Key aspects in the strategic development of synthetic natural gas (BioSNG) supply chains

This work investigates the impact of pretreatment technologies in the design of BioSNG supply chains at a regional and national scale. For this purpose, an optimisation-based framework is proposed to account for two possible routes for BioSNG production. The first route considers processing of raw biomass and production of BioSNG in integrated facilities. The second route consists of pretreatment technologies, transportation of intermediate products, and upgrading facilities. The main objective is to investigate the trade-off between capital investment and reduction of transportation costs, and their impact on the economic performance of a BioSNG supply chain. Moreover, the impact of government subsidisation is further investigated through a parametric analysis in which the tariff is varied from £0/MWh up to £100/MWh. Finally, the major contributing factors in the design of BioSNG supply chains are identified through the implementation of a rigorous global sensitivity analysis (GSA). The results suggest that inclusion of pretreatment technologies improve considerably the economic performance, however, their impact is not enough to detach the development from government subsidisation which influences tremendously the possibility of a large-scale deployment

An optimisation framework for the strategic design of synthetic natural gas (BioSNG) supply chains

A general optimisation framework based on a spatially-explicit multiperiod mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed to address the strategic design of BioSNG supply chains. The framework considers procurement of feedstocks, plantation of energy crops, and different modes for transportation of feedstocks and final products. The mathematical framework allows researches and policy makers to investigate scenarios that promote the development of BioSNG supply chains in a regional and/or national context. The capabilities of the proposed model are illustrated through the implementation of a set of case studies based on the UK. The results revealed that domestic resources in the UK can supply up to 21.4% of the total gas demand projected by the UK National Grid in the scenario “Slow progression” for a planning horizon of 20 years. However, despite the considerable potential for production of BioSNG, the role of the government through subsidisation schemes such as feed-in tariff and Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) is crucial in order to make the development of these resources economically attractive for private sectors

Disclosing water-energy-economics nexus in shale gas development

Shale gas has gained importance in the energy landscape in recent decades. However, its development has raised environmental concerns, especially, those associated with water management. Thus, the assessment of water management aspects, which inevitably impact the economic aspects, is crucial in evaluating the merits of any project exploiting this energy source. This paper provides a review of the economic and environmental implications of shale gas development around the world. Furthermore, to demonstrate the interplay between the various technical, environmental and economic factors in concrete terms, we report on a specific set of case studies conducted using an integrated decision-support tool that has been implemented to model and optimize shale gas development projects. The case study results confirm that the gas breakeven price decreases with expansion in scale of the shale gas development, i.e. increasing the number of well-pads in the system. However, scale also increases the options for water re-use and recycle in drilling and fracturing operations, which can result in lower freshwater withdrawal intensity. Moreover, under water scarcity scenarios, the choice of well-pad designs that are inherently less water intensive was found to be more cost-effective than water re-use or/and recycle strategies at reducing net freshwater demand. Similar trends were observed when the impact of wastewater quality, i.e. total dissolved solids concentration, on the optimal development strategy of shale gas plays was investigated. The results of these case studies reveal that greater efforts are needed at characterizing freshwater availability and wastewater quality for the evaluation of both the economic and environmental aspects of shale gas development

An optimization framework for the integration of water management and shale gas supply chain design

This study presents the mathematical formulation and implementation of a comprehensive optimization framework for the assessment of shale gas resources. The framework simultaneously integrates water management and the design and planning of the shale gas supply chain, from the shale formation to final product demand centers and from fresh water supply for hydraulic fracturing to water injection and/or disposal. The framework also addresses some issues regarding wastewater quality, i.e., total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration, as well as spatial and temporal variations in gas composition, features that typically arise in exploiting shale formations. In addition, the proposed framework also considers the integration of different modeling, simulation and optimization tools that are commonly used in the energy sector to evaluate the technical and economic viability of new energy sources. Finally, the capabilities of the proposed framework are illustrated through two case studies (A and B) involving 5 well-pads operating with constant and variable gas composition, respectively. The effects of the modeling of variable TDS concentration in the produced wastewater is also addressed in case study B

Readability estimates for commonly used health-related quality of life surveys

To estimate readability of seven commonly used health-related quality of life instruments: SF-36, HUI, EQ-5D, QWB-SA, HALex, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), and the NEI-VFQ-25. The Flesch–Kincaid (F–K) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulae were used to estimate readability for every item in each measure. The percentage of items that require more than 5 years of formal schooling according to F–K was 50 for the EQ-5D, 53 for the SF-36, 80 for the VFQ-25, 85 for the QWB-SA, 100 for the HUI, HALex, and the MLHFQ. The percentage of items deemed harder than “easy” according to FRE was 50 for the SF-36, 67 for the EQ-5D, 79 for the QWB-SA, 80 for the VFQ-25, 100 for the HUI, HALex, and the MLHFQ. All seven surveys have a substantial number of items with high readability levels that may not be appropriate for the general population

Preventive drugs in the last year of life of older adults with cancer: Is there room for deprescribing?

BACKGROUND: The continuation of preventive drugs among older patients with advanced cancer has come under scrutiny because these drugs are unlikely to achieve their clinical benefit during the patients' remaining lifespan. METHODS: A nationwide cohort study of older adults (those aged ≥65 years) with solid tumors who died between 2007 and 2013 was performed in Sweden, using routinely collected data with record linkage. The authors calculated the monthly use and cost of preventive drugs throughout the last year before the patients' death. RESULTS: Among 151,201 older persons who died with cancer (mean age, 81.3 years [standard deviation, 8.1 years]), the average number of drugs increased from 6.9 to 10.1 over the course of the last year before death. Preventive drugs frequently were continued until the final month of life, including antihypertensives, platelet aggregation inhibitors, anticoagulants, statins, and oral antidiabetics. Median drug costs amounted to $1482 (interquartile range [IQR],$700-$2896]) per person, including$213 (IQR, $77-$490) for preventive therapies. Compared with older adults who died with lung cancer (median drug cost, $205; IQR,$61-$523), costs for preventive drugs were higher among older adults who died with pancreatic cancer (adjusted median difference,$13; 95% confidence interval, $5-$22) or gynecological cancers (adjusted median difference, $27; 95$18-$36). There was no decrease noted with regard to the cost of preventive drugs throughout the last year of life. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive drugs commonly are prescribed during the last year of life among older adults with cancer, and often are continued until the final weeks before death. Adequate deprescribing strategies are warranted to reduce the burden of drugs with limited clinical benefit near the end of life

A Three-Component Gene Expression System and Its Application for Inducible Flavonoid Overproduction in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Inducible gene expression is a powerful tool to study and engineer genes whose overexpression could be detrimental for the host organisms. However, only limited systems have been adopted in plant biotechnology. We have developed an osmotically inducible system using three components of plant origin, RD29a (Responsive to Dehydration 29A) promoter, CBF3 (C-repeat Binding Factor 3) transcription factor and cpl1-2 (CTD phosphatase-like 1) mutation. The osmotic stress responsible RD29a promoter contains the CBF3 binding sites and thus RD29A-CBF3 feedforward cassette enhances induction of RD29a promoter under stress. The cpl1-2 mutation in a host repressor CPL1 promotes stress responsible RD29a promoter expression. The efficacy of this system was tested using PAP1 (Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1) transgene, a model transcription factor that regulates the anthocyanin pathway in Arabidopsis. While transgenic plants with only one or two of three components did not reproducibly accumulate anthocyanin pigments above the control level, transgenic cpl1 plants containing homozygous RD29a-PAP1 and RD29a-CBF3 transgenes produced 30-fold higher level of total anthocyanins than control plants upon cold treatment. Growth retardation and phytochemical production of transgenic plants were minimum under normal conditions. The flavonoid profile in cold-induced transgenic plants was determined by LC/MS/MS, which resembled that of previously reported pap1-D plants but enriched for kaempferol derivatives. These results establish the functionality of the inducible three-component gene expression system in plant metabolic engineering. Furthermore, we show that PAP1 and environmental signals synergistically regulate the flavonoid pathway to produce a unique flavonoid blend that has not been produced by PAP1 overexpression or cold treatment alone

Adverse Drug Reactions in Children—A Systematic Review

Adverse drug reactions in children are an important public health problem. We have undertaken a systematic review of observational studies in children in three settings: causing admission to hospital, occurring during hospital stay and occurring in the community. We were particularly interested in understanding how ADRs might be better detected, assessed and avoided

Why Pleiotropic Interventions are Needed for Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves a complex pathological cascade thought to be initially triggered by the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide aggregates or aberrant amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing. Much is known of the factors initiating the disease process decades prior to the onset of cognitive deficits, but an unclear understanding of events immediately preceding and precipitating cognitive decline is a major factor limiting the rapid development of adequate prevention and treatment strategies. Multiple pathways are known to contribute to cognitive deficits by disruption of neuronal signal transduction pathways involved in memory. These pathways are altered by aberrant signaling, inflammation, oxidative damage, tau pathology, neuron loss, and synapse loss. We need to develop stage-specific interventions that not only block causal events in pathogenesis (aberrant tau phosphorylation, Aβ production and accumulation, and oxidative damage), but also address damage from these pathways that will not be reversed by targeting prodromal pathways. This approach would not only focus on blocking early events in pathogenesis, but also adequately correct for loss of synapses, substrates for neuroprotective pathways (e.g., docosahexaenoic acid), defects in energy metabolism, and adverse consequences of inappropriate compensatory responses (aberrant sprouting). Monotherapy targeting early single steps in this complicated cascade may explain disappointments in trials with agents inhibiting production, clearance, or aggregation of the initiating Aβ peptide or its aggregates. Both plaque and tangle pathogenesis have already reached AD levels in the more vulnerable brain regions during the “prodromal” period prior to conversion to “mild cognitive impairment (MCI).” Furthermore, many of the pathological events are no longer proceeding in series, but are going on in parallel. By the MCI stage, we stand a greater chance of success by considering pleiotropic drugs or cocktails that can independently limit the parallel steps of the AD cascade at all stages, but that do not completely inhibit the constitutive normal functions of these pathways. Based on this hypothesis, efforts in our laboratories have focused on the pleiotropic activities of omega-3 fatty acids and the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-amyloid activity of curcumin in multiple models that cover many steps of the AD pathogenic cascade (Cole and Frautschy, Alzheimers Dement 2:284–286, 2006)

Differential Cerebral Cortex Transcriptomes of Baboon Neonates Consuming Moderate and High Docosahexaenoic Acid Formulas

BACKGROUND: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) are the major long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) of the central nervous system (CNS). These nutrients are present in most infant formulas at modest levels, intended to support visual and neural development. There are no investigations in primates of the biological consequences of dietary DHA at levels above those present in formulas but within normal breastmilk levels. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Twelve baboons were divided into three formula groups: Control, with no DHA-ARA; “L”, LCPUFA, with 0.33%DHA-0.67%ARA; “L3”, LCPUFA, with 1.00%DHA-0.67%ARA. All the samples are from the precentral gyrus of cerebral cortex brain regions. At 12 weeks of age, changes in gene expression were detected in 1,108 of 54,000 probe sets (2.05%), with most showing <2-fold change. Gene ontology analysis assigns them to diverse biological functions, notably lipid metabolism and transport, G-protein and signal transduction, development, visual perception, cytoskeleton, peptidases, stress response, transcription regulation, and 400 transcripts having no defined function. PLA2G6, a phospholipase recently associated with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy, was downregulated in both LCPUFA groups. ELOVL5, a PUFA elongase, was the only LCPUFA biosynthetic enzyme that was differentially expressed. Mitochondrial fatty acid carrier, CPT2, was among several genes associated with mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation to be downregulated by high DHA, while the mitochondrial proton carrier, UCP2, was upregulated. TIMM8A, also known as deafness/dystonia peptide 1, was among several differentially expressed neural development genes. LUM and TIMP3, associated with corneal structure and age-related macular degeneration, respectively, were among visual perception genes influenced by LCPUFA. TIA1, a silencer of COX2 gene translation, is upregulated by high DHA. Ingenuity pathway analysis identified a highly significant nervous system network, with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as the outstanding interaction partner. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that LCPUFA concentrations within the normal range of human breastmilk induce global changes in gene expression across a wide array of processes, in addition to changes in visual and neural function normally associated with formula LCPUFA