Why cumulative impacts assessments of hydrocarbon activities in the Arctic fail to meet their purpose

Regional Environmental Change - The Arctic Region is characterised by vulnerable ecosystems and residing indigenous people, dependent on nature for subsistence fishing and hunting. The Arctic also...     

How does cell-based non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) perform against chorionic villus sampling and cell-free NIPT in detecting trisomies and copy number variations? A clinical study from Denmark

Objectives

We aimed to compare cell-based NIPT (cbNIPT) to chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and to examine the test characteristics of cbNIPT in the first clinical validation study of cbNIPT compared to cell-free NIPT (cfNIPT).

Material and Methods

Study 1: Women (N = 92) who accepted CVS were recruited for cbNIPT (53 normal and 39 abnormal). Samples were analyzed with chromosomal microarray (CMA). Study 2: Women (N = 282) who accepted cfNIPT were recruited for cbNIPT. cfNIPT was analyzed using sequencing and cbNIPT by CMA.

Results

Study 1: cbNIPT detected all aberrations (32/32) found in CVS: trisomies 13, 18 and 21 (23/23), pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) (6/6) and sex chromosome aberrations (3/3). cbNIPT detected 3/8 cases of mosaicism in the placenta. Study 2: cbNIPT detected all trisomies found with cfNIPT (6/6) and had no false positive (0/246). One of the three CNVs called by cbNIPT was confirmed by CVS but was undetected by cfNIPT, two were false positives. cbNIPT detected mosaicism in five samples, of which two were not detected by cfNIPT. cbNIPT failed in 7.8% compared to 2.8% in cfNIPT.

Conclusion

Circulating trophoblasts in the maternal circulation provide the potential of screening for aneuploidies and pathogenic CNVs covering the entire fetal genome.     

Does your facility have a dust problem: Methods for evaluating dust explosion hazards

The hazards of dust explosions prevailing in plants are dependent on a large variety of factors that include process parameters, such as pressure, temperature and flow characteristics, as well as equipment properties, such as geometry layout, the presence of moving elements, dust explosion characteristics and mitigating measures. A good dust explosion risk assessment is a thorough method involving the identification of all hazards, their probability of occurrence and the severity of potential consequences. The consequences of dust explosions are described as consequences for personnel and equipment, taking into account consequences of both primary and secondary events.While certain standards cover all the basic elements of explosion prevention and protection, systematic risk assessments and area classifications are obligatory in Europe, as required by EU ATEX and Seveso II directives. In the United States, NFPA 654 requires that the design of the fire and explosion safety provisions shall be based on a process hazard analysis of the facility, process, and the associated fire or explosion hazards. In this paper, we will demonstrate how applying such techniques as SCRAM (short-cut risk analysis method) can help identify potentially hazardous conditions and provide valuable assistance in reducing high-risk areas. The likelihood of a dust explosion is based on the ignition probability and the probability of flammable dust clouds arising. While all possible ignition sources are reviewed, the most important ones include open flames, mechanical sparks, hot surfaces, electric equipment, smoldering combustion (self-ignition) and electrostatic sparks and discharges. The probability of dust clouds arising is closely related to both process and dust dispersion properties.Factors determining the consequences of dust explosions include how frequently personnel are present, the equipment strength, implemented consequence-reducing measures and housekeeping, as risk assessment techniques demonstrate the importance of good housekeeping especially due to the enormous consequences of secondary dust explosions (despite their relatively low probability). The ignitibility and explosibility of the potential dust clouds also play a crucial role in determining the overall risk.Classes describe both the likelihood of dust explosions and their consequences, ranging from low probabilities and limited local damage, to high probability of occurrence and catastrophic damage. Acceptance criteria are determined based on the likelihood and consequence of the events. The risk assessment techniques also allow for choosing adequate risk reducing measures: both preventive and protective. Techniques for mitigating identified explosions risks include the following: bursting disks and quenching tubes, explosion suppression systems, explosion isolating systems, inerting techniques and temperature control. Advanced CFD tools (DESC) can be used to not only assess dust explosion hazards, but also provide valuable insight into protective measures, including suppression and venting.     

Evaluating the potential for overpressures from the ignition of an LNG vapor cloud during offloading

Ignition of natural gas (composed primarily of methane) is generally not considered to pose explosion hazards when in unconfined and low- or medium-congested areas, as most of the areas within LNG regasification facilities can typically be classified. However, as the degrees of confinement and/or congestion increase, the potential exists for the ignition of a methane cloud to result in damaging overpressures (as demonstrated by the recurring residential explosions due to natural gas leaks). Therefore, it is prudent to examine a proposed facility’s design to identify areas where vapor cloud explosions (VCEs) may cause damage, particularly if the damage may extend off site.An area of potential interest for VCEs is the dock, while an LNG carrier is being offloaded: the vessel hull provides one degree of confinement and the shoreline may provide another; some degree of congestion is provided by the dock and associated equipment.In this paper, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software FLACS is used to evaluate the consequences of the ignition of a flammable vapor cloud from an LNG spill during the LNG carrier offloading process. The simulations will demonstrate different approaches that can be taken to evaluate a vapor cloud explosion scenario in a partially confined and partially congested geometry.     

Enhanced biogeochemical cycling and subsequent reduction of hydraulic conductivity associated with soil-layer interfaces in the vadose zone

Biogeochemical dynamics in the vadose zone are poorly understood due to the transient nature of chemical and hydrologic conditions but are nonetheless critical to understanding chemical fate and transport. This study explored the effects of a soil layer on linked geochemical, hydrological, and microbiological processes. Three laboratory soil columns were constructed: a homogenized medium-grained sand, a homogenized organic-rich loam, and a sand-over-loam layered column. Upward and downward infiltration of water was evaluated during experiments to simulate rising water table and rainfall events, respectively. In situ collocated probes measured soil water content, matric potential, and Eh. Water samples collected from the same locations were analyzed for Br, Cl, NO, SO, NH, Fe, and total sulfide. Compared with homogeneous columns, the presence of a soil layer altered the biogeochemistry and water flow of the system considerably. Enhanced biogeochemical cycling was observed in the layered column over the texturally homogeneous soil columns. Enumerations of iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria showed 1 to 2 orders of magnitude greater community numbers in the layered column. Mineral and soil aggregate composites were most abundant near the soil-layer interface, the presence of which likely contributed to an observed order-of-magnitude decrease in hydraulic conductivity. These findings show that quantifying coupled hydrologic-biogeochemical processes occurring at small-scale soil interfaces is critical to accurately describing and predicting chemical changes at the larger system scale. These findings also provide justification for considering soil layering in contaminant fate and transport models because of its potential to increase biodegradation or to slow the rate of transport of contaminants.     

Reproductive cycles of three dominant Calanus species in Disko Bay, West Greenland

This study describes the annual reproductive cycles of the three dominant Calanus species, C. finmarchicus, C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus, in Disko Bay (West Greenland) in relation to seasonal phytoplankton development. Relative abundance of females, copepodite stage V (CV) and males, and the developmental stage of the female gonad were examined from plankton samples collected at weekly to monthly intervals from May 1996 to June 1997 with a WP2 net or a pump. During spring and summer, egg production rates were determined. Females of all three species were present year round. Maximum relative abundance was reached by C. hyperboreus females at the beginning of February, by C. glacialis in mid-February, and by C. finmarchicus in April. All three species reproduced successfully in Disko Bay. Their reproductive cycles were considerably different with respect to the timing of final gonad maturation and spawning, and hence in their relation to seasonal phytoplankton development. In all three species, early gonad development took place during winter, before living food became plentiful, suggesting that these processes were largely food independent. Final gonad maturation and spawning in C. finmarchicus was related to the phytoplankton concentration, reflecting that final gonad maturation processes are food dependent in this species. C. glacialis females matured and spawned prior to the spring bloom. Our results indicate that first internal lipid stores and later ice alga grazing supplied final gonad maturation and egg production. Maximum egg production rates of C. glacialis were found in spring and summer, when the chlorophyll a concentration was high. Mature female C. hyperboreus were found from February until mid-April, when the chlorophyll a concentration was still low. In this species, reproductive activity was decoupled from phytoplankton development, and final maturation processes and spawning were solely fuelled by internal energy stores.     

FEASIBILITY OF SEASONAL WATER PRICING CONSIDERING METERING COSTS1

ABSTRACT: Efficiency implications of seasonal pricing, uniform pricing, and optimal seasonal pricing with metering costs are analyzed qualitatively using classical optimization technique. The first two schemes are special cases of the last pricing scheme. A nonlinear-integer programming model is formulated for a case study application to Salt Lake City to examine the feasibility of seasonal pricing. The analysis indicates that uniform pricing is preferable unless metering costs are substantially lower than present levels.     

Ultrastructural and radiotracer studies of pore function in foraminifera

Clusters of mitochondria have been observed close to the inner end of the pores in Nonionella stella, Globobulimina pacifica, Buliminella tenuata, Bolivina argentea, Loxostomum pseudobeyrichi, Cassidulinoides cornuta and Bolivina cf. subexcavata, pointing to a pore function of oxygen-uptake. The relationship between mitochondria and pores is most distinct in Buliminella tenuata, Bolivina argentea and L. pseudobeyrichi collected from a deep-water, low-oxygen environment. Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, 1976 readily took up ¹⁴CO₂ through its pores, indicating a pore function related to the photosynthetic activities of its symbionts. ¹⁴C-labelled glucose did not pass through the pores in traceable amounts during a 2 h exposure time.     

Expected,prenatally discovered,and born cases of Down syndrome in Denmark during the period 1980–1998

In order to elucidate the consistency between generally used age-dependent risk values for Down syndrome (DS) and estimates of the probability of miscarriage in Down pregnancies we have compared expected numbers with estimated numbers of births with DS in Denmark had no intervention at all been carried out. The expected numbers were calculated from the distribution of newborn children according to maternal age combined with the age-related risk of DS. The estimated numbers of children that actually would have been born without any intervention were estimated from observed numbers of cases of DS, i.e. the cases born plus – with corrections because of the high probability of miscarriage in DS pregnancies – a proportion of those cases discovered prenatally. The analysis was carried out separately for mothers aged 35 years or older and for younger mothers. We found a high degree of compatibility between expected and estimated numbers, probably with a minor underestimation of the expected values for the older mothers. The performance of DS screening in Denmark in the period under consideration (1980–1998) is discussed in relation to the figures presented. Despite the fact that 11.8% of all pregnancies were subjected to an invasive diagnostic procedure, only about 38% of all births with DS were prevented. This means that in the period 1990–1998, reluctance to accept serological screening has indirectly resulted in the birth of almost 300 cases of DS in Denmark and at the same time the miscarriage of an unreasonable high number of normal fetuses. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.