Global distribution of modern shallow marine shorelines. Implications for exploration and reservoir analogue studies

Acknowledgments Support for this work came from the SAFARI consortium which was funded by Bayern Gas, ConocoPhillips, Dana Petroleum, Dong Energy, Eni Norge, GDF Suez, Idemitsu, Lundin, Noreco, OMV, Repsol, Rocksource, RWE, Statoil, Suncor, Total, PDO, VNG and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). This manuscript has benefited from discussion with Bruce Ainsworth, Rachel Nanson and Christian Haug Eide. Boyan Vakarelov and Richard Davis Jr. are thanked for their constructive reviews and valuable comments that helped to improve the manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprin

Reconnaissance surveying of Bechevin Bay, AK using satellite-derived bathymetry

Recently, a remote sensing study has been conducted over Bechevin Bay Channel, Alaska as part of a collaboration project between NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The goal of the study to develop a procedure to prioritize survey areas and plan the annual deployment of Aids to Navigation (AtoN) along the channel. Bechevin Bay is considered a priority for marine surveying because it constitutes the easternmost passage through the Aleutians from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of Alaska. The channel is located in a mud flat area, where every winter the passage is closed due to ice cover. As a result, the path of the channel may change after sea ice has melted. Because of the geographic location of Bechevin Bay, many resources are required in order to conduct an annual survey to map the channel’s path. The surveys are typically conducted by the USCG buoy tenders using small boats and reconnaissance-style single beam lines. This paper presents the use of single-image satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) as an economic alternative approach. The study compares the performance using different band ratios. Datasets that were used in the study included Landsat 8 and WorldView 2 (WV-2) imagery

Nautical Chart Adequacy Evaluation Using Publicly-Available Data

The International Hydrographic Office (IHO) C-55 publication communicates the need to improve the collection, quality and availability of hydrographic data world-wide, while also monitoring and rectifying possible deficiencies and shortcomings that are presented on the chart. This task of evaluating the adequacy of nautical chart products poses a challenge to many national hydrographic offices. This stems from the dearth of readily available spatial information: namely, the lack of reliable and accessible vessel traffic data, and little means to assess the changing nature of both near-shore bathymetry and shoreline in a simple and reliable manner. In this paper, we present the potential use of automatic-identification system (AIS) data, satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB), and airborne-lidar bathymetry (ALB) to provide an operational procedure for evaluating the adequacy and completeness of information of NOAA charts. Preliminary results from three U.S. study sites are presented in this paper: Nantucket Sound, MA; Barnegat Bay Inlet, NJ; and Barataria Bay, LA. Based on the publically-available datasets it was possible to identify changes in the charts and develop a reconnaissance procedure to monitor these changes on a yearly basis

Strategies for Introducing Formal Methods into the ADA Life Cycle

This is the final report of a short study of the applicability of formal definition techniques to program development activities with specific emphasis on using the programming language Ada. The portion of the study here encompasses three elements: - A review of the various formal defition techniques; - A study of the existing and planned tools in programming development environments; - An examination of life cycle methodologies with the objective of inserting formalized techniques

Apollo Lightcraft project

The detailed design of a beam-powered transatmospheric vehicle, the Apollo Lightcraft, was selected as the project for the design course. The principal goal is to reduce the LEO payload delivery cost by at least three orders of magnitude below the Space Shuttle Orbiter in the post 2020 era. The completely reusable, single-stage-to-orbit shuttlecraft will take off and land vertically, and have a reentry heat shield integrated with its lower surface. At appropriate points along the launch trajectory, the combined cycle propulsion system will transition through three or four airbreathing modes, and finally use a pure rocket mode for orbital insertion. The objective for the Spring semester propulsion source was to design and perform a detailed theoretical analysis on an advanced combined-cycle engine suitable for the Apollo Lightcraft. The preliminary theoretical analysis of this combined-cycle engine is now completed, and the acceleration performance along representative orbital trajectories was simulated. The total round trip cost is $3430 or$686 per person. This represents a payload delivery cost of $3.11/lb, which is a factor of 1000 below the STS. The Apollo Lightcraft concept is now ready for a more detailed investigation during the Fall semester Transatmosphere Vehicle Design course

Leading through paradox in a Covid-19 world: human resources comes of age

The impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic is unprecedented. At an organisational level, the crisis has been hugely disruptive, complex and fraught with ambiguity for leaders. The crisis is fundamentally a human one, making human resource (HR) leaders central in enabling organisations to manage through and ultimately exit the crisis successfully. We apply a paradox lens to understand the HR leadership challenges posed by the COVID‐19 crisis. We argue that how the HR function responds to the challenges ofthe crisis and its role in mapping the exit route from the crisis are likely to shape the trajectory of the function for decades to come. The pandemic creates an unprecedented opportunity to elevate the status of the HR function in organisations where it has struggled to gain status and to reinforce the influence of the function in those where it already enjoys legitimacy. The value of this is likely to be reflected in more sustainable performance through the alignment of people and purpose and balancing the short and long term objectives of the organisatio

Beneficial effect of early initiation of lipid-lowering therapy following renal transplantation

Background. Renal transplant recipients have a significantly reduced life expectancy, largely due to premature cardiovascular disease. The aim of the current analysis was to investigate the importance of time of initiation of therapy after transplantation, on the benefits of statin therapy. Methods. 2102 renal transplant recipients with total cholesterol levels of 4.0-9.0 mmol/l were randomly assigned to treatment with fluvastatin (n = 1050) or placebo (n = 1052) and followed for a mean time of 5.1 years. The end-points were major cardiac events. The average median time from transplantation to randomization was 4.5 years (range: 0.5-29 years). Results. In patients starting treatment with fluvastatin 6 years, respectively. The risk reduction for patients initiating therapy with fluvastatin at years 0-2 (compared with >6 years) following transplantation was 59% (RR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.18-0.92; P = 0.0328). This is also reflected in total time on renal replacement therapy: in patients in the first quartile (120 months) (P = 0.033). Conclusions. Our data support an early introduction of fluvastatin therapy in a population of transplant recipients at high risk of premature coronary heart diseas

Contrasting crystal packing arrangements in triiodide salts of radical cations of chiral bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalenes

Crystal structures of six 1 : 1 triiodide salts of a series of enantiopure bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])TTF derivatives, the first structures of radical cation salts reported for this bis(pyrrolo) donor system, show three different arrangements of triiodide ions, organised either in head-to-tail pairs, in infinite lines, or in a castellated arrangement. The complex crystal structures, obtained by electrocrystallisation, are influenced by the presence of solvent, for example changing an ABCABC packing arrangement to ABAB with inclusion of THF, as well as by the size of the chiral side chain