25 research outputs found
Advances in Distinguishing Groundwater Influenced by Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) from Natural Bitumen-Influenced Groundwater
The objective of this study was to advance analytical methods for detecting oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) seepage from mining containments and discriminating any such seepage from the natural bitumen background in groundwaters influenced by the Alberta McMurray formation. Improved sampling methods and quantitative analyses of two groups of monoaromatic acids were employed to analyze OSPW and bitumen-affected natural background groundwaters for source discrimination. Both groups of monoaromatic acids showed significant enrichment in OSPW, while ratios of O /O containing heteroatomic ion classes of acid extractable organics (AEOs) did not exhibit diagnostic differences. Evaluating the monoaromatic acids to track a known plume of OSPW-affected groundwater confirmed their diagnostic abilities. A secondary objective was to assess anthropogenically derived artificial sweeteners and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as potential tracers for OSPW. Despite the discovery of acesulfame and PFAS in most OSPW samples, trace levels in groundwaters influenced by general anthropogenic activities preclude them as individual robust tracers. However, their inclusion with the other metrics employed in this study served to augment the tiered, weight of evidence methodology developed. This methodology was then used to confirm earlier findings of OSPW migrations into groundwater reaching the Athabasca River system adjacent to the reclaimed pond at Tar Island Dyke
Designing for emergence and innovation: Redesigning design
We reveal the surprising and counterintuitive truth that the design process, in and
of itself, is not always on the forefront of innovation. Design is a necessary but
not a sufficient condition for the success of new products and services. We
intuitively sense a connection between innovative design and emergence. The
nature of design, emergence and innovation to understand their interrelationships
and interdependencies is examined. We propose that design must harness the
process of emergence; for it is only through the bottom-up and massively
iterative unfolding of emergence that new and improved products and services
are successfully refined, introduced and diffused into the marketplace.
The relationships among design, emergence and innovation are developed.
What designers can learn from nature about emergence and evolution that will
impact the design process is explored. We examine the roles that design and
emergence play in innovation. How innovative organizations can incorporate
emergence into their design process is explored.
We demarcate the boundary between invention and innovation. We also
articulate the similarities and differences of design and emergence. We then
develop the following three hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: “An innovative design is an emergent design.”
Hypothesis 2: “A homeostatic relationship between design and emergence is a
required condition for innovation.”Hypothesis 3: “Since design is a cultural activity and culture is an emergent
phenomenon, it follows that design leading to innovation is also an emergent
phenomenon”
We provide a number of examples of how design and emergence have worked
together and led to innovation. Examples include the tool making of early man;
the evolutionary chain of the six languages speech, writing, math, science,
computing and the Internet; the Gutenberg printing press and techniques of
collaborative filtering associated with the Internet.
We close by describing the relationship between human and naturally “designed”
systems and the notion a key element of a design is its purpose as is the case
with a living organism
Preparative isolation, fractionation and chemical characterization of dissolved organics from natural and industrially derived bitumen-influenced groundwaters from the Athabasca River watershed
Recent analytical advances have provided evidence that groundwater affected by oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is reaching the Athabasca River at one location. To understand and discriminate the toxicological risks posed by OSPW-influenced groundwater relative to groundwaters associated with natural oil sands deposits, these highly complex mixtures of soluble organics were subjected to toxicological characterization through effects directed analysis. A recently-developed preparative fractionation methodology was applied to bitumen-influenced groundwaters and successfully isolated dissolved organics from both industrial and natural sources into three chemically distinct fractions (F1, F2, F3), enabling multiple toxicological assessments. Analytical techniques included electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS), liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QToF/MS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) methods, which did not reveal obvious differences between sources. Comparisons between fractions within each source consistently demonstrated that F3 contained compounds with greater polarity than F2, which in turn was more polar than F1. The abundance of O2 species was confined to F1, including naphthenic acids often cited for being the primary toxicants within bitumen-influenced waters. This result is consistent with earlier work on aged OSPW, as well as with other extraction methods, suggesting that additional factors other than molecular weight and the presence of acid functionalities play a prominent role in defining compound polarities and toxicities within complex bitumen-derived organic mixtures. The similarities in organic abundances, chemical speciation, aromaticity, and double bond equivalents, concomitant with inorganic mixture similarities, demonstrate the resemblances of bitumen-influenced groundwaters regardless of the source, and reinforce the need for more advanced targeted analyses for source differentiation.This work was funded under the Oil Sands Monitoring Program, and is a contribution to the Program, but does not necessarily reflect the position of the Program. Internal resources from Environment and Climate Change Canada were also used to fund this research
Significant benefits of AIP testing and clinical screening in familial isolated and young-onset pituitary tumors
Context
Germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) gene are responsible for a subset of familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) cases and sporadic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs).
Objective
To compare prospectively diagnosed AIP mutation-positive (AIPmut) PitNET patients with clinically presenting patients and to compare the clinical characteristics of AIPmut and AIPneg PitNET patients.
Design
12-year prospective, observational study.
Participants & Setting
We studied probands and family members of FIPA kindreds and sporadic patients with disease onset ≤18 years or macroadenomas with onset ≤30 years (n = 1477). This was a collaborative study conducted at referral centers for pituitary diseases.
Interventions & Outcome
AIP testing and clinical screening for pituitary disease. Comparison of characteristics of prospectively diagnosed (n = 22) vs clinically presenting AIPmut PitNET patients (n = 145), and AIPmut (n = 167) vs AIPneg PitNET patients (n = 1310).
Results
Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut PitNET patients had smaller lesions with less suprasellar extension or cavernous sinus invasion and required fewer treatments with fewer operations and no radiotherapy compared with clinically presenting cases; there were fewer cases with active disease and hypopituitarism at last follow-up. When comparing AIPmut and AIPneg cases, AIPmut patients were more often males, younger, more often had GH excess, pituitary apoplexy, suprasellar extension, and more patients required multimodal therapy, including radiotherapy. AIPmut patients (n = 136) with GH excess were taller than AIPneg counterparts (n = 650).
Conclusions
Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut patients show better outcomes than clinically presenting cases, demonstrating the benefits of genetic and clinical screening. AIP-related pituitary disease has a wide spectrum ranging from aggressively growing lesions to stable or indolent disease course
SDSS-III: Massive Spectroscopic Surveys of the Distant Universe, the Milky Way Galaxy, and Extra-Solar Planetary Systems
Building on the legacy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I and II),
SDSS-III is a program of four spectroscopic surveys on three scientific themes:
dark energy and cosmological parameters, the history and structure of the Milky
Way, and the population of giant planets around other stars. In keeping with
SDSS tradition, SDSS-III will provide regular public releases of all its data,
beginning with SDSS DR8 (which occurred in Jan 2011). This paper presents an
overview of the four SDSS-III surveys. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.5
million massive galaxies and Lya forest spectra of 150,000 quasars, using the
BAO feature of large scale structure to obtain percent-level determinations of
the distance scale and Hubble expansion rate at z<0.7 and at z~2.5. SEGUE-2,
which is now completed, measured medium-resolution (R=1800) optical spectra of
118,000 stars in a variety of target categories, probing chemical evolution,
stellar kinematics and substructure, and the mass profile of the dark matter
halo from the solar neighborhood to distances of 100 kpc. APOGEE will obtain
high-resolution (R~30,000), high signal-to-noise (S/N>100 per resolution
element), H-band (1.51-1.70 micron) spectra of 10^5 evolved, late-type stars,
measuring separate abundances for ~15 elements per star and creating the first
high-precision spectroscopic survey of all Galactic stellar populations (bulge,
bar, disks, halo) with a uniform set of stellar tracers and spectral
diagnostics. MARVELS will monitor radial velocities of more than 8000 FGK stars
with the sensitivity and cadence (10-40 m/s, ~24 visits per star) needed to
detect giant planets with periods up to two years, providing an unprecedented
data set for understanding the formation and dynamical evolution of giant
planet systems. (Abridged)Comment: Revised to version published in The Astronomical Journa
Toxic Groundwater Contaminants: An Overlooked Contributor to Urban Stream Syndrome?
Screening for common groundwater contaminants was performed
along
eight urban stream reaches (100s–1000s of m) at approximately
25–75 cm below the streambeds. Four sites had known or suspected
chlorinated-solvent plumes; otherwise no groundwater contamination
was known previously. At each site, between 5 and 22 contaminants
were detected at levels above guideline concentrations for the preservation
of aquatic life, while several others were detected at lower levels,
but which may still indicate some risk. Contaminants of greatest concern
include numerous metals (Cd, Zn, Al, Cu, Cr, U), arsenic, various
organics (chlorinated and petroleum), nitrate and ammonium, and chloride
(road salt likely), with multiple types occurring at each site and
often at the same sampling location. Substantial portions of the stream
reaches (from 40 to 88% of locations sampled) possessed one or more
contaminants above guidelines. These findings suggest that this diffuse
and variable-composition urban groundwater contamination is a toxicity
concern for all sites and over a large portion of each study reach.
Synergistic toxicity, both for similar and disparate compounds, may
also be important. We conclude that groundwater contaminants should
be considered a genuine risk to urban stream aquatic ecosystems, specifically
benthic organisms, and may contribute to urban stream syndrome
Elevated Dissolved Phosphorus in Riparian Groundwater along Gaining Urban Streams
Findings
of low concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in groundwater
in large surveys [e.g., United States Geological Survey’s National
Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program (Dubrovsky, N. M.; et al. The Quality of Our Nation’s
Water: Nutrients in the Nation’s Streams and Groundwater, 1992–2004. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1350; USGS: Reston, VA, 2010.); >5000 wells] support the common perception that groundwater
is generally of little
importance for transporting phosphorus. Here, we address whether this
applies to urban riparian settings, where discharging groundwater
may potentially contribute to urban stream syndrome and downstream
eutrophication problems. This survey study includes 665 samples of
groundwater collected along gaining stream reaches at six urban sites.
Considering the combined sample set, 27% had soluble reactive phosphorus
(SRP) concentrations >0.1 mg L<sup>–1</sup>, which is more
than double that determined in the NAWQA Program (12%), while for
individual sites the range was 12–52%, excluding one site with
consistently low SRP (0%). None of the sites showed significant correlation
between SRP and the artificial sweetener acesulfame, a promising wastewater
indicator, including two with known wastewater contamination (but
the lowest SRP). Rather, high SRP concentrations were associated with
geochemically reducing conditions. This could mean that natural aquifer
or stream sediment materials were a primary contributor of the elevated
SRP observed in this study
Bacterial community evidence for anaerobic degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in cold climate groundwater
There is currently limited scientific data to assess whether groundwater bacterial communities in fractured rock environments can degrade petroleum hydrocarbon plumes in cold regions. The former Colomac Mine is located in the Canadian Shield in the Northwest Territories (mean annual air temperature of -. 5\ub0C) and is currently listed on the Federal Contaminated Sites inventory. Groundwater in fractured rock beneath the former fuel tank-farm at the mine site is contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons. The objectives of this study were to investigate the bacterial community structure in the groundwater associated with hydrocarbon contamination, and to probe for potential anaerobic microbial processes involved in intrinsic bioremediation. Groundwater monitoring wells previously installed at the site were used to collect samples for chemical, isotopic and microbial analyses. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis identified a relatively high bacterial diversity in the least contaminated locations, but as the hydrocarbon contamination increased, bacterial diversity decreased. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene demonstrated that the bacteria belonged to a wide range of genera, such as Pseudomonas, Thiobacillus, and Geobacter, all of which have been associated with the anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons. Two putative nitrate-reducing genes were detected in samples with high nitrate reducing activity. Both chemical and microbiological results indicated the presence of microbial anaerobic processes by using nitrate, manganese(IV), ferric iron and sulfate as electron acceptors and suggest that these anaerobic processes play an important role in the biodegradation of dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons in the groundwater at the Colomac site. Our results also revealed that more than one biogeochemical process linked to hydrocarbon degradation could be present in a single borehole and these processes could vary spatially at this site.Erratum published in volume 89, page 48, May 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2013.01.007Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye