Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper is a quarterly report describing the use of a new soil gas collection device which allows the collection of soil gas in the field for later analysis in the laboratory. It describes the installation of this sampling device and the procedure for setting the probe, extraction of soil gas beneath the surface, and sealing of the soil gas for transport. The sites used for initial testing was the top of Yucca Mountain and Crystal Spring in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The results from this initial test showed no volatile matter present in the soil at these locations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The behavior of MEMS devices is limited by the strength of critical features such as thin ligaments, oxide cuts joining layers, pin joints and hinges. Devices fabricated at Sandia's Microelectronic Development Laboratory have been successfully tested to investigate these features. A series of measurements were performed on samples with gage lengths of 15 to 1000 microns, using conventional and tungsten coated samples as well as samples that include the critical features of standard components in the test section. Specimens have a freely moving pin joint on one end that anchors the sample to the silicon die to allow rotation to reduce effects of bending. Each sample is loaded in uniaxial tension by pulling laterally with a flat tipped diamond in a computer-controlled Nanoindenter. Load is calculated by resolving the measured lateral ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The proposed portable device is suitable for radon surveys in water-bearing strata. It allows a complete transfer in activated charcoal canisters of radon dissolved in water collected with a 0.61 bottle. The detection is performed in laboratory with a low background {gamma}-ray spectrometer utilizing 3{sup x}3{sup N}aI({tau}I) scintillator only after about ten hours. This time is necessary to let radon be uniformly distributed within the activated charcoal.

Science.gov (United States)

The MonoPrep Pap Test (MPPT; MonoGen, Lincolnshire, IL) is a novel, liquid-based specimen collection and processing technology for cytologic and molecular testing. Its usefulness in the detection of cervical cancer and its precursors was evaluated in a multicenter, masked, adjudicated, split-sample study of 10,739 samples. After preparation of a conventional smear, the residuum on the collection device was rinsed into a collection vial from which an MPPT slide was prepared. Accuracy was assessed by masked reference interpretation by an independent pathologist. Slides prepared by MPPT, compared with smears, yielded statistically significant increases in relative sensitivity for atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and worse, atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion/atypical glandular cells and worse, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

The identification of crystallographic phases in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been limited by the lack of a simple way to obtain electron diffraction data of an unknown while observing the micro structure of the specimen. With the development of Charge Coupled Device (CCD) based detectors, backscattered electron Kikuchi patterns (BEKP), alternately referred to as electron backscattered diffraction patterns (EBSP), can be easily collected. Previously, BEKP has been limited to crystallographic orientation studies due to the poor pattern quality collected with video rate detector systems. With CCD detectors, a typical BEKP can now be acquired from a micron or sub-micron-sized crystal using an exposure time of 1-10 seconds with an accelerating voltage of 10-40 kV and a beam current as low as 0.1 nA. Crystallographic phase analysis using BEKP is unique in that the properly equipped SEM permits high magnification ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

To diagnose asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV), self-sampled vaginal smears were collected during a study of risk factors for preterm birth in African American women. More than 90% of those...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A relational database capable of storing and manipulating the large volumes of data on air toxic metals has been developed for the Center for Air Toxic Metals at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) of the University of North Dakota. The database provides information to researchers, managers, and operations personnel to aid in their decision making and long-term planning of issues related to air toxic metals. A personal computer-based graphical user interface is used to access the data located on a UNIX workstation at the EERC. With security codes and software issued by the EERC and an Internet service provider in place, the database can be accessed externally through the Internet. Currently the database contains over 3000 analytical measurements from nine full-scale systems and several bench-scale operations. Data are available on gas, solid, and liquid stream samples as well as relevant engineering parameters, including process data. Data will be ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The individuality of production devices should be taken into account when statistical models are designed for parallelized devices. In the present work, a new clustering method, referred to as NC-spectral clustering, is proposed for discriminating the individuality of production devices. The key idea is to classify samples according to the differences of the correlation among measured variables, since the individuality of production devices is expressed by the correlation. In the proposed NC-spectral clustering, the nearest correlation (NC) method and spectral clustering are integrated. The NC method generates the weighted graph that expresses the correlation-based similarities between samples, and the constructed graph is partitioned by spectral clustering. A new statistical process monit...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SummaryBackgroundThe US FDA has been collecting information on medical devices involved in significant adverse advents since 1984. These reports have...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The current status of research and development in the realm of physics and technology of collective ion acceleration in systems with a virtual cathode (VC) is reviewed. Three major acceleration methods and devices developed on their basis are considered: reflex triodes and their modifications, gas-filled vircators, and vacuum vircators with a Luce diode. Experimental data are outlined and the principal physical models interpreting these data are described. New ion acceleration techniques whose realization involves the production and disappearance of the VC are also discussed. All methods of collective ion acceleration are compared and the possible ways for the further development of this promising scientific field are highlighted. (reviews of topical problems)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during FY 95 to characterize possible radionuclide movement out of Area G through surface water and entrained sediment runoff. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The single-stage water samples were analyzed for tritium and plutonium isotopes. All radiochemical data was compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and 94 and reported in LA-12986 and LA-13165-PR. Six surface soils were also submitted for metal analyses. These data were included with similar data generated for soil samples collected during FY 94 and compared with metals in background samples collected at ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In order to understand the physical processes concerned with the selective heating by ion cyclotron resonance and with the subsequent collection of heated particles, experiments were carried out with the extraction of lithium samples, enriched with "6Li isotopes. Probe and integral extractors allow to collect enriched Li at the end of the selective heating region. Surface density distribution on the collector and local isotopic content of lithium are measured, as a function of the screen height and the retarding potential. Dependence of the collected amount of lithium and of its isotopic content on the value of the magnetic field is also measured. 4 figs., 2 tabs., 5 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

During the first and second quarters of 1994 air samples were collected and analyzed from 54 air particulate/halogen sampling stations, 10 noble gas sampling stations and 19 tritiated water vapor sampling stations. Surface water samples were collected and analyzed from 12 open water supply reservoirs, 8 natural springs, 2 wastewater containment ponds and 9 sewage lagoons. Groundwater samples were obtained brom 10 potable and 1 non-potable supply wells, and 8 drinking water consumption points. Ambient radiation levels were measured at 193 locations.

Science.gov (United States)

Digital audio sampling is explained, and some of its implications in digital sound applications are discussed. Digital sound equipment is rapidly replacing analog recording devices as the state-of-the-art in audio technology. The philosophy of digital recording involves doing away with the continuously variable analog waveforms and turning the patterns into numbers. A digital recording device rapidly samples the incoming sounds, quantifying the signal into a series of numerical values (binary codes). Although digital sound eliminates many of the traditional analog problems, digital signal processing presents key problems in sampling rates and synchronization. Careful control is necessary to check signals through each step in the audio chain. The advantages of digital audio processing include increased signal-to-noise ratio, no flutter, transparent generation of copies, and sound ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was selected by NASA as part of the ChemCam instrument package for the Mars Science Laboratory rover to be launched in 2009. ChemCam's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy instrument will ablate surface coatings from materials and measure the elemental composition of underlying rocks and soils at distances from 1 up to 10 m. The purpose of our studies is to develop an analytical methodology enabling identification and quantitative analysis of these geological materials in the context of the ChemCam's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy instrument performance. The study presented here focuses on several terrestrial rock samples which were analyzed by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy at an intermediate stand-off distance (3 m) and in an atmosphere similar to the Martian one (9 mbar CO2). The experimental results highlight the matrix effects and the measurement inaccuracies due to the noise accumulated when low signals are ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes a novel Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method that can be used to rapidly screen soil samples from potentially hazardous waste sites. Samples are heated in a thermal desorption unit and the resultant vapors are collected and analyzed in a long-path gas cell mounted in a FTIR. Laboratory analysis of a soil sample by FTIR takes approximately 10 minutes. This method has been developed to identify and quantify microgram concentrations of explosives in soil samples and is directly applicable to the detection of selected volatile organics, semivolatile organics, and pesticides.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We find dosage of gamma emitters radionuclides of samples collected in the environment of the Chinon nuclear power plant for 2002 and 2003, these results are presented in two tables: concentrations in gamma emitter radionuclides of samples collected in the terrestrial environment (soils) and aquatic environment (sediments) of the site of Chinon in june 2002 in the frame of the annual surveillance, the second table concerns the concentrations in gamma emitter radionuclides of samples collected in the terrestrial environment (soils and lichens) of the site of Chinon in may 2003 in the frame of the annual surveillance. We find also the dosage of free tritium in the water of the Loire river for 2002 and 2003, upstream and downstream to the power plant of Chinon. (N.C.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for vapor samples obtained during the operation of mixer pumps in tank 241-AZ-101. The primary purpose of the mixer pump test (MPT) is to demonstrate that the two 300 horsepower mixer pumps installed in tank 241-AZ-101 can mobilize the settled sludge so that it can be retrieved for treatment and vitrification. Sampling will be performed in accordance with Tank 241-AZ-101 Mixer Pump Test Data Quality Objective (Banning 1999) and Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis (Mulkey 1999). The sampling will verify if current air emission estimates used in the permit application are correct and provide ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In 2006, 3,531 fecal samples were collected from patients with diarrhea in Henan Province, China. A total of 467 (13.2%) Shigella strains were isolated and serotyped. Seventy-one...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Urethral and endocervical swabs and self-collected vaginal swabs (SCVSs) and urine specimens are all used as samples for diagnosis of urogenital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis....Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The first part of the study contains a literature compilation of more than 50 original publications reporting the radiation induced effects in 17 different high polymer materials and glass which are relevant in the manufacturing of medical devices or packing materials. The results collected demonstrate that high energy radiation, i.e. gamma- or X-rays, causes various physical and chemical alterations in high polymer materials. A detailed summary and discussion of the results of the original publications is not included in the present report, it will be presented in the second part of the study. Furthermore, the second part of the study will refer to the aspect of wholesomeness of irradiated medical devices or packing materials in a more general manner of representation. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Several wood samples collected from Dorslandboom, a large iconic African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) from Namibia, were investigated by AMS radiocarbon dating subsequent to pretreatment and, alternatively, without pretreatment. The comparative statistical evaluation of results showed that there were no significant differences between fraction modern values and radiocarbon dates of the samples analyzed after pretreatment and without pretreatment, respectively. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 993 +- 20 BP. Dating results also revealed that Dorslandboom is a multi-generation tree, with several stems showing different ages.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A compact and supersensitive device that can rapidly detect minute trace vapors from concealed explosives has been developed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The new explosives sensor can detect and chemically identify organic nitrogen-oxygen compounds which are the building blocks of explosives such as TNT, plastiques, and nitroglycerine. The device could be used to scan persons entering airport terminals, nuclear power plants, defense installations, or other sensitive locations, providing greater security against potential terrorism. This device works on a glow discharge principle, and is more specifically called an ''Atmospheric Sampling Glow Discharge Ionization'' (ASGDI) source. The new detector is a highly automated, miniaturized version of research mass spectrometers widely used to trace constituents of chemical mixtures. Detail of this ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Three instruments for measuring local velocities in liquid-metal MHD experiments for fusion blanket applications are being evaluated. The devices are used in room-temperature NaK experiments to measure three-dimensional flow field patterns anticipated in complex blanket geometries. Hot film anemometry, a standard technique in ordinary fluids, is being used, as well as two developmental devices. One is called the Liquid Metal Electromagnetic Velocity Instrument (LEVI), and performs essentially as a local dc electromagnetic flow meter. The third device, a Thermal Transient Anemometer (TTA) is a rugged, yet relatively simple device, which measures local velocity through the mechanism of convective heat transfer, in some ways similar to hot-film anemometry. Results are presented showing the kinds of data collected this far with each instrument. Measurements include both local velocity ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paperwork explain the method of water sampling to obtain the precipitate of BaCO3 solutions that will be used to analyze 13C from field work in Kelana Jaya, Selangor, Langkawi, Kedah and Taiping, Perak. The sampling involves collecting of water samples for groundwater from boreholes and surface water from canal, river, pond and ex-mining pond from several locations at the study sites. This study also elaborates the instruments and chemicals used. The main purpose of this sampling is to obtain the precipitate of BaCO3 for 13C analysis of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). A correct sampling method according to standard is very important to ensure an accurate and precise result. With this, the data from the laboratory analysis result can be fully utilized to make the interpretation of the pollutants movement. (Author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report discusses environmental surveillance activities conducted on the Nevada Test Site during the first calendar quarter of 1996. Surveillance activities included collection and analysis of air, noble gas, tritiated water vapor, and other water samples. Samples were analyzed for both radiological and non-radiological effluents.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuits, with the benefits of low power consumption, represent the state of the art technology for implantable medical devices. Three significant sources of radiation are classified as having the ability to damage or alter the behavior of implantable electronics; Secondary neutron cosmic radiation, alpha particle radiation from the device packaging and therapeutic doses(up to 70 G{gamma}) of high energy radiation used in radiation oncology. The effects of alpha particle radiation from the packaging may be eliminated by the use of polyimide or silicone rubber die coatings. The relatively low incidence of therapeutic radiation incident on an implantable device and the use of die coating leaves cosmic radiation induced secondary neutron single event upset (SEU) as the main pervasive ionising radiation threat to the reliability of implantable devices. A ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In Tarapur Atomic Power Station unit-3 and 4, which is 540 MWe pressurized heavy water reactor, tritium is produced in primary heat transport system and moderator system. Tritium is a major contributor to the internal dose. Internal dose contributes about 30% of the collective dose. Internal dose monitoring and its control are important to control the collective dose. Estimation of internal dose is done by analysis of bioassay samples of radiation workers. In a month, about 7000 bioassay samples are analysed for the internal dose assessment during normal operation, and about 12000 during the biennial shut down of the reactor. To enhance the sample preparation and counting performance, minimize the entry errors and reduce the processing time, barcode based label generation system was developed for the internal dose monitoring. This paper discusses about the use of barcode system in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An automated Time Resolved Aerosol Collector (TRAC) has been developed for sequential sampling of field-collected aerosols for laboratory-based Computer Controlled Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersed X-ray (CCSEM/EDX) single particle analysis. The collector is optimized for use of grid-supported 20 nm carbon films as deposition substrates. The carbon films have low enough X-ray background to permit EDX analysis down to 0.1-0.2 ?m particles, including detection of low-Z elements: C, N, & O. The TRAC provides unattended sampling onto a set of 151 individual grids, at sequential time intervals as short as 1 min. After collection, the samples are sealed and refrigerated pending analysis. The utility of the TRAC-CCSEM/EDX approach is exemplified using the aerosol samples collected during the Texas 2000 Air Quality Studies (Aug. 15 ? ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Results of monitoring milk and tap water in New York City are presented. The New York City sample is a monthly composite of pasteurized milk purchased daily at retail stores. The monthly "9"0Sr to calcium ratios for New York City since the inception of the sampling program in 1954 are presented. Samples of New York City tap water are taken daily, so that by the end of the month, approximately 100 liters have been collected. The available cesium-137 data expressed as the "1"3"7Cs to "9"0Sr ratio are also given.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theft, illegal possession, smuggling, or attempted unauthorized sale of nuclear and radiological materials remains a worldwide problem. The Nuclear Smuggling International Technical Working Group (ITWG) has adopted a model action plan to guide investigation of these cases through a systematic approach to nuclear forensics. The model action plan was recently documented and provides recommendations concerning incident response, collection of evidence in conformance with required legal standards, laboratory sampling and distribution of samples, radioactive materials analysis, including categorization and characterization of samples, forensics analysis of conventional evidence, and case development including interpretation of forensic signatures. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We investigate the efficacy of mitigating radiation-based single event effects (SEE) within circuits incorporating SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) built with an N-Ring, a transistor-level layout-based radiation hardened by design (RHBD) technique. Previous work of single-device ion-beam induced charge collection (IBICC) studies has demonstrated significant reductions in peak collector charge collection and sensitive area for charge collection; however, few circuit studies using this technique have been performed. Transient studies performed with Sandia National Laboratory's (SNL) 36 MeV 16O microbeam on voltage references built with N-Ring SiGe HBTs have shown mixed results, with reductions in the number of large voltage disruptions in addition to new sensitive areas of low-level output voltage disturbances. Similar discrepancies between device-level IBICC results and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory during FY94 to characterize possible contaminant movement out of Area G through surface-water and sediment runoff. These samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. Ten metals were also analyzed on selected soils using analytical laboratory techniques. All radiochemical data are compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and reported in LA-12986. Baseline concentrations for future disposal operations were established for metals and radionuclides by a sampling program in the proposed Area G Expansion Area. Considering the amount of radioactive waste that has been disposed at Area G, there is evidence of only low concentrations of radionuclides on perimeter surface ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The SRP Baseline Hydrogeologic Investigation was implemented for the purpose of updating and improving the knowledge and understanding of the hydrogeologic systems underlying the SRP site. Phase III, which is discussed in this report, includes the drilling of 7 deep coreholes (sites P-24 through P-30) and the installation of 53 observation wells ranging in depth from approximately 50 ft to more than 970 ft below the ground surface. In addition to the collection of geologic cores for lithologic and stratigraphic study, samples were also collected for the determination of physical characteristics of the sediments and for the identification of microorganisms.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The properties of individual radioactive particles present in a sample, such as a swipe, are more interesting than bulk properties of the sample. The present work focuses on instrumentation that provides position-sensitive spectral information non-destructively from the sample. The experimental part of the work was realized using a device called PANDA (Particles And Non-Destructive Analysis). The detector setup used in the study contains a broad-energy HPGe gamma-ray detector and a position-sensitive alpha detector. Both detectors are connected to a time-stamping event-mode data acquisition system. The method is shown to locate particles with sub-millimetre accuracy and distinguish the interesting particles from non-interesting ones. (author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract A miniaturized spatial temperature gradient CE system with automated sample introduction for DNA mutation detection was established. Continuous electrokinetic sample injection was achieved by combining an automated slotted vial array sample introduction device to the spatial temperature gradient CE system. The temperature gradient was produced by a radiative heating system with a single graphite block heater, and the stability of the temperature gradient was investigated. The temperature variation of each measure point was 0.12 0.21% RSD (n=7) within 6 h. A 14 cm Teflon AF coated silica capillary was used both as the separation channel and as the liquid core waveguide tube of fluorescence signal. Under a temperature gradient from 54.8 to 59.5 C, a low range control mutation standa...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benthic biological samples were taken in 1977 from the vicinity of the Farallon Islands radioactive waste disposal sites for characterization of the infaunal macroinvertebrates and foraminifera. A total of 120 invertebrate species were collected, of which 75 species (63 percent) were polychaetes. Forty-three of these polychaete species have not previously been reported from depths greater than 1000m. A total of 1044 macroinvertebrate specimens were collected of which 54 percent were polychates. Only the nematods were present at all six benthic stations, but the community structure was dominated by the polychaetes Tauberia gracilis, Allia pulchra, Chaetozone setosa, and Cossura candida. Living and dead foraminifera were reported. The possible role of polychaetes in bioturbation and in the marine food chain is briefly discussed with respect to the various polychaete feeding mechanisms.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Details of the interaction of photons with tissue phantoms are elucidated using Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, photon sampling volumes and photon pathlengths are determined for a variety of scattering and absorption parameters. The Monte Carlo simulations are specifically designed to model light delivery and collection geometries relevant to clinical applications of optical biopsy techniques. The Monte Carlo simulations assume that light is delivered and collected by two, nearly-adjacent optical fibers and take into account the numerical aperture of the fibers as well as reflectance and refraction at interfaces between different media. To determine the validity of the Monte Carlo simulations for modeling the interactions between the photons and the tissue phantom in these geometries, the simulations were compared to measurements of aqueous suspensions of polystyrene microspheres in the wavelength range 450-750 nm.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Environmental information has been described as central to the issues of solid waste management and disposal. This study investigated the availability and accessibility of environmental information to the solid waste policy formulators and implementors with regard to the media/channels used for disseminating environmental information to the public. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample and the method produced 205 respondents that consisted of 185 Policy Implementors and 20 Policy Formulators. A total of 147 cases were finally analyzed, which included 16 Policy Formulators (80% of total sample) and 131 Policy Implementors (71% of total sample). Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as perc...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A set of 35 uranium ore and 10 yellow cake samples, collected worldwide from different mines and production sites, were analyzed for their impurity spectrum by ICP-MS. Pattern recognition techniques such as cluster analysis were applied to the data set in order to characterize samples with relation to their geographical origin. The results obtained show a clear relationship between samples taken from the same geological origin and constitute a satisfactory fingerprint for establishing the origin of the material. In addition to the impurity data, data on the isotopic composition of radiogenic lead is used to resolve ambiguity when impurity cluster analysis fails to deliver unambiguous origin data. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

During 1993 and 1994 a working group of biologists operating in Region Lombardia has carried out a study to evaluate the reliability of artificial substrates in the assessment of water quality by the Extended Biotic Index. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected by means of hand net and artificial substrates (up to 3 replicates) in 22 sampling sites of 15 watercourses of different typology (river, stream, irrigation channel) and water quality. Sampling efficiency and reliability in the calculation of E.B.I. and Quality Class by 1, 2 and 3 artificial substrates with respect to hand net have been evaluated. Influence of water quality, typology and original prevailing substrate in watercourses on the performance of artificial substrates has also been investigated. Results show a good agreement with other Authors' papers, confirming that artificial substrates represent a valid alternative macroinvertebrate ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radian Corporation was contracted to investigate duct injection and ESP phenomena in a 1.7 MW pilot plant constructed for this test program. This study was an attempt to resolve problems found in previous studies and answer remaining questions for the technology using an approach which concentrates on the fundamental mechanisms of the process. The goal of the study was to obtain a better understanding of the basic physical and chemical phenomena that control: (1) the desulfurization of flue gas by calcium-based reagent, and (2) the coupling of an existing ESP particulate collection device to the duct injection process. Process economics are being studied by others. (VC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The primary objective is to perform a fundamental study of filtration of nanoparticles, and to obtain filtration knowledge necessary to design particle collection devices/systems for nanoparticle processing and for preventing nanoparticle emissions into the environment. The research covered a wide area relevant to nanoparticle filtration, under these main topics: (1) nanoparticle filtration and molecular dynamics simulation, (2) nanoparticle virtual impactor, (3) particle transport under low pressure, and (4) development of a high-throughput nanoparticle generator. A number of novel tools and numerical models have been developed under the DOE support.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worker exposures to N-nitroso compounds were evaluated at B.F. Goodrich Company, Woodburn, Indiana on December 12, 1979. Personal and area air samples were collected and analyzed by gas-chromatography and thermal-energy-analysis methods. All of the samples contained N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) and five samples also contained N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The amount of NMOR ranged from 0.85 to 3.7 micrograms per cubic meter (micrograms/cu m) for area air samples and 0.63 to 1.8 micrograms/cu m for personal samples. NDMA concentrations ranged from undetectable to 1.8 microgram/cu m for area samples and undetectable to 0.09 micrograms/cu m for personal samples. The authors note that no exposure standards exist for NDMA or NMOR but both are listed as potential human carcinogens. They suggest that the B.F. Goodrich Company ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effective remediation of contaminated sites requires accurate identification of chemical distributions. A rapid sampling method using passive sampling devices (PSDs) can provide a thorough site assessment. We have been pursuing their application in terrestrial systems and have found that they increase the ease and speed of analysis, decrease solvent usage and overall cost, and minimize the transport of contaminated soils. Time and cost savings allow a higher sampling frequency than is generally the case using traditional methods. PSDs have been used in the field in soils of varying physical properties and have been successful in estimating soil concentrations ranging from 1 {mu}g/kg (parts per billion) to greater than 200 mg/kg (parts per million). They were also helpful in identifying hot spots within the sites. Passive sampling devices show extreme promise ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

While underground power transmission lines have become to use CV cables as the mainstream, existing facilities still use OF cables. Factors of OF cable deterioration include heat cycles during operation and surge intrusion. As a method to diagnose this deterioration in insulation, characteristics tests are performed by collecting insulation oil in a cable connection box. The insulation oil collection work has been done conventionally with the power line stopped to prevent danger from induction voltage. A power uninterruptible oil collection tool was developed recently. The tool consists mainly of an insulator made of epoxy resin, wherein a connection box connector is rotated and loosened by operating an insulating operation rod, with the structure not contacted directly with metallic sheath, so that insulation oil can go through the oil collecting tool and gets collected. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 parameters, the system calculates the main ...

CERN Document Server

The Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECAL) of the AMS-02 experiment is a lead-scintillating fibers sampling calorimeter characterized by high granularity that allows to image the longitudinal and lateral showers development, a key issue to provide high electron/hadron discrimination. The light collection system and the FE electronics are designed to let the calorimeter operate over a wide energy range from few GeV up to 1 TeV. A full-scale prototype of the e.m. calorimeter was tested at CERN in October 2001 using electrons and pions beams with energy ranging from 3 to 100 GeV. Effective sampling thickness, linearity and energy resolution were measured. (8 refs).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report provides analytical results for groundwater collected during four characterization-sampling rounds conducted at well R-22 from March 2001 through March 2002. Characterization well R-22 was sampled from March 6 through 13, 2001; June 19 through 26, 2001; November 30 through December 10, 2001; and February 27 through March 7, 2002. The goal of the characterization efforts was to assess the hydrochemistry and to determine whether or not contaminants are present in the regional aquifer in the vicinity of the well. A geochemical evaluation of the analytical results for the well is also presented in this report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A water trap system based on a thermoelectric cooling device is employed to remove a major fraction of the water from air samples, prior to analysis of these samples for chemical composition, by a variety of analytical techniques where water vapor interferes with the measurement process. These analytical techniques include infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, ion mobility spectrometry and gas chromatography. The thermoelectric system for trapping water present in air samples can substantially improve detection sensitivity in these analytical techniques when it is necessary to measure trace analytes with concentrations in the ppm (parts per million) or ppb (parts per billion) partial pressure range. The thermoelectric trap design is compact and amenable to use in a portable gas monitoring instrumentation.

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An analyzer-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging (ABI) setup has been mounted at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) for multiple imaging radiography (MIR) purposes. The algorithm employed for treating the MIR data collected at LNLS is described, and its reliability in extracting the distinct types of contrast that can be obtained with MIR is demonstrated by analyzing a test sample (thin polyamide wire). As a practical application, the possibility of studying ophthalmic tissues, corneal sequestra in this case, via MIR is investigated.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Physico-chemical studies were carried out on a sample of red mud collected from NALCO, Orissa, after calcination up to 1,200 C at an interval of 100 C. The observed change in properties like surface area, particle size, bulk density and mineral phases etc., can be profitably used while finding an appropriate application of this polluting waste from alumina plants.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Low transition temperature (low-{Tc}) and high-{Tc} Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) have been used to perform high-resolution magnetic measurements on samples whose temperatures are much higher than the operating temperatures of the devices. Part 1 of this work focuses on measurements of the rigidity of flux vortices in high-{Tc} superconductors using two low-{Tc} SQUIDs, one on either side of a thermally-insulated sample. The correlation between the signals of the SQUIDs is a direct measure of the extent of correlation between the movements of opposite ends of vortices. These measurements were conducted under the previously-unexplored experimental conditions of nominally-zero applied magnetic field, such that vortex-vortex interactions were unimportant, and with zero external current. At specific temperatures, the authors observed highly-correlated noise sources, suggesting that ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Using high-resolution y-rays spectrometry, the natural radioactivity of 14 samples of natural and o manufactured Egyptian building materials have been investigated. The samples were collected from local market and construction sites. From the measured gamma-ray spectra, specific activities were determined. The radium equivalent activity in each sample was estimated. Radiological evaluations of these materials indicate that all materials meet the external gamma-ray dose limitation. Calculation of concentration indices by assuming a Markkanen room model is constructed from these materials, to find the excess gamma-ray dose taken over that received from the outdoors. The Austrian Standard ONORM S 5200 is used in testing the building materials.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis for nondestructive determination of Fe, Zn, Pb, and Br in air samples collected on nitrocellulose membrane filter Synpor 4 is described. A /sup 238/Pu source for the excitation and a semiconductor Si/Li detector for the detection of characteristic and L-fluorescent radiation of the above elements were used. A correction method based upon the measurements of simple or multiple Compton scattering for compensation of varying mass per unit area values in sample deposits was theoretically proposed and experimentally tested. The results obtained both with and without the correction were compared and good agreement with those given by atomic absorption spectrometry was observed.

Science.gov (United States)

An in/depth industrial hygiene survey of exposures to phosphine during the use of aluminum phosphide was conducted as part of a survey on exposure to grain fumigants. Area monitoring and breathing-zone sampling for phosphine were conducted during the addition of aluminum phosphide to grain during turning operations; source samples and peak personal exposures were also analyzed. Major sources of personal exposure included the escape of air from the bin headspace during filling with treated grain, filling and emptying of the phosphide pellet dispenser, and infiltration from the treated grain bin and from the pellet dispenser itself into adjacent air space. Relatively good dust control was indicated by the total dust samples collected during the survey. Measures recommended by the author are in the report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Historical information about the F-Area Railroad Crosstie Pile is limited. The unit is believed to have been a borrow area for earth fill that began receiving railroad crossties during the 1960s. The number of crossties at the unit began to increase significantly in 1984 when major repair of the SRS rail system was initiated. An estimated 100,000 used railroad crossties have accumulated at the unit since 1984. In an effort to determine the impact of the railroad crossties on the environment a total of 28 soil samples were collected from four test borings in March of 1991. Sample depths ranged from ground surface to 21.5 feet. Three of the borings were extended to the water table and groundwater samples were collected, one in an upgradient background'' area, and two downgradient from the unit. Few analytes were reported above detection limits. Test results are ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The mobility of metals in ground water is an important consideration for evaluating remedial options at the Asarco smelter site. Tacoma, Washington. One factor in assessing metal mobility is the degree of secondary mineralization in a slag-fill aquifer extending into the intertidal zone along the Puget Sound shoreline. Samples of aquifer material were collected for mineralogical analysis from borehole MW-206 at five-foot intervals within the slag fill from 5 to 25 feet below the ground surface, and in the underlying marine sand and gravel at 27 feet. Grab samples of slag fragments with visually apparent secondary minerals were also collected at five intermediate depths between 12 and 19 feet. Samples were analyzed by a variety of techniques including hydride generation/atomic absorption for arsenic concentration, scanning electron microscopy/electron microprobe for mineralogical ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

X-ray scattering from lyophilized proteins or protein-rich samples is characterized by the presence of two characteristic broad peaks at scattering angles equivalent to momentum transfer values of 0.27 and 0.6 nm{sup -1}, respectively. These peaks arise from the interference of coherently scattered photons. Once the conformation of a protein is changed, these two peaks reflect such change with considerable sensitivity. The present work examines the possibility of characterizing the most common cause of hemolytic anaemia in Egypt and many Mediterranean countries; {beta}-thalassemia, from its X-ray scattering profile. This disease emerges from a genetic defect causing reduced rate in the synthesis of one of the globin chains that make up hemoglobin. As a result, structurally abnormal hemoglobin molecules are formed. In order to detect such molecular disorder, hemoglobin samples of {beta}-thalassemia patients are collected, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study analyzed the atmospheric emissions produced by the live firing of a 155 mm Howitzer gun. The study was conducted during a live firing training exercise at a Canadian Forces Base. Air emissions were sampled continuously for 3 hours. Particles and chemicals were accumulated on sampling media during the firing of 69 rounds. A single round was fired using 4 bags of propellants, and an additional 3 rounds were fired using 5 bags of propellant. Samples included particulate matter; hydrogen cyanide; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); dinitrotoluene compounds; benzene; toluene; ethylbenzene; xylene; metals; aldehydes; nitric acid; nitric oxide; nitrogen dioxide; hydrogen sulphide; and sulphur dioxide. Samples were collected at 8 m to the left of the gun as well as at 22 m in front of the gun muzzle in the line of fire. Results of the study showed that 60 per cent of the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In allusion to the explosion of a urea reactor took place in a fertilizer plant at Pingyin, Shandong, China, a series of evidence collection and inspection jobs which includes collecting operation condition and parameters, sampling the explosion fracture, reactor body apart from explosion fracture, and leak detection medium and its hangover, etc., had been carried out firstly. Based on these jobs, farther analysis and computation work has been done to the structural and materials characteristics and the operation condition of the urea reactor, including compositions, metallographic phases, tensile properties, impact energy, strain ageing characteristics, and fracture toughness of the urea reactor steels, the compositions of leak detection medium and its hangover in the urea reactor, and ex...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose The mangroves of New Caledonia, in the south Pacific, act as a buffer between a lagoon of more than 20,000?km2 and the island, which is characterized by ultramafic rocks and lateritic soils that are exploited for their richness in heavy metals. We will provide a better understanding of the redox conditions, and of heavy metal distributions in mangroves receiving shrimp farm effluents. Materials and methods Samples were collected from four areas defined in terms of vegetation composition: a salt flat, an Avicennia marina forest, in which effluents are released; a Rhizophora stylosa forest, and a dead Rhizophora forest. They were collected during times of maximum effluent release. Some measurements on pore water were also done during a period without effluent. Cores (70?cm deep) were...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper examines the pattern of introduced herbivore and predator distribution in the Tanami Desert and tests a series of propositions put forward by Stafford Smith and Morton [1990. A framework for the ecology of arid Australia. Journal of Arid Environments 18, 255-278]. regarding the functioning of arid Australian environments. These authors proposed that introduced herbivore and predator species would be largely restricted to and reliant on productive refugia. We collected occurrence data on introduced and naturalized predators and herbivores at 227 plots stratified by substrate and fire age class across a study area of 700x400km. We also collected data from 16 repetitively sampled transects stratified by substrate and latitude over a 4 year period. Each of the predator species was a...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Since the commissioning of the first 10 strings of the AMANDA neutrino telescope, more than nine years of data has been collected. The proof of principle of high-energy neutrino detection in ice is established. No positive signal of an extra-terrestrial high-energy neutrino flux have been found so far. However, the most stringent upper limits to the flux of cosmic neutrinos-respectively, diffuse, point like or associated with gamma-ray bursts-have been presented. A sample of 3329 up-going muon tracks, representing the largest statistics ever of high-energy neutrino induced events, has been collected between 2000 and 2003. A coincidence of neutrino with an anomalous high-energy gamma-ray flare has been observed from the direction of the Blazar 1ES1959+650-although the observation were not conclusive. Selected results of data taken with the AMANDA detector are here reported.

J-STORE (Japan)

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J-STORE (Japan)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leaded gasoline has been used as fuel for trucks and automobiles in the United States since 1924; it has been implicated as a source of lead that is deposited on the soil and eventually can be ingested by small children, contributing to their burden of this toxic metal. The lead content of 667 surface-soil samples (taken at depths of 0-5 cm) and 159 subsurface-soil samples (from depths of 25-30 cm) collected from Illinois play areas near roads was measured and related to traffic variables. The samples were collected between June and October of 1985, and their measured lead levels exceeded the average natural background level for Illinois soil. The highest lead concentrations were found in samples from the six-county metropolitan Chicago region, where both traffic volume and traffic density are higher than in the rest of the state. Regression analysis showed ...

Science.gov (United States)

Aimed at some typical constraints of police dogs and robots used in the areas of reconnaissance and counterterrorism currently, the multifunction anti-terrorism robotic system based on police dog has been introduced. The system is made up of two parts: portable commanding device and police dog robotic system. The portable commanding device consists of power supply module, microprocessor module, LCD display module, wireless data receiving and dispatching module and commanding module, which implements the remote control to the police dogs and takes real time monitor to the video and images. The police dog robotic system consists of microprocessor module, micro video module, wireless data transmission module, power supply module and offence weapon module, which real time collects and transmits video and image data of the counter-terrorism sites, and gives military attack based on commands. The system combines police dogs" ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The activity concentrations of potassium, uranium and thorium in minerals and soil samples from a mining site in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria were measured using gamma ray spectroscopy method. Effective dose per annum has been calculated from the activity concentrations of dominant gamma-emitting natural radionuclides, potassium, uranium and thorium. Samples collected include minerals (beryl, quartz and feldspar), soil samples from the mining pits, heaps and undisturbed land around the mining site. The activity concentrations of {sup 40}K, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th, respectively in Bq kg-1 in the mineral samples were as follows: 1985 +- 16, 4.8 +- 0.9 and 11.8 +- 5.8 for beryl sample, 115.1 +- 27.9, 5.0 +- 1.3 and 6.3 +- 5.0 for feldspar samples and 1421 +- 122, <4.8 and 20.1 +- 3.5 for quartz samples. For the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samples prepared using the focused ion beam (FIB) inevitably contain the surface damage induced by energetic Ga"+ ions. An effective method of removing the surface damage is demonstrated using a plasma cleaner, a device which is widely used to minimize the surface contamination in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Surface bombardment with low-energy Ar"+ ions was induced by biasing the sample immersed in the plasma source, so as to etch off the surface materials. The etch rates of SiO_2, measured with a bias voltage of 100-300 V, were found to vary linearly with both the time and bias and were able to be controlled from 1.4 to 9 nm/min. The removal of the Ga residue was confirmed using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) after the plasma processing of the FIB-prepared sample. When the FIB-prepared sample was processed via plasma etching for 10 min with a bias of 150 ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

After presenting the advantages of applying neutron moisture gages to the continuous measurement of blast-furnace coke moisture and explaining the factors influencing the measurement accuracy, the necessity of calibrating these devices under flow conditions and the encountered difficulties are discussed. Using statistical methods it has been observed that the main source of calibration errors is the sampling phase. Based on results of mathematical processing, a new calibration method with higher performance - compared with the earlier ones - is proposed. This method allows to achieve high accuracy in a relatively short time. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

On the 15th of June 2006 the PAMELA experiment, mounted on the Resurs DK1 satellite, was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and it has been collecting data since July 2006. PAMELA is a satellite-borne apparatus designed to study charged particles in the cosmic radiation, to investigate the nature of dark matter, measuring the cosmic-ray antiproton and positron spectra over the largest energy range ever achieved, and to search for antinuclei with unprecedented sensitivity. The apparatus comprises a time-of-flight system, a silicon-microstrip magnetic spectrometer, a silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter, an anticoincidence system, a shower tail catcher scintillator and a neutron detector. The combination of these devices allows charged particle identification over a wide energy range.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corrosion of steam generator heat transfer tubes (SGHTT) is one of the important problems which affect safety operation of nuclear power plants (NPP), and the hazard of pitting corrosion of heat transfer tubes is the most serious. With an acoustic emission device, the signals during a corrosion test on SGHTT were collected and analyzed, and the corrosion points in the tubes were located accurately. The results show that pitting corrosion of heat transfer tubes has passed through three periods in its development: expansion phase, stationary phase and rapid developing phase. The corrosion damage of HTT can be found earlier with acoustic emission than any other non-destructive testing methods. Acoustic emission can be used for on-line and real-time monitoring of the safety and operation of the steam generator and has therefore a great significance. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - This paper discusses the impact of aesthetic design of smartphones on users' emotional reactions and preferences towards the product. To this end, the paper presents a study that explores emotional reaction of males to varying aesthetic design of the BlackBerry and empirically evaluates their preferences for the BlackBerry in different colours and overlay patterns. The paper then presents the statistical results of the study in an innovative graphical representation. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative and qualitative research design was used, including three types of data-collection instruments (direct observations, rating scales, and interviews) to investigate if males have a stronger positive emotional reaction for visually treated BlackBerry Pearl devices over the or...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

With an ageing population the demand for cheap, efficient implants is ever increasing. Laser surface treatment offers a unique means of varying biomimetic properties to determine generic parameters to predict cell responses. This paper details how a KrF excimer laser can be employed for both laser-induced patterning and whole area irradiative processing to modulate the wettability characteristics and osteoblast cell response following 24h and 4 day incubation. Through white light interferometry (WLI) it was found that the surface roughness had considerably increased by up to 1.5mm for the laser-induced patterned samples and remained somewhat constant at around 0.1mm for the whole area irradiative processed samples. A sessile drop device determined that the wettability characteristics diffe...

Environmental Research Database

Objectives(1) Evaluate various insitu techniques for determination of the permeability of slurry walls and investigate the extent of material disturbance and fracturing during drilling and testing.~%~~%~(2) Perform laboratory tests of block samples obtained from the field testing site and compare the results with field measurements.~%~~%~(3) Investigate the mechanisms of drilling using a newly developed instrumented self-boring device and develop a theoretical framework for drilling mechanisms in soils.~% [continued...]DescriptionCement-bentonite and clay liner systems are used as components of containment systems by the environmental industry to control the migration of pollution. In the interest of public safety, following construction, there is a requirement to test these structures in orde to assess if they meet the design critetia. At present this is done only indirectly via laboratory testing on ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The urban zone needs clean air to assure public health. To achieve this goal several filter samples were collected in different sites in Algiers city. Toxic elements such as: Na, Mg, Cl, Sc, Cr, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Ag, Sb, Ce, La, Hf, Ta and Hg have been measured in the filters using neutron activation analysis technique. Irradiation of filter samples and standards were carried out in Es-Salem reactor. The experimental procedure and the results are discussed. We noted during this work that the upper limit values for suspended dusts and the high concentrations for some toxic elements found are due to the weather conditions and intense road traffic around collecting sites. (authors)

Science.gov (United States)

A comparative study on the critical current performance of Bi-2223/Ag and YBCO coated conductor wires in low magnetic fields at liquid nitrogen temperature was carried out in this work. Five commercial high temperature superconductor wires from different manufacturers were collected. Their critical currents were measured in magnetic fields, ranging from 0 to 0.4 T. On contrary to the common conception, the Bi-2223/Ag samples had better performance than YBCO coated conductor samples in the magnetic fields parallel to the wide surface of superconducting wires within the experimental scope. We also found similar results by collecting the concerned datum from the published literatures to confirm our measurement results. At the present stage, this fact made that the Bi-2223/Ag wires might be the preferred choice for the applications with mainly low parallel fields involved, unless other considerations were ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Measurements have been made of radon ("2"2"2Rn), release from diverse quaternary samples collected from different sediment deposits in the Errachidia and Beni-Mellal areas (Morocco). The radon diffusion coefficient as one of some important parameters of radon transport in the soil has been measured using solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). Radon #alpha#-activity, uranium content and radon exhalation rate have been determined in the studied samples. Uranium concentrations were found to vary from 0.14 to 9.52 ppm whereas the radon exhalation rate varied from 0.003 to 0.145 Bq x m"-"2 x h"-"1. A positive correlation has been found between radon exhalation rate and uranium content in the studied samples. The average radon diffusion coefficients were found to vary from (1.26 #+-# 0.09) x 10"-"6 m"2 x s"-"1 to (4.3 #+-# 0.36) x 10"-"6 m"2 x s"-"1. Furthermore, the correlation between "2"2"2Rn ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The automotive paints could be generally differentiated by color, layer sequence and chemistry of the paint layers comprising each of the topcoat and the primer system. The successful identification of hit-and-run a and traffic accidental vehicles from evidential paint fragments is greatly facilitated with a comprehensive laboratory collection of reference paint samples and the technique for direct analysis without sample preparation. The Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography(PGC) is a precise and reliable method for performing both quantitative and qualitative analysis of polymeric materials and forensic samples. Our Forensic Laboratory is conducting the examination and identification of 73 reference paint samples; 4 colors of each domestic automotive make that is poplar in Korea, by Curie Point Pyrolyzer(JHP-3) and GC with capillary column(ultra alloy-5). This method can be used not only ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract The Planck-ATCA Coeval Observations (PACO) project collected data between 4.5 and 40 GHz for 482 sources selected within the Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) catalogue and observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Observations were done almost simultaneously with the-Planck-satellite, in the period between 2009 July and 2010 August. In this paper, we present and discuss the data for the complete sample of 159 sources with-SAT20G > 200-mJy in the South Ecliptic Pole region. The Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue (ERCSC) contains 57 of our sources. A comparison between the PACO catalogue and the ERCSC confirms that the reliability of the latter is better than 95-per cent. The missing ERCSC sources are typically associated with the Large Magellanic Cloud, the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study evaluated surface characteristics and overlaying properties of wood plastic composite (WPC) panels made from dry-blended rubber wood fiber-polypropylene (PP) powder formulations using a conventional flat-press process under laboratory conditions. Three levels of rubberwood fibers (Hevea brasiliensis), 40%, 50%, and 60%, based on the composition by weight, were mixed with the PP powder without and with 3% (based on weight) maleic anhydride grafted PP (MAPP) as a coupling agent. Contact angle measurements on the WPC samples were performed using a goniometer connected with a digital camera which collected one image per second. Roughness measurements, average roughness (R a), mean peak-to-valley height (R z), and maximum roughness (R y), were taken from the sanded samples along and ...

CERN Document Server

We report the first observation of $\\mPJpsi \\to \\mPeta\\mPKst\\mAPKst$ decay in a $\\mPJpsi$ sample of 58 million events collected with the BESII detector. The branching fraction is determined to be $(1.15 \\pm 0.13 \\pm 0.22)\\times 10^{-3}$. The selected signal event sample is further used to search for the $\\mPY$ resonance through $\\mPJpsi \\to \\mPeta \\mPY, \\mPY\\to\\mPKst\\mAPKst$. No evidence of a signal is seen. An upper limit of \\mathrm{Br}(\\mPJpsi \\to \\mPeta \\mPY)\\cdot\\mathrm{Br}(\\mPY\\to\\mPKst\\mAPKst) < 2.52\\times 10^{-4} is set at the 90% confidence level.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study investigated the occurrence of free-living amoebae (FLA) in immunodeficiency wards of hospitals in Tehran, Iran. A total of 70 dust and biofilm samples from wards serving transplant, pediatric (malignancies), HIV, leukemia and oncology patients of five university hospitals were collected and examined for the presence of FLA using culturing and molecular approaches. Based on the morphology of the amoebae in plate cultures, primer sets were applied for molecular identification of Acanthamoeba, vahlkampfiid amoebae and Hartmannella. Out of 70 samples, 37 (52.9%) were positive for FLA. Acanthamoeba belonged to the T4 genotype was the most prevalent isolate. Presence of the T4 genotype on medical instruments, including an oxygen mask in an isolation room of an immunodeficiency pediat...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Human activities in the karst Ozark Plateaus can impact water quality of springs where surface water is rapidly transferred to subsurface conduits. Bennett Spring, in southern Missouri, is the fourth largest spring in the state and supports local tourism activities. Questions regarding poorly functioning on-site wastewater systems (OWS) have raised concerns over the long-term water quality of the spring. This study reports the results of a surface water quality monitoring program in the recharge area where monthly samples were collected at base flow to identify potential pollution sources to the spring. Base flow hydrology of the recharge area was highly variable over the study period, which was drier than normal, causing an incomplete sampling record due to no flow conditions at some site...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Determination of the radiocarbon (14C) content of airborne particulate matter yields insight into the proportion of the carbonaceous material derived from fossil and contemporary carbon sources. Daily samples of PM2.5 were collected by high-volume sampler at an urban background site in Birmingham, UK, and the fraction of 14C in both the total carbon, and in the organic and elemental carbon fractions, determined by two-stage combustion to CO2, graphitisation and quantification by accelerator mass spectrometry. OC and EC content was also determined by Sunset Analyzer. The mean fraction contemporary TC in the PM2.5 samples was 0.50 (range 0.27-0.66, n=26). There was no seasonality to the data, but there was a positive trend between fraction contemporary TC and magnitude of SOC/TC ratio and fo...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) requested that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluate the treatment process currently employed at the Department's Stringfellow Superfund Site Pretreatment Plant (PTP) site to determine if wastes originating from the site were properly managed with regards to their radioactivity. In order to evaluate the current management strategy, LLNL suggested that DTSC characterize the effluents from the waste treatment system for radionuclide content. A sampling plan was developed; samples were collected and analyzed for radioactive constituents. Following is brief summary of those results and what implications for waste characterization may be made. (1) The sampling and analysis provides strong evidence that the radionuclides present are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (2) The greatest source of radioactivity in the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report summarizes the research conducted during Budget Period One on the project ''Improved Natural Gas Storage Well Remediation''. The project team consisted of Furness-Newburge, Inc., the technology developer; TechSavants, Inc., the technology validator; and Nicor Technologies, Inc., the technology user. The overall objectives for the project were: (1) To develop, fabricate and test prototype laboratory devices using sonication and underwater plasma to remove scale from natural gas storage well piping and perforations; (2) To modify the laboratory devices into units capable of being used downhole; (3) To test the capability of the downhole units to remove scale in an observation well at a natural gas storage field; (4) To modify (if necessary) and field harden the units and then test the units in two pressurized injection/withdrawal gas storage wells; and (5) To prepare the project's final ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samples of some domestic and imported food products of nutritive importance to both the child population and the adult population in Nigeria were collected and analysed in order to determine their radionuclide contents. The samples were collected from open markets in major commercial cities in the country. Gamma-ray spectrometry was employed in the determination of the radionuclide contents in the products. The gamma-ray peaks observed with reliable regularity in all the samples analysed belong to naturally occurring radionuclides, namely "2"2"6Ra, "2"2"8Th and "4"0K. The activity concentrations of these radionuclides in both the domestic and imported products were observed to be not significantly different. Essentially radioactive elements such as "1"3"7Cs were not detected in any of the samples. The non-detection of "1"3"7Cs in the imported products may be ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this work, the effects of the focus ion beam (FIB) milling process on the optical properties of semiconductor nanostructures were investigated. With this aim, a sensitive materials system based on InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots with well known and excellent optical properties was selected for the FIB treatment. The FIB technique was used to locally remove a metallic mask deposited on top of the quantum dot sample. The photoluminescence (PL) signal, collected from the circular openings, was used to infer the possible damage effects of the ion beam on the properties of the dots.

Science.gov (United States)

Progress is reported in several areas of research. The following cellulosic raw materials were selected for study: wheat, barley, and rice straws, rice hulls, sorghum, corn stover, cotton gin trash, newsprint, ground wood, and masonite steam-treated Douglas fir and redwood. Samples were collected, prepared, and analyzed for hexosans, pentosans, lignin, ash, and protein. Results of acid extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis are discussed. Yields of glucose, polyglucose, xylose, and arabinose are reported. Progress in process design and economic studies, as well as pilot plant process development and design studies, is summarized. (JGB)

CERN Document Server

The Dalitz plot of $\\eta^{\\prime} \\to \\eta \\pi^+ \\pi^-$ decay is studied using $(225.2\\pm2.8)\\times 10^6$ $\\jpsi$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII $e^+e^-$ collider. With the largest sample of $\\eta^{\\prime}$ decays to date, the parameters of the Dalitz plot are determined in a generalized and a linear representation. Also the branching fraction of $\\jpsi \\to \\gamma \\eta^{\\prime}$ is determined to be $(4.84\\pm0.03\\pm0.24)\\times 10^{-3}$, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The role of robotics and remote handling equipment in future nuclear power plant maintenance activities is discussed in the context of artificial intelligence applications. Special requirements manipulators, control systems, and man-machine interfaces for nuclear applications are noted. Tasks might include inspection with cameras, eddy current probes, and leak detectors; the collection of material samples; radiation monitoring; and the disassembly, repair and reassembly of a variety of system components. A robot with vision and force sensing and an intelligent control system that can access a knowledge base is schematically described. Recent advances in image interpretation systems are also discussed.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Activity concentrations of some anthropogenic radionuclides (90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu and 241Am) have been measured in the surface of marine sediments along the Saudi coast of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. The samples were collected at different locations and water depths. The spatial distribution of the concentrations of the measured radionuclides showed a heterogeneous pattern and is independent of location or water depth. The obtained results are discussed and some conclusions are drawn.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Field data for validating plume models were collected in and around the Bull Run Steam Plant during two four-week periods between July and October, 1982. The field measurements were the second phase of the Plume Model Validation and Development (PMV and D) program. The Bull Run Steam Plant is located near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the area is described as the ''Moderately Complex Site'' to distinguish it from the ''Plains Site'' in eastern Illinois, which was the scene of the first phase of the PMV and D study conducted in 1980-81. The measurement program consisted of a set of meteorological, source, aerometric, and tracer measurements to track and characterize the plume. The tracer measurements constituted the largest portion of the total effort, and it involved the release of SF/sub 6/ tracer gas from the stack, and the sampling and analysis of nearly 64,000 air ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An average of 9 million gallons per day of oil-contaminated ballast water off loaded from tankers are treated at the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Ballast Water Treatment Facility at the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in Port Valdez, Alaska. This paper focuses on the results of 2 Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council monitoring programs which detail changes in the chemical composition of treated ballast water as it moves from tankers through the facility and subsequently traces the effluent hydrocarbons into the receiving environment of Port Valdez. The treatment facility involves gravity separation tanks, dissolved air flotation cells and biological treatment tanks. Effluent containing traces of volatile aromatics, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes, low levels of oil, saturated hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is being continuously discharged to Port Valdez. Because of the extremely large average flow rate, low ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cassava chips (cassava balls, and cassava pellets) are derived cassava products traditionally produced by farmers in sub-Saharan Africa following fermentation, and drying of fresh roots of cassava, and are widely consumed in Cameroon. Once produced, this food commodity can be stored for more than two months and contaminated by a wide array of harmful microbes. In order to assess persistence of toxigenic fungi in cassava chips, aflatoxin-producing fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus nomius, and Aspergillus parasiticus) and aflatoxins were contrasted at regular intervals in home-stored cassava chips collected in two locations of southern Cameroon throughout a two-month monitoring period. Three hundred and forty-six isolates of aflatoxin-producing fungi were found to be associated with all samples. A. flavus contaminated more samples in both types of chips (267 isolates in 53 samples), followed by A. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The present work's objective is to test sampling methodologies applied on the bioremediation processes in situ, involving the establishment of sample replicates, specific laboratory procedures and its results, inedited on the referred technique. Agricultural fertilizers were used, NPK and OSMOCOTE, as biostimulants on mangroves substrates affected by petroleum activities. The tested methodology used on the experiment was based on the monitoring of this technology in aquarium with water from Sao Paulo's river and sediment contaminated by oil, realized in three steps (first pre-test, second pre-test and third pre-test) that happened between the months of August and November of 2007. The physical-chemical parameters were measured with portable devices carefully calibrated and the oil analyzed with gas chromatography. The saturated hydrocarbons (n-alkenes) had an increase on the concentrations for some ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High concentrations of Cs-137 were detected in the muscles of Walleye Pollack (Theragra chalcogramm) collected from Kitamiyamato banks (sampling on 25 Jul. 2000), Kamui area (16 Oct. 2000) and Niigata coasts (31 Jan. 2001). The concentrations were 0.35 #+-# 0.01, 0.41 #+-# 0.01, and 0.63 #+-# 0.02 Bq/kg-wet, respectively. The average concentration in our past investigations was about 0.25 #+-# 0.01 Bq/kg-wet. Samples from other areas, the coat of Kushiro (8 May 2001), North Tishima (13 Nov. 2000) and the Sea of Okhotsk (6 May 2001), had the average concentrations. There were no such high concentrations of Cs-137 in other fish species collected from Kitamiyamato banks, Kamui area, and Niigata coasts. Fish samples with high concentrations all make the migration in the north of Japan sea. These results would indicated that samples took in Cs-137 elements from ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this study, liquid flame spray (LFS) was used to produce titania, silver and silver-titania deposits of nanoparticles. Titanium(IV)ethoxide (TEOT) and silver nitrate in ethanol solutions were used as precursors and sprayed into turbulent hydrogen-oxygen flame. Production rates of 1.5-40 mg/min of titania were used with silver additions of 1, 2, 4, and 8 wt% compared to titania. Nanoparticle deposits were collected by thermophoretic sampling at six different axial distances from the flame torch head: 3, 5, 10, 12, 15, and 20 cm, of which the all but the last one occurred inside the flame. The deposit samples were analysed by TEM and SAED analysis. The powder samples of the particles were also collected by electric precipitator to XPS and specific surface area analysis. Particle size and effective density after the flame in the aerosol were analysed with SMPS and ELPI. The results ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beach rocks are observed frequently on the tropical and subtropical sandy beaches where they express thin beds dipping seaward at less than 15 degrees. They consist of beach sediments including fossil shells, fragments of corals, diatoms and other biocarbonates, and are well cemented within the inter-tidal zone with calcium carbonate originated in sea water. Therefore, they are not only good indicators which show the past sea level, but also provide good sample material for radiocarbon dating. The locations of beach rocks give us an optimum condition studying a carbon cycle between land and marine environment by analyzing their isotope fractionations. In order to estimate the origin of calcium carbonate which worked as an adhesive when beach rocks were formed and to estimate the formative ages of beach rocks, a total of 330 fossil corals, fossil shells and calcarenite or calcirdite samples were collected from 128 sites of ...

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Vibration signature analysis has been commonly used for the machine condition monitoring and the control of errors. However, it has been rarely employed for the analysis of the precision instruments such as an atomic force microscope (AFM). In this work, an AFM was used to collect vibration data from a sample positioning stage under different suspension and support conditions. Certain structural characteristics of the sample positioning stage show up as a result of the vibration signature analysis of the surface height images measured using an AFM. It is important to understand these vibration characteristics in order to reduce vibrational uncertainty, improve the damping and structural design, and to eliminate the imaging imperfections. The choice of method applied for vibration analysis may affect the results. Two methods, the data dependent systems (DDS) analysis and the Welch`s periodogram averaging method were ...

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The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR) is to estimate the potential radiation doses received by people living within the sphere of influence of the Hanford Site. A potential critical pathway for human radiation exposure is through the consumption of waterfowl that frequent onsite waste-water ponds or through eating of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl that reside in/on the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream of the reactors. This document summarizes information on fish, shellfish, and waterfowl radiation contamination for samples collected by Hanford monitoring personnel and offsite agencies for the period 1945 to 1972. Specific information includes the types of organisms sampled, the kinds of tissues and organs analyzed, the sampling locations, and the radionuclides reported. Some tissue concentrations are also included. We anticipate that these yearly ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR) is to estimate the potential radiation doses received by people living within the sphere of influence of the Hanford Site. A potential critical pathway for human radiation exposure is through the consumption of waterfowl that frequent onsite waste-water ponds or through eating of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl that reside in/on the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream of the reactors. This document summarizes information on fish, shellfish, and waterfowl radiation contamination for samples collected by Hanford monitoring personnel and offsite agencies for the period 1945 to 1972. Specific information includes the types of organisms sampled, the kinds of tissues and organs analyzed, the sampling locations, and the radionuclides reported. Some tissue concentrations are also included. We anticipate that these yearly ...

Science.gov (United States)

On November 2, 1974, Skelly and Loy submitted recommendations to the United States Environmental Protection Agency concerning establishment of effluent limitations for the Coal Mining Point Source Category, culminating an exhaustive study of water treatment technology within the coal industry. Members of the National Coal Association alleged that the efficiency of acid mine drainage treatment plants and settling basins is seriously reduced during winter and spring seasons. The original study was conducted during the summer months, and review of historical seasonal effluent data indicated there may be validity to this claim. To validate and confirm the conclusions and proposed effluent limitations established in part from this historical data, a further sampling program was conducted during the winter and spring of 1975. This report presents the findings of that sampling program, and correlates previously collected ...

Science.gov (United States)

For the estimation of the dispersion trend of tritium discharged from the Wolsung nuclear power plant, the present level of tritium in environmental samples in the vicinity of the Wolsong site has been studied. On the basis of tritium concentrations in environmental samples, the effective dose due to tritium has been estimated for an individual and population within a 16 km radius from the Wolsong site. The annual effective dose of tritium to an inhabitant around the Wolsong site ranged from 0.15 microSv y-1 to 1.3 microSv y-1. The dose level was negligible and much lower than some applicable standards, i.e. the limit on exposure from nuclear fuel cycle to the general public as recommended by ICRP (1 mSv y-1) or US EPA's limit (0.25 mSv y-1). The collective dose to the total population within a 16 km radius from the site, 1.2 x 10(-2) man.Sv y-1 was much lower than 1 man.Sv y-1, an applicable criterion for the so-called ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The growing global public concern over deteriorating air quality and greenhouse gases emissions released from various combustion processes, and particularly power plants and transportation system, led governments and local authorities, especially in industrialised countries into taking these issues seriously and establishing standards to reduce air pollution down to acceptable levels, (clean air act, earth summit,...). The transportation sector has another unwanted product, noise pollution caused by different segments of this sector including the noise produced by the engine, tires noise and exhaust noise, in addition to the noise product by private standby generals operating during electricity cut-off periods. To be able to estimate the environmental impacts of the national power plants and the transportation sector, it is necessary to collect enough data (samples of lead emissions, SO_2 concentration, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Some crops of important nutritive requirements have been collected from farmlands located in Bitsichi an old tin mining town in north central region of Nigeria. The food crops were analyzed in order to determine trace element concentrations level using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). The activity concentrations due to natural radionuclides in the food samples and soil samples collected within the root zone of the crops were also determined using gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS). The NAA results obtained showed higher concentration of Potassium among the essential elements in all the crops. Calcium concentration in both maize and Guinea corn was below detection limit and also Zn in Green beans, sweet potato and cassava. The trace elements; Sc, Hf, Sm, and Th, were below detection limit in all the crops except in Green beans. Rubidium (Rb) and lanthanum (La) were below detection limits only in Cabbage. The ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There is considerable interest in the use of silicon devices as qubits for quantum computing. The existence of nuclear spin in a silicon isotope and the complex band structure of silicon are unfavourable for this application of silicon devices. (viewpoint)

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The Anadenathera macrocarpa, Schinus molle, Hymenaea courbaril, Cariniana legalis, Solidago microglossa and Stryphnodendron barbatiman, were collected ''in natura'' samples (leaves, flowers, barks and seeds) from different commercial suppliers. The pharmaco-active compounds in ethanolic extracts had been made by the Mato Grosso Federal University (UFMT). The energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry was used for the elemental analysis in different parts of the plants and respective ethanolic extracts. The Ca, Cl, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Rb, S, Sr and Zn concentrations were determined by the fundamental parameters method. Some specimens showed a similar inorganic profile for ''in natura'' and ethanolic extract samples and some ones showed a distinct inorganic profile. For example, the Anadenathera macrocarpa showed a similar ...

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Oregon State University (OSU) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) were funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research focused on resolving the key technical issues that limited the deployment of efficient and extremely compact microtechnology based heat actuated absorption heat pumps and gas absorbers. Success in demonstrating these technologies will reduce the main barriers to the deployment of a technology that can significantly reduce energy consumption in the building, automotive and industrial sectors while providing a technology that can improve our ability to sequester CO{sub 2}. The proposed research cost $939,477. $539,477 of the proposed amount funded research conducted at OSU while the balance ($400,000) was used at PNNL. The project lasted 42 months and started in April 2001. Recent developments at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oregon State University suggest that the performance of absorption and desorption systems can be ...

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The AP-0 Target Hall Collection Lens is a pulsed device which focuses anti-protons just downstream of the Target. Since the angles at which the anti-protons depart the Target can be quite large, a very high focusing strength is required to maximize anti-proton capture into the downstream Debuncher Ring. The current design of the Collection Lens was designed to operate with a focusing gradient of 1,000 T/m. However, multiple failures of early devices resulted in lowering the normal operating gradient to about 750 T/m. At this gradient, the Lens design fares much better, lasting several million pulses, but ultimately still fails. A Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been performed on this Collection Lens design to help determine the cause and/or nature of the failures. The Collection Lens magnetic field is created by passing high current through a central conductor ...

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Estuaries and coastal regions are highly variable in the physical and hydrographic conditions. As a result of heavy urbanization and industrialization of the head waters of most estuaries, there are substantial localized inputs of contaminants to the estuary. These factors combined with the flushing characteristics of individual estuaries to create relatively unique features that result in variation in the typical levels of trace metals for these systems. This makes intercomparison of the estuaries difficult. Comparability among estuaries becomes even more difficult when metals analyses are conducted without proper control of field and laboratory contamination, now firmly established in the trace metal analytical literature as a prerequisite for reliable marine trace metals analysis. This paper compares the concentrations of selected trace metal (Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in the waters of several major estuaries of the United States. The basis of comparison is that all ...

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During the autumn of 1994 an investigation of foodstuffs has been accomplished to assess the average intake of {sup 137}Cs by the Swedish population due to the Chernobyl accident. A standardized food basket has been collected from two grocers in 10 localities, of which the majority came from areas with the highest fallout. The estimated maximum intake of {sup 137}Cs was 815 Bq/year in the inland of the county of Vaesterbotten. The population weighted average intake for the fallout affected counties was 435 Bq/year. The rest of the county received an intake of 235 Bq/year. The population weighted average of the intake for the whole county was estimated to 274 Bq/year. From this intake the calculated body burden would be 1.3 Bq/kg for the average citizen. Whole-body measurements of a sample of the population gave 2.0 Bq/kg. A plausible explanation would be that 40% of the intake of {sup 137}Cs can have its origin from the 10% of the consumption ...

Science.gov (United States)

The urine test strip is the most common test used to detect ketones in veterinary patients, but it can underestimate the degree of ketonuria and hence, ketonemia. Additionally, adequate urine samples for analysis may be difficult to obtain from dehydrated animals. The standard method used to detect and monitor ketonemia in human medicine is measurement of serum or whole blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (?HOB). A point-of-care (POC) analyzer has been validated for this purpose in humans. This study compared the accuracy of the POC device to an enzymatic reaction laboratory method for measurement of ?HOB in dogs. Although the POC sensor tended to overestimate ?HOB concentrations, there was good correlation (R(2) = 0.96) and good agreement between the 2 methods with a bias +/- precision of 0.0860 +/- 0.3410 mmol/L ?HOB. The POC ?HOB sensor can be useful for assessing ketonemia in dogs. PMID:21119867

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Electrostatic separation has already proved to be an effective means for the recycling of granular plastics from industrial wastes. The aim of the present work was to optimize the operation of a novel device that could ensure effective triboelectric charging of such materials prior to their selective sorting in a high-intensity electric field. The experiments were performed on two sorts of mm-size granular materials Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and High Impact Polystyrene, originating from the processing of waste electric and electronic equipment. The samples were introduced in a Polyvinyl Chloride cylinder, where a co-axial propeller entrained the plastic granules into a helical motion that favored their triboelectric charging by combining the mechanical and aerodynamical effects. The ...

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The aim of this work is the implantation and characterization of a neutron radiography system that uses an electronic device for attainment of images in real time, for its implementation in the nuclear research reactor Argonauta at IEN/CNEN (Nuclear Engineering Institute of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission). The Electronic Imaging System in Real Time is composed by a scintillator screen for neutron, a video camera (CCD), a digital plate and a computer with specific computational programs for digital processing of the images. The System in installed real time is apt to carry through neutron radiography inspections of static and dynamic events of several types of samples. (author)

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This paper deals with surface defects of automobile outer panels, which alter significantly the vehicle quality. Such defects occur during springback, after forming or flanging steps, and are characterized by concave depression of small amplitude over the convex shape of the part. The aim of this work is to reproduce at the laboratory scale a surface defect that occurs after flanging on a geometry similar to a door upper corner. A dedicated device has been designed in order to generate small size surface defects during flanging of metallic thin sheets. The outer surface of the sample was digitalized and the spatial geometry of the defect was evaluated from curvature change along 2D profiles. This study shows that the flanging height does not influence significantly the surface defect geome...

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We describe a fully automated bead puller system which uses stepping motors to position the bead, and an HP-8510 network analyzer to measure the resulting frequency shifts, both devices being under computer control. Longitudinal motion of the bead is used for measurement of cavity shunt impedance. In addition, azimuthal scans at fixed longitudinal position aid in determining the multipole character of higher-order modes. High sensitivity/accuracy is made possible by measuring phase shifts at the unperturbed resonant frequencies (rather than frequency shifts themselves), thereby permitting averaging factors of > 500 with only modest increases in data acquisition time. Sample measurements will be presented. A comprehensive analysis of the experimental results is presented in an accompanying paper.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The study area is located in the Bekaa plain of Lebanon totaling about 12753 ha. It lies between the eastern foothills of Mount Lebanon chain and expands across the Litani River towards the foothills of the eastern Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Its characteristics, i.e. natural terrain, climate and socio-economy, make it vulnerable especially due to soil pollution. This paper tries to identify the nature and level of soil pollution by heavy metals. Valley slopes represent a complex landform and lithology that contributed to the formation of different soil. Agriculture in the plain is being practiced mainly with cash, field crops and vegetables. Throughout the central part of the plain, groundwater table is abundant and relatively high (<1.0 m. locally) that multiplies the vulnerability of the soil-groundwater system. There are different sources of pollution, such as industrial (tanneries, batteries, leather manufacturing), solid and liquid wastes, and agricultural due to uncontrolled ...

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This paper addresses one source of degradation in OPV devices: the metal/organic interface. The basic approach was to study the completed device stability vs. the stability of the organic film itself as shown in subsequent devices fabricated from the films.

J-STORE (Japan)

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Science.gov (United States)

... in the design of such devices as fusion reactors, magnetohydrodynamic generators, magnetically levitated vehicles, magnetic forming devices, and ...

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Worker exposures to arsenic (7440382) (As), cadmium (7440439) (Cd), copper (7440508) (Cu), lead (7439921) (Pb) and sulfur-dioxide (7446095) (SO2) were surveyed at ASARCO, Incorporated (SIC-3331) in Hayden, Arizona on April 23 and 24, 1980. The evaluation was requested by an authorized representative of the United Steel Workers, Local 886, on behalf of an unspecified number of workers. Personal and area air samples were collected in the pug mill department, and workers were tested for blood Pb and urinary As concentrations. All four personal samples for As exceeded the OSHA standard of 10 micrograms per cubic meter, one sample exceeded the Cu dust standard of 1 milligram per cubic meter (mg/cu m), and one sample exceeded the Pb standard of 50 micrograms per cubic meter. Exposures to Cd fume, Cd dust, and SO2 were below the respective OSHA standard of 0.2mg/cu m, 1.0mg/cu m, and 5 ...

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number of technical requirements and performance criteria can drive stellarator costs, e.g., tight tolerances, accurate coil positioning, low aspect ratio (compactness), choice of assembly strategy, metrology, and complexity of the stellarator coil geometry. With the completion of a seven-year design and construction effort of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) it is useful to interject the NCSX experience along with the collective experiences of the NCSX stellarator community to improving the stellarator configuration. Can improvements in maintenance be achieved by altering the stellarator magnet configuration with changes in the coil shape or with the combination of trim coils? Can a mechanical configuration be identified that incorporates a partial set of shaped fixed stellarator coils along with some removable coil set to enhance the overall machine maintenance? Are there other approaches that will simplify the concepts, improve access for ...

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KM3NeT is a future deep-sea research infrastructure hosting a neutrino telescope with a volume of at least one cubic kilometer to be constructed in the Mediterranean Sea. The experiment aims to detect high-energy cosmic neutrinos using a 3D array of optical modules to collect the Cherenkov light induced by charged particles in the water. Upward going muons and showers produced in neutrino interactions with the surrounding matter will allow the search and study of possible sources of extra-terrestrial neutrinos. The design of optical modules makes an important impact on the performance and cost of the KM3NeT project. Several different optical module configurations are under consideration; based on glass pressure spheres containing: a large (10 in.) hemispherical photomultiplier tube (with a multi-anode version as an option); 25-31 3 in. photomultiplier tubes, or a crystal scintillator-based hybrid device (X-HPD). The features and advantages of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A wind turbine is disclosed which permits high energy production over a wide range of wind forces while being protected against climatic hazards. According to the invention, a mast supports an energy recuperator comprising vane-type rotors by means of a frame which is orientable around a vertical axis. An energy conversion device is connected to the recuperator in order to be driven in rotation by the recuperator. The frame is responsive to the aerodynamic force exerted on the recuperator with respect to the mast and to the ground so as to optimize the power collected by the machine. The frame comprises a turret pivoted to the mast about the vertical axis and a structure pivoted to the turret about a horizontal axis of tilting motion. A balance weight maintains the recuperator in the top position when there is no wind. The aerodynamic drag of the recuperator acts in the opposite direction. In consequence, in the event of a high wind, the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We provide a detailed overview of an on-going, multinational test programme that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolised materials plus volatilised fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high-energy/density device. The programme participants in the United States plus Germany, France and the United Kingdom, part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks (WGSTSC) have strongly supported and coordinated this research programme. Sandia National Laboratories has the lead role for conducting this research programme; test programme support is provided by both the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We provide a summary of the overall, multiphase test design and a description of all explosive containment and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The authors provide a detailed overview of an on-going, multinational test program that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolized materials plus volatilized fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high-energy-density device. The program participants in the United States plus Germany, France and the United Kingdom, part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks (WGSTSC) have strongly supported and coordinated this research program. Sandia National Laboratories has the lead role for conducting this research program; test program support is provided by both the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The authors provide a summary of the overall, multiphase test design and a description of all explosive ...

Science.gov (United States)

Shape optimization of heat transfer augmentation device employed in turbine blade internal cooling passage has been performed numerically using single as well as multi-objective optimization procedures. Polynomial response surface approximation method and multi-objective genetic algorithm are used for single and multi-objective optimizations, respectively. Problem to enhance heat transfer rate considering staggered dimples on single surface of cooling passage has been formulated, and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved to analyze the flow field and the heat transfer. Three design variables defining channel and dimple dimensions, and two objective functions related to Nusselt number and friction drag are employed. Latin hypercube sampling is used to generate sampling points in design space, and the evaluated objectives are used to generate a set of optimal designs. Optimal shapes show higher heat transfer ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Agricultural runoff is a major non-point source pollutant and is the leading impairment of streams and rivers in the USA. This study examined the effects of agricultural, forest and urban land cover on water quality at the watershed level. Forty-three catchments ranging from 12 to 50?km2 were selected based on a land cover gradient within Lower Kaskaskia River Watershed in Illinois. Grab samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients, bacteria, and total suspended solids (TSS). Forest land cover was included in six of the ten regression models produced. Four of these regression models were for base flow conditions, suggesting that forest land cover had a significant impact on base flow water quality. Urban land cover was also included in six of the regression models. However, the majori...

Science.gov (United States)

We report results of measurements and analysis of the heat capacity of MnSi. The measurements included data collection at a magnetic field of 4T, which suppresses strongly the longitudinal spin fluctuations and the phase transition. To analyze the experimental data, calculations of the phonon spectrum and phonon density of states in MnSi were performed. Inelastic neutron scattering with a polycrystalline sample of MnSi was used to validate the computational results. The combination of the experimental and theoretical data turned out to be decisive in revealing some hidden features of the thermal excitations in MnSi. In particular, the analysis of the available data led conclusively to the existence of a negative contribution to the heat capacity and entropy in MnSi at T>Tc, implying that a specific spin ordering process did occur in the paramagnet phase of MnSi.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In order to investigate the potential role of arctic geese in the epidemiology, the spatial and temporal spread of selected avian diseases, in autumn 2002, a virological and serological survey designed as capture-mark-resighting study was conducted in one of the most important coastal resting sites for migratory waterfowl in Germany. Oropharyngeal, cloacal swabs and blood samples were collected from a total of 147 birds comprising of three different arctic geese species including White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis rossicus), Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) as well as from 29 non-migratory Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). Altogether, six adeno-like viruses (ALV; 95% CI, 1.74?9.92%) and two avian paramyxoviruses (APMV-4; 95% CI, 0.19?5.53%) were...

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The authors present the results of a search for W{prime} boson decaying to electron-neutrino pairs in p{bar p} collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using a data sample corresponding to 205 pb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at Fermilab. They observe no evidence for this decay mode and set limits on the production cross section times branching fraction, assuming the neutrinos from W{prime} boson decays to be light. If they assume the manifest left-right symmetric model, they exclude a W{prime} boson with mass less than 788 GeV/c{sup 2} at the 95% confidence level.

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It is acknowledged that fluorescence line height (FLH) algorithms are still hampered by the uncertainty of fluorescence peak position. The fluorescence peak moves to longer wavelengths with the increase of chlorophyll a concentration. In this article, the fluorescence enveloped area (FEA), which integrates the fluorescence height and the fluorescence peak position, was used to estimate the chlorophyll a concentration in the coastal waters of the Pearl River Estuary. The FEA algorithm was developed from in situ data of chlorophyll a concentration, total suspended matter (TSM) concentration and above-water remote sensing reflectance, which were collected at 37 sampling stations in the Pearl River Estuary during two cruises. The results showed that the FEA algorithm made a better estimation o...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Reference failures, and their increase in affectively negative conditions (known as affective reactivity of speech), are more frequently observed in schizophrenia patients than in normal controls, but no information is available comparing schizophrenia with depression, ie, a mental disorder closely linked to the concept of affective reactivity. To address this gap in the literature, the present study compared 24 schizophrenia inpatients, 21 unipolar depression inpatients and 21 normal controls. Two 10-minute conversational speech samples (1 on negative and 1 on positive memories) were collected from each patient. The transcripts of the audiotaped interviews were analyzed blindly for frequencies of 6 types of referential failures, employing the Communication Disturbances Index, adapted for ...

CERN Document Server

Decays of $\\chi_{c0,2}\\ar\\ww$ are observed for the first time using a sample of $14.0\\times 10^6$ $\\psi(2S)$ events collected with the BESII detector. The branching ratios are determined to be ${\\cal B}(\\chi_{c0}\\ar \\ww)=(2.29\\pm 0.58\\pm 0.41)\\times 10^{-3}$ and ${\\cal B}(\\chi_{c2}\\ar\\ww)=(1.77\\pm 0.47\\pm 0.36)\\times 10^{-3}$, where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. The significances of the two signals are $4.4\\sigma$ and $4.7\\sigma$, respectively.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The occurrence of persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in breast milk samples collected from mothers from twelve provinces in mainland China was investigated. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) were the most prevalent agent, followed by HCHs and HCB, whereas levels of chlordane compounds, drins and mirex were lower. The relatively lower DDE/DDT ratio in the Fujian rural area suggested more recent exposure to DDT than in other areas. The mean level of DDTs in breast milk from the southern China was higher than those from northern China (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between concentration of DDTs in human milk and consumption of animal-origin food, suggesting that this parameter could play an important part in influencing OCPs burdens in lactating women. The mean...

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Systematically review risks of an infant being born with low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB) or small for gestational age (SGA) among married and unmarried women. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and bibliographies of identified articles were searched for English language studies. Studies reporting birth outcomes of married and unmarried (single and cohabitant) were included. Two reviewers independently collected data and assessed the quality of the studies for biases in sample selection, exposure assessment, confounder, analytical, outcome assessments, and attrition. Meta-analyses were performed using random effect model for both unadjusted and adjusted data and odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Twenty-one studies of low to moderate risk of bias were inclu...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Human breast milk samples collected in 2007?2008 from four countries, Vietnam (Hanoi), China (Beijing), Korea (Seoul) and Japan (Sendai, Kyoto and Takayama), were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Comparing with previous surveys, the present study indicates that the DDTs in breast milk from China and Vietnam had gradually decreased during the last decade, but were still 5?10 times higher than those in other nations. The ratios of p,p?-DDE/p,p?-DDT and o,p?-DDT/p,p?-DDT were higher in Beijing than in the other countries, suggesting that there...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses are the most important infections transmitted by the parenteral route in patients receiving maintenance dialysis. The prevalence varies markedly from country to country. The aim of this study is to review the efficacy of the strategies to reduce the incidence of these infections and the trend of results in Iran. As a routine, all hemodialysis patients in Iran have biannual blood samples for assessment of serum HBSAg, HBS Abs, and HCV Abs. The data are collected in the Ministry of Health. For statistical analysis, prevalence, and incidence were calculated. There is an increasing prevalence/incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Iran, from 238/49.9 pmp in 2000 to 357/63.8 pmp in 2006. The prevalence of positive HBSAg and HCV Abs decrease...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, represents an important economic resource for Mediterranean aquaculture. In spite of its wide geographic distribution and economic importance, only recently studies have been carried out on the genetic composition of natural populations, which have revealed a picture of a heterogeneous degree of genetic differentiation among S. aurata populations. In this study an allozyme analysis of samples from six different collecting sites along the Italian and Croatian coasts was carried out, covering an area in the Central Mediterranean sea that has yet to be investigated through gene-enzyme systems. Data on 26 gene loci, 10 of which are polymorphic, indicate a slight but significant genetic structure (FST = 0.0167) of the species. A hierarchical analysis of pop...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Environmental data were collected for most environmental media including air, Columbia River water, external radiation, foodstuffs (milk, beef, eggs, poultry, and produce) and wildlife (deer, fish, and game birds), as well as soil and vegetation samples. In general, offsite levels of radionuclides attributable to Hanford operations during 1979 were indistinguishable from background levels. The data are summarized in the following highlights. Air quality measurements of NO/sub 2/ in the vicinity of the Hanford Site and releases of SO/sub 2/ onsite were well within the applicable federal and state standards. Particulate air concentrations exceed the standards primarily because of agricultural activities in the area. Discharges of waste water from Hanford facilities in the Columbia River under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit were all within the parameter limits on the permit.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background: Quantifying HIV levels in mucosal secretions is essential to study compartmentalized expression of HIV and facilitate development of intervention strategies to prevent disease progression and transmission. Objectives: To develop a sensitive, reliable, and cost-effective technique to quantify HIV from blood and vaginal secretions that is compatible with efficient implementation in clinical research environments. Study design: A sensitive, reliable, internally-controlled real-time reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR assay, which uses the HIV-1 pol gene as a target (Hpol assay) was developed to quantify HIV levels in plasma and genital secretions, and compared to the widely used Roche Amplicor(TM) HIV-1 Monitor assay. In addition, a simplified method of sample collection and processing...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study focuses on comparing reports of nicotine withdrawal, craving, and depressive symptoms obtained using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and several questionnaires. As part of a smoking cessation trial, daily reports of withdrawal, craving, and negative mood were collected using an IVR system for 7 days after participants attempted to quit smoking, and several pencil and paper questionnaires (i.e., the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale, the Questionnaire on Smoking Urges, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression) were completed a week after the target quit date. The sample was composed of 378 daily smokers. Moderate to high correlations were found between the research questionnaires obtained at the end of the week and the corresponding daily IVR reports of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

SummaryThis paper examines the sensitivity and uncertainty of evaporation estimates from Nasser Lake, south of Egypt using data collected at the floating station Raft, 2km upstream of the Aswan High Dam, and 12 evaporation models. Based on their approach the evaporation models were ranked in five classes, respectively the Bowen ratio energy budget (BREB) approach, three energy-aerodynamic based methods, a mass transfer method, two temperature and five solar radiation-temperature approaches. State dependent parameter models were used to estimate the sensitivity indices of the different evaporation estimation methods at daily and monthly frequencies. A drastic reduction in the cost of the sensitivity analysis was obtained when coupled with efficient sampling methods, producing quasi-Monte Ca...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Understanding the mechanical properties of biomedical devices is critical in predicting and preventing their failure in the body. Such knowledge is essential, for example, in the design of biomedical stents, which must undergo repeated strain over their ten year lifetimes without breaking. Computational models are used to predict mechanical response of a device, but these models are not complete; there are significant deviations from the predictions, especially when devices are subjected to repeated multi-axial loads. Improving these models requires comparisons with actual measurements of strained nitinol. Local measurements of the full strain tensor can be made using X-ray diffraction techniques, but they are currently limited to materials whose grain size is larger than the X-ray beam size or require several diffraction patterns produced by rotation of the sample. Nitinol stents are nanocrystalline, ...

Science.gov (United States)

The formation and properties of Pd{sub 2}Si formed by focused ion beam implantation of Pd ions into Si is presented in this thesis. An extensive microstructural study using transmission electron microscopy was undertaken and the as-implanted as well as annealed microstructure is shown. Results of other analysis techniques such as Rutherford back scattering and secondary ion mass spectrometry etc. are also presented. Kinetic information on the growth of Pd{sub 2}Si obtained by both microstructural and resistance measurements indicates that the activation energy for growth of the silicide is around 0.36 to 0.39 eV. This can be compared with the normally reported value of 1.5 eV for Pd{sub 2}Si formed by annealing thin film Pd on Si. The growth of the silicide was found to follow t{sup 1/2} kinetics. Microstructural observation of the as-implanted samples showed extensive in-situ formation of Pd{sub 2}Di and also surprisingly few defect structures. A heat transfer ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab) operates the Tevatron proton-antiproton collider at a center-of-mass energy of {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, the is therefore the only collider which is today able to produce the heaviest known particle, the top quark. The top quark was discovered at the Tevatron by the CDF and D0 collaborations in 1995. At the Tevatron, most top quarks are produced via the strong interaction, whereby quark-antiquark annihilation dominates with 85%, and gluon fusion contributes with 15%. Considering next-to-leading order (NLO) contributions in the cross section of top-antitop quark production, leads to a slight positive asymmetry in the differential distribution of the production angle {alpha} of the top quarks. This asymmetry is due to the interference of certain NLO contributions. The charge asymmetry A in the cosine of {alpha} is predicted [14] to amount to 4-6%. Information about the partonic rest frame, necessary for a measurement of A in the observable cos ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Department of Energy selected caustic-side solvent extraction (CSSX) as the preferred cesium-removal technology for SRS high-level waste. In the pretreatment step of the CSSX flowsheet, the incoming salt solution, which contains entrained sludge, is contacted with MST to adsorb strontium and selected actinides. An alternative approach replaces MST with the addition of sodium permanganate, strontium nitrate, and hydrogen peroxide. The pretreatment operation then filters the resulting slurry to remove the sludge and MST or manganese oxide and strontium carbonate solids. The filtrate receives further treatment in the solvent extraction system. SRTC personnel coordinated tests using a SpinTek rotary microfilter at the vendor location in FY01. These tests demonstrated a significant improvement - 2.5 to 6 times increase - in performance relative to the conventional cross-flow filter units. Rotary microfilter testing used a filter disk with nominal pore size of either 0.1-micron or 0. ...

CERN Document Server

Galactic open clusters are since long recognized as one of the best tools for investigating the radial distribution of iron and other metals. We employed FLAMES at VLT to collect UVES spectra of bright giant stars in a large sample of open clusters, spanning a wide range of Galactocentric distances, ages, and metallicities. We present here the results for four clusters: Berkeley 20 and Berkeley 29, the two most distant clusters in the sample; Collinder 261, the oldest and the one with the minimum Galactocentric distance; Melotte 66. Equivalent width analysis was carried out using the spectral code MOOG and Kurucz model atmospheres to derive abundances of Fe, Al, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Ni, Ba; non-LTE Na abundances were derived by direct line-profile fitting. We obtain subsolar metallicities for the two anticenter clusters Be 20 ([Fe/H]=-0.30, rms=0.02) and Be 29 ([Fe/H]=-0.31, rms=0.03), and for Mel 66 ([Fe/H]=-0.33, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effectiveness of Noveko's antimicrobial filter was evaluated after 16 months of exposure to commercial swine production. The experiment involved the use of a scaled model of a commercial swine facility consisting of 2 small chambers connected by a duct containing the filters. A 5 kg naive pig was placed in the reception chamber for a period of 6 hours after aerosolization with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Blood samples from pigs were collected before and after aerosolization to test for the presence of PRRSV RNA. Only blood samples were tested for PRRSV antibodies by IDEXX 2XR ELISA. None of the 9 pigs tested were found to be infected. The study showed that the technology used to integrate the antimicrobial agent into the filter fibers allows the filter combination to withstand extreme weather and endure commercial swine production for at least 16 months, and can maintain its ...

CERN Document Server

Containing an epidemic at its origin is the most desirable mitigation. Epidemics have often originated in rural areas, with rural communities among the first affected. Disease dynamics in rural regions have received limited attention, and results of general studies cannot be directly applied since population densities and human mobility factors are very different in rural regions from those in cities. We create a network model of a rural community in Kansas, USA, by collecting data on the contact patterns and computing rates of contact among a sampled population. We model the impact of different mitigation strategies detecting closely connected groups of people and frequently visited locations. Within those groups and locations, we compare the effectiveness of random and targeted vaccinations using a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered compartmental model on the contact network. Our simulations show that the targeted vaccinations of only 10% ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Contents The aim of this study was a cytogenetic analysis of stallions semen to find sex chromosome aberrations and to determine if there was an association between stallion-s age and aberration frequency for the sex chromosomes. Sperm samples were collected from 22 stallions of various age from 3 to 23-years. Multicolour FISH was performed on each sample, using probes for the sex chromosomes and EGFR gene, localized on 4p12 in domestic horse. A total of 26199 sperm cells were analysed (from 1 070 to 1 532 per animal). Among the analysed cells, there were 50.318% with X chromosome, 48.543% with Y chromosome and 1.139% with aberrant chromosomes. The frequency of aberrations was: sex chromosomes nullisomy (0.466%), XY aneuploidy (0.454%), XX disomy (0.146%), YY disomy (0.041%), diploidy (0.0...

Science.gov (United States)

An analytical method was developed for the determination of eleven agrochemicals [abamectin (as B1a), bifenazate, bifenthrin, carfentrazone-ethyl, cymoxanil, hexythiazox, imidacloprid, mefenoxam, pymetrozine, quinoxyfen, and trifloxystrobin] in dried hops. The method utilized polymeric and NH2 solid phase extraction (SPE) column cleanups and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Method validation and concurrent recoveries from untreated dried hops ranged from 71 to 126% for all compounds over three levels of fortification (0.10, 1.0, and 10.0 ppm). Commercially grown hop samples collected from several field sites had detectable residues of bifenazate, bifenthrin, hexythiazox, and quinoxyfen. The control sample used was free of contamination below the 0.050 ppm level for all agrochemicals of interest. The limit of quantitation and limit of detection for all compounds were 0.10 and 0.050 ppm, respectively. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This thesis consists of an introduction and five included papers. Of these, four papers are published in international journals and the fifth was submitted for review in April 2000. Emphasis has been placed on both naturally and artificially generated light hydrocarbons in petroleum fluids and their proposed source rocks as well as direct application of light hydrocarbons to oil/source rock correlations. Collectively, these papers describe a strategy for interpreting the source of the light hydrocarbons in original oils and condensates as well as the source of the asphaltene fractions from the reservoir fluids. The influence of maturity on light hydrocarbon composition has also been evaluated. The papers include (1) compositional data on the light hydrocarbons from thermal extracts and kerogen pyrolysates of sediment samples, (2) light hydrocarbon data of oils and condensates as well as the pyrolysis products of the asphaltenes from these ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This RD&D project is a three year team effort to develop a hybrid solar lighting (HSL) system that transports daylight from a paraboloidal dish concentrator to a luminaire via a bundle of small core or a large core polymer fiber optics. The luminaire can be a device to distribute sunlight into a space for the production of algae or it can be a device that is a combination of daylighting and electric lighting for space/task lighting. In this project, the sunlight is collected using a one-meter paraboloidal concentrator dish with two-axis tracking. For the second generation (alpha) system, the secondary mirror is an ellipsoidal mirror that directs the visible light into a bundle of small-core fibers. The IR spectrum is filtered out to minimize unnecessary heating at the fiber entrance region. This report describes the following investigations of various aspects of the system. Taken as a whole, they confirm significant ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... collective model hamiltonians iridium 187 matrix elements nuclear cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarapur Atomic Power Station Unit-4 is first 540 MWe pressurized heavy water reactor in India. It achieved criticality on 06th March 2005 and then operated at full power i.e 500 MWe. Radiation workers during the normal operation and reactor shutdown are exposed to radiation field. The control of dose rates and the collective dose of the radiation workers is most important for the best performance of the reactor. Experience gained during the operation of the 220 MWe reactors has shown that the Moderator system, primary heat transport system, annulus gas system and moderator cover gas system are the main systems contributing to the dose rate and collective dose. In order to identify the radio nuclides contributing to the radiation field, study was undertaken at TAPS Unit-4. Various samples from the Moderator, primary heat transport system, annulus gas system and moderator cover gas system were collected ...

Science.gov (United States)

Based on the cruise data collected in the Pearl River estuary (PRE) in May 2008, an empirical two-band model by using the ratio of R (rs) at 629 and 671 nm was established to retrieve total suspended matter (TSM) concentration with the determination coefficient (R(2)) of 0.854, mean relative error (MRE) of 7.483%, and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1.295 mg L(?-?1). To match with medium resolution imaging spectrometer (MERIS) bands, in situ remote sensing reflectance was re-sampled to the bandwidth of 10 nm. The relationship between TSM and re-sampled R (rs) at 620 nm (MERIS band 6) and 665 nm (MERIS band 7) are obtained (R(2) = 0.748, RMSE = 1.697 mg L(?-?1), MRE = 8.785%, n = 13). Additionally, to map the spatial distribution of TSM in the PRE, MERIS level_1B data were calibrated using a multiple linear regression model based on in situ R (rs). Another dataset collected in the PRE in January 2004 ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This work describes the radon in soil gas measurements performed during the last two years in cooperation between the Laboratory of Applied Nuclear Physics of the Federal University of Technology (UTFPR), the Nuclear Technology Development Center (CDTN) and the Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (IRD) from the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN). Following previously concluded measurements of radon concentration in dwellings and the measurements of 222Rn activity in drinking water collected at artesian bores of Curitiba urban area, present step of activities has been dedicated to measurements of radon concentration in soil gas. Experimental setup was based on the Professional Radon Monitor (ALPHA GUARD) connected to specially developed for such measurements Soil Gas Probe through the air pump and filter system. After the Probe was inserted, the ground has been tamped down around the probe, to prevent air from moving vertically along the outside ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The first radon soil gas survey in Serbia, using passive detectors (SSNTD, CR-39), was carried out in June 2005 at field sites in Niska Banja town. The aim of the survey was to identify risk zones characterised by high levels of this radioactive gas. Radon measurements were made at the depth of 50 cm, in the ground according to a systematic grid pattern. Furthermore, at all 48 measurement points, the surface gamma dose rates in the air was also measured at the same locations and soil samples were collected for gamma spectrometric analysis for the radionuclides {sup 226}Ra, {sup 228}Th and {sup 40}K. Radon concentrations were found to range from 1270 to 155000Bqm{sup -3} with an average of 33765Bqm{sup -3} and a median value of 12626Bqm{sup -3}. The geometrical mean value and geometrical standard deviation were calculated as 16160Bqm{sup -3} and 3.5Bqm{sup -3}, respectively. Gamma dose rate varies from 92 to 316nGyh{sup -1}, with an average of ...

Science.gov (United States)

PCR detection of genetic material of the parasites present in faeces may be an alternative for microscopic and serological tests routinely used for diagnosing parasitic enteral infections. However, small amount of target DNA combined with low efficiency of total DNA extraction, and presence of PCR inhibitors in the samples to be amplified, may cause false negative detection results. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of DNA isolation procedure used on the amplification of DNA fragments from the genomes of protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum and the nematode Trichinella spiralis. Two methods based on different principles of biological material lysis were evaluated; NucliSENS miniMAG employing simultaneously applied chemical lysis and mechanical disruption or mechanical disruption followed by enzymatic lysis in case of QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit. Both of the analyzed systems for nucleic acids purification allowed isolation of DNA from purified ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nitrite was measured in atmospheric liquid phase samples between 1998 and 2005 to investigate the heterogeneous formation of nitrous acid in the lower atmosphere, as well as to assess the quality of water recovered from dew. The samples were collected during ground-based cloud field experiments at different German mountain sites (Brocken, Schmucke, and Hohenpeissenberg) and at a site south of the Bordeaux urban area (France). Concentrations found in Bordeaux dew samples (up to 2800 ?gl-1) are comparable to those found elsewhere in urban fog and dew water and considerably higher than those detected in cloud water or rain. Particulate nitrite (and nitrate) as well as HNO2 (HNO3) data in air masses from a foothill site of Mt. Schmucke, before involved in cloud processing, are also presented. In clouds at Mt. Brocken, both the interstitial HNO2 gas and the aqueous phase nitrite concentration have been ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polychlorinated n-alkanes (PCAs) are group of chemicals manufactured by chlorination of liquid n-paraffin or paraffin wax that contain 30 to 70% chlorine by weight. Large amounts of PCAs are widely used as plasticizers for vinyl chloride, lubricants, paints, and flame retardants and number of other industrial applications. Annual global production of PCAs is approximately 300 kilo tones, with a majority having medium-carbon-chain (C14-C19) length. According to the investigation made by Kagaku Kogyo Nippon-Sha, the annual consumption of PCAs in Japan was about 83,000 tons in between 1986-2001. Short-carbon-chain (C10-C13) has been placed on the Priority Substance List under Canadian Environmental Protection Act and on the Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Release Inventory in the USA due to its potential to act as tumor promoters in mammals. Data on environment levels of PCAs is meager, nevertheless, PCAs have been measured at relatively high concentrations in biota from Sweden, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report is a compilation of the calendar year 2003 groundwater sampling results from the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada Test Site. Wells Ue5PW-1, Ue5PW-2, and Ue5PW-3 were sampled semi-annually for the required analytes: pH, specific conductance, total organic carbon (TOC), total organic halides (TOX), tritium, and major cations/anions. Results from all samples collected in 2003 were within established criteria. These data indicate that there has been no measurable impact to the uppermost aquifer from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulated unit within the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site and confirm that any previous detections of TOC and TOX were false positives. Contamination indicator data are presented in control chart and tabular form with investigation levels indicated. Gross water chemistry data are presented in graphical and tabular form. There ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We investigated the electrical characteristics and the junction depth of ultra-shallow junctions formed by using the plasma-doping method. Compared with ultra-low energy boron-ion implantation at 500 eV, the junctions formed with the plasma-doping process exhibited shallow junction depths and low sheet resistances. The junction depths of the plasma-doped samples were 150 A and 330 A after annealing for 10 s at 900 .deg. C and 950 .deg. C, respectively. For the same junction depth, the sheet resistance of the B{sub 2}H{sub 6} plasma-doped sample was an order of magnitude less than that of the 500-eV B-ion implanted sample. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and deep level transient spectroscopy showed that the defects formed by the B{sub 2}H{sub 6} plasma-doping process could be removed by annealing at 950 .deg. C for 10 s. The scaling of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MOSFET) ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The characteristics of per-fluorocarbon compounds (PFC) are colorless, non-toxic, easily vaporized and nonflammable. Also, some of them are liquids of a high density, low surface tension, low latent heat and low specific heat. These particular chemical and physical properties of fluoro-organic compounds permit their use in very different fields such as electronics, medicine, tribology, nuclear and material science. The Sonatol process was developed under a contract with the DOE. The Sonatol process uses an ultrasonic agitation in a PFC solution that contains a fluorinated surfactant to remove radioactive particles from surfaces. Filtering the suspended particles allows the solutions to be reused indefinitely. They applied the Sonatol process to the decontamination of a heterogeneous legacy Pu-238 waste that exhibited an excessive hydrogen gas generation, which prevents a transportation of such a waste to a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is ...

CERN Document Server

The simple device for scanning image is described. It has much in common with usual TV camera, with an electron beam replaced by an optical one. After the general description of the device, we present a simple experimental illustration.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new emissivity measurement device with inductive sample heating is described. The disc shaped samples can be measured between 800 C and 2000 C in vacuum or in each available gas atmosphere. Two kinds of surface temperature measurement methods are described, one by measuring in a blackbody hole and one by measuring at the surface without additional measures to correct emissivity. Total normal and spectral emissivity at wavelengths between 0,5 {mu}m and 8,3 {mu}m of various high temperature materials like platinum and Pt-Rh-alloys, siliconcarbide and molybdenum disilicide have been measured. From the investigated materials a few have been selected as reference samples for comparative emissivity measurements fullfilling the requirement of stability on air up to 400 C to 1000 C in order to ensure reproducibility of the results at different measurement conditions in air and in vacuum. (orig.) [Deutsch] Der ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The decrease mechanic effect on loads being transported, shock load limiters (dampers) are being widely used today. Usually, the materials having 'stress-strain' diagrams (#sigma#-#epsilon#) of compression with a substantial portion, where #sigma# = const., are used as dampers. Most widely used are dampers made of foam polystyrene having just the same compression diagram. Similar strain diagrams can be enlisted for some porous materials, timber under cross compression, perforated metallic crushers and some others. By selecting damper material, the level of transmitted to the protected object pressures can be varied from several to hundreds MPa. Timber, as being widely used and featuring good technologic properties together with low cost, becomes an attractive material to be used as the limiter of shock loads. This paper presents the results of stress-strain sequoia properties (USA deliverable) and birch properties (Volgo-Vyatski region) at dynamic (v = 10 m/s) and quasistatic (v ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A device made of amorphous silicon which exhibits inductive properties at certain voltage biases and in certain frequency ranges in described. Devices of the type described can be made in integrated circuit form.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The polycrystalline samples of Y_2_-_xHo_xO_3 (0.10#<=#x#<=#1.80) were synthesized by ceramic technology. The X-ray powder diffraction data were collected and the crystal structures were refined by the Rietveld method for the samples Y_2_-_xHo_xO_3 (x=0.00, 0.20, 0.40, 1.20, 1.80, 2.00). Holmium ions Ho"3"+ were randomly distributed over two cationic sites 8b and 24d in the space group Ia3 in all refined structures. Cation-anion-cation bonds important for superexchange interaction were determined. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were done by the Faraday method in the temperature range 290 to 620 K and a behaviour in accordance with the Curie-Weiss law was obtained. The molar Curie's constants linearly depend on concentration. The effective magnetic moments of Ho"3"+ ions were smaller than the free ion value. The Curie-Weiss paramagnetic temperatures indicated antiferromagnetic interaction. The gram ion ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Department of Energy (DOE) Subsurface Contamination Focus Area (SCFA) sponsored a technology demonstration of non-traditional in situ vitrification (NTISV) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The project team for this demonstration included MSE Technology Applications, Inc., Geosafe Corporation, and LANL. The technology demonstration involved the performance of two large-scale test melts. The first, referred to as the ''cold'' test, was performed on a simulated absorption bed that contained surrogate contaminants. The cold test was conducted in April 1999. The second demonstration, referred to as the ''hot'' test, took place at LANL's Material Disposal Area (MDA) V in April 2000. The hot test was conducted on a portion of an absorption bed that received radionuclide and metal-contaminated wastewater from a laundry facility and a research laboratory from the mid-1940s to the early 1960s. This ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The use of environmental monitoring as a technique to identify activities related to the nuclear fuel cycle has been proposed by international safeguards organizations. The elements specific for each kind of nuclear activity, or 'nuclear signatures', inserted in the ecosystem can be intercepted by different live organisms. This work demonstrates the technical viability of using pine needles as bioindicators of nuclear signatures associated with uranium enrichment activities. Additionally, it proposes the use of HR-ICP-MS to identify the signature corresponding to that kind of activities in the ecosystem. Nitric acid solutions, used to wash pine needles sampled near nuclear facilities and containing only 0.1 #mu#g x kg"-"1 of uranium, exhibit a n("2"3"5U)/n("2"3"8U) isotopic abundance ratio of 0.0092#+-#0.0002, while solutions originated from samples collected at places located more than 200 km far from activities related to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CNPT-3 is the laboratory designation of a strain of bacteria that reproduces best at deep-sea pressures. It was isolated from a sample collected at a 5800 m depth of the Pacific Ocean. This isolation was achieved from a sample that had been retrieved without warning. This year we demonstrated that there are similarly behaving bacteria that can be isolated from samples even when retrieved with decompression. The purpose of this project was to define the temperatures and pressures over which CNPT-3 can exist and function. (1) At 2"0C CNPT-3 is eurybathic from about 1000 to 6500 m, as judged from an only slightly pressure dependent generation time. (2) CNPT-3 is unquestionably barophilic at 2"0C, with doubling times of 9 hours at 580 bars and over 18 hours at 1 bar. (3) At 10"0C, reproduction is adversely affected at 1 bar to the extent that CNPT-3 becomes obligately barophilic at 10"0C. Yet reproduction ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuel cells based on solid oxides ('SOFC') are excellent alternative devices for power generation, when they are operated at high temperature, e.g. above 600 C. Having only fixed parts for the power generating part of the device is only one advantage of the fuel cell. Due to their unique design, these devices offer a maximum of efficiency for energy conversion compared to conventional power generating systems, which are mainly based on turbines. One aim of this thesis is the examination of alternative electrolyte and cathode materials for the SOFC applications at reduced temperatures, which means in the temperature range between 600 C and 750 C. For the first main task, several materials from the oxygen ion conducting electrolytes were selected. Different strontium and magnesium doped lanthanum gallate (LSGM) materials with additional transition metal doping were selected and prepared via two different ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samples from 314 broiler chickens at 2 months age were analyzed for blood serum level of lysozyme and 311 of them were analyzed also for activity of alternative path-way of complement activity (APCA). Chickens were hatched from eggs, irradiated immediately before incubation with different doses of gamma-rays using Rocus M device - group 1 - control (non irradiated), and groups 2, 3 and 4 - irradiated with doses of 0.15, 0.30 and 0.60 Gy, respectively. Lysozyme concentration was highest for the control group, and for the experimental ones it was lower (p<0.001) which is an indication of the strongly negative effect of gamma-rays on this indicator. For APCA the oppsite relationship was observed - increasing of its activity with increasing of irradiation dose (from p<0.05 to p<0.001) which gave reason to suggest that this phenomenon is due to the irradiation. 12 refs., 2 tabs. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Focus ion beam (FIB) technology is a commonly used tool for integrated circuit device modification, failure analysis, and a variety of other applications. However, limited reliability data of FIB altered circuit is available. This study describes the electromigration mechanism of FIB-altered Al(Cu-Si)/Ti-layered metal lines. The electromigration failures encountered resulted in Al voids at the anode end of FIB-deposited W and Al{sub 2}Cu precipitates at the cathode end. A higher frequency of Al extrusions was also observed on samples stressed at higher temperatures. These observations indicated that FIB-W was an effective blocking boundary for Al and Cu, and confirmed that Cu does electromigrate before Al. The electromigration mechanism of the FIB-altered line closely resembles the published results from two-level Al/W-line/stud interconnect studies. An activation energy of 0.66 eV, with a current exponent of 1.9 and a lognormal sigma of 0.55, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A system is claimed for multiplexing or demultiplexing pulsed laser radiation having an acousto-optical device which is electrically controlled to switch a common path of high pulse rate laser radiation between a plurality of spatially distinct paths for relatively lower pulse rate laser radiation at which the pulses are sequenced according to a predetermined time pattern. The acousto-optical element typically includes a Bragg cell which is electrically driven by a set of distinct frequencies, causing deflection of radiation passing therethrough at a predetermined set of angles whereby pulsed radiation on a single path may be distributed onto the plural separate paths or radiation on plural separate paths of time-sequenced pulses of radiation can be combined into a single path of augmented pulse rate. The control of the acousto-optical element may be provided by selectively switching the output of a plurality of fixed frequency oscillators of different frequency to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Among the items of the Sunshine Project in fiscal 1981 for development of a solvent extraction and liquefaction plant, this paper describes the achievements in developing secondary hydrogenation. A small continuous hydrogenation device equipped with three reaction columns that can be filled with catalyst of 50 cc, and a dedicated testing room were designed, and orders were placed with manufacturers. The fabrication, assembly, delivery, installation, piping and wiring were all completed. The device passed a completion inspection based on the high-pressure gas safety assurance law in December 1981. After leakage due to gas and material oil was checked, a trial operation was performed, and verified of normal operation. A screening test was carried out on three kinds of commercially available and prototype catalysts before testing the SRC containing material for studying the secondary hydrogenation. The circulating solvent having a boiling point ...