Shaping the global oil peak: A review of the evidence on field sizes,reserve growth,decline rates and depletion rates

This review paper summarises and evaluates the evidence regarding four issues that are considered to be of critical importance for future global oil supply. These are: a) how regional and global oil resources are distributed between different sizes of field; b) why estimates of the recoverable resources from individual fields tend to grow over time and the current and likely future contribution of this to global reserve additions; c) how rapidly the production from different categories of field is declining and how this may be expected to change in the future; and d) how rapidly the remaining recoverable resources in a field or region can be produced. It is shown that, despite serious data limitations, the level of knowledge of each of these issues has improved considerably over the past decade. While the evidence on reserve growth appears relatively encouraging for future global oil supply, that on decline and depletion rates does not. Projections of future global oil supply that use assumptions inconsistent with this evidence base are likely to be in error.     

Marketplace substitution of Atlantic salmon for Pacific salmon in Washington State detected by DNA barcoding

Accurate identification of seafood in the marketplace is an issue of international concern, due to high rates of market substitution of cheaper or more widely available species for expensive or high-demand species. Salmon samples from stores and restaurants throughout western Washington, USA were tested using DNA sequencing of a short section of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene (DNA barcoding) to identify Atlantic salmon substituted for Pacific salmon. Of 99 salmon samples, 11 (11%) were Atlantic salmon sold as Pacific salmon. More than 38% of restaurant samples were mislabeled to species, while only 7% of store samples were mislabeled. Market substitution rates were significantly greater in restaurants compared to stores, and consistently greater in winter compared to spring, although not significantly. The high market substitution rate in restaurants documents a pressing need for more monitoring and enforcement specifically in restaurants. DNA barcoding is a valuable tool for rapid and definitive authentication of salmon in the marketplace, and should be more widely adopted to discourage market substitution.     

Oxidation Behavior of Aerospace Materials in High Enthalpy Flows Using an Oxyacetylene Torch Facility

The oxyacetylene torch facility is used to measure the ablation rates of graphite and the surface temperatures of different aerospace materials. The free‐stream flame environment is characterized as a function of flame chemistry for heat flux, pO₂, and flow velocity. Measured ablation rates for graphite increase as a function of increasing heat flux and pO₂, which are validated by applying an oxygen diffusion based model. The model uses experimentally measured values for temperature, pO₂, and gas velocity in order to confirm torch testing results are reliable and reproducible. Surface temperatures of ultra‐high temperature ceramic composites are measured as a function of increasing heat flux and show an enthalpic cooling effect on the flame during oxidation testing.     

Assessing the aggregation behaviour of iron oxide nanoparticles under relevant environmental conditions using a multi-method approach

Iron nanoparticles are becoming increasingly popular for the treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater; however, their mobility and reactivity in subsurface environments are significantly affected by their tendency to aggregate. Assessing their stability under environmental conditions is crucial for determining their environmental fate. A multi-method approach (including different size-measurement techniques and the DLVO theory) was used to thoroughly characterise the behaviour of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃NPs) under environmentally relevant conditions. Although recent studies have demonstrated the importance of using a multi-method approach when characterising nanoparticles, the majority of current studies continue to use a single-method approach.Under some soil conditions (i.e. pH 7, 10 mM NaCl and 2 mM CaCl₂) and increasing particle concentration, Fe₂O₃NPs underwent extensive aggregation to form large aggregates (>1 μm). Coating the nanoparticles with dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated as an alternative “green” solution to overcoming the aggregation issue instead of using the more commonly proposed polyelectrolytes. At high concentrations, DOM effectively covered the surface of the Fe₂O₃NPs, thereby conferring negative surface charge on the particles across a wide range of pH values. This provided electrostatic stabilisation and considerably reduced the particle aggregation effect. DOM-coated Fe₂O₃NPs also proved to be more stable under high ionic strength conditions. The presence of CaCl₂, however, even at low concentrations, induced the aggregation of DOM-coated Fe₂O₃NPs, mainly via charge neutralisation and bridging. This has significant implications in regards to the reactivity and fate of these materials in the environment.     

From outpost to outback: project career paths in Australia

With the growth in project management as a form of work organisation in many sectors of the economy has come the significant rise in the number of project managers and project team members. This change in work organisation brings issues in forging career paths and determining career support in work situations that are often dynamic, short lived and intense. In the relatively small but substantially robust Australian economy, a unique labour market and the tyranny of distance bring their own difficulties. Innovative and collaborative project structures and increasing prevalence of contract work provide both challenges and opportunities for new career pathways in many industries. A growing percentage of Australia's workforce is employed in project-based or project-oriented organisations, leading to the claim that Australia is a project-based economy. This provided a context for our research into the career paths and the issues of career management for project managers working in a project based economy. Using in-depth interviews with project managers from three industry areas we found generational and gender differences in experiences of work, workplace support and mentoring for career development. For a continued strong performance in this economy, organisations that employ project personnel will need to consider how they will ensure the supply of high quality project professionals into the future.     

The Casein Kinase 2‐Dependent Phosphorylation of NS5A Domain 3 from Hepatitis C Virus Followed by Time‐Resolved NMR Spectroscopy

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronically affects millions of individuals worldwide. The HCV nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) plays a critical role in the viral assembly pathway. Domain 3 (D3) of NS5A is an unstructured polypeptide responsible for the interaction with the core particle assembly structure. Casein kinase 2 (CK2) phosphorylates NS5A‐D3 at multiple sites that have mostly been predicted and only observed indirectly. In order to identify the CK2‐dependent phosphorylation sites, we monitored the reaction between NS5A‐D3 and CK2 in vitro by time‐resolved NMR. We unambiguously identified four serine residues as substrates of CK2. The apparent rate constant for each site was determined from the reaction curves. Ser408 was quickly phosphorylated, whereas the three other serine residues reacted more slowly. These results provide a starting point from which to elucidate the role of phosphorylation in the mechanisms of viral assembly—and in the modulation of the viral activity—at the molecular level.     

In Vitro Activity of Copper(II) Complexes,Loaded or Unloaded into a Nanostructured Lipid System,against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused mainly by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), presenting 9.5 million new cases and 1.5 million deaths in 2014. The aim of this study was to evaluate a nanostructured lipid system (NLS) composed of 10% phase oil (cholesterol), 10% surfactant (soy phosphatidylcholine, sodium oleate), and Eumulgin^® HRE 40 ([castor oil polyoxyl-40-hydrogenated] in a proportion of 3:6:8), and an 80% aqueous phase (phosphate buffer pH = 7.4) as a tactic to enhance the in vitro anti-Mtb activity of the copper(II) complexes [CuCl₂(INH)₂]·H₂O (1), [Cu(NCS)₂(INH)₂]·5H₂O (2) and [Cu(NCO)₂(INH)₂]·4H₂O (3). The Cu(II) complex-loaded NLS displayed sizes ranging from 169.5 ± 0.7095 to 211.1 ± 0.8963 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) varying from 0.135 ± 0.0130 to 0.236 ± 0.00100, and zeta potential ranging from −0.00690 ± 0.0896 to −8.43 ± 1.63 mV. Rheological analysis showed that the formulations behave as non-Newtonian fluids of the pseudoplastic and viscoelastic type. Antimycobacterial activities of the free complexes and NLS-loaded complexes against Mtb H₃₇Rv ATCC 27294 were evaluated by the REMA methodology, and the selectivity index (SI) was calculated using the cytotoxicity index (IC₅₀) against Vero (ATCC^® CCL-81), J774A.1 (ATCC^® TIB-67), and MRC-5 (ATCC^® CCL-171) cell lines. The data suggest that the incorporation of the complexes into NLS improved the inhibitory action against Mtb by 52-, 27-, and 4.7-fold and the SI values by 173-, 43-, and 7-fold for the compounds 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The incorporation of the complexes 1, 2 and 3 into the NLS also resulted in a significant decrease of toxicity towards an alternative model (Artemia salina L.). These findings suggest that the NLS may be considered as a platform for incorporation of metallic complexes aimed at the treatment of TB.     

Structural Influence on the Thermal Conversion of Self‐Catalyzed HfB2/ZrB2 Sol–Gel Precursors by Rapid Ultrasonication of Oxychloride Hydrates

Sol–gel precursors to HfB₂ and ZrB₂ are processed by high‐energy ultrasonication of Hf,Zr oxychloride hydrates, triethyl borate, and phenolic resin to form precipitate‐free sols that turn into stable gels with no catalyst addition. Both precursor concentration and structure (a sol or a gel) are found to influence the synthesis of the diboride phase at high temperature. Decreasing sol concentration increases powder surface area from 3.6 to 6.8 m²/g, whereas heat‐treating a gel leads to residual oxides and carbides. Particles are either fine spherical particles, unique elongated rods, and/or platelets, indicating particle growth with directional coarsening. Investigation of the conversion process to ZrB₂ indicates that a multistep reaction is likely taking place with: (1) ZrC formation, (2) ZrC reacts with B₂O₃ or ZrC reacts with B₂O₃ and C to form ZrB₂. At low temperatures, ZrC formation is limiting, while at higher temperatures the reaction of ZrC to ZrB₂ becomes rate limiting. ZrC is found to be a direct reducing agent for B₂O₃ at low temperature (~1200°C) to form ZrB₂ and ZrO₂, whereas at high temperatures (~1500°C) it reacts with B₂O₃ and C to form pure ZrB₂.     

Using non-food information to identify food-choice segment membership

Food companies, governments, and societal organizations use an increasing number of food-choice motives to persuade consumers to buy food products, and the question which combinations of motives matter for which type of consumer has become of central relevance. In this study, we use a concomitant mixture-modeling approach to uncover consumer segments in terms of food-choice motives, using a nationwide sample in the Netherlands. The results reveal seven segments with distinct profiles and demonstrate that age and membership of environmental organizations play an essential role in segment membership probabilities. Our findings support the idea that information about non-food-related consumer behavior improves the identification of segments. In an additional analysis, we demonstrate how organizational membership also provides an effective way to access consumer segments as compared to diverse media outlets. We discuss the implications of our findings for segmentation practice.