bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation of the effect of dalfampridine-ER on health utility by mapping the MSWS-12 to the EQ-5D in multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Limone Brendan L , Sidovar Matthew F , Coleman Craig I
Published: June 2013

Background

Trials have not assessed the effect of dalfampridine-extended release (dalfampridine-ER) on health utility. We sought to evaluate the effect of dalfampridine-ER tablets (prolonged-release fampridine in Europe) on health utility in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) by mapping subjects’ individual item scores from the 12-Item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12) onto the Euroqol 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) health utility index.

Methods

Data from study MS-F203, a randomized trial of dalfampridine-ER tablets, 10 mg twice daily, in patients with MS, were used to calculate the health utility scores with two MSWS-12 to EQ-5D mapping equations (one derived in a North American [NA] registry, the other a United Kingdom [UK] registry). MS-F203 participants were categorized as dalfampridine-ER 20%-responders (achieving ≥20% improvement on the Timed 25-Foot Walk), dalfampridine-ER 20%-nonresponders (<20% improvement), or placebo patients. Mean change in health utility scores from baseline to each double-blind treatment evaluation (visits 3-6 occurring at post-randomization weeks 2, 6, 10, and 14) and each off-drug follow-up evaluation (visits 7-8 occurring at weeks 16 and 18) were calculated and reported as effect sizes (ESs).

Results

Using the NA-derived equation, dalfampridine-ER 20%-responders demonstrated improvement in health utility vs. placebo; starting at week 6 (mean difference in ES = 0.44, p = 0.002) and maintained at weeks 10 (ES = 0.41, p = 0.01) and 14 (ES = 0.71, p < 0.001). These improvements were no longer evident after dalfampridine-ER was discontinued (p > 0.05 at weeks 16 and 18). Dalfampridine-ER 20%-nonresponders did not show improvement vs. placebo at any visit (p > 0.05 for all). When using the UK-derived equation, improvement was seen in dalfampridine-ER 20%-responders vs. placebo at weeks 2, 6, 10, and 14 (ESs = 0.49, 0.55, 0.59, and 0.99; p < 0.03 for all), but not when dalfampridine-ER was discontinued (weeks 16 and 18; p > 0.05 for both). Dalfampridine-ER 20%-nonresponders showed no improvement at any visit (p > 0.05 for all).

Conclusion

Regardless of the equation used, dalfampridine-ER response was associated with an improvement in health utility.
Obstetric complications in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Qin Jun Z , Pang Li H , Li Mu J , Fan Xiao J , Huang Ru D , Chen Hong Y
Published: June 2013

Background

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age. The risk of pregnancy and neonatal complications in women with PCOS is debatable. In order to determine the risk of pregnancy and neonatal complications, evidence regarding these risks was examined.

Methods

Literature searches were performed in the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL based on the established strategy and eligible tries were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. A systematic literature review looking at rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia, premature delivery, neonatal birth weight, caesarean section and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was conducted in women with PCOS. Pregnancy outcomes between women with PCOS versus controls were included. Sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the reliability of the available evidence and to validate the results. The study was performed with the approval of the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University.

Results

A total of 27studies, involving 4982 women with PCOS and 119692 controls were eligible for the meta-analysis. Women with PCOS demonstrated a significantly higher risk of developing GDM (OR3.43; 95% CI: 2.49–4.74), PIH (OR3.43; 95% CI: 2.49–4.74), preeclampsia (OR2.17; 95% CI: 1.91–2.46), preterm birth (OR1.93; 95%CI: 1.45–2.57), caesarean section (OR 1.74; 95% CI: 1.38–2.11) compared to controls. Their babies had a marginally significant lower birth weight (WMD −0.11g; 95%CI: -0.19 – -0.03), and higher risk of admission to NICU (OR 2.32; 95% CI: 1.40–3.85) compared to controls.

Conclusions

Women with PCOS have increased risk of adverse pregnancy and neonatal complications. It is necessary to establish guidelines for supervision during pregnancy and parturition to prevent these complications.
Photonics based on carbon nanotubes
Authors: Gu Qingyuan , Gicquel-Guézo Maud , Loualiche Slimane , Pouliquen Julie Le , Batte Thomas , Folliot Hervé , Dehaese Olivier , Grillot Frederic , Battie Yann , Loiseau Annick , Liang Baolai , Huffaker Diana
Published: June 2013

Among direct-bandgap semiconducting nanomaterials, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) exhibit strong quasi-one-dimensional excitonic optical properties, which confer them a great potential for their integration in future photonics devices as an alternative solution to conventional inorganic semiconductors. In this paper, we will highlight SWCNT optical properties for passive as well as active applications in future optical networking. For passive applications, we directly compare the efficiency and power consumption of saturable absorbers (SAs) based on SWCNT with SA based on conventional multiple quantum wells. For active applications, exceptional photoluminescence properties of SWCNT, such as excellent light-emission stabilities with temperature and excitation power, hold these nanometer-scale materials as prime candidates for future active photonics devices with superior performances.
Systems of singular differential equations with pulse action
Authors: Boichuk Alexandr , Langerová Martina , Růžičková Miroslava , Voitushenko Evgenij
Published: June 2013

The paper deals with the singular systems of ordinary differential equations with impulsive action under the assumption that the considered systems can be reduced into the central canonical form. An approach which combines the theory of impulsive differential equations and known results from the theory of singular Fredholm boundary value problems is used. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions of the singular boundary value problems with impulsive action are derived. Moreover, an algorithm for the construction of the family of linearly independent solutions is shown.

MSC:34A09, 34A37.
New insights into mechanisms behind miscarriage
Authors: Larsen Elisabeth Clare , Christiansen Ole Bjarne , Kolte Astrid Marie , Macklon Nick
Published: June 2013

Sporadic miscarriage is the most common complication of early pregnancy. Two or three consecutive pregnancy losses is a less common phenomenon, and this is considered a distinct disease entity. Sporadic miscarriages are considered to primarily represent failure of abnormal embryos to progress to viability. Recurrent miscarriage is thought to have multiple etiologies, including parental chromosomal anomalies, maternal thrombophilic disorders, immune dysfunction and various endocrine disturbances. However, none of these conditions is specific to recurrent miscarriage or always associated with repeated early pregnancy loss. In recent years, new theories about the mechanisms behind sporadic and recurrent miscarriage have emerged. Epidemiological and genetic studies suggest a multifactorial background where immunological dysregulation in pregnancy may play a role, as well as lifestyle factors and changes in sperm DNA integrity. Recent experimental evidence has led to the concept that the decidualized endometrium acts as biosensor of embryo quality, which if disrupted, may lead to implantation of embryos destined to miscarry. These new insights into the mechanisms behind miscarriage offer the prospect of novel effective interventions that may prevent this distressing condition.
Retrospective genomic analysis of sorghum adaptation to temperate-zone grain production
Authors: Thurber Carrie S , Ma Justin M , Higgins Race H , Brown Patrick J
Published: June 2013

Background

Sorghum is a tropical C4 cereal that recently adapted to temperate latitudes and mechanized grain harvest through selection for dwarfism and photoperiod-insensitivity. Quantitative trait loci for these traits have been introgressed from a dwarf temperate donor into hundreds of diverse sorghum landraces to yield the Sorghum Conversion lines. Here, we report the first comprehensive genomic analysis of the molecular changes underlying this adaptation.

Results

We apply genotyping-by-sequencing to 1,160 Sorghum Conversion lines and their exotic progenitors, and map donor introgressions in each Sorghum Conversion line. Many Sorghum Conversion lines carry unexpected haplotypes not found in either presumed parent. Genome-wide mapping of introgression frequencies reveals three genomic regions necessary for temperate adaptation across all Sorghum Conversion lines, containing the Dw1, Dw2, and Dw3 loci on chromosomes 9, 6, and 7 respectively. Association mapping of plant height and flowering time in Sorghum Conversion lines detects significant associations in the Dw1 but not the Dw2 or Dw3 regions. Subpopulation-specific introgression mapping suggests that chromosome 6 contains at least four loci required for temperate adaptation in different sorghum genetic backgrounds. The Dw1 region fractionates into separate quantitative trait loci for plant height and flowering time.

Conclusions

Generating Sorghum Conversion lines has been accompanied by substantial unintended gene flow. Sorghum adaptation to temperate-zone grain production involves a small number of genomic regions, each containing multiple linked loci for plant height and flowering time. Further characterization of these loci will accelerate the adaptation of sorghum and related grasses to new production systems for food and fuel.
Functional cooperation of spns2 and fibronectin in cardiac and lower jaw development
Authors: Hisano Yu , Ota Satoshi , Takada Shinji , Kawahara Atsuo
Published: June 2013

The lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a regulator of cardiac development in zebrafish, as disruption of its receptor s1pr2 or transporter spns2 causes migration defects in cardiac progenitors. To examine the genetic interaction of S1P signaling and the cell adhesion molecule fibronectin, we have established a fn;spns2 double mutant. Cardiac migration defects in fn;spns2 mutants were more severe than those in fn or spns2 mutants. We further found that the lower jaw morphology was disorganized in the fn;spns2 mutant, while it had a slightly shortened anterior–posterior distance in the ventral pharyngeal arch in fn and spns2 mutants relative to wild type. Knockdown of fn in the s1pr2 mutant, but not in the s1pr1 mutant, resulted in severe defects in cardiac migration and ventral pharyngeal arch arrangement. Further, in the background of the fn mutant, knockdown of endothelin receptor A (ednra), which was downregulated in the spns2 mutant, caused pharyngeal defects resembling those in the fn;spns2 mutant. These results strongly suggest that Spns2-S1PR2 signaling and fibronectin cooperatively regulate both cardiac and lower jaw development in zebrafish.
Optimal Policies for Reducing Unnecessary Follow-Up Mammography Exams in Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Alagoz Oguzhan , Chhatwal Jagpreet , Burnside Elizabeth S.
Published: June 2013

Mammography is the most effective screening tool for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Based on the mammography findings, radiologists need to choose from one of the following three alternatives: (1) take immediate diagnostic actions including prompt biopsy to confirm breast cancer; (2) recommend a follow-up mammogram; (3) recommend routine annual mammography. There are no validated structured guidelines based on a decision-analytical framework to aid radiologists in making such patient-management decisions. Surprisingly, only 15–45% of the breast biopsies and less than 1% of short-interval follow-up recommendations are found to be malignant, resulting in unnecessary tests and patient anxiety. We develop a finite-horizon discrete-time Markov decision process (MDP) model that may help radiologists make patient-management decisions to maximize a patient's total expected quality-adjusted life years. We use clinical data to find the policies recommended by the MDP model and also compare them to decisions made by radiologists at a large mammography practice. We also derive the structural properties of the MDP model, including sufficiency conditions that ensure the existence of a double control limit-type policy.
Product Line Design with Deliberation Costs: A Two-Stage Process
Authors: Xiong Hui , Chen Ying-Ju
Published: June 2013

Motivated by the current practice of some service industries, we study a two-stage product line design problem in the presence of private consumer deliberation costs. In this problem, consumers pay an upfront payment before accessing the products. A consumer may incur a cost to introspect about her preferences, and the product line design enables the seller to encourage or discourage introspection. Getting consumers to deliberate about their preferences benefits them and the seller, because it facilitates a tailored product line. However, in so doing, the seller is forced to compensate the consumers for their cognitive cost of deliberation. We show that this compensation causes the seller an additional expense to avoid cannibalization across product lines. If the heterogeneity in deliberation costs is high, the seller is better off by offering a compromise product to consumers with high deliberation costs to discourage them from deliberation. The seller does not intentionally downward distort the qualities and optimally designs the product line that is ex-post socially efficient instead. This is because the seller is able to counterbalance the loss of second-stage information asymmetry by charging the upfront payment. Nonetheless, heterogeneity on consumer deliberation costs leads to an unambiguous reduction of consumer deliberation.
The Recoverable Robust Tail Assignment Problem
Authors: Froyland Gary , Maher Stephen J. , Wu Cheng-Lung
Published: June 2013

Schedule disruptions are commonplace in the airline industry with many flight-delaying events occurring each day. Recently there has been a focus on introducing robustness into airline planning stages to reduce the effect of these disruptions. We propose a recoverable robustness technique as an alternative to robust optimisation to reduce the effect of disruptions and the cost of recovery. We formulate the recoverable robust tail assignment problem (RRTAP) as a stochastic program, solved using column generation in the master and subproblems of the Benders' decomposition. We implement a two-phase algorithm for the Benders' decomposition and identify pareto-optimal cuts. The RRTAP includes costs due to flight delays, cancellation, and passenger rerouting, and the recovery stage includes cancellation, delay, and swapping options. To highlight the benefits of simultaneously solving planning and recovery problems in the RRTAP we compare our tail assignment solution against current approaches from the literature. Using airline data we demonstrate that by developing a better tail assignment plan via the RRTAP framework, one can reduce recovery costs in the event of a disruption.
Improving Electric Vehicle Charging Coordination Through Area Pricing
Authors: Flath Christoph M. , Ilg Jens P. , Gottwalt Sebastian , Schmeck Hartmut , Weinhardt Christof
Published: June 2013

Meeting charging demands of large electric vehicle fleets will raise electrical load significantly and may pose challenges for today’s power system. Appropriate coordination of electric vehicle charging can reduce these threats. Acknowledging the interdependency between the transportation and the power system created by electric vehicles, we develop a charging coordination model based on German mobility data. We extend the prior work by explicitly accounting for both the temporal and the spatial dimension. We are thus able to analyze the loads from price-based EV fleet charging while at the same time accounting for distribution grid constraints. Furthermore, we propose a heuristic charging strategy based on limited trip and price information. Our results show that the sole use of time-based electricity prices for the coordination of electric vehicle charging produces high load spikes independent of the charging strategies and power levels. These peaks are induced by simultaneous charging activity and may cause stability problems within distribution grids in residential areas. To mitigate these load spikes, we introduce a spatial price component that reflects local capacity utilization. These local prices induce both a temporal and spatial shift of charging activity that mitigates the load spikes.
Optimization of the Spatial Mesh for Numerical Solution of the Neutron Transport Equation in a Cluster-Type Lattice Cell
Authors: Davis R.S.
Published: June 2013

For programs that solve the neutron transport equation with an approximation that the neutron flux is constant in each space in a user-defined mesh, optimization of that mesh yields benefits in computing time and attainable precision. The previous best practice does not optimize the mesh thoroughly, because a large number of test runs of the solving software would be necessary. The method presented here optimizes the mesh for a flux that is based on conventional approximations but is more informative, so that a minimal number of parameters, one per type of material, must be adjusted by test runs to achieve thorough optimization. For a 37 element, natural-uranium, CANDU® lattice cell, the present optimization yields 7 to 12 times (depending on the criterion) better precision than the previous best practice in 37% less computing time.
Self-Excited Acoustic Resonance of Isolated Cylinders in Cross-Flow
Authors: Mohany A.
Published: June 2013

Self-excited acoustic resonance is a design concern in many engineering applications such as tube bundles of heat exchangers and boilers. Since this phenomenon is not yet fully understood, it can be dangerously unpredictable. Due to the complexity of the flow-sound interaction mechanisms in tube bundles, the simplified cases of a single cylinder and two cylinders in various arrangements, tandem and staggered, are investigated in some detail. A summary of these investigations is presented in the current paper. It is found that the aeroacoustic response of two-tandem and side-by-side cylinders in cross-flow can be considerably different from that of a single cylinder under similar flow conditions. Moreover, for the case of two tandem cylinders, the acoustic resonance is excited over two different ranges of flow velocity; the pre-coincidence and the coincidence resonance ranges. The pre-coincidence acoustic resonance phenomenon is found to be similar to the acoustic resonance mechanism of in-line tube bundles.
A Monte Carlo Method for Analyzing Mixed-Lattice Substitution Experiment Using MCNP
Authors: Wilkin G.B. , Bromley B.P. , Watts D.G.
Published: June 2013

Critical experiments involving a small region of test fuel substituted into a reference lattice have traditionally been analyzed using diffusion codes to extract lattice physics parameters of the test fuel such as the critical buckling and the associated bias in the calculation of keff . A method that was first developed in 2006 uses a version of MCNP that was modified to allow the analyst to selectively change fission neutron production in various parts of the model. This paper describes the modification made to MCNP, demonstrates how the substitution experiment analysis is done through several examples using data from the ZED-2 critical facility, and finally, quantifies the expected uncertainties in the method.
Monte Carlo Calculations Applied to SLOWPOKE Full-Reactor Analysis
Authors: Nguyen T.S. , Wilkin G.B. , Atfield J.E.
Published: June 2013

Monte Carlo simulations are applied to the full-reactor analysis of the SLOWPOKE design. The temperature reactivity feedback calculated by using the MCNP code for either the high enriched uranium (HEU) or low enriched uranium (LEU) core is in good agreement with the experimental data, with a k-eff bias of +3.3 mk for a HEU core and +6 mk for a LEU core. Two methods that are based on existing third-party codes have been developed for use in core following: 1) MCNP (for the transport calculation) in conjunction with WIMS-AECL (for fuel burnup advancement), and 2) SERPENT (that combines both transport and burnup capabilities). Both methods show very good agreement with the experimental data for core excess reactivity and detailed power distributions versus burnup and reactivity shim.
Hydrogen Co-Production From Subcritical Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plants In Canada
Authors: Gnanapragasam N. , Ryland D. , Suppiah S.
Published: June 2013

Subcritical water-cooled nuclear reactors (Sub-WCR) operate in several countries including Canada providing electricity to the civilian population. The high-temperature-steam-electrolysis process (HTSEP) is a feasible and laboratory-demonstrated large-scale hydrogen-production process. The thermal and electrical integration of the HTSEP with Sub-WCR-based nuclear-power plants (NPPs) is compared for best integration point, HTSEP operating condition and hydrogen production rate based on thermal energy efficiency. Analysis on integrated thermal efficiency suggests that the Sub-WCR NPP is ideal for hydrogen co-production with a combined efficiency of 36%. HTSEP operation analysis suggests that higher product hydrogen pressure reduces hydrogen and integrated efficiencies. The best integration point for the HTSEP with Sub-WCR NPP is upstream of the high-pressure turbine.
A New Safety Principle For The Slowpoke Reactor
Authors: Yue S. , Polugari S. , Anghel V. , Hilborn J. , Sur B.
Published: June 2013

SLOWPOKE-2 (LEU core) is a pool-type nuclear reactor with a maximum nominal thermal power of 20 kW. It uses a pelletized uranium oxide fuel (19.9% enrichment) and provides a useful high neutron flux in the order of 1012 n.cm2s-1. The key safety features built into the reactor design are the strictly limited amount of excess reactivity and the negative reactivity feedback characteristics, which provide a demonstrably safe self-limiting power excursion response to large reactivity insertions. However, the limited amount of excess reactivity also limits continuous prolonged reactor operation at full power. With a 4 mk excess reactivity, the reactor can operate for about one day at full power, 20 kW, before criticality is lost due to temperature effects and xenon poisoning. A new safety concept is proposed in this paper that enables the continuous operation to a few months by increasing the excess reactivity from 4 mk to 8 mk. A Matlab/simulink model of SLOWPOKE-2 has demonstrated that core operation life can be extended to several months without adding a beryllium shim.
Time to Finger Point or Fix? An Invitation to Join Ongoing Efforts to Promote Ethical Authorship and Other Good Publication Practices
Authors: Woolley Karen L , Gertel Art , Hamilton Cindy W , Jacobs Adam , Snyder Gene P ,   the Global Alliance of Publication Professionals
Published: June 2013

In this commentary, we present evidence that unethical authorship (eg, guest and ghost authoring) and other publication practices are not restricted to the pharmaceutical industry; they also occur in academia. Such practices are not an industry problem—they are a research problem. To enhance trust in industry-sponsored research, companies have made rapid and far-reaching changes to their publication guidelines, policies, and procedures. Professional medical writers have adopted, and continue to implement, these changes. Although evidence indicates that industry practices are improving, there is certainly more to do, both in industry and academia. We invite readers to join ongoing efforts to promote ethical publication practices.
Changes in media, changes in the profession? The shifts of the journalistic field as a challenge for young Austrian journalists
Authors: Kirchhoff Susanne , Prandner Dimitri , Hummel Roman
Published: June 2013

Based on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the social field, the following article examines how changes in the journalistic field are related to self-perceptions and career strategies of individuals working in Austrian news media. In making use of Bourdieu’s theory, survey-based information regarding role models and self-perception can be interpreted within its proper context and thus be made accessible to educational and other institutions in a practice-oriented manner. Data from three interrelated studies show that journalists in Austria see their job as a creative profession with little need for formal education, and insist on the importance of personal networks. Despite this, the younger and female journalists are more likely to educate themselves in hopes of finding a permanent job in a crowded profession that offers little job stability.
Still something special?: A comparative study of public service journalists’ values in Spain and Sweden
Authors: Ibarra Karen Arriaza , Nord Lars W.
Published: June 2013

While most studies of public service media changes in European media systems focus on regulatory policies and audience markets, this article investigates the development of professional journalistic values and newsroom practices among public service journalists. Previous studies have indicated that news values among public service journalists to a large extent have been guided by the principles of public interest and social significance. However, the majority of these studies were conducted mainly in the broadcast era, where competition was less important than it is today. In this article, the objective is to analyse public service journalists’ professional values and newsroom practices in a digital age. The study is based on a comparison between Spanish and Swedish journalists working within the public service media in the two countries, but within strongly diverging public service media conditions. The article compares professional values among public service journalists in the two countries, as well as between journalists working in the public and the private media sector in each country. Methodologically, the comparison is based on nation surveys among Spanish and Swedish journalists conducted during 2010. The results show similar perceptions of news values and between public and private journalists in both countries, but public journalists are more concerned about decreasing quality of journalism and increasing commercialization.
Press freedom in the United Kingdom and the Leveson debate
Authors: Elstein David
Published: June 2013

The repercussions of the phone-hacking scandal at the now-defunct News of the World are reshaping the regulation, culture, practice and ethics of the press in the United Kingdom. Though a purely British case, the impact on the future of newspapers and the media will not be confined to the British Isles. The scandal and the subsequent public enquiry led by Lord Justice Leveson will provide fertile ground for media and journalism scholars to focus their research and investigations. Leveson’s recommendations on the future of press regulation are certain to rework the current system in the United Kingdom, where the press has traditionally been self-regulated voluntarily through Press Complaints Commission. In this article, David Elstein, chairman of open Democracy, looks into the phone-hacking scandal, examining its various facets and what its impact will be on the future of press freedom and media ownership in Britain.
Where to place inaccessible subjects in Dutch: The role of definiteness and animacy
Authors: Vogels Jorrig , Van Bergen Geertje
Published: June 2013

Cross-linguistically, both subjects and topical information tend to be placed at the beginning of a sentence. Subjects are generally highly topical, causing both tendencies to converge on the same word order. However, subjects that lack prototypical topic properties may give rise to an incongruence between the preference to start a sentence with the subject and the preference to start a sentence with the most accessible information. We present a corpus study in which we investigate in what syntactic position (preverbal or postverbal) such low-accessible subjects are typically found in Dutch natural language. We examine the effects of both discourse accessibility (definiteness) and inherent accessibility (animacy). Our results show that definiteness and animacy interact in determining subject position in Dutch. Non-referential (bare) subjects are less likely to occur in preverbal position than definite subjects, and this tendency is reinforced when the subject is inanimate. This suggests that these two properties that make the subject less accessible together can ‘gang up’ against the subject first preference. The results support a probabilistic multifactorial account of syntactic variation.
Playground of the Century
Authors: Campanella Thomas J.
Published: June 2013

Playground of the Century: A Political and Design History of New York City’s Greatest Unbuilt Park presents a microhistory of one of the last substantial open spaces in metropolitan New York, the Gerritsen tidal marsh of Brooklyn. Spared from development on the recommendation of Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett, the Gerritsen estuary was an ecological treasure that nonetheless became a “clean slate” upon which a succession of heroic plans was projected. The greatest of these was Charles Downing Lay’s 1,800-acre Marine Park, intended to be the largest urban playground in the world. A vast space for exercise and sport that won its designer a silver medal in the 1936 Olympics, Marine Park was the anti–Coney Island, an engine of moral fitness and self-improvement as focused on physical activity as Prospect Park was on promenade and contemplation. It remains a rare example of progressive park design in the conservative “Country Place” era of the 1920s. Designed in the neo-Renaissance idiom then popular for private estates, Marine Park was a vast formal garden for the people. In this article Thomas J. Campanella explores the ironic turn of events by which Robert Moses later dismissed the Lay plan in favor of a less invasive park scheme that preserved the salt marsh and enabled its recent ecological restoration as one of New York City’s Forever Wild nature preserves.
Using sheep lines with mutations in single genes to better understand ovarian function
Authors: Juengel Jennifer L , Davis George H , McNatty Kenneth P
Published: June 2013

Livestock populations have been subjected to strong selection pressure to improve reproductive success, and this has led to the identification of lines of animals with increased fecundity. These animals provide a rich biological resource for discovery of genes and regulatory mechanisms that underpin improved reproductive success. To date, three genes, all related to the transforming growth factor β pathway, have been identified as having mutations that lead to alterations in ovulation in sheep. In addition, several other sheep lines have been identified with putative mutations in single genes with major effects on ovulation rate. This review is focused on the identification of the mutations affecting ovulation rate and how these discoveries have provided new insights into control of ovarian function.
In situ Preparation of Gold Nanoparticles in Alginate Gel Matrix by Solution Plasma Sputtering Process
Authors: Watthanaphanit Anyarat , Panomsuwan Gasidit , Saito Nagahiro
Published: June 2013

The rapid synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was done by solution plasma sputtering (SPS) process in the presence of a biopolymer, sodium alginate. We utilized the alginate polymer in order to meet three important requirements: (1) to promote the generation of plasma in liquid environment, (2) to provide colloidal stability, and (3) to render biocompatibility to the AuNPs. The effect of sodium alginate concentration (varied as 0.2, 0.5, and 0.9 %w/v) and plasma sputtering time on the particle size and the physical absorption property of the AuNPs were studied. The results indicated that preparation of AuNPs in alginate gel matrix was successful by the SPS process in one step without any reducing agents. This technique has high potential as a novel strategy to produce AuNPs suspended in alginate aqueous solution which is suitable for biomedical application.
Variability in ecosystem service measurement: a pollination service case study
Authors: Liss Kate N , Mitchell Matthew GE , MacDonald Graham K , Mahajan Shauna L , Méthot Josée , Jacob Aerin L , Maguire Dorothy Y , Metson Geneviève S , Ziter Carly , Dancose Karine , Martins Kyle , Terrado Marta , Bennett Elena M
Published: June 2013

Research quantifying ecosystem services (ES) – collectively, the benefits that society obtains from ecosystems –is rapidly increasing. Despite the seemingly straightforward definition, a wide variety of methods are used to measure ES. This methodological variability has largely been ignored, and standard protocols to select measures that capture ES provision have yet to be established. Furthermore, most published papers do not include explicit definitions of individual ES. We surveyed the literature on pollination ES to assess the range of measurement approaches, focusing on three essential steps: (1) definition of the ES, (2) identification of components contributing to ES delivery, and (3) selection of metrics to represent these components. We found considerable variation in how pollination as an ES – a relatively well‐defined service – is measured. We discuss potential causes of this variability and provide suggestions to address this issue. Consistency in ES measurement, or a clear explanation of selected definitions and metrics, is critical to facilitate comparisons among studies and inform ecosystem management.
Oil Spill Response Equipment and Techniques for Waxy Oils in Brazil
Authors: Ranieri Adriano , Lyra Ana Paula , Lemos Bianca , Lutz Gustavo , Andrade Flavio
Published: June 2013

Waxy and high API oil presents some singularities in its behavior during a spill. This type of oil may show favorable properties in a spill such as low possibility of sinking and low emulsification tendency. On the other hand, due to the high pour point, it assumes a gel consistency during a spill in areas which environment temperature is near or below pour point. Its high viscosity, high interfacial tension and low evaporation rate present a strong influence on spill behavior, resulting in processes such as: recovery difficulties, once the oil may not flow towards skimmers or down inclined surfaces in skimmers, low spreading and resistance to dispersion, making the oil persistent on sea. Due to this behavior, traditional response equipment usually considered in emergency response plans shows skimming and pumping limited efficiency when used in waxy oils and might not be ideally suitable. Specific machinery for collection and recovery of this type of oil may be required.

This paper aims to provide a better definition of the window of opportunities for countermeasures and effective emergency response resources applicable to waxy oil spill scenario.

The method presented on this paper is divided into the following steps:

Discussion of the oil characteristics and its behavior at sea; Case studies regarding oil spills occurred with oil below pour point and response strategies employed; Identification of the range of equipment applicable to waxy oil spills, key manufacturers visiting and literature search on reliable data banks, in order to obtain information on traditional and cutting edge technologies applicable to oil spill response; Analysis of traditional and innovative equipment identified discussing pros and cons.

Due to the development of environmental awareness, evolution of legislation, and increase of offshore activities, new oil spill response strategies and devices are available and continuously being developed.

In order to compare and identify best possible alternatives, there were considered information available in equipment technical information and in case studies.

Finally, this study will address: Identification of equipment and strategy applicable to waxy oil spill response;Evaluation of techniques effectively applied to waxy oil spill responsePresent innovative solutions.
Methods To Establish Canopy Bridges To Increase Natural Connectivity in Linear Infrastructure Development
Authors: Gregory T. , Rueda F. Carrasco , Deichmann J. , Kolowski J. , Faura M. Costa , Dallmeier F. , Alonso A.
Published: June 2013

The development of linear infrastructure such as pipelines can have a dramatic impact on forest connectivity through canopy fragmentation. Because many forest animals are arboreal and spend their lives in the forest canopy, fragmentation caused by linear infrastructure may isolate animals on either side. Here we present our findings on linear infrastructure effects on canopy connectivity and impact mitigation with natural canopy bridges. Natural bridges are connections between branches that are left behind in the forest canopy above, in this case, a pipeline during the clearing of the right-of-way. We share our experiences with a natural bridge case study in the Lower Urubamba Region of Peru on a project where 13 natural bridges were left on average at 410m intervals over 5km, with tree trunks 8 to 24m apart. We provide 16 recommendations for the development of such projects, from the planning stages, timeline for bridge establishment, and necessary personnel for design, to bridge selection and monitoring protocol. Natural bridges can be established with little effect on the pipeline construction timeline and cost as long as they are considered in the initial stages of pipeline design, and the locations of the bridges are selected in collaboration with the pipeline engineers and topography team as the position of the right-of-way is established. We strongly encourage companies to include natural bridges in linear infrastructure because they can be highly effective in increasing forest connectivity with little cost to the corporation and little effect on the pipeline development timeline.
Integrating Safety Management Practices To Manage Operational Risks of Multiple Contractors in Offshore Drilling Ventures
Authors: Ranieri A. , Perez P. , Muniz T.
Published: June 2013

This work presents a suggestion of risk management strategy to assist Oil Companies to plan and implement proper measures for managing operational safety aspects of drilling operations performed by multiple contractors.

This strategy is presented in form of a work plan, which strongly relies in integrating different safety management practices, including: risk assessment techniques, decision making strategies and risk based audits.

Most of the safety management practices and techniques presented along this work are already known and are usually implemented by Oil Companies worldwide. However, this approach integrates and adapts these techniques in a dynamic and systematic way, with the objective of getting the most of each one of these management practices. Consequently, this work plan shall improve the risk management efficiency of drilling ventures by implementing the right tool at the right time in the proper way, from the planning phase throughout all the operational phase. As this approach was developed for Oil Companies with operations in Brazil, the work plan also considered the compliance with the local Operational Safety Management System Technical Regulation (SGSO), mandatory by the Brazilian National Petroleum Agency (ANP).
Cardiovascular Risk Impact in the Oil Industry
Authors: Uribe Teresa M.
Published: June 2013

An estimate of the World Health organization (WHO) shows that in 2003, 16.7 Millions of people died of cardiovascular diseases, which constitutes one third of the of the Global deaths. (1)

At the WHO meeting taking place in Geneva, in 2009 it was defined that cardiovascular diseases are multifactorial, and also preventable, through cardiovascular risk factor management. (2)

Problems caused by cardiovascular risk have a high impact in the work setting, as teaming up with workers with cardiovascular risk involves medical restrictions for high risk duties, as well as makes challenging to locate workers in remote areas.

This is a substantial problem for the oil industry, as most of the duties performed include the conditions listed above. Not taking preventive measures, will lead to the creation of emergency plans that will generate high social and economic impact to the employee, his family, the company and the health system.
Passive Protection System in Temporary Storage of Flammable Liquids
Authors: Solís J. Guerrero , Ivanisevich C.Videla. Videla , Caicedo W. A.
Published: June 2013

Exploration activities in general are carried out in remote areas of the planet like the middle of the jungle, in this sense the operation companies have to keep logistic bases where they store large quantities of flammable products (diesel, turbo and gasoline) in flexible containers (bladders) usually about 25,000 gallons capacity. These bladders store flammable and combustible liquids in temporary operations and are located in areas exposed to heavy rainfall, high solar radiation, environmentally sensitive, close to communities or archaeological zones. In case of fuel loss by a fire in the bladders, the replacement time is very high. The available area to place the bladders is also a limitation. In order to avoid the domino effect the bladders should be separated between each other.

Our case material of this paper is a logistic base which is located in the jungle of Peru, it is one hour forty five minutes by helicopter or two days by boat from the closer city, that base has the characteristic of temporary and its works like facility to the activities carried out in the exploration block; it needs to store 200,000 gallons of flammable fuel (diesel and turbo) to support exploration activities at an Exploration Block in the jungle of Peru twenty kilometers from Ecuador – Peru border. The products are stored in bladders of 25,000 gallons, in total there are 100,000 gallons of diesel and 100,000gls of turbo. The logistic base is located in an environmental sensitive area because it involves important waterways, primary and secondary forests, nearby communities, as well as a military base, which could be adversely affected in the event of an uncontrolled fire. The available area to place the bladders is limited which does not allow to distance them properly to avoid the domino effect. Also for environmental reasons and permits the 8 bladders must be located in the same pit.

In case of a "pool fire", it will be necessary to use large amounts of water and foam to smother it which, among other things, increases the risk of contamination of water resources near the area. It assed different alternatives to protect the pit, based on risk scenarios, the main issue to evaluate is the "pool fire", which can trigger a fire in all the bladders by the domino effect. To reduce risk, reduce investment in firefighting system and use the limited space available, it decided to investigate and define a passive protection system and the purchase of mobile firefighting systems, which can additionally be transferred to future projects.

The design of passive protection system must be able to protect the bladders in a case of fire in one bladder the other bladders must not get fire. On the other hand the firefighting system must extinguish the fire in less than 20 minutes and do not need a system of storage water.
Gas Treatment Model and Simulation on Pre-Salt Marine Petroleum Production Facilities
Authors: Fernandes Clayton , Maia João Luiz , da Silva Neves Marcus Vinicius
Published: June 2013

This paper introduces the main components of a computational tool developed to obtain the GHG (Greenhouse Gas), intensity and total emissions during the lifetime of petroleum production facilities taking into account all variations in quantity and quality of products and various possible operational configurations. It is a tool developed to help process engineers in designing the production facility equipment to optimize operational efficiency and minimize GHG emissions.

During the lifecycle of petroleum production facilities the material streams vary significantly. At the beginning of the operation, e.g. in the pre-salt region of Brazil, the volume of gas produced has an upward profile which reaches a maximum between 4 and 6 years of operation. Also, the CO2 content of this gas is significant and with a tendency to increase during the life of the well due to the well characteristics and due to gas re-injection (gas storage).

Depending on the design and local conditions of the production facility it may also be necessary to import fuel (diesel or natural gas to produce heat and power) either since the start of the operations or when the production curve starts to decline.

Many operational parameters of the processes undertaken to treat the products in an oil and gas production off-shore facility are function of time (due to variations not only in the quantity but also in the quality of the products) and, it is necessary to perform the entire material and energy balance for the operation to obtain the total GHG emissions as a function of time.

A computational tool was developed using the language Delphi to perform those material and energy balances for various configurations of the facility aiming at determining the total GHG emissions from combustion, flaring and venting at each stage of the production lifetime. This implies in automating the data input as a function of time, setting up the equipment configuration for each phase of the life-cycle and obtaining a comprehensive material balance for all equipment taking into account all stages of the treatment and possible alternatives.

It is thus possible to predict, for a platform’s activity profile during its lifetime, the annual quantities of GHG emitted.
Biodiversity Management in a Gas Pipeline in Peru
Authors: Vilca G. , Garcia A. , Tovar E. , Sulca G.
Published: June 2013

From the beginning of TgP's activities along 730 km of pipeline from the rainforest in Cuzco towards the coast, south of Lima, it committed to act with responsibility, as part of its environmental policy and social responsibility practices, ensuring the care and conservation of the environment in a sustainable development framework, showing that it is possible to undertake operations in megadiverse areas.

Programs and initiatives to protect Biodiversity were developed under IDB Operational Policies and IFC PS6 Biodiversity Conservation, such as the Biological Monitoring Program prior to the construction of the pipeline between 2000 and 2001. In 2007 TgP started as a sponsor of the Biodiversity Monitoring Program in the first 200 Km of the pipeline.

These studies allowed the company to implement special measures in its daily operation and maintenance activities in order to prevent and mitigate negative impacts on habitats that we share with native and rural communities along the area of influence. In the Coast it was developed the rescue and translocation of 52,053 and 2,747 tillandsias and columnar cacti, in the Sierra region the bio-restoration of 12.5 ha of highland wetlands by restoring a natural drainage pattern, seeding, organic manuring, and grazing control. In the rainforest during the construction of the facilities for TgP expansion projects an Ecological Management Plan was implemented by the identification of sensitive ecosystems, 100% forest inventory and relocation of sensitive species of flora.

Also, there have been new discoveries for science, recording two new species of reptiles group: Potamites montanicola and Euspondylus chasqui.

With the implementation of these efforts and initiatives, TgP not only met its initial goal of mitigating impact to Biodiversity but has brought benefits to the various stakeholders through:

Promotion of an information source platform for a little studied area. Discovery of new species to science. Development of procedures for protection of Biodiversity to be implemented during construction and operation of pipelines. Promotion of a culture with values focused on the care and protection of Biodiversity in the energy industry.