Justifying Public Decisions in Arctic Oil and Gas Development: American and Russian Approaches

Government resource decisions in the Arctic typically involve complex issues; multiple criteria are used to choose among alternatives. This complexity is even greater with petroleum development because of concerns about national energy security, environmental impacts, and economic development. Two decision-aiding techniques may help decision makers clarify their decisions to themselves, the stakeholders, and the general public. The Russian qualitative technique seeks to reduce the number of criteria and find alternative options that may be better than the initial ones. The Western quantitative technique seeks to measure the decision maker's judgement about the utility and certainty of each option. These techniques are applied to two case studies: a decision about gas pipeline routing on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, and a tool for evaluating applications for development permits on the North Slope of Alaska. The qualitative method is easier to use and may be the best model for people who use numbers infrequently or want to make a claim based on rights. The quantitative method did well at preserving detail and incorporating uncertainty. Both approaches helped to reduce the apparent complexity of the decisions.Les décisions gouvernementales concernant les ressources dans l'Arctique mettent le plus souvent en jeu des questions complexes; un grand nombre de critères sont utilisés en vue de choisir parmi différentes options. Cette complexité s'accroît dans le cas de l'exploitation pétrolière en raison des problèmes entourant la sécurité nationale de l'énergie, les retombées environnementales et le développement économique. Deux techniques d'aide à la décision peuvent inciter les décideurs à clarifier leurs décisions pour eux-mêmes, pour les parties intéressées et pour le grand public. La technique qualitative russe cherche à réduire le nombre de critères et à trouver des solutions de rechange qui pourraient être meilleures que les mesures initiales. La technique quantitative occidentale cherche à mesurer le jugement du décideur sur l'utilité et la certitude de chaque option. Ces techniques sont appliquées à deux études de cas: une décision concernant le tracé d'un gazoduc dans la presqu'île de Iamal en Russie, et un outil permettant d'évaluer les demandes de permis d'exploitation sur le versant Nord de l'Alaska. La méthode qualitative est plus facile à utiliser et peut être le meilleur modèle pour des individus qui n'ont pas l'habitude des chiffres ou qui veulent établir une revendication fondée sur des droits. La méthode quantitative réussit bien à préserver le détail et à intégrer l'incertitude. Les deux approches aidaient à réduire la complexité apparente des décisions

Justifying Public Decisions in Arctic Oil and Gas Development: American and Russian Approaches

Government resource decisions in the Arctic typically involve complex issues; multiple criteria are used to choose among alternatives. This complexity is even greater with petroleum development because of concerns about national energy security, environmental impacts, and economic development. Two decision-aiding techniques may help decision makers clarify their decisions to themselves, the stakeholders, and the general public. The Russian qualitative technique seeks to reduce the number of criteria and find alternative options that may be better than the initial ones. The Western quantitative technique seeks to measure the decision maker* s judgement about the utility and certainty of each option. These techniques are applied to two case studies: a decision about gas pipeline routing on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, and a tool for evaluating applications for development permits on the North Slope of Alaska. The qualitative method is easier to use and may be the best model for people who use numbers infrequently or want to make a claim based on rights. The quantitative method did well at preserving detail and incorporating uncertainty. Both approaches helped to reduce the apparent complexity of the decisions

Anaesthesia and PET of the Brain

Although drugs have been used to administer general anaesthesia for more than a century and a half, relatively little was known until recently about the molecular and cellular effects of the anaesthetic agents and the neurobiology of anaesthesia. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies have played a valuable role in improving this knowledge. PET studies using 11C-flumazenil binding have been used to demonstrate that the molecular action of some, but not all, of the current anaesthetic agents is mediated via the GABAA receptor. Using different tracers labelled with 18F, 11C and 15O, PET studies have shown the patterns of changes in cerebral metabolism and blood flow associated with different intravenous and volatile anaesthetic agents. Within classes of volatile agents, there are minor variations in patterns. More profound differences are found between classes of agents. Interestingly, all agents cause alterations in the blood flow and metabolism of the thalamus, providing strong support for the hypothesis that the anaesthetic agents interfere with consciousness by interfering with thalamocortical communication.</p

Endovascular therapy in acute ischemic stroke with poor reperfusion is associated with worse outcomes compared with best medical management: a HERMES substudy

Background: Functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO) undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT) with poor reperfusion were compared with patients with AIS-LVO treated with best medical management only. Methods: Data are from the HERMES collaboration, a patient-level meta-analysis of seven randomized EVT trials. Baseline characteristics and functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days) were compared between patients with poor reperfusion (defined as modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Score 0–1 on the final intracranial angiography run as assessed by the central imaging core laboratory) and patients in the control arm with multivariable logistic ordinal logistic regression adjusted for pre-specified baseline variables. Results: 972 of 1764 patients from the HERMES collaboration were included in the analysis: 893 in the control arm and 79 in the EVT arm with final mTICI 0–1. Patients with poor reperfusion who underwent EVT had higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale than controls (median 19 (IQR 15.5–21) vs 17 (13–21), P=0.011). They also had worse mRS at 90 days compared with those in the control arm in adjusted analysis (median 4 (IQR 3–6) vs median 4 (IQR 2–5), adjusted common OR 0.59 (95% CI 0.38 to 0.91)). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was not different between the two groups (3.9% vs 3.5%, P=0.75, adjusted OR 0.94 (95% CI 0.23 to 3.88)). Conclusion: Poor reperfusion after EVT was associated with worse outcomes than best medical management, although no difference in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was seen. These results emphasize the need for additional efforts to further improve technical EVT success rates

EEG Biofeedback as a Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: Review, Rating of Efficacy, and Recommendations for Further Research

Electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback has been employed in substance use disorder (SUD) over the last three decades. The SUD is a complex series of disorders with frequent comorbidities and EEG abnormalities of several types. EEG biofeedback has been employed in conjunction with other therapies and may be useful in enhancing certain outcomes of therapy. Based on published clinical studies and employing efficacy criteria adapted by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research, alpha theta training—either alone for alcoholism or in combination with beta training for stimulant and mixed substance abuse and combined with residential treatment programs, is probably efficacious. Considerations of further research design taking these factors into account are discussed and descriptions of contemporary research are given

Anisotropic nanomaterials: structure, growth, assembly, and functions

Comprehensive knowledge over the shape of nanomaterials is a critical factor in designing devices with desired functions. Due to this reason, systematic efforts have been made to synthesize materials of diverse shape in the nanoscale regime. Anisotropic nanomaterials are a class of materials in which their properties are direction-dependent and more than one structural parameter is needed to describe them. Their unique and fine-tuned physical and chemical properties make them ideal candidates for devising new applications. In addition, the assembly of ordered one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) arrays of anisotropic nanoparticles brings novel properties into the resulting system, which would be entirely different from the properties of individual nanoparticles. This review presents an overview of current research in the area of anisotropic nanomaterials in general and noble metal nanoparticles in particular. We begin with an introduction to the advancements in this area followed by general aspects of the growth of anisotropic nanoparticles. Then we describe several important synthetic protocols for making anisotropic nanomaterials, followed by a summary of their assemblies, and conclude with major applications

The dynamic geophysical environment of (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx measurements

The top-shaped morphology characteristic of asteroid (101955) Bennu, often found among fast-spinning asteroids and binary asteroid primaries, may have contributed substantially to binary asteroid formation. Yet a detailed geophysical analysis of this morphology for a fast-spinning asteroid has not been possible prior to the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. Combining the measured Bennu mass and shape obtained during the Preliminary Survey phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission, we find a notable transition in Bennu’s surface slopes within its rotational Roche lobe, defined as the region where material is energetically trapped to the surface. As the intersection of the rotational Roche lobe with Bennu’s surface has been most recently migrating towards its equator (given Bennu’s increasing spin rate), we infer that Bennu’s surface slopes have been changing across its surface within the last million years. We also find evidence for substantial density heterogeneity within this body, suggesting that its interior is a mixture of voids and boulders. The presence of such heterogeneity and Bennu’s top shape are consistent with spin-induced failure at some point in its past, although the manner of its failure cannot yet be determined. Future measurements by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will provide insight into and may resolve questions regarding the formation and evolution of Bennu’s top-shape morphology and its link to the formation of binary asteroids