A REASSESSMENT OF THE RANGE OF KEROGEN MATURITIES IN WHICH HYDROCARBONS ARE GENERATED

The ranges of vitrinite reflectance values, defining zones in which oil and gas generation occur, are examined from several points of view. Geochemical consideration of coalification reactions, kerogen compositions, iso-reflectance lines, spore colour and fluorescence, electron-spin resonance, extract data and reservoir temperatures point to the following approximate ranges: oil generation 1.0–2.0% R_o, wet gas and condensate 1.5-3.0% R_o, methane 2.0–5.0 % R_o. Biogenic methane can be formed at < 0.6% R_o. and hydrogen generation from kerogen appears to be possible above 5.0% R_o. These results point to hydrocarbon generation under hotter, deeper conditions than those proposed in most previous schemes. As a consequence, reflectance ranges are broadened for traces of vitrinite in possible reservoirs: oil < 0.4-1.3% R_o, methane < 0.4-3.0% R_o     

Policies for cyberspace — Illegal content on the Internet

Current estimates suggest that by the year 2000 some 200 million users will be logged on to the Internet worldwide. But this is not a passive medium for the user simply to observe. Each individual has the opportunity to establish their own presence on the Net. Unless prevented from doing so, either by technological control or regulation, the individual is free to access and publish what they like.     

Left-ear superiority in children for processing auditory emotional material.

Investigated hemispheric asymmetries in children for processing auditory material varying in emotional intonation or verbal content. 31 kindergartners, 32 4th graders, and 32 8th graders reported on the emotional content and on the verbal content of dichotically presented sentences. Ss listened to tapes of 4 phrases spoken in tones that were happy, sad, angry, or neutral and to sentences that varied in verbal content only. Ss also completed a handedness questionnaire and a hearing test. All age groups showed a left-ear advantage for reporting on the emotional material and a right-ear advantage for reporting on the verbal material. For the emotional task, the degree of ear asymmetry did not vary significantly as a function of emotional category. Findings indicate the the right hemisphere is specialized for mediating auditory emotional stimuli as early as 5 yrs of age. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The degradation of folic acid in a model food system and in beer

The rate of degradation of folic acid in the light and in the dark is investigated in a model buffer solution and in beer, with and without the addition of sulphur dioxide.In the model solution, held in the light, sulphur dioxide markedly accelerates the rate of degradation of folic acid whereas, in the dark, it exhibits a protective effect. In beer, the presence of sulphur dioxide has no effect on the degradation of folic acid, whether in the light or the dark. In the model solution, in the presence of sulphur dioxide, only the degradation product p-aminobenzoyl glutamic acid was identified. In the absence of sulphur dioxide and in the beer samples, pterin-6-carboxylic acid was additionally identified as a degradation product.     

Changes in the levels of 2-phenylethylamine in cheese and chocolate during processing and storage

Amines from cheese and chocolate were extracted with solvent and separated from non-basic material on an ion-exchange column. The amines were reacted with trifluoroacetic anhydride after the addition of aminotetrahydronaphthalene as an internal standard. The derivatives were analysed on a SCOT column by gas chromatography. The levels of phenylethylamine increased in cocoa beans during fermentation and roasting. Some samples of cheese contained phenylethylamine. whereas others prepared aseptically did not.     

Improving the modified XFEM for optimal high-order approximation

This paper investigates the accuracy of high-order extended finite element methods (XFEMs) for the solution of discontinuous problems with both straight and curved weak discontinuities in two dimensions. The modified XFEM, a specific form of the stable generalised finite element method, is found to offer advantages in cost and complexity over other approaches, but suffers from suboptimal rates of convergence due to spurious higher-order contributions to the approximation space. An improved modified XFEM is presented, with basis functions “corrected” by projecting out higher-order contributions that cannot be represented by the standard finite element basis. The resulting corrections are independent of the equations being solved and need be pre-computed only once for geometric elements of a given order. An accurate numerical integration scheme that correctly integrates functions with curved discontinuities is also presented. Optimal rates of convergence are then recovered for Poisson problems with both straight and quadratically curved discontinuities for approximations up to order p ≤ 4. These are the first truly optimal convergence results achieved using the XFEM for a curved weak discontinuity and are also the first optimally convergent results achieved using the modified XFEM for any problem with approximations of order p>1. Almost optimal rates of convergence are recovered for an elastic problem with a circular weak discontinuity for approximations up to order p ≤ 4.     

Androgen Receptor Gene Pathway Upregulation and Radiation Resistance in Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer

Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) is currently used as a salvage intervention for men with oligometastatic prostate cancer (PC), and increasingly so since the results of the Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy for the Comprehensive Treatment of Oligometastatic Cancers (SABR-COMET) trial reported a significant improvement in overall survival with SABR. The addition of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to localised prostate radiotherapy improves survival as it sensitises PC to radiotherapy-induced cell death. The importance of the androgen receptor (AR) gene pathway in the development of resistance to radiotherapy is well established. In this review paper, we will examine the data to determine how we can overcome the upregulation of the AR pathway and suggest a strategy for improving outcomes in men with oligometastatic hormone-sensitive PC.     

Left visual-field advantage in children for processing visual emotional stimuli.

Investigated cerebral asymmetries in children for perception of visually presented emotional and verbal material. 91 children in Grades 1–2, 4–5, and 8 reported on emotional facial expressions and in letters shown laterally and tachistoscopically. A left visual-field superiority for reporting on the facial expressions, and a right visual-field advantage for reporting on the letters were found, with the latter effect being stronger than the former. For both the emotional and verbal tasks, the degree of asymmetry was not significantly different across age groups. Findings show the right hemisphere is dominant for mediating visual emotional information from as early as 6 yrs of age, and data replicate the right hemispheric effect found for emotional intonation in speech. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)