Interactions between oil prices and financial sectors' performances: empirical evidence from Amman Stock Exchange.

The present study searches the effects of international oil prices on the performance of financial sector firms in the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). Using the daily data which range from July 3, 2006 to April 12, 2018, we found that financial performance of the ASE firms is downturn during this data period and oil prices do not impact on these performances. It is found that downward movement of financial performances in the ASE is totally independent of the movements in international oil prices.

Enhancing LPG adoption in Ghana (ELAG): a factorial cluster-randomized controlled trial to Enhance LPG Adoption & Sustained use.

BACKGROUND: Three billion individuals worldwide rely on biomass fuel [dung, wood, crops] for cooking and heating. Further, health conditions resulting from household air pollution (HAP) are responsible for approximately 3.9 million premature deaths each year. Though transition away from traditional biomass stoves is projected curb the health effects of HAP by mitigating exposure, the benefits of newer clean cookstove technologies can only be fully realized if use of these new stoves is exclusive and sustained. However, the conditions under which individuals adopt and sustain use of clean cookstoves is not well understood. METHODS: The Enhancing LPG Adoption in Ghana (ELAG) study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial employing a factorial intervention design. The first component is a behavior change intervention based on the Risks, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities, and Self-regulation (RANAS) model. This intervention seeks to align these five behavioral factors with clean cookstove adoption and sustained use. A second intervention is access-related and will improve LPG availability by offering a direct-delivery refueling service. These two interventions will be integrated via a factorial design whereby 27 communities are assigned to one of the following: the control arm, the educational intervention, the delivery, or a combined intervention. Intervention allocation is determined by a covariate-constrained randomization approach. After intervention, approximately 900 households' individual fuel use is tracked for 12 months via iButton stove use monitors. Analysis will include hierarchical linear models used to compare intervention households' fuel use to control households. DISCUSSION: Literature to-date demonstrates that recipients of improved cookstoves rarely completely adopt the new technology. Instead, they often practice partial adoption (fuel stacking). Consequently, interventions are needed to influence adoption patterns and simultaneously to understand drivers of fuel adoption. Ensuring uptake, adoption, and sustained use of improved cookstove technologies can then lead to HAP-reductions and consequent improvements in public health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03352830 (November 24, 2017).

Designing a behavioral intervention using the COM-B model and the theoretical domains framework to promote gas stove use in rural Guatemala: a formative research study.

BACKGROUND: Three billion people use solid cooking fuels, and 4 million people die from household air pollution annually. Shifting households to clean fuels, like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), may protect health only if stoves are consistently used. Few studies have used an implementation science framework to systematically assess "de-implementation" of traditional stoves, and none have done so with pregnant women who are more likely to adopt new behaviors. We evaluated an introduced LPG stove coupled with a phased behavioral intervention to encourage exclusive gas stove use among pregnant women in rural Guatemala. METHODS: We enrolled 50 women at < 20 weeks gestation in this prospective cohort study. All women received a free 3-burner LPG stove and ten tank refills. We conducted formative research using COM-B Model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). This included thematic analysis of focus group findings and classes delivered to 25 pregnant women (Phase 1). In Phase 2, we complemented classes with a home-based tailored behavioral intervention with a different group of 25 pregnant women. We mapped 35 TDF constructs onto survey questions. To evaluate stove use, we placed temperature sensors on wood and gas stoves and estimated fraction of stove use three times during pregnancy and twice during the first month after infant birth. RESULTS: Class attendance rates were above 92%. We discussed feasible ways to reduce HAP exposure, proper stove use, maintenance and safety. We addressed food preferences, ease of cooking and time savings through cooking demonstrations. In Phase 2, the COM-B framework revealed that other household members needed to be involved if the gas stove was to be consistently used. Social identity and empowerment were key in decisions about stove repairs and LPG tank refills. The seven intervention functions included training, education, persuasion, incentivization, modelling, enablement and environmental restructuring. Wood stove use dropped upon introduction of the gas stove from 6.4 h to 1.9 h. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study using the COM-B Model to develop a behavioral intervention that promotes household-level sustained use of LPG stoves. This study lays the groundwork for a future LPG stove intervention trial coupled with a behavioral change intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02812914, registered 3 June 2016, retrospectively registered.

Ultraviolet radiation significantly enhances the molecular response to dispersant and sweet crude oil exposure in Nematostella vectensis.

Estuarine organisms are subjected to combinations of anthropogenic and natural stressors, which together can reduce an organisms' ability to respond to either stress or can potentiate or synergize the cellular impacts for individual stressors. Nematostella vectensis (starlet sea anemone) is a useful model for investigating novel and evolutionarily conserved cellular and molecular responses to environmental stress. Using RNA-seq, we assessed global changes in gene expression in Nematostella in response to dispersant and/or sweet crude oil exposure alone or combined with ultraviolet radiation (UV). A total of 110 transcripts were differentially expressed by dispersant and/or crude oil exposure, primarily dominated by the down-regulation of 74 unique transcripts in the dispersant treatment. In contrast, UV exposure alone or combined with dispersant and/or oil resulted in the differential expression of 1133 transcripts, of which 436 were shared between all four treatment combinations. Most significant was the differential expression of 531 transcripts unique to one or more of the combined UV/chemical exposures. Main categories of genes affected by one or more of the treatments included enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and transport, DNA repair enzymes, and general stress response genes conserved among vertebrates and invertebrates. However, the most interesting observation was the induction of several transcripts indicating de novo synthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids and other novel cellular antioxidants. Together, our data suggest that the toxicity of oil and/or dispersant and the complexity of the molecular response are significantly enhanced by UV exposure, which may co-occur for shallow water species like Nematostella.

Three-dimensional oil dispersion model in the Campos Basin, Brazil.

This paper presents the physical and mathematical formulation of a three-dimensional oil dispersion model that calculates the trajectory from the seafloor to the sea surface, its assumptions and constraints. It was developed by researchers who are familiar with oil spill dispersion and mathematical analysis. Oil dispersion is calculated through two computational routines. The first calculates the vertical dispersion along the water column and resamples the droplets when the oil reaches the surface. The second calculates the surface displacement of the spill. This model is based on the Eulerian approach, and it uses numerical solution schemes in time and in space to solve the equation for advective-diffusive transport. A case study based on an actual accident that happened in the Campos Basin, in Rio de Janeiro state, considering the instant spill of 1000 m3 was used to evaluate the proposed model. After calculating the vertical transport, it was estimated that the area covered by the oil spill on the surface was about 35,685 m². After calculating the dispersion at the surface, the plume area was estimated as 20% of the initial area, resulting in a final area of 28,548 m².

Analysis of railroad tank car releases using a generalized binomial model.

The United States is experiencing an unprecedented boom in shale oil production, leading to a dramatic growth in petroleum crude oil traffic by rail. In 2014, U.S. railroads carried over 500,000 tank carloads of petroleum crude oil, up from 9500 in 2008 (a 5300% increase). In light of continual growth in crude oil by rail, there is an urgent national need to manage this emerging risk. This need has been underscored in the wake of several recent crude oil release incidents. In contrast to highway transport, which usually involves a tank trailer, a crude oil train can carry a large number of tank cars, having the potential for a large, multiple-tank-car release incident. Previous studies exclusively assumed that railroad tank car releases in the same train accident are mutually independent, thereby estimating the number of tank cars releasing given the total number of tank cars derailed based on a binomial model. This paper specifically accounts for dependent tank car releases within a train accident. We estimate the number of tank cars releasing given the number of tank cars derailed based on a generalized binomial model. The generalized binomial model provides a significantly better description for the empirical tank car accident data through our numerical case study. This research aims to provide a new methodology and new insights regarding the further development of risk management strategies for improving railroad crude oil transportation safety.

Relevance of deep-subsurface microbiology for underground gas storage and geothermal energy production.

This chapter gives the reader an introduction into the microbiology of deep geological systems with a special focus on potential geobiotechnological applications and respective risk assessments. It has been known for decades that microbial activity is responsible for the degradation or conversion of hydrocarbons in oil, gas, and coal reservoirs. These processes occur in the absence of oxygen, a typical characteristic of such deep ecosystems. The understanding of the responsible microbial processes and their environmental regulation is not only of great scientific interest. It also has substantial economic and social relevance, inasmuch as these processes directly or indirectly affect the quantity and quality of the stored oil or gas. As outlined in the following chapter, in addition to the conventional hydrocarbons, new interest in such deep subsurface systems is rising for different technological developments. These are introduced together with related geomicrobiological topics. The capture and long-termed storage of large amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon capture and storage (CCS), for example, in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, is considered to be an important options to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. On the other hand, the increasing contribution of energy from natural and renewable sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal energy, or biogas production leads to an increasing interest in underground storage of renewable energies. Energy carriers, that is, biogas, methane, or hydrogen, are often produced in a nonconstant manner and renewable energy may be produced at some distance from the place where it is needed. Therefore, storing the energy after its conversion to methane or hydrogen in porous reservoirs or salt caverns is extensively discussed. All these developments create new research fields and challenges for microbiologists and geobiotechnologists. As a basis for respective future work, we introduce the three major topics, that is, CCS, underground storage of gases from renewable energy production, and the production of geothermal energy, and summarize the current stat of knowledge about related geomicrobiological and geobiotechnological aspects in this chapter. Finally, recommendations are made for future research.

Biogeochemical characterization of MC252 oil:sand aggregates on a coastal headland beach.

MC252 oil:sand aggregates, termed surface residue balls (SRBs), were sampled for physical, chemical and microbial characteristics from different tidal zones on a coastal headland beach in Louisiana, USA. Supratidal SRBs were smaller, had low moisture content, and salinities that were <2 ppt. Intertidal SRBs were hypersaline and had higher N and sulfate concentrations, consistent with regular tidal inundation. Crude oil components were highest in the intertidal "oil mat" SRBs with C1- and C2-phenanthrenes, C2- and C3-dibenzothiophenes comprising the majority of the PAH concentrations. In the other SRB categories, PAHs and alkanes were depleted and profiles were skewed toward higher molecular weight compounds. Oxygen microelectrode measurements demonstrated that saturated O2 is present immediately after wetting, but O2 consumption in the interior of the aggregate occurs after a few days. Microbial populations varied with position on the beach but sequences similar to known PAH-degrading taxa (Mycobacterium sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp.) were observed.

Determining the dispersibility of South Louisiana crude oil by eight oil dispersant products listed on the NCP Product Schedule.

We recently conducted a laboratory study to measure the dispersion effectiveness of eight dispersants currently listed on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule. Results are useful in determining how many commercial dispersant products would have been effective for use on South Louisiana crude oil in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The test used was a modification of the Baffled Flask Test (BFT), which is being proposed to replace the current Swirling Flask Test (SFT). The modifications of the BFT in this study included use of one oil rather than two, increasing replication from 4 runs to 6, and testing at two temperatures, 5 °C and 25 °C. Results indicated that temperature was not as critical a variable as the literature suggested, likely because of the low viscosity and light weight of the SLC. Of the eight dispersants tested, only three gave satisfactory results in the laboratory flasks at both temperatures.

Microbial engineering for the production of advanced biofuels.

Advanced biofuels produced by microorganisms have similar properties to petroleum-based fuels, and can 'drop in' to the existing transportation infrastructure. However, producing these biofuels in yields high enough to be useful requires the engineering of the microorganism's metabolism. Such engineering is not based on just one specific feedstock or host organism. Data-driven and synthetic-biology approaches can be used to optimize both the host and pathways to maximize fuel production. Despite some success, challenges still need to be met to move advanced biofuels towards commercialization, and to compete with more conventional fuels.

Assessment of the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease events for Qatar Petroleum's firefighters and non-firefighter staff in Qatar.

Coronary heart disease is a major public health problem worldwide and firefighters may be at particular occupational risk. In a cross-sectional study in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, we assessed the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease events for 369 Qatar Petroleum staff at their periodic medical examination. The subjects of the study (all males) were divided into firefighters and non-firefighters groups. Based on the Framingham risk score calculations, 69.9% of the subjects were categorized as low risk, 27.1% as intermediate risk and 2.9% as high risk. None of the firefighters was categorized as high risk, 15.5% were intermediate and the rest were low risk. In the whole group, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was the most prevalent risk factor (68.8%), followed by hypertension (32.0%) and smoking (15.4%). The mean risk of developing coronary heart disease in firefighters [6.5% (SD 3.7%)] was significantly lower than in non-firefighters 19.5% (SD 6.5%)].

A high-resolution real-time forecasting system for predicting the fate of oil spills in the Strait of Bonifacio (western Mediterranean Sea).

The Strait of Bonifacio is a long and narrow area between Corsica and Sardinia. To manage environmental emergencies related to the spill of oil from vessels, an innovative forecasting system was developed. This tool is capable of operationally predicting the dispersion of hydrocarbon spills in the coastal area of the Bonifacio Strait, either from an instantaneous or continuous spill and either in forward or backward mode. Experimental datasets, including ADCP water current measurements and the trajectories of drifter buoys released in the area, were used to evaluate the accuracy of this system. A comparison between the simulation results and experimental data revealed that both the water circulation and the surface transport processes are accurately reproduced by the model. The overall accuracy of the system in reproducing the transport of an oil spill at sea was estimated for both forward and backward prediction mode and in relation to different forecasting time lags.

History of fuel consumption inferred from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from the south Lianhuan Lake, northeast China.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of persistent organic pollutants of global concern. The current study uses differences in PAH profiles in 1 cm core sediment samples from south Lianhuan Lake, Heilongjiang Province, China to evaluate historical changes in fuel sources. Individual core segments were dated using (137)Cs techniques and concentrations of 16 priority PAHs were measured. Principal components analysis with multivariate linear regression and PAH profiles of specific combustion sources were used to identify historical fuel use. During the early 1940s to the early 1970s, PAHs concentrations increases with the increased combustion of coal, and relatively high petroleum source could be linked to the establishment of the Daqing Oil Field. The source apportionment suggested that coal combustion replaced wood burning and became the dominant fuel since the 1940s and petroleum source increased. These results were coincidence with the rapid economic growth occurring in China.

Material flow analysis of fossil fuels in China during 2000-2010.

Since the relationship between the supply and demand of fossil fuels is on edge in the long run, the contradiction between the economic growth and limited resources will hinder the sustainable development of the Chinese society. This paper aims to analyze the input of fossil fuels in China during 2000-2010 via the material flow analysis (MFA) that takes hidden flows into account. With coal, oil, and natural gas quantified by MFA, three indexes, consumption and supply ratio (C/S ratio), resource consumption intensity (RCI), and fossil fuels productivity (FFP), are proposed to reflect the interactions between population, GDP, and fossil fuels. The results indicated that in the past 11 years, China's requirement for fossil fuels has been increasing continuously because of the growing mine productivity in domestic areas, which also leads to a single energy consumption structure as well as excessive dependence on the domestic exploitation. It is advisable to control the fossil fuels consumption by energy recycling and new energy facilities' popularization in order to lead a sustainable access to nonrenewable resources and decrease the soaring carbon emissions.

Effect of worldwide oil price fluctuations on biomass fuel use and child respiratory health: evidence from Guatemala.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the effect of worldwide oil price fluctuations on household fuel use and child respiratory health in Guatemala. METHODS: We regressed measures of household fuel use and child respiratory health on the average worldwide oil price and a rich set of covariates. We leveraged variation in oil prices over the 6-month period of the survey to identify associations between fuel prices, fuel choice, and child respiratory outcomes. RESULTS: A $1 (3.4% point) increase in worldwide fuel prices was associated with a 2.8% point decrease in liquid propane gasoline use (P < .05), a 0.75% point increase in wood use (P < .05), and a 1.5% point increase in the likelihood of the child reporting a respiratory symptom (P < .1). The association between oil prices and the fuel choice indicators was largest for households in the middle of the income distribution. CONCLUSIONS: Fluctuations in worldwide fuel prices affected household fuel use and, consequently, child health. Policies to help households tide over fuel price shocks or reduce pollution from biomass sources would confer positive health benefits. Such policies would be most effective if they targeted both poor and middle-income households.

Quantifying variability in life cycle greenhouse gas inventories of alternative middle distillate transportation fuels.

The presence of variability in life cycle analysis (LCA) is inherent due to both inexact LCA procedures and variation of numerical inputs. Variability in LCA needs to be clearly distinguished from uncertainty. This paper uses specific examples from the production of diesel and jet fuels from 14 different feedstocks to demonstrate general trends in the types and magnitudes of variability present in life cycle greenhouse gas (LC-GHG) inventories of middle distillate fuels. Sources of variability have been categorized as pathway specific, coproduct usage and allocation, and land use change. The results of this research demonstrate that subjective choices such as coproduct usage and allocation methodology can be more important sources of variability in the LC-GHG inventory of a fuel option than the process and energy use of fuel production. Through the application of a consistent analysis methodology across all fuel options, the influence of these subjective biases is minimized, and the LC-GHG inventories for each feedstock-to-fuel option can be effectively compared and discussed. By considering the types and magnitudes of variability across multiple fuel pathways, it is evident that LCA results should be presented as a range instead of a point value. The policy implications of this are discussed.

Water footprint of U.S. transportation fuels.

In the modern global economy, water and energy are fundamentally connected. Water already plays a major role in electricity generation and, with biofuels and electricity poised to gain a significant share of the transportation fuel market, water will become significantly more important for transportation energy as well. This research provides insight into the potential changes in water use resulting from increased biofuel or electricity production for transportation energy, as well as the greenhouse gas and freshwater implications. It is shown that when characterizing the water impact of transportation energy, incorporating indirect water use and defensible allocation techniques have a major impact on the final results, with anywhere between an 82% increase and a 250% decrease in the water footprint if evaporative losses from hydroelectric power are excluded. The greenhouse gas impact results indicate that placing cellulosic biorefineries in areas where water must be supplied using alternative means, such as desalination, wastewater recycling, or importation can increase the fuel's total greenhouse gas footprint by up to 47%. The results also show that the production of ethanol and petroleum fuels burden already overpumped aquifers, whereas electricity production is far less dependent on groundwater.

Uncertainty analysis of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum-based fuels and impacts on low carbon fuel policies.

The climate change impacts of U.S. petroleum-based fuels consumption have contributed to the development of legislation supporting the introduction of low carbon alternatives, such as biofuels. However, the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions estimated for these policies using life cycle assessment methods are predominantly based on deterministic approaches that do not account for any uncertainty in outcomes. This may lead to unreliable and expensive decision making. In this study, the uncertainty in life cycle GHG emissions associated with petroleum-based fuels consumed in the U.S. is determined using a process-based framework and statistical modeling methods. Probability distributions fitted to available data were used to represent uncertain parameters in the life cycle model. Where data were not readily available, a partial least-squares (PLS) regression model based on existing data was developed. This was used in conjunction with probability mixture models to select appropriate distributions for specific life cycle stages. Finally, a Monte Carlo simulation was performed to generate sample output distributions. As an example of results from using these methods, the uncertainty range in life cycle GHG emissions from gasoline was shown to be 13%-higher than the typical 10% minimum emissions reductions targets specified by low carbon fuel policies.