Table of Contents: Executive Summary; Introduction; Data Sources; Industry Profile and Economic Baseline; Industry Compliance Costs; Industry Impacts; Additional Economic Impacts; Cost-Effectiveness; Environmental Impacts and Benefits; Social Costs and Be...
Environmental surveys to provide base-line data for assessing the potential impact of the operation of Wolseong NPP on marine ecosystems were performed at 3-month intervals in 1981. Physico-chemical properties of seawater and gross beta activities in seaw...
In the discussion of environmental architecture, we are conjoining two disciplines, the subject of architecture and that of ecology. At their best, green buildings are examples of applied ecology, where designers understand the constitution, organization, and structure of ecosystems, and the impacts of architecture are considered from an environmental perspective. By utilizing the concepts, methods, and language of ecology, designers can create architecture that intentionally engages the natural systems of a site. The establishment of assessment criteria implies the definition of building design criteria. If we establish criteria that are based on our best scientific understanding of environmental capacity, we will begin to develop a building stock that is sustainable. To do this we must quantify the link between the resulting environmental impacts and their cause in building production and use. This is not done in traditional building ...
We discuss the advantages which the next generation interferometer SKA (the Square Kilometer Array) will bring for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at centimeter wavelengths. With a sensitivity to micro-Jy level flux density, a brightness temperature limit of about 10.000 K, and an expected dynamic range in future VLBI maps of better than 1.000.000, the impact of SKA on the research of compact extragalactic radio sources and their energetic jets will be very strong. We discuss some consequences, including a possible combination of SKA with future space VLBI missions.
This report provides a detailed description of, and the baseline assumptions and simulation results for, the building prototype simulations conducted for the building types designated in the Work Plan for Demand-side Management Assessment of Hawaii`s Demand-Side Resources (HES-4, Phase 2). This report represents the second revision to the initial building prototype description report provided to DBEDT early in the project. Modifications and revisions to the prototypes, based on further calibration efforts and on comments received from DBEDT Staff have been incorporated into this final version. These baseline prototypes form the basis upon which the DSM measure impact estimates and the DSM measure data base were developed for this project. This report presents detailed information for each of the 17 different building prototypes developed for use with the DOE-21E program (23 buildings in total, including resorts and hotels ...
The Hazardous Material Management and Emergency Response Training and Education Center -- known simply as HAMMER -- is being developed to assist the US Department of Energy (DOE) and others dedicated to improving worker health, safety and productivity. HAMMER is a training and education program for hazardous material, waste management, and emergency response workers. HAMMER is managed by the DOE Richland Operations Office under Work Breakdown Structure (8.2). The 1996 Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) includes the Execution Year data and provides the information for Programmatic Fiscal Year Site Management System Execution Baseline, as well as the detailed work plan for performance evaluation of the authorized work. The MYPP incorporates various planning methodologies to define the program and provides essential program integration, and a fully developed technical, cost, and schedule baseline. The MYPP will be utilized by WHC Program and ...
A new package for the air transport of hazardous materials is currently being developed in the Transportation Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories. The baseline design has a unique impact limiter which uses layers of aluminum screen wire and aramid cloth fabric. A primary motivation for selecting this unusual combination of materials is the need for the impact limiter to not only limit the amount of load transmitted to the primary container but also remain in place during impact events so that it provides a thermal barrier during a subsequent fire. A series of uniaxial and confined compression tests indicated that the layered material does not behave like other well characterized materials. No existing constitutive models were able to satisfactorily capture the behavior of the layered material; thus, a new plasticity model was developed. The new material model was then used to characterize ...
The baseline design for the SSC High Energy Booster (HEB) has dipole bending magnets with a 50 mm aperture. An analysis of the cryogenic heat load due to A.C. losses generated in the HEB ramp cycle are reported for this magnet. Included in this analysis are losses from superconductor hysteresis, yoke hysteresis, strand eddy currents, and cable eddy currents. The A.C. loss impact of 2.5 {mu}m vs. 6 {mu}m filament conductor is presented. A 60 mm aperture design is also investigated. 8 refs., 3 tabs.
Background: Mechanisms underlying the association between myocardial bridge (MB)-stenting and in-stent restenosis (ISR) are still unclear. Objective: To assess the impact of MB on ISR using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Methods: In the Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial, 100 left anterior descending artery (LAD) culprit lesions (79 treated with paclitaxel-eluting stents [PES] and 21 treated with bare metal stents) were imaged with serial IVUS immediately postprocedure and at 13 months. Results: At baseline the LAD stent extended into the MB segment beyond the culprit lesion in seven patients (MB-stent group). In the remaining 93 patients the LAD stent was implanted only in the culprit lesion without extending into t...
This paper describes an approach to solve air quality problems which frequently occur during iterations of the baseline change process. From a schedule standpoint, it is desirable to perform this evaluation in as short a time as possible while budgetary pressures limit the size of the staff available to do the work. Without a method in place to deal with baseline change proposal requests the environment analysts may not be able to produce the analysis results in the time frame expected. Using a concept called the Rapid Response Air Quality Analysis System (RAAS), the problems of timing and cost become tractable. The system could be adapted to assess other atmospheric pathway impacts, e.g., acoustics or visibility. The air quality analysis system used to perform the EA analysis (EA) for the Salt Repository Project (part of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program), and later to evaluate the consequences of proposed ...
This User`s Guide has been prepared to provide recommendations for the selection and application of climatic scenarios in the Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change (SILMU). These scenarios are required for conducting impact studies in SILMU. They should reflect the current range of estimates of future climate in the Finnish region. In addition, they should be consistent with other projections of importance in impact studies, such as future atmospheric composition and sea level. Section 2 provides some background information about the types of scenarios required in SILMU and Section 3 offers a general description of the scenarios. In Section 4 there is some advice on applying sensitivity studies to complement the use of scenarios. Section 5 explains the installation of the SILMUSCEN program and Section 6 guides the user through some examples to illustrate how SILMUSCEN can be used. Section 7 offers some recommendations on which scenarios ...
The EMP consists of a Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program and a Supplemental monitoring Sampling Program. The Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program will be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Project and during a summer and a winter period following the successful Startup and Operational phase of the completed Project. compliance monitoring consist of conducting all the sampling and observation programs associated with existing required Federal, State, and Local Regulations, Permits and Orders. These include air, water, and waste monitoring and OSHA and NESHAP monitoring. The Supplemental Monitoring Program will also be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Demonstration Facility and during a summer and a winter period following the successful startup and Operational phase of the completed ...
The EMP consists of a Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program and a Supplemental monitoring Sampling Program. The Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program will be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Project and during a summer and a winter period following the successful Startup and Operational phase of the completed Project. compliance monitoring consist of conducting all the sampling and observation programs associated with existing required Federal, State, and Local Regulations, Permits and Orders. These include air, water, and waste monitoring and OSHA and NESHAP monitoring. The Supplemental Monitoring Program will also be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Demonstration Facility and during a summer and a winter period following the successful startup and Operational phase of the completed ...
Many Pacific Basin countries rely on oil for electricity production. Alternative fuel sources such as coal, which is available in the Pacific Basin, can help mitigate adverse impacts of sudden price increases or supply disruptions. Coal combustion produces solid and potentially hazardous wastes of concern to environmental regulators and utility managers. This paper identifies issues associated with managing coal combustion wastes in the Pacific Basin, using the state of Hawaii as a case study. Hawaii is typical of many Pacific Basin locations in that it depends on oil, has limited sites, for waste management operations, and is subject to domestic and international waste management regulations. The paper discusses coal-fired utility wastes, environmental impacts of coal combustion waste disposal, and regulatory requirements that impact coal waste management. From this baseline, potential on- and ...
Ground-water monitoring near the Raft River site was initiated in 1974 by the IDWR. This effort consisted of semiannual chemical sampling of 22 irrigation wells near the Raft River geothermal development area. This program yielded useful baseline chemical data; however, several problems were inherent. For example, access to water pumped from the wells is limited to the irrigation season (April through September). All the wells are not continuously pumped; thus, some wells that are sampled one season cannot be sampled the next. In addition, information on well construction, completion, and production is often unreliable or not available. These data are to be supplemented by establishing a series of monitor wells in the proposed geothermal withdrawal and injection area. These wells were to be located and designed to provide data necessary for evaluating and predicting the impact of geothermal development on the Shallow Aquifer system.
The biota of the Mississippi River in an ecological recovery zone near Red Wing, MN was studied before and after start-up of a nuclear plant to acquire baseline data and to estimate changes due to thermal addition. Thermal addition produced significant decreases in primary production in a plant region during summer month periods when water temperatures were near 36C. Extensive fisheries studies and sonar tagging/tracking of S. vitreum were performed. Comparison of fisheries results with other riverine, lake, and pond studies indicated a favorable environment for the success of the fish species studied. Qualitative macroinvertebrate surveys were conducted.
This document includes the following topics: Background; Data Collection; Scope/Applicability of the Proposed Regulation; Description of the Industry; Industry Subcategorization; Pollutants of Concern for the Centralized Waste Treatment Industry; Pollutants Selected for Regulation; Wastewater Treatment Technologies; Regulatory Options Considered and Selected for Basis of Regulation; Long-Term Averages, Variability Factors, and Limitations and Standards; Cost of Treatment Technologies; Pollutant Loading and Removal Estimates; Non-Water Quality Impacts; Implementation; Analytical Methods and Baseline Values; List of Definitions; List of Acronyms; Appendix A--Pollutant Groups; Appendix B--Listing of Characerization Data From Non-Hazardous Oils Facilities; Appendix C--Listing of Daily Influent and Effluent Measuements; Appendix D--Facility-Specific Compliance Costs; Appendix E--Attachements to Chapter 10; and Appendix F--Listing of Pollutants of ...
Summary Background- Treatments that achieve sustainable steroid-free clinical remission in Crohn-s disease are needed; however, long-term steroid-sparing efficacy data are limited. Aim- To evaluate steroid-sparing efficacy and the impact of steroid discontinuation on adverse events during treatment of Crohn's disease with adalimumab in the phase III randomised, double-blind 1-year CHARM trial and for an additional 2-years in its open-label extension ADHERE. Methods- Steroid-free remission and response and steroid-sparing (-50% steroid dose reduction) remission rates were evaluated over 3-years in patients who were taking corticosteroids at CHARM baseline. Results- Of 778 patients randomised in CHARM (including those who did not achieve clinical response to open-label induction therapy), 31...
In this article we evaluate a US Forest Service plan to mitigate damages from an invasive insect on public, forested land. We develop a dynamic model of infestation and control to explicitly account for biological interactions, baseline conditions, and uncertainty, thus creating a more complete picture of policy impacts than a static cost benefit analysis could provide. We combine the results of the dynamic model with an empirical study of nonmarket forest benefits to create a bioeconomic model of ecosystem management. Estimating the empirical model in a Bayesian framework allows us to treat the economic coefficients of the dynamic model as random variables. We specify distributions for the biological parameters and examine the effects of both biological and economic uncertainty on the pre...
The assessment of greenhouse gas impacts in the US shows that against a baseline gasoline vehicle, the impact of including the full fuel cycle generally reduces the relative advantages of alternative transportation fuels. While a switch to diesel is estimated to save 30% as compared to gasoline, the savings from natural gas/LPG are (around 20%), for ethanol from corn (8%) and for battery electricity vehicles using power from coal (6%) are much smaller. This is largely due to the use of LCA rather than end-use comparisons. However, the results also show that there would be large savings from the use of ethanol from fuel cells using methanol (39%) or natural gas (50%), while ethanol from wood in a conventional engine appears to have the greatest savings (63%). In external costs of motor vehicle use, analysis results were presented for both air pollution and energy security impacts (including SPR, military ...
The President`s budget request for FY 1994 included a construction project for the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS). However, the budget that emerged from the Congress did not, and so activities during this reporting period were limited to continued research and development and to advanced conceptual design. A significant effort was devoted to a study, requested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and led by Brookhaven National Laboratory, of the performance and cost impacts of reducing the uranium fuel enrichment below the baseline design value of 93%. The study also considered alternative core designs that might mitigate those impacts. The ANS Project proposed a modified core design, with three fuel elements instead of two, that would allow operation with only 50% enriched uranium and use existing fuel technology. The performance penalty would be 15--20% loss of thermal neutron flux; the flux would still just meet the ...
The effect of liquefied natural gas on pollutant emissions was evaluated experimentally with used and new appliances in the laboratory and with appliances installed in residences, targeting information gaps from previous studies. Burner selection targeted available technologies that are projected to comprise the majority of installed appliances over the next decade. Experiments were conducted on 13 cooktop sets, 12 ovens, 5 broiler burners, 5 storage water heaters, 4 forced air furnaces, 1 wall furnace, and 6 tankless water heaters. Air-free concentrations and fuel-based emission factors were determined for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide, and the number of (predominantly ultrafine) particles over complete burns?including transient effects (device warm-up and intermittent firing of burners) following ignition--and during more stable end-of-burn conditions. Formaldehyde was measured over multi-burn cycles. The baseline fuel was Northern California ...
The fuel economy of different types of trucks was simulated. Preliminary vehicle simulation activity took place in order to determine a feasible range of vehicle fuel efficiency improvements that could be obtained. Another objective was to provide a start to the Systems Analysis road mapping process in order to identify significant improvements for future studies at minimal costs. Technology improvements to all types of trucks were categorized in relation to engine improvements, the incorporation of continuously variable transmissions, hybrid drivetrain technology and improvements in aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance and weight reduction. The trucks which had the largest national impact were identified from data on vehicles, miles driven, fuel consumption and exhaust gases. The study involved Class 2B utility trucks, Class 6 enclosed delivery trucks, Class 8 transit buses and Class 8 tractor trailer trucks because they best represented the truck fleets in terms ...
Energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) is now receiving greater attention as a means of implementing large-scale energy conservation projects in housing. Opportunities for such projects exist for military housing, federally subsidized low-income housing, and planned communities (condominiums, townhomes, senior centers), to name a few. Accurate prior (to construction) estimates of the energy savings in these projects reduce risk, decrease financing costs, and help avoid post-construction disputes over performance contract baseline adjustments. This paper demonstrates an improved method of estimating energy savings before construction takes place. Using an engineering model calibrated to pre-construction energy-use data collected in the field, this method is able to predict actual energy savings to a high degree of accuracy. This is verified with post-construction energy-use data from a geothermal heat pump ESPC at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This method also allows ...
Energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) is now receiving greater attention as a means of implementing large-scale energy conservation projects in housing. Opportunities for such projects exist for military housing, federally subsidized low-income housing, and planned communities (condominiums, townhomes, senior centers), to name a few. Accurate prior (to construction) estimates of the energy savings in these projects reduce risk, decrease financing costs, and help avoid post-construction disputes over performance contract baseline adjustments. This paper demonstrates an improved method of estimating energy savings before construction takes place. Using an engineering model calibrated to pre-construction energy-use data collected in the field, this method is able to predict actual energy savings to a high degree of accuracy. This is verified with post-construction energy-use data from a geothermal heat pump ESPC at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This method also allows ...
The use of deuterium-tritium fuel in the Compact Ignition Tokamak will require applying remote handling technology for ex-vessel maintenance and replacement of machine components. Highly activated and contaminated components of the fusion devices auxiliary systems, such as diagnostics and RF heating, must be replaced using remotely operated maintenance equipment in the test cell. In-vessel remote maintenance included replacement of divertor and first wall hardware, faraday shields, and for an in-vessel inspection system. Provision for remote replacement of a vacuum vessel sector, toroidal field coil or poloidal field ring coil was not included in the project baseline. As a result of recent coil failures experienced at a number of facilities, the CIT project decided to reconsider the question of remote recovery from a coil failure and, in January of 1990, initiated a coil replacement study. This study focused on the technical requirements and ...
This study was performed to assess the possibility that patient age may independently affect improvements in health-related quality of life following percutaneous coronary intervention. One hundred five patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention at a single tertiary referral center between January 10, 2001 and January 6, 2002 were enrolled and prospectively evaluated. Health-related quality of life was assessed before and 1 year following percutaneous coronary intervention using Short Form-12 and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire. For the purpose of analysis, patients were divided according to age (younger than 60, 60-70, and older than 70 years). One hundred patients (95%) completed both questionnaires. Baseline characteristics among the age groups were similar in terms of gender, cardiac risk factors, and procedural details. All health-related quality-of-life indices demonstrated improvements with at least four variables in each group ...
Background and purpose: A diagnosis of malignancy and its treatment is a very stressful time for patients and their families. This study was conducted to determine the impact of more intensive written information on patients' anxiety levels. The secondary aim was to determine the impact of this information on patients' satisfaction levels. Materials and methods: This prospective randomized trial consisted of patients with a pathological diagnosis of cancer having radical radiotherapy (RT). Patients were randomized to receive the more intensive information (including written information and a telephone call from the research nurse) or not to receive the more intensive information at the time of their initial consultation with the radiation oncologist. Study questionnaires measuring anxiety (STAI form) were completed prior to their first consultation (baseline) at the time of simulation (pre-RT) and at the completion of ...
... learned will be applicable to all UUV systems. ... started the mobile robot baseline. ... demonstrated artificial intelligence in mobile robots for military use. ...
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for cleanup activities at the Weldon Spring site in St. Charles County, Missouri. The site consists of a chemical plant area and a noncontiguous limestone quarry; both areas are radioactively and chemically contaminated as a result of past processing and disposal activities. Explosives were produced by the US Army at the chemical plant in the 1940s, and uranium and thorium materials were processed by DOE`s predecessor agency in the 1950s and 1960s. During that time, various wastes were disposed of at both areas of the site. The DOE is conducting cleanup activities at the site under its Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program. The integrated remedial investigation/feasibility study-environmental impact statement (RI/FS-EIS) documents for the chemical plant area were issued to the public in November 1992 as the draft RI/FS-EIS. (The CERCLA RI/FS is considered final when issued to the public, whereas per ...
BackgroundPreclinical models of pediatric cancers are essential for testing new chemotherapeutic combinations for clinical trials. The most widely used ...Full Text Available
familiarity fire triangle (i.e., fuel, oxidant, and ignition source) are excluded. It Is obvious that for the baseline safety goal for spacecraft this ...
This Contractor Performance Plan is a detailed execution plan covering fiscal years 2007 and 2008 that implements the Integration Project Baseline in a more aggressive cost and schedule approach.
An overall systems approach has been applied to develop action plans to support the retrieval and immobilization waste disposal mission. The review concluded that the systems and infrastructure required to support the mission are known. Required systems are either in place or plans have been developed to ensure they exist when needed. The review showed that since October 1996 a robust system engineering approach to establishing integrated Technical Baselines, work breakdown structures, tank farm structure and configurations and work scope and costs has been established itself as part of the culture within TWRS. An analysis of the programmatic, management and technical activities necessary to declare readiness to proceed with execution of the mission demonstrates that the system, people and hardware will be on line and ready to support the private contractors. The systems approach included defining the retrieval and immobilized waste disposal mission requirements ...
BACKGROUND: The aetiologies of glioma and meningioma tumors are largely unknown. Although reproductive hormones are thought to influence the risk of these tumors, epidemiologic data are not supportive of this hypothesis; however, few cohort studies have published on this topic. We examined the relation between reproductive factors and risk of glioma and meningioma among women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).METHODS: After a mean of 8.4 years of follow-up, 193 glioma and 194 meningioma were identified among 276,212 women. Information on reproductive factors and hormone use was collected at baseline. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: No associations were observed between glioma or meningioma risk and reproductive factors, including age at menarche, parity, age at first birth, menopausal status, and age at menopause. A higher risk of ...
We argue that published results demonstrate that new insights into human brain function may be obscured by poor and/or limited choices in the data-processing pipeline, and review the work on performance metrics for optimizing pipelines: prediction, reproducibility, and related empirical Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve metrics. Using the NPAIRS split-half resampling framework for estimating prediction/reproducibility metrics (Strother et al., 2002), we illustrate its use by testing the relative importance of selected pipeline components (interpolation, in-plane spatial smoothing, temporal detrending, and between-subject alignment) in a group analysis of BOLD-fMRI scans from 16 subjects performing a block-design, parametric-static-force task. Large-scale brain networks were detected using a multivariate linear discriminant analysis (canonical variates analysis, CVA) that was tuned to fit the data. We found that tuning the CVA model and spatial smoothing were the most ...
Compared to the reference year of 1990, CO{sub 2} emissions of the Federal Republic of Germany have been curbed by about 12%, primarily as a result of industrial backfitting and pollution abatement measures accomplished in the industrial infrastructure of the new Federal Laender of Germany. Federal Government policy sticks to the previous commitment, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25% by the year 2005. Current forecasts and scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions show that only immediate adherence to a very stringent reduction policy might ensure that this ambitious goal will be achieved. In this context, any change of the baseline data and scenarios hitherto used for progonostic assessments is a crucial factor, so that the article here discusses the impacts of a change in the nuclear generation scenario, as recently ventilated by the German Federal Government, and expected effects on public power supply. (orig./CB) [Deutsch] ...
In FY-2000, Engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory faced significant pressures to meet critical project milestones, and immediate demands to facilitate the reassignment of employees as the National Ignition Facility (the 600-TW laser facility being designed and built at Livermore, and one of the largest R&D construction projects in the world) was in the process of re-baselining its plan while executing full-speed its technology development efforts. This drive for change occurred as an unprecedented level of management and program changes were occurring within LLNL. I am pleased to report that we met many key milestones and achieved numerous technological breakthroughs. This report summarizes our efforts to perform feasibility and reduce-to-practice studies, demonstrations, and/or techniques--as structured through our technology centers. Whether using computational engineering to predict how giant structures like suspension bridges will ...
BackgroundNatural disasters result in significant numbers of disabling impairments. Paradoxically, however, the traditional health system response to natural disasters largely neglects health-related rehabilitation as a strategic intervention.ObjectivesTo examine the role of health-related rehabilitation in natural disaster relief along three lines of inquiry: (1) epidemiology of injury and disability, (2) impact on health and rehabilitation systems, and (3) the assessment and measurement of disability.DesignQualitative literature review and secondary data analysis.ResultsAbsolute numbers of injuries as well as injury to death ratios in natural disasters have increased significantly over the last 40 years. Major impairments requiring health-related rehabilitation include amputations, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries (SCI), and long bone fractures. Studies show that persons with pre-existing disabilities are more likely to die in a natural disaster. ...
Fragrance mix II (FM II) is a relatively new screening marker for fragrance contact allergy. It was introduced in the patch test baseline series in Denmark in 2005 and contains six different fragrance chemicals commonly present in cosmetic products and which are known allergens.
A time coincidence long baseline (250 km) cosmic ray detection system has been developed to search for bursts of high energy #gamma#-rays (E_0>= 10"1"3 eV) of extra-terrestrial origin. The system design incorporates the possibility of simultaneous observation over a variety of time scales between 1 #mu#s and 10 s. (Auth.).
This report is intended to satisfy two concurrent needs: (1) provide a contract deliverable from Oncorh Consulting to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), with emphasis on identification of salient results of value to ongoing Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) planning and (2) summarize results of research that have broader scientific relevance. This is the fourth in a series of reports that address reproductive ecological research and monitoring of spring chinook populations in the Yakima River basin. This annual report summarizes data collected between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005 and includes analyses of historical baseline data, as well. Supplementation success in the Yakima Klickitat Fishery Project's (YKFP) spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) program is defined as increasing natural production and harvest opportunities, while keeping adverse ecological interactions and genetic impacts within ...
The last unknown neutrino mixing angle $\\theta_{13}$ is one of the fundamental parameters of nature; it is also a crucial parameter for determining the sensitivity of future long-baseline experiments aimed to study CP violation in the neutrino sector. Daya Bay is a reactor neutrino oscillation experiment designed to achieve a sensitivity on the value of $sin^2(2\\theta_{13})$ to better than 0.01 at 90% CL. The experiment consists of multiple identical detectors placed underground at different baselines to minimize systematic errors and suppress cosmogenic backgrounds. With the baseline design, the expected anti-neutrino signal at the far site is about 360 events per day and at each of the near sites is about 1500 events per day. An overview and current status of the experiment will be presented.
The main points of quality control methods and technique of environmental radiological baseline study of Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station are reported. Results of intercalibration of international and inland laboratories are given. The random chosen samples are checked and compared with two measurement methods. The data obtained in Daya Bay environment are put to the correlation statistics test using the linear regression analysis method between the correlative items such as "4"0K activity by gamma spectrum measurement and potassium content by chemical analysis, total #alpha#(#beta#) activity and nuclide content, as well as environmental gamma radiation dose rate and TLD accumulation dose. The data of Daya Bay environmental radioactivity baseline level show good concordance and reliability.
A proposed metallization system for large area silicon solar cells with shallow junctions is outlined, and its desirable features are discussed. A baseline process sequence for the nickel palladium metallization system (NPMS) is delineated. This baseline process sequence is serving as the starting point from which process variations are being performed. The eventual goal is optimization of the NPMS process and determination of the control ranges for NPMS process variables. Initial studies of palladium displacement and electroless chemical plating solutions used in the baseline NPMS have begun and progress is reported. In support of this work, an annotated bibliography (45 citations) dealing primarily with palladium plating and palladium-silicon contact formation has been prepared (and will be subject to updating in the future reports).
BackgroundWhile physical health has improved considerably over recent decades in Finland, the disease burden of mental health, especially that of depression, has become increasingly...Full Text Available
Background:The US military is currently involved in large, lengthy, and complex combat operations around the world. Effective military operations require optimal health of deployed...Full Text Available
Context:With regard to sideline concussion testing, the effect of fatigue associated with different types of exercise on postural control is unknown.Objective:To...Full Text Available
Cerebral atrophy rate is increasingly used as an outcome measure for Alzheimer's disease (AD) trials. We used the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) dataset to assess if adjusting...Full Text Available
The purpose of the piezometer network is to establish baseline hydraulic head data for the water table aquifer at the F- and H-Area seeplines prior to startup of the groundwater extraction/injection remediation system.
Part one of this study investigated the effect of aging on social-cognitive characteristics related to physical activity (PA) among adults in the baseline phase of a health promotion...Full Text Available
The purpose of this report is to describe the sampling approaches, modifications made to the 100 Area and 300 Area component of the RCBRA Sampling and Analysis Plan, summarize validation efforts, and provide sample identification numbers.
The Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is located at the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in Shenzhen, China. The experiment deploys eight 'identical' antineutrino detectors to measure antineutrino fluxes from six 2.9 GWth reactor cores in three underground experimental halls at different distances. The target zone of the Daya Bay detector is filled with 20 t 0.1% Gd doped LAB liquid scintillator. The baseline uncorrelated detector uncertainty is ?0.38% using current experimental techniques. Daya Bay can reach a sensitivity of sin22?13<0.01 with baseline uncertainties after 3 years of data taking.
The SRP Baseline Hydrogeologic Investigation was implemented for the purpose of updating and improving the knowledge and understanding of the hydrogeologic systems underlying the SRP site. Phase III, which is discussed in this report, includes the drilling of 7 deep coreholes (sites P-24 through P-30) and the installation of 53 observation wells ranging in depth from approximately 50 ft to more than 970 ft below the ground surface. In addition to the collection of geologic cores for lithologic and stratigraphic study, samples were also collected for the determination of physical characteristics of the sediments and for the identification of microorganisms.
The insertion of innovative technologies to replace baseline technologies used in cost estimation and planning of DOE D&D projects is considered a high risk endeavor by project and programmatic decision makers. It is almost always considered safer to go with the {open_quotes}devil you know{close_quotes} than use a new or untried technology, methodology or system. The decision on the specific technology to be utilized to remediate a problem is often made months or years in advance of execution, and the highly proscriptive documentation of agreements necessary to obtain stakeholder and regulator approval of remedial plans is often counterproductive to considering improved technologies.
The Demand 80/81 forecasts cover each sector of the economy and are conditional upon alternative assumptions concerning national economic growth, energy prices, other prices, and conservation policy. The forecasts also include forms of energy other than electricity to provide a comprehensive energy picture. Although the forecasts proceed through time in one-year increments, their primary focus is on the period from 1985 to 2000. The forecasts are based on twelve sets of alternative assumptions, or scenarios. A forecast of economic growth and nonenergy variables is used to drive the model to 12 different conditional forecasts. These represent four sets of price assumptions and three sets of non-price conservation assumptions. The price assumptions are: high, baseline, low and constant 1976, which - because of the inverse relationship between prices and consumption - represent low consumption, baseline consumption, high consumption, and extra ...
Lower East Fork Poplar Creek (LEFPC) and its floodplain are contaminated with mercury (Hg) from ongoing and historical releases from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. A remedial investigation and feasibility study of LEFPC resulted in the signing of a Record of Decision (ROD) in August 1995. In response to the ROD, soil contaminated with mercury above 400 mg/kg was removed from two sites in LEFPC and the floodplain during a recently completed remedial action (RA). The Postremediation Monitoring Program (PMP) outlined in the LEFPC Monitoring Plan was envisioned to occur in two phases: (1) a baseline assessment prior to remediation and (2) postremediation monitoring. The current report summarizes the results of the baseline assessment of soil, water, biota, and groundwater usage in LEFPC and its floodplain conducted in 1995 and 1996 by personnel of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program ...
Occurrence and distribution of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in and around the off-shore wind farm on Horns Reef, Denmark, was investigated. This report describes data collected in 2003 as part of an ongoing monitoring program, covering a period before construction of the wind farm (baseline), the construction period in 2002 and one year following construction of the wind farm. Data from acoustic dataloggers (T-PODs) and visual surveys conducted from ships confirmed the presence of harbour porpoises inside the wind farm area during all periods investigated. Comparison with baseline data from 1999-2001 and with control areas outside the wind farm did not show a statistical significant change in sighting rates inside the wind farm area in the first year following construction relative to baseline. T-POD data showed a pronounced effect of the construction of the wind farm on the indicators 'encounter ...
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) inaugurated a program addressing research and development for an Exoskeleton for Human Performance Augmentation in FY!2001. A team consisting of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the prime contractor, AeroVironment, Inc., the Army Research Laboratory, the University of Minnesota, and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute has recently completed an 18-month Phase I effort in support of this DARPA program. The Phase I effort focused on the development and proof-of-concept demonstrations for key enabling technologies, laying the foundation for subsequently building and demonstrating a prototype exoskeleton. The overall approach was driven by the need to optimize energy efficiency while providing a system that augmented the operator in as transparent manner as possible (non-impeding). These needs led to the evolution of two key distinguishing features of this team's approach. The first is the ''no knee ...
Software quality assurance is an area of concern for DOE, EPA, and other agencies due to the poor quality of software and its documentation they have received in the past. This report briefly summarizes the software development concepts and terminology increasingly employed by these agencies and provides a workable approach to scientific programming under the new requirements. Following this is a practical description of how to qualify a simulation code, based on a software QA plan that has been reviewed and officially accepted by DOE/OCRWM. Two codes have recently been baselined and qualified, so that they can be officially used for QA Level 1 work under the DOE/OCRWM QA requirements. One of them was baselined and qualified within one week. The first of the codes was the multi-phase multi-component flow code TOUGH version 1, an already existing code, and the other was a geochemistry transport code STATEQ that was under development The way to ...
High-quality solar cells have been fabricated by utilizing localized argon-ion laser decomposition of silver neodecanoate spun onto diffused silicon substrates and subsequent electroplating. Early adhesion problems during electroplating have been carefully studied and finally solved using a novel coating procedure. The laser-metallized solar cells have been characterized using lighted and dark current-voltage measurements and compared with baseline cells metallized using standard photolithographic procedures. Non-AR-coated cell efficiencies ranging from 10 to over 11% have been obtained for the laser-metallized cells, comparable with the best baseline cells. The laser-metallized cells have 30 to 40% lower series resistance than the unsintered baseline cells, indicating that in-situ sintering takes place during laser writing. A dramatic new and simpler laser metallization process on which patent protection is currently being ...
Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC), in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a Clean Coal Technology (CCT) project at its Sparrows Point, Maryland Coke Oven Plant. This innovative coke oven gas cleaning system combines several existing technologies into an integrated system for removing impurities from Coke Oven Gas (COG) to make it an acceptable fuel. DOE provided cost-sharing under a Cooperative Agreement with BSC. This Cooperative Agreement requires BSC to develop and conduct and Environmental Monitoring Plan for the Clean Coal Technology project and to report the status of the EMP on a quarterly basis. It also requires the preparation of a final report on the results of the Baseline Compliance and Supplemental Sampling Programs that are part of the EMP and which were conducted prior to the startup of the innovative coke oven gas cleaning system. This report is the Baseline Sampling Program report.
The technical baseline is a hierarchical description of the Hanford Site cleanup mission. This technical baseline does not address the science, technology, or economic transition missions. It begins with a definition of the existing conditions at the Hanford Site, provides a description of the end product or mission accomplishments at completion, presents a statement of the major requirements and constraints that must be observed during the performance of the mission, and provides a statement of the top-level strategic approach to accomplish the mission. Mission-level interfaces are also described. This information is further defined hierarchically in increasing levels of detail. This definition is composed of the following major elements: functions that are key task descriptions; requirements that are the measurable standards to which the functions must be performed; architectures which are specific engineering solutions or systems that ...
This Baseline Risk Assessment report is the second volume in a set of three volumes for operable Unit 1 (OU-1). The companion documents contain the Remedial Investigation and the Feasibility Study. Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) is one of several groups of hazardous waste sites located at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) near Fairbanks, Alaska. The operable units at Eielson are typically characterized by petroleum, oil, lubricant/solvent contamination, and by the presence of organics floating at the water table. In 1989 and 1990, firms under contract to the Air Force conducted field studies to gather information about the extent of chemical contamination in soil, groundwater, and soil air pore space (soil gas) at the site. This report documents the results of a baseline risk assessment, which uses the 1989 and 1991 site characterization database to quantify the potential human health risk associated with past Base industrial activities in the vicinity of ...
OBJECTIVE:- To determine the effectiveness and safety of short-term treatment of infliximab (IFX) in a group of Chinese patients with active Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS:- Patients with established diagnosis of active CD were treated with IFX intravenously with a dose of 5-mg/kg at week 0, 2, 6. Clinical assessments were performed at baseline (week 0) and every week after IFX infusion until 8 weeks after the induction dose. RESULTS:- Fourteen patients (nine male, five female) with a mean age of 29.7 years (range from 15 to 65 years) were included in the analysis. The mean subjective scores were decreased from 2.85--0.57 at baseline to 1.3--0.4 at week 14 (P-CONCLUSIONS:- Treatment with three infusions of IFX at a dose of 5-mg/kg was effective for induction of remission for active CD patie...
A critical and difficult step in the development and implementation of new technologies for environmental monitoring and characterization is successfully transferring these technologies to industry and government users for routine assessment and compliance activities. The Environmental Sciences Section of the DOE Savannah River Technology Center provides a forum for developers, potential users, and regulatory organizations to evaluate new technologies in comparison with baseline technologies in a well characterized field test bed. The principal objective of this project is to conduct comprehensive, objective field tests of monitoring and characterization technologies that are not currently used in EPA standard methods and evaluate their performance during actual operating conditions against baseline methods. This paper provides an overview of the field test site and a description of some of the technologies demonstrated at the site including ...
The Pinellas Plant has been part of the Department of Energy`s (DOE) nuclear weapons complex since the plant opened in 1957. In March 1995, the DOE sold the Pinellas Plant to the Pinellas County Industry Council (PCIC). DOE has leased back a large portion of the plant site to facilitate transition to alternate use and safe shutdown. The current mission is to achieve a safe transition of the facility from defense production and prepare the site for alternative uses as a community resource for economic development. Toward that effort, the Pinellas Plant Environmental Baseline Report (EBR) discusses the current and past environmental conditions of the plant site. Information for the EBR is obtained from plant records. Historical process and chemical usage information for each area is reviewed during area characterizations.
Abstract Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a common dementia of the elderly. A significant cholinergic deficit has been demonstrated that may be responsive to treatment by cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs). Methods: A 24-week, open-label study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of a ChEI, galantamine, in 50 patients with DLB. Results: This study showed beneficial effects with galantamine in 2 of the 3 primary efficacy parameters. The scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-12) improved by 8.24 points from baseline (p = 0.01) especially in visual hallucinations and nighttime behaviors (p = 0.004). The scores on the Clinician's Global Impression of Change improved by 0.5 points from baseline (p = 0.01). The third primary efficacy parameter, the Cognitive Drug R...
Three geothermal direct heat applications were examined to derive a set of cost estimates from which one could determine the effect of changes in system parameters (temperature, flow, load, etc.) on the cost of heat. For each application, a set of resource characteristics and system inputs were chosen to best represent a site specific baseline condition. The baseline estimated cost of heat was calculated along with other cost estimates representing optimistic and pessimistic conditions, bracketing the range any input variable might reasonably take. Regression equations based upon these cost estimates were developed for each application to quantitatively relate changes in cost to changes in the input variables. These three equations and their accompanying nomographs serve as easily understandable planning tools for direct heat geothermal energy projects.
Nat'l Training Center Contact Us Directory Email Us BLM > Socioeconomic Impacts > Timber Print Page Socioeconomic Impacts from Timber BLM-administered lands yielded $337...
Wade. Jackson. - Army. VTD at NASA. Langley. ABSTRACT. Panel size has a large effect on the impact response and resultant damage level of honeycomb sandwich ...
This poster, submitted for the CU Energy Initiative/NREL Symposium on October 3, discusses the impacts of renewable fuel and electricity standards on state economies.
This paper presents experimental data and an computational model of the cold spray solid particle impact process. Copper particles impacting onto a polished stainless steel substrate are examined. The high velocity impact causes significant plastic deformation of both the particle and the sub- strate, but no melting is observed. The plastic deformation exposes clean surfaces that, under the high impact pressures, result in significant bond strengths between the particle and substrate. Experimental measurements of the splat and crater sizes compare well with the numerical calculations. It is shown that the crater depth is significant and increases with impact velocity. However, the splat diameter is much less sensitive to the impact velocity. It is also shown that the geometric lengths of the splat and crater scale linearly with the diameter of the ...
ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of an interconceptional antibiotic regimen on the endometrial microbial flora and histology.Study DesignFull Text Available
Abstract: We present a generic scoring system that compares the impact of alien species among members of large taxonomic groups. This scoring can be used to identify the most harmful alien species so that conservation measures to ameliorate their negative effects can be prioritized. For all alien mammals in Europe, we assessed impact reports as completely as possible. Impact was classified as either environmental or economic. We subdivided each of these categories into five subcategories (environmental: impact through competition, predation, hybridization, transmission of disease, and herbivory; economic: impact on agriculture, livestock, forestry, human health, and infrastructure). We assigned all impact reports to one of these 10 categories. All categories had impact scores that ranged f...
An experimental and analytical study was performed to improve understanding of the dynamic impact behavior of carbon steel pipes. The test program addressed two types of pipe impact scenarios using both 2- and 4-in. Sch-80 pipes and elbows. Projectile-on-pipe tests simulated the behavior of a stationary target pipe which is impacted at its center by a larger, more rigid whipping pipe. These target pipes, which contained non-flowing water at about 290{degree}C temperature and ca 8.5 megapascals pressure, exhibited a peak deformation of up to 45% reduction in their diameter. For each test condition, the local deformation at the impact zone is a function of the peak impact force and impact velocity. Pipe-on-wall tests simulated the impact of an elbow at the free end of a cantilevered whipping pipe with a rigid barrier. The peak crush of the ...
This document summarizes the degree to which State water quality standards include wetlands in their definitions of State waters. The detailed review of other elements of standards, such as uses, criteria and antidegradation, is beyond the scope of this review. The purpose of this review is to provide a baseline of information for the development of EPA guidance and policies related to water quality standards for wetlands.
The study of flavor changing neutrinos is a very active field of research. I will discuss the status of ongoing and near term experiments investigating neutrino properties at short distances from the source. In the next few years, the Double Chooz, RENO and Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiments will start looking for signatures of a non-zero value of the mixing angle $\\theta_{13}$ with much improved sensitivities. The MiniBooNE experiment is investigating the LSND anomaly by looking at both the $\
This report assesses the water quality related benefits that would be expected if the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopts the proposed effluent limitations, guidelines and pretreatment standards for the Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) Industry. EPA estimates that under baseline conditions 205 CWT facilities discharge approximately 5.22 million lbs/year of metal and organic pollutants.
DescriptionM291272: Annex A - Electronic data capture of woodland survey records (baseline for studying change and variation in woods) Rationale During the 1980s and 1990s, particularly, much woodland survey was undertaken in England by the Nature Conservancy Council and its successor English Nature. Most of the records are only in paper form and the species data they contain has not been available for further analysis or use in wider context such as species and habitat recording schemes. The aims o [continued...
BackgroundTroponin is the preferred biomarker for risk stratification in non-ST-elevation ACS. The incremental prognostic utility of the initial magnitude of troponin...Full Text Available
After baseline studies, 21 patients with osteoporosis were treated with human parathyroid hormone fragment (PTH 1-34) given as once-daily subcutaneous injections for 6-24 months. The dose used did not...Full Text Available
An automated surveillance and baseline noise signature acquisition system is being demonstrated at Sequoyah-1. A nonperturbing method is also being developed for monitoring the subcritical reactivity during initial core loading in LWRs, in fuel storage and processing facilities, and during postaccident recovery operations such as Three Mile Island-2. (DLC)
BACKGROUND:Despite an increasing body of evidence on the benefit of lowering elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), there is still considerable concern that...Full Text Available
Test results show that adding adipic acid to the limestone slurry significantly improved the SO sub 2 removal efficiency of the FGD system. Limited baseline data on operations with limestone only indicated a performance level of 55% SO sub 2 removal. Adding about 2200 ppM of adip...
The cross section database for electron impact excitation and electron impact ionization for hydrogen beam kinetic energies greater than 100 eV was considered, giving for each particular process a reference to a recommended publication of cross sections, as well as the accuracy or estimated accuracy. The work is motivated by the application of neutral beam injection in magnetic confinement devices, such as large tokamaks. 9 refs, 2 figs.
A separation phenomenon occurring during the Charpy impact test of API X80 pipeline steels was investigated in the present study. A detailed microstructural analysis of fractured impact specimens showed that the band structure of bainite elongated along the rolling direction worked as prior initiation sites for separations, and that the number and length of the separations increased with the increasing volume fraction of bainite. In the steels having high work hardenability, tearing-shaped separations were found because the hammer-impacted region was seriously hardened during the impact test, which led to the reduction in the impact toughness. As the test temperature decreased, the tendency toward separations increased, but separations were not found when the cleavage fracture prevailed at very low temperatures. These findings suggested that the formation of bainite and secondary ...
Technologies and practices that recover energy and materials from municipal solid waste present a technically and economically viable alternative to sanitary landfills and other solid waste disposal methods. However, community planners considering resource recovery should be aware of the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects. To assess these impacts, a planner should: identify the most significant types of impacts; establish boundaries beyond which impacts are not significant; characterize the environment as it would exist without the proposed project over the project's lifetime; predict the magnitude, and the distribution over time and space, of potential impacts; and relate the magnitude of predicted impacts to a scale of significance that will allow environmental values to be considered in decision-making. 24 references, 1 table.
The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program intends to develop new designs for automobiles that will reduce fuel consumption by two thirds but otherwise have price, comfort, safety, and other measures of performance similar to the typical automobile now on the market. PNGV vehicle designs are expected to substitute lightweight materials, such as aluminum, magnesium, carbon-reinforced polymer composites, glass-reinforced polymer composites, and ultra- light steel, for heavier materials such as steel and iron in automobile components. The target mass of a PNGV vehicle is 1,960 pounds, as compared to the average current vehicle that weights 3,240 pounds. Other changes could include the use of different ferrous alloys, engineering changes, or incorporation of advanced ceramic components. Widespread adoption of these vehicle designs would affect materials markets and require concurrent development and adoption of supporting technologies to supply the materials and to use ...
This report presents and discusses results from Task 5 of the study ''Fate of Mercury in Synthetic Gypsum Used for Wallboard Production,'' performed at a full-scale commercial wallboard plant. Synthetic gypsum produced by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems on coal-fired power plants is commonly used in the manufacture of wallboard. The FGD process is used to control the sulfur dioxide emissions which would result in acid rain if not controlled. This practice has long benefited the environment by recycling the FGD gypsum byproduct, which is becoming available in increasing quantities, decreasing the need to landfill this material, and increasing the sustainable design of the wallboard product. However, new concerns have arisen as recent mercury control strategies developed for power plants involve the capture of mercury in FGD systems. The objective of this study is to determine whether any mercury is released into the atmosphere when the ...
In accordance with the Department of Energy`s National Environmental Policy Act implementing procedures in Volume 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 1021,312, the Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Implementation Plan has two primary purposes: to provide guidance for the preparation of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and to record the issues resulting from the scoping and the extended public participation process. The Implementation Plan identifies and discusses the following: background of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management activities, the purpose of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, and the relationship of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to other Departmental initiatives (Chapter 1); need and purposes for action (Chapter 2); scoping process and results of the public ...
An experimental and computational study was undertaken to estimate the effects of pipe rupture and induced pipe whip impact on surround structures considered either as rigid or deformative such as concrete slabs. This program included sixteen tests using 3 inch schedule 80 (or 10) pipes made of carbon steel similar to A106 grade B. The study consisted of tests on rigid target and on concrete slab. The investigation of whip phase and impact phase was done separately for each test. For pipe impact on rigid targets, the impact forces are found to be directly related to the crush strength of the pipe and the general pipe deformation following the impact. For pipe impact on concrete slabs, the response of the target to the pipe impact needs to take into account the local effect such as penetration and localized damage on the slab. The test matrix ...
The impact properties of high-strength low alloy TRIP steels such as 'TRIP-aided dual-phase steel' and 'TRIP-aided bainitic steel' associated with the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) of retained austenite were investigated for some applications to the automotive impact members. The TRIP steels possessed far higher impact absorbed value and lower ductile-brittle transition temperature than the conventional ferrite-martensite and ferrite-pearlite steels. The stress relaxation resulting from the strain-induced transformation of retained austenite islands or films improved the impact properties in terms of suppressing void and/or crack initiation and these propagation. The best impact properties were completed in the steel composing of uniform fine bainitic lath structure and a large amount of stable interlath retained austenite films. ...
This economic impact analysis (EIA) examines compliance costs and economic impacts resulting from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency`s (EPA`s) proposed revisions to effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Coastal Subcategory of the U.S. oil and gas industry. The EIA estimates economic impacts in terms of annualized costs; production losses; and changes in equity, working capital, and other indicators of financial health at the firm level. In addition, impacts on employment and affected communities, foreign trade, and new sources are considered. A Regulatory Flexibility Analysis detailing the impacts on small businesses within the coastal oil and gas industry also is included in the EIA.
Three complementary impact welding technologies are described in this paper. They are explosive welding, magnetic pulse welding, and laser impact welding, which have been used to provide metallurgical bonds between both similar and dissimilar metal pairs. They share the physical principle that general impact-driven welding can be carried out by oblique impact but are used at different length scales from meters to sub-millimeter. The different length scales require different kinds of systems to drive the process, and the scales themselves can give different weld morphologies. Metallographic analysis on cross-sections shows a wavy interface morphology which is likely the result of an instability associated with jetting, which scours the surfaces clean during impact. The normalized period and...
This document is the final report on the workshop on stems and trunks in plant form and function relating to DOE grant DE-FG06-93ER20128 which took place at Oregon State University in February 1994. The resulting book is organized into four sections and a synthesis: roles of stem architecture in plant performance, roles of stems in transport and storage of water, roles of live stem cells in plant performance, and the roles of stems in preventing or reacting to response to plant injury. The synthesis stemmed from debated and discussion by the authors and a few dozen other workshop participants. The authors cover many stem functions, although the list is not exhaustive, and the focus is on terrestrial woody tree stems, primarily of temperate and boreal zones. More research on trunks, branches and twigs is important for a baseline understanding of plant biology. In the face of anticipated human-caused changes to most environments, we need not only have a ...
The ultra-high pressure waterjet technology was being evaluated at Florida International University (FIU) as a baseline technology. In conjunction with FIU's evaluation of efficiency and cost, this report covers the evaluation conducted for safety and health issues. It is a commercially available technology and has been used for various projects at locations throughout the country. The ultra-high pressure waterjet technology acts as a cutting tool for the removal of surface substrates. The Husky trademark pump feeds water to a lance that directs the high pressure water at the surface to be removed. The safety and health evaluation during the testing demonstration focused on two main areas of exposure. These were dust and noise. The dust exposure was found to be minimal, which would be expected due to the wet environment inherent in the technology, but noise exposure was at a significant level. Further testing for noise is recommended because of the outdoor ...
This is an independent reanalysis of a randomised, placebo-controlled parallel-group study on the efficacy and tolerability of a special butterbur root extract (Petadolex) for the prophylaxis of migraine. The original protocol and analysis had a number of major shortcomings. In order to follow regulatory requirements, an independent reanalysis of the original data was performed. Following a 4-week baseline phase, 33 patients were randomised to treatment with two capsules 25 mg butterbur twice a day and 27 to placebo. The mean attack frequency per month decreased from 3.4 at baseline to 1.8 after 3 months (p = 0.0024) in the verum group and from 2.9 to 2.6 in the placebo group (n.s.). The responder rate (improvement of migraine frequency > or =50%) was 45% in the verum group and 15% in the placebo group. Butterbur was well tolerated. This small trial indicates that butterbur may be effective in the prophylaxis of migraine. PMID:14752215
The United States Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), as part of an energy conservation programme in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, has collected over 36,000 residential radon concentration measurements. Data were collected between 1983 and 1989 with ambient {alpha} etched track dosemeters. Based on the linear risk coefficient from the BEIR IV report for lifetime lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers, numbers of lung cancer cases attributable to radon exposure were predicted. Numbers of baseline lung cancer cases and numbers of these that were preventable by remediation were also estimated. Remediation to 10 pCi.1{sup -1}, to 4 pCi.1{sup -1}, and to outdoor levels were considered. With vital statistics data, results were extrapolated to populations in the states represented by the BPA data. Costs of remediation were estimated. Results were evaluated in terms of cost per cancer saved and per cent reduction in fatal lung cancer ...
The primary objective of the project is to investigate the long-term effects of commercially available tangentially-fired low NO{sub x} combustion technologies on NOx emissions and boiler performance on Unit 2 at Gulf Power Company`s Plant Lansing Smith located near Lynn Haven, Florida. The project will characterize emissions and performance of a tangentially-fired boiler operating in the following configurations: Baseline ``as-found`` configuration: Phase 1; retrofitted low NO{sub x} concentric firing system (LNCFS) Level 2 and simulated low NO{sub x} bulk furnace staging (LNBFS): Phase 2; retrofitted low NO{sub x} concentric firing system (LNCFS) Level 3, Phase 3a and simulated LNCFS Level 1, Phase 3b.
Percutaneous coronary revascularisation [PCR] improves angina and health related quality of life [HRQOL] compared to standard medical therapy. It is unknown whether PCR has the same benefits for patients with a history of CABG. Over a period of 5?years, we assessed HRQOL of patients undergoing PCR using Part 1 of the Nottingham Health Profile [NHP] at baseline 3, 12 and 24?months. We compared HRQOL after PCR in 255 patients with CABG to 2680 without. There were more males [81.1% v 69.6% p?=?0.002] and older patients [mean age 60.1?years v. 58.0 p?=?0.03] in CABG group. Perceived HRQOL improved at 24?months for pain, energy and emotional reaction but the improvement was less in the CABG group. However, mean NHP scores at 24?months for those with CABG had returned to baseline levels for slee...
The purpose of the Air Force Health Study is to determine whether those individuals involved in the spraying of herbicides in Vietnam during the Ranch Hand operation have experienced any adverse health effects as a result of their participation in that program. The study is designed to evaluate both the mortality (death) and morbidity (disease) in these individuals over a 20-year beginning in 1982. The Baseline Mortality Report was released in June 1983, the Baseline Morbidity Report in February 1984. Follow-up mortality reports were released in 1984, 1985, and 1986. This study has not demonstrated health effects which can be conclusively attributed to herbicide or dioxin exposure. This report contains analyses of cumulative deaths occurring up to 31 December 1987. The overall cumulative mortality of the Ranch Hands remains statistically indistinguishable from that of both their matched Comparisons and the entire Comparison, population, ...
The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program mission is to store, treat, and immobilize highly radioactive Hanford Site waste (current and future tank waste and the strontium/cesium capsules) in an environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective manner. The scope of the TWRS Waste Pretreatment Program is to treat tank waste and separate that waste into HLW and LLW fractions and provide additional treatment as required to feed LLW and HLW immobilization facilities. Enhanced sludge washing was chosen as the baseline process for separating Hanford tank waste sludge. Section 1.0 briefly discusses the purpose of the evaluation plan and provides the background that led to the choice of enhanced sludge washing as the baseline process. Section 2.0 provides a brief summary of the evaluation plan details. Section 3.0 discusses, in some detail, the technical work planned to support the evaluation of enhanced sludge washing. Section 4.0 briefly ...
This Maintenance Implementation Plan has been developed for maintenance functions associated with the Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility (WSCF). This plan is developed from the guidelines presented by Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4A, Maintenance Management Program (DOE 1990), Chapter II. The objective of this plan is to provide baseline information for establishing and identifying WHC conformance programs and policies applicable to implementation of DOE order 4330.4A guidelines. In addition, this maintenance plan identifies the actions necessary to develop a cost-effective and efficient maintenance program at WSCF.
The cross-coupled interferometer is a new design for interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Similar to the baseline gravitational wave detectors proposed for Advanced LIGO, it uses long-arm cavities in which the signal is generated. The signal fields are then extracted from the arm cavities with an additional cavity behind the long-arm cavities. The tuning of this signal extraction cavity and the parallel tuning of the signal recycling mirror can be used to optimize the peak frequency and the bandwidth of the detector independently. If we replace the signal recycling mirror by a small cavity, it is possible to amplify signals in two different frequency bands.
Search for the value of ?13 mixing angle is of importance in understanding the lepton flavor mixing matrix, and in motivating future experiments to probe CP violation in the lepton sector. Among the present experimental approaches, reactor experiment can provide a clean laboratory for the ?13-measurement. The Daya Bay experiment will start civil construction this year at Daya Bay, Guangdong, China. The goal of this experiment is to reach a sensitivity in sin2 2?13 of < 0.01 at 90% C.L. by precisely measuring the disappearance and spectral distortion of reactor electron anti-neutrinos with multiple identical detectors at different baselines. The talk will present the current status and prospects of the experiment.
The search for the mixing angle Formula Not Shown , the last unknown angle in the neutrino mixing matrix, is one of the main priorities in the field of neutrino physics. By measuring Formula Not Shown to better than 0.01 at 90% C.L., the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment has the highest sensitivity to this parameter among all the other experiments that are currently operating or under construction. The experiment consists of multiple identical detectors placed underground at different baselines from three groups of reactors, a configuration that minimizes systematic errors and cosmogenic backgrounds. The main aspects of the experiment, as well as its current status and future prospects, are reviewed.
The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment is designed to determine the yet unknown neutrino mixing angle theta_13 by measuring the disappearance of electron antineutrinos from several nuclear reactor cores, using multiple underground detectors at different baselines to minimize systematic errors and to suppress the cosmogenic background. The civil construction has begun since October 2007, enabling first commissioning data in 2009, and full data taking will begin in late 2010. The planned sensitivity in sin^2 (2theta_13) of better than 0.01 at 90% CL will be achieved in three years of data-taking. I will present an overview and current status of the experiment.
The founding of the Hanford Engineering Works to produce plutonium is described. The 45-year defense mission has now been replaced with a peaceful mission, that of being the first site for massive cleanup of the 45-year nuclear waste. In order to establish a remedial investigation and feasibility plan, a process of discovery named the Technical Baseline Report must be performed; the task of this process is to discover all that is known about a proposed cleanup site (what the waste was, where did it go). When none of the documentation can answer the question, oral history is utilized. Some of the problems associated with the conduct of oral history interviews are described, particularly Hanford`s legacy of secrecy.
We propose using large Air Cerenkov Telescopes (ACT's) to search for optical, pulsed signals from extra-terrestrial intelligence. Such dishes collect tens of photons from a nanosecond-scale pulse of isotropic equivalent power of tens of solar luminosities at a distance of 100 pc. The field of view for giant ACT's can be on the order of ten square degrees, and they will be able to monitor 10 to 10$^2$ stars simultaneously for nanosecond pulses of about 6th mag or brighter. Using the Earth's diameter as a baseline, orbital motion of the planet could be detected by timing the pulse arrival times.
We study non-standard interactions (NSIs) at reactor neutrino experiments, and in particular, the mimicking effects on \\theta_13. We present generic formulas for oscillation probabilities including NSIs from sources and detectors. Instructive mappings between the fundamental leptonic mixing parameters and the effective leptonic mixing parameters are established. In addition, NSI corrections to the mixing angles \\theta_13 and \\theta_12 are discussed in detailed. Finally, we show that, even for a vanishing \\theta_13, an oscillation phenomenon may still be observed in future short baseline reactor neutrino experiments, such as Double Chooz and Daya Bay, due to the existences of NSIs.
A Si array neutron detector is proposed based on commercial CCD and CMOS sensor technology coupled with a thin film neutron conversion coating. System sensitivity is estimated for a baseline device containing a single array and various schemes to increase detection probability by simple area scaling and stacking are discussed. Some possible use scenarios are discussed involving static and moving sources. Likely neutron source fluxes for weapons grade and commercial grade nuclear material are estimated along with expected intensities of cosmic background neutrons which would establish a noise floor to detection limits.
LUCIFER (Low-background Underground Cryogenic Installation For Elusive Rates) is a new project for the study of neutrinoless Double Beta Decay, based on the technology of scintillating bolometers. These devices promise a very efficient rejection of the alpha background, opening the way to a virtual background-free experiment if candidates with a transition energy higher than 2615 keV are investigated. The baseline candidate for LUCIFER is 82Se. This isotope will be embedded in ZnSe crystals grown with enriched selenium and operated as scintillating bolometers in a low-radioactivity underground dilution refrigerator. In this paper, the LUCIFER concept will be introduced. The sensitivity and the very promising prospects related to this project will be discussed.
In situ air stripping (ISAS) technology was developed to remediate soils and ground water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) both above and below the water table. ISAS employs horizontal wells to inject (sparge) air into the ground water and vacuum extract VOCs from vadose zone soils. The innovation is creation of a system that combines two somewhat innovative technologies, air sparging and horizontal wells, with a baseline technology, soil vapor extraction, to produce a more efficient in situ remediation system.
In Situ Bioremediation (ISB), which is the term used in this report for Gaseous Nutrient Injection for In Situ Bioremediation, remediates soils and ground water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) both above and below the water table. ISB involves injection of air and nutrients (sparging and biostimulation) into the ground water and vacuum extraction to remove .VOCs from the vadose zone concomitant with biodegradation of VOCs. The innovation is in the combination of 3 emerging technologies, air stripping, horizontal wells, and bioremediation via gaseous nutrient injection with a baseline technology, soil vapor extraction, to produce a more efficient in situ remediation system.
As part of the start up of Los Alamos National Laboratory's new tritium-handling facility, the efficiency of a catalytic oxidation tritium decontamination system was investigated using deuterated methane. The tests were performed during the start up of the facility to confirm the operability of the system before introducing tritium and to provide a baseline for comparison. Techniques and instruments normally used for atmospheric tracer experiments using deuterated methane were applied virtually without modification. The sensitivity of this method allowed preliminary checks at the sub-ppm (v/v) level.
High (spatial) resolution imaging detectors for X-ray astronomy were developed. Several prototype detectors built and their feasibility and baseline performance were assessed. Two of these detector types are proposed for investigations on the advanced X-ray astrophysics facility (AXAF). The readiness of a new X-ray imaging system, the charge coupled device (CCD) imaging specctrometer is outlined, and state of the art performance parameters for microchannel plate (MCP) and CCD detectors are measured. Laboratory facilities and procedures for coating MCP are developed general high resolution imagery systems are analyzed.
High (spatial) resolution imaging detectors for X-ray astronomy were developed. Several prototype detectors built and their feasibility and baseline performance were assessed. Two of these detector types are proposed for investigations on the advanced X-ray astrophysics facility (AXAF). The readiness of a new X-ray imaging system, the charge coupled device (CCD) imaging specctrometer is outlined, and state of the art performance parameters for microchannel plate (MCP) and CCD detectors are measured. Laboratory facilities and procedures for coating MCP are developed general high resolution imagery systems are analyzed.
This document presents a detailed schedule for the implementation of the strategy for managing defense remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste. The baseline management strategy was defined in the Defense Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Cost/Schedule Optimization Study and is summarized in this document. Also included are revised RH TRU waste inventory projections, current site management plans, a list of key decision points and milestones, and a discussion of uncertainties associated with management of RH TRU waste. The plans are summarized in a detailed schedule diagram and in an RH TRU waste work off diagram. 9 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.
The Daya Bay Reactor Anti-Neutrino Experiment is a neutrino oscillation experiment designed to observe and measure the neutrino mixing angle ?13. The sensitivity goal is 0.01 in sin 22?13 at the 90% confidence level, a significant improvement over the current limit. This will be accomplished by measuring the relative rates and energy spectra of reactor electron antineutrinos with multiple detectors positioned at different baselines. Civil construction is currently under-way as detector designs and planning near completion. Commissioning activities should be completed by the end of 2010, followed by a three-year run.
Purpose of this assessment for this town in the Slovak Republic is to develop information on the building sector energy efficiency and improvement potential for use by town management to support decisions on providing energy services to Handlova citizens. Objectives were to characterize baseline space and water heat energy use and efficiency improvement potential in the residential and nonresidential building sectors. Intention was to identify major areas of efficiency improvement potential and cost-effectiveness. Four levels of energy and fuel prices were used. A significant efficiency resource exists in the space and water heating end uses in these building sectors; it amounts to 42% of the total building sector space and water heat energy consumption.
A fuel cycle economic analysis was performed on four fuel cycles to provide a baseline for initial cost comparison using the Gen IV Economic Modeling Work Group G4 ECON spreadsheet model, Decision Programming Language software, the 2006 Advanced Fuel Cycle Cost Basis report, industry cost data, international papers, the nuclear power related cost study from MIT, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. The analysis developed and compared the fuel cycle cost component of the total cost of energy for a wide range of fuel cycles including: once through, thermal with fast recycle, continuous fast recycle, and thermal recycle.
In 2009, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program and the Climate Change Prediction Program (CCPP) have been asked to produce joint science metrics. For CCPP, the second quarter metrics are reported in Evaluation of Simulated Precipitation in CCSM3: Annual Cycle Performance Metrics at Watershed Scales. For ARM, the metrics will produce and make available new continuous time series of radiative fluxes based on one year of observations from Barrow, Alaska, during the International Polar Year and report on comparisons of observations with baseline simulations of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM).
Several randomized placebo-controlled trials have consistently shown antidyskinetic effects of amantadine in levodopa treated patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). However, all of these were of short duration and there have been claims that the effect of amantadine on levodopa induced dyskinesias (LID's) wear off after about 9 months of treatment. This randomized placebo-controlled parallel-group study was performed to assess the long-term antidyskinetic effect of amantadine in 32 PD patients, who after having been on stable amantadine therapy for LID over at least one year- were switched in a double blind manner to amantadine or placebo and followed for 3 weeks. Dyskinesia duration and intensity were assessed by UPDRS IV items 32 and 33 as well as by patient's diaries. The primary outcome was the score change of UPDRS IV items 32 + 33 between baseline and 3 weeks after treatment as well as the between treatment group comparison of the score change of ...
Objective:To evaluate the impact of avoidable mortality on the changes in life expectancy at birth in Spain.Methods:Standard life table techniques...Full Text Available
IntroductionMale sexual dysfunction is a common complication of diabetes (DM), but the relative impact of erectile dysfunction (ED), orgasmic dysfunction (OD), and/or...Full Text Available
We successfully reproduce one of the French pipe whip experiments with the computer code WIPS. The WIPS results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data and the French computer code TEDEL. This justifies the use of its pipe element in conjunction with its U-bar element in a simplified method of impact analyses.
The impact of introducing a 3,6,9-trioxadecyloxyl group at various positions of the desazadesferrithiocin (DADFT) aromatic ring on iron clearance and organ distribution is described. Three DADFT...Full Text Available
BackgroundHelminth infections can alter susceptibility to malaria. Studies need to determine whether or not deworming programs can impact on Plasmodium infections...Full Text Available
The paper presents a review of the current state of knowledge on the likely impacts of extreme weather and climate events on coastal zones and small islands in the context of climate change. Possible response options, including prevention, preparedness and adaptation, are indicated.
PURPOSE This study was designed to evaluate the impact of electronic medical record (EMR) implementation on quality of diabetes care.METHODS We conducted a 5-year longitudinal...Full Text Available
This study investigated the impact of lifelong sedentariness on skeletal muscle mass and mitochondrial function. Thirty C57BL/6 strain mice (2 months) were randomly divided into three groups (young-Y;...Full Text Available
Objectives:Despite its impact on health policy, the relationship between geographical proximity and health care seeking has received scant attention in the medical literature. This...Full Text Available
PURPOSE We wanted to assess the impact of an electronic health record–based diabetes clinical decision support system on control of hemoglobin A1c (glycated hemoglobin),...Full Text Available
A collaborative research effort by scientists in several states and in Canada has produced information to develop a formal risk assessment of the impact of Bt corn on monarch butterfly...Full Text Available
Few data exist about the impact of computerized prescribing systems on outpatient medication errors (MEs) and adverse drug events (ADEs). We compared the rates of MEs and ADEs in handwritten sites versus...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo investigate the impact white matter hyperintensities (WMH) detected on MRI have on motor dysfunction and cognitive impairment in non-demented elderly...Full Text Available
This study explored posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive change resulting from struggling with trauma, among 7- to 10-year-olds impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Analyses focused on child self-system...Full Text Available
The report details the economic impact of two alternative regulatory options; a Treated Discharge Option and a Zero Discharge Option on facilities that would have to comply with the regulations as part of the reproposal of effluent limitations and standar...
This report estimates the economic and financial effects of compliance with the proposed effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) industry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has measured these impacts...
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a program of repeated assessments, feedback, and training on the quality of coded clinical data in general practice.Design:...Full Text Available
Section 204 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) requires EPA to assess and report to Congress on the impacts to date and likely future impacts of the increased use of biofuels as required by the Clean Air Act, section 211(0). Environmental issues (...
Twenty-two cases of indigestion occurred in a 650-cow herd. Five cows had severe sand abomasal impaction, diagnosed by laparotomy. The pH of prepartum cows’ urine was < 6.0 and of sand...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThere has been much debate about the value of condoms in HIV/STI programming. This should be informed by evidence about intervention impact on condom use, but there is limited...Full Text Available
The visual impact of wind turbines is one of the main factors affecting public acceptance of wind parks. This paper evaluates the visual impact of a wind park in Chania, Crete, using the Spanish method of evaluation. The outcomes are combined with the psychometric testing of the residents by the use of questionnaires and with the values of the Spanish method about various scenarios concerning the size of the wind park (double, half, one wind turbine). The results of the study prove that the quantification of the potential visual impact could minimize this, apparently, main reason that affects public acceptance. (author)
The US Department of Energy, Division of Electric Energy Systems, has undertaken to identify the environmental issues and potential impacts associated with the installation of underground electric power transmission systems. This study reports the results of investigations into the advanced cable technologies being considered for future underground applications, as part of the development oriented research program of the Division of Electric Energy Systems. While the technology involves a high level of sophistication, there are relatively few impacts to the environment that are potentially significant, and of these none are inherently non-mitigable. Route planning, system design, and methods of construction and accident response can be pursued in order to minimize impacts where strict constraints are appropriate.
This study is an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of contaminated groundwater from the ASARCO metals refining facility adjacent to the ...
... small water or ice particles by impaction ... flight recording; principally the hydrometeor charge unit ... capability of directing aircraft movements by radio ...
This book is divided into the following chapters: the atmospheric boundary layer; atmospheric diffusion; pollutants and their properties; and environmental monitoring and impact.
digital libraries, which was identified as a national challenge in the Information ... The linkages between the many digital libraries and information services are ...
The paper discusses the potential environmental impacts associated with the operation of a large, say 350 MWe, gas-fired combined cycle power station. It concludes that if appropriate control methods are introduced at the design stage of the plant, environmental impacts are minimal and can be considered acceptable. (author).
This study provides information on energy resource development and the efforts of State and local communities in the Rocky Mountain, Appalachian, and coastal regions to deal with the related social and economic impacts. It also provides information on the range of options and resources generally available to States and local communities from local, State, industry, and Federal sources to plan for and mitigate the adverse effects of energy development. Onsite visits and interviews with State, local, and Federal officials and private industry involved in mitigating socioeconomic impacts were made.
Supplement B to the Terra Nova Development Application provides a description of the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel system selected for the development, a summary of the reasons for selecting the system, and the impact of this selection on the Development Plan, the Benefits Plan, the Environmental Impact Statement and the Socio-Economic Impact Statement. There is also a description of the contractor alliance approach to be used in the Terra Nova Development. Refs., tabs., figs.
A viscoelastically prestressed polymeric matrix composite (VPPMC) is produced by applying tension to polymeric fibres, the tensile load being released prior to moulding the fibres into a matrix. Following matrix solidification, compressive stresses imparted by the viscoelastically strained fibres improve composite tensile, flexural and impact properties. This study focuses on the potential for useful life and impact protection capability by performing Charpy impact tests on nylon 6,6 fibre-polyester resin samples subjected to accelerated ageing. Prior to testing, time-temperature superposition principles were used, the samples being aged by heating to 60degreeC for periods representing a 10-fold increase over previous work. The results demonstrated no deterioration in impact performance ov...
There is now a scientific consensus that current rates of accumulation of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere will result in significant global warming and climate change. These changes are likely to have important impacts on a wide range of human activities and the natural environment. There has now been a considerable weight of literature published on the impacts of global warming, much of it very recent. This report seeks to summarise the important results, to analyse the uncertainties and to make a preliminary analysis of the feasibility of monetarising these environmental costs. The impacts of global warming are divided into ten major categories: agriculture, forests and forestry, terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, hydrology and water resources, sea level rise and coastal zones, energy, infrastructure/transport/industry, human health and air quality, oceans, and cryospheric impacts. The ...
Estimates of climate change impacts are plague with uncertainties from many physical, biological, and social-economic processes. Among the urgent research priorities, more comprehensive assessments of impacts that better represent the uncertainties are needed. Here, we develop a new super-ensemble-based probabilistic projection approach to account for the uncertainties from CO2 emission scenarios, climate change scenarios, and biophysical processes in impact assessment model. We demonstrate the approach in addressing the probabilistic changes of maize production in the North China Plain in future. The new process-based general crop model, MCWLA [Tao, F., Yokozawa, M. Zhang, Z., 2009. Modelling the impacts of weather and climate variability on crop productivity over a large area: a new proc...
In order to promote environmental damage monitoring and environmental impacts assessment caused by mining in China, the most significant project that uses advanced Earth Observation technology to assess environmental impacts caused by mining, namely MINEO (assessment and monitoring the environmental impact of mining activities in Europe using advanced Earth Observation technology) was introduced and its enlightenment to China were investigated. It was proposed that an integrated technical framework of monitoring environmental impacts caused by mining be designed, quantitative inversion of biological and environmental parameters from RS data be emphasised, hyperspectral Remote Sensing be applied, RS and GIS be integrated with professional models, multi-object applications of RS be implemented, and related standards and specification be drawn up based on typical case study sites. 23 refs., 1 fig.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the economic impacts that are likely to result from promulgation of the proposed best practicable control technology (BPT), best available technology economically achievable (BAT) and Best Conventional Technology (BCT) effluent limitations and standards on placer mining in the United States. The results of the economic impact analysis will help establish pollution control regulations that are economically achievable. The analysis examines how each of four alternative pollution control technologies affects the financial viability of placer mines in the United States. The impacts examined include reduced profitability, production cutbacks, mine closures, and employment and earning losses, as well as impacts to the local economies.
This paper gives a brief review about the state of knowledge on the distributional aspects of climate change impacts. The paper is largely limited to the distribution of impacts between countries (in Section 2). Although there are virtually no estimates reported in the literature, the distribution of impacts within countries is also important. Impact estimates for different sectors (agriculture, health, sea level rise) provides little guidance for estimating differential impacts within countries. It is even harder to find estimates based on social classes. The paper restricts itself to equity about the consequences of climate change. Equity issues about the consequences of emission reduction are ignored here, but should of course be part of a policy analysis. Equity issues about procedures for decision making are also ignored. The paper is organised as follows. Section 2 reviews ...
Many environmental impact statements (EIS) fail to predict environmental impacts, organize information about those impacts in a concise, logical way, and communicate that information intelligibly. This paper presents a systematic, auxiliary ''language'' for environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), in an attempt to correct this problem. The approach improves communication among disciplinary specialists, between an interdisciplinary team and a decision-maker, and between a federal agency and the general public by helping to identify important issues and impacts, and by reducing time, effort, cost, and paperwork. The basis for the approach is found in the principal aims of the NEPA regulations and other criteria. The interdisciplinary language for environmental analysis consists of a small vocabulary, used in conjuction with a simple ...
Oil and gas resources in the offshore areas of the US constitute a significant portion of US recoverable hydrocarbon resources. The exploration, development and production of these offshore resources in California, however, could have significant air quality implications for coastal air basins. This study was developed to address a problem that frequently arises with offshore air quality assessments. Typically, such assessments are performed for a specific activity scenario (e.g., a Federal OCS Lease Sale involving a projected number of drilling rigs, platforms, pipelines, etc.) and assume a projected (but uncertain) level of recoverable oil and gas resources. This study enables interested parties to estimate air emissions and impacts for a wide range of OCS-related development scenarios. The modular emission calculation procedure and the generic impact assessment provide for maximum flexibility in reassessing the emissions and ...
The influence of material configuration and impact parameters on the damage tolerance characteristics of sandwich composites comprised of carbon-epoxy woven fabric facesheets and Nomex honeycomb cores was investigated using empirically based response surfaces. A series of carefully selected tests were used to isolate the coupled influence of various combinations of the number of facesheet plies, core density, core thickness, impact energy, impactor diameter, and impact velocity on the damage formation and residual strength degradation due to normal impact. The ranges of selected material parameters were typical of those found in common aircraft applications. The diameter of the planar damage area associated with Through Transmission Ultrasonic C-scan measurements and the peak residual facesheet indentation depth were used to describe the extent of internal and detectable surface damage, respectively. ...
This report is an examination and analysis of the zinc-air system as the motive power source for electric vehicle propulsion. Various versions of the zinc-air system and operating schemes along with their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Baseline cost calculations are also presented in order to compare the cost effectiveness of each of the systems. The treatise is conceptual in nature and is not based on new experimental work. The information is based on published literature and investigations carried out at ERC in the past. The study also includes recommendations and suggestions in areas that require further research and development work to achieve a smooth transition from the conceptual stage to a practical, viable, and cost effective system.
The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempi, is an endangered species. The National Marine Fisheries Service's Head Start program is part of an international operation to save the turtles from extinction. Under the Head Start program, eggs from the Ridley's only known wild nesting beach at Rancho Nuevo in Mexico are transported to Padre Island on the Texas coast to be hatched. The head start enables the turtles to develop a survival advantage. The principal objective was to develop baseline waste-characterization data required to design a waste-water treatment scheme for the Galveston Head Start facility. As a secondary objective, preliminary testing of some filtration components was undertaken to determine which units were most appropriate for inclusion in a wastewater treatment scheme.
Background:- Only one study has used a prospective method to analyze the diagnostic stability of first psychotic episodes in children and adolescents. The Child and Adolescent First-Episode Psychosis Study (CAFEPS) is a 2-year, prospective longitudinal study of early-onset first episodes of psychosis (EO-FEP). Aim:- To describe diagnostic stability and the variables related to diagnostic changes. Methods:- Participants were 83 patients (aged 9-17-years) with an EO-FEP consecutively attended. They were assessed with a structured interview (Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime version) and clinical scales at baseline and after 2-years. Results:- The global consistency for all diagnoses was 63.9%. The small group of bipolar disorder had high stabilit...
Objective: There are few safe and effective biological treatments for major depression in adolescents. We aimed to report the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment for adolescents with this condition. Methods: The first two subjects in a double-blind, sham-controlled trial of rTMS that is evaluating the efficacy and safety of rTMS in depressed adolescents are described. Clinical response was assessed at baseline and at the end of each week. The following scales were used: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Centre for Epidemiological Studies - Depression - Child Scale. A battery of cognitive tests was also used at several intervals to measure potential change in neuropsycholo...
The economic feasibility of the residential solar thermal (ST) cooling system designed in the companion article [1] is ascertained by comparing it with a solar electric (SE) cooling system, and also with the baseline (i.e., control case), a grid dependent, highest efficiency COPC=5.66 heat pump. The economic scenario is analyzed for 24 cities across the southern USA, south of the 37degreeN. The SE cooling system provides lifecycle (20 year) savings to the homeowner only where electric rates are high and it is heavily subsidized. The overall societal effect (sum of taxpayer funded rebate and homeowner savings) is actually an increased cost everywhere except the California Central Valley, where the net savings is $1500. In the same valley, The ST cooling system provides greater lifecycle sav...
We observed at 22 GHz with the VLBI array VERA a sample of 1536 sources with correlated flux densities brighter than 200 mJy at 8 GHz. One half of target sources has been detected. The detection limit was around 200 mJy. We derived the correlated flux densities of 877 detected sources in three ranges of projected baseline lengths. The objective of these observations was to determine the suitability of given sources as phase calibrators for dual-beam and phase-referencing observations at high frequencies. Preliminary results indicate that the number of compact extragalactic sources at 22 GHz brighter than a given correlated flux density level is twice less than at 8 GHz.
Feasibility Study-II examined a high-performance Neutrino Factory providing 1 x 10{sup 20} neutrinos per year aimed at a long-baseline detector. The Study was sponsored jointly by BNL and the Neutrino Factory and Muon Collider Collaboration ration (MC) and is based on a 1 MW proton driver operating at 24 GeV, i.e., an upgraded version of the AGS accelerator. Compared with the earlier FNAL-sponsored study (Feasibility Study-I), there is a sixfold improvement in performance. Here we describe details of the implementation of Study-II concepts and discuss their efficacy. Alternative approaches that will be pursued in follow-on R and D activities are also described briefly.
Three adolescents (ages 14-17) with emotional and behavioral disorders displayed chronic disruptive behavior in their self-contained classrooms at a self-contained alternative school. A descriptive functional behavioral assessment was conducted for each student. Data from file review, structured interviews, and direct observations were used to identify the functions of their disruptive behaviors. Then, function-based interventions were systematically constructed for each student and implemented for an extended period (nearly 6 weeks) within the most problematic situation in their classrooms. The interventions improved each student's behavior and the effects maintained during follow-up and generalized to instruction in a nonintervention classroom. Social validity data comparing the interventions to baseline practices revealed the function-based intervention had moderately higher social validity among teachers and substantially higher social validity among students. ...
BACKGROUNDLifestyle modifications are successfully employed to treat obese and overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aims of the current pilot study were (i) to compare the efficacy on reproductive functions of a structured exercise training (SET) programme with a diet programme in obese PCOS patients and (ii) to study their clinical, hormonal and metabolic effects to elucidate potentially different mechanisms of action.METHODSForty obese PCOS patients with anovulatory infertility underwent a SET programme (SET group, n = 20) and a hypocaloric hyperproteic diet (diet group, n = 20). Clinical, hormonal and metabolic data were assessed at baseline, and at 12- and 24-week follow-ups. Primary endpoint was cumulative pregnancy rate.RESULTSThe two groups had similar demogra...
Progress in the worldwide capability of predicting the convective energy loss from solar central receivers is reviewed. The significant advances in the past three years have been in experimental areas. Baseline measurements of the convective heat transfer from large high-temperature surfaces, e.g., a flat plate and a cubical cavity, have been completed and empirical correlations have been obtained. Theoretical modeling activities have not kept pace with the experimental advances, however. Currently, the primary theoretical emphasis is the development and testing of turbulence models suitable for buoyant flows. Three major needs have been identified: the measurement of convective energy losses from operating solar central receivers; the continued development of theoretical models in spite of the relatively slow progress to date; and the quantification of the effects of atmospheric turbulence.
Two third-grade Taiwanese students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders participated in a pull-out, small-group social skills training program developed to promote their skill acquisition and maintenance. Using a multiple baseline across skills design, the authors demonstrated that both participants made marked performance improvement in all three targeted social skills of on-task, appropriate conflict resolution, and cooperation during the intervention condition. Maintenance and follow-up data showed that both participants sustained their use of taught social skills in the training setting and their third-grade classroom, respectively. Social validity measures, including peer sociometric ratings and consumer satisfaction questionnaires and interviews, supported the positive effects of the social skills training program for both participants. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
This paper reports on current dual fuel engines utilizing standard mechanical (Bosch type) fuel injection systems set to 5--6 percent pilot delivery that do not appear capable of reducing NO{sub x} emissions much below the current minimum of 4 g/bhp-h without incurring substantial penalties in efficiency and operability. A prototype Electronic Pilot Fuel Injector (EPFI) was designed that overcomes the shortcomings of the mechanical injection system, consistently delivering 3 percent or less pilot at pressures as high as 20,000 psi. The EPFI was installed and tested in one cylinder of a standard production dual fuel engine operating at a waste water treatment facility.
Abstract Iodine concentrates in gastric tissue and may act as an antioxidant for the stomach. We previously showed that self-reported goiter was associated with significantly increased risk of gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma (GNCA) and nonsignificantly increased risks of gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a prospective case-cohort study in a high-risk population in China. Negatively correlated with iodine levels, serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is a more sensitive biomarker of iodine deficiency than goiter. Our study aimed to determine whether baseline serum Tg was also associated with development of GNCA, GCA and ESCC in the same cohort, the Linxian General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial. Sera from -200 subjects of each case type and 40...
The relationship of lead exposure to blood pressure has been examined in a longitudinal study of a cohort of 89 Boston, Massachusetts, policemen. At the baseline examination, subjects had a blood lead determination and three consecutive blood pressure measurements. Triplicate blood pressure measurements were also taken at years 3, 4, and 5. Multivariate analysis revealed that, after correction for previous systolic blood pressure, body mass index, age, and smoking, a high level of blood lead was a significant predictor of subsequent elevation of systolic pressure. Bootstrap simulations of these models provided supporting evidence for the observed associations. These data suggest that lead exposure can significantly affect systolic pressure.
This article argues that anti-corruption agencies at the local-level have been successful in a way that can be evaluated and emulated. A related contention is that corruption control is most effective when the central public integrity agency is part of both a local anticorruption network and a local public management network. Quite reasonably, the international anti-corruption project has focused most time and energy on advocating and assessing efforts made to ensure public integrity at the national level. Baseline studies by scholars and supra-national integrity nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) identify the form of corruption control (if any) adopted by the central government. Key considerations in assessing the status of national anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) are the ones mentioned...
Abstract Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- is a pro-inflammatory cytokine associated with psoriasis pathogenesis. Anti-TNF- therapies are effective in psoriasis. A significant weight gain has been reported in patients treated with anti-TNF- agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the body composition changes in psoriatic patients receiving anti-TNF- therapies according with disease phenotype. Forty patients affected with psoriasis were followed up for 24 weeks and divided into two groups: psoriasis vulgaris (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Anthropometric, blood biochemical, body composition parameters, resting metabolic rate, and disease activity indexes were measured at baseline and at week 24. After 24 weeks of anti-TNF- administration, the disease activity indexes and concen...
Lisy ME, Jarvis KB, DelBello MP, Mills NP, Weber WA, Fleck D, Strakowski SM, Adler CM. Progressive neurostructural changes in adolescent and adult patients with bipolar disorder.-Bipolar Disord 2011: 13: 396-405. 2011 The Authors.-Journal compilation 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives:- Several lines of evidence suggest that bipolar disorder is associated with progressive changes in gray matter volume (GMV), particularly in brain structures involved in emotional regulation and expression. The majority of these studies however, have been cross-sectional in nature. In this study we compared baseline and follow-up scans in groups of bipolar disorder and healthy subjects. We hypothesized bipolar disorder subjects would demonstrate significant GMV changes over time. Methods:- A total of 58 ...
HCV infection continues to spread at an alarming rate among IDU populations. The available evidence suggests that HCV is acquired relatively quickly following onset of injection. However, there are few prospective studies of HCV acquisition, particularly among IDU populations in resource-poor settings. A sample of young male heroin injectors with recent onset of injection (<4?years) was recruited in Hanoi, Vietnam for a prospective assessment of the early course of injection (n?=?179). Both behavioral and biological assessments (including detailed retrospective assessment of injection initiation) were conducted at baseline and repeated at 6-month intervals for a period of 16?months. Variables associated with HCV infection (p value?p value?=?0.0005). In multivariate logistic regression anal...
LLNL is developing the nuclear fusion based Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) power plant concept. The baseline design uses a depleted uranium (DU) fission fuel blanket with a flowing molten salt coolant (flibe) that also breeds the tritium needed to sustain the fusion energy source. Indirect drive targets, similar to those that will be demonstrated on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), are ignited at 13Hz providing a 500MW fusion source. The DU is in the form of a uranium oxycarbide kernel in modified TRISO-like fuel particles distributed in a carbon matrix forming 2-cm-diameter pebbles. The thermal power is held at 2000MW by continuously varying the 6Li enrichment in the coolants. There are many options to be considered in the engine design including target yield, U-to-C ratio in th...
The use of meta-analysis has become increasingly useful for clinical and policy decision making. A recent development in meta-analysis, multiple treatment comparison (MTC) meta-analysis, provides inferences on the comparative effectiveness of interventions that may have never been directly evaluated in clinical trials. This new approach may be confusing for clinicians and methodologists and raises specific challenges relevant to certain areas of medicine. This article addresses the methodological concepts of MTC meta-analysis, including issues of heterogeneity, choice of model, and adequacy of sample sizes. We address domain-specific challenges relevant to disciplines of medicine, including baseline risks of patient populations. We conclude that MTC meta-analysis is a useful tool in the context of comparative effectiveness and requires further study, as its utility and transparency will likely predict its uptake by the research and clinical community.
Major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence are common and serious mental illnesses. There is a great interest in discovering useful treatments for both mood symptoms and alcohol abuse in those patients with depressive disorders and comorbid alcohol dependence. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of mirtazapine for the treatment of patients with alcohol dependence comorbid with a depressive disorder in an open label, naturalistic multicentre treatment setting. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale were measured at baseline and at weeks 4 and 8 for the assessment of treatment effectiveness. Alcohol craving was measured using ...
We discuss the minimum requirements for a neutrino beta beam if theta_13 is discovered by an upcoming reactor experiment, such as Double Chooz or Daya Bay. We require that both neutrino mass hierarchy and leptonic CP violation can be measured to competitive precisions with a single-baseline experiment in the entire remaining theta_13 range. We find that for very high isotope production rates, such as they might be possible using a production ring, a (B,Li) beta beam with a gamma as low as 60 could already be sufficient to perform all of these measurements. If only the often used nominal source luminosities can be achieved, for example, a (Ne,He) beta beam from Fermilab to a possibly existing water Cherenkov detector at Homestake with gamma \\sim 190-350 (depending on the Double Chooz best-fit) could outperform practically any other beam technology including wide-band beam and neutrino factory.
OBJECTIVE --To evaluate the consequences on male sexual function of intraprostatic injection of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Although BoNT/A is effective in decreasing symptoms of BPH, neuronal impairment caused by the neurotoxin might affect emission/ejaculation. These aspects have not been evaluated before. PATIENTS AND METHODS --In all, 16 sexually active men aged >60 years with BPH/benign prostatic enlargement (BPE), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) -8 and a maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) <15mL/s refractory to standard medical therapy volunteered for the study. --Patients were injected transrectally, under ultrasonographic control, with 200U of BoNT/A in the prostate. Evaluation was carried out at baseline and 1, 3 ...
Work on the coke oven gas cleaning demonstration project (CCT-11) this quarter has focused on Phase IIB tasks, and include engineering, construction, and training. Additionally, plans for changes in the operating schedule of the coke plant that affect the demonstration project are described. The project Milestone Schedule and Log is shown. Planned Baseline Supplemental Monitoring activities described in the Environmental Monitoring Plan were completed. Testing of the mechanical systems began in June, 1991. The cold commissioning date has been moved back from October 1, 1991 to November 1, 1991 to allow float for miscellaneous finish-up items beyond the electrical contractor`s projected completion date of October 31, 1991.
A detailed discussion of airborne CO{sub 2}, DIAL measurements obtained from the first joint N-ABLE field campaign at INEL is presented. System performance characteristics, including return signal strength, averaging statistics, and temporal correlation as well as multi-line DIAL spectral data are discussed. In particular, we review data acquisition and analysis strategies pertinent to chemical detection from a moving platform, such as range determination and correction, and return signal processing (waveform vs. box-car integration, baseline correction). We also report observed effects and variations due to near-field light scattering, pointing and tracking stability, and stack-release plume dynamics.
Long-term fishery datasets can provide valuable insights into fishing histories, and represent a baseline against which to examine current status and plan for future management. For coral reef-associated fisheries, however, such datasets are extremely rare. We analyse a unique 45-year set of landings data on six reef fishes of commercial importance in Cubas coastal fisheries, together with information on management interventions, and examine the likely implications of over-fishing and management on the long-term condition of one grouper (Serranidae) and five snapper (Lutjanidae) species. The data clearly demonstrate differential responses to fishing and management according to the biology of the different species examined. In particular, those species that aggregate most predictably, and a...
IntroductionMost clinical studies on the outcome of apical surgery concentrate on periapical healing based on radiographic and clinical characteristics (signs and symptoms). This study focuses on long-term changes in periodontal parameters after apical surgery. MethodsPeriodontal parameters (ie, probing depth [PD], level of gingival margin [GM], and calculated clinical attachment level [CAL]) were collected at baseline and at 1 and 5 years after apical surgery. Changes in PD, GM, and CAL were calculated over time and were also evaluated in relation to patient-, tooth-, and treatment-related covariables. ResultsOne hundred eighty-six of 242 initially identified teeth could be evaluated. Significant changes in GM and CAL were observed at facial sites during the first year after surgery (mean...
Pursuant to statement issued by the Government of Vietnam on 12 May 1977, on the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the continental shelf of Vietnam, and according to the provisions of the LOS Convention, the EEZ of Vietnam extends principally up to 200NM from the baseline, and the area of EEZ amounts to about one million square km including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands [The declaration of the Government of Vietnam on the territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, Hanoi, 1977]. The establishment of EEZ has significantly changed circumstances for the fisheries sector in Vietnam.Recently, even though the adaptation of new techniques and technologies to the fisheries sector has been somewh...
An evaluation of Enova's heating program is presented. The central point was to evaluate to which degree Enova's heating program had resulted in increased supply of renewable energy for heating purposes to the Norwegian energy system. Main results are presented in part 1, chapter 1 to 5, while the facts and analyses behind the evaluation are presented in part 2, chapter I to VII. The main conclusion is that the program seen as one has had triggering effect on the market. The program has thus provided results in the form of increased supply of heating energy. Because of the project limitations and the lack of systematically documented baselines in the procedures, there are insecurities connected to the exact data registered. This makes quantification of the results difficult (ml)
Since Taiwan lacks sufficient self-produced energy, increasing energy efficiency and energy savings are essential aspects of Taiwan's energy policy. This work summarizes the energy savings implemented by 303 firms in Taiwan's textile industry from the on-line Energy Declaration System in 2008. It was found that the total implemented energy savings amounted to 46,074 ton of oil equivalent (TOE). The energy saving was equivalent to 94,614 MWh of electricity, 23,686 kl of fuel oil and 4887 ton of fuel coal. It represented a potential reduction of 143,669 ton in carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide absorption capacity of a 3848 ha plantation forest. This study summarizes energy-saving measures for energy users and identifies the areas for making energy saving to provide an energy efficiency baseline.
This report summarizes all work of the Limited Energy Study, Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP), Fort Hunter Liggett, California, authorized under Contract Number DACA05-92-C-0155 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, California. The purpose of this study is to develop projects and actions that will reduce facilities energy consumption and operating costs at Fort Hunter Liggett. Implementation of these projects will contribute to achieving the goal of the Army Facilities Energy Plan of a reduction in energy consumption per square foot of building floor area of 20 percent by FY2000 from FY1985 baseline levels.
A sensitivity study that used the particle tracking code PARMELA was performed on the Advanced Free-Electron Laser (AFEL). The tolerances on the alignment of the beam-line elements and the magnetic-field strengths were examined. Two base-line configurations were determined at the beginning of the study. The electron beam was then matched into the wiggler. The optimized beam-line parameters were varied independently and their sensitivities were judged with the criterion that the free-electron laser (FEL) effective-detuning parameter should not fluctuate more than 10%. The results of this study set the specifications for the alignment, for the sensitivity of the steering magnets, and for the accuracy of the magnetic field in the quadrupoles and dipoles. 5 figs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.
AbstractBackground: Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, CZP) was approved for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) patients in 2007 in Switzerland as the first country worldwide. This prospective phase IV study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CZP over 26 weeks in a multicenter cohort of practice-based patients. Methods: Evaluation questionnaires at baseline, week 6, and week 26 were completed by gastroenterologists in hospitals and private practices. Adverse events were evaluated according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Results: Sixty patients (38F/22M) were included; 53% had complicated disease (stricturing or penetrating), 45% had undergone prior CD-related surgery. All patients had prior exposure to systemic steroids, 96% to immunomodulators, 73% to infliximab, and...
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) plaster for knee osteoarthritis among Japanese patients. An open-labeled, randomized, controlled, multiclinic trial was performed involving outpatient clinic groups. Two comparative groups?plaster NSAIDs and oral NSAIDs?were randomly allocated. The drugs used were limited to the current top three in both groups in Japan. Treatments were assessed after four?weeks and compared with the baseline scores. Outcomes were evaluated by two psychometric measures: Japanese knee osteoarthritis measure, and pain with the visual analogue scale. The total number of patients included in the final evaluation was 165 (87 for the plaster group and 78 for the oral group). Between these two groups there were ...
Abstract A 3-month, open-label, single-center study was conducted to determine whether a uniquely formulated and physiologically balanced topical treatment serum containing multiple growth factors, cytokines, peptides, antioxidants and depigmenting agents could improve the visible signs of facial photodamage. Thirty-seven females, aged 32-55 years, with mild to severe, fine and coarse peri-ocular wrinkles were enrolled and completed the study. Subjects applied the treatment serum to the face twice daily for 3 months in conjunction with a basic skincare regimen. Clinical evaluations of photodamage were performed at baseline and months 1, 2 and 3. Cutometer measurements and subject self-assessment questionnaires were also conducted during the study. Clinical evaluations showed statistically ...
One of the goals of the DARPA Virtual Soldier Project is to aid the field medic in the triage of a casualty. In Phase I, we are currently collecting 12 baseline experimental physiological variables and a cardiac gated Computed Tomography (CT) imagery for use in an prototyping a futuristic electronic medical record, the "Holomer". We are using physiological models and Kalman filtering to aid in diagnosis and predict outcomes in relation to cardiac injury. The physiological modeling introduces another few hundred variables. Reducing the complexity of the above into easy-to-read text to aid in the triage by the field medic is the challenge with multiple display solutions. A description of the possible techniques follows. PMID:15718701
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. Stripper modeling suggests the energy requirement with a simple stripper will be about the same for 5 m K{sup +}/2.5 m PZ and 7 m MEA. Modeling with a generic solvent shows that the optimum heat of CO{sub 2} desorption to minimize heat duty lies between 15 and 25 kcal/gmol. On-line pH and density measurements are effective indicators of loading and total alkalinity for the K+/PZ solvent. The baseline pilot plant campaign with 30% MEA has been started.
AbstractBACKGROUND: The authors chose to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and incident colorectal cancer across the spectrum of BMI, including underweight persons, because detailed prospective cohort data on this topic in Asians is scarce, as is data on underweight persons (BMI, <18.5 kg/m2) in any population. METHODS: Analysis of the Singapore Chinese Health Study included 51,251 men and women aged 45-74 years enrolled in 1993-1998 and followed through 2007. Incident cancer cases and deaths among cohort members were identified through record linkage, and 980 cases were identified. Cox regression models were used to investigate the association of baseline BMI with risk of incident colorectal cancer during a mean of 11.5 years of follow-up. RESULTS: A significant, U-sha...
We present an empirical model for periodic variations of diurnal and sub-diurnal Earth rotation parameters (ERPs) that was derived based on the transformation of normal equation (NEQ) systems of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observing sessions. NEQ systems that contain highly resolved polar motion and UT1-TAI with a temporal resolution of 15?min were generated and then transformed to the coefficients of the tidal ERP model to be solved for. To investigate the quality of this model, comparisons with empirical models from the Global Positioning System (GPS), another VLBI model and the model adopted by the conventions of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) were performed. The absolute coefficients of these models agree almost completely within 7.5?...
This document represents the FY2002 BPA contract Statement of Work for the Yakama Nation (YN) portion of the project entitled 'Assessment of current and potential salmonid production in Rattlesnake Creek associated with restoration efforts'. The purpose of the project is to complete detailed surveys of water quality, fish populations, habitat conditions and riparian health in the Rattlesnake Creek sub-basin of the White Salmon River in south central Washington. Results of the surveys will be used to establish Rattlesnake Creek sub-basin baseline environmental factors prior to anticipated removal of Condit Dam in 2006 and enable cost-effective formulation of future watershed restoration strategies.
Ground deformation affecting the Umbria region (central Italy) in the 9-year period from 1992 to 2000 was investigated through multi-temporal Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR). For the purpose, the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) technique was adopted, which allows studying the temporal evolution of the detected deformation at two spatial scales: a low-resolution (regional) scale, and a full-resolution (local) scale. For the analysis, SAR data acquired by the European Remote Sensing (ERS-1/2) satellites along ascending and descending orbits were used. The detected deformation was analysed to investigate its relevance to geophysical, geomorphologic, and human-induced processes that may result in hazardous conditions to the population of Umbria. Low-resolution deform...
Methods were developed for the separation of radioactively labeled carbohydrate components of proteoglycans by isocratic ion-moderated partition HPLC. Neutral sugars were separated after hydrolysis in trifluoroacetic acid with baseline separation between glucose, xylose, galactose, fucose, and mannose. N-Acetylneuraminic acid, N-acetylated hexosamines, glucose, galactose, and xylitol were likewise well separated from each other under isocratic elution conditions. Glucuronic acid, iduronic acid, and their lactones were separated after hydrolysis in formic acid and sulfuric acid. Glucosamine, galactosamine, galactosaminitol, and glucosaminitol were separated by HPLC on a cation exchanger with neutral buffer after hydrolysis in hydrochloric acid. THe separation techniques also proved useful in fractionation of exoglycosidase digests of O- and N-linked oligosaccharides. Separations of aldoses, hexosamines, and uronic acids were adapted to sensitive photometric ...
The Advanced Neutron Source will be a new world-class facility for research using hot, thermal, cold, and ultra-cold neutrons. The heart of the facility will be a 330-MW (fission), heavy-water cooled and heavy-water moderated reactor. The reactor will be housed in a central reactor building, with supporting equipment located in an adjoining reactor support building. An array of cold neutron guides will fan out into a large guide hall, housing about 30 neutron research stations. Appropriate office, laboratory, and shop facilities will be included to provide a complete facility for users. The ANS is scheduled to begin operation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory early in the next decade. This PDR document defines the plant-level requirements for the design, construction, and operation of ANS. It also defines and provides input to the individual System Design Description (SDD) documents. Together, this PDR document and the set of SDD documents will define and control the ...
A phenomenological model based on the multizone method is described. The model requires a relatively low amount of central processing unit (CPU) time and memory for each run and, consequently, is useful for parameter studies. The flame morphology predicted by the model is compared to that recently uncovered in experimental studies. As a demonstration of its utility, the model is used to study the effect of the oxygen content in intake air on the emission of particulate matter (PM) and NO{sub x} from a direct injection diesel engine. A parametric study reveals that while oxygen-enriched intake air is useful for reducing PM, the reduction comes with a large increase in NO{sub x} emission. The PM-NO{sub x} trade-off curve for the oxygenated intake air is worse than that for the baseline air case. (Author)
EPRI has sponsored an experimental program in the pipe whip impact and pipe rupture and depressurization areas. Sixteen pipe whip tests were performed with 3 in Schedule 80 (or 10) carbon steel pipes impacting on rigid target or concrete slab. The major testing parameters include distance, impact location, pipe rupture location, and concrete slab thickness and strength. The piping crushing at impact correlates with impact force and target response behavior. Conservatism was established by comparing measured and calculated impact forces. The pipe rupture and depressurization tests were carried out using 6 in stainless steel and carbon steel pipes under either PWR or BWR fluid conditions. These tests are of axial crack with initial machined-in surface flaw. It was found that pipe rupture would occur only if a long unstable through-wall crack was embedded in a ...
The current situation in the development of nuclear power in the world and in Czechoslovakia is briefly outlined and the possibilities are discussed of alternative energy resources. The environmental impact is described of conventional power plants firing coal; sulphur and nitrogen oxides are mentioned and their environmental impacts shown. Their quantities and the quantities of other gaseous, liquid and soid wastes produced by coal power plants are given. Annual estimates are presented of radioactive material emissions; trace amount emissions of toxic metals and their ecological risks are shown. Concern over the increasing concentration of CO_2 in the atmosphere is voiced. For nuclear power plants, the amount of radionuclides in stack emission and of those released into water flows is tabulated. Their effect on the aqueous ecosystem is characterized as is thermal pollution of water flows and the environmental impact of ...
The Loose Parts Monitoring System (LPMS) provides information on the location of a loosened or detached metal impacted onto the inner surface of a primary pressure boundary and on a mass or energy of the impact signal. For the conventional system, it is popular to employ the group delay among the sensors installed within 3 ft range from the impact source in a collection zone as stated in the Reg. Guide 1.133. However, there exist inherent errors for the estimation of the true location of the impact since it is highly dependent on the plant personnel's decision to determine the arrival time differences of the generated wave group among the neighbouring sensors. To overcome this problem in this study, the two-dimensional approach has been proposed and applied to effectively estimate the arrival time differences of the impact signal by using continuous wavelet transform which is one of ...
The wastes management policy takes into account more and more often the environmental impacts mastership. This evolution is particularly appreciable when the wastes directly interact with the environment: storage, utilization for roads construction and so on. In this context the ADEME organized the 8 june 2000 a colloquium to present the new evaluation methods and tools, to describe the regulations and to identify the research programs needed for this environmental policy. Eleven papers are presented. (A.L.B.)
Major factors that contribute to maximized impact resistance of semicrystalline engineering polymers include increased matrix molecular weight, minimal rubber glass-transition temperature, and optimal rubber-particle size, which depends on matrix type. Additional constraints are posed by the limitations of available materials and commercial requirements. Expanding the understanding of impact-modified crystalline engineering polymers will further extend their property ranges and utility. This chapter describes the phenomenology of certain factors, illustrates a new technique to measure rubber particle size, and contrasts the fracture mechanisms of poly(butylene terephthalate), nylon 66, and polyacetal. 49 refs., 24 figs.
This paper describes examples of the damage resulting from the impact of a whipping pipe on a nearby pressurised pipe. The work is a by-product of a study of the motion of a whipping pipe. The tests were conducted with small-diameter pipes mounted in rigid supports and hence the results are not directly applicable to large-scale plant applications where flexible support mountings are employed. The results illustrate the influence of whipping pipe energy, impact position and support type on the damage sustained by the target pipe.
This paper describes examples of the damage resulting from the impact of a whipping pipe on a nearby pressurised pipe. The work is a by-product of a study of the motion of a whipping pipe. The tests were conducted with small-diameter pipes mounted in rigid supports and hence the results are not directly applicable to large-scale plant applications where flexible support mountings are employed. The results illustrate the influence of whipping pipe energy, impact position and support type on the damage sustained by the target pipe. (author).
Analytical models for predicting the deformation and failure of composite sandwich panels subjected to blast and projectile impact loading are presented in this paper. The analytical predictions of the transient deformations and damage initiation in the composite sandwich panels were compared with finite element solutions using ABAQUS Explicit. For the blast model, the predicted transient deformation of the sandwich panel was within 7%of FEA results, while the predicted damage initiation using Hashin's composite failure criteria was about 15%higher than FEA results in most cases. For the high velocity impact model, the predicted transient deformations were within 20%of FEA results.
Studied are the mechanical properties of welded joints and heat affected zones of the Kh8N10T steel and OT4 and VT1-2 titanium alloys on welding in Ar+deltaF_6 and Ar+CCl_2F_2 mixtures contributed to a decrease of porosity. Tensile and impact tests of welded joints have revealed that additions of sulfur hexafluoride into argon causes a decrease of impact strength in titanium alloy when the tensile strength does not depend on the composition of a halogen-containing atmosphere. Freon (CCl_2F_2) additions decrease only slightly the impact strength of the investigated alloys.
Malnutrition?in the form of insufficient energy intakes?affects millions of people worldwide and the negative impact of this kind of hunger is well acknowledged, not least by agronomists trying to increase yields to ensure a sufficient supply of food. This review focuses on another, more particular and ?hidden? form of malnutrition, namely mineral malnutrition. It illustrates the burden of disease that is caused by mineral deficiencies and the social and economic consequences they bring about. Mineral malnutrition has a considerable negative impact on individual well-being, social welfare and economic productivity. Agricultural scientists should keep the nutritional qualities of food in mind and?next to optimizing the agricultural properties of crops that are paramount for their adoption b...
... Title : The Numerical Weather Prediction System at the Italian Air Force Weather Service: Impact of Non-Conventional Observations and Increased ...
This Final Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR) has been prepared to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Proposed Action includes the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a 48 megawatt (gross) geothermal power plant with ancillary facilities (10-12 production well pads and 3-5 injection well pads, production and injection pipelines), access roads, and a 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line in the Modoc National Forest in Siskiyou County, California. Alternative locations for the power plant site within a reasonable distance of the middle of the wellfield were determined to be technically feasible. Three power plant site alternatives are evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR.
... Air Station, Oahu, Kahuku Training Area ... K-Pier, Hawaii, Bradshaw Army Airfield, Hawaii (R&S ... impact area); Makua Military Reservation, Oahu (R&S ...
High energy consumption and the world population increase will lead to a shrinking use of fossil fuels. The combustion of Fossil fuel leads to the increase of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere which leads to the probable increase of global warming. Therefore, concerns about carbon dioxide emissions may discourage widespread dependence on fossil fuels and encourage the development and use of renewable energy systems employing a variety of technologies Renewable energy systems have themselves an environmental impact. Land use and material employed are two areas that may have an adverse impact to the positive environmental picture of the renewable energy systems. The objective of this paper is to analyze these impacts with the use of a very powerful tool, the Life Cycle Assessment. (author)
The radiation polymerization of multifunctional unsaturated polyester-monomer mixtures in wood forms interpenetrating network system. The mechanical resistance (compression, abrasion, hardness, etc.) of these composite materials are generally well over the original wood, however the impact strength is almost the same or even reduced, in comparison to the wood itself. An attempt is made using elastic polyester resins to produced wood-polyester composite materials with improved modulus of elasticity and impact properties. For the impregnation of European beech wood two types of elastic unsaturated polyester resins were used. The exothermic effect of radiation copolymerization of these resins in wood has been measured and the dose rate effects as well as hardening dose was determined. Felxural strength and impact properties were examined. Elastic unsaturated polyester resins improved the impact strength of ...
Dynamic pipe impact tests were performed in order to determine the impact conditions for which a 2 inch Schedule 80 carbon steel target pipe would not be broken if it were impacted during a pipe whip event created by a postulated break of an adjacent larger parallel pipe. Such pipe/pipe impact scenarios are of special interest for the feeder pipes of a CANDU reactor because the large number of closely spaced parallel feeder pipes that carry coolant between large primary system pipes and individual fuel channels in the reactor core makes it impractical to consider providing feeder pipe whip restraints. The testing which was performed involved simulating the behaviour of 3 inch and larger whipping pipes in order to study their impact with 2 inch target pipes pressurized at about 9 MPa with water at a temperature of about 290"0C. In a conservative simulation of the worst pipe/pipe ...
BackgroundMedication errors are common among inpatients and many are preventable with computerized prescribing. Relatively little is known about outpatient prescribing errors or...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study is to explain the unplanned longitudinal dose modulations that appear in helical tomotherapy (HT) dose distributions in the presence of irregular patient breathing....Full Text Available
Background, Aim, and Scope The identification and assessment of environmental tradeoffs is a strongpoint of life cycle assessment (LCA). A tradeoff made in many product systems is the exchange of potential for occupational accidents with the additional use of energy and materials. Net benefits of safety measures with respect to human health are best illustrated if the consequences avoided and health impacts induced by additional emissions are assessed using commensurable metrics. Our aim is to develop a human health impact indicator for offshore crane lifts. Crane lifts are a major cause of accidents on offshore oil and gas (O & G) rigs, and health impacts from crane lift accidents should be included in comparative LCA of O & G technologies if the alternatives differ in the use of crane li...
This paper describes a nonlinear dynamic analysis of TVA high energy line pipe whip tests using the ABAQUS-EPGEN code. The analysis considers the effects of large deformation and strain rate on resisting moment and energy absorption capability. The numerical results of impact forces, impact velocities, pipe strains, and reaction forces at pipe supports are compared to the TVA test data. The calculated pipe whip impact time and forces are also compared with those predicted using current industry practice. The calculated pipe support reaction forces are found to be in good agreement with the TVA test data except for some peak values at the very beginning of the pipe break. These peaks are believed to be due to stress wave propagation which cannot be addressed by the ABAQUS code. Both elbow crushing and strain rate have been approximately simulated. The effects are found to be important for pipe whip ...
The battery manufacturing industry has not been immune to the impact of new technologies. How one company is adapting production techniques to meet the demand for better products is discussed.
Like few other organs, the skin is continuously exposed to multiple exogenous and endogenous stressors. Superimposed on this is the impact of psychological stress on skin physiology and pathology....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe ongoing epidemiological transition in Mexico minimizes the relative impact of neurocysticercosis (NC) on public health. However, hard data on the disease frequency...Full Text Available
To meet BPA`s contractual obligation to supply electrical power to its customers, BPA proposes to acquire power generated by Klickitat Cogeneration Project. BPA has prepared an environmental assessment evaluating the proposed project. Based on the EA analysis, BPA`s proposed action is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the following reasons: (1)it will not have a significant impact land use, upland vegetation, wetlands, water quality, geology, soils, public health and safety, visual quality, historical and cultural resources, recreation and socioeconomics, and (2) impacts to fisheries, wildlife resources, air quality, and noise will be temporary, minor, or sufficiently offset by mitigation. Therefore, the preparation of an environmental impact statement is not required and BPA is issuing this FONSI ...
Amotivation is a telling hallmark of negative symptomatology in schizophrenia, and it impacts nearly every facet of behavior, including inclination to attempt the difficult cognitive tasks involved...Full Text Available
Magnetic pulse welding is a solid state impact welding process, similar to explosive welding, which produces metallurgical bond by oblique high-speed impact between two metal bodies. This violent impact removes the metal surface oxide layers and then joins the two atomic level clean metal surfaces together by the incidental compression pressure. The impact velocity is at 200?400?m/s and the being welded metal surface undergoes severe plastic deformation with strain rate in the order of 106?107?s?1. The ultrafine-grained structure was observed on the welded interface. This article studied two types of similar material lap joint interfaces and the base metals were aluminum alloy 6061 and copper alloy 110. Nano-indentation testing shows that the welded interfaces have significantly greater ha...
Description: Hurricane Hugo, which struck South Carolina in September of 1989, destroyed a significant proportion of the State's timber. Primary wood-products ...
Objective:To evaluate the effect of urethral reconstructive surgery on sexual drive, erectile function and ejaculation.Materials and Methods:The...Full Text Available
Jan 31, 2006 ... Sick leave accrues at the rate of 1 hour for each 20 hour in a pay status. ... FERS: All periods of service are used in determining the FERS ...
BackgroundFloating knee injuries are usually associated with other significant injuries. Do these injuries have implications on the management of the floating knee and the final...Full Text Available
Background An increasing number of people have access to the Internet, and more people are seeking tobacco cessation resources online every year. Despite the...Full Text Available
... Zinn, J., Hoerlin, H., and Petschek, AG, "The Motion of Bomb Debris Follow- ing the Starfish Test," Radiation Trapped in the Earth's Magnetic Field ...
Our global impact is finally receiving the scientific attention it deserves. The outcome will largely determine the future course of evolution. Human-modified ecosystems are shaped by our activities...Full Text Available
... This Level 2 analysis will be somewhat less detailed, but experience in other fields including pipe whip 4 , locomotive dynamics, and nuclear fuel ...
Mechanical properties, flow characteristics and chemical resistance of polycarbonate (PC)/polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)/impact modifier (IM) blends were investigated over the various composition ranges of PC and PBT. Mechanical properties of the PC/PBT/IM blends for different IMs, butadiene based IM and butyl acrylate based IM, were studies for various compositions of the IMs. Impact strength at low temperature was also observed. For the study of chemical resistance of the PC/PBT/IM blends, the blends were dipped in organic solvent, thinner, and then variations of mechanical properties were analyzed. Tensile and flexural strengths were increased linearly and heat distortion temperature (HDT) also increased as PC content in the blends increased. Impact strength increased drastically as PC content increased up to 50 wt% and stayed stable value. Flowability decreased as PC content increased. impact ...
hlgh fiber content composites met the minlmum requirements. (1400 O F ) , the hlgher fiber content as-fabricated composites have impact strengths distinctly ...
The impacts of federal projects on wetlands should be included in documents prepared to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA assessments of impacts on wetlands are often related to requirements of other laws, regulations, and executive orders, such as permitting requirements under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and those contained in Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands. This paper reviews recent NEPA environmental impact statements that contained assessments of impacts on wetlands or that involved projects likely to affect wetlands. It covers documents prepared by several federal agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy, Federal Highway Administration, Soil Conservation Service, and Tennessee Valley Authority. The extent and depth of analyses of wetlands issues was found to be highly variable, both within and among agencies. Most ...
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for any project is a time- consuming process because it has a large number of dependent and independent variables that must be taken into account. Although EIAs are dependent on geo-spatial information in order to make an assessment, there are no standard rules for conducting an environmental assessment. In addition, each assessment objective is case-dependent, based on what information is available. This paper presents a new framework for the analysis phase of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for projects, based on the integration between remote sensing technology, geographic information systems, and spatial modeling. The framework comprehensively analyzes the environmental vulnerability around the project areas and its impact on the...
... Abstract : The United States Air Force (USAF) currently operates the Milstar satellite system to provide Military Satellite Communication Systems ...
Report) A Screening Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Mitigation in the Great Lakes and New England Regions (Final Report)...
In the WWER-440 reactor the primary piping consists of six horizontal loops going radially from the pressure vessel, each loop having a horizontal steam generator. In this reactor type the relatively long primary piping with many curved sections requires special attention in order to successfully eliminate the consequences of the design basis accident. Emergency supports are located in appropriate places to restrict the movements of the pipe. Under normal conditions there is a gap of some centimeters between the pipe and a support so that in the pipe can be deformed freely under changing loads. This paper deals with those energy-absorbing structures used at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant for protection against impact loading. Places and circumstances where energy-absorbing structures are employed are specified. Development and design of impact absorber elements are discussed and impact tests are described. (Auth.).
The nucleation of microdamage under dynamic loading was investigated through planar impact experiments accomplished with a light gas gun. The microscopic observation of recovered and sectioned specimens showed that microcracks were nucleated only by cracking of brittle particles inside material. However, for comparison the in situ static tensile tests on the same material conducted with a scanning electron microscope showed that the microcracks were nucleated by many forms those were fracture of ductile matrix, debonding particles from matrix and cracking of brittle particles. The quantitative metallographic observations of the specimens subjected to impact loading showed that most of the cracked particles were situated on grain boundaries of the aluminum matrix. These facts suggested the concept of critical size and incubation time of submicroscopic cavities in the dynamic case and the mechanism of embryo-damage induced nucleation by fracture ...
The report identifies and analyzes the economic impacts of water pollution control regulations on the battery manufacturing industry. These regulations include effluent limitations and standards based on BPT (best practical control technology currently available), BAT (best available technology economically achievable), PSES (pretreatment standards existing sources), NSPS (new source performance standards), and PSNS (pretreatment standards new sources), that have been promulgated under authority of Sections 301, 304, 306, 307, 308, and 501 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as Amended (the Clean Water Act). The primary economic impact variables of interest include price changes, plant closures, substitution effects, changes in employment, shifts in the balance of foreign trade, changes in industry profitability, structure, and competition, and impacts on small business.
PurposeTo determine the dosimetric impact of inter-fraction anatomical movements in prostate cancer patients receiving proton therapy.Full Text Available
SUMMARYIncreasingly multiple outcomes are collected in order to characterize treatment effectiveness or to evaluate the impact of large policy initiatives. Often the multiple...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence, intensity, and functional impact of the following types of pain associated with upper-limb loss: phantom limb, residual limb,...Full Text Available
Cancer, by definition, is a proliferative disease. The fundamental scientific issue explored at the international symposium "Cell Proliferation and Chemical Carcinogenesis" was the impact of chemically...Full Text Available
In the analysis of power systems security, recently a new concern related to possible malicious attacks caught much attention. Coordination among different transmission system operators (TSO) in an interconnected power system to counteract such attacks has become an important problem. This paper presents a general framework for describing the physical, cyber and decision-making aspects of the problem and their interrelations; within this framework, an analytic tool for the assessment of information impacts in handling on-line security after a malicious attack is proposed and discussed. The model is based on the socially rational multi-agent systems and the equilibrium of a fictitious play is considered to analyze the impacts of various levels of information available to the interconnected system operators on the outcomes of the decision-making process under attack. A 34-buses test system, with 3 systems interconnected by tie-lines, is presented ...
Snakebite envenomation is an uncommon condition in the northern hemisphere, but requires high vigilance with regard to both the systemic effects of the venom and the locoregional impact on the soft...Full Text Available
In its beginning, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) viewed private industry as lacking adequate technology know-how to meet demands of hazardous and radioactive waste problems at the DOE`s laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities. In November 1989, EM`s Office of Technology Development (recently renamed the Office of Science and Technology) embarked on a bold program of developing and demonstrating {open_quotes}innovative{close_quotes} waste cleanup technologies that would be safer, faster, more effective, and less expensive than the {open_quotes}baseline{close_quotes} commercial methods. This program has engaged DOE sites, national laboratories, and universities to produce preferred solutions to the problems of handling and treating DOE wastes. More recently, much of this work has shifted to joint efforts with private industry partners to accelerate the use of newly developed technologies and to enhance ...
A scaling Monte Carlo method has been developed to calculate diffuse reflectance from multilayered media with a wide range of optical properties in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength range. This multilayered scaling method employs the photon trajectory information generated from a single baseline Monte Carlo simulation of a homogeneous medium to scale the exit distance and exit weight of photons for a new set of optical properties in the multilayered medium. The scaling method is particularly suited to simulating diffuse reflectance spectra or creating a Monte Carlo database to extract optical properties of layered media, both of which are demonstrated in this paper. Particularly, it was found that the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between scaled diffuse reflectance, for which the anisotropy factor and refractive index in the baseline simulation were, respectively, 0.9 and 1.338, and independently simulated diffuse reflectance was less than or ...
This study examined whether cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could prevent the development or worsening of panic-spectrum psychopathology and anxiety symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 41 patients with COPD, who had undergone pulmonary rehabilitation, were randomised to either a four-session CBT intervention condition (n = 21) or a routine care condition (n = 20). Assessments were at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-, 12- and 18-month follow-ups. Primary outcomes were the rates of panic attacks, panic disorder and anxiety symptoms. Secondary outcomes were depressive symptoms, catastrophic cognitions about breathing difficulties, disease-specific quality of life and hospital admission rates. There were no significant differences between the groups on outcome measures at baseline. By the 18-month follow-up assessment, 12 (60%) routine care group participants had experienced at least one panic attack in the previous ...
Parenting programmes are effective interventions for preventing and treating conduct problems in young children. Up to 20% of children in disadvantaged areas have conduct disorder. Recent government initiatives such as targeting early years services to designated disadvantaged Flying Start areas in Wales have resulted in increased nursery-care provision for pre-schoolers, yet little has been done to equip nursery staff with effective child behaviour management strategies. The purpose of this non-randomised trial platform study was to establish the feasibility of delivery and the effectiveness of the new Incredible Years Toddler Parent Programme in supporting nursery staff in managing difficult behaviour in the nursery. The Parent Programme is a 12-session (a two-hour session/week) course for carers/parents of children aged one to three years old, which encourages carers to: establish positive relationships with children through play and child-centred activities; use praise, rewards and ...
Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (Energy Systems) manages a closed hazardous waste disposal unit, Chestnut Ridge Security Pits (CRSP), in the form of two trenches and several auger-holes, located on top of the eastern portion of Chestnut Ridge at the Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant in Tennessee. The groundwater monitoring system for the unit presently consists of a network of upgradient and downgradient monitor wells. To investigate the discharge of groundwater to springs and streams. An initial dye-tracer study was conducted during the driest part of 1990. The dye was detected at some of the monitoring sites, but verification was necessary due to the proximity of some sites to extraneous dye sources. A second dye-tracer was conducted during the wet weather season. The actual test commenced during the first week of February 1992 with a 4-week baseline monitoring period to determine the inherent variability of the emission spectra within the ...
As part of our ongoing research to provide quality improvements to heating oil, Mobil Oil together with Santa Fuel, Inc., conducted a field trial to investigate the performance of a new premium heating oil. This premium heating oil contains an additive system designed to minimize sludge related problems in the fuel delivery system of residential home heating systems. The additive used was similar to others reported at this and earlier BNL conferences, but was further developed to enhance its performance in oil heat systems. The premium heating oil was bulk additized and delivered to a subset of the customer base. Fuel related, unscheduled service calls were monitored in this test area, as well as in a similar baseline area that did not receive the premium heating oil. Overall, the premium fuel provided a 45% reduction in the occurrence of fuel related, unscheduled service calls as compared to the baseline area. Within this population, there was ...
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), EPA, DHA, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids) intake and prospective weight change in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with mean follow-up time of 6.5 years. In a total of 9182 men and 10867 women aged 35 to 64 years, from body weight measurement at recruitment and calibrated body weight during follow-up, weight change was expressed as mean annual weight change relative to baseline weight (%/year) and categorised into four groups (weight loss, or =2.5 to or =7.5%/5 years). Energy-adjusted dietary fatty acid intake data were estimated from the FFQ completed at baseline. Multivariate linear regression models as well as multinomial logistic regression analyses (carbohydrate replacement models) were conducted. RESULTS: Stearic acid intake was linearly ...
The adipocytokine adiponectin is released by adipocytes upon activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma). PPAR gamma has binding sites for thiazolidinediones and free fatty acids (FFAs). To evaluate if adiponectin serum concentrations are synergistically regulated by FFAs and thiazolidinediones IN VIVO plasma FFAs were acutely elevated in healthy subjects pre-treated with rosiglitazone or placebo. Sixteen healthy male subjects (23-37 years) were included in this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel-group study. Rosiglitazone 8 mg or placebo was administered daily for 21 days. On the last day plasma FFA concentrations were increased by an intravenous triglyceride/heparin infusion. Blood for determination of adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), leptin, resistin, FFAs, glucose, and insulin was drawn at baseline and on day 21 before and after 5 hours of triglyceride/heparin infusion. Adiponectin concentrations ...
This paper reviews three key initiatives undertaken in the historical city of Oxford to bring about reductions in energy-related CO_2 emissions on a city-wide scale. The author has been part of all the three initiatives. In 2002, a collaborative partnership between academia, industry and city council started the Oxford Solar Initiative (OSI) which uses a community-based approach to help households and organisations in Oxford, financially and technically, to install solar energy systems and energy efficiency measures in buildings. So far OSI has facilitated the installation of 80 active solar systems, over 450 energy efficiency measures and 3,000 low energy bulbs. The scientific basis of OSI is a GIS-based DECoRuM model which estimates and maps baseline energy use and CO_2 emissions on a house-by house level, identifies 'pollution' hotspots, predicts the potential for reductions in CO_2 emissions and monitors reductions achieved as a result of deploying energy ...
Selected papers from the conference are presented under seven sections covering: an overview of the environmental and health implications of low-grade fuel use; fuel resources and recovery; exploitation of peat and wood as a fuel; oil shale resources, processing and use; technological approaches to the reduction of environmental impacts associated with oil shale processing and use; technological approaches to reducing the environmental impacts of low-grade coal use; and environmentally sound technical options for low-grade fuel use.
This paper focuses on potential effects of solar phenomena on communication systems used by the electric utility industry. It begins with a discussion of solar phenomena fundamentals and discussion of the interaction between solar emissions and the earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere. It continues with a discussion of the resulting impacts on communication systems including radio, satellite, wireline, fiber optic, and powerline systems and concludes with a discussion of mitigation techniques and a call for observers to report suspected solar impact experiencexperiences.
The article applies the Probability Safety Assessment approach to analyze the risk impact of extension of allowed outage time of emergency diesel generator in Daya Bay NPP and adopts the risk-acceptance criteria used by NRC to evaluate changes to the licensing basis. The assessment results show that the risk impact is acceptable to increase the emergency diesel generator allowed outage time from 3 days to 14 days. (authors)
Pollutants resulting from the management of solid waste have been shown to affect the air, land, oceans, and waterways. In addition, solid wastes have other, more indirect impacts such as reduction in feedstocks of natural resources, because useful materials are disposed of rather than recycled. The objective of this study is to evaluate solid waste management practices that have negative implications on the global environment and develop recommendations for reducing such impacts. Recommendations identifying needed changes are identified that will reduce global impacts of solid waste practices in the future. The scope of this study includes the range of non-hazardous solid wastes produced within our society, including municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid waste (ISW), as well as industry-specific wastes from activities such as construction, demolition, and landclearing. Most solid waste management decisions ...
Through a comprehensive and aggressive research program Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) has designed, developed, and installed several new products to address the environmental impact of dielectric fluid from pipe-type cable systems. These include: On Line Leak Detection, Leak Location, Retractable Flow Direction Indicator, Full Stop Joints, and Transition Joints. This paper describes the application of the aforementioned products on the Con Edison underground transmission system.
... Possibilities for summer activities become better, but socioeconomic factors such as age-structure may weaken the positive impact. Several research needs related to recreation and tourism were identified. The Finnish tourism industry seems to need more detailed and spatially informed scenarios concerning climate change and more information on its impacts on the different activities in the tourism sector. Also communication channels seem to need more attention. More information is ...
The paper presents results of studies on the effect of heat treatment on strength and pattern of 40Kh steel impact failure. Loading levels corresponding to macroscopic spalling microdamage initiation in the material are determined for three initial states. Metallographic study on the spalling failure pattern for 40Kh steel in different initial states and data on microhardness measurement are presented.
A report is presented of a hearing conducted before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy on August 27, 1976, to discuss the legal implications for reactor licensing resulting from court challenges to procedures for assessing the environmental impact of radioactive waste disposal. (DG)
Calculations of total and angle-differential excitation cross sections for the electron impact excitation of lithium-like iron were performed with the R-matrix formulation. The alignments of the excited states 1s{sup 2}np {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} are also presented for n=3 and 4 along with the angular photon distribution from these states to the ground state. Relativistic effects were included in the present calculations by the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian.
The impact of the rewetting process on the performance of waste containers at the Yucca Mountain repository is analyzed. This paper explores the impact of the temperature-humidity relationships on pitting corrosion failure of stainless steel containers for different areal power densities (APDs)in the repository. It compares the likely performance of containers in a repository with a low APD, 55 Kw/acre, and a high APD, 110 kW/acre.
This study analyzes the economic impact that could result from the application of effluent standards and limitations issued under Sections 301, 304, 306, 307 of the Clean Water Act to the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry, including builders' paper and roofing felt manufacturing.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the economic impact which could result from the application of effluent limitations guidelines and standards issued under Sections 301, 304, 306, 307, 308, and 501 of the Clean Water Act to the plastics molding and forming industry.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is establishing a local chapter of the University of California Energy Institute (UCEI). In order to most effectively contribute to the Institute, LLNL sponsored a workshop on energy and environmental issues in transportation. This workshop took place in Livermore on August 10 and brought together researchers from throughout the UC systems in order to establish a joint LLNL-UC research program in transportation, with a focus on energy and environmental impacts.
An analysis was performed to determine the impact of various power system components and mission requirements on the size of solar-powered high altitude long endurance (HALE)-type aircraft. The HALE unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has good potential for use in many military and civil applications. The primary power system components considered in this study were photovoltaic (PV) modules for power generation and regenerative fuel cells for energy storage. The impact of relevant component performance on UAV size and capability were considered; including PV module efficiency and mass, power electronics efficiency, and fuel cell specific energy. Mission parameters such as time of year, flight altitude, flight latitude, and payload mass and power were also varied to determine impact on UAV size. The aircraft analysis method used determines the required aircraft wing aspect ratio, wing area, and total mass based on maximum ...
This report is an overview of Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) research on how hydroelectric generation affects aquatic biota and environments. The major accomplishments of this research are described, and additional work needed to permit optimal use of available data is identified. The research goals are to: (1) identify impacts of hydroelectric generation, (2) provide guidance in allocating scarce water resources, and (3) develop techniques to avoid or reduce the impacts on aquatic communities or to compensate for unavoidable impacts. Through laboratory and field experiments, an understanding is being developed of the generic impacts of hydrogeneration. Because PNL is located near the Columbia River, which is extensively developed for hydroelectric generation, it is used as a natural laboratory for studying a large-scale operating system. Although the impacts studied ...
The purpose of this research is to clarify how psychological factors' impact on public acceptance of nuclear energy varies with where they live and their degree of knowledge. For this purpose, we carried out questionnaire survey about nuclear energy at three urban areas and two nuclear power plant siting areas. After collecting data, we applied factor analysis to the data, and found four factors which construct cognitive structure of nuclear energy. Using multiple regression analysis, we evaluated the impact of the four factors on two issues: the decision for or against nuclear policy and the reaction to nuclear power plant siting, and compared changes of the impact by where respondents live and their degree of knowledge. Consequently, we found that the impact of all four factors on the two issues varies with where respondents live. We also found that the impact of respondents' ...
To facilitate potential cost savings in pipe whip protection design, TVA conducted a 1'' high pressure line break test to investigate the pipe whip behavior. The test results are available to EPRI as a data base for a generic study on nonlinear dynamic behavior of piping systems and pipe whip phenomena. This paper describes a nonlinear dynamic analysis of the TVA high energy line tests using ABAQUS-EPGEN code. The analysis considers the effects of large deformation and high strain rate on resisting moment and energy absorption capability of the analyzed piping system. The numerical results of impact forces, impact velocities, and reaction forces at pipe supports are compared to the TVA test data. The pipe whip impact time and forces have also been calculated per the current NRC guidelines and compared. The calculated pipe support reaction forces prior to impact have been found to be in good agreement ...
The basic principle of the green building philosophy is to design buildings that consider environmental performance. Residential and commercial buildings in Canada consume about 30 per cent of the total secondary energy use and are responsible for approximately 29 per cent of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions and many other wastes. An optimization model was developed which minimizes life cycle cost and life cycle environmental impact. The model distinguishes different energy sources and incorporates their impacts, such as resource depletion, global warming and acidification. The model also considers design variables such as window type, orientation, building orientation, window-to-wall ratio, wall type and roof type. The model can be used to identify optimum green building designs for given conditions. The model uses expanded cumulative exergy consumption as the indicator for life cycle environmental performance. As such, it ...
The increasing diffusion of small-scale energy systems within the distributed generation (DG) paradigm is raising the need for studying the environmental impact due to the different DG solutions in order to assess their sustainability. Addressing the environmental impact calls for building specific models for studying both local and global emissions. In this framework, the adoption of natural gas-fueled DG cogeneration technologies may provide, as a consequence of cogeneration enhanced overall energy efficiency and of natural gas relatively low carbon content, a significant reduction of global impact in terms of CO2 emissions with respect to the separate production of electricity and heat. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the DG alternatives should take into account as well the impact due to the presence of plants spread over the territory that could increase the local pollution, in particular due ...
Three independent studies have been conducted for assessing the impact of rocket launches on the earth`s environment. These studies have addressed issues of acid rain in the troposphere, ozone depletion in the stratosphere, toxicity of chemical rocket exhaust products, and the potential impact on global warming from carbon dioxide emissions from rocket launches. Local, regional, and global impact assessments were examined and compared with both natural sources and anthropogenic sources of known atmospheric pollutants with the following conclusions: (1) Neither solid nor liquid rocket launches have a significant impact on the earth`s global environment, and there is no real significant difference between the two. (2) Regional and local atmospheric impacts are more significant than global impacts, but quickly return to normal background conditions within a few ...
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is proposing to fund the Tucannon River Spring Chinook Captive Broodstock Program, a small-scale production initiative designed to increase numbers of a weak but potentially recoverable population of spring chinook salmon in the Tucannon River in the State of Washington. BPA has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) (DOE/EA-l326) evaluating the proposed project. Based on the analysis in the EA, BPA has determined that the proposed action is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. Therefore, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required, and BPA is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
Objective To investigate the impact on life quality of women with traumatic and non-traumatic origin fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS]. Method Women affected with FMS were selected and divided into two groups: those with traumatic origin FMS [Group 1] and those with non-traumatic origin FMS [Group 2]. A standard question form was used for the research, as well as the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire [FIQ] for evaluation of life quality. Results Seventy-two patients, 34 for Group 1 and 38 for Group 2 were analyzed. The main triggering symptoms were divorce [23.5 percent of cases] and death in the family [23.5 percent of cases]. In addition to diffuse pain, the main symptoms presented were poor sleep quality, weariness, and paresthesia, with no difference between the groups; migraine had a greate...
The circulating cooling water flowrate of GNPS and LNPS is totally about 190 m"3/s. Both stations are located on the western coast of semi-closed Daya Bay. A lot of studies concerning thermal impact of GNPS and LNPS have been carried out since 1987, including mathematical model, physical model, on-site survey and satellite remote sensing, etc. This paper describes the hydrological features of Daya Bay and discharge characteristics of circulating water of GNPS and LNPS, estimates the actual thermal impact of GNPS and LNPS, and indicates that it is advantageous for the dilution of circulating water while the two discharge channels of GNPS and LNPS are combined together towards east
Summary Background Pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus are rare, potentially life-threatening, autoimmune disorders characterized by antibodies to epidermal adhesion molecules. Clinical characteristics are painful chronic erosions of mucous membranes and of the skin. There are only few published studies on the impact of the disease on the health status (HS) of patients with these conditions. Objectives To assess the impact of disease on the HS of patients with pemphigus. Methods Fifty-eight patients enrolled at the Bullous Skin Diseases Unit of IDI-IRCCS in the period January-June 2006 were assessed for their HS using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire and for anxiety and depression using the Institute for Personality and Ability Testin...
The energy dependence of the Yb and Au L_#alpha#/L_l X-ray intensity ratio, produced by 0.5 - 3.0 MeV/u Li, Be, C, N, F, and Si ion bombardment (Malhi and Gray, Phys. Rev. A 44, 7199, (1991)), measured at 90"0 relative to the beam axis, has been explained. While for light ion impact the behaviour of the alignment parameter as a function of impact velocity is dominant, for the impact of heavier ions the multiple ionization effects become important. Using Larkins' prescription in the last case, calculations have been performed, which agree well with the data over the whole energy range investigated. (Author).
Abstract:- The demand for Lithium-ion batteries as a major power source in portable electronic devices and vehicles is rapidly increasing. I use cumulative data of vehicle, mobile phone, laptop, and digital camera production to show that demand will overshoot the available global Lithium resources before 2025. Even if 100% of all Lithium-ion batteries were recycled today, recycling could not prevent this resource depletion in time. As the increasing Lithium scarcity will increase the price, it will be feasible to mine diluted resources with a strong environmental impact. I highlight these impacts in Lithium-rich Bolivia, the potential new -Saudi Arabia of Lithium.- Lithium extraction is likely to cause substantial water pollution, and-through impacts on native diversity-facilitate human he...
In the frame of the comprehensive assessment of Swiss energy systems, air quality simulations were performed by using a 3-dimensional photo-chemical dispersion model. The objective is to investigate the impacts of pollutants in Switzerland for future options of Swiss energy systems. Four scenarios were investigated: Base Case: simulations with the projected emissions for the year 2030, Scenario 1) all nuclear power plants were replaced by oil-driven combined cycle plants (CCP), Scenarios 2 to 4) traffic emissions were reduced in whole Switzerland as well as in the cities and on the highways separately. Changes in the pollutant concentrations and depositions, and the possible short-term impacts are discussed on the basis of exceedences of critical levels for plants and limits given to protect the public health. (author) 2 figs., 7 refs.
The probability of damage and the potential resulting hazards are analyzed for a representative rail shipping container for three severe rail accident scenarios. The scenarios are: (1) the rupture of closure bolts and resulting opening of closure lid due to a severe impact, (2) the puncture of container by an impacting rail-car coupler, and (3) the yielding of container due to side impact on a rigid uneven surface. The analysis results indicate that scenario 2 is a physically unreasonable event while the probabilities of a significant loss of containment in scenarios 1 and 3 are extremely small. Before assessing the potential risk for the last two scenarios, the uncertainties in predicting complex phenomena for rare, high- consequence hazards needs to be addressed using a rigorous methodology.
The main purpose of the study on the title subject is to gain insight into the strategic options to optimize energy production from waste processing in the Netherlands in the long term. The developed optimization model will be used by the Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Spatial Planning en Environment (VROM) for scenarios to calculate and determine expectations and uncertainties in the development of waste processing in the Netherlands. Attention is paid to (1) the impact of present and future technology on the costs and energetic efficiency of waste processing, (2) several techniques for the generation of electricity and heat, the production of fuels, and recycling, (3) the impact of scale (capacity) on costs and energetic efficiency of waste processing installations, and (4) the impact of transport and heat distribution. The time frame is the year 2020. 66 refs.
Our study evaluates the impact of forecast errors on organizational cost by simulating a labor-intensive warehouse environment using realistic cost data from a case study. Unlike past studies that measure forecast error in terms of forecast standard deviation, our study also considers the impact of forecast bias, and the complex interaction between these variables. Two cases of organizational cost curves are considered, with differing and asymmetric structures. Results find forecast bias to have a considerably greater impact on organizational cost than forecast standard deviation. Particularly damaging is a high bias in the presence of high forecast standard deviation. Although biasing the forecast in the least costly direction is shown to yield lower costs, sensitivity analysis shows that...
Physicians are exercising their responsibility as healers in their efforts to prevent nuclear war. Death for Hiroshima survivors was experienced in four stages: the immediate impact of destruction, the acute impact of radiation, delayed radiation effects, and later identification as an atomic bomb survivor. Each phase had its physical and psychological impacts and negates Hiroshima as a model for rational behavior despite those who claim survival is possible for those who are prepared. The psychic effects of modern nuclear, chemical, and germ warfare need to be challenged with a symbolization of life and immortality. Studies of psychological reactions to the terror children felt during practice air-raid drills indicate that the fears can be surpressed and re-emerge in adult life as a linking of death with collective annihilation. Other themes which emerge are feelings of impermanence, craziness, identification with the ...
Almost 900m adolescents and adults are illiterate in the developing world, yet most policy discussions focus on the educational circumstances of primary aged children. As a result non-formal educational programs for adolescents and adults are given very little support, and this group is virtually ignored in international agreements such as the millennium declaration. This article presents the first serious attempt at evaluating the impact of a non-formal education program. Results show significant learning achievement over the academic year, as well as strong development impacts of the program in non-learning dimensions of participants' lives. These positive impacts, plus the significantly lower unit costs and self-targeted nature of the program provide strong evidence that this type of pr...
Coal mining generates a number of significant environmental impacts. Due to its synoptic coverage and repetitive data acquisition capabilities, remote sensing has been extensively used to monitor effects of surface mining. Availability of low cost and high resolution data in recent years has focused increased attention on the use of satellite data for monitoring surface mining activity. This article presents an overview of some of the important studies that have used satellite and airborne remote sensing data to assess environmental impacts of coal mining and to monitor reclamation activities. Detection and delineation of subsurface coal mine fires using remotely-sensed thermal data is also briefly discussed. The utility of interfacing remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems for effective environmental management of mining areas has been emphasized.
Differential scattering experiments are reported for proton impact on N_2, CO, and NO in the energy range E/sub lab/=30--80 eV. The measurements include the range of very small scattering angles around 0"0 as well as the rainbow region. The vibrationally resolved energy-loss spectra show a relatively low vibrational inelasticity for all three systems. Differential cross sections, transition probabilities, and the mean vibrational energy transfer are presented. Rotational excitation is indicated by the broadening of the energy-loss peaks which is most significant for H"+--NO. The small-angle scattering data for vibrational excitation in CO show good agreement with the impact parameter theory using the known long-range interactions for this system.
Abstract:- Two motorcycle riders lost control of their vehicle, fell, and hit a guardrail, which acted as a blade and led to a rapid, fatal outcome. In one case, the high velocity of the body at the time of the impact resulted in complete detachment of the trunk. Reconstruction of the accident dynamics enabled the guardrail post to be identified as the means of injury in both cases. The two accidents occurred over a short period of time, highlighting a dangerous phenomenon that in less severe cases is presumably associated with different degrees of survivor disability. The accidents deserve mention, because a different design of the impact surface of the guardrail post might have prevented the lethal outcome. There is an urgent need for legislators to pass regulations that modify crash bar...
This paper introduces the application of independent component analysis mixture modelling (ICAMM) in non-destructive testing (NDT). The application consists of discriminating patterns for material quality control from homogeneous and defective materials inspected by impact-echo testing. This problem is modelled as a mixture of independent component analysis (ICA) models, representing a class of defective or homogeneous material by an ICA model whose parameters are learned from the impact-echo signal spectrum. These parameters define a kind of particular signature for the different defects. The proposed procedure is intended to exploit to the maximum the information obtained with the cost efficiency of only a single impact. To illustrate this capability, four levels of classification detail...
This study looks at the land use impact of the biofuels expansion on both the intensive and extensive margin, and its environmental consequences. We link economic, geographical and environmental models by using spatially explicit common units of analysis and use remote sensing crop cover maps and digitized soils data as inputs. Land use changes are predicted via economic analysis of crop rotation choice and tillage under alternative crop prices, and the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model is used to predict corresponding environmental impacts. The study focuses on Iowa, which is the leading biofuels hotspot in the U.S. due to intensive corn production and the high concentration of ethanol plants that comprise 28% of total U.S. production. We consider the impact of the biof...
The finite element method and dimensional analysis have been applied in the present paper to study a hydraulic impact, which is utilized in a non-explosive rock breaking technology in mining industry. The impact process of a high speed piston on liquid water, previously introduced in a borehole drilled in rock, is numerically simulated. The research is focused on the influences of all the parameters involved in the technology on the largest principal stress in the rock, which is considered as one of the key factors to break the rock. Our detailed parametric investigation reveals that the variation of the isotropic rock material properties, especially its density, has no significant influence on the largest principal stress. The influences of the depth of the hole and the depth of the water column are also very small. On the other hand, increasing the initial kinetic energy of the piston can dramatically increase the largest principal stress and ...
An increasing share of natural gas supplies distributed to residential appliances in the U.S. may come from liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. The imported gas will be of a higher Wobbe number than domestic gas, and there is concern that it could produce more pollutant emissions at the point of use. This report will review recently undertaken studies, some of which have observed substantial effects on various appliances when operated on different mixtures of imported LNG. While we will summarize findings of major studies, we will not try to characterize broad effects of LNG, but describe how different components of the appliance itself will be affected by imported LNG. This paper considers how the operation of each major component of the gas appliances may be impacted by a switch to LNG, and how this local impact may affect overall safety, performance and pollutant emissions.
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is interested in assessing the potential economic impacts of its portfolio of subprograms on national employment and income. A special purpose version of the IMPLAN input-output model called ImBuild II is used in this study of 20 subprograms of the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program contained in the EERE final FY 2005 budget request to the Office of Management and Budget on February 2, 2004. Energy savings, investments, and impacts on U.S. national employment and earned income are reported by subprogram for selected years to the year 2030. Energy savings and investments from these subprograms have the potential of creating a total of 228,000 jobs and about $3.1 billion in earned income (2003$) by the year 2030.
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is interested in assessing the potential economic impacts of its portfolio of subprograms on national employment and income. A special purpose version of the IMPLAN input-output model called ImBuild II is used in this study of all 21 Building Technologies Program subprograms in the EERE final FY 2005 budget request to the Office of Management and Budget on February 2, 2004. Energy savings, investments, and impacts on U.S. national employment and earned income are reported by subprogram for selected years to the year 2030. Energy savings and investments from these subprograms have the potential of creating a total of 396,000 jobs and about $5.6 billion in earned income (2003$) by the year 2030.
Man's wastes are polluting the oceans from various sources and delivered by various routes. The result has been the loss of habitat and the irreversible altering of marine ecosystems. Development in the coastal zones and offshore activities that disrupt biologically sensitive areas have led to international negotiations to regulate these impacts and develop a law of the sea. Basic to international cooperation, however, is the need to develop answers to questions about the ecological consequences of development programs and the carrying capacity of the oceans. Current information does not demonstrate long-term global impacts, making it difficult to detect and predict incremental changes and causal relationships. Society needs to determine how much environmental damage it will accept and then to develop appropriate technology, such as biomonitoring. Society also needs to reexamine its positions on technology-based regulatory controls to ...
The enzyme TEM1-b-lactamase has been used as a model to study the impact of different cultivation and induction regimes on the structure of cytosolic inclusion bodies (IBs). The protein has been heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli in fed-batch cultivations at different temperatures (30, 37, and 40degreeC) as well as induction regimes that guaranteed distinct product formation rates and ratios of soluble to aggregated protein. Additionally, shake flask cultivations at 20, 30, and 37degreeC were performed. IBs were sampled during the whole bioprocess and structural analysis was performed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy. This work clearly demonstrates that the tested production regimes and rates had no impact on the IB structure, wh...
The status of commercial technology for indirect liquefaction, as exemplified by SASOL facilities in South Africa, is reviewed. The impact of substituting more advanced gasifiers and synthesis systems is then investigated. Slagging BGC/Lurgi, Texaco and Shell-Koppers gasifiers were substituted for the Dry Ash Lurgi units used at SASOL. SASOL SYNTHOL synthesis units were replaced by slurry phase Fischer-Tropsch units employing technology pioneered by Kolbel. The advanced systems were found to have a highly favorable impact on plant efficiency, product distribution and gasoline cost. If all the projected technical improvements can be realized for indirect liquefaction, the yields of refined transportation fuels per ton of coal will approach those anticipated for direct liquefaction processes.
Understanding the impacts of climate change on viticulture is especially essential in those areas producing high-quality wines. In this work, we create an operational framework to investigate climate change impact on viticulture in the Tuscany region (central Italy) the viticulture industry of which relies on producing high-quality wines to compete in a global market. The framework includes (i) statistical downscaling of General Circulation Model (GCM) outputs for the period 1975?2099 to a local scale; (ii) the use of downscaling outputs as driving variables in specific simulation models; (iii) the spatial interpolation of model outputs to feed an economic and (iv) a quality model. The results show that as a consequence of a progressive increase in temperature and a decrease in rainfall, (...
The development of comfort in buildings throughout the centuries was influenced by the demand for progress, wealth and innovation in various respects. At present, it seems that progress may only be possible by taking into account the environment and creating methods of reducing further damage to the environment. The innovative feature of future progress my be reducing the impact on the environment from human and building activities by using appropriate technology. As it is impossible to build without any impact on the environment and this is likely to be so in the future, the objective is and will be to find solutions for buildings which are more compatible with the environment. The objective is to demonstrate that it is viable to design buildings with minimized impact on the environment, while still maintaining appropriate comfort levels.
Of the many energy-conservation options available to the design engineer, a system-management approach is recommended as one that will effect maximum benefits to the owner. Systems management includes energy-conscious consideration of design criteria, design details, installation, testing and balancing, and operation. It requires the informed participation of the design engineer, contractor, testing and balancing (TAB) engineer, and owner/operator. Within limits, almost every component of HVAC systems offers an opportunity to conserve energy. Many of these impact energy determinants such as system static pressure, system total air flow, or the quantity of outside air. A few design considerations for energy conservation in a simple system and the impact that the TAB work has on these are illustrated. Particular attention is devoted to the energy impact of systems management, makeup air, and system static pressure.
An impingement jet system was used to study flow-assisted corrosion (FAC) of 3003 aluminum (Al) alloy in ethylene glycol-water solutions that simulates the automotive coolant by corrosion potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The effects of solution pH and fluid impact angle on Al FAC were determined. An increase of solution pH enhances the activity of Al due to dissolution of Al oxide film in alkaline environment. Moreover, Al activity decreases with the increasing fluid impact angle to the specimen. A CFD simulation shows that, with the increase of impact angle, the electrode area under high-velocity flow field decreases and that under low-velocity flow field increases. Consequently, the shear str...
This report estimates the economic and financial effects and the benefits of compliance with the proposed effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) industry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has measured these impacts in terms of changes in the profitability of waste treatment operations at CWT facilities, changes in market prices to CWT services, and changes in the quantities of waste management at CWT facilities in six geographic regions. EPA has also examined the impacts on companies owning CWT facilities (including impacts on small entities), on communities in which CWT facilities are located, and on environmental justice. EPA examined the benefits to society of the CWT effluent limitations guidelines and standards by examining cancer and non-cancer health effects of the regulation, recreational benefits, and cost savings to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) to ...
This study performs a dynamic analysis of the rub-impact rotor supported by two couple stress fluid film journal bearings. The strong nonlinear couple stress fluid film force, nonlinear rub-impact force and nonlinear suspension (hard spring) are presented and coupled together in this study. The displacements in the horizontal and vertical directions are considered for various non-dimensional speed ratios. The numerical results show that the dynamic behaviors of the system vary with the dimensionless speed ratios, the dimensionless unbalance parameters and the dimensionless parameter, l*. Inclusive of the periodic, sub-harmonic, quasi-periodic and chaotic motions are found in this analysis. The results of this study contribute to a further understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of a rotor-...
This document exposes the results of the fourth evaluation report of the working group II of the inter government experts group on the climatic change. This evaluation presents the today scientific understanding of the climatic change impacts on the humans and their adaptation ability and vulnerability. It is based on the GIEC evaluations and new knowledge added since the third evaluation report. (A.L.B.)
New York State Electric and Gas Co. (NYSEG) has developed a tool called Coal Quality Engineering Analysis (CQEA) to evaluate the cost impacts of coal quality on its power plants. CQEA allows quantification of the effect of coal quality on plant operating costs and has become an important factor in coal purchasing. The article describes the development of the analysis method, including a logic diagram of CQEA relationships. The results of CQEA calculations on the impact of one coal on overall production costs of different units, the impact of different coals on overall production costs of one unit, and production cost vs. coal quality, are presented and discussed. The use of the CQEA system within NYSEG is described.
Forest gap models have been used widely in the study of forest dynamics, including predicting long-term succession patterns and assessing the potential impacts of climate change on forest structure and composition. However, little effort is devoted to predict forest dynamics in the high elevation areas, although they have the sensitive response to global climate change. In the present study, based on a modified height-diameter function, we developed a new version (FAREAST-GFSM) of the forest patch model, FAREAST for simulating the changes of subalpine forests. The observed data from the Gongga Mt. Alpine Station were also used to test model precision. With the improved performance of FAREAST-GFSM, we explored the impact of three warming scenarios on subalpine forest on the eastern Tibetan ...
Current scientific knowledge of climate change and its global impact is summarized in the first four chapters. The earth's natural climate, greenhouse gases, climate prediction models, and impact of a warmer world on natural terrestrial ecosystems, agricultural ecosystems, and coastal regions are discussed. The possible impacts on Canada are described in chapter five, which considers forests, agriculture, water resources, fisheries, coastal zones, transportation, human health and well being, energy production and use, and global security. Chapter six considers ways to respond to climate change. These include enhancing knowledge of climate change, working toward a consensus on the need for action, global political response, the Canadian response, and the role of the individual. 15 refs., 35 figs.
In this study, experiments were performed for pipe whip phenomena simulation. The analytical method was developed by combining several kinds of elements in ABAQUS computer code, standard version 5.2 . The transient analytical and the experimental results of the pipe whip test using 6 inch diameter pipe and U-shaped restraints are presented. It is shown that the adequate clearance decreases the restraint strains. As the overhang length increased, the maximum strain of restraints decreased. When the impact force increased, the maximum restraint strain increased slightly. The analytical models simulate the experimental impact phenomena very precisely, with slight conservatism. It is verified that the analytical method developed is very suitable to pipe whip phenomena analysis in nuclear power plants. 6 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.
Abstract A complete study of an exploding bridgewire detonator (EBW), an LX-07 hemispherical booster and a PBX 9502 outer shell are described. Breakout times from all three are listed in terms of first impact on the booster, i.e., code times. Lucite windows are also used to obtain particle velocities at the edges of each explosive, and these are converted into explosive pressures. The key to modeling is the use of the profile of the aluminum detonator can as it impacts the booster, i.e., we need to know the curvature of the end of the booster can. Modeling even with coarse zoning shows that (i) using reactive flow in the booster is better than programmed burn, (ii) creating the flyer curvature helps, and (iii) creating the time differences of flyer impact helps even more.
This Maintenance Implementation Plan (MIP) is written to satisfy the requirements of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4B, Maintenance Management Program that specifies the general policy and objectives for the establishment of the DOE controlled maintenance programs. These programs provide for the management and performance of cost effective maintenance and repair of the DOE property, which includes facilities. This document outlines maintenance activities associated with the facilities operated by Waste Management Hanford, Inc. (WMH). The objective of this MIP is to provide baseline information for the control and execution of WMH Facility Maintenance activities relative to the requirements of Order 4330.4B, assessment of the WMH maintenance programs, and actions necessary to maintain compliance with the Order. Section 2.0 summarizes the history, mission and description of the WMH facilities. Section 3.0 describes maintenance scope and requirements, ...
The process of ensuring the quality of computer codes can be very time consuming and expensive. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Monte Carlo codes all predate the existence of quality assurance (QA) standards and configuration control. The number of person-years and the amount of money spent on code development make it impossible to adhere strictly to all the current requirements. At ORNL, the Nuclear Engineering Applications Section of the Computing Applications Division is responsible for the development, maintenance, and application of the Monte Carlo codes MORSE and KENO. The KENO code is used for doing criticality analyses; the MORSE code, which has two official versions, CGA and SGC, is used for radiation transport analyses. Because KENO and MORSE were very thoroughly checked out over the many years of extensive use both in the United States and in the international community, the existing codes were open-quotes baselined.close quotes This means that ...
The purpose of the Utility Applications Program is to provide information and assistance to interested utilities on central station energy storage systems. Compressed air and underground pumped hydroelectric energy storage are the primary technical focus. Smaller utilities are the primary targets of this program, as they may not have resources to track and utilize new energy conservation developments. The program, initiated during this year-long period, consists of a series of tasks integrating and supporting energy storage implementation. Program management and technical coordination activities monitor the wide range of research ongoing both under government support and in industry and provide a locus for dissemination of results. Recently completed DOE demonstration studies provide the central data base and the DOE CAES and UPH Technology Program activities provide another major resource. In addition a UPH preliminary feasibility study in coorination with Central Vermont Public ...
Vanadium alloys exhibit important advantages as a candidate structural material for fusion first wall/blanket applications. These advantages include fabricability, favorable safety and environmental features, high temperature and high wall load capability, and long lifetime under irradiation. Vanadium alloys with (3-5)% chromium and (3-5)% titanium appear to offer the best combination of properties for first wall/blanket applications. A V-4Cr-4Ti alloy is recommended as the reference composition for the ITER application. This report provides a summary of the R&D conducted during 1994 in support of the ITER Engineering Design Activity. Progress is reported for Vanadium Alloy Production, Welding, Physical Properties, Baseline Mechanical Properties, Corrosion/Compatibility, Neutron Irradiation Effects, Helium Transmutation Effects on Irradiated Alloys, and the Status of Irradiation Experiments. Separate abstracts have been prepared for individual reports from this ...
Estuaries and coastal regions are highly variable in the physical and hydrographic conditions. As a result of heavy urbanization and industrialization of the head waters of most estuaries, there are substantial localized inputs of contaminants to the estuary. These factors combined with the flushing characteristics of individual estuaries to create relatively unique features that result in variation in the typical levels of trace metals for these systems. This makes intercomparison of the estuaries difficult. Comparability among estuaries becomes even more difficult when metals analyses are conducted without proper control of field and laboratory contamination, now firmly established in the trace metal analytical literature as a prerequisite for reliable marine trace metals analysis. This paper compares the concentrations of selected trace metal (Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in the waters of several major estuaries of the United States. The basis of comparison is that all ...
Sediment transport over wave-induced ripples is a very complex phenomenon where available models fail to provide accurate predictions. For coastal engineering applications, the 1-DV advection-diffusion equation could be used with an additional parameter {\\alpha} related to the process of vortex shedding above ripples (Absi, 2010). The aim of this study is to provide simple practical analytical tools. An analytical eddy viscosity profile was validated by DNS data of turbulent channel flows (Absi et al., 2011). In this study, we will show that: (1) the period-averaged eddy viscosity in oscillatory boundary layers could be described by this simple analytical formulation; (2) The shape of the vertical profile is validated by period-averaged eddy viscosity of baseline (BSL) k-{\\omega} model (Suntoyo and Tanaka, 2009) for sinusoidal and asymmetric waves; (3) The vertical eddy viscosity profile depends on the wave non-linearity parameter and requires therefore a ...
Anesthetized rats were exposed to 5.6-GHz continuous-wave radiofrequency radiation (RFR) at an average power density of 60 mW/Sq. cm (average specific absorption rate 12 W/kg). Exposure was performed to raise colonic temperature from 38.5 to 39.5C. Following acute administration of chlorpromazine, body temperature exhibited a faster return to baseline temperature when exposure was discontinued. When exposure was initiated at 38.5C and continued until lethal temperature resulted, chlorpromazine-treated animals exhibited significantly shorter survival times than saline-treated animals. Thus, although chlorpromazine enhanced thermoregulatory efficiency at colonic temperature below 39.5 deg C, the drug caused increased susceptibility to terminal RFR. The present results, when compared with previous studies of irradiation at 2.8 GHz, indicate that the effects of chlorpromazine on thermal response to RFR during intermittent and terminal exposure are similar at both 2.8 ...
A large variety of microwave producing devices are used in contemporary naval communications and weapons systems. Public and scientific concern about potential biological effects of microwave irradiation such as produced by these various devices requires documentations of such effects. Currently, the only well documented direct effect of microwaves is heating of the exposed organism. The present report is of a series of studies whose aim was to explore several microwave frequencies and their effect on performance and simultaneously to investigate the relationship to core heating in the exposed animals. Three difficult sized species of animals were used so that generalization to larger animals could be made. Rats, squirrel monkeys, and rhesus monkeys showed consistent effects of 60-minute exposures to microwaves when their body temperatures were increased at least 1 C above baseline temperatures. Performance was not reliably affected when body temperatures remained ...
This presentation discussed common mechanisms for procuring wind energy in Canada. Mechanisms included renewable portfolio standards (RPSs); offsets; tax subsidies; financial subsidies; command and control mechanisms; and request for proposals (RFPs). A layered approach is required to avoid reliance on any single mechanism. RPSs require a certain minimum percentage of energy to come from renewable sources and aim to encourage the local development of renewable energy. RPSs are market-friendly and often result in the creation of tradable renewable energy credits (RECs) used for compliance purposes. RPSs work in parallel with cap and trade, baseline, and credit and carbon tax systems. RFPs target the lowest price offering, a practice which has often resulted in lower rates of return, high attrition, and a failure to attribute market prices to green attributes. It was concluded that RPSs work with a variety of policy frameworks and encourage the development of ...
Using a coplanar, end-mounted antenna as a baseline, various configuration trades were performed to select a preferred solid state concept. The increase in efficiency that could be realized by use of multi bandgap solar cells, either with klystron or solid state antenna was evaluated. Satellite configurations were developed to exploit the sandwich antenna concept wherein solar cells are located on one side of the antenna panel and solid state dc/RF converters on the other side. These concepts entailed various primary and secondary reflector arrangements for directing solar energy to the solar cell side of the antenna with higher concentration ratios than used on the coplanar configurations. Operations analysis included development of a satellite construction scenario, a concept for the SCB, a top-level satellite construction operation, construction operation, construction timelines and crew sizes, mass flows to orbit, and a satellite maintenance scenario. The list ...
Brain glucose metabolism was evaluated in four patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex using ["1"8F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans at the beginning of therapy with 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT, zidovudine), and later in the course of therapy. In two patients, baseline, large focal cortical abnormalities of glucose utilization were reversed during the course of therapy. In the other two patients, the initial PET study did not reveal pronounced focal alterations, while the post-treatment scans showed markedly increased cortical glucose metabolism. The improved cortical glucose utilization was accompanied in all patients by immunologic and neurologic improvement. PET-FDG studies can detect cortical metabolic abnormalities associated with AIDS dementia complex, and may be used to monitor the metabolic improvement in response to AZT treatment.
Material testing of SPF-sheet is usually done with coupon hot tensile testing. The optimum range of strain rates is determined with stepped strain tests. To overcome the problem of very few available testing facilities and time consuming and costly procedure, cone cup testing has been developed since long. This test can be generated directly in the workshop, no machining of samples is necessary and it is very much related to the real SPF-process. The analysis of suitable temperature and strain rate is done by simple measurement of resulting cone height. This paper describes a unique and novel variant of the above mentioned baseline design. It provides on-line data of the actual status of the cone cup forming resulting from the applied, constant pressure. Strain rate variations as a result from texture or from the alloy-related behaviour is detectable. Thinning and ''hardening'' behaviour of different alloys up to maximum failure ...
Previous research has shown that SAR hotspots are induced within the laboratory rat and that the resulting thermal hotspots are not entirely dissipated by bloodflow. Two experiments were conducted to determine if hotspot formation in the body and tail of the rat, which is radiation frequency specific, would have behavioral consequences. In the first experiment rats were placed in a plexiglas cage one side of which, when occupied by the rat, commenced microwave radiation exposure; occupancy of the other side terminated exposure. Groups of rats were tested during a baseline period to determine the naturally preferred side of the cage. Subsequent exposure to 360-MHz, 700-MHz or 2450-MHz microwave radiation was made contingent on preferred-side occupancy. A significant reduction in occupancy of the preferred side of the cage, and hence, microwaves subsequently occurred. Reduced exposure to 360-MHz and 2450-MHz microwaves at 1, 2, 6 and 10 W/kg were significantly ...
CDS Invenio is the web-based integrated digital library system developed at CERN. It is a suite of applications which provides the framework and tools for building and managing an autonomous digital library server. Within this framework, the goal of this project is to implement new ranking methods based on the bibliographic citation graph extracted from the CDS Invenio database. As a first step, we implemented the Citation Count as a baseline ranking method. The major disadvantage of this method is that all citations are treated equally, disregarding their importance and their publication date. To overcome this drawback, we consider two different approaches: a link-based approach which extends the PageRank model to the bibliographic citation graph and a time-dependent approach which takes into account time in the citation counts. In addition, we also combined these two approaches in a hybrid model based on a time-dependent PageRank. In the present document, we ...
Magnetically driven non-stationary acceleration of jets in active galactic nuclei results in the leading parts of the flow being accelerated to much higher Lorentz factors than in the case of steady-state acceleration with the same parameters. The higher Doppler-boosted parts of the flow may dominate the high-energy emission of blazar jets. We suggest that highly variable GeV and TeV emission in blazars is produced by the faster moving leading edges of highly magnetized non-stationary ejection blobs, while the radio data trace the slower-moving bulk flow. Thus, the radio and gamma-ray emission regions have different, but correlated, Doppler factors. High-energy emission is generated, typically within the optically thick core, in the outer parts of the broad-line emission region, avoiding the radiative drag on the faster parts of the flow. The radio emission should correlate with the gamma-ray emission, delayed with frequency-dependent time lag of the order of weeks to months. Model ...
A pyrochemical partitioning process has been conceptually designed so that the transmutation of spent LWR fuels in PEACER can produce mainly low-level waste (Class C waste) for near-surface burial. Chloride salt technology developed for IFR has been employed as the baseline. Electrorefining, reductive extraction and salt recycling steps are used to construct overall flowsheet in order to support PEACER operation. The decontamination factor for transuranic elements was estimated based on both thermodynamic models and reported experimental data. It is expected that overall decontamination factor can be as high as 10{sup 5} for transuranic elements. Final wastes from pyrochemical processing for PEACER are noble metals, alkaline earth metal, and lanthanides. The final wastes are stabilized by mixing with zeolite and glass-frits such that concentration limit for class C waste can be met. The volume of Class C waste is estimated to be small enough to make PEACER concept ...
A pyrochemical partitioning process has been conceptually designed so that the transmutation of spent LWR fuels in PEACER can produce mainly low-level waste (Class C waste) for near-surface burial. Chloride salt technology developed for IFR has been employed as the baseline. Electrorefining, reductive extraction and salt recycling steps are used to construct overall flowsheet in order to support PEACER operation. The decontamination factor for transuranic elements was estimated based on both thermodynamic models and reported experimental data. It is expected that overall decontamination factor can be as high as 10"5 for transuranic elements. Final wastes from pyrochemical processing for PEACER are noble metals, alkaline earth metal, and lanthanides. The final wastes are stabilized by mixing with zeolite and glass-frits such that concentration limit for class C waste can be met. The volume of Class C waste is estimated to be small enough to make PEACER concept ...
Anxiety is a common symptom during ethanol withdrawal contributing to its continuous abuse and alcoholism. Ethanol withdrawal in rats produces an interoceptive discriminative stimulus (IDS) similar to that produced by the anxiogenic drug pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). This stimulus peaks at 12 hours after last dose of ethanol and thereafter the IDS is detected for several days (protracted withdrawal) by sensitization to a probe drug. previously, the authors have shown that during the protracted withdrawal, the IDS is enhanced by GABA receptor antagonists suggesting alteration of brain GABA systems. This report provides further evidence that chronic ethanol alters GABAergic systems. Rats were trained to discriminate PTZ (20 mg/kg, ip) from saline. Diazepam, pentobarbital and phenobarbital blocked the PTZ-IDS dose dependently. Ethanol, 4.5% w/v, was then given in a nutritionally complete diet for a week. On termination of the ethanol diet, rats exhibited signs and symptoms of withdrawal which ...
LLNL is developing the nuclear fusion based Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) power plant concept. The baseline design uses a depleted uranium (DU) fission fuel blanket with a flowing molten salt coolant (flibe) that also breeds the tritium needed to sustain the fusion energy source. Indirect drive targets, similar to those that will be demonstrated on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), are ignited at #approx#13 Hz providing a 500 MW fusion source. The DU is in the form of a uranium oxycarbide kernel in modified TRISO-like fuel particles distributed in a carbon matrix forming 2-cm-diameter pebbles. The thermal power is held at 2000 MW by continuously varying the "6Li enrichment in the coolants. There are many options to be considered in the engine design including target yield, U-to-C ratio in the fuel, fission blanket thickness, etc. Here we report results of design variations and compare them in terms of various figures of merit such as time to reach a ...
Bone loss associated with estrogen depletion is well documented in cancellous bone but less well characterized in cortical bone. The effects of ovariectomy on the aged beagle skeleton were studied by histomorphometric analysis of the cortical bone in sequential rib biopsies. Biopsies were taken from each ovariectomized or sham-operated dog at the time of surgery and at 1, 4, and 8.5 months after surgery. Just prior to each postoperative biopsy, tetracycline, calcein, and xylenol orange, respectively, were administered by a fluorochrome labeling procedure (2d-10d-2d) to provide markers of bone formation. Analysis of sequential rib biopsies provided a means to follow the ovariectomy response over time and to compare each animal against its own baseline. Though ovariectomy did not influence histomorphometric indices at 1 month after surgery, a transient increase in cortical bone formation occurred thereafter, with a sixfold increase over that of sham-operated dogs at ...
A testing program has been conducted by the Westinghouse Hanford Company to confirm the baseline waste form selection for use in Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Module 2A. WRAP Module 2A will provide treatment required to properly dispose of containerized contact-handled, mixed low-level waste at the US Department of Energy Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. Solidification/stabilization has been chosen as the appropriate treatment for this waste. This work is intended to test cement-based, thermosetting polymer, and thermoplastic polymer solidification media to substantiate the technology approach for WRAP Module 2A. Screening tests were performed using the major chemical constituent of each waste type to measure the gross compatibility with the immobilization media and to determine formulations for more detailed testing. Surrogate materials representing each of the eight waste types were prepared in the laboratory. These surrogates were then ...
This Maintenance Implementation Plan (MIP) has been developed for maintenance functions associated with the B Plant/WESF (Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility) complex. The objective of this plan is to provide baseline information for establishing and identifying WHC conformance programs and policies applicable to implementation of DOE order 4330.4B guidelines. In addition, this maintenance plan identifies the actions necessary to develop a cost-effective and efficient maintenance program at B Plant/WESF. The B Plant WESF facility complex consists of three main facilities and several support structures located in the 200 East Area of the Hanford site. B Plant is a transition facility that is required to ensure safe storage and management of WESF (operating facility) cesium and strontium capsules. B Plant/WESF also contains substantial radiological inventory from previous campaigns. There are no production activities at B Plant, but several of its operating systems ...
Through the innovative design of a novel end plug scheme employing octopole MHD stabilization, the authors present the conceptual design of ''MINIMARS'', a small commercial fusion reactor based on the tandem mirror principle. The current baseline for MINIMARS has a net electric output of 600 MWe and they have configured the design for short construction times, factory-built modules, inherently safe blanket systems, and multiplexing in station sizes of #approx =# 600-2400 MWe. They demonstrate that the compact octopole end cell provides a number of advantages over the more conventional quadrupole (yin-yang) end cell encountered in the MARS tandem mirror reactor study, and enables ignition to be achieved with much shorter central cell lengths. Accordingly, being economic in small sizes, MINIMARS provides an attractive alternative to the more conventional larger conceptual fusion reactors encountered to date, and would contribute significantly to the lowering of ...
A preliminary design effort directed toward a low concentration ratio photovoltaic array system capable of delivering multihundred kilowatts (300 kW to 1000 kW range) in low earth orbit is described. The array system consists of two or more array modules each capable of delivering between 113 kW to 175 kW using silicon solar cells or gallium arsenide solar cells, respectively. The array module deployed area is 1320 square meters and consists of 4356 pyramidal concentrator elements. The module, when stowed in the Space Shuttle's payload bay, has a stowage volume of a cube with 3.24 meters on a side. The concentrator elements are sized for a geometric concentration ratio (GCR) of six with an aperture area of .25 sq. m. The structural analysis and design trades leading to the baseline design are discussed. It describes the configuration, as well as optical, thermal and electrical performance analyses that support the design and overall performance estimates ...
The primary objective of the project is to investigate the long-term effects of commercially available tangentially-fired low NO{sub x} combustion technologies on NOx emissions and boiler performance on Unit 2 at Gulf Power Company's Plant Lansing Smith located near Lynn Haven, Florida. The project will characterize emissions and performance of a tangentially-fired boiler operating in the following configurations: Baseline as-found'' configuration: Phase 1; retrofitted low NO{sub x} concentric firing system (LNCFS) Level 2 and simulated low NO{sub x} bulk furnace staging (LNBFS): Phase 2; retrofitted low NO{sub x} concentric firing system (LNCFS) Level 3, Phase 3a and simulated LNCFS Level 1, Phase 3b.
This document describes the geology and hydrogeology at the former Advanced Coal Liquefaction Research and Development (ACLR&D) facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. The work was conducted by personnel from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Grand Junction office (ORNL/GJ) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC). Characterization information was requested by PETC to provide baseline environmental information for use in evaluating needs and in subsequent decision-making for further actions associated with the closeout of facility operations. The hydrogeologic conceptual model presented in this report provides significant insight regarding the potential for contaminant migration from the ACLR&D facility and may be useful during other characterization work in the region. The ACLR&D facility is no longer operational and has been dismantled. The site was characterized in three phases: the first two phases were an ...
The FFTF Standby Plan, Revision 0, provides changes to the major elements and project baselines to maintain the FFTF plant in a standby condition and to continue washing sodium from irradiated reactor fuel. The Plan is consistent with the Memorandum of Decision approved by the Secretary of Energy on January 17, 1997, which directed that FFTF be maintained in a standby condition to permit the Department to make a decision on whether the facility should play a future role in the Department of Energy`s dual track tritium production strategy. This decision would be made in parallel with the intended December 1998 decision on the selection of the primary, long- term source of tritium. This also allows the Department to review the economic and technical feasibility of using the FFTF to produce isotopes for the medical community. Formal direction has been received from DOE-RL and Fluor 2020 Daniel Hanford to implement the FFTF standby decision. The objective of the Plan ...
The purpose of this study is to develop projects and actions that will reduce facilities energy consumption and operating costs at Fort Hunter Liggett. Implementation of these projects will contribute to achieving the goal of the Army Facilities Energy Plan of a reduction in energy consumption per square foot of building floor area of 20 percent by FY2OOO from FY1985 baseline levels, There are 205 numbered structures at Fort Hunter Liggett, containing a total of 791,034 square feet of gross floor space. This United Energy Study evaluates 52 surveyed buildings with results extended to an additional 44 identical or similar buildings. Together, these buildings contain a total of 632,386 gross square feet and account for approximately 93 percent of overall energy usage. Present Energy Consumption Total energy consumption at Fort Hunter Ligett in FY 1992 of non-transportation energy sources was 79,728 million Btu. This figure includes electricity at 3,413 Btu per kwh, ...
Operable Unit 2 at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) near Fairbanks, is one of several operable units characterized by petroleum, oil, and lubricant contamination, and by the presence of organic products floating at the water table, as a result of Air Force operations since the 1940s. The base is approximately 19,270 acres in size, and comprises the areas for military operations and a residential neighborhood for military dependents. Within Operable Unit 2, there are seven source areas. These source areas were grouped together primarily because of the contaminants released and hence are not necessarily in geographical proximity. Source area ST10 includes a surface water body (Hardfill Lake) next to a fuel spill area. The primary constituents of concern for human health include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Monitored data showed these volatile constituents to be present in groundwater wells. The data also showed an elevated level of trace metals in groundwater.
Modern text retrieval systems often provide a similarity search utility, that allows the user to find efficiently a fixed number k of documents in the data set that are most similar to a given query (here a query is either a simple sequence of keywords or the identifier of a full document found in previous searches that is considered of interest). We consider the case of a textual database made of semi-structured documents. Each field, in turns, is modelled with a specific vector space. The problem is more complex when we also allow each such vector space to have an associated user-defined dynamic weight that influences its contribution to the overall dynamic aggregated and weighted similarity. This dynamic problem has been tackled in a recent paper by Singitham et al. in in VLDB 2004. Their proposed solution, which we take as baseline, is a variant of the cluster-pruning technique that has the potential for scaling to very large corpora of documents, and is far ...
INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a prominent symptom in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and it has distinctive features; however, there is a need for a robust scale to measure fatigue in COPD. METHODS: At baseline, 122 patients with COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) 52%, women 38%, mean age 66 years) completed a pilot fatigue scale covering a pool of 57 items and underwent a range of tests, including indicators of mood and a short general fatigue questionnaire. All patients responded to the 57-item scale and it was readministered to a subset of 30 patients. The pilot scale was first subjected to constructive validated shortening steps and then to a principal components analysis. RESULTS: The Manchester COPD fatigue scale (MCFS) consists of 27 items, loading into three dimensions: physical, cognitive and psychosocial fatigue. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97) and test-retest repeatability (r = 0.97, por=16 scores in the Center for ...
The Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development initiated an Integrated Demonstration Program at the Savannah River Site in 1989. The objective of this program is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate innovative technologies that can improve present-day environmental restoration methods. The Integrated Demonstration Program at SRS is entitled ``Cleanup of Organics in Soils and Groundwater at Non-Arid Sites.`` New technologies in the areas of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation are being demonstrated and evaluated for their technical performance and cost effectiveness in comparison with baseline technologies. Present site characterization and monitoring methods are costly, time-consuming, overly invasive, and often imprecise. Better technologies are required to accurately describe the subsurface geophysical and geochemical features of a site and the nature and extent of contamination. More efficient, nonintrusive characterization and ...
An innovative horizontal drilling system was used to install two horizontal wells as part of an integrated demonstration project at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, South Carolina. The SRS is located in south-central South Carolina in the upper Coastal Plain physiographic province. The demonstration site is located near the A/M Area, and is currently known as the Integated Demonstration Site. The Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development initiated an integrated demonstration of innovative technologies for cleanup of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in soils and groundwater at the SRS in 1989. The overall goal of the program is to demonstrate, at a single location, multiple technologies in the fields of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation. Innovative technologies are compared to one another and to baseline technologies in terms of technical performance and cost effectiveness. Transfer of successfully demonstrated ...
An innovative horizontal drilling system was used to install two horizontal wells as part of an integrated demonstration project at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, South Carolina. The SRS is located in south-central South Carolina in the upper Coastal Plain physiographic province. The demonstration site is located near the A/M Area, and is currently known as the Integated Demonstration Site. The Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development initiated an integrated demonstration of innovative technologies for cleanup of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in soils and groundwater at the SRS in 1989. The overall goal of the program is to demonstrate, at a single location, multiple technologies in the fields of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation. Innovative technologies are compared to one another and to baseline technologies in terms of technical performance and cost effectiveness. Transfer of successfully demonstrated technologies ...
This cost-effectiveness analysis presents an evaluation of the technical efficiency of pollutant control options for the proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Transportation Equipment Cleaning Industry based on Best Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT) and Pretreatment Standards for Existing Sources (PSES). Section 2 discusses EPA`s cost-effectiveness methodology and identifies the pollutants included in the analysis. This section also presents EPA`s toxic weighting factors for each pollutant and considers the removal efficiency of each pollution control option. Section 3 describes the options evaluated for each subcategory. Section 4 presents the results of the cost-effectiveness analysis. In Section 5, cost-effectiveness values for proposed TEC industry options are compared to cost-effectiveness values for other promulgated rules. Section 6 discusses the two-part cost-reasonableness test for BCT options. Appendix A presents data on pollutants, ...
As part of its long-term control plan for combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement, the city of Buffalo, New York, maintained a network of Hydrolab Datasondes (Hydrolab-Hach Company, Loveland, Colorado) to assess receiving water-quality effects by continuously logging dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, conductivity, and turbidity. Although the effect of individual CSOs could be visualized, turbidity levels entering the Buffalo River from the upper watershed often were greater than from CSO discharges. Turbidity data showed that the Buffalo River was a net-sediment sink. Low dissolved oxygen levels were observed in the summer during dry weather, baseflow, and watershed-wide storms and CSO events. Some CSOs did not produce dissolved oxygen sags in the receiving waters, but others did. This information, together with the sampling done for organic and inorganic contaminants, can aid the decisionmaking process when prioritizing outfalls for abatement work and provides a ...
The effects of cocaine on the maternal and fetal pituitary-adrenal axis in vivo during pregnancy have not been reported. Six pregnant ewes and their fetuses underwent instrumentation at 113 to 119 days' gestation. Ewes were assigned to receive an intravenous bolus injection of vehicle or cocaine (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg.kg-1) at 124 to 136 days' gestation. Maternal arterial blood gases, fetal pH and fetal PCO2 were unchanged after injection of cocaine or vehicle. After administration of 2.0 mg.kg-1 cocaine, arterial fetal PO2 fell 3.2 +/- 1.72 mm Hg (p less than 0.05) at +5 minutes, returning to baseline by +15 minutes. Maternal and fetal adrenocorticotropin levels rose within 5 minutes after the highest cocaine dose (p less than 0.05). There was a significant (p less than 0.05) increase in maternal cortisol at all doses of cocaine and in fetal cortisol at +15 minutes after the 2.0 mg.kg-1. PMID:1847006
OBJECTIVE To identify patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who will need antenatal insulin treatment (AIT) by using a risk-prediction tool based on maternal clinical and biochemical characteristics at diagnosis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from 3,009 women attending the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital GDM Clinic, Australia, between 1995 and 2010 were studied. A risk engine was developed from significant factors identified for AIT using a logistic regression model. RESULTS A total of 51% of GDM patients required AIT. Ethnicity, gestation at diagnosis, HbA(1c), fasting and 60-min glucose oral glucose tolerance test, BMI, and diabetes family history were significant independent determinants of AIT. Notably, only 9% of the attributable risk for AIT can be explained by the clinical factors studied. A modeled risk-scoring system was therefore a poor predictor of AIT. CONCLUSIONS Baseline maternal characteristics including HbA(1c) alone cannot predict the ...
Safety standards for exposure to radiofrequency radiation must be based upon biologic consequences of exposure to such environments. Behavioral-based measures are considered to be the most-sensitive indices of biological effects. Current safety guidelines are based upon average power density and may not be relevant to the high-peak-power, short pulse width microwave radiation produced by newly developed high peak power microwave sources. The effects of exposure to high-peak-power radiation on reflexive responding and motor function in Fischer 344/N rats were assessed by measuring startle and general activity, and disruption of on-going performance of a rotarod task, respectively. The emitter used was the TEMPO repeat pulse axially extracted vircator. Exposure to single pulses resulted in significant startle responses. Exposure to 1 pps for 10 s produced significant alterations in baseline activity and marked disruption of performance of the rotarod task. The ...
ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory during FY94 to characterize possible contaminant movement out of Area G through surface-water and sediment runoff. These samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. Ten metals were also analyzed on selected soils using analytical laboratory techniques. All radiochemical data are compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and reported in LA-12986. Baseline concentrations for future disposal operations were established for metals and radionuclides by a sampling program in the proposed Area G Expansion Area. Considering the amount of radioactive waste that has been disposed at Area G, there is evidence of only low concentrations of radionuclides on perimeter surface soils. Consequently, little radioactivity is leaving the confines of Area G via the surface water runoff ...
In 1990, field studies of water quality and stream macroinvertebrate communities were initiated in Sandia Canyon at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The studies were designed to establish baseline data and to determine the effects of routine discharges of industrial and sanitary waste. Water quality measurements were taken and aquatic macroinvertebrates sampled at three permanent stations within the canyon. Two of the three sample stations are located where the stream regularly receives industrial and sanitary waste effluents. These stations exhibited a low diversity of macroinvertebrates and slightly degraded water quality. The last sample station, located approximately 0.4 km (0.25 mi) downstream from the nearest wastewater outfall, appears to be in a zone of recovery where water quality parameters more closely resemble those found in natural streams in the Los Alamos area. A large increase in macroinvertebrate diversity was also observed at the third station. ...
An economic analysis of the potential advantages of alternatives for recycling and reusing equipment now stored in Building 865 at the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) in Colorado has been conducted. The inventory considered in this analysis consists primarily of metallurgical and process equipment used before January 1992, during development and production of nuclear weapons components at the site. The economic analysis consists of a thorough building inventory and cost comparisons for four equipment dispositions alternatives. The first is a baseline option of disposal at a Low Level Waste (LLW) landfill. The three alternatives investigated are metal recycling, reuse with the government sector, and release for unrestricted use. This report provides item-by-item estimates of value, disposal cost, and decontamination cost. The economic evaluation methods documented here, the simple cost comparisons presented, and the data provided as a supplement, should provide a foundation ...
The Advanced Neutron Source will be a new world-class facility for research using hot, thermal, cold, and ultra-cold neutrons. The heart of the facility will be a 330-MW (fission), heavy-water cooled and heavy-water moderated reactor. The reactor will be housed in a central reactor building, with supporting equipment located in an adjoining reactor support building. An array of cold neutron guides will fan out into a large guide hall, housing about 30 neutron research stations. Appropriate office, laboratory, and shop facilities will be included to provide a complete facility for users. The ANS is scheduled to begin operation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory early in the next decade. This PDR document defines the plant-level requirements for the design, construction, and operation of ANS. It also defines and provides input to the individual System Design Description (SDD) documents. Together, this PDR document and the set of SDD documents will define and control the ...
Strippable or temporary coatings are innovative technologies for decontamination that effectively reduce loose contamination at low cost. These coatings have become a viable option during the deactivation and decommissioning of both US Department of Energy (DOE) and commercial nuclear facilities to remove or fix loose contamination on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. The ALARA{trademark} 1146 strippable coating was demonstrated as part of the Savannah River Site LSDDP and successfully removed transferable (surface) contamination from multiple surfaces (metal and concrete) with an average decontamination factor for alpha contamination of 6.68 and an average percentage of alpha contamination removed of 85.0%. Beta contamination removed was an average DF of 5.55 and an average percentage removed of 82.0%. This paper is an Innovative Technology Summary Report designed to provide potential users with the information they need to quickly determine if a technology would apply to a ...
This double-blind, multicenter, randomized placebo-controlled study evaluated the antihypertensive efficacy and safety of nebivolol, a selective beta1-adrenoreceptor blocker with vasodilating effects, in patients with mild to moderate hypertension (sitting diastolic blood pressure [SiDBP] > or =95 mm Hg and < or =109 mm Hg). A total of 909 patients were randomized to receive placebo or nebivolol 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, or 40 mg once daily for up to 84 days. The primary end point was the change in trough SiDBP from baseline to study end. Nebivolol significantly reduced trough SiDBP (8.0-11.2 mm Hg compared with 2.9 mm Hg with placebo; P<.001) and trough sitting systolic blood pressure (a 4.4-9.5-mm Hg decrease compared with a 2.2-mm Hg increase [corrected] with placebo; P< or =.002). The overall adverse event experience was similar in the nebivolol (46.1%) and placebo (40.7%) groups (P=.273). Once-daily nebivolol is an effective antihypertensive in mild to ...
The risk of cyber attacks on process control networks (PCN) is receiving significant attention due to the potentially catastrophic extent to which PCN failures can damage the infrastructures and commodity flows that they support. Risk management addresses the coupled problems of (1) reducing the likelihood that cyber attacks would succeed in disrupting PCN operation and (2) reducing the severity of consequences in the event of PCN failure or manipulation. The Network Security Risk Model (NSRM) developed in this article provides a means of evaluating the efficacy of candidate risk management policies by modeling the baseline risk and assessing expectations of risk after the implementation of candidate measures. Where existing risk models fall short of providing adequate insight into the efficacy of candidate risk management policies due to shortcomings in their structure or formulation, the NSRM provides model structure and an associated modeling methodology that ...
To evaluate the role of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in staging and determining early treatment response to chemotherapy in children with neuroblastoma (NB) and its correlation with the final outcome. Patients and Methods: Seventeen patients of NB with mean age of 51.5 months (age range 2-132 months; 14 males, 3 females) underwent serial "1"8F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT imaging. All 17 patients were for staging before any treatment. Twelve of 17 patients underwent "1"3"1I meta-iodobezylguanidine (MIBG) scan and bone scan. MIBG uptake was seen in the primary lesion in 11/12 patients. MIBG uptake in bones was seen in 3/12 patients. All bone lesions were concordant on MIBG and bone scan. Early response to chemotherapy was evaluated after two cycles using PET-CT. A 30% reduction in longest diameter was taken as cut-off value for response on CT based on the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors criteria. Response on PET-CT was assessed using ...
The performance of binary geothermal power plants can be improved through the proper choice of a working fluid, and optimization of component designs and operating conditions. This paper reviews the investigations at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) which are examining binary cycle performance improvements: for moderate temperature (350 to 400 F) resources with emphasis on how the improvements may be integrated into design of binary cycles. These investigations are examining performance improvements resulting from the supercritical vaporization of mixed hydrocarbon working fluids and achieving countercurrent integral condensation with these fluids, as well as the modification of the turbine inlet state points to achieve supersaturated turbine vapor expansions. For resources where the brine outlet temperature is restricted, the use of turbine exhaust recuperators is examined. The baseline plant used to determine improvements in plant performance ...
This thesis is devoted to the study and development of Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBTs) designed for high voltage operation. The work concentrates on the use of wide bandgap III-V semiconductor materials as the collector material and their associated properties influencing breakdown, such as impact ionisation coefficients. The work deals with issues related to incorporating a wide bandgap collector into double heterojunction structures such as conduction band discontinuities at the base-collector junction and results are presented which detail, a number of methods designed to eliminate the effects of such discontinuities. In particular the use of AlGaAs as the base material has been successful in eliminating the conduction band spike at this interface. A method of electrically injecting electrons into the collector has been employed to investigate impact ionisation in GaAs, GaInP and AlInP which has used the intrinsic gain of the ...
BackgroundThe cachexia-anorexia syndrome impacts on patients' physical independence and quality of life. New treatments are required and need to be evaluated using acceptable and...Full Text Available
The primary objective of our study is to describe urinary symptoms in women treated for endometrial cancer. We performed a cross-sectional survey of women who had undergone surgical treatment...Full Text Available
BackgroundDinoflagellates are unicellular, often photosynthetic protists that play a major role in the dynamics of the Earth's oceans and climate. Sequencing of dinoflagellate nuclear...Full Text Available
The catastrophic impact of fishing pressure on species such as cod and herring is well documented. However, the antiquity of their intensive exploitation has not been established. Systematic catch statistics...Full Text Available
The effects of consuming water with meals rather than drinking no beverage or various other beverages remains under-studied. This systematic review of English language studies compared the effects...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any beneficial or detrimental effects regarding delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), serum creatine kinase (CK), and maximum concentric strength...Full Text Available
A survey is given on the present status of the nucleon parton distributions and related precision calculations and precision measurements of the strong coupling constant {alpha}{sub s}(M{sup 2}{sub Z}). We also discuss the impact of these quantities on precision observables at hadron colliders. (orig.)
Pooling and synthesizing signals across different senses often enhances responses to the event from which they are derived. Here we examine whether multisensory response enhancements are attributable...Full Text Available
Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is efficacious in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the impact of STN-DBS on the progression...Full Text Available
As the presence of humans in space expands in scope and duration, the quality of life in space as well as on Earth becomes pertinent. .... Military uses of space, such as the introduction of space-based laser or particle beam weapons, may have a major impact on the way people think and relate to .... AIAA Student Journal. ...
... MCL Maximum contaminant level NAAQS National ambient air quality standards NCP National ... 3. Estimated Cost Impacts: I3a. ... Standard Additions. ...
The purpose of this program was to characterize Time Of Arrival Detectors (TOAD) pins response to shock loading with respect to risetime, amplitude, repeatability and consistency. TOAD pins were subjected to impacts of 35 to 420 kilobars amplitude and approximately 1 ms pulse width to investigate the timing spread of four pins and the voltage output profile of the individual pins. Sets of pins were also aged at 45{degrees}, 60{degrees}, and 80{degrees}C for approximately nine weeks before shock testing at 315 kilobars impact stress. Four sets of pins were heated to 50.2{degrees}C (125{degrees}F) for approximately two hours and then impacted at either 50 or 315 kilobars. Also, four sets of pins were aged at 60{degrees}C for nine weeks and then heated to 50.2{degrees}C before shock testing at 50 and 315 kilobars impact stress, respectively. Particle velocity measurements at the contact point between the ...
The drilling rate of rotary percussion drill bit depends on the revolving energy and the impact energy of drifter as well as the characteristics of rock mass. The rotary percussion drill tests were executed in-situ for 13 kinds of rock mass using 12 actual drill machines to clarify the interrelations between them. At the result, the drilling rate has been expressed as the function of the revolving energy, the impact energy, the bit diameter, the coefficient of crack of rock mass and the Shore hardness or the amount of Los Angeles abrasion or the radial compressive strength of rock specimen. On the other hand, the rock mass properties could be determined by measuring the drilling rate of a standard rotary percussion drill machine. The relationship between the different drilling thrusts and the impact energy has been revealed. As a result, it has been found that the impact energy exerts a greater ...
This review presents a summary of existing knowledge regarding the impact of testicular cancer along four broad domains, including romantic and sexual relationships, body image, and fertility....Full Text Available
IntroductionRecent Food and Drug Administration legislation enables the mandating of product performance standards for cigarette smoke and the evaluation of manufacturers’...Full Text Available
There is increasing evidence that receptor-mediated events impact one or more stages responsible for tumor development in experimental animals and humans. Although many chemicals and endogenous hormones...Full Text Available
Globally, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) represent a significant source of morbidity and disproportionately impact the health of women and children. The number of randomized controlled trials...Full Text Available
The impacts of climate change on crop productivity are often assessed using simulations from a numerical climate model as an input to a crop simulation model. The precision of these predictions reflects...Full Text Available
The authors’ objective was to analyze the impact of respiratory impairment on the risk of physical functional limitations among adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)....Full Text Available
Mar 1, 2004 ... For a summary of papers from a 4-day AIAA conference held February ... m is less than $400 million, with both ground-based and space-based options possible. .... from concerns about a new generation of nuclear weapons. ...
Amphibian populations are declining globally at an alarming rate. Pesticides are among a number of proposed causes for these declines. Although a sizable database examining effects of pesticides on...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeveral aromatic amines (AA) could cause bladder cancer and are an occupational hygiene problem in the workplace. However, little is known about the percutaneous absorption...Full Text Available
Purpose:The goal of this study was to use two separate databases to evaluate the clinical outcomes and the economic impact of adherence to Level I Pathways, an evidence-based oncology...Full Text Available
More than 30 environmental concerns were analyzed for the transportation of coal by rail, roads (trucks), high voltage transmission lines (that is, from mine-mouth generating plants to distribution networks), coal slurry pipelines, and barges. The following criteria were used to identify these problems: (1) real physical environmetal impacts for which control technologies must be developed, or regulation made effective where control technologies presently exist; (2) the level of impact is uncertain, although the potential impact may be moderate to high; (3) the concerns identified by the first two criteria are specific to or exacerbated by coal transportation. Generic transportation problems are not included. The significant environmental problems identified as a result of this study are: (1) rail transport - community traffic disruption and human health, safety, and habitat destruction; (2) coal haul roads - road ...
Ever since the pre-molecular era, the birth of new genes with novel functions has been considered to be a major contributor to adaptive evolutionary innovation. Here, I review the origin and evolution...Full Text Available
BackgroundReplication capacity (RC) of specific HIV isolates is occasionally blamed for unexpected treatment responses. However, the role of viral RC in response to antiretroviral...Full Text Available
We study the impact of non-Abelian T-duality transformations on a string based cosmological model. The implementation of the pre-big-bang scenario is investigated. We found a region of the dual phase where such a picture is possible.
Most mechanical forces acting on the skeleton are generated either through impact with the ground (i.e., gravitational loading) or through muscle contractions (i.e., muscle loading). If one...Full Text Available
Retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa and Leber congenital amaurosis, are a leading cause of untreatable blindness with substantive impact on the quality of life of affected individuals...Full Text Available
BackgroundPrevious research has shown that internet education can lead to short-term improvements in clinicians' knowledge, confidence and communication practices. We wished to better...Full Text Available
BackgroundHerpes simplex virus (HSV) suppressive therapy reduces genital and plasma HIV-1 RNA over periods up to three months but the longer-term effect is unknown.Full Text Available
BackgroundThe analgesic effect of perioperative low doses intravenous lidocaine has been demonstrated after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether...Full Text Available
Study objectiveThe study aim was to improve our understanding of the relationships between contextual socioeconomic characteristics and coronary heart disease (CHD)...Full Text Available
The NUclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC) has developed IMPACT-SAMPSON code to analyze integral behavior of light water nuclear power plants under severe accident conditions. IMPACT-SAMPSON's distinguishing features include interconnected hierarchical modules and mechanistic models covering a wide spectrum of scenarios ranging from normal operation to severe accident events, and high-speed simulation on parallel processing computers. The integral plant behaviors of typical PWR and BWR under severe accident conditions have been analyzed with the IMPACT-SAMPSON code. The PWR plant analyzed was the three-loop, steel-dry containment type with 2,440 MWt. The AE accident scenario was supposed, that is, LOCA by 6-inch hot leg failure followed by accumulated water injection, but no ECCS and containment spray activation. The BWR plant analyzed was the 3,293 MWt BWR-5, Mark-II containment type. The TQUV accident ...
The long-term impact of early stress on behavior and emotions is well documented in humans, and can be modeled in experimental animals. In mice, maternal separation during early postnatal development...Full Text Available
User acceptance of a computer system depends on a number of factors, including broad social and professional concerns regarding the system's impact on the work environment. This observation is especially...Full Text Available
Aquaculture is increasing worldwide, however we have little understanding of its impacts on marine communities. A critical element of many marine communities are seagrasses, a group of globally distributed marine angiosperms that are drivers of many abiotic and biotic processes in estuarine and mari...
Increased clouds and precipitation normally decrease the diurnal temperature range (DTR) and thus have commonly been offered as explanation for the trend of reduced DTR observed for many land areas...Full Text Available
We sought to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction and its effect on clinical outcomes. Employing data from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction...Full Text Available
Exercise-training might be a logical method to reverse muscle atrophy and weakness in patients treated with glucocorticoids. The purpose of the present investigation was to establish whether a treatment...Full Text Available
BackgroundDuring the past 2 decades, there has been a rapid proliferation of "health examination center (HEC)" across China. The effects of their services on public's health have...Full Text Available
IntroductionIn lung cancer surgery, large tidal volume and elevated inspiratory pressure are known risk factors of acute lung (ALI). Mechanical ventilation with low tidal volume...Full Text Available
In several regions of Czechoslovakia with intensive agricultural production, the correlation between the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied and the nitrate content in groundwater has been recognized....Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of different concomitant disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on the persistence with antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies in...Full Text Available
BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) substantially increases the risk of ischemic stroke but this risk varies among individual patients with AF. Existing risk stratification...Full Text Available
PurposePrevious studies suggest that some common medications alter prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. It remains unclear whether these reported medication effects are due to...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of poor, urban HIV-positive drug users. Sixty participants were asked about HIV risk behaviors, the impact of HIV on their lives,...Full Text Available
Laboratory dose-response experiments with organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides, and dose-response experiments with increasing particle loads were used to determine which of these stressors were likely responsible for the toxicity and macroinvertebrate impacts previously observed in the Salinas River. Experiments were conducted with the amphipod Hyalella azteca, the baetid mayfly Procloeon sp., and the midge Chironomus dilutus (Shobanov, formerly Chironomus tentans). The results indicate the primary stressor impacting H. azteca was pesticides, including chlorpyrifos and permethrin. The mayfly Procloeon sp. was sensitive to chlorpyrifos and permethrin within the range of concentrations of these pesticides measured in the river. Chironomus dilutus were sensitive to chlorpyrifos within the ranges of concentrations measured in the river. None of the species tested were affected by turbidity as high as 1000 NTUs. The current study shows that ...
OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the profile of osteoporosis treatment among patients hospitalized due to hip fractures at a tertiary-level university hospital. To compare the impact of hospitalization...Full Text Available
The full impact of secondary stigma (stigma directed at family) on an HIV-positive individual is unknown. This qualitative research explores perceptions of secondary stigma in the Vietnamese...Full Text Available
Noise pollution from human traffic networks and industrial activity impacts vast areas of our planet. While anthropogenic noise effects on animal communication are well documented, we have very limited...Full Text Available
Finasteride, a specific and competitive inhibitor of 5α-reductase enzyme Type 2, inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In adults, DHT acts as primary androgen...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn patients with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease who require renal replacement therapy a major decision concerns modality choice. However, many patients defer the decision...Full Text Available
The development of rapid and specific diagnostic tests to identify individuals infected with malaria is of paramount importance in efforts to control the severe public health impact of this disease....Full Text Available
BackgroundIt has been assumed that the unusual tail club of ankylosaurid dinosaurs was used actively as a weapon, but the biological feasibility of this behaviour has not been examined...Full Text Available
The report summarizes the environmental significance of the priority pollutants being discharged from thirteen subcategories of the ore mining and dressing point source category. In addition, the impact of proposed effluent limitations guidelines is assessed from an environmental perspective.
BackgroundCompared to healthy controls, cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment, which has negative social and economic impacts on the patients and on society at large....Full Text Available
Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of courses is necessary so that strengths and weaknesses can be identified and improvements made. This article uses Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework to present...Full Text Available
This report documents the collaborative effort between the United States and Canada to investigate the impact of process-induced defects on strength and stiffness under static and fatigue loading and for low-cost composite aircraft structures, in particul...
... impact criterion, as demonstrated by the materials research community. These include training ... designing new materials or new processing/fabrication routes to existing materials; exploring and ...
Biliary obstructions are rarely caused by a foreign body and have received sparse attention. We present an unusual case with pruritis and abdominal pain caused by impacted full length surgical gauze...Full Text Available
... gov Data Privacy, Emergency Response, Weather Prediction to Benefit from Information Technology ... detection, simulation and prediction of high-impact local weather, such as thunderstorms and ...
Cryptic invasions are a largely unrecognized type of biological invasion that lead to underestimation of the total numbers and impacts of invaders because of the difficulty in detecting them. The distribution...Full Text Available
Communication problems have been implicated in many safety and quality issues, but tools to examine communication networks and their impact on patient outcomes are only beginning to become available....Full Text Available
Development of the Conawapa-Winnipeg power transmission complex in Manitoba includes five interrelated transmission and conversion facilities. Environmental and socio-economic assessment work done to date on one component of this system (the upgrading of the Southern Receiver System) is described. This system is composed of a network of high voltage transmission lines and station facilities serving power demand in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba. The upgrading involves three main elements: energizing a second 230 kV ac circuit on an existing tower line running from the proposed Riel Station site to the existing St. Vital Station; constructing a new double-circuit 230 kV tower line on the same existing right-of-way between St. Vital and the Riel site area; and installing an additional transformer and other necessary equipment at St. Vital and other stations affected by the upgrade. The environmental impacts of these projects are generally not significant and will add ...
BackgroundBacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition that is associated with preterm birth and acquisition of complex communities of vaginal bacteria that include several fastidious...Full Text Available
Invasive species pose serious threats to community structure and ecosystem function worldwide. The impacts of invasive species can be more pervasive than simple reduction of species numbers. By using...Full Text Available
BackgroundComplex situations that follow war and natural disasters have a psychosocial impact on not only the individual but also on the family, community and society. Just as the...Full Text Available
As part of its program to provide technology for reducing undesirable environmental impacts of mineral processing operations, the Bureau of Mines developed the citrate process for desulfurizing industrial stack gases that contain from 0.1 to 2 vol pct SO2...
The objectives for the financial sector with regard to climate change investments are to regard to sustainability policies, not just for itself, but also for borrowers and investment portfolios, and to assist in developing frameworks and products that will enable shareholders and clients to invest in commercial solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Results of feasibility experiments for determining the mineral content of individual stains on special Sensitized Paper are presented. The stains were formed on the paper by the impaction of laboratory generated salt water droplets. Of the techniques exam...
This book contains over 20 selections. Some of the titles are: Continuum damage mechanics studies on the dynamic fracture of concrete; Dynamic compressive strength of cementitious materials; Rate-sensitivity of mode I and mode II fracture concrete; and An impact damage model of concrete.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is increasing in incidence, creating worldwide public health concerns and impacting morbidity and mortality rates. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated shared...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of breast carcinoma (T1–2N0) surgery without axillary dissection on axillary and distant relapses, and to evaluate the usefulness of a panel...Full Text Available
Radionuclides are distributed nonuniformly in tissue. The present work examined the impact of nonuniformities at the multicellular level on the lethal effects of 210Po. A three-dimensional...Full Text Available
... 45 SW Staff and NASA on movement, intensity, weather conditions, ...... a) All surfaces of the vehicle susceptible to precipitation particle impact have been ... hydrometeors falling through the 0 deg C level and beginning to melt. ...
This paper reported on a life cycle assessment (LCA) study that compared the environmental impacts of business-as-usual manure management with those of a manure management operation incorporating anaerobic digestion with combined heat and power generation. The case study was based on a medium sized dairy farm in northern New York State. The study identified the benefits resulting from the displacement of fossil fuels, and reduction of related emissions. Although anaerobic digestion of dairy manure with energy recovery through biogas combustion is viewed as a positive environmental approach to increase the use of renewable energy, there are potential negative impacts that can counteract the environmental benefits. The negative impacts are associated with emissions of methane and nitrogen species during digestion and after spreading of digester effluent. The environmental impacts and their causes should ...
It is well established that changes to the chemical environment can impair development, physiology and reproductive biology; by contrast, impacts on communication have not been widely reported. This...Full Text Available
CONTEXTThe impact of residents on hospital finance has been studied; there are no data describing the economic effect of residents on attending physicians.OBJECTIVEIn...Full Text Available
BackgroundInsurance coverage of tobacco cessation medications increases their use and reduces smoking prevalence in a population. However, uncertainty about the impact of this coverage...Full Text Available
The chapter presents the nuclear energy development in 20th century and the most important radiation accidents happened from the point of view of technological risk and high impact consequences: Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.