text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Sep 15, 1998
|Filing date
|Oct 10, 1996
|Priority date
|Jan 24, 1996
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Hubert E. Halford, Sr.
|Original Assignee
|Halford, Sr.; Hubert E.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (100), Non-Patent Citations (19), Referenced by (14), Classifications (22), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/590,747 filed on Jan. 24, 1996 entitled "Wellbore Milling Guide".
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to milling tubulars in a wellbore and, in one aspect, to methods for guiding a mill in a wellbore and apparatus useful in such methods.
2. Description of Related Art
An opening or a window is formed in a tubular, e.g. casing, in a wellbore with a milling tool with a mill, that has metal cutting structure on its surface. Typically the tool is threadably attached to a section of drill pipe or other heavy tubular components comprising a bottom hole assembly that is in a well to cut a window through the side of a piece of casing. In certain methods the milling tool is assisted in generating a window by a device known as a whipstock, a wedge shaped object, anchored in the casing wellbore which serves to support the milling tool and forcibly direct it outward through the side of the casing, the facilitating formation of the window.
In certain methods a whipstock is not utilized, and the ability of the milling tool to generate the window without the wedge shape forcing it through the casing is severely inhibited and often practically impossible. This is primarily due to the face that, without the whipstock, the only force avoidable to urge the mill sideways into the casing is the inherent stiffness of the milling tool and associated drill pipe transversing a curve in the casing (see FIG. 1). In many cases, side loading on the milling tool is not sufficient to initiate and maintain cutting action.
In some cases a whipstock utilized in a downhole application for generating a window in casing is susceptible to damage from the aggressive cutting surface of a mill and, if not protected, is inadvertantly damaged or cut away.
There has long been a need for an efficient and effective milling guide and method of its use. There has long been a need for a method for milling a window in a tubular at a nesired location without the use of a whipstock. There has long been a need for a milling method which does not result in damage to a whipstock.
The present invention, in one embodiment, discloses a method for milling a tubular of a string of tubulars in a wellbore, e.g. a piece of casing in a cased wellbore, the method including: installing a mill guide in a tubular at a desired location at which a window is to be milled out of the tubular; inserting a milling tool through the tubular string and through the mill guide; guiding the milling tool; and milling the window through the tubular. In one aspect the mill guide has a generally cylindrical hollow body with an end opening disposable at the desired location in the tubular and sized, shaped and configured so that the milling apparatus simultaneously contacts the tubular on one side and the interior of the mill guide on the other side; thus the mill guide supports the mill on one side and directs the milling tool against the tubular on an opposing side. A mill guide according to this invention may also be used in drilling to direct a drill against a tubular and-or to direct a drill into a formation through which a wellbore extends.
The mill guide is anchored in a tubular to be milled with any suitable anchor apparatus, including but not limited to packers or movable members of slips with teeth to engage the tubular's interior. The mill guide can be installed using a tubular string, wireline, or coiled tubing.
In certain embodiments it is desired to form a window at a curved area of a tubular. The lower end of the mill guide, in certain embodiments, is shaped to conform and correspond to the shape (e.g., curved, slanred, non-straight, etc.) of the tubular to be milled. In certain aspects, the lower end of the mill guide does not contact a tubular in which it is disposed and in other aspects it contacts and rests against an interior of a casing sectionor other tubular for added support. In other embodiments the mill guide's lower end is curved or slanted to conform to and correspond to the shape of the concave or wedge-shaped portion of a whipstock. In methods employing such a mill guide, the mill guide is disposed adjacent the whipstock and, in one aspect, in contact with its concave or wedge-shaped portion. In such a method the whipstock can provide support for the mill guide and enhance the mill guide's ability to direct the mill to the tubular to be milled.
In another aspect a mill guide according to the present invention is secured in a tubular above ground and this tubular is introduced into a wellbore and moved to a desired location therein. In one aspect the mill guide is formed integrally of a such a tubular.
To provide support for a mill of a milling tool used with a mill guide according to this invention, in certain embodiments the drill pipe, other tubulars, or centralizing apparatus connected to the milling tool are sized and disposed so that after milling is completed and surfaces of the mill have exited the mill guide, thee drill pipe, etc. to contacts the mill guide's interior surface. Thus the mill continues to be supported by and directed by the mill guide. After milling is completed, the milling tool is removed from the well base and, if desired, the mill guide is retrieved from the wellbore. In one aspect, the mill guide and milling apparatus are retrieved together and-or as a unit.
It is, therefore, an object of at least certain preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide:
New, useful, unique, efficient, nonobvious wellbore milling methods for guiding a milling tool to mill a hole, slot, or window in a tubular in a wellbore;
Such a method useful with or without a whipstock;
Such a method in which a milling tool guided by a mill guide continues to be directed to a tubular to be milled after milling surfaces of the milling tool have exited the mill guide;
Such a method in which a whipstock's concave member is protected by a mill guide during milling; and
Apparatus useful in such methods, including a mill guide with a hollow body and a lower opening configured to facilitate milling at a desired location by directing a mill against a tubular to be milled.
Certain embodiments of this invention are not limited to any particular individual feature disclosed here, but include combinations of them distinguished from the prior art in their structures and functions. Features of the invention have been broadly described so that the detailed descriptions that follow may be better understood, and in order that the contributions of this invention to the arts may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional aspects of the invention described below and which may be included in the subject matter of the claims to this invention. Those skilled in the art who have the benefit of this invention, its teachings, and suggestions will appreciate that the conceptions of this disclosure may be used as a creative basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out and practicing the present invention. The claims of this invention are to be read to include any legally equivalent devices or methods which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the previously-mentioned problems and long-felt needs and provides a solution to those problems and a satisfactory meeting of those needs in its various possible embodiments and equivalents thereof. To one of skill in this art who has the benefits of this invention's realizations, teachings, disclosures, and suggestions, other purposes and advantages will be appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments, given for the purpose of disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detail in these descriptions is not intended to thwart this patent's object to claim this invention no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions of further improvements.
A more particular description of embodiments of the invention briefly summarized above may be had by references to the embodiments which are shown in the drawings which form a part of this specification. These drawings illustrate certain preferred embodiments and are not to be used to improperly limit the scope of the invention which may have other equally effective or legally equivalent embodiments.
FIG. 1A is a schematic side view, partially in cross-section, of a prior art system with a mill inside a casing to be milled. FIG. 1B is a schematic side view, partially in cross-section, of a prior art system with a mill inside a casing to be milled.
FIG. 2A is a side view in cross-section of a mill guide according to the present invention anchored in a wellbore casing. FIG. 2B is a top end cross-sectional view of the mill guide and casing of FIG. 2A.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the system of FIG. 2A including a milling apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a side view, partially in cross-section of a system according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side view of a starting bar according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side view in cross-section of a system according to the present invention.
FIG. 7A is a side view partially in cross-section of a system according to the present invention. FIG. 7B is a partial view of the system of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7C is a partial view of the system of FIG. 7A.
FIG. 8 is a side view partially in cross-section of the system of FIG. 7A.
FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a mill according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a bottom end view of the mill of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11A is a side cross-sectional view of a connection apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 11B is a side view of part of the apparatus of FIG. 11A. FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view along line 11C--11C of FIG. 11A. FIG. 11D is a side view of a system according to the present invention with the connection apparatus of FIG. 11A.
FIG. 12A is a side view of a mill according to the present invention. FIG. 12B is an end view of the mill of FIG. 12A.
FIG. 13 is a side view of a prior art watermelon mill.
FIG. 14 is a side view of a prior art watermelon mill.
FIG. 15A is a side view of a system useful in a method according to the present invention. FIG. 15B is a side view of another step of the method of FIG. 15A.
FIG. 16 is a side view of a system useful in a method according to the present invention.
FIG. 17A is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a mill according to the present invention. FIG. 17B is a side view of the mill of FIG. 17A. FIG. 17C is a cross-sectional view along line 17C--17C of FIG. 17A. FIG. 17D is an end view of the mill of FIG. 17A.
FIG. 18A is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a mill according to the present invention. FIG. 18B is an end view of the mill of FIG. 18A.
FIG. 19A is an exploded side view, partially in cross-section, of a mill according to the present invention. FIG. 19B is an end view of an inner mill of the mill of FIG. 19A. FIG. 19C is an end view of an inner mill of the mill of FIG. 19A.
FIG. 20 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a mill according to the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a mill according to the present invention.
FIG. 22A is a side cross-sectional view of a mill according to the present invention. FIG. 22B is a side cross-sectional view of an inner mill of the mill of FIG. 22A. FIG. 22C is a top view of parts of the mill of FIG. 22A. FIG. 22D is a perspective view of the mill of FIG. 22B.
FIG. 23A is a side cross-sectional view of a mill according to the present invention. FIG. 23B is a top view of the mill of FIG. 23A.
FIG. 1A shows a prior art mill M attached to drill pipe P in a casing C. When the mill M contacts the interior of the casing C at a point T, the mill M tends to be deflected away from the point T. The stiffness of the drill pipe P (and other drill pipe and items in a string above and connected to the drill pipe P, not shown) is, in most cases, insufficient to prevent the mill M from deflecting away from the interior of the casing C.
FIG. 1B shows a prior art mill L attached to a drill pipe R in a casing S with a curved portion V. When the mill L contacts the interior of the casing S at a point N of the curved portion V, the mill L is deflected away from the point N.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show a mill guide 10 according to the present invention with a hollow cylindrical body 9 having a bore 8 therethrough, an open top end 7 and an open bottom end 6. The mill guide 10 is disposed in a piece of casing 5 which is part of a string of casing (not shown) in a wellbore in the earth. An anchor 4 (or anchors) holds the mill guide 10 in place at a desired location in the casing with an opening 3 of the mill guide's bottom end 6 disposed and oriented so that a mill passing through the mill guide 10 will mill a desired area of the casing, creating a desired hole, slot, opening, or window. The bottom end 6 of the mill guide 10 is formed or cut to have a desired shape 2. This shape 2 may be made to correspond to a curved portion 1 of the casing 5.
As shown in FIG. 3, a mill 11 on a string of drill pipe 12 has been introduced through the casing 5 and the mill guide 10 to contact the casing 5 and begin to mill a hole therethrough. A body 13 of the mill 11 has a length such that at least about a fourth of the desired opening is milled (and in other aspects substantially all of the desired opening) while the mill body 13 remains in contact with a side 30 of the bottom end 6 of the mill guide 10, thus providing a continuous reaction support during part or substantially all of the milling. The side 30 may be the same thickness as a side 32 which is shorter than the side 30; or the side 30 may be thicker than the side 32. The interior of the side 30 may one or more additional layers of material thereon. Such material may also inhibit the mill from milling the side 30. This additional material may be any desired practical thickness and may be any known suitable material, including, but not limited to, steel, carbide steel, stainless steel, known alloys, and hardfacing material. Such a layer or layers may be added by any known method (e.g., welding or hardfacing) or may be formed integrally of the side 30.
FIG. 4 shows a mill guide 15 with a hollow body 16, a top open end 17, a bottom end point 18, a side opening 19, and a slanted side member 21. A whipstock 20 disposed in a casing 22 in a wellbore 23 has a concave surface 24 which corresponds to the shape of the slanted side member 21. The mill guide 15 is made of a strong metal, e.g. steel, so that the slanted side member 21 protects the concave surface 24 from the effects of a mill 25 on flexible pipe 26. The whipstock 20 and the side opening 19 are positioned so that a window 27 is cut at a desired location on the casing 22. As shown in FIG. 4 the window 27 has only been partially milled and will be completed as the mill 25 moves down the slanted side member 21. It is within the scope of this invention for the mill guide 15 and the whipstock 20 to be connected together; to be formed integrally as one member; or for the mill guide 15 to be releasably connected to the whipstock (e.g. but not limited to, by one or more shear studs or shear lugs). In another aspect the mill guide and the whipstock are installed separately.
The embodiments of FIGS. 5, 6, 7A, 7b, 7C, and 8 correspond to the embodiments of FIGS. 1C, 2B, 2A, 5, 3, and 2B respectively as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,187, with like numerals indicating like structure. FIG. 5 illustrates a starting bar 601 which is like the starting bar 60, previously described, but which has a solid milling end 602 which is dressed with any known milling inserts and-or milling material or matrix 603. As shown in FIG. 6, upon receipt of the starting bar 601 within the starting mill 40, the solid milling end 602 is disposed so that the milling material 603 is flush with milling material on the lower end of the starting mill 40. In this position the starting bar 601 is, in certain embodiments, held in place within the starting mill 40 and prevented from rotating and from falling therefrom by any suitable holding mechanism.
FIG. 9 and 10 illustrate a mill 150 according to the present invention with a mill body 152, an upper threaded end 154, a lower milling end 156, a recess 158, and milling inserts and-or milling matrix material 159. An inner milling member 160 is rotatably disposed in the recess 158. The inner milling member 160 has a lower end 164 dressed with milling inserts and-or milling material 166. It is within the scope of this invention for the mill 150 to be a window mill or any other mill on which an inner mill is useful. The recess 158 and, therefore, the inner milling member 160 may be located anywhere on the lower milling end 156, including, but not limited to, in the center of the lower milling end 156 or, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, off-center. A pin 165 whose end 167 rides in a recess 169 holds the inner milling member 160 in the mill body 152.
FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate a whipstock system 200 according to the present invention with a whipstock 202 having a concave face 204, connection apparatus 206 for releasably connecting the whipstock 202 to an anchor apparatus 208. The anchor apparatus may be any known anchor device or anchor-packer. As shown, the anchor apparatus 208 is like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,873, co-owned with the present invention.
The connection apparatus 206 has a shear pin 210 which is designed and configured to shear under a desired force, e.g. 95000 pounds. The shear pin 210 extends through a hole 212 in a neck 214 of a fishing member 216. A relief channel 211 provides fluid relief. A lower end 218 of the fishing member 216 is connected to the anchor apparatus 208 e.g. by welding. An upper end 220 of the fishing member 216, once exposed, provides a member which can be speared or grappled by fishing equipment to facilitate removal of the anchor apparatus 208 from a casing or wellbore once the whipstock 202 has been separated from the anchor apparatus 208 by shearing the shear pin 210 and removing the whipstock 202. This eliminates the need for milling away the whipstock 202 and eliminates problems encountered in such milling when a mill, instead of milling the whipstock, is forced away from the whipstock by the concave face 204. A hole 230 provides fluid relief.
An end 222 of the whipstock 202 has a recess 224 which receives and holds the neck 214 of the fishing member 216. The shear pin 210 extends into holes 226 in the end 222 of the whipstock 202. A recess 228 receives a portion of an end of a part of the whipstock which is welded in place.
FIG. 12A shows a window mill 250 according to the present invention. The mill 250 has a body 252, an upper threaded end 254, a lower milling end 256, a plurality of milling blades 258 with milling inserts 260 and-or desired matrix milling material secured thereto, and an inner fluid flow bore 262 with a lower narrow bore 264. Milling material and-or inserts 263 may be used on the surface of the bore 264. Fluid flowing through the narrow bore 264 flows faster than fluid flowing in the bore 262. Fluid jets 265 direct fluid under pressure out past the blades, preferably with one jet per blade, to inhibit the nesting of cuttings and to facilitate fluid circulation and the upward removal of cuttings.
FIG. 13 shows a prior art watermelon mill 270 with a body 272, an upper threaded end 274, a lower end 276 and a plurality of blades 278 covered with milling inserts and-or matrix milling material 279. Outer surfaces 277 of the blades 278 are ground down to a smooth finish.
FIG. 14 shows a mill 290 like the mill 270, but with rough outer surface 297 on its blades 298; i.e., the outer surfaces 297 are covered with milling material 299 which is not ground smooth. The mill 290 has a body 292, an upper threaded end 294 and a lower end 296.
FIG. 15A shows a milling system 300 contacting a concave 304 of a whipstock 306 in a casing 308. The milling system 300 has a starter or window mill 310 and a watermelon mill 312. The window mill may be any window mill available in the prior art or disclosed herein. In one aspect the window mill has a smooth finish lateral outer surface. The watermelon mill preferably has blades 314 with rough outer surfaces 316. One or more pieces of drill pipe or one or more drill collars are connected above the watermelon mill 312. For flexibility, a single joint of drill pipe is used in the string above the water melon mill. As shown in FIG. 15A, a casing pivot point P is created during milling about which the watermelon mill and associated neck 322 are pivoted into the casing (to the left on FIG. 20A).
FIG. 16 shows a milling system 350 in a casing 352 in a wellbore 354. The system 350 has a window mill 360, a first watermelon mill 362, and a second watermelon mill 364. The mills may be any conventional prior art mills or any mill disclosed herein. The second watermelon mill 364, in certain embodiments, has blades 374 with rough dressed outer surfaces 376. The first watermelon mill 362, in certain embodiments, has blades 366 with smooth outer surfaces 368. The milling system 350 has milled a casing window 356 and has moved down on a concave 358 of a whipstock system 359 (like that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,873 or FIG. 11D) anchored in the wellbore 354.
In one method according to the present invention, a whipstock system with a starter mill releasably secured thereto is run into casing in a wellbore. The whipstock system is oriented as desired and anchored in place. The starter mill is released from the whipstock and rotated to mill off a lug on the whipstock's concave to which the starter mill was shear pinned. Preferably the starter mill starts a window and mills off the lug, but does not mill the concave. The starter mill is then removed from the casing and a milling system like the system 300 is run into the casing. The watermelon mill 312 has blades 314 which are rough dressed with known matrix milling materials 316. The mill 310 is sized, configured, and positioned as is the neck 322 and the watermelon mill 312 is spaced apart from the window mill 310 so that the watermelon mill 312 does not mill the whipstock 306 or its concave 304 (see FIG. 15B). Both the starter mill 310 and the watermelon mill 312 mill out a window 320 from the casing 308. In one aspect a neck 322 of about eighteen to twenty inches separates the window mill 310 and the watermelon mill 312 (e.g., in one aspect, for milling a window about 12 to 15 feet long in a tubular; e.g. casing ranging in outer diameter from 27/8" to 16" or larger). Any lip created by the window mill 310 on the casing 308 is smoothed and finished by the window mill 310 and by the watermelon mill 312. The window mill 310 may be like the mill of FIG. 12A and have blades with a smooth outer surface. Thus, in one aspect, a window about 15 feet in total length is created while using a whipstock with a concave that is about 12 feet long; i.e. a portion of the casing window is created above the whipstock. In one such method the first trip with the starter mill requires thirty minutes to four and a half hours of milling (depending in part on the weight and grade of casing) and employs a single joint of drill pipe above the starter mill; and the second trip requires about three and one-half to eight hours of milling time. With one prior art method to create such a casing window (created with a system according to this invention in about four hours of milling) about ten hours of milling or more are typically required and more than two trips are often needed. By using a window mill with a fluid flow bore, better circulation is achieved, higher pump pressure may be used, "coring" of the mill by a casing sliver or point is inhibited or eliminated, and cuttings are effectively removed. With such a system relatively less torque is needed, reducing wear and tear on various components, e.g. tubular ends.
By using a watermelon mill with blades with outer surfaces that are dressed rough with milling matrix material and/or inserts (i.e., the surfaces are not ground smooth), an elongated window is produced which reduces or eliminates the need for reaming out the window once milling ceases. In one event fishing is necessary at or below the window (e.g. to fish out a mill or other item), the elongated window facilitates fishing and allows relatively large fishing tools to be employed. Use of a rough blade outer surface watermelon mill also results in a reduced torque requirement as compared to milling with a mill with smooth blade outer surfaces ("SOD" mill). Often cuttings produced with a ROD mill are smaller than those produced with a SOD mill and it is easier to circulate the smaller cuttings up the wellbore. Also large cuttings may be inefficiently re-milled if they are not circulated upwardly.
In the situation in which a window is completed in a two-trip method, as the milling system leaves the window and starts to drill into the adjacent formation, the ROD mill smooths out any lip on the casing at the bottom of the window. Any hole in the formation made by a SOD mill which is worn and somewhat undergauge is reamed out by the ROD mill which follows the SOD mill.
If a larger casing window is desired, an additional trip may be used with the two-trip method described above. For the third trip a milling system 350 (FIG. 16) is used with a rough dressed outer blade surface window mill 360; a smooth ground outer blade surface watermelon mill 362; and a rough dressed outer blade surface watermelon mill 364. Alternatively, if it is not desired to raise the window as much as it is by using a rough top watermelon mill, the blades of the mill 362 may have outer surfaces dressed rough and the mill 364 may have blade outer surfaces ground smooth. Also, both mills may have rough-dressed blades. The window mill may be a typical prior art solid mill or a mill as in FIG. 12A. In one aspect a single drill collar is used above the top watermelon mill. In other aspects two or more drill collars are used. The watermelon mill 360 will move tightly down the face of the whipstock's concave and mill off any casing lip that may have been left by previous milling. In one situation on a third trip with an assembly including a SOD window mill, a ROD watermelon mill above it, and a SOD watermelon mill, such an assembly smooths out and elongates the top of a window created on the second trip. By using a ROD watermelon mill instead of the SOD watermelon mill the window is further enlarged and elongated, e.g. if an oversize liner is to be run through the window. By using one or more drill collars a stiffer assembly is formed which facilitates control of the formation of the top of the window and facilitates the smoothing out of rough places on the window, including any lower window lip left by a second trip. In one aspect a small portion of the bottom of the window is intentionally not milled out during a second trip. Not only does a stiffer assembly used in a third trip finish milling the window and smooth out the lower casing lip, it also better directs the milling assembly into formation adjacent the window and inhibits the tendency of the milling assembly to drift back to the annulus between the casing and the wellbore and back to the casing itself.
The previously described two-trip prior art milling method that required about ten hours of milling requires an additional eight to ten hours of milling using two smooth-surfaced blade watermelon mills and, typically, such a three-trip method requires about six days of rig time. In such a method, the window mill may "core" on the second trip, i.e., an edge of the casing attempts to bore up into the center of the mill. The window mill may jump over early on the second trip down the face of the concave and leave a ledge in the bottom of the casing window; and the casing window may not be raised high enough and a drilling assembly introduced into the casing may hang on the ledge.
A three-trip method according to the present invention, in one aspect, takes three to four days of rig time if the window mill does not "core" on the second trip (and such coring is inhibited or eliminated by using a mill with a center bottom hole, e.g. a mill as in FIG. 12A).
FIG. 17A-17D illustrates a mill 400 according to the present invention which has a body 402, an upper threaded end 404, a longitudinal fluid flow bore 406, a plurality of blades 408 (optional) on a lower end 412 of the body 402, and matrix milling material 414 on the blades 408 and lower end 412. Milling inserts may be used on the blades 408 in any known manner, combination, or pattern. Any known insert may be used, with or without chipbreaker(s), and in combination with any known matrix milling material.
The partial cross-sectional view at the lower end 412 of the mill 400 shows that the matrix milling material 414 (and milling inserts if they are also used or used in place of the matrix milling material) extends up into the lower end of the fluid flow bore 406. Such a use of matrix milling material (and-or inserts) may be used on a flow bore of any type of mill, including but not limited to a window mill, including but not limited to any mill described herein. A plurality of flow bores 416 in fluid communication with the fluid flow bore 406 provide a path for fluid discharge past the blades 408.
FIGS. 18A and 18B show a mill 420 according to the present invention with a body 422, an upper threaded end 424, a longitudinal fluid flow bore 426, a plurality of sub-bores 428, a lower body end 432, and matrix milling material 434 on the lower end 432. An amount of matrix milling material 436 extends up into a lower end 438 of the longitudinal fluid flow bore 426 and, as shown in FIG. 18B, encircles the interior of the lower end 438. Milling inserts may be used in any known manner with or in place of the matrix milling material.
FIGS. 19A-19C show a mill 450 according to the present invention with a body 452, a lower body end 462, an upper threaded end 454, a longitudinal fluid flow bore 456 with a lower end 468, a plurality of sub-bores 458, and matrix milling material 464 on the lower body end 462. A fluid sub-bore 472 is in fluid communication with the longitudinal fluid flow bore 456 and a recess 474 in which is rotatably and releasably mounted an inner mill 470 which rotates adjacent a top thrust bearing 476 and a side cylindrical bearing 478. A fluid flow bore 485 extends through the inner mill 420. A removable pin 480 extends through a hole 482 in the body 452 and has an end 484 that projects into and is releasably held in a groove 486 in the inner mill 470. Matrix milling material 488 is on a lower end 492 of the inner mill 470. Milling inserts may be used in any known manner with or in place of the matrix milling material.
FIGS. 20 and 21 show alternative embodiments of the mill 420. As shown in FIG. 21, a rotatably inner mill 494 (like the inner mill 470) may have a lower end 496 that projects downwardly beyond a lowermost surface of the lower body end 462. As shown in FIG. 26, an inner mill 498 may have a lower end 499 that does not project downwardly beyond the lower body end 462 and which is recessed upwardly away from the lowermost surface of the body end 462.
FIGS. 22A-22C show a mill 500 according to the present invention with a body 502, a lower body end 512, an upper end 504, a fluid flow bore 506 with a lower end 508, a sub-bore 518, and matrix milling material 514 on the lower body end 512. The fluid sub-bore 518 is in fluid communication with the fluid flow bore 506 and a recess 524 in which is rotatably and releasably mounted an inner mill 520. Suitable bearings may be used with the inner mill 520. Fluid flow bores 525 extends through the inner mill 520. A removable pin like the pin 480 and a hole like the hole 482 and a groove like the groove 486 releasably hold the inner mill 520 in the body 502. Matrix milling material 528 is on a lower end 522 of the inner mill 520. Milling inserts may be used in any known manner or pattern with or in place of the matrix milling material. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 22A coacting recesses 530 on the body 502 and 531 on the inner mill 520 form a groove in which is movably disposed one, and preferably a plurality, of ball bearings 504 which hold the inner mill in the body 502. Such bearings may be inserted into the groove through a suitably positioned opening on the body 502 which is then closed off.
The body 502 has a gear 526 projecting downwardly with teeth 527 that mesh and coact with teeth 537 of a gear 536 that projects upwardly from the inner mill 520. Rotation of the body 502 thus imparts rotation to the inner mill 520. Any known gearing and gear ratio may be used.
For additional driving force to rotate the inner mill 520 (or for an alternative in which no gears are used), vanes or flutes are provided on the top of and/or on the sides of the inner mill 520. The force of fluid flowing through the fluid flow bore 506 and the flow bore 518 hitting the vanes or flutes turns the inner mill 520.
FIGS. 23A-23B show a mill 550 according to the present invention with a body 552, a lower body end 562, an upper end 554, a fluid flow bore 556 with a lower end 558, a sub-bore 568, and matrix milling material 564 on the lower body end 562. The fluid sub-bore 568 is in fluid communication with a recess 574 in which is rotatably and releasably mounted an inner mill 570. Suitable bearings may be used with the inner mill 570. Fluid flow bores 575 extend through the inner mill 570. A removable pin like the pin 480 and a hole like the hole 482 and a groove like the groove 486 releasably may be used to hold the inner mill 570 in the body 552. Matrix milling material 578 is on a lower end 572 of the inner mill 570. Milling inserts may be used in any known manner or pattern with or in place of the matrix milling material. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23A coacting recesses 580 on the body 552 and 581 on the inner mill 570 form a groove in which is movably disposed one, and preferably a plurality, of ball bearings 584 which hold the inner mill in the body 552. Such bearings may be inserted into the groove through a suitably positioned opening on the body 552 which is then closed off.
The body 552 has a gear 576 projecting downwardly with teeth 577 that mesh and coact with teeth 587 of a gear 586 that is rotatably mounted to the body 552 on a shaft 583. The inner mill 570 has gear teeth 589 formed on an interior surface thereof that mesh with the teeth 587. Rotation of the body 552 thus imparts rotation to the inner mill 570. Any known gearing and gear ratio may be used. Seals 565 and 567 seal the interface between the body 552 and the inner mill 570. Additional driving force (or driving force) may be provided to the mill 570 as described above for the mill 520.
In conclusion, therefore, it is seen that the present invention and the embodiments disclosed herein and those covered by the appended claims are well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends set forth. Certain changes can be made in the described and in the claimed subject matter without departing from the spirit and the scope of this invention. It is realized that changes are possible within the scope of this invention and it is further intended that each element or step recited in any of the following claims is to be understood as referring to all equivalent elements or steps. The following claims are intended to cover the invention as broadly as legally possible in whatever form its principles may be utilized. The invention claimed herein is new and novel in accordance with 35 U.S.C. � 102 and satisfies the conditions for patentability in �102. The invention claimed herein is not obvious in accordance with 35 U.S.C. �103 and satisfies the conditions for patentability in �103. This specification and the claims that follow are in accordance with all of the requirements of 35 U.S.C. �112.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Mar 26, 1919
|Jan 19, 1926
|Sullivan Machinery Co
|Method and apparatus for drilling holes
|Oct 26, 1925
|Jun 22, 1926
|Frank Kinzbach
|Whip stock
|May 2, 1928
|May 12, 1931
|Oliver Fay
|Side wall drilling organization
|Feb 13, 1928
|Jul 7, 1931
|Frank Kinzbach
|Oct 27, 1928
|Aug 4, 1931
|Frank Kinzbach
|Aug 5, 1929
|Dec 8, 1931
|Lane Charles H
|Whip stock
|May 5, 1930
|Jul 5, 1932
|Crowell Erd V
|Tubing anchor
|Apr 15, 1929
|Aug 2, 1932
|Lynch Theodore L
|Tubing anchor
|May 29, 1933
|Sep 17, 1935
|Hinderliter Frank J
|Apparatus for cutting through the side wall of a pipe
|Mar 9, 1935
|Jun 9, 1936
|Lane Edward K
|Automatically orienting whipstock
|Nov 6, 1934
|Dec 29, 1936
|Union Sulphur Company
|Removable straightening tool
|Oct 22, 1936
|Dec 7, 1937
|Monroe Daniel B
|Well drilling whip stock
|Mar 16, 1936
|Dec 14, 1937
|Walter Brauer
|Sidetracking tool
|Jul 25, 1936
|Dec 28, 1937
|Kinzbach Robert B
|Side tracking apparatus
|Jun 4, 1935
|Jan 18, 1938
|George J Barrett And Sosthene
|Nov 20, 1935
|Jan 18, 1938
|Barrett George J
|Well-boring apparatus
|Dec 5, 1936
|Oct 4, 1938
|Walker Clinton L
|Quick action whip stock
|Jul 25, 1936
|Jan 31, 1939
|Kinzbach Robert B
|Whip stock anchor
|Oct 28, 1937
|Aug 22, 1939
|John Eastman Harlan
|Whip-stock bottom
|Oct 28, 1937
|Jul 16, 1940
|Eastman Oil Well Survey Co
|Expanding foot piece for whipstocks
|Jun 16, 1939
|Dec 31, 1940
|John W Heaston
|Nov 18, 1940
|Oct 13, 1942
|Sperry Sun Well Surveying Co
|Method and apparatus for orienting tools
|Mar 26, 1941
|Jul 20, 1943
|Fohs Oil Company
|Side wall coring tool
|Nov 5, 1941
|Oct 12, 1943
|Sperry Sun Well Surveying Co
|Sep 10, 1941
|Jan 11, 1944
|Walker Clinton L
|Jul 28, 1944
|Jul 13, 1948
|Eastman Oil Well Survey Co
|Anchoring means for whipstocks
|Aug 8, 1945
|Jan 24, 1950
|Brimble Neville B
|Side wall sample taker
|Jan 22, 1945
|May 9, 1950
|Casing whipstock
|Aug 10, 1945
|May 23, 1950
|Grable Donovan B
|Well plugging and whipstocking
|Nov 16, 1949
|Sep 11, 1951
|John Eastman H
|Means for orienting well tools in well bores
|May 8, 1947
|Feb 26, 1952
|Eastman Oil Well Survey Co
|Drilling apparatus
|Sep 7, 1948
|Mar 31, 1953
|Harry Hampton
|Apparatus for preparing a well casing for sidetrack drilling
|Oct 14, 1950
|Apr 7, 1953
|Eastman Oil Well Survey Co
|Milling bit
|Jun 18, 1949
|May 12, 1953
|Condra Elmo L
|Pipe cutter or reamer for use on crooked pipe
|Nov 3, 1948
|Sep 22, 1953
|Sun Oil Co
|Apparatus for orienting tools
|Jun 24, 1948
|Dec 29, 1953
|Sid W Richardson Inc
|Means for installing and removing flow valves
|Mar 14, 1952
|Jan 18, 1955
|Zublin John A
|Apparatus for drilling laterally deviating bores from a vertical bore below a casing set therein
|Mar 10, 1953
|Nov 13, 1956
|Neal Stephen A
|Circulating and rotating retrievable whipstock
|Sep 13, 1954
|Jul 2, 1957
|Oilwell Drain Hole Drilling Co
|Drilling and lining of drain holes
|Jun 10, 1957
|Apr 14, 1959
|J E Hill
|Directional window cutter for whipstocks
|Sep 24, 1956
|May 5, 1959
|Drilling and deflecting tool
|Oct 11, 1956
|Aug 30, 1960
|Wynes Alfred C
|Redirecting deflected boreholes
|Apr 29, 1957
|Sep 19, 1961
|Regan Forge & Eng Co
|Deep well orienting tool
|May 5, 1961
|Jan 29, 1963
|Bennett Walter P
|Small-angle drill-hole whipstock
|Oct 7, 1960
|Jun 25, 1963
|Bowen Itco Inc
|Whipstock and anchoring mechanism therefor
|Oct 23, 1958
|Jul 9, 1963
|Brown Cicero C
|Gripping devices
|Jul 22, 1960
|Aug 20, 1963
|Otis Eng Co
|Anchoring and sealing device
|Aug 1, 1960
|Jan 7, 1964
|Drilling Control Corp
|Whipstock apparatus and method of using the same
|Feb 8, 1963
|Mar 9, 1965
|Bertil Roxstrom Eric
|Device for deflecting drill holes in diamond drilling
|Nov 2, 1970
|Jun 6, 1972
|Nelson Arthur J
|Coupling for drill string
|May 22, 1974
|Sep 30, 1975
|Standard Oil Co
|Sidetracking tool
|Jun 4, 1974
|Feb 15, 1977
|Texas Dynamatics, Inc.
|Device for drilling a hole in the side wall of a bore hole
|May 19, 1977
|May 8, 1979
|Baker International Corporation
|Method and apparatus for anchoring whipstocks in well bores
|Aug 14, 1978
|May 12, 1981
|Christensen, Inc.
|Well casing window mill
|Jul 21, 1980
|Aug 25, 1981
|Baker International Corporation
|Apparatus for setting and orienting a whipstock in a well conduit
|Jul 21, 1980
|Dec 8, 1981
|Baker International Corporation
|Method for setting and orienting a whipstock in a well conduit
|Jul 21, 1980
|Dec 29, 1981
|Baker International Corporation
|Angular whipstock alignment means
|Jul 6, 1981
|Aug 9, 1983
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Method for forming drain holes from a cased well
|Oct 13, 1981
|Feb 7, 1984
|Christensen, Inc.
|Self powered downhole tool anchor
|Jun 7, 1982
|May 29, 1984
|Baker Oil Tools, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for well cementing through a tubular member
|Aug 11, 1983
|Jan 1, 1985
|Gearhart Industries, Inc.
|Through tubing bridge plug
|Jun 6, 1984
|Nov 5, 1985
|A-Z International Tool Company
|Method of and apparatus for cutting and recovering of submarine surface casing
|Jul 29, 1985
|Mar 3, 1987
|A-Z International Tool Company
|Well string cutting apparatus
|Oct 31, 1984
|May 19, 1987
|Encore Drilling Limited
|Wedging assembly for borehole steering or branching
|Jul 13, 1987
|Mar 29, 1988
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Submudline drivepipe whipstock method and apparatus
|Apr 13, 1987
|Aug 23, 1988
|Drilex Systems, Inc.
|Whipstock packer assembly
|Sep 28, 1987
|Feb 28, 1989
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|System and method for providing multiple wells from a single wellbore
|Sep 29, 1988
|Jul 4, 1989
|Conoco Inc.
|Through-tubing perforating apparatus
|Nov 17, 1988
|Jul 3, 1990
|Lynde Gerald D
|Cutting tool for cutting well casing
|Apr 23, 1990
|Jan 15, 1991
|Tri-State Oil Tools, Inc.
|Method of securing cutting elements on cutting tool blade
|Mar 18, 1988
|May 14, 1991
|Tri-State Oil Tools, Inc.
|Milling tool for cutting well casing
|Jan 11, 1989
|Jul 30, 1991
|Masx Energy Service Group, Inc.
|Whipstock starter mill with pressure drop tattletale
|Mar 21, 1991
|Feb 11, 1992
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Tapered cutting tool for reaming tubular members in well bore
|Dec 17, 1990
|May 5, 1992
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|One trip window cutting tool method and apparatus
|May 7, 1991
|May 19, 1992
|Clayton Charley H
|Oct 19, 1990
|May 26, 1992
|Anglo Suisse, Inc.
|Directional drilling system and method for drilling precise offset wellbores from a main wellbore
|Apr 4, 1991
|Sep 29, 1992
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Milling tool and method for milling multiple casing strings
|Sep 19, 1990
|Oct 13, 1992
|Masx Energy Services Group, Inc.
|Whipstock assembly with hydraulically set anchor
|May 20, 1991
|Nov 17, 1992
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Angled sidewall coring assembly and method of operation
|Aug 30, 1991
|Feb 23, 1993
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Method for obtaining cores from a producing well
|Aug 30, 1991
|Mar 23, 1993
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Permanent whipstock and placement method
|Aug 30, 1991
|May 18, 1993
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Coring with tubing run tools from a producing well
|Jan 30, 1992
|Jun 29, 1993
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Whipstock for oil and gas wells
|Sep 22, 1992
|Oct 19, 1993
|Homco International, Inc.
|Method and apparatus to cut and remove casing
|Mar 25, 1992
|Nov 30, 1993
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Well conduit cutting and milling apparatus and method
|Oct 9, 1992
|Jan 11, 1994
|Blount Curtis G
|Method for forming a window in a subsurface well conduit
|Jan 11, 1993
|Feb 22, 1994
|Blount Curtis G
|Method and apparatus for setting a whipstock
|Mar 30, 1993
|Feb 22, 1994
|Abb Vetco Gray Inc.
|Emergency method for running slips over casing collars
|Aug 7, 1992
|Jun 7, 1994
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Method and apparatus for locating and re-entering one or more horizontal wells using whipstock with sealable bores
|Aug 7, 1992
|Jun 7, 1994
|Baker Hughes, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for sealing the juncture between a vertical well and one or more horizontal wells using deformable sealing means
|Oct 28, 1992
|Jun 7, 1994
|Marathon Oil Company
|Retrievable whipstock/packer assembly and method of use
|Aug 7, 1992
|Jun 21, 1994
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Method and apparatus for sealing the juncture between a vertical well and one or more horizontal wells
|Nov 19, 1992
|Aug 9, 1994
|Smith International, Inc.
|Retrievable whipstock
|Sep 16, 1992
|Aug 30, 1994
|Weatherford U.S., Inc.
|Method and apparatus for deviated drilling
|Sep 27, 1993
|Sep 13, 1994
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Method and apparatus for setting a whipstock
|Jun 6, 1994
|Jan 10, 1995
|Atlantic Richfield Company
|Method for setting a whipstock in a wellbore
|Jan 12, 1995
|Jan 16, 1996
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Whipstock assembly for a sleeved casing
|Aug 26, 1994
|Oct 15, 1996
|Halliburton Company
|Methods and systems for subterranean multilateral well drilling and completion
|May 31, 1995
|Jan 14, 1997
|Baker Hughes Inc.
|Method and apparatus of installing a whipstock
|Sep 27, 1988
|Mar 29, 1990
|Preussag Ag
|Arrangement for producing a deflecting bore
|"Bowen Whipstocks," Bowen Oil Tools, Composite Catalog, one page, 1962-63.
|"Casing Whipstocks," Eastman Whipstock, Composite Catalog, p. 2226, 1976-77.
|"Dual horizontal extension drilled using retrievable whipstock," Cress et al, Worked Oil, Jun. 1993, five pages.
|"Improved Casing Sidetrack Procedure Now Cuts Wider, Larger Windows," Cagle et al, Petroleum Engineer International, Mar. 1979.
|"Kinzbach Tool Co., Inc. Catalog 1958-59," Kinzbach Tool Company, Inc., 1958; see pp. 3-5 paraticularly.
|"Weatherford Fishing and Rental tool Services," 1993.
|A 1 Bit & Tool company 1990 01 General Catalog, pp. 8, 14.
|A-1 Bit & Tool company 1990-01 General Catalog, pp. 8, 14.
|Bowen Whipstocks, Bowen Oil Tools, Composite Catalog, one page, 1962 63.
|Casing Whipstocks, Eastman Whipstock, Composite Catalog, p. 2226, 1976 77.
|Dual horizontal extension drilled using retrievable whipstock, Cress et al, Worked Oil, Jun. 1993, five pages.
|Frank s, The Submudline Drivepipe Whipstock, Patent 4,733,732 .
|Frank's, "The Submudline Drivepipe Whipstock, Patent # 4,733,732".
|Improved Casing Sidetrack Procedure Now Cuts Wider, Larger Windows, Cagle et al, Petroleum Engineer International, Mar. 1979.
|Kinzbach Tool Co., Inc. Catalog 1958 59, Kinzbach Tool Company, Inc., 1958; see pp. 3 5 paraticularly.
|TIW SS WS Whipstock Packer Information, Texas Iron Works, 1987.
|TIW SS-WS Whipstock Packer Information, Texas Iron Works, 1987.
|US PTO Official Gazette entry, 16 Oct. 1993, p. 2356 for U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,746.
|Weatherford Fishing and Rental tool Services, 1993.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Sep 5, 1997
|Jan 11, 2000
|Schlumberger Technology Corporation
|Deviated borehole drilling assembly
|Feb 5, 1998
|Jun 6, 2000
|Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
|Lateral wellbore connection
|Mar 11, 1998
|Jun 13, 2000
|Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
|Torque resistant retrievable whipstock
|Jul 31, 2000
|Dec 25, 2001
|Schlumberger Technology Corp.
|Deviated borehole drilling assembly
|Jul 31, 2000
|Jan 1, 2002
|Schlumberger Technology Corporation
|Deviated borehole drilling assembly
|May 14, 1999
|Apr 23, 2002
|Weatherford/Lamb, Inc.
|In-tubing wellbore sidetracking operations
|May 30, 2000
|Jun 11, 2002
|Re-Entry Technologies, Inc.
|Method and apparatus involving an integrated or otherwise combined exit guide and section mill for sidetracking or directional drilling from existing wellbores
|Jun 10, 2002
|Jul 18, 2006
|Re-Entry Technologies, Inc.
|Method and apparatus involving an integrated or otherwise combined exit guide and section mill for sidetracking or directional drilling from existing wellbores
|Apr 3, 2009
|Jul 5, 2011
|Baker Hughes Incorporated
|Four mill bottom hole assembly
|Apr 8, 2008
|Aug 21, 2012
|Weatherford/Lamb, Inc.
|Whipstock assembly for forming a window within a wellbore casing
|Feb 18, 2010
|Apr 30, 2013
|Conocophillips Company
|Directional sidetrack well drilling system
|Sep 2, 2010
|Conocophillips Company
|Directional sidetrack well drilling system
|Dec 21, 2000
|Jul 26, 2001
|Kennedy Michael D
|Method and apparatus for a combined exit guide and sectional mill for sidetracking
|Jun 10, 2003
|Dec 18, 2003
|Re-Entry Technologies, Inc.
|New and improved method and apparatus involving an integrated or otherwise combined exit guide and section mill for sidetracking or directional drilling from existing wellbores
|U.S. Classification
|166/382, 166/117.6, 175/81
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Feb 21, 2002
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|May 13, 2005
Owner name: WEATHERFORD/LAMB, INC., TEXAS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:HALFORD, SR., HUBERT E.;REEL/FRAME:016004/0562
Effective date: 20050511
|Feb 17, 2006
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Feb 25, 2010
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12
|Dec 4, 2014
Owner name: WEATHERFORD TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS, LLC, TEXAS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WEATHERFORD/LAMB, INC.;REEL/FRAME:034526/0272
Effective date: 20140901


text:
I am making app that takes a screenshot of a URL requested by the user. I want to make it as transparent as possible when sites that require username and passwords are in question.
For instance, if user wants to screenshot its iGoogle page, he will send the server URL but, the screenshot will not be the same as what he sees on his screen.
Is there any way to do this ? I guess that in such cases I will have to actually request screenshot from the user. Perhaps user can even deliver me his cookie for that domain.
Any thoughts ?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fetching data from CrossRef. This may take some time to load.
Innovative research on the fundamental theory and application of spectrometric techniques.
Impact Factor 3.466 12 Issues per Year Indexed in Web of Science
Discrimination of explosive residues on organic and inorganic substrates using
laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Corresponding authors
U.S. Army Research Laboratory, AMSRD-ARL-WM-BD, Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
E-mail: email@example.com
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2009,24, 288-296
Received 20 Oct 2008, Accepted 24 Dec 2008
First published online 02 Feb 2009
| | | | | | More
This content is free, please choose one of the three options provided in the Log in section to gain access.
Please choose one of the options provided in the log in section to gain access to this content:
Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry - Information Point


text:
The Influence of Biochar and Black Carbon on Reduction and Bioavailability of Chromate in Soils
ABSTRACT The widespread use of chromium (Cr) has a deleterious impact on the environment. A number of pathways, both biotic and abiotic in character, determine the fate and speciation of Cr in soils. Chromium exists in two predominant species in the environment, trivalent [(Cr(III)] and hexavalent [Cr(VI)]. Of these two forms, Cr(III) is non-toxic and is strongly bound to soil particles, while Cr(VI) is more toxic, soluble and readily leaches into groundwater. The toxicity of Cr(VI) can be mitigated by reducing it to Cr(III) species. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of organic carbon sources on the reduction, microbial respiration and phytoavailability of Cr(VI) in soils. Organic carbon sources such as black carbon and biochar were tested for their potential in reducing Cr(VI) in acidic and alkaline contaminated soils. An alkaline soil was selected to monitor the phytotoxicity of Cr(VI) in sunflower plant. Our results showed that using black carbon resulted in greater reduction of Cr(VI) in soils compared to biochar. This is attributed to the differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and functional groups that provide electrons for the reduction of Cr(VI). When increasing levels of Cr were added to soils, both microbial respiration and plant growth decreased. The application of black carbon was more effective than biochar in increasing the microbial population and in mitigating the phytotoxicity of Cr(VI). The net benefit of black carbon emerged as an increase in plant biomass and a decrease in Cr concentration in plant tissue. Consequently, it was concluded that black carbon is a potential reducing amendment in mitigating Cr(VI) toxicity in soil and plants.
Full-textDOI: · Available from: Girish Choppala, Jul 18, 2015
- SourceAvailable from: Girish Choppala
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
- "Estimation of Cr(VI) half-life was calculated based on the first-order decay rate equation as described by Choppala et al. (2012). In this equation, the net rate of change in residual Cr(VI) at any instant time will be equal to the decay rate (V dec ), which is expressed by the following first-order differential equation: "
ABSTRACT: This study was aimed to examine the efficiency of a novel bacterial consortium on the reduction of toxic hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] to non-toxic trivalent Cr [Cr(III)]. Six Cr(VI)-resistant bacteria (IS1-IS6) were isolated from a tannery waste disposal site at Mount Barker, South Australia, of which three viz., IS1, IS2 and IS3 were selected based on Cr(VI) reduction ability in minimal salt medium. The isolates were identified as Bacillus endophyticus (IS1), Microbacterium paraoxydans (IS2) and Bacillus simplex (IS3) by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. All three isolates were able to tolerate chromium (Cr(VI), 300–400 mg L−1), arsenic (As(V), 1,000 mg L−1), copper (Cu(II), 300–400 mg L−1) and lead (Pb(II), 1,000 mg L−1). The isolates were evaluated both as an individual and as a consortia for Cr(VI) reduction in minimal salt medium and storm water, both spiked with 100 mg Cr(VI) L−1. In both cases, the rate of Cr(VI) reduction was found to be significantly higher in the bacterial consortium inoculation (t ½ = 8.45 for minimal salt medium; 6.02 h for storm water), compared to inoculation with individual isolates (t ½ = 53.3–115.5 h for minimal salt medium; 8.77–9.76 h for storm water). The rate of Cr(VI) reduction in both minimal salt medium and storm water was found to be higher in bacterial consortium inoculation (IS1 + IS2 + IS3) than in individual isolate inoculation. This experiment demonstrated that bacterial consortium prepared by using B. endophyticus, M. paraoxydans and B. simplex was more effective in Cr(VI) detoxification than application of individual bacterium. This experiment also proved that a bacterial consortium was more effective in Cr(VI) detoxification than the application of individual bacterial strain.Water Air and Soil Pollution 11/2013; 224(12). DOI:10.1007/s11270-013-1716-9 · 1.55 Impact Factor
- "The resulting charred residues were washed with 1 M HCl and later washed with 1:1 1 M HCl and 1 M HF to remove any silica and other inorganic materials. Following several cycles of thorough washing with distilled water until the pH of the BC remained constant, the BC samples were dried in a hot air oven at 60 °C for 48 h and stored in an air tight glass container (Choppala et al. 2012). Chicken manurederived biochar (CM) and green waste-derived biochar (GW) were produced at a treatment temperature of 550 °C in a pyrolysis plant by Pacific Pyrolysis at Somersby, New South Wales (www.pacificpyrolysis. "
Article: Comparative Sorption of Pb and Cd by Biochars and Its Implication for Metal Immobilization in Soils[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Biochar has great potential as a soil amendment to immobilize heavy metals, thereby reducing their bioavail-ability. In this study, biochars derived from chicken manure and green waste were compared with commercial activated carbon (AC) and laboratory produced black carbon (BC) for the sorption of Pb and Cd. Sorption kinetics and equilibrium sorption isotherms for Pb and Cd were obtained for the char materials and the data were fitted to kinetic and sorption isotherm models.. Chicken manure-derived biochar (CM) showed the highest sorption capacity for both Pb and Cd, and the Pb sorption by biochars was higher than the Cd sorption because of the precipitation of Pb with various ions released from the biochars such as carbonate, phosphate, and sulfate. The sorption data for both Pb and Cd were better represented by the pseudo-second order kinetic model than the pseudo-first order kinetic model, which indicates chemical sorption between biochar and metals. For the isotherm studies, char materials was mixed with various amount of Pb or Cd solutions and the remaining metal concentration was measured. The equilibrium sorp-tion data followed a Langmuir isotherm with a maximum sorption capacity of 6.8–11 and 1.7–8.0 mg/g by biochars for Pb and Cd, respectively. Furthermore, CM immobilized Pb and Cd up to 93.5 and 88.4 %, respec-tively, while BC was not effective in the immobilization of Pb in soil. Overall, the sorption experiments in solution and the immobilization experiment in soil showed that biochars are more effective than AC in the sorption of Pb and Cd, and that they have the potential to be used as a soil amendment to remediate metal-contaminated soil.Water Air and Soil Pollution 11/2013; 224(12). DOI:10.1007/s11270-013-1711-1 · 1.55 Impact Factor
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
- "The effect of biochar on soil microbial processes and communities (Graber et al., 2010; Kolton et al., 2011) could also be related to redox activity of biochar, with components in the water-soluble fraction enabling electron transfers between bacterial cells and Fe(III)-bearing minerals. Redox active substances could take part in bacterial reduction and immobilization of contaminants such as Cr(VI) (Choppala et al., 2012) or, alternatively, cause the abiotic release of contaminants such as arsenic that are associated with Fe oxides. "
ABSTRACT: Biochar, being produced in an oxygen-restricted environment, is chemically more reduced than the original feedstock. Consequently, it was hypothesized that reduced biochar components could participate in redox-mediated reactions in the soil. This hypothesis was tested by measuring the reducing capacities of aqueous extracts of biochars and the reduction and solubilization of soil Mn and Fe oxides by the extracts. The reduction capacity of extracts from biochars produced from three feedstocks (eucalyptus wood, EUC; olive pomace, OP; and greenhouse waste, GHW) at different highest pyrolysis treatment temperatures (HTT; 350, 450, 600 and 800°C) was less for the EUC feedstock than the others, and was greater for biochars produced at lower HTTs. The organic fraction of the extracts apparently was responsible for the major part of the reducing capacity. Extracts of smaller-HTT biochars, having greater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contents, had greater reducing capacities than extracts of larger-HTT biochars from the same feedstock. Extracts of two GHW biochars (GHW-450 and GHW-600) solubilized Mn and Fe from soils at pH values below 8. The extract with the greater reducing capacity (GHW-450) solubilized both metals to a significantly greater extent. Smaller-HTT biochars produced from agricultural wastes, having a greater variety and concentration of soluble reducing agents, are expected to have more impact on soil redox reactions than larger-HTT biochars. By participating in chemical and biological redox-mediated reactions in the soil, biochar could influence microbial electron shuttling, nutrient cycling, pollutant degradation, contaminant mobilization and abiotic formation of humic structures.European Journal of Soil Science 08/2013; 65(1). DOI:10.1111/ejss.12071 · 2.65 Impact Factor


text:
Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for pregnancy complications. Knowledge about increased risks in overweight and obese women could contribute to successful prevention strategies and the aim of this study is to assess current levels of knowledge in a pregnant population.
Cross sectional survey of 412 consecutive unselected women in early pregnancy in Brisbane, Australia: 255 public women attending their first antenatal clinic visit and 157 women at private maternal fetal medicine clinics undergoing a routine ultrasound evaluation prior to 20 weeks gestation. The cohort was stratified according to pre pregnancy BMI (< 25.0 or ≥ 25.0). The main outcome measure was knowledge regarding the risks of overweight and obesity in pregnancy.
Over 75% of respondents identified that obese women have an increased risk of overall complications, including gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy compared to women of normal weight. More than 60% of women asserted that obesity would increase the risk of caesarean section and less than half identified an increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. Women were less likely to know about neonatal complications (19.7% did not know about the effect of obesity on these) than maternal complications (7.4%). Knowledge was similar amongst women recruited at the public hospital and those recruited whilst attending for an ultrasound scan at a private clinic. For most areas they were also similar between women of lower and higher BMI, but women with BMI < 25.0 were less likely to know that obesity was associated with increased rate of Caesarean section than those with higher BMI (16.8% versus 4.5%, P < 0.001). Higher educational status was associated with more knowledge of the risks of overweight and obesity in pregnancy.
Many women correctly identify that overweight and obesity increases the overall risk of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The increased risks of maternal complications associated with being obese are better known than the increased risk of neonatal complications. Maternal education status is a main determinant of the extent of knowledge and this should be considered when designing education campaigns.
In line with the age and gender adjusted general population prevalence [1], approximately one third of pregnant women in Australia are overweight (BMI 25-29.9) or obese (BMI > 30) [2,3]. These rates are similar to the rates in other developed and developing countries [4]. Arguably, overweight and obesity are currently among the most common risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes [5]. Table 1 provides an overview of the quoted prevalence and odds ratios for a number of pregnancy and neonatal complications for obese women compared to women of normal weight, derived from a detailed literature review in this area. These complications include gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, caesarean section, thromboembolism, perinatal infections and in the neonate high birth weight or macrosomia, higher rates of intensive care nursery admission, congenital anomalies, preterm delivery, stillbirth and perinatal death [1,6,1,1,1,15-40]. Obesity in pregnancy is therefore associated with greater direct costs of $ 2387 (CI: $1799-$3109; P < 0.0001) per pregnancy [41].
Table 1. Prevalence and odds ratios for pregnancy and birth complications
Increasing women's knowledge of the short and long-term risks of obesity to both their own and their offspring's health is likely to be an important first step in preventing obesity in pregnancy. Indeed recommendations to improve preconception care emphasize the need to ensure that women of childbearing age understand factors that increase the risks of childbearing, including obesity [42]. Our study was designed to ascertain whether or not women in the general pregnant population were aware of the increased risks associated with obesity in pregnancy. Furthermore, we investigated whether or not the pre pregnancy BMI was associated with differences in risk perception for complications in obese women.
We developed a questionnaire and surveyed 412 consecutive unselected women in early pregnancy as previously reported [43]. These women were either attending a public antenatal "first visit" clinic (n = 255), or undergoing a routine private ultrasound evaluation prior to 20 weeks gestation (n = 157)[44]. 61.9% of study participants were cared for in the public sector, similar to previously published proportions from Queensland [45]. Pre pregnancy BMI was available for 368 women. Women completed the survey independently while waiting for appointments. A trained research midwife was present at all times, to assist if participants required clarification regarding any component of the survey. The response rate for the questions varied between 96 and 100%. Permission for this study was obtained from the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Health Research and Ethics Committee.
Data collection
Participants were asked to rate their perception of the risk of a pre-specified list of seven maternal and neonatal complications for women who were 'very underweight', 'normal weight' and 'very obese'. For each complication and with each weight status women were asked to indicate level of risk using a 5 point Likert scale (very low risk, low risk, average risk, high risk, very high risk, in addition to a "don't know" option). The specific questions used are shown in Additional file 1.
Additional file 1. Appendix 1. The appendix contains the list of questions posed to the participants in the survey regarding the knowledge of the effects of overweight and obesity in pregnancy.
Format: DOC Size: 54KB Download file
This file can be viewed with: Microsoft Word Viewer
Participants were also asked "If a very obese woman was able to lose weight before pregnancy, how do you think this would affect her risk of pregnancy and birth complications?" The same seven factors were rated on a 5 point Likert scale using the following descriptors: She would be at much lower risk, She would be at lower risk, There would be no change in risk, She would be at higher risk, She would be at much higher risk (see Additional file 1).
Definition of knowledge about the risks of being obese prior to pregnancy
We assessed the way in which women rated risk for each complication for a normal and very obese woman. For the purposes of more detailed analysis, we evaluated women's broad knowledge about the risks of pregnancy and birth complications associated with being very obese. To be categorized as having broad knowledge about the risks of being very obese, women needed to rate the overall risk of complications as high or very high, and had to identify that weight loss prior to pregnancy is associated with a lower or much lower overall risk of complications.
Factors associated with knowledge about the risks of being obese
A number of demographic and obstetric history questions were included in the questionnaire. We explored the univariable and independent (of all other factors considered) associations of characteristics that we a priori thought were likely to be associated with knowledge and that might be useful in determining which groups of women should be specifically targeted to increase knowledge. The factors considered in these analyses were: maternal age (categorized as < 25 years, 25-35 years, > 35 years), parity (categorized as nulliparous or multiparous), smoking during current pregnancy (yes versus no), personal income (categorized as > 40 000 or ≤ 40 000 AUD per year), obstetric care (classified as public or private), pregnancy planning (categorized as planned or unplanned), highest educational status (classified as < Year 12, completed Year 12 or completed a tertiary qualification), body mass index (BMI) prior to pregnancy derived from self-report of pre pregnancy weight and height (categorized as < 25 kg/m2 or ≥25 kg/m2 ), periconceptual folate supplementation (yes versus no), attendance at a pre pregnancy planning visit with a doctor (yes versus no), weight loss attempts prior to current pregnancy (yes versus no), previous history of pregnancy-induced hypertension (yes versus no), of gestational diabetes (yes versus no) and of neonatal morbidity or mortality (including low birth weight baby, preterm baby, baby with a birth defect, death of baby within 1 month, baby requiring special or intensive care nursery).
Statistical analysis
Differences between women with a pre pregnancy BMI < 25.0 or ≥25.0 were analysed by two-sided Χ2 tests. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between each explanatory variable and "knowledge" of the risks of being very obese prior to pregnancy. Continuous variables (maternal age, BMI) were explored both as continuous and categorical variables, to ensure that this did not have an important effect on any of the multiple logistic regression models. Variables with several categories (parity, personal income) were explored using the original multiple categories and the dichotomized variable presented here in the results, to ensure that this did not substantially alter any of the odds ratios presented here. Multivariable logistic regression was used to further investigate some of the positive associations that we found. All analyses were performed with the statistical software package STATA v11.0.
The baseline characteristics of the participating women are presented in Table 2. There was no difference in the baseline characteristics between women with a pre pregnancy BMI of < 25.0 and those with ≥ 25.0, except for BMI itself. Participants were asked to rate risk for a normal weight and a very obese woman for a variety of pregnancy and birth outcomes. These results are stratified by BMI < 25.0 or ≥ 25.0 and presented in Figure 1 and Additional file 2. There were no statistically significant differences in the responses from the women in the two BMI categories; all rated the risk for adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes higher for a very obese woman. In general, women were more confident of the effect of obesity on maternal than neonatal outcomes with 9.0-16.8% and 20.7-22.3% responding "Don't Know" in the BMI < 25.0 and 4.5-13.6% and 14.5-19.2% in the BMI ≥ 25.0 group for the different maternal and neonatal outcomes respectively. A majority of women rated the risks for a very obese woman of overall complications (74.6% vs. 71.6%), gestational diabetes (87.8% vs. 86.5%), blood pressure problems (88.2% vs. 88.3%) or caesarean section (53.6% vs. 50.7%) as high to very high, whereas the risk of preterm delivery (62.8% vs. 60.9%), admission to special nursery care (63.9% vs. 59.1%) and congenital anomalies (58.0% vs. 62.7%) were rated as average to high in the BMI < 25.0 vs. BMI ≥ 25.0 groups respectively.
Table 2. Participant demographic characteristics.
Figure 1. Risks for maternal and infant complications for a normal weight woman or a very obese woman respectively as assessed by pregnant women with a pre pregnancy BMI < 25.0 (white box and light grey box respectively) or BMI ≥ 25.0 (black box and dark grey box respectively) on a five point Likert scale. Results are expressed as mean ± SD. N = 354 for women with BMI < 25.0 and 111 for women with BMI ≥ 25.0. ***, P < 0.001 between the risks for a normal weight woman and an obese woman. There were no statistically significant differences between the assessments of women with a pre pregnancy BMI < or ≥ 25.0 kg/m2.
Additional file 2. Participant response (%) for risk of complications for women with BMI < and BMI ≥ 25. This file contains the tabular results for the data presented graphically in Figure 1.
Format: DOC Size: 74KB Download file
This file can be viewed with: Microsoft Word Viewer
In Table 3 data is presented regarding how participants rated the risk of a very obese woman in comparison to a woman of normal weight, again stratified according to pre pregnancy BMI. The majority of the respondents were aware of the increased risk of overall complications, gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders in obese women whereas a smaller proportion identified higher risks for caesarean section, adverse neonatal outcomes and especially congenital anomalies. There were no significant differences in the responses of women with a pre pregnancy BMI < 25.0 compared to those with a BMI ≥ 25.0.
Table 3. Participant rated risk of pregnancy and childbirth complications for women with a BMI < 25.0 or ≥ 25.0
The majority of respondents thought that weight loss prior to pregnancy would lower the risk of all pregnancy and birth complications independent of their own pre pregnancy BMI (Table 4).
Table 4. Responses regarding change in risk if an obese woman were to lose weight prior to pregnancy
Two hundred and thirty-five women (57% of the total cohort independent of pre pregnancy BMI) were categorized as knowing about the risks of being obese on pregnancy, birth and neonatal outcomes. Table 5 provides information about a number of variables that we hypothesized might be related to knowledge about the risks of overweight and obesity. Educational status was consistently associated with knowledge of overweight and obesity prior to pregnancy. Women who were cared for in the private sector were more likely to be categorized as having a broad knowledge of the risks of overweight and obesity. These women were also more likely to have attended a preconception visit (98 of 157 women with private care (62.4%) vs. 122 of 255 women with public care (47.8%), P < 0.01). We adjusted this analysis for maternal educational status, and found that increased maternal educational status fully explained the difference in knowledge between women cared for in the private and public sector.
Table 5. Association between demographic variables and broad knowledge of obesity-related risk for pregnancy complications and outcomes.
57% of the women in this study knew that being very obese prior to pregnancy increased the overall risk of pregnancy and birth complications, and that weight loss prior to pregnancy in an obese woman would reduce the overall risk of complications. The responses did not differ between normal weight and overweight or obese women.
The majority of women correctly identified the impact of overweight and obesity on maternal complications including diabetes and hypertensive disorders developing in pregnancy. The impact of pre pregnancy weight on caesarean section rates and neonatal outcomes was less well known (Figure 1 and Additional file 1). This is perhaps not surprising, given that relative risks are lower than for maternal adverse outcomes (Table 1). In addition, the increased risk of preterm delivery and congenital abnormalities is not consistently reported in the literature, until women are extremely obese (Class II and III obesity) although recent meta-analyses have indicated increased risks for both overweight and obese women [38,40]. Given that a healthy baby is a highly valued outcome of pregnancy [46], increasing women's knowledge about the impact on overweight and obesity on neonatal problems such as birth defects might encourage women to actively attempt to lose weight prior to pregnancy. A meta-analysis of Leventhal's common-sense models as a theoretical basis for intervention programs identified moderate to strong relationships between knowledge of disease, coping behaviors and outcomes [47]. Tailored diet and exercise interventions for at-risk individuals have been shown to be effective in improving outcomes in type 2 diabetes in a number of studies [48-50]. Therefore a program that will encompass an increase in knowledge of the risks of obesity for maternal and neonatal pregnancy outcomes with tailored easily implementable lifestyle interventions may improve pregnancy outcome for obese women.
Tertiary degree qualification was associated with knowledge about the risks of overweight and obesity. Maternal educational status also fully explained the difference we found in knowledge of the risks of being obese between women cared for in the private and public sectors and between women who did or did not smoke during pregnancy. Educational status is an important predictor of birth outcomes [51], and is associated with better knowledge of other preconception health issues such as periconceptual folate supplementation [5]. Our data would suggest that to improve knowledge regarding the risks of obesity, targeting public health messages at those with lower levels of education would be important.
This study identifies the pre pregnancy health check as an excellent opportunity for improving education of women regarding the risks of obesity prior to pregnancy. Slightly more than half of all women attended a doctor for a pre pregnancy health check. It is important that women have their BMI determined at their pre pregnancy health check, are advised about the risks associated with pre pregnancy overweight and obesity, and where appropriate are provided with support to lose weight [52]. However, this study also showed that education levels are associated with the level of knowledge and preconception visits to health care professionals, and efforts to increase knowledge about the risks associated with obesity during pregnancy in women with lower education levels should include additional measures besides information during preconception visits.
Strengths and Limitations
This study provides information on risk perception relating to the influence of being overweight and obese on pregnancy and birth complications in a relatively large unselected cohort of pregnant women cared for in the private and public sectors. Given the dearth of previous information in this area, we believe that our data will provide useful information to help develop public health interventions for reducing optimizing preconception weight mas well as providing a baseline against which to measure changes in knowledge after future interventions.
We were concerned that this cohort might have been particularly skewed towards well educated women. Women in our cohort had only slightly higher rates of tertiary education (34.9% vs. 28.8%), and similar rates of secondary school non completion (26.2% vs. 27.4%) in comparison to national Australian data [1,17,20,53,54], hence this should not be a major source of bias in this study. It is possible that the responses in this survey might have been positively influenced by local media coverage regarding the problems of overweight and obesity which occurred at around the time of questionnaire administration and it would be useful to repeat this survey again in this population and also in other populations.
It would be worthwhile to conduct a similar survey in health professionals, to assess their understanding of the risks associated with being overweight and obese prior to conception. A detailed knowledge in this group, of the adverse health consequences associated with elevated BMI on pregnancy would be associated with opportunities to address weight loss preconception. This would be especially amongst general practitioners, who generally would provide preconception check ups and could target women requiring weight loss prior to conception.
All the outcomes that we examined are associated with obesity. One of the limitations of this study is that we did not include a false outcome to test whether participants simply assumed all adverse outcomes would be more common in obese women (reflecting the relatively widespread portrayal as obesity as a major contributor to general ill-health). However, the relative risk of each outcome comparing obese to non-obese women does vary in the published literature (Table 1) and knowledge of the effect of obesity on outcomes with a lower relative risk was lower in this survey, indicating that the results may reflect real knowledge.
This study provides evidence that many women correctly identify that overweight and obesity increases the overall risk of complications of pregnancy and childbirth and that this was independent of the woman's own BMI. There remains scope for improvement in women's knowledge about obesity as a risk factor for pregnancy, birth and neonatal complications. Less well educated women are less likely to know about the risks of overweight and obesity in pregnancy, and so future public health campaigns need to ensure that these women are specifically considered.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
MN performed data analysis and drafted the manuscript. KF/NF/KL performed data collection. DL/MC participated in data analysis. HM/LC conceived and designed the study, participated in data analysis and helped draft the manuscript. All authors have critically reviewed the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.
This work was funded by a grant from the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation. The authors thank A/Prof Rob Cincotta and Dr Greg Duncombe for assisting with access to women who are cared for in the private sector.
Callaway LK, Prins JB, Chang AM, McIntyre HD: The prevalence and impact of overweight and obesity in an Australian obstetric population.
Med J Aust 2006, 184(2):56-59. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: executive summary. Expert Panel on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight in Adults
Am J Clin Nutr 1998, 68(4):899-917. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
McTigue KM, Harris R, Hemphill B, Lux L, Sutton S, Bunton AJ, Lohr KN: Screening and interventions for obesity in adults: summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Ann Intern Med 2003, 139(11):933-949. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Low S, Chin MC, Deurenberg-Yap M: Review on epidemic of obesity.
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2009, 38(1):57-59. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Johnson K, Posner SF, Biermann J, Cordero JF, Atrash HK, Parker CS, Boulet S, Curtis MG: Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care--United States. A report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care.
MMWR Recomm Rep 2006, 55(RR-6):1-23. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Kaiser PS, Kirby RS: Obesity as a risk factor for cesarean in a low-risk population.
Obstet Gynecol 2001, 97(1):39-43. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Young TK, Woodmansee B: Factors that are associated with cesarean delivery in a large private practice: the importance of prepregnancy body mass index and weight gain.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002, 187(2):312-318.
discussion 318-320PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Ehrenberg HM, Durnwald CP, Catalano P, Mercer BM: The influence of obesity and diabetes on the risk of cesarean delivery.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004, 191(3):969-974. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Wolfe H: High prepregnancy body-mass index--a maternal-fetal risk factor.
N Engl J Med 1998, 338(3):191-192. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Sibai BM, Gordon T, Thom E, Caritis SN, Klebanoff M, McNellis D, Paul RH: Risk factors for preeclampsia in healthy nulliparous women: a prospective multicenter study. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995, 172(2 Pt 1):642-648. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Ness RB, Roberts JM: Heterogeneous causes constituting the single syndrome of preeclampsia: a hypothesis and its implications.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996, 175(5):1365-1370. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Wolfe HM, Zador IE, Gross TL, Martier SS, Sokol RJ: The clinical utility of maternal body mass index in pregnancy.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 1991, 164(5 Pt 1):1306-1310. PubMed Abstract
Stone JL, Lockwood CJ, Berkowitz GS, Alvarez M, Lapinski R, Berkowitz RL: Risk factors for severe preeclampsia.
Obstet Gynecol 1994, 83(3):357-361. PubMed Abstract
Galtier-Dereure F, Boegner C, Bringer J: Obesity and pregnancy: complications and cost.
Am J Clin Nutr 2000, 71(5 Suppl):1242S-1248S. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Cnattingius S, Bergstrom R, Lipworth L, Kramer MS: Prepregnancy weight and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
N Engl J Med 1998, 338(3):147-152. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Rosenberg TJ, Garbers S, Chavkin W, Chiasson MA: Prepregnancy weight and adverse perinatal outcomes in an ethnically diverse population.
Obstet Gynecol 2003, 102(5 Pt 1):1022-1027. PubMed Abstract
Baeten JM, Bukusi EA, Lambe M: Pregnancy complications and outcomes among overweight and obese nulliparous women.
Am J Public Health 2001, 91(3):436-440. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | PubMed Central Full Text
Weiss JL, Malone FD, Emig D, Ball RH, Nyberg DA, Comstock CH, Saade G, Eddleman K, Carter SM, Craigo SD, et al.: Obesity, obstetric complications and cesarean delivery rate--a population-based screening study.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004, 190(4):1091-1097. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Naeye RL: Maternal body weight and pregnancy outcome.
Am J Clin Nutr 1990, 52(2):273-279. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Sebire NJ, Jolly M, Harris JP, Wadsworth J, Joffe M, Beard RW, Regan L, Robinson S: Maternal obesity and pregnancy outcome: a study of 287,213 pregnancies in London.
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001, 25(8):1175-1182. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Gross T, Sokol RJ, King KC: Obesity in pregnancy: risks and outcome.
Obstet Gynecol 1980, 56(4):446-450. PubMed Abstract
Cedergren M, Kallen B: Maternal obesity and the risk for orofacial clefts in the offspring.
Cleft Palate Craniofac J 2005, 42(4):367-371. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Martinez-Frias ML, Frias JP, Bermejo E, Rodriguez-Pinilla E, Prieto L, Frias JL: Pre-gestational maternal body mass index predicts an increased risk of congenital malformations in infants of mothers with gestational diabetes.
Diabet Med 2005, 22(6):775-781. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Ray JG, Wyatt PR, Vermeulen MJ, Meier C, Cole DE: Greater maternal weight and the ongoing risk of neural tube defects after folic acid flour fortification.
Obstet Gynecol 2005, 105(2):261-265. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Anderson JL, Waller DK, Canfield MA, Shaw GM, Watkins ML, Werler MM: Maternal obesity, gestational diabetes, and central nervous system birth defects.
Epidemiology 2005, 16(1):87-92. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Cedergren MI, Kallen BA: Maternal obesity and infant heart defects.
Obes Res 2003, 11(9):1065-1071. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Watkins ML, Rasmussen SA, Honein MA, Botto LD, Moore CA: Maternal obesity and risk for birth defects.
Pediatrics 2003, 111(5 Part 2):1152-1158. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Watkins ML, Botto LD: Maternal prepregnancy weight and congenital heart defects in offspring.
Epidemiology 2001, 12(4):439-446. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Shaw GM, Todoroff K, Schaffer DM, Selvin S: Maternal height and prepregnancy body mass index as risk factors for selected congenital anomalies.
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2000, 14(3):234-239. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Shaw GM, Todoroff K, Finnell RH, Lammer EJ: Spina bifida phenotypes in infants or fetuses of obese mothers.
Teratology 2000, 61(5):376-381. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Watkins ML, Scanlon KS, Mulinare J, Khoury MJ: Is maternal obesity a risk factor for anencephaly and spina bifida?
Epidemiology 1996, 7(5):507-512. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Shaw GM, Velie EM, Schaffer D: Risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies among obese women.
Jama 1996, 275(14):1093-1096. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Werler MM, Louik C, Shapiro S, Mitchell AA: Prepregnant weight in relation to risk of neural tube defects.
Jama 1996, 275(14):1089-1092. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Waller DK, Mills JL, Simpson JL, Cunningham GC, Conley MR, Lassman MR, Rhoads GG: Are obese women at higher risk for producing malformed offspring?
Am J Obstet Gynecol 1994, 170(2):541-548. PubMed Abstract
Kallen K: Maternal smoking, body mass index, and neural tube defects.
Am J Epidemiol 1998, 147(12):1103-1111. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Moore LL, Singer MR, Bradlee ML, Rothman KJ, Milunsky A: A prospective study of the risk of congenital defects associated with maternal obesity and diabetes mellitus.
Epidemiology 2000, 11(6):689-694. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Feldman B, Yaron Y, Critchfield G, Leon J, O'Brien JE, Johnson MP, Evans MI: Distribution of neural tube defects as a function of maternal weight: no apparent correlation.
Fetal Diagn Ther 1999, 14(3):185-189. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
McDonald SD, Han Z, Mulla S, Beyene J: Overweight and obesity in mothers and risk of preterm birth and low birth weight infants: systematic review and meta-analyses.
Cameron AJ, Welborn TA, Zimmet PZ, Dunstan DW, Owen N, Salmon J, Dalton M, Jolley D, Shaw JE: Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999-2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab).
Med J Aust 2003, 178(9):427-432. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Stothard KJ, Tennant PW, Bell R, Rankin J: Maternal overweight and obesity and the risk of congenital anomalies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
JAMA 2009, 301(6):636-650. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Trasande L, Lee M, Liu Y, Weitzman M, Savitz D: Incremental charges, costs, and length of stay associated with obesity as a secondary diagnosis among pregnant women.
Medical care 2009, 47(10):1046-1052. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Australian Hospital Statistics, 2004-2005 In Health Services Series. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2006:350.
Callaway LK, O'Callaghan MJ, McIntyre HD: Barriers to addressing overweight and obesity before conception.
Medical Journal of Australia 2009, 191(8):425-428. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Callaway LK, O'Callaghan MJ, McIntyre HD: Barriers to addressing overweight and obesity before conception.
Med J Aust 2009, 191(8):425-428. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Atrash HK, Johnson K, Adams MM, Cordero JF, Howse J: Preconception care for improving perinatal outcomes: the time to act.
Luo ZC, Wilkins R, Kramer MS: Effect of neighbourhood income and maternal education on birth outcomes: a population-based study.
Cmaj 2006, 174(10):1415-1420. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | PubMed Central Full Text
Hagger MS, Orbell S: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Common-Sense Model of Illness Representations.
Psychology & Health 2003, 18(2):141-184. PubMed Abstract
Heideman WH, Nierkens V, Stronks K, Middelkoop BJ, Twisk JW, Verhoeff AP, de Wit M, Snoek FJ: DiAlert: a lifestyle education programme aimed at people with a positive family history of type 2 diabetes and overweight, study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.
BMC public health 2011, 11:751. PubMed Abstract | BioMed Central Full Text | PubMed Central Full Text
Mensink M, Blaak EE, Corpeleijn E, Saris WH, de Bruin TW, Feskens EJ: Lifestyle intervention according to general recommendations improves glucose tolerance.
Obesity research 2003, 11(12):1588-1596. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Di Loreto C, Fanelli C, Lucidi P, Murdolo G, De Cicco A, Parlanti N, Santeusanio F, Brunetti P, De Feo P: Validation of a counseling strategy to promote the adoption and the maintenance of physical activity by type 2 diabetic subjects.
Diabetes care 2003, 26(2):404-408. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
de Jong-Van den Berg LT, Hernandez-Diaz S, Werler MM, Louik C, Mitchell AA: Trends and predictors of folic acid awareness and periconceptional use in pregnant women.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2005, 192(1):121-128. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Education and Training Experience, Australia, 2005 (Cat No 6278.0) Australian Bureau of Statistics; 2006.
Ehrenberg HM, Huston-Presley L, Catalano PM: The influence of obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus on accretion and the distribution of adipose tissue in pregnancy.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003, 189(4):944-948. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Solomon CG, Willett WC, Carey VJ, Rich-Edwards J, Hunter DJ, Colditz GA, Stampfer MJ, Speizer FE, Spiegelman D, Manson JE: A prospective study of pregravid determinants of gestational diabetes mellitus.
Jama 1997, 278(13):1078-1083. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Pre-publication history
The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:


text:
The Style Gallery is a great new way for you to view, love, and share outfit photos. It's meant to showcase
all the expressive, creative, and inspirational personalities of our community!
Love you too!
Your email has been sent!
As much as we love embellishments, hooks and eyes, and zippers galore, sometimes it's nice to not have to fuss with a basic, elegant black dress. This frock rises to the occasion with its silky shape, cap sleeves, and wonderful wrap design, leaving you with a simple canvas that's perfect to play with. Add your favorite statement necklace, patterned sheer tights, and brightly colored heels before making your grand entrance.
Final Sale: This item cannot be returned or exchanged.
All measurements in inches.
Sorry this item isn't available anymore
Remarkable fashion & decor, inspired by our community, & delivered with uncommon care.
Copyright ©2002-2015 ModCloth.com. All Rights Reserved.
Site Map
CA Notice
Privacy & Security
Terms of Use


text:
Sometimes ME/CFS emerges after mononucleosis, or glandular fever. Simon McGrath shares results from a long-term follow-up study from Haukeland University Hospital in Norway...
Discuss the article on the Forums.
Continuing Correspondence, Countess of Mar and Prof White and Prof Sir S Wessely
Discussion in 'General ME/CFS News' started by Daisymay, Jan 26, 2013.
Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5


text:
- Antonio Manager (52)
- Francesco Student (14)
- Nonna Sasha on pension! (72)
- Giovanna Lilia Media Relations (46)
Hallo from Sardinia!
We are a family of 4 people + 1 living in Milan: me, my Sardinian husband Antonio, our daughter Anita talent-of-photography, our son Francesco, "talent-in-being relaxed" but a very nice and polite boy, and my mother, I mean The GranMama Sasha. But don't panic. Normally we don't travel all together. Antonio is always traveling all around the world for his job and gets enough of airplanes: so, he loves staying at home or in Sardinia! Anita is 19 y already so she thinks that traveling with parents is "outlandish". Francesco loves traveling but likes his town (Milan) too!, and suffers every time he leaves his friends... So, probably, we are going to move in two: my mother and I…
We live and work or study in Milan, but remain Sardinian inside!!!
ps: sorry, we aren't social networks fans… so, you can't find us for example on fb etc… But believe it: we exist!! In any case, you may have many references of us and both of "villa Turchese" and "villetta Smeraldo", as often we rent these houses by Homelidays site too.
Let me say that we are a friendly and reliable family! used to have a great care and respect of homes as well of nature, and of... people!!
June 14 — July 14, 2016
Va bene anche uno scambio non simultaneo
August 30 — September 12, 2015
Va bene anche uno scambio non simultaneo
June 1 — June 30, 2016
Va bene anche uno scambio non simultaneo
August 22 — September 12, 2015
Va bene anche uno scambio non simultaneo
In famiglia amiamo moltissimo la fotografia. Da ragazza, me la cavavo abbastanza bene… ora cedo volentieri l'arte a mia figlia, che mi supera cento-mille-un milione di volte!
Amiamo la pittura, l'arte, l'architettura; le città da scoprire, i visi che parlano, la gente che guarda il mondo dritto negli occhi…
Amiamo i sorrisi, e li ricambiamo! :-) Ah, dimenticavo: adoriamo il cioccolato!