Major challenges in platform design for the Russian continental shelf

There are fascinating economical and technical challenges facing field developers in the Russian continental shelf. As far as production platforms and offshore terminal structures are concerned one has to find out how to build them so that attractive investment economics can be achieved. Controlling project risks and reducing key uncertainties are found to have significance in this respect. Different ice resistant offshore structures and their construction methods are illustrated in this paper. The cost structure and technical features of the production platform types are also discussed with special attention given to the Russian construction facilities and equipment. Extreme ice loads and ice induced vibrations still remain areas of some uncertainty in offshore platforms. An approach to solve complicated interaction cases involving extreme first year ridges and hummock fields is outlined. Means to control ice loads and vibrations are discussed.     

Steady-state vibrations of offshore structures

Offshore structures subjected to the action of drifting ice floes may experience several kinds of interactions with the ice feature. This paper addresses the structural response to forces that arise when the ice floe fractures against a vertical structure. Special attention is paid to the steady-state vibrations which may arise at medium ice velocities. The paper describes a straightforward design procedure for the dynamic response of narrow structures. The applicability of simple design concepts is discussed in connection with the design problems of wide offshore structures. Reference is made to recent experimental findings to show that numerical models of dynamic ice-structure interaction provide a promising design tool for both quasi-static and dynamic response of wide offshore structures.Published in Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo, No. 8, pp. 24–27, August, 1994.     

Identification of 4-Anilinoquin(az)oline as a Cell-Active Protein Kinase Novel 3 (PKN3) Inhibitor Chemotype**

Deep annotation of a library of 4-anilinoquin(az)olines led to the identification of 7-iodo-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)quinolin-4-amine 16 as a potent inhibitor (IC₅₀=14 nM) of Protein Kinase Novel 3 (PKN3) with micromolar activity in cells. Compound 16 is a potential tool compound to study the cell biology of PKN3 and its role in pancreatic and prostate cancer and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These 4-anilinoquin(az)olines may also be useful tools to uncover the therapeutic potential of PKN3 inhibition in a broad range of diseases.     

Effect of Camelina sativa expeller cake on performance and meat quality of broilers

The experiment was conducted to measure the effects of Camelina sativa expeller on the performance of broiler chickens and on the sensory quality and fatty acid composition of broiler meat. One‐day‐old broiler chickens were randomly allocated to the three dietary treatments which lasted 37 days. Experimental diets contained 0, 5 or 10% C. sativa expeller. Feed and water were offered ad libitum. The birds were weighed at the beginning, at 14 days and at the end of the trial at 37 days. Feed intake was recorded between weighings. C. sativa expeller reduced the growth of the birds linearly (P < 0.001). It also depressed their feed intake and feed conversion ratio during the starter phase (1–14 days). C. sativa did not cause any significant enlargement of the thyroid gland, nor were any liver lesions observed. Feeding of C. sativa significantly (P < 0.001) increased the omega‐3 fatty acid level in broiler meat. This was mainly due to an increase in α‐linolenic acid (18:3, n‐3). Feeding did not seem to have any adverse effect on the sensory quality of broiler meat. Meat from female broilers produced by feeding 5% C. sativa in the diet was significantly (P = 0.02) more tender than meat produced by feeding 10% C. sativa. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modeling the effects and uncertainties of contaminated sediment remediation scenarios in a Norwegian fjord by Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation

Multimedia environmental fate models are useful tools to investigate the long-term impacts of remediation measures designed to alleviate potential ecological and human health concerns in contaminated areas. Estimating and communicating the uncertainties associated with the model simulations is a critical task for demonstrating the transparency and reliability of the results. The Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test(Extended FAST) method for sensitivity analysis and Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method for uncertainty analysis and model calibration have several advantages over methods typically applied for multimedia environmental fate models. Most importantly, the simulation results and their uncertainties can be anchored to the available observations and their uncertainties. We apply these techniques for simulating the historical fate of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the Grenland fjords, Norway, and for predicting the effects of different contaminated sediment remediation (capping) scenarios on the future levels of PCDD/Fs in cod and crab therein. The remediation scenario simulations show that a significant remediation effect can first be seen when significant portions of the contaminated sediment areas are cleaned up, and that increase in capping area leads to both earlier achievement of good fjord status and narrower uncertainty in the predicted timing for this.     

Insertion/deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene associated with macroangiopathy and blood pressure in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

In the search for new risk factors for diabetic macroangiopathy the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene was studied in 237 consecutive patients (125 men and 112 women) with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The female population showed an excess of ischemic electrocardiographic changes or definite myocardial infarctions in the patients homozygous for the deletion [D/D; odds ratio (OR) 2.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-5.3] and in the insertion/deletion heterozygotes (I/D; OR 1.8; CI 1.1-3.1) compared with the patients homozygous for the insertion (I/I). In the total series coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and claudication were more often observed in the patients with I/D (OR 1.5; CI 1.0-2.2) or the D/D genotype patients (OR 1.7; CI 1.1-2.6) than in those with the genotype I/I. The systolic blood pressure was lower in patients with genotype I/I (138 +/- 19 mmHg) than in those with the genotype I/D (149 +/- 22 mmHg) or D/D (150 +/- 21 mmHg; P < 0.02). The prevalence of hypertension and the median urinary albumin excretion rate also tended to be lowest in the I/I genotype patients. Multiple logistic analysis revealed that in women the angiotensin-converting enzyme D/D genotype is independently associated with coronary heart disease. Our findings suggest that variation at the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene locus is one of the factors involved in the predisposition of diabetic patients to the development of arterial disease and hypertension.     

IgE, IgA, and IgG responses to common yeasts in atopic patients

To assess the incidence of HIV infection and risk factors associated with HIV seroconversion among patients attending clinics for sexually transmitted diseases (STD), medical record reviews were conducted in 12 clinics in 7 U.S. cities. The records of all patients who initially tested negative for HIV from 1991 through 1996 and who received at least one additional HIV test during the study period were reviewed. In each of 7 cities, 5 to 112 patients seroconverted. Of the 286 seroconverters identified in total, 53% (152 of 286) were heterosexual men and 28% (81 of 286) were women. HIV incidence rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) ranged by city from 0.81 to 7.0 new infections/100 person-years. Rates among heterosexual men and women ranged from 0.018 to 1.2 infections/100 person-years. Multivariate analyses showed that drug use was associated with HIV seroconversion only among heterosexuals. Most new HIV infections in these clinics are being transmitted heterosexually and are associated with drug use. Nevertheless, MSM, particularly young MSM, are at greatest risk for HIV in this population: 1 of 47 seroconvert/year. The effective use of targeted prevention efforts depends upon the continued ability to monitor the incidence of HIV infection.     

The effect of dietary forage to concentrate ratio and forage type on milk fatty acid composition and milk fat globule size of lactating cows

We examined the effects of 2 grass silage-based diets differing in forage:concentrate (FC) ratio and those of a red clover silage-based diet on intake, milk production, ruminal fatty acid (FA) biohydrogenation, milk FA composition, and milk fat globule (MFG) size distribution. Ten multiparous Nordic Red cows received the following treatments: grass silage-based diets containing high (70:30, HG) or low (30:70, LG) FC ratio or a red clover silage-based diet with an FC ratio of 50:50 (RC) on a dry matter basis. Determinations of MFG were performed from fresh milk samples without addition of EDTA so the results of fat globules >1 µm in diameter are emphasized instead of the entire globule population. Lower FC ratio in grass silage-based diets increased milk production with no effect on daily fat yield, leading to 13% lower milk fat concentration. The effect of FC ratio on MFG size was moderate. It did not affect the volume-weighted diameter in grass silage-based diets, although LG lowered the volume-surface diameter of MFG in the size class >1 µm compared with HG. Compared with HG, feeding LG moderately decreased the biohydrogenation of 18:2n-6, leading to a higher level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk fat. Feeding RC lowered milk fat concentration and daily milk fat yield compared with grass silage-based diets. The volume-weighted diameter of MFG in the size class >1 µm was smaller in RC milk compared with grass silage-based diets. Feeding RC increased the flow of 18:3n-3 at the omasum by 2.4-fold and decreased the apparent ruminal 18:3n-3 biohydrogenation compared with grass silage-based diets despite similar intake of 18:3n-3. It also resulted in the lowest amount of saturated FA and the highest amounts of cis-9 18:1, 18:3n-3, and polyunsaturated FA in milk. In conclusion, LG decreased milk fat content and induced minor changes in MFG size distribution compared with HG, whereas RC lowered milk fat production, altered milk FA composition to nutritionally more beneficial direction, and led to smaller MFG compared with grass silage-based diets.