A computer software system, CLEO, is used to assist in the planning and performance of the reactor refueling operations at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). It is a recently developed application of artificial intelligence software with both expert systems and automated reasoning aspects. CLEO, an acronym for Cloned LEO, is a logic-based computer program written in Pascal. It imitates the processes that the refueling expert for FFTF performs in organizing the refueling of FFTF. The computer assistant seeks to organize the sequence of core component movements according to the rules and logic used by the expert. In this form, CLEO has aspects that tie it to both the expert systems and automated reasoning areas within the artificial intelligence field.
The Remote Teaching Assistant (RTA) software currently under development at UC Davis allows students and Teaching Assistants (TA`s) to interact through multimedia communication via the Internet. To resolve the problem of TA unavailability and limited knowledge, an Expert Teaching Assistant (ETA) module is being developed. When TA`s are not on-line, students in need of help consult ETA. The focus of this research is the development and integration of ETA with RTA, the establishment of an architecture suitable for use with education (the domain) in any sub-domain (course), and the creation of a mechanism usable by non-technical personnel to maintain knowledge bases.
Feb 24, 2000 ... NASA computer experts have been using a supercomputer to improve the NASA/ DeBakey miniature heart assist pump, leading to on-going human ...
The paper will report the experience gained in the implementation of the national assistance projects, including the detailed assessment of the national situation compared to the ITWG Model Action Plan, the upgrading of the technical skills, the training of national experts and the joint analysis of nuclear material at ITU. The status of the work with the 13 future Member States to the European Union will also be reported on during the conference
This patent describes an expert overseer for the operation and real-time management of a mass spectrometer and associated laboratory equipment. The overseer is a computer-based expert diagnostic system implemented on a computer separate from the dedicated computer used to control the mass spectrometer and produce the analysis results. An interface links the overseer to components of the mass spectrometer, components of the laboratory support system, and the dedicated control computer. Periodically, the overseer polls these devices and as well as itself. These data are fed into an expert portion of the system for real-time evaluation. A knowledge base used for the evaluation includes both heuristic rules and precise operation parameters. The overseer also compares current readings to a long-term database to detect any developing trends using a combination of statistical and heuristic rules to evaluate the results. The ...
This patent describes an expert overseer for the operation and real-time management of a mass spectrometer and associated laboratory equipment. The overseer is a computer-based expert diagnostic system implemented on a computer separate from the dedicated computer used to control the mass spectrometer and produce the analysis results. An interface links the overseer to components of the mass spectrometer, components of the laboratory support system, and the dedicated control computer. Periodically, the overseer polls these devices and as well as itself. These data are fed into an expert portion of the system for real-time evaluation. A knowledge base used for the evaluation includes both heuristic rules and precise operation parameters. The overseer also compares current readings to a long-term database to detect any developing trends using a combination of statistical and heuristic rules to evaluate the results. The ...
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 steps provide input to ...
The Cement Bond Log Advisor is an expert system being developed to assist users in the design, evaluation, and interpretation of cement bond logs (CBL's). CBL's are produced by sonic tools run after the casing is cemented in a well to determine how well the cement is bonded to the casing and formation and whether a cement squeeze jog should be attempted. During the development of program, two particular challenges were encountered and resolved in ways that might be of general interest to developers of expert system applications for the petroleum industry. The first challenge was to find an efficient and effective method for guiding the user in correlating and interpreting the relationships between multiple sources of continuous visual data (the various waveforms making up the log output). Second, the nomographs, which correlate log amplitudes with cement compressive strength and are used in the log ...
In this paper the authors describe the design and development of an advanced NDA workstation, which fits into an integrated data evaluation scheme for safeguards. This kind of instrument must be sort of an intelligent assistant to the inspection procedure, be able to generate as correct as possible measurements, guide the inspector throughout the procedure, and report descriptive data to the data evaluation system. The problem of improving the quality of the measurement is tackled using a simple expert system, which should convey in the instrument some of the physicist knowledge. The authors describe the hardware and software resources which were included in their design to reach the intended goal. A prototype of the machine has been built, and a preliminary software for Plutonium Isotopic Composition is under development.
Since mid-March the Commission on Water Management, with the assistance of the appropriate ministries, visited all regions of the province in order to acquaint themselves first hand with regional water management problems. During the month of June, the Commission also organized a series of ten workshops, attended by a limited number of experts, to explore in depth certain specific questions in the area of water management. During these public sessions the Commission hoped to discuss specifically the specific questions relating to water management problems of First Nations communities, bearing in mind the essential nature of water in maintaining traditional activities. The workshop took place on the Montanard reserve of Mashteuiatsh (Pointe-Bleu). The morning session was devoted to presentations by invited experts, followed by an exchange of views between the experts and the Commissioners, with ...
This report presents the record of the workshop Water Treeing and Aging.'' The workshop was held in Phoenix, Arizona on December 9--11, 1990 and was sponsored by the Distribution Program of the Electrical Systems Division of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Attendance at the workshop was by invitation only. Twenty two attendees from seven countries, from universities, research organizations, electric utilities and polymeric materials suppliers took part in this workshop. The workshop was designed to assess progress in the understanding of water treeing phenomena and polymeric cable insulation aging since the last meeting of a similar forum of experts, which was organized by the Office of Exploratory Research of EPRI in December 1985. The objective of the present workshop was to assess progress and to provide direction for further studies in this field. The discussions covered a wide range of subjects including water tree structure, ...
The present report describes the study conducted in co-operation with several agencies and organizations from Thailand and covers the energy and electricity requirements and the optimal expansion plans for the power generating system for this country up to year 2011. It is emphasized that the study was carried out by a team of experts from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), the National Energy Administration (NEA) and the Office of Atomic Energy for Peace (OAEP), who were fully responsible for all phases of the study, including the production of the present report. The IAEA's responsibility was to provide overall co-ordination and general guidance during the conduct of the study, as well as training and assistance in the implementation and use of the IAEA's computerized planning methodologies on the computer facilities of Thailand. Refs, figs and tabs.
Since 1992, the fruitful collaboration of the Russian and Western-European technical support organizations (TSOs) is being continued due to the support of the European Commission. There are two main areas of activities. The first one is more of methodological assistance and enhancing RF TSOs capabilities to support Rostekhnadzor decision making process. Experience and knowledge acquired in this area projects increase RF TSOs capabilities regarding a wide spectrum of safety related issues assessment, in particular safety analyses, reactor vessel embrittlement, application of 'leak before break' concept, severe accident and accident management, fire risk evaluation, etc. The second area is focused on licensing related assessments of EC financed on site assistance projects (modernisations). This area projects promote implementation in Russia a licensing process based on a technical dialogue between operator and regulator as well contributes to ...
USGS scientists Ellyn Montgomery and William Danforth discuss incoming data in a computer lab on U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. This was during a scientific expedition to map the Arctic seafloor....
USGS geologists Peter Triezenberg and William Danforth sit with WHOI/LDEO Computer Technician Tom Bolmer in the Healy computer lab. This was during a scientific expedition to map the Arctic seafloor....
who was appointed in July to lead the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, made visits last week to UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA and the California Institute of...
FIU-HCET participated in an ICT meeting at Mound during the second week of December and presented a brief videotape of the testing of the Robotic Climber technology. During this meeting, FIU-HCET proposed the TechXtract technology for possible testing at Mound and agreed to develop a five-page proposal for review by team members. FIU-HCET provided assistance to Bartlett Inc. and General Lasertronics Corporation in developing a proposal for a Program Opportunity Notice (PON). The proposal was submitted by these companies on January 5, 1999. The search for new equipment dismantlement technologies is continuing. The following vendors have responded to requests for demonstration: LUMONICS, Laser Solutions technology; CRYO-BEAM, Cryogenic cutting technology; Waterjet Technology Association, Waterjet Cutting technology; and DIAJET, Waterjet Cutting technology. Based on the tasks done in FY98, FIU-HCET is working closely with Numatec Hanford Corporation (NHC) and Pacific ...
In early 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland and Fluor Hanford requested technical assistance from the DOE Headquarters EM-23 Technical Assistance Program to provide a team of technical experts to develop recommendations for mending the In Situ Redox Manipulation (ISRM) Barrier in the 100-D Area of the Hanford Site in Washington State. To accommodate this request, EM-23 provided support to convene a group of technical experts from industry, a national laboratory, and a DOE site to participate in a 2 1/2-day workshop with the objective of identifying and recommending options to enhance the performance of the 100-D Area reactive barrier and of a planned extension to the northeast. This report provides written documentation of the team's findings and recommendations. In 1995, a plume of dissolved hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], which resulted from operation of the D/DR Reactors at the ...
The Nuclear Smuggling International Technical Working Group (ITWG) is an international group of nuclear forensic experts that cooperate to deter the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. The objective of the ITWG is to provide a common approach and effective technical solutions to governments who request assistance in nuclear forensics. The ITWG was chartered in 1996 and since that time more than 28 nations and organizations have participated in 9 international meetings and 2 analytical round-robin trials. Soon after its founding the ITWG adopted a general framework to guide nuclear forensics investigations that includes recommendations for nuclear crime scene security and analysis, the best application of radioanalytical methods, the conduct of traditional forensic analysis of contaminated materials, and effective data analysis to interpret the history of seized nuclear materials. This approach has been adopted by many nations as they ...
This report presents the preliminary findings from the first phase of the Environmental Survey of the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), conducted March 29, 1987 through April 17, 1987. The Survey is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of environmental specialists, led and managed by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health's Office of Environmental Audit. Individual team components are outside experts being supplied by a private contractor. The objective of the Survey is to identify environmental problems and areas of environmental risk associated with the LANL. The Survey covers all environmental media and all areas of environmental regulation. It is being performed in accordance with the DOE Environmental Survey Manual. The on-site phase of the Survey involves the review of existing site environmental data, observations of the operations carried on at the LANL, and interviews with site ...
... Tunnel Sensors Equipment on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of tunnel sensors equipment on the world's largest environmental industry portal. View ...
... Geothermal Energy Equipment in Finland on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of geothermal energy equipment in finland on the world's largest environmental ...
... Geothermal Energy Equipment in Belgium on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of geothermal energy equipment in belgium on the world's largest environmental ...
... Fuel Cell Technologies Equipment on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of fuel cell technologies equipment on the world's largest environmental industry portal. View ...
... Corrosive Fumes Equipment on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of corrosive fumes equipment on the world's largest environmental industry portal. View ...
... Corrosion Inhibitors Equipment on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of corrosion inhibitors equipment on the world's largest environmental industry portal. View ...
... Biogas Analyzers Equipment on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of biogas analyzers equipment on the world's largest environmental industry portal. View ...
...been a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of high quality precision-engineered systems for water and wastewater treatment fo Bulletins Environmental Expert ...
...on Environmental Expert Aanderaa Data Instruments develops, manufactures and markets oceanographic and meteorological instruments and special systems for collecting environmental data. Data can be ...
This article will highlight the experiences of two baccalaureate Health Information Administration (HIA) programs in the adoption of the American Health Information Management Association's (AHIMA) e-HIM Virtual Laboratory (Virtual Lab) into the Professional Practice Experience (PPE). Information is provided describing the implementation of the Virtual Lab, issues that were encountered, and subsequent feedback from students and faculty regarding this new technology.
The present study describes the screening of five lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for use as probiotics based on their competitive adhesion and production of antagonistic substances against some fish pathogens. A reduction of adhesion of all pathogenic strains tested was obtained with three of the LAB strains (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CLFP100, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris CLFP102 and Lactobacillus curvatus CLFP150). With the exception of fish pathogens Flavobacterium psychrophilum and Renibacterium salmoninarum that were not inhibited by LAB strains, production of antagonistic compounds by all tested LAB was observed against at least one of the indicator strains. Based on mucus adhesion, competitive exclusion, and suppression of fish pathogen growth, the selected LAB strains can b...
Full text: The ITWG was first formed in 1995 for the purpose of fostering international cooperation for combating illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. The initial focus for the ITWG was on the development of nuclear forensics to help answer attribution questions regarding nuclear materials of unknown origin. More recently, the ITWG has also expanded its focus to include detection of nuclear materials during transit. This paper presents some of the key developments by this group and their potential impact for combating nuclear smuggling. The initial focus of the ITWG was to write a status report on international cooperation on nuclear smuggling forensic analysis. This 26-page report summarized previous work on nuclear forensics and gave an initial analysis on prioritizing techniques and methods for forensic analysis regarding source and route attribution. This report was submitted to the G-8 countries, and shortly thereafter, nuclear forensics was endorsed at the Moscow Summit in ...
Sep 1, 2011 ... Title: THINEX - an expert system for estimating forest harvesting productivity and cost. Author: LeDoux, C. B.; Gopalakrishnan, B.; Pabba, R. S. ...
This article aims to open up the biographical black box of three experts working in the boundary zone between science, policy and public debate. A biographical-narrative approach is used to analyse...Full Text Available
A knowledge-based expert system has been developed to support human decision makers who assess drug products for inclusion in the Saskatchewan Formulary. Formulary inclusion and deletion decisions...Full Text Available
Officers receive service-specific education and undergo experiences within their components that provide the expert knowledge that enables them to operate in their respective military departments. Given the Department of Defense (DoD) emphasis on service ...
Different approaches to expertise and argumentation are discussed. After introducing the problem of expertise and its present day significance in a historical context, various connections with the study of arguments are highlighted. The need for and potential of argumentation analysis to contribute to existing research in social epistemology, science studies, and cognitive science, is discussed, touching on the problems of reasoning and argumentation, embodiment, tacit knowledge, expert context versus public context, expert disagreement, persuasion versus justification, and argument analysis as meta-expertise. As the arguments used by experts constitute a boundary object, we presume that a dialogue format is suitable to address central problems of the special issue ?Rethinking Arguments fr...
... exercises and biotechnology labs and didactic material. It includes sessions on computer and media ... computers, and learn how IPT activities and materials can help meet their curriculum objects ...
will soon recreate by slamming lead nuclei into one another. S@BL image Irrelevant Regulators Pinpointing the interactions of genes with their assumed regulators grows ever more...
For coupled quantum wires and dots, tunneling effects and coherent transport for quantum computing are being studied. In 2D systems, electron-hole bilayers for exciton...
May 1, 2011 ... Abstract: Diatek Corporation, San Diego, CA and the Jet Propulsion Lab developed the Diatek Model 7000 aural thermometer which weighs ...
Briefly, 48 MOS microparticle sensors (essentially the same as those flown on .... at the Naval Research Lab to interpret the polarization of the incoming radio .... Adapter Satellite, to be published in Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 1994. ...
This document presents the results of a review of publicly available information on energy use in health care facilities. The information contained in this document and in the sources cited herein provides the background and context for efforts to reduce energy use and costs in health care. Recognizing the breadth and diversity of relevant information, the author acknowledges that the report is likely not comprehensive. It is intended only to present a broad picture of what is currently known about health care energy use. This review was conducted as part of a 'High Performance Health Care Buildings' research study funded by the California Energy Commission. The study was motivated by the recognition that health care facilities collectively account for a substantial fraction of total commercial building energy use, due in large part to the very high energy intensity of hospitals and other inpatient care facilities. The goal of the study was to develop a roadmap of ...
This report presents the preliminary findings of the first phase of the Environmental Survey of the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and Component Development and Integration Facility (CDIF), conducted September 14 through October 2, 1987. The Survey is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of environmental specialists, led and managed by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health's Office of Environmental Audit. The team includes outside experts supplied by a private contractor. The objective of the Survey is to identify environmental problems and areas of environmental risk associated with the INEL and CDIF. The Survey covers all environmental media and all areas of environmental regulation. It is being performed in accordance with the DOE Environmental Survey Manual. The on-site phase of the Survey involves the review of existing site environmental data, observations of the ...
Sheltering, evacuation and distribution of stable iodine tablets are considered to be major early emergency actions aiming at diminishing the consequences after a release of radioactive materials from nuclear power plants into the air. Whether in real situations emergency managers will act accordingly is hard to predict. Uncertainties associated with these decisions are termed 'volitional' uncertainties. These uncertainties, however, cannot be assessed by expert judgements as they express the decision at stake in an emergency situation. Uncertainties on the times to implement countermeasures and on the times for the general population to respond to these measures can be assessed by experts, as they represent 'lack-of-knowledge' uncertainties. This paper describes the difference in approach of both types of uncertainties and shows the results of expert judgements on the latter type of ...
...Explore - The Lab - Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Gateway to Science Radio TV Shop News Sport Local Children Science Environment more Topics help Science Home News in Science Features Explore TV & Radio Dr Karl Play Podcasts DNA - The discovery of the double helix structure of DNA completely changed biology and opened up the new field of genetics. The 'backbone of life' has given us the human genome, stem cell research, ...
In partnership with the US Navy, high-technology corporations, and research universities, Jefferson Lab is building a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) accelerator-driven free-electron laser (FEL) and is outfitting an FEL user facility. This first fourth-generation light source - a 1 kW, 3 #mu#m infrared (IR) laser - is the first step in a program to develop high-average-power SRF-based IR and ultraviolet (UV) FELs for multiple manufacturing applications as well as for defense-related applied research and basic scientific research. This initial FEL will be driven by a 42 MeV, 5 m A recirculating SRF linac similar to the much larger SRF linac in Jefferson Lab's 4 GeV, 200 #mu#A Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). The FEL is expected to demonstrate 75% energy recovery. Its linac will be cooled by the existing CEBAF cryogenic system. At Jefferson Lab, an infrastructure of facilities and people already ...
OBJECTIVES: Personal and equipment assistance are common strategies to reduce disability. This study sought to determine how often assistance reduces or even completely resolves health-related difficulties...Full Text Available
ROBOT-ASSISTED RADICAL LAPAROSCOPIC PROSTATECTOMY WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER WINSTON-SALEM, NC 00:00:08 ANTHONY ATALA, MD: I would like ...
An IAEA databank lists a number of reported cases of illicitly trafficked nuclear or other radioactive materials. Apart from the traditional concern with nuclear proliferation, the post September 11th public is now wary of a possible attack by terrorists with a nuclear or radiation dispersion device (RDD). Until now, the seized quantities have not been sufficient to manufacture a nuclear explosive device, but they might be enough to construct an RDD. Recognizing the latent global challenge to public health and safety, the G8 States (Japan, USA, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Canada, and Russia) have called for 'joint international efforts to identify and suppress illicit supply' of, and demand for, nuclear material and to deter potential traffickers. One measure gaining in significance is to identify seized material and trace it back to its origin the objective of an emerging science known as nuclear forensics. Repeatedly nuclear or other radioactive material of unknown origin are ...
This article describes a hierarchical and functional model for continuous process control aid. The expertise is represented by graphs from a simple functional restructuring of the Grafcet, which is the formalism used by the designers of the command-control program. The new structure is familiar to the operator, and it is settled in an expert system. The application built on the basis of this method detects some default types which are not detected by the control-command. It proposes a diagnosis to the operator, and can explain and justify the state of the process. (authors) 9 refs.
Midway Labs currently produces a 335x concentrator module that has reached as high as 19{percent} active area efficiency in production. The current production module uses the single crystal silicon back contact SunPower cell. The National Renewable Energy Lab has developed a multi junction cell using GalnP/GaAs technologies. The high efficiency ({gt}30{percent}) and high cell voltage offer an opportunity for Midway Labs to develop a tracking concentrator module that will provide 24 volts in the 140 to 160 watt range. This voltage and wattage range is applicable to a range of small scale water pumping applications that make up the bulk of water pumping solar panel sales. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}
An expert system was developed which helps maintenance personnel diagnose the condition of rotor and stator windings and their cores, in motors and generators rated 2300 V and above. The expert system, called MICAA[TM], used an approach which has been found to be effective for diagnosing medical problems. The program required the user to input machine nameplate information, operating status, and any past test data available. In addition, the program would suggest tests that may be useful, as well as provide guidance to maintenance personnel on what to look for in visual inspections of the machine. The expert system stored and correlated all this information, calculated the overall condition of the component in question, and identified the most likely specific causes of any deterioration. The basic methodology of motor and generator condition assessment, and the architecture and processing performed by MICAA to obtain these ...
The WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization authorized the National Institute for Medical Research to establish an International Reference Preparation of Erythropoietin on the basis of the...Full Text Available
... Missionaries and cannibals [MaC] (Newell, McDermott and Forgy, 1977, p. 63): Three missionaries and three cannibals must cross a river in a two ...
... Experts ( Appendix 5 ), and the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Program ( Appendix 6) . The Task Force consisted of one representative from NMFS Headquarters and 1-2 rep...
"Physics in the United States is in a crisis that the country may lose the leadership in basic particle research in coming years, a report of the National Research Council warned." (1 page)
... experts agree-- a colonoscopy is the most accurate test to detect the cancer, but because of cost ... method. Dr. Randall Burt: Colonoscopy is the best test. The question is therefore shouldn't everyone, since ...
...been a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of high quality precision-engineered systems for water and wastewater treatment fo Create Free Account ...
...Systems by IPEX Enfield electrofusion acid waste systems give you the proven corrosion resistance of polypropylene, along with our patented, state-of-the-art electrofusion system....
We present ANAPPRES V1.0, the first version of a computerized expert system capable of analyzing constant- and variable-flowrate interference tests, in which there is one active well and an arbitrary number of observation wells, in liquid-saturated homogeneous reservoirs. ANAPPRES successfully couples mathematical models, optimization techniques, heuristic knowledge and computerized graphics, a combination not often found in published expert systems. Its main advantages are that it is user friendly, requires essentially no experience on the part of the analyst, eliminates subjectivity associated with earlier techniques of analysis, can handle complex cases and large data sets, completes the analysis of even the most complex cases (including plotting the results) in one run, and is significantly faster than a human expert.
...2010-10-01 false Low-income home energy assistance. 96.48 Section 96...Organizations § 96.48 Low-income home energy assistance. (a) This section applies...Indian tribes under the low-income home energy assistance program. (b) The...
The software package VIBA-lab1, which incorporates PIXE and RBS energy spectra simulation has now been extended to include the simulation of elemental maps from 3D structures. VIBA-lab1 allows the user to define a wide variety of experimental parameters, e.g. energy and species of incident ions, excitation and detection geometry, etc. When the relevant experimental parameters as well as target composition are defined, the program can then simulate the corresponding PIXE and RBS spectra. VIBA-LAB2 has been written with applications in nuclear microscopy in mind. A set of drag-and-drop tools has been incorporated to allow the user to define a three-dimensional sample object of mixed elemental composition. PIXE energy spectra simulations are then carried out on pixel-by-pixel basis and the corresponding intensity distributions or elemental maps can be computed. Several simulated intensity distributions for some 3D objects are ...
Summary of personnel, commitments, and costs ... Origin of complex land-based ecosystems (W. Friedman) ...... technology has brought about the birth of lab- ..... Baross, J.A. and S.E. Hoffman, Submarine hydrothermal vents and ...
USGS - science for a changing world USGS Home Contact USGS Search USGS USGS Water-Quality Information * Home * Data * Methods * Labs * Publications * Topics * Programs * Contact Us...
An overview of the operations of Sandia`s Microelectronics Development Lab (MDL) is to develop radiation hardened IC, but techniques used for IC processing have been applied to a variety of related technologies such as micromechanics, smart sensors, and packaging.
Science and technology could be revolutionized by quantum computers, but building them from solid-state devices will not be easy. Robert W Keyes of IBM's research division outlines the challenges in scaling up the technology from lab experiments to practical devices. (U.K.)
English abstract: In the "Intuitive Quantum Physics" course, we use graphical interpretations of mathematical equations and qualitative reasoning to develop and teach a simplified model of quantum physics. Our course contains three units: Wave physics, Development of a conceptual toolbox, and quantum physics. It also contains three key themes: wave-particle duality, the Schroedinger equation, and tunneling of quantum particles. Students learn most new material in lab-tutorials in which students work in small groups (3 to 3 people) on specially designed worksheets. Lecture reinforces the lab-tutorial content and focuses more on issues about the nature of science. Data show that students are able to learn some of the most difficult concepts in the course, and also that students learn to believe that there is a conceptually accessible structure to the physics in the course. German abstract: Im Kurs "Intuitive Quantum Physics" werden graphische ...
The head of KEK expressed his dismay that SLAC has entered into a collaboration with 3 other US labs and proposes to build the next linear collider at Fermilab, Ilinois. KEK wants the next accelerator to be built somewhere in the Asian Pacific region (1 page).
...wood smoke, emissions, pollution, heaters, environment, Earthbeat - 25/5/2002: Woodsmoke, Health & the Environment Love that Planet All in the Mind The Buzz Health Report In Conversation Ockhams Razor Science Show The Lab Health Matters Catalyst Quantum ...
The Data Acquisition System for the CDMS II dark matter experiment was designed and built when the experiment moved to its new underground installation at the Soudan Lab. The combination of remote operation and increased data load necessitated a completely new design. Elements of the original LabView system remained as stand-alone diagnostic programs, but the main data processing moved to a VME-based system with custom electronics for signal conditioning, trigger formation and buffering. The data rate was increased 100-fold and the automated cryogenic system was linked to the data acquisition. A modular server framework with associated user interfaces was implemented in Java to allow control and monitoring of the entire experiment remotely.
The Site Environmental Report is an integrated report on Berkeley Lab's environmental programs to satisfy the requirements of DOE Order 231.1A, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting. It summarizes Berkeley Lab's environmental management performance, presents environmental monitoring results, and describes significant programs for calendar year 2007. Volume I is organized into an executive summary followed by six chapters that contain an overview of the Laboratory, a discussion of the Laboratory's environmental management system, the status of environmental programs, and summarized results from surveillance and monitoring activities.
Papers are presented under the session headings: research in mechanical fragmentation; rock characterization, remote sensing and interface detection; monitoring, data transmission and communications; tunnel boring machines; minewide monitoring and expert systems for ground control; machine guidance; shaft and raise boring; automation of drilling equipment; machine automation and control; new developments in mechanical miners; materials handling; innovative mining systems; general minewide monitoring and expert systems; ground support; human factors; and extraterrestrial mining.
Due to the intensity and vast number of subjects, this Bremen experts' discussion, too, could discuss only part of the problem of the possibilitiy to quantify the radiation hazard. One preliminary result is that there is no scientific proof of the harmlessness of radiation exposure during normal operation of a nuclear power plant, either within the plant or in its vicinity. Other results are that some important questions can not be answered yet, and that there are important hints on the dangers even of low radiation doses. (GL).
A knowledge based system for pitting corrosion is presented. It can be used for material selection for specific pitting corrosion conditions or to check the suitability of a chosen material. The user can enter his own knowledge. The expert system is an integration of traditional expert system technology and neural networks. (orig.)
The fundamental recommendations of the ICRP issued in its publication of 1990 stipulate the general principle of performance of dose measurements at regular intervals in the field of diagnostic radiology, for the purpose of equipment performance checking and optimization of radiological protection. In response to this requirement, the Federal Ministry, in cooperation with experts and the competent supervising authorities, has issued an order to install dose-area-product meters in angiographic examination systems, imaging systems and fluoroscopic screen devices primarily used for examining infants and children up to the age of 12. This is done in response to reported cases of adverse effects of radiation exposure and the high priority given to radiological protection in the examination of infants and children. In 1992, an expert group was convened to discuss and elaborate instructions for including dose-area product measurement in the dosimetry ...
A model-base expert system is presented for the processing of alarm messages in power networks' control centers. This alarm processor, called GESTAL, generates concise diagnoses identifying the causes(s) of network disturbances and describing the operation of the protection and alarm systems which operate to isolate faulty components. Essentially, the alarm processor is an agenda driven expert system which is composed of a model of the power network's alarm and protection systems as well as several sets of rules. Based on the nextwork model, graph structures are constructed which represent relationships between alarms as they are received. These graph structures are then analysed in order to diagnose the disturbances(s). The alarm processor has been developed using the ART 3.0 programming language in a Symbolics Lisp-machine environment. Background material on expert systems, electric power networks, and ...
Laser assisted solar cell metallization processing which is a one step process is examined. The potential advantages of laser disposition techniques for photovoltaic systems are: a high resolution, no photolithography, clean and contamination free, in-situ sintering, and low contact resistance.
Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The tasks comprising these investigations are outlined.
PurposeThe objective of this study is to evaluate the continence rate following reconstruction of the posterior urethral plate in robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy...Full Text Available
A Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance investigation was performed by NIOSH on February 1-4, 1977, at ASARCO, East Helena, Montana, a facility engaged in lead smelting. The survey was prompted by a request from the Regional OSHA Director in referenc...
With the advent of powerful, widely-available mathematical software, combined with ever-faster computer hardware, we are approaching a day when both the discovery and proof of mathematical facts can be done in a computer-assisted manner. his article presents several specific examples of this new paradigm in action.
For over 20 years advocates of computer assisted instruction (CAI) have been proclaiming impending revolutionary developments in the educational process, yet progress in acceptance has been slow. This...Full Text Available
Objectives.To understand how “cumulative inequality” (CI), expressed as individual advantage and choice, and “external social supports” contribute...Full Text Available
PURPOSETo compare hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and pure laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy techniques in live donor nephrectomy.METHODSIn...Full Text Available
Recent studies have shown that there is a wide variety of approaches to education and training of the Qualified Expert across the European Union. National education and training programmes show often large differences in content, duration, level, the introduction of practical work, etc. As they stand, such differences are a barrier to the mutual recognition of the Qualified Expert status and, in part, are contributing to a perceived shortage in expertise in radiation protection and safety. The overall aim of ENETRAP is to determine mechanisms that in the longer term will facilitate better integration of education and training activities (with a view to mutual recognition across the European Union) and to ensure the ongoing provision of the necessary competence and expertise at the level of the Qualified Expert. The ENETRAP project is a 6FP coordination action. It started in April 2005 and runs over a period of 24 months. ...
The new developments in cost engineering revolve around the ability to capture information that in the past could not be automated. The purpose of automation is not to eliminate the expert cost engineer. The goal is to use available technology to have more information available to the professionals in the cost engineering field. In that sense, the demand for expertise increases in order to produce the highest quality estimate and project possible from all levels of cost engineers. We cannot overemphasize the importance of using a good source of expert information in building these types of programs. ''Garbage in, garbage out'' still applies in this form of programming. Expert systems technology will become commonplace in many vertical markets; it is important to undersand what can and cannot be accomplished in our field, and where this technology will lead us in the future.
The Office of Energy Research was recently asked to perform a study of Large Scale Systems in order to facilitate the development of a true large systems theory. It was decided to ask experts in the fields of electrical engineering, chemical engineering and manufacturing/operations research for their ideas concerning large scale systems research. The author was asked to distribute a questionnaire among these experts to find out their opinions concerning recent accomplishments and future research directions in large scale systems research. He was also requested to convene a conference which included three experts in each area as panel members to discuss the general area of large scale systems research. The conference was held on March 26--27, 1984 in Pittsburgh with nine panel members, and 15 other attendees. The present report is a summary of the ideas presented and the recommendations proposed by the attendees.
This document exposes the results of the fourth evaluation report of the working group II of the inter government experts group on the climatic change. This evaluation presents the today scientific understanding of the climatic change impacts on the humans and their adaptation ability and vulnerability. It is based on the GIEC evaluations and new knowledge added since the third evaluation report. (A.L.B.)
... they assisted in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole? ... List the types of targets that ETA has attacked. ... was at least partially responsible for the attack. ...
... military medical education, environmental security activities, and provides e-mail capabilities and other basic information management capabilities. ...
... which extend beyond the upper airway. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, failure to thrive, and enuresis. Tonsillectomies ...
Water-assisted mining machinery is beginning to be considered in the US, although it has been in use in Europe for some time. A waterjet roof bolter is currently under test and should greatly increase drilling rate with longer bit life and no dust. Water-assisted roadheaders and longwall winning machines under development in Europe and the US are described.
Based on a mathematical simulation which reproduces accurate split and velocity profiles for the 100 and 200 metre sprints, the magnitudes of altitude and mixed wind/altitude-assisted performances as compared to their sea-level equivalents are presented. It is shown that altitude-assisted times for the 200 metre are significantly higher than for the 100 metre, suggesting that the ``legality'' of such marks perhaps be reconsidered.
This paper looks at the various battery technologies available for use in solar assist plug-in hybrid electric tractors In this context, solar assist plug-in hybrid electric tractors are those that may be used in light-duty agricultural operations. To determine the most suitable battery, four common technologies are analyzed looking at the environmental life-cycle effects and costs.
The US Department of Energy, Office of Technical and Financial Assistance (OTFA) promotes the application of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices by working cooperatively with state and local governments and private and nonprofit organizations, providing technical and financial assistance and serving as network for sharing information. This report is an overview of some of the programs designed to aid in solving our national energy problems.
The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1996 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The Berkeley Lab LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory`s forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides the resources for Berkeley Lab scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances the ...
... TOXCHEM+ - Wastewater Predictive Fate by Hydromantis Environmental Software Solutions, Inc. TOXCHEM+ is regarded as the most reliable and ... TOXCHEM+ is EPA-approved for estimating ... »Read more » Contact now / Request quote 0 Comments ...
The University of Groningen (RUG) has developed an expert system on cleaning of biomass producer gas. This work was carried out in close co-operation with the Biomass Technology Group B.V. (BTG) in Enschede, The Netherlands within the framework of the EC supported JOR3-CT95-0084 project. The expert system was developed as a tool for the designer-engineer of downstream gas cleaning equipment and consists of an information package and a flowsheet package. The packages are integrated in a client/server system. The flowsheeting package of the expert system has been designed for the evaluation of different gas cleaning methods. The system contains a number of possible gas cleaning devices such as: cyclone, fabric filter, ceramic filter, venturi scrubber and catalytic cracker. The user can select up to five cleaning steps in an arbitrary order for his specific gas cleaning problem. After specification of the required design ...
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
... Optimisation of reactive dye removal by sequential electrocoagulation-flocculation... The removal of Reactive Black 5 dye in an aqueous solution by electrocoagulation (EC) as well... »Read more By M. Mohsen Nourouzi, T. G. Chuah, Thomas S....
Electricity generation from wind turbines is now cost competitive for grid and off-grid applications in many developing regions, and close to competitive in others. Wind resources could generate thousands of megawatts of badly-needed power in Asia, North Africa, and Latin America. Barriers to penetrating power generation markets remain, however, including unequal access to investment capital, energy price and other market distortions, and often weak institutions for commercializing new technologies. Recognizing the potential economic and environmental benefits of wind power, bilateral and multilateral assistance organizations have for several years offered financial and technical assistance to promote its diffusion. Based on this experience and assistance for other renewable electric technologies, lessons and recommendations can be drawn regarding how assistance could more effectively overcome ...
Two transition metal ions (Cu^2^+ and Co^2^+) and two rare earth metal ions (Ce^3^+ and La^3^+) were used as the assisted metal ions, respectively to prepare the transition metal and rare metal assisted Fe bimetallic amidoximated polyacrylonitrile (AO-PAN) fiber complexes. And their coordination configuration and visible light adsorption properties were examined by coordination number determination and UV-vis-DRS. Then the catalytic performance of these complexes was evaluated as the heterogeneous Fenton catalysts in Rhodamine B degradation by changing the nature and dosage of the assisted ions added. The results indicated that the incorporation of the assisted metal ions led to Fe bimetallic AO-PAN complexes with the more unsaturated configurations than Fe monometallic AO-PAN complex due ...
The laboratory environment existing outside the test situation itself can have a substantial influence on results of some behavioral tests with mice, and the extent of these influences sometimes depends on genotype. For alcohol research, the principal issue is whether genotype-related ethanol effects will themselves be altered by common variations in the lab environment or instead will be essentially the same across a wide range of lab environments. Data from 20 inbred strains were used to reduce an original battery of seven tests of alcohol intoxication to a compact battery of four tests: the balance beam and grip strength with a 1.25g/kg ethanol dose and the accelerating rotarod and open-field activation tests with 1.75g/kg. The abbreviated battery was then used to study eight inbred str...
Impedance Noise Identification is an in-situ method of measuring battery impedance as a function of frequency using a random small signal noise excitation source. Through a series of auto- and cross-correlations and Fast Fourier Transforms, the battery complex impedance as a function of frequency can be determined. The results are similar to those measured under a lab-scale electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement. The lab-scale measurements have been shown to correlate well with resistance and power data that are typically used to ascertain the remaining life of a battery. To this end, the Impedance Noise Identification system is designed to acquire the same type of data as an on-board tool. A prototype system is now under development, and results are being compared to standardized measurement techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A brief description of the Impedance Noise Identification hardware system and ...
Through the dedicated collaborative efforts of many individuals interested in supporting local education, computer laboratories were established at two urban high schools. The purchasing and implementation of the project was handled by the Alliance for Education, a local non-profit education advocate. Funds were supplied by the Air Force as part of a 3-year research activity utilizing artificial intelligence technology to tutor 9th grade students. NCR (now AT7T Global Information Solutions) corporate leaders provided the computers and network equipment at a considerable savings to the project. Each lab is a state-of-the-art facility with air-conditioning, carpeting, special computer tables, computer projection screens, and on-site technical support. Student and teacher enthusiasm toward the project has been gratifying and quantitative results are currently being evaluated for both attitude, skills, and state proficiency tests.
Abstract In the 1990s, significant efforts were invested in the research and development of food-grade expression systems in lactic acid bacteria (LAB). At this time, Lactococcus lactis in particular was demonstrated to be an ideal cell factory for the food-grade production of recombinant proteins. Steady progress has since been made in research on LAB, including Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, in the areas of recombinant enzyme production, industrial food fermentation, and gene and metabolic pathway regulation. Over the past decade, this work has also led to new approaches on chromosomal integration vectors and host/vector systems. These newly constructed food-grade gene expression systems were designed with specific attention to self-cloning strategies, food-grade selection...
Beside yeasts, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most abundant microbes in must during vinification. Whereas Oenococcos oeni is commercially used as a starter culture for the biological acid reduction in wines, other species are responsible for different types of wine spoilage. Members of the genera Pediococcus, Weissella, Leuconostoc, and Lactobacillus are producers of exopolysaccharide slimes, biogenic amines, acetic acid, and other off-flavors. In order to control microbial growth, different procedures such as heating of must and addition of sulfite or lysozyme from egg white are generally applied. Yet, because of health risks, the application of sulfite should be reduced and lysozyme is not effective against all LAB. In this study, we describe exoenzymes from a Streptomyces sp. strain...
Virtual Compton Scattering o013 the proton has been studied at Q 2 -values of 1:0 and 1:9 (GeV=c) 2 in Hall A at the Thomas Je013erson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). Data were taken below and above the pion production threshold as well as in the resonance region. Results obtained below pion threshold at Q 2 = 1:0 (GeV=c) 2 are presented in this paper.
Various diagnostics techniques for condition monitoring and life prediction of fluid power components and system are discussed. Though some of the techniques are very promising but may not be accepted because of increase in the instrumentation, it is planned to implement these techniques on various circuits of Fluid Power Lab for further improving and developing these for direct implementation in various fluid power circuits of power reactors. (author). 6 figs.
The new collaborative exploitation of the JET Facilities requires suitable technical tools and infrastructure measures to enable the Remote Participation of scientists from all European Fusion labs. Such measures are being gradually introduced. They comprise of a toolkit for Remote Data Access, Remote Computer Access and for teleconferencing, and of infrastructure measures that address network connectivity, network security, shared documentation and technical support.
Quark-hadron duality addresses some of the most fundamental issues in strong interaction physics, in particular the nature of the transition from the perturbative to non-perturbative regions of QCD. I summarize recent developments in quark-hadron duality in lepton-hadron scattering, and outline how duality can be studied at future high-luminosity facilities such as Jefferson Lab at 12 GeV, or an electron-hadron collider such as EPIC.
Science and technology are at the heart of everything we do at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, as we pursue innovative, robust, and sustainable ways to produce energy--and as we seek to understand and illuminate the physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering behind alternative energy technologies. This year's Research Review highlights the Lab's work in the areas of alternatives fuels and vehicles, high-performing commercial buildings, and high-efficiency inverted, semi-mismatched solar cells.
The recent development of matrix-assisted UV laser desorption (LD) mass spectrometry has made possible the ionization and detection of extremely large molecules (with molecular weights exceeding 100,000 Daltons). This technique has generated enormous interest in the biological community for the direct examination of large peptides and oligonucleotides. Although this matrix-assisted ionization method has been developed and used almost exclusively with time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers, research is currently in progress to demonstrate this technique with trapped ion mass spectrometers, such as Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTMS). The potential capabilities of FTMS for wide mass range, high resolution measurement, and ion trapping experiments suggest that this instrumental technique should be useful for the detailed structural characterization of large ions generated by the matrix-assisted ...
Impurity effects on the photon-assisted spin-polarized transport through armchair carbon nanotubes connected with ferromagnetic leads are investigated theoretically. The impurity induces one resonant state whose position depends on the impurity strength, which can break the electron-hole symmetry. Whether the impurity suppresses or enhances the spin-coherent current depends on the nanotube length. When the microwave fields are applied on the nanotube, additional small side peaks caused by the photon-assisted tunneling are found. With increasing the impurity strength, one new current peak appears under the influence of both the microwave fields and the impurity.
A chemically assisted micro-beam etching system for 3D microanalysis was designed. Using chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE) method with FIB shave-off scanning, about several hundred micrometers clean cross-section will be acquired in a few hours. We use focused ion beam (FIB) and electron beam (EB) as micro-beams, halogen or halide mainly as reactive gases. The apparatus was manufactured based on this concept. We found that the FIB, Q-MS and SED worked as expected. The instrumentation has been completed.
The author discusses the formulation and application of the theory of quasi-catastrophes for the behaviour and properties of tachyons. This approach assists in the interpretation of experiments where tachyons may be involved. (W.D.L.).
This program deals with solid waste disposal with topics/services covering: Reusable Building Materials and Large Household Items Exchange, Beneficial Use Determination, Biosolids, Certification, Compost Facil...
In the wake of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, medical relief organizations and individual practitioners mobilized to provide assistance. Here, an emergency medicine physician who worked with a Louisiana-based...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: New surgical procedures designed to assist in the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy were sought. BACKGROUND: Decisions regarding the treatment of cancer depend on the anatomic location...Full Text Available
that needs to change is the ambiguity in the laws themselves. QUESTION: The issue of WikiLeaks raised? DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY BAER: It was not. It was raised by the students....
... for a stapling or division of tissue the creation of a small gastric pouch which then assists ... follow up. Laparoscopic gastric bypass entails the surgical creation of a small gastric pouch, typically about an ...
Over the past decade, dramatic increases in computational power and improvement in image analysis algorithms have allowed the development of powerful computer-assisted analytical approaches...Full Text Available
The Procurement and Assistance Data System (PADS) provides a mechanism for collecting, assembling, organizing, and presenting acquisition and assistance data for the Department of Energy (DOE). This handbook and associated documents establish a uniform system to report acquisition/assistance data to PADS for the collection, processing, and dissemination of official statistical data on the Department's acquisition and assistance actions. The data provides, based on information available at the time of request, a basis for any recurring and special reports to the senior procurement executive, Congress, General Accounting Office (GAO), Federal executive agencies, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the general public. PADS is also used to satisfy DOE's statutory reporting requirements to the Office of Management Budget, Congress, and other Federal agencies. Accurate and timely ...
... Ward, William E. Brigadier General, Assistant Division Commander (Support), 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Chief, Office of ...
A case of intrathoracic lipoma in a child is presented. The diagnosis was made before operation by means of computer-assisted tomography, a non-interventional procedure.
airborne separation assistance systems (ASAS) to ... operations should be limited to the outer traffic flow ...... AGARD Meeting on Machine Intelligence in Air ...
RationaleProcedures for studying the effects of medications on satiation will assist the development of obesity medications.ObjectivesFull Text Available
Many data mining tools cannot be used directly to analyze the complex sets of relations which are found in large database systems. In our experience, data miners rely on a well-defined data model, or the knowledge of a data expert, to isolate and extract candidate data sets prior to mining the data. For many databases, typically large legacy systems, a reliable data model is often unavailable and access to the data expert can be limited. In this paper we use reverse engineering techniques to infer a model of the database. Reverse engineering a database can be seen as knowledge discovery in its own right and the resulting data model may be made available to data mining tools as background knowledge. In addition, minable data sets can be produced from the inferred data model and analyzed using conventional data mining tools. Our approach reduces the data miner`s reliance on a well-defined data model and the data expert.
Court decisions available so far do not primarily consider the problems linked to the commissioning of an expert and his mandate, as well as the legal status of the commissioning of an expert as an administrative act which might be legally contestable. Thus there are at present no court decisions that would create legal certainty in matters of the act of commissioning a nuclear expert opinion. The current legal situation is such that an independent order for commissioning of an expert opinion in compliance with section 19 III AtG (Atomic Energy Act), which in general is given in response to the refusal of the facility operator to do so, can be independently contested on the basis of section 44 a, sentence 2 VwGO (Rules of Administrative Courts). The current practice of conflict-oriented, or nuclear power phase-out-oriented, implementation of the nuclear law poses a threat to our constitutional state and ...
The purposes of this report are (1) to perform a Verification and Validation (V and V) test for the VIPEX(Vital-area Identification Package EXpert) software and (2) to improve a software quality through the V and V test. The VIPEX was developed in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) for the Vital Area Identification (VAI) of nuclear power plants. The version of the VIPEX which was distributed is 3.2.0.0. The VIPEX was revised based on the first V and V test and the second V and V test was performed. We have performed the following tasks for the V and V test on Windows XP and VISTA operating systems: ? Testing basic functions including fault tree editing ? Testing all kind of functions ? Research for update from Visual BASIC 6.0 to Visual BASIC 2008
In this paper, we present an analytic framework for investigating expert mathematical learning as the process of building a network of mathematical resources by establishing relationships between different components and properties of mathematical ideas. We then use this framework to analyze the reasoning of ten mathematicians and mathematics graduate students that were asked to read and make sense of an unfamiliar, but accessible, mathematical proof in the domain of geometric topology. We find that experts are more likely to refer to definitions when questioning or explaining some aspect of the focal mathematical idea and more likely to refer to specific examples or instantiations when making sense of an unknown aspect of that idea. However, in general, they employ a variety of types of m...
This paper describes the weekly load forecasting expert system (named WLoFy) which was developed and implemented for korea electric power corporation(KEPCO). WLoFy was designed to provide user oriented features with a graphical user interface to improve the user interaction. The various forecasting models such as exponential smoothing, multiple regression, artificial neural networks, rule-based model, and relative coefficient model also have been included in WLofy to increase the forecasting accuracy. The simulation based on historical data shows that the weekly forecasting results from WLoFy is an improvement when compared to the results from the conventional methods. Especially the forecasting accuracy on special days has been improved remarkably. (author). 9 refs., 5 figs., 6 tabs.
By using the paired comparison methodology, it was possible to establish evaluative priorities, providing criterion weights which reflected the thoughts and feelings of an advisory committee consisting of experts in the task selection process. For the U.S. Army Infantry School, the weights can be used to stress higher weighted criterion results in the task selection process. By extending the size and diversity of the advisory committee, the use of paired comparison methodology can provide an effective, reliable procedure for (1) constructing evaluative criterion weights for the task selection process and in other areas which have multiple criteria used for evaluative purposes and (2) incorporating into an evaluative design the valuable contributions of various experts and interest groups. (Author/BW)
The ROI Proposal Preparation Guide is a tool to assist Hanford waste generators in preparing ROI proposal forms for submittal to Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE/RL) for funding. The guide describes the requirements for submitting an ROI proposal and provides examples of completed ROI forms. The intent is to assist waste generators in identifying projects that meet the criteria, provide information necessary to complete the ROI forms, and submit a proposal that is eligible to receive funding.
Effective barrier pillar design is essential for safe and productive underground coal mining. This U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents an overview of available barrier pillar design methodologies that incorporate sound engineering principles while remaining practical for everyday usage. Nomographs and examples are presented to assist in the determination of proper barrier pillar sizing. Additionally, performance evaluation techniques and criteria are included to assist in determining the effectiveness of selected barrier pillar configurations.
ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionOne significant research challenge posed by the growing number of older people in the population concerns the mobility-related problems which increase with age, inhibit independence, and can be a prime cause of admission to expensive institutional settings. The scope for engineering advances, particularly in the field of rehabilitation and assistive technology, is immense. The challenge is to produce aids, devices and products that are attractive to older people themselves, since without such [continued...
Several computer assisted processing and display methods are evaluated using a series of 100 normal brain scintigrams, 50 of which have had single 'mathematical tumours' superimposed. Using a standard rating system, or in some cases quantitative estimation, LROC curves are generated for each method and compared. (author).
The aim of this contract is to investigate, develop, and characterize laser-assisted processing techniques utilized to produce the fine-line, thin-metal grid structures that are required to fabricate high-efficiency solar cells. During the first quarter of this contract, a comprehensive literature search was carried out in the various state-of-the-art laser-assisted techniques for metal deposition, including laser chemical vapor deposition and laser photolysis of organometallics, as well as laser-enhanced electroplating. A compact system for the experiments involving laser-assisted photolysis of gas-phase compounds was designed and constructed. The work performed in the second quarter is detailed in this report. Metal deposition experiments have been carried out utilizing laser-assisted pyrolysis of a variety of metal-bearing polymer films and metallo-organic inks spun onto silicon substrates. Laser ...
Attention was focused on the fission process in light nuclear systems. A model calculation based on the transition-state model of nuclear fission was applied to [sup 47]V fission as populated through multiple entrance channels and to fusion-fission cross sections for production of [sup 28]Al through three different entrance channels. Angular distributions are shown for different mass channels of the [sup 29]Si+[sup 27]Al reaction at E[sub lab] = 125 MeV. Pronounced structure is seen in the symmetric and near-symmetric fission channels from the [sup 24]Mg+[sup 24]Mg reaction; cross sections for binary fragment emission are shown for E[sub lab] = 90 MeV. A large Bragg-curve detector was used in this experiment. Ways to optimize detector response were studied; in addition, the Bragg detector was instrumented with an internal position-sensitive multiwire proportional counter.
Attention was focused on the fission process in light nuclear systems. A model calculation based on the transition-state model of nuclear fission was applied to {sup 47}V fission as populated through multiple entrance channels and to fusion-fission cross sections for production of {sup 28}Al through three different entrance channels. Angular distributions are shown for different mass channels of the {sup 29}Si+{sup 27}Al reaction at E{sub lab} = 125 MeV. Pronounced structure is seen in the symmetric and near-symmetric fission channels from the {sup 24}Mg+{sup 24}Mg reaction; cross sections for binary fragment emission are shown for E{sub lab} = 90 MeV. A large Bragg-curve detector was used in this experiment. Ways to optimize detector response were studied; in addition, the Bragg detector was instrumented with an internal position-sensitive multiwire proportional counter.
The 12 GeV upgrade at Jefferson Lab has identified two new large spectrometers as Physics detectors for the project. The first is a 7.5 Gev/c 35 m-sr. spectrometer that requires a pair of identical Combined Function Superconducting Magnets (CFSM) that can simultaneously produce 1.5 T dipole fields and 4.5 T/m quadrupole fields inside a warm bore of 120cm. The second is an 11 GeV/c 2 m-sr. spectrometer that requires a CFSM that simultaneously produces a dipole field of 4.0 T and a quadruple field of 3.0 T/m in a 60 cm warm bore. Magnetic designs using TOSCA 3D have been performed to realize the magnetic requirements, provide 3d fields for optics analysis and produce field and force information for the engineering feasibility of the magnets. A two-sector cos( theta )/cos(2 theta ) design with a low nominal current density, warm bore and warm iron design has been selected and analyzed. These low current densities are consistent with the limits for a cryostable ...
A common evaluation is given for creep crack growth and fatigue crack growth experiments which have been performed at the companies ABB, Siemens-KWU and KFA. The materials under investigation were X10NiCrAlTi32 20 (Alloy 800) and NiCr22Col2Mo (Alloy 617). Several production lots and semi-finished materials as well as welded materials have been tested. Testing techniques differed at the different labs. In order to eliminate the influence of individual testing techniques, material from some production lots was investigated at different labs. The given data cover fatigue crack growth (the materials were tested between room temperature and 1050[sup o]C; the influence of temperature, R-ratio, and frequency was investigated) and creep crack growth (Alloy 800 was tested between 550sup(o)C and 900sup(o)C, Inconel 617 between 800sup(o)C and 1000sup(o)C; the evaluation was done on the basis of the fracture mechanics parameters Ksub(1) and Csup(*)). ...
A common evaluation is given for creep crack growth and fatigue crack growth experiments which have been performed at the companies ABB, Siemens-KWU and KFA. The materials under investigation were X10NiCrAlTi32 20 (Alloy 800) and NiCr22Col2Mo (Alloy 617). Several production lots and semi-finished materials as well as welded materials have been tested. Testing techniques differed at the different labs. In order to eliminate the influence of individual testing techniques, material from some production lots was investigated at different labs. The given data cover fatigue crack growth (the materials were tested between room temperature and 1050"oC; the influence of temperature, R-ratio, and frequency was investigated) and creep crack growth (Alloy 800 was tested between 550sup(o)C and 900sup(o)C, Inconel 617 between 800sup(o)C and 1000sup(o)C; the evaluation was done on the basis of the fracture mechanics parameters Ksub(1) and Csup(*)). (Author).
Two types of switched electrode electronics beam position monitors are in use at Jefferson Lab. Together they provide accurate beam position to the control system for beam intensities between 50 nA and 2 mA. One version, called the linac style, has a switching frequency of 125 kHz. The other, called the transport type, has a switching frequency of 7 kHz. The basic system provides information to the control system at a 1 Hz update rate. The systems are regularly used to measure the AC component of beam position and energy as well as suppress this motion as part of a fast feedback system. Position data produced by the system are also acquired on an event by event basis as part of the nuclear physics program in two of the experimental halls. This paper will focus on the AC characteristics of the system. These characteristics are affected by analog filter frequencies and a time delay between the measurement of the positive electrode signal and the negative electrode ...
The Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is located at the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in Shenzhen, China. The experiment deploys eight 'identical' antineutrino detectors to measure antineutrino fluxes from six 2.9 GWth reactor cores in three underground experimental halls at different distances. The target zone of the Daya Bay detector is filled with 20 t 0.1% Gd doped LAB liquid scintillator. The baseline uncorrelated detector uncertainty is ?0.38% using current experimental techniques. Daya Bay can reach a sensitivity of sin22?13<0.01 with baseline uncertainties after 3 years of data taking.
Mixed Uranium Plutonium Carbide ((U, Pu) C), in the form of pellets encapsulated in stainless steel tubes is the fuel for Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam. For the fabrication of fuel for enlarging the core of this reactor, high burn up plutonium is used. The external exposure in these labs was significantly higher than that with low burn up Pu fuel. Dose evaluation to the organs was carried out using experimental TLDs during various operations of FBTR fuel fabrication to study the dose distribution pattern. (author)
The RSS collaboration has measured the spin structure functions of the proton and the deuteron at Jefferson Lab using the Hall C HMS spectrometer, a polarized electron beam and a polarized solid target. The asymmetries A and A were measured in the region of the nucleon resonances (0.82 GeV < W < 1.98 GeV) at an average four momentum transfer of Q2 = 1.3 GeV2. The extracted spin structure functions and their kinematic dependence will make a significant contribution in the study of higher-twist effects and polarized duality tests. A description of the experiment and the latest findings of the analysis will be presented.
The neutron elastic magnetic form factor was extracted from quasielastic electron scattering on deuterium over the range Q{sup 2}=1.0-4.8 GeV{sup 2} with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. High precision was achieved with a ratio technique and a simultaneous in situ calibration of the neutron detection efficiency. Neutrons were detected with electromagnetic calorimeters and time-of-flight scintillators at two beam energies. The dipole parametrization gives a good description of the data.
The neutron elastic magnetic form factor was extracted from quasielastic electron scattering on deuterium over the range Q2=1.0-4.8 GeV2 with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. High precision was achieved with a ratio technique and a simultaneous in situ calibration of the neutron detection efficiency. Neutrons were detected with electromagnetic calorimeters and time-of-flight scintillators at two beam energies. The dipole parametrization gives a good description of the data.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a multiprogram, multipurpose laboratory that conducts research in the physical, chemical, and life sciences; in fusion, fission, and fossil energy; and in energy conservation and other energy-related technologies. This review outlines some current endeavors of the lab. A state of the laboratory presentation is given by director, Alvin Trivelpiece. Research of single crystals for welding is described. The Science Alliance, a partnership between ORNL and the University of Tennessee, is chronicled. And several incites into distinguished personnel at the laboratory are given. (GHH)
To expand the information base on molecular accessibility in solvent swelled coal, Argonne Premium Coal Samples (APCS) were swelled in polar, basic solvents before and after moisture loss and upon air oxidation. So far studies have been reported on the changes in pore size distribution as a function of temperature when polar basic swelling solvents are used. Additional studies employing EPR spin probe techniques performed on the breaking up of the hydrogen bonding between bedding planes were later confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging at Argonne National Lab and the University of Illinois.
This dissertation deals with membrane gas absorption in the application of CO{sub 2} removal by aqueous alkanolamines, using microporous PTFE hollow fiber membranes. A new lab-scale apparatus was constructed and an extensive experimental study executed to determine the performance of the membrane gas absorber, with aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) as absorbents. The important operation parameters CO{sub 2} partial pressure, gas velocity, liquid velocity, temperature and liquid CO{sub 2} loading were systematically varied within the range typically experienced in a process for exhaust gas CO{sub 2}-removal
We have developed EOS7M, a ferrofluid flow and transport module for TOUGH2. EOS7M calculates the magnetic forces on ferrofluid caused by an external magnetic field and allows simulation of flow and advective transport of ferrofluid-water mixtures through porous media. Such flow problems are strongly coupled and well suited to the TOUGH2 framework. Preliminary applications of EOS7M to some simple pressure and flow problems for which experiments were carried out in the lab show good qualitative agreement with the laboratory results.
In one of the first uses of high Tc superconductors in an end-use product, Lake Shore Cryotronics and a Swiss lab have developed a liquid nitrogen level sensor using a high Tc thin film. The probe is manufactured using a seamless stainless steel tube with an yttrium-based zirconium oxide flame-sprayed on the tube. A plasma-sprayed superconductor compound is deposited on top of that. The probe is coated with a sealant that protects the superconducting film from the atmosphere. This manufacturing method has yielded an extremely durable product. Unaffected by ice formation and related mechanical problems, the superconducting level sensor can be kept in the dewar for long periods of time.
The volume contains reports on plant technology, on systems organisation with the aim to minimize the risk (human error), on the problem of seismic risk, on core-disruptive accidents and on accident consequence models with different release categories and a comparison of the potential damage incurred. Mr. Webb; one of the authors, attempts to disprove the objections to his two earliest SNR statements by experts of Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre.
The volume contains reports on plant technology, on systems organisation with the aim to minimize the risk (human error), on the problem of seismic risk, on core-disruptive accidents and on accident consequence models with different release categories and a comparison of the potential damage incurred. Mr. Webb; one of the authors, attempts to disprove the objections to his two earliest SNR statements by experts of Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre. (AK).
Much of the material presented in this book derived originally from the series ''Physical Processes in Gaseous Nebulae'' initiated at the Harvard College Observatory in the 1930's. The subject of gaseous nebulae, which offers opportunities for studies of stellar evolution, should be of interest to atomic physicists, spectroscopists, plasma experts, and to observers and theoreticians alike for the study of attenuated ionized gases.
This handbook is a unique compendium of knowledge on all aspects of the physics of liquid crystals. In over 500 pages it provides detailed information on the physical properties of liquid crystals as well as the recent theories and results on phase transitions, defects and textures of different types of liquid crystals. An in-depth understanding of the physical fundamentals is a prerequisite for everyone working in the field of liquid crystal research. With this book the experts as well as graduate students entering the field get all the information they need.
Discusses alternative futures for distributing future personal computers, via data communications networks. The author scans and extrapolates some of the advances for impacting the emerging future of information utilities now sprouting up thoroughout the world. In particular he looks at the future of personal computers in the field of artificial intelligence,, for expert knowledge-based systems.
A new study identifies and ranks the 10 security gaps responsible for most outsider attacks on college computer networks. The list is intended to help campus system administrators establish priorities as they work to increase security. One network security expert urges that institutions utilize multiple security layers. (DB)
The Coordinated Research Project is a topical collection of research agreements and contracts. The research contracts are awarded with financial support of about 10-20% of the total contract cost. Among the activities of the project is the organization of consultant group meetings and workshops involving several international experts and representatives of users and developers of border radiation monitoring equipment. The project also supports in coordinating the development of equipment and techniques for up-to-date border monitoring and in establishing of a process for providing nuclear forensics support to member states
This one-day TOPTEC session began with an overview of hybrid electric vehicle technology. Updates were given on alternative types of energy storage, APU control for low emissions, simulation programs, and industry and government activities. The keynote speech was about battery technology, a key element to the success of hybrids. The TOPEC concluded with a panel discussion on the mission of hybrid electric vehicles, with a perspective from industry and government experts from United States and Canada on their view of the role of this technology.
Electricity is a universal energy and one of the driving powers of civilisation. World-wide, future developments like growing economies and structural changes in industry, a higher standard of living and a bigger world population - are impossible without appropriate supply of power and electricity. An expert of Siemens Power Generation presents his views. (orig.)
DescriptionDespite the growing recognition of the important part fruit and vegetables can play in helping prevent a number of diseases, health and nutrition experts are concerned about the low consumption of fruits and vegetables in the UK. The principal aim of this project is to improve consumer dietary consumption of fruit and vegetables by developing novel snack foods based on the fruit and vegetable materials using extrusion processing.
Meet the NCI Expert: Edward Helton (Center for Biome dical Informatics and Information Technology) Orange County Convention Center: NCI Exhibit Booth #500 20110404T140000Z PRODID -//Microsoft Corporation//Outlook 12.0 MIMEDIR//EN 2.0 METHOD PUBLISH X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN TRUE PUBLIC CREATED 20110308T204510Z American
Geothermal heat pump systems necessitate a comprehensive approach to geology and building facilities in order to be energetically useful and efficient. Cooperation with geothermal experts should be sought at an early projecting stage in order to obtain reliable data. Geothermal data and the technical facilities of the building must be matched for the project to be both effective and efficient. (orig.)
After the devastating natural disasters that have hit China recently, another crisis is looming, Drought, pollution and heavy usage in the fast-developing megacities have resulted in a shortage of water. A huge construction effort is underway to divert water from the south to the north. But experts warn that it will not solve China's structural water problems.
... To participate in the live conference call, please dial the following number five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time:... International callers should dial +1 (706) 643-0585. When prompted by the operator, mention conference pass code 89461112. ... To access the replay, please dial +1 (855) 859-2056, international callers dial +1 (404) 537-3406, ...
Old banknotes may be tomorrow's biomass. Experts on biowaste are investigating two new processes for disposal of the 1000 tonnes of old bills sorted out every year which may be an alternative to combustion. The author presents details.
... Hale, Markku Kulmala, 373.43 EUR; 225.00 USD; 276.00 GBP... Light Scattering Media Optics Alexander A. Kokhanovsky 159.00 USD; 123.00 EUR; 103.50 GBP... More Journals » MAGAZINES & JOURNALS Water Policy - Official Journal of the World... Water Policy publishes reviews, research papers... ...
... Hale, Markku Kulmala, 373.43 EUR; 225.00 USD; 276.00 GBP... More Journals » MAGAZINES & JOURNALS Journal of Water Supply: Research &Technology -... Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technolog... Environmental Quarterly - 2009 Fall Trinity`s Environmental Quarterly (EQ) magazine co... ...
... Hale, Markku Kulmala, 373.43 EUR; 225.00 USD; 276.00 GBP... Aerosol Chemical Processes in the Environment Spurny, Kvetoslav R., $164,95, 䀈... More Journals » MAGAZINES & JOURNALS Water Science & Technology: Water Supply Water Science and Technology: Water Supply is p... ...
... Boreal Forest and Climate Change Pertti Hari, Liisa Kulmala, 160.45 EUR; 209.00 USD; 135.00 GBP... Global Atmospheric Change and its Impact on... Ian Barnes 145.00 USD; 128.35 EUR; 95.00 GBP... More Journals » MAGAZINES & JOURNALS Journal of Water Supply: Research &Technology -... Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technolog... ...
... Boreal Forest and Climate Change Pertti Hari, Liisa Kulmala, 160.45 EUR; 209.00 USD; 135.00 GBP... More Journals » MAGAZINES & JOURNALS Journal of Water and Health The journal represents a joint commitment to pr... Environmental Quarterly - 2009 Fall Trinity`s Environmental Quarterly (EQ) magazine co... ...
The effects of intradot electron-electron interaction on the photon-assisted Andreev tunneling of a superconductor/carbon-nanotube/superconductor system are studied by using nonequilibrium Green's function technique. The inverse supercurrent reflecting the #pi#-junction transition emerges in the spin-split energy-levels regime polarized by the Coulomb interaction. For the positive tunneling case, the supercurrent reaches its maximum when the spin-degenerate energy-levels are nearest to the Fermi surface. Conversely, for the negative tunneling case, the supercurrent reaches its maximum when two split energy-levels are symmetric with respect of the Fermi surface. The sign and the amplitude of the Andreev tunneling depend distinctly on the energy-level spacing tuned by photon-assisted tunneling. In order to fully understand the transport characteristics, the current-carrying density of states are investigated, which clearly shows the enhancement, ...
This paper reports on a series of experiments performed to examine the ability of ion beam assisted thermal deposition to produce good adhesion of Au metallization on GaAs left-angle 100 right-angle substrates. A study of the influence of Ar ion-assisted thermal deposition of the Au films as well as in situ pre-sputtering of the GaAs surface with low-energy Ar ions prior to thermal deposition, shows that strong adhesion can be achieved without resorting to chemical cleaning. The substrate temperature and the relative flux of Ar ions to incident Au atoms were varied in order to correlate these parameters with film adhesion. The interfaces of films processed under these various conditions were examined by XTEM, RBS and XPS. Orientation texture was studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD).
...and welcome to ...lab also known as berkeley lab my name is jeff miller and ...and a public affairs i'd like to ? ...but space is science center and ...berkeley albany high school science department and berkeley high school science department and oakland high school science ...be a q. and ...here please use and because we wanna make sure that your questions are here ...heard of also for the latest developments on science and technology ...guy we're going to be any more and more new features i hope ...and change ...thank you ? much and thank you for coming on the welcome to my world of and mayotte science journalist and what i've done for the last almost thirty years ...people about things about which there passionate and national religion tonight and ...people to explain the science and and i asking the question so what ...and ...worldwide and what it does best ? uh ...bench science and turn it into reality what do you scientists and ...uh ...
This paper describes how a computerized MIS is used to assist HMO management to conduct utilization and quality of care review activities in a prepaid medical care network. The HMO is a ‘network’...Full Text Available
Extending genome wide association analysis by the inclusion of gene expression data may assist in the dissection of complex traits. We examined piebald, a pigmentation phenotype in both human and Merino...Full Text Available
According to the author Austria has a specific interest in the fields of information exchange, mutual assistance, and liability. The problem of proximity to the border has become insignificant after Chernobyl. Austria aspires to get rights of participation following the model of the Netherlands. (CW).
Significant emphasis has recently been placed on the characterization of the human cancer genome. This effort has been assisted by the development of new DNA sequencing technologies that allow...Full Text Available
SummaryAgeing is a complex, challenging phenomenon that will require multiple, interdisciplinary approaches to unravel its puzzles. To assist basic research on ageing, we developed...Full Text Available
BackgroundFood supply from the ocean is constrained by the shortage of domesticated and selected fish. Development of genomic models of economically important fishes should assist...Full Text Available
This Mini-Computer-Assisted Nursing Management System allows nursing to control staffing costs and more effectively relate staffing to patient care requirements. Nursing resources are prospectively...Full Text Available
Total thyroidectomy involving the adjacent structures of the trachea can cause tracheal damage such as early tracheal necrosis. The authors describe the first case of anterior tracheal necrosis following...Full Text Available
According to world statistics, dogs and cats are the species that owners most frequently seek assistance with potential poisonings, accounting 95–98% of all reported animal cases. Exposures...Full Text Available
This paper assesses the hypothesis that depressive syndrome is associated with socioeconomic status, using longitudinal data from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Followup. Socioeconomic...Full Text Available
This guide has been written to introduce growers of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) to the principles and need for cold storage of planting material. The main types of cold store are described. It also provides assistance in the selection of suitable stores and how these are located nationally. (author)
BackgroundEfficient and safe transection of biological tissue in liver surgery is strongly dependent on the ability to address both parenchymal division and hemostasis simultaneously....Full Text Available
We report the first quantitative assessment of electrosprayed droplet/ion focusing enabled by the use of a voltage-assisted air amplifier between an electrospray ionization emitter and a hybrid...Full Text Available
A 6-year-old female, intact boxer presented with acute respiratory distress due to a mass in the left cranial thorax. The tumor, which originated in the left ...Full Text Available
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development ...
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development ...
This chapter provides an overview of the problem of response to a nuclear weapon accident, the fundamentals of response to an accident, and a summary of the NARP Manual. The manual provides a summary of procedural guidance, technical information, and DoD responsibilities, to assist DoD forces in preparing a response to a nuclear weapon accident.
Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, a tick-borne spirochetosis with a worldwide prevalence. To assist the categorization and typing of fresh isolates from global foci, we have...Full Text Available
Specific criteria have been developed based on computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) to assist clinicians in identifying patients with psychogenic balance problems (Cyr and Cevette, Full Text Available
Our goal was to determine whether chlorpyrifos oxon, dichlorvos, diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), and sarin covalently bind to human albumin. Human albumin or plasma was treated with organophosphorus...Full Text Available
This manual provides information to assist in selection and designing control measures for reducing pollutant discharges from combined sewer overflows (CSOs). he manual will be useful for municipal public works staff, design engineers, and regulatory agency staff tasked with the ...
Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are being investigated, developed, and characterized. A literature search was carried out on the various state-of-the-art laser-assisted techniques for metal deposition, including laser chemical vapor deposition and laser photolysis of organometallics, as well as laser-enhanced electroplating. The results of the literature survey are briefly summarized. Experiments were carried out on laser-enhanced electroplating. Deposition of metals by laser-assisted pyrolysis of a variety of metallo-organic inks and metal-bearing polymer solutions spun as films onto silicon wafers was carried out. A detailed study of the various models of localized surface temperature rise in silicon due to laser heating has been carried out. Progress is reported in fabricating laser-metallized solar cells with improved efficiencies. Cells fabricated are ...
To assemble into functional structures, biopolymers search for global minima through their folding potential energy surfaces to find the native conformation. However, this process can be hindered by...Full Text Available
The purpose of the Joint Task Force Headquarters Master Training Guide (JTF HQ MTG) is to provide a descriptive, performance-oriented training guide to assist leaders in training their units. It also serves as a guide for the JTF Headquarters in actual op...
All molybdenum enzymes except nitrogenase contain a common molybdenum cofactor, whose organic moiety is a novel pterin called molybdopterin (MPT). To assist in elucidating the biosynthetic pathway of...Full Text Available
By use of a new computer-assisted u.v.-spectrophotometric assay method, the kinetic parameters of the reaction catalysed by Bacillus licheniformis 749/C beta-lactamase were re-examined and the mode...Full Text Available
Both (001)- and (111)-oriented CeO[sub 2] thin films have been grown on amorphous fused silica (SiO[sub 2]) substrates by ion-beam assisted pulsed laser ablation of a polycrystalline CeO[sub 2] target. Using 200 eV Ar[sup +] ions incident at 55[degree] to the substrate normal, the preferred orientation for CeO[sub 2] film growth is (001) at room temperature, but changes to (111) for temperatures [ge]300 [degree]C. Furthermore, the ion-beam assisted CeO[sub 2] films exhibit strong in-plane crystallographic alignment. In contrast, CeO[sub 2] films grown without ion-beam assistance exhibit a mixture of polycrystalline orientations with the relative amounts depending on growth temperature. Under optimum conditions, off-normal-incidence Ar[sup +] ions produce a (111)-oriented crystalline CeO[sub 2] film that is aligned with respect to a single in-plane axis, on an amorphous substrate.
This book provides differential diagnostic possibilities of specific scan abnormalities in one volume for easy reference. This book is organized by organ systems and covers the central nervous system, the endocrine, skeletal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and cardiovascular systems. The gamuts are designed to teach differential diagnosis and to assist in the actual interpretation of patient slides.
Journal editorials are an important medium for communicating information about medical innovations. Evaluative statements contained in editorials pertain to the innovation's technical merits, as well...Full Text Available
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) has been explored widely for DNA sequencing. The major requirement for this method is that the DNA sequencing fragments...Full Text Available
BackgroundSelf-administered computer-assisted blood donor screening strategies may elicit more accurate responses and improve the screening process.MethodsRandomized...Full Text Available
Computer-assisted analysis revealed a striking sequence similarity between the putative 24-kDa protein (p24) encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 5 of beet yellows closterovirus and the coat protein...Full Text Available
The objectives for the financial sector with regard to climate change investments are to regard to sustainability policies, not just for itself, but also for borrowers and investment portfolios, and to assist in developing frameworks and products that will enable shareholders and clients to invest in commercial solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Social support is a critical, yet underutilized resource when undergoing cancer care. Underutilization occurs in two conditions: (a) when patients fail to seek out information, material assistance,...Full Text Available
On February 27, 1990, standards for Benzene were promulgated for benzene transfer and benzene waste operations. The benzene enabling document summarizes these standards. The basic purpose of the document is to assist the EPA regional enforcement personnel...
Objective: Health information retrieval (HIR) on the Internet has become an important practice for millions of people, many of whom have problems forming effective queries. We have developed...Full Text Available
A case of severe intractable angina pectoris with normal angiography is presented. Following video assisted thoracic sympathectomy the patient died of heart failure. Microvascular cardiac amyloidosis...Full Text Available
This article describes the design and implementation of an online diabetes self-management intervention for a sample of inner-city African Americans with diabetes. Study participants were randomly assigned...Full Text Available
we report an ultrafast synchrotron x-ray phase contrast imaging study of the primary breakup mechanism of a coaxial air-assisted water jet. We demonstrate that there exist great similarities in the phenomenology of primary breakup with that of the secondary breakup. Especially, a membrane-mediated breakup mechanism dominates the breakup process for a wide range of air speeds. This finding reveals the intrinsic connections of these two breakup regimes and has deep implications on the unified theoretical approach in treating the breakup mechanism of high speed liquid jet.
Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are investigated, developed, and characterized. The tasks comprising these investigations are outlined. A new batch of solar cells was processed using the laser decomposition of spun-on silver neodecanoate to metallize cells. Decomposition of silver neodecanoate was carried out at different laser powers on different cells on a given wafer to determine whether this would have any effect on cell performance. Solar cells which were written with laser powers of 5 to 8 watts, gave excellent results with cell efficiencies in the range of 14 to 16%.
In this contract, Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The tasks comprising these investigations are outlined. Four new batches of solar cells were processed, in addition to several test runs on wafers, using the laser decomposition of spun-on silver neodecanoate to metallize cells. Decomposition of silver neodecanoate was carried out at different laser powers on different cells on a given wafer to determine whether this would have any effect on cell performance. A one watt laser power gave an electroplated linewidth of 50 microns , while at 8 watts the line width was 90 microns.
The decontamination factor is studied as a function of laser fluence for three kinds of clad surfaces viz., plain zircaloy, autoclaved zircaloy and SS with cesium as the test contamination. It has been found that the decontamination factor exhibits a maximal behaviour with the laser fluence and its maximum value occurs at different laser fluences in the three cases. The maximal behaviour is attributed to reduced coupling of energy from the laser beam to the substrate due to the initiation of surface-assisted optical breakdown. The results obtained in the experiment carried out in helium environment qualitatively support this explanation (author)
A computer-assisted rotation and stationary conformation radiotherapy system with overrunning multileaf collimators has been developed. This system can produce any shape of target volume, including a number of target areas outside the axis of the rotation, regardless of the location of the axis at 360"0 rotation irradiation. In addition, by changing the dose rate and deleting a partial region within a field, multiple stationary irradiation can produce more homogeneous target volumes - thus avoiding excessive irradiation to critical organs - than the rotation technique. (orig.).
An integrated approach to the modelling of hydrogen assisted failure in 316L steel is presented. The approach includes experimental, fractographic, numerical and theoretical analysis of the phenomenon. The physical adequacy of the mechanical models of hydrogen embrittlement (notch extension model and notch cracking model) is discussed by comparing the virtual damage depth (theoretical) predicted by the models with the embrittled zone (microphysical) measured in the fractographic analysis by scanning electron microscopy. In addition, a numerical modelling of hydrogen diffusion is performed, concluding that bulk diffusion is not important in hydrogen embrittlement of 316L steel, so that hydrogen transport accelerated by the microdamage itself should be taken into account. (orig.)
Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns have been investigated, developed, and characterized. During the early stages, preliminary investigations were carried out on a variety of promising laser-assisted metallization schemes, and the best of these was selected for further development. A comprehensive literature search initially yielded information on state-of-the-art laser-assisted techniques for metal deposition such as laser chemical vapor deposition and laser photolysis of organometallics, as well as laser-enhanced electroplating. Initial experiments on laser-enhanced electroplating yielded very promising results with linewidths as narrow as 25 ..mu..m and local plating speeds as high as 12 ..mu..m/s being achieved. Metal deposition experiments were carried out utilizing laser-assisted pyrolysis of a variety of metal-bearing polymer films and ...
One of the aims of SILMU, the Finnish Research Programme for Climate Change, was to produce information for decision-makers concerning climate change and its mitigation. One integrative project for this purpose was PAATE, an inquiry into the present state and future possibilities of interaction between researchers and decision-makers. The aims of the PAATE project can be summarised as follows: (1) to conduct a survey of the state of climate change research and climate policy in Finland, (2) to develop the interaction between climate research, policy makers and different societal organisations, (3) to acquire methodological experiences on the realisation of projects of this type, (4) to provide material for the final report of the SILMU project and for further action, and (5) to promote the rational development of climate policy. Methodologically, the PAATE project used the Delphi technique employed chiefly in futurological research. A method based on expert ...
On behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) a study has been established by the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Technical Options Committee in which famous experts of refrigeration technology compiled facts which allow for a reliable prospect of real possibilities of changing from fluorine hydrogen to ozone innoxious substitutes and substitute technologies. With regard to the organization, a division into 6 committees for the establishment of the study has been made: 1. Refrigeration Options Committee, 2. Foams Options Committee, 3. Solvents, Coatings and Adhesives Options Committee, 4. Aerosols, Sterilants and Miscellaneous Uses Options Committee, 5. Halons Technical Options Committee and 6. Economic Options Committee. (BWI).
This document is intended to provide an overview of the workshop entitled 'The Coming Nuclear Renaissance for the Next Generation Safeguards Experts-Maximizing Benefits While Minimizing Proliferation Risks', conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in partnership with the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) and the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). This document presents workshop objectives; lists the numerous participant universities and individuals, the nuclear nonproliferation lecture topics covered, and the facilities tours taken as part of the workshop; and discusses the university partnership sessions and proposed areas for collaboration between the universities and ORNL for 2009. Appendix A contains the agenda for the workshop; Appendix B lists the workshop attendees and presenters with contact information; Appendix C contains graphics of the evaluation form results and survey areas; and Appendix D summarizes the ...
Korea has participated in GIF from early stage, and played an important role in GIF as an original signatory of the GIF Charter. Korea has dispatched two representatives of GIF Policy Group and Expert Group respectively. Korea submitted 10 concepts of Gen IV for Gen IV technology roadmap. Korea's KALIMER and SMART concepts have stood higher in technological evaluation. 7 Korean experts were dispatched for Gen IV technology roadmap (4 from institution, 3 from industry and 1 form academia). Furthermore, USA's NTD (Near term Deployment) will be expanded to I-NTD (International NTD). This study suggested that Korea should propose APR-1400 as I-NTD concept for I-NTD discussion in GIF. Finally, Korea and USA jointly decided to fund 2 million dollars respectively for 2001 I-ERI program and selected 6 projects for the program, which are composed of 4 for LWR area and 2 for I and C area. 27 refs., 6 figs., 11 tabs. (Author)
As radiation detection in the interest of national security becomes increasingly commonplace, inevitable questions arise concerning the interpretation of data from handheld radioisotope identifiers (RIIDs). Field elements typically require fast answers to provide an effective defense and to minimize the impact on legitimate movement of people and goods. To support this need, on-call experts at Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories cooperate in resolving radiation alarms rapidly and accurately. We present an overview, describe the work in progress to improve capabilities, and report on some of the lessons learned.
Alternative sources of fuel, especially for transport, continue to be of interest, as the availability of petroleum is likely to decline in the foreseeable future. Coal is a perfect alternative since it is abundant and can readily be refined to products similar to petroleum fuels. This work details the continuing research program undertaken by the European Commission, bringing together results of studies by international experts in the field. The editors have synthesized vast amounts of recent literature to produce a state-of-the-art review covering synthetic processes, single and two-stage hydrogenation processes, processing of coal with heavy oil and catalysis.
Prior to routine use, all newly installed x-ray machines must have a radiation-protection survey by a qualified expert. The survey is an evaluation of existing or potential radiation hazards associated with the use of diagnostic x-ray equipment under specific conditions. Such evaluation includes the measurement of exposure levels in the environment as well as environmental levels arising from operation of the equipment. The survey also includes an evaluation of the safety characteristics of the x-ray unit.
This conference was attended by experts on current issues in engineering of an urban ecosystem, composting, biofuels and green energy. The meeting provided a forum to discuss advances in the application of engineering principles and practices dealing with biological systems for the production of food, bioproducts and energy. The discussions focused on engineering practices in agriculture, forestry, bioresources, biochemistry and biosystems. The 7 technical sessions of the conference were entitled: aquaculture; safety and training; bioprocessing; energy production and biofuels; environment and ecology; soil and water; and development of technologies. The conference feature 58 presentations, of which 9 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.
The exchange of information and experience among Member Sates is an essential component of the IAEA action plan for addressing the Year 2000 problem. The objective is to enable Member States to identify any gaps in their own conversion programmes, benefit form the experience of others in developing remedial actions and establish the basis for future action to solve remaining problems. Experts in Year 2000 issues particularly those related to digital equipment prepared this report dealing with nuclear fuel cycle facilities
Once again residual austenite as one component of the microstructure of steels is the basis for discussion among experts. Very often the phenomen of the stabilisation of residual austenite is the focus of interest. In this paper the influence of ageing on residual austenite transformations is discussed, with ageing taking place in a temperature range between ambient and M/sub s/-temperature after quenching from different austenitizing temperatures by means of subzero refrigeration. Results which are typical for 100Cr6 steel are presented and discussed.
The use of workstations, controllers or embedded systems and their applications have become much more relevant than previously. PC-based systems, a cooker programmer, applications of, for example, Prolog machines, Unix and Ada papers, Robotics and Automation are typical examples of this. The three keynote addresses of this symposium have as their subjects the most spectacular microcomputer fields and are presented by leading experts. The papers presented cover most of the traditional interests of Euromicro. Special emphasis is given to contributions on the use of workstations and personal computers, on RISC and GaAs and on transputers.
Purpose - The aim of the present study is to present in a systematic way the subject of industrial hazardous waste from the point-of-view of definitions in engineering, science and legislation. This analysis is necessary, as many different approaches and overlapping definitions are used for the classification of waste, leading to different results, a situation that often complicates the collection and interpretation of data on waste. Design/methodology/approach - The study is conducted by bringing together the extended experience of the authors and other experts in the field of environmental legislation and a wide variety of scientific and legislative sources as well as articles and research reports. The focus is the European Union, while several approaches from the international area are ...
Why pay for energy when there`s a free stockpile of it right under your feet? With the help of a geothermal heat pump system, one can extract that energy from the ground and put it to good use, lowering heating and cooling costs. From private homes to public schools and fast-food restaurants, an increasing number of establishments are turning to geothermal heat pump systems for space conditioning. Experts say 1998 is already proving to be the best year yet for the technology, and they foresee an even more promising future. Some examples of geothermal energy use are given.
The report summarizes ten years of experience in the analysis and evaluation of ultrasonic testing data measured in turbine and generator rotors. Apart from the information on type, position, size and distribution of flaws, the expert knowledge achieved in an interpretation of ultrasonic signals yields further insight, as e.g.: - Confirmation of assumptions taken as a basis for fracture-mechanical analysis of these flaws with regard to crack initiation and crack growth under low-cycle fatigue conditions (O=0.7-1 Rp 0.2, N<25.000 growth in length); - enhanced information on a correlation of ultrasonic testing data with the real flaw size. (orig.).
A statistical evaluation of rotor blade damage in axial steam turbines affords an insight into the extent of the repair costs incurred and reveals the types of defects and shortcomings which cause such damage. The great amount of rotor blade damage discovered during control inspections will surprise even many turbine experts. The statistical evaluation is followed by a review of the more frequent causes of damage and their characteristic features, illustrated on the basis of practical examples. This contribution is intended as an aid to both the manufacturers and operators of steam turbines in preventing the oft almost classic types of faults which constantly recur. (orig.).
The paper discusses the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere (published in 1999). It was considered necessary to treat air transport on its own since aircraft are unique in delivering emissions into the upper atmosphere rather than at ground level. The study was commissioned at the request of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the Montreal Protocol. More than 300 experts contributed and the report has quantified the effect of aviation on the atmosphere on a world wide basis and highlighted areas where improved data are required. (UK)
An oxidative precipitation reaction of rare-earth chlorides in a LiCl-KCl molten salt was successfully carried out by a lab-scale apparatus. The conversion efficiency of the used rare earth chlorides into the insoluble precipitates was increased with the sparging time and temperature and was affected on oxygen sparger type. In the conditions of 700 .deg. C molten salt temperature and above 540min sparging time, the final conversion efficiencies were over 99% for all the experimented rare-earth chlorides. The hydrodynamic characteristics of an oxygen-molten salt two phase flow system are very important for a co-oxidative precipitation of rare earth elements.
An oxidative precipitation reaction of rare-earth chlorides in a LiCl-KCl molten salt was successfully carried out by a lab-scale apparatus. The conversion efficiency of the used rare earth chlorides into the insoluble precipitates was increased with the sparging time and temperature and was affected on oxygen sparger type. In the conditions of 700 .deg. C molten salt temperature and above 540min sparging time, the final conversion efficiencies were over 99% for all the experimented rare-earth chlorides. The hydrodynamic characteristics of an oxygen-molten salt two phase flow system are very important for a co-oxidative precipitation of rare earth elements
A Real-Time Operating System(RTOS) is an Operating System(OS) intended for real-time applications. Benchmarking is a point of reference by which something can be measured. The QNX is a Real Time Operating System(RTOS) developed by QSSL(QNX Software Systems Ltd.) in Canada. The ELMSYS is the brand name of commercially available Personal Computer(PC) for applications such as Cabinet Operator Module(COM) of Digital Plant Protection System(DPPS) and COM of Digital Engineered Safety Features Actuation System(DESFAS). The ELMSYS PC Hardware is being qualified by KTL(Korea Testing Lab.) for use as a Cabinet Operator Module(COM). The QNX RTOS is being dedicated by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). This paper describes the outline and benchmarking test results on Context Switching, Message Passing, Synchronization and Deadline Violation of QNX RTOS under the ELMSYS PC platform
With conventional heating process, ultraviolet (UV) illumination, and microwave irradiation, we have successfully synthesized UV curable encapsulating adhesives with excellent gas barrier capabilities, good adhesive strength, moderate hardness, and high refractive indices. The experimental results manifest that the physical properties of lab-made encapsulating adhesives are highly dependent on their chemical structures and synthetic procedure. We also discover that the encapsulating adhesive prepared by microwave irradiation (i.e. encapsulating adhesive VI-MW) exhibits better adhesive strength and higher gas resistance than those prepared by conventional heating process and UV illumination. Furthermore, encapsulating adhesive VI-MW has also been applied for the package of organic light emi...
Most of previous study for creep rupture of RPV lower head under severe accident condition, have been focused on global failure of RPV lower head. In contract, the local failure of the RPV nozzle region has not been studied in detail. The existence and features of nozzle failure in LAVA-ICI specimen of KAERI and LHF-4 specimen of Sandia National Lab., are observed. It is confirmed that the nozzle failure of LHF-4 specimen is due to the hoop stress in the RPV. The tensile tests in various temperatures and the creep rupture tests in various temperatures and stresses, are accomplished. The finite element analysis for LAVA-ICI experiment was confirmed, and the stress and deformation analysis results are used in LAVA-ICI experiment. 17 refs., 34 figs., 3 tabs. (Author)
The neutron-rich Mn isotopes from A=59 to 63 have been studied through multi-nucleon transfer reactions by bombarding a {sup 238}U target with a beam of {sup 70}Zn at an energy of E{sub lab}=460 MeV. Prompt {gamma} rays measured by the CLARA array have been identified unambiguously for each nucleus, using coincidence relationships with ions detected in the high-acceptance magnetic spectrometer PRISMA. The new data extends the knowledge of the low-lying level structure of Mn isotopes, which is discussed in terms of the systematics of the region. Results are compared with large-scale shell-model calculations using different effective interactions and valence spaces.
The Mediated Electrochemical Oxidation (MEO) system is an aqueous process which treats low-level mixed wastes by oxidizing the organic components of he waste into carbon dioxide and water. As MEO system continues to run, dissolved ash and radionuclides slowly accumulate in the anolyte and must be removed to maintain process efficiency. At such time, all of the anolyte is pumped into a still feed tank, and the silver ions need to be removed before sending the solution to a thin-film evaporator for further concentration. The efficiency of removing silver ions in the solution needs to be high enough such that the residual silver sent to Final Forms would be less than 1% wt. The purpose of this work is to develop an efficient process to remove silver ions during the MEO cleanout and to demonstrate the capability of centrifugation for separating small silver chloride particles from the solution. This development work includes lab scale experiments and bench scale tests. ...
The potential of different multitemporal and multispectral airborne and spaceborne remote sensing methods for assessment and monitoring of the lignite open-cast mining areas are discussed in this chapter. Emphasis is placed on the successful use of different remote sensing data in variable vegetation structures for dumped sediments with different mineralogical and geochemical properties and for hydrochemical properties of the residual lakes. Multiple remote sensing data are a cost and time efficient tool for the assessment of environmental impacts, supervising of reclamation activities as well as for long term monitoring of the mining area. The airborne data are well suited for large scale detailed research and mapping in smaller sites and the satellite data for the overview scale 1:50 000. An integrated remote sensing-GIS-system including all field and lab data, DTM and other graphical data, improve the results of the remote sensing data classification for the ...
The roughness length at air-sea interface during free convection (Z0fc) is mainly related to the convective velocity (w) rather than the friction velocity (u). The parameterization of Z0fc with (w)2/g as proposed by Abdella and D'Alessio (2003) is evaluated. It is shown that the field measurements at MM Lab, Tarapur Maharashtra Site (TMS) coastal site using Metek GmbH, Ultra sonic anemometers are consistent with the proposed formula. In order to avoid self-correlation by using u, a new parameterization of w with ?u and ?v and gustiness parameter as given by Fairall et al. (1996) is used. The mean values of w and Z0fc estimated using new parameterization were observed to be 0.97 m/s and 2.3E-4 m respectively for the year 2009 at TMS. (author)
Differential scattering experiments are reported for proton impact on N_2, CO, and NO in the energy range E/sub lab/=30--80 eV. The measurements include the range of very small scattering angles around 0"0 as well as the rainbow region. The vibrationally resolved energy-loss spectra show a relatively low vibrational inelasticity for all three systems. Differential cross sections, transition probabilities, and the mean vibrational energy transfer are presented. Rotational excitation is indicated by the broadening of the energy-loss peaks which is most significant for H"+--NO. The small-angle scattering data for vibrational excitation in CO show good agreement with the impact parameter theory using the known long-range interactions for this system.
An 80-K Joule-Thomson (J-T) cooling system designed for the Probe Infrared Laser Spectrometer (PIRLS) proposed for the Huygens Titan Probe of the Cassini Saturn orbiter mission is presented. The cryogenic cooling requirements of the PIRLS instrument are listed, and the cooler system design including details of a J-T cryostat, cold head, and dewar design is described along with the results of a thermal modeling effort and lab cooler performance testing. It is shown that by using active feedback temperature control of the cold head in combination with the self-regulating action of the J-T cryostat, a temperature stability of less than 0.1 mK/min is achieved by the cooler weighting 1.8 kg.
Coronary angiography has provided an unrivalled appreciation of coronary anatomy fostering a far greater appreciation of the extent of atherosclerotic disease. However, the subjectivity of coronary angiography at determining the extent of plaque has been exposed with IVUS. Indices of coronary physiology have provided valuable adjunctive information as to the physiological importance of specific lesions. Fractional flow reserve is an established method for evaluating the significance of epicardial stenoses. Fractional flow reserve guided percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with improved outcomes when compared to a conventional angiographic guided strategy, particularly in intermediate lesions. The use of coronary physiology in the cath lab represents a new avenue to guide appro...
PSI has a relatively long tradition in neutron imaging since the first trials were done at its formerly existing research reactor SAPHIR with film methods. This reactor source was replaced after its shutdown in 1994 by the spallation neutron source SINQ in 1996, driven by the 590MeV cyclotron for protons with presently up to 2.3mA beam current. One of the first experimental devices at SINQ was the thermal neutron imaging facility NEUTRA, which was designed from scratch and has been the first device of its kind at a spallation source. Until now, NEUTRA has been successfully in use for many investigations in a wide range of studies covering fuel cell research, environmental behavior of plants, nuclear fuel inspection and the research on cultural heritage objects. It has been the host of PhD ...
In this work, the half-life of the {sup 155}Sm beta{sup -} decay was determined using enriched {sup 154}Sm samples submitted to irradiation in the IEA-R1 reactor of IPEN; the activity of the samples were followed for 4-5 consecutive half lives using a 198 cm{sup 3} HPGe detector. The data was corrected using a non paralizable dead time correction and fitted to an exponential decay function using a non linear fitting procedure developed on the MatLab platform. The resulting value--T{sub 1/2} = 22.180(26) min--was compatible to the one found in the literature, with a lower uncertainty.
In this work, the half-life of the "1"5"5Sm #beta#"- decay was determined using enriched "1"5"4Sm samples submitted to irradiation in the IEA-R1 reactor of IPEN; the activity of the samples were followed for 4-5 consecutive half lives using a 198 cm"3 HPGe detector. The data was corrected using a non paralizable dead time correction and fitted to an exponential decay function using a non linear fitting procedure developed on the MatLab platform. The resulting value--T_1_/_2 = 22.180(26) min--was compatible to the one found in the literature, with a lower uncertainty.
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have poor relationships with peers. However, research on this topic has predominantly focused on boys. This study considered child gender, ADHD status, and dimensionally assessed conduct problems as predictors of peer relationship difficulties. Participants were 125 children (ages 6-10; 67% male), 63 with clinical diagnoses of ADHD and 62 non-ADHD comparison youth. Conduct problems were reported by teachers and observed in a lab playgroup. Peer relationships were assessed by parent report, teacher report, and peer sociometric nominations in the playgroup. Results suggested that children with ADHD, as well as those with high conduct problems, displayed more impaired peer relationships than did comparison children and those ...
In the present article, the study to examine the ability of free-living amoebae (FLA) to serve as vectors of cryptosporidia is presented. Ten strains of different free-living amoebae of the FLA collection of the Parasitology Lab at Koblenz were cultivated in the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. After phagocytosis and ingestion, the oocysts could be found in food vacuoles within the cytoplasm of the trophozoites of two different FLA strains. The uptake and the transport of the oocysts within the trophozoites could be demonstrated in an Acanthamoeba sp. (group II) strain (maximum, three oocysts; average, one oocyst) as well as in a Thecamoeba quadrilineata strain (maximum, 15 oocysts; average, eight oocysts), with the help of light microscopy. We found that these free-living amoeb...
Bimaxillary protrusion is prevalent among Asians and anterior segmental osteotomies are commonly used for its surgical correction. The objective of this study was to evaluate the soft tissue changes resulting from anterior segmental osteotomies. The electronic databases PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of knowledge were searched for potentially eligible studies using a set of predetermined keywords. Full texts meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved and their references were manually searched for additional relevant articles. The study details and outcome data of these reports were extracted using spreadsheets for comparison. The methodological quality of each study was assessed. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Lateral cephalometry was used in all studies. A reduction of the lab...
A major new initiative to develop and irradiate a long-life mixed oxide fuel system in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) has been implemented by the Westinghouse Hanford Company at the Hanford Engineering Development Lab. for the US Dept. of Energy. The purpose of this new fuel system, called the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE), is to demonstrate the capability of achieving a 3-yr life in a prototypical heterogeneous reactor environment under prototypical power and temperature conditions. Three Core Demonstration Lead Experiments (CDLEs) will establish the performance characteristics of entire fuel assemblies of wire-wrapped, large diameter, advanced oxide fuel pins with HT-9 stainless steel alloy cladding and wire wrap and an HT-9 duct. Their performance characteristics provided the basis for design, fabrication, and irradiation of the CDE.
The construction and the development of a UV free electron laser have been started under the cooperation of Nihon U, KEK, PNC, ETL and Tohaku U. The project requires a 100MeV S-band electron linear accelerator to expand the oscillation of FEL using fundamental mode to the UV region. The injection system consists of a thermionic RF-gun with a LaB cathode and an {alpha} magnet for magnetic bunching. We are studying to reduce the back-bombardment electrons to realize the macropulse length of 20{mu}sec. Electron beams, up to the energy of 100MeV, are injected into the optical oscillators. Changing the accelerating energy and/or undulator parameters, this system will cover the range from infrared to ultraviolet for the applications in various fields.
Statement of problem Even though metal ceramic restorations (MCRs) are widely used by clinicians, the influence of the metal on the color of overlaying porcelain is unknown. Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the color alterations of different types of metal ceramic alloys during several stages of metal surface preparation and to determine the effect of those changes on the resulting color of opaque porcelain (OP). Material and Methods Seven different types of alloys (3 base metal, 3 noble, and 1 high noble) were used to prepare disk-shaped specimens (1 mm x 10 mm, n=3), followed by OP application (0.1 mm). Lab values of specimens were recorded after different stages of metal surface preparation (ingot, after casting, after oxidation, and after the OP application) in addition...
Water-based epoxy sealants were examined during a 2-year period to determine their effectiveness as barriers to radon release in uranium mines. Radon emanation rates from uranium ore samples were monitored for extended periods in the laboratory before and after sealant application. Reduction of radon flux due to the coating of lab samples was approximately 80 percent. Test chambers in a dormant uranium mine were monitored to determine both short and long-term barrier effectiveness. These field studies of the sealants indicated reductions greater than 50 percent relatively soon after application and nearly 75 percent more than 1 year later. An unexpected complication to early monitoring in the form of a large radon emanation increase, believed due to added moisture, is discussed.
Elastic scattering of 22 MeV alpha particles by "2"3Na, sup(24-25-26)Mg, "2"7Al and "2"8Si has been measured between 24"0 and 174"0 lab. Partial angular distributions, from 120"0 to 174"0, were also measured at incident energies of 18.4 and 20.7 MeV for "2"4Mg, and 18.9 and 20.5 MeV for "2"8Si. The most striking feature of the data is the large angle behaviour: spin-zero nuclei display more pronounced backward oscillations and the cross section rises more steeply towards 180"0 for 4n nuclei than for the others. (Z.M.).
Fibre-reinforced-polymer-composite material has been suggested as a bearing material to overcome tribological problems witnessed during the testing of Ram assembly of the 540 MWe fuelling machine at RTD. After successful trials at B-Ram the composite material has been adapted for B-RAM, C-Ram and RDB head at fuelling machines being tested at RTD, Hall 7 and at Tarapur. Laboratory evaluations were also carried out at Tribology Lab RTD to study effect of radiation on the composite. Paper deals with the various aspects of life prediction of this material in term of wear and radiation damage. (author)
A controlled field pilot has been developed in Bozeman, Montana, USA, to study near surface CO2 transport and detection technologies. A slotted horizontal well divided into six zones was installed in the shallow subsurface. The scale and CO2 release rates were chosen to be relevant to developing monitoring strategies for geological carbon storage. The field site was characterized before injection, and CO2 transport and concentrations in saturated soil and the vadose zone were modeled. Controlled releases of CO2 from the horizontal well were performed in the summers of 2007 and 2008, and collaborators from six national labs, three universities, and the U.S. Geological Survey investigated movement of CO2 through the soil, water, plants, and air with a wide range of near surface detection techniques. An overview of these results will be presented.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a mobile field laboratory for remote measurement of atmospheric processes and observables that are important in global climate change, dispersal of hazardous materials, and atmospheric pollution. Specific observables of interest are water vapor, trace gases, aerosol size and density, wind, and temperature. The goal is to study atmospheric processes continuously for extended periods in remote field locations. This laboratory has just reached field ready status with sensors for aerosol and trace gas measurement based on established techniques. A development program is underway to enhance the sensor suite with several new techniques and instruments that are expected to significantly extend the state of the art in remote trace gas analysis. The new sensors will be incorporated into the lab during the next two years.
Aim: To determine whether experience improves the consistency of visual search behaviour in fracture identification in plain radiographs, and the effect of specialization. Material and methods: Twenty-five observers consisting of consultant radiologists, consultant orthopaedic surgeons, orthopaedic specialist registrars, orthopaedic senior house officers, and accident and emergency senior house officers examined 33 skeletal radiographs (shoulder, hand, and knee). Eye movement data were collected using a Tobii 1750 eye tracker with levels of diagnostic confidence collected simultaneously. Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence and Gaussian mixture model fitting of fixation distance-to-fracture were used to calculate the consistency and the relationship between discovery and reflective visual search phases among different observer groups. Results: Total time spent studying the radiograph was not significantly different between the groups. However, the expert groups had a ...
Different cases exist in various countries regarding the institutional status, the organization and the technical resources of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA): there are NRAs having extended internal technical capability and others relying mostly on external technical support. Considering the research and development activities and the very broad range of technical matters on which the regulatory and licensing activity are based, the NRA can not rely only on internal resources, and generally there is the need of technical and scientific support together with enhanced international cooperation. The international cooperation and networking among NRAs, and their Technical Support Organizations (TSO), represents a fundamental way to maintain competence, capability and knowledge. Within the EU member states this is becoming more and more an institutional duty. In providing technical support for regulatory activity, the experience shows, from one side, the importance to have TSO with ...
Our purpose in this work was to develop an automatic boundary detection method for mammographic masses and to rigorously test this method via statistical analysis. The segmentation method utilized a steepest change analysis technique for determining the mass boundaries based on a composed probability density cost function. Previous investigators have shown that this function can be utilized to determine the border of the mass body. We have further analyzed this method and have discovered that the steepest changes in this function can produce mass delineations that include extended projections. The method was tested on 124 digitized mammograms selected from the University of South Florida's Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM). The segmentation results were validated using overlap, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity statistics, where the gold standards were manual traces provided by two expert radiologists. We have concluded that the best intensity ...
In recent decades, it has become increasingly clear that the global climate is becoming warmer and that regional climates are changing. This report summarizes the results of an integrated assessment of vulnerability to climate change and adaptation options in the Netherlands carried out between July 2000 and July 2001 within the framework of the Dutch National Research Program on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change (NRP-2). The project's main aims were: - to provide an overview of scientific insights, expert judgements and stakeholders' perceptions of current and future impacts (positive and negative) of climate change for several economic sectors, human health, and natural systems in the Netherlands, considering various cross-sectoral interactions, - to develop a set of adaptation options for these sectors through a participatory process with the main stakeholders, - to perform an integrated assessment of cross-sectoral interactions of climate change impacts ...
The fundamental recommendations of the ICRP issued in its publication of 1990 stipulate the general principle of performance of dose measurements at regular intervals in the field of diagnostic radiology, for the purpose of equipment performance checking and optimization of radiological protection. In response to this requirement, the Federal Ministry, in cooperation with experts and the competent supervising authorities, has issued an order to install dose-area-product meters in angiographic examination systems, imaging systems and fluoroscopic screen devices primarily used for examining infants and children up to the age of 12. This is done in response to reported cases of adverse effects of radiation exposure and the high priority given to radiological protection in the examination of infants and children. In 1992, an expert group was convened to discuss and elaborate instructions for including dose-area product measurement in the dosimetry ...
China operates 10 nuclear power reactors and has 5 more under construction. A large extension of nuclear power is expected by 2020. Nuclear generated electricity accounts for 2% of the total electric power generation. The Chinese policy is to have spent fuel reprocessed in China. So, final disposal include vitrified waste and some CANDU spent fuel for direct disposal. There is a legal framework in place in China to manage HLW. The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) has the responsibility for setting policy on HLW disposal and implementing the disposal programme, while the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) and the State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are the regulatory bodies, which are responsible for licensing and reviewing of environment impact assessment report. The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is considered to be the actual implementer, conducting the major activities for HLW management. In the 1980's, China started generic research and development ...
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation has undertaken to investigate, develop, and characterize laser-assisted processing techniques utilized to produce the fine line, thin metal grid structures that are required to fabricate high-efficiency solar cells. Two basic techniques for metal deposition will be investigated, as follows: (1) photochemical decomposition of liquid or gas phase organometallic compounds utilizing either a focused, CW ultraviolet laser (System 1) or a mask and ultraviolet flood illumination, such as that provided by a repetitively pulsed, defocused excimer laser (System 2), for pattern definition, and (2) thermal deposition of metals from organometallic solutions or vapors utilizing a focused, CW laser beam as a local heat source to draw the metallization pattern. The purpose of this contract is to investigate the various existing laser-assisted film deposition techniques in order to develop a new, cost-effective technology ...
During third quarter 1994, samples from AMB groundwater monitoring wells at the Metallurgical Laboratory Hazardous Waste Management Facility (Met Lab HWMF) were analyzed for selected heavy metals, indicator parameters, radionuclides, volatile organic compounds, and other constituents. Eight parameters exceeded standards during the quarter. As in previous quarters, tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene exceeded final Primary Drinking Water Standards (PDWS). Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exceeded final PDWS in one well. Aluminum, iron, manganese, tin, and total organic halogens exceeded the Savannah River Site (SRS) Flag 2 criteria. Groundwater flow direction and rate in the M-Area Aquifer Zone were similar to previous quarters. Conditions affecting determination of groundwater flow directions and rates in the Upper Lost Lake Aquifer Zone, Lower Lost Lake Aquifer Zone, and the Middle Sand Aquifer Zone of the Crouch Branch Confining Unit were also similar to ...
When biomass is used as fuel for thermal conversion plants, minerals from the fuel can be responsible for major problems. Generally, these problems are associated with the existence and development of low melting compounds or eutectics, which form sticky layers. In a fluidised bed, this can result in bed-agglomeration and defluidisation. This causes local high temperature, which often accelerates the process. It ultimately can lead to a completely sintered bed content with a glassy phase gluing the bed particles together and shut-down of the plant. The main objective of the title project is to develop a methodology to predict ash/bed agglomeration and sintering problems, to indicate related problems and, furthermore, to identify solution methods to make different types of biomass streams more viable for energy production. Within the present study, selected fuels are subjected to different existing methods together with some new ones, in order to determine the agglomeration temperature. ...
Plasma nitriding as a diffusion process is the oldest plasma-assisted process for the surface treatment of metals. Although the use of this process in industry is already well developed and established there are still several scientific questions in the basic understanding of the process and consequently some problems and limits concerning its upscaling for industrial use. Therefore it is necessary to get reproducible results for different geometries of workpieces and for different workload sizes. Correlations between different plasma and treatment parameters, especially in big plants, have to be considered. To understand the process handling using some simple but impressive models the difficulties of treating single parts or mixed workloads are explained. For profitable applications of plasma nitriding plants, some guidelines for the use and selection of a suitable process and a device are given. By the use of a pulsed d.c. power supply for plasma generation most ...
Focused ion beam (FIB) milling techniques are presented aiming at the manipulation of both tin dioxide (SnO_2) inverted opals and polystyrene (PS) direct opals. Different SnO_2 opals are considered in order to estimate the regularity of their bulk after the production. A SnO_2 mesoporous monolith is FIB micromachined to make it suitable for optical applications. PS direct opals are structured by FIB milling at different scales. Ordered arrays of PS opals are modified by selectively removing a single sphere. In performing this task, we discuss the effects on the FIB milling due to the gas-assisted enhanced etching and to the binding of the nearest neighbours. Techniques to achieve imaging of PS opals in absence of a conductive coating are also brought up. Furthermore, isolated PS spheres are drilled with or without enhanced etching in order to produce controlled defects on them. The FIB-assisted manipulations we show may find potential ...
Laser-assisted processing techniques, utilized to produce fine, metal grid patterns for high-efficiency solar cells, are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The work performed in the third quarter of this contract is detailed here. A preliminary economic evaluation has yielded the conclusion that laser-assisted pyrolysis of spun-on silver neodecanoate is the most promising of all the metallization techniques being investigated in this contract. Early adhesion problems have been solved by optimizing deposition parameters. Linewidth studies have been carried out as a function of laser power, scan speed, and film thickness. Preliminary solar cells have been fabricated and characterized using this metallization scheme. Silver neodecanoate films have also been decomposed using a pulsed uv laser and metal mask. A detailed study of the various models of localized surface temperature rise in silicon due to laser heating has been carried ...
Taiwan has completed a very successful five-year industrial waste minimization (IWM) demonstration and promotion project sponsored by the government. From 1990 to 1995, the project successfully disseminated the IWM concept of pollution prevention (P2) to industries. It effectively reduced industrial waste while significantly benefitting the economy by assisting industries in implementing in-plant IWM programs. In July 1995, the second stage of the five-year IWM and ISO 14000 promotion project was initiated for further promoting the IWM, P2, and cleaner production and, in particular, coping with the upcoming international environmental management standards (ISO 14000). To assist industries in establishing an environmental management system (EMS) and accumulating related experience, an EMS pilot demonstration project of five model industries and an ISO 14001 EMS demonstration and promotion project for 22 factories in 13 industries were initiated ...
This report summarizes work performed by Argonne National Laboratory on fatigue and environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) in light water reactors from January 1997 to June 1997. Topics that have been investigated include (a) fatigue of carbon, low-alloy, and austenitic stainless steels (SSs) used in reactor piping and pressure vessels, (b) irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking of Types 304 and 304L SS, and (c) EAC of Alloys 600 and 690. Fatigue tests were conducted on ferritic and austenitic SSs in water that contained various concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) to determine whether a slow strain rate applied during various portions of a tensile-loading cycle is equally effective in decreasing fatigue life. Slow-strain-rate-tensile tests were conducted in simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) water at 288 C on SS specimens irradiated to a low fluence in the Halden reactor and the results were compared with similar data from a ...
Ground-source heat pump systems (GSHPSs), also referred to as geothermal heat pump systems (GHPSs), have been widely used in residential and commercial buildings for years due to their outstanding energy utilization efficiencies. In this study, an energy and exergy modeling of solar assisted ground-source heat pump systems for residential applications is presented for system analysis and performance evaluation. In this regard, the performance of a solar assisted ground-source heat pump heating system, installed in Solar Energy Institute of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey, is evaluated based on the actual operational data to show how energy and exergy efficiencies values change with the system. The average heating coefficient of performances (as energy efficiencies) of the solar assisted ground-source heat pump (GSHP) unit and the overall system are obtained to be 2.64 and 2.38, respectively. The average exergy efficiency of ...
A method was proposed and examined to deposit thick cubic boron nitride (cBN)-rich layer of good adhesion to silicon substrate. The method combined (i) the insertion of a thick sp"2 buffer layer, and (ii) the use of an appropriate assist ion beam energy for the growth of the cBN-rich top layer. The sp"2-bonded boron nitride buffer layer was deposited under irradiation of ions with energies in the range of 200-360 eV. The buffer layer was found to contain curled graphitic basal planes, and so was supposed to be relatively deformable, and facilitate the relaxation of stresses in the cBN-rich top layer. The ion assist introduced during the growth of the cBN-rich layer was supposed to both create and annihilate defects, and so resulted in the generation and relaxation of internal stresses. Results showed that the insertion of a 492 nm sp"2 buffer layer, and the use of a beam energy of 450 eV for assisting the growth of the top ...
In support of a project on lifetime calculation experiments were carried out to evaluate the resistance to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of steam generator tubes during operation. Estimations of the incubation period for crack initiation and the threshold K value, K{sup Iscc}, and the crack growth rate were made to predict evolution of damage in tube walls. The paper summarizes results of experiments of C ring specimen for the initiation testing and results of SENT (single edge notch tensile) specimen for the crack growth rate (CGR) testing. The specimens were exposed to concentrated environments at elevated temperatures simulating crevice environments in secondary side crevices in horizontal steam generators. The results show that the material of SG tubes is sensitive to transgranular environmentally assisted cracking in the three basic concentrated environments used, alkaline, neutral and acid. The most corrosive medium was the acid ...
In support of a project on lifetime calculation experiments were carried out to evaluate the resistance to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of steam generator tubes during operation. Estimations of the incubation period for crack initiation and the threshold K value, K"I"s"c"c, and the crack growth rate were made to predict evolution of damage in tube walls. The paper summarizes results of experiments of C ring specimen for the initiation testing and results of SENT (single edge notch tensile) specimen for the crack growth rate (CGR) testing. The specimens were exposed to concentrated environments at elevated temperatures simulating crevice environments in secondary side crevices in horizontal steam generators. The results show that the material of SG tubes is sensitive to transgranular environmentally assisted cracking in the three basic concentrated environments used, alkaline, neutral and acid. The most corrosive medium was the acid ...
In this study the results of mathematical simulation and experimental research of texture transition in stress assisted shear phase transformations are discussed. The orientation distribution function (ODF) calculation model to the any type crystalline lattice symmetry materials has been suggested. By crystalline lattice symmetry analysis this computer program determines necessary amount of the initial experimental data. The experimental verification supports this model well. The ODF calculation model after shear phase transformation with equal use of all possible variants of orientation relationship or with various degrees of variant selection worked out. In this study the experimental and calculating data of the direct and reversal shear transformations #alpha# <=> #gamma# in Fe-alloys and B2 <=> B19' in Ti-Ni alloys are discussed. The stress assisted shear phase transformation model and computer program to calculate ODF after ...
The long-term support required from Canada in the operation and maintenance of overseas CANDU nuclear generating stations after commercial operation has commenced is described, with reference entirely to the KANUPP reactor. This includes: technical support to station staff to increase plant reliability and maintainability; assistance with plant improvements; procurement of spares and consumables; and assistance with training programmes. This technical support may be provided by a small number of Canadian staff actually resident at the power station; by short-term visits of Canadian specialists to site and by technical and procurement services provided from Canada. Examples of technical problems experienced are given, showing typical services required from Canada.
In this work, we address the problem of road interpretation for driver assistance based on an early cognitive vision system. The structure of a road and the relevant traf?c are interpreted in terms of ego-motion estimation of the car, independently moving objects on the road, lane markers and large scale maps of the road. We make use of temporal and spatial disambiguation mechanisms to increase the reliability of visually extracted 2D and 3D information. This information is then used to interpret the layout of the road by using lane markers that are detected via Bayesian reasoning. We also estimate the ego-motion of the car which is used to create large scale maps of the road and also to detect independently moving objects. Sample results for the presented algorithms are shown on a stereo image sequence, that has been collected from a structured road.
Homogenous Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1{minus}x}P liquid phase epitaxial layers have been obtained with the temperature difference method under controlled vapor pressure (TDM-CVP). Very clear fine structures near band edge in photoluminescence spectra have been observed at 77 K for the first time. Photoluminescence measurement results confirmed that the free exciton recombination without phonon assistance plays an important role in the luminescence at 77 K and becomes dominant at room temperature. It is considered that Zero-phonon assisted free exciton recombination is intensified by some local perturbations to electrical potentials against carriers or excitons introduced by Al atoms in Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1{minus}x}P layers, which can give momentum change necessary for recombination.
With the assistance of mechanical activation, yttrium-stabilized #alpha#-SiAlON was prepared by combustion synthesis in air, instead of high-pressure N_2 atmosphere for the first time. The reaction activity of metallic particles was remarkably enhanced by mechanical activation, which conduced the reduction of grain size, increased the total surface area and formation of fresh surface. The formation of #alpha#-SiAlON by combustion synthesis in air was explained by a kinetically induced reaction mechanism, in which both initial formation of #alpha#-SiAlON and following avoidance of oxidation were fulfilled by the retardation of O_2 infiltration owing to the short reaction period and fast cooling rate.
The major goal of this contract is to define fine grid lines using laser-assisted metallization and to demonstrate the fabrication of high-efficiency cells using this process. During this period a solar cell run was completed using low-resistivity float-zone silicon. Grid lines were written by spinning silver neodecanoate solution after the Ti-Pd evaporation. This run produced cell efficiencies as high as 11.2% prior to antireflection coating and 16.6% after the AR coating. Open-circuit voltage was approx.604 mV and short-circuit current density was approx.35 mA/cmS.
In this contract, Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The tasks comprising these investigations are outlined. Four new batches of solar cells were processed, in addition to several test runs on wafers, using the laser decomposition of spun-on silver neodecanoate to metallize cells. Decomposition of silver neodecanoate was carried out at different laser powers on different cells on a given wafer to determine whether this would have any effect on cell performance. A one watt laser power gave an electroplated linewidth of 50 ..mu..m, while at 8 watts the line width was 90 ..mu..m.
Asymmetric Incremental Sheet Forming (AISF) is a relatively new manufacturing process. In AISF, a CNC driven forming tool imposes a localized plastic deformation as it moves along the contour of the desired part. Thus, the final shape is obtained by a sequence of localized plastic deformations. AISF is suitable for small series production of sheet metal parts as needed in aeronautical and medical applications. Two main process limits restrict the range of application of AISF in these fields. These are the low geometrical accuracy of parts made from titanium alloys or high strength steels and, for titanium alloys, the limited formability at room temperature. In this paper a new concept for laser-assisted AISF is introduced including the required components. Furthermore, the CAX tools used f...
A technique is proposed to generate electron beam with ultralow transverse emittance through laser assisted transverse-to-longitudinal emittance exchange. In the scheme a laser operating in the TEM10 mode is used to interact with the electron beam in a dispersive region and to initiate the emittance exchange. It is shown that with the proposed technique one can significantly downsize an x-ray free electron laser (FEL), which may greatly extend the availability of these light sources. A hard x-ray FEL operating at 1.5 {angstrom} with a saturation length within 30 meters using a 3.8 GeV electron beam is shown to be practically feasible.
The paper describes the latest developments in STRASSY (Strategy Assistance System), the strategy assistance system for the inspection of nuclear materials. The user can now select the fuel cycle he wishes to investigate from an initial range of 19 facilities. An inspection interface has been developed to enable the details and dates of inspections to be modified. One of the special features of the application of STRASSY in international safeguards is the taking into account of timeliness of detection; certain aspects of the time manager algorithms are presented and analysed, including the guaranteed existence of a solution. The results of a study of diversion paths in a simplified cycle consisting of our facilities are presented. Finally, the modifications necessary to enable STRASSY to be used for a posterior analysis of inspection results are discussed. (authors). 7 refs., 3 figs.
Purpose Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has recently been adopted for complicated anatomical lung resections. During these thoracoscopic procedures, surgeons view the operative field on a two-dimensional (2-D) video monitor and cannot palpate the organ directly, thus frequently encountering anatomical difficulties. This study aimed to estimate the usefulness of preoperative three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of thoracic organs. Methods We compared the preoperative 64-row three-dimensional multidetector computed tomography (3DMDCT) findings of lung cancer-affected thoracic organs to the operative findings. Results In comparison to the operative findings, the branches of pulmonary arteries, veins, and bronchi were well defined in the 3D-MDCT images of 27 patients. Conclusion 3D-MDCT imag...
This paper elucidates the effect of humectant performance on the wettability of the skin. Humectants are divided into the organic compounds, such as polyols, the organometallic compounds, such as sodium lactate and pyrolidone sodium carboxylate, and the water soluble high molecular compounds, such as polyethylene glycol and hyaluronic acid. Firstly, hygroscopic performances and characteristics of various hcmectants are illustrated. Then, the humectant performance of the skin and relation between amino acid in the horny layer and moisture content are described. The humectant performance possessed in the intercellular lipid of horny layer is also described. Furthermore, are explained the wettability of the skin by cosmetics and the role of humectant as an emulsifying assistant. A mechanism of the dry skin, improvement effect of the skin by humectants, and combining effect of the humectants are presented. Are also presented the nonaqueous emulsification, amino acid ...
In order to reduce the number of surface mining accidents related to low visibility conditions and blind spots of trucks and to provide 3D information for truck drivers and real time monitored truck information for the remote dispatcher, a 3D assisted driving system (3D-ADS) based on the GPS, mesh-wireless networks and the Google-Earth engine as the graphic interface and mine-mapping server, was developed at Virginia Tech. The research results indicate that this 3D-ADS system has the potential to increase reliability and reduce uncertainty in open pit mining operations by customizing the local 3D digital mining map, constructing 3D truck models, tracking vehicles in real time using a 3D interface and indicating available escape routes for driver safety.
The Network for a Healthy California (Network) employs a Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify the target audience and plan program activities because GIS is a powerful tool for assisting in data integration and planning. This paper describes common uses of GIS by Network contractors as well as demonstrating the possibilities of GIS as a useful tool for public health programs and audience targeting in general. Narrative examples supported with graphics describe how 1) Network contractors use the GIS to identify eligible census tracts to carry out their work, 2) the GIS can map neighborhood assets in eligible census tracts throughout California, 3) the GIS can map health behavior data to the county level throughout California, and 4) the GIS can map selected indicators of healthy ...
An impingement jet system was used to study flow-assisted corrosion (FAC) of 3003 aluminum (Al) alloy in ethylene glycol-water solutions that simulates the automotive coolant by corrosion potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The effects of solution pH and fluid impact angle on Al FAC were determined. An increase of solution pH enhances the activity of Al due to dissolution of Al oxide film in alkaline environment. Moreover, Al activity decreases with the increasing fluid impact angle to the specimen. A CFD simulation shows that, with the increase of impact angle, the electrode area under high-velocity flow field decreases and that under low-velocity flow field increases. Consequently, the shear str...
Purpose. The paper introduces a novel design of air-core inductive sensors in printed circuit board (PCB) technology for a tongue control system. The tongue control system provides a quadriplegic person with a keyboard and a joystick type of mouse for interaction with a computer or for control of an assistive device. Method. Activation of inductive sensors was performed with a cylindrical, soft ferromagnetic material (activation unit). Comparative analysis of inductive sensors in PCB technology with existing hand-made inductive sensors was performed with respect to inductance, resistance, and sensitivity to activation when the activation unit was placed in the center of the sensor. Optimisation of the activation unit was performed in a finite element model. Results. PCBs with air-core indu...
In this study, a novel graphene nanosheets (GNSs) coated solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was prepared by immobilizing microwave synthesized GNSs on a stainless steel wire. Microwave synthesized GNSs were verified by X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). GNS-SPME fiber was characterized using FE-SEM and the results showed the GNS coating was homogeneous, porous, and highly adherent to the surface of the stainless steel fiber. The performance and feasibility of the GNS-SPME fiber was evaluated under one-step microwave assisted (MA) headspace (HS) SPME followed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection for five organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in aqueous samples. Parameters influencing the extra...
Ohio State University (OSU) is uniquely poised to establish such a center, with interdisciplinary emphasis on modeling, simulation, design and control of hybrid-electric drives for a number of reasons, some of which are: (1) The OSU Center for Automotive Research (CAR) already provides an infrastructure for interdisciplinary automotive research and graduate education; the facilities available at OSU-CAR in the area of vehicle and powertrain research are among the best in the country. CAR facilities include 31,000 sq. feet of space, multiple chassis and engine dynamometers, an anechoic chamber, and a high bay area. (2) OSU has in excess of 10 graduate level courses related to automotive systems. A graduate level sequence has already been initiated with GM. In addition, an Automotive Systems Engineering (ASE) program cosponsored by the mechanical and electrical engineering programs, had been formulated earlier at OSU, independent of the GATE program proposal. The main objective of the ...
Building complex knowledge based applications requires encoding large amounts of domain knowledge. After acquiring knowledge from domain experts, much of the effort in building a knowledge base goes into verifying that the knowledge is encoded correctly. We consider the problem of verifying hybrid knowledge bases that contain both Horn rules and a terminology in a description logic. Our approach to the verification problem is based on showing a close relationship to the problem of query containment. Our first contribution, based on this relationship, is presenting a thorough analysis of the decidability and complexity of the verification problem, for knowledge bases containing recursive rules and the interpreted predicates =, {le}, < and {ne}. Second, we show that important new classes of constraints on correct inputs and outputs can be expressed in a hybrid setting, in which a description logic class hierarchy is also considered, and we present the first ...
French law should not be very affected when the NSC enters into force in France. This results from the fact that French law has already achieved most of the `work` to be done in the field of safety of nuclear installations as it integrated the concept of `safety culture` (i.e. high level of safety for nuclear installations) which is, actually, the main objective of this convention. The elaboration of this convention on safety of nuclear power plants took approximately 3 years. The success (i.e. adoption of the draft text by the Diplomatic Conference) was made possible because of the large technical consensus existing among experts in that field. This means that if we intend to do the same in the field of radioactive waste management, we have to get first a similar consensus on fundamental adequate principles. (orig./HP)
This report reviews system safety analysis methods and examines their application to nuclear waste management systems. The safety analysis methods examined include expert opinion, maximum credible accident approach, design basis accidents approach, hazard indices, preliminary hazards analysis, failure modes and effects analysis, fault trees, event trees, cause-consequence diagrams, G0 methodology, Markov modeling, and a general category of consequence analysis models. Previous and ongoing studies on the safety of waste management systems are discussed along with their limitations and potential improvements. The major safety methods and waste management safety related studies are surveyed. This survey provides information on what safety methods are available, what waste management safety areas have been analyzed, and what are potential areas for future study.
For the application of dynamic neutron radiography to the two-phase flow research using HANARO, several experimental items to which the radiography technique is beneficial were identified through the review of the outputs from the related researches and the discussions with experts. Also, the investigation of the equipments including the beam port, camera and converter was made and a hardware and a software for image processing were equipped. It was confirmed that the calibration curve for the attenuation of neutron beam in fluid which is required for the two-phase flow experiment could be obtained by the computer code calculation. Based on the investigation results on the equipment and the results from the measurement of BNCT beam characteristics, a high speed camera and an image intensifier will be purchased. Then, the high speed dynamic neutron radiography facility for two-phase flow experiments will be fully equipped.
We report on the software aspects of the development of a switch-based data acquisition system at Fermilab. This paper describes how, with the goal of providing an integrated systems engineering'' environment, several powerful software tools were put in place to facilitate extensive exploration of all aspects of the design. These tools include a simulation package, graphics package and an Expert System shell which have been integrated to provide an environment which encourages the close interaction of hardware and software engineers. This paper includes a description of the simulation, user interface, embedded software, remote procedure calls, and diagnostic software which together have enabled us to provide real-time control and monitoring of a working prototype switch-based data acquisition (DAQ) system.
We report on the software aspects of the development of a switch-based data acquisition system at Fermilab. This paper describes how, with the goal of providing an ``integrated systems engineering`` environment, several powerful software tools were put in place to facilitate extensive exploration of all aspects of the design. These tools include a simulation package, graphics package and an Expert System shell which have been integrated to provide an environment which encourages the close interaction of hardware and software engineers. This paper includes a description of the simulation, user interface, embedded software, remote procedure calls, and diagnostic software which together have enabled us to provide real-time control and monitoring of a working prototype switch-based data acquisition (DAQ) system.
Mining association rules is a popular and well researched method for discovering interesting relations between variables in large databases. A practical problem is that at medium to low support values often a large number of frequent itemsets and an even larger number of association rules are found in a database. A widely used approach is to gradually increase minimum support and minimum confidence or to filter the found rules using increasingly strict constraints on additional measures of interestingness until the set of rules found is reduced to a manageable size. In this paper we describe a different approach which is based on the idea to first define a set of ``interesting'' itemsets (e.g., by a mixture of mining and expert knowledge) and then, in a second step to selectively generate rules for only these itemsets. The main advantage of this approach over increasing thresholds or filtering rules is that the number of rules found is significantly reduced while ...
In this book are found technical and scientific papers on the main works of the Direction of the Fuel Cycle (DCC) in France. The study fields are: the up-side of the nuclear fuel cycle with theoretical studies (plasma simulation) and technological developments and instrumentation (lasers diodes, carbides plasma projection, carbon 13 enrichment); the down-side nuclear fuel cycle with theoretical studies (ion Eu{sup 3+} complexation simulation, decay simulation, uranium and plutonium diffusion study, electrolyser operating simulation), scenario studies ( recycling, wastes management), experimental studies; dismantling and cleaning (soils cleaning, surface-active agent for decontamination, fault tree analysis); analysis with expert systems and mass spectrometry. (A.L.B.)
This issue contains the following articles: (1) ''Safety and Security Are Enhanced by Understanding Plutonium''. (2) ''Inside the Superblock'' This area of Lawrence Livermore is home to one of just two US plutonium research and development facilities for defense. (3) ''Exploring the Fundamental Limits of Simulations'' Some of the nation's leading computer simulation experts gathered at Lawrence Livermore to discuss the common barriers facing their craft. (4) ''Plutonium Up Close...Way Close'' An examination of stockpile plutonium at the atomic level indicates so far, so good. (5) ''Shocked and Stressed, Metals Get Stronger'' Laser peening yields stronger, corrosion-resistant metals.
This issue has the following articles: (1) Deterrence with a Minimum Nuclear Stockpile - Commentary by Bruce T. Goodwin; (2) Enhancing Confidence in the Nation's Nuclear Stockpile - Livermore experts are participating in a national effort aimed at predicting how nuclear weapon materials and systems will likely change over time; (3) Narrowing Uncertainties - For climate modeling and many other fields, understanding uncertainty, or margin of error, is critical; (4) Insight into a Deadly Disease - Laboratory experiments reveal the pathogenesis of tularemia in host cells, bringing scientists closer to developing a vaccine for this debilitating disease. (5) Return to Rongelap - On the Rongelap Atoll, Livermore scientists are working to minimize radiological exposure for natives now living on or wishing to return to the islands.
Results that contradict known physics, data manipulated, lack of vigilance by co-authors, failures in the system for scientific publication... Last September a US Committee of Enquiry unveiled one of the most serious frauds in the history of physics. Over a two year period, a young researcher at Bell Laboratories had published a large number of articles with exciting results for solid state physics, but which, alas, were fraudulent! Obviously a fraud of this magnitude is exceptional. However, it did serve to focus attention on the problem of integrity and honesty in research practices. This subject, crucial to the well-being and credibility of scientific research, will be the central theme of the lecture given by Nicholas Steneck, Professor of History at the University of Michigan. A leading expert on this issue, on which he has published extensively, he is a consultant to the Office of Research Integrity in the US, and has been closely involved in public ...
Tiered response is a basic approach to emergency plans, including oil spill response (OSR). This paper delineates a huge set of accidental scenarios within a certain tier of response generated by a computer during risk assessment. Parameters such as the amount of oil spilled, duration of discharge and types of losses should be provided in OSR scenarios. Examples of applications include offshore installations, sub sea or onshore pipelines, and localized onshore facilities. The paper demonstrates how to use risk analysis results for delineating all likely spills into groups that need a specific tier response. The best world practices and Russian regulatory approaches were outlined and compared. Corresponding algorithms were developed and their application in pipelines was presented. The algorithm combines expert's skills and spill trajectory modeling with the net environmental benefit analysis principle into the incident specific emergency response planning. ...
The IAEA Assessment of Safety Significant Events Team (ASSET) report presents the results of an ASSET team's assessment of their investigation of the effectiveness of the plant for prevention of incidents since 1990 at Zaporozhe nuclear power plant. The results, conclusions and suggestions presented herein reflect the views of the ASSET experts. They are provided for consideration by the responsible authorities in Ukraine. The ASSET team's views presented in this report are based on visits to the plant, on review of documentation made available by the operating organization and on discussions with utility personnel. The report is intended to enhance operational safety at Zaporozhe by proposing improvements to the policy for the prevention of incidents at the plant. The report includes, as a usual practice, the official response of the operating organization as well as of the regulatory body to the ASSET recommendations. Figs.
The paper gives an introduction to reliability assessment of reliquefaction systems for boil-off gas (BOG) on LNG carriers with focus on redundancy optimization and maintenance strategies. The reliability modeling is based on a time-dependent Markov approach. Four different system options are studied, with varying degree of redundancy. Failures in the reliquefaction system may require flaring of the BOG, and the associated cost is compared with the cost of introducing redundancy and the cost of onboard maintenance. A model for maintenance optimization is developed and exemplified on a main unit of the reliquefaction system. Reliability and maintenance cost data for reliquefaction systems on LNG ships are very scarce. The input data have been collected from the best available data sources and adjusted by expert judgement. A tailor-made computer program has been developed and may be supplied to interested readers.
The Riskaudit 7 report has been made by a group of independent experts from Western European countries representing technical organizations specialized in the support of regulatory bodies of those countries. It represents a preliminary estimation of the Ukrainian WWER B 213 and B 320 reactors, based on the example of Rovno NPP, analysed with a Western practice. The first part of the document covers the following aspects of the report: core design and fuel management; pressurized components; electrical supply; instrumentation and control; containment; internal events; site conditions and external events.
Artificial intelligence (AI) research has evolved over the last few decades and knowledge acquisition research is at the core of AI research. PKAW-04 is one of three international knowledge acquisition workshops held in the Pacific-Rim, Canada and Europe over the last two decades. PKAW-04 has a strong emphasis on incremental knowledge acquisition, machine learning, neural nets and active mining. The proceedings contain 19 papers that were selected by the program committee among 24 submitted papers. All papers were peer reviewed by at least two reviewers. The papers in these proceedings cover the methods and tools as well as the applications related to develop expert systems or knowledge based systems.
Dr. Rudolf Schulten of West Germany and expert witnesses from national laboratories, utilities, and the nuclear industry testified on reactor safety issues as they relate to the Chernobyl accident and public concern that modern technology has not paid enough attention to public safety. Each of the witnesses contributed safety-related information based on what has been learned from the Soviet incident. Particular focus went to similarities and differences between the Chernobyl and US reactors in safety design and engineering and to the environmental effects of the accident. The N reactor near Richland and a commercial reactor at Fort St. Vrain, Colorado are the only two operating graphite reactors, but neither is a boiling water reactor.
Dr. Rudolf Schulten of West Germany and expert witnesses from national laboratories, utilities, and the nuclear industry testified on reactor safety issues as they relate to the Chernobyl accident and public concern that modern technology has not paid enough attention to public safety. Each of the witnesses contributed safety-related information based on what has been learned from the Soviet incident. Particular focus went to similarities and differences between the Chernobyl and US reactors in safety design and engineering and to the environmental effects of the accident. The N reactor near Richland and a commercial reactor at Fort St. Vrain, Colorado are the only two operating graphite reactors, but neither is a boiling water reactor.
This issue of Carbon Market Perspectives on 'Pathways for implementing REDD+: Experience from carbon markets and communities' discusses the role of carbon markets in scaling up investments for REDD+ in developing countries. Nine articles authored by experienced negotiators on REDD+, carbon market actors, project developers and other leading experts share experiences and make suggestions on the key elements of a future international REDD+ regime: Architecture and underlying principles, measuring, reporting and verification (MRV), private-sector involvement, the rights of indigenous people and local communities, biodiversity conservation and environmental integrity. The articles are grouped under three main topics: the lessons of existing REDD+ projects; the future REDD+ regime and the role of carbon markets; and experiences and ideas about the involvement of indigenous people and local communities. (LN)
Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee approved the use of radiation treatment of foods. Nowadays food packaging are mostly made of plastics, natural or synthetic, therefore effect of irradiation on these materials is crucial for packing engineering for food irradiation technology. By selecting the right polymer materials for food packaging it can be ensured that the critical elements of material and product performance are not compromised. When packaging materials are in contact with food at the time of irradiation that regulatory approvals sometimes apply. The review of the R-and-D and technical papers regarding material selection, testing and approval is presented in the report. The most information come from the USA where this subject is well elaborated, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports are reviewed as well. The report can be useful for scientists and food irradiation plants operators. (author)
Summary This third paper, in a three-part CE series on the preventions of infection in patients with chronic kidney disease, focuses on surveillance and auditing of healthcare-associated infections within the renal care environment. The last decade has seen an increased awareness of the threat to patient safety from healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) and the emergence of multi-drug resistance organisms. Effective HCAI prevention strategies include adequate governance structures, access to expert advice, adherence to standard and transmission-based precautions, minimising the use of invasive medical devices, and surveillance. Surveillance data can be collected using outcome (e.g. infection) and/or process (e.g. hand hygiene compliance audit) measures. Establishing a surveillance program...
A food supplement containing fish oils, urtica dioica, zinc, and vitamin E (Phytalgic) for osteoarthritis (OA) has now been tested in a placebo-controlled trial for 3 months and according to the authors has a very large clinical effect, considerably larger than that of any other known product. Even experts endorsing nutraceuticals for OA symptoms would probably agree that a nutraceutical with an effect size above 0.5 is rarely seen. Despite our concerns about the fact that trial registration took place after the study was completed and the likelihood that patients would note the taste of fish, a circumstance that would lead to detection bias, we consider these data promising though with a high risk of bias.
A multivariate logistic regression model, based upon National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) data for calendar years 1999-2008, was developed to predict the probability that a crash-involved vehicle will contain one or more occupants with serious or incapacitating injuries. These vehicles were defined as containing at least one occupant coded with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of greater than or equal to 15, in planar, non-rollover crash events involving Model Year 2000 and newer cars, light trucks, and vans. The target injury outcome measure was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-led National Expert Panel on Field Triage in their recent revision of the Field Triage Decision Scheme (American College of Surgeons, 2006). The ...
Consultant and advanced practice are relatively new concepts in radiography. There is evidence to show that as the career progression framework is being adopted the numbers of consultant and advanced practitioners in radiography are growing with the latter growing at a faster rate. The article considers the concept of advanced and consultant practice and the education requirements to support development. Preparation for an advanced practice role begins at the practitioner stage. Masters' level programmes are available to support the development of advanced practice. Education needs to be flexible as new advanced practice roles emerge. It is necessary to take practitioners beyond a defined modality to include leadership and people skills. These are essential for those aspiring to become consultants. Consultants require a high level of clinical knowledge for expert practice but also strategic vision and interpersonal intelligence to facilitate leadership and ...
Fires and explosions have been identified as major potential hazards for Oil and Gas Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) installations and pose risk to personnel, assets, and the environment. Current fire and explosion assessment (FEA) tools require physical effect modeling software and follows standards from API, ISO, and engineering practices. However, the tools are not specific to any particular system such as an FPSO, and do not provide comprehensive guidance for safety engineers to perform FEA. This paper discusses the development of a screening and comparison tool for FEA on FPSOs and the incorporation of an expert system into the tool. The results are computerized using MS Excel/VBA to provide a structured and comprehensive assessment on each equipment and module handling ...
ABSTRACT Introduction. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of physiological and pharmacological mechanisms of human sexual functioning through preclinical research in animal models. Aim. To provide an evidence-based documentation of the experimental models evaluating male and female sexual function for useful clinical translation. Methods. Consensus discussion over the past 18 months leading to summarized views of seven experts from six countries. Main Outcome Measure. Report was based on the critical analysis of scientific information available in literature and subcommittee presentations, discussions, and exchanges of ideas and feedback. Results. Fundamental research in animal models has led to considerable understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying desi...
Although a large number of different organisations offer various forest education programmes within Germany, specific information (i.e., sectoral and programme content and provision at a state level) is lacking. This study used a survey of all 61 forest education organisations (43 respondents) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to evaluate its forest education sector, with a specific focus on the organisations, demand for its services, forest educational programmes and framework conditions. Input from expert interviews was also used to develop recommendations. The study indicates that, especially with children as the main target group, many non-formal programmes are offered to support the formal environmental education sector and to promote leisure activities in the forest. Y...
Summary The steadily growing epidemic of diabetes mellitus poses a threat for global tuberculosis (TB) control. Previous studies have identified an important association between diabetes mellitus and TB. However, these studies have limitations: very few were carried out in low-income countries, with none in Africa, raising uncertainty about the strength of the diabetes mellitus-TB association in these settings, and many critical questions remain unanswered. An expert meeting was held in November 2009 to discuss where there was sufficient evidence to make firm recommendations about joint management of both diseases, to address research gaps and to develop a research agenda. Ten key research questions were identified, of which 4 were selected as high priority: (i) whether, when and how to sc...
Automatic segmentation of anatomical structures in medical images is a valuable tool for efficient computer-aided radiotherapy and surgery planning and an enabling technology for dynamic adaptive radiotherapy. This paper presents the design, algorithms and validation of new software for the automatic segmentation of CT images used for radiotherapy treatment planning. A coarse to fine approach is followed that consists of presegmentation, anatomic orientation and structure segmentation. No user input or a priori information about the image content is required. In presegmentation, the body outline, the bones and lung equivalent tissue are detected. Anatomic orientation recognizes the patient's position, orientation and gender and creates an elastic mapping of the slice positions to a reference scale. Structure segmentation is divided into localization, outlining and refinement, performed by procedures with implicit anatomic knowledge using standard image processing operations. ...
The results of a study on the application of remote sensing and geophysical methods for the detection and monitoring of acid mine drainage (AMD) are summarized, with emphasis on those that appear most suitable. The study consisted of a literature review, an information survey of users and suppliers, and discussions with various experts. Space-borne sensors, airborne sensors, airborne videography and digital frame cameras, spectroradiometers, radar, and photographic data are considered. Geophysical methods are effective for measurement of sulphides, areas of active chemical oxidation, acid mine drainage, and contaminated ground water movement. The popularity and effectiveness of various geophysical methods are rated for AMD applications. 25 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.
The needs for more reasonable estimations for rare and extremely rare initiating events (IEs) have been reported in US peer review results. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) PRA standard also proposes guidelines and requirements about the issues. Recently, US NRC addressed problems and the conservative assumptions on loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) analysis and attempted to establish more rigorous methodology for estimating the frequencies depending on break size. The results of peer reviews for KHNP reference plants also represented that the data used in estimating IEs were outdated and the methodology also needed to be improved. In this paper, for more appropriate estimation of rare and extremely rare initiating events (IEs), e.g., LOCAs and steam generator tube ruptures (SGTRs), a new approach considering expert elicitation process is presented and corresponding core damage frequency (CDF) is calculated
Background/Purpose Early detection and intervention of psychosis is clinically important. This study aimed to test the applicability of the Chinese version of the Prodromal Questionnaire (CPQ) for identifying prodromal states of psychosis. Methods This is a two-group cross-sectional comparative study. The Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ) was translated into traditional Chinese based on Brislins Revised Model. Like the PQ, the CPQ provides results on four subscales: (1) positive symptoms, (2) negative symptoms, (3) disorganized symptoms, and (4) general symptoms. An expert panel of five senior psychiatrists established the content validity of the CPQ. The experimental group was a sample of 100 first-visit patients to a psychiatric outpatient department (FVPOD). The comparison group comprised 98...
In view of the importance of the material Alloy 800 in high-temperature reactor plants (HTR), a material data bank was established which is used for statistical evaluation of mechanical and physical material behaviour. Based on investigations on the interconnection between the mechanical properties at high temperatures and the metallurgical parameters, different types of Alloy 800 were specified in compliance with the component requirements. In addition, aspects of corrosion and toughness behaviour were taken into consideration. The specifications and strength characteristics for the different variants of Alloy 800 were incorporated into draft DIN standards after discussion and approval in expert committees. Further important characteristics of the mechanical and physical material behaviour were summarized in HTR material data sheets so as to furnish an improved basis for the design and stress analyses of Alloy 800 components. (orig.).
In view of the importance of the material Alloy 800 in high-temperature reactor plants (HTR), a material data bank was established which is used for statistical evaluation of mechanical and physical material behaviour. Based on investigations on the interconnection between the mechanical properties at high temperatures and the metallurgical parameters, different types of Alloy 800 were specified in compliance with the component requirements. In addition, aspects of corrosion and toughness behaviour were taken into consideration. The specifications and strength characteristics for the different variants of Alloy 800 were incorporated into draft DIN standards after discussion and approval in expert committees. Further important characteristics of the mechanical and physical material behaviour were summarized in HTR material data sheets so as to furnish an improved basis for the design and stress analyses of Alloy 800 components. (orig.).
This work addresses the problem of estimating the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of two sources using an array of sensors. This problem is mostly useful in radar applications, where we have few targets at each range bin. Super-resolution algorithms, such as maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and multiple signal classification (MUSIC), have been applied to this problem, but the former involves high computation efforts, while the later has poor estimation performance for coherent sources. In this work, we propose a DOA estimation network, named RBF-AML, which combines the approximated ML (AML) estimator and a radial basis function (RBF) neural network (NN). In the proposed RBF-AML network, the entire two dimensional DOA space is divided into multiple sectors covered by RBF experts. The AML funct...
Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, conducts the Utility Battery Storage Systems Program, which is sponsored by the US Department of Energy`s Office of Energy Management. The goal of this program is to assist industry in developing cost-effective battery systems as a utility resource option by 2000. Sandia is responsible for the engineering analyses, contracted development, and testing of rechargeable batteries and systems for utility energy storage applications. This report details the technical achievements realized during fiscal year 1994.
To foster rural economic development and growth, Congress passed the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program as Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill. This program provides financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses to purchase renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements. The Rural Business and Cooperative Services of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers this program. This conference poster provides an overview of Section 9006.
We present here for the first time the tele-robotics system for hot-cells MT200-TAO (TAO stands for Teleoperation Assistee par Ordinateur or Computer Assisted Tele-robotics), able to replace a conventional telescopic medium tele-manipulator (extension 4 m; capacity 20 kg). The system is currently under evaluation in COGEMA/AREVA- La Hague hot-cells. (authors)
In this paper the main design requirements concerning the setting up of a telemetry ECG monitoring system are presented. The design's most important technical solutions as well as some details are also discussed. This system is intended to provide skilled medical assistance during the cardiac rehabilitation of both asymptomatic and high risk coronary patients
Described herein is a system for the co-generation of hydrogen gas and electricity, wherein the proportion of hydrogen to electricity can be adjusted from 0% to 100%. The system integrates fuel cell technology for power generation with fuel-assisted steam-electrolysis. A hydrocarbon fuel, a reformed hydrocarbon fuel, or a partially reformed hydrocarbon fuel can be fed into the system.
A LOss of Electric Power(LOEP) experiment was conducted after a 30MW full power operation as one of the reactor performance tests to verify the design characteristics of the HANARO. The objective of LOEP test was to investigate the integral behaviors of the system and the components as well as the cooling characteristics when the electric power was lost unexpectedly. Through the test, it was confirmed that the residual heat from the core was safely removed by the natural convection cooling and the assistant power systems operated normally
INTRODUCTIONLevel T4 video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy proved superior to T3-T4 treatment for controlling axillary hyperhidrosis at the initial and six-month follow-ups...Full Text Available
This report presents information and analysis to assist BLM in clarifying oil shale research needs. It provides technical guidance on research needs in support of their regulatory responsibilities for onshore mineral activities involving oil shale. It provides an assessment of research needed to support the regulatory and managerial role of the BLM as well as others involved in the development of oil shale resources on public and Indian lands in the western United States.
Patient monitoring during mechanotherapy based on electrocutaneous impedance measurement is discussed. Methods implemented by the Alpharhythmica computer-assisted system are described. Mechanotherapy modifies electrocutaneous impedance as compared to other parameters: heart rate, arterial pressure, and body temperature. Real time criteria of mechanotherapy efficacy based on electrocutaneous impedance measurement are suggested. Results of electrocutaneous impedance monitoring are presented.
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development of future radiological safety plans by presenting detailed discussion of the problems and solutions arising during Operation Castle.
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development of future radiological safety plans by presenting detailed discussion of the problems and solutions arising during Operation Castle. Included is a discussion of fallout forecasting techniques.
The Nova Scotia Research Foundation Corporation was established in 1946 by the Province of Nova Scotia to use science and technology to assist in the economic development of Nova Scotia. Within the Applied Science Division of the Corporation, research and development programs in the area of coal and mineral technology have been undertaken. A brief description of two projects -- coal liquefaction and coal-water fuels, are reported.
This comprehensive, critical review summarizes the use of nanoparticles in enhanced and amplified chemiluminescence detection, illustrated by different reaction strategies, electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensors, immunoassay or hybridization labels and electrogenerated chemiluminescence immunoassay or hybridization sensors. We discuss the analytical applications on the basis of validity, range and sensitivity, and draw some useful conclusions about the most sensitive approach in each type of application.
Assisted users with expired passwords Closed 233 NCICB Support Wizard Accounts Tickets Set up Resource Accounts for individual developers to control and track access on QA Application servers Maintained daily account synchronization between GForge project developers and CVS write access accounts Created FTP and SFTP user accounts for TCGA test, analysis datasets downloads and analysis datasets management.
The use of filters of activated-charcoal particles in drinking-water purification plants assists in the elimination of organic micropollutant substances. The authors report on a study which sought to investigate the mechanism of organic matter; they describe the experimental programme, which used different size ranges of mineral-based activated charcoal, present the experimental findings and discuss the results. 16 references.
The paper discusses the role of the Life Management Programme in ensuring a safe operation of the Dukovany nuclear power plant. The Programme involves the following major items: (i) primary circuit materials degradation assessment, (ii) pipeline damage control by the Flow Assisted Corrosion Monitoring and Prediction Programme, and (iii) the DIALIFE diagnostic system. (author)
A broad-based, multidisciplinary research program is being conducted to study biological effects of electric and magnetic fields from high-voltage transmission lines. Assistance and technical support for this program are reported. (DLC)
To assist in attaining the HSE's objective of providing perspective and focus for Safety Case Assessment, a generic model of the structural design process for the foundations of pile supported fixed steel structures has been developed. Interfaces between the foundation design team and other stakeholders have been identified and assessments made of both the magnitude and the potential significance of the uncertainties associated with key elements of the design process. (author)
Since many years, people take care of hazardous consequences of a non controlled economic growth and the sustainable development concept gains on one. This situation leads to consequences in the building industry and in the energy policy: buildings insulation in consideration, demand of consultants. In this framework, the partnership between Gaz De France and CICF has to be built. (A.L.B.)
Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, conducts the Energy Storage Systems Program, which is sponsored by the US Department of Energy`s Office of Utility Technologies. The goal of this program is to assist industry in developing cost-effective energy storage systems as a resource option by 2000. Sandia is responsible for the engineering analyses, contracted development, and testing of energy storage systems for stationary applications. This report details the technical achievements realized during fiscal year 1996.
Marshall Hall was selected by the US Army Corps of Engineers to participate in the Energy Efficiency Analysis Program. The objective of this program is to assist military installations in identifying energy usage and cost saving projects at their facilities and possibly provide funding for projects. Entech Engineering, Inc. was selected to perform this study.
A study was made of the timber products processing point source category, for the purpose of developing information to assist the EPA in establishing effluent limitations guidelines and standards to implement sections 301, 304, 306, and 307 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. The document is the result of that study.
Design tools that are currently available for use with microcomputers to assist in designing energy-efficient daylighted buildings are presented. The information presented was gathered as a part of a telephone survey to design tool developer conducted over a six month period. The matrix is but one of five categories of tools. The other four were nomographs, protractors/tables, minis, and main frame computer programs. Information is provided to encourage interested design professionals, educators and students to communicate directly with design tool representatives.
A historical overview of corrosion problems found in power plant condensers and mitigation procedures is presented. The paper is organized according to alloy type and failure mode. Alloys considered are copper-base alloys, stainless steels and titanium. Failure modes discussed include erosion-corrosion, sulfide attack, environmentally assisted cracking, galvanic corrosion, steam condensate corrosion, pitting corrosion, and dealloying. Mitigation procedures discussed include cathodic protection, ferrous ion injection, as well as tube cleaning and layup practices.
AGROSTER Co irradiates food packaging material and some types of spices for the meat industry. The step by step strategy of AGROSTER has been very successful. In the last year, its gamma facility was used as much as possible to irradiate food items. The government of Hungary has recognized the benefit of this technology and has given financial assistance to establish a large commercial gamma irradiator in Budapest.
In addition to an executive summary and glossary, the following sections are included: Clean Boiler Fuel Demonstration Plant; Development of Coal Feeders for Coal Gasification Operations; Development of a Continuous Dry Coal Screw Feeder; Coal Feeder Development Program; Engineering and Technical Support; Technical Assistance Services; and Conceptual Design for an Advanced Coal Liquefaction Commercial Plant. (EJH)
In addition to an executive summary and glossary, the following sections are included: Clean Boiler Fuel Demonstration Plant; Development of Coal Feeders for Coal Gasification Operations; Development of a Continuous Dry Coal Screw Feeder; Coal Feeder Development Program; Engineering and Technical Support; and Technical Assistance Services. (EJH)
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative was established to assist states, site planners and other community stakeholders to work together to assess, cleanup and sustainably reuse brownfields sites. EPA has developed a series of guides to help these parties effectively...
The CNS is a unique organ due to its limited capacity for immune surveillance. As macrophages of the CNS, microglia represent a population originally known for the ability to assist neuronal stability,...Full Text Available
The Battery Life Estimator (BLE) Manual has been prepared to assist developers in their efforts to estimate the calendar life of advanced batteries for automotive applications. Testing requirements and procedures are defined by the various manuals previously published under the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). The purpose of this manual is to describe and standardize a method for estimating calendar life based on statistical models and degradation data acquired from typical USABC battery testing.
The purpose is to provide a source of information that can be used to assist personnel in the planning, training, and execution of radiological work using the principles of ALARA. This document is not intended to replace HNF or WHC Control Manual requirements. The ALARA Tools-List provides detailed information on the use and procurement of engineered controls, mockup training guidelines, and good radiological work practices that have been proven to be ALARA.
Leveraging the potential power of even small handheld devices able to communicate wirelessly requires dedicated support. In particular, collaborative applications need sophisticated assistance in terms of querying and exchanging different kinds of data. Using a concrete example from the domain of mobile learning, the general need for information dissemination is motivated. Subsequently, and driven by infrastructural conditions, realization strategies of an appropriate middleware service are discussed.
Lab scale mulch biofilm barriers were constructed and tested to evaluate their performance for preventing the migration of aqueous and surfactant solubilized PAHs. The spatial distribution of viable PAH degrader populations and resultant biofilm formation were also monitored to evaluate the performance of the biobarrier and the prolonged surfactant effect on the PAH degrading microorganism consortia in the biobarrier. Sorption and biodegradation of PAHs resulted in stable operation of the system for dissolved phenanthrene and pyrene during 150 days of experimentation. The nonionic surfactant could increase the solubility of phenanthrene and pyrene significantly. However, the biobarrier itself couldn't totally prevent the migration of micellar solubilized phenanthrene and pyrene. The presence of surfactant and the resultant highly increased phenanthrene or pyrene concentration didn't appear to cause toxic effects on the attached biofilm in the biobarrier. However, ...
RADIANT{trademark} is manufactured by United States Surgical Corporation, Vascular Therapies Division, (formerly Progressive Angioplasty Systems). The system comprises a liquid {beta}-radiation source, a shielded isolation/transfer device (ISAT), modified over-the-wire or rapid exchange delivery balloons, and accessory kits. The liquid {beta}-source is Rhenium-188 in the form of sodium perrhenate (NaReO{sub 4}), Rhenium-188 is primarily a {beta}-emitter with a physical half-life of 17.0 hours. The maximum energy of the {beta}-particles is 2.1 MeV. The source is produced daily in the nuclear pharmacy hot lab by eluting a Tungsten-188/Rhenium-188 generator manufactured by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Using anion exchange columns and Millipore filters the effluent is concentrated to approximately 100 mCi/ml, calibrated, and loaded into the (ISAT) which is subsequently transported to the cardiac catheterization laboratory. The delivery catheters are modified ...
The Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Distance Computing (DisCom) Wide Area Network (WAN) is a high performance, long distance network environment that is based on the ubiquitous TCP/IP protocol set. However, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the algorithms that govern its operation were defined almost two decades ago for a network environment vastly different from the DisCom WAN. In this paper we explore and evaluate possible modifications to TCP that purport to improve TCP performance in environments like the DisCom WAN. We also examine a much newer protocol, SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) that claims to provide reliable network transport while also implementing multi-streaming, multi-homing capabilities that are appealing in the DisCom high performance network environment. We provide performance comparisons and recommendations for continued development that will lead to network communications protocol implementations capable of supporting the coming ASC ...
Axial strain characterization was completed for a Nb{sub 3}Sn conductor from Lawrence Livermore National Lab used in a transverse stress test of a cable-in-conduit conductor. The effect of axial strain on the critical current of the LLNL Nb{sub 3}Sn test strand was measured at magnetic fields from 8 T to 22 T. The conductor specifications are shown in Table 3, and the measured data are shown in Table 4. The data are presented graphically in Figs. 5 through 7. The I{sub c} and J{sub c} values are based on an electric field criterion (E{sub c}) of 2 {mu}V/cm. The zero-strain 12 T value of J{sub c} at 12 T was 0.39 GA/m{sup 2}. The irreversible strain limit was quite high, 1.0 strain, and the compressive prestrain was relatively low at 0.27%. Fracture strain was 1.10%.
Semi-inclusive pi+ electroproduction on protons has been measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. The measurement was performed on a liquid-hydrogen target using a 5.75 GeV electron beam. The complete five-fold differential cross sections were measured over a wide kinematic range in Q2, x, z, and pT and over the complete range of azimuthal angles, phi, enabling us to separate the different structure functions, H2+eps*H1, H3 and H4. Our measurements of H2 at low-x were found to be in fairly good agreement with pQCD calculations, suggesting a precocious factorization of the process. Indeed, the conventional f(x)*D(z) term can account for almost all of the observed cross section, even at small z. The measured xF-distributions are in qualitative agreement with high energy data, which suggests a surprising numerical similarity between the spectator diquark fragmentation in the present reaction and the anti-quark fragmentation measured in e+e- collisions. We ...
Measuring gene expression using microarrays is relevant to many areas of biology and medicine, such as follow up of developmental stages and diseases onset, and treatment study. Since there can be tens of thousands of distinct probes on an array, each micro array experiment can accomplish the equivalent number of genetic tests in parallel. Arrays have therefore dramatically accelerated many types of investigations. For example, microarrays can be used to identify stress response genes by comparing gene expression in challenged versus normal cells. In the Molecular and Cellular Biology lab (MCB), the micro array experiments are performed within the Genomic Platform, fully equipped to analyse either the behaviour of bacteria during long space flight, the effect of low dose ionising radiation on the developing organism in mice, or the human individual radiation sensitivity. For the low dose effect, two main stages of development are of interest; 1) the gastrula stage ...
"What happens to conventional metals near the ocean?" you might ask the workers who are repairing the water tower at Jones Beach. They will tell you that both the tower's steel framework and copper roof show extensive corrosion from the salty air. To power future generations of cars, homes, utility plants, and even particle accelerators, unprecedented levels of efficiency will be needed. Such efficiency will require new unconventional alloys and composite materials that can also withstand high temperatures, intense radiation fluxes, high stresses, and other extreme conditions in highly corrosive environments that accelerate the aging and weakening of materials, as salty air weakens steel and copper. During the lecture, Simos will discuss the demands of next-generation energy systems and focus on the extreme conditions that materials used in these systems will perform under. He will also explain Brookhaven Lab's role in past, ongoing, and future ...
The ep{yields}e'p{rho}{sup 0} reaction has been measured using the 5.754 GeV electron beam of Jefferson Lab and the CLAS detector. This represents the largest ever set of data for this reaction in the valence region. Integrated and differential cross-sections are presented. The W, Q{sup 2} and t dependences of the cross-section are compared to theoretical calculations based on the t-channel meson-exchange Regge theory, on the one hand, and on quark handbag diagrams related to Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) on the other hand. The Regge approach can describe at the {approx}30% level most of the features of the present data while the two GPD calculations that are presented in this article which succesfully reproduce the high-energy data strongly underestimate the present data. The question is then raised whether this discrepancy originates from an incomplete or inexact way of modelling the GPDs or the associated hard scattering amplitude or whether ...
The $e p\\to e^\\prime p \\rho^0$ reaction has been measured, using the 5.754 GeV electron beam of Jefferson Lab and the CLAS detector. This represents the largest ever set of data for this reaction in the valence region. Integrated and differential cross sections are presented. The $W$, $Q^2$ and $t$ dependences of the cross section are compared to theoretical calculations based on $t$-channel meson-exchange Regge theory on the one hand and on quark handbag diagrams related to Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) on the other hand. The Regge approach can describe at the $\\approx$ 30% level most of the features of the present data while the two GPD calculations that are presented in this article which succesfully reproduce the high energy data strongly underestimate the present data. The question is then raised whether this discrepancy originates from an incomplete or inexact way of modelling the GPDs or the associated hard scattering amplitude or whether the ...
Elastic scattering of 27.2 MeV #alpha# particles on "4"0Ca has been investigated. Differential cross sections have been measured in the angular range from 10 deg to 175 deg in the lab. system. The theoretical analysis has proceeded from the proposition that the results of a calculation based on the optical model in the range of small angles (less than 20 deg for "4"0Ca) are independent of parameters and shape of the potential employed. Elastic scattering of #alpha# particles at angles up to 50 deg has been calculated using three sets of the optical potential parameters in the energy range 23.37-28.92 MeV. In the range of small angles a rather similar behaviour of the calculated curves can be observed whereas in the range of medium and large angles these curves behave very differently. The success in the reproduction of the angular distributions for the entire energy range is indicative of the weak energy dependence of the optical potential parameters for "4"0Ca. It ...
An Ethernet based embedded system has been developed to upgrade the Beam Viewer and Beam Position Monitor (BPM) systems within the free-electron laser (FEL) project at Jefferson Lab. The embedded microcontroller was mounted on the front-end I/O cards with software packages such as Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) and Real Time Executive for Multiprocessor System (RTEMS) running as an Input/Output Controller (IOC). By cross compiling with the EPICS, the RTEMS kernel, IOC device supports, and databases all of these can be downloaded into the microcontroller. The first version of the BPM electronics based on the embedded controller was built and is currently running in our FEL system. The new version of BPM that will use a Single Board IOC (SBIOC), which integrates with an Field Programming Gate Array (FPGA) and a ColdFire embedded microcontroller, is presently under development. The new system has the features of a low cost IOC, an open ...
The lidar group in Lund has performed many DIAL measurements with a mobile lidar system that was first described in 1987. The lidar system is based on a Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser. During the last few years the lidar group has focused on fluorescence imaging and mercury measurements in the troposphere. In 1994 we performed two campaigns: one fluorescence imaging measurement campaign outside Avignon, France and one unique lidar campaign at a mercury mine in Almaden, Spain. Both campaigns are described in this thesis. This thesis also describes how the mobile lidar system was updated with the graphical programming language LabVIEW to obtain a user friendly lidar system. The software controls the lidar system and analyses measured data. The measurement results are shown as maps of species concentration. All electronics and the major parts of the program are described. A new graphical technique to estimate wind speed from plumes is also discussed. First measurements have ...
In the upgrade project of the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider (BEPCII), a novel Detector-Control System (DCS) for the Beijing Spectrometer (BESIII) has been built and started its successful operation for the BESIII Commissioning. The main task of the DCS is to monitor and control the status of the BESIII detector and to guarantee a safe operation of the detector. The DCS must provide a uniform and coherent interface to detector operators even though there are a large number of distributed I/O channels from a large variety of equipments. For this reason, the DCS is hierarchically organized and divided into three layers: front-end layer (FEL), local control layer (LCL) and global control layer (GCL). In the FEL, devices ranging from simple sensors up to complex computer-based devices like embedded systems and programmable logical controllers (PLC) are utilized. A LabVIEW-based software framework has been developed for the LCL. Network communication and web server ...
A series of lab and greenhouse studies were undertaken to understand how Cu and Zn toxicity influences Bromus carinatus (Hook and Arn.) growth, to what degree an organic amendment (yard waste compost) may reduce Cu and Zn bioavailability in Cu-Zn minespoil and promote plant growth in combination with fertilizer, and how the vertical distribution of compost in the minespoil influences rooting depth. Root Cu and Zn toxicity thresholds were determined to be 1 mg L"-"1 and 10 mg L"-"1 in solution, respectively. The compost amendment had exceptionally high Cu and Zn binding capacities (0.17 and 0.08 g metal g C"-"1, for Cu and Zn, respectively) that were attributed to high compost humic and fulvic acid concentrations. Maximum plant biomass was achieved when minespoil was amended with compost and fertilizer in combination. Fertilizer alone had no effect on plant growth. Mixing compost into the minespoil was essential to promote adequate rooting depth. - Organic amendment ...
CEA-Valduc produces some radioactive waste (mainly alpha emitters). Legislation requires producers to sort their waste by activity and type of isotopes, and to package them in order to forward them to the appropriate reprocessing or storage facility. Our lab LMDE (laboratory for measurements on nuclear wastes and valuation) is in charge of the characterization of the majority of waste produced by CEA-Valduc. Among non-destructive methods to characterize a radioactive object, gamma-spectroscopy is one of the most efficient. We present to this conference the method we use to characterize nuclear waste and the system we developed to characterize our germanium detectors. The goal of this system is to obtain reliable numerical models of our detectors and calculate their efficiency curves. Measurements are necessary to checks models and improve them. These measurements are made on a bench using pinpoint sources ("1"3"3Ba, "1"5"2Eu) from 60 keV to 1500 keV, with distances ...
The author have prepared a new, fusion-oriented library of multigroup neutron cross sections, scattering matrices, and covariances (uncertainties and correlations). The 74-group library, called COVFILS-2, has been used, or will be used, by neutronics groups at Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL) at the University of California at Los Angeles, and at the Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research in the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of fusion-relevant integral experiments such as the Li/sub 2/O experiment performed at the Fast Neutron Source Facility in Japan and the Lithium breeding module experiment planned at the LOTUS facility in Lausanne, Switzerland. Another intended use of this library is in the estimation of the uncertainty in key performance parameters (such as the breeding ratio) of conceptual fusion reactors. The 14 materials included in the first version of COVFILS-2 are hydrogen, /sup 6/Li, /sup 7/Li, beryllium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sodium, ...
The author have prepared a new, fusion-oriented library of multigroup neutron cross sections, scattering matrices, and covariances (uncertainties and correlations). The 74-group library, called COVFILS-2, has been used, or will be used, by neutronics groups at Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL) at the University of California at Los Angeles, and at the Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research in the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of fusion-relevant integral experiments such as the Li_2O experiment performed at the Fast Neutron Source Facility in Japan and the Lithium breeding module experiment planned at the LOTUS facility in Lausanne, Switzerland. Another intended use of this library is in the estimation of the uncertainty in key performance parameters (such as the breeding ratio) of conceptual fusion reactors. The 14 materials included in the first version of COVFILS-2 are hydrogen, "6Li, "7Li, beryllium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sodium, aluminum, ...
The purpose of the Power-One Aerocapacitor Commercialization Plan is to communicate to members of management and to all employees the overall objectives of the corporation. Power-One, Inc., has participated in a US Federal Government Technology Reinvestment Project (TRP), entitled {open_quotes}Advanced Power Conversion based on the Aerocapacitor{close_quotes}: the project is a group effort, with Lawrence Livermore National Labs, GenCorp/Aerojet, PolyStor Corp. (a start-up company), and Power-One forming the consortium. The expected resulting technology is the {open_quotes}Aerocapacitor{close_quotes}, which possesses much higher performance levels than the usual capacitors on the market today. Power-One hopes to incorporate the Aerocapacitor into some of its products, hence enhancing their performance, as well as market privately-labeled aerocapacitors through its distribution channels. This document describes the details of Power-One`s plan to bring to market and ...
A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) electrochemical model has been created to model high-temperature electrolysis stack performance and steam electrolysis in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Integrated Lab Scale (ILS) experiment. The model is made of 60 planar cells stacked on top of each other operated as Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC). Details of the model geometry are specific to a stack that was fabricated by Ceramatec, Inc. and tested at INL. Inlet and outlet plenum flow and distribution are considered. Mass, momentum, energy, and species conservation and transport are provided via the core features of the commercial CFD code FLUENT. A solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) model adds the electrochemical reactions and loss mechanisms and computation of the electric field throughout the cell. The FLUENT SOFC user defined subroutine was modified for this work to allow for operation in the SOEC mode. Model results provide detailed profiles of ...
After several years of planning and workshop meetings, a decision was reached in late 2008 to organize PICMG xTCA for Physics Technical Subcommittees to extend the ATCA and MTCA telecom standards for enhanced system performance, availability and interoperability for physics controls and applications hardware and software. Since formation in May-June 2009, the Hardware Technical Subcommittee has developed a number of ATCA, ARTM, AMC, MTCA and RTM extensions to be completed in mid-to-late 2010. The Software Technical Subcommittee is developing guidelines to promote interoperability of modules designed by industry and laboratories, in particular focusing on middleware and generic application interfaces such as Standard Process Model, Standard Device Model and Standard Hardware API. The paper describes the prototype design work completed by the lab-industry partners to date, the timeline for hardware releases to PICMG for approval, and the status of the software ...
Hybrid models for solving unit commitment problem have been proposed in this paper. To incorporate the changes due to the addition of new constraints automatically, an expert system (ES) has been proposed. The ES combines both schedules of units to be committed based on any classical or traditional algorithms and the knowledge of experienced power system operators. A solution database, i.e. information contained in the previous schedule is used to facilitate the current solution process. The proposed ES receives the input, i.e. the unit commitment solutions from a fuzzy-neural network. The unit commitment solutions from the artificial neural network cannot offer good performance if the load patterns are dissimilar to those of the trained data. Hence, the load demands, i.e. the input to the fuzzy-neural network is considered as fuzzy variables. To take into account the uncertainty in load demands, a fuzzy decision making approach has also been developed to solve the ...
Prompted by a $10 million Congressional allocation to identify supplemental actions to protect the Columbia River from groundwater contamination beneath the Hanford Reservation, the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Office of Clean-up Technology identified twenty-three potential technical projects and then down-selected ten of these for further evaluation. An independent expert peer review was conducted for the ten down-selected proposals. The review panel consisted of twenty-three recognized subject matter experts that broadly represented academia, industry, and federal laboratories. Of the initial ten proposals reviewed, one was given unconditional support, six were given conditional support, and three were not supported as proposed. Three additional proposals were then submitted by DOE for review--these proposals were structured, in part, to respond to the initial round of technical peer review comments. Peer ...
The Creating Wetlands in the Oil Sands Reclamation workshop was held to solicit expert views from leading authorities in a number of disciplines related to the creation and study of wetlands, as well as to investigate challenges in the creation of wetlands in reclaimed oil sands landscapes. This document provided a detailed transcript of each presentation and all discussions that followed. The workshop was divided into 5 sessions: (1) wetlands background information; (2) groundwater conditions and boreal wetlands; (3) creating wetland types; (4) wildlife in boreal wetlands and traditional environmental knowledge; and (5) treatment wetlands. An expert panel overview provided presentations on post-mining restoration of boreal landscapes in oil sands regions; the creation of fens, marshes and shallow water wetlands at oil sands sites and the restoration of damaged peatlands. A outline of the physical scale of the oil sands mining disturbances was ...
This paper describes Automatic Refueling Planning System (ARPS) for a nuclear power station using Genetic Algorithms (GA) and a Simulated Annealing (SA). ARPS has been developed and verified by applying to the Fugen nuclear power station (NPS), which is a 165MWe, heavy water-moderated, boiling light water-cooled, pressure tube-type reactor developed by JNC utilizing mainly uranium and plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. Fuel loading patterns have been managed independently in the Fugen NPS since the initial core. A planning of an adequate fuel loading pattern on each operational cycle needs one to two months even for expert core management engineers, for the reason that it has multi-objective optimization and nonlinear problems. In order to achieve the optimum fuel loading pattern and a fuel cost reduction, ARPS has been developed by JNC and CRC Solutions Corporation for the last five years. ARPS firstly generates several thousand fuel loading patterns with GA at ...
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Technical Cooperation Project on Reduction of Seismic Risk for Buildings and Structures started in Romania on October 1, 2002. The aim of the Project is to strengthen the capacity of earthquake disaster related activities in Romania. The Project approval is the result of four years of intensive efforts made by professionals from Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB), Ministry of Transport, Constructions and Tourism (MTCT), Romania, National Building Research Institute (INCERC) Bucharest, JICA, Building Research Institute (BRI), Tsukuba, and National Institute for Land, Infrastructure and Management (NILIM), Tsukuba, Japan. The duration of the Project is five years. The implementing agency is the National Center for Seismic Risk Reduction (NCSRR) as a public institution of national interest under MTCT. The activities are carried out by NCSRR in partnership with UTCB and INCERC. During the Project period, 29 young ...
In abnormal conditions, the operator's ability to deal with a large volume of data, and initiate the most appropriate remedial action is a fundamental concern in the design of energy control centers. Once a severe disruption has occurred in the power network, a series of tasks are required before the operator can make any decisions. Many of these functions involve computational efforts, and require a long period of processing time. The application of a wrong set of information by the operator may result in a catastrophic recovery situation. Also, as the system becomes larger, the required time for these tasks grows significantly and the operator may have very little time to analyze the contingency and issue a proper decision. These facts have led to the conclusion that a computer driven decision making mechanism will help the operator perform duties with minimum flaws and maximum efficiency. The challenge in applying an expert system to a power network is ...
Experts tend to disagree about the economic effects of air pollution abatement measures. This book, which addresses also non-experts, explains the analytical background on the basis of available data. The authors conclude that there is a wide range of political options for achieving the goal of air pollution abatement. They differentiate between the various levels of discussion and show how misinterpretations of scientific results come about, thus making an important contribution to a discussion that is based on facts rather than emotions. [German] Die Einschaetzungen zur wirtschaftlichen Bewertung von Klimaschutzmassnahmen, insbesondere zur Steigerung der Energieeffizienz, sind sehr widerspruechlich. Dieses Buch erlaeutert anhand von Zahlenmaterial die analytischen Hintergruende und ist auch fuer Nicht-Oekonomen verstaendlich geschrieben. Die Autoren kommen zu dem Schluss, dass in vielen Bereichen rentable Energiesparpotentiale nicht erkannt ...
This article concerns the synergetic effects between an MoO{sub 3} sample composed of crystallites exposing preferentially the (010) basal faces and {alpha}-Sb{sub 2}O{sub 4} in the oxygen-assisted dehydration of 2-butanol at 220 C. The conversion of 2-butanol and the yield to butene improved when MoO{sub 3} was reacted in the presence of {alpha}-Sb{sub 2}O{sub 4}. The origin of the synergism is discussed. When reacted in the absence of {alpha}-Sb{sub 2}O{sub 4}, MoO{sub 3} got over-reduced and fragmented to MoO{sub 2}. MoO{sub 2} is intrinsically less active than MoO{sub 3} thus explaining that the deep reduction of MoO{sub 3} corresponds to its tendency to deactivate. In the presence of {alpha}-Sb{sub 2}O{sub 4}, the formation of MoO{sub 2} is inhibited with, as a consequence, the absence of deactivation. This leads to the synergetic effects obtained with the mechanical mixture of MoO{sub 3} with {alpha}-Sb{sub 2}O{sub 4}. (orig.)
The purpose of the Utility Applications Program is to provide information and assistance to interested utilities on central station energy storage systems. Compressed air and underground pumped hydroelectric energy storage are the primary technical focus. Smaller utilities are the primary targets of this program, as they may not have resources to track and utilize new energy conservation developments. The program, initiated during this year-long period, consists of a series of tasks integrating and supporting energy storage implementation. Program management and technical coordination activities monitor the wide range of research ongoing both under government support and in industry and provide a locus for dissemination of results. Recently completed DOE demonstration studies provide the central data base and the DOE CAES and UPH Technology Program activities provide another major resource. In addition a UPH preliminary feasibility study in coorination with Central ...
The main objective of the present study is twofold: (i) to analyze thermal loads of the geothermally and passively heated solar greenhouses; and (ii) to investigate wind energy utilization in greenhouse heating which is modeled as a hybrid solar assisted geothermal heat pump and a small wind turbine system which is separately installed in the Solar Energy Institute of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. The study shows 3.13% of the total yearly electricity energy consumption of the modeled system (3568 kWh) or 12.53% of the total yearly electricity energy consumptions of secondary water pumping, brine pumping, and fan coil (892 kWh) can be met by using small wind turbine system (SWTS) theoretically. According to this result, modeled passive solar pre heating technique and combined with geothermal heat pump system (GHPS) and SWTS can be economically preferable to the conventional space heating/cooling systems used in agricultural and residential building heating ...
As the three-year period FY93-FY96 ended, there were six senior investigators on the grant full-time: Bulgac, Henley, Miller, Savage, van Kolck and Wilets. This represents an increase of two members from the previous three-year period, achieved with only a two percent increase over the budget for FY90-FY93. In addition, the permanent staff of the Institute for Nuclear Theory (George Bertsch, Wick Haxton, and David Kaplan) continued to be intimately associated with our physics research efforts. Aurel Bulgac joined the Group in September, 1993 as an assistant professor, with promotion requested by the Department and College of Arts and Sciences by September, 1997. Martin Savage, who was at Carnegie-Mellon University, jointed the Physics Department in September, 1996. U. van Kolck continued as research assistant professor, and we were supporting one postdoctoral research associate, Vesteinn Thorssen, who joined us in September, 1995. Seven ...
The LANL Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Office, established in October 1989, is faced with the challenge of assessing and cleaning up nearly 1,8000 potentially hazardous waste sites according to an aggressive corrective action schedule that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated on May 23, 1990, in a Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B Permit. To maximize program efficiency, the ER Program Office will implement a unique management approach designed to maximize the use of laboratory technical expertise. The Installation Work Plan, which provides a blueprint for the program, has been submitted to EPA for review and approval. A work plan for characterization of Technical Area 21, an early plutonium processing facility, is also nearing completion. The feasibility of an expedited cleanup of the Laboratory's worst hazardous waste release has been modelled using a computer code originally developed by LANL to assist the ...
Thin films of the protein, lysozyme, have been deposited by the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. Frozen targets of 0.3-1.0 wt.% lysozyme dissolved in ultrapure water were irradiated by laser light at 355 nm with a fluence of 2 J/cm{sup 2}. The surface quality of the thin lysozyme films of different thickness deposited on 7 mm x 7 mm Si-<1 0 0>-wafers was investigated with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Already at comparatively low thickness, {approx}20 nm, the substrate is covered by intact lysozyme molecules and fragments. The concentration of lysozyme in the ice matrix apparently does not play any significant role for the morphology of the film. The morphology obtained with MAPLE has been compared with results for direct laser irradiation of a pressed lysozyme sample (i.e. pulsed laser deposition (PLD))
In May 2002, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) signed Assistance Instrument Number DE-FC09-02CH11109 with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to support the Environmental Biosciences Program (EBP). This funding instrument replaces DOE Assistance Instrument Number DE-FC02-98CH10902. EBP is an integrated, multidisciplinary scientific program, employing a range of research initiatives to identify, study and resolve environmental health risk issues. These initiatives are consistent with the Medical University's role as a comprehensive state-supported health sciences institution and the nation's need for new and better approaches to the solution of a complex and expansive array of environment-related health problems. The intrinsic capabilities of a comprehensive health sciences institution enable the Medical University to be a national resource for the scientific investigation of environmental health issues. ...
Highly conductive biaxially textured RuO_2 thin films were deposited on technically important SiO_2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition, where yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) produced by ion-beam-assisted-deposition (IBAD) was used as a template to enhance the biaxial texture of RuO_2 on SiO_2/Si. The biaxially oriented RuO_2 had a room-temperature resistivity of 37 #mu##OMEGA#-cm and residual resistivity ratio above 2. We then deposited Ba_0_._5Sr_0_._5TiO_3 thin films on RuO_2/IBAD-YSZ/SiO_2/Si. The Ba_0_._5Sr_0_._5TiO_3 had a pure (111) orientation normal to the substrate surface and a dielectric constant above 360 at 100 kHz. copyright 1998 Materials Research Society.
This paper describes potentials on fuel economy and NO{sub x} exhaust emissions of a series hybrid urban bus system equipped with a ceramic gas turbine engine (CGT). The simulating program developed in-house was used to analyze influences of several parameters of each main components of the hybrid vehicle system on the performance of the bus running on the modified bus driving cycle. The basic data used in this analysis for a CGT was derived from the results of 'the Automotive 100kW CGT Project' of Japan. A dynamic response of a CGT-Generator rotating system was very much improved by introducing of 'Assisting system' in which the generator was used as an acceleration-deceleration assisting device when much acceleration or deceleration was needed. This system would make a CGT operate along the optimum operating line (fuel minimum line) even under the unsteady driving conditions. This analysis showed that the ...
Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) is an effective technique for reliable transmission of packets in wireless networks. In ARQ, however, only a few erroneous bits in a packet will cause the entire packet to be discarded at the receiver. In this case, it's wasteful to retransmit the correct bit in the received packet. The partial packet recovery only retransmits the unreliable decoded bits in order to increase the throughput of network. In addition, the cooperative transmission based on Interleave-division multiple-access (IDMA) can obtain diversity gains with multiple relays with different locations for multiple sources simultaneously. By exploring the diversity from the channel between relay and destination, we propose a relay-assisted partial packet recovery in CDMA wireless network to improve the performance of throughput. In the proposed scheme, asynchronous IDMA iterative chip-by-chip multiuser detection is utilized as a method of multiple partial recovery, which ...
Experience of the Westinghouse Water Reactors Division with indoctrination and training of quality engineers includes training of personnel from Westinghouse divisions in the USA and overseas as well as of customers' personnel. A written plan is prepared for each trainee in order to fit the training to the individual's needs, and to cover the full range of information and activities. The trainee is also given work assignments, working closely with experienced quality engineers. He may prepare inspection plans and audit check lists, assist in the preparation of QA training modules, write procedures, and perform supplier surveillance and data analyses, or make special studies of operating systems. The trainee attends seminars and special courses on work-related technical subjects. Throughout the training period, emphasis is placed on inculcating an attitude of team work in the trainee so that the result of the training is the achievement of both quality and ...
There has been a growing interest in new laser systems for use at mid-infra-red wavelengths, driven by requirements for a number of diverse applications. Developments in mid-IR coating technology are following three major thrusts. In the first, the potential of ion-assisted process is being exploited and the technology is already becoming well established in the optical coating industry. In the second, the benefits of using gas-phase precursors are being explored, driven by the potential of avoiding the generation of second phase inclusion in the coatings with associated reduction in laser damage threshold. Research is also addressing the use of nanocomposite materials with an engineered microstructure to produce coatings with dielectric properties of choice. This paper presents a review of progress in some of these areas with special emphasis on the comparison of the properties of materials at DF laser wavelengths. Evidence is presented which suggests that laser ...
Focused ion beam (FIB) milling is a powerful and versatile tool for the maskless fabrication of structures and devices at micro- and nanometer scales. The approach is based on the milling and deposition capabilities of a focused ion beam, where the latter is achieved by ion-beam-assisted decomposition of a metalorganic gas precursor of the specific material that has to be deposited. The combination of FIB and scanning electron microscopy in the same unit (so-called dual-beam unit) further expands the capabilities of the approach by the possibility of performing electron-beam-assisted deposition and inspection. Permalloy nanowires with electrical contacts patterned by FIB-Pt deposition were prepared in the dual-beam unit. Various types of notches to pin magnetic domain walls were additionally fabricated by means of FIB. The fabrication parameters for a structural modification of the Permalloy structures without too strongly affecting the ...
The optical properties and microstructure of germanium (Ge) films, prepared by ion-assisted deposition (IAD) process, were investigated. The Ge films were deposited on sapphire and silicon substrates, with and without simultaneous Ar+ bombardment. Higher index films, with a refractive index 7.7% larger than that of the single crystalline Ge wafer, were obtained with the IAD process. The density of the IAD film could be 1.5% greater than that of the e-beam film. The results of the heat treatment indicated that the optical and structural properties of the IAD films were more stable. Ge nano-crystallites could be observed under high ion power density, which induced a crystalline structure in the Ge thin films. The average size of the nano-crystallites, as determined from both the X-ray diffraction data and the transmission electron microscopy images, showed that no systematic change had occurred. The results presented in this work suggest that the optical and ...
Indicators are important tools for communicating and making accessible scientific and technical information to policymakers and the general public. They therefore play an important role in transforming information into action. Worldwide, many initiatives are underway to construct indicators for a variety of purposes, including those for reporting on sustainable development. This paper briefly describes the attempts made so far, but stresses that the users of the indicators should play a greater role in indicator construction. In developing countries, a substantial lack of data has meant that specific policy formulation may develop without adequate technical input. In developed countries also, data gaps may hinder policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. However, the development of indicators as tools to assist in the management of hazardous wastes and toxic chemicals is still in the early stages of formulation. A more imaginative program of indicators ...
In-reactor testing of bolt-loaded compact tension specimens was performed in 360 C water. New data confirms previous results that high irradiation levels reduce SCC resistance in Alloy X-750. Low boron heats show improved IASCC (irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking). Alloy 625 is resistant to IASCC. Microstructural, microchemical, and deformation studies were carried out. Irradiation of X-750 caused significant strengthening and ductility loss associated with formation of cavities and dislocation loops. High irradiation did not cause segregation in X-750. Irradiation of 625 resulted in formation of small dislocation loops and a fine body-centered-orthorhombic phase. The strengthening due to loops and precipitates was apparently offset in 625 by partial dissolution of #gamma# precipitates. Transmutation of boron to helium at grain boundaries, coupled with matrix strengthening, is believed to be responsible for IASCC in X-750, and the absence of these two ...
Gas Distribution Companies have long paid great attention to improving the quality of gas supply service to the consumer. This has involved them in an on-going attempt to successfully define and establish a clear computer assisted replacement programme which, when drawn up on a reliability basis, may also prove cost effective. The reasons which drive any gas line replacement programme are mainly related to the necessity: to improve the gas network asset so as to face a striking expected growth in gas demand; to refurbish old distribution systems with the purpose not only to increase the reliability and continuity of gas supply but also to reduce the rate of maintenance costs due to frequent repair works; to prevent the possibility of massive replacement works for a progressing ageing of the network. This paper will present the computer assisted procedure being implemented by Italgas. It ranks well defined network areas which urgently need ...
A Bragg waveguide consisting of multiple dielectric layers with alternating index of refraction becomes an excellent option to form electron accelerating structure powered by high power laser sources. It provides confinement of a synchronous speed-of-light mode with extremely low loss. However, laser field can not be coupled into the structure collinearly with the electron beam. There are three requirements in designing input coupler for a Bragg electron accelerator: side-coupling, selective mode excitation, and high coupling efficiency. We present a side coupling scheme using a distributed grating-assisted coupler to inject the laser power into the waveguide. Side coupling is achieved by a grating with a period on the order of an optical wavelength. The phase matching condition results in resonance coupling thus providing selective mode excitation capability. The coupling efficiency is limited by profile matching between the outgoing beam and the incoming beam, ...
The goal of this project was to develop a new technology for preparing samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on the basis of ion fine beam processing. For this purpose processes of ion-beam-assisted removal (sputtering), separation, sample handling and ion-beam-assisted chemical etching as well of system-inherent components were examined. As an alternative to a Ga-source a liquid-metal ion source based on a AuGeSi alloy was developed, characterised and used in the FIB 4400. [German] Aufgabe des Projektes war die Entwicklung einer neuen Technologie zur Probenpraeparation fuer die Transmissions-Elektronenmikroskopie (TEM) auf der Basis der Ionenfeinstrahlbearbeitung. Dazu wurden Prozesse der ionenstrahlgestuetzten Abtragung (Sputtern), der Abscheidung, des Probenhandling, des ionenstrahlgestuetzten chemischen Aetzens sowie systemeigener Komponenten untersucht. Als Alternative zur Ga-Quelle wurde eine Fluessigmetall-Ionenquelle auf ...
Cerebral angiography, pneumoencephalography, and radioisotope brain scan with their differing diagnostic abilities have provided the neurologist and neurosurgeon with extremely valuable diagnostic techniques. It is doubtful, however, if any of these now conventional methods had the enormous impact on the practice of neurology that computer assisted axial tomography (C.A.T.) is beginning to have. Here, for the first time, is a test which, without significant risk or discomfort, can demonstrate some normal intracranial (and intraorbital) structures, can demonstrate some normal intracranial pathology and, in many cases, can make the potentially dangerous contrast studies unnecessary. After only a few months experience with C.A.T. in a clinical setting, it has become obvious that there will have to be a reappraisal of the accepted investigative work-up of many conditions. While it is too early to have formulated strict criteria for the use of C.A.T., this paper is an ...
The nanosized luminescent Tb-MCM-41 (1:10) is synthesized by means of sol-gel-assisted self-assembly under basic conditions at room temperature. The results of "2"9Si-MAS NMR and XRD prove that Tb"3"+ doped Si-O framework. The HRTEM image shows that the regular uniform particles with a diameter of 10 nm possess ultralarge pore with diameter 2.0 nm, which is consistent with the result of N_2 adsorption. The BET surface area and porosity of Tb-MCM-41 (1:10) are 1127 m"2/g and 0.84 cm"3/g, respectively. The patterns of selected-area electron diffraction and XRD of Tb-MCM-41 (1:10) show an Fm3m space group in the cubic. FT-IR results show that the peaks near 970 cm"-"1 are assigned to the deformation vibration of silanol group. The as-products are calcined at 800 deg. C and the mesoporous materials possess enormous specific areas and large porosity, it shows that the mesoporous materials are ultrastable.
Experience in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility has led to an increased understanding of the prominent role male factors play in many couples' inability to conceive. While many forms of male factor infertility are amenable to treatment, for some patients there is no corrective therapy available. For this reason, a great deal of attention has been focused on developing technologies for semen processing and sperm utilization in cases of decreased semen quality. One area of research is the development of more sophisticated methods of assessing sperm function, as well as methods of sperm preparation. Progress is also being made in the application of technologies such as intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization in the treatment of male factor infertility. Such developments have improved prospects for fertility among patients suffering from decreased semen quality, as well as those suffering from such disorders as ejaculatory failure and congenital vasal agenesis. ...
Solid solution-strengthened nickel base alloys have been used for nuclear stream generator tubing in pressurized water reactors since the beginnings of commercial nuclear power. The purpose of this paper is to recap and update the authors understanding of the relationship between processing, resulting structure, and properties for Alloy 600 and to discuss the requirements for optimized performance in both primary and secondary environments. Potential replacement materials and their performance will be discussed. Also discussed is the role and importance of system chemistry, bulk and local, and control and its relationship to performance. A discussion of potential mechanisms of environmentally assisted failure is also discussed.
Solid solution-strengthened nickel base alloys have been used for nuclear stream generator tubing in pressurized water reactors since the beginnings of commercial nuclear power. The purpose of this paper is to recap and update the authors understanding of the relationship between processing, resulting structure, and properties for Alloy 600 and to discuss the requirements for optimized performance in both primary and secondary environments. Potential replacement materials and their performance will be discussed. Also discussed is the role and importance of system chemistry, bulk and local, and control and its relationship to performance. A discussion of potential mechanisms of environmentally assisted failure is also discussed.
Results are reported of photoemission studies using laser pulses of 10 ps duration and 4.66 eV photon energy on metal cathodes. These included thin wires, flat surfaces and an yttrium cathode with a grainy surface. The measurements of current density and quantum efficiency under low and high surface fields indicate that field assisted efficiencies exceeding 0.1% and current densities exceeding 10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ are obtainable. The results are compared to the requirements of switch power applications. 24 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.
Thermophotovoltaics is the science and technology associated with the direct generation of electricity from high temperature heat. Potential applications include combined heat and power, portable and auxiliary power, radioisotope space power, industrial waste heat recovery and concentrated solar power. This book aims at serving as an introduction to the underlying theory, overview of present day components and system arrangements, and update of the latest developments in the field. The emphasis is placed on the understanding of the critical aspects of efficient thermophotovoltaic system design. The aim is to assist researchers in the field. (orig.)
Computer assisted energy-spectral analyses were obtained on EEG recordings of unilateral non-dominant hemisphere ECT-induced seizures using the different pre-ECT anesthetic agents methohexital (Brevital), Innovar, and ketamine (Ketalar). The previously postulated predominance of electrical energy over the stimulated (right) hemisphere early in ECT-induced seizures is confirmed. There appears to be marked reduction in total seizure energy with methohexital anesthesia, whereas ketamine anesthesia appears to be associated with increased overall seizure energy. The greatest right to left energy transfer during the seizure occurred with Innovar anesthesia. PMID:7172456
Advanced techniques for focused-ion-beam (FIB) device modification have been developed for complex, multistep modifications to circuitry on planar chip technology. Applying gas-assisted etching (GAE) techniques for high-aspect-ratio milling and the selective milling of both conductive and insulating films enhances process latitude. Localized ion-beam-induced deposition of an insulating film provides reconstructive capability in previously modified areas. The application of both techniques for complex device modification on VSLI devices fabricated with CMOS process technology is reviewed. (UK).
During the design process, designers have to define the structure of their product while considering its functional definition. This design phase remains little assisted for designers. In addition, as numerous options can be considered for the end of life of a product (reuse, remanufacturing, recycling,) it becomes more difficult to obtain a compromise concerning the final structure of the product. In this paper, we will show how the use of virtual reality helps designers to transform the functional definition of the product into the design of its structure, during the conceptual design phase. The developed example will concern the design of a bathroom scale.
The U.S. Support Program to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards (USSP) was established in 1977 to transfer US technology and expertise to assist the IAEA Department of Safeguards because its limited budget and scope would not allow for R&D activities and the procurement of specialized or customized equipment. Over the years, the USSP and the Department of Safeguards have worked together continuously to develop and improve processes for requesting, selecting, and managing projects that support the Safeguards verification mission. This paper will discuss the main USSP processes for accepting and processing Safeguards requests, and managing and reporting task progress.
A stochastic analysis is presented of the probability of overtopping of a dam. The discussion is based on the case of a dam for a small water storage reservoir which has recently been constructed in the Saar district in the FRG. The problem is first solved by means of a simulation method. However, it is possible to describe the result of the sumulation method by means of a much simpler model which is based on a solution of the failure integral of Freudenthal for uncorrelated resistances and loads. It is shown that the actual safety of this dam against overtopping is extremely sensitive to both the operation rule for the reservoir, and the freeboard allowance. Some general conclusions are derived from this study for assisting in the ongoing discussion of dam safety. (6 figs, 1 tab, 7 refs)
The author points out that errors in certain measurements are preventing improvements in coke: thermocouples (errors caused by the thermocouple installation and variations in the temperature of the cold junctions); dilatometers (errors caused by size of heating block and differences in starting temperature led to differences between two instruments); errors in measuring the bulk density of the coking charge. The elimination of these sources of error in determinations of the technological and physical properties of coke oven charge should assist in the study of other problems which are delaying improvements in blast furnace coke production.
A new analysis is developed for long secondary photocurrent transients which gives the distribution of trapped holes in valence band tail states. Thermally assisted tunneling to dangling bonds is implicated as the rate limiting step in hole-recombination. Light-soaking causes the energetically deeper hole traps with the longer residence times to be lost first and in the same number as would be expected for the increase in dangling bonds; This result supports a model which has hole trapping in valence tail states as a precursor to light induced dangling bonds.
A catalytic trap oxidizer based on a radial flow metal mesh filter was developed for use as an after treatment device on light-duty diesel vehicles. A complete system for assisted regeneration was devised to enable this unit to operate without blocking during all normal driving modes. The integration of the catalyzed trap and regeneration system with the vehicle to provide a practical system for the reduction of diesel particulate emissions is discussed. To date, many prototype catalytic trap and regeneration system installations have been completed on various test vehicles, both naturally aspirated and turbocharged. The operational conditions and test results from a selection of these studies are presented.
Extensive experimental and analytical investigations of fluid flow and heat transfer in gas-cooled rod bundles have been carried out. Different bundle geometries with partially or fully roughened rod surfaces were tested in a carbon dioxide loop. An advanced and comprehensive measuring control and instrumentation are important design features of this experiment. Comprehensive thermal hydraulic subchannel analysis computer codes have been developed in order to assist fuel element design calculation for gas-cooled reactors. The experiments, codes and their verification procedure are described and the results of comparisons between measured and calculated pressure and temperature distributions are given. (orig.).
Microwave Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) Plasma assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology has been used to prepare Si_3N_4 films, which were analyzed by using infrared (IR) transmission spectroscopy and XPS. The analysis results show that with the increase of the deposition temperature, the H content decrease, and the densification of the film increases. When the temperature is up to 360 degree C, the stoichiometrical rate of Si:N is close to 0.75. The protective property of Si_3N_4 films is also examined
The top-color assisted technicolor (TC2) mode predicts the existence of a pair of charged top-pions $\\pi^{\\pm}_t$. In this paper, we study the production of the charged top-pions pair $\\pi^{\\pm}_t$ at next generation $\\gamma\\gamma$ colliders. The results show that the production rates can reach the level of $10^2$ fb with reasonable parameter space. With a large number of events and the clean background, the charged top-pion should be observable at the $\\gamma\\gamma$ colliders. Therefore, our studies can help us to search for charged top-pion, and furthermore, to test the TC2 model.
To assist the Department of Energy (DOE) in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, the National Low-Level Waste Management Program (NLLWMP) outlines the key activities tat the NLLWMP will accomplish in the following fiscal year. Additional activities are added during the fiscal year as necessary to accomplish programmatic goals. This report summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the NLLWMP during Fiscal Year 1996.
The technology based portion of the Advanced Turbine Systems Program (ATS) contains several subelements which address generic technology issues for land-based gas-turbine systems. One subelement is the Materials/ Manufacturing Technology Program which is coordinated by DOE Oak Ridge Operations and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The work in this subelement is being performed predominantly by industry with assistance from universities and the national laboratories. Projects in this sub-element are aimed toward hastening the incorporation of new materials and components in gas turbines.
A new lens was installed in the laser; the laser power was lowered and solar cells were made at different power levels. The concentration of the silver neodecanoate solution was changed to reduce linewidth. A cell fabrication run was completed using low-resistivity float-zone silicon. Experiments were initiated to investigate the use of titanium organometallic film, which not only forms an AR coating with a 400/sup 0/C hard bake, but may also help in bypassing front-metal evaporation because of high-reactivity of Ti with silicon. Progress in these areas is discussed.
Knowledge integration is the process of incorporating new information into a body of existing knowledge. It involves determining how new and existing knowledge interact and how existing knowledge should be modified to accommodate the new information. KI is a machine learning program that performs knowledge integration. Through actively investigating the interaction of new information with existing knowledge KI is capable of detecting and exploiting a variety of diverse learning opportunities during a single learning episode. Empirical evaluation suggests that KI provides significant assistance to knowledge engineers while integrating new information into a large knowledge base.
The quality of the end product from andrology services continues to lack consistency and in some cases fails to meet the needs of the end users (patients or clinicians). Results of external quality assessment (EQA) schemes continue to show unacceptably wide variation for the results of a single specimen. Some laboratories are able to show that the results of semen analyses relate to both natural and assisted pregnancy and are therefore useful in the management of the infertile couple, whereas others claim that their value is limited to the identification of severe male factor infertility. With wide variation in standardisation of methodology, levels of staff training and quality assurance, it is entirely understandable that such discrepancies persist. The following article proposes that Qu...
Trevor Keel speaks to Cara Sutton, Assistant Commissioning Editor Within the World Gold Council's technology sector, Trevor Keel is responsible for a range of activities in relation to the development of new gold-based technologies. He has particular interest in the use of gold in the fields of medicine and diagnostics, catalysis and nanotechnology. Previously, Trevor was a principal chemist at GlaxoSmithKline where he was involved in numerous New Chemical Entity projects. Dr Keel has an extensive knowledge of nanotechnology, having completed a PhD in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology at the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
The Knowledge Associates for Novel Intelligence (KANI) system provides a collection of automated 'associates' to actively support and participate in the information analysis task. In this paper, we describe the Information Integration Associate (IIA), which facilitates analyst interaction with underlying KANI reasoning and extraction associates and provides an interactive representation of the analytic process. We focus on features of the IIA that guide communication between the user and the KANI system in a way that ensures mutual understanding of the analytic task being performed, the capabilities of the system to assist the user, and the status of any reasoning and extraction conducted on behalf of the user by the KANI system.
Infrared (IR, 880 nm) stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal was observed from quartz at room temperature. The characteristics of the signal such as its response to {gamma}-ray irradiation, thermal stability and thermal assistance energy show that the signal originates from different traps than those responsible for the luminescence signal stimulated by green light (GL, 514 nm). The IRSL signal's short lifetime (18 days at 15 deg. C) may have been the reason why it was not detected in previous experiments. The decay of the IR signal after GL illumination was observed. The thermoluminescence at 76 deg. C was enhanced after IR illumination.
The polymerization of vinyl pyrrolidinone on nylon 66, with the assistance of aqueous phenol and formic acid, was investigated by mutual and post irradiation procedures. Both solvents were found to greatly facilitate the polymerization with the post irradiation procedure, whereas neither presented any advantage with the mutual irradiation procedure. Tensile properties of the modified fibers were affected in similar ways by both the irradiation procedures and solvents in that the only notable changes were the somewhat higher extensions at yield and at break. The moisture regain values of the treated yarns and fabrics were increased up to three-fold. Surface morphology of the modified fibers was revealed by SEM.
... (restricted)] 406-419 E-auction in China: the case of Taobao by June Lu & Lu-Zhuang Wang & Chun-Sheng Yu [Downloadable! (restricted)] 420-441 The risks of business process outsourcing: a two-fold assessment in the German banking industry by Heiko Gewald & Jochen Franke [Downloadable! (restricted)] 442-459 Prediction of corporate financial health by Artificial Neural Network by Sumit Chakraborty & Sushil K. Sharma [Downloadable! (restricted)] 460-472 The development and performance evaluation of a Continuous Auditing Assistance System by ...
This report--the forty-fifth of a series--is a compendium of monthly progress reports for the ORNL research and development programs that are in support of the increased utilization of coal and other fossil fuel alternatives to oil and gas as sources of clean energy. The projects reported this month include those for coal conversion process development, materials engineering, alkali metal vapor topping cycles, a coal equipment test program, an AFB coal combustor for cogeneration (CCC), engineering and support studies, process and program assistance, evironmental assessment studies, magnetic beneficiation, and AFBC demonstration plant.
In January, 1985, the Government of Thailand sought assistance from the United States Trade and Development Program (USTDP) to undertake a feasibility study to review and update the solid waste management master plan, with particular emphasis to be placed on waste disposal methods. In April, 1985, the USTDP engaged the firm of Engineering and Economic Research, Inc. to carry out a definitional/prefeasibility study to assess the potential of a project for solid waste management and energy production using municipal solid waste as fuel.
This study does not recommend the use of a pressure vessel made of integral stainless steel, due to the failure mechanisms under stress corrosion assisted by chlorides or polythionic acid. Are presented case studies of literature and analysis of reports of proceedings of RLAM reactors, showing that the materials produced by bimetallic clad overlay or are more appropriate, in terms of integrity, for use in equipment that the internal environment requires austenitic stainless steel specification.
The Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) is government-owned, government-operated, and programmatically under the DOE Office of Environmental Management. The Laboratory is administered by the Chicago Operations Office. EML provides program management, technical assistance and data quality assurance for measurements of radiation and radioactivity relating to environmental restoration, global nuclear nonproliferation, and other priority issues for the Department of Energy, as well as for other government, national, and international organizations. This report presents the technical activities and accomplishments of EML for Fiscal Year 1998.
The brochure contains information about the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. This law establishes a structure at the state and local levels to assist communities in planning for chemical emergencies and requires facilities to provide information on various chemicals present in the community. The Act requires that this information be made available to the public. One of the requirements concerns the reporting of annual releases of toxic chemicals to the air, water, and land. These provisions are outlined in Section 313 which mandates annual release reporting for over 300 chemicals.
In this research a sol-gel auto-combustion route has been proposed to synthesize strontium hexaferrite nanopowder, using metal nitrates, ammonia as pH adjusting agent, n-decyltrimethylammonium bromide as a cationic surfactant and different fuels such as citric acid, glycine, acetylacetone and oxalic acid. The formation temperature of strontium hexaferrite and its crystallite size in presence of different fuels were compared together. The results showed the lowest formation temperature as well as the smallest crystallite size in the presence of citric acid as 900degreeC and 37.3nm respectively.
Renewable energy systems (RES) are unique among energy supply systems because their performance and design depends entirely on the location and climatic conditions. As a result of design options, user requirements and local climatic conditions, there are enormous variations between RES. This paper describes a method how to evaluate the data on monitored renewable energy systems (RES) in such a way that the operating conditions and performance of individual components and the system as a whole can be analysed and compared. It shows how categories of similar use can be defined and recommendations for each category can be made to assist in the selection of the most suitable products. (orig.)
Unit one of Daya Bay, China's first nuclear power plant was officially opened in February 1994. The nuclear island has been built by Framatome and is an improved version of the Gravelines 5 and 6, 900MWe Pressurized Water Reactors. Extra seismic protection has been included because of greater earthquake risk. The heat exchanger capacity has also been increased as the sea cooling water can be at 30"oC. The technical specifications and details of the fuel loading are given. The technical assistance, management and training of Chinese personnel are discussed. Two further units may be built if Daya Bay 1 is successful. (UK).
In recent years, several groups, including the physician assistant, health information management, ophthalmic medical technician/technologist, and athletic training review committees, have left the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) system to form their own, profession-specific accrediting bodies. Their motivation was typically a desire for greater professional visibility and autonomy. Combined, these professions represented one third of the CAAHEP's programs. This article reviews the history of allied health and examines current attempts to bring cohesion and identity to this increasingly fractured segment of the U.S. health care system. PMID:18444439
As the new entrants in the global nuclear construction market are increasing and the establishment of an effective and sustainable regulatory infrastructure becomes more important, they have requested international assistance from the international nuclear communities with mature nuclear regulatory programmes. It needs to optimize the use of limited resources from regulatory organization providing support to regulatory infrastructure of new comers. This paper suggests the resource portfolio concept like a GE/Mckinsey Matrix used in business management and tries to apply it to the current needs considered in the regulatory support program in Korea as the case study
For users and manufacturers affected by unwanted electrostatic discharges, the publication of standards concerning the control of such discharges is a great improvement and helps to prevent unwanted electrostatic discharges in potentially explosive atmospheres as well as around electrostatically sensitive devices. There are, for instance, handbook-like documents giving recommendations to help set up effective electrostatic suppressing measures and programs. Another group of standards focuses on certain products and processes and is, thus, more specific. A third group deals with test methods and specifications to help manufacturers develop products that are safe. It also helps in comparisons with other products and thus meets the customer's real needs. To assist manufacturers and customers ...
The accident assessment under emergency situation includes the accident status evaluation and its consequence estimation. This paper introduces evaluation methods for accident status and its assistant computer system (SESAME-GNP) utilized during the emergency situation in Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (GNPS) in detail. At the same time, an improved accident consequence estimation system in GNPS (RACAS-GNP) is briefly described. With the improvement of the accident assessment systems, the capability of emergency response in GNPS is strengthened
The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and The Leadership Studio have collaborated to create a one-of-a-kind Executive Coaching Resource Center for nurse leaders and their teams. This resource-designed specifically for AONE members-is a one-stop web-based library developed to assist nurse leaders who want to learn more about utilizing executive coaching services. It focuses on the overall benefits of coaching for nurse leaders-both tangible and intangible-and provides return on investment information for executive coaching based on the most current research.
One of the main problems related to optical thin film materials used in high power laser environments is the catastrophic damage caused to them due to laser irradiation. While the influence of ion bombardment on the optical properties of oxide thin films is now a well understood subject, the morphology and crystalline behaviour of these films under ion incidence is not so well studied. Hence, it is of great importance to investigate the effects of ion bombardment during growth on the microstructure and crystalline behaviour of oxide materials.
This article describes the design and implementation of an online diabetes self-management intervention for a sample of inner-city African Americans with diabetes. Study participants were randomly assigned to the treatment (26) and control (21) conditions. The results indicate that treatment group participants were more likely to achieve positive outcomes in terms of lowered hemoglobin A1c and body mass index measurements than were control group members. These findings support the development of telehealth interventions to promote effective chronic disease management in medically underserved communities.
Recent rapid growth in mobile computing technologies enables telemedicine applications to operate on mobile devices. Our focus is on the design of an integrated electrocardiogram (ECG) beat detector on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) platform for the health screening process. The ECG beat detector module will be supported by the PDA version of Personal Health Information Management System (PHIMS) and Facilitated Accurate Referral Management System (FARMS) through wireless network infrastructure as a home-based mobile cardiac monitoring solution. PMID:17282192
The photopumped phonon-assisted laser operation (612 nm, 77 K) of a high-gapIn/sub 1/minus//ital y//(Al/sub /ital x//Ga/sub 1/minus//ital x//)/sub /ital y//P quantum wellheterostructure (QWH) lattice matched to GaAs (/ital y/approx.0.5) is identified usinga single rectangular sample that is shifted in its heat sinking from (a) low/ital Q/ when clamped onto Au (bare edges) to (b) high /ital Q/ when furthercompressed into Au with all four edges reflecting. For the low-/ital Q/ QWH samplephotopumped in a spot (partially photopumped), phonon-assisted laser operation(abrupt threshold, narrow spectrum) is observed on closely spaced end-to-endlaser modes ..delta../ital E/=/h bar/..omega../sub LO/approx.45--47 meV below the lowestconfined-particle transitions. For the /ital same/ sample shifted tohigh /ital Q/, edge-to-edge laser operation across the sample on confined-particletransitions is ''turned on'' also, thus ...
Nature of tube degradation was studied in support of horizontal steam generator lifetime calculations. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the resistance to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of steam generator tubes during operation. Estimations of the incubation period for crack initiation and the threshold K value, K(ISCC), and the crack growth rate were made to predict evolution of damage in tube walls. Experimental results were compared with in-service inspections experience. The paper summarizes results of experiments of C ring specimen for the initiation testing and results of SENT (single edge notch tensile) specimen for the crack growth rate (CGR) testing. The specimens were exposed to concentrated environments at elevated temperatures simulating crevice environments in secondary side crevices in horizontal steam generators. The results show that material of SG (steam generator) tubes is sensitive to transgranular environmentally ...
Nature of tube degradation was studied in support of horizontal steam generator lifetime calculations. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the resistance to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of steam generator tubes during operation. Estimations of the incubation period for crack initiation and the threshold K value, K(ISCC), and the crack growth rate were made to predict evolution of damage in tube walls. Experimental results were compared with in-service inspections experience. The paper summarizes results of experiments of C ring specimen for the initiation testing and results of SENT (single edge notch tensile) specimen for the crack growth rate (CGR) testing. The specimens were exposed to concentrated environments at elevated temperatures simulating crevice environments in secondary side crevices in horizontal steam generators. The results show that material of SG (steam generator) tubes is sensitive to transgranular environmentally ...
This guide is one of the actions following from the recommendations of the Thermie B project that aimed to support the development of a new European Integrated Clean Coal (CCT) Program concept (STR - 1121 - 96), November 1998. The concept aimed to enhance the market deployment of EU CCTs. This guide is prepared for EU industry to help them finding support for their CCT exports to the target markets. The guide will include easy accessible information on the most relevant EC-programs and is intended as a practical tool for EU CCT industry, to assist them in identifying and selecting the export support and programs best able to support their specific export assistance. The guide is a manual (signpost) through the 'jungle of assistance' and therefore does not include extensive information on application procedures, since this kind of information can be easily obtained, once the relevant program is identified. ...
This report summarizes work performed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) on fatigue and environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) in light water reactors (LWRs) during the six months from October 1993 to March 1994. EAC and fatigue of piping, pressure vessels, and core components in LWRs are important concerns in operating plants and as extended reactor lifetimes are envisaged. Topics that have been investigated include (a) fatigue of low-alloy steel used in piping, steam generators, and reactor pressure vessels, (b) EAC of wrought and cast austenitic stainless steels (SSs), and (c) radiation-induced segregation and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of Type 304 SS after accumulation of relatively high fluence. Fatigue tests have been conducted on A302-Gr B low-alloy steel to verify whether the current predictions of modest decreases of fatigue life in simulated pressurized water reactor water are valid for high-sulfur heats ...
Section 7 of the Atomic Energy Act (AtG), section 4 of the Federal Emission Control Act (BImSchG), the Nuclear Installations Licensing Ordinance (AtVfV), and the Ninth Ordinance on the Implementation of the BImSchG (Principles of the licensing procedure) require participation of the public in the procedure before administrative provisions or decisions are issued. The book presents the legally prescribed steps at which participation of the public is mandatory, for the simple case (only one license on the agenda), and for the multi-stage licensing procedure: preliminary negotiations / filling of applications for a license and filing of documents / public announcement of projects / access to files / objections / preclusion of delayed objections / public hearing and other expert discussions / termination of procedure, decision-making by the authorities / decisions on subdivision of procedure into defined stages / modification of the procedure. The analysis of the ...
A one-year technology-transfer project involving ERDA installations and Hawaii consisted of sending teams from the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory on week-long field trips every two months to test the effectiveness of different methods of transferring technology information from federal sources to civilian clients. The team was questioned primarily on non-energy matters, and the energy questions asked related mostly to individuals or small industries. The team responed to all questions and found that a wide range of knowledge was more effective than having a sequence of experts. Hawaiians considered current major ERDA projects to be irrelevant to their needs. The team was most successful on a one-to-one basis because large groups and state agencies tend to be more policy- than action-oriented. Personal followup was considered essential. The team also learned that their visits generated ten times as many inquiries as were received unsolicited by the laboratory. Most ...