Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of this report is to provide management with performance data on key performance indicators selected from the FFTF Early Warning System performance indicators.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This work describes the development of a synchronous key based on micro controller to the switching of three-phase power transformers, which makes possible the achievement of tests to register the inrush current, and the previous establishment of the instantaneous values of the voltage firstly applied to different phases of the energy process. This key is a value tool to the development electric power system projects and to the teaching and researching activities at the laboratory related to transitory phenomena and electric system protection.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Bacteria expressing type III secretion systems (T3SS) have been responsible for the deaths of millions worldwide, acting as key virulence elements in diseases ranging from plague to typhoid...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundStable transgenesis is an undeniable key to understanding any genetic system. Retrovirus-based insertional strategies, which feature several technical challenges when they...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This article presents a linear-analytical case study on the development of ICT within the educational systems of Chile and South Korea. Through a comprehensive meta-data analysis and bibliographic review, we collected information on both educational systems and their ICT adoption policies. Key differences necessary to understand how both countries have developed their educational systems by integrating ICT were analyzed, including the educational system structure, the organization of state entities responsible for educational ICT, cultural characteristics, the creation of policies regarding ICT in education, and the effectiveness of such policies for the expansion of infrastructure and the ICT curriculum integration. We analyze these key differences in order to understand two cases of ICT ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The UK government's economy-wide 60% carbon dioxide reduction target by 2050 requires a paradigm shift in the whole energy system. Numerous analytical studies have concluded that the power sector is a critical contributor to a low carbon energy system, and electricity generation has dominated the policy discussion on UK decarbonisation scenarios. However, range of technical, social and market challenges, combined with alternate market investment strategies mean that large scale deployment of key classes of low carbon electricity technologies is fraught with uncertainty. The UK MARKAL energy systems model has been used to investigate these long-term uncertainties in key electricity generation options. A range of power sector specific parametric sensitivities have been performed under a 'what-if' framework to provide a systematic exploration of least-cost energy ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Stem cells are expected to play a key role in the development and maintenance of organisms, and hold great therapeutic promises. However, a number of questions must be answered to achieve an...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundDysregulation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system, a common consequence of adiposity-induced insulin resistance, may be a key underlying mechanism...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundNeuropeptide Y is a key neurotransmitter of the central nervous system which plays a vital role in the feed energy homeostasis in mammals. Mutations in the regulatory and...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mouse models have dramatically improved our understanding of cancer development and tumor biology. However, these models have shown limited efficacy as tractable systems for unbiased genetic...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The staff of the Southwest Technology Development Institute (SWTDI), in conjunction with the staff of Industrial Solar Technology (IST), have analyzed the performance, operation, and maintenance of a large solar process heat system in use at the 5,000 inmate California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Tehachapi, CA. This report summarizes the key design features of the solar plant, its construction and maintenance histories through the end of 1991, and the performance data collected at the plant by a dedicated on-site data acquisition system (DAS).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trapped ions are a near ideal system to study quantum information processing due to the high degree of control over the ion's external confinement and internal degrees of freedom. We demonstrate the key steps necessary for trapped ion quantum computing and focus on phonon-mediated entangling gates. We highlight several key algorithms implemented over the last decade with these gates and give a detailed description of Grover's quantum database search implemented with two trapped ion qubits.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quantum key distribution (QKD) can, in principle, provide unconditional security based on the fundamental laws of physics. Unfortunately, a practical QKD system may contain overlooked imperfections and may thus violate some of the assumptions in the security proofs of QKD. It is important to explore these assumptions. One key assumption is that the sender (Alice) can prepare the required quantum states without errors. However, such an assumption may be violated in a practical QKD system. In this paper, we perform a proof-of-principle experiment to demonstrate a technically feasible 'intercept- and-resend' attack that exploits such a security loophole in a commercial 'plug and play' QKD system. The resulting quantum bit error rate is 19.7%, which is substantially lower than the well-known 25% error rate for an intercept-and-resend attack in BB84. The attack we utilize is the ...

CERN Document Server

Femtocell is emerging as a key technology to secure the coverage and capacity in indoor environments. However the deployment of a new femtocell layer may originate undesired interference to the whole system. This paper investigates spectrum resource coordination and interference management for the femtocell networks. A resource coordination scheme based on broadcasting resource coordination request messages by the femto mobile is proposed to reduce the system interference.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objective of the present investigation was to develop a Bayesian framework for updating and integrating covariate information into key parameters of metabolizable energy (ME) systems for dairy cows. The study addressed specifically the effects of genetic improvements and feed quality on key parameters in current ME systems. These are net and metabolizable energy for maintenance (NEM and MEM, respectively), efficiency of utilization of ME for milk production (kL) and growth (kG), and efficiency of utilization of body stores for milk production (kT). Data were collated from 38 studies, yielding 701 individual cow observations on milk energy, ME intake, and tissue gain and loss. A function based on a linear relationship between milk energy and ME intake and correcting for tissue energy lo...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work, we propose a conceptual distributed control framework for electrical grid integrated with distributed renewable energy generation systems in order to enable the development of the so-called ''smart electrical grid''. First, we introduce the key elements and their interactions in the proposed control architecture and discuss the design of the distributed control systems which are able to coordinate their actions to account for optimization considerations on the system operation. Subsequently, we focus on a specific wind/solar energy generation system connected to a reverse osmosis water desalination system and the electrical grid and design two supervisory predictive controllers via model predictive control to operate the integrated system taking into account short-term and lo...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The product of several advanced physical coal cleaning processes is a dry, ultrafine coal (DUC), in the order of 10 microns mean mass diameter. To utilize this fuel commercially, cost-effective, environmentally safe systems must be provided for the storage, transport, and handling of this finely divided form of fuel. The objective of the project described herein is the development of total logistics systems for DUC, including experimental verification of key features. The systems to be developed will provide for safe, economic, and environmentally protective storage and delivery of DUC for residential, commercial, and industrial uses. 20 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Four interrelated projects are underway whose purpose is to migrate the LAMPF-PSR Accelerator Complex control systems to a system with a common set of hardware and software components. Project goals address problems in performance, maintenance and growth potential. Front-end hardware, operator interface hardware and software, computer systems, network systems and data system software are being simultaneously upgraded as part of these efforts. The efforts are being coordinated to provide for a smooth and timely migration to a client-sever model-based data acquisition and control system. An increased use of the distributed intelligence at both the front-end and operator interface is a key element of the projects. 2 refs., 2 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

'Small radioactive source results in big accident' have occurred repeatedly in China and worldwide alike. Radioactive source management is one of the key activities for a nuclear power plant to maintain its good safety record and image to the public. From aspects of establishing the management system, centralized storage, periodic accounting, performing whole process control to the source usage and experience feedback etc., the author reports the practice and experience of radioactive source management in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To achieve the high degree of management control and operational efficiency necessary for new undertakings, there will be a heavy dependence on schemes for the remote control and monitoring of all mine activities both on the surface and underground, plus the provision of information on operations, plant and equipment. This will all need to be supervised from a central control point on the colliery surface. A survey of recently introduced instrumentation systems makes it clear that British manufacturers already have made major advances in the field of automation, and new equipment constantly comes on to the market.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Immune challenge induces behavioral changes including reduced ingestion of palatable food. Multiple pathways likely contribute to this effect, including viscerosensory pathways controlling hypothalamic...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The broad use of Six Sigma in the improvement of all types of processes has provided new insight for how to design, analyze, and interpret formulation studies and mixture experiments. Experience has shown that, consistent with the Pareto principle, there are typically three to six key variables that have major effects on the performance of the process. Identifying these key variables increases your ability to control and optimize the process. Applying this concept to formulation studies suggests that we should be searching for those critical few components that are driving the performance of the product formulation. This thinking changes how we approach both the design and analysis phases of product formulation studies, including the reassessment of formulations in use today. A review of t...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels offer a cost-effective field development solution, especially in deepwater areas lacking an adequate pipeline network. Most FPSOs are permanently moored, i.e. the complete system is designed to withstand any kind of extreme environment at the field location. FPSOs that can be quickly disconnected from their moorings and risers have also been designed and deployed. The key feature of this type of disconnectable FPSO is that it can be disconnect and so avoid dangerous environmental conditions such as icebergs, hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and typhoons in the South China Sea. In this paper, the concept of disconnectable FPSOs for deepwater field development is presented. Key technologies and their engineering analyses are highlight...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This report presented some quick facts about oil and gas pipelines in Turkey and presented opportunities for trade. The key players and customers in the oil and gas sector were described along with an export check list. Turkey is looking into becoming an energy bridge between oil and gas producing countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. The oil and gas sectors are dominated by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, a public enterprise dealing with exploration and production, and the State Pipeline Corporation which deals with energy transmission. They are also the key buyers of oil and gas equipment in Turkey. There are several pipelines connecting countries bordering the Caspian Sea. Opportunities exist in the areas of engineering consulting as well as contracting services for oil and gas pipeline transmission and distribution. Other opportunities lie in the area of pipeline construction, rehabilitation, materials, equipment, ...

CERN Document Server

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project, approved by the CERN Council in December 1994, has now fully entered its construction phase, with the detailed technical definition of the major systems, and the adjudication of a number of large procurement contracts. We first recall the main features and characteristics of the LHC, report on the advances in definition of the layout and optics as well as on preparation of the injector complex, and review recent progress in the key technical systems of the main ring: magnets, cryogenics and vacuum, as well as civil construction, which has started following acceptance by authorities in the Host States.

CERN Document Server

Denial of service attacks (DoS) can cause significant financial damages. Flooding and Malicious packets are two kinds of DoS attacks. This paper presents a new security approach which stops malicious packets and prevents flooding in the critical systems. New concepts of packet stamp a dynamic-multi-communication-point mechanism has been identified for this proposed approach to make the prevention of flooding attacks easier and the performing of malicious packet attacks harder. In addition, dynamic key encryption technique has been adapted as a part of the proposed approach to enhance its functionality.

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Udgivelsesdato: winter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report describes the LIFECC computer program developed for the purpose of calculating the cost of energy produced by wind systems according to the principles of life cycle costing (LCC). Following a brief explanation of the LCC concept and its advantages, input variables to the program and their importance to various program users, including manufacturers and designers, utilities, various institutions and consumers, are explained. A detailed user's guide to the program is then provided, together with a sensitivity analysis which discusses the impact of key variables on wind system cost of energy and the importance of cash flow to the wind system purchaser. Sample cases of program output and an LIFECC program listing are provided.

CERN Document Server

This paper presents three non-linear asymptotic observers corresponding to three examples of engineering interest: a chemical reactor, a non-holonomic car, and an inertial navigation system. For each example, the design is based on physical symmetries. This motivates the theoretical development of invariant observers, i.e, symmetry-preserving observers. We consider an observer to consist in a copy of the system equation and a correction term, and we give a constructive method (based on the Cartan moving-frame method) to find all the symmetry-preserving correction terms. They rely on an invariant frame (a classical notion) and on an invariant output-error, a less standard notion precisely defined here. For each example, the convergence analysis relies also on symmetries consideration with a key use of invariant state-errors. For the non-holonomic car and the inertial navigation system, the invariant ...

CERN Document Server

The effective approach to quantum dynamics allows a reformulation of the Dirac quantization procedure for constrained systems in terms of an infinite-dimensional constrained system of classical type. For semiclassical approximations, the quantum constrained system can be truncated to finite size and solved by the reduced phase space or gauge-fixing methods. In particular, the classical feasibility of local internal times is directly generalized to quantum systems, overcoming the main difficulties associated with the general problem of time in the semiclassical realm. The key features of local internal times and the procedure of patching global solutions using overlapping intervals of local internal times are described and illustrated by two quantum mechanical examples. The choice of time is tantamount to a choice of gauge at the effective level and changing the clock is, therefore, ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The immune system modulates many key biological processes in humans. However, the exact role of the immune system in particle-associated periprosthetic osteolysis is controversial. Human tissue retrieval studies, in vivo and in vitro experiments suggest that the immune response to polymer particles is non-specific and macrophage-mediated. Lymphocytes may modulate this response. However direct lymphocyte activation by polymer particle-protein complexes seems unlikely. However, metallic byproducts may complex with serum proteins and lead to a Type IV, lymphocyte-mediated immune reaction. In predisposed individuals, this reaction may rarely lead to persistent painful joint effusions, necessitating debridement and excision of the bearing surfaces of the prosthesis. In these patients, retrieved...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dynamic stability enhancement of composite mode oscillations of interconnected power systems by means of a hybrid power system stabilizer is discussed here. The proposed Hybrid PSS is of a two-level structure composed of a local PSS for local mode and a global PSS for inter-area mode damping. Here, the input of the global stabilizer is the center of inertia speed deviation of slow-coherent generators. The paper is focused on the practical considerations in implementation of the proposed stabilizer. First, the optimum allocation of this stabilizer is discussed. The authors introduce an index of mode-input-assignability, by which the best sites of the stabilizer can be identified. Next, for practical applications, an estimation method for the approximation of the input of the global PSS is introduced. An approximated value of the center of inertia speed is obtained from a suitable combination of the rotor speed data of a few properly selected ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The heating and current drive systems are being developed to support long pulse, high {beta}, advanced tokamak fusion physics experiments in the KSTAR tokamak. The heating and current drive systems consisting of neutral beam injection (NBI), ion cyclotron waves (ICRF), lower hybrid waves (LHCD) and electron cyclotron waves (ECH/ECCD) have been designed to operate for pulse lengths up to 300 sec and to provide a range of control functions including current drive and profile control. Development of key technologies for high power, long pulse operation has been on going. Substantial progress has been made on areas such as RF launchers, ion source, and high power supplies.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Heat pipes, loop heat pipes (LHP), and capillary pumped loops (CPL) have already proven their potential to remove high heat fluxes from a small electronic device and transport the heat to a heat sink that is large enough to transfer it into the ambient air. We introduce a novel two-loop system similar in design to CPLs but with an additional buoyancy-driven fluid loop. Non-degassed methanol is used as a working fluid. Key benefits compared to LHPs and CPLs are easy filling procedure, easy startup, and the tolerance toward noncondensable gases in the fluid. The amount of fluid in the system can be varied over a broad range without affecting the heat transfer performance. Three different inverted-meniscus-type evaporators have been employed in this study. A maximum evaporator heat transfer r...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To monitor the groundwater contamination and the effectiveness of remedial actions, over a thousand monitoring wells are in active operation (i.e., require quarterly or semi-annual sampling) at SRS. Most wells are expected to continue in operation for another 20 to 40 more years. Required sample volumes can range from a less than a liter to 10 liters. To support the long-term groundwater monitoring requirements of these wells, SRS actively seeks technologies that can maximize data acquisition and minimize costs. To meet this end, SRS has implemented the Purge Water Management System (PWMS). The key attributes of this system lie in its ability to reduce or eliminate the generation of purged groundwater, which is costly in terms of the time and management.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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 ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We study a quantum computing system using microwave photons in transmission line resonators on a superconducting chip as qubits. We show that linear optics and other controls necessary for quantum computing can be implemented by coupling to Josephson devices on the same chip. By taking advantage of the strong nonlinearities in Josephson junctions, photonic qubit interactions can be realized. We analyze the gate error rate to demonstrate that our scheme is realistic even for Josephson devices with limited decoherence times. As a conceptually innovative solution based on existing technologies, our scheme provides an integrated and scalable approach to the next key milestone for photonic qubit quantum computing.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This annex provides a description of the sensor schemes and the non-destructive testing (NDT) methods that have been investigated in this project. Acoustic emission and fibre optic sensors are described in some detail whereas only the key features of well-established NDT methods are presented. Estimates of the cost of different sensor systems are given and the advantages and disadvantages of the different schemes is discussed. (au)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Introduction: The obstructed, infected kidney is a urological emergency. It has been accepted that the management of infected hydronephrosis secondary to ureteric stones is through prompt decompression of the collecting system. However, the optimal method of decompression has yet to be established. Materials and Methods: A PubMed and Medline search was performed of all English-language articles from 1960 using key words ?sepsis,?? ?urosepsis,?? ?obstruction,?? ?obstructive pyelonephritis,?? ?pyonephrosis,?? ?infection and hydronephrosis?? ?decompression,?? ?stent,?? ?nephrostomy,?? and ?management.?? The Cochrane database and National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness guidelines were searched using the terms ?sepsis,?? ?urosepsis,?? ?stent,?? ?nephrostomy,?? or ?obstruction.?? ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes a new approach to development of software for highly integrated software-hardware systems such as used for data acquisition and control. This approach, called the Object Oriented Software Bus (OSB), is a way to develop software according to a common specification similar to the way interface hardware has been developed since the advent of bus structures for minicomputers and microcomputers. Key concept of the OSB is extension of the common use of objects to support user interface and data analysis functions to the development of software objects that directly correspond to real- world hardware interfaces and modules.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logistics modeling is a powerful analytical technique for effective planning of waste storage, treatment, and disposal activities. Logistics modeling facilitates analyses of alternate scenarios for future waste flows, facility schedules, and processing or handling capacities. These analyses provide an increased understanding of the specific needs for waste storage, treatment, and disposal while adequate time remains to plan accordingly. They also help to determine the sensitivity of these needs to various system parameters. This paper discusses a logistics modeling system developed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to aid in solid waste planning for a large industrial complex managing many different types and classifications of waste. The basic needs for such a system are outlined, and the approach adopted in developing the system is described. A key component of this ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The report presents a long-range plan for a broad-based, coordinated research, development and market transformation program for reducing the lighting energy intensities in commercial and residential buildings in California without compromising lighting quality. An effective program to advance lighting energy efficiency in California must be based on an understanding that lighting is a mature field and the lighting industry has developed many specialized products that meet a wide variety of light needs for different building types. Above all else, the lighting field is diverse and there are applications for a wide range of lighting products, systems, and strategies. Given the range of existing lighting solutions, an effective energy efficient lighting research portfolio must be broad-based and diverse to match the diversity of the lighting market itself. The belief that there is one solution--a magic bullet, such as a better lamp, for example--that will propel ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article identifies the key role of the sugar industry in the rural development of developing countries. The Indian sugar industry, already second largest among the country`s processing industries, shows even greater potential, according to the Plan Documents (shown in a table). The potential of waste heat in sugar processing plants, which produce white crystal sugar using the double sulphitation clarification process, is estimated at 5757.9 KJ/kg of sugar. Efficient waste heat recovery (WHR) systems could help arrest the trend of increasing production costs. This would help the sugar industry not only in India, but in many other countries as well. The innovative methods suggested and discussed briefly in this article include dehydration of prepared cane, bagasse drying, and juice heating using waste heat. These methods can reduce the cost of energy in sugar production by at least 10% and improve efficiency and productivity.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This article explores the extent to which and how non-formal education (NFE) contributes to the development of a more diversified basic education system and thus to the achievement of EFA. It outlines the current nature of NFE, the frameworks provided by the EFA movement, and the evolution of reflection, policies and practices in NFE in relation to basic education as a whole. Based on significant developments in various countries across the South, the article also discusses some key challenges that ministries of education and their partners need to face in moving towards relevant and equitable diversity in education. The article posits that, despite the many problems faced by NFE, there is justification for building on its experiences and integrating these within a larger policy and system...

Science.gov (United States)

In August 1995, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a policy statement proposing improved regulatory decisionmaking by increasing the use of PRA [probabilistic risk assessment] in all regulatory matters to the extent supported by the state-of-the-art in PRA methods and data. A key aspect in using PRA in risk-informed regulatory activities is establishing the appropriate scope and attributes of the PRA. In this regard, ASME decided to develop a consensus PRA Standard. The objective is to develop a PRA Standard such that the technical quality of nuclear plant PRAs will be sufficient to support risk-informed regulatory applications. This paper presents examples recommendations for the systems analysis element of a PRA for incorporation into the ASME PRA Standard.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Retaining an appropriate level of moisture at the interface between a healing wound and an applied dressing is considered to be critical for effective wound healing. Failure to control exudate at this interface can result in maceration or drying out of the wound surface. The ability to control moisture balance at the wound interface is therefore a key aspect of wound dressing performance. To date it has not been possible to monitor in any effective manner the distribution of moisture within dressings or how this varies with time.A new measurement system is presented based on sensors placed at the wound/dressing interface which are capable of monitoring moisture levels in real time. The system comprises a model wound bed and sensor array complete with fluid injection path to mimic exudate f...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The key factors of enzymatic lysis of cells are the interaction between the enzyme and the cell - catalytic and non-catalytic adsorption of enzyme on cell surface. Here, the studies of lysis of intact Escherichia coli cells by chicken egg white lysozyme were performed. It was found that the ionic strength has a dual effect onto the system. On the one hand, the desorption constant of the enzyme increases with the increase of the solution ionic strength, which results in a better enzyme performance. On the other hand, due to the higher osmosis, the cell lysis rate decreases with the increasing of ionic strength of the system. It was found that pH 8.6 and 30mM NaCl are optimal conditions for lysis of E. coli cells by lysozyme.

CERN Document Server

Google's Android is a comprehensive software framework for mobile communication devices (i.e., smartphones, PDAs). The Android framework includes an operating system, middleware and a set of key applications. The incorporation of integrated access services to the Internet on such mobile devices, however, increases their exposure to damages inflicted by various types of malware. This paper provides a comprehensive security assessment of the Android framework and the security mechanisms incorporated into it. A methodological qualitative risk analysis that we conducted identifies the high-risk threats to the framework and any potential danger to information or to the system resulting from vulnerabilities that have been uncovered and exploited. Our review of current academic and commercial solutions in the area of smartphone security yields a list of applied and recommended defense mechanisms for hardening mobile devices in ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper has two key objectives. Firstly, using the findings from case study research undertaken in Colombo (Sri Lanka), Faisalabad (Pakistan) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), the paper seeks to demonstrate the importance of an appropriate regulatory framework and effective mechanisms of enforcement for sustainable urban transport systems in developing countries. Secondly, the paper highlights the critical importance of communication and co-ordination between stakeholders (defined here as transport users, providers and regulators) if regulation is to be effective. The views of poor and disadvantaged passenger groups-women, children, the elderly and disabled-are used in the paper to illustrate the importance of transport systems to their livelihoods, such as work, education, health and socia...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Continued public acceptance of commercial nuclear power is contingent to a large degree on the US Department of Energy (DOE) establishing an integrated waste management system for spent nuclear fuel. As part of the from-reactor transportation segment of this system, the B W Fuel Company (BWFC) is under contract to the DOE to develop a spent-fuel cask that is compatible with both rail and barge modes of transportation. Innovative design approaches were the keys to achieving a cask design that maximizes payload capacity and cask performance. The result is the BR-100, a 100-ton rail/barge cask with a capacity of 21 PWR or 52 BWR ten-year cooled, intact fuel assemblies. 3 figs.

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesThe key testing-grounds for theories concerning the origin of helping are primitively eusocial taxa in which the option of independent reproduction still exists. Co-foundress associations of Polistes paper wasps are the best studied primitively eusocial system, yet it remains unclear why many foundresses choose to become helpers. Especially paradoxical are populations of P. dominulus, in which >30% of helpers are unrelated to the dominant egg-layer in the group. The proposed research will use [continued...]DescriptionThe evolution of sociality is one of the major transitions in evolutionary biology. The key testing-grounds for theories concerning the origin of helping are primitively eusocial taxa in which the option of independent reproduction still exists. Social groups of Polistes paper wasps comprise groups of females in which one 'dominant' female lays most or all of the eggs while the others ( 'helpers') ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The study of natural convection flow and heat transfer within a cylindrical annulus has received considerable attention because of its numerous applications, such as in nuclear reactor design, electronic component cooling, thermal storage systems, energy conservation, energy storage, and energy transmission. Here, the effects of multiple geometric perturbations on the inner and outer cylinders of an annulus with impermeable end walls are investigated in this work. A three-dimensional study was done using a numerical scheme based on a Galerkin method of finite element formulation. The nature of the buoyancy-induced flow field has been analyzed in detail. The flow fields for the cases considered were found to be qualitatively similar, and the introduction of each additional perturbation altered the flow field in a regular and recurring manner. The introduction of each perturbation on the outer cylinder causes clockwise and counterclock-wise rotating patterns on ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In supervising CANDU plant operation, Operations staff must routinely monitor plant status using information from several information systems. One key source of plant status information are the CRT displays at console workstations and panel locations. At Darlington, as at most CANDU plants, Operations staff have adopted a reference set of displays for use in monitoring during Full Power Steady State conditions. The display set employed was chosen from the available suite of displays, and operational experience has demonstrated that the current displays could be improved. For Outages, no reference display set has been defined, and for Upset conditions, the current Transient display set does not provide the information needed by operations staff, and consequently is not used. This paper describes the basis for and findings from a COG project [1] undertaken in 1997 to characterize monitoring practice and develop improvements to control room ...

Wastenet

...Key Phrase page for Kidney Failure: Books containing the phrase Kidney Failure Kidney Failure,Key Phrase Kidney Failure,Books containing Kidney Failure,Amazon....com: \\

ScienceCinema

...english uh ? that's quite motor ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a key installation for the production and research of nuclear materials for national defense and peace time applications and has been operating a full nuclear fuel cycle since the early 1950s. Wastes generated include high level radioactive, transuranic, low level radioactive, hazardous, mixed, sanitary, and aqueous wastes. Much progress has been made during the last several years to reduce these wastes including management systems, characterization, and technology programs. The reduction of wastes generated and the proper handling of the wastes have always been a part of the Site`s operation. This paper summarizes the current status and future plans with respect to waste reduction to waste reduction and reviews some specific examples of successful activities.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The impacts of the availability of low-carbon technologies on the regional distribution of mitigation costs are analyzed in a global multi-regional integrated assessment model. Three effects on regional consumption losses are distinguished: domestic measures, trade of fossil energy carriers and trade of emission permits. Key results are: (i) GDP losses and a redirection of investments in the energy system towards capital-intensive technologies are major contributions to regional consumption losses. (ii) A devaluation of tradable fossil energy endowments contributes largely to the mitigation costs of fossil fuel exporters. (iii) In case of reduced availability of low-carbon technologies, the permit market volume and associated monetary redistributions increase. The results suggest that the ...

Science.gov (United States)

An enantiocontrolled route to aziridinomitosenes had been developed from l-serine methyl ester hydrochloride. The tetracyclic target ring system was assembled by an internal azomethine ylide cycloaddition reaction based on silver ion-assisted intramolecular oxazole alkylation and cyanide-induced ylide generation via a labile oxazoline intermediate (62 to 66). Other key steps include reductive detritylation of 26, methylation of the N-H aziridine 56, oxidation of the sensitive cyclohexenedione 68 to quinone 70, and carbamoylation using Fmoc-NCO. Although the aziridinomitosene tetracycle is sensitive, a range of protecting group manipulations and redox chemistry can be performed if suitable precautions are taken. A study of DNA alkylation by the first C-6,C-7-unsubstituted aziridinomitosene 11a has been carried out, and evidence for DNA cross-link formation involving nucleophilic addition to the quinone subunit is described. PMID:14677970

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The thymus is a key organ of the immune system in most vertebrates and, for this reason, it has been used in this paper for the generation of a normalized cDNA library from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), one of the most extensively cultured species in South Mediterranean aquaculture. A total of 1632 ESTs from this library were initially analysed for sequence quality and vector sequences and, after this control, 1264 (77% of total clones sequenced) high-quality ESTs were further processed. The total collection of D. labrax thymus ESTs has been deposited in the EBI-GenBank-DBJ database (GenBank accession numbers from FN565576 to FN566839). The functional classification of ESTs was performed by Gene Ontology and KEGG annotation and, successively, the sequences were analysed using the Immuno...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The use of indigenous bacterial root endophytes with biocontrol activity against soil-borne phytopathogens is an environmentally-friendly and ecologically-efficient action within an integrated disease management framework. The earliest steps of olive root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 and Pseudomonas putida PICP2, effective biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Verticillium wilt of olive (Olea europaea L.) caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb., are here described. A gnotobiotic study system using in vitro propagated olive plants, differential fluorescent-protein tagging of bacteria, and confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis have been successfully used to examine olive roots?Pseudomonas spp. interactions at the single-cell level. In vivo simultaneous visualization...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) develops and maintains the USDA National Nutrient Databank System (NDBS). Data are released from the NDBS for scientific and public use through the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl ). In 1997 the NDL initiated the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) to update and expand its food-composition data. The program included: 1) nationwide probability-based sampling of foods; 2) central processing and archiving of food samples; 3) analysis of food components at commercial, government, and university laboratories; 4) incorporation of new analytical data into the NDBS; and 5) dissemination of these data to the scientific community. A key feature and...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The goal of this study is to determine whether physicists at the Russian Nuclear Weapons Institute can profitably service the need for computer aided drug design (CADD) programs. The Russian physicists` primary competitive advantage is their ability to write particularly efficient code able to work with limited computing power; a history of working with very large, complex modeling systems; an extensive knowledge of physics and mathematics, and price competitiveness. Their primary competitive disadvantage is their lack of biology, and cultural and geographic issues. The first phase of the study focused on defining the competitive landscape, primarily through interviews with and literature searches on the key providers of CADD software. The second phase focused on users of CADD technology to determine deficiencies in the current product offerings, to understand what product they most desired, and to define the potential demand for such a ...

Environmental Research Database

Objectives(i) Investigate the correlation between Antarctic sea-ice and equatorial sea-surface temperature anomalies in a realistically forced ocean model simulation of the last 50 years. (ii) Determine whether and how the enormous seasonal change in distribution of sea-ice modifies the seasonal cycle at the Equator. (iii) Determine the detailed pathways of wave propagation both in a historically-forced simulation and in response to realistic perturbations. (iv) Quantify the amplitude of the response i [continued...]DescriptionIt is well known that the equatorial ocean-atmosphere system plays a key role in global climate events such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. There is now compelling evidence that changes in the Antarctic can strongly and quickly affect the equatorial ocean and the ENSO cycle. Observations demonstrate statistically significant correlations (teleconnections) between the Antarctic and the Equator with ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This experimental research investigates mixed convection and heat transfer augmentation by gaseous forced jets in a large enclosure, at conditions simulating those of passive containment cooling systems for Gen III+ passively safe reactors. The experiment is designed to measure the key parameters governing heat transfer augmentation by forced jets, and to investigate the effects of geometric factors, including the jet diameter, jet injection orientation, interior structures, and enclosure aspect ratio. The tests cover a variety of injection modes leading to flow configurations of interest for mixing and stratification phenomena in containments under accident conditions. Correlations for heat transfer augmentation by forced jets are developed and compared with experimental data. The characteristic recirculation speed inside the enclosure is introduced and analyzed. Steady stratified temperature distributions are compared with model simulations ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Global supply chain practices and their effects have received considerable attention over the last two decades. In the recent past, the need for integration across supply chains has been identified as a key for effective and efficient operations of supply chains. This is observed with the increasing trend of collaborative partnerships among supply chain partners. This paper presents an integrated approach for manufacturing and distribution networks within the supply chain system of a global car company. The paper shows that the integration of manufacturing and distribution networks creates the environment for effective planning of many components and execution/follow-up of those plans. These components include materials, resources, operations/activities, suppliers and customers. The main f...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To make the Dutch energy system more sustainable as formulated in the objectives of the recently constituted Task Force Energietransitie (Energy Transition), additional investments by the government in sustainable energy are needed. One of the ideas is to start a public-private risk bearing fund that invests in Netherlands based innovation projects in the area of sustainable energy. The ingoing assumption is that there is a shortage of capital supply for innovation projects that are in between the Research and Development phase and the market introduction phase, and that the government can attract further commercial private capital by co-investing itself. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has asked Bain and Company to perform a due diligence on the validity of the in-going assumptions for raising such a Venture Capital fund. This report contains the key conclusions of the study performed in June and the first half of July of 2006.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

PP2B is a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase that is ubiquitously expressed in mammals. Among other actions, it is an effector mechanism in NMDA-mediated glutamate neurotransmission as well as a regulator of GSK3? and MAPK signaling cascades. Because all of these mechanisms have demonstrable roles in the control of circadian rhythyms, we hypothesized that PP2B would be a key regulator of rhythm generation and entrainment, and that through inhibition of its phosphatase activity, the circadian system would be affected by immunosuppressant drug therapy. We report here that immunosuppressant drugs (cyclosporin A, FK506) (1) block the circadian responses to light that underlie photic entrainment; (2) produce circadian phase shifts with a characteristic nonphotic profile; and (3) disr...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper introduces a parallel measurement approach for fast infrared-based human temperature screening suitable for use in a large public area. Our key idea is based on the combination of simple image processing algorithms, infrared technology, and human flow management. With this multidisciplinary concept, we arrange as many people as possible in a two-dimensional space in front of a thermal imaging camera and then highlight all human facial areas through simple image filtering, image morphological, and particle analysis processes. In this way, an individual's face in live thermal image can be located and the maximum facial skin temperature can be monitored and displayed. Our experiment shows a measured 1ms processing time in highlighting all human face areas. With a thermal imaging ca...

CERN Document Server

The study of extragalactic planetary nebulae (EPN) is a rapidly expanding field. The advent of powerful new instrumentation such as the PN spectrograph has led to an avalanche of new EPN discoveries both within and between galaxies. We now have thousands of EPN detections in a heterogeneous selection of nearby galaxies and their local environments, dwarfing the combined galactic detection efforts of the last century. Key scientific motivations driving this rapid growth in EPN research and discovery have been the use of the PNLF as a standard candle, as dynamical tracers of their host galaxies and dark matter and as probes of Galactic evolution. This is coupled with the basic utility of PN as laboratories of nebula physics and the consequent comparison with theory where population differences, abundance variations and star formation history within and between stellar systems informs both stellar and galactic evolution. Here we pose some of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metal machining facilities pose interesting design problems. This article provides an overview of key environmental control considerations and ways to deal with them. Machine shops offer a variety of environmental control challenges to mechanical engineers. Among the design problems that must be considered include: whether to provide space heating only or year-round air conditioning; temperature and relative humidity requirements; air cleanliness; exhaust air requirements; the type of HVAC system to be used; industrial waste and plumbing considerations; compressed air needs; and noise control. In addition, the designer must comply with worker health and safety and environmental protection regulations set forth by the National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH), OSHA, and EPA, as well as with any applicable state and local requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

Without administrative terminologies there is no revenue to manage. The use of healthcare IT to capture the codes for administrative and financial support functions will impact the revenue cycle and the management of it. This is presumed to occur because clinical data coded at the point of care becomes the source for claims data. Thus, as electronic health record system applications utilizing terminologies are implemented, healthcare providers need to systematically consider the effect on the coding function and management of the revenue cycle. A key factor is the sequence of events changes, i.e., instead of a health information management professional selecting billing codes at the conclusion of an encounter based on the review of the record, clinical data generates the claims data via mapping. Efficiencies and management challenges result. PMID:19267004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The paper presents some aspects relating to the importance of a good communication and cooperation between all factors involved in procurement process at Societatea Nationala 'Nuclearelectrica', SNN. In order to comply with the internal and international rules related to safety in nuclear field and public procurement requirements and for maintaining a high standard of operational performance of Cernavoda NPP, adequate procurement systems were developed by SNN SA. The importance of human factor and the training activities for all personnel from this chain of procurement process is the main key issue to maintain high quality of their activities considering that procurement documents are reviewed and approved before to be issued by all departments involved in procurement process. The specialized department for public acquisition is supervising that the procurement processes initiated at the level of branches, in accordance with their needs and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Various initiatives have been undertaken by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to deregulate wholesale electric energy markets. These initiatives have focused on restructuring the transmission systems in the US and recently have culminated in a proposal requiring formation of and participation in regional transmission organizations. The overall form of regulation selected to determine rates for transmission entities as well as underlying regulatory decisions reached on key issues will have profound implications for transmission entities. For example, traditional cost-based regulation would require one set of accounting and reporting rules, while incentive-based regulation may not be subject to those same rules. An overview of some of the major accounting and financial reporting issues that will need to be considered is presented.

CERN Document Server

This paper proposes a framework based completely on Java technology. The advantages brought about by the use of Java in network management answer some critical problems existing in current systems. With this work we address several factors concerning interoperability and security in heterogeneous network environments. Specifically, we present a manager application and a multithreaded agent engine that make use of a lightweight communication mechanism for message exchange. A MIB parser is introduced to accelerate handling of incoming management requests, and the RSA public-key cryptosystem is implemented to provide both encryption and authentication features. Results, measured in terms of response time, compare favourably with other published work and standard management frameworks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Economics may one day dictate that it makes sense to replace oil or natural gas with coal in boilers that were originally designed to burn oil or gas. In recognition of this future possibility, Pittsburgh Energy Technical Center (PETC) has supported a program led by ABB Power Plant Laboratories in cooperation with the Energy and Fuels Research Center of Penn State University to develop the High Efficiency Advanced Coal Combustor (HEACC). The objective of the program is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting a gas/oil designed boiler to burn micronized coal. In support of the overall objective the following specific areas were targeted: a coal handling/preparation system that can meet the technical requirements for retrofitting microfine coal on a boiler designed for burning oil or natural gas; maintaining boiler thermal performance in accordance with specifications when burning oil or natural gas; maintaining NOx emissions at or below ...

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesThe overall objective is to establish rigorous and verified means of deploying FACTS devices as damping controllers so that stability limits of a congested grid can be expanded, with confidence, toward to the thermal limits. A key to this is to ensure that damping of oscillatory modes of the system are robust to the acknowledged variations of the system.~%~~%~The goals are:~%~~%~a) to apply model order reduction techniques to realistic grid systems and verify modes are adequately expressed,~%~~% [continued...]DescriptionTraditionally, the phenomena of inter-area oscillation between generation groups, e.g. England and Scotland, has been avoided through operating point constraints on tie-lines and acceptance of operation at less than thermal capacity. The need to support long distance trading makes such constraints unacceptable. Stability ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Control room operators rely on the plant annunciation system to alert them to abnormal operating conditions and changes in plant configuration. A key determinant in annunciation system effectiveness is how well the annunciation system displays support Operations staff to staff to maintain a full understanding of the alarm state and ongoing changes under all operating situations. During unit evolutions, current CANDU alarm generation rates can frequently exceed 10 alarms per minute. With existing annunciation displays that list individual alarm changes, the rapid changes in display presentation can exceed an operator's ability to recognize the changes and maintain a full and up-to-date awareness of unit alarm state. This paper describes annunciation display features and concepts for alternative presentation of unit alarm state and changes that can provide improved support to Operations staff ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report presented an analysis of incidents gathered by the Canadian upstream oil and gas industry committee in relation to explosive atmospheres in wellbores, vessels, tanks, and piping systems. The aim of the report was to develop industry recommended practices for oil and gas industry fires and explosions. Two accident theory models were used to set out the relationships between hazards, defenses, and losses. Three levels of defenses were identified based on organizational, local workplace, and human factors. An organizational responsibility approach was used to examine the activities of key people with the system. Incidents were analyzed based on an expanded fire triangle used to identify fire and explosion hazards. The study showed that the ignition of hydrocarbons into the air was a factor in nearly 50 per cent of the incidents. A lack of understanding of liquid-hydrocarbon properties was demonstrated in incidents ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The MS Expert system provides problem diagnostics for instruments used in the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (MSL). The most critical results generated on these mass spectrometers are the uranium concentration and isotopic content data used for process control and materials accountability at the Idaho General Processing Plant. The two purposes of the system are: (1) to minimize instrument downtime and thereby provide the best possible support to the Plant, and (2) to improve long-term data quality. This system combines the knowledge of several experts on mass spectrometry to provide a diagnostic tool, and can make these skills available on a more timely basis. It integrates code written in the Pascal language with a knowledge base entered into a commercial expert system shell. The user performs some preliminary status checks, and then selects from among several broad diagnostic categories. These initial ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Threat characterization is a key component in evaluating the threat faced by control systems. Without a thorough understanding of the threat faced by critical infrastructure networks, adequate resources cannot be allocated or directed effectively to the defense of these systems. Traditional methods of threat analysis focus on identifying the capabilities and motivations of a specific attacker, assessing the value the adversary would place on targeted systems, and deploying defenses according to the threat posed by the potential adversary. Too many effective exploits and tools exist and are easily accessible to anyone with access to an Internet connection, minimal technical skills, and a significantly reduced motivational threshold to be able to narrow the field of potential adversaries effectively. Understanding how hackers evaluate new IT security research and incorporate significant new ideas into ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The NGDRS has facilitated 85% of cores, cuttings, and other data identified available for transfer to the public sector. Over 12 million linear feet of cores and cuttings, in addition to large numbers of paleontological samples and are now available for public use. To date, with industry contributions for program operations and data transfers, the NGDRS project has realized a 6.5 to 1 return on investment to Department of Energy funds. Large-scale transfers of seismic data have been evaluated, but based on the recommendation of the NGDRS steering committee, cores have been given priority because of the vast scale of the seismic data problem relative to the available funding. The rapidly changing industry conditions have required that the primary core and cuttings preservation strategy evolve as well. Additionally, the NGDRS clearinghouse is evaluating the viability of transferring seismic data covering the western shelf of the Florida Gulf Coast. AGI remains actively involved in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Remotely-fielded unattended sensor networks generally must operate at very low power--in the milliwatt or microwatt range--and thus have extremely limited communications bandwidth. Such sensors might be asleep most of the time to conserve power, waking only occasionally to transmit a few bits. RFID tags for tracking or material control have similarly tight bandwidth constraints, and emerging nanotechnology devices will be even more limited. Since transmitted data is subject to spoofing, and since sensors might be located in uncontrolled environments vulnerable to physical tampering, the high-consequence data generated by such systems must be protected by cryptographically sound authentication mechanisms; but such mechanisms are often lacking in current sensor networks. One reason for this undesirable situation is that standard authentication methods become impractical or impossible when bandwidth is severely constrained; if messages are small, a standard digital ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to study the two-phase natural circulation and flow termination during a small break loss of coolant accident in LWR, simulation experiments have been performed using two different thermal-hydraulic loops. The main focus of the experiment was the two-phase flow behavior in the hot-leg U-bend typical of BandW LWR systems. The first group of experiments was carried out in the nitrogen gas-water adiabatic simulation loop and the second in the Freon 113 boiling and condensation loop. Both of the loops have been designed as a flow visualization facility and built according to the two-phase flow scaling criteria developed under this program. The nitrogen gas-water system has been used to isolate key hydrodynamic phenomena such as the phase distribution, relative velocity between phases, two-phase flow regimes and flow termination mechanisms, whereas the Freon loop has been used to study the effect of fluid properties, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This Progress Report describes the operation of the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) and the research programs carried out there for the years 1992 and 1993. The accelerator operated for over 100 days in 1992, providing beams of H{sup +}, H{sup {minus}}, and polarized H{sup {minus}} for a rich and varied research program in nuclear physics. The accelerator had only fair beam availability in 1992 (for example, the average H{sup +} beam availability was 72%), caused largely by problems in the 201-MHz rf system. A major effort was expended to address these problems before the 1993 run. These efforts were rewarded by good beam availability in 1993 and few problems with the 201-MHz system. LAMPF operated remarkably smoothly during 1993, in the midst of a period of great uncertainty in the future of the facility and the downsizing of MP Division, which led to the loss of a large number of key people to positions ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Transcriptional regulation of the galactose-metabolizing genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae depends on three core proteins: Gal4p, the transcriptional activator that binds to upstream activating DNA sequences (UASGAL); Gal80p, a repressor that binds to the carboxyl terminus of Gal4p and inhibits transcription; and Gal3p, a cytoplasmic transducer that, upon binding galactose and adenosine 5'-triphosphate, relieves Gal80p repression. The current model of induction relies on Gal3p sequestering Gal80p in the cytoplasm. However, the rapid induction of this system implies that there is a missing factor. Our structure of Gal80p in complex with a peptide from the carboxyl-terminal activation domain of Gal4p reveals the existence of a dinucleotide that mediates the interaction between the two. Biochemical and in vivo experiments suggests that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) plays a key role in the initial induction event.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new performance model of the externally fired combined cycle (EFCC) is implemented in ASPEN (Advanced System for Process ENgineering), a chemical process simulator. The model accounts for interactions within and between approximately a dozen major process areas. The new model is applied to case studies to evaluate the sensitivity of process performance to the ranges of uncertainty in key model inputs such as heat losses, carbon conversion, and air leakage rates, and to illustrate how alternative designs, including steam injection and flue gas desulfurization (FGD), can affect plant thermal efficiency and net power output. The model results suggest that careful attention to the design of the FGD system is needed, especially with respect to reheat, and that steam injection may offer cost savings associated with reducing the size of the steam turbine with little or no penalty on plant output or plant efficiency. ...

CERN Document Server

The LHC magnet tests operation team developed various innovative techniques, particularly since early 2004, to complete the superconductor magnet tests by Feb. 2007. Overall and cryogenic priority handling, rapid on-bench thermal cycling, rule-based goodness evaluation on round-the-clock basis, multiple, mashed web systems are some of these techniques applied with rigour for successful tests completion in time. This paper highlights these operation empowerment tools which had a pivotal role for success. A priority handling method was put in place to enable maximum throughput from twelve test benches, having many different constraints. For the cryogenics infrastructure, it implied judicious allocation of limited resources to the benches. Rapid On-Bench Thermal Cycle was a key strategy to accelerate magnets tests throughput, saving time and simplifying logistics. First level magnet appraisal was developed for 24 hr decision making so as to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The technical baseline is a hierarchical description of the Hanford Site cleanup mission. This technical baseline does not address the science, technology, or economic transition missions. It begins with a definition of the existing conditions at the Hanford Site, provides a description of the end product or mission accomplishments at completion, presents a statement of the major requirements and constraints that must be observed during the performance of the mission, and provides a statement of the top-level strategic approach to accomplish the mission. Mission-level interfaces are also described. This information is further defined hierarchically in increasing levels of detail. This definition is composed of the following major elements: functions that are key task descriptions; requirements that are the measurable standards to which the functions must be performed; architectures which are specific engineering solutions or systems that ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Understanding feedbacks between terrestrial and atmospheric systems is vital for predicting the consequences of global change, particularly in the rapidly changing Arctic. Fire is a key process in this context, but the consequences of altered fire regimes in tundra ecosystems are rarely considered, largely because tundra fires occur infrequently on the modern landscape. We present paleoecological data that indicate frequent tundra fires in northcentral Alaska between 14,000 and 10,000 years ago. Charcoal and pollen from lake sediments reveal that ancient birchdominated shrub tundra burned as often as modern boreal forests in the region, every 144 years on average (+/- 90 s.d.; n = 44). Although paleoclimate interpretations and data from modern tundra fires suggest that increased burning was aided by low effective moisture, vegetation cover clearly played a critical role in facilitating the paleo-fires by creating an abundance of fine fuels. ...

CERN Document Server

Data mining is a useful decision support technique that can be used to discover production rules in warehouses or corporate data. Data mining research has made much effort to apply various mining algorithms efficiently on large databases. However, a serious problem in their practical application is the long processing time of such algorithms. Nowadays, one of the key challenges is to integrate data mining methods within the framework of traditional database systems. Indeed, such implementations can take advantage of the efficiency provided by SQL engines. In this paper, we propose an integrating approach for decision trees within a classical database system. In other words, we try to discover knowledge from relational databases, in the form of production rules, via a procedure embedding SQL queries. The obtained decision tree is defined by successive, related relational views. Each view corresponds to a given population in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The primary scope of this study is to establish the analysis technology for the advanced reactor designed on the basis of the passive and inherent safety concepts. This study is extended to the application of these technology to the safety analysis of the passive reactor. The study was performed for the small and medium sized reactor and the large sized reactor by focusing on the development of the analysis technology for the passive components. Among the identified concepts the once-through steam generator, the natural circulation of the integral reactor, heat pipe for containment cooling, and hydraulic valve were selected as the high priority items to be developed and the related studies are being performed for these items. For the large sized passive reactor, the study plans to extend the applicability of the best estimate computer code RELAP5/MOD3 which is widely used for the safety analyses of the reactor system. The improvement and supplementation study of ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractIndividual informed consent is a key ethical obligation for clinical studies, but empirical studies show that key requirements are often not met. Common recommendations to strengthen...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Food-deprived pigeons were presented with a row of four response keys situated above a grain hopper aperture. At the start of a trial, three of four keys were randomly selected and illuminated white...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Subcritical cryogenic fluid management has long been recognized as an enabling technology for key

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present a protocol for quantum key distribution using discrete modulation of coherent states of light. Information is encoded in the variable phase of coherent states which can be chosen from a regular discrete set ranging from binary to continuous modulation similar to phase-shift keying in classical communication. Information is decoded by simultaneous homodyne measurement of both quadratures and requires no active choice of basis. The protocol utilizes either direct or reverse reconciliation both with and without postselection. We analyze the security of the protocol and show how to enhance it by the optimal choice of all variable parameters of the quantum signal.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a complete set of environmental pathways for disposal options and conditions that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may analyze for a low-level radioactive waste (LLW) license application. The regulations pertaining In the past, shallow-land burial has been used for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste. However, with the advent of the State Compact system of LLW disposal, many alternative technologies may be used. The alternative LLW disposal facilities include below- ground vault, tumulus, above-ground vault, shaft, and mine disposal This paper will form the foundation of an update of the previously developed Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)/NRC LLW performance assessment methodology. Based on the pathway assessment for alternative disposal methods, a determination will be made about whether the current methodology can satisfactorily analyze the pathways and phenomena likely to be important for the full range ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chemical admixtures are used in dam construction to improve plasticity of the dry materials mixture over time. Roller compacted concrete (RCC) has been used on many dam projects in China. However, the use of RCC has frequently resulted in water reduction problems. This paper provided details of an admixture based on polycarboxylate ether (PCE) which was developed to improve the quality of RCC constructions at the JinHong dam in China. Use of the polymer at the JinHong dam resulted in a vibration sensitive concrete that was sustained over time. Under identical mix-design and compaction conditions in the laboratory, specific gravity of the RCC was increased from 2417 kg/m{sup 3} to 2463 kg/m{sup 3}. The high specific gravity of the material resulted in satisfactory strength data from the dam project. The key-ratio of the splitting tensile strength versus compressive strength was higher than 8 per cent in all cases. A key advantage of the tailored ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The performance of a convolution/superposition based treatment planning system depends on the ability of the dose calculation algorithm to accurately account for physical interactions taking place in the tissue, key components of the linac head and on the accuracy of the photon beam model. Generally the user has little or no control over the performance of the dose calculation algorithm but is responsible for the accuracy of the beam model within the constraints imposed by the system. This study explores the dosimetric impact of limitations in photon beam modeling accuracy on complex 3D clinical treatment plans. A total of 70 photon beam models was created in the Pinnacle(TM) treatment planning system. Two of the models served as references for 6 MV and 15 MV beams, while the rest were created by perturbing the reference models in order to produce specific deviations in specific regions of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

For reduction of the amount of waste plastics, the paper summarized the actual recycling state and the present recycling technology in Japan. A total plastic discharge amount of Japan in 1995 is 8.84 million tons, approximately 60% of all the production amount, 950,000 tons of which are recycled. Reutilized are pallets and containers in the physical distribution field. Recycling is a cascade recycling to the usage field where the degree of the required properties is lower than that of products used in virgin. As to making it a chemical material, chemical recycling technology by depolymerization has been developed. Thermal recycling is a strong method where combustion heat energy of waste plastics is used for steam production and power generation. The thermal recycling is divided into a direct combustion method and a method of use as fuel. Keys to promote and settle recycling are summarized to the following five: promotion of the government environmental policies, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Mixed Waste Management Facility, or MWMF, has been proposed as a national testbed facility for the demonstration and evaluation of technologies that are alternatives to incineration for the treatment of mixed low-level waste. The facility design will enable evaluation of technologies at pilot scale, including all aspects of the processes, from receiving and feed preparation to the preparation of final forms for disposal. The MWMF will reduce the risk of deploying such technologies by addressing the following: (1) Engineering development and scale-up. (2) Process integration and activation of the treatment systems. (3) Permitting and stakeholder issues. In light of the severe financial constraints imposed on the DOE and federal programs, DOE/HQ requested a study to assess the cost benefit for the MWMF given other potential alternatives to meet waste treatment needs. The MVVMF Project was asked to consider alternatives specifically associated with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed comparatively detailed quality assurance requirements for the high-level radioactive waste disposal systems. Quality assurance is recognized as a key issue for confidence building and smooth implementation of the HLW program in Japan, and Japan is at an initial phase of repository development. Then the quality assurance requirements at site research and site selection, site characterization, and site suitability analysis used in the Yucca Mountain project were examined in detail and comprehensive descriptions were developed using flow charts. Additionally, the applicability to the Japan high-level radioactive waste disposal project was studied. The examination and study were performed for the following QA requirements: The requirements that have the relative importance at site research and site selection, site characterization, and site suitability analysis (such as planning and performing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to study the two-phase natural circulation and flow termination during a small break loss of coolant accident in LWR, simulation experiments have been performed. Based on the two-phase flow scaling criteria developed under this program, an adiabatic hot leg U-bend simulation loop using nitrogen gas and water and a Freon 113 boiling and condensation loop were built. The nitrogen-water system has been used to isolate key hydrodynamic phenomena from heat transfer problems, whereas the Freon loop has been used to study the effect of phase changes and fluid properties. Various tests were carried out to establish the basic mechanism of the flow termination and reestablishment as well as to obtain essential information on scale effects of parameters such as the loop frictional resistance, thermal center, U-bend curvature and inlet geometry. In addition to the above experimental study, a preliminary modeling study has been carried out for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This work, carried out by the parliamentary office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices on request of the French National Assembly and Senate, takes stock of the present day situation and technical perspectives of development of renewable energy sources and of research needs of the French industry in this domain: 1 - renewable energies: key-technologies for the energy supply of developing countries and for a rational consumption in transportation systems and accommodations of developed countries (energies technically different from fossil or nuclear energies; fundamental energy sources for a developing world; different national goals in Europe depending on the available natural resources and on the political realities; a minor interest in France for the domestic power generation but a major interest for transports, residential and tertiary sectors and export); 2 - priority choices given to the French renewable energy ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Very High Temperature gas cooled nuclear Reactor (VHTR), which was coupled with Sulfur-Iodine (SI) thermo-chemical cycle, has been selected for the Nuclear Hydrogen Development and Demonstration (NHDD) project in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. Among the various hydrogen production methods, Sulfur-Iodine (SI) thermo-chemical cycle is a good method as a massive hydrogen production without CO2 emission. In SI cycle, the sulfuric acid decomposition is one issue for the material corrosion on high temperature and pressure condition. For the simulation of the sulfuric acid decomposition, we designed a sulfuric acid loop with a small-scale gas loop which is simulated for the integrity and feasibility tests on a H2SO4 decomposition process. The primary objective of the loop is to validate the corrosion and the mechanical performances of a key component of the NHDD, Process Heat Exchanger (PHE). In this paper, we discussed the preliminary thermohydraulic analysis of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The current trend towards the increased use of risk assessment in the regulation of nuclear power plants will inevitably result in changes in the analysis of fire protection systems and the methods of analysis. Before fire protection can be regulated on a risk basis, a consensus must be reached on a number of issues. One key issue is what types of computational tools will be allowable for analyzing fire events, and what types of scenarios those tools will be approved for use. Reaching this consensus will require an understanding of the types of computational tools available and their inherent advantages and disadvantages. To aid with this understanding, three different methods of fire simulation are applied to an oil pool fire test in the HDR (Heiss Dampf Reaktor) containment test facility. These methods are a hand calculation, the zone model code CFAST (Consolidated Model of Fire Growth and Smoke Transport), and the computational fluid ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The ability to monitor the corrosion degradation of key components in fossil fuel power plants is of utmost importance for Futuregen and ultra-supercritical power plants. Fireside corrosion occurs in the high temperature sections of energy production facilities due to a number of factors: ash deposition, coal composition, thermal gradients, and low NOx conditions, among others. Problems occur when equipment designed for either oxidizing or reducing conditions is exposed to alternating oxidizing and reducing conditions. This can happen especially near the burners. The use of low NOx burners is becoming more commonplace and can produce reducing environments that accelerate corrosion. One method of addressing corrosion of these surfaces is the use of corrosion probes to monitor when process changes cause corrosive conditions. In such a case, corrosion rate could become a process control variable that directs the operation of a coal combustion or coal gasification ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liquid metal ion sources (LMISs) with Ga as ion species are widely used in focused ion beam (FIB) technology for micromachining and surface treatment on the sub-micron and nano-scale. Key features of a LMIS for investigating mechanical properties and 3D-microfabrication of materials are long life-time, high brightness, stable ion current and a highly effective milling ability for the material to be modified. In order to increase the material removal rate, heavier ions than Ga and their clusters should be applied. Bismuth (Bi) is the heaviest, non-radio-active element in the periodic table, is non-toxic and exhibits a low melting point. We have thus produced a long-life (about 1000 h) Bi LMIS with a good beam performance, applicable in any FIB system. Since Bi is the only element in this source, it is not necessary to separate it from other ions by a mass filter. Investigation of the sputtering rate of NiTi shape memory alloys using Ga and Bi ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The utilization of GaAs in photovoltaic (PV) applications has been hindered by the cost of substrates and processing. This paper examines the cost effectiveness of GaAs cells for use in concentrator modules when produced at the 10 to 50 MW level per year. Information on costs associated with substrates, epitaxial processing, and subsequent device fabrication will be compared to allowable costs as projected by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The high cot of GaAs solar cells can be mitigated by use of low-cost substrates or high-concentration systems. The costs then can be accommodated when the production level is sufficiently high to take advantage of economies of scale in device processing and substrate price benefits when procured at high volumes. We have found that development of processing equipment, both for the epitaxial growth and device processing, is the key to obtaining production costs consistent with DOE goals. Successfully ...

Science.gov (United States)

New interest by Australians in the state of rural education requires new understanding of factors affecting rural education and its related issues. Educational programs have not been flexible enough to cope with rural diversity, a key element in the milieu. Standards such as "equality of opportunity" and "uniformity" have been misapplied to rural Australian education, which is made distinctive by the inter-relatedness of many factors. Three dimensions of isolation are discussed: (1) types of isolation (geographic, cultural, social, and professional isolation); (2) ways of coping with isolation (understanding isolation, developing a sense of community, developing awareness of options, training the isolated, application, and technology); and (3) conditions affecting educational changes in isolated communities (social and political climate, pedagogy, finance, and incentives for change). All these concerns focus on the issue of local control. Formal school ...

CERN Document Server

Binary mass transfer via Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) is a key channel for producing stripped-envelope Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars and may be critical to account for SN Ib/c progenitors. RY Scuti is an extremely rare example of a massive binary star caught in this brief but important phase. Its toroidal nebula indicates equatorial mass loss during RLOF, while the mass-gaining star is apparently embedded in an opaque accretion disk. RY Scuti's toroidal nebula has two components: an inner ionised double-ring system, and an outer dust torus that is twice the size of the ionised rings. We present two epochs of Lband Keck NGS-AO images of the dust torus, plus three epochs of HST images of the ionised gas rings. Proper motions show that the inner ionised rings and the outer dust torus came from two separate ejection events roughly 130 and 250 yr ago. This suggests that RLOF in massive contact binaries can be accompanied by eruptive and episodic burst of mass ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this experiment, a Si wafer containing four lightly doped B marker layers epitaxially grown by CVD has been implanted with 100 keV Si{sup +} ions to a dose of 2 x 10{sup 14} ions/cm{sup 2} and annealed at 850 deg. C for several times in an RTA system in flowing N{sub 2}. TEM and SIMS analysis, in conjunction with a transient enhanced diffusion (TED) evaluation method based on the kick-out diffusion mechanism, have allowed us to accurately study the boron TED evolution in presence of extended defects. We show that the silicon surface plays a key role in the recombination of Si interstitial atoms by providing the first experimental evidence of the resulting Si{sub int}s supersaturation gradient between the defect region and the surface. Our results indicate an upper limit of about 200 nm for the surface recombination length of Si interstitials at 850 deg. C in a N{sub 2} ambient.

CERN Document Server

CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, is working towards the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a high-energy, high-luminosity particle accelerator and collider [1] of 26.7 km circumference, due to start producing frontier physics, by bringing into collision intense proton and ion beams with centre-of-mass energies in the TeV-per-constituent range, at the beginning of the next century. The key technology for achieving this ambitious scientific goal at economically acceptable cost is the use of high-field superconducting magnets using Nb-Ti conductor operating in superfluid helium [2]. To maintain the some 25 km of bending and focusing magnets at their operating temperature of 1.9 K, the LHC cryogenic system will have to produce an unprecedented total refrigeration capacity of about 20 kW at 1.8 K, in eight cryogenic plants distributed around the machine circumference [3]. This has requested the undertaking of an ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The fuel composition heterogeneity effect on reactor performance parameters was assessed by refueling simulations for three DUPIC fuel options of fuel composition heterogeneity control: the fissile content adjustment, the reactivity control by slightly enriched and depleted uranium, and the reactivity control by natural uranium. For each DUPIC fuel option, the simulations were performed using 30 heterogeneous fuel types which were determined by the agglomerative hierarchical clustering method. The heterogeneity effect was considered during the refueling simulation by randomly selecting fuel types for the refueling operation. The refueling simulations of the heterogeneous core have shown that the key performance parameters such as the maximum channel power (MCP), maximum bundle power (MBP), and channel power peaking factor (CPPF) are close to those of the core that has single fuel type. For the three DUPIC fuel options, the uncertainties of MCP, MBP, and CPPF due to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This is the final report of a two-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Functionally graded material is an enabling technology for lightweight body armor improvements. The objective was to demonstrate the ability to produce functionally graded ceramic-polymer and ceramic-metal lightweight armor materials. This objective involved two aspects. The first and key aspect was the development of graded-porosity boron-carbide ceramic microstructures. The second aspect was the development of techniques for liquid infiltration of lightweight metals and polymers into the graded-porosity ceramic. The authors were successful in synthesizing boron-carbide ceramic microstructures with graded porosity. These graded-porosity boron-carbide hot-pressed pieces were then successfully liquid-infiltrated in vacuum with molten aluminum at 1,300 C, and with liquid polymers at room temperature. Thus, they were able to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The European gas market is continuing to expand due to increased industrial, domestic and power generation demand. As a result of this demand, and the trend toward liberalization of the market, the need for storage of gas is also increasing. One key segment of the large scale storage of gas is underground storage, either in partially depleted gas or oil fields, naturally occurring caverns, aquifers and salt cavities. In most cases the gas produced after storage requires conditioning to meet the water of hydrocarbon dew point specification of the gas transmission system. For that reason export gas from storage will require gas conditioning in order to meet pipeline specifications. Adsorption as a feasible and reliable process will be presented in detail and especially in regards to hydrocarbon dew-pointing compared with other process options. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ARIES-AT is a 1000 MWe conceptual fusion power plant design with a very low projected cost of electricity. The design contains many innovative features to improve both the physics and engineering performance of the system. From the safety and environmental perspective, there is greater depth to the overall analysis than in past ARIES studies. For ARIES-AT, the overall spectrum of off-normal events to be examined has been broadened. They include conventional loss of coolant and loss of flow events, an ex-vessel loss of coolant, and in-vessel off-normal events that mobilize in-vessel inventories (e.g., tritium and tokamak dust) and bypass primary confinement such as a loss of vacuum and an in-vessel loss of coolant with bypass. This broader examination of accidents improves the robustness of the design from the safety perspective and gives additional confidence that the facility can meet the no-evacuation requirement under average weather conditions. We also provide ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Despite the rapid development of literature pertaining to fundamental (1-4) studies of oxidation catalysis, a general theory of heterogeneous selective oxidation catalysis explaining the selectivity behavior of different metal oxide systems has not yet been developed. Redox mechanisms have been widely invoked in the kinetic and mechanistic descriptions of selective oxidation reactions, suggesting a dynamic behavior of hydrocarbon and oxygen interactions with the catalyst surface. Nevertheless, most of the recent theoretical approaches of this subject matter (5-7) are essentially static in nature. Correlations are made with surface structure on the basis of crystallographic considerations with selectivity being related to the nature, number, bond-strength and nearness of oxygen atoms in the neighborhood of adsorption centers. The effect of the reaction medium on the configuration of the catalyst surface, and thus its influence on the reaction path, are generally not ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Introducing intelligence by means of cognition for managing, protecting, processing, and delivering of information in mobile communication systems is the way towards ubiquitous, converged and secure communications. In this context, this paper introduces the concept of quality of information (QoI). QoI means QoS while all the requirements for dependability, security, privacy and trust are satisfied at the highest possible level. This work proposes and describes an approach to network monitoring in a heterogeneous communication environment based on use of cognitive techniques and learning predictive algorithms (e.g., fuzzy logic). These methodologies are used to create an autonomy in the decision making process that is based on the calculation of key performance indicators (KPIs), which in their turn would trigger the needed radio resource management algorithms. The expected output is an improved network performance in terms of maximized ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The environment - external or internal degrees of freedom coupled to the object of interest - can, in effect, monitor some of its observables. As a result, the eigenstates of these observables decohere and behave like classical states. Continuous destruction of superpositions leads to the effective environment-induced superselection (einselection), which is beginning to be recognized as a key step in the transition from quantum to classical. We investigate it here in the context of quantum chaos. I show that the evolution of a chaotic macroscopic system is not just difficult to predict (requiring accuracy exponentially increasing with time) but quickly ceases to be deterministic in principle as a result of the Heisenberg uncertainty (which limits the available resolution). This happens after a time t{sub {Dirac_h}} which is only logarithmic in the Planck constant. For example, various components of the solar system are ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A real-time neutron radiography imaging system has been installed at the Texas A and M University Nuclear Science Center. The system employs a scintillating screen viewed by a low-light TV camera with a front surface mirror placed at 45deg to the neutron beam. The key components of the system are the neutron camera and the image capture and processing unit. The neutron camera uses an NE 426 scintillating screen (ZnS), front surface mirror, remote focus and zoom lens, intensified relay optics (IRO) and monochrome CCD television camera. The image capture and processing unit consists of an IBM PC AT-compatible computer, arithmetic frame grabber, frame processor and high-resolution color monitor. The neutron camera is similar to others using a silicon intensified target (SIT) television camera to provide a TV image of the low-level light from a NE 426 screen. The IRO and CCD camera are used in place of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This project has been concerned with the understanding of certain key physical and physical chemical properties of polymeric systems which are related to their use as working substances in mechanochemical systems. Since the crystal-liquid phase transition is involved in the process of interest, attention has been focused on this transition and on the properties of semi-crystalline polymers. Two kinds of behavior and properties have been studied in this program. One of these is concerned with melting-crystallization under an applied external force. Here the primary matters of concern are the equilibrium melting temperature-stress relations and the associated problem of crystallization kinetics under an applied external stress. The other area of study involves mechanical properties, with particular emphasis on the influence of the morphological and structural variables which describe the semi-crystalline state. We have taken ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There are at present 116 floating production systems and 60 storage vessels dotting the oceans involved in hydrocarbon exploration and production activities. Although concentrated mostly in the North Sea, they can be found also off the coast of Australia, eastern Canada, Brazil, some African nations and the Gulf of Mexico. They range from converted tankers to purpose built rigs. The most adaptable of the various systems is the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, first developed as a cost-effective means of developing fields in Brazil's very deep offshore areas. Still being tested and modified for work in widely different environments, FPSOs appear to have met all requirements in producing expenditure efficiencies, maximizing profits, and protecting workers. One of the most efficient and most technically advanced is a 292-metre long FPSO built for the Terra Nova Alliance by Daewoo Shipyards in South Korea. It ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Porosity evolution at reactive interfaces is a key process that governs the evolution and performances of many engineered systems that have important applications in earth and environmental sciences. This is the case, for example, at the interface between cement structures and clays in deep geological nuclear waste disposals. Although in a different transport regime, similar questions arise for permeable reactive barriers used for biogeochemical remediation in surface environments. The COMEDIE project aims at investigating the coupling between transport, hydrodynamics and chemistry when significant variations of porosity occur. The present work focuses on a numerical benchmark used as a design exercise for the future COMEDIE-2D experiment. The use of reactive transport simulation tools like Hytec and Crunch provides predictions of the physico-chemical evolutions that are expected during the future experiments in laboratory. Focus is given in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We prove that the 1984 protocol of Bennett and Brassard (BB84) for quantum key distribution is secure. We first give a key distribution protocol based on entanglement purification, which can be proven secure using methods from Lo and Chau's proof of security for a similar protocol. We then show that the security of this protocol implies the security of BB84. The entanglement purification based protocol uses Calderbank-Shor-Steane codes, and properties of these codes are used to remove the use of quantum computation from the Lo-Chau protocol. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A key comparison has been made between the air-kerma standards of the ARPANSA and the BIPM in the low-energy X-ray range. The results show the standards to be in agreement at the level of the combined standard uncertainty of 7.0 parts in 10"3 for the 10 kV radiation quality and 3.7 parts in 10"3 for all other beam qualities. The results are analysed and presented in terms of degrees of equivalence, suitable for entry in the BIPM key comparison database. (authors)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preserving customers` investments in capital goods is one of the strategic market services offered by ABB, and to this end the company has developed project-specific retrofit concepts especially for older power generation plant. A prime example of such a modernization is the Umm Al Nar East (UANE) combined cycle power station in Abu Dhabi, UAE. UANE has two gas turbines of type GT13D, which together generate 140 MW of electrical energy, and heat-recovery boilers which supply steam to a seawater desalination plant with a capacity of 80 million liters of drinking water per day. After almost 20 years in operation, UANE is being modernized. To address the owner`s concerns and minimize plant downtime, ABB has introduced Service, Operation and Rehabilitation (SOR) Key Account Management for Abu Dhabi. In the first phase of the modernization project, the static starting equipment was upgraded and the mechanical turbine governor replaced by the EGATROL electro-hydraulic ...

Science.gov (United States)

although additional research is needed to corroborate such findings. Key words: Avicennia germinans; disturbance; downed wood; Everglades National Park; Hurricane Andrew;...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Medical Science Liaison (MSL) teams are a well-recognized function within the pharmaceutical and medical products industries. While in most organizations, MSLs have focused on the development of relationships with individual Key Opinion Leaders, progressive companies have realized the value that MSLs can also bring to Key Account Management (KAM). This article discusses the five steps that should be followed in order to successfully integrate the support of Key Accounts into an MSL function. These include understanding the business approach to KAM, identifying what MSL resources are available, developing a comprehensive strategic plan, implementing the plan, and evaluating and making any necessary adjustments. Finally, a case example outlining the experience of a small pharmaceutical compa...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Summary brochure of GeoPowering the West (GPW) activities, and areas of technology transfer and market transformation. It also provides current contact information for key DOE and national laboratory staff representing the GPW program.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Citrate and lactose fermentation are subject to the same metabolic regulation. In both processes, pyruvate is the key intermediate. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The existence of thresholds for toxicants is a matter of debate in chemical risk assessment and regulation. Current risk assessment methods are based on the assumption that, in the absence of sufficient...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safety indicators play a role in providing information on organizational performance, motivating people to work on safety and increasing organizational potential for safety. The aim of this report is to provide an overview on leading safety indicators in the domain of nuclear safety. The report explains the distinction between lead and lag indicators and proposes a framework of three types of safety performance indicators - feedback, monitor and drive indicators. Finally the report provides guidance for nuclear energy organizations for selecting and interpreting safety indicators. It proposes the use of safety culture as a leading safety performance indicator and offers an example list of potential indicators in all three categories. The report concludes that monitor and drive indicators are so called lead indicators. Drive indicators are chosen priority areas of organizational safety activity. They are based on the underlying safety model and potential safety activities and safety ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Although low-energy ion radiation has been proven to have a wide range of biological effects and led to fruitful achievements as a new mutagenic source for genetic modification, there still exist some disputes about its mutagenic mechanisms because of its short-penetrating property. In present research, Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic for GUS recombination substrate was used to evaluate the genomic instability induced by irradiations of alpha particle (3.3MeV) and Low-energy-Argon ion (30 KeV). A pronounced effects of alpha particle irradiation to Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and Argon ion irradiation to seeds on the somatic homologous recombination frequency (sHRF) were reported. The sHRFs increased 1.88-fold and 2.42-fold, respectively, which indicated that the short-penetrating radiation could effectively induce the plant genomic instability in either dry seeds or seedlings with active metabolism. The local alpha particle irradiation of root was performed. Result exhibited ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Burrard Thermal Generating Station is located at Port Moody, British Columbia, and burns natural gas to supply steam to six turbine units for generating up to 912 MW of electricity. The Burrard plant accounts for ca 8.7% of the provincial generating capability. Burrard is expected to continue to fill a vital role as a supplier of displaceable firm energy to the British Columbia Hydro system. In parallel with a renewed focus on Burrard from a system planning perspective, there have also been concerns about air pollution from the plant in the context of its possible effect on the region's air quality. To address this and other issues surrounding Burrard's future, B.C. Hydro established a project team to conduct a utilization study. The team's work focused on the role of Burrard in providing a reliable and profitable role in electricity generation, the options for dealing with the air quality issue, and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MOX fuel for FBR is allowed to contain impurities within several thousand ppm, which means less than 1000 of decontamination factor (DF) in reprocessing is enough for Pu and U recycle use. The Advanced Fuel Recycle proposed by PNC is on this basis. The concept consists of innovations on both MOX fuel fabrication and aqueous reprocessing technologies based on the Purex process and it is believed that successful optimization of fuel cycle interface condition is the key issue to realize the concept. The lower DF such as 1000 can be easily obtained by the simplified Purex flowsheet which has no purification steps. However, new subject arises in MOX fuel fabrication, that is, fabrication is conducted in the shielding cell using equipment which is maintained remotely. A simplified fabrication technology becomes essential to establish the remote maintenance system and is one of the critical path for achieving the Advanced Fuel Recycle. The PNC`s ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recent efforts to identify methods of modeling pitting corrosion damage of high-level radioactive-waste containers are described. The need to develop models that can provide information useful to higher level system performance assessment models is emphasized, and examples of how this could be accomplished are described. Work to date has focused upon physically-based phenomenological stochastic models of pit initiation and growth. These models may provide a way to distill information from mechanistic theories in a way that provides the necessary information to the less detailed performance assessment models. Monte Carlo implementations of the stochastic theory have resulted in simulations that are, at least qualitatively, consistent with a wide variety of experimental data. The effects of environment on pitting corrosion have been included in the model using a set of simple phenomenological equations relating the parameters of the stochastic model to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Some of the methodologies, techniques, dependencies and lessons learned regarding the year 2000 (Y2K) project currently underway at PanCanadian are described. The Y2K problem, which is a date related malfunction associated with the turn of the century, may affect computers and automated control systems. The cost of fixing this world wide problem ranges from $52 billion to $2 trillion. At PanCanadian, central to ensuring that the entire corporation is ready for the Year 2000 is a dedicated project team in the information technology (IT) department who manage all the life-cycle software for the company. IT staff purchase, install and remove all obsolete software and data. Inventory, testing and remediation of all software, hardware and embedded systems are the basis of the plan of action adopted by the I.T. Y2K project team. Dealing with Y2K problems of business partners, and planning for business interruption are special problems for which ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The vast majority of fundamental studies of metal oxide selective oxidation catalysts have been performed with single phase systems. These investigations established the basic tenents of the redox mechanism of selective oxidation and ammoxidation catalysis. By comparison, structural and kinetic investigations of multiphase oxide catalysts are less numerous because of the inherent difficulties in understanding the relative contributions of separate phases to the catalytic behavior of the composite catalyst. Some attempts have been made in the past to understand the complex chemistry of multiphase catalysts and additional important insights have been realized more recently. However, a clear understanding of the most significant catalytic interactions between individual phases of a multiphase multicomponent redox catalyst is still lacking. In an effort to provide an understanding and a physical basis for the observed synergism in multiphase oxide catalysts, the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

According to the Romanian Nuclear Strategy, the third and fourth units of the Cernavoda NPP will be commissioned by 2015. Improvements in operation and safety are expected to be applied for these CANDU-6 based units. On the other side, the need for innovation determined AECL to promote the ACR -1000 - an evolutionary Generation III+ power reactor design and a necessary step towards Generation IV inherently safe nuclear energy systems. CANDU-6 is recognized for having two independent fully capable shutdown systems. ACR-1000 also benefits for this strong safety feature. Two major achievements i.e. using of light water as coolant and using Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) as fuel in a compact heavy water moderated lattice allowed the obtaining of a slightly negative Coolant Void Reactivity (CVR) for the first time in a CANDU-type reactor. The main goal of the paper is to compare the response of SDS1 action during some LOCAs supposed to take place both ...

Wastenet

...Keeping chickens: a beginner's guide : Directgov - Environment and greener living chickens, feeding chickens, egg marking, registering a ...flock, battery hens Chickens; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Registrations; Animals; Livestock; Local government; Local ...authorities A guide for people keeping chickens on the laws for registering and feeding them, and how to spot key diseases. A ...guide for people keeping chickens on the laws for registering and feeding them, and how to spot key diseases. Keeping chickens: ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The world's fleet of nuclear power plants is, on average, more than 20 years old. Even though the design life of a nuclear power plant is typically 30-40 years, it is quite feasible that many plants will be able to operate in excess of their design lives, provided that nuclear power plant engineers demonstrate by analysis, trending, equipment and system upgrades, increased vigilance, testing and ageing management that the plant will operate safely. In the operation of nuclear power plants, safety should be always the prime consideration. Plant operators and regulators must always ensure that plant safety is maintained, and where possible enhanced, during a plant's operating lifetime. Nuclear power plant life management (PLiM) has gained increased attention over the past decade, and effective ageing management of systems, structures and components (SSCs) is a key element in PLiM for the safe and reliable long term operation ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Presently, industrial maturity can be claimed for two fuel cycle strategies, viz. the 'Once Through Fuel Cycle' (OTC), and the 'Reprocessing Fuel Cycle' (RFC) in which plutonium and very limited uranium quantities are being recycled. It is helpful to recall some key data that set the stage for any discussion of fuel cycle options: 1. Worldwide, the annual spent fuel discharge is in the range of 10500-11000 t heavy-metal (HM), while the industrial reprocessing capacity amounts to #approx# 5000 t HM (OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, Accelerator-driven Systems (ADS) and Fast Reactors (FR) in Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles: a Comparative Study, Paris, 2002). Hence, less than 1/2 of the discharged spent fuel can be processed. 2. Worldwide, the cumulative inventory of stored spent fuel is estimated to be #approx# 190000 t HM, and the amount of reprocessed spent fuel is estimated to be #approx# 70000 t HM. The latter inventory has been transformed into ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (composed of automakers Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) announced in January 2002 a new cooperative research effort. Known as 'FreedomCAR' (derived from 'Freedom' and 'Cooperative Automotive Research'), it represents DOE's commitment to developing public/private partnerships to fund high-risk, high-payoff research into advanced automotive technologies. Efficient fuel cell technology, which uses hydrogen to power automobiles without air pollution, is a very promising pathway to achieving the ultimate vision. The new partnership replaces and builds upon the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles initiative that ran from 1993 through 2001. The Advanced Power Electronics and Electric Machines (APEEM) subprogram within the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program provides support and guidance for many cutting-edge automotive ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Better understanding and modelling of three-phase flow through porous media is of great interest, especially for improved oil recovery methods such as gas injection processes. Early theoretical and experimental studies have already demonstrated that the wettability characteristics of the solid surface and the spreading characteristics of the fluid system hold the key roles. This observation is confirmed by our theoretical results using DLP theory on the stability and the thickness of static oil films. In most of the works related to three-phase flow processes, homogeneous wettability is assumed. There exist only a few studies demonstrating the tremendous impact of the wettability heterogeneities on gas injection. The objective of the present work is twofold: to demonstrate the effect of small scale wettability heterogeneities on gas injection efficiency, and to develop a tool to predict this impact for various patterns and spatial ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

From 1991 to 1996, key studies on the reutilization, treatment, and disposal technology of hazardous wastes have been incorporated into the national plan for environmental protection science and technology. At present, the research achievements have been accomplished, have passed national approval, and have been accepted. The author of this paper, as leader of the national group for this research work, expounds the newest achievements of the studies involving four parts: (1) the reutilization technology of electroplating sludge, including the ion-exchange process for recovering the sludge and waste liquor for producing chromium tanning agent and extracting chromium and colloidal protein from tanning waste residue; on the recovery of heavy metals from the electroplating waste liquor with microbic purification; on the demonstration project of producing modified plastics from the sludge and the waste plastics; and on the demonstration of the recovery of heavy metals ...

Science.gov (United States)

Since the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1998, numerous laboratory investigations, atmospheric observations, and theoretical and modeling studies have produced new key findings and have strengthened overall understanding of the ozone layer and its effect on ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These advances are highlighted in the following summary of the current understanding of the impact of human activities and natural phenomena on the ozone layer and the coupling of the ozone layer and the climate system. In the troposphere (i.e., lower atmosphere), observations show that the total combined effective abundance of ozone-depleting compounds continues to decline slowly from the peak that occurred in 1992-1994. Total chlorine is declining, while bromine from industrial halons is still increasing, albeit at a slower rate than was occurring previously (and as reported in the 1998 Assessment). Analyses of air trapped in snow since the late 19th ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This research programme has been under way since 1990 to study the long-term synergistic effects of air pollutants and changing climatic conditions on the northern forest ecosystem and to increase the knowledge of climatic change and its consequences for the fragile northern nature. Ecological, physiological, morphological and biochemical methods have been used to study the responses of forest trees, dwarf shrubs, lichens and soil biology to environmental changes. The research programme is divided into four subprojects concentrating on different ecosystem levels. The subprojects are: (1) life, growth and survival strategies of northern dwarf shrubs under the pressure of a changing environment, (2) forest trees under the impact of air pollutants, increasing CO{sub 2} and UV-B, (3) susceptibility of lichens to air pollution and climatic change and (4) impact of elevated atmospheric CO{sub 2} and O{sub 3} on soil biology with special reference to carbon allocation and N fixation in ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A number of ion exchange materials are being evaluated as part of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) Pretreatment Project for the removal of "1"3"7Cs from aqueous tank wastes. Two of these materials are organic resins; a phenol-formaldehyde resin (Duolite CS-100) produced by Rohm and Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin produced by Boulder Scientific Co. (Mead, Colorado). One of the key parameters in the assessment of the organic based ion exchange materials is its useful lifetime in the radioactive and chemical environment that will be encountered during waste processing. The focus of the work presented in this report is the radiation stability of the CS-100 and the RF resins. The scope of the testing included one test with a sample of the CS-100 resin and testing of two batches of the RF resin (BSC-187 and BSC-210). Samples of the exchangers were irradiated ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It has been five years since the last in-depth American College of Nuclear Physicians/Society of Nuclear Medicine Symposium on the subject of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was held. Because this subject was nominated as the single most desired topic we have selected SPECT imaging as the basis for this year's program. The objectives of this symposium are to survey the progress of SPECT clinical applications that have taken place over the last five years and to provide practical and timely guidelines to users of SPECT so that this exciting imaging modality can be fully integrated into the evaluation of pathologic processes. The first half was devoted to a consideration of technical factors important in SPECT acquisition and the second half was devoted to those organ systems about which sufficient clinical SPECT imaging data are available. With respect to the technical aspect of the program we have selected the key areas which ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This work presents a study of the {sup 1}P{sup 0} excited states of He that can be reached by absorption of a single photon carrying an energy close to the double ionization threshold (DIT) (79 eV). Above the DIT, these states are the double continuum states; below, they are the double excited states. These two types of states are tightly coupled to the single continuum states with or without excitation of the residual ion He{sup +}, owing to their degeneracy in energy. In a one-photon process, these states can only be formed owing to the electronic correlations in the system which must be well described to obtain quantitative good results. Our study is a part of the work which aims at a united description of all these doubly excited, ionized-excited, and double continuum states. We use the Hyperspherical R-Matrix with Semiclassical Outgoing Waves (HRM-SOW) method, initially dedicated to double photoionization studies. We extend it to extract information on the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Competition to produce cast parts of higher quality, lower rejection rate, and lower cost is a fundamental factor in the global economy. To gain an edge on foreign competitors, the US casting industry must cut manufacturing costs and reduce the time from design to market. Casting research and development (R&D) are the key to increasing US compentiveness in the casting arena. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is the home of a wide range of R&D projects that push the boundaries of state-of-the art casting. LLNL casting expertise and technology include: casting modeling research and development, including numerical simulation of fluid flow, heat transfer, reaction/solidification kinetics, and part distortion with residual stresses; special facilities to cast toxic material; extensive experience casting metals and nonmetals; advanced measurement and instrumentation systems. Department of Energy (DOE) funding provides the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Accurate automated alignment of laser beams in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is essential for achieving extreme temperature and pressure required for inertial confinement fusion. The alignment achieved by the integrated control systems relies on algorithms processing video images to determine the position of the laser beam images in real-time. Alignment images that exhibit wide variations in beam quality require a matched-filter algorithm for position detection. One challenge in designing a matched-filter based algorithm is to construct a filter template that is resilient to variations in imaging conditions while guaranteeing accurate position determination. A second challenge is to process the image as fast as possible. This paper describes the development of a new analytical template that captures key recurring features present in the beam image to accurately estimate the beam position under good image quality conditions. Depending on ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The helium-cooled HTGR (High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor) will take an important position in the global energy strategy. It is expected to supply not only electricity but also high quality thermal energy for various industries and local utilities without exhausting any green house effect gas or acid rain gas. The key R and D issue of the HTGR is economical competitiveness, particularly against light water reactors. Due to the poor heat transfer of the single phase helium, the HTGR's volumetric power density is restricted to tenth of corresponding PWR's value so that increasing the power density by improving heat transfer is strongly desired. The standstill can be broken through by adopting gas-solid suspension medium. Its heat transfer performance is quite excellent. Its heat capacity can be increased drastically without excessive pressurization. Although the thermal radiation is a dominant heat transfer mode in high temperature region, the helium which is ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission and distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feet over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is crucial in meeting the needs of these new markets. To address the gas storage needs of the natural gas industry, an ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This research investigates experimentally mixed convection and heat transfer augmentation by forced jets in a large enclosure, at conditions simulating those of actual passive containment cooling systems and scales approaching those of actual containment buildings or compartments. The experiment was designed to measure the key parameters governing the heat transfer augmentation by forced jets and investigate the effects of geometric factors, including the jet diameter, jet injection orientation, interior structures, and enclosure aspect ratio. The tests cover a variety of injection modes leading to flow configurations of interest that contribute to reveal the nature of mixing and stratification phenomena in the containment under accident conditions of interest. The heat transfer of mixed convection can be predicted to be controlled by jet Archimedes number and geometric factors. Using a combining rule for mixed convection and appropriate forced ...

Science.gov (United States)

The concentration and distribution of a soil fumigant in the subsurface of field plots are two key factors in the determination of the fumigant efficacy. Subsurface concentrations of the biologically active compounds cis- and trans-1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin (CP) were determined in soil at two adjacent injection traces and midpoint between the two traces in plastic-covered field beds after injection of the fumigant Telone C35 by conventional chisels or by a coulter rig (Avenger coulters). Two of the four beds were covered with metallic polyethylene film (MPE) and the remaining two were covered with virtually impermeable film (VIF). Three hours after chisel injection, concentrations of the three compounds at the two adjacent injection traces in the two beds were highly variable. Large concentrations of the compounds were detected at the side traces, whereas the compounds were not detected at the middle traces (bed centers) in the two ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Findings indicate an urgent need to establish a monitoring program for persistent organic pollutants in water and sediment. - Marine culture is thriving in China and represents a major component of the regional economy in coastal zones, yet the environmental quality of many of those areas has never been studied. This paper attempts to investigate the quality status of Daya Bay, a key aquaculture area in China. The levels of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in water and sediment samples of the bay. The total concentrations of 16 PAHs varied from 4228 to 29325 ng l"-"1 in water, and from 115 to 1134 ng g"-"1 dry weight in sediments. In comparison to many other marine systems studied, the PAH levels in Daya Bay waters were relatively high, and at six sites they were sufficiently high (>10 #mu#g l"-"1) to cause acute toxicity. The PAH composition pattern in sediments suggest dominance by medium to high molecular weight ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The focus of this study was to develop recovery technologies in the pyroprocessing. The unit processes of the project can be classified into two groups; electro-refining process to recover uranium and long-lived nuclides, and cathode processing to produce a metal ingot both from a salt-contained metal and from Cd-contained metal. This project has been carried out for the third phase period of the long-term nuclear R and D program, and focused on the development of key technologies of the pyroprocessing such as electrorefining, draw down and cathode processing. Mock-up system of 1 kg-U/batch was built for performance tests which were conducted to ensure the adequacy of the research and development of the pyroprocessing technology. The experiments were carried out through bench-scale inactive tests except for uranium. In particular, the sticking problem was inevitable in the US's Mark-V and PEER electrorefiner. As a result of this study, a ...

Science.gov (United States)

The LLNL Chemical & Biological National Security Program (CBNP) provides science, technology and integrated systems for chemical and biological security. Our approach is to develop and field advanced strategies that dramatically improve the nation's capabilities to prevent, prepare for, detect, and respond to terrorist use of chemical or biological weapons. Recent events show the importance of civilian defense against terrorism. The 1995 nerve gas attack in Tokyo's subway served to catalyze and focus the early LLNL program on civilian counter terrorism. In the same year, LLNL began CBNP using Laboratory-Directed R&D investments and a focus on biodetection. The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act, passed in 1996, initiated a number of U.S. nonproliferation and counter-terrorism programs including the DOE (now NNSA) Chemical and Biological Nonproliferation Program (also known as CBNP). In 2002, the Department ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Organic materials released from energy-related activities could affect human health and the environment. To better assess possible impacts, we developed a model to predict the fate of spills or discharges of pollutants into flowing or static bodies of fresh water. A computer code, Aquatic Pathways Model (APM), was written to implement the model. The computer programs use compartmental analysis to simulate aquatic ecosystems. The APM estimates the concentrations of chemicals in fish tissue, water and sediment, and is therefore useful for assessing exposure to humans through aquatic pathways. The APM will consider any aquatic pathway for which the user has transport data. Additionally, APM will estimate transport rates from physical and chemical properties of chemicals between several key compartments. The major pathways considered are biodegradation, fish and sediment uptake, photolysis, and evaporation. The model has been implemented with parameters for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As regards the environmental protection, the A.C.R.O. maintained in 2001 its programs of surveillance around the main western nuclear installations of France. The radioecological surveillance of the site of Cogema La-Hague for the dismantling of the former pipe of release in sea was one of the key points of this action environmental surveillance. The two accidents of atmospheric release in may and october 2001 at Cogema La Hague have shown the interest of an association as A.C.R.O.. It is thank to the measure, by our laboratory, of repercussions on environment of these incidents that it has been possible to bring to light a dysfunction of the measurement system of the gaseous effluents released by the facility operator. To improve the public information, A.C.R.O. concerns its main efforts on the development of the consumer technical information available on-line via its web site and in its regular publication 'the nuclear ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper identifies the event sequences that require thermal-hydraulic analyses for the success criteria of probabilistic safety analysis (PSA). The selection of the sequences is performed based on the review of the NEI Peer Review Process Guidance and ASME PRA Standard. Success criteria are the important element of PSA quality. Success criteria decide the success or failure of the key function in the PSA event tree. It is defined as a minimum set of components/trains of system required to mitigate an accident. Thermal-hydraulic codes are generally used to derive time-related criteria in the PSA, such as operator action time used in human reliability analysis (HRA), event timing, and time to recover the component or the power. This paper suggests the use of the MARS code for the T-H analysis to obtain the success criteria and sequence timing, and operator action time. In the Kori Units 3 and 4 PSA report, the T-H analyses for those criteria ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Objective: Given the increasing popularity of motorcycle riding and heightened risk of injury or death associated with being a rider, this study explored rider behavior as a determinant of rider safety and, in particular, key beliefs and motivations that influence such behavior. To enhance the effectiveness of future education and training interventions, it is important to understand riders' own views about what influences how they ride. Specifically, this study sought to identify key determinants of riders' behaviors in relation to the social context of riding, including social and identity-related influences relating to the group (group norms and group identity) as well as the self (moral/personal norm and self-identity). Method: Qualitative research was undertaken via group discussions ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - Key account management (KAM) programmes are a way for companies to develop existing relationships and increase sales, thus being proactive and searching for opportunities (which is often expected of KAM). It is also a way to meet changing customer demands arising from changes in purchasing strategy, buyers' mergers and acquisitions and the search for synergies in order to reduce costs. The purpose of this article is to analyse different key account management programmes on how they manage the sales process complexity and customer expectations. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on qualitative data collected during a field study of ABB and six of their major customers, based on annual or biannual interviews with 50 individuals within ABB from 1996 to 2006 and three to t...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The phenomenon of key supply management (KSM) in business companies is far less investigated than the phenomenon of key account management (KAM) which beneficiates, both in practice and in an academic context, from a growing interest. This article is based on the empirical analysis of a sample of 10 international companies which have recently launched KSM programmes or are currently working on launching such programs. It examines the difficulties these companies come up against when implementing such programmes and proposes to organize these difficulties around three dimensions: 1) the difficulties in implementing real supplier portfolio approaches; 2) the narrow view of value co-creation with suppliers, and 3) the persistent lack of integration of the purchasing function with other intern...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The instrument ball bearings are the key components of movable components for various kinds of measuring and control instruments; they often operate in the environmental condition of high-speed and light preload. In general, the non metal, disposable oilimpregnated retainer material has been used for these kinds of high precision miniature bearing. The engineering practice shows that the common failure mode of them is the wear which appears under the condition of insufficient lubrication condition. As the results, the vibration and noise will be enlarged, so does the frictional torque, which makes the ball bearings to lose its original working accuracy. It is the lifetime test of bearings that can enable the designers and manufacturers to chose the material of the bearing properly, optimize the product structure, mend the manufacturing technique process, and to enhance the technical level of the bearing products significantly. In this paper, the wear lifetime ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

While it has been established that microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles throughout development and are dysregulated in many human pathologies, the specific processes and pathways regulated by individual...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An overall hypothesis for benzene-induced leukemia is proposed. Key components of the hypothesis include a) activation of benzene in the liver to phenolic metabolites; b) transport of these metabolites...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundA key feature of a good general practice consultation is that it is patient-centred. A number of verbal and non-verbal behaviours have been identified as important to establish...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

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

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This paper describes the deliverables framework developed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in its IAIMS planning process. The key deliverables include: visions for the future; mission,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundHyaluronic acid capsule plays a key role in Streptococcus pyogenes virulence. Circulation of mucoid or highly encapsulated strains has been related to...Full Text Available

Wastenet

...A directory of University social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube facebook, twitter, blog Social media - Social media, The ... Key: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog, LinkedIn, Flickr Missed you out? If you'd like to be included on this ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundMicrovascular injury plays a key role in normal tissue radiation responses. Statins, in addition to their lipid-lowering effects, have vasculoprotective...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) play key roles in the pathogenesis of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). The aim of our study was to determine whether the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The establishment of the primary meristems through proliferation after germination is essential for plant post-embryonic development. Cytokinins have long been considered a key regulator of...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... presumed first instar Geocharidius. Anillines occur in deep forest litters, beneath rocks and in soil (endogean), or as ... their small size and cryptic mode of life. Forest litter inhabiting anillines ma...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A structurally conserved element, the trigger loop, has been suggested to play a key role in substrate selection and catalysis of RNA polymerase II (pol II) transcription elongation. Recently resolved...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Four-dimensional (4D) radiotherapy is the explicit inclusion of the temporal changes in anatomy during the imaging, planning, and delivery of radiotherapy. One key component of 4D radiotherapy planning...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mycolic acids are key cell wall components for the survival, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance of the human tubercle bacillus. Although it was thought that Mycobacterium tuberculosis...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

For aerodynamic force measurement in the ISL shock tunnel, the authors have developed a novel measurement technique. Its key feature is a mounting support, which releases the test model and tightens it again after a free flight duration of 10 to 15 millis...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Combined QM(PM3)/MM molecular dynamics simulations together with QM(DFT)/MM optimizations for key configurations have been performed to elucidate the enzymatic catalysis mechanism on the detoxification...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the present study, models of key chemical processes governing the compositions of the tapped metal from the cupola on the basis of physico-chemical fundamentals have been developed. As evident from the literature survey, the investigations conducted in the past have focused their attention on one phenomenon at a time; for example, a particular chemical reaction, measurement of gas composition or the temperature distribution inside a cupola. Notwithstanding the importance of these studies and their contribution toward the understanding of cupola operation, mathematical models of key chemical processes and their interdependence must be investigated to obtain a complete insight into the various interlinked phenomena occurring inside a cupola. For example, the oxidation of the metallic charge leads to the formation of iron oxide which influences the final content of elements such as silicon, manganese and carbon. The processes considered in this ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background/Objective:To determine the utility of certain instruments to assess sexuality and fertility after SCI, an expert panel identified key areas to study and evaluated...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Despite the availability of dozens of animal genome sequences, two key questions remain unanswered: First, what fraction of any species' genome confers biological function, and second, are apparent...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Blunt chest-wall trauma is common; however, resultant tricuspid valve rupture is rare and can be subtle in its presentation. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a key role in diagnosis.Herein,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a switch of polarized epithelial cells to a migratory, fibroblastoid phenotype, is considered a key process driving tumor cell invasiveness and metastasis....Full Text Available

Wastenet

KOREA-JAPAN NUCLEAR WEAPON FREE ZONE (KJNWFZ) CONCEPT PAPER ...A Korea-Japan2 Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (hereafter KJNWFZ) is a new concept.Once realized, ...Finally, we outline the key elements of the Korea-Japan NWFZ proposed in this paper, noting

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The spliced alignment of expressed sequence data to genomic sequence has proven a key tool in the comprehensive annotation of genes in eukaryotic genomes. A novel algorithm was developed to assemble...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:The cardiac sodium–calcium exchanger (NCX1) is a key sarcolemmal protein for the maintenance of calcium homeostasis in the heart. Since heart failure...Full Text Available