

OBJECTIVE

To identify which patient-level factors are associated with higher costs and evaluate the relationship between expenditures and short-term patient-reported outcomes.

METHODS

We used an institutional database tool to review prospectively collected data on patients (≥10 yr old) undergoing transsphenoidal sellar surgery. Hospital costs, demographic data, disease-specific variables, hospital-related measures, and patient-reported outcomes (Euro-QOL 5D [EQ-5D] responses) were collected for all patients.

RESULTS

One hundred seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria. A multivariable logistic regression model for hospital costs showed a significant association between higher costs and adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting tumors (odds ratio [OR] 86.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.43-2176.42), larger tumor size (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.28), and in-hospital complications (OR 14.98, 95% CI 2.21-101.68). The largest contributor to hospital costs in our cohort was facility cost (75%), followed by pharmacy (13%) and supply (7%) costs. Most patients (65.8%) had stable or improved EQ-5D responses at 1-mo follow-up. Stability or improvement in EQ-5D was more likely in patients with lower preoperative EQ-5D scores (P < .015) and with higher postoperative EQ-5D scores (P < .001) on univariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

Most patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery for sellar tumors experience stable or improved postoperative quality of life, even shortly after surgery. Factors associated with increased costs of surgery included larger tumor size and in-hospital complications. Using these data, further study can be directed at determining which interventions may improve the value of transsphenoidal surgery.
Constraints on pulsed emission model for repeating FRB 121102
Authors: Kisaka Shota , Enoto Teruaki , Shibata Shinpei
Published: August 2017

Recent localization of the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) 121102 revealed the distance of its host galaxy and luminosities of the bursts. We investigated constraints on the young neutron star (NS) model, that (a) the FRB intrinsic luminosity is supported by the spin-down energy, and (b) the FRB duration is shorter than the NS rotation period. In the case of a circular cone emission geometry, conditions (a) and (b) determine the NS parameters within very small ranges, compared with that from only condition (a) discussed in previous works. Anisotropy of the pulsed emission does not affect the area of the allowed parameter region by virtue of condition (b). The determined parameters are consistent with those independently limited by the properties of the possible persistent radio counterpart and the circumburst environments such as surrounding materials. Since the NS in the allowed parameter region is older than the spin-down timescale, the hypothetical GRP (giant radio pulse)-like model expects a rapid radio flux decay of ≲1 Jy within a few years as the spin-down luminosity decreases. The continuous monitoring will provide constraints on the young NS models. If no flux evolution is seen, we need to consider an alternative model, e.g., the magnetically powered flare.
Microbial Landscape of the Grapevine Endosphere in the Context of Pierce’s Disease
Authors: Deyett Elizabeth , Roper M. Caroline , Ruegger Paul , Yang Jiue-In , Borneman James , Rolshausen Philippe E.
Published: August 2017

Microbial community structure and composition in the plant vascular endosphere has not been studied extensively especially in the context of vascular diseases. Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevine is caused by Xylella fastidiosa, a xylem-limited bacterium. In PD-impacted vineyards, there are observations of vines that remain asymptomatic despite being under high disease pressure. Because these vines are clonal, we hypothesized that the microbial community inhabiting the grapevine vascular endosphere is a major contributor to the disease escape phenotype. We used a next-generation sequencing Illumina MiSeq-based platform to characterize the bacterial and fungal microbiome residing in the cane endosphere of grapevine that displayed severely symptomatic, to mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic disease phenotypes. Our results provide evidence that the endophytic grapevine microbial community is composed primarily of Proteobacteria and Ascomycota with Pseudomonodales and Pleosporales as the main bacterial and fungal orders, respectively. Endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens and Achromobacter xylosoxidans showed significant negative correlations with X. fastidiosa titer. Our data suggest that the clustering of bacterial communities appeared to be driven by the abundance of both P. fluorescens and X. fastidiosa. P. fluorescens emerged as a potential driver of the disease-escape phenotype and a promising biological control agent of PD.
Development and validation of an expanded carrier screen that optimizes sensitivity via full-exon sequencing and panel-wide copy-number-variant identification
Authors: Hogan Gregory J. , Vysotskaia Valentina S. , Seisenberger Stefanie , Grauman Peter V. , Beauchamp Kyle A. , Haas Kevin R. , Hong Sun Hae , Jennions David , Jeon Diana , Kash Shera , Lai Henry H. , Melroy Laura M. , Theilmann Mark R. , Chu Clement S. , Guha Saurav , Iori Kevin , Maguire Jared R. , Wong Kenny K. , Evans Eric A. , Haque Imran S. , Mar-Heyming Rebecca , Kang Hyunseok P. , Muzzey Dale
Published: August 2017

Purpose

By identifying pathogenic variants across hundreds of genes, expanded carrier screening (ECS) enables prospective parents to assess risk of transmitting an autosomal recessive or X-linked condition. Detection of at-risk couples depends on the number of conditions tested, the diseases’ respective prevalences, and the screen’s sensitivity for identifying disease-causing variants. Here we present an analytical validation of a 235-gene sequencing-based ECS with full coverage across coding regions, targeted assessment of pathogenic noncoding variants, panel-wide copy-number-variant (CNV) calling, and customized assays for technically challenging genes.

Methods

Next-generation sequencing, a customized bioinformatics pipeline, and expert manual call review were used to identify single-nucleotide variants, short insertions and deletions, and CNVs for all genes exceptFMR1and those whose low disease incidence or high technical complexity precludes novel variant identification or interpretation. Variant calls were compared to reference and orthogonal data.

Results

Validation of our ECS data demonstrated >99% analytical sensitivity and >99% specificity. A preliminary assessment of 15,177 patient samples reveals the substantial impact on fetal disease-risk detection attributable to novel CNV calling (13.9% of risk) and technically challenging conditions (15.5% of risk), such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Conclusion

Validated, high-fidelity identification of different variant types—especially in diseases with complicated molecular genetics—maximizes at-risk couple detection.
The functional and genetic associations of neuroimaging data: a toolbox
Authors: Liu Zhaowen , Rolls Edmund T. , Zhang Jie , Yang Ming , Du Jingnan , Gong Weikang , Cheng Wei , Wang He , Ugurbil Kamil , Feng Jianfeng
Published: August 2017

Advances in neuroimaging and sequencing techniques provide an unprecedented opportunity to map the function of brain regions and to identify the roots of psychiatric diseases. However, the results generated by most neuroimaging studies, i.e., activated clusters/regions or functional connectivities between brain regions, frequently cannot be conveniently and systematically interpreted, rendering the biological meaning unclear. We describe a Brain Annotation Toolbox (BAT), a toolbox that helps to generate functional and genetic annotations for neuroimaging results. The toolbox can take data from brain regions identified with an atlas, or from brain regions identified as activated in tasks, or from functional connectivity links or networks of links. Then, the voxel-level functional description from the Neurosynth database and the gene expression profile from the Allen Brain Atlas are used to generate functional and genetic knowledge for such region-level data. Parametric (Fisher’s exact test) or non-parametric (permutation test) statistical tests are adopted to identify significantly related functional descriptors and genes for the neuroimaging results. The validity of the approach is demonstrated by showing that the functional and genetic annotations for specific brain regions are consistent with each other; and further the region by region functional similarity network and gene co-expression networks are highly correlated for many major brain atlases. One application of BAT is to help provide functional and genetic annotations for the newly discovered regions with unknown functions, e.g., the 97 new regions identified in the Human Connectome Project. Importantly too, this toolbox can help understand differences between patients with psychiatric disorders and controls, and this is demonstrated using data for schizophrenia and autism, for which the functional and genetic annotations for the neuroimaging data differences between patients and controls are consistent with each other and help with the interpretation of the differences.
Innovations orthogonalization: a solution to the major pitfalls of EEG/MEG “leakage correction”
Authors: Pascual-Marqui Roberto D. , Biscay Rolando J. , Bosch-Bayard Jorge , Faber Pascal , Kinoshita Toshihiko , Kochi Kieko , Milz Patricia , Nishida Keiichiro , Yoshimura Masafumi
Published: August 2017

1.

The problem of interest here is the study of brain functional and effective connectivity based non-invasive EEG-MEG inverse solution time series. These signals generally have low spatial resolution, such that an estimated signal at any one site is an instantaneous linear mixture of the true, actual, unobserved signals across all cortical sites. False connectivity can result from analysis of these low-resolution signals. Recent efforts toward “unmixing” have been developed, under the name of “leakage correction”. One recent noteworthy approach is that by Colclough et al (2015 NeuroImage, 117:439-448), which forces the inverse solution signals to have zero cross-correlation at lag zero. One goal is to show that Colclough’s method produces false human connectomes under very broad conditions. The second major goal is to develop a new solution, that appropriately “unmixes” the inverse solution signals, based on innovations orthogonalization. The new method first fits a multivariate autoregression to the inverse solution signals, giving the mixed innovations. Second, the mixed innovations are orthogonalized. Third, the mixed and orthogonalized innovations allow the estimation of the “unmixing” matrix, which is then finally used to “unmix” the inverse solution signals. It is shown that under very broad conditions, the new method produces proper human connectomes, even when the signals are not generated by an autoregressive model.
3,6-Anhydro-L-galactonate cycloisomerase fromVibriosp. strain EJY3: crystallization and X-ray crystallographic analysis
Authors: Lee Saeyoung , Yun Eun Ju , Kim Kyoung Heon , Kim Hye-Yeon , Choi In-Geol
Published: August 2017

3,6-Anhydro-L-galactonate cycloisomerase (ACI), which is found in the marine bacteriumVibriosp. strain EJY3, converts 3,6-anhydro-L-galactonate into 2-keto-3-deoxygalactonate. ACI is a key enzyme in the metabolic pathway of 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose (AHG). Study of AHG metabolism is important for the efficient fermentation of agar and biofuel production, because AHG is a sugar that is non-fermentable by commercial microorganisms. Theacigene fromVibriosp. strain EJY3 was cloned, and the recombinant protein was overexpressed and crystallized in order to determine the structure and understand the function of the protein. The crystals diffracted to 2.2 Å resolution and belonged to space groupP41212 orP43212, with unit-cell parametersa=b= 87.9,c= 143.5 Å. The Matthews coefficient was 2.3 Å3 Da−1, with a solvent content of 47%.
rac-tert-Butyl{2-hydroxy-2-[4-hydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]ethyl}azanium acrylate
Authors: Liu Wenju , Yu Linda
Published: August 2017

The title salt, C13H22NO3+·C3H3O2−, comprises one salbutamol cation and an acrylate anion. The acrylate anion is linked to the salbutamol cationviaan O—H...O and an N—H...O hydrogen bond. The C=C group of the acrylate anion is disordered over two positions, with refined site occupancies of 0.812 (7) and 0.188 (7). The crystal structure is stabilized by N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions.
Workarounds and trade-offs in information security – an exploratory study
Authors: Woltjer Rogier
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate relationships between workarounds (solutions to handling trade-offs between competing or misaligned goals and gaps in policies and procedures), perceived trade-offs, information security (IS) policy compliance, IS expertise/knowledge and IS demands.

Design/methodology/approach

The research purpose is addressed using survey data from a nationwide sample of Swedish white-collar workers (N = 156).

Findings

Responses reinforce the notion that workarounds partly are something different from IS policy compliance and that workarounds-as-improvisations are used more frequently by employees that see more conflicts between IS and other goals (r = 0.351), and have more IS expertise/knowledge (r = 0.257). Workarounds-as-non-compliance are also used more frequently when IS trade-offs are perceived (r = 0.536). These trade-offs are perceived more by people working in organizations that handle information with high security demands (r = 0.265) and those who perform tasks with high IS demands (r = 0.178).

Originality/value

IS policies are an important part of IS governance. They describe the procedures that are supposed to provide IS. Researchers have primarily investigated how employees’ compliance with IS policies can be predicted and explained. There has been an increased interest in how tradeoffs and conflicts between following policies and other goals lead employees to make workarounds. Workarounds may leave management unaware of how work actually is done within the organization and may besides getting work done lead to new vulnerabilities. This study furthers the understanding of workarounds and trade-offs, which should be subject to further research.
The effect of clean development mechanism projects on human resource management practices in Brazil
Authors: Fernández Luz , Ventura Andrea Cardoso , Andrade Jose Célio , Lumbreras Julio , Cobo-Benita Jose Ramon
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The clean development mechanism (CDM) project is a cost-effective instrument to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to transfer technology and capital from industrialized to developing countries. HRM practices are important sustainable development co-benefits of CDM projects and Brazil is the third largest CDM project developer in the world. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the HRM practices declared by Brazilian CDM projects and how these practices have been, in fact, implemented by the proponents of these projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methodology was developed, based especially on qualitative and quantitative methods, in the Brazilian context.

Findings

The authors found that CDM activities are improving recruitment, human resource participation and training practices in Brazilian companies, influencing the integration of environmental management into HRM practices – green HRM. In addition, the study presents hints of interesting avenues to explore in further studies. For example, why is it that some organizations are able to change the routines associated with organizational learning and/or culture while others are not.

Originality/value

The overall results suggested that there is further potential within GHG emissions reduction projects to improve green HRM.
Third-party logistics providers (TPLs) and environmental sustainability practices in developing countries
Authors: El Baz Jamal , Laguir Issam
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the environmental sustainability practices of third-party logistics providers (TPLs) in a developing country and analyze the efforts made by TPLs to implement green practices through a case study of Moroccan TPLs.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study of Moroccan TPLs was conducted using an interview guide.

Findings

The findings indicate that the internal and external drivers motivate TPLs to implement green practices while internal and external obstacles hinder them. The authors identified two groups of TPLs, each with a specific environmental sustainability approach. The results indicate also that environmental sustainability is at an early stage of development in Moroccan TPLs. Based on these findings, the authors were able to develop several propositions for further research. It is suggested that TPLs market coverage can influence positively their green initiative; the lack of collaboration and partners involvement hinders TPLs environmental initiatives; and the lack of clear environmental strategy limits TPLs environmental sustainability initiatives.

Research limitations/implications

This study has some limitations that provide future research opportunities. Because this study is qualitative, further statistical support is needed to justify wider generalization of its findings. The possibility of generalizing the present findings to countries beyond Morocco is limited by the fact that data were collected exclusively there. Studies might therefore do well to investigate TPLs in developing countries other than Morocco to increase the external validity of the results. Also, the research could be expanded by taking into account how shippers or client companies collaborate with TPLs to improve sustainability initiatives.

Practical implications

The results can be used to inform companies about environmental sustainability initiatives that have been implemented or to identify practices that can be adopted.

Originality/value

The relevant literature has centered on advanced countries, and few studies have been conducted in the logistics market. Research on the sustainable initiatives of TPLs in developing countries in general and African countries in particular is sparse. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the sustainable practices of TPLs in Morocco.