bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Look who is calling: a comparison of genotype calling algorithms
Authors: Vens Maren , Schillert Arne , König Inke R , Ziegler Andreas
Published: December 2009

In genome-wide association studies, high-level statistical analyses rely on the validity of the called genotypes, and different genotype calling algorithms (GCAs) have been proposed. We compared the GCAs Bayesian robust linear modeling using Mahalanobis distance (BRLMM), Chiamo++, and JAPL using the autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the 500 k Affymetrix Array Set data of the Framingham Heart Study as provided for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 16, Problem 2, and prepared standard quality control (sQC) for each algorithm. Using JAPL, most individuals were retained for the analysis. The lowest number of SNPs that successfully passed sQC was observed for BRLMM and the highest for Chiamo++. All three GCAs fulfilled all sQC criteria for 79% of the SNPs but at least one GCA failed for 18% of the SNPs. Previously undetected errors in strand coding were identified by comparing genotype concordances between GCAs. Concordance dropped with the number of GCAs failing sQC. We conclude that JAPL and Chiamo++ are the GCAs of choice if the aim is to keep as many subjects and SNPs as possible, respectively.
Long term outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in a large HIV/AIDS care clinic in urban South Africa: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Sanne Ian M , Westreich Daniel , Macphail Andrew P , Rubel Dennis , Majuba Pappie , Van Rie Annelies
Published: December 2009

Background

Clinical, immunologic and virologic outcomes at large HIV/AIDS care clinics in resource poor settings are poorly described beyond the first year of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). We aimed to prospectively evaluate long‐term treatment outcomes at a large scale HIV/AIDS care clinic in South Africa.

Methods

Cohort study of patients initiating HAART between April 1, 2004 and March 13, 2007, and followed up until April 1, 2008 at a public HIV/AIDS care clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. We performed time to event analysis on key treatment outcomes and program impact parameters including mortality, retention in care, CD4 count gain, virologic success and first line regimen durability.

Results

7583 HIV‐infected patients initiated care and contributed to 161,000 person months follow up. Overall mortality rate was low (2.9 deaths per 100 person years, 95% CI 2.6‐3.2), but high in the first three months of HAART (8.4 per 100 person years, 95% CI 7.2‐9.9). Long‐term on‐site retention in care was relatively high (74.4% at 4 years, 95%CI 73.2‐75.6). CD4 count was above 200 cells/mm3 after 6 months of treatment in almost all patients. By the fourth year of HAART, the majority (59.6%, 95%CI 57.8‐61.4) of patients had at least one first line drug (mainly stavudine) substituted. Women were twice as likely to experience drug substitution (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.80‐2.16). By 6 months of HAART, 90.8% suppressed virus below 400 copies. Among those with initial viral suppression, 9.4% (95% CI 8.5‐10.3%) had viral rebound within one year of viral suppression, 16.8% (95% CI 15.5‐18.1) within 2 years, and 20.6% (95% CI 18.9‐22.4) within 3 years of initial suppression. Only 10% of women and 13% of men initiated second line HAART.

Conclusion

Despite advanced disease presentation and a very large‐scale program, high quality care was achieved as indicated by good long‐term clinical, immunologic and virologic outcomes and a low rate of second line HAART initiation. High rates of single drug substitution suggest that the public health approach to HAART could be further improved by the use of a more durable first line regimen.
Minireview: Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging—An Overview
Authors: Minchin Rodney F. , Martin Darren J.
Published: December 2009

Molecular imaging is a technique for quantifying physiological changes in vivo using imaging probes, or beacons, which can be detected noninvasively. This field of study has advanced rapidly in recent years, in part due to the application of nanotechnology. The versatility of different imaging modalities has been significantly enhanced by innovative nanoparticle development. These nanoprobes can be used to image specific cells and tissues within a whole organism. Some of the nanoparticles under development may be useful to measure biological processes associated with human disease and help monitor how these change with treatment. This review highlights some of the recent advances in nanoparticles for molecular imaging. It also addresses issues that arise with the use of nanoparticles. Whereas much of the technology remains at an experimental stage, the potential for enhancing disease diagnosis and treatment is considerable.
Stability of serum thyroid hormones following 8–11 years of cold storage
Authors: Panesar Nirmal S. , Lit Lydia C.W.
Published: December 2009

Background: Ethnic differences necessitate a need for local reference intervals (RI), but establishing these can be challenging in some cultures that are reluctant to donate blood. Frozen sera are an alternative, but results can be questionable. Between 1998 and 2001, we collected blood samples from 343 healthy pregnant Chinese women (5–41 weeks' gestation), and in 2001 published gestational RI for thyrotropin thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) using the ACS180, now obsolete. As a pilot to re-establishing RI, TSH, FT4 and FT3 were re-assayed in archived specimens using contemporary assays.

Methods: Thirty archived specimens (–80°C) with ACS180 TSH concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 3.7 mIU/L were measured using the Roche E170, Advia Centaur and Architect i2000 TSH, FT4 and FT3 assays, along with 10 newer contemporary samples. Results were compared to the original, and examined in context of past and present methodological performances in an external quality assurance (EQA) program.

Results: All contemporary assays detected significantly lower TSH and increased FT4 and FT3 concentrations in the stored samples.

Conclusions: With reference to methodological performances in EQA, the results obtained with contemporary assays suggest analyte deterioration in specimens and thus their unsuitability for re-establishing RI.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:409–12.
Five-Year Study of Implant Placement in Regenerated Bone and Rehabilitation With Telescopic Crown Retained Dentures: A Case Report
Authors: Zafiropoulos Gregory-George , Hoffmann Oliver
Published: December 2009

Various implant-supported restorations have been used successfully for several decades to rehabilitate edentulous patients. Telescopic crowns are a common treatment modality used to connect dentures to natural teeth. Although previous findings indicate that telescopic crowns can be placed successfully on implants to support overdentures, only limited data are available on this treatment approach. Eight months after extraction of all nonsalvageable teeth and socket preservation, 11 implants were inserted into the mandible and maxillae of one patient. These implants were restored 4 months later using telescopic crown–supported dentures. Bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI), clinical attachment (PAL), and radiographic bone level were evaluated over 5 years. All implants remained in function over the 5-year evaluation period. Radiography showed stable bone levels for all implants. No changes in BOP or PI (range, 2%–4% for both parameters) were observed over this time. The PAL deteriorated by 1.5 mm during the first 3 years, with no subsequent changes. We conclude that telescopic crowns can be used successfully as attachments for overdentures supported by implants in regenerated bone.
Total educational costs of an integrated nursing curriculum
Authors: Bobroff Maria Cristina Cescatto , Gordan Pedro A. , Garanhani Mara Lúcia
Published: December 2009

Innovative changes in undergraduate Nursing programs have brought about new methodologies and the need for cost evaluation. This study aims to develop a model for cost estimation, and to estimate educational costs of an integrated Nursing curriculum at a public university. This is a case study conducted in stages: model development, data collection, analysis and interpretation. The cost-construction model consisted of six steps: data collection; educational and support activity costs; four-year course educational costs; educational support costs; joint product costs and total educational costs. Findings showed a total educational cost per student/year US$ 3,788.82. Course team faculty included 97 members. The cost analysis in faculty contact hours is the most appropriate cost unit as it most consistently reflects faculty time devoted to teaching. The knowledge about educational costs provided information that may be useful for a different approach to the integrated curriculum management, with a view to putting its educational objectives in practice.
Estimating Permeability in Uncored Wells Using Modified Flow Zone Index
Authors: Rahmawan Irvan , Aditiah Yusni , Kurniawan Akbar , Firmanto Tri , Priyantoro Jati , Gomaa Ezzat E.
Published: December 2009

Permeability estimation for un-cored wells is a classic issue. A simple model that widely used is using core porosity-core permeability cross plot to determine the linier regression. Then we estimate permeability in un-cored well after making adjustment for porosity log to porosity core.

The difficulties using that method is most of cross plot did not show clear relationship (scatter data) due to effect of rock heterogeneity. Therefore another effort is needed by separate it based on rock type to get better relationship.

Permeability itself is not depend only on porosity but also other properties like clay content, grain size, tortuosity and etc. Part of this phenomenon had been modeled by Carmen-Kozeny which illustrates strong dependency of permeability on average grain size, tortuosity and flow zone index.

The conventional way to reduce data scatter is by using additional correlation parameters. Commonly shale content (Vsh) and reservoir facies are used to give reliable transform or regression analysis for estimating the permeability. Start with this concept; we try to simplify the correlation by modified the Carmen Kozeny eq. (used flow zone index term) using clay content as another parameter that influences permeability value. Because we assume that porosity and clay content are the most important properties that have significant effect on permeability.

In this paper, we will describe permeability estimation for un-cored well as function of porosity and clay content using modified flow zone index-permeability cross plot. This cross plot has been test in three clastic reservoirs in Lower Sihapas formation either for consolidated or unconsolidated sandstone. The result shows this cross plot give better relationship compare to conventional cross plot and more simple transform to estimate permeability in un-cored well for input to geologic and reservoir simulation models.
Mungo Platform: A New Wireless Retrofit Solution to Restore Real Time BHP / BHT Data After a Permanently Installed Monitoring System has Failed—A North Sea Case History
Authors: Champion B. P. , Strong A. , Moodie N.
Published: December 2009

Real time reservoir monitoring is critical for the effective management of any reservoir. Permanently installed reservoir monitoring instrumentation is generally installed as standard practice in the majority of offshore wells and whilst the reliability of such systems has improved significantly over the last decade, there are still many examples of wells around the world where these systems have failed prematurely.

The Mungo Platform, located in the UK Central North Sea, has several wells in which the permanently installed monitoring systems failed early on in the life of the wells. In the absence of any real time reservoir pressure / temperature data, a compromise solution has been to install long term memory gauges in the wells so that reservoir monitoring, all be it using historic data, has been possible. Being relatively compact in size and a Normally Unmanned Installation (NUI), well intervention operations on Mungo are logistically challenging, with limited deck space for rig up and with personnel having to shuttle from the Marnock platform located around 24km away.

A newly emergent wireless reservoir monitoring technology that can be retrofitted into existing wells and can transmit data to surface in real time was viewed as an attractive alternative to performing regular well interventions to gather historic data using memory gauges. Whilst the wireless gauge technology has a growing track record in the subsea and onshore well environments, signal attenuation in the offshore platform environment presents particular challenges that had previously prevented the technology from being retrofitted into such wells.

A concept was developed for offshore platform wells having failed permanent cabled gauge systems, whereby the cable and gauge infrastructure of the failed permanent gauge system should, under the right conditions, act a conduit for the wireless gauge signal to be transferred to surface. To test the theory, a proof of concept trial was performed in Mungo well W160. A wireless gauge system was retrofitted into the well using standard slickline equipment and real time reservoir pressure and temperature data was successfully transmitted to surface using the failed permanent gauge system as a signal pick-up. This world first successful retrofit application of a new wireless monitoring technology into an offshore platform well, marks a milestone achievement in enabling the restoration of real time reservoir data without having to perform a well workover. This technology breakthrough is of significance in many situations where cabled in-well monitoring systems have failed. Collecting real time data from well W160 provided several benefits; the well production could be optimised on a daily basis, pressure build-up analysis could be performed, a new well target location was determined and the reservoir panel water injection response was optimised.
Technical Safety Barrier Management in StatoilHydro
Authors: Ingvarson Johan , Strøm Øyvind
Published: December 2009

The Norwegian Offshore Regulator requires top executives to confirm the safety of their installations with particular focus on established barriers towards large scale accidents. StatoilHydro has implemented a structured approach for assessing the technical safety condition of its key barriers. Performance Standards (PS's) are defined for each barrier and each PS defines a set of Performance Requirements (PR's) to be met by that particular system with respect to system function, integrity, survivability and management respectively. The set of PR's incorporates regulatory and internal requirements as well as best industry practice. Each PR is assessed in terms of the design, the condition and the operation of that particular part of the safety barrier. A combined in-depth shore-based and offshore assessment program reviews compliance with the PR's and assigns a common grading.

The TTS process focuses on a systematic assessment of the actual technical integrity and condition of process safety barriers implemented in facilities in operation, as well as facilities under design and construction. TTS provides a powerful approach to: Measure and ensure safety performancePrioritize corrective actions and major accident hazard risk management improvement initiativesBuild process safety awareness and competenceDemonstrate regulatory compliance.
Monotower Production Platforms
Authors: Mundheim Kjell , Oost Arend
Published: December 2009

Technology from the offshore wind industry and renewable power generation has been used to revolutionise the design of offshore gas production platforms making them cheaper, safer and more environmentally friendly. This has enabled a portfolio of marginal Southern North Sea gas fields to be developed, thus helping to secure domestic gas supply in the UK and The Netherlands.

HSE Mission Statement "On the Monotower production platform projects our Work is never so urgent or important that we cannot ‘Take the Time’ or ‘Make the Effort’ to do it Safely"

This Monotower platform design won the UK Energy Institute's Technology award in 2005

The Energy Institute Awards recognize excellence and innovation in the world of energy. They offer companies of all sizes the opportunity to showcase their groundbreaking accomplishments in the international arena.

Development drivers

Significant cost reductions were required to achieve economic development of ever-smaller gas accumulations in the Southern North Sea

The Design Philosophy was to start with a clean sheet of paper and apply the "zero based engineering" principle. Minimum facilities (production, measurement and export to nearby facilities)Unmannedemote controlled from onshoreNo helideckNo living quartersMarine access systemOne leg, one pile (no jacket)Power Generation by solar and windZero EmissionsMaintenance every 2 yearsNo Full Deluge SystemNo Gas DetectionSeveral installation possibilities (with an installation vessel or jack up)
Reusing O&G Depleted Reservoirs for CO2 Storage: Pros and Cons
Authors: Loizzo M. , Lecampion B. , Bérard T. , Harichandran A. , Jammes L.
Published: December 2009

Two main types of reservoirs are considered for geological storage of CO2: deep saline formations and depleted oil and gas reservoirs. The former offer very large potential capacity and a more even distribution, at the expense of high uncertainty due to the very poor characterization of their properties, including their sealing capacity; the latter offer smaller overall capacity, but with a reduced risk due to better reservoir knowledge. Gas reservoirs have also provided a proven seal to pressurized gas.

However, reusing depleted O&G reservoirs presents challenges that must be considered in the evaluation of performance factors and the risks associated

Depletion can cause pore collapse in the reservoir – with an associated loss of capacity and injectivity – weaken caprock and bounding faults, or even well completions, leading to possible containment losses due to mechanical failure. O&G reservoirs are also intersected by many wells and it is likely that stricter regulatory requirements on well integrity and the quality of zonal isolation will force operators to recomplete or work over wells which will be exposed to CO2, with an obvious impact on cost.

Low reservoir pressure may also mean that injection of CO2 in a dense phase would result in reservoir fracturing and very strong thermal effects that may lead to injectivity problems. In the reservoir, chemical and physical differences in behavior between CO2 and methane may adversely affect geological containment and injectivity.

Economics and financing present another set of constraints: use of injected CO2 for EOR/EGR vs. storage may lead to difficulties in obtaining emission credits. Infrastructure decommissioning and conflict with resource exploitation may reduce the attractiveness of depleted reservoirs.

The benefits and challenges of depleted O&G reservoirs will be analyzed with respect to all performance factors (capacity, injectivity, containment) and the major drivers of costs and risks will be identified. Fixed costs and risks, associated to uncertain capacity for deep saline formations or uncertain containment for depleted reservoirs, will then be used to compare the two candidates for CO2 geological storage and the paper will propose criteria to aid in the selection of possible storage sites.
Patented Foamed Chemical Technology Frees Stuck Tubing in Coalbed Methane (CBM) Wells
Authors: Darby Greg , Brown Mike
Published: December 2009

Gas and water production from CBM wells in Southwest Virginia has led to problematic deposition of mineral scales. Calcium carbonate essentially cements the production casing and tubing together, making well repairs time-consuming, difficult, and costly. In some areas, work-over operations to remove the mineral scale deposition exceed $165,000 and several weeks per well. This paper will describe a novel technology that applies acid via foamed liquid to free the tubing at a fraction of the time and cost compared with traditional means.

The applications described in this paper have been in the Southwest Virginia area. Twelve unproductive CBM wells were treated with a foamed acid that successfully, economically and quickly helped free stuck tubing. The technology uses nitrogen gas to help generate stable, self-supporting foam from a liquid acid and foamer additive. The application is made to the annulus from a truck-mounted, purpose-built skid that contains the chemical, nitrogen, pump, and foam generation equipment. Pumping foamed acid results in coverage of a larger area of the annulus compared with pumping liquid acid.

A foamed acid treatment on day one, followed by a water dump on day two, has lead to the successful pulling of stuck tubing. In addition to freeing the tubing, treated wells have provided the operator with increased gas production compared to traditional remediation methods. When treated regularly (treatment intervals range between 60-180 days), the wells maintain a steady rate of gas production.

The primary benefit of a foamed chemical application is the nearly universal coverage of the annular space. Other benefits are the elimination of the need for surface treatment equipment, low volumes of chemical required, ease of monitoring, and the ease and safety of application. This novel technology brings an economic and technologically superior solution to the problem of scale management.
What can Injection Falloff Tell About Job Placement and Production in Tight-Gas Sand
Authors: Grieser Bill , Shelley Bob
Published: December 2009

Diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT) is a means of obtaining important reservoir and treatment parameters ahead of the main frac treatment. However, in tight-gas sand the shut-in time required to obtain closure can be excessive. A rapid injection, falloff-analysis has been used successfully in the Granite Wash formation of the central mid-continent US to give estimations of: Maximum prop concentration for created fracture networkMaximum job time before net pressure maximumEstimated fracture leakoff rate in bbl/min

Using a modified version of the injection procedure and analysis developed by Shelley and McGowen (1986), prediction of fracture parameters can be made in as little as a 20-min shut-in. The results from this modified injection test correlate well to formation productivity.

This paper describes the stimulation chronology of the Granite Wash, the use of modified injection tests to quickly determine stimulation parameters, and the injection/production connection.
Spurring the Devonian: Methods of Fracturing the Lower Huron in Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky
Authors: Rowan T. M.
Published: December 2009

The Lower Huron Shale can take claim as one of the earliest discovered sources of natural gas. As with all the shales though, extracting its reserves has been the challenge. To start, the physical properties of shale are not the same as typical sandstones, limestone, and siltstones that are targeted to produce natural gas. Along with this, the mechanisms for which the hydrocarbons are stored in place and transported are unique as well.

Shale is notorious for having ultra-low permeability (μD) and because of this, the primary storage and transport of hydrocarbons comes through the series of natural fracture networks within the shale. Fracturing the shale then becomes a search for the natural fracture network that is holding the hydrocarbons.

After drilling is completed, the question becomes exactly how do we fracture this well to achieve the best results? There are several ways to stimulate the wells that have been drilled in the Lower Huron. They range from straight nitrogen stimulation to varying quality foam stimulations. These two main methods of fracturing can then be broken down into many different style stimulations by changing rates, foam qualities, sand volumes and nitrogen volumes.

A couple of things to look at when designing a stimulation job is depth, field of play, thickness of the zone, and its gamma ray reading on the log. This paper will discuss fracture styles and which ones seem to perform better in wells given certain characteristics and what might be changed to produce the best results.
An evaluation of Norwegian snow maps: simulation results versus observations
Authors: Dyrrdal Anita Verpe
Published: December 2009

The snow map service introduced by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate in 2004 is evaluated at eleven meteorological stations situated in three regions in Norway. The focus is on the start and end of the snow season and the total number of snow days. In addition, accumulated snow depth throughout the winter season, along with snow depth on four selected dates, is examined. In the evaluation, simulations by a precipitation/degree-day snow model are compared to observations. The approach used to calculate snow depth tends to compact the snow too much, resulting in an underestimation of snow depth at most stations. In Region 1 the snow model simulates a shorter snow season than what is observed. In Region 2 the results are ambiguous and correlations between simulations and observations are low. In Region 3, however, the snow model performs very well, and there are no significant differences between simulated and observed snow season. The results confirm that the use of snow simulations in areas outside the observational network is valuable, but there is room for improvement.
Initial evaluation of a simple coupled surface and ground water hydrological model to assess sustainable ground water abstractions at the regional scale
Authors: Hughes Denis A. , Kapangaziwiri Evison , Baker Kathleen
Published: December 2009

Additional surface–ground water interaction routines were recently added to the Pitman monthly rainfall–runoff model, widely used in South Africa for quantifying water resources in ungauged catchments. Some evaluations of the model have demonstrated that it can realistically simulate interactions between surface and ground water at catchment scales of approximately 100 to 5,000 km2. The model allows ground water abstractions to be simulated, but no reported evaluations of this component are available. This study uses the model to estimate sustainable abstraction volumes in a semi-arid catchment and includes an assessment of model parameter uncertainties. In recognition of potential spatial scale issues related to the model structure an alternative model configuration, based on splitting the total catchment into recharge and abstraction sub-catchments, was also tested. While the results appear to be conceptually appropriate, there is insufficient available information to quantitatively confirm the model parameters and results. The same would apply regardless of the type of model being applied in such a data-deficient area. Additional geo-hydrological information is required to resolve the model uncertainties and improve the parameter estimation process. This pilot study has highlighted the type of information required, but further work is needed to identify how best to obtain that information.
Changes in discharge rise and fall rates applied to impact assessment of catchment land use
Authors: Archer D. R. , Climent-Soler D. , Holman I. P.
Published: December 2009

Despite substantial evidence that land use and management can enhance flood runoff at a local scale, evidence of increased flood risk based on peak discharges is lacking in catchments greater than 10 km2. This analysis is instead based on assessing changes in short-term rates of change in discharge. The influence of land use is demonstrated first on the small Coalburn catchment where changes in rates of rise are closely related to drainage and afforestation. For the larger Axe catchment (288 km2), changes in rates of rise are investigated by comparing annual maximum and peaks over a threshold flows for different periods, by comparing rates of rise associated with given daily rainfall and by adapting the method of flow variability analysis for use of rates of change rather than flow itself. All these methods demonstrate significant changes in river flow dynamics which seem to be in parallel with land use changes even when the influence of climate variability from year to year has been taken into account. Rates of change in discharge appear to respond to land use changes and thus provide a potential basis for application to land use management policies.
Development of strategic water reserve for the Holy City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Ghamdi Abdullah S.
Published: December 2009

This contribution presents part of the work that had been done to develop the water resources in Wadi Naman east of Makkah City to form a strategic water reserve for the city of Makkah and the nearby holy shrines. The aim of the strategic water reserve is to be used as water supply in emergencies when the desalination plant or the pipelines from the desalination plant to the city have to be out of the service for a considerable amount of time due to planned or unplanned shutdowns. The development plan calls for a constructing of a subsurface dam across the Wadi at a prescribed location. The proposed subsurface dam will extend from 3 m below the natural ground surface to a depth of 2–3 metres inside solid bedrock. The suggested dam may be constructed using plain plastic concrete and utilizing the diaphragm wall technique for construction. The crest of the subsurface dam can serve as a buried spillway to convey access water downstream and the overflow freeboard will provide a room for utilities that passes through the wadi to serve cities and villages upstream. The alluvium thickness upstream of the proposed dam location is ranging from 20–70 m and the total volume of the alluvium behind the dam that can store water is 218 × 106 m3. Pumping test revealed that the transmissivity is 1,376 m2/day and the yield storage coefficient is 0.15. The safe water yield that can be stored in the alluvium behind the dam due to natural recharge of 6.53 × 106 m3/year and interception of the groundwater flow by the dam can reach an amount of 32.7 million cubic metres of water in a period of about 5 years from the date of completion of the dam. This amount of water can serve the city and the nearby holy shrines for a period of up to four months with a good demand management program. However, to maintain the desired levels of water quality and quantity in the reservoir and to minimize the adverse effect of the dam on the downstream area a very strict management program of the basin has to be followed. This management program can be used to control the urban and rural development in the area upstream of the dam and enhancing artificial and natural recharge in the upstream and downstream sides of the dam.
Evaluation of pilot-scale oxidation of several PPCPs/EDCs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products/endocrine disrupting compounds) during drinking water ozonation treatment
Authors: Yue Chaoyang , Seth Rajesh , Tabe Shahram , Zhao Xiaoming , Hao Chunyan , Yang Paul , Schweitzer Linda , Jamal Taher
Published: December 2009

Several PPCPs/EDCs are being detected in surface drinking water sources, which is a great concern. The efficacy of ozonation in oxidizing 13 PPCPs/EDCs frequently detected in the Detroit River watershed was examined at pilot scale in the current study. Pilot-scale experiments were conducted at ozone dosages varying between 0.3 and 1.5 mg/L with the 13 PPCPs/ EDCs spiked in raw water obtained from the Detroit River. For 10 of the 13 PPCPs/EDCs with a high reaction rate with ozone (Group A), average oxidation efficiencies exceeded 95% for all ozone dosages at a contact time of 8.6 min. For chemicals with low to moderate reaction rate with molecular ozone (Group B), the observed oxidations were variable and ranged between 3 and 62% for ibuprofen and clorfibric acid and between 28 and >99% for bezafibrate under the same conditions. For the Group B chemicals, the oxidation increased with increasing ozone exposure and was significantly influenced by the quality of raw water.
Separation of natural organic colloids with a PALL tangential flow filtration system
Authors: Schwalger Berit , Spitzy Alejandro
Published: December 2009

The applicability of a PALL tangential flow filtration (TFF) system for size fractionation of natural dissolved organic matter was investigated. The performance of polyethersulfone membranes with nominal molecular weight cut-off of 1 kDa, 5 kDa and 50 kDa was examined for isolation of low and high molecular weight compounds in fresh and estuarine waters with diverse physico-chemical properties. Detailed protocols for operating the TFF- system and for membrane cleaning are proposed. The ultrafiltration membranes can be efficiently cleaned to provide low carbon blanks (<0.09 mg/l). Standard colloid tests confirmed that the higher molecular weight compounds were isolated in the retentate and the lower molecular weight compounds remain in the permeate. Mass balance of fractionated natural samples showed good recoveries for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (99±13% (1 kDa); 103±20% (5 kDa); 94±14% (50 kDa) (n=9). Moreover, high ionic strength or high DOC content did not enhance either fouling or contamination of the membrane. These findings demonstrate that the PALL TFF system is reliable for natural organic colloids fractionation in aquatic systems across both salinity and DOC gradients.
Determining the extent and condition of riparian zones in drinking water supply catchments in Sarawak, Malaysia
Authors: Ligtermoet Emma , Chambers Jane M. , Kobryn Halina T. , Davis Jenny
Published: December 2009

Land cover within eight drinking water catchments in Sarawak was classified into six categories using satellite imagery and GIS. The categories represented varying levels of vegetation modification from largely undisturbed or mature secondary vegetation (Category 1) through to bare, non-vegetated areas (Category 6). Rivers less than ∼10 m in width were usually ‘invisible’ on satellite images because of dense canopy cover. More than 70% of headwaters in all catchments, except one (Buri Bakong), were not visible, indicating the presence of dense riparian vegetation. For the river sections that were visible on satellite images, 5%–22% of the riparian buffer was highly degraded (completely lacking vegetation). The highest degree of riparian modification occurred in the lowlands, the midland catchment of Tingkas and the highland catchment of Trusan. Although Sarawak government policy requires buffer widths of 5–50 m of natural vegetation to be retained along all streams and rivers in drinking water supply catchments these guidelines were not met at nine of the eleven field sites surveyed. These results suggest that compliance with buffer guidelines is important to water quality in rivers, particularly in logging areas, oil palm plantations and near settlements.
District management areas characterisation in water network based on clustering
Authors: Pérez R. , de las Heras S. , Aguilar J. , Pascual J. , Peralta A. , Landeros E.
Published: December 2009

The division of a network in different sectors is a usual practice in Water Companies. It improves the management of the network in different senses. Sectors have more homogenous characteristics and need specific cares and treatments that is not the same all through the network. Specifically for leakage detection and assessment it is interesting to know the performance of the sector before any leakage detection strategy is applied. In this paper a characterisation methodology for the sectors is presented. This methodology is based on the knowledge provided by the company but has been analysed using clustering techniques. The main objective of the classification was to give a scope of the different types of sectors present in the network. A decision table based on the relevant descriptors was built. This allowed choosing three interesting pilot sectors for the leakage detection methodology study.
Breakthrough analysis for hexavalent chromium removal from drinking water in a fixed bed column
Authors: Dubey S. P. , Gopal K.
Published: December 2009

The activated carbon of Eucalyptus globulus was tested for their effectiveness in removing hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution using column experiments. Result revealed that adsorption of chromium(VI) on eucalyptus bark carbon was endothermic in nature. Thermodynamic parameters such as the entropy change, enthalpy change and Gibbs free energy change were found to be 1.39 kJ mol−1 K−1, 1.08 kJ mol−1 and −3.85 kJ mol−1, respectively. Different chromium concentrations were used for the fixed bed adsorption studies. The pre- and post-treated adsorbents were characterized using a FTIR spectroscopic technique. It was concluded that Eucalyptus bark carbon column could be used effectively for removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution at optimal column conditions. This study showed that this biological material is potential adsorbent of Cr(VI) from water.
Removal of chromium(VI) from contaminated drinking water by ecofriendly adsorbent: equilibrium, isotherm and kinetic study
Authors: Dubey S. P. , Gopal K.
Published: December 2009

Hexavalent chromium in drinking water is reported as well known carcinogen. This paper examines an efficient adsorption process of Cr(VI) from drinking water. The ability of developed Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) bark carbon as an adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal from synthetic sample was studied. The experiments were done in the batch process. Effects of adsorbent quantity, pH, contact time, initial Cr(VI) concentration and agitation rate were investigated on removal of chromium(VI). Approximately 95% of hexavalent chromium (10 mg L−1) was removed at pH 3 within 21 hours at 150 rpm and the concentration reached upto permissible limit recommended by standard agencies. The results indicate that the Langmuir model fits the data better than the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The adsorption follows second order kinetics for Cr(VI) removal in this study. The maximum adsorption capacity of 23 mg g−1 was found for the Cr(VI) adsorption. Characterization of the developed adsorbent was performed by SEM and EDX analysis and the results of the characterization supported surface nature and composition of the adsorbent.
Implementing the Law by Impartial Agents: An Exercise in Tort Law and International Law
Authors: Benvenisti Eyal , Porat Ariel
Published: December 2009

Lawmakers regularly delegate authority to agents. Such delegation is accompanied by mechanisms that attempt to ensure that the agents adhere to the will of the lawmakers. But these mechanisms are often ineffective or inefficient. Moreover, at times the very imposition of constraints distorts the agents’ incentives and impels them to adopt skewed policies. We suggest that it is possible to reduce such wasteful enforcement costs by delegating authority to certain types of agents who will pursue the lawmaker’s policies without constraints imposed by the lawmaker. In this Article we focus on agents who are impartial — but not indifferent! — and skillful enough to identify the proper course of action. The Article encompasses two main arguments. The normative argument is that when skillful and impartial agents can be identified, it makes sense to delegate to them decision-making powers with only limited constraints. Moreover, in such instances it may be more cost-effective to provide agents with incentives (or design agents, like administrative agencies) to act impartially rather than develop enforcement mechanisms to impose impartiality. The positive argument is that the law — sometimes explicitly and sometimes implicitly — is compatible with our normative argument in various fields. Although our argument is general in scope and applies to many areas of law, in this Article we begin by focusing on tort law and on international law. We distinguish five categories of cases where the law relies on agents and detect in some of them impartial and skillful agents. This analysis demonstrates that, in some of these categories, the law in fact relies on agents with only minimal constraints and that, in other situations, the constraints imposed by the law are counterproductive. Our normative argument thus serves an explanatory role in understanding many legal doctrines and principles, but, at the same time, offers a critical view on other doctrines and principles, which are not compatible with that argument.
Frameworks of Cooperation: Competing, Conflicting, and Joined Interests in Contract and Its Surroundings
Authors: Kreitner Roy
Published: December 2009

Private law and regulation are constantly involved in the evaluation of conflicts of interest, judging some of them salutary, with others requiring adjustment. Focusing on the question of conflicts of interest allows us to clarify our vision of when such adjustment is appropriate and, more specifically, when the law should supply an infrastructure for cooperative behavior. Thus, the prism of conflicts of interest provides a lens through which to view basic legal problems that turn on whether individual actors will be deemed responsible to some joint interest or whether they will be at liberty to pursue their individual interests despite the adverse effects of such activity on others. This article proposes a conflicts of interest perspective for examining contract law and its immediate surroundings. It suggests a map of conflicts of interest along three axes: the remedial axis; the axis of positive duties to avoid conflicts; and the axis of the transition from independence to loyalty. Applying the map to contract doctrine, the article examines a number of contract doctrines including: remedies for breach of contract; modification; conditions; good faith in performance; and formation. The article goes on to apply the map of conflicts to two complex fact situations: corporate acquisitions and corporate bankruptcies. The analysis underscores the fact that conflicts of interest rules do not simply protect existing interests, but also contribute to the very constitution of those interests. Recognizing the constitutive role of legal rules raises questions about our ability to determine interests ex ante and thus calls for a more nuanced approach to gauging the incentive effects of a legal regime.
The Administrative Process as a Domain of Conflicting Interests
Authors: Barak-Erez Daphne
Published: December 2009

The article presents the argument that administrative decision-making should be understood as devoted to balancing between conflicting interests of individuals or groups, usually when none of the affected parties has predefined legal rights that are relevant to the substantial content of the administrative decision. Administrative decisions often have a direct effect not only on human and civil rights issues, but also on matters bearing on the quality of life, living conditions, prices of regulated products, and the allocation of government funds. Since the decision as to which interest should prevail in the conflict is a distributive one and has many possible answers, the role of administrative law is primarily to ensure that these decisions are made fairly, with due weight given to the conflicting interests of the various groups and individuals involved. With this as background, the article shows how the doctrines of positive administrative law are designed to meet the challenge of coping with conflicting interests in the administrative decision-making process, using such examples as the prohibitions against decision-makers’ conflicts of interest and the rules regarding interest representation and judicial review. In the second part, the article applies the interest perspective to the administrative decision-making process in order to analyze the highly extensive regulation of land resources in Israel. The analysis concentrates on the Israeli Supreme Court decision in one of the most controversial petitions brought before it: against administrative decisions on the development (toward urbanization) of formerly agricultural lands (the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow case).
Beyond Relativism: Where Is Political Power in Legal Pluralism?
Authors: Barzilai Gad
Published: December 2009

Both decentralization of state law and cultural relativism have been fundamentally embedded in legal pluralism. As a scholarly trend in law and society, it has insightfully challenged the underpinnings of analytical positivist jurisprudence. Nevertheless, a theoretical concept of political power has significantly been missing in research on the plurality of legal practices in various jurisdictions. This Article aims to critically offer a theoretical concept of political power that takes legal decentralization and cultural relativism seriously and yet points to how and where we should look into political power, assuming that legal pluralism itself may be a strategy of elites and nation-states amid globalization. First, the Article explores the contributions of legal pluralism, and its limits, in intellectually revolting against analytical positivist jurisprudence. Second, it explicates why a concept of political power has been missing, and why such a concept is required for better comprehension of legal pluralism. Third, it calls for a look into three sites of political power in the praxis of legal pluralism: politics of identities, non-ruling communities, and neo-liberal globalization. Last, the Article constructs a concept of political-legal transformations that enables us to unveil political power in the context of de-centralized legal pluralities. Power is produced in, resides in and is generated in the dynamic interactions between nation-states, localities and global agents. Transformative relations along these dimensions allow the nation-state to forfeit some elements of power, both in economics and in law, but they also enable it to maintain some essential ingredients of political power that are often veiled in the rhetoric of globalized pluralism.
Transplantation and Mutation in Anglo-American Trust Law
Authors: Getzler Joshua
Published: December 2009

In the early nineteenth century, authoritative treatise writers such as James Kent and Joseph Story represented Anglo-American trust law as a seamless web. But the transplantation of trust law from England to America was not a simple process of adherence. Rather, American courts and legislatures came to discard fundamental English trust doctrines. Restraints on anticipation and on alienation were embraced, and in key state jurisdictions bare trusts were abolished, or else displaced from the core of trust law. Irreducible settlor power over beneficiaries and the strong protection of beneficiaries from creditors under spendthrift trusts were two strikingly original American creations, which flowed from these basic doctrinal choices. The changes made to American trust doctrine yield a paradox for the legal, social and economic historian, namely that republican America ended up with a more dynastic property law, more wedded to dead hand control and more hostile to commercial creditors, than did aristocratic England with its unreformed system of common law and equity rooted in the feudal property system. The American abandonment of free alienability of beneficial interests and the corresponding reduction of the beneficiary’s powers over trust assets may have been rooted in the volatility of credit in America and the desire of the wealthy to escape from the pressures of the market, though disparities between jurisdictions remain to be explained.