10 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
Prime Focus Spectrograph - Subaru's future -
The Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) of the Subaru Measurement of Images and
Redshifts (SuMIRe) project has been endorsed by Japanese community as one of
the main future instruments of the Subaru 8.2-meter telescope at Mauna Kea,
Hawaii. This optical/near-infrared multi-fiber spectrograph targets cosmology
with galaxy surveys, Galactic archaeology, and studies of galaxy/AGN evolution.
Taking advantage of Subaru's wide field of view, which is further extended with
the recently completed Wide Field Corrector, PFS will enable us to carry out
multi-fiber spectroscopy of 2400 targets within 1.3 degree diameter. A
microlens is attached at each fiber entrance for F-ratio transformation into a
larger one so that difficulties of spectrograph design are eased. Fibers are
accurately placed onto target positions by positioners, each of which consists
of two stages of piezo-electric rotary motors, through iterations by using
back-illuminated fiber position measurements with a wide-field metrology
camera. Fibers then carry light to a set of four identical fast-Schmidt
spectrographs with three color arms each: the wavelength ranges from 0.38
{\mu}m to 1.3 {\mu}m will be simultaneously observed with an average resolving
power of 3000. Before and during the era of extremely large telescopes, PFS
will provide the unique capability of obtaining spectra of 2400
cosmological/astrophysical targets simultaneously with an 8-10 meter class
telescope. The PFS collaboration, led by IPMU, consists of USP/LNA in Brazil,
Caltech/JPL, Princeton, & JHU in USA, LAM in France, ASIAA in Taiwan, and
NAOJ/Subaru.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, submitted to "Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy IV, Ian S. McLean, Suzanne K. Ramsay, Hideki
Takami, Editors, Proc. SPIE 8446 (2012)
Progress with the Prime Focus Spectrograph for the Subaru Telescope: a massively multiplexed optical and near-infrared fiber spectrograph
The Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) is an optical/near-infrared multi-fiber
spectrograph with 2394 science fibers, which are distributed in 1.3 degree
diameter field of view at Subaru 8.2-meter telescope. The simultaneous wide
wavelength coverage from 0.38 um to 1.26 um, with the resolving power of 3000,
strengthens its ability to target three main survey programs: cosmology,
Galactic archaeology, and galaxy/AGN evolution. A medium resolution mode with
resolving power of 5000 for 0.71 um to 0.89 um also will be available by simply
exchanging dispersers. PFS takes the role for the spectroscopic part of the
Subaru Measurement of Images and Redshifts project, while Hyper Suprime-Cam
works on the imaging part. To transform the telescope plus WFC focal ratio, a
3-mm thick broad-band coated glass-molded microlens is glued to each fiber tip.
A higher transmission fiber is selected for the longest part of cable system,
while one with a better FRD performance is selected for the fiber-positioner
and fiber-slit components, given the more frequent fiber movements and tightly
curved structure. Each Fiber positioner consists of two stages of
piezo-electric rotary motors. Its engineering model has been produced and
tested. Fiber positioning will be performed iteratively by taking an image of
artificially back-illuminated fibers with the Metrology camera located in the
Cassegrain container. The camera is carefully designed so that fiber position
measurements are unaffected by small amounts of high special-frequency
inaccuracies in WFC lens surface shapes. Target light carried through the fiber
system reaches one of four identical fast-Schmidt spectrograph modules, each
with three arms. Prototype VPH gratings have been optically tested. CCD
production is complete, with standard fully-depleted CCDs for red arms and
more-challenging thinner fully-depleted CCDs with blue-optimized coating for
blue arms.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, submitted to "Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy V, Suzanne K. Ramsay, Ian S. McLean, Hideki
Takami, Editors, Proc. SPIE 9147 (2014)
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
Profiling Oil Sands Mixtures from Industrial Developments and Natural Groundwaters for Source Identification
The
objective of this study was to identify chemical components
that could distinguish chemical mixtures in oil sands process-affected
water (OSPW) that had potentially migrated to groundwater in the oil
sands development area of northern Alberta, Canada. In the first part
of the study, OSPW samples from two different tailings ponds and a
broad range of natural groundwater samples were assessed with historically
employed techniques as Level-1 analyses, including geochemistry, total
concentrations of naphthenic acids (NAs) and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS).
While these analyses did not allow for reliable source differentiation,
they did identify samples containing significant concentrations of
oil sands acid-extractable organics (AEOs). In applying Level-2 profiling
analyses using electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS)
and comprehensive multidimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight
mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF/MS) to samples containing appreciable
AEO concentrations, differentiation of natural from OSPW sources was
apparent through measurements of O<sub>2</sub>:O<sub>4</sub> ion class
ratios (ESI-HRMS) and diagnostic ions for two families of suspected monoaromatic
acids (GC × GC-TOF/MS). The resemblance between the AEO profiles from OSPW and from 6 groundwater samples adjacent to two tailings ponds implies a common source, supporting the use of these complimentary analyses for source identification. These samples included two of upward flowing groundwater collected <1 m beneath the Athabasca River, suggesting OSPW-affected groundwater is reaching the river system
Profiling oil sands mixtures from industrial developments and natural groundwaters for source identification
The objective of this study was to identify chemical components that could distinguish chemical mixtures in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) that had potentially migrated to groundwater in the oil sands development area of northern Alberta, Canada. In the first part of the study, OSPW samples from two different tailings ponds and a broad range of natural groundwater samples were assessed with historically employed techniques as Level-1 analyses, including geochemistry, total concentrations of naphthenic acids (NAs) and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS). While these analyses did not allow for reliable source differentiation, they did identify samples containing significant concentrations of oil sands acid-extractable organics (AEOs). In applying Level-2 profiling analyses using electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS) and comprehensive multidimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF/MS) to samples containing appreciable AEO concentrations, differentiation of natural from OSPW sources was apparent through measurements of O2:O4 ion class ratios (ESI-HRMS) and diagnostic ions for two families of suspected monoaromatic acids (GC × GC-TOF/MS). The resemblance between the AEO profiles from OSPW and from 6 groundwater samples adjacent to two tailings ponds implies a common source, supporting the use of these complimentary analyses for source identification. These samples included two of upward flowing groundwater collected <1 m beneath the Athabasca River, suggesting OSPW-affected groundwater is reaching the river system. © 2014 American Chemical Society