The deactivation rate of a resid hydrotreating catalyst is determined by a complex set of factors involving both chemical and physical changes in the catalyst structure. The various chemical changes that are associated with resid conversion involve thermal and catalytic steps of relatively large molecular weight species with the overall rates significantly affected by mass transfer limitations. The deposition of coke and the variation in the effective promoter level by the accumulation of metals deposited from the resid are the principal factors governing deactivation. The relative importance of mass transfer restrictions on activity and catalyst deactivation can be observed in studies where the average pore diameter of the catalyst has been varied. Several models have been proposed to characterize the deactivation of resid hydroprocessing catalysts. In this ...
Expressions for the spatial moments and macrodispersion tensor for sorbing solutes in heterogeneous formations were presented using a probabilistic model of a fluid residence time coupled with the particle position analysis. The fluid residence time was defined as a fraction of the actual time during which the particle stayed in the mobile fluid phase of the aquifer. The fluid residence time is a random variable whose variability comes as a result of the non-equilibrium sorption properties. The sorbing solute was assumed to be governed with first-order linear kinetics. The closed-form expressions were based on the stationarity in the kinetic process and on the first-order approximation in the hydraulic conductivity field and in the fluid residence time. The non-equilibrium effects were presented as a function of the spatial variability in hydraulic conductivity and temporal variability in the fluid ...
Addresses factors affecting rural education in Tasmania (Australia), including population trends, financial support, student enrollment, socioeconomic status of rural residents, and geographic isolation. Issues that need to be addressed include the status of small schools in Tasmania, costs associated with transporting students, staffing, low student retention, and limited availability of special services. (LP)
The capacity of bones to adjust their mass and architecture to withstand the loads of everyday activity derives from the ability of their resident cells to respond appropriately to the strains engendered....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)
Typhoons Aere (2004) and Matsa (2005) caused high nephelometric turbidity in the Shihmen reservoir in northern Taiwan, jeopardizing the operation of the reservoir for several days, and ultimately impacting the living conditions and economy of the downstream residents. The torrential rains caused landslides and debris flows in upland areas, and flowed into riverbeds, likely contributing significantly to the suspended sediment yields in the reservoir. This investigation elucidates how upland landslides affect sediment attributes in the reservoir basin. Study methods including field observations, spatial analysis in GIS and aerial photo interpretation are adopted to trace the sediment sources and contributing factors to the landslide. Torrential rains induced landslides and debris-flows uplan...
Biopharmaceutical R&D complexes are major emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which may pose potential health risks for staff on site and residents nearby. In this paper health risk assessments were performed for the VOCs in the ambient air of a typical biopharmaceutical R&D complex in China. Results showed halogenated and alkyl compounds were dominant components among 24 major VOCs from 9 selected sampling sites, inside or around the complex. The principal component analysis (PCA) indicated VOCs were generated predominantly from the biopharmaceutical research activities (factor 1 (F1), 71.6%) and traffic vehicles (factor 2 (F2), 15.4%), which were confirmed by contour maps of five selected VOCs (benzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, methylene chloride and n-hexane) simulated...
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
In the latter half of 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published a Proposed Rule (40 CFR Part 197) for establishing a dose rate standard for limiting radionuclide releases from the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste repository during the time period from 10{sup 4} to 10{sup 6} years after closure. The proposed standard was based on the difference in the estimated total dose rate from natural background in the Amargosa Valley and the ''average annual background radiation'' for the State of Colorado. As defined by the USEPA, ''natural background radiation consists of external exposures from cosmic and terrestrial sources, and internal exposures from indoor exposures to naturally-occurring radon''. On the basis of its assessments, the USEPA estimated that the difference in the dose rate in the two identified areas was 3.5 mSv y{sup -1}. The purpose of this review was to provide ...
In this study, ethanol organosolv pretreatment was investigated and optimized for the pretreatment of empty palm fruit bunch using (1) response surface methodology based on three-variable central composite design and (2) the combined severity parameters. The reaction parameters studied were sulfuric acid concentration (0.5-2.0%), reaction temperature (160-200^oC) and residence time (45-90min). Both models provide valuable and complementary informations: using combined severity parameters, very good predictions were obtained concerning xylan and lignin extraction whereas central composite design is the best model for glucose production. The optimal values of the variables were as the followings: sulfuric acid 2.0% w/w, 160^oC, 78min and the experimental values (96.0%) concerning glucose and...
Abstract Recent work (Schawinski et al.) indicates that star-forming early-type galaxies residing in the blue cloud migrate rapidly to the red sequence within around a Gyr, passing through several phases of increasingly strong active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in the process. We show that natural depletion of the cold gas reservoir through star formation (i.e. in the absence of any feedback from the AGN) induces a blue-to-red reddening rate that is several factors lower than that observed by Schawinski et al. This is because the gas depletion rate due to star formation alone is too slow, implying that another process needs to be invoked to remove cold gas from the system and accelerate the reddening rate. We develop a simple phenomenological model, in which a fraction of the AGN-s lum...
A validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) computer code, ICRKFLO, was used to investigate the scale-up effects on the coke yields of thermal cracking riser factors. Comparisons were made for calculated coke yields of pilot- and commercial-scales riser units. Computational results show that the riser aspect ratio, reaction temperature, particle residence time, and particle/oil ratio have major impacts on the coke yield. A computational experiment was conducted to determine optimal operating conditions for a conceptual design of a commercial-scale riser unit. This experiment showed that the performance loss in scale-up from pilot to commercial scale may be almost completely recovered through optimizing the operating conditions after scale-up using the CFD simulations as a guide.
Most of the low-level liquid radioactive wastes generated from PWR plants are classified into high or low total suspended solid(HTDS or LTDS), and into radiochemical and radioactive laundry waste. Although the evaporation process has a high decontamination ability, it has several problems such as corrosion, foam, and congestion. A new liquid waste disposal process using the ion-exchange demineralizer(IED), instead of the current evaporation process, has been introduced into the Yonggwang NPP No 5 and 6. These two methods have been compared to understand the differences in this study. Aspects compared here were the released radioactivity amount of the liquid radioactive wastes, the dose of off-site residents, the decontamination factor, and the amount of the solid radioactive wastes. The IED system is designed to discharge higher radioactivity about 20% than the evaporating system, and the actual radioactivity released from the evaporating and ...
Most of the low-level liquid radioactive wastes generated from PWR plants are classified into high or low total suspended solid(HTDS or LTDS), radio-chemical waste and radioactive laundry waste. Although the evaporation process has a high decontamination ability, it has several problems such as corrosion, foaming, and congestion. A new liquid waste disposal process using the ion-exchange demineralizer(IED) has been introduced into the Yonggwang NPP 5 and 6 to complement the current evaporation process. To determine the differences, these two methods have been compared in this study. Those aspects compared here were the released radioactivity volume of the liquid radioactive wastes, The dose of off-site residents, the decontamination factor, and the amount of the solid radioactive wastes. While it was expected that the liquid radioactive waste volume in the evaporating system would be 20 percent higher than in the IED, the actual volume of the ...
Pyrolysis of Greek fir wood samples in a fluidized bed reactor was studied. The experimental conditions selected control the yield of gaseous, liquid and solid products. The factors examined were: pyrolysis temperature, mean particle size, pressure, residence time of volatiles, lignin content of biomass and moisture content. The experiments were performed on the basis of a 12-run Plackett-Burman fractional factorial design. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the pyrolysis temperature is the main factor affecting the distribution of the yields of liquids, their phenolic fraction and gases in the range of experimental conditions tested. Empirical expressions were obtained from linear regression giving the yields of liquids, phenols and gases in terms of temperature. The maximum predicted yields were 56 and 12 wt.% on a moisture-free basis at 520 C and 545 C for liquids and phenols, respectively. The yield of gases ...
Effective doses from {sup 210}Po intake with caribou meat were determined for human residents in Baker Lake and Snowdrift in the Northwest Territories of Canada and compared to doses calculated from reported {sup 210}Po tissue activities in Alaskan and British residents. Effective doses were calculated to separate body tissues, using ICRP 60 human weighting factors and the ICRP 30 metabolic model for {sup 210}Po. Baker Lake and Alaskan effective doses were similar at 0.4 mSv y{sup {minus}1} and slightly higher than Snowdrift doses (0.3 mSv y{sup {minus}1}). Alaskan tissue activities indicated higher effective doses to liver, bone surfaces and red marrow and lower doses to spleen than the {sup 210}Po metabolic model (ICRP 1979a) predicts. Effective doses to Baker Lake and Snowdrift caribou and wolves, calculated from tissue activities, ranged from 7-20 mSv y{sup {minus}1} using human weighting factors ...
Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the United States and a lineal descendant of an infirmary for slaves, accepted its first African-American resident, Dr. Ubert Conrad Vincent, in 1918....Full Text Available
BackgroundMost analyses of spatial clustering of disease have been based on either residence at the time of diagnosis or current residence. An underlying assumption in these analyses...Full Text Available
The author discusses the accelerated aging tests performed using Hondo and Maya as aging resids with a commercial large pore hydrotreating catalyst. The results from these tests were compared with those obtained under a normal full life test. The test resid was a sample of a typical refinery charge and the activities for sulfur and vanadium removal were determined at 720"0F after successive brief periods of exposure to the heavier oils.
Background: Anxiety disorders are known to be common in the general population. Previous studies with adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs) report a prevalence of general anxiety disorder ranging from less than 2% to 17.4%. Little is known about associated factors in this population. This study investigates point prevalence of anxiety disorders and determines the factors independently associated with them. Methods: Information was collected with 1023 adults with IDs who participated in a large-scale, population-based study. All had a comprehensive physical and mental health assessment. The point prevalence of anxiety disorders according to different diagnostic criteria was determined, as were independently associated factors by using logistic regression analysis. Results: Three point eight per cent (95% CI = 2.7-5.2%) of the cohort had an anxiety disorder at the time of assessment. Generalised anxiety disorder was the ...
Corona discharge has been investigated for the treatment of off-gases arising from nuclear fuel reprocessing operations, in particular Dissolver off-Gases (DOG). Results are presented of studies carried out on single tube, wire-in-tube experimental rigs to examine the behaviour of molecular iodine, organic iodine and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The effect of corona current, gas residence time, electrode configuration, oxygen concentration and moisture content are discussed. Decontamination Factors (DF's) of greater than 104 (> 99.99% removal) have been achieved for both molecular and organic iodine. Efficient NOx removal has also been demonstrated. Moisture and NOx both interfere with iodine removal above certain concentrations. To overcome this a two stage corona system has been developed consisting of a primary continuously irrigated corona unit followed by a dehumidifier prior to a secondary dry corona unit.
BaTiO{sub 3} compacts, when fluxed with {lt} 2 vol% of a complex borate glass phase, were sintered to near theoretical density at temperatures {lt} 1175{degrees}C in 2 h. Microstructural analysis showed a uniform grain size {lt} 1.0 {mu}m with 0.75 wt% ZrO{sub 2} added to the flux phase as a grain growth inhibitor. TEM analysis revealed a microcrystalline grain-boundary phase with the ZrO{sub 2} resident along the grain boundaries. These samples displayed an essentially flat dielectric profile, low dissipation factors ({lt} 2%) over the range 25{degrees} to 125{degrees}C, a near linear dependence ({approx} {+-} 15%) between 25{degrees} and {minus} 55{degrees}C, and significantly increased voltage stability. X-ray diffraction analysis of these small-grained materials indicates a suppression of the tetragonal structure toward a more cubic modification.
BaTiO_3 compacts, when fluxed with < 2 vol% of a complex borate glass phase, were sintered to near theoretical density at temperatures < 1175 degrees C in 2 h. Microstructural analysis showed a uniform grain size < 1.0 #mu#m with 0.75 wt% ZrO_2 added to the flux phase as a grain growth inhibitor. TEM analysis revealed a microcrystalline grain-boundary phase with the ZrO_2 resident along the grain boundaries. These samples displayed an essentially flat dielectric profile, low dissipation factors (< 2%) over the range 25 degrees to 125 degrees C, a near linear dependence (#approx# #+-# 15%) between 25 degrees and - 55 degrees C, and significantly increased voltage stability. X-ray diffraction analysis of these small-grained materials indicates a suppression of the tetragonal structure toward a more cubic modification.
A large portion of terrestrial carbon (C) resides in soil organic carbon (SOC). The dynamics of this large reservoir depend on many factors, including climate. Measurements of {sup 13}C:{sup 12}C ratios, C concentrations, and C:N ratios at six forest sites in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (USA) were used to explore several hypotheses concerning the relative importance of factors that control soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition and SOC turnover. Mean {delta}{sup 13}C values increased with soil depth and decreasing C concentrations along a continuum from fresh litter inputs to more decomposed soil constituents. Data from the six forest sites, in combination with data from a literature review, indicate that the extent of change in {delta}{sup 13}C values from forest litter inputs to mineral soil (20 cm deep) is significantly associated with mean annual temperature. The findings support a conceptual model of vertical ...
Population residing in the northern part of the Chelyabinsk oblast and the south eastern part of the Sverdlovsk oblast of Russia affected to accidental exposure since 1957. The territory (East Ural Radioactive Trace - EURT) was contaminated after explosion of container with highly radioactive wastes at the Mayak Production Association. Studies of health effects of exposure in the southern, head part of EURT are conducted in the Ural Research and Practical Center of Radiation Medicine (U.R.P.R.M.). In the 1990's U.R.P.C.R.M. formed a cohort of EURT within Chelyabinsk oblast (14,500 cases and 19,400 external controls). The cohort was followed in 1957-1987 and the results of the study are discussed by Crestinina et al. First results of study on exposure late health effects among rural population in the northern part of the EURT are presented in this paper. Firstly, or the period 1958-2000 a statistically significant increase in cancer mortality associated ...
Contaminated wood treatment sites can result in adverse health effects to nearby residents. Environmental exposure can be estimated by measuring concentrations of pollutants in air, water, food, or wipe tests. This environmental exposure value can be used as a surrogate to estimate individual exposure. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not pentachlorophenol (PCP) could be found in potentially exposed residents and if the dioxin levels are consistent with PCP exposure. A further objective of the study was to determine whether or not PAH-DNA adducts could be found in the potentially exposed residents. We present results of biomonitoring studies in residents living near a wood treatment plant that used coal-derived creosote and PCP to process and treat wood for over 100 years. The plant was built in 1904 and used creosote and PCP. Creosote is a complex mixture that contains numerous ...
Understanding the physical characteristics of the local microenvironment in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides is an important goal that may allow the targeting of metabolic processes...Full Text Available
Several organophosphate and organochlorine compounds, including pesticides commonly found in the Great Lakes basin, have the potential to induce immunotoxicity. Because of biomagnification and accumulation...Full Text Available
In most adult tissues there reside pools of stem and progenitor cells inside specialized microenvironments referred to as niches. The niche protects the stem cells from inappropriate expansion...Full Text Available
The Model for the Assessment of Psychosocial Problems (MAPP) can help family medicine residents effectively assess patients with psychosocial problems. Following a patient-centred clinical method, MAPP...Full Text Available
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Areas with elevated levels of radioactivity were found throughout both residences, as well as on the surrounding property. Contamination was also found in the garage behind the 105 East structure. The 105 East residence had substantially more contamination than the 107 East residence, as was expected. The chimneys, particularly the rear chimney, from the 105 East residence had extensive contamination, indicating that contaminated materials may have been burned at the site. The high background radiation emanating from this residence made it difficult to establish the relatively lower levels of contamination in the 107 East residence. The property surrounding the 105 East residence was found to have substantial contamination scattered throughout, with the highest level occurring in the backyard. The soil surface contamination seemed to drop ...
... Longer residence times attain finer grinds while shorter residence times attain higher outputs. Accordingly, the ATTOMILL can be set up to achieve optimum efficiency for individ ual applications. VENDOR INFORMATION: Peterson Machine Inc. www.microgrind.com/peterson/tech.htm Peterson Machine Inc. (formally Peterson North) was created under D. Peterson Machine & Fabrication Ltd. in 1994 after two years of successful ...
All first-stage experimental tests were completed for Task 4 (and the Contract). The first-stage one-liter autoclave tests that were made were duplicates of Run 41-LA. The conditions used were chosen last quarter to reduce the cost of the first-stage of the process from those used at the conclusion of Task 3. Filtration and second-stage tests were made using the products of the first-stage tests. Post-second-stage filtration, tested as an alternative to interstage (pre-second- stage) filtration, resulted in low filtration rates. Different catalyst loadings and type and residence time for second-stage hydrotreating were explored. Longer residence times did not result in significantly more resid conversion. Higher catalyst loadings were more effective in converting the resid at the same residence time. The material and elemental balances for the first-stage were completed. The ...
New RNAA determinations of Ba, Sr, Zr, U, Re, Pd, Ag, Zn and Se and INAA measurements of Lu are added to published data for 21 other elements in the same suite of ten samples. On the average, 21 refractory elements are not significantly fractionated from one another. The mean of their enrichment factors relative to C1 chondrites is 17.5 +- 0.4, indicating that the high-temperature condensate inclusions represent 5.7 wt% of the total condensable matter. Os, Ir, Ru, Re and most of the W condensed in one or more refractory siderophile element alloys along with small fractions of the Pd, Co, Au and Ag. The bulk of the Eu and Sr condensed in solid solution in melilite. Sc, Zr, Hf, Ta, U and the remaining REE condensed in a phase whose abundance in the inclusions in negatively correlated with that of melilite, either diopside or one or more minor or trace phases, including perovskite. Ba condensed in a different phase, separately from all these elements. In individual ...
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 ...
This analysis report is one of a series of technical reports that document the Environmental Radiation Model for Yucca Mountain, Nevada (ERMYN), a biosphere model supporting the total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. This report is one of the five biosphere reports that develop input parameter values for the biosphere model. The ''Biosphere Model Report'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 169460]) describes the conceptual model, as well as the mathematical model and its input parameters. Figure 1-1 is a graphical representation of the documentation hierarchy for the ERMYN. This figure shows relationships among the products (i.e., scientific analyses and model reports) developed for biosphere modeling and biosphere abstraction products for TSPA, as identified in the ''Technical Work Plan: for Biosphere Modeling and Expert Support'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 169573]). The purpose of this ...
Sixty-Hz magnetic field exposures were measured for 45 adult residents of Maine. Thirty of the subjects resided near rights-of-way (ROWs) with either 345- and 115-kV transmission lines, or ROWs with only 115-kV transmission lines; fifteen resided far from any transmission lines. Personal exposure data for a single 24-hour period was acquired with the EMDEX. The EMDEX's event-marker button was used to partition exposures into Home and Away components. Also, three area measurements were taken for each subject during the personal exposure measurement period: (1) 24-hr fixed-site bedroom measurement with a second EMDEX; (2) Spot measurements in at least three rooms of every residence; and (3) Spot measurements outside each residence. Residence near transmission lines highly loaded during the measurement period was associated with increased Home and Total ...
The ElectroStatic Precipitator (ESP) removes dust and tar droplets very efficiently from biomass product gas. Dust was removed for more than 99%. The tar dewpoint was reduced from 130C to 21C, which is sufficient for the application of the product gas in a gas engine. Tar removal is not sensitive to the voltage or fluctuations in the gas residence time . The voltage was varied between 28 to 37 kV{sub arith} and the gas residence time between 4 and 11s. Fouling of the ESP collector plates was negligible, which was concluded from visual inspection after 200 hours of operation. A reduction in the residence time reduces the size of the ESP and has a significant impact on the investment costs of the ESP. Keywords: electrostatic filter, tar removal, circulating fluidised bed (CFB)
Purpose Skilled placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) has a profound impact on patient well-being and costs of care. The use of ultrasound-guided methods and prescribed training for cannulation skills are evidence-based practice recommendations. The purpose of this study was to compare two methods of PICC instruction on the acquisition of applied skills. Methods Residents were randomly assigned to one of two groups (N?=?16/16) of this blind-rater study and were trained to perform ultrasound-guided PICC cannulation using either simulation or apprenticeship methods. All residents were assessed placing a PICC in applied clinical patient care. Results Residents who completed simulation training had significantly better transfer of skills to applied clinical practice than ...
A numerical package called RESID has been assembled to calculate the residual stresses in VAWT blades induced during cold forming. Using a strength of materials - elementary beam theory approach, RESID models the material response with a bilinear stress-strain curve, and the cross-sectional geometry with an array of area increments. Through an iterative solution procedure residual stresses are predicted for a specified final radius of curvature or applied bending moment. RESID results are compared to theoretical solutions for simple geometries and with MARC Finite element results for VAWT blade geometries. Calculating residual stress levels, determining acceptable residual stress levels, and a method of reducing residual stresses are discussed. A complete listing and sample run are included in the appendicies.
Since 1970, officers on the Seattle campus have regularly patrolled the hallways of dormitories of the University of Washington. It is a community-policing strategy, a low-key way to engage students. However, the practice might cease this fall. In June, the state's Court of Appeals ruled that students have the same right to privacy in dormitory hallways as they do in their rooms. Therefore, the court concluded, campus police officers lack the legal authority to randomly patrol residence halls. Although the closely watched ruling bears on only one state, it reveals the tension between privacy and security in dormitories everywhere. Residence halls are legally complex spaces, where crime often creeps in and where residents, perhaps more than ever, expect administrators and police officers to ensure their safety.
ObjectiveThe aims of the study were to: determine the attitudes of parents, pediatric residents, and medical students from a Turkish population toward childhood disciplinary methods; ascertain the association of participants' abusive childhood history with their attitudes toward discipline; and assess their attitudes about disciplinary actions, which should be reported as abuse.MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ankara University School of Medicine, Department of Social Pediatrics. Sixty-five parents, 39 pediatric residents, and 106 medical students completed a questionnaire (Survey of Standards of Discipline). This questionnaire was designed to measure sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes toward childhood disciplinary practices, and abusive childhood experiences. There...
Trypanosoma brucei contains two isoenzymes for glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH); one enzyme resides in a microbody-like organelle, the glycosome, the other one is found in the cytosol....Full Text Available
A community health survey of 438 individuals was taken to detect health problems related to high voltage electrical transmission among an adjacent residential population. Results revealed no significant...Full Text Available
The LW blood group antigens reside on a 42-kDa erythrocyte membrane glycoprotein that was purified by immunoaffinity and partially sequenced. From this information, a specific PCR-amplified DNA fragment...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES: To reassess the risk of leukaemia associated with residential exposure near high voltage transmission electric lines of 49 kV and above in view of the recent publications. METHODS: Through...Full Text Available
To determine who resists sexual assault and what happens, data were examined from a probability sample of 3,132 adult community residents of Los Angeles, California. Seventy-five per cent of the respondents...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEModerately preterm infants (30–34 6/7 weeks’ gestational age) represent the largest population of NICU residents. Whether their clinical...Full Text Available
The CNS can exhibit features of inflammation in response to injury, infection or disease, whereby resident cells generate inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, prostaglandins, free radicals and...Full Text Available
BackgroundAs the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle, satellite cells are activated by extracellular cues associated with local damage. Once activated, satellite cells will re-enter...Full Text Available
Several studies have raised the possibility that exposure to electrical and/or magnetic fields may be injurious to health in particular by the promotion or initiation of cancer. To investigate whether...Full Text Available
Objectives. Thousands of Louisiana residents were asked to boil water because of widespread disruptions in electricity and natural gas services after Hurricane Rita. We sought to assess...Full Text Available
Cleaning and disinfection of open surfaces in food industry premises leave some microorganisms behind; these microorganisms build up a resident flora on the surfaces. Our goal was to explore the phenomena...Full Text Available
Hematopoietic stem cells replenish all the cells of the blood throughout the lifetime of an animal. Although thousands of stem cells reside in the bone marrow, only a few contribute to blood production...Full Text Available
This multiauthored text is aimed particularly toward the resident or registrar training in diagnostic radiology. This is a text book on the entire scope of diagnostic imaging. It includes techniques and imaging modalities of all the systems, head, face and neck. The book covers the entire gamut of diagnostic radiology.
BackgroundThere is a dearth of data relating UK general practice workload to personal and social markers of individual patients.AimTo test whether there is a significant association...Full Text Available
BACKGROUNDPediatric transfusion medicine (PTM) is a subspecialty of transfusion medicine (TM) with no formal training program and few specialists. The Pediatric Transfusion...Full Text Available
Possible associations between environmental hazards and the occurrence of childhood leukemia were investigated in Woburn, MA, for the period 1969-79. Residents of Woburn were concerned over what they...Full Text Available
Baldwin County is located on the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama and has a rapidly growing population. Almost 3,000 permits for septic systems are approved annually by by the Baldwin County Health Department. More than 50% of the county's residents rely on septic systems for their d...
Solid fuels such as coal, wood, and crop straw supply some fraction of household cooking and heating fuel for more than one billion people in China. As these fuels do not generally combust cleanly in household stoves, their use levies large health and environmental burdens, particularly in rural regions. Production of clean-burning fuels from agricultural residue offers one prospect for mitigating health and social burdens imposed by household use of solid fuels. This dissertation explores the question: how might production of clean-burning household fuels from agricultural residues affect human health and social conditions in rural China? I approach this question from three perspectives. First, a technically plausible but currently unproven village-scale energy technology is explored in a scenario bounded by natural resources and substantiated by engineering specifications, estimates of indoor exposures to air pollution, and epidemiological analyses. This analysis asks at the national ...
This analysis report is one of a series of technical reports that document the Environmental Radiation Model for Yucca Mountain, Nevada (ERMYN), a biosphere model supporting the total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. This report is one of the five biosphere reports that develop input parameter values for the biosphere model. The ''Biosphere Model Report'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 169460]) describes the conceptual model, as well as the mathematical model and its input parameters. Figure 1-1 is a graphical representation of the documentation hierarchy for the ERMYN. This figure shows relationships among the products (i.e., scientific analyses and model reports) developed for biosphere modeling and biosphere abstraction products for TSPA, as identified in the ''Technical Work Plan for Biosphere Modeling and Expert Support'' (BSC 2005 [DIRS 172782]). The purpose of this ...
According to the California Earthquake Authority, only about 12% of current California residences are covered by any form of earthquake insurance, down from about 30% in 1996 following the 1994, M6.7 Northridge earthquake. Part of the reason for this decreasing rate of insurance uptake is the high deductible, either 10% or 15% of the value of the structure, and the relatively high cost of the premiums, as much as thousands of dollars per year. The earthquake insurance industry is composed of the CEA, a public-private partnership; modeling companies that produce damage and loss models similar to the FEMA HAZUS model; and financial companies such as the insurance, reinsurance, and investment banking companies in New York, London, the Cayman Islands, Zurich, Dubai, Singapore, and elsewhere. In setting earthquake insurance rates, financial companies rely on models like HAZUS, that calculate on risk and exposure. In California, the process begins with an official ...
Studies were conducted to describe current habitat conditions in the White River basin above White River Falls and to evaluate the potential to produce anadromous fish. An inventory of spawning and rearing habitats, irrigation diversions, and enhancement opportunities for anadromous fish in the White River drainage was conducted. Survival of juvenile fish at White River Falls was estimated by releasing juvenile chinook and steelhead above the falls during high and low flow periods and recapturing them below the falls in 1983 and 1984. Four alternatives to provide upstream passage for adult salmon and steelhead were developd to a predesign level. The cost of adult passage and the estimated run size of anadromous fish were used to determine the benefit/cost of the preferred alternative. Possible effects of the introduction of anadromous fish on resident fish and on nearby Oak Springs Hatchery were evaluated. This included an inventory of resident ...
A statistical method is developed to determine the locations of major pollutant sources affecting a distant downwind receptor, provided that air trajectories can be estimated. Probability density functions are estimated which indicate the overall residence time of air parcels over a given geographic region as they travel toward a receptor and residence time for the case of high pollutant concentrations at the receptor. These functions are used to estimate a conditional probability function which indicates the potential for a source region to contribute to high air pollution concentrations. Finally, a source contribution function is formulated to indicate the relative contribution of different source regions to high concentrations at the receptor. The method is tested using data collected at Grand Canyon National Park in 1980. The dominant pathway for air masses arriving at Grand Canyon during this period was southern California. A lesser ...
The objectives of this project are to support the DOE direct coal liquefaction process development program and to improve the useful application of analytical chemistry to direct coal liquefaction process development. Independent analyses by well-established methods will be obtained of samples produced in direct coal liquefaction processes under evaluation by DOE. Additionally, analytical instruments and techniques which are currently underutilized for the purpose of examining coal-derived samples will be evaluated. The data obtained from this study will be used to help guide current process development and to develop an improved data base on coal and coal liquids properties. A sample bank will be established and maintained for use in this project and will be available for use by other researchers. The reactivity of the non-distillable resids toward hydrocracking at liquefaction conditions (i.e., resid reactivity) will be examined. From the ...
A geothermal heat pump (GHP) system with three ground coils was installed in a residence in northern Idaho with a portion of the ground heat exchanger wrapped around the residential septic tank. The septic coil provided a significant portion of the heating for the residence over the heating season. There was no evidence of the septic tank freezing up or failing to properly function. Utilizing a septic tank as a heat source for GHP systems is feasible design option if the septic tank is used on a full-time basis. However, the tank should be surrounded on all sides by a large amount of soil and/or insulated from the ground surface to ensure that ground temperatures near the tank remain warm during the winter.
It is necessary to remove chlorine efficiently from municipal waste plastics (MWP) that contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other plastics containing chlorine. In this article we consider thermal degradation liquefaction technology. In Japan, the chlorine content of reclamation oil products must be kept below 100 ppm owing to the quality standard for pyrolysis oil. Liquefaction dechlorination technology for MWP is still an important issue to study. The twin-screw extruder that has been developed as dechlorination technology for blast furnaces and coke ovens has a shorter residence time for dechlorination than other dechlorination technologies. In this article, we used a single-screw extruder for the dechlorination process because it also has a short residence time. Experiments on the dech...
The Davis GSR Landfill (GSR) is listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the National Priorities List. Preliminary on-site sampling results have demonstrated volatile organic compounds in ground water and surface water. The contaminants present in groundwater at this site are trichloroethylene, ethylbenzene, toluene, chloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and 1,2 dichloroethane. GSR represents a potential public health concern to area residents. However, information available on this site is not currently adequate to determine if a public health concern exists to these residents. At a minimum, future investigations of this site should include a characterization of the site and site contaminants, and a characterization of the hydrogeology of the area.
A new numerical technique called the convolution-based particle tracking (CBPT) method is developed to simulate resident or flux-averaged solute concentrations in groundwater models. The method is valid for steady-state flow and linear transport processes such as sorption with a linear sorption isotherm and first-order decay. The CBPT method uses particle tracking to take advantage of the ability of particle-based approaches to maintain sharp fronts for advection-dominated transport problems common in groundwater modeling and because of the flexibility of the random walk method to simulate a wide range of possible forms of the dispersion tensor. Furthermore, the algorithm for carrying out the convolution and superposition calculation from particle tracking results is very efficient. We sho...
This report summarizes work performed on this project from October 2004 through March 2005. In previous work, a surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) was shown to be an effective system for removing BTEX contaminants from produced water. Additional work on this project demonstrated that a compost-based biofilter could biodegrade the BTEX contaminants found in the SMZ regeneration waste gas stream. However, it was also determined that the BTEX concentrations in the waste gas stream varied significantly during the regeneration period and the initial BTEX concentrations were too high for the biofilter to handle effectively. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of using a passive adsorption column placed upstream of the biofilter to attenuate the peak gas-phase VOC concentrations delivered to the biofilter during the SMZ regeneration process. In preparation for the field test of the SMZ/VPB treatment system in New Mexico, a pilot-scale SMZ system was also ...
A community health survey of 438 individuals was taken to detect health problems related to high voltage electrical transmission among an adjacent residential population. Results revealed no significant or consistent relationships between exposure to a high voltage DC power line and the perceived health problems that were measured. The sample was not, however, large enough to draw statistically significant conclusions regarding possible health effects with a very low incidence.
Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea PG4180 produces the polyketide phytotoxin coronatine. The coronatine synthesis genes in PG4180 were previously shown to reside on a 90-kb plasmid designated p4180A....Full Text Available
... The short residence time ensures that no temperature increase occurs. The pattern of entrainment, along with natural currents results in oxygenation of the entire hypolimnion. Figure 4 is a simplified schematic of the Lake LungTM. Built in circulators allow the lake manager to adjust the depth of the epilimnion, and to elect whether or not to destratify the lake to prolong the spring and autumn turnover. ...
... This is true because a shorter residence time means that ground water moves 'faster.' Thus, contamination will get to the drinking well from the recharge area (point of entry) faster if the ground water is younger. However, it has been difficult to measure the exact age of young ground water. The conventional indicator has been tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, but its ...
The positive control function of the bacterial enhancer-binding protein NtrC resides in its central domain, which is highly conserved among activators of ς54 holoenzyme. Previous...Full Text Available
The purpose of the present work was to establish the flammability limits of hydrogen in air for upward vertical flame propagation at elevated temperatures up to 350 deg and atmospheric pressure in a conventional stainless steel test tube apparatus, and to investigate the extent to which a prolonged exposure (i.e., residence time) of the mixture to elevated temperatures before spark ignition may influence the value of the flammability limits. 9 refs.
Using an experimental pilot plant, designed and built for the tests, the influence of the following parameters was determined: desulphurization of the test gas, temperature, residence time in the reactor tube, concentration of the hydrogen sulphide and desulphurization agent, size of the particles which comprise the agent and composition of the gas. Allowance was made for the effect of calcination and carbonisation. Desulphurization was carried out with limestone on a gaseous mixture of CO and H/sub 2/. A mathematical description of the test findings and yield is presented. 8 refs.
A C.sub.5 -900.degree. F. (C.sub.5 -482.degree. C.) liquid yield greater than 50 weight percent MAF feed coal is obtained in a coal liquefaction process wherein a selected combination of higher hydrogen partial pressure, longer slurry residence time and increased recycle ash content of the feed slurry are controlled within defined ranges.
This report documents the investigation regarding the failure of CPVC piping that was used to connect a solar hot water system to standard plumbing in a home. Details of the failure are described along with numerous pictures and diagrams. A potential failure mechanism is described and recommendations are outlined to prevent such a failure.
A summary of the effects presented here is given in the table. The designation "factor present" implies that there is knowledge (from human or animal studies, or both) of a specific factor(s) present...Full Text Available
The SCDAP/RELAP5 code has been developed for best estimate transient simulation of light water reactor coolant systems during a severe accident. The code models the coupled behavior of the reactor coolant system, core, fission product released during a severe accident transient as well as large and small break loss of coolant accidents, operational transients such as anticipated transient without SCRAM, loss of off-site power, loss of feedwater, and loss of flow. A generic modeling approach is used that permits as much of a particular system to be modeled as necessary. Control system and secondary system components are included to permit modeling of plant controls, turbines, condensers, and secondary feedwater conditioning systems. This volume describes the organization and manner of the interface between severe accident models which are resident in the SCDAP portion of the code and hydrodynamic models which are resident in the RELAP5 portion ...
It has recently been found that many buildings in Taiwan were constructed with radioactively contaminated rebar, which raised great concern among the residents as well as governmental officials. In order to investigate the possible cytogenetic damage to the residents of contaminated buildings, a G-banding method was carried out on the lymphocytes of 30 radiation-exposed individuals from four families and one office building, as well as 15 control individuals from laboratory personnel. The estimated cumulative radiation doses for the exposed people range from 19.63 to 280.50 mSv. Altogether, 13 females and 17 males belonging to the radiation-exposed group, and 7 females and 8 males in the control group, were included in this study. With the exception of one sample, at least 500 metaphase spreads were scored and analyzed for each individual. All the recognizable structural aberrations of chromosomes or chromatids were recorded and statistically ...
It has recently been found that many buildings in Taiwan were constructed with radioactively contaminated rebar, which raised great concern among the residents as well as governmental officials. In order to investigate the possible cytogenetic damage to the residents of contaminated buildings, a G-banding method was carried out on the lymphocytes of 30 radiation-exposed individuals from four families and one office building, as well as 15 control individuals from laboratory personnel. The estimated cumulative radiation doses for the exposed people range from 19.63 to 280.50 mSv. Altogether, 13 females and 17 males belonging to the radiation-exposed group, and 7 females and 8 males in the control group, were included in this study. With the exception of one sample, at least 500 metaphase spreads were scored and analyzed for each individual. All the recognizable structural aberrations of chromosomes or chromatids were recorded and statistically ...
Following the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand (NZ), the authors participated in counselling local residents, and debriefing and supervising support teams. Indications were that risk for mental health disorders, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), may be elevated in residents, and that this risk may continue for some time. Patients may be de-prioritising their mental health issues when these become normalised throughout the city's population. The authors recommend that primary care patients are assessed using a brief, comprehensive tool (for example, the Case-finding and Help Assessment Tool) that targets many health and behavioural issues identified as increasing in the city following the earthquake. Anxiety and mood disorder symptoms may indicate assessment is appropriate to reduce harm arising from increased risk for PTSD. Concern also is raised for primary health care providers who may have experienced the ...
In rare instances, carbon monoxide (CO) levels in houses can reach dangerously high concentrations, causing adverse health effects ranging from mild headaches to, under extreme conditions, death. Hundreds of fatal accidental carbon monoxide poisonings occur each year primarily due to the indoor operation of motor vehicles, the indoor use of charcoal for cooking, the operation of malfunctioning vented and unvented combustion appliances, and the misuse combustion appliances. Because there is a lack of simple, inexpensive, and accurate field sampling instrumentation, it is difficult for gas utilities and researchers to conduct field research studies designed to quantify the concentrations of CO in residences. Determining the concentration of CO in residences is the first step towards identifying the high risk appliances and high-CO environments which pose health risks. Thus, there exists an urgent need to develop and field-validate a ...
Dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation, caused by mutations or polymorphisms in the genes encoding factor H, membrane co-factor protein, factor I or factor B, is associated...Full Text Available
In the CNS, there are widespread and diverse interactions between growth factors and estrogen. Here we examine the interactions of estrogen and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), two...Full Text Available
Human Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, purified by calcium citrate-cellulose chromatography and 4% agarose gel filtration was subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis on gels containing...Full Text Available
This report contains two sections. In the first section a limited review is presented and the preparation of the red mud based additives is described. The additives are characterized by composition and their catalytic activity in hydrocracking is investigated in a batch autoclave under an initial hydrogen pressure of 12 MPa at 435 C and 30 min residence time. A quantitative characterization of the products is given. Comparisons between the red mud additives and coke respectively a commercial catalyst are made. (orig.)
A new analysis is developed for long secondary photocurrent transients which gives the distribution of trapped holes in valence band tail states. Thermally assisted tunneling to dangling bonds is implicated as the rate limiting step in hole-recombination. Light-soaking causes the energetically deeper hole traps with the longer residence times to be lost first and in the same number as would be expected for the increase in dangling bonds; This result supports a model which has hole trapping in valence tail states as a precursor to light induced dangling bonds.
Nano-materials in which a large fraction of atoms resides within a few atomic layers near the surface can be designed to have novel properties by manipulating their surface parameters. We show that the effective elastic constants of nano-porous/cellular materials can be made to exceed those of the parent materials provided the pore surface elastic parameters satisfy certain conditions. These stiff nano-porous materials herald a radical breakthrough in sandwich-type construction.
Nano-materials in which a large fraction of atoms resides within a few atomic layers near the surface can be designed to have novel properties by manipulating their surface parameters. We show that the effective elastic constants of nano-porous/cellular materials can be made to exceed those of the parent materials provided the pore surface elastic parameters satisfy certain conditions. These stiff nano-porous materials herald a radical breakthrough in sandwich-type construction.
Calcium sulfate dihydrate in large crystal form is produced by maintaining the circulation of the lime containing scrubbing solution in the desulfurization scrubbing of flue gases from a power plant boiler so that it has a residence time of 5 to 25 hours, preferably 15 hours. The crystals are moved by passing a portion of the recirculation through a thinner in which a sludge containing crystals with a mean particle size of which 90% is in excess of 100 microns is removed. This product can be dewatered and treated with sulfuric acid and steam to convert it to the alpha semihydrate and is free from sulfite.
The work reported included workshop-style, hands-on training sessions to reach three hundred residents of the Detroit area. The training was for teaching low-cost weatherization applications; teaching/constructing/installing thermal shades; and teaching/constructing/installing vertical wall solar air panels. All activities under the grant are summarized, including number and type of workshops, number of participants trained, etc. The organizations which actively supported and contributed to the program are identified, and the program's efforts and accomplishments are evaluated. (LEW)
...it only highlights the different feedstocks used in the production of fiber-based packaging materials or fossil-fuel ones; what about the energy required to convert ...feedstock, is unacceptable in trying to quantify the overall burden a specific packaging material has on the environment. As an aside, the point ... Consequentially, it is difficult to speculate on how much packaging material a company diverts from the landfill by switching from one material to another ...without specifying what geographical region said packaging material resides in. In addition, there is a lot of interest in diverting PET thermoforms from ...
Since 1901, ASARCO, Inc. has owned and operated an 89-acre cadmium-refining smelter in the Globeville neighborhood of north Denver, Colorado. According to complaints filed by EPA and local residents, operations at the smelter have allegedly contaminated the air, ground water, surface water, and soil; contamination from arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc has occurred both onsite and offsite. EPA proposed to add the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in May 1993.
At a military base in the Southeastern US, an energy services company (ESCO) has proposed to retrofit more than 1,000 family residences with geothermal heat pumps as part of an energy savings performance contract (ESPC). Each residence is to have one heat pump with its own ground heat exchanger consisting of two or more vertical bores. A design firm hired by the ESCO sized the heat pumps to meet peak cooling loads, and sized the borefields to limit the maximum entering water temperature (EWT) to the heat pumps to 95 F (35 C). Because there is some disagreement in the geothermal heat pump industry over the peak temperature to be used for design (some designers and design manuals recommend temperatures as low as 85 F[29 C], while equipment manufacturers and others specify temperatures of 100 F[38 C] or higher) the authors were requested to examine the designs in detail to determine whether the 95 F (35 C) limit was adequate to ensure occupant ...
Objective: To survey the data for the state of health in the ambient residents of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, and provide the background data to evaluate the state of health affected by fallout of nuclear power plant. Methods: The datas were collected by a radiation epidemiology. The investigation was carried out in the area within 20 km of radius from Daya Bay Nuclear' Power Plant, and the subjects who had lived there for three years or longer before January. 1,1993 and covered by the Household Registry were recruited to a cohort. Results: The mortality rate of overall cancer (per 100 000 PYr) was 88.57 (the standard mortality rate was 79.77 ), the mortality rate of leukemia (per 100 000 PYr) was 3.24 (the standard mortality rate was 2.94), the palpation rate of the goiter in 7-14 years old was 8.34%(9.69% in B ultrasonic), the morbidity rate of newborn's defect (per 100 00 P) was 82.33. The mortality of all cancers or leukemia was similar to the result from ...
The objectives of this project are to support the DOE direct coal liquefaction process development program and to improve the useful application of analytical chemistry to direct coal liquefaction process development. Independent analyses by well-established methods will be obtained of samples produced in direct coal liquefaction processes under evaluation by DOE. Additionally, analytical instruments and techniques which are currently underutilized for the purpose of examining coal-derived samples will be evaluated. The data obtained from this study will be used to help guide current process development and to develop an improved data base on coal and coal liquids properties. A sample bank will be established and maintained for use in this project and will be available for use by other researchers. The reactivity of the non-distillable resids toward hydrocracking at liquefaction conditions (i.e., resid reactivity) will be examined. From the ...
Most antibodies to factor VIII have recently been shown to react with discrete regions of the factor VIII light chain (within the C2 domain) and/or the factor VIII heavy chain (within the amino-terminal...Full Text Available
We discuss the consequence of local duality for elastic scattering, and derive a model-independent equation between structure functions at x ? 1 and elastic electromagnetic form factors. Then the electromagnetic form factors of proton are discussed using the quark-hadron duality theory. We also debate the form factor of proton in a bound state. It may be an effective approach to study the form factor of proton in media.
Background:Tobacco smoking is the most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) development. Inhaled cigarette smoke can induce tumor necrosis factor-α...Full Text Available
Replication of plus-strand RNA viruses depends on host factors that are recruited into viral replicase complexes. Previous studies showed that eukaryotic translation elongation factor (eEF1A) is one...Full Text Available
The experiments at the incinerator for low-level wastes processing, (containing transuranium radionuclides) are described. Air decontamination factors and detector readings correction factors for efficiency and absorption are indicated.
The experiments at the incinerator for low-level wastes processing, (containing transuranium radionuclides) are described. Air decontamination factors and detector readings correction factors for efficiency and absorption are indicated.
A fluid-phase immunoradiometric assay has been developed which identifies an antigen on the Factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) procoagulant protein. This sensitive and quantitative assay is not influenced...Full Text Available
The ternary complex factor (TCF) Elk-1 is a transcription factor that regulates immediate early gene (IEG) expression via the serum response element (SRE) DNA consensus site. Elk-1 is associated with...Full Text Available
Caries is a multifactorial disease, and studies aiming to unravel the factors modulating its etiology must consider all known predisposing factors. One major factor is bacterial colonization,...Full Text Available
Background and objectives: Higher urinary calcium is a risk factor for nephrolithiasis. This study delineated associations between demographic, dietary, and urinary factors and 24-h urinary calcium.Design,...Full Text Available
The extracellular domain of human fibroblast growth factor receptor (XC-FGF-R) was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified to homogeneity and the interaction with basic fibroblast growth...Full Text Available
Because of the instability of Factor VIII (antihaemophilic factor) in plasma in vitro, and since evidence has accumulated that the level of activity varies significantly between samples...Full Text Available
An estimate of the tritium dose to the public in the vicinity of the heavy water research reactor facility at AECL-Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, Canada, has largely been accomplished from analyses on regularly-collected samples of air, precipitation, drinking water and foodstuffs (pasture, fruit, vegetables and milk) and environmental dose models. To increase the confidence with which public doses are calculated, tritium doses were estimated directly from the ratio of tritiated species in urine samples from members of the general public. Single cumulative 24 h urine samples from a few adults living in the vicinity of the heavy-water research reactor facility at Chalk River Laboratories, Canada were collected and analysed for tritiated water and organically bound tritium. The participants were from Ottawa (200 km east), Deep River (10 km west) and Chalk River Laboratories. Tritiated water concentrations in urine ranged from 6.5 Bq.l{sup -1} for the Ottawa ...
Data from the New Immigrant Survey are used to study wealth differentials among U.S. legal permanent residents. This study is unique in its ability to account for wealth held in the U.S. and that held abroad and yields several key findings. First, relative to immigrants from Western Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand (who have median wealth similar to native born non-Hispanic whites), other immigrant groups have lower levels of total wealth even after accounting for permanent income and life course characteristics. Second, time in the U.S. is positively associated with the wealth of married immigrants, yet this relationship is not statistically significant for single immigrants. Third, differences in the means of measured characteristics between Western European immigrants and thos...
Water is one of our most precious resources. However, for many in the United States, having fresh, safe drinking water is taken for granted, and due to this perceived lack of relevance, students may not fully appreciate the luxury of having safe running water--in the home. One approach to resolving water-quality issues in the United States may reside in providing education that presents accurate information in a meaningful way. Accordingly, this article describes a unit designed to emphasize the importance of water-quality testing and purification and to introduce students to local water-quality issues. The engineering-based module of this eighth-grade science activity is particularly important due to the design-build-test component. (Contains 5 figures.)
The objective of the current MITRE study is to estimate the cost of the coal derived liquid products that result from processing low rank coals in the Wilsonville and HRI CTSL configurations. The resultant cost of liquids is then compared to liquids produced from bituminous coals. The methodology used to accomplish the above objective was to utilize the MITRE coal liquefaction cost model to assess the overall technical and economic performance of low rank coals in both the Wilsonville and HRI configurations. Actual test data from Wilsonville and HRI was used as the basis for these analyses. This test data is modified to simulate complete resid recycle extinction and to standardize the operating performance of the deashing unit. This corrected yield data is then used in the simulation models to predict the overall performance and economics of a conceptual commercial coal liquefaction facility. 9 refs., 7 figs.
There are clearly identified scientific requirements for continuous profiling of atmospheric water vapor at the Department of Energy, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, Southern Great Plains CART (Cloud and Radiation Testbed) site in northern Oklahoma. Research conducted at several laboratories has demonstrated the suitability of Raman lidar for providing measurements that are an excellent match to those requirements. We have developed and installed a ruggedized Raman lidar system that resides permanently at the CART site, and that is computer automated to eliminate the requirements for operator interaction. In addition to the design goal of profiling water vapor through most of the troposphere during nighttime and through the boundary layer during daytime, the lidar provides quantitative characterizations of aerosols and clouds, including depolarization measurements for particle phase studies.
Swollen basiodiospores of an adenine auxotroph of Phanerochaete chrysosporium were protoplasted with Novozyme 234 and transformed to prototrophy by using a plasmid containing the gene for an adenine biosynthetic enzyme from Schizophyllum commune. Transformation frequencies of 100 transformants per {mu}g of DNA were obtained. Southern blot analysis of DNA extracted from transformants demonstrated that plasmid DNA was integrated into the chromosomal DNA in multiple tandem copies. Analysis of conidia and basiodiospores from transformants demonstrated that the transforming character was mitotically and meiotically stable on both selective and nonselective media. Genetic crosses between double mutants transformed for adenine prototrophy and other auxotrophic strains yielded Ade{sup {minus}} progeny, which indicated that integration occurred at a site(s) other than the resident adenine biosynthetic gene.
The oxidation of n-butylbenzene was studied in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) at 10atm in dilute conditions providing new experimental results over the low- and high-temperature range 550-1180K, and variable equivalence ratio (0.25ϕ1.5). They consisted of concentration profiles of the reactants, stable intermediates and final products, measured as a function of temperature, at a constant residence time of 1s, by sonic probe sampling followed by on-line GC-MS and off-line GC-TCD-FID and GC-MS analyses. The oxidation of n-butylbenzene in these conditions was modeled using a detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanism (404 species and 2210 reactions, most of them reversible) deriving from a previous scheme proposed for the ignition, oxidation, and combustion of simple aromatics (benzene,...
Chlorine clearly inhibits the CO{sub 2}-gasification reaction of charcoal at 800{sup o}C. From this and other observations the picture emerges that the reduction in the gasification reactivity of the charcoal is intimately related to the deactivation of the catalytically active alkali metals residing in the wood due to the formation of the chloride salt. It is argued that the heavy metal chlorides will likely transfer the chlorine to the indigenous alkali metals during the pyrolysis stage of the wood. The fate of the thus formed alkali metal chlorides can then be either their removal from the sample (evaporation), or, when present at the gasification stage, re-activation (i.e., de-chlorination) under our gasification conditions. (author) 3 figs., 4 refs.
The Gigabit Link Interface Board (GLIB) is an evaluation platform and an easy entry point for users of high speed optical links in high energy physics experiments. Its intended use ranges from optical link evaluation in the laboratory to control, triggering and data acquisition from remote modules in beam or irradiation tests. The GLIB is an FPGA-based Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) conceived to serve a small and simple system residing either inside a Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (?TCA) crate, or on a bench with a link to a PC. This paper presents the architecture of the GLIB, its features as well as examples of its use in different setups.
The long-term support required from Canada in the operation and maintenance of overseas CANDU nuclear generating stations after commercial operation has commenced is described, with reference entirely to the KANUPP reactor. This includes: technical support to station staff to increase plant reliability and maintainability; assistance with plant improvements; procurement of spares and consumables; and assistance with training programmes. This technical support may be provided by a small number of Canadian staff actually resident at the power station; by short-term visits of Canadian specialists to site and by technical and procurement services provided from Canada. Examples of technical problems experienced are given, showing typical services required from Canada.
A widely used veterinary antibiotic, tetracycline (TC), has been incorporated in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA) by means of two different procedures: co-transfer and incubation in solution. The resulting structures were characterized by means of contact angle and ellipsometric measurements. The presence of the antibiotic in the phospholipid film was evidenced by means of UV-Vis electronic absorption and infrared vibrational spectroscopy. The two sets of measurements unambiguously indicated the presence of the drug in the LB layer films obtained with both methods, although incubation led to a smaller content of immobilized tetracycline. In both cases, the drug was found to reside in the hydrophilic portion of the layers due to specific interactions of the dimethylamino group of the molecule with the polar head groups of the phospholipid.
An experimental investigation on the thermal decomposition of CH4 into C and H2 was carried out using a 5kW particle-flow solar chemical reactor tested in a solar furnace in the 1300-1600K range. The reactor features a continuous flow of CH4 laden with mm-sized carbon black particles, confined to a cavity receiver and directly exposed to concentrated solar irradiation of up to 1720 suns. The reactor performance was examined for varying operational parameters, namely the solar power input, seed particle volume fraction, gas volume flow rate, and CH4 molar concentration. Methane conversion and hydrogen yield exceeding 95% were obtained at residence times of less than 2.0s. A solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency of 16% was experimentally reached, and a maximum value of 31% was numer...
The #alpha# radiation dose to the lungs of people who live in buildings constructed of some granites, low density concretes, and gypsum boards is higher than for residents of most other types of dwellings due to the air-borne progeny of radon. There is evidence that sealing the interior surfaces with epoxy paint, for example, can reduce the #alpha# dose to the lung significantly without a compensating increase in whole-body exposure to the #gamma#-rays from radon progeny. Based on the incidence rates for lung cancer in uranium miners, a concentration of radon of the order of 1 to 5 pCi/l. appears to be a reasonable limit for 'lifetime' exposure indoors for 'typical' home ventilation conditions. (author).
Ground water is treated in the Czech Republic so that small water tanks are built above each water source to serve the primary ground water treatment; water so pretreated is then concentrated in large basins for subsequent treatment. Some water tanks where the first contact of the ground water with air takes place were selected as sites predisposed to radon accumulation. The examination was carried out near the town of Jihlava, where the bedrock contains slightly elevated radium concentrations. The average radon concentrations lay within the region of 2-4 kBq/m"3; the instantaneous values, however, exhibited appreciable periodical variations during the day. The relatively high radon concentrations will not pose a marked hazard for the personnel because the employees only reside at the sites in question for 10 to 15 minutes within 2 days, not for the whole working day
Phenotypic plasticity can facilitate reproductive strategies that maximize mating success in variable environments and lead to differences in sex allocation among populations. For simultaneous hermaphrodites with sperm competition, including Serranus tortugarum a small coral reef fish, proportional male allocation (testis in total gonad) is often greater where local density or mating group size is higher. We tested whether S. tortugarum reduced male allocation when transplanted from a higher density site to a lower density site. After 4?months, transplants mirrored the sex-allocation patterns of the resident population on their new reef. Transplants had significantly lower male allocation than representatives from their source population, largely as a result of reduced testis mass relative...
We introduce a novel scheme for one-way quantum computing (QC) based on the use of information encoded qubits in an effective cluster state resource. With the correct encoding structure, we show that it is possible to protect the entangled resource from phase damping decoherence, where the effective cluster state can be described as residing in a decoherence-free subspace (DFS) of its supporting quantum system. One-way QC then requires either single or two-qubit adaptive measurements. As an example where this proposal can be realized, we describe an optical lattice set-up where the scheme provides robust quantum information processing. We also outline how one can adapt the model to provide protection from other types of decoherence.
A new protocol technology is just starting to emerge from the laboratory environment. Its stated purpose is to provide an additional means in which networks, and the services that reside on them, can be protected from adversarial compromise. This report has a two-fold objective. First is to provide the reader with an overview of this emerging Dynamic Defenses technology using Dynamic Network Address Translation (Dynat). This ''structure overview'' is concentrated in the body of the report, and describes the important attributes of the technology. The second objective is to provide a framework that can be used to help in the classification and assessment of the different types of dynamic defense technologies along with some related capabilities and limitations. This information is primarily contained in the appendices.
We have developed a simulation code with the techniques which enhance both spatial and time resolution of the PM method for which the spatial resolution is restricted by the spacing of structured mesh. The adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) technique subdivides the cells which satisfy the refinement criterion recursively. The hierarchical meshes are maintained by the special data structure and are modified in accordance with the change of particle distribution. In general, as the resolution of the simulation increases, its time step must be shortened and more computational time is required to complete the simulation. Since the AMR enhances the spatial resolution locally, we reduce the time step locally also, instead of shortening it globally. For this purpose we used a technique of hierarchical time steps (HTS) which changes the time step, from particle to particle, depending on the size of the cell in which particles reside. Some test calculations show that our ...
Joensen P. Multiple sclerosis incidence in the Faroe Islands 1986-2007. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 121: 348-353.Copyright 2009 The Author Journal compilation Copyright 2009 Blackwell Munksgaard. Objective - Epidemiological studies of the isolated Faroese population in 1945 identified a high annual incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) of 10/100,000. At the time, there was speculation that the disease was brought to the country by British occupation forces resident in the islands from 1940 to 1945. The objective of the current study is to determine the incidence of diagnosis of MS in the Faroe Islands during the period 1986-2007. Methods - All patients in the Faroe Islands diagnosed with MS from July 1, 1986 to July 1, 2007 are documented in the current longitudinal, prospective study. The dia...
This study concerns the Souss upstream basin. The objective is to investigate the characteristics of surface water and groundwater, to assess the impact of artificial recharge as reinforcement of the natural replenishment and assess the renewal of groundwater under semi-arid area. Two major water types are observed: (i) surface waters and upstream springs (least mineralized) and (ii) all groundwater samples (prevailing calcium and magnesium bicarbonate water type). Water isotopes show a low evaporation of precipitations during infiltration. Impoverishment in heavy isotopes is the characteristic of mountain rainfalls, or of a climate colder and wetter than present. Carbon-14 activities (34-94 pmc) indicate a long residence time. The artificial recharge is low compared to the reservoir volume, due to which the renewal rate is also low.
We have measured time-resolved laser-induced incandescence of flame-generated soot under high-vacuum conditions (4.1?10?6 mbar) at an excitation wavelength of 532 nm with laser fluences spanning 0.06?0.5 J/cm2. We generated soot in an ethylene/air diffusion flame, introduced it into the vacuum system with an aerodynamic lens, heated it using a pulsed laser with a spatially homogeneous and temporally smooth laser profile, and recorded LII temporal profiles at 685 nm. At low laser fluences LII signal decay rates are slow, and LII signals persist beyond the residence time of the soot particles in the detection region. At these fluences, the temporal maximum of the LII signal increases nearly linearly with increasing laser fluence until reaching a plateau at ?0.18?J/cm2. At higher fluences, th...
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is associated with chronic non-progressive pneumonia of sheep and goats. As with many other mycoplasmas involved in animal diseases, protective immune responses have not been achieved with vaccines, even though antibody responses can be obtained. This study focuses on characterizing the interaction of M. ovipneumoniae with ovine PBMC using carboxy-fluorescein-succinimidyl-ester (CFSE) loading and flow cytometry to measure lymphoid cell division. M. ovipneumoniae induced a strong in vitro polyclonal suppression of CD4^+, CD8^+, and B blood lymphocyte subsets. The suppressive activity could be destroyed by heating to 60^oC, and partially impaired by formalin and binary ethyleneimine treatment that abolished its viability. The activity resided on the surface-exposed m...
The erosion of rocks rich in organic matter typically leads to the complete mineralization of the organic material. However, in some cases, it is re-deposited to become a part of sediments once more. This process should be considered to be a part of global carbon cycle, possibly much more significant than assumed to-date. The research presented here aims to characterize re-worked organic matter occurring in post-glacial sediments of southern part of Poland, in the Oder river valley (the Racib?rz town region, Miocene, Pleistocene and Holocene age). Organic substances extracted from the sediments originated from organic matter that had resided in rocks eroded by glaciers. Sediments were sampled in two boreholes which sediments were correlated. Sediments were extracted and extracts analyzed w...
This article explores the growth of organised crime within the Vietnamese community with particular reference to the cultivation of cannabis, money laundering and the smuggling or trafficking of children. The article begins by exploring the history and diversity of the 'Vietnamese community' in the United Kingdom and the role of Vietnamese culture in shaping their criminal enterprises. It then draws on research involving two sets of qualitative data: one set is based on 45 interviews with law enforcement personnel based in Vietnam and the United Kingdom as well as with key stakeholders in the Vietnamese community; the other set is based on structured questionnaires issued to 34 Vietnamese residents in Britain, 24 of whom are here illegally. It examines the relationship between illegal immi...
The Sultanate of Oman has a relatively young national health care system that could demonstrate its high performance at an international level. Emergency medicine as a specialty has developed rapidly in the country over the last decade. This has involved the parallel development of local emergency residency training, prehospital emergency care, and emergency nursing programs. This article reviews the progress of emergency care practice in this country from a general primary care system toward becoming an established specialty in hospital, prehospital, and private emergency care settings. It also describes aspects of undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuous emergency medicine education in the country. Further, a glimpse into academic emergency medicine and emergency nursing is provided. ...
Increasing the end coking temperature to 850 C has a marked effect on both the physico-mechanical and physico-chemical properties of formed coke, and although subsequent rise in temperature leaves the mechanical strength largely unaltered, it appears to increase hardness, real density and conductivity at the expense of diminished reactivity. Formed coke strength can be slightly improved by extending the coking time by an isothermal residence period at end temperatures of 650 and 750 C. Structural change in the formed coke tends to concentrate in the 450 to 650 C range where carbon increases by 6.98-8.27% as compared with hydrogen and oxygen which fall 2.40-3.53 and 3.50-4.62% respectively.
We propose a new physical implementation of spin qubits for quantum information processing, namely defect states in antidot lattices defined in the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at a semiconductor heterostructure. Calculations of the band structure of a periodic antidot lattice are presented. A point defect is created by removing a single antidot, and calculations show that localized states form within the defect, with an energy structure which is robust against thermal dephasing. The exchange coupling between two electrons residing in two tunnel-coupled defect states is calculated numerically. We find results reminiscent of double quantum dot structures, indicating that the suggested structure is a feasible physical implementation of spin qubits.
A 33-year-old male of proven fertility suffered six attacks of malaria while resident in an African country. For this he received anti-malarial drugs. Semen analysis performed after the fourth attack, and repeated during the following 2 years after his return to Israel, revealed severe oligozoospermia, necrozoospermia and occasionally even azoospermia. Immunological examination of the patient revealed an inverse ratio of T-cell subsets and mast cell degranulation in response to palludrin. Twenty-five months after the last attack of malaria a significant improvement was found in semen quality and there was an increase in the ratio of T-helper to T-suppressor cytotoxic cells. These observations indicate that although malaria and its treatment may affect spermatogenesis, recovery may be expected eventually. PMID:3500921
The study discussed relates to the design and development of a process consisting of combining a reversible geothermal heat pump with thermal solar collectors for building heating and cooling and the production of domestic hot water. The proposed process, called GEOSOL, has been installed in a 180 m{sup 2} private residence in 2004. This installation is the subject of long-term experimental follow-up to analyse the energy-related behavior of the installation at all times of the year. In addition, different configurations of this combined system (geothermal heat pump and thermal solar collectors) have been defined and will be simulated numerically using TRNSYS software. A comparative analysis of these different alternative versions will be conducted to determine the best configuration(s) of the GEOSOL process in terms of energy, economical and environmental performances. (author)
Plastic composites have become a large class of construction material for exterior applications. One of the main disadvantages of wood plastic composites resides in the weak adhesion between the polar and hydrophilic surface of wood and the non-polar and hydrophobic polyolefin matrix, hindering the dispersion of the flour in the polymer matrix. To improve interfacial compatibility wood flour can be pretreated with environmentally friendly methods such as cold-atmospheric pressure plasma. The objective of this work is therefore to evaluate the potential of plasma polymerization of acetylene on wood flour to improve the compatibility with polyolefins. This presentation will describe the reactor design used to modify wood flour using acetylene plasma polymerization. The optimum conditions for plasma polymerization on wood particles will also be presented. Finally preliminary results on the wood flour surface properties and use in wood plastic composites will be ...
We consider the evolution of binary systems formed by a Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH) residing in the center of a galaxy or a globular cluster and a star in its immediate vicinity. The star is assumed to fill its Roche lobe, and the SMBH accretes primarily the matter of this star. The evolution of such a system is mainly determined by the same processes as for an ordinary binary. The main differences are that the donor star is irradiated by hard radiation emitted during accretion onto the SMBH; in a detached system, nearly all the donor wind is captured by the black hole, which strongly affects the evolution of the semi-major axis; it is not possible for companions of the most massive SMBHs to fill their Roche lobes, since the corresponding orbital separations are smaller than the radius ...
The combustin of chloroethane is modeled as a stirred reactor so that we can study critical emission characteristics of the reactor as a function of residence time. We examine important operating conditions such as pressure, temperature, and equivalence ratio and their influence on destructive efficiency of chloroethane and production of other chlorinated products. The model uses a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism that we have developed previously for C{sub 3} hydrocarbons. We have added to this mechanism the chemical kinetic mechanism for C{sub 2} chlorinated hydrocarbons developed by Senkan and coworkers. Some reactions have been added to Senkan's mechanism and some of the reaction-rate expressions have been updated to reflect recent developments in the literature. In the modeling calculations, sensitivity coefficients are determined to find which reaction-rate constants have the largest effect on destructive efficiency. 25 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
Abstract The brain is highly sensitive to environmental hypoxia. Little is known, however, about the neuropsychological effects of high altitude residence in the developing brain. We recently described only minor changes in processing speed in native Bolivian children and adolescents living at approximately 3700-m. However, evidence for loss of cerebral autoregulation above this altitude (4000-m) suggests a potential threshold of hypoxia severity over which neuropsychological functioning may be compromised. We conducted physiological and neuropsychological assessments in 62 Bolivian children and adolescents living at La Paz (-3700-m) and El Alto (-4100-m) in order to address this issue. Groups were equivalent in terms of age, gender, social class, schooling, parental education and genetic ...
From self-consistent band structure calculations using the 'augmented plane wave'(APW) method, the density of states can be decomposed into local partial (according to azimuthal quantum number l) components, the l-character densities. Within the APW formalism the intensity of X-ray emission spectra is determined by radial transition probabilities and l-character densities of such valence states, which reside inside the same atomic sphere as the core vacancy and whose quantum number l differs by +-1 from the one corresponding to the core state. By taking into account lifetime broadening of the core and valence states and also the instrumental broadening the computed spectra (non-metal K-, vanadium K- and Lsub(III)-spectra) agree well with experiment. (orig.).
AbstractBackground Few published data are available on the benefits of aspirin use in patients with unstable angina (UA). Hypothesis Aspirin use carries a mortality benefit in a population-based cohort of patients presenting with UA. Methods All residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota presenting to local emergency departments with acute chest pain from January 1985 through December 1992 having symptoms consistent with UA were identified through medical records. A total of 1628 patients were identified with UA and were stratified by aspirin use in-hospital and at discharge. Cardiovascular mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke were assessed over a median of 7.5 years follow-up and all-cause mortality data over a median of 16.7 years. The mean age of patients with UA was 65 y...
A review is presented of the literature through 1977 on the uses of radioactive lead isotopes in metabolic studies in man, animals, and plants. These studies have been done mainly with the naturally-occurring, long-lived (22-yr half life) "2"1"0Pb, but a few were with 53-hr "2"0"3Pb or 10.6-hr "2"1"2Pb. Such studies have made possible estimates of the metabolic parameters of lead in man and animals, such as intestinal absorption, the ratio of fecal-to-urinary excretion of endogenous lead, residence time of lead in the body and in various organs, and the distribution in the body (skeleton, liver, kidney, and blood). Subsequently, these parameters and data have been used to trace the sources of lead for man, such as those from the atmosphere, food, cigarette smoke, and automobile exhaust.
Mentougou District acts as a crucial component in the ecological buffer in western Beijing mountainous areas, Beijing, China. Using two Landsat MSS/TM images acquired on July 14, 1979 and July 23, 2005, the vegetation coverage of Mentougou District was calculated based on normalized difference vegetation index and spectral mixture analysis (NDVI-SMA) model. Its temporal and spatial changes were analyzed according to digital elevation model (DEM) image, social and economic data. The results showed that the vegetation coverage decreased from 76.4% in 1979 to 72.7% in 2005. Vegetation degradation was probably the result of human disturbance, such as outspreading of resident areas, and coal and stone mining activities, while vegetation restoration might be contributed by the combined effects o...
Biostimulation by nutrient application is a viable technology for restoring oil-contaminated beaches. Maximizing the nutrient residence time is key for achieving a rapid cost-effective cleanup. We considered the nutrient injection strategy through a perforated pipe at the high tide line and we simulated numerically beach hydraulics, which allowed us to estimate the optimal injection flow rate of nutrient solution. Our results indicate that the optimal application is one that starts following the falling high tide and lasts for half tidal cycle. The saturated wet-front of the nutrient solution on the beach surface would move seaward with the same speed of the falling tide keeping a constant distance with the tide line. The numerical results were generalized to beaches of wide ranges of hydr...
Experiments based on a 23 central composite full factorial design were carried out in 200-ml stainless-steel containers to study the pretreatment, with dilute sulfuric acid, of a sugarcane bagasse sample obtained from a local sugar?alcohol mill. The independent variables selected for study were temperature, varied from 112.5?C to 157.5?C, residence time, varied from 5.0 to 35.0 min, and sulfuric acid concentration, varied from 0.0% to 3.0% (w/v). Bagasse loading of 15% (w/w) was used in all experiments. Statistical analysis of the experimental results showed that all three independent variables significantly influenced the response variables, namely the bagasse solubilization, efficiency of xylose recovery in the hemicellulosic hydrolysate, efficiency of cellulose enzymatic saccharificatio...
The residing fracture system and the prevailing in situ stresses have a significant impact on fluid flow and heat transfer in crystalline rocks. The long term response of fracture systems to changes in effective stresses, in particular the long term geo-mechanical effects of thermal stresses on reservoir characteristics is of particular interest to the geothermal industry.In this paper, a geothermal reservoir model is presented, in which a thermo-poroelastic finite element module is coupled to a fracture geomechanical module. This describes fracture closure as a function of effective stress and the changes in parameters, such as effective permeability, porosity and discrete fracture apertures. The novelty of this approach lies in its dynamic treatment of the characteristic properties of in...
Free Topology Network technology provides cost reduction benefits as well as flexibility in safeguards applications. Power line communications technologies have proven viability for transmission and reception of safeguards data, including surveillance photographs, the source of the largest data files. In the future, enhancements will be made to the technology that should boost both performance and flexibility. Work is already underway to achieve higher data rates over power line communications eventually, it should be possible to reach data rates of one million bits per second or higher. Also, the use of technologies such as Novell Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) and Echelon LON technology will allow a greater number of safeguards technologies to become resident on the Free Topology Safeguards Network.
Free Topology Network technology provides cost reduction benefits as well as flexibility in safeguards applications. Power line communications technologies have proven viability for transmission and reception of safeguards data, including surveillance photographs, the source of the largest data files. In the future, enhancements will be made to the technology that should boost both performance and flexibility. Work is already underway to achieve higher data rates over power line communications eventually, it should be possible to reach data rates of one million bits per second or higher. Also, the use of technologies such as Novell Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) and Echelon LON technology will allow a greater number of safeguards technologies to become resident on the Free Topology Safeguards Network.
A new prototype model system named AirGIS has been developed to support local authorities in air quality management for big Danish cities. The system is based on the Danish operational street pollution model (OSPM), technical and cadastral digital maps and Danish national administrative databases on buildings, cadastres and populations. It applies a geographic information system (GIS). AirGIS estimates ambient air pollution levels at high temporal and spatial resolutions. The model system enables mapping of traffic emissions, air quality levels and human exposures at residence addresses, at workplace addresses and in streets. Mapping and scenario results can be compared with air quality limits. Impact assessment of traffic air pollution abatement measures can also be carried out. (author)
The interpretation of data from the nuclear forensic analysis of illicit nuclear material of unknown origin requires comparative data from samples of known origin. One way to provide such comparative data is to create a system of national nuclear forensics libraries, in which each participating country stores information about nuclear or other radioactive material that either resides in or was manufactured by that country. Such national libraries could provide an authoritative record of the material located in or produced by a particular country, and thus forms an essential prerequisite for a government to investigate illicit uses of nuclear or other radioactive material within its borders. We describe the concept of the national nuclear forensic library, recommendations for content and structure, and suggested querying methods for utilizing the information for addressing nuclear smuggling.
This paper addresses the influence of CHC on how the insider/outsider distinction is drawn and what consequences follow for the conduct of research. The paper outlines the methodological complexities faced by us whilst conducting our respective research projects in Hong Kong. In the studies reported in this paper we, the researchers, were insiders at one level as both of us have a degree of familiarity with Hong Kong being residents of the city. We were also insiders on a professional level in the contexts under study. However being ethnically non-Chinese positioned us as outsiders. Additionally, our Western-trained research selves accepted certain normative paradigms, whilst our own personal ethno-centricities tended to question these self-same paradigms. In sum, the research context for ...
Radium is known to be taken up by aquatic animals, and tends to accumulate in bone, shell and exoskeleton. The most common approach to estimating the uptake of a radionuclide by aquatic animals for use in health and environmental risk assessments is the concentration factor method. The concentration factor method relates the concentration of a contaminant in an organism to the concentration in the surrounding water. Site specific data are not usually available, and generic, default values are often used in risk assessment studies. This paper describes the concentration factor method, summarizes some of the variables which may influence the concentration factor for radium, reviews reported concentration factors measured in marine environments and presents concentration factors derived from data collected in a study in coastal Louisiana. The use of generic default ...
Radium is known to be taken up by aquatic animals, and tends to accumulate in bone, shell and exoskeleton. The most common approach to estimating the uptake of a radionuclide by aquatic animals for use in health and environmental risk assessments is the concentration factor method. The concentration factor method relates the concentration of a contaminant in an organism to the concentration in the surrounding water. Site specific data are not usually available, and generic, default values are often used in risk assessment studies. This paper describes the concentration factor method, summarizes some of the variables which may influence the concentration factor for radium, reviews reported concentration factors measured in marine environments and presents concentration factors derived from data collected in a study in coastal Louisiana. The use of generic default ...
The purpose of this article is to critically review the available evidence pertaining to occupational, environmental, and individual factors that can affect the development of occupational asthma (OA)....Full Text Available
The data base for the form factors of the nucleon obtained from elastic ep scattering is discussed, as well as some recent developments in their calculation.
Although the initiating factor(s) is unknown, it is now accepted that pulmonary sarcoidosis develops as a result of an over-stimulated local cellular immune response. Starting as a lymphocytic alveolitis,...Full Text Available
This is a presentation on Human Factors in reactor operations. It discusses issues that deal with power plant operations, training and design, operational effectiveness and safety, supporting people to achieve effective and error free performance.
The stock market has been known to form homogeneous stock groups with a higher correlation among different stocks according to common economic factors that influence individual stocks. We investigate the role of common economic factors in the market in the formation of stock networks, using the arbitrage pricing model reflecting essential properties of common economic factors. We find that the degree of consistency between real and model stock networks increases as additional common economic factors are incorporated into our model. Furthermore, we find that individual stocks with a large number of links to other stocks in a network are more highly correlated with common economic factors than those with a small number of links. This suggests that common economic factors in the stock market can be understood in terms of deterministic factors.
In general, the etiologic factors of chronic paranasal sinusitis are systemic conditions such as nutrition, predisposition, allergy, and local factors such as nasal anatomic conditions. Among these...Full Text Available
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) is decommissioning many of its excess facilities through removal of the facility structures leaving only the concrete-slab foundations in place. Site-specific, risk-based derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs) for radionuclides have been determined for a future industrial worker potentially exposed to residual contamination on these concrete slabs as described in Jannik. These risk-based DCGLs were estimated for an exposure area of 100 m2. During deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) operations at SRS, the need for area factors for larger and smaller contaminated areas arose. This paper compares the area factors determined for an industrial worker exposed to a concrete slab end-state for several radionuclides of concern at SRS with 1) the illustrative area factors provided in MARSSIM, 2) the area correction factors provided in ...
Based on the first part of this report the molybdenum loadings of the red mud were varied and the activity of the catalytic additives was tested in a batch autoclave with TJP VR. The 30% Molybdenum loading (sample Nr. 6) was found to be optimum. Further testing with two vacuum residues (TJP VR and ARH VR) and sample Nr. 6, indicates the influences of the process parameters for hydrogen pressures of 9-15 MPa, temperatures of 440-475 C and residence times of 0-60 min. Obviously 440 C, 12 MPa and a residence time of 30 min are best conditions for hydrocracking of both vacuum residues with sample Nr. 6. (orig.) [Deutsch] Beruhend auf dem ersten Teil des Berichtes wird der Belegungsgrad der Rotmasse mit Molybdaen variiert und die resultierenden katalytischen Zusaetze werden in einem Autoklaven mit TJR VR getestet. Ein Belegungsgrad mit 30% Molybdaen (Probe 6) scheint optimal zu sein. Mit diesem Zusatz werden die Einfluesse der Prozessparameter bei ...
In this work a study of simulation of the gamma graphic studies that are carried out in human esophagus in the Dept. of Nuclear Medicine of the 'Celestino Hernandez Robau Hospital of Santa Clara is presented. For the investigation tubular reactors were used and sting-response techniques with radioactive tracer of Technetium 99 metastable to a concentration of 1 mCi and several flows were applied. The distribution curves of residences times were obtained, those that respond to an equation of the type: Y = A + B exp (- exp((x-C)/D)) - ((x-C/D)+1). They were also carried out, optimizations studies of the doses of the radioactive to give to the patients from 1 mCi (that is the one used in studies) up to 0,5 mCi, and the influences on the obtained distributions of residence time were analyzed. It was confirmed the possibility to lower the doses with clear information of the signal. It was also carried out a simulation of the attenuation of ...
Nearly 3 billion additional urban dwellers are forecasted by 2050, an unprecedented wave of urban growth. While cities struggle to provide water to these new residents, they will also face equally unprecedented hydrologic changes due to global climate change. Here we use a detailed hydrologic model, demographic projections, and climate change scenarios to estimate per-capita water availability for major cities in the developing world, where urban growth is the fastest. We estimate the amount of water physically available near cities and do not account for problems with adequate water delivery or quality. Modeled results show that currently 150 million people live in cities with perennial water shortage, defined as having less than 100 L per person per day of sustainable surface and groundwater flow within their urban extent. By 2050, demographic growth will increase this figure to almost 1 billion people. Climate change will cause water shortage for an additional ...
We have developed refined statistical and modeling techniques to assess low-level uptake and urinary excretion of plutonium from different population group in the northern Marshall Islands. Urinary excretion rates of plutonium from the resident population on Enewetak Atoll and from resettlement workers living on Rongelap Atoll range from <1 to 8 {micro}Bq per day and are well below action levels established under the latest Department regulation 10 CFR 835 in the United States for in vitro bioassay monitoring of {sup 239}Pu. However, our statistical analyses show that urinary excretion of plutonium-239 ({sup 239}Pu) from both cohort groups is significantly positively associated with volunteer age, especially for the resident population living on Enewetak Atoll. Urinary excretion of {sup 239}Pu from the Enewetak cohort was also found to be positively associated with estimates of cumulative exposure to worldwide fallout. Consequently, the ...
The resident bald eagles of the lower Columbia River have lower productivity and higher contaminant levels than other bald eagles of the Pacific Northwest. The primary population stressors are believed to be habitat loss, human disturbance, p,p{prime}DDE, PCBs, dioxins and furans. The primary effect of habitat loss is to reduce the carrying capacity of the region for nesting sites, and the primary effects of human disturbance and contamination by organic compounds are to reduce productivity. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the effects of all of, these potential stressors on the bald eagle population dynamics. A model of the population dynamics was developed. The model structure includes a physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) submodel to estimate the degree of contamination, which is linked via a toxicology submodel to a population dynamics submodel. The PBTK submodel is time-variable, incorporating species-specific bioenergetics, as ...
This study was intended to help explain individual differences in susceptibility to irritant effects of ozone (O3), by determining whether prior ambient O3 exposures and/or recent acute respiratory illness modified response to laboratory O3 exposures. Response was measured in terms of lung function changes and irritant symptoms. Initially, 59 adult volunteer Los Angeles area residents underwent screening exposures in spring, before the season of frequent high ambient O3 levels. Unusually responsive and nonresponsive individuals (N = 12 and 13 respectively) underwent followup exposures in autumn (late in the high-O3 season) and in winter (low-O3 season). All exposures were to 0.18 ppm O3 for 2 hr with intermittent heavy exercise at 31 degrees C and 35% relative humidity. Nonresponders tended to remain nonresponsive throughout. In fall, responders had lost much of their reactivity, as if they had adapted to summer ambient O3 exposures. They did not regain reactivity ...
The authors hypothesized that acute respiratory responsiveness to ozone predicts chronic lung injury from repeated exposure to ozone-containing air pollution. They tested this hypothesis in 164 middle-aged nonsmoking residents of an ozone-polluted community who underwent lung-function measurements during 1986 and 1987 (i.e., time 3). The time-3 study was a follow up of more comprehensive studies conducted in 1977--1978 (time 1) and in 1982--1983 (time 2). In contrast to the apparent rapid (i.e., {approx} 60 ml/y) decline in lung-function measurements between times 1 and 2, their subjects showed little change in forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV{sub 1.0}) between times 2 and 3, and they experienced a normal decline between times 1 and 3. A subgroup (n = 45) underwent 2-h laboratory ozone exposures to 0.4 ppm ozone, accompanied by intermittent exercise, and they experienced mild acute reductions in FEV{sub 1.0} and FVC, but there was ...
With the advent of subgenomic hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicons, studies of the intracellular steps of the viral replication cycle became possible. These RNAs are capable of self-amplification in cultured human hepatoma cells, but save for the genotype 2a isolate JFH-1, efficient replication of these HCV RNAs requires replication enhancing mutations (REMs), previously also called cell culture adaptive mutations. These mutations cluster primarily in the central region of non-structural protein 5A (NS5A), but may also reside in the NS3 helicase domain or at a distinct position in NS4B. Most efficient replication has been achieved by combining REMs residing in NS3 with distinct REMs located in NS4B or NS5A. However, in spite of efficient replication of HCV genomes containing such mutations, they do not support production of infectious virus particles. By using the genotype 1b isolate Con1, in this study we show that REMs interfere with HCV ...
As part of the licensing process to construct a new 230 kV transmission line on an existing right-of-way in Manitoba, an electrical effects study was conducted in 1998. The study was part of the environmental assessment program crucial in obtaining government approval to construct the line. Some residents living adjacent to the new transmission circuit expressed concerns about alleged adverse health effects associated with long-term exposure to magnetic fields from high voltage transmission lines. In order to verify the accuracy of the predicted magnetic field levels submitted to the regulatory body in the the electrical effects study and to instill confidence in the residents of the affected communities, a three-year magnetic monitoring project was conducted between 2003 and 2005 along the right-of-way after the new 230kV transmission line was energized by Manitoba Hydro. This paper described the monitoring program, with reference to location; ...
Bikini Island was contaminated March 1, 1954 by the Bravo detonation (U.S nuclear test series, Castle) at Bikini Atoll. About 90% of the estimated dose from nuclear fallout to potential island residents is from cesium-137 ({sup 137}Cs) transferred from soil to plants that are consumed by residents. Thus, radioecology research efforts have been focused on removing {sup 137}Cs from soil and/or reducing its uptake into vegetation. Most effective was addition of potassium (K) to soil that reduces {sup 137}Cs concentration in fruits to 3-5% of pretreatment concentrations. Initial observations indicated this low concentration continued for some time after K was last applied. Long-term studies were designed to evaluate this persistence in more detail because it is very important to provide assurance to returning populations that {sup 137}Cs concentrations in food (and, therefore, radiation dose) will remain low for extended periods, even if K is not ...
The nuclear activity was conducted for many years in Romania under Traditional Safeguards (TS) and has developed in good conditions the specific nuclear safeguards. Now there is a good opportunity to improve the performance and quality of the safeguards activity and at the same time to increase the accountancy and control of nuclear materials by passing to Integrated Safeguards (IS) implementation. The legal framework is the Law 100/2000 for ratification of the Protocol between Romania and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), additional completion to the Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Romania Government and IAEA relating to safeguards. It is part of the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons published in the Official Gazette no. 3/31 January 1970, and the Additional Protocol published in the Official Gazette no. 295/ 29.06.2000. The first discussion about Integrated Safeguards (IS) between the Nuclear Fuel Plant (FCN) representatives and IAEA inspectors ...
Guidelines for uranium residual radioactive material in soil were derived for the B&T Metals Company site in Columbus, Ohio. This site has been identified for remedial action under the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). Single-nuclide and total-uranium guidelines were derived on the basis of the requirement that following remedial action, the 50-year committed effective dose equivalent to a hypothetical individual living or working in the immediate vicinity of the site should not exceed a dose constraint of 30 mrem/yr for the current use and likely future use scenarios or a dose limit of 100 n-mrem/yr for less likely future use scenarios. The DOE residual radioactive material guideline computer code, RESRAD, was used in this evaluation. RESRAD implements the methodology described in the DOE manual for establishing residual radioactive material guidelines. Three scenarios were considered; each assumed that for a period of ...
Five barrels of a Wilsonville process derived solvent (V-1074) from Black Thunder coal were obtained. This material boils within the preferred gas oil range, is more aromatic than previous solvents, and will therefore be used for the bench unit studies. Several repeat runs were performed in the autoclave to confirm the results of the matrix study. In addition, runs were carried out with different catalysts, with agglomerates and with the V-1074 solvent. The results of the autoclave runs were analyzed with respect to coal conversion, CO conversion, oil yield, hydrogen consumption and oxygen removal. It was concluded that the best operating conditions for the first stage operation was a temperature of at least 390{degrees}C, residence time of at least 30 minutes, cold CO pressure of at least 600 psig and potassium carbonate catalyst (2% wt on total feed). The data also indicated however, that the coal conversion goes through a maximum, and too high a severity leads ...
This report describes progress on the Advanced Coal Liquefaction project by the Gulf Research and Development Company's Merriam Laboratory during the months of January through March 1983. The liquefaction behavior of Illinois No. 6 coal beneficiated in various ways was studied in both single-stage recycle (SRC II) and short contact time (SCT) modes of operation. The distillate yield increased as the iron level in the feed slurry increased in both modes of operation. In the SCT mode, the conversion increased at greater depths of cleaning. In the SRC II mode, the distillate yield and conversion were much higher with deep cleaning and add-back of pyrite than with conventional cleaning. Pyrite addition resulted in a significant increase in short contact time conversion of subbituminous Belle Ayr coal in both high and low quality solvents. Solvent quality itself, however, had little effect on conversion. With Loveridge coal, the hydrocarbon gas yield and conversion decreased as the ...
Transcription activation of sulfur metabolism in yeast is dependent on two DNA binding factors, the centromere binding factor 1 (Cbf1) and Met4. While the role of Met4 was clearly established by showing...Full Text Available
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurobehavioral disorder affecting 5% to 10% of children. Although considered to be a highly familial disorder, ADHD heritability estimates of 60% to 80% highlight the considerable role that environmental factors may still play in disorder susceptibility. Proposed ADHD environmental risk factors include prenatal substance exposures, heavy metal and chemical exposures, nutritional factors, and lifestyle/psychosocial factors. This paper reviews the literature published in 2010 investigating the association between environmental risk factors and ADHD or related symptomatology. Sources of risk factor exposure and the proposed mechanism by which each exposure is linked to ADHD-related neurobehavioral changes are also reported. Metho...
Collection, analysis and quantification of human factor data are important compositions of human reliability analysis (HRA) and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Various human factor databases have been set up, but there are comparatively little human factor data management systems which can be uses for collection, classification, analysis, calculation and predication of the human factor data. Therefore, the human factor data management system for Daya Bay NPP is developed, with the following three modules and four databases: original data module, computing module, introduced data module, and basic database, other data source of the plant, external database and introduced database. The foundational problems about human factor data and the systemic structure and function are described. The data structure in the database is also discussed, because it is of the ...
Looking at all the indeterminate factors as a whole and regarding activity durations as independent random variables, the traditional stochastic network planning models ignore the inevitable relationship and dependence among activity durations when more than one activity is possibly affected by the same indeterminate factors. On this basis of analysis of indeterminate effect factors of durations, the effect factors-based stochastic network planning (EFBSNP) model is proposed, which emphasizes on the effects of not only logistic and organizational relationships, but also the dependent relationships, due to indeterminate factors among activity durations on the project period. By virtue of indeterminate factor analysis the model extracts and describes the quantitatively indeterminate effect f...
Elastic electromagnetic form factors of nucleons are investigated for both the time-like and the space-like momenta by using the unsubtracted dispersion relation with QCD constraints. It is shown that the calculated form factors reproduce the experimental data reasonably well; they agree with recent experimental data for the neutron magnetic form factors for the space-like data obtained by the CLAS Collaboration and are compatible with the ratio of the electric and magnetic form factors for the time-like momentum obtained by the BABAR Collaboration.
Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder characterized by a widespread microangiopathy, autoimmunity and fibrosis of the skin and of various internal organs. Microangiopathy is characterized by a reduced capillary density and an irregular chaotic architecture that lead to chronic tissue hypoxia. Despite the hypoxic conditions, there is no evidence for a sufficient compensative angiogenesis in SSc. Furthermore, vasculogenesis is also impaired. An imbalance between angiogenic and angiostatic factors might explain the pathogenetic mechanisms of SSc vasculopathy. As far as angiogenic factors are concerned, within the most important are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-?), fibroblast growth factor -2 (FGF-2), angiopoietin 1 (Ang-1), stromal ...
In many applications, the experimenter has limited options about what factor combinations can be chosen for a designed study. Consider a screening study for a production process involving five input factors whose levels have been previously established. The goal of the study is to understand the effect of each factor on the response, a variable that is expensive to measure and results in destruction of the part. From an inventory of available parts with known factor values, we wish to identify a best collection of factor combinations with which to estimate the factor effects. Though the observational nature of the study cannot establish a causal relationship involving the response and the factors, the study can increase understanding of the underlying process. The study can also help determine where investment should be made to control input ...
The activity assay of a radiopharmaceutical administration to a patient is normally achieved via the use of a radionuclide calibrator. Because of the different geometries and elemental compositions between plastic syringes and glass vials, the calibration factors for syringes may well be significantly different from those for the glass containers. The magnitude of these differences depends on the energies of the emitted photons. For some radionuclides variations have been observed of 70 %, it is therefore important to recalibrate for syringes or use syringe calibration factors. Calibration factors and volume correction factors have been derived for the NPL secondary standard radionuclide calibrator, for a variety of commonly used syringes and needles, for the most commonly used medical radionuclide.
Polarization measurements are allowing the electric to magnetic form factor ratio of the proton to be determined with unprecedented precision. Recent results indicate that there is a large deviation from unity in the proton form factor ratio around Q{sup 2}{approx_equal}0.35 GeV{sup 2}. Furthermore, the deviation from unity is attributed to a deviation of the electric form factor from standard fits and calculations. A new, partially completed, experiment will significantly improve the existing data and will determine the presence, if any, of a narrow structure in the form factor ratio. The new measurement, combined with the expected high precision cross section measurements, will allow the extraction of individual form factors with unprecedented accuracy at low Q{sup 2}.
The complete world set of parity-violating electron scattering data up to Q{sup 2}{approx}0.3 GeV{sup 2} is analyzed. We extract the current experimental determination of the strange electric and magnetic form factors of the proton, as well as the weak axial form factors of the proton and neutron, at Q{sup 2}=0.1 GeV{sup 2}. Within experimental uncertainties, we find that the strange form factors are consistent with zero, as are the anapole contributions to the axial form factors. Nevertheless, the correlation between the strange and anapole contributions suggest that there is only a small probability that these form factors all vanish simultaneously.
The aim of this study is to develop the methodology which enables to identify the mechanical properties of element such as stress intensity factor by using the AE parameters. Considering the multivariate and nonlinear properties of AE parameters such as ringdown count, rise time, energy, event duration and peak amplitude from fatigue cracks of machine element the principal component regression(PCR) and artificial neural network(ANN) models for the estimation of stress intensity factor were developed and validated. The AE parameters were found to be very significant to estimate the stress intensity factor. Since the statistical values including correlation coefficients, standard mr of calibration, standard error of prediction and bias were stable, the PCR and ANN models for stress intensity factor were very robust. The performance of ANN model for unknown data of stress intensity ...
This report presents the operating results for Run 245 at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction R and D Facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. This run was made in an all-distillate Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction (ITSL) mode using Illinois 6 coal from the Burning Star mine. The primary run objective was to obtain steady-state ITSL performance by replacing spent HTR reactor catalyst with fresh, sulfided catalyst. Secondary objectives were to maintain an all-distillate (minimum resid production) product slate and to demonstrate the effects of catalyst addition on the net gas production and hydrogen consumption. Run 245 began on 7 November, 1983, and continued through 12 February, 1984. During this period, 179.0 tons of coal was fed in 2045 hours of operation. Eight special product workup material balances were defined, and the results are presented herein. 6 references, 28 figures, 20 tables.
Census and environmental surveillance information on waterfowl that use the Hanford Site 200 Area waste water ponds are described and evaluated. Physical features of the ponds are discussed in relation to their use and suitability for waterfowl. Seasonal distributions observed for the years 1971 through 1974 indicate that the highest use by waterfowl occurs during the spring and fall migratory periods. Base population estimates are 300 to 400 resident waterfowl with a few tens of pairs nesting during the summer. Environmental surveillance data on "1"3"7Cs in muscle tissue are presented for the years 1971 through 1977. Comparisons are made between Columbia River and waste water pond waterfowl, between waterfowl groups, and among ponds. Waterfowl collected from ponds frequently have easily detected levels of "1"3"7Cs in muscle tissue. However, those waterfowl collected from the Columbia River seldom show a "1"3"7Cs level above that expected from worldwide fallout. ...
Wolf-Rayet stars (WRs) are evolved massive stars, and the relative number of WC-type and WN-type WRs should vary with metallicity, providing a sensitive test of stellar evolutionary theory. The observed WC/WN ratio is much higher than that predicted by theory in some galaxies but this could be due to observational incompleteness for WN-types, which have weaker lines. Previous studies of M33's WR content show a galactocentric gradient in the relative numbers of WCs and WNs, but only small regions have been surveyed with sufficient sensitivity to detect all of the WNs. Here we present a sensitive survey for WRs covering all of M33, finding 55 new WRs, mostly of WN type. Our spectroscopy also improves the spectral types of many previously known WRs, establishing in one case that the star is actually a background quasar. The total number of spectroscopically confirmed WRs in M33 is 206, a number we argue is complete to approximately 5%, with most WRs residing in OB ...
Numerical simulations predict that a large number of baryons reside in intergalactic space at temperatures between 10^5-10^7 K. Highly-ionized metals, such as O VII and O VIII, are good tracers of this ``warm-hot intergalactic medium'', or WHIM. For collisionally-ionized gas, the ionization fraction of each ion peaks at some particular temperature (``peak temperatures''), so different ions can therefore trace the IGM at different temperatures. We performed a hydrodynamic simulation to study the metal distributions in the IGM. We then draw random lines-of-sight across the simulated region and synthesize resonance absorption line spectra in a similar way to simulating the Ly-alpha forest. By studying the distribution functions of H- and He-like O, Si and Fe in a collisionally-ionized IGM and comparing with semi-analytic results based on the Press-Schechter formalism, we find: (1) ions with higher peak temperatures (for instance, Fe XXVI) tend to concentrate around ...
To assess the effects of automobile exhaust on human health, we determined serum concentrations of total immunoglobulin E and hyaluronate in 185 schoolchildren who lived in a district that contained major roads. Serum immunoglobulin E levels were elevated in children who had asthma or wheezing, but levels did no t differ with respect to distance of their homes from the major roads. Serum hyaluronate levels were higher in children who lived less than 50 m from the roadside, compared with children who resided a greater distance from roads. The difference, however, was significant only in a subgroup of children in whom immunoglobulin E levels exceeded 250 IU/ml. Our results suggest that serum hyaluronate levels in children reflect the effects of traffic-related air pollution. Children with high immunoglobulin E levels appeared to be particularly susceptible to the effects of automobile exhaust. 34 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) interim examination and maintenance (IEM) cell is used for the remote disassembly of irradiated fuel and material experiments. The absorber open-test assembly (AOTA) is a 12-m (40-ft)-long instrumented absorber (control-rod-material) test assembly. Its primary purpose is to characterize the FFTF control-rod-material reaction rate during reactor operation. Instrumentation allowed temperature and pressure measurements at various locations in several absorber pins during reactor operation. After residing several months in the reactor, the assembly was transferred to the IEM cell by the closed-loop ex-vessel machine (CLEM) for separation of the irradiated portion of the experiment from the instrument stalk. After separation, the 3.6-m (12-ft)-long assembly was processed through the sodium removal system and shipped off-site for examination. This success allowed the timely completion of a major task on the FFTF operations schedule.
A hydrogen peroxide injection system was designed and installed in the stack of a 5,274 million J/hr industrial pilot plant scale combustion chamber using natural gas as fuel. The concentration of peroxide in the gas stream was precisely controlled by continuous injection using an electromagnetic dosage pump, the liquid 50% peroxide solution was finely dispersed into the gases by a water cooled custom designed delivery system with a spray nozzle at the tip. Residence times between 0.1 and 1.8 seconds and concentrations of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} between 280 ppm and 4,000 ppm were used during the test runs. CEMS for total hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, as well as an ultrasonic gas flow monitor were used to measure the effect of hydrogen peroxide in reducing the emissions of these pollutants. Destruction removal efficiencies between 25% and 100% were observed for hydrocarbons, and concentrations of CO, as well as NO{sub x}. were reduced about 50%. The ...
The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR) is to estimate the potential radiation doses received by people living within the sphere of influence of the Hanford Site. A potential critical pathway for human radiation exposure is through the consumption of waterfowl that frequent onsite waste-water ponds or through eating of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl that reside in/on the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream of the reactors. This document summarizes information on fish, shellfish, and waterfowl radiation contamination for samples collected by Hanford monitoring personnel and offsite agencies for the period 1945 to 1972. Specific information includes the types of organisms sampled, the kinds of tissues and organs analyzed, the sampling locations, and the radionuclides reported. Some tissue concentrations are also included. We anticipate that these yearly summaries will be helpful to individuals and organizations ...
The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR) is to estimate the potential radiation doses received by people living within the sphere of influence of the Hanford Site. A potential critical pathway for human radiation exposure is through the consumption of waterfowl that frequent onsite waste-water ponds or through eating of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl that reside in/on the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream of the reactors. This document summarizes information on fish, shellfish, and waterfowl radiation contamination for samples collected by Hanford monitoring personnel and offsite agencies for the period 1945 to 1972. Specific information includes the types of organisms sampled, the kinds of tissues and organs analyzed, the sampling locations, and the radionuclides reported. Some tissue concentrations are also included. We anticipate that these yearly summaries will be helpful to individuals and organizations ...
The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR) is to estimate the potential radiation doses received by people living within the sphere of influence of the Hanford Site. A potential critical pathway for human radiation exposure is through the consumption of waterfowl that frequent onsite waste-water ponds or through eating of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl that reside in/on the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream of the reactors. This document summarizes information on fish, shellfish, and waterfowl radiation contamination for samples collected by Hanford monitoring personnel and offsite agencies for the period 1945 to 1972. Specific information includes the types of organisms sampled, the kinds of tissues and organs analyzed, the sampling locations, and the radionuclides reported. Some tissue concentrations are also included. We anticipate that these yearly summaries will be helpful to individuals and organizations ...
In the framework of the feasibility study of radioactive waste disposal in deep geologic formations, a clay formation (named 'argilite de l'Est') has been selected in the Meuse-Haute Marne region (France) for the construction of an underground laboratory. The percolation of alkaline solutions through the argilite has been studied using column experiments with short residence times (30 min). These experiments simulate the leaching of a cement which could be used in the building materials of the laboratory. The alkaline solutions used are mono-cationic solutions of calcium, sodium and strontium. The behaviour of calcium is differentiated from the other cations. For all alkaline solutions (NaOH, Ca(OH){sub 2} or Sr(OH){sub 2}) chemical reactions consuming both hydroxide ions and their associated cations have been evidenced. These reactions are heterogenous reactions of surface adsorption by site ionization. The calcium has a different ...
We consider isolated compact remnants (ICoRs), i.e. neutrons stars and black holes that do not reside in binary systems and therefore cannot be detected as X-ray binaries. ICoRs may represent $\\sim\\,5$ percent of the stellar mass budget of the Galaxy, but they are very hard to detect. Here we explore the possibility of using microlensing to identify ICoRs. In a previous paper we described a simulation of neutron star evolution in phase space in the Galaxy, taking into account the distribution of the progenitors and the kick at formation. Here we first reconsider the evolution and distribution of neutron stars and black holes adding a bulge component. From the new distributions we calculate the microlensing optical depth, event rate and distribution of event time scales, comparing and contrasting the case of ICoRs and "normal stars". We find that the contribution of remnants to optical depth is slightly lower than without kinematics, owing to the evaporation from ...
The principal paradigm for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) suggests that the prompt transient gamma-ray signal arises from multiple shocks internal to the relativistic expansion. This paper explores how GRB prompt emission spectra can constrain electron (or ion) acceleration properties at the relativistic shocks that pertain to GRB models. The array of possible high-energy power-law indices in accelerated populations is highlighted, focusing on how spectra above 1 MeV can probe the field obliquity in GRB internal shocks, and the character of hydromagnetic turbulence in their environs. When encompassing the MeV-band spectral break, fits to BATSE/EGRET burst data indicate that the preponderance of electrons responsible for the prompt emission reside in an intrinsically non-thermal population. This differs markedly from typical populations generated in acceleration simulations; potential resolutions of this conflict such as the action of self-absorption are mentioned. ...
Fetal exposure to phthalates may be associated with adverse reproductive effects, including cryptorchidism and decreased semen quality. Information about human placental transfer is needed to qualify the hypotheses. A dual recirculating placenta perfusion system to monitor concentrations of eight phthalate monoesters in fetal and maternal perfusates was established. In addition to perfusate background measures of phthalate monoesters, the concentrations in umbilical cord plasma and placenta tissue were measured. Monomethyl phthalate (mMP), monoethyl phthalate (mEP), monobutyl phthalate (mBP), and mono (2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (mEHP) were detected in both maternal and fetal perfusate, demonstrating a release of compounds from tissue or blood to perfusates. The distribution of compounds between perfusate, umbilical cord plasma, and tissue was in accordance with the physical-chemical properties of the compounds. Results from the present study of compounds residing in ...
Chloromethane, dichloromethane and 1,2-dichloroethane were completely decomposed in air on perovskite-type catalysts (LaMnO{sub 3}, LaCoO{sub 3}, (La{sub 0.84},Sr{sub 0.16})(Mn{sub 0.67},Co{sub 0.33})O{sub 3}) at reaction temperatures above 550C. Besides the main reaction products (carbon dioxide, water and hydrochloric acid), by-products (higher chlorinated-, C-C coupling- and cracking products) were formed in the low temperature range. Depending on the reaction temperature, residence time and kind of chlorinated hydrocarbon a reversible catalyst deactivation takes place. In the case of LaCoO{sub 3} catalysts an irreversible deactivation was observed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) measurements with the perovskite-type catalysts after interaction of chlorinated hydrocarbons indicate the formation of chlorinated species on the catalyst surface and in the bulk
Sputter-deposited tantalum (Ta) and reactively sputter-deposited Ta-nitride films were studied with respect to the passivation capability against copper (Cu) oxidation in thermal O{sub 2} ambient. A 200 {angstrom} Ta or Ta-nitride film was sputter-deposited on a 2,000 {angstrom} Cu film using a Ta target in an Ar/N{sub 2} gas mixture. With Ta passivation, Cu was not oxidized at temperatures up to 400 C, which can be further improved by using passivation of an amorphous Ta-nitride film deposited in an appropriate condition. The absence of long-range defects in the Ta-nitride film was presumably responsible for this improvement. However, sputtering-induced surface damage by excess N{sub 2} in the sputter gas mixture may reduce the passivation capability of Ta-nitride films. When the passivated Cu was oxidized, the Cu oxides always resided in the top surface region. That is, in the oxidation process, Cu diffused through the defects of the passivation layers to the ...
This dissertation concerns a study of the utilization of sorghum biomass as the fuel for a methane production system. The objective of this research is to determine an optimal sorghum-methane production system based on anaerobic batch digestion technology. The system is described as the interaction of three components: estimation of available biomass, storage of biomass, and the gas production. Levelized costs are obtained for each component. The biomass supply is assumed to decay exponentially in quality with storage time. The gas production process is a batch type of digestion with an exponential production rate. Gas production is formulated for a fixed planning horizon (one year) as a function of the number of batches and the batch residence times. The cost equation is then described as a function of these gas production equations and their levelized costs. The structure of this resulting equation is exploited to obtain the minimum unit gas cost. This analysis ...
The close-in extrasolar giant planets (CEGPs) reside in irradiated environments much more intense than that of the giant planets in our solar system. The high UV irradiance strongly influences their photochemistry and the general current view believed that this high UV flux will greatly enhance photochemical production of hydrocarbon aerosols. In this letter, we investigate hydrocarbon aerosol formation in the atmospheres of CEGPs. We find that the abundances of hydrocarbons in the atmospheres of CEGPs are significantly less than that of Jupiter except for models in which the CH$_4$ abundance is unreasonably high (as high as CO) for the hot (effective temperatures $\\gtrsim 1000$ K) atmospheres. Moreover, the hydrocarbons will be condensed out to form aerosols only when the temperature-pressure profiles of the species intersect with the saturation profiles--a case almost certainly not realized in the hot CEGPs atmospheres. Hence our models show that photochemical ...
Flow fields, temperature distributions, and particle trajectories in a 2-stage entrained-flow gasifier are calculated using a CFD code, FLUENT. Realizable k- {epsilon} model is used as a turbulent model. Because of swirling flow there appear recirculation regions near the burners. The characteristics of flow fields and temperature distributions in the gasifier are dependent on the swirl number of the system. Mean residence time of the particles in the reductor is inversely proportional to particle size, particle density and swirl number. As the swirl number is increasing, the particles injected from the combustor burners approach the wall near the combustor burners, which prevents the particles from entering the reductor and thus attaching the reductor wall. If the lower combustor burner angle is larger than the higher combustor burner angle for a given swirl number, the particles may move toward the reductor and cause ash/slag deposition problem. (author). 19 ...
The study surveyed urban women's use of information media and drew attention to the implications for women in leadership positions and non-formal education. A questionnaire containing structured and unstructured items was administered to 300 women resident at Nsukka urban town Enugu State, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty-five usable copies were used for the data analysis. The findings show that oral media are the most popular among women irrespective of level of education and type of occupation. The level of education influenced the use of radio and television. Popular radio and television programmes among women include newscasts, socio-cultural programmes, music and drama. Problems hindering women's use of radio and television include time constraint, poor reception, poor condition of available sets and lack of money for repairs among others. Based on these findings the implication for the achievement of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) objectives with ...
We perform a combined analysis of $B \\to \\pi \\pi$ and $B \\to \\pi K$ decays with the current experimental data. Assuming SU(3) flavor symmetry and no new physics contributions to the topological amplitudes, we demonstrate that the conventional parametrization in the Standard Model (SM) does not describe the data very well, in contrast with a similar analysis based on the earlier data. It is also shown that the introduction of smaller amplitudes and reasonable SU(3) breaking parameters does not improve the fits much. Interpreting these puzzling behaviors in the SM as a new physics (NP) signal, we study various NP scenarios. We find that when a single NP amplitude dominates, the NP in the electroweak penguin sector is the most favorable. However, other NP solutions, such as NP residing in the QCD-penguin sector and color-suppressed electroweak penguin sector simultaneously, can also solve the puzzle.
This paper reports on the superiority of zeolites over amorphous solids which is well documented for solid acid catalysts of industrial use. Crystalline supports, likewise, open attractive perspectives for catalysis by metals, alloys, and ligated metal clusters. Size and location of clusters can be controlled by careful design of the preparation conditions. Pore dimensions control the access of reactants to active sites and escape paths for products. Cage dimensions determine which transition states can be attained; window apertures are functional in isolating metal clusters from each other, thus preventing ther coalescence and growth. The ship-in-a-bottle method permits deisgn of fairly large active complexes entrapped in zeolite cages. Orientation of non-spherical molecules in a zeolite proe helps to direct their collision with a metal particle to the head on mode; however, isolated Pt atoms hidden in niches of the pore walls can attack passing molecules at their soft flanks. ...
In this paper we develop a general, systematic, microlocal framework for the Fredholm analysis of non-elliptic problems, including high energy (or semiclassical) estimates, which is stable under perturbations. This framework is relatively simple given modern microlocal analysis, and only takes a bit over a dozen pages after the statement of notation. It resides on a compact manifold without boundary, hence in the standard setting of microlocal analysis, including semiclassical analysis. The rest of the paper is devoted to applications. Many natural applications arise in the setting of non-Riemannian b-metrics in the context of Melrose's b-structures. These include asymptotically Minkowski metrics, asymptotically de Sitter-type metrics on a blow-up of the natural compactification and Kerr-de Sitter-type metrics. The simplest application, however, is to provide a new approach to analysis on Riemannian or Lorentzian (or indeed, possibly of other signature) conformally ...
Our inability to associate distant regulatory elements with the genes that they regulate has largely precluded their examination for sequence alterations contributing to human disease. One major obstacle is the large genomic space surrounding targeted genes in which such elements could potentially reside. In order to delineate gene regulatory boundaries we used whole-genome human-mouse-chicken (HMC) and human-mouse-frog (HMF) multiple alignments to compile conserved blocks of synteny (CBS), under the hypothesis that these blocks have been kept intact throughout evolution at least in part by the requirement of regulatory elements to stay linked to the genes that they regulate. A total of 2,116 and 1,942 CBS>200 kb were assembled for HMC and HMF respectively, encompassing 1.53 and 0.86 Gb of human sequence. To support the existence of complex long-range regulatory domains within these CBS we analyzed the prevalence and distribution of chromosomal aberrations ...
An almost primordial trend in the conversion and use of energy is an increased complexity and cost of conversion systems designed to utilize cheaper and more-abundant fuels; this trend is exemplified by the progression fossil fission {yields} fusion. The present projections of the latter indicate that capital costs of the fusion ``burner`` far exceed any commensurate savings associated with the cheapest and most-abundant of fuels. These projections suggest competitive fusion power only if internal costs associate with the use of fossil or fission fuels emerge to make them either uneconomic, unacceptable, or both with respect to expensive fusion systems. This ``implementation-by-default`` plan for fusion is re-examined by identifying in general terms fusion power-plant embodiments that might compete favorably under conditions where internal costs (both economic and environmental) of fossil and/or fission are not as great as is needed to justify the contemporary vision for fusion power. ...
An extruder used by kneading stearic acid (St acid) into it for the production of polystyrene for injection molding was studied. Most disadvantageous of kneading methods, melt-feed method, was applied because this method enables the utilization of existing facilities. St acid is discolored when the temperature surpasses 270{sup 0}C in nitrogen atmosphere, and the contact with metals intensifies the discoloring. The discoloring is more intensified by the contact with nitriding steel than with stainless steel. Residence time is 85 seconds, and even the contact with nitriding steel does not discolor ST acid when the temperature is lower than 270{sup 0}C. In the melt-feed method, when the die is in a bad shape, it brings about dead space at the tip of the die and St acid holds up there. When the kneading is in bad condition (St acid and polymer are hard to mix because their viscosities are quite different), St acid gathers between the barrel wall and the polymer at a ...
A liquid column was used for the experiments reported in Part 1. However, it only gives the observation of the effect of fast reaction because the liquid flow was controlled to uniform laminar flow and the contact is limited to short time of around 10 ms. In practical absorbing operation, turbulence is involved in liquid flow, and the residence time for contact is long. Hence, the absorption of trace iodine in the purified air has been experimented by using a constant interface area type stirred absorption tank. Prior to the experiment, the characteristics of the absorption tank was investigated by conducting pure carbon dioxide absorption test with purified water. It gave the conclusion that the tank was sufficiently usable for fundamental researches. In short contact time absorption, the iodine dissolved and absorbed in liquid phase is affected by reaction of hypoiodous acid and poly-iodide ion formation due to hydrolysis by basic catalyst, proceeding in the ...
The population growth, changing consumption patterns, and rapid urbanization contribute significantly to the growing volumes of solid waste that are generated in urban settings. As the rate of urbanization increases, demand on the services of solid waste management increases. The rapid urban growth in Langkawi Island, Malaysia, combined with the increasing rates of solid waste production has provided evidence that the traditional solid waste management practices, particularly the methods of waste collection and disposal, are inefficient and quite nonsustainable. Accordingly, municipal managers and planners in Langkawi need to look for and adopt a model for solid waste management that ...
Studies were undertaken to examine the effects of animal age on the anticarcinogenic properties of antioxidants. Female hairless mice, 2.5, 4.5 and 9.5 months of age, were subjected to daily irradiation from Westinghouse BZS-WLG lamps for 19 weeks. Experimental groups of animals were maintained on a commercial rodent meal supplemented with a 2% (w/w) antioxidant mixture. Control groups received only the meal. Tumour latency, expressed as median time to tumor development, was significantly greater for all age groups receiving antioxidants than for their similarly aged controls. However, the response to antioxidants appeared to decrease with age and the antioxidant effect was significantly less in the 9.5 month-old group than in the 2.5 month-old group. Likewise, the two youngest groups receiving antioxidants demonstrated a significantly fewer number of tumors per animal. It is concluded that animal age influences the degree of photoprotection provided by antioxidants. Whether this ...
Due to severe drought conditions in Pakistan over the past several years, most of the areas are facing extinction of its potable water reserves and inadequate replenishment of groundwater aquifers. Due to over exploitation, the groundwater flow dynamics is changing and water quality is degrading due to induced infiltration from polluted surface sources. Isotope hydrology is relatively a new discipline having great potential for studying various water-related problems. RIAD, PINSTECH has established analytical facilities for commonly used environmental isotopes and applied to investigate various hydrological problems. This paper briefly describes practical examples on recharge mechanism and dating of groundwater in Lahore and Ziarat areas using isotopes like deuterium (/sup 2/H), Oxygen-18 (/sup 18/O), Tritium (/sup 3/H) and CFCs in water. In Lahore, the areas having different contribution of the river Ravi in groundwater recharge have been marked and on the basis of tritium values, ...
Finding environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods to remediate soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is currently a major concern of researchers. In this study, a series of small-scale semi-continuous extractions - with and without in situ wet oxidation - were performed on soils polluted with PAHs, using subcritical water (i.e. liquid water at high temperatures and pressures, but below the critical point) as the removal agent. Experiments were performed in a 300 mL reactor using an aged soil sample. To find the desorption isotherms and oxidation reaction rates, semi-continuous experiments with residence times of 1 and 2 h were performed using aged soil at 250 deg. C and hydrogen peroxide as oxidizing agent. In all combined extraction and oxidation flow experiments, PAHs in the remaining soil after the experiments were almost undetectable. In combined extraction and oxidation no PAHs could be detected in the liquid phase after the ...
Abstract in english Higher olefins are produced as a by product in a number of refinery processes and are one of the potential raw materials to produce propylene. In the present study, FCC model feed compound was considered to explore the olefin cracking features and options to enhance propylene using 30% SAPO-34 zeolite as catalyst in a micro-reactor. The superior selectivity of propylene (73 wt%) and higher total olefin selectivity was obtained over 30% SAPO-34 catalyst than over Y or ZSM- (more) 5 zeolite catalysts. The thermodynamical constraints were found to be relatively less serious in the case of 1-hexene conversion. Most of the 1-hexene follows a direct cracking pathway to give two propylene molecules, due to weak acid sites and better diffusion opportunities. The higher temperature and short residence time could also suppress the hydrogen transfer reactions. From OPE (olefins performance envelop) the products were classified as primary, secondary, or ...
As the twentieth century gropes toward its uncertain conclusion, the pontification quotient increases. We hear that the end of history and science are near; that the questions we face today (in contrast with the end of the 19th century) are no longer soluble or present theories verifiable. These arguments will be examined using two examples. The first, familiar to all physicists, already resides securely in the museum of intellectual achievement. The second is a work in progress : the physiological and/or molecular basis for brain functions such as learning and memory storage. How do these lead to various higher level system properties - in particular, consciousness ? About consciousness, much has been said and written - not all of it illuminating. We discuss some of this, in particular a recent argument of Penrose. We consider whether the nature of consciousness is a (possibly) soluble scientific question. If so, how should it be posed ? Finally, if the end is not ...
To understand evolutionary and environmental effects during the formation of high-mass stars, we observed three regions of massive star formation at different evolutionary stages that reside in the same natal molecular cloud. Methods. The three regions S255IR, S255N and S255S were observed at 1.3 mm with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and followup short spacing information was obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. Near infrared (NIR) H + K-band spectra and continuum observations were taken for S255IR with VLT-SINFONI to study the different stellar populations in this region. The combination of millimeter (mm) and near infrared data allow us to characterize different stellar populations within the young forming cluster in detail. While we find multiple mm continuum sources toward all regions, their outflow, disk and chemical properties vary considerably. The most evolved source S255IR exhibits a collimated bipolar outflow visible in CO and H2 emission, the outflows ...
This study addresses the solar thermal decomposition of natural gas for the co-production of hydrogen and carbon black (CB) as a high-value nano-material with the bonus of zero CO2 emission. The work focused on the development of a medium-scale solar reactor (10kW) based on the indirect heating concept. The solar reactor is composed of a cubic cavity receiver (20cm-side), which absorbs concentrated solar irradiation through a quartz window by a 9cm-diameter aperture. The reacting gas flows inside four graphite tubular reaction zones that are settled vertically inside the cavity. Experimental results in the temperature range 1740-2070K are presented: acetylene (C2H2) was the most important by-product with a mole fraction of up to about 7%, depending on the gas residence time. C2H2 content i...
Following the publication (Stenhouse and Baxter, Nature; 267:828 (1977)) of the levels of bomb "1"4C and the residence times of carbon in the human body, excess radiation burdens from this radioisotope are evaluated under the assumption that no radiation dose, however small, can be regarded as entirely harmless biologically. The estimated annual absorbed dose attributable to "1"4C both natural and man-made for 1953-1973 and similar predicted figures for 1975-2025 are shown graphically. The cumulated doses to gonads (over 30 yr) and to bone marrow and bone-lining cells (over 60 yr) and also estimates of the biological damage to reproductive cells from "1"4C #beta#-irradiation (30 yr accumulated dose) are presented. It is concluded from both genetic and somatic considerations, that the potential human radiation burden due to artificially produced "1"4C calculated using the assumptions stated is certainly significant and, therefore, cannot be dismissed. However, ...
Biocatalytic Desulfurization (BDS) represents an alternative approach to the reduction of sulfur in fossil fuels. The objective is to use bacteria to selectively remove sulfur from petroleum and middle distillate fractions, without the concomitant release of carbon. Recently, bacteria have been developed which have the ability to desulfurize dibenzothiophene (DBT) and other organosulfur molecules. These bacteria are being developed for use in a biocatalyst-based desulfurization process. Analysis of preliminary conceptual engineering designs has shown that this process has the potential to complement conventional technology as a method to temper the sulfur levels in crude oil, or remove the recalcitrant sulfur in middle distillates to achieve the deep desulfurization mandated by State and Federal regulations. This paper describes the results of initial feasibility studies, sensitivity analyses and conceptual design work. Feasibility studies with various crude oils and middle distillates ...
We have performed a detailed analysis of water clustering and percolation in hydrated Nafion configurations generated by classical molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that at low hydration levels H2O molecules are isolated and a continuous hydrogen-bonded network forms as the hydration level is increased. Our quantitative analysis has established a hydration level (?) between 5 and 6 H2O/SO3- as the percolation threshold of Nafion. We have also examined the effect of such a network on proton transport by studying the structural diffusion of protons using the quantum hopping molecular dynamics method. The mean residence time of the proton on a water molecule decreases by two orders of magnitude when the ? value is increased from 5 to 15. The proton diffusion coefficient in Nafion at a ? value of 15 is about 1.1x10-5 cm2/s in agreement with experiment. The results provide quantitative atomic-level evidence of water network percolation in Nafion and its ...
Magnetic coupling between two or more metal centers is an important facet of d- and f-block transition metal chemistry due to its implications in chemical bonding. With respect to actinide metals, magnetic coupling between polymetallic actinide centers is less well-known. Of the few documented examples, only one bimetallic uranium(V) complex, [(MeC{sub 5}H{sub 4}){sub 2}U]{sub 2}[{mu}-1,4-N{sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 4}] (1), has unequivocally demonstrated antiferromagnetic coupling. This complex employs a {pi}-conjugated 1,4-phenylenedimide ligand system which bridges the two f{sup 1}-metal centers and enables antiferromagentic coupling between unpaired f-e1ectrons residing in a {pi}-symmetry orbital. In this communication, we report the synthesis of a dimeric bis(imido) uranium(V) iodide complex and demonstrate with magnetic susceptibility measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations that the f{sup 1}-uranium centers display antiferromagnetic coupling ...
The study had three objectives: to collect information that explain the impact of the Aube storage center (C.S.A.) on environment and allow to evaluate the consequences for man, secondly, to build a referential for any future inquiry or follow-up, thirdly, to allow to the local commission of information to elaborate an information towards the side residents and local actors that take into account their questions. Trees, waters, sediments, soils, grass, products of gardens and vineyards were the object of sampling, their dosimetry is given in this report. Other dosimetry measures were made along the nuclear site and the results are equally in this report. (N.C.)
This research centered on finding and perfecting methods of collection and disposal of refuse in Ibadan North Local Government Areas. The methodology used included questionnaire administration, personal interviews, field reconnaissance, and biochemical tests of water samples, all aimed at providing useful data for the design of effective methods of collecting and disposing refuse. The local government area was divided into three classes based on resident income: a high-income area (Bodija Avenue, etc.), a medium-income area (Sanngo, Oluyole, etc.), and a low-income area (Beere, Adeoyo, etc.). The research outcomes revealed that the waste generation rate for the local government ranged from 0.2 to 0.33 kg/cap/day and waste density ranged from 172.41 to 217.61 kg/m"3. Water analyses showed that the chloride, manganese, lead, and cadmium levels in water from low-income areas were above the WHO standard. The refuse generated in high and medium-income areas was ...
Pd-Ag bimetallic catalysts, supported on gamma-Al2O3, have been evaluated as exhaust catalysts for methanol-fueled vehicles. Laboratory studies have shown that a 0.01% Pd-5% Ag catalyst has greater CO and CH3OH oxidation activity than either 0.01% Pd or 5% Ag catalysts alone. Moreover, Pd and Ag interact synergistically in the bimetallic catalyst to produce greater CO and CH3OH oxidation rates and lower yields of methanol partial oxidation products than expected from a mixture of the single-component catalysts. The Pd-Ag synergism results from Pd promoting the rate of O2 adsorption and reaction with CO and CH3OH on Ag. Rate enhancement by the bimetallic catalyst is greatest at short reactor residence times where the oxygen adsorption rate limits the overall reaction rate.
This report presents the results of Run 260 performed at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction R&D Facility in Wilsonville. The run was started on July 17, 1990 and continued until November 14, 1990, operating in the Close-Coupled Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction mode processing Black Thunder mine subbituminous coal (Wyodak-Anderson seam from Wyoming Powder River Basin). Both thermal/catalytic and catalytic/thermal tests were performed to determine the methods for reducing solids buildup in a subbituminous coal operation, and to improve product yields. A new, smaller interstage separator was tested to reduce solids buildup by increasing the slurry space velocity in the separator. In order to obtain improved coal and resid conversions (compared to Run 258) full-volume thermal reactor and 3/4-volume catalytic reactor were used. Shell 324 catalyst, 1/16 in. cylindrical extrudate, at a replacement rate of 3 lb/ton of MF coal was used in the catalytic stage. Iron oxide ...
This report presents the results of Run 260 performed at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction R D Facility in Wilsonville. The run was started on July 17, 1990 and continued until November 14, 1990, operating in the Close-Coupled Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction mode processing Black Thunder mine subbituminous coal (Wyodak-Anderson seam from Wyoming Powder River Basin). Both thermal/catalytic and catalytic/thermal tests were performed to determine the methods for reducing solids buildup in a subbituminous coal operation, and to improve product yields. A new, smaller interstage separator was tested to reduce solids buildup by increasing the slurry space velocity in the separator. In order to obtain improved coal and resid conversions (compared to Run 258) full-volume thermal reactor and 3/4-volume catalytic reactor were used. Shell 324 catalyst, 1/16 in. cylindrical extrudate, at a replacement rate of 3 lb/ton of MF coal was used in the catalytic stage. Iron oxide was ...
This paper presents a comprehensive study of pesticide levels and bio-accumulation characteristics in human adipose tissues among residents of Southeast China. A large number of adipose samples (n=633) were selected for 58 pesticides and were analyzed by high sensitive Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed that POPs pesticides were frequently detected, including 2,4prime-DDD, 2,4prime-DDE, 2,4prime-DDT, 4,4prime-DDD, 4,4prime-DDE, 4,4prime-DDT, a-HCH, b-HCH, g-HCH, d-HCH, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and mirex. Other detected pesticide species were dicofol, methamidophos and chlordimeform, which have rarely been reported. Comparing to different countries, the concentrations of total DDT and HCH in these three Chinese southeastern sites were in the middle ra...
In June 2010, Basic Energy Plan was approved in a Cabinet meeting. It says that Japan aims to construct more than 14 atomic power plants by 2030. Today, there are 12 plans of construction of atomic power plant, but it is hard to say that their plans easily come off. That's because public acceptance of atomic power plant is low in Japan, for example local residents wage opposition campaigns. This study conducts a survey in the form of a questionnaire and analyzes it by Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). Analytic Hierarchy Process is a structured technique for dealing with complex decisions. A questionnaire using AHP is very easy to answer and analyze. This survey was conducted in 2 areas. First area is Hohoku-cho, Yamaguchi Pref. that had a plan of construction of atomic power plant and the plan was demolished by opposition campaigns. Second area is Kaminoseki-cho, Yamaguchi Pref. that has a plan of construction of atomic power plant now and the plan is working ...
This study determined the phylogenetic groups and virulence factors of 37 Escherichia coli isolates producing types of CTX-M compared with those of 19 isolates producing different types...Full Text Available
Vascular permeability factor (VPF) is an Mr 40-kD protein that has been purified from the conditioned medium of guinea pig line 10 tumor cells grown in vitro, and increases fluid permeability from blood...Full Text Available
AIM: To investigate the effects of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) on the differentiation of colonic lamina propria fibroblasts (CLPF) into myofibroblasts in vitro.METHODS:...Full Text Available
BackgroundPerichondrium is recognized as a tissue with chondrogenic potential yielding cells which can be used for osteochondral repair. Factors which influence the proliferative...Full Text Available
Opinions on factors affecting public power systems are presented. Social, economic, and political factors are discussed in terms of their impact on public power. Competition with investor-owned utilities is the primary focus of the paper. Privatization and regulations are other issues discussed.
Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) promotes tumor cell adaptation to microenvironmental stress. HIF-1 is up-regulated in irradiated tumors and serves as a promising target for radiosensitization....Full Text Available
The covariant quark model is shown to allow a phenomenological description of the neutron electric form factor, G{sub E}{sup n}(Q{sup 2}), in the impulse approximation, provided that the wave function contains minor ({approx}3%) admixtures of the lowest energy sea-quark configurations. While that form factor is not very sensitive to whether the q{sup -} in the qqqqq{sup -} component is in the P-state or in the S-state, the calculated nucleon magnetic form factors are much closer to the empirical values in the case of the former configuration. In the case of the electric form factor of the proton, G{sub E}{sup p}(Q{sup 2}) a zero appears in the impulse approximation close to 10 GeV{sup 2}, when the q{sup -} is in the P-state. That configuration, which may be interpreted as a pion loop ('cloud') fluctuation, also leads to a clearly better description of the nucleon magnetic moments. When ...
The specific binding of transcription factors to cognate sequence elements is thought to be critical for the generation of specific gene expression programs. Members of the nuclear factor κB...Full Text Available
The growth regulating factor CTGF/CCN-2 is an integral factor in growth and development, connective tissue maintenance, wound repair and cell cycle regulation. It has recently been reported that CTGF/CCN-2...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe link between maternal factors and birth outcomes is well established. Substantial changes in society and medical care over time have influenced women's reproductive...Full Text Available
The stability of prothrombin and factor VII was studied using accelerated degradation tests in three preparations of freeze-dried pooled normal plasmas. In a previous report (Brozović, Gurd,...Full Text Available
Little is known about how sociodemographic factors relate to children’s chronic pain. This paper describes the pain, health, and sociodemographic characteristics of a cohort of children...Full Text Available
BackgroundCognitive impairment is an age-related condition as the rate of cognitive decline rapidly increases with aging. It is especially important to better understand factors...Full Text Available
The study of blocking factors requires in vitro assay of cell mediated immunity that parallels the in vivo response. By microcytotoxicity testing, progressor and immune peripheral blood lymphocytes...Full Text Available
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is one of the most important prognostic and predictive factors for breast cancer patients. Recently, serum HER2...Full Text Available
Many growth factors and hormones modulate the reproductive status in mammals. Among these, insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) regulate the development of gonadal tissues. SH2-B has been...Full Text Available
To evaluate the role of putative group A streptococcal virulence factors in the initiation of skin infections, we compared the adherence of a wild-type M49-protein skin-associated strain to that of...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with mental illness in Oyo State at community level using the general health questionnaire...Full Text Available
Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study determined risk factors for the recovery of piperacillin-tazobactam-resistant P. aeruginosa...Full Text Available
Background:Parity has been linked to gallbladder cancer and gallstones, but the effects of other reproductive factors are less clear.Methods:We examined...Full Text Available
ABSTRACTPurpose: To describe previously reported locomotor muscle and whole-body composition factors related to mobility in older individuals.Methods:...Full Text Available
Variant alleles of the mannose binding lectin (MBL) gene are associated with increased susceptibility to infection and polymorphisms of tumour necrosis factor and lymphotoxin alpha genes (TNF, LTA)...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain mutations hyperactivate the kinase and confer kinase addiction of the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor...Full Text Available
Binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the EGF receptor (EGFR) initiates signal transduction, ultimately leading to altered gene expression. Ligand-activated EGFR is also rapidly internalized...Full Text Available
We recently found that many RNA polymerase II transcription factors are modified with N-acetylglucosamine residues. These sugar moieties confer upon transcription factors an ability to bind the lectin wheat germ agglutinin. We have taken advantage of this interaction to devise a purification procedure for the "GC-box" binding transcription factor Sp1. Crude nuclear extracts are first subjected to wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography and then subjected to sequence-specific DNA affinity chromatography. The Sp1 protein purified by this procedure is at least 95% pure, and the overall recovery is greater than 80%. In addition to yielding larger quantities of Sp1 than conventional schemes, the new purification procedure is also simpler and more rapid. We show that wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography can also be used to purify the glycosylated forms of the CCAAT-binding transcription factor. ...
Haemophilia, the commonest hereditary bleeding disorder, arises because of the absence of, decrease in, or deficient functioning of plasma coagulation factor VIII or factor IX. With rare exceptions,...Full Text Available
The objective was to investigate the association of pregravid weight status, dietary restraint and psychosocial factors during pregnancy. We used data from the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition...Full Text Available
BackgroundHealthcare professionals can play a crucial role in optimizing the health status of patients with cardiovascular risk factors (abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, low...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) related therapies – mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as erlotinib and gefitinib, but also monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR, for example,...Full Text Available
BackgroundPolymorphisms in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene may influence EGFR production and/or activity, thereby modulating susceptibility to lung...Full Text Available
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent moderator of soft tissue repair through induction of the inflammatory phase of repair and subsequent enhanced collagen deposition. We examined the effect...Full Text Available
Increased oxidative stress is associated with perinatal asphyxia and respiratory distress in the newborn period. Induction of nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor (Nrf2) has been shown to decrease...Full Text Available
This paper proposes a novel method for computing linear basis images from tensor-valued image data. As a generalization of the nonnegative matrix factorization, the proposed method aims to approximate...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe aim of the present article was to evaluate whether angiogenic parameters as assessed by transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound (TVCD) may predict those prognostic factors...Full Text Available
For the risk estimate of fatal malignancies, an effective dose was proposed on the basis of the assumption that the risk should be equal whether the whole body irradiated uniformly or whether there is non-uniform irradiation. The effective dose was defined by the product of organ or tissue doses and a weighting factor representing the proportion of risk factor for a fatal malignancy resulting from organ or tissue irradiation to the total malignant factor. The risk of malignancies can be derived by multiplying the malignant significant factor by the product of the risk factor and the effective dose. For the genetic risk, a significant factor was a relative child expectancy and organ or tissue doses were gonad doses. And, for the leukemogenic risk, a significant factor was the leukemia significant factor and organ or ...
BackgroundThe complications of hypertension cause severe health problems in rural areas in China. We (i) screened the major factors inducing hypertensive complications and provided...Full Text Available
To investigate the fate of intrinsic factor and cobalamin during cobalamin absorption, we incubated enterocytes isolated from guinea pig ileum for periods of up to 30 min with 57Co-labeled...Full Text Available
The agglutination of human platelets by ristocetin and von Willebrand factor was inhibited by aggregated immunoglobulin (Ig)G and by Fc fragments of IgG, but not by Fab, F(ab′)2 or...Full Text Available
Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) allows researchers to determine the genome-wide binding locations of individual transcription factors (TFs) at high resolution....Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: We studied 22 dogs to examine the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) alone, in comparison with omental or muscular wrapping on airway healing in a tracheal autotransplantation...Full Text Available
Cellular hypertrophy is regulated by coordinated pro- and antigrowth machineries. Foxo transcription factors initiate an atrophy-related gene program to counter hypertrophic growth. This study was designed...Full Text Available
The effect of growth phase on expression of virulence-associated factors was studied by Northern hybridization in an M1T1 clinical isolate of Streptococcus pyogenes. Expression of M...Full Text Available
PurposeThis study was undertaken to determine the neuroprotective effect of granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF) on neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Materials...Full Text Available
The ETS proteins are a family of transcription factors (TFs) that regulate a variety of biological processes. We made genome-wide analyses to explore the classification of the ETS gene family. We identified...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe mammalian FoxO transcription factors function to regulate diverse physiological processes. Emerging evidence that both BDNF and lithium suppress FoxO...Full Text Available
This study investigated potential risk factors for the presence of Salmonella on 89 Alberta swine-finishing farms with the use of a questionnaire. Salmonella status...Full Text Available
The C1 fixation test is widely used for the study of the interaction between immunoglobulins, their fragments and the complement system. Some factors influencing the apparent extent of the C1 fixation...Full Text Available
Various factors affecting the aggregation of Actinomyces naeslundii strain 12104 were studied. When the pH of glucose-supplemented growth medium fell below 5.5, the cells aggregated and formed microbial...Full Text Available
Knowledge of factors affecting variation in birth weight is especially important given the relationship of birth weight to neonatal and adult health. The present study utilises two large contemporary...Full Text Available
In this paper, we present experimentally determined reflection factors of mirrors based on the depleted uranium and dependence of reflection factor on time of presence of samples on air.
Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem among nosocomial bacteria. Risk factors for the recovery of ceftriaxone-resistant (CRCF) or -susceptible (CSCF) Citrobacter freundii...Full Text Available
The roles played by environmental factors in seasonal changes in microbial populations were investigated in the Tvärminne area, off the southern coast of Finland. Surface-layer samples were...Full Text Available
In response to oxidative stress, the transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) controls the fate of cells through transcriptional upregulation of antioxidant response element (ARE)-bearing...Full Text Available
Haemophilus parasuis is an important opportunistic pathogen in swine of high health status, but to date no proven virulence factors have been described. As virulence factors are known...Full Text Available
The objectives of this study were to examine the association between dietary factors and underweight and overweight adult Vietnamese living in the rural areas of Vietnam. A cross-sectional study of...Full Text Available
BackgroundHepatitis B and C is common in Pakistan and various risk factors are attributable to its spread.One thousand and fifty consecutive male cases suffering from chronic...Full Text Available
Parallel imaging reconstructions result in spatially varying noise amplification characterized by the g-factor, precluding conventional measurements of noise from the final...Full Text Available
Present investigations suggest that approximately 30% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases arise on the basis of inherited factors. We hypothesize that the majority of inherited factors are moderately...Full Text Available
Pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is a neuropeptide that plays a prominent role in the circadian clock of several insects. The cockroach Leucophaea maderae...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn Germany, there is a shortage of young physicians in several specialties, the situation of general practitioners (GP) being especially precarious. The factors influencing...Full Text Available
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a critical role in normal development as well as retinal vasculature disease. During retinal vascularization, VEGF is most strongly expressed by not yet...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdipose tissue lipid storage and processing capacity can be a key factor for obesity-related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes. Lipid uptake is...Full Text Available
Platelet Factor VIII-related antigen (VIIIR:Ag) represents a significant proportion of the total circulating VIIIR:Ag pool. However, its participation in the events of primary hemostasis has not been...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEPreimplantation factor (PIF) is a novel, 15 amino acid peptide, secreted by viable embryos. This study aims to elucidate PIF’s effects in human endometrial...Full Text Available
HIV infections show great variation in the rate of progression to disease, and the role of viral genetic factors in this variation had remained poorly characterized until recently. Now a series of four...Full Text Available
...discrimination against participants and beneficiaries based on a health factor. 146.121 Section 146.121 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GROUP HEALTH...
BackgroundPolicies on waste disposal in Europe are heterogeneous and rapidly changing, with potential health implications that are largely unknown. We conducted a health impact assessment of landfilling and incineration in three European countries: Italy, Slovakia and England.MethodsA total of 49 (Italy), 2 (Slovakia), and 11 (England) incinerators were operating in 2001 while for landfills the figures were 619, 121 and 232, respectively. The study population consisted of residents living within 3 km of an incinerator and 2 km of a landfill. Excess risk estimates from epidemiological studies were used, combined with air pollution dispersion modelling for particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). For incinerators, we estimated attributable cancer incidence and years of life lost (YoLL), while for landfills we estimated attributable cases of congenital anomalies and low birth weight infants.ResultsAbout 1,000,000, 16,000, and 1,200,000 subjects lived ...
As nuclear research has become more prevalent, environmental contamination from the disposal of radioactive waste has become a prominent issue. At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in northern New Mexico, radioactive contamination from disposal operations has raised some very specific concerns. Material Disposal Area G (Area G) is the primary low-level radioactive waste disposal site at LANL and occupies an area adjacent to land belonging to the Native American community of the Pueblo of San Ildefonso. Analyses of soil and vegetation collected from the perimeter of Area G have shown concentrations of radionuclides greater than background concentrations established for northern New Mexico. As a result, Pueblo residents had become concerned that contaminants from Area G could enter tribal lands through various ecological pathways. The residents specifically questioned the safety of consuming meat from elk and deer that forage near Area G and ...
Using some modification of the standard fermion technique we derive factorized formula for spin operator matrix elements (form-factors) between general eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of quantum Ising chain in a transverse field of finite length. The derivation is based on the approach recently used to derive factorized formula for Z_N-spin operator matrix elements between ground eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of the Z_N-symmetric superintegrable chiral Potts quantum chain. The obtained factorized formulas for the matrix elements of Ising chain coincide with the corresponding expressions obtained by the Separation of Variables Method.
This paper deals with the indications for prostatectomy; the differential diagnosis of the symptomatology of bladder neck obstruction; and the factors influencing the choice of operation....Full Text Available
This paper represents a parametric study of the amplification factor to account for rebound effects in the Energy Balance Method. Of the 66 distinct cases we chose for our parametric study, the amplification factor of 1.1 seems sufficient except in four borderline cases where the carbon steel pipes are small or have very small gaps between the pipes and the pipe whip restraints. We conclude that the amplification factor generally decreases as the parameters gap size, hinge-to-break distance and overhang increase.
One case of esophagitis caused by oral medication of Tetracycline is reported. The cause and factors predisposing to this uncommon complication of oral medication are discussed.
This paper is aimed to present a fuzzy decision making approach to deal with the performance measurement in supply chain systems. In the manufacturing environment, performance measurement is based on different quantitative and qualitative factors. Some of these factors may have a larger effect on the performance measure than others. Units of measure of the quantitative factors are different such as time, money, percentage, ratio, and counts. Thus, this paper presents a performance measurement approach based on fuzzy set theory and the pair-wise comparison of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which ensures the consistency of the designer's assignments of importance of one factor over another to find the weight of each of the manufacturing activity in the departmental organization. In the ...
Program decisions by symphony orchestra management are influenced by various factors. To examine these factors, we create an objective index of the propensity of a symphony orchestra to perform the standard repertoire. We use regression analysis to examine factors that influence programming decisions of 64 US symphony orchestras in 2006?2007, including public and private sources of funding. We find that increased funding from ticket sales, endowments, and local government increases the likelihood that an orchestra will perform nonstandard repertoire. In addition, the results suggest that a symphony orchestra?s music director does not have a significant impact on the degree of program conventionality.
Energy productivity and energy intensity within the industrial sector of the economy are examined. Results suggest that relative prices and other economic factors can explain much of the variation in both energy productivity and energy intensity for manufacturing and mining and for the industrial sector as a whole. Cyclical factors, seasonal factors and trend variables are also useful in explaining variation in these data, both for annual and monthly time series. Of the variables examined, it appears that the relative price of energy is a highly significant factor in accounting for the difference between actual industrial energy intensity and that which might have been expected had pre-1973 trends continued.
A semi-mechanistic model for calculating solid radionuclide release rates from bubbling pools of sodium was developed. The influence of particle spacial and size distributions on the decontamination of the releases was analysed and found significant. Decontamination factors are shown as a function of pool depth, bubbling characteristics and particle size distribution. The calculation of a decontamination factor for estimating the source term of large scale hypothetical core disruptive accidents is presented. The decontamination factor for a large scale accident was found to be two orders of magnitude greater than results obtained from small scale experiments conducted with uniform particle distributions.
A semi-mechanistic model for calculating solid radionuclide release rates from bubbling pools of sodium was developed. The influence of particle spacial and size distributions on the decontamination of the releases was analysed and found significant. Decontamination factors are shown as a function of pool depth, bubbling characteristics and particle size distribution. The calculation of a decontamination factor for estimating the source term of large scale hypothetical core disruptive accidents is presented. The decontamination factor for a large scale accident was found to be two orders of magnitude greater than results obtained from small scale experiments conducted with uniform particle distributions. (orig.).
We calculate the electromagnetic form factors of a bound proton. The chiral quark-soliton model provides the quark and antiquark substructure of the proton, which is embedded in nuclear matter. This procedure yields significant modifications of the form factors in the nuclear environment. The sea quarks are almost completely unaffected, and serve to mitigate the valence quark effect. In particular, the ratio of the isoscalar electric to the isovector magnetic form factor decreases by 20% at Q{sup 2}=1 GeV{sup 2} at nuclear density, and we do not see a strong enhancement of the magnetic moment.
exposed to persistent saltwater intrusion, a major factor in the decline of marsh ecosystems. The resulting increase in salinity from persistent flooding due to ...
In this note, we derive from Anstee's fractional $(g,f)$-factor theorem a similar characterization for the property of all fractional $(g,f)$-factors. Let $afactors if the minimum degree is at least $\\delta(G)\\geq \\frac{1}{4a}((a+b-1)^2+4b)$ and every pair of non-adjacent vertices has cardinality of the neighborhood union at least $bn/(a + b)$. This lower bounds are sharp.
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta isoforms (TGF-beta 1, -beta 2, and -beta 3) regulate cell growth and differentiation and have critical regulatory roles in the process of tissue repair and remodeling....Full Text Available
Technetium transfer from soil to edible parts of various agricultural plants is studied with application of the "9"5"mTc radioactive tracer. The samples of agricultural plants were grown on andesol typical for Japan soil. The technetium transfer factor to edible parts of cultivated lettuce was higher as compared to non foliate cultures. Relative low transfer factor were observed for fruit and pod like plants. the transfer factors for root crops were of intermediate value
While prior research has examined family, school, and peer factors as potential predictors of problem behavior, less attention has been given to studying when these factors are most predictive...Full Text Available
We prove the existence of defective secant varieties of three-factor and four-factor Segre-Veronese varieties embedded in certain multi-degree. These defective secant varieties were previously unknown and are of importance in the classification of defective secant varieties of Segre-Veronese varieties with three or more factors.
This is the June report by the Energy Information Administration. The contents of the report include an energy overview, energy consumption, petroleum, natural gas, oil and gas resource development, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, energy prices, and international energy. Included are appendices containing thermal conversion factors, metric and other physical conversion factors, and carbon dioxide emission factors for coal.
Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 4α is a key transcription factor regulating endo/xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. We investigated whether microRNAs are involved in the regulation...Full Text Available
We examine the electric and magnetic strange form factors of the nucleon in the pseudoscalar-vector SU(3) Skyrme model, with special emphasis on the effects of isospin symmetry breaking (ISB). It is found that ISB has a nontrivial effect on the strange vector form factors of the nucleon and its contribution to the nucleon strangeness is significantly larger than one might naively expect. Our calculations and discussions may be of some significance for the experimental extraction of the authentic strangeness.
We examine the electric and magnetic strange form factors of the nucleon in the pseudoscalar-vector SU(3) Skyrme model, with special emphasis on the effects of isospin symmetry breaking (ISB). It is found that ISB has a nontrivial effect on the strange vector form factors of the nucleon and its contribution to the nucleon strangeness is significantly larger than one might naively expect. Our calculations and discussions may be of some significance for the experimental extraction of the authentic strangeness.
Electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry of irradiated chicken legs is based on the additive dose or the calibration curve methods. In both cases the practical assumption is made that the behaviour of the chicken bone does not depend on factors such as temperature during irradiation, storage conditions and dose rate. So the aim of the present work was to investigate to what extent the above mentioned factors could influence the post-irradiation dose assessment using the ESR technique. (author).
Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), an oocyte-secreted member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily, progesterone receptor, cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2; Ptgs2), and the EP2 prostaglandin...Full Text Available
A measurement of the magnetic form factor of a ferromagnetic actinide compound of UTe with circularly polarized X-rays is reported. The present geometrical configuration of the measurement gives a form factor of L(k)+0.3S(k), where L(k) and S(k) are the form factors of the orbital and the spin magnetic moment, respectively. We have combined the X-ray magnetic form factor with the neutron one which gives L(k)+2S(k) (G. Busch et al.: J. Phys. C 12 (1979) 1391), and have deduced L(k) and S(k) separately. The obtained profiles of L(k) and S(k) show that the orbital and the spin magnetic moments are spatially spread out more than those calculated for a free uranium ion. (author).
A measurement of the magnetic form factor of a ferromagnetic actinide compound of UTe with circularly polarized X-rays is reported. The present geometrical configuration of the measurement gives a form factor of L(k)+0.3S(k), where L(k) and S(k) are the form factors of the orbital and the spin magnetic moment, respectively. We have combined the X-ray magnetic form factor with the neutron one which gives L(k)+2S(k) (G. Busch et al.: J. Phys. C 12 (1979) 1391), and have deduced L(k) and S(k) separately. The obtained profiles of L(k) and S(k) show that the orbital and the spin magnetic moments are spatially spread out more than those calculated for a free uranium ion. (author).
We investigate the effects of the velocity-dependent force on the magnetic form factors and magnetic moments of odd-Z nuclei. The form factors are calculated with the harmonic-oscillator wavefunctions. It is found that the contributions of the velocity-dependent force manifest themselves in the very large momentum transfer region (q?4 fm-1). In the low and medium q region the contributions of the velocity-dependent force are very small compared with those without this force. However, in the high-q region the contributions of the velocity-dependent force are larger than the normal form factors. The diffraction structures beyond the existing experimental data are found after the contributions of the velocity-dependent force are included. The formula of the correction to the single particle magnetic moment due to the velocity-dependent force is reproduced exactly in the long-wavelength limit (q=0) of the M1 form ...
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' ...
The purpose of this research is to clarify how psychological factor's impact on public acceptance of nuclear energy varies with people's degree of knowledge. For this purpose, we carried out questionnaire survey about nuclear energy at Suginami ward, Tokyo. After collecting data, we applied factor analysis to the data, and found 4 factors: Trust in the Authorities, Superiority of Nuclear Power Generation, Benefit for Nuclear Power Plants' Siting Areas, and Risk Perception about Nuclear Technology. In addition, using multiple regression analysis, we evaluated the impact of the 4 factors on 2 issues: the decision for or against nuclear policy and the reaction to nuclear power plant siting. Consequently, we found the change of impact of all 4 factors on the 2 issues. Especially, the impact of the 4 factors to the reaction to nuclear power ...
The purpose of this research is to clarify how psychological factor's impact on public acceptance of nuclear energy varies with people's degree of knowledge. For this purpose, we carried out questionnaire survey about nuclear energy at Suginami ward, Tokyo. After collecting data, we applied factor analysis to the data, and found 4 factors: Trust in the Authorities, Superiority of Nuclear Power Generation, Benefit for Nuclear Power Plants' Siting Areas, and Risk Perception about Nuclear Technology. In addition, using multiple regression analysis, we evaluated the impact of the 4 factors on 2 issues: the decision for or against nuclear policy and the reaction to nuclear power plant siting. Consequently, we found the change of impact of all 4 factors on the 2 issues. Especially, the impact of the 4 factors to the reaction to nuclear power plant siting was ...
Distinguishing between effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors on ecosystems is a fundamental problem in environmental science. In river systems the longitudinal gradient of environmental factors is one of the most relevant sources of dissimilarity between communities that could be confounded with anthropogenic disturbances. To test the hypothesis that in macroinvertebrate communities the distribution of species' sensitivity to organic toxicants is independent of natural longitudinal factors, but depends on contamination with organic toxicants, we analysed the relationship between community sensitivity SPEARorganic (average community sensitivity to organic toxicants) and natural and anthropogenic environmental factors in a large-scale river system, from alpine streams to a lowland river. The results show that SPEARorganic is largely independent of natural longitudinal ...
The report addresses the application of reverse osmosis to the treatment of radioactive liquid waste, focusing on the effects of non-radioactive cations and anions, existing in radioactive waste, on the removal of radioactive nuclides. The bivalent cations are generally about ten times as high in decontamination factor as monovalent ones. In the case of anions, the factor of SO{sub 4}{sup 2-} is about ten times that of Cl{sup -} while that of NO{sub 3}{sup -} is somewhat smaller than that of Cl{sup -}. During permeation through membrane, anions tend to accompany cations, and the decontamination factor of accompanying ions is found to increase with that of the paring ions. These results indicate that if one can select components that will remain in the liquid waste, one should consider their effects on the efficiency of its treatment. Furthermore, the interaction between two anions or between two cations can be approximated ...
In the contribution under consideration, the author reports on the energy resources as a conflict factor and co-operation factor in East Asia on the basis of the Spratly islands. The main aspects of this contribution are: topography of the Spratly islands; history and actual claims; evaluation of the claims; strategic significance of the islands; resources of oil and natural gas as a conflict factor; resources of oil and natural gas as a co-operation factor. The resources of oil and natural gas have intensified the conflict around the Spratly islands in the last few decades. Due to the unsettled situation relating to international law six countries could claim the potentially energy-rich area having a geo-strategic instrument of power. Due to a treaty and due to the new common research studies of the neighbouring countries a phase of stability can be expected. The increasing involvement of China in the ...
Radon concentrations in homes have been shown to vary considerably with season. It is important to account for this by applying a correction factor to any home radon measurement of less than one year. To date, Irish radon measurement services have used correction factors based on data derived for the UK in the 1980s. In the absence of similar data for Ireland at the time, these were considered suitable for use due to the similarities between the climates, house types and lifestyles in the two countries. In order to better estimate the long-term radon concentration, measurements from 5640 Irish homes were used to derive a set of correction factors specifically for Ireland. These were generated by means of Fourier decomposition analysis and the new correction factors compared, using 95% confidence intervals, to those derived for the UK using the same analysis and to those currently in use for Ireland. In ...
Experience in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility has led to an increased understanding of the prominent role male factors play in many couples' inability to conceive. While many forms of male factor infertility are amenable to treatment, for some patients there is no corrective therapy available. For this reason, a great deal of attention has been focused on developing technologies for semen processing and sperm utilization in cases of decreased semen quality. One area of research is the development of more sophisticated methods of assessing sperm function, as well as methods of sperm preparation. Progress is also being made in the application of technologies such as intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization in the treatment of male factor infertility. Such developments have improved prospects for fertility among patients suffering from decreased semen quality, as well as those suffering from such ...
Organization factors have been known as an important contributor to plant safety. Previous studies associated with assessing organisation factors mainly deals with the aspect of safety of an organization. For an organization, however, efficiency or an aspect of economy related with work activities is also important. This paper introduces a conceptual model, SPOOM-EDM (Self Poly-Oriented Organizational Model - Evaluation Diamond Model), for evaluating an organization with respect to both safety and economy. It also shows how the proposed model can be applied for the evaluation of an organization through the analysis of real events. (author)
Reverse osmosis is a simple process and has relatively high decontamination factor compared to other processes used for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste. Furthermore the quantity of secondary waste of this process is small. In this study, test solution containing nine elements such as cesium, strontium, cobalt etc. in chloride forms are treated by reverse osmosis. Permeate rate decreases as the increase of osmotic pressure of feed solution and is expressed by linear equation. Decontamination factor of cations of univalency is more than ten, and about one tenth of that of bivalency. Decontamination factors of all the elements used in this experiment are approximately estimated using the solution-diffusion model.
Reverse osmosis is a simple process and has relatively high decontamination factor comparing to other processes used for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste. Furthermore the quantity of secondary waste of this process is small. In this study, test solution containing nine elements such as cesium, strontium, cobalt etc. in chloride forms are treated by reverse osmosis. Permeate rate decreases as the increase of osmotic pressure of feed solution and is expressed by linear equation. Decontamination factor of cations of univalency is more than ten, and about one tenth of that of bivalency. Decontamination factors of all the elements used in this experiment are approximately estimated using the solution-diffusion model. (author).
The form factor for excitation of the 1/sup +/ state at 3.48 MeV in /sup 88/Sr by inelastic electron scattering has been measured for momentum transfers q = 0.24-0.62 fm/sup -1/. Neither its magnitude nor shape can be described employing the best available nuclear wave functions. We demonstrate with a schematic model that the observed reduction of the form factor may be understood by taking into account a renormalization of the M1-operator due to virtual ..delta..-hole excitations.
The form factor for excitation of the 1"+ state at 3.48 MeV in "8"8Sr by inelastic electron scattering has been measured for momentum transfers q = 0.24-0.62 fm"-"1. Neither its magnitude nor shape can be described employing the best available nuclear wave functions. We demonstrate with a schematic model that the observed reduction of the form factor may be understood by taking into account a renormalization of the M1-operator due to virtual #DELTA#-hole excitations. (orig.).
The production of and emission factors for the air-polluting matters sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (esp. benz(a)pyrene), aldehyde and soot with regard to natural gas, excluding process furnaces, are dealt with. The comparison with other fuels indicates that only as to nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide are emission factors equal in order of magnitude. As a summary measure of all air-polluting matters the emission index as proposed already in 1972 is applied. It shows emissions with single-room furnaces for heating oil EL to be six times as high as with natural gas; with black-coal briquettes the factor is at least 33, with wood chimneys about 200.
Visceral hypersensitivity is currently considered a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in pain perception in large subgroups of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In IBS, visceral hypersensitivity has been described in 20%?90% of patients. The contribution of the central nervous system and psychological factors to visceral hypersensitivity in patients with IBS may be significant, although still debated. Peripheral factors have gained increasing attention following the recognition that infectious enteritis may trigger the development of persistent IBS symptoms, and the identification of mucosal immune, neural, endocrine, microbiological, and intestinal permeability abnormalities. Growing evidence suggests that these factors ...
We study the duality of N=1 gauge theories in the presence of a massless adjoint field. We calculate the superpotential using the factorization method and compare with the result obtained by applying Kutasov duality. The latter result is just the leading term of the former, indicating that Kutasov duality is exact only in the IR limit as claimed in the original literature. We also study various checks for the equivalence of the calculational methods developed recently: factorization methods, diagrammatic expansion, loop equations, integrating fluxes.
This paper presents case studies of economic feasibility of solar photovoltaic systems using the software AVES-F (Analysis of Economic Feasibility of Photovoltaic Systems), developed by the authors, considering cases of stand-alone and grid-connected systems. The software takes into account several factors that can influence the economic feasibility of these kind of systems, like load to be supplied, distance to the grid, the use regime of the system, applied subsidies and others. The main goal of this paper is to analyze some of these factors and to observe how they can affect the economics of PV systems for electricity generation. (authors)
During a high temperature treatment of the radioactive wastes that contain ruthenium, some ruthenium is volatilized and released to the off gas system. The volatilized ruthenium is removed with a scrubber and an adsorber. It was expected that the scrubber was one of the most effective equipments to remove ruthenium and the decontamination factor of the scrubber was studied. The experimental apparatus was simulated as part of an actual perforated plate column scrubber. The non-radioactive ruthenium which simulated the radioactive ruthenium was volatilized and fed into the scrubber. The decontamination factor of the scrubber was determined by the ratio of the ruthenium concentration at the inlet and outlet of the scrubber off gas stream. The results showed that the scrubber removed the volatile ruthenium effectively as expected.
Based on QCD conformal partial wave expansion to leading order conformal spin accuracy, we present the light-cone distribution amplitudes (DAs) of {sigma} and {lambda} baryons up to twist 6. It is concluded that fourteen independent DAs are needed to describe the valence three-quark states of the baryons at small transverse separations. The nonperturbative parameters relevant to the DAs are determined within the framework of QCD sum rule method. With the obtained DAs, a simple investigation on the electromagnetic form factors of these baryons are given. The magnetic moments of the baryons are estimated by fitting the magnetic form factor with the dipole formula.
In the well-known devices for increasing the decontamination factor in the treatment of radioactive waste water by evaporation, which consist of narrowing devices with evaporator sump and condenser, droplets of liquid and solid particles are carried over from the breeder space, which are radioactive and therefore make the decontamination factor worse. Better results are obtained if one places a fibre bed filter between the evaporator sump and the condenser, preferably in a horizontal connecting pipe between the evaporator sump and the condenser.
A process has been developed that exploits the characteristics of microwave heating for the vitrification of high-level radioactive liquid waste. This process, microwave vitrification, has been successfully operated at pilot plant scale in an active cell using simulated liquid waste containing several curies of radioactivity. Excellent decontamination factors have been achieved for both volatiles and nonvolatiles with an average ruthenium decontamination factor of 490 and a gross alpha emitter decontamination factor of 100,000. Almost all the radioactivity is incorporated in a glass block.
A process has been developed that exploits the characteristics of microwave heating for the vitrification of high-level radioactive liquid waste. This process, microwave vitrification, has been successfully operated at pilot plant scale in an active cell using simulated liquid waste containing several curies of radioactivity. Excellent decontamination factors have been achieved for both volatiles and nonvolatiles with an average ruthenium decontamination factor of 490 and a gross alpha emitter decontamination factor of 100,000. Almost all the radioactivity is incorporated in a glass block.
Washington's geothermal potential is discussed. The following topics are covered: exploration, drilling, utilization, legal and institutional setting, and economic factors of direct use projects. (MHR)
[music] Narrator: New treatments can limit the disability caused by a stroke, but you need to know the signs and act in time. Here are the signs to ...
Viral infections are frequently cited as a major environmental factor involved in subacute thyroiditis and autoimmune thyroid diseases This review examines the data related to the role of viruses in...Full Text Available
Amphibians are considered reliable indicators of environmental quality. In the western United States, a general decline of frog populations parallels an apparent worldwide decline. The factors thought...Full Text Available
BackgroundProfessionalism is a critical quality for physicians to possess. Physician professionalism has received increased attention in recent years, with many authorities suggesting...Full Text Available
INTRODUCTION:Postprandial lipemia is characterized by an increased concentration of circulating lipids after fat intake and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease....Full Text Available
Based on the Weinberg-Salam theory, the competition of the Neutrino Energy Loss (NEL) rates due to the pair, photo- and plasma process are canvassed. The ratio factor C1, C2 and C3 which correspond the different contributions of the pair, photo- and plasma neutrino process to those of the total NEL rates are accurately taken into account. The ratio factors are very sensitive to the temperature and density. The ratio factor C2 always is lower than the ratio factor C1 and C3. The pair NEL process is the dominant contribution before the crossed point O(C1=C3=0.45) and the plasma NEL process will be the main dominant contribution after the crossed point O. With increasing temperature, the crossed point O will move to the direction of higher density. (authors)
Snakebites are common among the rural population of developing countries. The severity of venomous snakebites depends on several factors, including the location of the bite, the amount of venom injected,...Full Text Available
... After formation of the monolayer (usually in 48 hours), the growth medium was poured off, and the cells washed twice with a Henkes solution and ...
Background:Prolonged mechanical ventilation is increasingly common. It is expensive and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Our objective is to comprehensively characterize...Full Text Available
Spatial epidemiology is the description and analysis of geographic variations in disease with respect to demographic, environmental, behavioral, socioeconomic, genetic, and infectious risk factors....Full Text Available
Abstract Plant pathogenic bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas cause a variety of diseases in economically important monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous crop plants worldwide. Successful infection and bacterial multiplication in the host tissue often depend on the virulence factors secreted including adhesins, polysaccharides, LPS and degradative enzymes. One of the key pathogenicity factors is the type III secretion system, which injects effector proteins into the host cell cytosol to manipulate plant cellular processes such as basal defense to the benefit of the pathogen. The coordinated expression of bacterial virulence factors is orchestrated by quorum-sensing pathways, multiple two-component systems and transcriptional regulators such as Clp, Zur, FhrR, HrpX and HpaR. Furthermore, virule...
This paper focuses on the Internet as a tool for enhancing behavior and lifestyle changes to reduce the burden of cancer at a population level. The premise of this paper is that the Internet...Full Text Available
Recurrence of microbial keratitis in the presence of protozoal infection is very rare and infrequently reported unless predisposing factors are present. The association of recurrent microbial keratitis...Full Text Available
BackgroundBrucellosis is a zoonosis of veterinary, public health and economic significance in most developing countries. Human brucellosis is a severely debilitating disease that...Full Text Available
I present an overview of the measurement of the proton form factors in the time-like regiun. BABAR has recently measured with great accuracy the e{sup +} e{sup -} {yields} p p-bar reaction from productiun threshold up to an energy of {approx} 4.5 GeV; finding evidence for a ratio of the electric to magnetic form factur greater than unity, contrary to expectation. In agreement with previous measurements. BABAR confirmed the steep rise uf the magnetic form factor close to the p p-bar mass threshold, suggesting the possible presence of an under-threshuld N N-bar vector state. These and uther open questiuns related to the nucleon furm factors both in the time-like and space-like region, wait for more data with different experimental techniques to be possibly solved.
Several randomized studies have been completed in prostate cancer that show a benefit to immediate postoperative treatment in patients undergoing prostatectomy. In one of the studies, there was even...Full Text Available
BackgroundStatistical autoregressive analyses of direct and delayed density dependence are widespread in ecological research. The models suggest that changes in ecological factors...Full Text Available
There is a need to reduce air pollutant emissions in some U.S. urban regions to meet federal and state air quality guidelines. Opportunities exist for reducing pollutant emissions from natural gas appliances in the residential sector. A cost-benefit analysis on various pollutant-reducing strategies is needed to evaluate these opportunities. The effectiveness of these pollutant-reducing strategies (e.g., low-emission burners, energy conservation) can then be ranked among themselves and compared with other pollutant-reducing strategies available for the region. A key step towards conducting a cost-benefit analysis is to collect information on pollutant emissions from existing residential natural gas appliances. An extensive literature search was conducted to collect data on residential natural-gas-appliance pollutant emission factors. The literature primarily describes laboratory tests and may not reflect actual emission factor distributions in ...
Conclusions. There are gender differences when it comes to the risk factors for sleep apnea. Large tonsils, a high tongue and a wide uvula are risk factors for sleep apnea in men, while large tonsils and a retrognathic mandible are risk factors in women. Upper airway abnormalities including mandibular retrognathia are, however, unable to predict sleep apnea among snorers being investigated for suspected sleep apnea. Objectives. To identify gender-specific risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea and the diagnostic performance from physical upper airway examinations among snoring men and women investigated because of suspected sleep apnea. Patients and methods. The dimensions of the uvula, tonsils, velopharynx and tongue, and nasal septal deviation, mandibular position, neck circumference, ...
One of the most common types of functions in mathematics, physics, and engineering is a sum of products, sometimes called a partition function. After "normalization," a sum of products has a natural graphical representation, called a normal factor graph (NFG), in which vertices represent factors, edges represent internal variables, and half-edges represent the external variables of the partition function. In physics, so-called trace diagrams share similar features. We believe that the conceptual framework of representing sums of products as partition functions of NFGs is an important and intuitive paradigm that, surprisingly, does not seem to have been introduced explicitly in the previous factor graph literature. Of particular interest are NFG modifications that leave the partition function invariant. A simple subclass of such NFG modifications offers a unifying view of the Fourier transform, tree-based reparameterization, ...
BACKGROUNDThe reproductive health of children born of infertile couples may be affected by infertility treatment or factors associated with infertility. We examined sexual maturation...Full Text Available
... growth hormone-like factor from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides is a multifunctional protein. In Parasites and pathogens: ... ...
This report discusses: shape coexistence in {sup 184}Pt; nuclear structure of {sup 187}Ir; g-factors of excited states; OLNO-2; and refrigerator development.
This report discusses: shape coexistence in "1"8"4Pt; nuclear structure of "1"8"7Ir; g-factors of excited states; OLNO-2; and refrigerator development.
Among the different extracellular virulence factors produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa are exotoxin A (ETA) and the pyoverdine and pyochelin siderophores. Production of ETA...Full Text Available
Tobacco use has been recognized to be a significant risk factor for the development and progression of periodontal disease. Its use is associated with increased pocket depths, loss of periodontal attachment,...Full Text Available
These proceedings collect papers on the subject of lymphokines. Topics include: DNA-cloning of mouse and human lymphokine genes, inteferons, interleukins, gene expression, tumor necrosis factors, and recombinant DNA.
Aging is the most significant risk factor for a range of degenerative disease such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. While the cause of aging and its associated diseases...Full Text Available
BackgroundAs long-term nursing home care is likely to increase with the aging of the population, identifying chronic medical conditions is of particular interest. Although need factors...Full Text Available
Jan 22, 2011 ... Abstract: Land use changes and deforestation in tropical rainforests are among the major factors affecting the overall function of the global ...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease. The vast majority cases of AD are sporadic, without clear cause, and a combination of environmental and genetic factors has been implicated. The hypothesis that homocysteine (Hcy) is a risk factor for AD was initially prompted by the observation that patients with histologically confirmed AD had higher plasma levels of Hcy, termed hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), than age-matched controls. Most evidence accumulated so far implicates HHcy as a risk factor for AD onset, but there are also conflicting results. In this review we summarize reports on the relationship between HHcy and AD from epidemiological investigations, including observational studies and randomized controlled clinical trials. We also examine recent i...
... 1768 1475 360 to 3400 ... The TSC provided an independent assessment of SA based on ... Complexity of Situation Degree of complication (number of ...
AIM: To search the independent factors determining gastric juice acidity and to investigate the acidity of gastric juices in various benign and malignant upper gastrointestinal diseases.METHODS:...Full Text Available
A group of patients is described who developed the clinical features of foveomacular retinitis. No causative factors were isolated, and all patients strongly denied any type of sun gazing. It is possible...Full Text Available
Abstract Background The increase in the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in developed countries has been related to familiar and environmental factors. This survey was undertaken to investigate the family background, birthweight and the home environment of children suffering from AD in order to point out the possible factors that provoke the development of the disease. Methods The study uses data collected by means of self-administered questionnaires and discusses 461 cases of children (age 0-12) with active skin signs of AD. The control group comprised of 343 children (age 0-12) with no skin signs or positive lifetime history of AD. Associations between familiar and various home environmental factors and the risk of AD were calculated by means of odds ratios. Results There were statist...
Objectives. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that vaginal douching is linked to bacterial vaginosis in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women and to identify...Full Text Available
Techniques for culturing, harvesting, and testing bacteria to evaluate bactericidal chemicals for swimming pools are described. Concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 mg of the chlorine stabilizer cyanuric...Full Text Available
... 2. Help women become accepted by providing job-related training, creating flexible work groups with good climates, and encourage supervisors to ...
... content of the environment) are significant factors affecting the useful service life of adhesive bonded plastic composite sandwich panels at 650 F ...
The regulation of blood vessel formation is of fundamental importance to many physiological processes, and angiogenesis is a major area for novel therapeutic approaches to diseases from ischemia to...Full Text Available
The properties of negative-ion beams are very important for designing negative-ion apparatus and applications of negative-ion beams, especially, electron detachment cross-sections at the interaction between negative-ion beams and gas particles in the transport system, and secondary-electron emission factors when negative ions are incident on solid surfaces. These properties of negative-ion beams were investigated experimentally as a function of the ion energy under 50 keV. The single electron detachment cross-sections are almost constant in the other of 10[sup -15] cm[sup 2] in this energy range, but double electron detachment cross-sections increase in proportion to the ion velocity and much smaller than the single one. As for the secondary-electron emission factor, the emission factors for negative-ion beam are found to be larger by 1 than those for positive-ion beams. (author).
The properties of negative-ion beams are very important for designing negative-ion apparatus and applications of negative-ion beams, especially, electron detachment cross-sections at the interaction between negative-ion beams and gas particles in the transport system, and secondary-electron emission factors when negative ions are incident on solid surfaces. These properties of negative-ion beams were investigated experimentally as a function of the ion energy under 50 keV. The single electron detachment cross-sections are almost constant in the other of 10"-"1"5 cm"2 in this energy range, but double electron detachment cross-sections increase in proportion to the ion velocity and much smaller than the single one. As for the secondary-electron emission factor, the emission factors for negative-ion beam are found to be larger by 1 than those for positive-ion beams. (author).
Despite the proven utility of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) to predict soil rainfall erosion, it has limited precision in predicting soil loss in some soil series. Also, runoff is a factor in rainfall erosion and some models, such as the modified USLE (USLE-M), include runoff in predicting soil erosion. The soil erodibility factor is an essential component in both models and this may be affected by application of soil conditioners, such as polyacrylamide (PAM). The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of different rates of PAM (0, 1, 2, 4, and 6kgha-1) applied with sprinkler irrigation water, followed by two sprinkler irrigations with no PAM, on the erodibility of a loam soil under a rainfall simulator in a laboratory. The range of erodibility factor Ku obtained...
The health of professional bus drivers is a critical factor in their driving performance; any impairment may lead to undesired consequences. In an attempt to develop and prioritize health and wellness programs, this study investigates the factors significantly affecting the health conditions of professional bus drivers, as well as the strength of these factors. This study uses self-rated health as the examination measurement. This simple assessment is an inclusive measure of health status for judging health trajectory, and is highly associated with changes in functional ability, including perceived control over driving. This study evaluates driver responses of self-rated health with ordered response models that consider factors such as the driver reported health problems, physical and psychological conditions, demographic factors, driving experience, and working environment. ...
The dynamic response characteristics of the VAWT rotor are important factors governing the safety and fatique life of VAWT systems. The principal problems are ...
PURPOSE: To determine the risk factors and clinical signs of Curvularia keratitis and to evaluate the management and outcome of this corneal phaeohyphomycosis. METHODS: We reviewed clinical and laboratory...Full Text Available
There is conflicting evidence about the effect of parental consanguinity on fetal growth. Previous studies have not always allowed for other factors that are known to affect birth weight, in particular,...Full Text Available
The heat transfer a characteristics and friction factor in the horizontal double pipes of flat tubes with full length helical screw element of different twist ratio and helical screw inserts with different spacer length are investigated. Cold and hot water are used as working fluid in tube side and shell side respectively. The experiments covered a range of Reynolds numbers 5.7x102Re1.31x103. The effect of spacer length on the heat transfer augmentation and friction factor and the effect of twist ratio on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor have been presented separately. The study shows that, the Nusslet number (Nu) and friction factor (f) decrease with the increase of S or Y for flat tube. The comparison between the data of present plain circular with that of previous plain ci...
airborne separation assistance systems (ASAS) to ... operations should be limited to the outer traffic flow ...... AGARD Meeting on Machine Intelligence in Air ...
Several factors have been proposed to explain the persistence of a high incidence of venous thromboembolism worldwide with its associated morbidity and mortality. Underutilization of anticoagulants...Full Text Available
BackgroundHearing loss is a common sensory disorder, yet prospective data on potentially modifiable risk factors are limited. Regularly used analgesics, the most...Full Text Available
BackgroundFunction exertion of specific proteins are key factors in disease progression, thus the systematical identification of those specific proteins is a prerequisite to understand...Full Text Available
By the turn of the century, American farmers and ranchers will be producing food and fiber through the application of highly sophisticated systems that involve a broad spectrum of relevant factors--from...Full Text Available
The ability of a number of mycobacteria and some of their components to activate complement was examined. Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Glaxo strain), Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium lepraemurium, and...Full Text Available
Satellite imagery is a cost-effective tool for creating and updating basemaps of coastal zones, especially where existing maps and aerial photographs are unavailable, are out-of-date, or provide limited information. Reliable maps of coastal zones are particularly important for oil spill modelling programs. Color IR (multispectral) images with 20m x 20m ground resolution and black & white (panchromatic) images with 10m x 10m ground resolution of many coastlines around the globe have been acquired from 1986 to present by SPOT Image Corporation. We have digitally merged same-day SPOT panchromatic and multispectral imagery to provide maximum spatial resolution and permit excellent color differentiation of coastal zone features. This combination adequately discriminates individual features, including pipelines, offshore platforms, storage tanks, jetties, and shoreline type. The SPOT images were interpreted within a workstation environment and the coastline interpretation map (a digital ...
Reclaimed Energy Company, Inc., Connersville, IN, receives waste generated from a wide variety of industrial applications which include paint, printing and degreasing companies. The wastes are stored in separate tanks and then distilled in batches (pot distillation). The recovered solvents can be returned to the originator. The residue, left after the solvents are distilled, is disposed of using an environmentally safe, economical procedure. The company worked with an engineering and fabrication firm to develop a continuous processing system that employs a mechanically agitated thin-film evaporator to distill the solvents. Successful performance of the evaporator was ensured by processing samples of solvents through the evaporator manufacturer's pilot plant facilities before the full-sized system was designed. Reclaimed Energy Company, Inc., has realized a number of advantages by going from pot distillation to the agitated thin-film evaporator system to distill solvents. ...
Y2Te4O11:Eu3+ and Y2Te5O13:Eu3+ single crystals in sub-millimeter scale were synthesized from the binary oxides (Y2O3, Eu2O3 and TeO2) using CsCl as fluxing agent. Crystallographic structures of the undoped yttrium oxotellurates(IV) Y2Te4O11 and Y2Te5O13 have been determined and refined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. In Y2Te4O11, a layered structure is present where the reticulated sheets consisting of edge-sharing [YO8]13- polyhedra are interconnected by the oxotellurate(IV) units, whereas in Y2Te5O13 only double chains of condensed yttrium-oxygen polyhedra with coordination numbers of 7 and 8 are left, now linked in two crystallographic directions by the oxotellurate(IV) entities. The Eu3+ luminescence spectra and the decay time from different energy levels of the doped compounds were investigated and all detected emission levels were identified. Luminescence properties of the Eu3+ cations have been interpreted in consideration of the now accessible detailed ...
This paper reports that some regions have prepared for these days of disposal shortage with comprehensive waste plans that include a strong WTE presence. Witness Broward County, Florida's program, 12 years in planning by public and private entities, Broward is the second most populated county in the state, with 1.3 million residents and a heavy tourist population, which, together, produce 1.6 million tons of waste annually. The disposal program includes Waste Management, Inc.'s expansion of a 400-acre Central Disposal Sanitary Landfill, the county's new 588-acre landfill, composting, and curbside pickup for recyclables. And, this south Florida plan would not be complete without the two brand new combustion plants. Clean Air and Water Acts notwithstanding, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation can induce standards stricter than the federal government's due to the sensitive South Florida ecology. Wheelabrator was ...
Assessment of the roles of the carboxyl-terminal #beta#146 histidyl residues in the alkaline Bohr effect in human and normal adult hemoglobin by high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy requires assignment of the resonances corresponding to these residues. By a careful spectroscopic study of human normal adult hemoglobin, enzymatically prepared des(His146#beta#)-hemoglobin, and the mutant hemoglobins Cowtown (#beta#146His #-># Leu) and York (#beta#146His #-># Pro), the authors have resolved some of these conflicting results. By a close incremental variation of pH over a wide range in chloride-free 0.1 M N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid buffer, a single resonance has been found to be consistently missing in the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of these hemoglobin variants. The results indicate that the contribution of the #beta#146 histidyl residues is 0.52 H"+/hemoglobin tetramer at pH 7.6, markedly less than 0.8 H"+/hemoglobin ...
In 2004, the Southeastern France regional council asked the regional health observatory to conduct an environmental health inventory to i) identify environmental health problems in this area; ii) examine the relations between environmental exposure to pollutants and human health; and iii) help public officials to identify priorities in this area. We collected and validated data from national, regional and local institutions, constructed environmental (levels of emissions and pollutants), health (mortality, incidence, prevalence) and behavioral indicators (e.g., complaints about odors), and compared these over time and between places when possible. For each topic, we summarized current knowledge about the links between environment and health. In southeastern France, as in other French areas, indoor air pollution, home and leisure injuries and other home-related risks are public health issues. Other topics are more significant or particular to southeastern France: transportation (air ...
One of the limiting contributors to the heat load constraint for a long term spent fuel repository is the decay of americium-241. A possible option to reduce the heat load produced by Am-241 is to eliminate it via transmutation in a light water reactor thermal neutron environment, in particular, by taking advantage of the large thermal fission cross section of Am-242 and Am-242m. In this study we employ lattice loading optimization techniques to define the loadings and arrangements of fuel pins with blended americium and uranium oxide in boiling water reactor bundles, specifically, by defining the incineration of pre-loaded americium as an objective function to maximize americium transmutation. Subsequently, the viability of these optimized lattices is tested by assembling them into bundles with Am-spiked fuel pins and by loading these bundles into realistic three-dimensional BWR core-wide simulations that model multiple reload cycles and observe standard operational constraints. These ...
A series of radioactive catastrophes (from 1948 to 1967) in the Southern Urals in the USSR led to intensive environmental contamination. Radioactive wastes were dispersed over the 20000 km(2) territory of four provinces-Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen' and Kurgan-due to the activity of the military facility that was built in 1948 for the production of nuclear bomb plutonium. The results of 50 years of investigations into the consequences of these disasters allow a general picture of the events that occurred to be reconstructed and allow the medical consequences of the irradiation of about half a million residents to be depicted. However, due to the atmosphere of secrecy and inadequate medical procedures, the results of medical studies of radiation victims are scant. The current protocols present a unique opportunity to study the DNA damage at the nucleotide resolution level in the genome of inhabitants of the given region, who presumably received chronic doses of ...
BACKGROUND AND CASE STUDY: Surgical fires are rare but preventable. During facial surgery for a 68-year-old man, a fire broke out, resulting in first- and second-degree burns after a nasal cannula ignited in an oxygen-rich environment because of improper draping and tenting. DISCUSSION: Operating room (OR) fires can be prevented if any component of the "fire triangle"-fuels, ignition sources, and oxidizers-is reduced or eliminated. The use of supplemental oxygen in the OR via nasal cannulae, nebulizers, and oxygen cylinders must always considered a potential source of fire. Deficits in knowledge among the surgical team with respect to the prevention and management of surgical fires were apparent. A plan was put into place to improve fire safety education, entailing an educational program that is included in intern and resident orientation. Surgical fire safety training was also put into place for anesthesia and surgical faculty. The anesthesia preoperative ...
Potential maximum radiation dose rates were calculated for the former Alba Craft Laboratory site in Oxford, Ohio, which was involved in machining of uranium metal in the 1950s for the U.S. atomic energy program. The site is not currently being used. The residual radioactive material guidelines (RESRAD) computer code, which implements the methodology described in the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) manual for establishing residual radioactive material guidelines, was sued in this evaluation. Three potential land use scenarios were considered for the former Alba Craft site; the scenarios vary with regard to the type of site use, time spent at the site by the exposed individual, and sources of food consumed. Scenario A (a possible land use scenario) assumed industrial use of the site; Scenario B (a likely future land use scenario) assumed residential use of the site; and Scenario C (a possible but unlikely land use scenario) assumed the presence of a resident ...
NMR spectroscopy combined with paramagnetic relaxation agents was used to study the positioning of the 40-residue Alzheimer Amyloid {beta}-peptide A{beta}(1-40) in SDS micelles. 5-Doxyl stearic acid incorporated into the micelle or Mn{sup 2+} ions in the aqueous solvent were used to determine the position of the peptide relative to the micelle geometry. In SDS solvent, the two {alpha}-helices induced in A{beta}(1-40), comprising residues 15-24, and 29-35, respectively, are surrounded by flexible unstructured regions. NMR signals from these unstructured regions are strongly attenuated in the presence of Mn{sup 2+} showing that these regions are positioned mostly outside the micelle. The central helix (residues 15-24) is significantly affected by 5-doxyl stearic acid however somewhat less for residues 16, 20, 22 and 23. This {alpha}-helix therefore resides in the SDS headgroup region with the face with residues 16, 20, 22 and 23 directed away from the hydrophobic ...
We have applied photofragment ion imaging to investigate the dissociation dynamics of low-lying, doubly excited states of molecular hydrogen. A doubly excited electronic state is one in which both of the hydrogen electrons reside in excited molecular orbitals. Two-step, two-color multiphoton excitation of H_2, first via 201.8 nm, two-photon excitation into the E, F "1#SIGMA#"+_g(v_E=0, J=1) state, followed by #approx#563 nm, 1+m (m=1, 2) excitation through the B double-prime "1#SIGMA#"+_u(v=0, J=0, 2), D "1#PI#_u(v=2, J=1, 2), and B' "1#SIGMA#"+_u(v=4, J=0, 2) states provides a ready means of populating several low-lying doubly excited states of H_2 at increasing internuclear separations. From these doubly excited repulsive states, both dissociation and autoionization processes are possible. Because the excitation energy remains relatively constant as each intermediate state is accessed, differences in the photodissociation dynamics via each state can be ascribed ...
Before low-level waste may be disposed of, a performance assessment must be written and then approved by the DOE (DOE 1988a DOE 1999a). The performance assessment is to determine whether ''reasonable assurance'' exists that the performance objectives of the disposal facility will be met. The DOE requirements for waste disposal (DOE 1988a DOE 1999a) require the protection of public health and safety; and the protection of the environment. Although quantitative limits are sometimes stated (for example, the all-pathways exposure limit is 25 mrem/year), usually the requirements are stated in a general nature. Quantitative limits were established by: investigating all potentially applicable regulations as well as interpretations of the review panels which DOE has established to review performance assessments, interacting with program management to establish the additional requirements of the program, and interacting with the public (i.e., the Hanford ...
The chemical composition and evolution of produced waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley gas field, Northern Territory, has important implications for issues such as gas reserve calculations, reservoir management and saline water disposal. The occurrence of saline formation water in the Palm Valley field has been the subject of considerable debate. There were no occurrences of mobile water early in the development of the field and only after gas production had reduced the reservoir pressure, was saline formation water produced. Initially this was in small quantities but has increased dramatically with time, particularly after the initiation of compression in November 1996. The produced waters range from highly saline (up to 300,000 mg/L TDS), with unusual enrichments in Ca, Ba and Sr, to low salinity fluids that may represent condensate waters. The Sr isotopic compositions of the waters ({sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr = 0.7041-0.7172) are also variable but do not correlate ...
The chemical composition and evolution of produced waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley gas field, Northern Territory, has important implications for issues such as gas reserve calculations, reservoir management and saline water disposal. The occurrence of saline formation water in the Palm Valley field has been the subject of considerable debate. There were no occurrences of mobile water early in the development of the field and only after gas production had reduced the reservoir pressure, was saline formation water produced. Initially this was in small quantities but has increased dramatically with time, particularly after the initiation of compression in November 1996. The produced waters range from highly saline (up to 300,000 mg/L TDS), with unusual enrichments in Ca, Ba and Sr, to low salinity fluids that may represent condensate waters. The Sr isotopic compositions of the waters ("8"7Sr/"8"6Sr = 0.7041-0.7172) are also variable but do not correlate closely ...
This document describes the development testing phase associated with the OTA Shear activity and defines the controls to be in place throughout the testing. The purpose of the OTA Shear Program was to provide equipment that is needed for the processing of 40 foot long, sodium wetted, irradiated core components previously used in the FFTF reactor to monitor fuel and materials tests. There are currently 15 of these OTA test stalks located in the Test Assembly Conditioning Station (TACS) inerted vault. These need to be dispositioned for a shutdown mission to eliminate this highly activated, high dose inventory prior to turnover to the ERC since they must be handled by remote operations. These would also need to be dispositioned for a restart mission to free up the vault they currently reside in. The waste handling and cleaning equipment in the J33M Cell was designed and built for the handling of reactor components up to the standard 12 foot length. This program will ...
Radioiodinated 15-(p-iodophenyl)-3,3-dimethylpentadecanoic acid (DMIPP) has been prepared as a new terminal iodophenyl-substituted fatty acid containing dimethyl-branching at the beta-position. Iodine-125-labeled DMIPP showed rapid, high myocardial uptake (min, mean % injected dose/g) in fasted rats (5, 4.67; 30, 5.06; 60, 4.79; 120, 4.37), and also exhibited high heart:blood ratios (min, ratio) 5, 3:1; 30, 12:1; 60, 12:1; 120, 13:1. These data demonstrate an unanticipated much longer myocardial residence time with DMIPP (+/sub 1/2/ 7-8 h) than observed with either the 3-monomethyl (BMIPP) analogue (+/sub 1/2/ 30-45 min) or the rapidly metabolized straight-chain (IPP) analogue (+/sub 1/2/ 10-15 min). The (/sup 123/I)DMIPP is thus an excellent candidate for clinical evaluation of regional fatty acid metabolism under conditions where the uptake of energy substrates can be assessed independent of regional blood delivery. Studies with the new activated carbon-based ...
A mesoscopically ordered lamellar gel phase of a polymer-grafted, lipid-based complex fluid is used as a scaffolding to spatially organize inorganic nanoparticles. The complex fluid provides both a highly anisotropic environment and a segregated aqueous and organic domains in which inorganic nanoparticles can be selectively placed by tailoring their size and surface characteristics. Three types of silver nanoparticles -- underivatized, surfactant-stabilized, and dodecanthiol-derivatized -- were evaluated. Comparison of the surface plasmon resonance of the various silver particles dispersed in conventional solvents to those contained within the complex fluid was used to determine the region of spatial localization in the lamellar gel phase. Silver particles rendered hydrophobic by capping with an alkane thiol insert into the hydrocarbon bilayer region. Surfactant-stabilized and underivatized silver nanoparticles reside in the aqueous channels, with the latter ...
Residual plutonium (Pu), with trace quantities of depleted uranium (DU) or weapons grade uranium (WU), exists in surficial soils at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR), and the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) as the result of the above-ground testing of nuclear weapons and special experiments involving the detonation of plutonium-bearing devices. The special experiments (referred to as safety shots) involving plutonium-bearing devices were conducted to study the behavior of Pu as it was being explosively compressed; ensure that the accidental detonation of the chemical explosive in a production weapon would not result in criticality; evaluate the ability of personnel to manage large-scale Pu dispersal accidents; and develop criteria for transportation and storage of nuclear weapons. These sites do not pose a health threat to either workers or the general public because they are under active institutional control. The DOE is committed to remediating the safety shot sites ...
In November 1995, the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC, the Council of State and National Environment Ministers) adopted a National Management Plan for PCBs. This was a significant milestone in the very long saga of Australian efforts to develop public policy and management structures for dealing with persistent organochlorine wastes. The author was part of a four-person consultation panel that carried out a public involvement program to assist and inform the process of developing the National Management Plan. The program involved, among other things, visiting every state and territory of Australia at least twice. This paper describes the development and delivery of the public involvement program, including ongoing interactions with Governments. The latter is often a complex (and many would say an unduly complex) matter in the federal system, where primary responsibility for waste management resides in the individual ...
Two hot dry rock geothermal energy reservoirs were created by hydraulic fracturing of Precambrian granitic rock on the west flank of the Valles Caldera, a dormant volcanic complex, in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. Heat was extracted in a closed-loop mode of operation, injecting water into one well and extracting the heated water from a separate production well. The first reservoir was produced by fracturing the injection well at a depth of 2.75 km (9020 ft) where the indigenous rock temperature was 185/sup 0/C. The relatively rapid thermal drawdown of the water produced from the first reservoir, 100/sup 0/C in 74 days, indicated that its effective fracture radius was about 60 m (200 ft). Average thermal power extracted was 4 MW. A second, larger reservoir was created by refracturing the injection well 180 m (600 ft) deeper. Downhole measurements of the water temperature at the reservoir outlet as well as temperatures inferred from chemical geothermometry showed that the ...
Populations living close to high-voltage transmission lines often have residential magnetic field exposures in excess of 1 [mu]T, and sometimes over 2 [mu]T. Yet, populations studied in most epidemiologic investigations of the association between residential magnetic field exposure and cancer typically have exposures below 1 [mu]T and frequently below 0.5 [mu]T. To improve statistical power and precision, it would be useful to compare high exposure populations with low exposure population. Toward this end, we have developed an automated method for identifying populations living near high-voltage transmissions lines. These populations likely have more highly exposed individuals that the population at large. The method uses a geographic information system (GIS) to superimpose digitized transmission line locations on U.S. Census block location data and then extract relevant demographic data. Analysis of data from a pilot study of the population residing within 100 m ...
Rotary screw traps, located at four sites in the Grande Ronde River basin, were used to characterize aspects of early life history exhibited by juvenile Onchorhychus mykiss during migration years 1995-99. The Lostine, Catherine Creek and upper Grande Ronde traps captured fish as they migrated out of spawning areas into valley rearing habitats. The Grande Ronde Valley trap captured fish as they left valley habitats downstream of Catherine Creek and upper Grande Ronde River rearing habitats. Dispersal downstream of spawning areas was most evident in fall and spring, but movement occurred during all seasons that the traps were fished. Seaward migration occurred primarily in spring when O. mykiss smolts left overwintering area located in both spawning area and valley habitats. Migration patterns exhibited by O. mykiss suggest that Grande Ronde Valley habitats are used for overwintering and should be considered critical rearing habitat. We were unable to positively differentiate anadromous ...
Supracrustal rocks, although volumetrically minor, are found throughout the Archean basement of the central and northern Wind River Mountains. Detailed mapping in the Medina Mountain area suggests that at least two discrete sedimentation events are preserved. The older sequence occurs as melanosomes in a multiple deformed migmatitic gneiss. Rock types include mafic rocks (metavolcanics.), calc-silicates, iron formation and rare pelites. Although retrogression is widespread, small patches with granulite mineralogies are found preserved. The younger supracrustal sequence consists of banded amphibolites, calc-silicates, semipelitic and pelitic gneiss. These rocks form synformal structures that are up to 4 km in length. The coherent nature of these rocks and the lack of the aforementioned porphyritic dikes strongly suggests that this sequence, the Medina Mountain. Supracrustals (MMS) is considerably younger than the supracrustal rocks found in the migmatites. The authors propose that the ...
Three reactive materials were evaluated at laboratory scale to identify the optimum treatment reagent for use in a Permeable Reactive Barrier Treatment System at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). The contaminants of concern (COCS) are uranium, TCE, PCE, carbon tetrachloride, americium, and vinyl chloride. The three reactive media evaluated included high carbon steel iron filings, an iron-silica alloy in the form of a foam aggregate, and a peculiar humic acid based sorbent (Humasorb from Arctech) mixed with sand. Each material was tested in the laboratory at column scale using simulated site water. All three materials showed promise for the 903 Mound Site however, the iron filings were determined to be the least expensive media. In order to validate the laboratory results, the iron filings were further tested at a pilot scale (field columns) using actual site water. Pilot test results were similar to laboratory results; consequently, the iron filings were chosen for the ...
INTRODUCTION. We searched for a pathophysiologically based feature of major water electrolytes, which may define water quality better than the water hardness, respecting urinary calculus formation. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Utilizing a multistage stratified sampling, 2310 patients were diagnosed in the imaging centers of the provincial capitals in Iran between 2007 and 2008. These were composed of 1755 patients who were settled residents of 24 provincial capitals. Data on the regional drinking water composition, obtained from an accredited registry, and their relationships with the region's incidence of urinary calculi were evaluated by metaregression models. The stone risk index (defined as the ratio of calcium to magnesium-bicarbonate product in drinking water) was used to assess the risk of calculus formation. RESULTS. No correlation was found between the urinary calculus incidence and the amount of calcium, bicarbonate, or the total hardness of the drinking water. ...
There are few empirical data, particularly collected simultaneously from multiple sites, on extinctions resulting from human-driven land-use change. Southeast Asia has the highest deforestation rate in the world, but the resulting losses of biological diversity remain poorly documented. Between November 2006 and March 2008, we conducted bird surveys on six landbridge islands in Malaysia and Indonesia. These islands were surveyed previously for birds in the early 1900 s, when they were extensively forested. Our bird inventories of the islands were nearly complete, as indicated by sampling saturation curves and nonparametric true richness estimators. From zero (Pulau Malawali and Pulau Mantanani) to 15 (Pulau Bintan) diurnal resident landbird species were apparently extirpated since the early 1900 s. Adding comparable but published extinction data from Singapore to our regression analyses, we found there were proportionally fewer forest bird extinctions in areas with ...
The scope of the present study was upgrading a set of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons mixtures whose commercial value ranks close to fuel oil and should become even lower in the next future because of the introduction of more stringent regulations on fuels, through hydro-conversion to a synthetic feed for steam-cracking. The resulting process provides an opportunity to improve the economic return of a steamcracking plant, offering the chance of converting low-value mixtures produced by the plant itself, such as fuel oil of cracking (FOK), saving an equivalent amount of naphtha. The method can also be used for converting pyrolysis gasoline (pygas). Although pygas has at present a fair commercial value, it could suffer a significant penalization in the future due to further limitations on total aromatic content in gasoline. Pygas hydro-conversion to a synthetic steam-cracking feedstock has been recently reported. Fractions from refinery, such as heavy distillates (e.g. Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil, ...
The aim for deterministic control of the interactions between macroions in aqueous media has motivated widespread experimental and theoretical work. Although it has been well established that like-charged macromolecules can aggregate under the influence of oppositely charged condensing agents, the specific conditions for the stability of such aggregates can only be determined empirically. We examine these conditions, which involve an interplay of electrostatic and osmotic effects, by using a well defined model system composed of F-actin, an anionic rod-like polyelectrolyte, and lysozyme, a cationic globular protein with a charge that can be genetically modified. The structure and stability of actin-lysozyme complexes for different lysozyme charge mutants and salt concentrations are examined by using synchrotron x-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. We provide evidence that supports a structural transition from columnar arrangements of F-actin held together by arrays of ...
Green Building Challenge (GBC) was intended to advance the state-of-the-art of building performance assessment, through the development, testing, and discussion of an assessment framework, criteria and tool. The contributions of GBC to building performance assessment are considered through comparing similarities and differences with a selection of available assessment tools. Unlike national or proprietary assessment systems, GBC was not designed for application to specific commercial markets. Instead, it emphasized research and involved researchers and practitioners from many countries. Consequently, GBC has been in a unique position to test and adopt new ideas and implement step changes. GBC's roles over the past five years have been to provide a reference framework, method and tools that can be used to develop new systems or improve existing systems; provide a forum for discussion among researchers and practitioners worldwide; and raise awareness and credibility of ...
To investigate the coal liquefaction characteristics, coal slurry samples were taken from the outlets of the reactors and slurry preheater of NEDOL process 1 t/d process supporting unit (PSU), and were analyzed. Tanito Harum coal was used for liquefaction, and the slurry was prepared with recycle solvent. Liquefaction was performed using synthetic iron sulfide catalyst at reaction temperatures, 450 and 465{degree}C. Solubility of various solid samples was examined against n-hexane, toluene, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). When considering the decrease of IMO (THF-insoluble and ash) as a characteristic of coal conversion reaction, around 20% at the outlet of the slurry preheater, around 70% within the first reactor, and several percents within the successive second and third reactors were converted against supplied coal. Increase of reaction temperature led to the increase of evaporation of oil fraction, which resulted in the decrease of actual slurry flow rate and in the increase of ...
Aminophenpyramine, a derivative of mepyramine (pyrilamine), a typical antagonists of histamine at its H_1 receptor was synthesized and converted into ["1"2"5I]iodoazidophenpyramine, a potential photoaffinity probe for the H_1 receptor. In the dark, reversible binding of this probe to cerebellar membranes occurred with a K/sub d/ of 1.2 x 10"-"1"1 M and a B/sub max/ of 240 fmol/mg of protein and was inhibited by various H_1-receptor antagonists with the expected potencies. These features establish the compound as one of the most potent H_1-receptor antagonists known so far. Upon IV irradiation, 5% of the bound radioactivity was covalently incorporated into cerebellar membrane polypeptides as shown by standard NaDodSO_4/PAGE. Two bands of 47 and 56 kDa were consistently labeled, labeling being prevented by various H_1-receptor antagonists with the expected potencies and stereoselectivity. In the presence of protease inhibitors, labeling of the 56-kDa peptide increased at the expense of ...
The large aggregating proteoglycan aggrecan is a major structural component of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage. Recent cDNA cloning of the human aggrecan gene (AGC1) reveals a core protein of at least 2316 amino acids characterized by several distinct structural domains. Two globular domains, termed G1 and G2, are present at the amino terminus of the molecule and a third, termed G3, is present at the carboxy terminus. The G1 domain is homologous in structure to the cartilage link protein and accounts for the aggregating potential of aggrecan through its ability to interact with hyaluronic acid. The aggrecan gene is known to consist of 15 exons, with each exon encoding a distinct functional region of the mature protein. However, while the link protein gene is known to reside on chromosome 5 in the human, the location of the aggrecan gene is currently undetermined in any species. The probe (pAGG2) for the aggrecan gene was mapped on chromosome band ...
There are five tasks within this project on thermally stable coal-based jet fuels. Progress on each of the tasks is described. Task 1, Investigation of the quantitative degradation chemistry of fuels, has 5 subtasks which are described: Literature review on thermal stability of jet fuels; Pyrolytic and catalytic reactions of potential endothermic fuels: cis- and trans-decalin; Use of site specific {sup 13}C-labeling to examine the thermal stressing of 1-phenylhexane: A case study for the determination of reaction kinetics in complex fuel mixtures versus model compound studies; Estimation of critical temperatures of jet fuels; and Surface effects on deposit formation in a flow reactor system. Under Task 2, Investigation of incipient deposition, the subtask reported is Uncertainty analysis on growth and deposition of particles during heating of coal-derived aviation gas turbine fuels; under Task 3, Characterization of solid gums, sediments, and carbonaceous deposits, is subtask, Studies ...
The overall objective of this project was to develop a new approach for the direct liquefaction of coal to produce an all-distillate product slate at a sizable cost reduction over current technology. The approach integrated coal selection, pretreatment, coal swelling with catalyst impregnation, liquefaction, product recovery with characterization, alternate bottoms processing, and a technical assessment including an economic evaluation. Heterofunctional solvents were the most effective in swelling coals. Also solvent blends such as isopropanol/water were more effective than pure solvents alone. Impregnating slurry catalysts simultaneously during coal swelling showed that better uptake was achieved with nonswelling solvent and higher impregnation temperature. Some enhancement in initial coal conversion was seen liquefying SO{sub 2}-treated Black Thunder coal with slurry catalysts, and also when hydrogen donor liquefaction solvents were used. Noncatalytic reactions showed no benefit from ...
US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A (DOE, 1988) requires performance assessments on all new and existing low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal sites. An integral part of performance assessment is estimating the fluxes of radioactive gases such as radon-220 and radon-222. Data needs pointed out by mathematical models drive site characterization. They provide a logical means of performing the required flux estimations. Thorium-230 waste, consisting largely of thorium hydroxide and thorium oxides, has been approved for disposal in shallow trenches and pits at the LLW Radioactive Waste Management Site in Area 5 of the Nevada Test Site. A sophisticated gas transport model, CASCADR8 (Lindstrom et al., 1992b), was used to simulate the transport and fate of radon-222 from its source of origin, nine feet below a closure cap of native soil, through the dry alluvial earth, to its point of release into the atmosphere. CASCADR8 is an M-chain gas-phase radionuclide transport and fate ...
We report herein that trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is oncogenic and mediates anti-estrogen resistance in human mammary carcinoma. Forced expression of TFF3 in mammary carcinoma cells increased cell proliferation...Full Text Available
A factor which agglutinated the spores of Ceratocystis fimbriata in the presence of Ca2+ was purified from sweet potato (Ipomea batatas Lam cv. Norin[1]) root. Element composition of the purified factor was as follows; analysis found: C (29.8%), H (3.97%), O (65.34%), N (0.81%): calculated for C43H69O70N1: C (30.02%), H (4.01%), O (65.15%), N (0.81%). The factor was mainly composed of galacturonic acid (53% of dry weight) and contained arabinose, fucose, and unidentified component as minor components. The factor also agglutinated A-, B-, AB-, and O types of human erythrocytes to almost the same degree in the presence of Ca2+. The differential spore-agglutinating activity of the factor depended on the pH of the assay medium; it agglutinated similarly the germinated spores of sweet potato and coffee strains at pH 7.5 and 5.5, whereas it displayed a distinct differential agglutinating ...
This EPRI sponsored report describes factors that influence the selection of drives in process industry. These factors include economics, safety aspects, speed control and the plant steam balance. Since the economics play a key-role in the decision, this report provides a quick way of estimating the economics of replacing steam turbines with electric motors. The tools to carry out economic analyses have been provided in the form of graphs and nomographs for quick estimation.