bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thin Oil Columns: Most People Think Horizontal Wells, Obagi Field Case Suggests the Contrary
Authors: Chugbo A. I. , Roux G. D. , Bosio J. C.
Published: March 2016

The OBAGI Field is situated onshore NIGERIA. Among the numerous productive layers, one is a thin 36 ft thick disk-shaped oil column. This unconsolidated deltaic sand is produced, making the best possible use of the natural geological features to limit gas and water coning. Permeability is 2 darcys and bottom hole oil viscosity 0.8 cp.

In that area, such an oil disk is considered as almost impossible to produce economically, because of immediate coning problems.

In fact, in this type of sand, it is our experience that shaly streaks are always present. If they can be accurately located it is always possible to position the perforations so that they are adequately protected from early invasion by water and gas.

Some wells can produce up to 3500 bbl/day, that is 10 times more than the theoritical critical rate derived from Darcy's law in a supposed homogeneous sand.

This shows that although shale interbeds cannot be correlated from one well to the other, their abundance is such that as one disappears laterally, another one develops not far above or below it: this results in a low vertical permeability and limits coning.

Shale lamination is difficult to pick up on the logs, and even the Gamma ray can be misleading as a shale indicator. Fortunately, some other tools have a good vertical resolution and proved very useful in detecting shale streaks.

An interesting feature of this field is that a horizontal well, now expected by some people in the industry to be the best way to produce a thin layer of unconsolidated sand with a coning problem, would probably not be as successful in OBAGI because of the low vertical permeability.

In fact, ELF NIGERIA has already recovered 21 × 106 bbl of oil (that is 19 % of the original oil in place), and expects to obtain a final recovery of 30 %.
Why Waterflood Works: A Linearized Stability Analysis
Authors: King M. J. , Dunayevsky V. A.
Published: March 2016

The stability of the transient waterflood problem has been examined. The treatment includes both the effects of relative permeability and of capillary pressure. The analysis is formulated for a Buckley-Leverett type base state, although with capillary corrections. This base state is obtained for arbitrary water/oil relative permeabilities and capillary pressure functions, using the method of matched asymptotic expansions.

The stability analysis is performed in a coordinate system co-moving with the base state; the transformation is a combined stretching and uniform translation in position. The growth rate of a perturbation is found to depend upon both the spatial position and the time of initiation of the instability. The long and short wavelength asymptotics are obtained analytically, the latter using a WKB-type approach. Finite wavelength stability is studied numerically.

The pertubration evolution is found to be a competition between a temporal algebraic instability and an exponential decay, in regimes of practical interest. The success of waterflood can be understood since the algebraic instability remains finite at all wavelengths (short wave growth rates are independent of wavelength), in distinction to the strong exponential instability exhibited by an adverse mobility miscible flood. Essentially, the stretching of the Buckley-Leverett base state is as fast as the growth of the instability, changing the exponential instability to an algebraic one. For highly adverse mobility ratio immiscible floods, the exponential instability remains, although it is spatially localized due to the effects of relative permeability.

The method of analysis is also applied to the motion of a steady state solution, with relative permeability and capillary pressure, for comparison to the results of previous researchers. An exponential instability arises, instead of the temporal instability, demonstrating the inadequacy of such base states for the examination of waterflood stability.
Impact of Natural Gas Market Factors on Developing Resources
Authors: Freedenthal C. , Taylor M. A.
Published: March 2016

Today's natural gas producer faces a marketplace that bears little resemblance to the one in place a few years ago. The traditional natural gas industry allowed little flexibility and innovation. Today, the natural gas producer has a cornucopia of new economic and marketing challenges before him. Awareness of the new marketing opportunities in the industry allows the gas producer to convert these challenges into opportunities. The potential of the gas industry has never been better. Natural gas is increasing its value as one of the nation's main energy sources. Energy consumption in the U. S. in 1988 was higher than ever before and will continue to rise as the world economy continues to expand. (FIGURE I –U.S. ENERGY CONSUMPTION)

The importance of natural gas in supplying the country's energy needs will continue to grow also. The gas industry, a $3 0 billion a year business at the wellhead, and nearly $70 billion at the burner tip in 1988 will continue to increase in size and diversity. FIGURE II – TOTAL VALUE OF U.S. GAS INDUSTRY shows the value of natural gas operations in recent years at both the wellhead and burner tip. The natural gas industry will become more flexible in response to the evolving regulatory environment, and as gas garners an increasingly favorable image as the preferred fuel source. Natural gas’ appeal in comparison to other fuels, lies in its domestic abundance, its efficiency as a fuel, and its good environmental record – an issue that will likely increase in importance during the 1990s.
Domestic Wholesale Marketing of Petroleum Products by Independent Marketing Companies
Authors: Dobbins M. W.
Published: March 2016

This paper will describe the wholesale marketing of refined petroleum products by independent marketing companies in the U.S. This discussion includes a discussion of how the spot product markets work, both on a wet barrel and paper barrel basis. As the values for refined products often drive the spot crude oil markets, this should lead to a better understanding of the volatility experienced by the crude markets over the past few years.

The focus of this paper is on the different roles which independent marketers and traders play in today's restructured refining environment. The major products involved are gasoline, #2 fuel oil/diesel and #6 fuel oil, and this discussion is limited geographically to the continental U.S. east of the Rockies. Some of the functions to be addressed include the buying and selling of spot product as it becomes available, blending customized products for spot or term needs, or exchanging products on a time, location or quality basis. The differences between the cash or "wet barrel" market and the future exchanges, including the New York Mercantile Exchange, will be described.

This will not be a statistical analysis of specific blending or trading techniques nor technical analysis of the behavior of commodities markets. The goal of this paper is to help provide a better understanding to those in the E&P sector of the business how the downstream products markets function and how they often drive the behavior of the crude markets.
Structuring Energy Financing with Tax-Exempt Institutions
Authors: Smith Lester H. , Leggett Lisa
Published: March 2016

This paper explores a source of energy financing not tapped until recent years--tax-exempt institutions. It focuses on the unique requirements and needs of a tax-exempt as an investor, concentrating on the constraint of avoiding the generation of unrelated business taxable income for them. Three alternatives for structuring investments with tax-exempts are analyzed: net profits interests, debt instruments and stock ownership. Finally, the structures of two oil and gas companies formed by the author that are primarily owned and funded by tax-exempts are presented.
Optimization of Microbial Formulations for Oil Recovery: Mechanisms of Oil Mobilization, Transport of Microbes and Metabolites, and Effects of Additives
Authors: Bryant R. S. , Burchfield T. E. , Chase K. L. , Bertus K. M. , Stepp A. K.
Published: March 2016

The mechanisms of oil mobilization by injection of microbial cells and nutrient have been studied to further develop an engineering methodology for optimizing formulations for oil recovery applications. An extensive laboratory study has been conducted to determine (1) the role of microbial cells and products in oil displacement, (2) the relative rates of transport of microbial cells and chemical products from the metabolism of nutrient in porous media, and (3) the effects of chemical additives on the oil recovery efficiency of microbial formulations.

Oil displacement experiments were performed in Berea sandstone cores to compare the recovery efficiency of a formulation containing chemical products of microbial metabolism from which the cells had been removed by filtration with that of the original microbial formulation. The oil recovery efficiency of the microbial formulation was considerably greater than that of the solution of metabolic products without any cells. Previous m¡cromodel studies have indicated that the products of microbial metabolism were not as effective in mobilizing oil as was the microbial formulation. The results indicate that microbial cells play an important role in oil mobilization, probably by producing high localized concentrations of chemical products at the oil-brine interface.

Additional oil displacement experiments were conducted in 4-foot-long Berea sandstone cores, and samples of in situ fluids were collected at various times at four intermediate points along the cores. The concentrations of metabolic products and microbes in the fluid samples were determined. The results showed that metabolic products transport through porous media at a faster rate than do microbes.

The effects of additives on the oil recovery efficiency of microbial formulations were determined by conducting oil displacement experiments in 1-foot-long Berea sandstone cores. Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), a low-molecular-weight poly-acrylamide polymer, a lignosulfonate surfactant, and sodium bicarbonate were added to a microbial formulation at a concentration of 1 wt %. The effects of using these additives in a preflush prior to injection of the microbial formulation were also evaluated. Adding polymer, surfactant, or sodium bicarbonate increased the oil recovery efficiency of the microbial formulation, while STPP had a minimal effect. Injecting preflush formulations containing the additives also increased oil recovery efficiency of the microbial flood.

The results of this investigation provide new insights into the mechanisms of oil mobilization of microbial formulations and engineering data that are useful in optimizing the design of microbial systems for oil recovery applications.
An Improved Design Method for Horizontal Gas/Oil and Oil/Water Separators
Authors: Hafskjold B. , Dodge F. T.
Published: March 2016

An improved design method is described for horizontal gas/oil and oil/water separators. The improved method is based on obtaining a desired or specified performance goal for the separator, such as outlet stream qualities, rather than on intermediate quantities such as residence times, overflow rates, and level settings. It consists of a six-step procedure:

Choose an initial size for the separator by conventional methods according to flow rates, retention times, etc. Make an initial design, including inlet position, internals, etc. Determine the flow patterns in the separator and estimate the hydraulic efficiency. Use batch settling tests and other laboratory tests to determine the stability of foams and emulsions and settling rates; from these data, estimate whether the performance goal has been met. Determine the sensitivity of the separator performance to changes in operating conditions. Evaluate the design to determine limiting factors. Steps 3,4, and 5 require the use of computer simulations and laboratory test data. As a case study, the method is applied to a small laboratory separator.
A System for Long-Term Testing of Reservoirs in Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Karve S. V. , Adra F. F. , Menard S.
Published: March 2016

In an era of uncertain oil prices and high costs associated with hydrocarbon production from deep waters, proper evaluation of the long term performance of a reservoir helps to eliminate some of the uncertainty associated with field developments which translates into reducing capital investment risk and resulting in a more efficiently designed facility.

A system that enables such long term testing of a reservoir in an economical and expeditions manner was developed by McDermott Incorporated for deployment in the Gulf of Mexico. Though the system has not yet been put to use in the Gulf of Mexico, a similar system was operated offshore Philippines where a seven month extended test was undertaken.

The seven month test proved the system to be highly reliable, economical and practical. The test was conducted without a single weather related disconnect or mechanical shutdown and provided the operator with the data required to develop a sound field development plan.
Enhanced Production from Cable-Deployed Electrical Pumping Systems
Authors: Bayh R. I. , Neuroth D. H.
Published: March 2016

The Cable Deployed Pumping System (CDPS) is designed to reduce the cost of operating electric submersible pumps. It offers a new completion approach for cost-efficient, high-rate enhanced oil production. Designed for adaptive versatility, the system is compatible with both standard and inverted electric submersible pump (ESP) configurations. New advances in cable design, well completion technology and cable-handling equipment have been combined to create a simple and reliable system. New subsurface electrical penetration methods utilizing novel pressure balancing techniques expand the performance limitations of existing conventional designs. Other advantages of the system include shorter time interval requirements for pump changes and size reduction of the service package, making a CDPS workover more feasible in "hostile" or remote locations. With petroleum industry support, an operational prototype system was manufactured and tested.

Recent developments in the adaptation of inverted ESP equipment offer the potential of simplified cable deployed componentry easier and faster to install. The utilization of hydraulic control lines in the CAPS Cable offers the potential for increasing pump longevity.

This paper covers the principal components of CDPS, and includes typical downhole completion arrangements for both conventional and inverted ESP configurations.
A Computer Program for Optimizing Electric Submersible Pump Designs
Authors: Everitt T. A.
Published: March 2016

Electricity is a major cost associated with electric submersible pumps (ESPs). To help reduce ESP costs, Chevron Oil Field Research Company has developed a method of ESP design optimization which considers both capital cost and power cost. Application of the design method through an in-house computer program allows field personnel to easily compare systems of different vendors and select the one with the lowest total cost.
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Rapid-Acting Antidepressants Ketamine and Scopolamine
Authors: Wohleb Eric S. , Gerhard Danielle , Thomas Alex , Duman Ronald S.
Published: March 2016

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disease
that causes profound social and economic burdens. The impact of MDD is
compounded by the limited therapeutic efficacy and delay of weeks to months of
currently available medications. These issues highlight the need for more efficacious
and faster-acting treatments to alleviate the burdens of MDD. Recent breakthroughs
demonstrate that certain drugs, including ketamine and scopolamine, produce rapid
and long-lasting antidepressant effects in MDD patients. Moreover, preclinical work
has shown that the antidepressant actions of ketamine and scopolamine in rodent
models are caused by an increase of extracellular glutamate, elevated BDNF, activation
of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) cascade, and increased
number and function of spine synapses in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Here we review studies showing
that both ketamine and scopolamine elicit rapid antidepressant effects through converging molecular and
cellular mechanisms in the PFC. In addition, we discuss evidence that selective antagonists of NMDA
and muscarinic acetylcholine (mACh) receptor subtypes (i.e., NR2B and M1-AChR) in the PFC produce
comparable antidepressant responses. Furthermore, we discuss evidence that ketamine and scopolamine
antagonize inhibitory interneurons in the PFC leading to disinhibition of pyramidal neurons and increased
extracellular glutamate that promotes the rapid antidepressant responses to these agents. Collectively,
these studies indicate that specific NMDA and mACh receptor subtypes on GABAergic interneurons are
promising targets for novel rapid-acting antidepressant therapies.
Secondary venous aneurysm following intravenous drug abuse: A case report
Authors: Markovic Miroslav , Dragas Marko , Koncar Igor , Banzic Igor , Pejkic Sinisa , Fatic Nikola , Davidovic Lazar
Published: March 2016

Introduction. Venous aneurysm (VA) is a rare condition that can be presented
in both superficial and deep venous system. Secondary VAs as well as
pseudoaneurysms are usually caused by external spontaneous or iatrogenic
trauma. They are often misdiagnosed and inadequately treated. Complications
include thrombosis, phlebitis, eventual pulmonary embolism and rupture. Case
report. We presented a case of secondary VA of the great saphenous vein
developed in a young addict following chronic intravenous drug application in
the groin region. Aneurysm required urgent surgical treatment due to bleeding
complication as it was previously misdiagnosed for hematoma (or abscess) and
punctuated by a general surgeon. Complete resection of VA with successful
preservation of continuity of the great saphenous vein was performed.
Postoperative course was uneventful. Regular venous flow through the great
saphenous vein was confirmed on control ultrasound examination. Conclusion.
VAs are uncommon, among them secondary VA being extremely rare. In cases with
a significant diameter or threatening complications surgical treatment is
recommended.
Association of vascular endothelial growth factor expression with patohistological parameters of cutaneous melanoma
Authors: Gacevic Milomir , Jovic Milena , Zolotarevski Lidija , Stanojevic Ivan , Novakovic Marijan , Miller Karolina , Suljagic Vesna , Mijuskovic Zeljko , Vojvodic Danilo
Published: March 2016

Background/Aim. Melanoma is the most aggresive malignant tumor of the skin.
Contradictory data was published on vascular endothelial growth factor
(VGEF) in tumor samples and its role in skin melanoma progression and
prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of VEGF
expression as a prognostic parameter in melanoma. Methods. The experimental
group included 81 patients with primary skin melanomas treated from 2009 to
2013 at the Military Medical Academy, Belgrade. The control group included
20 patients with dysplastic and 20 with benign naevi. Stratification was
done according to gender, age, clinical and patological stage, localization,
histologic type, Clark?s, Breslow, mitotic count, regression and ulceration,
tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and metastatic spread. Immunohistochemical
staining was performed on skin biopsies using DAKO anti-VEGF antibodies
(Ab), LSABTM +HRP, Dand microvawe antigen (Ag) retrieval in DAKO pH 9.0
solution. For statistical data analysis was done with ANOVA, Bonferroni,
Mann Whitney and Wilcoxon test. Results. The mean intensity of VEGF staining
was statistically significantly higher in melanomas than in benign or
dysplastic naevi. Furthermore, the highest recorded values were in Ia and IV
clinical stages. The majority of melanomas with high intensity of VEGF
staining were in pT1a pathological stage. Melanomas with the highest mitotic
count (> 6) had a significantly higher intensity of VEGF staining than those
with < 2 mitoses. The higest intensity of staining was in melanomas without
significant lymphocytic infiltrate and the lowest was in those with brisk
lymphocytic infiltrate, thus a statistical difference was siginifant. The
mean intensity of VEGF staining was highest in melanomas with lymphovascular
invasion. There was no statistically significant difference between VEGF and
any other parameter. Conclusion. VEGF in primary skin melanomas plays an
important role in tumor progression and is linked to the absence if tumor
infiltrating lymphocytes and the presence of lymphovascular invasion. More
detailed studies have to be done on VEGF prognostic value in melanoma on a
larger number of patients.
Intraoperative hemorrhage as a complication of cesarean myomectomy: Analysis of risk factors
Authors: Sparic Radmila
Published: March 2016

Background/Aim. Cesarean myomectomy is a controversial issue. It was
considered relatively contraindicated for many years due to increased risk of
intraoperative hemorrhage. Recent studies showed that cesarean myomectomy in
some women may not be associated with increased morbidity. The aim of the
study was to determine the causes and risk factors for intraoperative
hemorrhage in patients subjected to cesarean myomectomy. Methods. This
retrospective study included women subjected to cesarean myomectomy, divided
into the study group of 36 patients in whom intraoperative hemorrhage was
registered, and the control group of 66 patients in whom it was absent. The
following parameters were analyzed: age, parity, gestational age of delivery,
indications, type and duration of cesarean section, surgeon's experience,
type, localization, size and number of myomas, number of incisions on uterus
and neonatal birth weight. Results. There was a significant difference
between the groups in terms of the type and size of myomas (p = 0.007 and p =
0.000, respectively) and duration of the surgery (p = 0.000). The size of the
defect resulting from myoma enucleation and speed of suturing it have
significant influence on the occurrence of intraoperative hemorrhage. In our
study, operation on the patients of the study group lasted 14.53 minutes
longer and their myomas were 39 mm bigger compared to the controls, with no
difference in surgical experience of the obstetricians (p = 0.111).
Conclusion. Cesarean myomectomy is associated with an increased risk of
hemorrhage. Therefore, it would be advisable to discuss the hemorrhage and
transfusion risks with patients with large multiple and intramural myomas
before making decision to perform cesarean myomectomy. Those who perform
cesarean myomectomy should be prepared to manage intraoperative hemorrhage
during surgery in cases they encounter it.
Double orifice mitral valve: A case report
Authors: Music Ljilja , Knezevic Bozidarka , Jovovic Ljiljana , Bulatovic Nebojsa
Published: March 2016

Introduction. Double orifice mitrol valve (DOMV) is a very rare congenital
heart defect. Case report. We reported 20-year-old male referred to our
center due to evaluation of his cardiologic status. He was operated on
shortly after birth for a tracheoesophageal fistula. Accidentally,
echocardiography examination at the age of 4 years revealed double orifice
mitral valve (DOMV) without the presence of mitral regurgitation, as well as
mitral stenosis, with normal dimensions of all cardiac chambers. The patient
was asymptomatic, even more he was a kick boxer. His physical finding was
normal. Electrocardiography showed regular sinus rhythm, incomplete right
bundle branch block. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examination
revealed the normal size of the left atrial, mitral leaflets were slightly
more redundant. The left and right heart chambers, aorta, tricuspid valve and
pulmonary artery valve were normal. During TTE examination on a short axis
view two asymmetric mitral orifices were seen as a double mitral orifice
through which we registered normal flow, without regurgitation and mitral
stenosis. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination from the
transgastric view at the level of mitral valve, showed 2 single asymmetric
mitral orifices separated by fibrous tissue, mitral leaflet with a separate
insertion of hordes for each orifice. Conclusion. The presented patient with
DOMV is the only one recognized in our country. The case is interesting
because during 16-year a follow-up period there were no functional changes
despite the fact that he performed very demanded sport activities. This is
very important because there is no information in the literature about that.
Erratum: Feng et al. A Method for Deriving the Boundary Layer Mixing Height from MODIS Atmospheric Profile Data. Atmosphere, 2015, 6, 1346-1361
Authors: Feng Xueliang , Wu Bingfang , Yan Nana
Published: March 2016

The authors would like to correct the acknowledgements of this article [1] as follows:[...]
Probing the Catalytic Activity of Tin-Platinum Decorated Graphene; Liquid Phase Oxidation of Cyclohexane
Authors: Sadiq Mohammad , Sadiq Saima , Abid Zia Muhammad , Ali Muhammad , Saeed Khalid , Sohail Ahmad Muhammad , Ali Rahmat
Published: March 2016

Pt-Sn supported on reduced graphene oxide (Pt-Sn/rGO) was synthesized and characterized by SEM, EDX, and XRD. The catalytic activity of Pt-Sn/rGO was tested for the solvent free liquid phase oxidation of cyclohexane to a mixture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, also called KA oil, under mild reaction conditions. The products were analyzed gravimetrically, by UV spectrophotometer, and GC equipped with FID. The catalyst was found to be fairly active as well as selective for the desired products. The experimental data was analyzed by Freundlich, Temkin, and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The L-H model was found to give a better fit of the data. The catalyst was fully recyclable and truly heterogeneous.
Effect of Dietary Bioactive Compounds on Mitochondrial and Metabolic Flexibility
Authors: Serrano Jose , Cassanye Anna , Martín-Gari Meritxell , Granado-Serrano Ana , Portero-Otín Manuel
Published: March 2016

Metabolic flexibility is the capacity of an organism to adequately respond to changes in the environment, such as nutritional input, energetic demand, etc. An important player in the capacity of adaptation through different stages of metabolic demands is the mitochondrion. In this context, mitochondrial dysfunction has been attributed to be the onset and center of many chronic diseases, which are denoted by an inability to adapt fuel preferences and induce mitochondrial morphological changes to respond to metabolic demands, such as mitochondrial number, structure and function. Several nutritional interventions have shown the capacity to induce changes in mitochondrial biogenesis/degradation, oxidative phosphorylation efficiency, mitochondrial membrane composition, electron transfer chain capacity, etc., in metabolic inflexibility states that may open new target options and mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds for the treatment of metabolic diseases. This review is focused in three well-recognized food bioactive compounds that modulate insulin sensitivity, polyphenols, ω-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber, by several mechanism of action, like caloric restriction properties and inflammatory environment modulation, both closely related to mitochondrial function and dynamics.
Spent Nuclear Fuel Management: Levelized Cost of Electricity Generation and Analysis of Various Production Scenarios
Authors: Rodriguez-Penalonga Laura , Moratilla Soria Beatriz , Ocaña-Pastor Paula , Martín-Cañas Paula , Belda-Sánchez Borja , Cortes-Sanz Natalia , Estadieu Mathilde , Linares-Hurtado José , Vidal-Bernardez José , Niño-Serrano Marta
Published: March 2016

This article aims to analyze the results of an economic study carried out to compare the influence of nuclear production capacity in different countries. The analysis is based on LCOEs (levelized cost of electricity) for three back-end strategies: open cycle, closed cycle and advanced closed cycle. The results show that costs are not a relevant criteria in order to select an energy policy for the spent nuclear fuel management.
A Half-Bridge Voltage Balancer with New Controller for Bipolar DC Distribution Systems
Authors: Han Byung-Moon
Published: March 2016

This paper proposes a half-bridge voltage balancer with a new controller for bipolar DC distribution systems. The proposed control scheme consists of two cascaded Proportional Integral (PI) controls rather than one PI control for balancing the pole voltage. In order to confirm the excellence of voltage balancing performance, a typical bipolar DC distribution system including a half-bridge voltage balancer with proposed controller was analyzed by computer simulations. Experiments with a scaled prototype were also carried out to confirm the simulation results. The half-bridge voltage balancer with proposed controller shows better performance than the half-bridge voltage balancer with one PI control for balancing the pole voltage.
Mercury Accumulation, and the Mercury-PCB-Sex Interaction, in Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
Authors: Madenjian Charles , Ebener Mark , Krabbenhoft David
Published: March 2016

We determined whole-fish Hg concentrations of 26 female and 34 male adult lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from northern Lake Huron captured during November 2010. Subsampling from these 60 fish, Hg concentration was also determined in both somatic tissue and ovaries (n = 5), while methylmercury (MeHg) concentration was determined in whole fish (n = 18). Bioenergetics modeling was used to assess the growth dilution effect on the difference in Hg concentrations between the sexes. Mean whole-fish Hg concentration in females (59.9 ng/g) was not significantly different from mean whole-fish Hg concentration in males (54.4 ng/g). MeHg accounted for 91% of the mercury found in the lake whitefish. Bioenergetics modeling results indicated that the growth dilution effect did not contribute to the difference in Hg concentrations between the sexes. We estimated that females increased in Hg concentration by 17.9%, on average, immediately after spawning due to release of eggs. Using polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) data for the same 60 lake whitefish from a previous study, we detected a significant interaction between sex and contaminant type (Hg or PCBs), which was attributable to males being significantly higher in PCB concentration than females. Males may be eliminating Hg at a faster rate than females.
Correspondence between Simulator and On-Road Drive Performance: Implications for Assessment of Driving Safety
Authors: Aksan Nazan , Hacker Sarah , Sager Lauren , Dawson Jeffrey , Anderson Steven , Rizzo Matthew
Published: March 2016

Forty-two younger (Mean age = 35) and 37 older drivers (Mean age = 77) completed four similar simulated drives. In addition, 32 younger and 30 older drivers completed a standard on-road drive in an instrumented vehicle. Performance in the simulated drives was evaluated using both electronic drive data and video-review of errors. Safety errors during the on-road drive were evaluated by a certified driving instructor blind to simulator performance, using state Department of Transportation criteria. We examined the degree of convergence in performance across the two platforms on various driving tasks including lane change, lane keeping, speed control, stopping, turns, and overall performance. Differences based on age group indicated a pattern of strong relative validity for simulator measures. However, relative rank-order in specific metrics of performance suggested a pattern of moderate relative validity. The findings have implications for the use of simulators in assessments of driving safety as well as its use in training and/or rehabilitation settings.
The Risk Implications of Globalisation: An Exploratory Analysis of 105 Major Industrial Incidents (1971–2010)
Authors: Beck Matthias
Published: March 2016

This paper revisits work on the socio-political amplification of risk, which predicts that those living in developing countries are exposed to greater risk than residents of developed nations. This prediction contrasts with the neoliberal expectation that market driven improvements in working conditions within industrialising/developing nations will lead to global convergence of hazard exposure levels. It also contradicts the assumption of risk society theorists that there will be an ubiquitous increase in risk exposure across the globe, which will primarily affect technically more advanced countries. Reviewing qualitative evidence on the impact of structural adjustment reforms in industrialising countries, the export of waste and hazardous waste recycling to these countries and new patterns of domestic industrialisation, the paper suggests that workers in industrialising countries continue to face far greater levels of hazard exposure than those of developed countries. This view is confirmed when a data set including 105 major multi-fatality industrial disasters from 1971 to 2000 is examined. The paper concludes that there is empirical support for the predictions of socio-political amplification of risk theory, which finds clear expression in the data in a consistent pattern of significantly greater fatality rates per industrial incident in industrialising/developing countries.
Characterizing Trafﬁc Conditions from the Perspective of Spatial-Temporal Heterogeneity
Authors: Gao Peichao , Liu Zhao , Tian Kun , Liu Gang
Published: March 2016

Traffic conditions are usually characterized from the perspective of travel time or the average vehicle speed in the field of transportation, reflecting the congestion degree of a road network. This article provides a method from a new perspective to characterize traffic conditions; the perspective is based on the heterogeneity of vehicle speeds. A novel measurement, the ratio of areas (RA) in a rank-size plot, is included in the proposed method to capture the heterogeneity. The proposed method can be performed from the perspective of both spatial heterogeneity and temporal heterogeneity, being able to characterize traffic conditions of not only a road network but also a single road. Compared with methods from the perspective of travel time, the proposed method can characterize traffic conditions at a higher frequency. Compared to methods from the perspective of the average vehicle speed, the proposed method takes account of the heterogeneity of vehicle speeds. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been demonstrated with real-life traffic data of Shenzhen (a coastal urban city in China), and the advantage of the proposed RA has been verified by comparisons to similar measurements such as the ht-index and the CRG index.
Information Extraction Under Privacy Constraints
Authors: Asoodeh Shahab , Diaz Mario , Alajaji Fady , Linder Tamás
Published: March 2016

A privacy-constrained information extraction problem is considered where for a pair of correlated discrete random variables (X,Y) governed by a given joint distribution, an agent observes Y and wants to convey to a potentially public user as much information about Y as possible while limiting the amount of information revealed about X. To this end, the so-called rate-privacy function is investigated to quantify the maximal amount of information (measured in terms of mutual information) that can be extracted from Y under a privacy constraint between X and the extracted information, where privacy is measured using either mutual information or maximal correlation. Properties of the rate-privacy function are analyzed and its information-theoretic and estimation-theoretic interpretations are presented for both the mutual information and maximal correlation privacy measures. It is also shown that the rate-privacy function admits a closed-form expression for a large family of joint distributions of (X,Y). Finally, the rate-privacy function under the mutual information privacy measure is considered for the case where (X,Y) has a joint probability density function by studying the problem where the extracted information is a uniform quantization of Y corrupted by additive Gaussian noise. The asymptotic behavior of the rate-privacy function is studied as the quantization resolution grows without bound and it is observed that not all of the properties of the rate-privacy function carry over from the discrete to the continuous case.
Strength Development and Hydration Behavior of Self-Activation of Commercial Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag Mixed with Purified Water
Authors: Park Hyeoneun , Jeong Yeonung , Jeong Jae-Hong , Oh Jae
Published: March 2016

In this study, ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) samples from Singapore, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates were hydrated with purified water to estimate the cementing capabilities without activators. Raw GGBFS samples and hardened pastes were characterized to provide rational explanations for the strengths and hydration products. The slag characteristics that influenced the best strength of raw GGBFS were identified. Although it is widely recognized that GGBFS alone generally shows little cementing capability when hydrated with water, the GGBFSs examined in this study demonstrated various strength developments and hydration behaviors; one of the GGBFS samples even produced a high strength comparable to that of alkali- or Ca(OH)2-activated GGBFS. In particular, as the GGBFS exhibited a greater number of favorable slag characteristics for hydraulic reactivity, it produced more C-S-H and ettringite. The results demonstrated a reasonable potential for commercial GGBFS with calcium sulfates to function as an independent cementitious binder without activators.
PEEK Primary Crowns with Cobalt-Chromium, Zirconia and Galvanic Secondary Crowns with Different Tapers—A Comparison of Retention Forces
Authors: Stock Veronika , Schmidlin Patrick , Merk Susanne , Wagner Christina , Roos Malgorzata , Eichberger Marlis , Stawarczyk Bogna
Published: March 2016

In prosthetic dentistry, double crown systems have proved their suitability as retainers for removable partial dentures. However, investigations in this context, regarding polyetheretherketone, are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the retention force (RF) between polyetheretherketone (PEEK) primary and cobalt-chromium (CoCr), zirconia (ZrO2) and galvanic (GAL) secondary crowns with three different tapers. Primary PEEK-crowns were milled with the tapers 0°, 1°, and 2° (n = 10/taper, respectively). Afterwards, 90 secondary crowns were fabricated: (i) 30 CoCr-crowns milled from Ceramill Sintron (AmannGirrbach, Koblach, Austria) (n = 10/taper), (ii) 30 ZrO2-crowns milled from Ceramill ZI (AmannGirrbach, Koblach, Austria) (n = 10/taper), and (iii) 30 GAL-crowns made using electroforming (n = 10/taper). RF was measured in a pull-off test (20 pull-offs/specimen) and data were analyzed using 2-/1-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by the Tukey-Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post hoc test and linear regression analyses (p < 0.05). The measured mean RF values ranged between 9.6 and 38.2 N. With regard to the 0°, 1°, and 2° tapered crowns, no statistically significant differences between CoCr and ZrO2 were observed (p > 0.141). At 0° taper, no differences in retention forces between GAL, CrCr, and ZrO2 crowns were found (p = 0.075). However, at 1° and 2° taper, lower RF for GAL-crowns were observed (p < 0.009, p < 0.001, respectively). According to this laboratory study, PEEK might be a suitable material for primary crowns, regardless of the taper and the material of secondary crown. Long-term results, however, are still necessary.
Design and Analysis of a Haptic Device Design for Large and Fast Movements
Authors: Barrow Alastair , Harwin William
Published: March 2016

Haptic devices tend to be kept small as it is easier to achieve a large change of stiffness with a low associated apparent mass. If large movements are required there is a usually a reduction in the quality of the haptic sensations which can be displayed. The typical measure of haptic device performance is impedance-width (z-width) but this does not account for actuator saturation, usable workspace or the ability to do rapid movements. This paper presents the analysis and evaluation of a haptic device design, utilizing a variant of redundant kinematics, sometimes referred to as a macro-micro configuration, intended to allow large and fast movements without loss of impedance-width. A brief mathematical analysis of the design constraints is given and a prototype system is described where the effects of different elements of the control scheme can be examined to better understand the potential benefits and trade-offs in the design. Finally, the performance of the system is evaluated using a Fitts’ Law test and found to compare favourably with similar evaluations of smaller workspace devices.
Astaxanthin Inhibits Acetaldehyde-Induced Cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y Cells by Modulating Akt/CREB and p38MAPK/ERK Signaling Pathways
Authors: Yan Tingting , Zhao Yan , Zhang Xia , Lin Xiaotong
Published: March 2016

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to brain tissue damage and cognitive dysfunction. Acetaldehyde, the most toxic metabolite of ethanol, mediates the brain tissue damage and cognitive dysfunction induced by chronic excessive alcohol consumption. In this study, the effect of astaxanthin, a marine bioactive compound, on acetaldehyde-induced cytotoxicity was investigated in SH-SY5Y cells. It was found that astaxanthin protected cells from apoptosis by ameliorating the effect of acetaldehyde on the expression of Bcl-2 family proteins, preventing the reduction of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and the increase of pro-apoptotic protein Bak induced by acetaldehyde. Further analyses showed that astaxanthin treatment inhibited acetaldehyde-induced reduction of the levels of activated Akt and cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB). Astaxanthin treatment also prevented acetaldehyde-induced increase of the level of activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and decrease of the level of activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs). Activation of Akt/CREB pathway promotes cell survival and is involved in the upregulation of Bcl-2 gene. P38MAPK plays a critical role in apoptotic events while ERKs mediates the inhibition of apoptosis. Thus, astaxanthin may inhibit acetaldehyde-induced apoptosis through promoting the activation of Akt/CREB and ERKs and blocking the activation of p38MAPK. In addition, astaxanthin treatment suppressed the oxidative stress induced by acetaldehyde and restored the antioxidative capacity of SH-SY5Y cells. Therefore, astaxanthin may protect cells against acetaldehyde-induced cytotoxicity through maintaining redox balance and modulating apoptotic and survival signals. The results suggest that astaxanthin treatment may be beneficial for preventing neurotoxicity associated with acetaldehyde and excessive alcohol consumption.
Microstructure-Enhanced Liquid–Liquid Extraction in a Real-Time Fluorescence Detection Microfluidic Chip
Authors: Xiong Penghui , Chen Xiangyu , Xiong Ying , Liu Gang , Tian Yangchao
Published: March 2016

Microfluidic system is widely employed in the detection of environmental contaminants and biological specimens. One of the critical issues which limits the applications of microfluidic chips is the limit of detection of trace specimens. Liquid–liquid extraction is of great importance in the preprocessing in microfluidic devices. In this paper, we developed a real-time fluorescence detection microfluidic chip combined with a microstructure-enhanced liquid–liquid laminar extraction technique, which concentrated the trace compound and realized real-time monitoring. Auxiliary microstructures integrated in the microfluidic chip were applied to increase the extraction efficiency, which was proved by the FEM (finite element method) simulation as well. A common fluorescence probe, Rhodamine 6G (Rh6g), was used in the experiment to demonstrate the performance of the microfluidic system. It revealed that the liquid–liquid laminar extraction combined with auxiliary microstructures of a cross shape was an effective method for enrichment. The efficiency of microstructure-enhanced liquid–liquid extraction was increased by 350% compared to the traditional laminar flow extraction.
Review on a Traditional Herbal Medicine, Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali): Its Traditional Uses, Chemistry, Evidence-Based Pharmacology and Toxicology
Authors: Rehman Shaheed , Choe Kevin , Yoo Hye
Published: March 2016

Eurycoma longifolia Jack (known as tongkat ali), a popular traditional herbal medicine, is a flowering plant of the family Simaroubaceae, native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and also Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. E. longifolia, is one of the well-known folk medicines for aphrodisiac effects as well as intermittent fever (malaria) in Asia. Decoctions of E. longifolia leaves are used for washing itches, while its fruits are used in curing dysentery. Its bark is mostly used as a vermifuge, while the taproots are used to treat high blood pressure, and the root bark is used for the treatment of diarrhea and fever. Mostly, the roots extract of E. longifolia are used as folk medicine for sexual dysfunction, aging, malaria, cancer, diabetes, anxiety, aches, constipation, exercise recovery, fever, increased energy, increased strength, leukemia, osteoporosis, stress, syphilis and glandular swelling. The roots are also used as an aphrodisiac, antibiotic, appetite stimulant and health supplement. The plant is reported to be rich in various classes of bioactive compounds such as quassinoids, canthin-6-one alkaloids, β-carboline alkaloids, triterpene tirucallane type, squalene derivatives and biphenyl neolignan, eurycolactone, laurycolactone, and eurycomalactone, and bioactive steroids. Among these phytoconstituents, quassinoids account for a major portion of the E. longifolia root phytochemicals. An acute toxicity study has found that the oral Lethal Dose 50 (LD50) of the alcoholic extract of E. longifolia in mice is between 1500–2000 mg/kg, while the oral LD50 of the aqueous extract form is more than 3000 mg/kg. Liver and renal function tests showed no adverse changes at normal daily dose and chronic use of E. longifolia. Based on established literature on health benefits of E. longifolia, it is important to focus attention on its more active constituents and the constituents’ identification, determination, further development and most importantly, the standardization. Besides the available data, more evidence is required regarding its therapeutic efficacy and safety, so it can be considered a rich herbal source of new drug candidates. It is very important to conserve this valuable medicinal plant for the health benefit of future generations.
Investigation of the Pyridinium Ylide—Alkyne Cycloaddition as a Fluorogenic Coupling Reaction
Authors: Bonte Simon , Ghinea Ioana , Dinica Rodica , Baussanne Isabelle , Demeunynck Martine
Published: March 2016

The cycloaddition of pyridinium ylides with alkynes was investigated under mild conditions. A series of 13 pyridinium salts was prepared by alkylation of 4-substituted pyridines. Their reactivity with propiolic ester or amide in various reaction conditions (different temperatures, solvents, added bases) was studied, and 11 indolizines, with three points of structural variation, were, thus, isolated and characterized. The highest yields were obtained when electron-withdrawing groups were present on both the pyridinium ylide, generated in situ from the corresponding pyridinium salt, and the alkyne (X, Z = ester, amide, CN, carbonyl, etc.). Electron-withdrawing substituents, lowering the acid dissociation constant (pKa) of the pyridinium salts, allow the cycloaddition to proceed at pH 7.5 in aqueous buffers at room temperature.