Transformer Oil Passivation and Impact of Corrosive Sulphur

In recent years a significant volume of research has been undertaken in order to understand the recent failures in oil insulated power apparatus due to deposition of copper sulphide on the conductors and in the insulation paper. Dibenzyl Disulfide (DBDS) has been found to be the leading corrosive sulphur compound in the insulation oil [1]. The process of copper sulphide formation and the deposition in the paper is still being investigated, but a recently proposed method seems to be gaining some confidence [1]. This method suggests a two-step process; initially the DBDS and some oil soluble copper complexes are formed. Secondly the copper complexes are absorbed in the paper insulation, where they then decompose into copper sulphide [2]. The most commonly used mitigating technique for corrosive sulphur contaminated oil is passivation, normally using Irgamet 39 or 1, 2, 3-benzotriazole (BTA). The passivator is diluted into the oil to a concentration of around 100ppm, where it then reacts with the copper conductors to form a complex layer around the copper, preventing it from interacting with DBDS compounds and forming copper sulphide. This research project will investigate the electrical properties of HV transformers which have tested positive for corrosive sulphur, and the evolution of those properties as the asset degrades due to sulphur corrosion. Parallel to this the long term properties of transformers with passivated insulation oil will be analysed in order to understand the passivator stability and whether it is necessary to keep adding the passivator to sustain its performance. Condition monitoring techniques under investigation will include dielectric spectroscopy, frequency response analysis, recovery voltage method (aka interfacial polarisation) amongst others. Partial discharge techniques will not be investigated, as the voltage between the coil plates is low and therefore it will not contribute significantly to the overall insulation breakdown, in corrosive oil related faults [3]. The goal of this research is to establish key electrical properties in both passivated and non-passivated power transformers that demonstrate detectable changes as the equipment degrades due to the insulation oil being corrosive

Current Models of Investor State Dispute Settlement Are Bad for Health: The European Union Could Offer an Alternative Comment on "The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Is It Everything We Feared for Health?"

In this commentary, we endorse concerns about the health impact of the trans-pacific partnership (TPP), paying particular attention to its mechanisms for investor state dispute settlement. We then describe the different, judge-led approach being advocated by the European Commission team negotiating the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, arguing that, while not perfect, it offers significant advantages

ENVIROSAT-2000 report: Federal agency satellite requirements

The requirement of Federal agencies, other than NOAA, for the data and services of civil operational environmental satellites (both polar orbiting and geostationary) are summarized. Agency plans for taking advantage of proposed future Earth sensing space systems, domestic and foreign, are cited also. Current data uses and future requirements are addressed as identified by each agency

Perbedaan Persepsi Risiko Audit, Materialitas dan Kualitas Audit Sebelum dan Sesudah Implementasi Ketentuan Pidana UU No. 5 Tahun 2011 Tentang Akuntan Publik (Studi Persepsi pada Kantor Akuntan Publik Surabaya)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperoleh data informasi dalam hal bukti empiris tentang perbedaan persepsiauditor dalam menentukan risiko audit, tingkat materialitas dan kualitas audit sebelum dan sesudahpelaksanaan ketentuan pidana UU No 5 tahun 2011 tentang akuntan publik.Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah auditor yang bekerja pada Kantor Akuntan Publik (PAF) di Surabayasebagai 46 PAF. Auditor dipilih sebagai sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah auditor yang menjabat sebagaipartner, manajer, pengawas dan senior. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data primer dengankuesioner yang dibagikan sebanyak 236 kuesioner. Metode analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian iniadalah uji beda dengan menggunakan paired sample t-test.Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan ada perbedaan persepsi auditor dalam menentukan risiko audit, tingkatmaterialitas dan kualitas audit sebelum dan sesudah pelaksanaan ketentuan pidana UU No 5 tahun 2011tentang akuntan publik.Keyword : Risiko audit, Materialitas, kualitas Audit, ketentuan pidana dan UU Nomor 5 tahun 2011 tentangakuntan publik

The Effect of Input DNA Copy Number on Genotype Call and Characterising SNP Markers in the Humpback Whale Genome Using a Nanofluidic Array

Recent advances in nanofluidic technologies have enabled the use of Integrated Fluidic Circuits (IFCs) for high-throughput Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genotyping (GT). In this study, we implemented and validated a relatively low cost nanofluidic system for SNP-GT with and without Specific Target Amplification (STA). As proof of principle, we first validated the effect of input DNA copy number on genotype call rate using well characterised, digital PCR (dPCR) quantified human genomic DNA samples and then implemented the validated method to genotype 45 SNPs in the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, nuclear genome. When STA was not incorporated, for a homozygous human DNA sample, reaction chambers containing, on average 9 to 97 copies, showed 100% call rate and accuracy. Below 9 copies, the call rate decreased, and at one copy it was 40%. For a heterozygous human DNA sample, the call rate decreased from 100% to 21% when predicted copies per reaction chamber decreased from 38 copies to one copy. The tightness of genotype clusters on a scatter plot also decreased. In contrast, when the same samples were subjected to STA prior to genotyping a call rate and a call accuracy of 100% were achieved. Our results demonstrate that low input DNA copy number affects the quality of data generated, in particular for a heterozygous sample. Similar to human genomic DNA, a call rate and a call accuracy of 100% was achieved with whale genomic DNA samples following multiplex STA using either 15 or 45 SNP-GT assays. These calls were 100% concordant with their true genotypes determined by an independent method, suggesting that the nanofluidic system is a reliable platform for executing call rates with high accuracy and concordance in genomic sequences derived from biological tissue

Reducing the Harm of Intimate Partner Violence: Randomized Controlled Trial of the Hampshire Constabulary CARA Experiment

Research Question: Among Southampton-area males arrested for and admitting to low-risk intimate partner violence as a first domestic offence and receiving a conditional caution, did a randomly assigned requirement to attend (with 5 to 7 other male offenders), two weekend day-long Cautioning and Relationship Abuse (CARA) workshops led by experienced professionals reduce the total severity of crime harm relative to a no-workshop control group? Data: Eligible offenders (N =293) were randomly assigned to the CARA workshop attendance requirement (n= 154) or to the no-workshop requirement (n = 139), with 91% of all cases receiving treatment as randomly assigned. Each offender’s records of police contact were tracked for exactly 365 days after the date of random assignment. Methods: All repeat arrests or complaints of crime naming the 293 randomly assigned offenders were coded by the Cambridge Crime Harm Index (CHI) as the primary outcome measure for each offender (Sherman et al 2016), with the sum of total days of recommended imprisonment for each offence (as the guideline starting point for sentencing) summed across all new offences, with both domestic and non-domestic relationships to their victims. Prevalence and frequency of repeat contact were also computed. All analysis was done by intention-to-treat. Findings: Offenders assigned to the workshop group were re-arrested for crimes with a total Crime Harm Index (CHI) value that was 27% lower than for re-arrests of offenders assigned to the control group (P =.011). The CARA workshop group members were arrested for crimes totalling an average of 8.4 days of recommended imprisonment under English sentencing guidelines, compared to an average of 11.6 days per offender assigned to the control group, the equivalent of 38% more harm without the workshop than with it. The effect size was much stronger, however, in the first study period of high caseflow (72% reduction in CHI, P = .001) than in the second period (21% reduction in CHI, P =.178). Frequency of re-arrest for domestic abuse (21% lower for workshop-assigned group) and prevalence (35% lower for workshop-assigned group) also favoured the CARA workshop group. Conclusions: The results of this one-year followup analysis suggest that the CARA workshops are an effective way to reduce the future harm of domestic abuse among first offenders who admit their crime, although effect size may vary over time. Given the highly restrictive eligibility criteria for the programme, these findings provide an evidence-based reason for testing the same treatment among a larger proportion of all first-offender arrests for domestic abuse. Keywords Intimate partner violence – policing – RCT—Crime Harm Index--CAR

DNA metabarcoding as a marine conservation and management tool: A circumpolar examination of fishery discards in the diet of threatened albatrosses

Almost all of the world's fisheries overlap spatially and temporally with foraging seabirds, with impacts that range from food supplementation (through scavenging behind vessels), to resource competition and incidental mortality. The nature and extent of interactions between seabirds and fisheries vary, as does the level and efficacy of management and mitigation. Seabird dietary studies provide information on prey diversity and often identify species that are also caught in fisheries, providing evidence of linkages which can be used to improve ecosystem based management of fisheries. However, species identification of fish can be difficult with conventional dietary techniques. The black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) has a circumpolar distribution and has suffered major population declines due primarily to incidental mortality in fisheries. We use DNA metabarcoding of black-browed albatross scats to investigate their fish prey during the breeding season at six sites across their range, over two seasons. We identify the spatial and temporal diversity of fish in their diets and overlaps with fisheries operating in adjacent waters. Across all sites, 51 fish species from 33 families were identified, with 23 species contributing >10% of the proportion of samples or sequences at any site. There was extensive geographic variation but little inter-annual variability in fish species consumed. Several fish species that are not easily accessible to albatross, but are commercially harvested or by-caught, were detected in the albatross diet during the breeding season. This was particularly evident at the Falkland Islands and Iles Kerguelen where higher fishery catch amounts (or discard amounts where known) corresponded to higher occurrence of these species in diet samples. This study indicates ongoing interactions with fisheries through consumption of fishery discards, increasing the risk of seabird mortality. Breeding success was higher at sites where fisheries discards were detected in the diet, highlighting the need to minimize discarding to reduce impacts on the ecosystem. DNA metabarcoding provides a valuable non-invasive tool for assessing the fish prey of seabirds across broad geographic ranges. This provides an avenue for fishery resource managers to assess compliance of fisheries with discard policies and the level of interaction with scavenging seabirds