bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a Remotely Operated Subsea Containment Boom Anchor
Authors: Mitchell Douglas A. , Nedwed Tim
Published: December 2021

The timely deployment of oil spill response resources is a key factor that influences response success. This is particularly true in river environments where high flow rates can quickly move oil long distances. A key success factor for a river spill is safe and rapid deployment of diversion boom. Current practice for deploying diversion boom in a river requires placing personnel in boats and then setting anchors in the river bed to hold one end of the boom. This process is both time consuming and potentially puts personnel at risk. A new system under development is designed to reduce response time and keep personnel off the water during the initial response. The system, referred to as ROSE (Remotely Operated Subsea Equipment), is a semi-permanent mooring that rests on a river bed or sea bottom. The mooring consists of a highly buoyant float connected to the mooring base. Anchor ropes attached to the buoyant float remain coiled within the mooring until release. The system is pre-deployed at priority locations determined during contingency response planning. If a spill occurs, an acoustic signal releases the float to act as an immediate anchor for diversion boom. Further, for many types of rivers, the anchor ropes attached to the float can be retrieved from shore, keeping response personnel off the water. This allows one end of the boom to be anchored in the river while the other end is anchored to the shore. Initial testing confirmed the potential of the concept. Based on the initial testing, further modifications were made to the ROSE design to increase its robustness.
Multispectral UAS system for detecting, characterizing, and mapping oil spills on near shore environments
Authors: Garcia Oscar , Cho Jay , DiPinto Lisa , Shorr Benjamin , Todd brandi , Han daniel , Garcia Diana
Published: December 2021

We have developed a UAS system that collects multispectral data in order to characterize oil slick thicknesses and emulsification ratios. This system consists on a UAS that carries multiple cameras that integrate 10 wavelength band sensors ranging from Ultra-Violet (UV) to Long Wave Infrared (LW-IR). This system has been originally tested at OHMSETT and at the MC-20 site in the Gulf of Mexico. More recently this UAS was put in operation during the Lake Washington Wellhead blowout in Louisiana. In here we present examples of how this operational tool allowed oil spill responders to efficiently deploy containments of the floating oil (booming) and to monitor the collection of the oil on real time. Moreover, using a rapid classification algorithm, the multispectral data collected by our UAS allowed us to make a detailed high resolution classification of the oil detected on the shorelines of the affected areas. The UAS also delivered near real time oil detections that were used during the spill by the NOAA oil spill science coordinators through the ERMA system. This UAS has proven its ability to detect oil on ‘hard to reach areas’ and it offers a valuable option for the evaluation of affected areas impacted by the spill. We compared the SCAT surveys with the UAS oil detections and conclude the importance of adding this UAS tool as part of the operational assessment of the spill to determine the level of impact of the spill on the nearshore environment.
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Advances in Oil Spill Analysis
Authors: Rodgers Ryan P. , Chacón-Patiño Martha L. , Niles Sydney F. , Chen Huan , McKenna Amy M. , Zito Phoebe , Tarr Matthew A. , Marshall Alan G.
Published: December 2021

Oil is a complex mixture of alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatics, nitrogen/sulfur/oxygen (N/S/O) heterocycles, alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids, porphyrins, and myriad possible combinations therein. Once introduced into the environment, some weathering processes reduce this complexity through evaporative losses (loss to atmosphere) as well as water washing of low ring number aromatics, N/S/O heterocycles, alcohols, ketones, and carboxylic acids (loss to seawater). However, Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) supported research has revealed that the contributions of these mechanisms to the reduction of molecular complexity are dwarfed by that of oxidative weathering processes (photo- and bio-oxidation) that increase the compositional complexity of the transformed oil. Because these oxidative processes increase the complexity of an already analytically challenging organic mixture and the boiling point of transformed species is higher than that of the precursors, conventional analytical techniques yield little insight into the identification of oil spill transformation products. Despite the challenge, recent advances in analytical science now allow molecular-level insight into these complex systems irrespective of initial (unaltered) or transformed-product boiling point; these advances were largely made possible by GoMRI supported research efforts. They expose a continuum of oxidized transformation products that span oil-soluble, oil-soluble interfacially-active, and water-soluble species. The isolation and characterization of oil-soluble, interfacially-active species confirm a long-standing theory that photo-oxidation generates oil-soluble surfactant-like species, which limit the effectiveness of dispersants. Furthermore, photo-oxidation specific microcosms are shown to generate unique species that are also found in field samples. Bio-oxidation only microcosms were found to generate very different, oil-soluble species; thus, photo-oxidation is implicated in the formation of transformation products in the field. Finally, analyses of photooxidized distillate cuts as well as asphaltene samples confirm prior reports of photo-induced polymerization and photo-cracking of native petroleum molecules. Here, we summarize the advances in the molecular-level understanding of oil over the past 8 years, in the context of oil spill science, by high resolution mass spectrometry, and we highlight potential opportunities for future research, as well as knowledge gaps that must be addressed for future spills.
The SONS Money Tale: From Exxon Valdez to Deepwater Horizon to ??
Authors: Thuring Allen , Abramson Jonathan A.
Published: December 2021

Synopsis

SONS (Spill of National Significance) have been extensively studied from multiple perspectives. In the realm of the Incident Command Structure (ICS) there have been numerous Operations, Planning, and Logistics examinations, reviews, and recommendations. The fourth ICS node – Finance – has seen little such scrutiny or review. This paper, written by two individuals at the heart of each respective response, will address that gap and identify the problems that arose, were solved, or remain problematic for the next SONS that occurs in the United States.

Each spill posed different problems, driven by statute, prior experience, fiscal systems, and the expectations of outside stakeholders. The paper will examine the following dimensions. 1) The available fund balance at the start of the response, and how the fund could be replenished under existing statute.2) The financial role taken by the spillers/responsible parties.3) The mechanisms to provide response funding to the FOSC during the incident.4) Funding National Contingency Plan participants (Federal, State, Local) supporting the FOSC response.5) Funding Trustee led natural resource damage assessments and damage restoration plans during and after the response concluded.6) Payment of claims to injured third parties.7) Billing the spillers/responsible parties for the incident costs and the disposition of the resulting payments.

The paper will conclude with an examination of the financial issues that remain and will probably arise for the next SONS. It will summarize possible solutions, reflecting when appropriate a number of legislative changes that have been proposed by various parties.
Motor-Tanker Coimbra - The Million Gallon Gamble
Authors: Diaz Jesse , Mazin Rodion , McKeathen Benjamin
Published: December 2021

In January of 1942, the M/T COIMBRA, a British flag vessel, carrying 64,800 barrels of lubricating oil and fuel oil was torpedoed by the German submarine U-123. It sank 26 NM south of Shinnecock Inlet, NY. The vessel was classified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Remediation of Underwater Legacy Environmental Threats (RULET) vessel and was ranked the second highest pollution threat in the First Coast Guard District area of responsibility and the highest for U. S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.

In 2015, Sector Long Island Sound started receiving pollution reports from the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) via NOAA of anomalies in the vicinity of the wreck location of M/T COIMBRA. The anomalies were later confirmed by U.S. Coast Guard overflights and surface sheen sampling as oil. The Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) determined that M/T COIMBRA posed a substantial threat to the environment and opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to complete an assessment and execute an oil removal operation from the vessel that was deteriorating on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for 77 years. The vast number of unknowns, government regulations, technological challenges, varying weather patterns, diverse marine fauna, and lack of historical records about non-U.S. flagged vessels complicated the response to this pollution threat.

Establishing a diverse team of professionals comprised of federal, academic, and state specialists, a detailed statement of work was created, and a contractor was chosen to complete objectives established by the FOSC. As a result of the operation, the U.S. Coast Guard determined the following: - Types and quantity of oil onboard the subject vessel- Best practices for the oil removal from an historic wreck- The impacts of salt water on the riveted hull structures- Challenges of the oil removal from various historical ship construction types

A total of 81 out of 87 wrecks on the RULET database remain unassessed and unexplored in the United States alone. RULET wrecks and other historical polluting wrecks around the world may present a significant threat to the environment. The COIMBRA project answers some of the questions that will make future cases of these polluting historical wrecks more cost effective and less time consuming. In the best-case scenario this project will serve as an example for establishment of the framework for future projects of this nature.
Fifty Years of the International Oil Spill Conference
Authors: Dix Mark , Miller Eric
Published: December 2021

In 2019, the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) passed a significant milestone in turning 50 years old. Springing from the aftermath from both the Torrey Canyon and Santa Barbara oil spills, New York City hosted the first IOSC in 1969, attracting the attention and participation of a growing body of practitioners in a particular form of emergency response. Bringing together world leaders in oil spill prevention, preparedness, response, and restoration at conferences that fostered community and technological advancement between and within the industry, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations, IOSC was the conference to attend in order to share information, identify emerging issues, and develop key contacts. With the volume of oil shipments on the rise and an increasing reliance on petroleum cargoes and fuels in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as a keener focus on the protection of natural resources, the relevance and content of the IOSC continued to grow and solidify. In looking back at the history of the conference, this paper charts the development of the IOSC event and notes the growth of the positive impacts the conference has had on the spill response community and the conference features that have expanded its attractiveness and accessibility for over 50 years.
Improving Response Planning by Using Numerical Models to Test Geographic Response Plans
Authors: McGrath Gabrielle G. , Yanishevsky Tatyana
Published: December 2021

40 CFR §300.210 outlines the requirements for each Area Committee to develop an Area Contingency Plan (ACP) for its designated area. These requirements include a list of equipment and personnel available to ensure an effective and immediate removal of a discharge. Many Area Committees take this direction to the next step and develop Geographic Response Plans (GRP) or Geographic Response Strategies (GRS) for inclusion in the ACP. These plans provide pre-identified deployment strategies for how to coordinate an effective response and protect sensitive sites in the event of an oil spill. GRPs are typically developed by Area Committee representatives behind the doors of a meeting room. While these experienced members know their regions very well and offer a wealth of knowledge in oil spill response tactics, the developed GRPs are typically not field-tested due to the cost constraints of deploying equipment. Even if an Area Committee is able to sponsor a field deployment, the equipment is only being tested against one set of environmental conditions. In addition, typical ACPs contain hundreds of GRPs. It is not possible to deploy equipment to test all of those plans. Numerical models can be used to electronically test GRPs under all possible environmental conditions. These models run quickly, allowing multiple iterations of environmental scenarios, in a short amount of time. By providing the capability to implement response options within the model, users can simulate a variety of combinations of countermeasures, including surface and subsea dispersants, in-situ burning, skimming, and booming. Analyzing the model outputs can allow Area Committee members to adjust the response plans to maximize effectiveness of the GRPs. The September 2018 update of the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Environmental Response Manual supports the use of computer simulations for validating these plans. By developing a comprehensive computerized testing process of GRPs, the Area Committees can ensure that the coasts of the United States are protected from the devastation of an oil spill.
A New Field Guide For Freshwater Shoreline Response
Authors: Laforest Sonia , Owens Ed , Zrum Leanne , Lambert Patrick , MacDonald Shannon , Grenon Stéphane
Published: December 2021

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has developed a series of field guides to provide technical support tools for decisions regarding the evaluation of freshwater and marine shorelines and treatment options during an oil spill response. The new Freshwater Shoreline Response Guide is aligned with and complements the most recent editions of the ECCC Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Manual (ECCC, 2018) and the ECCC Field Guide to Oil Spill Response on Marine Shorelines (ECCC, 2016). ECCC is engaged to provide science-based information to the spill response community and develop an expertise in spill response.

The purpose of the Freshwater Shoreline Response Field Guide is to provide advice and guidance on the protection and treatment of freshwater shorelines threatened or affected by an oil spill. This Field Guide focuses on conventional tactics normally available to responders and appropriate for freshwater shoreline environments. The content of the Field Guide is organized to describe key elements of: Health and safety for field teamsNet Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) / Spill Impact Mitigation Assessment (SIMA)Freshwater environmentsOil fate and behaviour in freshwater environmentsResponse – planning, treatment, special topics, and completion and monitoring
EnviRisk – Automated Environmental Risk Assessment for Ship Traffic in Norwegian Waters
Authors: Brude Odd Willy , Jakobsen Vivian , Rinaldo Øyvind , Tvedt Harald Bjarne , Rudberg Anders , Gravir Gjermund , Olsen Knut Erik
Published: December 2021

A near real-time environmental calculation of oil spill risk along the entire coast of Norway is developed as the EnviRisk model. Previous risk assessments utilize older decision models and repeated manual calculations that are costly as well as not accounting for the complexity of and changes in, ship traffic. Furthermore, cloud-providers have enabled enough data ingest and processing power to utilize high resolution shore and satellite based AIS data (Automated Identification System), to develop more dynamic and accurate risk calculation models than before.

EnviRisk builds upon AISyRisk, an automated risk calculation model for marine traffic developed by the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) and DNV GL. AISyRisk, includes a long-term data collection on probability of ship accidents and consequences for fatalities and oil spills for Norwegian waters (Norwegian Coastal Administration 2020). From AISyRisk, the probabilities for a certain oil spill (location, oil type and volume) is developed further to assess the environmental consequence in the EnviRisk model. As part of EnviRisk, extensive oil spill modelling is being performed in the cloud with the open source OpenDrift model (https://github.com/opendrift/opendrift/wiki) released by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. This, combined with environmental sensitivity for both seabirds, marine mammals, fish and shoreline habitats, makes it feasible to quantify the environmental consequence and risk. Environmental risk is presented on a 10x10 km grid for the previous month of ship traffic and also accumulates statistics for risk over time. This paper presents the automated oil spill modelling and environmental risk calculation in EnviRisk. The method builds upon previous risk assessments for NCA for the Norwegian Coast (Braathen and Brude, 2011), for Svalbard and Jan Mayen (Braathen et. al., 2014) and for Greenland for Defence Command Denmark also in 2014 (Eikeland et. al., 2014). The approach is significantly improved particularly with respect to the oil spill modelling.

Updates of AISyRisk and EnviRisk data and calculations are done monthly and the results published on a web portal administered by the Norwegian Coastal Administration where aggregated results are publicly available.
Responder Safety - Evolving Safety Systems, Processes, and Behaviours in an International Oil Spill Response Cooperative
Authors: O'Driscoll Declan
Published: December 2021

Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is a United Kingdom based industry cooperative for emergency oil spill response and preparedness. The company provides emergency surface and subsurface response to oil spills on a global basis.

The nature of emergency oil spill response requires responders to understand and deal quickly with the safety risks arising from working in new and unfamiliar surroundings. The risks derive from the physical nature of the incident, the geographical locations, the local weather conditions as well as working with new colleagues and organisations.

OSRL was originally established in the United Kingdom in 1985 and now employs 265 people in 9 countries. This growth has been the result of mergers with response cooperatives in the United States and Singapore and the introduction of a new subsea well capping services division.

A common understanding and alignment on safety in an organisation with a range of nationalities and cultures as well as local compliance requirements is critical to safeguarding employees. To ensure this, OSRL began a programme to review safety management systems, processes and procedures as well as employee behaviours. An Operations Excellence Management System, known as ‘The Blueprint', was introduced to provide structure and control in corporate documentation as well as providing better navigation to employees in locating specific procedures.

The introduction of the Blueprint prompted a major overhaul of OSRL's core safety procedures, in particular, risk management. While the basic principles of risk assessment were similar, there was a difference across the company in how risk assessments were prepared, approved and presented.

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) Life Saving Rules were introduced. The Rules provide clear guidance on how to prevent accidents known to have caused industry fatalities in the past. OSRL also undertook a review, with employee participation, of the company's values that led to a new corporate ‘Values Compass' with safety at the centre.

Employees are encouraged to take personal ownership of their own safety and that of colleagues. Awareness is promoted by setting formal objectives, linked to remuneration, on hazard identification and behavioural safety observations. This paper will show the strategies and initiatives applied to develop a framework of rules, processes and behaviour to support and protect OSRL responders from the range of safety risks encountered when responding to an oil spill.
The Bow Jubail Oiled Wildlife Incident: Success Factors of an International Tiered Response on the Basis of Standards of Good Practice
Authors: Velter Claude , Nijkamp Hugo , Jay Simone
Published: December 2021

In June 2018, about 218 metric tons of heavy fuel oil gushed into the harbor of Rotterdam (NL) following the rupturing of the hull of the Bow Jubail at a jetty. Due to tidal activity, the oil from the unloaded chemical tanker quickly spread out over a 30+ km waterway where many hundreds of Mute swans were moulting at the time. A citizen's initiative quickly led to the capture of over 200 swans from the water and shores, and their transport to some bird rehab centers in the immediate neighborhood. For the authorities this massive impact that overwhelmed the available resources of the permanent centers was the trigger to activate the national oiled wildlife response plan. The activation of the national plan goes hand in hand with the decision to build a large temporary facility that needs to be fully operational within 48 hours to receive the impacted live animals for treatment. The building of the such a facility, but also the staffing that is needed to care for 600 impacted swans is a challenging task and needs fast decision taking by experts who can oversee the particular needs of swans, and are able to inform logistics about equipment and materials needed.

In parallel, a large number of experts must be mobilized who can lead and process the impacted animals once the temporary facility is ready for operations. For some part these resources were available in the Netherlands, but many more experts needed to be mobilized from abroad. The mobilization procedures of both EUROWA network and the GOWRS network were activated, leading to a large number of experts who indicated their availability. Meanwhile, the authorities took decisions on the authorization of the international mobilization, and when green lighted, the experts were asked to come over.

This paper describes the decision making in the early days, and the way that arriving experts were deployed in the facility. The use of international guidelines for this process and the ease by which international experts could work together thanks to many years of investments into local and international preparedness will be highlighted. The rehabilitation of 522 mute swans took a full month (30 days), after which 97.5% of the animals had been successfully released.
What difference does a letter make? - Exploring Incident Management System with respect to the Incident Command System
Authors: Griffiths Will
Published: December 2021

How can a process be flexible enough for use in any incident, yet rigid enough to provide the structure required in times where stress is high, and time is short?

In 2014 the IPIECA-IOGP Joint Industry Project (JIP; an outcome of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill) recommended the implementation of a structured Incident Management System (IMS) in their publication of a Good Practice Guide (GPG): Incident Management System for the Oil and Gas Industry. Now, half a decade on from this publication, many oil companies have, or are in the process of implementing some form of IMS across their global operations.

The GPG describes IMS as a “set of proven organizational and management principles.” It also states that it is based on ICS as it “is a version of IMS that is widely used by Industry”.

As multiple IMS's exist globally, this paper explores whether the blanket adoption of a single existing system can be used when so many considerations, are required. Through observing and assisting their members in introducing (and maintaining) an IMS across various business units, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) has seen how systems can be tailored that are flexible enough to meet the specific needs of the company concerned. Examples include introducing initial assessment procedures and customisation of documentation. Potential limitations of ICS possible evolutions of IMS are discussed.

Incorporation of the organisational and management principles described by the JIP provides guidance when modifying/tailoring a system that can be used by businesses facing different scenarios in different environments and with differing levels of resources. The change in terminology from the Incident Command System to the Incident Management System allows for customisation of a proven system and increased flexibility whilst being based on tried and trusted foundations.
Impact of the Hydrophobicity of the Particles on the Formation and Behavior of Oil Particle Aggregates (OPA)
Authors: Ji Wen , Zhao Lin , Lee Kenneth , King Thomas , Robinson Brian , Boufadel Michel C.
Published: December 2021

Oil droplets in marine environment interact with particles to form oil particle aggregates (OPA). As it was argued that the hydrophobicity of particles impacts the formation of OPA and subsequently the entrapment of oil and the transport of OPA, this study altered the hydrophobicity of kaolinite through the addition of chitosan and the contact angle was increased from 28.8° to 57.3°. Modified kaolinite was mixed with 500 mg/L crude oil in 200 rpm for 3 hours, then bottom layer was separated and extracted. Observations of the settled OPA microscale structure and calculations of oil trapping efficiency (OTE) were accomplished. Results indicated that with higher hydrophobicity of kaolinite, oil droplets were maintained in larger sizes in OPAs. This could increase the buoyancy of formed OPAs, thus decrease the amount of settled OPAs.
Post-Deepwater Horizon Dispersant Use Planning in Hawaii with a Focus on Science-based Stakeholder Participation and Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation.
Authors: Richman Lance Ramon , Walker Ann Hayward , Marhoffer William R.
Published: December 2021

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Coast Guard (USCG) recognize that use of dispersants is a viable option in conjunction with, or in lieu of, mechanical or other types of recovery. Working with the USCG, EPA initiated two projects in Hawai'i in support of a recently-revised Hawai'i Dispersant Use Plan (the Plan) that addresses the pre-authorized use of dispersants in marine waters offshore of Hawaii.

A process to evaluate a response option must balance the restoration of maritime commerce and the minimization of environmental damage of an oil spill with the imperative to (1) remove the maximum amount of oil from the environment (2) as rapidly as possible while (3) producing the minimum environmental collateral damage. The “big tent” approach of Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA), bringing in subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders from various interest groups, i.e., marine industry, environmentalists, oil spill response organizations (OSROs), historic specialists, Native Hawai'i cultural specialists, economic specialists, etc., is critical to getting stakeholder buy in and insuring a proper, scientific rigorous approach to evaluating these critical technologies for use.

The process used here for creating and evaluating the Plan by utilizing a NEBA in support of a Biological Evaluation for the Endangered Species Act, Section 7 Consultation, is an efficient and proper way to evaluate dispersants and other “hot button” response technologies for use in an oil spill impacted environment.
Beyond Data Validation – Advanced Strategies for Assessing Data Quality for Oil Spill Investigations
Authors: Cook Linda , Benton Laurie , Edwards Melanie
Published: December 2021

Field sampling investigations in response to oil spill incidents are growing increasingly more complex with analytical data collected by a variety of interested parties over many years and with different investigative purposes. For the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill, the analytical chemistry data and toxicity study data were required to be validated in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) data validation for Superfund program methods. The process of validating data according to EPA guidelines is a manual and time-consuming process focused on chemistry results for individual samples within a single data package to assess if data meet quality control criteria. In hindsight, the burden of validating all of the chemistry data appears to be excessive, and for some parameters unnecessary, which was costly and slowed the process of disseminating data. Depending on the data use (e.g., assessing human and ecological risk, qualitative oil tracking, or forensic fingerprinting), data validation may not be needed in every circumstance or for every data type.

Publicly available water column, sediment, and oil chemistry analytical data associated with the DWH Oil Spill, obtained from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative data portal were evaluated to understand the impact, effort, accuracy, and benefit of the data validation process. Questions explored include: What data changed based on data validation reviews?How would these changes affect the associated data evaluation findings?Did data validation introduce additional errors?What data quality issues did the data validation process miss?What statistical and data analytical approaches would more efficiently identify potential data quality issues?

Based on our evaluation of the chemical data associated with the DWH Oil Spill, new strategies to assess the quality of data associated with oil spill investigations will be presented.
Salvage Companies as OSROs: Benefits and Limitations
Authors: Cariglia Nicky
Published: December 2021

Response to oil spills in remote locations have long be limited primarily by logistical considerations. Frequently, issues associated with these cases are driven by lack of infrastructure, preparedness and regional capacity. Whilst year on year the number of significant ship-source oil spills have been on the decrease and global response preparedness has generally improved, in remote areas they still present a challenge which can prolong the response and associated impacts.

Correlated with oil spills the salvage industry has also seen a steady decline in the number of major casualties. However, the need for salvage contractors to maintain adequate capacity, infrastructure, equipment and expertise to be able to respond to major casualties as and when they occur still remains. This is especially important with the construction of ever larger vessels. The backdrop of fewer casualties, whilst needing to retain capacity to deal with increasingly complex salvage operations has resulted in an attempt to diversify and expand services provided by salvage contractors. Oil spill response (OSR) has been viewed by some as a natural extension to the salvage industry's remit to prevent pollution from casualties. This is particularly so for remote cases where advanced logistics, the ability to support a large cash-flow and global contacts are key to implement a response. Such regions are less likely to have established OSR organisations able, experienced or large enough to respond to the situation.

Several recent cases have demonstrated that salvage contractors could be in a unique position to fill these gaps. However, based on recent experience from several cases where salvage contractors have overseen OSR operations, there are several limitations that should be addressed by these organisations to cement their position in this role. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of salvage contractors in OSR as observed by the authors over several cases and presents lessons learned with general recommendations for such organisations to sustainably complement the OSR sector.
Effects of Fermented Maize Residue Addition on the Physico-chemical and Sensory Properties of Chin-Chin
Authors: Friday Owuno , Chituru Achinewu Simeon
Published: December 2021

Chin-Chin, a traditional Nigerian snack was prepared utilizing wheat-fermented maize residue composite flour at 0 – 30% replacement levels. Effects of this addition on the functional and pasting properties of the flour composite was evaluated. The snack produced was also evaluated for its sensory attributes, proximate composition and invitro-protein digestibility (IVPD). Functional properties results showed an increase in water absorption capacity (WAC), a decrease in oil absorption capacity (OAC), decrease in Bulk Density (BD), swelling power and solubility index with residue addition. Pasting property results showed a drop in the value of peak, trough, breakdown and final viscosity with substitution while set back viscosity increased.Peak temperature decreased, but values for pasting temperature showed no significant difference between the control and the blends. Results for sensory evaluation showed equal preference for overall acceptability. Proximate composition results showed residue addition led to an increase in crude fibre and protein content with a drop in the carbohydrate value. Residue addition did not increase protein digestibility. Addition of fermented maize residue in chin-chin production can be another way of utilizing the fibre rich by-product of the production of fermented maize starch.
Solvo-thermal Assisted-Synthesis; Experimental and Theoretical Characterization; and Biological Evaluations of Azo-Chelator-Ligand Chelates of Fe(II) and Zn(II) ions
Authors: Chioma Festus
Published: December 2021

Background and Objectives: The resistance of microbes against anti-bacteriological drugs leading to countless deaths and terminal ailments remains a basis for concern. Hence, the main interest of this study was to design, synthesize and report unusual compounds with basic hydrophilic moieties plus hydrophobic functions for anti-bacteriological studies.

Materials and Methods: Analytical (melting points, micro-analysis (C. H.N.S) magnetic susceptibility (µeff), molar conductance plus solubility test) methods; spectral (Fourier Transform Infrared(FTIR)), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H- plus 13C-NMR), electronic(UV-Vis)) measurements; theoretical (DFT) evaluations were utilized for the characterization of the chelator and its chelates. All synthesized compounds were examined for antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials while the chelator was singly evaluated for solvent extractive capacity.

Results: A nitrogenous based chelator-ligand, (E)-1-(((4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)imino)methyl) naphthalen-2-ol(LH) synthesized through reflux-condensation reaction of 2-amino-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine with 2-hydroxy-1-napthaldehyde was acquired. Further reflux of the chelator-ligand with bivalent ions of iron-sulphate and zinc-acetate salts plus 2,2’-bipyridine resulted into separate bivalent-heteroleptic metallic chelates. The deprotonated nitrogen of the amine moiety and carbon of the carbonyl gave rise to the chelator-ligand with N2O2 chromophore detected around the metallic atom in the chelates. The µeff data plus UV-Vis spectral values of the chelates conformed to 6-coordinate octahedral geometry. All the chelates were high spin and non-ionic in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The antimicrobial and antioxidant screening of the compounds presented moderate to fantastic results, while the metallic extractive proficiency of the chelator showed outstanding extractability for Fe2+ and Zn2+ions with an efficiency of 79.34% and 51.92% correspondingly.

Conclusion: All the synthesized compounds are novel and demonstrated prospective biological, plus metallic ions’ extractive potentials required for designs plus isolation of products also for such actions.
A Study of Various Constraints in Lentil Production and Marketing in District Lakhimpur (Kheri) of Uttar Pradesh
Authors: Zeb Ilma , Kumar Sanjay , Athar Mantasha
Published: December 2021

Background: Lentil pulse crop on account of their vital role in nutritional security and soil ameliorative properties have been an integral part of sustainable agriculture since ages. The decrease in production and shrinkage in the area of pulse crops in Lakhimpur (Kheri), Uttar Pradesh is a cause of great concern. Keeping in view the importance of lentils, the study was carried out to examine the various constraints faced by the different groups of farmers.

Aims: To study the various Constraints in lentil production and marketing.

Place and Duration of Study: Lakhimpur (kheri) district of Uttar Pradesh, between year 2020 and 2021.

Methodology: A total of 100 respondents were selected randomly from the Mitauli block of Lakhimpur (kheri) district, Uttar Pradesh and a pre-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from the farmers. Respondents were classified into three ccategories based on their size of land holdings.

Results: It is revealed by the Garrett scores that the major production constraint faced by most of the farmers was unfavorable weather condition (score of 66.39) and major marketing constraint faced was small quantity of marketable surplus (score of 61.98).

Conclusion: From the findings of the study, it has been stated that there was a high level of constraints associated with production and marketing of lentils. Highly responded constraints for production were unfavorable weather condition(rank I), non-availability of quality water for irrigation(rank II),inadequate knowledge of recommended packages and practices (rank III).Similarly small quantity of marketable surplus(rank I),availability of reliable market information system (rank II) and price fluctuation(rank III)were the major constraints in case of marketing of lentils. Due to having these constraints, farmers faced a lot of troubles which hampered agricultural activities, increased quantum of credit assistance and led to selling of agricultural crops at low prices.
Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Group A Beta-Haemolytic Streptococcal Throat Isolates of Primary School Children in Rivers State, Nigeria
Authors: Woroma Wonodi , Grace Okari Tamunoiyowuna , Ibo Opara Peace
Published: December 2021

Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) pharyngitis when untreated can cause non-suppurative sequelae such as acute rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis. Prompt treatment of infected individuals with appropriate antibiotics that the organism is susceptible to, is important in preventing these untoward complications.

This study intends to identify the antibiotic susceptibility of GABHS in Rivers State, Nigeria, and to guide health care workers in choosing effective antibiotic for the treatment of GABHS infections in children.

Methodology: Throat swabs were taken from primary school pupils aged 6 to 12 years in Rivers State between May and July 2015. The throat swabs were cultured using 5% sheep blood agar. Antibiotic susceptibility was carried out on the Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal isolates. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 using descriptive statistics. Chi square tests of significance were used with a 95% confidence interval (P< 0.05).

Results: A total of 18 out of 456 pupils had a positive streptococcal throat culture for GABHS giving a prevalence rate of 3.9%. The isolated GABHS were most susceptible to azithromycin (87%) followed by penicillin (81.5%) and ampicillin (64.8%). The pathogens were least susceptible to tetracycline (37%) and co-trimoxazole (18.5%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of GABHS was low and it was mostly susceptible to Azithromycin and penicillin. These could be used as the drug of choice in the empirical treatment of GABHS throat infection in the locality.
An Application of the Growth Model to HIV/AIDS Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy with Coinfections in a District Hospital in Ghana
Authors: Ofori Michael Fosu , Mohammed Aliyu , Mensah Kofi
Published: December 2021

Lethal opportunistic diseases like Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C are deeply ingrained complications for patients diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  The effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) on Hepatitis C and Tuberculosis in HIV patients in Ghana continues to be unpredictable, especially in younger patients. This study aimed to describe the patient survival time distribution on antiretroviral treatment using Statistical Growth model. A retrospective cohort of 634 patients aged between 22 to 73 years were selected from the District Health Information Management System 2 (DHIMS 2), a secondary source, using a random sampling approach. These patients were diagnosed with HIV and started antiretroviral therapy between 2000 and 2019 at St. Martins Catholic Hospital in Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region. The probability of survival for almost all of the risk factors decreases gradually at different clinical states, i.e., from state 1 through to state 4. Hepatitis C or Tuberculosis can also be diagnosed chronically in approximately one in ten patients. Age, sex and the CD4 cell count of patients substantially (p- value =0.001 in log-rank tests) contributed to the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus. Survival of infants, aged <1year, after treatment was of negative effect. The statistical growth analytical approach offers a good estimate of survival rate ( 79.82%) among major risk factors for infants, aged <1yearon ART with proportion of survival growth of 0.95, hence the survival time of infants, aged <1yearon HAART is negatively affected irrespective of the treatment initiation period.
Bacteriological and Nutritional Quality of Irvingia gabonensis Fruit Juice
Authors: Ezenatein Gloria Ekpartaziba , Etebu Ebimieowei , Assayomo Ebimobowei
Published: December 2021

Aims: This study was undertaken to examine the bacteriological and nutritional quality of Irvingia gabonensis fruit juice locally produced and stored for 28 days at 40C.

Study Design: Four groups of the Irvingia fruit samples were prepared and stored at 4oC. The samples were analysed at different intervals, beginning from day 0, to day 28. The juice was also observed for onset of spoilage and turbidity during sampling days.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Biological Sciences, Faculty Of Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, Bayelsa State between July 2019 to September 2019.

Methodology: The microbiological analysis was done using culture dependent methods.

Results: The results revealed the weighted mean of the total heterotrophic bacterial count increased as the storage days’ increases (3.76 ± 0.04 at day 0 to 4.03 ± 0.02 at day 28). Similar results were obtained for the population of coliform bacteria (from 3.59 ± 0.03 to 3.89 ± 0.02), Staphylococcal counts (3.73 ± 0.01 to 3.98 ± 0.00) and pseudomonads’ counts (3.64 ± 0.02 to 3.88 ± 0.07). A total of 240 bacterial isolates were isolated throughout the storage days. However, Escherichia coli recorded the highest percentage of occurrence while Bacillus sp., had the least. The proximate analysis of the juice samples indicated a decline in the fibre content (0.84- 0.72), protein (7.46- 6.53), carbohydrate (64.3 – 55.6), ash (2.46 – 2.18), and fat 23.41 – 21.1). It also showed that freshly prepared Irvingia gabonensis fruit juice is of high quality.

Conclusion: The degradation of the nutrients is suggested to result from the bacterial activities in the stored juices. There is also an increase in the bacterial population as the storage days’ increase. The presence of contaminating bacteria was found to deplete the nutritional content of the fruit juice from their metabolic activities.
Soil Application of Zeolite Affects Inorganic Nitrogen, Water Soluble and Exchangeable Potassium
Authors: Ravali Ch. , Rao K. Jeevan , Anjaiah T. , Suresh K.
Published: December 2021

An incubation study was conducted at college of agriculture, rajendranagar, PJTSAU to evaluate the influence of zeolite application on inorganic nitrogen, water soluble and exchangeable potassium in soil. Clinoptilolite Zeolite was fully mixed with soil (7.5 t ha-1) at the start of the experiment. Nitrogen was applied to soil through urea (200 kg ha-l). The experiment was conducted for 35 days and soil was analyzed for inorganic nitrogen, water soluble and exchangeable potassium at weekly intervals i.e., 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 days of incubation. The results indicated that the treatment with zeolite application showed significantly higher ammoniacal nitrogen from day 1 (136.54 mg kg-l) to day 35 (38.71 mg kg-l) as well as nitrate nitrogen (day 1 – 59.13 mg kg-l; day 35 – 130.13 mg kg-l). Similarly water soluble (day 1 – 92.21 kg ha-l; day 35 – 103.13 kg ha-l) and exchangeable potassium (day 1 – 363.69 kg ha-l; day 35 – 393.94 kg ha-l) was also significantly higher in zeolite applied treatments. Thus, mixing of zeolite into soil improves inorganic nitrogen through reducing leaching losses and also improves water soluble and exchangeable potassium.
Symmetrical Polyarthropathy and Hepatosplenomegaly as a Manifestation of Parvovirus B-19: A Case Report
Authors: Ali Mohamed Eltaieb , Alakkad Ashraf
Published: December 2021

This case was of a 35-years old Egyptian lady, who works as a primary school teacher, who presented to the OPD with complaints of persistent high fever for two days. Along with this fever, she also had severe pain in multiple joints of both hands, wrists, knees, and ankles. In addition, the woman also complained of having developed a rash on both her legs, which was so painful that she was unable to stand without pain. The pain was agonizing and it prevented her from performing her usual jobs as normal. But that was the extent of her symptoms. She did not complain of a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, back pain, abdominal pain, or any other pain for that matter. In a summary, none of the factors and symptoms that could have pointed towards the patient suffering from a case of COVID19 were present. Moreover, there was no recent history of travel. She also had not contracted any gastrointestinal or genitourinary infections in the preceding few days. The clinical examination of the patient revealed no abnormalities at all. The only thing worth noting was remarkable swelling and tenderness over the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints. The following series of events are discussed in detail in the subsequent section, and it was concluded that the woman might be suffering from the parvovirus B19 infection. She had several favorable causative factors that pointed toward this diagnosis, with the most important one being her in close contact with primary school children, who are most the likely age group, between five and twenty years, to carry this infection and also contract it. Adults can contract the infection from children, but the range of symptoms varies from person to person. In this case of the woman, further evaluations and investigations were needed to confirm the diagnosis, which was likely due to the obvious risk factors present in this case.